I realized I haven't posted many videos of Connor lately, so here are a few of him acting silly. Unfortunately, I can't seem to get any videos longer than a few seconds to post without the system timing out, so you don't get much, but you get the idea...Connor's a cutie. Enjoy!
Here's tap dancing Connor.
Connor with bubbles.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
19 Month Catch Up
We've actually had some nice relaxing weekends since the Cotton Bowl, which has been a nice change after the Holidays. We've been home in Sugar Land the past two weekends and it's been really nice. We finally put away all of our Christmas boxes and cleaned out our garage, which was a project we'd been wanting to do for months, but didn't have the time to do it. We have also had a chance to get together with friends and even neighbors.
Last Saturday night we tried out our very first high school babysitter, who was recommended to us by a neighbor and she worked out great. As Jeff and I were leaving, we walked in to say goodbye and Connor was sitting on her lap reading stories. It was very sweet and she said he fell right to sleep. We have friends who have babysat before, but it'll be nice to have someone on hand if we need to go out sort of spur of the moment.
Last week during school, Connor got to have a half birthday party. It's sweet, because his birthday will fall after the school year, so they celebrate half birthdays. He turned 19 months, but I guess that's a half birthday. I had thought it was December, but maybe they weren't in school then either. Either way, I got to bring him in birthday treats (I made cake balls) and apparently they sang to him and he wore a birthday hat (for 2 seconds).
Not much has changed in Connor's 19th month. I would say his biggest change is his vocabulary. So I looked back at his 18 month list and I have a few more words to add. He loves to say Twuck, Dump Twuck, and Big Twuck. He still says Duh Duh, but now there are more kinds of trucks apparently. It's hard to tell which gets called which, but you can tell that's what he's saying. It's pretty cute. He also says Star, Dinner (on occasion), Snack, Buh Ba (his request for Yo Gabba Gabba the TV show. Very sad, I know), Wa Wa (water, on occasion), Bee (which means block - no idea why), Moon, Neigh Neigh (horse), Berry, Juice, he calls Oranges something, but I honestly have no idea how I'd spell it, and of course he has begun to say No. We aren't entirely sure if he understands how to use "no" but we aren't stepping up to teach him exactly.
Also, it's kind of funny, because Bye Bye means bye bye of course, but we have figured out that it also means "go away" or "I want to go bye bye." If he's scared of something, like Santa for example, he'll start quickly saying "bye bye, bye bye, bye bye" over and over again. He wants Santa to go away. Or if you are messing with him and he doesn't like it, he'll say, "bye bye" and that might mean, "yo, leave me alone."
Both Jeff and I are looking forward to when he starts saying more two word phrases. The only thing he says on a consistent basis is "Bye Bye Daddy." He'll say that every morning and sometimes just randomly during the day.
Connor has slowly but surely developed into a Daddy's boy. Honestly I'm actually OK with it. It's pretty cute how much he loves Jeff and seriously sometimes when Jeff leaves the room he starts to cry. Maizey usually hears Jeff first when he comes home at the end of the day, so when Connor hears Maizey's tail start wagging really fast he starts saying "Daddy?, Daddy?" Then he stops what he's doing and runs to the door, unless he's eating dinner. He also definitely prefers Daddy's lap. Only Jeff can get Connor to snuggle with him on the couch to watch a little football, and he always seems to fit so well in Daddy's lap when they are reading stories. We certainly have our special moments, but it's sweet to see them be so close even if I spend more time with him.
Well, enjoy some pictures from the past couple of weeks. We've had some fun.
Connor was having fun pushing around his toy elephant the other day. I had to take a picture, because it was so darn cute. He would even get upset if it fell out.
I love pushing my elephant around.
This is a good example of Connor loving snuggling with Daddy. I think they were watching playoff football. Connor does seem to like football and he definitely loves Daddy.
In case you were wondering if Connor has lost some of his cheeks at 19 months, well check this out. They are huge!!! What a cutie.
This month at school, they arranged an event called "Dads and Donuts" where the Dads got to spend an hour with their kids in the room. Of course donuts were served as well.
Jeff said it was really fun and I know Connor enjoyed having Daddy in the room for a while.
Here is Connor at school on the day of his half-birthday party. He seemed pretty happy. I'm sure he had no idea.
After a breathing treatment, Connor was a little chilly, so he bundled up in a blanket. It's been so cold here lately.
It's also been rainy and that is not easy for a little boy who wants to go outside. We've had to get creative these past couple of weeks.
I want to go outside.
