6-months-old

This cutie pie is 6-months-old today! He is soooo sweet and cuddly and we all love him like crazy.

Moving:
Jacob is on the go. He scoots himself backwards all over the living room floor and spins himself around to grab various toys. (Legos and all other small game pieces have been sequestered to the dining room.)

Eating:
Jacob loves food. So far he is eating the following with gusto: rice cereal, avocados, bananas, pears, apples, sweet potatoes. He has tried carrots and wasn't fond of the texture so we'll wait a bit and try them again soon. He got the hang of a spoon after just a couple of weeks and sits with mouth open awaiting the next bite. He also lets me know when he is full by turning his head away and trying to fling himself backwards out of his seat.

Talking:
Jacob is much more of a talker than Joseph was. He is always trying out a new sound. He clicks his tongue, blows raspberries and makes fun dinosaur screeches. (to which Joseph usually responds, "really Jacob?!" He also makes a sound that sounds quite a bit like "hi." hmmmmmmm

Teething:
We have 1 adorable pearly white tooth visible on the bottom. Another tooth is trying to push its way in beside it. This is not yet so adorable.

Sleeping:
The teething has made nighttime a little less sleep friendly. Jacob was sleeping between 10 and 11 hours at night. For the past month we have been up at least once almost every night. However, he has slept through the night again for the past two nights. yay!

We do not go to the doctor for 2 more weeks . . and then Jacob & Joseph will both be going. We'll be taking daddy along as both boys will be getting shots. :( We will post an update with both boys' stats then!

4 years old

Today Joseph is 4! It's been a big year for him.

When he finally decided he was ready to be potty trained the process was a breeze. We went from 100% diapers to 100% big boy underwear (naps, bedtime and everything!).

He became a big brother this year and loves, loves, loves his little brother. He talks daily about what he and Jacob will do when Jacob gets bigger.

He loves to learn and we spend a lot of time talking about days of the week, the date, calendars, the time, clocks, etc. He loves going to school and is developing friendships. He has known all of his letters, colors and shapes for quite awhile and is now practicing writing his letters and numbers. He loves to count and does great . . usually getting lost somewhere between 30 and 40.

Joseph can recognize and spell several words. We go to the library and he loves to pick out books and help me read them. He also loves to get on the computer and instant message daddy. He can type "Joseph" and "hi daddy" all by himself. Using letters from his ABC puzzle he will spell out "men" and "cars." He can also read the days of the week and a few other short words such as "baby" and "stop."

We talk a lot about things that are scary. Baby monitors were scary. Especially when he found the one still hidden in his room. He no longer has a monitor and he no longer thinks that Baby Jacob's monitor is scary. But we talk about it not being scary a lot. We also talk about the smoke detectors not being scary. Especially because the green light is on and "that is ok but if the red light is on that means there is a fire and then daddy will come get me really fast and we'll get out of the house really fast because there would be a fire and that would be really bad news." I hope he never has to learn that there's a really horrible noise that goes along with that red light.

We are working on learning Bible verses. Joseph has "The ABC Bible Verse Book." He especially likes the verse "Be ye kind one to another" because on that page it has a picture of two children sharing a cookie. Joseph would love to share a cookie several times a day. We're working on other practical ways to implement that verse.

Joseph has traveled a lot this past year. He has been to Tennessee, Indiana and South Carolina. He loved going back to the beach and visiting our church in Charleston and he loved spending time with his grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.

He loves to build things and will spend hours with his Legos.

Joseph would love for his hands to always be clean but his toys to always be in a big heap in his room. He would like to get the milk out of the refrigerator by himself, open the car door (garage door, etc.) by himself, play on the computer by himself. . . . but will sometimes become a piece of spaghetti when you want him to dress himself.

Joseph has a great sense of humor and is figuring out how to play jokes on his parents. He loves to tease and has a great smile and laugh. He still loves to snuggle and is quick to give a hug and kiss (especially to his brother).

Joseph still loves to sing and dance and spontaneous dance parties are known to break out in our living room at any moment of the day.

He loves to color, water paint, finger paint and make snakes with playdough. He loves to draw with sidewalk chalk on the patio in the back yard. He loves to use scissors and cut up papers into teeny tiny little pieces of confetti. He loves to run and jump and spin in circles.

Joseph has his own ideas about how things should happen and, even though his ideas don't always line up with ours, we love seeing how his developing mind is processing things.

We love our 4-year-old boy and all the joy he brings to our family!!!!

more cupcakes

Joseph took these cupcakes to school with him today for his class.

