Things I don't want to forget....

These are things that Michael does right now that I want to etch in my mind forever. I am the world's worst journaler (I have yet to start one for either of my kids), so I'm putting it on here for safe-keeping!

The way he says 'drankit' for 'blanket' and 'park' for 'part'.

When he goes to bed, he likes to say his rules: 

"Rule #1: No crying. Rule #2: No getting up. Rule #3: Have a good attitude."

He doesn't always follow his rules and it's really annoying but quite cute how he sneaks out of his room. He cracks the door open, wraps his hands around and slowly peeks out to see Mommy and Daddy. Sometimes we ignore him just to see how far he will sneak out of his room. Then we are stern with him and put him back to bed.

I love how excited he gets when he receives something. The other day he found some pretzels and gasped and said "Thank you Mommy! Thank you for the pretzels!".

His love for Burger King. Sam and I do not like Burger King, but for some reason, Michael got hooked on it! Everytime we would pass by, he would talk about Burger King. We had thought maybe one of his grandparents had taken him, but they hadn't. Finally a few weeks ago, Michael tasted his first Burger King burger with Grandma and Grandpa. He loved it! He loved the guitar that went with the kids meal too!

Sometimes Sam plays the guitar for Isaac to calm him down and provide some entertainment. Michael is quick to go get his 'guitar'. Then we are blessed with the glorious sounds of "Wild Thing" and "Hey Now, You're an AllStar" which are pre-programmed in his toy guitar... beautiful music! ha! :)

His computer skills. Michael already knows how to type his name as well as the rest of his family's names. He just recently learned how to play games. And now, he has learned to navigate around YouTube (with our supervision of course!). Just tonight we found ourselves watching some TOMS videos. Michael just kept clicking on one after the other. We enjoyed watching them! 

I now want a pair of TOMS shoes... good marketing through my son!!

Michael also just recently learned how to master the scowl face. It is hilarious! If he wasn't having a bad attitude while doing it, I would laugh! He just crinkles that eyebrow...So funny! Reminds me of this 'angry face' video... ha!

I'm sure there are so many more things I could add to this list. I feel like something happens every day where I think to myself "I need to write that down". This will definitely be an ongoing list.

Happy half-birthday!

Isaac, you are six months old!! This has been the fastest six months of my life! I know it's so cliche, but I honestly feel like we just brought you home from the hospital!

You are growing like a champ! You have almost tripled your birth weight. You are now 15 pounds 1 ounce (The 15th percentile). You are 21 3/4 inches long (65th percentile). The doctors are so impressed with how much you have grown! You started at below the 5th percentile in all areas! So blessed that you are such a healthy boy!

You just started eating vegetables this week. We've been doing rice cereal for about a month now and just moved up to green beans! Yay!

You seem to enjoy eating time... especially because I can put all my attention on you!! You smile the whole time you are eating (although in these pictures you are looking at me like I'm a crazy person)! You also like to spit your green beans out and make quite a mess! I love your messes!

You love to be on the floor on your belly so that you can look around at the craziness around you! You sleep so well - during the night and during the day too! You smile at everyone you come in contact with. You love your brother...he makes you laugh!

One of my favorite things you do is cuddle your blanket or stuffed monkey when you sleep. You like to have something under your arm and you just squeeeeeeze it so tight! When you're really tired, you like to put them over your head, almost like you are blocking out all noises and lights around you!

You love listening to your daddy play the guitar! He seems to make everything better when he sings to you! Your eyes lock in on him and you are just mesmerized by the music. Daddy loves to entertain you, too!

We love you so much!! You complete our family! I'm looking forward to many years of playing with you!

Prayers for Little Brother

Cough Cough.....

Sounds heard around our house over the past week.

Sam, Michael, and Isaac have all fallen victim to upper respiratory illnesses this week. Michael was running a fever and had absolutely no energy for several days. Thankfully he is on the mend and almost finished taking his antibiotic.

However, little Isaac is now sick! He is dealing with a croup-like cough and breathing issues. After taking him to the doctor, he is now on breathing treatments for the next week.

Tonight while putting Michael to bed, we said our prayers as usual and said a special prayer for Isaac. It went a little something like this:

"Jesus, Thank you. Thank you for Isaac.

Please help him feel better. Please take his sick away.

In Jesus name, Amen."

Oh.... to pray like a child and know that we are praying to our healer! As I watch Isaac struggle this week with such a minor illness, I think about parents that are watching their children who are terminally ill and struggling to hang on to life. Jesus, be near those families tonight. Amen.

