I think I can, I think I can!

Not much in the way of updates this week other than the fact that the habitual biter in Joe's class that has gotten him good about 6 times is no longer in his class.....YEAH!! We are so relieved!

And in other news....Joe is trying like crazy to walk these days! He was very motivated by the stack of blocks Daddy was building and just toddled right on over to knock them over.

Mother's Day and Lots of Other Stuff

Oh my gosh. It's been a while since I've had an opportunity to post anything new and I have so much I have to try and remember! The pressure!!!!

First of all, a big congratulations goes out to Do (aka Grandpa) who has officially retired on April 30 after 35 years working for Bell County. He and Grandma wasted no time packing up their house to get it ready to sell so they can move on down to The Woodlands and be near us! We are so excited they are coming and can't wait until it all gets settled!

Joe has had lots of "stuff" going on lately. His favorite teacher, Ms. Sandy, from his first toddler class left the daycare. Even though he wasn't in her class anymore, he still went to visit her every morning. Here's a picture of the two of them on her last day. He still misses her.... Mornings just aren't the same.


Joe has been really trying to walk a lot lately. He's started just standing up on his own in the middle of the floor. He used to only stand up when he crawled over to a piece of furniture, but now his first instince is to stand unassisted. He'll take a few steps and then decide to fall down and crawl the rest of the way, but he's trying! I'm sure it'll be no time now before he's off and running. He already loves to climb up and down the stairs and he's super fast. We are in t-r-o-u-b-l-e.

He's also started swimming classes. Joe and I go to the YMCA twice a week and take a 30 min class with other little ones and their parents. So far, Paul hasn't been able to stay long enough to see the class start (he has to go tend to the dogs), so we have no pictures.....yet. There will be some for sure though.

I think I said I would include some of Joe's 1 yr old pictures we had taken right around his birthday and I never did do that. So here they are. My FAVORITE is the one where he's looking down. Precious! There were other shots, but my scanner isn't cooperating.....sorry.

Mother's Day was so special. We took our Mom's (and me!) out to a really nice Mother's Day brunch and then Mom and I got to spend a little time shopping. Then to end the day, Paul and I took Joe to the park. It was just perfect. Last Mother's Day was really my first, but things were so crazy with him only being home from the hospital for a few weeks and we were all still in a daze. I was really able to enjoy this one much more.

Here are a few pictures from that day. The ones of Joe were taken Sunday morning when he was just goofing off.

Look....he's winking. He loves to push the buttons on our new oven....luckily, it has a "lock" feature.

Alex and Maddie are about done with school. Just two and a half weeks left! I can't believe how fast this year has gone. I'm sure they would say otherwise. Next year is going to be crazy with activities now that Maddie will also be in Junior High. Wow they have grown up so fast.

Maddie, in addition to making the Gingham Girls team (junior high dance team), also changed the dance company she's going to be dancing with going forward. She is now with a new group of girls and really feels like this move is going to make her an even better dancer. She started classes with them last week and is loving it! Bring on competition season!

Ok, that's all for now. My computer break is almost over.

News From the Homefront

Maddie had a great week! She had her try outs for her Junior High Drill Team and she made the team! As if we had any doubt at all....ha!

The girls are so busy now I feel like I never see them anymore! I bought Alex a dress the other day posted "Thank you for my dress Nikki!" on my wall on Facebook. I think that's a combination of sad because I hardly see her anymore and sweet because she wanted to make sure and thank me. I hope we that isn't a sign that going into the teenage years, we will only communicate by Facebook....sigh.

I got to spend a day last week with my friend Jenny who lives in Carson City, NV. She was in Austin for a business conference and had a day free between her activities. We were roomates when we did our internship at GM in Michigan and I haven't seen her in years. She had her baby Kenley one month before Joe was born. It was so great to catch up and explore Austin together! Not to mention that I had a "Mother's Day Out!" (Thank you Do and Grandma!)

We are eating Amy's Ice Cream in this picture. That was on Jenny's "must do" list for Austin.

I think we've mentioned before that Joe is a puff addict. For anyone unfamiliar with puffs, these are gerber toddler treats. Little star shaped flavored wheat puffs that disolve in your mouth. He goes insane for them. One morning, I had him in the booster chair in the bathroom while I was getting ready for work. There was a canister of puffs nearby on the counter. Next thing I know, I look over and he's gotten the canister (from behind his booster seat), has opened the lid, and has his whole arm in there. Another time, he had the canister up to his mouth with puffs pouring out over his face. I tried both times to get video but no such luck.

