My Two Sons

Things I'll Miss

2012-02-08T11:04:00.000-08:00

This guy is at such a fun age/stage. I love that I now get to have two way conversations that make sense most of the time. He's ALL boy and a complete mess.

If anyone is on the ground, he takes that as an open invitation to tackle - it doesn't matter your age or gender. The poor little girls in his Sunday School class! I'm not sure if he will grow out of this (there will actually have to be some boundary coaching on our part -I am sure) but if he does, I will miss it.

He is also very sweet and snugly. Soon he will be too big to truly snuggle with. I am going to miss him putting his head on my shoulder as I get him out of his crib.

He is fairly obedient and easy to "redirect." I am for sure going to miss that-there's just no way that will last forever!!

We're getting closer and closer to potty training. I will miss him coming in the house and saying "Mommy, I poopy. I stink like a skunk!" I may miss that little phrase the most! ;)

My Super Bowl Party

2012-02-05T18:01:00.000-08:00

My motto is if you can't go to the party- then bring the party to you. And that's exactly what I did for the Super Bowl. Everyone knows that you can't fully enjoy the biggest football game of the year without a huge spread of unbelievably delicious and unhealthy food and twenty of your closest friends. I feel as though I got close.

The Menu:
Chicken Nuggets
Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Carrot Sticks
Pears
Milk
The adults (ie. Me and Jerel) enjoyed chili and beer bread!

Here's a picture of the big crowd...

It was a night to remember! ;)

PS- I couldn't give a rip about the NFL- I am pretty much in this for the commercials!

For the Love of Books

2012-01-27T11:30:00.000-08:00

Well friends, I have not blogged because there has been absolutely NOTHING to blog about. I think that is just part of January. We recover from the busy holidays, stay inside to avoid the cold dreary rain, and just lay low in general.

This week, however, I went to a consignment sale. I love, love, love consignment. I get about 90% of the boys clothes through two different sales twice a year. I know there will come a time that they will get too big for this but I am going to take full advantage of it while I can. My biggest steal is that I got a pair of Sperry dress shoes for Nolan that look like they have never been worn for $3.00! I was pretty darn excited!

Anyway- the point of all of this is to say that this time I also ventured into buying a few books. I usually avoid the book section because it just seems so overwhelming but I took a deep breath and dug through the piles. I stumbled across a few great finds and my boys have been in heaven. I am beyond thankful that they love books. Jerel and I love to read- sadly I can't seem to find the time that I use to for books- and we read to the boys all throughout the day. Nolan is at the point where he will spend a long period of time just looking at books. I can tell that he is really wanting to learn to read. I was afraid that Elliott would not love books because we have not read to him as much- but he too is a huge fan. May they always love the written word!

New Years Eve/Day

2012-01-08T17:32:00.000-08:00

We have very sweet and generous friends with a very nice lake house. We are so grateful each time they invite us to join them there. This New Years Eve we packed our crew up for the weekend and enjoyed beautiful weather, amazing food and fellowship with great friends. It was a perfect way to bring in 2012.

December

2012-01-02T18:36:00.000-08:00

December was busy and mostly undocumented on the blog. Now that it's January I will try to catch up a little. Here we go...

I would like to take this moment to say that I love living in the South! The weather has been so mild thus far and we have take FULL advantage of it. I have been so thankful to still be able to walk with the boys in the afternoon and we have been playing outside as much as possible. Tomorrow's high is 39- so the streak may be over!!

I wanted to see if I could get our Christmas cards for as cheap as possible this year. I like really nice cards and I send out between 80-100 so it can get pricey. I have noticed in years past that there are a ton of deals in November on cards from various sites so we worked hard to get our picture in October. It was fun to go this route and some of the cards were REALLY nice. I think that my total cost was $16. Not too shabby!!

Nolan had his first little school performance and I was TOTALLY unprepared. He is obviously my first born. We got there about 5 minutes early and I promise you there were parents there at least 30-40 minutes before us. AND they all had tripods. Really, these kids are 3, 4, and 5?!? Not only did we not have a tripod- the battery in my camera was dead. Mommy fail! So I snapped this with my phone. I did have a friend who took mercy on me and took real pictures. When I get them I will repost. He was so excited and sang his classes two songs for me- and anyone else who would listen- for weeks. I think that he was suppose to be a donkey.

I wanted to bake cookies and take them to our neighbors this year. My sweet friends Megan and Sarah came over one day to help. Can you see all the sprinkles Nolan dumped out?? He had fun helping.

The finished product. Nolan and Elliott had so much fun going door to door with me handing them out. Hopefully I can keep up the tradition and do this each year.

My friend Kristi had us and one other family over to decorate ginger bread houses. Eight small children + three mommies + frosting and candy = mass chaos. It was so great- glad we did it!

And that brings us to Christmas. We had a great day. Nolan came running out of his room and 7:00 and yelled, "Merry Christmas!! Baby Jesus was born today!" I love that they are starting to get it!

~~Jerel~~ We got an ipad this year, so this is now a common scene in our house!

The boys scored some much needed FSU apparel! Thanks Uncle Tom!!

Jerel had the week off between Christmas and New Year. We got a babysitter and headed to Asheville for the day. We took a comedy bus tour of the city that was quite entertaining and headed to the Grove Park Inn and had a fabulous meal. It was so nice to get away for a few hours and complete several uninterrupted conversations!

We had Christmas #2 at Curtis and Berne's.

Again- I love living in the South. I think this was taken on December 30th. The boys were busy helping Jerel put mulch under their swing set!

That night we went over to our friends Paul & Emily to bake pizza and let the kids play. Their family is such a gift to us!

Ok- I was going to post about our New Year festivities but I just don't have it in me. I will get back to that in the next few days. If you have made it to this point in the post you need to give yourself a big pat on the back!! ;)

Merry Christmas!!

2011-12-25T11:40:00.000-08:00

From our family to yours!

My Halls are Decked- sort of

2011-11-29T11:18:00.000-08:00

Mainly- the only Christmas decor we have is our Christmas tree. Ok, there are stockings on the mantle but that is seriously it. I keep thinking that I need to add to our repertoire but I feel pretty spent- literally- after Christmas when everything is on sale. The up side it that it doesn't take me long to get "everything " out! :)

Our first Christmas together we found a cute tree farm not far from here where we can hunt and kill our very own tree! We have gone back every year since. I really hope that the boys love this tradition as they grow up.

The lighting wasn't great for a picture, but this is real life people!! :)

Went on a hayride

More real life bad lighting :)

Ta-dah!! Decorated!!

Christmas Picture Fail

2011-11-10T11:48:00.000-08:00

I have decided that taking the "perfect" family photo for the Christmas card -when you have a two and three year old- is not for the faint of heart. My mom came in town for a few days so I figured I would have her take the picture. Easy breezy, right? Not really.

First, because it's the first day of day light savings you have to figure out the best time for lighting. Second, you have to coordinate outfits so that everyone goes together without being matchy- matchy. Third, you have to get everyone up from their rest/naps, and get them into said attire. Then you have to drive 20 minutes out to Furman University because you know it's really pretty and have gone there with the professional photographer a few times (which just doesn't fit into the budget this year) so you think you know all the hot spots. Finally, you need to REMEMBER YOUR CAMERA BATTERY that is sitting on the charger at home!!! Ugh, so frustrating. Everyone (Jerel) was very kind and not irritated with me at all. I discovered that I have my very old and pathetic point and shoot in my purse, so we thought- what the heck. Maybe we will get the magical photo with this sad camera. Que laughter! The battery on that camera is shot and only takes a few photos and dies. So, here are the highlights!

I did learn a few things during this failure of a trip.
1) I didn't like the boys in their vests- just didn't work
2) My photographer Susan should charge more for all the babies and families she photographs
3) If we didn't take a Christmas card photo, it would save me time and money in the end.

So, I was ready to quit the whole thing, but my sweet husband encouraged me to try again. We went back out last night- took 140 pictures and I feel good about two of them...

I am sure that I can make one of these work. Any votes?

In other news- we had my sweet friend Anna and her family stay with us over the weekend. They were in town for a wedding. I love when worlds collide like that. We were in China together and now she lives in Virginia. I didn't get a picture of us- but how dang cute is her son???

My boys loved having Henry here. He is non stop and full of fun!

Also, I finally took N & E for a haircut. This was Elliott's first cut- so it had to be documented! He did great and looks like such a little man now!

Ok- that should about cover it for now! Congrats if you stayed though the whole thing!

Dear Fall:

2011-11-03T11:25:00.000-07:00

I love you so much. Please don't leave us!

I finally have him pulling for the right team!

Nolan took this picture. I wish that I could photo shop in some makeup and out some wrinkles! :)

Bob Cat

In Case of an Emergency...

2011-10-31T17:00:00.000-07:00

Give me a call and I will send my crew on over!

Elliott in typical 2 year old fashion wanted nothing to do with dressing up- as the pictures will reflect. I think once he realized that there was candy involved he quickly warmed up to the whole idea!

Elliott's 2!

2011-10-23T06:50:00.000-07:00

Friday, my sweet Elliott turned 2. My baby is growing up and I love to watch who he is becoming! We had a small "family" party and it was a great day. The theme was firetrucks which I enjoyed doing little details to make it all come together. My hat is off to you moms who can pull off huge birthday parties for your little ones. We were all exhausted yesterday and literally laid around all day recovering! :) Maybe it gets easier as the older they get. Somehow I am doubting it! Ok- onto a million pictures!

He's ready for the big party. First we started with presents. I only get our boys one thing because they get PLENTY from everyone else. Jerel and I are going to clean out/ organize the play room this weekend.

Sweet Annie and Emma Kate

Nolan was a excellent big brother and a huge help with the presents

A fire truck- of course!

Nolan gave him binoculars and Elliott loves them. Notice how they are backwards and up side down. I am pretty sure that is how he will always use them. That's just how Elliott rolls!

My mom sent him a huge Richard Scarry book that both of the boys LOVE. They are actually looking at it right now as I am doing this!

Next we moved outside to smack around a pinata. That was one stubborn bull!