Interview with Michael

So I've been in a blogging rut lately. We haven't really done anything new and exciting. We're just in our everyday life routine. I haven't even taken any good pictures lately! I went to go find a recent picture and there aren't any in the last couple of weeks.

While perusing my favorite new site, Pinterest, I was inspired by this blog post where she asks her kids 21 questions. I was curious to see how Michael would answer these questions. I honestly thought about taking some out because he wouldn't even know what they meant, but I did all of them and was surprised by some of his answers. You should try this with your kids!

21 questions:

1. What is something Mommy always says to you?


“I love you”

2. What makes Mommy happy?

“When I hold your hand”

3. What makes Mommy sad?


“When I don’t hold your hand”

4. How does Mommy make you laugh?

“When you tell me a joke”

5. What was Mommy like as a child?

“You played”

6. How old is Mommy?


“49”… [yeah, thanks buddy. I obviously need to start using some anti-aging cream!]

7. How tall is Mommy?

“Just a little bit tall”

8. What is Mommy's favorite thing to do?


“sew”

9. What does Mommy do when you're not around?

“I don’t know, Mommy”

10. If Mommy becomes famous, what will it be for?


Umm… [he doesn’t know the word ‘famous’] I don’t know….

11. What is Mommy really good at?


“sewing.” [When I asked him to say something else, he said “mopping the kitchen”. HA!]

12. What is Mommy not very good at?


“crying” [not sure what that means. I guess he probably thinks I’m an ugly cryer… ha!]

13. What does Mommy do for her job?


“sewing” [At least he didn't say 'mopping the kitchen']

14. What is Mommy's favorite food?


“Peanut Butter and Jelly”

15. What makes you proud of Mommy?


“You make me chocolate milk.”

16. If Mommy were a cartoon character, who would she be?


“Lightning McQueen”

17. What do you and Mommy do together?

“We race cars”

18. How are you and Mommy the same?


[points to his shirt]… “That’s blue and your shirt is blue!”

19. How are you and Mommy different?

“I don’t know, Mommy”

20. How do you know Mommy loves you?


“Because you give me hugs”

21. Where is Mommy's favorite place to go?

“McDonalds” [I think he has that confused with HIS favorite place to go. Although I can drink a good amount of their sweet tea.]

Melt.My.Heart.....

I love that boy!

10 years ago....

I'm remembering September 11, 2001.
My roommate Julie and I were freshmen in college at NGCSU. We were getting ready for our 9:00 English Lit class that we had together. Our friend from the dorm floor above us called to tell us that there had just been a terrible accident in which a plane had crashed into a World Trade Center building. We turned on the TV and watched as smoke was billowing out of the tower. Not but a few minutes later, we watched as the second plane crashed. Our mouths dropped and our hearts broke as we knew that it was no accident.

We then had to go to class where people still didn't know about the attacks. There was no English Lit that day... just watching TV. We watched in silence as the towers came falling down and as people were trying to outrun smoke in the streets.

I called my dad and mom and my grandmother to let them know that I loved them. I remember my grandmother being so worried. She compared this to Pearl Harbor - she was probably my same age when that happened. It was a time to put a lot of things into perspective because we didn't know what was happening. It's a scary feeling knowing your country is being attacked. I was in Dahlonega, GA. I can't imagine the fear in New York and Washington D.C....

I attended a military college and I remember the anxiousness that spread across the campus as men and women knew they were going to fight soon. I knew many people that left our school over the next few weeks and years to fight for our country. I am so thankful for them, their service, and their sacrifice. It's not just them either, it's the men and women who have gone before them and the men and women who are still there today! Such a heroic role to play!

Sam and I were watching a documentary last night on the History channel and I was just in awe. I still can't believe that September 11, 2001 was a real day. It seems like a movie. It was heartbreaking to watch wives, husbands, mothers, fathers, and family members talk about their loved ones that they lost that day. So so so sad.

I'm remembering how united we were as a country. I'm remembering that day.

GroopDealz

Remember my business that I have with my friend Jennie? 

It's PolkaDots&Doodles...

We've been busy creating new things for the fall and winter and also getting things together to be featured on GroopDealz today! Go check it out!

Big Boy

Our big boy is now potty trained!! Hallelujah!

He ventured outside in his big boy underwear and cowboy boots... and I captured the moment!

