Day 156: Riding an (Almost) Pony (10/25)



Gavin has just started this thing, who ever is laying on the floor Gavin will straddle and then bounce! He will laugh and giggle the whole time.

Today for the first time, Gavin attempted to take a ride on Crunchy, my sister Dana's dog, who is currently living at my mom and dad house.

Crunchy had no problems with Gavin on his back. Gavin bounce, tapped him on the head and even gave a few kisses. They sat like this long enough for me to run around the house looking for my camera.

Crunchy never once attempted to take off! How fun to ride a dog as big as a pony when you're 13 months old!

Day 155: Bath Time Fun (10/24)

Gavin loves bathtime. He will pretty much lets you do whatever you want to her hair. It's so funny and he has so much hair.

Day 154: Happy Birthday to Rennie (10/23)

HAPPY 35th BIRTHDAY, RENNIE!!

Happy Birthday to Rennie. He loved that his birthday fell on a Saturday this year so we could go to an OSU football game. We went to the Nebraska game. Dang OSU lost it 51-41. It was a good game until about the end of the third.

Gavin stayed with Mamaw. It was too cold and it might have rained (thank goodness it didn't!) It was a nice day. I bought Rennie an OSU black jacket that he has been eyeing at Atwoods.

Rennie being the wonderful husband that he is let me buy an OSU bow, on his birthday, for myself. I love that bows are in fashion now. Bows for all ages!

Notice my haircut? I love it!

Day 153: Haircuts and Celebrations (10/22)

Gavin received his first haircut from Aunt Sharman today. He did very well and enjoyed his time at Aunt Sharman's shop. We love heading to Stillwater and seeing family, Gavin is so lucky to have so many people in his life that love him so much.

After the haircut, we went out to dinner with Sharman, Brad, Mamaw, Marv, my Mom and Dad, Grandma Schluge, and Sami Jo to celebrate Rennie's 35th Birthday which is actually tomorrow. After we ate Sharman took this family photo of us.

After dinner, we went to OSU's Homecoming Walkaround. It was a great day. I couldn't ask for a better life.

Day 152: My Fortune (10/21)

My fortune was too true. I have so many dreams, that if only half of them come true I can truly live a wonderful life. (:

Day 151: Best Friends (10/20)

We wanted to take pictures of Gavin and Carlos together so we can one day look back and see how small each one was!

They both play so well together. It's fun to watch the chase each other around. They are going to grow together.

Day 150: Rennie's Dashboard (10/19)

Sometimes I don't know how Rennie drives with all this on his dashboard. It's like his own personal shelf.

At times it drives me nuts! Especially when we turn and things go sliding from one end to another. He is constantly putting papers above the wheel.

However I will admit, I do have a pair of sunglasses up there!

Day 148: Halloween Decorations (10/18)

We came home from school today and Nana and PopPop put up Halloween decorations.

Gavin considers this his door and these were decorations have been blocking his path. He has figures out how to take them off and I keep finding them all over the house. :)

It's so interesting to see what he's going to do next!

Day 148: Welcome Leah Christie! (10/17)

Welcome into the world Leah Michele Christie!!

While I was in Indiana, my cousin Annie had her baby! She was due four days earlier and was supposed to be induced on Monday. I was so lucky that she went into labor on Saturday night and had Leah early Sunday morning.

Gavin and I were flying out at 5:30 PM and the day before I was teasing Annie and Colin about trying to go into labor so I was able to meet the baby girl!

I got a text message early Sunday morning and was so excited!

Congratulations to Colin, Annie and Will! Leah is a beautiful baby girl.

Day 147: The best family a girl could ask for!! (10/16)



Thank you Jillian Claire Morris for the picture!!

One of the reasons we thought about going to Indianapolis to play softball is because we have family up there. When we told people that we were coming the Morris family invited us to stay with them and others told us they come out and watch some games!

Thank you to Uncle Phil, Uncle Danny, PJ, Annie, Collin, Will, Uncle Rick, Aunt Lisa and Jillian Claire for coming out and supporting us!

It meant so much to Rennie and I that you would take time out of your day to come watch us play softball!

We are so extremely lucky to have such wonderful family. It means so much to the both of us. 

A special thank you to Aunt Lisa and Uncle Rick for watching Gavin through the day! I know that wasn't your plan but we appreciate it so much!

We love you all so much!

Day 146: Playing Ball (10/15)

Thank you to Tina Thacker for posting these pictures on Facebook so I could steal them for my blog!



I wanted to include these pictures from our tourney so that years down the road when Gavin (and hopefully other children) see the blog, they will believe that we actually played!!

I love looking at old pictures of my Mom and Dad playing softball. I hope that my kids will as well. :)

Day 145: And we are off... (10/14)

Whoosh softball went to Nationals in Indianapolis this year. It's generally an 11 hour drive and after making Gavin ride in the car for two hours every day (and most days ending unsuccessfully!)

Rennie decided that flying would be the best option for Gavin and I. The tourney started on Saturday and we left Thursday morning.

