Boo-boos

He's got one...

Do you see that perfect circle next to his mouth (and that

drop of drool coming from his lip:)? Here's how it happened...

I was in the kitchen getting lunch ready and putting supper

in the crockpot, like any good wife and mother would do:).

E was playing in the living room, while Luke was assisting

me by pulling out everything he could get his hands on.

Exhibit A

Do you see that cabinet behind him? Well, we don't have much

 storage space so that cabinet houses his baby food. He decided to

 pull up on it and throw all of his baby food in the floor. He even

let go one time and stood by himself for a couple of seconds! The

last time he did it though, he fell forward and landed smack dab

on top of a funnel which he had pulled from the drawer earlier.

Luckily, he has a princess for a sister who insisted that a magical

kiss would make it all better (I wonder where she got that idea?;).

If he's anything like his daddy, I'm sure this

boo-boo will be the first of MANY for this little guy!

Blueberries

Having the chance to be a stay-at-home-mom this summer has been wonderful for me. I didn't say it was easy, but it has been a wonderful opportunity. When you mother a "strong-willed" child there are often battles to be fought...experience (not the 1,354 people who told me numerous times) has taught be to choose my battles. I have no.earthly.idea. where she gets it from;), but once she has something in her head you can rarely change her way of thinking. Hopefully she will put that to good use someday!

Back to the point...

Staying at home with my babies has been a wonderful experience for me, but like most other things in life it has been a learning experience. A few of the things I've learned are...

• Sometimes it is better to walk outside and laugh than to sit inside and cry...namely when you have two children who are both screaming their heads off. That breath of fresh air can make a world of difference!
• Some days you should do housework while the kids are both napping. Some days you should catch up on General Hospital and let the house stay a mess...it's going to be a mess 6.7 seconds after they wake up anyway (and I really am okay with that:).
• Some days are a continuous countdown to bedtime, and that's okay. It doesn't mean I don't love and adore my children, it simply means it's been "a day"...and we're all going to have them.
• There are more days spent running errands than staying at home all day, so take advantage of the days at home by spending them in your pajamas...your laundry basket will thank you! :)
• There are many days everybody gets a bath except Mama! (TMI?)
• No matter how much you love your babies and spending time with them, 3- (almost 4) year-olds miss their friends and routines!

This is where the blueberries come in. After our first week at home E began asking, "when am I going back to Mrs. Elizabeth's?" She told me she missed her friends. One thing she really missed this summer was picking blueberries at Mrs. Elizabeth's. So, I decided to ask Aunt Jana if we could come pick blueberries at her parents' house. Of course, she said yes! This afternoon we went, and E was so excited. She kept telling me, "Mama, at Mrs. Elizabeth's we get to eat them when we pick them." Of course, she was wanting approval to do the same at Mrs. Brenda's and Mr. Z.R.'s.

She had a blast...and I wouldn't trade you all the blueberries

in the world for the time spent with my babies this summer

(even those days I've wanted to pull my hair out:)!

Just A Swingin'

Walkin' Shoes & Stringin' Beans

Yep...that's what we've been up to this weekend!

Yesterday we went on a little adventure to Oxford. Squeezing two kids in large carseats, three adults, and a double stroller into my Pathfinder and still having room to make a few purchases qualifies it as an adventure. =)

While we were in Dillards' shoe department (looking for E some shoes, because 347 pairs isn't enough:) the lady asked if she could measure Luke's foot. I obliged but wasn't really considering buying him any shoes since he has the cutest fat feet around. She was a smart gal though, because the minute she pulled those walking shoes out of the box and put them on his feet I was sold. They were PRECIOUS! He wore them to church this morning, and I must say he was the cutest thing to hit Barfield!

I tried to get a few of them together...

It's probably a good thing I didn't become a photographer. ;)

This afternoon I've been stringing beans

to be canned...and I've had a little help!

This week we'll be preparing for our journey to Texas. Papa has agreed

to fly with us so I'll have an extra set of hands. Say a prayer for him...

I'm not sure he realizes what he has signed himself up for! ;)

9 Month Well Check

Yesterday we went for Luke's 9 month checkup. He weighs 22lbs. 6oz. and is 30 inches long! He's in the 75th percentile for weight and the 75th-90th percentile for height. Dr. Ray listened to him and said he sounded good! He is up to date on his vaccinations, so he didn't have any today. :)

He was a worn out boy and slept

while we shopped at Target afterwards.

I was putting Luke into the car and came back to the buggy to this...

Dr. Ray gave Luke a book at the checkup, which was a hit!

One more thing...Dr. Ray wanted to know if the big guy

was drinking from a cup yet...ha! I'm pretty sure he'd rather

starve, but we tried it again when we got home. Hopefully

he won't be carrying the bottle with him to kindergarten;)

Look what came in the mail...

The seat...not the girl;)

Let's face it...my little guy isn't so little anymore. No need to tell me...I've yet to meet a complete stranger in Walmart who hasn't clued me in on the fact that my Luke Man is a BIG GUY!

• Exhibit A:
• Stranger 1: "I bet he hasn't eaten in about 15 minutes!"
• Exhibit B:
• Stranger 2: "Aww, how old is he?" 
• Me: "9 months."
• Stranger 2: "You might want to put him on a diet."

I kid you not folks...people will say ANYTHING!

I happen to love every.single.ounce. of him, rolls and all (and for the record he is perfectly proportioned and growing at a healthy rate)...and who wants a skinny, wimpy boy anyway? ;)

Back to the point...as you can imagine 7lbs. of car seat plus 22+lbs. of baby is a lot for this Mama to tote...in addition to the 40 pounder that demands to be toted on occasion...usually when she's on the verge of a tantrum, so naturally I oblige. Plus, the infant seat is only recommended for 5-22lbs.

So, I ordered E a new car seat which arrived today, and she is kindly passing hers down to her 'big-little brother'. :)

28 {& pulling up}

Yesterday marked 28 years here on earth for me. Wow...28? It seems like I was 8 years old yesterday, riding my bike around the block (yes, I used to live on a "block":), wearing side ponytails and banana clips (does anybody remember those things?), and living a carefree life. I'm not upset about turning 28...I'm okay with getting older, although I do wish my babies wouldn't age quite so fast! I had a good day (ordinary, but good), including birthday supper at Fuji (yummy!). E went with us. She had been one time before, but it's been a while. She was a little apprehensive at first, but she was into the show before long! :)

Luke was hanging out in the pack 'n play while we were getting ready

for church tonight...this is what I found when I came back into the room.

He's been pulling up some, but not consistently...and he has never mastered the pack 'n play or baby bed. My sweet boy is growing too fast! He was pulling up on the shelves at church and on the steps at MawMaw's tonight. I'm in no hurry for him to start walking, but it makes me wonder how long it will be...