The Deepe Family

Seven Months

2012-01-27T19:33:00.008-05:00

Colton - you are SEVEN months old!!!!

How in the world did that happen???

What have you been up to this month???

You are wearing mostly 6-9 month clothes. You are now wearing size 3 diapers.

You are a great sleeper! You sleep through the night and go to bed around 7pm and wake between 7:30-8am. You take a morning nap anywhere between 30-60 minutes. You take a great afternoon nap around 3 hours. I am SO happy to have two good sleepers!

You LOVE your wubby. It always calms and soothes you. You now have a monkey and elephant wubby. We always have one on hand.

You are a great eater. You are working your way through stage one foods. You have had peas, green beans, carrots, applesauce, pears, sweet potatoes, and bananas. I think your favorite so far are carrots and bananas. You eat twice a day - in the morning and at night. I'm thinking we will start solids at lunch soon.

You LOVE your jumperoo! You jump so hard and just laugh the whole time.

You are doing so well in the nursery. You will usually take a nap and like to snuggle with the childcare care workers. I'm so happy you love the nursery workers and they love to shower you with love. They always brag about how good you are.

You roll from your belly to back all the time but haven't mastered rolling from back to belly yet. You love to stand up while holding on to my hands. You are sitting up more every day. You do great sitting up supported but we are working on you sitting unassisted.

You don't have any teeth yet and I don't think you have any signs of teething. Ryan had at least two teeth by this age. It's fun to see your differences.

Today I was playing with you on the floor and Ryan came over to lay down beside you. You looked over at him and just smiled so big. He started playing peek a boo with you and you just smiled and laughed so big. I love that you think your big brother is pretty amazing. You love to watch whatever he is doing. You adore him. Ryan loves to call you "Tolton Bear".

You are so easy going and so easy to take places. You do love attention too. You are so sweet and smiley all the time.

Before you were born I couldn't imagine loving someone as much as I love Ryan. When you were born God totally made room in my heart to love you just as much as your brother Ryan. You are such a precious and special gift from God! I cannot imagine our life without you. We love you so much!

Winter "Wet"land and Prayer Requests

2012-01-26T20:01:00.005-05:00

It has been so rainy and gross around here lately. I am very glade it's actually above 35 degrees in January but the warmth brings the rain and I'm so over it. It's so weird that it's almost February and we haven't had a good snowfall. That kinda bums me out. I am glad I've gotten some good wear out of my new rain boots. I think there were about ten of us this morning with rain boots on.

We had a great morning at MOPS. I have four new girls in my group and I just love em. They are sweet girls and I'm so glad they came back after their first visit a couple weeks ago. I can't wait to get to know them better.

I have been wanting to make some snowman and snowflake cookies so I thought I would make some to take to mops. Even though it's not snowing outside, or anything close, I thought they were super cute.

I have a few prayer requests that have been heavy on my heart this week! One of my best friend, Katie, who lives in Florida, just had twin boys in late November. They were born at 34 weeks. One of her boys, Rooks, is at home and doing fantastic. Her other little boy, Joseph, is still in the NICU. He had a hole in his heart that was fixed last week with surgery but he has another issue with his heart (not exactly sure what it is) that will need another surgery down the road. He is in the NICU at a hospital about an hour away and they have a 2.5 year old little girl at home as well. They have lots of family helping out but I know it's a stressful time right now. I know they just want to bring their little boy home. Their prayer is that Joseph would be off oxygen, gain weight and continue to take bottles. He is also having an issue holding his breath so that needs to stop before they can bring him home.

I've mentioned before about my friend Lisa whose daughter Zoe was diagnosed last fall with a brain tumor. Zoe is now 9 months old. The tumor was non cancerous and she had surgery to remove 95% of it. The remaining 5% was attached to blood vessels and couldn't be removed without some damage being done. They had a follow up MRI done in December and the tumor is growing again. They are in the process of getting another MRI for further evaluation and will decide if they are going to start chemo or keep monitoring the tumor. Please keep baby Zoe and her family in your prayers. Lisa is always so calm and optimistic but I know she needs encouragement and prayer just like we all do.

Whenever I get stressed out with the kids I remember these sweet friends and feel bad for even complaining. My silly issues are nothing compared to the road they are on.

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more that all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us." Ephesians 3:20

Girls Night Out

2012-01-25T21:00:00.007-05:00

Last night we had a going away party for my sweet friend Leah. She and her family are moving to NWArkansas in about a week. Leah is one of the sweetest people I know. We are in the same small group, do MOPS together and in the same tuesday morning Bible study. She always has a smile on her face. She has the sweetest spirit and a true zest for life. I am going to miss seeing her smiling face!

Laura, Meredith and Emily

We met at Maggiano's, a great Italian restaurant. We enjoyed some amazing food and drinks. It's family style dining so we all had plenty to eat. It was so nice to get out of the house and hang out with the girls!

Tammy and Leah - we are in small group together!

Tammy, Lisa, Leah, Kristin, Elizabeth and Megan

Love these girls! We laughed SO hard and shared the best stories!

Leah and Laura

Laura is seriously one of the funniest people I know! She cracks me up!

This morning we went to the gym. I picked up CFA for lunch and brought it home. I got Ryan the grilled chicken nuggets in his kids meal. He ate them the first few times but lately he won't eat them. I'm so frustrated with his picky eating. Two weeks ago I felt like he was doing so good and this week has been horrible!

It's been a frustrating day and Ryan has pretty much spent the whole day in time out.

Praise the Lord tomorrow is a new day!

Weekend Wrap Up

2012-01-23T14:46:00.008-05:00

This is pretty much how we spent most of the weekend! Lounging around the house in our pajamas. We missed church on Sunday because Ryan had a running nose and was sneezing quit a bit. I'm not sure if it was just allergies but we didn't want to infect any other kids. By late Sunday afternoon he seemed fine and no runny nose.

Saturday night we had some of our sweet neighbors over for pizza. We had a fun time and Ryan loved playing with their kids.

Colton is working his way from stage one foods. He has had peas, green beans, carrots, apples, bananas and today he had pears. He has loved all of it. I think his favorite so far has been bananas.

I planned to start sweet potatoes this week and had the ambitious idea to make my own. I had every intention of making Ryan's baby food but I never made any of it. It's honestly easier just to open a jar and go. I only have a small food processor so after I boiled the potatoes I pureed them in the processor.

It took some time and created a big mess but I hope Colton loves them.

Funny story: I made almost three ice trays worth of sweet potatoes. I started to feed Colton and he was not going for it. I realized quickly that I didn't puree them enough. So I went back and threw all the potatoes in the blender and added a lot more water. Got almost all of them pureed and I started smelling a burning smell. Uh oh! I quickly turned it off and now it won't turn back on.

Pretty sure I burned out the motor on the blender. Matt makes spinach and fruit smoothies about every other day and he's never had a problem. I try to make baby food and I break the blender. Oops! Looks like I will be getting a new blender for valentine's day! Ha!

I loved spending some one on one time with this little bundle of joy this morning while Ryan was a mother's day out. We laughed and giggled and played!

One Wild Week

2012-01-20T14:59:00.006-05:00

It's been one wild week around here! Between taking Annabelle to get her teeth cleaned, HOA meeting, open house at Ryan's preschool, lunch play dates and small group tonight we have been super busy.

(Look at the wild hair on this boy!)

Ryan has been challenging this week. He tests my patience all day long and many times I just have to take a deep breath to not lose my cool. He is really a good boy but he can throw a tantrum with the best of them. Some days I feel like he lives in time out and I'm trying to understand his two year old ways. Thank the Lord for sweet friends who totally understand this whole parenting thing.

Last night at Ryan's preschool open house Colton suddenly started screaming his little head off. There was no exit and I was fumbling to get his bottle ready. My sweet friend Heather put her arm around me and whispered "I promise, it's louder to you than anyone else in the room". I can't begin to tell you what that meant to me and how it was exactly what I needed to hear in the moment.

Ryan and his friend Bret at CFA

I've noticed that at dinner Ryan says "mommy help" a lot. Colton is usually taking his late afternoon "cat nap" during dinner. I think Ryan is really just wanting and needing our attention at that time. Sometimes he will only eat his meal if I feed him with his fork. It can easily drive me nuts but as long as my picky eater will eat, I will do it. He has been eating so good the last week or so. He has eaten taco salad, spaghetti and roast. I am not above bribing him with a cookie to get him to eat his dinner.

There is a good chance we are going to get freezing rain and snow overnight. I'm looking forward to staying in this weekend, getting things done around the house and relaxing!

Mr. Independent

2012-01-18T14:43:00.006-05:00

Mr. Independent is exactly who Ryan is right now. He wants to do EVERYTHING himself. I love that he has a servants heart and wants to help me feed the dogs, do laundry, sweep the floor and the list goes on. Sometimes however, his sweet servants heart doesn't understand he can't do it all. For instance, on Monday when we were getting ready to leave the gym, in true 2.5 year old fashion, he threw himself on the floor in a full out tantrum because he wanted to put his shoes on without mommy's help. Sometimes I think if we make it to three it will be a miracle!!!

It's funny how we can be just like a toddler in God's eyes. We think we can do it all and we don't need anyone's help. The reality is we NEED God. He is waiting in the wings patiently for us to call on Him. God wants us to trust Him and come to Him with not just the big things but the little things too.

I'm a pretty independent person. I have a hard time accepting help from other people. Motherhood definitely teaches you humility and how much you need and depend on other people whether that be your husband, your friends, you parents, the childcare worker at the gym/church, or the person who holds the door for you, with your hands full, and smiles saying saying "yup, I remember those days".

Yesterday I started a new Bible study at church and I'm SO excited about it. It's called MotherWise - Wisdom for Mothers. It's a study based on Proverbs 31 that teaches women how to be the wife and mother God created them to be. We will get to hear from some amazing mentor mom's and their journey in motherhood. I am so excited and can't wait to see what God teaches me over the next 10 weeks.

I've been looking at old pictures the last few days and I cannot believe how much Ryan has changed in the last 12 months. He almost looks like a different kid. He totally looks like a little boy and less like a baby now. He is growing up way too fast! I saw it all the time but two is a fun age but it is HARD!!!

I remember that one of my favorite ages with Ryan was 6-8 months old. He could sit up by himself and play but still couldn't go anywhere. Colton is just so sweet and such a good baby. He LOVES his jumperoo like his big brother and will play in there forever. He is almost sitting up by himself but usually prefers to be laying down on his back or belly.

Miscellaneous Monday

2012-01-16T14:45:00.005-05:00

We had a very quiet weekend around here! Saturday Matt went to the gym early and I took Annabelle to the vet for a consultation on getting her teeth cleaned. She will be 7 in March and we've never had her teeth cleaned. They really need it but it's SO expensive!

Saturday afternoon I worked on Ryan's year two photo book. I finally got it done and just need to proofread it. Yay! Now I need to start on Colton's first year and Ryan's third year books. Yes, I'm doing two books until Colton turns 2. Since both of their birthdays are in June I do July-June!

I made pioneer woman lasagna for dinner Sunday night and it was SO yummy. Even Ryan enjoyed some.

This little boy loves looking in his mirror. He will lay there forever just staring at himself.

Today Matt has the day off for Martin Luther King Jr. day. Our idea of a vacation day is going to the gym early, getting our tail beat in crt, pick up chickfila for lunch, then head home to relax and clean a little. Sounds like a good day to me!

My boys

2012-01-13T21:56:00.003-05:00

My boys in their matching camo outfits.

