Snoozing Away

Out on the Town

This morning I had a breakfast date with two very handsome little boys.  We dropped our car off for an oil change and decided to walk next door to "Old McDonald's," as Sam calls it, to eat while we waited. 

Once our car was ready we drove downtown to my office to say hello.  Sweet Mrs. Marilyn had treats for both of the boys when we arrived.  Jack really enjoyed his goldfish and Sam was grinning from ear to ear over the bag of Skittles, his favorite.  In fact, he was so excited that he wouldn't even slow down for me to take his picture!

All of this running around wore Jack out!

Comfy

Ouch, Jack!

Thanksgiving morning Jack was crawling around the bathroom with a car in his hand while I was finishing getting ready.  He started crawling towards our bedroom and the next thing I knew he was screaming at the top of his lungs.  He had fallen on the car and cut his mouth.  I ran over to him and as soon as I saw the blood pouring out I panicked.  I quickly scooped him up but he wouldn't let me open his mouth - he had it clamped shut!  With Adam's help, I finally got it open enough to tell that the blood was coming from the right side of his mouth where he didn't have any teeth so that made us feel a little better.  The best I could tell was that he had cut the inside of his cheek.  Since I was able to stop the bleeding pretty quickly we went on with our lunch plans and just kept an eye on him.

Fast forward to Saturday morning.  I had gotten up early that day to go to an out-of-town funeral with my mom and we had left before Jack woke up.  On our way back home I called to check in with Adam and he told me that there was this big piece of "skin" hanging off Jack's gum.  When I got home and looked in Jack's mouth I couldn't believe the tissue that had been cut away from his gum.  It was still attached pretty good but I knew it had to be bothering him and I wasn't sure how to fix it.  I decided to call my cousin Sara Jane, who is a pediadontist, and get her opinion.  She wanted me to send her a picture of the tissue and after looking at that she decided it would be best to see us this morning to make sure the area wasn't infected and that the bone wasn't exposed.    

Jack and I got up very early today and met Sara Jane at Batson around 7:30 so she could see him before she went into surgery for the day.  Luckily the piece of tissue was gone when he woke up this morning so she didn't have to clip it.  I know that would have really freaked him out, and me too!  After looking him over she found no sign of infection or damage to the bone.  So thankful my baby Jack got a good report!

Deck the Halls

Sam was so sad the day after Halloween.  He couldn't understand why it had to go away but I convinced him to not be sad because we had plenty of other fun holidays to look forward to.  We talked about Thanksgiving and Christmas and he kept wanting to know when they would be here.  I told him as soon as Thanksgiving was over that we would start getting ready for Christmas.  Needless to say, this boy has been patiently awaiting this day.

We all took a good nap this afternoon so we would be rested for the decorating ahead.  When we woke up it was time to go to the local farmer's market to pick out our tree.  Sam found us the perfect one!

Posing with Santa on his motorcycle

The ladies at the farmer's market are always so sweet to my boys and tonight they gave each of them a banana.  Jack thought it was so yummy!

Sam was such a great helper and loved looking at all of the decorations as we unwrapped them.  Unfortunately by the time we unloaded the tree and ate dinner it was time for Jack to go to bed.  I bet he will be ready to decorate next year!

This sweet boy is so proud of his tree!

In the midst of the decorating excitement, one of our smoke detectors started beeping from a low battery and of course we were out of the battery we needed.  So while Daddy was gone to Walmart, this big boy helped me put all of the lights on the tree.  It certainly was helpful to have another set of hands and definitely made things go faster.

With a little help from Daddy, Sam put the pretty star on our tree.  He was smiling from ear to ear!

Adam and I stayed up late and finished the rest of the decorating.  I can't wait for Sam to get up in the morning and see everything.  He is going to love it!  

"Meme Rusty"

Jack has just recently started smiling really big and saying, "Meme," every time he sees Rusty.  

It is cracking us up!  

