the garveys

A Picture A Day: 365 Project

2011-06-04T04:27:00.000-05:00

So....I have decided to jump on the 365 band wagon. It seems like perfect timing. Yesterday was my last day of teaching. I feel like I am having an identity crisis because sometimes I think you become defined by what you do & I have been a teacher for what feels like a long time! Now I'm not. It is an identity crisis! But it is also freeing & exciting (even though I LOVED teaching) it will allow me more time for what has become my passion. I can do what I enjoy...I can do the thing that challenges my creative side & makes me keep coming back for more & that is PHOTOGRAPHY! I. LOVE. IT. I am inspired right now to learn, create, be better, be different. It is a great time to start a 365 blog because it is kind of "the first day of the rest of my life" hehe - isn't that a song (my new life, so it feels like). I won't always create a frameworthy picture each day because my goal will be to work on creativity with this blog. I hope you follow along with my journey & help keep me motivated to keep up! I will probably jazz this blog up, but for now it is pretty simple. Might even get crazy & have my go to blog girl, Marina Simmons, help me with a design :) Guess you have to come back to see what I do with it! From now on I will try to limit myself to ONE picture per day or atleast ONE series....but really, I need to have motivation to make it just 1 picture because then I will be driven to make that one picture fulfill me enough to end there...plus I don't have enough time for more...haha. Okay, here I go! Hope I keep up with this! Go to kellygarvey365.blogspot.com to check it out. I probably won't be able to keep up with this one anymore (not that I was doing a good job of it anyway!)

potato head

2011-03-01T15:02:00.003-06:00

Garrett hates having his picture taken. I have to hide so he can't see me which makes it hard to get good ones! I just wanted to try out my new lens so I took some pics of him in action in his playroom after work/school today. Nice to work on personal pictures every once in a while for a change! He is looooving Mr. Potato Head right now so much.

I want to get him this SO BAD! He plays with one potato head for hours that I bought at a resale store, it doesn't even have a lot of parts or anything & he loves it!

Time to clean!

2011-02-27T19:47:00.003-06:00

Garrett's playroom has gotten out of control....ridiculously messy & really quite embarrassing. He had become a dumper who would just go dump everything & ransack it all into the middle of the room. There was NO organization & it was a disgusting mess! He'd trip & fall but still refuse to clean up...it was a battle! Today I decided NO MORE! I was so sick of him saying "mommy come play in my playroom with me" & me not being able to move or sit or do anything! We did the Ikea trip, assembly & cleaned everything out all in one day. Done! I was so tired of it! He is going to clean up everynight now & not get away with that business, I can't believe it had gotten so bad! (These pictures really do no justice to how depressing it was in there!)

He made himself comfortable right away by bringing all his blankets & pillows in & having a pretend nap with his animals :) I think he likes it!

Tea Party

2011-02-13T15:47:00.001-06:00

Garrett loves having tea parties!

hi!

2011-02-04T23:53:00.001-06:00

Hi from my little guy putting on a puppet showat the museum!

Hi from my little guy partaking in his favorite hobby - good old fashioned nose-picking!

my little lovey...

2011-01-27T14:51:00.004-06:00

Shame on me! I am so bad at blogging lately! Well, I told myself I have to put a current picture up here today even though I don't have much to say
bc I just know we have family member who don't get to see this little guy enough. He is growing up so fast! He is not a little baby anymore! Sad! I don't want the day to come where he doesn't want to "be my boyfriend" anymore, where he doesn't invite me to come play in his playroom or ask if he can sleep in "Mommy's bed" (ha, it's only mine to Garrett, not daddy's bed!), or where he doesn't call the computer the "poncuter" anymore or where he stops asking me "please, you snuggle on the couch with me, mommy?" I don't want all this working I am doing to make these moments pass by in a flash. I am trying to find a balance so I can enjoy & take advantage of every moment of this without letting him see that I am exhausted but it's hard! I love to so much about this little guy. I love that he prays before dinner everynight & says "God our father, thank you, man, thank you man for feeding us. Amen." Because I am sure those aren't the real words, but they're perfect to me. I love that he told his teacher his favorite thing to do with his daddy is to "hug with him." I love that Garrett thinks his cousin's dog Max dived (not died), so anytime he sees a pool he says, "Max dived in the water?" I loove that everytime I tell him he is cute, he says "Yes mommy, I know I am cute, telled me that all the time!" I looove that he has developed this crazy vocabulary all of a sudden out of no where because it is adorable, but I don't want him to grow up! I just want more time! I can see why moms cry (or why my mom cried) when us kids went off to college!

Giveaway!

2011-01-23T19:28:00.003-06:00

Go check out Carrie Smalls (super talented NC photographer) gift certificate giveaway with Sprinkles for Sprouts - it is a really awesome with headbands & props....
To check it out, go here!

You know it's a bad sign when...

2011-01-07T00:37:00.002-06:00

Your son says "go work out, mommy!" BUT....it was the swift kick in the rear I needed, it's been too long! It was the swift kick that lasted me a whopping ONE day but hey, better than nothing, right?! The good news is, I have a new workout partner!

Merry Christmas a little late! And a Happy 2011

2011-01-01T22:21:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! Hope all of you had a great Christmas! We sure did. XOXOXO!

Thanksgiving

2010-12-14T22:56:00.002-06:00

I am just now getting a chance to download my pictures from Thanksgiving in Dallas. Garrett & Beckett had a leaf fight which was fun b.c. I don't think we had a pile of leaves like that anywhere in Houston! We miss you, becks & we'll see you again soon!

what a coinkidink...

2010-12-07T22:45:00.003-06:00

We went to the park the other day & ran into this guy! Sam Baron! Garrett was very excited about the coincidence of he & his buddy being at the same park. I like how you can tell they "like" each other but sometimes they don't even pay much attention to each other or play "together" necessarily, just in the same general area. Boats n' hoes!

Family Pictures

2010-12-05T19:45:00.002-06:00

We just got our family pictures back that we took in October & I am so glad that we did - it is fun having family pics...we haven't done it in so long! We had Marisa Hugonnett take them - not that she reads this blog, but I'll do a shout out anyway - thanks Marisa! I don't think we will be sending a Christmas card this year because life is a little hectic at the moment, but you'll be seeing these pictures again in February for a Valentine's card for sure! Can't wait to order prints for gifts for grandparents & parents....thought I'd share a few of my favorites.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-24T14:20:00.003-06:00

Garrett went out with me as my little assistant in some picture taking today. Before we got started I wanted a picture of the two of us but we were alone so this is what we decided to do!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sitting in the tree KISSING....

2010-11-23T14:47:00.002-06:00

Sorry I haven't been around much! Trying to finish up editing sessions for people's Christmas cards so I haven't had the chance to post personal stuf.. Here is one I had to post though...I love them! See you after the holidays!

worth a shot

2010-11-23T14:32:00.002-06:00

Posting this for a free give away workshop I want to win bad!
ClickinMoms.com/blog - In the Spirit of Giving article says that Lisa is giving away a free spot in her amazing class & I have to re-post this to enter to win! Worth a shot...

Happy Ween!

2010-11-02T15:42:00.002-05:00

Here are some pictures from our Halloween at cousin Ben & Braden's house. They had fun! In the words of Braden, "Happy Ween!"

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-30T14:42:00.001-05:00

Happy Halloween from Woody! (I will post pictures of Garrett decked out in his Woody suit later - haven't taken any yet!) He is super excited!

In Yo Face

2010-10-22T15:06:00.003-05:00

I have had to take Garrett's picture ALOT lately. I am in a really good photography class that requires several very specific weekly assignments. I have had to take pictures of him pretty much every night that I am not working a session for 2 weeks. He hates me now! He asks for daddy all the time & ignores me, especially when he sees the camera. He is so hard! He plays hard to get by not doing what I ask him to do, not making eye contact, or not smiling unless I trick him somehow (or buy him ice cream!). I looooove this class, but I can't wait until it's over so I can stop torturing him & he can start liking me again!

