Just a couple of Ags...

Way back when-sday: Belize!

2012-01-26T07:20:00.000-05:00

{For some reason this did not post yesterday...at least it saved, though. I did another post earlier in the week and I thought it had published, but it did not and it only saved the first sentence! Ugh...!}

(or Thursday in my case this week!)

For this week's "Way back when-sday" I am going to take a stroll down memory lane on our trips to Belize. I promise I am not jealous that my parents are there and I got to start back at work this week. No, not at all...

Belize 2007

I took drinks to the concerts each night in a different fruit! Ahh...pre-children days!

Belize 2008 - Joined by our friends, Daren and Chrissy! (Daren is an awesome photographer, and made this slideshow that year. I still love to go back and watch!)

For our birthday that fall, my parents won us "lunch with Jerry Jeff" at a silent auction. We went to his house for lunch!

2009 - we didn't go because we had just moved. Probably for the better since I ended up being preggo at the time!

Belize 2010 - Connor's first year!

Notice Connor in the bouncer while we enjoyed "Happy Hour"

My little early riser...we watched the sun rise almost every morning as we walked along the beach!

First beach!

He LOVED the hammocks!

Meeting JJW and Susan! He was a big hit!

Belize 2011

The beard was outta control!

Mere hours before the stomach bug (which had already hit my parents) would hit us...YUCK! Thankfully Connor was spared!

Wordless Wednesday {new trick}

2012-01-18T15:25:00.001-05:00

Jesus Loves Me

2012-01-15T22:44:00.000-05:00

Just a little singing on the way to church this morning. Love this kid!

Mini Me?

2012-01-14T19:51:00.000-05:00

Clay has Connor has his mini me. I am thinking Levi is favoring his mama? Here are pics of both of us at 2 months:

Friday Brain Dump

2012-01-13T21:44:00.000-05:00

Hooray to FRIDAY! Just random tidbits on my mind...nothing exciting!

-I tried to order some stuff on Staples.com this week and learned you can only use their gift cards in store. Funny thing is that there was a giant picture of the "easy button" on the front. Liars!

-Another online rant...last month when I got a new Rx, I set it up to be delivered to my house in the future through Walgreens.com. Well, I ran out on Tuesday so was due to start the new round on Wednesday. Mail came and went and no meds. So, I called the help line Wednesday night and they said that they had an issue with my insurance (never had a problem in the past!!) and it had just shipped the day before, so should be there on Thursday. Thursday and Friday mail came and went and still no Rx. Ugh! So, after spending close to an hour back and forth on the phone, I had them transfer the Rx back to my local store so I could just go pick it up. You know, then thing I was trying to avoid! The funny part is that when I was talking to the customer service guy, he essentially told me not to use their mail service for any "important" prescriptions. Noted.

-Levi slept from 7:30 - 4:30 then again till 7:30 last night! Much better! Now, if we can just drop that one feeding...he's been a super smiley baby and I even got a real chuckle out of him the other day!!

-Connor has also turned into a great sleeper. He's always been good, but has been notorious for being an early riser. Well, lately, he has been sleeping to at least 7 am! To some, that's early...to us, that's a dream!

-I made an appointment to get my hair cut. I got back to work a week from Tuesday and I have an appointment the day before. I'd like to donate my hair, so I have to cut at least 8 inches. I have been checking out options online. We are currently watching Season 6 of Friends and I am liking Rachel's hair that year! I am nervous...sadly I am mostly nervous about Connor's reaction. Kid loves my hair and I think he will be really sad when it's shorter!

-Pinterest is making me wish I had a sewing machine...and 12 more hours in a day!

-I have one more full week at home. How has this time flown by so fast?!

-Last night, Connor told me he was "so proud of me" for blowing such good bubbles. How sweet!

Ok...over and out!

Wordless Wednesday {Lately}

2012-01-11T20:40:00.000-05:00

Last Christmas Post!

2012-01-11T20:13:00.002-05:00

Ok...so it's almost mid-January and I haven't finished posting about Christmas! Jenni = slacker! Anyway, I don't think I ever posted our Christmas cards! Also, head on over to Keri's blog to see a fun entry about our playdate! It was so good to see them, but it always makes me sad that we can't do that more often!!

Anyway, here is the last of the overdue Christmas stuff...

All photos courtesy of Kelly Garvey!

CRAVE Photography Giveaway!

2012-01-06T16:11:00.000-05:00

I love giveaways! Rarely do I win, but I would NEVER win if I didn't try. So, here's the latest one...CRAVE Photography is giving away several prizes, but the one I have my eye on is the Canon 85 mm 1.2! (Don't worry...if you shoot Nikon you can pick their 85 mm 1.4!) CRAVE also offers mentoring and design, so go check them out!

Christmas: Conroe edition

2012-01-05T21:05:00.006-05:00

After a long morning of traveling, we spent the afternoon/evening in Conroe before heading to Waco for Christmas with Clay's family. (Sidenote: my boys are rockstars! They did AWESOME traveling!) That night, Connor, Levi, my mom and I went to see a really cool house with a full out light show. Connor enjoyed it, but it was a little much for little Levi after an already long day. So, I went to feed him in the car and he was much happier in there!

We got back to Conroe on the evening of Christmas Eve. My brother and his wife (Brian and Amy) arrived that night as well. Barry (my other brother) and his family traveled to El Salvador for the holidays this year, so it was a smaller and quieter crowd! After baking cookies for Santa, we went to bed early that night! We awoke to stockings stuffed by Santa, a yummy breakfast then family presents. Again, we were spoiled and got many wonderful things!

I know everyone is more interested in pictures than my rambling, so here we go...

Cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer!

Christmas morning hugs

Bed head! (Grandpa is hiding his...hehe!)

Ok, so story on the sweater. My mom has this Thanksgiving sweater that she loves. It's not bad...she just wears it the entire week of Thanksgiving, so we have gotten sick of seeing it over the years. (Even to the extent that it "disappeared" one year!) Anyway, since she loves that one so much, we thought we'd get her a Christmas one, too. Enter My Ugly Christmas Sweater. Lights and all...we may have to steal it, though, so she doesn't wear it every day of December next year! (Hehe..just kidding, Mom. Love you!)

Thumb and hair...typical look when he's around me!

Connor loved Grandpa's beard

No words to even describe this last one...haha!

Christmas 2012: Waco Edition

2012-01-04T22:30:00.000-05:00

I am very far behind in posting our holiday updates, but better late than never!

We have been blessed every year that we have been able to see both sides of our families for Christmas every year. It's a lot of traveling and is exhausting, but we are very thankful the boys are able to spend time with both sets of grandparents. We flew into Houston Wednesday mid-day and just relaxed that afternoon at my parent's house in Conroe before borrowing their car and heading to Waco the next morning. Both the boys did well traveling in the car and we got to Waco just in time to eat some lunch and for the boys to take naps. Clay's grandparents came in from Tahoka, so it was fun for them to get to see Connor again and meet Levi.

We had a couple of fun days in Waco visiting with family and a few friends as well (it was great to see you Jennie!) We also played some Christmas Bingo and several rounds of Farkle and Connor loved playing the piano with Deb. I think he plays better than me, but let's be honest, that's not saying much! We all got spoiled with way too many presents and we sang Happy Birthday to Jesus. Enough chattering...here are a few (ok, a lot) of pictures!

Hanging with Papa!

"Baby's First Christmas"

"I made a doggy!? (Love his imagination these days!)

The Hubs after a run

Playing Jingle Bells

Papa teaching Connor silly things

Love this pic of Nana and Levi

Rocking (or feeding?) Hollu

The littlest one missed out on gift opening

Happy Baby!!

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Houston edition to come!

2 month checkup!

2012-01-04T15:59:00.001-05:00

Levi had his 2 month check up today and he did great! He got three shots and an oral vaccine. He was hungry by the time we were seen, so he was a little fussy, but he was happy when we got there!

At 2 months, Levi is 11 lbs, 10 oz and 24 inches long (46% and 80% respectively). He is growing! He is the same length Connor was at 2 months, but big brother was a whopping 14 lbs 5 oz!

And another comparison of the boys' 2 month pics. I even put Levi in the same outfit Connor was in. (Yes, I am a dork!) I am seeing the Larson side in Levi!

Ugh.

2012-01-03T16:06:00.001-05:00

{Warning: slight ranting post!}

The little one has become an anti-sleeper since we got home from Texas. It is 4 pm and he has had only two very short (i.e. less than an hour each) naps today...and that was after being up THREE times last night. He didn't even do that as a newborn! This would be OK if he wasn't one to get overtired very easily. Then it's just bad news.

Detox. We all need to detox from our vacation. He's crying again...nap fail.

Levi: 2 months

2012-01-01T16:50:00.000-05:00

First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We are celebrating 2012 with Levi's 2 month birthday! What a big second month he had: his first trip to Texas, which included his first plane ride and visits to both Conroe and Waco and of course his first Christmas! He was a rockstar on the plane and slept most of both flights each way. On our way home, we were able to spread out a bit with a first class upgrade. Don't get used to that, boys!

Levi is such a sweetheart and has a wonderful smile! He is easy to make smile and loves for someone to be talking to him. He also loves to lay on the floor and kick around. I think he really likes the freedom. He sleeps pretty good at night. Usually up once (3-4 am) to eat and back to bed for a couple more hours. We moved him into his room last night, and he was up twice, but I think that was just because he knew Mommy stayed up late for NYE! It is hard to get him down for bed and naps, though. Sometimes we have to go back in there 3 or 4 times to settle him down and back to sleep! We need to work on that, but with all the traveling we did the past 10 days, I understand being out of whack! He also can get overtired very easily, and that is not pretty! But, those gummy grins easily make up for any rough times. It's really fun to see the boys interact, and Levi definitely gives Connor some big grins!

We haven't been to the dr. yet, so I'll have to update with stats after that. Here are a couple of pics from today!

(Alida over at I Make Stuff 4 Fun made this cute outfit!!)

7 years

2011-12-18T23:01:00.000-05:00

How do you celebrate your 7th wedding anniversary when you have a 2 year old and a almost 7 week old? You get pizza from the good place in town. (Side story...Clay and Connor went to pick up the pizza. They passed Little Caesar's and Connor said "Are we going someplace different?" We don't get pizza THAT often, I promise!) Anyway, we just had a relaxing day at home with these guys:

This is his SECOND piece...and he almost finished it!

NO! I'm not done

2011-12-17T14:15:00.001-05:00

Connor has been really good about going #2 in the potty lately. (The other is a whole different story..not the least bit interested.) In order to do so, tough, he insists on a couple of things. First of all, he completely strips down. Socks and all. We are going to have to change that before he goes in a public potty! Secondly, he insists on me going in the kitchen. In fact, this was/is the giveaway sign if he is about to go in his diaper. That's how I got him to start using the potty...I wouldn't leave unless he was sitting on it! Ha! I'll periodically go check on him and he'll either say "No! I'm not done!" or tell me he is all done. Today, I quickly opened the door to snap a pic of him because he brought the iPad with him today. Guess that's the newspaper of his generation. (c:

{Excuse the terrible picture quality!}
"No, Mom! Close the door!"

{Getting off to close it himself when I didn't listen!}

Friday Brain Dump

2011-12-16T21:47:00.000-05:00

My mind is going a million directions right now. I think it's the same for everyone, though! Maternity leave is not relaxing trying to get ready for Christmas! So, random thoughts from scatterbrained me...

I don't remember what I did more than 2 days ago! Seriously...it's that bad.

Christmas, in particular Christmas sweets, are not helping lose this baby weight.

Speaking of Christmas candy, I made some of this and cannot stop eating it!! I packed up all the treat bags to give away so I would not grab a bite every single time I walked by. However, there are still crumbs that I couldn't justify throwing away. I think the little pieces would be good on vanilla ice cream!

