Three Mizes + One

Sick In the Head

2012-02-06T16:18:00.000-06:00

Sorry I've failed in the blog dept. again. I've had a head cold that is bringing me down. Erin seems to like to share her cooties with me. Luckily, Tommy has an steel constitution and NEVER catches anything!!!! I'm recovering slowly from the surgery and just can't seem to get back into fighting form. I just have NO energy with this recovery and now this cold. Calgon, take me away!

The doctor called today and they are putting Erin back on antibiotics. We had her in there last week and they did a nose culture and she has a sinus infection. Duh. I could have told them that without growing mold. Her nose is a non-stop snot machine and she's congested. Thank you Dr. Mom.

We had a great time on Saturday. We had a shrimp fry for mine and Louis's (Paw-in-Law) birthdays. The weather didn't really want to cooperate but we had a good time anyway. Tommy did a fantastic job on the cooking as always. It was a very nice get together with our little family.

Roxie appreciated the company. Aunt Lene, Granny and Amy all loved on her so she was feeling the love. (She is greatly under appreciated these days on normal afternoons and evenings! But don't believe everything she tells you. She's given to exaggeration!)

Progress, Progress, Progress

2012-01-31T16:39:00.000-06:00

Well, I'm back to work this week. I'm back half days for a while and I am sooooo tired. Who would have thought it would take me so long to bounce back. About 9:30 yesterday morning, I was ready to lay down on the carpet and take a nap!

Erin had her 18 month check up today. Here are our stats:

Weight: 27.12 lbs (85% percentile)
Height: 33.5 inches (93% percentile)
Head: 18.5 (75% percentile)

So, we're tall with a smallish head!

The exam rooms have a table with a shelf under them where they keep books. Erin was tearing the room apart and climbed under the table and was crawling on the shelf when Dr. Elahee walked in. She laughed and said, we'll, we're active! One way to look at it Dr. E! No worries people Tommy and I have this parenting thing down!! Anyone need us to babysit?

Still here!

2012-01-20T10:53:00.000-06:00

I'm still here and still at the house under Mr. Mom's care.

Haven't been blogging much because all I do is sleep! Thankfully I am feeling better every day but I am still so tired. Taking a shower or going to eat lunch wears me out!

Tommy went back to work today since I am able to do some stuff on my own now. I still can't lift or hold anything heavy (including Erin). They told me at the doctor's on Monday when I got my stitches out that they don't even want me carrying my purse! It looked really cute on Tommy when we left there. Chocolate colored fake alligator wears well on my stud. He wasn't even the least bit embarrassed. I'm pretty sure he knew that people knew it wasn't his. (T is so not the European man bag type!)

I go back to the doc on Tuesday because I have a spot they are watching. It was a huge blister along one of the incisions that isn't healing as quickly as the rest. From there they will give me my return to work date and I'll be back in the mix at the Farm.

The time off has really flown by. I guess it's because I've slept thru it. I haven't done anything sewing wise around the house because I have to use my arms and chest too much. Reading is okay but I can only hold my Kindle for so long while laying on my back. I've done some TV watching but by far the biggest part of the day is my snooze fest from the time Erin leaves until she gets home.

Erin is still loving school. She was moved up from the Tumbleweeds to the Jack Rabbits class. She's in class with cousin Luke now. I think she really, really likes it. The teachers tell us how talkative she is now. She never shuts up at home so we just assumed she was like that at school but she wasn't. I guess she has more of her Daddy in her then me. It took her about 2 weeks to size up the class before she started talking like her Momma. She comes home everyday with some sort of art project and this class that she's in goes to chapel on Wednesdays. I'm not sure how long you can get an 18 month to sit in a pew, but it's good practice none the less.

Roxie has fallen in love with Tommy's redneck squirrel feeders in the back yard. She eats who knows what that the squirrels drop but spends most of her mornings and evenings looking out the backdoor wanting to run out and chase them away. Roxie is smart. She doesn't go crazy when she sees them. She just sits at the door like she's done for years making you think she needs to go out to tinkle. The second the door is open, she's like lightning in a bottle and sprints to the finish line at the fence. She barks, they run, then she prances around like she owns the yard. Then she'll come back in and relax again knowing it will be a while before they come back. Crazy! I'll have to catch that one on film.

Mr. Mom

2012-01-15T18:28:00.002-06:00

Congrats and a big thanks are needed to Tommy for stepping up and being Daddy and Mr. Mom this week. I'm one week post surgery and it takes everything I have to shower and wash my hair before I have to lay down again!

He has done everything for us around here and done it without complaint. My parents were here last week some to help with Erin but Tommy has been doting on me and making sure I'm taken care of. I really cannot thank him enough.

Go Texans and New Boobs!

2012-01-06T13:51:00.000-06:00

Tommy is super excited these days at the prospect of the Texans continuing in the playoffs. Wade is coming in and the boys are going to the game on Saturday. In anticipation of a great game, I sent Erin to school in her pleated denim skirt and Texans t-shirt. The skirt looks a little bit like a cheerleading skirt. She looked so darn cute with the two little pony tails too. If I think later, I'll post a pic.

For the first time in a long time I'm going to be able to look down and see my feet instead of chest! I'm taking the plunge on Monday and going under the knife for breast reduction surgery. I'm nervous but can't wait all rolled up into one.

It's going to be difficult with Erin here because I won't be able to lift her for weeks. She's in that clingy Momma stage, so this should be interesting. I'm sure we'll all be a little bit crazy when the dust settles.

So, with that being said, I may be laying off the blog for a little while. Only time will tell. In the meantime, Tommy is brushing up his bedside manner since he'll play nursemaid to the ailing wife. It's a good thing for both of us that I have a very high tolerance for pain and don't turn into much of a whiner when I'm down. He might just run away otherwise!!!

Erin has moved from the highchair to the booster seat at the house. We eat dinner like a big girl and Roxie loves it since even more of the food now goes on the floor. I wasn't ready for the change, but they moved Erin up to the next class at school and they sit at the table and eat lunch like big kids and they told me to do the same at home. So, I'm doing as told. See, I do mind!!!

Year in Review...

2011-12-31T21:32:00.002-06:00

Tommy and I had a nice dinner tonight to celebrate NYE. While we were sitting there T asked me what my favorite part of the year was and we both had to answer. We actually had the same answer. We both loved the vacation to FL with the fam and Little E. Duh! It was vacation, of course that was the best of the year!

That conversation reminded me to do my Year in Review blog when we got home. (Yes, I'm in bed blogging and it is only 8:45.) Even without the kid, NYE was never my night to party.

January:

Gram and Pawpaw move in with us to stay while Gram recovered. (She has done amazingly well and you would never know she even had a stroke at this time last year!)
Erin gets Cupcake2 (after Cupcake 1 loaded herself in the sale trailer)
Erin turns 6 months old and learned to sit up on her own unsupported
I got my new big camera and took pictures of everything I could lay eyes on

February:

I turned 39 - for the first time.
Still taking pics of Erin like she's destined for the cover of every mag out there
Erin turned 7 months and got her first flu shot ever
Tommy turned 37 (yes, I robbed the cradle)
Erin got her first tooth!!

March:

Erin moved upstairs to her crib and has been sleeping up there ever since
Gram and Pawpaw are living with us part-time and take care of Erin during the week (It's an unconventional arrangement but it worked great for us)
Erin started finger foods and Roxie decided the baby wasn't all bad
Erin was saying Mama and Dada on a full time basis and was using it in the right context

April:

Erin went to her first Crawfish boil at the White's house
Erin still refuses to crawl and just rolls everywhere she needs to go
We took our first ever bluebonnet pics
Easter Bunny pictures
Easter at Aunt Lolo's in Minerva with Uncle Matt's family

May:

Tommy and I went on a cruise
Erin learned to crawl while we were gone
My laptop died and we had a small quiet service at the house with just family
Erin got her first kiddie pool and made quite a splash
Instead of crawling or walking Erin does the "Erin Shuffle" instead
Pawpaw begins working on Erin's birthday swingset - discussions of a "water feature" are shot down

June:

Happy Father's Day to all the Daddys in our life
Erin turns 11 months old
Pawpaw continues to work on Erin's swingset...it continues to get bigger
Erin started holding on to the couch and taking little steps

July

Erin turns 1
The swingset is completed and we have First Birthday party at our house

August:

Gram is here to celebrate another birthday!! Woo Hoo!!
Erin learns to walk

September:

We went to Destin, FL for v-a-c-a-t-i-o-n baby!
Gram and Pawpaw discover the playground at the mall and take Erin there everyday
Erin falls on her sippy cup and cuts her gums and lip (ouch!)
Erin falls and gets her first black eye and no one knows how she did it!

October:

Erin starts daycare - we call it school
Everyone in the house gets a cold - coincidence to starting school....hmmmm
Erin learns to say "Hi" and tells us Hi about 50 times a day

November:

Erin starts eating with a spoon - Roxie remains underneath the high chair at all times when Erin is eating with her new spoon
Happy Thanksgiving, we have a lot to be thankful for
I put up the Christmas tree and put up a protective fence around it

December

Erin got RSV - stayed sick for about 2 weeks
We sat on Santa's lap, and hated every single minute of it
Max bites Erin and we spend a Sunday in the ER and get 4 stitches
Erin has an allergic reaction to the antibiotics
We have Christmas here, and in the Country with Granny and Grandpa

That brings us up to date with everything thru today.

Thanks for reading the blog, I love doing it and will try to be more dilligent in the coming year on posting. I've just gotten so busy with Erin and my job!

Happy New Year and Good-bye 2011, Hello 2012!

Today's Word Is...

2011-12-30T11:50:00.000-06:00

Erin surprises us everday with a new word. I tried to sit down and think of the ones she regularly uses and can only think of about half of them. She'll say them in the right context just as clear as a bell and not say them again for days. She refuses to perform on command and instead chooses to go mute and make Tommy and I look like fools.

She can also count to two. Tommy has been working with her a lot and sometimes she can get to four, but she's very consistent with one, two.

Here are the words I could think of off the top of my head. Not too bad for 17.5 months old!

Momma
Daddy - Da da
Pawpaw
Dee (Roxie)
Mimi (Aunt Amy)
dog
uh oh
no no
shoes
hot
cheese
ouch
night night
Hi!
cool
num- num
money
yoo hoo
Erin (this one is very hit or miss)
ball
star
circle
school

I'll Hive You Know...

2011-12-29T20:01:00.000-06:00

We found out that Erin is allergic to the medicine they gave her in the ER. She broke out in hives yesterday while we were at the doctor getting her stitches removed.

Dr. Heardmon was who we saw and with the little blisters that she had yesterday he thought it was Hand, Foot and Mouth. So, we took her home and she ballooned into one big swollen hive filled mess today. Back we went to the doctor's and she is having a drug allergy reaction. It was a little delayed, but we now know to never give her Augmentin again. (Yesterday she only had a handful of little blisters on her hands when we were at the doc. Obviously the photo below is 36 hours later. Dr. Heardmon isn't a quack, she looked nothing like this yesterday morning.)