Doesn't he look sooo sweet & innocent? You might be thinking yes. Well two seconds later, he chunked that pumpkin right in my face! Change your mind?

Woody!

2010-10-12T23:16:00.004-05:00

Woooo we have been busy lately! I can't wait to slow down. I really can't. But in the meantime, here are some pictures of Garrett with his fun cousins in his ghetto backyard!

We found out when we saw them that not only is Garrett going to be Woody for Halloween but so is Ben & Braden is Buzz! What a coincidence! They will be a cute bunch all dressed up together!

G got a haircut today. I almost cried. I asked for "not too short with some textured hair left at the top for me to spike it." HE GOT SCALPED! Oh well, just hair...it'll grow. But I do think it adds about 5 years to him & I miss my baby!

Garrett went to a few parties this weekend. He got to hit a pinata! He got after it! He loved it. SO much that he ran out of the crowd of patiently waiting children to try to steal another whack at it. Pictured: John whisking Woody away.

Two on Tuesday

2010-09-28T19:41:00.004-05:00

This post doesn't really have a purpose...basically just because I haven't posted anything in a while. Nothing new here....except being back in diapers for the time being :)

Support JDRF!

2010-09-20T22:56:00.003-05:00

Want to join us for the JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes? It is on the morning of November 6th at Reliant. I am donating money from my business session fees but we'd love to earn more money for JDRF or even just recruit people to join the tean & walk with us!
Go here: www.kellygarveyphotography.blogspot.com/2010/09/join-kgp-in-support-of-juvenile.html for more info.
Here's the link to join the team or donate! CLICK ME!

Pee Update

2010-09-20T14:20:00.004-05:00

Okay, so potty training isn't easy, eh? I had a false impression of what it would be like over the weekend! As I expected, I got a text from John this morning while I was at work saying he basically peed all over the whole house way too many times to count & that he was going to put him in a pulll-up for school (he had peed in every pair of undies he has). He peed in his Pull-Up at school once & in the toilet once. I've only been home an hour & he's already peed in the house. Suggestions? He used to have such enthusiasm & now he keeps asking for a diaper - ripping them out of the drawer & trying to put them on himself! This isn't even something I wanted to do, only did it because he was so gung-ho! Now I want to quit, should I or is that a cop out?!

All Aboard the Potty Train!

2010-09-18T21:29:00.008-05:00

There he is reading his new potty book. We left with it on the hood of our car & saw it fly away in the distance as we were almost on 290...lol

Sorry that this potty picture is a little TMI....and a little weird...and a little creepy, but homeboy wanted to use his potty while we were taking pictures, so I took advantage of it!

We went to Babies R' Us to buy a gift & I decided to use a gift card I have been meaning to use for a long time. I decided to buy something practical that we'd need to buy in the future anyway so I got a training potty. We had no intentions of using it right away...I just wanted to get rid of the gift card! Well, Garrett was very interested in it & right away we could tell he wanted to use it so we let him. He was sooo excited & proud. We gave him an M&M. He LOVED that. So he went again & again & again. As soon as I saw that he was balls to the wall about this, I ran out to buy some underwear & Pull-Ups! To make a long story short, almost 48 hours later, he has had only one accident, is wearing big boy undies at home & Pull-Ups when we go out & at night. So unexpected! I can't believe how well it's going! He has stayed dry in his Pull-Up, even at night. I don't even know how those things work. Does the pee run right out of them like a swim diaper? Anway, he freaking loves M&Ms & I think he'd clean the house for them in exchange for a handful! This will be interesting to see if our good luck keeps up. I think it may get hairy when I leave for work on Monday. What do I do, send him to school in a Pull-Up with extra clothes? I am new at this & have no training!

He puts his Buzz, Woody & Rex out to watch him pee. I saw him put Rex on the potty & wipe his butt after. Whatever works I guess!

He is sooooo excited & proud of himself. Every time he pees he jumps up & down, claps, says Hip Hip Hooray & asks for his M&M :)

Big boy (well kind of....)

2010-09-17T14:48:00.002-05:00

When we met the teacher she said that this year the kids sit at tables to eat their lunch & drink water from cups eith no lids. She said they don't use boosters or high chairs & that they could do the same at home starting now. So...we tried it! Garrett sat at the table with us & LOVED it! He was thrilled! What a big boy!

Disclaimer***About 2 seconds later he poured his water all over the wood table (on purpose, started rubbing spaghetti sauce into the table then threw his food. He finished dinner in the high chair where he will stay for the time being). We will try again some other time!

Preschool Times Two

2010-09-07T14:54:00.003-05:00

Well this post is a little late but our ham is back in school again this year. Last week he had his first day. This year he is actually in two classes - one M,W & the other T,TH. Where most peops use it as Mother's Day out we are using it as daycare when we are at work. We know it is a much better place than where he was before (at the sitter's house) so we decided it'd be great if he could go full time & the director said that yes, they do things like that for working parents in order to help them avoid corporate daycare. How nice!

He had a few teary days, but John said he didn't cry when he dropped him off this morning. Yea! I asked him who his girlfriend is (b/c I ask weird, random pointless questions like that, it's just how I roll) & he said Cailyn! I looked & there's a Cailym & Kaitlyn in one of his classes, so it must be legit! He came home with a nasty, bloody chin one day where the teacher said he "flew into the wall" - he must take after me because I did/ still do dumb stuff like that all the time. My mom has been calling me "Grace" ever since I was little! His teachers seem real nice & he seems to like school. I think it'll be a good year.

If only I can get the kid to nap, we'll be in good shape! He is playing with his tool bench as I type....I hear him in there drilling in the pitch black while he is supposed to be napping. I think it's time I de-toy his room. We go through this fight everyday! Usually he shoves his blankets under the door out into the hall while screaming "No nappy!" It's really a daily battle! I hear books flying everywhere, pillows hitting the wall....he is wired.

Here are a couple pictures from today after he had an outfit change for pouring his whole drink all over him. As it turns out, that shirt doesn't quite fit yet! Anyway, thought I'd share first day pics but I can't find them so these will have to do...

Dallas!

2010-08-30T14:42:00.003-05:00

We are back from Dallas! We had fun! It was busy as usual. We had fun seeing everyone. I appreciate how everyone always drops what they're doing to get together in a big group while we are in town...it's always so nice to see everyone! Garrett had fun playing with everyone, especially Beckett, his cousin. He keeps saying "Garrett likes Dallas, Memaw, Aunt Jenn, etc"........listing every family member he saw while he was there! He got to do all kinds of fun things like ride on the DART train in downtown Dallas.

Aunt Jenn & Becks

I have like no pictures of me & Garrett together anymore because I am always taking the pictures...I love having a current picture together!

Goofball!

POPS!

P.S. I am soooo sorry that I owe some of you thank you cards for Garrett's bday presents still. I am coming out of the busiest, most hectic, & somewhat challenging 3 weeks of my life & I promise, I am doing them this week! I feel so bad!
P.P.S. Whoever that anonymous blog comment poster is out there who called me out on spelling Garrett's name wrong (most likely my husband), it is fixed....in yo face!

Mr. Charming!

2010-08-18T14:05:00.003-05:00

This week I am back to work. I miss my little guy so much! When I pick him up, he always says "Mommy, miss you. Mommy so pwetty." WOW! Where did he get all that charm?! He makes me smile so much! He also has been talking about girlfriends alot. He is growing up too fast! The other day I asked him if I could be his girlfriend & he said, "No, no, Mommy...Gracie!" Good thing I approve of this Gracie that he speaks of or we'd have a problem!

P.S. This is Garrett's new thing to do; play naked. He rips his clothes at every opportunity & free balls it!

Here is his "girl friend"!

Garrett's Birthday Pictures!

2010-08-08T23:15:00.000-05:00

Hi! It is time that I post some of Garrett's birthday party pictures! Everything went well, he had a BLAST thanks to all his super cool friends. He really did have fun & was talking about it for a logn time after. I have learned that it is hard to take pictures at your own kid's party! Much easier at someone else's! I wanted to get lots of pictures of he & his friends playing but I also wanted to socialize with my friends & everyone nice enough to be there! So...here are the few I took. My dad also took some that I need to go through when I get a chance. Thanks, Dad!

