Happy Half Birthday, Griff!

Griffin, today is your half birthday. You are one and a half! I can hardly believe that we were celebrating your 1st birthday 6 months ago!

The Stats:

Weight: 21.3lbs (3rd percentile) Dr. Leeper said you are the size of the average 10 month old. No need to worry because you are super healthy!

Height: 31.5 inches (25th percentile)

Clothes: still lots of 12 month clothes & a few 18 month

Diaper: 4

Shoe: 4.5

Here's what's been going on this month:

-I put some books in your bed & that has helped when you wake up. You used to wake up so sad & now you'll turn on your music & read some books!

-You have adopted a new lovey, Mickey Mouse! You found this little Mickey at Walgreen's the other day and had to have it. You have spent the past few days snuggling with Mickey in your crib and giving him hugs. It is so sweet!

-You climb everything in sight. The couch, the bar stools, the tables, all the chairs, the train table, etc. You have zero fear!

-You love to sing. You sing songs from "Rio" all the time & can actually carry a tune! You also sing "dank you, Ga!!!" It's a song Grayson sings from preschool called "Thank you, God."

-You love to be a helper! You bring me your plate when you are finished eating & you always pick up trash when you see it.

Things you are saying:

-dank you (thank you)

-luh you (love you)

-Jack

-Daddy

-Mommy

-Rio

-Yeah

-Hey & Hi

- Bah (bye)

-ki ki (kitty)

-ew & yuck

-bebe (what he calls his paci)

-baby (and he knows the ultrasound picture is the baby!)

-see it

You are currently loving:

-Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Rio, & Despicable Me

-Peekaboo games on the iPad

-smoothies

-dancing & listening to music

-your new Mickey Mouse

-reading books. You bring me books all day long & want me to read to you!

My sweet Griff. You have such a fun personality. You are a tiny little 1.5 year old but you can definitely hold your own! You are a combination of fearless, wild, & snuggly. One minute you are running around like a crazy boy & the next you are curled up in my lap. The past year and a half have been so fun & you have added such joy to our family. I can't believe YOU will be a big brother in 6 more months! We love you, sweet boy!



Let's Get This Party Started! 12 weeks with Baby #3

 

I can't believe we are doing this again! 3rd baby is no joke on the body. I feel huge. Here we go!

 

 

How far along?: 12 weeks

How big is your baby?: the size of a lime

 

Total weight gain: I honestly have no idea. I go back to the OB next week!

Sex: we should find out in March. My guess? Boy.

 

Maternity clothes: well, I have been in maternity pants since about 9 weeks. Boohiss.

 

  Sleep: I am sleeping fine if I can actually sleep all night. If I wake up to go to the bathroom or if Griff wakes up, it's all over. I'll sleep good in 18 years!

 

Symptoms: This is actually the sickest I have been with any pregnancy. I have been more nauseous than anything & sick occasionally. I am hoping we are almost done with that!

 

Best moment this week: We found a new (to us) super comfy chair for the new nursery!

 

Food cravings: green olives, pickles, & cereal. Specifically Cheerios. Weirdest aversion? DIET COKE. If you know me, you know this is so crazy.

Belly button in or out: in.

 

What I miss: nothing, just super thankful that we are getting to do this one more time!

 

What I'm looking forward to: Going to the OB next Thursday & hearing a heartbeat! 

Our Playroom Re-Do

We have been in our house for 5 years now & we made some pretty crazy paint decisions when we first got here. We have a huge bonus room space that we use for the playroom that is upstairs in between all of our bedrooms. For some crazy reason we thought a really bright mustard yellow was a great idea 5 years ago. Like I said, we were crazy. Earlier in the fall I was SO sick of the color on our walls, oversized furniture taking up too much room, & unorganized chaos with all the toys. Here is what the room used to look like:

 (well, minus the new couch)

 So! Much! Yellow!

It has been a pretty slow process, but over the past several months we have had the room painted, bought a much smaller couch, mounted the tv, & rearranged all the toy storage. I love how it looks now & how much more space we have!

We finally mounted the tv & had more room for storage. I bought these nice baskets at Target & made some labels (with pictures for the boys) to try and keep the toys organized. These are all toys Griffin uses a lot and I love that he can actually reach them all by himself!

Ben's dad made this awesome toy box with shelves when G was a baby. We love it. I did a major toy clean out after Christmas for the first time ever these shelves are staying organized! 

We have always had this (used to be in my classroom) but it is great for smaller toys. Please notice the photobombing package of Christmas lights in the picture. Keeping it real!

This has become one of my favorite parts of the playroom! I have been holding on to these book jackets for over 3 years and wanted to figure out a way to use them. They are now hanging on a wire curtain rod from Ikea that was super cheap. I love having this "art" on our wall! 

We have a train table but it is rarely used for trains. Right now it is housing a Bat Cave and lots of superhero friends!

This is the best I could with a "most of the room" shot without falling down the stairs. Our big piece of furniture is from Pottery Barn Kids and we love it. It has so much room for storing things and holding the hundreds of books and DVDs we have.

