sky train.

P loves trains. All trains. And the Sky Train at Stone Mountain doesn't disappoint him, either. Guilt set in a couple of weeks ago while dragging our child around the entire state of Georgia looking for a glider for baby girl's nursery, so we decided to add a little bit of fun into our day. We made a slight detour on our way home from Atlanta, around I-285 to Stone Mountain for a couple of hours of fun for our little man. The Sky Train and the Fun Barn was just what P needed.

Considering the fact that Taylor and I are both deathly afraid of heights, I would have to say that we definitely love this kid. We love him so much that we were willing to set our fears aside in order for P to have a little bit of uninhibited fun.


Are you sure this thing is safe?



Here goes nothing....on our way up.



How high are we? Seriously?


Once our knees quit shaking, we wandered around, climbed some boulders, and enjoyed the "Fall-ish" breeze on the top of Stone Mountain. (Where is Fall, by the way? This nine-month pregnant whale would love some 80 degree temps.) My two boys were sweet enough to give me a few brief smiles. Pictures of P are difficult to come by these days. He either gives me a forced, fake grin, while hollering "cheese" at the camera. Or he just looks the other way. These are the best I've got....



We had a great couple of hours at Stone Mountain. I'm just glad we made it safely back down to solid ground.

let the countdown begin.

Four weeks and counting until D-Day. And probably less until baby girl's actual arrival. We are getting so excited! We are putting the finishing touches on her nursery. Just a few more things and we will be ready for her arrival. We've been spending lots of quality time together as a family of three. I'm definitely enjoying every moment with my two sweet boys, smothering each of them with love and attention. Our new bundle of joy is definitely welcomed, but I will always have fond memories of this time together as a family of three. Things are going to change, for sure. But they are definitely changing for the better. I cannot wait to hold our sweet little girl in my arms. Four weeks and counting....

My mom and sister came over this weekend to help with organizing the nursery and washing all of baby girl's sweet tiny little clothes. We spent all morning just going through her closet.


Isn't it so much fun doing infant laundry? Everything is so soft and little and precious. And the scent of baby laundry detergent....I swear I could get high off of that stuff. It makes me want baby girl's arrival to come sooner rather than later. Me, my mom, and my sister literally spent an hour and a half just taking the tags off of all of her stuff. I felt like we were little elves on an assembly line. We separated and sorted and and sorted and separated. We had six loads of laundry once it was all said and done. Do you think she's going to be a tad bit spoiled? I think so. I am so happy to add a little bit of pink to our home decor. We can't wait to meet you baby girl! You are already so loved. It is amazing how much we love someone we've never even met.

swim lessons.

P took a Water Babies class at the beginning of July. Thought it would be a lot of fun for the two of us. A way to beat the heat, bond with my sweet boy, and get P acclimated to the water. Not so much. Turned out to not be one of my grandest ideas. The class turned out to be more like a swimming survival course rather than a fun, relaxed class in which P and I could spend quality time together.

Here is the class description, straight from their website:

For 6weeks-36 months, this course will introduce babies to the water, provide bonding with parents, provide word association with repetition and structure and at the very least they will learn to LOVE the water. Focus is placed on a fun, child-centered environment where games are mixed with education. This course will introduce toddlers to the concept of holding their breath, kicking, and floating.

Wouldn't you be confused when within the first 2 minutes of class they were dunking my son under water without any warning or explanation? And there were no "games mixed with education" in our class. I know that I am a protective mama, but this just really caught me off guard. I was ready to snatch him out of the water and take him home. But I tried to remain calm, thinking that maybe, just maybe, this class would be good for P. And maybe the crying and fear would diminish as the week went on. Nope. It multiplied by a factor of ten each and every day. I think I cried more than P did.

When it came to swimming, P actually did really great. He just screamed the entire time that his head was not under water. Poor little buddy. I'm trying really hard to teach him the importance of following through with things. Trying to teach him not to be a quitter. That is the only reason we even showed up for days two, three, and four of swim lessons. By day 5, Taylor and I both decided that it's not the end of the world to quit some things in life. We just won't be making a habit of it.

Here is P on Day 1, before he even stepped foot in the water. Doesn't he look so eager and excited?


He cried between each exercise, but then pulled himself together right before getting dunked under water. I think that he quickly figured out how to avoid sucking in a mouth and nose full of water. One positive....he at least learned how to hold his breath.


