Shopping, outside, and sorts

Thanksgiving break has officially started as of now! :) Yay! I am so thrilled to be able to spend this week with my little baby boy. My sister, Jana was recently here for a few days. She watched Andrew for me while I was at a conference in Fort Worth. Andrew loves his Aunt J. :) Especially when she takes him outside. That is one of Andrew's favorite places to be. It's adorable how I can see his personality evolving everyday. Two of the best places to take Andrew: outside and shopping! :) When he's out of the house shopping with mommy or taking a walk, he is absolutely smitten. He is such a busy body, so being cooped up inside is not his idea of fun. :) Todd is the same way (except for the whole shopping thing: that's not one of Todd's favorites). He is going to be so much like Todd as far as his social demeanor. He is a lot like me when it comes to patience (which he lacks at times just like Mommy), and his high energy. He is also the little Casanova when it comes to women.... we were at the mall one day and these ladies were adoring my little angel as one of them said, "He is totally flirting! He just raised his eyebrow at me." What can I say.....he likes the ladies. :) Plus, who can resist a gummy smiled, bald headed, drooling man?? ;-)

                                                                    Shopping at Sam's








                                                       

Andrew and Isabel out walking with Maria...just look at Andrew's smile!

Shopping at the Galleria with Mommy and Jana

Look at that little baby face :)

Halloween 2010 with Laura and Isabel

Little Monkey Man

Tailgating at the A&M Arkansas game

 

Riding in the backseat with Mommy

Life as we know it :)

Well, again it's been WAY to long since I have written a blog and yet it's what I think about doing daily. Life just seems too busy lately to just stop and take time to reflect and share with family and friends what's been going on. Work just gets in the way sometimes. ;-) With that said, someone once quoted, "How would you like to be remembered at your 50th birthday:  by all the hard work and long hours you put into your classroom or all the memories and fun that you have created with your children,spouse, friends and family?" Considering your past administrators and co-workers are not all going to attend your 50th birthday, I think I would rather invest my time and energy in the thing that really matters in life: Family and friends. So this is my new mantra...not quite spiritual, but I guess more my personal transformation : live life like there's no tomorrow and have fun in every aspect of life: with family, at work, with friends, even when I'm living the daily grind. Life is just too short to keep using the excuse, "I just don't have time," so from now on I'm going to MAKE time!

My baby boy is transforming so quickly . Eating solid foods, sitting up on his own, developing his own little personality. It's truly amazing how fast it all happens. He is the most adorable thing and completes us in everyway. We recently went to uptown to enjoy a Sunday brunch at Cafe Brazil and I told Todd, "I remember coming here in the morning to grade papers by myself.  And now here I am, sitting at the next table over, feeding my son, enjoying the beautiful weather with my little family of three 5 years later?" I can not imagine life without Andrew (both Andrews) :).

 

eating some cereal

Mommy and Andrew

He looks so grown up in this pic!

Sporting their Aggie gear

Peacefully sleeping

At the arboretum

Andrew and his cousin Cole

God is good, and I am extremely blessed in my life right now. So,  I will still inspire children, work as hard as I can to give them the knowledge they need to be productive and motivated adults. I will treat them as if they are my own kids because that's how I want my baby boy treated. I will do all these things from 8 to 5 every school day. Weekends are for my true loves: Todd and Andrew Maddox. :)

Summertime with my little baby boy

I can't believe it's been so long since I've blogged! Time really flies by when you have a little one at home. It's hard to imagine how it's going to be when I go back to work...I will definitely need to work on some time management skills at work and at home. Andrew has been growing so fast and starting to hold his head up when on his tummy. He is so strong and is already trying to push himself along the floor with his feet. He will probably be crawling before we know it! Aunt Jana came to visit a few weekends ago and Kelley was here the next, so that has been a lot of fun. I have a little less than a month to be with my little man and I am going to take full advantage.

Todd's 30th birthday is next weekend and we are having a lake party the weekend after. This will be the first time I am away from Andrew for the night, and I am a bit worried. :( He seems to be such a mamma's boy, and I worry about him crying and not being able to stop. I need to get used to the fact that I'm not always going to be with him....but it's so hard. :( I couldn't imagine having to go back to work after 6 or 8 weeks of him being born, but people do it all the time...if only I could be a stay at home mommy...maybe one day. :) Until next time, here are some pics of my baby boy. I am going to try to put videos of him up too, but we will see how that works out.

wrapped in his little towel after bathtime

tummy time with the family :)

Good lookin little man

hanging out in his bumbo chair

smiling at Daddy

what a ladies' man :)

