School Egg Hunt

Garrison's school Easter party and egg hunt were earlier today (since this was his last day of school before Spring Break). My baby has grown and changed a lot since last year's egg hunt. And let me tell you, this year he knew exactly what to do. He didn't miss a beat. His mission was to grab every egg in sight and place it directly in his bucket without delay... and after collecting 19 eggs, mission accomplished. But first, they had a special lunch treat of happy meals from McDonald's.

Garrison and one of his best buds, Beckett.

My baby boy hung out (and had himself some peas and carrots while we were there)

After lunch we all went out to the playground for the egg hunt. They were so excited. Some of them didn't know why, but still, they were excited and precious.

While some kiddos paused to inspect their eggs or caved to temptation and opened one up, or, my favorite, forgot why they were outside in the first place, my little man was all business hunting his eggs. I never even thought about coaching or prepping him, he just knew what to do. And I had a proud mama moment right there in the middle of the preschool egg hunt. Ha!

Once his bucket got heavy, he had me hold onto it... and this is him running over to bring me another egg

And this is him showing me the handful of acorns he found. He's really into finding acorns right now. Every school day he comes home with a pocket full of them.

And this is a picture of my babies... gotta love this fake smile stage.

Today I am thankful once again for the opportunity to stay home and be part of every little school function without worry. And for Austin being a laid back baby and going with the flow. And that I wasn't the only one who had to feed their baby baby food during the "party". And that my big boy knew just what to do when it was time to hunt eggs. And that they are both taking good naps right now. And most importantly, that my Savior lives. And we get to celebrate!

A Different Kind of Workout

The workout routine around here has been lacking... not in intensity and not in effectively making us sore- we're good in both those areas. What's been lacking is commitment, which I'm afraid is completely, totally, 100% our fault. What's the saying about making time for the things that are important to you and that you really want to do? Like me sitting here blogging. I make time for it because I enjoy it and I want to and it's one of my favorite hobbies. Working out, not so much.

But, in our defense, something always seems to come up. One of us isn't feeling well, one of the boys has trouble going to sleep at a decent hour, one of us needs to work after the kids go to bed, our favorite show is coming on... haha. (It's rare that we actually sit down together in the evenings to watch a show, so when a favorite is coming on, we prioritize!)

Anyway, the point is that I'm feeling frustrated about our lack of commitment... and time and energy and dedication when it comes to working out. Sometimes I even feel guilty. But sometimes I don't... because we're tired and work hard all day and want to relax in the evenings. And lately I'm feeling torn. Torn between the desire to be in shape and feel healthy, and the reality that fulfilling that desire means being disciplined and intentional and committed. And that's tough. Except when it comes to blogging. Or reading. Or doing something I really want to do.

Sooo, there's a new plan in place. A new way of thinking. A new attitude. A new sheriff in town. His name? Austin Selph. For the past week and a half, my littlest man has been giving me a workout all by himself. He gets my heart rate up and my muscles working and keeps me running. Literally. Baby boy is strong, on the move, and heavy. Every diaper and wardrobe change is officially a challenge. He is so determined to roll over that it's a constant wrestling match between me and him. And my arms are feeling it. He can now escape from almost anywhere I put him. The bumbo seat no longer contains him. He can roll completely over in his bouncy seat even though he's strapped in, and if he's on the floor in any room-be prepared to chase him because he's a fast roller and has even started trying to scoot.

Last night cooking supper wore me out. It was exhausting. The only safe place to put him was inside his "jumpy" seat and he couldn't stay there the whole time I cooked. I ended up putting him down for 2 minutes at a time, asking Garrison to entertain him and play beside him, and then holding him while I did some one-handed cooking. Even during the 2 minute stretches he was sitting in his bumbo or bouncy he was trying to escape... and dangerously close. My arms were burning by the time daddy walked in from work... so I promptly handed over baby boy.

After supper Garrison and Terrell went out to play baseball, and since I wasn't feeling up to "containing" Austin in a particular spot or location, I put him in the stroller and we went for a little walk. Another workout-check.

Needless to say, Terrell and I did not do our at home fitness routine last night. Instead, he stayed on the phone forever with at&t trying to get access to his email and I made Garrison's lunch for school and watched some of Dancing with the Stars. And for once, I didn't feel so guilty about not working out. I cut myself a break because I did get in a workout yesterday, and that was enough. It won't be enough every single day, but on some days it's definitely enough. We'll still strive for 3 nights a week of an actual workout routine, but if we don't get around to it every single week, it's okay. Our boys do their part keeping us active and in shape, and as long as we're trying and making an effort and getting outside and doing our routine once or twice a week, it's all good. It's just a different kind of workout. One I think I'm okay with. Now if I could just have some self-control when it comes to my eating habits...

