Thanksgiving Dance Grooves!

Gage and his cousin Max break it down on Thanksgiving day at Momo and Popo's house. The video is sideways, but I still think you will get a good laugh! Enjoy - I do every day with this dance machine!

I've been tagged!

I've been tagged by my friend Allison! (http://www.livelaughlovefortoday.blogspot.com/)

The instructions:

1. Go to the place where you store all of your pictures on your computer and open the 4th folder.
2. Open the 4th picture.
3. Post the picture and provide an explanation about that picture.
4. Tag 4 people to do the same.

My 4th folder is labeled "Joely Reese" and includes my favorite pictures of my cute little niece. In this picture I am snuggling with this sweet little girl at my parents house. Joely is probably around 3 months old in this picture. There is nothing better than holding a baby close and taking in the smell of such a sweet thing. I just love her! And I'm glad I could share a picture with you!

I tag:

1. My cousin, Megan - http://busygirl.tumblr.com/

2. My cousin, Jill - http://jill-lifesjourneywithcolin.blogspot.com/

3. One of my best friends, Julie - http://journeysbyjulie.blogspot.com/ (maybe this will motivate her to post something new too!)

4. My good friend and fellow Coaches Wife, Laura - http://onyourmarkgetsetwhoa.blogspot.com/

Picture Recap

Since I am so behind, I am posting a picture recap from the past couple of months. I'll post more later!

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My little handsome man on Thanksgiving Day!

Thanks Dad for sitting with me at the lil' people table. This turkey is yummy!

The Grandparents at the "Adult" table!

The BIG "kids" table!

Sweet Joely! Such the big helper. Gage decided to sort the laundry for us - and then got caught in Daddy's sleeve! Happy Halloween! This is the cutest little skunk I have ever seen. How about you? The last picture sums up the end of the night of trick-or-treating and then a football game! The kids had a fun time and Ava made sure that Gage was okay. Such the little princess she is! Eric and I attended a very FUN Halloween Party. Don't we look fabulous in our 80's workout gear!? Thanks Landon and Holly for such a fun time!

The Pumpkin Patch adventure with Auntie Jen, Cousin Joely, and Grandma! Auntie Jen's Birthday Dinner. Isn't little Joely so cute?! I just love her!
Gage's first taste of Ravioli! What a mess!

Cousin Erin's 14th Birthday Dinner at Red Lobster. Gage loved the lobsters!

The Love(s) of My Life...

Oh how I love them...

Things as of late...

Where has the time gone? I'm not sure where to even begin! My weekly blogging fell off of the to-do list the past couple of months, but I vow to do better and get back on track! I've disappointed a few blogging fans - I do apologize! We have been very busy. We are always on the Go! Go! Go! between our busy schedules and chasing a very active 15 month old!


Football season just came to an end. The Redhawks missed the playoffs by one game so we were very disappointed. Eric's goal for the year was to make the playoffs so he was bummed and has officially "banned" watching any High School playoff games until HIS team makes them. We will see if he can make it - I have a feeling he will be getting the itch to catch a game at Texas Stadium over the holidays! He is actually working "normal" hours until the first of January (Baseball Season) so it will be nice to have him home more.

I took a new position at work and am now working more in the office (vs. at home) and traveling some. I'm excited for the opportunity, but have been feeling a little guilty that I am not home as much anymore. I'm trying to find my work - life balance with this new position and still adjusting to the "in-office" atmosphere. I have a great staff so that makes it fun! I recently had Lasik done and am excited to report that I no longer have headaches from staring at my computer all day and can see very well! I definitely recommend it, although it was kind of a weird experience.

Gage is still cute as ever and so much fun. He is becoming very ornery and is into everything! He is so curious and intelligent. We are so thankful that we have family to watch him and love him while we are at work. He suffered his first ear infection last week and it just broke my heart! He is back to himself now!

