Our One Year Old!

One year ago Harrison came bustin' out into the world...breaking his arm along the way. We should have known then that he is a wild man on the loose. He likes climbing on everything...getting into everything. He's our precious, crazy little monkey!

He's one and he's fun! He's changing every single day. I was sad the other night thinking that my baby is one and then I realized I have nothing to be sad about. He is an adorable little chub who keeps us laughing and smiling each and every day. He brings so much happiness into our lives and I am so thankful that God picked us to be his family. We are indeed BLESSED!

So Harrison this is for you...when you are a 16 year old boy that thinks mom and dad are kinda' unfair and maybe not so cool, PLEASE READ THIS!
Harrison,
Your mom and dad love you with a love that you have not experienced yet. It is a love that cannot be described until you have your own child(ren). You are only one year old and we already have so many hopes and dreams and wishes for you and your life. We pray every night for your safety, health, and happiness. We worry over a sniffly nose or a raspy cough. You and your brother are always at the forefront of our minds. We talk about you both all the time and smile every time we do. We like to laugh about the cute things you guys do and say. We don't mind picking up the toy you have thrown on the ground over and over again, because every time we do it makes you smile---and we love to see you smile. So please always know that you have been and always will be such a blessing, such a light in our lives since the day you were born. We love you and can't wait to watch you grow! This year has been a wonderful time for our family...and we can't wait for the MANY MANY+ more to come!
We love you,
Daddy, Mommy, and Leyton

I'm One...and It's Fun!

My big brother, my daddy, and my mommy each brought me a balloon this morning in my crib. They sang Happy Birthday to ME!




I got to open a few presents right when I woke up. I like birthdays!





Eating my birthday breakfast---sausage, pancakes, and pears...



Playing with a couple of new presents...



Mommy says she wants to gobble up my cute, one year old feet!

Double E

Here is Erin Elizabeth. We got to see her this morning and it was so much fun! She spent most of the time sucking on her little hand. The sonographer confirmed that Erin Elizabeth shouldn't change her name to Beckham. Russell never worried about that, but I did. Not that having another boy would be a bad thing (obviously)...it is just that Erin Elizabeth is who I envision now as our 5th family member. Plus, I don't think Beckham would appreciate the bows and tutus we have waiting on her the way EE will. Here is a pic of our sweet baby girl. It's a profile shot...in case you can't read sonograms. I can't. Russell, on the other hand, missed his calling. He says things like "Oh look at her kidneys" or "Her left pinky is moving" during our ultrasounds. Show off. :)

Harrison's Favorite...

This is Harrison's most favorite toy. It started out as a bathtub toy, but he loves it so much it has moved into every room of the house. The other day I was getting the one million things together before loading the boys up in the car. I told Leyton to grab one toy for him and get one for Harrison. He runs back to me to let me know that he picked "Drew Carey" for Harrison's toy. I cracked up. I had always called him that because well....look at him--he looks just like Drew Carey! So, looks like the name has stuck!

To Mimi and Poppy,

Thank you Mimi and Poppy for our new chairs! We love them!



...and the box they came in was really fun to play with too!




We love you!
Love,
Leyton and Harrison

Hodge Podge...

We had a good week. Nothing out of the ordinary. Busy. So this update is going to just be a "hodge podge" of things from the week. That is a word my mom would use. Like, "we are having a hodge podge of things for dinner." Anyway...here's my hodge podge, mom.

--As you know, Leyton has been in undies for a while now. He really never has accidents. That is until his first day of school. He refused to go to the bathroom with his teachers. He said he would only go for me. When I picked him up he had on some random blue leggings. Poor guy. Didn't phase him a bit though. He walked proudly down the hall with his baby blue, waitin' on a flood, cuffed at the ankle...leggings.

Then, the second day of school was worse. He held his pee from 9-2:30.

Then the third day of school (after some praying and some Chuck E. Cheese bribing) Leyton went to the bathroom at school. He told his teachers not to watch. They said he was on the other end of the spectrum that day....he decided he needed to go about 30 times. Turns out, peeing at school is fun. Who knew?

Yes, I thanked God. And yes, we celebrated at Chuck E. Cheese that day.

--Leyton loves school. He loves his teachers. He is excited to go every time.