Luckily, we FINALLY got Connor's mini playground and all it's pieces, so he's been loving that. It's got a basketball hoop, a soccer goal, a little ladder to climb, and a slide.
Connor sliding down his mini playground.
He also really likes to use it as a car ramp. It is tons of fun.
Last Saturday night we tried out our very first high school babysitter, who was recommended to us by a neighbor and she worked out great. As Jeff and I were leaving, we walked in to say goodbye and Connor was sitting on her lap reading stories. It was very sweet and she said he fell right to sleep. We have friends who have babysat before, but it'll be nice to have someone on hand if we need to go out sort of spur of the moment.
Last week during school, Connor got to have a half birthday party. It's sweet, because his birthday will fall after the school year, so they celebrate half birthdays. He turned 19 months, but I guess that's a half birthday. I had thought it was December, but maybe they weren't in school then either. Either way, I got to bring him in birthday treats (I made cake balls) and apparently they sang to him and he wore a birthday hat (for 2 seconds).
Not much has changed in Connor's 19th month. I would say his biggest change is his vocabulary. So I looked back at his 18 month list and I have a few more words to add. He loves to say Twuck, Dump Twuck, and Big Twuck. He still says Duh Duh, but now there are more kinds of trucks apparently. It's hard to tell which gets called which, but you can tell that's what he's saying. It's pretty cute. He also says Star, Dinner (on occasion), Snack, Buh Ba (his request for Yo Gabba Gabba the TV show. Very sad, I know), Wa Wa (water, on occasion), Bee (which means block - no idea why), Moon, Neigh Neigh (horse), Berry, Juice, he calls Oranges something, but I honestly have no idea how I'd spell it, and of course he has begun to say No. We aren't entirely sure if he understands how to use "no" but we aren't stepping up to teach him exactly.
Also, it's kind of funny, because Bye Bye means bye bye of course, but we have figured out that it also means "go away" or "I want to go bye bye." If he's scared of something, like Santa for example, he'll start quickly saying "bye bye, bye bye, bye bye" over and over again. He wants Santa to go away. Or if you are messing with him and he doesn't like it, he'll say, "bye bye" and that might mean, "yo, leave me alone."
Both Jeff and I are looking forward to when he starts saying more two word phrases. The only thing he says on a consistent basis is "Bye Bye Daddy." He'll say that every morning and sometimes just randomly during the day.
Connor has slowly but surely developed into a Daddy's boy. Honestly I'm actually OK with it. It's pretty cute how much he loves Jeff and seriously sometimes when Jeff leaves the room he starts to cry. Maizey usually hears Jeff first when he comes home at the end of the day, so when Connor hears Maizey's tail start wagging really fast he starts saying "Daddy?, Daddy?" Then he stops what he's doing and runs to the door, unless he's eating dinner. He also definitely prefers Daddy's lap. Only Jeff can get Connor to snuggle with him on the couch to watch a little football, and he always seems to fit so well in Daddy's lap when they are reading stories. We certainly have our special moments, but it's sweet to see them be so close even if I spend more time with him.
Well, enjoy some pictures from the past couple of weeks. We've had some fun.
Connor was having fun pushing around his toy elephant the other day. I had to take a picture, because it was so darn cute. He would even get upset if it fell out.
I love pushing my elephant around.
This is a good example of Connor loving snuggling with Daddy. I think they were watching playoff football. Connor does seem to like football and he definitely loves Daddy.
In case you were wondering if Connor has lost some of his cheeks at 19 months, well check this out. They are huge!!! What a cutie.
This month at school, they arranged an event called "Dads and Donuts" where the Dads got to spend an hour with their kids in the room. Of course donuts were served as well.
Jeff said it was really fun and I know Connor enjoyed having Daddy in the room for a while.
Here is Connor at school on the day of his half-birthday party. He seemed pretty happy. I'm sure he had no idea.
After a breathing treatment, Connor was a little chilly, so he bundled up in a blanket. It's been so cold here lately.
It's also been rainy and that is not easy for a little boy who wants to go outside. We've had to get creative these past couple of weeks.
I want to go outside.
Luckily, we FINALLY got Connor's mini playground and all it's pieces, so he's been loving that. It's got a basketball hoop, a soccer goal, a little ladder to climb, and a slide.
Connor sliding down his mini playground.
He also really likes to use it as a car ramp. It is tons of fun.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Our Trip to Jerry World!
Last Weekend we drove to Dallas to see Texas A&M play LSU in the Cotton Bowl. The cool part was the game was played at Cowboys Stadium, or as many locals call it, "Jerry World" as in Jerry Jones.
