Easter Eggs!

Today during Paxton's nap, Holden and I dyed Easter eggs. Part of me thinks that I should have somehow included Paxton in our festivities. But the other part of me remembers the mess that was made with just Holden and I. So I can't imagine a 7 month old in the mix. So Pax did get left out of our little project. But the Easter Bunny will be paying him a visit even though he's not yet mobile for an egg hunt yet. We'll make it up to him.

Right before things got messy.Holden is never one to sit and observe. He has to be in on the action. So I just let the mess happen. It made him happy to continually DUNK his hand in the mugs and pull out an egg while splashing dye everywhere. Notice the drippy hand. Fresh from the mug.
A view of our little mess. Don't worry, it got worse.

Sweet boy. Too bad I had to tickle him to get this grin.

And the completed project.

85.

85 degrees. That was our high today. It was nice, sunny, not a cloud in the sky. So we were outside alot. Most of our awake time, actually. We played in the backyard with trucks. Paxton tried to eat grass and modeled his hand-me-down sun hat. We spotted every airplane that flew overhead. We waved hi to the planes and said bye-bye when they were just out of sight. We pulled out Holden's riding toy from last year and he pushed it all over the yard. And Paxton sat happily in the prickly grass and watched. Good day. We are loving this weather!

7 months.

On my 30th birthday, mister Pax turned 7 months old! Sadly, that day was super busy with us driving to Oklahoma and I don't know have a picture of him all by himself. But I did snap a few on the day before (3/25). So that will just have to do for this month. What difference can one day make, right? Here is our little angel boy just 1 day shy of 7 months!

Cute, huh? This month has been so fun with Pax. He has become such a happy thing! And I do say become. His reflux and tummy issues made for a rough start, but you wouldn't know it now. He normally sleeps 11-12 hours at night. He is a cuddler and sleeps with a little teddy bear and tiny blanket. He is very tactile and must hold onto something at night or he will pull out his paci. So I have to ocupy his hands with the other things. Yes, he loves that paci. Possibly more than Holden. Pax is finally beginning to nap well. He definitely prefers his bed. Some kids transition to pack-n-plays while on travel. Not mister Paxton. We were reminded of that last weekend. Jeremy and I did not sleep much. :) But if we are home, he does well and gets in two 2-hour naps. One in the morning and one in the afternoon. In fact both of my boys are sleeping right now. Shouldn't I be cleaning my house? Yes, I should.

Paxton started veggies right after he turned 6 months. I am making his baby food just as I did with Holden. So far he has had green beans, green peas, carrots, buttnernut squash and sweet potatoes. We have also started some fruits. He has had bananas, apples, blueberries, peaches and pears. Funny thing is the fruit makes him cry, scream at me and gag. For instance he will gobble down purred green beans, opening his mouth for more and more. And then I put in a spoonful of apples and he gives me the dirtiest look a baby could give. As if I tricked him into eating poison. Then he cries and screams and starts to gag because he won't swallow. So I'm thinking this boy likes blander food. Maybe a more sensitive pallet. So I am heavily mixing the fruit with whole grain or oatmeal. That seems to work. Too much flavor I guess. He will be the kid at his 1st birthday party that cries over the birthday cake. No sugar for him, just veggies. But he is eating very well these days. I am reminded often that the spit up still happens. Even at 7 months. A mixture of carrots, apples, oatmeal and soy formula was planted on my shirt just an hour ago.

Paxton is sitting up well these days, with an occasional tip over. He is chewing on everything and drooling like crazy. I assume more teeth are coming. Which I may have never posted. But he cut his first 2 teeth at about 5 and a half months. He still loves to play in his jumperoo. He loves his big brother so much! It's crazy how much Holden can entertain this boy just by smiling. They have a sweet brotherly bond, for sure. I am so excited for them to really get to play together and I know that time is coming soon.

Each new month with Pax bring more joy. I think he might be my little momma's boy. And honestly, I am kind of crossing my fingers for that. Holden really left me in the dust for his daddy at some point. But Paxton is all mine so far. I carry him on my hip and he feels like a little koala bear. He squeeezes on tight with those chunky thighs and grips my shirt in his little fist. He makes me smile 100 times a day and I can't imagine our family without him. Here are a few pictures from the past month.

Holden loves to give kisses. Sometimes mid-play he feels the need to go and kiss his bubba. But I will admit, this one was probably promted by me. Don't really remember . . .

Holden giving zurberts was not prompted by me. Didn't know he even knew how to do this.

Enjoying some green peas and ready for the next bite.

Napping on the boppy at nana's house. See how he cuddles? So cute.

And just because I get to see these smiles daily. Happy boy!

completely appropriate.

Read the onesie. And yes, he will. It must be because we starve him SOOOOOOO often. Look at my 7 month old in an 18 month onesie. Yeah Pax, I don't think you've missed a meal to date.

30 changes for this decade.

Friday I entered my 30s. Not a number I was dreading. I love where I'm at right now, so there is no need to complain about a simple number. But I've been doing much thinking about the things I would like to accomplish in this new decade. Not sure if I have 30. This might be a stretch, but we'll see where this list in my head takes me.

