July and August Recap

I am getting worse and worse about posting. I think about it everytime I check my email and I even read other blogs but can't seem to ever find the time to post myself. I thought I would recap the last few months with a few pictures.

This post is way over-due. My 29th birthday was June 26th and our 9th anniversary was July 1st. Mat took me on a surprise trip and told me it was for our anniversary. We got all dressed up and I didn't know where we were going. He took me to Hot Springs to the Hot Springs Belle where we went on our 1st anniversary. When I walked on the boat, I was greeted by my family and three of my very best friends and their husbands. It was a surprise belated birthday party. Mat decided he would do a big surprise for my 29th instead of my 30th - that way I wouldn't be expecting anything. It was so sweet of all my friends and family to make that trip for me. Jeff and Bridget stayed over with us and Bridget and I had a day of shopping and the spa the next day. It was lots of fun. The sweetest part though was on the boat when Mat had a song played for me. He wrote and recorded the song. It was all about our life together. Oh my- too sweet. Thank you honey, for a wonderful surprise and trip. I love you!!

Me and my oldest. He still talks about momma's party on the big boat.

The whole party.

We drove back on the Fourth of July just in time to get baths, jammies, and go watch the annual Harding display of fireworks. I just love fireworks! Easton covered his ears the whole time but loved to watch and name all the colors with me.

My grandpa had probably his biggest garden ever this year. He worked so hard on it and we all have enjoyed the fresh veggies. He had one very large area of just tomatoes. He let the boys go out one day and pick tomatoes. They loved it!

Pa taught them which ones were ready for picking and which ones still needed to ripen.

This was one day before we went up to Nana's to play outside. I thought they looked so cute in their muscle shirts and hats turned around backwards.

We took a spur of the moment trip to Memphis one Saturday and took the boys to the zoo and to see a baseball game. Unfortunately it rained really hard while we were at the zoo and we could only stay for a couple of hours. They had fun though and we were able to see all the main animals. We all got Zoo Ponchos.

Checking out the elephants.

After the zoo, we ate lunch and went to our hotel and everyone took a nap. How wonderful!! We were fully rested and thankful for the great weather to go the baseball game. The game was lots of fun. The boys thought it was really cool to see the baseball players and the big Redbird Mascot. Although Easton wanted the other team to win because they were wearing blue - and..."blue is my favorite color." They both were so good and we made it all the way to the 7th inning.

Lawson loves to ride the mower with his daddy. Pretty much he will do anything with his daddy, but this day, he had watched him out the window the whole time Mat was mowing saying, "I ide dat." (I ride that.) He was thrilled when I finally let him go outside and ride with daddy.

Ahh.... Easton's first day of Pre-K at Harding. He is going Tuesday/Thursday all day. He has been very excited about going to "big school." He did wonderful! He walked right in to his classroom, found his seat and starting playing. He didn't even blink an eye when I said I was leaving, he just said, "okay, bye." My big boy. He is such an easy, sweet boy. I praise the Lord for him.

Lawson fell asleep on the living room floor. We have been getting up earlier since school started and everyone has been taking good naps. I felt bad this day because he was just watching tv and I looked over and he laid down in this position and didn't move a muscle. Needless to say, he didn't even know when I moved him to his bed.

My little cowboys!! Easton's little children's church had a western day this past Sunday. He looked so cute! Saturday night we were dressing Easton up trying to decide what he should wear. Lawson, "Mr. Monkey See-Monkey Do", said he wanted to be a "ow-boy" too. Even though Lawson was just going to the nursery, we had two little cowboys. They looked so cute!

Thanks for checking in on us. We are doing good - staying very busy but doing good. We are loving the cooler weather the Lord has given us and it is giving me an inching for fall, hay, and football. Easton will start soccer soon. Mat is going to coach his little team. That should be another fun adventure. Lawson is growing up more and more. He is really trying hard to talk and doing very well. He is putting lots of words together and saying new things all the time. He also keeps us all laughing. He is such a ham!! We praise the Lord for our wonderful growing family.

Branson Fun

June was filled with lots of fun and not much down time. In the middle of June, we went with my parents to Branson. We had a good time - Mom and I shopped and Mat and Dad golfed. The boys were good sports and got to have some fun of their own. We opted out of Silver Dollar City this time b/c Lawson is still too little to ride most things. He can be a handful with nothing for him to do, so it was better to try to keep both boys busy if possible. We went to a little Kiddie Park that had some rides for both of them. I thought Lawson might be a little scared to ride but once he got on, he didn't want to get off. It was fun to watch them have fun. I am really enjoying Easton being at an age where he can do things like this. The only negative part was how hot it was. It think it was close to 100 degrees the whole time we were there. Here are a few pictures:

Here's E on the swings

This was Lawson's very first ride. I was worried because it went kinda high, but he just sat there so still and didn't try to get up and move at all. He loved it!!

