Carter's 2nd Birthday Party

It was about a month ago, but if you'll excuse my lateness on posting this blog, I think you'll enjoy it :)

Carter loves the back yard and all of it's possibilities! So I thought we'd have a backyard bash for his 2nd Birthday! What better way to celebrate turning 2 than with lots of fun with lots of friends?

We had water balloons!

A shaving cream slide/tarp - SOOOOO MUCH FUN!

He got pretty into this activity :)

Sandbox fun! 

A bouncy house that our friends let us borrow (Thanks, Sheas :)

Watermelon pops were a good way to fill up and cool down!

We had some fun summer snacks in the kitchen...


Since we didn't really have a theme...I got a Mickey Mouse Beach cake at Publix!


He loved his "Mouse Cake"

This boy knows how to eat cake :)

We had such a fun time celebrating this 2 year milestone. Thank you to all our friends and family who made it such a special day! 

Aunt Bebe's Visit

My sister came to visit us as soon as she could get some days off after Miles was born! She lives in Seattle, WA and couldn't wait to get her hands on our little man! She came the week of the 4th of July.

It was love at first sight :)

She definitely got her snuggles in! 

My other sister came to town too! Having all three of us together under one roof was so much fun :)

My parents got to come up as well! We all went to watch fireworks at the rocket. 

 Some of her friends got to come see her, and we spent LOTS of time at the pool - she wanted to soak up the Alabama sunshine!!!

We went to the Zoo with our Parents / Aunt & Uncle / Cousins that weekend, and had so much fun!

Guess who was in charge of Miles? :)

 These boys love their Aunt Bebe!!! 

...especially when she spoils them and gives them Four-Do-Do's (C's way of saying four wheeler)!!!

We love you and miss you, Aunt Bebe! You're welcome to come back and visit whenever you want :)

The Zoo

There are a few things I want to catch-up on here in blog-land. One of those things is our zoo trip. A while back - when my sister was here visiting - we went to the Birmingham Zoo. We went with my Parents, Sisters, Aunt, Uncle, Cousins and their children. We had blast!

When you go to the zoo, you get to look through/around/over lots of fences.

You get to touch some animals - you try to touch others - and you just wish you could touch the rest :)

You learn that Gorillas are really big!

It's a great place to spend time with family!

Carter spent time with his favorite Thomas Ladies :)

It was super special to have Aunt Bebe here from Washington state! Miles wasn't too sure what was going on, but he went along for the ride :)

Did you know there are bubbles at the zoo? Well, there are - LOTS of bubbles!!!

It was such a fun day. We will definitely be going back to the zoo!

Gearing up...

We are getting ready for football season and all that Fall brings around here. 

3 Months Old

Dear Miles, 

You have been 3 months for a while now, but life has been full, so it's taken me a while to write this down. Your 3rd month of life was a little more calm than the previous two. Life slowed down a little, and we didn't have as many visitors. It was nice! Your Aunt Bamie did come to help mommy for a few days, and she got to take your 3 month pictures while she was here. Then, right after you turned 3 months old, Aunt Bamie took Carter to go stay with Grandmama and Granddaddy for a whole week. I got to spend some quality one-on-one time with you for the first time. I really enjoyed our alone time together. You like to laugh now, and there's not a sweeter sound in the whole world. We have some videos of you laughing with us now, so ask mommy to find those for you one day - you will love them! You are a precious baby, and I love you so much!

Here are your 3 month pictures: 

All smiles :-)

You're really catching up to your dog!

Here you are with your brother. You are 3 months and he just turned 2 years old! Bamie got some great shots of you two even though it's hard to do!

Here are some of the fun things we did this month:

• We had lots of down time where we just hung around the house and played as a family.
• We celebrated Carter's 2nd birthday together - he got a new sandbox!
• We had a birthday party for Carter and all your grandparents and cousins got to come!
• We watched way too much Summer Olympics!!! Go Team USA!
• Aunt Bamie came to stay for a few days and took your pictures! Here are some of my favorites:

Here are the things you are doing now:

• You weigh about 14 lbs. and you are around 24 inches long.
• You still eat 7 times a day for about 30 minutes. 
• You sleep 8-10 hours at night now! 
• You take 2-3 good naps a day (1-4 hours)
• You have pretty good control of your head. You like to look around.
• You can sit in a bumbo seat for short periods of time and hold your head up.

• You move your head around from side to side when someone is holding you.
• You still smile and coo at people you recognize.
• You cackle and laugh - especially with daddy! 
• You "talk" to people - you have lots of "words."
• You watch people as they move around the room - especially mommy!!!
• You like to hold on to blankets/lovey/clothes/hair and sometimes you suck on them like your brother.
• Your eyes get big and you look around when you hear certain voices or sounds.
• You put your weight on your feet when held in a standing position.
• You are really good at looking dazed and confused at all the comotion around you - I don't blame you - our family is a crazy place!

