A Pirate's Life for Me!

Yo-ho-ho and away we go!  

We had a blast at Dylan's birthday party!  

Here is my little pirate family, my whole heart!                                                  

I have to give a shout out to Uncle Craig and Aunt Carole for making the food table into a pirate ship!  What would I do without them, and my Cricut machine!

 We feasted on: Chocolate chip pirate cake, Blue jello pirate ships, Salty Sea Water, and the Catch of the Day: Goldfish!

 Every pirate wants to get Captain Hook!  What better way than with water balloons!  Our Captain Hook Splash Away Bullseye was a big hit!  Thanks Uncle Bob for filling up all those water balloons for our pirates!  Dylan finished off the 100 pack of balloons that evening after nap time!

Are you ready to "Walk Ye Plank?" Be careful not to fall to the deck below! A thank you to my husband for getting the plank and bullseye ready for the party!

 Find ye treasure! We were ready to dig for treasure.  This included: compass rings, bouncy balls, skeletons, beaded necklaces, gold coins, and whistles!

A pirate must be able to sail the open seas!  The life size pirate ship was amazing!  My dad, mom, and Daddy Vell worked so hard perfecting their idea for the party!  The ship had a steering wheel, cannon ball shooter, and sails!  My mom also made spy glasses that were too cool!   Let's sail the open seas and

search for Captain Hook!

       

After sailing the open seas, every pirate is ready for some grub!  We ate cake, opened presents, and played with our new loot!  The pirate baby even got into the festivities!

 After a big rest for this birthday pirate, Captain Daddy and Mommy presented the young shipmate with his new bike!  We got him a Strider Bike, recommended by a friend at church.  It is a different spin on learning to ride a bike.  We hope it is successful!  If you want to learn more about it for your young shipmate, visit: www.stridersports.com

 We have a family tradition, that on the Sunday closest to your birthday, you get to pick lunch.  Dylan picked Blue Coast Burrito and off we went!  He loves that place, and he eats really well!  

 I got several of my printables from this website: www.tatteredandinked.blogspot.com  She has lots of free printables for all different occasions!

Ahoy Mateys! We had so much fun celebrating our Dylan turning three!

Ten month joy!

It sure is hard to believe that you are two short months away from one year old!  Your mommy is enjoying each and every moment with you and trying to store all these memories so I won't forget a thing!  When someone asks me about your personality,  I always say these things: 1. You are so sweet.  2. You are a cuddle monkey!  3. You are a Momma's boy.  4. You are very laid back.   We are thankful for you and are so glad that God chose us to be your family!  We couldn't imagine it any other way!

 Caleb, here are a few things that you are doing right now:
-You shake your head no.
-You clap your hands.
-You can say: Mama, Dada, and Shew (at those stinky diapers!)
-Mommy is pretty sure you said "ba" when we were rolling the ball, but I haven't heard it again.
-You loved to roll and throw the ball!
-You have 2 more teeth: one on top, one on bottom, bringing the grand total to 8!
-When you see or want Nelli, you say: "umm umm"
-You love to play with the door stoppers and the door itself!  You open, crawl around, shut it, and repeat with your hands and your feet!
-You have the fastest army crawl I have ever seen and it gets you EVERYWHERE!
-You can stand up and hold on to something, but are still wobbly!
-You can walk around on the tile floor in your walker, but you like to go backwards most!
-Some of your favorite foods are: spaghetti, green beans, carrots, crackers, meatballs, pizza, pancakes, cheerios, basically all types of food!
-Only dislike so far: bananas

You love your brother and I love to watch you interact.  You bring out the best in each other and it is almost like you have your own connection/language.  You smile at him and laugh at him.  You are his biggest fan.  Until... you are tired of him in your face, and then your newest defense is to go at him with those 8 teeth.  Oops....

We love you more than life itself!

Water slides, Tractors, and the Zoo!

Dylan absolutely loves the slide at the pool.  It is a new addition as of late summer and our family givesit two thumbs up! It is pretty big so I thought he might be a little tentative, but who was I kidding?!? He loves it!

Look at those long legs!