I need to start working out more than once a week. I have run the past couple of weekends, but I need to figure out a way to fit it in during the week. I forget when I can take Levi jogging in the jogging stroller...anyone? We have the car seat adapter...

I have slowly but surely been crossing things off my do to list...wahoo!

I remember now what I did on Tuesday...went to the Dr. (6 week check up) and to the Dentist. No cavities!

Levi has had a couple of rough days napping. I think it has to do with us being out and about each morning. (Remember that to-do list I mentioned?!) Anyway, I vowed not to leave the house today and he did much better. I think he gets overtired very easy! We also put him to bed earlier last night and he slept like a champ. He's had a couple of nights with 7 or 8 hour stretches between feedings, but this is definitely not the norm. He also has a really hard time going to bed at night. Overtired? Not sure...I think we are going to start putting him down before Connor and see how that goes.

Connor may look like his daddy, but he sleeps like me. Being awake feeding Levi in the wee morning hours, I have heard him talking in his sleep several times! He's funny to watch, too...love our new video monitor! He is also still chatting away in bed an hour after we laid him down. Maybe it'll help letting him stay up a bit later...at least he is happy and not complaining about it!

And here are some pictures if you stuck with me through all my rambling. (Or, for those who just scrolled down looking for pics!)

Connor always asks me to scoot Levi over so he can lay with him!

Connor was on a boat ride! Very imaginative these days.

Happy Boy.

Not a good picture, but I love how you can see the smile he is giving his big brother!

Thank you, Pinterest, for keeping my child entertained!

Way back when-sday

2011-12-14T21:52:00.000-05:00

Linking up with Allison for her "Way back when-sday" series.

Since she posted about snow I will ~~complain~~ post about snow, too! I went back to see when the earliest pictures I have on this computer were and found this from December 2007 when we lived in Morgantown. I am the first to admit that I am not a fan of snow. Sure, it's pretty to look at and is nice to see on vacation or something, but going to work in it? Not fun. Driving on hilly roads? Not fun. Living in a townhouse where you have to escort your dog to go potty? Not fun! {Confession time: I occasionally let her go pee on the balcony when it was snowy! Shh...don't tell!} Aggie enjoyed the snow, though...it got her all hyped up!

Balcony of our townhouse

Looking for a place to pee? Haha!

Didn't have kiddos to take pictures of at the time, so lots of pictures of this cute beast.

So I am not all complain-y on my first WBW post, here are some pictures of the season I loved: FALL! I miss that time of year!

View from a random bridge on a leaf peeping drive we took. I think I was standing out the sun roof.

Our dear friend's driveway. We LOVED being at the farm and spent many a weekends out there. Lots of memories!

Join in the fun and take a trip down memory lane!

Ho Ho Ho!

2011-12-09T13:24:00.000-05:00

We took the boys last week to see Santa. Of course Levi was oblivious, but Connor had fun! He was shy at first, but did great and has not stopped talking about him since then!

"Say 'CHEESE!'" wasn't working, so I tried "Show me your teeth" and this is what I got!

Thanks Aldridge and Southerland for hosting the fun event!

Deja Vu

2011-12-06T16:03:00.000-05:00

Aggie snuggled up on the couch this afternoon as I was feeding Levi. When he was done (and milk drunk!), I wanted to send a picture to Clay to ask if he was jealous of the snuggling I was getting. My phone wasn't within reach, but my computer was, so I opened Photo Booth to take a picture that way. When doing so, I also looked through all the other pictures in there. (I don't use that very much, so there weren't that many pictures.) However, I found this and I thought it was too ironic!

2009 (Connor was 1 month, 6 days here)

Today (Levi is 1 month, 5 days!)

Deja Vu?!

A comparison

2011-12-04T21:43:00.001-05:00

Everyone asks me if I think the boys look alike. I used to think so, but now after looking at these two pics, I am not so sure!

Mr. Blue Eyes

2011-12-02T20:50:00.000-05:00

Only time will tell if the blue will stick around...I am guessing his cheeks are here to stay!

One Month {Already?!}

2011-12-01T22:33:00.001-05:00

This first month has flown by. I will probably say that each month, but it's so true! Levi is a good little guy, and it is hard to remember life before he was a part of it. He is a good little sleeper and eats like a champ. In fact, we went to the Dr. today, and he weighed in at a whopping 10 lbs 11 oz. (Yes, he did have a wet diaper at the time so you can probably knock a couple of ounces off that, but still...!) He makes little piggy noises, which are stinkin' cute. He is having longer stretches of being alert and happy. For those moments where he is showing off his lungs (which he is also good at!), I have figured out that his favorite thing to do it bounce on the exercise ball. This has been really handy in the evenings when he has a tendency to get worked up. Even though it's still pretty one-sided, I love watching the interaction between Connor and Levi. Oh, and he has some really blue eyes...we are wondering if they will stick around?! Time, please slow down!

I think he looks a lot like his brother here!

Seriously, Mom? I just want a nap!

I had to take his britches off for one...I thought they were misleading, making him look larger than he his. He's still pretty skinny...this is a newborn outfit.

Add caption

happy.

2011-11-27T20:37:00.001-05:00

No doubt about it, these boys make me so incredibly happy. Connor just LOVES his brother...it's so fun. This afternoon, the first thing he asked about when he got up from his nap was "Where's Levi?" He then wanted to go check on him when I told him he was napping. So sweet. He also tells me that Levi will get bigger and bigger and will get to play with play-dough some day. (c:

Here are a couple of pics from our afternoon...the first afternoon of getting settled after having weeks of visitors!

Who knew old wine corks would provide so much entertainment?!

Round two...post nap! (He has been all about wearing jammies for his nap lately...then not wanting to change back out of them!)

I love this look!

Happy boy...

Drinking his water.

This guy snoozed through our wine cork playing session. Of course, Mama had to turn the camera towards him, too!

The swirl...

Levi came out to see me!

2011-11-19T15:12:00.000-05:00

{Note: So, I wrote this the first weekend we had Levi home...i.e. 2 weeks ago. I never posted it because I was waiting to add some pics, and you know...life got busy!}

I wanted to take a few minutes to remember Connor during this huge time in his life. I will be the first to admit that one of my biggest fears during this pregnancy was how Connor would react to the new addition. He is very much a Mommy's boy. He is also my little buddy. We did everything together...he's my sidekick. I wondered how he would react to Mommy having to feed Levi and hold him and change his diaper a million times a day. Also, how would he be when Mommy had to be in the hospital? There wasn't a day that passed that one (or more) of these questions went through my mind.

Connor has done so well. I am so incredibly proud of his adjustment. Yes, he has his moments...he's two afterall, but he has taken to his big brother role like a champ. I already mentioned that he was super cute meeting Levi in the hospital and he handled all that really well. He was also a very good boy for my mom watching him while we were at the hospital. In my mom's words, "He couldn't have been better!" He has been just as great since we got home. He asks to hold Levi and say "gentle" every time he touches him. He gives him kisses on the head and is concerned when he cries. He also wants everyone to give Levi back to Mommy! He has done well adjusting to doing things with other people and without Mommy. (For example, Daddy took him to gym class this week - something we have always done together.)

Here are some big brother quotes:
"Levi came out to see me!"
"Good morning, Sunshine!"
"He's so little" and "He's so cute!"
"Look at his bottom. It's so little!"
When Mommy is burping Levi: "Be gentle, Mommy."
"Mommy, Levi's crying. Give him (either a paci or some milk)"

We did have one rough night our first week. Connor was getting sick and was up most of the night crying for mommy. Broke my heart to hear him, but Daddy was making sure he was OK while I tended to Levi. (After all, Daddy can't feed Levi!)

Overachiever

2011-11-11T14:25:00.002-05:00

The Dr. called Levi an overachiever today. Apparently the little guy wants to catch up to his brother's size...he weighed in at 8 lbs and 6 oz today. Now, that may not seem big (it's still less than Connor was at birth), but considering he was 7 lbs 8 oz a week ago, that's a huge gain. Typically, they say newborns should be back to his or her birth weight (7 lbs 12 oz) by two weeks. Check that one off the list!

10 days!

2011-11-11T08:29:00.000-05:00

It's been 10 days since our newest man joined the world. I am happy to say we are all adjusting well. I wrote a separate post about Connor's adjustment to big brotherhood and saved it as a draft so I could add some pictures, but sadly have not gotten around to doing so yet. Plus, I think I'll update it with the happenings since I originally wrote it. But, in other news, things are going pretty good. So far (knock on wood) little Levi is turning out to be a good sleeper. I was a little worried at first because he only wanted to be held or sleep in bed with me at night. I knew this wasn't the ideal situation, but also knew I needed some sleep in order to get up with the Connor, aka Mr. Early Riser. So, we did what we had, but I continued to put him in the pack n play each night, even if just for a little bit. I am happy to report that the past couple of nights he has given me one good long stretch (5+ hours) each night. Last night, it was close to 6. Way to go, rock star! That certainly helps since Connor has been getting up at 5:15. (ugh...) He really only cries when he is hungry or needs to burp. We go to the Dr. today for a weight check, so I'll let you know what else they say.

Oh, and this week, we had Kelly Garvey come into town to take some newborn and family pictures! She is one of my best friends, and has been rockin' it as a photographer, so I was so excited she agreed to come see us!! She has posted a couple of sneak peek shots here and here!

Well, that's all for now! I'll try to be better about updating!

Happy Birthday, Levi!

2011-11-02T12:42:00.001-04:00

Wow!! I am sitting here in my hospital bed with a sleeping 14 hour old next to me. He's a rockstar already! Just wanted to recap his birthday since I know soon the details will be all fuzzy to me!

We checked in yesterday at 7 am to serve the little man his eviction notice. Connor was 10 days late, so I went through this pregnancy expecting Levi to be late, too! Luckily this time we only had to go two days over. They started Pitocin right away, and I was having contractions pretty quick, but they were very mild and I was hardly even noticing them. This went all all morning, with Pitocin gradually increasing. Eventually, shortly after what should have been lunch time, the Dr. came and broke my water. I was still only 2cm at this time. From here, contractions started getting a little more painful, but still not unbearable. They had to get a certain amount of fluids in me before I could get an epirdural, so they started this a couple of hours after they broke my water. By 4 pm, I had an epidural and I was feeling good! (c: They checked me again shortly after this and I had quickly gone to 5-6 cm. I continued to lay blissfully unaware of contractions for a while. At this point, Levi's heart rate was decreasing with each contraction. They came to check me again and I was already at 9. This was less than two hours after getting the epidural. The midwife and nurse were there and we were waiting on my Dr. to get into the room. Things were really starting to move fast now...people were flooding into the room. They had also noticed with my last check that there was some meconium in my water. They kept trying to move me in different positions to see if we could stabilize his heartrate. Epidurals make me VERY numb...to the point of I having to pick up my legs to get them to do anything, so this turning all over was kind of interesting. They had me quickly start pushing after the doctor arrived. At some point I heard her say "We have to get this baby on the monitor" and at some point she tells us the cord is around his neck. They also told me that when he came out, they were going to try to keep him from crying so they could get a good deep suction to make sure he didn't swallow any meconium. No more than 10-15 minutes, they little guy was out and whisked away. This was hard...with Connor, I got to hold him right away. They took little Levi to his bassinet to suction him and check him out for what felt like forever! They were making fun of me for texting (hey, the Grandparents needed an update!), but I figured if I can't hold my little man, I may as well, right?

His official stats were: 6:00 pm - 7 lbs 12 oz and 19.5 inches long.

