Wednesday, November 28, 2012
December 2010~~trip down memory lane
Time to look back through the pictures...time to remember the fun of having a 5 month old, and 3 year old...soaking up all the Christmas fun, creating memories and starting traditions..
And so goes our story...
The days of December, 2010 were filled with laughter, smiles, fun..and yes, pneumonia right at Christmas for both William and Griggs. But, first, I want to remember the excitement of the month...before getting sick right at Christmas.
With all his 3 year old excitement, William could hardly contain his joy over the upcoming Christmas! He kept telling Griggs, who was 5 months, how much fun Christmas would be. He talked a lot to Griggs about all the decorations we were seeing, all the keepsakes we were making and how Santa came to bring tons of toys and surprises, but best of all, he started telling Griggs about Baby Jesus and how we love Jesus and that He was for Christmas. At 3, William loved talking about Jesus and Mary and Joseph and how God made Christmas for us. It will forever echo in my ears, that sweet little 3 year old voice, talking of Baby Jesus to his little brother. Such a treasure!!
Other favorites of the month...
Griggs loved baby foods..especially squash!! He would giggle and kick his little feet when it was time to eat. We would take turns feeding him, even William would help. I loved sitting with him in his bouncy, and spooning his food in his adorable little toothless grin. He took right to the foods, and was such a great eater. Such a blessing! William also loved to help out by making his own peanut butter sandwiches. Special to watch him grow and tackle new things. Since we are always up for new foods, we decided to make sweet potato waffles with William one morning. It was a hoot! We had such a mess, but so fun to cook together. William loved waffles so we thought we would "sneak" in the yummy sweet potato! He liked them! And he helped mash the sweet potatoes up and add in and didn't mind at all trying the new waffles. Sometimes, as with all 3 year olds, we have moments where we are picky and not to willing to try, but if he helps with the cooking, he's more likely to try it!! So... open up your kitchen, and bring out the fun!!
We made our little road trip to Dothan to visit my family for a few days and had a great time. It is always special to me to see my babies in my old crib at my parents. I am so thankful they saved that crib! I slept in it as a baby, then Hunter and then Holden! So, I love piling my boys in that crib and getting fun pictures. I also love going home for a few days around Christmas. Seeing my boys around my family, around the Christmas decorations I grew up with and remember.. it's a favorite!! We also love to drive around Dothan, enjoying all the Christmas lights around town. I'm happy to spend time doing little things like this with my family.
One of our family traditions is the annual Tree Farm to cut down our Christmas Tree. Philip and I started this before we had William, and it is one of our highlights of Christmas. We bundled up our boys, and drove up to DeFuniak Springs to Strickland Tree Farm. It was such a fun day! William was so cute, running from tree to tree, saying "this one, no this one, no maybe this one" before we found our tree. Griggs was along for the ride, and was our little angel! He slept most of the time. But we did get some great pictures together at the tree farm. Those pictures are some of my favorites...watching us grow through the years with each visit to the tree farm. It was also a special time, having William help decorate the tree while Griggs snuggled nearby on his lounger pillow. He was amazed at the lights. He'd stare, kick his legs and giggle. I loved the decorating time!!
We also had fun making little Gingerbread houses together, somehow getting icing everywhere! We used graham crackers, icing, and gumdrops. It was fun watching William discover how to stand the crackers together and how the icing made everything stick. And I of course had Griggs on the hip, keeping him in the process! William had fun painting ceramic tree ornaments for us and his grandparents. He really took to the crafts and keepsakes this year. I love these early paintings, the messy, and unique ornaments. I love capturing moments through handmade projects!
William really loved crawling in Griggs' crib with him, to either comfort him and sing songs or bring toys to "teach" him how to play. I loved watching their little relationship unfold. I loved how much they both were drawn to the other. And, when Griggs would be taking his morning nap, William would entertain himself with "trucks on parade" or "farm time". His imagination was unstoppable. He played so well and was adorable to watch. He chatted away to the little people and made the animal sounds. I snapped pictures, took videos, jotted notes, anything to help capture these sweet moments. I can remember many conversations of thanks and praise to God for these 2 boys. God was pouring out his love to me through my sons, and I wanted to capture his love, wanted to shout from the rooftop so all could know. I loved settling down with William for his afternoon nap, sharing a Bible story and answering his questions. We would pray together and sing hymns as we drifted off to sleep. I pray daily they always know God, feel his love and seek his face.
A huge milestone for us...1st night in the crib, in the nursery...not right next to mommy and daddy's bed...
Yes, from Day 1, Griggs slept in a bassinet next to our bed, and some night, in our bed with us. He would nap peacefully in his crib, pack-n-play or bassinet. He would have slept in the nursery in the HUGE crib all night from early on, IF I would have let him. But, with nursing, and just with him being our little baby, we were content to have him in our room, in the bassinet right next to us. It what worked for us. We moved William at 4 months, but with Griggs, I begged for one more month. So, Philip and I agreed we would keep him our room until December. I knew it was "time" for the crib, but it was a big step for me. I loved having him right at my finger tips as we slept. So, finally, about a week before Christmas, I held him and rocked him until he fell asleep. Then I sang one more song to him and gently placed him to sleep in his crib. (12/19/10). He looked sooooo tiny in the huge crib. I sat in his room for a while, praying for a peaceful night and praising God for his beautiful gift. I watched my little angel sleep...like it was the first night all over again...watching him in awe of God. I know it may seem silly that I, at 5 months, was so emotional about him being in his crib at night. But, I love the little infant age of the bassinet, right next to our bed. He slept great all night in there, or in our bed with us. I knew he would sleep just fine in his crib. I was not worried about the transition, just not ready. God covered me in a blanket of peace, and I felt his presence more than ever that night. We all woke the next morning and I couldn't wait to cuddle with my snuggle bug! (side note, while he was in our room, he was not keeping us awake.. if he did wake, I'd just pull him in bed with us, and we'd go right back to sleep). And on that note, I was also waking with William at night (potty training, dreams, nightmares). So I'd just rotate through the beds, but not lacking for sleep. I'm not a fan of "cry it out" or "no babies in the bed" or "sit by the bed" style.. They are young, little babies and they need cuddling and hugging. There is no harm in my book for co-sleeping when needed. They will grow up and outgrow it. You will have nights of totally uninterrupted sleep, with no tiny babies to cuddle. I made the choice to rock my baby to sleep, cuddle and snuggle. Yes, my babies both slept with us as tiny infants, and I loved every moment!!
With Christmas coming, we took the boys to see Santa and capture the "Christmas Santa" picture. William was quite proud to see Santa. Griggs just went right along. It's a fun and sweet tradition to see Santa with kids. Their little innocent smiles and excitement is priceless. Keep childhood traditions with your family and share in their excitement. It's a moment to not take for granted. I love how William soaks up life. I can see Griggs is doing the same, and that he loves his brother like no other. I love watching them together, knowing the lifetime ahead holds so much for them together.
I decided to start doing a kids Christmas Party for the boys and their friends this year. It was a ton of fun!! I love doing crafts and painting and fun activities with kids, and William was so excited to have friends over to make ornaments and decorate cookies! We set up stations around the house for all the crafts. We made reindeer prints, gingerbread house cards, reindeer food, angels, noodle wreaths, impression ornaments and decorated cookies! It was great!! Especially when SANTA himself showed up!! Ho Ho Ho!! All the kids (well most) loved seeing Santa and sharing their wish list with the Jolly Ole Elf himself! Times like this make me smile, when we open our home to friends to share fun and excitement together. It is a tradition with the boys I look forward to doing every year. I'm happy to have friends over and host parties! So, thank you to all our friends that came to our first Kids Christmas Party!!
So, as you can tell, our December was full of fun and special times...and this post doesn't cover Christmas with grandparents, and our Christmas Eve and Morning Family time!! Stay tuned..
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Thankful Moments November 2010
If time would only slow down...stand still... if only...
That's not possible, but memories are precious and pictures capture such great moments in time. I love sitting and looking through all the tons of photos, remembering when...reliving life in my mind with the stories that flow. I love writing this blog. Time to take a little trip and capture another set of special moments.. November 2010.
As I continue on my reflecting back blogging, November 2010, William had just turned 3 and Griggs was 4 months. Such happy boys. Our days were filled with fun times hanging out at home, playing outside as a family, taking walks down to seaside to enjoy the fresh air and quiet 30A life and making some road trips.. The weather had started to drop, so it was also time for extra cuddles, blankets and long sleeves! I spent lots of days home with my two boys, playing and singing and reading. I took lots of pictures, wanting to capture every little detail, knowing how fast they change. I enjoyed our little routine.
Seemed like a lot went on during November, yet it still seemed very relaxed and low key. I love when I can see such happiness in my boys, when I can feel God's love in their little embrace. That was most certainly the theme during the days of November (and honestly is every day). Although it was quickly approaching the holidays, which can bring hustle and bustle, hurry-scurry, I can remember feeling such peace being with my boys, just doing family things, knowing we were doing exactly what God was calling us to do. I can remember being so aware of His blessings all around me during this particular time of year. I love to sing to my boys and one of my favorites is "count your many blessings..."