Baseball Mans

Baseball, America's favorite pastime, has now become my big boy's favorite as well. Every single day he asks if he can go outside and play baseball with daddy. And almost every single day he does go outside and play baseball with his daddy. Unless it's raining or we feel like the pollen is just too bad or daddy isn't feeling well, in which case he settles for asking mama. This little man has slowly but surely become obsessed with the sport. And a dream is now realized for Terrell Selph. Ha!

We've never forced sports on him, we've just introduced him to them, and he's taken care of the rest on his own. We've had stretches of Garrison and Terrell shooting basketball (with his Little Tikes goal we have in our living room) together everyday. We've had a phase of them throwing stuffed footballs together everyday. We've had a stint of them kicking a soccer ball together everyday. And now we've embarked upon an obsession with baseball. And with every stretch/phase/stint/obsession, the little man has loved every minute of the fun that comes with it.

His love of all things sports related has really been a blessing. It gives him quality time with daddy and improves his gross motor skills. It even gives mama a break occasionally. The only thing I worry about is Austin being provided with those same opportunities as a 2 and 3 year old without Garrison overshadowing everything because he's bigger and older. I know Terrell will do great with both of them. We'll just have to work together to make sure Austin gets that good quality playtime with daddy too.

This afternoon the whole fam went outside to enjoy the beautiful day... and of course, play baseball. Because as Garrison declared on the way home from having Easter pictures made, in a rather manly tone, Daddy, we are baseball mans! Again, a dream was realized.

Due to allergies and Austin spitting up multiple times and something biting me and making me itch, I almost gave up and went inside early. (Okay, so me and Austin did have to go inside early, but I almost went inside waaay earlier than that.) But, I was determined to enjoy the pretty day and watch my new favorite baseball player so we toughed it out a little longer. And I'm glad I did. Because I got some cute pics of the baseball mans in my family and I enjoyed sitting and taking in a picture of my future... daddy coaching, my baby playing, mama sitting, watching, cheering, and holding the drinks.

Sleepyheads

My sleepyheads...

Had to sneak the one of Garrison. Couldn't dare risk waking him up from his nap!

Sleep is a must have. For everyone. (But especially babies and preschoolers, and especially mama's and daddy's. But especially mama's and preschoolers.) And for some reason, here at the Selph household, we all have different sleeping habits and "needs". And mama and the preschooler need it the most.

Example #1: my husband has always been a night owl. Like ever since he can remember. He actually has memories of lying awake as a child and not being able to go to sleep, for whatever reason, at bedtime. To this day, he still stays up late almost every single night and can function on way less sleep than I can. To this day he refuses to come to bed if he's not sleepy, no matter what the clock says. And to this day, he blames it on having to lay in his bed wide awake as a child feeling totally bored and frustrated because he couldn't fall asleep. To this day, (okay last time I'm gonna use that phrase), it's pretty rare for him to come to bed before midnight. Sometimes he'll turn in early around 11:30 or so, other times it's more like 1:00 or 1:30... am. And every once in a while he'll come to bed really, really early around 11:00. Since he works at a bank 5 minutes from home, he doesn't have to wake up super early, but still... it's crazy to me that he's 30 and still keeping hours like a college student. One day I'll accept it I guess.

The great thing about these hours he keeps is that it doesn't effect him so much. He still wakes up in a pretty good mood. He's still productive at work and helpful at home. He doesn't complain or become irritable or moody. He just doesn't need as much sleep as the rest of us I guess. (The bad thing about the hours he keeps... it takes him what seems like forever to get up every morning. Makes me crazy impatient with him. And, my pet peeve, he always seems to doze off while we're in B'ville for the weekend visiting family. It's like his body relaxes and gets sleepy automatically just because there are grandparents around to help with the boys. Ahhhh.)

Example #2: I need sleep. More than my husband does. In college when I went to bed really late (mainly because I talking on the phone to Terrell and attempting to keep his hours), I would always take a nap the next afternoon. If I know I have to wake up early, I like to go to bed early. If I know I can sleep late (which is extremely rare) I might stay up a little later. If I stay up real late and then wake up real early, it effects me the next day. I feel like I'm moving in slow motion. I feel shaky. I'm impatient with Garrison. It's just not good. I'm amazed at how well I handled Austin's newborn stage when I was waking up multiple times during the night and taking care of both of them during the day. I guess the "you do what you have to do" mentality steps in and God provides you with what you need. That's my only explanation for it. Although there have been times in the past, even before kids, that I've wondered if some of it is in my head.... like waking up knowing I didn't get enough sleep so I probably wasn't going to have a good day, so then I didn't have a good day... because I wasn't expecting to. Hmmm.

I have a bedtime routine every night of winding down and getting sleepy that's quite wonderful. It starts with the normal stuff... pj's, washing my face, brushing my teeth, then I always read in bed. Every night. It's my time to wind down and get relaxed and escape from stress or busyness or the real world. And it works every single night. I enjoy a chapter or 2 from my book and then I'm snoozing...

