Mid-week assortment of randomness

We've been busy y'all. And I am still learning how to balance life. First of all, let me say that I am not complaining. I am just being honest about balance being something I still need to work on. You moms that work two jobs (let's face it, whether you work outside of the home or not, being a Mama counts for at least one job!) may be rolling your eyes at me, and that's ok. Sure, I do have more time at home and with Gray than if I was outside of the home working. But it also means more gets on the to-do list and more pressure that I put on myself to do and teach certain things to Gray, spend time with him, make sure all the laundry and dishes stay caught up, etc. etc. I go to the Y almost every day (and sometimes feel guilty about that), tutor two to three days a week and watch Mason and Landon one afternoon a week (Lindsey and I trade time so we don't have to pay for child care). Assuming he takes a decent nap everyday, it honestly leaves very little one-on-one time with Gray. Paul and I feel strongly about me being a stay at home mom for several reasons and although some things have to be done in order to pay the bills, I want to be careful that I'm balancing things the right way.

Anywho...

Monday morning started with a frantic call from my friend Ashley that her nanny was sick and she was desperate for someone to keep Selah. We live about one mile from each other and I didn't have any plans that couldn't be dropped. So I braved it with two 14 month olds for the day. The morning started off great. Selah hadn't been here in a while so she was super entertained by new-to-her toys and books. I got Gray down for a nap and by nothing short of a miracle I got Selah to sleep without any tears being shed. Only problem was that she was downstairs so she wouldn't wake up Gray, which meant I was trapped upstairs...which meant I didn't get to eat lunch while they were sleeping. Neither of them napped very long and things took a turn for the worse when they got up. They were both fussy and clingy and honestly, there were moments that I thought pulling my hair out sounded like a better idea. At 3:30 I finally decided I was going to eat lunch whether they liked it or not. And at 4:00 I decided we were getting in the car. I didn't know where we were going but we were going somewhere. It was no joke y'all. When I keep kids that are older or younger than Gray, things are much easier but two the same age give me a run for my money, literally.

Gray has needed some new shoes for weeks. He went barefoot about 95% of the time until he started walking and even then only wore shoes outside, at the Y and at church. We have tons of shoes starting in size 5 but didn't have any 3s or 4s. I found his 3s at Target for 12 bucks and that was even a little more that I wanted to spend. They didn't hold up great but good enough for the few months he wore them. Besides them being too small now, I made the mistake of letting him wear them with no socks (who wants to wear socks in the summertime?!). Y'all, his feet are RIPE!!!!! They smell worse than his Daddy's feet after he's been on the soccer field all day. I am not even kidding. So the shoe hunt was on. I went back to Target and they had nothing. I spent over two hours looking for shoes on Saturday and another hour on Sunday, all with no luck. Size 4 shoes must be very popular. The ones I did find in his size were $40-$50!!!! Who knew?!?! I had NO idea how expensive baby shoes were. I wanted a pair of somewhat cute shoes that would go on easily with no laces (cause ain't nobody got time for that) that could be play shoes and suitable for church (cause I was definitely not going to buy more than one pair). I finally settled on a pair of really cute Converse Allstars from Shoe Carnival that had laces for looks but were slip-ons. Gray was being a hot mess when I was in there so when I found them on the clearance rack and saw they were size 4, I grabbed them and went. Can I stop here to tell you that they were still 20 bucks on the CLEARANCE rack?! What the heck? I got home and put them on Gray and he walked right out of them. I thought they looked pretty big so I compared them to some of his other hand-me-down shoes and dang if they weren't sized like a 6. So back we went yesterday to return them. Of course they didn't have any smaller ones and the cheapest shoe they had in his size was $38!!!! I know we are on a tighter budget than most people, but I seriously can't get over the prices of these baby shoes. I even checked several consignment stores and they either had nothing in his size or all of them were summer shoes. The Fall consignment sales are coming up in a few weeks but I really couldn't wait that long. So we ended up with some grey velcro Sperry's from Journey's Kidz store at the mall. They were the cheapest velcro shoe in his size that I could find in Winston and they were still almost 30 bucks. I think my blood pressure was higher than it peaks during Body Pump at the Y. Remember how at the beginning of this I said I wasn't complaining? Well this is me complaining. But I am over it now and am very, very thankful we have been blessed with hand-me-downs and probably won't ever have to buy Gray another pair of shoes.

