Thanks for the nod, Associated Press . . .

. . . now can you please have a chat with the College Football Playoff committee?  They seem to be confused.

Championship Saturday

Sic 'Em Bears!

Christmas Party

Today, Little Ted and Gabriel enjoyed their first Christmas Party of the holiday season.  This party had everything a kid could want: Santa Claus, Shamu (go figure), sugar cookie decorating, arts and crafts, games, and face painting.  Little Ted could hardly contain his excitement and declared that this was the "best day EVER!"  Gabriel, who is new to this whole Christmas thing, was a little less enthused (especially when it came to that big guy in the red suit), but he enjoyed the festivities from the comfort of his stroller nonetheless.

Get Excited Baylor Nation . . .

http://www.baylorbears.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/120114aad.html

This is the big time!

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned our love for College GameDay here before, how it has been a part of our Saturday morning rituals as much as take-out breakfast and afternoon naps are.  LT even knows all the words to the theme song and dances with his cherry donut when the music starts.

Now . . . at last . . . College GameDay is coming to our alma mater!  All we need is a win over K State to make it the perfect Saturday.

Sic 'Em Bears!

Turkey Tango

LT participated in his very first school program shortly before Thanksgiving.  Here's a portion of the show we enjoyed:

I hope all of you enjoyed a happy Thanksgiving with family and friends.  We played host to Grandma and Grandpa Gonzalez and cousin Matthew.  They prepared our Thanksgiving feast, and we happily gobbled it up.  Our only regret was their visit was too short!  We look forward to seeing them again soon.

Itchy Winter Scalp?

Gabriel has a solution for you:

Halloween

Now that Ted is older, he appreciates the spooky side of Halloween much more.  Take, for instance, Dracula Ted:



Maybe that's why he chose to be a villain this year for Halloween.  He was so excited about his costume that he walked around the neighborhood saying, "I'm Darth Vader!  I'm Darth Vader Ted!"

Gabriel, on the other hand, was a little less convinced that wearing his costume was a good idea.  Yoda Gabriel he was.

Confusing, in particular, the ears were.

He decided that pumpkins were OK, though.  I agree.  Meet Drac-O-Lantern: 

And this is the Cyclops:

Happy Halloween!

Good Luck Charms

How can you lose when these two cuties are your fans?

Sic 'Em Bears!

First Foods

Gabriel is the kind of baby who doesn't believe he actually is a baby.  He is sure that he can do the things that everyone else can do, like eat dinner.  So, when he hit 6 months this week - the age at which the doctor gave us the OK to start solids, we thought he would be ecstatic.  Boy, were we wrong.  Meal times (all three of them) have been full of grunts of dissatisfaction.  It didn't dawn on me that he would realize he wasn't actually eating like everyone else.  But when your brother's plate is full of brightly colored food, like Cheetos, Granny Smith apples, and red grapes, the contrast between rice cereal (a.k.a. baby mush) and "real food" becomes apparent.

In this video, Gabriel's third meal, I'm trying to get him interested in his meal - which was darn near impossible since LT was sitting across from him eating an orange creamsicle.  There's never a dull moment in our household!

Baby in Motion

I see baby barricades in this child's future . . . many, many baby barricades.



This video is a couple of weeks old, and it doesn't really capture Gabriel's maneuvering skills.  He still hasn't mastered a "proper crawl," but he can propel himself forward for short distances and turn around.  When big brother is in the vicinity, he tries extra hard to get where he wants to go.

Giggles

When Gabriel was first born, I used to worry about bath time with the boys.  It's not always convenient or possible to leave the baby with another person while I get LT taken care of.  Turns out, with the help of a baby seat, bath time is giggle time for the boys.

Fundraiser Time!

I'm not one for pestering people for money, but now that we have a child in public school, it seems that I might be asked to do that from time to time.

So, if you're feeling in the giving spirit, or if you want to get some early Christmas shopping in, take a look at Ted's page for his school's fundraiser.  Here's the link:

http://www.gaschoolstore.com/Login/WelcomeShopper

LT's personal ID # is 22YJE7D.

Purchases made through September 18 help Ted qualify for different prizes.  Purchases made after that date will still help to raise funds for his elementary school.