We had to bring in adult male reinforcements!

Us-1, Bull-0!

Then we came in to eat yummy Gumbo- no pictures included and had cake.

So...the cake. Cute, right? I ordered the topper off of etsy about a month ago. I got it on Tuesday with his name spelled wrong. I was sad and the lady who made it was so sad that she made a mistake. She was going to overnight me another T but I decided that it would just look silly, so she refunded me the price and gave me credit for another free one whenever I want to use it. She was so nice about the whole thing. Now it's just a funny story! :)

He loved being sung to.

I made Fire truck cookies as party favors. They turned out fairly cute but were a major labor of love!

We love you buddy and hope you had a great birthday!!

Sky Top

2011-10-20T06:17:00.000-07:00

I love living in a place that we can be at the beach one day and in the mountains the next. Literally, the morning after we got home from the beach we headed up to the cutest orchard to "pick" apples. Here's a confession- we never actually pick the apples. It seems like way too much work, so we just buy a ton of apples that they have already picked and bagged. The boys don't know the difference and it gives us more time to enjoy the rest of the orchard.

The only down side is that Nolan apparently gets car sick. About half way there he says "Mommy- my tummy hurts". I look back at him and he is that gray/white/green color. I just started to pray that he wouldn't throw up in the car because we were in the middle on nowhere and had nothing with us. The Lord was gracious and Nolan was able to hang in there until the second we got out of the car at Sky Top. He lost it in the parking lot and we were able to have a great morning! :) Poor guy!!

My boys seriously need haircuts- I am aware!! :)

Family Vacation

2011-10-17T17:46:00.000-07:00

Guess where we went??

We took our first family vacation and headed to the beach. Our amazing neighbors gave us their very large beach house.

I'm not kidding- it was huge! Thankfully, Jerel's parents were able to join us for a few days. When we arrived there was a major storm with 30 mph winds. The beach was a little out of the questions so we headed to a Children's Museum. The boys loved it!!

The next day the sun came out and we were able to head to the beach. Nolan loved it immediately. It took a while for Elliott to warm up to the sand. I totally understand- I am still trying to warm up to the sand myself! :)

We had a perfect week. The boys were great travelers. We are looking forward to our next adventure!

Picnic Weather

2011-10-04T18:41:00.000-07:00

The weather here has been amazing and there was no way we were eating inside today. I had a little picnic with my two favorite guys (under the age of 4, that is!).

It all started normal...

And somehow they ended up eating UNDER the table. That how we roll around here!

Typical?

2011-09-27T05:55:00.000-07:00

As I was turning off the lights to go to bed last night I realized that this was the scene on my kitchen island. It looks like to me that unless the tractor can save the day, Mickey is going to get it. This is what everyone's kitchen counters look like, no?

Call me if you would like my boys to stage your home!

A Rainy Day

2011-09-23T11:31:00.000-07:00

Generally, as a mom of preschoolers, I dread rainy days. Yesterday, however, we needed the rain so desperately that there was joy instead of dread. Apparently joy leads to a small amount of creativity on my part, and we had a fun day!

The boys put on rain boots and splashed in puddles- soaking themselves and having a blast.

I would like to take this moment to pledge my undying love to Oxi Clean!

After nap/rest time we popped popcorn. I don't know why I don't do this more often. Such a easy snack.

Jerel has been traveling most of this week. Whenever he has a rental car Nolan asks if he can "try it out". They would stay in there for hours if we would let them. Great rainy day activity, if you ask me! :)

While I was getting dinner ready Elliott watched some Disney...


Good thing it's just an old wives tale that you shouldn't let your children sit too close to the tv! ;)

And Nolan took a flying leap!

Yes- I am grieved that Nolan is wearing a Clemson t-shirt. He is a traitor! Aunt Amanda- we need to commission you to pick up a few shirts for us the next time you're in Tallahassee!! :)

Touch a Truck

2011-09-17T11:57:00.000-07:00

This morning we went downtown for breakfast- FROZE (it's a little too cold for September in my opinion)- and went to a "Touch a Truck". I am pretty sure my boys could have stayed all day but all those cute little kids insisted on continuously honking the horns on the large rigs. I felt like I was back in China!! Thankfully there was a playground near by and I was able to convince my clan that was a much better option! :)

Sheer bliss!

Almost cute enough to be a Christmas card picture! ;)- why and I already thinking about this???

Nolan's dream job!

We loaded E up in a UPS truck!

Sweet Boys in a Box

2011-09-15T12:09:00.000-07:00

Insert 1960's family sitcom music where everyone is perfect and siblings play happily...
"I'm so thankful that all my boys need to keep them happy is a big box!!"

Ok, here is the real story. 20 seconds after I turned off my camera they started kicking and hitting each other. Elliott jumped on the box while Nolan was in it- splitting the box open- Nolan started punching Elliott- I yelled at them and took the box away. Just keeping it real people- just keeping it real! :)

Our Ham

2011-09-10T18:45:00.000-07:00

Elliott is such a funny, sweet, sneaky boy! He constantly makes us laugh and has proven that he's difficult to discipline. Somehow he manages to make disobedience cute! T-R-O-U-B-L-E!!! I don't want to worry too much about what all of this will mean for us in the future and just enjoy our crafty almost two year old!

This is how he was running around the house before school this week. I'm wondering if I will one day see him on the "Hunky Firemen of 2031" calendar. ;)

Then later that day he was running around the house with this oven mitt on and when it was time for dinner he climbed up in his chair, with said oven mitt, picked up his fork, and ate his entire meal with that huge thing on his hand. Whatever, dude!!

Speaking of ham, this is Nolan eating, well...ham! He is becoming quite the carnivore and we couldn't be prouder!!

Duck, Duck, Goose!

2011-09-06T05:54:00.000-07:00

Last week Jerel has the entire week off, which we love!! We did little projects around the house and tried to do a few "special" things with the boys. They love when we go down to the river to feed the ducks. This day we found mostly geese. They are apparently very use to children feeding them stale bread and are a bit aggressive. About 5 seconds after I took this picture a goose bit Nolan because he wasn't feeding it fast enough. We decided to move up river to find less aggressive ducks. Sadly the pigeons were onto us and followed along. We did find six very sweet and appreciative ducks, were happily feeding them, and I was just about to take a picture when a pigeon landed on Elliott's head. I screamed, Jerel knocked it off with his hand, Elliott cried, and we left. I am sure there is a lesson to be learned in all of this- I'm just not sure what it is! :)

First Days

2011-09-03T17:44:00.000-07:00

It finally happened- the boys started school. Nolan's first day was on Wednesday and he had a great day. It was so funny- Jerel was off this week and so we all loaded up the family truckster and drove him to school. This is our first year for the car line and it's a totally different experience. I had talked him through exactly what would happen and how he would get to his room. We crept up to the front of the line, I reached back and got him unbuckled, a teacher came and got him out of the car, and the darnedest thing happened- I started to cry!! Did you just read that correctly? I.STARTED.CRYING! I never cry! I was so excited about him going to school, HE was so excited about going to school, this is his THIRD year at this school!! What the heck? I just think there was something very maternal about watching my first born walk into school all grown up without me! I didn't know I had it in me!! :) Then Elliott started shouting "Nowen, Nowen, Nowen!" and crying. Apparently it was a very emotional morning!

Anyway- he did just fine, didn't shed a single tear and had a blast. I really pray that it's a great year for him. Elliott is only going on Fridays and I was nervous that he would wrap himself around my leg and not let me leave his class room. Not quite what happened. He never knew I left (I didn't cry at all btw) and when I came to pick him up he pitched an all out fit because he didn't want to leave. There you have it! Jerel and I went out for a breakfast date while they were at school and did a little shopping. I found a super cute dress for $20. Sending them to school is actually going to save me money! ;)

Nolan's First Day

Elliott's First Day

Apparently he had enough of the picture taking! :)

Sweet brothers!

Arrr Matie!

2011-09-01T05:00:00.000-07:00

My friend Emily invited us to join their family at Chick-Fil-A for Princess and Pirate night. Since they have two girls we thought it would be a great evening for our families. Lets just say- that up to this point of my boys' lives, we have not been that adventurous. This was our very first experience dressing up for anything other than Halloween. They were so into it and loved dressing up. Nolan kept saying "Arr Mate!" and I asked him if he was a Australian pirate. Elliott continues to growl like a lion with a "matie" on the end of it. Cute!! We headed there early because I had a feeling it may get a little packed. OH.MY.CRAZINESS!!! They had a princess and pirate there to take pictures with the kids and there were kids everywhere!! I sat down with our food and did not move until we left. That is how introverts deal with mass chaos! :) The boys did great eating- which is huge- and had a blast. I am so glad we braved the evening- thanks Emily and Paul for braving it with us!!

Elliott's "scruff" was better earlier in the evening!

creapy pirate dude

Princess Annie and Emma Kate

A Photo Finish

2011-08-25T11:55:00.000-07:00

Well ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls (I am sure mostly ladies and girls- except for Jerel and my brother- hi, Tom!)- the end is so near I can almost smell it. I have almost survived another summer. I say almost because they start school next Wednesday and Friday and today I took them to orientation. Whew- it wasn't really all that bad. Gives me much hope for next summer!! Last year when I took Nolan to orientation we had a "Mommy/Son" date at Dunkin Donuts after. I thought I would take both boys this year and call it a tradition! Elliott is also going to do one morning a week, and I think it is going to be good for all of us.

I sometimes have to say, very quietly to myself so no one hears, "It's a good thing he's cute!! ;)

While the Cat's Away...

2011-08-16T06:19:00.000-07:00

As the saying goes- While the cat's away the mice will play. Apparently Nolan is the cat and Elliott was one excited little mouse the week his older brother was gone. I thought they might really miss each other but I think the real truth is that they were each excited about the undivided attention they had for one week.

