19 Months

WOW! I can't believe we are 5 months away from having a two year old, yes that's how I look at it. I can't believe how fast it's going.

Bo doesn't have a check up again until he's 2, but we were a little late with his 18 month appointment so from two weeks ago he weighed almost 29 pounds nad was 33 1/4 in long. 90% for height, are we surprised? No...he's obviously taking after his daddy!

He still isn't talking as much as they would like, but his coordination is off the charts. He can kick and maneuver a ball around furniture to kick it to you, his throwing is amazing, and running...sometimes I think we may have a track star! He might not say words, but he "talks" ALL day long. Most pediatricians will tell you that they focus on one or the other, he clearly decided to focus on developing his athletic skills as daddy likes to say. I feel like once he starts Mother's Morning Out in a few weeks that he'll begin to pick up more words.

He's a very busy little guy. He loves to play chase, especially when trying to get out the door. He will run and hide which he thinks is hysterical. It's cute except we're usually trying to get somewhere by a certain time and I always forget to build in "chase" time. He also loves to play hard to get in the crib. In the mornings or after his naps he makes you chase him in the crib to get him, again he thinks it's so funny!

He loves to help load and unload the dishwasher. We're still into Cars...if we turn the tv on he instantly starts making his car sounds and if there is Lightening McQueen anywhere he has to have it! He actually takes time now to "read" a book. He'll sit on the floor and when he turns the page you hear "ba ba ba da mamama" turn the page "ba ba ba da mamama" and so on. He keeps me on the go for sure. He's not one to just hang out in the house...we have to be going and doing all the time! Still loves being outside he'd stay out there all day if I'd let him, he cries almost every time we bring him in. He and I go to the park just about every day sometimes twice a day to get him outside.

We've entered the terrible twos for sure, but I keep reminding myself that "this too shall pass". Lately it seems like everything and I'm talking everything is a battle with him!!! It's absolutely draining and there are many days I think I'm not going to make it, but even on the most trying days I can go in and rock him to sleep and have him look up at me with those big blue eyes and I just melt and am reminded of why I do what I do every day. It's not easy, but man it's amazing!
playing in his tent! I've been trying to find one for him because to play in "forts" one day I passed by a house having a garage sale and saw it in their yard. I turned around saw it was $5, had the girl hold it because I had given Jarrod my last $5 that morning, went to an atm, and came back to get it. The things we do to make them happy! He loves it and this is usually where he runs to when I'm trying to get out the door!His other "fort" aka-boxes we still haven't unpacked!!! Don't you love the "FRAGILE" written all over the one on the right! As we let him climb all over it! He also loves to play in the drapes left by the previous homeowner so I don't really care.

Should I unload the steak knives or dinner knives first??

A Legend

Hours of waiting, extreme temperatures, 40,000 people, a massive downpour, and a Legend!!! That was our Saturday!

For as long as I can remember I have always said if there was one person I could see in concert it would be Paul McCartney. Maybe it's because I grew up knowing how my mother idolized the Beatles, maybe it's because the Beatles created some of the most amazing music using sound effects and instruments that were unconventional for rock music at that time, maybe it was seeing someone who had such an immense impact on American culture at the time with their looks, fashion, sound, and lyrics. Whatever the reason I have always loved the Beatles and Paul McCartney.

Saturday morning we woke up ready to tackle it all. Around noon we dropped Bo off at my Aunt Amy and Uncle David's who offered to keep Bo so Jarrod and I could go see Paul McCartney. A HUGE thank you to them! We headed to the MARTA station (the Atlanta train which runs through downtown, we weren't going to even attempt parking). After we arrived in Midtown around 1pm we were going to just go "check things out" to see what the crowds were beginning to look like and then go get some lunch because gates weren't schedule to open until 5pm. As soon as we walked up we new food was out of the question, we better get in line ASAP!! It was almost as if all 40,000 people showed up at once. So we found a place in line, I put out our blanket, and Jarrod went to go find lunch!

Sitting in line was actually fun. We met a lot of people. It was such a diverse group of people...young, old, middle age, from the north, south, east, and west! There was a Beatle wanna-be who sat out and played music for everyone. People were sharing food and bottled water because it was so extremely hot. The rumor was that the concert officials had decided to open the gates at 4pm due to the large crowd (apparently they didn't expect so many people to come early), I had to laugh...it's general admission, 40,000 people, for Paul McCartney what rock were these people living under!!!

4pm came and it was like the Atlanta Gold Rush...thousands of people just herding through the gates as fast as the could to claim their spot as close to the stage as possible. I've never seen anything like it before in my life. I have to say we actually ended up with a really great seat! So what did we do from 4pm to 7:30pm? Wait, wait, and wait and drank LOTS of water!!! It was so hot but you couldn't leave your spot or it would be gone so Jarrod and I would take turns going to get food and water. We made a lot of friends, everyone was so friendly. We ended up behind a couple who were there for their anniversary and it turned out the wife had gone to Woodstock, which this weekend was the 40th anniversary. It was so cool talking to her about it, we'll never be able to understand what an amazing experience it was for people who were there.

