Fun things about the weekend...solitary event edition :)

Our weekend at home was wonderful - we ate good, we relaxed, we laughed and we stayed inside as much as possible!

But the BIG EVENT of the weekend was John's transition to his new room! We thought we'd just start w.a nap on Saturday, see how things went - when I couldn't take it anymore & checked on him 2 hours and some into the nap, he was just sitting on his bed & turned & grinned at me. Only to be topped when Sunday morning, at 2nd check at 7am (1st was at 6am cause Mama & Deddy were anxious), our lil' dinosaur was sitting on the bed again & he looked up at his 2 goofy & excited parents and said, "I get up?".

Mush, he made us absolute mush this weekend. We were mush as we stood in the "baby's room" and cried after putting him down for his nap on Saturday and we were mush again as we tip-toed down the hall for the umpteenth time for a peek at our big boy stretched across his new bed - sleeping ever so peacefully! Not that we needed further reason to be mush over this awesome lil' boy that we get to call our son - this weekend definitely tipped the scale :)

Disclaimer: we realize there could be a digression at ANY MOMENT, but for now we're relishing that John has embraced his big boy room & loves to run in there any chance he gets! We're relishing that our walk to his room has been cut in half - that his sweet dreams are happening that much closer to us. We're relishing that the other small changes that are a result of this bigger transition - like the "space" (where toys, books, clothes once were) that now sits empty waiting to be filled by yet another lil' angel that will bless our home & our lives.

The face of Sunday morning Sunshine (bed head & all)



Not moving mountains but feeling the weight of great things nonetheless...

Happy Friday from a Doodlebug...

Hope everyone's had a good week & surviving this heat :)

I've had a really good week - been sleeping good, eating good, being a ham - making Mama & Deddy smile till their faces hurt! Mama bought me a new movie the other day - Charlotte's Web. We all love it - it's funny & there are a TON of animals in it.

We had a visit from Mama & Deddy's good friend Allison when we got back on Sunday. She lives far away and works in a big city, so we felt extra special that she came all the way out to see us when she was here. And even though Mama told her not to, as always, she came bearing "gifts" - a birthday gift for me, a bouquet of flowers for Mama & a case of Bud Light for Deddy! We had such a nice visit & hope that she comes back to see us soon.

I moved up to the Doodlebugs this week - 2 year old class! Here's my sheet from my 2nd day:

For whatever reason, I am suddenly eating vegetables again which pleases Mama & Deddy very much. Maybe its because I'm a big 2 year old now!

Since I was out Friday, Deddy didn't get my Father's Day project till Monday. He & Mama think its about the sweetest thing they've ever seen:


Mama went to dinner w.her good friend Kimberly last night & came home bearing gifts! "Aunt" Kimberly got me an awesome dinosaur lunch box/possible carrying case for now & a cool card w.some monkeys on it. Oh, and she also got me a porch chair from Big Lots (Mama's favorite) that's neat too - I've already tried it out & it sits pretty good! She also got baby Ella some stuff too - all girly w.pink, green, ribbons & dots...Mama was pretty googly over it. She even had Ella's name put on some of it...she & Deddy were doing a lot of oohing & aahing :)

We're so glad its Friday & are looking forward to a weekend at home together. We may even go "wimmin" if the mood hits us right. After so much heat this week, we may decide to just stay in & enjoy the cool bought air :)

I may or may not be napping in my big boy room this weekend, hopefully Mama will check in next week w.some updates. Have a great weekend ~ be cool!

Love & dinosaur growls ~ John Tyson

All About Baby...week 23

I've been berating myself that these "All About Baby" posts have been so, well, non-existent :( Every time something "new & exciting" happens in baby world - the real world (i.e. John, Seth, work, the house, a squirrel on the bird feeder) here on the outside sends a distraction my way. Which is not hard since I can go from one end of the house to the other 4 times before remembering what I ever set out looking to do in the 1st place! Here I go getting distracted just talking about distractions :) Well, there were only about 4 hours between the last sentence & this one, so here goes (you see what I'm talking about)...