4th Birthday Party

Today we had Joseph's 4th birthday party at The Wonder Place with a few friends from school and church. He had a great time and I was so proud when he stood up after opening his presents and said: (very clearly) "thank you everybody for coming to my birthday party!" He had a great time playing with all his friends, painting his car craft, eating and opening his presents. Thank you to all of his sweet friends for celebrating with him!The staff had this great sign welcoming Joseph and his party guests. (how did they know how much he loves Cars?!)The kiddos had so much fun exploring all the various playthings in the different themed sections.For snacks we had heart & dinosaur shaped PB&J sandwiches, bananas and goldfish crackers for the kids. For the adults: veggie tray and tortellini with pesto/cream cheese dip. The Wonder Place provided all the paper products and juice boxes.The theme we picked from the list was "Things that Go" so I made these road sign cupcakes.
The kids got to paint these great wooden cars and take them home with them.Joseph colored all the treat bags and we went shopping this week for goodies to put inside.

so today

I found two cards given to us with wedding presents that were just floating around aimlessly in a drawer. Yes - I obviously moved them from Nashville to Charleston (in 3 different homes) and then to Little Rock. I also found Joseph's 1st and 3rd birthday cards.

Someday hopefully everything will be where it belongs. Until then, I'll just keep those scrapbooking supplies handy.

8 days

. . . until we have a 4-year old in the house. Aunt Alissa brought some presents from the Swearingen family with her this weekend. We let Joseph open one this morning.
It was a set of 6 Cars games/puzzles from Uncle Travis & Aunt Aftin. Joseph quickly decided that he wanted to play Bingo (a game he learned at Papa's & Nana's recently) and this is what has been happening the rest of the morning.

BzzAgent

I am a Bzz Agent.

A couple of years ago I was told about this wonderful marketing agency. As a Bzz Agent I get invited to try campaigns in which I get free items or coupons for free items. I try them, get friends to try them and then submit reviews and take surveys about the item. In the past I've received free Uncrustables, Starbucks coffee and Ziplock containers to name a few.

I was recently invited to join the Elmer's Craft Bond campaign. And on Saturday I received this box!
I haven't been as avid a "scrapbooker" as I used to be (aside from online scrapbooking) but I think this may motivate me to get back into it a little! I can't wait to try these things out.

our weekend

This weekend Christopher's sister, Alissa, came to visit us. She recently finished her surgery residency in Phoenix and has moved back to Nashville to practice. We are so glad she was able to come spend some time with us before starting her job! We had a really wonderful and relaxing weekend - eating, watching football, eating, playing with babies . . . and eating. :)

Friday evening Christopher made Tomato Cream Pasta. This is one of my favorite Italian dishes that he makes and it is probably Joseph's favorite meal of all time. He almost always asks for seconds. As an appetizer I made focaccia bread with a carmelized onion topping.

Saturday morning Christopher made a Frittata which we enjoyed with some yummy chocolate chip banana bread. In the afternoon Christopher's boss and his daughter joined us for football and snacks: mango salsa and proscuitto-wrapped gouda ebelskivers.
On Sunday we went for brunch on the river at Bosco's. It was a beautiful morning and perfect for sitting on the patio and enjoying the breezes. We also took Alissa on a scenic drive of Little Rock. In the evening we decided to put the rest of the proscuitto-wrapped gouda to good use so I made homemade ravioli. After we ran out of the meat and cheese, I filled the rest with homemade pesto and then also made a pesto cream sauce for it. So yummy!

There are additional pictures from our weekend but most of them involve Joseph wearing his Halloween costume (which he is in total love with) so those pics will have to wait for later!

big boy - little toys

I think I've mentioned before how Joseph has had a renewed interest in all of his baby toys that we have recently gotten out of storage for Jacob's use. Here is just some more proof. He needed a little help in getting out once he fit himself in there.

Chick-fil-A date

It was time for Joseph to get another haircut so this morning we headed to Crewcuts & Pigtails. Joseph loves to play with the trains there (even though he has his own train table at home), the suckers and picking something out of the treasure chest (notice the green plastic watch). We followed that up with some lunch and playtime at Chick-fil-A. Joseph & Jacob were great dates for mama this morning.

giggles

apparently it's very hard for me to hold the camera steady while making funny faces. sorry about the shaking! :)

More organizing

We've lived in our house for two weeks shy of a year now. . . and we're still unpacking and getting settled. I feel like we've made great strides and then I look around and see so much more that we want to do. I almost always have an organizational project going . . . and lists. I have lots of lists. I have a list of things that need to be done and the order in which to do them. I have a list of sewing projects and building projects and purchasing projects.

Some things are little. Like the fireplace screen. We had the screen in Charleston and had it bolted to the floor in front of the gas heater to keep little Joseph away from danger. Now we have it sitting in front of our fireplace. Joseph is big enough not to bother it but with our new little one on the move, we needed to secure it somehow. After a family trip to Home Depot on Saturday, we found just the thing and Christopher installed it. Another weekend project consisted of finally putting up curtains in the dining room. Interestingly enough, there have been two things we have been unable to find since moving into our house. I knew they had to be here somewhere but could not figure out where they could be. When Christopher opened up the plastic bin where I had all the curtain hanging accessories he found both of the items!