Finally at 7:00 the opening act came on and they played about an hour. As soon as they were done we looked up and saw horrible storm clouds rolling in! At around 8:30 Paul McCartney took the stage opening up with "Drive My Car". As soon as he finished here came the rain!!!! People were trying to get under their blankets, but eventually it was useless and everyone started singing and dancing in the rain, who cared we were seeing Paul McCartney. Guess it turned out to be a little like Woodstock :) The rain did eventually quit, thank goodness!

He performed for an entire 3 hours, without a break!!! He also knew what people wanted to hear, I would say 95% of his songs were Beatles hits, with a few Wings hits, and some of his new songs. For the most part we sang along to Hey Jude (which by the way I called my mother in the middle of because I knew she loved it...mom you better feel pretty darn special), Let It Be, Drive My Car, Eleanor Rigby, Paperback Writer, I Saw Her Standing There, Yesterday, Live and Let Die, Get Back, the list goes on and on. He also had tributes to George Harrison, by playing "Something" on a ukulele that George had given him and by singing "Give Peace A Chance" in honor of John Lennon. He also sang "Here Today" which he wrote for John Lennon after he died.

After the show Jarrod and I, along with thousands of soaking wet concert goers, headed back to MARTA, it took an hour just to go a few blocks to the train station. We finally made it back home and into bed by 2am. We were exhausted, but it was worth every single second and I would do it all over again tomorrow!

What do you do when you have to wait for 4 hours...play with Jarrod's phone and practice taking pictures of yourself!

This was soon after the gates opened, you should have seen it at concert time!

The stage was amazing and it was no problem to see him.

Southern Life

A poem from Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia by Patricia Neely-Dorsey

SOUTHERN LIFE

If you want a glimpse of Southern life,

Come close and walk with me;

I'll tell you all the simple things,

That you are sure to see.

You'll see mockingbirds and bumblebees,

Magnolia blossoms and dogwood trees,

Caterpillars on the step,

Wooden porches cleanly swept;

Watermelons on the vine,

Strong majestic Georgia pines;

Rocking chairs and front yard swings,

Junebugs flying on a string;

Turnip greens and hot cornbread,

Coleslaw and barbecue;

Fried okra, fried corn, fried green tomatoes,

Fried pies and pickles too.

There's ice cold tea that's syrupy sweet,

And cool, green grass beneath your feet;

Catfish nipping in the lake,

And fresh young boys on the make.

You'll see all these things

And much, much more,

In a way of life that I adore.

Convenience

So today at church we started a new series on "Convenience". The message today was the first of the series so our Pastor started things off with today's world and convenience. We all want convenience in every possible aspect of our life...I'll be the first to say I totally fall in that category. But what we don't even realize is how self absorbed we become with convenice.

He told a story about leaving a $100 tip to a waitress (I won't tell the story), but his example was the waitress could have settled for the $5 tip or gone the extra mile and been "inconvenienced" to earn the $100 tip. How many of us settle for the $5 relationships, marriages, and spiritual life because we don't want to be inconvenienced? Following Jesus is often inconvenient, but everything you want falls in that inconcenience.

He showed a video clip of a comedian on Conan O'Brien which I thought was so true and hysterical!!! He says "Everything is amazing right now and nobody is happy." hmmm makes you think! I just thought it was great and wanted to share! ****Make sure to turn off the music at the bottom of the page.

More Family Fun

Saturday was another day filled with "family fun"! With Jarrod working so much lately the rules are 1-He can work from home at night after Bo goes to bed and 2-We get at least one FULL day on the weekends for family time. Saturdays are our day. Sundays after church and lunch Jarrod usually goes right to work, granted he's home, but can't be bothered!

We woke up yesterday morning and headed to the park for a walk/run (daddy ran while I walked with Bo). The pictures below of the trail are more for my parents. I've been telling them about this great park that Bo and I go to every morning and walk. It's so quiet and peaceful a great way to start the morning! And it's a pretty challenging walk, full of hills! After our walk we headed over to feed the ducks and then off to the playground for Bo to burn off some energy. So much for that idea since he headed straight to the swings and screamed every time we tried to take him out. While he was swinging a precious 23 month old little girl named Sydney came over. When she started swinging they both started laughing so hard. Her mom said "this is when I need my video camera" isn't that the truth! I wish you could have seen him flirting and showing out. Of course it all stopped once Sydney got off the swings and went to play!

Watching the ducks.

The toddler part of the playground

Bo and Sydney (she was the most precious little girl)

LAUGHING & SQUEALING!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After the park we headed to chick-fil-a for lunch. One of our favorite places! It's the only fast food I'll let Bo eat. Although he was more interested in mommy's salad than his chicken nuggets...go figure! We learned the hard way not to sit facing the play area because all he wanted to do was get down and go play. Eventually we let him and he had a blast!

