A look back . . .

2010 . . . wow, what a great year!  A year of new experiences, trials, adventures, excitement and most importantly growth.  I have learned so much over the past year.

What I will remember about this past year . . .

Ty's birth in February.  Not knowing his gender was so much fun.  Experiencing pregnancy a 2nd time.

Having 2 children and all the challenges, and joys it brings.  Learning how to balance my love, time and attention between the 2 of them. 

Jeff's unemployment at the beginning of the year, his job at HoneyBaked for 8 months (the long hours) and his new job at IAT in November.  In all the transitions, what we learned most was faith to trust in God to provide.  We are both so thrilled with his new job, it is such a blessing.

Jeff's 30th Birthday.

2 great beach vacations with family.  Watching the boys play in the sand and pool and spending relaxing time with our loving families.

Weddings . . . 6 to be exact, Overstreet, Hurst, West, O'Neal, Hembree, and Coker.  Jeff and I love weddings, they are so much fun.

Great friends; playdates, weeknight dinners, football parties and cornhole in the backyard.

The verse written on my fridge (post-it) when Jeff was unemployed & I was 8 months pregnant. 1Thes 5:17-18 Never stop praying.  Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

The boys;

Aiden

This year Aiden has become his own little person.  He is completely out of the baby stage and I would say out of the toddler stage as well.  He has a personality; shy, funny, determined, curious, persistent and I'm sure more characteristics to come.  He has become so independent- doing many things for himself; using the potty, getting food/snacks himself, playing independently, and we are so close to having him dressing himself. 

As a Brother: He was jealous of Ty at first, but now he is so loving towards him.  He loves to show Ty how to do things or how to play with toys.  He is protective and concerned when Ty is crying or upset.  He also likes to tell him "no no, Ty-bo" when Ty is touching something he is not supposed to. :-)

Aiden is also so helpful; he loves to clean- vacuuming of course, doing laundry, starting the dishwasher, putting dishes away, putting groceries away, etc.

Ty

Ty was born in February and weighed 8 lbs, now he has nearly tripled his weight at 10 months old.  He is so big- gets very heavy for me, but I have learned to do just about anything with a baby on my hip.  He is a Mama's boy all the way.  He is very clingy and isn't comfortable with strangers.  He is a picky eater, but has tasted some new foods lately.  Some of his favorites are chicken noodle soup, Ritz crackers, teething biscuits, and peas.  He loves his walker which he uses in the kitchen and outside.  He usually follows Aiden around, but it allows him to get places quickly.  Otherwise he still crawls on his elbows to get around.  I got my first silent night last night; he slept from 10pm-7am, let's hope this continues. This year was one of many new experiences for Ty. 

When I think about the beginning of this year and where we are at now, it just shows me (again) God's unfailing love.  He has been so faithful and He never gives up on me, even when I fall short.  I am so grateful.

I am looking forward to a new year to see what God has in store for our family.  I'm sure it will be another year full of excitement with our boys!

Christmas

Christmas was so much fun this year.  It was the first year Aiden was aware of the holiday and all it's traditions.  We had so much fun teaching him and watching him take it all in.  We read the "Jesus book" as Aiden calls it, all month long (the Christmas story), and Aiden played with my nativity many times (with permission, it's not breakable).  Baby Jesus went missing a couple times and we had to find him around the house.  He learned the names of all the people and would set them up in a row. 

Our Christmas actually was spread out since we get to celebrate with each of our 3 families.  I don't think there is a toy out there that Aiden didn't get.  His grandparents got him so much!  We enjoyed our time spent with our parents and siblings.  We are really blessed to have them as our family.

We got a picture before our candle light Christmas Eve service.  We sang Aiden's favorite Christmas song- "Rejoice" as he calls it, O come O come Emmanuel at church.  I let Aiden hold the candle and he asked me 5 times when he could blow it out.  After waiting patiently he blew it out and got wax on my jeans.  I guess that's what I get for letting a 2 year old play with fire. :-)   

On Christmas Eve, Jeff and Aiden made cookies for Santa.  Aiden wanted to actually see Santa, and we had to explain that he comes while everyone is sleeping many times.

 getting a little taste . . .