Easton did so good driving his little Go Cart. He was so cute. He kept looking back over his shoulder at the other little boy who was on the track too. When he got off, he said, "Momma, I was ahead the whole time. I won!"

They were soaked by the end of this ride, but I think as hot as it was, they liked it!

I have to explain this picture. One day, Mom and I were waiting for the guys to get finished golfing to come pick us up and take us to the mall. They were running late, so we decided we would put the boys in the stroller and just walk for a while. Mom and I are always up for an adventure!! It was so extremely hot, so after a while, we stopped and got the boys some ice cream. I knew they were going to make a mess, so I just took off their shirts and let them go to town! I am sure we got some interesting looks as we pushed our double stroller with half naked children along the main drag, but we all had fun. I think we ended up walking around 1.5 miles to Tanger Mall from our condo - with a lot of it up hill. : )



The last day we were there, Branson Landing had about 20 or more blow up / bouncy toys set up. Dad took Easton around to each one and let him play. He had a blast!

I'm Back!!!

Can you believe it...I am finally posting again?? After several months of not documenting anything and barely having time to snap pictures here and there, I am going to try to do better. I am feeling very guilty and disappointed that there have been so many events that have taken place in the last 4 to 5 months that I don't have record of. It is too overwhelming for me to try to actually get "caught up" on my blog, so I guess I am just going to start from here. I may occasionally go back and post something that I remember or some cute pictures, but I am not making any promises. : )

After Christmas,  I began working with Mat at the office 2 days a week. It was not expected, but with some business personnel changes, we decided it was the best option for now. We had to quickly find child care for the boys and the Lord blessed us with an absolutely wonderful lady to watch Lawson all day for 2 days a week and Easton half day after Carpenter's Kids. It was extremely difficult for me to come to grips with not being home everyday with Lawson like I have been with Easton, but I think all in all, it has worked out great. I enjoy getting out of the house a few days a week and being with adults and Mat, and I also get to enjoy being home with the boys. So I guess right now, it is the best of both worlds.

As far as the boys go, Easton is growing up so much and acting a lot older. His vocabulary is out of this world. He amazes me all the time with the words he uses.  Easton has the sweetest personality and loves to play with other kids, especially his cousins. He has such a desire to please and be accepted. He is just heart-broken if he thinks I am upset with him. He is a great big brother and helps me with Lawson all the time. They play good together and have so much fun. I love to hear them chasing each other and laughing. Of course, it is not all fun and games. They can both be very territorial when it comes to toys they are playing with. Unfortunately, Lawson hasn't grasped the concept of sharing just yet, which has caused great aggravation with Easton on several occasions.

And Lawson....oh Lawson....where do I begin??? He and Easton are total opposites. Lawson is very sweet too but he is definitely more strong-willed and adventurous than Easton. Lawson is a climber and is not scared of anything. Well, except maybe the vacuum cleaner. He makes us laugh all the time with his little mischievous expressions. I think that Lawson is definitely going to give us a run for our money as he grows up. He is constantly on the go and wears me out. Just within this last week, he has proved to me again that he cannot be trusted to be left alone in a room. He will find things that I don't even know are there and destroy them. : )

Wednesday, I was doing the dishes while the boys were playing in the next room. I saw Easton run through to my bedroom and noticed that Lawson didn't follow. I called for him and there was no answer. I kept on with the dishes and said aloud, "Lawson, you are very quiet. That usually is not a good sign." I started to have a bad feeling and left the water running and poked my head into the playroom. I found him on TOP of the piano. My phone was sitting on the top of the piano and I guess he decided he wanted it. He used a pillow as a step stool and climbed on the piano bench and from there climbed on the the lid covering the piano keys. He was sitting on his knees up there playing with my cell phone. My heart nearly jumped out of my chest as I grabbed him as quickly as I could. He could have slid off and busted his head open. Needless to say, we have no piano bench now. It has been removed until further notice along with several other items he has used for climbing. I am praying that we get through this stage of no-fear climbing without any broken bones.

Life is not boring right now and I know that it will all pass so quickly. Just working 2 days a week has changed things for me so much. I look back on the last few months and everything almost seems like a blur. It is just flown by. That is one main reason why I want to make time to blog. I want to keep up with my thoughts and remember the sweet, funny, and sometimes dangerous things the boys do. I am so thankful for the family God gave me. I want to soak them all up and treasure every moment. 

Here are a few recent and a few older pictures:

Christmas 2008

Disney World December 30, 2008

We drove to Florida for New Years and Mat's family reunion.  We had a great time! All the grandkids had so much fun playing together with Gammy and Papa Todd. 

