A new baby, A birthday party and A baby cookout!

Little Jackson Lee

Welcome to the world Benjamin Jackson Lee! Last Thursday, Feb. 19, our dear friends Shani and Ben welcomed their beautiful baby boy into the world. Shani is doing great and recovering quite well. Ben is such a proud daddy and has yet to wipe the smile off his face! We went over to meet baby Jackson on Saturday around lunch. William loved seeing the baby....until his mommy held the baby!! He frowned and tugged on my arm. He kept saying "baby, baby, baby" and just frowning. Ben's mom, Mrs. Lynn, was there and she walked him out in the hall to look out the window so we could visit. He took right to her and loved playing in the hall. Good thing they were the last room on the wing! After a short while, he came back in the room and brought his sippy cup over to Jackson in my arms and tried to share it with the baby...he said "duice, baby, duice"

Back to the baby...HE IS PERFECT!!!!! He is amazingly beautiful and has the plumpiest (is this a word?) of cheeks and a head full of dark black hair. His little toes are soooo long, but they are too cute! He is such a doll!!!! Ben and Shani were going home that afternoon to settle in with their new bundle of joy. They are going to be fantastic parents! They have huge hearts and happy spirits and are strong Christians. I'm so happy for them as they start the journey of parenthood! I know I'm on 16 months into parenthood, but it is the absolute best thing in this world! To have a baby that is yours to love and nurture and raise in Christ is truly a miracle! It is amazing how a baby can deepen your relationship with the Lord! I am evidence of this. It is incredible how God works! Babies are such an incredible blessing and bring such joy to the world. Philip and I are blessed with our William and pray that Ben and Shani experience the same, if not more joy than we've had. We are so thrilled that we will be raising our boys together! I know Philip and Ben will be taking the boys hunting, horseback riding, fishing and all that boy stuff in years to come! Oh, how wonderful babies are!!!!! Please keep our friends Ben and Shani and their new baby Jackson in your prayers as they begin this new chapter in their lives.

The Lee Family and The Justiss Family...notice William!

Can you tell I love babies???? I adore babies! There is something so calming about a tiny baby as you cuddle him in your arms...especially when he smiles up at you as if to say "hey, I know you and I love you"! I just love babies!

Congratulations to Ben and Shani! May your baby be blessed!

Happy Birthday Davis

Next on our agenda was Davis Brown's 1st Birthday! Wow! I can't believe it's been a year already! Jennifer and John had a birthday party for their little boy Davis at their house last Saturday. We enjoyed the afternoon with friends while watching all the babies play. Let me set the stage...The babies are playing in the playroom with toys...Mommies/Grandmothers are close by watching and taking pictures...the Daddy's and Uncle's and Granddaddy's are outside in the back yard around the cooler talking and hanging out :) Every once in a while the babies would wonder out back and the Dad's would laugh as the babies toddled around. It really was a great party! William and Davis are 4 months apart. William still called Davis "baby"...(that's a new word to him) and he wanted to give "the baby" hugs. My favorite part was when William grabbed Davis b/c he was taking a toy away...I said "No, William, be nice"...William looked up at me, shook his head no, then reached to hug Davis and give him a pat-pat...Davis immediately hugged him back, but didn't let go. William then tried to push Davis away then Davis grabbed tighter to William! They both started to cry a bit and look up to us (the mommies). Now, I'm not saying I liked the grabbing or the crying, but the reaction to reach out and hug and make up by BOTH boys was so sweet! From then on, they stayed pretty close to each other and followed each other around the yard. A few times William tried to give Davis a toy to play with. The other friends at the party were Kiersten, Walker and Campbell. Kiersten will be 3 in a month so she loved the little babies! Davis LOVED LOVED LOVED his cake! As you can tell from the pictures...he enjoyed the cake!

Happy Birthday Davis!

Playing outside together

William throwing the ball to daddy...

