Christmas Activities 12/14/07

I am going to try to catch up on the last few weekend adventures. The first weekend in December we drove to Austin for N's company Christmas party. We all had fun with MeMe. We also got to see the Capitol tree lighting ceremony with a good friend and her sweet kids. Here are a few pics:



We drove home Saturday night and an old high school/college buddy of mine was in town, so they came over for lunch on Sunday. They have a son and daughter about the same age as Sweet Pea and Bear. Sweet Pea couldn't get enough of AM. As we ate lunch she covered little AM with every blanket she could find (but, thankfully she left her sweet face uncovered). She also had fun with C - they were the blanket monsters.




Then, last weekend MeMe was in town to celebrate Pappy's birthday, so we took the opportunity to take a trip to 6 Flags. Sweet Pea had fun, but the highlight of her night (and week) was when MeMe and I won a Dora doll for her. I honestly haven't seen her that happy about anything since her baby doll, I mean baby brother was born! Here are a few pics from the night:

A Great Day in Aggieland and Thanksgiving 11-26-07

Sweet Pea had been talking about the Aggie game for weeks, but when it was finally time for kick off, I looked down the row and there she was, fast asleep on Aunt Kiki's lap. And I don't think she woke up until 3 minutes before half. Boy did she miss some great football. The Aggies were ON FIRE! After a disappointing season they really finished it off with a bang. But she did wake up in time to see the Fghtin' Texas Aggie Band and the second half shoot-out. In case you missed it, the Aggies beat the #13 Longhorns 38 - 30! Gig 'Em!

Here are a few pictures from the A&M/Tx game (Bear was there before the game, but I didn't find my camera until about halftime)...

Home of the 12th Man - picture of the student section:

Aggie Band:

Sweet Pea enjoying the game

Time to get the hat on, it's getting cold!

29 seconds to go...

Celebration!


Here's Bear on his first Thanksgiving -




And here are just some pictures of Bear - he is 7 months old. Is it just me or is he adorable?

Bear's 6 Month Pictures 11-14-07

November 14
Bear's 6 Month Pictures

I finally took Bear to get his 6 month pictures...

More Halloween and Family Pics 11-08-07

Here are a couple of pictures from Costume Day at Sweet Pea's school. I forgot my camera so another mother took pictures for me! Some mothers are so prepared!



And last weekend my sister-in-law got married! She was a beautiful bride! And the wedding was fabulous (my mother-in-law is really good at that kind of stuff). Here are some pictures. I had to include pictures of J because she was so beautiful! And I should mention that Sweet Pea danced all night long. She was still on the dance floor as the DJ was packing up.

Halloween 11-01-07

Halloween night started off with a bang. As I was cooking dinner, holding Bear and talking on the phone to a friend, Sweet Pea got quiet all of a sudden. So, I started to look around for her and when I found her, this is what I saw:



In the next couple of hours we tried on a hundred different pairs of shoes, screamed and got sent to time out, and even "gently placed" a big sitting toy on our brother (it covered his body with the top of it jammed in his mouth). We were off to a good start!
After dinner, we got dressed and handed out candy to the trick or treaters. Sweet Pea had fun putting candy in all of the kids' bags:


Once we were dressed, we left to go trick or treating. Here are the kids as we trick or treated:


Once we started, Sweet Pea was so excited and had so much fun. She was skipping, singing and telling Nana how much she loved her. She loved to see all of the people and their dogs of course. I wasn't too excited about Trick or Treating this year. I didn't really like the idea of her asking for candy. But, I don't think she really cared about getting candy (she hasn't asked about it once), she just loved being with family and playing dress up and seeing all of the people. She would stop every once in a while and give some of her candy to J and Nana. All in all it was great night. Both kids were exhausted when we got home! In the spirit of Halloween, I have to post one "freaky" picture. Here's the Bear cub and his daddy. They are making the exact same face, but in different directions. Don't they look just alike?