I finally finished Gray's first year Shutterfly book and have been patiently waiting on a 30 or 40% off coupon so I can order it. It is 110 pages and that's after I was forced to consolidate and delete several pages. I've started his second year book but have been very slack about it and need to catch up. We have a lot less pictures since he is always on the go but I do want to document places and things we've done in each year of his life while he is so young.

I'm pretty sure I've said this the last several years but I am really starting to love Fall more and more. I'm so excited about outside Fall activities with Gray, especially taking him back to the pumpkin patch. He has the cutest hand-me-down owl costume this year and I can hardly wait to see his cute self in it. I've also found some new pumpkin recipes that I can't wait to try out. I know I'll be craving the beach again come December but for now I say bring on the Fall!

Paul has been very busy with soccer. The official season opened up with a tournament and his team had to play Mt. Tabor first, who happened to be coming in at the number one seed and was predicted to be the best team this year. My mom watched Gray so I could go. The game was so intense. It was tied at the end so since it was a tournament game, they did overtime. After overtime it was still tied so they did penalty kicks and Reagan ended up losing. They have won every game they've played since then and are off to a great start so far. I am a proud coach's wife. But let's face it, he could lose every game and I'd still be proud.

Our sweet boy has not caught a break in the teething department since he was 5 months old. These last 8 have been way worse than his first 8. He's in pain, his nose has been running for months, his poops are loose and burning his bottom, he's not sleeping quite as good as normal and he is super cranky off and on. And if he'd eat steak with those 16 chompers it might make me feel a tad better. We are still working on getting him to eat meat and veggies but most days he wins. Today though, he did not throw his green beans and instead dipped them in his peanut butter and ate a little. It's progress people!

I am SO excited about a long weekend with my little family. We normally go to Paul's parents for Labor Day but have decided not to spend this one traveling. We haven't had a weekend "off" where we've all been home in about 6 weeks and I can hardly wait! So happy Friday eve, y'all!

Gray has recently started answering questions. The only problem is that he always answers "no" even if he means yes. Thankfully most of the time it's a really sweet "no" instead of the way he used to say it. The other day I was asking him question after question to see if his "no" would change depending on what I asked. They were all questions that he understands well. "Gray do you want a snack? Gray do you want to go outside? Are you ready for a nap? Do you want some ice cream?" and things like that. He had the same response and tone for every question. Then I said "Can Mama have a hug?" And without any hesitation or the word "no" he ran to me, wrapped his little arms around me and gave me the biggest hug in the world. It was so sweet y'all. I'm sure if you'd been there it would seem a lot more special but I had to write this one down for my own record.

We'll keep working on "yes" but I have to say this is the most precious use of the word "no" I have ever heard.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

So long summer

Paul started back to school for teacher work days today. Between soccer and tutoring, we soaked up every second we could get as a family of three before summer was officially over.

Here are some memories we made the past few weeks.

We played at the pool with sweet Selah.

Gray got to have dates with me while Paul was at soccer and dates with Daddy while I tutored. Many involved ice cream.

Gray had several play dates with Mason and Landon

Gray snuck Sophie lots of snacks

 We enjoyed watching our silly boy on the monitor

 Gray discovered Catch Phrase

 We played outside

 Gray walked Sophie for the first time. Don't you love how Soph is in mid-poop stance here?!

Gray had his first finger painting experience. He loves watermelon and loves to smear the juice all over his high chair so I figured this would be the perfect rainy day activity.

