Happy 30th to my man!

Happy birthday, Jo! The boys and I think you are the coolest thing around...we kind of adore you! I hope you loved your Boston birthday trip - I sure did! Love you, Say

Fordisms and a Mom Tip of the Day

While we were playing dinosaurs and I was the damsel in distress:

Me: "Oh, you are such a scary dinosaur!"

Ford: "No, Mommy, I'm not a scary dinosaur; I'm just a handsome boy!"

While driving by the new CVS:

"Look, Mommy, there's QVC!"

While eating lunch the other day:

Ford: "Mommy, I'm so sad."

Me: "What's the matter, punks?"

Ford: "I didn't get to sing Happy Birthday to Emma."

He then proceeds to lay his head down on the table for a few seconds while I try to call Jennie so he can sing to Emma (whose birthday was 2 weeks ago). She could not be reached. He picks his little head up and says, "I think a popsicle would make me feel happy!"

The boy knows how to work it.

And I love it.

A few Mom Tips for you:

Tip: Have all supplies ready before bath begins.

No matter how fast you can get pajamas out of a drawer from a room that is attached to the bathroom, your 1-year-old will be faster and will make it from the hallway, where he just got lotioned, diapered, and pajamed, to the tub and will end up face first back in the tub with his brother who will give you no warning that this is occuring.

Tip: Don't put your baby's crib next to a light switch.

For some reason, they don't sleep when the light is on. Who would have thought? The crib was just moved the crib by the light switch because said baby pulled the curtain holder out of the wall in the crib's first position. Crib will now reside in the middle of the room. I'm thinking that's not going to stop this guy from wreaking havoc on something else; I've just got to stay one step ahead of him...

Any tips?

Cake!

Birthday Boy

Happy Birthday, Wild Man! I can't believe you are already 1! You melt my heart a million times a day; but how could you not, with that precious grin and that dimple! You are such a happy boy, but I have a feeling we're in for a crazy ride with you. You are into EVERYTHING, especially the dog bowl and the floor vents - you can get the cover off of one in 3 seconds flat! There's no telling what you've dropped down that hole! You had a BIG time with your birthday cake. I don't think I've ever seen a baby enjoy his cake more! It took you two seconds to realize you had a huge chunk of sugar in front of you before you started shoveling in fistfuls into your sweet mouth! You gave everyone a good laugh!

For the record, you have 4 teeth - two on top, two on bottom. You had your top teeth for about 5 days before you chipped one of them - we don't call you Wild Man for nothing! You weigh around 22 pounds, but you've really leaned down since you started crawling a month ago. You will eat anything we put in front of you, which is a big change from your big brother! You think Ford is really funny, although he's not totally wild about you since you seem to want everything he has. I know the two of you will be big buddies this time next year!

We love you, precious boy! I can't imagine our lives without you. You are such a sweet gift from God!

Love, Mommy

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to the most incredible father on earth! You have a wife and two little boys that adore you!

PRAY PRAY PRAY for Mike

I've posted before about my dear friend, April, and her husband Mike's battle with cancer. They just heard some tough news yesterday and need PRAYER. Here's a link to her blog, and you can keep up with Mike's caringbridge site from there. PLEASE pray for God's healing for Mike and for strength for April as they walk through this fire. They are truly the most amazing people I know. I know they covet your prayers!

http://mikeaprilbailey.blogspot.com/

Michael & Jenna's Wedding

The bride was beautiful, the groom was handsome, and the ring bearer was adorable...all-in-all, a big success! Ford marched down the aisle as if he'd done it 100 times, got to the end, and then ran all the way back down giggling. It was pretty cute! Jenna said he'd done his job - to make
everyone smile!

Pictures went pretty much like I expected them too, but there weren't any tantrums so we were happy! Ford did not inherit his father's love of having his picture taken!

Congratulations, Michael and Jenna! We are so excited for you! Thanks for letting us be a part of your special day!

What do you do when it rains at the beach for 5 days?