We went to the dr. yesterday. I was anxious to give them my "sample" - Ella's sitting pretty low, so the pee-meter runs high these days (only to get higher I'm sure). Checked the weight - still doing good w.that. I have a goal this time around & it doesn't involve indulging or laying around (as if that's an option) like I did w.John. I was so proud of my weight gain that when I got back to work I treated myself to this new truffle butterfinger thingy (nothing special) and 1/2 a bag of peanut M&Ms :)

Seemingly normal as of late, we waited too long for the dr, but were thankful there were only a couple of questions & she got right down to business. Said Ella measured right where she should & we loved hearing the thump of her lil' heartbeat <3. I believe it was 152 this time. She kicked right when the doc was checking her heartbeat - the dr. asked if I felt it. "Oh yeah" was my response - I feel all of her lil' movements. She's very active, especially during the day - lunch time is usually when she kicks things off! As I'm typing, she's "boopin" me on my right side...she's in the same spot John always was - boopin' away. Praise the Lord that she's about 3 in. lower than he was - my ribs are so grateful!

Seth felt her for the 1st time in late May - he's felt her a few times since. The first time he felt her was awesome, she "booped" and he looked up at me w.those excited, smiling eyes - made me want to cry. My mom felt her this past weekend - its great to be able to share that. We've really enjoyed trying to get John excited about baby Ella :). I wish I could write how cute he sounds when we say, "Who's in Mama's tummy?" & he responds w. "Babiii". After some coaching when we ask "baby who" and he says "baby Ehhh" - so very heartwarming.

This weekend may mark the 1st of room transitions. We may shoot for a nap in the "big boy" room. Though bittersweet (more so than I can likely articulate), I'm tickled (severely overusing that emotion word these days) to start transforming the nursery. I already have lots of things for Ella's room & I never knew how much I really loved pink till I had a reason to buy some! I am so anxious to see her room put together - to create a space for her. While "working from home" last week, I found some moments here in there to be crafty. I painted her name letters for her wall & fixed a very sweet lampshade (w.ribbon/bows) for the changing table light. I'm partial, but I think they're precious & will post pictures when they're finally up.

I've told this to several people but I was 'tickled' that I got the bedding/accessories I wanted for her room. Lucky for me, I had saved the link of stuff I had picked out the day before we went for the ultrasound to learn John was not going to be the little girl I thought I was having.

So, I went back to that link a few weeks ago - lo & behold, not only could I not buy the pieces I wanted to buy, but it was no longer even made :( Not quickly discouraged, I contacted the manufacturer directly (via email) and within the hour someone emailed me back w.the name of an online retailer that may have still had some pieces left. So I contacted them, expressing my "urgency" and within minutes someone emailed me back & in a matter of about 30 min. - she added the items I requested online for me to purchase, I bought them & now they're waiting in the linen closet to be put up!! A little preview...from an online pic of the "Beach Cottage" line:

For Ella's room - I got the bedskirt, the diaper stacker, the window valance, the mobile & a pink sheet. It all goes well w.the yellow that's currently in that room, the glider cushions and the cubby shelves (w.the blue & green). As I said, pretty excited to see it all come together!

My next dr. appt. is July 19th & its the long one - glucose screening, blahhhhh :( Praying that it will just be a matter of drinking the yucky & them saying I'm fine. Amazingly enough, yesterday's appt was not even on our "radar". Didn't even remember I had it till I had a thought yesterday morning that there may be something on the calendar for the 21st. Spent days beforehand being anxious for John's pre-natal visits & having a hard time remembering these. A blessing in disguise though - there's no time to sit & worry or feel anxious this time around. Adding to my peace of mind & as I told Seth last night, I know this lil' girl is just a growing inside me & I have no doubt about it. After laying down for a few minutes last night and laughing at what felt like somersaults being turned in my tummy - Ella's gonna be something else, no doubt about it. I sure don't remember John being this active.

And in case you missed it (been sorta slack on these too), here's the most recent belly pic, taken at 21 weeks:


I'm sure I've "popped out" even more since this, I certainly feel like I have, but I know there's plenty of growing left to do!

