Pryce turns 1

One year ago today the whole family gathered around in our hospital room to welcome Pryce Lucille Bowler to the world. It was the most amazing day of my life (not counting my wedding... Love you Mert). So after an incredibly fast and furious year we would all gather once again to celebrate Prycey Lu's 1 year old birthday!!!

She had no idea why we are all singing and clapping for her, but in true Bowler fashion she embraced the attention. Meredith laid out a ridiculously tasty spread which was devoured by the end of the day.
Jackson and Colin aggressively helped Pryce open her gifts. I am not sure who was more excited. There is no stopping 2 boys in a room full of presents from completely losing their minds... and they did.

In the end Pryce was spoiled with plenty of new outfits, fun toys and endless hugs/kisses. She is still beaming from all the excitement.
It is hard to believe this tiny little baby that we delicately took home from the hospital just yesterday, is now a year old. She has replaced her coos with shouts of Momma and Dadda while scolding anyone who dares to take food away from her. Her personality is getting bigger everyday and we are so proud of her.
So here's to you Prycey Lu. You are Mommy and Daddy's pride and joy. We love you!!!

Thanks to everyone for making her first birthday one that she may never remeber, but we will never forget.

A Father's Day to Remember

Happy Father's Day... It's something I've said for years, but it's AMAZING the amount of pride it feels you with when you're on the other side. Our little boy will turn 5 in 2 weeks and our baby girl is now 9 months old, just seconds away from walking. It is truly a blessing. Of course sometimes you forget how awesome it is when you are disciplining a rowdy young boy and worrying about the safety of a little baby, but today I actually had a "moment". That's a big deal for me to say, just ask my wife. I was driving home from a quick errand and a DJ on the radio said to all the Dad's out there have a great day tomorrow... and it really hit me. I'm a FATHER! People actually say to the words "Happy Father's Day" to me. Crazy.
I work my tail off everyday to make sure we are OK and the joy sometimes gets lost. But I am Dad to these kids and the leader of this family. Right now it's mostly about playing with Jackson and changing little Pryce, but someday soon it will be much more about setting an example. I will be passing down the lessons I've learned, having those little talks that last a lifetime and setting the stage for my children's future. That is Dad's work. I have taken so much in my life from some great minds and I have been in a position to lead other people, but nothing is as important as the time I will spend with these kids and their mother.
It's fun to think that Father's Day is all about getting to do whatever you choose or getting a cool new tie (LOL)... but the reality is that it's about embracing that JOY that is so easy to overlook day to day. So "Happy Father's Day" has finally set in. Now it takes on a whole new meaning. It's not about celebrating me, it's about celebrating us, this family. That makes me the proudest Father there is... That being said, next year I am definitely going golfing. LOL!!!

Catch All... My bad!

Well I have been doing a lousy job of keeping you all updated. My apologies. Things have been CRAZY! To make up for it I am posting a 90 day update. For that I am also sorry. The good news is there is much to report. Here goes...
Since moving into our new home Pryce and Jackson have come a long way. Baby girl is now going to bed on her own withour Mommy rocking her and she does GREAT! That was a BIG step. Mert has been doing such a good job of following her instincts with the next steps for Pryce. Sadly that meant that it was time for Pryce to stop breast feeding which was torture for her Mother. I, of course, was not as emotional but tried to be there as Mert weened her off the booby. I am very proud of both of them. Pryce is getting to be a BIG girl soooo fast.

Jackson has started his athletic career with Blastball!! It is so much FUN to watch him get out there and play ball.
We practice in the back yard all the time.
If you can make it to a game we would love to have you.

We hosted our first annual Derby Party at the house and it was a HUGE hit. We had plenty of food and festivities, we played horse shoes and even bet on the race. Too bad a 12 year old kid tokk everyone's money. Little turd. It was amazing though because he won the Trifecta straight up. In other words he got 1st, 2nd and third exactly right.
I still cry myself to sleep thinking about it.
We really think this will continue after the response we got. Hope you can make it next year.

After that Mert was in her best friend's wedding. Wendy and Jessie tied the knot last weekend. Welcome to no longer having an opinion pal. LOL!!!

We had a great time despite the fact that Mother Nature treated me like a punching bag, unleashing allergy HELL all over me. She SUCKS! Regardless we managed to enjoy the evening. Mert looked beautiful next to her BIG FAT date. Whatever, don't judge.


