Remember the Alamo Bowl

Last night, Baylor defeated Washington in the Valero Alamo Bowl.  Defensively, it was a frustrating game, but the Bears' high powered offense, led by RG3, was able to pull out a win.

Click here to view the ESPN highlights.  And check out our Alamo Bowl ornament, which we picked up just in time for the big game.

Christmas Delivery

When Little Ted woke up on Christmas morning, this is what he found:

 Train Table

With Thomas

And Percy

Of course, Little Ted was far too busy to open presents - he had trains to play with!  And mommy and daddy were just excited to watch him really enjoy the holiday for the first time.

Christmas Project

We've had a couple of small pillows sitting around our condo, and I've been wanting to do something with them for awhile now.  I got the idea that I could make no-sew pillow covers for them using the same pattern my Aunt Anita used for the blanket you see below.

Basically, the blanket is two pieces of fleece that are tied together to make a nice,cozy blanket.

I finally got around to purchasing the fleece I needed a couple of weeks ago (one with a Thomas pattern, the other with a Mater pattern) and made my "prototype."

I didn't think it was bad for a first try, but I didn't get Thomas' face centered on the pillow, and my cuts on the fringe were pretty jagged in places, so I tried again.

I am much happier with the second version.  Thomas' face is centered (mostly) on the front and back of the pillow, and my cuts are much better (it's amazing the kind of work you can do with a pair of freshly sharpened scissors and a large 90 degree angle).

Little Ted likes it, too.  This morning, he spotted the pillow in our room, decided it was for him, and ran away with it.  It has found a new home on his toddler bed.

Now I just need to take apart the first version, cut the fabric I need using the Mater fleece, and put together the second one.  I'll be sure to post the end result.

An Afternoon Outside

We've had a surprisingly cold and wet fall, considering how hot and dry our summer was.  But last weekend, things dried out, and the weather was just warm enough that Little Ted could get some playtime outside.

He had a blast kicking around the pile of leaves on our patio and helping mommy and daddy sweep them up.  And he looked pretty cute in his winter gear.

Please Vote for Cousin Luke!

My cousin has entered a drawing contest held by his local newspaper and would appreciate your vote for his beautiful work of art.

To vote, go to www.democrathearld.com.  You can access the voting page by locating the following picture: 

You will have to create an account to vote.

Look for Luke Powell's art in the 3rd/4th grade category.  Voting ends Tuesday at 11:59 pm PST, and you can vote once per day.

Thanks for your support!

It's a good day to be a Baylor Bear

An Evening Outing

Last week, we attended the Combined Choirs Christmas Concert on campus.  This was the first time the three of us have attempted to attend an evening event.  We felt confident that Little Ted would do well because he loves music - it's one of the few things that can hold his attention for an extended period of time.  We sat in the front of the auditorium; it was the only place where we could find seating near the aisle, and we wanted to be prepared in the event that we needed to make a quick escape.

Luckily, that wasn't necessary.  Little Ted did really well.  He enjoyed watching the musicians and listening to the music and didn't fuss one bit.  Everyone seated near us complimented us on his behavior - it seems that they were a bit concerned to have a toddler sitting near them and were pleasantly surprised by how well behaved he was.  We were happy to accept the compliment, and Little Ted, as always, enjoyed the attention.

Christmas at the Gonzablogger Home

Our house is all decked out for Christmas.  We have our tree set up.

And lights in our front windows.

And Santa even delivered a very large package for Little Ted.

Little Ted just so happened to be awake when this arrived.  On the package, there is a large picture of the contents of the box, which Ted saw and recognized (oops).  To avoid spoiling Santa's surprise, I wrapped the present in a hurry, and Ted stashed the box in our bedroom.  Luckily, the contents of the box have been forgotten, and we think Little Ted will be happily surprised by Santa's gift on Christmas morning.    

Speaking of Family . . .

. . . here are a few pictures of the things we're thankful for - 

Of course, this little guy tops our list.  Who can resist that cute smile, dimples, and long eyelashes?  He is simply precious, and we are lucky to be his parents.

We're also thankful for four generations of happy, healthy Teds.   

And, of course, we're thankful for the rest of our family.  Though we're separated by miles, you're always in our thoughts.

Thanksgiving 2011

This year, we spent a quiet Thanksgiving at home, just the three of us.  Our morning started out with Julia Child and coffee. 

I rolled and shaped croissants and stuck the turkey in the oven.

And by early afternoon, our feast was ready.

While we were sad that we couldn't spend the holiday with our extended family, we were happy to be together in our cozy little condo for the holiday.

Christmas Preview

I'm a big believer that Thanksgiving is an over-looked and under-appreciated holiday, so I try to avoid all things Christmas-y until after I've enjoyed my turkey and pumpkin pie.  But I thought many of you would enjoy the pictures we took this morning, so I'm going to make an exception.

Little Ted had a successful photo session today at Sears.  That smiling cutie is the same little boy who categorically refused to take photos last week at the same time (it was awful!).  We braved the photo studio again today, and thanks to a fantastic photographer, we now have lovely photos to share with all of you.  Enjoy!

