Littlest Lindsays

She's Four!!

2011-01-24T15:41:00.007-05:00

Last week was Bella's 4th birthday. We had a great time celebrating! We kicked off the birthday celebrations with a birthday party the Saturday before her actual birthday. She chose to have her party at the Children's Museum of Wilmington this year. We LOVE the children's museum. Bella and Austin both have so much fun when we're there, so I was happy she chose this as the party location. They had a few themes to chose from, and of course, Bella wanted the princess theme. I tried to persuade her to do a more gender neutral party since she was inviting little boys, but she was pretty insistent on the princess theme. The project with the princess theme was making lip gloss. Surprisingly, the boys at the party were just as into making lip gloss as the girls! Everyone had fun playing at the museum, making lip gloss and eating cake!

Bella's cake. Fit for a princess.

Getting some love from Grandma before the party guests arrive.

Playing with cousin Layla in the "sand".

Austin played non-stop. He slept good that night!

He even drove a school bus...

Bella got to practice brushing teeth.

Reading a book with Grandaddy

Making lip gloss.

Singing to the birthday girl!

Make a wish!

The party guests enjoying some cake...

After the party, we went back to our house with family to open presents. Bella's present from Scott and I was a scooter.

The scooter was a hit with everyone!

The next day we got to ride the scooter outside some.

Nana and Papa gave Bella an art easel. She loves it!

On her actual birthday, Scott and I brought cupcakes to her school. She was so happy to have her classmates sing "Happy Birthday"!

But, I think she was more excited about the chocolate cupcakes with pink icing- Bella's favorite!

It's hard to believe that Bella's already 4 years old. These past 4 years have gone by so quickly. We've come a long way from those first colicky months when I thought that my new baby would never stop crying! Scott and I joke that Bella has been our high-maintenance child since the beginning. She's a little dramatic, hard-headed and sometimes I think her ears don't work... But I wouldn't change a thing about her. She's also sweet, considerate, energetic and so funny! I've loved having a front row seat to watch her grow and blossom into this amazing 4 year old and I can't wait to see what else is in store! Happy Birthday Bella!

Blizzard at the Beach

2011-01-18T15:06:00.008-05:00

Okay, so to call it a blizzard is a bit of a stretch. BUT, we did get 4 inches of snow... IN WILMINGTON. So, I think it's fair enough to call it a blizzard. Especially since the entire city shut down. I was happy to stay home with Bella and Austin when I learned that their school would be closing early due to snow. I couldn't wait to get out and play with them. And thanks to an upcoming ski trip, Bella and Austin were probably the most well-prepared kids in Wilmington when it came to snow gear. It only took me darn near an hour to get them all dressed to head outside to play... And I'm pretty sure I broke a sweat in the process.

Bella loved the snow. She couldn't help herself and had to try and get a taste.

Frank also loves the snow. He may be 10 years old now, but he jumps around just like a puppy when there is snow on the ground! He and Bella even played soccer in the snow (and no, I'm not even joking, the dog kicked the ball all around the backyard with Bella).

Austin on the other hand? He could've lived without the snow. Maybe it was the fact that he had a hard time keeping his balance while walking in the snow in his boots, or maybe it was just that it was cold and wet. Or maybe it was the face plant into their play kitchen just before going outside that left a nice cut on his face and eye. Regardless, he preferred watching Bella and Frank play from the back porch.

Bella wanted to go down the slide just to see what would happen to all the snow on the slide as she went down.

Good thing there was a big pile of snow at the end- you slide fast in waterproof pants.

"Okay, maybe I'll just get a little taste..."

It didn't take long for the bank to close for the day too. We welcomed Daddy home and got him out to play with us!

We also built a snowman. Bella came up with his very original name- "Frosty". And yes, that's a beach bucket for his hat.

After we headed back inside to warm up, Bella looked out in the yard only to find out that Frosty had lost his head. It was quite the tragedy, but luckly Scott was able to reattach Frosty's head without much damage.

We all enjoyed our snow day. I'm looking forward to our ski trip next month, but once that's over, I'm going to be looking forward to warmer weather. Only 2 months until spring! Bella told me today that she's ready to play on the beach again. Me too. I'm ready to put our beach toys back to their intended use!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-26T14:14:00.015-05:00

It's hard to believe that another Christmas has come and gone. It seems like we just decorated the house, and now it looks all empty (well, maybe not so empty- it still looks as though a toy store exploded in our living room). We had another great Christmas. I don't know how it's possible, but it seems like they just get better every year. Maybe it's because Austin is now at an age where he can enjoy opening presents and participating a little more in traditions and it's just more fun to watch 2 kids enjoy Christmas, as opposed to 1. Or maybe it's just that I'm another year older (and hopefully wiser) and appreciate the joys of surrounding myself with the people I love a little more each year. I'm guessing it's a little of both.

Our family has a couple of traditions that we combined this year. In years past, we've always gone to my parents house a couple of weeks before Christmas to have a smaller celebration with my parents, brother, sister-in-law and niece. Another tradition we've been doing since moving to Wilmington is going to Airlie Gardens to look at the Christmas lights and see Santa. This year, schedules were just a little too hectic to do these things separately, so I hosted the Christmas celebration at our house and then we all loaded up to go to Airlie. We had a great night.

Here's Austin all ready to open some presents.

Discussing who gets to open the first present.

Austin got a new beach chair.

And Bella got a jewelry box with a dancing ballerina. She loves it. A lot.

She loved it so much, she sat and just watched it for a while.

And then watched it some more.

Austin enjoyed playing with his cousin Layla's cymbals.

Grandma and Grandaddy got Bella and Layla matching umbrellas. They got put to use immediately since it was raining for our trip out to Airlie.

Austin was a little hesitant at first, but did okay with Santa.

His sister, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with Santa. This was a close as she would get. Maybe next year?!

And then the next day? Bella sat some more to watch her jewelry box ballerina.

I had to work Christmas eve. I wasn't very excited about it, but it actually wasn't that bad. It meant we couldn't make it to my Grandmama's Christmas eve dinner, but my in-laws came to our house. We had a very yummy Christmas eve dinner just the same.

Here's Bella waiting for dinner.

After dinner and baths, we let Bella and Austin each open one present.

Austin got a Tickle-Me-Elmo. He loves it. And here he is showing Elmo just how much he loves him with a big smooch right on the eyeball.

Bella got a camera. She was so excited about it, because it was the only thing she consistently asked for. Now she can stop asking to take pictures with Mommy's camera!

In addition to milk and cookies for Santa, Bella wanted to leave something for his reindeer. We weren't sure what they like to eat, so we went with carrots and goldfish. Not sure what they thought of it, but the plate was empty the next morning!

I think I'm as excited for Christmas morning now as I was when I was a kid. I couldn't wait to see Bella and Austin's faces Christmas morning when they saw the loot Santa brought.

They must have been good!

Of course, the first thing Austin grabs is his Elmo he had already opened the night before.

Someone later Christmas day asked Bella what Santa brought her. Her response? "A slinky and candy!" Looks like Santa could've gotten away with spending a lot less money had he known that's all she really wanted!

Austin and one of his new books. That boy LOVES to read!

Bella had to try out her new bike.

Austin wanted to try out Bella's bike as well.

You know what they say about kids wanting to play with the box? It really is true!

Bella helped Austin open some of his presents.

Later Christmas morning, we headed to Red Oak to my Granny's house. Austin must have started feeling a little overwhelmed and had to have a little meltdown before we left...

Bella had a great time at Granny's!

The Granny. We love her!

Austin opening his present from Granny.

After Granny's, we headed down the road a bit to see my Grandmama since we missed everyone at her house Christmas eve.

And the kids got to open even more presents.

Merry Christmas!

I'm always a little sad to say good-bye to another Christmas. It always takes me a little while to get used to the house without Christmas decorations. But, I can say for sure that so many wonderful memories were made. Life is good!

Letter to Santa

2010-12-20T13:51:00.002-05:00

The other night, I was watching The Polar Express with Bella and Austin (well, Austin wasn't watching it as much as he was just climbing on and off my lap to play). There's a part of the movie when the little boy is contemplating boarding the train and the train conductor mentions something about him not writing a letter to Santa that year. Bella perked up. And then our conversation went like this:

Bella: "A letter to Santa?"
Me: "Some kids write a letter to Santa to let him know what they want for Christmas."
Bella: "I want to write a letter to Santa. Can you get me a piece of paper and a pencil?"
Me: "Sure."

A few minutes later, Bella had finished her letter. I present to you Bella's first letter to Santa...

The letter B.

What Happened?!

2010-12-05T10:52:00.007-05:00

It seems like overnight, someone came in and took my sweet baby boy and replaced him with a holy terror toddler. I'm only half-way kidding. He's still my sweet, cuddly boy about half the time, but the other half? He's usually wreaking havoc. Our Christmas tree is only decorated on the top half. Anything that is placed on the bottom of the tree will be pulled off in about 3 nanoseconds by Austin. And forget placing any wrapped presents under the tree. That would just be a joke- I'm sure the paper would be ripped, and perhaps eaten, within an hour.

He's a busy little boy for sure! I know that Bella was a busy toddler, but Austin is different. Whereas Bella was more just exploring her surroundings, Austin seems to be out to destroy them. I don't know if it's just the difference in a little boy vs. a little girl, or child #1 vs. child #2, or just simply the difference in their little personalities. Whatever it is, it's exhausting!

I've recently gone back to work full-time. Our after school/work routine is always the same. As soon as we walk in the door, it's time to wash our hands and get a small snack while Scott and I get dinner ready. We had just gotten home, and I had slipped out of the room to go to the bathroom. While I was the bathroom, I heard Bella open the pantry door, and then I heard something being spilled on the floor. I hurried as fast as I could, but was clearly not fast enough. While Bella was helping herself to a snack, so was Austin. Only he's not as neat as his sister...

Good thing he's so stinkin' cute- I might have gotten a little frustrated with his mess!

He was eating them off the floor as quickly as I was trying to pick them up off the floor!

And here's his latest stunt. He loves to turn a light switch on and off. And this toy provides the perfect step-stool for reaching the switch in his room.

He wears me out, no doubt about that. But, I honestly don't think I would change a single thing about him. Most of the time, whenever I pick him up, he's always willing to snuggle. He loves climbing in my lap to read a book and loves cuddling in the rocking chair until he drifts off to sleep each night. If I sit down in the floor for any reason, and he happens to be nearby and notices, I can guarantee that he'll be sitting in my lap within a few seconds. He spontaneously gives his big sister hugs and loves giving us all open-mouth, sloppy kisses. He's a sweet little boy, that's for sure. I wouldn't trade any of it for anything in the world (even when I feel like pulling out my hair)!

Thankful...

2010-12-04T15:57:00.006-05:00

I may be over a week late on this blog, but I just wanted to post about our Thanksgiving. To say that I have a lot to be thankful for is an understatement, for sure! We went to my Grandmama's house to celebrate with tons of family and food. We had a great time visiting with everybody! Of course, I have a few picture to share...

Here's Austin and Scott outside after the feast...

After lunch, Bella and her cousin, Layla, headed to the pond to find sticks and pinecones to toss into the water.

Those girls always have energy to burn!

What farm is complete without a John Deere for the kids?!

Austin had just spied the tractor and was about to make his move...

And for now, he's happy riding in the trailer...

The Saturday after Thanksgiving is the annual Wrightsville Beach Flotilla. We went for the first time a couple of years ago after first moving to Wilmington. We hadn't been back for a couple of years because we had small, mobile children who weren't interested in staying put in a stroller to watch a boat parade. This year, a friend invited us to watch at a condo they had for the weekend. I have to say- that's the way to watch the flotilla! The kids had entertainment and I didn't have to worry about losing them in the crowd. We had the inside and heat to retreat to if we got too chilled outside. We also had food, drinks and bathrooms! This was definitely the way to go- and we could just stay put until the traffic cleared out. It was so much fun!

Austin and Scott out on the deck watching the boats.

"Where are these boats I keep hearing about?"

Bella had just heard that Santa's boat was on the way...

My personal favorite boat in the parade- the Griswold family Christmas boat. It even had "Clark" to plug the lights back in when they went out while singing "Joy to the World"!

Fireworks after the parade.

This is what happens when you keep a 15 month old up a couple of hours past his bedtime. Meanwhile, his sister was still wide awake and chatting the whole way home about her fun night...

We had a great weekend. We are so thankful for so many things, but especially for an awesome family and great friends to share the holidays with.

Getaway...

2010-11-21T10:29:00.009-05:00

Last weekend, Scott and I got away without the kiddos. I can't remember the last time we were away by ourselves. We certainly miss Bella and Austin on those rare vacations alone, but we do cherish the time where we can rest and have fun without the kids. We went to the Outer Banks with my brother, Will, and sister-in-law, Melissa. Will, Scott and I were registered to run the Outer Banks 1/2 marathon, but we had a little bit of time to explore some of the Outer Banks while we were there, too. We had a blast and are looking forward to taking the kids there to explore some more!

We got there Saturday afternoon and headed to the race expo to pick up our race numbers and to check out the vendors. This was by far the biggest race I've ever participated in, so the expo was quite impressive. Then we headed to dinner. We opted out of the pre-race pasta dinner for some local seafood. Our innkeeper suggested Basnight's Lone Cedar Cafe (although, my sister-in-law heard her suggestion as Bass Mike's Lone Feeder Cafe, which had us really confused for a while, but then provided for many laughs later in the night) and it certainly did not disappoint. All locally caught seafood- so if you're ever in the Nags Head area, I really recommend good ole Bass Mike's.

