Planting seeds

Geoff asks Kirkland the other night at dinner: "What will you do when you first see Jesus?".  Kirkland rolls his eyes, as if to say "duh", and then says, "Praise Him!".

Charlie asked me yesterday what Jesus's phone number was.  He was excited, yet concerned as to why he didn't have a phone. :)

Sweet boys!

Charlie plays hard!

A very fun present from Mimi & Papa (Geoff's grandparents) that was just as much fun to tear down as it was to color!

Before!

After!

Oh Charlie!

So, we are at Publix yesterday, and we have made it all the way to check out with no major meltdowns, and I am thinking to myself, "hey, I've got this."

As I'm trying to pay, Charlie stands up in the front of the car buggy (so everyone can see!), pulls down his pants & underwear, and says "My privates are hurting".  It was like time stood still as I tried to get his britches back up & explain we would have to look into that later!

I'm pretty sure the employees talk about us when we leave.  :)

Christmas time is here!!!

Kirkland & Charlie have some serious Christmas spirit! We jokingly call them the Christmas Nazis. They do not rest until every decoration is out, every ornament hung, and all outside lights are finished. They can tell you exactly where each decorative item was last year, and they do not like it if I try to mix things up & put something in a different spot. ("Whoa, the nutcrackers belong over there!")

This is them "helping" us put ornaments on the tree! Notice the drop cloth under Charlie! That's to provide some cushion for all the ornaments that Charlie accidently drops! We've only broken 3 so far this season. And, only 1 during the initial trimming of the tree. (Amazingly, Philip has not been tempted by the tree at all! He just likes to look at it!)

Once fully decorated, Charlie really likes to touch ornaments & he especially likes to move them while Kirkland is at school. Kirkland walks in the door & instantly notices, and he gets SO mad! "Where is my snowman ornament?" I have no idea how he manages to memorize the exact location of every ornament. But, he does. Trust me! Try moving one a branch over & just see what he says!

Another favorite tradition is decorating a gingerbread house. They each get 2 sides to decorate. I guess next year, we'll have to do 2 houses when Philip wants to participate.

Kirkland made a smiley face with glasses on it.

Charlie likes to put as many pieces of candy as he can get on his side!

Charlie turns 3!!

Charlie boy turned 3 on September 2nd! He has known since March that he wanted a Little Einsteins birthday party & that he wanted to have a party at home! (Even after I pleaded to have it at a park, the beach, the playground...basically anywhere that I didn't have to clean up to get ready for!)

We had several friends over for his party & Charlie had a blast! We did it outside & set up a pool at the base of the playground slide, and had a 3 person slip n slide, water balloons & lots of little einstein favors & decorations!

Charlie is such a delight! He has such the sweetest sounding voice! And, he loves to talk. ALL the time! He's big into questions...he wants to know everything! And, he will keep asking questions until his curiosity has been satisfied...usually around 8 o'clock every night. He has one volume & that's loud! And, he has one speed: Fast! Always moving! He is an excellent storyteller with a vivid imagination! But, if Kirkland is anywhere within earshot, he repeats, verbatim, whatever Kirkland has said. Whenever he hears sirens, he asks us to stop & pray for whoever is in the ambulance. He's 100% rough & tough, but with just the right amount of gentleness to melt your heart!

Me, Charlie & Philip all have birthdays in September, and poor Charlie's b'day fell on a Friday this year. At our house, Fridays in the fall mean 1 thing: FOOTBALL! Which means, Geoff leaves before daylight and comes home after dark. So, he didn't get to see Charlie on his birthday until we got to the game & he was able to wave to his birthday boy from the pressbox. On his way to the locker room for halftime, he stopped by our seats to give Charlie a big birthday hug & kiss!

One of the other coaches wives brought cookies to the game for his birthday, and we had a mini party right there in the stands during halftime!

It was a great weekend celebrating our Charlie!

We have a potty training mindset!

Geoff forgot his shorts for last week's football game, so I was telling Charlie that we needed to run by the school & take daddy some shorts.