Gavin did well on the plane. The first flight to Dallas he played and read with relatively little fussing. The second flight from Dallas to Indy, he slept the entire way! Thank goodness for sleeping on the second, longer flight.

It worked out perfectly that his nap time happen on the second flight. :)

I was very lucky to have sat by two parents. They were understanding and helpful is Gavin was kicking them or laying out during his nap. If I could I would definitely send thank you notes to those special individuals!

And I have to mention that if it weren't for the umbrella stroller that my mom suggested I get for the airports I would have been frazzled and run down at the end of the day. The stroller saved my day!

Day 144: Pete is my BFF (10/13)

One of my favorite things is finding new OSU t-shirts. There are so many out there that one I find an uncommon one that I have to have it!!

I found this shirt and I didn't think twice about buying it. I haven't seen anyone wear it before so it was a great shirt and it also makes me smile.

I love fun OSU shirts!

Day 143: Halloween Pumpkins (10/12)

Now when we come home everyday after school, it's not only the goats that Gavin wants to see but the pumpkins on Nana and PopPop's porch.

Today Nana was waiting outside for us when we got home and Gavin always enjoys running around outside after being couped up in the car for at least an hour. It's so fun to take him out of his seat and see where he wants to go: the goats, Carlos, or the pumpkins.

He has a great personality and it's so much fun to be around.

Day 142: Round Two at Chuck-E-Cheese (10/11)

Aunt Sharman and Mamaw came to OKC today to see our new home and Rennie decided that Chuck-E-Cheese was the perfect place to eat dinner!!

I love this picture of Gavin. His hair is the perfect length (very Justin Bieber-ish; who is a popular young artist right now.)

Funny story: CEC has the tunnels about all the rides and games and we thought maybe Gavin would enjoy crawling through them. So Rennie decided to go up with him; Gavin HATED it. You could hear him cry and when he came to a window he had tear streaked tears and a snotty nose. So after 10 minutes of Rennie trying to maneuver him and Gavin through the tunnels, they finally get to the slide and I make my way half-way up the slide and as soon as Gavin sees me he starts to laugh and smile! The little boy is a mess! :)

Day 141: Gavin's Toys (10/10)

As Gavin grows, so do the toys! We are rotating his toys so that it seems there is always something new, this is half of his stash. :)

Day 140: He's only 13 months... (10/9)

I bought new bottles today. I know you're probably saying to yourself, "Emily, he's 13 months old. He should be off the bottle by now."

You say that like 13 month is old!! He's ONLY 13 months old. Yes, we both talked to the doctor and have been told that it's bad for his teeth but right now it's hard to take something away and not be able to explain to Gavin, why!

We have cut back and he's only getting bottles when he goes to sleep.

I know everyone wants to tell everyone how to raise a baby. I try real hard to keep my opinions about what others do with their children (sometimes I am successful and other times....) I just hope that others know that we are trying but I know what we need to do about the bottle.

Day 139: Nana's Glasses (10/8)



Nana watched Gavin today and while I was working I got this picture message!! How can you not love this little boy. Nana said that Gavin loved wearing the glasses. It probaby gave him a funky view of the world. It's a great picture.

Thank you Nana for the wonderful pick-me-up during the day!

Day 138: The Perfect View (10/7)

The title says it all! My perfect view is a worn-out, sleeping, happy little boy.

Day 137: Our New Dog, Carlos (10/6)

We got a new dog!! There is a story behind getting Carlos but it's long one so.....

We named him Carlos from the baby in the Hangover. Rennie really likes to say the name! We can no longer take care of Cooper so we found him a nice new home and added Carlos to our home. We think he is a French Mastiff (think of Hooch from Tuner and Hooch) so he's going to be a big dog!

Some characteristics that we liked about the breed would be: a great family dog, protective of his family, calm and likes to be around people. The breed is supposed to be hard to train but so far Carlos has done well and he's even attached himself to Gavin.

We love the idea of Gavin growing up with a dog that's just his and that's what Carlos is: Gavin's dog.

Day 136: Mailbox Planting (10/5)

The first item that we bought especially for the house was two mums to put into the plant holders on each side of the mailbox.

It's so exciting to start worrying about things like lawn care!! The little things in life make me smile!

Day 135: Fall Weather (10/4)

I love Fall weather. This is the first time Gavin has been in pants since he could walk. We have been buying a lot of sweat pants because I think they look so cute on little boys!

He has been tugging on the hem of his pants, bringing it to his knees. It's funny the things we don't even think about as we grow older! The idea of pants is a new concept to Gavin and he's experimenting with them. I put on pants every other day and don't think anything of it.

I love watching Gavin grow and learn. He is so smart and it doesn't take very many examples or showings until he picks it up! I wish I could record every second so I don't forget the small things.

Day 134: Fudge Carmel Coconut Cookies (10/3)

My favorite Girl Scout cookies are the Samoans. I found these fudge carmel coconut cookies at Dollar General for $1.25 and they taste exactly like the Samoans!

