Phone Phavorites

Time for some more photos from my phone's camera roll!

This girl has decided she LOVES peaches!  After completely ruining a nice shirt, there is a new rule that they have to be eaten nekkid.  :)

I can NOT put Thomas in his crib for any amount of time without Katie Wynn begging to get in with him.  Now that she has learned how to jump, it's getting a little dangerous. 

Wearing his swimsuit for the first time!  It is ridiculously hard to find teeny tiny swimsuits.  Most of them start at size six months.  We received this 3 months one as a gift and Thomas already kind of fits in it.

My little mama bear had to help me get him completely dressed while he was in his bed.  "Hat on! Hat on!"  Good thing we protected him from all that sun in his room.

It took way longer than it should have but I eventually got all three of us suited up, lathered up in sunscreen, and to the pool where it turns out the two of them just wanted to hang out in the buff.

I hate that I occasionally let her watch Let It Go on my phone.  I know everything is fine in moderation but I really don't want her to be glued to tvs and i-devices.  She mostly gets to watch something when my Mom Energy is running really low for the day.  I snapped these pics because she looked so grown up to me!

Guess who's finally decided it's cool to be smiley occasionally?!?  These gummy grins totally make my day!  One big smile can almost make me forget about an hour's long screaming fit.

The day that I finally let Katie Wynn push Thomas in her little stroller was probably the best day of her life.  She was beside herself excited when I sat him in it.  And, like the good mama bear that she is, she made sure he got his paci back when he dropped it.  

Just chillin'...

I swear, this girl keeps us laughing.  After taking the picture below on the left, I asked her if her belly was big and she looked down at it and then told me "noooo-oh" as if that was the most ridiculous question ever.  On the right, she had carried my rain boots to and said "Hep me, Mama!" so that I could help her get in them.  Then she couldn't even move!

First ride on the lawn mower!  I used to beg my parents to let me ride with them; I remember loving it.  She seemed to enjoy it too.  I was shocked she didn't cry when Mom started it since she's scared of loud noises.

I've been working on perfecting my selfie with the kids...

Since Thomas enjoys being upright so much, we got out the bumbo for him to try.  He liked being able to sit up like the rest of us!

She doesn't stay still for anything!

Sometimes when we're playing in the floor, Matt thinks he can sneak in some exercises.  He had some help with his crunches!

This past weekend we drove to visit our friends, the Kinsers.  It was our first night away from Thomas as he stayed back with my parents.  Katie bug loved getting to see Gus and spend the night with him!  They took us to a really cool neighborhood park where we could have stayed and played for hours if it hadn't been so dang hot!!  That evening, the kids played with Gus's grandparents while we got to go on a kid-free double date.  It was a great night!

Ok, the baby in my arm is crying now (I've been typing one handed...) so I better wrap up.  More soon!

Sip and See

I'm way behind on this post - like, over a month behind!  Back in June (on the 29th, to be exact), our friends Allison and Emily hosted a Sip and See in honor of Thomas so our friends and family could come meet our newest little guy.  It's sort of a baby viewing, if you will.

The party was held at Allison's house and they had decorated it with lot of chalkboard signs and flower-filled mason jars.  It was all so cute!  Here are some pictures of all the decorations.

Oh, and super special thanks to Allison for all the pictures.  I completely forgot my camera and probably wouldn't have remembered to use it anyway, so I'm so grateful to her for capturing it all.  All photo credits go to her!

Tea kettle shaped signs on the front door.

A chalkboard sign to assure guests they were at the right place! :)

This was the invitation - the hydrangeas in mason jars match it perfectly!

Yummy, yummy drinks.

Some of the food.  I loved the chalkboard runner they used to label everything!

Or some of the jars had labels of their own.

So, I asked if they bought these cookies at a new cookie bakery in town and Emily told me no, that she made them.  I totally didn't believe her at first, but she really did!  I had to believe her when she started talking about royal icing and explaining the process.  I've never been brave enough to try that.  Aren't they so cute?  I hate that so many were already gone when this picture was taken.  They looked great and tasted even better - there weren't any left by the end of the party!  And - get this - she didn't even use a cookie cutter for them.  Y'all, she's got mad skills.  Hit her up if you need some cookies for an event!

Here I am with the wonderful hostesses.  I love these girls.  They went above and beyond for us!

