We took our annual Christmas card photo tonight. Tommy was a trooper. He wore the antlers without much fuss.
Shout out to our fabulous neighbor Suzie. She has the rockin' camera and brought her boys over and snapped away. It was great. She knows that you have to be quick to get good ones when you're dealing with babies, dogs and impatient men in Hawaiian shirts and antlers! We were literally done in 5 minutes.
Here are a couple of outtakes that just didn't make the cut.
Hudson felt bad that Tommy was the only boy in the picture.
(Look how Erin lights up at him - BFFs forever!)
Somehow we all managed to look bad in this one.
(I'm pretty sure Tom is choking Roxie!)
Look Ma, no flash!
Someone help me, please!
The finished product will be coming soon to a mailbox near you!
I'm a little late with this post. We were at dinner tonight and Tommy said he was surprised I didn't post a Thanksgiving post on the blog. Duh! I got so busy with life, I forgot to make a post. I just take for granted that everyone knows how thankful I am for my many blessings.
With that being said...Let me emphasize how thankful I am for all my many, many blessings. Let's start at the beginning...
I am so thankful for my parents. Jim and Sandy celebrate their 42nd wedding anniversary in December. They are the most supportive and giving people. They taught me everything I know and have shown me how to love. I can't be thankful for them without being thankful to Louis and Jimmie. They just celebrated their 40th anniversary in November. They are another impressive example of love and faith. Tommy and I are so fortunate to have such great parents. The four of them are a daily example of all that we strive to be.
That leads me to Tommy...Seven and a half years ago, God and State Farm brought me my best friend. We knew each other enough to say hi, but then that one fateful day he called me about a claim...the rest is history. Tommy and Angela = forever! I am so thankful to have found the love of my life and my best friend all rolled up into one terrific, funny, caring man.
From Jim and Sandy and Louis and Jimmie I also got two sisters and two brothers. Only one of them is biologically related to me, but I am thankful that the others were brought into my life as well. Amy, Matthew, Mark and Stephanie are the 4 people in the world Tommy and I can count on the most. It's very reassuring to know they are always there for us. I'm also thankful for two little pint sized Mize boys. Jake and Luke were added to my big family three years ago and I can't remember what life was like without them.
Last but not least, our healthy, happy, beautiful Erin Grace. Four and a half months ago, she took her sweet time coming into this world but oh how it was worth the wait. I am thankful for her every minute of every day. My heart could just explode I'm so happy and in love with that precious baby.
Thursday was a day to honor all that we have been given. I stopped and thanked God, but I forgot to tell everyone about it. Happy Thanksgiving!!!
Erin has learned two new tricks this week. First, she discovered her feet. So, when she lays on her back, she grabs her feet. She grabs them and kicks while still holding them. It's cute, but that trick isn't as impressive as our other one. She's learned to spit back at you. It's all fun and games until she has a mouth full of milk or cereal. I've taken a couple of hits to the face this weekend.
She was on the floor entertaining herself and I got down there with her. I would do it and she would do it right back at me. Of course, when the camera came out she got shy. But, you get the picture...
I showed restraint this year. I didn't put the tree up until the day after Thanksgiving. Okay, restraint wasn't the real reason. I would have done it last weekend, but we had company.
Tommy did his duty and got down all the boxes. I've added stuff every year so every year there is more to get down. I did actually purged some of the old stuff this year and Goodwill is reaping the rewards of Christmas past. Erin napped on and off in her little chair in the middle of it all and Tommy helped. I think it was more fun for him this year since we have Erin. In the past, he's gotten the boxes down and disappeared upstairs when it was time to decorate. (This worked out well for both of us :))
BEFORE...
AFTER
I also started my Christmas shopping. I didn't go to the crazy Black Friday sales on Friday morning. But, I can totally see me out there in years to come searching for just exactly what Erin wants. I'm sure there will be 4 of them in The Woodlands somewhere and 50,000 moms out there looking for them. (Remember, I'm scrappy, so look out ladies!)
Tommy left Friday evening to go hunting. Erin and I were bored and in the Christmas spirit. We went to Target and Garden Ridge. We bought some presents at Target along with some cute little pjs for Erin. She's getting to tall for her 6 month jammies and we're upgrading her to 9 months. (That seems absurd that she's wearing 9 month jammies and she's only 4 1/2 months old! Who do they make these pajamas for? Midgets?)