Here are some more pictures from the night:


And from the other night at the Pumpkin Patch:

6 Months 10-29

October 29
6 Months!
Bear is now one half of a year old. He is progressing as he should be and he is so much fun. He gets excited to see us, smiles at everyone and he even laughs at my jokes (I know that won't last long). He really is a good baby. He sleeps through the night - usually 11 or 12 hours. In case anyone was ever worried that he wasn't getting enough to eat, I'll have you know that he is over 28 inches long and over 18 pounds (95th and 75th percentiles, respectively)! And that's all from milk and an occasional bowl of rice cereal (he started eating cereal within the last month). He just started eating vegetables yesterday - you'll see how much he likes peas by the picture. He is sitting up and scooting all over the place. We had a mother/son weekend when Sweet Pea went to the Aggie game with Daddy. N and I both enjoyed the one on one time with our little munchkins. (Sweet Pea had a blast with Aunt K and cousin DD) Oh, and Sweet Pea had M&M's, Popcorn and goldfish for dinner, she didn't take a bath or brush her teeth, and she wore her PJ's home from College Station. Just another fun weekend with Daddy!

And I have to mention that Sweet Pea is growing up, too. She seems to learn a million new things a day. She has a very sweet heart and I know she tries to be good :-). I wish I had her energy! And she is still loving on her "liddle brodder" and he loves every minute of it.

Trip to Michigan/Auntie and Uncle's 50th Anniversary Party 10-26

We just spent a week in the UP of Michigan with my mom's sister. We made the trip for my Auntie and Uncle's 50th Wedding Anniversary party. Their six daughters planned the party and I have to say it was amazing! They really know how to party up there! Our last trip was two years ago when Sweet Pea was just an infant. I can't even tell you how special it was to go up there now that she can interact and play with everyone. It was so fun to see her playing with her cousins (six of my cousins were there, sixteen of their kids and six of thier kids' kids) - she loved to tell me "That's my cousin" in her southern draw. There are so many kids up there, I was thinking it might be a little overwhelming. But they are all so loving and fun that Sweet Pea warmed up to them right away. She was in the middle of the action most of the time (which is unlike me as a child, apparently I was always hiding behind my mother's skirt). She was on the dance floor all night! Seriously from the time the band started until they stopped 3 or so hours later. And there was always someone there to love on her. She met my mom's other sister and brother for the first time. It was very special to see her with my mom's side of the family. I could tell she really loved my Aunties. One special memory I have of the trip was at the party, Sweet Pea was getting really tired and she started asking for "Gramma" (which is what she calls my Auntie). She finally found her and climbed up in her lap and just snuggled up to her. It gave me a slight glimpse of how she would've have been with my mom.

I guess I should add that Bear had his share of attention, too. It was so nice to have someone there who wanted to hold him all of the time.

Anyways, I have posted pictures from the trip. One of the pictures is Sweet Pea standing in front of the house my mom grew up in. I was very excited about that picture.

Pumpkin Patch 10-24-07

Two weeks ago we visited the local Pumpkin Patch to pick out our family pumpkin. Sweet Pea had fun running around the maze of hay bales and she loved the mini pumkpkins. I have posted pictures in an album to the right.

Fire Fighter Day at School 10-10

Here are a couple of pictures of Sweet Pea from Tuesday. She runs around the house with her hat on saying, "I'm Fire Fighter Sweet Pea". Oh, and when I was talking to her about Fire Fighters and how they come to protect you, she said, "But, you protect me, Mommy". Another one of those great mommy moments.

The Whirlwind has calmed... 10-06

While I am sad that all of the action is over, it's kinda nice to sit and be still for a minute(and I mean a minute, I have a group project due tomorrow). Since I have a brief moment, I thought I would try to catch up on the kids' latest adventures. Last Thursday my old friend (by old, I mean we've been friends since 8th grade, she's not actually old), Rachel came to town for a quick visit. We ventured to First Monday with Sweet Pea on Friday, but couldn't stay long because we had to get back for Bear's Dr appt (he had a mean cough but the dr says he just has allergies - that darn Texas ragweed). We didn't even buy much, but it was fun to spend time with Rachel - you know what they say - "Old friends are the best friends".

