MK's visit

MK, Becca & me at Bonefish Grill

Seven months is way too long to go without seeing such a FUN friend! Mary Katherine and her two boys and her mom visited from Texas Monday-Tuesday. It was a short visit, but a really good one. They came to our house Monday afternoon when they got into town. We were sitting on the front steps waiting on them when they got here. Rhett had been watching the clock all day! Monday night we went to Bonefish Grill for dinner (kids stayed with dads and Grandma) and had fun catching up. Tuesday morning we met at a great indoor play place which all the kids love.

I love this picture of Trent lifting the big stuffed dog onto the vet's table. Alexee was standing by ready to assist.Becca's twins, Ann Katherine and William--so cute! William reminds me a lot of Rhett at that age.
Chef Rhett.
Ali, Lianne and their sweet girls.
I think Mary Katherine liked Crosby. Monday was their first time to meet.
Ali, MK, Lawson & Crosby
We were crazy enough to go to lunch together after the play area. There were five adults and TEN kids!

THANKS FOR COMING TO SEE US!!!

Mary Katherine took some cute pictures of their visit--see here.

Four months old!

This SWEET baby boy turned 4 months old last Sunday, the 26th. He is doing great, and he is (thankfully) sticking with his plan to be the most easy-going baby ever. He cries when he's hungry or sleepy, and that's about the only time. He smiles when people talk to him, and he's content watching Rhett and Alexee play, fight, yell, laugh, jump off furniture, etc. He's not quite rolling over, but he's really close--he gets on his side and stays for a while, sometimes even falls asleep that way. He's still not on a regular nap schedule, but I think we're approaching that stage. He's awake a lot more these days. He sat in the exersaucer for the first time today. He didn't really know what to do with his arms, but he was happy there for a little while.

This was after church on Sunday:

On Monday morning I took him in for his 4 month check-up. He weighs 15 lb. 1 oz. and measures 24.5" long. He had to get two shots. His doctor said he's doing great. I'm always thankful for a healthy report!

And guess what: HE SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT FOR THE FIRST TIME that night (4 months, 1 day old). He went from 11pm to 6:45am between feedings! I woke up at 4:41 a.m. in a panic when I realized what time it was. He has the angel care motion-sensor in his crib, so that's a nice feeling to have that monitoring him, but I was still scared. So for some reason I decided to wake Lane up to ask him if he thought I should go check on Crosby even though I knew that would probably wake C up. Lane said he was fine and to let him sleep. L loved that I included him in that early morning decision-making process--ha! :) I tried not to get too excited because I thought it might have been the shots making him sleep more. Sure enough, he didn't sleep through last night. He actually woke up an extra time!?? So who knows, but it's encouraging to know he CAN do it.

My nerves after the visit to the doctor's office were pretty frazzled. We had to wait a little while (I think it was only 30 minutes, but it seemed like a week). We played Simon Says. They rolled around in the doctor's chair. They turned the light switch on and off and on and off, and they finally decided to hide and yell "SURPRISE!" when Dr. B came into the room.

Here they are while they were still getting along:

(Once our doctor came in, they decided to fight over who got to sit in the extra chair. Alexee was screaming her most high-pitched scream and Rhett was actually crying because he wanted to sit there. I was trying to listen to the doctor and ask a few questions, but that wasn't working. I resisted the urge to throw the extra chair through the window...I was pretty sure I'd get kicked out of the clinic for that. ha ha)
Rhett's hiding place for yelling "surprise":
Alexee's germ-free hiding place.

Hobbies

I've finally started painting a little bit again--I've missed it! I can rarely paint during the day, so it's mostly a night time project. It takes a while to finish anything, but it's something I really enjoy. This was my first piece to paint since C's birth.

And these were the next three that I did for a friend in Texas who is expecting her first baby soon.

And another recent project--burp cloths. I recruited Rhett one afternoon while the other two kids were napping. He helped me use the fabric glue to make ribbon loops to sew onto the cloths.