We headed to the starting line in Nags Head around 6am Sunday morning. They had a wave start, based on your estimated finish time, so Scott, Will and I started in the 3rd group. There were over 3700 people participating in the 1/2 marathon, so it was an insane mass of humanity at the starting line. We got started and even though Will, Scott and I started together, we quickly got separated. For the first 8 miles I had no idea if I was in front of them or behind. Around mile 8, and just before the 82' high Washington-Baum bridge at mile 9, Will caught up with me. We ran together across the bridge, but at the bottom, Will left me. I didn't have enough left in the tank to keep up. So, the last 3 miles or so, I was back on my own.

I had trained hard to finish under 2 hours, and knew what pace I had to maintain to do that. I kept around a 9:00/mile pace or less the whole race, except for the 1 mile that crossed the bridge. With 1 mile left to go, I picked up my pace a little, but not much because I was exhausted. Thank goodness for the crowds of people cheering us on, because I was so tempted to walk. I crossed the finish line 46 seconds after Will with a finish time of 1:58:13. I was certainly happy with that. I finished 859 out of 3758 overall, 339 out of 2387 females and 67 out of 383 in my division. Not too shabby, I guess!

Here's my little brother, Will, approaching the finish line. My sister-in-law, Melissa, was there to cheer us on!

And that's me, in the black, approaching the finish line. And yes, I'm pretty sure that's a kid to the far right of me that ended up crossing the finish line before me.

Almost there! It's a little deceiving since the race clock already says more than 2 hours, but with the wave starts, the race clock had already been running for about 5 minutes when our group started. Luckily, they based our order of finish on our chip time, not the race clock.

Poor Scott, they herded us on out of the finish area due to the massive amounts of runners, so I didn't get to actually see him cross the finish line. But, he did great and finished around 2:02.

Enjoying a well deserved Coors Light!

After lunch and showers, we headed out to see some of the sights of the Outer Banks. We went to Corolla to see the lighthouse and some of the surrounding area. It was gorgeous and I wish we had more time to explore! Here's looking up at the Currituck Beach lighthouse.

Here's the inside of the lighthouse, looking up the stairs you can climb to the top. After running 13.1 miles, I had no desire to climb all those stairs. So we just stayed at the bottom!

At the lighthouse, there was a boardwalk area through the woods and out onto the water. Here's a little of the view from the boardwalk.

And another shot off the boardwalk.

We had a great time, and definitely hope to get back there again some day. We'd love to have more time to see the sights and take Bella and Austin to enjoy the Outer Banks as well. Maybe I'll go back next year and run the full 26.2 mile marathon!

Halloween

2010-11-04T21:52:00.007-04:00

We spent our Halloween weekend quite differently than planned. What we had planned: pumpkin painting Saturday afternoon, oyster roast and trunk or treat with friends Saturday evening, church fall festival Sunday afternoon and then trick or treating in the neighborhood Sunday evening. What ended up happening: Bella throwing up Friday night and running a fever all weekend. Awesome. However, thanks to some regularly scheduled Tylenol, Bella was able to participate in a few activities...

We did enjoy painting pumpkins in the backyard Saturday afternoon.

And here's my girl riding a Tylenol high.

The finished products.

Bella decided one needed just a little more color.

On Sunday evening, we had to miss the fall festival. Hate to be the ones to bring nasty germs to spread them around to the masses. So, we had a quiet Halloween at home. We did dress the kids up in their costumes. Austin was a ferocious lion.

And, once again thanks to Tylenol, Bella was able to trick or treat for a little while. Here's Sleeping Beauty.

Austin didn't really care a thing about trick or treating. In fact, we found his trick or treat bucket in the middle of the cul-de-sac at one point.

"Well, well, what have we here?"

It took a few tries for Austin to finally master how to eat a dum dum.

But he eventually figured it out.

Then he decided that he was done and wanted back in the house.

I coaxed him back out to the porch for one more picture while his sister and Daddy were trick or treating some more.

Although Halloween didn't go at all as planned, we still had fun. Hopefully, some good memories were made in spite of it all.

Punkin Pickin'

2010-10-24T12:54:00.008-04:00

This past Thursday, I took Bella and Austin to pick out pumpkins. We all had a great time. Austin enjoyed wandering around trying to pick up all the pumpkins. Bella enjoyed looking around trying to find the perfect one. And although having 2 kids in an open outdoor space by myself feels a lot like herding cats, I had fun as well.

Austin headed straight for a pallet of small pumpkins. He really enjoyed taking them all off the pallet and putting them on the ground. I enjoyed getting to put them all back on the pallet when he lost interest and walked away.

And here's Bella with her small pumpkin.

Decisions, decisions...

Examining the pumpkin closely to be sure it's worthy of sitting on our front porch.

I really wanted a good picture of Bella and Austin together. This was the best I got. It is almost impossible to get them to both look and smile at the camera.

A decent shot of the two of them, although it looks like Bella's got Austin in a choke hold.

Bella's signature picture pose: smiling, but looking just to the right or left of the camera.

My handsome fella.

"Hey Mommy, I think this is the one I want."

"What are these things? They don't look like the rest of the pumpkins here..."

"Put the camera down and let's go!"

Austin wanted to push the wheelbarrow.

"I think I'll take this one." And, I might add, this was right before his little foot got wedged in the slats of the pallet and I thought for sure he had broken his leg. Luckily, once I freed his foot (with the help of the man working at the pumpkin patch) he was fine.

While I was frantically working to free Austin's foot, Bella amused herself with a game of jack-o-lantern cornhole.

We enjoyed our pumpkin patch adventure. Austin is fine (except for a few bruises around his ankle) and our pumpkins are proudly displayed on our front porch! Up next- I think I'm going to let Bella and Austin paint their pumpkins- should be fun and messy!

Rainy Days

2010-10-05T14:28:00.005-04:00

Last week it rained. And rained. And rained. And when we couldn't stand it anymore, it rained some more. It rained for 4 days straight. I'm not talking a little drizzle either. It was a downpour with flooding and all. I can't remember the specific total, but it was over 22 inches of rain, which I think was some sort of record. Even beat out a hurricane. So, when Thursday rolled around (rain day #4), I decided why not try and make the most of it. I decided we should all stay home together as a family and just have a cozy day inside. The plan was to bake cupcakes, watch movies and just make the most of a blah day. Bella even stayed in her pajamas all day. Austin would have, but his pajamas have footies which makes walking difficult on the wood floor.

Here's just a little of the water that was standing in our yard. The rain almost washed all the dirt away from my little gardenias.

Our cupcakes. Bella was a great helper. Of course we had to make her favorite- chocolate cupcakes with strawberry icing.

Everybody thought they were delicious!

What's better than cupcakes? Getting to eat the leftover icing!

You know they had to be good- she ended up with crumbs by her eye!

Austin decided to chill in the highchair as if it were a lazy boy recliner...

And this is what a 3 year old girl's bedroom looks like at the end of a day stuck inside...

Finally, around 4pm, it stopped raining. It was way too soggy to go in the yard, so we all huddled on the porch, just to get the feeling of being outside. We all had to leave our wet footprints on the only dry part of the porch. Austin's are the 2 on the left, then it's Bella's, mine and Scott's...

We enjoyed our rainy day inside, but were certainly glad when it stopped. Cabin fever was certainly beginning to set in! It's now 5 days later, and our yard is still not dried out. At least we've saved money on having to run the sprinklers!

A long goodbye...

2010-09-28T14:27:00.007-04:00

The calendar says it's been fall for almost a week, but the weather last weekend said that summer was holding on for dear life. And I'm okay with that because I'm a girl of summer. I love summer. I love everything about summer. I love the beach, popsicles on the porch, being barefoot in the yard and the fact that the sun stays out longer. When Labor day rolls around, I always get this slight feeling of dread. Dread of the cold, dreary days of winter that are just around the corner. And the dread of saying goodbye to my beloved summer. Don't get me wrong, I like the coolness of a fall morning when I go for my run. And I LOVE college football. Honestly, if it weren't for football, I might just ball up in the fetal position after Labor day.

So, since it was still warm enough last Saturday, I decided we should have a beach day. After all, it could be the last until next year! It was icing on the cake that my parents came down for the day to join us. We packed up, all crammed into our car, and set out to enjoy one last hoorah in the sand.

One last sandcastle...

One more chance to try and teach our baby brother how to build a sandcastle...

One more hunt for the perfect shell...

One more game of "can you guess what I'm making out of sand?"...

One more day of beach bumming...

One more time to watch the kite surfers...

One more stroll...

One more- well, I'm not really sure...

One more chance for Bella to see who's faster- her or the wave...

One more chance to play in the sand with Daddy...

One more time to bury our feet in the sand...

One more frolic in the ocean...

Goodbye summer, see you next year! We'll miss you for sure!

Arboretum

2010-09-21T12:45:00.005-04:00

Sunday afternoon Scott and I took Bella and Austin to the Arboretum. It's a fun place to go and explore. I enjoy seeing the different plants and getting ideas for our yard. Bella enjoys scouting out butterflies and feeding the goldfish. Austin just loves being outside. And the best part is- it's free! We only spent 25 cents for some fish food. Talk about cheap entertainment! We spent a good while meandering around the grounds. It was a little hot, but we still had a good time!

Here's Bella in the butterfly garden. It seemed like there were hundreds of butterflies on these little pink flowers!

While Bella was on the search for butterflies, Austin enjoyed playing with the gate leading into the butterfly garden. I think he would've stayed there opening and closing the gate for hours...

There's a children's garden that has a little playhouse. It's always one of Bella's favorite parts of the arboretum.

Still at the gate...

Relaxing in the little chairs behind the playhouse.

Bella was eager to feed the fish...

Those were some of the biggest goldfish I've ever seen!

I think this is my favorite picture of the day...

Austin is walking more and more- but you can tell by his dirty knees, he still crawls from time to time!

We enjoyed our outing to the arboretum. It's a beautiful little piece of land right in the middle of Wilmington and we don't make it out there as often as I'd like. Next time we'll remember to take more quarters for the fish food machine. Bella was convinced the fish were still hungry when it was time for us to go home.

Impromptu Dance Recital

2010-09-18T15:27:00.004-04:00

The world is Bella's stage. Literally. The girl will dance when the music strikes her, no matter where she is. And lately, one of her favorites is to put on a recital for her family. She instructs Scott, Austin and I to sit and watch. She finds her "stage", which is usually in front of some kind of door. The laundry room door in the kitchen and closet doors in her and Austin's room usually serve as the backdrops for these priceless impromptu dance recitals. Then she plays some music and entertains us with her dancing.

The other day, Bella, Austin and I were playing in Austin's room when the mood struck Bella to dance. She instructed Austin and I to have a seat and enjoy the show. And enjoy we did.

Here's Austin heading for his prime front row seat.

Austin's little John Deere radio served as the music for Bella's recital. Austin was in charge of the sound. Hit it maestro.

She even put on her ballet shoes for this performance.

There was plenty of twirling and jumping...

Although Bella loves to dance, sometimes her moves resemble those of Elaine on Seinfeld.

"Ta-da!"

At the end, Bella knows you need to curtsy!

AND take a bow!

AND blow kisses to the audience!

Daddy's day off

2010-09-08T21:54:00.012-04:00

Scott took this past Tuesday off work to spend the day with Bella, Austin and I. Sure, we have the weekends, but we wanted a day during the week to devote to family fun. While the weekends are surely fun, it seems like there are always obligations that interfere with a full day of nothing but family time. There is grass to be mowed, laundry to be done and many other chores that can distract us from just focusing on being with each other.

Plus, places are less crowded on the weekdays. So, on Tuesday, we loaded up and headed to the aquarium. Bella and Austin really enjoyed themselves! We even packed a lunch so that mid-day hunger wouldn't get in the way of spending as much time as we wanted looking at fish, alligators and frogs...

Uh oh, looks like the alligator got one of Bella's fingers.

Austin really enjoyed the fish. He also really enjoyed banging on the tanks. I doubt the fish enjoyed that as much as he did.

I hate snakes, even when they're behind glass. I'm still not sure why I even took a picture of them.

"Hey you there! Do you mind if I bang on this glass?!"

Austin found the stairs to be just as much fun as the rest of the aquarium.

"Look Mom! No hands!"

I love this. Austin was so excited looking at the shark tank that he kept going from banging on the glass to yelling something at Bella. I like to think he was telling her all about the fish in the tank.

We took a break for lunch. We were hungry!

"That peanut butter sandwich and goldfish rocked!"

Then it was back inside to explore some more. Here they are checking out the poisonous frogs.

Then we headed outside to go on some of the nature walks.

Austin wanted to practice his new skill a little while we were out there. He took his first steps a few days ago!

Hey Bella, I think I see an alligator in the water behind you...

Giant frogs need love too.

"Hey Mommy, are frogs ticklish?"

Austin wanted to check out the frog too.

We really enjoyed Daddy's day off. Hopefully, it won't be too long before we can enjoy another one!

Birthday Cake- Take 2

2010-09-02T21:22:00.005-04:00

A few days after Austin's birthday, when he was feeling much better, we decided to give it another go with his birthday cupcake. The cupcake certainly wasn't as pretty as it was the day of his party, but it didn't seem to affect the taste! And birthday cupcake attempt number 2 was just as it should be... A face-full of cake, lip smacking, goody fest for my boy.

"Well, what have we here?"

"Ummm, I'm not sure, but I think I LOVE it."

"That was the best thing EVER Mommy! When can I get some more?!"

"Yay for cupcakes!"

