Sigh

I have moved the baby swing upstairs, which will soon be followed by the bassinet (which Tyler hasn't slept in in months). Tyler is now wearing size 3 Pampers Cruisers (which he probably should have been wearing for months now) ... and did I mention that Tyler has started to take hesitant "cruising" steps while holding on to the coffee table? He is getting close to outgrowing his infant car seat too.

We spent a lot of time prepping Andrew for Tyler's arrival by explaining to him all of the things that big boys could do that baby's could not do. Well, now that Tyler is starting to do those things (crawling, pulling up, eating table food, using sippy cups, etc.), we are starting to call Tyler a little boy (instead of a baby) and Andrew is still a big boy.

I guess Andrew is not the only one that needs to adjust to the fact that Tyler is getting bigger every day!

Giving Thanks

I recognize that this post is probably cliche, but I cannot pass up the opportunity to share some of the things that I am thankful for this Thanksgiving. Some are heartfelt while others are practical, but all in all I think that the list tells a lot about me. Happy Thanksgiving!

I am thankful for:

- My amazing husband who always knows how to make me smile or make me mad (he just knows me that well) and who loves me unconditionally
- My incredible and beautiful children who amaze me each and every single day - they are the light of my life and I am so lucky to be their mommy
- My mother who is one of my best friends and biggest supporters and who I can always count on to tell me the truth, whether I want to hear it or not and for my step-dad Doug who helped us see the light and who brags about me to anyone who will listen
- My in-laws who love me as the daughter they never had and the rest of the clan who immediately accepted me into the family
- The rest of my family -- each member holds a unique and irreplaceable spot in my heart and my life
- My dogs, who are the best cuddlers ever (p.s. the big yellow one had a Thanksgiving feast today!)
- My friends who have put up with me for all of these years ... whose company I always look forward to and that I am so lucky to get to enjoy.
- Allie, who listens to me vent when I need to vent, who is generous and thoughtful, who never forgets a birthday, anniversary, or other special occasion, who understands when I fall behind writing thank you notes and emailing, who always seems to email me or send me a card in the mail when I need it most, and who I am so thankful to have met through University Directories. The job wasn't great, but I would do it again in a heart beat because I met Allie.
- My job - yep, I like it that much! :)

... and for the fun less heartfelt thanks ...

I am thankful for:

- Tivo
- Wireless Internet and laptop computers
- The world wide web
- Cell phones
- High heels and good fitting blue jeans, both of which can me feel skinny on a bad day
- My camera and its ability to document memories
- Frozen margaritas with a salted rim
- Pedicures
- A nice, long hot shower
- To do lists
- This blog - it is a great outlet for me

Finally, I am thankful to each person who took the time to read this blog entry ... my little piece of the world wide web would not be the same without you. Happy Thanksgiving!

I survived!

I am happy to report that the boys and I survived a week away from Douglas last week when he went to Austin for a real estate course. While this was the second time the boys and I have had to fend for ourselves, the last time I was on maternity leave so I didn't have the pressure of having to get ready for work, get the boys to school and be at my desk by 8:30 or so. Thankfully, with a little help from our parents (who worry non-stop when I am alone) we survived! Honestly, the worst part about being alone is having to do all of the boy chores around the house. Most people would agree that I am not a "girly girl", but I still hate picking up bugs, taking out the trash, etc.

The other big event last week was Tyler's big transition from the baby room to the scooter room. In typical Moore child fashion he was not even phased a little bit by the transition. He has taken to the new room, new teachers, new friends, and new food! Yes, I think the biggest change for him has been the introduction of table food! My baby is gumming real food like mashed potatoes, chicken, rice, veggies, pancakes and waffles to name a few. He has also been enjoying drinking water from his sippy cup and eating yogurt. Tyler is really active these days - crawling all over the place and pulling up on everything that he can find, it is no wonder that he is eating everything in sight! Tyler is going to be 9 months old on Monday - time sure flies by when you are having fun. Just think, I could have had another baby in that same amount of time! *News flash* - Tyler's first tooth broke the surface today (11/18/07)!

















Speaking of babies, my friend Ashley had her daughter on November 6 and she is a total beauty. I can't wait to meet her. It is good to see that someone out there is having girls to keep the world population at 50/50 boys and girls. Clearly, if it were up to us to populate the world it would be nothing but boys!

In other exciting news, our friends Kimberly and Wes got married on November 10, so Douglas and I got to get all dressed up and enjoy their beautiful wedding and an evening of delicious dinner, drinks, dancing and friends. We had a great time! Then, I found out this week that our friend Abbey got engaged last weekend. How exciting, it seems like everyone is having babies, getting engaged and getting married!