Daddy's always there to catch him!

So proud of himself!

 This hot weather hasn't allowed too much time at the farm, but Dylan has enjoyed it a few times this summer.  We are ready for fall weather so he can go more often.  Dylan, Daddy, and Pawpaw went a few weeks ago and he helped plant wheat.  I have heard about that for weeks!  In his Bible story book, he is reading the story of Ruth, Naomi, and baby Obed.  At bedtime, he told Daddy he wanted to read about baby Obed.  Why? Because they work in wheat fields! He is headed up to the farm again to work/play tomorrow morning!

Driving the 4-wheeler!

Headed out with Pawpaw to plant!

Tractor riding with Daddy!

 We take a trip to the zoo weekly!  We did have to skip a month or so because of the extreme heat here in Arkansas!  We get there right when the zoo opens and stay for a couple of hours.  We are usually leaving when the "crowds" arrive, so it is just perfect for us.  Caleb absolutely loves to be outside and watch everything!  He is so laid back!  He will watch and watch and then fall asleep and snooze for his morning nap.  Blessing! These pictures are from last week.  We enjoyed cooler weather and church friends on our trip this week!

Watching the cheetahs!

Mr. Lion was close!

The new cheetah exhibit is great!

It has a neat interactive, inside area, too!

Sorry it's sideways, but this is what happens to him every time
we go to the zoo.  He is such a good baby!

 We have had a great summer.  We are all looking forward to fall weather and football!  Dylan starts his 1st Mother's Day Out program in a little over a week!  (Cue: tears and sniffles)

Wait, I'm NOT Supermom?

I had a conversation with my bestie this week. It is prompting this post. If you know me well, you know I'm not very open, or excited about change, but I'm hoping another Mommy reading this will feel a little relief when they realize:

Alert:YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE SUPERMOM!

After having baby number 2, life as a stay at home mom got way more hectic. I expected some of it. But y'all, it was hard! I found myself mentally and physically exhausted pretty much daily! We got in a nice routine but I still felt a huge burden because I couldn't get it all done in the day. My list was: happy boys, laundry, supper, clean house, and a smile on my face and I couldn't make it all happen. This led to me feeling like I was failing at my job. So I guess you could say i was on auto pilot.

I didn't want to tell anyone I felt like I wasn't cutting it because I thought it was just me! So, a God thing happened. My bestie just brought it up. She said, you know you don't have to be Supermom. You are not the only one that has felt overwhelmed. You are raising an almost 3 year old and a baby! We had discussed all this before but I needed to hear it again! Whew! Big exhale! What a relief! It's okay not to be able to do it all! I know it will get easier when I'm not nursing, pumping, helping a boy potty, changing diapers, etc.. But I want to enjoy this stage too because it brings joyous memories I cherish!

So, I just wanted this "blogger" world to know I'm relaxing a little. I'm doing things with my boys. I'm enjoying all of Caleb's new firsts and Dylan's new adventures. I'm busy. I have good days and bad ones. Laundry, supper, and stuff will and DO get done. I'm blessed to stay home because it was my dream and I love it! So I'm doing the best I can being just Mom, no super needed.

Nine FINE months!

Caleb has officially been here longer than he was in my belly!  Hard to believe really.

Daily Schedule:
6:10 Wake-up and nurse. Playtime!
8:00 Eat oatmeal for breakfast.
9:00-10:00 Nap.
11:00 Nurse.
12:00 Lunch.  You are loving finger foods! 
(Green peas, Pasta, Puffs, Carrots, Peach Yogurt, Brown rice, just to name a few.)
1:00 Nap.  (1-2 hours)
4:00 Nurse.
6:00 Supper.
7:40 Nurse. Bed.
*And tons of playtime, cuddle time, watching brother, laughing @ brother in between!

Stats: 
18lb. 4oz.  28 1/2 inches long  *You aren't packing on the pounds, just getting longer!

Fun things you are up to:
*You can roar like a lion! 7-9-12
*You have your top left tooth! 7-17-12

Sweetness!

