Kiss the Cook!

Garrett has sure had a lot of fun helping me in the kitchen lately. It definitely is not easy to cook with a toddler, but we enjoy spending time together and getting messy! :)

Gangsta wannabe!

I had Garrett dressed like this one day and my friend told me he looked like a gangster! Cutest gangster I have ever seen!

That is a good serious face....go get 'em!

He has "stolen" our hearts!

Last day of Winter

On this last day Winter,while I am sitting inside my home because it is snowing, I thought I would write down a few things and share some pictures of fun things we have done in the last few months. It really was a mild winter with no a lot of snow. Since December, I don't think we got more than a couple of inches!

It sure was hard to play outside in our backyard with all the winter gear on and no snow, but Garret still managed to have fun! (And say hi to his mom by doing kisses on the window!) :)

So we headed up the canyon where the real stuff was!

Garrett loves to put on his "big boots, puppy tote, puppy pants, hat and glubs!"

We also did some other fun things inside to pass the cold months by like:

Going to Chuckie Cheese for the first time! I think the CHEESY smile says it all!
"Horsey ride AGAIN, MOMMA!!!" (he rode it at least 20 times in a row!)

The Super Bowl! Garrett's so good he can carry one ball in his hand and the other on his head!

Decorated cupcakes for Valentine's Day!

Played dress up! :)

Read lots of books! He enjoys story time at the library and with his Grandma and cousin Alaina!

Family movie night cuddled together on the couch!

And Mommy and Baby swimming lessons! We love having our rec center so close!


Here's to a warm and fun SPRING! Bring on the sunshine!

It's Terrific Being TWO!

It has been almost two months since our "baby" turned two so it is way past time to post about this! After how much work it was to plan his first birthday, I thought I was not going to do it again this year! Who am I kidding though.... I love birthdays TOOOOO much to not make it a big deal! There is no doubt that we sure love to spoil this kid and we enjoyed having our families join the festivities! I decided to do an ELMO theme since this kid loves that red furry monster.


Here are some of Garrett's favorites:

Color: green
Food: noodles and fruit
Movie: Maisy or Elmo
Story: "Stinky Doggy" or Little Pookie
Toy: Elmo doll
Song: ABC's
Things to do: go outside, go to storytime, play with friends, play in the bathroom, blow bubbles in his milk, read books, dance, turn lights on and off, THROWS EVERYTHING, SCREAMING (my personal favorite!), play with KNIVES (my other personal favorite!)

Phrases: "Ready, set, set, set, set, GO!"
" Baby's STUCK!" – when you are holding him and he doesn’t want you to!
" Baby help ME" - when he wants to do it himself
" Baby's turn"
" Baby's tie" - he LOVES to wear a tie on Sundays like his daddy
" Silly ________" - insert anyone or anything in the blank
" Puppa-beantee" - his two favorite things are his stuffed dog and his binky
" Daddy's car right there"
" Daddy's HOME!"
“Baby cut it" - when he is playing with knives! :)
" STOP IT!"
"Daddy FIX IT!"

Game: Go Away Monster or Freeze Dance
Outfits: (YES, he has a favorite outfit and more than one!!!) 1. Car's Jammies from his Aunt Beanie. That kid has a meltdown every morning when we take them off and cries when then have to go in the laundry! 2. "Puppy Tote"(translation - puffy coat) - his new jacket that he got for his birthday from his Grandma Lewis.

Birthday suprises from Mom and Dad in the morning

Up!

New Prince Charming shirt

Elmo themed party = lots of Elmo themed toys! :)

Sweet Great Grandma giving kisses!

My favorite photo of the day!
Why would we make him eat when he wants to play with his cousins and his new toys!

"Elmo tate"!

Three Lewis boy's birthdays!

Cake and ice cream for the Birthday Boy!

WE love you!

Precious Moments

This week I have had some special moments that I will never forget! The other day, Garrett woke up from his nap early. I usually don't get him right when I hear that he is up, knowing that I will not have a free second until he lays back down for bed. This day, this time, I went in right when I heard him. He was crying, which is not his usual, so I wanted to make sure that he was okay. I am not sure what it was that was bothering him, but he was content to lay down on my lap for 10 minutes and cuddle. It was the most adorable thing. We both just cuddled each other and didn't say anything as I softly rubbed his back and he held on to me. This is something I will always remember....the feeling that I had at that moment....being his mom, the love that I have for him, how he has changed my life, the feeling that I know that I may not have many more moments like this where my son is content to just be close to me and rock back and forth.