Egg Bowl Saturday

Daddy and Pop Pop left town a little after lunch today to go see the Rebels play the Bulldogs in Oxford.  Adam and I both knew it was going to be WAY too cold tonight for little boys to be outside so I stayed home with Sam and Jack.  Sam was definitely sad to see his Daddy drive off without him, but by the time we got inside and settled down for a nap he was all smiles!  Jack loves sleeping by himself for sure but Sam considers it quite a treat to sleep in Mama & Daddy's bed so I was quick to say yes when he asked to snuggle with me during nap time.

After a good rest, the three of us put on our Ole Miss gear and we went to Lili & Shuffie's house to watch the game with them on TV.  Lili was decorating her house for Christmas and Sam was so excited to help her find a perfect spot for everything.  He was so cute when he asked her to help decorate his little kitchen that is at their house.  This little Rebel Santa had fun watching the game and trying to see Daddy on TV.  Unfortunately we never spotted him but we helped cheer the Rebels on to victory and knew that we would have one very happy Daddy heading back home to us tonight! :)

Sweet Talker

He usually is successful at sweet talking his way into watching a little more TV with Daddy before bed.  

Who could say no to this face?!

Thanksgiving Dinner

Tonight we went to Lili & Shuffie's house to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family.  Sam and Jack had so much fun with their cousins Christian, Caimbrie and Cai.

Cai, Jack and Caimbrie

Caimbrie was so sweet and took such good care of the little ones all night.  We had the best time watching them play together and visiting with our Meme.  It was a wonderful night filled with good food and even better company!

We hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving and got to spend time with those you love the most.  I am SO thankful for my time with these two turkeys!  :)

Sleepover at Lili & Shuffie's House

Adam and I went Black Friday shopping together for the first time in 2008.  He was pretty reluctant to go with me that first year but after only a few hours in he was hooked.  We have made it a tradition each year since then to go, even if there isn't anything in particular we are looking for.  We enjoy the time together and sometimes the people watching is the most entertaining part of our adventure.  

Last year I missed out on the fun since we had a newborn at home, but Shuff was a good sport and went in my place to keep Adam company.  It only took one time for Shuff to experience Black Friday and now he is hooked too!  Since all three of us want to go together this year, Lili has volunteered to stay behind and keep the boys.  I know that Sam will be just fine since he is used to spending the night with Lili & Shuffie, but tonight will be Jack's first overnight stay away from his own bed.  Sam is so excited that his little brother is finally joining him for a sleepover and I know they will have a great time.  

Thank you, Lili! You three don't have too much fun without us!!

Thanksgiving Lunch

We celebrated Thanksgiving with Adam's family during lunch today at Pop Pop & Bobi's house.  All of us showed up in our Christmas red and the little boys wore their matching train shirts so we could try to get a picture for Pop Pop & Bobi's Christmas card.

In between some group shots my two sweet boys were looking too cute not to snap a few pictures of just them together. 

After lunch the boys went outside to play with their new bows and arrows and Indian headdresses from Bobi.  These new toys went perfectly with Mimi's early Christmas present for them, an Indian teepee!  

Easy helped Sam learn how to use his bow and arrow...

...while Daddy held on to our littlest Indian.

After playing pretty hard for a while, these Indians took a quick rest in their teepee.

Indian Sam had fun with his bow and arrow in the backyard.

"What is this thing on my head, Mom?"

 After a delicious lunch and lots of playing with the little Indians, we all got very sleepy and loaded up to go home for a much-needed nap!

We Love a Parade!

Snuggling with my two blessings while watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade is my idea of a perfect Thanksgiving morning.  I have loved watching parades since I was a little girl and look forward to continuing the tradition with my boys!

Jack was mesmerized by the parade, but Rusty found Jack's crackers to be way better than whatever was on the TV.  He was just hoping for a crumb or two to fall his way!

We relaxed in bed for a while before it was time to get up and moving.  I was in our bathroom getting ready and had a pretty cute visitor come by.  He has just discovered that he can turn the bathtub water on by himself and he is oh so proud.  I can remember this being one of Sam's favorite things to do when he was about Jack's age.  It is amazing to me to watch the excitement that comes along with learning new things.  So thankful for my two healthy, sweet boys!