So...
looking back on the blessings in my life captured during November of 2010 (William 3 yr, Griggs 4 mths)
**William wrote his own name independently while doing a fall leaf keepsake
**Holden's love for his nephews and the sweet connection they share
**Griggs and his giggles over seeing Maggie
**Well check doctor appointments (3 year and 4 month) healthy boys
**Griggs' quick discovery of "eating" his first foods and William's desire to help teach
**Time spent catching up with family
**William and his love of cups and liquids, helping him recover from strep throat
**The gift of a play tent, providing a fun, exciting new environment for imagination to grow
**The little chubby fingers learning to hold up the #3 to show his age
**The endless snuggles and cuddles from adorable boys
**Adorable cousins, who are dear to our hearts
**Griggs' fascination with "kisses" to my chin
**William's healthy foods and eating habits
**Sweet friends for our boys
**Milestones reached with little arms learning to stretch and reach and grab
**God's mission work and the chance to make an impact on others in His name with The Angel Tree
**Fall weather for picnics and giving thanks together
**Huge leaf piles to jump
**Contentment in giggles and smiles from Griggs, just seeing our faces and being near us
**William's love of caring for his baby brother
**The kisses of my boys and the love we share
**William learning to help make his own PB sandwich
**The American Veterans we honor
**Walks with daddy to spend time together
**The healthy happy faces of Griggs
**Griggs and his many versions of pushups and tummy times
**The love of family in the gift of a favorite hand made blanket (made by his great-aunt nanci griggs)
**Brothers together
**Griggs and his excitement and giggles with his Christmas Stocking from Mommy and Daddy
**Having playtime on mommy's baby blanket (Thanks to Maggie for saving it all these years)
**Healthy playtime outside and learning sports
**Having a playset in our backyard for family time
**William's excitement of his tricycle and our family walks as he rode around the block
**Nearby playgrounds for afternoons out and about
**Being with friends for childhood traditions of Santa
**Capturing healthy happy sleepy baby boys
**Thanksgiving moments with family
**Family recipes and cooking together
**Holden and William making special Thanksgiving treats together
**Cool weather for bonfires
**God's protection and healing of Papa during his heart attack and our quick trip to visit
****Best best blessing of all is always family***
I am forever blessed. My cup runneth over with blessing too many to count. Simple blessing, multiple blessing, gigantic blessings, tiny blessings, enormous blessings, hidden blessings, detailed blessings... you get the picture. Everyone is blessed. We all have much to be thankful for. Thanksgiving is my favorite time of the year. I love to slow down and reflect on how God has blessed and how we should be thankful and how we show others we are thankful. I love to be with family. I love to capture time together. If it's time of my own little family or my extended family or time with just friends. I love to capture time with those important to me. I honestly try to carry out Thanksgiving with me throughout the year. It's not something that should be only on one day of the year.
I love a tradition my family does on Thanksgiving. This is a tradition Philip and I have also shared with his parents on Thanksgivings with them. It's something we carry family to family and also do at Christmas with family if we weren't with a set for Thanksgiving :) After the meal has been prepared, before the blessing has been said, we gather together, holding hands and we all take a moment to go around and share one thing we are thankful for from the year. It most often brings tears, but it reminds us all to slow down and value others and never take for granted. It reminds us to keep our eyes and hearts focused on Christ and his mission for us. We pray together and bless the meal before enjoying the infamous spread of vegetables and casseroles. But, while it is fun to cook until you drop and eat until you pop, it is most important, most crucial (to me) that we first spend the time to give thanks to God for all he has given, will give and does for us, remembering all and sharing with others. I love moments like this where we come together and share to encourage one another. My prayer is that my children will take heart to what they are experiencing with family and let it grow with them as they grow and help them go into their world to serve others, giving thanks always to God.
*****I could go on and on and on with the many blessings, however, these are what stand out from those moments. I love capturing them in pictures and writing the stories for my boys.
That's not possible, but memories are precious and pictures capture such great moments in time. I love sitting and looking through all the tons of photos, remembering when...reliving life in my mind with the stories that flow. I love writing this blog. Time to take a little trip and capture another set of special moments.. November 2010.
As I continue on my reflecting back blogging, November 2010, William had just turned 3 and Griggs was 4 months. Such happy boys. Our days were filled with fun times hanging out at home, playing outside as a family, taking walks down to seaside to enjoy the fresh air and quiet 30A life and making some road trips.. The weather had started to drop, so it was also time for extra cuddles, blankets and long sleeves! I spent lots of days home with my two boys, playing and singing and reading. I took lots of pictures, wanting to capture every little detail, knowing how fast they change. I enjoyed our little routine.
Seemed like a lot went on during November, yet it still seemed very relaxed and low key. I love when I can see such happiness in my boys, when I can feel God's love in their little embrace. That was most certainly the theme during the days of November (and honestly is every day). Although it was quickly approaching the holidays, which can bring hustle and bustle, hurry-scurry, I can remember feeling such peace being with my boys, just doing family things, knowing we were doing exactly what God was calling us to do. I can remember being so aware of His blessings all around me during this particular time of year. I love to sing to my boys and one of my favorites is "count your many blessings..."
So...
looking back on the blessings in my life captured during November of 2010 (William 3 yr, Griggs 4 mths)
**William wrote his own name independently while doing a fall leaf keepsake
**Holden's love for his nephews and the sweet connection they share
**Griggs and his giggles over seeing Maggie
**Well check doctor appointments (3 year and 4 month) healthy boys
**Griggs' quick discovery of "eating" his first foods and William's desire to help teach
**Time spent catching up with family
**William and his love of cups and liquids, helping him recover from strep throat
**The gift of a play tent, providing a fun, exciting new environment for imagination to grow
**The little chubby fingers learning to hold up the #3 to show his age
**The endless snuggles and cuddles from adorable boys
**Adorable cousins, who are dear to our hearts
**Griggs' fascination with "kisses" to my chin
**William's healthy foods and eating habits
**Sweet friends for our boys
**Milestones reached with little arms learning to stretch and reach and grab
**God's mission work and the chance to make an impact on others in His name with The Angel Tree
**Fall weather for picnics and giving thanks together
**Huge leaf piles to jump
**Contentment in giggles and smiles from Griggs, just seeing our faces and being near us
**William's love of caring for his baby brother
**The kisses of my boys and the love we share
**William learning to help make his own PB sandwich
**The American Veterans we honor
**Walks with daddy to spend time together
**The healthy happy faces of Griggs
**Griggs and his many versions of pushups and tummy times
**The love of family in the gift of a favorite hand made blanket (made by his great-aunt nanci griggs)
**Brothers together
**Griggs and his excitement and giggles with his Christmas Stocking from Mommy and Daddy
**Having playtime on mommy's baby blanket (Thanks to Maggie for saving it all these years)
**Healthy playtime outside and learning sports
**Having a playset in our backyard for family time
**William's excitement of his tricycle and our family walks as he rode around the block
**Nearby playgrounds for afternoons out and about
**Being with friends for childhood traditions of Santa
**Capturing healthy happy sleepy baby boys
**Thanksgiving moments with family
**Family recipes and cooking together
**Holden and William making special Thanksgiving treats together
**Cool weather for bonfires
**God's protection and healing of Papa during his heart attack and our quick trip to visit
****Best best blessing of all is always family***
I am forever blessed. My cup runneth over with blessing too many to count. Simple blessing, multiple blessing, gigantic blessings, tiny blessings, enormous blessings, hidden blessings, detailed blessings... you get the picture. Everyone is blessed. We all have much to be thankful for. Thanksgiving is my favorite time of the year. I love to slow down and reflect on how God has blessed and how we should be thankful and how we show others we are thankful. I love to be with family. I love to capture time together. If it's time of my own little family or my extended family or time with just friends. I love to capture time with those important to me. I honestly try to carry out Thanksgiving with me throughout the year. It's not something that should be only on one day of the year.
I love a tradition my family does on Thanksgiving. This is a tradition Philip and I have also shared with his parents on Thanksgivings with them. It's something we carry family to family and also do at Christmas with family if we weren't with a set for Thanksgiving :) After the meal has been prepared, before the blessing has been said, we gather together, holding hands and we all take a moment to go around and share one thing we are thankful for from the year. It most often brings tears, but it reminds us all to slow down and value others and never take for granted. It reminds us to keep our eyes and hearts focused on Christ and his mission for us. We pray together and bless the meal before enjoying the infamous spread of vegetables and casseroles. But, while it is fun to cook until you drop and eat until you pop, it is most important, most crucial (to me) that we first spend the time to give thanks to God for all he has given, will give and does for us, remembering all and sharing with others. I love moments like this where we come together and share to encourage one another. My prayer is that my children will take heart to what they are experiencing with family and let it grow with them as they grow and help them go into their world to serve others, giving thanks always to God.
*****I could go on and on and on with the many blessings, however, these are what stand out from those moments. I love capturing them in pictures and writing the stories for my boys.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Halloween 2010 (Memories for Journals)
Having a 3 year old who loved everything about firetrucks and firemen made the decision about what to be for Halloween very, very simple!! William wanted only to be a "Kireman" (fireman). He loved being in his fireman jacket, hat and boots. Every day. He wanted to wear his fireman costume, which I just loved!! So, when we asked him what he wanted to be for Halloween, he answered a "Kireman" and that Griggs was his little "Rescue Dog" named "Spots". That part I had to work on.... Only thing I could think of, given Griggs was just 3 months and needed to be warm (meaning a long sleeve shirt and pants) was to sew black dots on a white onesie and white pants and sew black floppy ears on a white hat :) I had some black felt and I did just that!! I thought it turned out so cute!! William had his fireman suit and had his little rescue dog right by his side (well, as long as mommy held him in my arms or pushed him in the stroller!)
