Great Grandmother!

My grandmother has been visiting and helping us take care of Hayden this week while his babysitter is on vacation. They spent the night with us two nights ago and I got a few pictures of her with the boys. She is 85 (maybe 86 now) and still can keep up with them better than I can. Somehow they intuitively know what she says goes. My favorite part of her visit was when she was sitting on the couch and told Micah she needed some lovin'. He walked right over and hugged her first thing. It was so sweet and I was so proud that he did that. A funny part of her being here was her fussing at one of my parenting actions. Micah goes to bed pretty easily, granted it's 10'oclock so he should, but if Hayden is here he flips out. He thinks he should be able to sleep in the big boy bed. So on that night he put up such a fuss, I would go in and calm him down then leave and he would scream. We repeated this process for an hour when he finally went down. I went downstairs to grandmama standing at the stairs pacing saying "you shouldn't let that baby cry like that". I just laughed because I know that with 4 babies (including a set of twins) before she was 20 she had to let somebody cry!

playdate with Pax

Before the chaos of our little family crisis we had a playdate with Pax on Amy's last official day as a stay at home momma. Boy will we miss being able to visit them and calling her at any time of the day. Amy definitely planned it right (actually God did) with getting to spend those first few months at home with Paxton. He is getting so big and is becoming so animated. He loves to look at Micah and laugh. He even confided in me by gurgling something that was so secret I couldn't understand it. It was really funny watching he and Micah interact. Paxton is much more in tune with the people around him, while Micah tends to just tune everyone out. Amy even put Paxton in Micah's high chair and he thought it was great. He looked so cute just sitting there like a big boy. Micah wasn't real thrilled with it though. Thankfully no one was injured though. I know Aim has mixed emotions about going back to school and I am anxious for her; but I am sure it will be fine and she has awesome people to watch Paxton, her family! We will still be visiting her classroom regularly maybe even bringing Paxton with us!

prayer

Please stop and pray for my family and specifically my sister Heather. I can't talk about the details right now but would greatly appreciate prayers for us!

naked time and time out

so cute!
look at those arm muscles!
nice tan lines!

I feel so bad for Micah always having to have his stuff all cooped up in a yucky old diaper all the time. Last night I decided to let him have some "naked time" to air that thing out. He loved it. Of course I knew there would be some tee teeing so I brought him in the kitchen and not two seconds after the diaper came off he flooded the floor. After that he realized he was going to get to stay that way and just played his little heart out. Of course stopping every few minutes to take a look at that body part that he never gets to see. Boys!



While Micah has a great time playing and doing things at his own pace he is having a really hard time doing anything that isn't his idea. This includes diaper changes, moving from inside to outside, car to stroller, room to room, and virtually any change that you make. He also is having a problem hitting other random strangers as well as me. Of course this is hard to take for someone who insisted her child wouldn't be "that child". Of course I would have the boy who is going to challenge everything. Parenting has been hard thus far, no doubt, but disciplining the bird is a whole new area. I know that so much of Micah's perception of the world, God and us rests on how we handle disciplining him. I also know that it isn't my strongpoint. God has given me the ability to love, feed, nurture and teach Micah but that ability to discipline is one that He is still working on. It is actually a mental battle for me to be consistent and to not be overtaken by Micah's wailing and flailing. Mick is very good at disciplining but he is not the one who is going to be with Micah for the majority of the time. So all the pressure falls on me for this season of his life. I want him to obey and to understand punishment is for his own good, but often times it is hard to even convince myself of that. So, I 've ordered more books to read and I am praying hard to figure out what will work for our bird, and fast! So, if your child is playing at the mall and that rambunctious kid runs up and smacks your kid don't judge the mom as harshly as you might, I know I wont anymore since often times that mom is me! I say all this to vent some of my nervousness about this new hardship and also to document this time so that when my next child comes(Lord willing) I will not be taken so off guard by this sudden need to rebel.

