Family Time

We spent the entire weekend, from Saturday morning until Sunday evening, in Barnesville with both of our families. We were in town to celebrate Terrell's birthday with his family and my family. It was a really busy weekend but lots of fun and good to be home. We actually hadn't been home since the end of July, so this was a record for us! (A whole month!)

After dropping off Bailey with my parents and seeing them for a little bit on Saturday morning, we met Terrell's family for lunch and spent the rest of the day with them. Garrison decided he didn't want to take a very long nap Saturday afternoon, but other than that things with the little man went really good. (We're always a little nervous when we're away from our house because he doesn't sleep as well away from his own bed and his routine is always a little tricky when we're in Barnesville). He did seem much more aware of Allison this weekend. He was definitely interacting with her more and trying to keep up with her.

Saturday night we went out to eat for Terrell's birthday at Southern Pit and then everyone gave him his presents at home before we got the little ones in bed and settled in for the night. The rest of the night we talked, watched the Braves games, and ate red velvet cake (one of Terrell's favorite desserts).

Sunday we went to church and then planned to spend the rest of the day with my family. Somehow my camera never made it out of my purse on Saturday so unfortunately I don't have pictures from that day, but I did get a few pictures on Sunday.... only because they were planned family pictures. I don't think I would have remembered to use my camera then if we hadn't already planned to get some family pictures taken outside of O'Charley's (Terrell's choice for his birthday lunch).

After lunch we went back to my parent's house and got the little man ready for his nap. Once again, he decided to take a short nap and then just played and talked in the crib until we went in and got him. Then everyone gave Terrell his presents and we had cheesecake and cool whip for dessert (Terrell's other favorite dessert).

We enjoyed a lazy afternoon and watched the Braves come back to win in the bottom of ninth inning. =) We were all so full around dinner time that we decided to feed Garrison and the rest of us skipped supper. We got home to Covington around 8:20 and put the little man right to bed.

We had such a fun weekend and enjoyed spending time with our families. Our house is messy now and there are piles of laundry to do, but it was very worth it to spend the weekend with family. Terrell especially had a great weekend and enjoyed all of the celebrating for his birthday. We are so blessed with wonderful families who continue to spoil their grown children. =)

Birthday Fun

This weekend was full of birthday fun. Friday was Terrell's 29th birthday, so we started off the weekend celebrating. When Terrell got home from work, Garrison and I had his cards and present ready for him and Garrison was a big help to daddy.

Then my parents came over to baby-sit so that Terrell and I could enjoy a date on his birthday. It was so nice to go out and spend time with each other while the little man stayed home with Granna and Papa. (We're still on track with our date nights and meeeting our goal of one every month... yay!) Since it was a Friday night and we didn't want to be out too late, we decided to go to Amici's on the square in Covington. It was our first time there and it was really good. It has an atmosphere and menu sort of like Loco's, but with an Italian twist. We both love Loco's and have missed it a lot since college in Athens and when we were first married and living in Gainesville. They have live music and we were able to eat and then hang around for the music before walking down the street to Scoops for some dessert. Once we had our ice cream we decided to go back over to Amici's and sit outside and listen to the music while we had dessert. It was just a really fun, relaxing birthday date for us.

Before going out on our date. =)

Saturday we woke up early and got ready to head to Duluth for Allison's 3rd birthday party. Garrison wanted to take a couple of books in the car and we caught him reading several times, so we finally made a picture.... of course he looks at us instead of at the book.

Allison's party was held at a place called Monkey Joe's. There are tons of inflatable/bouncy/jumping things everywhere. Garrison wasn't too sure about it at first. He was actually sort of ill when we first got there, but I think he was just tired from the ride. Once we finally got him on some of the slides, he loved them and couldn't get enough of them. He figured out how to get off the slides by himself and then ran over to get back in so he could slide again. He had a ball and wore of us out! The little man is officially a HANDFUL. Since turning 18 months he has more energy, he's into more stuff, he's more demanding, he's testing the limits more, etc. etc... I feel like I could go on and on. Welcome to a whole new ball game. He is running me ragged! The good news is I've had this feeling before (when he started crawling) and I survived just fine... and if nothing else, he's keeping me in shape!