1) I want to be a homemade, healthy cook. More whole foods. I would love to shop the perimeter of the supermarket and be good to go - no cans, no boxes, no junk. Instead of giving the boys frozen waffles from a box for breakfast, I want to make them myself from whole wheat flour and whatever else it requires. (Obviously, make a few dozen at a time, freeze, toast and wallah.) That's the direction I want to go. It feels daunting at this point.

2) I want to keep a tidy house. Sometimes when the boys are finally asleep at the same time (like now) I just want to sit, not scrub the floors and clean the toilets. But as a stay-at-home mom, my house is something I want to take pride in. The house is normally "straight", but I want to put more time each week into making it super clean. Oh goodness, I almost want to delete this one now. Don't think we're filthy people. We're not. I just want to devote more time to it. I feel like it's part of my job.

3) Read! Read! Read! There is a list of books that I really want to read and just can't find the time. I have 3 on my nightstand right now. I want to get back to regular reading.

4) Delve into that Bible of mine. I like deep Bible studies, learning, pondering, chatting about it ect. But lately, I haven't taken the time to do this on my own. Well, that is changing this week. Tuesday night I start meeting with a group of girls (that I have never met) to do just that! Very excited about this.

5) Become that runner I've always wanted to be. I had finally hit the 4 mile mark the week we brought home Holden. Then all running stopped. I had just begun to get in the groove and enjoy it. I've run a little here and there in the last 2 years, but nothing consistent. So a few weeks ago, I started hitting the pavement once again. The spring weather was calling my name. I don't love it yet. Well, I love it once I'm done for the day. And I'm only going about 1.5miles before walking. But I have to start somewhere. I think a 5k is in the near future for this girl.

6) Experience true COMMUNITY! This is oh-so-important to me. I should have listed it first. We're on the church hunt and finding a group of like-minded couples our age is at the top of my list. I've learned it's easy to find a nice church. It's much harder to live a vulnerable and honest life and in that, find deep and meaningful connections with the people of the church. And that is a huge purpose of the church. So that is what I'm not going to give up on. I don't want to sit alone in the hospital the next time my child has surgery. Call me selfish, but I want my church there. And in return, I want to be that to others. (FYI: no surgeries scheduled for our family. Just a hypothetical.)

7) Find that inner spunky cheerleader that existed in me 15 years ago. Occassionally she comes out in the privacy of this house. But for the most part, my past Sanguine personality has become much more Plegmatic over the years, probably due to different life changes. It's okay. Maybe it's part of me maturing. But it just seems my Sanguine self had more friends and an easier time developing those relationships. :) I wonder if I can talk her into coming out more often. She's a fun girl.

8) Return to crafting. I haven't made a scrapbook since we had to do our lifebook before our first adoption. I miss it! I want to do scrapbooks for the boys. Creating these books is something that I love.

9) I've thought about international adoption since high school. I'm hopeful that in these next 10 years, Jeremy and I might board a plane to head overseas and pick up a child or 2 to welcome into our family. I don't know if these are God's plans or my own thoughts. So it's just something we will be praying through as we get closer to thinking about child #3. (A few years down the road.)

10) The Proverbs 31 woman. Read it often. Memorize it. Live it well.

So I don't have 30 goals. Honestly, I don't think any of you would have read to 30. It was getting kind of lengthy with my long-winded self. And even though I could just start making things up, this is really all I've got. So 1 per year. Maybe I can handle it.

my friendly school boy.

Well, you all know that Holden attends "school". On Mondays he goes to Mother's Day Out at a local church. He has done so well and I really think he enjoys it. I often catch him singing parts of Jesus Loves Me, The Itsy Bitsy Spider and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star . . . just to name a few. And I am pretty certain that he has been working on these songs at music time in school. One day when we were headed home from school, a teacher from another class gave a friendly hello to Holden. She said his name, so it was obvious that she knew him. I smiled back and so she explained that her class is in the gym at the same time as Holden's each week. She had gotten to know him because she said he is so sweet and friendly and always hugging everyone. That made me laugh. It just kind of surprised me that he goes around hugging strangers when I'm not around. But okay. So today, I headed to the school to buy a class picture that was taken a couple of weeks ago. I went in with both boys and no stroller. Paxton on the hip, Holden on my hand and checkbook in the other hand. I made my way to a classroom where the photographers were set up with pictures to purchase. As I found Holden's class picture and began writing my check for this precious memory, one of the photographers explained that she remembered Holden. You see he was the one that had to hug each of them after the picture was taken. What in the world? It's funny to me. How does he act when I'm not around? If I could be a fly on the wall for just 1 day! Apparently he is affectionate. Each day at school they circle words that described the child's demeanor for the day. In the past almost 3 months, 95% of the time these words have been circled: happy, friendly, busy. Every week. Same words. But I'm happy with this. Other options could be grouchy, sleepy, sad. But he has never had those words circled. His little personality is getting so big. He's almost 2 and that is so hard to believe! He just seems like such a big boy to me now.

So I want to introduce you to the 2010 Most Friendly in the 18-24month class . . . it's Holden. I guess he's following in daddy's footsteps with this title. (And yes, technically I am the only one that voted.)