Which brings me to example #3: Garrison Cade. I'm thinking he's more like me in the whole sleep department. He needs his sleep. And, he now likes reading books before falling asleep. If he doesn't sleep good at night, we all know about it the next day. If he misses his nap and stays up a little too late, well, you're just asking for a meltdown. A big one. If something or someone wakes him up an hour before he's used to getting up (like this morning), nothing you can do will be right or okay or not devestating before breakfast is served. Lack of sleep is rough on my big boy. We have to be really careful about letting him miss naps and make sure he's able to go the bed early that night if he does miss a nap. We have to be consistent about the bedtime routine so that he hopefully falls asleep at a decent hour. And we have to be especially vigilant about him playing really hard on little sleep... as that can lead to crying so hard he throws up (something we discovered at Christmas and were reminded of again on the night of the French Fry).

When he has his sleep on the other hand, little man is just about as pleasant and laid back and fun to be around as a 3 year old can be. He's helpful around the house, he's sweet and loving to Austin, he does what I ask, etc. Sleep and lots of it, is his friend... and mine.

And now for example #4: Sweet baby Austin. The jury's still out on my littlest man. He doesn't nap quite as long as Garrison did as a baby, which leads me to believe he might be a tad more like his daddy because it never seems to effect him. Although he is an early riser, total opposite from daddy. He doesn't have huge meltdowns over lack of sleep... but he's not a toddler or preschooler yet either. He's never truly had a "witching hour" (if you don't count the stretch we had of him crying his eyes out at bedtime). He has definitely been a better night time sleeper than Garrison, but I'm not sure what that means. Hmmm, guess we'll just wait and see. As for now, I'm just thankful he takes two naps a day, one of them being at the same time as big brother, and he sleeps through the night. I couldn't ask for much more.

I'm ready for a nap now...

Maybe one day.

Random Updates

There's not a lot of really BIG stuff going on around here, but there are some things I want to update on and jot down for the sake of having a record of it. So this probably means nothing to anyone except me... and maybe the grandparents, but probably just me.

*About 2 weeks ago, Garrison came down with some sort of virus that involved a gross discharge from his eyes (which at first we thought was pink eye), fluid coming out of one of his ears, and a runny nose. He was placed on antibiotics, plus eye drops and ear drops. He finally got over it and was back to normal until last night. He woke up around 10:30 with puffy eyes and a runny nose. This morning his right eye was red. I'm not sure if it's related to the pollen or if the virus is back. I'm debating on whether or not to call the doctor. I think they hear from me at least once a week.

*Speaking of pollen... I'm handling it pretty well considering the record breaking pollen counts we've had lately. Having Zyrtec in my system has made all the difference. I haven't even had to take it every 24 hours, more like 36 and sometimes I can even stretch it out to 48 (but most of the time I regret that so I think I'll stick to every 36).

*As previously mentioned, I'm not sure if the pollen has had an effect on Garrison or not. He's been outside for a few days in a row playing with daddy and we never saw any symptons until last night. (Quick side note: Garrison Cade is loving playing baseball with daddy everyday. And I think daddy loves it just as much.) Sooo, we made the decision that he couldn't go outside today. At all. Of course he didn't understand so we compromised with a trip to Chuck E. Cheese this morning. That place gives me a headache. There was a daycare group there so it was loud and wild. Not to mention it wasn't the most fun thing ever trying to maneuver Austin's stroller around while attempting to give him a bottle. Pure craziness.

*Speaking of Austin... he's been doing awesome with a bottle! Praise the Lord! I was starting to wonder if he would ever take a bottle and actually like it, much less finish it. He now gets one bottle a day of Similac formula and pretty soon we'll transition to 2 a day. I can tell my supply is decreasing. (That's one of the side effects of my Zyrtec.) But, since baby boy has teeth coming in, it's fine by me... except for the fact he doesn't need me as much, which is bittersweet.

*A few weeks ago I mentioned that I was determined to start working out, specifically starting my day with a workout. That plan didn't go so well. I tried waking up before 6 am to work out 2 mornings (I know that's a pitiful attempt at a commitment), and both times was left feeling not so good. I'm sure a fitness expert could give me some tips and help me work through the issues that were holding me back, but instead I've decided to have a different approach. Now, Terrell and I are working out together 3 nights a week after we get the boys to bed. It's what we did when we suffered through 45 days of P90x after I had Garrison and it's what we're going to committ to now. (Except we're not doing P90x again. No way jose. We're doing an "at home" fitness routine that consists of jumping jacks, push ups, crunches, squats, etc.) We help hold each other accountable by doing it together and I feel WAY better doing it at night. I actually have some energy. And I can sweat. It was weird waking up in the mornings to work out and never sweating. That doesn't sound healthy.

*My new commitment for the mornings are my quiet time. If Austin interrupts me, I'll adjust, but I have to prioritize reading my Bible. Any leftover time I have I'd like to use to either blog or read blogs. (I'm addicted. Which is why I haven't joined Pinterest. I can't handle another addiction.) My days are so busy until naptime that when naptime comes I feel like I'm not as productive as I should/could be. So I'm hoping that being more intentional about my mornings and getting an earlier start to the day will help.

