We Back Our Bears

Rain or shine, in victory or defeat, we back our Bears. 

Sic 'em, Bears!

True Test

Thursday will be the first true test of our season.  We are anxiously waiting to see how it goes . . .

Sic 'em bears!

http://www2.baylor.edu/baylorproud/2015/11/worried-about-baylor-starting-a-freshman-qb-dont-be/

Wookie Wednesday

It seems fitting that the last Wednesday before Halloween was a hair raising day for the Gonzalez family.

If you don't have children currently in elementary school, you may not know that this is Red Ribbon Week.  Every day this week, Ted's school is having various dress up days.  Today's theme - Mustache Day.  Don't ask me how this relates to the cause of the Red Ribbon organization; I simply do not know.  But for some reason, it's lots of fun to wear mommy's eyeliner on your upper lip.

Gabriel also had his second hair cut today.  I asked that his hair be cut off his shoulders.  I got that - and a bit more.  So his cute curls are gone, temporarily, but when they grow back in, he should look a little more like a boy and a little less like a girl, thanks to his newly coiffed hair.

Mr. Smarty Pants

LT is fascinated by "Spanish words" now (probably a by-product of our current hometown) and is constantly asking me to say words in Spanish for him.  He also tries to figure out a few of them on his own by saying English words with an accent.  Wanting to show him that some English and Spanish words sound alike, I asked him what English word the Spanish word elefante sounded like. His answer:

It sounds like your mouth is making Spanish words, mom. 

Indeed. 

The Rough Life of a 1 1/2 yr old

Falling asleep at mealtime

 And improvised foot rests

are just a few of the trials faced by a 1 1/2 yr old.  Feel sorry for him yet?  Me either. 

On the Rise . . .

In case you were wondering how our Baylor Bears are doing, the answer is, "Not bad!"

http://www2.baylor.edu/baylorproud/2015/10/at-no-2-in-the-nation-baylor-football-earns-highest-ranking-ever/

Just like Thomas & Percy

LT made a very astute observation today - he & Gabriel are just like Thomas and Percy!  How?  Their ages correspond with the numbers on each engine.  Thomas is the No. 1 blue engine, and Percy, his best friend, is the No. 6 engine. 

I can safely say that I've watched A LOT of Thomas & Friends over the past 6 years, but I don't think I would ever have come up with that apt comparison.  Guess it takes young eyes to take in all the little details.

F is for First Grade; F is for Fun

In case you can't tell, LT is having fun in first grade.  Last Friday was his first half day and the school's first official fundraiser, a fun run.  It was my kind of fundraiser - all the funds went directly to the school, I didn't have to pester anyone for money, LT got to enjoy some good prizes, like that cool T-shirt he is sporting, and he got to spend some quality time outside.  All in all, I take that big smile to be a sign that this will be a good school year.

First Haircut

You'd think with as much hair as Gabriel has, he would have had his first haircut by now. You'd be wrong. We just couldn't bear to part with his cute curls. But necessity won out, and we decided it was high time to make sure his bangs weren't sitting in his eyes anymore.

Unlike Ted's first haircut, which took place at a kids' salon, I carted Gabe off to our family stylist. He was sleepy and my phone battery died at the beginning of his haircut, so he spent most of the time in tears and with a quivering lip (that's his default setting when he's upset, and it tends to be more for show than anything else). When the stylist finished, he promptly stopped crying and said, "Thank you!"

I think he was pretty happy to leave, and we were all happy with the results. 

First Day of First Grade

Here he is - our first grader, wearing his favorite color and his new shoes (the ones that make him really fast).  In classic LT fashion, he went off to his first day at a new school confident and ready to face the day.  And, like typical parents, mom and dad worried about how he would do.  

So far so good - LT has no complaints, likes his teacher, and is making friends.  His cool confidence serves him well and will ensure he has another great school year.

Summer, we hardly knew you.

This past week marked the end of summer and the start of another school year. When summer began, I wondered how we would fill our days, but they managed to fill themselves just fine. Here's some pictures of the highlights:

We had visitors - first, Grandma & Grandpa Gonzalez & cousin Matt came out for LT's 6th birthday. This was his second celebration. We had a birthday party with school friends back in May, but we couldn't let the actual day go by without recognition. In the end, it was a very minion celebration.

Near the end of summer, Great-Grandma Eichelberger & Aunt Carol came all the way from Oregon!  This was their first time to meet Gabriel, and only their second visit with LT. 

Can you tell that they had a good time together?

Most of the rest of our summer was filled with play time:

 In the Thomas tent,

 and minion Crocs,

 eating cherry iced donuts,

 going down slides,

and visiting the aquarium.

Beyond that, we went on one work trip.  While mommy was in meetings, daddy and his boys wandered around campuses and parks.

Summer was fun while it lasted, and now we are looking forward to all that fall has to offer!