Over the years and travels, Tommy and I have collected a couple of Margaritaville Christmas ornaments from the various locations we've been to. I thought this year would be a good year to have a Margaritaville/beach themed Christmas tree. They have a ton of beachy ornaments at Garden Ridge, so Erin and I did some Black Friday shopping after all. We bought a little 4 foot Christmas tree to put up in Daddy's Game Room. Daddy will be so surprised when he gets home. We know what a Parrothead he is. He'll love it. (The picture doesn't do it justice!)
The Beach Tree! (Complete with Star Fish tree topper!)
Roxie has had a very taxing weekend. Cousin Bailey is staying with us while Mark and Steph are out of town. Roxie is counting down the minutes until they come pick her up too. She isn't used to having to stand over her empty food bowl all day and night guarding it. They are so funny. It's empty, but Roxie doesn't want Bailey anywhere near it. I forget what it's like to have a young dog around too. Rox isn't much on playing with all her toys. She has a couple of favorites, but usually we instigate a game of fetch and it doesn't last too long. Bailey on the other hand plays with every toy we have. She'll pull them out of the basket one at a time and play with them for about 2 minutes. I'll go behind her picking them up and she'll get them right back out. My living room/dining room/entry hall is littered with baby and dog toys. I give up. They win!!
There was a squirrel on the back fence. This caused much drama, but we chased him away. Everyone can rest at ease tonight.
Erin had her 4 month check-up today. It was a hard appointment on all 3 of us. Since she was scheduled to get her shots, I thought this would be the perfect time to have her ears pierced too. (Yes Aunt Mimi - we did it!)
The doctor came in and did her check up. Erin tends to favor her left side. She tilts her head and draws her shoulder up on that side. I have noticed it but thought it was just a "habit" that she formed due to her broken collarbone. The doctor seems to think that it isn't because of the collarbone. So, she referred us to an Occupational Therapist. The therapist is suppose to assess her and give us some exercises to do at home. Hopefully, this will strengthen the other side. The doctor said it's not a big deal, she would just rather correct it now while she's still small.
As far as the rest of her... Little E is growing like a little weed!
They did the earrings before the shots. Dr. Elahee actually did the piercing herself. They are the cutest little cz studs. They're especially for infants and don't have to be cleaned and turned and all that junk you used to have to do to earrings. We leave them in for 6 weeks then take them out and replace them with a "real" pair. Maybe Santa will bring Erin some cute earrings for Christmas! Erin was a champ. I had to hold her arms and legs while the nurse held her head and her Daddy stood outside pacing and not looking. She cried, but they gave us some numbing ointment to use before hand and I think it helped. I guarantee it was harder on Mommy and Daddy then it was on Erin. She's fine now and doesn't even act like she knows they are there.
Big girl got 3 shots today too. The nurse that gave these was top notch. We will have to ask for her again next time. She was super fast. Last time the nurse was a little too timid and took too long. It's bad enough that they have to stick her, but to take forever doing it drives both of us crazy. She got super upset about the shots. Poor baby cried herself to sleep before we could even get out the door.
The doctor said to start her on rice cereal. She didn't want us adding it to her bottle (like I was already doing...). Instead we're supposed to mix it up and spoon feed her. We shot this video tonight. It's the first time she's ever been in her highchair. She looks so tiny in it!! I don't think she's a big fan of rice cereal just yet. Hopefully, we both get better at this with time.
We're also supposed to transition her to her own room! Yikes. She's been sleeping in our room (yes, still in her swing -don't judge.) It will be strange to have her upstairs instead of in there with us. My plan is to try this over the Thanksgiving holiday. We'll be off, so if it doesn't go well we haven't lost sleep while trying to work. Fingers crossed.
Tommy already said that if Erin sleeps upstairs, he's going to start sleeping up there too. I can see this now. She'll be tossing and turning in her crib and we'll be wide awake on the floor in her room having an over-protective parent camp out.
Bridgette and Wade came in this weekend with the kids. It's the first time they've come in and stayed with us since Erin was born. It was a lot of fun. Loud, but a lot of fun!!! I'm not sure you know this, but 3 kids and a dog can make a lot of noise!
Friday night they got here after dinner so we just hung out. Erin had had a good day and was especially charming. Here's a shot of all the kids with their jammies on.