On Christmas morning, Aiden came into our room (as he usually does) and I guess he walked right past the presents because he didn't say anything about them.  We told him that Santa came and he was excited to see what he brought.  He noticed his play kitchen and guitar first.  Ty woke up shortly after and wanted to play with the guitar too.  It makes lots of noises and it lights up!  We opened gifts and ate Monkey bread for breakfast.

 After lunch we sang Happy Birthday to Jesus, here's my cake . . .

 The boys enjoyed playing with their new toys.  Ty had the sniffles on his first Christmas, but I think it's just a little cold.  He is content watching his big brother and playing with simple toys.  I think Aiden's favorite toy is his real Dirt Devil vacuum.  He has used it all around the house multiple times, in the living room, in the kitchen and even in his room.  It was so much fun this year and I'm excited to experience more Christmas's with them especially while they are so young!

Santa

On Friday, we went to visit Santa.  We had been talking about doing this for a while, so Aiden was really looking forward to it.  We stood in line for about 10 minutes and watch other kids talk to Santa, so when it was our turn Aiden jumped right up to sit with him.  He usually isn't so fond of strangers, but he did great.  Our camera guy was a little slow, and the kids ended up sitting with Santa for almost 15 minutes, but they were so good.  Ty played with his beard and Aiden rubbed his soft coat.  Santa spoke to both of them, but Aiden didn't say much back.  Of course when it came to picture time as Jeff and I tried to get their attention and make them smile, one would look and the other would smile, and then vice versa, so this was the best of the 5 shots they took.  Aiden showing off his "cheesy" smile.  Santa was great, very patient.  :-)  We'll be back next year! 

Ty- 10 months

Ty is 10 months old today!!!

Ty . . .

is "army crawling" everywhere.  He can get all around the house; in the playroom, in the living room and in the kitchen.  But surprisingly, he stays away from the Christmas tree.

 is eating everything in sight.  As he is crawling, he will find crumbs (mostly left behind by his brother) and take a taste for himself.  He has me vacuuming and moping daily!

 is not a good sleeper.  He is still up 2-4 times each night, but I don't mind- he isn't up for long and he goes right back down.  His naps are very inconsistent, usually 2 times a day for 20 min-1 hour. 

loves watching his big brother.  They play together for short periods of times.  Ty will chase Aiden, but Aiden is too fast, so he'll eventually give up.  Ty is always interested in what Aiden is doing and likes to try to play with what he is playing.  Aiden actually shares pretty well.

has started eating some chewable foods.  He had peas and carrots a few nights ago and he loved them!  He eats crackers, toddler puffs, and other soft fruits and veggies.

has 5 teeth- 3 on the bottom, and 2 on top.

is wearing 12-18 month clothes and has a size 4 foot.

still puts everything in his mouth

has the most adorable chubby cheeks!  They really come out when he shows off a big grin.

loves watching TV.  I would say his 2 favorite shows are Sesame Street and Super Why.

I can't believe he'll be 1 year in just 2 months.  Time really does fly and even more so with the second child.   

Brothers in Bubbles

Our little mischievous Aiden got a bottle of bubble bath and he poured the entire contents into the bath tub.  Rather than rinsing it down the drain, we decided to let the boys play in lots & lots of bubbles.  We almost lost Ty in the bubbles a couple times. ;-)

laughter

this morning . . .
(make sure your sound is on)

Brothers in (Christmas) PJ's

9 month Doc visit

This morning I took Ty to the Doctor for his 9 month well visit.  Doc says he looks great- growing and developing normally.