Bella Art

2010-08-31T16:23:00.004-04:00

I had to work this past weekend- boo! It's really not that bad. The 7 dietitians that work at the hospital rotate weekends, so I really only have to suck it up every other month or so. Anyhoo, on my work weekends, Scott gets some intense one-on-two bonding opportunities with his kids. And they love their special time with Daddy. During one of Austin's naps this weekend, Scott decided to do some school work (he's taking a class this semester). While he was studying, he gave Bella a few pieces of paper and a pen to entertain herself. When I came home, she was so excited to show me what she had done. I must say I was a little surprised by how far her artistic abilities have come. Doesn't seem like it was that long ago that it was mostly just scribbles on a page. Now, it actually looks like something or someone!

This is Austin. I love his hair. And the fact that he has 6 fingers on one hand and only 3 on the other.

This is Daddy. I love how he's tall and skinny- just like the real deal! And he has only 8 fingers- all on one hand.

This is me.

Unfortunately, she didn't draw a picture of herself. And yes, these pictures were labeled, dated and put away in a box where I keep all of her "art". And I fully anticipate having a box for Austin's "art" one day too. At this rate, I'm going to need to rent a storage unit for all the things I save in another year or so!

Bald Head

2010-08-24T16:29:00.000-04:00

The day after Austin's birthday party, we headed to Bald Head Island for the day. We had some family on vacation there for the week, so we decided to go and spend an afternoon playing on the beach, relaxing and visiting. What a great day! We headed to Southport mid-morning and had an early lunch at Provisions before catching the ferry over to BHI. Provisions is yummy, but for me it's more about the atmosphere. I love eating outside on the water. Apparently, so does Bella and Austin!

After being sick for a few days, Austin was feeling better and ready to play! But not before eating lunch first!

How's that hot dog, Bella?

Here she is telling her daddy something very serious.

"Oh my gosh, I haven't kissed my brother in like 15 minutes! Must get to him immediately!"

Enjoying the scenery.

Watching for boats.

On the ferry, headed to BHI.

I haven't had the pleasure of spending much time on Bald Head, but it's wonderful. Very peaceful and not crowded at all. Almost like we had the beach to ourselves, in the middle of summer. We all enjoyed playing outside.

Bella and Katie playing in the tidepool.

Katie is a good babysitter! Sure wish she was closer so she could babysit our little ones some!

This boy loves the beach! He wouldn't take his usual afternoon nap on the beach this day. I think he was afraid he was going to miss some of the fun.

After dinner, we played a little bit more before heading to catch the ferry back.

My little ones waiting to take the ferry back to Southport. It was already past their bedtime, but they were still having a good time!

We all had so much fun, but we especially enjoyed our visit with family. Both kids crashed as soon as we put them in the car in Southport. They barely woke up enough to get their pajamas on once we got home. A sure sign of a fun day in the sun!

First Birthday

2010-08-24T15:18:00.001-04:00

This past Saturday was Austin's first birthday! I can't believe he's one. It just doesn't seem like it's possible that it's already been a year since his birth. We planned to celebrate with a birthday party with family at my Grandmama's house. I really wanted both of my grandmothers to be a part of his birthday and I knew it wouldn't be possible for them to make it to Wilmington for a party. So, we took the party to them. Only it didn't go exactly as planned...

I got a call just after lunch on Friday, the day before his birthday, to let me know that Austin was running a fever at school and I needed to come pick him up. My heart just sank. What crappy timing. So, I left work to get my sweet boy to take him home for some one-on-one TLC. Austin woke up Saturday morning still running a temperature, but we decided to continue on with his birthday party as planned. I just couldn't bring myself to cancel his first birthday party. Obviously, it was a selfish decision since he will have absolutely zero memory of his first birthday.

We did enjoy visiting with family and I think everyone else enjoyed the party as well. We had lunch from Parker's Barbeque in Wilson, which I think was a hit. At least it was a hit with Scott. I've never seen someone find so much happiness with a piece of fried chicken. It's his favorite for sure! Austin's cake came from a yummy, slice of heaven bakery in Wilmington. Apple Annie's provides cake for all of our celebrations. Sometimes, I just find an excuse to get an Apple Annie's cake. They are the best!

The cake. Oh my, it was good!

Singing "Happy Birthday". Are your eyes just focused on the case of gin in the background? 'Cause that's what I saw when I first saw these pictures... Don't worry. My Grandmama isn't sitting at home sippin' on gin and juice all day. Our lunch was packed in that box when we picked it up. Perhaps we should've noticed that before we started singing and snapping pictures...

Poor fella. He was not wanting to eat a cupcake at this point in the day.

"What is this stuff? Why is my Mommy doing this to me? Doesn't she know I am sick?!"

Not a happy birthday boy. This was when I decided to cut the cupcake eating session short. He was promptly cleaned up for some snuggling with his Grandma.

My 2 grandmothers. Granny on the left and Grandmama on the right. I love these 2 ladies! They are as different as night and day, but special to me for sure!

Bella is flashing her "is it time for me to get some cake?" look at her Uncle Will.

Austin headed outside after the cupcake fiasco for a nap with my mom (a.k.a. Grandma).

After his little nap, we decided to give opening presents a whirl. He was still feeling crappy, but as long as he was in Scott's lap, he was okay. Good thing his big sister was willing to step in and help open his presents!

Wait! The birthday boy has 2 helpers. Cousin Layla wanted in on the action as well.

"Alrighty, I think I'm starting to feel better. Let me give this unwrapping presents business a go."

"Just what I wanted! Thanks Nana and Papa!"

After presents, Austin got to enjoy a relaxing golf cart ride with Grandaddy.

Meanwhile, his big sister and cousin enjoyed playing with his presents.

After his ride, Austin was finally feeling up to playing with some of his new things.

Aunt Melissa, Bella and Cousin Layla

"This is cool too! Thanks Grandma and Grandaddy!"

I hated that he felt bad, especially on his birthday. But, I think it was a good day in spite of it all. It's always nice to gather with family and celebrate life's milestones. And, he won't remember that his mommy and daddy dragged him to his first birthday party when he was sick. But, he can look back on the pictures and see the love of his family who came to celebrate his birthday! Happy Birthday Austin! Mommy loves you so much!

"I will eat all the purple ones..."

2010-08-09T16:02:00.001-04:00

What summer is complete without popsicles in the backyard? Bella has been asking for a while now for a popsicle. I guess she knew it was a summer tradition! And her mean ole Mommy made her wait until August to indulge! It wasn't as if I was intentionally not allowing her to enjoy a popsicle, I just kept forgetting to add them to my grocery list. And with my mommy brain, if it's not written down, then chances are I'm not going to remember it. I finally remembered to make this important purchase during my grocery trip last week. She was with me, so she got to hand pick which popsicles she wanted.

She must have asked a dozen times as Scott and I were putting away the groceries if it was time to get a popsicle. Patience isn't one of her strengths! After the groceries were in their proper place, I asked what color she wanted, and she enthusiastically responded "PURPLE!" Then she sweetly said "and you can have a purple one if you would like, Mommy". I told her that wasn't necessary, since the purple ones were her favorite. Then she said "Good! Then I can eat ALL the purple ones!" And we headed to the backyard to enjoy her purple popsicle.

I love how she's just gazing at her purple popsicle! She waited a long time for it!

Whoops! The last of it ended up in the grass...

Trying to savor the last drops...

Getting a little overzealous in her clean up attempts...

Austin enjoyed some time in the swing...

Getting close to bedtime...

Enjoying a quick frisbee game before heading in for a bath...

We love summer!!

Evening Stroll

2010-08-05T11:23:00.001-04:00

Meet Frank. He is our 9 year old, 110 pound "first child".

I use quotations only because he was treated as a "first child" for the first 6 years of his life. Once Bella arrived, Frank was demoted to family pet. Don't get me wrong- he still has a pretty nice life for a dog. He sleeps most of the day in the air conditioned house and regularly gets petted and loved on. But, one of Frank's favorite activities has been drastically reduced since the arrival of the little people in our house. He used to get walks almost every night, and now he's lucky if he gets one a week. Recently, I have made it a goal for him to get more regular walks. So, now a few nights a week we head out as a family to let Frank enjoy his favorite activity.

Our evening strolls are enjoyed by everyone. Bella usually starts off the walk on her tricycle. But, she usually ditches it and joins Austin in the wagon before we get to the end of our street (even though I tell her that Santa will likely not bring her the bike she wants if she doesn't ride her tricycle more). Bella and Austin enjoy the ride in the wagon. And I enjoy my mini-workout by pulling them.

Look out Austin, looks like you've got a tailgater. Austin needs to do proper safety checks before we get going.

Ready to go!

And now he's joined by his sister...

Bella has to explain the rules of the road.

Poor guy has to endure many, many head pats during the ride...

One of Bella's treasures she found along the way. She didn't understand why she couldn't bring this one in the house...

Hopefully, we'll make it out for another walk again tonight! Frank is visibly happier when we're out- and so are the rest of us!

Beach Baby

2010-08-03T15:20:00.001-04:00

We just got back from our annual beach trip this past Saturday. We go to Indian Beach (between Emerald Isle and Atlantic Beach) with my parents, brother, sister-in-law and neice for a week each year. Unfortunately, my brother and sister-in-law were only able to stay one night, but my neice was able to stay for the entire week! We loved watching the girls play together each day. Along with play were a few (or more) squables, but they really love each other. Austin is too young to notice that he's odd man out, but he still had a good time. Were were all filthy and exausted at the end of each day, but I think it's safe to say that we all had a blast.

Grandaddy and the grandkids...

If we were inside at any time, chances were that either Snow White, Sleeping Beauty or Tinkerbell was playing on the TV. Here, Bella and Layla were dancing to "Once upon a dream" from Sleeping Beauty :)

My mom brought a tent for the kids to play in on the beach. Unfortunately, the wind didn't allow us to bring it out each day, but when we did- they enjoyed it!

Austin assumed the official "beach bum" position at least once a day! I would've loved to join him!!

Bella never understands that birds don't like to be caught...

Even after 11 months, the girl can't get enough of her little brother...

Austin thought he'd give it a whirl and try and part the sea.

He loves to "walk" now! All he needs is at least 1 finger...

Austin took a break from eating Scott's hair to take a picture...

He loved his "swim" in the ocean!

Austin figured Scott's chair was fair game when he went for a swim...

It wasn't long before Bella squeezed in there with him...

Searching for shells

Grandma's good for leaning on at the end of a long day of playing...

My mom also brought a baby pool with hopes of corralling Austin a little. As you can see here, it didn't serve it's purpose well. But, it was fun!

Don't worry- someone was always very nearby when he took off crawling towards the ocean!

All they need are a couple of glasses of wine...

By the end of the week, we all felt like doing this...

It was another good year for sure! There are always mixed emotions when the week is over. On one hand, it feels good to get back home to our own beds and routines. But on the other, it's always a little sad to know that the days of simply playing all day without a care are over... Bella said on our last day "just 2 more weeks, please Mommy?" But, she passed out as soon as we put her in her carseat to go home. I'm sure she didn't have 2 more weeks in her to play as hard as she had been... For sure though, some wonderful memories were made!

11 Months

2010-07-22T20:40:00.000-04:00

Austin was 11 months old yesterday. 11 months. Wow. 4 weeks from Saturday is his first birthday party. It blows my mind. It doesn't seem like it's already been a year since I watched my belly in amazement as that baby boy moved and kicked. And now I watch him in amazement as he seems to do something new everyday.

He still wears some 12 month clothes, but they're getting snug. He's been wearing lots of 18 months clothes for a few weeks now.
He still wears size 3 diapers.
The boy loves to eat. I think he would eat all day if I let him. He enjoys his stage 3 baby foods, but really enjoys feeding himself. Everything he has tried, he has liked. Except for ice cream. I figure it must be that it's cold, because it can't possibly be the taste! Who doesn't love ice cream?!
He enjoys clapping his hands. When he does something that I'm proud of (which is all the time!), and I clap and say "Yay, Austin!", he smiles and claps for himself.
He says Mama, Dada and Ba. The first day he was crawling towards me and saying "Mamama" I was so excited and proud! Especially since he's been saying "Dada" for a while now! He uses "Ba" to refer to lots of things, but he will say it when he's looking and reaching for his big sister, Bella. Bella loves that! He also refers to a ball as a "ba".
Speaking of balls, throwing and retrieving balls is one of his favorite games. He'll throw a ball, crawl after it, pick it up and repeat the whole process. Over and over again.
He's cruising! And he loves to "walk" with his sister. Scott and I have to constantly remind her to not walk so fast with him, but he seems to enjoy walking fast with her.
He will stand on his own for several seconds. But, when he realizes what he's doing, he quickly eases himself down to the floor.

What a fast and wonderful 11 months it's been! Happy Birthday Austin!

Saturday in the park...

2010-07-18T16:23:00.001-04:00

Saturday was a good day. So good, in fact, that I was still smiling long after putting the kids to bed. It was one of those fun days where it seemed like the kids were enjoying themselves all day. And I enjoyed watching them. We started the day at a joint birthday party for a big sister who was turning 3 and her little brother who was turning 1- they're perfect playmates for my crew! It was a pool party, so Bella and Austin really got to enjoy splashing around for a while. Good thing, because it was a HOT day! It was a mermaid/pirate theme and Bella has enjoyed playing with both her and Austin's party favors... I try to explain that it won't be too much longer before Austin won't want to give away his party favors. I don't know how much she gets though...

The birthday boy and girl's mom had made "marshmallow lollipops", which were big marshmallows on a stick covered in colored sugar crystals. So cute! The boys' pirate lollipops were black. It did a number on Bella's tongue... Nice eyepatch, Bella- ARGH!

