Life at the Little's

Gooood Byyye, January

2012-02-02T08:24:00.002-06:00

**Sung to the tune of Good Bye Ruby Tuesday..**

Toodles, January! You were a month filled with strange weather that varied from

deadly tornadoes to the south, and lots of thunderstorms here, but you gave us a few dry days in the 60's.

Each day was fun waking up to this smiling face:

Kate enjoyed some time goofing around with her #1 guy:

We enjoyed some hot chocolate, with marshmallows, of course.

Sultan Henry wrapped up for a cool afternoon outside:

I tackled the "under the sink" issue. As in, it was disgusting under there. The previous owners of our house (who were not-so-great DIY'ers) had left some sticky tile from the mudroom, so I had intentions of adding that under our sink (saw it on pinterest). However, the tiles were old, warped and didn't stick well.

So, I called on the good ol' contact paper. It is clean down there, and much more organized.

Please don't judge me on how nasty it was, just on how much better it is :)

My project assistants:

Henry is finally sleeping better.

I have implemented a bedtime routine, which is helping, and includes

rice cereal in the evening and a daily bath.

He thinks I'm crazy for always taking pictures..can't a fella bathe in peace these days?

February brings with it: Valentine's Day, 10 years from our first date,

a brand new NIECE!, a trip from Aunt B!,

only 2 days of work for me, and many more adventures.

Welcome, February!

Then there were two

2012-01-31T01:00:00.000-06:00

One of the pleasant surprises I've had since
Henry was born is how much I enjoy watching our

TWO

children together.

Just their daily interactions bring me such joy, I could start crying at any moment.

And I have.

Kate loves trying to make Henry giggle.

And, for now, he sure does think she's funny.

They've passed out their fair share of slobbery kisses.

Kate loves having a baby to wrap up...

...and to dress up.

I realize that they will be arguing before I know it.

Fighting over who had what first,

and who gets to sit in the front seat.

I don't especially look forward to watching that.

But today, the view sure is good from here.

Roly Poly

2012-01-30T15:00:00.000-06:00

Kate, the photographer

2012-01-29T21:46:00.003-06:00

Kate took a few pictures the other night..

Happiness

2012-01-26T09:08:00.001-06:00

Henry at his happiest:

Belly full of oatmeal.

Fresh outta the bath.

Watching Baby Einstein.

Big sis by his side.

Now, if I could get him to stop waking up every 2 hours at night with gas..

I would be at my happiest :)

Showering my friends..

2012-01-25T06:00:00.000-06:00

...with baby love!

I am absolutely LOVing that my friends are expecting babies. For quite a while, it seemed like I didn't have any close friends that were having babies. I made some wonderful new friends that had children once we had Kate, but now my "old" friends are expecting babies of their own! I counted 18 of my close friends who are expecting, and several others have already delivered their bundles of joy this year. Love it!

This time it was my buddy Ruth Ann's turn to be showered with love. I have been friends with Ruth Ann since middle school. I wish I had the picture to share of the two of us in 6th grade in Washington, D.C. where I was sporting some sweet kelly green sweatpants and Ruthie is a foot taller than me. Though we haven't lived in the same town since high school (10 years ago - good grief), we have remained close and I am thrilled that she and Jon are awaiting the arrival of baby June in March.

Melissa is a super talented bakerella and whipped up these tasty cupcakes:

I didn't take many pictures at the shower because I was having too much fun catching up with these ladies:

Me, Lindsay, Ruth Ann, Melissa, Hayley, Karen

I cannot wait to meet miss June and watch my friend enjoy the precious gift of motherhood!

Good Morning

2012-01-24T09:20:00.001-06:00

Last week

2012-01-21T19:00:00.000-06:00

We had flash floods and you could've taken a decent swim in our back yard.

We hosted a playdate on Wednesday. No one was sick, but afterward I decided it would be a good day to disinfect all our toys. We made a fun game out of it and Kate loved wiping all the germs away (after everything was soaked in Lysol).

And I took pictures of my kids, of course.

Big day for Henry

2012-01-19T22:59:00.004-06:00

Today was a big day for Henry! First off, he rolled over several times this morning from his back to his belly. I was playing with Kate and didn't see him the very first time, but we cheered for him and he did it throughout the day. Way to go, Henry! I realize that this is a big step in development, but also changes things a lot for his mommy, as I will not be able to leave him alone on elevated surfaces (not that I was doing that a ton anyway). So proud of my big fella!

Speaking of big fella, today was also Henry's 4 month check-up. We were so excited that Benjamin could meet us for the appointment! Henry was pitiful the first time he got shots, so I was dreading the high-pitched screams that were sure to follow this round. He made his old man proud and didn't cry at all for the first shot and only a little after the second shot. What a champ!

And what a proud daddy!

Henry's stats at 4 months:

Weight: 17lb 8oz (90th %)

Height: 25.5 inches (75th %)

Our pediatrician said we were welcome to begin introducing solids over the next couple of months, starting with rice cereal. I had some oatmeal and rice cereal, so we just thought we'd give it a try this evening, for fun. Kate was so excited because she was SURE she was going to get a turn at feeding him, but I told her she'd have to wait until he was used to it.

He got the hang of it pretty quickly:

"What's the big deal?"

And he ate two bowls! Like it was nothing.

Kate lost interest pretty early, as happens often with 3 year olds:

So today was a more eventful Thursday than most over here at the Little's. Fun, fun times!

Photos

2012-01-17T13:51:00.004-06:00

We received a box from Illinois last week, filled mostly with things we'd accidentally left behind on our trip there. Kate has loved the cereal that was included and has played and played and PLAYED with this little train set. Thanks, Nannie and Pop!

Sunday morning, right after church:

Proof that Henry is allllmost rolling over. And that he keeps his fingers in his mouth :)

In the clearing stands a boxer

2012-01-16T22:32:00.000-06:00

Henry - 4 months

2012-01-14T21:11:00.001-06:00

Our sweet Henry is 4 months old today!

- He is growing by leaps and bounds and definitely has passed the tiny, newborn stage. He has not rolled over yet, but is getting very close. He is also getting pretty close to sitting up and has much better head control than last month.
- The size that fits him best is 6-9 month clothes. Some 9 month outfits are snug, but some 6 months are just right. That just depends on the brand. He's in size 3 diapers.
- He must be on the verge of teething because he wants to chew on something all the time, and he drools like a maniac.
- He is still nursing full time and doing well with that. We will start introducing rice cereal this month.
- He has definitely discovered his hands and usually has a thumb, some fingers, or his whole fist in his mouth at all times.

- He watches his sister and giggles at her when she talks to him. He has several tickle spots and will giggle when I tickle him during his diaper changes.
- He is doing better about lying on his belly and doesn't start whining after 10 seconds like he used to. He can hold that head up much better, but there is sure to be some drool, so I try to lay a burp cloth under his chest..

- His eyes are still blue, but they are getting darker and I bet they will eventually be brown like his mom and dad, although Kate's are hazel.
- He is starting to lose a good bit of that precious hair! He has the "bald ring" on the back of his head from where he lies on his back at night and turns his head back and forth. Kate was the exact same way, so I was expecting his hair to fall out, but it still makes me sad when there are handfulls of it on the sheets when I pick him up. Oh well, it'll come back.
- His daily schedule usually goes something like this: Wakes up at 5am to eat. Sleeps until around 8am. Stays awake until about noon and naps until around 2pm. Naps again from about 5-6pm. In bed for the night by 8pm. *I am very flexible about my babies' nap times, because I like being able to be flexible. Henry has just gotten into this routine on his own and I love that he and Kate were asleep at the same time (Kate naps from 12:30-1:30 or 2) every day this week.
- Henry is happy 98% of the time. He loves to be talked to and all the ladies at church oooh and ahhh over him because he is always smiling. He loves his mama best right now, but will let anyone hold him and grin and "talk" to you if you do the same.

Happy 4 months, Henry Bo Benry!!

Comparing - 4 months

2012-01-14T17:00:00.000-06:00

Kate - 4 months

Henry - 4 months

Kate - 4 months

Henry - 4 months

On the Road again..

