The Blackwell Beat

May 19, 2010

2010-06-16T20:59:00.001-05:00

On this day on year ago, our baby girl was born. The whole entire day and the night before, I constantly thought back to last year when she was born.........

Jed and I got up early. Well, I did. He slept later than me. We had to be at the hospital at 5:00 to check-in and so the nurses could prepare me for my c-section. Here's me posing for a final tummy picture before I changed into my gown....

I was nervous but extremely excited and happy to finally be able to meet my baby girl. I was prepared and taken back for the section. It took them a few extra minutes to get to her because I had so much scar tissue from Connor's birth. When Dr. Hults got in there and saw her he started singing the song "Sweet Caroline"....The other guys, nurses, and even Jed sang along. I can remember the moment I heard her cry for the first time.... Caroline Skipper Blackwell was born at exactly 8:00 am on the dot!

She weighed 6 pounds and 4 ounces and was 18 1/4 inches long. She was absolutely beautiful!!!! Everything I had imagined she would be and more!!!!!

And here she is exactly one year later.........

Can't you tell she was so thrilled to be awake and have the camera shoved in her face? Here she was a little while later in the "1" shirt I bought for her at Target. She wore it to daycare and all the kids sang happy birthday to her and called her a big girl.

We went out to eat that night before church to celebrate her birthday. She behaved so well! She was showered all day with birthday hugs and kisses!

A few things about her at 12 months.........She is still not walking. We just knew she would early, but she so just loves to crawl and has absolutely no desire to walk! She pulls up on everything and will stand up with out holding on, but will just not take a step! She still wears size 4 diapers and eats TONS of food! She loves to eat anything that won't eat her first! At her 12 month check-up, she weighed 22 pounds and 7 ounces. She was 30 1/2 inches long. She's our BIG girl!!!!

Her favorite word is hey! She tells everyone she sees hey, especially during church, which gets her into lots of trouble! She also loves to drink juice (way too much)! She loves to give us sugar, too. She also has started pitching fits. If she doesn't get her way, she screams! I think we are going to be in for it.....She also fights going to sleep at night. The least little noise wakes her up. She's spent many nights in the bed with me and her daddy lately. I wish she would start sleeping in her own bed again, but I know this is only a stage (Connor did the same thing) and it won't last for long. So, I'm trying to enjoy the late night snuggles!!!!

Sweet, sweet girl, you are so loved by everyone around you! Your daddy and I can't believe that you are a year old already! It seems like just yesterday we found out that I was pregnant with you. We have loved watching you grow. You are developing your own personality and we just love seeing what each day brings. You have completed our family.....We are so blessed that God gave us you!!!!! We love you baby girl!!!!

****Tomorrow's post will detail her birthday party!

7, 8, 9,10, and 11... A sweet, sweet gift from heaven!!!

2010-06-15T21:30:00.001-05:00

I've let too many things get in the way of my blogging time lately and I've totally neglected blogging about our sweet Caroline. I know....I know..... I'm awful!! But here it goes, I'm going to do months 7-11 in this post (which I've been working on for months!), and devote another post or two to her birthday and birthday party. I promise not to let this happen again!!!!

7 months

Month seven was a busy month (December) and didn't lend itself to many changes. She drooled an awful lot, and we knew teeth were on the way. She couldn't even wear an outfit without it getting drenched in drool! In our Christmas card picture, her dress is soaking wet with drool!!!!

Caroline thoroughly enjoyed her first Christmas, even though she really didn't know what was going on. She enjoyed boxes, wrapping paper, and bows. I enjoyed dressing her in Christmas dresses and outfits. Cousin Lauren says I had one for everyday in December (I really didn't).

In the picture below she's dressed in a dress that my Aunt Ginger, who lives in Auburn, made. She made it about 15 years ago for her granddaughter. I think it's pretty neat that she let Caroline borrow it to wear at Christmas! This is just one of the many Christmas dresses/outfits that Caroline wore.

She weighed 16 pounds and 12 ounces and wore size 3 diapers. She also ate stage 2 baby food and wore 6-9 month clothes. She loved drinking out of her sippy cup, but still couldn't hold it yet.

8 months

In January, Caroline turned eight months. On January 22nd, we noticed her first tooth. It was one of her bottom ones. About a week later, she got another bottom one. You can't see them in the picture below.

Caroline weighed about 17 pounds. She wore 6-9 month clothes and size 3 diapers. She still ate stage 2 baby food. She also started holding her own sippy cup.

Caroline would also get up on her hands and knees and rock back and forth like she was going to crawl. But she didn't..... She would just fall on her belly and lay there and kick her feet.

She finally started doing the "GI Jane crawl". I don't have a picture of this, but it was too cute. She would lie on her belly and pull herself where she wanted to go on her elbows (like they do on the Army commercials). She was so stinking cute when she did this.

It also snowed during this month of her life. She didn't get to enjoy it because she was sick (double ear infections and an awful runny nose). But we took a family picture. It probably won't snow again until she's 17 years old.....

9 months

This was her picture that I put on our Valentine's card that I sent to family. You still can't see her teeth, but she got another one (which makes a total of 3). This one was on the top.

We also walked into her room one morning before school and saw this........

She had pulled up onto her knees in her crib. Needless to say, her crib was moved down within the next few days!

She is such a happy baby in the morning. She wakes up smiling and laughing. It just makes our day!

At her nine month check up, she weighed 19 pounds and 3 ounces and was 28 3/4 inches long. She was such a trooper. She got just one shot, but did not cry a single tear! I couldn't believe it.

She started eating stage 3 baby food. Continues to love juice in her sippy cup and doesn't love her paci that much. She would rather suck on her finger. You can tell when she's getting sleepy--her finger goes straight to her mouth.

She wore 9 month clothes and started wearing size 4 diapers. They were big on her but it was so much easier just buying one size of diapers for daycare (yes, she and Connor wore the same size).

She also started crawling. One night we went to sleep and she was doing the GI Jane crawl and the next day she was "really" crawling. She followed brother everywhere!

She also could go from a crawling position

to a sitting position.

She even enjoyed her first wagon ride. She really enjoyed it, and Connor loved her riding with him, too!

10 months

At ten months, Caroline weighed about 20 pounds. She wore 9 month clothes and some 12 month clothes. She wore a size 4 diaper.

She also decided that she didn't like baby food anymore. We started feeding her table food. She tried mashed potatoes and gravy, french fries, green beans, peas, creamed corn, grits, and bread. (within reason, she pretty much tried whatever we ate. This girl loves to eat!!!!)

She also started pulling up to a standing position and cruising the furniture.

Caroline said her first word at 10 months. Like most children, she said "dada" first. I tried my best to teach her how to say momma, but little did I know, her daddy was trying just as hard, too! He won!