Huh huh, get in there, cousin!

Garrett in his new sandbox before the party.

This is Garrett on Friday at Nini's house. Friday was his real birthday & he was sooo lucky to have almost all of the Bucic side of the family together. Stacy was the only one who had to be atwork & everyone else is currently off on Fridays. What a nice way to spend his birthday, a pizza & pool party! Thanks for getting together guys!

They played with this car ramp for a loooong time....never got old.

Here's Garrett opening his presents at the party. He just made himself comfortable with his hand resting comfortably in his underpants. What a guy!

Happle-tooooo-ey! As Garrett would say. He kept saying "sing to me!"

This is Garrett's good buddy, Sam. He is so much fun. He's been a good bud, for years. Literally! Two whole years now! Sam is turning two soon, too. Can't wait for that party. The Ligon/ Fredrickson's know how to throw a party!

This is another really good buddy, Grant. He is such a sweet boy. When they get together, they are trouble!

Pool Party!

Thanks for a great birthday for Garrett, family & friends! We love you!

To all the party-goers:

2010-08-07T22:12:00.001-05:00

Garrett wanted to say:

Thanks for coming to my party! (His mom forgot to pass these out, so they will go out in the thank you notes!)

Does it make me lame that I am still re-cooperating from Garrett's very small, low key, unalcoholic party? I will post pictures as soon as I download them & look at them, for some reason we are wiped out!

B.B.B.

2010-07-29T23:46:00.004-05:00

Garrett took another big step this week! I don't know if I like all this growing up he's doing...I want him to stay little forever! Well...John had a surprise for him that we kept him from seeing until it was done. When we opened his bedroom door, it was like Christmas to see his new big boy bed. He loved it! He is so proud of his bed, he keeps telling everyone he has a "big boy bed." Now I know Garrett is the right age for this, in fact a lot of kids change their crib to a bed way earlier than he did, but it is still a big deal to me because it's another sign that he is getting older! I just can't believe it! Seems like yesterday he was a black-haired little baby. The first night was rough. We had to sleep on his floor. He kept peeking over at me, smiling & saying "hi, momma." Not a lot of sleeping when on that night. The next day, his nap was horrendously short, but he actually slept in his bed all night by himself! Tonight is going well! I'd say he is used to it & likes his new bed a lot!

Maybe a little too much. Houston, we have a problem!

BOMBS AWAY!

2010-07-25T22:21:00.003-05:00

The cousins had fun today together as usual. Garrett LOVES his cousins. It is almost a freaky obession how much he talks about them & worships them. It's cute, though and they're all adorable together!

Go Bray Bray! (That's what G calls him).

Onnie is up!

Ben's turn.

Bath time for the boys! They're CRAZY!

For John: LOVE YOU!

2010-07-25T21:58:00.003-05:00

I know you have heard this before, but sometimes it is nice to hear things in an unconventional, different way! Garrett & I just wanted to say we love you! We like when you relax & play with us & get silly. Hope this makes your day special!

Leap of Faith!

2010-07-20T22:14:00.004-05:00

John decided to give his two weeks notice at Chili's, which was a decision made solely to allow him to have more time to devote to his real love, architecture. Working at Chili's did not allow him any time to invest in his side business, to seek work, etc. He has worked at Chili's for almost 8 months now. It is kind of a scary step to make because architecture is still slow, he's still on a reduced work week & salary, BUT he is taking a leap on faith in hopes that he can get himself some work in the field he loves. He'd much rather be doing architecture on the side than waiting tables! He is a pretty conservative guy, so this was a bold move & I am proud of him! If you know anyone who needs an architect, please keep him in mind. He is really awesome at what he does! Right now he is designing our dream home that we will never have, but it is SWEET! He can do anything from small remodels to designing brand new homes. He is a licensed architect & is open to almost any projects right now, small or big. Thanks for looking out! (http://www.garveyarchitecture.com/ )
*Thanks for taking this picture, Dad!

Three Amigos

2010-07-16T22:21:00.005-05:00

Brayden is so happy & cute...

Feeding the birds...

Nothing better than ice cream on a hot day....so what if it was purchased from the local ice cream man who also doubles as the town Chester the Molestor!

The cousins went to the beach the other day. They had a lot of fun! Garrett got so excited that he actually requested a nap...that's never happened before! More pictures coming of photographer, Ben, on his scavenger hunt. I made a scavenger hunt with riddles, so he had to figure out the riddle, find the item & take a picture of it. His pictures were quite good! I will post them another time...they're on a different camera. Here he is in action!

Two! (At Heart)

2010-07-13T20:39:00.008-05:00

This little face is what you get when you ask G to smile! Super cheesy!

Garrett has been going around telling everyone he's two! I guess he's ready for the big day. He says he is two & then sings happy birthday to himself. It goes a little something like "happle toooo-y tooooo-y" - I LOVE IT. And I will be more than sad when he grows up & doesn't say "happle-too-y" anymore. Just for fun, I decided to take some two year old pictures of him. It's not his official "two year" session, just something I did for fun. It was a nasty, rainy, mosquitoe-y, muggy day, but still good times. I have nothing else to say...I'm out!

Winter In July

2010-07-07T19:49:00.003-05:00

Garrett & I had so much fun today! Probably the most fun out of anything we've done all summer! I got a package in the mail yesterday that came wrapped in peanuts (or popcorn - what do you call them??) & I noticed Garrett was pretty interested in them. We decided to put on jackets & mittens & make it snow! He was happier than I have ever seen him....verging on giddy & very squealy! He played with the snow for over an hour & kept screaming MO SNOW! Who would have known that would have been such a big hit!

While it was snowing in our playroom, the dogs just stared at us from a distance wondering what in the world is going on in there!

Hit Dee Pins!

2010-07-06T13:38:00.003-05:00

Big guy activity #2 this week for Garrett was an awesome trip to go BOWLING! It was so much fun!

Garrett really loved it. He didn't so much love that the ball goes down the lane & it's gone. He took off sprinting down the lane running after the ball the first two times he went....poor guy ate it on the slick ground. He cried for about half the game everytime the ball was gone, but once he got the concept, he had so much fun. He is still saying "Ball weeeee, hit dee pins, bye bye ball!" over & over!

Even better - the bowling trip was kind of experimental like the movies, so we went when it was only $1.50 at Times Square (on Mondays) SCORE!

Moonies!

2010-07-06T13:25:00.003-05:00

Garrett has done a few pretty cool, pretty big boy things lately. The other day we went to the movies very last minute, like 5 minutes before. To our surprise there was a completely free movie showing at the same time (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs). Garrett had snack, drinks & was so excited. He kept saying "fun, moonie, snacks!" We made it through about two previews & he said "All done, moonie." I was like you are kidding me! At least it was free! I did get him to sit successfully quiet & still for about 30 minutes of the movie, then he said "all done" again so we left. What a cool way to be able to try out a movie not knowing how successful it would be...for free who cares! It was cute!

our little peanut

2010-07-03T13:17:00.004-05:00

we went to another neighborhood's playground today to get out of the house. we wore our pj's & had some fun...

so silly...

our little peanut is almost 2! i can't believe it. when i asked him what kind of party he wants to have, he said "snowman." at first i thought he was kidding, but he has said it so many times, i think he's for real! i was kind of excited because it would be funny to have a snowman party in august. i am a little sad though because we took him to party city to stock up on snowmen decorations & he spotted the diego stuff. it was all over. he officially wants to have a diego party now. typical!

Overload!

2010-07-01T13:39:00.006-05:00

Riding the carousel with Brynna & Connor

We have grown to REALLY love Soccer Tots...it is almost over. I am so sad & will miss it dearly. We love his instructor, Kim, who we had a Little Gym. Garrett & his friend, Grant, are the crazy kids in class & it doesn't phase her one bit.