Laughter

I'm big on name meanings. If I like a name and then discover that it's meaning is not good, then that name goes out the window! Isaac's name means 'laughter'. I LOVE that meaning. It completely embodies the spirit that I want for my son.

Even while I was pregnant, I wondered what my son would look like and I wondered what his laugh was going to sound like. One of my favorite sounds in the world is children laughing!

Well... Isaac has started to laugh! He's got the cutest little giggle! He doesn't laugh longer than a second, but his smiles go all day long. Whenever you make eye contact with him, it's almost a guaranteed smile! I just love it. Can't get enough!

He is the sweetest most content little baby! We are so blessed. We have so much more laughter to come in the future and for that I am thankful!

Wordless Wednesday

Michael's 3rd Birthday Party... For Realz!

I found the pictures! The memory stick was in my diaper bag the whole time. I've checked there 237 times already and this time I finally found it!

Michael has been three years old for a month now. We celebrated last month with a Mickey Mouse birthday party! He could watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse for hours on end, so he was so excited about this theme!

Some friends of ours let us have the party at their house and take advantage of their pool. It's hard having a birthday in July because our house isn't big enough to host lots of people and it's no fun being inside anyway! Michael loves being outside, but there needs to be a water source! We also had access to the air conditioning for the old folks (ahem....Dad) that couldn't take the heat! Isaac liked the air conditioning too!

I make cupcakes for his birthday every year. My mom helped me this year! I wish I could make amazing cakes, but I still haven't mastered that skill. I enjoy finding some way to make them extra cute! :)

Have you had the Ghiradelli chocolate cupcakes? They are amazing! Michael thinks so too!

Notice Michael's mouse ears. I made those as party favors for all the kids. The girls had a Minnie Mouse bow on top! I also made a Minnie Mouse bow for myself!

We had so much fun swimming with our friends and opening his presents! Michael still talks about his Mickey Mouse pool party and all the presents he got!

Michael has become quite the fish this summer....he loves being in the water!

Isaac got in on the Mickey Mouse fun, but couldn't stay up long enough to party with us!

Happy (late) birthday Michael! We love you so much! I can't believe you are now THREE!

Michael's 3rd Birthday Party

.....just kidding!

I really want to post about his birthday party! I've been wanting to do this for about a month (hence the reason I've been posting so rarely).

However, I seem to have misplaced the memory stick with the pictures on it. My mom has all the pictures on her camera and gave me a copy. I remember putting it somewhere, but I can't remember where!

This is how my brain is all.the.time. I have serious mommy brain! So, I'm spending today - as I've spent the last several days - organizing and cleaning until I find that thing! It's only 2 inches long, so this will be so much fun! (said with a small bit of sarcasm)

I promise you it's a super fun party..... just hang tight.... be right back!

A letter to a 3 year old...

Dear 3-year-old Michael,

You are so much fun! Your daddy and I talk about how proud we are of you every day. Sometimes we sneak into your room after you've gone asleep and just look at you and smile. We love you so much. You are growing up too fast though. You need to slow down a bit!

Your favorite toys right now are your Woody and Buzz and Lightning McQueen car (all birthday presents). You also LOVE little matchbox cars. You are in the 'pretend' stage now and it's fun to hear you have conversations with your toys. Just yesterday I was listening to you make voices for Mickey and Elmo. They were taking turns driving a car in your room. I loved it!

You love to watch Veggie Tales and Mickey Mouse. You probably would watch those things 24/7 if I let you. I kind of retired Thomas the Train without telling you because the song was making me go crazy. Sorry about that.

You are still not potty trained. It's partly my fault because I have a hard time staying home long enough to do it. We're working on it though. I refuse to do the messy method where you might pee in the house, so I'm just hoping you can learn while wearing a diaper. Hopefully you'll just get the hang of it one of these days! You don't seem to care too much about the potty right now....

You are so easy to have a conversation with. You catch on to so many words and phrases! I love when you say something totally new and surprise us! You sound like such a grown up sometimes!

You are so sweet to your little brother. He adores you! You love to make him smile and you like to pretend that he's telling you stories! You say "Uh huh... And then what happened?"

Before you were born, your daddy and I had conversations about the kind of person that we wanted you to be. I said I wanted God to make you kind. Daddy said he wanted God to make you athletic. I think God has more than blessed us with those attributes in your life! You ooze fruits of the Spirit! I am so thankful that God is stirring in your heart at such a young age! I can't wait for the day that you have your own relationship with your Savior! I am confident that you are going to be an incredible man of God and that you are going to draw so many people to Him!