Charlie responds with, "Oh no, did daddy have an accident in his pants?"

Love it!

Sweetest.Boys.EVER!

Life doesn't get much sweeter than this!

Playing trains one morning...

I love Charlie's expression in this picture. I just had to share!

The CAST!

So, I had this great idea that I was going to get the boys a trampoline for Christmas. I had found a fabulous deal on Black Friday, and so me & like 6 of my friends from church waited up all night long at Walmart to get our great deal! (It should be noted that I had a twinge of buyer's remorse, but my faithful friend Erica pointed out that I would get years of use out of it & that my boys were, in fact, not too young for it, despite what the directions say) All the guys got together on Christmas Eve & put everyone's up & my boys were THRILLED when they woke up Christmas morning & saw their new trampoline.

Fast Forward 1 month later: January 23rd, I'm jumping on it with Kirkland & Charlie. Charlie jumps up, but when he lands, he instantly grabs his left leg & falls face first on the trampoline. I sensed it right then that he broke it. I carried him off, and since it was Sunday night, we decide to wait & see how he feels in the morning. In the morning he is still crying in pain & won't stand on it. So, we take him to the Doctor, and his sweet leg was broken just below the kneecap. They put him in a thigh high leg cast & tell me to not let him put any weight on it whatsoever for 6 weeks. I tried to explain to the doctor that this isn't possible, I have a newborn baby at home, but he just laughed & told me he'd see us again in a week.

He was an amazing trooper about the whole thing. It took him about a week to get used to it, but once he did, he was up & down stairs & even got back on the trampoline & loved for Kirkland to bounce him. He loved to tell people what happened to it & that it would be on for 6 weeks. Watching that sweet boy crawl could rip your heart out. He dragged that leg like there was nothing to it. I can't tell you enough how great his attitude was. It really helped mine.

Sponge baths on the counter every night & trying to go places by myself with all 3 boys were the hardest parts for me. We would pray when we got out of the car that someone would come by who would help us get into places. God sent someone every time! During this 6 weeks: Philip had the flu, Kirkland got strep throat, my grandmother got very sick & then died, Geoff had to go out of town 2 weekends in a row, then started track season which took away his Saturdays (on top of his pastor search committee obligations & his work for his specialist degree), Charlie & I took a 4 day trip to Alabama for a funeral. and Kirkland started soccer & we planned his 5th birthday party. Whew! We laughed to keep ourselves from crying under the weight of it all!We made it! The picture above is us driving to have it taken off. It's been about a week. He is still limping pretty severely. We are praying that his leg naturally corrects itself, or he will have to start physical therapy to learn how to walk again.

Geoff is my hero...

We moved Kirkland from a crib to a big boy bed on his 2nd birthday. We had to move him out of the nursery because baby Charlie was coming. Keeping him in his big boy bed was a nightmare! He kept getting up & coming down the hall to see us. We walked him back hundreds of times! It was crazy! We went crazy! We tried everything!

So, obviously, I wasn't super excited about doing that again with Charlie. So, we borrowed a friend's crib & decided we'd leave him in a crib for as long as possible. (at least until football season was over & I wasn't a single mom!)

Last Wednesday, I'm feeding the baby downstairs, and Geoff put Kirkland & Charlie to bed. Geoff comes down to tell me that he put Charlie in his big kid bed. I tell him he's crazy, and that he's on "Charlie duty" all night! Would you believe that Charlie didn't get up at all, not even once! He stayed in his big bed all night long! Since then, he's taken a nap in there every day, and he just waits for me to open his door before he gets out of bed! Who is this kid?!?

Geoff's book on parenting techniques will be available in stores coming soon! ;)

Charlie Boy turns 2!

We had a Thomas the Train party for our little man! He had been talking about his "Thomas cake" for weeks before his party & he was so excited when he saw it the 1st time! My parents are saints and let us have the party at their house & my mom even cooked all the food! Here are a few pictures!