This post would not be complete without telling you all about my big boy Andrew. I cannot tell you how often I look at him or hear something that he says and I realize what a very big boy he has become. I know you are thinking, "Anne, you say this all of the time", but it continues to ring true. I know that I am biased, but he is just so darn cute too! Sometimes I just run over to him and pick him up for a big hug and a kiss because I know that all too soon he will not be as forthcoming with the hugs and kisses.

Andrew has such a good memory- it amazes me when he tells me about something that happened months ago (like our trip to California and our trip to the Frio River), and he definitely remembers when you promise him something (so only make promises that you can keep).

This morning it was raining so my walk with my mom was delayed and Andrew wanted to play in puddles, so I suited him up in his rain gear and off we went. He had a blast playing in the rain! Note to self - increase shutter speed next time. I had a bunch of great photos that didn't turn out because the shutter speed was too slow and I accidentally moved an incorrect button and underexposed some of the shots. Live and learn!









Pup update - Major is continuing to lose weight and he seems to be getting sick more frequently. It breaks my heart to see him so skinny and so sick. Indy is 6 months old now and is a super sweet little girl. We have enrolled her in intermediate training and the trainer continues to say that Indy is her best student! We are proud parents!

I hope that you enjoyed all of the above photos. I am so excited about all of the photo taking opportunities that are coming up - stay tuned!

And just like that ...

My baby boy (well, the younger of my two baby boys) has taken another step closer to independence. Sigh.

That's right, Tyler is now not only crawling around like a champ and getting into all sorts of trouble, but he is able to get to a sitting position by himself (he is quite proud of himself too!) AND he has started pulling up to a standing position whenever he can! Oh and did I mention that we can see hit two front bottom teeth working their way to the surface ... and to top it all off, Tyler is moving from the baby room at school to what I call the "scooter room". Now, while I recognize that it is time for Tyler to move to the next room, I am also so incredibly sad that he is moving. For one, I love, love, love his current teachers and I know that they LOVE him (did I mention that I love his current teachers?) and two, it is just another indication that my baby is quickly approaching his first birthday!

Tyler showing off his svelte legs:



I got the update below via email from one of the weekly services that tells you about your baby's development and I can confirm that it is 100% true:

Your child is now 37 weeks old!

WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH YOUR BABY
Your baby can't utter the word "no" just yet, but he can now express his desires in other ways. If you try to take a toy away from him when he doesn't want you to, you'll probably meet with a fiercely negative reaction. This might be unnerving, but try to think of it as a step forward in your baby's ability to communicate.

That's right, ladies and gents. Tyler is not shy about telling you how he really feels. He loves to hold bottles (water bottles, Andrew's sippy cups, the Gerber puffs bottle, etc) and if you take the bottle away from him, he screams his head off. This is especially true when Andrew tries to take his cup back. Andrew shares well with Tyler to a point, but he does have the bad habit of taking stuff out of Tyler's hands, which of course makes Tyler cry. It is too cute watching them play together these days though, and Andrew just loves being a big brother.

Halloween was a big success at our house! Traffic getting home from work was a nightmare, so by the time that we got the boys ready to go it was already pretty dark and neither of the boys were cooperating for photos, so I was very happy that we had made our annual pilgrimage to the pumpkin patch for our Halloween photos. At least I have those photos of the boys. Doug's parents came over to pass out candy and watch Tyler so that Douglas and I could both go trick or treating with Andrew.

The one photo:



We had grand plans of having the boys ride in the wagon, but that lasted for about one house when Andrew decided that he wanted to walk and Tyler wanted to be held. So, we took both boys around the block and by the time that Tyler was feeling very heavy in my arms, Andrew needed to go potty. Andrew said he really needed to potty, but he also kept saying, "one more time" as in just one more house. So, four or five houses later, we stopped back by our house to let Andrew potty and to drop Tyler off (with his candy filled pumpkin), with Mom Mom and Peepaw. We took Andrew down several more streets before making our way back home. Andrew ended up with quite the loot of candy. Everyone was very generous with the amount of candy that they gave him, which I think was due to the fact that he was so darn cute and also quite polite. He said "trick or treat" at each house as well as "thank you" and "Happy Halloween!" - I was really proud of how well behaved he was. Several people let him choose the candy that he wanted and he was also very good about just taking one piece. Needless to say, we have a TON of candy at our house! Andrew had so much fun trick or treating that he has asked to go again several times, so I have had to explain to him that Halloween is just one day a year. I think he finally understands because he saw me putting some of our Halloween stuff in the attic and he didn't get upset, he just said, "bye bye pumpkins!".

