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!)

Turning One Is So Much Fun!

I'm finally recovered from the Big Birthday Bash we threw for our Big 1 Year Old last weekend! It was a great evening spent with TONS of friends and family. We are so blessed to have such a great support system who have SO much love for our little boy.

Tio John and Gage

The Grandpa's and Gage. I love this picture!

We had a "Puppy Party" and served a traditional Mexican dinner (compliments of my wonderful mother-in-law) with chicken enchiladas (that were to die for!), beans, rice, queso, and guacamole! Yum! We went through 6 trays of enchiladas and ate every single one of them. I'm not kidding when I say we had a big crowd! I felt like I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off and am disappointed that I didn't get as many pictures from this celebration as I had hoped. Thank goodness my sister and her husband took some for me, otherwise I wouldn't have any! My sister also took a video of Gage eating his Birthday cake that is just priceless. The file was too large to send in an email, so she posted it on youtube. Check out this mess! Be sure to watch in high quality (lower right hand of video.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rw2Jt-vaG_E

The Invitation:

Much cuter in person than it appears in this picture.

I put a paw cake on each table with stuffed puppy animals. The cupcake "Cake" was a big hit and so much easier than a real cake! Gage did have is OWN cake though!

I could not believe the amount of gifts that Gage received! Turning 1 is by far better than Christmas! In fact, I think we have enough toys to get us through the next 3 Birthdays AND Christmas! The gift opening was quite a scene as every child wanted to "help" and eventually turned chaotic. Poor Gage just sat on my lap and watched as it all unfolded. And of course, after opening all of the great gifts, Gage went straight for the new ball that my sister purchased last minute at the grocery store! I'm telling you - these fancy toys are over rated! We have had fun getting out a new toy every day and playing with something new. Gage especially likes his new bull dozer that he can push on his own. He is such a big boy!

This picture doesn't even do it justice!

Thanks Auntie Jen for writing down all of the gifts and helping with the party!

Thank you so much to all of our friends and family that helped us celebrate this big day. It's a celebration of a wonderful life and the fact that Eric and I have made it through 1 full year of parenting! It has been the best year of our lives and we look forward to many more! We love you all!

Happy 1st Birthday Gage!

Today is Gage's 1st Birthday! I still cannot believe he is already one year old! Where did the time go? I can still vividly remember being pregnant (3 days past due!) and the day he was born (Miraculous!) It seems like it was just yesterday! This past year has flown by but it has been full of so much joy! I just can't put into words how Gage makes my heart melt! Especially when he gives me "sugar" (kisses) and hugs!

We are looking forward to his BIG BIRTHDAY BASH this weekend, but we had to do something for his actual Birthday! I took half of the day off from work so I could spend the day with Gage. We met Eric, Momo, and cousin Erin at Babe's Chicken Dinner House for lunch. Gage had his first taste of Babe's smoked chicken, mashed potatoes and cream corn! (And loved every bite!)

The gals at Babe's wanted to sing the Happy Birthday Song and scared Gage to tears when they put the red cowboy hat on his head!

We baked a mini chocolate cake and took it with us. I think we enjoyed watching Gage dig in even MORE than he enjoyed the cake!

Happy 1st Birthday Gage! We look forward to many, many more years! We LOVE you SO much!

Never a dull moment...

Although it looks like my son has a big fat lip, that's not the case. That's him sucking the window and making faces at us at Grammy's house! I'm still laughing about this one! There is never a dull moment with this little squirt!

Now that Gage has been in our life for almost a year now (this week!), I can barely remember life without him. Although I do remember it being easier to run to the grocery store on a whim! My how our life has changed! Eric and I have always had fun together, but this little man of ours has brought so much MORE joy and laughter to our lives. He is so much fun and we just can't get enough of him! I hope each day with Gage will bring even more meaning and happiness to our lives. I dread the day that he starts breaking my heart! Right now I'm just glad to be his #1!

Here are a few funny moments from the past 2 weeks that I captured on camera. I wish I could catch them all, but by the time I run for the camera, he has usually moved on to a new adventure!

Waving at us! He's very social!

He's been caught getting into Dad's drink of choice!

Discovering that he can fit INTO the kitchen cabinet!

Good Times In Granbury

Last weekend we made a trip out to good ole' Lake Granbury to visit some of our good friends at their lake house. We took the entire family along including my side of the family and Eric's side of the family. We had a BLAST! I'm so glad that our families get along and enjoy each other's company - I know I am very lucky as that isn't the case with most in-laws!

We had a great time cruising the lake, riding the jet ski, relaxing on the porch, eating great food, and most of all - tubing! I haven't laughed so hard in ages! I especially enjoyed spending time on the lake with my sister. She even went tubing - 3 weeks after giving birth! She is very brave! We haven't been out on the lake together in a long time. I think we convinced our parents to buy a lake house and a new boat. Dad will be retiring very soon! I hope Gage and Joely will have just as much fun as my sister and I did growing up near a lake! Good times!

Yes, that is me screaming my head off!

Eric, Mom, and Me! My Father-in-Law, Sister, and Mom! My sweet niece, Joely!
My sweet boy!