My sewing machine will do embroidery...but unfortunately I don't know how to use that feature, and I've yet to make/take the time to figure it out. It involves a memory chip and some software that I'm sure we have around here somewhere, but I honestly couldn't find it right now. :( If I'm going to make very many of these, I should really try to figure out how to do my own monograms. (I'm making a note now to add that to my official to-do list.) I made two "e" cloths for baby girl gifts, a "James" for another friend, and of course I wanted to make Crosby one, too. I haven't washed C's yet...I hope all the ribbon doesn't fall off when I do!?

Is this really happening!?

Tonight I ordered Rhett's new coordinating backpack and lunch box. He chose a red backpack with navy trim and monogram and a navy lunch box with red lettering. I also went to his school's website and printed the school supplies list (below) for our upcoming school shopping trip.

KINDERGARTEN

Parent-Teacher folder**

Fiskars brand scissors – child size*

1 box Classic Crayon washable markers-no thin

2 boxes - 24 ct. Crayola crayons*

8 oz Elmer’s white school glue*

8 glue sticks*

1 package #2 pencils* (basic yellow)

1 large package baby or wet wipes

2 boxes facial tissues

1 bottle liquid hand soap

1 pkg. reward stickers

$10 for the Weekly News Magazine / Writing Journal

2 pink rectangular block erasers

Boys:

1 box quart sized Ziploc freezer bags

1 box gallon Ziploc freezer bags

Girls:

1 package paper plates

Colored craft or gift tissue paper

The reality of this new phase is starting to hit me, I guess. I know our days will feel a lot different this fall. We have to get used to a whole new routine (I wonder if we'll EVER get to school on time!?). I've been so blessed to have the opportunity to stay home with Rhett for the last five years. I'm thankful that I've been the one there with him every day to see him grow and learn. But now I'm about to have to share him :( and I find myself wondering if I've made the very most of those sweet five years. Have I done the best that I could to provide a firm foundation for him as he takes this first little step into the "real world"?

My hometown pastor shared this great devotional a few days ago, and it was perfect timing for me. It really reminded me of the magnitude of my responsibility as a parent. As overwhelming as raising children can be, I find encouragement in the end of his fifth paragraph that reads: "Jesus is the friend of little children and in our efforts to reach their hearts, we have a willing and wondrous ally in the Holy Spirit."

Out to dinner

Sunday evening we went out to eat at a local catfish restaurant. The food is just okay to us, but the atmosphere is really neat, especially for the kids. We had a great view of the waterfall and the koi pond from our table. Ducks wandered by the window, and we even spotted a white peacock. We haven't been eating out nearly as much lately, which Rhett noticed and asked, "Is it because Alexee won't stay in her seat?" Well, yes, that's pretty much it. It's saved us money though, so that's a good thing. If we do go out to eat, entertainment is good...things like geese and giant goldfish are helpful, as are the video games at our favorite pizza place.

After dinner, we took our leftover cornbread outside to the pond to feed the ducks...and this little raccoon. He was cute, but we were afraid he might bite so we kept telling R & A to back away from him.

Alexee inched closer and closer to the edge and to the raccoon.
So Lane moved her up the hill, which she didn't like one bit. Feet kicking, etc.:
I didn't even try to get Alexee to pose for this one.
The weather was so nice, and it was a fun evening out.

******

SALE

Another quick note to local friends: Cupcakes and Caterpillars is having a big sale on spring/summer clothes. I got all of these items at 50% off, and the owner told me that she's having a sidewalk sale this weekend (I think she said things will be up to 70% off?). You might want to check it out. Rhett got two outfits to wear to kindergarten while the weather is still warm. Alexee's are for next spring--the blue dress might even be her Easter dress. Crosby got a sweet 6 month sailor outfit that I think he'll be able to wear really soon.

Sibling shirts

We gave Rhett and Alexee these t-shirts back in September '08 when we told them we were going to have Crosby (we didn't know boy or girl at the time). Wow how they've grown, especially Crosby! :)

10 months ago

I was at the store where I bought the shirts a few weeks ago and realized I never went back and got the matching baby onesie, so I got C the one that said "I'm the baby brother". They were all proud to wear them to dinner last Sunday night. Rhett said he wished Bogart had one that said, "I'm the dog".