--Soccer Tots was fun. He is excited to go back. When I tried to roll the hoola hoop to him during practice for him to chase, he told me to put it down. He only wanted his coach to roll it to him. Well, well, well....

--Leyton has been really pretending a bunch lately. Some days he insists I call him Cade...who is one of his cousins. On those days, he calls me Keyo. (what he calls his Aunt Julie...Cade's mom) He also enjoys being Harrison and making Harrison be Leyton. He wears a bib, crawls around, and says bye bye, ball, da da, ma ma...it gets kinda confusing. Oh...and another one...he is Schmidt. I am Jingleheimer. Daddy is John. Harrison is Jacob. (I know, so confusing!) It's from the song...John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt in case you were wondering.

--We had donuts at the park on Wednesday with some friends. Leyton loves the big boy swing and Harrison likes to eat woodchips.

--We went to Grapefest on Thursday with the Halsey boys. We had fun even though it rained and we got soaked. We bounced in the bounce house, went to the petting zoo, rode the train, ate corndogs, and splashed through puddles.

--I got my flu shot today.

--Harrison has become a picky eater. He knows what he wants and he'll refuse everything else until he gets it. Right now his favorites include lunch meat, cheese, bread, french fries, an occasional green bean, pancakes, sausage, spaghetti, broccoli. He refuses peas, ravioli, most fruits, eggs. Picky.

--Harrison's favorite song is "If you're Happy and you Know It." He claps and dances. He knows it's cute.

--He's a fantastic fake cryer. Sounds so real...it almost fools me every time.

--We are going to our pal Hudson's 2nd Birthday party tomorrow and then we are driving to Houston. The boys will stay with my parents tomorrow night while we go to the Aggie game.

--I bought a brace for my tingly hand. Turns out it is Carpal Tunnel...and turns out it's common.

Well, I think that'll do it for my "hodge podge"....enjoy your weekend!

Our Soccer Tot....

I love my soccer ball!


Stretching out...


Look at my mad skills!


Gooooooo Soccer Tots!

Backpack? Check!

This morning we are getting ready to go to our very first soccer tots with some kiddos from Leyton's class. He has just gotten out of the shower without a stitch of clothing on. He puts on his backpack and tells me he is ready to go. I ask him if he thinks he may be missing something. He replies with "ummmm, yeah! My notebook!"

ENT

Harrison went to the ENT for a follow-up hearing test. He didn't just pass it...he aced it! woot woot!

Tid Bits.

Some NEW news...
--Leyton starts school for his first REAL day tomorrow...the first day with lunch and a nap. Last week was just 2 hour days to get him used to the whole idea.
--Harrison is sprouting new teeth. His gums are swollen...and another one just poked through on top. He'll have a mouth full of chompers before we know it!
--My sweet hubby took the boys to Houston for the weekend. He went to an Aggie game and I stayed home all by myself. Yes, you heard me right. ALONE. It was nice, but I missed my 3 boys terribly and were happy to have them home on Sunday.
--I successfully moved ALL 4 billion toys from the playroom to our living room downstairs. (our new playroom) I organized them and with the help of some cute wicker bins, it doesn't look too much like a Toys R Us. (The old playroom is now Erin Elizabeth's future nursery)
--I painted and made some things for Leyton's new big boy room. He has been sleeping in a full bed for about a year now, but I am just now starting to change the decorations. I'll post pics when all is hung.
--I have developed some very fun pregnancy ailments. (can you sense my sarcasm?) I have a gimp right leg. Mainly when I've been up and doing too much. Russell wants to get me a Hover-round. Isn't he funny? Oh...and I have lost feeling in 4 out of the 5 fingers on my right hand. So thankful to at least feel my pinkie! The best way to describe it is like when you hit your funny bone and it tingles down into your hand. Yep, I have that from about 4 am-9 am. It's better when I sleep in the upright position. I also get it when I talk on my cell phone. I'm 92.

School and Shoes...

Here is Leyton today before his first day back to school. He had a great day!



Leyton went with daddy to pick his new school shoes on Sunday. He LOVES them. If he is not wearing them, (which he almost always is)he is carrying them around. He has told me about 101 times that they look just like daddy's shoes. He wears them with his "jamas" and even with just his undies...