That night MeMe and her friend came over and we all had dinner and played with the kiddos until bedtime. Then, Nyles and I were up past midnight packing for our FL vacation which was to begin the next day. Of course, we couldn't just wake up and go to the airport, that would be too easy. Instead, we woke up before dawn and all of us girls went to Grapevine and walked in the DFW Walk for the Whisper. It's an annual 5K fun run benefitting the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition. I have participated in it since the first one, which happened to be in 2002, the September after my mom went to heaven (after battling Ovarian Cancer). It's become a special tradition. Anyways, team Joggin' for Ginger had 25 people this year and over $1300 in donations. It turned out to be a beautiful day for the walk. I'll post pictures soon.

As soon as we crossed the finish line, we took a few pictures and then we dashed off to the airport. We made it just in time for our flight - Thanks Rachel, I couldn't have done it without you! The vacation was wonderful - I'll post pics soon, I think they'll speak for themselves. The only challenge was controlling our feisty 2 year-old. All of sudden she turned into a crazy girl. I almost forgot about the sweet little angel I had known for the previous 2 and half years. Luckily I talked to my sister on the way home and she commented on how sweet and well behaved Sweet Pea is - Thanks Sis, I really needed to hear that! Don't get me wrong, she (we all) had a fabulous time, but she was definitely testing us. It was Bear's first airplane ride and he did great. He had fun at the beach, too. But, I think he took advantage of the fact that we didn't bring any "sitting" toys. He had to be held a majority of the time. Of course, I never complain about snuggle time with my Bear.

Lil Bears 4-Month Pictures 9-20

Well, it's official. I am obsessed with my kids. I have posted Bear's 4-month pictures in an album on the right. I went to the photography studio expecting to get a sheet or two, just to remember how he looked at 4 months, and I didn't leave until I had ordered 35 sheets. I am sorry, but you can't put a picture of my adorable (yes, I am probably biased) son in front of me and expect me not to buy it. The first picture the lady showed me literally brought me to tears (it's not one of the pics I scanned - the one I ordered is too big for my scanner :-))

Did I mention that I LOVE MY KIDS?

Aggie Game 9-10

Here are some pictures from the Aggie Football game last weekend. SP was so excited to see the Aggies play football. She is already asking to go to another game. She even wants a helmet like her cousin's. I wonder who she gets that from :-)?!?

First Day of School 9-06-07

Today was the big day! I have been looking forward to Sweet Pea's first day of school since we signed her up in April. I was excited for her to learn, play and to get to interact with other kids in a structured setting. I couldn't understand why her daddy was so nervous about it. I mean she would only be gone for several hours, two days a week. And it would be so good for her. And then... it all hit me at once last night. My little baby is growing up. She'd be in a foreign environment with people she didn't really know and we wouldn't be there to comfort her. I started freaking out. I was up most of the night with tears in my eyes just thinking about it. I tried to keep myself busy this morning, making her breakfast (just a waffle, I'm no chef), making her lunch and packing her bag(putting her name on EVERYTHING). When I said goodbye to her, I felt like she was leaving for college. I started counting the minutes until I could pick her up.

Well, she did great! Her daddy took her this morning and she was so excited in the car. She told him, "I love my teachers". She has the sweetest little heart. When I picked her up, her teacher said she was the last one sleeping. I looked in the classroom, and there she was on her new nap mat, asleep, while the other kids were running around playing! That's my girl! So, needless to say, she didn't have any trouble at nap time. Once we left the classroom area, I asked her what she did at school and she said, "I ate lunch". Is this my daughter, or what? She was carrying her sunshine face that she made out of paper plates and she told me, "I made this for Bubba". Then when she talked to her daddy on the phone (did I mention he called me 8 times while she was in school?) she told him, "I slept on my new nap mat". I can't tell you how happy I am that she is enjoying it. I know it's good for her, but it makes me feel so much better about it that she is having fun. I have attached some before (with bow) and after (without bow) pictures.

I am so proud of my baby. I thank the Lord for my precious blessings. And I am honored to be the one they call "Mommy".

