Flushing the Plants

Yesterday, Michael, Sam, and I were out running errands. Michael has been doing so well with the potty I decided to head out without a Pull-Up on him. After picking up the Santa pictures from Shutterbugs I realized he had not been potty in awhile. Since I had just put Sam in the car and didn't feel like trudging back into the studio so I had Michael pee on a bush in front of the car. When he was done he starting pushing the leaves. I asked him what he was doing and he said "Flush the tee tee Momma". I started laughing out loud!! At least he was remembering how to be neat :)

Santa's Coming to Town!

Everyone is gearing up for the Christmas season. This year Michael seems to understand the Santa Claus and presents aspect of the holiday. We're still working on the baby Jesus part, but he'll get it (if we ever do make it to church again). Tonight our friends Van and Jodie hosted a wonderful party for the kids. This is the second year we have taken part in the Secret Santa gift exchange and cookie swap. Last year, Michael wanted nothing to do with Santa, and this year he didn't want to sit on his lap but he did engage him in conversation. He was also excited to see Sam get his present from Santa.

Jodie's house is like a theme park for the kids. Her backyard is amazing and she has every toy imaginable. This year she outdid herself and bought and foam machine (like the ones they use in clubs) and made it "snow" for the kids. Michael stayed far away, but we got some good pictures of our friends' kids. Thanks Jodie!!

We're Elfed!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Sit Still and Smile!!

Attempting to get a decent Christmas card picture has been impossible!!! Michael won't sit still for more than a nanosecond. If by some miracle I was able to get him to sit and smile, then Sam would not be his usual adorable self for that split second. I even tried getting separate pictures but just got frustrated when that didn't work out. We will have an adorable Christmas card this year, but I'm using old pictures that were taken in November. But hey, whatever works!!

Here are some of the multiple attempts to get a cute picture for the card. They are adorable children who really do love Christmas, despite their appearance here :)

Fun at Five Months

Sam is 5 months old! I'm posting late because I have been so exhausted the past couple of weeks, I couldn't stay awake long enough after the boys went to sleep to do anything on the computer. I've even been neglecting Facebook!

We broke out the excersaucer for Sam last weekend. He had some fun, but wasn't interested in it after a few minutes. Michael on the other hand thinks it's a great new toy. He loves to sit in it and drag it around the house. I wonder if he remembers all the time he spent in it? Mike and I thought it was the greatest thing when we first got it. It was a built in babysitter! Sam has yet to become excited about it, but trust me, we'll keep trying!

It's Potty Time!

Potty training Michael has officially begun!! He has been wearing Pull-Ups for a couple of weeks now. Pull-ups do have their advantages and they were helpful when he first started showing interest because they are so much easier for him to pull down. Frankly, I don't think they're that much different than diapers, and he could care less when he was wet. Yesterday I took him to Wal-Mart and let him pick out his brand new big boy underwear. We left the store with 15 pairs of undies, a new backpack to take to school (for all his changes of clothes), and a new Thomas the Train toy. Michael was very excited!
I am extremely proud to say that Michael wore big boy underwear ALL day (except for nap). He only had one accident at 6:00 this evening! I really thought we'd get through the whole day without an accident, but I was not as diligent about asking him about potty later in the day. Tomorrow he'll wear big boy underwear to school. Cross your fingers!

Sam vs. Sweet Potatoes

Sam is now experiencing his first taste of baby food. He was not crazy about rice cereal but then I got the kind flavored with apple and he'll tolerate it. The other day I tried to feed him sweet potatoes. As you can see from the pictures, he was less than thrilled. Oh well, he obviously isn't a fan now, but maybe eventually. We'll keep working on it.

Woody and Buzz

Daddy was standing on the wrong side of the trailer for this picture!

Best Friends

Thank you for standing still!

Cutest Woody ever!

I believe my boys had the cutest costumes ever this Halloween!! They were Buzz Lightyear and Woody from Michael's favorite movie Toy Story. Aren't they adorable?

We took Michael trick or treating for the first time tonight. We got together with some of our friends and their kiddos in a HUGE neighborhood. Some of our friends hooked up a trailer to their minivan and we loaded everyone up and set out for some trick -or - treating fun. Michael was scared at first but eventually got into the spirit of things and had a great time.

Now all that candy will be used as "potty" bribes!

Zoo Fun

Not happy about posing for a picture with mom.
First ride on a merry-go-round.