We had a really good turnout at the party.  I got to see so many of my favorite people, which, after being cooped up in the house for three weeks and majorly sleep-deprived, was really good for me!  

Below are my brothers' beautiful wives and my mom with her two granddaughters.

Some of my friends!

The honoree got passed around between everyone but eventually had to stop for a bottle.  Just like a guy to only be thinking about food, right? :)

Thomas had both of his grandmothers there to dote on him, so you know he was a happy camper!

After most of the guests had left and there were just a few of us still chatting, Allison brought me a big pile of gifts to open!  We weren't really expecting gifts so this was a big surprise.  It was a good thing my little girl was there to help me open them all.  

We borrowed a pretty moses basket from a friend for Thomas to lay in during the party.  That never really happened so we finally put him in it at the end so we could at least get some pictures.  Allison got so many sweet ones!  Seriously, I could post about 15 of them.  It's going to be hard to narrow it down, but I'll try...

Pure sweetness, I tell ya.

Katie Wynn LOVED him being in this basket.  He was down on her level and it just made it so much easier for her to make sure he was covered up properly.  She is such a little mama.  :)

She was so funny because she kept stopping mid-blanketing to run to the window and look outside.  We all joked that she looked like she was watching out for the cops.

Eventually Thomas had had enough and was rescued by his Lala.

But Little Mama still made sure he had his "blay-et."

Y'all, this wrinkly forehead.  It gets me every time!  How can you not love this little old man face?

Stop.  Just stop.  I can't handle the cuteness.

Before we left, we took a couple quick pictures outside the front door.  Thomas wasn't super thrilled about this, nor was Katie Wynn.

This last picture does a good job of showing off his coloring.  Doesn't his hair look like it has red in it?  Like maybe it'll be kinda auburn?  Only time will tell, I guess.

Thanks so much, Allison and Emily, for throwing a party for us!  And thanks to everyone who came to Sip and See my sweet little boy!  :)

2 Months!

How is it possible that Thomas is already two months old?  I guess time flies when you're having fun.  Or when you're really tired and struggling to keep to small children happy!

I thought I'd write a little post just about Thomas.  He deserves that, right?  Here's what we've learned about him so far in our relatively short time with him.

• He may have colic.  This is something we've just recently realized but looking back, it definitely makes sense.  Since colic is a behavioral diagnosis, it's hard to say for sure.  But if we go by the general colic symptoms - crying for at least three hours a day for at least three days a week for three weeks in a row - then we definitely meet the criteria.  His toughest time of day is definitely in the evenings between his 6pm and 9pm bottles, which also lines up with colic symptoms.  He usually has at least one episode during the day as well where he just can't be comforted.  Now that the lightbulb has gone off that this may be what's going on, we've been able to do some research and hope to at least help it a little.  We've switched bottles and are adding a probiotic in the mornings.  Only time will tell if they work.  Fingers crossed that Thomas is one of the babies that's over colic by three months!
• When he's not crying, he's the sweetest little guy!  Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I can usually get him to give a smile or two.  He loves to be kissed on the mouth!

Don't tell his sister that sometimes we play in her bed while she's at daycare!

It's hilarious for a little boy to be surrounded by pink!

• He also loves to be talked to.  Like, all the time.  I find myself narrating the most boring things all day long just to keep him happy.  "Now I'm putting on eye shadow.  This color is grey."  "Let's do laundry! Yay!" "Lolli is so silly, isn't she?"

• One of his biggest loves is his big sister!  (The feeling is mutual.)  Often times at night after she's had her bath, we all climb on our bed to read or snuggle.  She loves to play in our throw pillows.  She bounces and climbs all around him and he just smiles and coos.  Even when she's shouting and being loud, he's pretty happy to have her around.
• A perfect day for Thomas would consist of being held all day long outside when it's not too hot.  He loves this nice weather we've been having (don't we all?) and prefers to be held - all. the. time.
• Right now he's eating between 4 and 5 ounces every three hours, except during the night.  He generally sleeps from around 9:30pm til 6:00am, which we totally love him for.  If I had to guess, I'd say he weighs between 11 and 12 pounds.  We'll find out for sure in a couple weeks when he has his checkup (and first round of shots - boo!). 