Saturday night was a pizza dinner at a local mom and pop place. Gram, Pawpaw, Aunt Mimi and Uncle Matt came to join us. Erin ate her dinner and passed out in her carrier. It was all I could do to fight off Gram and Pawpaw. They were insisting on waking her up to hold her. Needless to say, I won. (And yes, after dinner they were especially loud hoping she would wake up!) Then it was back to the house for visiting and brownies!
We think Erin is the prettiest, smartest and best baby ever - as all parents do, but Wade and Bridgette confirmed it. They kept bragging on what a good baby she is. Bridgette was funny and reminded me that while she's good now, she could turn on us any time now! Erin really did have a good weekend. She only had one little episode on Saturday night. It was a crying fit about 15 minutes long. (When she gets tired she fights sleep and it all turns to crying.) After she conked out, it was all good.
It was such a pretty day today that we went to the park. It was Erin's first time there. We all trooped down there (even Roxie) and hung out for a while. The boys played a little baseball, Julia played on the playground, Erin hung around and Roxie panted and looked for shade. Erin got to swing and Bridge and Tom put her on the slide. All in all, the playground was a hit.
Erin takes after me with sunlight and glare - she hates it. We put her shades on her for the first time too. She didn't mind that they were on, but she kept knocking them off. She'll have to work on that if she ever wants to be "Too Cool For School".
Miss Cool
Going down my first slide!
I'm not sure about this...
The 4 Mizes
This isn't how the big kids do it.
No explanation needed. Playground supervision is very taxing.
My Pawpaw comes over almost every day to see me. He buys me books and reads me my stories. I love to sit in his lap while he reads to me. I've started "talking" to Pawpaw. He repeats, "Pawpaw is my favorite" and "I want to go to Pawpaw's house" over and over again and tells me I need to practice saying those two things.
Pawpaw and Gram babysit me everyday. While they're here, Pawpaw watches the Military Channel on the big screen TV. He thinks it's funny that I lay on the floor in my little gym and look up at the TV. Pawpaw says I'm going to be a history major in college and specialize in WWII history.
My Pawpaw makes me things too. He made me a toybox before I was even born. Mommy put the bling on it, but the toybox was all Pawpaw's idea. He made me a little picnic table too. It was such a hit, he's now filling orders for other people!! Me and Pawpaw make a great team.
My Grandpa gave me my very own calf when I was born. He let my Mommy pick it out. Granny named her Buttercup and she was so pretty. One day Grandpa was loading up some of the other calves to take them to daycare at the sale barn. Buttercup loaded herself up with her friends. Grandpa knew that was my calf, so he told her she couldn't leave. He got in the trailer and got Buttercup unloaded. When Grandpa turned around again to load some others, Buttercup snuck out and loaded up again. Grandpa said Mommy can just pick out another calf for me. Buttercup went to live with another little girl in a magic kingdom far, far, away!
My Grandpa tells me all the time how pretty I am. I love to lay on his belly in his recliner in the country. I go to sleep there sometimes. It feels so good to be all warm and stretched out on his belly. I can't wait to grow up so I can ride around on the back property with him and Daddy looking at all the deer.
She calls me "Dolly". Her and Pawpaw fight over who gets to hold me whenever I'm around. But, when I'm upset and screaming, I love my Gram. Pawpaw takes off, and Gram gets me all to herself!! She cuddles and snuggles me down and the next thing I know, I'm sound asleep!
Gram got a new smart cell phone just so she could get better pictures of me! She even learned how to text message just for me! Now me and Momma send her pictures all the time.
Gram and Pawpaw watch me during the week while Mommy and Daddy work. I smile really big at her when they get here in the mornings. Grandma likes me to be in my pajamas because she thinks I look so cute - especially my red and pink polka-dot pair with the bear on the rumpus.
Before I was born, Granny joked that her and Grandpa were going to have to take "Little Girl" classes. They raised boys and had lots of Grandparent practice on Jake and Luke. So, God decided to make me a little girl just to throw them a curve ball!!
She calls me "Little Miss Pink". Because she knows my Daddy so well, she had the cutest Texans outfit custom made just for me! We wear it on game days to support our Houston Texans. Daddy puts on his Texans jersey and I put on my little Texans jeans and shirt.