We had a little bit of a hiccup as we were driving down, because our host caught a terrible stomach bug so we were no longer able to stay with her and she was no longer able to babysit Connor during the game. We were scrambling the last hour of the drive, but luckily Aunt Joan and Uncle Dave came through and were able to watch Connor and let us stay at their home in Plano, a suburb of Dallas.
The game was a Friday evening, so Uncle Dave left work early to meet us at their house, so we could head to the game. Supposedly, he and Connor had a great time together and hung out until nearly 6:30pm before Aunt Joan could get home from work. What a great "great" Uncle.
It took us a while to get to the stadium because of Friday rush hour, but we made it and we were not disappointed. One of the guys we went with had a friend with a tailgate so we grabbed a few beers and caught up with a bunch of Aggies.
We were in awe as we entered "the Death Star". The stadium was huge and there were flat screen TV's everywhere. It was really exciting and our seats were great. Luckily we were surrounded by Aggies, so we didn't have to worry about any annoying LSU fans.
The game started off great as the Aggies scored fast and were up 10-0, but then it was all LSU. We still had a great time though and after the game we went back to the tailgate to let the traffic die down.
The next day, my friend Stefani came by my Aunts house for about an hour to catch up and see Connor. It was so great to see her. After that, Jeff and I packed up and then met some other friends and their kids for lunch at Jason's Deli. It was a big hit with the kiddos, especially Connor who loved the free ice cream cone at the end.
After lunch we drove back to Sugar Land. We stopped half way at a big Bucees, which is rest stop that has become sort of a tourist attraction. Connor had a great time and was a little more ready to get back in the car. We got home by around 6pm that night.
Connor only napped 45 minutes in the car both days, so he was quite sleepy. Apparently he needed to catch up, because on Sunday morning he slept until nearly 10AM!!!!!!! He has never done that before and Jeff and I both really needed to catch up too. It was a cold and dreary day, so it was the perfect day for us to have our first lazy Sunday in months. We even made pancakes together as a family. What a nice way to finish up all of the Holiday traveling and chaos. Thanks buddy.
Connor decked out in his Aggie gear showing his pride even though he didn't get to go to the game.
Daddy and Connor looking cute sitting on the stoop of Aunt Joan and Uncle Dave's office.
Waiting for our friends to arrive before we headed to the football game.
Standing outside the football stadium before the game.
Hanging at the tailgate.
Someone at the tailgate put Cotton in a boot. Very clever.
A shot of the huge jumbo tron and the Aggie band. It was amazing in HD. You couldn't help watch it.
Khanh, JT, and Jeff, old college friends reunited at the Cotton Bowl.
We went to lunch at Jason's Deli with JT's family, my girlfriends Lindsay, Valerie, and Erin and Khanh.
Connor enjoying his first bites of after lunch ice cream.
This is pretty great!!!
Hanging with the girls, Erin, me, Lindsay, and Valerie.
Even though Connor was pooped, he only slept 45 minutes in the car.
We stopped at Bucees and Cowboy Connor had a grand old time.
We even got to see some real live bears. Ok, they were stuffed, but Connor liked them anyway.
Connor took down the big bear.
Making pancakes together Sunday morning.
We had a little bit of a hiccup as we were driving down, because our host caught a terrible stomach bug so we were no longer able to stay with her and she was no longer able to babysit Connor during the game. We were scrambling the last hour of the drive, but luckily Aunt Joan and Uncle Dave came through and were able to watch Connor and let us stay at their home in Plano, a suburb of Dallas.
The game was a Friday evening, so Uncle Dave left work early to meet us at their house, so we could head to the game. Supposedly, he and Connor had a great time together and hung out until nearly 6:30pm before Aunt Joan could get home from work. What a great "great" Uncle.
It took us a while to get to the stadium because of Friday rush hour, but we made it and we were not disappointed. One of the guys we went with had a friend with a tailgate so we grabbed a few beers and caught up with a bunch of Aggies.
We were in awe as we entered "the Death Star". The stadium was huge and there were flat screen TV's everywhere. It was really exciting and our seats were great. Luckily we were surrounded by Aggies, so we didn't have to worry about any annoying LSU fans.
The game started off great as the Aggies scored fast and were up 10-0, but then it was all LSU. We still had a great time though and after the game we went back to the tailgate to let the traffic die down.
The next day, my friend Stefani came by my Aunts house for about an hour to catch up and see Connor. It was so great to see her. After that, Jeff and I packed up and then met some other friends and their kids for lunch at Jason's Deli. It was a big hit with the kiddos, especially Connor who loved the free ice cream cone at the end.
