Boys can not live on hot dogs alone...

Kirkland is a picky eater. Much like his daddy! In effort to encourage healthy eating habits, I have begun to put 2 bites of fruit on his plate for every meal. Last night, it was 2 grapes...not exactly a serving size, but I'm working on it.

The first one, he eats with no problem. He starts gagging with the 2nd one & spits it out. I assume he's faking it, so I get him another one. He gags on that one too & spits it out. So, I get him another one. This one, he eats just fine. However, as soon as he swallowed it....He threw up everywhere!!! Seriously, can fruit make you vomit?!?!

Clearly, I will be looking for new ways to encourage healthy eating.

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!

Charlie's 1st Birthday Party!

Saturday, we celebrated Charlie's 1st birthday! We invited our families & a bunch of our (his!) friends for a kids pool party outside from 4-6! It had rained every day for the preceding 30 days, but God held the rain off for the day of the party! He is so good!Kirkland & some of his friends in the "Big kids pool"
Charlie & some of his friends in the "Baby pool"My sweet Birthday boy!The cake I ordered for his smash cake was in the shape of beach ball, but when I went to pick it up, it was just a circle cake with a beach ball painted on top...I'm trying to get over it & let it go!! Oh, the cute little girl next to Kirkland is Sara Jane...& he is smitten! :)Bless his heart! He was sooo not into it! I bet he would have been if it looked more like a beach ball! Oops-I forgot-I've let that go! He didn't even want to touch it! We tried to put some in his mouth so he would see how good it tasted, & this is what we got! It was a fun party! (Other than the whole "making Charlie try cake" thing) Both of my kids were worn out! Sound asleep by 7:10!

Tomorrow is his actual birthday! So, we'll celebrate again!

1st day of preschool

Kirkland was all excited about school the night before when we went to open house. All smiles-couldn't wait! I, however, couldn't believe that my baby was growing up so fast, and could barely keep it together! How is he old enough for school? Wasn't he just born? Where did my baby go? Should I just homeschool so that he never leaves me?The next morning, I made this sign that said "Kirkland's 1st day of Preschool". I thought I'd make one each year, and it would be cute for his scrapbook. Kirkland was no longer interested in going to school or having his picture taken for that matter!He dropped the sign, and wouldn't look at the camera. At one point, he even stood on it, so that he could let me know what he thought of my "fun idea".All I want is 1 picture of my sweet boy, smiling for the camera, before his first day of school! I tried everything! But, he just kept saying that he didn't want to go to school. By the time we got to school, he started to get excited. At his school, they come & get him out of the car. He jumped out & said "bye", and never looked back. This is my picture of the empty door that he just walked though & didn't wave from. I pretty much started sobbing from this point on. Seriously, if Charlie hadn't started coo-ing in the back when we got close to the house-I don't know if I would have made it. I was devastated that I was entrusting my little boy into someone else's care each day. We went to lunch at Chick-fil-A afterwards to celebrate his first day! Geoff came too! Kirkland had a good day, but said he doesn't want to keep going back. He just wants to stay with me & Charlie. Me too... Oh, the gash in the middle of his forehead is where he was chasing a remote controlled Lightning McQueen around in our kitcheen & ran smack into the counter of the cabinet. It knocked him flat on his back he hit it so hard! This boy is going to be tough!

Potty humor-sorry!

Kirkland & Charlie are in the tub tonight & Kirkland passes gas. He looks down, laughs, & says, "I just made bubbles with my bottom!"

I still can't stop laughing! Where does he get this stuff?!?

Embarassing

So, I'm at a get-together last night for all the people who went to Haiti. We're all sitting in the living room, telling stories & highlights from the trip.

Kirkland walks in to the middle of the circle & says, "Mommy, I have something in my bottom".

I heard everyone laughing as we RAN to the bathroom.

Nice...

Who is this kid?

So, Kirkland woke up this morning at 7:45!!!! This is HUGE for our house. I don't think he has ever slept past 7, EVER! He is usually up around 6:15 every morning, so this morning was a treat!

Apparently, all of this sleep made him very hungry, because he ate 4, yes 4 bowls of cereal!!!