She attended her first Rattlesnake Rodeo (wearing an outfit that I made for her!). She absolutely loves music and to dance, so this was right up her alley. She slept some too!!

She also enjoyed getting dressed up at Easter. She didn't understand why we got together and ate and hunted eggs, but she loved it. My mom and I made her two Easter outfits.

11 months

Caroline weighed 20 pounds and 11 ounces. She was wearing mostly 12 month clothes and a few 18 month outfits. She was still wearing a size 4 diaper and was totally on table food. She ate whatever we ate and lots of it! She has a better appetite than her brother!

The week she turned 11 months, Jed went out of town for a week on a business trip. This was his first time away from his sweet baby girl. They missed each other a lot... At this point she was becoming a daddy's girl!

Caroline's vocabulary had really picked up. She was saying the following words: dada, momma, uh oh, hey, and bye-bye. She also would wave goodbye.

She also moved into her big girl car seat. I know it was a month early but she already weighed 20 pounds, and I felt like we were torturing her by putting her in her other car seat! She absolutely loved it!!!!

Caroline also went to the zoo for the first time. She enjoyed riding in the double stroller and seeing all the animals. She really didn't understand too much, but she was very good anyway!

She and Connor were supposed to be in their matching Kelly's Kids outfits, but she pooped on her outfit in the car on the ride up. So she ruined that! Luckily I had packed both of them an extra outfit.

Out of the stroller and looking at an exhibit....

Smiling pretty on the train ride....

Sweet baby girl....We love you so very much! You are growing so much everyday, and we are so thankful that God allows us to watch you grow and mature!!!! You never seize to amaze us!

Ummm and I love you.....

2010-04-25T22:00:00.001-05:00

Last Monday, Connor said something that just thrilled my soul and warmed my heart. He told me that he loved me for the first time. I've been telling him that I love him everyday for two years. He has never said it to me or anyone else until Monday.

We were on our way home from school and I looked back and said "Connor, I love you!" Usually he never says anything or turns his head. I know he does this because I want him to tell me so bad, because usually he has a smirk on his face. Anyway.... he looks up and says "I love you Mommy".

It was absolutely the sweetest words I've ever heard. Now he'll say it back to all of us. He's even got a little confused. Today when I told him that I loved him he said "I love me" instead of " I love you". But that's okay! I know what he means.

He's been talking our heads off lately. I usually have to be the translator for everyone else. I guess because I teach little kids and am familiar to "their" language, but really I think it's because mommy's just have that special touch with their little ones. Anyway, another one of his favorite things to say is ummm. When I don't know where he is, I can yell "Connor, where are you?", and he'll yell "Umm in my room". This past week, any questions we ask him he answers with ummm.

He's our little mess and we love him very much!

Up next on the blog will be a huge post about Caroline. It's been months since I've posted about her monthly accomplishments, so I've got tons to catch you up on! Until then.....

Snow Much Fun!!!

2010-03-08T19:13:00.000-06:00

As most people in the South did, we TOTALLY enjoyed the snow we received in February! When we woke up about 6:30, we couldn't believe our eyes..... Jed and I were up first; we were just like children. We were running around from the front yard to the back yard, taking pictures, and recording on the video camera. It hadn't done this in 17 years. I was 12 years old the last time it snowed, and Jed was 15.

We let the kids sleep. Caroline woke up first and then she helped us wake up Connor. We put her in his bed and they just laughed and laughed at each other. Can't you tell they love each other?

You can't tell it in the picture above, but Caroline was sick during the snow. She had just gone to visit Dr. E. on Thursday; she had double ear infections. So, she didn't get to go outside very much. Here's Connor's first reaction to the snow......

We ate breakfast and enjoyed watching it snow. It took forever to find warm clothes for everyone. We're just not use to dressing so warm. Connor had on four layers. First, we all went out together for a family picture. Our sweet neighbor, Hunter, took it for us. After the picture, Caroline went right back inside. We left her in her walker, and she stayed at the glass front door watching us play.

Connor stared and stared at the snow. And yes, he is in purple gloves. I could not find his other red one! He likes to play with them; we searched the house and couldn't find it. So...he wore his sister's. He cried and cried. It was that or not play in the snow at all. His daddy didn't like it either, but we had no choice! We couldn't not play in the snow because of one missing red glove!

I got busy making a snowman. And just let me say, making a snowman is SO much harder than it looks. I told Jed I was going to have to google it and find out the best way. I didn't.... but I sure did think about it. I actually made our snowman about three or four different times. When I would get the head on, Connor would knock it down. Maycee, our dog, even knocked it down once, too. Don't laugh, it was quite pitiful! It wasn't as big as it looks in this picture. It actually wasn't much taller than Connor, which isn't very tall at all.

Connor loved playing in the snow and being hit by snowballs. He would just laugh and laugh. It was so cute! He and Jed also made snow angels.

We finally had to force him to go inside, dry out, thaw out, and get warm. Boy, he didn't like that part!!!! He screamed and screamed and cried and cried!

The next time we went out, Caroline was down for a nap. We recorded some more and took lots more pictures. It was so beautiful.

Connor decided that our security sign would make a great snow shovel. He absolutely loved shoveling the snow and throwing it on his daddy.

On Saturday when the snow started melting and the sun was out, my mom and dad came over and brought my nephew Brock. We wanted the kids to play together in the snow. We had a blast with them. My mom and I teamed up and attacked my dad in a snowball fight! I've not laughed that hard in such a long time!!!

We got out Connor's plastic rake, shovel, and hoe for them to play with. We found Connor's other red glove, so he didn't have to wear his sister's anymore!!! His daddy was so glad!

We dressed Caroline up in a million layers so she could watch the boys play. She still wasn't feeling well, so she only stayed about 10 minutes. She posed with my mom for a picture.

The boys played and played until they were frozen. They both cried when we had to go in. I could have too! It was so sad telling the snow goodbye. I hope it doesn't wait another 17 years to do it again! I would love to play with my children in the snow again!

Our Big Boy

2010-03-06T23:25:00.000-06:00

Two days after Christmas, we had Connor's second birthday. Time has flown by. It doesn't seem that enough time has gone by for our little boy to be two years old. As I type I'm reminded of the saying "time flies when your having fun". Yes, it does!!! I can't help but think about the two years we've spent with him, watching him grow before us everyday. So of course, I had to pull up some old pictures.....

This was our baby boy when he was two months old--dressed up for his first outing at church. I know you're thinking, "Why didn't he get out until he was two months old?" Well...he was born early and right during the middle of the worst RSV season Dr. E said he had ever seen, so Dr. E didn't want him out in it. I was told to keep in until March, but I didn't make it. We got in the middle of February right before my maternity leave was over! Anyway here's our little man.......

Here he is at his first birthday party, which was at the airport where daddy works.

And here he is on his second birthday...