Here are his stats:

Height: 30 1/2 in     93%
Weight: 22lbs 10oz     71%
Head Circumference: 18 1/4in     71%

The visit went well and I'll bring both the boys back in February for their 1 and 3 year check-up.

Photo Shoot

Recently we had a photo shoot with my friend Kelsey.  She always does an amazing job of taking pictures of our family.  Here are some of my favorites:

http://kelseynicholsphotography.com/



Wordless Wednesday

just a few words . . . don't you love how he crosses his feet? :-)

Decorating for Christmas

On Friday we went out and got our Christmas tree.  Aiden was so excited to put lights on the tree since we had been talking about it for a while.  He was quite the little helper; meticulously placing each ornament on the tree in it's own special place.  Most of the ornaments he put on ended up on the same branch next to other ornaments.  But he had a great time and was very proud of our tree.

 Ty loved the lights!  He played with them and enjoyed watching us put them on the tree.

and the finished product . . .

and number 4

Ty's bottom left tooth came through today.  Now he has 2 on top and 2 on the bottom!

Turkey Day

We celebrated Thanksgiving at Aunt Susan and Uncle Mike's house in Douglasville, GA.  It was great to spend time with family.  When we first arrived, we were greeted by their 2 yorkies who were very intimidated by Aiden.  Their noisy barking got Ty upset, so I took him for a little drive- a small tour of Douglasville and he calmed down.  The dogs were so funny- very friendly with adults, but barked intently at Aiden.  He wasn't fearful of them, he just told them to "hush" and "quit barking".  Eventually we separated the dogs and the toddler and they were fine. :-) 

We had a feast, all the traditional foods and it all tasted great!  Lots of yummy desserts too.  After lunch we went outside to enjoy the beautiful weather.  Aiden was amazed by their large Koi pond in the backyard, which was very impressive. He wanted to feed them constantly; they ate cheerios and fish food- they also ate very well because Aiden didn't want to stop feeding them, he could have done it all day.  Later, we took a walk to a cultural center just a few blocks from the house.  Ty took a little nap in the stroller and Aiden rode in the radio flyer.  The cultural center had Christmas trees that were decorated by some local children.  Aiden liked looking at the different homemade ornaments; they were really creative.  When we got back, Aiden played in the leaves that had just fallen in the front yard.  He was adorable throwing them up in the air with Aunt Susan.  It was a great Thanksgiving- one to remember!

number 2 . . . and 3

Ty now has his second and third teeth!  His first (that one on the bottom right) has really came through and now his top two front teeth have just broke the skin.  I'm going to account the one night he was up 5 times last week to teething.  I got some pics for you this time.  It was pretty comical trying to make my baby laugh and look up at the same time- while taking a picture. 

Prayer

Recently, Aiden has been saying prayers by himself.  He has watched Jeff and I pray before meals and at bedtime for a while now.  He would exclaim "Amen" afterword, and we thought that was cute.  Then we taught him to repeat simple prayers, and he liked doing that as well.  Now, he (in his own 2 year old mind) thinks of people to thank God for.  His prayers always start with "Thank you God", then a short pause and then he says, "for _____"  he lists names from there (his family, friends, usually the people we interact with throughout the day, and sometimes himself).  Often times, if we're in a hurry to sit down and we forget, Aiden will remind us- he shouts "gotta pray!".  He is anxious for his opportunity to pray (as we should be).
It is so pure and sweet to listen to him talk to God.  Aiden's prayers are casual, they are thoughtful, they are simple, and they are honest (just the way prayer should be).  I just think of the delight it brings to God- it certainly brings joy to my heart.  Of all the things we have taught him thus far, this might just be the one thing I am most proud of. :-) And in watching Aiden pray, he is teaching me just as much as I am teaching him.  

Birthday Party x 2

This past Saturday we celebrated two of our friend's birthdays!  Bailey who turned 3 had a Princess and Pirate party at Chick-fil-A!  Aiden felt so special because he got to sit next to the b-day girl and help her open her presents! 
Here he is greeting the birthday girl- I don't think she's too happy about the hug.

