Life

Things have been extremely busy the past few weeks as I'm back for the final stretch of the school year. I've been putting in extra hours after school working on report cards, memory books, etc. Plus I am switching schools this year, so this week I have to start packing up my room...dreading that huge task! It is hard to leave the boys, and I feel guilty about the time spent away from them. I am so thankful to my mom and Tami for splitting morning/afternoon shifts w/ Hunter so that he can be at home while he's so little! What a blessing! I am looking forward to summer and spending it with my boys.

Meanwhile, I think they just keep getting cuter! :)

Holden is a full-fledged little boy now. I feel like that happened while I wasn't looking. He is fully potty trained as of the past two weeks (whew!), has a huge vocabulary, loves dinosaurs, pirates, and super heroes, and is (usually!) a doting big brother to Hunter. He constantly cracks me up with things he says. He is very strong-willed, which is both a strength and a weakness. He is my special first-born, and I love him more each day.

Here is my sweet, smiley baby. Hunter will be 2 months old already on Thursday! I just want to stop time. I feel like it is going so much more quickly than it even did with Holden, probably because this time I know how fast this baby time goes. He is smiling, cooing, starting to focus on objects close up, recognizing familiar voices, and an eating machine! We are still up two times a night, but he does go right back to sleep once he's full. I love breathing in his baby smell, hearing his little baby noises, touching his soft baby hair, and snuggling with him. There is nothing like holding a little baby! He especially loves when his big brother talks to him. He gets all excited and cranes his neck towards him and kicks his little legs. So cute! I know they will be best buddies.

I live for scenes like this one. I was getting the diaper bag packed up, and Holden and Hunter were having a little chat.:)

Some pictures of my two favorite boys together. Yes, Holden is driving a bus on him and putting a dinosaur on him in some of these! Ha! Hunter is used to this kind of thing and is usually pretty tolerant.

See what I mean?

He thought it was a far worse injustice that I made him wear this outfit! I love it!

Tub time! Hunter really enjoys his baths now and I usually stick the two of them in at the same time. I love his expression here; he seems to be saying, "Oh, Mommy, the things that I tolerate in this household!"

My mom has been wonderful to us these past few months! She comes over at least 3 times a week to watch Hunter so that we can do things with Holden, and when Jay first went back to work while I was on leave, she'd come over early, bring us breakfast, and hang out with the boys so that I could get a shower in. Two has been an adjustment in time management for me, and she definitely helped ease that transition! For the last 3 weeks of school that I had to go back for, she has been coming at 6:3o each morning that Jay is working so that I can get ready and get Holden ready.Then she watches Hunter until the afternoon. Holden enjoys reading books and watching Max and Ruby with her in the mornings before I take him to the sitter. Here are some cute pictures I snapped of them together.

Memaw has also been a huge blessing in our lives. Since she lives right down the street, she has taken an active role in making sure that Holden does not feel left out, and does lots of fun things with him. He enjoys spending the night at her house, watching Fireman Sam and playing firefighters in the basement, and going to the park with her. She comes over after she gets off work in the early afternoons and relieves my mom with Hunter. She also cooks dinner for us each Sunday night. I snapped these pictures of her and Pepaw with Hunter last week.

Daddy and Holden were busy wrestling on the floor. I love how giggly Holden is!

We take sleep however we can get it these days!

My cutie pie.

Nothing says summer is imminent like eating watermelon outside!

My other little cutie enjoying the sunshine.

Love this picture! He has our neighbors' newspaper on his arm since we collected their papers for them while they were on vacation. :)

Walking with Dinosaurs

The Peoria Civic Center had a dinosaur show visit last week that topped anything I have ever seen. The best way I can describe it was like a circus, but with dinosaurs. Life-like, moving, growling, fighting, eating, walking, stomping robotic dinosaurs. They were so real that I had to remind myself they weren't a few times! The show was truly amazing. How they created these things, I can only imagine. They were full size, and there was a "paleontologist" walking among them, (and running from the T-Rex!) telling us about the different time periods and types of dinosaurs, so you could really see how tiny he was next to them! The show was pricey, but well worth it. Holden used some of his birthday money in order to go, and he and I went with Memaw while Daddy stayed home with Hunter. Holden is fascinated with dinosaurs, and I loved watching his expression and his huge, round eyes. He grabbed our hands at some points, but never got really scared. He loved it! (I think at his age I would have been petrified of the noise alone!)

My little dino lover in the back of Memaw's van. He wore his dino shirt and shoes, and insisted on sitting ALL the way in the back. He thought he was pretty cool. (Yes, I realize his pants are wating for a flood! This close to summer I am not buying new ones.)