As I told you awhile back in a much earlier post, Connor LOVES Elmo. Of course, we had to have an Elmo birthday party. We had the party at church on a Sunday afternoon (two days after Christmas). Lots of family and friends came to help us celebrate. Here are the little friends--Zach, Audrey, Brock, Bailey, and Connor.

We also had a VERY special visitor come to help us celebrate. Can you guess who he was?

Yes, it was Elmo himself--all the way from Sesame Street. Connor was pretty scared of him at first. The only Elmo he knew was on TV and the ones he carries around the house, so imagine the look on his face when a giant Elmo walked into the door that was much taller than his dad. And poor Audrey, she never left her mommy's side. Elmo terrified her to death!

After Elmo met everyone, we played some games. I wasn't sure how they would go over, but the kids enjoyed them. We played musical chairs, Follow Elmo, and Pin the Nose on Elmo. Connor wouldn't wear the bandana, but don't worry, he didn't win the game even though he was looking!

After we played games, we cut the cake. I made Connor's cake this year (with my mom's help). I also made the cupcakes.

Ashley found this website for me and I got the idea for these cupcakes from it.

Here are the other cupcakes. I just bought the sugar Elmos faces from Hobby Lobby and stuck them on top of the iced and sugared cupcakes. I thought both turned out cute.

Here's the birthday boy enjoying cake at the kids table with his little friends.

Elmo sat by the gift table which was right in front of the kids table. Connor kept yelling across the room to him. He would say, "Eat Melmo, Eat!".

Here he is keeping an eye on Melmo....

And here's Elmo, staring back...

Connor joined Elmo by the gift table to open his presents. He was so funny opening presents! This year he actually opened his gifts by himself. He would tear them open--piece by slow piece--and give Elmo his piece of wrapping paper, tissue paper, or bag. He would say "Here Melmo". And of course, Elmo would take it.

Two of his favorites were his tricycle from Maw-Maw and Pa-Paw and his hand-made wooden train from Nay-Nay and Pop-Pop. Jed and I got him an Elmo laptop.

Before the party was over, everyone posed with Elmo for a TON of pictures. I'm so glad Elmo was such a good sport!

I know I haven't mentioned Caroline much in this post, but she was there. She loved Elmo and even posed with him for a picture. She was just too small to do anything with the bigger kids.

The kids....This is the best we could do! Notice Audrey is not in the picture. We tried our very best, but she ran away.

The Green Family--Thank you Lauren for helping me get things together for the party, decorating the day of, and taking some pictures. Clif (the very best cousin-in-law ever!) thanks for helping be on kid patrol and taking a few pictures, too! Although, I've deleted most of the ones you took! They're the kind you don't want taken of yourself (the ones when you're not looking and when your making horrible faces).

The Skippers--my brother, his wife Brittany, and their little boy Brock. Brock absolutely loved Elmo. He was actually the first one to speak to him when he walked through the door!

We had a wonderful day. Connor really enjoyed himself! He talked about Elmo for days afterwards. Thank you to everyone who came and celebrated with us. Thank you for loving our child! I am so glad we could celebrate our little boy's two years of life with such wonderful family and friends and even a wonderful, furry creature from Sesame Street.....

Christmas Fun

2010-01-30T00:08:00.000-06:00

****Extra long post with tons of pictures!

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. It was Caroline's first Christmas. We enjoyed spending time with all of our family. Here's a recap of our two days........

On Christmas Eve afteroon, we go to my mom and dad's. We enjoy opening presents with my brothers and parents. I didn't take a lot of gift-opening pictures this year (I never use them).

Jed, Brock, and Connor

Notice Brock's mouth. He and Connor ate candy all afternoon.

Can you tell?

Here's a family picture in front of my mom's tree.

Christmas Eve evening, we go to my Meme and Paw-Paw's house. We eat, enjoy time with each other, and open gifts. Connor really enjoyed opening gifts this year. After he opened something, he would say, "Ooh, it's pitty (pretty) momma.

My mean brother put this on Connor's head and said he looked like Caroline with the big bows. I couldn't resist taking a picture.

Caroline stayed awake the whole time. She enjoyed playing with her gifts after we opened them for her. She is such a sweet little girl! Here she is with her mini guitar that meme picked out for her. It was a hit with all of the kids!

Here's a group picture from that night. We are a very big bunch! If we continue to grow we may have to start renting somewhere to have Christmas! Meme and Paw-Paw have two children, five grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.

Meme and Paw-Paw's ended Christmas eve for us. We went home, bathed the kids, put them in their new Christmas pjs, and set out cookies for Santa Claus using our new plate and cup made by Brooke Ward Williams. We used the cookies that we made earlier in the week with our cousins. Connor ate his and Caroline's gingerbread cookies, so we put out some of the one's that I iced for Santa. We did two girly ones for Caroline and a few boy ones for Connor.

Christmas morning Caroline woke us up. She was "talking" and laughing in her crib. We woke Connor up so he could see what Santa left him. This is what they found......

Connor got a tractor, Alabama ball and bat, sidewalk chalk, tons of books, a brush, a broom and dust pan, stuffed animal, pjs, clothes, and lots of other stocking stuffers. Caroline got a toy box, a laugh and learn purse, a spin toy, a picture frame, books, clothes, a pair of shoes, and a few stocking stuffers.

After both sets of grandparents came to see what the kids got, we went back to my mom's for breakfast and opened a few more gifts. Then we were off to Nay-Nay and Pop-Pop's for the rest of the day. We enjoyed a wonderful meal, gifts, and just spending time with each other. Here's a few pictures from our time there.

Connor opening his stocking. These are the only pictures of him I could get because he won't pose for pictures anymore. He thinks its cute to run from me!

Caroline posing pretty for the camera.

When we finally got home Christmas night, Jed and I took a few pictures with the kids before we put them to bed.

This picture of Jed and Caroline is one of my favorite holiday pictures!

She looks so cute I could just eat her up!

By the time it was my turn, Connor wasn't in the mood for pictures anymore. We had to bribe him to take them. That's why he has his blue brush in his hand. Caroline looks like she's saying, "Please, NO more!".

Needlesss to say, we had a GREAT holiday! We are so truly blessed to have such great family!

Bakin' up Christmas

2010-01-24T16:40:00.000-06:00

****Note: You'll have to bear with me for the next few posts, I've got to go back and document our Christmas holidays. We've been super busy--work, parties, cleaning, organizing, more parties, and more work. So, I'm going to try my very best to get caught up in three posts.

Every year, my cousin Lauren and I get together at her house to make sugar cookies for Christmas. We have a great time cooking, while the kids have a wonderful time playing together. This year we were VERY brave..... We let the kids help! Yes, I know we are crazy, but they had an awesome time. We hope to continue this tradition for years to come.

Connor just loved it. He has started pulling up a chair to the counter when Jed and I are cooking. So, this was right up his alley!

