New York City with the Lee Family

The Lee Family began their journey into parenthood February 2, 2014.  Lucky me - I was invited to join the fun.  And to top it off, it all happened in New York City!  

 Baby Adam thought it was pretty funny to surprise mom and dad by pretending to be a girl on the ultrasound.  (of course, he didn't fool Aunt Bethy)

 F

For a first-timer, Landon took to fatherhood like a pro!

Adam just loved getting his first real bath.  

And Ashley looks pre-pregnancy size after just a few days. 

 They make such a cute little family!

And I had tons of fun helping out.  In my spare time, I borrowed Ashley's boots and went traipsing around NYC sloshing in the slush and snow.  I LOVE NYC!

But I'm SO glad they're moving back to Texas!

Ivy Mae

Ivy Mae Wagstaff Quist

My aunt Ivy passed away this week.  She was 88 years old, and worked at "the shop"- (the family glass business) until a week before she died.  She was my mentor.  Ivy taught me how to cook.  We spent countless hours together baking cookies and making goodies.  She paid me to clean her house when I needed the money.  She allowed me to be her "business partner" in her short-lived catering business.  Ivy believed in me before I believed in myself.  If she had one fault, it would be her generosity.  She made sure those around her had everything they needed and never worried about herself.  Ivy was selfless.  I hope to keep a little of her in me.  She also had a sense of humor.

Last time I was in Salt Lake, I stopped by to chat with my cousin, John, and he related the following story:
Their family decided to take Ivy to the High School football game to watch Olivia dance during half-time.  Ivy took great pride in her grandchildren.  She had just been to her beautician and had her hair done, which she does faithfully every week.  During the half-time event it began to rain, so John ran to the car to get an umbrella.  Fearing her hairdo would be ruined, Ivy could not wait for John to return.  She pulled from her purse a package of  Depends panty liners, removed the disposable strips and began pasting them on her hair, in an attempt to protect her beautiful hairdo.  John returned to a scene of hysteria.  Ivy had captured the attention of the entire audience, panty liners covering her hair.  The adults were laughing, and the teenagers were jockeying for position to get a photo with their cell phones.  He apologized profusely to those around him, but they just laughed, saying they hadn't had that much fun in years.

Although I will miss Ivy, it was her time to go.  And every time I think of her, I think I'm going to smile.

Grandbaby #12

Introducing Adam Haygood Lee



Eight Is Great!

It's hard to believe our oldest granddaughter turned eight just after Christmas!  It seems like just yesterday we were driving from San Antonio to meet Mabel Patrice Peterson.  Man, was she a beautiful baby!   And now she's a beautiful girl!

 She was baptized and confirmed on January 3 by her dad.  Grandma Patrice and Papa Reed gave wonderful talks. And cousins came all the way from Dallas and Arizona to share her day.

Super mom decorated the room and made her an awesome quilt.   And what more could a girl want for her special day than chocolate milk and donut holes?  (highlight of the evening for the kids)

We're so proud of you, Mabel!

New Years!

Welcome 2014!  Happy New Year to everyone!

Our New Years festivities this year were less than exciting.  I worked New Years' Eve, which is typical.  This year there are three pediatricians in the office so I thought it would be so much easier.  Wrong.  Tad was on vacation and Christina ended up having the flu.  Since she was on call, I ended up taking her call, since you can't send someone with the flu to see new babies.  She went home at noon, which meant I ended up staying late.  I got home around  8pm pretty exhausted, but had to take a 256 vignette (long question) test that I had to finish by midnight to complete my accreditation for 2013.  ( I guess that makes me a procrastinator.)  I finished barely in time to welcome in the new year with our lovely fake champagne.  Except that our bottle opener wouldn't open the bottle.  Which pretty much summed up the evening, so we went to bed.

The next day started off better with a long run with Mike and a PR.  Couldn't ask for more than that!

Bring it on, 2014!

Nutcracker 2013

We continued our tradition of going to the Nutcracker with all of the Reed girls that are in town.  This year Atley was old enough to go!

 We didn't get our good seats, as I didn't buy them soon enough to get front row seats together.  It was still fun to watch.

 The Peterson girls. . .  (and Violet) - she's not camera shy)

 We managed to get one picture all together.

 Sweet Leah . .

 I was a little worried about getting there on time, since Lindsey had a change of plans and went to New York instead of coming, so I needed to bring Violet.  I gave myself plenty of time, since navigation is not my forte.  I didn't need to budget the extra time, as I had a navigator in the back seat yelling, "Turn around, you're going the WRONG WAY."  She directed me to downtown Houston without incident!  Whew!

