Catch-up

Ok so I have been a terrible blogger lately! So I apologize. We have been so insanely busy with everything that I haven't even been to the grocery store in about a month, much less thinking of taking the time to blog.

But no excuses, I am due for an update so here we go:

Leon :: He is still working happily as the Youth Director at our church. The youth group is growing and has come from just a few kids to over 35 now, so we are ramping up for summer and getting ready for some serious growth for the Fall! He is absolutely loving his job and is doing amazing things at the church. He and I are also leading worship in the "modern service" on Sunday mornings, and bringing a more modern flair to this church. It is an awesome opportunity for us and we are loving it.

Lauren :: I am loving getting back into worship and as our band comes together, it is getting more and more fun. I just accepted a position at our church as the interim Administrative Assistant. Since Leon and I are up at the church all day everyday anyway, I thought I might as well get paid to be here! So that is going really well so far (this was my first week). We get to work up here with Micah, so it is a HUGE blessing that we don't have to put him in daycare or anything!

Micah :: Some of you may know that it tomorrow is Micah's First Birthday!! I cannot believe that our little man has been with us a year. In ways it feels like we have never been without him, but in other ways, it seems like he was just a baby yesterday. Even though he took his first steps 3 months ago, it has taken some time to really get the hang of it, but for the past month he has mastered the art! He is walking and running all over the place and doesn't even crawl at all anymore. His favorite things are balls (basketballs, footballs, volleyballs, baseballs....doesn't matter) and that is the first word he says every morning. We may have a ball player on our hands. Doesn't everybody say that? He also loves music..piano, guitar, and especially drums! He can't get enough of them so we may also have a musician on our hands (or so we hope).

So that is the update on us. We are loving our new home in Keller even though the move to the 'burbs was not an easy one to make. Now that we are acquainted with our new surroundings, we are liking it more and more.

We do have a few videos that are a bit old, but we have to catch up on what has happened in our lives lately. So here is one that we just finished from when we had to repaint Micah's beautiful nursery, and there are several more coming soon. Enjoy!

Goodbye Dallas, Hello Keller!

The Reyes family has been beyond busy lately with our BIG MOVE! Yes, that's right, we finally got out of our "just for a year" apartment, and have now moved into one that is a bit more comfortable, and a little more up our....ahem....luxury alley. No more brown carpet and formica counters! We are hardwood and granite people now! :)

The only thing about our new place that is a little sad for us is the LOCATION! We are now proud residents of the exciting city of Keller. Never heard of Keller? Us either until now! But I am happy to report that this very morning I found out that Keller, TX is the 7th best place to live in the US! Maybe the Keller City Council put out that poll, but either way, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

The other sad thing about our might-as-well-be-cross-country move, is that we had to repaint Micah's baby nursery back to the original colors. This was the first of many significant emotional breakdowns for me throughout the course of this move, and I insisted we do an extensive photo shoot of all 3 of us in his room so we will have the memories.

I am adjusting to the new city, which feels like a foreign country, and the short commute to our church makes our lives much much easier! Now all we have of Micah's first room are our photos....now if you'll talk amongst yourselves, I'm becoming a little verclempt!

Another milestone...a step or two!

We had a really big night last night at the Reyes household....Micah took a step! I could go on and on about how cool it was, but just as I have been praying every day since he was born, we actually had the camera ready to go to capture the moment! So now you can see for yourself...the baby who is growing up way too fast takes his first 2 steps! (Oh, and excuse my voice which I think reached new heights as a result.) Enjoy...

Micah is 9 months OMG

Well today our little man is 9 months old, which begs the question...what happened to months 5, 6, 7, and 8? It seems like we saw them for a fleeting second, and now we are at month 9, about to walk, starting to talk, and getting into everything! I have no idea what has happened to our baby, but it seems that he is a little man now and I am completely floored that we could have gotten here so fast! I mean I knew it would go by fast, but I had no idea I would blink and 6 months would go by.

But enough about all that...I have a video to brighten the mood a little bit and remind me that we still have fun times ahead and that the baby stages are not all there is in life :) I came across this video from about a month ago that I thought was hilarious. Micah LOVES lemons and limes for some reason...anything sour becomes funny to him, and in this particular video, I think he doesn't realize it is actually sour until 10 minutes into it. Nothing says happy birthday like a sour lime video....



****[And Micah would like to give a special shout-out to his great aunt Shannon who's actual birthday is today on his 9 month birthday!! We love you Shannon...hope you have an awesome, amazing, incredible birthday!]****

Fun with the sliding glass door

We just came across a funny video of little man from about a month or 2 ago, and Leon of course had to put it on YouTube. Micah was having some fun with our back door, so Leon had to go outside and film it from the outside looking in....it is definitely worth watching!

