As for me...

As for me, I am really enjoying my role as a mother of 2 boys! They bring so much life and love to our lives! We are truly blessed! I still haven't mastered the taking care of two babies, keeping the house up, and getting dinner ready thing yet. I am pretty good at the 1st one, getting better on the 2nd one, and about to start working on the 3rd. Paul and I went to a cooking class last night where they taught us how to make homemade pasta, marinara, and alfredo. We had so much fun, and got inspired to start eating better. The chef from Capone's Restaurant in Ocean Springs was the one teaching the class. She is a big believer in eating fresh foods. Everything she makes is from scratch and she uses all fresh ingredients that she gets from her own garden or Farmer's market. With all that said, I want to start creating healthy meals for my family. We are terrible at just making something out of a box because it is convenient. I have also noticed that Matthew is getting pickier and pickier and eating more junk food and less healthy food, so I want to try and change that. With that being said, I am giving myself 3 goals to reach by the end of Sept. Paul is always wanting me to set some goals, so here I go :)
1st goal: Eat healthier, I want to create 2 homemade meals a week using all fresh ingredients (I am being realistic;)
2nd goal: lose 10 lbs, I still have more baby weight than I should at this point. It has just not come off like it did with Matthew. I have been going to the gym 3 times a week for the past 2 months and don't really feel as though anything is changing. (I am enjoying going though.) So, I need to change my eating habits!! This should go hand in hand with my first goal.
3rd goal: save money, With me staying home now and about to have to buy our own insurance, we are on a tight budget! I have recently learned how to coupon and have done pretty well with it so far, but a lot of what I have been buying, as far as food, probably isn't the healthiest....so I will now have to work a little harder to get more savings on fresh foods and other areas such as household products, clothes, etc.. I pretty much just want to save in general.
Wish me luck :)

I love my brother!

Ok, so I gave in. I was trying to put this off a long as possible because I hate the baby food stage, but I think he is ready for it. We tried cereal for the 1st time today. He didn't love it, he didn't hate it. We will have to try again tomorrow :)


Playing with his feet. Matthew did this all the time when he was an infant, and I thought it was so cute. Now Thomas has started doing it, and I still think it is precious!! Notice all the toys Matthew brought to him.


Matthew taking a break (which is very rare) on our bed. His new favorite thing is getting on our beds by himself (SCARY)!!!


MILLION DOLLAR SMILES :)




Matthew giving his brother a kiss.


Matthew has learned how to tickle from his daddy. He is tickling Thomas' feet.


Just hanging out with my brother.


Again, tickling Thomas.


"Thomas say Cheese, they are about to take our picture." I love my brother!!

Matthew really does just adore Thomas. He is always asking about the baby and bringing him toys to play with. I know that when Thomas is older they will have so much fun together. A lot of times when we are riding in the car, I can hear Matthew talking to Thomas and see him holding his hands. It is too cute!!

Updates and new pictures

Thomas~
had his 4 month check up last week. He did not gain as much weight as I had hoped, but he is still a happy, healthy boy! He weighed 13.2 lbs (25th%), 25 1/2 in. (75th%) He is still doing great! He holds his head up well, sits well in the bumbo seat, is rolling over on his tummy and back, and smiles and laughs. He is also starting to play with toys, loves putting things in his mouth, and likes the pool. Still not sleeping through night yet, I usually get up once anytime from 1-4 :(


Getting some love from Mimi


Getting love from PawPaw too


Enjoying the pool

Matthew~
had surgery last week. He had a tongue tie when he was born. Paul and I had always talked about getting it clipped, but we finally decided to go ahead and do it. We just did not want it to cause any problems later. He did absolutely great! By the time we got home, he was running around laughing and playing as if nothing had happened. Immediately after the surgery, he was eating and drinking. He has also gone potty a few times. I couldn't believe it! He loves dancing! We went to eat the other night, and they had a band playing. Matthew was tearing it up on the dance floor. His face was bright red, and he was sweating so bad. He would come get me and pull my hand saying "mon, mon" meaning come on mom! I didn't have my camera with me to take pictures. It was too cute though. The band was calling out his name and loved their #1 fan.


1st boat ride


Playing in the sprinkler with daddy


Fun in the sun!

The Boys

Here are a few updates on the boys:

Matthew (20 months)
getting his canine teeth
a typical toddler- one minute pitching a FIT, the next jumping and laughing
loves, loves, loves the baby- he is always talking about him, kissing him, and hugging him
we are introducing the potty. Not potty training yet, just getting ready for it ;)
LOVES puppies...everything is a puppy if it is furry with legs
is getting pretty wild
loves balls and is pretty good at basketball and soccer
loves books and pictures of things
Still a mommy's boy, but equally a daddy's boy now too



Say CHEESE! (he really will say CHEESE and smile)



Sitting on the potty. I did bribe him with chocolate :) (I just wanted him to like it)



Typical dinner time at our house. He loves sitting in my lap and playing with my food.