If only I could catch that smile on camera these days! I have stared at this picture at least 20 times today. He is pure delight! And I am truly blessed to be his momma!

Ella Claire Designs

Kristy is my old college roomate. One of 3 that I wish I could still see everyday. If I remember correctly, I think we were all supposed to buy houses (in Abilene) (on Sayles) and live within the same block. We each had our house picked out. Hmmm? What happened to that idea?! Oh I miss those girls. Reminiscing a bit here. Anyways, Kristy is quite the crafter now. I don't think this was the case back in our college days. But she is now and I had seen some of her cute, little creations several months back. So when I needed a napmat for Holden's "school" who else would I call! I called Kristy and she immediately got to work for us. She made Holden a soft, padded napmat with an attached blanket and pillow. It was so cute with ribbon detail and the works. It has been washed and dryed and is still in perfect condition. We have been very pleased. And Holden loves his napmat. See below he deomstrates for you how well he sleeps on it.Looks comfy, huh? Holden thinks so. I realize my picture of the napmat isn't wonderful since there is a little boy in it. Click here for a few other pictures of the napmat. And you can see more of her cutesie little creations by clicking here.

A visit from Lyndon and fam.

Lyndon was Holden's first, little BFF. They spent many a days together during there first 16 months of life. And then we moved away. But Holden has not forgotten his friend. Lyndon and his family came to visit us last weekend. The boys had a great time playing basketball, pushing trucks, playing at the playground and doing just about everything together. It was a fun weekend with friends. And Holden is still calling one of his trucks "nen-nen's" when he sees it. Now a distant friend, but clearly still his BFF. Sweet friends!

enjoying some dinner side-by-side.
Lyndon holding tightly to that Longhorn football!
the boys at the park.

Playdate with cousin Cameron

A few weeks ago we drove to my sister's house and had some playtime with the boys. It's nice to be closer to my sister now. To be able to go and spend a morning together while the boys play. Holden stayed awake until I put him in the car at 2pm to head home. That is a record for him. I guess Cameron wore him out. But they had a fun time playing and I drove away very grateful. And I look forward to many more spring and summer days to play with these cousins.

Paxton enjoying some tummy time.

Cameron and Holden playing with trains.

to the playground.

We have had some beautiful spring weather lately. And so we have made a few trips to the neighborhood playground. Holden is a little timid climbing up to slide. He might be a tad bit afraid of heights at this point. His caution kind of makes me laugh. He shuffles his feet rather than taking steps. Not to mention the fearful look he wears on his face most of the time. Here are a few pictures from our fun days at the park.

sweet dreams.

And these are the sweet faces I get to see each night before I go to bed! They look extra-sweet when they are sleeping peacefully. :)

Meet Mackenzie!

We now have a babysitter!!!! A trusted friend teaches high school at one of the schools in our town, so I contacted her for babysitters. It was a blessing to have that connection. So Mackenzie, one of her students, came over 1 Saturday evening and Jeremy and I had some time alone, away from the house. It was a great night for us. And when we returned, Mackenzie told us that she would love to come back! That was a relief. I thought the 2 little ones might be overwhelming. But she is willing, so she might become a regular at our house. We plan to start scheduling more date nights and we are grateful that we have found someone to watch over and love on our boys.

one-half.

On February 26th Paxton hit the halfway mark to 1 year. Wow! Well on his way to being a big boy. Uh, well, if you've held my chubby man, you know he is ALREADY a big boy. At his 6 month appointment, he weighed in at 19lbs. 15oz (only 1oz. shy of 20 pounds!) and he was 27 inches long. Both measurements placed him in the 50th-75th percentile for his age. Nice and average and very proportionate, I might add. Holden was the same exact weight at his 6 month appointment but a tad bit longer.

The doctor asked me if he was sitting up yet. When I responded with "not yet", she responded "uh-oh". So of course I got him home and started trying to sit him up. And he did pretty well with it. He tips over eventually, but he is sitting up pretty well now and he seems to enjoy the new view and independence. He can now roll either direction and daily enjoys some tummy time. He has become such a happy and smiley baby boy. With each month, I think he grows more smiley. And that smile is contagious! We love to make him giggle by playing peek-a-boo or tickling those chunky thighs. We are completely in love! There is not a day that passes that I don't thank God for this gift. He is such a treasure!

Holden is head over heels for him. He tries to straddle him and tickle his belly, kiss his head and just get as close as possible. While it could be annoying to some to have that invasion of space, Paxton just smiles at his big brother. They are completely in love and that is a joy to watch. Here are some pictures from his 6 month birthday!

Where to begin . . .

Where do I even begin when I am this far behind on the blog? We had more computer issues. Then Jeremy bit the bullet and purchased a new one. It was painful. But now, hopefully, the blog is up and running for good. I've always liked blogging the small details of our lives with these fun boys. But being this far behind just won't allow for me to catch up on those small details. We'll see as I review my pictures which ones make the cut. Be prepared for a blog overload. The computer is running (obviously), I have a camera full of pictures none of you have seen, the boys are in bed and my husband is watching a movie that would probably put me to sleep. So tonight, I play catch up!