Garrett is quite inventive/ embarrassing. To pass the time at restaurants, he likes to put things like paper, tortillas, you name it, on his head or other paraphanelia in his ears.

Crayons? Not in your ears!

Garrett & Sam at swimming They aren't in the same class, but you can imagine how crazy they'd be if they were! Garrett talks about his swim instructor "Wooody" (Rudy) alot, like he is a part of the family. We love him, too!

First week of summer - zoo trip with G & the cousins. Aaawww it felt nice to have sooo much time left in the summer during that first week!

They laid an egg!

My friend, Sara, has the most fun house! She rented a huge slide for the kids.

Here is Garrett screaming for MO SLIDE!

Love you Corby & ClaireB!

This post may be long (unless Garrett takes a 2.2 second nap like usual, then I won't be able to bore you with a million pictures!). I downloaded the good old point & shoot again which happens like once every 6 months, so here it goes:

Yeehaw

2010-06-28T14:02:00.003-05:00

I love this picture, not because it's good & not because Garrett has spit hanging out of his mouth, but because John looks like a tool bag in the background wearing Garrett's cowboy hat. Giddy up!

Okay I can't resist putting this one, too. Does that make me mean? Ssshhh...don't tell John!

Poolside!

2010-06-24T22:08:00.002-05:00

Garrett loves Dora (& of course Diego). He requested Dora swim diapers at Target & now everyday he asks for me to put them on him over his regular diaper. He says Dora is his girlfriend. Does it mean your kid watches too much Diego if he busts out counting in Spanish? Promise he did not get that from us.

He loooves his Dukie. Dukie loves him, too. He is very tolerant & they're so sweet to each other. Koby...not so much. We are working hard to teach Garrett his boundaries.

I love these little feet...they are not so little anymore though. Garrett, stop growing up! You are magical to me at this age! I love how silly & innocent you are. I love the way you say your words & the funny things you do....please don't grow up!

Our ghetto backyard doesn't have a lot to offer...a delapidated, flat blow-up pool & plenty of dog poop....but we sure had fun playing in it today (not the poop...the backyard of course ;)!

He really loves his dogs.

"They were still wearing their flippers."

Onnie In the Kitchen

2010-06-24T21:12:00.002-05:00

Garrett & I have been hanging out at home a little more than usual relaxing & doing stuff like baking cookies. Usually we stay super busy bit it's nice to stay in sometimes like we have lately!

See the guy over there stealing the cookie dough?

P.S. Garrett's name is officially "Onnie" - he loooves it. The kid knows what he wants & he wants his name to be Onnie. He uses that name all day & corrects me when I say Garrett so I think I am going to start dropping his real name & going with the new one. We think we figured out that someone must have called him honey a lot at some point in his life (wasn't us fo sho) & he thought it was his name. when we ask him to say 'honey' it sounds just like Onnie.

Happy Dad Day!

2010-06-21T14:31:00.004-05:00

Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there. We had a great day & hope you did, too!

Cheeeeeese

2010-06-10T23:15:00.004-05:00

This is normal Garrett...

This is Garrett when I tell him to smile. It's his new thing...he says "cheese" & scrunches up his whole face. There's all kind of blinking, squinting, & lopsided stuff going on....sometimes it looks painful! I think he thinks he's lookin good!

Have I mentioned that.......

2010-06-10T14:48:00.005-05:00

.....I LOVE summer?! Garrett's most fun, happy time of the day is morning & I am so glad the summer allows me to not miss out on that time of the day! I love having the freedom to do whatever you want in the day & be last minute about stuff & hang out with friends. We are staying busy! Here are some random swimming pictures of Garrett & his buddy, Connor. I really like taking pictures, can you tell? There are times when I should just put the camera away but it's fun taking pictures!

Ernie?

2010-06-07T23:06:00.004-05:00

These are pictures of John & Ernie that I took for John's Father's Day gift. I posted them on Facebook but I know not all our family does that so I thought I'd put them here, too. Ernie, eh? Who's Ernie you might be wondering to yourself? When we ask G what his name is, he very matter of factly says Ernie. I find this quite puzzling! I don't know where it came from. He will look around the room & point to everyone he sees, "Coco, Duke, Daddy, Mommy," then he gets to himself & says "Ernie."
So...anyway...hope you enjoy the pictures of John & Ernie!

Summertime!

2010-06-05T10:05:00.004-05:00

It's summertime! Happy summer vacation to all you teachers out there. I couldn't be happier. I really did have a good year at school & like my job but it is great to have time off from teaching....now I can devote more time to photography! I finally figured out how to download my point & shoot camera. It has pictures from about 8 months on there. Garrett looks so young in the oldest pictures...it's crazy how much he has grown!

I found all kinds of pictures I had forgotten about....pictures from our trip to the Sesame Street Live show, pictures from Easter, from all kinds of birthday parties, from the zoo, & more. They aren't great but I am going to post some for the sake of having something to post!

Garrett is taking Soccer Tots with his friend, Grant. It is a very cute little class & the instructor is Miss Kim that he had at Little Gym, we like her a lot! He also started swim lessons on Friday & will be doing those with Sam. Mr.. Rudy is his instructor again....Rudy & Garrett are tight! He's way cool.

We are looking forward to the summer & all the fun that comes with it!

Our Little G

2010-05-27T22:06:00.007-05:00

This post will be long & probably boring to most of you! I am writing it because I want to update all of our family on what is going on in Garrett's life! Usually my posts are more about things we did or are posts with mostly just pictures, but I thought I'd actually include info about Garrett at this stage in his life in this one. Since John & I are both working weekends, we hardly see our out of town family....it has been A LONG TIME...we are sorry & we miss you! Hope this helps you feel less out of touch with our little man until we see each other again.

Garrett is an energetic, chatty little guy. He is very curious. He is constantly noticing things, opening drawers, exploring new & dangerous parts of the house & trying to find trouble everywhere else he goes (oh joy!). He is still snuggly & loves kisses but is exhaustingly energetic! He still loves Diego, Elmo & Abby ALOT. He is a little parrot & repeats everything! We have to be careful of what we say! He loves to sing. He sings most of the wheels on the bus (one verse) & he likes the monkeys juming on the bed song. Ben's birthday was a few weeks ago & he still randomly says "Ben" then sings Happy Birthday to You! Garrett has a weird obsession with washing his hands & singing the ABCs. He can get about halfway through the ABC song & then it suddenly sounds like a made up language. If you help him get started (he always skips number one!) he can count to ten. He has recently decided that he no longer wants to nap & that he'd like to wake up in the middle of the night everynight & sleep with Mom & Dad. He is stubborn & determined & will not stop until he gets his way (meaning, until he gets in our bed!). I took Garrett to the park today & he kept calling squirrels monkeys. I loved that! He is very silly & loves to get a laugh from everyone around him. He learned to do "pull my finger" from his Dad & thinks it is pretty funny. Garrett still doesn't eat much...he doesn't sit still long enough! Well he eats everything except food....glue, paint, sunblock, lotion, soap, shaving cream, bubbles, you name it. Garrett is just a regular old kid who has good days & challenging days, but for the most part, he is a very happy kid. He loves to be tickled. Once you start you have to be prepared to keep going or he will scream "Mo teeekle!' at you until you do! He loves story time & will sit for book after book before bed. He loves to play Simon Says. It is hit or miss with him at restaurants. Somtimes it's great, sometimes a train wreck! We should probably give up but we keep trying! He enrolled in his first soccer class this week! (We'll accept any decision he makes, but soccer would be welcomed warmly!) He LOVEs when the whole family is together. He likes people to be with their pair. He just doesn't feel right when he is hanging out with Nini without Ba or Mom without Dad or even Duke without Koby. We took Koby to the vet & the whole time he was asking for Duke....well he actually calls them Book & Coco. Garrett has a sick obsession with his wubby (& blankets for that matter)! The other day he threw up on all of them in his crib...well, he saw me put all of his dirty stuff in the washing machine & it got ugly. He flipped out! I tried to explain but nothing worked. I don't know what we are going to do about that one! It is very cute that he loves his wubby & is so responsible with keeping it in his hand ALL DAY but it kind of wears me out! Garrett is very sweet. He is constantly saying please (meeeeez) and thank you (tank you) to use for everything. He likes to tell us he wants to use the potty, then he "pretends" he is going just so he can throw an entire thing of toilet paper in the toilet afterward (he sits there & "grunts" like a tennis player!) He never actually goes, just pretending. When he is pooping he waves at us & says BYYEEEE as if he wants us to go away so he can have his privacy! There is one song & one song only that he wants right now. He requests the song the entire time we are in the car. It's called the Hoppity Song but he calls it "Mo Happy!" it pretty much stays on repeat. He isn't real into getting his picture taken, typical guy. We are going to need to hire a photographer to get some good pictures b/c maybe he'll respond to someone new! When Garrett does something naughty, he immediately says sawwy! How can you be mad at that?! He is definitely very silly & makes me laugh. He LOVES to be around other kids. He loves babies too right now. Maybe we can arrange a baby sister for him one day! Parenting is adventurous & some days exhausting but overall just plain wonderful when I really think about it!

