Jonas & Nolan get a "Big Boy" Haircut!

This morning, I took the boys to get their second hair cut! I finally came to terms and was willing to let go of the curls! I think they will grow back anyways... so here are the pictures! My boys are growing so fast and I'm just trying to savor every second of them...

The "before" picture- yes, their hair was out of control and this picture was at 7:45am which is early for the boys!

My big boys!

Nolan riding his bike

Jonas being sneaky

My precious boys and their new haircuts

Nolan at bedtime

Free Time!?!

Since my post on putting the boys in daycare, I've had several people asking me know I'm doing with my free time! This got me to thinking....and then realizing- for the first time in 15 months, I actually have free time! Yes, thats right. In the 15 months that I have had the boys, I have never had someone babysit nor have I had Chris watch the boys so I can have "me" time! So I guess its true...some women (myself included) have children and put themselves last behind the kids, husband, family. Please note that I have had hours out with my friends for pedicures, movies, and such- but never a whole day! So the first week the boys were in daycare, I only had 1 day off work. Letting the boys go was hard so I took this free day to keep the boys home with me! I know- shocker, huh? Last week, I had 2 days off. This is the case for most weeks since I get full time hours in 3 days! I took the first day to go to Knoxville and shop! I couldn't tell you the last time I got to go shopping! The boys really benefited from my shopping trip and acquired a new fall wardrobe complete with shoes! My second free day, you guessed it, I kept the boys home! I just can't get enough of those smiles & giggles! Today started their 3rd week! Hard to believe! I started a yoga class today which I absolutely LOVE! Its great to finally have time to exercise again! While I still plan on keeping the boys home with me one day a week, I'm taking my other off day to take a yoga class, clean the house, get shopping done, job shadow FNPs, and occasionally treat myself to "me" time!

To end this post, I thought I'd share a funny story from tonight. As I have said in previous post, Chris always gives the boys their baths! Its his time to watch the boys giggle and play since he's worked all day. I hear them all together and I just fall in love all over again. Well, tonight, just 15 minutes after Chris had started their baths, he started screaming "help!" So I go running upstairs to their bathroom to find Nolan pooping in the tub, Jonas trying to play in it, and Chris trying to get them both out of the tub! Note- this is not the first time this has happened! But after it happened the first time, he started washing them first and playing second. Since then, if they poop, they are pulled out and all is clean & done! Well, I guess tonight he was side tracked. And all Chris could do was laugh about it! The boys were so proud of themselves, they were sitting on the sink, naked and clapping as they were so proud of themselves! Oh the fun at our house!

Lazy Days at Our House!!!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

There are 2 videos combined into 1 show...the first 30 seconds are of the boys playing in the sprinkler. They love water, especially Nolan! The second part of the video is Chris giving the boys a ride on the "magic carpet" - He is such a wonderful daddy! The boys admire him so much and I LOVE days when he's home all day with us! He has a very active imagination and I look forward to the day I can show Jonas & Nolan all these videos and they can see how awesome their daddy is! Hope this video put a smile on your face! I find myself watching video after video in disbelief that those 2 lil precious boys are mine! God has truly blessed us beyond words! Enjoy!

We LOVE water!!

What a wonderful relaxing weekend we've had! Even with the boys being sick- both have an ear infection and both are cutting 2 molars each- and me being down with a cold, we have had a great weekend recooping! The boys had their 15 month checkup on Friday complete with 3 shots each. They did so good and only cried for a minute. Such blessings! Saturday, Mimi brought us breakfast since we were all feeling miserable...we managed to make it out of the house by 2:30 to go to mimis for another UT game and dinner! By Sunday, we were all feeling better. Nana & Papaw cooked us breakfast- which was great! Breakfast there is always like a Thanksgiving feast! After the boys took their 3 1/2 hour nap, we took them outside and let them play in their sandbox for a while. When that got old, we hooked up their frog sprinkler in the front yard and let them have at it! It was so funny (video to come!) After magic carpet rides from daddy (another video to come), we cooked and enjoyed just being us! Enjoy the pictures...tomorrow I'm taking the boys for another haircut so I'll post again soon!


Water play!

Nolan just LOVES water- he was SO excited!

Jonas decided to play in the grass!

New Sewing projects!!

I finally got my sewing machine back (I got a new disk drive put in it) and I have finished some projects that I'm very proud of. I have bought some new patterns for outfits, high chair/grocery cart covers, toddler sleeping mats, and newborn overalls that I cannot wait to try! For now, here are a few of my newest projects. I have to say that I am in love with the pacifier clips! They are so adorable and they stay attached to active children easier than the Walmart clips! The crayon roll is another favorite and seems to be a great gift! Everyone has LOVED it so far!

2 pacifier clips I made for Jonas & Nolan!

Just a few of my favorite ribbons that I've made into pacifier clips!

The crayon roll I made for Avery on her 1st birthday! The pattern can easily be changed for markers and large crayons.