The day after Halloween is a big day around the Moore household too because it is All Saints Day -- oh wait -- I meant because it is my birthday! I had a wonderful birthday thanks to my boys and all of my friends and family that made sure my day was extra special. My day started with Doug singing me happy birthday at 2:00 a.m.ish in the morning when he woke me up from sleeping on the couch to send me to bed. My mom called bright and early to wish me a happy day and Andrew sang me happy birthday in the car on the ride to school - so sweet! Doug met me for lunch and brought me beautiful tulips and we had a little picnic with Tyler (Andrew was sleeping) with some yummy sandwiches from Central Market (that Douglas drove way out of the way to get). I got lots of calls and emails from friends and family members that truly made me day - it is so nice to be remembered! That evening my parents came over for dinner and we had Pei Wei and homemade birthday cake (made with love by my husband). It was a great day and a great way to start a new year!

This weekend we went to the Ballunar hot air balloon festival at the Johnson Space Center. Andrew really enjoyed seeing the balloons, although he really wanted to get on one of them!



Andrew is full of energy this afternoon and he is bouncing off the walls. First he was throwing balls around, then he was spinning in circles and I just had to say, "Andrew, do not jump over your brother!" ... because yes, he had just jumped over Tyler!

Here are recent photos of Tyler (I was trying to get a good photo to give Tyler's teachers). For the record, I attempt to take as many photos of Andrew as I do of Tyler, but Tyler is just a more willing subject. Andrew much prefers to be behind the camera with me. :)

Beach Photos

At the end of September we went to Galveston for a photo shoot swap, where I took photos of other families, and other photographers took photos of our family. I still haven't sent the CDs out of the photos that I took (bad Anne!), but I have recently received 2 CDs (although I am expecting at least 3 more CDs so I am not the only one who is behind schedule). Here are some of my faves ...

My Husband Rocks

It is official, my husband is now a real estate BROKER!

Signed, One proud wife. :)

Cute Andrew Stories

I always forget so many cute stories when I sit down to blog and by the time I remember I am far away from my computer and they never make it into the blog, so this morning I started writing them down on a sticky note so that I would not forget to blog about them tonight.

First, an update: we have received our replacement stroller! Yeah! Andrew is very excited about his new "buggy ride" as he calls it. He was very upset that the other buggy ride was broken. He told us last night before bed that the other buggy was going to the doctor. He also recapped the events of the day by describing that bad car that hit us and that made him bump his head. We tried to reassure him that everything was ok, that we have a brand new buggy and that he is safe -- and that seemed to do the trick. It is so amazing to me the memory that he has these days! He even made reference to the buggy we used to have that was blue (we had borrowed it from our friend Mr. McG) before we got the red double that we have now. He hasn't ridden in that stroller for a year now and he has only seen it once at the McG's house, but he still remembers it. He also told Tyler's teacher at school today about the car that hit his buggy and made him bump his head - he has clearly not forgotten about the accident!

Cute story #1: The Toys R Us Catalog

Andrew noticed a big green catalog that had toys on it and he asked to read his "magazine", so I gave him the catalog to read in the car and he proceeded to flip through the catalog and describe all of the toys that he liked to me. He even told me (without being prompted) which ones he wanted for his birthday, even though his birthday is months and months away. The whole thing just reminded me what a big boy Andrew has become! It was really too cute to watch.

Cute Story #2: Days of the Week and Months of the Year

Andrew is learning his days of the week and months of the year at school. He even sings a cute song about the days of the week, except he always leaves out Saturday ... but he says "Sunday Monday, Tuesday Wednesday, Thursday Friday, of the week!" Now imagine the previous words being sung by a 3 year old with a little lisp. I need to video it because I have not done his performance justice! He has also started reciting the months of the year and he asks us when our birthdays are and when Tyler's birthday is, but after we tall him he insists that my birthday is in February.

Andrew has also started to receive homework at school (much to Doug's chagrin). He gets one assignment each week due on Friday and I am happy to report that he has received check pluses on both of the assignments he has turned in thus far ... clearly his mommy's little boy!

Meet Jack

Jack-o-lantern that is!

We had fun this afternoon helping Andrew carve his pumpkin. We made a pentagon on the pumpkin's head to take out all of the seeds and "mess" as Andrew called it. Then we made triangles for the eyes and nose and a jagged smile. Andrew watched and helped Daddy carve the pumpkin and I drew the face and took out the seeds.