Baby Cookout for Jackson McCarthy

Jenny and Patrick

Our dear friends Patrick and Jenny have a new baby boy! Jackson! We hosted a cookout on Saturday in honor of Jackson at our house for Jenny and Patrick and big sister Jillian! We are truly blessed to call them our friends! Jenny...you are the best Mommie! Don't forget it!

Jenny, Jillian and YaYa

We had a great time at the party and enjoyed seeing our friends! The guys congregated around the food and drinks and the girls stayed close the the babies and chatted the night away! It was great getting to catch up on all the latest happenings with everybody...

Robin, Lauren, Jenny and Katie...part of the best Kindergarten Team at Butler!!

time just gets away too fast!

Little Jackson...Man of the Hour! Too cute!!!!

Little Jackson (he's 2 months) slept through most of the night...meaning through loud conversations, music, cartoons, 3 toddlers and 3 kids...that's saying a lot! William and Jillian are best buds! They get so excited when they see each other! I can tell William we are going to see Jillian and he gets sooooooooooo excited! You may think I'm crazy b/c he's only 16 months, but he really does act like he understands me! He shakes his head "yes" and does a little dance and squeals and giggles and tries to say her name..."jelll, jelll" Now...he gets excited about baby Jackson! He tries to share toys with him, pat him when he cries, rock his car seat (when it's on the floor). It is adorable! Little Jillian is just too cute for words! She's a little glamour girl! To quote her Mom about a new bracelet... Jenny said when Jillian saw a new bracelet on her mommy's arm, she paused and held her hand up to her mouth and said "ohhhh, momma"! She is such a joy!!!! Patrick and Jenny are another wonderful example of great parents! They are amazing to watch with their little ones! Thanks for being so good at what you do! It's going to be so much fun raising our babies together!

William and Jillian playing together... Can you tell he's laughing!

Here's to all the good times to come!

(although I'm sad b/c Jillian and William can't be in the same grade)

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!!! I'LL UPDATE ON MONDAY!

Valentine's Weekend and Days in Dothan

I know all the Grandparents are eager for me to update the blog

so here's last week in a summary....

VALENTINE'S WEEKEND:

Philip and I went up to the lake (last minute) for the weekend b/c it was a 3-day weekend for him, thanks to President's Day. We thoroughly enjoyed the weekend. It was amazingly peaceful and beautiful. There was some rain Friday night...which put us all to sleep and a little dreary Saturday, but overall the weather was perfect! Our Valentine's was perfect! William slept through the night and woke up around the time Philip did. Being the best husband ever, he let me sleep in while he played with William :) When I finally woke up, he had a beautiful bouquet of my favorite roses, (yellow with pink tips). I was totally surprised by this! He snuck them up in the truck, which is tricky b/c I always pack the car. I'm better at arranging bags, etc for a smooth ride. To keep the day brief, we played outside with William, pulling him in his wagon and blowing bubbles. He loved the bubbles! Oh, William loved giving his Daddy a Valentine's card...he carried it to him and was giggling and laughing the whole time :) Philip cooked an incredible dinner: Herbed crusted lamb, beer-cheese soup and bourbon-glazed carrots with a side salad. Delicious!

I loved my roses! Thank you Philip!!

I love this picture! Look how happy William is...Happy Valentine's Day!

Playing outside with William. He loved chasing the bubbles.

We also went out for an afternoon "exploring" the area and took William over to Ft. Gaines to see the Frontier Village. He was too cute walking around the little log cabins and forts. He loved how he could stomp on the wooden floors and peek out the windows. He also seemed to like looking down over the river and watching for small boats. We ate a picnic there and then headed over to Bagby State Park to find a playground. William kicked his legs and squealed when he saw we were at a playground! He walked right over to the slide area and climbed up and down for a while. We finally got him to the swings and he was in heaven! He loves swinging and has started being very animated about it! He says "weeeeee" over and over and smiles so big and opens his eyes so wide. When he slows down, he says "mooooore, weeeeee" and bursts into giggles! We will be back to this playground more often!! It overlooks the lake and is so peaceful...just didn't like the warning sign: "Alligators in the area"....I was a nervous wreck for a while, but calmed down once I scanned the area. I am TERRIFIED of alligators!!!!!