My favorite action shot

The birthday girl on her throne. =)

After we left Monkey Joe's, the family all went over to Denny and Kara's to watch Allison open her presents from all the family members. Garrison was pretty tired by this point but did a good job of just hanging out while Allison opened her presents.

The big unveiling of the dollhouse (made by Pops, painted and decorated by Denny and Kara)

Allison absolutely loved it! We know that she will love and enjoy it for years. It was a very special gift.

We had lots of fun over the weekend but we were all pooped when we got home Saturday afternoon. Happy Birthday Terrell and Allison!

18 Month Check-Up

Today we went to the doctor for Garrison's 18 month check-up. This was the first doctor's visit that Garrison seemed really aware of where he was and what was going on. It was like he had bad memories from visits past. I'm wondering if part of it was because he wasn't feeling good anyway, or if he would have been extremely nervous, apprehensive, and clingy either way. He actually started with a little bit of a cold late Saturday night, so it worked out good that we already had this appointment scheduled.

Everything looked really good with him. His cold is just a cold and will have to run it's course, and he weighed 24 lbs, 14.5 oz and was 31 inches long. He is in the 25th percentile for both categories. The doctor explained (and showed me on the chart) that he is growing at a great pace and seems to have high metabolism. My first reaction once I heard "25th percentile" was that he's small for his age, but the doctor reassured me that the percentiles are used to track his growth and that while he is being compared to others at 18 months, he is not considered underweight or short... he is growing at a steady pace and moving right along on the chart.

She also made me feel better about his eating habits. At our last visit they told me to expect his appetite to decrease a little because that's typical during the 2nd year of life. Well, anyone who has seen Garrison eat knows that he loves food and that he will eat, and eat, and eat if you let him. We've seen absolutely no signs of the appetite decreasing at all. We actually question whether we're feeding him too much sometimes. She told me that the best explanation for his eating habits is that he's just trying to keep up with all of his activity. He obviously isn't overweight or gaining weight too fast, so it looks like he's trying to take in the calories he needs to keep up with his "active" lifestyle. In her words, it's something to be thankful for... a good problem to have. She told me if he was hungry, to go ahead and feed him and basically let him eat what he wants as long as it's healthy. He's definitely not deprived in any way when it comes to food, so I guess we'll keep doing what we're doing.

He also had to get two shots. Whenever I had to put him on the table for any reason he would start crying and trying to get me to pick him up. The last time I had to put him down it was so he could get his shots and it wasn't fun... for either one of us. He cried and cried, before she did anything, during, and after it was over. All of the previous times he had to get shots actually weren't so bad. He usually would get over it pretty quick and stop crying soon after it was all over. Not this time. He cried after she finished, while I got him dressed, and while I gathered our belongings so we could leave. He finally stopped crying when I put him down so we could walk out of the room. I guess he knew it was all officially over. Once we got home, I gave him some Tylenol and we just took it easy for a while. Now he doesn't have to go back to the doctor until he's 2 and no more shots until he's 4. Yay!

On a different note... I've noticed some changes with my little man that have come since his big 18 month birthday. I thought I would go ahead and mention some of them. One of the biggest changes I've noticed during the day with him is that he's a lot louder than he used to be. It's like he discovered the power of the volume of his voice. He yells, demands, or even screams to get my attention. He doesn't just say "ma-ma" or "please" or "bye", he yells it. For some reason he also enjoys screaming to just to hear himself. He doesn't necessarily scream out of anger he just screams so he can hear himself, like he's amused by the sound. So, one of the big changes is that he's all of a sudden not a quiet, shy little man.... he's really loud and doesn't care who notices. He has also started requesting that one of us do specific things for him. Whenever he finishes the supper he has on his plate but he wants more, da-da has to do it for him. He's quite demanding about it too. He refuses to let me take his plate and he insists on da-da. The main thing he's adamant about me doing is putting him to bed. He also can now point out where is eyes, nose, mouth, ears, hair, belly, hands, feet and toes are. We're so proud! Anyway, those are some of the changes I've noticed but overall his personality is still very laid back and loving.