*It's naptime right now and it sounds like Austin just woke up and Garrison just went to sleep. Gracious. I think I'll just leave Austin for a bit because there's a 50-50 chance he might go back to sleep. Rule #1 when helping your babies become good sleepers... never go in right away when they wake up. Austin's naps have been going really well lately and I'm so thankful! Garrison's naps on the other hand are hit or miss. He either doesn't fall asleep at all or talks, sings, or "reads" for over an hour before falling alseep. Guess I should be thankful about his naps too. It could be worse.

*And that's all the updates I can think of. Now for a little productivity before I get Austin up. All I really want to do is read more of my Catching Fire book. But I must resist the temptation and get busy on more important things. But since Austin is already awake, maybe reading a quick chapter won't hurt since I don't really have time to do anything else. Just kidding.

The "French Fry"

The day my oldest little man had been so looking forward to arrived on Saturday when it was finally time for the french fry. He was SO excited... even though it was obvious he didn't really know what it was... except for the part about playing outside with his cousins and celebrating a birthday with cake and ice cream.

My mom's side of the family has 6 birthdays between February and April so it's become a tradition to get together and have a combined birthday party shindig for everybody at my parents' house. Last year's fish fry was such a hit, we had another one this year. We knew Garrison would be outside almost all day, so we made a nap a priority. But, because he was so wound up and excited, he had a hard time going to sleep (it's actually debatable whether he fell asleep or not) and took a short nap (meaning he was quiet for less than an hour).

The first guests arrived as soon as he "woke up" and from that point forward he fulfilled his dream of "french fry" bliss. Driving his jeep all over the yard, playing with his cousins, taking a break to watch Granny and Uncle Terry pull fish out of the cooler, driving his jeep around some more, collecting rocks, pine cones, and sticks, taking another break to watch Uncle Terry do some frying, putting more miles on his jeep, watching the big boys play baseball, putting more miles on the jeep, and eventually taking a break to eat. Whoa. He had a ball. The best time ever. Except for when he got his heart broken because he couldn't play baseball with the big boys (his teenage and almost teenage cousins). But I'm a big boy mama. Bless his heart.

Garrison played so hard that more than once Terrell and I looked at each other and exchanged a glance that said, "We're officially on countdown for a meltdown." Unfortunately that's just how it goes. I guess it's worth it. Except for when I approached him to make his picture and as soon as he saw me coming said, "I don't need you, mama." Excuse me?! Then there were the multiple times he thought it would be okay to ignore me and his daddy because he was too busy playing. Parenting is tough. And requires tough skin. Goodness.

My baby boy took everything in and enjoyed being passed around after he woke up from his nap. He was laid back and easy going and saved his meltdown for after midnight. Haha!

Baby boy was worn out himself...

And so was daddy...

All the birthday folks... (except for Granny, whose birthday is in November. She had to move over while we sang Happy Birthday)

Garrison got to blow out some of the candles... just another highlight to his fun filled day.

Even though we experienced a meltdown (because one most certainly occurred at bathtime) and hurt feelings (that would be me when my 3 year old said he didn't need me!) and were all exhausted afterwards (but not as much as my parents who amaze me by hosting so many people at their house all the time), it was a fun day with family celebrating birthdays of lots of special people. And my babies loved it. I think Garrison would agree, the french fry did not disappoint.

Friday Funnies

*Terrell has been under the weather all week with sinus issues and some cold-like symptons... and apparently Garrison has been taking in everything his daddy's had to say about it because this morning he started moaning and groaning with a pitiful, totally fake cry. And when he realized I was ignoring him he said, Mama, can you say "what's the madder?". I decided to go ahead since continuing to ignore him would only prolong the inevitable, and he responded with, Waaylle, my froat jus hurts when I swallow. I have a froat-headache. Hmmm, not sure that has ever come out of his daddy's mouth, but he was sort of close.

*Garrison isn't the only one who can pull off a dramatic fake cry. Baby brother knows all about it too. As we were finishing up lunch Austin was SO tired and becoming irritable fast, but I faced a dilemma because Garrison wasn't finished eating yet. (It makes me nervous leaving Garrison alone with food because he loves it so much he likes to put too much in his mouth and I'm afraid he'll choke.) So I left the door open to Austin's room so I could see Garrison while I got him ready for his nap. Then I quickly rocked him, I'm talking 60 seconds or less, and laid him down. As soon as I left the room the dramatic fake cry started. And when I peeked in at him he was on his tummy, with his head raised up as high as it would go so all I could see were his sad, guilt-inflicting eyes staring me down. It was soooo dramatic I couldn't help but chuckle.