Jerel was on vacation the week Nolan was gone. Elliott got to ride on the lawn mower for the first time and became a tool junkie helping Jerel hang our bike rack. The two of them had 3 1/2 days to bond while I was getting Nolan. How great is my husband that he took vacation to take care of Elliott so I could go to Florida for a few days?? (Julia- now you know! ;))

Nolan's Vacation

2011-08-10T11:53:00.000-07:00

My mom mentioned about 8 months ago that she would love to fly up here and take Nolan back down to Florida with her for a week. Sounded great to me- we just had to find a time that would work. Apparently the last week of July/first week of August was the perfect time. Always a lovely time to visit South Florida (not really- I am being sarcastic!! :)).

So, my mom came up on a Thursday and Jerel and I were able to have a staycation 5th anniversary. We went downtown, sat by the river with our feet in the water and talked, stayed at a beautiful historic hotel, ate at one of our favorite restaurants, and SLEPT IN!! It was a great little retreat in our cute little town!

The next day I packed up my first born and put him on a plane, hoping for the best. He did so great and now loves to fly.

Nolan took this picture of my mom on the plane.

He was there 4 days before I came down to get him. And they were busy.

Grandpa taught him how to play the guitar. They also built a stool for Nolan to use while he was there and a few other little projects.

Grandma took him to the park @ 3:00 in the afternoon. Crazy Grandma!!

They live on a golf course and he had several different tee times! :)

I got there on Thursday and I think everyone was happy to see me.

I also took him to the park, but I took him @ 8:30 in the morning. It is just so dang hot down there and I could usually only handle 30 minutes!

So, I took him to the lake to play at the "beach". That he loved and could have played in the water for hours.

Then it was time to leave. Nolan wasn't sure that he wanted to go because "Grandma and Grandpa would be sad without me here". I assured him they would get over it! :)

Doesn't he look so old in this picture?

He was a lovely travel companion and I couldn't have been more proud of him. He really had a great time and is looking forward to his next visit with Grandma and Grandpa. I am voting for February!!

My Hygrometer

2011-07-14T17:42:00.000-07:00

A Hygrometer (UK: /haɪˈɡrɒmɪtə/) is an instrument used for measuring the moisture content in the environmental air, or humidity. Humidity is difficult to measure accurately. Most measurement devices usually rely on measurements of some other quantity such as temperature, pressure, mass or a mechanical or electrical change in a substance as moisture is absorbed.

Well, I don't need no fancy hygrometer- I have Nolan's head. And apparently we were at 100% humidity today! :)

Our 4th

2011-07-05T12:08:00.000-07:00

We went into the weekend having no real plans but ended up enjoying a great holiday as a family and with friends.
We headed to the pool early to beat the crowds and secure an umbrella for our stuff. Nolan jumped off the diving board 379 times. Ok- probably not literally.

Elliott and I sat on the sides cheering him on and eating Goldfish!

We ate lunch then then came home in time for the boys to crash. Always a glorious event!! Then we went over to our friends house for a cookout and games. We really had so much fun.

I made this glorious fruit pizza- and I do mean glorious!!!

There was a seed spitting contest-

I love that the dad's are down there showing them how to get it done.

Then there was a egg race and water balloon throwing contest.

The next 3 shots are classic Nolan-

We then did fireworks on the driveway. Nolan wanted no part of the fire and noise while I had to fight to keep Elliott out of it. Such is my life!! :)

It is such a blessing to celebrate FREEDOM with these boys and our continual prayer is that they will one day come to appreciate the freedom that we have as American citizens but ultimately the freedom that is offered to them though Christ. We hope you were able to have a great holiday as well!

A Faithful Friend

2011-07-01T06:46:00.000-07:00

Meet Giraffe- he is a faithful friend indeed!

He apparently loves to swing-

Enjoys snacks while watching Wimbledon-

Is a lovely dinner guest-

Plays hide-n-seek (or at least I assume that is what is going on here)-

Cools off in the kitty's (aka Bob or Patches, depending on who you ask) water bowl-

He also joins us at the pool, in the car, at Publix, Home Depot, Trader Joes and Costco. He would like to go to church and the gym, but I have to cut him off at some point! :)

Adopted

2011-06-23T12:01:00.000-07:00

Meet kitty. He showed up on our doorstep Tuesday night as I was lamenting to Jerel that I really want a dog- but apparently God does not want us to have a dog. We have had a few failed attempts. So as I am conceding to my husband, I look up and there is this sad kitten meowing at my back door. I asked it if it needed a home, and now we have a cat!

He's very sweet. The boys love him.

I told him he could stay if he's willing to live outside, help control our chipmunk population...

and is able to survive Elliott's chubby hands. Wish him luck :)

I sent out a email to my neighborhood to make sure that no one has lost a kitten- but I am pretty sure he has been abandoned. He's really skinny and limps a little. Hopefully he will be a good addition to our yard! :)

Happy Daddy's Day!

2011-06-19T10:07:00.000-07:00

To the man who has logged countless hours reading everything from "Peek a boo" books (which he hates- by the way) to the Bible. Our boys are so blessed to have such a patient and loving Daddy, and I am blessed to have him as my husband! Happy Fathers Day!

Poor Guy!

2011-06-01T18:36:00.000-07:00

This little guy is usually nonstop, full of life and joy. However, this is what he has been looking like for the past three days. Monday afternoon he woke up from his nap with a 103.7 fever and medicine really helps but he just can't shake it. He is so pathetic. I am also a little pathetic because we can go nowhere.

On a lighter note my mom was here last week and I asked her to make curtains for my kitchen. I am so happy with how they turned out. It just needed some softness of fabric.

I have to say I am less than excited with our current weather. Yesterday I ran to Publix for about 10 minutes and when I got back in the car it was 107 degrees. Yesterday was still MAY! I have to get the boys out really early. After about 30 minutes Nolan was begging me to go back inside. There is a chance it might be a long summer! :)

Saturday

2011-05-15T17:38:00.000-07:00

We have been counting down the days until May would get here. May is when Greenville's downtown farmer's market starts back up. We have gone down every Saturday since I moved here. It was a little sad not to have Rockey with us- he LOVED going downtown and we were convinced that he would count down the days and would often wake us up if we dared sleep in (before children of course!). Yesterday we enjoyed a yummy breakfast and walking through all the beautiful art of Artisphere- out local art festival.


Not exactly the type of picture you want to put in a frame- but it's honestly the best I've got from the morning!

Elliott was captivated by all the art! :)

Then that afternoon we went out to a friend's 800 acre cattle farm for a Sunday School cookout. It was so quiet and beautiful out there. The boys had a blast.

Can we say H-E-A-V-E-N!!??

This child is fearless, especially where animals are concerned

Common Bond

2011-05-11T11:38:00.000-07:00

My children LOVE coffee. They come by it honestly- I didn't give it up for one minute during either pregnancy. I did drink less- but apparently I consumed enough to transfer a true admiration. The only problem is that I don't actually like to share! :)

PS- I am working on a Bathroom renovation update. I'll get it up eventually

E-bert

2011-05-04T11:57:00.000-07:00

E-bert is one the the 3,276 nick names that Elliott will answer to. I have no idea where or how I came up with it. All I know is that when I call "E-bert" he will come running. Kinda like a dog! :)

Elliott has recently turned 18 months. At his well check we found out that he is still huge. 29.15 lbs (97%) and 35.25 inches (100%). He's at such a fun stage of life, and yet things like "MINE" and "NO!!" have been thrown at us lately. Also, he is not afraid to throw a tantrum. Nolan has never been a tantrum thrower- as whiner, yes!- but not a tantrum thrower. So, I now get to be that mom in the store that other women look at and silently utter "Bless her heart". I am pretty sure the main reason we are parents is to be continually humbled. I digress...

I promise that I try to not let this child have his paci all the time...

But this is what happens when I take it away from him...

And sometimes I just need the peace...

And quiet.

"Please let me have my paci, Mommy!"

In the Mean Time

2011-04-30T10:29:00.000-07:00

While Jerel is healing- slowly but surely- I am trying to keep the boy's schedule as normal as possible. So, we play golf off the deck and watch Mickey Mouse while eating tractors. That's normal, right?? :)

Update

2011-04-26T18:30:00.000-07:00

We are home and feel very grateful. His surgery went as well as it could have and already he is able to stand and walk with some assistance- which were impossible this morning. For the next month he will not be able to pick up anything over 5 lbs. and we will have to wait and see how the nerve damage recovers. We are hopeful. Thank you for the many prayers- they were all felt!

Prayers Appreciated

2011-04-25T17:43:00.000-07:00

It's been a wild few days around here. Jerel has been having back problems since December but lately it's been getting worse. On Thursday morning he went to stand up at his desk and was completely unable- and in excruciating pain. We were able to get in to see a neurosurgeon Friday morning and today have discovered that he has ruptured two disks in his back and his nerves are very upset about the whole thing. He is still unable to stand or walk and surgery is tomorrow morning. We are given no promises about the recovery of the nerve damage in his feet and legs- but we are really trusting God with this and praying that there will be a full recovery. We have been warned that it may take as long as a year. So, please feel free to pray about any of the above! Thanks!!!

Egg Hunt

2011-04-19T05:51:00.000-07:00

We had our annual neighborhood egg hunt. We had a 100% improvement rate this year. Last year, it was Nolan's first hunt and he got two whole eggs. He would SLOWLY find an egg then SLOWLY open the egg to see what was in it, then SLOWLY put in in his basket. After two eggs the other kids had found all the other eggs. So this year I gave him a pep talk. I informed him that the goal was to get as many eggs as possible- the goal was to WIN! So as he helped me put jelly beans into the dozen eggs that we had to take to the hunt, we talked again about running to find as many eggs as possible and not opening them until we passed out from counting the hundreds of eggs that we he gathered.

The hunt began- he SLOWLY walked into the back yard as the other kids ran past him and managed to pick up four eggs- two of which were empty and had no candy in them. I am thinking that we are going to have to set a training ground in our own back yard this week as I try to survive Spring Break. Lord help me!! :)

Tis the Season...

2011-04-12T17:47:00.000-07:00

Apparently it's caterpillar (or as Nolan says it cad-a-puder) season. They are everywhere, and they are a great source of entertainment. It's also, learn to climb a ladder and go down a slide season. Good times!

