More Random Thoughts

1. I've been saying this for a few weeks now, but Nathan is so close to walking.

He can walk holding one hand and run holding two hands. He can toddle along behind a toy.

But no baby steps yet. He just needs a little courage. But who doesn't?

2. Confession? Today I'm wearing an outfit that I wore when I was 9-some-odd months pregnant with Nathan. I need to pack it away deep in the basement somewhere so I'll stop wearing it already. SCA-RY, but so comfy, and it's that kind of a day. I may even go out in public.

3. It's not a million degrees today. Brooke and I played basketball, of all things, for 30 whole minutes. That's roughly 4 hours in toddler-attention-span time.

4. Hey, Brooke! Be a ballerina!



Loving this.

5. One of my favorite baby boy outfits is overalls with no shirt underneath. Cool, easy and cute. Definitely a look you can't get away with past the age of 5 unless you're going for a Deliverance kind of thing. So if you see a disheveled blond woman around town carrying a little Tom Sawyer-looking baby, that's us. Don't be scared, come over and say hi. :-)

Ballerina Girl

This week Brooke and I started a Mommy & Me ballet class together!

I am in heaven! I danced for several years growing up, so it's exciting to watch Brooke dance, too.

We dressed her up in tiny little pink tights and a tiny black leotard.



We filled up the little dance bag I bought before she could even sit up.


Off to dance class we went!


Sitting and waiting for class to begin, it occurred to me that the class could be really good or it could be really bad. Three-year-olds have a one-minute attention span, if you're lucky.

The class was awesome! It was pretty obvious that the ballet teacher had taught many a three-year-old. There were tons of songs and activities. Class ended with a big "bear hunt" which included a cave (crawl-through tunnel), a tree to climb (a big wedge) and a field to walk through (a balance beam).

Brooke almost cried when we had to leave.

My ballerina girl and I had such a good time together.

Daddy Date Night (by: Guest Blogger Daddy)

This is a first for me. I'm "guest blogging" for Amy. Oh, the pressure. You all are used to cute pictures and my wife's witty writing. What in the world could I possibly talk about? The Cardinals? Mizzou Football?

How about Brooke's very first movie-theater movie and my very first date with her? We saw Toy Story 3 in 3-D. It was awesome. Popcorn? Check. Whoppers? Check. $4 drink? Check. 3-D glasses? Check. Twenty-three dollars for two 3-D movie tickets?!? Check. And gulp.

I wasn't sure if she would a.)sit through the entire thing, b.) not talk loudly through the movie and c.) need to go potty during the best part. But she did fantastic. She put the glasses on and sat, mesmerized, from beginning to end.

And she loved it. Which means I loved it, too. She hasn't stopped talking about Woody, Buzz Lightyear and Jessie since we got home.

If your hubby hasn't taken your little girl out for a date night lately, I would encourage him to do so. It's pretty awesome. What's our next date night going to be? Maybe that Cardinals game or Mizzou football game...

Thanksgiving in July

Why wait for Thanksgiving?

Here are some things I'm thankful for right now, at this very moment:

The last cupcake.

A silent baby monitor.

Freshly-cut bangs, piggy tails and peanut butter and jelly for two.

A really good Thursday morning Bible study.

And awesome, wise women to share it with.

And sweet ladies to love on my babies so I can be a part of it.

Soybeans in the backyard.

And these guys.

Just to name a few.

Happy Birthday Nate! (Yes, Another Birthday Post)

This weekend we had Nathan's party!

I've never been much on planning events or hosting parties...until kids. Did you know you can make an almost-three-year-old sublimely happy by spending 8 bucks on balloons? You can. Add a couple of Thomas shirts, some cake and two sets of grandparents and it's the child-equivalent of winning the lottery. I like having that kind of power.

I planned a Thomas theme because it's boyish and because Brooke loves Thomas. I'm sure Nathan will, too, when he's old enough to care about things like that. He'd better, considering the small fortune we've spent on trains and such, and then there's the ginormous train table in my dining room... Anyway, we bought balloons, set up trains and tracks on the dining room table as a centerpiece, and did some chalk-art on the driveway.



The grandparents came over Saturday morning. Should we make homemade ice cream? Yes, please!


Then we grilled out. What did I serve? Nathan's hot dogs, of course!

