Easter 2013

I know this was a month ago, but just had to share...

My sweet babies were so excited to get a little treat from the Easter Bunny!

SURPRISE!!! :)

Elmo was a big hit!

So excited about his new toy fruit that he can "cut up!"

No so sure about the ears! LOL

Loved his Velcro fruit that he could cut like Momma and Daddy do!

The puzzles were Liam's favorite!!! :)

I hope you all had a fantastic Easter with your families! We had a great Easter service at church, and were certainly feeling blessed.  God is so good!

Sesame Street Live!!!

Connor's Mamaw and Papaw got him tickets to see Elmo Live for Easter!!! Now, if you've been following our blog, then you know that Connor is, without a doubt, the BIGGEST ELMO FAN EVER!!! Seriously, like EVER! So this was kinda a big deal! lol So, along with Aunt Jill and his cousin Tyler, we loaded up and traveled to the Brown Theatre in downtown Louisville. The boys were beyond excited!!!

Someone was really excited for the show to start!!!

The theatre was gorgeous!!!

We had to get in a cheesy photo with Momma before the show!

Mesmerized!!! 

 He LOVED every minute!! Really... he didn't sit down the entire time! lol

Clapping for Elmo!

Trying to inch closer and closer to the stage... lol!

Someone was out like a light  before we even got out of the parking garage!!!

I call that a fun and successful trip!! :)

BTW, Big Bird is now a permanent member of the family. He and Connor's large stuffed Elmo both have to be tucked in at bedtime with him.  It's a little crowded! Haha!!

April is Autism Awareness Month!! :)

Did you know that April is Autism Awareness Month?  Autism has played a major role in my life for almost 18 years now.  My sweet niece, Ginny, was diagnosed with autism as a toddler and has been such a blessing to our lives. ( BTW I can't believe she is going to be 18 this year!!!! ) To be perfectly honest, I had never even heard the word "autism" until our family was going through her evaluation and eventual diagnosis.  I was only 11 at the time, but it was completely new to us all.  Little did we know that God had big plans for our family.  He truly blessed us with our sweet girl, and we are all changed for the the better because of her.  Ginny is my reason for pursuing a special education degree.  Much of my education centered around teaching children with autism.  I have such a special place in my heart for my students who are on the autism spectrum.

We love you, Ginny!!!

Our sweet Ginny and her brother, Ryan.

My Little Liam is 11 Months Old!!! Already??

How can it be that my BABY is about to turn 1?!?!?!  Babies sure don't stay babies for long! :(  Liam, you are the sweetest, happiest, and most adorable baby boy and we have just LOVED every moment of the last 11 months! We are so blessed to be able to watch you learn and grow each day (even though I wish time would SLOW DOWN... haha!)

I know I'm a tad biased since I am your Momma, 

but you are without a doubt the CUTEST 11 month old EVER!!!

Those cheeks!!!

I can't believe you were once smaller than Mr. Monkey! 

Oh, how much you've grown!

Momma won't mind one bit if you decide to slow down and take your time growing up!! ;)

 Here's a few things we are loving this month...

(because it'd be impossible to list them all!)

• You are pulling up to standing on EVERYTHING! :)
• You will walk if we hold onto your hands!!! You are SO BIG!
• You LOVE to get into anything and everything! ;)
• You love to crawl under things... especially the kitchen table! lol
• You are a Momma's boy! If Momma walks by you and doesn't stop to pick you up, you certainly object!!
• If we hold you up to a light switch, you can turn it on and off!!
• You officially have tubes in your ears!!! Hopefully you are a healthy boy from here on out! :)
• You absolutely LOVE food! You are wanting milk less and less.  
• You talk constantly and it is soooooooo cute! You have little conversations with us and tell us all kinds of stories, even though we don't understand any of it! lol  We can definitely make out "ma-ma," and "da-da," though!! Yay!!!
• You are almost in 18 month clothing.  Most of it is a little big, but your 12 month clothing is getting a tad snug.  
• You LOVE to go for rides on your train or in our Cozy Coupe Car!! You have the biggest smile on your face every time!
• You are crawling up on your hands and knees!!!!!!!!!!!!! No more army crawl for our big boy!!
• You are slowly starting to eat table foods!! :)
• You REFUSE to go to sleep on your own in your bed!! You cry and cry for momma when we lay you down. You are such a turkey!!  lol  Momma can't stand to let you cry, so I always go get you and rock you!! We'll get there one day! ;)
• You have the cutest little chipmunk cheeks that I absolutely can't get enough of!!!
• You are Mr. Social! You LOVE getting tons of attention from anyone and everyone!
• You like to follow your brother around and go after his toys! He's not a huge fan of that! lol
• You are the sweetest, happiest, and most lovable 11 month old we know! We just can't get enough of you!