And our old HUGE sectional? sold! We bought this much smaller couch as a replacement and it gives us so much more room to play.  

Here's what I was working with while trying to get the room clean enough for pictures. Ha! Tiny Tornadoes.

We are very happy with this new space, can you tell?!

Happenings & Menu Monday

Right when I was feeling like I was back in the groove of things, Grayson and I got slammed last Wednesday/Thursday with the stomach virus. Yuck, yuck, yuck. It was awful and I am so glad that we were the only two that miraculously got sick.

 

I feel like I have been in such a slump recently. It has been so cold and dreary & we've been cooped up inside for what feels like weeks. It's safe to say that we are all going a little bit stir crazy & we definitely miss the sunshine and warm weather.  It's been affecting my attitude lately and I was really convicted of that yesterday. I've been so grumpy between sickness, the frigid cold weather, & the super early (think before 6am) wake ups by both boys. I just wake up annoyed & I need to change that. I should be happy that I get to wake up and stay with them.  My home is like my ministry & I need to work on having a more joyful heart.

 

This is on my kitchen wall & will hopefully serve as a reminder this week!

 

Okay, on to our menu. Due to sickness, a few things were moved to this week's menu. I am also going to try at least 1 new recipe each week to keep things interesting! Here's what we are eating this week:

 

Monday: Panko Parmesan crusted chicken, roasted rosemary sweet potatoes, & green beans

via

Tuesday: Super Sloppy Joes with tater tots

via

 

Wednesday: Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

 

Thursday: Buffalo Grilled Chicken Sandwiches with sweet potato fries

 

Friday: Taco Cups with chips & queso (from our neighborhood Mexican restaurant....you heard that right!)

 

Saturday: out with friends!

 

Sunday: Super Bowl party! what should I make??

Menu Monday

I think this is my first menu plan since late November. That can only mean one thing, friends...I am finally starting to feel NORMAL again! It is really hard to plan a menu and cook when nothing sounds good & random things make you queasy.  I think I am almost to the end of that part of pregnancy (fingers crossed) and I am really attempting to stick with our menu this week!

 

Monday: Oven Baked Fajitas with black beans (this is a tried & true favorite at our house!)

 

Tuesday: Panko Parmesan crusted chicken, roasted rosemary sweet potatoes, & green beans

 

Wednesday: Drip Beef Sandwiches & sweet potato fries (Ree Drummond has yet to lead me astray!)

 

Thursday: Poppyseed Chicken Casserole

 

Friday: Pizza night with my boys!

 

Saturday: Crockpot White Chicken Chili

 

Sunday: Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese 



The Story of Baby May #3

First of all, THANK YOU for being so excited with us over this new baby!

 

I wish I could say that the day we found out about our 3rd baby was just like any other day. But, it wasn't. It was December 6th. The very same day that my sweet friend, Michelle, went to be with Jesus. For both reasons, December 6th will always be a day that I remember.

 

I saw Michelle just 5 days before she passed away. We were at our friend's baby shower & I distinctly remember her telling me that she thought it was time we had another baby. I mean, the first 2 had turned out so cute, so why stop there?! I laughed. We were ready, too; we just didn't think it would be that easy.

 

I found out about Michelle on the morning of the 6th. Much of the day was spent talking to friends & trying to keep myself busy with the boys. I also had to take our neighborhood stray cat, Gutter, to the vet for a test with both kids in tow.

 

That afternoon I was running around the house making sure I had everything I needed for the boys & the cat. I opened a cabinet in the kitchen to grab something & saw a box with 1 pregnancy test. I honestly had not even thought about it until that very moment, but for some reason I felt like I needed to test. So, I took the test, put it aside, and put Gutter cat in the crate. I almost left for the vet without even looking at it but remembered as we were walking out the door.

 

Two lines. Clear as day.

 

WHAT. I immediately got goosebumps just thinking about the timing & circumstances of that day. That day that would forever be etched in my brain. I had lost one of my best friends but also found out we would be welcoming another precious baby into this world.  A new life. A new life that Michelle had talked about less than a week before. Life went full circle that day & I know Michelle was smiling big. It still gives me chills just thinking about it. I don't know exactly why God planned things like this or how it all is intertwined, but this story will always be beautiful to me. It's a story about how God showed me something beautiful when I was feeling broken.

 

 

World, meet Baby May #3. This sweet baby will enter our fun & crazy lives about 1 week after Griffin's 2nd birthday in August. Thank you for sharing our joy as we add one more (and likely last) baby to our family!



Party of Five

Last January one of my resolutions was to not get pregnant or have another baby. Well, I did pretty well with that resolution. For 11 months, anyway.

 

 

Here we go again, folks!

{Details to come}



A Very Wintery Break

Here is one thing I have learned over this winter break: Grayson needs his routine. He has been telling me for the past week that he misses school. He wants to go back and see his friends. Guess what? It's snowy, icy, & 8 degrees here and school was cancelled today.  The oldest toddler and I were both a little sad about this news!

