Blog Book 2015

Since I started blogging in 2012 I have printed my blog in a book form so we can have a hard copy of what our year was like. I don't scrapbook or print pictures unless I intend to frame them because my blog takes the place of those things. If the house were to catch on fire I would grab my family and Owen, my wedding ring, my hard drive and my blog books. 

My blog is our story.

Last year I started using lulu.com to print my book. It's easier to personalize and cheaper than the other sites. The downfall is it takes a little longer to format. This year I chose one of our beach pictures for the cover because it's one of my favorite shoots and I wanted to remember this year as our last year being a family of three. From now on our family pictures will also feature baby Jack! 

I like customizing the spine so I know instantly which year the book is about. I store the past years in our entertainment center in numerical order. 

We have our 2014 book on our coffee table and Georgia likes to look at it with me. That's exactly why I wake up early and stay up late documenting our days. It's worth it to me.

This year's book is 533 pages so it's huge! I may have to start breaking it up into two parts. 

And that's a wrap! The day my book is delivered feels like Christmas morning. I hope I can continue to do this for many years to come. 

#foreverfleners

Bucket list, bathtime and beaufort babies

I am behind on my blogging so this post is actually about last week. This week is VBS so my blog lagging could continue a little longer but I know it will be time well spent away from the computer. VBS is the biggest week for our church and I know God has big things in store!

We created our summer bucket list for this year. It's shorter and easier than last year to match the season of life we are in right now but I think it will be just as fun. We've already knocked a few off and this week we should be able to accomplish a few more.

She has a nickname of "Curious Georgia" and this picture should explain the said name. I usually pump in the kitchen near the sink but this night I moved it to the living room and she instantly had to try it out for herself. Won't this be a hoot to show her someday! Also, I was washing her anywhere chair cover and she played with the pieces of the chair all. day. long. She built a fort, turned them into a bed and used it more this way than she does as a chair ha!

Sweet brother has decided that bath time is fun! I think he looks so much like my Papaw Denzel in this picture.

There's nothing sweeter than babies fresh out of the bath. I could just eat him up!

Our Director of Transportation for the school district is retiring at the end of the month and Jack and me attended his retirement celebration. Mr. Reed is someone I have known all my life and always thought highly of. I'm so happy for him and this next chapter of his life.

He loves Jack and Jack loves him too! The Reed family go to church with us so I'm glad we will continue to see him regularly. 

Wednesday was spent poolside. She has become brave in the water and does new things every time we swim. She told her Uncle Eric when they were swimming this weekend, "I'm gonna get out and have the perfect jump. I'm gonna jump over Morgantown!"

 

Production goes out the window when this boy wants his mommy. It all can wait. This sunsuit he is wearing is a 6-9 month. We are outgrowing our clothes quickly!

Jack is baby model! The Beaufort Bonnet Company used a picture taken by Julia Christopher Photography of Jack to promote their newborn bow swaddle. I love that there are beautiful things for baby boys too! Georgia was also a Beaufort baby when she was younger to promote their bonnets. We are honored our babies were chosen!

Crossing "snow cones" off our summer bucket list. Mommy and Daddy got frog in a blender and Georgia got watermelon. It wasn't her favorite so we will have to try something else next time.

This weekend Georgia Grace and I were in our cousin Payton's wedding, I'll post those pictures soon. Let me just say she was one beautiful and hilarious flower girl (or "flower frog" as she called herself). And Payt was the most gorgeous bride! We were honored to have taken part in their happily ever after.

Jack is TWO months old!

• Your two month check-up is in a few weeks and I will update your height and weight then (12 lbs 13 oz-50th percentile and 24 1/4 inches-80th percentile). You are wearing size 1 diapers and 3 month clothing. You wore your first pair of size 0 shoes this month. You are a big boy with  squishy legs and arms. It's adorable!
• You eat every three hours during the day and six hours at night. You nurse most of the time but we have started giving you more breastmilk bottles. You don't mind how you get it as long as I feed you :)
• Your hair is long and blonde. Your eyes are dark blue. You have long eyelashes like your sister but they are lighter.
• You love sleeping in a swaddle. You sleep swaddled in a blanket in your bassinet at night. During the day you nap in various places-swing, bouncy seat, carseat and ergobaby carrier.
• Last month you hated baths but now you enjoy them! You give us the biggest smiles and coos.
• You don't like being hungry, being put down and poopy diaper changes.
• You love for me to wear you in the ergobaby carrier. I hesitated to buy a carrier because your sister was not a fan but you think it's great. You've cooked, walked/jogged, done laundry, etc. with me.
• I think it's safe to say at this point that you are a mommy's boy. And maybe a little spoiled. I've heard you can't spoil a newborn, you just love them really well so that sounds better to me!
• Your big sister thinks you hung the moon. She asks about you first thing in the morning and gives you loves 1284385 times a day. She likes to hold you some but mostly leaves that to mommy and daddy.
• Your feet are straightening up and we can tell a noticeable difference in their shape. We do daily stretches to make sure they are growing correctly and to prevent future casting.
• You love your paci, specifically your wubbanub that has a puppy attached to it. You have also started enjoying toys like rattles, mobiles and mirrors this month. 
• You continue to be an easy baby. You are healthy and as long as all your needs are met (and in a timely fashion), you are very happy! You have the cutest little side grin that reminds us of your great-grandfather Denzel.

This picture is why the first picture happened. I just started rocking your chair and in about 30 seconds you were out. :)

I think they look alike but I'm not seeing it in these side by side comparisons. They have different coloring and size of course.