After lunch we drove back to Sugar Land. We stopped half way at a big Bucees, which is rest stop that has become sort of a tourist attraction. Connor had a great time and was a little more ready to get back in the car. We got home by around 6pm that night.
Connor only napped 45 minutes in the car both days, so he was quite sleepy. Apparently he needed to catch up, because on Sunday morning he slept until nearly 10AM!!!!!!! He has never done that before and Jeff and I both really needed to catch up too. It was a cold and dreary day, so it was the perfect day for us to have our first lazy Sunday in months. We even made pancakes together as a family. What a nice way to finish up all of the Holiday traveling and chaos. Thanks buddy.
Connor decked out in his Aggie gear showing his pride even though he didn't get to go to the game.
Daddy and Connor looking cute sitting on the stoop of Aunt Joan and Uncle Dave's office.
Waiting for our friends to arrive before we headed to the football game.
Standing outside the football stadium before the game.
Hanging at the tailgate.
Someone at the tailgate put Cotton in a boot. Very clever.
A shot of the huge jumbo tron and the Aggie band. It was amazing in HD. You couldn't help watch it.
Khanh, JT, and Jeff, old college friends reunited at the Cotton Bowl.
We went to lunch at Jason's Deli with JT's family, my girlfriends Lindsay, Valerie, and Erin and Khanh.
Connor enjoying his first bites of after lunch ice cream.
This is pretty great!!!
Hanging with the girls, Erin, me, Lindsay, and Valerie.
Even though Connor was pooped, he only slept 45 minutes in the car.
We stopped at Bucees and Cowboy Connor had a grand old time.
We even got to see some real live bears. Ok, they were stuffed, but Connor liked them anyway.
Connor took down the big bear.
Making pancakes together Sunday morning.Sunday, January 9, 2011
Grandma's 60th Birthday Celebration!!
At the tail end of our Roach Tivo Christmas, we surprised my Mom and told her that we had planned a 60th birthday party at Hyatt Lost Pines Resort, near Austin and we were all driving there together on New Year's Day. She was pretty shocked and it turned out to be a great party and a great trip away.
We all left College Station on Saturday morning and arrived at Lost Pines in the afternoon. We arranged for my Mom to get a facial, while we set up a private room, where we hung birthday signs, decorations and balloons.
Around 4pm, we all met in the room and began the party. We had a bartender and a waitress who passed hors d'oeuvres and the entire staff was so great. We had told my Mom that we were going out to dinner, so she was so surprised that we had a private room all to ourselves. She was so happy. It was great to see. We also surprised her by having my Aunt Joan and Uncle Dave (her sister and brother-in-law) come to the party.
It was fun, because at first the kids were with us; Martin, Winnie, Libby, and Connor. The room was large enough that they could play around and there was plenty of food for them to snack on and things to drink. Plus, we got a guitarist and singer to perform, so that was fun entertainment for them as well.
One very special moment during the night, was when Martin sang "You are My Sunshine" to my Mom for her birthday. It was so sweet and my Mom started crying, so of course we all started crying.
Around 6:45, the babysitters showed up and we helped the kids up to our rooms for bed. It was nice, because the babysitters were people Erin knew from Austin, so we were all comfortable with them. Once the kids were gone, we continued our evening and had a really nice sit down dinner in the room and then listened to the musicians and just celebrated my Mom's birthday. It was an excellent night and my Mom kept saying it was the best birthday party ever and that she was so thankful and happy.
The next morning, when they kids got up we all explored the Lost Pines grounds together. It is really kid friendly and there was tons to do. We were really sad we only had the one day there. We had a nice brunch all together and then we sadly had to drive back home. We all loved our time at the Hyatt Lost Pines though and we hope we get another chance to come back soon.
Check out the fun!
Connor playing with Grandma's birthday balloons.
Since it was a party, Connor got a special treat by getting a watered down shirley temple with cherries. Yummy.
We had our bartender take a bunch of family pictures and we got a couple of good ones. Very cute.
Here my Mom is showing off the new bracelet my Dad got her for her birthday. You can also see the collage of pictures we made for her and then we all signed it.
Grandpa and Uncle Dave getting a chance to snuggle with the little big man.
Birthday girl and her sister Joan.
Cousin Winnie and Connor having a ball with his truck.
As a treat, we ended up getting the kids a bowl of ice cream. Connor definitely liked it. Martin did too.
Our musicians for the night, Doug the guitarist and Niki, the singer. They were great.
Grandma and Connor dancing to the musicians.
A family dance party.
Still in love after all these years.