Pool Party/Ranger's game at our house

So, we had our first pool party of the summer this past weekend. We had Matt, Laura, and Isabel, Matt,Jessica and Emma, Chris, Pattilynn and Jack, Billy and Lindy and Blake over for BBQing, pool time, Rangers game, and fun. It's funny how a lot of our friends are now a family of 3 which makes for a house full of fun! It's also quite hilarious that last summer, our house would be full of friend's dogs (including the foster dogs we had), and now it's full of babies when friends are over. I regret not getting pictures of all the baby gear scattered throughout our house...car seats, baby rockers, baby blankies, burp clothes, "hooter hiders" (for breastfeeding), baby hats, diaper bags, and lots of baby sunscreen. Having a baby truly makes you realize the things you take for granted in life. Being able to have friends over is one of the things we never really cherished until now... and made us realize how blessed we are for the people in our lives. Here are some pictures of the fun-filled evening and some of our family around the house. :)

                                          

Andrew's buddies came over for the Ranger game: Emma, Isabel,Jack, and Andrew

 

You can imagine the parents trying to set up for the perfect picture :)

Andrew and Emma hanging out

Isabel and Andrew napping

My sweetheart after a bath

Daddy loves his little man

cute little outfit :)

I fed him while in bed and he fell asleep...so adorable

Andrew's first road trip

Andrew got to experience his first road trip during Memorial weekend. We went to Amarillo for Kenny and Danneva's wedding and took the little man. He got to meet his great grandparents and his grandpa Randy. He was so good in the car (slept the whole way), and even had a couple nights of his best sleep. He is doing better as far as sleeping on a schedule. I'm aiming for him to sleep 5 hours in a row one night...but then honestly....I end up waking up anyway...missing him and wanting to see him. :) That's what has happened everytime he sleeps longer than 3 hours in a row...I wake up...ironically searching in my bed for him even though he doesn't sleep in our bed, and then I go into his nursery to see his sweet face. We are so extremely blessed to have our beautiful baby boy. I think it's natural instinct to wake up looking for him, wanting him close to me. He makes me and Todd feel so happy and lucky in life...we really are. Here are some recent pics we've taken. I'm about to make another post so I can add some pics of his first pool party. :)

Andrew with Uncle Craig

In his adorable overalls



with Aunt Tamara at the reception

Andrew with Nanny Karen

Todd with all the kiddos

Andrew insisted he buy Mommy and daddy's first dinner out with baby



Mommy with Andrew and Great Grandma Brown

Andrew with Grandpa Randy



Mommy and Andrew with Great Grandpa Sugar :)



Andrew with Great Grandma Stout

A street in Dumas that is his middle name..the more I think about it, this street really was a bit significant in me and Todd's relationship (first starting hanging out at the Presbyterian church which was on Maddox street)

He was tired after all the festivities

little man at home/ Newborn's conv. with God

I still have lots of pictures of my bundle of joy to upload , but a lot of them are on my phone. I will eventually plug my phone into my computer and get those pictures posted soon. :) Andrew Maddox has been home for 3 weeks as of yesterday and will be 4 weeks old on Monday. He is such a wonderful blessing, and I never imagined feeling so much love for a little person..I've heard a mother's love is hard to explain, and it really is...he is incredible to me and I'm always thinking about him. :) I love comforting him when he's upset and I love the way he curls up on my chest and lays his little hands on me....it makes me feel like I have the most important job in the world. A few people recently sent me this little email "Newborn's Conversation with God" :


A baby asked God, "They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow, but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?"

God said, "Your angel will be waiting for you and will take care of you."
The child further inquired, "But tell me, here in heaven I don't have to do anything but sing and smile to be happy."
God said, "Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you.
And you will feel your angel's love and be very happy."
Again the small child asked, "And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me if I don't know the language?"
God said, "Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak."
"And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?"
God said, "Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray."
"Who will protect me?"
God said, "Your angel will defend you even if it means risking its life."
"But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore."
God said, "Your angel will always talk to you about Me and will teach you the way to come back to Me, even though I will always be next to you."
At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from Earth could be heard and the child hurriedly asked, "God, if I am to leave now, please tell me my angel's name.."
God said, “You will simply call her, Mom."

So powerful.....and goes to show how important a mother's natural instinct to love her baby truly is. Here are some pictures of my sweet pea.

Always looking around when he's awake

Close to Mommy in his Moby Wrap

He does "angry eyebrows" all the time :)

Curled up with Mommy

snuggling with Daddy

 

Meeting is cousins, Cole and Carson

sleeping like an angel