We had fun trick-or-treating at Destin Commons as well as with friends in their neighborhood. It was fun to watch William run up to the doors, and know just what to do! He'd hold out his bag and say "trick or treat" and say "thank you!" And, he'd always make sure to tell the person he had a baby brother that was his "rescue dog", and that made me smile. He wanted to make sure his baby was included!
Very cute times together!
William couldn't wait to visit the pumpkin patch and pick out his special pumpkins! He wanted to line them up like his favorite "5 Little Pumpkins Sitting on the Gate". We visited the pumpkin patch with our 2 pumpkins and captured some fun and exciting pumpkin hunting pictures. I love how simple things like pumpkins can bring such laughter and excitement to a child.
We also had fun carving our family pumpkin with William...expect he didn't care at all for grabbing the seeds! He'd say it was yuck, but couldn't wait to do the face with the pumpkin. He decided to use his beach bucket and shovel to scoop the seeds. Very cute to watch a 3 year old use beach toys to scoop out pumpkin seeds! It was fun to watch our 3 year old enjoy the traditional pumpkin carving time and be so excited about the face of his pumpkin! Moments of childhood not to be passed or forgotten!
Until next post...stay tuned :)
We had fun trick-or-treating at Destin Commons as well as with friends in their neighborhood. It was fun to watch William run up to the doors, and know just what to do! He'd hold out his bag and say "trick or treat" and say "thank you!" And, he'd always make sure to tell the person he had a baby brother that was his "rescue dog", and that made me smile. He wanted to make sure his baby was included!
Very cute times together!
William couldn't wait to visit the pumpkin patch and pick out his special pumpkins! He wanted to line them up like his favorite "5 Little Pumpkins Sitting on the Gate". We visited the pumpkin patch with our 2 pumpkins and captured some fun and exciting pumpkin hunting pictures. I love how simple things like pumpkins can bring such laughter and excitement to a child.
We also had fun carving our family pumpkin with William...expect he didn't care at all for grabbing the seeds! He'd say it was yuck, but couldn't wait to do the face with the pumpkin. He decided to use his beach bucket and shovel to scoop the seeds. Very cute to watch a 3 year old use beach toys to scoop out pumpkin seeds! It was fun to watch our 3 year old enjoy the traditional pumpkin carving time and be so excited about the face of his pumpkin! Moments of childhood not to be passed or forgotten!
Until next post...stay tuned :)
Family Game Day~Troy (State) Oct. 2010 & WPJ 3rd Birthday Day
Most of you know how much we love college football!! We love Auburn football!! We can't wait to have William and Griggs at games with us, cheering out our beloved Auburn Tigers. To ease them into the big stadium and excitement of games, we decided we'd start with a family game day to my school...Troy (State) University! It's Troy University now, but will always be Troy State in my heart. We took William and Griggs to their first game the weekend William turned 3. Gameday was Saturday, October 16, 2010. It was a great day, full of sunshine and perfect fall chill in the air. We walked around the campus some, took the boys by my sorority house so I could get my picture with my letters and my babies! I loved that moment! Just special things around town, like lunch at a favorite spot from college years (Mexican!), a visit to the bookstore, walking around the campus, telling William about when I was in college...Then, when he couldn't wait any longer, we went on into the stadium!! We did get suite tickets (perfect for me, a nursing mom of a 3 month old). William was so fascinated by the huge windows and how big the field looked! He was ready to cheer and watch football...then he discovered the treats and cookies in the suite :) Haha! It was fun to watch my old team and do some of the Troy cheers with William. I did walk down with William during half time so he could see and hear the band and walk around the inside of the stadium. We found some of my sorority sisters and sat for a while with them, letting the boys scream and jump for Troy. The best part, thanks to my husband and his connections, we were able to walk down on the sidelines...I still laugh a little that although I'm the Troy girl, he knew the right folks :) William was so excited to be down on the field, near the big players!! Baby Griggs was a perfect little angel the entire day and game! He was so sweet and quiet in the suite box and just hung out in our arms on the field. He was along for the ride...bless him! I also loved the fact that I still had my little brother's Troy State University sweatshirt and William was able to wear it! I love making memories with my little family. Yes, Auburn had a game that same day, but my husband, didn't complain. He spent the day with us, cheering on Troy (well, we did watch the Auburn game!!) making sure I had a fantastic day with my 2 boys back on my campus. It's little things that capture my heart over and over....
So, "here's to ole' Troy State, we are with you all the way....so, get out there team and fight-fight-fight and win today!"
"T-T-R-O-Y-S-T-A-T-E-U-NIVERSTIY---TSU"
Thanks, Troy! A great first college game for a 3 year old and his baby brother. (Yes, William wanted his brother with him! He has never really liked being apart from him)
The day after our game day was William's actual 3rd Birthday! We took him to eat at Cracker Barrel in Dothan for a favorite of waffles and eggs before heading home. Bless his heart, he spiked a fever of 103 on the ride home and was just a sick little boy.. We made it home and all took a long nap on birthday boy's big special day. When he woke up, his fever had come down a little so, we took him out to run a little for sunset on the beach before doing birthday cupcakes at home on our front steps. It was a sweet ending to our celebrations of our 3rd birthday! And, in our family...birthday nights are meant for sleepovers with mommy and daddy!! Happy 3rd Birthday William! We loved celebrating you in so many ways!!
So, "here's to ole' Troy State, we are with you all the way....so, get out there team and fight-fight-fight and win today!"
"T-T-R-O-Y-S-T-A-T-E-U-NIVERSTIY---TSU"
Thanks, Troy! A great first college game for a 3 year old and his baby brother. (Yes, William wanted his brother with him! He has never really liked being apart from him)
The day after our game day was William's actual 3rd Birthday! We took him to eat at Cracker Barrel in Dothan for a favorite of waffles and eggs before heading home. Bless his heart, he spiked a fever of 103 on the ride home and was just a sick little boy.. We made it home and all took a long nap on birthday boy's big special day. When he woke up, his fever had come down a little so, we took him out to run a little for sunset on the beach before doing birthday cupcakes at home on our front steps. It was a sweet ending to our celebrations of our 3rd birthday! And, in our family...birthday nights are meant for sleepovers with mommy and daddy!! Happy 3rd Birthday William! We loved celebrating you in so many ways!!
WPJ date night Disney Live (3rd Birthday Date)
So, to keep with updating and remembering a fun night with William as we celebrated his 3rd birthday.........
When your little boy turns 3...why not take him on a date night!! We also celebrated William turning 3 by having a Mommy-William-Daddy date night and took him to see his first Live Show of Disney Live! He was star struck! We walked in the auditorium and the excitement was everywhere! His eyes got so big and he was smiling from ear to ear! He was taken by all the songs and characters and had such a fun time singing and watching Mickey and all the Disney characters perform. When his favorites would come on stage, his sweet face would just light up!! It was a crazy and loud fun night, but his excitement of having time with just Mommy and Daddy and being in the same room as Mickey, Woody, Goofy, Buzz and Donald...just priceless! He really loved getting to pick out a special keepsake at the gift shop! He selected a Handy Manny toolbox, so he could do work with tools, like Daddy! How sweet is that??
I'm just posting about this fun night to capture a fun memory of William's first Live Show. We missed having Griggs with us, but Gram and Grumps were enjoying babysitting him and said he slept like an angel. I still can't believe how time has gone by...seems like yesterday, we were sitting with William...waiting on Mickey to come on stage...and to William, Mickey was there only for us!! What a priceless night, a memory of a fun childhood favorite with Mickey, a wonderful "date night" with our little 3 year old!
When your little boy turns 3...why not take him on a date night!! We also celebrated William turning 3 by having a Mommy-William-Daddy date night and took him to see his first Live Show of Disney Live! He was star struck! We walked in the auditorium and the excitement was everywhere! His eyes got so big and he was smiling from ear to ear! He was taken by all the songs and characters and had such a fun time singing and watching Mickey and all the Disney characters perform. When his favorites would come on stage, his sweet face would just light up!! It was a crazy and loud fun night, but his excitement of having time with just Mommy and Daddy and being in the same room as Mickey, Woody, Goofy, Buzz and Donald...just priceless! He really loved getting to pick out a special keepsake at the gift shop! He selected a Handy Manny toolbox, so he could do work with tools, like Daddy! How sweet is that??
I'm just posting about this fun night to capture a fun memory of William's first Live Show. We missed having Griggs with us, but Gram and Grumps were enjoying babysitting him and said he slept like an angel. I still can't believe how time has gone by...seems like yesterday, we were sitting with William...waiting on Mickey to come on stage...and to William, Mickey was there only for us!! What a priceless night, a memory of a fun childhood favorite with Mickey, a wonderful "date night" with our little 3 year old!
WPJ and his 3rd Birthday..with the Big Red Firetruck!!
How the cutest Fireman turned 3!! WPJ and his 3rd Birthday...October 2010
William loves anything fireman and firetruck related, so when it came time to celebrate his 3rd birthday, we knew exactly what his party would be...Firemen and Firetrucks!!
When I say he loves firetrucks, I mean He.Loves.Firetrucks. When I say he loves firemen, I mean He. Loves. Firemen!! We visit the fire station often and have to speak to any fireman we see anywhere! We play firetrucks all the time and have many conversations about how when he grows up, all he wants to be is a fireman. His favorite color is red, because it's the color of firetrucks. His favorite pair of shoes to wear are his "fireman boots". For Halloween, he had to be a fireman, with Baby Griggs as his Rescue Dog, Spots... So, like I said, when it came time for us to throw his party for turning 3, our thoughts were Firetrucks!!