Bella was trying to look like a mean pirate here- doesn't look like she's too threatening to me!

We enjoyed the hot afternoon indoors playing with toys and letting Austin get a nap. After his nap, Bella and Austin played for a while in Austin's room. They have really started playing more with each other, which is fun to watch. Although, sometimes the interests of a 3 1/2 year old girl and an almost 11 month old boy don't always mesh, they do enjoy each other's company.

I went in Austin's room to check on them at one point and found Bella sitting in his toy box throwing all of his toys out to him. He was just sitting there squealing in delight as each of his toys whizzed by his head.

Got anything else in there, sis?

After Bella got bored and left, Austin was trying to figure out how to get in there and get the rest of the toys.

Seriously, how'd she get in here?

Forget it- I'll just sit here and yell like I usually do.

She's back. Austin gets frustrated that she can get in there with such ease, so he decides to pull her hair to get even. I intervened, but not before I got a picture...

We decided to pick up some dinner and take it to the park at Wrightsville Beach for a picnic. Scott wanted to try this Pita place we've never tried before, and it was pretty good. We all enjoyed our dinner and played at the park for a while...

Getting ready to slide...

What kid doesn't climb back up the slide after they're done?

Bella wanted to try swinging on her belly.

When Bella was a baby, she hated to swing. Austin, on the other hand, loves it. And the higher the better.

This kid is crazy about his Daddy.

Bella thought it would be fun to leave the playground area and run around a bit...

But was eager to run to meet her brother when he finished swinging...

After playing a while, I wanted to go for a walk on the beach. Just before sunset is probably one my most favorite times on the beach. The sand has cooled off and feels so good on your feet. It's not as crowded and definitely not as hot.

We have a basket for shells on our back porch. Bella enjoys finding shells to add to our basket each time she gets out on the beach...

This little guy was getting tired.

But he was happy to walk with his Daddy out to the ocean.

Even though we told her to try and stay dry, she just couldn't help herself. Then she just couldn't understand why she just couldn't get naked and play.

Like I said, Austin was getting tired. But, I thought he might like to get his feet wet. Turns out- he did not. At all. He wanted his feet to stay dry. And then his mean ole Mommy went a took a picture of him crying.

This is probably one of my new favorite pictures. Definitely frame worthy.

Scott making sure his girl doesn't venture too far out in the ocean...

I love my boys.

The south end of Wrightsville is where we tend to hang out when we go. This time we ventured out at Beach Access #41. Good spot.

Playing in the dunes.

On our way home, Bella's favorite song came on the radio. She loves to sing along to "Hey, Soul Sister", but she doesn't like an audience so much. This was when she told me "no" that I could not take a picture of her singing.

But when the chorus of the song came on, she just couldn't help but sing...

Yep, it was a good day. A great day, actually. Life is good!

Power of Play

2010-07-13T15:33:00.001-04:00

There is a play place near our house called Power of Play. It's not something that's in our usual repertoire of outings, but we did have Bella's third birthday party there earlier in the year. As part of the party package, we were given a free pass to use sometime in the next year. The pass was lost in the bottomless pit of my purse until recently. Since the heat has been keeping us indoors more than usual, we were all in need of a cool outing. What a perfect opportunity to use the pass that was rediscovered after cleaning my purse this weekend! We had a good time- and it wore her out enough to actually take an afternoon nap! So, it was a win-win for everyone!

Dressing up in the castle

Driving the fire truck

Looking pretty bored. Don't worry, Austin- one day soon, you'll be playing too!

Doing some grocery shopping

In the playhouse

Cheesing it up on the playhouse porch

Look out! Bella's driving!

In the play restaurant

Running the cash register at the restaurant

Playing school

Catching some Zs

Now the student...

Ringing the bell at the firestation

Riding the horse in the barn area- cowgirl boots and all!

Weeeee!

Blasting off in a spaceship. She said her arms were helping it fly.

The news anchorwoman.

Austin woke up just before we left to get in on a little of the action

I can dress myself...

2010-07-13T15:06:00.000-04:00

To say that Bella is an independent little girl is a bit of an understatement. She likes to do things herself and the Lord be with you if you try to help. Lately, she's really been into dressing herself. Most of the time, I'm able to steer her in the direction of an outfit that matches, but sometimes, her "do it myself" attitude takes over, and some interesting fashion statements are made.

Until recently, her most interesting wardrobe choices have really come in the way of footwear, since her shoes were one of the only things she could reach herself. But, this has escalated lately with her new ability to reach the clothes hanging in her closet. When she appeared in the kitchen the other day wearing a different outfit that what she had previously been wearing, I asked her how she reached the clothes. Her response- "I standed on my tippy toes and reach high like dis"- as she demonstrated her go-go-gadget arm ability to reach higher than I thought possible for someone just over 39 inches tall.

She's awfully proud of her fashion statements, and is perfectly happy wearing them in public. We've had many an outing where people give us a double take- but honestly, I don't care. I think she looks fantastic!

So, this outfit is not so bad- but this orange and pink skirt is one of her favorites.

This is what I got when I asked her to go put on some shoes to go to dance... I'm sure it's not exactly what most ballerinas choose.

On the way to the grocery store- this outfit got a lot of reaction!

A lost child of the 80's?

4th of July weekend

2010-07-06T10:48:00.000-04:00

What a fun weekend!! We definitely had a blast celebrating Scott's birthday/Independence Day! My brother, sister-in-law and neice came down for the weekend. They got here Saturday afternoon. Bella and Layla enjoyed playing in the little pool for the afternoon. Scott and Will enjoyed relaxing on the patio with some cold beverages while watching the girls play. Austin had a pretty chill afternoon too. He took a nap, enjoyed his swing and crawled around the yard. Melissa and I jumped at the chance for a little shopping excursion without children. We finished off the day by grilling hot dogs and more relaxing outside.

Bella and Layla sitting on the side of the pool relaxing

We definitely wanted to get out on the beach at some point, but holiday weekends at Wrightsville can be a little crowded, to say the least. So, the plan was to get out there as early as possible on the morning of the 4th. I was prepared to watch the sunrise on the beach, if necessary. We didn't make it out there that early, but we got there before 9. We still had to ride around for a little bit to find a parking spot, but we were there early enough to still get one of the prime spots. We all had fun! Bella was more daring in the ocean than she was last year, she didn't even get upset when a wave knocked her down. She loved playing in the water. So did Layla. I don't know if I've heard 2 little girls squeal with delight more than those 2 this weekend! It was so much fun watching them enjoy playing with each other. Austin enjoyed the beach too! He enjoyed putting his feet in the water, but wasn't too happy when a wave got him pretty wet. He did enjoy walking out into the ocean while I carried him. I'm so glad both of our kids enjoy the beach! Austin even became a full-fledged, official beach bum by taking a nap on a towel under the umbrella.

One of Austin's favorite parts of the beach was the sand. He thought it was delicious!

He loved getting his feet wet!

My fellas

All 4 of us! We don't have many pictures of the whole family!

Austin's following in my footsteps- I love napping on the beach!

After several hours on the beach, we headed home to get cleaned up. Since the 4th is also Scott's birthday, his parents came to town for dinner. We got all cleaned up and headed to Indochine- which is a yummy Thai restaurant that he picked for his birthday. They don't have a children's menu, so I was a little concerned about Bella. Turns out- she's a fan! She enjoyed her sweet and sour chicken! After dinner, we headed home for the birthday staple- cake and ice cream! Scott requested a Coca-Cola cake that his mom makes, and it was delicious!!

Can we eat it yet?!

Happy Birthday Daddy! Make a wish!

After we were completely stuffed from dinner, cake and ice cream, we headed downtown to catch the fireworks. This was the first year we watched Wilmington's fireworks- they were good, but downtown was insanely crowded! Thank goodness we brought the stroller, because we ended up having to park and walk 4 blocks to the riverfront. Austin was exhausted, but was a trooper. This was his first time to watch fireworks, and I wasn't sure what he would think about them, but he loved them! In fact, he thought they were hilarious. And the louder they were, they funnier they were to him. We definitely crammed a lot of fun into one day! We put our exhausted kids into bed and Scott and I fell into bed immediately after them. I definitely think Scott had a good birthday!

Is it time for the fireworks yet?

Laughing at the fireworks

Unfortunately, I had to work the next day. I normally don't work on Mondays, but volunteered to work since several other dietitians wanted the day off. So, Scott got to enjoy a day at home with the kids by himself. I found these pictures on my camera when I got home, so it looks like they had a good time! At least Bella, anyway...

10 Months

2010-06-24T10:32:00.000-04:00

Woah, my baby boy is in double digits!! And I've spent the last few days shopping for first birthday party invitations- how can this be?! It seems like almost overnight, my boy has gone from a little baby to a busy, busy little boy. It's so funny to me how different Austin is from the way Bella was as a baby. Austin is just way more physical than Bella was. He climbs on anything he can and seems to have no fear. I think it's safe to say that Austin is "all boy"!

Like I said, the boy will crawl on and over anything!

He has also finally started crawling on his hands and knees! He still plops down on his belly occasionally, but has been crawling on his hands and knees more and more. I'm happy about this because it keeps his shirts a little cleaner since he's not constantly swiffering the floor with his belly.

He can pull up on things now, which is fun for him. Not as fun for Bella. Now she has to eat her snacks at the kitchen table because Austin will take them from her if she's eating on the couch. I guess it's kind of a good thing that she is now forced to eat at the table rather than in front of the TV! I know it won't be long before he starts "cruising".

He just cut a new tooth, so now he's up to 5! He also started biting :( I'm hoping it's something that's just accompanying teething and not that he's going to be a biter. Bella didn't bite, and I hope we don't have to contend with Austin being a biter! So far his love nips have been reserved for Scott and I.

He loves to yell! And one of his favorite things to do is have yelling conversations with Scott, Bella or I. If he yells, and one of us yells back, he cracks up. Needless to say, with a 3 year old and a loud 10 month old, our house is NEVER quiet. Except maybe at night, when they're both asleep!

Here's my big boy yelling at me while I take his picture...

People often ask me if he's a good eater. My usual response? "Look at him, doesn't he look like a good eater?!" He's started with some finger foods and I have to put very small quantities on his high chair tray at a time. If I put a lot there, he'll get a giant hand full and try and stuff them all in his mouth, which just makes me nervous! He loves cheerios, puffs, biter biscuits and these baby corn husk things I've found at Wal-Mart. He's also developed a liking for non-food items. He has worked hard and earned himself a new nickname around our house- the goat. He's really fond of eating paper. I feel like I'm constantly having to make sure there is no paper within his reach, because if he finds it- he'll eat it! He's also been known to snack on refrigerator magnets and dog hair. Gross.

Austin has become a lot of fun lately. Not that he wasn't a joy before, but now he's just FUN!! There's never a dull moment at our house, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I am crazy about this kid! Happy 10 month birthday Austin!!

Amazing Dads

2010-06-20T15:58:00.000-04:00

I have certainly been blessed when it comes to the fathers in my life. I was first blessed by being given a wonderful dad. Then, again, with Scott. Sometimes I wondered if I would be able to find a man who would be as good a dad to my future children as my dad was to my brother and I. And, I'll admit that there were times, before we had children, that I wondered if Scott would be a good dad. Scott's never been a guy that wanted much to do with children (at least before he had them). But, at 1:35am on January 18, 2007, any doubt I had about Scott being a good dad melted away. I watched as my husband became a father. And in that moment, I knew that he would be an amazing father. Happy Father's Day to all the Daddies, but especially to Scott and my dad!

Here is Scott holding Bella shortly after her birth.

And here he is getting to hold Austin for the first time...

Scott is fun to climb on...

Stretch with....

Or just hang out with...

My dad has continued to be an amazing dad by being a wonderful Granddaddy to my children. Bella and Austin love him so much and look forward to anytime they get to spend with Grandma and Granddaddy.

Here is my Dad getting acquainted with his brand new granddaughter in the wee hours of the morning, shortly after her birth.

And here he is holding his grandson for the first time.

Birthday Flop

2010-06-14T11:32:00.000-04:00

Friday was my 32nd birthday. I'm not one to really make a big deal out of birthdays, so we didn't have any big celebration planned. It was just a normal Friday. I had to go to work and then we had planned to go out to dinner as a family. I was really looking forward to dinner though. We were going to Oceanic, which is right on the beach at Wrightsville. I was looking forward to eating on the pier, enjoying a cold drink and relaxing a little. I was really looking forward to a walk on the beach after dinner with my family. The day didn't go exactly as we had planned...

It was Scott's turn to go to the gym that morning, so I was home alone and had just gotten out of the shower when I heard Austin on the monitor. It was earlier than he usually gets up and he was crying. Normally, he wakes up really happy and I hear him babbling away to himself over the monitor. So, I went to his room to check on him. As soon as I opened his door, I saw it- poop everywhere. All over him, his pajamas and his bed. Awesome. I got him all cleaned up and headed back to my room to set him up on some pillows to enjoy his morning bottle. That's when I discovered more poop. It seems our 9 year old dog has developed some incontinence issues lately. I feel really sorry for him, but it's still frustrating none-the-less. I cleaned it up and took the dog outside. Little did I know, I had missed some. The dog had left another "deposit" in the bathroom. By the time I got back in the room, Austin had found the second pile of poo and was playing in it as if it were play doh. Gross. I screamed as if I were being attacked. I cleaned poop off of Austin for the second time in about 30 minutes. After cleaning and disinfecting the bathroom floor, I was finally ready to finish getting ready for work. By now, I was running quite late, but luckily Scott had returned from the gym. I had a brief "woe is me, it's my birthday, and so far it's been crappy" moment, but I got over it quickly. Scott was his usual helpful self, and volunteered to take the kids to school so I could try and get to work on time.

