happy weekend

What a wonderful weekend, I am so sad it is almost over. Nothing gets me more excited than a 3 day weekend...it means we get to spend an extra day together as a family. And we had a lot of wonderful family time this weekend. In addition to putting together The Mayor's big boy bed, we went on walks, played in The Mayor's inflatable pool, had lunch with PopPop and dinner with Meega, Bennett and J. This weekend was nothing but play, play, play. Life is good!

all smiles as we get ready to load up for our walk at the Greenway

peek-a-boo...she looked so tiny under this hat. It swallowed her head.

this is how she rolls

lunch time at Chick-fil-a

best $15 I have ever spent...he loves this inflatable giraffe pool

almost there

I am posting a picture of Ryan's new official big boy bed. But if you really knew me, you would know I am reluctantly posting this picture. When it comes to decorating rooms, especially rooms for my children, I can not rest until the room is perfect and 100% complete (it is killing me that Love Bug's nursery still isn't done...but at least I can close that door and just pretend it isn't there). We are still waiting on the conversion rails to make the crib into a full size bed, so the headboard and footboard are missing. I still don't have the bed skirt and the decorative pillows are missing. The pictures that should be hanging over the bed haven't been hung yet...I am waiting until the headboard is in place so the pictures are hanging at just the right height. I know...I am just as annoyed with my OCD habits...

Last night was the first night he slept in this bed; he was so excited. Actually, excited doesn't even describe it. We had to pull him off of the mattress no less than 25 times just to put the sheets and quilt on. And once they were on, he wanted to get under the covers. After bath time and reading some books, he didn't even want to cuddle. He wanted to go straight into his bed. (don't be fooled though, the second I shut the door and said goodnight, he cried for me and wanted to rock in his chair and cuddle). I kept his crib train quilt in the room, just in case we needed to it to make the transition more comfortable. So when he asked for his choo-choo blanket (what he calls his crib quilt), I grabbed the crib quilt and covered him up. He said "no, big choo-choo blanket". I guess no transition help needed!

In typical OCD fashion, I will post pictures in a couple of weeks when his conversion rails have arrived and the room is officially complete!

movin' on up

This picture was taken at 11:55 this morning. And if you knew The Mayor, you would know this is not normal. Back in the good ole' days when he slept in a crib (which, I know was just a week ago) he usually slept until 8 or 9:00 most mornings. Breakfast was usually done around 10:00, lunch around 1:00 and naptime around 1:30. And he never fell asleep in the car. If he did fall asleep in the car, it was usually because we were WAY past nap time. But not today. And to make it an even bigger deal, Thomas the Train was on the DVD player in the car. Which usually that is what I use to keep him awake if we are pushing nap time. So when we were out running errands at 11:00 this morning, I didn't think him sleeping in the car would be an issue....but...

This morning, someone decided to wake up at 5:45 AM. The Mayor hasn't seen 5:45 AM since he was 4 weeks old. Seriously. I heard him crying in a way that makes me think he woke up afraid like he may have had a bad dream. I went in to cuddle with him, which usually works and he will go back to sleep. But since the toddler bed is now in the room and not the crib, apparently he was not interested in going back to bed. I tried for over an hour to get him to go to bed and stay in bed. It didn't work. At 7:00 I reluctantly went in and got him up for the day. By 9:30 this morning, I felt like we had been up for days. So by 11:55, he was worn out.