The biggest part of his party would be a surprise visit from our local fire department!! I made a few calls and discovered the fire department will come out and do an "educational visit" as a community outreach!! First and biggest deal of the party had been secured...as long as come party day, there were no fires or emergencies!!! I was constantly praying!! William had no idea until party day about his surprise!
After securing the firetruck, I began planning all the details...the foods, with labels relating everything to the party theme, the decorations, the banner sign, the balloon colors, the party favors (being complete with fireman hats for every child), the "games", the guest list, the invites.. I think the invites were my favorite!! One afternoon, while he and I were playing fire rescue while Griggs took his nap, it dawned on me to have him dress up in his fireman costume (that was my baby brother, Holden's costume) and sit on our front porch, surrounded by his collection of firetrucks. He loved our spur of the moment photo session because we were taking pictures with his favorites!! I told him his picture was the big part of his party and that we were making invitations to send to his friends so they'd know to come to his party. Well, that was all it took! He was so excited to help me stuff the envelopes and drop them in the mail! For days and weeks, he'd ask if his friends got his card and if that meant they knew to come over and play firemen!! How cute...
For my party planning (which I pour myself into to make each party special and unique...and to occupy my mind over the fact that my child is turning another year older...) I love planning a party and creating all the details. It is something I enjoy and love to do. I just about bust at the seams with excitement when it comes to party time!!
As party day came, our party foods included the following:
Sirens (candy corn)
Water hoses (twizzlers)
Ladders (pretzels)
Gears (m and m's)
Firetrucks (rice crispies)
5 Alarm Chili (Philip's special chili recipe!)
Our party activities for our little fireman and his friends...
***Firefighting a "burning" building! I picked up a build-a-bear house, spray painted it red with a white roof, and stuffed the windows with orange, yellow and white tissue. I had spray bottles of water for the kids to use as their water hoses and "put out the fire"
***Building a firetruck! I made individual baggies with all the "pieces" of a fire truck and had bowls of icing for the kids to "build" (decorate) their firetrucks: rice crispy as the truck, red icing, mini oreos as the wheels, twizzler as the hose, candy corn as the siren, pretzels as the ladder, m and m's as the gears, all ready to assemble, then gobble up!!
***Keepsake picture frames! I had the foam frames and tons of foam peel and stick stickers of mini firetrucks and letters, balloons and stars. Once the kids made their frames, they got to take them home, with a picture of the party to be mailed.
Decorations:
Red and Yellow streamers all around the yard and playground
"Happy Birthday William" banner letter signs in Red
Red, yellow and white balloons
Red and yellow table cloths
Food label signs with each party food to name the food for the party
Goody Bags with Thank you cards attached. Bags stuffed with William's favorites: firemen stickers, crayons, bubbles, playdough and m and m's!
The cake:
Publix cake, marbleized yellow and chocolate, with a picture perfect design of a firetruck, labeled engine #3 for William's 3rd birthday. The truck was driving down the highway. I added William's favorite toys...his toy fireman and toy spots-rescue dog, along with the #3 candle. He loved seeing his toys on his cake!!
The Huge Party Surprise...
A Huge Big Red Firetruck and Ambulance pulled down our road and stopped right at our driveway!! The kids were in awe!! The firemen gathered around and gave a demonstration on what firemen do, how they dress for a rescue, what tools they use, how they help rescue during a fire/emergency. They let every child (who wanted to) climb through the truck, sit in driver seat and passenger seat, stand on the bumpers, crawl through the ambulance, hold the tools...then they presented every child with their very own Fireman hat!! During their talk, William and my Moma had the same thought and both took off for the house...to return with William wearing his Fireman Costume! He said "now I match the real Firemen!" It was so sweet to see the firemen embrace William and all the kiddos! As they finished their demonstration and all the kids had checked out the truck and we took our group pictures, William turned to the Firemen and insisted on inviting them to stay at his party and help him celebrate and open presents. He said his party was for firemen and so they all stayed for the last hour and a half of the party! They even helped stuff the remaining goody bags with all the firemen stickers, pencils and safety books from not only their department, but from the Dothan Fire Department. My parents surprised me with extra firemen goodies from their neighbor, who is a firemen in Dothan. He even sent another set of firemen hats!! That meant every child had two firemen hats to take home, a goody bag from the firemen and William's party goody bag. So many special touches went into pulling this 3rd birthday party together.
I can't begin to tell you how excited William was when that huge firetruck pulled up with the ambulance! He was in complete amazement that his. favorite. thing. in. the. world. had just arrived at his party!! We couldn't have asked for a better way to celebrate our William turning 3!! The party was such a fun afternoon, complete with family and friends all celebrating with us. William still talks about his 3rd birthday and how much he loved the firetruck and firemen...and for that excitement, I am thankful. For all the planning that went into his party, I loved every moment of late night detailed work. For every detail of decoration worked on to make the scene, I am grateful. For friends and family who came to celebrate with us, I am thankful. I wanted his first birthday since becoming a big brother everything he wanted. He'd been such an understanding and easygoing brother, giving us all the time we all needed as we adjusted to our new family of four, that I really, really wanted to celebrate him in a big way! I felt he deserved a huge celebration for his accomplishment of understanding "new baby", success of potty training and everything new that had been tossed at him. He'd been such a trooper, and I wanted to celebrate, so celebrate with the Big Red Firetruck we did!! His sweet face was so priceless! He wanted his baby to be part of his party the whole time! That meant the world to me. That made everything perfect. William, you truly are the best 3 year old and we love you dearly! You have an heart of gold! Hope you loved your 3rd birthday!
Much Love,
Moma
Below are some of the pictures from the party. I had SEVERAL others, but they are film pictures, and I don't have them on a cd to upload (yet)...I do have them in a snapfish album, so I will try and include them that way...
William loves anything fireman and firetruck related, so when it came time to celebrate his 3rd birthday, we knew exactly what his party would be...Firemen and Firetrucks!!
When I say he loves firetrucks, I mean He.Loves.Firetrucks. When I say he loves firemen, I mean He. Loves. Firemen!! We visit the fire station often and have to speak to any fireman we see anywhere! We play firetrucks all the time and have many conversations about how when he grows up, all he wants to be is a fireman. His favorite color is red, because it's the color of firetrucks. His favorite pair of shoes to wear are his "fireman boots". For Halloween, he had to be a fireman, with Baby Griggs as his Rescue Dog, Spots... So, like I said, when it came time for us to throw his party for turning 3, our thoughts were Firetrucks!!
The biggest part of his party would be a surprise visit from our local fire department!! I made a few calls and discovered the fire department will come out and do an "educational visit" as a community outreach!! First and biggest deal of the party had been secured...as long as come party day, there were no fires or emergencies!!! I was constantly praying!! William had no idea until party day about his surprise!
After securing the firetruck, I began planning all the details...the foods, with labels relating everything to the party theme, the decorations, the banner sign, the balloon colors, the party favors (being complete with fireman hats for every child), the "games", the guest list, the invites.. I think the invites were my favorite!! One afternoon, while he and I were playing fire rescue while Griggs took his nap, it dawned on me to have him dress up in his fireman costume (that was my baby brother, Holden's costume) and sit on our front porch, surrounded by his collection of firetrucks. He loved our spur of the moment photo session because we were taking pictures with his favorites!! I told him his picture was the big part of his party and that we were making invitations to send to his friends so they'd know to come to his party. Well, that was all it took! He was so excited to help me stuff the envelopes and drop them in the mail! For days and weeks, he'd ask if his friends got his card and if that meant they knew to come over and play firemen!! How cute...
For my party planning (which I pour myself into to make each party special and unique...and to occupy my mind over the fact that my child is turning another year older...) I love planning a party and creating all the details. It is something I enjoy and love to do. I just about bust at the seams with excitement when it comes to party time!!
As party day came, our party foods included the following:
Sirens (candy corn)
Water hoses (twizzlers)
Ladders (pretzels)
Gears (m and m's)
Firetrucks (rice crispies)
5 Alarm Chili (Philip's special chili recipe!)
Our party activities for our little fireman and his friends...
***Firefighting a "burning" building! I picked up a build-a-bear house, spray painted it red with a white roof, and stuffed the windows with orange, yellow and white tissue. I had spray bottles of water for the kids to use as their water hoses and "put out the fire"
***Building a firetruck! I made individual baggies with all the "pieces" of a fire truck and had bowls of icing for the kids to "build" (decorate) their firetrucks: rice crispy as the truck, red icing, mini oreos as the wheels, twizzler as the hose, candy corn as the siren, pretzels as the ladder, m and m's as the gears, all ready to assemble, then gobble up!!
***Keepsake picture frames! I had the foam frames and tons of foam peel and stick stickers of mini firetrucks and letters, balloons and stars. Once the kids made their frames, they got to take them home, with a picture of the party to be mailed.
Decorations:
Red and Yellow streamers all around the yard and playground
"Happy Birthday William" banner letter signs in Red
Red, yellow and white balloons
Red and yellow table cloths
Food label signs with each party food to name the food for the party
Goody Bags with Thank you cards attached. Bags stuffed with William's favorites: firemen stickers, crayons, bubbles, playdough and m and m's!
The cake:
Publix cake, marbleized yellow and chocolate, with a picture perfect design of a firetruck, labeled engine #3 for William's 3rd birthday. The truck was driving down the highway. I added William's favorite toys...his toy fireman and toy spots-rescue dog, along with the #3 candle. He loved seeing his toys on his cake!!
The Huge Party Surprise...
