Maddox Memories and Feathers

Maddox has been saying the cutest stuff lately and when he does…I think..I need to remember that so I can write it down.  Well as Mommy brain goes…of course I forget what it was an hour later!  So I need to do better about writing them down right then.  How do all of you do it?

Here are a few that I can think of right now

• When I tell him I love him he says “to the moon and back home”
• yesterday he said “Ryder pretty Mommy” I said “you are pretty too”….he said. “I Not pretty…I COOL” bahhahhah! It was so funny and we have never told him to say that!  Where do they learn??
• Me..”Maddox what do you want to eat?” Maddox…ummm, Cheeburger…ummmm…fren fries…..ummmm chicken nugget…all dat stuff.
• He loves to sing songs lately and one of my personal favorites is You Are My Sunshine. 
• When he gets in trouble he starts saying “my back hurt”…I guess he thinks that will get him out of trouble.
• He is Ryder’s spit up monitor…I never have to worry about Ryder spitting up and me not knowing it.  Maddox hollers “he pit up”!
• He says “Ryder…you my buddy”…too sweet!
• He gets more excited than we do when Ryder does something new….”He did it Mommy….He did it Daddy! Ryder it up by himelf!”…can you tell he is not quite got his “s” sound down?
• When he eats chocolate or candy he says “I like Chocolate..it make me feel better”.  ha!  It makes me feel better too! ha!

I love this sweet moment I captured…melts my heart!!

Oh that lip!!!

Totally 2 random topics here but how many of you got a feather last year???  Wow.. that trend was like a flash of lightning!  Which leaves me with this….a bunch of feathers.  These things were not cheap to invest in but being a hairstylist I knew I needed to offer the latest trend.  Laura is going to put them on eBay for me and hopefully I will recover some of my investment!! I might consult a financial advisor before I invest in the next big trend to make sure it’s worth it.   Just sayin!!

Hope everyone had a great and relaxing weekend!!!  May this week be full of great times and blessings!!

Ryder is 8 Months!! Maddox is 2.8!!

On February 16th, Ryder turned 8 months.  His first year is already 2/3 over.  I can’t believe it!!

So Ryder, what are you up to??

Poor thing, you have a cough and a little cold right now so your little nose is like a water hose and just pours.  It hasn’t slowed you down though.  You are still happy and on the go!!

I’m not sure how much you weigh..I would guess around 21 lbs.  You are in 6-12 month, and some 12 month clothes.  Size 3 diapers and size 3 shoes.

We lowered your crib last week and I wanted to cry.  It’s just not the same.  Ultimately, I want you to be safe.  When I would go into your room to get you in the mornings, you would be propped up on your crib bumper and when you seen me, you would reach up and grab the rail of the crib.  Scary. 

You army crawl around the house…everywhere.  You are getting fast at it too.  You can now go from your tummy to sitting up and you are pulling up on things to your knees, but not to your feet.  Please don’t do that for a while! You are also getting up on your knees like you are ready to crawl on your knees but not yet.

You are still so VERY SWEET!!

You take 2 naps a day.  Usually an hour nap around 9-10 am and then almost a 2 hour nap at 2.

You still don’t have any teeth…??? 

You recently have started eating Puffs…you gaged on the first couple but then you got the hang of it.

You love to jump in your doorway jumper and we recently got you a walker that you will sit in contently for a while.  You go backwards in it but not forward.

Aunt La La captured some cute pics of Maddox today with a chocolate mustache!! 

It’s been a while since I’ve updated on Maddox so I wanted to record some of his milestones.

You weigh 42 lbs and in a size 6 diaper.  I hope you get fully potty trained soon b/c that’s as big as they come and you fill them up!!  You are in 4t clothes and some of them are starting to get too small for you!  You where a size 9 shoe.

In the past month or so, we have been working on potty training. To sum it up,you do good when we do good.  It is hard to remember to take you to the potty every hour.  You use it when we take you but you are not to the point that you tell us when you need to go.  You have never done a #2 in the potty.

Maddox, you are so smart!  You are talking great!  You struggle to say some letters like S but I know you can make the sound, you just haven’t started making it in words yet.

Aunt LaLa, Uncle Nate Nate and Caine taught you to say “Go DUKE” and you say it a lot!!  Mommy and Daddy do not like that phrase at all and we will give you a look when you say it.  We are Tar heel Fans and SC Gamecock fans…NOT DUKE!  You know it pushes a button with us and you think it is funny!  Little stinker!

You absolutely LOVE your little brother…(I am going to do a post on that soon.) You like to love on him but you also like to take everything he touches away from him.

Play Date and Valentine’s Day!!

Last Monday, Andrea and Taylor stopped by for a little visit.  I was so excited for these little buddies to get to see each other…they are growing up too fast!!

They are just precious!!!

We made some Valentine cookies for our family!!