What am I going to do when he & Charlie are teenagers? They are each going to go through a box a day!

Who is the big brother here?

I love how well they play together! Having 2 boys is the best!

Charlie!

Charlie is so cute! He has a natural mohawk that we can do nothing about! We've tried wetting it, combing it, gel in it- it won't go down!! So, we've embraced the 'hawk! :) Kirkland calls it his "mark". It is somewhat of a trademark! I love it! He gets so many comments from strangers about his hair, his bright eyes, and how big he is. (He's 25 pounds at 9 months old!) He is such a happy baby & he seems to love all the attention!

Is it too late to post about Mother's Day?

Here are some pictures from Mother's Day. After church, we went to the Village on St. Simons & had a great day. We had a picnic, played on the playground, and walked on the beach. What more could you ask for? I have a wonderful husband & 2 precious boys-I am blessed!

Potty Training

A friend of mine gave me book she found on the internet called "How to potty train in 3 days!". Geoff & I decided that Memorial Day weekend was going to be it! So, Kirkland helped me throw away the diapers & changing pad. (Really we just put them in the garage!-Why waste diapers?!?)

We bought another bag of M&M's, (Geoff & I finished off the other ones weeks ago!) some Kandoo kid soap & a Cars sticker chart & the boy was potty trained in 3 HOURS!!!! I still can't believe it! We've been accident free for weeks! I am beyond excited!!!

Puggles Awards

At our church, they have Awanas on Sunday nights for 2/3 year olds while the parents are at church. He learned bible verses each week, and he loved it! Here is his class during the awards night. At his age, you get a certificate & a book for participating. I was so proud of him up on stage. When he saw us, he started saying, "MOMMY!!" He was telling his teachers & everyone around him that his mommy & daddy were there! You would have thought he had just graduated from college with honors I was so proud! :)

I love how they held onto the rings to walk into the sanctuary!

The little girl on his teacher's lap is Sara Jane Veal. Her daddy & Geoff coach together. He loves him some Sara Jane! And, Sara Jane is pretty sweet on him too! Last week at church, she had his arm around him during circle time! :)

He says the darndest things...

Low Country Boil is a very popular meal served down here when you are having a large gathering. Basically, it's potatoes, sausage, shrimp & corn all cooked together in a huge pot.

So, I sit down to eat mine, and Kirkland looks at the sausage & says, "Mommy, are you going to eat that poop?"

Uh, no. I am actually no longer hungry. But, thank you.

Some of Kirkland's favorite things to say when me & Geoff don't do what he wants us to do:
(Mostly at the top of his lungs)
-No Sir! (Does not matter who he is talking to)
-You need to OBEY!
-Don't you talk to me like that!
-Don't say that word! (I get this a lot when I tell him, No)
-Do I need to get the sad spoon?
-Do as I say!

I don't know where he gets this stuff. Not quite sure how to explain to him that I am actually the one in charge.

Potty training...

O.k., so I was going to start potty training when Kirkland turned 2, but I was so sick with "morning sickness" that I just couldn't handle it. Plus, Kirkland is a sympathetic puker, so he was too busy throwing up right there beside me.

So, I was going to try it again when I got to feeling better, but then Charlie came, and so I didn't really have time to potty train since it was also the middle of Geoff's season. I remember one night before bathtime, I heard him laughing in Charlie's room. I asked, "What's so funny?" He giggled & said, "I tee tee on the carpet!"

So, over Thanksgiving we tried to start again, but Kirkland got WAY sick for like 4 weeks, so I gave it up.

So, a few weeks ago, we tried again. I had bought a whole box full of treats & prizes for everytime he would go in the potty. So, he wakes up, and is all excited about his lightning mcqueen big boy underwear. However, the first time he washed his hands after he goes, he falls off the stool into the bathroom door, cuts his leg & bangs his head. All of this gets him so upset, that he starts to vomit. Needless to say, we were done for the day.

So, he's 3 years old, and he knows good and well "how" to go to the potty. He's done it plenty of times. What we are lacking here is consistency. Last night, he took his diaper off & peed in my foyer. What is that?!? He knows that if he goes in the potty, he will get a prize, but he just doesn't care. But every time I go, he brings me a piece of chocolate. He could not be less interested in the potty.