*Tomorrow we're heading to Barnesville for a "birthday fish fry" to celebrate several birthdays on my mom's side of the family. Garrison has been SO excited. He's always excited about going to Barnesville but especially excited when he hears his cousins will be there and he'll be playing outside a lot and there might be a birthday cake involved. It's like a dream to him. Haha. Anyway, all day he's been referring to the "french fry" and when we're leaving and what we're going to do and how do you do a french fry and can I watch uncle Terry and when are we going to that french fry. I think he's said "fish fry" correctly twice out of the 28 times he's mentioned it.

*This morning I've been cleaning out the boys' closets and drawers putting away fall and winter clothes to make room for spring and summer clothes. When we started, Austin was napping so Garrison and I were in his room. He decided to color and play with stickers while I worked so I asked him if he wanted me to turn on some music. He decided he wanted Christmas music on. So we listened to I'm dreaming of a white Christmas... and Chesnuts roasting on an open fire... felt kinda strange. And comical. Finally, after 8 songs, he wanted his Mickey Mouse music.

*When Austin woke up from his nap we moved into his room. I put him down on the floor with some toys while I got busy and before I knew it he had rolled out of his room into the hall on the hardwood floor. Gracious. I promise it took him all of 5 seconds to do it. He must have been in the state of a constant roll. When I asked him what he was doing out in the hall he smiled the biggest most proud smile.

And those are our Friday Funnies. =)

And I also have some updates...

Austin did the best he's ever done with a bottle (since we realized we had a problem that is) yesterday. He prefers Similac. (My "aha" moment came when it finally clicked to me that he didn't like the taste of the previous formula.) He loved every drop and took it like a pro. He even cried a little when he finished. Success! Finally!

Garrison finally took a nap yesterday after "reading" and talking and playing in his bed for almost an hour and a half. But I'll take it! And today he fell alseep really fast. I want to ask questions and ponder over what makes some days easy and some days not, but instead, I'll just be thankful and choose not to analyze for once in my life.

Happy Weekend!

Changes

Spring is a time for change and new beginnings. (Isn't that a saying or something?) Well, there seem to be lots of changes and newness going on around the Selph household too.

But first, one of my favorite changes is all thanks to one of my oldest, dearest friends. It's no secret that I love to blog and I love this blog because of it's super sentimental value to me and Terrell, and one day (I hope) my babies. The only problem is that my blog was lacking in the design department. Poor Austin wasn't even in the header! That's where my go-to, best and favorite graphic designer comes in. Megan helped me come up with a brand new look that included the whole fam and didn't leave anyone out. Plus it works for the long-term. Plus it is just perfect! And I'm loving it! Thanks SO much, Megan!

Now for the low-down on our changes.

My oldest hasn't had a nap all week. Unless you count a maybe-nap when he was quiet for 30 minutes or so earlier this week. I'm really torn about this no-nap business. In some ways it's not that big of a change. He still stays in his bed and "rests" or reads books and chills. I know because I go in a check on him. 9 times out of 10, he's laying down singing, talking to himself, or sitting up "reading". It still gives me my time. But... if he doesn't nap and then plays hard, or vice versa, it leads to a meltdown every. single. time. Ahhh. Not sure what to do. After a meltdown last night, he was told he wouldn't be able to go outside and play today if he didn't take a nap. Today came and he never fell asleep during naptime, so he couldn't go out. I planned other stuff for him to do inside so he wasn't too devestated, but I still felt sort of guilty. We may have to work on a compromise.

My baby boy is a messy eater just like his brother. And since I'm tired of cleaning pears or peas or spit up off my table cloth and placemats, I've decided to put him in the highchair to eat whenever possible. And it's working out great so far. For the past 2 days I've fed him most of his meals just a tad earlier than Garrison so they're both able to use the highchair. He looks so adorable sitting up in it like a big boy. And so tiny.

I'm really getting busy with Premier. It's not that I'm doing shows twice a week every week or anything, I just finally feel back in the swing of things. I'm working more and it's paying off. Which is good, because my income with Premier is very important to us and our budget right now.

We are in the process of changing out wardrobes for everyone. The boys are in good shape except for a few more items, and Terrell has tons of clothes. His clothes take up more closet space than mine. It's crazy. But, I'm in need of some new outfits. Last year this time I was wearing maternity clothes so I didn't get anything new unless my growing belly could fit into it. And I always have more fall and winter clothes because of my birthday and Christmas being in the fall and winter. Sooo my spring/summer wardrobe is lacking. Time to go shopping with a few gift cards I saved from Christmas!

Garrison has officially reached an age where he needs to be engaged almost constantly. He is definitely capable of playing independently, and he does play independently really well, but a lot of the time he needs me to keep him busy and doing something. I've always enjoyed creating learning opportunities from what he was playing with... puzzles, hotwheels, balls, tools, etc. We've sorted by color, discussed shapes and sizes, counted, etc. But I'm now using a website my sister found that's helping me with little activities that are perfect for him. The website is: icanteachmychild.com. I love it. Garrison even did the toothpick activity while I cooked supper tonight. Here's an action shot I got... including little brother displaying his ability to grab a toy that's almost out of reach.


