This is officially my last week to be able to say "I have 2 kids under 2." This is a big birthday week in our house. Sunday, the 21st, Garrett will be 6 months. Saturday, the 27th, Jackson will be 2 years old.

*****On channel 4 in the morning, they announce kids birthdays. I did this last year for Jackson and I did it again this year. Since his birthday is on a Saturday, they said his picture would be shown on Friday, September 26th. Be sure to set your DVR. I THINK it is normally played around 8am. Record the whole thing to be safe.******

We had a surprise party for my sister's 30th birthday at Primo's on Friday night. I have to say, I am VERY happy the SURPRISE is over and it was a successful surprise. It is hard keeping a secret. I talk to my sister almost every day and there were so many times when I almost slipped. Here are some pictures from her party -

My Sister's cake

My sister and I
Aaron and I
My Sister and Aaron- he loves her....
Aaron and I
Blowing out the candle
Video

My sister and Ricky

Aaron spent most of the day working in the backyard getting ready for Jackson's birthday present that will be delivered one day this week. hmmmm...I wonder what it is??? Thanks to Aaron's brother Michael and our neighbor Brent for coming over to help! You will also be able to tell in the pictures what a big help Jackson was. He wanted to do everything the big boys did. He would watch them and try to do everything they would do. It was really funny. He would even try to put the tools on his pants like they would.

Karen ("Miss Cupcake") I had to post this picture of Garrett for you. Garrett has the bitter beer face in this picture like Jackson had in his 6 month pictures. haha, remember that?

Random pictures from the week -

Football Game pictures and 2 videos-

video

video

I have to tell you all a funny/frustrating story. Jackson has always been a good sleeper and napper. He gave up his morning nap when he was 18 months, but still continues to have a long afternoon nap....about 2-3 hours. With both boys, I lay them down awake and they go to sleep on their own. Sometimes they will cry, but only for a few minutes. Well, this week Jackson has decided he doesn't want to nap. He stands in his crib and yells "Up Mom," "That-thin (that's how he says Jackson) out." I have been ignoring him. If I go in there to try to comfort him, it only makes it worse. He thinks his yelling is working, so he just gets louder. He is just about to turn 2....it is TOO SOON for him to go all day without a nap. Are you kidding me? Plus, him not sleeping during nap time is causing major melt downs around dinner time. This is a battle I will win (I hope), so we have been at war all week.

Night time he does great. He goes right to sleep. No problems. Nap time....not so easy. Today we played outside and I made sure he was worn out before his nap. But still during nap time, he yelled and yelled and yelled....then it was silent. Finally, I thought he gave up and we were on the right track. I peeked my head into his room and saw that he was still standing up leaning on the rail of his crib, but he was asleep. His head was like a bobble head. It was so funny. I thought he may decide to lay down, but I was wrong. I went to check on him again, he caught me, and the yelling began again. Do you think when he goes to preschool and they take naps, he will be the boy that is laying on his mat with his eyes wide open while all the other good little boys and girls are sleeping?

So, we are still at war with this, but if he is falling asleep standing up then he clearly is not ready to give up naps. So, the battle continues. Luckily Garrett has been doing wonderful! That boy can sleep! As for "That-thin", I REALLY hope that this napping situation is solved while he is still in his crib. :)

Almost Sitting!

I posted this one so you could see Garrett's hair coming in. In the back, it looks like it is coming in dark. Maybe him and Jackson will start looking like brothers now. It is always awkward when a stranger comments on their looks. (plus, Garrett has big blue eyes and Jackson has brown eyes) Strangers will say things like "Two different looks...." or "Wow, his hair is light compared to his brothers." I want to make sure people know they have the same daddy, but I can't figure out an appropriate way to say that. lol....
This toy caused their FIRST of many fights. Jackson wanted the toy after I gave it to Garrett. Garrett may be smaller, but he has a strong grip.

Look at these pictures below. The first one is of Jackson. It was taken 4 days before he was 6 months. The next one is of Garrett. It was taken today, which is 6 days before he is 6 months. So, based on age, they were taken 2 days apart.
At first I thought they looked really different from each other. However, if you really look at their faces, I think they look similar. (Jackson had a bigger head) I think it is the hair color that throws people off. What do you think?

Trip to Wal-Mart

I had to go to Wal-Mart today....just me and both boys. It isn't their behavior I stress out about, it is where to put them so that I still have room in the cart for the things I need to buy. Normally, Aaron and I try to go together or one of us will just go alone. Aaron is working today and doesn't think he will be home until around 7ish and I wasn't going to dare ask him to go on his way home from work.....the Cowboys play tonight! What kind of wife would I be?!?! Since we were out of things we HAD to have (diapers, wipes, shampoo, conditioner, laundry detergent, hand soap, etc. etc. etc.) I decided I would just go.