Connor and Kade worked together. Kade would cut cookies out and before he could pick them up, Connor would cut more out on top of them.

Here's Kade helping Connor. Kade is such a sweetheart. Connor loves him SO much!!!! He's so good with the little kids!

Bailey provided everyone with aprons. She wore a chef's hat. She was too cute!! She and Brock thoroughly enjoyed ~~making~~ eating the cookies. Bailey wanted to cut some out, but before she could Brock would steal her dough and eat it! They were hilarious.

Needless to say, we didn't eat any of the cookies that Bailey and Brock made. We kept those separate!

We also made each of the kids a big gingerbread boy and girl that they could decorate. I helped them, and Lauren took pictures afterwards.

It is so hard to take a picture of Connor lately. He runs away or just won't smile. It is SO not fun. Of course when we took these, he didn't want to do it. We finally talked him into it. Here's the first picture.....

He inspected it and decided it looked good enough to eat.

So...... he ate it!

Bailey, Brock, and Kade all smiled for pictures with their cookies too!

Caroline couldn't help us make the cookies this year, but we made her one anyway.

Next year, we'll have to remember to take a group picture (and make sure that I'm not in any of them)!

We really enjoyed this day and will make it a new tradition every year!!!

Oh, Christmas trees...

2009-12-20T21:50:00.001-06:00

We've had our trees up since the weekend after Thanksgiving. We are enjoying them! We love to turn the lights out and just sit in the glow of the Christmas lights.

Connor especially loves them this year. When he walks into the back door, he goes straight to the lights and says "On momma, turn them on". He then goes to Caroline's and his bedroom and we have to turn on their trees. He tells me every day that they are "pitty" (pretty). He's NOT into Santa, but he's SO into the lights, which thrills me because that's one of my favorite parts.

Jed and I bought the tree in our living room the first year we were married. So, this tree is making its fifth debut. I don't have a theme for my tree or a specific color scheme. We have a great collection of ornaments. I started my collection about eight years ago when I was in college. I love to pull them out every year and reminisce.

This is my new favorite ornament. Brooke Ward Williams made it for me. Incase you can't see it, it says: The Blackwells 2009: Jed, Heather, Connor, and Caroline. She also drew little pictures of us. I think it is adorable! The yellowish circle between Jed and me is just the reflection from the flash. It's not really on the ornament.

This year I decided to do little trees in Connor and Caroline's rooms. Their trees sit on their dressers. They're not big trees, but they do the job. As I said, Connor loves them. I'm so glad I did them this year. I'm going to make it a tradition every year!

Connor's tree is an Alabama tree. I found some cute Alabama footballs at K-Mart and the round glitter balls (that just happen to be crimson and silver) at Target. I used garland that I found at the Dollar Tree. The bow was made from ribbon that I purchased at Wal-Mart. I'm most proud of the tree skirt. It was actually one of his baby blankets.

Caroline's tree matches her bedroom. I used bright colored balls I got at Target, ribbon from Wal-Mart, and beaded garland from K-Mart. Her tree skirt is one of her towels.

While I was at Dollar Tree I found this super cute metallic Christmas tree that I thought matched her room perfectly. It looks super cute on her dresser!

Everyone is asleep in my house. I'm going to go sit in the recliner and enjoy my lights. Merry Christmas!!!

Baby, It's Cold (and Rainy) Outside!!!

2009-12-12T21:30:00.006-06:00

We spent a wonderful day at home today. I needed it SO MUCH!!! I"ve been way too busy lately; it was good to spend time with my Jed, Connor, and Caroline. Caroline and I stayed in our pjs all day. I don't know about you, but that's my kind of day!!

Even though we spent a great day at home, I was still a busy bee. I washed and folded 5 loads of laundry today and still have about 4 more to go tomorrow. I think every piece of clothing we own was dirty. I also got my Christmas cards ready to be mailed. And I snuggled alot with Connor! He was in that kind of mood, and I was loving it. He hasn't done that in months.

I am very blessed. Life is good......

Like mother like daughter.....

2009-12-08T21:30:00.001-06:00

This dress was actually my dress when I was a little girl. I wore it my first Christmas. My mom saved it and pulled it out of storage a few weeks ago.

While I was ~~taking~~ trying to take Christmas card pictures, I pulled it out and snapped a few pictures of Caroline wearing it. I think it's still festive and cute even though it is almost 28 years old. I probably shouldn't say that because it tells my age!!

This is what Caroline looked like for the majority of the picture taking process. She was extremely happy and slobbery! She gave us lots of beautiful smiles. Until......

She became hungry. I've told you before; this girl is serious about her food. When it's time, it is time!!

I've been super busy the past week and its not going to get any better!! We were out of town both Saturday and Sunday celebrating Christmas with both sides of the family. We've got more get-togethers planned for this weekend as well as a little shopping.

Maybe I'll be back before Christmas is over to post pictures of our Christmas trees.

Merry Christmas, everyone!!!!!!!!

23 months

2009-12-01T22:40:00.000-06:00

Connor turned 23 months Saturday. We've only got one more month to go until he's the big 2. Party preparations are under way! I can't believe God blessed us with our little man almost two years ago. It seems like yesterday.....

It's so hard to come up with new things that he's accomplished. It's not that he's not doing new things or saying new things, there is just not as many as there were during his first year. That's when all the big things happen! With that said, here are some things that Connor is doing that Jed and I came up with tonight!

Connor loves his baby sister. He laughs at her a lot. He thinks she is hilarious. He still calls her sister. He won't even attempt to say Caroline anymore.

He's a big helper. He will do anything you ask him to, except pick up his toys. When Caroline finishes her bottle before bed, Connor will grab it and go drop it into the sink. He will also take things to the trash can for us. One day he is going to find out just exactly what is in those diapers and then he won't be a big helper anymore, but until then...... He also loves to wipe the table after we eat dinner. He says "wipe, mommy, wipe", until I give in and let him wipe the table.

He loves to dance. The other night, Jed and I were playing some of our "old school" music, and Connor had a great time shaking his tail feathers. (One day our lack of rhythm will embarrass Connor but right now we're having a blast dancing with him!) My mom has a Santa that plays music; he will push the button and just stand there, bend his knees, and shake his booty. It is too cute!

He's still saying the prayer in his own jibberish. But now he will say it with Jed instead of waiting until afterwards to do it. The other night Connor was ready to eat, and Jed was feeding Caroline her baby food. Jed stopped feeding Caroline to say the blessing for Connor. I paused at the kitchen counter (so it would count for me), but when I sat down at the table, Connor clasped his hands in front of him and said a little prayer for me. It was so sweet.

He's been saying a few new things. He's really getting good about using phrases and sentences. One of my favorites is "it's pitty momma, it's pitty", which he says about our Christmas tree. He also said "it's not on momma". When Jed or I leave the house, he says "daddy be back, daddy be back" or "mommy be back, mommy be back". Notice I used both mommy and momma because he calls me both. It just depends on what kind of mood he's in.

