nothing sweeter....

There is nothing sweeter than when you drive home after a long day at work, pick up the kids, look in the rear-view mirror to find your sweet little three year old holding the hand of his baby brother.

six months old...

Today, daycare closed due to the snow. Yes, the daycare director told me they would post if it closed on the local news...I checked all night and early in the morning. Nothing. So I decided to leave the house when Jerime did, just in case. I mean, I'd rather be late to work than go all the way to Macon and have to turn around. I got half-way to the interstate and he called. They are closed. Ugh. So I got some time with my children as I worked from home....nice, eh? I love every precious minute I get to spend with them.

Thadeus decided to smear poo in his room while I was feeding Max this morning. I walked in and was blown away with the smell. I look at him and he as naked..? Then I notice about 10 pairs of little boy underwear all over the place. Yep, okay. So, he pulled off the pullup full of poo and then decided he would try all of his underwear on--it was a stinky mess and I think my washing machine is cursing me from the wash.

Thadeus got a hair cut and it is so cute.

Max is six months old today. Mom was holding him as I walked in--Tiffany and Mom watched Max while Heather and I took Thadeus to get a hair cut. It took 40 minutes!!! Well, so I walked in and Meme was holding Max. He saw me and just started squeeling. Then he lunged for me! Yes, he reached out for me today. And when I took him, he grabbed me around my head and started gumming my cheek...aw, he's giving me kisses.

That was the sweetest thing ever.

Thadeus was standing in his chair at the table....we asked several times for him to be seated. So Jerime started counting..."Thadeus, you better sit down....ONE, ........., TWO............Alright Thad--you better sit down......THREE......" and then Thad goes, "FOUR..." Okay, that didn't work like it was supposed to and...it was hard not to laugh....I had to turn my head when I was smiling.

What do you do when a toddler just won't sleep?

Hmmm, so yes, we are in the big boy bed. Now what? Will this get any better? How do parents deal with big boy beds if the big boys won't stay in them?

I have a very active little boy...I realize he was in a crib until after his third birthday but he was willing to sleep there and we were willing to let him.

Our normal ritual consists of prayers followed by kissing and tucking Thadeus into bed. Around two weeks before Christmas, I started the potty talk again. Our pediatrician had advised me that Thad just didn't seem ready for pottying and maybe to lay off for a couple of months. So that would put us at January for starting the potty time again.

Mid-December I started suggesting to Thadeus that if he would start using the big boy potty then he would be rewarded with a big boy bed. I was thinking...it is time to move on to this big bed but what a great way to "reward" him--if he used the potty. Well, it was that same weekend that he figured out how to get out of his bed. I knew it was only a matter of time. It is one of the convertable beds, meaning, it's a crib, converts to a toddler bed and finally can be converted into a double bed...pretty neat. The crib had tall sides, so he never tried to crawl out, until about two weeks ago.

It was a Saturday. We are both in our living room and out comes Thadeus--Jerime and I both looked up with bewilderment on our faces. "Hello Thad", Jerime said. "What are you doing? Did you figure out how to get out of your bed?" "Uh, huh," Thadeus said with this HUGE smile on his face.

So we tried putting him back in his crib and he just wouldn't have it....nice. Nap time has been non-existant. Yep...nada. No naps. This means that by 5pm, Thadeus is just the most wonderful kiddo to be around. Melt downs occur, yelling, throwing; and all of this because he is tired and won't take a nap. This is not from lack of trying though. We kept putting him in the bed...out he came. I think I even threatened to duct-tape him to the bed....of course, this was not good because he believed me and began crying....so not such a good idea....

Night time has been an issue too. Sometimes we've let him stay up....falling asleep next to us and we just take him to his new bed. Other times, we let him play in his room...until finally we have to make him go to sleep which involves a "YOU BETTER NOT GET OUT OF THIS BED AGAIN" speech--he will cry and we feel bad but once it is 10 pm you just have to draw the line! I mean I was falling asleep before him!!!!