Howler monkeys, who weren't howling.

The boys and I traveled to Columbia today to visit Laura and her girls. We took the kiddos to the zoo and Michael loved it! It was his first time ever to the zoo and I started talking to him about it last night. We saw lions, tigers, and bears. Oh My!

Michael was adorable. I'd say "Do you see the lions?" and he'd look around rather indifferent and ready to walk away and then he'd spot them and get so excited and tell everyone he saw about the animals. He'd notice the animals just a bit later than everyone else.

Today was also his first time on a carosel. He was too scared to sit on one of the animals but he did agree to sit on my lap on one of the bench seats. Once the ride started he realized how much fun it was and loved it!

I was proud of him because he walked the whole time and never wandered off. Delainey was out of the stroller also and I think he wanted to be a big kid. Michael still did not want to pose for any pictures. Why won't my child sit still for a picture?!

Pumpkin Carving Time!

Fall is here!! Michael has gotten into the Halloween spirit and is especially excited about all the pumpkins everywhere. He also likes the skeletons because he thinks they're pirates, another of his favorite things. Tonight we were invited to a Pumpkin Carving Party at Kacey and Clete's house. Michael had a great time! He enjoyed watching Daddy carving the pumpkin for all of 2 minutes. Mike was jealous because one of the other dads brought a dremel tool and had his pumpkin carved in like 2 minutes. Mike forged ahead and carved a pretty good jack-o-lantern. Unfortunately, my camera battery died before I could get a shot of the other jack-o-lanterns, they were all super cute!

Mags the Photographer

My friend Margaret took some wonderful pictures of my boys on Monday. I kept complaining to her that I can never get a good picture of Michael and her kids always look gorgeous in her pictures. She picked a beautiful spot right on the water. Michael was not at all happy about having his picture taken, but he eventually warmed up and she got some great shots. Thanks Margaret!

After looking at the picture of me and Sam, I can't believe I really have that many freckles. Crazy!

4 Months Old!

Sam turned 4 months old on Thursday. I can't believe it!! He loves to talk and smile at everyone. On Wednesday he actually said "da-da". I know it was a fluke, but it was still great to hear. We're still waiting on him to roll over, but he'll get it eventually. Sam even slept through the night unswaddled for the first time on Friday. We may be able to retire Miracle Blanket now. What a big boy!

First Day Back

Today was my first day back at work after having Sam. It was great to see the kids and my teacher friends again. I was greeted with tons of hugs this morning. What a great way to start the day! Getting out the door this morning ran smoothly, everyone was out of the house by 7:30. I hope everyday goes as well, but with two little ones I'm sure we'll have our fair share of difficult mornings. Sam has adjusted well to daycare and I know he gets lots of love during the day. Michael was excited to show Daddy Sam's classroom and help out with getting Sam situated in "school". I'm glad to be back, but I'm already looking forward to our week off of school at the end of the month!!

BTW - Do you love my new blog look? Thanks Jennisa!!!

3 Months Old!

Sam is 3 months old today! He is such a big boy and I cannot believe how much he has changed in just 13 weeks. Sam is still a lovable and easy going baby. Now he is smiling and laughing all the time. His Daddy can make him chuckle like no one else can. I love it! Sam is also sleeping through the night and has been doing so since he was 10 weeks old. When I say sleeping through the night I mean 11 hours!! He goes to bed around 7:30 and wakes up around 6-6:30. It's fabulous! Michael didn't sleep through the night until he was 5 months old. I'm a lucky mom :)

My Sweet Boy

Michael and I were playing with puzzles tonight in his room. I had Sam in the Bumbo seat watching us play. All of the sudden, Michael drops his puzzle piece, jumps up and gives Sam a great big hug and kiss and says "I love you!". Then he turned to me and gave me the biggest hug ever and said "Love you Mama". That was the first unprompted "Love You" and I'll never forget it!

Trip to Aiken

Okay, so I'm a couple of days late for this post but we spent last weekend in Aiken visiting my parents. It was my dad's birthday. Happy 58th Birthday Daddy! Michael had a great time. Oma and Opa set up a playroom for him in their new house which he LOVED. We also spent some time in the pool. It took us over half an hour to convince Michael to get in, then we couldn't get him out! Opa also taught Michael how to play t-ball, although Michael preferred to play with the golf club rather than the bat. He was definitely worn out by the end of the weekend!

We also got our very first picture as a family of 4!