I know he is mine, but he is just so precious!

I have a lot I want to blog about but not a lot of time right now. So, I will just share a few pictures of my little sidekick. He turned 22 months on March 8! How can it be possible that my baby will be 2 in just two months?!?!?!? I promise I think my heart triples in size every day for him. We are so thankful for him! Hope all is well in your world!! :)

Holden LOVES cars, trucks, and tractors. Jack's old matchbox
cars are his favorite right now.

My little fishy! He LOVES his baths! We plan to start swim class
soon. I have a feeling we will be swimming a lot this summer!

Enjoying some ro-tel dip

Multitasking- doing a little farming, eating,
and television watching all at once!

Holden's new camera face.....every time I take out the camera, he makes this face and says,"Chess" which means cheese of course!

Let it snow!!(February 12)

Friday was quite eventful around our house! Holden saw the snow first thing that morning through our backdoor and started sayng,"wow!!" I have to admit, I was thinking wow myself! Snow covered everything and was steadily coming down. It had been a long time since I had seen that much snow. So, once I had him wrapped up like a mummy in layers of clothes and his brand new rain boots on, we headed out. The snow continued to fall the whole time we were out there. Holden loved it! He ran around talking up a storm(not sure what all he was saying) and enjoyed throwing snowballs. I tried to build a snowman but my little helper kept knocking it over. I managed to build a tiny, pitiful looking snowman and snapped a picture of it before Holden knocked it over. Holden was NOT a fan of sitting in the snow. The snow was up to the top of his boots so that tripped him up a few times. We stayed outside a while and when I couldn't feel my hands any longer and the snow started falling harder, we went inside. Holden WAS NOT happy about that! He would stay outside all day, every day no matter what the temperature or conditions were if I would let him. I am really gad he loves being outside, but I didn't want my baby to turn into a popsicle! He stopped crying when I opened his Valentine cookie(yes, it was a bribe). He and I sat on the kitchen floor, watched the snow fall, and enjoyed the yummy cookie! I love watching him experience things each day, and I am very grateful I get to!!

Smiling a big smile(although you can't see it)

Snow was a boot deep! :)

Not a fan of being in the snow

Poor snowman

And poor Holden!

Cookie made it all better!

Holden is 20 months old!

Our sweet boy is 20 months! He is growing and learning so much each day, and it seems like time speeding by! In four short months, we will be celebrating the big 2nd birthday which really blows my mind!!! Time flies when you are having fun!! Here are a few things about him:

*Weighs 26lbs. 8 oz. and is between 32.5 and 33 inches
**He is becoming more and more verbal each day. New sayings:
-where is it?(with his hands up like he is asking)
-ummm, that's good
-Love you
-thank you
-i do it
-night, night
-cold
-march(while marching)
-many other things that I haven't been able to figure out yet :)
***Loves his new farm and all of his animals....he talks to them and plays with them for the longest time!
****Cars, trucks, and anything he can make go are still his favs...we love to hear him make the sounds
*****He is very observant and mimics things after seeing them once or twice
*****Still loves the Backyardigans and Imagination Movers...He also likes Curious George
*****Loves his books and has started "reading" to himself(which makes me smile)
*****LOVES to help with the dishwasher, laundry, sweeping, closing the fridge, fixing his juice, etc. and loves brushing his teeth
****Loves to throw the ball and play catch
***Carries on conversations on his play phone
****puts the shapes in the right space on his shape sorter
*****LOVES music and breaks it down when he hears it...at home, at the store, in the car, etc.
****Gets sooooooooo excited when he hears the garage door on the evening and starts screaming "dada" as soon as he hears it
*****Gives the best hugs and sugar ever and melts my heart over and over again!
As always, I bet I am forgetting many things! I hope to post Christmas stuff before Valentine's Day rolls around! :)

BLESSINGS to you in 2010!

Happy 2010!! It's hard to believe that another year quickly passed and a new year is upon us!! We had a busy Christmas season and I look forward to sharing some of that on here. While watching Holden play yesterday(we chilled all day in our pjs) I was overcome with happiness....more so than I have ever felt. I quickly realized that it wasn't just happiness I was feeling....it was the wonderful feeling of God having his hand on me and making me realize just how blessed I am! He has given me a loving husband and best friend in Jack who loves me unconditionally and who works hard each day to provide for our family, I have my precious son Holden, who I prayed for for most of my life, a nice home, wonderful family, the GREATEST friends a person could have, and good health! What more could I ask for!?! Thanks to Him from whom all blessings flow! My prayer is to really focus on the joys(blessings) in life and not let negativity, from the world around me or myself , get in the way of enjoying and counting the blessings in my life! Happy 2010 to you and your family!!!


My Sweet Boys!!!

Holden is 17 months!!!

