2nd Kid Syndrome

I get it now...

totally understand second kid syndrome!

less pictures,

less focus,

less praise for milestones met...

and Carter is the second kid!

Heres a little update on whats going on in his little world

a week and a half ago (on my birthday) HE GOT HIS FIRST TOOTH! no pictures yet because that little chomper hurts like the dickens and I am not willing to sacrifice a finger just for photographic evidence!

HE WANTS TO CRAWL SO BADLY! He is constantly up on all fours, rocking back and forth. To go after something he wants he'll get up on all fours, then propel himself forward, belly flop and then push up to all fours again... each belly flop gains him about 4 inches or so... not to mention 4 more minutes of indigestion

we're on baby food 3 times a day and he loves it. so far the only thing hes not feeling are the carrots and green beans but if the veggies are mixed with a fruit he'll chow down

along those same lines, I'm still nursing since hes not a fan of the bottle but aforementioned tooth might be just the kick in the butt, urg, bite on the youknowwhat, that it takes to get me to really wean

and yes, I need to take Carter to the Picture People to do some pictures of just him (figure I'll need to do the same with a visit to the Easter Bunny) now that he can SIT UP ON HIS OWN for about 15 seconds. Need to get something to document it -ala Grant's infamous falling Kevlar pic-

Spring Smiles

I took the boys up to Portrait Innovations last week (not our beloved Picture People since they are so far away) and Carter decided to be just like his Daddy... he was all happy and smiling UNTIL the camera came out, then the tears started. She did manage to capture ONE smile from Carter and luckily Grant wasn't doing the "CHEESE" face in it, so I took it and ran. The photographer was nice enough about it and when we got to the viewing portion of the experience she said "I'm not even going to give you the whole spiel on the packages because I know theres really just that one picture"... guess thats how you know that there wasn't much to work with. oh well, spring 2011 faces were captured in front of a white background: mission accomplished!

Circle Time

This was the scene a couple of nights ago:

instead of sleeping, Grant decided to have circle time with every.single.one of his toys inside his tent... just think of it as his own personal circle of trust. He wasn't too happy that he got busted but was proud to show off his work!

Psych-ick

I should be a Psych experiment for someone...

I mean there should be some kind of scientific experiment to see:

how long it takes someone to go crazy

when they see this in their front hallway all day, every day, for 3 days

but have only seen or talked to the person it belongs to for a total of 3 hours

over the course of said three days... I'm just sayin'

okay, back to being a sane, supportive, non-whiny person for a while!

Word of Warning

WORD OF WARNING

if you like this stuff:

do not, I repeat, DO NOT run out to your nearest Target and get this:

you'll end up with a tummy ache and visions of you looking like a huffalump in Kate's bridesmaids dress will be dancing in your head...

I'm just sayin'

The Joys of Being an Army Wife

I saw a saw a list of these online today and had a good laugh, there are tons but I picked out a few of my favorites that really hit close to home today

You know you're an Army wife when...

...you know that a 4 month separation IS short, no matter what your civilian friends say

...you only write in pencil because everything is subject to change

...you are referred to as Household6 and know what it means
... you can read a packing list better than he can, you can probably pack it faster too

...you curse the invention of velcro because several pairs of your best underwear were ‘accidently’ thrown into the washer with his uniforms and have now become imbedded as part of the camoflage

...you celebrate your wedding anniversary with a 5 minute phone call

...you watch the nightly news for while holding your breath, knowing it affects your loved one

...you defend your lifestyle no matter how bad things get because you know there's no other life for you!

Happy Birthday to ME

"Why Mothers Cry"

I signed on to post these pictures of the boys from today... nothing was on the calendar, no big life event, just pictures of the boys as we do what we do best get through each day, hopefully with a smile or two along the way

...and then I got a text from Patty...

a close family friend of theirs, of ours, lost her daughter today.

I pray that I will never know that kind of hurt and that kind of loss. I've been replaying the Steel Magnolias scene over and over in my head when M'Lynn is burying Shelby and a friend tries to comfort her with the words, "Shelby is with her King now." and she just yells, "I understand that in my head, but would somebody please explain it to my heart!"

Its not fitting enough, I don't know if I have words that are but this poem came through my inbox a few days ago and gave me pause so I'll just share it here:

"Why are you crying?" he asked his mom.
"Because I'm a mother," she told him.
"I don't understand," he said.
His mom just hugged him and said, "You never will!"
Later the little boy asked his father why Mother
seemed to cry for no reason.
"All mothers cry for no reason," was all his dad could say.
The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering
why mothers cry. So he finally put in a call to God, and
when God got on the phone the man said,
"God, why do mothers cry so easily?"
God said, "You see son, when I made mothers they had
to be special. I made their shoulders strong enough to
carry the weight of the world, yet gently enough to give
comfort. I gave them an inner strength to endure childbirth
and the rejection that many times come from their children."
"I gave them a hardiness that allows them to keep going
when everyone else gives up, and to take care of their
families through sickness and fatigue without complaining."
"I gave them the sensitivity to love their children under all
circumstances, even when their child has hurt them very
badly. This same sensitivity helps them to make a child's boo-boo
feel better and helps them share a teenager's anxieties and fears."
"I gave them a tear to shed. It's theirs exclusively to use whenever
it's needed. It's their only weakness. It's a tear for mankind."
...Author Unknown

so if you're a mom, hug your kids a little tighter tonight, and if you pray lift one up for Kathy!

Lucky Valentine

I am one lucky girl! Valentines day was spent with Geoff getting off work early and the entire family having one heck of a nap, it was GLORIOUS. sometimes its the little things and being snuggled with my 3 boys all snoring away was the best gift ever.

Carter's Big Day

We had a fabulous weekend celebrating Carter's baptism with wonderful family. It was one of those weekends when you get to Monday and say "man, that was one heck of a weekend" and I can honestly say that I loved every second of it

Here are some of the snapshots from after the service Sunday. Carter was a champ and a dream through the entire service, he got a little whimper at the actual water moment but cheered right up after he got to towel off his head.

....Carter with his Godparents Kate and Jim.....Mom getting in some cuddling...... Patty and Doug with the Grandboys...... Mary Lynn and John came down from Richmond to add to the fun ..... Grant with his Godparents Brian and Katie..... if you ever wondered what to call your co-Godparent, its Godspouse, ours are all crazy and the boys are so lucky!

Quite Unique

Groupon meets Etsy... yes please!

Theres a new site starting up thats going to be live Groupon, Living Social and all of those Deal of the Day sites, except this one is going to be for homemade, one of a kind things, I am SO excited!

Wanna sign up? http://www.quiteunique.com/signup/r1239004/ :o)

Grant and the Artosauras

Reason #987,982,634,923,642,934 why I love this kid!

Grant has the GREATEST IMAGINATION

Here's a video from art time. There is a dinosaur in the middle with a fish for him to eat in the bottom left, then Grant will explain the rest...

note: he has this new thing where he asks "what'd you just say" or "say what you said again" except hes not necessarily looking for the last thing you said so it gets frustrating because you cant figure out what he wants to hear, and he gets frustrated because you don't understand

also, sorry for the snotty nose, just keeping it real

Painting the Artosauras from Laura on Vimeo.