Since he was born at a decent time, Connor got to come meet his brother last night. I have to say, I am so proud of how he did. He had the biggest smile on his face and knew exactly who his brother was. He waved at him and gave him a kiss and even "held" him for a bit. He was very good about being gentle and was understanding when Mommy had to feed Levi. At one point my mom was holding Levi, and Connor told her to give him back to me. He got a little sad (and do did Mommy) when it was time to leave, but he handled it like a champ. He has been an excellent little boy for Grandma while we have been gone, too.

I apologize now for the picture overload...

Waiting! Both boys were delivered over Texas soil (and by a Texan!)

Not really in pain yet!

Soil under the bed...we're ready!!

Mama's first look...

The picture with Connor is almost identical!

I just love the next series of pics...I couldn't decide which ones to post, so I did most of them!

This might be my favorite!

Ahh....,a cold cut sandwich at last! I missed lunch meat!

PS I just looked at my outgoing texts...5:44 pm was "9 cm...making progress" then he was born at 6:00! Sure beats pushing 3.5 hours with Connor!!

Once again...

2011-10-31T22:44:00.000-04:00

Another due date has come and gone with nothing other than a big ole' belly to show for it! If nothing happens on this cold Halloween, we'll be heading in tomorrow for a scheduled induction. At least this time we don't have to wait ten days after our due date!

We celebrated by church in the morning and trunk or treating in the afternoon. I made two new best friends when we were picking Connor up from Sunday School. They asked when the baby was due and I said "today" and they were both shocked, saying they thought I had at least another month or month and a half. Thank you, sweet ladies...you sure know how to make a preggo feel good! In the afternoon, we headed to trunk or treat at the church. Connor was Robin, but would not wear his cape, so his costume was kinda lacking. Levi and I were a pumpkin farmer...

Me and our littlest punkin'!

I love how they interact these days!

So, they are giving me candy just for saying trick or treat?!

Connor and one of his little girlfriends, Harper!

My other Halloween Outfit...I made it for his fall party at school and wore it several times since!

Totally out of focus, but here's a 40 week pic!

Well, tomorrow is the big day...harvest day as my friend called it. Can't wait to meet our newest little guy!!

You want what?

2011-10-27T20:41:00.002-04:00

The other night, Connor was helping me get dinner ready. I was getting stuff out and he tells me he wants the "pentagon bowl." I could not figure out what he wanted, so I asked him to tell me again what he wanted. Again, he said "the pentagon bowl" in a very matter of fact kind of way. I opened the cabinet and realized what he was wanting...we have some bowls that are painted like soccer balls...with black pentagons on them! Seriously?! I picked one up and he beamed!

And just a quick video of some bath time singing!

39 week belly

2011-10-24T12:30:00.000-04:00

And here is my belly at 39 weeks with little Levi! I don't think I mentioned it here - the midwife I saw last week thinks he'll be smaller than Connor was. She estimated he was 6.5 - 7.0 lbs as of last week. That's tiny compared to my almost 9 lb first baby! She did say since I am tall, I could be "hiding a lot of baby" in there. We'll see....!

already!?

2011-10-23T22:59:00.002-04:00

I can't believe we are already at 39 weeks...that's all for now! I did take a picture of my growing belly this weekend, but I have a brown dog sprawled across my lap, so I am not about to get up and go get my camera. Guess you'll just have to wait one more day...haha!

If Levi is stubborn like his brother and isn't here before 11/1, we have an induction appointment ready to go! Crazy to know that 11/1 (hopefully) or sooner will be his birthday!! I say hopefully because I was induced with Connor and it took 24 hours...so, no promises, but I hear #2 goes faster?! Here's to hoping!

MIA

2011-10-19T20:59:00.000-04:00

Blogging has sadly take a back seat lately because I have been busy, busy, busy!! Here is a recap of the month of October so far, not necessarily in chronological order!

-Levi's due date month has arrived! Already!?! Still not convinced we'll have an October baby, but he might surprise me! Connor has loved rediscovering all his old toys...

-We have celebrated two birthdays: Clay turned 29 on the 9th and I turned the big three-zero on the 12th. I enjoyed the couple of days of being the same age as my hubby. Oh, and by "celebrated" I mean we went out to dinner. Connor skipped his nap on Clay's birthday, so he fell asleep waiting for the meal! He managed to stay awake for my birthday dinner, though!

-We went to the Fall Festival at a church we drive by almost every day (but don't attend...is that wrong to go?!) and they had BLUE BELL ice cream. Now, you folks who still live in Texas don't realize how exciting this is. You see, when you get far enough away from the great state, there are some things that you realize you took for granted are not available! (Whataburger, good Mexican and BBQ, and Blue Bell ice cream to name a few!) While they were scooping the ice cream, I asked the guy if he was just teasing me with the cup or if it really was in fact Blue Bell. He told me it was the real thing - his brother owns an ice cream shop on the beach a couple of hours away, and he orders it special. Made.my.day! Connor also got his face painted and got a balloon. The balloon lasted about 1.5 minutes before he let go. He thought it was funny at first, but then got mildly upset when he asked me to get it and I said I couldn't. Thankfully he didn't get too upset!

Heavenly!

This picture makes me just wanna say "ahhhhh!!!"

He looks really grown up here to me!

Coloring after the festival...

Concentrating hard!

-After a week of on and off fevers, I finally took Connor to the dr. to confirm he had an ear infection. He also had to get a breathing treatment because he was wheezing. Thankfully, that helped immediately and we got a super Rx to help kick the ear infection to the curb. (He had several back to back ear infections last Nov-Jan...we think it was the same one that never fully went away, so they gave us a strong antibiotic from the beginning this time!)

My sick and pitiful buddy. This was a rough evening...thank you for good antibiotics!

Breathing treatment went a little better this time...he was proud of his "special mask"!

-We have been doing lots of cooking preparing for company to be here after Levi arrives. Since we'll be having company most of the month of November, we want to make sure to have plenty of food prepared in advance so that dinners can be easy!

I am sure there are many other things, but that is all I can think of for now. The rest of my time is spent wondering about lots of things...how Connor will adjust to being a big brother and what little Levi will be like? Will Connor embrace his new role, or will he be jealous to have to share mama? How will I react if it is the latter? Will Levi look like his brother and daddy or more like mommy? Will he be an easy baby or what surprises do we have in store for us? When will he arrive? Will I remember what to do with a newborn? There are many more questions floating through my head every single day!! I know we will have our struggles, but we will get through them!

I'll leave you with one more of our the soon to be big brother...

Punkin' Patch

2011-10-09T21:18:00.002-04:00

First of all...HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my sweet Hubby!

We went to the pumpkin patch by our house today to pick out a couple of pumpkins! Connor didn't want to sit still or look at the camera, so most pics I took were of a cute little guy NOT looking at the camera. Oh well...I still thought this one was cute...

Makin' Progress!

2011-09-27T22:21:00.003-04:00

My mom was here for a few days with us while Clay and Julie were both out of town. Thanks to her help, we made a bunch of progress in both Connor's and Levi's rooms! The only think I really have left to do in Connor's room is to get him some new blinds. We currently moved the blackout curtains from him old room to his new one until I settle on something to get for his new room. In Levi's room, we got out all the baby clothes, fixed up his bed, stocked the changing table (I forgot how TINY newborn diapers are!!) and hung up his name! I love his new rocking chair and his new blanket from Deb looks beautiful on it.

Levi's Room...(I hope he doesn't mind hand me downs...it starts with the room!)

He did get his own rocking chair and new blanket, though!!

Closer up view of the blanket from Deb.

Connor's BIG BOY room...he love love loves it!

Slightly different view...you can see that the airplane is going to Texas. Yes, I am that much of a dork!

Last view. I made the lamp on his dresser...I am quite pleased how it turned out! I am not usually so crafty...

Another way we are making progress...Connor got great reports both from school today (no tears!) and from Church this weekend. He is learning to cope with separation and that we'll come back for him. He loves playing with his friends, too. This is so much a relief for his Mama...I always hated leaving him upset! Fingers crossed it keeps up!

On a totally unrelated topic...my hair. I had short hair for several years before Connor was born. I grew it out and chopped it to donate to Locks of Love and pretty much kept it short (although usually not as short as the first haircut!) Anyway, after Connor was born, my evening/weekend time was so precious that I only have gotten it cut a handful of times. On top of that...Connor is addicted to my hair. It's his blankie. He plays with his when he is going to sleep or needs comfort. That and his thumb! So...do I cut it or no? Will this be terrible timing to take away Connor's comfort tool just before Levi is born? Or, would it be better to do it now and he'll get over it before his brother gets here? Oh, I might add that my hubby likes it shorter. I know I need to cut it some...so, do I just get a big trim (i.e. a couple of inches off), go just below the shoulders or shorter like it was when I was pregnant with Connor:

Thoughts?!

Not exactly soup weather...

2011-09-25T20:43:00.000-04:00

It's not really soup weather here yet (not even close today!), but I saw this recipe recently and wanted to try it, so that's what we had tonight. I really enjoyed it, just as I have enjoyed every other recipe I have tried from this site!

{Note: I skipped the pureeing the beans step. She does that to help her picky kiddo eat the beans...I figured Connor would actually prefer the whole beans}

Pasta Fagioli (Pasta and Beans)

This is a great tasting, thick, hearty Italian soup, that is rich in fiber and nutritious. Great to make on a cold weeknight because it's super quick and easy to prepare. I like pureeing the beans to get my picky kid to eat this, but if you prefer your beans whole, you can skip that step. Leftovers can be frozen. Serve this with a piece of Italian bread on the side and top with your favorite grated cheese. For an extra special treat, top this with a slice of melted Alpine Lace Swiss, delicious! Vegetarians can use vegetable broth instead.

Pasta Fagioli (Pasta and Beans)
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 5 large bowls • Serving Size: about 2 cups • Old Points: 5 pts • Points+: 6 pts
Calories: 254.5 • Fat: 3.4 g • Protein: 10.3 g • Carb: 47.5 g • Fiber: 6.8 g

1 tbs olive oil
1/2 onion
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 15 oz can cannellini beans
15 oz can tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
1 large bay leaf
1 tbsp basil
1 tbsp parsley
1 tsp oregano
2 (14 oz each) cans fat free chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarians)
2 cups water
salt and pepper to taste
1-1/2 cups (6 oz) dry Ditalini pasta or other small pasta
Grated Parmigiano or Romano (optional)

In a deep pot, saute onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat.

Blend the can of beans with one can water in electric blender until almost smooth.

Add blended beans to pan then add the can of tomato sauce, celery, carrots, chicken broth, basil, bay leaf, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper. Add 1 cup water and bring to slow boil. Let simmer for 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Add pasta and cook uncovered until pasta is al dente, according to pasta directions.

Ladle soup into bowls and top with grated cheese (extra pts).

10 years

2011-09-22T21:52:00.000-04:00

The 10 year anniversary of September 11 came and went. 9/11/01 was a day that changed our lives. I tried to write about it on the anniversary, but I never could find the words to give the day justice. Today is another 10 year anniversary...10 years since the fabulous tribute 5 students at Texas A&M were able to pull together in a matter of a few days. An entire stadium coordinated to support our Nation. I was in blue...and you bet I wore my shirt on 9/11 this year like I do every year.

Source information is annotated on the image itself. Image by Glen Johnson from www.aggieathletics.com
(found here)

34 weeks

2011-09-19T21:09:00.002-04:00

I was looking back at my blog for a picture of when I was 34 weeks with Connor for a comparison, and I found a fun little summary of my pregnancy. It's funny to read because whenever people ask about this pregnancy I always think "It's just like last time." Well, this summary that I wrote back then, I could have easily written tonight:

Since this is as much of a journal for me as it is to let others know what is going on in my life, I thought I would write a little more about what I feel during my pregnancy. (I hear you forget a lot about it once the little one comes along!) So, here it goes...I haven't really had many cravings, but I do eat peanut butter and drink ovaltine almost every day. (check!) I went through a phase where chicken (usually one of my favorite foods) grossed me out. (This hasn't been as bad this time...) I am better about eating that now, but I still don't like to handle it raw. I am still exercising at 34 weeks...running (if you can call it that...def more of a jog!) if I can go in the morning when it is cooler or walking if it is later in the day. (check!) I honestly feel the best when I am out running! (check - I literally told Clay this the other day!) My upper back gets sore from sitting at a desk all day. (check! I think I told someone this the other day, too...was that you Holly?!) I miss sleeping on my back and belly, but the body pillow is great. (check!) It is harder to get up from the couch these days! (check!) I LOVE the feeling of Connor (Levi) moving around and I am easily entertained watching my belly move. (check!)