2012-01-12T05:04:00.000-06:00

We hopped in the car and headed to Birmingham Saturday morning after a wonderful visit with Mummi during the day Friday (I worked a half day) and Ahmom came to have dinner with us and spend the night! What a treat to see them both in one day. Our friends were having a post-Christmas Dirty Santa re-gift party and we had a great time at that. Then, Bonnie's church shower was Sunday afternoon, so I got to enjoy seeing her open sweet gifts for Virginia and catch up with some of our friends from church there.

My three sweeties, outside of Josh and Bon's:

Uncle Josh, getting his last practice in before snuggling his own baby in that chair!!

Our buddy, Jason, hanging out with Henry:

Just for fun, I added a pic of Jason with Kate (3 years & 4 months ago):

Sunday at lunch, Josh opened a gift from his momma. He will be looking good when Virginia arrives!

Our next trip down will be to meet our first niece!!!!!!!

Best Buddies

2012-01-11T05:44:00.000-06:00

Alabama Weather

2012-01-10T05:41:00.000-06:00

This week last year we had 7 inches of snow in our yard. This year it was 65 degrees and sunny. You never know what the weather will be like in Alabama, but we enjoy it all.

Sweet Treat

2012-01-09T17:17:00.000-06:00

Illinois Visit

2012-01-03T21:33:00.003-06:00

We packed up Thursday December 29th with a car full (Josh, Bonnie, Benjamin, me, Kate, Henry, gifts, luggage, two car seats..) and headed north to Springfield, IL to visit with Benjamin's family. None of them had met Henry and we hadn't been there in 2 years, so we were due for a visit. We left about 5:30 and Kate watched movies or played her VReader, or sang, until 10:30. Henry slept the whole trip up. 8 hours. What a good traveler We had an absolutely wonderful visit and look forward to seeing you all again!!!

This is when we arrived at the house, we got to visit for a minute and then headed to bed:

Our Captain!

Poppy having some fun with his first great-grandson!

We drove over to Bluffs, where Doc grew up, and Kate played at his school's playground for a while:

111 Wabash, where Doc grew up :)

Eating lunch with two of our favorite people on the planet!

We went to visit with Nannie's sisters for a while. Kate said one of their Christmas cookies looked like a decorated bee hive. And she sang 12 verses of "A Whole New World".

Good times.

Dave had us over for a delicious meal and we got to hang out with the cousins!

Here are Nannie and Pop with 7 of their 10 grandkids and their 2 great-grands:

I love this picture, especially because these sweet girls (Abby, Emma and Hannah)

were in our wedding 5 1/2 years ago!

Nothin' like a bath in Nannie's pink tub!

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Sweet baby Henry on the drive home:

Gotta clean the wall now..

2011-12-29T10:06:00.001-06:00

"Mom, the other night I found a booger in my nose, but I know I'm not supposed to get out of bed so (hand on hip) I just put it on the wall."

Christmas Football

2011-12-28T21:08:00.000-06:00

The Little Men participated in a rematch after the backyard football game on Thanksgiving. The stakes were higher. The women were paying a little bit of attention this time. Sweats were worn. And it was raining, which completely changed the game this go round.

I love these guys so much. And we can't wait for another rematch coming SOON!! Roll Tide!

The Day After Christmas 2011

2011-12-27T21:00:00.002-06:00

Monday after Christmas was the day we'd planned to spend Christmas with the Littles at the lake. We were so excited to spend the day with almost the whole gang, but we really missed Brett and Sarabeth who weren't able to be with us this year. So excited to see them when Virginia Little makes her debut in Birmingham!Here's uncle Johnny getting some good time in with Henry:

Kate and Uncle Joshy (her yo-yo buddy):

We started off with a delicious brunch, which included Doc's DElicious homemade cinnamon rolls:

First Annual Christmas Photo with Grandkids:

Henry's aviator hat from Mummi won cutest gift of the day!

I cannot get enough of this cutie in this precious hat!!

Yet again, we received some wonderful, thoughtful gifts! Here is Kate, trying out one of her new puzzles, fresh from an afternoon nap:

Brett and Sarabeth couldn't be with us all, but we chatted with them out in Omaha for a bit :)

Kate is really fond of dressing up these days, and she has said many, many times that she'd like to be a waitress when she grows up. Actually she has said she would like to be, "..a cooker, I mean, a server. A giver of food." (It's funny, because I wanted to be a waitress, or a secretary, when I was a child.) Is this little server not the cutest you've ever seen?!

She spent a good part of the afternoon taking people's orders and writing them on the tickets. She's taking orders here for the guys playing football outside in the rain (more on that later!):

Henry, kickin' it during dinner:

It rained and rained, pretty heavy, all evening. Driving home in the rain that evening wasn't fun (Benjamin actually drove, I was just in charge of the music!) and real life began again Tuesday morning when Benj headed into work bright and early. What a champ. I had an absolutely amazing time this holiday season and I think Kate said it best while we were taking the ornaments off the tree.."Mom, I really like Christmastime, but this is not a very fun part of it." Hope everyone enjoyed their time this weekend and feels as blessed as I do. Happy Holidays!!

Christmas Morning 2011

2011-12-27T15:00:00.000-06:00

Sunday was Christmas morning and we woke to find the evidence that Santa had indeed made a stop at the Little's!

Henry was happy as could be and excited for his first Christmas morning!

Kate coming down the stairs:

Kate showing Henry what he got in his stocking:

She loves to eat mints at church, so there were some mints in her stocking..

Here, she is saying, "But elves don't make food, they make toys!"

We have been doing a lot of cooking together lately (since I got my new oven from the in-laws - woohoo!). Benjamin got us matching aprons and a cupcake cookbook. What a perfect gift from the perfect daddy!

Kate got the new guitar she asked for:

And a cash register:

I made a yummy breakfast casserole, so we enjoyed that before getting ready to worship God :)

(Kate may have had a donut instead of the casserole. It's Christmas, why not!?)

The sweet kiddos ready for church on Christmas morning (a little tired of pictures by now):

Sunday evening, we put our new aprons to use and made a dessert for the

following day's gathering with the Littles:

What a Merry Christmas we had!

Christmas Eve 2011

2011-12-27T11:00:00.002-06:00

I took 184 pictures this Christmas weekend! Obviously, I won't put each of them on here, but I will be putting lots so I will divide the posts up.

We drove over to the Shoals Friday night (the 23rd) and dropped the kids of with Ahmom at a Christmas party. We felt a little strange just dropping our kids off, but mom said she would love to have them (I'm sure she hadn't planned on Henry crying the entire time..oh well). Benjamin and I enjoyed our annual birthday dinner, for me, at George's. It did not disappoint and we had a lovely dinner. Thanks, Benj! We spent the night with Ahmom that night and woke up Saturday morning (Christmas Eve) to have delicious ham and biscuits and spend some time with my siblings.

Kate and Henry enjoying a movie Christmas Eve morning:

The two of them racked up and got some wonderful ornaments, books, clothes, toys...all kinds of great things from my brothers and their wives, and from Ahmom! We had a wonderful visit with them and we all headed down to Hamilton to visit some more with family.

Kate played Beauty Shoppe (gift from Cory and Karen!) all the way down:

Our wonderful driver:

We stopped by GranDottie's and got to visit with her and some aunts and uncles for a bit. Then we made our way to the Hall's to celebrate with the Kings. Here is cousin Jill with Mr. Henry:

Brayden and Kate played so well together, as usual. They got lots of fun gifts! Here they are playing with a bubble popping game:

Trying to get a good picture of the three great-grandchildren...Brayden, Henry and Kate:

Uncle Cory and H-Man:

We headed back home that evening to get ready for Santa to come to our house!! We made cookies for Santa:

And we left carrots for the reindeer, of course:

Benjamin read "The Night Before Christmas" to us all and we were off to sleep to wait for Santa! I went in to check on Kate 30 minutes after she laid down and she was still awake, rolling around in the bed. I think she was pretty excited :)

Merry Christmas from Kate and Henry!

2011-12-25T01:00:00.000-06:00

Christmas wishes

2011-12-23T05:00:00.000-06:00

Kate, I am going to write a note to Santa and send it with Scout tonight to the north pole. I know you talked to Santa, but is there anything else you'd like for Christmas?