He is SO not a morning person. This has been going on for a while now. He hates for us to wake him up. He kicks, screams, and cries. (which is exactly how I feel in the morning, so I guess he got it honest....) He has to be held and needs his milk right away. He cries when we brush his hair and his teeth. He usually stops when we put him in the car to go to Mrs. Rose's.

He's also not so crazy about taking pictures anymore. He either won't sit still long enough for me to snap the picture or he puts on his pouty face. His pouty face is cute, but it's not one I want in every picture.

He loves to get a hair cut. He got one last Wednesday morning. He did so well! He sits so still for Mrs. Robin (I wish he could do that for me while I took his picture!).

Connor Ward you are so precious to us. Your daddy, Caroline, and I love you so much. We love watching you grow everyday!

*****The pictures of him in pjs at the kitchen table were taken Sunday morning. He woke up in a "wonderful" mood with a CRAZY hairdo; of course, I had to take pictures.... I didn't get a good picture of his pjs, but they have an airplane on them. My mother bought them on a shopping trip when Jed and I were trying to get pregnant, but with no luck. I knew if I ever had a little boy, I wanted his nursery to be done in airplanes. So my mom bought them and put them away and when we found out we were pregnant she gave them to me. I found them in his closet a few days ago and thought about all of those days I prayed for him and longed to have a child. Thank you God for blessing me with my precious little boy!!!!!

Caroline is six months old!

2009-11-29T22:31:00.000-06:00

Our sweet baby girl is six months old. At her 6 month check-up, Dr. E said she was a healthy little girl. She weighed 15 pounds and 13 ounces. She was 27 inches long. Here are a few things about her and what she's been up to:

She is now sitting up all by herself. This happened on November 7. I remember this because Jed had flown to the Bama vs. LSU game, and he missed it. But Connor and I just laughed and laughed at her. We were so proud! She was a little wobbly at first, but now she's a pro!!

She's also drinking some juice out of a sippy cup. She's not holding it by herself, but she can sure suck on it. I don't do this often but occasionally. I had to because she almost attacks Connor to get to his cup.

She's finishing up her stage 1 baby food and eating some stage 2. She'll be completely on it by next week. She's also finishing up size 2 diapers and moving into size 3s. The 2s were beginning to look like bikini underwear. She is wearing a few 3-6 month dresses, but she is mainly wearing 6 months and 6-9 month sizes.

She REALLY loves her bottle. If there is one in sight, whether it's empty or full or whether she just ate, she will pitch a fit until you give it to her.

She cries if you take a toy away from her. She will also lung herself to get to an object, especially earrings, necklaces, watches, and diamonds. I think we're going to be in trouble in this aspect. She loves all things sparkly!!

She squeals to get Connor's attention. And when she gets it, she laughs and bangs her toys to make him laugh. It thrills my soul to see them playing with each other and loving each other!!!

She loves her toys. Yesterday she sat in the floor while I was decorating the tree. I put her basket of toys beside her and she grabbed out what she wanted. She has a little baby doll that she likes right now. She also loves rattles.

She has been sucking on her pacifier a little more lately and not her pointer finger!! Hooray!! Maybe she will continue to love her pacifier more....

Sweet Caroline, we love you SO much! You are precious--a true blessing!!

Happy Thanksgiving! (yesterday)

2009-11-27T22:57:00.003-06:00

Lately, I've been days or even weeks late on everything that I've posted, but I couldn't let this holiday go by without posting several things I'm thankful for.....

I'm thankful for....

God. He is so wonderful and mighty. I've seen Him work so much in my life in the last three years. He loves me more than I can even fathom. He sent his Son for me (and you). I never really knew what a sacrifice that was until I had children of my own. Now I have a whole new perspective.... It brings me to my knees to know that he sent his precious Son for me. Thank you God for forgiving me of my many sins and blessing me daily!
my husband. He loves me and our children with all of his heart. He is a good man, a loving husband, and a great father. He watches our children (by himself) for me to work out two nights a week. He bathes both Connor and Caroline everynight. He loves the Lord and strives to be a good example for our children (except during the Alabama and Auburn football game, but we're working on that! Ha, ha!!).
my children. I have two wonderful children. It is so hard to imagine what life was like before them. They are such blessings. I love watching them grow, discover, and love each other everyday. They both bring me so much joy and happiness!!!
my health. I kind of took this for granted until I became pregnant with Connor and had SO many complications and such a close call the night he was delivered. I am so thankful that the Lord was with me, Connor, and the doctors and nurses that took care of me that night.
my family. I am so thankful for my family, all of my family--my parents, brothers, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, nephew, and my in-laws. They have all been such a support throughout my life. We love getting together and being with each other. They all love me for who I am and for that I'm thankful.
my friends. I have had so many friends during my lifetime. Some are close friends; some were high school friends; some are "teaching" friends; some are blogging friends; some are college friends; some are camp friends. Every one of my friends have a special place in my heart. I am so thankful for each of you!!!
my job. I have a wonderful job. I work at a great school with good people. I have been teaching for almost six years. I have taught approximately 100 different children. They have all taught me so many things. They make me laugh, sometimes their situations make me cry. I am so thankful that the Lord blessed me with the talent to teach. I pray I touch my student's lives as much as they touch mine!

This is just a small list of what I'm thankful for. There is so much more. But it's late, and I'm getting tired! We had a great Thanksgiving and are looking forward to Christmas...

I couldn't post without doing a picture or two. Here's a few more fall pictures of the kids....

Go-Go

2009-11-23T22:57:00.001-06:00

Jed and I were on our way Saturday to Destin to do a little Christmas shopping when we got a call that his Go-Go (his Dad's mom) passed away. So, we turned around and headed to Pensacola to visit with family. On our way home, our thoughts turned to Go-Go and her life. Her 84th birthday would have been the first of December. She lived 83 wonderful years. She was married to Pops for 62 years.

Jed and I agreed that if we could use one word to describe Go-Go it would be STRONG. She had such a strong mind and spirit. Her health and body failed her greatly over the past year, but she held strong and fought hard. She suffered a stroke. Here's a picture of her with Caroline in June. This was the first time she met Caroline.

Please keep our family in your prayers, especially Jed's grandad, Pops. He's going to need lots of prayers and support.

One fun weekend....

2009-11-22T22:52:00.000-06:00

Okay, I should have posted this like three weeks ago, but as you can see I've gotten very behind. We had a very busy Halloween weekend. Friday night we had the Church Fall Festival (which I've already posted about), Saturday we did the Halloween thing, and Sunday we went to the Covington County Fair with the cousins.

Saturday, we trick-or-treated at our families homes and then headed to my mom and dad's for our annual Halloween get-together. All of my family comes over and we enjoy good food and good fun.