Growing Up and Funny Story 9-04

Well, it's official, our kids are growing up. We took Sweet Pea to "meet the teachers" today. The teachers seem so sweet and they are great with kids. Sweet Pea did great in Sunday School on Sunday (she ran up to me after church and said, "I went to Sunday School and I didn't cry, Mommy, so Daddy is going to get me a present"). She was so proud of herself. She also had fun in the classroom this morning, so I think we are off to a good start. Oh, and last night when we told her we were going to school to meet her teachers she said, "But, what are their names, Mommy?" I thought we were going to pass out. I know it doesn't sound like much, but she is only 2 (and 5 months), and she was geniunely interested in what their names were. I just put her down for her nap on a "nap mat" to get her ready for naps at school. She did great and she loved laying on a mat on the floor!

And we finally moved Bear to his crib. He has been doing great and I can't tell you how great WE are doing with a little extra sleep. I am not sure if it was on purpose (on Daddy's part), but we happen to move him out of our room just in time for football season! We actually were able to watch the end of the Clemson/FSU game last night - with sound! Anyways, Bear is a great baby.

So, I have a funny story, too. I'll try to keep it clean since this is a family friendly blog...
The other day I was changing Bear's diaper on our bed and Sweet Pea climbed up on the bed too. She hasn't paid much attention to his boy parts, so I haven't had any reason to worry about her seeing him without a diaper. Anyways, she climbed up right next to him, took one look at his peepee and said, "It's a turtle, Mommy, it's a turtle". I tried so hard not to laugh, but that meant I couldn't respond to her comment so, I guess she thought I didn't hear her. So, she repeated it, "It's a turtle, Mommy, it's a turtle". I lauged (inside, of course) so hard!! I love having kids :)!

A Little Behind 8-28-07

It's been a while since I have posted - I am not sure what I was thinking when I decided to post every week. Did I forget I have two small children?

The kids have been keeping us busy, with tea parties, all nighters (my boy can eat), gymnastics, walks with babies, 4-month appointments, concerts (Sweet Pea, the solo two year-old wonder), starting cereal, the final steps of potty training, etc. But to add to that, I just started school and soccer again after a baby hiatus, just as my work schedule shifted into overdrive. Luckily I have the best husband and the kids have the best daddy in the world (I am open to debates on the subject, but I like my chances :-)).

We have been having a great time. I finally put Bear's bed together, with the help of my gracious sister-in-law. I feel better now that he has a place of his own, even if he has to share his room with my computer desk. Now, I just have to convince his daddy that we NEED to paint and decorate his room, even though we will be moving out in less than a year. It just isn't right that he won't have pictures of his nursery (I know, I know, boys don't care, but I have this need to keep things equal)! Bear also just had his 4 month appt and it went great! He weighs 16.5 lbs (80th%) and is 26.5 inches (95th%) long! He's rolling over both ways and eating cereal. Wow, next thing you know we'll be waltzing to "It's a Wonderful World" at his wedding! Speaking of weddings, Sweet Pea is already trying on veils. Hopefully her daddy won't have a heart attack when he sees those pictures. It's bad enough that I may have to sneak her out of the house next week when she starts school (MDO). He gets real jittery and starts sweating every time we talk about it. She is definitely Daddy's Girl.

Anyways, of course I have some cute pictures to share:

New Pictures 8/12/07

Well, I have finally added new pictures. We haven't been up to much lately, but the kiddos sure have been having fun.

In one of the pictures, Sweet Pea is sitting on my bathroom sink next to Bear in his Bumbo, both in sunglasses of course, while I fix my hair. Daddy thought that was pretty funny, so he took a picture. Another picture is of one morning when Bear was sitting in his bumbo in the living room and Sweet Pea pulled up his bouncy seat and sat next to him so she could hold his hand. It was the sweetest thing - we didn't have the heart to tell her she is too big for his seat. The "Rock Star" picture is from the other day when Sweet Pea was putting on a concert for me and Bear with a flashlight as her microphone. The singing and dancing wasn't enough - she had to dress the part too, by putting on sunglasses and Bear's shirt, backwards! She is quite the entertainer. She actually started her concert when Garth Brooks was on Oprah and she decided to sing along. She just happened to be playing with a flashlight at the time. I really think these are the moments that I will remember forever. I also got a couple of quick video clips I will try to post. We ended up going to a concert by the lake later that night and she had a blast singing and dancing along. And Bear had fun sitting with his Nana while enjoying the tunes.

