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. :)