We always have such a great time. Here's a picture of all of the grandkids together. They all love each other so much! And no, this is not my mom's couch. It's my grandmothers.....

Sunday we went to the fair. We were so worried that none of the children would love it. Well.... We were WRONG!!! They all loved it. Everyone had a blast!!!!!

Caroline loved riding in her stroller, playing with her toys, and looking around at all the people and rides. She was so good. She even took a little nap.

While Caroline was strolling, the other kids were......RIDING!!!! Look at the smile on Connor and Brock's faces. Can't you tell how much fun they had?

The kids rode the rides over and over again, and didn't get tired of them one bit! I think we've found another tradition! We are so blessed that our children have so many cousins their age that they can enjoy life with....

Church Fall Festival

2009-11-10T22:55:00.000-06:00

Every year at church we have a fall festival. We have a costume parade, a meal, games, pony rides, hay rides, and a bonfire. We really enjoy the fellowship with other Christians! Jed and I have been in charge of it for the past three years. It always comes together and is successful because we have so many wonderful people who are able and willing to help!!!

Connor really enjoyed himself this year. Caroline was good, but she had no clue what was going on. As long as we gave her the bottle and her baby food, she was happy!

Connor dressed up as Elmo or Melmo has he calls it. Caroline was a (girl) sock monkey. This costume was actually Connor's from last year. I just couldn't find anything that I loved for her, so at the last minute I decided to just add a bow to the costume. I think she was cute!

Connor was into the games this year. I was able to walk around with him. He even sat still to get his face painted. He got a pumpkin; of course, it was rubbed off within five minutes. But, it was cute! (I don't know what is going on with my pictures. I uploaded some from emails, I guess that's it?!)

After the games, we went down the hill to ride the pony. Connor and Caroline both loved it. She sat up there by herself for pictures and even grabbed the horn on the saddle like she knew what she was doing! Of course, we got plenty of pictures!

We ended the night with a hay ride. It wasn't too cold. Actually, it was very pleasant! Connor loved it. He sat in my lap, and we looked for the moon. It kept going behind the clouds, and he would say "Bye, bye moon". He snuggled with Jed and me. Jed and I ate it up! We both know it won't be long, and Connor will want nothing to do with us....

I'm closing with a few more pictures from our fun night. The one below is of Connor and cousin Brock. Brock was a puppy. He showed up a little late and was unable to be in the costume parade. (that's why Connnor is not in his costume.)

Connor and Bailey posing. Cousin Bailey was Tinker Bell.

I can't help but post another picture of our baby girl.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to post about Halloween. If anyone knows what is going on with my pictures, please let me know!

"Falling" for you.....

2009-11-09T21:30:00.000-06:00

So, as I was editing my three weeks worth of pictues, I realized that Connor turned 22 months on the day that Lauren came over to help me take their fall pictures on the square. So, I'm combining these posts!

Connor Ward means so much to Jed and me. We "fall" more in love with him everyday!!!! He is constantly learning new things (good and bad) everyday; we love to watch him discover.

As I type this, he's sitting in my lap and trying to type on the keyboard. He thinks he's hilarious when I push his hand away. He just giggles and giggles... I could listen to him all day!

His vocabulary is really beginning to develop. He is saying more words everyday. We can better understand him now (most of the time!). Jed is going to have to watch himself, especially during the Alabama games! Connor heard him say "Oh, gosh!" and now it's his favorite phrase!

He also is beginning to recognize places and objects. When we are on the way to my mom and dad's house and pass Mrs. Rose's road, he will say "bye, bye Rose". He will also say Nay Nay and Maw Maw when we pull into their yards. Just this morning, we drove by a truck hauling a green tractor, and Connor started yelling "Tractor, Momma! Tractor!". This afternoon on the way home, we saw a helicopter flying low. Connor saw it out of his window and yelled "Copter, momma. Copter".

Connor has also started trying to help out with his baby sister. If she's in her baby bed and starts to cry, he will find her pacifier or a toy and throw it up into her bed. We're really going to have to watch him with this one!

We've started trying to get him to bow his head when Jed blesses the food. He doesn't have that concept down yet, but he is so cute!! He'll sit quietly and watch Jed and me during the prayer. After we say Amen, he bows his head and says his jiberish. We have no clue what he's saying, but we know the good Lord does!

He's also been doing a great job about going to sleep in his own bed. Lately, he's been telling us he's ready to go nite-nite. We take him and lay him down. He wants his pillow and covers and lays down and goes to sleep. For the last few weeks, he has done this without yelling and screaming!

Connor Ward Blackwell, you mean so much to us and bring us SO MUCH joy!!! You are such a great boy and big brother. Daddy, Caroline, and I love you so much!

*******I couldn't post this without showing you two pictures of Caroline by herself. She wouldn't smile the day we took the pictures. All she wanted to do was stick out her tongue....

I hope to be back tomorrow with church fall festival pictures. Until then.......

Behind....

2009-11-08T16:46:00.000-06:00

I'm so behind on blogging it's not even funny!!! The last three weeks have been absolutely CRAZY!!! Today finshed up the last big event on my calendar that I have to help with, so I plan on spending the next week blogging and enjoying my great family!

I have to go back and blog about Connor turning 22 months, fall pictures, the Church fall festival, and Halloween. I'm sure I'm probably missing something, maybe I can remember everything. Lauren, if you can think of anything I've left out, let me know.

Stay tuned...................

Our Little Pumpkin.......

2009-10-25T20:39:00.000-05:00

is five months old! Time flies by so quickly..... We are enjoying every minute of it!!!

She has discovered her feet and toes. She plays with them, and we've even caught her sucking on her big toe a few times. I know it's gross, but hey, it's an accomplishment!

She's also eating lots and lots of baby food. She has had squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans, english peas, bananas, and peaches. And she loves every bit of it!!! We can't keep it going to her mouth fast enough!

She also picks up toys and grabs for things, especially my earrings, necklace, and watch. She even grabbed and pulled Kade's hair Friday afternoon while he was beside her on the floor.

She loves to laugh at Connor. She's doing it more and more. Thursday afternoon he was talking to her in the backseat, and she just thought he was the funniest thing! It warms my heart for them to love each other so much!!!!! Maybe it will stay this way.....

Happy five months sweet baby girl!!!!

Melmo

2009-10-18T23:23:00.000-05:00

Melmo is actually what Connor calls Elmo. Connor's two Elmo toys are his favorite things to play with right now. They are really the first toys he has become "attached" to. They do everything with him, and he chooses to play with them both while his mommy's favorite TV shows are on! They make the most noise. Jed and I will try to turn them off, but Connor's too smart for that! He quickly turns them right back on.

I took some picutures of him last week with his two Melmos....

Posing with them before bed

This is not a good picture, but I just had to share.