William and Drake~~ Too cute not to include!

Playing around at Frontier Village in Ft. Gaines, GA


Mommy and William peeking out the window



Enjoying the swings!

Our lake weekend was so wonderful! Hope everyone else had a great weekend and a

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

DAYS IN DOTHAN:

So, Philip had a meeting in Tallahassee on Tuesday. I briefly mentioned this in my last blog but I'll recap up to where my blog left off. My mom came up to the lake to pick me up. We were enjoying our visit in Dothan, with the exception of major teething pain! I did end of taking William to see Dr. Williams b/c he was in such pain I was afraid it might still be an ear infection from the previous week. Dr. Williams assured me his ears were fine and that is was just teething! William is getting his bottom molars and his two "I" teeth on top and several front bottom at once. Poor baby!! His advice: Tylenol/Motrin and a bland diet with lots of juice or Popsicles.

Just a fun picture of Mommy and William~~it was so cold...

I borrowed Hunter's jacket so we could play outside!

On a sad note, a dear friend of the family, Mr. Harold Shelton, (one of my grandparents best friends) passed away this week. I was able to go over to visit Mrs. Shelton while in town. She is a dear sweet lady and always brings a smile to my face. The Shelton's have always been a wonderful example of Christ. I know she will miss her husband. I ask that you keep her in your prayers during this time.

My mom's birthday was last Thursday. It was a great day! I enjoyed being with her so much! We mainly just visited together and hung out at the house relaxing. We watched t.v. shows and played with William a lot. My little brother had a basketball game that night, so off we went. William was so cute at the game! My dad held him most of the time and William loved it! He loves to sit with his Granddaddy! My dad does this thing where he makes a popping noise by hitting his mouth with his hand cupped. Every time William sees him, he tries to do the same thing! Back to the game: We all cheered and clapped and enjoyed the game. It was very competitive, but fun! Holden is 8 so it's fun watching him and his friends trying not to "travel" while dribbling. Holden made a few shots and some really great plays during the game. I was so proud of him! His team lost, but they did their best. Let me mention, my other brother had a game too, but we couldn't make his game because Holden and William were hungry. I hated not getting to see him play, but he said he understood. After the game we went out to eat Mexican for Moma's birthday. Poppi went with us. We had a great dinner and William fell in love with cheese dip! He would lick it off chips and crackers and say "mmmmm" and smile! He also enjoyed some of my enchilada and the rice/beans.

Maggie and William with her Birthday plants!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAGGIE!

Granddaddy and William getting ready for bed.

We had an ice cream cake at home for Moma to wrap up the night. Grannymart, Granddaddy and Poppi all came over to celebrate with us. She loved it! After the cake we were all sitting around the fire visiting and watching Holden play his Wii (very late in the night). Holden was exhausted and getting a little grumpy (like we all do when we are tired). He got upset and started crying hard b/c he had to quit playing. He went over and sat with Hunter. William walked over to him as to check on him b/c he was crying. At first, he was rubbing his leg and mumbling to Holden. Next thing we know, he turned around, walked to the kitchen and got his bottle. He went right back to Holden and gave him his bottle and said "yeah, yeah, bott, bott" and shook his head yes. He turned and walked off to find his toys. We all burst into laughter! It was the sweetest thing ever! In his mind, he knew a bottle fixes everything and so he wanted to make Holden feel better! How precious! Holden quickly cheered up and got up to go play with William. Great way to end the visit!!!!!! Love you Holden! You are the cutest little brother ever! I ran out of space on my digital camera before Holden's game, so I don't have pictures now. I had to use my 35mm camera. Once I get the pictures developed, I'll post a special blog all for Holden! I promised him I would put him on the blog!

