Doggy Door Fun!

This looks like a fun game I could play with mommy and daddy. Maybe, just maybe I can stall and put bedtime off just a little bit tonight.

Hmm, I wonder if there is a way for me to get outside?

Let's see, if there is a way for me to get this open I could possibly escape to outside.

Thinking about it...

Here I go! No turning back now!

Uh-oh! Where did Brody go???

There he is!! Outside and free!!

It worked! I am so happy to be outside! What a FUN game this turned out to be!

Daddy is trying to get me to come in. I don't think I am too interested in that.

Hey Rocky! Want to come out here with me? We can play and it will be real fun!

Let me see if I can open this all by myself

Peek A Boo!

Thinking about coming back inside...

Haha! Tricked you! This is too much fun!

Mr. Man is 11 months

How can this be? How is it possible that I am planning a first birthday party? I cannot fathom how fast this year has flown by. It has been the best year of my life, thanks to this amazing gift from above! We are counting our blessings every minute of every day and are extremely thankful to have such a wonderful, happy, fun-loving son. Brody is 100% boy and in to EVERYTHING! I wouldn't have it any other way. We do not sit still for one nano-second with this little munchkin.

Here are some of the things about Brody at this point in his life:

*Loves to open doors - cabinet doors, pantry doors, doors to the bedroom, doggy door, etc.

*Loves to push things, even if it is an object that doesn't normally get pushed around - we had to hide his wagon because all he wanted to so was walk over to the wagon and start pushing it.

*Loves his wagon!

*Walking walking walking walking and some more walking!

*Just started wearing shoes and is doing great with them

*Loves to shake things such as water bottles, any toys that rattles in the slightest bit. He thinks it's hilarious

*Likes for daddy to lay him down for naps and for bed time. He fights with mommy, so we cry it out for most afternoon naps...about 1-2 minutes.

*Says dadda all the time. Occasionally says momma and yeah

*Babbles a lot! I think more than the average boy. Loves to hear himself talk

*He is not afraid of new people - a great thing, but could potentially be a bad thing too

*Happy all the time, loves to laugh and thinks the most random things are hysterical

*Likes to be tickled - laughs so hard he gets the hiccups every. single. time.

*Still in a size 3 diaper

*In between 9 months and 12 months clothes - he has such a long torso

*Wearing a size 4 shoe

*Has 5 teeth

*Takes 2 naps on weekdays and 2-3 on weekends

*Sleeps 12 hours on weekdays 6pm to 6am and 12-15 hours on weekends --LOVE this!

*Starting to get the sippy cup concept

*Eats anything and every thing and a lot of it! He always wants what we are eating, even if he has just finished his own meal

We love this child so much, more and more every day. They say each stage just gets better and better and is more and more fun and it is so true. Brody has a great personality and makes us laugh constantly. He loves to play and is good socially with other babies, for which we are thankful. It is truly amazing how much he has changed, grown, and developed in his short life. I cannot wait to see what the next 11 months have in store for us.

Harvey Lee Lewis

For the record, this is my second post in 1 month, which I think is pretty outstanding and shows that I care about this wonderful outlet. So my dad came to town and it was a very manly weekend. For those that don't know, my dad lives in L.A. Last time he saw Brody was in August, so there have been many advancements with the little man since then. I was very pleased that Brody had begun to walk, so grand dad could see that. My brother came over for most of Saturday and brought Brody's cousin Bella. It was a fun day in the Lewis household! My dad is obsessed with tex-mex and barbecue, so living in California it is kind of hard to get the good stuff (though as a side note, I enjoy southern California mexican food as much or more than tex-mex). Anyway, we always treat him to both while he is here at least once. This time it was Chuy's, Rudy's, and Mi Cocina. My dad suffers from the Lewis' heartburn gene, so he got about 2 hours of sleep Saturday night because his chest and throat felt like it was on fire... sometimes, Tums and Prilosec just aren't enough.

Sunday was a good day because we went on the Cowboy's Stadium tour, which is like $17 and well worth it. It was my dad's first time to see the completed stadium and so he was pretty excited. We had season tickets back when they were winning Super Bowls in the early 90's, so he is a pretty big fan.

It was a short trip, but we were happy to have him and glad he was able to see Brody. Til the next time...

Texas Snow Day

What a beautiful scene! A once in a lifetime experience here in DFW with absolutely breath-taking views. This was definitely a winter wonderland! On Thursday we waited for daddy to get home before we went out and played in the snow. Brody has an ear infection, so it was only right to stay outside for just a little bit...what a good sport! He didn't really know what was going on and was not really interested in the snow. Although, standing on the covered porch he stuck his hand out like he wanted to grab/touch the falling snow. I am thankful we were able to experience such beauty, but also glad this is not the norm here. It was a nice and special treat.

The view of our house at 1:00 pm on Thursday

Standing in the snow

Daddy helping Brody make his very first snow angel

Mommy and Brody

Friday morning - no work day!! Gabe and I enjoyed some outside time while our sweet angel baby continued getting some beauty sleep. One of us decided to get out the snowboard and go down a few hills at the greenbelt by our house. Crazy guy!! We threw snowballs at each other and just goofed off for a little while. The snow was so powdery and there was tons of it! I believe we ended up with around 9 inches. These pics were taken from our garage. Simply gorgeous for McKinney, TX!

