Fri-yay

This is our last Friday that it will feel like a Friday for a while because the school year is complete and every day can feel like the weekend :) I'm so excited for the month of June. We will all five (including Owen) be home together to enjoy the sweet summertime. I'm certain these will be the days I will never want to forget.

The days are long right now so we have plenty of time after supper to be outside. Wednesday night she enjoyed running through the water draining from our planters. I love this age, entertainment can still be easy and free.

Sister was playing outside with Daddy so Jack and I took a stroll. Both my babies have always loved strolling. We still haven't pulled the trigger on a double stroller. I get anxiety just thinking about all the options and dropping that much money. I need to just do it though because I want to go to the zoo soon and it will be necessary then.

Long blonde eyelashes, oxford blue gown and my sleepy baby boy. The perfect accessories for morning snuggles!

Georgia went to school with Daddy on the second to last day as a little surprise to his students. She sang them the ABC's and brought donuts as a treat. Mr. Harrison loves showing off his baby girl!

Thursday was her last official day of preschool for the summer. AKK runs on a school calendar so when school is out they end their academics until August. She learned so much her first year. She has made the best of friends. And she has been loved and taken care of by three of the best preschool teachers in the world (who just so happen to be my in-laws but they really are the best!). I'm sure she will want to go back some this summer to see her friends and swim. 

Her first day in November until now. She has grown a lot!

I had to share the first outtake. Her pouty face came out because she didn't want to have her picture made. A simple "don't you smile for mommy" and the frown turned around ;)

Happy weekend friends!

Memorial Day Weekend

Yay for the official start of summer! Marcus only has two more days of school so we're pretty much in summer mode already. Georgia talks about swimming all the time (and the beach and Disney World, we told her she must be patient on those requests). We're stocked up on sunscreen and beach towels. Let the fun begin!  

I recently started swaddling Jack and he is a total swaddle baby. We've been calling him our banana. And I give it credit for giving me six straight hours of sleep!

Saturday we went to my Mom's for our first pool day of the season. It was a beautiful day but the water was still a little chilly so we most played on the pool deck. She's still young enough that she is content with some bath toys and a bowl of water :)

My little linebacker is six weeks old. He's staying awake more during the day and sleeping longer at night. I can see him transitioning out of the newborn stage and even though the extra sleep is wonderful I still feel a little sad that stage went so quickly.

Sunday evening Georgia was playing outside after her nap when three neighbor girls (who are all also former AKK's so we know them well) came over to play. Georgia was in heaven! They were so sweet to come over and play with her.

We took the kids to the cemetery where my Papaw is buried this weekend. Jack "Porter" is named after him and several people think he favors my Papaw. I'm glad he will also live on through our son.

On Memorial Day I attempted my first lattice [apple] pie. This pie was made with Georgia in a bar stool playing with a broken pie crust and Jack strapped in my ergobaby. It was a family effort! It turned out better than I expected and I think I gained a little confidence in the kitchen.

My patriotic babes. It was a rainy, yucky day but these two little sunshines made up for it.

Memorial Day 2014. One of my favorite pictures of my girl! And yes we wore the same outfit two years in a row, it's also a favorite of mine.

As we welcome summer around here, it has me thinking about what we want to get out of this season and the events we want to participate in. This was our summer bucket list from last year and we were able to complete about 3/4 of them. We realize this year summer is going to look a little different with a new baby but we want to make it just as fun and memorable. I'm adding a 2015 summer bucket list to my to-do list this week!

Newborn Portraits

When Jack was six days old our friend Julia came to our house to take newborn and family pictures for us. I absolutely loved taking the pictures in our home. It wasn't stressful and we were able to add personal touches that wouldn't have been possible anywhere else. Plus leaving the house with a nursing six day old just isn't ideal so I can't thank her enough for coming to us for these photos.

 

I'm in love these pictures. There were so many to pick from and work with for birth announcements, Mother's Day gifts, etc. And both of my children were cooperative so it was a star aligning day.

 

Ok, enough words, I'll let the pictures do the talking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you Jules for capturing my family so beautifully!

Life Lately

It's been a busy week with little time for blogging. Blogging is one of those "if I have extra time" to-dos and there hasn't been any extra time this week. And that's ok because there's more important things to do such as cuddling our baby boy, playing kitchen and babies with my big girl, consoling a best friend through the loss of her brother, planning a class reunion and the list goes on. My days are full and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

If we all loved mornings as much as this boy the world would be a happier place. This week he has really started smiling and laughing out loud a lot. I can't even handle it! His smile in this picture was a reward for his sister talking and singing to him :)

Tuesday was Election Day so we spent the day with Daddy since school was not in session. She wanted to hold him before we left for our little outing. She holds him a few seconds longer every time. There's no doubt he's her favorite person!

We went out for pizza for lunch and stopped at one store to shop and then we went to my grandparent's farm to pick strawberries and see their cows. They had brought us a big bowl of strawberries from their patch earlier in the week and we thought it would be a good idea for Georgia to pick some for herself.