I'm quite the gourmet, I know. But who doesn't like hot dogs? (Does that say 15 grams of fat?!? Sheesh.)

Next up was the cake, courtesy of my mom.


You MUST have a special little cake for the guest of honor at a first birthday party. It's a rule. How cute is this one?


And now, ladies and gentlemen. Drum roll, please. Watch as the baby obliterates the cake and literally hundreds of pictures are taken in a 5-minute time period...

Don't forget to share...

Awww...

Brooke relived her first birthday (and second and probably third).


And now for the presents. Brooke was dying to open them and Nathan couldn't have cared less, so it all worked out fine.

Thank goodness we got some more toys. We were dangerously close to being able to clear a path through our living room. :-) Kidding. These were some seriously happy kids and we appreciate every bit of it.

I made a video of Nathan's first year. After gifts, we all sat down together and watched it. I gave DVDs of the video as party favors. Click here to see it.

Later on, dinner and off to the park.



And then we were all totally and completely exhausted.

It was a perfect day. Really, I thought it was absolutely perfect. The kids had a blast, and I think the grown-ups did, too. They have the best grandparents ever. I think they're already starting to figure that out.

Thank you all!!

Happy Birthday Nathan!

My baby is one.

This is the video I made to play at his party. It's a little mushy...said the girl with an entire blog devoted to her children that cues up sappy music every time you open it. So be warned.

But, I think mushy is allowed. It's official: my little baby isn't such a little baby anymore. (Sniff, sniff)

Be sure to click the play/pause button on the I-pod on the left of the screen before playing the video. Otherwise, sappy music overload!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Random Thoughts

1. For some reason, Brooke has taken to calling me "Gus" lately. Gus is the chubby, not-so-bright mouse from Cinderella. Scot thinks it's hilarious. It's giving me a complex.

2. I have been playing around with photo editing lately. It can waste an entire hour before you even know it. Where are the kids and what are they doing? I don't know, but check out this picture I took of a swan at the park:

Original

After



Cool, huh?

3. On a related note, I am really getting interested in photography. "Interested" meaning I would like to learn. I'm not sure how to get going, though. I think I could (maybe?) teach myself a lot using the internet. If anyone knows anything about this topic or has a camera suggestion, I am all ears.

4. I downloaded some awesome praise music the other day by Travis Cottrell. His "In Christ Alone" is amazing, I highly recommend.

5. Nathan's party is in a few days, and I am so excited I can hardly stand it! We're having the grandparents over for a little BBQ. Nathan is just about to walk. I know enough this time around to enjoy having a non-walker, but how great would it be if he started by this weekend??

6. This sentence has come out of my mouth twice today: "Brooke, stop riding Nathan!!!"

7. Nathan had his one-year checkup today. He's 34 inches tall, which puts him above the 99th percentile. That means that if there are 100 babies...well, I don't know what it means, but he's tall. Pretty much knew that going in.

That's all. Bye!

A Year Ago Today

...I looked like this.

My family looked like this.


And then we looked like this.


I got up early that morning. Really, really early. I couldn't sleep. The combination of being 9 months pregnant and knowing you're going to have a baby in the morning will do that to you.

The c-section was cake. They got the IV in on the first try (it took 9 TIMES with Brooke!) and the surgery prep went quickly. Before I knew it I was lying on the operating table waiting for Scot to come in. We looked at each other and tried to talk but we were both just too nervous, waiting for our baby.

I don't know when women typically bond with their babies, but for me it's at the first cry. Everything is a little surreal up until that point, and no number of ultrasounds or baby kicks changes that. I waited to hear Nathan. I felt lots of pressure, like my lungs would burst. Scot held my hand.

Hearing Nathan's cry was one of the two most amazing moments in my life. Nathan cried. I cried. I loved him instantly with the same fierce, mama-bear love I have for his sister.

Amazing.

He was 8 pounds, 11 ounces and 21 inches long.

I got to see Nathan very briefly in the operating room before the nurses took him out. I went to recovery and wouldn't get to see him again for another hour. A clock on the wall slowly ticked the minutes away. Both of our families were there and came in one by one to see me and give me updates.

Finally, the hour was up and we got to know our boy.

Happy first birthday, Nathan!


Love, me