I just kept looking forward to my beach birthday dinner. We got to the Oceanic, got our prime table on the pier and I got ready to relax. I was even carded when I ordered my drink! The day was definitely on the up and up! It was a good, glorious 30 minutes until Bella started complaining of a tummy ache. And it went downhill fast. I took her to the bathroom in hopes that would solve the problem, but she was doubled over and crying. I quickly realized she had to get home- and quick. Scott quickly found our waitress, who brought our bill and threw my uneaten dinner in a to-go box. Poor Bella- we had to pull over once on the way home and then rode the rest of the way with a barf bag, just in case. We got home and I got my sweet girl settled in bed, fully anticipating a rough, long night of barfing.

10 minutes after we got home, Bella was back up and completely fine. Maybe she just got too hot? Who knows. Regardless, I was certainly glad she felt better. She was even able to join Scott and I for some Oreo ice cream cake.

There was definitely a time where I would have been really disappointed with the way my birthday turned out. But I honestly could not have cared less that it didn't go according to plan. I certainly have a lot to be grateful for. I am married to my best friend who is also an incredible father. I have 2 healthy and happy children (aside from the occasional barfing). I will gladly deal with poop and barf any day (although, I'd rather not!) for Scott, Bella and Austin. They are worth it and better than any birthday dinner or present ever.

She's sneaky like that

2010-06-07T15:32:00.000-04:00

Bella, Austin and I just returned from a trip to the grocery store. If there's anything I've learned since becoming a mother in regards to taking children to the grocery store (or any store for that matter) it's this: expect anything. We've experienced everything from diaper blowouts to runaway children. Today was no exception. Since Austin has become an independent sitter, he sits in the front of the cart and Bella walks along side. I've really become aware of how many crappy foods are marketed to children since Bella has been walking through the store instead of riding in the cart. It's crazy the bad foods that are stocked eye level to a 3 year old. It's shameful really, but that's not the point of this post, or maybe it is...

I was almost through with my list and finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, when I went to get some yogurt. While I was picking out flavors, Bella spied the Pillsbury Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk ready to bake cookies. The girl has a bad sweet tooth.

Bella: "Can we get these, Mommy?"
Me: "No. We already have ice cream in the cart. We don't need ice cream and cookies. Maybe some other time."

That was it. No whining. No fit. Easy. So I smile smugly at my parenting skills and continue to pick out yogurt.

Most of the time, I prefer to do my grocery shopping on a weekday. It's far less crowded and the shelves aren't as picked over. The one drawback to shopping during the week though- not many grocery baggers. So, I usually end up bagging most or all of my groceries myself. Today was no exception. (Sometimes I do prefer to bag them myself so I can make sure that raw chicken doesn't end up in the same bag as grapes and apples. I guess not everyone appreciates being able to avoid salmonella while eating fruit.) Anyhoo, as I was bagging away, what should come down the conveyor belt? Those Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk cookies. My smug smile was replaced by my gaping mouth. When I made eye contact with Bella, her guilty smile gave her away.

Me: "Bella, did you put these cookies in the cart when I wasn't looking?"
Bella: "No, you did."
Me: "Bella, it's not nice to tell a story. Tell me the truth, did you put the cookies in the cart?"
Bella: "No"
Me: "Well if you didn't and I didn't, who did?"
Bella: "She did." As she pointed to the check out lady.
Both the check out lady and I were doing our best to keep a straight face.

Bella finally fessed up. But, by this point, I figured those cookies were destined to be taken home with us. Because, Bella's sweet tooth was likely inherited by me. Maybe not the best parenting decision, but those cookies will be delicious, I'm sure. Perhaps I'll be a little more vigilant over Bella's "shopping" next time.

Dance Recital Debut

2010-06-06T14:06:00.000-04:00

As I'm sure I've mentioned before, Bella took a dance class for the first time this year. It was technically called a "Creative Movement" class because, let's face it, using the term "dance" to describe the movement of 2 and 3 year olds is a stretch, at best. She has really enjoyed herself. And as her first year of dance came to a close, we got to enjoy Bella's first dance recital yesterday. They danced to "How Much is that Doggie in the Window". Her Grandma (my mom), Nana (Scott's mom) and Papa (Scott's dad) came to watch her perform too. Her Grandaddy (my dad) was out of town and had to miss it- but no worries Dad, I'm sure they'll be many more recitals to come! Bella was super excited, which was evident when she showed up in our bedroom at 6 am saying she was ready to go...
As a mother of a tiny dancer, I had to hang out with Bella to make sure she was all ready when it came time for her class to perform. So, I didn't get to sit in the audience and watch the performance. I could only see a little bit since I was off on the side of the stage with the other moms. But, true to my over emotional self, I teared up as I watched her sing, dance and wag her little doggie tail.
After her class danced, Bella and I slipped in the back of the auditorium to watch some of the other dancers. I enjoyed watching her in awe of the older girls. She would comment to me every once in a while "She's good!" or "I love their sparkly costumes!" She's such a girly girl sometimes and it's always fun when Bella and I get some one on one "girl time". But, she is a 3 year old after all, so she could only sit still through 4-5 dances and then was ready to move on. We would've headed home, but all the dancers were supposed to go on stage together at the end, and Bella wanted to stay so she could go on stage one more time. So, we headed for the lobby where we ran into my mom and Austin. We hung out with them until it was time for Bella to go backstage for the grand finale. When she went back on stage at the end, she just kept waving at the audience. From the side of the stage, I just figured she found Scott and the rest of our family. Scott later told me that she wasn't waving at them, so who knows she was waving at!
Her first recital was a success! She had a blast and is already looking forward to another year of dance in the fall. I think she's most excited because next year, she'll get to start tap dancing "like the big girls".
Here are a few pictures. I didn't get as many as I wanted because it was a little hectic backstage and Bella is not always the most cooperative person when it comes to taking pictures.

Here's my little doggie before the promise of ice cream later in the day if she cooperated for a picture.

It's amazing the instantaneous change in attitude after the promise of ice cream...

Here are the doggies on stage ready to perform. Unfortunately, this was the best picture I could get from my angle...

Bella and her buddy, Jenna.

Memorial Day Weekend Festivities

2010-06-01T15:45:00.000-04:00

I hope everyone had a fabulous Memorial Day Weekend! We sure did. And the stormy weather we were anticipating never arrived, so the weather was perfect! We started the weekend going to Lewis Farms to pick some strawberries. As I feared, May 29 was a little late to be picking. They were really picked over. My little helper and I picked for as long as a 3 year old attention span could handle, and literally only had about 10 berries in our bucket. Had we come earlier in the season, like we usually do, our bucket would have been overflowing... Luckily, they sell pre-picked berries. So we still went home with a full bucket. Fresh picked strawberries are the best! We rounded out our berry picking outing with some homemade ice cream. Mmm, mmm!

Yep, Bella, I'm not seeing many berries either!

We headed to church Sunday morning, and my kid's outfits were so complimentary of each other, that I couldn't resist a picture... Bella hates having her picture taken, so she has to be bribed to sit down and smile. I think I had promised some candy for this one...

Sunday afternoon we headed to a cookout with friends. Most of our friends have children, so there's something for everyone to enjoy! Bella looks forward to hanging out with her friends as much as we do!

Bella, Brady and Sadie enjoying the pool.

If you can't tell from the picture, the number of kids in our group is about to increase! We even joked Sunday afternoon that we may need to invest in a herding dog to keep the kids in check when we hang out soon!

This was where the kids decided to eat dinner. Whatever works!

We brought entertainment for Austin too. Since he still does the belly crawl, I wasn't too excited about his nice smocked outfit getting all grass stained! He had a blast too, but I could tell he wanted to get out and play with the bigger kids!

Although we live only minutes from Wrightsville Beach, we decided to leave the beach to the tourists on Memorial Day. We went last year and spent no less than 45 minutes trying to find a parking spot. So, we just set up the kiddie pool in the backyard. No crowds to fight and no sand to clean out of the car!

I put Austin's swim trunks on for the first time this weekend. He wasn't too thrilled with the pool at first, but then he decided it could be fun...

Luckily, Austin has a great big sister who wanted to make sure he was having fun too.

I think we have another water loving kid on our hands!

9 Months Old

2010-05-22T06:29:00.000-04:00

My baby boy turned 9 months old yesterday. 3/4 of the way to a year already! Time has just flown by since August 21, 2009! His little personality seems to emerge more and more each day. That easy-going, laid-back baby has turned into a wide open, loud, fast-moving, busy little guy! What else is going on in Austin's little world?

He goes for his 9 month check up next Tuesday, but I'm going to guess he's 23 pounds and 31 inches- we'll see if I'm right!
He wears mostly 12 month clothes. Although, I bought him an 18 month outfit the other day and it wasn't that big on him :) It was definitely wearable... He's a big boy! He's got a body built for football (so his daddy says) or definitely one for watching football on the couch...
He wears size 3 diapers. And while we're on the subject of diapers, he has begun to make diaper changes VERY difficult. He hates being on his back on the changing table, so he's constantly trying to flip over. The kid has no fear of falling off the table. This makes it virtually impossible to change his diaper or clothes without breaking a sweat trying to keep him from falling off the table. It's fun.
OH, and probably the BIGGEST accomplishment over the past month? He sleeps through the night! Hallelujah!! Mommy and Daddy were TIRED so we're so happy for this accomplishment. He usually goes to bed aroud 8pm and sleeps until 6 or so.... It's a glorious time in the Lindsay house, that's for sure!
He's gotten quite fast. He still does the "army crawl". Or, to more accurately describe how he moves, he looks like someone who can't walk and has fallen out of their wheelchair. I know that sounds awful, but it's really the best way to describe how he "crawls". I'm convinced that he's going to go straight from this belly crawl to walking, and skip crawling on his hands and knees altogether. He will get up to his hands and knees and rock back and forth, but then he plops back down on his belly when he wants to get moving...
He can get himself back to a sitting position from his belly crawl.
He loves feet. Hopefully, it's just because he's down on the ground and close to people's feet and not that he's developing some disturbing fettish!
He loves to open and close doors. And he can do this for great lengths of time. In our playroom, Bella has a playhouse that she got a few years ago for Christmas and his favorite thing is to sit in front of it and just open and close the door.
He has 4 teeth! He's had the 2 on the bottom for a while now, but he cut the two front top ones this past month. And, oh my gosh, were those 2 teeth a big pain to cut! I was so relieved for him when they finally made it through, it seemed pretty painful to him :( Something a little disturbing that's emerged since getting those 2 new teeth: teeth grinding. Yuck. That sound sends chills up my spine each time he does it. Hopefully, he won't do that for long!
He's getting close to pulling himself up. He can pull himself up to his knees, so I know that all the way up to his feet is not far behind! So, his crib had to be moved down a notch...
He loves to be outside. And he doesn't like to think he's getting to go outside, only to be disappointed. He gets really mad when I'm holding him and I open the door to let the dog out. Poor kid thinks for a second that he's getting to go outside, only to have the door closed- and then the drama ensues. I've learned it's best not to be holding him and opening the door unless I am actually going to be taking him outside! And his favorite thing to do outside? Swing and watch his big sister blow bubbles!
He loves to make this little cough/laugh/clearing his throat sound. And he does it all the time.

This picture was taken August 25, 2009. It was the day before he was discharged from the NICU and the first time I got to hold him without IVs, oxygen and monitors everywhere. We've come a long way since those first tough days!

And here's my big fella this morning. His eyes still look a little sleepy :)

Austin continues to be an absolute joy in our house. Bella still adores him and is constantly hugging him and rubbing his head. I can't believe it's already time to start thinking about his first birthday party! It's a little bittersweet to know that we're quickly approaching the time when there will be no more little babies in our house... But I love watching my 2 kids and seeing all the new things they are learning each day!

Mickey Mouse World

2010-05-20T15:06:00.001-04:00

Have you ever heard the phrase "What kind of Mickey Mouse world do you live in?" I don't think it's a common quote, but it's usually reserved for people who don't seem to have a full grip on reality. Well, lately, it seems like "reality" has been a little bit of a downer. We have had a few dear friends that have been dealt some big blows to their reality. So, we were grateful for a short escape to our Mickey Mouse world. It couldn't have come at a more perfect time. Although, we missed Austin terribly, Scott and I loved watching Bella's face as she took in all the magic. Disney is impressive to me as an adult, so I could only imagine what it was like for a 3 year old. We only spent 3 full days at Disney, so we had to somehow cram 4 theme parks into 3 days. It was exhausting, but somehow, we managed. Bella was a trooper, the first 2 days, she walked almost as much as Scott and I. She stayed up way past her bedtime, but was up and at 'em bright and early to do it all over again. By our third day, we could tell Bella was tired, but we still had fun!
Our first day, we headed for Magic Kingdom. It was just a hunch, but I figured that she would have the most fun there, so why not go there first! I was right, she had a ball.

Here she is with Scott in front of Cinderella's castle. We had just gotten into the park, and she could hardly wait to get going!

On Alladin's Magic Carpet ride. This was her first ride, and she was super impressed! I don't think the smile ever left her face!

I made reservations for lunch at Cinderella's castle months ago. I knew she would want to wear her Cinderella dress to eat with her favorite princess, but it was about 90 degrees that day, so I figured she wouldn't want to wear her dress all day. So, we had a wardrobe change in a bathroom just before lunch. After we changed we saw the Fairy Godmother outside the castle- how perfect!