William and Poppi playing "ride a little horsey".

Uncle Hunter and William all smiles!

William actually said "Hun-tah"!! So special

Daddy brought me on home early Friday morning so he could get back in time for Mr. Shelton's funeral. Philip actually came to meet us half way somewhere along Hwy 77 :) What a sweet surprise to see Philip and move all our stuff from the suburban to the truck along the highway (meaning all the clothes, bags, wagon, stroller, food, toys, and Drake) I can't complain! I was missing Philip and loved getting to see him for a little while during the ride home! William seems to be feeling a little better, so let's keep our fingers crossed!

Hope you enjoyed reading about the events of my life over the past week :)

Stories to come

Meeting Benjamin "Jackson" Lee

Davis Brown's 1st Birthday

Cookout for the McCarthy's and their baby, Jackson!

Just a quick hello!

It's been a few days since I've blogged anything and I wanted to just say hey!

We went up to the lake again this weekend for the long weekend. It was wonderful...but I'll tell more when I get back home and can upload pictures. Short version, it was a relaxing 3 day weekend and full of memories. Philip left out on Tuesday for a meeting in Tallahassee so my mom drove up to pick us up and all the stuff. We stopped for a mother/daughter lunch in Abbeville at the cutest little place called Huggin' Molly's. If you are up there, stop by! I'll be in Dothan until Friday because Philip has out of town meetings this week.

My mom's birthday is Thursday so I'll get to celebrate with her!

I'll post new pictures this weekend when I get home. Hope everyone has a great week.

Please keep William in your prayers. He's still fighting the pain of an ear infection and major teething. He was up last night with me from around 10 until 2:45ish, then back up at a quarter to 6. He was miserable :( He had a few rough nights over the weekend too. We are going to see Dr. Williams (my old pediatrician) this afternoon to check his ears again. I'll let you know more later. Take care for now.

Funny moments with William

Just some special moments with William...for my memory :)

I'm including a few of my favorite pictures from the past few weeks with William.

They are not related to the stories, but just sweet pictures.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Late Wednesday night, after William had been asleep a few hours, Philip and I were getting ready for bed. I'm sure most parents do this, but I simply can't crawl into bed before checking on William. So, I quietly went into his room, but he was stirring around and he jumped up and started crying. I picked him up and rocked him a bit, but he couldn't calm down. Philip went to get his bottle and we just went and (all 3) got in our bed. Once he was calm, I went to the bathroom to take off my contacts and brush my teeth. I heard him stirring around and heard his daddy saying "She'll be right back". As I came out of the bathroom I was greeted by my dear sweet baby boy sitting up in his daddy's lap with the biggest smile, kicking his legs and giggling...FOR ME. As I approached the bed, he burst into laughter and started wiggling all around! So sweet! He crawled up on my chest, hugged my neck and gave me the biggest kiss ever! All of the worries of the day dissappeared in that very moment! He finally settled in, said "night night" and reached for the door. I carried him into his room, put him down in his crib and covered him up. He just smiled and waved to me.

Yesterday I had to run some errands in Destin, so after William had his morning nap, we loaded up and went out for the afternoon. William loves going to the grocery store and any place that has shopping carts. I knew I'd be in Walmart a while b/c it was stock-up time again, so I took along some graham crackers for William. While shopping, he got a bit fussy, so I asked him if he wanted a cookie and he nodded "yes". As I handed it to him, he said "Tank you" and I said "You're Welcome". I was in my own little world walking down the aisle and was caught off guard when the women next to me stopped suddenly and turned to me and said "Did he just say, Thank you....How old is he?" I paused and smiled and said that he did and that he would be 16 months on Monday. She seemed star struck and just got silent, then walked off in a daze saying, "oh my, oh my". I got so tickled! I almost couldn't contain my giggles! That's just how my life goes. I talk to William all the time like he's an adult. I ask him questions and read my grocery list to him. I count things out to him and describe all the colors and sounds we see in the store. I let him feel all the produce, hold the cans, etc. I work on the "please" and "thank you" and "welcome" all the time. I know people think I'm crazy b/c I talk to him while shopping and sometimes even dance and sing while in the store to cheer him up or if he's dancing in his seat. He loves it, so I do it. No big deal, right?

