One Sweet World

What's wrong with this picture?

2012-01-20T14:59:00.003-05:00

We have a wonderfully fun, exciting playroom, FULL of toys... and all Spencer wants to play with is my waterbottle - the one thing in the room that isn't a toy!

Exciting Week!

2012-01-14T21:53:00.003-05:00

Spencer had quite an exciting week! He learned how to do lots of new things; give open-mouth kisses, throw a ball, point, and give high-fives! He also has started standing unsupported for several seconds at a time. We are all having so much fun watching him learn and do new things. I have a multitude of videos and can't possibly post them all so I chose a few favorites and put them in a short video for you. This includes:

1) his Rosco P. Coltrane impression (from the Duke's of Hazard)

2) laughing at flying Marley, Jr.

3) a distracted tickling session

4) playing with is food

5) throwing a ball

A Visit from Nanny, Katie, and the Girls

2012-01-10T11:07:00.007-05:00

Nanny gave Maddy an adorable tower for her dress-up clothes for Christmas. We sort of had a full car and therefore couldn't bring it home. Maddy waited very patiently for Nanny to bring it down so we could finally get it set up in her room.

The dress knobs are full (and there are more still hanging in her closet!!!) And the shoes fit nicely on the shelves below.

It spins around and has mirrors on both sides. This side has room for all of her dress-up accessories.

Katie, Grace, and Emma rode down with Nanny for a fun visit. We gave Emma an outfit for her birthday... it was so cute that I had to get Maddy one too. The girls looked so cute in their matching outfits and had a pretty hilarious photo shoot in the front yard!

It was unseasonably warm so we walked to Goodberry's for icecream.

Yumm!

Back to the grind...

2012-01-10T10:26:00.007-05:00

of being a stay-at-home mommy, that is! We've officially recovered from the holidays and fallen back into our routines. Actually, our routines have improved! Spencer is now sleeping through the night - HALLELUJAH! and completely weaned! I have never felt so freeeee! However, I do miss those sweet cuddles in the quiet wee hours with my snuggle-bug. But I am easily making up for them throughout the days with my new found boundless energy that results from a good nights' sleep!!! He is also napping great these days and still eating like a pig. He still eats some baby food, but he much prefers table food and that is the majority of his diet. He can destroy some chicken, peas, cheese, goldfish, cheerios, green beans, rice, potatoes, and pasta.

Lately, Spencer can be found trying to climb in the fireplace, lurking around the bathroom door, just waiting for it to open so he can flush the toilet, ramming the laundry room door open with his head so he can splash in Marley's water bowl, climbing on Sissy's trampoline in the playroom, clinking pots and pans at their play kitchen, standing at Maddy's vanity and chewing on her make-up accessories, cruising behind anything that will slide across the floor, standing in front of the tv trying to reach anything that he isn't supposed to touch, or sleeping or eating. Really, that's about it. Predictable, yes; boring, no! He is a riot and has a very adventurous spirit.

Maddy continues to thrive at preschool. She loves everything about it and wakes up on Tuesdays and Thursdays eager to get to school. We've decided to enroll her in their transitional kindergarten program in the fall. They will be following the kindergarten curriculum but we don't plan to count this as kindergarten for her. She still won't officially go to kindergarten until 2013. This program is 5 half-days a week, which was our only hesitation. I'm not quite ready to be away from her 5 days... but I guess I'll survive. We're also moving full-speed through the "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons" program. Maddy is already sounding out words and she initiates the lesson everyday. I'm trying to go at her pace but she wants to fly through it. She is so nerdy and I LOVE it!

And finally, what you're here for, a few pictures...

Maddy got a LeapPad Explorer for Christmas and she likes to play this Disney Animation game that teaches you how to draw and animate Disney characters. I was pretty impressed by this drawing of Minnie Mouse.

Kidnapping Maddy's babydolls

Attempt at a sweet snuggling picture

Turned crazy!

First black eye? It was just barely noticeable and you can't really see it in this picture, but it was definitely there. He whacked the corner of his eye on the door of the pretend kitchen in the playroom.

New Year's Day at the Park

2012-01-03T22:23:00.004-05:00

It was 70 degrees on New Year's Day so we headed to the park for the afternoon. We took a picnic and pretty much had the playground to ourselves.

At least Chris listened when I said, "Say Cheese!"

Sliding, of course with Franklin

Happy boy

Yo Mom, this wind is wreaking havoc on my hair.

Sweetness

9 Months and Busy, Busy, Busy

2012-01-03T21:55:00.003-05:00

Spencer turned 9 months-old on New Year's Eve. He had his check-up today and he is doing just great, meeting all his milestones and growing like a weed. Here are his stats:

Weight - 23 lbs, 85th %

Height - 29.5 in, 90th %

Head Circumference - 70th %

He is such a curious, adventurous, fun-loving, smart, sweet boy. He keeps us on our toes, literally! He loves anything that isn't a toy and his most recent obsession is the fireplace. He also really likes outlets, toilets, and Marley's water bowl. He loves to chase balls, dance, cuddle, and eat! He waves and claps, cruises behind toys, plays peek-a-boo, and chews on everything. And he is extremely ticklish!

Here is a pic of him cruising behind his walker from Aunt Bonnie and Uncle Brad

JUMP, JUMP!

2012-01-03T14:52:00.002-05:00

Maddy AND Spencer are really enjoying the trampoline that Big Nanny gave Maddy for Christmas. Spencer loves to sneak into the playroom and climb on it when he thinks nobody is watching!

Pillow Fight

2012-01-03T14:42:00.003-05:00

Can't you just hear the giggling? I could watch these two play all day!

JENGA!

2012-01-03T14:35:00.004-05:00

We got Jenga for Christmas and we've enjoyed a few riveting games so far! Maddy is really good at it and hilarious to watch. But I'm not really sure this much "stress" is good for a 4 year-old!

Close up of my "technique." Look at Maddy in the background! Intense!

Oh no! And by the way, she did NOT cry! (I know some of you, uh-hum Aunt Katie, are shocked!)

Tour de Christmas

2012-01-01T10:08:00.008-05:00

Our first stop on the tour was Aunt Barbara's for celebrating with Big Nanny and my dad's side of the family. Spencer was still under the weather with an ear infection and was very quiet and snuggly but he had fun playing on his new Thomas the train toy from Big Nanny. And I guess he and Daddy enjoyed holding Maddy's "Pretty Pretty Princess" game...

Can you sense the chaos?

Nanny loved her blanket with pictures of all the grandchildren and great-grandchildren

Our next stop was at Nanny's house to celebrate with our ever-growing family of 15. It's a good thing that Mom and Dad added on to the house last year because we definitely need the space when we're all there!

The best picture I could get of the 5 cousins

Maddy, Franklin, and Emma in the gift pile

The girls enjoying these ride-on thingys (I enjoyed riding them too!)

A little bit of "Just Dance 3" to wrap up the night!

On Christmas Day after church we went to Grandma's house to celebrate with the Boyds. Here are the cousins and cousins' families (minus Chris and Spencer, who had already gone back to Nanny's house for a nap.)

On Monday we packed up the car and headed North for Christmas with Chris's family. Cari, Bill, and Abigail came down and spent the night and we opened presents on Tuesday morning and ate lots of delicious food and way too many cookies!

Grampa makes a good jungle-gym

Maddy as Belle

Abigail and Maddy playing with Maddy's new cash register

Abigail's pajamas coordinated nicely with Maddy's and Spencer's... they all had penguin jammies on!

Spencer has to taste all of the toys before he plays with them.

Snuggling in front of the fire

And roasting marshmallows

Another wonderful Christmas in the books. We loved visiting everybody but we were very eager to get home. Thank you family for all of your hospitality! And thanks Gram and Grampa for keeping the kiddos so Chris and I could have a date-night!

Christmas at Home

2011-12-27T17:45:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Christmas a few days early at home so that we could visit family for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and several days after. We started our day somewhat leisurely (and I use that term very loosely) and after Spencer's morning nap we headed out for brunch at Brig's, which has become one of our Christmas Eve traditions.