Tuesday I had to work so we celebrated Valentines when I got home.  The boys got balloons, cards, Maddox a movie and Ryder a book!  We kept it real simple.  Maddox brought home a big bag full of candy from preschool so the last thing we needed to get them was candy.

Chris reading Maddox his card, how sweet! 

It was a great couple hours we had getting to celebrate with them!

Keeping It Real…2 Boys 2 and Under!!

Today I am Linking up with Kelly’s Korner and doing a Show Us Your Life, Working Moms Post.

I almost decided not to do this one b/c I would rather do a post that the pictures  can tell the story.  I have a hard time getting my thoughts down in an organized way…but here goes.  This is going to be random!!!

• First off, I have always wanted to do a post called “Keeping It Real”.  I know I appreciate other Moms who have wrote about keeping it real and it makes me feel good to know….maybe I’m not the only one who doesn’t have it together all the time. 
• I’m just going to go ahead and say…Taking care of 2 young children, Keeping a clean house (without a cleaning lady), Working a job,  cooking supper, staying organized, spending quality time with your kids, spending quality time with your husband, church, school, working out, spending time with friends, spending time in the word, blogging everyday, taking pictures of everything, checking out pinterest for hours, keeping up with the latest tv shows…etc…the list goes on and on.  It is just near impossible to keep up with it all!  So I Don’t!
• I am a hair stylist and I love my job and getting to see my clients….but I love my kids so much…I would rather spend every day with them than at work.
• I work 3, 10-12 hour days a week and every other Saturday from 8-2….After May I plan to cut out Saturdays all together!! So the days I work…that is all I get done!
• I am so thankful to have Mondays and Wednesdays off with my boys but the day flies by…trying to catch up on errands, house work, dr appointments…I still try my best to get the most quality time I can with them.
• I am so blessed that my Mom keeps my boys on the days that I work.  If it can’t be me…I know they are in the hands of a Nana who loves them dearly!  Also, I am very blessed that my Mom cooks supper on those days and always sends supper home with Chris when he picks them up.  When I get home at 8:00 that is one less thing I don’t have to worry about,  my Mom is amazing and an amazing cook!
• I must not have a Type A personality b/c I can sleep if there are dirty dishes in the sink! ha!
• I don’t make my bed everyday! (gasp) I get up early enough as it is and barely have time to get ready and get the kids out the door…I can deal with the bed not getting made considering I don’t have to look at it all day!
• I am not a live by a schedule person.  By this I mean that I don’t have a weekly routine written in stone that I try to stick to.  It’s just not real life for us b/c things are always changing.  I am very laid back so when something needs to be done, I take care of it then.  I wish I was a little more of a planner…but I’m not.
• My husband helps A LOT!!!! I am so very blessed that Chris helps out with everything.  He gives Maddox a bath every night and usually has both boys fed and ready for bed when I get home.  This gives me more time to spend with them before night night time.
• I don’t have to have everything sparkling clean all the time  but I have always hated clutter…the whole downstairs of our house has become one big playroom and I just see it pointless to try to keep all the toys cleaned up all the time.  I have made peace with it and it really doesn’t bother me anymore. (unless someone shows up unexpectedly, then I get embarrassed).  I just tell myself…one day I’m going to miss these toys being scattered everywhere.
• Final thought….I prioritize my time when I’m not at work…..My family is Most Important and as long as I am with them…everything else can wait!!  I don’t want to be known as the  “Mom who always has a clean house”, I want to be know as “the Mom who enjoys raising her kids, teaches them about Jesus and lives in every moment with them”!
• And because I have pictures…I am going to post some!!
• Hope you enjoyed me “keeping it real”!
• One thing is for sure…whether I am at work or at home God has blessed me greatly…
• Deuteronomy 28:3-6³ Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. ⁴ Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. ⁵ Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. ⁶ Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.

Valentine Wreath

I have been so slack decorating for Valentines this year but I did manage to take 10 minutes out of my day to make this wreath!! 

I bought one of the straw wreaths at Hobby Lobby, 2 feather boas…red and black and white, the LOVE sign, some floral push pins…and a small piece of ribbon to hang it!  I just wrapped the boas around the wreath and pinned them in place…then pinned the LOVE in place (it has a ribbon to hang it), pinned a ribbon on the back of wreath and HUNG!! That is it!!

Super Bowl Sunday!!

I love Super Bowl Sunday…not because of the actual game…but usually this day brings fun get togethers with friends or family! 

Sunday after church…in front of the football tent!

Maddox….hello…the camera is this way!!

The interaction between these two is really growing!!

We got together with the Kisers and the Ratliffs!!  Some of our favorite people!!

Ashleigh

Elynd is just adorable!!

Shout out to Deana…she reads my blog!!!  She is just so pretty…inside and out!!!

Maddox used the potty and then took off running into the living room with no pants on!!! ha!!  He was our halftime show!!!