Crew 1 Year

Crew Warren, you are ONE! I can't believe it. Wasn't it just yesterday that I was 9 months pregnant, having constant contractions and being worn out to an extreme that I can't even describe. That we were waiting so impatiently for that Wednesday morning at 6 am when my c-section was scheduled. One year ago today when you came into this world so perfectly and happily that I was scared to death! I couldn't believe you weren't crying. I was freaking out and asking Eric if you were okay, because my baby boy was so content to be whispered to by his Daddy. You have changed so much since that day, and grown into such a sweet, smiley, lovey, yet stubborn little boy. You love your Mommy and Daddy so much, and always run to us with your arm wide open. You follow Gavin everywhere and want to play with every toy he has. I don't even know what to tell people who ask me what to get you for your birthday, because you only want what G has. Maybe I should just tell them all to buy Gavin a present! :) 

You are a solid rock, and always shock people with how much you weigh when they pick you up. You don't look heavy, but definitely have some meat on those bones. You clap, wave, can "click" your tongue, and love to laugh. I love teaching you something new because you are so attentive. Im blown away by how you quick you are when walking, getting into things, and even cramming things into Aunt Amy and Uncle Ryan's toilet! LOL. 

365 days of your life, and there isn't one second that I can live without. :) 

12 Month Stats: 

- Wear size 18 month onesies and 12-18 month pants. Size 5 shoes and Size 4 diapers

- Sleep 7:30 - 6:30 each night and still take 2 naps a day if we're home. 

- Just started Mother's Day Out last week for one day a week and you did so great! 

- Say "Mama" "Dada" and "Bye-Bye" and wave, clap and constantly jabber

- Have 6 teeth still

- Wrestle with your brother, but it makes me nervous bc you're still so young. But you hold your own so well so I know you will be okay. 

- Love Lion King and Mickey

- Are still rear-facing in your car seat but your feet hang off and Im going to have to switch you soon. 

- Drink only milk from sippy cups, no bottles, no formula. And eat 3 good meals a day. 

- Are obsessed with cups and always go for Gavs when he's not looking. 

Love you baby boy. Here's to 100 more years with you! 

My "Job"

I would never venture to call what I do each day, a "JOB". But in reality, that's what you could call it. My job is this face...each morning when he wakes up banging his binky on his crib, standing facing the door while I watch him on the monitor. He waits so patiently for me to come get him, then cracks the biggest smile ever when I open the door. We have snuggle time, milk, and watch cartoons first thing every morning. 

Not long after he's up, Gavin starts saying "Mommy, I wake up. I need to go potty!" And we run to his bed and get him up. Eric is so jealous on the mornings he leaves for work when Im snuggled on the couch with my 2 boys, drinking milk and watching Lion King in our pajamas. We play trains, we read books, race cars, and just about anything else a boy could want to do.

We can't have just ONE book

At some point each morning, we have to get ready and leave the house. As most of you know, Im the WORST "Stay at Home Mom" ever! I can't sit at home, because then I'll want to clean. And if I clean, I don't enjoy my babies. So we run errands, go to lunch with Grandma, go to the park or a play area, or go to a play date! Some days we have Drs appointments, or we stop by to see Nana and Papa or go have breakfast with Grandpa. 

No, I don't get paid. My kids don't care what I wear or if I shower, but for the record, I still care about both! Im just a mommy, and I can't get over how lucky I am to be "Just a Mommy." Some days it's hard to not have a career or to recognize that I don't use my degree to make money. I am such a work oriented person, who loves to use my brain. Im smart, and I am not afraid to say that. But I can't imagine spending my time anywhere else. I want to be the one to make their breakfast, read the books, teach them ABC's, put them down for their nap, teach them manners, and be there when they do their "FIRST" anything! I know everyone doesn't have that option, so I would never dare judge someone working and being a mom. Im just so happy that I get to have this job because my boys make me so happy and help me to remember that every day with them is a good one. 

Back to work I go...