Dying to Self

2011-04-06T18:38:00.000-07:00

Confession: I don't really like messes. I mean, I can handle some clutter, but I just don't love being messy. I have never been one to plunge my hands into the dirt. And I don't even want to talk about sand- I hate sand. So, needless to say I don't actually love when my children are covered in food. I am fairly sure I am part of the reason Nolan is OCD. I just never let him get really messy. However, with Elliott I don't have time to stay on top of his every move and he DOES NOT want me to feed him. So, lunch time looks like this...

Look at those chubby, filthy hands :)

The real problem is the cleaning up process- it's everywhere and takes forever!

So, lets talk about his ~~jacked up~~ chipped tooth. Sadly, he fell at preschool on the gym floor, and for the next 5-6 years, this is what his sweet smile will look like. He already had a cute gappy grin, and now it's gappy, crooked, and broken. I have to confess that when it first happened the ugliness of my heart really showed up. I was afraid that kids would eventually make fun of him, that people would not think him cute anymore, blah, blah, blah. One- a little chip could not take away the cuteness of this baby- mostly because he has the loveliest, sweetest, spunkiest, determined soul. And two- 1 Samuel 16:7 says "The Lord does not look at the things that the man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearances, but the Lord looks at the heart." Enough said. :)


"I don't want to talk about it Mama!" :)

Dad's 70th

2011-03-28T12:21:00.000-07:00

This is my dad. He turned 70 last weekend

We surprised him with all my siblings and nieces and nephews coming into Greenville to spend a weekend at the lake

We ate...a lot

We kayked

We relaxed on this fabulous porch

My mom and I schooled two of my brothers in a game of Corn Hole!

Uncle Kyle taught Nolan how to drive a boat

Elliott was cute (we'll talk about that sad chipped tooth later)

Cousins played

Teenagers napped

We stared at the glorious views

While staying in this beautiful house. It was the perfect weekend!

Cause & Effect

2011-03-01T17:56:00.000-08:00

Because we currently have no bathtub in this house...

I get to bathe this cute thing in our thankfully large kitchen sink....

For the perfect, sweet smelling effect :)

Guess what we're doing...

2011-02-26T12:19:00.000-08:00

We finally could no longer take the hideousness that was known as the boys/guest bathroom-so we ripped it out!! We are about 3/4 done with the renovation and I am in love!! I can't wait to show you the before and after! Hopefully after next weekend!!

THREE!!!

2011-02-23T11:23:00.001-08:00

This past Sunday, my first born turned three. It's hard to believe that three years have passed since I brought that sweet baby home from the hospital. I tried to have a low-key party but it always ends up being more work than I anticipate. He had a really great day and I could tell felt special and celebrated!

I made him a train cake. I thought- oh great, this will be like making cupcakes. So quick and easy. So naive!! :) This was actually try #2- but I was happy with how it turned out. It was 100% edible- but difficult to photograph.

He got a new bike from my parents- which he loves.

He is obsessed with all things John Deere and he also loves yard work. He was so proud of this!

Elliott saying "Happy Birthday Bubba!!"

Sous-Chef

2011-02-14T11:36:00.000-08:00

Generally, for Valentines Day I make Jerel sugar cookies as my gift. I neither love nor hate this holiday, so I figure why go all out when one is indifferent. However, beginning in January we gave up sugar and white flour- so that made sugar cookies a no- no. BTW- Jerel has lost a ton and I have lost some. Typical. Anywho- I decided to make him dark chocolate covered strawberries instead. Fortunately, I had the cutest little helper. He helped me eat the chopped up walnuts that we toasted and rolled the yummieness in, and then he helped me lick chocolate off of any surface available for licking.

The finished product.

Glad he was there to help me. Pretty sure I couldn't have done it without him!! ;)

Hopelessly Devoted

2011-02-11T18:37:00.001-08:00

This sweet child is obsessed with books and trucks. When you put the two together it's a deadly combination! He will sneak out of his bed to get his favorite truck book. This is how I found him when I went in to get him from his nap. Could be worse!! :)

The Dangers

2011-02-07T07:37:00.001-08:00

Apparently, if you leave your boots in the playroom you are in great danger of them turning into toy storage! :)

Death by Cabin Fever

2011-01-13T06:05:00.001-08:00

Today is day 4 of being shut in because of 6 inches of snow and ice. I have osculated between being ok with it all and wanting to run through my icy streets screaming because I just can't handle being in this house one more second! I try to remind myself how beyond thankful I am that we have not lost power. When I can keep that perspective it helps me have a better attitude!

Monday morning when we woke up everything was covered in soft beautiful snow. We got the boys out to just walk around and my neighbors grandchildren were coming out and building a ramp on their front steps. They were so kind to invite Nolan over to play. He had an absolute blast!

Notice the fancy pink boots?? I tried to buy some rain boots on Sunday and every shelf in Greenville was wiped clean! My sweet friend Emily came to our rescue and Nolan just loves that he is wearing Annie's boots- he could care less about the color! I am learning that snow is just going to be a part of our lives a few days a year and I need to go ahead and invest in the equipment.

Elliott was happy to just sit in the wagon and watch Nolan sled. Jerel works from home, so even though we were shut in he had to still work. Thankfully he took some time on Monday to play with us.

So, we have survived, but I am READY to get out of here! So are the boys. Next week should be much better!! Here's to hoping!

A Sad Day

2011-01-07T10:47:00.001-08:00

Today we had to say goodbye to Rocky- and it has been a sad day. The doctors felt like his organs would begin to shut down by this weekend, so we decided to put him down before he began to suffer. We have been trying to fight this auto-immune battle for the past 7 months and finally lost. We are so thankful for each day we had with him.

Right after Jerel and I married (July 2006) we talked about wanting a dog, but really didn't know what to get. At the time I was working in Atlanta and he was working in Raleigh and we were just gone way to much for a dog. In the meantime I had met my friends David and Meg's dog Bocci- who was a Wheaten Terrier and loved him. Jerel also randomly met Bocci and thought he was so cool. We researched the breed and were interested but had heard that they are not always great with children. We knew that we wanted children and because of traveling we were still in no place to get a dog.

In February 2007 we found out that we were pregnant (oops!!). Jerel had been planning on taking me to New York for Valentines day. Our first morning there we were getting ready to explore the city and I had on the movie Rocky III while we were getting ready (I love the Rocky movies). As we were leaving the hotel my friend David called me. I also worked with David and figured if it was a work-related phone call I was unavailable. I listened to his message and called him back immediately. He and Meg had been fostering another Wheaten Terrier for the weekend through their vet and was looking to find this sweet dog a good home. Because I was newly pregnant I 1)knew that my travel schedule was going to drastically change and 2) was a little nervous that this dog would not be great with babies. Good news- David and Meg had a new baby and this dog so gentle and licking their baby's feet. The vet said that I could come down to Athens and take the dog for a 2 week trail if I would like. As we are walking through the streets of NY and I am on the phone, I ask the name and am told that his name is Rocky. Since we were watching the movie 5 minutes earlier we took it as a sign and told him we would come take the dog the next weekend. 25 minutes into my 2 week trial with Rocky I knew he was our dog! A week later I found out that I was miscarrying the baby and sweet Rocky was some of the balm that helped heal my broken heart.

Sadly, I don't know if we will ever be able to replace him. He was AMAZING with our children. He did not shed, hardly ever barked, never chewed on the kids toys, and only ever had two accidents in our house (which were actually our fault). We would take him down town with us every weekend and he was famous. He loved to greet people and people loved to pet him. He will be missed by many!

White Christmas

2010-12-26T10:21:00.001-08:00

Starting on Monday the forecasters were predicting snow for Christmas. My response- "I'll believe it when I see it." Lets just say, I am now a believer! :) We have had a very full and beautiful weekend.

Friday night before the Christmas Eve service (which, by the way, is CRAZY when you have two small children and it's a family service. I basically hung out in the hall with the other moms and dads of pre-two year old children. Elliott was not to be contained!) our former neighbors who love Nolan and Elliott as their own grandchildren, came over to do gifts. They know of Nolan's passion for all things John Deere.

He was so excited when he woke up from his nap to find this waiting for him. We are now the proud owners of a 6 ft. tractor and trailer. Jerel is counting down the days until it is warm enough to get this out of our play room. :) Nolan talks to it like it's human.

I thought that I had a picture of Elliott int he trailer. I will have to put one up later.

Our sweet Rocky- who has been really sick with chronic anemia- may be our last Christmas with him.

Nolan got a kitchen from my parents

Elliott got the cutest retro rocket from my parents. As you can tell, he is pumped!

This morning we were able to get out in the snow!

My little man started walking this past week!

He fell over, but was so cute down there that I had to get a picture!

Two seconds later he burst out in tears! He had enough!

We had a great time celebrating the birth of Christ. We made a coffee cake Saturday morning and put candles in it to sing happy birthday to Jesus. I confess, before I had children and I had other friends that did this, I thought it was really dumb! However, I want Nolan to begin to learn that Christmas is not all about the presents we open but about the true gift that Christ gave us when He came to this earth to become the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. THAT is what I look forward to teaching my boys in Christmases to come.

Hope you are your family had a great weekend as well!!

POP

2010-12-21T11:47:00.001-08:00

Most 14 month old babies try to get OUT of their cribs...

Not mine...

He tries to get IN...

Because he knows these are in there...

This is Raffi and Pop and Elliott is totally in love....

Too bad buddy, they have to stay IN your crib!!

Love,
Your Mean Mama!

Baby, it's cold outside!!

2010-12-09T11:44:00.000-08:00

I have been a bad blogger lately. The truth is- it's been so cold out that we have gone nowhere, we have done nothing. So unless I post pictures of me and the boys in the playroom, there's just not much to talk about. However, we did go cut down our tree which we always try to do Thanksgiving weekend. It was a gorgious and very bright day, which is enjoyable, but bad for pictures. Above is Nolan being blinded by the sun.

My men cutting down our very cute tree.

Elliott watching their every move.

Bad, shadowed, two-year-old-not-looking-at-the-camera, family picture.