I am having a blast with these two. There never seems to be a dull moment.

Hope you enjoy the pics!

These videos are funny...

http://www.myabcadventure.com/index.htm?movieid=45A6D588-CE70-43E7-8BB0-BEFA35DAC860

http://www.myabcadventure.com/index.htm?Detid=367683-1H8U4K6J3N4H6S7

The Next Tiger Woods and Giggle Baby 7-28-07

Here's a video of the next Tiger Woods...
(click on the arrow to view it)


And here's a video of our little giggle baby...
(I told you he's a happy baby!)

Fun Week and My Baby is 3 Months Old! 7-23-07

Even though it's been exhausting, it has been a great week!

It started last Saturday morning with pictures at Nana and Pop's house with all of Nyle's family - that is 9 adults and 8 kids (8 and under). My sister-in-law from California was here for several weeks with her husband and three terrific boys. The photo session went pretty well and the pictures turned out great. But the best part was to have everyone together again (it only happens once a year, at most). After posing for a million pictures, we went swimming with the kids.

Last Saturday we also celebrated MeMe's birthday. Of course Sweet Pea had a blast with MeMe and Pappy. And we even got a picture of MeMe with an Aggie hat on, giving the Gig 'Em sign! I'll try to post that one! I should send it out with my Christmas cards, huh? :-)

Then, during the week we got to hang out with the cousins a few times - Sweet Pea and J went to 'nastics together(so fun), all of the boys and Sweet Pea went to Chuck E Cheese one night and ALL of the cousins, even Bubba Bear, went to the Waterpark on Friday. We had to say good-bye to the California cousins on Saturday:-(. I never realized how much I missed out on by not growing up around my cousins. I am so glad Sweet Pea and Bubba Bear will grow up around some of their cousins and I wish ALL of them lived close. The three California boys are sooo amazing - it's been so fun to watch them grow up from visit to visit. This latest visit made for some good pictures and great memories.

And Bubba Bear is officially three months old today! He is getting his bottom two front teeth, but other than that he is very happy. I can't get over how much he smiles, laughs and talks.

Oh, I forgot, Sweet Pea just finished her 2 week swim lessons class.

I'll post pics of all of the adventures, soon.

Addicted to MySpace 7-18-07

I was looking for an old friend a couple of weeks ago and could only find her through MySpace. In order to send her a message, I had to create an "account". Well, that was two weeks ago and I have to admit I am now addicted. I have actually been in contact with 3 old friends from Middle School. So fun! I decided to post the slide show I made for it to this blog. It's just pictures of the kiddos, but I thought it was neat.

Bubba Bear is screaming, so I must go tend to him. He must be mad about something!

Leftwich Family Reunion 7-11-07

This past weekend was the annual Leftwich Family Reunion in Hughes Springs, Texas. Sweet Pea got to play with a lot of her cousins (there are 15 in her generation and 12 of them were at the reunion), aunts, uncles, grandparents and great-grandparents. Bubba Bear also made his Leftwich Reunion debut. I have some great pictures of him with his great-grandfather and great-grandmother - priceless. We also have a picture of 4 generations of Leftwich men. (all of the pictures are in the "Fun Pictures" album)

New Pictures and 4th of July

I finally picked up BB's 2 month pictures - And I must say he is very handsome. It's crazy how fast he has grown. He looks completely different than he did in his 3 week pictures. I'll post both so you can see how he's changed. He is still waking up 2-3 times every night to eat, but I can't complain because he is healthy and happy. What a blessing he has been to our family. Sweet Pea is still IN LOVE with him. Now she is saying, "I love my brother soooo much". If you can just imagine her little chipmunk voice - it's so sweet.

July 4th
For the 4th, we went to Nana and Poppy's and spent the day with ALL of the cousins! It was so much fun. The kids swam, played with fireworks and ran around all day. I was so proud of SP for holding Sparklers and asking for more even before the last one was done. It is so great to see SP and BB with their cousins (and aunts, uncles and grandparents). They all have such great (and very different) personalities and they have so much fun together. I love that SP and BB will get to see them so often as they grow up. I know they will add so much to thier lives. Of course it's always fun for me to get to hang out with the in-laws, too.