We do our best to spend time with our family and friends as often as we can and have had many get togethers in the past couple of months. Baby showers, birthday parties, football gatherings, dinner dates, road trips with the kiddo's, bowling...always a fun time! We swore to never be "that couple" that gave up their social life because of children and I think we have done a good job of staying social. We just love our family and friends. They are the best in this world! That's a small recap of our "happenings." Hope everyone is doing well!

Too funny!

I think I might send this one to Funniest Home Videos. Be sure to watch it to the very end - and don't worry - he got right back up to do it again! Didn't even shed a tear!

1 Year Stats

I'm finally getting around to posting our little man's 1 year stats! Have I ever mentioned that it's nearly impossible to reschedule a "check up" with a Pediatrician? You have to schedule these appointments months in advance and if something comes up, well...you are just out of luck! You might be lucky to get the "1 year check up" on your child's 2nd Birthday! Anyway, something came up with work and I had to reschedule. We finally made it in to see Dr. G - at almost 13 months!

I am proud to post that we have one very healthy little boy! Dr. G gave him another A+ on his "report card." Stats are as follows:

Weight: 23 pounds (50-75%)
Height: 31.8 (97%)
Head Circumference: 19.3 (100%)
Development: A+

Each appointment gets a littler harder as Gage starts to realize that someone is going to poke and prod him. Poor Lauren, Nurse, and our friend from church, always has immunization "duty" and has to endure those sad big brown eyes and short screams. Thank goodness it doesn't last long! Those tears just crush my heart (and Lauren's too!)

It's amazing how smart a one year old really is. Gage never ceases to amaze me! He picks up on things so quickly and loves to copy Mommy and Daddy. He knows how to change the TV channel with the remote and holds our cell phones up to his ear to talk. So funny!

He LOVES to read books and can point out each character or animal in the book. He likes to pull every book out of his collection and turn through all of the pages saying "Ooh, Ooh!" Each night before bed we pick out a few books to read and enjoy every minute of this time as a family. His favorite book right now is, "Where's Spot?" He likes to open the "flaps" to find Spot the dog. Pop-up books are a big hit right now!

Most hours of the day, Gage is holding a ball (think it's in the gene's?) And this kid has an arm! I'm predicting future quarterback or pitcher. We love playing ball with him. He gets so excited when we play "catch" and laughs at Mommy when she says "set hut!" He must know that Mommy stinks at playing football!

Gage is VERY receptive and vocal when he wants to be. I've taught him a few signs and he has picked up on that very quickly. He does say a few words such as Dada, More, Wow, and occasionally Mama, however not as much as Mama thinks he should say this word. When you ask him to say Mama, he says Dada! Go figure! I'm determined this is because Mama always talks about Dada when he is gone - he just hears it more! (It can't possibly be because Dada is his favorite!)

Gage is such a good eater. He will eat anything. This kid can put down more food than I can! Some of his favorites right now include bananas, blueberries, waffles, and peas. He is officially off of formula (thank goodness!) and drinking whole milk. He wasn't too crazy about the milk at first, but now he loves it! No more formula or bottles and surprisingly the transition was a breeze! Now, if I can only get him to let go of the paci when he sleeps!

Gage especially loves his bath time. He has tons of toys and likes to throw all of them out of the tub and watch Mommy and Daddy fetch them. Or he will line all of them up on the bathtub wall and then knock all of them into the water one by one. I've noticed that he likes organizing things (I think we all know who he gets that from!)

He is taking small steps, but hasn't quite taken off on his own yet. It's coming very soon, I just know it! Although, this kiddo could win a race by crawling - he is so fast! He enjoys pushing his "Dozer" around the house and especially likes taking it outside to push on the sidewalk. If the bull dozer gets stuck, he gets very angry. He definitely gets his lack of patience from his Father! (Sorry honey!)

He is so curious, silly, independent, and darn right rebellious! He loves crawling up on the couch and trying to get down on his own. He is into EVERYTHING and keeps us on our toes at all times! Never a dull moment, but I love every minute of it! Most importantly, he is the happiest toddler I have ever known and I love to hear him laugh. It is so contagious!