I LOVE the Nutcracker!  We missed Carrie and Caroline, Ashley and baby girl, Poodle, and Ashley!  Maybe one of these years we can get everyone together.

Pizza, anyone?

This weekend for Sunday dinner DTB decided it was time to try out his new (father's day 1 1/2 yr ago) pizza stone for the grill while the kids were out of town (you're welcome!)  We're adventuresome like that!   I went to the store and bought everything we needed.  DTB made sure I purchased a new box of cornstarch, as he stated the instructions for the pizza stone were to slather it with cornstarch so the pizza wouldn't stick.

The pizza turned out with a nice, crunchy crust, but a funny aftertaste.

conversation at the dinner table:
Me: (as I'm wiping cornstarch from the bottom of my crust)   "Are you sure about this "cornstarch" thing?   This just doesn't seem right."
DTB:  "Well, I think I remembered it right, it was corn-something."
Me:  "Could it have been cornmeal?"
DTB:  "Oh, Yeah!  That's what it was!"
Me:  "Great!  That explains a lot."

This calls for a do-over.

Thanksgiving Fun

Thanksgiving was awesome this year!  While most of our family partied at Carrie's house, we had fun with my niece Emily and her sweet family.  Lucky for us (and Abby,) the Harpers stayed in Houston.  The Hamiltons arrived Wednesday evening and Abby and Violet became instant BFF's.  We had a great time introducing them to Houston - Shipley's donuts, kolaches, and many of the landmark sites around Houston.

The first event was Thanksgiving dinner and the "pie wars" - initiated by Bethy.  At first Emily was a little taken back by our competitive spirit, but quickly dove into the fun - making, decorating, and photographing our pies.  I will admit, Bex is a better baker, but we gave her some stiff competition!

 The next day we were pretty stuffed, after eating all that pie.  Since Shady had coupons for the Children's museum, and it was a little cold for Brazos Bend, we decided to give it a try.  The girls LOVED it!

They tried the construction zone . . .

physics challenge . . .

 crafts . . .

 and a special visit from Santa!  Kate charmed old Santa with her bubbly, chatty
personality.

 The maze was a little claustrophobic, and I ended up having to crawl through to"rescue" someone .

 Anatomy and physiology . . .

 and shopping at the HEB!

 This was my favorite station!  Doesn't she look official?

 They actually acted like they knew what they were doing, without any prompting!

Future physicians?  (let's hope not)

You'd think they'd be tired after all of that excitement.

Of course not!  We headed to Chic-Fil-A for refueling, where the girls decided they wanted to go to Herman Park to ride the train.

You just can't leave Houston without riding the Herman Park train.

 Even Charlie had fun!  He was a trooper!  (especially when he was with Papa)

More Birthday Fun!

Leah had a fun birthday party. (a couple of months ago)  We actually remembered to come!  Although we didn't remember to post for awhile.  We struggle.

 Pretty, pretty!

 Yummy cake!

 Piñata - always a favorite with the kids.

We had a fun picnic in the backyard.

And enough My Little Pony garb to satisfy any 4-year old!  Super party!  Happy Birthday, cute girl!

Ainsley's First Birthday

The Reed Family goes all out for the first birthday party.  The theme was pumpkin patch. (obviously)

 It was a joint party with her BFF.

 We almost forgot (OK, maybe we did forget)  We missed out on the pumpkin decorating, the crafts, and the fun treats.  But we got there in time to take some cute pictures.

Brianna always does a great job!  What a cute mom!

Happy Birthday, sweet Ainsley!

Soccer

It's been a long time since I had a kid in soccer.  Although it was lots of fun - uniforms, practices, snacks, schedules, I have to admit,  it's so much easier as a grandma!

 Asher did great!  He takes it very seriously.

 Ryan coached the team.  They won every game but one, which they tied.  Great coaching!

And Ainsley and Atley cheered from the sidelines.

The Battle of the Cougars

Here is how I have fun while DTB is working in Ohio (via Brazil and Mexico)

We went to the showdown of the Houston Cougars vs the BYU Cougars

I was pretty stoked, as I graduated from the U of H and all of my kids graduated from BYU. 

It was no- lose situation.  And either way, the Cougars won!

Ryan decided we had to get a picture in front of the Astrodome.   Lots of memories there - Astros' games, Houston rodeo, 10 K's on Labor Day.  I'm glad we got the picture before they decided to tear it down.

 Ainsley just came along for the ride . . .

and the popcorn.

It was the most exciting football game I've ever watched!  The guy next to us in the stands got a little over-zealous and the kids learned a few words they've never heard before.