Another precious moment is when Garrett holds me! Yes, holds me! The cute way he says, "Mama, sit right here!" as he slaps the seat next to him on the couch. The way that he wants me to slouch down on the couch right next to him so that he can put his arm around my neck and I lay my head on his shoulder as we watch his favorite movie.


Garrett does have moments when he is sooo mad. Moments that when I say NO and all he does his wail, throw his arms wildly about, cock his head back, and scream! Sometimes I am the target and get the whack....like a slap in the face. After Garrett does calm down, he is quick to say sorry and kiss it better. My heart melts as he looks at me so sweetly, with both of his tiny hands on each side of my face and softly says, "Mama....okay?"

One of Garrett's cutest moments of life happened recently in the car. Colin always asks Garrett if he wants to sing a song to help entertain him. He immediately said, "ALWAYS!" This is the song that I sing to him everyday at nap time. Well, this time, instead of me singing it, he sang it to me. Colin and I were both in tears as his cute little voice sang the simple words of the song, "I'll be loving you, always. With a love that's true, always!" I know that I will ALWAYS feel that way about Garrett and hope he will feel the same about me!

The last moment I want to share happened last night. The moment when my husband asked me what I wanted to do for fun with our tiny family. I wanted to do something different, something fun, something spontaneous. I immediately said, "play FREEZE dance!" It was so fun to blast music and dance together in our living room! It was cute to watch Garrett try to imitate his dad's dance moves and try to imitate his dad's frozen moves! I couldn't stop laughing! Moments like this need to happen more often in our house! Moments where we can have fun being together doing silly things!

I am grateful for all these moments.....and for taking a few moments right now to remember them and write them down so I won't forget them.

I have a saying hanging on my wall that says, "Life is not about the number of breaths we take, but the moments that take our breathe away." The last few weeks I have really been thinking about this. Some really close friends of mine just experienced one of those moments in your life that you know you know you will have to face, but don't know how you will do it. Their dad passed away. As I spoke on the phone with them about his final moments in this life, tears were streaming down my face. My friend talked about how peaceful it was and how amazing it was to be there as he took his last breaths. She talked about how her father was in pain and nervous about dying. She then explained how as he was lying there in his bed, he started to smile and she knew at that very moment that he saw Christ. WOW! What a spiritual experience.

So, as I have read my friends blogs about their dad passing away, and the impact he has had on their lives, it has caused me to reflect on my own life. How am I living my life? Am I being the best I can be? How is my family going to remember me after I am gone? I know that I am not perfect, but I hope that I can make the most of each moment that I have been given. I feel lucky to be alive after having almost died nine years ago when I was diagnosed with diabetes. There is a reason that I am still here and I want to make every moment count!

Growing up!

Garrett sure is getting big! He is in a very "FUN" stage right now where he has to do everything by himself. He refuses for us to change his diaper and screams, "BABY'S PANTS, BABY'S SHIRT......NO TOUCH!!!" He constantly says all day long, "BABY DO IT!" and insists that he cut his own food for his meals, comb his hair, brush his teeth, get dressed, get undressed, buckle himself in his carseat and much much more!!! Even though it can be frustrating for us as his parents, it is pretty dang cute to see him try soooo hard. He is the best at zippers and loves to take his coat on and off and help with his jammies on and off. One of his most recent interests is in the toilet! He is constantly taking down his pants during the day and saying, "BABY POTTY!" I think he is often doing his duty when he does pull his pants down....so maybe he will be ready soon! I can tell you this much.....I am not ready for this stage yet!!!!

Is that the POTTY DANCE?!! :)


This is a picture of his first "real" haircut with the clippers! He sure looks like a little boy now with all the baby hairs trimmed and being able to comb it nice on Sundays! Of course, "BABY HELP" means he wants to hold the clippers himself! Maybe I can blame his uneven cut on him because this is proof he helped! :)

Lastly, Garrett is having a lot of fun singing songs lately. He has always been good at the actions to songs, but just recently has been getting better at the words. Here he is in all his glory singing his favorite song! Gotta love it!

Christmas Day!

Garrett's new kitchen from Santa!!! He loves all the buttons, drawers, and accessories that came with it! What a cute little chef he is!

True Aggies!

This fake orange tastes almost real!! :)

Rockin' on his Elmo guitar!


Garrett and Dane in their new "puppy totes" (that is how Garrett says it! )

Cute new 'Cars' jammies and panda slippers from his Aunts!