Selfies & Playtime

It's a rainy day and we started our morning off with a selfie to papa to say good morning. I love how Julian wanted to be in the picture too!!

Sometimes it can be hard to keep the boys busy when we have to stay inside.  Julian is learning to explore and does a pretty good job of keeping himself entertained.

Isaac kept himself busy pulling all of his toys out.  He played with his cars for awhile and then moved on to play-doh.  It's amazing how long he'll sit and blend all the colors of doh together.

Both boys had great naps to get recharged and then they were ready for another round of playing in the afternoon. 

Shopping with Double Trouble

This evening I took both boys to Publix for groceries.  It took one and a half hours to finish the shopping.  Oh-my-goodness!  Isaac didn't want to share the race car cart with Julian and then he wouldn't leave Julian alone in the cart.  While I was walking down the aisles Isaac attempting to pull items off the shelf and into the cart.  Then Isaac would agitate his brother and Julian started screaming back.  I think its going to be awhile before I take all three kiddos shopping by myself.  

First Shared Bath

Today, both boys needed a bath and up to this point they've been given baths separately since Julian was too little and couldn't sit up on his own.  Since Julian has progressed I figured I would take a gamble and attempt to streamline bath time if nothing else as a trial run. For the most part it was a success!  Sharing is a new challenge for Isaac especially now that Julian is getting around and can get into Isaac's things.  Isaac initially wasn't a fan of sharing bath time with his little brother but he slowly warmed up and before long they were giggling together.   Since this was a daytime bath nap time followed and they were both down for the count. 

Sunscreen Reaction

This weekend Isaac was outside in the sun and he did have sunscreen on however he had a reaction to it.  Poor thing broke out all over his face along with a few spots on his arms.  He won't be using Coppertone for Kids anymore.  Not sure what he had a reaction to but I started putting some Benedryl cream on the red spots.  I hope they go away in a few days.

Stormy Night

The weather has started to get crazy again and we were under a tornado watch until 8 pm last night. For some reason Frazer always seems to be traveling during severe weather but I did my best to make sure we were prepared.  It's one thing to wait out a storm which I've done countless times but adding two little one's to the picture leaves me walking through scenarios to make sure I've got everything covered.  Those mama bear instincts are real and know when to kick in.

Given the nature of the weather I also knew I would have a bed buddy.  Isaac doesn't like storms and I can't blame him, especially last nights.  The wind was fierce.  The whistling and howling wind kept me up and the lightening was unreal.  We snuggled and watched movies until someone fell asleep.

This morning I didn't realize I had the news on in the background when Isaac looked up and saw the storm coverage.  Tornado's hit Arkansas along with some local damage that was more minor but Isaac's response was so raw.  He looked at me and then the television and said "It's all broken, it needs fixed".   He's so aware of everything at his young age.  I wish I could keep him sheltered.  I know I can't.  Instead I just soak up the cuddles and provide as much comfort as I can.

Breakfast of Champions

Every little boy deserves to be treated to a special breakfast every now and then.  Today's special....chocolate chip pancakes.

Not one bite went to waste. :)

Julian On The Move

Julian has been working on his mobility lately.  He's managed to get on his hands and knees, rock a bit and then lay back down on his belly.  He's even managed to push himself backwards but this morning he took off!  Julian is officially crawling.  It's an army crawl but he's working it and getting around.

Yard Work Time

It was a beautiful day and perfect for all of us to enjoy some outdoor time while getting a few chores done too.  As soon as there is any mention of mowing, Isaac perks up and he's ready to get mowing too.  He loves to go outside and spend time with papa.

While the big boys were busy Julian kept himself busy on the front porch while I worked in the beds weeding.

The level of excitement and anticipation when it's time for Isaac to join papa outside is priceless.  He walks every square inch of the yard mimicking every motion.  This is one of my favorite pictures of these two together.  Father and son.  It makes me smile and melts my heart.

Occasionally everyone needs to take a little break and Isaac decided he would take one first.  He pulled his little chair into the yard to sit for a bit.  He's a good supervisor too.  :)

Conversation with Isaac

This morning at breakfast Isaac was in a great mood and we were having a little conversation about breakfast.  Isaac casually looked at me and said his food was gone.  I asked him "Where did it go?".  Nothing prepared me or could have prepared for me his response...."In my penis."  It was all I could do to conceal the smile that so desperately wanted to take front and center on my face but I restrained myself and redirected the conversation to his food going in his tummy.  He cracks me up!

This afternoon he decided he wanted to explore papa's new gym/overnight bag.  He explored every pocket and decided to fill it up with a few of his own items.  Then he stood up, put the bag on his shoulder and said he was going to work.

