Friday's victories & this baby bear.

It's finally that time of year when we can wear our warm cozy clothes again.  yes, i do love this season.  this day was a particularly good day in which, i not only washed my hair (major accomplishment) but I also took a little cat nap on the couch when the boys went down.  and so, we all had to go out to dinner and fro yo to celebrate these victories.  G calls it "froze mmmmm".

But tell me, is this bear hat not the sweetest thing?  This is our second emma made hat and i have to say we love them!  Each is handmade with love and comes in several different colors.  i'm a sucker for the simple, chunky crochet look.

in other news, i survived my chemistry exam this week.  not great, but not bad either.  it's a funny thing being a mommy and a student all at the same time.  I find less time for studying now but somehow i have more confidence in myself and my abilities.  it's like…hey i have two little boys, show me something i can't do!  in fact, i really wasn't much of a student at all until i had a baby.  chad and i joke about our tiny miracles everywhere- because these days, it always seems that we pass our tests and courses by nothing short of a miracle.  hallelujah.  keep it comin.

* ps Avett's bear hat ℅ emmamade.  you can find one here.

my second baby turned 10 months.

my baby boy turned 10 months.  It feels like time has slipped away again and here I am now, wondering where it all went.  this is my baby, and I'm never ready for them to grow up.  while watching them develop is the greatest and so much fun, a part of me is saddened by the reality that this baby is (soon to be) no longer a baby.  I'm not ready, not yet.  these past 10 months have been rough on us, all of us.  thank goodness most of what these babies require is attention and love.  love, i have plenty to give.

avett, i am in love with you and your little personality.  sweet and stubborn, stubborn as can be.  you and i, we wrestle most of the day when changing a diaper or when trying to dress you.  you HATE clothes and would be happy to crawl around in a diaper all day.  you are strong.   If a situation doesn't tickle your fancy, you know how to wiggle and muscle your way out of it.  you are a baby that knows exactly what he wants and will find a way to get it.  After a month of the army scoot which we've all come to love, you now crawl on hands and knees as the preferred method of mobility.  you love to pull yourself up to standing and cruise.  just yesterday you were standing on your own, mid air for a few seconds and had forgotten that you let go of dad.  we don't see much caution or hesitation from you, ever.  except- when I turn on the vacuum.  The vacuum, is not your friend.

you eat a ton!  I've never seen a baby consume so much food so quickly.  We are working more and more on finger foods, although you still love your baby purees- i think anything green is your favorite.  sweet peas, green beans, sweet potato, squash, avocado or bananas.  Cheerios are a huge staple, along with any of the crunchy, overpriced baby snack foods.  you won't take a bottle or sippy cup and still prefer to nurse morning, noon and night.  i look forward to those moments, no matter how tired or worn out the day has made us.  I dare say, you are a mama's boy and i love it.

those teeth of yours are monsters and have been keeping us awake at night.  at 10 months you have your two bottom front teeth and one top tooth just made an appearance today.  Sleep has been much better this month than the last few.  in general- you go down willingly for two naps during the day and sleep from 8pm until 7am.  you are very keen on your sleep schedule and do not like breaking routine.

you love padi-cake and will clap and sing on your own.  you will laugh hysterically if thrown up into the air.  you love to read and i often catch you turning pages all by yourself.  it really is the greatest when that happens.  you love being outside and taking walks, and like your brother, you seem to be at ease in nature.  you adore your big brother griffin.  anything he is doing, you want to do or be a part of.  when daddy comes home in the evening, the three of you wrestle on the floor and laugh and play.

i love how you have been such a blessing to our family.  the first few months were anything but easy and it has not been without a lot of extra work- but we would not be the same without YOU and your little spirit bouncing around.  I am so grateful that you came to us, that you changed us.  i see so much strength and love in your little eyes.  I am so so glad to be a part of your journey, that I have been entrusted to care for you and that I get to watch you grow.  I'm so thankful to have such a hard working husband who understands and makes it possible for me to be with you every day.  He loves you too, more than you'll ever know.  You are capable of amazing things, baby boy.  always use your strength to do good and to take care of others.  we will always be here for you, loving you and cheering you on.

love, mama.

avett @ 9 months.

more angel oak.

a few weeks ago we visited the angel oak tree again.  it's one of our favorite places to go when we have friends come to town.  the weeping oaks here in the south are so magnificent.  this one is particularly large and quite famous.  there really is something special about witnessing this beautiful tree in person.  if you ever have the chance, go see it.

love, us.

goodbye summer.