Great, now I can get my favorite fattening Girl Scout cookies year round!

PS- I tried numerous times to rotate the picture. It refuse to cooperate. :)

Day 133: Grande Prairie Purchase (10/2)

While shopping at the flea market, we came across this metal booth and they have all kinds of things made out of metal.

We bought a bronze star and this turtle for the new house. I love buying things to decorate the house. We also bought three large vases to put in the living room. I am so excited to move in! I hope it's soon!

Day 132: Daddy the Chicken (10/1)

On the way to Dallas, we stopped in at Target for a few things for the trip.

We are going to Grande Praire to a large flea market for the weekend.

We made our way to the Halloween ailse (like we always do!) and Rennie found this costume! He wants to be a chicken for Halloween because it somewhat relates to Gavin's costume. But I am not telling what Gavin's costume is, you'll just have to what to Halloween.

PS - Halloween is Rennie and I's favorite holiday! Looking forward to the Haunted Houses!

Day 131: LIVE ORANGE (9/30)

On Thursday this week OSU played a national televised game against Texas A&M.

It was an amazing game that came down to the last point! I love it now that we live close enough to go to all the OSU games!

Go Pokes!

Day 130: Long John Silver's Dinner (9/29)

How Freaking Cute!! Don't mind the bottle, he was a little grumpy.

Day 129: OKC Public School Computer (9/28)

Working for OKC Public School (OKCPS) has it advantages. For starters, every teacher gets their own laptop. I had to wait for a bit on mine but I finally receive it earlier this month.

Because I am who I am, I could carry it in the boring black bag so I look around and found this Vera Bradley on Craigslist for a good deal!

I love it! It's so perfect for carrying the laptop everyday because a disadvantage of working for OKCPS is that you can't leave expensive stuff overnight at the school!

Day 128: (Slowly) Coming Along... (9/27)

The counter tops and most of the tile are installed in the house. The only thing left with the tile is the grout.

Tile can be found on the floor in the kitchen, bathrooms, laundry room and the entry way. Also tiled is the back splash and around the tubs and shower.  So it's all coming along slowly. At the pace it's going, we may be lucky to move in November 1st!

We will see and pictures will continue to show up!

Day 127: Slow days, Best days (9/26)

Sometimes the days were you don't come out of your pjs or in Gavin's case wear nothing but your diaper all day are the best days.

We did nothing but play with our toys all day!

Day 126: Princess Rye (9/25)

Rye hasn't been wanting to wear bows or headbands lately. However, Aunt Shanda sends Dana Ava's old toys and there was this shell tiara in the toys.

Rye became instantly attached to it. Dana told us that she would wake up and bring Dana the tiara to put it on her and if it fell off she would bring it back.

She wore it to the babysitters and brought it to Stroud with her. It was so cute and such a good story; I wanted to show a picture of Rye and her tiara!

Day 125: OK State Fair (9/24)

I love Fall! I love the Oklahoma State Fair!

Last night we went to the Fair. There are two reasons I love the fair: the food and the crafts! Gavin got to eat his first turkey leg. I didn't think that he would eat it, he really doesn't eat meat often. However, as you can tell, he loved it!!

We left after school and spent most of the night there with my mom and dad.

I could buy every kind of food there but I just stuck with the good old basics: turkey leg, corn on the cob and elephant ear!

Gavin got a horse pillow pet! I love those things and there is an entertaining story that goes along with it.

Emily: "I think Gavin is getting tired. I wish we had a pillow pet."
Rennie: "He doesn't need a pillow pet, just a regular pillow."
Mom: "I think they sell the pillow pets here. I am sure they have a booth."
Emily: "Oh, that would be neat."
Rennie: "They don't sell pillow pets at the fair."
Emily: "Then if we see a booth, Gavin is getting a pillow pet."
Rennie: "Fine but they don't sell pillow pets at the fair."

The very next building we walk into was the only booth at the entire State Fair that sold pillow pets!! My mom and I laughed so hard and Rennie grudingly bought Gavin a pillow pet, but he got to pick the animal!

Day 124: The Signs of Halloween (9/23)

At the front of Target, they have all their Halloween decorations at the front of the store.

Gavin didn't like this wig on his head, but it was too cute to not take a picture. We did find a costume for Gavin but I won't tell until Halloween!

Day 123: New Furiture (9/22)

Again, Mathis Brothers lay-away is amazing. The love seat and sleeper sofa that we put on lay-away for the new house.

I love that we are getting a sleeper sofa. I feel all grown up!!

Day 122: Another Day in the Car (9/21)

Another day, another dollar. Gavin reading on the way home from OKC today. This drive is wearing me out already and we aren't even in October yet!

Day 121: Color Accents for the House (9/20)

Today after school, I decided to window shop for a bit. I found this store call Kirlands that had some really nice stuff for reasonable prices.

I found this piece and really enjoyed the colors on it. I thought I could use it to accessorize my living room. However, when I should Rennie he said, "That is one ugly piece!"

Lordy, I hope that we don't have trouble agreeing on decor!