I've never been a huge fan of camo and I guess that's because neither my dad nor Matt hunt or fish but I do think these two look adorable! I showed Ryan this morning how he and Colton matched and he got so excited!

This sweet picture makes my heart smile!

Fun Stuff

2012-01-12T20:10:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I picked up Chick-fil-A on our way home from the gym. I am SO excited about the new healthy kids meal now available at CFA. They have grilled chicken nuggets and applesauce.

At first Ryan was a little resistant to the grilled chicken but after some coaxing he took a bite and loved them. Ryan loves applesauce and eats it at least once a day. He put up a big battle of wills for at least 45 min BUT he finally ate it! Oh my! I love they are now offering this healthy choice! Way to go CFA! Like I needed another reason to love CFA, ha!

I got these super cute new rain boots this weekend! I got them at Charming Charlie's! I can't wait to wear them! I've never had rain boots! I needed something to wear when it rains and when it snow!

We might have our first snow day of the year tomorrow! They are calling for 1-2 inches of snow by morning. I'm hoping we can make it to the gym but if not we will have a fun pajama snow day! Regardless I'm looking forward to spending time with my boys!

The Real Ladies of Loveland

2012-01-10T18:13:00.006-05:00

My guilty pleasure is watching Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. The way they live if pretty outrageous and not realistic for most women. Nonetheless I need some mindless TV when the boys go to bed.

This morning the boys and I met some friends at recreations outlet for a playdate. We met Heather, Will, and Caroline, Jennifer and Bret and Shannon and Ashley. All four of us live in Loveland. Heather said it best when she told Will they were going to see his friends to play AND so mommy could have some friend time as well.

Colton and his wubby!

I love these girls and so glad to have them in my life. It's so awesome to have friends in the same stage of life. We talked about the terrible two's, potty training, tantrums, we covered it all! I love how we can be real with each other and support each other. These girls are my lifeline.

The kids had a great time running around. Ryan kept getting away from me and he would walk by on a scooter or pushing a car and just give me this sneaky look like "I'm not doing anything wrong, I'm not in trouble". Hilarious! That boy cracks me up.

It was a fun time and can't wait for the next playdate.

Our Monday

2012-01-09T20:00:00.004-05:00

Love these three boys!!! They are so handsome and I couldn't love them more.

This was before church yesterday.

Today Ryan started back at mother's day out. I have enjoyed spending time with Ryan over the last three weeks but I am worn out. Ryan loves school, his teachers and his friends. He was so excited when I got him up this morning and told him it was a school day.

When I picked him up at school his teacher said in a nice way that he had a hard time focusing today. I laughed and thought that was a nice way to say that Ryan didn't listen to his teachers and was a hand full today. Ryan is a busy boy and doesn't stop all day until his head hits the pillow. I'm so thankful for his MDO and for teachers that care about him.

I do think the closer we get to 3 - the easier he is getting. We have had some wonderful days lately and it's been such a blessing. His favorite word right now, besides tow-mater, is Yes! He is SO helpful and wants to do everything himself. I love his independence and sweet servants heart. It teaches me LOTS of patience!

While Ryan was at MDO Colton and I met some friends for brunch this morning. I love going to breakfast. Colton was fabulous and slept the first 40 minutes in his carseat then was content sitting in my lap. I love this age! He is so sweet and so good.

Happy Birthday Nana and Family Dinner

2012-01-08T19:41:00.008-05:00

We want to wish Nana a VERY happy birthday!!!!

Yesterday was my mom's birthday! We face-timed with my parents yesterday and Ryan helped me sing happy birthday to Nana! We love you Nana and hope you had a wonderful day!

Matt's two step brothers Michael and Matthew, and Michael's girlfriend Melinda, are in town from Arizona and California. We enjoyed going to dinner with the whole family last night.

We were at dinner for two and a half hours and the boys did exceptionally well. I'm always nervous to take Ryan out to eat because sometimes he's good and sometimes he's awful! Last night he was seriously on his best behavior. I had crayons, markers, stickers...the works to keep him entertained. Not only was he well behaved but he ate his entire dinner of chicken fingers and french fries and an additional basket of fries.

Michael holding Colton for the first time.

Matthew was an old pro holding Colton!

Uncle Brad and Colton

We had a great time with everyone and can't wait to see Michael, Melinda and Matthew again!

Friday Randoms

2012-01-06T15:11:00.005-05:00

I don't have anything too exciting to talk about today. Just some random thoughts!

We have gotten back into our routine and even though I loved Christmas and having Matt home for 10 days I am glad to be back into our routine.

Colton is loving his sweet little toes lately. Every time I lay him down he immediately brings up his feet and grabs his toes.

It's unusually warm today - 57 degrees right now...in January??? I think after naps we will play on the new swing set in the backyard.

Matt got p90x2 and has been eager to try it out. I do some hardcore classes at the gym but I honestly don't think I could keep up with Tony Horton. Matt was working out last night and Ryan was helping him with his moves.

We did so many squats and lunges this morning at the gym I might not be able to walk tomorrow.

I am glad to say all the Christmas stuff is packed up and put away until next year. I was sad to see it go but I feel like we have so much more room now.

So thankful Colton is sleeping better again. The last two weeks or so he was waking up 3-4 times a night. Part of that time he was sick. He just needed his wubby (paci with a little monkey attached) put back in but I was getting tired getting up so many times in the night.

Speaking of his wubby...he LOVES it!!! I need to get another one as a back up. He loves that paci, doesn't take another one and loves to play with the monkey attached. It's kinda funny watching him with it. I get lots of comments about it when we are out. ha! I will have to take a picture soon.

Ryan has been so good and sweet the last few days. I don't think we have done time out in 2-3 days. That's HUGE! We have spent a lot of time in the basement with his trains. He LOVES his new trains. We've had the best time playing with his new toys.

It's been a great week and I'm looking forward to a fun weekend with my family!

Like Mother, like son

2012-01-04T16:13:00.013-05:00

When Colton was born and I first laid eyes on his beautiful face I thought he looked exactly like Ryan. He looked just like Ryan did when he was born. The only difference was Colton had more hair and it was darker!

While we were in Memphis over Thanksgiving I was looking at some of my baby pictures and quickly realized that Colton favors me a lot. He looks just like my baby pictures.

Do you see it???

(Obviously I am the one in the dress, ha!)

When I'm out with the boys many people will tell me how much Ryan looks like me. I usually laugh and say "you haven't met my husband".

Ryan looks SO much like Matt and favors his baby pictures! Yes, Matt and I have a lot of the same features...brown hair, brown eyes, dark complexion so we do kinda look alike.

People usually look at Colton now and say how much he looks like me. As he gets older I see it more and more.

I guess we see where Colton gets the open mouth look! Ha!!!

I think it's neat that Ryan looks like his daddy and Colton looks like his momma!

Of course I think both Ryan and Colton are the most handsome boys on the planet!!!

And this is my brother Matt and I when we were around 6 and 3.

Six Month Check-up

2012-01-03T17:32:00.008-05:00

This morning we had Colton's six month check-up. I can't believe how fast this little guy is growing up. He weighs 15.8lbs, 26 inches tall and 60th percentile for head circumference. He is 30th percentile for weight and 60th percentile for height. We have a tall and lean boy on our hands.

Ryan was 17lbs and 28inches tall at six month.

Today was Colton's third day to have peas. He continues to love them and eats the whole jar. Dr. H said we can go ahead and start feeding him baby food in the morning. I'm thinking we will start with some oatmeal and applesauce. I'm sure he will love it!

Ryan did awesome during the appointment. Matt usually keeps Ryan occupied but he had a meeting at work so he couldn't get away. Ryan colored in his cars coloring book and played with stickers.

That's Colton's foot in the picture, he was sitting in my lap. Ryan got a little carried away with his stickers, ha! They were all over him. Ryan kept wanting Dr. H to measure his head, listen to his heart and check his belly. Just a tad jealous, haha! I was so proud of him, he did so good.

Little man has found his toes and loves to play with them.

I wanted to document an adorable moment frowithm Ryan the other day. I was getting ready to leave for the grocery store. I was calling out to Matt "bye, be back soon, love you" when Ryan came running up to me saying "hug, kiss, hug, kiss"! Oh melt my heart!!!! I reached down and he gave me a hug and kiss and said "bye mommy". Love that little boy!

Welcome 2012

2012-01-02T08:00:00.001-05:00

What a great way to kick off 2012! Saturday night we headed over to the Joseph's house to have dinner and ring in the new year. No, we weren't going to stay up til midnight but we did have good food, lots of laugh and fun times watching the kids play.

Colton and Caroline were just absolutely adorable with their little fat rolls and diaper apparel. We were getting them into their pj's and we could not stopping laughing and oohing and awing over these two cutie pies. Seriously we were snapping pics like crazy. They don't come much cuter than this!

Caroline was cracking me up as she was sitting up so well and just talking and carrying on. She is going to be a little spit fire and a bundle of energy I can just tell. She was rolling all over the floor and sweet little Colton was just watching her go! He will get there soon enough. He's SO close to rolling from belly to back. And he can sit in the tripod stance for a few seconds as long as he's not tired.

Will and Ryan had THE BEST time together. It's so neat to watch them interact. Not too long ago they would play with separate toys when they were together and didn't interact much. That has all changed. They were talking and laughing with each other. Running from Will's room to the master bedroom all night laughing, giggling and sweating, ha. I think Ryan had the time of his life! It was a short ride home but Ryan was talking the whole way home about Will and how much fun they had.

Colton and Caroline again! They are destined for one another! We love the Joseph crew and so thankful for the friendship!

I feel so behind with feeding Colton baby food. He has been eating rice cereal since the beginning of December but I just introduced him to peas last night for the first time, and he's six months old. You really do get lax with the second child. I would have started sooner but we had family in town right before Christmas and then Colton got sick.

I have to tell you that Colton LOVED peas! We are still working on the whole tongue thrust thing but it will come.

I had to wake him up from his evening cat nap so he could eat some peas, get a bath and drink his last bottle. He loved the peas and kept wanting more and more. About 2/3 of the way through he started getting tired and didn't want to sit up any more. I'm thinking I might start feeding him his baby food around 5pm, let him take his usual cat nap around 6 then feed him his last bottle. We'll see how tomorrow goes.

2011

2011-12-31T23:59:00.000-05:00

2011 was an amazing year. Of course the highlight of the year was welcoming Colton into our family. He brings such joy and delight to our lives every day. He has the sweetest smile and such a sweet spirit.

We have enjoyed watching Ryan grow this year into a little boy. He is growing so fast and learning new things all the time. I'm excited to watch him continue to grow this year.

We enjoyed an amazing vacation to Florida with our friends the Tichy's and the Weaver's.

2011 brought so much joy and many blessings to our family. We are blessed beyond measure with an amazing family and sweet friends.

I'm not very big on new year's resolutions. I would rather make personal goals for myself during the year of things I need to work on and things I want to work on. This year I want to cook healthier and more often. I know this might be challenging with two small kids but it's a start. I want to set a goal to workout six days a week. I need to lose weight. I have reached my pre pregnancy weight but I need to lose more. I want us to be better about sticking to the budget each month. I want to be more organized and have a cleaner house. I want to read more books for fun. I need to read more books on parenting. I want to spend more time in God's word every day. I want to be a better friend. I want to be a better wife. I want to be a better mother.

This year I want to treasure every moment. Treasure the hard times when I'm about to lose my mind and the amazing times when all my boys are good and sweet. I want to be the best wife, mom, daughter and child of God I can be!

Happy Birthday Ya-Ya

2011-12-30T21:31:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday Ya-Ya!!!

Today is my mother-in-laws birthday! We want to wish Ya-Ya a very happy birthday!