It is so hard to believe that our baby boy is already 17 months old!! He is such a blessing, and jack and I are enjoying every stage of his life!! He has been on the go and has kept me very, very busy and entertained(that's the main reason I haven't blogged a lot!!!) since he turned a year old in May, and even more so since he began walking at 14 months. It warms my heart to see him experience things for the first time. I get mad at myself sometimes for not writing EVERYTHING down, but I find myself wanting to just enjoy the moment. I am jotting notes on the back of his pictures, though, so that when I put them in an album, I will remember . Here are some things he is doing/enjoying now....

• Walking/running all over the place!!
• Playing outside(the rain was making him very, very mad!!)
• Playing with his friends and going to Mother's Morning out--O.K. I have to admit that I was really sad when I started sending him in August....He has been with me pretty much everyday since he was born. However, when I met his sweet teacher, I knew it would be a good thing. He LOVES it!! Plus, its only two mornings a week for a few hours
• Mimics what you do...washing hands, eating, putting on make up(jack hates this one), brushing hair, cooking, brushing teeth, etc...it's soooooo cute!!
• LOVES cars, trucks, trains
• Puts his tiny hands up to his chin to say the blessing when he gets in his highchair...he giggles when you say Amen!
  
• LOVES to dance....cutest thing ever!!!
• Talking up a storm, although you must speak Holden talk to understand most of it. You can recognize daddy, mommy, bye, mmm, dog, hey, oh, wow, go, brother...when he sees wilson(the dog) he says, "Heeey bruder"(hey brother)....sooo sweet
• Snuggles before bed and when he gets up on the morning
• Makes the funniest faces!!!
  
• climbs on everything
  
• laughs at things and at himself and makes US laugh constantly!!
  
• LOVES fruit and cheese...he did like veggies but he has started turning his nose up at them. I keep trying though.
• LOVES The Backyardigans and Imagination Movers
  
• Has precious blond curls!! (and no, i am not ready to cut them!!)
• Understands what you are saying to him and can follow directions(as long as they are short and if he wants to!!)
• Plays so well independently and with others( especially for a 17 month old)
• Very social!!!
• Knows how to work those big, blue eyes!!!
• Has learned how to really turn on the waterworks and show a little temper.......if you were to walk by our house at times, you might think he was in pain or being tortured but i can assure you he is not!!!
  
• THE ABSOLUTE BEST THING THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED TO US!!!!!!! What a joy he is!!! I'm sure I am leaving out a ton of things because he does something new every day! We love this little boy so very much!!! I am posting several pictures. Enjoy!

First Day of Mother's Morning Out

Earning his keep...ha!ha! He loves the swifter wet jet and broom

Multitasking

GQ pose

Feel asleep swinging....he loves his swing

At the mexican restaurant for daddy's birthday

Modeling his camo shirt that mommy monogrammed

"Go Dawgs"

"Laid back, watching my show, posing for the camera....hard work being this cute!"

Daddy teaching him how to blow a duck call

HAPPY 30th JACK!!!

Jack turned the big 3-0 on September 14. For his big birthday, his parents, my parents, and I gave him a trip to see his favorite band, PHISH, in California at the end of October. It's what he wanted because it's part of the band's reunion tour. To celebrate his actual birthday, we had two mini celebrations. The first was with his parents and some of our sweet friends during the tailgate at the JSU/MSU game. We had a lot of fun hanging out, celebrating, and watching the DAWGS get a W!! Here are some pics from the weekend......

Friday night- wedding party for Jeff & Stevanie King

Jack and I decided to invite some fellow state fans(and of course our Auburn Tiger friends, The Bookers) over to watch the Auburn/State game the Saturday before his birthday. Then, I decided to turn it into a surprise birthday party for Jack. Let me just say that it is nearly impossible to surprise my sweet hubby. I encouraged him to go play golf that morning and when he left, Holden and I were running around like crazy trying to get things ready and hidden. I went with a tailgate theme since we were already having people over to watch the game, which really turned out great! I sent Jack on an errand and while he was gone, we all added the bday decorations which included a "run through" type sign outside accompanied by 30 maroon and white balloons!(thanks brad and maren for picking those up for me!) He was surprised, and even though State lost, we had a great time!! Holden really enjoyed walking around and suckering everyone into giving him a bite of cake! He knows how to work those baby blues of his.:) He didn't last the whole night....by about 7:45, he was ready for bed.

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY
to a wonderful husband, friend, son, and exceptional Daddy!!!! We love you!!

A Sad Day

Today, my sweet daddy would have been 57 years old....its been almost two years since he passed and it still hurts the same. Lately, I have really been struggling with missing him and second guessing myself over his care and if I could have done anything else to help him(although I know I shouldn't). People tell me that it gets better with time...you never quit missing them, but that you get to a point where you don't bust into tears when something makes you think of them.......I know that will come with time. I decided to re-post what I wrote last year because I feel the same today. This is just my way of dealing with things....................

