A Mama's Day to Remember

Today is Mother's Day and it is one that I won't soon forget.  This morning, when Brent got home, he told Taylor to "go help your Mama find her Mother's Day present."  It's no big secret, at least to Brent, that I love surprises and trying to figure out where and what they are.  As soon as he said that, I was up and began diligently searching for my present.  About the same time I started my "scavenger hunt," Brent started snapping pictures of me.  I thought it was funny, because usually I am the one with the camera glued to my hand.  I had on Brent's shorts and t-shirt and hadn't even washed my face. . . payback I guess :)

When I went into the office, Brent said "You are getting warmer and colder."  So, I of course made my way to the fridge and then the freezer.  No luck.  Brent continued to snap away.  I went back into the office and started to check the desk, when something caught my eye.  There on the desk was the Nikon camera that I borrowed from Jessie. . . but hanging from my husband's hand was a Nikon strap attached to another camera.  My jaw dropped.  It was then that I realized what my present was.

We had been saving up all of our Christmas money and spare change to buy a tv.  Brent said that he made an executive decision and invested in the camera instead.  He said the tv could wait.  I wanted to cry.  It was one of the most thoughtful gifts I have ever received. 

We continued our usual Sunday morning routine by going to worship.  Of course, this was the one time I didn't pack an extra pair of pants in Tay's bag and wouldn't you know it. . .he peed through his khakis and onto Brent's.  Go figure! 

We made it work and after a quick stop at the store to get pictures, groceries, and a pair of shorts, we were on our way home.  We had decided earlier in the week to have our parents and Aunt Manda over for lunch.  We wanted to let our Mamas know how important they are to us.  Brent smoked a pork loin and a couple of whole chickens and grilled some veggies.  After eating that, a couple other sides, and some fruit pizza, we were stuffed.

The day ended with Jessie and Patrick stopping by to see the family and all of us gave Mama her Mother's Day present together.  We got her a glass Hummingbird bird bath.  It looked like it was made for her.

It really was a perfect day.  One that let me reflect on how truly blessed I am.  I am so lucky to have a wonderful husband, who is thoughtful and kind.  I am grateful that God blessed me with an incredible Mama, who has shown me, by example, what it means to be a good Mama and how to be a Godly woman.  I am truly thankful that God blessed Brent and I with Taylor.  Before I became a Mom, I never know how much joy one little person could bring into my life and how I could feel such a different kind of love. . . one that completely fills my heart in a way nothing else has, nor ever will.

Here are a couple of pictures, from the day I became a Mama and the days that followed.  After six days in the NICU, Taylor got to come home with us. . . where he belonged.

A Wonderful Weekend

Last night, Brent and I took Tay to Relay for Life.  We got there just as they were starting the Survivor Walk.  I wish my Grandma could have come up from Florida to be there.  She is such an incredibly strong woman.  Through God's grace and mercy, she beat breast cancer.  I was glad that we were able to go, even if it was only for a few hours.  Hopefully, as Taylor gets older, we will get to stay longer and eventually spend the night with him there.  I think it's amazing to see a community of people join together to do something good.  Being there is always a joyous, but humbling experience.

Today, my Mama and I took Tay to Snellville Days.  We thought we would skip the parade and go straight to the park to try and beat traffic.  Believe it or not, it actually worked to our advantage!  We had a great time going to all of the little tents and meeting some of the vendors.  The weather was absolutely gorgeous and Taylor and I feasted on kettle corn and a snow cone.  A ride on the train was the ending to a perfect afternoon.

Tomorrow is Mother's Day and I can't wait to share it with my wonderful Mama and my family.  This has been a weekend full of friends and family and so many little reminders for me to enjoy the little things in life and to remember to count my blessings!

Somebunny's 22 Months Old Today!

Taylor --

Today has been a very fun day for you buddy!  You are 22 months old today and the Easter Bunny came to visit you!  Not to mention, you got to see a lot of family and friends today and hunt lots and lots of eggs (filled with candy and prizes).  What more could a kid ask for?

Believe it or not, I really haven't been slacking on keeping up with what we've been up to.  I have a couple of posts that are typed up and waiting to be "posted."  All they are missing are pictures.  One of our memory sticks (the one with our trip to the zoo) won't load the pictures on our computer, so I'm holding out until we figure it out and I can put the pictures with our "stories." 