We love you!

Six Months

2011-12-29T20:27:00.007-05:00

Colton - It's your half birthday!
You are SIX months old!!!!

What have you been up to this month???

You ran a fever and were sick for the first time this week!

You weigh 15 lbs.

You wear size 2 diapers and size 6 month clothes.

You are such a happy and easy baby.

You take two good naps a day. You are a great sleeper. You take a 30-45 min nap in the morning, a long 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon and a cat nap around 6pm. You take your last bottle around 7pm and go to bed soon after your finish.

You take four bottles of 7-8ounces every day.

You are getting more vocal every day. You love to "talk" to us.

You love your jumper!!! You will jump for a long time now. You enjoy your exersaucer too.

You are so easy going and enjoy when other people hold you. You are so good in the church nursery. So thankful for that!

We are still feeding you rice cereal at night but have skipped the last week or so since family was in town and then you were sick. We are planning to start you on real food monday (probably peas). You watch closely every bite we take of food. Funny how Ryan at this age had already had a few fruits and veggies. Ha!

You think your big brother is the best thing ever. Now that you are getting bigger Ryan is starting to play and interact with you more. He will bring your toys over to you. Whenever you are crying Ryan always likes to tell me and will bring me your paci. You laugh and smile at him. I can tell you look up to him. I hope you always love each other.

You are ALMOST rolling from back to belly. I want you to roll but I don't think I'm ready for you to be mobile just yet.

You seem to like being on the go. A lot of times you take your morning nap on the go. You love riding in the car and always so happy in the car or stroller. I'm so thankful I can take you places easily.

We are so CRAZY about you and love you SO much! We are so blessed with you and could not imagine life without your sweet little face and smile. You and Ryan are my joy!!!

You are growing so quickly! This has been the quickest year of my life. You and your brother Ryan are the sweetest and most adorable things I have ever laid my eyes on. I thank God every day for the privilege to be your mom!

EnterTRAINment Junction

2011-12-28T15:02:00.008-05:00

While my parents were in town last week we decided to all go to EnterTRAINment Junction on Friday. It's an entertainment place that has the world's largest train display. They also have an awesome children's train play area.

Ryan, Uncle Matt and Annabelle. My brother used to love trains, and still does, when he was a kid so he thoroughly enjoyed the museum.

Ryan checking out the first train we saw.

They had a toddler section in the play area with a few train tables set up. Ryan LOVED the train tables. We almost didn't get him out of there. It worked out well that he was entertained by the train tables while I fed Colton his bottle.

My mom spending time with Colton!

The train display was amazing. The display starts when trains first were invented and as you walked through the museum you saw the evolution of the train. Here is the modern version. So amazing all the detail that went into the display.

It was a great day and so glad we could take everyone. We will definitely take Ryan and Colton again!

Christmas 2011

2011-12-27T20:44:00.019-05:00

Let me first say this post is a major picture overload! Ha!

We had a wonderful Christmas!!! My parents and brother got here last Wednesday and they left this morning. We enjoyed them SO much and can't wait to see them again!

We never get pictures of the four of us so we made sure to get one on Christmas day!

We went to church on Christmas Eve. We put Colton in child care but they didn't have it for Ryan. I was super nervous about Ryan sitting through the service. I came super prepared with snacks, crayons, books...the works! We sat with Ryan's best friend Will thinking they would act well together. Will was great and lasted the entire service. Ryan on the other hand was not so well behaved. He did well during the music but as soon as we sat down he didn't want to sit and I was terrified he was about to run down the aisle. Thank the Lord our childcare coordinator was sitting behind us and whispered to me that we could take Ryan downstairs to childcare if we needed to. Matt picked him right up and took him downstairs. So thankful for that! We enjoyed a great candlelight service! We love our church!

Colton and Ryan's gifts from Santa!

We came home from the Christmas Eve service and ate pizza, cooked pioneer woman mashed potatoes and made strawberry yum yum to take to Christmas dinner.

Ryan opening his presents (and some of Colton's) on Christmas morning!

Ryan loved opening presents but he wanted to play with the toy he just opened!

Santa brought Ryan a train table for Christmas! Whenever I would ask Ryan what he wanted Santa to bring him he would always say trains. Love that boy! He was so excited to come downstairs to see his new train table. He asks to go play with his trains all day now!!!

He LOVES the new art table my parents got him. As you can see it's a easel and also turns into a desk. I cannot wait to do some crafts on his new table. So neat!

This cutie pie just smiled and laughed all morning watching Ryan. He liked his new toys too and even helped open presents.

Matt's favorite Christmas present this year. A Keurig coffee maker from my parents and brother. He was so excited and couldn't wait to brew his first cup. We have been burning it up ever since with coffee and hot chocolate. Ryan keeps pointing to it saying "duffee". He is as mesmerized by it as Matt is.

Aunt Erin holding Colton.

Ryan getting lots of giggles from Uncle Brad.

Ryan's big present from Pappau and Yaya! Check out this awesome tricycle. He loved it and can almost reach the peddles. Can't wait til it gets warmer out and he can ride outside.

It was a great Christmas and so blessed to spend it with our family.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T11:17:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas from the Deepe's!!

"For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

Thursday

2011-12-22T21:00:00.004-05:00

My parents got here yesterday from Memphis. We have enjoyed some wonderful family time since they arrived.

This morning we went to Mimi's for lunch. We pretty much don't take Ryan out to eat unless it's chick-fil-a or some place we can get in and out fast. Sometimes he can be really good and sometimes he is awful. Today he was ok. He was definitely acting out in front of his grandparents.

Colton was great. He drank his bottle then chilled in his seat just chatting away.

Colton hanging out with uncle Matt while we made dinner.

My mom feeding Colton his rice cereal. He had been sitting up for the last hour so he was not keen on sitting to eat his cereal. We cut his feeding short and stuck with the bottle. He was so sweet and went to bed easily. Now we are all gathered around watching a Christmas movie. Great end to a great day!

Our Day in iPhone Pics

2011-12-20T20:33:00.006-05:00

This morning Ryan had his 2.5 year well check up. I can't believe he is 30 months old. He is growing up so fast!

Colton did so well at the appointment. He chilled in his car seat the whole time and was so quiet. He is such a good and easy baby!

We tried to weigh Ryan on the big boy scale but he wouldn't stay on it.

So we weighed him on the baby scale. I thought he was going to break it. haha! Hard to believe he was weighed on this same exact scale when we brought him home from the hospital and he was just barely 6 pounds. He has weighed 28 pounds for the last year and a half. He is in the 35 percentile for weight.

He is 38 inches tall. He has grown two inches in just six months. He is 90th percentile for height. He is one tall and skinny boy. He takes after his daddy. Matt was tall and lanky until he hit high school.

Ryan had to get one shot so we went to Chick-fil-A for some chicken nuggets and ice cream cone. Ice cream always makes things better.

Early Christmas

2011-12-19T21:20:00.006-05:00

On Sunday we hosted some of Matt's family for a Christmas get together. We won't see them on Christmas day so we wanted to get together with them before the holidays.

My sister in law Erin and her husband Brad were there along with two of Matt's Uncles and their families. We had Chili, corn bread, fruit, salsa, meatballs, to die for chocolate cupcakes and apple cider. It was all so yummy!

Anna, Matt's Uncle Chris' daughter. She is nine months older than Ryan. They played so well together and had a blast. They were running around the whole night.

Matt's cousin Isaac was horsing around with Ryan. You gotta be fast, Ryan is a WILD one!

Ryan hanging out with Uncle Brad. Ryan is pretty fascinated by anything on the iPhone or iPad.

Anna was helping Ryan open presents. Matt's Aunt Teresa is a teacher and she always gets Ryan THE BEST books for Christmas! I love getting books for the kids. I'm so glad Ryan finally loves to read books. He will grab a book and come ask to sit in my lap and read. LOVE!!! Thanks Aunt Teresa!!

And of course I have to add a pic of this cutie pie! Isn't he just yummy? I could seriously eat him with a spoon!!!! He is so sweet and makes the cutest noises. I so don't want him to grow up. How do I stop time??? He is just so sweet right now. I cannot get enough of him!

Christmas Tour of the Deepe Home

2011-12-16T21:01:00.009-05:00

Today I'm linking up on Kelly's Korner for the Christmas tour of homes. I love seeing how other people decorate for Christmas. I put out most of our Christmas decorations except the lighted garland around our front door.

These are my favorite cuties this Christmas. I try to take pics of the boys together a few times a week. I took about twenty-five pictures to get this one good one. Haha!

This is our Christmas tree this year. We have tons of hallmark ornaments on our tree. Probably about 85% are hallmark. It's a tradition in our family and I just love them. Matt and I give each other a new ornament each year and now I get one for the boys. I usually get a family ornament as well.

When we come downstairs in the morning Ryan request to turn the Christmas tree lights on.

I made this wreath on our front door this year. My friend Leah showed me how to decorate with deco mesh.

Love seeing four sweet stockings over the fireplace this year. We don't have a mantle so I hang them above the fireplace. I don't really mind not having a mantle until Christmas rolls around and I see all the beautifully decorated mantles.

I made Matt's, Ryan's and my stocking. I have Colton's but haven't even started on it yet. Ha! Hopefully it will be finished by next year. I got Colton's 1st year stocking this year from pottery barn.

This is one of my favorite Christmas decorations this year. These three jars filled with ornaments sits on my dinning room table. I have planned to use the "D" on the wreath but I thought it would look good on the jar.

Love pulling out my nativity scene each year. I got my Merry Christmas Ya'll place last year at the holiday market. It's so fun and cute.

One of my favorite Christmas plates.

And this Santa cookie jar sits on our kitchen table.

Ryan is two and a half

2011-12-15T21:02:00.008-05:00

Ryan turned two and a half years old today! I can hardly believe it! This is Ryan back in June when he turned two. He has changed SO much! I feel like we were just celebrating his 2nd birthday this summer and awaiting the arrival of sweet baby Colton!

Ryan weighs 29lbs. Wears size 2T and size 7.5 shoe.

He is doing so many new things every day.

His vocabulary grows on a daily basis. He repeats everything we say and is getting better and enunciating his words. It's amazing to me how much his vocabulary has exploded since June. So proud of him. He is really growing into a little boy.

He can now jump with both feet. He loves to do that when we have dance parties in the family room.

He loves his stuffed animals. He has around 15 in his bed. Many times I catch him putting his animals in Colton's swing or bumbo seat. He has such a sweet heart.

He is still my big helper. He loves to help me with the laundry, taking out the trash and feeding the dogs. He loves being a big brother and is always eager to help me with taking care of Colton.

He is so sweet with Colton. He will hug him and give him a kiss when we ask him to. I have him trained well, when I start taking pictures of Colton he will come over and want me to take a picture of him too. He will sit next to Colton for a picture for about 10 seconds and then he's done. ha!

He loves mothers day out on monday and talks about "school" all the time. He will grab his backpack and when I ask him where he's going he will say "going to school".

I'm excited about Christmas this year since it's the first year that Ryan has really "gotten" Christmas. We talk alot about the birth of Jesus and love playing with his little people nativity set.

We are so proud of our sweet first born Ryan Samuel. He is such a good boy and we are blessed to be his parents. He can be challenging as a busy two year old but he is the sweetest boy and we couldn't ask for a better son.

Cookies

2011-12-14T21:30:00.003-05:00

I've been making lots of cookies lately. I thought I would post some of my latest creations.

I made these Christmas cookies for Ryan's teachers at school!