Here's a few of our favorite moments with you this month...

Playing under the table! :)

You pull up on everything... including Momma!

Such a cute little cheese-er!

More pulling up to standing!! :)

In the car one day, you pulled off your sock just so you could chew on your toes! lol

You could hear Connor in there getting a bath, and you wanted in sooooooo bad! LOL

Momma's little laundry helper! You LOVED the basket! :)

Taking a ride before ear surgery!!

Dada caught you on camera pulling up to standing for the first time!! :)

We love you so much, Liam! Happy 11 months, sweet boy! We can't wait to see what all you have in store for us next month!  It will be so bittersweet to see you turn one!!! It is such a sweet moment, but also so sad to have your baby year behind us! Nevertheless, you are a wonderful blessing and we are so lucky that God gave you to our family! WE LOVE YOU!!!

Connor's 32 months!!!

Oh, Connor! How are you growing up so fast??  I have to say that you are such a special blessing and your daddy and I just LOVE you so much!  As I'm writing this, you are laying in your bed, and I can hear you singing, "5 little monkeys sitting in tree, teasing Mr. Alligator, "Can't catch me! Can't catch me!" Along comes Mr. Alligator, and SNAP!!! 4 little monkeys..."  I can't help but smile!!! (Even though you should be asleep!!! lol) You are the cutest 2 year old we have ever met!  Each day you amaze us as we watch you learn and grow!  Here's a few of our favorites from this month:

• You completely shocked me in the car one day by pointing to a stop sign and saying, "Octagon!" WHAT?!?! lol
• You have discovered Play-doh and LOVE it!

  

  Big Smiles!!

• We bought you a doctor kit, and now you talk about how Elmo is sick and needs a shot.  ;)

• 

  Poor Elmo! lol  I love how you are wearing your Dr. Love shirt too!!

• You are in a big Elmo kick again.  You are always wanting to play with Elmo or watch Elmo on tv or the ipad.
• We are going to see ELMO LIVE!!!! Your mamaw and papaw bought you and Tyler tickets for your Easter present! We are sooooooooooooo excited to go!!! :)
• When your friends are upset, you have started patting them on the back and saying, "Aww, it's okay!" So sweet!
• You have some moments where you are not as fond of your baby brother... we're working on that one! LOL  It doesn't help that he wants EVERY toy you pick up! Haha!
• You talk NON-STOP! lol and I love every minute of it!
• You are Mr. Social. You have to say hi and bye to EVERYONE! :)  You are soooooooooo adorable when you do it, too!
• You were a little leery of "moon dough" when momma first made it for you, but now you LOVE it!  It is super messy, but also super fun!

  

  Moon Dough FUN!!

• You are really into dinosaurs at the moment. So fun!
• You can't get enough of Elmo... Elmo's World, Elmo apps on the ipad, Elmo toys, Elmo clothes, Elmo stuffed animals, Elmo plates and utensils... ELMO, ELMO, ELMO!! :)

My sweet, smart boy!

You are the most adorable, lovable, energetic, and fun toddler we know! We love you so much and just can't get enough of you! We are so blessed to be your parents and thank God for you every. single. day. 

We love you to the moon and back an infinite number of times!

Happy 32 months, Sweet Boy!!!

10 months!

You have been SOOOOO sick with the worst ear infection EVER!!!

See...my poor baby, you were burning up with fever in this pic! :(

We spent 4 hours at the doctor's office that Sunday trying to nurse you back to health!

BUT...   My sweet Liam, I can't believe you are already 10 months old!!! It is already time to start thinking about your very FIRST birthday party!!! I have the BEST theme in mind for you! ;)

Look how much you've grown!!!

Here's all that we are loving about you this month...