Attached is a very gross picture, but I know some of you would like to see it. This is what she looks like from head to toe. The good thing is that she's not in any real discomfort with it. She has one spot on the back of her neck that itches, but other then that, she's playing and acting like normal Erin.

Ouch

More From Christmas Morning...

2011-12-25T09:22:00.001-06:00

A few more shots of Christmas

Breakfast before Claus

Shopping cart full of groceries

Am I doing this right?

Nope, not doing it right...hmmm

Bilibo chair, I think I'll haul it

on the back of my 4 wheeler

I like to push it instead of riding it.

Tunnel vision

Gram and Pawpaw watch Erin

Roxie is thinking this 4 wheeler

looks like trouble.

(She's just glad she doesn't have a tail!)

Watching the video of Santa presents.

Christmas Morning

2011-12-25T08:39:00.002-06:00

Tunnel Vision

2011-12-25T08:25:00.005-06:00

Erin got a tunnel from Santa. She knew what to do immediately.

Reindeer Food

2011-12-24T21:14:00.000-06:00

Erin got reindeer food from her teachers this week.

It's in a little baggie and has a sweet story with it about putting it out for the reindeer to eat while Santa is in the house.

Here are the pics from tonight. We'll have to check in the morning to see if it's gone.

It's a Week of Christmas

2011-12-22T21:00:00.000-06:00

Are you sure we're not Jewish? We're gearing up for our week of Christmas festivities, and it's more like 8 Crazy Nights of Christmas instead of one night.

Uncle Roy and Aunt Karen came in for dinner and a visit tonight. Today was my last day of work until after Christmas and Erin opened her Mize Christmas presents.

Tomorrow we chill. Christmas Eve we'll be spending it with Gram and Pawpaw and Erin will get her presents from them. She'll also get her Christmas presents from her Daddy and me. Christmas morning we'll have Santa presents and then the next day we go to Centerville for Christmas with Grandpa and Granny. On the 27th Uncle Matt and Aunt Mimi come back to town, so we'll have the Wistner Christmas with them. Whew, that's a lot of presents! (I personally cannot wait! :))

Mize Christmas Presents

2011-12-22T19:33:00.000-06:00

Per request, here is the video of Erin opening her presents from the Mize cousins. (Warning, it's long...and not really exciting unless you have a dog in the hunt.)

Snack Attack

2011-12-18T12:24:00.000-06:00

Erin got stitches today. We dropped her off at Gram and Pawpaw's because we were supposed to go to Annabel's Christening. We were putting on our church clothes when the phone rang. Gram said that Max (a.k.a. Snacks) had biten Erin and they thought she needed stitches.

As it turned out the little ER clinic in the Woodlands is okay. The doctor there wasn't exactly Trapper John M.D. but he was board certified in ER and Cosmetic medicine. He said he didn't normally stitch dog bites because of the bacteria, but he did in this case. Tommy almost gave him some quotes because of his bedside manner, but all went well in the end.

Max and Erin were both on Pawpaw's lap this morning. Something happened and Erin fell on Max. Max got mad and bit. I don't think he intentionally bit Erin because he is really, really good with her most of the time. I think it scared him when she fell on him. He knicked her right under the chin. It's about and inch and a half long and we can't tell how deep. She ended up with 4 or 5 stitches. She's asleep now, and I'll count them later, but that's what we think it was.

The worst part was holding her down while they did it. It took baby restraints, me, Tommy and 2 nurses and the doctor to stitch her up.

I want to be done with doctors this year.

Rocky Rocky

2011-12-14T19:03:00.000-06:00

Erin's Granny and Grandpa got her a new rocking chair this week. The boys got to take a ride on the Polar Express and since Erin was too little to go, she got a rocking chair instead. I ordered it and it was delivered yesterday with "some assembly required". Tommy was out of town and Erin was asleep so I put it together last night while I was watching TV. It is so super duper cute.

She saw it immediately from her highchair this morning and high tailed it over there as soon as she was finished with breakfast.

She climbed right in it and started rocking. (We always say Rocky, Rocky Roxie. When Erin rocks Roxie in the recliners in the living room.) On the video you can hear me saying "rocky, rocky".

Here's the video from this morning right after breakfast.

Ho Ho Ho

2011-12-11T18:55:00.000-06:00

We went to see Santa today.

Erin was not a fan!

RSVP for RSV

2011-12-11T10:07:00.001-06:00

Okay, we've had RSV this week. For those that don't know. It's a respiratory virus that kids get. I think adults get it too, but we just pass it off as a cold. It's pretty serious in kiddos.

I took Erin on Monday to the doctor for a rash and come out with a diagnosis for RSV. She has had a bad cough and a runny nose, but we thought it was allergies. Come to find out, those are major RSV symptoms.

We got some meds and we had to buy a nebulizer. We give E breathing treatments 4 times a day. The doctor and the nurse both told me she was going to hate it and fight it. But... my little non-conformist doesn't really mind them a bit. She sits in the recliner and lets me sing "Itsy Bitsy Spider" about 200 times in a row.

She's been out of school all week, but we go back to the doc tomorrow for a follow up and I'm pretty sure we'll get the all clear. But, just to be on the safe side, we didn't go to church this morning and we're skipping the annual Mize Christmas party. Reese will be there, so we didn't want to take a chance on giving it to her. I'm sure they'll miss us, we will miss them! See you next year Mizes!

Word of the Day...

2011-12-11T10:00:00.000-06:00

Erin says a new word everyday it seems.

Today's new word was cheese. Yesterday it was hot. Early last week it was shoes. She uses them in the correct context and it is super duper cute!

Arts and Crafts

2011-12-11T09:55:00.001-06:00

Okay, for Steph's b/day she got her friends together to go to paint last night. It's call Merlot Masterpiece. You basically go with wine or beer and paint a picture. A real artist leads the class and shows you step by step how to create your picture. Here's mine. I was a sucker and bought the $30.00 frame. (The class is housed in a frame shop!) It actually looks better in real life, but you get the picture. (pun intended)

Come over sometime and you can see it hanging in our room!

Christmas Tree Farm

2011-11-26T19:21:00.001-06:00

I put this on Facebook too.

This year's Christmas Tree is brought to you by Acme Baby Fencing Company.

I took Erin to Gram and Pawpaw's yesterday so I could put the decorations out in peace. Tommy and Matthew got it all down and Erin was very interested in the boxes. She immediately climbed on top of the Christmas tree box and only cemented my decision to take her to my parent's house while I decorated.

She loved all the lights in the living room when we got home. Her little face lit up and she was very impressed with the tree. She has figured out she can reach over the fencing and grab the ornaments. We tell her "no no" and she looks at us with one of the red or silver balls in her hand and repeats "no no". It's funny... for now. I'm sure by the end of the month, the humor will have faded from that one. I hope she's a fast learner.

I had to cut back on my decorations this year too. I usually have stuff set out on the coffee table, end tables and in the art niches. This year the Mizes will just have to live without the Nativity scene I bought the year we got married. I think Jesus will understand he's better off back in the attic then with the 16 month old since he's made of ceramic.

We look forward to the presents this year knowing that Little E will be more impressed with the boxes and paper. We've already ordered her present from You Know Who. It should be here soon and we can't even assemble it because I'll want to give it to her!!!!

Whoops!

2011-11-26T19:09:00.000-06:00

Erin had a little accident the other day, then she had another one and yet another one.

Last weekend she was with Tommy and her nose was running. He wiped it with a paper towel and put a big cut down her cheek from wiping it too hard. In his defense, she hates to have her nose wiped and you just kind of have to go in like a rodeo clown and pray for the best. I saw her later and asked what happened. He didn't even know what had happened. We figured that part out later.

The same day a couple of hours later I gave her her water. She was walking/running and fell down on the lid again. This time she hit the same cheek that had the scratch. So now, we have a scratch and a nice bruise to go with it.

The next day at school she was pushing a toy and fell into it and split her lip and nicked her cheek in another spot. I had to sign and incident report when I picked her up.

All in all, last Sunday and Monday were not good days and we were waiting on CPS to come calling.

Photographic evidence was hard to come by, but you get the picture (literally).

Notice we still have a snotty nose!

Better About Blogging...

2011-11-25T06:06:00.000-06:00

Sorry I haven't been better about blogging. We've been so busy at work that the last thing I want to do at night is look at my computer. I haven't emailed or Facebooked much either.

Erin has finally beat the weird doctor unexplained fever. (Knock wood) Her teeth are still bothering her and Tommy is convinced that is what was wrong. I think he might be right, but then it went away so it was probably teeth in combination with a virus. Whatever, I'm glad it's gone!!

My cough is still with me. Crazy. The doctor was right, it's going to take at least 8 weeks to shake this thing. The weather bouncing back and forth from hot to cold doesn't help much either. But other then the cough, I'm good as new! Tommy and Roxie have managed to go medically unscathed. (Thank God!)

I'm putting up the Christmas tree and decorations today. Erin is going to go visit Gram and Pawpaw while we do it. I say we, but really it's me. Tommy gets the stuff down from the attic and helps me put the tree together, and then I do the rest. Hopefully I can knock it out and get a nap in before I pick up Little E. Her new thing is waking up at 4:00 am. Tomorrow we're letting her cry it out. Today I got her because Aunt Mimi and Uncle Matt spent the night and were in the bedroom right below Screamer. As I blog she is tearing thru her toast and yogurt. Roxie is patiently waiting for the leftovers or outcasts!

Count Your Blessings

2011-11-25T05:53:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving! I'm counting my blessings!

One...

Two...

Three...

Of course there are many more, like the rest of the family, the roof over our heads, food to eat, our jobs, but these three came to mind very quickly!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

An Update!

2011-11-03T10:01:00.000-05:00

I took Erin to her 15 month shots yesterday. 5 of them!!! Yikes. I have to say, my kid is tough. I had to hold her down while the nurse gave her the shots. It wasn't until the 3rd poke that she started crying. She really didn't start screaming until it was all over and the nurse was trying to keep her leg still to put the bandaids on. Erin does not = still!! with or without shots!

While we were there they did the normal questions about milestones etc. Erin has a nice vocabulary but isn't much on repeating things right back to you over and over. She'll come out with a word, it will be crystal clear and then she won't repeat it. She'll just sit there and smile at you. The doctor asked if Erin was using utensils yet. Oops. No one told me I was supposed to be trying to teach my 15 month old to eat with a fork and knife! So, this morning I gave her a bowl of yogurt and a spoon. She's a genius. We've let her play with the spoons and given her bowls before but never on her own. Go figure!

Stats:

Weight:     25.2 lbs (85%)
Height:      31.5 in.  (80%)
Head:         46.5 cm (70%)

I was actually very surprised she wasn't higher on the chart for height. She seems very tall for her age, but maybe her legs are just long. All in all, Dr. Elahee is very pleased with the progress and development and said she's nice and proportioned.

Here are some still shots of this morning and below that is the video.

Roxie (Dee) was feeling left out and was patiently waiting for droppings.

I finally figured out that Erin calls her Dee.

She says it everytime Roxie walks in or we say her name.

Duh Mom!