(She breaks into song and dance, singing, "All I Want For Christmas is YYOOOUUU!")

Ok, would you like to ask Santa for anything else?

A toy squeaker ball for Henry. And a ball with lots of colors with a bell inside and when you shake it, it jingles.

Those are both for Henry?

Yeah, he didn't have any words when we sat with Santa.

Ok, let's try again. Is there anything else YOU would like?

A "K-A-T-E" ornament with sprinkles and a bell, so when you shake it, it sounds like a maraca. A cup. Maybe a sweater, one we've never seen before, that's kind of green and grayish and on the bottom of it, it's red. A new pair of socks, because some of my socks have holes in them. And that's it. Because that's kind of a lot to ask for. Actually, a teddy bear, too. You know, the kind of teddy bear that I can sleep with. And that's it.

:)

We hope you get all you've wished for this Christmas!!!

"H"

2011-12-21T08:04:00.002-06:00

8 days old

2 months

3 months

K is for Kate | H is for Henry

The Big 2-8

2011-12-20T14:28:00.001-06:00

My 28th birthday was Sunday! I don't feel like I should be 28 years old, but I don't really have a choice :) It's been a great year and I had a wonderful day. I got lots of phone calls, cards (and some spending money from my mom!) and text messages from lots of folks that I love! Kate was spending the weekend with my in-laws, so it was just the three of us on my actual birthday. Henry was so excited to wear his snowman vest to church:

Benjamin and I finished up some Christmas shopping Sunday afternoon and then decided, spur of the moment, to have lunch at one of my favorite spots. It was a great day and I still feel like the luckiest gal I know! Sunday night I hosted an ornament swap for the ladies at our church. It was lots of fun (I didn't take pictures) and we had a great time visiting together and stealing each others' ornaments! Well, Monday morning I woke up feeling yucky. I keep getting sick (it's related to my breastfeeding and I'll spare you the details) and it's happened about 8 times since Henry was born. My mom was so kind and came over Friday night because I felt sick then, but better by Saturday morning, until it hit again on Monday..ugh. Mummi brought Kate back home Monday afternoon and I finally got some medicine called in and she took care of us until Benjamin came home. She even brought me some bday gifts that Kate had picked out and a cake! Kate was so excited to sing to me and eat that cake, it was so sweet.

I was still feeling pretty puny, but excited to have both my kiddos back to wish me happy birthday!

My three favorites:

I am feeling better today, but my Henry has had a cold since Thursday. I took him to the doctor Friday and he said that everything looked fine, he just has a viral infection that will have to run its course, probably taking 10 days to pass. His cough is so yucky sounding, but he doesn't seem as congested now and he hasn't had a fever. He's a sweetheart, even with a cold :)

Right now, both of them are asleep, and have been for an hour and a half. It's a Christmas MIRacle..haha. Hoping we're all well for the festivities this weekend!

Busted

2011-12-19T09:45:00.001-06:00

This Christmas, we have gotten Kate a lot of books, one bigger toy and a few other small things. They were all stored in the top cabinet in our bathroom, where I know she cannot see. She loves doing crafts, so I went to Hobby Lobby one day that she was not with me and loaded up on crafty things for her. I put them in a basket in the top of the coat closet, planning to move it to a less visible area later. But I forgot.

Last week, Kate and I were doing a part of one of her activity books where you cut paper out and glued it on another sheet. Thinking out loud I said, "I do not see a glue stick. We can just use tape." Kate chimes in, "Oh, Mommy, there is a red basket in the closet downstairs that is just FULL of craft stuff and I bet there is a glue stick in there. Come on, I'll show you.".

Whoops. Busted.

Then I had to tell her she wasn't supposed to see that because it was a Christmas present from me. She cried because she felt bad that she'd seen it. She also cried again later when I told her she'd have to wait to get it until Christmas morning. "But we NEED the glue stick now!" She had to have some quiet time in her room after that cry. She was with grandparents this weekend, so all the gifts were wrapped and are in the attic or Benjamin's truck. Lesson learned.

Questions for Kate

2011-12-15T12:50:00.001-06:00

Questions for Kate:
1.What sort of things make you happy? -Mommy making silly faces, getting tickled, playing and cuddling.
2. What sort of things make you sad? -Bumping into things and knocking something fragile off a shelf and breaking it. Also, if the Christmas tree fell on top of Henry I would be sad.
3. What makes you angry? - Nothing! We're not supposed to get angry, mommy!

Those cheeks

2011-12-15T02:00:00.000-06:00

Anyone else see the resemblance? Ha, I sure love those droopy cheeks!!

Comparing - 3 months

2011-12-14T17:00:00.000-06:00

Henry - 3 months

Kate - 3 months

Henry - 3 months

2011-12-14T06:00:00.000-06:00

Henry, sweet little fella, is three months old today! Henry is a social guy and he really likes to be talked to. He will grin and "talk back", especially to his mama. I don't have a scale, so I'm not sure how much he weighs, but he still seems to be growing nicely. (**Update: Went to the doctor two days later for a cold and he weighed 16lb 14oz.)He is in size 3 diapers now and his size 6 month clothes fit well through the middle, but some of them are too short. Maybe we'll have a basketball star in about 16 years! He has started chewing on his fingers and sucking on his thumb every now and then.

His favorite thing to do is watch his big sister :)

Since moving into the crib in his room upstairs, I have been waking up 2-3 times a night with him to help calm him down when he has gas. It seems to really hurt him at times, but once that gets settled, he goes back to sleep well. I do not feed him after his feeding right before bed until after 5am. If he eats around 5, he usually sleeps again until around 8. I do not like going up and down the stairs during the night. Hopefully we'll have some full nights of sleep again soon. He's so stinkin' sweet, though, I can't get too upset..

Henry is still nursing well and he eats for about 15 minutes at a time every couple of hours. He is doing great with that so we'll keep nursing full time for the next couple of months until he starts with some baby foods.

He is still immobile, which is quite nice, but I can tell when he starts being able to move, he will be on the go. I don't think his neck muscles are as strong as some babies his age, but he is trying to sit up on his own, so I guess he has some good abs :)

We don't go to the doctor this month, so I don't know how much he's grown, but it sure seems like a lot. We will go next month, so I'll know then. These months seem to pass by so very quickly, I am just soaking up every single day because I know this baby will not be a baby nearly as long as I'd like. Henry, you are quite loved by quite a few people. Happy 3 months, sweet boy!

PDC

2011-12-13T20:50:00.000-06:00

Pretty Darn Cute

High School Buds

2011-12-13T06:00:00.000-06:00

My 5 best friends from middle school/high school try to at least get together over the holidays to spend some time together. We usually end up seeing at least some of our group throughout the year (only 2 of us aren't in the Shoals right now..and one of them is my sis-in-law!) but I was so glad that we all got to get together this past Sunday. Only Karen had met Henry, so I was glad to introduce him to my pals:)

This picture makes me LAUGH! We were about to get in the car and Henry was so tired, but look at that grouchy face! He looks irritated at having to hang out with a bunch of girls :)

And here we all are! Love you ladies so much!!!!

Santa's Village

2011-12-11T22:59:00.001-06:00

This past Saturday was a wonderful day! Friday was both of our work Christmas parties, so my mom was kind enough to come over and stay with the kids while we did that. Since she was there, I was able to sleep in on Saturday morning, so that was a nice treat! Then we just had a lovely day together as a family and it was one of those beautiful cool early winter days that I really have grown to enjoy. We decided that would be the perfect evening to take the kids to see Santa at Santa's village. It was pretty chilly out, but we bundled up and had a great time! This is just after we got inside:

There were a few characters dressed up and you can tell Kate has been to Disney World because she knew exactly what to do and loved having her picture made with them:

They made fake snow every 20 minutes and Kate thought that was pretty cool!

Benjamin was a trooper and stood in the Santa line with 16 lb Henry while we walked around and checked out the other areas.

After a long, chilly wait, we finally made it into the house to see Santa! Kate was so, so excited and she gave him a HUGE hug right when she walked up to him. Henry liked the light fixture.

She told him that she wanted three things:
1. a new guitar (her Woody guitar had a string break this week)
2. a fishing pole
3. a cash register
He has been informed and I am sure he can handle her three wishes!

