Happy Birthday MawMaw!

We love you to pieces!



Luke: 11 Months

Luke, you are eleven months old!

Wow...that's all I can say without getting teary-eyed!

Here's what you're up to these days...

• You weigh 23lbs. (up 15lbs. 10oz. since birth and 7oz. since last month), and you are 30.5 inches long (up 10.5 inches since birth and 1 inch since last month). I think your weight gain is slowing down!
• You are wearing mostly 9-12 month clothes, with some 6-9 and 12-18 mixed in and size 4 diapers.

• The school year has put a cramp in your sleeping style. You are still a GREAT sleeper, but your schedule has changed. You don't nap at daycare as wonderfully as you do at home, so on the days you're at daycare you are usually out like a light by 6:30PM, and I have to wake you up at 6:30AM to load you up (in your pajamas, of course:)! On the weekends you sleep until 8 or 9AM and take a short nap in the morning and a long nap in the afternoon! =)

 (You're ready for your 2nd football season...4 days and counting:)

• You usually drink 16-20oz. of milk each day in 4oz. increments.
• I'm proud to announce that you're drinking that milk from a CUP! You haven't had a bottle in 3 weeks! I've already packed them up.
• I keep saying milk, but in actuality it is formula you are drinking. However, I started transitioning you to whole milk yesterday. So far, so good!
• You have also started liking juice, but only if it's VERY diluted with water.
• You are still eating baby food, but you are also eating lots of different table foods. Your most recent faves are spaghetti, rice, peas, lunch meat turkey, and cheese! You LOVE feeding yourself, so I try to let you do that as much as possible.

• You are no longer taking daily breathing treatments!
• You are all over the place! You haven't started walking, but you're pulling up on everything. You have even started standing unassisted for a few (maybe 10?) seconds at a time.
• You will still play in your pack n' play, but you would much rather be playing in Sissy's toys, Mama's cabinets, or your drawers. (*Note: We've got to get you some "boy toys" for your birthday:)

(Gotta love that diaper...)

• You have started clapping and waving on demand.
• You have added another "word" to your vocabulary...Sissy! Although I'm disappointed it isn't Mama, it is absolutely the sweetest thing to see you reach out for her and say "Sissy"...melt.my.heart.!

• Your tooth count has reached 7!
• Your sweetness count has reached 1,000,000,007!



Go Aggies!

We attended the Aggies' final jamboree last night. I'm sure we'll be attending a lot of Friday night ballgames this year, as this era is coming to an end. I'm excited about the new school, and I'm happy that my children will have the benefits that come with it...but it is a little sad to think that we can't "go home again" after this year. 

 Emma Lou and Sarah Sue...

LES won't know what hit them when these girls grace the doors...

and in case you're counting that will only be two short years from now. :(

In between cheers they critiqued the game, ha! The pic is a little blurry, but if you'll look closely there is a "scout" from CCHS above the girls. I hope they aren't counting on good notes from him to beat us in a few weeks, because most of what he saw was two little girls jumping up and down next to him screaming, "Go, Aggies, Go!" I guess this time next year we'll have to teach them how to cheer for the Volunteers...although it's going to be tough for these Auburn and Alabama girls. Here's to a great final season... =)

Tonight the coach/cheerleader went to work with

her daddy followed by a sleepover at MawMaw's...

The boy and I are at home catching up

on housework, GH, blogging, and sleep...

For Your Viewing Pleasure

I took these through the glass in the back door. I'd say

they'll give you a giggle without the benefit of captions...

How did my babies get so big?

Random Sweetness {and Bittersweetness}

When I pulled up to Mrs. Elizabeth's Monday morning I turned around to talk to Emma and saw the sweetest sight...

Words cannot express the emotions that come across me every time I look at this picture. Those little people are the most precious gifts I've ever received. I am so thankful for them, and I honestly believe they are thankful for each other. Emma is in all out 'big sister mode', and she protects her little brother at all costs...but I know something she doesn't know...it won't be long until he's in protection mode. I hope they always love and take care of each other.

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Mama and Maz...you may want to skip over this next random act of sweetness, as I'm sure it will probably embarrass you. Here goes...I am not a bed maker. My sweet mama makes her bed every single day, as does her sweet mama. I did not inherit the need to make my bed each morning and place each decorative pillow in its proper spot. I do tidy up the bed each night before I climb back in, but the only time the bed gets made is if I know we're having company who may want to enter the bedroom or if I'm changing the sheets. This sweet girl, on the other hand, may have inherited the gene...

The last few mornings Emma has made her bed as soon as she gets up.

She has been so proud of herself...and I'm pretty impressed myself!

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Check out this ball of sweetness...

The boy hasn't had a bottle since Monday. I'm glad I won't have to fight

that battle a month down the road, but it's actually a little bittersweet.

That cup is a sign that my baby is growing up. I'm not exactly sure how to

feel about that! Anyway, this morning Emma and I packed up the bottles...

We left out a few to mix formula in, but those too will be put

away soon. I think I'm going to try to transition him to milk in

September. When I carried the bottles downstairs Emma asked,

"Mommy, can God go ahead and give us another baby?"

Sweetness...

Back to life...

Back to reality...

Tomorrow's the day.

There's no point in telling you how I dread it so.

There's no point in telling you how fast this summer has flown by.

There's no point in telling you how much I am going to miss my babies.

So here's what I'll tell you...

I'll tell you what I'm looking forward to.

I'm looking forward to the butterflies that enter my stomach when 3:00 rolls around, and I get to pick up my babies.

I'm looking forward to Luke's smile when he realizes I've come to get him.

I'm looking forward to hearing about Emma's day on our ride home.

I'm looking forward to a fresh start with a fresh group of kids.

I'm looking forward to a few new school projects this year.

I'm looking forward to adult (and young adult) conversation.

I'll tell you what I'm thankful for too...

I'm thankful to have a husband and children who need me to go to work.

I'm thankful to have students who need an education.

I'm thankful to have a job that allows me to take care of the needs of my family, as well as the needs of a classroom full of children.

One more thing I'm looking forward to...a great school year!

Here's a look at our last week of freedom summer...

(We went to the waterpark in Auburn.)

(E spent the night at MawMaw's and came home looking like this:)

(Luke Man at 9AM on my last day to sleep in:)

(Emma was invited to a "Dress-Up/Tea Party", which really deserves a

post of its own...but since I'm going back to work I'm short of time. I'll

just say it was the most creative party, and she had SO MUCH FUN!)

(Luke got to join in on the tea party fun too:)

(Cousin Josh graduated from college, and we are SO proud of him!)

(Emma and Cheyenne had a sleepover.)

(We kept the church nursery today, and Justin had his hands full with these

three sweeties! I think that must be Avery Claire's "help me" look, because as

soon as I finished taking this picture she was reaching her arms out...so sweet!)