Heading into the castle for lunch.

Once inside the castle, Bella got to meet Cinderella. She was completely in awe. In this picture, Cinderella was complimenting Bella on her glass slippers :)

I thought it would only be Cinderella at lunch, but soon after we were seated, they announced that all of the princesses would be joining us! I was surprised by this, you'll see why later.... Anyway, this was Bella's face when they said Snow White was about to enter the room...

Bella and Princess Aurora, A.K.A. Sleeping Beauty

Bella and Ariel

Bella and Belle

Bella was really excited by the ice cream with sprinkles and chocolate crown.

Not sure, but I don't think most princesses finish their ice cream like this...

After lunch, we went to ride Dumbo.

The we were on to the teacups. I love this picture- she was so happy!

Here she is in Minnie's house...

Checking out Minnie's fully stocked fridge...

One of Bella's requests was to meet Minnie and Mickey...

On Cinderella's carousel

Magic Kingdom closed early our first day, so we headed to Epcot. Here she is in Mexico.

Epcot was having a festival of flowers. There were lots of Disney characters throughout the park made of plants. Here's Bella checking out Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs...

Trying to get on this fake donkey in the World Showcase at Epcot...

In Italy...

The Lady and the Tramp....

Our second day started at Hollywood Studios where we enjoyed a Playhouse Disney show with the characters from Micky Mouse Clubhouse, Handy Manny, My Friends Tigger and Pooh and Little Einsteins.

Jumping during the Playhouse Disney show...

Bella LOVED the Beauty and the Beast stage show at Hollywood Studios. She said tonight that she wants to grow up and be one of the dancers in this show. After she first said she wanted to be the Beast :)

Getting to throw some change into the fountain...
Scott and a Disney photographer worked really hard to try and get Bella to smile for this picture. The was the best she would do.

Bella usually crashed in her stroller at some point during the day...

Playing at the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground...

After Hollywood Studios, we headed back to Epcot for dinner and saw this guy right when we got there- with no lines! Bella got to cross another character off her wish list to meet!

Hopscotch in England...

Getting ready for princess meal #2.

As I mentioned earlier, I didn't realize that all the princesses would be at Cinderella's castle. So, I made reservations for the princess dinner in Norway before our trip, to make sure Bella got to meet all the princesses. I thought about cancelling this one after our lunch at the castle, but knew she would still love it, even if she had already met them all... Here she is all excited to meet Belle for the second time...

Sleeping Beauty #2

Even though she had already met them the day before, she jumped out of her chair each time another princess came to our table. It was fun to see her that excited!

Funny story here- when Ariel was coming to our table, she couldn't see Bella, only Scott. Scott said she gave him the weirdest look. Probably because she was a little freaked out that some 32 year old dude was at a princess dinner and she was going to have to pose for a creepy picture with him. I'm sure she was relieved when she finally saw Bella :)

My happy girl...

At our hotel, just after breakfast and about to start our 3rd day.

We headed to Animal Kingdom first and met a few more characters...

There was a small petting zoo at Animal Kingdom. Bella was surprised at how dirty this cow was...

After finishing at Animal Kingdom, we decided to head back to Magic Kingdom since she seemed to enjoy that park the most. There was one character that Bella really wanted to meet, but hadn't yet. So, we decided to wait in line for an hour to meet Tinkerbell. This is what happens during an hour long line with a 3 year old.
Bella and Rosetta. I think Rosetta was Scott's favorite...

Bella and Tinkerbell

Bella and Silvermist

After meeting the fairies, we went on a small roller coaster. It was Bella's first experience with a roller coaster and she was excited. For a minute, at least...

The she didn't like it anymore. Good thing it only lasted for about 30 seconds!
On our last night, we wanted to stay and watch the firework show at the castle. I almost hated taking "family" pictures since Austin wasn't with us, but I thought this one turned out pretty good...
Sitting on her daddy's shoulders watching the fireworks. She had so much fun on this trip and I think she really enjoyed some one on one time with us.
While we were there, we let her pick out her souvenier. She chose a Tinkerbell costume. We also let her choose a present to take to Austin. As soon as we got home, she had to put on her costume and give him his presents. I missed that little boy!!
He loved his cars and ball. Scott and I are already talking about going again in 3 years or so when Austin will be old enough to join us. I can't wait to see his face when he goes!

8 Months

2010-04-21T21:38:00.000-04:00

He's on the move! Austin has gotten quite good at doing the army crawl. He can get where he needs to go, and he's getting faster. I'm ready for him to start crawling on all fours though, it might save me some time doing laundry. I don't care how much I try to keep the floors clean, a fat, 8 month old baby belly can pick up dirt better than a swiffer.

Here are some other 8 month old Austin facts:

We think he weighs about 20 pounds. He's still quite the chunkster.

He wears mostly 12 month old clothes now. His 9 month clothes, especially the one piece ones, are too short.
He STILL does not sleep through the night. He goes to bed around 7-7:30 and wakes up consistently around 12-1 am for a bottle. The pediatrician has told me he's big enough to not eat during the night, but I've tried not feeding him, and it does not make him happy! So, I've decided that since the pediatrician is not offering to come soothe my baby in the middle of the night, I will continue to give him a bottle until he decides he's ready to give it up. Hopefully, he'll do better soon!
I just bought him his first sippy cups. He hasn't quite mastered them, but he loves to chew on them and throw them to the floor from his high chair. Then he just smiles as we pick it up for him, over and over and over...
He loves to yell! Anytime he's "talking", it has to be loud. I guess he has figured out that if he's to be heard over his sister, he needs to be louder than her.

Here are a few pictures from Airlie Gardens here in Wilmington. We went last weekend to enjoy their spring flowers and couldn't resist at least attempting to get some good pictures of the kids...

Here's Austin in front of the 400 year old Airlie oak.

The munchkins. For the life of me, I could not get Bella to actually look at the camera and smile.

Bella and Austin in front of Airlie oak

Just listen for the sound of giggles...

2010-04-19T16:06:00.000-04:00

Sometimes, it can be tough coming up with activities on the days I'm at home. I feel like we have lots to do at our house, but somehow, Bella still gets bored at times. So today, I suggested we play hide and seek. Bella thought it was a fabulous idea. I counted first, and she hid. As soon as I said, "ready or not, here I come!", I heard the giggles. That took the challenge out of finding her. Then I found her hiding place. She was sitting in the chair in her room. In plain sight. And the next time it was her turn to hide? Back to the chair and giggling. Perhaps, I should have done a better job of explaining the game. But it still made me smile.

Austin's Dedication

2010-04-17T12:30:00.000-04:00

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."

Proverbs 3:5-6

That was the scripture we chose for Austin's dedication. He was dedicated last Sunday, April 11 at our church here in Wilmington. We have joined First Baptist Church and love it. And it's a small world because the pastor used to be an associate pastor at First Baptist Church in Greensboro when we lived there.

Austin did great- he allowed the pastor to take him and walk all over the sanctuary with him. Bella also enjoyed standing at the front of the church, although she didn't quite get the concept that she should remain quiet. She kept asking loudly "WHEN ARE THEY GOING TO SING AGAIN??"

My parents and Scott's parents came down for this, and we enjoyed a BBQ lunch with them after church. I was stupid and forgot to take my camera with us to church, but we did get some pictures at home. Too bad I forgot it, because our church is beautiful. It's over 200 years old and downtown by the river... But here are some pictures we did take- you can see how handsome he looked for all those folks at church!

Bella and Austin with their Nana and Papa after church

Big Sis and Little Bro

Handsome fella!

Bella and Austin with Grandma and Granddaddy

Watch Your Language, Ma'am

2010-04-01T21:56:00.000-04:00

I am fully aware that a 3 year old is like a little sponge. Everything I say gets stored away somewhere in that little head, just waiting for the perfect moment to emerge. Some things, I'm awfully proud of- like the time I told Bella that I would give her to the count of 3 to let me brush her teeth, and she proceeded to count to 10 as I stood there dumbfounded. Other times, I'm not so proud.
I really try to watch my language around my kids. But, every once in a while, a little word slips out in frustration, only to be repeated by Bella later that day. I have heard her say "damn it" a few times, and unfortunately, I know exactly who she learned it from.
But, tonight, I realized that it's not only the obvious curse words I need to be careful of. It's also the words I use in place of them. I don't think I use them much, but I have been known to use words like freak, frick or shadookey in place of more colorful language. Apparently, my sponge noticed too. Tonight, while Austin was getting his bath, he was extra excited and was splashing insane amounts. We bathe him in the infant tub on top of our bathroom counter. The mirror, countertop and floor were covered in water. I was dripping wet myself. Scott and I were laughing at how happy he was, and then Bella chimed in behind me.... She said "Look at him, he's splashing like a little moe foe!" And I hung my head in shame...

DaDaDaDa

2010-03-29T15:58:00.000-04:00

Really, Austin?! That's the first thing you have to say? After all we've been through together, you're first "word" is Dada?!
Nah, I'm not really offended, I love hearing his sweet little voice. And, truth be told, Scott is an amazing father and I can tell that Austin adores him. Although, it would've been nice if Mama was his first "word". It's kind of funny though, I've been coaching him today- I keep repeating mama over and over, and every time, he responds with a loud Dadadadada :)

7 Months

2010-03-23T15:04:00.001-04:00

This past Sunday, Austin turned 7 months old. Austin's 7th month should be re-named the month of the forever ear infection. He has basically been fighting off an ear infection since December- just one after another. This month it seemed to finally come to an ugly head with a nasty double ear infection. After his check-up this morning, we finally have a plan. The last antibiotic round that he finished last week almost got rid of the infection. He was prescribed another 10 day course of a different antibiotic to, hopefully, get rid of the rest. The Dr. says that since we are getting to the end of cold and flu season, he should be able to enjoy at least a few months cold and ear infection-free. We discussed getting tubes put in his ears, but his pediatrician feels that he is too young to undergo general anesthesia- and I agree. If the warmer weather does not bring him relief, or if we start down this same path in the fall, we will head straight to the ENT for a consultation on getting him tubes. I guess time will tell!

Other than that, Austin is just perfect! He's still a really laid-back kind of guy. The Dr. said this morning, that based on her limited assessment of my children's personalities, poor Austin will more than likely be bossed around by his big sister. She definitely has the more dominant personality of the two. Oh well, I guess after being bossed around by his big sister, he'll make someone a fantastic husband one day :) Or decide to be a forever bachelor.

Here are some other things that Austin has going on:

He weighs 19 pounds and 13 ounces which puts him at the 75th percentile weight-for-age.

He is 29 1/4 inches long which puts him above the 97th percentile length-for-age and keeps my Dad's dreams alive that he will someday play basketball for the Wolfpack. Below is a picture of Austin already starting his rigorous practice schedule.

He still wears size 3 diapers.
He wears 6-9 month or 6-12 month clothes, depending on where they came from.
He can turn front to back and back to front.
He's gotten quite good and spinning in circles on his belly.
He acts like he's going to start the "army crawl" soon.
He can sit on his own, but he's still not very good. Sometimes he can sit for a minute or two and other times he still falls right over. And Bella still finds him falling over hilarious.
He enjoys his cereals, fruits and veggies. Thus far, he's not a big fan of meat.
He's very affectionate. Last week, he started giving kisses. They're the best, although they're a little sloppy :)
In addition to kisses, he loves to give hugs. When I pick him up, he wraps both arms around my neck and buries his head in my chest. I love his hugs as good as his kisses.
Most of his signs of affection are sweet and nice. Others, not so much. He loves to pull hair and grab faces. That kind of hurts. I have to "save" Bella a few times each day, although if she weren't always in his face, it wouldn't happen so much.
He continues to be such a happy baby. He smiles and laughs all the time! My cheeks often hurt from smiling at his happy, chubby face.

Here's my two munchkins from today. They are the best of friends.

Here Austin is sitting up on his own. It's not a great picture of him, but it shows off his new skill.

My little happy man!

The Great Bed Shuffle

2010-03-01T16:37:00.000-05:00

That's what last night will forever be known as in our house- the night of the great bed shuffle. And it was about as restful as it sounds. It started out as any other night- Scott and I got the kids to bed by 8, then headed upstairs for some mindless TV. Around 9:30, I headed downstairs to do some reading before bed (I have somehow become addicted to the Twilight series, even though I resisted). Just as I turned out my light to get some much needed sleep, I heard the screams. No worries, I thought, Bella probably just had a bad dream. She'll do her normal routine and come get in our bed for a little while to calm down, then she'll go back to her room like normal. Wrong. She came in our room writhing in pain. When I finally got her calm enough to understand what what hurting, she said it was her ear. Great. It's 11 and my child has a raging ear infection with lots of pain. Poor baby. So I gave her some Tylenol, passed her to her daddy and headed to CVS in my pajamas to find some ear drops to soothe the pain. I knew I would be faster than Scott, so I just went myself. There are some interesting characters in CVS at that time of day!
Anyway, I got the drops ($11, by the way, which is insane in my opinion) and headed home. I walked in the door, halfway expecting to still hear the screams, but it was silent. I went into my room to find Scott on his side of the bed and Bella in my spot, sleeping soundly. Scott woke up and eagerly volunteered to go sleep in Bella's bed. He was smart. She's horrible to sleep with. I settled in for my night of being beaten in my sleep by a 3 year old.
As I mentioned in a previous post, Austin expects to join us in bed after his 5 am feeding. Right on schedule, he woke up around 5 to eat and come to our bed. I knew he couldn't come to the bed with Bella, she would surely abuse him unknowingly in her sleep. So, I kicked Scott out of Bella's bed and sent him back to our room so that Austin and I could have her bed. Poor Austin seemed so confused. He just kept looking around her room, but he finally turned his head toward me and fell back asleep.
I heard Bella up and at 'em at 7, so I went to see how her ear was. Surely, based on the drama from last night, it had to still be hurting, right? I had fully prepared myself to pack Bella and Austin up first thing to make it to the pediatrician's walk-in hours this morning. When I asked her how it was feeling, she looked at me like I was crazy. "Um, it's fine" was all she said. Alrighty then. I guess I was off the hook for having to take them to the germ infested pediatrician's office today. All day, each time I have asked, she has insisted it doesn't hurt. But, if tonight is any sort of a repeat of last night, she'll be the first patient there tomorrow morning. Even if I have to go in my pajamas.