This is a little boy that wants to be just like his papa. :)

Potty Shenanigans & Play

Isaac can be such a character and he often leaves me wondering what is going through his mind.  There are times when having the ability to read his mind would be helpful.  And for the most part I can anticipate some of his shenanigans before they happen but I wasn't so lucky today.  This morning, Isaac was watching cartoons in our room and for some reason he decided it would be a great idea to strip down out of his pajama bottoms and pee on the carpet of our bedroom floor.  I couldn't believe what had just happened however the expression on his face represented everything was right with the world and nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.  He was literally one foot away from the bathroom door, which was open, and a tile floor.  Of course out of cleaning convenience for mama he couldn't have peed on a tile floor.  Nope, carpet.  Ugh.

This afternoon Isaac put his boots on and said "I need to go to grocery store, Home Depot and Lowe's to get light bulbs".   It was so random and out of the blue but I love watching his imagination come to life.  He's a little person now and I never know which direction the course of our conversations will take.

We also enjoyed watching Isaac's favorite movie, The Lorax.  Julian was entertained by the colors of the movie and all the music.  It was the perfect source of entertainment for him too while he played and jumped along.

Snuggles and Reflection

There are some moments that seem so surreal as the reality of my pregnancy soaks in a bit further.  Today was one of those moments while I was cuddling with Julian during his nap.

This sweet little boy is still a baby while little sister grows inside.  I've been feeling peanut kick and the little movements makes my heart swell with emotion.  I've been blessed, truly blessed to be a mother to two healthy boys and now another life is growing.  I never imagined I'd be this lucky to have such an awesome little family.

Pregnancy is in full swing and I have my moments of not feeling well.  My tummy has been a bit icky lately and I'm not resting as well considering the number of times I have to get up in the night to go potty.  Even with the queasiness it's been mild and this seems to be the easiest pregnancy so far.  However that didn't stop me from having a moment of panic today when I felt peanut kicking fairly high up on my tummy.  I had a brief flash of having twins and my mind raced away with what life would look like having two boys and twins so close together.  It was too much to process and I had to laugh.  And even though the ultrasound revealed one little peanut I said a prayer to be blessed with the ability to handle the given outcome. :)

Every time I look at this sweet face I'm in disbelief by how much he has changed and grown.  I always catch myself in deep thoughts when I watch my boys sleeping.  It's a chance to see them still, to really see the child they are growing into.  I've spent a great deal of time deep in thought in my life wondering what I want to be when I grow up, what will I accomplish with my life, what great impact will I have or what will my legacy be.  Sometimes it seems so easy to get carried away and raise the bar so high it seems impossible to achieve.  But looking at my sweet boys, even with all the challenges of raising them and the moments of frustration, that life has provided me with a very simple response to something I've searched so long for.  These precious gifts of life are my greatest accomplishment.  They are my legacy and I'm so grateful to be their mother to mold, nurture and guide them to their own path in life.  

Playdate with the Cash's

Yesterday I drove down to Atlanta to stay with Lori to help her with the kiddos while she had an appointment.  It was a true test of my ability to watch four small kiddos at the same time.  Surprisingly the day went very well.  Isaac and Norah kept each other entertained while the Julian and Eliza played together too.  Having them paired off seemed to help a bit.

I even got all four of them to nap!  After feeding the little ones Julian went down for a nap and then Eliza.  Then I switched to fixing lunch or Norah and Isaac.  After their tummies were full Norah went down for a nap and then Isaac.  They didn't necessarily all nap the same amount of time but one by one each one went down and there was a time frame of roughly 30 minutes where the entire house was silent.  It was priceless in my book and a moment of victory.  It was a nice confidence booster that I would be able to handle having three.

Julian loved Eliza's bouncing seat.  He kept himself entertained for the longest time and the rhythm he was keeping with his foot extended was quite impressive.  He was very pleased with himself too.

Easter Sunday

It's Easter Sunday and the Easter Bunny came to visit the boys!  Each of the boys received their very own basket of goodies.

Isaac was super excited to explore the goodies in his basket and once he was finished he wanted to move on to Julian's basket.  It took some convincing for Isaac to understand he didn't get to have Julian's basket too.  He was eager to explore his basket once he discovered the bubble machine inside.  He couldn't wait to go outside and give it a go.

It didn't take long to set up and then bubbles were everywhere.  Isaac was giggling with delight, running around, popping bubbles and jumping up and down with happiness.