Time for School

Well the little man is officially a student and classmate. His first day of preschool was today and it appears that he did great! We are so excited about the school year for him and about all of the new things he'll learn and experience. He will be attending First Baptist Covington's 1 year old class every Tuesday and Thursday from 9:00 until 1:00.

We decided to enroll him in preschool for two reasons. The first was because we felt that his interaction with others kids and toddlers was really limited and that he needed more social interaction with his "peers". Being home with me all the time means that he's playing with me, Bailey, or independently and there's only so much I can provide for him in terms of learning experiences. He has some interaction with older preschoolers at Bible Study (and church in Covington), and some interaction with other toddlers in the nursery when we're able to go to church in Barnesville.... but that's about it. We know that now he will have a chance to interact and play with other toddlers and learn and experience so many new things.

The second reason we made this decision is because of how much it will help me as I attempt to work from home everyday. Because my income with Premier is an important part of our family's income, I treat Premier as my own business (which it is), and if I want to stay in business then I have to work regularly and consistently. I started Premier when Garrison was 6 months old and since then I've been able to work around his schedule. I do all of my invitations, phone calls, emails, submitting of orders, preparing for shows, etc while he is napping or occasionally in the evenings after he's in bed. Now that he's older, more active, harder to keep up with, and only taking 1 nap a day, finding time to work has become more of a challenge. I've only experienced a handful of days so far with just the 1 nap, but that changes things a ton. I'm a lot more tired and by the time he's taking a nap I feel ready for one too... which makes it harder for me to be really productive since I'm sleepy. So this will make a huge difference in me getting things done with Premier and around the house. I'm also excited because I'll now be able to schedule any meetings with hostesses or prospects around his school schedule. Hopefully that means no more worrying about him behaving/being quiet/listening to me in a restuarant or someone else's home while we talk about or close their show.

Okay, enough about all that. We had Open House on Friday and met his teachers and saw his room. It was a little crazy because there were so many parents and kids everywhere, but it was still really helpful and informational. Since Garrison is in the 1 year old class I will be walking him in everyday and going into his room to pick him up everyday. I'm so excited that one of Garrison's little classmates is someone we know. A girl that I taught with at Livingston (who is going to be staying home this year) has a 1 year old little boy named Tripp, and he is in Garrison's class. Hopefully they will be best buds! The picture below is me and the little man standing right outside of his school building on Open House holding his new folder with his name on it. By this point he was extra tired and the paci was required.


Now, fast-forward to this morning.... This morning was little crazy because I had to get myself completely ready and presentable, plus get Garrison ready and presentable, plus get breakfast ready and both of us fed, and then make pictures before leaving the house. We were a little rushed, but thankfully Terrell was home since Tuesday is a Social Circle day, so he was able to help a ton.

Ready for school

Is everything in there Daddy?

His bag is as big as he is. =)

We made it to the church in plenty of time and Garrison was the 2nd one to arrive in his room.

A little later with some of the other boys and girls. (If I counted correctly, there are 5 boys and 3 girls in his class).

Working on a puzzle with Ms. Brandi, one of his teachers

Checking things out as he works on his puzzle

Garrison and Tripp... future best buds!

Garrison was very calm and mellow the entire time I was there. He never cried, but he also wasn't jumping for joy. He stayed sitting at the table with his puzzle just about the whole time. I think he was a little apprehensive and just trying to check things out. I stayed in the room with him until his other classmates arrived and made pictures and talked to the teachers before hugging and kissing him bye (but without lingering because I definitely didn't want to make him cry). Then Kelli (my friend from Livingston) and her husband Travis and I all went and stood outside the room but looked in through a window (one that they couldn't see us through) and watched our babies for a few more minutes. I think it helped having them there because I didn't want to cry in front of someone I knew!