I thought I may be able to let Jackson walk with me, holding on to the cart, and put Garrett's carrier in the seat on the cart....but after seeing a man that looked like he had just escaped from prison, I decided that was probably not the best choice. So, I put Garrett's carrier inside the cart where the groceries go and Jackson sat in the seat. Our shopping trip went well. No stress. I had everything arranged in the cart just right so that it would all fit around Garrett's carrier. Checking out for the most part was stress free until Jackson decided he wanted to play with his favorite toy....the credit card machine thing that they have sitting on the counter for you to use. I HATE that thing! He always wants to mess with it. It is a battle every single time. So...we were off. I had to push the cart slowly to avoid the bags falling into Garrett's carrier. (The check out lady didn't help me arrange the bags perfectly like I would have liked for her to)

I hate parking lots when I have the boys with me. They scare me. I always make sure I have my keys out and stay alert. I look everyone in the eye...I read that a killer, robber, whoever they may be, will less likely hurt you if you have made eye contact with them. You can identify them in a line up better. ???? Who knows if it is true! I never park next to a big van. I throw my purse in the car before loading the boys up, so it is out of site. I don't even wear my wedding ring. I want them to think I am just a poor little white girl, which is kind of true! Does anyone else stress out about this? Do y'all have any more tips? I know I am a freak about it. Shut up to those of you that are laughing at me!

So.......we are out the doors of Wal-Mart and we are heading to the car. I CAN'T FIND IT! Where I THOUGHT it was, was an empty spot. I just knew that's where my car use to be. I was pushing the lock button on my keys in hopes of hearing my car honk. Nothing. I just knew someone stole my car. I didn't know what to do....I didn't bring a bottle for Garrett because we were just taking a quick trip to the store, so what would I do while I waited for someone to come pick us up. My car had the car seats.... who was I going to call? Everyone is at work today so it would be probably an hour before anyone could help us. And while having all these thoughts in my head, I have to remember to stay alert and watch for bad guys in the parking lot.

Finally, from a distance, I see my car! There it is! Really dirty just like I left it.
You know how Wal-Mart has 2 sides? I parked on the opposite side than I thought I did. My car was safe, nobody stole it. We were safe, nobody stole us!

Happy Monday! Go Cowboys! :)

What's been hanging out in the camera....

California Pizza Kitchen (above and below)

Eating cereal
Taking a morning stroll
Jackson running with Rigley's birthday toy in his mouth...Rigley following close behind




Videos


Cotton Fest

Bass Pro Shop with G-Mom and Grandad

Sleeping, Smiles, Hunger, and Time Out!

I haven't blogged about this, because it seems like every time I write about Garrett's sleep habits, they change. But, he has consistently been sleeping 12 hours a night!!! That's longer than his big brother who sleeps 11 hours at night. They both go down at 8:00. Jackson sleeps until about 7:00-7:30 and Garrett sleeps until about 8:00-8:15. I do hear Garrett tossing and turning sometimes during the night, but my sleep training has finally paid off because he knows how to go back to sleep on his own. Now, I am trying to get my body back to sleeping through the night. I am still waking up all through the night....which means getting out of bed to check on him.

He is almost sitting up on his own. He can do it if he is holding on to a toy. Jackson thinks it is the neatest thing. Jackson seems amazed that Garrett can do more than just lay there.

Yesterday, the 4 of us were in the car. Jackson started making funny noises at Garrett and they were both cracking up. It was the funniest thing to hear them both laughing at each other. Aaron and I just kept looking at each other and smiling. It is times like that when I am so happy they are close in age. It may be hard now, but down the road I think it will be much easier.

Garrett's appetite is increasing. He was eating cereal and a vegetable everyday, but I stopped offering the vegetable when he decided he didn't need to drink all of his bottle any longer. (they are supposed to get most of their calories from milk for their first year of life) Recently though, he has been drinking his bottle and looking for more. So, we are back to eating the vegetables. His doctor (and I) would like for him to try all the vegetables before introducing him to fruit. They say once a baby eats fruit, they will want nothing to do with the vegetables. (I think at this point, Garrett would enjoy anything placed in his mouth!) However, last night Jackson had some left over banana from dinner. I decided to mash just a little of it up and added it to Garrett's cereal (I know, I know, I would have NEVER done this with Jackson....but with the 2nd, I am just okay with more things.) Garrett LOVED it. He was smiling and laughing. He was so excited! I think we have 3 more vegetables to master, and then we will move onto the fruit.

Even though most of the time Jackson is well behaved, this week he has learned what "Time Out" is. I don't know if it is because we are getting close to the age of 2 or what....but this week we have had a few days when nothing can seem to go his way. Our "time out location" is our love seat. (so if you come to our house and sit on the love seat, Jackson may think you made a bad choice and had to go to time out) As of now, he has had to go to time out for throwing laundry at me while I was trying to fold it and standing/running on the couch while barking like a dog. For now, I have to sit with him in time out so he will actually stay put....and when he gets out he has to tell me he is sorry and give me a hug. "Sorr-ty Mom" as he says it. As of now, time out seems to be working! I am kind of worried about the age TWO.

I hope you all have a great weekend. Cotton Fest is this weekend, so I think we may try to take the boys this evening when Aaron gets off of work. We haven't been able to go the past 2 years, so Aaron and I are looking forward to getting a funnel cake! Have a good weekend and enjoy the rain!

Online Shopping Disappointment.