I've done a spanking technique once and that was not fun so haven't done that again. So I guess there is no really right way but we are continuing to work on it and maybe he will eventually cooperate.

and two weeks later...

Well, golly bum. I am so excited to have reached my blog page....now, what to write? Facebook has taken over my strength to blog...but I must....
You see, I forgot my password? How did this happen....? I'm not sure, except that I kept trying to follow the prompts to reset it and I couldn't get it to happen....two weeks later, I FINALLY receive the e-mail I need to really reset this thing! Ah, atlast!
Now, off to decide what to write about...my last blog was on July 4th!!!!! Pre-second baby....a LOT has happened since then.
AND Christmas.

Happy Fourth! (oh, and happy due date or not-due date!)

Happy Fourth! We are thankful for all of those who have served and died for our country and are continuing to serve our country. Yesterday, we hung out with the Buffington's side. It was a beautiful hot day and thank goodness for the breeze. GeeGee enjoyed watching Thadeus while I sat, sat, and sat some more. It is tough being so big right now but I know I will have a baby before next Saturday, according to the doctor who will not let me go to 41 weeks. Yikes.

Here are some photos of our fabulous day! We miss you Jonathan; we'll be glad when you come home from Afghanistan.

First, here is a photo of Thadeus playing with Daddy. He is really getting into his train set. He's getting where he will actually let you play with it...and let is stay on the track.

Jerime bought his Dad a smoker for Father's Day. He has used it quite a bit. Jerime brought his smoker over and here they are "smokin." For starters we had lunch--smoked hot dogs with chili. Yummy. And yes, those are the baby-backs--dinner for later.

Thadeus is really trying to potty like a big boy. This is a great (yeah) stage. It is the hardest stage ever. I mean I hope this kid is potty trained before Kindergarten. LOL He thinks it is more fun to put the potty insert over his head. This is a only a slightly new potty insert so don't think Granddaddy and Jerime have lost their minds...if this potty wasn't nearly new, they would not be puttin' this potty on their heads!!!

Thadeus and his mommy took a trip to Wal-mart before heading to GeeGee's. I just had to buy the flower sprinkler. Thad loved it!!!

Below is a photo of the new calf. You can see the mama to the left. She was a little cow to be having a baby. I don't know about you but I'm thinking GeeGee and Granddaddy better watch that bull. LOL Just kidding!

Ah, the ribs. Don't they look great. And Jerime's sauce is just awesome. They were great. Thadeus had a great time eating the ribs, tomatoes, butter peas, bread and enjoyed some strawberry short cake. We left around 9pm or so and Thadeus was a tired boy. Below is a great photo of his bed head the next morning. Thadeus and I are both morning persons! I wake up singing and so does he. Gotta love that hair!

Love,

Christine and Jerime

Memorial Day Weekend

This is a great shot of Thad's pearly whites! Bathtime is the best time--he loves getting into the water and splashing around.

Ingles had a great sale on bananas during the Memorial Day Weekend. One bag for $0.99!!! There were 15 bananas in that bag. We couldn't eat them fast enough so I decided to make banana pudding and banana bread! I had enough for two batches each. Thadeus had fun helping his mama, as you can see.

Here I am at 34 weeks. I finally removed my naval ring which you can spot in the photo below.

Jerime and I went fishing at Lake Juliette over the holiday. The two of us had not been in the new boat together since the time we took Thadeus with us. A two year old in a boat is not that good an idea if your two year old likes to climb and jump. The weekend, as you may remember, was a rainy one. It didn't rain on us much but it was very overcast. Jerime only caught one fish. It was a keeper that we took to Cliff and Rhonda's pond. I didn't catch a single fish. GeeGee and Mimi split babysitting duty that Saturday as we fished. It was good to get out but I was happy to see my little boy. I can't believe I still have the withdrawal symptoms from being away from my 2.5 year old son-- I love my little man.