Laughing at a little boy playing with him on the slide.

Doesn't he look like such a "little boy" here...he's not a baby anymore.

Saturday night we cooked out and had a family dinner. Bo loved his turkey burger and sweet potatoe fries! Of course we totally ruined his good dinner with ice cream for dessert. Those of you who know me know I NEVER let Bo have sweets...he's only had ice cream maybe once or twice his entire life. No candy, sweets, fried foods, etc.... I know I'm not a fun mom, but he'll have plenty of time for that in a few years. However, I decided since Saturday was such a fun day he should end it on a fun note. of course he loved it!!

The Coffee Mom's Devotional

So I have to talk about this new devotional I've started...if you are a mom...especially a new mom who as we all know...we're totally clueless about what we're doing. Trying to figure it all out, running on empty trying to get it all done...then this is for you! Oh, and of course you have to love (require) coffee every day!

Before Bo I always enjoyed coffee in the mornings and sometimes after dinner, especially with dessert, but I didn't "need" it all day. Now...I HAVE TO HAVE coffee to survive! Every morning I stumble to the coffee pot for my wake up call, hoping and praying it will open my eyes for me. By 3pm...time for more! If I'm home I'll make a pot, if I'm out, Starbucks here we come! Grande, fat-free, sugar-free vanilla latte, usually with an extra shot! Yep, that's how I'm surviving the toddler world! Because let's face it...toddlers don't need coffee. I've come to the conclusion that toddlers come equipped with a caffeine fairy that goes into their rooms at night and pumps them full of the stuff so by morning...WOO HOO LET'S GOOOOOOOOOO!!!! How else would they possibly have the energy they do?

Going from corporate America where I was always "on top of it" every little detail, everything organized, professional, well dressed, daily schedule, etc...to a stay at home mom...I think people keep the details of a stay at home mom's day a secret because otherwise we'd have no stay at home moms. At least when I worked I could recruit Jarrod's help on cleaning, laundry, if we ate Lean cuisines for dinner it was fine, because we were both working. Now...it's all on mommy and today's world puts so much pressure on mom's to "get it all done" and do it perfect! I need to cook dinner and finish laundry, but then there's no time to take Bo to the park...no running and playing. I could do it during nap time, but then guess who doesn't get to sit down and rest for a minute! Oh yea, and what about exercise? Hmmm, showering? Nope...when daddy gets home and can take him for a few minutes, that's about it! And when I do get "down time" my head is racing with all the things I need to do, grocery lists, returning phone calls, emails, etc...

I love being a SAHM (stay at home mom), but I went from being able to schedule my day, have it all laid out nice and neat on my calender to...total chaos! You go from one corporate title to...wife, mother, teacher, cheerleader, maid, nurse, CFO, personal shopper, landscaper, interior designer, psychologist, counselor, chauffeur...the list goes on and on. SAHMs handle everything from food to finances! So when exactly do we get time for ourselves? Again, I absolutely LOVE being home with Bo and I realize I am unbelievably blessed beyond measure, to be able to stay with him every day, there are so many working moms out there and that's a whole other post....NO IDEA how you do it! I just with there was something out there that laid it all out for you..."Here's how your day should go to get it all done..." I have yet to find this, if you know of this will you please forward it on to me.

This devotion helps in letting us mommys know we aren't alone on this crazy, wild, unorganized journey! It is a reminder that whether you prefer coffee, diet soda, etc...there is Someone better to quench our thirst, Someone who can give us a much better of a pick-me-up on the days where we feel like we have no more to give! There's always going to be the pressure to do everything perfect...have a clean house, delicious dinner, 3.5 hours of quality time with your child every day, exercise, be dressed and ready to conquer the world, etc... But I have to remind myself every day about what's important...he won't be a toddler forever and by the time I do have everything perfect he'll be too old to play with mommy or even want to be around me. So I need to step back, relax, and enjoy these moments! Every mom should read this...

Going to the Chapel

This past weekend we went to MS for my brother's engagement party. We had a great time even though this was the quickest trip I've ever made home. We got in Friday around 5:30 and left Sunday morning at 10am! Too short for me!

The party was a hit, even though we were caught in the middle of horrible storms! Oh and speaking of hits...Bo was definitely the hit of the party. He flirted with every girl there, regardless of age, ran around playing, and showed out like I've never seen before. At one point he was falling down on the outside deck and landing in puddles of water, just cracking himself up. He was having fun and that's what the party was all about so I just let him enjoy himself. Needless to say his outfit went right into the wash as soon as we got home and it actually came clean, I was shocked!

I still can't believe my baby brother is getting married. We're just so excited that he has found such a wonderful woman to marry.

Bride and Groom!

Falling in the water to show out!