You watch 'Fox & the Hound 2' 84 times...


you play Hide & Seek (Emma won)...

you do many a craft (please notice the bat dangling from the chandelier - Parker's latest obsession)...

you make handprint stones for Dede's garden...

you visit the fantastic Charleston Children's museum and you play with water...

and you paint...

and you make your crazy Uncle Joseph fish sandwiches...

you have Battle of the Baby Booster Seats...

you build cool forts (leaving Papa and Dede without a bedsheet)...

you play 'pool' with your cousins...

you listen to Joseph tell lots of stories...

you download 12 books to your Kindle and read them all...

you do some puzzles...

you catch up on some sleep...

you play in the driveway because when there's finally a break in the rain and you try to go to the beach, the wind blows the sand on these sweet little legs and brings on the tears...

you praise the Lord you have two super sweet babysitters there with you to help out...

and you're really thankful you have a wonderful, fun, laid-back, go-with-the-flow, creative, hysterical family that you actually enjoy being cooped up in a beautiful beach house with!


More Charleston pictures to come...we actually did get to go the beach 2 days and we celebrated some major birthdays, so check back soon! Thank you Papa and Dede for another wonderful trip!

He'll be signing autographs for a small fee...

I know - he's pretty stinkin' cute, isn't he? Our friend Dale, who is crazy creative and talented, is doing the website and marketing for our builder. He asked us to 'pose' for him, not really knowing how much Ford DESPISES having his picture made. It took some mad Photoshop skills to get Joseph's hands off the frame...Ford refused to hold it by himself. Dale - you are awesome and have some MAJOR patience!

If anyone has any tips to get kids to pose for pictures...send 'em this way! Ford is a ring bearer next weekend and I'm having mild panic attacks about the picture taking portion of the evening! And you'll have to step it up a bit from M&M's, people. Crashed and burned several times with that one!

fordisms

Tonight when we were leaving swimming lessons:

"I don't want to wear my crocs, Mommy, I want to wear my feet!"

My Growing Boys and Gardening

Ford turned 2 1/2 on Saturday! I absolutely adore this guy! The things he says and does make me laugh all day long. He loves trucks, trains, dirt and all other things boy. We were driving by a construction site the other day and I said, "Look, there's an excavator!" He replied, "No, Mommy, that's a front-end loader." Whoops! I've finally given up on the food battle and mealtimes are much more pleasant. He'll eat when he's hungry, right? He loves throwing the ball to the dogs and playing on his new playset that Daddy and Dr. Brad built him. We're outside pretty much every second he's awake. He has a temper that we're working on and praying about, but he's got such a sweet heart and is a very kind little boy. He is such a blessing and I LOVE getting to be his mommy.

This little angel turned 10 months on Sunday! His personality is so different from Ford's; while Ford is very high-maintenance (like his mother) and full of energy, Luke is the most laid-back sweetie I've ever met (just like his daddy). To know him is to love him - his smile will melt your heart and does mine multiple times a day! He's not crawling but can roll and scoot anywhere he needs to go. He's just content as he can be to sit and watch his blur of a brother! He's probably not crawling because he spends most of his time in the swing outside! His new nickname, bestowed by his Crawdaddy, is Mohawk, because he's got a strip of black hair on the top of his head and not much anywhere else! Jennie called him a skunk this weekend, but I think we'll stick with Mohawk;) He has 2 bottom teeth and eats anything you put in front of him. He's starting to have a little bit of separation anxiety, but what can I say, he loves his mommy! He says mama and dada and bye bye, and he just starting waving yesterday. I can't believe we'll be celebrating his 1st birthday in 2 short months!

Last summer, my sweet husband built a flower garden for cutting underneath our kitchen window. I actually planted the seeds the day I went into labor with Luke (6 weeks early), so the garden didn't get much love last year! Despite my lack of tending, we have lots of blooms and it makes me smile to think how far we've come since those seeds were planted!

The other day, my parents came over to see the new playset. Both are avid gardeners and have a beautiful yard to prove it. Looking at my garden, my mom gently reminded me that the more you cut them, the more they grow. I couldn't help but think how true this is of people, too. The more God 'cuts' us through challenges with family, friends, jobs, etc., the stronger we can grow towards Him. He's the ultimate gardener, and if we let Him tend to us, the more we will bloom. So today while the boys were napping, I decided to tend to my garden and spent that time praying that my heart will be open to God's 'gardening', and I got some beautiful blooms out of it as well!

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

Happy Birthday, Parker!!!

To my most favorite nephew - happy 4th birthday! We had so much fun at your party and loved getting to play with you and your sisters. We love you to pieces and can't wait to see you at the beach! Bad Bart has been getting into lots of trouble so bring your handcuffs!

Love, Aunt Say

fordisms

Overheard after nap this afternoon through the monitor:

"Welcome to Moe's! I'll have a quesadida!"

I might need to start cooking at home more often.

"Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die." John 11:25-26