Swimming to the steps.


He would grab the steps and high tail it out of the pool faster than any other kid in his class. But then we couldn't get him back in the pool.


He hated floating on his back. I've never seen my baby fight so hard.


A few of him swimming from the teacher to Taylor. Like I said, he would do it. He just didn't like it. Not one bit.



I really though that I had scarred my child for life by putting him in these swim lessons. He seems okay, though. My friend always tells me that kids are resilient. They really are. He still talks about swim lessons like they were the greatest thing that ever happened to him. But if I mention going back, he immediately panics and locks up. I'll give it a few more years before I try it again. For now, playing in the mushrooms and sitting in a float in our neighborhood pool sounds much more enjoyable for me and my little man.

red, white, and blue due.

I'm due for a lot of things these days. Due for a blog post. Due to have baby girl in only 52 days. Baby furniture is due to arrive any day now. And speaking of due, it's the middle of August and I've yet to post pictures from the 4th of July. I would say that these pics are slightly past due.

We ended of foregoing our trip to the lake for the 4th due to reconstruction from our flood, and instead, headed over to Nash Farms for their annual Independence Day festivities. They had live music, a kids area with inflatables, games, and face painting, and a wagon parade. This overachiever mama got super psyched about the wagon parade and so did our little man. I was pumped about the decorating part. P was stoked about riding in a parade waving a miniature flag and ringing his red, white, and blue cow bell. Poor Taylor got stuck pulling P in the wagon for the super long parade in the grueling heat while hundreds of spectators watched. I snapped pictures and laughed hysterically. It was a lot of fun for all some.

P absolutely loved the fact that we were right behind the drums. Or maybe he was thrilled that we were first. Either way, he was delighted by the little wagon parade.




My little man looks so grown up. Thank goodness I will have a new baby soon to be all sappy and sentimental with. P is a little over his mama's maudlinness. But, he will always be my baby. He just doesn't know it yet.



Yummy homemade root beer. (That I hope was caffeine free, because I drank $10 worth.)




They even had tractor rides. A little slow-paced and hot for this pregnant mama, but P enjoyed himself.



We had a great time celebrating Independence Day at Nash Farms. Granny, Grandpa, and Great Granny joined us for dinner and fireworks. P fell out about ten minutes before the show started and slept right on through the grand finale. I guess all of the day's festivities wore him slap out. A 9:30pm start time doesn't jive well with a two-year old's sleep schedule.

thirty.

I turned the big 3-0 on June 21st. I'll admit, I was scared to death. I've never felt old until I had P. The responsibility of becoming a parent will make you feel old. But having a second baby on the way, I really began to feel old. When family asked me what I wanted for my birthday, my one and only response to everyone was, "another year in my twenties." The week before the big day, I tried my hardest to accept it. I made a comment at work to one of the girls, "well, I guess thirty is just a number." Her response, "yeah, but it's a big number." The sad thing to me is that I can remember thinking coworkers in their thirties were old. I guess that's how my teeny bopper technicians at work view me now. What goes around, comes around, huh? But now that I am a couple of weeks in, I am embracing this new oldness. Old is good.

My hubby went above and beyond to make my thirtieth birthday exceptional. I woke up to a house decorated in old pictures of me and my past and quotes about getting older. He kidnapped me, we dropped P off at Beme's, and headed to our surprise destination, with a mixed tape cd of the best 80's music playing on the car stereo the entire trip. We arrived in Athens, GA. My home away from home. Taylor said, "For your birthday this year, I got you what you wanted. Now let's go relive your twenties." He's the best husband ever.

We ate at my favorite restaurant, The Last Resort, for lunch then headed to our favorite on-campus spot, The Creamery, for a yummy milkshake for desert.


We visited some of my old stomping grounds.



We talked about old times, when it was just the two of us. And we talked about where our lives have taken us thus far. We have come a long way and accomplished some pretty amazing things. After our awesome day in Athens, I slowly began to realize that I'm not just thirty years old. I am thirty years wise.

We arrived home from Athens to find this in our front yard.


My mom is too funny. And she is absolutely the best. I got a kick out of our new yard decorations, especially when I found out that they had been there since 8 am and all of my neighbors had stopped by to check out my mom's creation. I'm sure the Homeowner's Association was called more than once. I loved it.