 

We woke up yesterday to a blanket of icy snow & an antsy 3 year old who wanted to go play in the snow. This in & of itself was shocking considering he only wants to wear basketball shorts & tshirts every day.

 

So, like any good southern mama, I spent 20 minutes bundling the littles up in their snowsuits so that we could play outside for 3 minutes. It turns out that 8 degrees is a bit too chilly for Grayson and Griffin. I did, however, make them stay out long enough so I could document our snow day!

Okay, we've had our snow day for the year. We are ready for a warm front!



Griff is 17 months old!

 

Griffin, you are now 17 months old! We're a little late, but we will just pretend it was because you were sick & not because your mama kept forgetting to take your pictures. Forgive me?

 

The Stats:

Weight: 21.10lbs...you have finally grown!

Height: no idea, but you have grown some because some of your longalls are finally too short!

Clothing: Mostly all 12 month clothes, although some things are getting too short. However, your 18 month clothes are still WAY too big.

Shoe: 4.5

 

Here's what has been going on this month:

-He's talking a good bit more. Saying: see it, bebe (baby), yep, ew, go, hey, Gu (still for Gutter Cat-haha), & Mimi.

-He shakes his head "no" now. This has been super helpful recently. Bring on the communication!

-Griff LOVES music and loves to dance. He is obsessed with The Hot Dog Song on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and dances to it every morning.

-Still very much obsessed with the paci. He has like 5 in his crib at all times and is so finicky about which one he wants to use. If we are playing upstairs he will walk to his crib and switch them out. So odd!

-Griffin LOVES books and would be perfectly content reading all day long. He loves to sit in my lap and read during the day.
-Starting to imitate animal sounds. I give all the credit to the Peekaboo Barn app. He is obsessed.
-Can point to his belly, nose, eyes, ears, & mouth.

 

You are currently loving:

-reading books

-attempting to use utensils. You feel like a big boy!

-Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

-trucks, trucks, and more trucks

 

Griffin, you are definitely becoming our little spitfire. You have such a huge personality for such a tiny little guy. You may be the most strong-willed little toddler, but you are still so snuggly. I love that about you! Griff, you are really starting to grow up and are becoming a little boy before our eyes. It is so much fun watching you learn new things every day. You are such a sweet & funny little boy. We love you, sweet Griffin!



Five on Friday

Happy 2014, friends! One of my goals for this year is to get back in the groove of posting regularly. I guess we will start the new year off by doing just that! I'm linking up with Darci & Natasha for Five on Friday.

 

 

ONE. So far our year isn't off to the best start. Griffin has been sick since Christmas with what we thought was just a bad cold. I took him to the doctor the day before New Year's Eve & the pediatrician wasn't really concerned since he had not had a fever. Well, of course, the next day he ran a low grade fever all day and then it spiked right when the office closed. Typical, right?! SO, after another sick visit yesterday we determined he may have the flu. Boo. His test came back negative but our doctor said those aren't always accurate. Poor Griffin has been pretty miserable the past few days and I think Grayson is about to lose his mind because we have been cooped up!

TWO. Another goal of mine this year is to read more & watch less tv. My habit lately has been to climb in bed and watch meaningless HGTV or Food Network before I fall asleep. I miss reading! I already have Divergent & plan on starting that soon. What other books do you recommend? I haven't read anything since "Gone Girl" this summer!

THREE. Let's talk weather, shall we? We live in the south. You know, where the winters are usually pretty mild. I can't tell you how many snow days I had growing up in Georgia when they were just predicting snow. It was comical. Apparently Tennessee is not messing around this winter. It has been freezing here! Not only have we been cooped up because of a sick baby brother, but the second you walk outside you are frozen to the core. It doesn't help that our 3 year old only wants to wear basketball shorts and short sleeve t-shirts, either. The high on Monday is 15. That's right, FIFTEEN degrees. I can't even discuss the low. It's time to hibernate until March.

white t-shirt, basketball shorts, & snow boots that are from last year. all day, every day.

FOUR. Speaking of basketball shorts and t-shirts, this has been become a daily all day fight. We have a 12 year old neighbor that G thinks is the coolest person in the world and he wears basketball shorts all year long. Yes, even when it is 23 degrees outside. Since Walker does it, Grayson thinks he should be able to as well. G's current clothing situation is that he loathes jeans and only wants to wear white shirts. What in the world?!?!?! Almost all of his pants are jeans and I rarely buy white shirts because he stains them. You can imagine that this makes it a struggle every single day to get dressed. He has been pitching the biggest fits about his clothes and I am at a loss as to what to do. I mean, he can't wear shorts when it feels like the frozen tundra outside! Toddlers are a strange breed.

FIVE. I'll leave you with one of my favorite Christmas gifts: the Humans of New York book. If you don't follow this account on Instagram, do it. It's my favorite! The book is a collection of the pictures this guy has taken walking the streets of New York--it's just so interesting!