4 Star Dining

2010-02-23T18:25:00.000-05:00

Just a quick post to share Austin's dinner experience tonight....
He got to enjoy some rice cereal mixed with peas tonight. Apparently, that was exactly what he wanted, because he was so excited with every bite that he waved his arms around frantically each time I approached his mouth with the spoon. This made for a very messy meal. Peas were all over him, me, his chair and the floor. I finally managed to figure out a full body maneuver I could do with each bite to sort of pin his arms down to keep from making an even bigger mess. But yet, he managed to figure out a way.... He sneezed. I guess he just wanted to make sure I'll be finding and wiping up splattered peas for days to come. And his grand finale- he pooped. Awesome.

6 months old

2010-02-21T16:30:00.001-05:00

It's hard to believe that Austin's already half way to being a one year old. It's zooming on by pretty fast, which, as I've mentioned only probably a few hundred times, is a little bittersweet. Although life with a 3 year old and a 6 month old isn't always easy, there are definitely times that I wish I could freeze time and keep them little forever.
So, what is Austin up to at 6 months?

He can roll over from his tummy to his back. A feat that he was doing at 5 months, although unwitnessed. Now he lets me watch. And he has a surprised look on his face everytime he winds up on his back.

He can almost roll from his back to his tummy. He still hasn't been able to make it over his shoulder, but I know it's coming soon.

He can sit up unsupported for a second, sometimes. Most of the time he will fall over though, which Bella finds hilarious.

He has two teeth, on the bottom. I love his mostly gummy smile with those two stubby teeth.

He wears size 6-9 month clothes and size 3 diapers.

He loves to laugh. One of his teachers at school told me that she's never heard a baby laugh as much as him. His favorite person to laugh at is still Bella. In fact, the other night he had just fallen asleep and she kissed him, and he laughed in his sleep.

He's doing much better at night. He usually gets up around 1am then again around 5am. He sleeps in his crib, but usually stays in our bed after the 5am feeding. I love waking up to that fat, smiling face- it's impossible to wake up grumpy that way!

He loves jumping in his jumperoo. He jumps so aggressively that he can move it across the floor.

He loves his stage 1 baby food now. It took a while to get used to it, but he really enjoys all of it now. Even the peas.

Happy 1/2 birthday to you, Austin!

SNOW!!!

2010-02-16T14:10:00.001-05:00

While most of the country has had more than it's fair share of snow lately, here in Wilmington, we hadn't seen so much as a single flake until this past Friday night. When it started snowing shortly after Bella went to bed, I was too excited for her to wait until the morning to see it. I went in and got her out of bed, which I never do. She was excited to see it to, especially since she's been asking all winter "is it gonna snow today?" So, needless to say, she bounded into our room fairly early Saturday morning, squealing and heading straight for the window. We woke up to a good 4 inches of snow on the ground, which is not much at all compared to other areas of the country, but it's a lot of snow for us. In fact, the weatherman had a list of snow in Wilmington since 1984, and the list was literally only 6-8 lines long. We were all pretty excited- well, except for poor, clueless Austin. He just grinned because we were happy :)

We got Bella and ourselves all bundled up to head outside to play. Here are a few pictures...

Jeez, mom, I realize it's cold out, but are all these clothes really necessary?

Bella and Scott working on their snowman. Scott forgot to rake all of Frank's "piles" out of the yard the day before, so he was afraid to make a bigger snowman for fear of including some poo.

Here's some snow for Frosty, Daddy.

Putting the finishing touches...

Scott and his babies...

Frank may be getting old, but the puppy in him still comes out when it snows. He had a blast too!

Me and my babies...

We had a good time playing in the snow. And we also enjoyed some hot chocolate afterwards. Maybe we'll get some snow again sometime!

First Dentist Visit

2010-02-11T21:25:00.001-05:00

The other day, Bella had her first visit to the dentist. I'm kind of a stickler for the recommendations made by the pediatrician, and I asked when Bella turned one when it would be time to make that first dentist appointment. The dr. said 3, so pretty much as soon as Bella turned 3, I made the appointment. A co-worker recommended a wonderful pediatric dentist here in town.

Bella seemed very excited and eager to go. When we got there, she was happy to see that there was even a small door for the kids to go in. She told Scott later that day that she went through the little door and that mommy and Austin had to go through to "regular"door.

The hygienist came out to the waiting room to meet us and talk to Bella before taking her back. She said they like to take the kids back alone, and wondered if Bella would agree to that. I didn't think so, but Bella wanted to, so she followed the hygienist right on back. They were gone about 5 seconds before the hygienist re-appeared with Bella. I ended up having to go back with them, which is what I really wanted to do in the first place.

They were awesome with Bella. Even though Bella never got comfortable enough to allow them to clean her teeth, she enjoyed getting to play with the instruments. She and the hygienist shot water across the room and Bella even got to squirt water on the chair and suck it up with the little suction thing.

She did allow the dentist to look in her mouth and count her teeth while she sat safely on mommy's lap. She even got to go pick out a prize for being so brave :) Before leaving, Bella quietly agreed to let them clean her teeth next time. We'll see...

I'm going to Disney World!!

2010-02-03T16:08:00.000-05:00

Yep, that's right, the Lindsay clan is headed to Disney World! Well, almost the whole Lindsay clan- Austin will be staying at home with his Grandma and Grandaddy.

Scott and I went to Disney World for our last spring break before we graduated from graduate school. We had a lot of fun (although, I think I had more fun than he did). We were engaged at the time, and I specifically remember a brief conversation while we were there saying the next time we come will be with our children. We also said that we wouldn't try to make a trip to Disney until both of our kids were old enough to enjoy it. Flash forward 8 years, and we're eating our words. Bella has been kind of obsessed with the Disney princesses lately, and we decided that it would probably be really fun to take her now. I'm super excited. I can't wait to see her all dressed up in her Cinderella dress headed to Cinderella's castle to meet the REAL Cinderella.

Bella is super excited too. It's a toss up on who is looking forward to the trip more, me or Bella. She keeps asking questions about it, and the way she says Disney is so cute (Dis-ah-knee). She told me the other night that she's going to fly with Tinkerbell while she's there. Uh, okay, sure. I think I may have messed up telling her that we're going. We're not going until mid-May, so I'm sure 3 1/2 months will seem like an eternity to a 3 year old.

It might seem like an eternity for me too. In the meantime, I'm busy planning. I'm checking out different character meals and planning our different park itineraries. There's a lot to do there, it's almost a little overwhelming. But, hopefully, in the end, our little princess will have a blast!

Five Months Old

2010-01-21T13:51:00.001-05:00

Today, Austin is 5 months old. I realize that's not very old, but these past 5 months have flown by. So, Austin, this post is for you. Maybe one day you'll wonder what you were up to at 5 months...

You weigh 17 pounds, 12 ounces. That puts you in the 80th percentile weight-for-age.

You are 28 inches long. That means that you are greater than the 97th percentile length-for-age.

You are currently wearing size 2 diapers, although they're getting a little snug. As soon as this box is finished, you will be moving up to size 3.

You wear size 3-6 month clothes, but some clothes you are wearing 6-9 months! You're a long fellow, so those 1 piece 3-6 month clothes don't fit anymore.

You eat 8 ounces of formula every 4 hours. Formula is not cheap, so I'm still cursing my boobs for not being able to supply you with enough free food.

You have started first foods. So far, you seem to like fruit the best, although, you did enjoy carrots. I think your favorite food has been bananas. You liked them by themselves and mixed with rice cereal. Yum!

You have a big sister who adores you. She is so proud of you and is constantly trying to pick you up, give you toys and rub your head. She is probably to blame for still being bald. She rubs your head so much, it probably doesn't allow for any hair to grow. This morning at the Dr.'s office, she was talking about you to another little girl. She said "You see him. His name is Austin, and he's my bruder, not your's." Perhaps she's a little possessive, but proud none the less.

You are fond of your big sister as well. She solicits more laughs from you than me or Daddy combined. Your Grandma says the two of you will be quite the pair when you get up on your feet and that I'd better watch out. I look forward to seeing the two of you play together, but please be nice to mommy :)

We think you have rolled over from your belly to your back. No one has witnessed this feat, but on 2 occasions you were placed on your belly and when we looked back, you were on your back. I keep hoping you'll let me witness your new trick!

You are a snuggler. My favorite is when I pick you up and you let out a little squeal and bury your head in my chest. It's like there's no where else you'd rather be. I love it.

You leave a lot to be desired at night. You used to sleep from about 8pm-4ish am. I was cool with that. However, for about a month now, you've been getting up around 10pm, 1am and 4am. I love spending time with you, but I love my sleep as well. If you could go back to your old sleeping habits, that would be fine by me!

I love how you stare at my face while I'm rocking you to sleep for a nap. It's as if you are trying to memorize every detail of how I look. I usually do the same to you. I want to memorize your face as it is right now to remember forever. You are a cutie!!

You are such a joy. You were meant for our family. For a while, after Bella was born, even thought I wasn't quite ready for another baby, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was someone missing from our family. We didn't feel quite "complete" until you were born.

Happy 5 month birthday, Bubbers!

Bella's Birthday Weekend

2010-01-21T11:14:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Bella's third birthday this weekend. It's hard to believe she's already 3. If there's anything I've learned since becoming a mother, it's that they grow up too fast. I held it together pretty good over the weekend, I only teared up a few times! :)

We started the birthday celebrations with a small party at Bella's school on Friday afternoon. It was a big surprise for her when Mommy and Daddy showed up at school with cupcakes! Bella had requested chocolate cupcakes with pink icing (what can I say, she's a girly girl and loves anything pink!). Apparently, it's a state regulation that you can't bring homemade cupcakes, so I had to buy them. The grocery store was SERIOUS when they put the pink food coloring in. I think most of the kids in Bella's class had pink stains on their faces. Oh well. Hopefully, there wasn't too many upset parents when they picked their kids up that day!

Bella was so happy with the kids and teachers in her class sang "Happy Birthday" to her. She had this big smile on her face the whole song. This was about the time Mommy teared up for the first time.

A few of Bella's friends enjoying their cupcakes.

Saturday was Bella's birthday party for friends and family. We had it at Power of Play near our house. I've actually never been to this place prior to booking it for her party. I think we'll have to go more often- it's AWESOME. Tons of things for little ones to play with. There is a pretend restaurant, grocery store, Dr.'s office, veterinarian, jail, post office, race track, dress up clothes, and TONS more. Bella and all her friends had a blast.

Here's Bella running the cash register in the pretend restaurant. The play money in the cash register was promptly taken by Bella to the play post office and mailed somewhere. I'm not sure where. If you get money in the mail, you'll know who sent it :)

Bella found this dress in the dress up area. She said she was Cinderella. Here is Cinderella at the Dr.'s office. I'm not sure what happened, but apparently there was an unfortunate accident that required Cinderell to use a wheelchair. Luckily, she was back on her feet soon.

Here is Bella with her friend Brady. Brady is the son of one of my friends, Emily. As you can tell, he's a cutie, and Bella definitely agrees. Whenever she's around Brady, she talks about him for days. She was happy he was at her birthday party. He was a trooper- he followed her orders each time she told him to sing "Happy Birthday" to her.

Some of the party guests enjoying their cake.

Cinderella riding her horse on the farm.

After the party, we went back to our house with my parents, Scott's parents, my brother, sister-in-law and neice to open Bella's birthday presents. She has really been into the Disney princesses lately. Her personal favorite is Cinderella. She was beyond thrilled when she opened her gift from Nana and Papa and saw it was a real Cinderella dress, shoes and crown!

Bella's gift from Scott and I was a trampoline. She squealed when she saw it and had to jump immediately. At least she let me take her Cinderella high heels off first.

Bella's actual birthday was Monday. It worked out nice, because it fell on MLK Jr. day, which meant the bank was closed and Scott could spend the day with us! We started the day with a birthday cupcake. Again, chocolate cupcake with pink icing!

Blowing out the candle. I still can't believe she's 3!

We took Bella and Austin to the aquarium at Ft. Fisher. We took a few pictures while waiting for Daddy to park the car. The weather was nice!

Bella asked "Is this alligator dead?" I sure hope so!

Bella enjoyed the aquarium at first, but quickly grew tired of meandering through the crowds to just look at some fish. On our way home, I asked what her favorite part of the aquarium was. Her reply: "none of it". Oh well.

On the way home from the dud trip to the aquarium, Scott and I redeemed ourselves by stopping to get Bella a new dance outfit. Luckily, she had dance that night, so was able to wear her new outfit immediately. I think dance class was the highlight of her birthday. The are starting to learn their dance for the recital. It is to the song "How Much is That Doggy in the Window". They let us parents come in a watch them dance. And I teared up yet again.