 Ty even dressed up like a pirate too, but he kinda looks more like Rambo than a pirate. :-)

 Aiden devoured his chocolate cupcake.  notice the chocolate frosting on his arm from wiping his face- no need for napkins.

Kollin who turned 4, had a Buzz Lightyear party at Woody's- the "jumpy house".  There were kids everywhere jumping all over the place.  Aiden had a lot of fun climbing through tunnels and going down slides.  He was extremely tired after leaving the party.

Here is Aiden and Kollin saying goodbye after the party . . .

It was a busy day with all our party hopping, but we are so happy we are able to celebrate these birthdays with our friends!

Dressed Up

The boys before church this morning. :-)

Dairy Queen

If you know me, you know that I love ice cream- yes even in the winter, (there is no bad time for ice cream in my opinion).  Every now and then, after dinner Jeff and I treat ourselves to a blizzard for dessert.

  The first time we went to Dairy Queen, we ordered our 2 blizzards and we also ordered a small kids cup for Aiden.  I believe his small scoop of vanilla ice cream was $3!!  You also know that I am a saver and I cut back wherever I can (we only go to DQ with a BOGO coupon), so that was the last time we were going to spend $3 for a kids cup! 

I had the idea to grab a scoop out of the ice cream carton in the freezer and put it in one of our cups.  I hid it in the diaper bag and pulled it out just as we went through the drive through.  Aiden is completely satisfied with his "dairy queen" ice cream and he eats it in the car on the way home just like Mom and Dad!  (we even give him a dairy queen spoon)

 We finished our treats on the couch at home!  Yum Yum!

How long do you think we will be able to fool him with this money saving trick?

Army Crawl

Ty is on the move!  He's not "technically" crawling (because his belly is still dragging on the floor), but he gets around pretty well doing what I call the army crawl.  He uses his arms to scoot/drag his body around on the floor.  Along with rolling and spinning, this technique gets him pretty much anywhere he needs to go.  :-)

Step 1: Get on the floor on your tummy and tuck your elbows in

 Step 2: Pull forward using just your arms and let your body drag behind

Two things have motivated Ty to perform the "army crawl". First, this train (shown in picture).  The train moves and Ty will follow it.  It has a blinking green light on the front that he likes and it also sings.  Secondly is the vacuum- Ty will go after it whenever I stop using it.  He keeps an eye on it while I have it running and as soon as I put it upright, he comes crawling.  It also has a light on the front near the bottom(right at his eye level), so maybe he likes the lights.  He tries to get on top of it, hitting the light.  He will be all over the house soon!

Halloween

We had a great Halloween weekend!  We went out to Athens to visit my brother and his family.  The kids went trick-or-treating and stopped by a not-so-festive Halloween festival.  On Sunday we celebrated my niece, Marley's 2nd birthday (which is actually today), and then we went trick-or-treating for a second time last night.  

Jeff and I hid the candy last night and pulled it out tonight after we put the kids to bed to munch on.  I think Aiden has forgotten about it because he didn't mention it today.  All parent's eat their kid's Halloween candy, right?

Our Accomplishment

Look what Aiden and I did today!  This is definitely the tallest Lego tower we have ever made (and we make them all the time!)  Every time we pull out the Lego's Aiden wants to build a tower- I'll say "let's build a house, or a train", but he insists on making a tower.  This one is actually just a few inches from the ceiling in our dinning room.  I was standing on a chair to put the last couple Lego's on top.
You may have closed a deal, attended a meeting, presented a speech, or made a sale, but here in kid world- We made a 7 ft + tower!!!!  :-)

It's here!

Look who got his first tooth today!  You can't see it in this pic, but his bottom right tooth just broke the skin.  All that drooling and putting objects in his mouth was worth it.  I wonder when we will see more. . .