Nap time and bed time have just been a horrible struggle these past few days. It has taken almost an hour to get him to stay in his bed. After discussing this amongst ourselves and getting feedback from friends who have gone through this before, we are ditching the toddler bed and getting the full-size bed. He did great in the full-size bed at Mamie and PopPop's house so I am praying for the same results here.

just another day in paradise

I am really starting to feel like a broken record, but I am really so happy to be able to be at home with my babies. Most days would be considered boring to anyone but the momma of these two sweets; we are just hanging around the house playing in the playroom or outside enjoying the sun, running errands, going out to lunch, going on walks or having play dates. But these are the moments I am going to cherish until the day I take my last breath on this Earth, I was put on this Earth to be the mother of these two precious children. Ever since I was a teenager I knew I wanted to be a stay-at-home mother. When I was in high school, I started praying for my future husband and that the Lord would bless us with a healthy and happy marriage and a way to allow me to be able to stay at home with our children. Almost 20 years later, I am living my dream, my prayers have been answered. I am living in my own personal paradise.

she got this lower lip pout from me...I used it on my father and Love Bug will use it on me. And it will get her whatever she wants...

sweet sleeping baby

running into the sprinkler mist

soaked but having fun

whirlwind

I woke up Sunday morning thinking it would be just a normal Sunday. Church, family lunch at the house, naps and a birthday party for The Mayor to go to that afternoon. And it was normal. Until we got home from the birthday party. The air conditioning upstairs went out and it was hot as an oven. By 7:00 that night it was 84 degrees up there, too hot for us to sleep. A quick phone call to PopPop to inform him he would have house guests for the night and we were off.

I was so worried. We had just started The Mayor sleeping in a big boy bed (which is just his crib with the front off...a toddler bed). My parents, over the weekend, put together a full-size bed in the nursery at their house in anticipation of The Mayor sleeping over at some point. So my options were to put The Mayor in their crib (which I didn't want to do...I didn't want to go backwards in our efforts of getting him to sleep in a big boy bed) but the thought of him sleeping in a huge full-size bed made me nervous. Since going backwards wasn't an option, he was going to have to sleep in the full-size bed. He looked like such a little peanut in that huge bed. But thanks to Mamie and PopPop decking out the bed with Lightning McQueen bedding and Lightning McQueen and Thomas the Train pillows, The Mayor was more than excited to get into that bed. After a couple of books and some cuddling, he laid down and we didn't hear from him until morning. I couldn't believe it, my baby is just growing up right before my eyes.

Monday was spent going on a walk, getting The Mayor's haircut and waiting for the HVAC guy to come and fix our air conditioning. I love The Mayor's hair. He has the best hair. It is thick and shiny and has the cutest curls at the end of his long hair. But that hair is not conducive to summer time. 5 minutes of playing and his hair is wet with sweat. D has been telling me we need to cut it for summer and yesterday I finally agreed. The Mayor's hair is gone. And I cried while he sat in the little chair at Halfpint Haircuts and his little curls fell to the ground. I tried to hold the tears in until we got into the car, but I couldn't do it. Tears fell down my cheeks as I watched my little boy immediately start to look like a big boy. I can't wait for it to grow back! It is a lot easier to wash his hair during bath time and his head is not getting nearly as hot and sweaty now when he plays, so I guess it was the right thing to do...but I still can't wait until it grows back!

Our A/C was finally fixed last night at 7:30 PM. Just in time for bath time and bedtime for the sweet kiddos. So much for just a normal Sunday...

PopPop feeding his sweet granddaughter

all smiles

in the HUGE bed at Mamie and PopPop's house

she loves her daddy...he makes her smile

the new haircut

*so happy The Mayor's hair wasn't directly tied to his awesome personality...he is still just as silly and sweet even with his short hair

just another saturday

I love Saturdays. I get so excited when the weekend rolls around. D is done with work and we get to scoot around town running errands together, playing at the playground together, just doing whatever together. It is so much more enjoyable to do everything and nothing as a family of 4. I mean, I love being home with the kids by myself during the week but when we are all together, it is just that much better.

Today we did nothing fantastic. Just ran some errands in the morning, played outside after naps and went to a local park after dinner. The weather is so beautiful and both kids love being outside. The Mayor loves to be free and run around and Love Bug is instantly calmed when she feels the light breeze against her. They are both so happy...which makes me and D so happy.