Well, there you go...me pregnant at 34 weeks in a nutshell. Chasing a toddler does add an additional element to being tired and awkward, but it's not too bad! (c: Here is a side by side comparison of me at 34 weeks last time vs. this time. My belly looks a bit bigger this go around!

Connor showing us where Levi is....

And a random pic of the little guy "running fast" while listening to the iPod (Jerry Jeff of course!)

Gig 'Em Aggies!

2011-09-07T22:43:00.001-04:00

Not sure how this whole Big XII / SEC thing will turn out, but either way, Connor loves to say "GIG EM AGGIES" all the time now! Here is is tonight before bed running around while Daddy played the guitar. He had been nakey, but we put on his big boy underwear so I could take / post a video! He seriously ran around like this for 20 minutes and would have kept going if we would have let him. It was bath time, though!

First Day of School!

2011-09-06T22:41:00.000-04:00

{This post is probably way too many details about Connor's first day of school...it's more for my memory than anything!}

Well...we survived! I can't say it was done without tears on my or Connor's part, but we both made it through. Clay told his boss that there was "Emotional distress at his house today: he had a son starting pre-school and a very pregnant wife!" I think he summed it up well! (c:

Anyway, I thought it would be easiest on Connor to ride to school with Cooper. So, we hitched a ride with Julie and Cooper. Connor was all excited getting ready. He loved putting his backpack on and sitting on the steps to take some pictures. As soon as Julie's garage door opened, he dashed across the street (we need to work on checking for cars before running into the street!) and climbed right in. He looked pretty cute running with his backpack on. I know, I am biased. Cooper walked in holding Connor's hand...what a sweet little friend my boy is blessed with. We met Sophie in the lobby and Connor literally ran into class! We put his backpack down and he immediately started playing. I stuck around for a few minutes while he played with trains and started coloring. At one point, a classmate started to get upset that her mommy was leaving. Connor looked at me and asked if I was going to work. When I said yes, he started to get sad. I knew I needed to leave sooner than later at that point or else I would lose it! So, I hugged him, kissed him and told him I'd be back later. I made it to the door without crying, but the tears started as soon as I got into the hall! I can't stand to see my baby sad. I KNOW school is good for him and am confidant he will love it, but he just doesn't do well with change/separation. I just pray that any sadness is short lived.

Thankfully Julie was there waiting on me and was able to help distract me on the way home! (c: Before I knew it, it was time to head back to pick him up! Thankfully no phone calls were received from the school saying he was out of control or anything. I was, of course, the first one waiting for pick up! He was not crying when I picked him up, so that is good. I could tell, though, that he had been crying some while I was gone. The director told me he had a bit of a rough time, but was doing better. I asked him what he did at school and his response was "I cried at school." At least he's honest. Julie also told me later that Cooper was upset because he saw Connor crying on the playground and wanted to go make him happy. How sweet is that?!

Ok, after detail overload, here is picture overload...

My little man posing for his first day of school pic! (Side note...look how swollen his left leg is from a fire ant bite! Crazy!)

Connor loves this kid...well, all of those boys for that matter!

Finally got Connor to look at the camera!

How cute are they?!

Running with his backpack on...this was hilarious!

Getting in the car like a big boy!

With Sophie...happy they are in the same class! They were born 10 days apart and have known each other since then!

Playing with trains right away. His classroom is Cooper's old classroom, so he knows right where to go!

His sweet teacher! He told me this weekend that he wanted to give Mrs. Nancy a hug!

He looks so big here...this was shortly before he realized I wasn't staying at school with him!!

Overall, it was a good day and will hopefully get better each time! I am curious to see how he will react when they take Cooper to school tomorrow!

A big week!

2011-09-05T20:51:00.000-04:00

Connor has/is having a BIG week. Started off Saturday night with moving into his BIG BOY room with his new bed and everything. We moved some toys in there a couple of weeks ago, so he has been playing in there for a while. This weekend, I started telling him that this was his new room, etc. He even told Daddy one time on Saturday "Daddy come in my room!" when we were in there. {Knock on wood} so far, things have gone great. He went right to bed like normal Saturday evening and slept to his usual (albeit early) time. He did wake up once during the night and he called out a couple of times, but was back to sleep within 2-3 minutes. Hopefully he keeps this up...I am thankful for a very smooth transition!

Tomorrow is his next big day...first day of school!! We went to meet his teachers last week and he did great! (Mama embarrassed herself at parent orientation the night before with tears...I blamed pregnancy hormones...ha!) Anyway, he had fun playing and even gave Miss Nancy and Miss Amy a hug before we left. Fingers crossed for a good experience with this. Church has been a struggle for a couple of weeks, so I am super nervous, but he did better this weekend, so I am hopeful. Plus, I think going 2 times a week might help him get used to it quicker?! I took the morning off so I could drop him off and pick him up...fingers crossed for no tears for both of us!

Practicing with his backpack!

Waiting for Miss Julie and Cooper...with some bed head remnants!

There they are!

My little "helper" at lunch...yes, his sleeve is wet from the water we were supposed to be using to make mac and cheese. It wasn't hot yet!

Before church...

After church getting ready to take a "nappy poo"

There was def some fake snoring...

The night before his first day of school...wants to be freshly shaven for his big day!

Goodnight, Irene.

2011-08-31T21:07:00.000-04:00

I am a little late in posting this, but wanted to recap our experience with Hurricane Irene. We live about 80 miles from the coast, and given she was such a big storm, we got our share of wind and rain! It started Friday night with the wind picking up and rain starting. I was actually pretty nervous going to bed that evening because there were tons of tornado warnings around eastern NC. We slept with our TV on hoping we would hear anything important. I remember bolting up in bed at one point because I heard "Westover", which is an area in Morgantown...guess I was listening in my sleep and heard something I recognized!

Saturday morning was more wind and rain....this would continue on for a total of about 24 hours! We got up and had some breakfast and prepared to just hang out all day. Shortly after 8:30, our lights flickered on and off a couple of times before settling in the off position. Thankfully Connor didn't pay much attention to the lack of power and only asked to watch TV a couple of times. We went upstairs at one point, and he tried to turn on the light in the stairwell as he usually does. He looked at me funny when it didn't turn it on, and I tried to explain they weren't working. He proceeded to tell me I needed to "charge the lights" kinda like you would charge the iPad or something! The day was pretty uneventful - we watched our poor little tree laying almost parallel to the ground, but it never ripped out. We did see siding rip off our neighbor's house! The power stayed out until we started getting our camping stove out for dinner...a total of about 10 hours. Connor and I were dancing around the house saying "We have POWER!!!" when it came back on!

Overall, we were very blessed and had no damage, other than a questionable tree out front. We aren't sure if it will recover! Oh, and we are still without cell phone service at our house! The greatest wind gust recoded at the airport here was 73 mph and the area got anywhere from 9-12 inches of rain. I didn't take too many pictures because the wind was blowing straight at our front door...

In the morning, the poor tree was leaning one way...

The the winds shifted for the rest of the storm. Most of the day, it would stand back up with a break in the wind, but not so much by Saturday night!

This shows our view most of the day...

We got a new rocker for Levi's room, but we haven't put it in the nursery yet and it is still in our entry way...ended up being the spot of choice for storm watching. Doesn't my hubby look thrilled?

Had to throw a pic of my other cutie in here...

Hubby attempting to fix the tree the next day. I watched from inside!

Looking a little better...we are hoping it makes it!

Sunday was BEAUTIFUL!! Connor definitely wanted to play outside. Here he is taking a popsicle break...complete with chalk smeared all over his face!

Special Alert! Special Alert! {An OSO Birthday}

2011-08-26T21:06:00.000-04:00

Connor has a couple of shows that he likes to watch these days: Special Agent OSO, Dora and Diego, Yo Gabba Gabba and Elmo. Oh, and then there is one called Make Baby Laugh, but that is just random (and slightly annoying, but he LOVES it!) So, we went with Special Agent OSO for his birthday theme. I have to make a disclaimer here, though...when I say "theme" that only applies to the invitations and cake. I don't really go all out with decorations or anything like that. In order to avoid kiddos nap times, we had two choices: a morning party or a late afternoon/evening party. We opted to go with the morning and had "breakfast with Oso". We also had water toys and stuff in the back yard for the kiddos to play with. The bigger kids (including Daddy) seemed to really enjoy the water balloons and water guns! All in all, I'd say it was a fun party. Connor loved it when we sang Happy Birthday to him and had fun opening presents. He still tells me "I got presents!" He also still tells you "I am going to be 2" when you ask him how old he is. Guess I shouldn't have told him that so much leading up to his birthday! Alrighty...now I'll overload you with pictures!

The invitation...

The cake!! Call me crazy, but I have fun making these! Certainly not perfect, but made with love!

The birthday boy refused to take his jammies off all morning!!

Fun chaos!

Daddy really got into the water fight!

Water balloons! He kept calling the pink ones "piggies"

The triple threat!

Everyone signing to him!

Cupcake time! I am sure all the parents loved me for feeding their child cupcakes at 10:30 am! (c;

Apparently he loved the icing...that's all he ate!

Our attempt at a group picture...we were missing just a couple...

Thanks to everyone who helped us celebrate another year in Connor's life...near and far!

Two years!

2011-08-22T22:39:00.002-04:00

Dear Connor,

Happy Birthday to our sweet baby boy! You are such a joy to our lives. You make us smile each and every day and have such a sweet and kind personality. I may be a biased Mama, but I think you are pretty smart, too. Here are some of the things I want to remember about you right now...

-You want to do everything yourself. This means it takes us quite a bit longer to do things like get in the car or make a meal, but you are determined to "do self!" (I hear I was the same way!) Some of your favorite things to do are make eggs (you love to crack them into a cup), put your clothes on, get into the bath and into your car seat.

-You know all your colors (even silver!) and are getting really good at your letters and counting. You have been counting to 10 for a while, with the exception of six. However, you have been working on fixing that and are doing really well now. You also talk in mostly in complete sentences. I think the longest one I have counted was 8 words! And I love when you say "May I have...?" Makes it hard to say no if it is something you shouldn't have!

-You are very much Mama's boy. You LOVE my hair and love being in my lap or close by with one thumb in your mouth, the other and playing with my hair. You constantly as me to take my hair down (another thing you have learned to do yourself - take my ponytail out!) You are struggling with separation again...you were doing really well at church, then we were out of town 3 weekends in a row and we have taken two steps back! )c: I am REALLY nervous how school is going to go...you start in two weeks going twice a week. Hopefully you get used to it quickly!

-You are really strong. You have loved your gym class and it's amazing to see how much you have improved physically since you started in February. You LOVE the trampoline and hate the pit. You are scared of the pit...specifically the blocks. You tell us this just about every day. You also love to "run fast" and you are a little jumping bean. You try to "go crazy" or do "cannonballs" on the couch....ugh!

-You love to read. Your favorite books are ones about Jesus, which melts my heart!!