Thanks in advance for your support!

First Day of School

Here are a couple of photos of the big boy on his first day. 

He's done great so far and enjoys being in school. 

The school's theme this year is college. It took us awhile to find the Baylor themed decorations . . . thought we were going to have to speak to someone about the oversight. 

"Because I'm Fast, Not Slow . . ."

A few weeks back, my then four-year-old informed me that he could not stop running around the upstairs and sounding like a one man herd of elephants because he simply is fast.

The same must be true of the summer.  Last time I looked, it was April.  Gabriel was an itty bitty baby.  Easter was a recent memory, and school was starting to wind down.

Now, the summer is OVER.  Little Ted is five and will start kindergarten (!) TODAY.  Gabe is four months old and rolling over in a desperate attempt to start crawling.  What happened to the time?

In a word - PLENTY.  So, here's a  recap of the last several months.

Gabe's 1st bath - without tears!  He seemed to really enjoy it.

The brothers have gotten to know each other.  They're great friends - no one can make Gabe laugh quite like Little Ted. 

Ted's mom hosted a baby shower for us.  It was lots of fun, and everyone got to meet Gabriel for the first time.

Little Ted completed preschool!  (Wasn't he just learning how to walk?)

Then he turned 5!  Ted insisted on wearing his Super Mario costume, which went well with his Spiderman and Captain America cakes.

Baby Gabriel grew . . . he added 3 lbs. between his 2 and 4 month check ups.  I'm constantly rotating clothes in his closet and trying to keep up with his growth spurts.

I wonder if the fall is going to march through as quickly as the summer did . . . we'll soon find out!

Fun Outing

As the big brother, Little Ted has found that Baby Gabriel gets to determine "what happens when" most of the time. But LT is a patient big brother and manages this change well. 

That said, he's been deserving of a special day just for LT, and he got it on Saturday. Grandma's work hosted a family fun day, which just so happened to be a mini carnival. LT had fun in the bounce house and on the train.  He also morphed into a ninja turtle and tried cotton candy for the first time. 

On the way home, he fell asleep and was sad to learn he had to clean off his turtle at bath time, both of which indicate that he had a great time. 

Easter

This Easter, Gabriel met his paternal grandparents and cousin for the very first time. 

In other words, the boys were showered with lots of attention from two sets of grandparents. What could be better?

How about a grand total of 5 Easter baskets, loads of candy, an Easter egg hunt, cascarones, and egg dyeing?

It's good to be a kid!

Announcing . . .

. . . the arrival of Gabriel Lorenzo Gonzalez

Born at 12:47 pm on Monday, April 7th, 2014

7 lbs 11 oz; 20 inches long

The newly expanded family of four is doing well and promises more updates and pictures soon.

Please Excuse me as I Roll my Eyes . . .

. . . http://news.sportslogos.net/2014/03/12/baylors-made-in-march-uniforms-outlawed-by-ncaa/?utm_source=taboola&utm_medium=referral

Where has the Time Gone?

So, I'm looking at the blog and realizing that the last photos I posted were prior to Christmas.  Yikes.  I have some catching up to do.  So, here's a quick tour of what we've been up to since then.

We spent Christmas with my parents, and New Year's with both sides down at the in-laws house.  This was the first year that LT was really excited about the holiday.  He loved the decorations,

and his new Thomas Train that ran around our Christmas tree.

And while he enjoyed his presents, he still had more fun playing with the wrapping paper and making it "snow."

New Year's at Grandma and Grandpa's was lots of fun.  We had a full house, 

and lots of flammable items, 

and non-alcoholic beverages to toast in the New Year.

Beyond that, we survived colder than normal temperatures for South TX and even a couple of ice days.  We are currently plugging through another semester of work and school and anxiously awaiting the arrival of BGII (Baby Gonzalez #2).

LT is doing well in school.  He took his first school photo recently 

and was recognized as a "Pillar of Citizenship" in his Pre-K class.

We are, as always, proud parents.

One Tough Cookie

Please keep one of LT's school buddies in your prayers.  His name is Miguel, and he is slated for kidney surgery on the 25th.  To read more about Miguel and his surgery, click here.