We have one more large pumpkin that Andrew wants to carve, so we may do that before Halloween. I am looking forward to taking tripod photos tonight of the glowing pumpkin! After Andrew's nap we are going to make ghosts out of footprints - what fun! Andrew is so looking forward to making ghosts that he didn't even complain about taking his nap because he was so excited about what we were going to do AFTER his nap!

Here are the photos from our carving session:

So much for a quiet Sunday ...

Sunday started out like any other Sunday. Tyler woke up to nurse around 6:00 a.m. and we slept in until about 8:00 a.m. after that. My mom came over right before 9:00 a.m. and fed Tyler a banana while Andrew and I got ready to go for our walk. By 9:30 a.m. or so we were out the door with both dogs ready for our walk. About 1.5 miles into our walk we were about to turn left when an older woman in a van ran a stop sign and hit me and the stroller. Thank God the boys, Indy and I are all ok. My mom and Major were not hit and are also ok. The stroller has seen better days - both of the back wheels were bent. I am just so thankful we were in our heavy duty stroller because the stroller itself took the brunt of the hit. The constable was called by one of the neighbors and the woman was written a ticket for failure to control speed and to yield to a pedestrian. The woman was coming into the neighborhood to see her son and his family, so the son came out while the police were writing the accident report and he volunteered to replace our stroller today, so I am hopeful that he will take care of it today, since I love, love, love that stroller. Otherwise, I will have to call her insurance company.

With the craziness of the morning behind us, we are planning to relax for the rest of the day and perhaps run a few errands. I also want to carve a pumpkin with Andrew today and I will post photos of that later. Yesterday was a nice, relaxing day around the house. The whole family took an afternoon nap, watched the UT game (with frustration even though they pulled it out) cleaned house a bit, played outside and then watched the penguin movie Surf's Up for our evening entertainment. After a very busy weekend last weekend it has been nice to hang out around the house. The boys are doing great. Tyler is getting bigger every day and is trying to pull up on things now. He also really wants to stand up, but just end up with his butt in the air. It is a cute sight to see!

Doug and I went to see Maroon 5 on Friday night so we had a date night on Friday. We both struggled to remember the last time we went to a concert -- it was definitely before Andrew was born! We had a great time and Adam Levine and crew put on a good show, although I thought that the last song was anti-climatic (they didn't end with a big hit).

Ok, so that was the weekend rewind (get it - Sunday to Friday :) ...)

Here are some photos of the pups and one cute one of Andrew from last weekend. The pups went to the vet this week for shots and we were really disheartened to find out that Major has lost even more weight. He was down to 65 pounds - which means that he has lost 30 pounds. Poor pup - he is such a great dog and it makes me so sad that he is going through this. The vet actually gave him a free steroid shot to see if it would help him to eat more. It seems to have helped (or it did at first) but he ate too fast and then threw it all up --arrrghh. Needless to say, we are just trying to love him and spoil him and we are always in search of new dog food and treats that will trip his trigger. If anyone knows of a power bar for dogs, let me know. I figure he can keep a little bit of food down, so I need a treat that has all of the nutrients he needs that is also very high in calories. Allie - any ideas? (Allie makes dog treats for her pup Homer)






Where is Indy???

Weekend Fun

The week days are so busy just doing the normal daily things like dinners and bath time that the we really enjoy our downtime on the weekends to spend quality time as a family, whether it is hanging around the house or doing something special.

Last weekend we went to the Italian Festival with my parents (or as we refer to them - the Nonni) where we had good food, great company and lots of fun chasing after Andrew as he rode the little train, rode a pony, went to the petting zoo, watched a puppet show and went on the pint sized ferris wheel. Andrew always has so much fun with his Nonni!

This weekend we went to a picnic that was hosted by my company's leadership network. There was a DJ, catered BBQ, golf, paddle boats, bubbles, a moonwalk, super slide, clowns, a hay ride, hokey pokey, etc. Needless to say, Andrew had a great time! In fact, he was having so much fun that he didn't want to stop to take a break. Every time we tried to get him to take a break and drink some water, we would turn around and he was running off to another activity. We kept having to lecture him about telling mommy and daddy where he was going (there were several play structures right next to our pavilion where we could easily see him, but we wanted him to tell us when he moved from one to another) and if the activity he wanted to do was far away he had to ask one of us to take him. He would be good for a while and then he would forget our rules ... he is just getting so big and so independent!

Tyler was such a good boy at the picnic - he let lots of people hold him and he took a good nap in the Ergo on my chest. He didn't fuss at all, even though his schedule was way off. Needless to say, everyone thought he was adorable ... and they thought Andrew was darn handsome too!

I relish the days that we get to spend having fun the whole day together and it just makes me realize even more that I am one lucky mama!