Speaking of little brother... Austin is starting to sit up a little bit completely on his own! Is that even possible? Before we know it, this little man is going to be taking a bath with big brother in the big tub! They are going to be so cute. But we'll have to really keep an eye on Garrison. Now that Austin is getting a little bigger and able to do a little more, Garrison has become sort of rough with him. It's like he's forgotten he's still a baby. I've literally caught him trying to wrestle with Austin. Oh dear. My second born is going to be tough as nails.

And I'm in slight denial about the changes in weather. But you have to experience spring to get to summer... and the beach, and our anniversary, and the 4th of July, and a break from routine. So, guess I'll accept all our changes... because more are on the horizon... and spring is a time for change and new beginnings afterall.

A Day in the Life of Us

Yesterday morning I finally remembered and made of point of documenting and recording our day. I kept my camera in hand or nearby all day, jotted down little notes of things that happened, and now am finally getting around to writing about it and posting it. It's not super fun keeping up with the camera and attempting to capture regular old happenings throughout our day, and it's not the easiest thing ever trying to remember all the little details, BUT when I look back at my previous "Day in the Life" posts, I'm so thankful I did it. So, since I had yet to do one of these since Austin arrived, it was time. Here are all the happenings of our day yesterday:

Yesterday morning started early for us. Austin woke up before 6:00, which is extremely rare, so Terrell rocked him back to sleep while I went ahead and got up for the day. Austin went back to sleep but only for about 45 minutes, so I changed him, nursed him, and got myself ready all before 7:30.

Big brother decided to sleep late (I think the time change had him thrown him off a little, plus he was exhausted from his fun weekend) so I had a breakfast date with this little man. He had oatmeal cereal and baby food prunes. Yummy. While we were eating breakfast, Terrell left for work.

After we cleaned up from breakfast, we heard Garrison. It was 8:35 and approaching morning naptime for Austin. So we got Garrison up, took him to the potty, gave him his medicine (he's been on an antibiotic since Thursday), and got Austin ready for his nap. Austin went to sleep quickly and then it was time to make Garrison breakfast. He requested cereal and a waffle.

I did some things in the kitchen while Garrison ate breakfast, plus checked my email, plus put up some of his clothes that Terrell had folded the night before after they were in bed. Garrison is a slow eater.

After cleaning up from breakfast, Garrison told me he wanted me to read him some books. He had picked them out while I was getting Austin down for his nap and was ready to bring them to the living room to read on the couch. It worked out great because I didn't have a whole lot planned for us yesterday like I sometimes do. But it did make me sleepy. Getting comfy on the couch reading books is definitely a prerequisite for a nap.

After we finished reading books, I was expecting Austin to wake up any minute. Normally his morning nap is an hour or less. Waking up so early had him worn him out apparently because he was approaching an hour and a half nap. Which would have been great except that we needed to go to the grocery store and get back so I could feed him again. I couldn't bring myself to wake him up though, so Garrison and I played with his favorite bouncy balls in the kitchen until we heard Austin. Then we rushed like crazy to get out the door.

Austin still isn't quite ready to sit up in the buggy (although he's now sitting up in a high chair at restaurants!), and I'm still not quite ready for Garrison to walk around the grocery store with me, so this is our set-up in the buggy. And it always makes things interesting. We have groceries overflowing every time. Poor Garrison.

As soon as we got home, I got the boys and all the groceries inside but only put up the cold items because I needed to feed Austin. Garrison played while I fed Austin and then Terrell got home for lunch.

Lunch was sort of crazy. As soon as I finished feeding Austin, I put up all our other groceries plus tried to get our lunch ready plus spilt sour cream all over the floor. Thankfully Terrell was able to help out by cleaning up the sour cream and making Garrison's lunch. But then he had to head back to work and we were on our own again with meal time craziness. Austin had green beans and leftover prunes from breakfast and Garrison had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, raisins, grapes, and some of my lunch... a mini stouffers lasagna.

My big boy has to graduate from the highchair soon. Little brother is messy and I need him in the highchair. Garrison is extremely messy too, as shown below, even though I feel like we try to work with him on being neat and polite when eating. We need a kitchen table desperately. I feel like the boys are taking a toll on my dining room table by the meal.

After cleaning up from lunch, Austin played in his crib while I took Garrison to the potty and started yet another load of their clothes. Except this time it was a load full of new clothes. Yay!

Garrison loves to help and his new thing is putting all the clothes into the washing machine and pouring in the detergent. He brings his stool into the laundry room and gets busy. Some days it's a big help, other days not so much. But, I'm trying to be patient with him and accept his help as much as I can because one day his help will be much harder to come by.