It's October, i've purchased my pumpkins and have actually worn pants twice.  we still have 80 degree weather here in Charleston and even though you wouldn't know it, i guess summer is over.  I'm not wanting to let it all go.  This one was particularly amazing, spending most of our weekends at the beach, nobody was pregnant, and we had some of our best friends come to visit.  pj and lyds- time to move here.  or at least buy a beach condo, no?  goodbye summer.  When next we meet, Chad will be graduating and i guess that is something to celebrate!

The end.

love, us.

on going crazy & things i'm learning with 2 kids.

you can find this cute print here via kikicoming.com

some things just don't get done.  like showers, makeup, hair, adequate rest and so forth.  most days if we are leaving the house, i hide under my great big dark sunglasses, throw on an easy to wear maxi dress and call it good.  my husband says he likes this "earthy" look and that i'm beautiful.  what a sweetheart.

one has to make time for herself or the whole thing falls apart.  its been an important discovery that there will never be enough time for everything.  there just isn't enough.  sometimes, its ok to be a little selfish and go to yoga.  my husband has always said, if you don't take care of you, you're no good to anyone else.  he's so full of wisdom, that chad.

you will most likely find me changing a diaper or feeding a baby.  i do it all day long.  and in the midst of tantrums from my 2 year old and the baby screaming for more attention, i find myself going just a little bit crazy.  don't you?  that point where you need to hit the reset button and start the day over.  or, when you wish the day would just end so you can start new tomorrow?  it happens!  and i just need reminders like this cute print i found one day when i really needed it.

um but hello, blessing.  Griff decided to potty train himself.  have i told you yet?  my bearly 2 year old boy wanted elmo undies.  so we bought the undies, the potty book, elmo dvd, etc.  and i'm thinking, great this is going to be horrid for the next 6 months to a year- because boys never potty train until like 3 or 4.  GRIFF IS POTTY TRAINED.  except for naps and nighttime, but does that really count?  with little hesitation, he just taught himself.  granted the first day or two chad or myself took turns on the bathroom floor, waiting and waiting and praising and clapping.  but he did it.  my smart little dude knows exactly where to go potty and he knows he needs to let us know when he has to go potty.  he looks at me with this big huge grin and every time, "look mama, i go potty!  i go potty!"  and then afterwards has to find everyone else in the house to tell them he successfully went potty.

sometimes, you have to just smile and laugh.  because, last week i had one of those crazy days.  the 8th day in a row that we had been couped up sick in our apartment.  first griffin with a feverish croupy cough, then mom, then avett.  there was no lack of snot in this house.  gross.  i decided to avoid the crazy that morning and we found ourselves at the local target, wandering the isles- as one does to kill time before naps.  i've had my eyes on a cute pair of fakey suede booties for fall (which are now sold out because i waited too long) that i thought i might purchase, you know to ease the crazy.  we left the store early because avett learned how to wiggle his way out of the seat-belted cart and his older brother pulled every pair of shoes out of the box to try them on.  under normal circumstances this would have maybe been adorable, but not on a day like that day.  tantrums arose as soon as we hit the home decor isle and so i decided it was time to leave.  one boy being carried out on my hip screaming and the other being bribed with my iphone.  they have a free pbs kids app, did you know?  great parenting.

and then at home in the late afternoon, just when i'm quite sure i can't hold a crying babe any longer- daddy comes home early to watch the boys so i can study for my chemistry exam tomorrow (the fun never ends). And, nobody cries when daddy is home, wouldn't you know it.

love, us.

while on vacay.

1.  shooting hoops at grandma and grandpa's- in the same yard where his daddy grew up.  Griffin is 27 months.
2.  the vegas & brother's wedding.  the desert is hot in the summer.
3.  the happy couple.
4.  hot couple, obviously.
5.  sleeping baby on a plane.  miracle.  Avett is 9 months.
6.  fresh picked berries from grandpa's garden.  luscious.
7.  cousins.

we had such a great time out West!  I can't wait to go back again.  I never thought I would miss the dry, desert heat.  But you know what?  I did.  I just needed a tall glass of ice water every ten minutes!  And it was so so great to be around family.  and those mountains- they welcomed us home again with open arms.

love, us.