Well, it's been another busy month!  You continue to grow and change all of the time.  You still have your sweet smile and charming personality and have found ways to try to use them to get what you want.  In your defense, it works most of the time!  Even though you are full of, what seems to be, never ending energy, you still love to snuggle at night and watch Lightning McQueen.  You give the best hugs and kisses.  Your newest thing that Daddy has taught you is how to give "squeezes."

You have a new favorite word and it can sometimes drive Daddy and me crazy.  You'll never guess what it is.  It's the word. . ."no!"  You like to say it, sing it, and yes, sometimes even scream it.  Since you are our first kid, we are guessing it is a stage that most kids go through.  We hope that yours is short and sweet.

You've started going potty a lot more, and this month you have started going at Ms. Joanna's house a couple of times a day.  We have a sticker chart at the house that you get to put an animal sticker on every time you go to the bathroom and use the potty.  You like it, but not as much as you like your "potty treats" (M&Ms or marshmallows).

In April, Mama was on Spring Break from school, so you and I got to spend a lot of time together.  It was fun being able to be with you for a whole week.  We cooked, baked, and of course, played a lot!  Gigi came to visit from Florida and you loved spending time with her.  While she was here, we took her (and Mimi) to Athens to visit Aunt Jessie.  You got to see the Arch, sit on one of the Dawg statues, and eat ice cream at Hodgson's. 

After spending all of that time with Gigi, you asked to see her a lot after she went back to Fort Walton Beach.  The other day, we went to meet Hunter and Andrew at Chick-fil-A.  After you ate, you and Hunter went to play on the playground.  You were having a good time until you looked through the glass and spotted a lady with white hair, sitting at a booth eating with her grandkids.  You were convinced that it was Gigi.  You climbed on top of a bench and started banging on the glass yelling , "Gigi! Gigi!"  It was hilarious Tay!  You really are a pretty clever kid.

One day during Spring Break, Daddy and I got to take you to the zoo.  You absolutely loved it!  You were in awe of all of the animals and studied each one.  You made all of the animal noises that you could thing of!  That was the day that Daddy and I discovered how cute you are when you say the word "turtle."  You say "tu" and then pause and say "tl."  We got to see elephants, monkeys, lions, and pandas.  After you saw the panda bears, you got a stamp on your hand.  Any time we mentioned the zoo at all (that day and later on that week), you would always point down at your hand, looking for the panda stamp.

Last week, we went to visit Daddy at the fire station.  We got to see all of Daddy's friends and play with the fire trucks.  You had fun pointing and running from the truck, to the engine, to the med unit and saying "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!"  We even got to eat lunch with all of the "boys."

 

This month, we also had family pictures made by Jennie Helmuth.  She posted some online the other day and they had me smiling from ear to ear.  She managed to capture all of the things I love about you on film.  There is one picture of you with your eyes closed, your head thrown back, and your mouth wide open. . . you were "belly laughing."  When we get the cd, I will post a bunch of them.

This morning, your face was priceless when you saw what the Easter Bunny had left you.  When you looked over at your dresser and saw your Easter basket and the Mack truck that was sitting next to it, your mouth fell open.  You ran over to the end of your crib pointing and screaming "Mack, Mack, Mack!"  You just couldn't wait to get your hands on it.

Over the past three days, you got to hunt eggs four times: at Ms. Joanna's house, at Brayden's birthday party, at Nana and Papa's house, and at Mimi and G-Daddy's house.  You surprised me by how quickly you found them.  You even found the one up in the tree (of course, Daddy had to help you "climb" it to get it).  You are fast as lightning, but I hate to tell that you have your Mama's running form buddy.  We'll let Daddy break you of that when you get a little older.

Thanks for another wonderful month my little love bunny!  I love you Tay!

Mama

21 Months Old Today!

Tay --

You are 21 months old today buddy!  Time has flown by and your 2nd birthday will be here in just a couple of months.

This last month, you have learned a lot of new things and perfected some of your old "tricks."  You are still a happy, go lucky kid. . . for the most part.  What can I say, we all have our "off days."  You are incredibly silly and seem to always find a way to make us smile or laugh (which is not good when we are trying to correct you).  You are a true gift from God and bring so much sunshine into our lives each day.

You still love music and sing and dance all of the time.  We have a Disney cd that has some of the Cars songs on it and when we play it in the car, you smile and start nodding your head.  It's like you are at a concert.  It is hilarious!  You still sing "Where is Taylor" a lot but have started to try to sing "You are my Sunshine," which I absolutely adore.