Last night while getting supper ready we had another funny moment. Let me start with explaing something I learned from my parents. If we got hurt or fell down, they would hug us, then turn to whatever "hurt" us (the floor, the chair, the toy, etc) and say "No, No, Bad, bad, Don't hurt my Lauren" and it seemed to make the tears go away. I've been doing this with William and he apparently understands because last night he bumped heads with his Daddy and guess what...he reached for a hug from me, turned to his Daddy and said "bad bad" and frowned...too cute! I let out a laugh and Philip just looked at me. I explained what had just happened and he started laughing. I don't want him to think we do this little trick to people, but I just couldn't help but smile. He's so smart! I love him so much!

My last little story for today is about snuggle time last night. We were settling in for the night and I went to the couch and got the blanket and pillows ready and reached out for William. He knows this is our routine. He generally walks over carrying his bottle and crawls up into my lap. Well, last night, he brought not only his bottle, but his sippy cup of orange juice and sippy cup of water with him. He wanted all three! He alternated the three between sips. We laughed and laughed at him. I hate I didn't get a picture, but writing it down will help. He would hold one in one hand and drink it while snuggling the other two with the other arm. Finally I slipped one away and then got the other away. He finished his bottle and was ready for bed. While walking up the stairs, he has discovered the pictures and paintings and loves to talk about them. He says "baby" when we pass a picture of him, "doooooor" when we pass the painting, "drake" for the picture of the dog, "mama, dada" for us, and so-on. He turns and looks for the next one and points for what's to come. I'm loving this little new addition to our routine! Oh, we generally do read bedtime stories, but mainly it's snuggle time with mommy!

Hope you enjoyed the laughter! Have a great day and weekend!

I thought Friday would NEVER get here this week!

Philip's off on Monday so I am pumped up for a long weekend with my husband and baby!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

Tid-bits of William

The past few days have been somewhat rough...William has had a fever since Monday and has not slept much the past two nights. I, therefore, have not had much sleep either! Yesterday, I took him in to get checked out and found that he has an ear infection in both ears...so he got a shot...poor guy. Today seems better, but I can tell he is exhausted. He's not been eating much, which is not like him...he eats great. Today I did get him to eat half of a poptart and a popsicle...his first one...and that put a smile on his face! He seemed to enjoy licking his hands as much as the popsicle!

So...for today, I'm posting some cute pictures and videos of William to cheer myself up. Even when he's sick, he is a doll.

This is from last week. I thought I'd include it just for fun. Enjoy!

Catching Up to Slow Down!

We had a wonderful weekend at the lake. The weather was beautiful and perfect to be outdoors playing! William loved walking around the yard and down to see the water. He is so happy to be outdoors! Watching him walking and running around just got me thinking about how fast he is growing up! He is slowing slipping from the "needing mommy/daddy" to "little Mr. independent". He can tell you/show you want he wants and can entertain himself and is happy to just be by himself. It's a good thing, I know, but he's my baby!

We so needed this weekend. It was great for Philip to escape from work and just relax. He enjoyed being outside the most. I caught him a couple of times just running and playing outside with our lab, Drake. It makes me happy to see him bonding with Drake. (for those of you who don't know, we lost our (mainly Philip's) German Shepherd Tillman back in December. He was the most wonderful dog and had been with Philip since college) I know Philip has always loved Drake, but now he says it's like they both have a special bond b/c they both miss Tillman.

Philip brought along his boots and they have become one of William's favorite things to play with these days. He loves to try and put them on and walk around in them. What can I say...it just melts my heart. Here's a short video of my little baby and his daddy's boots.