I contemplated blogging about this because it is a rather personal thing, and I try to only blog about Holden and other happy things. However, I thought this could be a good way for me to release what I am feeling and be able to deal with it a little easier. "My therapy" I guess you could say. He went on to Heaven on November 26 of last year, and it has been hard to deal with at times and this occasion is one of those hard times. My daddy was a wonderful daddy and friend! I have the best memories of him! He was a very involved daddy and always made time to do things with me. I was a daddy's girl....his hugs could make the worst hurts somehow feel better. November 2007 was a tough month and watching my big, strong daddy become so frail was one of the hardest things. We had some good visits over that month. I kick myself a lot with "if i had only" or "i should have done..." Losing him was the toughest thing I have ever experienced. The thought of never seeing him again takes my breath and hurts like nothing has ever hurt before. But, I know that it is a part of life. I think the hardest thing for me is knowing Holden will never know his pops! Daddy was so excited about becoming pops...he would tell anyone in the hospital that I was pregnant, although I was barely showing. He talked about what all he wanted to do with his grand baby and he would be loving every minute with Holden now. I do see my daddy each time I look at my precious little boy because Holden has his eyes, just like me. I know daddy watches over us and that it is a little selfish of me to want him here on Earth, but I am only human. Sometimes a girl needs her daddy, even when she is all grown up. But, I do know that he is in a much better place, where he no longer hurts and can play all the golf he wants and watch all the football he wants, and I bet he is talking the ear off of anyone who will sit still long enough. I have peace in knowing that I will see him again one day. Anyways, I could go on and on but I don't want to get bogged down. I love and miss him very much!!

Our last Christmas together....2006

GO DAWGS!!!

Running some plays to get ready for the game


Pep talk and game face on

O.k. mommy and daddy--ready to go watch the Dawgs!

We are headed to Starkville today to gear up for tomorrow's game against LSU! It will be a tough battle, but I feel like we have a shot at a win. He has a precious bubble and jonjon that he wears to the game, but this is his pre-game attire! I have a limited amount of time that his daddy will let me dress him in bubbles and jonjons. He looks soooo grown up in this jersey!

Back from my blogging break.....And Happy Belated Birthday Jack!!

Wow! The past 4 months have flown by!!! We have been busy with our day to day lives and blogging has been put on the back burner until now.....some disgruntled fans(aka grandparents) have started talking about how much they wished I would update the blog, so I plan on doing so over the next few days. To be honest, each time I have started to update it, I have felt so overwhelmed with how much I haven't posted about our sweet Holden that I decide not to blog. So, I am not going to go back and try to replay everything that has happened since May....I will just blog about some things. Holden is 16 months already!!! Where did my tiny baby go??? He has had some fun adventures this summer that I look forward to sharing with you!!

HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY JACK!!!

I have other pics of my two boys but I love this one!! They are watching Holden's favorite show, The Imagination Movers, together. I am blessed to have a husband who works very hard every day so that I can be a stay at home mommy and wife. Holden LOVES his daddy and gets so excited each day when he hears the garage door open and it melts my heart to see that Jack is just as excited to see Holden when he comes in!

Thanks, Jack, for loving us!!! We love you so very much!!!!!

Happy Birthday part 3 (Grandparents' gifts)

We are very fortunate to have grandparents who are able to do super nice things for Holden and us, especially since they live 3 hours away. The grandmothers jump at the chance to come keep Holden when I have something I need to do minus the little one or when Jack and I have something to do or just to visit. The grandfathers jump at the chance, too! Again, they are all so generous and Holden's birthday was no exception! It was like Christmas in May! Jack's parents gave Holden a fabulous swing set which was more than a "some assembly required" project. It took 3 full days to construct but was well worth the time!! My mom and step dad sent Holden a box of goodies, ranging from a riding firetruck to pajamas to musical instruments to a piano in memory of my daddy and they brought him a sand and picnic table when they came! Both grandparents also helped make the party a big success! Thanks Meme and Bossy and Grammy and Gram!! We love y'all!!

Watching Meme, Bossy, and Daddy build the swing set

Holden is making sure they stay on task!


"Remember to hydrate guys!!"

"I'm getting a swing set!!!"

(Thanks Mimsy and Pop Bailey for my hot set of wheels!)


Holden and Daddy testing it out


First time to swing on his new swing set

Opening his mail from Grammy and Gram

Checking out his piano...my pops would be proud!


Taking his new fire truck for a spin

Checking out the gifts Great Aunt Char & Great Uncle Jimmy sent....he loves boxes!