An Education

Raising a toddler is certainly educational.  I have learned a whole host of new ways to manage the things that I may want to carry around with me.  Here's a perfect example:

A couple of days ago, Little Ted was enjoying a lollipop (or "pop pop," to use his words) while watching his favorite episode of Blues Clues.  In this particular episode, there is a scene where the characters clap and count.  Little Ted loves to participate, but this is hard to do with a lollipop in one hand.  The solution: stick the lollipop to your T-shirt!  This will give you two free hands, and when you are ready to enjoy your lollipop again, it is waiting for you just below your chin.

He did find this brilliant plan to be a little distracting - he kept looking down at his lollipop while clapping to make sure that it hadn't fallen off.

The next day, he attempted to use his hair for the same purpose.  Luckily, I was able to stop him before I had to cut sticky candy out of his hair.

A Birthday, Halloween, and a downright Yucky Week

The last week of October was eventful, to say the least.  Our AC went out for the second time in as many weeks and Little Ted developed a fever on the same day.  The rest of the week was a blur of doctor's appointments and hot, sleepless nights.  In the midst of all that "fun," Ted celebrated his birthday.  We made the best of it, considering our circumstances.  I made him some yummy chocolate croissants (thank you, Julia Child, for demystifying the process) and we enjoyed cupcakes from our favorite local shop.

Unfortunately, the Rangers also lost the World Series that week.  :-(

We didn't do much for Halloween, since Little Ted was still recovering from his illness.  But Ted did grill up some excellent steaks that Saturday (his birthday dinner), I carved a pumpkin, and Little Ted got to enjoy his Halloween costume.

I bought Little Ted this costume back in September (though he was adamant that he did not want a costume).  I tried it on him when we came back from the store, and he wouldn't take it off, proof that mommy really does know best.

Birthday Revisited

I've been meaning to post this video snippet for awhile.  Little Ted is taking his first crack at a pinata here. Not bad for a first try, right?

Dancing

Lately, we are most entertained when watching Little Ted sing and dance.  But this is hard to capture on film.  This video does give you a glimpse of his best moves - in the first few seconds.  The rest is his typical rocking motion - his go-to step for most dancing occasions.

Our Little Singer

Little Ted loves to watch Pinocchio, and he loves to sing along to every song.  Here is his rendition of "When you Wish upon a Star."

For my Mother

I've been lax about posting on the blog and was reminded of that fact when conversing with my mother yesterday.  So here's a post to help correct that problem.

These are a few pictures I took on my cell phone (hence the not-so-great quality) of Little Ted doing what he does best - having fun and enjoying all the things a little boy should enjoy.

In this picture, Little Ted turned his daddy's T-shirt into a skirt and hobbled around the living room in his new creation.

And in this adventure, Little Ted raided my closet.  Next to him is one of my nice work shirts - crumpled on the floor.  : /

The weather has finally cooled down here, so we were able to trek out to the zoo recently.  Here, Little Ted is watching the coastal birds.

This is one of my favorites.  The Christmas toy catalogs are starting to arrive at our home, and Little Ted loves to "read" them.  Here, he is looking through the Toys R Us catalog and is pointing out his favorites to daddy.  I had to hide to take the picture - you can see the checkerboard pattern of the window screen in this photo.

This last picture shows Little Ted enjoying an afternoon outside - a new daily favorite.

Mom, I know this doesn't make up for the distance and not getting to see your grandson, but I hope you enjoy these pictures of him.  He misses you!

The Social Butterfly

The past two weekends, Baylor's Rugby Club has had games on campus.  They give Little Ted and I the opportunity to run around outside while daddy coaches from the sidelines.  The temperature has finally dropped, so we can actually enjoy ourselves when we're outside.

This weekend was particularly entertaining.  After running around the field for awhile, we returned to the parked stroller for a drink break.  Two (female) college students were seated nearby, and Little Ted struck up a conversation.  They said hi, but he refused to say hi back.  He just shook his head and said, "No!  No!  No!"  He inched his way closer to them, though, so he could sit next to them and wrinkle his nose at them (I need to get this on camera - it's very funny).

Later, we walked past one of the campus rec workers (again female).  She was sitting in a cart, and this time Little Ted waved hi and chatted with her.  He quickly lost interest when he spotted a hound dog.  The owner (a female) let him talk to and pet the dog.  Apparently, this was an invitation, because Little Ted plopped himself down next to her on her blanket and chatted with her about the "big dog" and rugby.  He wasn't too happy when I dragged him away so we could get out of the sun and rest at home.

Clearly, my son has no trouble with the ladies.

Alumni Fest 2011

We spent this Labor Day weekend at the Baylor Rugby Association's Alumni Festival.  Little Ted, in particular, really enjoyed himself because this was the first year that he could play with the other children there (last year, he was still learning how to walk!).  He had fun in the bounce house (after the older kids cleared out), and I had to drag him away - twice.  Even though he was too tired to bounce (or even sit up), he didn't want to leave.

When Little Ted wasn't in the bounce house, he made friends with the dogs at the event and played with Jaxson, the son of one of Ted's friends.  The two played nice - most of the time - but they did get into a rather comical spat over some toy cars.  I think that was the first time that I've seen Little Ted argue with a child his own age.

While I chased Little Ted around, his daddy coached the forwards in the Men's Rugby club and spent a little time on the field.  Can you find him in these photos?

We're using the last day of our long weekend to recover - Ted's nursing a few sore muscles, Little Ted is getting back into his routine, and I'm working to catch up on lost sleep.  All in all, these were small sacrifices to make to spend time with old friends.