Festive matching shirts

That evening the kids opened their new Christmas pajamas and then an ornament. Maddy was very excited to open a ballerina ornament and Spencer thought his Mickey Mouse ornament was quite tasty!

Annual picture of the living room on Christmas morning before the chaos begins...

We didn't take a single picture of the kids opening presents! We did get video but we were just having too much fun to worry with the camera. Here are a few pictures we snapped once things settled down a bit and the kids were able to play with their new toys.

Maddy painted her finger and toe nails probably 15 times that day!

Spencer is a basketball natural!

Happy birthday Jesus! We had a wonderful day together and we are so incredibly blessed! Stay tuned for our Christmas celebrations on the road!

Preschool Christmas Party & Singing at the Nursing Home

2011-12-20T19:07:00.001-05:00

I volunteered to help with Maddy's class Christmas party and had a blast helping plan, doing the craft, and making goodies for the kids to take home.

Maddy and her teachers, Miss Alana and Miss Joscelyn

Me and my girl

I helped the kids make snow globes and they turned out really cute!

Maddy got to bring Franklin (the class pet) home to spend the entire Christmas break with us!

Since he'd be spending Christmas with us we thought he should have a present to open. We made him and awesome cape... what else do you give a stuffed frog?

Maddy's preschool visited a nursing home to sing Christmas carols a few weeks ago. Here is a quick snippet of their performance. (It was sooo cute!)

Where's Spencer?

2011-12-18T11:45:00.004-05:00

I was washing dishes and I heard Spencer coming my way. Since I didn't feel him pulling up on my leg like he usually does, I turned around to see what distracted him and couldn't find him momentarily...

"Here I am Mommy!"

Christmas Cookies

2011-12-18T11:37:00.002-05:00

It just wasn't in the cards to make cookies with Spencer around, so I let Maddy skip her nap to make Christmas cookies on Friday. I love squeezing in quality time with just my sweet girl... it's getting harder and harder to do!

Of course, Spence woke up before we could decorate them, and since he wasn't feeling well he wanted to be held. This is the best I could do!

It was taking too long to get them decorated ourselves, so we recruited our neighbor, Lauren to help!

Disney Princesses on Ice!

2011-12-18T09:39:00.004-05:00

My friends, Sherri and Karen, and I surprised our girls with tickets to see Disney Princesses on Ice. The girls were thrilled and speechless during the entire program. I don't think Maddy blinked for the first hour!

Morgan, Maddy, and Ayla

Sherri and Morgan

Me and my sick princess (you would've never known she was not feeling well!)

Princess and the Frog performance

Cinderella performance... at the ball

During intermission

All the princesses and their princes during the finale

Time to go home... 3 happy girls!

Riding together just added to the excitement. Once we got back to our car and got loaded up, Maddy was fast asleep in about 2 minutes!

Our Little Performer

2011-12-16T22:34:00.002-05:00

We gave Maddy the "Just Dance 3" video game for the Wii. She LOVES the Halloween song and has almost all the moves memorized.

Maddy still loves Christmas songs as much as she did last year. I just think her rendition of "I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" is absolutely adorable. Especially when she doesn't know the words and just mumbles through those parts.

Remember this video of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" from last year?

8-1/2 Months

2011-12-16T21:05:00.005-05:00

I'm terribly behind, so I'm going to try to update without being too wordy.

*Cuddles - My boy loves to cuddle! He is such a sweetheart and he loves to hug... Mommy, Daddy, or Maddy.

*Crawling - Spencer started crawling at around 7-1/2 months and he can go! When he spots something that he wants to get to (mainly me :-)) he kicks his crawling into fast gear... and sometimes stumbles but is back up and on the move without missing a beat!

*Discovering New Things - It is so much fun to watch him. He gets excited about every new little thing.

*Strumming His Belly - Spencer does the cutest thing when we change his diaper; he strums his belly like a guitar. I have to get it on video cuz it's too hard to describe but too cute to miss.

*Standing and Sitting - He's been pulling up for about a month now and he has finally perfected sitting back down. That took some time and patience, and a few falls and bumps and bruises!

*Crawling up Stairs - Yep, he can do it.

*Clapping and Waving - He started clapping last week and waved at Maddy for the first time today before naptime!

*Christmas Tree and Presents - He has quickly learned the meaning of "No!" Christmas morning should be interesting when we actually expect him to rip into presents after telling him no for the past month.

*Night Wakings - Spencer still wakes up at night, usually for a feeding between 4-5 am. Actually we usually hear him kicking several times a night, and sometimes he cries out. And when he cries out he sounds as if his arm has fallen off. For real. We even joke to each other and say, "Will you go in and put your son's arm back on?"

*Pacifier - Spencer has really taken to his pacifier lately. We have just traded in the older ones for the size 6+ months ones because he started to put the smaller ones all the way in his mouth!

As far as the boring stuff, Spencer is still in size 4 diapers and mainly size 12-month clothing. He takes 2 naps a day, sometimes for only 30 minutes but most of the time he stretches at least one of them out to 1.5 hours. He goes to bed at 6:30 and sleeps for 12+ hours. He eats 3 "solid" meals a day, and has just started eating table food like chicken, bananas, grapes, noodles, rice, etc. I'm slowly weaning him - his bottles are up to 4 oz. formula to 3 oz. breastmilk, and he takes 3 bottles a day (with one early morning nursing).

Clapping for Daddy

Climbing the stairs

And a few pics of my sweet boy...

Just like Daddy and Maddy, he loves cheese!

Providing some music for me while I cook dinner

Fleeing the scene

Obligatory dishwasher pic

Fleeing the scene, yet again

Just being a boy

Christmas Pics, Take 1

2011-12-15T21:28:00.009-05:00

Christmas Picture Session #1 at the park. Turns out that we waited too late and there weren't any leaves left on the trees. Also, Maddy was grumpy and we didn't have enough daylight left. I thought it was an EPIC FAIL, but somehow ended up with a few cute pics. That's bound to happen when your subjects are this cute!

Spencer was in a GREAT MOOD! He was just more interested in his surroundings than my camera! Here is one of the few pictures where he is actually looking at me!

Enter tickling Mommy, exit grumpy Maddy

Dry your tears and smile with Daddy

Time to go, but I can't resist a few more of this adorable face

And one last sunset shot by the lake

Discovery

2011-12-04T21:42:00.003-05:00

The Big 4 Year-Old!

2011-11-30T14:33:00.008-05:00

Maddy had her 4-year doctor's appointment last week and, as suspected, she is just perfect! Meeting all milestones right on time and as healthy as can be! Here are her stats:

Height - 40 & 3/8 inches, 65th %

Weight - 34 pounds, 50th %

Last year she was 50, 50 so she jumped a bit on the height chart, which was expected. She is tall and lean and we were surprised that she held on to the 50th % for weight! I guess all those breakfast, lunch, and dinner battles are paying off!

Maddy's 4th year of life was great! The most exciting highlight was becoming a big sister. And if I've said it once, I've said it 1000 times - she is the best big sister ever. She really is wonderful to Spencer and he absolutely adores her. Now that he is mobile, she has started to get a little annoyed at him taking her things and pulling on her but, for the most part, she is very gentle and patient with him.

Maddy is very creative and has a lively imagination. She spends most of her time drawing, writing, and coloring, working puzzles or playing games, playing dress-up, cooking in her kitchen, playing with dolls, or singing and dancing. She enjoys picking flowers outside and riding her scooter around the neighborhood. She loves playing with her cousins, neighborhood and playgroup friends, and her friends at school. She is a bit of a class clown as she gets "the sillies" a lot but she can also be reserved in certain situations. She is also a girly-girl and often thanks God for butterflies and flowers while praying.