Just Chillin'

Fireside Reading

Enjoying the Weather

Jack's One Year Checkup

This is Jack's game face.  The one he puts on when he just knows something isn't right and things aren't going to end well.  ;)  This is the face I kept looking at as we sat in the waiting room at The Children's Clinic today.  

He had his one-year checkup with Dr. Sherwood this morning and got a great report.  He weighs 25 lbs. 4 oz. and is 33 1/2 inches long.  His height is off the charts for someone his age and from the looks of his growth curves Dr. S still thinks he is going to be a big boy like his daddy.  We enjoyed seeing Dr. S, as always, and she was very pleased to hear how well he was doing off of all of his reflux meds.  As soon as we finished our visit, Nurse Jill returned with the bad old shots!  Jack's lip poked out as soon as she came back in the room and I knew it was over.  Poor baby, his tears didn't stop until we got to the checkout desk.  He was ready to go!  As always, I can't help but thank the Lord each time I leave that place with a healthy child in my arms.  Truly a blessing!

Disney On Ice: Treasure Trove

Tonight we took the boys to see Disney On Ice: Treasure Trove at the Jackson Coliseum. 

Sam was so excited to be there and couldn't wait to see all of his favorite characters.  

He got some Mickey binoculars but didn't need them at all during the show because we had great seats!  We were only a few rows from the floor and could see everything really well.

This little guy wasn't quite as enthralled with everything but still had fun with all of the bright lights and music.

Jack gave Goofy lots of love during the show. :)

Everything tonight was great and I don't think Sam missed a moment of it.  He had his eyes glued the entire show.  He almost broke our hearts though when we were driving home because he was so sad we had to leave the characters.  I promised him we would see them all again very soon!  

Meeting Brooke Allen

Tonight we went to JA to watch Adam's cousin Will, who plays varsity basketball.  Adam's other cousin Ben was in town from Birmingham with his little girl, Brooke Allen, and we were thrilled to finally get to meet her.  She is only a few month younger than Jack and he was really trying to figure her out during the game.  You know we don't see too many girls around here so that was probably part of what stumped him.  They were too cute together!  Unfortunately we have no pictures of Sam with her though because he was far too distracted by the game to pose for a picture.  I'm not even sure he knew anyone else was around but the boys playing in the game.  :)  

Baby It's Cold Outside!

Shuffie's Rocking Horse

This rocking horse was Shuffie's when he was a little boy and my boys love playing on it!

Blastball Game - Week 7 - Maroon vs. Red

This morning the maroon team played their last Blastball game of the 2012 Fall season.

Sam and Liam warming up.

Kicking with Daddy.

Go, Sam!

Daddy and his soccer player. 

Cute teammates!

Before we know it Jack will be out there playing Blastball too!

The maroon team together one more time.  The YMCA coordinator taking the picture lined these poor things up facing the sun so they could hardly keep their eyes open!

(From L to R - Back: Cruz, Kate Gray, Liam / Front: Sarah Kathryn, Sam, Easton)

It was a great game and the maroon team won!

All of the players got a medal for participating this season.  Sam was so proud of his!

Sam and Kate Gray 

This little boy enjoyed watching his big brother play this season.

Proud of our big boy!

The award for Best Fan of the Season goes to this sweet lady.  At 83 years young she made almost every game we played.  The early games nor the cold weather would keep her from supporting her buddy Sam.  These two sure do love each other!  

Sam enjoyed playing on the bouncing castle every week after the games.  Of course he had to go down the big slide one more time before we left today.

What a great experience this season of Blastball has been for Sam.  He was the youngest child on the team and was such a good sport.  He had an impressive fan base each weekend and we appreciate everyone that came to watch him play.  He wasn't so sure about everything at the first game but got out there for the rest of them and ran around and had fun.  We might not have won every game but that's ok.  I told Sam each week that as long as he was having fun and enjoying being with his friends that winning or losing didn't really matter.  We met some great parents and kids and look forward to more sporting events in the future.
Good job, Sam - we are so proud of you!