We have a new game in our house. It's called "So where did you find puffs today?" We've found puffs in his pants, in the garage, under the drivers side of Grandma's car, and in Grandma's suitcase. He's like Hansel leaving a trail of puffs behind him.

Joe's been getting into all kinds of mischief lately. I've had a glimpse into the future and I'm not sure I like it. He's started laughing when I tell him no. For example, he bites my shoulder and I say sternly, "Joe, that hurts Mommy. We don't bite." and he looks at me, smiles (devilishly) and laughs. I'm not trying to be funny. I really hope that's just a phase that he'll grow out of.

On his other list of new fun things to do....

*Explore the pantry, freezer and refrigerator. Our refrigerator door beeps when it's been open for a certain amount of time and he kept crying when we would try to shut it. So the alarm just kept going on and on. See pictures below

* Feed the dogs. He MUST have learned this from Grandma.

* Climbing down off the couch. He's figured out he can turn over on his belly and scooch backwards off the couch.

* Climbing up the stairs. He really likes to do this himself and really, really doesn't want any help. He pushes hands away when we try to help him.

* Winking - Not sure how he learned to do this but it's hilarious.

* Clapping. He's so cute when he claps! He claps even when we say the word clap...or when we say "yeah Joe!!" It's the new trick I use to keep him still while I change his diaper. Normally it's like a wrestling match to get his diaper on. But if I say "where's my clapper?" he just keeps clapping and stays still. I'm sure this will only work for a few days, but I'll take it.

"Wabbit Season!"

This week was a big week for Maddie. She got her braces. We had only a few months between Alex's braces coming off and Maddie's braces going on. She still looks beautiful though! This picture is of GMS (Grandma Sherri) and Maddie on Easter Sunday.

We went over to Alex and Maddie's Mom's house (Nada) so that Joe could go to their neighborhood Easter party. He was napping so he missed the egg hunt, but he did get to see the two pet bunnies. He wasn't so sure about the bunnies....and it looks like the bunny wasn't too sure about him either.


We had Joe's one year pictures taken yesterday. Once we get them in I'll put a few out here for everyone to see. He was not in typical laid back Joe form. He pretty much cried the whole time and the poor photographer definitely had to earn her money that day. Paul and I still have nightmares where she's screaming "WASADOIN" and the stuffed bear is floating around above our heads. As much as that might have creeped us out, Joe thought it was hilarious and we got some good pics.

After pictures, we had lunch at Panera Bread. While we were eating, a little girl, maybe 10 years old, at a nearby table walked by and asked what his name was. We told her his name was Joe and she paused and said "he's beautiful." It was the sweetest thing! Paul still thinks she was really asking about him, and not Joe. I'm certain it was the other way around.


For Easter, we had GMS and GPJ (Grandpa Jim) over for dinner. I should say, we had them over, and GPJ cooked dinner. GMS brought the kids Easter presents. Joe's present was a book and Gerber puffs. He is ADDICTED to puffs so he immediately started flailing his arms. She definitely knows the way into his heart. Here's a cute picture of the kids on Easter.

Here's a picture of Joe riding in his new car. He got this for his birthday and he LOVES it. He rides pretty well in the stroller, but after a while he wants out. In this, we can go forever and he doesn't make a peep. He just looks and points and takes it all in. All while "steering" his car. I really wanted to get a picture of him chilling with one hand on the steering wheel and the other draped over the back of the car, but he moved every time I tried to get a picture.

Maddie and Joe have a little thing they do.....here's a video of it. They do this all the time. It's like their own little language.

First Birthday Fun(ish) Part 2

Considering it was Spring Break and we hadn't really been on "vacation" in well over a year, we decided to take a few days and go to San Antonio to have a little fun and continue Joe's birthday celebration.

We got a room at an historic hotel near the Riverwalk. Operative word being historic. Alex kept saying that she thinks Santa Anna must have stayed there before he battled at the Alamo. She was joking....but the joke continued on for the whole weekend. Everything we saw, Santa Anna must have been there or done that. Drank from the water fountain on the Riverwalk, shopped at the mall, eaten a corndog at the zoo, etc. So we HAD to take a picture when we came upon a wax figure of who else....Santa Anna!!!