Maddy's writing skills continue to improve all the time. She writes all of her letters and numbers and there are a few words that she writes on her own, like her name, Mommy, Daddy, dog, and love. She also asks how to spell things all the time so that she can write letters to people. She can add and subtract using her fingers... and I don't even know how/when she got so good at that! I haven't exactly been teaching her much lately but that hasn't slowed her down any! She has an amazing memory and a vocabulary that often surprises us. She takes great pride in her coloring and drawings and likes to display her work and keep EVERYTHING she does. She is so smart and loves to learn, but is also quite a little perfectionist and gets frustrated easily when she can't do something just right.

Maddy has a very big heart and a very sensitive soul. She is so sweet and loving and melts our hearts daily. She is absolutely beautiful, both inside and out and I could not be more proud to be her mommy.

I was so excited to sit down and write this post, but when I finally got around to it, I was overwhelmed with the task at hand. These updates used to be so easy to write. I would just list milestones she had met and funny things she would do. But now she is a little person with an enormous personality that is impossible to capture in a few paragraphs.

We love you to the moon and back and all the time, Madelyn Faith. You are an amazing daughter and we are so very proud of you!

More Pics from the Spa

2011-11-22T16:04:00.004-05:00

I just realized I had a few more cute pics on my other camera from the spa...

Happy 4th Birthday Maddy!

2011-11-21T14:30:00.004-05:00

Our sweet, smart, beautiful baby girl turned 4 on Friday!

We started celebrating on Tuesday with cupcakes at preschool.

Gram, Cari, and Abigail came into town on Thursday afternoon and the girls had fun playing that night. On Friday, we all took the birthday girl for a manicure and pedicure and then lunch at ChickFilA. She LOVED all the attention!

It was a beautiful day so the kiddos spent some time kicking around leaves in the front yard.

Maddy opened a few presents that night...

Which included a Baby Alive doll from Gram. She had fun feeding it real food, but was pretty grossed out by the real dirty diaper so I had to change it!

Maddy's birthday party was on Saturday at the gym where she takes her dance/gymnastics class. There were 18 kiddos there and they all seemed to have a blast!

Aunt Katie and Aunt Bonnie helped entertain Spencer while Chris and I chased the kids around with cameras.

Grace, Emma, and Maddy in the block pit

Aunt Katie with Spencer and Maddy

Blowing out her candles on her butterfly cake (made with love by Nanny!)

Taking a swing at the pinata

What a fun birthday party! It was a whirlwind of course, but an awesome time! Thank you friends and family for coming and making our princess feel so special and loved!

Stay tuned for another post with her 4-year stats and updates on what it's like to be 4!

Watch Out World, Here Comes Spence!

2011-11-20T11:33:00.003-05:00

Happy 40th Anniversary Gram & Grampa

2011-11-19T20:18:00.004-05:00

Last weekend we traveled up to Cari & Bill's house for G & G's 40th Anniversary party. It was a short trip but we were able to spend some quality time with Cari and Abigail and then Gram and Grampa after the party. It was great to see family and friends that we haven't seen in a long time. AND - HAPPY ANNIVERSARY Russ and Jody!

Spencer perfected going from crawling position back to sitting by himself... which has taken away some of his frustration!

The happy couple, watching a picture slideshow

Abigail and Cari

Cari surprised Maddy and Gram with a birthday cake too (Gram's birthday was on the 9th and Maddy's was coming up on the 18th)

The Lekings and Mrs. Murphy

Gram and her sisters, Wendy and Julie

Spencer and his new friend, Naelah (and 3rd cousin)

Abigail, Gram, and Maddy

Getting their sillies out before bedtime

Thanks for the hospitality, as usual, Cari and Bill! We had a wonderful time!

Naptime Adventures

2011-11-16T15:51:00.002-05:00

Maddy is in her bed, singing Christmas songs at the top of her lungs, despite multiple attempts to get her to settle down. And I just went in Spencer's room for the 2nd time... the first time was to rescue him from STANDING in his crib, and the second time was to free his foot from between the railings.

Naptime is usually my time to get things done, and if I'm lucky, to have a few minutes to relax. Today is not one of those days. Oh well, there's always tomorrow!

What is so funny?

2011-11-10T15:24:00.002-05:00

Frustrated.

2011-11-08T09:48:00.004-05:00

(Written on Sunday but I forgot to post)

If I had to describe Spencer in one word, that would be it. This last week has been pretty tough... teething, his first cold with a fever, sleep deprivation, on the verge of meeting 2 huge milestones, and now a ruptured ear drum! That's enough to make even the happiest baby cranky!

Spencer woke up at 3 AM on Wednesday morning with his first fever (Maddy was up at 1 with a fever and Chris was already sick). He seemed pretty okay though. I gave him some medicine, nursed him, and then put him back to bed. He went right back to sleep and even had a pretty good day on Wednesday. However, Wednesday night was BRUTAL! He was up, screaming, every 45 mins - hour. It was worse than having a newborn! I took him and Maddy to the doctor on Thursday, to rule out ear infections and pneumonia for Maddy. Both were clear, just had a nasty virus with red, irritated throats. The next couple of nights were okay, but last night Spencer had an absolute freak-out around10:30. He finally calmed down around 11 and went back to sleep. This morning we noticed drainage in his ear and suspected a ruptured ear drum. We took him to an urgent care and got some antibiotics (and some for Chris too!) We're hoping they'll both be feeling better soon.

On top of being sickly, the poor little guy is beyond frustrated with trying to crawl. He is so close, but hasn't connected all the dots yet. He also is very busy trying to pull himself up to standing. Yesterday, he was able to pull himself up on my leg! I think he can't decide which he needs to work on more, so he goes from his hands and knees to airplaning and screaming, to trying to pull up and crying when he falls, to just sitting and whining because he's not sure what to do next! I've been saying that I'm not ready for a mobile baby, but I am ready for him to be happy again! Bless his little whiny, frustrated heart!

Warning: this video may be slightly upsetting to grandparents and aunts...

But we'll end on a happy note...

Peek-a-boo!

2011-11-07T09:55:00.004-05:00

I LOVE watching them play!!!

Hi Mr. & Mrs. Murphy!

2011-11-04T13:00:00.003-04:00

Mommy says you sent me this jungle outfit that matches my room. It is very comfy, but Mommy won't stop taking pictures of me!

Enough already, Mommy. Now get me out of here or I'll climb out myself!

Visit from the Overtons!

2011-11-02T20:28:00.010-04:00

Our dear friends Brantley and Jennifer from Orlando visited us this past weekend and we had an absolute blast! They have 3 children, Bowen (4 1/2), Caroline (2 1/2), and Davis (almost 1). The kids had so much fun playing together and got along beautifully! It was quite a full house and we played musical rooms and beds until we found the best sleeping arrangement. Well, maybe it was just that everybody was so exhausted by the last night so we all slept like logs! We played games and the Wii, baked, went to Hillridge Farms, dressed up and painted fingernails, colored, shopped, watched movies, ran up and down the stairs a million times, went for a walk, Chris, Brantley, Bowen, and Maddy went to the Duke/VT football game, went Trick or Treating in the rain, did some crafts, and even had a parents' night out!

Maddy had been anxiously awaiting their arrival all week, even though we hadn't seen them since last summer. She just loved having them here and was very sad when it came time to say goodbye. She is excited about visiting them in Orlando sometime and she also wants to send them letters, cards, and pictures in the mail.
We have tons of pictures from the weekend and I had a hard time narrowing them down for the blog. Here are the best of the best...

Caroline, Bowen, and Maddy cuddled up, watching a movie together

Decorating cookies

Before the "Big Kids" left for the football game

Spencer and Davis during our trip to Target

Bowen, Branley, Jennifer, me, and Maddy being silly

A quick break during Wii bowling for a photo op

All snuggled up for a cold day at Hillridge

Riding the ponies

Waiting to slide

Spencer wanted in on the excitement... he loved swinging!

Bowen pushing Davis in the swing

On the train

Picking out pumpkins

Family pics

The whole crew

One tired girl

And one tired boy

Out for a walk around the neighborhood on Halloween

This picture was difficult to get... I wish we had a picture of the adults trying to get all the kids to look our way and smile!

It was a very wet and cold Halloween!!!