While I got Austin down for his nap, Garrison's job was to clean up the living room. (In the afternoons I always try giving him a "job" to do while I get Austin ready for his nap, and usually it works out pretty good and he rarely interrupts or barges into Austin's room. In the mornings, he's typically watching Mickey Mouse while I get Austin down for a nap.) He put up his books and bouncy balls and a few other things, plus got his room "ready". He turns on his fan, night-light, and picks out 2 books for us to read.

Once both boys were napping I got started on some Premier stuff... emails, a phone call, and invitations. Plus I caught up on my favorite blogs. =) Then Austin started crying. Usually I'm able to let him cry for 2 minutes or less and he goes right back to sleep. Yesterday the crying lasted longer and kept getting louder so I had to rock him back to sleep. Garrison was only quiet for 30 minutes so I'm not sure if he ever fell alseep or not. I guess after his 12 plus hours of sleep the night before, he wasn't super tired.

I went in Garrison's room about 3:20 to get him up, take him to the potty, and then put clothes in the dryer. Then, we had to go wake up Austin because it was time for him to eat again.

While I fed Austin, Garrison had his usual snack of Fruit Jammers and juice. It's not the healthiest snack, but I feel like his meals are fairly healthy and this is his only snack time. Having a designated snack time has sort of helped us avoid snacking throughout the day.

Austin enjoyed his "jumpy" seat after he finished eating and Garrison requested to watch a movie. So he watched a little 12 minute movie 3 times in a row. I guess 12 minutes just wasn't long enough. In the meantime, I talked to my sister on the phone and started getting ready for my Premier training.

Garrison has been really fascinated and curious about Austin's new "toy" and is always "helping" him bounce in it and touching it and talking about it, so when Terrell got home he put in a dvd of Garrison playing in the same toy when he was a baby. Garrison loved seeing himself as a baby, especially in the same toy Austin plays in. Austin even watched for a couple minutes and we think it was like looking in the mirror for him. They really favor a lot.

I warmed up leftovers my mom sent home with us and ate and got dressed really fast so I could leave by 6:00 for my training in Jackson. The boys had a good night at home and bedtime went well. Austin wouldn't take the bottle for Terrell, but he didn't scream and cry either so it wasn't too bad. I was back home a little before 10:00 and went to bed soon after... and that was our day. Nothing adventurous or special, just a regular day at this point in time.

I'll plan to do another one of these this summer. Although I usually wait at lesast 7months for some reason. (And for family who might be curious about where to find my other day in the life posts, here they are..)

May 2010

December 2010

July 2011

Spoiled Good

We are finally winding down from our fun filled weekend in the hometown where we were spoiled good. Big time. My babies are fast asleep, completely exhausted from all the playing, loving on, and attention gettin' time they had with their grandparents, great-grandparents, and AnAn. We are definitely blessed and most definitely spoiled.

Our weekend consisted of eating delicious paid for and home cooked meals and desserts, spending lots of down time with family, watching the boys play, going to church, watching the boys play some more, and going through lots and lots of new clothes for the boys. It was heavenly. I even felt sort of guilty. Especially when my mom pulled out enough clothes to supply the boys with over half of their spring and summer wardrobe. (Including matching swim suits and hats! Can't wait til summer!) And when Terrell's parents provided our lunch, supper, and dessert on Saturday. And when we had a Thanksgiving-like feast for lunch at my parents' today.

I'm always telling Terrell that the bar is set really high for what we need to do for our kids once they're grown. And after this weekend, it went up another notch. Goodness. (I have to brag on our parents because they're awesome. Maybe one day we can be just as awesome.)

My firstborn had a ball playing with his birthday gifts that stay at the grandparents' houses like his hotwheels track and his Jeep. My baby had fun being held and playing in his new "jumpy" seat that's been passed back and forth between us and Kara over and over again. I didn't feel guilty about all the fun they had. I just felt blessed. They had the best time. Especially Garrison. He didn't have one single meltdown. Woohoo! He just played his little heart out and enjoyed time with his grandparents. He played in the sand, played with hotwheels, played in the Little Debbie truck, and drove his Jeep around my parents yard so much I think there may be permanent tire marks. He should sleep good tonight. (And to top it all off, we were sent home with several boxes of Little Debbies and leftovers from lunch. My workout routine needs to become a routine fast.)

Terrell and I are feeling pretty tired after our fun weekend. Losing an hour of sleep is rough. And packing up the house and moving the family into one of our parents' houses for the weekend can be exhausting and draining. But, it's always worth it. And every time, we're left feeling blessed and loved and grateful... and spoiled good.

6 Months Old

My baby boy is 6 months old! Wow... a whole "half a year". Crazy. I am so thankful though that this past month went by kind of slow and I was able to just enjoy him (and his brother). We weren't super busy, we stayed home quite a bit, and some days were actually boring. But I'm really glad because before I know it we'll be celebrating his 1st birthday!

Big brother at 6 months. They still resemble a lot I think.