*You make a froggy gulp in your throat just like your cousin Logan did! 7-7-12
*If we ask, "Where is the light?", you look up!
*Your favorite thing to play with is the plastic bin of Dylan's hot wheel cars and figurines!
*When you get excited you stick your arms straight out and open and close your hands like "Gimmee!"

*You have the "GRUNT AND LEAN" which is your way to tell us what you need.  You grunt and lean your whole body sideways.  It can mean: eat, get down, hold me, let me sleep.
*You also like to throw your body backwards and yelp if we aren't giving you what you want. (Yikes!)
*You can grow, grow, grow to the Bible class song!
*You like to throw your toys in Bible class, and at home!
*You get so excited about toys, more than your brother ever did!

*You say: Ba-ba-ba, Da-da-da, Ma-ma-ma (and I think you know what it means!)
*You are getting lots more hair.  It is light brown and gets really curly when you get sweaty!
*You love your papi and blankie so very much!
*You are still army crawling everywhere and man are you fast!

 Army crawl-in-action!

*You love to watch Nelli!

*You absolutely love reading books, just like your big brother.  You love the touch and feel books and you already try to turn the pages.  You like to read FAST!

Caleb, you have a great personality. You are at the age of great discovery.  Everything is new and exciting.  I sometimes think your chubby cheeks might burst from all of your smiling!  You are incredibly laid back.  You sat on our lap at the Traveler's baseball game for almost 2 hours and never made a peep!  You love to cuddle.  You make us smile and sometimes Mommy wants to bottle you up at this age and make time stand still! 

Perspective

Do you ever feel like you need to take a few steps back and gain some perspective on your life? I recently did this in my relationship with my (sniff*sniff*) almost 3 year old.  Over the past few months we have been struggling with a battle of wills, especially in regards to his nap time.  When Jonathan and I went to Chicago, I began reading this book that my sister gave me.  I am about 100 pages in and feel like I have underlined something on 90 pages!  When we got home, I began implementing some of Dr. Leman's suggestions on fit throwing, discipline, etc.  I highly recommend it!  

I am not sure if it was just coincidence, or the Lord intervening, but while we were gone, D-man napped everyday!  I asked my mom how she did it, and she told me that she held him in the rocking chair and told him stories until he fell asleep.  Now a little background info: For the past several months, I was unable to keep him in bed to nap.  He would either sing at the top of his lungs to keep himself awake, or come out of his room 500 times.  I tried many different suggestions from friends, too many to list, and it seemed like we would both end up angry and upset.  I did not like myself as a "mom" between the hours of 1:00-3:00pm daily.  Something had to change, yet I KNEW that he still desperately needed his nap.  So I tried what my mom had done.  Scenario: I lay Caleb down in his crib for his afternoon nap (Praise God he puts his sweet self to sleep) then Dylan and I go to his room and climb in the rocking chair.  He requests a story: pirates, Mickey, endless possibilities.  I make up a story and we rock.  After the story, I sing church praise songs to him and wait for him to drift off to sleep.  It is usually a 30 minute process and he naps anywhere from 1 1/2 to 2 hours.  Here is the perspective that I now have as I looked at the whole picture a little different:

-My almost 3 year old is still a baby.  He still needs comfort, love, and one-on-one attention.  Why do we try to make our little ones grow up so fast? 

-I believe part of his acting out at nap was because he knew I was laying him down to go spend time with his baby brother.  He needs Mommy time, too.

-We all leave happy.  He naps which means the afternoon and evening are pleasant.  And I get to spend some cuddling time with my firstborn son that doesn't stop moving unless he is asleep!

This method may seem crazy to some moms.  But it is working for this one.  I needed a new perspective.  Now that I have it, I feel refreshed.  I feel like I can tackle my days without dreading nap time.  So, thanks Mom for starting something new.  Thanks Dr. Leman for some great tips in your book.  Thanks to God for putting it all together.  Everything happens for a reason.  

I love my Dylan more than life itself.  He is one exciting, energetic, loving little boy.  I plan to hold on to all these memories.  And cherish my time with him while he is young.  Because, yes, in the blink of an eye he WILL be a big boy.  

The 4th and Parents Getaway!