We spent the early afternoon having an easter egg hunt in the back yard for the boys.  It turned out it was mostly for Isaac.  Julian attempted the egg hunt and once he picked up the first egg he was to busy exploring it, looking at it, and trying to taste it.  Julian couldn't be bothered to look for anything else.

Once Julian had his egg of choice he spent some time with the bubbles too.

And then he went back to his egg.

I also made another attempt to get a picture of the boys together.  While this seems like a simple task it's more complicated than I ever imagined.  Perhaps one day they'll be cooperative and pose for me.  Until then I just capture the moments.  Isaac wasn't too happy about having to sit and pose with Julian.  He would have rather been running around the yard.

If one smiled the other one was looking away.  To me it doesn't matter.  All I have to do is look at the pictures and I'm instantly taken back to the particular moment of the particular day.

It was so lovely to have Grandma and Grandpa Middleton visiting.  The boys loved having the extra attention and anytime with grandparents is priceless.  Isaac loved following Grandpa Brian around and reading books with Grandma.

We were all sad their time had passed so quickly and it was time for them to leave.  However, we knew they would be trying to visit again in the fall when baby girl arrives.

Easter Dinner

With Frazer's parents visiting us over Easter it was my first opportunity to prepare a traditional Easter Dinner.  Since they have to leave on Easter Sunday we decided to have dinner the night before.  I used the recipes from a cookbook I got for Christmas and I really had a good time putting everything together.  It was my first time fixing a ham too.

I have to say I was very pleased with how everything turned out.  And of course we ended up with more food than needed but it was fun to share the holiday with family.

Coloring Easter Eggs

With Easter quickly approaching it was time for Isaac to finally have his first experience coloring eggs!  Grandma Middleton helped us get our eggs boiled and prepped for coloring.  I got all the cups and colors started and provided Isaac with a little instruction and then he jumped right in.

He acted like a pro putting all the eggs into the different colors of dye and even mixed them up to create multi-colored eggs.

When all the eggs had been colored Isaac wasn't ready to stop.  He wanted another set of eggs to play with.  Instead we added stickers and that seemed to agree with him.

While Isaac was coloring eggs Julian was getting lots of cuddles from Grandma Catriona and attention from Grandpa Brian.

I think Julian enjoyed himself!  He loves cuddles. :)

Papa's Handy Helper

Today was project day and Frazer was dedicated to getting the new blinds installed.  As soon as papa even mentions tools Isaac gears up to help.  Every where Frazer went Isaac was right behind him.

I love seeing the two of them together.  There is nothing Isaac enjoys more than the opportunity to be involved and help.  He loves spending time with papa too so this was a perfect afternoon in his eyes.

Ducklings

One of the great features of our home is living with the view of the pond across the street and seeing all the wildlife.  This afternoon the new baby ducklings decided to waddle over and visit our yard.

Isaac and I went down in the yard and gave them some bread.  In hindsight this was a bad idea since I didn't want to create a habit of them visiting for food but it was fun for Isaac.  The ducklings waddled around the yard just following each other as they explored.  They were so cute to watch and Isaac thought it was fantastic.

Papa went down to take pictures and with a little effort he was finally able to navigate them out of our yard.

Under the Weather

Isaac is a bit under the weather today.  He woke up from his nap sweating and has a low fever so we'll have to keep an eye on him.  The only positive to Isaac not feeling well is all the extra cuddle time.  I'll never pass an opportunity to cuddle with my boys!

Julian has a low fever too so it was a low key day but that didn't stop the boys from having a little fun playing.  While Isaac was playing at the kitchen table with play-doh Julian was checking out his activity table.

Children's Discovery Museum

This morning Grandpa and Julian bonded over breakfast.

Once everyone was fueled up we were off for an afternoon adventure to check out the Creative Discovery Museum.  Once we arrived and were inside, the first attraction hooked Isaac instantly.

Water fun!  Isaac loved it!  He could have spent the entire time playing with all the different water activities.

Since Julian was a bit small he hung out with mama and grandma while watching Isaac.

It took some persuading but I was finally able to get Isaac to leave the water area and explore the rest of the museum.  That's when we discovered a dedicated area for little guys that way Julian could have some play time too.

While Isaac "drove" his car and played in the construction area Julian and I went into the dedicated area for his age.  The bright colors and toys caught and kept his attention.

The museum was full of fun things to do and I was so glad grandma and grandpa got to play with the boys too.  They played together in the sculpting area too.

Isaac discovered the large bubble station in the outdoor area.

He was thoroughly entertained!

After a couple of hours we enjoyed a low key lunch at the snack bar area before continuing our explorations.  After several hours the boys were wiped out and ready to head home.  It was a fun day and a place we'll have to go back and visit again.