Tomorrow is church and then family lunch at our house. And since J, Meega and Bennett now live 3 miles away, they will be joining us! We are so excited their move went well this weekend and are so happy they are just around the corner! Life is good!

he did it

The Mayor slept in his big boy bed...all night long! He didn't wake up in the middle of the night or get out of his bed. I heard him talking to his animals around 7:30 this morning, which is earlier than we normally get up, but I figured that would be the case. When I walked into his room I found him sitting on his bed, looking like such a big boy. He got up when I walked in and greeted me with a hug. I told him how proud I was of him sleeping in his big boy bed.

His nap time went well too. I ended up waking him up after 2 1/2 hours; I wanted to make sure he would sleep tonight! And so far so good...

And now for a little update on my sweet Love Bug. She is getting so big! I can't believe my girl is 10 1/2 weeks old. She has the sweetest disposition and loves to smile and coo at us. She just looks at you with those big blue eyes and makes your heart melt. She also adores her big brother, and he adores her. The Mayor is always kissing her, hugging her, trying to get her to play with toys...it is so precious! I am so thankful to be able to stay at home with these two angels.

after nap...he wasn't quite ready to wake up

end of an era

It is a sad day for me. Today, The Mayor's crib was converted to his big boy toddler bed. My baby is no longer a baby, he is a full-fledged toddler. The last piece of his infancy is now a toddler bed. We had made the decision to convert his crib over the summer, but after The Mayor decided to climb out of his crib 4 times this week (and 3 times today during nap time) we bumped up that timeframe to today.

Thankfully, Love Bug is now sleeping about 13 hours at night. I would have for sure been in tears if I was still having to get up with her. I think I am programmed to only handle one child per night during an interrupted night's sleep.

After a late dinner and some playing at a playground, The Mayor has been bathed and read to. Lots of hugs and kisses and talking up the "big boy bed" and how he has to stay in the big boy bed took us to 9:00. As soon as we put him in bed he started to cry. I think he was nervous, the safety of the 4 walls of the crib is no longer there. We told him it was ok and that this was still the same bed, he said "ok" through some tears, we kissed him again and said I love you before closing the door. He immediately started crying again and we let him for about 5 minutes. I took the first round and walked in. I was happy to see he was still laying in bed. He asked to be rocked (which is something he frequently did if he got upset when he slept in the crib) so I picked him up, cuddled him and rocked him for about 5 minutes. Then he said he was ready for "night-night". I put him back in the bed and so far so good. It is 9:29 and it is quiet and he is still in bed.

D and I took a bet. I guessed The Mayor would be up 5 times tonight and D guess 10. We will see who is right in the morning.

my Love Bug...just want to nibble on that sweet double chin

*the picture of The Mayor was taken immediately after I showed him his "new" bed. He hopped up there and said "ta-da!" as if the crib miraculously disappeared. I love that boy.

end of class

A little over nine weeks ago I signed The Mayor up for a sports class designed for 2 year olds. It was a 9 week program, meeting one day a week, teaching the fundamentals of football, basketball, t-ball and soccer. There are no games, just a 30 minute class teaching them about the equipment, how to follow instructions and the basics of each sport. The first week of class, The Mayor wouldn't stop crying. I had to spend the entire 30 minutes in the gym with him, sitting with him and following him around. The 2nd week, D had to go in the gym with him, but this time The Mayor followed directions and participated in class, but just had to have his daddy close by. By the 3rd week, he was running into class and waving "bye-bye" to me. I am so proud of my little man. I snuck into class today to take some pictures and I was afraid it would distract him and he would run over to me. But I was wrong, instead he listened to his coach, followed directions and even smiled at me while I took pictures. Such a difference in him in just these 9 weeks. He is growing up so quickly.

running into class. 9 weeks ago I was carrying him in while he cried...such a difference

waiting in line to kick his soccer ball into the goal

he kicks...

...and it's good! GOAL!