I can't believe my little man is already 2! He brings such joy to our home!

Last of summer!

This summer has been the best! 3 months of fun with my boys! They were both old enough to really enjoy it! Oh, how I'm not ready for summer to be over. Maybe I should look into homeschooling so they can be home with me every day!

Pulling both the boys in the bike when you are 8 months pregnant is as hard as it sounds! They are heavy!!We are all about us some playground around here! My mom took me & the boys to the Jacksonville Zoo last week while Geoff was at football camp! The boys loved the water area & riding the train! And, feeding the giraffes was the highlight of the day! They were both doing so good we stayed about 5 hours! It was a great day!

Pigeon Forge

So, I'm a touch late with this post. But, July was just too much fun & I didn't have time to blog. Every year, my grandparents take our whole extended family on a vacation. Here are some pictures from Pigeon Forge, TN. We spent the days rock climbing, going on hikes, feeding ducks & going to the race tracks to ride all of the kiddie rides. The boys had a blast!

"Babe, I need help!"

I knew as soon as Geoff said those words what had happened! He had gone to get Charlie up from his nap & I instantly remembered that I had not put Charlie's shorts back on him before laying him down. And, of course, Charlie had pulled his diaper off. And, of course, it was a dirty diaper...that was now EVERYWHERE!

I couldn't stop laughing because it was so gross & I didn't even know where to start. And, if you know Kirkland, you know that he is giving me a running commentary of where all the "stinky" is & asking 30 questions. So, I just went to the bathroom & started the tub...I left Geoff with the real clean up! He's a good man! I'm so glad this happened on a Sunday so that he was home to help!

Charlie's new room

We got Charlie bunk beds for his new room. He isn't quite ready to sleep in a big boy bed yet, so we've got a crib in there too until he's ready! (I can't even imagine the trouble that sweet boy would get in to if he roamed around at night by himself!)

Kirkland LOVES the top bunk & tells anyone who will listen that the top is his bunk. He asked me yesterday why he wasn't sleeping in there with Charlie. He didn't quite I understand that he's only going to sleep in there when we have company. (Or, have 4 kids!)

My sweet dad painted Charlie's room for us & painted the new playroom downstairs. Me & Geoff, well...painting just isn't our thing!

They keep my pride in check!

Do you ever have those days when you think you just might be mom of the year? Well, Wednesday was that day for me. The day even started out great: I was showered & ready & had a great quiet time before the boys ever woke up. Everyone was happy that day: we played fun games, both boys got along, I made healthy meals that everyone actually ate, we played outside. I mean, I was pretty sure that maybe I should write a book about how great of a mom I was.

Days like that give me a false sense of confidence that maybe I can take 2 hungry kids to the grocery store on Saturday night during dinner time when Geoff is out of town. It started poorly when Kirkland wanted to ride in a regular buggy & Charlie wanted to ride in the one that looked like a car. Then, we stood in the deli line behind a sweet middle aged woman who is obviously battling cancer, and Kirkland points to her hair (which is just barely starting to come back in, and the poor lady is probably proud as can be that it's growing back) & says, "Mom, look...she doesn't have much hair". I, of course, do not look, and just say, "mmm, hmm", and he says louder, "Mom...you are NOT looking. She doesn't have much hair". I am mortified, and decide that I don't really care if we have turkey this week or not. When we check out, I ask Charlie to please give the cashier the box of teddy grahams so that she can ring them up, and he started wailing as if I wanted him to give her a kidney. He couldn't get a grip after that. She even handed them right back, but it didn't matter: the damage had been done. He is now screaming at the top of his lungs. Other cashiers come over and give my boys balloons, lollipops, and even coloring books with crayons. (I had no idea Publix had any of these things!) None of it worked. I am sweating & I'm sure people are willing to pay us to leave. But, there is some issue with a coupon that the lady told me I was qualified for, but she couldn't find anyone to get it, and so we just stood there with a screaming child. Eventually, I was like, forget the free eggs. It just isn't worth it!

