Teddy is 14 Months Old

I would blame it on the fact that February is a short month... except it happens every single month. The time is flying by and Teddy is another month older:

Teddy and his Daddy:

It seems that this month Teddy has decided to stand upright a lot more:

Not only is standing more on the chair, but this weekend he managed to turn around and stand up IN the shopping cart at Kohl's (despite being buckled in). He also started climbing up things (this is new) and he has been walking up a storm. We think he was inspired by seeing his cousin Harper walk over skype (either that or he was showing off for his aunt and grandpa who were visiting). Before I put more about their visit though, I want to catch up on some older pictures.

On Valentine's Day Teddy and I brought lunch to Shae at work and we enjoyed a family picnic:

Last weekend we took Teddy out to eat at Steak and Shake. He ate for free and the place was packed with families with small children, so it was perfect!

It is finally warming up around here, so last weekend we also took Teddy out on the canoe. He did much better than the first time- he didn't even cry when we put the life jacket on him! As Shae got the canoe ready, Teddy and I sat by the lake. He really seemed to like the geese; here he is pointing at them and talking:

The whole family at the lake (note: although I said it is warming up here, I was still freezing, so I kept my life vest on to stay warmer!)

My sister's children were out of school for break last week, so we got to go to the Ga Aquarium with them. We met at the CNN center and had lunch first:

Teddy LOVES his cousins!

I'm really not sure if he had more fun watching the fish, or playing with Caroline, Maggie, Jack, and Aunt Miriam:

This past weekend we were so happy that Grandpa Steve, Aunt Sammie, and cousin Oliver came to visit! Teddy had a great time playing with Aunt Sammie:

Although he kept calling Oliver a "cat" Teddy had lots of fun playing with him:

In fact, I think Teddy already misses Ollie. All day today he kept walking over to the glass door looking for his furry friend.

Teddy giving Aunt Sammie a high five (notice sleepy Grandpa Steve - so tired):

Teddy sitting with Grandpa Steve:

On Sunday we tried out our new Bocce Ball set. We played girls against guys, and it ended up a tie 1 to 1.

Teddy read his elmo book (upside down) while we played:

We had a great time with Aunt Sammie and Grandpa Steve and we hope they will come back to visit us again soon. Before they left, we had to take a 3 Generation (copy copy) Hoschek photo:

Lastly, here's a short video to share:

Happy Valentine's Day!

Teddy wants to wish everyone a very Happy Valentine's day!!!!!

Teddy took it kind of hard when I told him not everyone is "lucky in love"....

His sweater (a hand-me-down from Jack) says, "Love Stinks!"

Time to get in the time machine... check out how different little Teddy was just a year ago:

Same bear, same chair, same boy, one year later:

How about another flashback. The Hoscheks last year:

This year:

We were cracking up over this next picture.... it's a good lesson in perspective. Just look how huge Teddy's hand looks!!!

We hope you all are having a wonderful Valentine's Day. We are so thankful my parents babysat yesterday so we could celebrate a day early. Shae and I went to lunch and a movie and then we even went out for ice cream. It was very fun! Today for Valentine's Day we brought a picnic lunch to Shae at work, and we all enjoyed eating outside in the gorgeous weather.

Teddy says, "enough already about Valentine's Day.... mom you're soo cheesy":

(note- Teddy's sitting in his new chair in the above picture. I got it... broken... at a yard sale for something like fifty cents, and Shae fixed it for Teddy)

So this post is going to be a little random, but here are a few pictures from the Botanical Gardens two weekends ago:

Teddy, Shae, and the frog statue were reunited:

The other day Teddy made up a new game. He very carefully and purposely started taking the balls out of his ball pit and placing them on the floor, one at a time. So of course I snapped a picture:

Time for a couple of random videos. The first one is pretty self explanatory:

Sorry that video got cut off. Shae was, of course, making the famous Susie's Tacos. Yummy! This next one is hilarious because I think it shows what Teddy has learned from example. And that is, how to watch a sporting event correctly (thank you Shae for the lessons!):

I'm pretty sure Teddy is saying, "Go go go" because it's the same thing he says every time our cat Kashewa comes in to the room. That's probably because he is so used to me yelling, "Kashewa... GO" (trying to avoid having Teddy scratched again).

Lastly here are two videos from our phones. The quality is pretty poor, but the videos were funny so we thought we'd post them. I had to edit them in imovie to make them a little larger but sorry for the poor quality. Notice in the first one how Teddy puts down the fork so he can applaud himself! And in the second one- Teddy is letting loose!