A Huge Big Red Firetruck and Ambulance pulled down our road and stopped right at our driveway!! The kids were in awe!! The firemen gathered around and gave a demonstration on what firemen do, how they dress for a rescue, what tools they use, how they help rescue during a fire/emergency. They let every child (who wanted to) climb through the truck, sit in driver seat and passenger seat, stand on the bumpers, crawl through the ambulance, hold the tools...then they presented every child with their very own Fireman hat!! During their talk, William and my Moma had the same thought and both took off for the house...to return with William wearing his Fireman Costume! He said "now I match the real Firemen!" It was so sweet to see the firemen embrace William and all the kiddos! As they finished their demonstration and all the kids had checked out the truck and we took our group pictures, William turned to the Firemen and insisted on inviting them to stay at his party and help him celebrate and open presents. He said his party was for firemen and so they all stayed for the last hour and a half of the party! They even helped stuff the remaining goody bags with all the firemen stickers, pencils and safety books from not only their department, but from the Dothan Fire Department. My parents surprised me with extra firemen goodies from their neighbor, who is a firemen in Dothan. He even sent another set of firemen hats!! That meant every child had two firemen hats to take home, a goody bag from the firemen and William's party goody bag. So many special touches went into pulling this 3rd birthday party together.
I can't begin to tell you how excited William was when that huge firetruck pulled up with the ambulance! He was in complete amazement that his. favorite. thing. in. the. world. had just arrived at his party!! We couldn't have asked for a better way to celebrate our William turning 3!! The party was such a fun afternoon, complete with family and friends all celebrating with us. William still talks about his 3rd birthday and how much he loved the firetruck and firemen...and for that excitement, I am thankful. For all the planning that went into his party, I loved every moment of late night detailed work. For every detail of decoration worked on to make the scene, I am grateful. For friends and family who came to celebrate with us, I am thankful. I wanted his first birthday since becoming a big brother everything he wanted. He'd been such an understanding and easygoing brother, giving us all the time we all needed as we adjusted to our new family of four, that I really, really wanted to celebrate him in a big way! I felt he deserved a huge celebration for his accomplishment of understanding "new baby", success of potty training and everything new that had been tossed at him. He'd been such a trooper, and I wanted to celebrate, so celebrate with the Big Red Firetruck we did!! His sweet face was so priceless! He wanted his baby to be part of his party the whole time! That meant the world to me. That made everything perfect. William, you truly are the best 3 year old and we love you dearly! You have an heart of gold! Hope you loved your 3rd birthday!
Much Love,
Moma
Below are some of the pictures from the party. I had SEVERAL others, but they are film pictures, and I don't have them on a cd to upload (yet)...I do have them in a snapfish album, so I will try and include them that way...
a little note to our boys...
To William and Griggs...
Mommy is working on getting caught up with our family blog. It's all here, just not posted. I have our family stories collected to compile and continue on with our family blog. Even small events and everyday fun times, I'm capturing. It is September 2012 now as I continue to update, and I'm wrapping up October 2010, but it is part of this gift to you that I keep our blog in chronological order and post the memories as they happened, not to get lost in how far behind I am in blogging.. I love you both, and love doing this blog for you. It's a window in my heart...I love spending time with you two and daddy, living and loving the moment, capturing pictures and videos, jotting down all the adorable things you say and do, so I can remember, when time comes for "my time to blog". I love waking in the mornings and being ready for adventures, ready for fun. I will never put those moments aside. Instead, when I can find quiet time, after you both are tucked in bed, I sit with my computer and quietly and with much determination, work on our blog. Lots of love, always~always! William, you about 3 weeks from turning 5. Griggs, you are 2 years and 3 months. You two keep me on my toes, constantly loving life and full of happiness. I am thankful for this chapter in my life, this chapter of "our time"...What a gift we have. You two are my blessings and I cherish you. I thank God for you, always.
Love you dearly,
Moma...
Mommy is working on getting caught up with our family blog. It's all here, just not posted. I have our family stories collected to compile and continue on with our family blog. Even small events and everyday fun times, I'm capturing. It is September 2012 now as I continue to update, and I'm wrapping up October 2010, but it is part of this gift to you that I keep our blog in chronological order and post the memories as they happened, not to get lost in how far behind I am in blogging.. I love you both, and love doing this blog for you. It's a window in my heart...I love spending time with you two and daddy, living and loving the moment, capturing pictures and videos, jotting down all the adorable things you say and do, so I can remember, when time comes for "my time to blog". I love waking in the mornings and being ready for adventures, ready for fun. I will never put those moments aside. Instead, when I can find quiet time, after you both are tucked in bed, I sit with my computer and quietly and with much determination, work on our blog. Lots of love, always~always! William, you about 3 weeks from turning 5. Griggs, you are 2 years and 3 months. You two keep me on my toes, constantly loving life and full of happiness. I am thankful for this chapter in my life, this chapter of "our time"...What a gift we have. You two are my blessings and I cherish you. I thank God for you, always.
Love you dearly,
Moma...
Monday, April 16, 2012
Still Reflecting Back... October 2010
October 2010...
Fall weather outside. William turned 3. Griggs turned 3 months. Looking back, where did time go? How has a year and half passed?? I sit here March 2012 recapturing this chapter in our life for my blog, my journal. If I sit alone, still, quiet, all the sweet details of those days, October 2010 replay through my mind. Even the little moments of watching William play with Griggs, as he grew more aware of “life”. Griggs giggled lots and cooed at us. He snuggled and wiggled. He loved his hands and feet and entertained himself by the tiny little fingers and toes attached. William was fascinated by his baby. He loved “helping” dress him and take care of him by bringing blankets, burp cloths, toys, you name it. William would talk to Griggs and ask him questions, while Griggs just sat and soaked up the attention from his big brother. I can remember how observant Griggs seemed to be…how he would watch everything we did with such curiosity in his eyes, then yawn and doze off to sleep. Those early few months just seemed to fly by, moving at such a rapid speed. I remember thinking to myself, “take note, jot down, snap the pictures, grab the video…be still and quiet and soak it up” I do have scribbled notes of memories and “milestones”. I also quickly became a facebook journal status updater because it was right at my fingertips, daily. It proved a quick spot to “update” thoughts and moments. I just enjoy journaling in any form…even if it be a quick note, to go back and add to for my longer journal….life is a running record, a wonderful blessing!
So….what all filled the days for us, October 2010??
The weather was beautiful, so we found ourselves on the beach many afternoons. It was a relaxing way to pass the time. Griggs would either sit in the bjourne on our chest, or relax on his blanket kicking and giggling. William ran all over and built sandcastles. He also loved when we’d walk down with the stroller because he got to help push the stroller down the ramp. He said that’s big brother stuff. He would run and play, then come back and ask Griggs if he wanted to play. I am so thankful we have the beauty of the beach right here. It is a peaceful outlet for fun, a calming place for family.
Some of the best moments were during our days at home, just watching William and Griggs. William always wanted to be with his brother. One night, he said Griggs was spending the night in his big boy bed. William helped get Griggs all tucked in and snuggled, then began singing to him. He told us to go on to sleep, that he’d keep Griggs. I remember his sincere face. How sweet. We all piled in bed to “sleep” for a little while before it was really bedtime. William said he couldn’t wait until Griggs could really spend the night! I love their brotherly love already present. I love how God blessed our family.
A milestone occurred. Well, I call it a milestone….We introduced Griggs to his Bumbo seat at 3 months and he seemed to like it. The sweetest was how William would sit nearby and chat with his brother. He loved to “read” to him on days like this. It was such a fun concept! I loved sitting Griggs in his new chair and watch how William entertained. Just a special memory for me.
To keep William engaged in the seasonal crafts and continue our “preschool” time, we enjoyed some crafts and activities at home. I love watching him as we work on arts and crafts. His excitement about his learning is heartwarming for a mother. He is eager to do activities and crafts together. I love these keepsakes. Sometimes I laugh and know we do more crafts for my sake, to have special handmade keepsakes from their childhood. But, our crafts bring smiles to us, and that’s the best. We made pumpkin faces and 5 little pumpkins sitting on a gate. We painted ghosts with our feet. We even painted a pumpkin! Then, we pulled out the paints and William created beautiful pieces of art to hang in his bedroom! I love it. He was so proud to see his work up on his wall. I treasure these days.
We also made some trips to Dothan to visit my parents. It was fun hanging out and relaxing on our visits. One visit included a dove hunt for the guys. William was so cute sending them off with hugs. I smiled, knowing before long, William and Griggs would be off on these adventures with their daddy, uncles and granddaddy.
I loved how many of our days were filled with just simple playtime. We had lots of fun at home, making memories. We set up the big fish inside play tent and made forts. William loved having indoor picnics in his tent, right in the middle of our den/dining room. Griggs had lots of tummy time and back time. He would reach out for toys dangling on his play-mat and hold his head up during tummy time. I loved capturing his sweet face!! I loved watching William as he created stories in his tent. I loved how William would find my beautiful geraniums planted outside, snap them and proudly hand them over to me.. I’ll take those flowers any day of the week! I never want him to stop snapping flowers for mommy!
A new adventure we discovered with friends was what we called “the bouncy house”. Wilder’s World for Kids! A warehouse of huge jumpy houses and inflatable slides. A great find! It provided great outings and afternoons of fun. Watching William disappear into the slides and come out with smiles was priceless! He was becoming more and more independent. Always smiling. Always up for fun!
