Home!

We are home, and the drive back was perfect! The kids were quiet, Tyler slept the entire ride, there was no traffic... and it took the exact amount of time that it should. A perfect ending drive to a trip that had a rough start!

We left Mom/Dad's at 8:30am, just as they were leaving for church. (Only 7:30, our time. It's nice to 'gain' an hour going home!) We wanted to try and beat any traffic as well as get back in time for our Sacrament meeting. Lee was supposed to help with tithing after church and I was getting a new calling in the Relief Society presidency (2nd counselor). I wanted to be there to be sustained and set apart with everyone. We made it home in time to relax a little before heading off to sacrament meeting. Will hadn't had a nap, so he was a nightmare. Tyler was hungry and tired, so he wasn't great either, thankfully Amy was happy with a coloring book- that was nice!

There are some pictures we took on Saturday. We had a surprise visit from Uncle Ricky! He and Sandy were in town with Darlene, so they all (and Darlene's boy, Seth) came to visit. It was so fun to see them. Uncle Ricky is always hilarious.

Seth is such a good kid! We didn't even hear a peep from him! The kids liked coloring... Will just wanted to play. Adam/Lauren and the boys came over just before they left.

We enjoyed a late lunch from the Marietta Pizza Company and had the kids eat outside. It was freezing out, but kids aren't affected by cold, and we enjoyed eating in the quiet.

Jackson and Maddox set up a "football" game with Amy and Will. Amy has no idea what she's doing, but when they said "tackle," she was all for that. Will just had fun running around. He's been waiting for "Jackson Maddox" for a loooong time! (We aren't sure if he knows they are 2 different people as he always says their name as one).

While they were playing football, Adeline was on MeMe's bed watching a movie and eating apples. She's so sweet.

We didn't do much else. We skyped with Ben and his clan later that night (Adam/Lauren were gone by then). It's always nice to see them. Chase was showing us all the lego stuff he's been building. He's so adorable. We also played the new game, LOGO. It's based on the logo's of brands... Gillette, Uhaul, Walmart, etc. I'm not a big game player, but this was fun. It's amazing how much you do and don't know about brand logo's! 

That was it. Our trip came to an end. It was fun while it lasted but we are glad to be home. We put the kids to bed at 6pm and they were all fast asleep but 6:10. Ahhhhh...... now onto another week!

Thanksgiving... and before and after

We left for GA on Wednesday...  Amy had off, but MTSU was still holding classes. So Lee had to go... although he told his students that he'd be "watching a movie by himself," "that he would not be taking attendance," and they should all, "get the hint." No one showed up for his classes and he was able to come home early. While he was at school, I packed the car... 

Will took his snack and decided to be "neat" about it.... by putting his cereal in the compartments of Tyler's car seat base. Those were fun to get out.  

Amy enjoyed chasing the neighborhood cat.

I thought Tyler was taking a nap when Will ran into his room. All of a sudden his little head came peeking out of the crib. It was so cute. 

When we finally left... at 1:30pm..... we soon noticed that traffic was a nightmare. I have forgotten all the details because, well, I got the stomach virus that the kids had last week. I threw up twice and spent the other time trying to keep Tyler contained and happy. He also threw up once or twice. The drive normally takes 3 hours.... Wednesday night it took almost SEVEN. Yes, seven. We didn't get to Mom and Dad's until almost 7pm. It was awful. 

I still felt sick, I was freezing, then hot, then freezing, etc. I went to bed pretty early... had a restless 'sleep' and the next morning felt ok, except for a headache. On Thanksgiving morning, we loaded up again, and headed to Wedowee, AL... to Lee's uncle's lake house. That drive normally takes 2 hours... but again with traffic... it took longer. 

We had a great time with them though and we are always glad we head out there.  

Karen (Lee's mom) is holding Tyler, Aunt Cindy is holding Will and Uncle Bobby is holding Amy

On the way home, Amy threw up. "Vomit" and "traffic" was starting to be the theme of our trip. So another 2 hours back to Mom and Dad's and we were glad to be free of driving for a few days. (We think Amy just got car sick).