The first day we went to the Riverwalk. I really, really wanted to take a family picture on one of the bridges but the girls wouldn't take a picture with me. I'm not sure if I should be offended or not. Here is at least one picture from that day. Do with Joe doing what he loves best. Pointing at where he wants you to take him. It's his new favorite thing to do. He is quite bossy.

The second day, Paul, the girls and my Dad (Do) went to Six Flags. I think Do thought he could hang a little bit more than he really could. He hung in all the way up to the point when they got off a ride and he thought he was going to lose his lunch. Then he had to sit it out for a while. He must have recovered because I hear there were funnel cakes and ice cream after that. All in all, a great day.

We were saving Saturday to take Joe to the zoo. I love the San Antonio Zoo and couldn't wait to show him all the animals. We wake up on Saturday morning and it was windy and FREEZING. But the rain cleared and I was determined to go to the zoo. So we semi-bundled up and headed out. Not a good idea. As you can see from this picture, Joe was so bundled and cozy he couldn't see anything and just went to sleep. I had him in the Baby Bjorn and Paul's jacket around both of us. Needless to say, the zoo was a bust. Maybe next year.

But, we did get to go to my Grandad's house and see lots of my Mom's family. This was the first time most of them had met Joe. Some of our family was visiting from Colorado so it was a special treat for him to get to meet them! I was able to capture Joe's introduction to Grandad. Priceless.

As an added treat, Joe chose this setting to take his first steps! He's been standing up by himself for short periods and we were practicing that and then he just went ahead and took two steps to me! I couldn't believe it! Then I made him do it over again for the camera. I didn't know if he'd be able to do it again, but sure enough!

The reason I say fun(ish) in the title of this post is because later that day (Saturday) Joe got sick and had a fever. He was pretty much miserable after that. (I'm really trying to convince myself this had nothing to do with the trip to the zoo so please don't mention it if any of you were already thinking that). Sunday was his birthday and it was pretty well shot with him being sick. So we were able to get one shot of him in his birthday shirt (that's birthday shirt, not birthday suit) and then we were headed back to Houston. No big fun on his actual birthday.

(In this picture, it appears Joe has taught Do his new pointing trick)

Alex and Maddie also had big weeks this week.

Maddie is dancing this weekend at Nationals in Galvestion. Paul went to see her dance and said she did amazing! Results are out tomorrow so I'll be sure to let you all know about that next time. I was really worried about her ankle but it held up. With this being the last competition of the season, you'd think she'd get to rest up. No such luck. She has her recital and try-outs for her junior high dance team coming up in the next few weeks. No rest for the weary.

Alex's choir had their UIL competition on Friday and did really well. They got 1's which is the best score you can get and the judges said they were the best choir they'd heard during the whole competition! This was a tough one for Alex because her track team pictures were scheduled for the exact same time as the choir concert and she was really torn. It's tough being so good at so many things.....

Not many pictures of the girls on this one (go figure), but here are some good ones of Joe from his birthday week.

This was at dinner Saturday night.

This is a rocking horse my friend Aggie got Joe the Christmas before he was born. He's just now getting interested in it.

Here he is using his new swing. This was one of his birthday presents.

First Birthday Fun - Part 1

We had lots of birthday fun this weekend with Paul's side of the family. Joe isn't officially 1 until next Sunday, but we are going to be out of town next weekend so we had to have the birthday party a little early. Joe's birthday is also very close to Uncle Jimmy's birthday so this was a combined 1 yr and 41 yr birthday celebration. As you can see in this picture, we got them matching crowns....



We got Joe his own little birthday cake to dig into. He went right in smooshing it up in his hands. Then he immediately decided he was NOT too happy about getting his hands dirty. He ate almost none of it (which really disappointed his sisters who were already playing "guess what color his poop will be") but we gave him a few little bites so he could say he did. Here are the before and after pictures.






Some other random party pics.






Joe had a great time with everyone and by the end, was out like a light and got to snuggle up with Grandma Sherri. No amount of noise was going to wake him up. Somehow I don't think she minded much.



Joe also has another new trick we learned about this weekend. He has a little hungry hungry hippo riding toy that can also be flipped up and used as a walking toy. We've always just used it to ride on but I decided to try to flip it up and see what he'd do. He immediately started pushing it along and walking right behind it as if he'd been doing it forever! He go as far as he could until he hit a wall or a door and then cry out in frustration until we turned him around. I was amazed! It makes me wonder what kind of good stuff he does as school and they graciously don't tell me about and let me think I'm seeing it for the first time at home.