THANK YOU AGAIN to Jenn and Brantley for making the long trip up! We had a wonderful time and can't wait to do it again. Next year Spencer will be in on the action too... YIKES! We love you all and miss you already!

Wine & Design

2011-11-02T12:00:00.011-04:00

I went to "Bloggers' Night" at Wine & Design last week and came home with yet another awesome masterpiece, if I do say so myself! I'm one of their "fans" on Facebook and they recently posted a shout out to bloggers... offering a free class in exchange for a post about them. That's an awesome deal in my book!

I really do love this place. I was skeptical before going the first time... I don't consider myself artistic or creative and I didn't want to waste my "Girls' Night Out" budget on a frustrating evening of painting. And most of you know just how "Type A" I am so I certainly didn't think it would be relaxing. But my neighbor was hosting a fundraiser there for Breast Cancer Awareness back in February so I thought it was a worthy cause and figured it would at least be fun to go and socialize (without the wine though, because I was pregnant with Spencer at the time!) I had SOOO much fun! I painted an iris and was quite impressed with my finished product. As a matter of fact, when I came home and showed Chris, his comment was, "YOU painted that?"

It only took one class to have me hooked! I went back in September, again for a GNO and painted sunflowers. Knowing how much fun I had had before, and how well my painting came out, I was able to relax a lot more and have a lot of fun with the painting part, as well as the socializing (this time WITH wine... which was well-deserved with a 3-1/2 year-old and 5 month-old at home!)

Here's how it works. You go to their website, http://paintpartiesstudios.com/raleigh/ to check out their calendar for what you want to paint. You can sign up for nights open to the public or you can host your own private party. They are also very generous with fundraising events. All you need to take with you is a bottle of wine and some goodies to share, if you'd like. Leave your stresses at the door, put on a painter's smock, pour yourself a glass, pick up your paintbrush, and follow along with your instructor. I can pretty much guarantee, you'll be pleasantly surprised with your finished product!

Let me know if you want to go some time - I'd love to join you! Happy wining and designing!

The class, painting the background

My friend Shannon (far left) was also there for Bloggers' Night

The instructor's work-in-progress and a finished painting

Our instructor for the evening

Just added the beginnings of the koi fish

A few of the many paintings hanging in the studio

My finished product!

Class picture

Me and Shannon

After Church

2011-11-02T12:00:00.005-04:00

Just a few pics of my darlings after church one Sunday...
Anytime we try to take pictures, we have to have a "silly session" too. (Isn't she beautiful, even when she's making silly faces?!?!)

Preschool Class Trip to Vollmer Farm

2011-11-02T11:42:00.006-04:00

Maddy's preschool took a field trip to Vollmer Farms back on October 13. All of the kiddos had a wonderful time!

Meeting up with the class upon arrival, Maddy, Spencer, and Maddy's friend Emma

Learning about chickens

In front of the sunflowers. It was surprisingly warm and uncomfortably humid- I had to strip Spencer down to a onesie so he wouldn't be so hot!

Maddy's class, minus 3, and her teachers Miss Alana and Miss Joscelyn

Waving at her friends on the hay ride

Holding a couple of pumpkin blooms

Checking out the rabbits with her friends

Maddie, ?, Noah, Anna, and Maddy

Loving the big pillow jump

Climbing through the wooden train

Rolling like a hamster

I could NOT get Spencer to look at the camera despite making every funny noise I could. He just wanted to get to his pumpkin!

Spencer in Action

2011-10-24T21:18:00.003-04:00

Lots of videos for you...

These 2 LOVE bathtime! Everything is in the splash-danger zone, including me and the camera!

What is this thing in my mouth?

Standing is super fun, even if I end up doing a split or falling over. I just wish I could pull MYSELF up, then I'd be standing all the time!

Peas, yuck!

Watch out world, I'm on my way! (This video was taken a week ago... we have more action this week. I think he'll be on the move in another week or so - YIKES?!?!?)

Happy birthday Daddy!

2011-10-22T09:17:00.003-04:00

After talking to Katie on the phone...

Maddy: "Mommy, who was that?"

Me: "That was Aunt Katie."

Maddy: "What did she say?"

Me: "She was calling to ask for gift ideas for Daddy's birthday. What do you think she should get him?"

Maddy: "I don't know, maybe a sword!"

So of course, Maddy got him 2 swords so that she could sword fight with him.

Note: We do not condone violence! Just a little fencing fun! They have thoroughly enjoyed these $1 swords already! And when Chris acts hurt or like he's "fading" Maddy takes care of him and kisses his wounds (and even sheds a few tears... that's our girl!)

Look Alikes?

2011-10-14T22:17:00.003-04:00

Spencer

Maddy

Spencer

Maddy

Going to the Lodge...

2011-10-14T20:42:00.004-04:00

the Great Wolf Lodge! We went last weekend with JR, Whit, Cole, Katie, Grace, Emma, and Mom and had an absolutely fabulous time! We loved everything about it and did our best to enjoy everything they had to offer. There was just so much to do, so much to see, and so much to enjoy! Our favorites were the waterpark, of course, and the MagiQuest game. We can't wait to go back when Spencer is a little bit older so that he can join in on the fun. He did love sitting in the water and watching Maddy splash around though! And he was a good sport, even though he slept terribly!

I'm serious when I say this, we were too busy having fun to take pictures! I have very few and the ones I do have aren't very good, but here you go...

Maddy and her wand. This was after "storytime" in the main lobby on Saturday night. We did one more quest before going to bed. (It's hard to explain MagiQuest. It's basically a scavenger hunt with a "magic" wand. There were several quests to complete and the wand kept up with what you had completed. For instance, for one of the quests Maddy had to find 5 crystals throughout the resort. When she found one all she had to do was point her wand at it and it would light up and speak to her.)

The entire month of October is "Howl-o-ween." The kids got to dress up and trick or treat one night.

Spencer hanging out with Daddy very early one morning. He was up at 6:15 on Saturday and 7 on Sunday. Chris took him out of the room so that he wouldn't wake up Maddy.

Maddy forcing a smile at dinner with her Wolf ears on. (Yes, I thought I was in the picture too!)

Me and Spence, splashing in the toddler pool.

We stood in line to take this picture!

Maddy and Daddy, about to hit the wave pool.

Rocky, I mean Spencer, and Maddy heading to the water park.

A little belly zerberting in the room.

Another "Rocky" pic

It really was awesome. I HIGHLY recommend the Great Wolf Lodge!

Best Daughter Ever

2011-10-14T20:35:00.002-04:00

Tonight I told Maddy that she was the best daughter ever. Here's the conversation that followed.

Maddy - "Like I'm a bester daughter than all my friends?"

Me - "No, I mean that you are the best daughter for me. I wouldn't want anybody else as my daughter."

Maddy - "Oh, well I want you to have 2 daughters."

Me - "You do? Well who is going to be my other daughter?"

Maddy - "I don't know."

Me - "Where are we going to get me another daughter from?"

Maddy - "Maybe Target?"

Star Student & Franklin the Frog

2011-10-10T18:29:00.003-04:00

Maddy was the Star Student last week at preschool, which meant she got to bring home the class pet, Franklin the Frog, for the weekend. We had lots of fun with Franklin and Maddy became very attached to him. But she was a big girl and gave him back without any tears! She's already looking forward to the next time she is the Star Student so that she can bring him home again.

We had to take pictures and make a little journal of what they did together. Here are the pictures that went in Maddy's journal.

Bringing Franklin home from school

Sharing a snack

We took Franklin to the park and he got lost momentarily. There was a playground-wide search for Franklin and he was quickly found hiding in the leaves. (This picture is staged though, because I totally forgot to take a picture at the playground. So we took a picture on our neighbor's playset instead!)

Franklin had to be strapped in too!

They colored together

And played Hide-n-Seek with Spencer.

We cuddled up and watched "Princess and the Frog" and ate popcorn. (Get it? Maddy's the princess and Franklin's the frog!)

We made cookies together

Maddy shared her beater with Franklin (now that's love!)

We went to a birthday party and had cake.

On Sunday we went to the farm and introduced Franklin to Big Nanny.