Crayon roll opened without crayons- this is just the cutest gift!

The crayon roll opened...

Burp Cloths and Bibs I made for lil Hans- Debra's new baby boy!!

Please say a prayer for us!!!

Its 9pm on Monday night and while I'm sure that everyone has finished their blog reading for the day, I'm posting this in hopes of catching a few of you tonight or first thing tomorrow! Most of you know that our house has been for sale since last November! We knew when we put it up for sale that it was probably going to be a while before it sold considering the housing market was already on a downward spiral. But we didn't care and were not in a rush to sale it. We are hoping to move to Karns to be closer to our church. We adore our church and love the people we have become close to. We just feel like this is where the Lord is leading us. In the past couple weeks, we have just been looking at land not thinking we would find anything we would just fall in love with. And then it happened. We found a lot in a subdivision that we instantly fell in love with. And the best part- its 5 minutes from church! We put in an offer on the land only to realize that in order to buy the lot, we have to have a house plan approved and plan on being done and moved in no later than 2 years from the purchase date. With the economy being like it is, I knew there was no way we could sign such a contract with our house still on the market. So here is our request from you. Please pray that our house will sell! Our realtor called today and asked to show our house in the morning! We have had several come look and even 1 couple that were very interested, but in the end, no one has made an offer. We are hoping that tomorrow could be the day we've been waiting on! I know first hand that the power of prayer can move mountains and I thank you in advance! I know that God's timing is always perfect and I do trust in his plan and if this isn't it, we will be just fine with that too. I will update you soon! Love to all!

Our lazy weekend!

This past weekend, we enjoyed being lazy! Friday night, we took the boys with us to Cancuns with us for a mexican dinner! It was sooo good! Saturday morning, mom & I took the boys shopping and made it back in time to grill out for the UT ball game! We all ate, watched the game, and played countless games of cornhole- we are addicted! Saturday night, we went to Chris' parents for filets, baked potatoes, salads, and cherry cobbler with ice cream! We had a good time eating with everyone. Sunday, we went to church. Side note- Nolan has found a new lil girl to chase around the nursery...Chris and I watched and laughed until we were silly over that! Sunday afternoon, we all took naps, rested up, and enjoyed being a family. Enjoy the pictures....sorry there are none from Sunday- my camera battery died Saturday during the game!


The boys climbing in mommys kitchen drawers! Jonas knows he is sneaky!

Jonas playing in Mimis kitchen

Nolan thinks its his toy

Nolan putting bags in- score for Mimi & Mommy!

Chris & Greg in the middle of a game of cornhole!

My lil School Boys!

So today was the boy's first day in daycare. Yes, for those of you who do not know, we put the boys on a waiting list months ago to get into a daycare. Starting in January, I will be in clinicals 3 days a week as I finish my Family Nurse Practitioner degree...so I wanted to have the boys involved somewhere prior to me starting. I was very picky when deciding on a place to send my boys. I didn't want to send them somewhere where all they do is play. So after a ton of research and tours, I found the perfect place and really the only place I was willing to consider. I got the call 2 weeks ago telling me that boys had positions! Bam- then I was a wreck! Did I really want to put the boys in daycare?!? Even though my pediatrician had told me that it was a wise move to put them in at least part time to let them socialize with other children and learn not to be so dependent on each other, I was questioning my decision. I could start them right away but I decided I needed 2 weeks to spend with them prior to sending them! Finally, the day came. I had packed their stuff up last night which made it easy on us this morning. I just knew that the boys would cry after me when I dropped them off this morning and I was pretty sure that I would hold up pretty well. You see where I'm going with this- well, just the opposite happened. As we walked down the hallway, I became very nervous how I was going to act leaving them with someone else. We walked into their classroom and immediately, Nolan let go of my hand and walked away. He was playing with toys and chasing a little girl before I could even say bye! Well, Jonas (aka mommas boy) was slightly different. He cried as I let go of his hand. But almost instantly, another little girl came up pushing a babydoll stroller and he walked away. They waved bye and that was that! And immediately, I was in tears! Their teacher reassured me at least 20 times that they would be fine. Right before she "kicked me out"- I told her I would be back as soon as they were up from their nap! I got in my car and flooded myself in tears! Mom called to check on me as I was leaving- I know she knew I wasn't going to hold up well. (Thanks mom for always having such encouraging words of wisdom!)

At 2pm- I was back at the daycare anxious to see my boys. They were outside playing. Nolan saw me first...he smiled and waved! Can you believe that! Jonas came just as I expected- saying "mama" and holding his arms up in the air! Finally, one of my boys needed me! Well, that was short lived. A minute later he was back down and playing again! I finally managed to get them out of their classroom and out to the car when Nolan spotted "his girl" and walked back to the fence to hold her hand! Yes- my son was holding hand with a girl thru the fence! I could have fallen over!