Disney World December 30, 2008

The boys playing and singing. I am praying that they are both very musical. They both love music. Lawson sings and dances every time he hears something that could remotely sound like music. This was taken a few days before the "top of the piano" incident. : )

Easter Sunday.

 This is the best family picture we could get and little Lawson's eyes are half shut.

Before church Sunday morning. 

It was so cold here on Easter but I still dressed them in their matching shorts. 

My Handsome Easton.

Trip to the Zoo

I have been saying for about a year that I wanted to take Easton to the zoo in Memphis.  I have heard great things about it and knew he would LOVE it. He loves animals of all kinds and I knew this would be right up his alley. As part of a mother's day surprise, Mat bought tickets to the zoo. We drove to Memphis last Friday night and went to the zoo on Sat. morning. It was soo much fun! Easton was so excited about the whole thing. We counted down the days until it was time to go - so the anticipation was enormous.  He woke up that morning, looked around to see where we were, then said, "can I go to the zoo now?" It was so fun to watch him while he saw in person all these animals that he has been looking at in books and on tv for about 3 years now. The animals he wanted to see the most were elephants, giraffes, turtles, and bears. He was so funny though when we saw an animal, he would look at it, talk about it for minute and then run off and say "okay let's go see more animals!" I said he is just like any other man - no lingering - see what you want to see and move on. : ) We saw pretty much all the animals at the Memphis zoo, saw a sea loin show, played on the playground, rode the train, tried to ride the carousel, but Easton decided he didn't like it once we got on and had a wonderful time. Lawson was a trooper the whole time. Although he is too little to care about the animals, he seemed to enjoy being outside and even took a pretty good nap in the stroller that morning. Both kids were fast asleep by the time we strolled them back to the car that afternoon. It was a trip that I hope Easton remembers for a long time. I know I will. 

Branson Weekend Trip

Last weekend we went to Branson for a little get-a-way. I guess I was really the one who wanted to get away. We had a good time even though the weather didn't cooperate. My plan was to go to Silver Dollar City, but the cold and rain kept us away.  I know Easton would have loved it, but maybe next time. We left on Friday and the 3 hour drive took us about 5 hours with all the stops, bathroom breaks, diaper changes, etc. I guess I am kinda weird, but I like the adventure of taking them somewhere. It is always a challenge, but we are making memories, right? When we got there, we got checked in and then went to play indoor putt putt golf. Easton absolutely loves it. He hits the ball really hard and gets it down near the hole and then picks it up and puts it right beside the hole and hits it in. We all cheer and he is ready to go to the next one. Mat and I played with him some, but really we were just there to have another ball for him to hit in. If we didn't make a hole-in-one, our turn was over. Easton took it from there. : ) After golf, we walked around inside the Grand Country plaza and found some video games. Mat and Easton played a few, but Easton is still too young to really understand them. We ate pizza and called it a night. The next day it was raining again but we headed down to Branson Landing to the Build-a-Bear store. Easton picked out a turtle, stuffed it, named it Tommy Turtle and dressed it in Pirate Jammies. Next, we took the whole family, including Tommy Turtle, to the ice cream shop next door. Easton loves ice cream just like his daddy. We walked around a little at the Landing, but it was really too cold for the kids so we decided to go back to the hotel and relax. (watched tv, took a nap, etc)  That evening we went to none other than the famous Olive Garden and enjoyed some good soup and breadsticks. Yum Yum!!  It wouldn't be vacation without Olive Garden or Red Lobster. Easton wanted to go play golf again so we went back to the indoor putt putt and let him have fun. He was so funny watch. When he hits the ball, he runs as fast as he can to catch up with it and wack it again. The next morning, we all woke up not feeling well and Easton had around 102 fever. Needless to say, we decided to head home. It was kinda a rough trip home with him not feeling well, but we made it. He is doing much better now. We think we all must have caught something while we were gone. It is nothing serious, just fever and sore throat stuff. Besides the getting sick part, we had fun and it was nice to get out of town for a few days.  I love to watch Easton have fun. I am sure our trips will only get more exciting as Lawson gets big enough to enjoy them, too.

On the way...Easton with his Mickey Mouse pillow

Lawson...Happy Traveler

Sugars from momma at the gas station

Easton doing what he loves most - being Tiger Woods. 

He really does talk about Tiger when he wants to play golf. 

Even though Easton was really too tall for the kiddy putter, 

he wanted to use it because it was blue. 

Mat and Easton playing a "White Water Rafting" video game. 

Easton looks at this picture and says, "Look, we are swimming momma."

Picking out an animal at "Build-a-Bear". He almost went with the dog.

Stepping on the peddle to fill Tommy Turtle with stuffing.

After rubbing the little red heart with lots of love, Easton put Tommy's heart inside.

Giving Tommy a bath

Mat is helping Easton make Tommy's birth certificate

Lawson waited patiently in the stroller

Time for chocolate ice cream