I think these bowling cookies turned out so good. Very cute! My friend Betsy had a bowling birthday party for her son. What a fun idea for a party.

I made these number 4 cookies for my friend Laura whose daughter is turning 4 this week. Laura's daughter Ella is so sweet and she gets so excited over my cookies. Means so much to me.

Playground Playdate

2011-12-13T20:11:00.004-05:00

Today the boys and I joined Heather, Will, and Caroline and Jennifer and Bret for a fun playdate at recreations outlet. They have a giant play area set up with a bunch of swing sets. Basically it's like a huge indoor playground. The boys had a blast running around and playing on everything. Perfect for them to burn off some energy.

They love these roller coaster things. We spent a good 30 min playing in this area. Ryan and Bret ready to race. Ryan looks like he's saying "bring it Bret" haha!

Sweet little Caroline chillin in her pumpkin seat. I did see her eyeing Colton a few times. They had their first date Sunday morning in the nursery at church. So cute!

Ryan, Will and Bret were like the three amigos. They were all three jumping on the trampoline at one time and laughing hysterically. Sad I didn't get a picture of it. Such a fun playdate. Can't wait to do it again. Love that Ryan came home and took a great nap.

Ryan trying out a scooter for the first time. I had to show him how to do it but he did pretty well and liked it. Might have to get him one for his birthday.

I'm so proud of Ryan tonight at dinner. I made taco salad served with corn chips. Ryan used to love tomatoes but he hasn't eaten them in months. We usually dip our corn chips in the taco salad and Ryan wanted to eat it the same way. I had to help him quit a bit but he ate the taco salad. Yay, finally eating some variety. Honestly I was surprised he ate it because he has never eaten the whole thing (he used to just pick out the tomatoes) but so happy he ate it. And he ate all his pears as well. We praised him and told him how proud we were of him.

Monday and MOPS Christmas Party

2011-12-12T16:19:00.003-05:00

Today Ryan had his last day of mother's day out for the year. I'm a little sad that he will be off for almost a month before school resumes in January. He loves school. Every morning when I go to get him in his room I ask what are we doing today and he almost always says "go to school". He love his teachers and loves his friends there. I know he is going to miss them over the next few weeks.

I've got some plans for us to do some Christmas crafts over the next couple weeks. I'm so excited for Ryan to really experience Christmas this year.

Ryan was playing with his little people nativity set this afternoon and I picked up Mary and asked him who it was. He promptly said "Mary". Then I picked up Joseph and asked him the same question and he said "Joseph" in his little small voice. He also told me baby Jesus as well. Melt a mother's heart! Nothing makes me happier than to hear him talk about Jesus. Kelly over at Kelly's Korner said it best the other day when she said you can get so caught up in the "fluffy stuff of Christmas" but the most important and real reason for the season is about a baby coming to this earth to be our Savior. I always want our boys to remember that Christmas is about Jesus and giving to others.

Tonight I went to our MOPS Steering Christmas party. It was awesome to get together with all my sweet friends and have some girl time. We laughed, ate yummy food and just had a great time together. These women mean so much to me and I'm SO thankful for every one of them in my life. I took my camera in hopes of getting some fun pics but I totally failed and didn't get one single picture. We were all just too busy talking and eating, ha!

Here Comes Santa Claus

2011-12-09T21:24:00.006-05:00

Matt has had a long week at work. He has been working long and hard hours on a project at work. He took off work today to relax a little and hang out with me and the boys. When Matt has a Friday off he loves to go to the no limits cardio class at the gym. It's an intense and great class! I go every Friday so it's fun when he can come.

Since Matt was off we decided it was a good time to take the boys to see Santa. I started prepping Ryan this morning about seeing Santa. He loves to say "Chrisismas" all the time. When I would ask him who we were going to see he would say "Chrisismas". When we come downstairs in the morning he looks at the Christmas tree and says "Chrisismas lights" and then we must turn the lights on.

We got to the mall around 4:30pm but Santa was taking a break until 6pm so we had some time to kill. We grabbed dinner at Chickfila in the mall. After dinner Matt got in line with Colton and I took Ryan to the toy store.

Ryan was HYPER and wanted to run around everywhere.! I about lost my mind! It was exhausting keeping him calm and chill waiting for Santa and then waiting for our pictures afterward. I definitely couldn't have handled both kids without Matt. I'm so thankful he was there. It was crazy and I'm exhausted, ha!

I am so glad that Ryan loved Santa this year. It helped that Santa came out and visited the kids while we waiting in line. Ryan went right up to Santa and sat on his knee. I told him to tell Santa what he wanted for Christmas and he said "tains" (trains).

Colton also did so good. Of course he had to test to make sure it was the real Santa and pulled on his beard, ha!

It was a fun day and I'm so glad to make those special memories with my boys.

2011-12-08T20:53:00.006-05:00

This morning we had our MOPS Christmas meeting this morning. It was so fun to see my friends and celebrate the Christmas season.

Before we left this morning I was trying to get a good picture of the boys. I love Colton's little reindeer onesie. Colton mostly wears Ryan's hand me downs so the few things I do buy him are either monogrammed clothes or a matching outfit.

We came home after MOPS and had lunch. I put the boys down for their nap and jumped on the treadmill to work out. I DVR the Biggest Loser on Tuesday night then watch it when I run. It's one of my favorite shows. It totally motivates me to work harder. I feel like if these people can do it I can so do it. I can't wait to watch the finale next week.

Matt fed Colton for the first time tonight. Well, cereal that is! Colton is doing great eating cereal. I'm so impressed with him. He eats anywhere from 2-3 tablespoons of cereal then a 7 oz bottle.

Ryan is saying so many new things! Today he said to me "hold you" (he wanted me to hold him). I couldn't say no to that! So I carried both boys down the stairs today, around 45 pounds. Colton sneezed in the car and Ryan said "chess you". He was outside looking up and said "stars up in space". I was so impressed. He is learning and saying new things all the time.

And Ryan peed in the potty tonight. I'm not going to get serious about potty training til this spring/summer because I don't think he's ready but I was taking off his diaper getting him ready for his bath and he started to pee. I told him no, stop, lets go pee pee in the potty. So he went right in and peed in his little potty. We clapped and went nuts praising him. So proud of that big boy!

New Swingset

2011-12-06T18:00:00.005-05:00

Today we hung out at home since we were getting our new swingset installed. We came accross an unbelievable black friday deal we couldn't turn down. I'm so excited and know we will be out there ALOT come this spring.

It was a cold and gloomy day outside. I've decided Cincinnati is quit the cloudy and gloomy city in the winter. Boo! I decided to pull out some Christmas crafts for Ryan to do today.

I was impressed at how good he was at using the elmer's glue. He knew just what to do. He had fun decorating his Christmas tree.

And Colton is a little jumping bean lately. He LOVES to play in his jumper. So glad he loves it as much as Ryan did. He loves it so much sometimes he will fall asleep in it, ha! Poor, sweet little thing.

It was a very low key day at home but nice to just slow down and hang out in our pj's. I expected to get our Christmas cards today but sad they didn't arrive. Hoping they show up tomorrow. Need to get busy addressing and sending them out.

Christmastime is Here!

2011-12-05T11:57:00.010-05:00

Christmas is definitely upon us. I have been in full Christmas decorating mode all weekend. I got the wreaths on the windows and put the new wreath I made, on the front door. It's raining today so I will have to post a picture of my new wreath later this week. I have a few more decorations to finish up today and then I think I will be done. I'm looking forward to making some Christmas cookies later this week!

We finally got our tree up on Saturday. However it was quit the ordeal. It's a prelit tree and when we set it up and turned it on some of the bottom branches were out. Ugh!! What do you do when this happens on a prelit tree? We started looking for missing plugs inside the tree and burned out lights. Loooong story short and about 5 hours later I found a plug I had missed and then we found a light that wasn't in all the way. Finally around 11:30pm our tree was up and all the lights were working.

I think I'm going to decorate the week before Thanksgiving next year since we are always out of town on Tday and I feel so rushed and behind when we get home.

I finished putting on all the decorations on Sunday. I love collecting Christmas ornaments and look forward to getting new ones every year. Here are some of my favorites!

I got this new ornament this year for my birthday. My birthday is 6 weeks before Christmas and my brother's is 3 weeks before. We have a fun tradition of always getting a new hallmark ornament for our birthday each year. This was my "birthday" ornament this year. It's lights up and sings when you hit the button.

This is one of my favorite ornament that has been in our family for many years. When I was in junior/high school my mom and I would get these beautiful hand-painted ornaments at a craft fair we went to every year. This cowboy santa was always one of my favorite finds.

This was my "birthday" ornament last year. I love it because it reminds me of a tennessee Christmas. It plays Deck the Halls.

Matt's Aunt Teresa shares my love of Christmas ornaments. She got Ryan the angel and monkey ornaments last year and the mickey mouse one she got him this year. They are lenox and absolutely beautiful. I will treasure them for a long time.

I have a few of these sweet treats collection ornaments from Hallmark. Since I love to bake and I love sweets these are some of my favorites. Plus they are so pretty and colorful on the tree.

A Charlie Brown Christmas comes on tonight and I'm looking forward to watching it with this cutie pie. I hope he enjoys it as much as his mom and dad does.

Five Months

2011-12-02T15:33:00.006-05:00

Colton - you are FIVE months old!!!

What have you been up to this month???

You weigh probably around 15 lbs.

You wear size 2 diapers and 3-6 month clothes.

You usually take one nap in the morning for 45min to an hour and then a good afternoon nap from 2-3 hours.

You are a great sleeper at night. You go to bed around 7:30pm and wake between 7-8am. You schedule was completely off while we were in Memphis for thanksgiving but thankfully you got right back on easily when we came home.

You are such a happy baby all the time. You only fuss when you are tired or hungry. You are so good when someone else is holding you.

You are rolling from your belly to back but not the other way yet. I'm not rushing that at all. I like that I can put you down and you are in the same spot when I come back. You are rolling on to your side.

You are my little snuggle bug. You love to be held and are always so good.

You still love your swing and takes naps in it sometimes in the late afternoon. You are enjoying the jumperoo more and more. You will now play in there for about 20 min at a time. You like your bouncy seat too but alot of times I lay you on the floor to play with your toys and do some tummy time.

You found your toes for the first time last week! You lift your legs up and play with your feet and toes.

Ryan is getting more used to you and loves to come look for you when I get him up from his nap. He likes to lay next to you on the floor next but he's still not interacting with you very much at home. He pays more attention to you when we are out and people are ooing and awwing over you.

You have now been to visit both sets of grandparent's houses. You slept good while we were in Memphis for Thanksgiving but you were still on Cincy time (eastern time zone).

You are a pure JOY and so loved. I can hardly believe that you are almost half a year old. It feels like we just brought you home from the hospital.

Cereal and Pajamas

2011-11-30T21:46:00.005-05:00

We finally started Colton on rice cereal tonight. I started Ryan at four months but have been waiting with Colton for some reason. I was going to start him on cereal a couple weeks ago but he wasn't taking to it well and with traveling over Thanksgiving I thought it best to wait til things calmed down.

At first Colton wasn't too sure about this cereal thing but after a few bits he was wanting more. It took Ryan a long time to figure out the whole spoon feeding thing. He did the tongue thrust for a long time. I remember thinking he was never going to get it but of course he caught on.

Colton did well for his first feeding. Of course most ended up on his bib but he did get some down. And he took an 8 oz bottle after that.

Ryan was curious about Colton's rice cereal. Maybe one day Ryan can feed him but I think that will be awhile, ha!