Our Picture with Santa 2011:

The loves of my life once we got home and got Henry in his jammies:

Christmas Playdate

2011-12-11T22:43:00.001-06:00

This past Tuesday, our friend Erin invited our play group over for a Christmas playdate! It was so much fun watching the kids play, decorate (and eat) cookies, decorate an ornament and make a sticker page. Erin was a teacher so she had it all organized and I loved it so much! Obviously, Kate did too:

The younger Kate making her sticker page:

Titus, hard at work decorating his cookies:

We were missing two of our sweet boys in the group this day, but we got a good picture of the rest of the kiddos! Not bad for 9 children under 4!

Kate is happy as she an be because she thinks Henry is kissing her back:)

Oh what fun it is...

Roommates

2011-12-06T18:35:00.002-06:00

Kate was looking at a picture of her and Pops (my dad) in the bathroom last night...

"Mommy, was I zero in this picture?"
"No, you were one."
"But I'm so sad I don't get to see Pops anymore."
"I know, sweetie, me too."
"But I know! I get to see him when I get to heeeeaven!"
"Yes, that's exactly right!"
"I hope he has a room right next to me!"

December duds

2011-12-05T18:57:00.001-06:00

Our first "Christmas-sy" get together was this morning, so I got the kids dressed in some of their Christmas wear and I can say that I love this time of the year now even more than I did as a kid.

Love this little guy!

Future children-in-law

2011-12-01T09:38:00.006-06:00

One thing I pray for daily is that my children will find a spouse who also loves the Lord and they can be as blissful and my husband and I. It is a funny thought to me that some couple out in the world, close to our age, is raising (or will be) a child that my precious child will someday marry! I pray that whoever they may be, they are kind, thoughtful, compassionate and their family is centered around Christ. I also secretly wish that they like classic rock (particularly CSNY, Jethro Tull, America, The Band..), snow skiing, hiking, target shooting and reading, so they can make kids that also like cool stuff. Ha. I'm partly kidding.

Just off the top of my head I can think of 13 of my friends that are expecting babies right now! And including the other 15 that have had a baby this year, Henry has some excellent choices for a wife and a best bud. It's not always easy, and can be overwhelming to have young lives to care for, constantly watching and listening, calling you out when you make a mistake, but it is an incredible blessing that (forces) allows you to become a better person. I hope Kate and Henry's future spouses' parents (what a mouthful!) are praying for us as well.

Holiday traditions

2011-11-30T05:45:00.000-06:00

I love holiday traditions! Our family has a few of our own and they make this season even more exciting for us.

- Friday after Thanksgiving we do our Christmas tree decorating with the Christmas music blasting and Kate always gets to put the star on top. We'll let Henry do it, too, when he's old enough.
- Friday night after Thanksgiving we order pizza and watch A Charlie Brown Christmas.
- Our Elf on the Shelf, Scout, makes his debut on December 1st and we also bring out the Advent Calendar to count down (or up, rather) to Christmas day.
- We put out cookies and milk for Santa by the fireplace, but also put carrots on the front porch for the reindeer on Christmas Eve.
- Benjamin reads The Night Before Christmas at bedtime on Christmas Eve.
- This year I'm starting a tradition and getting Kate a snow globe and Henry a nutcracker. I plan to do that each year.

What are your holiday traditions!?

Putting up the Christmas Tree

2011-11-29T06:32:00.000-06:00

Friday morning, the day after Thanksgiving, we started decorating our Christmas tree. Kate woke us up at 6:30 and she was ready to decorate! I put the tree up on Wednesday and she had waited patiently to help me decorate it.

Henry snoozed through the process, but I imagine he will be eager to "help" next year :)

Blowing kisses to Daddy:

The annual "putting the star on the top" photos:

Here's our mantle all decorated and some of our decorations on the shelves:

And the final product..

We're looking forward to the month of December!

video of Henry

2011-11-28T11:18:00.001-06:00

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-28T08:03:00.002-06:00

We had such a great Thanksgiving holiday!

On Thursday, the four of us drove to my aunt and uncle's house in Winfield in time for lunch with my mom's side of the family. The food was abundant and delicious, and I love catching up with my cousins that are able to be there. The weather was beautiful, so we were able to spend the afternoon outside throwing football, kicking the soccer ball, laughing together and taking pictures.

Heidi, Katie and Karen married into this delightful family and I was blessed to be born into it :)

Alan, Patrick, Benjamin, Cory and Josh took a break from catching up/tossing the football to take a quick photo:

JD and Kate "roasting marshmallows":

Football:

My cousin Kristin took these beautiful pictures of my family:

And Heidi took some great pictures as well!

That evening, we drove over to Hamilton and had a wonderful visit and meal with the Kings. It's always fun to see my cousins and Kate had a fantastic time playing with Brayden (my cousin Jill's son). We were so impressed with how well Brayden shared his toys with Kate and they had a blast together in the playroom. They also went for a ride on the carport in his car. Kate needs quite a bit of practice behind the wheel!

These two were awfully cute:

Friday was a fun day at home! I will post about that day soon, but on to Saturday's festivities!

We decided to have the Little family Thanksgiving meal at our house this year, mostly because it's just easier for us to be at home with our kids so they can sleep, play, eat, etc. at their own house. I cooked a turkey for the first time and it did not look like the Griswald's turkey, so I was pleased! We had a great meal together, just missed the Bowens terribly, who weren't able to join us from all the way in Omaha. We did video chat with them for a minute, but we look forward to holiday meals with them again! Saturday was a big day that included Thanksgiving lunch, the Iron Bowl AND Jonathan's 30th birthday! We had a lot to celebrate, especially after Bama's victory. Roll Tide.

Here is Kate singing Happy Birthday to her uncle Johnny:

And the birthday boy blowing out his candles on the cake we couldn't help but dig into a bit early:

Aunt Bonnie (who is as cute as ever at 29 weeks pregnant!!!) and Kate:

Jonathan and Katie, who win the travelers award for their driving to and from Virginia to be with family:

Watching the big game:

My mom was off of work all week, so she came over for several days and I enjoyed her company so much last week. I think that week topped my list of favorite weeks ever. I just feel so fortunate to be surrounded by so many outstanding, kind and wonderful people. We are laying low today at home, and peeking outside because the forecast has 1-2 inches of snow in the works for tomorrow!!!!

Henry's 2 month check-up

2011-11-23T07:33:00.004-06:00

Yesterday was Henry's 2 month well visit at the pediatrician. He is actually 10 weeks old today...wow, how quickly weeks seem to go by these days. He received three shots and took another vaccination by mouth. It's always so pitiful when your baby gets shots, and his high-pitched screams almost brought me to tears, but I kept it together and he stopped crying pretty quickly. Kate also got the flu mist, which was good because I thought she was going to have to get a shot, too, but we dodged that one. The pediatrician said he was growing well and everything looked great! We go back in 2 months and he'll get another round of shots then. I am so, so thankful for healthy children!

Henry - 2 months:

Weight - 15lb 1oz (95th %)
Height - 24.5 in (90th %)
Head Cir. - 40.5 cm (75th %)

"My dad is pretty funny.."

2011-11-20T16:18:00.001-06:00

Why blog?

2011-11-18T08:00:00.002-06:00

I started this blog when I was about 28 weeks pregnant with Kate, which was January of 2008. Benj and I were two 23 year olds, smack dab in the middle of law school (him, not me), beginning an adventure we hadn't imagined would be so fulfilling. I don't know how I even heard of "blogging", but once I figured out that I could post pictures on the Internet that our parents and grandparents could see any time, I thought I should do it. Since then, it has been a way to share photos, milestones, funny moments and trying times with my friends and family. Mostly family. Who doesn't want to show off their adorable children, right? Especially when we don't see extended family nearly enough. When I worked weekends at the hospital, I had a lot of time waiting for patients to come to our area, so I was sitting in front of a computer quite a bit. That's when I did my blogging for those two years.

I don't think I'm funny. I'm not a good writer. I don't have anything profound to share with the world. I just have a terrible memory. It's really, really bad.