I also took his little boots and he wore them most of the time. He looked just like a little cowboy walking around in them! He acted like he was 10 feet tall. He was a little wobbly wearing them at first, but once he got the hang of it, he was off. I feel they will be his new favorite pair!

If you've ever been up to Lake Eufaula, you know about Wilson's (now Baker's) hot dogs! They are the best and you simply must have one while in town. I grew up going to the lake and we always had hot dogs. So, my dear sweet husband gives in and we get Wilson's...he actually has a cheeseburger. The burgers are new under the Baker's ownership, so I don't care for them...they are not my memories! Lunch on Saturday was hot dogs and cheeseburgers! Perfect for the lake!

We had the chance to spend some time with my cousin and her family (Ben, Anna, Amery, Eve, Linden, Ava and Isabella) The kids were great! They played and played and played. The babies were adorable together! The first thing William and Ava did was run to give each other a hug, and in doing so, they pulled each other down on the driveway. There was a delayed cry from both William and Ava. Neither one would let go of the other! It was as if they wanted to keep the other safe! Once everyone was checked out (not a scratch to be found), they were off getting into the toys and roaming all over the yard. Little Isabella is 6 months old and just precious! She smiles loves to stick her little tongue out at you! William would come over to her and smile and say "baby" then try to give her either a hug, a kiss, or a toy. She is enjoying the Bumbo chair and was content to watch all the excitment from her perch. Too Cute!

We all enjoyed yummy appetizers late in the evening (Spinach dip, brushetta, and stuffed peppers). The peppers were delicious, but HOT! We had a crockpot dinner of what I call "Jenny's Chicken" b/c I got the recipe from my dear friend Jenny.

* 10 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained/rinsed.

*10 oz can black beans, drained/rinsed

1 cup salsa (any kind)

chicken breasts

1 cup salsa (any kind)

Layer the ingredients in this order in a crockpot and cook either on high for 2 hrs or low 4 hrs. Top with cheese. Can be served with rice.

Anna provided dessert (either chocolate cake or strawberry delight). The cake was my favorite! After dinner all the big kids headed off to watch movies while we took the 3 little ones to the tub! They were so cute! Rub-a-dub-dub...3 babies in a tub!

Oh, Philip won the Trivial Pursuit game...like always :) Ben "gave up" b/c he had to go get Linden and Ava to bed, but Anna and I couldn't quit...Philip wouldn't let us. By this time it was around midnight! The game finally ended, and William woke up, so I stayed up to get him back to sleep. Not a problem though...he's my cuddle bug and I love it when he snuggles, especially in the wee hours when it's so quiet! Anna stayed up with me and we talked for while. It was so nice to just talk. She's one of my very best friends and I don't see her enough. I am so blessed to call her not only a friend, but family. We thoroughly enjoyed our weekend. Hope everyone had a great weekend too! I've included a few pictures from our weekend for ya'll. Enjoy!

Lauren, William, Isabella and Anna

Lauren and Baby Isabella

Ava up in the tree...little monkey

William and Ava playing outside

Eve, Linden and William

Amery and William

It's Friday! We're headed to the lake!

It's finally Friday! I'm so excited! Philip and I are headed up to our lake house for the weekend to relax and check on the place. I can't wait to leave! He said he was going to get out of the office a little early so we can get on the road. I've been packing all morning and playing with William. He knows something is up and has been a busy little boy getting into all of his toys.

I'm looking forward to drinking lots of hot chocolate at the lake and rocking on the front porch while listening to the water. It's just breathtaking up there and totally secluded. I love it when we can escape up to the lake to recharge...we go for walks, play outside, wander through the woods, grill out, stay up late, play cards, READ...I can get so lost in a book when I'm away from home...wonder why that is...I imagine Philip will do some fishing too.