I can't wait for all the fun activities we can do & bonding time we can have this summer! I could go on & on with more Garrett stories but I think I have already bored you enough!

Anyway, I love this kid more than words can describe. He is a blessing! He is like having a little best friend around all the time. I thank God for him everyday & for the fact that summer is a week away! We can't wait to se eall of our out of town family soon. We make sure we point all of you out to Garrett in pictures as much as possible. He says Nana & Pops, Jenn & Becks when he sees you. We love you & miss you.

Splash Day!

2010-05-21T21:57:00.006-05:00

Bubbles!

Just washing the car...

Ooh maybe I'll stick shaving cream in my hair....that sounds like a great idea

Painting the wall with water is cooooool.

Are they holding hands or is it just me?

P.S. so sad - look at the kids lurking in the background...they just want to join in the fun, too! Looks like one of those infocommercials for the kids who you can buy & feed for just 5 cents a day!

Garrett's M/W crew.

Let's hurry!

Sam's hat was a big hit.

Giddy up!

This is old news by now, but I thought I'd post pictures from Garrett's Splash Day at his pre-school. He was Mr. Serious, but I could tell he had a blast with all the fun water activities & with his homeboys from class. He will miss them all this summer!

P.S. Did I mention that I only have 2 more weeks until I'm off from teaching for the summer? SCORE!

God Bless My Husband!

2010-05-21T12:46:00.003-05:00

Okay so as many of you know, John has been working an extra job at Chili's for almost 6 months. He is actually going to be working there even more now because his company just cut back even more on workdays & salary again (yippee)...but that's beside the point. I am SO proud of him for being so positive & upbeat even though he goes straight from one job to another many nights & works a job for $2.14 an hour where he gets shat upon by people who have no respect all the time. He is a great man!

So...I am not going to lie, this particular story is sort of funny & it kind of makes me laugh. He comes home all the time with crazy stories about people & complains about all the times he's gotten stiffed completely that night & usually it isn't funny at all, but this time it was...

John said a big group of really rude, really loud people came in who kept him running around with request after request. Some lady had a box out the whole time & was doing something but he probably couldn't tell what because they kept him so busy. When it came time to pay the lady handed him a box of rolled pennies to pay for her bill - ROLLED PENNIES! The bill was almost $40 in PENNIES! Are you freaking kidding me?! The bad part was that she paid down to the penny with no tip. Another person handed him a wad of all kinds of change which equaled $12.25 on a $12.24 bill. NICE. Although that totally sucks, I guess it helps to find humor in it. Fingers crossed that never happens again. Probably wouldn't be as funny the second time!

Look close: the manager took a picture of John with his box of pennies. Thumbs up!

Old Pictures New Pictures

2010-05-16T22:36:00.007-05:00

Hi there! Haven't been around in a while! We have been so busy! I have some old pictures & some new pictures to post!

Garrett & his Pa (pronounced Ba by Garrett!) accidentally wore the SAME exact Polo shirt on Mother's Day...they looked so cute! Garrett's was just a tiny bit smaller.

Here are some old ones from our trip to College Station. I didn't show them b/c we took the flower patch pictures for Garrett's Nini & Garrett's Nana to give them for Mother's Day so it was a secret. Here are a couple:

We saw this motorcycle at our favorite place to go for breakfast - LePeep! The owner of the motorcycle said Garret could sit on it. He is a big fan of motorcycles right now. He loves him some kykles (that's how he says it)! Every 5 seconds in the car he says "Mommy mommy mommy mommy KYKLE!"

We went to Galveston at the last minute on Mother's Day. It was a perfect day! John & I both had the day off of work for the first time in forever... we were able to just hang out all day & I LOVED it! Garrett had the time of his life. It was overcast & the water was cold but he had a blast & didn't care one bit. It was Garrett's first trip to Galveston or any beach for that matter. We need to make a point to get him back there soon because it made him so happy. He has talked about "the beach" everday since then! He & I were collecting sea shells & he pointed to them & said "fo my teachoos." So I let him give his teachers the sea shells at school the next day...he was so proud. Speaking of school, I am so sad...tomorrow is G's last day of school! He will be at the sitter for 3 weeks straight...crossing my fingers for no more black eyes!

Garrett eating a mouthful of sand. MMMM that sounds good, I'll have that.

He doesn't look excited for pictures!

WEEEE! (okay I'm a dork!)

Okay, next project: downloading & posting the pictures from Garrett's school party "Splash Day" that I took last Wednesday. Hopefully some of the pictures turned out cute, it was a great party!

Mom-TOG

2010-05-05T22:16:00.002-05:00

This is one of my favorite websites! I am trying to win a new "UNmanual" that Drew of DrewBPhotography & MomTog has released. I would love to have that, so I thought I'd blog about it & up my chances of winning! If you like to take pictures, it is an awesome website!

It's Almost Mother's Day!

2010-05-04T14:23:00.003-05:00

I am more excited about Mother's Day than ever before...because I get a day off of work! I get to relax & snuggle with my family. It's been so long since me & John have both gotten a day off on the same day & gotten quality time...so long I can't even remember that far back! This picture makes me smile because Garrett is smiling at me & giving me a flower...lately I haven't felt the love. He is going through quite a "phase" if you will...he is being a toot & acting like he doesn't me very much!

Today Garrett came home from daycare with a black eye & scratch. His sitter said all the kids always "hit each other" & "steal toys." Reason #1,345 why I WISH I could be a stay-at-home mom & have more of an impact on my kid's day, because that would not be happening on my clock! Well I could sit here & complain about all the other reasons I wish I could stay home, but instead I will just look forward to Sunday!

A&M Alumni Soccer Game

2010-04-25T22:48:00.005-05:00

John & I took Garrett to College Station for the first time ever for my alumni game. We hadn't been back there in forever & it had changed alot. It was a blast....I just wish it would have lasted longer! It doesn't get much better than playing soccer, a surprise visit from KINNE all the way from Qatar, hanging out with my good buds that I don't get to see near enough, Double Dave's, Power Hour, a walk through campus on a pretty day. If I could only take one thing back it would be feeding G$ Coldstone Creamery. That throw-up was nasty to clean up! I haven't gotten to edit any pictures or anything, but I thought I'd put some up anyway...

Cheering for me?!

Put me in, Coach!

Garrett posed himself right in the middle of those balls & then smiled at the camera. He's used to the drill, huh?

There's a maniac on the loose!

Aunt Brooke is silly!

Posing in the giant ring. A giant ring, eh? Kinda weird when I really think about it...

Yeehaw Garrett!

My friends are so much fun!

Garrett walked around campus barefoot...he most definitely was rocking some Wal-Mart feet by the time we got back to the car.

John & Garrett fell asleep on campus. I have never been much of a napper, so I was painfully bored. I kept making loud noises to wake them up like fake sneezing & stuff...what am I 11? It didn't work, so I filled the time with taking numerous pointless napping pictures....here they are!

