restless.

Like his mama. This runs in the family. I cannot stay home all day. I have to go somewhere. Anywhere. Even if we just go for a drive. We leave the house at least once a day. So, I guess Phoenix has developed my restlessness. He loves to be on the the move, at all times. Today was tough for both of us. We were supposed to go to the strawberry patch at Southern Belle Farms for round two of berry pickin'. Um, it was closed. So, we resorted to back-up plan #1. Flower shopping at Lowe's. This plan fell through, also. P was ready for his nap. After nap time, we settled for plan #3....play outside.


I guess P was a little stir crazy from our lack of activity, so he ran about 30 sprints up and down the driveway,



then ran circles around the yard,

then stopped for 0.2 seconds for a breather,


and then was ready for back-up plan #4.

I hadn't thought about a fourth plan, so what did we do? We went for a drive. And mama and son were happy.

flashback.

One year ago today....


Look how much our little booger has changed in just one year's time. Crazy. I love him so very much.

another year wiser.

My darling husband turned 32 years old today. Wow! That sounds so old. But he doesn't feel 32. I think he feels more like fifteen. (Because that's how old he acts sometimes!) No, really. He brings out the youth in all of us! Happy birthday, baby! We headed up to see the new minor league Braves team, the Gwinnett Braves, take on the Charlotte Knights. Minor league games are the best! Every seat in the house has a great view of the field. Tickets are cheap. Lines are short. And the atmosphere is incredible. We even made a new friend. Meet Chopper....

Those mascots are HIGH energy. They must drink lots of Red Bull.

And the birthday boy himself....

We had a great day at the ball field. We can't wait to go back and take Phoenix with us. They have great $5 lawn seats that are perfect for the little ones!

persistence.

P has a lot of it. When he sets his mind to something, he works really hard at it. For example, he loves to put caps on things. Water bottles, milk, toothpaste. He will sit there for 10 to 15 minutes. Put the cap on. Take the cap off. Put the cap on. Take the cap off. Again and again until he gets it right. I guess you could say he's a little OCD, which I'm sure he inherited from me. But, he is also extremely persistent and patient, which I am certain he got from his daddy. Do other one-year olds display this much discipline and tenacity? I'm 28, and I'm not sure that I do. He absolutely fascinates me.

Here are some pictures from the other day. He desperately wanted to lug this ball around. He tried for 15 minutes, at least, to pick it up.



He finally turned to his "Super Mommy" for help.

I guess I saved the day. He was content once he learned how to kick the ball, instead of throw it.

boys will be boys.

It was another great weekend at the lake. Beme and granddaddy Rice came over in the Gator. P's eyes lit up immediately when he saw the green and yellow 4-wheeled buggy.

Taylor took P for a lap....

And then another....

And then another.


Then P and I tested out the horn. It was LOUD and P loved it! Until it broke. Sorry, granddaddy! The gator provided loads of fun for Taylor and P this weekend. It always does! (According to James, the Gator has been around since Taylor and uncle Blake were little. Twenty years or so. Nothing runs like a Deere.)

P was worn out from our trip to the lake. On our way home, he fought sleep as hard as he could fight.


And sleep finally won.

berry pickin'.

Tax time is strawberry time! April 15th kicks off strawberry season in Georgia and this day has been highly anticipated in our family as strawberries are ripe and ready for picking. And, strawberries are P's favorite! Twin Oaks Family Fun Farm in Forsyth came highly recommended by a friend at work, so we decided to check it out. Glad we did! This place was perfect!

P's Easter egg hunts greatly prepared him for putting strawberries in the bucket. (Thanks, Aunt Jenny!)


He even picked a few! But for some reason, he liked the green one's best.




Obviously, P failed to read the warning sign....


What can I say? P doesn't like boundaries....

Taking a break....


This place had an incredible playground. It was all wood and the ground was covered in mulch made out of recycled tires.

P played his heart out. So did his mommy and daddy:)


He flirted with the owner's daughter. A lot. Good thing he's still a baby, or he'd be in big trouble with her daddy.

We were told that the llama, Don Juan, gave great kisses. P was not going to get close enough to find out.

Can you tell he was a friendly llama?

It was a great family day at the strawberry farm! Check them out at www.twinoaksfunfarm.com. I am told the peak this year for berry pickin' is next weekend. Good times!

eggstraordinary.

I'm describing our Easter weekend. It was outstanding! Mainly because this is P's first Easter. That alone made it eggstra special. After our dinner and egg hunt with our families, we spent an awesome, quiet evening with baby P. I have always loved to dye eggs, so it was very important to me to start this tradition in our family.

P really enjoyed our egg-dying activity. He wanted to be in charge of the eggs and the dipper.


Notice the pink fingers. We quickly determined that unless we gave him a dish full of water, we were going to have an Easter pink stained kitchen.

For this activity, P's pacifier was a necessity. When I took it out of his mouth, the eggs and/or the dye went in. The eggs turned out great and we had a blast!

Taylor and I went to the Masters on Easter Sunday. I was very, very sad to leave P at home, even though he was in good hands. Before we left, we gave P his Easter basket full of goodies.

And, yet again, he sampled the plastic eggs.

He loves his Little People Easter set.

Then we said our goodbyes. He was sad to see us go.

He quickly forgot about us, though. My mom and granny said he laughed and played his heart out all day. When we got home, I don't know who was more exhausted, P or my mom. They wear each other out.

The Masters has been an incredible experience and I am already anticipating next year's tournament. Let's just hope it doesn't fall on Easter again.

egg hunt.

Both sets of grandparents and aunt Jenny and uncle Zac came over on Saturday for dinner and an attempt at an Easter egg hunt for baby P. My sister and I "hid" the eggs, and baby P had a blast "hunting" for them. (We didn't really hide them. We just threw them in the yard. He is only one.) The teacher in my sister really shines when she is with her nephew. "Phoenix, put the egg in the basket. Put the egg IN the basket. Here's the egg. Put it in the basket." She is very, very patient with P.


And her patience paid off. "Yay, Phoenix. You put the egg in the basket!"

He also really likes the taste of eggs. Plastic ones, that is. Real eggs....he hates them.


Eventually, Baby P really got the hang of hunting for eggs. And we were all so very proud.


He loves egg hunts so much, we have held indoor versions in the house every day since. He's one smart cookie.

Happy Easter! Don't forget the true meaning of this special day.