Three is Terrific!

Look who's three? We had a ball celebrating our fireman fanatic yesterday! Many thank yous to our family and friends that helped make it such a special day! More photos here. Hope to find time to blog about this and more sometime soon...

Nine for Nine

Today marks Sam's ninth month. So, I thought I'd share nine little observations about our sweet baby.

1 - You absolutely LOVE eating. Ask anyone that knows you, they'll agree. You go through two jars of baby food in about five minutes flat. Most meals we can't spoon it in fast enough to keep you happy.

2 - You spit up A LOT. Although I'm sure there are plenty of babies out there that spit up more, you spit up a lot. It's pretty much just a nuisance...you've managed to lovingly spray most anyone who has held you for any length of time. And since you LOVE to eat so much, that spit up is such a lovely color these days. On the bright side, I've gotten quite skilled at dodging your projectiles.

3 - You LOVE the Johnny Jumper in the nursery at church. It is hands-down your favorite thing to do when you are there.

4 - You are a wonderful sleeper. Most nights I can count on a good 10-12 hours from you. Naps are a little less predictable...some days I can get you to snooze at the same time as big brother. Other days you refuse to miss out on whatever mommy has planned to do during naptime.

5 - You have three teeth. The first two came several weeks ago almost simultaneously and are on the bottom. A week or so ago, a third made its way to the surface of your top gum. It is so funny how it has changed your little grin and certainly makes that chomp hurt a lot more!

6 - You have these funny wild hairs. Your big brother had hair that stuck straight up all over the place for practically his first year of life. You, on the other hand, have shorter hair...with the exception of these little wild, long hairs that look so funny. Your daddy wants to trim them so bad, but I kind of like them and am holding out a bit longer.

7 - You are so curious. You have just mastered crawling in the last few weeks and have quickly moved on to pulling up and finding your way into anything and everything. I really don't remember un-baby-proofing the house...but I feel like we are having to RE-baby-proof the place! You LOVE big brother's cool toys and mom & dad's catalogs...so fun to gnaw on. Just this evening you were showing off your skills in one of your favorite spots...

Seriously, you love this potty! Are you trying to send me a message?

8 - You've recently decided that you hate getting buckled into your carseat. You usually settle down within a couple of minutes, but you wiggle and squirm and whine the whole time I'm trying to buckle you.

9- Your big brother loves to entertain you. And you save all your best laughs for him.

Evolving Traditions

So, I promised more on our beach trip from a couple of weeks ago...and so, here are a few images of our trip. We enjoyed the getaway more than I can remember in years past...despite the outcome of the game. On the way home, Josh and I were talking about how much this (mostly) annual pilgrimage has changed for us.

mid to late 90s - a fall break trip to catch a football game, fun with your buddies, the excitement of a new relationship, lodging just steps away from The Landing in downtown Jacksonville.

early 2000s - a quick getaway to support the team, dinner with other couples, lodging several miles from downtown in Jacksonville Beach.

mid to late 2000s - as long a weekend as schedule will allow (exceptions for pregnancies which led to skipping a year & a fly-in/fly-out wknd), shopping with old friends, golf with old buddies, halloween carnivals with costumed babies in tow, lodging dozens of miles away at Amelia Island Plantation....oh, yeah and a football game.

Anyone hungry?

Q: What's better than the park? A: A park at the beach!

He's got that wind-blown look, huh?

CHEESE!

A dog that can blow raspberries!! Impressive, huh?

Fireman Jack to the rescue!

Who doesn't love puppy dog kisses?!?

So, you see a trip that started as a college rite of passage, became a treasured getaway from the craziness of med school and residency and then finally a fall family vacation. Throwing a few polos and flip flops in a bag morphed into packing an SUV to the guild with pack 'n plays, strollers and golf clubs. And as I stated earlier, I can't remember a time when we enjoyed our trip so much. Who says change is bad?

On the move

So, one of the most exciting developments of the last two weeks is that our not quite 9-month-old Sam has become mobile. That's right...he figured the crawling thing out. The neatest part is he debuted his new accomplishment last Monday when Josh was watching the boys while I was at bible study. And, if you know us well, you know that Josh works every Monday night in the ER. But, last week was Judgment House, and he had requested the night off in case an emergency rehearsal was needed before opening night on Tuesday. Since his scene was full of such great kids, they didn't need the extra rehearsal...and thus he spent the night hanging with the boys. What a neat time for Sam to choose to debut his crawl!

Since we've made such a big deal of his new feat, big brother has too. Jack likes to get down in the floor a few feet in front of Sam and say, "Do our trick, Sam!" He also has said numerous times, "Look...he's crawling," (in his best high-pitched, surprised voice).

As I told my sister last week when we got to chat (don't you just love technology, at least when it works!), that he won't win any medals for speed, but he can certainly get where he wants to go. I've forgotten how fast they get proficient at it. The first couple of days it was a couple of strides and then he was done. Now, he can go much farther and has also started pulling up to his knees on things like stools, baskets, etc. He's usually trying to find a big brother toy. He's really not interested in any of the soft, chew-friendly toys of his...he'd much rather gnaw on a hard, metal matchbox car most likely covered in lead paint!