Sickos

2011-10-28T08:55:00.000-05:00

Well, Erin is back up and running (literally). She's still on the antibiotics but she's much, much better. She went to school yesterday and today. Today is their Halloween party and they were supposed to wear their costumes but it's too hot for her to wear the pig costume all day. So, she opted for the Halloween tutu and t-shirt I made her. She looked like a doll!

They are having a pumpkin patch outside if the weather cooperates. It's chilly and rainy right now, but maybe the sun will peak thru by 10:00. I debated on going up there for the party, but thought it might confuse things. Erin is going thru a super clingy stage and she just clings to my leg like a sock out of the dryer.

I'm home again today. My cough is still horrible. I feel fine, except for the cough. Talking on the phone all day at work makes it worse, so I've stayed home the last 2 days in hopes of resting and getting back to normal. It's like clockwork with the meds, as soon as they start to wear off the coughing comes back. So, Roxie and I are catching up on my DVR stuff. It's a good day to be home. I may even turn the fireplace on later.

Here are some pics from this morning before school.

Oh, I thought you WANTED me to turn the TV on.

Busted!!

I have teeth like my pumpkin! See!

Frankenstein walk

What do you mean there's no candy at 7:00 am??

I said Trick or Treat.

Checking out Daddy's nightstand.

Nope, no candy here either.

Mommy, please stop singing.

Erin thought we needed a close up.

Happy Halloween Party Day!!! Woo Hoo!!

Still Sick...

2011-10-25T19:11:00.000-05:00

The plague is still on our house. Erin and I were both still on antibiotics. She took her last dose on Sunday night and I took mine today. That was yesterday....

She woke up throwing up again Sunday night, so she spent yesterday with Gram and Pawpaw and we were back to the doctor on their evening hours. We got 4 more days of antibiotics. She said Erin's ear was better, but still slightly infected so she wanted 10 days of antibiotics instead of 7.

As for me, I stayed home with Erin today. I was back at work yesterday and I think it was a little too soon. I coughed myself silly. As I'm writing this I just had to take my nighttime cough meds because I should like I need an iron lung. I cough so hard my stomach and throat are killing me. I have that nice deep raspy prank calling voice rocking right now too. Too bad people have Caller ID these days. I could pull some good pranks with this voice.

Roxie is still brave enough to sleep downstairs with me, but Tommy has opted to sleep upstairs to be near Erin and away from my coughing. Why is a cough always worse at night anyway??? I can't blame him. I would do the same thing. He told me tonight that at the rate I'm going he'll see me again some time around Thanksgiving!

Hi

2011-10-22T16:41:00.000-05:00

We played with the camera this morning when we got up. One of her new favorite toys are some pieces of scrap ribbon I have. I tied them together and put them in an old wipes box and she loves it.

She figured out how to walk backwards this week too. That way she can see the ribbon as she drags it out.

On the Mend

2011-10-18T20:06:00.001-05:00

Erin if feeling better now. We took her to the doctor yesterday and she has an ear infection so they gave her antibiotics. We started them yesterday morning and she’s already better. Still running low grade fever, but better then 102!

She’s staying home from school again tomorrow and I think Gram and Pawpaw couldn’t be more thrilled. They’re sad that she’s sick, but I think they have loved keeping her!

I am on my 2nd week of boot camp at 5:00 am. It’s totally killing me, but because I ate the skinny Angela, I have to keep going. I have Erin’s cold so it’s been especially hard and I punked out this morning and slept in. The days get pretty long when you get up at 4:40, work all day then come home and play with very active toddler. I really take my hat off to people with more than one kid. I really don’t know how they do it. I have one kid and she wears me out.

Roxie is chilling and cannot wait for the cooler weather. I hung a skeleton on the back door and she keeps barking at it. It blows in the wind and knocks on the door and she gets ticked. I would take it down, but it’s the most activity she gets unless Erin is eating!

Yuck!

2011-10-15T12:52:00.000-05:00

We had a rough night last night. Erin is still teething but is having major allergies too. We've all been stuffy and sneezy with runny noses. Erin's is especially bad because she can't get rid of it herself. I go at her with the snot sucker and she freaks. I hate it because she needs it, I do it, then she gets all upset and bawls again. It's a vicious cycle.

Last night she was so stopped up she was having trouble breathing while sucking her thumb to sleep. She finally fell asleep twice and twice she was deep asleep then got gagged and ended up throwing up. I was still awake and heard it on the monitor the first time. I grabbed her, passed her to Tommy and stripped her bed. Those stupid cribs are hard to change in the middle of the night! We took her downstairs and cleaned her up and put new jammies on her.

Tommy got the vaporizer out of her room and brought it down to our room. She's been so stopped up we were having her sleep under a Vick's cloud. She and I tried to sleep and layed in our bed for about 2 hours before she got sick again. She ended up throwing up all over our bed but manged to miss the comforter and pillows. It was strange, but I'm not complaining. I called Tommy on the intercom, because he opted to sleep on the couch upstairs when E and I took the bed. He came down and we did the whole thing over again.

After another hour of her rolling around and talking to me, I gave up and put her back in her room. I figured she didn't have much left in her to get sick again. I was right. She tossed and turned for about 20 minutes then crashed. Of course, I didn't sleep much because I was wide awake listening to every snore and whimper on the monitor. So, needless to say, it's been a lazy day here at the Mize house. Hopefully tonight will be better.

Roxie slept upstairs with Tommy. The slumber party in our room was too much for her.

No Jack-o-Lanterns Here!

2011-10-11T20:22:00.000-05:00

We had a very rough night last night. Erin went to bed crying then got up all night crying. I thought it was just her teeth but then I started second guessing myself. I called the doctor's office this morning (after skipping boot camp). They got us in right away.

Dr. Elahee said her ears and throat were perfect. I had to hold Erin down while Dr. E used the tongue depressor. She said Erin is getting 5 new teeth right now. So, now we know why we are in such a bad mood. I would be upset too if I were cutting 5 teeth at once. 3 of them are molars!!!

So I'm guessing by our 2nd b-day we'll have a full grill!

After School Special

2011-10-06T19:07:00.000-05:00

We're settling into a routine here at the Mize house. Erin loves, loves, loves school and her teachers brag on her all the time now. They say she has adjusted perfectly and that she is always smiling and hardly ever cries. This is enough to make us swell with pride. We know she's a good baby, its nice to hear someone else think so too!

Tonight after her and Daddy got home I cooked dinner. While I was doing that Erin and Daddy went and played outside on the swing set. You can't really see it, but Daddy is in the swing set with Erin. It was too cute. I had to put down what I was doing to take a couple of pictures.

Roxie was there for moral support and is literally right on E's butt. Check it out.

First Day of School

2011-10-03T19:22:00.000-05:00

You know I had the camera out to take pics of our first day of school!!

I had been looking forward and dreading this day both at the same time. Tommy and I were prepared for an out right cry fest when we left. We were very surprised. We both took Erin to school this morning. (We had a bunch of stuff to carry in, so Tommy was the pack mule while E and I walked in.) We checked in and of course, paid the tuition!

We got to her room and Miss Sabrina was there to welcome her. She was there with 2 little boys. Tommy distracted her while the teacher and I got all her stuff put away. We brought pink cupcakes with us on the first day so we would help break the ice. We also brought some Cheese Its for snack time. (Note, I did pack her a healthy lunch but wasn't sure she would eat it in the new place and wanted to get something in her even if it was junk!)

All day long Pawpaw and Gram were on line watching Erin on the security cameras. I was getting text updates. I came home from lunch and got hooked watching her too. It's addictive! Tommy came home today and was doing paperwork upstairs and he took a peek too. We can't help ourselves!

We found out her class gets to play with Cousin Luke's class for a little while in the morning. Uncle Mark saw her and said she looked like she was having a really good time. He said she was trying to get out the door to the place where the even bigger kids were playing. She has no fear!

The report card from today was good too. Erin didn't cry at all and ate all her food and drank all her milk. (She never drinks all her milk for me!)

We came home and played and then had dinner and we've gone to bed. Tonight she cried a little while but I think she's just worn out and over stimulated from her busy day. She's settled down now. Daddy is upstairs on his computer and Momma is going to bed early to read and then pass out. Erin may have had a physically taxing day, but Momma and Daddy had a very mentally taxing day! Whew! I pray tomorrow goes as well.

How cute am I???

I got special first day of school overalls!

Come on Momma, let's go!

Me and Momma

Me and Daddy

Ouch!

2011-09-27T19:58:00.000-05:00

I noticed Erin's first black eye last night and no one has any idea how it happened!! It's on her eyelid and it's purple. She took one fall that we saw, but we didnt' know she hit her eye. Crazy.

Tried to take a good picture, but Erin wouldn't blink for me!!

Cowgirl Up!

2011-09-26T19:01:00.000-05:00

Granny and Grandpa bought Erin a pink cowboy hat for her birthday and a little shirt that says "Cowgirl in Training". The shirt is still to big, but I found some pink cowboy boots at Walmart today and couldn't resist the photo-op!

Up and At It

2011-09-25T13:54:00.000-05:00

I realized I hadn't really put up a video of Erin just walking around. Someone sent me a message telling me they hadn't seen her walking that much and I realized I hadn't filmed it. So here's a little snippet of her in the kitchen.

Did I Really Say That??

2011-09-25T13:41:00.000-05:00

Okay, today I said something today that I never in a million years dreamed I would ever say.

"No, please do not put the mac & cheese in your hair." (I very seldom have to say this to Tommy or Roxie....)

This is now my norm! What a difference one year and one kid makes!!!

I Don't Like Erin But...

2011-09-24T20:54:00.002-05:00

I really, really like her chair.

We had Daddy's birthday party at our house tonight. Tommy and Matthew were watching football in the living room and the rest of us were visiting in the kitchen. Tommy said, "Angela, get your camera". I looked up and Roxie had climbed up into Erin's chair. She did it all on her own with no prompting from us.

In the first picture she's just sitting there. Then she decided to lay down and get comfortable.

Not Our Best Day

2011-09-24T13:02:00.000-05:00

Erin woke up coughing on Thursday night. It has morphed into a snotty nose and watery eyes. I think it's a cold, but it might be allergies. We were supposed to go to a birthday party today, but we cancelled on them. I didn't want to be "that" mom who brings her sick kid to the party anyway.

Truth be told, I didn't want to embarrass myself when she pitched a major fit in front of everyone when I put her down!!

Instead of going, we played portrait studio again. These were more actions shots because it was just the three of us (Momma, Erin and Roxie). Daddy was upstairs working.

The Aggies play today so we have on our Aggie dress. Go Aggies. We all know where Daddy will be at 2:30!!

Almost Just Like Daddy...Almost

2011-09-22T19:27:00.000-05:00

Here is the nap mat I made for when we start school. Of course, she layed down on it the first time I showed her what it was but refused to do it again. I got the camera out and Tommy tried to get her to do it and this is what we got.

Warning: This is a minute of your life you'll never get back - meaning it isn't exactly Earth shattering video.

Back and Forth...and Again

2011-09-22T19:22:00.002-05:00

I shot this little video of Erin today. She loves her little horsey. She doesn't ride her in the traditional way, but chooses to push her. She'll smack the wall, then walk around to the other side, then push in that direction. It's so cute.