This is in front of one my neighbors house. Their yard is currently a BIG part of our lives. Nolan is fairly obsessed with the light display. The mailbox behind him is a faux mailbox that opens and closes when it's on. They turn the lights on around 5:30 and I swear Nolan knows the second it happens because he starts begging me to go see the mailbox. Many nights we drive down to see them because it is just so dang cold. The whole time he will say, "Oh Mommy, I am pretty excited!" How cute is that?? Today, however, it was warm enough the put layers and layers on and walk down. We were all so glad to get out. It is a trick to put mittens on small children/babies. I said about 236 swear words (in my head) as I was putting them on the boys. I think that's partly why we haven't gone out much. Once I have the socks, shoes, coats, vests, gloves and hats all on I am totally carnal. Maybe I need to work on that!! :)

Right now my mom is totally freaked out that I don't have their coats zipped up to their noses. Don't worry Mom, they were fine!! :)

Thankful!

2010-11-15T16:48:00.001-08:00

Today had the potential of being a very long, exhausting day but I am so THANKFUL that we had a great day. I am thankful that it didn't rain here this morning and we were able to play outside. I am thankful "Ms. Karin" invited us next door to help rake leaves (of which we were zero help, but it makes the day less lonely! :)). I am so thankful for how beautiful this fall has been- I really don't know if I have seen more vivid colors. And I am thankful that I dressed my children in something half way cute this morning- made for some fun pictures!

I couldn't narrow down the pictures beyond this. And as I always tell myself, my mom will at least like looking at them! :)

Pictures

2010-11-06T05:48:00.000-07:00

We got Elliott's one year pictures back. Jut to review- Elliott had a nasty stomach bug of which we were passing off as "drainage". However the rest of us in the next 24 hours were severely affected by the same bug. Needless to say none of us felt 100% during these pictures. With all of that- I would say that they turned out pretty well. I don't know that I LOVE any of the ones of Elliott but I am happy with the family pictures. And lets face it- it's so much more difficult to get a family picture than just one baby!! :)

Click here and under clients use the password sarah0327

Enjoy!!

Priceless

2010-11-04T18:41:00.000-07:00

I love this picture for so many reasons. Nolan was attempting the big boy potty and Elliott, as usual, has to be in the middle of all the action. He crawls into the bathroom, stands up in the tub, attempts to crawl in and gets stuck.

So, here are the behind the scene things that I really love.
1) Jerel was standing there the whole time. I don't think that I would have let Elliott crawl into the tub in the first place just to fall on his face- but that's why boys have dads!!
2) Elliott was screaming his head off because he was stuck on the ledge. Instead of any of us rescuing him; Jerel, while laughing, calls to me to come look. I then run to get my camera- all the way across the house and back. I should have taken a picture of how red his face was once we were kind enough to help the little prince out.
3) I am not actually potty training Nolan. It scares me to death, I don't want to do it. But sometimes he says he needs to go and we put him up there and he does the deed. I think I will commit over Christmas break. I am getting tired of buying so many diapers. Just think of all that money that would be freed up if I would potty train my kid. I'll keep you posted!

Cowboy & Bee

2010-11-02T11:11:00.001-07:00

First of all, I posted these pictures in the wrong order and now just don't have the energy to fix it! Now that I have that off my chest, I can move on...

We had a great Halloween. I have been talking to Nolan for months that he was going to be a cowboy. Sometimes you really have to give this boy a LOT of advanced warning. He doesn't do so great if you spring things on him. He loved it and would walk up to the doors of the neighbors he knows well, take off his hat and say, "Yee Haw!". It was way cute. Jerel took him around our street while I held down the fort and handed out candy with the bumble bee. Elliott loved being in his costume, which I figured he would only keep on long enough for a picture or two. I think he would wear it daily if I would let him. Truthfully, I was going to skip dressing Elliott up this year, but I found this at a consignment sale for $4 and couldn't help myself. I am so glad I did.

On a funny note, one of the boys on our street dressed up like a creepy, evil clown. As he was running down the street in all his candy induced excitement, Nolan was freaked out!! Jerel was very kind and patient and explained to Nolan that the clown would not get him and besides, Nolan was a cowboy, and clowns could never "get" a cowboy. Nolan talks about that scary clown several times a day!! :)

Stats

2010-10-29T07:53:00.001-07:00

I took Elliott in for his 1 year well check. He weighed in at 27.12 lbs (96%) and measured 32.5 inches (99%). I don't even want to talk about this head measurement- one because, who cares- and two, it's so big the nurse had to measure it three times because she couldn't believe HOW FAR it was off the charts. Oh well, no hats for this kiddo! Anyway, I was surprised about two things. I really thought he would weigh more- even though that is hefty, and also that when I looked back at Nolan's one year he was also exactly 32.5 inches in length. I guess that I think Elliott is so much bigger. Maybe it's those four extra pounds! So, there you have it folks! Everything else looks great. We have a big, healthy boy on our hands.

Read Me A Story

2010-10-28T07:57:00.000-07:00

My sweet friend Emily has an endless wealth of knowledge about children's literature- of which I know nothing!! I lamented to her that the library overwhelms me ESPECIALLY when I have my boys with me and that I needed a plan. She was so sweet to type up a list of her favorite books, authors, and illustrators. She loved doing it so much that she decided to start a blog about the subject. You should check it out here - your kids will thank me! :)

If you scroll all the way down to her first post you will see the list she wrote up for me.

Ode to Elliott

2010-10-21T12:11:00.001-07:00

Can you believe that I had this sweet thing a year ago today?? It has honestly gone by so fast and I have really enjoyed Elliott's first year. This little guy is so sweet and so fun. He has us laughing all the time. He and Nolan are starting to enjoy each other. Well, Elliott has always been enamored with Nolan and I feel like Nolan has recently started to play happily with his little brother. Elliott is cruising on furniture but doesn't seem all that interested in walking. He's a great sleeper and a good eater on days. I'm convinced that I have no idea how to help my children be good eaters- but that is another post for another time. He's starting to use more and more words. He says Dada, night night, pop, GO GO GO, honk honk, and he'll sign all done. Did you happen to see Mama on that list? No?? Me either!! :) I wanted to share a few of my recent favorite pictures of our birthday boy.

He seriously loves this dog and Rocky is so sweet and patient with him.

I could squeeze these legs ALL.DAY.LONG!

This is one of his favorite toys. This kid will crawl all over the house, including up stairs, with this in his hands. Now that is talent!

I had just finished folding this basket of clothes. Thanks buddy!!

Again, why I don't clean windows.

He's a cool daddy. Always has a foot propped up. He and Nolan were holding hands during lunch. Melt! :)

My parents were here last weekend so we celebrated Elliott's birthday early. You have to be able to collect social security in order to be invited to my childrens' birthday parties. :) I made these cupcakes and frosting from scratch. YUM!! I may never be able to go back to the box.

Nolan did a great job helping Elliott open presents and showed him how to play with then. It gave me a insight to what Christmas is going to be like this year. Crazy!!!

It took him a while to warm up to his cupcake but once he had a bite he was all in!

So...that leads us up to this morning! He hasn't been sleeping all that great this past week. He's been getting a cold, or maybe allergies, AND cutting 2 teeth. Just stuffy and grumpy. I got him up this morning, snuggle with him as he has one of his final bottles and 45 seconds later he proceeds to throw up all over himself, me, and the carpet. I was just thankful that he hadn't had the milk in him long enough for it to curdle. I know, it's the small things in life that keep me going. I took this picture right after I stripped him down. He wasn't the least bit phased. I think that he was dealing with a lot of drainage. I had his 1 year pictures scheduled to do this afternoon and was so hoping that I wouldn't have to cancel. I was careful with the food he ate and there were no more incidents UNTIL we were almost to our picture destination and he vomited all over everything. We pulled over, changed him, got back in the car and had the pictures done. No promise on how those will turn out!!

Happy birthday buddy. Sorry you threw up all over the both of us!! :) We love you no matter what!

Why Bother

2010-10-12T11:04:00.001-07:00

Confession: I do not clean my windows. All of them have hand prints, nose marks, and dried pools of saliva provided by two cute little boys and a cute dog. My thought- why bother?? If I clean them, they will just quickly return to their previous state. However, when my mom was here for the wedding weekend she took pity on my poor windows and cleaned them. After all, there were 22 women about to embark on my home and I am pretty sure it would have been noticed at some point. However- this is what happened the day after my mother left...

This is Nolan licking the entire length of the window. Look at sweet Elliott carefully taking it in...

So he too could get his mark back on the glass with his mouth. Good news...my mom will be back this weekend. Maybe she will bother again!! :)

Mr. & Mrs. Trzcinski

2010-10-06T11:50:00.001-07:00

This past weekend my sweet friend Sandy got married here in Greenville. She is originally from Ft Lauderdale- but her sister and mom now live here and she considers this home. Score for me!!
Sandy and I met while I was on staff with Crusade and I had the privilege of serving in East Asia with her as well. I just love her friendship. Because the wedding was here and she lives in Orlando, I tried to help her as much as I could. I actually ended up being the wedding coordinator and really enjoyed it. I think that I would do that as a business if I didn't have two little ones. Maybe I will give that a spin when my little ones are no longer little! :)

On Saturday we had a Bridal Luncheon and lingerie shower at my house. It was fun to host this with Lyn and Cathy (also CCC friends).

We did a formal sit down lunch with china, crystal, and silver. So much fun!!

That night we headed out to Furman University for the rehearsal dinner. It was a small intimate wedding and it was great to catch up with so many friends. Sandy gave her "bridesmaids" (there was actually no wedding party because it would have been HUGE- they considered each guest a part of the wedding) the cutest monogrammed aprons.

I flew my mom up to take care of the boys. Thanks mom- couldn't have done it without you!!

This is the gorgeous chapel that John and Sandy got married in. It is actually about 45 minutes from here in the mountains. Breathtaking!!

I like this guy!! :) He was a HUGE help, as always, during the wedding!

Sandy looked amazing. She glowed, as all brides should!

The happy couple!!

MAJOR Victory!