NOT a flattering picture of me AT ALL, but it's the one shot of the three of us so here it is in all its glory. Holden and Memaw look cute. :)

Chomping on popcorn while we wait for the show to begin.

The pictures really can't do it justice, but you can see some of the dinosaurs and if you look closely, you can see the paleontologist in some of them, so you can get an idea of their size. When the brachiossaurus (we called it a brontosaurus when I was in school) put its neck out into the audience, I thought it was going to wipe out a row of people! They must time them and their placements perfectly.

Dino fight! They moved so fluidly and their skin even moved in and out, like they were breathing.

The T-Rex was pretty scary!

I am hoping this video turns out. I was having loading issues. It gives you an idea of what the show was like. I am so glad that I got to take my buddy to this! I know it's an experience he'll always remember. (Plus he has the 30 dollar plastic dinosaurs courtesy of Memaw and the 25 dollar t-shirt from me...those people really get away with the overpricing at these events!!)

Mother's Day 2010

These two little boys are the reason that I celebrate Mother's Day.

And what special little boys they are!

Holden wasn't feelin' the shirt...

...or the need to just give me a nice, normal smile for these pictures! Ha! check out these faces!! Stinker!!

My other little man didn't give me such a hard time. :) He is getting so big!

My favorite big boy and me.

My favorite baby and me.

The three of us.

Ahh, brotherly love...Hunter generally loves to listen to his big brother, but he wasn't appreciating Holden's singing this morning. (Picture the sound a train makes pulling into the station. I think it was louder!!)

We went to church, then had our annual brunch at the DoubleTree hotel with Memaw, Grammy, Papa, Great Granny, and Uncle Eric.

Memaw with her two grandsons.

The boys and their Grammy. Nice face, Holden.

Hunter was an angel during lunch. He slept until I was done eating...best present he could have given me!

He spent some quality time with Great Granny.

Holden loved the chocolate fountain this year! He helped me cover my strawberries.

He helped me taste them, too.

Hunter wasn't overly impressed.

Holden really enjoyed the courtyard animals.

The whole group. Jay had to work but we had a fun evening with the boys at a local kid spot that has rides and putt putt. I didn't get pictures but that's probably good since this post is long enough!! Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful moms in my life!

Daddy's Day Off

Jay has been working a lot of overtime lately training a new rookie. We really miss him! I definitely enjoy his days off, as it means there is an equal ratio of parents to kiddos. :) The four of us had a fun day out Monday since he was off and I am on leave. It was Hunter's first outing to several new places...not that he would know since he slept through the majority of it! Such a good baby. He woke up once to eat and that was it. I did include a picture of him to prove that he was there.

First we went to the zoo. It was a gorgeous May day; got up in the 80's! Holden kept finding sticks to carry around. I didn't get any animal shots although they were all out and about. Holden's favorites right now are the turtles, wallabies, and the tiger.

Watching the wallabies with Daddy. LOVE our new sit n' stand stroller! It is great for anyone with a baby and a toddler/preschooler. Holden likes the Independence of choosing to sit or stand, and that he can climb on and off himself. Hunter just likes snoozing in it. :)

No zoo trip would be complete without a ride on the carousel. Holden is so proud that he rides without an adult now. He was being a stinker and purposefully looking away from my camera. Then he'd laugh. :)

Holden had his first mini golf experience at Pheasant Lanes, a bowling alley that also has an outdoor putt putt course. He was so cute with his little blue plastic golf club. He quickly figured out that the goal is to put the ball in the hole, so he'd walk right up to it, set the ball next to it, tap it in, then hold the club over his head and cheer, "I WON!" Such a goofy little guy.

Holden and Mommy in the cave

He was mad at Daddy for not letting him climb the rocks himself. :)

After putt putt, Holden also had his first bowling experience! We were the only people there which was probably good. We got the bumper lanes and Jay helped him since the ball was heavy for him. I was cracking up because his little feet would step over the line every time and the beeping sound would go off since that is a "penalty." He was most fascinated with the ball popping back up "like magic!" out of the machine so that he could bowl again. I love the little bowling shoes on him! We also enjoyed a pizza lunch there...and Hunter slept on.

When we got home, it was time for yard work. The lawn was so overdue that Jay had to mow it twice! Holden used to like Daddy to carry him while mowing. Now he has graduated to his own little mower. He follows Daddy around and mimics everything he does. So cute! Daddy's little helper.

Once the lawn was cut, they had some fun in the sun on Holden's new Buzz Lightyear slip n' slide. Jay actually went on it. Holden ran around the edges and stuck his feet in. He's pretty wimpy! But adorable in his little trunks if I do say so myself.

We love Daddy's days off!