Franklin got to ride the Ranger with Grace, Maddy, Emma, and Poppa.

And on Monday Franklin went to Maddy's dance/gymnastics class.

Open, Close, Repeat

2011-10-10T16:20:00.002-04:00

6 Months Old!

2011-10-06T11:04:00.006-04:00

Seriously? Wow! My little big guy is growing up super-fast! He passed his check-up with flying colors, meeting all of his milestones on time and keeping a steady curve on his growth chart! Here are his stats:

Height - 27 3/4 inches, 90th percentile

Weight - 19 lbs 14 oz, 85th percentile

Head - 60th percentile

Spencer was a super trooper for his appointment. He loves Nurse Janet and Dr. Wiles and he smiled, giggled, and squealed the whole time. Well, until he had to get his shots. But after a few quick tears he was all smiles again.

So what's new for our big 6 month-old? Well, the biggest and most exciting thing to him is FOOD! It is a good thing that I am making most of his food, otherwise we'd go broke! He LOVES to eat and he eats a LOT! Right now he is eating oatmeal and whole grain cereals, avocado, sweet potatoes, peas, carrots, butternut squash, apples, bananas, prunes, and yogurt. His reaction to any and all foods is the same - YUM! He is starting to lose interest in nursing though. I think because he is so nosy and gets easily distracted and he'd rather being eating solids than drinking the same old boring milk. I'm doing the best I can though!!!

Spencer was having really good nights, going down at 6:30 and sleeping until 7ish, with only one waking between 5-6 to nurse. But the last week has been pretty rough. Here are all of the things I'm trying to blame it on - moving him out of the bouncy seat, his shots, teething, separation anxiety, meeting a new milestone (not sure which one), and the change in the weather. Okay, the last one sounds like a stretch but seriously! Our house was 78 degrees at night last week and now it is 70! I just started putting him in a sleepsack so I hope that helps!

Spencer is still a super happy, smiley baby. He has started to express his opinion a bit more though. He prefers to be in the same room with me or Maddy, he has NO patience when he's in his high chair waiting for food, and he wants to stand up all the time. He still loves to watch Maddy and he lights up anytime he hears Daddy's voice. He also is very interested in Marley and tries to scoot himself across the floor to get to him. He still loves bathtime, being outside, hugging, pulling mine and Maddy's hair, playing/chewing on anything that isn't a toy, sitting in the shopping cart, being tickled, any kind of ball or balloon, and rolling over! He has just started showing more interest in books, instead of just chewing on them.

A few boring bits... Spence is wearing mostly 9-month clothing and some 12-month stuff. We are using the last few size 3 diapers before we go up to size 4. (Maddy was wearing size 4 diapers when she was 2!!!) His hair is slowly coming in and is still strawberry blonde and his eyes are still blue. He takes a pacifier when he sleeps and in the car. He has 2 meals of solids and nurses 4 times a day and once at night/early morning. He takes 2 30-minute naps, and 1 longer nap.

And lastly, a few cute pics and a video of our "Little Buddy"

Waiting for Dr. Wiles

He started off on his activity mat but scooted over to Marley. I am so NOT ready for a mobile baby!

Hanging out with me while I put on my make-up. Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do, right?!?!

We don't believe in bibs...

Ugh, he looks too much like a little boy here!!!

Playing the "Drop the cup and smile" game

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-05T14:47:00.001-04:00

First Wagon Ride

2011-10-04T21:38:00.003-04:00

This beautiful weather has been just perfect for late afternoon walks through the neighborhood. Spencer rode in the wagon with Maddy for the first time yesterday. He loved it, of course. I, however, didn't realize how hard it would be to pull ~55 lbs up hill!

Maddy is so sweet and patient with her brother... this happens, oh, about 20 times a day!

Okay Mom, enough with the pictures!

Paintings

2011-10-04T21:29:00.003-04:00

I went to a place called "Wine and Design" a few weeks ago for a girls' night out. Here is my masterpiece...

Here is one that I did back in February...

It is so much fun! I highly recommend a place like this. (BYO drinks & snacks and they provide the painting supplies and a teacher to walk you through a previously selected design. They host parties, girls' night out, date nights, fundraisers, etc. and they also have open nights for anybody to sign up. You should check it out!)

DPC Fair 2011

2011-10-04T21:19:00.003-04:00

We made a quick trip up for the first weekend of the fair a few weeks ago. Chris was on a motorcycle/camping trip with his friend Kevin so I was flying solo with the kiddos. So I only managed to catch a couple of pics with my phone. Maddy had a blast and rode a ton of rides and Spencer rode the carousel for the first time. I'm not sure he knew he was on a ride or anything - he just watched Maddy go up and down the whole time!

Of course Maddy loved the petting zoo!

On the Caterpillar with Aunt Whit

The Big Swing with Emma

Best Big Sister EVER!

2011-09-29T20:24:00.002-04:00

I could not be prouder of my sweet girl. She is just amazing with Spencer and he absolutely adores her! Seeing them together makes me so incredibly happy! I know things will change soon enough so I'm trying to soak it all in now!

Success!

2011-09-29T20:09:00.003-04:00

So Spencer has been sleeping in his bouncy seat since he was 3 months old. He had reflux and that was the best way to "treat" it without resorting to medicine. The spitting up has since stopped but Spencer had grown accustomed to sleeping in his bouncy seat and bouncing himself to sleep. I tried 2 other times to put him to sleep in his crib and failed miserably (think lots and lots of crying... from both of us!) I had almost accepted that he would just have to sleep in his bouncy until he turned 10!

BUT - tonight is night #2 of sleeping in the crib! Last night he did wonderfully and today he napped great! All without any tears!!!

I'm not sure what changed. I did have Maddy spend some time with Spencer in his crib to help him get used to it. I like to think that's what it was...

Jumping

2011-09-28T16:53:00.002-04:00

Roll On, Spence!

2011-09-26T14:52:00.002-04:00

Rolling from back to front!!!

Brotherly Love

2011-09-24T20:42:00.003-04:00

Yesterday Spencer was trying to reach Marley so I sat him right beside his head. Marley moved over and laid his head in Spencer's lap. (Awwww!)

Hmmm, not too sure about this.

Maybe I'll touch him

Wow, he's soft!

Whoa! That's quite a kiss!

I'm cool with this Mommy!

I love you MarleyDog, how about a hug?

It's the little things...

2011-09-24T20:18:00.003-04:00

that make me fall in love with my husband over and over again. Here are a couple of notes that I found while unpacking Maddy's lunch box last week.

Early Morning Cuddles

2011-09-24T14:55:00.000-04:00

Ballerina Barbie, AKA Maddy

2011-09-24T14:42:00.003-04:00

Maddy watched the "12 Dancing Princesses" Barbie movie at a friend's house and loved it. We broke down and bought it for her during a moment of weakness a few weeks ago. It is the ONLY DVD she has watched since we bought it! But, I don't feel guilty letting her watch tv because she dances through the whole thing. Great exercise and super cheap ballet lessons!

I love how she falls and then gets right back up and continues dancing... the show must go on, right?!?!

Bathtime!

2011-09-23T09:20:00.004-04:00

Spencer is a bit big for his infant tub, but too small for the big tub. I guess I need to go ahead and get out the duck tub. Regardless, he LOVES bathtime! He enjoys splashing, squirming, squealing, chewing on the washcloth, toys, his hands, our hands or whatever he can get to his mouth.

The other day I noticed a frame that we have hanging in the bathroom with several pics of Maddy in the bathtub, at different ages, and thought to myself, "I need to put some pics of Spence in that frame too." But then I realized that I've only taken pics of bathtime maybe 2-3 times. That time of day is pretty crazy and bathtime is usually a solo parenting act because we're playing man-to-man defense at that point. But last night the stars aligned and I was able to do it all... just call me super-mom! Chris worked late so I enrolled Maddy as my helper, put Spencer in his too-small-tub AND managed to catch a few cute bathtime pics and videos! Take that "second-child syndrome!"