My cousin Anna is planning on coming up on Saturday with her family to spend some time with us. She's got 5 beautiful kids and I don't ever see them enough. It's going to be so much fun watching William and Ava (her second to youngest) play. They are 18 months apart, just like their mommies!

Oh...this morning I was putting some clothes away for later days with William (My wonderful mom has saved most of Holden's (my little brother) clothes for me) and I found a pair of his little cowboy boots I bought him when he was William's age. I set them aside and as soon as William woke up from his nap I put them on! He kept saying "boots" "boots" and smiling. When he tried to walk, he tumbled, picked himself up and laughed. I got a few pictures and some video of him walking in them before he pulled them off. Too cute! They are going with us to the lake for the weekend! For those of you who don't know...I'm very sentimental and love the "hand-me-downs" from family. I have a pair of my jeans (LEE) that William wears all the time, several of my old baby t-shirts he wears as pjs (don't worry, they are gender neutral) lots of Holden's clothes, some of Hunter's (my other brother), my baby blankets, one of Philip's blankets and a few of his clothes..but the best of Philip's are the two cute pair of boots his Mom saved for me. One fits now, but kinda hurts, so they are only for pictures. The other will fit him in a year or so. I can't wait to see him wearing them!

These are two pictures of William wearing Uncle Holden's boots. These are the ones I bought him when he was William's age. In fact, I bought them one weekend when he came to visit me in Troy. I loved having a baby brother and buying all the cute baby/toddler things for him. Thanks Moma and Daddy for saving all of it for me! Love you both!

Well, I need to get busy again while William is napping. Have a great weekend everyone! Enjoy the sunshine and get outside!

Peek-a-boo!

Just a quick clip of William playing peek-a-boo! You can tell he's a southern baby! I was doing some cleaing and he found an extra dish towel and was following me around "helping". He sat down at his little table for a break and got a bit distracted...I love you William!

Bathtime Bubbles

Caught this cute face while William was blowing bubbles in the tub. He's so proud of himself! I'm looking forward to swimming this spring/summer with him. He enjoyed the pool last year, but know he will LOVE it this year. He loves to lay down like he's swimming and is having fun putting his face in the water. Oh, how I love this little guy! He brings such happiness to life! God is so good! He has blessed me with such a beautiful child.

Here's the video of William blowing bubbles in the tub for the first time. He's been trying for weeks and finally figured it out. As you can tell, I was sooooo excited! We were up in Dothan to visit my parents and grandparents when he did it, so I grabbed my camera for daddy! The video is a bit dark b/c of the shower curtain, but you can see just fine. You can see him lay down like he's swimming some, but mainly he's blowing bubbles and tells me "bubble" and "baby".

Thoughts for today:

Hope you have a great day! It's super cold here this morning...William and I are bundled up like we are ready for a blizzard :) I don't really like being cold when I wake up. Maybe this morning I'll make a yummy hot chocolate to warm myself up...I'm not a coffee drinker, you know.

William is teething pretty bad right now, so he's been getting up during the night hurting. It's really hard, because he only wants mommy and just cries in pain until the medicine (alternating motrin & tylenol) kicks in. He made it through the night last night and woke up so happy. He snuggled with me for a short while, then wanted to get up to play with Daddy. William likes to play and follow Daddy around while he gets ready for work...the best is when he finds Philip's shoes and trys to walk in them :)

We've got a busy day today. I've got to run some errands on this cold morning and make sure William gets his nap. I've got a dentist appointment and a friend of mine is going to keep William at her house (this is why naptime is important) Don't get me wrong...he's not a grumpy baby if he doesn't get a nap. Just don't want to take him over to play without a good nap. After that, I will probably come home and finish some housework and then make something fun for dinner. Gotta go...William is done with his breakfast and wants to get up and play. Hugs and kisses to you! Hope you enjoy the video!

I'm joining the blog world!

I am finally joining the world of blogging! Thanks to my friend~Jill! I have been following several of my friends' blogs and finally decided I would join in on the fun.