• You are into EVERYTHING! :)
• You are pulling up on EVERYTHING! Thus, your first *real* boo boo! :(  I think it hurts Momma more than you!
• You have figured out how to go from your belly to sitting!
• It's time to lower your crib mattress!!
• You wave at EVERYONE! It is beyond adorable.
• You think your big brother is the most fascinating person in the whole world.  You get so excited every time you see him.
• You eat puffs like they're going out of style.
• You are really interested in exploring everything around you.
• You are Mr. Social.  You have to be in the middle of everything.  If you hear people having a conversation in another room, you are immediately on your way there.
• You love to listen to books.
• You LOVE our play kitchen.
• You are having surgery in 3 weeks to have tubes put in your ears.  Hopefully this brings you some much needed relief. You have been soooooooo sick from ear infections lately, and it breaks my heart to see you so sick.
• If I hide something under a blanket from you, you can find it! :)
• You love peek-a-boo!
• If I ask you if I can have the toy you are holding, you will put it in my hand! :) So sweet! (But you usually don't let it go!) Haha!
• You LOVE cuddles with Momma before bed each night.  Momma LOVES those cuddles too! I hope you will always let your Momma love on you!
• You are the HAPPIEST baby EVER! You are always smiling, even when you are sick! You brighten the lives of everyone around you! You are such a special boy, whom we all love so much!

Here's some more of our favorites of you this month...

Always smiling :)

Case and point.  INTO EVERYTHING! LOL

My little reader! (We'll make sure the book isn't upside down next time ;) lol!)

You two were playing so nicely! Connor was reading aloud his book and you were playing tunes for us! :)

Happy 10 months, sweet boy!

We love you to the moon and back an infinite number of times!

Love,

Momma

~31 months~

M baby boy is 31 months old!!!  Connor, here is what we are just LOVING about you this month...

• You are working hard on potty training! We are >< this close!
• You love going to the library with me to check out books.  We read them together each night.
• You are into coloring.  You love it when Momma or Daddy colors with you.  You like to name each color and then look up at us to see if you are right! LOL
• You are really into games this month.  You LOVE playing hide and seek and peek-a-boo!  You even try to get your baby brother in on the action.
• You are a SPONGE.  You are learning so much each and every day.  At least once a day, I think, "Wow! That's new!"
• You press the garage door button and close the doors or us each and every time we leave or come to the house.  You think it's your job! lol
• You are all about daddy playing songs for you on the guitar!
• You are so cute when you sing.  You like to sing 5 little Monkeys, Ba Baa Black Sheep, ABCs, Row Row Row Your Boat, and much, much more.
• You now say, "See ya!" When someone leaves or says bye to you! LOL
• You have learned all of your teacher's names at school and have to say bye to each one by name as we are leaving! lol
• You LOVE playing with your cousin Tyler and ask to go play with him all the time.  You two do so well together!
• You are signed up for soccer!! We are so excited for you! You practiced with Daddy a little this week and are really getting the hang of it! We just have to get better at not picking up the ball with your hands! haha!
• Every time we get in the car you ask to go to Mamaw's house to "see Mamaw" and "see Papaw" and even "see Tyler!" 
• You love to dance.
• You are getting soooooo good at following directions.  It makes you see so grown up!
• You are a helper.  At school, you like to go get your friends belonging for them when they are leaving, you help Momma out if I drop something, and when Liam loses his paci you go get it and put it back in his mouth! You are the sweetest!
• You are a little performer too! You like to show off your skills... counting, naming the alphabet, pointing out objects and people you know and then look at us to see if when get excited for you! LOL  When we clap for you and say, "Yay!!!!" you join in with us! lol  You are such a turkey!

Your first ever Valentines for your friends at school!!! :)

It's too bad you missed your first party at school!! :(

You and Liam were both home with the flu!!!

We still dressed up though... paging Dr. Love!! ;)

My sweet boy!!!

Showing off your Mr. Potato Head masterpiece!

Fun times... eating snacks and watching Elmo's World with your best buddy!

We LOVE you soooooooooo much, Connor!  You are such a blessing to our lives and our little family! We can't believe how fast you are growing up, but we love watching you learn and grow each day!  You are so sweet, and so much FUN! We love you to the moon and back an infinite number of times!