During this video, she disappears into the bathroom/bedroom hall off the entry way, in case you were wondering what she was doing. She is getting the horse from being stuck on the door frame. I could tell by the noises she was making. (Yes, this happens all the time :))

I Think...

2011-09-20T23:32:00.001-05:00

I did this right.

I totally stole the idea of putting the blog on Facebook. My neighbor, Leanne, did it so I ripped the idea off from her. (Shout out to Leanne - if you're reading this!)

So here goes, if you don't see me on Facebook look us up.

Three Mizes + One - it will populate and you can go in and view the blog.

Fingers crossed that this works.

Now, I'm going upstairs to the a/c. The downstairs air went out yesterday and was still too frozen today for the guy to fix. We had to let the solid 6 inch block of ice defrost for him to fix it tomorrow morning. So, in the meantime, the Three Mizes + One are sleeping upstairs. (Erin always sleeps in her room, but now Mommy, Daddy and Roxie are up there too!) One big happy sweaty family!

Big News and a Project

2011-09-17T23:14:00.000-05:00

Okay, after Florida we made the decision to get Erin on the waiting list at daycare. So, I called around and we ended up choosing the school the boys (Jake & Luke) go to. Gateway Baptist Daycare.

I called to get put on the waiting list week before last. They told me Erin was like the 3rd on the list, so we figured it would be a couple of months. Well, we got the call on Thursday that she was in and will be starting "school" on October 3rd.

Gram and Pawpaw are sad, but they know it's for the best too. Erin is such a social kid. She loves to be around other kids and I think she can learn a lot from being around the others in her class.

I toured the school and met her teachers. They take a nap each day so the teacher recommended a "nap mat" for the cot she'll be sleeping on. Enter Momma's latest project....

I looked on line and they were like $60 bucks for this mat and I really didn't like the material and didn't fall in love with any of them. So, I decided to make my own. I went to Joann Fabrics last night and found the material. I printed 5 different sets of instructions on the web and built my own. My friend, Sharon, at work told me to make sure it rolled up and that I made the pillow with it.

Like any of my sewing, you don't want to look too closely! But I think it turned out good. I haven't put the carrying strap on it yet because I wanted to use it a couple of times we can figure out the best carrier. I bought a nylon strap material in pink with white strip on it. It will match perfectly (of course)!

Up close shot of the material for the pillow and blanket.

(This is the actual pillow I made.)

The bed after I tried to get Roxie to lay down in

it to pose for me.

Ready for Erin.

This is how it would have to be for me to

get in it. I can't stand an

un-straighten bed!!

The pillow is attached at the top

so it can be flipped up now

and used as a pillow later when we learn

what the heck a pillow is.

Rolled up and ready to go

A Day With Granny and Grandpa

2011-09-17T22:54:00.000-05:00

We went to The Country today to spend the day with Granny and Grandpa. We left early this morning and got home in time for Erin's dinner and bath. She only took one nap today and it was only about an hour and 15 minutes.

Here are some shots of her on the golf cart and in the swing with Granny. She was also harassing Yella, but I think Yella actually liked it. Poor Yella would be stretched out on the cool tile on the kitchen floor and Erin would run over there and "play" with her. She had an old Diet Dr. Pepper bottle and was trying to give Yella a drink from it. It was too cute. I think Yella just wanted to sleep.

Erin was also fascinated by all the deer on the wall. She saw them for the first time on this trip. She was pointing at them and making one of the noises Tommy makes when they play together. It was very cute.

For the trip finale, we "drove to the back"...which means we all piled in Grandpa's work/ranch truck with the deer corn and drove around the back feeding the wildlife. Erin got to see deer, squirrels and a rabbit. She only really saw the deer, but they were very close and she did watch them. Two of them still had their spots. They are so pretty, skinny, but pretty.

All in all, a very good day!

All smiles as usual

Playing with a hand-me-down, hand-me-down, hand-me down from

Dylan & Tyler, and Jake.

Erin is just happy she doesn't have to share it on

this trip!

In my Great, Great Grandmother's rocking chair

I love you Yella!

Okay, I'll go play over here (with your dog toys...)

Honk honk!

Outta my way people!

I really like Granny's golf cart.

Me and Granny in the swing.

I got really, really sleepy.

I think they tricked me into a nap!

Erin's Book

2011-09-14T06:12:00.000-05:00

Okay, we all know I love to scrapbook and that I can be pretty creative when the mood strikes. Unfortunately, with my busy life the mood strikes less and less.
The only pages I had all cute and ready to go for Erin's first year book were the ones I had done when I was still preggo! So, I did a digital scrapbook of our Destin trip as a guinea pig. Loved it!

I scanned the pictures I needed and sat down and went to town on Erin's First Year. I actually started with the pregnancy test stick, included my maternity pics and then went into the Erin stuff. It turned out really long (read expensive) because they charge you by the page when you exceed a certain number. But in the end, it will be well worth it. I really can't wait to see it all done up. It's super cute on screen.

I loved doing it digitally because I didn't have to get out the folding table and spread everything out. It was all on my computer and I could watch bad TV downstairs while I was doing it.

Here's a peek at the cover. The book should be in next week and you'll just have to come over to see it!

Saddle Up Cowgirl!

2011-09-13T21:16:00.000-05:00

Since Erin likes the carousel so much, Daddy put her on her little horse this afternoon. Of course, they had already ridden for a while before I was able to catch it on video. Erin had been squealing and laughing, but the minute I got the camera out she got all quiet. She just looks at the camera the whole time now!

A Walk In the Park

2011-09-13T20:59:00.001-05:00

Erin is obsessed with the carousel at the mall according to Pawpaw. I haven't taken her yet, but Pawpaw learned there was an indoor carousel at the mall last Thursday and he's already taken Erin 3 times!

He and Mom took her on Friday and they got some good shots of her on the ride and then in the playground.

Ouch, That One Left a Mark

2011-09-10T21:30:00.001-05:00

Erin had her first big boo boo today. I think it hurt Momma and Daddy as much if not more than it hurt her. Until today, I never understood that it really does hurt you as a parent to see your kid in pain. (Not that I like seeing anyone in pain, but it especially hurt to see Erin hurt!)

She was trying to walk on her knees and drink out of her straw cup on the tile... need I say more? She slipped and landed on the cup with it still in her mouth. She immediately started crying and it was the huge sobs that no sound comes out for a minute while she was sucking in air. Her little face just crumpled up and huge tears erupted. It was heartbreaking. Tommy and I were both right there when it happened. I snatched her up and started loving on her. Then we realized her little mouth was bleeding.

She would never let us get into her mouth to see if she split her lip or cut her gums with the straw. She was so mad and hurt. I tried to peek several times but she would cry harder, shake her head and throw her hands up in my way. So, it's still a mystery as to what exactly got cut. I got the frozen teething ring out but she wanted none of that either. I ended up giving her some Tylenol and laying her down. It was close to nap time anyway. She settled down and was out pretty soon after I put her down.

Very emotionally draining. Tommy and I just looked at each other after I layed her down. She's good as new now, but man oh man. We're not ready for this!!!

Erin's Big Adventure

2011-09-08T20:30:00.000-05:00

Okay, I finally broke down and suggested Pawpaw take Erin to the mall to let her play on the little playground. Pawpaw and E droppped Gram off at therapy and Tommy and I met them at the mall. I have held off on taking her until she was a little more steady with the walking. (And the germs just gross me out!) I knew she would get run over if she was only crawling. I was right. It was lunch on a Thursday and the place was crawling with kiddos. I'm not sure when that playground wouldn't be busy.

Most of the kids were really well behaved, but there were some older kids that were probably a little too old and big for the playground. I didn't want to tell the teacher on the on Erin's first trip, but I reserve the right to bring my tape measure with me next time to check that they're under 42 inches tall.

I think Pawpaw, Momma and Daddy had as much fun as Erin! She was a lot to keep up with too. She would crawl thru a tunnel and one of us would have to run to the other side dodging kids the whole way. Pawpaw was Johnny on the Spot with the cell phone camera, so here are some pictures. She was moving a lot, so they are a little blurry but you get the idea.

(BTW - Pawpaw nearly wet his pants when he realized The Woodlands Mall has an indoor carousel! He said they were going back tomorrow to try it out. He didn't want to do too many things in one day. Said it's all about pacing yourself.)

Rid'em Cowgirl!

Whoops, I keep falling down. This walking is hard.

Mirror, Mirror on the Fridge

2011-09-04T15:48:00.001-05:00

Okay, this one cracks me up. Erin loves, loves, loves mirrors. She will play with her own reflection for hours. Every night after her bath, Daddy puts her in the mirror to wave at herself. She has 2 mirrors in her playroom that stay dirty from kissing herself and the mirror on the fridge sees a lot of daytime action....

And yes, that is our first Hello Kitty t-shirt and her hair is in pigtails. (We ripped the bows out hours ago!)

I especially like the end when the velcro from her shoe gets caught on the rug and she drags it over to me.

Being Silly

2011-09-04T15:45:00.002-05:00

Nothing too exciting here. Erin is just being silly and playing around.

Finally, Caught on Tape!

2011-09-04T15:44:00.000-05:00

Just like those silly criminal stories where guys are caught on tape doing stuff, Erin was caught today actually walking.

We've been taking more and more steps every day. This morning she was all over the play room and living room but I was not fast enough to catch her. This is not one of her longer strolls, but you get the picture.

We've had some false starts on the walking, but I think it's going to stick this time!

Look Out Martha

2011-09-04T15:11:00.000-05:00

Okay, little insight into my crazy mind...
I feel very strongly about the 3 or 5 (Gram and Pawpaw) of us eating together as a family every night. We plan supper for 6:00 pm every night and sit down the the TV off to eat. Erin has her high chair at the table and for as long as she could sit in it, I've been trying to do this. Call me old-fashioned, but I think it's important for families to eat together.

Well, Erin does a lot of playing instead of eating. It wasn't so bad when she was just on the baby food, because I controlled a lot of it, but now that we're mixing in real table food it's gotten messy.

I went all Martha Stewart today and saved my kitchen wall! I had to clean about a dozen splats with baby wipes before I applied it, but I think I found the magic Martha solution.

I bought a huge roll of that static stick vinyl off of Amazon and went to town. I couldn't just slap it up there because the OCD nut case in my head wouldn't allow it. I had to wait for Erin to nap. Then I got out the laser level, my craft mat/ruler and roll cutter. Lot of measuring and sizing, but I did pretty good. It's clear, so it blends into the wall without much notice.

Ask me in a week if it worked!

ESPN or Something

2011-09-03T13:53:00.000-05:00

Okay, when I was a kid my parents used to tell me that my mom had eyes in the back of her head. I can remember physically looking for them and never finding them, but she ALWAYs knew when I was doing something I wasn't supposed to be doing. Can't tell you how many times I rolled my eyes or stuck out my tongue only to be busted with "I saw that". ???? How???? Daddy would always tell me to be careful, I was going to get busted because Mom had eyes in the back of her head. 9 times out of 10 I walked away rubbing my butt and sniffling. (Time Out was never big in the Wistner Household)

Today, I figured just how she did it. Erin is crawling around like a maniac and for those of you who have never met her, she is NEVER still. She will concentrate on something for about 2 minutes, then move on to something else. She is not one of those sit quietly somewhere and play with one toy kind of babies. She's very quick for a crawler and is so efficient at that you can set her down, and within the blink of an eye she's 15 feet away already.