And most importantly, we celebrated our independence. What a wonderful country we live in. And especially in a time of war, it's important to be thankful for the men and women who have fought and those who continue to fight for our freedom! God Bless them and God Bless America.

Fun With Cousins

We spent the weekend in Ft Worth with Uncle E, Aunt Kiki and DD and AG. We enjoyed the visit and Sweet Pea had a great time with her cousins (Bubba Bear did too, he smiles at his cousins when they talk to him!). She was exhausted when we got home today! And I really enjoyed hanging out with my sister-in-law. I don't know what I would do without her! She's such a great friend and I've enjoyed getting to know her over the years. I can't wait to continue to share our lives together.

I have attached videos of SP and DD spinning and AG beginning to walk!

Celebrations and Remembrance 6-25-07

Well, it's been an eventful weekend.

We started the weekend off by celebrating Sweet Pea's big step! Pappy, JuJu and cousin L joined us at Chuck E. Cheese and we had a lot of fun! And Sweet Pea continues to do great in her potty training. YEA!

On Saturday we marked Bubba Bear's 2 month birthday by getting pictures taken (can we call that celebrating?). He did pretty well. I can't believe it's already been 2 months. He is becoming such a sweet baby. He coos, smiles and even giggles a little when you talk sweet to him (or when Pappy rubs his head ). He is also growing like crazy. We had his 2 month check-up today and he's grown 4 inches and gained 6 lbs in 2 months! He is definitely his father's son! Now we know why he wakes up every 2-3 hours at night - HE'S HUNGRY! I never knew how proud I'd be of my son's growth. I am really looking forward to watching him continue to grow.

On Sunday, we went to Duncanville to celebrate and remember my mom (it was the five year anniversary of her homecoming). We (me, Nyle, the kids, MeMe and Pappy) celebrated her life and my parent's anniversary(35 years) by swimming, cooking out, and eating sno cones - all of which she loved to do. We also visited her gravesite to bring flowers and to reminisce. It's always nice to get together and do something in her honor, but not a day, or hour for that matter, goes by that I don't think of her and selfishly wish she was here. I know she's in paradise and no longer sick, but I also know that these grandkids would have brought her unbelievable joy. And I know God sent us these angels to lessen the sadness about the angel he took. (He gives and takes away) I am so thankful for the 26 wonderful years I had to share with my mom. She taught me so much. But most importantly, she taught me about the Lord and how to be a wonderful mom (I hope I can be half as good as she was). Thank you Mom! I love you and miss you!

Sweet Pea Did It! I Know My Mom is Proud!

We have a big announcement to make... Sweet Pea went #2 in the potty! YEA! She's been going #1 for months now, actually 6-8 times a day this week, but she finally got over the #2 hurdle. We are all very excited and proud. She isn't completely potty trained, but I think we are very close. We are going to celebrate at Chuck E Cheese tomorrow.

When she did it, my first instinct was to call my mom and tell her the good news. Yes, after five years I still think of my mom first when something special (or sad) happens to me and my family. The good news is - she already knew. I know my mom is looking down on us and is so proud of Sweet Pea and Bubba. I can't even imagine how excited she is to know that her first granddaughter is named after her. We tell Sweet Pea about "Gigi" and show her pictures. The other day I was explaining that Jesus is in heaven and I said "Gigi is in heaven with Jesus". Sweet Pea said, "I love Gigi". It doesn't get any sweeter than that.

The other good news is - I have a sister who understands and is willing to listen. She was excited about the big news tonight!

First Try 6-19-07

Thought I would try to keep up with a blog so I can stop bombarding our friends and family with pictures through email! And maybe I can keep track of what is going on with the little munchkins at the same time. I know I'll regret it if I don't.

Sweet Pea is already 2 - I don't know where the time has gone! And Bubba is 8 weeks - wow, how time flies. Maybe if I keep up with milestones here I can preserve the special memories.