She immediately started picking them like she had done it a million times. She LOVED it! She treated it like her job and only picked a few white ones.

She picked plenty of strawberries but failed to pick something else ;) I just love this precious picture so much. She will not be happy about this someday.

Between Georgia and Mamaw they picked a big tupperware bowl full and we took them home with us to eat on. They were gone in a day. We are a strawberry eating bunch! We plan on having our own strawberry patch for next season, Mamaw and Papaw are helping us prepare it. I'm so excited! Hopefully this one will be more successful than the one I had as a teenager...

Wednesday was a big day for us as we took Jack to his appointment at Chidren's Orthopedic of Louisville. When Jack was four days old we learned that his feet toed in and if they did not improve casting would be in our future. This was caused by his large size at birth and being crammed in the womb. For the past five weeks there's been a lot of stretching, research and prayer. We saw a specialist today and he has a very mild case that has improved so much since birth that he will not have to be casted! We realize this is a very minor thing and we're counting our blessings that he is healthy. I'm proud of my strong, big boy and we're just so thankful for answered prayers.

And he was the best thing all day. He slept the whole way there which was longer than we expected since we went to their second location and had to travel across town after finding out we were in the wrong place. He woke up for his appointment and to nurse and then slept the whole way home! He seriously makes me want to have 10 kids. He weighed 11 lbs 4 ounces so he had gained over a pound in less than 2 weeks-he's a buster!

This week our best friend Rachel lost her brother to a hit and run motorcycle accident. As you can imagine it has been a very hard week for them so please keep them in your prayers if you think of it. Ironically Marcus's parents were involved in a hit and run motorcycle accident 16 years ago. This was before I knew them so Marcus shared with me some of the details of their wreck this week. I'm so glad God was gracious and spared them. It's such an unthinkable act but we know God works for the good of those who love Him and though we may not understand His plan we know He goes before us and prepares the way.

Today is our anniversary! It's been five years, three moves, three college degress, two babies, two homes, one dog and a whole lotta memories in between. Happy 5th anniversary to my high school sweetheart and forever groom! Life is so much better with him by my side. Tonight we went on our first date night since Jack was born. My in-laws kept the babies while we took a little three hour date complete with dinner and grocery shopping ha! That's life for us now. It's so very glamorous!

May Days

May is always an exciting month for us. Since our lives revolve around a school calendar May means summer break is [almost] here. It's also our anniversary, Mother's Day, graduations and other celebrations. When I think about our happiest days so many of them take place in May.

 

And there's nothing that makes us happier than finding out some of our dearest friends are expecting their first baby! We received this nest and ceramic egg in the mail several weeks ago telling us the good news but we had to keep it a secret for a little while.

John and Mary Beth made their big announcement this weekend so now I can share their adorable announcement!! Only Mary Beth, she defines original. They also created this precious video to announce the baby and that a baby GIRL is on the way! It's a must watch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcCc4r_y01g

A momma's boy in the making <3. This is his favorite place to be, 24/7 :)

 

Georgia enjoys holding Jack about once a day but it usually doesn't last long. Here was how this picture played out:

"Georgia, support his head"

"I think he wants his mommy"

She always says his mommy like her mommy is a different person ha! She gets a little nervous when he starts squirming so I would rather her be ready to hand him back than try to contain him. She will be a pro before we know it!

 

This is a boy who does NOT like bathtime. Shoo wee. I think he will be getting a lot of washcloth wipe downs for a while...

My brother who lives in Florida (but is moving to Manhattan next month!) came in this week and got to meet Jack for the first time. We have all missed him! I think he was pretty smitten with his nephew.

 

Georgia was in an anti-picture mood but she did agree to give baby Jack a kiss on the head.

The whole crew. Another timer cam picture, what a wonderful invention. I love my family!

 

Saturday it rained all day and night. Georgia and I stayed in pajamas all day and never left the house. Sometimes rainy days are good for forcing you to slow down and just enjoy home and that's what we did. She was my helper in the kitchen which is a normal occurrence. If she sees me cooking she gets her stool so she can see everything and be my assistant. I want to etch this image in my memory. She sure has a domestic soul.

Sunday was our second Sunday in a row to get everyone up, fed, clean, dressed and to church ON TIME! We weren't even on time pre-babies so this is HUGE. It takes planning the night before and earlier wake up times but it can be done. And I know this won't be an every Sunday thing so I'm enjoying the small victories while I can.

 

Sunday afternoon Daddy watched Jack for a few hours (after a refresher on how to thaw frozen milk if he gets hungry) so I could take Georgia to one of her best bud's birthday party. She had such a good time and played her little heart out. I'm thankful for all her sweet little friends and how they love each other.

 

I'm sad to see the weekend go but we've got a loaded week to prepare for. I've had a nice, slow month following Jack's arrival but things are starting to get busier and I'm trying to learn how to juggle everything while making sure I enjoy these newborn days and make my job as a mom my priority. "This day will never come again". I want to make my days and moments count.