We also loved having Holden (my little brother) come down to visit us during his fall break during October. William was so excited his Uncle Holden was coming!! He wanted to stay awake while we drove to pick him up…even to the point of holding his eyes open to stay awake!! William loves being with Holden and I love having my baby brother down. It’s a special time together. Holden really loved helping with baby Griggs. He was fascinated by helping with all the “grown-up” parts of taking care of a baby…changing diapers, dressing baby, rocking baby…it was very tender and sweet to see him so gently interact with my baby and still play and have a blast with William. We spent an afternoon on the beach, went to the bouncy house, ate lots and lots, and even took Holden with us to art class!! William couldn’t get enough of being with his uncle. They even “camped out” on the floor in their sleeping bags. I was so tickled at the glimpse into the future, knowing as my boys grow, both uncles will have fun making these cool memories. I’m thankful to have a fun and loving baby brother that loves my babies and loves hanging out with me. (as does my other brother… so sweet )
More special and fun times in October that I’ll post independently about…so watch for these posts...
Halloween, and how William insisted he be a “Kireman” (fireman) and Griggs was his “Rescue Dog--Spots”
WPJ turns 3 with a Fireman and Firetruck party!!
Disney Live…William’s first live show/concert and Date Night with just Mommy & Daddy
Our first family game to TROY!! My school, my old stomping grounds.
Like I said, I’m capturing all our memories, however long it takes. Life is busy and I’m enjoying every moment of it. I am having fun going back and writing my blog, looking back and remembering. It’s a goal of mine to capture it all for the boys…and makes me smile, knowing all we’ve experienced together! However long it takes, all the fun adventures that happen in between the posts, I do plan to keep the blog in order for memory sake.
Fall weather outside. William turned 3. Griggs turned 3 months. Looking back, where did time go? How has a year and half passed?? I sit here March 2012 recapturing this chapter in our life for my blog, my journal. If I sit alone, still, quiet, all the sweet details of those days, October 2010 replay through my mind. Even the little moments of watching William play with Griggs, as he grew more aware of “life”. Griggs giggled lots and cooed at us. He snuggled and wiggled. He loved his hands and feet and entertained himself by the tiny little fingers and toes attached. William was fascinated by his baby. He loved “helping” dress him and take care of him by bringing blankets, burp cloths, toys, you name it. William would talk to Griggs and ask him questions, while Griggs just sat and soaked up the attention from his big brother. I can remember how observant Griggs seemed to be…how he would watch everything we did with such curiosity in his eyes, then yawn and doze off to sleep. Those early few months just seemed to fly by, moving at such a rapid speed. I remember thinking to myself, “take note, jot down, snap the pictures, grab the video…be still and quiet and soak it up” I do have scribbled notes of memories and “milestones”. I also quickly became a facebook journal status updater because it was right at my fingertips, daily. It proved a quick spot to “update” thoughts and moments. I just enjoy journaling in any form…even if it be a quick note, to go back and add to for my longer journal….life is a running record, a wonderful blessing!
So….what all filled the days for us, October 2010??
The weather was beautiful, so we found ourselves on the beach many afternoons. It was a relaxing way to pass the time. Griggs would either sit in the bjourne on our chest, or relax on his blanket kicking and giggling. William ran all over and built sandcastles. He also loved when we’d walk down with the stroller because he got to help push the stroller down the ramp. He said that’s big brother stuff. He would run and play, then come back and ask Griggs if he wanted to play. I am so thankful we have the beauty of the beach right here. It is a peaceful outlet for fun, a calming place for family.
Some of the best moments were during our days at home, just watching William and Griggs. William always wanted to be with his brother. One night, he said Griggs was spending the night in his big boy bed. William helped get Griggs all tucked in and snuggled, then began singing to him. He told us to go on to sleep, that he’d keep Griggs. I remember his sincere face. How sweet. We all piled in bed to “sleep” for a little while before it was really bedtime. William said he couldn’t wait until Griggs could really spend the night! I love their brotherly love already present. I love how God blessed our family.
A milestone occurred. Well, I call it a milestone….We introduced Griggs to his Bumbo seat at 3 months and he seemed to like it. The sweetest was how William would sit nearby and chat with his brother. He loved to “read” to him on days like this. It was such a fun concept! I loved sitting Griggs in his new chair and watch how William entertained. Just a special memory for me.
To keep William engaged in the seasonal crafts and continue our “preschool” time, we enjoyed some crafts and activities at home. I love watching him as we work on arts and crafts. His excitement about his learning is heartwarming for a mother. He is eager to do activities and crafts together. I love these keepsakes. Sometimes I laugh and know we do more crafts for my sake, to have special handmade keepsakes from their childhood. But, our crafts bring smiles to us, and that’s the best. We made pumpkin faces and 5 little pumpkins sitting on a gate. We painted ghosts with our feet. We even painted a pumpkin! Then, we pulled out the paints and William created beautiful pieces of art to hang in his bedroom! I love it. He was so proud to see his work up on his wall. I treasure these days.
We also made some trips to Dothan to visit my parents. It was fun hanging out and relaxing on our visits. One visit included a dove hunt for the guys. William was so cute sending them off with hugs. I smiled, knowing before long, William and Griggs would be off on these adventures with their daddy, uncles and granddaddy.
I loved how many of our days were filled with just simple playtime. We had lots of fun at home, making memories. We set up the big fish inside play tent and made forts. William loved having indoor picnics in his tent, right in the middle of our den/dining room. Griggs had lots of tummy time and back time. He would reach out for toys dangling on his play-mat and hold his head up during tummy time. I loved capturing his sweet face!! I loved watching William as he created stories in his tent. I loved how William would find my beautiful geraniums planted outside, snap them and proudly hand them over to me.. I’ll take those flowers any day of the week! I never want him to stop snapping flowers for mommy!
A new adventure we discovered with friends was what we called “the bouncy house”. Wilder’s World for Kids! A warehouse of huge jumpy houses and inflatable slides. A great find! It provided great outings and afternoons of fun. Watching William disappear into the slides and come out with smiles was priceless! He was becoming more and more independent. Always smiling. Always up for fun!
We also loved having Holden (my little brother) come down to visit us during his fall break during October. William was so excited his Uncle Holden was coming!! He wanted to stay awake while we drove to pick him up…even to the point of holding his eyes open to stay awake!! William loves being with Holden and I love having my baby brother down. It’s a special time together. Holden really loved helping with baby Griggs. He was fascinated by helping with all the “grown-up” parts of taking care of a baby…changing diapers, dressing baby, rocking baby…it was very tender and sweet to see him so gently interact with my baby and still play and have a blast with William. We spent an afternoon on the beach, went to the bouncy house, ate lots and lots, and even took Holden with us to art class!! William couldn’t get enough of being with his uncle. They even “camped out” on the floor in their sleeping bags. I was so tickled at the glimpse into the future, knowing as my boys grow, both uncles will have fun making these cool memories. I’m thankful to have a fun and loving baby brother that loves my babies and loves hanging out with me. (as does my other brother… so sweet )
More special and fun times in October that I’ll post independently about…so watch for these posts...
Halloween, and how William insisted he be a “Kireman” (fireman) and Griggs was his “Rescue Dog--Spots”
WPJ turns 3 with a Fireman and Firetruck party!!
Disney Live…William’s first live show/concert and Date Night with just Mommy & Daddy
Our first family game to TROY!! My school, my old stomping grounds.
Like I said, I’m capturing all our memories, however long it takes. Life is busy and I’m enjoying every moment of it. I am having fun going back and writing my blog, looking back and remembering. It’s a goal of mine to capture it all for the boys…and makes me smile, knowing all we’ve experienced together! However long it takes, all the fun adventures that happen in between the posts, I do plan to keep the blog in order for memory sake.
Monday, January 30, 2012
September 2010 (Lots of Memories to capture and cherish)
So, as I continue in my journey of going back and catching up...I find myself daydreaming and remembering every tiny detail of those early days with Griggs and watching William fall more in love with his new baby, his little best friend. Septmeber brought 2 months with Griggs. We made some road trips and had lots of fun family times. I remember many nights snuggled between both of my boys. I loved how we were comfortably settling into life as our family of four...
We started the month with quiet outings to Seaside with our two boys. It's always a pleasant outing to walk down and around Seaside. William just loves running through the big grass and chatting with people. I love his free spirit and excitement. He lifts my spirits and puts a smile right on my face. It felt good to be out with both boys, enjoying the sunshine and watching William so innocently play. Griggs was such an angel baby while we were out and about. William would occasionally come over and tell his baby all about how to play in Seaside. Such a sweet memory!!
Because the weather was still beautiful and we enjoy being outside together, we had several afternoons of fun playing in the water hose with William. He was still wearing his adorable overalls, which just keep that "baby" look on him a little while longer. We would chase each other and spray the hose to "cool off and grow", which brought much, much laughter to William. Sweet Griggs would just chill out in the bjourne, mostly sleeping on my chest. There were lots of icecream afternoons as well.. Somehow, William would convince us that we needed an icecream treat when we played outside! It never bothered me because I knew he was happy! Philip would climb and play without complaint with William on the playset. It makes me laugh a little, watching him climb the little ladder and sit, crouched over in the playhouse, just because William wanted his daddy to climb with him. Those afternoons of outside family time were such a blessing! I looked forward to Philip coming home from work, knowing we'd end up outside to play and laugh...before getting the boys settled for the night!