chaos

Hayden ended up spending the morning with Micah and I yesterday. We had alot of fun but I had a little upset stomach. I know, too much info. except if you really know me you know that since I spend at least half of my life on the throne, I spend a little bit of time talking about it. Sooo, like I said I HAD to go and my only choice was to put Hayden in charge. Micah is usually fine on his own, we have taken all of the neccessary safety precautions(that we know of). But, Hayden decided to open his toy cabinet while I was unable to see. So, he enlisted Micah to help him unload every last toy from that cabinet. Micah was so happy to oblige since he never knew the joys that were held behind door number two. (no relation to the #2 I was doing) I could hear them doing something and I kept yelling and asking Hayden if everything was ok and to dig anything that Micah put in his mouth out. He did so and when I walked out I found this lovely pile of chaos. Notice Hayden's innocent look.

micah's schedule

I haven't listed Micah's schedule in a long time. This will be guaranteed to be boring so skip in unless you are curious.
8- up and at'em
8:30 breakfast
9:00-11:00 - Dance Party, play time and sometimes a morning nap...but he really doesn't want one of those anymore
11:00 or 12:00 - Lunch and more play
1:30 or 2:00 - Nap time...
5:00 up and at'em again
6:00 - dinner
8:00 - snack
9:00 - snack
10:00 Bedtime!!

We are having trouble finding a good time for a nap with just one a day. When there were two naps Micah was like clockwork everyday at 10 and 3. Now, he isn't sure what he wants, and I am not sure either. But we both know we want a nap and are trying to figure out how to make it consistent because I can't stand for it not to be. God created order for a reason.

Mick goes back to school tomorrow so everything is about to change!

Supper Club

Some friends of ours started a Supper Club a few months ago and this was our first opportunity to go. Each month one couple hosts a dinner with a theme and we all dress up, have a devotion, play games and hang out. There are actually 12 couples in all but only 5 could make it this month. It is a large group so there are people everyone knows and then some others haven't met. So you also get to meet knew friends which is always fun. This month's theme was 50's. Everyone played the part well but I can definitely say Mick and I aren't the most attractive couple in the 50's. We played a game called "Rate your Mate" which tends to draw out the worst in couples but I think everyone left in relative peace. Mick is so competitive and it makes no difference what we are playing, so the pressure usually gets to me and I answer all the questions wrong. Although he made a few mistakes this time too. For example...

Question:

Is your mate(Mick) most like:

a) can't remember...

b)playful penguin

c)wise owl

d)proud peacock

He answered the wise owl....and then said he was kidding he was a playful penguin.

Now for those of you who know Mick you know he would be the proud peacock, saying "Look at all my pretty feathers" but he obviously doesn't realize he wants everyone to look at his feathers.

Ok, so just thought you would enjoy that snipit of information. If not I know his mom found it humorous. Well, we are off to pick up Micah in a bit. He made it through the night well so looks like Labor Day there will be no worries at all. I just hope he'll come home with us!

To Nana's house we go...

So Micah is spending the night with Nana tonight. This is the first time he will have spent the night away from us and probably the first time he has spent more than 8 hours away from his momma. I know, don't judge me people...he was on the boob for 13 months, don't judge me for that either. We have a supper club tonight with friends and we are planning a trip with friends over Labor Day so tonight is our trial run. I have no worries as to Nana's capabilities but I still will worry about my bird. I know that he will probably not even want to come back home but we'll see. Here he is getting his blankie ready to take to Nana's house. He doesn't usually get to get it out of the bed so he was going to show Mick.

our big micahbird

So here are some pictures for my mom. Micah did not love the sand at the beach. Apparently the sand at the lake is much different and he only likes it there? Micah acted like we had sat him down on thousands of tiny little knives and no way would he sit back down in it after I picked him up. I was determined that my child like the beach so we repeated the process three mornings in a row. After that we gave up. Hopefully next year he will like it. I thought for sure he would like the ocean but he also thought it was trying to attack him, going in and out like that...so he didn't want any part in that either. So he spent some time at the pool and loved that. But with the cotton in the ears and the cold we opted out of that too after a few days. Here are some of the cute pictures we got. Micah is now trying to talk so hard. He says uh oh really clear and then he will try to imitate anything I say he just can't quite get it yet.