 I was clearly mistaken. You would have thought I was torturing him.

 But we have this beautiful masterpiece to show for it anyway.

Gray loves to play in closets. I try to choose my battles wisely and this is one I've chosen not to fight. So closet shenanigans have become a daily favorite around here. He cracks me up putting on his hats.

Only the best parents let their toddlers chew on syringes.

Gray "helped" me clean

He colored a picture for Daddy with magic markers. Thankfully this went better than the finger painting did.

We took one last trip to the zoo until spring. Gray was so excited that the Sowers joined us.

Besides him being cranky and whiny the past week since he's decided to only nap for 45 minutes, Gray has been so good lately. I know some of you will read this and want to say to me, "enjoy it while it lasts" and I will do just that. I know I've written about this before but Paul and I are very big on discipline for a number of reasons. God disciplines us because He loves us and we ought to do the same for our children. At the beginning of the summer Gray was having a rough time with tantrums and just being down right "ugly", as my mama would say. There were days we wanted to give in just so he'd stop whining and crying but we tried our best to be consistent. We aren't taking all the credit by any means (we've read lots of books and said lots of prayers and begged God for his guidance in this area) and we know we'll go through MANY more rough stages with behavior but I believe that really hard month or so that we had is paying off now. Two months ago Gray was having a total meltdown almost every time we told him "no" or disciplined him in any way. He tested our limits and patience big time. Lately we tell him "no" one time and he walks away from or stops whatever he is doing that he shouldn't be without any whining or crying or throwing himself down on the floor or swatting his hands at us. So I am soaking up every second of this for however long it lasts.

I'm pretty certain (and I would have said this in the midst of his tantrums two months ago) that this age is my favorite so far. I have loved every age and stage for different reasons but his age now totally blows my mind. He is so smart and is learning SO much every single day, it amazes me! So many people gave me negative warnings about how hard life would be when he started walking and I have found the opposite. He is even more happy and content and as long as we are in a somewhat baby-proofed setting, he is more independent too (even if he is partaking in some crazy closet shenanigan). He has so much personality for such a little guy and he makes me laugh so hard. He is so sweet and affectionate and it just melts my heart. Although this age is certainly exhausting (are there any ages that aren't exhausting?!), I am loving it so much and soaking up every second I can get.

So while we were sad to see Daddy go back to work this morning, we are so thankful for the time we had together this summer. And Labor Day is just around the corner, right?!

Mama went bye-bye

I went to the beach for three nights last week with my good friends Daphne and Meredith. It was the first time I'd been away from Gray overnight. When Daphne first invited me and I looked at the calendar, I told her it wouldn't be possible because Paul started soccer try outs the day we'd be leaving. But by the grace of God, I have an amazing husband who wasn't just willing to make it work but actually encouraged me to go. He said he knew I was about to be "working" overtime with soccer season here and him gone a lot and wanted me to have some down time. With Paul having try outs it meant that Gray was kind of here, there and everywhere but it worked out just fine. He had his first sleepover without Mama and Daddy. He spent a night with the Sowers and loved every second of it. And Lindsey loved it too, though she has even more confirmation that they will remain a family of four ;) Gray thinks Mason and Landon are so funny and they have an endless supply of tractors and boy toys. Gram helped out a lot too and Gray did well with the traveling and here and there. I honestly didn't worry about him much and trust me, I missed my boys like crazy, but it was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I had so much fun and it was so relaxing. Y'all, I got to sit on a chair on the beach for more than a minute. Actually, we sat on the beach ALL day the entire time. We also didn't put one ounce of makeup on the whole time and besides our bathing suits, we didn't wear anything other than sweat pants, gym shorts and t-shirts. We didn't go anywhere, except to the beach. We didn't spend one dollar, except for the gas to get there. Daphne's mom is an amazing cook and we ate like there was no tomorrow. We laughed until we nearly peed our pants. We stayed up way too late. We talked and talked and talked. We napped on the beach. We read good books. We listened to good music. We reminisced about Africa-we've all three been to Kenya together and Daph just got back from 5 months in Uganda! We saw dolphins jumping and swimming in the ocean. We saw sea turtles hatch and make their journey to the ocean. I wish I had pictures of that but you can't use your flash. It was truly one of the most amazing things I have ever watched. If you really just stop for a minute and take in all the crazy facts about sea turtles and pretty much any other animal in the world, it makes you (or at least it does me) realize just how amazing and creative our God is.