Sometimes Granny comes in from the country to spend the day with us. She went with me and Mommy to have my Halloween Cow pictures done. Thanksgiving will be up the country this year. I can hardly wait. My Granny is the best cook. (That's what Mommy says anyway!) She'll have plenty of good food and treats for me when I'm older. For now, I just have to take Mommy and Daddy's word for it.
The three Mize Grandkids took their Christmas picture today. I had booked the appointment weeks ago. It was actually a great day to take a Christmas pic. A cold front moved thru last night and it was nice and nippy today. (I was tempted to come home and put the Christmas tree up!)
Three children under 3 in dress clothes. What were Stephanie and I thinking???
Looking back, it was comedy. We would get Erin to look at the camera and Luke wouldn't smile. We'd get Luke and Erin to look and smile and Jake would be a turd and move or make a face. Then Erin would pull her hands up and put them in her mouth. Then Luke would try to crawl away. Before we left, Luke cried, then Erin cried, then leaving Jake fell down and cried. I'm pretty sure the woman at Sears cried too when we left...tears of joy!
The outfits on the kiddos were too cute. Erin had on a red frilly dress and the boys had on little black pants with ties and vests. We bought them at different times, but it all matched perfectly.
We were in the studio for about 30 minutes and got a handful of cute ones. Luckily, there was one of all three of them that turned out cute. We decided to make this an annual event. (Remind me next year to have a couple of margaritas before we go!) On second thought, next year Tommy and Mark can take them and Steph and I will stay home and watch football! Go Texans!
Erin has discovered her voice. When left alone to play by herself this is what we hear. It doesn't really matter if she's on the floor, in her chair or in the swing. She starts making these sounds until someone comes into view.
Notice on the video how she stops once Tommy is standing right there with her. You can see the TV flickering in the background. Pawpaw had just left and the TV was still on the Military Channel. (Yes, he and Erin watch the military channel all day while we're working. Granny took Friday off, so Pawpaw was here by himself, and this is what he subjected my child to all day long.) If Pawpaw has his way, Erin will ace history!
Okay, here's a short little video of Erin giggling. Tommy had her going pretty good. I ran and got the camera and she giggled some more, but not like she was before it was lights, camera, action. (He's asking her if she did something bad because of the way we were laughing before he walked in. Turns out, Erin and I were laughing at the way Daddy had put on the diaper! It wasn't pretty, but it held and that's all that matters around these parts! Yay Daddy!)
Now if I could just catch a video of her rolling over...
I should have posted this last night, but I forgot to sit down at my computer!
I sit there all day on the work computer and I just don't have much time at night to get on my personal computer when I'm done. I would rather spend the time with Erin and Tommy. Right now, it's after midnight and they're asleep.
Yesterday, November 8th, was one year to the day when we found out we were pregnant. I can't believe it has been a year!! It seems like just yesterday I walked upstairs after the home pregnancy test and told Tommy. Three pregnancy tests and one year later, we have the light of our lives.
I wish everyone could see just how smiley she is. When we're home and she's comfortable, she just laughs and smiles all the time. As usual, I was trying to get it on video and she decided not to cooperate. These two videos are just two examples of how Mommy and Daddy will act like silly fools to get their girl to giggle.
And Daddy's turn...
Notice she still didn't giggle. The girl has all the power here...
Today is Granny Mize's birthday. She got a video from Jake and Luke this morning so Erin said she wanted to do her own video. We also took a birthday card picture and sent it to Granny on Facebook. Roxie was in the original picture, but Erin wouldn't smile. We got Erin to smile and Roxie took off. Dogs and babies are not the most cooperative subjects.
Happy Birthday Granny
An interesting fact about the Wistner/Mize birthdays... Erin kicks off the "birthday season" with her birthday in July. From then on we have one or two birthdays a month until March. We don't skip any months in between and all the birthdays are consecutive with no one left out of sequence. (This list includes Erin, both parents, all 4 grandparents, both aunts, both uncles and both cousins!!) I just think it's kind of cool. From July to March we have at least one family birthday to celebrate.
Today is Granny Mize's birthday. She got a video from Jake and Luke this morning so Erin said she wanted to do her own video. We also took a birthday card picture and sent it to Granny on Facebook. Roxie was in the original picture, but Erin wouldn't smile. We got Erin to smile and Roxie took off. Dogs and babies are not the most cooperative subjects.