Although Gage is ALL BOY, he does have a sweet and loving personality. He gives us "sugars" and hugs and has the perfect knack for melting hearts. He will be a lady killer!!

I could go on forever about Gage. We are so thankful for his good health and exceptional development. It's amazing how this little guy has changed our lives and brought us true perspective on what really is important in this world. We count our blessings every day!

Liberty (35) vs. Lovejoy (7) - It's a win!

Liberty came out with a win vs. Lovejoy at Pizza Hut Park! Go Redhawks! My family came to the game to support the Redhawks and we had a fun time. Even little Miss Joely enjoyed the game. She was a little angel! Thanks Mom, Jen, Jason, and Joely for coming out to our neck of the woods to watch the game. It means a lot to us (especially Eric) for your support! We love you!

Liberty Redhawks (2 Wins - 1 Loss)

Liberty (14) vs. Highland Park (42)

Well, we didn't come out with a win from the Highland Park game, but we still had fun. The score sounds a lot worse than it really appeared. The guys actually played pretty well considering the competition.

Laura and I packed up all of the kids (3 car seats!) and made the trip to Highland Park together. We made a quick trip to our favorite fast food joint - Chic-fil-a and then we were on our way. The ride was pretty humorous as Ava kept unbuckling her car seat and I was doing my best to coax her to buckle it back up while Laura drove. Gage didn't quite know what to think about riding in the back with 2 little ladies!

We thought we were doing good to arrive a few minutes early, but little did we know we were going to have to park a mile away from the stadium. I really didn't mind as I got to admire the BEAUTIFUL homes as we walked by. I loved the atmosphere...families and neighbors were sitting out on their cute front porches listening to the sounds of the football game. It seemed to be a very close knit neighborhood with kids wandering from house to house to play. What a great place to live. It's comforting to know that places like this still exist. Maybe we will find a neighborhood like that one day.

Each week I look forward to the Friday night lights. Let's hope I don't have to report back with anymore defeats!

(1 Win -1 Loss)

Off to a good start! Liberty - 30, Brewer - 19

It seems as though the hard work of the Liberty Coaching Staff is paying off! This past Friday was the first game of the season and we came out with a WIN! Hooray! Gage was a little skittish during the 1st quarter as it was very loud, but he warmed up throughout the night and was such a trooper! He even threw up his hands for the touchdowns! He was especially happy when he saw his Daddy on the sidelines. It just melts my heart when they both light up when they see each other. Gage kept pointing at Eric during the game as if he was saying. "Look, that's my Daddy!" So cute!

The football families celebrated the WIN with an after game party at Mark and Deborah's home. Deborah went above and beyond the call of duty and hosted a great party! Needless to say it was a very late night! I love spending time with the other football families. We are each other's support system from July to December and it's nice to spend time with friends who truly understand the life of a Coaches' family.

We really do miss having Eric home and at times it can be very frustrating doing everything on my own, but to see the excitement of the Coaches and Players after a WIN is so rewarding and makes the time lost worthwhile. I can only hope that these players will look back and appreciate the time, effort, and love these Coaches put forth every day for them and that they will turn out to be great men and exceptional role models for others. It truly is the reason why Coaches do this job. It really isn't about winning or losing, but about shaping young men to become successful in LIFE.

If you don't belong to a football family, or know someone of a football family, you will never know the commitment and passion in this profession and the sacrifices a Coach (and his family) makes to fulfill this job. They work harder than any other profession that I have ever known and make FAR less than minimum wage when you break down the time spent on the field. I admire my husband for the hard working and generous man that he is. I wouldn't ask for anything more or for a better role model for our little man.

Next Friday, it's Liberty vs. Highland Park, and this will be a tough one! Highland Park is always good and they will have home field advantage. We are looking forward to a little road trip. Keep your fingers crossed for a WIN! Go Redhawks!

Liberty Redhawks: 1 - 0 (So far, so good!)