He's giving them night-night kisses.

The next night Connor wanted his Melmos to sit at the table while he ate supper.... So they did. Here they are. I couldn't help but get tickled while we ate, but Connor was so excited.

After we ate, Connor didn't miss a beat. He played with his buddies until it was bath time.

Doesn't Tickle-me-Elmo (the big one) look like he is quietly waiting his turn?

Since Connor loves Elmo so much, Jed and I decided that Elmo would be his birthday theme. He's also going to be Elmo for Halloween. (He may be tired of Elmo by the time his birthday gets here!)

What an afternoon......

2009-10-11T21:12:00.008-05:00

My Meme cooked a wonderful lunch today for my family. Connor and Caroline enjoyed some quality family time with their cousins. Today was Connor's first Sunday eating at the table with the other kids.

Here's a picture of Kade, Connor, Brock, and Bailey eating lunch. Connor and Brock have their shirts off because we were going to take pictures afterwards, and we didn't want them to stain their clothes! Connor is a "messy Marvin" when he eats!

So after we ate, we attempted to take some pictures. We started with a group picture with all five great-grandchildren. I don't have any of these. Lauren took them all because I was busy chasing down children.... We would get everyone in position, and one of the children would take off running (mostly Connor). After we exhausted ourselves with the group shots, we started taking individual pictures.

Cousin Brock smiled for his pictures. He's so cute!

Caroline didn't smile, but she looks like such a big girl sitting up. She's not doing it by herself. Lauren is behind the pumpkin in the corner holding her up....

I didn't get any good individual pictures of Connor. He was in the worst mood ever! He ran, pouted, screamed, and cried... Here's one of him after we caught him and made him sit still. He's sweaty and hot.

Here's Caroline with cousin Bailey.

After the grown-ups got the kitchen cleaned up, they came outside to watch the spectacle. My mom (MawMaw) decided she wanted her picture taken with her three grand-kids. Here's one that truly shows how our afternoon went! Look closely at Connor and Caroline. He's pitching him one, and she's sleeping right through it!

Here's a close up of our sweet Caroline sleeping. I couldn't resist.

After the picture taking failed, we raked up a big pile of leaves and let the children play in them. Connor had a blast! I snapped a few pictures... Notice he enjoys playing with the leaves a whole lot better than posing in pictures for mommy!

Maybe I'll try to retake some fall pictures with Connor and Caroline again this week. It was so crazy I didn't even get to take any in their new Kelly's Kids outfits. Happy Fall everyone!

Movin' on up.......

2009-10-04T15:00:00.008-05:00

Now that Caroline has started eating baby food, I decided that she should sit in the high chair. But, we had a problem... Connor still ate in the high chair. So, I pulled out Connor's booster seat (a shower gift from his baby shower almost two years ago) and put it together.

Here's Connor looking at the box and wondering what in the world I'm doing.

He waited very patiently while I put it together. He was so proud to sit at the table. What a big boy!

He watched from his new seat as I put sister into HIS high chair. Then the tears came. He started yelling, "my chair, my chair!". I wish I had snapped a picture of that.... He was so acting like his daddy!

Here's sister playing with toys in the high chair.

Watching brother pitch his fit. Doesn't she look like she's saying "What's the big deal, Connor?"

Connor eating at the big table with Jed and I. Jed cooked tomato gravy, biscuits, and sausage. We couldn't help but cook one of our favorite cooler weather meals. I love this cool fall weather we've been having!

Later that night while Jed took his shower, Connor climbed into the chair with me while I rocked Caroline to sleep. Jed snapped this picture when he came back into the room....

I had rocked both kids to sleep at the same time. Jed couldn't believe it. Connor has not let us rock him to sleep at all for the last two months.

I was so glad Connor let me rock him. I miss rocking him to sleep every night. He was such a snugly little baby. I miss that.....

Squash and Sweet Potatoes

2009-10-03T12:57:00.007-05:00

For the last week, Caroline has been eating baby food. She first tried it last Saturday, September 26th. There has been so many things happening lately that have been "blog worthy" that I haven't gotten around to posting this important event! But here she is first tasting butternut squash......

Daddy gave her the first bite while mommy took pictures.

"I don't like this. I want my bottle back!"

We moved her to the bouncey seat because she kept falling forward. She ate better in it.

Mommy decided to feed her a little while...

Caroline after it was all over. Isn't she cute? I forgot what a mess baby food can be....Like most babies, she has the tongue thing going on and spits out more than she takes in! She also kept grabbing the spoon and putting her hands in her mouth, which really makes feeding her difficult!!!

Today we started sweet potatoes. She seemed to like them a little better than the squash. She ate over half the jar.

Both children are down for their naps. Jed and I are enjoying some quiet time. He's watching Bama football, and I'm blogging and washing clothes. Happy Saturday!!!

21 is a lot of fun!

2009-09-29T19:46:00.006-05:00

Our Connor man turned 21 months yesterday! I know I keep saying this, but I just can't believe it! Where is the time going? Isn't there a song named "Don't blink...."? I guess I blinked....

Connor has grown so much lately.... He is a total DADDY'S boy! Wherever his daddy goes, he thinks he needs to be there also. Jed can't even take a shower without Connor standing at the door screaming for him. He's sleeping in a big boy bed at daycare, but refuses to sleep in his own bed at home. He sleeps right in the middle of Jed and me. He will decide he's sleepy, go get in the bed, and go to sleep; he just won't do that in his own bed! We've really got to start working on that!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, he absolutely loves Caroline! We have truly been blessed in that aspect. We were so worried about how he would handle it (having a little sister so close to him in age), but he's been a trooper! He also loves his cousin Kade. When Kade holds him, he puts his head on his shoulder. It's the cutest thing! He also can point to his ears, nose, eyes, hair, mouth, teeth, and toes. He calls every animal a puppy. He loves to ride in his wagon, swing, and "mow the grass" with his mini lawn mower. He loves playing with spoons and bowls, sweeping, and mopping. He also loves to run away from Jed and me, which is what he did Sunday when I tried to take his picture!

Some of his favorite phrases and words:

thank you
off
light
Bible
sister
Turn it off.
Shhhh
Hush, puppies! (when they bark)
Give me a bite.
No, No sister.
Nonner (his version of Connor)
Night, night.
Huh? (He says this Jed and I tell him anything. He acts as though he can't hear a word we say!)

Connor you are an absolute joy, a wonderful blessing from the Lord! We are so thankful the Lord chose us to be your parents!

Four months already?

2009-09-25T22:31:00.011-05:00

We can't believe our baby girl is four months old.....

It seems like just yesterday, our little angel was born.

She is growing so fast! She went for her well check-up today. Dr. E said she is a growing and healthy little girl. She weighed 13 pounds 4 ounces and was 24 1/4 inches long. He also said her teeth are "moving", and we will probably see some very soon. (That explains all of the drooling she's been doing lately!)