Today she was crawling/cruising around while I was doing stuff in the kitchen. I was literally one step ahead of her at every turn while trying to get my stuff done. It was like that Mom thing went off and I knew exactly where she was headed and what she was about to get into. So, I finally figured out Sandy's trick. She didn't have eyes in the back of her head, she really had ESP.

For my next trick, I will select tonight's Powerball numbers.

Life Guard on Duty

2011-09-01T18:01:00.001-05:00

Here's a couple of quick videos from Florida

The Mizes Own the Beach

Pirate's Booty

Tommy-Cam

Made in the Shade

Crawling in the Sand

Destin For Greatness!

2011-09-01T17:54:00.001-05:00

Well we've been back since Saturday and I just haven't had the time to blog yet. We got back Saturday night from our week in Destin, FL. It was so much fun!

We rented a house on Santa Rosa Beach. The Driftwood! It had a private pool and was a very short trip to the beach. We had the house busting at the seams. We're already planning to go back next year, but we'll need a bigger house!!

While we were there, Erin decided the crib we rented was not good enough. Every time we put her in it, she freaked out and screamed like crazy. So, for the whole week, Momma, Daddy and Erin slept in the queen sized bed. It is really funny now, but last week it was a little uncomfortable. Erin took up SOOOO much room in that bed. Tommy hardly slept because he was afraid he was going to roll over and smush Erin. I didn't sleep well because I kept pulling her more to my side because I too was afraid he would roll over on her. Erin slept like a baby! (Pun intended)

Erin wasn't as impressed with the beach as I thought she would be. She loved the water, but since she's still crawling instead of walking she kept getting a face full of sand. With all the sunscreen I slathered on her, it was sticking to her. She did figure out that it was better to bear crawl around the beach instead of using her knees. It was hilarious. Some people set up beside us for the week were even laughing at her.

I'm going to post some videos and pictures. Feel free to skip the videos. They aren't all that exciting!

Bottoms up!

Wait for me Daddy, I'm coming as fast as I can...

Me and Daddy on the beach!

I love the water. I can see my toes!

Look what washed up on the beach!

Surf's up!

Beach ninja!

Luke and Daddy playing in the water

Toes in the sand

I wish I was there right now!

One night at dinner

Daddy's best date

I have a little something on my face!

There's a jelly fish in the back of the dump truck.

They were fascinated!

Beach babes!

Happy Beach Bums!

Splish Splash in the pool

Giving Mommy wet sugars

I think Erin took something else from Luke.

Poor Luke!

When do we get our pool Daddy???

Sensitive Subject

2011-08-17T19:49:00.000-05:00

At the present time, we're treating Roxie for Schnauzer Bumps. Yes, it is a skin condition exclusive to schnauzers. It happens from time to time from grooming. She gets these little bumps on her back and the only way to get rid of them is a special shampoo. So, every other days, Roxie has been getting a bath. She hates it and me right now! The good thing is that it doesn't bother her in any way.
As if that were not enough, I always have skin problems because of my sensitive skin. I have a collection of potions, lotions and washes to help my crazy skin.

The Mize ladies have sensitive skin!!!

Erin must have felt left out...

She has had these little bumps on her face, legs and upper arms. The doctor looked at it in July and told it is a form of eczema. She told us to treat it with hydrocortizone. I have, but it didn't clear up. It looked to me like it was getting a little worse, so before we left this week for 7 days in the sun slathered in sunscreen, I decided to take her back to the doctor. She was diagnosed with Keratosis Pilaris. The doctor said she will have flair ups and that it will be controlled, but will never be cured. She gave me the name of some OTC lotion and told me Erin's case was too mild for Rx. I agreed.

So, today at lunch I was on a mission to find one of the two lotions she recommended. (The doctor told me she has the same condition and said she knew both of these lotions work from personal experience!) I went to 2 different Walgreens, 2 Walmarts and called a CVS and an independent hole in the wall pharmacy. No one could help me and they all acted like I was asking for nuclear launch codes instead of an OTC lotion.

All the driving around I did led to me getting low on gas, so I stopped at the Shell station beside Target in the Woodlands. As I sat there pumping gas I remembered they have a pharmacy in there now. So, I sat in the parking lot and called them. I just couldn't take another face to face rejection!
The Pharmacist answered the phone and knew immediately exactly what I was asking for. She said, I don't have the name brand, but I have the generic in and can order the name brand if you want. Needless to say, I ran right in and bought it.

The pharmacist may have gotten the wrong idea though when I tried to climb over the counter to give her a big hug and kiss. Some people are so sensitive!

We greased Little E up tonight after her bath and hopefully this stuff will work. It doesn't smell nearly as cute and babified as her other lotion, but if it gets her cleared up we can go back to the other stuff soon.

It should now be noted that all the Mize boys that live on Caradoc Springs Court have beautiful non-sensitive skin. Naturally!

Future Republican

2011-08-13T13:26:00.000-05:00

Okay, apparently Erin has decided to go with her Daddy on political leanings. No Free Rides.

She has this tractor and a school bus and she CANNOT stand anyone to ride. I shot this video, then did it again so everyone could see that it wasn't a fluke. She cannot stand for them to ride, and she ALWAYS takes them off in order. She starts with the farmer and works her way to the back of the tractor.

So, she's going to be a Republican and a little on the OCD side!

and...

Maybe we will have to have another kid to even things out!!!

An Expert In His Field

2011-08-13T09:46:00.000-05:00

I married a Grill Sargent. Everyone that knows Tommy knows he isn't much on the indoor cooking but can totally rock the house with his outdoor cooking.
In 102 degree heat this weekend, he's cooking outside! On the menu: Brisket, ribs, fajitas!

One brisket is for Florida. It's a monster 16.5 lbs. The second brisket is much smaller and for us to keep in the freezer as a throw down meal. He's cooking ribs because he already had the fire going from the briskets, and you can't waste a good fire. He likes to have them in the freezer too so he can defrost and snack on them during football season when the Texans are playing out of town. (I think they're better when we're watching the Cowboys, but that's just a matter of preference.) The fajitas are for my mom's birthday party tonight. They are actually still marinating. Those will be done on the gas grill instead of the smoker.

Like any good professional, Tommy has his equipment. I won't bore you with commercial for Weber products, and ALL the accessories we have to go with them. His most important piece of equipment is his uniform. Some cooks prefer an apron or special monogrammed shirts, not Tom. He prefers a torn up 10 year old Roger Creager t-shirt and an equally holey pair of worn out Tommy Bahama shorts. I've tried several times to throw them away because the smoke smell is permanently embedded, but then I came to my senses. As long as he's cooking his wonderful barbecue, what difference does it make that he looks like a homeless guy?

(As his older wife, I can appreciate that he doesn't like to get rid of the old things. He prefers to hang on to them in case he needs them again later!)

The whole uniform.

The hole uniform

(Up close of the shirt - one of many holes and a large hole on the shorts where the pocket goes)

And For My Next Trick...

2011-08-09T19:55:00.000-05:00

Erin had quite a day! In a good way...
I worked from home and was taking a break downstairs with her and Pawpaw in the playroom after her snack. I was sitting on the floor about 2 feet from her Fisher Price house. She was crawling all over me as usual. That part is nothing new. She crawls all over me all the time. But today, after she crawled up I got her to stand on her own, and then she took 2 steps.

Before I got there, she was taking one step from the toy box to her rocking horse, and Pawpaw said she did that about 3 times. I came in and she was standing in my lap. I pulled my legs back and she stood up on her own and toddled over to the FP house!

Daddy said my jaw dropped a foot!

Then tonight after our bath I was checking her top teeth. She's had one that has been trying to poke thru for a while. I was feeling all around and low and behold, she has a new one on the bottom. It must have just poked thru today.

We came out and told Daddy about it and he said, "Alright, give me 5 Erin". He held up his hand and she gave him 5!!!

Days like these make it so worthwhile being a parent!

I Have to Laugh at Me.

2011-08-08T20:22:00.000-05:00

Okay, I like to laugh, anyone who knows me knows that. I'm an equal opportunity make fun of 'er. I'll pick on someone relentlessly if they give me the right material.

With that being said...I have to laugh at myself for what I recently did. It wasn't bad enough that I did it, but that we actually took pictures of it and that I'm putting out there for the world to see. I told you, equal opportunity make fun of 'er!!! Even I'm not immune to my ruthlessness!

We bought Erin a bike seat to fit on my bike. It's been so hot that we really haven't gotten to use it yet. One night right after I bought it a storm was blowing in (yes, the only one we've had in months!). It was cloudy and windy and the perfect day to try it out. I yanked the tags off the baby bike helmet and literally wrestled E to the ground putting it on her. Perfect, mom and baby ready to roll...

The stupid helmet kept hitting my boobs while I was riding and Erin hated it. It's pointed on one side and that was the side that was hitting me. Poor baby, I kept knocking her in the head and knocking the helmet down lower and lower in the front. Erin ended up yanking it off mid ride and trying to throw it on the ground. I'm fast like a ninja, so I caught it. It wasn't until we got home that I realized I had the stupid thing on her backwards!!!

Yes, here is the photographic evidence of my stupidity. Moral of the story, take time to read the directions on all children's products and don't take pictures until you know you've done it right!!!

Next, I'm going to teach her to run with scissors and not to wait the 20 minutes after a snack before getting in the pool! I would like to think it was a rookie mom mistake, but it was just straight up idiot! :)

Big Girl Chair

2011-08-08T19:41:00.000-05:00

I bought Erin a chair today. I was going to order it on line, but was too impatient. So, I went to Pottery Barn Kids and bought the one I liked. The lady there told me to take it to a place in the Woodlands to have it monogrammed and it will cost about what it would have cost to have them do it with shipping.
So, the week we go on vacation, I'm going to drop it off to be monogrammed with her name on the back.

She loved it. The minute she looked at it she crawled right over to it and climbed in. Of course, in typical Erin Perpetual Motion, she didn't stay seated for long. We stood up in it, rolled over in it, face planted in, then crawled over the edge and landed on her head. Tommy nearly had a heart attack!

10 Minutes With My "Helper"

2011-08-07T14:24:00.000-05:00

It's really no wonder one of Erin's favorite first words is "no". This is a snapshot of 10 minutes with her while I was trying to do some chores.

She started out after the pinwheel, then saw her sunglasses.

And yes, she did get her first mouthful of dog food.

It was only a matter of time...and she washed it down with some water! :)

She's just finishing up helping me sort laundry.

I usually leave the baskets standing, but whatever.

After we picked up the basket, we decided to check out the dryer.

Note to self, remember later to hide Crayons in dryer.

What do you mean I can't have it? So what if it's dirty, it's still mine!

I was so helpful and I'll I get for it is a nap! Boo!