2010-09-28T11:53:00.001-07:00

These, ladies and gentlemen, are pictures of my child eating cheese with pieces of turkey lunch meat in the middle. You read that right, Nolan for the first time in his life, ate meat without gagging or throwing up. He knew exactly what was happening and was a willing and even happy participant! I am sure that this is no big deal to most of you but I almost broke down in tears as he was eating. We have been in occupational therapy for the past year and a half because he has/had major texture issues and gagged on most foods and meat was his number one enemy. Through therapy and time he has really grown out of the texture issues but we have had such a hard time getting him to make peace with food. He eats basically 5 different foods and either has a PB&J or grilled cheese every single night for dinner. Today, however, we were all sitting down and eating lunch and I was sharing turkey and cheese with Elliott. Nolan said that he wanted some cheese and I told him that he would have to eat a TINY piece of turkey with it. This generally leads to weeping and gnashing of teeth- but today he kinda just gave me a face. Since I didn't have an all out protest I decided to bribe him with a M&M. Little does he know that I would have given him the whole dang bag if he would just have one bite. So he took the bite, gave me a little drama and ate the M&M. Then I told him that if he would do it again I would give him a M&M and do the happy dance. This time he ate with NO drama. I danced, he laughed and we were on. For the next 15 minutes he ate and I danced. Oh the things we do for our children!!! I am so proud of him- this was a HUGE milestone in our lives!!

Mr. E

2010-09-18T12:05:00.000-07:00

Cute, right?? :)

Praying for the Nations

2010-09-08T18:54:00.001-07:00

We like to train them up young around here!! :)

First's

2010-09-01T17:48:00.001-07:00

Today was a day of first's. To start off with, Nolan had his first day of school. As far as I can tell he had a great day. If I ask him any specific questions about his day he totally ignores me- like I never even asked him anything. I think it's a boy thing, and I think this is just a foreshadowing of many many years to come! :)

Before heading to school

How cute is this?? Elliott and Rocky wanted to get in on the action!

Then after his nap we took Nolan for his very first haircut. I've never even trimmed over his ears and I just couldn't take it any longer. We took him to this cute place called Jelly Beans that specializes in children haircuts. If your child has never had a cut the first one is free. Score!! He sat on a 4-wheeler and when he started freaking out about a strange lady coming at his head with scissors she gave him a Mickey Mouse toy to play with. Between the toy and Jerel he was pretty distracted and did really well.

The finished product. He looks so much better. I think tomorrow will be much more mundane. I may take him to the grocery store. Now THAT will be exciting!! :)

First Date

2010-08-27T10:59:00.000-07:00

This week Nolan and I went on our first date. He had an orientation at school to meet his new teacher. I think Ms. Pam is going to be a great fit for him. He will be going two morning a week and we are SO ready! I really think that I am going to flourish as a mom of school-aged children. I honestly look forward to being as involved in their schools as I can be. Just a few more years! :)

Self-portrait before we headed out the door. This was my 4th attempt and by this point I was getting frustrated and sweaty! It was a real dilemma of whether to post a picture where I look good but Nolan has a mouth full of food, or to go with a really cute one of him and a rather shiny one of me. He won out!! This is about him, right?? :)

So, after orientation I took him to Dunkin' Donuts for his first ever doughnut and some fun coffee. The child is obsessed with coffee. It take total responsibility for that- I never quite gave up my own addiction while pregnant. He comes by it honestly! Anyway, I had really low expectations because he generally won't try new foods- even sugary treats. He did great though. I let him pick out the one he wanted- with frosting and sprinkles of course. At first he wouldn't touch it- so it sat on the table and he licked the fun stuff off.

Eventually he did pick it up. Victory!! If your child does not have texture issues you need to thank the Good Lord above!!! It is a challenge to say the least but we continue to make small steps in the right direction!

After DD we headed to the library to pick out some new books. I have to be honest, I have still not mastered the art of the library with him. Usually I am trying to look at books (and there are some really strange juvenile books out there I might add!!!) and he is running laps while laughing loudly between the different aisles. Yep, I am apparently THAT mom!! I try to threaten and regain control, but I am afraid to admit that I have- up to this point- lost the battle. I think I need a new library strategy.

All in all it was a great morning with my big two and a half year old! I love when I get to really focus on just him and am looking forward to many more dates!

Dear Elliott;

2010-08-24T11:32:00.001-07:00

I am so sorry that your Mama is such a slacker. I know that you turned 9 months old five weeks ago, and I know that any significant event that involves going to the doctor and getting 2 shots deserves a blog post, and I know that I faithfully documented every month of your brothers life on the exact day of his milestone. But the thing is- I had NOTHING else to do!! So, if you are reading this when you are old enough to understand- please know that I love you so much, but I am tired!! :)

Love,
You Slacker Mom

9 month stats:
26 lbs. + 30.5 inches = a huge baby!

Frankie Says Relax

2010-08-02T12:04:00.000-07:00

I think that Nolan channels my deep inner love for the 80's. Our neighbor Anna gave Nolan these sunglasses and he is SERIOUS about these things. They live in the car and the second he gets in his seat he puts them on and when I open the car door to get him out he carefully takes them off, folds them up, and sets then on the armrest. Rock on dude!!

My Best Decision!

2010-07-29T18:04:00.000-07:00

Four years ago today I made the best decision. I said "I do" (or was it "I will"- I can never remember!!) to Jerel Warren. It's been a really fun, really full four years. I wouldn't trade a day of it. Looking forward to another one!!

PS- this picture always cracks me up. I love how the girls are all huddled together and you could literally fit another human between each of the guys. But I will say, it was about 112 degrees in that sanctuary - those guys might have been the wiser of the group!! :)

Zucchini Races

2010-07-20T10:29:00.001-07:00

This past Saturday at our downtown market they had the best activity for kids- zucchini races! Never heard of them?? Me either, but it is a great idea. They attached wheels with a wooden dowel and then let the kids decorate the cars however they wanted. When the project was complete they hiked their new hot rod over to the race track and duked it out. Ok, it wasn't that dramatic. But I will say that Nolan beat the pants off that other kid. :) This will most likely be the theme of Nolan's first birthday party where we actually invite other kids. It was really fun!! The picture quality isn't stellar, but I forgot our camera and just had to go with the trusty blackberry!!

Off to the races

Just seconds before victory

The Champ! :) Pinewood Derby here we come!!!

Weeks...

2010-07-16T10:54:00.001-07:00

I know- it has been weeks since I have "blogged". It has just seemed overwhelming to me- for absolutely no reason! :) So I am going to try to catch up. 3 weeks ago we were able to have Elliott baptized. It was a great day and enjoyed having some friends and family over for brunch. Sadly, I took zero pictures. I don't even have a picture of the ceremony (is there a better word for that??).

My mom was able to come up for the big day and then we left her with the boys for 5 whole days! Jerel and I went to Nashville for our church's general assembly. It was a fun and relaxing week and my mom did such a great job with the kids. I was ready to come home by the end of our time but it took 5 days for me to get there! :) Again, no pictures. What is my deal??

My sweet and happy Elliott on the 4th. It was a VERY low-key holiday around the Warren house. They are not really at the age for parades and fireworks. We basically hung around the house and did nothing. I think we grilled hamburgers. That counts, right??

I love this picture for two reasons. 1) the boys are holding hands. That always melts my heart. 2) you can see Nolan's curly head. It's hard to see in pictures sometimes but he has really curly hair. Everyone always asks where he got the curls from- all the men on my side of the family have curly hair. So, now you know!! :) I keep telling him that we are going to have to break down and get it cut- it's seriously out of control at times!! It just took so long to get.

Another thing that has been taking a lot of our time is that Rocky has been really sick. We noticed about 5 weeks ago that he was really lethargic and wouldn't eat his food but would eat moss, dirt, sawdust, and mulch when he was outside. After a ton of tests and medicine, we still don't really know what is wrong with him but basically he is chronically anemic. We are pretty sure it is not cancer or leukemia but have no idea past that. He is finally, slowly responding to medicine and seeming a little better. We were pretty sure we were going to loose him, but it's looking up! Whew.

Also the weekend of the 4th we decided that it was time for Nolan to move into a big boy bed. I was nervous that he wouldn't do well, or that he would get out of it all the time- but he has done great. The bed was Jerel's growing up and I found the bedding at Walmart.com for $32. I love it and now I just need to recover that chair.

There has been a lot of this going on lately. He can't actually crawl yet, but I am thinking that we are just days away. He's actually really frustrated that he can't move better. I feel for him. The reality is that he rolls wherever he wants to go, and that kid is fast!!!

This is the other activity that takes up part of our day. He calls it his motorcycle. It' a 4th generation hand-me-down and the front week is badly cracked and slips on the cement all the time. Oh well- better than nothing. He has a classic tricycle but he flips it over all the time. It could be worse.

Elliott is waking up and I only have 4 more hours of this week left (I consider a week Monday - Friday, where I have to fly solo most of the day!) PARTY!!

"Call Me"

2010-06-22T17:16:00.000-07:00

My new favorite things is when Jerel is getting ready to leave the house he will call out to Nolan- "Bye buddy. Love you!" with which Nolan replies, "Bye! Call me!". It cracks me up every time! Then he runs to the window to wave at Jerel as he drives past. How cute is that??

This chub of love turned 8 months yesterday. The major milestone is that he is finally SLEEPING THOUGH THE NIGHT!!!! I hardly know what to do with myself! :)

6 Month Pictures

2010-06-16T16:32:00.000-07:00

I just got back Elliott's six month pictures- even though he was almost 7 months...and he will be 8 months on Monday. Whatever! :)

Go to www.susanbrewerphotography.com and under the client section my password is sarah0327

He is so cute- I can hardly stand it!! :)

Pride of the Neighborhood

2010-06-15T10:31:00.000-07:00

I feel like I have been doing some really red-neck things lately. It is so difficult to get Nolan in at night, and I really needed to feed Elliott dinner, so I just popped open my tailgate, brought out his bumbo and fed him in the garage. I felt like all we were missing was the beer and chicken wings! :)

Then yesterday we got home from OT and I had about 45 minutes to let Nolan play outside before he had lunch but Elliott needed his bottle ASAP! So I just stripped Nolan down and let him run around in his diaper. I am sure the neighbors are happy to have us!! :)

Picture of the Day!