Just last night, I was talking about going to my cousin's rehearsal dinner in 2005. I remember which restaurant it was in, and that a friend picked me up afterward. But I have no idea who I sat with, if people got up and spoke, what the decorations looked like or if there even were any. I was 21 years old. Not a child. I cannot remember things! So, I take pictures. Lots and lots of pictures. I don't have any pictures from that rehearsal dinner and I don't remember a darn thing about it. I sure don't want that happening with my children, so I take pictures. And I type the funny, goofy things Kate says and does. Because I will forget. Tomorrow. But I can look back and laugh if I have blogged about it.

So, if you're reading this, you are special to me. You are watching my family grow. You tell me later how sweet you thought Kate's prayer was. You are part of the reason I write, and I photograph. But, I may not remember that we talked, so I might take a picture of you. So I won't forget..

Gingerbread House

2011-11-17T20:00:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, I found a foam gingerbread house in the Christmas decorations that I'd bought last year, so Kate and I had a great time decorating it! It looked great when completed and we put it on the desk in her room. Then, right before bed, she told her daddy he could put it in his room to look at for juuuust one night. When she got up this morning, she took all the stickers off and decorated herself instead.

Henry thought she looked so silly!

I'll be finding glitter foam stickers around or house for months, I'm sure.

Another Contagious Smile

2011-11-17T11:32:00.001-06:00

Smiles are Contagious

2011-11-16T11:30:00.000-06:00

This one sure is!

Comparing - 2 months

2011-11-16T01:00:00.000-06:00

Henry - 2 months old

Kate - 2 months old

Henry - 2 months

2011-11-15T14:38:00.001-06:00

Henry at 8 days old (9-22-11):

Henry at 2 months (11-14-11):

Henry turned two months old yesterday!

He goes to the doctor a week from today to get his first vaccinations, and we'll see how much he weighs and how long he is then. He is sleeping great at night, still, typically anywhere from 6.5-8 hours in a row. He eats well, but that has slowed down some, and he doesn't want to eat constantly like he did a few weeks ago. He loves to be able to see me or Kate and doesn't really like to be left alone in a room when he's awake. His happiest times are when I'm changing his diaper. He looks up at the airplanes on the wall and just grins so much! Although the grins are few and far between, they sure are sweet. He is beginning to "coo" a little and make sweet sounds. He would have what I called a "sour stomach" quite a bit in the beginning, but that seems to be better and I assume it's just because he's growing because I haven't changed my diet or anything. With Kate, these first two months were the hardest. This time around it seems like it has zoomed by and it hasn't really been difficult at all! I give credit to the fact that I don't have to go to work the next day, I am not as nervous and anxious as the first time, Benjamin helps me a ton with Kate, and Kate helps herself out a lot and is extremely patient! So if it only gets easier from here, we are in wonderful shape. Henry, you are so loved.

Cory's Bday

2011-11-14T01:00:00.000-06:00

My brother Cory's birthday is today - HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

We were so excited that we were able to have lunch with my family on Saturday at his and Karen's house to celebrate him turning the big 3-0! Here are Heidi, Mom and Josh waiting to eat the DElicious food that Karen prepared for us all:

And miss Kate wanted a picture, too (she'd already started eating the yummy lasagna):

"Happy Birthday to yoooou!"

Henry (who was mid-yawn) and aunt Heidi:

We had such a nice visit. I love my family oh so much!

Happy Henry

2011-11-12T04:30:00.000-06:00

When Henry smiles at me, I feel like someone has pumped me full of helium

and I should start floating around!

This is what pictures look like when you're looking at the baby and not through the lens :)

This is still the look I get most often...

Or this one....

"Little"

2011-11-11T15:00:00.000-06:00

My sweet boy is about to get too BIG for his "little" outfit that I adore so much. You may recall that I purchased this getup before Benjamin and I were even married, so the fact that our son is indeed wearing it somehow, in my mind, justifies this strange desire I had to buy clothes for the children we might, possibly one day have. Anyway, here is Henry Little at 8 weeks old in an outfit his momma bought just with him in mind 5 1/2 years earlier:

Bathtime

2011-11-11T05:00:00.000-06:00

We love football season!

2011-11-10T15:56:00.001-06:00

Even when we lose the big game...

Sweet Dreams

2011-11-10T09:02:00.003-06:00

I realize that I will get no sleep tonight, after typing this, but that'll be alright.

The past week, Henry has really started sleeping well at night. My cousin, Jill, was kind enough to let us borrow her pack n play and we have Henry sleeping in the bassinet area of it, right next to our bed. That way, when he rustles around, I can just reach over and stick his paci in his mouth to calm him down. He started out waking up every 2-3 hours to eat. I still felt pretty well rested because he would eat and then go straight back to sleep, which meant I was only awake for about 20 minutes. At this age, Kate would be awake for HOURS at night and would scream and scream if we laid her down. So, this time around has been wonderful. Last night, at 8 weeks old, Henry slept from 9:30-5:30 - that's 8 hours! He did whine some around 4am, but when he ate at 5:30, he got out what he was working on then :). Daylight Savings ended last Saturday night. Kate usually wakes up around 7:15am. However, with the time change, she has been coming downstairs at 5:45! Nice. She claims that she wants to cuddle with us, but once she climbs in our bed she just wiggles around, pokes us in the face, and then whines for "breftas" (breakfast) until one of us gets up. Today she said, "I know it's still dark outside but my tummy was rumbling and just rumbling and I just had to come downstairs because you make the BEST oatmeal, mommy. Now, please get up and fix some for me. Please. Mommmmmy, you're not so sleepy. Please get up. Please. Mommy. Mommy. Mommy (My eyes are being poked at this entire time)." I must get her to eat more at dinner.

The first night that Henry slept for 7 hours, Kate wet the bed for the first time in a looong time and woke me up screaming at 4am. I just had to laugh at that one. Poor kid was distraught and freezing. And Henry was ready to eat when I got back downstairs. Still, I am getting much more sleep than most new mommas and it is delightful! Thank you, sweet Henry. Yet another reason you have stolen my heart.

It's November!

2011-11-04T12:27:00.003-05:00

...which means we're getting in the Thanksgiving spirit! We made a turkey craft on Wednesday and Kate told me some things she is thankful for.

They were: Farms, Food, Pumpkin Patch, Santa, Mommy, Daddy, God(and Jesus) & Henry. That's a pretty nice list.

And, of course, I had to add some pictures of Henry. He's getting so huge!

Happy November!

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-02T11:30:00.000-05:00

We had a great time celebrating Halloween this year! Friday night, some friends from our church had us over and we ate, made s'mores and just enjoyed each others company! Here are Kate the lion and Caleb the scarecrow:

And Henry the zebra:

I was a zookeeper :)

Daddy and Kate with their s'mores:

Kate kept pulling her hood off and showing people that it was "just Kate" and she was not a real lion! Our hostess gave the kids goody bags and Kate really liked scary teeth:

I forgot my camera card (doh!) when we went to my mom's church's Trunk-or-Treat Sunday night. Mom's trunk was decorated as Astronaut School and she and Kate dressed like astronauts. Kate looked SO cute! Just take my word for it :) Monday night was actual Halloween night, so we brought out the face paint for our lion!

Mummi and Doc were driving back from their trip to Lexington, so they were able to join in the fun! Here are Kate and her daddy heading out to trick-or-treat in our neighborhood:

Sorting through the loot:

My sweet Halloween kiddies:

We sure had a Happy Halloween!

Carving Pumpkins, other goings on

2011-11-01T21:25:00.000-05:00

Kate was so excited to carve our pumpkins, she'd been talking about it for days! However, once Benjamin cut it open and she saw the pumpkin guts, she was totally grossed out. It was hilarious!

Kate is getting pretty good at photographing us:

Here are just some pictures from the past couple of weeks:

Poor Mr. Henry has Kate is his face at ALL times!

Using our new stroller to head out on a walk with my two sweet children:

Again, poor Henry...

He's a pretty serious little fella:

Daddy caught us snoozing one Saturday:

Henry is really growing!

I found Kate in my bathroom with her jammies down trying to give herself a pedicure..

I am loving this life I've been blessed with!

First Grins

2011-11-01T15:23:00.001-05:00

I captured Henry's first real grins today! I was changing his diaper and he started grinning away...and I started crying :)

He grinned some more for me later. What a sweet smile!