I've Got Moves

2011-08-06T20:40:00.000-05:00

Erin's new favorite thing to do is to sit on the tile and go in circles. She'll do it for 10 minutes and then crawl away all dizzy. I can never get it on video. When I have the camera out, she's too busy looking at the camera to do anything. If I don't have it out, by the time I get it out she's done.

Today I got a little preview of it. We were all in the kitchen this morning after breakfast and she started it up. It was followed immediately by seeing if Roxie's bowl was down and then she decided to plow up the tile with her forehead. We still haven't figured that one out. She bulldozes on the carpet all the time. This is the first time I saw it on the tile.

This next video is of Erin's second favorite new thing. We go to the front door and look out at the street like we've never seen it before. This is usually followed by sitting on the tile and spinning (hence the video camera out), but as usual, she declinded to cooperate.

I Think She Loves Me...

2011-07-31T20:20:00.000-05:00

As you can see, Roxie has not warmed to Erin. And, now that Erin is mobile, it's only going to get worse!

And, P.S. I still won't push the button!

Not Now Mom

2011-07-31T20:14:00.001-05:00

Erin is absolutely enthralled with anything with buttons. She will immediately find the button on any toy she has. Granny and Grandpa got her this little pink horse for Christmas. Erin may not be much of a cowgirl. She isn't much on riding the horse, but buddy, we've worn the button on the side out!

Of course, while I was shooting this video she was showing her Mize side and being very stubborn! :)

One more time...

Outta My Way...

2011-07-31T20:07:00.000-05:00

I bought Erin this little push toy about 2 months ago. (Okay, I was more optimistic about her walking skills then she was!) It's been played with but until today, it had never been walked behind. We were in the toy room playing and I decided to give it a go again. Well.... there's no looking back now. We're on the move dude!

Notice that even when we stumble, we never give up. We just walk on our knees!

Move Over Roxie...

2011-07-31T19:59:00.002-05:00

Move over Roxie! Erin has a new BFF! Julia Ann Ramsey!!!

Julia is the daughter of our friends Bridgette and Wade. She's 4 1/2 and loves, loves, loves Erin. We don't get to see them very often because they live in Austin. (This might be why Julia loves Erin so much now! She doesn't see her all the time!) Erin loves Julia too. She just lights up and smiles the whole time they play. (Erin also pulls Julia's hair, but Julia is very forgiving!)

Julia wants Erin to be her little sister, but since that isn't happening, she decided it was okay to be best friends and big sister in spirit! As long as they got to dress alike...

For her birthday, Julia gave Erin some matching outfits. On the night of our party, we dressed up in matching pammies and the next day we had on our matching outfits as well. They are just so super cute. In the pics below, Julia has her favorite Pillow Pet and they got Erin a miniature version as part of her presents. They are all ready for bed.

Could these two be any cuter????

You Say It's My Birthday...

2011-07-31T19:50:00.002-05:00

Erin had a great party last weekend. It was super, duper hot, but we survived. What started out as a "small" family party grew! But, in our defense, we have a pretty big family when you count all the cousins and aunts/uncles!

Pawpaw's hard work was front and center and was met with tremendous approval from all the kids at the party. I noticed that during the whole two hours, every single kid played on the swing set at least once. Some played on it almost the whole time. We also rented a bounce house, always a crowd pleaser. Erin even got in there to give it a try.

When it was time for the cake and presents Erin was fired up. I tied balloons to her chair and I think she was more fascinated with them then with anything else. She was too cute when we sang Happy Birthday too. She just sat there looking back at everyone and then clapped when we were done.

She got great presents and have played with every toy since last weekend. Erin got lots of clothes too. We've been wearing something new everyday, and we still have a ton more to wear. Here are some good shots of the party.

My Strawberry Shortcake Bounce House! (Love it!)

Yes, it tasted as good as it looked! Yum!

My Mommy is soooo picky, she even painted the butterflies

for the cake because she couldn't find any to match!

My very own Erin cake!

Erin in the bounce house

I dig this tutu but I think it's trying to eat me!

Wow, balloons. What are balloons?

I go right for the flaming candle.

Okay, I'm a little intimidated by the singing.

Somebody blew out my candle!

Daddy helps me out.

I'm not so sure about this...

Okay, I'll try it...

Somebody hold these balloons, I'm going in...

Yep, I like cake!

This is pretty good.

Do I have something on my face?

What? The party is almost over??

Excuse me, somebody took my cake

and left this stinking water!

I Have a Lot to Say!

2011-07-28T19:35:00.000-05:00

Okay, I promise I'll blog about the birthday party this weekend with lots of pictures and video. Momma and Daddy are still trying to recover.
Erin is ALWAYs making noise and sounds. This morning Tommy brought her downstairs for our normal routine. I changed her diaper and he was laying on the bed talking to us. I picked her up to carry her to the kitchen for breakfast and she saw herself in the mirror. She immediately started laughing and waving to herself. I said do you see the baby, and she said "baby". Tommy and I looked at each other and of course we kept saying it to get her to say it. It was just too cute. We've heard her say other little things, but she never repeats them over and over like she did today.

We practiced baby some more when I got home and she's still doing it. She was having her snack this afternoon when she dropped her cup. I said uh-oh and she immediately said "uh-oh". I was laughing and she kept saying that one too. (Followed by her throwing the cups down over and over and saying uh-oh.) Then we were in the toy room before dinner and she picked up one of the little people dogs. I said, dog, and she looked me right in the eye and said "dog".

THEN we were going up to bed after our bath and I said go night-night? And she said, "night-night". I've heard that one before but only like twice. I was able to get her to say it several times.

It's just the craziest thing to me. She babbles all the time, but in one day to hear her use 4 different words repeatedly is just too cute. It was a very pleasant surprise.

Tommy better look out. It looks like we have a mini-Angela on our hands. She's not the least bit interested in walking, but she's just busting to talk. Trust me, we have a lot to say!!

It's My Birthday!

2011-07-20T20:45:00.000-05:00

I really cannot believe it's been a year already! It really did fly by just like everyone told me it would. Tommy and I were talking tonight and we've learned so much in this last year. We have had so much fun with Erin. She really is the best thing we've ever done!

I wanted to get her ready for the party so we had our one year visit to the doctor today. I knew she had to get shots, and we wanted to get them over with so we would be good and well for the party. Wow. Tommy laid down the law and said never again do we do shots on her actual birthday. She was great in the exam and took the shots well, but the aftermath has been dreadful. Her appointment was at 8:30. This is right at the beginning of our morning nap time but I did that so she would sleep when we left. Every other time we've gotten shots she been sleepy afterwards and crashed and then woke up great. Not today.

We got home about 9:45 and we got our snack and then fought me tooth and nail to go to sleep. I was supposed to go to work after the appointment but I ended up calling in sick. Erin was screaming and crying and refusing to sleep. She was clinging to me like velcro but wouldn't settle down to sleep. It was noon before she finally passed out. She woke up at 1:00 (not nearly long enough nap) and had lunch only to repeat the whole episode and fall back to sleep around 4:00. Mommy is hoping for a peaceful night because my head is killing me now!!

Here were today's stats:

Weight: 26 lbs (97% percentile)
Height: 30.5 inches (89% percentile)
Head: 18.25 inches (77% percentile)

Dr. E told us she's very proportionate for her age and that we're developing great. We go back in 3 months for another check-up and round of shots. (I may need a shot of another kind if we have a repeat experience!)

We're having the big party and cake this weekend, but we couldn't let tonight go by without some sort of celebration. So, we had cupcakes!

Yes, this was right before my child, who never puts stuff in her mouth, put the candle in her mouth!

Slide On Over to My House

2011-07-14T21:25:00.000-05:00

Here is Erin on her first evening on the slide. Pawpaw and I held her hands the first time and she loved it. I got my Flip and Gram and Pawpaw did it again. I think E may be a little to young for the slide. She liked it, but I think she really likes the swing more right now.

Swinging With My Daddy

2011-07-14T21:23:00.000-05:00

Tommy got in on the act and he and Erin swung while he cooked dinner.

A Partial Debut

2011-07-14T21:19:00.001-05:00

The swingset was about 90% complete this afternoon and I just couldn't wait another day. I took Erin outside and we got pictures and videos.

I'm not posting the pictures just yet because we need to clean up the extra wood and I ran out of daylight, but I'm going to put the video up.

Notice how Pawpaw got a little excited and pushed Erin a little too high. She loves it but I think Gram and Momma had a heartattack!

Daddy and Tommy were working in the backyard this afternoon when the twins next door decided they had waited long enough and needed to check the progress. They came over and Tommy said they immediately ran to the slide. Hudson was more brave and "disappeared" around the side to the ladder in back. They found him when he hit the platform and slide. Luke waited to make sure Hudson was okay then he tried it. Both give a resounding thumbs up.

Thanks Pawpaw the swingset is totally kid approved.

Some Minor "Mom-ifications"

2011-07-13T20:34:00.000-05:00

Daddy was dilligently working on the swingset by himself when I came home for lunch today. He had gotten the crossbeam up and hung the swings....
I hated to say it, but the crossbeam was just too short. The swings were only about 6 inches apart and the kids would hit each other or the slide platform if they were swinging. Back to the drawing board. We decided the 8 foot beam wasn't long enough so we got on line and searched. We found a local place that specializes in cedar and redwood. They had a 12 foot been in stock so I paid for it over the phone and Pawpaw picked it up this afternoon.

Gram and Pawpaw are at their house tonight, so the beam will be back in the morning. I suspect that Tommy and Pawpaw will be hard at work tomorrow night finishing it up.

I've taken pictures along the way and will post them once Project Swingset is complete.

My Review of Playtex BPA Free Lil' Gripper Straw Trainer - 7oz - Pink/Purple

2011-07-12T15:16:00.002-05:00

As I have blogged before, I hardly ever read reviews let alone enter one. But... on my quest for this particular cup I had to sing praises. I had to go to two different Targets and three Walmarts to find more of these. I bought them for Erin on a whim a while back and they work great for her now. She learned the straw part but has to have the handles to hold it.

We now have 4 of them and love, love, love them!

So, here's my Review. Never done one of these before and it let me post it straight from the Toysrus website. Just got a kick out of that because I am truly a dork.

*********************************************************************************

Originally submitted at Toys R Us

Teach your child to drink from a straw with the new Playtex R First Lil Gripper TM Straw Trainer Cup. Sturdy cup that can be squeezed by an adult to help push the liquid up allowing child to learn to suck the liquid more easily. Squeezing feature is such that a parent can squeeze, but a child could...

It works like it should

By Erin's mom from Spring, TX on 7/12/2011

Pros: Durable, Easy To Clean, Easy To Use, Good Value
Best Uses: Everyday Use
Describe Yourself: First Time Parent
Was this a gift?: No

My daughter learned to drink from a straw very early, but wasn't able to hold on to the cups with no handles. This was perfect for her little hands.

Cleans up very easily. It does leak a little bit, but what do you expect from a child's cup??? They all leak!

Tricks Are For Kids

2011-07-10T20:33:00.000-05:00

Bestest Friends Forever!