-You are showing signs of being a good big brother. The other day, you took your new Oso bear to church with you, and when I reminded you that you had to hold my hand in the parking lot, you told Oso the same thing. You also love to give him or Elmo a sip of milk or water and I found you changing Elmo's diaper the other day. Tonight at dinner, there was a baby crying at the table behind us and you really wanted to go give him a paci! I love the sweet way you say "Levi". Oh, and you have started making kissy noises when you give kisses. You also got a boo-boo last week and have kissed your knee several times!

Ok, I know there are a million of other things I want to remember, but this is getting long! We love you bunches buddy (tantrums and all!) and cannot wait for many more years with you. Just do me a favor and make time slow down a bit! Now I need to sneak into your room and take away your new fishing pole, since you insisted taking it to bed with you! (Your daddy loved that!)

Love, Mommy and Daddy

Hmm..."Hi, Oso"

"What's this stuff?"

"Maybe I should try it"

"YUMMY!!!!"

"Give me more sugar!!"

Loving OSO

OSO needed a kiss!

Wordless Wednesday {An announcement!}

2011-08-17T19:05:00.000-04:00

twenty nine and elmo

2011-08-14T22:37:00.000-04:00

Today marks 29 weeks in pregnancy #2! Wow...this is FLYING by!! And we still haven't decided on a name! I am still feeling great, though, and still running a couple of miles a 3-4 times a week. I am sure I am a site to see with my growing belly, stroller and dog! I am excited and nervous all at the same time. Excited, of course, to meet our new little man. Nervous about all the changes and how Connor will react. I know he'll be a great big brother - he is a very sweet and caring little boy. But, I am scared of the jealousy aspect. He's very much a mama's boy. He loves my attention and is going to have to adjust to not getting it all the time. I just hope and pray that he accepts the new addition to our family with open arms. Today was an example of how he is such a caring little guy...he was taking care of his Elmo doll all afternoon. Giving Elmo water and offering dinner. At one point, I was in the living room talking to Clay and Connor was in our room, and I went to check on him. He was "changing Elmo's diaper." He also insisted that Elmo needed to take a shower with him tonight. Oh, he was also carrying him like a baby...we may have our rough moments, but I am confidant he'll be a great big brother!!

May I have...?

2011-08-11T22:16:00.000-04:00

Connor is really talking...a lot. He'll say 6 or 7 words sentences on a regular basis. His latest thing, though, is to say "May I have {fill in the blank...chocolate milk, ipad, whatever he wants at the time}?" We are working with getting him to add "please" to the end of that, but I have to say I am pretty shocked that he has picked that up. Must be from Julie's because I don't think I am that polite! (c:

Switching gears...when we were in Texas, we went to Kohl's one evening. They had big boy underwear on sale, so we bought him some to have on hand. Well, he found these in his suitcase when we got home and insisted on putting them on. So, I thought, "What the heck?" and let him do it. However, he refused to sit on the potty before putting them on or when he had them on. So, of course, he had an accident. Thankfully, his accident was when he was sitting on a towel we had on a chair, so required minimal effort cleaning up! But, he looked pretty darn cute (and grown up!) in his new "shorts" as he calls them.

"What are you lookin' at?"

"I'm gonna run fast!"

And one more of my boys...since Connor loves to help in the kitchen, I couldn't pass up this cute little apron!!

Travel Woes

2011-08-11T21:48:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned, I was on the road for almost 2 weeks. First up, I had a trip to Morgantown for work. It's always good to get into the office and see my friends/co-workers, and this was my last opportunity to travel in this pregnancy. (My doctor is pretty conservative about traveling in your 3rd trimester.) Anyway, I was scheduled to leave at 6 pm out of Greenville getting into Pittsburgh at 9:30, then driving into Morgantown that evening. Well, US Air had different plans in mind for me and I ended up not leaving Greenville until close to 9:30 and missing the last connection out of Charlotte for the evening. They put me up in a hotel (that word is used very loosely...it was more like a dump!) and I flew out the next morning. I missed half a day of work of a 2.5 day trip. Thankfully, my trip home was uneventful!

The day after I got home from Morgantown, Connor and I headed to Houston for a week. Clay was traveling for work and Julie was on vacation, so we headed south instead of asking someone to come watch Connor. Our flight out of Greenville was a little late, making our already tight connection really close! The flight attendant told me I could ride a cart to my gate since I had to go from E to B, but I am one of those stubborn people who didn't want to ask for a ride! So, 27 weeks pregnant, I ran through the CLT airport carrying my 30-something pound toddler. (Who really wanted to walk, so he was squirmy!!) We made it to the gate after 98% of the plane had boarded, so we headed straight. Good news was as I was walking down the jetway, I checked our seat assignment and noticed we had been bumped up to first class! I am really surprised she didn't tell us that when we checked in, but I'll take it! (c: So, we got to fly with a little more room and snacks (couldn't take advantage of the free drinks!) and all was good...until our luggage didn't make it! My sweet mama stayed up all night waiting for them to deliver it...which wasn't until 4:50 the next morning!

On our way home from Texas, we were supposed to meet up with Clay in Charlotte as he was returning from his trip to Madison. Well, that didn't work out so well. My hubby's flight was delayed several hours out of Madison and when it was obvious he was not going to get out of there anytime soon, he rented a car and drove to Chicago to catch a connection. Well, his new connection (because he missed his original) left 4+ hours late leaving him stranded in CLT at 1 am. Good ol' United Airlines didn't have anyone there to arrange a hotel for him or anything. (Thank goodness I got stranded early enough that there were still people there...my hubby would not have handled his pregnant wife being stranded at the airport!) Anyway, thankfully he got out on the first flight the next morning, arriving just under 24 hours late. We were happy to see him!!

I also felt terrible because I had told Connor that we were going to meet Daddy in Charlotte. So, he got off the plane and was running through the airport saying "I'm gonna find Daddy!" over and over and over again! Sweet, but broke his mama's heart knowing it wasn't true anymore!

In all this, I can say we are thankful...thankful that although we have both had not so fun experiences, Connor was not with us! {Knock on wood!!}

Ok, if you made it this far, thanks for sticking with me while I vented! (c: Just for that, I'll give you a picture of me and the little man snuggling as he woke up from his nap! He loves to snuggle when he first wakes up, and I take FULL advantage of that! (c:

Exhausted!

2011-08-07T17:30:00.000-04:00

Well, after nearly two weeks on the road, I am home and POOPED! This was my last hurrah for this pregnancy, and we don't have any plans to travel anywhere before number 2 arrives. Well, I guess "we" isn't appropriate since Clay does have at least one trip, but I won't be going anywhere! Anyway, I will write more about my trips and all of our flight dramas (thankfully not much of it affected Connor!!) later, but I thought I'd share this little video my mom's friend made. She took Connor to their pool twice when we were in Texas and let me tell you - Del Lago in Conroe has a FABULOUS pool!

I'll try to not neglect the blog so much in the future!

The end of an era?

2011-07-25T22:04:00.000-04:00

For quite some time now, Connor has been great about going to bed. After dinner, he would run to his bath (or shower), play for a while and not complain when it was time to get out. Sometimes he even told me it was time to get out! After getting jammies on, he'd run out to give daddy and sissy a hug and then race me to his room, giggling the whole way there knowing he was beating me to the rocking chair. As energetic as he was getting to his room, he settled right down with stories and would often chatter for a bit before falling asleep, but never complained. (One night, he was doing "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" in bed...cracked me up watching him on the monitor!)

Well, the past couple of nights have been more of a challenge. I think he realizes that it is more fun to stay up and play with mommy and daddy than to go to bed! He has objected to a bath/shower after dinner, wanting to play some more. It's hard to resist when he wants to do his ABC puzzle!! Tonight, though, he saw the iPad after dinner and wanted to watch Gabba. I had to pry it out of his hand! No bath tonight, but once I got his jammies on him, he did his normal routine thankfully! I just hope this isn't a sign of things to come!!

On another (very random) note, I just noticed that we are in the double digits on the countdown to #2!! Crazy...

Because a post is no fun without a picture or two, here are a couple of recent pics from an evening playtime. He always wants to bring an item or two from our house to Julie's and vice versa. Last week, it was a river rock from her front bed border. Usually, he forgets about the item within a couple of minutes of getting home, but this evening he didn't. He took it out back to play with him!!

I scared of the pit!

2011-07-21T07:43:00.001-04:00

When Connor turned 18 months, he joined a Toddler Gym Class at a local gymnastics center. (This was the youngest age allowed, as it is a semi-structured class...not just free play!) He loves class and it's amazing to see how much he has improved in the ~6 months he has been doing it. We went to a Saturday class since I work during the week, and I was sad when summer started because they don't have the weekend class anymore. However, Miss Julie has so graciously offered to take him...not once, but TWICE a week! This is a big deal because it's tiring on the adult trying to keep up with all his activities! He loves to talk about class...the bars, the beam, the trampoline, the slide. There is one thing he is not fond of, though...the pit! You know...the place where they have all the foam blocks. He is scared of it, and he'll tell you this multiple times of the day. Out of the clear blue, he'll say "I scared of the pit" or "I cry pit!" Not sure why he hates it so much or if there is anything we can/should do to help him get over that.

Here is a picture of his class at their end of year ceremony when the spring class ended. (I don't want to be a creeper and post pics of kids I don't know, hence the soccer ball faces!!) I was totally the mom who didn't bring my camera to their last class...I had no idea there would be a ceremony! Anyway, I asked someone before we left if she would mind emailing me a group pic. I should have asked her earlier because she said she would have taken more pics of Connor! Turns out she is a local photog, too!

Just like Daddy...

2011-07-20T21:10:00.000-04:00

Connor and I got home from our morning run the other day, and he insisted on getting into Daddy's running accessories...Garmin, headphones and Ipod! Not the best picture, but I wanted to get one quick before he moved onto his next adventure!

Sick as a dog

2011-07-16T21:44:00.000-04:00

I have never known where the term "sick as a dog" comes from. Well, now I do. Our poor pup has struggled with allergies in the summer since we moved here. Her skin gets all itchy, and she has ended up with a couple of ear infections last summer and this. Well, last Sunday night she woke Clay up during the night shaking her head and pawing at her ear. Before this, she has never shown any discomfort from an ear infection. Clay looked at it the next morning and it looked pretty bad - red, swollen and crusty. So, we made an appt for her first thing Monday morning. The Vet said it looked pretty terrible and was very swollen. So, they took a culture of her ear mess and we just found out yesterday what it is...a staph infection that is resistant to many antibiotics. So, we have to change her oral antibiotic, change her ear drops, she has to go in this week to be sedated and get a deep flush done on her ear and finally, she has to get a bath once a week. That will probably be the worst part, as she is not particularly fond of baths! Plus, we have to leave her sudded up for 30 minutes...Looks like we might be taking walks with a soapy dog!

I can tell in her eyes she doesn't feel quite right....

A couple of the little man just because. I love his expressions in these...

Our not so good attempt at a self portrait!

What's for dinner?

2011-07-07T23:00:00.000-04:00

Connor and I made dinner on Tuesday and it was yummy, healthy and pretty darn easy. He is all about helping mommy and daddy these days. He knows where his stool is and always wants to be in the middle of the action when you are doing something in the kitchen. Sometimes it makes meal prep time a lot more messy and takes longer, but it's totally worth it.

Anyway, here is the recipe we made: Spinach Lasagna Rolls:

Perfectly portioned individual lasagnas. This is one of those family friendly recipes everyone in your home will love. A great way to get your kids to eat spinach too. I personally find one to be filling for me, served with a garden salad on the side. My husband can easily eat three.

Spinach Lasagna Rolls
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 9 • Serving Size: 1 roll • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 6 ww pts
Calories: 224.9 • Fat: 5.1 g • Fiber: 3.4 g • Protein: 13.0 g • Carbs: 31.5

9 lasagna noodles, cooked
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and completely drained
15 oz fat free ricotta cheese (I like Polly-o)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
salt and fresh pepper
32 oz tomato sauce
9 tbsp (about 3 oz) part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, egg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Ladle about 1 cup sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking dish.

Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and lay out lasagna noodles. Make sure noodles are dry. Take 1/3 cup of ricotta mixture and spread evenly over noodle. Rollcarefully and place seam side down onto the baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles.

Ladle sauce over the noodles in the baking dish and top each one with 1 tbsp mozzarella cheese. Put foil over baking dish and bake for 40 minutes, or until cheese melts. Makes 9 rolls.

To serve, ladle a little sauce on the plate and top with lasagna roll.
(www.skinnytaste.com)

This is the second recipe I have made from this site and both have been delicious. I have already picked out a couple more I want to try! What are your favorite recipes or sites with recipes? I am always looking for healthy and easy meal ideas!

Hey Clay...LOLLIPOP!

2011-07-06T20:46:00.000-04:00

I didn't talk much about my brother's wedding in the last post. It was held Friday afternoon, and Clay officiated the event. He did an excellent job and it was a beautiful ceremony. I wasn't sure how Connor would do sitting there. Thankfully it was outside and there was a river running because Connor was very chatty during the ceremony! During the music when everyone was walking in, he was dancing in his seat. Then he started saying "Hi, Daddy!" and that sort of thing as soon as the music stopped and the talking part of the ceremony started. So, Mommy, armed with goodies gave him a lollipop thinking that would keep him quiet. Well, that backfired just slightly as he started telling his daddy he got a lollipop..."HEY, CLAY....LOLLIPOP!!" He said this over and over. Thankfully only my parents were in front of us and the row behind us were my brother's friends who also had young kids. I turned around at one point to kinda apologize and had to laugh that all the kiddos on that row had snacks, too! (c:

Oh, and to see even more pictures from the wedding, check out the sneak peek from Kelly HERE!

Back to Connor...he is such a chatterbox these days. This morning, he came running into the kitchen saying "I need hugs!" I obliged, of course. We joke that he likes to state the obvious, as he is always providing commentary to what you are doing or what you have. "Daddy get dressed." "I have FINGERS!" "I have shoes!" He loves to point out things while riding in the car...PoPo and ambulances are his favorites. He also is very neat...insists on having napkins during meals. He will often ask for more than one because he wants a new one each time he wipes his hands. We are working on that!

In other news, Baby Caswell #2 (still unnamed...) is growing and very active. He has become quite the little wiggler the past couple of weeks, which I love. I could just sit there and stare at my belly when he is kicking! I haven't been very good at documenting with belly pics, so here is one just over 23 weeks. Oh, and I went to the dr. recently. Everything looked good - heartbeat was great! They measured my belly and said I was measuring a week or two ahead.

Colorado!

2011-06-28T21:12:00.001-04:00

We went to Colorado last week for my brother's wedding! We were near Estes Park, and it was beautiful!! The wedding was perfect and we had a nice long weekend hanging out with family. Connor was a little bit under the weather once we got there, so he wasn't his usual chipper self, but he was still a good kiddo.

We did a little detour on our way from Denver to Estes to visit Clay's cousin, Carrie and her super adorable son, James! They have an awesome place and Connor loved playing in their backyard!

Precious James!

Trampoline! And some static to go with it...

I wonder if his legs would have turned purple sitting in that like when he was 5 months old...

Connor and James!

Later that evening, the little man fell asleep at the dinner table. A short nap on the plane combined with the 2 hour time difference hit him hard that day! Thursday morning, we attempted to go on a family hike. Connor did not care for riding in the backpack, though! It was TERRIBLE! The first 15-20 minutes were good - he kept talking about the mountians, then the crying started. We kept hiking thinking he would stop, but it kept getting worse and worse. My poor boys! We eventually turned around and he got in a better mood as we started back towards the car. He started saying "BYE MOUNTAINS!" as we walked back.

Lake Lily

Before: we are all still happy (even though Connor looks a little concerned already!)

This pretty much sums up the experience! )c:

We went to the park after our failed hike....they look happier here, huh?

Thursday evening, my friend (and the photographer), Kelly, along with the rest of the family all joined us in Colorado. We had the rehearsal dinner that night, and Connor did better staying awake for the late dinner! Friday was the wedding, and it was beautiful!! I am ashamed to say that I did not take a SINGLE picture that day, so thankfully we had Kelly there to capture the afternoon! Connor looked pretty darn cute in his tux and chucks!

Photo courtesy of Kelly Garvey Photography!

Saturday was spent hanging out and preparing for our trip back home and to reality. It was a great way to end a whirlwind of a month! I still can't believe how fast June flew by...

Crashed at the Stanley Hotel before driving back to Denver!

Mama be right back!

2011-06-20T22:17:00.000-04:00

Connor is definitely a "Mama's Boy" and there is no denying that. He does not like for me to leave and he loves my hair like it is his little security blankie. 95% (or more) of the time I am holding him, he has his thumb in his mouth and is twirling or playing with my hair. That being said, we have had our challenges with separation. Thankfully, going to Miss Julie's house has never been an issue. He loves it there and he is so used to it. The Church nursery? That's another story! He would cry and cry and cry when we dropped him off. There was one time when the usual crowd of girls working there, and I had the dreaded happen: his little number popped up on the red screen indicating that your child needed you. I cried. (To this day, I blame that on the fact that I was ~5 weeks pregnant at the time...good cover story, eh?) The next two or three weeks, I cried dropping him off. But, we stuck it out. And things got better. Now, he plays. He has fun. He doesn't run to me immediately when I come to pick him up. So, you Mamas out there with kids struggling with this...it will get better! {I totally didn't mean to go into that whole story...oh well!}

Another thing we have been working on is "Mama will be right back!" He used to get upset if I would even leave him in the room with someone else while I did something, even for just a minute or two. Well, I have been telling him over and over that "Mama will be right back" when I am leaving for a short time. It's working well...he always repeats it back to be when I return. Like saying "You were right...Mama came right back!" In some senses it is working, but now he is starting to initiate it. "Chocolate milk? Please? Mama be right back." How can I say no to that? (Yes, I give my child chocolate milk...I figure a little Ovaltine is better than no milk at all??) He has me right where he wants me...wrapped around his sweet little finger!

Pulled his thumb out...he pretty much beat Grandpa's trigger finger!

Thumb is out, but notice my hair...

Ok...he wins!

And the winner is....

2011-06-20T20:45:00.000-04:00

Congratualtions, Heidi!! (Try not to rub it in to your sister TOO much...) Shoot me an email at jennicaswell {at} gmail {dot} com and we'll get you set up. If I don't hear from you by the end of the day tomorrow (6/21), I'll draw a new winner. Thanks for playing, everyone!

Random pics

2011-06-19T14:26:00.000-04:00

Just some random pictures from lately...

A little slip-n-slide fun. No, I would not normally dress like this for a play date, but we were at a brunch after Connor's friends' dedication service and the kiddos decided that swimming was a good idea. Of course, we obliged.

Lovin' on Lambchop...love that look!

Connor is very much into doing things on his own. He insisted on putting his jammie shorts on the other day, and he was SO PROUD! Too bad both legs were in one leg of the shorts...(c:

Last, but not least, Connor decided the week before his Uncle Bubba's wedding would be a good time to work on a shiner. He was playing on the chaise lounge in our living room as I was sitting on the floor in front of him. He must have reached for something and he fell off the chair and hit his eye on a wooden rocking horse! Thankfully it isn't too bad, but there is some discoloration there! (Sorry for the mouth full shot...!)

K-I-S-S-I-N-G

2011-06-18T14:38:00.000-04:00

Connor and one of his many girlfriends...

The Reveal!

2011-06-14T20:58:00.000-04:00

Well, we have known what #2 is for a couple of weeks. However, since both my parents and Clay's parents are here in NC together tonight, it was the perfect to time reveal the news. (Thanks for that idea, Mom...your worst idea ever, huh?!)

Anyway, Clay's parent's got here this evening just in time for dinner. Clay grilled out while I gave the grandparents a puzzle to work on...you know, with the answer of what #2 is. Or, at least I let them think that. It was a 500 piece puzzle. Oh, and it was round and a bunch of brightly colored lady bugs. Basically one of those fun puzzles that takes you forever to finish. So, they worked on that till dinner was ready, then we ate dinner. I finally got up and got dessert. They figured out at this time that the puzzle was a hoax and dinner contained the secret! We are excited to be having another little BOY!!

My mom is already not amused...

Connor was helping out! He was naming all the colors...

A Giveaway...

2011-06-09T21:14:00.000-04:00

Ok, so I am hosting my very first GIVEAWAY!! Sadly, I don't know if I can ever top this one, because it's a goodie! Anyway...down to business. My friend, Kelly, introduced me to a photography forum called Clickin Moms. I saw a coupon code for it online one time and asked her if she knew anything about it...turned out she was a member and loved it! So, I ended up joining! I really enjoy it, too, even though I mainly read other people's stuff and look at all the pretty pictures they take. Maybe someday I'll get up the nerve to post something myself. They offer all kinds of classes ($$) and tutorials (free!) and you can post questions, pictures for feedback or editing help...pretty much anything. There are tons of pros on there as well as every day mommies who just like taking pictures (aka ME!) Oh, and you don't even have to be a mom to join!

Ok - so, here's the scoop....

What's the prize? One LIFETIME membership to CM. That is a $195 value, y'all! (Sorry, but this applies to NEW members only!)

How do I enter? You can have multiple entries, so leave a separate comment for each and I'll draw a winner via random.org. The deadline to enter is June 19th, and I'll draw a winner on the 20th! GOOD LUCK!

1 - Head over to Clickin Moms on Facebook and LIKE them. (Or let me know you already do!)
2 - Follow this blog. (Or let me know you already do!)
3 - Write a blog post about this giveaway

Oh, one more thing...if you don't win but decide to join anyway, please click on the banner above to join to give me "credit" for referring you! Thanks and Gig 'Em!

PS I am not responsible for any sudden lack of productivity if you win or decide to join this community. I could spend hours checking stuff out!

A sweet surprise

2011-06-03T22:02:00.000-04:00

Several weeks ago, I decided that we needed some sort of entertainment in our back yard. Connor loves the trampoline, playhouse and slide over at Miss Julie's, and I think he was getting bored in our back yard. So, I started looking at swing sets. I almost choked when I saw how expensive the nice wooden ones from Lowe's are!! Knowing that we won't be in this house forever, we couldn't justify that! So, I started looking at cheaper options, then on a whim, looked on Craigslist. I found a set in Greenville that had recently been listed that seemed like a perfect option. I emailed an inquiry, and she wrote back almost immediately telling me that two people had contacted her first, but if those fell through, she's let me know Saturday morning. Well, we were flying to Houston Saturday morning, so I told her to email me and I'd check it Saturday when we got there and have my husband get in contact if it happened to still be available. Turns out she didn't hear from either of the two other people, so it was still there! Clay was at work, so he said he'd call them later that afternoon/evening. When he did, it was pouring out, so they agreed he'd come the next day. When I talked to Clay on Sunday, he said he called them to go over and it turned out one of the two other people showed up to pick it up, so the swing set was gone. I was really disappointed. Shortly after, I got an email from the lady apologizing that it didn't work out. I wrote her back saying I was disappointed, but I understood. Fast forward to Monday evening when we got home. We were greeted by dinner in the oven, a clean house and fresh flowers. Clay and I chit chatted a bit about the day traveling Connor and I had and catching up on the weekend. All the sudden, I noticed the play set in our backyard!! He had gotten it after all! How sweet!! He even told the lady he wanted to surprise me, so she was in on it by sending that email. (Now I am really glad I didn't write back anything mean...haha!) Anyway, Connor LOVES it, and we spend every evening after work out there! At first he was only interested in the swing, but now that I put his pool at the base of the slide, he is all about sliding! Great buy and great surprise!