Here is your typical schedule...you still like to eat every 2 1/2 hours:

7:00am - Mealtime (you nurse), then you are usually awake for about 30min - 1 hour
8:00am - Naptime
9:30am - Mealtime then Waketime

10:30am - Naptime 
12:00pm - Mealtime then Waketime 
1:00pm - Naptime (This is when I HOPE you and your brother are asleep at the same time....it doesn't always work out that way).
2:30pm - Mealtime then Waketime
3:30pm - Naptime (not usually in your bed because your brother is usually still asleep and I don't want to wake him up:)
5:00pm - Mealtime then Waketime ("Fussy" Time of Day) 
7:30pm - Mealtime
8:00pm - Bathtime 
8:30pm - Mealtime then bed...you like going to sleep at night. You get fidgety and upset if we try to hold you or keep you up :)
REPEAT...

I am slowly but surely figuring out how to be a mommy of 2. I know that sometimes it feels like you have to cry or scream to get my attention, and I can't promise that will ever get better. I love that I got to spend some alone time with you this month - just you and me. I can't wait to see how you grow and change next month!

Love,
Your Mommy

PS. This is what your brother looked like when he was 3 months old. 

Living and Laughing

I've been on a mini-vacation this week! My mom took Carter for a WHOLE WEEK so that I could spend some one-on-one time with this precious boy! I've also been super productive during nap times doing all those things that are just impossible to get done with a toddler in the house!

Yes, this is an older video, but it seemed to fit :) He's actually 3 months old now, but I've been enjoying him too much to blog!

Couldn't you just eat him up? I have been! I've also been packing for the beach! We are leaving tonight to pick Carter up and head down to the gulf with Kevin's parents tomorrow morning. I couldn't be more excited - or more grateful for my boys' grandparents!!!

Mommy Confessions

Sometimes I feel like a "bad mom." You know what I'm talking about. These are the things that creep in and make me feel like a bad mom on a regular basis:

• Staying up late watching the Olympics and being totally worthless as a mother the next day ;)
• Eating fast/convenience foods - a lot...because I can't get dinner on the table
• Using my TV as a babysitter (AKA: more than one 30 minute show per day - I know, GASP!)
• Laying on the couch watching Carter play by himself instead of playing with him
• Not getting my Bible Studies done
• Getting angry (yes, I admitted that - angry) when I hear my children waking EARLY in the morning or from naps...
• Falling asleep on the couch rather than spending quality time with hubby after boys are in bed

Unfortunately, this is what my home has looked like a lot over tha past 2 months. I know I just had a baby, but my mind says things shouldn't be this way. I write this as I am sitting here watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with my 2 year old because he asked nicely and I am too tired to say "No." So for all you moms out there who are as tired as I am, I'm claiming this verse for us today...

"There is a time for everything, 

and a season for every activity under heaven..." 

Ecclesiastes 3:1

...a time to engage in brain stimulating activity and a time to watch tv...

...a time to eat healthy foods and a time to eat junk...

...a time to cook and a time to get in the car and go to chick-fil-a...

...a time to play with kids and a time for them to learn the skill of playing by themselves...

...a time for peace and quiet and a time of screaming, hollering, and whining...

...a time to sleep-in and a time to get up very early in the morning because you have to...

...a time to spend quality alone time together and a time to both fall asleep and end up drooling on yourself while watching tv...

...a time to be a mommy of endless patience and a time for separation of mommy and toddler....

...a time to go to bed early and a time to watch team USA until midnight...

Maybe someday this difficult season will be over - right now things are crazy in our house, and I can't even remember the last time I brushed my hair.

Additional Note (added later in the day): 

After writing this post, I found myself singing this song today, and there is so much truth to it. I'm clinging to the fact that this is just a season and trying hard to tune my ear to "The Voice of Truth." Thank you to everyone who has read this and commented...I don't write these things to get comments - more to clear my head - however, your comments are always sweet and filled with encouragement - so thanks :-)

But the waves are calling out my name and they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again. 'Boy, you'll never win!'
"You'll never win"
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
And the voice of truth says "Do not be afraid!"
And the voice of truth says "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

I would also like to add (for all of you who are in the same boat as me) that Stouffer's Family Size Frozen Meals are on sale for $3.99 at Publix this week. I'm stocking up! Jiff Peanut Butter (yes, I'm a choosy mom) is $3.79 and Tombstone Pizza's are $2.99 :-)