For some reason, you have developed a love hate relationship with your potty.  You went for a while and then wanted nothing to do with it, so we didn't push it.  But we are definitely about to try to go a little bit more because now, not only do you tell Daddy and me when you have to go potty, you go and get a diaper, lay on the floor, and sometimes try to take your pants off. 

On Monday, you actually said "pee pee," went over to your potty and pointed to it.  I was shocked when you actually went.  You got a "potty treat" (a couple of M&Ms. . . for you and Mama) and a sticker.  When Daddy came home, you tried to go potty again.  You sat down, made two fists, and tried to push.  Daddy said, "What's wrong buddy, do you need something to read."  When you heard that, you got up and went over to your basket of books, picked out just the right one, sat back down on the potty and balanced it on your feet.  Daddy and I couldn't help but laugh. You seemed awfully proud of yourself.

You are picking up new words all of the time.  You love to look at books that have lots of pictures of real things and animals, so you can point to them and name them.  Your collection of cars continues to grow and I have become somewhat obsessed with trying to find all of the Cars characters for you.  You can almost name all of them on your own.  All I can say is that you are going to be really happy when your birthday rolls around.  There is a stash of new Cars that I have hidden that you are going to love!

There are lots of things you love to do, but being outside is still your absolute favorite.  Your newest thing is looking for birdhouses and nests.  You are always so proud of yourself when you spot one.  When we go outside, one thing you always do is look for airplanes.  Somehow, you usally hear them and spot them before Daddy and I can.  Uncle D said we need to start calling you "Radar."  That nickname may actually stick.  Aside from airplanes, you love to look for school buses and "Uncle D" (police cars).  But most of all, it makes your day when you find a Mack truck.   

When it comes to cooking, you are my little sous chef.  Whether it's stirring, mixing, or tasting, you want to have a part in helping in the kitchen.  You still love to sweep and vacuum, but want nothing to do with your toy broom and vacuum.  You want the real thing and attempt to make trades with us in order to get it.  Somehow, Daddy and I end up sweeping with a little broom, while you carry the big broom in one hand and the dustpan in the other. 

Thanks for a wonderful month Tay!  I'm looking foward to seeing what this next one brings. 

I love you sweetheart,

Mama

Night, Night

Last night, after Taylor had finished his chocolate milk and we had some snuggle time, I told him it was time for bed.  I scooped him up to carry him upstairs.  As we passed by Bruiser, he said "Bye, bye Baybru (Bruiser)."  I had only climbed a couple of steps when he turned his head towards the t.v. (Cars was still playing) and said "Bye bye Lanin' Qeen (Lightning McQueen), bye bye Lally (Sally), bye bye Helicopter (which is what he calls Mater)..."

I couldn't help but smile.  It's these little things that I try to remember to write down, because they are so cute, I don't want to forget them.

Leapin' Leprechauns

On St. Patty's Day my first graders always get fired up when they think about trapping a leprechaun and taking his gold.  My leprechaun usually doesn't go too crazy with making a big mess in my slassroom, because it is already "lived in" enough and he doesn't want me to have to clean up too much.  What can I say?  He's just a nice guy.  He usually knocks over some chairs, spills crayon cups, etc. . . But this year, there was a little bit of magic in the air.

The night before St. Patrick's Day, everyone colored a Styrofoam cup with a green marker, so that we could do a craft with them on St. Patty's Day.  When we came in the next morning, that sneaky little leprechaun had made a mess in our room, written us a note, and worst of all, he shrunk all of our Styrofoam cups into teeny tiny hats.

He even left one at our house with a little green race car for Taylor.  When Tay spotted it, his face was priceless.  Getting a cookie and a new car on the same day is a pretty big deal!

You Gotta Serve Your Time Buddy

Well Tater Tot, we knew this day was coming, we just weren't sure when it would happen. . . today was the day that you had to go to time out at Mrs. Joanna's house for the first time.  I guess you are getting too big to get by on cute!  You pushed Caroline and when you were put in time out, Mrs. Joanna said you weren't very happy about it. 

At her house, the time out spot is sitting on the fireplace.  Mrs.  Joanna said that every time she looked up, she noticed you had scooted over just a little bit, until you were at the very end of the fireplace.  You kept scooting over until you were right next to Brusters cage.  You crack me up!  I guess you either needed a little company or someone to console you!  You get spoiled at our house, because Bruiser will usually come and sit next to you while you are "serving your time."

I love you Tay, but we have got to work on keeping those hands to yourself!