cousins

So we had a pretty good time at the beach with Mick's parents and sister's family. Considering Micah's sickness...etc. I actually got to lay out by the pool for more than 30 minutes at a time so that was really all I wanted. The best part was Micah getting to hang out with Bay and Charlee Ray 24/7. He loves them both so much already. Bay was my nanny for the week. She rode everywhere with us to keep him entertained, fed him his food at dinner and constantly played with him. Micah was in heaven. He has started talking so much more just after going to the beach with two chatty girls. I can see how having an older sibling makes you learn faster for sure. There were so many funny stories of things that happened but our funniest times were riding in the car with our family and Bay. At one point I looked back and told Micah sorry...because he was coughing, etc. Bay said "Why are you sorry?" I said that I was sorry that he was sick and I wished I could take it away. Bay sat there a minute and then she said "Aunt Stephanie, you wish you were Jesus?" "Because he heals people you know..." Mick and I about died. We went on to talk more about Jesus and how I wanted to be like Jesus...not be Jesus. That Bay is just one special girl. It was also fun to be around Charlee for a long time and see that she and Micah are the same size and a year apart. They didn't play to much together because they were both watching the other like a hawk in case they stole the others toys. It was mainly Micah stealing Charlee's so she preferred to play elsewhere. It is exciting to think how much fun these trips will be in a couple years when they are all older and can really play together at the beach, etc. Thanks to Nana and Pops for taking us and for helping take care of Micah and the girls!

family pictures

I didn't realize Mick was napping in this one til I had already downloaded it...Micah and I look good though:)

So we rarely get any good family pictures but... at the beach we definitely got a few good ones. I am still sick but I am trying to update the blog since my mom is having withdrawals from the bird. Sooooo, here are just a few of the great pictures. The close up one a random lady on the beach took! Thanks nice lady! There are a whole lot more to come...

home sweet home

Unfortuanately we have been home since last Thursday. The antibiotic for Micah's ear infection didn't work so we ended vacation to short to see the doctor again. New antibiotic and more grumpy bird. I haven't had a chance to post pics of the vacation because we kept Hayden all weekend after we got home and now I think I am sick with some summer cold...so hopefully I will get to all that soon! Just wanted to say that we are home.

happy cow appreciation day!

So today was an unofficial holiday...cow appreciation day. If you dress up as a cow and go to your local chicken house you get a free meal. I had to work all day and Mick got Micah all decked out and brought him to visit me at lunch(Micah got his free meal for Mick:)). He walked in and sat Micah down...who looked sooo stinkin' cute and I took one look at my bird and knew something was wrong. I picked him up and he was burning up. This is why God doesn't want women to work...(I am totally exaggerating there, if you are a working mom I am not talking about you...) But I think if a wife walks into her husbands work and the baby is sick the wife takes the child to the doctor and the husband goes back to doing his work no problem, he just goes about his day...it isn't that he doesn't care about the child...but God made men in such a way that they compartmentalize better and don't worry near as much. Now me, I could hardly ring the cow bell for the herds of cute cows walking in I was so distracted. All I could think was how could I be at work while my baby is at home sick...what if Mick didn't know the exact way to hold him, what if he didn't ask the dr the right question...! So Mick handled things great and got Micah to the doctor. He did have a fever of 103 and he managed to get another ear infection. AHHH! I despise ear infections, they are the meanest, sneakiest things. Wow, this whole post is just one big tangent. Well, I have good news for you...you are going to be reading this post for a while because we are off for our vacation with the Harper's. Sick baby(I know he isn't really a baby anymore, but he will always be my baby) and all, we are taking our tylenol, ibupropen, and antibiotics and getting on to the beach. Pray for us. Seriously. I will have many stories to write about when I get home. 3 families in a 2 bedroom condo with a virus you know there is all kinds of stories brewing.

fun without the youngun's

Today was a fun day because Amy and I got to hang out together minus the boys. I am sure we would have had fun with them but we actually went to cardio tennis, ate a meal without interuption, layed out by the pool without watching for someone to fall in, and spoke to one another directly! Amy had experienced a bad day with her perfect Pax...even the good ones have off days so I am so glad she got some time away. Thanks to Gma Val. I had a lovely doctor's visit and had to wait a while but somehow those waits aren't near as bothersome if you are sitting by yourself and enjoying thinking straight. After I got home from my fun day we headed to the English house for some good dinner and a very small bit of work. Micah and Charlotte played together and I have to say that my friend Alison's baby Charlotte is the sweetest and smiliest girl! She is pure joy! I know there are times when her mommy begs to differ but whenever she has an audience she works it. Thanks to Doug for the burgers and really good cookies! So all in all a good day I had to share...since it didn't completely revolve around our Micah bird. Everybody needs a day like that now and then. But back to the bird for tomorrow!

my how our boys have grown...