All in all it has been an AMZING few months. I pledge to do a bettert job of blogging so that our kids can read up on what is happening in our lives as they grow up. Thanks to all for hanging in there with me. We have plenty more pics on Facebook so stop by and check them all out.
being a husband and Father is the best gift God has ever given me. I hope to keep these memories forever. More to come... stay tuned.

Better late than never...

Well it's been way too long since my last post. In the past month so much has been going on. Pryce is almost 6 months old and she is showing signs of her parents personalities. We have quickly discovered that she greatly enjoys being the center of attention. No idea where that comes from???
Meredith recently attended a baby shower and as she stood in the back Pryce cried and cried. Once she was placed in the middle of the action... BOOM, she felt right at home. Mert just laughed exclaiming that's my little girl. Of course I am nothing like that so she must get it from her Momma.
Our little girl is growing so fast it's incredible. She just coos all the time and will stop everything to watch her BIG brother. The other night we were all in his room and he started jumping on me, well that made baby sister laugh out loud over and over. She is mesmerized by Jackson. He dotes on her going through every single toy in his room to see if it will make her smile. We'll say "Jackson she's got plenty of toys", but he points his finger saying "No she doesn't, here you go baby sister" Absolutely AWESOME!
We are getting more and more settled in our new home. Thank GOD for tax returns (and family). I mean seriously. LOL! Recently my folks made a special trip to the Bowler Ranch to celebrate the births of 2 of this world's most wonderful people... Meredith and yours truly. It was an amazing day. We had been bombarded with foul weather for weeks, but the sky opened up and we were able to cook out (on our new grill from Papaw and Nanna), play tee-ball with Jackson, smother Pryce with kisses and just hang out like a family. Mom and Mel stocked our fridge while Dad and Kelley surprised us with a beautiful new patio set. Incredible. Then we all gathered around for some cake and a few laughs. I told Mert she was riding my birthday coat-tails, but really we were both reaping the rewards of the grandparents needing to spend some time with the kids... I'll take it!
I am excited to say I have started my new job selling advertising and it is going GREAT! My new boss gave me a public pat on the back while telling my peers that I had turned in the best first week stats she has ever seen. Flattering, but mostly it just added more pressure. I'm excited though. Finally I can get out of my work exactly what I put into it. SWEEEEEET!!!
It has been a rocky few weeks with all of us transitioning, but these are the things that make a family stronger...or it will just drive us to drink. Either way our kids will need therapy, and isn't that what it's all about. Stay tuned. More to come from the Bowler's.

Home is definitely where the Heart is...

Well after months of searching, then more time closing and finally more time renovating I am proud to say we are settling in to our first Bowler family house. We have made a home everywhere we have been, but this is much different. We are finally property owners. I know, I know we're getting all growed up right before your eyes.
It's amazing what marriage and kids do to you. I was comparing myself to the "Family Man" earlier this week. My entire life was solely dedicated to advancing my career and being a "huge success", but I had no idea what I was missing.
While I still want those things, it is no longer what gets me up in the morning.
Now I want to jump out of bed to provide for my family rather than impress corporate. Now I want to spend my weekends finding fun for the kids instead of counting down to Monday. It's been a complete 180 over the past few years, and here we are... settled and very happy.
I heard a saying that "you spend your life thinking about what you want to do until you reach that moment when you discover what you are meant to do".
Standing beside Meredith, raising Jackson and Pryce, enjoying our new home and taking on whatever comes next solidifies that sentiment for me.

The Top 9 of 09

2009 is now behind us and overall it was one of the best year's of our lives. Sure there were challenges and frustrations, but I want to look at the bright side. So here is a 'Best Of" wrap-up...

#9. Jackson going to Pre-K at the Little People's School

It was a Big day when he loaded his back-pack uo for the first time and made his way to class. Of course it took Meredith about a month before she would let him go in by himself, but that's what Mommas do. He has loved every minute of it asking us each night if he gets to go to school the next day. It's awesome to see him get excited about it.
#8. Being nominated for an Emmy Award
Not only was it awesome to be honored with a nod for my work, but it was a rare chance for Mert and I to get away for an evening to ourselves. We had a blast. Sadly we did not bring home the hardware, but we'll try again next year.
#7. Meredith becomes a full time stay at home Mom.
We worked very hard to make sure we would be able to give our kids the experience of having Mom at home with them while they grow up. It was a huge leap of faith, but after all of our prayer and worry we embraced the fact that the good Lord will always take care of us. There may be obstacles and stress along the way, but he will provide. This is one of those things that we agree is so important for the kids in their early years. I remember we made the decision to just go for it on the way to visit my grandmother before she passed. It was a call that neither one of us regret.
#6. Preparing for the birth of our new addition