Bye to our Sadie

2010-04-25T22:38:00.003-05:00

We had to say goodbye to our sweet Sadie (or "Hadie" as Garrett would say) last week. She was the sweetest dog. She had to be put down because she was in so much pain...the vet recommended it. She had all kinds of health problems & hadn't been herself for years. She was my 17th birthday present & my parents agreed to take her when I went away to college, so she has been with them. Bye bye sweet Sadie...you will be missed! We all loved you!

Last week was a hard week. First we lost the fish (we got another one!), then Sadie, then Mr. Luker passed away. Mr. Luker was such a great person.They are SO strong & awesome, but please keep his family in your prayers as they get through a tough time. Love you guys!

He's a duuuuuuuuuuude...

2010-04-25T22:25:00.005-05:00

Move over Elmo...Garrett has added two more favorites to the mix which

means you have some competition! Garrett likes to run around the house asking for his crew "Elmo? Abby? Diego?" When Diego is on, he screams "Go Diego Go!" He REALLY likes Abby.He is so glued to the TV that he just can't be bothered. He flaps his hands to wave us away when we try to talk to him. He even tries to copy the Spanish parts. Diego says "The spanish word for tree is arbol...say arbol!" Then Garrett screams some nonsence word at the TV & claps. Good times. We're so cool. And did I mention, exciting?

He was so into it the other day...I looked over at the TV & saw this:

Teddy Bear Picnic @ BCUMC

2010-04-19T16:03:00.006-05:00

Sam is reading at a 1st Grade level already...watch out!

Aaww...I love this one.

I have been a bad blogger lately! Forgive me! I've been keeping unusually busy with teaching, my new business & Garrett. Here are some pictures from Garrett's school party - the Teddy Bear Picnic - that was today. The class of 8 boys is so cute. I love their teachers! They moved the picnic inside b/c of rain. All the boys were off in their own world doing their own thing most the time. Garrett had fun hiding goldfish all over the room, while Sam *aka the vacuum cleaner* followed behind him cleaning up.

John got to go at the last minute, yay!

Sorry for putting so many class pictures but I just LOVE how their group pictures always look so disheveled & busy. They're crazy!

Our Little Ham

2010-04-11T14:37:00.003-05:00

Garrett is a HAM! He has gotten to be quite the handful & I mean that in the lovingest, most positive way! Here are some pictures of him just being the ham that he is. I totally want to borrow someone's kid to take pictures in a field of flowers! Garrett doesn't cooperate in front of the camera anymore (he's probably tired of it!), so I just need to accept that & move on to other people's kids!

Touch down?

Here we are at one the many birthday parties we went to this weekend. What a fun Saturday!

Happy Belated Easter

2010-04-05T14:22:00.003-05:00

We had a "hopping" weekend....okay sorry, that was a REALLY lame joke! It was one of those really fun, busy weekends that makes you feel like you need a weekend to recooperate from your weekend! Here are some pictures:

Bath time X 2

A trip to Clay's...

A good nap!

Best friend Kristen in town!

Thanks for the pictures, Jenn.

Not pictured: a trip to an Easter egg hunt, picture with the most freakish, creepy Easter bunny ever, Children's museum, park pics & Easter celebration at Nini & Ba's (their new name courtest of Garrett)

Cool Guy

2010-03-28T21:35:00.002-05:00

I guess this year, cool guy is too cool to get excited over the Easter bunny OR the Chick-Fil-A cow. Who doesn't get excited over Chick-Fil-? Weird! Well I guess it's a step in the right direction from last year when he would cry while being held by any over-sized fake costume animals. After he met the Easter bunny once, I took him to my neighborhood park where he met another Easter bunny. This time he DID get excited. He hugged & kissed the bunny three times. Did I have my camera then? NO!

Spring Break-a-Palooza

2010-03-19T23:54:00.002-05:00

Thanks to the always fun Sara, the kids got to go out with a BANG on their last day of Spring Break. They got to play in a jumpy thing all morning. Sara's house is always entertaining, exciting, fun & full of kids. And if you need pictures to prove it, just look below!

That's my girl!

Then there's my kid. I promise this is the only time he cried all day but this is also the only picture I took of him. Okay, so he might not love those jumpy house things yet but he does love hanging out with friends, Claire's barbies, the high heels, the little babies, & stealing/ hoarding everyone's cookies. That pretty much kept him happy all morning.

2010-03-18T16:59:00.003-05:00

When it is Spring Break, you are allowed to do stuff like this. Sorry, McDonald's, that I let my son go to town on his ice cream cone all over the floor!

I want it MOOOOOM!

Sigh. That's better.

Pure happiness.

When it's Spring Break, you even get to stand up at the table!

City Centre

2010-03-13T20:49:00.004-06:00

We took G to City Centre today because it was such a nice day. We haven't had any pictures of the 3 of us taken lately so my Dad took some of our little family. It's been so beautiful outside...I love Spring! (I apologize in advance for the lameness of this post...do you feel like you just lost 30 seconds of your life?!!)

Free AWESOME blog makeover!

2010-03-08T12:02:00.001-06:00

Thanks to my friend, Jenni, I read about this...

http://jennicaswell.blogspot.com/2010/03/need-blog-makeover.html

Marina at Penny Lane Designs teamed up with Buggie and Jellybean to give away not one, but TWO blog make overs. One is a custom design and one is a pre-fab layout. Either would be great, as Marina is very talented. (c: So, go check out all the links above, but HURRY because the giveaway ends today!

Yee-haw!

2010-03-03T14:16:00.002-06:00

It was a fun day for Garrett at school! He got all decked out in his Cowboy gear. It was Rodeo Day at Bear Creek & he did it up big! They saw a donkey today. He's been running around saying "hee-haw yee-haw!" He is officially the first member of the family to own a pair of cowboy boots (except for maybe his "Pops" in Dallas)!

Future blackmail?

2010-02-26T21:02:00.003-06:00

I know...this is mean but I couldn't resist. Garrett actually embraced the new look! He pretty much owned that park. And if you think the hat is bad? Wanna know what is worse? A couple things. A. I bought that hat for myself in high school. B. I bought the tie for him to wear to school on picture day, which he would have done but was sick & had to stay home...lucky boy. He may have gotten beaten up on the playground! So...if this is future black mail...then

....is this future photographer? Wrong side of the camera, buddy, but good try!

bathtime

2010-02-23T13:20:00.002-06:00

Garrett's favorite time of the day....bathtime. He'd stay in there for hours if we'd let him. He swims, blows bubbles, plays with toys, reads books, splashes, dumps water everywhere. And how fun is a bath without sunglasses & a fish!

Kelly Garvey Photography!

2010-02-21T12:41:00.006-06:00

I have been a busy lady the last few months! I thought I'd tell all my friends & family what I've been up to. I have been working very hard doing lots of practicing, studying, researching & taking classes to learn the fun art of photography. I am enjoying every second of it. It has been something I've wanted to do for a very long time, but has recently been made possible because of my Dad. I owe a huge thank you to him for allowing this to happen by supplying me with my first professional camera and being there for support. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Dad! Thanks to the peops who have been there to answer my photography questions, too....you know who you are! Although I am learning a lot & feeling comfortable behind the camera, I will not stop continuing my education in photography. I will never feel that I know everything I want to know so I won't ever stop learning....that's just my personality. I have many more classes lined up to take beginning next week. I am so excited that I have found something I enjoy...so much so that I have decided make photography a job! (I am still a teacher, too, & probably always will be...I know at least one person will ask me that ;) So...I wanted to share my website address with you....or, blog, shall I say. I would love to have a real website up & running soon but am not very website savvy...at all....anyone out there who is & could give me a few pointers? For now, I guess this will just have to do! www.kellygarveyphotography.com is the site and it re-directs straight to a blog with some pictures. I have many more sessions coming up soon & will constantly be posting new pictures. I'd love if you check it out! And while you're on there, you should become a "follower" of my blog on the right-hand side. That would mean a lot to me (thanks to my friends Jenni, Mari & Kristie - noticed you already did that!). So...Kelly Garvey Photography is officially up & running - I just wanted you to know!

