Is it too early for the pregnancy stupids?

I'm at Target today with Charlie. I could have swore he dropped his pacifier. I don't see it in the buggy, in his lap, on the floor, or anywhere. So, I start re-tracing my steps. I'm talking to Charlie the whole time, asking him where he threw it, etc.. A nice older lady stops me and says, "His pacifier is in his mouth, is that the one you are looking for?"

I know she thought I was crazy, because all I could do was hang my head & say, "Why, yes...yes, it is." I don't know how I missed the dark blue pacifier with his name on it in his mouth! Why would I look there?

And Baby Makes 5!!!

Baby Cannon 3 coming in September!!!

I made this shirt & was wearing it on Tuesday when Geoff came home from work! He came up the stairs & noticed it immediately! We both started laughing! Having 3 kids 4 & under is funny! We are beyond excited!

I wore it tonight to tell my parents, grandparents, and my Aunt Wanda & Uncle Jim. My mom kept looking at my shirt, and said, "Now where did you get that shirt?" I just smiled & then she got it! She & my dad both started laughing & were very excited! When my grandparents came in, Granddaddy noticed first. He just kept smiling at me. He said he couldn't talk because he was in shock! We had to point out the shirt to Granny, and she asked, "Don't y'all know what causes that?"

Christmas Eve at Granny's House

My Granny & Granddaddy had 4 kids. This is a picture of their 4 kids, spouses, grandkids and great grandchildren! It's rare that we are all in town at the same time! We are a blessed family indeed!

My sweater for the Tacky Christmas Sweater Party

This sweater is a winner! I've never lost in it! :) Isn't it hideous?

Way too competitive

O.k., so Geoff & I are extremely OCD & competitive. Not usually a problem. However, yesterday we decided to play a board game with Kirkland that he got for Christmas. It was Chutes & Ladders...a classic.

Kirkland does understand rules. For instance, if he spun a 3, he would count to 3, but actually jump like 8 boxes. Then he'd say, "Oh, I want to go up that ladder, and he would just move his piece!! Geoff & I were actually sweating. What do we do? We have to explain how games work, right? We tried to help him hold his piece & show him how to move on the board but he just wasn't interested. We are such "rule-followers" that we were stressing out! How can we win if there are no rules? Kirkland didn't care about winning, he just wanted to go up the ladders & down the chutes. Didn't matter if he landed on those or not! And he would want to spin the spinner 2 or 3 times until he got a really big spin, he liked for it to go around several times.

I can't even explain how stressing this was for us! Eventually, Geoff & I just ignored Kirkland's piece, still let him have a turn, but we just competed against each other. I think we'll try Hungry Hippos next...it has to be easier!

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...

Halloween 2009

Kirkland was super excited to get to carve his own pumpkin this year! Charlie was super excited to have a snack while watching!

He was disgusted by the goo inside of the pumpkin...

He lost interest in about 2 minutes, so he played in the back of Geoff's truck while we finished his pumpkin!

Kirkland didn't want to dress up for Halloween this year...at all! I considered "making" him, but wouldn't that kind of take the fun out of it?!? So, we put on a football jersey, and I pretended it was a costume! Poor Charlie was going to be a monkey, but it was too hot out, so he just wore a pumpkin shirt! We'll try this costume thing again next year! This is one of Kirkland's favorite friends from school. She walked around the fall festival with us because her mom was working a booth. We thought it would be fun to get them balloon swords, but it appears that Kirkland had more fun than Skylar! (Look at his face...looks like he is going to actually do some serious damage with that thing!) Kirkland had a great time! Ate entirely too much junk & even threw up after jumping in a bouncy house! This picture is on the way home! Worn out!!

Thomas The Train

I know it's been like several weeks, but here are the pics from when me & my mom took the boys to see Thomas. Words can't describe how happy Kirkland was to see him!

Embarrassing!

This weekend, my mom & I took the boys to see Thomas the Train in Cordele, GA. We stopped about half way at a Chick fil A so the boys could get out, stretch their legs, use the restroom, etc. However, Kirkland decided he didn't want to use the potty. But, my thought was that he needed to TRY b/c it was going to be a long time before we stopped again.

So, I made him come in the stall with me,. He starts screaming, "NO, DON'T TAKE OFF MY UNDERWEAR! I DON'T WANT TO DO THAT! WHY ARE YOU MAKING ME?"

Please imagine you are in the stall next to me. Does it, or does it not sound like I am doing something inappropriate to my child? Couldn't he have just said, "I don't need to go potty"

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:

Who says you only get to wear it once?!?

Our pastor is in the middle of a sermon series about Revelation. Last Tuesday, he calls Geoff & asks if I can still fit into my wedding gown. Geoff asks me, and I started to laugh! Um, I've had 2 children & it's been 6 years, and, oh yeah, I'm 30 now!!! But, I thought it would be fun to find out, so I went to the top shelf of the closet, undid the airtight box & vacuum sealed bag & tried on the dress. IT FIT!!!! I mean, it's not loose or anything, but, it zipped!! So, this Sunday morning, I was the bride of Christ & Geoff got to be the groom! It was complete with the wedding march & calla lilly bouquet!

It was such a fun day! Kind of like recreating our wedding day. As I stood up there on stage with Geoff & looked in his eyes, I remembered doing that same thing 6 years ago in front of a different group of people at a different church. I love him now more than ever! God has definitely blessed me by giving me a Godly husband, and I am still so very proud to be his bride!

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!