Lewis vs. Long (Round 1)

It was an intense battle that lasted over a 2 hour period and it was determined too close to call... until the next time.

Lately...

Lately we have been keeping things kind of low key and our days have become very much of a routine. I have been doing lots of reading and going to bed early, which is wonderful. I have so many shows on the DVR that I just can't bring myself to watch because I would rather read a book in my warm bed or challenge Gabe to a game of Wii bowling before going to bed. I have been finding myself on the computer and iphone less and less these past few weeks, which I guess is a good thing. Therefore, we haven't had anything too interesting to blog about. So here are just some pictures of Brody from the last 2 months with a brief explanation here and there.

Loving the Ball Popper!! (Thanks Great Grandma)

Enjoying a fairly warm January day with mom outside

Being silly

Playing with my Activity table and doing so very seriously! (Thank you Grandma and Grandpa)

Just being C-U-T-E

Playing with Patches (Thank you Aunt Devon)

Enjoying a wagon ride on a COLD day! (A gift from Nana)

Lunch with some old friends during the holidays

Playing with Brody before his 6:00 bed time.

January Birthdays

We have celebrated 4 birthdays this month. Presley turned 1, our friend Adam turned 28, my grandma turned 82, and my grandpa turned 91.

Presley is the daughter of Justin and Karlyn Nelson. I cannot believe she is already a year old, which means Brody's 1st birthday is just around the corner. We celebrated sweet Presley's birthday at her house. Brody was able to play with the birthday girl along with baby Teagan. Gavin was at home sick that day, but Brooke joined in on the fun. We gave Presley Dr. Suess books and stuffed animals. You are never too little for books and reading!! (Listen to that inner teacher voice)

Brody with the Birthday Girl

Brody and Presley

Brody playing with Teagan

We celebrated Adam's birthday earlier this month by joining a bunch of friends at Buca de Beppo. Delicious Italian food...well, that is if you order right. Gabe and I ordered Chicken Marsala, which tasted like chicken and maple syrup....so much for branching out and trying something new. After tasting that and neither of us liking it, we decided to order our usual cheese ravioli -- MUCH better. And of course we cannot go there and not get the Apple salad, yummy. It was about 1,000 degrees in the restaurant that night and after chasing Brody and Gavin around the restaurant, we were pooped. It was fun celebrating a birthday with one of our dear friends. Here are a few pics from the evening.

Brody standing/walking

The Birthday Boy and his lovely wife

Our friends Abby and Chris

Princess Teagan!!

The next birthday we celebrated was my sweet sweet grandma's special day. Gabe, Brody, my sister, and I traveled down to Boerne, TX where my uncle just purchased a house on 2 acres. It was a gorgeous home and we very glad to arrive there safely on a rainy and foggy night. It took us 6.5 hours to get there when it should only take 5. We were slowed down due to the rain and curvy, narrow country roads. I was extremely worried about hitting a deer so I made Gabe drive a little slower and more cautiously, even though I know he would have anyway. Mom's always have to worry when our babies are in the car. We had a wonderful weekend visiting with all my cousins and their families and significant others, my mom and Ron, uncle and Mary, and of course my grandma. It was great seeing them and really getting to catch up. I am so glad my grandma was able to see and spend time with Brody since she has only seen him 2 times and it had been quite a while. We are hoping to get her out this way soon to visit and spend even more time with our little baby boy. It was great to get away and enjoy the beautiful land. They cooked hamburgers, hot dogs, and s'mores over an open fire. Sooo good!! We left early Sunday morning and Gabe only missed the 1st quarter of the Cowboys playoff game.

Brody opening his gift (a ball popper machine) from his Great-Grandma - he LOVES this thing, and so does Rocky!

Brody helping Great-Grandma open her birthday/Christmas gifts. What a helper!!

Mommy and Brody hanging out by the fire

Great-Grandma, Brody, and Grandma playing

Grandma and Brody

Cousin Nick and Cousin Burkely

This just melts my heart, Cousin Caelan was so sweet to Brody - sharing his games the whole weekend. It was the first time for them to even meet.

Some of the group

Cousin Troy (our bartender) and gf Shelly

The last birthday we celebrated this month was for my darling grandpa. We traveled to Arlington last Sunday to celebrate this special day. It is there where we met up with dad and Pat, Aunt Denise, Aunt Marji and Uncle Larry, Devon, and some family friends. We ate at a hole in the wall called Moni's Pizza in North Arlington. It is a favorite of my grandpa's and I am pretty sure we went there last year the week of his birthday! I am amazed at how good he looks for 91. He is so active and still drives (sometimes)! We are so greatful of the time he gets to spend with Brody because he lives so close. Gabe and I opted out of the cake and ice cream portion of the day so we could drive back and get Mr. Brody in bed at his normal time, 6:00.

(Sorry, no photos)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALL THE JANUARY FOLKS! We hope your day was special. Thanks for letting us be apart of your day.