And to top off the best day ever, Taylor surprised me with a yummy cake lit up like the 4th of July. It took longer to light the candles than to eat the cake.


It was a great thirtieth birthday. Thirty years has taken me this far. I make wiser decisions. I have a fabulous family, two homes, a car that is paid for. And, I have finally figured out what's most important in life. I hope my next thirty years holds just as much greatness as my first thirty.

check-ups.

We've had two check-ups in the past week worth documenting. We finally went for P's two year check-up. Only three months late. He weighed 29 pounds and is 35 inches tall. Fiftieth percentile in weight and almost fiftieth percentile in height. Our pediatricians office doesn't like to give percentiles to the mamas unless there is a problem, so my guesses are based on this difficult-to-read line graph that they print for us at each check-up. He handled the visit very well, considering he usually screams bloody murder the entire time. I think the best thing we did this time is schedule his appointment with the prettiest doctor in the practice. He flirted with her the entire time and giggled when she touched his chest and back with the stethoscope. He had to get two shots, which this mama will never get used to. I think I cry as much as he does. He cried after the shots, but quickly pulled himself together after the nurse gave him an orange lollipop, his favorite. Later he said to me, "Mama, my polka dots hurt." I guess the round band-aids that the nurse put on the injection sites looked like polka dots to him. He has such a creative little mind.

The second check-up was my 25 week OB visit. Baby girl is doing great. My belly is measuring right on track. I had to drink that yucky orange concoction to test for gestational diabetes, which has to contain a full weeks worth of sugar. If I didn't have diabetes before the test, I surely do now. I've gained twelve pounds thus far, which is less than average. With P, I put most of my weight on at the end, so I'm expecting the same with this baby girl. She's kicking and turning somersaults now fairly regularly and I'm loving every minute. Even P got to feel one of her punches the other day. This pregnancy is going well so far. My only complaint is my pelvic pain, but pregnancy yoga and pilates has really helped with that. Only fourteen more weeks!

memorial day.

Here I am blogging about Memorial Day when it's practically the Fourth of July. Better late than never. We spent the weekend at the lake. Just a short getaway in between work shifts. P loves the lake house. He talks about it all.the.time. "Mama, when can we go to the lake? Did that man fix our boat at the lake? I want to go swimming at the lake. Where is my wheel barrow from the lake?" And on and on and on. We love the lake house, too. It's our getaway from reality. While building our lake house, we dreamed of spending summers there and hoped that our children would love it there as much as we do. So far, so good. I just wish we had more time to spend down there.



Throwing rocks at Goat Island.


The boat still lulls him to sleep. Every.single.time. He's such an angel.


We are headed down to the lake again for the Fourth, only this time we'll be roughing it a little. Our heart pine flooring has been ripped out and there are holes in the drywall. Maybe it will feel like camping. More on that later. Happy Fourth of July!

nesting.

I feel like a mama bird creating a nest for her babies. I cannot get enough. Organizing, cleaning, sorting, separating, purging. It keeps me going these days. I'm not quite sure where I'm getting the energy, but it's coming from somewhere. Just in the past two weeks,I we have cleaned out the garage, sealed the garage floor, cleaned out the entire craft room to make room for the nursery, held a garage sale, organized the pantry, refrigerator, and freezer, cleaned out two closets, primed the nursery, painted our twenty-foot foyer, hallway, and up the stairs, and steam cleaned the carpet in four rooms. Whew! It exhausts me just to type it. Of course, I have not done it alone. Taylor, P and my mom have helped a ton, especially with the painting. I have such a wonderful family. Thanks guys :)

I took this picture after Taylor said to me, "Bones, you better take a picture of this, because I'm never doing this again." It is about twenty feet to the ceiling in our foyer. This family is not too fond of heights.


Even P has pitched in. Yesterday he came running up to me and said, "Mama, where's my orange hammer and tape measure and nails?" (I'm not sure where the "nails" part came from. He better not have nails hiding anywhere.) My response, "Why do you need all of that, P?" "Because I've got to build my baby sister a playroom." Too cute. However, I'm not sure if him building a playroom for his baby sister is out of the goodness and kindness of his heart or if he is scared to death to lose his playroom to a new baby. Either way, he seems to be catching on to the idea of a sibling. He'll be a good big brother.


I think that in the back of my mind I'm remembering how dreadfully tired and sore I felt in my pregnancy with P from thirty weeks on. I have to get this nest ready for baby Shoes' arrival. (No, she still doesn't have a name. Any suggestions?)

birthdays.

