Weekly Recap

I never got around to blogging about the week before last and the two weeks before that weren't worth blogging about thanks to three out of four of us getting the stomach bug. Oh, except for the Dixie Classic Fair, which I'm hoping will have a post of its own at some point soon.

Anywho, last week was a good one! 

Monday started with a playground date with my friend Allison and her two kids. No pictures were taken but the boys had all the fun running around playing while baby Natalie napped and Allison and I actually got to catch up a little. I went to my body pump class at 5:30 which made for a challenging evening by myself with the boys. It was almost dark when we left the Y and they were beyond ready for dinner. It was one of those moments I felt like a bad mom but quickly gave myself grace, realizing that it's not wrong to carve out time for myself and if the boys don't eat dinner until 7:00 every now and then, it's not the end of the world or even close to it. Meanwhile, Paul's soccer team was busy winning a conference game that went into double OT, then penalty kicks, then sudden death PKs. It was an exciting win that put them tied for first place in the conference. 

Tuesday I volunteered at Gray's preschool for a nursery rhyme party.

Check out those amazing sheep cupcakes that my friend Laura made for the party. Surely you didn't think I made them! ;)

Gray napped four days last week which means he's good for a few weeks. I always put him in his room to at least "rest" but most days he is singing nursery rhymes so loud that I have to get him outside before he wakes up Walker man. It's frustrating because I get very little done around the house (not to mention I rarely even get to sit down for a minute) but then we do get some sweet one-on-one time outside while brother naps. My friend Ashley and her two girls came over to play that afternoon. 

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Taking Selah for a cruise. 

Oh this boy.

Wednesdays are so busy but I look so forward to them! I am always so excited for Wednesday morning Bible study and Gray and Walker have so much fun playing in their classes. After lunch and naps we have a little time to play and then it's back for fellowship meal and Awana. Gray LOVES Awana and is memorizing a Bible verse every week and learning so much. Walker won't be old enough for Awana until next year but he has fun playing and riding in the bye-bye buggy and when soccer season is over, he will get to just spend that time with his Daddy. So while Gray is in Awana and Walker is playing, I get to hang out for an hour and a half with a group of some of my favorite friends-kid free-and it's just so fun and refreshing! 

Gray didn't have school Thursday because the whole day was reserved for Calvary Day School to hold parent/teacher conferences, including the preschool! The preschool assistant teachers played with the kids on the indoor playground while their moms met with the teacher. Mrs. England had such good things to say about Gray and I am just so thankful he has such an amazing teacher! Oh, and I got his school pictures back. Get ready to squeal...

I didn't get the digital copy so this is just a picture of a picture. I love my handsome big boy so much!!

That afternoon turned into a spontaneous play date at the Tanglewood playground with three of my good friends and their sweet kiddos. We did not lack outside time last week, that's for sure!

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Static hair, don't care.

Unfortunately Paul's team lost their game in over time on Thursday. They still have a slight chance to tie for first place in the conference if they win their last two games this week and depending on what other teams win and lose. BUT, this is the last week of regular season games before play-offs, which means I have almost survived another soccer season. Can I get an AMEN?!

Friday morning we went to the Y and then played on their playground, since we hadn't done enough of that earlier in the week. Sometimes I allow myself to get caught up in comparing myself to other moms and feel guilty that we aren't at home practicing the alphabet or doing some amazing Pinterest craft. But then I remind myself that these boys are growing up so fast and there is going to be plenty of time in their future for serious business like that. So for now, we play about 90% of the time they are awake!

Paul's team doesn't have practice on Fridays so I normally tutor because since he's gone so much right now, I have to squeeze it in while I can. This week my Friday student canceled because she was sick so we actually had some family time that afternoon before Gray's soccer.

Saturday morning Daddy called us on his way home from practice to say he really thought we needed some doughnuts from Krispy Kreme (have I mentioned we have a brand new one here in Clemmons?!). Good idea, Daddy!

There are no words to describe what these three do to my heart!

We spent the rest of the morning playing outside and doing some yard work. I think two out of three of these guys are going to be sad when mowing season is over!

After we got the boys down for naps, my mom came over and Paul and I headed out for a five hour date day/evening! We ran some errands, piddled around, had dinner and just enjoyed each other and uninterrupted conversations. It was GLORIOUS! Thanks, Mom!

Sunday after church while Walker napped, I took Gray to a birthday party. After that we ran home and scooped up Daddy and Walker and headed to a preschool fall festival. It was hot and neither of the boys were into wearing their costumes but the bounce houses and trunk or treating was a big hit!

It just so happened that Gray had this Batman shirt on under his fire chief's jacket. No one seemed to mind his mix-matched costume.

This adorable owl costume is a hand-me-down and Walker is the third boy to rock it. Too bad he was happy in it for only about 2.5 seconds.

Even cute when's he's ticked.