Speaking of school. Joe had an "incident" last week. He was bitten on the arm by another baby and it left a nasty big bite mark and subsequent bruise. He was a trooper and never even let on that it hurt. Ms. Sandy said that he screamed when it happened and then she felt so bad that he got to be held and hugged on all day long. You can kinda see the bite mark in this picture



Joe graduated today to the one year old class. His infant teacher, Ms. Sandy, has just been so good to him and has been so attached, I was actually worried about her. Joe brought her some flowers today to cheer her up but we learned this afternoon that she did cry at one point. That makes me so sad! But Joe did great in his new class,even being the youngest. When Paul came to pick him up he was sitting on the floor with the rest of the kids while the teacher was reading them a story. He was just looking up at her and paying attention. He looked like such a little boy! I can't believe he's growing up!

Maddie had her last dance competition before Nationals this past weekend...even with her busted ankle. She was able to dance and Paul said she did fantastic....one of the best times he's seen! Her duet one first place and her solo made the finals! Nationals is in two weeks so hopefully she gets a chance to rest it some.


One last picture. My FAVORITE of the week.

Three words: Mobility Changes Everything

There is almost no time for blogging with this little guy these days! He's into EVERYTHING! I had to negotiate for computer time. So, I'll try to remember everything from the last month or so... and do it quickly.

Joe and I took a little vacation and spent 4 days or so with Grandma and Do in Killeen. The mission of the trip was to clean out my and Joey's old rooms to figure out what we wanted to keep and what needed to be thrown away. I've come to the realization that I was (maybe still am?) a huge pack-rat. I had 6 homecoming mums, all my old cheerleading uniforms, and boxes of notes spanning middle school through high school. Some of those were hilarious! At the same time, I was reminded of old friends and looked them up on Facebook! Ah, the simpler days that I would NEVER go back to if you paid me.

Joe had tons of fun with the Grandparents. He got to show off his new tricks which include winking, waving hi (Paul says he waves like the pope...or Uncle Jimmy), and mimicing kissing sounds. Trying to get video. We'll see how he cooperates. His newest favorite activity is taking a bath in the big boy bathtub! He was in heaven!


Alex's has had a couple of track meets and has a few more coming up before the season is over. She's been doing really well and getting her bearings. She's been running the mile, mile and a half and two mile. I think that first track meet where she had the two mile and then a little while later ran the mile really wiped her out. She has definitely decided that so far she likes cross country better. I think the round, and round, and round the track with the same view over and over again isn't really her style. But she's hanging in and doing great! I haven't been able to make one of her meets yet, but definitely plan to this week. Hope to get some pictures if she'll let me.

She also had her Region choir concert a few weekends ago. This is the choir that is a collection of all the best talent from the local junior high schools. They met all day one Saturday and then had a concert in the evening. They were fantastic. Joe loved it so much he sang out himself, just as everything was quiet. They were video taping the concert to sell. Joe's magical voice is now forever captured for all to enjoy.

Here's a picture of the choir. That's her at the top. Can't you tell which one is her?


The day of that concert was brutal! This was the first (I'm sure of many) experiences where both Alex and Maddie have activities on the same day. We were racing around from Maddie's competition to Alex's concert. It was crazy, but I was so glad we got to be there for both.

I am such a bad blogger that I've not given any updates on Maddie's competitions since the first one. And now, the season is pretty much over! She was a trooper. She danced all season on a bum ankle. She's been going to the doctor and physical therapy, but it's not really getting better. Hopefully, she can heal now that the season is over. But, to her credit, even with the injury, her duet took first place in several of the competitions, and her team dances placed several times as well. This last one, her group won grand champion of the competition for their age group! Let's all hope her ankle heals quickly so she can keep on dancing!






Joe almost seems like a different baby lately. He's got SUCH a personality and is talkative and into everything. He's starting to communicate to us very clearly. Not in words yet, but in motions and sounds. He'll see something he wants or somewhere he wants to go and he'll wave us to come to him and them point at what he wants. He's so smart! He is also quite into food now. He wants to try everything we have. His most recent favorite....Banana Pudding with Whipped Cream (thanks Grandma!)


I'll leave you with a funny Joe story. The other day, Paul was holding him and he was pointing at me, so I came over and we were all standing there in a big hug. All of a sudden, he leaned over like he was going to kiss my forehead. Just as he was giving me a kiss and I was saying what a sweet boy is was, he burped right on my face. It was a good reminder that he may be sweet, but he's definitely a boy.