Davis hears Santa on the Roof- Christmas Morning

We decided to pull out the dusty old video camera for Christmas morning, and I'm so glad we did!! We actually had to go get Davis up since he had overslept about an hour after his normal wake up time. We were anxious to see what Santa had brought for him, so we finally went in to get him. The video clip is short, and just gives a glimpse into the magical morning we had with the boys. It was so fun to see Christmas morning through a three and a half year old's eyes-- the moments you cherish as a parent. Enjoy! If you care to see the 22 minute video of him opening his gifts, the video can be found on my youtube channel (which you'll be on if you click to watch the video link below), or I will post a link later.

http://youtu.be/fMWQ042ht3Y

Catching Up

I lost my camera battery charger for a while (it was in a very obvious place) so I wasn't uploading pictures as often as usual. And, I never feel like I can post without a few pics, so I have gotten behind (again). Captions on the pics below... Jack is now a little over six months old! He's the sweetest little thing ever. He smiles all the time, especially when Davis is around. He's growing into a very "go-with-the-flow" baby and has adapted to our hectic lives. He still spits up as much as he smiles and we go through 3 or 4 outfits a day, at least. Well, unless I decide to just leave him in diapers for the day which tends to be a whole lot easier. He is not yet sleeping through the night and I'm going to have to do something about that soon. I've hesitated to let him "cry it out" as we did with Davis, mainly because I worry that he's really hungry since there's no possible way there's food in his belly after he spits up so much. My reasoning is incorrect since he is gaining weight, and the doctor has said he can definitely go 10+ hours without eating at night. I thought it would be EASIER to get the second baby to sleep through the night, but I was wrong!! Regardless, I love this age with him and he is so adorable and lovable. I can't get enough of his smile. Davis is also in a great stage for the moment. He LOVES school and I get excited about his excitement every MWF. At 3, he's able to go through the carpool line and be dropped off rather than me walking him in. I wasn't sure how this would go with him, but he has been great about it. It's a little sad that he doesn't need me to go in to school with him, but it's so freaking cute when he gets out of the car, puts his backpack on and hops (literally) into school and down the hallway to his classroom, all by himself. I can hardly believe he's big enough to do this, and it funny to think how proud I am that he can get to his classroom by himself (with lots of supervision by the preschool staff, of course). When I pick him up, I get to hear all about his day. Barron and I are both loving the conversations we get to have with Davis. His understanding of the world is so funny. It's so interesting to watch his thought process and hear him make up funny jokes, or solve logic problems... things like that.

The biggest change over the past month is Davis' total embrace of Jack being not only his little brother, but a real person. Davis has discovered (as you can see in the previous post/video) that he has the ability to make Jack laugh. He's quite proud of this, and we encourage it. He brings toys to Jack and will give him gentle hugs and that sort of thing. It's very sweet and totally melts my heart. I can hardly believe how blessed I am to have these two beautiful, healthy, happy and adorable little boys.

First day of school. A rainy day.

Six months old.

Brothers. Davis put his arm around Jack without me asking.

My sweet Jack.

Bathtime fun!

Brotherly Love

The first minute and a half of this two minute video is the best... we have had so much fun watching Davis take a bigger interest in Jack and helping to entertain Jack and make him smile and laugh. We have no idea what Davis is saying to Jack in this video- it's mostly jibberish, or "baby talk," but whatever it is, it worked!! Jack is obsessed with Davis- his eyes follow Davis' every move and sound. It's a blessing for me as it helps to keep Jack entertained, and I do think Davis likes the attention. All in all, watching the two of them together just melts my heart and I hope and pray they are building a brother/friend relationship that they will treasure forever.

Three Year Old Birthday Party

I am so far behind on my posts so I'm doing my best to play catch up! We had Davis' third birthday party on Saturday, August 13th at our house. We tossed around a bunch of ideas and scenarios before settling on inviting all his friends- from school, from the neighborhood and from our friends with kids- and bringing in a mobile petting zoo! It was fantastic- the kids loved it and Davis had so much fun. The petting zoo was a huge hit... there was a pot bellied pig, goats, sheep, ducks, exotic chickens, bunny rabbits, AND pony rides. They even brought a jumpy house meant for toddlers. There was plenty for the kids to do without it having to be an "organized" activity, which 3 and unders aren't really capable of handling :)

We had a lot of fun preparing for the party. Erin stopped by on her way in to town of Friday and helped us get ready. Davis helped me make six (or was it seven?) dozen cupcakes. He loves to help in the kitchen, so cupcake mix from the box was ideal. Keeping him from touching the cupcakes once they were out of the oven and cooled was a challenge... I actually caught him LICKING them after he'd been told not to touch them (with his hand)... gross and funny. We decorated the carport and set up tables and chairs for the kids to sit at for ice cream and cake. It was all very festive and cute. Davis was so excited for his friends to come over. It was definitely the most exciting birthday yet.

I'll continue to let pictures help to tell the story (in no particular order because I can't figure out the best way to add photos to this blog).

Jack checking out the action.

Davis enjoying his cupcake!

Animals!

Say cheese!

Pony ride

Happy Birthday!

Petting the bunnies.

"Happy birthday to youuuu"

Don't touch!