I love pictures, so most of my posts will probably pictures and videos of William. I hope to post something daily, but it will depend on my free time. All of our family lives away, so I'm hoping this will help the Grandparents watch William grow and change. As I begin this blog, he is 15.5 months old and is the most perfect gift from God. He brings a smile to my face all throughout the day. William is a perfect blend between us (his parents) and it's exciting to catch a glimpse of ourselves in him.

He weighs 26.2 lbs and is 31 inches tall!

I am addicted to SNAPFISH! I upload pictures all the time to the website and share with friends and family. I'm sure some of you think I go overboard with the pictures, but that's just me! I am most excited about uploading little video clips of William for our family to see. My parents and grandparents all live in Dothan, so they are only 2 hours away. Philip's family all live in South Florida (WPB area) so they are about 9 hours. We miss them and wish they were closer!

Here's to my little William! A top 10 list of my favorites....

1. He LOVES to snuggle with mommy...when he wakes up, before naps and bedtime and throughout the day. It is so rewarding to me when he climbs up in my lap...I just ask him if he wants to snuggle and he reaches up to me!


2. He is a healthy, happy little boy. He always wears a big bright smile and loves to "talk". He actually has a HUGE vocabulary for his age. (his dr. said she was by far impressed with all his words for his age)...to include a few: moma, dada, tank too (thank you), pweese (please), sunshine, side, bath, up, juice, bott, shut, sit, chair, cookie, drake, dog, baa (sheep), meow, moon, moo, brush, sock, shoe, let's go, touchdown, yes, no, more, mine, uh-oh, duck, quack, wee, ball, bug, night-night, hello, bye-bye, pat-pat...


3. He LOVES books! We have a basket in our living room full of books for him and he goes straight for them in the morning. He loves to sit and "read" them. He patiently turns the pages, will carry them to me to read, points at the pictures. Oh, you can tell him to find "Brown Bear" and he will search through the basket until he finds it! How cute!


4. He loves waffles in the morning! After our snuggle time, I'll ask him if he wants his waffle and he smiles and shakes his head and says "yea" or "yes". He dances and points to the microwave until it's ready.


5. He has learned to blow bubbles in the tub and lay down like he's swimming! He's a water baby for sure...good thing for the beach!


6. He loves music and dances all around! He's trying to sing along with songs, but mainly it's just him humming or babbling with the music, but he's trying!


7. He loves to blow kisses and wave at folks when we are out and about. He gets excited when we go to the grocery store...he knows he gets a cookie and gets to see the ladies at the register. We talk about all the neat things in the store (produce, flowers, signs, balloons, the deli, etc). When it's time to check-out, he knows he gets to push the button and will point his finger at it and repeat "butt, butt, butt" until it's his time.


8. He gives the best sugar and hugs with his "pat-pat" on the back. When you ask for a hug and kiss, he typically will give it to you. Ask for a hug and you get his little arms either around your neck or legs, quickly followed by the "pat-pat"...so precious!


9. He has a head full of bleach blonde hair with curls...just like his daddy did! I had the curls, but not the blonde. We have some pictures of Philip at this age and it's like looking at William! I love his curls around his ears and neck line. When he wakes up...it's bed-head everywhere, but I'm not cutting it any time soon!


10. He is so happy to just play with his toys and be outside! He loves to go down to the beach and walk in the sand...although he topples some... He loves his swing in the back yard and how Drake licks at his feet. He walks all over the yard picking up things like little boys do and then proudly hands them to me. He loves going for a walk in his stroller. He waves at everyone and babbles away. He will play for an endless amount of time in his playroom so quietly and content. It's just amazing to watch! Oh, the best is at the end of the day when he knows Daddy is coming home and he hangs out at the door watching...as soon as he sees his Daddy, he giggles, bangs on the door and starts saying "dada, dada, dada, dada". Philip picks him up for a hug, then William turns to me, smiles and reaches out for me!