Watching Sissy

Mid-splash

Shortly after I stopped recording, Spencer dropped the duck and then decided that trying to grab it and bring it to his mouth was just too hard. So he just dove, face-first into the water, as if he were bobbing for apples! Luckily the camera got dropped outside of the tub as I lunged forward and grabbed Spencer, BY THE FOREHEAD, and pushed him back up. I'll admit, my heart skipped a beat, but Spence wasn't phased and Maddy thought the whole thing was pretty funny. So maybe I'm not super-mom, but we all survived (even the camera) and Spencer was clean! Mission accomplished!

Super cute at 5 1/2 months!

2011-09-20T16:23:00.002-04:00

Maddy the Comedian

2011-09-09T21:30:00.002-04:00

Maddy is really into telling jokes lately. This one she learned from her friend Ayla. You have to admit, it's pretty funny!

Grocery Store

2011-09-09T15:13:00.002-04:00

It is so much easier to grocery shop with Maddy at preschool and Spencer in the buggy instead of the Baby Bjorn! And look who LOVES sitting in the cart like a big boy!!!

But wait... does this mean I can't use the excuse, "It's just so hard to grocery shop with the kids" anymore?

Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-07T14:54:00.003-04:00

Maddy's 1st Day of Preschool

2011-09-07T14:42:00.003-04:00

Maddy had her first day of Tuesday/Thursday preschool yesterday. She looked so grown, yet so tiny with such a huge backpack on!

When I picked her up she was bawling. They had gone on a "gingerbread man hunt" and Maddy fell on the concrete and got a boo-boo. She had been inconsolable and wouldn't even eat her lunch! (She is quite the drama queen, in case you didn't know!) She didn't want them to put a band-aid on it because they only had regular band-aids.

She was much better when we got home and put 4! princess band-aids on her boo-boos.

Despite the boo-boo, she had a wonderful day and is eager to go back tomorrow!

Eating Cereal!

2011-09-07T14:36:00.003-04:00

At the table, waiting for his first meal of "solids".

And just as we all predicted, he LOVES it!

Flowers from Daddy

2011-09-03T21:29:00.002-04:00

Chris brought this beautiful bouquet home for Maddy yesterday. She still wasn't feeling good but Daddy knew exactly how to make her smile!

Beach Trip 2011

2011-09-03T20:44:00.004-04:00

We looked forward to this vacation all summer long! Chris really, really needed a break from work and we couldn't wait to spend the week as a family, making memories that would last a lifetime.

Hurricane Irene threatened to ruin our vacation, but luckily our beach was spared so we took off on Saturday, with everything packed in the car except the kitchen sink! The traffic was non-existent, the kids slept for part of the way, and we were all super excited about the week ahead!

Our condo met our needs perfectly. Maddy couldn't wait to go to sleep that first night... she was literally asking to go to bed at 7:00! She and Spencer both slept great!

Day 1, Sunday: Ready to hit the beach

The hurricane washed up some AWESOME sea life. Here's Maddy collecting just a few of the millions of HUGE shells, including a really nice conch shell. On Day 2 we spent a good while throwing back starfish that were still alive. And everyday we made a game out of collecting as many clam diggers as we could find.

Taking pictures on the beach proved to be really difficult!

This was Spencer's reaction EVERY time the water hit his feet! He would act really surprised and hold his breath... he just couldn't decide whether he liked it or not.

We also spent Monday on the beach and in the pool. Maddy did some swimming and learned how to do a cannonball. Spencer probably enjoyed the pool more than the beach!

On Tuesday morning we were snuggling with Maddy on the couch and Chris and I both noticed that she felt warm. Of course I brought a thermometer so we took her temperature and sure enough she was running a fever. We gave her Motrin and waited. It didn't go down. We talked to Katie several times and eventually called our pediatrician. After a trip to Urgent Care, a diagnosis of tonsilitis and early pneumonia, and some antibiotics we thought Maddy would be quickly on the mend. She has always responded quickly to antibiotics.

On Wednesday morning she was still running a fever but said she felt better and was acting fine so we hit the beach for a bit.

Terrible attempt at a family pic!

Chris and Maddy built this sand castle

We even ventured out for an early dinner.

But that evening we regretted going out to the beach and dinner because Maddy was acting even more pitiful than the day before. Her temperature got up to 104.7 and wouldn't drop below 101.5 with Motrin and Tylenol. So we decided to wait until the morning to see how she felt... it was too late in the day to make the decision to head home at that point. Of course, Maddy woke up with a fever on Thursday too and was pretty pitiful so we took off. We went straight to our pediatrician's office when we got home to get his opinion. He didn't think she had tonsilitis and her lungs sounded clear. She could have had pneumonia and it cleared up from the couple of days of antibiotics. So we pretty much chalked this all up to a nasty virus.

So boo for sickness at the beach! And boo for having to leave early! But, we did have fun for the short time we were there. It just reminds us of how unpredictable life with kids can be!

Chores and a Tea Party

2011-09-03T20:37:00.004-04:00

"Helping" with the laundry

One of Spencer and Maddy's many tea parties

Yum, tea.

More yum, table!

Maddy thinks Spencer is super silly!

My Cool ("School") Girls

2011-09-03T20:34:00.002-04:00

I so look forward to dinners out with my girlfriends!

Our Future Hokies

2011-09-03T20:19:00.003-04:00

It's that wonderful, crazy, thrilling, nail-biting time of year again! Let's go Hokies!

She's a FISH!

2011-08-20T12:53:00.002-04:00

We are sooo proud of Maddy! She passed the swim test at the YMCA pool today and got her yellow band. That means she can swim in the yellow band area by herself (which we actually won't let her do) and she can go down the big water slide! To pass the test, she had to swim half the distance of the pool, freestyle or breast stroke, and then tread water for 30 seconds. She did great!!!

Grabbing, Sitting, Sleeping Boy!

2011-08-19T12:08:00.003-04:00

One of Spencer's many nicknames these days is Grabby McGrabby because he wants to hold everything in sight, and usually it goes straight to his mouth. He has much better hand-eye coordination now which makes him a happier baby. When we change his diaper he grabs our arms and just hugs them, which is super sweet. He also has started to grab my face and try to put it in his mouth... which looks something like an adorable open-mouth baby kiss! His fingers and toes are still his favorite teethers though.

Spencer is doing really well with sitting on his own. He can sit unassisted for a few minutes at a time now and he loves this new vantage point! We practice a LOT everyday... everything will be a lot easier when he can sit unsupported. (Remember he isn't in a carrier, so I put him in the Baby Bjorn for most errands... and my back and shoulders could use a break from the extra 17+ pounds!)

So proud!

Whoa!

And lastly I'm hesitant to blog about this, BUT... we've been doing some "sleep training" for the past 2 weeks and have had pretty good success. There is definitely room for improvement, but our nights are MUCH more tolerable now! We've learned a lot about Spencer's sleep cycles and we're teaching him to soothe himself back to sleep. Overall it hasn't been that bad and our little man is back to being his happy little self now that he is better rested. He's getting much better at soothing himself to sleep for naps, but still has the occasional I'm-gonna-fight-this-nap-til-I'm-delirious fit. We aren't swaddling him anymore but he is sleeping in the bouncy seat, placed in the crib because of reflux. His naps have shortened to about 30 minutes (3 or 4 a day) since we stopped swaddling him but I'm sure he'll eventually lengthen those. He still goes to bed at 6:30, usually wakes up/cries out once before midnight but quickly goes back to sleep on his own, then wakes up to eat between 3-4, wakes up briefly around 5ish, then back to sleep on his own until 6:45-7ish. We still hear him wake up so we aren't "sleeping through the night" yet but his wakings have gone from crying to whining to cooing to just stirring and a few grunts. So they are progressively getting quieter and quieter! So all in all, Spencer's sleeping has greatly improved - YAY!

Oh, and on that positive note - Spencer is SO MUCH BETTER in the car now! We switched to the convertible carseat mid-July and he is so much happier. We think that the positioning has a lot to do with it. He is sitting up now instead of being curled up in the carrier. He can also see out the windows and he can see Maddy! He just stares at her and she loves to sing to him, talk to him, make funny faces, and make him giggle.