I have been on the look out for a laundry hamper for Garrett's nursery. If you remember from pictures I have posted in the past, his room is chocolate and blue. I have been looking for a chocolate colored hamper. I came across this picture in the Pottery Barn Kids catalog and I thought one of the floor totes would be perfect.
It was actually the chocolate with polka dots that caught my eye. His bedding has brown polka dots on it, so I thought it would be a great match. However, when I looked at all the color options (light blue, green, bright pink, chocolate, bright pink dot, chocolate dot) I thought just chocolate might be a better choice. I didn't want all the polka dots to be too busy. If you look at the picture there is a box that is solid chocolate, so I assumed the color pattern would be like that. Solid Chocolate with off white trim. So, I ordered the floor tote in solid chocolate.

I am one that tracks my online orders. I know the day my order is supposed to arrive. I open all my blinds that day and I am on the look out for the UPS truck to pull up. I love getting packages! I had errands to run today, but I called Aaron several times asking if the UPS man had arrived. It got later and later, and he still wasn't here. Tonight, I was sitting on the couch feeding Garrett his bed time bottle and someone knocked on the door. I could tell by the knock it was the UPS man. YEA!! My package was finally here!!! While feeding Garrett, I had thoughts in my head of cleaning his room, vacuuming, and putting the hamper in the perfect spot!! It was going to be so cute....

I opened it and it was not what I had expected. If I would have used my brain and looked only at the floor totes in the picture I wouldn't have been disappointed. The floor tote is like the pink floor tote you see with Brittany embroidered on it, but where there is pink in the picture, there is chocolate on mine. So, the majority of it is off white. I guess because the polka dot one is sitting next to that one, I thought it would look like that but without the dots.....I was wrong. Oh well...it still matches....it's just not what I had in mind.

On another note - people are so amazed with double strollers. I am not kidding you, you'd be so surprised at how many people stop and look at Jackson and Garrett when they are in their stroller. I admit, I look at other babies when we pass by other strollers. But, I look as I am walking. It doesn't interfere with my walking. Jackson and Garrett will be well behaved, not making a sound, and people will literally stop and look. People will say "wow, you have 2." Don't a lot of people have 2 kids? You would think by people questions and comments that I would have twins in the stroller. And sometimes by peoples looks, I think they may be trying to figure out if they are twins or not....there are some idiots out there.

What is annoying is when I have to take the stroller through a door. It is harder because it is longer than a single stroller and you have to get through the door before it closes on you, but I can do it. It would however be a lot easier if someone walking by would offer to help with the door. Oh no....9 out of 10 people would rather stand back and see how I do it. Then you have the people that say, "both boys?" Well, let's see.....Jackson is old enough to tell he is clearly a boy and Garrett is dressed in blue. Really? Can you not tell?

We did end up having cake and ice cream for Rigley's birthday. Jackson's birthday is in about 2 weeks, so I wanted him to practice blowing out candles and understanding it all. We bought Rigley a toy, but Jackson was on a sugar high from the cake and ice cream and thought he would run around the house with the toy in his own mouth acting like a dog. So, Rigley didn't get to play with his new toy until Jackson went to bed. I took pictures, but I still haven't bought a new camera cord. I promise I will soon!

Happy Birthday Rigley!

I'm here, but can only bring words...no pictures. I haven't replaced my camera cord yet, so I still don't have a way to import my pictures to my computer. I need to buy a new cord, but I have been wanting a new camera, so now I am trying to decide new cord or new camera. Does anyone have a camera they just LOVE? If so, what kind do you have?

Tomorrow is Rigley's (or as Jackson says, Gigley) 3rd birthday! Poor little dog. We use to have Barney and everyone who knew Aaron and I knew he was our world. I had Barney since I was in 5th grade. I use to dress him up, I took him everywhere, I carried him like a baby...yep, I was one of those people. We had to suddenly put Barney to sleep which was very hard on me....so 2 weeks later my parents bought us another yorkie, Rigley. We got him in November of 2005. This is when we didn't think I was going to be able to get pregnant, so Rigley got lots of attention for the months of November, December, and January.

I found out I was pregnant with Jackson the beginning of February and have been popping out babies ever since. We are averaging a new living thing in our house every year. This is actually the first birthday of Rigley's that I haven't been pregnant. His 1st birthday I was 9 months pregnant with Jackson, his 2nd birthday I was about 3 months pregnant with Garrett, and for his 3rd birthday.....I will be remembering to take my birth control pill.

So, due to the heat you put off when you are pregnant (you don't want a dog sitting on you) and the demanding needs of my human children, Rigley doesn't get much "extra special" attention. I take that back. He does get a lot of attention from Jackson, I just don't know if it is the attention he would like to receive. :)

I was thinking about going to PetSmart to get him some treats and a new toy for his birthday. Now I am thinking I may just give him a bath. It is time for his heart worm pill, so I could give him that as his treat. That would be fun, right?

(Calm down, these are old pictures that I already had on my computer)

Now, don't give me a hard time about only giving my dog a bath and a heart worm pill for his birthday. I just wrote a whole blog about him. What have you done for your dog today?