When we got back to Mom and Dad's- Anna and her family were here (they had come while we were in Alabama). Only Anna was laying on the couch- apparently suffering from the same thing I had had! Only she didn't catch it from me because we hadn't seen each other yet. Poor Anna! 

On Friday, she did feel better and we were finally all able to hang around and have some fun. 

Amy and Will absolutely loved baby Grayson. He's such a cutie. 

Grayson is 3 months old and Tyler is 7 months. Only they are the same size! Tyler definitely isn't small- Grayson is just big. But not big like fat- he's just a solid kid. We even compared their feet- and they are also the same! Tyler loved Grayson, they are going to be best buds one of these years.

Amy and Adeline had fun finding "treasures" in the backyard, while Will liked tagging along with Papa in the garage. We sat Tyler down with a bucket of Lego's and he played forever. he was in his glory.

Meme's iPad is always a thrill. I'm not sure who enjoyed it more.... Stratton, Adeline or Will! (Dad just got one too, so thankfully now there are 2 to go around).

 

I took this picture for Aunt Donna.... Tyler was chewing on a gold ball. Aunt Donna is the self titled "safety Aunt" and is afraid that the babies are going to choke. The rest of us wonder how a baby could even get the ball into their mouth, let alone swallow it, so we like to tease her. 

Dad and Stratton hooked up the surround sound. It's going right now... and it's LOUD, which means it's working perfectly.

Lee and Will are the only ones that got a nap.

That's it for now, my computer is dying and I forgot my power cord. Oops! I'll have to update more in a few days. 

7 Months

It was time for another photo shoot today.... Tyler hit the 7 month mark!

He is still just the happiest baby around. He's always smiling, he laughs in an instant and he's ever so curious (he was trying to peer at me behind the camera).

Those 2 bottom teeth and popping through... and his eyes seem to be getting bluer.

He's on the move.... or likes to think he is. He isn't "crawling" yet, but he gets where he wants to go. So much that it's getting quite hard to hold him as he just wants to be going. He sits up pretty well and eats solids like a champ.

He is starting to play with Will... and Will eats it up. The constant phrase in the house is still, "Will, get off the baby." He's just dying to wrestle with him. Amy can make Tyler laugh in an instant and it's so funny to watch them together.

We all cuddle, hug and squeeze him any chance we get.

We are a little obsessed.

Every month, I think he hasn't grown, and then I look back at the previous month and yep, he has.

Oh yeah- I keep forgetting to post this.... his EEG came back normal. So that's an awesome thing. It still bothers me a bit, because something was happening when he was sick. And it isn't all in my mind because even the Pediatrician saw it. And when the neurologist saw the video, he even said it was something unusual. So, I guess the normal EEG is the best thing- that rules out infant spasms and some other serious things. But there is still something going on... we have some more appointments coming up and maybe we'll be able to figure it out. But yes, woohoo for the normal EEG!

Before his photoshoot, I was playing on the floor with him. He seems to enjoy grabbing my nose.

Before that, I took the boys outside.

Will started off wearing a jacket, pants, socks and shoes..... oh this kid! Thank goodness it's pretty warm out. He found some water, poured it into our wagon and that's when the socks and shoes came off.... he wanted to jump in the puddle. I can't imagine who he gets that from. ;)

Took this the other day.... such sweet boys we have!

And I guess I didn't get any photos of Amy this weekend.

Actually, we laid pretty low. Friday night, Amy woke up in the middle of the night saying her tummy hurt. Not long after, Lee was rushing her into the bathroom as she was throwing up. That was fun. Needless to say, after being up all night, we all slept in until 10am on Saturday (Will was occupied watching a movie). By 12:30pm on Saturday, we had all the kids down for a nap- that was nice. We just laid low the rest of the day.

On Sunday, one of my dreams was fulfilled! I was asked to chair the New Year's Eve party committee for church. WAAAHHHHHOOOOO!! New Year's is my absolute favorite holiday and planning a huge party for it.... well... let's just say I've been 'mentally' planning it for years. I can't wait!! (My friends who know this about me have been dying laughing.) It's time to break out the disco ball! :)

This morning Will came in our room saying his tummy hurt. Great. A few minutes later he was kind of coughing so I reached over to pull him onto the bed... and blah... he threw up all over me. Ahhh!! Lee said, "Did he get any on the bed?" "No honey, it all got on me, thanks." ha! He only did it once, but when you are covered, once is all it takes, right?