It certainly is bittersweet to watch my little girl grow up. Sometimes I find myself wishing she could stay little forever, and other times I am daydreaming about the girl and woman she will become. Happy Birthday Bella!

Bedtime Prayers

2010-01-11T20:31:00.000-05:00

Last night I was tired. I found myself getting in bed right after I put Austin down. I went ahead a flipped on Bella's monitor(so I wouldn't have to get up later), even though Scott was still in her room putting her to bed. Plus, I like to eavesdrop on their conversations from time to time- they can be real gems :)
As he finished her bedtime story and she climbed in bed, I heard a sweet little prayer that I'd never heard before. Scott lead the prayer, but Bella repeated each line. It went like this:

Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for my family.
Thank you for my friends.
Help me to be good.
And forgive me of my sins.
In Jesus' name, Amen.

It was something they had come up with together. I absolutely love it, and may steal it for when it's my turn to put her to bed. I don't say it enough, but my children have an amazing dad. I guess I'm pretty lucky myself :)

Mommy's Christmas

2010-01-07T20:26:00.001-05:00

I have been wanting a new camera for a while. Mine was fine, took decent pictures, but I was ready for something better. My dad and sister-in-law recently got new SLR cameras, and it really made me want one. They just take such better pictures than my little point and shoot. So, Scott got me the one I wanted for Christmas! I was thrilled. And have been taking pictures ever since. Literally. I have taken close to 200 since Christmas. Oh my. I can't stop. Here's just a little bit...

Playing in her tent. We put it inside because IT'S COLD!

Mmmmm, the girl loves dum dums.

Smiling at his big sister.

Bella fixed herself and Austin a glass of wine. That's what she said anyway. I've never seen anyone drink wine out of coffee cups.

Austin got a kick out of talking about bananas. So far, it's the only baby food he's liked.

I've said for years that I would love to take a photography class. Maybe now I'll actually do it! I'm having fun with my new toy!

Hello, Goodbye

2010-01-02T21:21:00.000-05:00

New Year's celebrations have certainly been different since having children. This year, as much as I hate to say it, I was in bed by 10:30. I did wake up shortly after midnight because the neighbors were shooting fireworks. Scott and I looked at each other, said Happy New Year, gave each other a quick kiss, and were quickly back to sleep.

I thought back on New Year's eve 10 year ago... I celebrated bringing in the year 2000 in Hotlanta. My Mississippi State Bulldogs had beaten Clemson 17-7 the night before at the Georgia Dome. Needless to say, it was a much wilder night. What a difference 10 years makes!

I have also thought back over 2009, and all that we experienced. A new job. A new member of the family! It was a good year! I thought I would summarize 2009 with pictures...

January: Bella turned 2.

February: Got her first haircut

March: Bella ditched the high chair and joined us at the table in a booster seat. Her first meal at the table was chick-fil-a :)

April: We celebrated Easter in a construction mess. It only took us almost a month to put down new hardwood floors ourselves :)

May: Bella moved from the crib to a big bed. This was her first night.... I think there are even more stuffed animals in her bed now.

June: Just realized how few pictures we took in June. So here is Bella going down a big slide at the blueberry festival with her daddy.

July: At the beach, with me big as a whale.

August: Became a family of four!

September: Getting used to life with 2 kids. Realized how much fun it is to watch Bella make the transition from only child to big sister with such ease. She is crazy about her baby brother!

October: The whole family dressed up for Halloween- sort of.

November: Austin's first time to church.

December: Celebrated Austin's first Christmas.

We certainly had an eventful and blessed 2009. Looking forward to 2010 and all it has in store for us! Happy New Year everyone!!

Merry Christmas

2010-01-02T14:22:00.001-05:00

It may be a week late, but hey, it's a crazy time of year, right?! The Lindsay family, once again, had a fabulous Christmas. We try really hard to celebrate the whole month of December, and we were once again successful!

Our first Christmas celebration usually starts with Christmas at my parent's house in Fayetteville. We usually schedule this early in the month, before everyone's holiday schedules get too crazy. It's just my parents, our little family and my brother's little family. We eat and open presents from each other. It's basically just another excuse to enjoy the company of family during the Christmas season.

For some reason, one of Bella's Christmas requests was a trumpet. Since it's the responsibility of the grandparents to spoil the grand kids, my parents bought her a trumpet. Fabulous.

As any parent knows, getting a good picture of one child can be a challenge. It becomes exponentially more difficult as you add more children to the picture. Amazingly, my dad captured a great picture of my two in front of the tree. I thought this was such a good picture, I sent it out as our Christmas card photo this year.

First Christmas as a family of four!

The whole "Pitt" clan.

When my brother Will and I were born, my mom had us each a stocking knitted. I'm sure she would love to say that she made each of these by hand, but she had someone else do them. Since the first one of these stockings was made over 30 years ago, my mom has had to find someone new almost each time to make a stocking as a new member of the family came (first Scott, then Melissa, then Bella, Layla and Austin). I think she has had the same lady make all the grand kids stockings, so this poor lady has done a stocking for our family 3 years in a row. Maybe she'll get a break next year- as of right now, no one is pregnant, so for the first time in 3 years, no one will be celebrating their first Christmas next year :)

Austin's stocking holder :)

The next stop on our Christmas tour of 09 was Christmas Eve at my Grandmama's house. We all enjoyed a yummy meal then waddled into the living room to watch the kids open presents. Bella and Layla certainly enjoyed themselves.

Bella patiently waited for Layla to finish opening one of her presents before tearing into hers. She never shows this kind of patience at home!

Austin wasn't really sure what was going on, so Scott helped him with his presents. Austin is really starting to interact with his toys more, which is really fun to watch.

Later in the evening we had our annual viewing of Christmas Vacation. I felt really old when I realized that movie is 20 years old, but it's definitely a classic. Our family quotes that movie quite frequently. "That there's an RV...." or "I wouldn't be more surprised if I woke up with my head sewn to the carpet" definitely get repeated throughout the year :)

I was so happy that my kids got to have Christmas morning at Grandmama's house. Some of my favorite memories as a child were having Christmas mornings at Grandmama and Grandaddy's house. As far as I can remember, Will and I spent every Christmas eve night there, so Santa always came to see us there. It was very important to me that my kids experience it as well. I was happy that Will, Melissa and Layla also spent the night. It was so much fun to see Bella and Layla together on Christmas morning. My parents were also there, and I think they enjoyed seeing all their grand kids on Christmas morning.

Santa came!! Layla's not really an early riser, unlike my kids, so we had to wake her up. Doesn't look like she's all the way awake :)

Merry Christmas little man!

Everyone checking out their loot. Bella got a Dr. set from Santa, so she's taking my blood pressure here. I wonder how accurate a blood pressure reading is on the wrist? :)

Yes, my kids had matching pajamas. It's a new tradition I decided on and I plan on continuing as long as they'll let me. I fully anticipate this will not be cool when they are 14 and 16.

After enjoying Grandmama's delicious breakfast, we got all cleaned up and headed to my Granny's house in Red Oak. We usually eat lunch* on Christmas day with my Dad's side of the family.

*My Granny operates on a much slower time than the rest of us. So we call it "lunch" but it's really more like mid-afternoon.

Christmas lunch at Granny's always includes her famous macaroni and cheese. For some reason that I'm not sure of, Granny has never shared her mac and cheese recipe with anyone. I don't know if it's that she wants to keep her recipe a secret, or if she's just never gotten around to sharing it. Others have tried to duplicate it, and some have come thisclose, but no one has yet to achieve the exact recipe. Maybe one day she'll let us in on the big secret :)

After gorging ourselves yet again, we were up for another round of presents....

Scott and Granny

Granny gave Austin a bear for Christmas. His name is Benny and Austin loves him.

My mom (aka Grandma) and Bella

After celebrating in Red Oak, we loaded up the kids and headed to Fuquay-Varina to spend Christmas night with Scott's parents (aka Nana and Papa). We were so full from eating all day, so luckily we didn't have to eat another large meal. We got to their house and opened presents and enjoyed appetizers.

Nana and Papa gave Bella a miniture grand piano. She absolutely loves it. It's in the corner of her bedroom and multiples times a day, she'll grab mine or Scott's hand and say "let's go to my room and see if there's a piano in there" :)

Oh, and her piano has a real working microphone. It's fun. I'm sure Bella was singing Jingle Bells here. It's one of her favorites.

All of the Christmas festivities wore this little fella out.

We headed back to Wilmington after lunch with Nana and Papa. Back in Wilmington, we exchanged gifts with each other. Bella got a wagon and Austin got a ball popper (which Bella will probably wear out before Austin ever gets to play with). We finished off the evening with our traditional viewing of the movie, The Family Man. We were all completely worn out, but had definitely had ourselves a merry little Christmas. We are certainly blessed and definitely felt that way during this season. It was a busy time, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

This time of year...

2009-11-30T15:22:00.000-05:00

Is my favorite!! I guess it's the time with family, the old traditions and the new traditions that we're starting with our little ones that makes me love this time of year. One of those new traditions we've started, and have been doing every year since Bella's first Christmas, is visiting Santa at Airlie Gardens here in Wilmington. It also seems that my brother and sister-in-law are starting that as a tradition for their family as well! They joined us last year for Layla's first Christmas, and were here this weekend to join us for our trip.

Airlie Gardens is a lovely place to visit if you're ever in Wilmington, but during the Christmas season they open up at night for Enchanted Airlie. The gardens are all decked out with Christmas lights. There are two massive train displays for the kids to enjoy. And of course, there's Santa. This is the most "authentic" looking Santa I've seen. No fake beard or stuffed belly on this guy, so he must be the real deal!! Bella and I talked about visiting Santa a bunch before we actually went. We went over what she was going to tell him she wanted (Snow White and Legos). I also told her he would ask if she had been a good girl... She was so excited to see him and got so excited when our spot in line moved so we could actually see him. And then it was our turn... Bella decided that she was willing to sacrifice getting toys on Christmas morning, because there was no way she was sitting in that scary man's lap! She was willing to get relatively close if I promised not to let her go. After much coaxing she finally told him that she wanted Snow White, although I seriously doubt he heard her because it was barely and audible whisper when she said it. Hopefully, he'll still remember Bella on Christmas! I'm sure Santa understands :)

Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas season! Here are a few pics from our night...

Here's my sweet neice, Layla. The girl can't help but dance whenever she hears any music. They were playing Christmas music while we waited in line to see Santa and she just danced and twirled until she was dizzy!

Bella and I waiting in line. She loves her popcorn, and I guess getting a bag of popcorn while we wait for Santa has become a little tradition as well!

This was the best picture we got. Austin was fine at first, but Bella was freaked out. By the time I convinced Bella to just get a little close to Santa, Austin started crying. Oh well! We tried, but getting two kids to cooperate for a picture is darn near impossible.

Bella strolling through the gardens with her Daddy.

"Fine take my picture, but I'm not going to stop eating popcorn."

Poor excuse for a family picture I know, but it was cold so I didn't feel like getting Austin out of his warm stroller. Then, of course, Bella turns her head as soon as the camera flashes.

After seeing Santa, we went to get dinner at Two Guys Grille- yum!! Nothing beats their sweet potato fries with cinnamon butter dipping sauce!

I just love Austin's sheepish expression in this picture. Maybe he was plotting his monumental meltdown that took place mere moments after this picture was taken.

I just wanted to throw in a picture from last year. Doesn't seem like it's already been a year. A lot changes in one year!

Family pic from last year- just goes to show the weather can be crazy here. Short sleeves last year, freezing and bundled up this year! Austin is actually in this picture :) We had just found out that I was pregnant :)

Touch a Truck

2009-11-16T13:15:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was the Junior League of Wilmington's first annual Touch a Truck fundraiser. It was a fun way to raise money for the many causes that JL supports. I opted out of volunteering to work and just enjoyed the event with Scott, Bella and Austin. I guess to say Austin enjoyed himself might be a stretch. He stayed in the stroller the whole time. Maybe he can actually enjoy it next year.

Touch a Truck allowed kids to sit in, run sirens and blow horns of various vehicles that work within the community. Bella had a blast. Although, of all the vehicles, when I asked her what her favorite part was, her answer was the bouncy house.

Here are a few pictures from our day...

Bella and her Daddy going down the slide.

Bella enjoyed sitting on the school bus. She just kept sitting and sitting and sitting.

Bella on a tractor. She moved and messed with just about every button and gear on the thing.

Bella on a firetruck. She chose to sit in the back seat instead of up front and run the sirens.

On an ambulance

Air Medic helicopter

Garbage truck. Good thing it was clean!

Mini race car- just her size!

A full-size race car.

It was a good day and the weather was perfect!! Next year, we'll have 2 little ones to chase around. I can only imagine how fun this event will be for a little boy!

Battleship Half Marathon

2009-11-03T16:15:00.000-05:00

Based on the shape I'm in now, it's hard to believe I ran a half marathon this time last year! But, our family did have a representative at the race this year- Scott! He's been training for a few months, and did great! It was a really hot day, but he made it.

I loaded up Bella and Austin to cheer Scott on and hopefully see him cross the finish line. There are over 1000 runners each year, so between them and people there to cheer them on, the finish line area was kind of crowded, but I managed to keep up with Bella. They had some music playing at the finish line, so of course, Bella danced. At least that kept her amused while we waited to see Scott. Who know, maybe next year Scott and I can run it together!

Bella busting a move...

And she keeps on dancing...

Okay, so this is my only picture of him crossing the finish line... It's a horrible one, but he's the guy in the white t-shirt in the background...