We love you to the moon.... and back!

Love,

Mommy & Daddy

Fathers Day Race

On the day before Fathers Day every year in our town there is a 5K race that Sam used to run with his cross country runners. Since we had family in town this year, we thought it would be fun for all of us to do together. Even Michael got in on the fun by running in the 1 mile fun run.

I don't run so I used the excuse of having to watch Isaac to step out of this one. I do plan on running a 5K in the near future, just not ready yet! :)

Michael got his first race number and he was ready to go. Sam and I both had butterflies in our stomach - full of nerves for his first race. He said that we got a feel for what it's going to be like when our boys start playing sports! I may or may not have shed a tear when Michael took off at the starting line.

He ran so well! There was one uphill point where he almost wanted to quit, but he kept his good attitude and finished strong! He had the help of his daddy and his cousins to encourage him and keep him motivated.

We then got to watch Sam's Uncle Monte and his cousins - Clark, Cori, and Cailyn - participate in their 5K race. Sam played the role of 'coach' and was running around shouting their times and cheering them on.

They all did so well! It was a nice memory - maybe a new Fathers Day tradition!

The Fourth

We celebrated Independence Day at my dad's cabin. I already professed my love of parades in an earlier post. The fourth of July is another good parade day, so I made everyone attend the Blue Ridge parade on Saturday! :) It was a cute little small town parade - complete with a John Deer tractor/float! Of course, Michael loved catching the candy that people threw at him!

We headed back to the cabin for lunch and naps and then we were out again to eat BBQ and watch the local firework show! We hung out for a couple of hours enjoying good food, the live music, and people watching!

Love that picture of Isaac and his G-Daddy!

The fireworks were at the marina over the lake... they were beautiful! I wasn't sure what Michael or Isaac were going to think about the fireworks. Michael was a little nervous at first, but ended up loving them - he watched them through his "binoculars"! Isaac was startled a little bit, but ended up sleeping through the whole show!

That was my first time photographing fireworks - so fun!

We then traveled to my mom's house later in the afternoon. We had planned on seeing another fireworks show, but the thunderstorms came rolling in and put a damper (pun intended) on the show! We plan on pulling out the sparklers later this week to make up for it!

Happy Fourth of July to you! Well, by the time you're reading this it's probably the 6th. So, Happy Sixth of July! :)

Sun and Sand

Our family LOVES the beach. I mean we would totally live there if we could afford it. However, we get by on squeezing in trips as often as we can. Usually we only go for 2 or 3 days. It's enough to tease us, but we take what we can get!

Our beach of choice is Hilton Head Island. We love the relaxed-golfing-preppy-southern-lowkey-family friendly environment. Sam may not agree with the preppy/southern part of that sentence, but I like it!

It was a risk taking Isaac on this trip because we didn't know how he would handle being outside all day long. We had shade, but it would still be warm. I was hoping that I wouldn't have to spend all day in the hotel... That would not be so enjoyable.

He was fabulous! He slept pretty much any time he was outside...on the beach, by the pool, whatever!

Another fun thing about this trip is that Michael is at a great age now where we could sit by our tent and watch him walk back and forth to the water. It gave us some time to relax a little bit.

But, Sam can only relax for so long. Soon he's digging holes and burying his son in the sand. I think all boys do this at the beach...

We went out to eat and had some incredible seafood and enjoyed some live music and some ice cream. We enjoyed the night life.

When are we going back!?

Memorial Day Parade

Well since the fourth of July is coming up, I thought it would be a great idea to finally post pictures from the Memorial Day Parade! Red, White, and Blue all around!

I love parades. I love the cheesyness of them. My husband? Not so much! I know he made a huge sacrifice taking his family to the parade this year. It was even his idea! I know he offered just because he knew I would jump at the opportunity! Thanks, Babe!

We met Sam's parents there and also our good friends, Jennie and Michael and their 2 sweet girls! It was so much fun to enjoy the festivities with good company!

This was Michael and Isaac's first parade, but Isaac didn't seem to care so much...

Michael got a great seat! He got so much attention and he had no problem running out to the participants to get some candy!

The shriners ended the parade with the best entertainment. The zipped and zoomed in these little miniature cars. So neat to watch. Of course Michael loved it!

This little camper reminded us of Sam's Grandpa...but he would prefer a big RV to this little ol' thing! :)

It was a hot day and we had some sweaty faces, but it was so much fun!