He starts preschool in August, where you have to be completely potty trained. I'm hoping we make it!

Venting about how expensive baby stuff is...

O.k., so our grocery bill is getting WAY out of hand, so Geoff & I decided to take a look at it, you know, to see if there was anywhere we could cut back. Turns out, the biggest chunk of our bill goes to the smallest member of our family-Charlie! We spend about $80 a week just to feed his 22 pound body! Isn't that crazy!?!?

$52 a week for formula. (He has to have special formula for babies who spit up frequently. Trust me-he needs it!)
$28 a week on baby food (He eats at least 6 jars of food a day, more on hungrier days..I'm not kidding)

Then roughly $20 a week for diapers for 2 kids! I'm counting down the days until Kirkland no longer needs them! And, only 5 more months until Charlie is off of formula!! Woo hoo!

Easter 2009!

Easter was so much fun this year! It was the first time that Kirkland got really excited about his Easter basket, and he really had fun hunting eggs! He thought it was hilarious that the eggs could be in trees! He would laugh every time he'd find one!

Me and the boys at the Church Easter Egg Hunt. Geoff missed it because he was at a track meet. Please note their matching shirts. I know they aren't twins, but I'm having way too much fun dressing them alike!

O.k., so do other families have a hard time getting a family picture taken where everyone is smiling & looking at the camera. It is almost impossible at our house!

The wind was not cooperating with us in this one. But, did you notice the matching sweater vests? I know...I have a problem! :)
So, we finally get one where everyone is looking, but I didn't take into consideration the blazing sun coming in through the window! So, this is as good as it's going to get!

Kirkland's 3rd Birthday!

I know he turned 3 over a month ago, but here are some pictures from his party at C-Boys Stables. There was horse back riding, a hayride, facepainting, and a petting zoo. It was a blast, but VERY cold! I had way cute, matching outfits for the boys picked out, but they are covered up by their jackets.

I am so proud that he actually rode on the horse! All week long, he was telling me that he didn't want to. I was like, then why are we having your party at stables?!?! But he did it, and I was so proud!

Some of his good friends from chuch!

Kirkalnd with his Lightning McQueen cake!

Growing up so fast!

It's hard to believe, but my Kirkland is going to be 3 tomorrow. And, Charlie is already 6 months old! We went for his check up, and he is 20 pounds (75th %) , and 28 inches long (95%)! Yes, he's huge! He's already wearing 12 months clothes!!

We went yesterday to have their pictures taken! I spent a fortune because I had to have one of each, and I bought a huge 20x24 canvas portrait of Kirkland for the wall! I'll have Charlie's done too when he turns 3.

Here are some of my favorites!

My happy baby!

Such a ham!

He remembers the most important things

Whenever the boys & I get in the car, we always pray & ask God to protect us as we travel, help us to honor Him wherever we go, etc. Well, Wednesday was a very busy day & we were running late to church, so I just buckled them in, and off we went. We were about to pull out on the main road near our house, when Kirkland said, "Mommy, PRAY!". What a great reminder. I need to never be too busy or in too big of a rush to pray. Thank you Kirkland!

OCD

Geoff & I are both obsessive compulsive . Usually about different things, so we kind of balance each other out. Poor Kirkland got a double dose of it!

If you try to help him clean up his toys when he does not want help. He will dump them all back out on the floor, so that he can pick them up himself. Same thing if you go & get his shoes. He will walk his shoes back upstairs, put them back on the floor, just to pick them right back up & walk them back downstairs. What is this?

I was getting ready this morning, and sometimes I don't close the dresser drawers back all the way, and Kirkland comes behind me, closes the drawers, and tells me, "Mommy...you are supposed to keep these closed". This is funny to me b/c this is one of Geoff's pet peeves as well! (I secretly think Geoff taught him to say this!)

Our dog, like probably all dogs, smells things. This drives Kirkland up the wall! He will go behind Hicks, wiping off whatever Hicks has smelled. The entire time telling Hicks "No, don't smell that". He wipes off the couch, the floor, the kitchen chairs no less than 30 times a day. If Hicks smells him, then watch out-major meltdown in about 2 seconds!