Friday Folly

So I used to think the recipes on the Food Network were over my head and just too complicated to even attempt. I mean the ingredients, the multiple steps, the specialized equipment or even skilled techniques...but thankfully, there are a few I could actually handle! Happy cooking, folks!

Delicious

So, a few weeks ago we had some family photos made with our favorite photographer, Sue Ann! Here's a peek at some of the images she captured that beautiful fall day. We are so blessed to have her travel to the North Georgia mountains at least once a year, and she usually brings her camera along. As always, Sue Ann, we love our final products, and although I'm not in a hurry for him to grow up am already eager for our next shoot with you...Sam's one-year portraits! Looking forward to having another one of your canvases on my wall!

The photo in my new header is of course one from our recent session! You rock, Sue Ann!

Picking Back Up

I hate when I am unable to make time for the blog, because there is so much that passes through my brain each day that I think would make worthy blog topics. But, for lack of creativity at a late hour...we'll do a simple quick re-cap of what's happened in the last couple of weeks.

Just days after our night on the town to see Yo Gabba Gabba Live, we packed up and headed south to Amelia Island. The weather was beautiful, and I'm planning a post dedicated to our trip later this week.

Upon return from our fabulous fall vacation, we jumped head first into the madness that was the week of Judgment House at church. Spending hours each afternoon and evening at the church was rough on the kiddos and mom and dad too! We were thankful for some reinforcements when grandparents arrived Friday to help keep Jack and Sam distracted.

Looks like fun, huh?

In addition, mid-week a little surprise was assembled in the backyard. Despite the hectic schedules and less than ideal weather we managed to arrange a lunchtime reveal last Friday. Jack was uber excited and keep saying, "I like this!" except for when Josh had him climb up to try the monkey bars, "I don't like this yet," he explained as he climbed back down.

We've managed to squeeze in some park time with our friends and celebrated some recent and upcoming birthdays too! A busy couple of weeks, but thankful for the blessings of a bit of fun, relaxation, service, friendship and most of all FALL!

Versatile?

Since we're in the middle of a crazy week and I have failed to update my poor neglected blog, I've got to pick up somewhere. My sweet friend, fellow blogger, fellow mommy friend, bunco companion, and fellow judgment house participant Lindsey awarded me the label Versatile Blogger. So, here's how it works:

1) Thank and link back to the blogger that gave you the award.

2) Share 7 things about yourself.

3) Pass the award on to 7 blogs you've recently discovered and enjoy.

4) Leave your recipients a note, telling them about the award.

~~~

1. I still remember my favorite shirt from second grade. It had designs similar to clock faces on it and my best friend at the time happened to have the same exact shirt!

2. Me and that same best friend participated in the second grade talent show by lip syncing "He Loves Me" by Whitney Houston. We had that cafeteria rocking...let me tell you. Also, I clearly remember planning to wear our hair in side pony tails and my friend showing up without the agreed on do...maybe that's why she's not my best friend anymore. That and she moved to Illinois after second grade. 

3. In middle school, my dad would make my lunch for me and always decorated my brown paper sack with some interesting artwork. My friends and I always enjoyed seeing what he had drawn when we sat down for lunch. One of my favorites was when he wrote, "This may be Wayne's World, but this is Laura's Lunch."

4. I LOVE Coca-Cola and can't stand the thought of drinking a Pepsi. Restaurants that serve Pepsi, require me to order Mountain Dew, water, etc.

5. My husband and I dated for 5 years before getting married. It's hard for me to believe that we've been together for more than 11 years. Most days I can't remember much about life before him. (Except of course important stuff like talent shows, favorite clothing items, and middle school lunch room laughter.)

6. I once rode in the Goodyear blimp. I was about 3 years old. My grandfather was once the operator/manager of the airport in Athens. The blimp was in town for a big Georgia football game. The only reason I got to go was because my grandfather couldn't get my grandmother on the phone, so he invited my dad. I never got a chance to thank her for being unavailable that day.

7. I've never visited a foreign country (since Jamaica and Canada don't really count), but look forward to changing that sometime in the next three years since my sister is a full-time resident of Germany.

Now, I'm passing the award to some other awesome bloggers:

1. Emily, my sweet sister who pens Red Letters.
2. Sarah, who juggles the fun with the Higgins Hullaballoo.
3. April, who is taking it one day at time over at Chris & April. 
4. Jenn, who isn't getting to blog as much as she'd like because she's too busy using any free time running in the grass.
5. Alicia, who enjoyed her brief stay in the North Georgia mountains but is now back in the big state and left us Seeking Senkels.
6. Kajal, who lives life in the big city, and keeps me smiling, laughing and adoring with shamu the goldfish.
7. Heather, who is also living in a big city, but her's is halfway around the world in Abu Dhabi Adventures.