Happy Birthday Finley Grace

We miss our darling niece Finley and we wanted her to know we are thinking of her on her 3rd birthday, so we made her this little video. Finley- we hope you enjoy your movie!

Happy 3rd Birthday!

He Stole My Heart... a letter to share

I have become involved in the MOMS club here in Roswell, and I am really enjoying it so far. I was recently asked to write the opening for our February newsletter. When I questioned what I should write about, the instructions were very loose, "Just tell us about yourself. About what it's like for you being a mom. About what the MOMS club means to you. Or whatever you want." Initially I had no idea what to write, but once I focused on Teddy, of course I realized I could go on and on.... and on.. and on... I'm sort of crazy about this little guy :) The newsletter came out February 1st. Since then I have had several moms tell me how much they enjoyed the letter and how I should save it for Teddy one day. Since this blog is sort of my "virtual scrapbook" Shae also suggested I post the letter on the blog. So, if you are interested, here is the letter that was on the cover of this month's newsletter:

Dear Moms,

He Stole My Heart.

Even though I have only been in the MOMS Club for a few months, I have known about it for years. When I decided to come home to Atlanta in 2003, I moved into my sister's basement with the intent of staying there temporarily. Life took an unexpected swerve and I ended up living with my sister and her family for 18 months. While I was going through the most difficult time in my life, my sister and her growing family brought joy and hope into my days. When I initially moved in, my sister was pregnant with her second child and she was already a very active member of the MOMS Club of Canton. I watched with envy from the sidelines as she and her children developed and nurtured friendships that continue to this day. I wondered if one day I would fulfill my dream of becoming a mom. I wished for a time when I could go to play- groups and picnics and share my experiences with other moms.

Flash forward and it is now almost Valentine's Day 2011. I am a new member of the MOMS Club of Rowell-East and have been asked to write something for the February newsletter. Wondering what to write about, I decided to tell you about the one who stole my heart. No, I'm not writing about my husband. Although I could fill this page with reasons why I love him, and while he is the love of my life, he did not steal my heart. I gave it to him. I'm writing about someone else. The newer man in my life.

When I found out I was pregnant, I was filled with so many emotions. I was terrified and ecstatic all at the same time. I prayed for a healthy baby, and I knew that regardless of the gender, if I had a healthy child I would truly be blessed. But, I have always been a very girly girl. I played with Barbies until middle school, and I had a different hair bow to match every outfit. I like to paint my nails and I love to buy shoes. With my unborn baby I imagined playing with dolls and having tea parties, drinking from purple princess cups and wearing feather boas. Yes, I knew I would be blessed to have a healthy child, but I secretly wished for a little girl.

Funny how life again surprised me. When my son Teddy was born, the minute I saw him, he stole my heart. From the first time I held him, to this moment as he is napping beside me, he steals my heart a little more every single day. When he smiles, it lights up my world, and when he laughs I fill with joy. He is my little boy and when he reaches for me, I feel so incredibly lucky to have him. Every time he does something new I am amazed and proud. The other day as I was putting Teddy down for his nap I started singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" like I always do. Instead of closing his eyes, he sat up and with a huge grin he started clapping his hands together for me. My heart melted.

When I found out I was having a boy, everyone told me, "Little boys love their mammas." What no one told me was just how much mammas love their little boys! Teddy has stolen my heart and now I can't imagine my life without him. I am so grateful to share this Valentine's Day and every day with the two men in my life. I thank you all for welcoming me into the MOMS Club of Roswell-East and I hope each of you are able to celebrate with the ones you have given your heart to and the ones who have stolen them.

Lisette Hoschek

"Photo Shoot" Fun

My friend Angie recently got a new camera. She wanted to try it out and asked if we'd be interested in a "photo shoot" with Teddy. Hmmm.... do we like taking pictures of Teddy??!!! She had to twist our arms, but since it was such a gorgeous day outside, we all walked down to the park for some pictures:

We were acting like fools to get Teddy to smile... but it's worth it!

Belly Laughing

OK so we were acting a bit crazy... the look on Teddy's face in this next shot captures his thoughts as he pretends not to know the goofy man and lady dancing and singing in the middle of the park:

But he couldn't stop smiling for long:

Teddy's more serious side:

Teddy loves his Daddy:

Obviously a staged "action shot":

Warning: this next shot shows off Teddy's finest feature:

I LOVE those cheeks!!!!

Teddy's hair in this next photo cracked us up. It shows how long his hair is- just in the middle of the top of his head (this kids is rocking a serious mullet)

Family shot:

Being a model is hard work!!!

Thank you very much Angie for taking these pictures! Also- a special thanks to cousin Jack. The model's entire wardrobe is courtesy of Jack's hand-me-downs!