Love!

2010-02-20T21:18:00.002-06:00

Garrett loves his daddy! Do you blame him? He's pretty cool!

PRAY!

2010-02-18T11:14:00.002-06:00

If you are the praying kind, please pray for a little girl named Layla Grace. One of my friends sent me the link to her website ( www.laylagrace.org ). At only two years old, she is battling cancer. The mom's post is very touching. I can't imagine the hurt they're going through. Thought I'd share because Layla & her family need the prayers.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-12T22:36:00.004-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day! I am so excited and can't wait for Sunday....I get to go on a date with my husband who I NEVER see anymore! (Thanks Nana & Pa for agreeing to Garrett duty!) I miss you, John & look forward to spending some time together! Love you!

P.S. Thank you for the beautiful roses!

OUCH!

2010-02-12T22:27:00.003-06:00

Sorry you haven't heard from us much lately! We've been living at the doctor's office. Our little Garrett has had a rough time lately! Just like everyone else (at least it seems like it), he's been sick non-stop for weeks. Just when we think he's all better, it turns into something different. He's been on every medicine ever created. Now he's got a double ear infection & sinus infection. Along with the double ear infection came a double dose of the Rocefin shot in both legs for 3 days straight. He's taken it like a champ, but we are ready for the sickness to be over!

We love you, G!

2010-02-03T20:40:00.003-06:00

Just a regular old rainy afternoon with my little sassafrass at the park.

New family member!

2010-02-02T12:00:00.005-06:00

After babysitting Ben's fish & crabs for a couple weeks, we have learned something....Garrett is obsessed with fish! Between fish & Elmo, this kid knows what he likes. Well Nana came back in town from her little vacation a week ago with a big surprise...a fish for Garrett! He is so excited. I...on the otherhand...am a little petrified. I had an incident in college involving my fish's tank getting a water change over the sink & the fish ending up in the disposal. That'll scar you for life! But, nonetheless, Garrett really loves this thing. He needs help naming it. Everytime I ask him what his fish's name is, he makes just a fish face. We are going to take a poll to decide on a name. Any suggestions? Ben (Garrett's 4 year old cousin) said that "Corky" has always been his all-time favorite beta name...hehe too funny. What do you think?!

Elmo-aholics Anonymous

2010-01-27T15:06:00.004-06:00

"Hi. My name is Garrett & I'm an Elmo-aholic"...

We have a huge problem! Garrett is sickly obsessed with Elmo. It is affecting his daily life! He wakes up in the mornings & from naps, saying "Elmo? Elmo? ELMO!" When we don't put it on every single time he asks (b/c we don't want him to be a TVaholic of course), he gets pretty demanding! Like MAD! It's almost like we just have to surrender to putting Elmo on now or it gets ugly! He has even woken up from a dead sleep s few times lately around 3:30 am asking for him. That's when you know it's gotten too far. Elmo - please lower your coolness radar a little so that Garrett isn't quite so attached....we want our kid back!

WINK!

2010-01-23T20:32:00.004-06:00

I'm not the real winking type but one time I winked at Garrett & the respose was so awesome that we make sure to wink at him everyday now. This little video clip really doesn't do justice to the over-exaggerated blinking & eye closing that goes on. He closes his eyes & scrunches up his face for atleast a minute after each wink. We think it's pretty funny!

Rain Rain Go Away!

2010-01-19T13:49:00.005-06:00

...or not! Playing in puddles with rainboots is fun...

...and tiring!

Snuggly

2010-01-13T20:35:00.003-06:00

Garrett is spoiling us! He's gone from a no sleep kind of kid, to an awesome sleeper! He loves his crib. As soon as we put him in there, he waves, blows kisses & says "bye bye"! This is such a big change for us coming from a kid who skipped naps most of his life. Night time is good to...10-12 hours straight & he usually talks himself to sleep after about 30 minutes. YEAH!

2010-01-12T21:46:00.002-06:00

I'm just playing around with Photoshop (I must really be bored!) & would like to know, which one of these looks best? Or maybe none of them look good! I don't know! This is my first EVER rendezvous with editing & taking pictures (used my dad's camera). They all have different white balance &/or filters. Let me know what you think!

Happy Birthday, Nana!

2010-01-09T22:06:00.003-06:00

It's NANA'S BDAY (SUNDAY)! We want to wish you a big, huge HAPPY BIRTHDAY because we love you so stinking much! And in reference to your big day, here's a quote by John Garvey, "Get krump! Wait, is it krump or krunk?"

Odds & Ends

2010-01-05T21:25:00.002-06:00

Our little Reindeer on Christmas morning

Garrett was so great on the looong car trip to & from Dallas. He barely slept. At one point he was laughing & entertaining himself by stacking things on his head!

We got Garrett a little kid's electonic toothbrush b/c he likes ours & refuses to let us brush his teeth with a normal toothbrush. He loves it! Can you tell?

G Man's new tricycle. We can't quite reach the pedals yet...some day!

We took a family trip to Discovery Green. It's a happening place!

Yeah for hot air balloons!

What are you talking a-BOOT?

2009-12-28T21:37:00.002-06:00

Garrett was particularly booty this Christmas scoring two new pairs of rainboots! I actually got a pair myself so we're all set. COME ON RAIN! We're ready for you! As you can see he is all about his new rain boots.

New House

2009-12-28T21:28:00.002-06:00

They grow up so fast! Garrett is the proud owner of his first home! Actually, to be PC, it is technically referred to as a cottage. As you can see he is taking care of it well. He's already swept & vaccummed his casa...hope he keeps up with the cleaning & cleans our cottage for us, too

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T20:34:00.004-06:00

Merry Christmas from our house to yours!

His funny little look is like he's saying"I've got my eye on you, Koby!" either that or "I'm drunk!"

I'm all ready for church in my new sweater from Mikey & Gina!

Funny Face #542. We can't get enough of it!

We know Santa isn't the important meaning behind Christmas, but we did bake him some pretty awesome cookies yesterday & Garrett decorated them! He kept saying "HO HO HO!" the whole time.

Meet DooDooDoo

2009-12-22T22:55:00.004-06:00

So...Garrett's adorable Great Memaw started a tradition we will definitely keep up every year (thank you, Memaw!) And that is...The Elf on the Shelf. We read the book & talked about the elf. Then I asked Garrett what he wanted to name his elf (not really expecting an answer) & he screamed "DooDooDooDoo!" We shortened it a little, I thought 3 Doo's was a more suitable elf name. ;) Garrett has been quite the chatty Kathy lately at times, talking lots! Sometimes his rambling makes sense & sometimes it doesn't, but it always means something to him! Thanks for the great gift, Memaw! Here are a few pics from the last couple weeks.

Giving DooDooDoo some love...

Loving the cousins!

Here we are making our yearly Christmas plate.

Bass Pro Shop

I am officially finished wrapping everyone's Christmas presents! After I was done, Garrett decided to unwrap a few of them. Awesome.

2009-12-20T13:20:00.003-06:00

We've been so busy lately with family stuff, getting ready for Christmas, family birthdays. etc.! We've had so much fun...I love the Christmas season!

Scott & Stacy close on their sweet new house this week. It is so nice! We went over to see it. The boys ran wild & had a blast.

Here are pictures from Garrett's cute Christmas party at school. His teachers are so sweet. Garrett is sitting in a different chair than everyone else because about 2 seconds earlier, he flew out the back of the picnic bench & fell on the floor. About 20 secondslater, he squeezed an entire juice box all over me, him & the floor. Only our kid! We had fun, though!

P.S. I'm pretty sure this post is going to be jacked up with pictures everywhere & words in the wrong places. Have I ever mentioned that I hate the new editor feature on Blogger? I think I'm officially quitting the blogging!