September afternoons also are wonderful beach sunset days! We did spend several afternoons walking down to the beach for some fun playtime. Griggs just hung out in the bjourne while William would run and play and roll in the sand. I know what a blessing it is to have the beach basically in our back yard. I love watching my child play with such enthusiasm, enjoying one of God's most beautiful creations! It also felt great to get out of the house and enjoy the breeze and salt air, while still adjusting to a newborn! I can remember watching William play while rocking Griggs, knowing it would be not too long before Griggs was chasing his brother. I wanted time to slow down then.. and still do now!! I just cherish the days and savior the moment and capture many moments in pictures....so I can go back and remember...(like I said, being a year behind in my blogging is a blessing! It makes me slow down and go back and relive these sweet early days! I am thankful for my firm memory and endless pictures!)
One of William's recent favorites during this time was firetrucks. Anything related to firetrucks and firemen. He would sit for "hours on end" and entertain himself with his village of firetrucks and dress in his firemen jacket and helmet and play. I loved watching his imagination grow, listening to his conversations with his toys. As I would sit nearby, feeding Griggs or just quietly watching, William would get lost in his little mind, lining up his firetrucks and dragging out all his little people toys and small cars, creating a vast playland. He would make many "rescues" and take many adventures all around and under our dining room table. I loved this age (actually haven't had an age I don't love). Some days, he'd ask me to take care of his toys and trucks while he took his nap. That made me smile. I could see his little mind working...knowing he was truly lost in his little world of play. I love capturing his play in pictures. I would sometimes prop Griggs nearby on his boppy lounger pillow so he would "watch" his big brother. William would always include Griggs. He would take a few toys and place them around his brother, then describe the adventure of the day. I can remember thinking, "soak this up, remember exactly the gentleness William is showing" and can remember telling William before he knew it, Griggs would be playing with him. William would get so excited about this and giggle and tell Griggs "you gonna play with me soon, baby. just keep growing okay. until you get big like me, I'll play for you"........Be still my heart.....
A big deal to Griggs those days was his sweet little hands and tiny toes on those adorable feet. He would watch them move and twist. He'd pull them to his mouth. He'd just watch with wide eyes as he discovered all 10 fingers and 10 toes.. My heart would get all warm and fuzzy, and I'd just have to scoop him up and cover him in kisses and tell him all about those hands and feet and create songs and stories for him. I'd sing to him about what those toes would grow up to do and how those hands would change and grow and create memories...
Oh, the smiles...the ever-heart-melting smiles of William and Griggs... I can close my eyes and see those innocent, joyful smiles of my boys...William a month away from turning 3 and Griggs only 2 months old. I loved the anticipation of what would follow that sweet smile as it shown on their faces. Griggs cooing and smiling and yawning, eyes watching us, following us...William, full of surprise, full of conversations.. Oh, I could just sit and flip through my pictures of their perfect little smiles..and I do..I find myself flipping through photos or scrolling through files on the computer. And the best smiles..the ones that led to the other one smiling :) I love beyond measure the relationship already present between William and Griggs! Yes, I count my boys' smiles as a true gift from God and I thank him often. For smiles. For sweet, simple smiles!
Another favorite milestone from September with Baby Griggs would be the moments of him tucked in the Baby Bjourne. Having him snug to my chest, sleeping or just hanging out, while still entertaining William and having hands free, those moments are a treasure. I loved having my tiny little baby so snuggly and warm, tucked near me to my chest, where at any moment, I could kiss his sweet little head, while I still ran and played with William, prepared meals, folded clothes, wrote thank-yous... you get the picture. I can remember Philip and I taking turns "wearing" Baby Griggs! I loved how Philip proudly strapped the bjourne on when he came in from work, wanting his turn carrying Griggs and getting those snuggle moments while still having time with William.
One thing I try to constantly do with William is keep him "involved" in a natural curriculum of hands on fun and learning. I love craft time and enjoy his love of learning. Being a stay at home mom provides me the best opportunity to be his "teacher" and enrich his daily life with lessons and believe me, I try to find every teachable moment. We have "school" all the time. It's a known fact that I LOVE BEING A MOMMY and love being my child's first teacher. With that said, I love to involve him in our kitchen, using that as a huge part of our "classroom". With September, brings apples and Johnny Appleseed...not that an almost 3 yr old really understands who Johnny Appleseed is, but nevertheless, I took the moment (as I did last year).. and to get his chubby little hands interested in apples...we spent a few afternoons painting with apples, peeling apples, tasting different types of apples, making applesauce, reading books about apples..I have a sweet spot in my heart for his little excited face when we spend time doing projects and our activities. I just love this chance to make learning fun and exciting for him. I also love the chance to give him one-on-one time doing our little projects and crafts while Griggs sleeps...and at 2 months, we will take it!! I include this part about simple "apple painting" just to capture William's excitement for learning and so I can always remind myself that I do have the beautiful gift of teaching him that learning is fun...and can be messy fun and always around us!! Life is good.
One more sweet memory from these days...I loved watching William "read" to his baby brother. I loved how he would sit with his books and read to himself and entertain himself while I cared for Griggs. He was so wonderful to understand when mommy needed to care for Griggs, whether it was nursing, changing diapers, sleeping, etc.. he would either entertain himself nearby with toys or books, or snuggle up with us, while giving Griggs his space, as to not interrupt or cause distraction. It fascinated me how my almost 3 year old, truly seemed to care for his baby brother and know Mommy still loved him, regardless of my attention being pulled away. I love how he could get lost in his books, knowing his mind was growing and his heart loving us...
More of September 2010...
We made our family vacation to the lake the week of my birthday~~ We packed up the boys and off we went! I did head off to Dothan before hand to see my parents for a few days before meeting up with Philip. I love making trips to my parents' house with my children. I love bringing my boys to see their grandparents and great-grandparents. I love the comfort I have of pulling up into the driveway, and the smells of being "home". I love just being in my old house. I especially love when I put Griggs down to sleep in my old baby crib. I love how I watch my baby sleep in the bed that was mine, wondering if my parents watched me sleep just as I watch him (and watched William!) I am thankful for the moments of spending time with my moma and daddy, with Hunter and Holden and with Grannymart and Poppi in Dothan. And it makes me happy that William recognizes when we are getting near their road, telling me to turn to go to Maggies... it is a great feeling.
So, after a quick visit in Dothan, we went to the lake for our vacation. I've shared before about the love of Lake Eufaula and how fun it is to sneak off and escape the world. During this visit, we hung out and relaxed as a family. We played with William, slept lots and lots. We cooked and cooked and cooked. We had great family time. And, it fell along with my birthday!! And a visit with Papa and Mimi!! They arrived on my birthday and that night, my parents, brothers and grandparents all came up to have a birthday dinner. If you know me, you know I LOVE birthdays. And not just mine, I love anyone's birthdays!! I love celebrating life and making the birthday person feel special. This birthday was wonderful! I was with my family, at the lake, relaxing. I loved eating dinner together, hearing my parents and grandparents and papa and mimi share stories together. We laughed all night and celebrated family. It was a great birthday! My last year in my 20s...yet it made my heart so excited, knowing next year, I would be 30!! I honestly couldn't wait to be 30!! Isn't that crazy?!?! anywho...
Papa and Mimi spent a few days with us at the lake, enjoying their snuggles with Griggs and William. I loved watching them as they played and chatted with William, as they rocked Griggs and as they relaxed with us. It was a great visit. Lots of horseshoe games were played, lots of walks taken, lots of delicious food enjoyed...and an AUBURN GAME!!! It was a great weekend!! My brother came up on that Saturday, and off we went to Auburn for the Auburn/Clemson game. We had 4 tickets. Philip/Lauren/Papa/Hunter! Mimi came along and we spent the day tailgating together before the big game. When it came time to go into the game, I had to make the hand off..as I did a few years back with William...and yes, I cried again. Mimi just hugged me and tucked the boys in the stroller and off she went, strolling them back to the car to head back to the condo we would be staying in that night. She babysat the boys during the game, while the 4 of us headed into the game. It was so hard. It was the first time I'd been away from Griggs for any length of time (other than maybe an hour)..But as we walked into the stadium..my heart jumped!! I just love being in Auburn for football games!! WAR EAGLE!!! And what a game! It was so fun to celebrate such a victorious win over Clemson with Philip, my brother, Hunter and my father-in-law, Papa! It was a great first time away from Griggs...apparently Auburn got my memo to "make it worth being away from my babies!!!" hahaha!!
Oh, boy, do I cherish those moments...I'm sitting here January 2012 still trying to catch up with this blog. Still journaling those moments. I sometimes fear I won't catch up. Then as I sit down to type away, the moments come flooding back and it seems only like yesterday. I love what I call a gift of procrastination with this blog. Why, you ask?? Because, now, William is 4 and Griggs is 18 months.. and I am reliving their first few months together, just like it was yesterday. My heart is full as the words come pouring out. My prayer is this blog will be a window for William and Griggs...a look into my life as their mommy and a glimpse of how they blessed me...
We started the month with quiet outings to Seaside with our two boys. It's always a pleasant outing to walk down and around Seaside. William just loves running through the big grass and chatting with people. I love his free spirit and excitement. He lifts my spirits and puts a smile right on my face. It felt good to be out with both boys, enjoying the sunshine and watching William so innocently play. Griggs was such an angel baby while we were out and about. William would occasionally come over and tell his baby all about how to play in Seaside. Such a sweet memory!!
Because the weather was still beautiful and we enjoy being outside together, we had several afternoons of fun playing in the water hose with William. He was still wearing his adorable overalls, which just keep that "baby" look on him a little while longer. We would chase each other and spray the hose to "cool off and grow", which brought much, much laughter to William. Sweet Griggs would just chill out in the bjourne, mostly sleeping on my chest. There were lots of icecream afternoons as well.. Somehow, William would convince us that we needed an icecream treat when we played outside! It never bothered me because I knew he was happy! Philip would climb and play without complaint with William on the playset. It makes me laugh a little, watching him climb the little ladder and sit, crouched over in the playhouse, just because William wanted his daddy to climb with him. Those afternoons of outside family time were such a blessing! I looked forward to Philip coming home from work, knowing we'd end up outside to play and laugh...before getting the boys settled for the night!