One Year Pics - Crew

We took Crew's 1 year Portraits a few weeks ago, and my smiley boy didn't disappoint! :) 

Crew 11 Months

It's been ALMOST a year with you Buggy. Please don't ask where I got the nickname Buggy, because I swear I call you anything but your real name. You are just too cute not to call you a million different lovey names. You smile constantly, and all I hear from people that are around you is how happy and smiley you are. You've been busy this past month, perfecting your walking. We will actually call it speed-walking because more often than not, you get going so fast, and you take corners without any caution. It's so funny to see you go after something you love, because you turn it up to yet another speed to get to it before we can stop you or move it. You LOVE remotes, phones, and computers. They must look like a baby's dream toy because you always catch us when we leave one within reach. You even go into Grandma's room, grab her remote, then come flying around the corner with the biggest smile on your face! Its hilarious. 

At 11 Months you: 

- Wear size 12-18 month Pants and same with most shirts. 

- We are about to move to size 2T pajamas though, because you are so tall

- Wear size 5 shoes

- Walk/speedwalk everywhere

- Have 4 teeth! You have your 2 middle bottom teeth, and one top middle and top right tooth. 

- Love bathtime and crack up at Gavin the entire time! (see video) 

- Love your brother more every day. :) 

- Sleep 7:30-7 every night 

- Still take a binky, and love your blanket so much

- Take 2 naps a day or you are cranky pants

- Size 4 diapers still

- Still eat pretty much anything. You had your first spaghetti night, and it was definitely a success! 

Happy 29th to me!

For my 29th Birthday, OU planned a big football game at Cowboys stadium for me. I said it was a little over-the-top JUST FOR MY BIRTHDAY, but they really wanted to play ol' Johnny Football and show him what's up. Too bad that didn't happen, but the trip was still great! 

Dad got us tickets to the game for Christmas, and we headed down Friday together before the game that night. Even with a loss, I feel like we all made the most of the trip! It was so much fun, and as always, Jerry's World makes for a fun way to watch football. Thanks again Dad, and Happy Birthday to me. :) 

Love you Daddy! 

Saaaaaaanta! He came!

Christmas Eve, we came home from my Dad's house, and spent some quality family time watching Xmas movies with the boys. When it was time to go to bed, we put out cookies and milk for Santa. In the morning, we took our time opening gifts with the boys, and had so much fun. At first, Eric and I were a little disappointed with Gavin's reaction to his new car. But after about 2 minutes, he wouldn't get out. He refused to open his presents unless he could open them in the car. And every gift we opened, had to get all the way out of the box and be played with. Im pretty sure it took us almost 2 hours to open gifts, but it was so much fun! Crew was so exhausted, he immediately went back to sleep. This year wasn't really his year to care much about presents, but he loves to do whatever Gav does, so they just played the whole time. We took Gavin outside to ride his car, but it was sleeting and the temp was in the teens! I had bought a ski suit for him, so he was as bundled as he could be. 

We had such a wonderful family Christmas. I love my boys

Christmas with the Family - Traditions

One of our favorite parts about the last few days leading up to Christmas, is spending some major quality time with the family! This year, we had Christmas with Mom and Bill and all of us "kids", a few days before Christmas. We ate our traditional mexican dinner, and let the kids decorate cookies! They all had so much fun! When it came time to open presents, we took our time and let the kids open each of their gifts so they could play with them. Later we opened up stockings that we draw names for. It was crazy, loud, and perfect! 

Our family just keeps growing! 

These boys are my world

On Christmas eve, we headed over to Dad's to spend the afternoon with him, Renee, Bryce, and the Blackburns. The kids decorated a fun rice krispie treat train, then opened and played with gifts until they couldn't make anymore of a mess! We love our tradition of spending the day with Dad, and each year we add another kid or two, just to keep it interesting! My Dad bought us tickets for the bowl game to watch OU play, so all of us big kids were pretty excited about our gifts too! I wish I took more pics this night! :( 

Christmas afternoon, we headed to Nana and Papa's house to have dinner, and of course, open more presents for the kids! Gavin and Crew bring such big smiles to their faces, and they love being with them. They opened tons of new toys, and then we had a great Christmas dinner that Debbie made. We spent the day relaxing and playing with toys until both boys gave in and fell asleep. Gavin passed out on Papa, which has become a tradition at their house! Overall we had an awesome time with them, and the boys were, once again, spoiled beyond belief! This was our first Christmas without Grandma Rose, and we left her seat empty at the table. We talked about the fact that long after we were all finished eating, she would still be sitting at the table bc Grandma was never in a hurry. :) We all definitely miss her.

There's never enough days to celebrate Christmas with our family. This year was so much fun, and I know that each year will just keep getting better! Merry Christmas!