2010-05-31T12:40:00.001-07:00

Happy Memorial Day...this picture made mine!! :)

Poor Rocky

2010-05-20T17:26:00.001-07:00

Elliott squeals with delight every time he sees Rocky. Rocky wants NOTHING to do with Elliott. Have no idea why...

Off The Charts

2010-05-14T07:30:00.000-07:00

I was finally able to get Elliott to his 6 month well check- now that he is almost 7 months. I was pretty sure that he would be off the charts- and I was correct. He weighs in at a whopping 23.9 lbs. (which is 1 oz. less then Nolan at 1 year!!) and is 29.5 inches long. I have been worried that his doctor would be concerned about his weight but she assures me that he is just a big boy and one day soon he will crawl those chubby legs off. That is going to be A LOT of crawling!! :)

He has had a few milestones this week. He has cut his first two teeth- which according to all the crying was quite painful. He is also now rolling both ways and getting fairly stable with sitting up. Now that he is rolling over completely we are going to make him cry it out at night. Good luck to us!! But lets face it- my 7 month old HAS GOT TO learn to sleep through the night. I am looking forward to that.

Seriously- he is going to crawl away those rolls??

Recent Happenings

2010-05-05T11:11:00.000-07:00

People keep asking me what all is going on with us, and my general reply is "not much", which is a good thing mostly. The boys are healthy and doing really well. It seems like all the regular semester activity are wrapping up and summer is beginning. To be honest, I don't love summer during this stage of life. There is no wednesday night dinner at church, no bible study, no pre- school, just a lot of stay at home time. For someone who spent 11 years going somewhere every summer- often overseas- and being on a team, this has been a really hard adjustment. However, I am going to try to invite a ton of people over for play dates while Elliott naps and get out as much as possible. Anyone want to come play??

Nolan's favorite thing is to have his "Wocky under bed". And sweet Rocky often obliges. The other day Nolan got under the bed with him. I love the look on Nolan's face!

And this is the beloved swing set. I love it. I did a ton of research and this one just seemed the sturdiest for the money. Jerel did an amazing job putting this together almost all by himself in a week. Nolan was a faithful little helper and tells us every night that he helped daddy with the swing.

I love that Nolan wanted to push Elliott. May you two become the best of friends!!

I would like to label this picture "I am fat"! (and cute!!)

I adore this kid!!

Baby's Daddy

2010-04-29T11:13:00.001-07:00

What do you think? Any chance this man is my baby's daddy?? I say that Elliott is just a miniature version of Jerel! :)

Prom & Power Tools

2010-04-24T10:11:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I was able to be outside and use my camera a little. I love my camera, I just don't know enough about it really use the best setting for the lighting. I am going to make it a goal to read up and experiment. Nolan has been helping Jerel build a wooden swing set. I will post more about that later. That kid loves a tool. Any tool, but especially a power tool. Jerel does a great job of letting him help and shows Nolan how the tools work. There are times it makes me a little nervous, but that's just because I'm a mom, right? :)

Our neighbor, Anna, had her senior prom yesterday. Last minute I became their unofficial photographer. Nolan has a slight crush on Anna and therefore doesn't care for Sam much. I guess he sees him as competition! :) Aren't they so cute??

So, all in all is was a fun day of photography, but I need to study up! You know...in all my free time!

Six Months!!

2010-04-21T18:55:00.001-07:00

My sweet baby is six months old today. Honestly, it has gone really fast. I think it is because he is the second. I am telling you, during Nolan's first six months each day felt like a year! :) Elliott is still the sweetest thing ever. He eats and sleeps. A lot of each. He still has three solid naps that I feel like are going to be around awhile. However, he does not- I repeat- does not sleep through the night. He never has- I am beginning to think that he never will. He rolls over in the middle of the night at least once and plays. I have to get up and roll him over to stop the madness. He is loving baby food. It is refreshing to have a kid that just eats. He even eats things that I can tell that he doesn't like- but he doesn't want to put up a fight. Score!! :) Other highlights- he is almost sitting up, is mesmerized by Nolan, hates for me to leave him alone in a room, and smiles all the time (except for when i leave him by himself! :)). We haven't been to his 6 month check up yet so I can't give you the official stats, but the last time I checked he was 22.5 lbs. He KILLS me!!

Happy half- birthday bud. You are so fun!!

The Man!

2010-04-12T05:58:00.001-07:00

Have I ever mentioned that I am married to the man?? My sweet, sweet husband took a week of vacation and worked really hard on our house. The very last piece of our kitchen that needed to be finished was the backsplash. Jerel doesn't love tile work, but he is really good at it. He did an amazing job and I love that I am married to a man that can do almost anything! Thanks babe!!

Easter Happenings

2010-04-05T17:14:00.000-07:00

I am sad to say that we did not even attempt to take a family photo while we were all gussied up this past Sunday for Easter. There was a little too much chaos, and then naps, and cooking, and eating, and more naps. Just imagine us all looking super cute! :) Nolan did have his first two egg hunts. The first one he only picked up three eggs. The second one, I gave him a pep talk and let him know that the kid who came home with the most eggs won! I think he caught on. :) Overall, Easter was a great day with the family to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord!

"Mom, please stop making me stare into the sun!!"

I wish that I could say that this was Nolan taking off to get the eggs, but I am pretty sure someone yelled "Cookies!". Maybe his competitive spirit will kick in by next year.

Chillin' after his bounty!

Egg hunt #2

Elliott was taking it all in stride

Sweet Little (big) Guy

2010-04-02T08:22:00.001-07:00

I feel like I did such a good job of keeping up with Nolan through the blog and have not done so well with Elliott. If I didn't have a blog to look back at I would have no idea what happened when. I am going to try to do a better job of keeping up with sweet Elliott. He is now 5 1/2 months old (it has gone so fast) and such a joy. He ADORES his brother and has gotten pretty excited about Rocky lately. We have started food and so far so good. I am finally able to put him in the nursery at church- having a baby at the beginning of cold and flu season is rough! We are still at three naps a day, an hour and a half each. Sometimes we have to throw in a 4th cat nap to get through dinner time. I am so house bound because of all these naps, but I am telling you, he is nowhere near dropping one of them. Oh well, it's not forever.

He has embraced a "lovie". I am pretty sure I have this exact same picture of Nolan. :)

I can not leave the room if this kid has a blanket or burp cloth any where near him. Within about a minute he will have pulled it over his face and leave it there. I am afraid that he is going to suffocate but he loves having things over his face. Strange, I know!

He is at that stage where he grabs his feet and rolls around. I love this stage!! :)

2 years/ 4 months

2010-03-12T06:52:00.000-08:00

I got Elliott's 4 month pictures and was able to get a few of Nolan for his 2nd birthday. I am really happy with how they turned out. The one of Elliott on the red couch is not a good picture of him, but it does highlight his pudge!! :)

Go to www.susanbrewerphotography.com and click on clients and enter sarah0327 as the password. Enjoy! :)

Poor Kid

2010-03-11T17:14:00.001-08:00

It is so obvious that Elliott is the second child, that my children are 20 months apart, that I don't sleep much. For example, I forget to bathe him regularly. Usually I can't remember the last time he had a bath. Nolan got one every night at this age- but that was more for survival that anything. So, this first picture is when Elliott was having to feed himself because I was in the middle of making dinner for me and Jerel and a separate meal for Nolan (I swore I wouldn't make separate meals for my kids- oh well). The second picture is when I was feeding him rice cereal. The problem is- I forget to feed him solids on a regular basis. Feed him one day...skip a couple days...go back to the cereal...forgot again today. Praise the Lord he is laid back. :)

Fat N' Happy

2010-03-04T10:29:00.001-08:00

Today I took Elliott to his 4 month appointment. 20.45 lbs. and 27.75 inches. 99% in both. That, ladies and gentlemen, is why my back hurts. I get to carry around 20 lbs. of dead weight all day! But I will say, he is so happy all the time- I think that we will just have to enroll him in soccer early! :)

"Happy Day"!

2010-02-24T10:03:00.000-08:00

Saturday was Nolan's second birthday, or as he says "Happy Day". As I think back over this past year I am just so proud of him. There have been a lot of obstacles with his eating and talking- but he has worked so hard and come so far. He is very kind, a servant at heart, loves to laugh and dance, and for the most part is very obedient. He loves, loves, loves music. He has a CD player in his room and will sit in there for at least 30 minutes at a time and change out cd's and just listen. His favorite toys are instruments- it will be interesting to see which one he decides to play one day. He is drawn to the violin...I just don't know if I could handle that! :) He also loves to watch sports and can seriously toss a ball. His speech improves daily and I realized that he whines so much less than when he couldn't talk. And let me tell you, that kid could whine!! I enjoy him more and more every day. Happy birthday buddy- we can't wait to see what this next year will bring us.

02/20/08

02/20/09

02/20/10

We had a fairly low-key birthday. Saturday we had over our former neighbors who love Nolan as a grandson. This is his cute cake that I DID NOT make. God bless Publix- I just didn't have the energy! Then on Sunday Jerel's parents were able to celebrate with us. We went to Moe's- Nolan's favorite- but he threw up about 1 minute after we got there. There has been a nasty stomach bug going around Greenville. Lovely. He's fine now.

No problem licking off the frosting

He got this very cool toy guitar which he loves. Can you just see the joy??