The "Babe"

2011-08-13T19:54:00.002-04:00

I'm so proud!

Side Note - I had to remind her multiple times, "There's no crying in baseball!" I'm sure if you know my girl you're not surprised!

Swinging

2011-08-13T15:25:00.004-04:00

Spencer's first time on the swings at the park!

He loved it!

Aunt Katie, Grace, & Emma Visit

2011-08-13T14:54:00.006-04:00

We went to a bounce house and the girls had a blast! After lunch at ChickFilA we came home for Spencer's nap and the girls played for a couple of hours. Then we went out for icecream and a little more playtime before they had to leave. Of course, Maddy was super sad when it was time for them to go, but we are already looking forward to their next visit! Maddy absolutely adores her cousins (all of them!)

Maddy and Emma

Emma holding Spence

Grace holding Spence

Cuddle time

BFF Playdate

2011-08-13T09:04:00.002-04:00

My friend Sherri, Maddy's friend Morgan, and Spencer's friend Brookub Jakes (Jacob Brooks) came over for a playdate on Monday. Sherri and I talked sleep and feeding schedules, exchanged baby poop stories, and devised ways to entertain both a toddler and infant while keeping our sanity (we didn't really come up with much.) Maddy and Morgan played dress up, kitchen, tea party, and the like while Brookub and Spencer slept, ate, and well, that's about it. We like to dream about our future vacations together... but for now we're settling for lots of playdates!

Strange Dream

2011-08-13T08:51:00.002-04:00

Maddy's been on fire lately - she keeps us in stitches!

Chris and I both had strange dreams last night and were talking about them over breakfast. Maddy said she had a strange dream too...

"I dreamed that a robot was going to come to Nanny's house and bite your butt and steal all your kisses."

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-10T16:59:00.000-04:00

A seahorse?

2011-08-09T09:07:00.002-04:00

A couple Maddy quotes...

This morning as Chris was getting dressed for work, he pulled one of his shirts out of the closet and there was something on it.

Chris: "What's this?"

Me: "I don't know. Water? Milk?"

Maddy: "A seahorse?"

On Sunday morning our niece, Grace, got baptized! (We are so very proud of her, btw!) On the drive up, Maddy had a LOT of questions about being "bap-ti-tized." By far this was the sweetest...

Maddy: "Mommy, is Jesus gonna be there?"

We have a prayer box in the kitchen for prayer requests. Maddy picked it up and was walking out of the room with it.

Me: "Maddy, what are you doing with that? Please put it back."

Maddy: "I need to put my name in it."

Me: "Why? Why do we need to pray for you?"

Maddy: "Cuz, I been having a hard time being a sweet girl lately."

A Visit from Allison!

2011-08-03T15:31:00.003-04:00

Allison stopped in for a short visit on Sunday evening and Monday morning during her whirlwind visit to the East Coast. We were so happy to see her!

We miss you already! Come back soon!!!

A Few Everday Pics

2011-08-03T14:47:00.006-04:00

Dancing with Mommy

Photography by Maddy - Maddy loves to take pictures with my point and shoot camera. Sometimes she comes up with a few good ones like the two below!

Happy after a nap

Working a puzzle

Playing "prince and princess"

Seriously?

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-03T14:41:00.002-04:00

Conversations with Maddy & Camp

2011-07-29T20:09:00.004-04:00

I gave Maddy a penny to throw in the fountain the other day at the icecream shop. She said, "I wish that I could pick flowers and chase butterflies."

Maddy - "Mommy, do people paint houses?"

Me - "Yes."

Maddy - "Can I paint our house pink and purple?"

Me - "Ummm, I don't think so. Big people usually paint houses, not kids."

Maddy - "Umm, Mommy? Will you paint our house pink and purple?"

Maddy had a wonderful week at Kindercamp at the YMCA. Her favorite things about camp were going to the pool, having a picnic snack, singing songs, getting beads, coloring flowers, and riding the bus (from the church to the pool). Here's a picture of her, ready to go on Day 1:

17 Weeks and 17 Pounds

2011-07-28T14:44:00.006-04:00

Waiting for his check-up

Stats from Spencer's 4-month appointment yesterday:

Weight - 17 lbs, 90th %

Height - 25.5 in, 80th %

Head - 40th % (I can't remember the measurement)

Everything looked great! He's healthy and right on track, developmentally.

Life seems pretty frustrating for Spencer these days. We think he's teething, although his gums aren't showing any signs. He drools bucketfuls and constantly needs something in his mouth. That seems to be one of his main frustrations - he can work his arms pretty good but doesn't have the hand-eye coordination yet to get things in his mouth. He can get something up to his face but then he drops it before he can get it in his mouth. DOH!

Spencer is very vocal - he loves to babble and squeal. Oftentimes his squealing starts at 6 AM! I love those happy noises so it's really hard to shhh him so that he doesn't wake up everybody in the neighborhood! He still likes tummy-time and he loves to sit in his Bumbo in front of a mirror. He is very ticklish, especially on his belly and under his 4 chins. He tolerates the car much better now that we've moved him into the convertible seat instead of the carrier. He likes being carried around in the Baby Bjorn and he loves to watch Maddy and Marley do anything. He wants to sit up or stand so that he can look around and see everything. He still loves bathtime and the pool. And lastly, he has the sweetest giggle and a truly contagious smile! I love my boy!

Oh, and I almost forgot the boring stuff. Spencer is barely fitting into size 3-6 months clothes and some 6-9 months and he just moved up to size 3 diapers. He nurses between 7-8 AM, 10, 1, 4, and a 5-6.5 oz. bottle at 6:15ish before bed (and 1 nighttime feeding at 3ish). He takes 2 shorter naps in the morning and 1 longer afternoon nap (most days). We are still swaddling him and he takes a pacifier just when he's tired. He sleeps in the bouncy seat placed in the crib, or the swing due to reflux.

One more picture for you... Chris loves to do this to Spencer when he gets him dressed! And Spencer thinks it's hilarious!

Spencer's (and Maddy's) Dedication

2011-07-26T19:01:00.007-04:00

Sunday was a special day for us - we had Spencer and Maddy dedicated. Maddy was dedicated at our old church back in 2008 but since we've joined a new church we wanted to have her re-dedicated with our new church family.

We took Maddy to get a new dress for the occasion and she ended up with a beautiful "wedding dress," as she calls it. She tried on about 10 dresses before we decided on this one. It was her idea of a perfect Saturday... playing dress-up and modeling for Mommy and Daddy! Spencer had a new outfit for the occasion too - it just so happens that it was a "new" hand-me-down that was just perfect.

My whole family made it down for the service. We had quite the "cheering section!" It was so hectic afterwards that we didn't get a big group picture though. Here is a picture that Bonnie snapped during the dedication.

And before we could get a close-up picture afterwards, Spencer literally passed out when Uncle Jayce was holding him! He was sooo tired but behaved perfectly!

We all went out to eat afterwards and finally made it home just in time for naps. But first, I was determined to get a family pic to help us remember this special day.

Sleep Shmeep

2011-07-23T07:48:00.003-04:00

Whew... it has been exhausting here lately. Spencer has decided that sleep is not really his thing! Granted there is the occasional good night with only 1-2 wakings, but most nights he is up as many as 5-6 times. I'm only feeding him once during the night and the other times he either needs a pacifier replacement, re-swaddling, a change of venue (into the swing - GASP!), or just needs to check-in and flash Mommy or Daddy a few big smiles before dozing back off. There is also the occasional freak-out in the middle of the night, which is frustrating in itself, but especially nerve-racking because we don't want him to wake Maddy up!

Maddy was always a great sleeper, but she went through something similar between 4 and 5 months. We're hoping this is the same sort of thing and that Spencer will grow out of it soon. We've already moved his bedtime up to 6:30 and we're trying to figure out how to transition him out of the swaddle. He hates it, but when he isn't swaddled he can't get settled. It's like he doesn't know what to do with his arms... he flails, kicks, whacks himself in the face, startles himself, and just generally fidgets, keeping himself awake.