2011-07-10T20:08:00.000-05:00

Almost a year has gone by and Roxie hasn't warmed to Erin much... until now. Erin is kind enough to share her puffs and Cheetos's with Rox. I shot this little video and took these pictures today to capture the sweet love Rox has for Little E. Right.

It should also be noted that Tommy and I are just over the moon that Erin is now feeding and drinking on her own.

Yummy, these Cheeto's are sooooo good!

Here Roxie, I'll share my water with you.

Notice Roxie slowly moving in...

A little closer...

Closer still...

I won't tell mom Erin, just leave it there.

No Rox, I'll just pick it up and eat it anyway.

Roxie, that's just water, not Cheeto's!

Okay, you can lick my fingers.

I think you missed a spot Roxie.

Roxie is working clean up in the background.

Buenos Noches and Don't Come Back!

2011-07-03T21:03:00.000-05:00

Although Mark, Steph and the boys live here in the same subdivision, we don't see them all the time. We try to get together every couple of weeks for the kids to play. Since Jake and Luke are going to be the only "brothers" Only Child Erin has, it's important they know each other!

Yesterday we invited ourselves to their house for a little visit. We were stopping there on our way to eat dinner. Since we crashed their Saturday, it seemed like the right thing to do in inviting them to join us. Nothing fancy. We just went to Mario's. (Local Mexican restaurant)

Before I get to the meat of the story, it should be pointed out that Erin has reached another milestone. After months and months of trying to get her to eat puffs on her own, we found out she loves Natural White Cheddar Cheetos Puffs. We gave her some yesterday afternoon with lunch and she held them by herself and actually did some crunching with the two bottom teeth and the little top 1/4 buds we call teeth. You would have thought she found the cure of cancer with the way Tommy and I were cheering her on. Needless to say, we've had Cheetos with every meal since.

So, last night at Mario's we had Erin in a highchair at one end of the table and Luke in a highchair on the other. We ordered chile con queso and all snacked on it (except Erin, of course!). I look over at one point and as fast as Steph can fill his little bowl, Luke is shoveling it in. To say he was very enthusiastic about his queso is putting it mildly. Anyway, the queso was almost gone when someone gave him a chip to go with it. Since he wasn't chewing the cheese, I guess he thought he could do that with the chips too. Anyway, Luke got a little bit choked. He's fine, but he ended up puking all over his chest and lap before it was all said and done.

Tommy and I just sort of looked the other way and suddenly became super attentive to Erin. They got Luke cleaned up and dinner was served. When we were done, Steph ordered the boys some vanilla ice cream. I had fed Erin some Gerber stuff so I had one of the little empty containers sitting there. Jake was kind enough to share some ice cream with Erin and he suddenly became her favorite cousin. About 5 bites in, she decided it would taste good with the mushy Cheetos still in her hand. Apparently she wanted to see if she could reach her tonsils, and shoved it in her mouth. She gagged, then puked all over her own chest and lap. Nice! Karma, karma, karma!

We cleaned her up and asked for the check. Mario's is owned by a very nice Mexican family that knows us all on sight. I'm pretty sure after the Puking Mize tour we might not be as welcomed as we were before! I don't speak much Spanish, but the dude that cleans the floor was cussing us in Spanish when we left, I know I would have! :)

Por Favor and Gracias amigos!

Erin Cam

2011-07-01T22:13:00.000-05:00

As you can see, Erin really, really likes the Flip camera. She turned the tables on me so I let her have it while it was still running. Steven Speilberg and Francis Ford Coppola can learn from my baby!

Getting Close to Walking

2011-07-01T22:07:00.000-05:00

Erin is pulling up on everything now. I tired to get the video of her pulling up on the couch and moving down it sideways. Erin had other ideas. Ignore the mess in the living room!

Erin's New Trick

2011-07-01T22:03:00.000-05:00

This trick isn't so new now. Erin has been drinking thru a straw for a while. She ALMOST always makes this weird growl when she's finished sipping. It's too funny.
I thought I would catch it on video for you. In typical kid fashion, Erin decided that wasn't going to happen. So, this is just me talking and her sipping. But she looks cute anyway!

A Lot of Videos

2011-07-01T21:29:00.000-05:00

Okay, my video camera was on the blink but we've revived it. Long story short, I had to get on a live chat with some 10 year old working for Flip Video in Bangladesh to have him diagnose the problem. I have a bad battery. Funny since I just bought it today and replaced the battery that was in there!!! He said that battery was bad too. He fixed the problem of getting my videos to upload, so I have a bunch to post. The best part was he asked me if there was anything else and twice I asked him why the battery did that and how to make sure I get a good battery next time. The sucker disconnected me!!! It seems that he really wasn't all that interested in answering my questions!

Said all this to prepare you for the video barrage about to take place!

The Little Victories!

2011-06-25T08:21:00.000-05:00

Erin is now eating green beans!! Anyone who has seen her knows she hasn't missed any meals, but veggies are not high on our list of favs. I've been periodically trying to get her to eat vegetables, with absolutely NO success. She shudders and gags and acts like I'm killing her. She's a great eater if it is something she likes, but gags if it isn't. (No, we're still not feeding ourselves puffs with any regularity. She has people for that! Erin can do it, just doesn't choose to.)

I decided that with her upcoming birthday we were going to start eating vegetables even if it killed us both. At first she did act like it was poison, but now we will finish the whole container! We're going to move on to squash and sweet peas this week, but don't tell Erin. She still won't eat table food. I give it to her, but she hasn't quite figured out the chewing/swallowing thing. She chews (gums) and just leaves it in her mouth. Baby steps right with the baby food?

Speaking of baby steps. In one week we went from pulling up on our knees to full out pulling up to standing and now she will take little steps while holding on to the couch. It really is amazing to see how quickly she can master something.

My cousin Chelsea is staying with us this week. We picked her up on Thursday and she's staying at least a week with us. She loves spending time with Erin and Erin loves every minute of it. As I write this, Chelsea is still upstairs sleeping. I had forgotten how much 17 year olds love to sleep. I asked Tommy the other day if it would be wrong to pay Chelsea to get up with Erin this weekend so the 39 year old can get 12 hours of sleep! (He told me I couldn't do it! :( Party pooper!)

Erin Update

2011-06-21T21:14:00.000-05:00

We turned 11 months old yesterday. People told me it would fly by and I really didn't know what they meant. Now I do. I can't believe it's been almost a year since we were in the hospital having a baby!!

Erin's latest trick is pulling up on EVERYTHING. She crawls about 80% of the time. If she has something she wants to carry, she will hold it in her hands and do her butt scoot. We laugh at her, but it really is kind of smart. She can't crawl and carry the bigger toys at the same time, so our little genius solved her problem!

She has also gotten to where she likes to wrestle/rough house with us on the floor in the living room. She puts her head down and plows forward like a bull dozer. She "rams" into your side with her head, then falls over hysterically laughing. I'm not sure what is so funny about that but the laughter is contagious because she does it and we all laugh.

Here are some snaps of her climbing up the couch and standing up.

Pulling up on the couch

Showing off my teeth!

Pulling up on my box of toys

We Don't Share Well With Others...

2011-06-18T21:46:00.000-05:00

Hopefully this will not be a recurring theme in Erin's life, but for now it fits.
We went to the country today for Father's Day and Granny presented Erin with a homemade "Country" rattle. It's an old Diet DP bottle filled with beans. Of course, that was her favorite toy today.
I took these pictures of the kids all in Grandpa's lap. Luke made the mistake of grabbing Erin's Country rattle before climbing up.

Watch the the rattle in the following pictures...

All mine, mine, mine...

My Daddy, by Erin Grace Mize

2011-06-18T21:19:00.000-05:00

I love my Daddy. He's the best Daddy in the world. He always says that he can be having the worst day ever and be in a terrible mood until he sees me. Then he says everything gets better and he doesn't have a care in the world.

My Daddy calls me "Little E". He started that when I was only a couple days old and it stuck. Now lots of people call me Little E. (Or Littellee, if my Daddy is being silly when he pronounces it.)

I think before I was born my Daddy wanted a boy. He was a little nervous about me being a girl. Since he didn't have any sisters and most of his cousins are boys, he was worried he wouldn't know what to do with me! He keeps telling my Momma that he's going to teach me to fish and hunt. My Momma said that's fine as long as I wear my pink tu-tu and use a cool pink deer rifle when I do it. Momma laughs at Daddy and reminds him that Uncle Mark has it a little easier. When Uncle Mark is out in the deer stand with my cousins and they have to tee-tee he can just let them go. My Daddy will have to find the appropriate tree/bush and we'll both have to hope for the best. (I'm just hoping he knows what poison ivy looks like on sight!)

My Daddy makes up silly songs and sings them to me all the time. (Momma's favorite is the song he made up to the tune of Margaritaville. It makes her laugh hard every time!) Whenever Daddy stays with me alone, Momma always comes home to find him in the middle of the living room floor with me playing. We usually have every toy I own out with us. The TV is almost always off and his cell phone is usually in my hand instead of his! I love my time with Daddy. The minute I see him, my face lights up and I start calling for him. In fact, "Da da" is one of my favorite things to say. I holler it a lot, especially when Momma and I go to Target.

My Daddy isn't even intimidated to carry my pretty pink striped diaper bag and bright pink and green high chair cover. I know my Daddy never in a million years thought he would be putting pink shoes on anyone, or putting matching bows in my hair before we leave the house, but he does. (After Momma lays them out and tells him which ones match what I'm wearing of course. He's super great, but still a Daddy and you know they don't know anything about hair bows!!)

Every couple of weeks my Daddy comes home with a new outfit for me. Most of the time, he actually comes home with two new outfits for me. He says he'll be at the store and will see something he thinks I'll like. Then he sees another something I'll like. And then, he can't decide, so he'll buy them both. Momma says she's waiting for her turn!

Every morning my Daddy gets up with me and feeds me breakfast. I love to sit in my bed playing with the flowers on my sheets until he comes up and gets me. Momma watches us on the video monitor and says it melts her heart. Every night my Daddy and Momma give me a bath together. It's our little family ritual. Momma bathes me and then Daddy gets the towel ready. He dries me off and takes me to the bed to get my jammies on. When Momma is lotioning me up and getting me ready for bed, my Daddy lays on the bed with me and acts silly. He thinks me and Momma aren't paying attention, but we are.

Like I said, I have the best Daddy in the world and love him very much.

Happy Father's Day!!

The Playground - Part I

2011-06-10T19:39:00.001-05:00

Sorry I've been slacking in the blog dept. I've been working a lot of OT at work. We're very busy and its crazy at work.

I snapped these pictures the other day at Pawpaw's house. He's been working on Erin's swing set at his house. Originally he was going to cut it out there and assemble it at our house, but he ended up putting it together there too. (Yes, we'll have to rent a crane to move that sucker!)

Tonight we got home and the slide and swing had been delivered. I thought the slide would come in two boxes and have to be assembled, but no, it came in one huge box that was leaned up again the front door!!

I'll keep you posted on the progress. Pawpaw tells me it will be at least another month!!

Off to a good start...

Side view of the slide platform and the fort part underneath.

I love Pawpaw!