Ryan was sporting his brand new pajamas tonight. They are called escapee-jays!!! Last week when we were in Memphis Ryan slept in the pack n play. On saturday when Matt went to get him from his nap he found him completely naked, including his DIRTY diaper!!! My worst nightmare come true!!! There was poop on everything! Ugh!!!! Matt was so helpful and cleaned up the pack n play while I got Ryan in the bath and cleaned up.

I had heard about these pajamas called escapee-jays. They are "escape free" pajamas that zip up the back. I honestly think he's taking his clothes off because he has figured out he can take them off and it's something new! I'm praying these new pj's do the trick. Nonetheless he looks super cute in them!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-29T22:55:00.009-05:00

Alright, so I know this post is way over due! We just got home last night from Memphis where we celebrated Thanksgiving with my family. I was so glad we got to spend six days with my family. The boys got TONS of love from their sweet grandparents.

We always stay with my parents and it's like an invasion of the Deepe's, ha! Of course we travel with Annabelle and Gracie and now with two kiddos in tow it's a little crazy! We kind of just take over when we get there.

This was my mom's rocking chair and then mine and my brothers when we were kids. I was so excited to see Ryan and Colton sitting in it.

My 92 year old Granny holding Colton. It was her first time to meet Colton and she couldn't wait to hold him. I was so glad she got to hold him and feed him his bottles.

Thursday morning Matt and I got up early (well we got up early every day since Colton was still on Cincy time and woke around 6am). We got up early so we could run the Turkey Trot. It's a four mile race and lots of hills. Needless to say it's a tough run. I'm happy to say I ran most of it and I beat my time from last year. I finished 3 minutes better than last year. Woohoo!

We always have Thanksgiving lunch at my parents house with my aunt, uncle and cousins. We had all the fixins including turkey and dressing, PW mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, sweet potato casserole and rolls. I totally forgot to take a picture. It was so yummy and we were all stuffed after lunch. It was a great day of great food and sweet fellowship with family.

My parents were so generous to watch the boys some last week so Matt and I could go to the gym and go on some date nights. We enjoyed some VERY yummy Memphis BBQ. I never noticed before but Memphis has SO many restaurants and places to eat. We enjoyed some great eats but now it's back to eating better and working out.

Ryan had SO much fun with his grandparents. He loved crawling up in my dad's lap and watching mickey mouse. So sweet. And he loved wrestling with my brother Matt.

They also got in some sweet Colton time. My mom loved holding and feeding him. He is such a good baby! Both boys did awesome on the drive down. The drive home yesterday was a little tougher. I think both boys were exhausted as were Matt and I.

Colton's schedule was so out of whack while we were in Memphis. He would wake up about 6am every day. When we are home he sleeps til 7:15/7:30 so 6am came waaay too early. Today we chilled at home and I did tons of laundry and dug out some Christmas decorations. I feel so behind since we don't have much Christmas stuff up. Planning on getting the Christmas tree up this weekend.

Today Colton fell right back into his schedule with such ease. I was worried that it would take a few days for him to adjust but he surprised me and napped and ate so well.

It was an awesome week with family and I can't wait to see them again in a few weeks for Christmas. How is it Christmas already??? I've got all the boys gifts done and just have a couple more people to mark off my list. Cannot believe Christmas is really here!

Thanksgiving Blessings

2011-11-24T19:14:00.000-05:00

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever."

Psalm 107:1

Good Weekend

2011-11-21T14:13:00.006-05:00

We had a great weekend! Saturday I went to the Cincy Holiday Market while Matt stayed home with the boys and actually made beef stew. Matt never cooks so it was nice to come home to dinner on the stove. I love going to the holiday market. Such fun boutiques and shopping and glad I got some gifts marked off my list.

Did you watch the Tennessee v. Vanderbilt game on Saturday night? We were definitely watching and boy was it a good game. I am a huge TN fan and Matt graduated from Vandy so we were a house divided, ha! I was pulling for TN and Matt of course was pulling for Vandy. Vandy is pretty good this year and put up quit a fight but TN pulled out a win!

Sunday morning we went to church then right after we took Ryan to get his haircut. His hair is definitely growing faster now. He did really well and getting better every time we go. We take him to one a kids haircut place where he gets to sit in a race car and watch mickey mouse. They even spiked his hair. How cute is he? He looks so grown up to me here.

We came home and Colton went down right away for his nap. He was only asleep for about an hour when he woke up crying. I went in to get him to calm down and go back to sleep but he was WIDE awake. I knew he wasn't going back to sleep any time soon. I had to run some errands so I told Matt I would take him with me. He's super easy to take shopping and he usually falls asleep in the car any way. He did great and fell asleep on our way home.

We are so excited about Thanksgiving week! I think this might be one of my favorite weeks of the year. I love getting together with family, enjoying some Thanksgiving goodies and watching some good football.

Where Everybody Knows Your Name

2011-11-18T14:59:00.006-05:00

Today I went to the gym to be tortured...I mean do my cardio workout class! After class we met my friend Jennifer and her son Bret at our favorite place, Chick-fil-A of course. Seriously, we are there at least once or twice a week. The food is fabulous and the service is unbeatable. The employees know me and the boys since they see us all the time.

I was getting a refill when we were there the other day and the manager asked me how the boys were. He sees us all the time and is always so helpful when my hands are full with two little guys. I don't think we could live somewhere that didn't have a CFA. I know, I'm obsessed!

Bret and Ryan had so much fun in the playground and LOVED their ice cream cones. Ryan was so funny. He promptly finished all six nuggets in his kids meal and asked for some ice cream!

I've been thinking about doing an advent Christmas calendar with Ryan this year but don't really know what to do! I need some fun ideas! Do you do an advent calendar with your kids? And if so what kinds of things do you do with it?

So Big

2011-11-16T22:02:00.003-05:00

This morning we went over to our friend Anissa's house to play with Elizabeth and Quinn. Ryan had a blast playing with Elizabeth and all her toys! They are so funny! I was getting Colton ready to go and Anissa was feeding Quinn when these two little trouble makers snuck upstairs and climbed in Elizabeth's bed. They were giggling and so cute. Ryan saw the cd player on the dresser and said "music, music" signally me to turn the music on so he could nap. Hilarious!!! We were laughing so hard!

These two are getting so big I can hardly believe it!

This afternoon we were watching Ryan's new favorite show Bubble Guppies and both boys wanted to sit in my lap. Sweet Ryan always wants to sit in my lap when I sit on the floor. And Colton is usually playing on the floor or in his jumper. And of course Annabelle and Gracie usually come over and want some love and attention as well. It's tough keeping everyone happy!!!

Rainy Day

2011-11-15T20:40:00.004-05:00

Today we met Ryan's best friend Will at Chick-fil-A for lunch. It was kinda wild! Ryan didn't really want to eat and Will was a hyper. The boys finished eating (at least all they were gonna eat) and sent them into the playground area. Yup, we were those parents who send their kids in there by themselves. Ha! They were fine and we could see them in the window.

Ryan eating cake the other night after he ate his whole dinner. He is a picky eater but he loves cake and cookies.

Annabelle loves to play tug of war with her bobo. Ryan was playing with her today and throwing it for her. In the picture Annabelle is tugging on her bobo and Ryan kept saying "stuck, stuck"! Hilarious!

Girls Night Out

2011-11-14T14:30:00.004-05:00

(I know this pic is super fuzzy but I thought it was so cute of all the girls)

Friday night I went out with some mops ladies for a girls night out. We went to Brio for dinner first. It was so yummy and great to catch up with everyone and chat with any interruptions from the kids.

Laura, Leah, Heather and Colleen. After dinner we went bowling. It had been a LONG time since any of us had bowled so it was a fun activity to do as a group. We laughed so hard my sides hurt. We had such a wonderful time. We all can't wait for the next girls night out.

I can't tell you how thankful I am to have girlfriends who understand what it's like to be a mom and wife. I know my girlfriends are there for me for support and encouragement.

Kristin, Lisa and Jayne.

Ryan had school this morning and on his daily report his teacher said he is talking so much more. I'm so happy to hear that!

His teacher also mentioned that he had been yawning big in the last hour or so. Colton was up crying from 4-5am last night and it woke Ryan up. I was watching them both on the monitor and Colton was crying and Ryan was talking. I think Ryan was trying to tell him to go back to sleep, haha! When we got home today Ryan was eager to go upstairs for naptime. He was out within minutes.

Thirty-Two

2011-11-13T21:21:00.003-05:00

Today is my birthday and I'm turning 32 today! So hard to believe that I'm really 32 and the wife to a wonderful guy and the mother of two boys !

My day started great! Colton woke up a little after 7am and Matt got up to feed him. I got up soon around 7:30 to jump in the shower and get ready for church. I was happy that we all got ready on time, took pictures before leaving the house and actually made it to church on time. That's a birthday miracle!!!

After church we went to a restaurant called Parkers. They have a Sunday brunch and I've been wanting to try it so some time. I absolutely LOVE going out for breakfast but of course with two little ones we never get to go. Colton did great and slept almost the entire time we were there and Ryan was on his very best behavior. We have not gone out to eat with Ryan in months. The only place we really go eat with kids is Chick-fil-A. I was so relieved and glad that Ryan did great.

Tonight I made chicken parmesan which is my absolute favorite. It's been a long time since I made it. It was very yummy. Matt got me a gorgeous cake from Busken. Ryan and Matt sang to me and Ryan helped me blow out the candles. Ryan only ate his peaches at dinner so we didn't let him to have any cake. He was so upset and it just broke my heart! I hated it for him but I know it was the right decision.

Friday Favorites

2011-11-11T15:01:00.004-05:00

My three favorite boys!!! How cute are they??? Matt is off today in honor of veteran's day. I am so happy he is home to help out with the boys and also so we can hang out together.

This morning we did a class at the gym called No Limits Cardio. It is a crazy and an insane workout. It's like a biggest loser last chance workout. Matt loves the class and wishes he could go every week.

Matt is so wore out that he is upstairs taking a nap right now, haha! I told him I do this class every Friday plus workout every day of the week and I never take naps in the afternoons. I do need to brag on him a little here. This morning he took my car in to get the oil changed but before he left he brought up Colton's bottle so I wouldn't have to go downstairs! And since I was driving his car I have to move the car out of the garage to put Ryan in, well, he had already moved it for me before he left. Isn't he a gem?? It's the little thoughtful things that matter so much.

Here are some soccer balls I made for a friend today! So fun!

Happy Boys

2011-11-10T20:49:00.003-05:00

This little guy is such a sweet and happy baby! He smiles all the time and loves to play patty cake now. I think he has finally adjusted to the time change. He got up early this morning but hoping it was just a fluke and he will get back to sleeping til 7:30-8.

We had MOPS this morning and it was so great. It was nice to get dressed and put make up on, hear a great word for our mentor mom and spend some sweet time with friends!

Today was a good day and I enjoyed the boys so much! Ryan is talking so much and I love that he can carry on a conversation with me now. His language has really exploded. Colton is completely enthralled with Ryan and will just stare at him and watches everything he does. I can't wait for them to start interacting together.

I've enjoyed doing crafts with Ryan this week. The other night he was coloring while I was making dinner. I walked over to the table and was shocked to find Annabelle and Gracie were EATING THE CRAYONS that had fallen on the floor! Ugh...Seriously?!? I couldn't believe they were eating them! They ate at least four crayons!!! Thankfully I found online that crayons are not harmful to dogs, just makes for a colorful mess. Some days I feel like the dogs are more work than the kids!!!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-09T15:28:00.001-05:00

Love these two sweet boys!!!!!