Cute Kiddies

2011-10-31T15:19:00.002-05:00

I took these pictures while we were in Tennessee. I love my sweet friends and their precious children!

Trip to TN

2011-10-27T10:51:00.000-05:00

One of my friends invited us to her parents' house just outside of Nashville and we enjoyed a two-night stay there earlier this week! Her mom was our gracious hostess, providing healthy, delicious meals for us each day and leading us in a bible study/discussion during the kids' nap time. We arrived Monday at lunchtime and these two babies had a nice conversation about the beautiful trees on the trip up. (Actually my baby slept the whole times, phew.) These two each turned 6 weeks old while we were there!

The house and the lot were absolutely beautiful and the wooded back yard was right up my kid's alley!! She was so excited about the tire swing, as you can see from this photo:

little Kate, ready to blow some bubbles:

big Kate and Caleb are digging away:

Kate would have stayed on this tire swing for three straight days. We may have to see if our trees in the back yard will tolerate a tire swing!

Samantha and sweet Mattie:

Kate kept wandering off into the woods, and this was one of those times she was in a spot she wasn't really supposed to go. I really have to start keeping my eye on her, because we found her outside by herself twice! Yikes, she's a little too adventurous at times!

My sweet girl with our sweet hostess:

Here are the 3 three-year-old children on our adventure - Kate, Bella and Caleb:

And here are 6 of the 9 children that were all under one roof. Mattie is almost 7 months, and the other two are 6 weeks old. They behaved well and had a great time together, but the getaway wasn't exactly relaxing for the mothers. It was a wonderful time, though!

Henry was pretty much nursing or snuggled up with someone the whole time :)

Kate wandered off from the group at one point and when I found her, she was like this:

More fun with bubbles!

One of the many wonderful things about their home was the delicious coffee we enjoyed. There were tons and tons of flavors to add to the coffee as well as whipped cream, cinnamon, etc. They also had several types of hot tea! I went with my classic: Decaf with 3 caramel shots, milk, and whipped cream. I see a fancy coffee bar in our home in the near future!

Uh Oh. Cute picture!

Grandma with her cuties, Bella and Alynn:

This is what it looks like to have a newborn and a 21 month old. She makes it look easy!

I had such a delightful time bonding with my Christian friends, watching our children play together and having sweet talks over coffee and brownies. I learned lots and while "girl time" is very important, I was quite ready to get home to Benjamin. It's funny how I thought about him the ENtire time...how he'd love the beautiful colors of the changing leaves in southern Tennessee, how he would think the coffee bar and the back yard were so neat, how he'd laugh at Kate and the silly things she said, and how he would have loved the beautiful sight we saw out the window at breakfast our last morning there:

I am so blessed, in so many ways. Next up...Halloween!!!!! Let the trick-or-treating fun BEGIN! (Can you tell I'm excited?!)

Joy

2011-10-26T23:55:00.000-05:00

Hello Henry

2011-10-26T17:10:00.001-05:00

The Art of Flattery

2011-10-20T15:37:00.001-05:00

"Mommy, could I please have a rice krispy treat? You look soooo beautiful!"

Wow. Nice try.

Tate Farms - Part 3

2011-10-20T04:36:00.000-05:00

Finally, we hopped on the hayride and rode out into the pumpkin field to choose a pumpkin. Kate was rolling around in the hay and she had a rash all over her cheeks the next morning! That's part of the fun, I guess.

Here we are riding out to the pumpkin field:

Kate took a while to pick the perfect pumpkin:

But, we found one and then it was time for some sibling pictures!

We took this picture last year. I am going to find it and make a comparison soon.

Oh how I love the fall!

Tate Farms - Part 2

2011-10-19T17:00:00.000-05:00

CORN, Corn, everywhere!

They had these "corn cribs" at the pumpkin patch and the kids loved playing in them. Kate, making corn angels:

Kate Miller, trying to empty out all the corn :)

Preston had as much fun watching as Kate did rolling around in the corn:

Precious Henry didn't make a peep all day! What a trooper:

Kate asked these kids that looked like they were in middle school to bury her in the corn:

Bella having fun:

Alynn tossing some corn:

They also had a corn train that the kids had a great time riding!

Part 3 coming soon!

Tate Farms - Part 1

2011-10-19T08:00:00.000-05:00

We took a trip to Tate Farms on Monday for Kate to play with her friends and pick out a pumpkin. We had talked about going to the "ponekin" patch for quite a while, and the weather was nice (but warm!) on Monday, so we met some of our playdate friends there and had a wonderful time!! We went last year and they had added some new activities and Kate had a blast.

Here she is right when we got there:

This bouncy thing was new this year and the kids loved it!

Kate hyper-extended her knee a little (she seems to always do that) and here she is, resting after her injury:

They had a little petting zoo area and Kate loved petting the "aminals", until it got a little too stinky and she said, "let's get outta here cause it sure stinks!"

Look at these cute sisters!

We did lots more fun stuff, so I'll add those pictures next!

Denim Dress, Dirty Face

2011-10-18T17:15:00.001-05:00

The Bowens' visit - Part 2

2011-10-18T01:53:00.000-05:00

I love these pictures of Henry snuggled up with Ahmom over the weekend:

Henry and Doc snuggling:

Hungry Henry with his daddy:

More snuggle time..Henry and Uncle Josh:

Saturday morning we headed to Mars Hill Bible School to enjoy "Punkin Day". The original Littles had been many times, but it was the first time for the rest of us.

Kate was ready to enjoy "Punkin Day"!

Henry was less excited, but he's only a month old :) He was dressed appropriately, though!

Coming down the BIG slide:

Kate wanted a butterfly painted on her face:

THEN, she decided she wanted antennae so SHE could look like a butterfly, hehe:

After a great morning, we headed back to the lake house to eat lots of delicious food, prepared by Mummi, and sit around and watch lots of football! Brett and Sarabeth's niece and nephew on Brett's side came over to play for the afternoon. Kate always has a great time with Brooke and Hayden, and Saturday was no different!

We certainly missed Katie and Jonathan! Other than not being able to visit them too, it was a perfect weekend!

Kate had fun terrorizing Brett and SB's dog, Triskit. I'm sure he was exhausted after being chased around all weekend long!

We spent the night Saturday night with Ahmom and went to church with her Sunday morning. I got to see Cory and Karen and lots of other folks I grew up going to church with and it was a great, although quick visit in Tuscumbia.

As always, we loved seeing Brett and Sarabeth and only wish the visit could have been longer. Thank you for driving all that way to see us! We love you!

The Bowens' visit - Part 1

2011-10-17T08:14:00.004-05:00

It had been far too long since we'd seen Brett and Sarabeth Bowen, so we were thrilled that they were coming back from Omaha for a quick visit! Sarabeth and Mummi came over to Huntsville on Thursday afternoon for Aunt B to meet her latest nephew and get some snuggle time with him. They brought a delicious lunch, visited with me while Kate napped, then took Kate back over to Florence with them to spend the night.

On Friday, I drove to Florence with Henry and met them for lunch, then we headed to a small pumpkin patch in St. Florian. Uncle Brett got to meet Henry for the first time on Friday! I think they got along pretty well:

These two are pretty big buds:

Uncle Brett and Aunt B with their Little niece and nephew:

"little brother"

We picked out the perfect pumpkin to carve for Halloween:

Me with my pumpkin pickin' kiddos:

Friday night, Benjamin came to Florence with Josh and Bonnie and we had a wonderful weekend together! More pictures to come!

Henry - 1 month

2011-10-17T07:43:00.000-05:00

Henry was a month old on Friday! He weighs 11lb 2oz.

He wakes up every 3-4 hours at night to eat, but goes straight back to sleep after he eats. He is a pleasant little guy still and I love him more and more every day! He is starting to follow things with his eyes, but we haven't gotten any real grins out of him yet. He is awake quite a bit during the day most days, so it seems he has his nights and days in the correct order! Kate is still enjoying his presence and this month has flown by. Looking forward to month #2!