• His eyes are the prettiest shade of blue and I really hope they stay that way.  His hair is looking awfully red.  Not orange-red, more of a brown-red.  His skin is fair and he's already had his first sunburn (I know, mother of the year right here - I honestly don't know how it happened because I always keep him in the shade).

• He doesn't love his paci quite as much as his sister does, but we're working on it.  I love having something to give him to soothe him so I'd like for him to get attached to it!
• Like Katie Wynn did, he sleeps swaddled up tight at night.  He seems to be ahead of her, though, on trying to break out of it.  Just this morning I found him with one arm and one leg completely out of it.  She didn't do that til about 4 months!
• Even though he's only been with us for 2 short months, he has already won over our hearts and found his spot right in our family.  He makes our family complete and we love him big!

Fun-Filled Weekend

I think if Katie Wynn were capable of voicing a clear, coherent opinion, she'd say, "That was the best weekend ever!!"  We had a weekend full of events that kept our little toddler busy and excited.  I kept my camera and phone close so I can recap it all in photos.

Friday

My mom had my niece Bren with her on Friday so we planned a picnic at a local park on the river.  We found a big shade tree to spread our blanket out under and had a basket and cooler full of sandwiches and junk food!  Our picnicking neighbors had a kite which kept Katie Wynn mesmerized.  We had a slight breeze which kept the weather pretty perfect.  After filling up on a bottle, Thomas thought it was pretty much the best napping environment ever.  

Isn't Bren just the prettiest little girl?  Her bright blue eyes and freckled nose just kill me!

Mimi let the girls use her as a jungle gym all while she kept Thomas calm too.  She really is the best Mimi.

After I got out the baby wipes to clean up a spill, the girls decided that Mimi need a baby wipe bath from head to toe!  So much for putting on makeup, Mom...

Ol' Mr. Blue Eyes.  I can't remember at what age Katie Wynn's eyes changed from blue to hazel, but I kinda hope he keeps his baby blues!

He thought Bren was pretty stinkin' funny!

The sun started creeping onto our blanket so it was time to wrap up our fun little picnic.  But we weren't headed home just yet!  Instead, we made a pit stop at the splash pad for some water fun.

I ended up having to get way more involved than I bargained for since my timid girl wouldn't run through the water without me.  I got just as wet as they did!  Mom hung out with Thomas and tried to take pictures as we ran by.

As expected, Katie Wynn didn't even make it all the way home before falling asleep.  After a good long nap at home, we ended up over at my parents' house for a cookout that evening.  Poppy got to log some time on the playground with his granddaughters.

I didn't really take any other pictures since it was a little chaotic (who am I kidding, it's always chaotic), but we had a good time.  We left with our bellies full and got the best night's sleep in a long, long time!  Our lights were out before 10 and the first noise we heard was at 6:13 when Thomas woke up.  A glorious full 8 hours of sleep!

Saturday

Matt hit the golf course early Saturday morning so it was just me and the kiddos.  I couldn't resist snapping some pictures of Katie Wynn in her room because I thought she looked so darn cute!

She played on the floor with Baby Doll while I worked on laundry.  I was afraid she was gonna fall asleep before it was time for our outing!

Speaking of our outing, we went swimming!  My aunt and uncle graciously invited us over to their pool since my parents had Jett and Bren for the weekend.  We all donned our swimsuits and took them up on their offer.  This was Katie Wynn's first time to use a puddle jumper and she loved it.  She jumped in the pool over and over and over again!

Of course, since Bren was jumping in the water to Matt, that meant Bren had to too.  He would try to see how far out he could make her go.

Any time Matt needed a break he'd just head to the deep end.  He knew they wouldn't follow him there!  Every time he jumped in and went under water, Katie Wynn would throw her hands up and say, "Where he go?"

Just like the day before, three hours in the water meant we got another awesome afternoon nap out of Katie Wynn.  It's a good thing, too, because there was still more fun to be had!  My parents had a party to go to so Jett and Bren came to our house to hang out.  We decided to go to a local diner for burgers and shakes for dinner.  Yum!

When we got home, Bren and Katie Wynn took a bubble bath together.  Isn't it funny how big kids always really get into playing with little kids' toys?  Bren played with every bath toy we have while Katie Wynn just splished and splashed.  

After the bath, they played with Katie Wynn's dolls until it was time for her to go to bed.  I'm sure she was exhausted from all the weekend's activities but, unbeknownst to her, there was still one more surprise coming on Sunday!