It felt a little strange leaving him there and not knowing what he'd be doing until 1:00, but at the same time I had a peace about it and felt excited for him too. I passed the time at home by getting lots of cleaning done and I got back to the church about 12:45 to pick him up. He didn't run into my arms or smile a huge smile when he saw me... he just kept trying to pull his chair away from a little girl who had come over and was trying to sit in it... oh well. Maybe one day soon he'll run into my arms when I come pick him up. His teachers said he did great and we're looking forward to Thursday and adjusting even more to our new routine of school twice a week.

18 Months Old!

Garrison is 18 months old today! Where has the time gone? In a way it's really hard to believe that he's been here for a year and a half, but in another way it's seems like he's been here much longer. This little man changed my life a year and a half ago and I'm so grateful that God blessed us with him. This post is dedicated to Garrison as we celebrate his 18 month birthday today.

This is a picture of you a year ago today. You were only 6 months old and our pride and joy. You loved to put things in your mouth, roll around on the floor, touch Bailey, smile, laugh, and "talk" to us. At this age you were finally sleeping through the night consistently! You also learned to sit up by yourself and you started eating rice cereal every morning for breakfast. You weighed 17 lbs, 8.5 oz and were 28 inches long.

This is a picture of you taken last night. You were a wild man! You can now run all over the place and get into just about anything you want. You are usually a really happy little man (of course you have your moments of being mad/sad/upset/angry) and your personality is very laid back and "go with the flow" like your daddy's.


You wake up sometime between 7:00 and 8:00 every morning and go to bed around 7:45 or 8:00 every night. You have just this week started taking only 1 nap a day. Typically your nap lasts about 2 hours, but it may start to be a little longer since you only take 1 now. Your favorite thing for breakfast is a muffin and banana. You also really like Gerber cereal bars, waffles, grits, yogurt, and any other kind of fruit. For lunch you usually eat leftovers from the night before, part of a lunchable, or Spaghetti O's. And you have fruit with your lunch everyday too. Your favorite thing for supper is probably spaghetti or cheeseburgers. You also love corn, mac and cheese, green beans, sweet potatoes, and most types of peas. Your favorite afternoon snack is Gerber cookies and yogurt melts, but you also like gold fish, puffs, and any kind of cracker. You have always had a really big appetite and it hasn't changed or slowed down a bit. You love to eat and aren't too picky about anything.

Your favorite things to do during the day are to play with your mega blocks, help me unload the dishwasher, do laundry, make the bed, dust, and vacuum. Everytime I vacuum, you get your vacuum and start to help. You also love riding your car around the house, reading books and being read to, playing with Bailey, carrying around her leash, helping take Bailey outside, and walking to the mailbox. You really love playing in the kitchen and pulling everything out of "your" cabinet. Every night when I'm cooking supper you play in the kitchen with spoons and bowls and lids. Every night after supper you like to play on the floor with daddy and ride on his back and sit on top of him and throw the ball with him. You are always busy... discovering, exploring, and doing something!

Your vocabulary seems to grow everyday. You are learning new words all the time and starting to use them more too. I know I'm probably going to forget some of the words you know, but I'm going to try to include all the words you know how to say in the list below.

ma-ma, da-da, bay-bay (for Bailey), bye bye, please, thank you, papa, blue, yellow, car, wagon, keys, water, juice, cracker, teeth, bird, book, shoe, peaches, bath, spoon, bubble, gone-gone, and Emma... your newest words are man and whoa, which you say "MAAANN" and "WHOOA" very dramatically. All of your words aren't completely clear, but we usually know exactly what you're saying.

I'm not sure of your height and weight because we don't go for your check up until the 16th, but I'll update about the doctor's appointment then. Tomorrow is Open House for your preschool and we're so excited about you starting next week. I can't wait to write about it! Even though you are growing up fast, learning more and more, and are quickly becoming a big boy, you are still our precious baby and absolute favorite little man. We love you Garrison Cade!