And a few weeks ago I tackled the boys' clothes. I had moved all of them in vacuumed storage bags but that wasn't so convenient for easy access. So I got out every stitch of clothing and organized it in piles around the nursery. Then I bought plastic bins and labeled them. By the way - have I mentioned how thankful I am for an attic?!!! So now all of the clothing they can wear is organized in their closets and drawers and everything else is in labeled bins in the attic.We also bought 2 additional bins at Home Depot this weekend. (Joseph picked out orange ones. It's his favorite color which just fills his daddy's UT loving-heart with joy.) While most of the boys' clothes will eventually be passed on to other little boys to wear, there are a few items that were given to them that I just can't part with. I wanted to start a "keepsake bin" for each of them. So - another thing off the list!

breakthrough

We had a breakthrough yesterday . . . . of the incisor variety. I could tell that Jacob has been teething for awhile and for the past couple of nights he has woken up several times (yawn). Last evening I finally felt it . . . . the ridges of a tiny little tooth that had broken through on the bottom. So we have one down. . . and 19 more baby teeth to go.

Saturday morning brother love

This morning Joseph was going through his regular routine of loving Jacob in a scattered, smothered, covered, chunked and topped sort of way. I said - "Joseph, won't it be so much fun when Jacob gets bigger and you can play together?" Joseph: "yes. it. is." Me: "you are going to be best friends." Joseph: "yes. we. are."

Mamma Mia!

Last night we were enjoying a quiet evening at home. And then we realized that Mamma Mia! was on. And then a spontaneous dance party broke out. Joseph's Type A personality came out and he directed the Momma/Joseph and Daddy/Joseph dance partner swapping. Notice that Joseph danced the whole time.

phone call

me: "hello"
her: "Hi. I'm calling for Emilie Swearingen."
me: "this is she."
her: "My name is __________ and I'm calling from Publix. We tried to send your son a birthday card and it was returned to us. Can I get your new address so we can resend it to him?"
me: "um, sure. But we've moved and don't live near Publix any more (stifled sob)."
her: "that's ok ma'am. You can still go online for the kid games and activities. And we want your son to get his card."
me: "I love you. I love your store. I miss you soooo much. Can you please, please, please expand to AR?!"

ok - I didn't say that last line. But I thought it.

cute pics of the day

time-out

Red George had to go sit on the Time-Out Step this afternoon. I also heard him getting a very stern lecture on the way to the stairs. Apparently he threw Joseph's blocks on the floor.

it's raining

I'm remembering back to last September when it rained so much we weren't sure our house would be ready on time. Today is the third day in a row of rain here. I am not complaining. I love rain. Especially on days when I can stay home. In my jammies. And it's a welcome break from the 100+ days of August.

Yesterday a package arrived in the mail for Joseph from Aunt Alissa. One of the items it contained was a coloring workbook which included stickers. Joseph loves, loves, loves to wear stickers. But he's also pretty practical. . . . and logical. He took a sticker off the sheet and started to place it on his shirt.

Then he stopped and looked at me . . . "are we staying in our jammies today momma?"
"That sounds like a good idea to me Joseph. Go ahead and put on the stickers."

And so - so far - we are enjoying this rainy day in our jammies. And watching cartoons. And wearing stickers.

interpretting Joseph - again

ooboo: see "boo-boo"

boo-boo [ˈbubu]

1. n.
   an error. (See also make a boo-boo.) : It's only a small boo-boo. Don't stress yourself.
2. n.
   a hurt; a cut; a bruise. : She has a little boo-boo on her knee.

"momma? you have an ooboo? I sorry. I have an ooboo like you."

more baby pics

Scout - snuggling with her daddy.

Jacob going for a walk with Grandpa.

Jacob & Scout - ready for the Notre Dame Game. Jacob shared his hat with Scout as his noggin is too big to wear the hat that came with his 9-month outfit.

Rudy & Buckley were exhausted from all the baby excitement.

Scout Ellen

There have been no posts for the past few days . . . for a very special reason. I have been in Indy visiting my beautiful, precious, brand-new niece! She was born a week ago on Monday and I was so glad I was able to meet her 5 days later. She is so tiny and perfect and I love watching my sister be a momma. I miss her so much already!

September

I got this great little calendar in the $1 aisle at Target recently. (I love that aisle for picking up stickers and other special treats/rewards!) Joseph loves to change the day and numbers on his calendar every day but he was especially excited to change the crayon/month this morning. "It's September momma! That means it's my birthday!!!!!!!!"