Emory's first straw

Sweet Emory learned how to drink from a straw today. 

All gone!

Good job Emory!

icecream is funny {Project 365 - Day 58}

 I captured this iphone photo as soon as it happend. 

We laughed then Everett giggled, "icecream is funny".

Maxton Reign

Great nephew Maxton Reign is scheduled to arrive June 2nd. 

Hooray, more babies in the family, we are SUPER excited!!!!

Keep Cookin' Sweet Max!!

Night Out

A fun night out with the girls.

Kickeriffic {Project 365 - Day 57}

Our kickeriffic child tried convincing me he was dressed to go outside.

Happy Anniversary to Us

Eleven years.

All of them happy. All of them hard work.

In eleven years, I have learned one thing: we are not perfect.

But I think we’re just perfect for each other.

Happy Anniversary to us!

Playmates {Project 365 - Day 56}

Everett is Bagheera

In the Disney animated movie, The Jungle Book, you might remember seeing Mowgli as a small baby in a moses basket.  After finding baby Mowgli, Bagheera takes the basket with Mowgli, to the Wolf family.

    

Like Bagheera, Everett takes such good care of his Mowgli*; he fluffs his pillow, covers him with a blankie, gives Mowgli kisses on the forehead and carries him around, in his mouth of course. ;o) 

*Everett's baby Mowgli is a baby doll Grammy bought for him to care/play with before Emory was born. 

Family Nature Club - Our Next Event

Nature Service Project

Sat. March 5

9 a.m. to noon (8:30 sign-in)

 Trinity View Park – Pavilion near Soccer Fields

2221 E. Highway 356, Irving, TX 75060

Our Family Nature Club is for all children and their families.  

Call your friends and join our awesome club!!

For more information please visit our Family Nature Club Blog.

Baby Shower Prep

Have you missed us? :)  I've been swimming in crafts the past two days preparing for a baby shower for my niece-in-law, next month.  I'm fairly certain Chris & Kim do not frequent our family blog,  so can give you a sneak peak of one of the many things I've been crafting:

I still need to get a  round cake board and an egg for the nest with "Maxton"'s name on it. :)

E's Apple {Project 365 - Day 53}

Emory stole this apple from Everett.  His two handed grip and tears ensured the apple was indeed his.

Heavy Heart

My heart is broken for a family whom unexpectedly lost their precious 4 month old a few days ago. I don't even know them but I can't stop thinking about this baby girl and her family.  Please join me in sending  prayers, and go hug someone you love.

If you are interested in reading their family blog click here.

"Wahtohminnow"

"I'm duck! I'm duck!" {Project 365 - Day 52}

Despite the small amount of space between Mama and Aunt "Ny-doh" on the sofa, Everett repeatedly found a way to wedge his little butt between the two of them.  Soon after, he'd announce "I'm duck, I'm duck!"  Ev liked getting "duck" (stuck), so his game lasted a great while. Good Times with Aunt "Ny-doh". 

Time to Re/Check your Carseat

This is for all parents, (new and seasoned), grandparents or any others whom transport children, to know/review.  As a parent, I sometimes forget to double check the installation of our carseats and positions of harnesses, etc.  For the safety of the child/ren in your life, please join me in taking time to re/check and consider the following: 

1. Securing your car seat - Properly installed carseats should not move more than an inch when you try shifting it from side to side and back to front. If it slips on the car upholstery, especially leather seats, put plastic mesh shelf liner under the seat for more grip.

2.  Harness straps - A missing harness clip or having it in the wrong position is a common carseat mistake.   If a harness is improperly set, your child is at risk of slipping or getting thrown out of their carseat!

Harness chest clip in wrong position:



Missing harness chest clip.  Only use a car seat that has a five point harness:

Rear-facing car seat - should be at or slightly below the infant's shoulders.

Front-facing toddlers - harness straps should be at or slightly above the toddler's shoulders.  If a harness is properly snug, you should not be able to insert more than one of your fingers behind it.

Harness clips in good position:

There is nothing wrong with letting your child nap in his car seat, just as long as he is safely and snugly strapped in:

3. The safest place for a car seat is in your vehicle's rear seat-never upfront near an air bag.
4.  For children less than 1 year old and not over 20 pounds, the car seat should face the rear of the vehicle and recline at an optimum 45-degree angle. If it doesn't angle properly, prop up the rear of the seat with a piece of a foam "noodle" pool toy or a rolled-up towel.
5.  When possible, buy new. Don't accept a hand-me-down with an unknown history or one that is more than six years old. Check for recalled models at http://www.nhtsa.gov/.
6.  Replace a car seat that has been involved in even a minor crash.
7.  Return the warranty card so you can be notified of a recall.

Proper car seat installation may be one of the most important safety measures a parent must perform to keep a child safe.

Messy Sneeze {Project 365 - Day 51}

Poor baby sneezed right into his loaded spoon of  sweet potatoes.

2-for-1 Adventure

We headed to Rainforest Cafe (@ Grapevine Mills Mall) for dinner with Grammy last night.  Everett has only been once to RFC and that was back in 2008, when he was only 7 months old-on our Walt Disney World vacation. Going this time around would seem like a brand new adventure. 

THEN it happend.  As we were walking in to the Mall, Everett spotted a train.  He side-stepped and zipped his head side to side to get a better view from obstructing persons walking in front of us.  THIS would be the perfect evening for Ev. Thank goodness for the hour wait at Rainforest Cafe. :o)   Everett got in 2 train rides before being seated for dinner and then once again after.   

Oh yes, and then there was dinner and looking at all the cool stuff/exhibits in their shop:

 The elephants were Ev's favorite as he related them to the elephants in Jungle Book:

The gorillas were wild and crazy.

Wow what an evening! 
Thanks Grammy for joining us on this 2-for-1 adventure, Everett's ready to go again!   

Firsts at Veterans Park

We met Grampy at Veterans Park today.  Weather conditions were perfect for a picnic lunch, and a couple of firsts for Everett ( i.e.: flying a kite and "wee-wee"ing in nature). :o) 

Grampy teaches Everett how to fly a kite:






Everett has his own way to hold a kite.

Whoopsey, there goes the kite!



Red cheeks = tired boy.

Thanks Grampy for meeting us at the park, we had a blast!

Brothers {Project 365 - Day 49}

Happier Baby

Emory's starting to feel better.  As mentioned in an earlier post, Em has been under the weather. I am fairly certain teething played a major part in his crappy week.   

Both front teeth have poked through and we are a  much happier baby today.

Carriers

I found a carrier for our little chunkster.  Emory is now too heavy to be carried around in his carseat carrier and we prefer not to take his stroller indoors, as it is too bulky for most places we frequent.  The ERGO baby carrier is a softer alternative to the typical backpack toddler carriers I've been considering. I wonder if Emory would like this:   

I love the idea of this as having Emory on my back as this would allow me to tend to Everett without feeling attached to the grocery cart, stroller, etc.

Stacking "Flocks" {Project 365 - Day 48}

 He stacked them all by himself.

Awesome.