Thomas (3 1/2 months)
smiling
laughing/giggling
not sleeping through the night yet, we are working on it though. He does about 2/3 of the time.
loves his paci
napping when Matthew naps in afternoon :)
drooling like crazy
does not like taking bottles (I am nursing him)
loves attention

SO SWEET

Busy, Busy, Busy

May has been a super busy month for us. We really have been traveling 4 out of the past 5 weeks. So things are finally settling down for us. We went the the beach again for Joe Dixon's wedding, which was very nice. Paul's family went with us. We stayed in Watercolor Resort, which is one of our new favorite places! Then we headed to West Point for another shot at meeting Baby Tucker. He is super precious and looks just like his daddy!! Unfortunately I forgot my camera so I didn't get any pictures. I do have to go to Jackson next weekend for my dear friend Mary Grace's shower, but after that we should be home for a while if anyone wants to come visit.
I have enjoyed the past 2 weeks as a stay at home mom with my boys. I was really worried about what we would do all day, but truthfully, we are always going somewhere. My new favorite place is the gym that I joined. The boys are able to go with me, which is nice. They get to play while I try to get back in shape after about 3 years of not really exercising due to being pregnant or just having a baby. Needless to say, I am pretty out of shape so I am excited about getting back in shape. Paul is out on his boat today. He hasn't gotten to use it much for the past year and half due to the oil spill, babies, and traveling. So he is happy! Hopefully he is catching some fish for tonight! We are planning on taking Matthew on the boat for the first time! I think he will like it. Here are recent pictures:


Thomas is such a happy baby! He loves attention :)


We tried to get a picture of Paul's parents with all 4 grandchildren. His mother got all 4 of them the cutest matching outfits. Matthew was not having it that day though!! He was the only one not cooperating :(


Matthew's RED mohawk


A day at the beach. We decided that we were probably the whitest family out there :) I think we are blending in with the sand.

Not a fun week, but a great weekend

So we are finally feeling better!! I got better, Thomas got better, Matthew had the stomach bug this week and is better now too! Thank goodness nobody else got it. Paul and I wore mask this week so we wouldn't get it. LOL. I had to miss 3 days of work last week, yes it was MCT2 testing week, and I was the assistant test coordinator at our school!! It has been a hard week! We only have 3 and a half days left of school!! YAY!
We had Thomas and Payson's (Paul's sister's baby girl, 3 weeks younger than Thomas) Christening and Baptism this weekend. My dad and brother came down, along with Paul's sister, brother in law, and their kids. Everyone came over to our house to boil crawfish Saturday night. Sunday Morning we all went to church, had the Christening and Baptism ceremony, then came back to our house to eat! It was so fun to have everyone together! Thank you all for coming to celebrate our baby's baptism.
Here are a few pictures from this weekend.

Thomas and Payson

Eric playing with Whitt and Matthew

Matthew and Whitt reading a book at church together

Megan and Payson, Megan and Thomas

The Family


I just have to say, Thomas is such a sweet baby. He is always such a trooper. He is very laid back and allows us to chase Matthew around while he just hangs out. (He still gets plenty of attention.) He is always smiling and rarely fusses unless he is hungry or needs a diaper change. We love you Thomas!!

Our World of Craziness

Well I am back at work and extremely busy. Paul had a work trip in Destin last week/weekend, so I load up with both boys and head that way after work on Friday. (yes, I think I may be crazy) They actually did really well on the drive. We all went to the beach for a little while on Saturday. Matthew did not like it at first. He did not like having the sand all over him, he kept brushing it off. But he eventually decided that it was fun. Thomas just hung out in the carrier for a little while, then we headed back for naps. I got to relax at the pool for a little while, which was AWESOME! On the way back home, it was a little more chaotic. We tried to go get breakfast, which ended up being lunch by the time we ate. We headed back to load up the car and both boys fell asleep, so we decided to just load as fast as we could and let them sleep. As soon as we started heading out of town, they both woke up and needed diaper changes. So we pull over to change their diapers out of the car (Paul and I are getting really good at this) Then we had to stop to get gas, once we started getting close to mobile, they were getting restless, especially Matthew. So we decided to go to Bass Pro Shop and let Matthew walk around for a little while. He did fine at first, but after a while, he was FUSSY. So we go out of there as fast as we could, got back in the car, and Matthew fell right asleep. Once we get close to Ocean Springs, he wakes up again, FUSSY...but it is dinner time, so we get some Wendy's and finally make it home.
This past Friday my sister had a baby boy, Tucker James McDaniel, 7 lbs, 10 ozs
Later that day I got the news that they had to take Tucker to Tupelo because he was having trouble breathing, so of course we are all worried and ready to get there. As soon as Paul got off work, we headed that way and got to West Point about 10, too late to go visit. Garnett had to stay in West Point, and Jarrod went with Tucker to Tupelo. So Saturday Thomas and I go visit Garnett for a little while. She was doing really well. Her Dr. allowed her to go home Saturday afternoon to get better rest so she could go visit Tucker in Tupelo on Sunday. Well, I started not feeling well on the way down, but I thought I was just run down, tired, and worried. I had a terrible headache and sore throat. I started running fever Saturday around lunch. We asked her doctor if I needed to leave, and of course he said yes, but he did call me in a zpack. So about 3:30, we start loading up the car again for another long car ride with 2 under 2. We finally make it back to Gulfport around 9:30, put the boys down, and unload the car again. My fever started to go up. It got up to 102.8, so I am really glad that we did come back. The doctor told me if I wasn't better, then to go to the ER. So I go the ER this morning around 6 to get tested for strep, which came back negative, but he still treated me for it anyway, so I got a penicillin shot.
I am feeling better now, but still had some fever today, Tucker is doing great and should be able to come home Tuesday!! Garnett got to go spend the day with him today, so what a wonderful Mother's Day gift! Life is so precious, and in spite of all our craziness that we encounter on a daily basis these days, I know that we are all so blessed to have our children, husbands, Mothers, Fathers, sisters, and brothers that love each other! Happy Mother's Day to my mom, Mrs. Cindy, Mimi, Garnett, Megan, and every one else who is a mother! I hope you got to enjoy this day with your family.
And Paul just told me Thomas had 101 fever! Guess he got what I have. Always something!