Santa Attempt #2

2009-12-20T12:47:00.002-06:00

Still not a big fan of good old St. Nick. Think we'll throw in the towel for this year...we tried! Maybe next year!

Someone's got a case of the Mondays!

2009-12-12T22:30:00.004-06:00

This pretty much sums up how I feel, too, Garrett! Love it. Thanks for the cute pics, Dad.

Also, thanks for capturing the sweetness of our babies, Duke & Koby. We never have good pictures of them, so it's nice for a change.

John's Bday Day

2009-12-06T15:23:00.005-06:00

We had a busy day. Unfortunately John wasn't able to participate in the celebrating due to some unforeseen complications ;) Here is a picture of him opening his cards:

Birthday boy missed out on his awesome birthday brunch. Thanks Nana & Pa! Here is his ginormous bday card.

He also missed out on the Goose's 1st Birthday party. It was adorable & very PINK! Happy bday, Grace!

Garrett hearts Hailey

Garrett & his good buddy, Sam/ Bday girl & her cute momma

Good times at the Mustang Christmas Party! So...Garrett's not a huge fan of Santa....or talking penguins....but he had a great time other wise! Maybe next year.

Happy 30th Birthday, Daddy!

2009-12-04T22:49:00.003-06:00

John/ Daddy...

Happy Birthday! I can't belive you are 30! On your special day, we just wanted to take a second to tell you how much you mean to us! We love you so much. We're lucky to have you. Garrett is lucky to have such a fun, silly, hands-on dad. We love how you make breakfast sometimes (or most the time!). Your breakfast burritos & swedish pancakes are our favorite. We also love sometimes you make the bed or help with the dishes. You are really good at those tasks! :) We particularly love your sweet dance moves. And...we love how you surrender your man card to Garrett and watch things like "The Wiggles" or "Sesame Street" with your boy G$. No, for real...we're so lucky to have you. You're a one of a kind, special guy. I am so upset that I'm not able to throw you a 30th Birthday party or get you nice gifts this year. It breaks my heart, because 30 is kind of a big deal! Maybe when/if things get better we can have a "John's 30th Birthday Revisited" Party or something like that to make up for it. Hope you have a good day. Just wanted to say we love you!

Love,

Garrett & Kelly

Getting in the Christmas Spirit!

2009-12-03T14:09:00.004-06:00

I love you, BEN!

Silly

Santa is cool

Our little reindeer

Putting the star on top - done!

Garrett helped me decorate the other day. By "help," I mean that he ran around hoarding all the Christmas decor shoving all of the reindeer in obscure places like the toilet, trash, closets....ate (or tried) ornaments, threw glass candle holders....etc. But he meant well & I appreciated the help! Next stop...looking for a small, real Christmas tree to decorate. We usually use our fake one. We're going tomorrow to look for a tree....can't wait!

2009-11-29T22:19:00.002-06:00

So...I used the new editor to upload these pics. Do they look all over the place or is it just on my computer that they're all messed up. I can't put text below the picture either, so I will give a little recap:

Pic 1 - park with Nana & PopPops

Pic 2-Swimging with Pops

Pic 3/4 - More park

Pic 5/6 - Bathing with my big cousin, Beckett, AKA Scuba Steve. I love you!

Pic 7 - My mommy loves me

Pic 8 - Thanksgiving Carb Crash....looks exciting huh?

Pic 9-Feeding the ducks cereal with an accidental spill - come and get it!

Pic 10- Say cheez!

Pic 11-just being cute

Pic 12-just the 3 of us

Pic 13-a picture at the zoo with ben & braden

DALLAS! Part 1

2009-11-29T21:37:00.006-06:00

There's a party in my tummy....so yummy, so yummy!

We are back from Dallas. Can't believe Garrett's 2nd Thanksgiving has come & gone. We had an action-packed weekend. Garret had so much fun but was feeling a little crappy most the time (from an old lingering cold) & is EXHAUSTED. More than ever. One of the memorable moments (among many) was the Yo Gabba Gabba concert yesterday....Garrett's first concert EVER! He loved it so much. He was mesmorized & just sat staring blankly the entire time. He has never sat so long in his life. We scored some great seats from a friend of my sister-in-law, Jennifer. She bought tix but couldn't use them after all & shared them with us. What a sweet, generous person! We had so much fun & would never been able to go had the tickets not been given to us. That was so nice. Here are some pics!

*The concert was cool for the adults too because Eryka Badu, Solange Knowles, & Biz Markie made appearances.

I actually really liked/ enjoyed the concert & judging by the geeky smile on his face, I think it is affirmative that John did, too!

G's first concert!

Big cuz & little cuz after the concert...

Bye for now! We have lots more Dallas pics to post but will probably have to do it another day. Maybe tomorrow....

Happy Birthday, PA!

2009-11-17T21:13:00.004-06:00

Happy Birthday, PA! We love you! Too bad you are out of town on your big day. We're thinking about you!

Playing at Gymboree with my friend, Sam! We scored 2 free months for doing a Gymboree focus group for an hour one night. I am so excited!

Slumber party at Nana & Pa's

GO A&M!

We've never been accused of being normal!

Video for Becks!

2009-11-09T21:33:00.001-06:00

So...Becks has requested more videos on the blog! Beckett is Garrett's big cousin from Dallas. He loves cars at the moment so Garrett worked on a little suprprise for him the other day. That surprise was saying the word "cars"! He sounds like he's from Boston - it's more like "ca!" but hey, it works. "Hey pak the ca!" (Scratch that! Looks like video doesn't work with the new editor, so I will upload Beckett a video using the old editor when I get a chance)

Today Garrett surprised me by saying lots of new things. (These will probably be one-time ordeals, not to be added to his current list of words - dog, mom, dad, car - but he also said "Elmbo" for Elmo a few times, duck, cow, Duke, ball, & "baba" a few times when he saw a baby in a book. He started cock-a-doodle-dooing when he sees a rooster in his book - I have witnesses! I love he sounds at this age - like a little drunk foreigner.

We had fun with the bath tonight! Thanks for the Elmo soap, Aunt C!

Friends! This was taken at the children's museum last week!

TICKLE HANDS!

2009-11-04T19:56:00.004-06:00

Dear Aunt Laura,

Thanks for always thinking of me. You really know how to make a boy feel special! I've got a lot of love for you. You have really been spoiling me by always asking about me, showing you care & even writing me letters. I love my new Tickle Hands. They make me laugh. The book is so funny & every time my mom puts them on, I take off running b/c I know she is about to get me! Sometimes I wear them, too! What a cool book that is! Thanks for coming across town to my house to see me!

Love,

Your Tickle Monster

Baby Connor!

2009-11-03T22:15:00.002-06:00

I got to meet baby Connor all the way from NC! He is the precious, sweet 10 week old son of one of my best friends, Jenni. He was so good! Garrett & Connor already have something in common...they both love Elmo. Bros 4 life. It was great seeing yall!

Something Wrong With This Picture?

2009-11-03T22:12:00.002-06:00

Let me know if you can tell what is a little wrong about this picture!

(It's not a purse, it's a satchel!)

A letter to Beckett!

2009-11-03T21:55:00.003-06:00

Sporting the new shirt!

Dear Big Cuz, Beckett,

You are such a cool, big cousin. You brightened my entire week when you sent me a letter & a shirt! You always look like a rock star so of course I LOVED the shirt you sent me! I feel like a dude in it. It is so special that it came from you all the way in Dallas! Thanks for thinking of me. You & your momma are such thoughtful people. You put a smile on my face. I am so lucky to have you as a cousin. I can't wait to get to Dallas to see you! Now that I can walk, I will be able to do boy stuff with you like chase & hide-and-go-seek. I love you, Becks! Thanks for my mail! I had so much fun checking my mailbox that day! The shirt is so cool & I pick up a lot of ladies when I wear it. That is so cool that you love cars...maybe you can teach me all about cars & show me your favorite kind & teach me how to play with them like you do.

Bye for now, but see you soon!

Love,

Your little cuz, Garrett