What a year. Just weeks after our wedding we discovered we were expecting. Were we shocked? Uh... yeah, but we were thrilled at the same time. Little did I know the adventure that it would create just preparing for her arrival. So many ups and downs filled with the perfect blend of worry and joy. I'll never forget the day we found out we were getting a little girl... I thought "Wow, that's GOD's sense of humor". Of course that was only the half-way point there was much more to come. The entire 9 months are safely embedded in my memory. A wonderful time I will not soon forget.
#5. Jackson experiences his very first Ranger game
This was one of our best Father/Son days. Jackson and I loaded up for a road trip to Ft. Worth where we met up with Pap'pa for a day at the Ballpark. Then Jackson was treated to all of Pap'pa's spoils including nachos, peanuts, soda and more. We all sat back and enjoyed the game (well, Jackson was a little more interested in the planes over head)and we plan on making it an annual event. AWESOME!
#4. Our first holidays as a foursome

After a long year waiting for Pryce to get here we finally got to reap the rewards as a group during the holidays. We traveled and shared laughs with our entire extended families and shared time with each other that will always be special. Oh and to top it off we had a White Christmas. It was perfect.
#3. Celebrating our one year anniversary
No one can say Mert and I do anything halfway so we applied that attitude to our BIG day. It seemed like so much was packed into our first year of marriage that we had earned it. So we dropped off the kids with Grammie and Grampie and treated ourselves to a magical night at the W in Dallas. We wined and dined one another and spent the evening relaxing. It made it easy to remember why we fell in love in the first place.
#2. We purchased our first family home.
There are many days that are special to me, but this was the proudest I have ever been. It was knowing that we were doing something so monumental for our present and our future as a family. It was a long process packed with stress, but it was worth every minute. We were all together for the closing and we immediately made our way to our new digs afterwards. What a GREAT day!
#1. The birth of our beautiful baby girl Pryce.

The largest blessing of all this year happened September 12th when our daughter finally arrived. We spent months talking to her and imagining what she would be like, but we had no idea.
Our precious Pryce has changed my perspective on just about everything. Her little smile fills my heart and I think she is just as adorable when she is crying. It's probably true that Pryce will have her Daddy wrapped around her little finger. What can I say?

So there it is the Top 9 if '09 for the Bowler clan. We had an amazing year1 We only hope that 2010 brings a little more excitement, I mean really we get bored so easy. Just kidding... we could really use a break, but we're not counting on it. there's always something on the horizon for this family so stay tuned. Same bat time, same bat channel.

The Holiday Hat Trick

We are so excited to be celebrating our first christmas together with Pryce. Time is just flying by it seems like. So we are desperately trying to saok in these moments. Last weekend we took the trip to the sticks to celebrate our first round of Christmas with Grammie and Grampie. It was a fantastic time.

We had a house full and the gifts were a plenty. We began by letting the kids tear through their gifts which took no time at all. Of course Jackson had to be in the center of it all practically opening everyone's gifts before they even started. Grampie handled it like a pro. Then we had a White elephant exchange for the adults. So much fun. appropriately enough Meredith ended up getting 2 gifts since the one I selected just happened to be a bag full of girl crap. It's like a metaphor for marriage. What's mine is ours and what's ours is hers. LOL!!! Jackson and Pryce were doted on the entire time by their grandparents and as usual cried when we left. Nice.

Today Mert spent the day cooking with Pryce while Jackson and I went on a Daddy Day Out. We went to work for a little whie, got haircuts and then saw Alvin and the Chipmunks. It's a day he may not remember, but I will never forget. We have become quite a pair.
Now we are on to round 2 with the Trawicks. That means lots of treats, eats, laughs and loud voices. We are a vocal bunch. We are making a schedule change and letting the kids open their gifts tonight (Christmas Eve), but the grown-ups (a term used loosely) will wait until tomorrow morning. Oh and the best part... we may have a white Christmas. That would be AMAZING!
Then we set-up for round 3 with Dad, Kelley, Matt, Nikki, Brooke, Josh, Amy, Brianne and Lucy. We have a few great gifts for those festivities as well. I guarantee Dad cries.

As we get closer to wrapping up 2009 I have to say it was the toughest and most rewarding year of my life. I can't wait to look back on it years from now and remind the kids with this story just how special this time of year can be.