Pajama Day

2011-11-08T20:41:00.007-05:00

I love Mondays because Ryan has mother's day out from 9-1 so I get some great quality time with Colton and I get some cleaning and other things done around the house. When we get home I put Ryan down for his nap then Colton follows shortly behind. Then I finally have a few minutes to myself to sit and relax.

I enjoy Tuesdays as well because it's the one day a week we don't have anything going on. I love not setting an alarm and knowing we don't have anywhere to be. Sometimes we meet a friend for lunch or playdate or we run errands. Today we stayed home in our pj's all day.

I'm convinced the person who created daylight savings time never had kids. I do enjoy it being light when we get up in the morning but I hate that it gets dark at like 5pm. Ryan hasn't missed a beat with DST but poor little Colton has had a time.

When I switched his schedule last week to eating every 4 hours I totally wasn't thinking about DST. Sunday he woke up at 5:30am instead of 7. I went ahead and fed him and adjusted his schedule back to eating every 3 hours. Monday he woke up at 6am and would not calm down and go back to sleep so I ended up feeding him at 6:30. Thankfully today he woke up at 7am.

I've been trying to do more crafts and interactive play with Ryan lately. We play with his little people farm and noah's ark alot. He also loves his blocks. I spent a ton of time looking for crafts for Ryan to do. It's hard to do crafts right now since Colton needs so much of my attention. I want to be more intentional about doing crafts and having interactive play with Ryan. I know as Colton gets older it will get easier!

I have been so blessed that Colton is a great napper and sleeper most days. Unfortunately today was not one of those days. As I mentioned above his schedule has been so out of sorts lately. I am grateful he sleeps as well as he does. Hope his system gets back to normal soon!

So today Ryan and I played with puzzles. He is so in to puzzles these days! We did our shapes, numbers, letters and of course animals.

How cute are these two handsome fellas tonight!

Our Weekend

2011-11-07T16:03:00.006-05:00

We had a great weekend! Other than the open house I went to on Saturday morning we stayed home and relaxed all day. It was so nice to have a night to chill in our pajamas, order take out and watch some SEC football. We were watching the big game, Alabama v. LS. It was crazy. Not a single touchdown! It was a good game!

Sunday Matt played paintball with some guy friends then we had a dinner party at our friends house. I made banana pudding to take to the party so Ryan tried some on Saturday night. It was his first real taste of banana pudding.

I LOVE banana pudding, it's one of my favorite desserts. Ryan absolutely loved it of course. There aren't many desserts this boy doesn't like, haha! I even taught him how to dip your vanilla wafer in the pudding.

Recently Ryan has been saying so many new things. His latest phrase came the other night while we were getting dinner ready. Ryan was throwing a fit about something, I don't even remember what it was about now, but he was throwing a big tantrum on the floor. He wouldn't listen so Matt and I just ignored him. We continued getting dinner ready when he finally calmed down, walked over to me and said with this serious look on his face "I crying, I crying". Oh my, I laughed on the inside but it definitely confirmed our response to ignore his tantrums.

And these were probably a huge mistake to buy but I couldn't resist. They were calling out to me in the store. Could totally sabotage my losing weight streak. I opened them when I got home and seriously I could sit and eat the whole bag in one sitting. They are SO good!

Fall Cookies

2011-11-06T16:22:00.002-05:00

Here are the fall cookies I made for an open house yesterday! I passed out my business cards and hope that I will get some more business! I'm looking forward to making some soccer balls for a birthday party this coming weekend!

Friday

2011-11-04T13:32:00.006-05:00

The last few days have been pretty boring around here. Just doing our day to day thing so not much to blog about.

We are in the process of changing Colton's schedule from eating every 3 hours to 4 hours during the day. He did great on Tuesday but yesterday he got a little messed up since we had Mops in the morning. We are trying it again today and so far he's done great!

I've been working out 6 days a week either at the the gym or running at home on the treadmill. I am so happy to say that I am back to my pre-pregnancy weight! Woohoo! Now I just need to lose about 30 more pounds. I have also been doing weigh watchers online so that helps keep me accountable with what I eat. So happy to shed those pounds!!!

I've been making fall cookies the last few days. I will post pics tomorrow!

I'm looking forward to a low key weekend at home with my boys!

Four Month Check Up

2011-11-01T19:20:00.005-05:00

Yesterday we had Colton's four month check up! Colton is getting so big! He now weighs 13lbs (50th percentile). He is 25.5 inches tall (75th percentile). And his head is in the 50th percentile. His little brain is growing!

He is just about the same size that Ryan was. Ryan was 14lbs, 25.3 inches tall and his head was in the 75th percentile at four months.

Colton got a great report! He is growing and reaching all his milestones. He is rolling from front to back so now he needs to work on rolling from back to front. We got the green light to start solids. I am thinking we will start rice cereal in the next week or two. I can't believe it's already time for him to start solids.

Dr. H said it looks like his bottom teeth might pop through soon! You can see the white under his gums. Ryan cut his first tooth around Thanksgiving so I'm predicting Colton will follow in the same way.

We are so blessed and so happy to have such a healthy and happy little boy! He is such a delight and a pure joy!

Trick or Treat

2011-10-31T14:37:00.009-05:00

This morning we had Colton's four month check-up. He did great and is growing SO fast. I will do a post tomorrow on his appointment.

My adorable fireman! I finally got him to try on his costume last week! I was very glad he was excited to wear his costume tonight! Isn't he the cutest fireman ever?

And the cutest pumpkin!!!

I love these two precious cuties!

I was so excited to take Ryan and Colton out trick or treating. This was the first year that Ryan actually got it. He would walk up and say "trick or treat" then would say "thank you". He was so sweet! He had so much fun!

We went trick or treating with our sweet neighbors and friends Josh and Jake. They are twins and just a few months older than Ryan and they just have a blast playing together. We love going on walks with them and going to the park.

It was great having the fireman and the puppy dogs trick or treating together! So cute!

And this is how the evening ended! We only stayed out about an hour. That was plenty of time for Ryan to have fun and collect tons of candy. Sweet little Colton couldn't keep his eyes open any long and fell asleep on the way home.

Fun Halloween Weekend

2011-10-30T19:44:00.008-05:00

I was so excited to take Ryan to his first Disney on Ice show last night. My in-laws kept Colton so Matt and I could take Ryan to see mickey mouse. I had been prepping him the last few days about going to see mickey and how he would be skating on ice. I don't think he knew exactly what to expect.

Ryan has this obsession about ice. He loves to eat it for some reason. He has his two year molars but I guess he likes chewing on it. When we first got there I showed him the ice rink that mickey would be skating on.

It was so precious to watch his little face light up when mickey stepped out on to that ice and the show started. He was so cute trying to climb over the chair in front of us to get closer to mickey. I think he wanted to go down to the ice to touch him.

He did really well at the show and only got bored a few times. When mickey wasn't on the ice he got a little bored with the shows like the little mermaid and lelo and stitch since he's never seen them before. He was completely mesmerized by mickey, donald and the gang.

I can't wait to take him to disney world so he can meet mickey for real. We are thinking about taking him this spring since he can get in for free before he turns 3 in June.

My alma mater, Union University, sent me this adorable shirt for my future Union bulldog. I thought it was so cute! I would love to see my boys go to Union one day.

Matt and Ryan decided to finally carved our halloween pumpkin tonight after dinner. Ryan colored the pumpkin with markers and daddy did the carving.

I am excited about taking Ryan and Colton trick-or-treating tomorrow night. I finally got Ryan to put his costume on the other day so I've got high hopes he will wear it tomorrow night. Ryan is going to be a fireman and Colton is going to be a pumpkin. Now Matt and I just gotta stay out of the candy bowl so we have something to give out tomorrow night, haha!

Four Months

2011-10-27T21:47:00.011-05:00

Colton - you are FOUR months old!!!!

What have you been up to this month???

You weigh close to 14lbs - we will get your exact measurements at your 4 month appt on monday.

You wear 3-6month clothes and size 1-2 or 2 diapers.

You are a great sleeper!!! Praise the Lord! You sleep from about 8pm until 7am. I am SO happy and thankful with that. You take 2-3 naps a day. Sometimes you nap in the morning between your 7 and 10 bottles and usually one midmorning around 11:30 and a great afternoon nap from 2-5pm. I am SOOOO thankful that you and Ryan nap at the same time every day. Sometimes you take a little nap around dinner time.

You are the sweetest and happiest baby. You are always so content and hardly ever cry. You have the sweetest smile! You love to smile when we talk to you!

You are getting good at putting weight on your legs. You love to stand when we hold you.

You sit in your bumbo now but usually don't last long. You will play in your jumperoo for about 10min at a time.

You suck on your hands all the time! You still aren't big on your paci. Many times you like to just like to play with your paci in your mouth.

You take a bottle every 3-4 hours. You drink five 6oz bottles a day.

You are starting to grab at things. You love your blue elephant lovie. You always grab on to it when your sleepy.

You have started to try to talk and laugh. If we tickle you in just the right spot you will giggle for us. You love to watch your big brother and are fascinated in whatever he is doing.

You have rolled about a hand full of times. You hold your head and neck up so well. I think you might hit your big milestones before Ryan did. You are growing up too fast!

My two handsome boys! Ryan is getting better about taking pictures with his little brother. While I was taking pics of Colton he wanted to jump in and I was happy to get some pics of them together.

Growing, growing, growing! You look alike like Ryan but you also have your own look to you. You have lots more hair than Ryan did and it's very dark. Your eyes are still gray/brown. Not sure what color that will settle at.

I love you more every day! You are such a blessing and I cannot imagine life without you. I praise God every day for blessing me with you!

Pumpkin painting with dad

2011-10-26T13:06:00.005-05:00

Last night was "pumpkin painting with dad night" at Ryan's school. We ate an early dinner then Matt and Ryan headed off to get creative.

This was the cute little pumpkin the guys created! Matt got to meet Ryan's teachers and hear how he's doing at school. Ryan came running in the door and was so excited to tell me all about decorating his pumpkin. The boys had a great time and I was so glad they had some quality time together!

While the boys were decorating pumpkins Colton and I were spending some quality time at home! I love spending time with this little butterball. I know I say it all the time but he is so sweet and just the best baby!

One year ago

2011-10-25T17:11:00.005-05:00

Exactly one year ago today I found out we were pregnant with our precious baby Colton. We were not "trying" so I honestly didn't think I was pregnant. I was a few days late and I remembered that I had an old expired pregnancy test left from when I got pregnant with Ryan.

I woke up Monday morning and spontaneously decided to take the test. I didn't even tell Matt I was taking the test. It quickly popped up 'pregnant' and for the rest of the day I was in complete denial that I was really pregnant. I thought for sure it was a false positive because the test was expired. I bought another test that night and took it tuesday morning while Matt was still home. And sure enough the test was positive.

We are so blessed to have our sweet and perfect little Colton. He is so sweet and I cannot imagine life without him. It's honestly hard to remember what life was like before he was born. We love him so much and I can't wait to watch him grow!

This morning I took the boys to the park. It was so nice out and actually a little warm. It's probably our last nice warm day for a while. It's suppose to get chilly and rainy the rest of the week.

It was nice to get out and enjoy the fresh air. Ryan had fun running around and burning off some energy. And Colton chilled in his stroller and just smiled!

Happy Birthday Pappou

2011-10-24T08:43:00.007-05:00

Sunday morning we got up super early to have our family pictures done by the oh-so-talented Amy. I was prepping Ryan before we left telling him we were going to see our friend Amy and she was going to snap pictures of us. I was really worried how he would do. I had nightmares of him throwing a fit in the middle of the picture and not wanting to sit still or look at the camera. I said some serious prayers before we left.