Coach Shannon taught them how to stick their arms in the air and yell "goal" when they scored...so cute!

after each class, they gather together in a huddle, put their hands on top of each others and yell "SportTykes"! (the name of the class)

getting his stamp for being a good listener

waiting to pick out his lollipop

his class

4 dumdums and a cookie

For those mothers out there who are into bribing your children (and if you say you aren't, then you are either lying or your children just aren't old enough yet), it will take you 1 cookie from the Publix cookie club and 4 dumdum lollipops to get you 30 minutes of leisure grocery shopping time. We weren't able to squeeze in grocery shopping this weekend as a family, so I had to go yesterday afternoon by myself with both kids. We went right after The Mayor woke up from his nap so he was in a great mood. I just wanted to ensure that good mood stayed during our entire grocery shopping trip. I just did not have it in me to deal with a potential meltdown from my 2 year old, so before we got out of the car, I told him "we are going to walk inside the store, get into the cart like a big boy, and if you do all of that, we will get a cookie". A very excited "OK!" came out and off we went...following directions as we walked into Publix. After the cookie was finished, somewhere in the produce section, out came the dumdum. Thankfully I had stocked up my diaper bag and had plenty for our entire trip. I now know to always have dumdums on hand or my husband.

disappointment leads to a blessing

As long as I have been waiting for Love Bug's furniture to get here and finally get her room decorated and setup, it looks like I will have to wait at least another month. The furniture that finally arrived the other day after a long 5 1/2 months is going back. It is the poorest quality of work I have ever seen, especially considering how much it cost us. There are issues with the wood and the paint is chipping...so disappointed.

Luckily, the owner of the store completely agrees and is letting us return it and order new furniture. We went last night and were there until 9 minutes before they closed and finally decided on something. It is gorgeous...worthy of being in our sweet girl's room. It is such great quality and beautiful craftsmanship that it can be her forever furniture, and she can pass it along to her own children. We never would have originally even looked at this furniture because it was out of our price range, but the owner told us to pick whatever we wanted. So this could have been a blessing in disguise. Wish it hadn't taken us 6 months to have found this blessing, but a blessing it is going to be. The furniture should be in our possession in less than a month.

before this weekend, I was worried this is how she would be sleeping until she was ready for her big girl bed

finally

We ordered Love Bug's nursery furniture back in December, just a few days after Christmas, and it was supposed to arrive 6-8 weeks later. 10 weeks at the most. Cut to 5 1/2 months later, the furniture has finally arrived. It has been a long and annoying road to get this furniture here but it is finally in her room. Well almost all of it. The nightstand that we were giving for free to match her furniture (as an apology for the long delay) and the conversion rails to make her crib into a full-size bed still haven't arrived. But since she won't be in a full-size bed for at least 3 years, we can live without those and the nightstand for a few more weeks. But the crib, dresser, combo and hutch are in. Tomorrow I will spend the kid's nap time in that room getting it completely organized and setup. I can't wait...pictures to be posted then!

2 months

Love Bug is 2 months old. I can't believe it. One part of me feels like she should be so much older because I feel like she has been a part of our lives forever. The other part of me can not believe she is already 2 months old...that time is going by too quickly. Either way I look at it, my sweet girl is growing and changing so much.

This morning we took her for her 2 month well check-up. She is now 23 inches long and 14 pounds 2 ounces. She is healthy and doing great. Sadly, it was also shot day. Sweet Love Bug had 3 vaccinations: 1 orally and 2 injections. Those injections have worn her out. She has either slept or cried all day. Some Tylenol and extra cuddling seem to have done the trick because she is now sound asleep for the night.

Love Bug loves to smile and she is so responsive to us. She especially loves her older brother. The Mayor loves to kiss on her and get in her face and make her laugh. I love seeing them interact with each other. Such a sweet and innocent love. We are so blessed.

hanging out...waiting for the doctor

passing the time

mom

I have been called a lot of things and had many job titles over the course of my 33 years of life, but none have been more important or rewarding as my current title: mom. It comes with no monetary compensation and it is a lifetime commitment but it is definitely worth it.