My son, the musical prodigy

I am sure all you parents out there know what it's like to have children who are completely brilliant in every way! I mean, how awesome is it that God blessed each one of us with a child that far surpasses every other child out there! It's a huge privilege, as I am sure all of you can attest to!

Now, I will preface this video by saying that Leon and I are not crazy stage parents! We are not forcing music on Micah, nor will we force sports, or art, or any other activity on him...we are just giving him a chance to try out an array of different things to see what he ends up liking and wanting to pursue later. This video is made up of just a few clips of him with his music and I have to say, it is pretty darn cute!

The best day of the year has come and gone

So I realize this is a little late, but in the spirit of my birthday month, which is still in effect, I thought I would post some pictures from my birthday party! We had a little party in honor of...well...me, and Leon (knowing my love language is gifts!) surprised me with a Tiffany bracelet, and a Louis Vuitton bracelet that he had been saving up the money to buy for quite some time. I was completely shocked because I have a firm handle on where we are financially, so it was a great birthday surprise to say the least! And on top of it all, he made me my own 2-tiered birthday cake with fondant icing decor! I could say more, but I will just let the pictures do the talking...

Here is my beautiful cake that Leon made me....

 

Our table was actually bar-height, so Micah's high chair put him right underneath the table...he was not having that for too long!

 Our little man got a little sleepy as the night went on....

 

The simplest of items provide the best toys sometimes....

  

Here is a group shot...there were a few more than this, but you get the general picture...

 And finally, a family picture for my birthday! Micah was either about to pass out or stick his hand down my shirt...maybe both!

So that was my birthday. Quite a fun time, and a super-special occasion! And as you might have guessed, the celebration continues at our house!

Excruciatingly beautiful

After 7.5 long months of waiting, I am proud to say that we have reached another milestone...Micah has cut not 1 but 2 teeth!!! Before I say anything else, just take a look....

Amazing, right?! ....OK so maybe you can't exactly see them in a picture, but I assure you, they are there..bottom gum, right in a row. Nothing is coming in on top yet, but I am definitely glad to know that our little man does in fact have teeth in his head!

At first I was excited because it is yet another milestone in my baby boy's life, but as I think more about it, I come closer to my conclusion that motherhood is the hardest thing in the world! Not because of the sleepless nights, endless responsibilities, or the laundry pile that never seems to get smaller...but because every day, as I watch my baby boy take another step toward independence, my heart breaks again and again. I am so proud of everything he learns, every inch he grows, and now every teeth he gets...but the constant reminder that I am never going to be able to slow down time is excruciating! I am finding myself trying to desperately hold on to these last few little 'baby-like' qualities that seem to be moving further and further behind us with every passing day, but they are so fleeting. I think for that reason, I am figuring out that motherhood is the most beautiful, excruciating thing I have ever lived through. I heard someone say "our babies are born in total dependence, and with every passing day, they take one step away from us until they are able to stand on their own"...that never really made sense until now, but it is harder than ever to accept that reality.

I am so honored to have the privilege of being mother to the most amazing baby boy in the world! And I guess for today, all I can do is hug him as much as he will let me, enjoy each day, never take anything for granted....and keep the video camera handy!

Okokok It has been a while!

So I have been the worst blogger in the history of the world since before Christmas. Our life has been a complete whirlwind of activity lately, and even though signs of it slowing down are still far into the distance, I made myself sit down and get something posted so it doesn't seem so much like we dropped off the face of the planet.

In a nutshell, here's what you've missed:

• Micah turned 7 months, is crawling, pulling up on furniture, learning to wave, saying slightly more complex things such as "Hi Dada" and the like, and us starting to learn a new side of parenthood....discipline! Still no teeth though...no idea when that is coming!
• Leon got a new job as a Youth Pastor at a church in Southlake!!!! HUGE answer to prayer....ministry is the only thing he has wanted to do, and he is extremely happy with his new job. He is also leading worship, getting an insanely talented band together, and is thriving right now.
• I am pretty much exactly the same. Aside from my first ever "lose weight" New Years Resolution, I am just working a little bit for my dad, helping Leon, trying to keep up with Micah, and trying to find some time in there for my job (which is proving to be a trick!). But I think 2011 has some great things in store for the Reyes Family...I can just feel it. 

One of the more special things that kept us busy right after New Year was my grandmother, GG turned 75!! Huge milestone! And as a surprise to her, the whole family (minus Leon who had to work) surprised her with a big party. It was a great time for everyone, and definitely surprised her to say the least. Here is the video from that party...mostly for the fam, but feel free to watch if you want!



The other thing that has happened is that we have maxed out the 500GB hard drive on our computer, so we now are moving all our hours of video to our new 2TB external hard drive. As soon as we get that done, we will have more videos to upload for your viewing pleasure. Thanks for your patience!