Tell me again where the slide will be...(right where she's sitting!)

Special delivery for Erin Mize!

My Birthday Present

2011-05-31T21:19:00.000-05:00

All I wanted was a simple swing/slide combo for Erin for her birthday. I surfed the net to find some ideas and got started. I sketched out what I wanted and I asked my dad for help. As usual, anything for me and especially Erin and he was more then eager.
I wanted 2 swings and a slide. I told him I wanted him to make it "build-on-able". Meaning, I wanted to be able to build on to is as Erin grows. Right now we don't need all the bells and whistles. Well.... Daddy didn't get the memo.

He didn't want to make it out of pine because EVERYONE makes their swing sets out of pine. He wanted cedar. Nothing but best for our little Erin. So, we have cedar. He said we might want to add another swing, so we bumped it up to 3 swings and a slide. Then, the slide needed a platform for her to climb up on. From there, Daddy wanted to put a cedar shingled roof on it. LOL!! I said no, no roof. Then he wore me down. So, Erin's swing set will have a roof on it. (We settled on the canvas swing set tarp.)

Then... Daddy wanted to add a water feature. He suggested hollowing out one of the legs on the swing set and putting a pop up water sprinkler on it. From there, he was going to tap into Tommy sprinkler system!! LOL Yes, it's a cool idea, but a little much!!! Then he decided she was going to get hot out playing on the swing set and "designed" a wooden, retractable patio umbrella!!! I had to say no to that too. She'll just have to get hot!!! It didn't kill me or Tommy!

He's been so busy building it in his garage, that his neighbor decided they want one. So, when Daddy finishes Erin's swing set, he's building one for the neighbor's 1 year old granddaughter!

I pick on him, but my Daddy is so good at this stuff. I have no doubt that the water feature and the retractable umbrella would have been great, just a little too much for a 1 year old!!! He is sooooo excited about this project. He took Erin over to his house today so he could show her.

Pictures to come...

Fun Day In the Country

2011-05-28T21:55:00.001-05:00

We made a spur of the moment trip to see Granny and Grandpa today. We left pretty early so Erin could sleep on the way. Our timing was perfect. She napped until we got there, then ate and played with Granny and Grandpa. Erin was more then happy to show off her new crawling skills as well as her lungs! No crying, just really, really loud "talking". It's too cute. We also took some of her more noisy toys. Add those to the ones Granny already had and it made for a very interesting lunch.

The cows were up near the house in the shade so we walked out there. We put Erin in her stroller so she was eye level with the new babies. It was great. She had never seen the cows before. She just looked at them and never got the least bit scared or intimidated. One of them even stuck her head thru the fence and licked Erin's little foot and E didn't even flinch. She just chilled and scoped and never even moved her foot away. (For those of you who don't know, cows have very rough sandpaper like tongues! It had to feel weird or at least tickle.)

Erin didn't get a normal nap in, so she crashed on the ride home. She made it to about 2 miles from the house before she woke up. All in all, a great trip! Of course I had my camera, so check it out.

Most of the shots below are with Cupcake2. Erin's calf. She's gotten so big since I last saw her. There may be a drought, but the eatin' is still good at the Mize Ranch!

Cupcake2 is wondering why Louis doesn't push HER around in the stroller!

These are sunglasses Cupcake2. You ALWAYS need them when you're cool!

WOW! She's way bigger then Roxie!

...and then I want a puppy, some rabbits, some piggies, a lamb, some chickens and a PONY!

Chalk this one down to things we thought we would never see!

(Only thing better would have been a pink stroller!)

Cupcake2's 15 minutes of fame.

I like being in the country. Just wait until I can put my boots on

and get out there with my cow.

Daddy and the calf made me laugh!

Shuffle, Ball, Change

2011-05-24T21:11:00.000-05:00

Erin has learned to crawl and you've seen the videos. But...I just got her preferred mode of transportation caught on tape. It cracks me up. She has the left/right/left thing down.

Splashing Around

2011-05-22T20:49:00.000-05:00

After lunch today we bought Erin a little pool. Of course, it's pink! We got home and Daddy filled it up so the water would have time to warm up while Erin took her nap. She got up and the fun began. I was a freak-a-zoid with the Flip capturing video.

Warning, there are 3 videos. None of them are too long, but they are less then exciting! Not sure what the "growling" is about in the first video. That's something she does some times, but was REALLY doing it while she was in the pool. Go figure.

Tragedy!

2011-05-22T20:44:00.000-05:00

My laptop is dead. There will be no visitation services. In lieu of flowers, you can all come by and kick it when you walk by. I'm upstairs and Tommy and I are now having to share a computer again. Recipe for disaster.

Look Ma! Both Hands!

2011-05-15T19:56:00.000-05:00

Some nice action shots of America's Next Top Model. Check out her name on her rumpus. The thread is light, but isn't it just too cute.

Enough already with the camera!

Super Star!

Can I have two of these next Christmas??

New Favorite Toy

2011-05-15T19:47:00.001-05:00

Ready, set, go!

We're off and crawling. Erin is funny. She can crawl all over and does, but she gets sidetracked easily and finds new "fascinating" discoveries along the way.

Her new favorite toy is the door stop for the "Harry Potter" closet door. (For those of you completely lost, Harry's bedroom is the space under the stairs in his aunt's house. So, I call our under the stairs closet the Harry Potter closet.)

Attached is a little video Erin and I shot this morning after breakfast but before our nap. I'm not sure what the "runner's stance" is all about. That's a new one. (How stinkin' cute are those monkey jammies??) You get a little bit of everything in this video. She crawls, talks, patty cakes and plays with her new favorite toy.

A Very Busy Week...

2011-05-09T17:03:00.001-05:00

We're back from our week long cruise and Erin Grace has been very busy.

While Mommy and Daddy were gone, Gram and Pawpaw were in charge. And when I say they were in charge, I mean they were here with Erin while she ran the show!

Before we left, Erin was getting up on all 4s and rocking back and forth. We knew it wouldn't be long until she was crawling. Tommy and I had been laughing because we both knew that no matter when we left for the cruise, she was going to crawl while we were gone. Yes, you guessed it. She started crawling Wednesday night. Granny Mize was in on Wednesday during the day to spend the day with Erin but unfortunately she waited until Granny was gone to start her tricks.

So, to recap her week. Erin learned to crawl, sit up on her own, say dog...rrr, and to drink thru a straw. Pawpaw told me when he went to get her out of bed on Thursday morning, she was sitting up in the bed smiling at him and playing with the flowers on her sheets. I had seen her sit up on her own once the week before we left, but she hadn't been able to do it again. Gram said she learned "dog...rrr", while we were gone, but we've only heard it once since yesterday.

The other surprise came last night when she showed us she could use a straw. Since we were gone and I hadn't went to the store, so we ate out last night. We were at a little Mexican place by the house and I ordered her a child's water. Just to see, I held it for her. To my surprise, she started sucking it right up like she's known how to drink from a straw her whole life.

Attached is a little video of her crawling. She's still practicing and reverts back to scooting on her rear and rolling a lot, but she can get there now.

Warning - she does a lot of "talking" too and this isn't the world's most exciting video.

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Happy Easter, A Little Late...

2011-04-25T20:24:00.000-05:00

Just sitting down to blog about our first Easter. Erin had a great time.

We went to Aunt Lois's house for Easter. We left late Friday night after Erin's supper and bath. She passed out and was a great little traveler. We got there late Friday night. I had to work on Saturday, so I logged into the phone and worked while the others played, fished and napped.

Later that day, after it cooled off a little and I was off the phones we hunted Easter eggs. The Ammermans have a passion for egg hunting. It was very cut throat. Erin and I placed somewhere in the middle of the pack as far as number of eggs found. After the hunt, we had the prize ceremony. Erin ended up with a ream of white paper, a straw holder and a $20.00 bill. She gave me the $20.00 bucks and told her Daddy he could have the paper and straws!

Erin got lots of presents this weekend. Aunt Lois got her some books. Cari and David got her a book, and Gram and Pawpaw got her some books. She also got books from Aunt Mimi and Uncle Matt!! She loves them all. I know this because we've had to look at all of them a couple of times since we got home yesterday!

Erin was a huge hit at the First Presbyterian Church in Cameron, Texas. She had on her little white dress and her Easter bonnet. (She had little sandals that lasted all of 30 seconds.) Apparently, there is a shortage of baby girls at Aunt Lois's church so the little old lady contingent sprung on us. One little old lady smiled really big when Erin looked at her and walked over to me and told me I had just made her day because seeing Erin in her Easter hat was just the best thing she saw all day. Erin and I made it thru about 1/3 of the service. The preacher started and Erin wasn't impressed. So, she and I politely exited and we ended up taking a nap in a quiet little room downstairs.

We got home to find that the Easter Bunny had stopped in Spring as well. Wait for it... yes, the Bunny brought her books! She also got a stuffed rabbit and some plastic eggs. Naturally the eggs were the biggest hit.

Happy Easter!

Made you smile!

It's hard to turn the pages when you're holding your egg.

Before the hunt. As you can see, we have our game faces on.

Daddy's hat is so silly!

Big Girls Don't Cry..

2011-04-20T21:13:00.000-05:00

It was back to the doctor's office today for Erin's 9 month check up. She's doing great. Dr. Elahee said her only assignment from last time was to grow and she has certainly been doing her homework!

On the 9 month visit there are no shots but they do take blood for an anemia test. We finished the exam and here are our other stats.

Weight:      22.6 lbs (95th percentile)
Height:       29.25 inches (95th percentile)
Head:         45 cm (77th percentile)

They had me sit on the exam table and hold Erin in my lap while they took her blood. She just watched them and didn't make a peep. They put the day-glo orange band-aide on and she immediately stared at it then started sucking her thumb. The nurse was impressed. She said they usually start screaming when she has to squeeze their little fingers to fill the vial.  (It should be noted that immediately after the nurse left, she started crying because she wanted to take a nap!) We all have our moments.

The doctor is not the least bit concerned that she isn't crawling. She said she might not crawl. She said she's strong enough to move right passed that into pulling up and walking. She's hitting all the other markers and certainly growing well.

The anemia test results came back and we're a little on the low side. Not low enough for medication, but still low. She said we need to increase her iron intake with diet. This would be much, much easier if Erin wasn't a picky eater like her father!!! She flat out refuses to eat anything but the stage I and II baby foods. And when I say that, I mean the fruits and sweet veggies. Nothing green and those meat foods are out of the question. (In her defense, I opened up the turkey and gravy tonight and it smelled a lot like cat food! I can't blame her for hating it!)

The challenge is going to be getting Pawpaw to force feed her the meats and veggies. When Erin says no, Pawpaw listens. That old man is soooo wrapped. It's going to get ugly around here! :)

Roxie said she's in the 95th percentile on cute!

And Another Video...

2011-04-19T10:17:00.000-05:00

Sorry to bombard you with videos lately. Erin has learned to make a raspberry noise with her lips and does it non-stop now. It's been going on for a few weeks, we just can't seem to catch it on video.

She is non stop chatter, patty cake and raspberries until the camera comes out. Then she stops whatever she's doing. It's crazy!