Stats and Happenings This Month:

*You weigh 17 pounds, 4 ounces and are 25 and 1/2 inches long. You are exactly 50th percentile in both categories and just a perfect, average-sized baby. I guess those chubby cheeks and thighs have me fooled because I keep guessing you're bigger than you actually are!

*You still wear size 3 diapers but are now wearing 6-9 month or 6-12 month clothes.

*You are now eating 3 meals a day! You love all your baby food and are a great eater. You're still nursing (yay! I made it to the 6 month mark, which was my goal!) and you've finally started taking a bottle once a day or once every other day.

*On your birthday, Saturday, we discovered your first tooth breaking through! You love feeling of it with your tongue.

*You go to bed around 7:45 and wake up sometime between 6:30 and 7:30 every morning.

*You take about a 45 minute morning nap and about an hour and a half afternoon nap... most days.

*You are talking and babbling more and more. It even sounds like you've said da-da and ma-ma a few times. You don't realize what you're saying but it's still precious to hear! Your personality is coming out big time. We love it!

*You've been spitting up a lot this month. We're back to doing tons of laundry because you're going through clothes and bibs and burp cloths so fast.

*You love rolling over! We can't leave you on the floor anymore or you'll roll across the room!

*You're starting to sit up really good with help/support and you can even lean forward and sit up by yourself for a few seconds.

*You LOVE Garrison, playing peek-a-boo, kicking your legs, eating baby food, and rolling all over the place.

*And we LOVE you!!! Happy Birthday Austin!

On My Mind in March (and at the moment)

*Spring is in the air. And in my nose. And in my eyes. UGH. Time for Zyrtec. I want to have a pity party about not being able to enjoy Spring or get outside or go about my day without a kleenex in hand or see clearly without my eyes watering during the months of March, April, and May. But, I've decided to think positive instead and hope that the Zyrtec works wonders, which it's been known to do in the past, and to make the most of this my least favorite season.

*I think my big boy has pink eye. Poor baby. It hasn't slowed him down any, his right eye just looks yucky and is almost swollen shut. Thankfully we have Austin's 6 month appointment in the morning so Garrison can tag along and hopefully get checked out too.

*Terrell and I have been putting together a home improvement list. Very exciting! Our house is almost 12 years old and some little things need to be done. We just decided that if we put off some of these things then we'll be faced with some issues down the road that could cost us. So we're being proactive instead. My husband is now in the process of becoming a "do it yourself-er". I'm so proud. He already re-caulked our shower all by himself. And he did a great job!

*Speaking of home improvement. We finally got around to having the stone around our fireplace replaced. When we moved in, the paint on the stone was chipping away/peeling off and since then it's just looked crummy. My in-laws gave this to us as an anniversary gift at least 2 years ago. We just had a lot of trouble finding someone who knew how to remove the old stone without removing our entire mantle.

Here it is before:

And here it is after:

HUGE thanks to Terrell's parents for such a beautiful gift!! We love our new granite fireplace!

*Lately I've been highly motivated to start working out. Not because I want to lose weight, but because I want to be in shape and feel healthy. Between my sweet tooth and big appetite and total lack of physical activity (if you don't count keeping up with my busy boys), I just feel out of shape (which I am) and a little unhealthy too. Sooo, I've read about girls who wake up and go to the gym or start their day with a run and how much better they feel and how great they sleep and how it gives them energy, etc. The gym isn't an option for me and neither is running in the dark of the morning by myself, so I decided I'd just wake up and do my "at home fitness" routine. I tried it out yesterday morning at 5:45 and it just about made me sick. Don't think that was supposed to happen. Maybe it was my empty stomach in the wee hours of the morning or the fact that I started doing jumping jacks while half-asleep. Not sure. This morning I wasn't up for it because of allergies but maybe I'll try again tomorrow. I can't give up after 1 day!!

*Terrell and I just made our first batch of homemade laundry detergent. One of my friends makes and uses it and convinced me to try it out. We use the Duggar's recipe. Yay for finding another way to save money!

*My littlest man, Austin, is back to having trouble with naps. He still takes one in the morning and one in the afternoon, but his morning nap is only 40 minutes to an hour and his afternoon nap is sort of inconsistent. He goes to sleep easily but wakes up after 45 minutes or so and then usually cries for a little bit before going back to sleep. I think we're just too busy for him. Garrison's routine was rarely interrupted and he was a great napper, and still is. Poor Austin has to sleep in the car and on the go a lot. But since gas prices are so crazy, we'll be staying home a lot more I hink.

*It's past time for me to do another "Day in the Life" post. I have yet to do one since Austin arrived. Shame on me. I do think about it, but after half the day is already by me. Maybe that's a goal for next week. My previous day in the life posts are some of my favorites because I love looking back at how I spent a regular day with my little man.

*That's all for now. Getting ready for bed in a little bit. These allergy issues have taken a toll on me today. But I still hope to wake up early and work out in the morning. It's going to be tough though.