Lucky boy...and Mommy!

Ready, set....

GO!!!

Connor trying to convince Aggie to come swim with him. He was happy, too, just to let her drink from the pool!

We lost the swimsuit at some point....

They figured out Daddy was cookin' dinner!!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-01T21:14:00.000-04:00

The Beach!

2011-05-31T20:55:00.000-04:00

On a bit of a whim, Clay and I booked a beach front duplex in Topsail, NC. We opted to do this instead of the traditional Mother's Day/Father's Day gifts. We of course had to find one that is pet-friendly so Miss Aggie could join us. Some of our friends rented the other half of the duplex. They have two little boys: one ~6 weeks older than Connor and one that is about to turn 5. I am pleasantly surprised that it was a fairly relaxed trip, which I wasn't expecting with the three boys and Aggie! We packed the car to the brim on Friday and hit the road after work. We got there about 7 pm and it was HOT in the house. Of course, they didn't have the AC on, so we cranked it up to try to cool the house down before bedtime. Connor was so excited, but he went to bed really well. Clay went out fishing that evening, but was in quickly as he was getting eaten alive by mosquitos. (Thank goodness I carry OFF in my car...ha!)

The next morning, Connor was very ready to get on the beach. We went on a quick run (read short, not fast!) on the beach. I am sure I was a site to see with the stroller and Aggie! So, a little background on our brown dog. She is a lab. Labs are typically water dogs. Not ours, though. She has always hated the water. However, she LOVED the ocean!! What? I would think she would be afraid of waves, but she had a blast playing in the water. I am sure it felt good after the run. She did not want to go inside when it was time!

The Scarlata family arrived that afternoon and the beaching continued for the next couple of days. The boys played great together and did well at helping keep each other occupied! Connor (well, all the boys for that matter!) loved the water and the sand. I was very thankful we had brought his lifejacket, as it made it easier to let him have a bit of freedom splashing in the water. Well, enough chattering, here are some pictures from our weekend!

Our house was the middle one...the one on the far right is for sale...a cool $900K! But, hey, it's fully furnished!

View from the porch!

Goofing around waiting on dinner!

18 weeks!

Tired boys...Connor loved hanging out with them. Sadly, I never got a picture of all three together, though! I also didn't manage to get a family picture! )c:

Initiated to the TSA Pat Down Club

2011-05-26T22:25:00.000-04:00

I flew to Morgantown this week for a couple of days of work. It's funny how leisurely flying seems when I don't have the little man along! Uneventful flights and a few busy days at work. It was good to see a lot of my friends.

When I fly out of Pittsburgh, I always go to the "Alternate Security" area. It is basically a second set of security lines that you walk a little further to, but the lines are always much shorter. This time, there were two people in front of me...a family of three with a baby and another business traveler. That's even better than Greenville's security line! Anyway, they only had the new X-ray scanner open for the general public. There was a regular metal detector for the employees. The lady in front of me was told to go through that since she was carrying a baby. I told the security guard that I was pregnant. Last time, they just had me go through the metal detector and that was it. This time, however, she tells me my only option is to "opt out". In other words, to choose the TSA pat down rather than go through the X-ray machine. So, I didn't really have a choice since there was no way I was going to expose my little one to the X-ray. The pat down itself wasn't bad. The lady was very nice and even apologized that I was having to go through it after I told her why I was visiting her. She said she would have let me go through the metal detector. Guess I just got someone wanting to show her power!

I came home to this guy sleeping peacefully...

Well, one more day of work, then we are BEACH BOUND for the long weekend. I am so excited!! Enjoy your holiday weekend!!

What a big boy!

2011-05-20T20:37:00.000-04:00

{Warning: If you don't want to read about toddler potty moments, feel free to skip this post! Don't worry...I haven't taken pictures for evidence!}

I haven't had the intention to potty train Connor yet. I have always heard that boys start later. But, several weeks ago, he started showing interest in the potty and asking to sit on the potty, so I obliged. I bought him a little race car potty and he has gone #1 in it for a few weeks now. Well, this morning, I noticed him squatting in our bathroom, which often means he is making a "stinky bottom" I asked him if he wanted to sit on the potty. Sure enough he did, and before I knew it, was went #2 in the big boy potty!! We were both so proud! We called Daddy then I gave him two chocolate chips as a reward. (We didn't have M&Ms!)

So, now I am at a crossroads. Do we go with it and try to train him now since he is showing an interest? My concern is that we have a trip to Colorado at the end of June, and while diaper free will be nice, I am thinking diapers might actually be easier for a long day of travel. And during a wedding. Maybe after that, though? If anyone has any recommendations, I'd love to hear them!

And because we all know a blog is no fun without pictures, here is a little "potty dance" picture!

Wordless Wednesday {Swimming!}

2011-05-18T12:00:00.000-04:00

A couple of more pics...

2011-05-08T22:24:00.000-04:00

Two posts in one day?! Lucky you...haha!

I took a pic of my hat...

Me and the little guy before dinner!

And...the belly debut. I have always heard that you start to show with #2+ sooner, and I think it's true for me!

Just for grins, I found the first belly pic I posted last time...looks like it was about ~16.5 weeks?

Another great weekend!

2011-05-08T16:18:00.000-04:00

We have had another wonderful weekend...gym class, feeing the ducks (again...Hubby told me there were tons new babies, so we had to check them out) and a Derby party on Saturday. Oh, and Connor bet on Animal Kingdom so we left richer than we arrived! Good times. Today we have had a nice Mother's Day going to church and hanging out as a family. I even took a nap, and Connor fell back asleep in my bed when he woke up from his nap, so I am sitting here watching him sleep! (c: (Of course, I was awake by the time he fell back asleep, but I don't want to leave him in the big bed unattended, so I'm just hanging out with him...not complaining one bit!)

Anyway, here are some pictures from our weekend!

This is probably about 1/4th of the babies out there right now...crazy!

So cute and fluffy...

Getting ready for the Derby party...his outfit was a hit!

Safety first with this guy...even if the helmet is pink!

He is not in the mood to sit still for a picture and we look totally awkward, but it's the only one where you can see a little bit of my hat. I got the hat for $2.50 at Target, and I added a scarf (tied in a bow) and a glitzy flowered pin that I had around the house! I think it turned out pretty cute and not too shabby of a price!

Snuggles!

2011-05-05T21:00:00.000-04:00

For many years, I slept with a bear named Snuggles. Yes, it was THE Snuggles...you know, the fabric softner one! Anyway, I put my beloved Snuggles on the guest bed sometime after we got married. Well, Connor and I were playing upstairs a couple of days ago, and he discovered Snuggles! And he loves him! He loves to play iPad with him and tonight when we were going to bed he went and got him and took him to bed. So sweet...I'd love it Snuggles became his lovie! (c:

Wordless Wednesday

2011-05-04T06:00:00.002-04:00

Ducks...quack quack!

2011-05-01T20:55:00.000-04:00

I asked Connor today if he wanted to go feed the ducks. His answer? "Quack, Quack" I took that as a yes!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T13:48:00.000-04:00

Daddy's Little Helper!

2011-04-23T13:46:00.001-04:00

Wanna learn Photoshop and Lightroom?

2011-04-23T07:41:00.002-04:00

Check out this GIVEAWAY!

"Hey, Clay!"

2011-04-17T22:11:00.000-04:00

So, Connor has picked up on calling Daddy by his first name. He will still say Daddy a lot, but I hear "Hey, Clay!" from that kid all the time! It's pretty funny to hear. I don't know if comes so naturally because one the boys across the street is named Clay?

In other news, although we had some terrible weather on Saturday, it was a wonderful weekend. We started with some family time on Friday. Saturday, Connor and I went to gym class while Daddy did some work. Saturday afternoon, we had a quick play date with one of Connor's girlfriends before heading home to brace the storm. We had some tornadoes threatening our area, and I was overly nervous for some reason. Me, Connor and Aggie hung out in the closet playing iPad for a little bit while Daddy watched the storm from the porch. Yes, I pulled the mattress off the bed and brought it into the closet! Probably a bit of overreaction, but made me feel better!! (c: There were reports of a tornado touch down near a school that is pretty close to our house. Luckily, though, we were spared!! We did get some crazy rain, but no hail or tornadoes! YIPEE! Then, today was BEAUTIFUL! Hard to believe it was so bad last night. We went to church followed by the ECU baseball game with friends and finished the day off with playing outside with the neighborhood kiddos! We are blessed with wonderful neighbors!

Aggie coming out of our safe room!

Connor thought it was so funny that the mattress was moved!

Tuckered out after the game!!

A good report and other random thoughts...

2011-04-14T22:12:00.000-04:00

So, Connor has struggled with going to the church nursery since day 1. Well, I guess not really day 1 since we took him to service with us for a long time (mistake?!). Anyway, I remember sitting in a class very close to the nursery last January and hearing a child wailing. I knew it was my child! I went to check on him and came back with red eyes. (My husband may or may not have given me a funny look...) Anyway, he has never been a happy camper there. He would never take a bottle or anything. I always felt super guilty dropping him off...not only for his sake, but for the volunteer's sake as well. Anyway, things have been getting better. He has actually eaten a snack a couple of times and has played with balls for a few minutes. Well, this past weekend, they told me he cried for LESS THAN A MINUTE!! WAHOO! I was so happy to hear that! I hope things keep getting better and he gets to the point of not crying at all! (c: Maybe this will make his transition to pre-school in the fall a little easier?!

Other random thoughts...

-I went to the Dr. this week. She made a comment that since Connor was so late, I most likely won't go early with #2. I have been thinking we'll have a November baby all along.

-Connor won't wear any PJs other than his new Elmo ones. I didn't think I'd be facing preferences like this so soon!

-I was looking at Connor's Easter Bunny picture from last year debating if we want to go back this year. Then, I realized I think that is the last time I went to the mall here! What does that say about me and what does that say about our mall?!

-Our bedtime routine starts with either a bubble bath or shower. (He thinks he is a big boy!!) Anyway, if he takes a bath, he has been funny lately about telling me he's "all done" and will put up all his toys and let the water out. He will run and find Daddy and sissy to say night night (as well as a few other random objects along the way) and runs to his room for a story. I am enjoying this stage while it lasts! Also, he used to hate blankets, but now he insists on sleeping with one.

-Connor is saying SO MUCH these days. He loves to repeat things we say and will shock me with comments all the time. (For instance, he'll tell me "Daddy work" when Daddy isn't home. He picked up "Oh Goodness" from his baby sitter and has combined it now to be "Uh-Oh Goodness!" He knows a lot of his colors and is getting better about identifying them.

Here are some recent pics of the little man!

Up way past his bed time at the party we hosted last weekend, but you'd never know it!

A corny "cheese"

That's better...on our way to church!

Yummy chicken spaghetti Daddy made for dinner!

#2's Debut!

2011-04-14T19:35:00.000-04:00

#2 wanted to make his/her debut on the ol' bloggy blog!

Cool tricks!

2011-04-07T21:49:00.001-04:00

Connor loves to watch Yo Gabba Gabba on my iPad. One of the things they do on there is "Cool Tricks" where kids show some cool thing they can do. One kid does cup stacking and another kid hangs a spoon from their nose. Well, apparently Connor has learned something from "Gabba"...

Happy!

2011-04-04T20:07:00.001-04:00

{Spring is FINALLY in the air}

What a wonderful weekend we had! It started with my hubby actually getting home early (5:15 - gasp!) and we made homemade pizza for dinner. I honestly don't remember what else we did that evening - maybe watched a movie or tv and went to bed early? Sounds like us!