We've celebrated lots of birthdays in the past month. P's favorite thing about going to a birthday party? CAKE! Funny story. We went out to dinner for aunt Jenny's birthday a couple of weeks ago and P asked at least a hundred times, "Where is her cake mama? Is that man (the poor waiter) bringing aunt Jenny's cake? Where her cake is?" The restaurant did in fact catch word that it was aunt Jenny's birthday and brought her a small slice of chocolate cake, and I think P ate half of it. A birthday is not a birthday unless there is a cake involved, right?

Cousin Tommy turned one in May, so we headed up to Cumming for some fun in the sun. I actually brought my camera to this birthday party. Amy had so much cute stuff for the kiddos to play with, including a sand table and splash pool. The party guests were all family, so it was great to just hang out and catch up while letting the kiddos play.

P is always fascinated by the bubbles. Check out that expression of interest. How can something as simple as soapy water be such a hit with kids?


Nicholas kept spraying Allie while she was playing in the splash pool. She just rolls with it. Always such a trooper. P would have had a fit.


The birthday boy loved his cake.


A little blurry, but this smile was just too cute. He was so excited about his new ball pit.


P's version of ring toss.


Awwww. Tommy and his Grammy. (If you're confused, that's my mom's twin sister, Mary. Can you tell they're identical!?!)


Just a swingin'....


Tommy was pooped after his party. Check out that thumb, or lack thereof.


Happy first birthday, Tommy! We had a great time celebrating with you.

busy mom.

This mom is busy. So much going on these days. I feel like I'm drowning. I like being busy. But my blog may not like it. We've been enjoying our summer to the max. Playing outside, going swimming, working in the garden. Just wish the temperature was not in the high 90's every.single.day. This pregnant mama can't take this heat all summer long. Speaking of pregnancy, I only have four more months until this baby girl is expected to arrive. We still have a lot to do to get ready for our new little bundle. The room is primed, but not painted. The bedding and the crib have been ordered. But that's about it. I kind of had a panic attack last night when I realized how much we have left to do. I'm calmer today. It will get done. And if it doesn't, it will be okay. (Gosh, I'm so different than I was with P.) A lot has happened since the last time I posted. My cousin, Rachel, was given only two to three months to live. This has not been easy for me, since she is practically my sister. I've been doing a lot of praying and thinking and I have tried to visit her as often as possible. She is kind of beyond wanting visitors, so I may not be making many more trips to see her. I just wish she wasn't suffering. But God has a plan. He's in control. Also, our lake house is flooded. Ruined. It's a disaster. Long, long story, which I will post on here with some pictures real soon since I really should document these things. Maybe one day it will be funny. But at the current moment, the whole situation just stresses me out. Let's see, what else? P is talking up a storm. Bossing us around, telling us what to do. This is the best age. He is HILARIOUS! I just love him to pieces. Taylor and I celebrated our five year anniversary in May with a trip to the Ritz at Lake Oconee with some friends and dinner at Bistro Niko in Atlanta. Oh, and I'm turning thirty in less than a week. Oh, crap. I don't know about this. Everyone keeps asking me what I want for my birthday. Another year in my twenties has been my response. I know it's just a number. But like a girl told me at work the other day, it's a big number.

So, let me post a few of the hundreds of pictures that I have piling up on my hard drive. These were all taken on Mother's Day. We celebrated with Taylor's mom at an Irish restaurant in Morrow and then with my mom at the lake with a picnic. And then my celebration was a trip to the ice cream shop. I don't even like ice cream, but I knew P would thoroughly enjoy it.

P and aunt Jenny. He loves her so much. Talks about her all.the.time.


And daddy is his very best friend.



Gosh, he looks so grown up here. I was looking at my blog header picture and I hardly recognize that baby boy. He's such a little man now.


We got ice cream at Marble slab. I really wish I liked ice cream. It's one of those things that I try to make myself enjoy. Every American should like ice cream. P and his daddy sure do.


I'm that mama that always takes pictures of their kids eating. It's the only time P sits still for more than two seconds.


He makes the funniest faces when he eats. I think he really enjoyed his bananas foster ice cream. Who knows what all they mixed in that concoction. But P and his daddy ate every last bite.


That's all for now. I've missed this blog. I'll try to visit more often.