Despite his lack of sleep, he is still a pretty happy baby. He has his moments (and sometimes days) though! He has his 4-month well visit next week so I'll update then with his stats and what else he's been up to lately, other than not sleeping. In the meantime, say a quick prayer that we'll all start getting some more sleep! Thanks!

This is one reason he fights the swaddle - he prefers his fingers or toes to the pacifier these days.

A Dance Lesson for Daddy

2011-07-22T20:29:00.002-04:00

Big Sister, Little Brother

2011-07-22T20:15:00.006-04:00

I just love these pictures! (All quotes are comments from Maddy!)

"Mommy, can I help Spencer sit up?"

Ummm, not by the neck Honey!

Success!

"He's too big to sit in my lap!"

(This is very true!)

But it's so cute!

How sweet is this?!?!

"Now let's teach Spencer how to roll-over!"

(We think he has forgotten since he hasn't rolled over in about 2 weeks!)

"Mommy, I love Spencer. He's soooo cute!"

Slobber Anyone?

2011-07-22T20:10:00.003-04:00

Spencer has plenty to go around! He is a drooling machine! He soaks anything that he can get remotely close to his mouth. Here he is using his slobber to help me wash dishes!

New Haircuts!

2011-07-22T20:09:00.003-04:00

At the Dinner Table

2011-07-22T19:59:00.003-04:00

We eat a LOT of watermelon,And we practice standing!
What do you do at the dinner table?

Beach Trip

2011-07-18T19:48:00.010-04:00

Maddy, Spencer, and I went to the beach for 4 days with Nanny, Bonnie, Katie, and the girls last week. It was... well, not quite the vacation I had in mind. Spencer doesn't love the carseat (doesn't love actually means hates and screams and screeches) and he also doesn't sleep well while traveling. (He was sleeping okay before the trip, still waking up 1-2 times a night but has been sleeping horribly since we got back... wonder how long it will take us to recover from this non-vacation?!?!?) And since the 3 of us were sharing a tiny room, we were all sleep deprived and ready to come home by day 2. Well, I was sleep deprived, Maddy was an absolute angel, and Spencer was still pretty happy and content when he wasn't supposed to be sleeping! But we still managed to have lots of fun at the pool, and Maddy learned how to swim above water! We were supposed to leave on Thursday but Bonnie suggested that we leave Wednesday night so that Spencer could sleep in the car. We didn't know whether or not that would work but luckily it worked beautifully. THANKS for the great idea Bonnie and THANKS for riding with me both ways... you're very brave!
I'm looking forward to another beach trip at the end of August... Chris will be with us and we'll have more space. And *hopefully* Spencer will be sleeping better by then?!?!?
Here are some pictures of our fun times at the pool and on the beach.

All of the kiddos, ready to hit the pool

It was hard to get this fish to stop flopping around for this picture!Chillin' after his time in the poolI love this picture (even if it is blurry!)Floating in the Lazy River with the girls was anything but "lazy"
Day 2 - Walking on the beach... what a "view""Toes in the sand" for the first time!Katie, Grace, and EmmaMaddy had SOOOOO much fun with her cousins!

Cheese!Solving the world's problemsSpencer LOVED the pool!Yikes!Zoom, zoom, zooming to the moon

I'll be back...

2011-07-15T21:27:00.001-04:00

Early next week, hopefully. I need to install my picture/camera software on my new computer (thanks Honey!) and we're switching internet providers and our new service doesn't start until Monday. I'm blogging from my phone now, which isn't very easy!!!
Stay tuned for beach pics and a video of Maddy swimming!!! Here are a couple of sneak peak pics from my phone.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-06T16:38:00.002-04:00

Eyes

2011-07-06T15:26:00.002-04:00

My beautiful brown-eyed girl

My beautiful blue-eyed boy

Fun on the 4th

2011-07-06T15:04:00.005-04:00

Katie and the girls stopped by on their way home from the beach for a quick visit last weekend. We packed a picnic dinner (and everything else but the kitchen sink) and walked across the street for an early Independence Day festival. The girls had a blast!!!

Grace pulled Emma and Maddy in the wagon

Spencer just sat back and took it all in

Emma + Maddy = BFFs

Waiting for the fireworks on the back deck (our trees were a bit too tall so we ended up in the cul-de-sac with all the rest of the neighborhood kiddos)

This past weekend we headed to the farm to celebrate the 4th with the fam. We ate good food, played kickball, went boating and tubing, visited Big Nanny and Great Grandma, and had a grand ole' time.

The girls, chillin' on Nanny's back porch

Spencer enjoyed the lake from the dock

This girl LOVES riding on Poppa's boat, swimming in the lake, and tubing!

BEST. PICTURE. EVER.

Having a wonderful time!

Learning how to sunbathe from Aunt Bonnie (Maddy was Aunt Bonnie's sidekick for the weekend!)

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-30T17:27:00.004-04:00

Okay, it's actually Thursday so I can use words... but I won't. I guess I already did. Whatever.

Spencer Giggles!

2011-06-28T16:15:00.004-04:00

Smiley Boy

2011-06-28T16:05:00.005-04:00

So happy when he wakes up!

and very proud of how he Houdini'd out of his swaddle

Look at that sweet face!

Starting to grasp objects

More smiles

Laughing at Daddy zerberting his belly

The shirt says it all!

Exersaucer

2011-06-28T15:52:00.001-04:00

Maddy had to show Spencer all of the fun things to do in the exersaucer.

He really wanted the monkey (like Maddy in the video in this post.)
"Okay, I got it. Now what?"

Fun Times with Maddy

2011-06-28T15:37:00.009-04:00

Last Tuesday we went to Marbles for $2 Tuesday nights. Spencer tagged along too, but of course he couldn't get in on the fun yet. Here's a pic of Maddy surfing. It makes me want to call her Gidget!

A couple of weekends ago we attended a Mother-Daughter Tea Luncheon at our local Chick-fil-A. It was fun to get dressed up and spend the morning with my girl!
And here is a fun pic of Maddy setting up for our own tea party in the playroom. (We have a tea party everyday!)

Another baby?

2011-06-27T15:01:00.003-04:00

Ummm, no thank-you. Not right now anyway!

A conversation with Maddy from last Friday:

Maddy: "Mommy, I want another baby."

Me: "We have a baby. What are we going to do with Spencer?"

Maddy: "We'll keep him. I want 2 babies."

Me: "How am I going to take care of you and 2 babies?"

Maddy: "I'll feed the new baby while you feed Spencer."

(Ohhh, in that case, why not?!?!?!)

Our friend Sherri had her baby and named him Jacob Brooks. I was telling Chris how Maddy said she wanted another baby and I asked her what we would name the new baby. Without hesitation she said, "Brookub Jakes!"

Last night when I was putting her to bed she asked me if I still had a baby growing in my belly. She caught me off-guard since she has not commented on my belly since Spencer was born. I said no and reminded her that I already had Spencer and he was the baby that was growing in my belly (and almost started crying!) She asked to see my belly. Then she said, "I think your belly is ready to grow another baby."

And lastly... this morning Maddy was playing with Spencer and she started poking his belly. Then she told me that she thought Spencer had a baby in his belly. I asked why and she said, "Look how big it is!" This led to a nice long conversation about how we should never ask anybody if they have a baby in their belly! I see lots of apologies in the future!!!

3-month Growth Spurt

2011-06-27T13:08:00.002-04:00

Yep... I'm pretty sure it has begun. (And Spencer had just started sleeping through the night... 9+ hours for 4 out of the last 6 nights!)

So I'll be back when I'm not nursing every 1.5-2 hours... and consoling an irritable baby in between. I'll post some pictures of what is sure to be a MONSTROUS baby!

Yay.

Spencer Talking

2011-06-23T16:31:00.003-04:00

I've been trying to upload this video for over a week! I don't know what the problem was but it finally worked. It is just too cute not to post!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-22T20:53:00.004-04:00