As fun as it would have been to have spent my afternoon at a spa, today is no different from any other day we have, Love Bug is in the midst of her "witching hour", The Mayor still wants to play with his trains, but it is a reminder to me on how important my job is. And although today is just a normal day for my children, it is an extra special Mother's Day because it was my first Mother's Day with my baby girl, my first Mother's Day with 2 children and we had Love Bug dedicated at church.

Twenty years ago on this holiday, I spent my last Mother's Day with my own mother. Had I known that would have been my last with her, I would have done more. I would have kissed her one more time, told her I loved her one more time, told her how much I appreciated her one more time. But I didn't; I don't even remember that day with her. Of course at that age I had no idea what the concept of "don't take life for granted" meant. But at my current age, I absolutely get it. So on today, and I pray every other day of my life, I hope to not take life for granted and take the time to celebrate my children, my husband, my family. To treat everyday like it is Mother's Day, Father's Day, Valentine's Day....

Happy Mother's Day to all mothers, soon-to-be mothers and those women who want to be mothers one day. You are going to love this job.

me and my girl

on stage at Love Bug's dedication

gearing up for the weekend

I woke up this morning ready for what lie ahead. I had 2 babies to entertain and a house to clean before MeMe and Big Daddy arrived for the weekend. About an hour into my morning, I got a fantastic phone call. D was coming home! He decided to take a much needed day off work and spend a day with us (he didn't make it to work and then turn around, he was still near the house getting his emissions test done on his car). After feeding The Mayor and Love Bug, we went to an indoor playground to play (it was too hot outside for me) and then to lunch. During naps, I cleaned the inside while D did yard work. I am happy to report, our house is looking good!

This weekend is going to be so special. Not only do we have family coming into town, but Love Bug is being dedicated at our church on Sunday. What a wonderful Mother's Day gift! MeMe and Big Daddy are coming in for the event. I am so happy they are able to make it; it means so much to me to have family here for this important occasion. Our promise to ourselves, our daughter, our family and our church that we will raise Love Bug in a Christian home and steer her towards a life where she has a relationship with Christ. The Mayor was dedicated last year on Mother's Day as well. There is just nothing more important than having a personal relationship with Christ; to know Him, to love Him and to accept Him as our own personal Savior. As much as I pray for a long, happy and healthy life for all 4 of us while on Earth, I would much rather know we will be together in Heaven for all eternity.

MeMe and Big Daddy are set to arrive late tonight. So while we wait for their arrival, we are are going to enjoy the quiet of the clean house and catch up on our DVR!

kisses from daddy

being a ham...covering one eye up with the lens cap while saying "cheese" for the picture

back together again

I woke up this morning in the best mood. We had absolutely nothing on our calendar and D was returning from his 3 day business trip. I was so happy.

Meega and Bennett came over this morning to hang out and we decided to load up the kiddos and go for a walk. We walked for over an hour and almost died. Seriously. It was so hot. It is only early May...I am scared to death of what August is going to be like. We both silently cursed under our breath with every hill we climbed while pushing some heavy jogging strollers. We felt so good afterwards but quickly decided we either need to walk a lot earlier in the morning or somewhere flatter. I think a regular combination of those 2 requirements will more than likely be what we do.

After naps, The Mayor and I hung out with Love Bug and then we heard the best sound of the day. The garage door opening. YAY! Daddy was home! We celebrated by spending the next 2 hours outside. And The Mayor rode his tricycle all by himself tonight for the first time! He was able to work the pedals and steer the handle bars...all by himself. He looked like such a big boy. He really wore himself out and had the privilege of staying up an hour past his bedtime. Now D is cuddling with his Love Bug and I am enjoying a few moments of peace and quiet. We have a busy weekend ahead of us so I will enjoy these few moments to myself while I can.

I am going to sleep so well tonight...all of us are under one roof and back together again. As it should be...

sweet Bennett

daddy showing The Mayor how it is done...

...all by himself! Such a big boy!

sweet Love Bug. She loves being outside. Immediately calms her down during her nightly "cranky" hour