We got home & I had no energy to give my children anything but cereal for dinner. And Fruit Loops at that. The ones with the marshmallows. I know....I'm SO not getting Mom of the Year this year!

Bath time!

My boys LOVE them some hooded towels!

Allow me to vent for a second...

To all the mom's that I've secretly scoffed at when your child was having a meltdown in the middle of the grocery store, and I kind of thought to myself that I was better than you...I apologize.

For today, it was my turn...

I decided to take the boys to Chick-fil-A for lunch. (By myself...which was dumb!) The boys sat in their seats & ate, and used good manners, and I was kind of feeling good about myself & how great my kids were. They played in the playground and all was well. After an hour & a half, I am past ready to go, so I give Kirkland a 5 minute warning that we will be leaving soon. (I have found this method to be extremely ineffective as it only starts the whining 5 minutes too soon...why I chose to use it today-I have no idea)

His 5 minutes are up, so I tell him to get his shoes. He absolutely melts down.... He is barely even functioning he is screaming so loud. I am just praying that the playground is sound proof. He is flailing limbs & the whole nine yards. He has crossed over to a crazy place. I try to keep my calm b/c I know all of the moms that are sitting inside are staring at us. I am holding him over my lap trying to get his shoes on, and he keeps kicking them off. Meanwhile, Charlie is taking everything out of my purse & the diaper bag looking for his pacifier. It is finally obvious to me that Kirkland will not be putting his shoes on or walking out, so I pick him up, still wailing & flailing, and then have to stoop to the floor to pick up all of the contents of my purse & bag. This causes Charlie to start crying b/c he doesn't have his pacifier yet, but I just can't find it, so I pick up the bag, my purse & Charlie on my other hip. I kick open the door of the playground, walk past all of the people pretending not to notice our meltdown, and head for the exit. One lady actually asks... "Do you need help?" Um, what gives it away...is it the 2 screaming kids that I'm holding that are trying to get down, or is it my bags that are falling off my shoulders, or the 2 sets of double doors that I will have to kick open in order to get out? Of course, I just smiled & said, "No thank you...I've got it". Because I knew what she was thinking...

Charlie is walking!!!

My sweet baby took his first steps last week! He walked from Geoff to me! I am really excited that Geoff got to be there, because he is usually at work when our children reach milestones! Now, he is walking all the time, and my house will never be the same!

Charlie's favorite person on the planet is Kirkland! He calls him "Kir-ka". It's precious! When he wakes up in the morning, he instantly starts going for the door, saying "Kir-ka, Kir-ka, Kir-ka"! I love having 2 boys!


Below are some pictures of the boys watching the rain:

Charlie-Boy is 1!

Today my baby boy turns 1! This year has flown by!

I wish you could read his shirt in the pictures. It has a big number "1" on it, and his name! I thought it was too cute & just had to order it!

Charlie is crawling everywhere! He can walk if he is holding your hand or holding on to furniture, but he won't let go just yet, and that is fine with me! I want him to stay a baby forever!

He has the 2 teeth on the bottom, and he has 4 front teeth coming in on the top! His mohawk has finally gotten long enough that it lays down, but every once in a while, he will wake up & it is sticking straight up! I love it!

His favorite foods are bananas & hotdogs! But, the other night he ate veal & fresh asparagus & loved it! Clearly, takes after his mama in the food department, and not his daddy & brother who would never even TRY asparagus! And, aparently, he's not that into cake! :) However, he does like cookies.

He loves to give kisses, cuddle, look at books, and press buttons! He thinks my phone is the coolest thing ever! He doesn't like TV, or riding in the car. He thinks it's hysterical if you pretend to sneeze. He has a deep, belly laugh that will just melt your heart! I love his bright eyes & big smile! Happy Birthday to my sweet Charlie!Me & the boys went to a pottery place & made "Special Occasion Plates" for each of them. They get to eat on it on birthdays, etc. Kirkland is in a "mood" today & so he didn't want his picture taken with his!