Two posts in one! It's long!

OUR FOURTH OF JULY!

Family time!

We spent the morning at the lake with the Arnold family.  Dylan rode jet skis, went fishing, and ate lots of food sweets!  Caleb was pretty low key!  He ate and took a nap!  Aunt Janell was in town and I can't believe I didn't get a picture with her!  The boys love her to pieces and love that she crashed on our couch and got to hang out with us for  part of the 4th! 

Happy Fourth! 

Ridin' with Daddy!

 That afternoon, we went to the pool.  Dylan enjoyed the inflatables most!  He made new friends that "looked out for him" amongst all the bigger kids.  It is so refreshing to know some (and I do say only some) children still have manners and help a small child instead of mowing them over.  We enjoyed some time with Matt and Lana, and then went home and CRASHED!

So much fun! 

The Big Slide!

Curly Q's!

Our American Baby!

This face melts my heart!

 PARENTS GETAWAY!

Jonathan and I took our first getaway since Caleb was born for the weekend.  We celebrated our 8th anniversary! We flew out of LR very early Friday morning and were in Chicago before 10am!  We took a taxi to our hotel which was the PERFECT  little boutique!  Thanks so much Mrs. Caryn, Lindsey, and Erin for the recommendation!  We love the Talbott Hotel on E. Delaware and WILL be staying there again!  It was quiet, the bellman, and doorman were so friendly!  

Awesome place to stay!

We were a little over 2 blocks from Michigan Ave, but the area was totally perfect!  It is the type scene you see in the movies!  Little eateries with patio seating, fountains surrounded by little tables to relax.  I absolutely love that area!  We ate lunch at the famous Cheesecake Factory!  Our cheesecake was to die for!  On Friday, we headed straight to Michigan Ave. to check out all the shops!  We walked and shopped for a while, then went back and took a nap!  Yes! A NAP! 

Me: Banana cream J: Snickers

 We took a boat ride down the Chicago River and out into Lake Michigan.  It was neat to hear about all of the buildings and why the Chicago River runs the opposite direction!

Amazing scenery!

 We ate supper at Ditka's Chop House!  Jonathan ate "da chop" and I had the filet!  It was a great meal!

Late night supper!

  Saturday we decided to walk down to the old "mansions" of Chicago (recommended by our concierge).  It was so cool!  I picked out my own place, red door and all!  How neat to live on this street that is so full of history!  We found the original Playboy mansion.  I found out that it is now several condominiums that are valued at millions of dollars each!

I picked the house with the red door! 

Enjoying our walk!

Original Playboy Mansion!

 Our concierge recommended Lou Malnati's for deep dish pizza!  It WAS INCREDIBLE!  The buttercrust was out of this world.  We had a free chocolate chip cookie with ice cream that was possibly better than the pizza.  We love going to places that the "locals" love instead of the overly advertised ones!

Saturday night was the big concert!

KENNY CHESNEY AND TIM MCGRAW AT SOLDIER FIELD!  We took the L to Soldier Field along with 50,000 of our closest friends!  Our assigned seats were pretty disappointing so we moved on over to the only lower level section that didn't sell out.  Great move and awesome concert! Everyone knows that Kenny is my favorite.  Seen him several many times!  He played some of his older songs and I was more than thrilled about that! The breeze in the evening actually made me a little chilly!  It was so much fun!  I would recommend Brothers of the Sun Tour to anyone!  Tim and Kenny did not disappoint!  The concert lasted nearly 6 hours.  We didn't get back to our hotel until midnight. 

So fun!

Tim McGraw was great!

Kenny!

Together!

 Sunday we decided to take it easy! We checked out at noon and walked across the street to eat brunch at Cru (formerly The Feast).  It was great!  The weather was perfect!  75-sunny-with a cool breeze!  We decided to just walk around some more.  We shopped, and waited in line for Garrett's popcorn!  Caramel crisp did not disappoint either!  We headed to the airport around 3 and were home in time to put our boys to bed!  Thanks to my mom and dad for keeping the boys and for J's parents helping out too!  It takes a village and we have a great one that allows us to take "US" time to refuel!