Well Ryan and Colton both did awesome!!!! I was SO happy with how well Ryan behaved. I did promise him a donut if he was good, ha! He was totally hamming it up and smiling for the camera. He was so cute. I think Amy got some really good ones of the boys together. I'm so excited, I can't wait to see the proofs.

Sunday afternoon we headed over to Matt's parents house to celebrate early his Dad's birthday.

Ryan apparently shares his love for salsa with his father. He watched Matt dip his chips in the salsa then dug in for some yummy goodness. It wasn't even mild flavored, it was medium. He loved it.

Matt's sister Erin holding Colton. Colton loved Aunt Erin and was so good sitting in her lap for a long time.

Pappou's birthday is tomorrow. We are wishing him a very, very happy birthday!!!

We had a great dinner and a fun night! I love watching these boys get loved on by their grandparents. We are so blessed to have such loving parents who love on our sweet babies!!!

Sweet Cakes

2011-10-23T21:08:00.003-05:00

I mentioned I had two cake orders this weekend! Here is the anniversary cake I made. Claribel and Bill celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary this weekend! So happy I could make his cake to honor their joyous celebration.

I made this cake to celebrate the baptism of our friends sweet baby Scott. I loved how this one turned out. So cute and simple. I had a little fondant sign to go in the front that said "God Bless Scott" but I didn't put it on til I dropped it off.

Fun Saturday

2011-10-22T15:20:00.005-05:00

We've had such a fun and busy day today! This morning I went to barbell class at the gym and I'm sure feeling it now as I sit on the couch with my feet up.

I've been working on two cake orders. I delivered one today and will deliver the other one tomorrow! Will post pictures tomorrow! I think they might be my best cake creations to date.

Matt recently joined a men's bible study and tonight they had a date night with all the couples. We are so blessed to have Matt's parents come over to watch the boys! We appreciate them so much. We went to dinner at this cool tavern then went to someone's house and played catch phrase. We laughed so hard and just for the record, the girls totally beat the guys!

I took this picture yesterday when we ran into Kroger to pick up eggs. Ryan saw this cart in the parking lot and was begging to ride in it. This was our first adventure riding in the little car at the grocery store. Ryan loved it but he thought he could just jump out whenever I stopped. Not cool! Thankfully we were in and out quickly!

And this cute little pumpkin is just a delight. He is so sweet and just smiles all the time! Love him! Can't imagine life without him!

Thursday

2011-10-20T14:22:00.009-05:00

I was searching through a closet for Ryan's winter hat when I found this adorable hat I bought for Ryan, probably when he was a little older than Colton, but he never wore it.

It has suddenly turned cold here so Colton might be wearing this hat very soon! The high for today is 45 degrees. Buuuurrrrr! We are enjoying spending time warm and cozy inside.

I don't know if it was a fluke or not but Colton rolled, from his belly to his back, about five times on Monday. We had come home from dropping Ryan off at Mother's Day Out and we're playing on the floor. He immediately rolled over when I laid him on his belly. He hasn't done it since. I did get it on video and sent it to Matt at work.

Ryan didn't roll till he after he was four months old. I'm not ready for my baby to grow up so fast and reach these milestones.

I've pretty much decided that for the first year of our child's life I'm going to wear sweats and t's only, unless going out somewhere nice! I went shopping at the outlet mall on Saturday and got a couple cute nice things but I basically live in sweats and tshirts.

Thank the Lord Colton does not have the horrible acid reflux like Ryan did but oh he has the awful spit up like Ryan did. I'm not sure who spits up more. I'm thinking Ryan probably wins that one. Bless his adorable heart but Colton is a big spitter. Seems like I'm always wiping spit up off his face, bib and clothes. Ugh!!! I tell myself all the time, this too shall pass!

My Favorite Boys

2011-10-18T19:57:00.006-05:00

When people find out that I have two sons they always say "Oh I bet your house is crazy! I bet you want a girl"! Truth be told I would love to have a sweet baby girl I can dress up and do girlie things with but I love, love, love having two boys! They are so much fun and there's never a dull moment in this house.

Ryan and Colton are both showing more interest in each other! I think they are going to be best buds. Even though they are both all about their momma right now, I know the day will come when they just want to wrestle with their daddy and want his approval.

This little cutie pie just smiles and grins all the time. All I have to do now is smile and talk to him and he just smiles and laughs at me. He is a little ticklish on his belly and his chunky thighs. Oh I love a squishy baby!

This morning I took Ryan to get his haircut. It was getting a little out of control and he had major wave going on.

He did so much better this time at the hair salon. He still cried alot at first but about half way through he calmed down and was playing with a toy. He's getting better! Hopefully one day in the future it won't be so traumatic getting a haircut.

On the way to the salon I was telling Ryan the lady was going to cut and snip his hair so on the way home he kept saying "snip snip, cut cut".

Another Pumpkin Farm

2011-10-17T08:59:00.006-05:00

On Sunday we decided to hit up another local pumpkin farm. We love Shaw Farm and this was the third year we have visited. They have a hayride, petting zoo, corn maze, fun things for kids to climb on, a little country store where you can buy apple cider or snacks and of course lots of pumpkins. Our first stop was the hayride. I remember almost two years ago to the day taking Ryan on his first hayride in his little pumpkin seat. He was about four months old. Maybe a little to young to enjoy the ride but this year he loved it!

His favorite thing was definitely the chickens. I don't think he realizes yet that his favorite yummy chicken nuggets come from these cute little chickens. He loved watching them peak the ground and walk around. He loved chasing them around the fence.

Ryan had an absolute blast running around and playing on stuff. He is SO fast and Matt had a time keeping up with him. He was so hyper and definitely was burning off some energy.

We had a wonderful time and I can't wait to go back next year. We must have really worn these boys out because we came home, ate dinner and put the boys to bed. They were out so fast! Colton slept til 7:50 this morning, praise the good Lord! I was so happy to get almost 9 straight hours of sleep. It's probably the most I've slept since he was born. And Ryan was a sleepy head when I went to get him up at 8:30.

And here is my business card I printed and designed myself. We talk all the time about how neat it would be to open a small bakery or something one day. I picture a cute little bakery in a town square. I would love to but right now I want to raise my boys and take care of my family. I think it would definitely be something to think about once all our kids are in school. For now I am excited about making cookies and cakes for friends and family!

Brothers

2011-10-14T22:05:00.007-05:00

One of the best things about having two boys is comparing their pictures each month. I am always looking to see what Ryan was doing at Colton's age and how much they are similar or different. When I look at Colton I don't feel like he looks much like Ryan but when I look back at baby pictures of Ryan I see such a big resemblance.

Here they are at one month old. To me they don't look that much alike in this picture. Ryan weighed 6lbs 8oz at birth and Colton weighed 7lbs 1oz. Almost a whole pound but you can't even tell at one month.

Two month picture and they are looking more alike. They have the same nose and mouth but very different hair. Ryan had very light hair and not much of it and Colton has lots of dark brown hair.

Wow! This picture was taken at almost the exact same age of three months. They look SO much alike in this picture. What handsome little fellas if I do say so myself. I think really the only difference is Ryan is a little more chubbier in the face and the hair. Also Ryan has a much bigger forehead than Colton. I still think they look different, but similar too.

Pumpkins, footballs and bedtime

2011-10-13T20:08:00.005-05:00

This morning we went to church for MOPS! It was so fun to see so many friends and get a chance to catch up. The boys did so well in the nursery. I've said it before but I am SO thankful for wonderful nursery workers who love on my kids. It means so much!

I took these yummy goodies to our meeting! I made a batch of about 25 cookies and they were completely gone before our meeting ended. So happy with how they came out!

Colton was just pure sweetness today! Tonight as I was putting the boys to bed Ryan figured out how to stand on Colton's crib and peer over into his bed. He was so sweet saying "nigh nigh Tolton". Oh, Blesses my heart!!!

I don't think I've mentioned this yet but just for my own personal memory we have officially dropped Colton's 10pm dream feed. He goes to bed around 7:30 and sleeps til 6:30-7am. He has also been napping so well. He takes a morning nap between his 10 and 1pm feeding. Then he takes an afternoon nap from 2-4:30. I am definitely counting my blessings with having two good sleepers. I give all the credit to babywise and a good schedule.

Ice Cream and Young Love

2011-10-11T15:10:00.007-05:00

This morning we met our friends, Heather, Will and baby Caroline at ChickfilA. Ryan always loves their chicken and loves to play in their playground.

Ryan had his very first ice cream cone at CFA! He loves ice cream but he's only had it in a cup. He learned very quickly what to do watching his little buddy Will. We call Will his best friend! They are just a month apart in age and have the best time playing together!

Look who wanted to take a picture with his brother!!! I was taking pics of Colton, and Ryan decided he wanted in on the fun. I love taking a picture of the boys together!

Ryan and Will had a makeup tumblebees class tonight so Heather and I got to hang out with the babies! First I have to say that Matt and Heathers' hubby Matt, do tumblebees with the boys are they have so much fun with them. I think it's been such good bonding between Matt and Ryan.

Caroline is so sweet and cute! She is a month older than Colton.

While the boys tumbled Miss Caroline set her sights on Mr. Colton and couldn't think of anything else. HAHA! Oh my goodness! Heather and I were dying over the cuteness of these two sweeties. Of course we have already arranged for them to marry each other in about 25 years! Caroline was adorable as she was staring at Colton but that wasn't enough. She grabbed him and wouldn't let go! Soooooo precious! I could just eat them up!!!

Little of this, little of that

2011-10-10T15:14:00.003-05:00

I think this might be my very favorite picture of Ryan and I! Even though I do not like my hair in the pic I love how sweet Ryan looks leaning his head against mine!

A few randoms:

Today I made cookies during naps that I'm going to take to MOPS on Thursday. I'm excited about decorating some fall cookies! I finally have my very own business cards. I designed and printed them myself. I'm pretty proud of them! I will post a picture of them tomorrow!

I've decided I want to grow my hair out...as least to my shoulders. I'm pretty certain the baby hair thinning has commenced. Sad! (Because of the hormones during pregnancy your hair grows more and gets thicker. Since the hormones are gone hair starts to fall out and thin around 4 months after giving birth.) I hope I can stick with growing my hair out. I usually get tired of it and cave in to cutting it short again!

Colton is playing in his jumperoo more each day. He doesn't jump yet but he likes to sit in it and look at the colorful toys. He is getting a very slight flat head from where he sleeps on it at night so I'm trying to do more tummy time with him.

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-09T19:51:00.012-05:00

Today we went to a local pumpkin patch with some friends. I love going to pumpkin farms in the fall! It's one of my favorite things to do in October! It was absolutely beautiful weather to be outside this weekend. It was a little too warm to wear our cute orange and brown fall clothes but pleasant nonetheless.

Our first stop when we got to the patch was to ride the train. I had high hopes that Ryan would Ryan the train by himself like a big boy but he wanted momma to ride. Since I was carrying Colton in the baby bijorn Matt tried to ride but he wouldn't fit so I had to ride.

Ryan enjoyed the train and kept saying "choo choo".

Love these two handsome guys!

Colton was so good despite missing his afternoon nap and being carried around everywhere. He is always such a happy and good baby!

After the train ride we went on a hay ride out to the pumpkin patch. I use the term "hay ride" very loosely. It was a tractor with a trailer and some hay on it! I was showing and telling Ryan about the hay and he kept saying "hi". He didn't know I was saying "hay" instead of "hey".

