Leo turns 2

I really don't see how it is possible that my baby boy, who was born yesterday, has turned two years old. He is such a sweet, fun loving, happy little dude. At two, Leo does have his moments of "toddlerhood", but all in all he is still pretty easy going. He is forever full of giggles, smiles, "toot-toots" (what every motorized vehicle says), "hi's" to total strangers, and lots and lots of hugs and sloppy kisses. Leo is still a terrible eater, doesn't eat much of anything, other than crackers, baby oatmeal, and cheese. With this in mind, I was totally thrilled when he dug into his slice of cake and chowed down, though he still only ate a little. He has finally added peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and grilled cheese sandwiches to his might-eat list. Thankfully, as difficult as it is to feed him, he is a wonderful napper and sleeper. He happily lays down in his bed and will play and talk himself to sleep. He is still averaging a 3 hour nap a day and plays hard during his waking hours. He is so fun to go places with as he has yet to meet a stranger. He makes friends everywhere we go, most often flirting with elderly ladies in the grocery store. He has a great time with his nanny as she takes him to our neighborhood park almost everyday. He is most definitely in his element outdoors and would stay there all of the time if possible. He absolutely adores anything with wheels and is great at playing. He probably spends at least 45 minutes a day sitting at our kitchen table playing with his cars. He is a fan of Curious George and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and has a remarkable attention span. Leo is so full of life and joy that I often can't wait for him to wake-up from his nap so we can snuggle and play. We celebrated Leo's birthday with a fun party at our house. Of course, he had to have a car-themed party and we had hamburgers, old-fashioned bottled sodas, and yummy cake. We were so touched with the number of friends and family that came to love our sweet boy. He finally got the gist of gift opening, in that the paper, bow, and box are not quite as important as the contents inside the gift. He was quick to say "open" after almost every gift he unwrapped and was ready to play. Overall, this has been a wonderful year for Leo, Scott, and me and we are looking forward to seeing what the two's have in-store for us all.

iMama

When I "signed up" to be a mom, I had some very idyllic notions about what it would entail. Some where overstated, some under, and some right on the mark. For instance, I knew I'd be busy and sleep deprived. I knew I'd love Leo with more heart than I knew I had, yet I underestimated exactly how much that would be. I thought I was prepared for the constant state of "go" that would come with toddlerdom...I wasn't. I was aware that toys and baby-friendly foods would fill my shopping bags. What I wasn't prepared for, however, was to come in second to the iPad. That's right...he, my sweet babbling boy, will now say iPad, but he will not, NOT, call me Mama.....he will call for his Dada, he will request "outside", he will say hi and bye and up and toot-toot, but he, this child whom I carried for 9 months and have tended to day and night for 20 months absolutely will not say my name. Oh well, for now, I shall change my name, I would now like to be called iMama!

Hawaii Snorkeling Videos

Aloha Hawaii!

Scott and I were privileged to spend a week in Honolulu, Hawaii last week.  I was invited to present two of my research papers at an education conference and Oklahoma Christian University was very generous in supporting  me in going.  Luckily, Scott had exactly 5 days of vacation left and was able, with a generous coworker's assistance in covering his shift, to go with me.  Leo stayed with my parents and had a great time being spoiled entertained by them.  We flew to Houston on Friday, 7/27, got Leo settled and left for Oahu bright and early Saturday morning.  We rented a great little red Jeep which proved to be quite fun as we toured the island.  We did a ton of snorkeling with brightly colored fish and beautiful, HUGE sea turtles.  Had the most AMAZING snowcone EVER...yep, they put sweetened condensed milk on top....HOLY MOLY!!!!   We were also able to go to a luau, Pearl harbor, the North Shore, and ate a lot of great fish.

 Please excuse the hair and no makeup...we had been snorkeling...

 Yep, there's a hole in my shirt...I'm classy like that!

 View from our balcony!

 Special thanks to Grammy and Papa for keeping Leo.

 My little blonde Hawaiian in his new digs!

Of course, it wasn't all play.  I attended my conference and presented on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  Made some great connections and heard some great talks.  Overall, we are so blessed that OC gave us this opportunity to get away, learn about some new movements in the education field, and enjoy God's beautiful creation.

I Love Rockport

We were able to spend a few days with my family in Rockport, a fun little fishing town that we have grown to love, located between Victoria and Port Aransas.  Due to limited vacation time and busy summer schedules we were only able to stay 3 days which was entirely too few.  Here are a few pics from our time there.

 I think they look like they could be siblings rather than cousins.