Happy two months, brother bear! If all of the other months are as fun and easy as these last two we have lucked out in the good baby department!

We love you so much!

Beating the Heat

It's been eight weeks since Jack became part of our family and I told Marcus tonight in some ways it feels like he has always been here. I just can't imagine life without him in it. And he's been such an easy baby that these newborn days are truly filled with mostly very happy memories. 

I received my 2014 blog book last week and we have completely finished Jack's nursery so I will try to get those posts up this week but for now here's a glimpse at the end of our week and the weekend-

It's amazing how quickly and frequently you start doing things with the second child. I bet Georgia Grace was close to six months old before I took her to Target. This weeks trip was probably Jack's fifth Target run :) He does love a good shopping nap.

We went to the pool a couple times this week. Gammy is on summer break so she can help tend to one of the babies while I take care of the other one. This one has her Gammy wrapped!

Saturday we planned a fishing trip for Georgia at my Uncle David's pond. Her fishing ended before I could get any pictures and then myself, the babes and mamaw were back at the house to play. Sweet boy was feeling a little off on Saturday (maybe gas?) but mamaw's porch swing did the trick.

Mamaw watched both babies for a little while so I could fish and when she put Jack in the crib Georgia had to get in it too. She is a good doting sister and he eats it up!

After the fishing trip we grabbed some lunch and headed for some more pool fun before nap time. Georgia is a child that sometimes has to be pushed outside of her comfort zone in order for her to try new things. She had mainly been hanging out on the pool steps until Daddy decided to swim with her and she took off like a fish!

She was jumping in off the side, letting him throw her in the air and swimming in her puddle jumper without him holding her. It was so fun to watch her gain confidence in the water and have such a blast.

The many faces of our waterdog. You know where to find us all summer.

After we got Jack's newborn picture CD I decided to order an 11x14 of him to frame. Then I thought it would be fun to start a newborn wall and I ordered an 11x14 of Georgia as well. It puts a smile on my face every time I pass by.

This picture just makes my heart melt. The love they have for each other is undeniable. He is the first person she asks about when she wakes up in the morning. He loves when she talks to him and gives him kisses.

And this one just makes me laugh! She look like such a big girl and who knows about Jack, some said it looks like a guilty toot face :) Very possible!

I'm excited for another fun week at home with my babies. We don't have any big plans, we're just spending as much time outside as we can and making the most of our long, summer days. Hope y'all had a good weekend too!

The Start of Summer

June is here and we are already on our laid back summer schedule. Daddy is home with us now and it's fun getting to spend our days however we want to. So far our rainy weather has kept us indoors mostly but hopefully normal June weather is on the way. For the past several summers we have been gone to the beach this week but we decided to delay it this year until fall. I hope I can make it until then!

 

Georgia has continued to do well having a baby brother around but Saturday she broke down on me because Jack wasn't asleep when it was her naptime and I guess she was sad that she couldn't be awake with us. I decided we would all three take a nap and after a lot of effort to get them both asleep at the same time it finally happened. Is there anything more angelic than babies sleeping? I think not.

Sunday Jack was seven weeks old and wore his first pair of shoes to church. How precious are these? They were hand me downs from our best bud Roman. So far dressing a boy has been so much more fun that I ever imagined.

 

A friend of mine posted one of those snarky Hallmark cards on facebook that read, "Whoever wrote the song 'Easy Like Sunday Morning' didn't take his kids to church on a regular basis." I believe the devil is out in full force on Sunday mornings trying to rob us of a blessing.

 

 Our Sunday consisted of Georgia spilling orange juice on the way to church. Jack wasn't hungry before we left but as soon as we got to church he decides that he's starving so I nurse him in a classroom and leak all over my dress. We spent the whole service in said classroom so I could dry out. At first I felt defeated and that the devil had won but it was the opposite. We were in the Lord's house, Georgia was happy playing with her nursery friends and Marcus heard a wonderful message that he shared with me later that day. I'm so glad we didn't give in and miss out on a blessing!

Sunday afternoon we visited our aunt Nell Harrison. She is Marcus's great aunt and Georgia shares a name with her as her first name is also Georgia (she said she started going by Nell after kids at school started calling her "George"). She was so happy we were having a boy! Girls are dominant on the Harrison side and Marcus was the only Harrison male left in child bearing years so I know she's proud the family name will live on.

 

My long and lean girl. I'm hoping she may be a runner like her (pre-baby) mommy.

My mother-in-law took this the other night and I think it's just the sweetest. Georgia was playing like they were in the tent. She often wants to include Jack when she is playing. Right now she's big into wanting us to tell her stories. She asked me to tell her the story of Jack going to the doctor for his feet. Then she asked me to tell her the story of Georgia going to the doctor for her feet ha!

This crazy, rainy weather nonsense has given us no choice but to wear our bathing suit around the house. Oh my gracious! I hope she always thinks being dressed like a strawberry is cool :)

I decided it was time to start doing a little exercise when I can fit it in. I started walking a week ago and decided this week to be more diligent about it and track my mileage. I have a good half mile loop that I'm enjoying. It includes our driveway and a little of the road we live on. There's very little traffic and it's a good hilly terrain. My time isn't great but I'm wearing 12 pounds of baby and pushing 25 pounds of toddler so that has to count for something. It feels good to be moving again!

Our little bruiser. Look at those chins! He is continuing to fill out and be a chunky hunk.

 

This week Daddy decided to treat our girl to a daddy-daughter slumber party. They started in the floor in her nursery, moved to the couch and ended up in our bed :) She thought it was awesome.