I asked R & A to show how old they are, 2 & 5. Alexee was having a little bit of trouble keeping two fingers up, so she decided to just go with five like Rhett.
But Rhett didn't like the idea of her being as old as him, so he helped her:

Before Church

Buckethead Bash

The kids and I had a really good time at my parents' house Thursday - Saturday. The drive up there seemed long, but once we were there everyone was happy! I knew we were in for a tough trip when Alexee started whining, "I ready to get out of car" only 20 minutes into the 2.5 hour drive.

We had beautiful, cooler-than-normal weather that made being outside so much more fun. It almost felt like a hint of fall in the air (my FAVORITE time of year).

Friday we played outside, picked up pizzas for lunch, and played outside some more--we tried to catch June bugs, went for a walk, looked at the bee hives, looked for deer, etc. When Dad got home we all went to Mt. Home. We took two cars because Dad and Rhett had plans to go look at the T-buckets that were meeting in town for Buckethead Bash '09. We met for Mexican food, then Dad and Rhett went to the shop, and Mom and I took A & C home for bed.

A brief rest on the back porch steps on Friday:

Before going out to dinner Friday evening:

Dad made these pictures at the fairgrounds where the cars were assembled. I guess these were a few of their favorites:
While at the shop on Friday night, Rhett, Dad and Uncle Greg made plans to pick up McDonald's breakfast at 8 a.m. Saturday and take it back to the shop to eat. Since Rhett gets up shortly after 6 a.m., he had plenty of time to go for an early morning farm buggy ride and still make it to his breakfast appointment. :) I asked him what he ordered, and he said, "scrambled eggs, one of those brown potato things and a vanilla milkshake".

Meanwhile, back on the farm, Alexee had Mo all to herself for the morning chores. Here they are feeding the horses. It's cute that Alexee has picked up on the horses' names and calls for them just like she's heard Mo & Rhett do, "Willy, Awesome, Gray Boy!"

My Grandparents stopped by Saturday morning to see the kids, too. Rhett wasn't home yet, but Alexee and Crosby were happy to see their Great-Grandparents. I think Crosby looks so big in this picture! My Grandmother brought fresh okra, tomatoes, green peppers and a head of cabbage from her garden--yum!

Rhett suggested we stay "one more night", which came as no surprise. We decided not to though--we came back Saturday afternoon because we were really missing Lane and Bogart. On the drive back, Alexee kept saying, "I go home to see my Daddy." Lane had a really busy week at the hospital. He's been leaving early and getting home late. He's enjoying his pediatric rotation though, and he's already completed two weeks.

July rain

We are at my parents' house for a few days. It's unusual to see mudpuddles here in July. It's usually so hot and dry this time of year, so we're really thankful for the rain we've had recently. Yesterday evening a thunderstorm came through, and we saw a double rainbow after it was over--it was so pretty! Rhett, Alexee and I took a walk to the mailbox and they found a few puddles to jump in along the way. The jumping was Alexee's idea. Rhett, being the more cautious of the two, had to think about it for a minute, but then he decided to join her. They were both covered in mud by the time we made it back to the house, but they sure had fun.

More pictures when we get back home.

Mo's Birthday

Happy Birthday today to my wonderful, sweet Mom

("Mo" to the grandkids)!

WE LOVE YOU!!!

She, of course, loves her five grandchildren so much, and they all adore her, too. They like to help her feed her horses when we visit.

She is always willing to help identify a lizard or bug and make them a temporary home in a jar for the kids to observe (example from VBS week back in June):

Mom and Crosby when he was just a few weeks old

Mom & Dad at the river--I think this is a cute picture of them!

I love that she takes really neat photographs of things and e-mails them to me--her e-mails always brighten my day. This is the goldfish ("Sparkles", named by Jaiden) that sits in her kitchen window.

She sent this one just yesterday, and the subject line was: One of our "pets"
She took this beautiful photo of one of her tulips this spring.Thank you, Mom, for seeing the beauty in all things and sharing it with others! You are a shining example and a very very special part of our lives. We hope you've had a Happy Birthday, and we look forward to a belated celebration with you in a few days!