Sunday

Thomas didn't make it quite as long Sunday morning as he had the morning before, so I was up early to feed him.  Thankfully he went right back to sleep so I could crawl back into bed for some more Zzzzzs.  Matt got up with Katie Wynn and they made a trip to the donut shop!  When I got up, I snuggled with my little girl on the couch while watching Frozen for the first time ever!!  We only made it through half of the movie but I can tell it's a good one.  No wonder it's all you ever hear about these days.  I was impressed that Katie Wynn sat through as much of it as she did (we never really watch tv at home).  She would get distracted during the talking scenes but was glued to the screen during any song.  (I think this may be because they listen to the soundtrack at daycare so she knows the songs already.)

Sunday morning was the first time I was able to put Katie Wynn and Thomas in matching outfits for church so of course we had to take pictures.  I've had several matching outfits for them for a while but Thomas is just now getting big enough to fit into his.  You can't imagine how exciting this is for this Southern mama.  Let the fun begin!

Below is the picture and caption that I posted to Instagram.

"Yesss!" I hope this isn't foreshadowing to Thomas's teen years any time he gets kissed by a cute girl.

We put Katie Wynn down for an early nap so that I could wake her up when her surprise arrived.

And her surprise was.....GUS!!  Our friends Sarah and Charlie and their son, Gus, came over for a visit and to meet Thomas.  K-dub always has so much fun with Gus so I knew she'd be excited to see him!

We stripped the kids down for a little watermelon action.  I didn't even know if KW would like it (I don't - bluh! - so I never buy them).  The jury's still out because she never really took a bite, but she loved holding it!

It's funny to me how they assumed their typical gender roles.  Katie Wynn sat with her legs crossed while Gus spread out.  Gus dove right into his watermelon and let it drip down his belly while KW didn't want to make a mess.  Typical male and female.  :)

The best way to clean off sticky watermelon is by jumping in the pool!  And don't worry with a swimsuit - aint' nobody got time for that.

Is this not livin' the life or what?

And then it just got even better when I brought out popsicles!  I love the bubbles in this picture...

...but I love their giggles in this one!

This one too.  :)

I know what you're thinking - "Surely the weekend fun's gotta stop there, right?"  

Nope!  A couple hours after our friends left, Katie Wynn and I stopped by my brother's house to drop off some stuff and, after getting to pet two kitty cats, she got to ride on the four wheeler!

All good things eventually come to an end, and that's what happened with Katie Wynn's Best Weekend Ever.  We ended it with several loads of laundry and, as you can see, Katie bug was as excited about that as I was.

I'm not sure if next weekend will be able to keep up with all the fun we had this past one.  We've already got a couple things on the docket though so who knows?  Maybe it will be! 

Lookalike Kids

Nearly two years ago when we had Katie Wynn's newborn pictures taken, the only prop I provided and made sure was used was a wooden dough boy.  This dough boy usually sits on my mom's kitchen table, but it originally belonged to her grandmother.  That would be Katie Wynn's great, great grandmother.  We just knew a picture in it would be perfect, and we were right!

The pictures of KW in the bowl were some of my favorites, so after Thomas was born I tried to recreate them.  I am far from a professional photographer so my pics aren't nearly as good, but I think they turned out good enough for comparison.  It took both me and my mom shushing Thomas over and over to get him to fall asleep in the dough boy.  He just wasn't feeling it that day!

Here is Katie Wynn's picture, taken by April Garrett Photography.

And here is Thomas's, taken by me.

Practically twins, right?!

Here are some close ups.  Katie bug is first again.

And now Thomas.

Am I the only one that wants to kiss those sweet little lips??!  I can't wait to get these in frames and on the wall.

Speaking of frames - here is one of Katie Wynn we've had in a frame sitting on our dresser.  I took it of her in the fall when I also put her in the pumpkin.  

Just like the dough boy pictures, I wanted to recreate this picture with Thomas so I could add another frame to our dresser.  I laid him in our galvanized tin on two different occasions, but I still struggled to get a picture of him with his eyes open.  I guess that summer sun's just too bright for a little guy!  This is the best one I got with open eyes.

I think this sleepy one is the picture I'll frame though.  He just looks so sweet and innocent, something I may need to remind myself of as he grows to be big and rambunctious.  :)

Until the next photoshoot...