Saturday morning was Gym Class for Connor, then we ran to Target. He has recently started rejecting sitting in the cart when we go shopping, so I have tried out his Becco carrier the last couple of trips, and it has worked like a charm. He just wants me to hold him, so this allows him that feeling, but allows me to have two hands to push the cart. He wasn't real excited about taking his nap that afternoon. I think it was because he was happy daddy had just gotten home, which wound him up. He finally fell asleep about an hour after his usual nap time (after a bit of a protest), but woke up 30 minutes later coughing. When I went to get him, he fell right back asleep on me, so I just took the opportunity to snuggle with him on the couch. Before I knew it, all four of us took a little snooze on the couch. I bet that was an interesting site!

Sunday morning we went to Church. We missed last week since we were in Texas, so I was a little nervous about any progress we had been making towards being happy in the nursery. He cried when I dropped him off, but when I went to pick him up, one of the girls was waiting for me at the door to tell me how awesome he did! He happily played by himself and was eating a snack with all the kiddos when I picked him up! WAHOO!! Hopefully this is a sign of things to come!! The weekend, was of course, capped off with a WONDERFUL Lady Ag win to take them to the National Championships for the first time ever! It was an exciting game, but a bit on the stressful side!! It was a nail biter for sure, but we pulled it off.

Today, it was back to reality of work, but Connor started Monday off by sleeping until 6:30. It always makes me laugh (or cringe?) when friends complain that there child was up early! I celebrate 6:30, while they complain about it. Oh well...being a working mommy, we get that extra hang out time in the mornings. Plus, he is usually an excellent cuddler! (c:

This is a long post, so I'll wrap it up, but in other news, we are 10 weeks along with #2! It's flying by so fast already...have a wonderful week and GIG 'EM AGGIES tomorrow!! BTHO Notre Dame!!

Gig 'Em!

2011-04-03T21:28:00.000-04:00

The Caswell family was all decked out in our maroon today and it paid off!! Gig 'Em Lady Ags!!

The Common Denominator

2011-03-28T22:34:00.000-04:00

What do announcing big news, Todd Snider, Lockhart BBQ, Bluebell ice cream, Jerry Jeff Walker and Gruene Hall all have in common? They were all a part of our wonderful weekend!

We arrived in ATX on Saturday just before lunch. We had an uneventful couple of flights (thank you, Connor, for being a rock star traveler!!!) We met my parents at the airport and headed to a nearby restaurant to meet Clay's parents. Shortly after we got there, I went to change Connor. However, he got more than a diaper change and came out wearing this shirt:

It took a few minutes for anyone to notice what the shirt said or meant. (My mom thought it meant we were getting a new dog! haha) Anyway, all the ladies cried and we started off our wonderful weekend with some wonderful news. I am 9 weeks along, and #2 is due October 30. If he/she is anything like their brother, though, we will have a November baby!

After lunch, I said bye bye to my little guy and he went to stay with Deb and Pop for a couple of nights. I was sad to leave him (this was the first time he had been away from both Clay and I overnight), but I knew he was in excellent hands!

We headed the other direction and went towards Gruene/New Braunsfels. Saturday night, we went to a Todd Snider concert at Gruene Hall after dinner at the Gristmill. Both were wonderful and both made me miss living in Texas! Sunday morning we thankfully slept in since the concert the night before started after my usual bedtime. Then we did a little shopping before heading to Lockhart, TX for some amazing BBQ. My maid of honor, Deanna, is from Lockhart and I have wanted to go there ever since hearing how famous the BBQ is there. So, we went to this place called Smitty's and it definitely lived up to it's expectations! We devoured the food, but my mom and I managed to save room for a scoop of bluebell after lunch. We then headed back to the hotel to relax a bit before concert #2 of the weekend at Gruene Hall: Jerry Jeff Walker! Thankfully, this one started earlier in the evening, so it wasn't nearly as late of a night. It was another great concert!! I haven't uploaded any pics from the weekend yet, so here is a cell phone pic from the JJW concert...

Monday morning, we stopped at Whataburger on our way to the airport to meet Clay's parents and pick up the little man. The look on his face when he saw me was just precious. It TOTALLY melted my heart. I think being away was harder on me than it was on him, though, because he got nothing but good reports from Deb and Pop! All in all, it was a wonderful weekend, but it's back to reality and back to work tomorrow!!

Guest blogger!

2011-03-24T06:49:00.001-04:00

My friend, Sarah, her mom, and her sister in law share a blog called A Teacher At Heart where they share ideas and activites to do with your little one that encourage every day learning! Sarah's little boy, Carter, is one of Connor's best friends, even though they have never met. I mean, they are both future Aggies and drive the same truck and have many of the same interests, so we know they'd be BFFs! Oh, and have I mentioned that Sarah, her hubby, Carter and their lab, Lucy, live in China?!? (Makes NC not seem so far, huh, Mom?) I love following their adventures and watching Carter grow.

Anyway, go check out my guest post (I share our Hummus recipe from Connor's recent video!) and check out all the the other posts these sweet ladies have put together. Oh, and go ahead and bookmark it while you are there! (c:

Hummus!

2011-03-22T05:42:00.000-04:00

Connor has a slight obsession with hummus lately. We usually make our own and he loves to help! We even had to hide the stool because he'd randomly go into the laundry room and pull it out asking to make hummus! Oh, and he is slightly distracted by the camera being out, but you get the idea!!

PS We have watched this video almost 10 times already today and he says "more" or "again" every time it stops!

Another one...

2011-03-21T05:59:00.001-04:00

Here is another picture from yesterday!

Still here...

2011-03-20T20:01:00.001-04:00

Gosh, I have been a slacker lately! We had a rough start to the week. Connor was really congested, which was lead to terrible night time sleep. (I know all you mommies on FB with newborns probably wanna tell me to shut up!) Anyway, we were up several times a night coughing away and wanting/needing to be propped up/held/snuggled. So, mommy had a couple of nights of less than stellar sleep. On top of that, he shared his congestion crap with me! Anyway, due to the recent breathing issues he had, we went back to the dr. on Thursday. Oh my goodness...they gave us some cough medicine to use at bedtime, and we had a completely different child! She told us it will make most kids drowsy, but there is a small percentage (10-15%) of kids that actually have the reverse reaction and it makes them HYPER! So glad we didn't fit into that category!!

Last year, a friend of mine told me about a field in town where there are tons of daffodils. Since I don't get to take pictures of my kid in bluebonnets (tear), I took his pictures in the daffodils last year and planned on it again this year. We went out after church this morning, thinking we would miss the crowds by going on Sunday morning. I had also checked when we went last year and it was exactly this time of year, plus I had been seeing the daffodils out other places. Well, we get there, and sadly, there were hardly any flowers still out! I don't know if it was the cooler weather we had roll in last night or what, but what a disappointment. (There were tons right across the street, but it was pretty much a ditch, and I wasn't about to try that!) Anyway, we took a few pictures and managed to get a couple of puny flowers in one. Check out the comparison of 2010 vs. 2011!

Definitely our child...

2011-03-07T21:14:00.000-05:00

We went out to dinner last night for Mexican food, which is my favorite. Connor showed us that he is truly our child. He LOVED the chips and salsa...just like Mommy and Daddy. In fact, he wanted his own bowl of salsa. And, Mom couldn't dip it for him. (Sidenote: He usually eats pretty healthy, so I am not worried about the occasional splurge meal!) He also dipped his quesadilla in the salsa like such a big boy! He was so well behaved, too...it was nice. There was one time we went to this restaurant when he was younger, and we ended up getting to-go boxes as soon as they delivered our food! (To his defense, though, they didn't have enough high chairs, so I was trying to hold him and he was very much in the grabby stage!) Tonight, we shared my leftover fajitas for dinner. He was so proud to hold his own and eat it like Mommy! He looked so grown up doing so. And of course, Aggie was perched under him, just in case anything dropped:

Last night, we had some high wind that made Aggie a little nervous, so she turned to Daddy for protection. This is how I found these two after my bath!

We survived!

2011-03-05T20:39:00.000-05:00

I took a trip to Morgantown for a few days this week...I always hate leaving my boys, but we all survived!! It was a busy few days for me starting on Wednesday. I was up at 3:30 for a 5:20 flight, straight off my flights into the car to drive an hour and a half, then in the office by 11. I didn't leave work that evening until 7. Long day! I picked up some to-go dinner and vegged out on the couch for a little bit before crashing! Then, last night I didn't get home until midnight. I definitely went straight to bed. I took dramamine before my first flight, and usually that knocks me out, but for some reason, I could not sleep on that flight. Well, my next flight, I could hardly keep my eyes open after I boarded. I was fighting to stay awake long enough to answer "yes" when asked if I am willing to help out in an emergency since I was on the emergency exit row. (I guess I probably shouldn't have been sitting there all zonked out!) Connor was up bright and early this morning, but that was OK - I was anxious to see him!! He was super sweet and cuddly with me! (c:

We started a Saturday Little Gym type class last week, so today was his second time. He seems to enjoy it pretty well. He is definitely the youngest in the class and doesn't quite get some of the things we do. "Circle time" is probably his least favorite time! But, I totally saw an improvement of this week over last already, so that's good! I haven't been brave enough to take my camera yet, but someday I will!

I don't have any new pics, but what's a post without a pic of the little man, so here is a slightly old one...he cracked me up sitting in this box to eat his snack!

A case of the Mondays!

2011-02-28T20:57:00.000-05:00

This afternoon was a long one. Connor was up coughing most of the night last night. We slept the second half of the morning on the couch because it seemed to help him being propped up a bit. Since we were up for over an hour in the wee morning hours, he slept until past 7 this morning. He didn't eat any of his breakfast, which is pretty unusual. When I went to pick him up at lunch, Julie commented on his breathing sounding a bit weird. I wasn't even half way down her driveway, when I could hear what she was talking about. He has been congested for a couple of weeks, but this cough and now breathing stuff is new. So, after taking a quick conference call during lunch (I had to send him back to Julie's early! )c: ) , I loaded him up and we headed to the pedi because they have walk in care after lunch. Doing this, you run the risk of having to wait a bit, but I didn't know if we would be able to get an afternoon appointment otherwise. Unfortunately, this was right smack dab in the middle of nap time.

Once we finally got called back the nurse started to ask me what we were there for then said she could tell he was struggling. We did the usual weight, temp check, etc, then we headed to the room so she could check his pulse-ox. After more waiting, the doc came in and checked him out. He showed me how you could visibly see the struggle he was having breathing, and suggested we do a breathing treatment. By this time, we were way past nap time and fading fast. The breathing treatment was TERRIBLE!! He fought, fought, fought me. All he wanted to do was suck his thumb and go to sleep. When the time was up, they came back and wanted to let him settle down before checking him again. He quickly passed out, and they checked him again. His numbers still were not good, so we had to do another treatment. I was hoping he would just sleep through this one, but he woke up trying to get situated. Thankfully, this time I was a little smarter and figured out a better way to hold him. He fought again, but not nearly as hard or long, and he passed out again. I think this treatment was a lot more effective since he was not fighting it. Once this second treatment was over, he was checked again. Apparently, 93 is the magic number. At or above 93, you get to go home. Anything less, you are sent to the hospital for oxygen. We were hovering at 92-93. But, since he was asleep, the dr. explained that the number usually goes up a point or two when you are awake, so based on that, we were allowed to go home! Yipee!! We left with an inhaler to do at home as well as another Rx.

This evening, he seemed to be feeling much better. He still wasn't interested in eating much, but he was his playful, happy self. He went to bed great, and so far, it has been quiet from him room. Oh, and he took his medicine like a champ (thank you for the ability to add flavor to liquid medicine) and he did really well with his inhaler. It was a lot less traumatic than the machine from this afternoon.

Anyway, if you stuck with me through all that rambling, I am impressed. Here are a couple of cell phone pics from our poor little patient this afternoon!