We picked out a couple pumpkins from the patch. Ryan was trying to pick up these big pumpkins and he would say "it stuck". Haha! That boy cracks me up! Matt told him they weren't stuck, they were heavy.

My handsome fellas! They don't come much better looking than these three!

Ryan had an absolute blast and was completely filthy when we left! ha! It was such a fun fall day.

Thankful

2011-10-06T19:44:00.005-05:00

I cannot get out of my head the sweet 10 month old baby girl name Lisa who was kidnapped from her home on Monday night in Kansas City, MO. How absolutely horrifying!!!! I cannot even imagine the anguish these parents are going through right now! Breaks my heart! Every time I hear or think about it I just say a prayer that they will find this little baby girl soon and alive.

It reminds me to be thankful for everything in my life.

I have a WONDERFUL husband who does so much for our family. Matt is just the best husband and best father in the world.

I've got the most wonderful and beautiful boys in the world. They are such a joy! I love Ryan's age right now! He is at a hard age but it's fun. His language has really taken off in the last month and it has made such a difference. He's had some jealousy issues and acting out since Colton was born but the last few weeks have been SO much better. Tonight I was putting him to bed and reading his books and he was just so sweet.

And Colton is the sweetest and best baby. This morning I had MOPS steering meeting and our childcare coordinator told me that Colton was so good and she was so happy she got to hold him for an hour today. That just makes a mom's heart smile. I am SO thankful that we have such a wonderful church with amazing nursery workers who just love my kids.

(Just something I want to remember! Ryan has a zoo in his bed! HA! He seriously must have at least ten stuffed animals in his crib and two blankets! He loves stuffed animals and every time he gets a new one he has to sleep with it. I have to go in his room when he's not in there and take out some animals!)

I am so thankful for my MOPS friends. They are truly some of my best friends. I can read parenting books all day long or google parenting tips but nothing compares to talking with someone who is in that same season of life and can relate to what your life is like.

Day in the Life

2011-10-05T19:52:00.006-05:00

I don't think I've posted about our day to day life since Colton was born. I want to document what our typical day looks like for my own memories and so our families can see what we do every day.

This morning Colton woke up at 5am crying. I went in to give him his paci and he went back to sleep pretty quickly. He sleep for about an hour and woke up again at 6am. He fell back asleep for about 20 minutes. I went ahead and fed him his bottle. Most mornings I feed Colton his first bottle in our bed while watching the Today Show. After he finished his bottle we enjoyed some snuggle time in the bed before I had to get up and get ready.

We were going to the gym today so I got up at 8am to change for the gym and get Ryan up. I got Ryan up and changed his clothes then we went downstairs to get him breakfast. I changed Colton, took the dogs outside and fed them. I got our stuff ready to leave and we were out the door by 9am.

(Ryan sucking his thumb and watching Bambi 2! His pj's are his security blanket)

I went to my cardio resistence class while the boys went to the gym childcare. I was done by 10:45 and headed home. I picked up chick-fil-A for lunch. We got home around 11:15 and I put Colton down for his morning nap. I got Ryan his lunch and sat down to eat a little myself.

After lunch we watched Bambi 2. I just picked it up yesterday at Target. Every time we saw the commercial on tv Ryan would say "bambi, bambi". I thought he would like it. He watched intensely for the first 30 minutes then he brought me remote and said "Bambi off"! Ha! We watched a little more then it was time for Ryan's nap. I put him down for his nap then got Colton up to eat.

I fed Colton his 1pm bottle while I caught up on some DVR. After his bottle we played on the floor and did some tummy time. He holds his head up SO well. He is getting so big! While he was doing tummy time I did some cleaning and vacuuming in the same room with him.

I put him back down at 2pm for his afternoon nap. He went down pretty well and I jumped in the shower. I am ashamed to say that I don't get my quiet time in every day. It's so hard for me to get up early before the kids and do it and if I workout during their afternoon nap I barely get in a workout and shower before they are up. The days I do do my quiet time it us usually during nap time. There is no excuse and I am trying to get back into spending time with the Lord. I SO need it!

I threw some laundry in the wash. I do our laundry every Wednesday and Saturday. I do towels both days and bed sheets on Saturday. I do the boys laundry about every 1 to 2 days. I had a couple minutes to sit down at the computer before the boys got up.

Ryan woke up around 3 from his nap but I didn't go in to get him til after 4pm. I hardly ever get him before 4pm. I got him his juice and we played with his little people farm and his alphabet puzzle. I got Colton up at 4:45 to drink his bottle. Sweet boy took his whole bottle then fell asleep on my shoulder. He was still so tired and slept on my shoulder for an hour. Ryan and I did puzzles and read books until Matt came home at 6pm.

We were having leftover spaghetti so I started dinner and got Ryan's dinner ready. He was having pears, grilled chicken and green peas. For the third night in a row he refused to eat his dinner (only took about 3 bits). I refuse to feed him chicken nuggets or hot dogs every night so if he doesn't eat what we are having or what I fix then he doesn't eat. He won't starve and will eat when he's hungry. So frustrating!

After dinner I cleaned up the kitchen while Matt spent time and played with the boys. We watched Wheel of Fortune together. Ryan loves to call out to letters and loves when Matt yells out the puzzle. Matt fed Colton his last bottle at 7:30 then it was time for bed at 8pm. Every other night I give Colton a bath after his 7:30 bottle then put him to bed. Matt gives Ryan his bath, reads him a few books then puts him to bed.

After we put the kids to bed we come down and pick up toys, wash bottles and finish cleaning up the kitchen. Usually by 9 I collapse on the couch and get a chance to blog, catch up on blogs and watch mindless tv. Ha!

We try to get to bed by 10pm but that doesn't happen alot. I'm still giving Colton his dream feed at night so I will usually do that around 10:30pm. I'm hoping we can drop the dream feed soon. We usually turn the lights out and hit the sack around 11pm until the next morning when we do it all over again!

Monday

2011-10-03T14:14:00.006-05:00

I know most people don't agree but I love Mondays! Ryan has mother's day out on mondays and I feel like I get so much accomplished at home. Plus I get to spend some one on one time with Colton. While Colton takes his morning nap I get a workout in and even have time to shower.

Colton's first time in the jumperoo! I think he really liked it! Ryan really enjoyed showing him all the fun things that play music and all.

Happy Birthday Anna

2011-10-01T20:04:00.010-05:00

I must first say how much I LOVE this picture of Ryan. He climbed right up on the bench and turned around and smiled so sweetly. He has been so sweet and loving the last few days and I just love it. Even though two can be so hard some days I do love this age.

We went to the zoo today to celebrate Ryan's third cousin Anna's 3rd birthday. We had never been to the zoo for a birthday party. It was really neat and Ryan loved playing with everyone and seeing the animals of course!

This cute little pumpkin slept in the stroller most of the time! Love this new pumpkin onesie I just got.

At the zoo Ryan saw a Dora 3D movie. Matt took him while I fed Colton. Matt said Ryan loved it and sat the entire time. I think the show was only about 20 min. He said the only thing was he wouldn't wear the 3D glasses. Big shocker, ha! They also did the train ride and Ryan always loves that.

Funny story! This morning, Ryan for some reason did not want to put on his old navy pull over. I'm not sure if it was because he got dressed down stairs as opposed to his normal first thing in the morning in his room but he was not happy. He fussed for a while but I knew it was chilly and he needed to be warm. I told Matt he is only 2, not 22. I'm not ready to have my two year old boy tell me what he doesn't want to wear. We watched Veggietales in the car on the way to the zoo and he calmed down and was fine wearing it the rest of the day.

Ryan and Anna petting the baby alligator. Ryan really wanted to pet his head but he was only allowed to pet his tail, thank goodness!

It was a fun, full day! We all came home and took naps! Love spending the weekends with my boys! I'm just crazy about them!

I couldn't resist taking a picture of Colton fresh after his bath and in his pj's tonight. Even though the pic is blurry I still love it!

Good Day

2011-09-30T20:02:00.002-05:00

Matt wanted to take off work last week while my family was in town but he had too much going on at work. He needed a break from work in a bad way so he took off work today. We thought about going to the pumpkin farm but there was rain in the forecast and it has suddenly turned chilly.

This morning all four of us when to the gym. Matt and I did a fitness class and it was nice to work out together. This afternoon we both got lots done during nap time. Matt mowed the grass and did some yard work and I worked on Ryan's photo book. (I really need to finish his book so I can start on Colton's. I made alot of progress today, yay.)

Tonight we moved Ryan to his new booster seat at the dinner table. We got him a new seat since Colton will be using the high chair in a month or so when he starts food. I can't believe that my baby is going to start baby food in a month!!! Time is going by too fast.

Ryan loved his new seat and ate so well tonight. I think he really felt like a big boy. So proud of him. He was such a sweet and good boy today! Makes those hard days so worth it!

Seasons

2011-09-28T19:34:00.007-05:00

Yesterday I was reading a blog post about how parenthood and raising children are a season in life. As we were driving to the gym this morning I was pointing out to Ryan all the trees and the leaves that have changed colors. I was explaining to him how we have different seasons of the year. As I was telling him about the seasons I thought about the different seasons in life.

Right now we are in a season of changing diapers, bottle feeding, spit up, fussy two year olds, whining, oh the whining BUT we are also in a season of rocking a sweet sleeping baby, discovery, new words, grandparent love, hugs and kisses, playing games and puzzles on the floor together, singing songs in the car, reading books, the fact Ryan wants to sit in my lap all the time, giggling and playing when Matt comes home from work.

I want to cherish all these things because they are just here for a season and will be gone before I know it.

Most days I am just exhausted by the time my head hits the pillow. Ryan and Colton need so much of us right now. Sometimes it's hard to be in the moment and enjoy this season in life because it will not last forever. I know the next season in life will be wonderful but I want to remember to enjoy and treasure every day!

Three Months

2011-09-27T20:10:00.006-05:00

Colton - You are THREE months old!!!!

What have you been up to this month???

I cannot believe you are already three months old! The time is just flying TOO fast!

You weigh 13 pounds and wear size 3 month clothes and starting to wear 3-6 month clothes. You wear size 1 diapers but I think will soon be in size 1-2.

You eat on a three hour schedule during the day beginning around 7am. You take five 5 oz bottles during the day and a dream feed bottle between 10-1:30. You are sleeping through the night and we are SO glad. You went for a few weeks where you were waking up multiple times in the night and just needed your paci but for the last week you have slept from around 8pm to around 7am. We are SO glad you are a good sleeper.

You are the sweetest, easiest baby! You are just so content and love to watch your big brother and look around to see what is going on around you.

You are not big on your paci. You just don't cry very much so no need for the paci. You only cry when you are hungry or real tired.

You love to watch your big brother Ryan. He has basically ignored you for the last 3 months but just in the last couple days he has taken a liking to you and comes over to talk and smile at you. I know you two will get along better as you get more mobile and interactive.

I love seeing your sweet smile. You love when we play patty cake with you and you just smile so big.

So wild how you look so different from Ryan. You have lots of dark hair and gray/brown eyes. Ryan had just a little blonde hair at this age.

Your eyes have been a gray color but they are starting to turn brown. I'm pretty sure you will be brown eyed like the rest of us! =)

You had your first time in the church nursery last week at MOPS. I'm sure we will put you in there on sundays soon.

Sometimes it's hard to believe you are already three months old and other times I can't remember what life was like before we had you! You are such a sweet pure joy and we are SO blessed to have you in our family! I can't imagine not having you! Your sweet smile just lights up my world.

You are starting to look more like Ryan. You both look lots like your daddy but I think you both look like me some too, ha! I can't wait to see what you will look like at 6, 9 and 12 months.