I called Chris to tell him how their day had went (their teacher had given me a sheet on their day including nap time, diaper changes, activities, art, lunch, & snack) and he told me that he dropped by to see them at lunch! Such a good daddy! We laughed about it all and decided that we had made a great decision and we know the boys are going to do well!

A note on the daycare- the boys are in the 15 month old room and the other 8 kids are within a months birthday of each other. They follow a curriculum of learning shapes, letters, numbers, and words. They get a hot lunch everyday in a cafeteria! They are tested at the end of each year to see what age level they have accelerated to. They do art daily, have reading time, and outside play. They work with the boys using spoons and forks and cups. This month is all about apples. Saying apple, counting with apples, learning the color red...you get the idea. I couldn't be more pleased with the daycare. I have heard nothing but wonderful things about it and look forward to watching my boys learn!

Sorry I don't have any pictures from today...as you can tell, they were the last thing on my mind! Maybe tomorrow!

Where's Cowboy?!?!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Last week, Mimi & Poppy went out of town for another trip to the beach- Lucky, I know! So while they were gone, we kept Cowboy! Yes, Cowboy came home for a brief week! What most of you don't know is that Cowboy doesn't exactly like kids, especially lil toddlers who are big enough and fast enough to chase her like Nolan & Jonas! No, she doesn't bite them or growl at them, she just hides! While she was here, I kept her in the laundry room with a baby gate in the doorway. I would offer her a chance to get out during the day, but as soon as she heard little feet (along with screeches & laughter because Cowboy was out!), she would run straight back to her bed in the laundry room! The only time she would come out and stay was during the boys naps! As you can see in the video, the boys LOVE her! Since she wouldn't come out, they would check on her several hundred times a day! Cowboy has gone back to Mimi & Poppys for now... Yesterday, we were leaving for their place for a cookout. Nolan & Jonas were not wanting to drop their toys so I said "Boys, you want to go see Cowboy?" Instantly, they dropped everything and walked to the door! Needless to say, when we got to Mimi & Poppys, Cowboy ran and hid! Oh well, at least the boys had fun chasing her out of her hiding places! This video is of the boys going to check on Cowboy...notice how excited they get! Also, notice how Cowboy will NOT come to the gate! Listen as the boys say "a-dog" about a thousand times! Mom- this video is for you & Mamaw since you two found it so funny on the webcam! Love you both!

Our up & down weekend :)

We started this holiday weekend on Thursday by packing up for the weekend & heading to the RV Park. After getting settled, my husband grilled us some steaks & baked potatoes- love his heart & thank God he's amazing on the grill! Friday the boys & I enjoyed the weather and hung out with Mimi while daddy worked. We met Chris' parents and sisters for an Italian dinner that night before coming back and spending time with Mimi & Poppy before they left for the beach! Late Friday night, Nolan came down with a fever. I can count on one hand the number of times my boys have been sick, so I was surprised by his fever. Nevertheless, tylenol worked wonders and he was feeling back to normal by Saturday afternoon. That is when he started his new fetish- shoes! I couldn't take them off of him without him crying! I even had to put him down for his nap with his shoes on and took them off of him when he fell asleep! Sure enough, as soon as he woke up, he brought me his shoes! Saturday, we spent the day swimming, playing, riding the wagon, golf cart, and bicycles. Saturday night, we invited Chris' family over for a cookout. We had a good time and even built a campfire and made smores after dark! Sunday morning when my alarm went off (for church), I went into the boys room to get them up so they could eat breakfast before we left only to find that Jonas was literally roasting! I took his temp (which was 103.0), gave him tylenol, got him some juice, and gave him the Tennessee cure for anything ( a cold washcloth!) Needless to say, he was down for the count! In fact, I didn't get his temp down under 100.0 until Monday! All he wanted to do was lay on my chest, so thats exactly what we did! Nolan and daddy played and mommy took care of Jonas. We did manage to go to the marina to take the boat to eat, but Jonas & I stayed in the cabin in the AC and slept! (Debra- I'm so sorry for missing your baby shower. I just couldn't leave my sick lil boy (you will soon see!) I promise I'll be at the hospital when you have that lil boy that I'm so anxious to meet!) We finally made it to Monday and Jonas was himself again, smiling and playing like nothing had happened! We swam, rode bikes, and went with Pops & Barb to eat at Connors- our favorite! It was truly a wonderful weekend even though both boys were down for a little while! They are so busy that its rare that they just want to lay with their momma- so I soaked up every bit of it! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend as well! Enjoy the pictures!

My sick lil Jonas- this is all he would do- broke my heart!

Nolan playing- notice that he is only wearing his shoes and a diaper!

Our crowded table at our cookout

Daddy taking the boys & papaw on a ride

Campfires every night- Cindy, this pic is for you!

Nolan in his pool- he'll kill me for this one day!

Pops, Barb, and the boys at Connors!

Nolan never fights sleeping in the car!

Jonas gave in to sleep after giggling most of the ride

Jonas all smiles determined not to go to sleep on the way home :)

Monday night- the boys going to bed, both feeling great!