Need I say more? It was seriously the most prefect weekend!!
.

A really intense and amazing piece of sand art!

Meredith takes even more pictures than I do. Only she would be taking pictures during a work out!

"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork." ~Psalm 19:1

Homemade shrimp and grits-DELISH!!

My first tomato pie experience. Let's just say I came home with the recipe!

Mama Meredith, 18 weeks pregnant.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Summer Fun

Soccer season is officially in full swing. The last few weeks were spent soaking up all the time we had left with Daddy. Gray had been having some serious tantrums at the beginning of the summer and I am by no means excusing it but I think more of it was related to him getting SIX teeth at once than I gave credit to because he has been soooo good ever since those mean 'ol things finally came in. We have so enjoyed having a pleasant toddler on our hands the past few weeks and the timing couldn't have been better as we had much to do on our summer fun list before Daddy started back to work.
A couple of weeks ago we took Gray to the Greensboro Science Center. We got half off with our annual zoo pass and it was worth every penny of 12 bucks. I grew up going there but haven't been in years and it has changed a lot. They even just opened an aquarium! Gray's favorites were the petting zoo, a fake giraffe and penguin statues. We even let him pet a snake and a sting ray.

While "petting" the snake, Gray grabbed at him a little too hard and the man had to take the snake away so he could cool down and wouldn't bite anyone. True story.

We ventured out of our germy comfort zone and let Gray play in the kid area. Quick, insert paci so germs can't enter the mouth!


Gray was obsessed with the shopping carts.

Bless him, his favorite part wasn't even real.

We managed to keep Gray awake on the ride home so he would get a good nap in his bed. Little homeboy slept for three and a half hours-thank you Science Center!

We were literally 5 minutes from walking out of the door to head to the Y one day and Paul had just looked at the weather and suggested we go to the zoo instead. I am so glad at least one of us is free spirited and spontaneous! Off to the zoo we went. It was 75 degrees, cloudy and hardly anyone was there.

The giraffes are his favorite right now. We watched and fed them for about a half hour.

The baby chimps and gorillas were both super active and Gray had so much fun watching them play.

 

Our next stop on the summer fun list was the Lazy 5 Ranch. I hadn't been there in a long time so I was super excited about it. You get to ride on a wagon or drive your car through lots of cool animals that you can pet and even feed. We opted for the wagon ride. Gray loved seeing the animals but was a little more obsessed with the animal food and didn't understand why he couldn't have any. I think for now the zoo is more of a hit with Gray but we still had a lot of fun and will definitely go back at some point.

He made it passed his favorite, the giraffes, before he passed out on his daddy.

We spent a few days at Nana and Grandpa's house last week because Paul was coaching a soccer camp with his dad and brother. Nana and I took Gray to the aquarium one day. Any of the NC aquariums are free with the pass they got us but we went to the Fort Fisher one, which was still over an hour from their house. It was a near disaster y'all! It was SO crowded with people on vacation at the beach. Gray did not want to be in his stroller but there were so many people that he kept getting run over. He really didn't seem very interested in the fish either. I think he was just a little too young and will enjoy it more in the fall or next year.

We certainly hit up some fun places this summer but honestly we had just as much fun the days we were all three home playing and snuggling. I am very thankful for the time Paul has off in the summer, especially since we will see very little of him the next several months.

Happy August, y'all!