Camden, Micah, and Ellis @ Christmas...

Camden, Ellis, and Micah in July...

Hayden's "Party" and visit from the Collier's

Every year I plan and throw Hayden's Bday Party, but this year it fell at an awkward time and we are out of town both surrounding weekends and with my own child I somehow dropped the ball a bit. Sooo...we had an impromptu party on Hayden's birthday on the day that my roommate from college and her family were stopping by. Hayden thought that they drove all the way from New Orleans for his party. Aunt Amy, Uncle Brad and Paxton came over and of course Jenny and Budda. Hayden got to pick out his own cake and he decided he wanted to dress up for his party..hence the Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh pics. Seriously we hope that Hayden had a great day and I pray that he feels so loved considering his circumstance. He is a wild boy but we love him so much!

Happy Birthday Hayden!

Hayden's 4th Birthday was yesterday and he stayed with us all day to celebrate. Mick and I took he and Micah to Monkey Joe's...the play jumpy place and he loved it. Hayden has no fear on those bouncy things. He would go up to go down the slide and just jump off and be in the air til the bottom of the slide. Here he is taking Micah down with him! Silly boys!

I like his costume...

The only pic I have with Clint for quite some time and I apologize for the pj's...it gets worse though...
Nice shirt tucked into your tighty whitey's Hayden!
Hayden and his Jenny with their flag pens on by the flag! Hayden is already so patriotic! (because of his Budda)

Hayden was enthralled with Clint throughout the weekend and gave poor Clinton no rest most of the time. When Clint got ready to leave Hayden said "I like his costume.." I tried to explain that he wasn't playing dress up but that was his uniform for work. A little to hard to explain what his job will be. I will say I wanted to take the time to thank those of you who read that are serving or have friends or family serving near or far. I didn't have the computer over the fourth so I am doing it now. Being around Clinton, who I have known since before he was born made the whole war thing a bit more real. The chances of him being deployed are pretty good and that brings the war very close to home. I hate that it takes that to bring the awareness to us, but for me it does. So just remember to pray for those soldiers and their families. Especially those boys who are fresh out of college like my sweet cousin. I can't imagine doing what he does at such a young age.

4th of July Parade!

Micah went to his second 4th of July parade in the booming Dville. It is always fun to attend and see people we only see at the parade. Micah loved it this year and danced to the music and watched all of the motorcycles and loud cars. After the parade we headed to the lake for some fun in the sun:) Another trip to the flea market and time with my cousin Clinton who just graduated from West Point. He hung out with us til he had to go sign in at Fort Benning. I am sure it is hard work in the Army but I think he probably sighed a sigh of relief after leaving our two wild boys and my parent's and their lake friends!

thanks!

Thanks for all the comments! It was really fun to see some of who's reading. I am a terrible communicator when it comes to staying in touch so this blog thing seems to have helped me out(alot of you who read noticed that!). I have lots to post about but not enough time. I will write more later with pictures as well. Today is Hayden's Birthday so we have lots of plans for his special day. I am off to pick him up now! Stay tuned for a lot of backtracking in the days to come...

curious

So I have seen lots of fellow bloggers ask who is reading their blog...since I haven't been getting much feedback I want to know if anyone is reading. It is ok if you haven't been this is mainly for my own recollection; but it is still nice to know your audience. So, don't be afraid...leave a comment and I would be encouraged to keep on bloggin' on. Don't leave a comment and well I will keep on writing anyway, but at least you don't have to read it. Thanks for taking the time to read this silliness!

Happy Birthday Jenny!

Today is my mom's birthday. While she doesn't like to celebrate it, for her own reasons I think we still should since it is her day! I hope she has a great day. She is a great mom and grandma. She does so much for everyone in our family and it often goes unsaid how thankful we are for her. Without her there would be no good food to eat, no clean sheets on the beds, no one to laugh and make fun of, no one to relate with me about children or silly husbands that are eerily similar! She used to say you can't understand until you have a child of your own and now I do and I recognize so many sacrifices she made to make our family happy. Happy Birthday Mom and know that you are loved by so many but most of all by me!