Dresser--->TV Stand

2011-10-12T12:32:00.002-05:00

We rearranged our living room a few weeks ago. We decided to move the TV off the mantle and to the opposite wall and see how we liked it. We did, indeed, end up liking it so we were in the market for a TV stand. Benjamin's parents gave us some very nice book shelves that were in the house they sold this summer, and they look great on either side of our fireplace! (Forgot to include a picture) They also offered us a dresser that was Benjamin's grandad's and while we don't particularly need a dresser right now, we did need a TV stand, so that's what it became.

Here is my little helper before our project began:A very nice wooden dresser:

Is now our red TV stand:

All set up:

I would like to get different drawer pulls, but didn't have luck at Hobby Lobby or Home Depot finding the right size. That's okay, at least the TV is off of the end table and it only cost us $13.77 for the paint. Thanks, Mummi and Doc!

Hide And Seek

2011-10-11T05:56:00.001-05:00

Great-Grandparents

2011-10-09T19:36:00.003-05:00

Saturday we drove to Hamilton for Henry to meet three of his great-grandparents. We are so fortunate that our children are blessed with five wonderful great-grandparents! The three we saw in Hamilton are my grandparents and we had a terrific visit with them!

Henry and Double G (my dad's father):

Henry and GG (my dad's mother):

Henry and GranDottie (my mom's mother):

And this is what Kate was doing while we visited:

We hope to get to Springfield, IL very soon so he can meet his other two great-grandparents, Nannie and Poppie!

Rejoicing

2011-10-07T13:15:00.006-05:00

"Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep."
Romans 12:15

This is one of those times in my life where I can't help but be happy. Honestly, since I started dating Benjamin (coming up on 10 years ago) I have been in an almost constant state of happiness. What's not to be happy about? Since I've been an adult, things have just kind of worked out for me. If something didn't seem to be going exactly how I thought it would (finding out that my 4 year scholarship to Alabama was actually for only one year) it just worked out (getting an actual full scholarship to ultrasound school, which is a career I love and supported us through law school). Finding out I was pregnant after one year of marriage and the day Benjamin started law school was quite a surprise, but when I told my boss, she told me a weekend position had opened up the day before and it was mine if I wanted it. Things have worked out well. And it has a tiny bit to do with me having great parents who taught me to work hard at everything I do, having an amazing husband who is my personal cheerleader, but it mostly has to do with the fact that God loves me and is taking care of me.

This is a time that I am REJOICING with every passing moment. When Kate asks me how to spell every single word she can think of throughout the day, I rejoice, because she has the desire to learn and can express that. When she wants to kiss Henry 75 times a day, I rejoice because I know what the love of a sibling means. When I stare at my healthy, handsome son with awe, understanding how special the relationship is between a mother and son, I rejoice. When my husband comes home after a long day, I rejoice knowing that in our living room with the three of us is exactly where he wants to be. And when I continue to be given gifts, diapers, outfits, blankets, and meals (yes, the kind people from our church have brought us food every single night for the past three weeks!), I rejoice. And the overwhelmingly wonderful thing is, these are the same people who were weeping with us and praying for us in March 2010, when it was the hardest I've ever had to try to be happy. People have an easy time criticizing Christians when someone makes a mistake. But, there are those of us trying to do God's will, though it will not be done perfectly, and I have been reminded the past few weeks of how many of those wonderful people surround me. And I rejoice.

Just Pictures

2011-10-06T16:49:00.003-05:00

Henry napped in his crib yesterday:

He's a strong little guy and I've been letting him practice sitting
up as much as a 3 week old baby can:

My sweeties:

Kate took this one:

Kate quotes

2011-10-05T08:36:00.005-05:00

"Is daddy my Heavenly Father?"

"When Henry gets my size, I'm going to marry him because he's my favorite boy. And because he's my brover."

"Whoa, you need to take a shower. Your legs feel kinda prickly."

"Who has a wife that died?"
What do you mean?
"Who is a person that had a wife die? That's who I think I'll marry so he won't be alone."

"Dear God, thank you that Henry's belly button fell off and it doesn't hurt him anymore. And cause it was really yucky."

"When I grow up, I want to be a princess."
Why? You should want to be a nurse or a teacher or something. Princesses don't really do anything.
"Yes they do! They put on dresses, and look in the mirror, wear crowns, and sit in big chairs and stuff."
I thought you wanted to be a mommy.
"Yes, a princess mommy."

At Henry's dr. appt, talking to a nurse I said, Tell her what your Doc does.
"He gives me candy and ice cream and sometimes sugar!"
No, tell her where he works (I was trying to get her to say he is a heart doctor).
"Oh, the hospital."

"Mom, before we go to the pumpkin patch next week, could you please polish my fingers AND my toes so I will look really nice?"

And her very favorite thing to say:
"Can I give Henry a kiss?"

Bama Baby

2011-10-02T21:27:00.003-05:00

Pops

2011-10-01T13:47:00.004-05:00

I still can't believe he doesn't get to snuggle with my son like this. I miss my dad terribly and it doesn't seem fair that I don't get to see the joy in his eyes as he holds his grandson. I can handle it only because I know I will see that look of pride in his eyes again one day..
My dad and Kate - April 2008

Newborn doctor visit

2011-09-30T17:36:00.000-05:00

Henry's newborn check-up was today and it went very well. I took Kate along with me, and the appointment was during her nap time, so I wasn't sure how it would go (I took her to school yesterday, showed up at the doc for Henry's appt yesterday and they informed me I was there on the wrong day! Boo. So we started the visit off very well, since we were there on the correct day this time!). Kate behaved just fine and Henry got an A+ from the pediatrician. The doctor was very thorough and answered questions I didn't even realize I had. They just pricked Henry's heel this time and he cried, but it wasn't too bad on him. He didn't scream at all during the physical exam part and I was so proud of him!

Henry is 2 weeks and 2 days old (original due date is tomorrow).
He weighs 8lb 10oz and is 21.5 inches long.
He's gained 14oz and grown an inch since birth. Way to grow Henry!

We go back in 6 weeks, then at 4 months, 6 months, and 9 months. Praying for great reports at those visits as well!

It ain't easy being clean

2011-09-29T18:38:00.001-05:00

Actually, Henry enjoyed his second bath without so much as a wimper..and Kate enjoyed cleaning his "cute little feet".

Father and Son

2011-09-28T22:13:00.000-05:00

Henry at 2 weeks old

2011-09-28T10:07:00.006-05:00

Our little Henry is two weeks old today. These first days with a newborn go by so quickly, I wanted to write how things are going with a brand new one and a 3 year old.

Henry is a great eater, but he likes to eat in 10 minutes spurts, every couple of hours. That is just fine during the day, and he is doing such a fantastic job nursing and sleeping at night! I usually feed him around 10:30-11 at night. He wakes up around 2am to eat, but goes straight back to sleep so I'm usually only awake 30-40 minutes then. He wakes up again, around 5am and we do the same again. I have to start just staying awake after that feeding, because when I go back to sleep at 5:45 and Kate wakes up at 7:00, I'm still sleepy and kind of grouchy. She's ready for breakfast, then Henry's ready to eat again by 7:45, so I am going to stay awake tomorrow morning and just nap when Kate does in the afternoon (which I have not been doing). All in all, to only wake up twice through the night is wonderful! Although I feel really good for having just had a baby, by about 3pm, I definitely can tell that I need to rest and let my body heal. It's not like I do anything that strenuous during the day, but it just takes a while to heal after delivery so I have been really (being lazy) trying to take it easy. I know Kate is probably bored to death, but I try to get her outside for a while and do a craft or something fun and different every day. Really, she'd stay in her pajamas and watch TV all day with no trouble, but I'm trying not to do that. She's doing great with Henry and besides nearly smothering him, she continues to be sweet to him and helpful to me.

We did take Henry to church Sunday and that went well! He did great and I enjoyed getting out of the house and worshiping with our friends. We haven't been back to the doctor since a week ago Monday, but we'll be going sometime in the next 2 weeks for his official newborn visit. I'm curious how much he weighs because he seems to be getting bigger to me, for sure. I absolutely love having a newborn baby!

Here are some pictures from the past few days:This was the second full day he had to lay on the bili-light. As you can tell, it didn't disturb our daily lives too much!
Sweet Kate!
Sweet Henry! (I know he'll be rolling around before long, and the immobile stage is pretty nice)
This is right where Kate wants to be most of the time:
She looks HUGE, He looks TINY..they both look awfully cute!