We celebrated John's 2nd birthday this weekend & I left around lunch on Friday to get us home to Winston. It was just me & him & as we crossed over Jordan Lake, sun shining bright, I found myself a little overwhelmed thinking about my many blessings. Looking in the backseat at my sweet, sleeping boy (that lip pout when he's sleeping is hard not to reach back and kiss) and feeling blessed to celebrate another year of his life made my heart so full. Add to that, Ella was boopin' around at the same time & I thought, "man, life sure is sweet - got my 2 babies right here". I've got one to look at, hold & adore & I've got another to dream about, feel growing inside me & know that we're going to love just as much.

Then, I thought about the other reason this weekend was special ~ Father's Day. I have Seth who is an amazing husband, and an even more amazing father - I can't do justice to how wonderful a man I am blessed to be married to. Then I thought about my own dad & how fortunate I am to still have him here with me. I can't imagine this world without him and I feel thankful for the many blessings his presence brings to our family. He's one of a kind, can drive me crazy and a chip off the old block if there ever was one - but I couldn't love him more if I tried. And to see the way John adores him, well, I'm gonna need a tissue if I try to explain how full that makes my heart. And then I thought about all the other "fathers" I'm blessed with. I still have my Pappaw, I have another Pappaw in Seth's grandpa, I have a wonderful father & step-father in-law...more earthly "fathers" than I sometimes feel I deserve! As if I needed proof of how much my heavenly Father loves me - these abounding blessings are wonderful assurance...

Well, maybe it won't be so long before I write again - this lil' blog's certainly found its way to the bottom of the totem pole. But we're doing great, taking it one day at a time and soaking up the joys as best we can. We hope everyone's surviving the heat & having a happy & healthy summer thus far.

Please keep baby Ella in your prayers - pray that she continues to thrive, grow and delight from the inside out :) Also, keep our dear friends Chris & Erika close in prayer too - Baby Clark is about 10 weeks behind Ella! As 2 of our best friends, we couldn't be more TICKLED that Ella will inevitably be getting a lifelong friend just as we have in Chris & Erika. Bless both these babies and the families that are anxiously waiting to meet them!

I'm 2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We've been working on saying this all week...

Sometimes it's said w.a handful of fingers thrust in the air, sometimes it's said w.a question mark on the end and sometimes it leads to "I'm 1", I'm 3" or "Nooooo."

We couldn't be more excited, proud or full of joy than we are - our lil' blessing continues to grow and amaze us! Hard to believe I was finally gonna get to start pushing about this time 2 years ago. Standing beside John this morning as we waved bye to Deddy in his "big truck", John saying "lub u deddy!", we're still nothing short of amazed at how this lil' life has completely turned our world on its ear every since they 1st placed his sweet lil' body in my arms. We never knew how blessed life could really be till John.

Happy Birthday buddy - you have our hearts (swelling daily) & we're so thankful you're our son!

Love ~ Mama & Deddy

Happy Friday...

Couple quick things...



feelin’ my lil’ wildflower’s 1st hiccups as I type - as the tears fill my eyes, I am fondly reminded of what sunshine from the inside feels like…



with this much sunshine already in my arms - it hardly seems fair :)

Counting blessings this morning - God is so good...

Have a blessed weekend!

Fun things about the weekend...Memorial Weekend edition

TGIF & it's gonna be a LONG weekend smiles



Back-porch dinners ~ cheeseburger grins



"Rescuing" Sam the turtle ~ at his pace & being middle of the roadish - not headed for a happy ending



Setting Sam free in a more peaceful setting



Porch swinging ~ sharin' chilly willys ~ evening sunshine ~ Mama's lovin'



Coloring at my new table (also a good hiding place!) ~ thanks Nana & Pappaw!



Goin' to our new pool w.Mama & Deddy ~ BASKETBALL, my fave!



Sugars for ALL my boo-boos (there are A LOT)



Playin' in the ol' wading pool ~ rockin' t-shirt, diaper & Spidey water shoes



A weekend full of things to smile about :)



Hope everyone had a blessed Memorial Day...Love, Us

The greatest glory of a free-born people is to transmit that freedom to their children. -William Havard