Christmas and New Years 2009

Well, it was a busy couple of weeks off, but we survived and didn't try to kill each other once! Yeah! With Trey working out of the house and Grace and I both at home, the house got a bit small at times, but we managed just fine.

Trey's brother and his boys, Max and Ben, were down for the holidays. We had a great time playing with Max's new Christmas gifts, riding scooters, watching Grace push her car, and watching the boys climb the rock wall behind our house. Here are a couple of videos:

Missing Grandpa Slagell

Christmas time was always full of fun times in my family. Grandpa Slagell would always spend Christmas morning with us. I guess that would explain why I'm missing him so much right now. He'd really get a kick out of watching Grace!

Trey absolutely insisted that I sit down and watch "The World's Fastest Indian" with him tonight. There are so many Grandpa moments in that movie! I cried and cried when I saw him in his army green shirt and dark rimmed glasses, and then when he used shoe polish to make his tires look new, I lost it!

For those of you lucky enough to have known Earl Slagell, I hope you take the time to sit and watch this movie.

Happy 60th Birthday Nana Lana!

Trey's mom turns 60 today. We spent last night at their house celebrating her wonderful milestone. Happy Birthday Nana Lana!

Grace continues to amaze us. She's growing up so fast! Thanksgiving day she said her first words, "Hi" and "Dada." She waves when she says hi too! I have to admit, I'm a little disappointed that Mama wasn't her first word. She's been saying mmmmmm. . . when she eats since she was about four months old. But, she sure loves her daddy! For his sake, I'm glad she said Dada first.

She is currently working on her two top teeth to go along with her two bottom teeth, and I think her canines aren't too far behind. She can walk (a little unsteady, but really) while holding onto one hand. We were amazed yesterday that she could stand by herself, nothing to steady her balance, and went to a kneel without falling. What great leg strength she has! She loves her puppies and adores her cat. She has a boyfriend at school. (He's a few months younger) Apparently, he enjoys pulling her hair and she in turn tackles him to the ground and then gives him a kiss. Whew! She's starting early!

Trey's back from an enjoyable weekend with my dad at the Galveston motorcycle rally. He sure loves to ride his motorcycle! I spent the weekend working on grading and final exams. What would I have done without grandparents this weekend? Grace stayed with Lana Saturday night and my mom watched her Saturday during the day so I could work. I'm relieved to have my exam written, grades averaged, exemptions signed, and the end of the semester well in sight!

Six and Seven Months Old

We dressed Grace up as a puppy for Halloween. Thanks Uncle Brannon, Aunt Mary, Max, and Ben for the cute costume! She didn't go trick-or-treating, but she had a fun party at daycare. They dressed all of the kids up in their costumes and had a parade around the school. She brought a little bit of candy home, and Daddy made sure he took care of it so she didn't rot her two teeth.

Grace LOVES being on Trey's shoulders. Yes, I know, she doesn't match. Her Daddy was trying to irritate me that day. The cheer for the Cowboys together. (Not that it's working)

Here's our little girl, not so little anymore. She's pulling herself up on anything and everything.
She'll be 34 weeks old November 7th.

This was taken the day Grace turned six months old. She continues to amaze us each week with her new "firsts." She is trying to pull herself up on absolutely everything! She's a speedy crawler, and always heads straight for the dog's water dish. She has two teeth now and is working on two more. She's discovered her voice and she and I converse on the thirty-minute drive to school every day.

A little something for Angie

For those of you who don't know, my sister lost her baby last week. She and Scott went in for their first ultrasound and heard the heartbeat. The doctors discovered that the baby was not where it was supposed to be; it was attached to the outside of her fallopian tube. She got out of the hospital today and is resting at home with Noah and Scott. My mom is there for the week to help take care of her. She could use continued prayers as she and Scott are going through a tough time emotionally and she is in quite a bit of pain.

Angie, I hope this little video clip makes you smile!

Go Cowboys!

Trey had to pick Grace up at daycare a couple of weeks ago because she had a stomach bug and he found a Colts bib my sister sent as a joke in our bib rotation. He was not pleased. He emailed this picture to me while I was at work. He's so creative!

She's a Dallas Cowboys fan loud and proud!

It's been quite a while since my last post. I've been really busy with school and Trey's been on the road every other week. Grace is growing like crazy! She now has her two bottom teeth. They graced us with their presence last weekend. It was so hard seeing her in so much pain. Her entire body would literally shake in pain. Other than a few outbursts of crying and screaming, she took it like a trooper. She is such a great baby!

She's crawling all over the place now, still not using her knees, but dang, she's fast! She'll follow me from room to room. We started baby-proofing the house this weekend. I'm sure it won't be too long before she's up and walking. She's already trying to pull herself up on things. At her six month check-up she was 26 1/2 inches long and weighed 16 pounds. She was in for a cold check-up a week before that and she was 25 1/2 inches long. She grew an inch in a week!

Trey and I took Grace to the Austin City Limits Festival this year and she had a ball. She is such a little flirt! She loved batting her eyelashes at the guy behind us! Here are a few pictures of Grace at the festival.

Surprise!

Grace and I flew to Indianapolis over Labor Day weekend to surprise Angie for her 29th birthday. Boy was she surprised!

I was pretty nervous flying with Grace for the first time. I didn't want her to be one of those dreaded children who scream the entire flight. I flew to Indianapolis on the 6AM flight, so Grace slept on and off most of the way there. When she was awake, she spent her time batting her eyelashes and flirting with the other passengers. My mom flew back with us on the return flight so I had her help with Grace. She slept most of that flight too. People were constantly commenting on her eyes and eyelashes. She loved all of the attention!

Noah wasn't so sure about Grace using his stroller.

Grace just wants to go for a walk already!

Noah, checking to make sure Mom is ok with Grace using his stroller.

Noah and Grace becoming friends.

Noah is finally ok with Grace. "She likes me!"

We had a great time visiting Angie, Scott, Noah, and their dogs. We all went for a walk around the neighborhood.

It's a family parade!

We went to a park nearby and took a hike, played on the playground, and had lots of laughs.

Hook 'em Horns!

Grace fell in love with their Great Dane, Mia. Mia was very protective of her.

Checking out the giant dog.

Mia had to come down to Grace's level.

OOPS! Too close!

We got home Monday afternoon. Trey, his dad, and my dad all went to Galveston for a guy's night. Trey and my dad rode their motorcycles down and Trey's dad met them down there with their luggage. Trey was very happy to see Grace when we returned. She was pretty excited to see him too!

Grace has started scooting herself across the floor. It's kind of like an army crawl. She doesn't quite have the strength in her arms yet. Her legs do most of the work. We can't believe she's mobile already! She isn't even six months old yet!

I've been teaching for two weeks now and I'm already ready for a break. A lot of my old students keep finding any excuse possible to come see me during the day. If I'm teaching, they make sure to tell my class how awesome I am and that they'd better not screw up. If I'm in the hall, I always get hugs and a quick hello as they head off to class. I'm still getting to know my new kids, but I think this will be a great year.