So now Amy and Will have had "it." I'm hoping it stops there- as we are headed to GA later this week. We can't wait to see everyone!

Lunch with Amy and Daddy's Birthday

Amy had a "holiday lunch" at school yesterday. We didn't eat, but we went to visit anyway. Her class was singing a song afterwards and I didn't want to miss it. I did bring a sack lunch for Will- he loved that. Amy loved us being there too. She's been asking for us to come eat with her.

The class gave their parents a "I am thankful for...." drawing. Amy was thankful for eggs (she's recently obsessed with scrambled eggs), food, brother, and turkey. (Which I laughed at because she won't eat meat.)

Then it was time to leave, she wouldn't leave Tyler alone. She kept saying, "Did you like my school? Did you like my song? Did you have fun?"

Thank heavens for double strollers (and once again Aunt Lauren! Lauren has supplied/handed down to us most everything we use! And we are so thankful for it all!)

Recently Amy brought home a "Top Dog Award." I have no idea what that means, but she was excited about it. I figured it was just something everyone got. She showed me her name on this board and said, "See? I'm a Top Dog." I still have no idea what it means, but there she is.

Look who is sitting up! It's so nice when they can sit and play on their own. He still topples over when he gets excited, but for the most part, he's a sitter now.

The pilgrim hat and collar that Amy was supposed to wear during their song. She got shy and didn't want to put it on in class, but of course she wore it when she got home.

And yesterday was also Daddy's birthday! This is the only picture we got. I made his favorite taco dip for dinner and his favorite oreo ice cream cake for dessert. His gift was a video game that just came out, and he actually opened/played it the night before. Lee doesn't like a lot of fanfare for his birthday, and he's married to a woman who year after year, forgets about it until the day before. So I guess it works out. I'm so lame that I forgot to even get him a card. One of these days I'll get my act together.

Didn't realize I had so much to say....

this is quite lengthy.... I didn't realize we had so much going on.... :)

Will has been so funny lately. You can tell he's going to be our family comedian. He's always telling us things, with the largest expressions and animations. Granted, we only understand 1/2 of it, but it's funny. The other night I said, "Will, you are goofy." He said, "No! I'm Mickey Mouse!"  (he thought I meant "Goofy" the character..." Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is his favorite show).

He also has developed an "evil laugh." He'll come up to you say "Hulk Smash!," punch you and then walk away and say mu-ha-ha-ha..... Or he'll hold his hand up and say "IronMan! Gzzzzzz!" and then evil laugh. And of course, there's the infamous shooting you with spiderman webbing as well. Yes, thank you to Daddy for all the Super Hero brainwashing. Having a boy is certainly interesting!

He also has a very sweet and tender side. He LOVES Tyler. I mean, like can't get enough of him. Sometimes that drives me crazy. He'll say, "Baby awake!!" But the real "story" is that he went into Tyler's room, climbed on the crib, and woke him up by shouting "Baby! You awake?!!" (sigh)  (Yes, he never calls him "Tyler," it's always, "Baby.") He also hugs Amy all the time. They are best buds. He LOVES getting her from school. He'll say, "Time to go get Amy!?"

Last night, I made each of the kids a new hat. Will and Tyler's was a football one, as shown below. Amy's was navy with a flower. The only problem was... with the wonderful seamstress that I am.... I just estimated their head sizes. So this morning, when they put them all on, they were all ridiculously too small. Tyler's was baby doll sized. Lee just laughed and laughed at me. So yes, Mom, once again, I got too excited and didn't "take my time" to do something. It seems to be a re-occuring fault of mine.

For kicks, I measured everyone's heads.... Tyler- 17.5 inches, Amy- 20 inches, me- 22.5 inches, Lee- 23.5 inches and Will was a whopping 21 inches. Will has such a big head! Anyway, it's back to the drawing board on the hats. I'll probably just buy them some. Actually, we do have hats, I just have to get them out of the closet.