Ms. Karen

2010-02-19T06:35:00.001-08:00

Nine months ago we began the process of getting Nolan help for his eating/texture issues. There is a program in South Carolina called Baby Net- that if you qualify, they will pay for everything that insurance will not cover in the realms of occupational and speech therapy. When we were applying to be qualified for OT he also tested fairly delayed with speech. At the time I wasn't too concerned about his delay but figured if it was free and the therapist would come to my house- then bring it on. I am so so so thankful that we did because Nolan ended up becoming more and more delayed. He had his therapist, Ms. Karen totally stumped. He wouldn't/ couldn't imitate most sounds and just seemed stuck by the whole process. She tried a lot of different approaches and finally around Christmas he began to say "mama" and "dada". It was so exciting. Since then he has progressed quickly and we were working towards him regularly putting two words together at a time. The other day Nolan came out of his room and said very clearly "I want a cookie" and I thought, yep, we are done with speech. That day Karen said that he has met all his goals and was done. YEA!! He loves Ms. Karen and we will miss her but are so glad that he is age appropriate. Now if we could just graduate OT, but I have a feeling that we are in that for the long haul!!!

Great Weekend

2010-02-17T10:44:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was so great. I feel like since we had Elliott we have been fairly house-bound and don't really do much. I know it's a phase- at least that is what I keep telling myself. Anyway, we actually did several different things this weekend and it was so enjoyable. Friday night it started snowing hard. I don't really mind snow but in the south people are so unprepared and freak out. Everything shuts down and it is so inconvenient. However, this was the perfect snow. It started Friday afternoon but we braved it and went to Moe's (our weekend tradition) anyway. Saturday morning the snow was beautiful and fluffy (usually just ice in this area) and had melted by that afternoon. Just how I like it!

Notice the lack of gloves on Nolan? Poor kid!!! Just one investment I never made.

Rocky was in heaven

Then saturday night we went to a nice restaurant downtown where I ate with abandon and went with Sandy and her sister to see Wicked. If you haven't been to that show and have the opportunity- GO! It was beyond amazing and I can't wait to go again one day. Maybe Jerel will have to take me back to New York! :)

Sunday, Nolan helped me make cookies for Jerel for Valentines Day. He truly loves to help us cook and is a great helper. I thought he did a great job with the sprinkles.

I look forward to many more great weekends!

If Only...

2010-02-05T08:28:00.000-08:00

Elliott would be the perfect baby IF ONLY he would decide to sleep through the night or wake up later than 5:45 A.M. I am in no way, shape, or form complaining- I'm just saying that he's not perfect! We know how blessed we are to have two healthy, happy boys and I have many friends who wished their only problem was that their baby wouldn't sleep through the night. And, once he is sleeping through the night, I know that there will be something else. The reason being- he's not perfect. None of us are! :)

Ice, Ice Baby

2010-01-31T18:57:00.001-08:00

This morning we were iced in and church was canceled. Nolan had a blast slipping and sliding on the ice. He was cracking us up!

Wipe out!

Elliott and I hung out inside where it was above 28 degrees. He looks bummed, doesn't he. :)

GEORGE!!!

2010-01-28T18:02:00.001-08:00

Before I had Nolan we got a lot of books as shower gifts, and they were always my favorite gifts. Honestly, we have read all the books we have to death. When I got this cute little Curious George set from Ashley Mac I was so excited. Little did I know that they would become a source of contention in our house. You see, Nolan LOOVVVEEEESSSSS these books and Jerel and I can not stand them (sorry Ashley!! :))! He would ask us to read them so much that Jerel finally hid them about three months ago. The other day Nolan and I were going crazy from the cold & rainy weather and I needed a peace offering. I pulled George back out and you would think that is was Christmas all over again. We have just had to implement the rule that they will only get read once a day- I figured that I could suck it up once to bring my child absolute joy! I am pulling for Mommy of the year! :)

They were brought to Jerel promptly after dinner was finished

BLAST OFF!!

Random Cuteness

2010-01-13T10:15:00.001-08:00

I am way too behind to do individual posts of the past 3+ weeks, so I am just posting a few cute pictures.

One of these days I am going to put some makeup on before a picture is taken.

Nolan got a tool set for Christmas and it is still his favorite toy. I am just glad he's into safety! :)

My yard boys!

My parents were here the week of New Years and it was (and still is) FREEZING!!! My dad braved the elements for about 10 minutes to get Nolan outside.

My little man is 12 weeks today. It has gone so fast. He remains an absolute joy and is a chuncker. At his well check two weeks ago he weighed in at 14.5 lbs. We grow them big here at the Warren house!

A Decade in Review

2010-01-06T19:09:00.000-08:00

I have been thinking about moving into a new decade and what all the Lord may have for me and my family. In that I decided to reflect back over the past decade. It was a wild ride!!! :)

2000: First year (second semester) at Alabama on staff with Campus Crusade. Spent Y2K in the emergency room in Atlanta from an allergic reaction- all the Dr. offices and clinics were closed because there was rumor that the world was going to shut down. Apparently everything was fine! J Went to Panama City Beach for Summer Project. Loved it! BTW- that summer I wrote out a “prayer/plan” for my life and wrote that I hoped to be single for the next 5 years- and then marry the love of my life. Random

2001: I fell in love with East Asia. I took my first vision trip and led a 6 week project that summer. Our theme song was “It’s a Great Day To Be Alive”. So perfect!!

2002: Became the associate campus director of CCC at Alabama. I think that is about the most significant thing that happened that year… That summer I was at director training in Fort Collins, Co

2003: You know, I am kinda blank. I just don’t remember this being a stellar year. I was getting some senioritis at Bama and felt like it was getting time to move on. Spent the summer in Ft. Lauderdale. Did NOT love that

2004: Spent the year in China. One of the best years of my life. I worked on the total dream team, had an amazing living situation and made wonderful friends. I traveled all over Asia and soaked as much of it in as possible. Did not want to come back to the States but really felt like the Lord was leading me there. Was not sure why…

2005: Came home, moved to Atlanta to work on the Regional team, got set up on a blind date with Jerel. I was not sold at first (just paralyzed by fear mainly) but he won me over!! J First date the end of August, engaged Christmas day. Might be hard to top that Christmas.

2006: Led a Summer Project to Jackson Hole. That was maybe not the smartest thing I have ever done! I was in 4 different weddings. July 29, got married. A very hot day to marry in Atlanta but it was perfect. We honeymooned in San Francisco, can’t wait to go back! Moved to Greenville. Commuted to Atlanta for work.In October took Jerel to China and so thankful he was able to see it!

2007: Got pregnant (oops), miscarried (so sad), adopted Rocky the wonder dog, got pregnant again (YEA!!), renovated the entire second story of our house- it was beautiful.

2008: Went on 6 weeks of bedrest (UGH!!!), February 20- had Nolan, more officially retired from Crusade, renovated our kitchen and other various rooms of our house in some way shape or form

2009: Got pregnant, put our newly renovated house on the market, moved to our “forever” house (my words, not Jerel’s), renovated the kitchen (two in one year is crazy!), October 21 had Elliott. He was a perfect way to close out a crazy and blessed decade!

Seriously???

2009-12-26T19:40:00.001-08:00

Could he BE any more wonderful?? We have made the 2 month/9.5 week mark and I just love Elliott more and more. He is either eating, sleeping, or doing this! He's still not sleeping through the night...but there is always the hope of tonight! :)

Nolan's New BFF

2009-12-25T17:11:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago (I am really behind on blog-world and am going to try to get caught up over the next few days) my sweet friend Kelly came in town and brought Lucy. Lucy is 11 months older than Nolan but they were thick as thieves! It was so fun to watch them play together and he was super sad when they left (as was I!! :)), but it gave me a glimpse of how great life is going to be in a few years when my boys can play together! I can't wait!!

Somehow Kelly and I were unable to get a picture with both of us and all the kiddos. This will just have to do. Thanks for coming friend!

This was about 45 seconds after they arrived. Let the playing begin. Oh, and the booboo next to Nolan's eye is from when he was running in a dark room, tripped over a stool and landed on the rocker of the rocking chair. It was a rough one for sure!!!

Fireplace-DIY

2009-12-17T05:50:00.000-08:00

As you know, I love almost everything about my house. However, I have not loved my fireplace. So thankful to have one...but it is just so big, plain, and dark. When we moved in Jerel promised me that I would have a mantle by Christmas. Our dilemma was whether or not to paint the brick, or cover it with sheetrock, but something had to happen to brighten up the room. And then we had to decide if we wanted a shelf or wrap around mantle. I wanted to whitewash the brick and Jerel finally conceded, even though he really didn't want to! :) We went to a salvage yard and found a old mantle that had been ripped out of another house. It had about 100 layers of OLD paint on it that was really cracked, so we had to strip it down to the raw wood and start over. My sweet husband spent many hours sanding and figuring out how to mount it onto the brick. I am really pleased with the outcome...just in time!!

UGLY

PRETTY!

Decorated...and really crooked. Apparently I need to learn to stand straight

Tree and Stuff

2009-12-10T17:08:00.000-08:00

Every year we have been able to get our Christmas tree the saturday after thanksgiving. We found this farm about 20 minutes from here where we can cut the tree down. I wish that I could have gotten an action picture of it being cut, but I was too busy trying to balance Elliott while yelling at Nolan to stay out of the million different fire ant hills. I am sure I was really adding to the other families holiday moment by screaming at my child!! :) Needless to say, I was a little too busy to snap that perfect picture! At least I love our tree!!

Nolan was actually fairly helpful and has done a great job of leaving the tree alone. It is sparsely decorated from about 3 feet down, but still so pretty. I wish that it was socially acceptable to keep a tree up year round!

Elliott is still the sweetest baby. He has the best smile and coos all the time. I have tried to get a picture of him smiling and this is as close as I can get. I literally have been trying to will him to sleep through the night, but to no avail! I know that he is only 7 weeks old but I HATE getting up throughout the night! Oh well.

I know I have said it before, but this is one cute kid!! One Nolan update is that he is finally starting to say a few words. Speech therapy has been huge and it is so fun to hear his little voice.
Nolan loves, loves, loves his globe. It is also a light and he turns it on and off...all day! I was cracking up that he was standing on his bongos to get a closer look. Under the bookshelf is his CD player. I think this is his favorite toy. He has several different CDs and changes them out and listens to his music throughout the day. I am so thankful that he loves music.

Christmas Photo

2009-12-02T10:01:00.001-08:00

I have been trying to get a picture of the boys for our card. Doesn't this one just scream MERRY CHRISTMAS?? :)