After the party with Addison.

good times

"Mommy" Davis

Davis has finally started noticing Jack and interacting with him more, which warms my heart to watch. The funny thing is, he's also becoming much more of a "mom" to Mutsy the more he is aware of Jack. It's really been quite funny the past week or so, and I was able to capture a few things on my phone camera. Background- Mutsy is Davis' beloved stuffed animal that he sleeps with and takes most places. Mutsy has Tiggy (a stuffed Tiger) who usually hangs out as well. Shortly after bringing Jack home from the hospital, Davis demanded that Mutsy be swaddled (at all times) like baby Jack. He even wanted Musty to wear one of Jack's onesies. And recently, he's been involving Musty in many of our day to day routines. So, here are some images of his latest attempts at mothering Mutsy.

Play-time with Mutsy: Mutsy is sitting in the Bumbo and Davis has brought him some baby toys and made him "lunch." He tells Mutsy that he has to say "may I please be excused" when he's done eating.

Nap-time with Mutsy: I catch Davis walking out of Jack's room and shutting the door. Apparently it was Mutsy's nap-time and Davis had laid him in the crib, turned on the mobile and the sound machine and shut the door. He then told me to be quiet! Amazing to me how aware Davis is of our routines that aren't directly related to him.


Feeding time for Mutsy: This was the funniest. I asked Davis to scoot over on the sofa because I needed to sit down and feed Jack. He said, " No it's not time for Jack to eat. It's time for Mutsy to eat." He grabbed my nursing pillow, laid Mutsy on his side and lifted his shirt to feed him. I was DYING laughing as I watched Davis pretend to nurse Mutsy. He kept looking down and checking to make sure Mutsy was eating. It was absolutely hilarious.

I see these actions as Davis becoming more aware of the world around him and connecting the dots so to speak. He recently said to me (out of nowhere), "Mom, baby Jack came out of your belly. You went to the doctor and when you came back, baby Jack was out of your belly." I was a little shocked that he said that given we hadn't talked about that in months. What goes on in the mind of an almost 3 year old??? But then, I told him he came out of my belly too and he just said with certainty, "No, I didn't." Haha. He's still got a lot to learn ;)

Lake Week

I have decided that it's too difficult to cover everything that happens in a week in one blog post. So, I will do what I did for the beach week in May-- pics will have to tell the story. The short summary is that we thoroughly enjoyed being able to spend enough time at the lake to enjoy everything and everyone. A few things I will remember... the calm waters of the early morning, enough ski time for everyone to take some turns, a sunset boat ride, lots of time with cousins, Jack napping the porch glider with Mimi, Aunt Kelly's helping hands, a low country boil that was cooked perfectly (thanks to my wonderful husband), watching Davis try to get up on skis and holding on to a sweet baby who didn't mind being in a life jacket on the boat... as long as we were going at least 7 mph. Davis became very comfortable in the water over the week, which was fun to watch.

Attempting to ski with the bar. Davis wasn't loving it while he was doing it, but after getting back in the boat he said "That was so much fun!"

Heading out for a quick ride.

A boy and his dog.

Staying cool in the summer heat.

Summer ice cream.

Relaxin' on July 4th.

Happy in a life jacket?? Good kid.

Arms straight, knees bent!

The best smile ever!

Watching the Peachtree Road Race. Go Daddy and Poppy!

Yay!!!

My little family.

Sweet Davis.

Boat ride!

Brothers.

East Coast, West Coast

We've been extra busy this past week, though that seems to be the norm now for us. I'm currently on my flight to San francisco for the Stella & Dot Hoopla event and fashion show. (love having wi fi on board!) I'm excited to go, but leaving wasn't easy. I shed a few tears more than once this morning as I said silent goodbyes to my sleeping boys. I will miss them tons and I keep feeling like I'm forgetting something, which is probably just because I don't have them with me. It's just three days though, and I know everything will be fine! Barron and the boys will continue the week vacation we were on with his family at the lake. Davis is totally loving his time in the water and getting so much attention from his cousins, who are all so sweet to him. We had great weather and got to take the boats out for everyone to ski (including Davis!) several times. Pictures will follow in another post. I know they will continue to have a great week, so that helps me rest easy. I must now go sit in the airplane bathroom (for the 2nd time) and pump...oh, what you do for your children!

Do they look alike?

Jack, 12 weeks

Davis, I think aound 14 weeks

I just had to share this! I love to see the similarities and the differences between my boys. Both pics were taken with a phone camera and not quite in focus, but you get the idea!!

The Father of My Children

My kids have no idea how lucky they are to have such a loving, caring dad.
He's the expert at making them smile and laugh. He's patient and kind and warm. He is a provider. He will turn these boys into fine young men. Simply stated, he is a great daddy. I am totally in love with this side of my husband... a side I've only known for less than three years. I came across a few photos I wanted to share... a little walk down memory lane.

Happy Father's Day, Barron!

Bedtime Storyteller


Sharing one of life's passions

I will carry you.

As a new dad. 2008

Adoration.

Mr. Fun

Sweet.

Laughter.

New love.

Happy Happy

I absolutely love and cherish morning snuggle time. The warmth and love from these children all nestled up with me is pure joy. I am not usually one to wish that time stand still and the kids not grow up... I typically look forward to seeing what happens in the next stage of their lives. But, when it comes to snuggling, I just want to pause the clock. I want to hug a little longer, give more kisses, see more smiles (and dimples) and hear more laughter. I want them to keep their baby feet and their amazingly soft skin. I want soak up the sight of the contrast of a tiny baby tucked in my husband's big muscular arm. I know that all is right in my world when all my boys (husband included) are snuggled up with me before the start of the day.