Connor and Daddy enjoying the hors d'oeuvres.
Enjoying a private concert together at her birthday party.
After the kids went off with the babysitter, the parents had a chance to dance.
"Happy Birthday to you..."
The staff of the Hyatt were sooooo wonderful. They were almost like our family by the end of the night. They even gave my Mom a few free gifts, because they really seemed to love us too.
My Mom was so overwhelmed with all the love and appreciation that she broke down a few times. It really was a wonderful evening. She deserves it.
On Sunday, we checked out the Hyatt grounds. There is so much to do. At this moment, we were playing soccer. Doesn't Connor look like an awesome goalie.
We shared a final brunch together before we headed out as well. Connor chowed down on waffles.
Walking around the grounds, Connor was cracking Daddy up.
It was a chilly day, but the kiddos loved the hot tub.
It had been a really fun week, but it was sadly time to say goodbye. Here little Libby says goodbye to Aunt Julie.
Three generations of Roach women. Mommy Erin, Libby, and Birthday Grandma. What a fun trip away. I hope we go back soon.
We all left College Station on Saturday morning and arrived at Lost Pines in the afternoon. We arranged for my Mom to get a facial, while we set up a private room, where we hung birthday signs, decorations and balloons.
Around 4pm, we all met in the room and began the party. We had a bartender and a waitress who passed hors d'oeuvres and the entire staff was so great. We had told my Mom that we were going out to dinner, so she was so surprised that we had a private room all to ourselves. She was so happy. It was great to see. We also surprised her by having my Aunt Joan and Uncle Dave (her sister and brother-in-law) come to the party.
It was fun, because at first the kids were with us; Martin, Winnie, Libby, and Connor. The room was large enough that they could play around and there was plenty of food for them to snack on and things to drink. Plus, we got a guitarist and singer to perform, so that was fun entertainment for them as well.
One very special moment during the night, was when Martin sang "You are My Sunshine" to my Mom for her birthday. It was so sweet and my Mom started crying, so of course we all started crying.
Around 6:45, the babysitters showed up and we helped the kids up to our rooms for bed. It was nice, because the babysitters were people Erin knew from Austin, so we were all comfortable with them. Once the kids were gone, we continued our evening and had a really nice sit down dinner in the room and then listened to the musicians and just celebrated my Mom's birthday. It was an excellent night and my Mom kept saying it was the best birthday party ever and that she was so thankful and happy.
The next morning, when they kids got up we all explored the Lost Pines grounds together. It is really kid friendly and there was tons to do. We were really sad we only had the one day there. We had a nice brunch all together and then we sadly had to drive back home. We all loved our time at the Hyatt Lost Pines though and we hope we get another chance to come back soon.
Check out the fun!
Connor playing with Grandma's birthday balloons.
Since it was a party, Connor got a special treat by getting a watered down shirley temple with cherries. Yummy.
We had our bartender take a bunch of family pictures and we got a couple of good ones. Very cute.
Here my Mom is showing off the new bracelet my Dad got her for her birthday. You can also see the collage of pictures we made for her and then we all signed it.
Grandpa and Uncle Dave getting a chance to snuggle with the little big man.
Birthday girl and her sister Joan.
Cousin Winnie and Connor having a ball with his truck.
As a treat, we ended up getting the kids a bowl of ice cream. Connor definitely liked it. Martin did too.
Our musicians for the night, Doug the guitarist and Niki, the singer. They were great.
Grandma and Connor dancing to the musicians.
A family dance party.
Still in love after all these years.
Connor and Daddy enjoying the hors d'oeuvres.
Enjoying a private concert together at her birthday party.
After the kids went off with the babysitter, the parents had a chance to dance.
"Happy Birthday to you..."
The staff of the Hyatt were sooooo wonderful. They were almost like our family by the end of the night. They even gave my Mom a few free gifts, because they really seemed to love us too.
My Mom was so overwhelmed with all the love and appreciation that she broke down a few times. It really was a wonderful evening. She deserves it.
On Sunday, we checked out the Hyatt grounds. There is so much to do. At this moment, we were playing soccer. Doesn't Connor look like an awesome goalie.
We shared a final brunch together before we headed out as well. Connor chowed down on waffles.
Walking around the grounds, Connor was cracking Daddy up.
It was a chilly day, but the kiddos loved the hot tub.
It had been a really fun week, but it was sadly time to say goodbye. Here little Libby says goodbye to Aunt Julie.
Three generations of Roach women. Mommy Erin, Libby, and Birthday Grandma. What a fun trip away. I hope we go back soon.
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