Here are some things she can do:

laughs out loud at big brother
follows objects with her eyes (especially Connor when he walks by)
makes "motor" sounds with her mouth and blows bubbles
rolls over from her stomach to her back
has awesome head control
squeals at children at daycare when they walk by
sits in her Bumbo seat
holds a rabbit rattle (it's her favorite toy right now)
continues to sleep through the night (makes mommy SO HAPPY!!)
takes rice ceral in a feeder at lunch and before bed
wears 0-3 month and 3 month clothes (0-3 sizes are getting a little tight)
wears size 2 diapers

Jed and I call her chunky monkey, baby girl, and sweet Caroline. We always seem to break into song at least three times a day or more.... Sweet Caroline. Connor calls her sister, sister. He absolutely loves her. If she's in the floor, he has to lay in the floor. If she's in the recliner, he has to sit beside her in the recliner. I actually captured a few pictures recently of him beside her and of him giving her "sugar".

We love you baby girl and thank God for you everyday!

A New Look......

2009-09-20T20:16:00.003-05:00

Thank you so much Shae for giving our blog a new design! You have worked so hard and put up with all of my requests! According to Jed, that's a job in itself!

We've had a great weekend. We got to spend Friday and Saturday at home. That rarely happens around here! But when it does, we thoroughly enjoy it!!!! Caroline turned four months old Saturday! Our little baby is growing up so fast. Today was my mom's birthday. We enjoyed the day with her and the rest of my family. Happy Birthday Mother!

Lions, Tigers, and Bears.......

2009-09-15T20:49:00.010-05:00

This past Sunday, Jed, Connor, Caroline, and I went to McClellend's Critters with my mother-in-law and father-in-law. It is located in Banks, Alabama (way out in the woods).

They have lots of critters including bears, lions, tigers, monkeys, snakes, birds, goats, horses, deer, etc. You can see most of the animals you would see at the Montgomery Zoo. Mr. Mike gives you a tour, and the animals show you tricks that they've learned. Each of the animals have cute names, and Mr. Mike can call each one by name. Very impressive! They even have a picnic area with tables and swings. We had a bucket of food and were able to feed the animals (most of them). I got a huge kick out of the billy goats. They fought over the food. I felt so sorry for this one black goat because the male would not let her eat. I finally was able to sneak her some food. Jed and I loved to feed the animals just as much as Connor did.

This monkey loved Diet Cokes and marshmallows! Here he is drinking and relaxing.

Connor checking out Bucky, the baby deer. He was so cute. They let you go into the pen with him. They even let him out so Connor could get a better look at him. As you can see, Connor was very intrigued by him. He kept calling him puppy. To Connor, every animal is a puppy!

Connor called these precious baby goats puppies, too. They would come up to Connor and Caroline and lick the stroller. Connor would say, "No, No puppies. No No". It was so cute!

Here's a tiger and a bear doing their tricks. The tiger would stand on two legs for a piece of chicken. Look at how tall he is! He's so much taller than Mr. Mike! It looks like Mr. Mike and the bear are kissing, but they're not! Mr. Mike would put a marshmallow in his mouth and lean up to the fence. The bear would take it out of his mouth! Mr. Mike is a very brave man, maybe even a little crazy, too!

Jed, Connor, and Dan, my father-in-law, were very brave also... Jed held three snakes. He started out with the little red snake that 's crawling on Connor's stroller. Look at how interested Connor is in the snake. I couldn't believe it, especially since he is so afraid of bugs. He won't even touch them, but yet he lets a snake get that close to him and doesn't even flinch! Amazing!!

Jed held the snake by himself first, and then Dan stepped in for a picture. I was a chicken and would not even touch the snakes. They gave me the creeps! I even get goose pumps just thinking about them now!!!

We had a great time! I would love to go back, take a picnic lunch and spend the day. I have a nephew and some cousins that I'm sure would love to go! Thanks for the fun day Nay-Nay and Pop Pop!

Labor Day---A Day of Firsts

2009-09-08T23:11:00.011-05:00

We enjoyed a great Labor Day holiday. Both Jed and I really enjoyed being away from work and spending time at home with the kids. We cooked out at Nay-Nay's house (Jed's mom). I absolutely love it when we "get together" with our families! Both Connor and Caroline did something for the first time........

Connor jumped off the diving board! He has hated the pool all year. Instead of swimming, he would rather be playing on the tractor or with the water hose. He saw his Uncle Kyle jump off of the diving board, thought it was fun, started running towards it, climbed on, and jumped off into Jed's arms. I couldn't believe my eyes! Of course, I had to get my camera, but he jumped so fast I missed the first jump. These pictures are of some of his later jumps. He probably jumped off about five times!

Connor playing on the tractor before he realized he liked to jump off of the diving board.

Thinking about it......

Maybe not.... I'll leave that up to the big guys!

Jumping with cousin Kade's help.

I absolutely love the expression on his face in the next picture! I think he had had enough by this time.

Now, on to Caroline's first...... She held her bottle for the first time. I'm not really sure she new what she was doing or if Uncle Kenny positioned her hands on the bottle, but she held it for a while (long enough for the shocked mom to take tons of pictures!). I don't think Connor held his so soon. I've got to get out his book and see.

My big girl (who loves to eat)

Looking for the camera... She knows mommy loves to take pictures!

I absolutely love being a mommy to my two great kids! I thank the Lord everyday for them. They never cease to amaze me!!!!!!!!!

Caroline's 3 month pictures

2009-09-06T22:16:00.000-05:00

Caroline had her three-month pictures taken last Saturday. Here's one of my favorites. Heather with Newman's Photography took them. She always does an excellent job. Both Connor and Caroline always seem to be in a bad mood during the photoshoot, but somehow Heather always seems to get some great shots! Go to the following link to look at Caroline's pictures. I think they are so cute, but I'm also a little biased!

http://heathernewmanphotography.blogspot.com/2009/09/caroline-skipper.html

Hello Blog World and Bama Football

2009-09-05T12:11:00.000-05:00

Well, it's official..... I'm now a blogger! I've been thinking about doing this for some time now and recently bit the bullet. I think it will be fun documenting our CRAZY life. Life is crazy with two children--both under the age of two, you know!

Besides today being the first time I've posted a blog, it's also the first day of BAMA football. GO BAMA!!!!! That's a huge thing in my house. If you don't know my husband, he's a MAJOR Alabama football fan. For the next few months, our life will revolve around Saturday games. I took a few pictures this morning of my family before we started the day...

Jed and Connor going to the store to get the stuff for our game day chili. We have to cook it...It's a game day tradition in our house!

"Little Sister" wearing Connor's Bama t-shirt and her cute football bow.

Connor sporting his jersey and hat.

Today is also special because it's my Daddy's birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY from all of us!