Rise and Shout, the Baby Cougar is Out

Let the BYU brainwashing begin.

Labor Day Weekend

We went to Flower Mound for Labor Day Weekend.  While we were there we went to the FM Rec Center to go swimming.  Pony got to go swimming for the first time.  She really liked it, in spite of being forced to swim a-la-European and wear only a swim diaper.

Jabba the Baby

This is her flaunting the fact that she's more tan than her dad even though literally her skin had never seen the light of day.

Then she got tired, but like the wonder baby that she is...

she just fell asleep on the lounge chair and snoozed away.  She had MANY admirers stop by to ooh and aah over how adorable she was.

We took some photos after church.  This might be my favorite of them all.

Delivering a well placed left hook.

This is the best of the series because it was before Leona discovered that Grandma wears toys around her neck.

And then you don't see her face anymore after that. But chaos ensues...

Don't worry future Leona, Grandma caught you.  Don't tell her I put this photo on your blog.  She was mortified that 1) it happened and 2) that it was immortalized in a photo.

Leona's BFF

Putting this baby doll in front of Leona is like chumming the water for sharks.  She gets so excited any time it's around her and I'm pretty sure she doesn't know it's not a real baby.  This photo was taken during a rare moment of tranquility with the doll.  Usually she gives the baby lots of slobby kisses all over its face and head.

6 Months Plus Some Bonus Photos

I think that Leona looks a little bit like me at this age in this photo.

New trick, rolling over...

or at least almost over.

Trip to Colorado 2014/5 Month Pic/First Food

Leona loved taking a bath with her sisters while we were in Colorado.

At the top of Devil's Head National Park.

How Leona spent most of the hike.

She did get to peek out at the end when mom finally got a break too.

Leona was definitely NOT a fan of the rice cereal.  She kept gagging repeatedly until she had gotten every last trace of the solid food out of her mouth.

She was a fan of the bottle though.  She wasn't quite sure what to make of the combination of food time and play time when Eliza fed her.

Leona got to meet a lot of important people on this trip.  She met her Grandpa Roueche, Great Gma and Great Gpa Roueche, and her Aunt Cambrie, who unfortunately had already left for the airport by the time we got our act together to take the family photo.

4 Months

Leona Elise Roueche meet Leona Bell Brundege Walter Roberts

These are some memories that your Grandma Cole shared about her Grandma Leona Bell Brundege Walter Roberts.  I asked her to tell me all that she knew about her Grandma Roberts ("Onie", pronounced
"Oh-nee", as her siblings and friends called her) when I was trying to convince your dad to let me name you Leona.

She was the kindest, sweetest person.

She had a pet parakeet when I was little that she had trained pretty well and it would sit and play with her glasses while we played cards.

She was almost 80 when I was born, but still drove us around Casa grande when we would come stay with her. She'd make the best oatmeal cookies, and serve us TV dinners (which were a treat to us!).

Gma made very elaborate clothes and hats as a younger woman- all the clothes you see on LaRue, Bernice, and Charles as children were handmade by her. And they are pretty amazing. She also crocheted hotpads. As she got older and cataracts made her vision dimmer, she would still make those gingham aprons with embroidery on them, which we still have several of.

Grandma and Gpa LeSueur always had fond feelings for her and she was held in high regard by all who knew her.

She was amazingly patient (I only have one memory of her cussing, and she had good reason haha), and long suffering with Aunt Bernice, who bossed her around and I think had some apologizing to do when they met again on the other side. LaRue, by all accounts, had the same sweet disposition as her mother.

I was a self-absorbed teen in the last years of her life, and regret not keeping in closer touch with her.
She added to more than one letter to me (we couldn't afford long distance calls except for extreme cases):
"When the golden sun is setting,
And your mind from trouble free,
When of others you are thinking,
Won't you sometimes think of me?"

Oh! And she taught me the poem about the dolly making the speech when I was TWO (I still remember it). Further  proof she had the patience of Job. I recently found a copy of that which she had typed. I know because of the particular typos she made, which were like the ones in her letters.

She could play the piano pretty well and would sit down to the big antique piano I have and play a jaunty little calliope sounding piece.