Thadeus got a new toy over the weekend also. All of his toys are "outdated" meaning boring! He doesn't really play with his toys anymore and he needed an interactive toy for the indoors, especially on rainy days. Jerime and I decided to take Thad to town. We ate Mexican first. Thadeus loves Mexican food. We gave him salsa and chips to start off with--the salsa was spicy and Thad just ate it up...I can't believe he likes spicy food the way he does but I ate a lot of spicy food when I was pregnant with him. Afterward we went to Walmart. This experience wasn't a good one because Thadeus wanted every toy he could see. After a bunch of screaming in the toy section, we loaded up a toy kitchen. Thadeus calls this is "kinchen" and absolutely loves it. When I pick him up from daycare, he will say, I want my kinchen.

I think this photo is so cute. Today when we got home he was cooking with his kinchen. He will sip on his juice and stir up his play food. Sometimes when I can't find his sippy cup, I can take a peek in one of the compartments and find the cup. Usually I find it in the Microwave! Today I asked him what he was making and he replied with "apple juice." So I asked him, what else will you make and he said "chocolate." I laughed at him so hard.

My sister Tiffany got married this weekend. I worried about Thadeus but he did really well. Daddy took snacks for the ceremony which turned out to be beautiful. My parents decorated the lake and it was just beautiful. I hate I didn't take any photos but I couldn't do much since I was helping direct the wedding. Tiffany looked beautiful. Thad stayed up the entire time. GeeGee help tremendously by keeping an eye on him as he was running all over the place. I was getting sharp pains in my abdomen the whole weekend so I just couldn't keep up with him. Together, Jerime, GeeGee and Granddaddy kept him at bay. He had a good time dancing the night away. Toward the end of the night we could tell he was tired as he sat in my lap as we watched some of the last dances before Tiff and Taylor left the reception. I just know Thadeus would fall asleep on the way home. Can you believe this kid didn't wind down until well after 12:30 a.m. He kept talking while in his bed. We stayed awake until he fell asleep. I was pooped. The next day Jerime watched Thad as I helped Mom clean up some at the lake. It was sad to see all of the decorations and flowers come down...I can't believe one of my baby sisters is married.

Last molar! Full head of teeth

Well, we've finished getting in his last molar! His left one. I guess now we wait for them all to fall out before getting the wisdom ones!!! Brushing a toddler's teeth is definitely a task. He hates it when I help but I know dental hygiene is a very important thing.

Today I bought Thadeus some new jammies. He loves them. There are bugs all over the pants and there is a fuzzy bug on the shirt. He looked so cute before bedtime.

I also bought him a three piece set for the wedding. It is a cute little vest in yellow with kakhi pants and the neatest little roll up polo shirt. It was on the clearance rack and very cute. Then I paid entirely too much for a polo shirt for a two year old! I got it on sale too--it is green with a light blue polo logo. I got some navy pants to go with it...so I have two outfits to choose from for my sister's, Tiffany, wedding in two weeks!!!

I have seven weeks left of the pregnancy. I just love the lady, Fran, at my son's daycare that tells me EVERY day how large I am! It's like the movie, "Groundhog Day." She asks me every day how much farther I have to go and tells me how big I look. Thanks Fran. There's nothing like working your butt off all day long to come to that in the afternoon! LOL

Poor little Mica is a sweet little pup! She lets Thad lay on her, pull her tail, drag her upside-down, etc. I'm trying to teach him the importance of being sweet and gentle to our seven year old, five pound dog. When it gets too bad, she goes onto my bed until Thad goes to bed. She has bitten him a couple of times but I know it was when she could take it no longer. They are not serious bites, just the kind that say "back off bud." She really deals with it well and with Thad getting stronger, I rescue her before she has a chance to react to him, just in case.

I've been an emotional basket case lately. I cry at the drop of a hat. Little Thad is so sweet. He will come up to me and say, "I sorry, mama." I give him hugs and tell him I love him and tell him that it is okay and he is not the reason mommy is crying! It is really quite humorous. I think it is so sweet that he is so concerned. Sometimes he will come up to me and rub my leg and look at me with those beautiful big brown eyes and say "sorry." I could just eat that kid up.