And is this not the most adorable baby costume you've ever seen? My good friend Abbie's sweet chubby-cheeked Weston was perfect for it. 

Hope y'all have a good week!

A Walker update (16 months)

Dear Baby Boy,

You are 16 and a half months old. At your 15 month well visit you weighed 22 pounds, 8 ounces (42nd %tile) and were 32.5 inches tall (87th %tile). I predicted you would weigh more but be shorter than your brother was at 15 months but you are the complete opposite. It doesn't matter what the numbers are though, you both couldn't be more perfect to me. You wear size four diaper, size 4-5 shoe and mostly 18 month clothes. 

You've been slaying me on the daily for almost 17 months now, sweet thang.

Teeth numbers 13-16 have been coming in very slow and giving you a rough time off and on. Mostly though, you are a happy boy, even if your face doesn't show it (you still have that scrunched eyebrow, serious/grumpy look on your face quiet often). You are much more independent than your bother is and ever was/is. As long as I am in your sight, you are content playing by yourself and do not need to be entertained by me constantly. At the same time, you have many moments throughout the day of bringing me books and plopping down on my lap. You LOVE books and I know that's one reason you are talking so much. Tractor and animal books are your favorites.

You are saying so many words these days and though you do plenty of baby babbling, a lot of them are completely intelligible. You have even started saying some two word phrases consistently like "all done, all gone, love you, night night, thank you, hair cut, French fries, hot dog, oh boy, oh wow". You love to see and say "airplane, golf cart, truck, bus, apple, tractor, and dog ". 

You pretty much transitioned yourself to one nap shortly after your birthday. Sometimes you can't make it and take a cat nap in the car but you usually go down around 1:00/1:30 and sleep 2-3 hours. You are able to make it a little longer at night now and don't normally go down 7:30 and sometimes 8:00. You still suck your thumb while you're sleeping (or if you're tired/cranky) and it is just the sweetest.

You have a little separation anxiety when I drop you off at the Y and at church but within seconds you are fine. The past several times I've picked you up from your class on Sundays, the teachers go on and on about how sweet and content you are. 

You are still a champion eater. Though we don't give you a lot of choices, there really isn't anything you don't like. Your favorites right now include: broccoli (you could eat your weight in it, for real!), green beans, peas, watermelon and any kind of fruit (new to the list are apples, which you can have now thanks to all those teeth), bacon, chicken, yogurt, cheese and French fries. We are always cracking up at your excitement for food and how much of it you can manage to handle.

You still love music and will start dancing at the slightest sound of it. In the car you'll have the most serious look on your face but be jamming out, bobbing your head and moving your whole body up and down. Daddy and I can't get enough of it and have laughed until we've cried just watching you.

A few other things you love most in life right now are: balls, books, Sophie, animals, school buses, tractors, mowers, airplanes, bubbles, food, your push mower toy outside, and brother's toy vacuum cleaner. You adore your big brother too, although y'all already have your moments. Oh yeah, and you love a little morning yoga.

I must kiss your cheeks a million times a day.

Our friend Hannah had her third birthday party at a gymnastics place and you LOVED it!

One of the many things about you that I love is the way your chubby cheeks jiggle when you run.

I'm pretty sure it's safe to say you have some natural born talent in the soccer department. For two months now, you've been able to dribble the soccer ball well. You use both feet and can keep dribbling half way down a soccer field. When the ball gets somewhat stuck or up against the wall if we are inside, instead of picking it up, you know how to put your foot on top of it and roll it out. Daddy didn't even teach you that, you just started doing it on your own. Almost every time you dribble the ball, you shout "gooooal" the whole time. It is PRESH! You don't limit kicking to just soccer balls though, you will kick any and every thing you can get your feet on. The other day a little thing of Vick's Vapor Rub was in the floor and you kicked it all the way across the living room. It's so amazing to watch you and I can't wait to see you on the soccer field one day.

We've gotten to have some good one-on-one time together since brother started preschool almost two months ago. Sometimes we just come home and read books, dance and chase each other around the house. We also run errands, go to the Y and to the playground. For the first couple of weeks you would cry when we dropped Gray off at school but you are used to it now and are loving the special time we have together.

One of my favorite times of the day with you is bedtime. You are so into your books and I can't get enough of your sweet little finger pointing to everything on the pages. And then you do the sweetest humming sounds while I sing to you. After we read and say our prayers I stand up with you in the cradle position in my arms and sing another song or two. You have a death grip on your blankey in one hand and your thumb in your mouth with the other. You just look up at me with the sweetest, most content little face with those big blue eyes and killer eye lashes and I just want to freeze time so bad. It's perfection. It makes me feel so happy and blessed that I get to be your mama. 

I fall more in love with you every day. I truly can't imagine our life without you in it. I love you to the moon and back my sweet boy and I promise to spend every day of your life showing you that. 

With my whole heart,

Mama