Speaking of hats.... it has turned cold here! In my mind, we still live in Mississippi (don't tell Lee, he'll die when he reads that). Especially when it comes to the weather. We needed a jacket for about 3 weeks in Mississippi... and that was in January.... so we frequently leave the house without a jacket in sight.... and it's 33 degrees out. I have to force myself to remember coats for everyone.

Tonight was a perfect example... this afternoon I asked the kids if they wanted to walk down to the park. Of course they said yes. Our house is toasty warm, but I grabbed some jackets on the way out "just in case." Ummm... I'm glad I did... it was freeeeezzzzing! Amy said, "Why didn't you get my coat with a hood?" Ummm... because I didn't think it would be this cold. It was sunny out, it looked warm. The famous saying of my mom's comes to mind, "It's Not Cool To Be Cold."  I'm not trying to be cool Mom, I really just forget that we live in a colder climate. Oh- and thank goodness for hand-me-downs or my kids would probably never even have a coat to wear. Because just as I forget to have them wear jackets, I surely would forget to actually "buy" them if I had to. The boys jackets were Jackson/Maddox's and Amy's was from a friend in Mississippi. (THANK YOU, Lauren!) I can't help it, "coats" just isn't something I think about. (Which would be why I'm still wearing mine from high school......)

This little one is adorable in his jacket!

And you can see his 2 teeth coming in.

He's getting his 2 bottom teeth and Amy's bottom 2 are all wiggly. I'm sure they'll be out soon, and both at the same time.

My sweet friend, Liz, made these cute cookie/candy turkey's with her boys today and they brought us some. Isn't that so sweet? My friends are the best. The kids loved them They were yummy and adorable- both important things in a treat.

Today, Amy FINALLY wore leggings!! Woohoo!! So to all of you who bought her cute legging/long shirt outfits over the years... yeah, she never wore them.... at least not together. The other day she said, "Mom, Samantha (a girl in her class) always looks so pretty. She always has just pretty clothes. Can I wear clothes like that?" I admit, for a moment, my heart was kind of sad, and then I thought, What the heck?? I try to buy her stuff like that all the time, she won't wear it. So I said, "Of course you can. But Samantha wear dresses, skirts and leggings... you have to wear stuff like that if you want to dress like her." Then a panic look overtook her face. She cracks me up. She is so "anti-anything girly" in her clothing. I did buy her a few new sweaters (she did need them) and they look nice. She also has a pair of boots that she loves to wear... we are getting somewhere. And it took a few weeks, but today she finally moved up to leggings! Woohoo! hahaha. She looks cute in anything, but it was nice seeing her branch out a little. If I can get her into a skirt, on a school-day, then we'd really be getting somewhere.

Amy was teaching Will how to make a turkey with the outline of his hand. I would have taken a picture of the final result, but I think Will threw it away. He likes to "clean -up" by making baseballs of the paper wad, throwing it at you, giving his evil laugh, shouting "Baseball!!" and then throwing it in the garbage.

On Sunday morning I decided the kids needed something to do before church. We don't have church until 1pm... so the morning gets long. Saturday night I actually prepared and got 2 activities ready.

I gave them ice chunks and colored salt water. The salt water was supposed to melt the ice and make tunnels through it. It didn't really work... or at least we didn't let it work for long enough. But they had fun playing with the ice (and they were surprisingly neat about it).

Then I made "cloud dough." It's just flour with a little baby oil. The oil makes it moldable. They had a blast with this one. It lasted a long time! (Which is a good thing as I took these pictures at 7am. Yes, the 2nd activity started at SEVEN am. It was a long morning!)

It got everywhere too. Will and his chair were covered. That's ok. As you know, I've never cared if the kids make a mess. It's flour, it swept up easily.

Well, I guess that's enough of an update for now. I can't think of anything else to say- I know, shocking, huh? :)  Oh I know- we finally got DVR last week... and can I just say- it's the best invention EVER. I'm not really sure how we ever lived without it. :)  Ok, later :)