September afternoons also are wonderful beach sunset days! We did spend several afternoons walking down to the beach for some fun playtime. Griggs just hung out in the bjourne while William would run and play and roll in the sand. I know what a blessing it is to have the beach basically in our back yard. I love watching my child play with such enthusiasm, enjoying one of God's most beautiful creations! It also felt great to get out of the house and enjoy the breeze and salt air, while still adjusting to a newborn! I can remember watching William play while rocking Griggs, knowing it would be not too long before Griggs was chasing his brother. I wanted time to slow down then.. and still do now!! I just cherish the days and savior the moment and capture many moments in pictures....so I can go back and remember...(like I said, being a year behind in my blogging is a blessing! It makes me slow down and go back and relive these sweet early days! I am thankful for my firm memory and endless pictures!)
One of William's recent favorites during this time was firetrucks. Anything related to firetrucks and firemen. He would sit for "hours on end" and entertain himself with his village of firetrucks and dress in his firemen jacket and helmet and play. I loved watching his imagination grow, listening to his conversations with his toys. As I would sit nearby, feeding Griggs or just quietly watching, William would get lost in his little mind, lining up his firetrucks and dragging out all his little people toys and small cars, creating a vast playland. He would make many "rescues" and take many adventures all around and under our dining room table. I loved this age (actually haven't had an age I don't love). Some days, he'd ask me to take care of his toys and trucks while he took his nap. That made me smile. I could see his little mind working...knowing he was truly lost in his little world of play. I love capturing his play in pictures. I would sometimes prop Griggs nearby on his boppy lounger pillow so he would "watch" his big brother. William would always include Griggs. He would take a few toys and place them around his brother, then describe the adventure of the day. I can remember thinking, "soak this up, remember exactly the gentleness William is showing" and can remember telling William before he knew it, Griggs would be playing with him. William would get so excited about this and giggle and tell Griggs "you gonna play with me soon, baby. just keep growing okay. until you get big like me, I'll play for you"........Be still my heart.....
A big deal to Griggs those days was his sweet little hands and tiny toes on those adorable feet. He would watch them move and twist. He'd pull them to his mouth. He'd just watch with wide eyes as he discovered all 10 fingers and 10 toes.. My heart would get all warm and fuzzy, and I'd just have to scoop him up and cover him in kisses and tell him all about those hands and feet and create songs and stories for him. I'd sing to him about what those toes would grow up to do and how those hands would change and grow and create memories...
Oh, the smiles...the ever-heart-melting smiles of William and Griggs... I can close my eyes and see those innocent, joyful smiles of my boys...William a month away from turning 3 and Griggs only 2 months old. I loved the anticipation of what would follow that sweet smile as it shown on their faces. Griggs cooing and smiling and yawning, eyes watching us, following us...William, full of surprise, full of conversations.. Oh, I could just sit and flip through my pictures of their perfect little smiles..and I do..I find myself flipping through photos or scrolling through files on the computer. And the best smiles..the ones that led to the other one smiling :) I love beyond measure the relationship already present between William and Griggs! Yes, I count my boys' smiles as a true gift from God and I thank him often. For smiles. For sweet, simple smiles!
Another favorite milestone from September with Baby Griggs would be the moments of him tucked in the Baby Bjourne. Having him snug to my chest, sleeping or just hanging out, while still entertaining William and having hands free, those moments are a treasure. I loved having my tiny little baby so snuggly and warm, tucked near me to my chest, where at any moment, I could kiss his sweet little head, while I still ran and played with William, prepared meals, folded clothes, wrote thank-yous... you get the picture. I can remember Philip and I taking turns "wearing" Baby Griggs! I loved how Philip proudly strapped the bjourne on when he came in from work, wanting his turn carrying Griggs and getting those snuggle moments while still having time with William.
One thing I try to constantly do with William is keep him "involved" in a natural curriculum of hands on fun and learning. I love craft time and enjoy his love of learning. Being a stay at home mom provides me the best opportunity to be his "teacher" and enrich his daily life with lessons and believe me, I try to find every teachable moment. We have "school" all the time. It's a known fact that I LOVE BEING A MOMMY and love being my child's first teacher. With that said, I love to involve him in our kitchen, using that as a huge part of our "classroom". With September, brings apples and Johnny Appleseed...not that an almost 3 yr old really understands who Johnny Appleseed is, but nevertheless, I took the moment (as I did last year).. and to get his chubby little hands interested in apples...we spent a few afternoons painting with apples, peeling apples, tasting different types of apples, making applesauce, reading books about apples..I have a sweet spot in my heart for his little excited face when we spend time doing projects and our activities. I just love this chance to make learning fun and exciting for him. I also love the chance to give him one-on-one time doing our little projects and crafts while Griggs sleeps...and at 2 months, we will take it!! I include this part about simple "apple painting" just to capture William's excitement for learning and so I can always remind myself that I do have the beautiful gift of teaching him that learning is fun...and can be messy fun and always around us!! Life is good.
One more sweet memory from these days...I loved watching William "read" to his baby brother. I loved how he would sit with his books and read to himself and entertain himself while I cared for Griggs. He was so wonderful to understand when mommy needed to care for Griggs, whether it was nursing, changing diapers, sleeping, etc.. he would either entertain himself nearby with toys or books, or snuggle up with us, while giving Griggs his space, as to not interrupt or cause distraction. It fascinated me how my almost 3 year old, truly seemed to care for his baby brother and know Mommy still loved him, regardless of my attention being pulled away. I love how he could get lost in his books, knowing his mind was growing and his heart loving us...
More of September 2010...
We made our family vacation to the lake the week of my birthday~~ We packed up the boys and off we went! I did head off to Dothan before hand to see my parents for a few days before meeting up with Philip. I love making trips to my parents' house with my children. I love bringing my boys to see their grandparents and great-grandparents. I love the comfort I have of pulling up into the driveway, and the smells of being "home". I love just being in my old house. I especially love when I put Griggs down to sleep in my old baby crib. I love how I watch my baby sleep in the bed that was mine, wondering if my parents watched me sleep just as I watch him (and watched William!) I am thankful for the moments of spending time with my moma and daddy, with Hunter and Holden and with Grannymart and Poppi in Dothan. And it makes me happy that William recognizes when we are getting near their road, telling me to turn to go to Maggies... it is a great feeling.
So, after a quick visit in Dothan, we went to the lake for our vacation. I've shared before about the love of Lake Eufaula and how fun it is to sneak off and escape the world. During this visit, we hung out and relaxed as a family. We played with William, slept lots and lots. We cooked and cooked and cooked. We had great family time. And, it fell along with my birthday!! And a visit with Papa and Mimi!! They arrived on my birthday and that night, my parents, brothers and grandparents all came up to have a birthday dinner. If you know me, you know I LOVE birthdays. And not just mine, I love anyone's birthdays!! I love celebrating life and making the birthday person feel special. This birthday was wonderful! I was with my family, at the lake, relaxing. I loved eating dinner together, hearing my parents and grandparents and papa and mimi share stories together. We laughed all night and celebrated family. It was a great birthday! My last year in my 20s...yet it made my heart so excited, knowing next year, I would be 30!! I honestly couldn't wait to be 30!! Isn't that crazy?!?! anywho...
Papa and Mimi spent a few days with us at the lake, enjoying their snuggles with Griggs and William. I loved watching them as they played and chatted with William, as they rocked Griggs and as they relaxed with us. It was a great visit. Lots of horseshoe games were played, lots of walks taken, lots of delicious food enjoyed...and an AUBURN GAME!!! It was a great weekend!! My brother came up on that Saturday, and off we went to Auburn for the Auburn/Clemson game. We had 4 tickets. Philip/Lauren/Papa/Hunter! Mimi came along and we spent the day tailgating together before the big game. When it came time to go into the game, I had to make the hand off..as I did a few years back with William...and yes, I cried again. Mimi just hugged me and tucked the boys in the stroller and off she went, strolling them back to the car to head back to the condo we would be staying in that night. She babysat the boys during the game, while the 4 of us headed into the game. It was so hard. It was the first time I'd been away from Griggs for any length of time (other than maybe an hour)..But as we walked into the stadium..my heart jumped!! I just love being in Auburn for football games!! WAR EAGLE!!! And what a game! It was so fun to celebrate such a victorious win over Clemson with Philip, my brother, Hunter and my father-in-law, Papa! It was a great first time away from Griggs...apparently Auburn got my memo to "make it worth being away from my babies!!!" hahaha!!
Oh, boy, do I cherish those moments...I'm sitting here January 2012 still trying to catch up with this blog. Still journaling those moments. I sometimes fear I won't catch up. Then as I sit down to type away, the moments come flooding back and it seems only like yesterday. I love what I call a gift of procrastination with this blog. Why, you ask?? Because, now, William is 4 and Griggs is 18 months.. and I am reliving their first few months together, just like it was yesterday. My heart is full as the words come pouring out. My prayer is this blog will be a window for William and Griggs...a look into my life as their mommy and a glimpse of how they blessed me...
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William 2 years old
William 2 years old
William loves swinging on our front porch. 15 months old
I love this picture...he's looking up at his daddy