Happy Birthday Granny
An interesting fact about the Wistner/Mize birthdays... Erin kicks off the "birthday season" with her birthday in July. From then on we have one or two birthdays a month until March. We don't skip any months in between and all the birthdays are consecutive with no one left out of sequence. (This list includes Erin, both parents, all 4 grandparents, both aunts, both uncles and both cousins!!) I just think it's kind of cool. From July to March we have at least one family birthday to celebrate.
This week has been very hectic. I started back to work on Monday and Gram and Pawpaw started their new full time job -Daycare Workers.
What can I say? It's going to take a little time to get back in the swing of things. It took forever to get logged back on the State Farm system on Monday. Since I was out for so long they moved me to an inactive status. Three long phone calls and an overnight processing later, I'm up and running. I have over 1,100 emails. I think the end total was close to 1,200. Talk about info overload!!! I'm taking this week to go thru them all and to figure out what has changed since I was gone. I'll go back on rotation on Monday. Here's to hoping handling claims is like riding a bike...
The great thing about SF is that they're letting me work from home right now. Eventually, I'll have to go into the office 1 day a week. I'm going to start 4/10s, so I'll have one day off during the week to give our Daycare Couple a break. Not sure what day it will be, but I'm hoping for Fridays or Wednesdays. More to come on that later.
Gram and Pawpaw are easing into their new duties as well. They got here super early on Monday and have since tried to get the arrival timing down. They come to our house everyday to keep Erin. This week is our trail run. Next week, we're going to start on a regimented routine. I've been trying to juggle getting ready, working, and feeding her and I think it's time to have a concrete plan instead of the ad hoc approach we've had. Momma needs her structure!! I know I'm too "Type A". I just feel better going to bed at night knowing that there is a plan in place. Crazy!
Erin is being a toot and not rolling over when we want her to!! She does it when we least expect it and never when the camera/video is out. Tommy still hasn't gotten to see her do it. I've seen it once, and she has done it a couple times for Gram and Pawpaw.
Roxie has enjoyed having Gram and Pawpaw here. They bring Max so she has company during the day. (When she's not sitting in Gram's lap!) Monday she was very out of sorts and stayed upstairs with me all day. I would come downstairs to check on things and she would be on my heels. The minute I went back upstairs she was with me until she heard food wrappers downstairs. Then she was out of there so she could beg along side Max. (And FYI - the begging pays off. The old people are suckers!)
This week has been very hectic. I started back to work on Monday and Gram and Pawpaw started their new full time job -Daycare Workers.
What can I say? It's going to take a little time to get back in the swing of things. It took forever to get logged back on the State Farm system on Monday. Since I was out for so long they moved me to an inactive status. Three long phone calls and an overnight processing later, I'm up and running. I have over 1,100 emails. I think the end total was close to 1,200. Talk about info overload!!! I'm taking this week to go thru them all and to figure out what has changed since I was gone. I'll go back on rotation on Monday. Here's to hoping handling claims is like riding a bike...
The great thing about SF is that they're letting me work from home right now. Eventually, I'll have to go into the office 1 day a week. I'm going to start 4/10s, so I'll have one day off during the week to give our Daycare Couple a break. Not sure what day it will be, but I'm hoping for Fridays or Wednesdays. More to come on that later.
Gram and Pawpaw are easing into their new duties as well. They got here super early on Monday and have since tried to get the arrival timing down. They come to our house everyday to keep Erin. This week is our trail run. Next week, we're going to start on a regimented routine. I've been trying to juggle getting ready, working, and feeding her and I think it's time to have a concrete plan instead of the ad hoc approach we've had. Momma needs her structure!! I know I'm too "Type A". I just feel better going to bed at night knowing that there is a plan in place. Crazy!
Erin is being a toot and not rolling over when we want her to!! She does it when we least expect it and never when the camera/video is out. Tommy still hasn't gotten to see her do it. I've seen it once, and she has done it a couple times for Gram and Pawpaw.
Roxie has enjoyed having Gram and Pawpaw here. They bring Max so she has company during the day. (When she's not sitting in Gram's lap!) Monday she was very out of sorts and stayed upstairs with me all day. I would come downstairs to check on things and she would be on my heels. The minute I went back upstairs she was with me until she heard food wrappers downstairs. Then she was out of there so she could beg along side Max. (And FYI - the begging pays off. The old people are suckers!)
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