Siblings

2011-09-27T15:21:00.000-05:00

Kate - April 2008 Henry - September 2011

Just a sweet picture:

First Photo Session with Henry

2011-09-22T16:06:00.001-05:00

I had a short photo session with Henry this afternoon. At first, he was a bit skeptical..

But he warmed up to the idea pretty quickly.

This beautiful white blanket was knitted by my brother, Cory, and the white booties were crocheted by my grandmother, GranDottie. I tried the matching crocheted hat on him and it was, of course, too small.

He was feeling good since he'd just had a nice, yummy meal. Don't you just love babies' grins while they're snoozing!?

How could you look at this and not smile :)

He's trying to escape, but we had a few more to take.. (by the way, doesn't he have a strong neck?)

Giggle Giggle!

Oh, how I love my little guy!

First bath at home

2011-09-22T13:36:00.001-05:00

I gave Henry his first bath at home this morning. His belly button came off yesterday, so I was able to give him a good cleaning.

He did not enjoy it.

I thought we were on good terms when I finally wrapped him up in a towel, he warmed up and stopped crying.

Clearly, he was still mad at me because he pooped all over the towel, which soaked through to our sheets, giving me an extra 2 loads of laundry to do this afternoon.

Once I fed him, I knew we were buds again :)

No more blue light

2011-09-22T04:44:00.002-05:00

The nurse came yesterday morning to weigh Henry and draw blood again to check his bilirubin. He weighed 7lb 14.5oz, which means he's over his birth weight and gained 6oz on Tuesday! I knew he'd been eating well :) I figured the bilirubin was down, but kept him on his blue light all day until I heard from the pediatrician around 3pm that it had dropped to 11.2 and he could come off it. You better believe I cuddled that baby almost the entire rest of the day! I did lay him on his belly for a while, since he'd only been on his back for almost 3 days. Anyway, he's doing great!

Kate went to Mummi and Doc's house Tuesday night to spend a couple of days. People at their church asked if she was getting to hold her brother much and she said, "Not really, because he has to lay on this blue light all the time." Ha, they had to ask Mummi what in the world she was talking about. I miss her like crazy, but the rest will help with my healing and I know she's having a blast! With her not here to interrupt, I feel a newborn photo shoot coming!! We'll see how Henry feels about it..

Big Sister Kate

2011-09-21T14:39:00.002-05:00

I have to brag on my sweet Kate for just a minute. Although I wasn't the least bit concerned how Kate would handle a new little one in our house, you can't really predict how your child will respond to the change. She is 3 1/2 which has turned out to be a fantastic age to be a big sister! She loves her baby brother and the only time she has not reacted well to the change was when Benjamin didn't join us for the bedtime story and prayers the first time, and though she cried because she was sad, she knew he had to stay downstairs and watch Henry, and she went to bed with no trouble. She wants to kiss him NON stop, but does a good job being gentle with him. She tells everyone about her brand new brother Henry with pride! She has helped me so much already with getting diapers, taking things to places they go, and I think being "Mommy's helper" is right up her alley!

I was feeding him in his room and she came in and started flipping though some books. She jumped up, kissed him on the cheek and said, "I love you Henry." She then sat down in the floor, continued to look at books and whispered to herself, "I sure hope he likes me.." I could've burst into tears.

She must be able to tell that I'm on the mend and God gave me a sweet, kind, verbal daughter for good reason. When you've just had a baby and you're breast-feeding, you feel the farthest thing from pretty. But Kate has told me probably 15 times, at random times, shaking her head to the side and kind of closing her eyes, "Mommy, you just look so beautiful.." Seriously. Besides her sweet daddy who has told me the same thing on multiple occasions this week, no one telling me I look beautiful means more.

I am so proud of Kate and she seems to have aged at least 3 years in the past week! Somehow, she's even more animated and verbal than ever. Her facial expressions are priceless and she has a conscience like no other 3 year old I know, telling on herself even when she knows she'll probably get a spanking (after a minor incident with Ahmom in WalMart). I love my children so much. I wish every woman could feel the joy and pride, the fulfillment and worth I feel in my role as a mother. It is a blessing and a role I take very seriously, but I feel that a major part of taking motherhood seriously is being silly with your children most of the time. Isn't that convenient? Thank you, Lord, for the privilege of being Kate and Henry's mommy.

Henry's Bilirubin

2011-09-20T21:17:00.002-05:00

The home health nurse came this morning and weighed our little fella. He had gained 1.5 oz and weighed 7lb 8.5oz. She took some blood from his heel and took it to the lab. We got the results back that his bilirubin had decreased from 16.6 to 12.4, which is great! His pediatrician really wants the number below 12, so we're keeping him on the light therapy until the nurse comes and checks his level again tomorrow. Hopefully it will have dropped down to below 12 and I can snuggle with him all day again! Thankfully, he doesn't mind just laying there on his back. It would be awful if he cried all the time, but he is so good he hasn't cried one time in there. Way to go, Henry!

The past couple of days...

2011-09-19T21:35:00.000-05:00

We got home from the hospital Friday afternoon the 16th, around 4:45pm. We were so happy that Jonathan and Katie were driving down from Virginia to visit us and meet their new nephew, and they arrived in Huntsville while we were sleeping Friday night. Saturday morning, Kate was so excited to see Johnny and Katie, and so were her parents! Here's Katie, holding Henry, and Kate, acting like a puppy dog:

Saturday was my mom's birthday - Happy Birthday Ahmom! - so my brothers came over to visit Henry and to celebrate mom's birthday. We missed Karen, who had a wedding shower for a good friend, but were happy to visit with JD and Heidi. I didn't take a picture of them, but Mom snapped this photo of Cory after she shoved Henry into his arms!

Proud mama, only a little bit tired :)

Alabama played, and beat, North Texas Saturday. I had to get Henry in his Bama gear for the game..Roll Tide!

Josh and Bonnie also came up and spent the evening with us Saturday. I had such a great day visiting with my siblings and just wish everyone could've been there (we missed you Karen, Sarabeth and Brett!) I am so blessed to love all my siblings and siblings-in-law so much!
Sunday morning, I stayed home with my little buddy while the rest of the folks in town went to church. Henry gave me some sweet grins while he was having his "tummy time":

Sunday after lunch, this set of Littles had to drive back to Virginia, but not without a photo with their favorite niece and nephew!

I think they like him :)

I have been keeping up with his feedings and diaper changes, like you're supposed to for a while to make sure your baby is eating/urinating/pooping like he should. I went to write something down and noticed that some 3 year old gal had added her own touch to the record :)

Ahmom got some good lovin' in on Monday:

Just a snoozin'

Henry went to the doctor today (Monday, Sept. 19) for a weight check. He weighed 7lb 6oz when we left the hospital on Friday, and gained 1oz since then.

Here's his proud big sister with him at his first doctor visit:

I knew his skin looked a little yellow-ish and the whites of his eyes were quite yellow, so I assumed his bilirubin was a little high and he was getting jaundiced. We took him to the lab after his doctor visit and his bilirubin was high at 16.6, so they went ahead and sent a home health nurse to our house this evening. She brought this blue light to get him started on "light therapy" to help decrease his bilirubin. Rather than feeding him every 3 hours, I am supposed to every 2 hours, which will increase his urination and help flush out the bilirubin. (That means I have to wake up every 2 hours at night! Ughhh..he's been sleeping 4 at a time. Boo) He has to stay strapped in this little contraption and lay on the light at all times, unless he's eating. Pretty intense. At least he's doing it at home and not at the hospital! The nurse will come back in the morning, draw blood and check his levels again. His pediatrician wants the bilirubin at 12 before he can stop the light therapy. The nurse says that usually takes no more than 2-3 days. Until then, I will miss snuggling my sweet, sweet baby, except when he eats (I won't mind waking up at night because I'll miss our cuddle times during the day!) Here's what our glowworm looks like!

Praying that those levels drop quickly :) He acts completely fine, and I am feeling great, too, just resting until I've healed. It's been a busy couple of days, with a lot of sitting around in the middle. I love it!