What a Stud!

His new mode of transportation... Bear Crawl! This is what he discovered so that his legs don't have to touch the grass or cement. It is seriously the cutest thing I have ever seen. Love him to pieces!

I know I am totally biased, but I just think he is the cutest thing ever! I love him in his onesie and gym shorts... what a stud :)

First Trip to the Farm!

This was one of the sweetest experiences I have ever shared with my dad. We had the privilege of taking our little guy on his first trip to the farm... and I must say it was SO GREAT! I am so thankful for my Dad! Going down to the farm with my little man made me stop and reflect on all of the many good and bad experiences I had growing up as a "tough farm girl."

It truly was a choice experience to be raised in such a beautiful place and have such wonderful parents. Now that I have this privilege of being a mom... I often reflect on how grateful I am for my parents and for all they taught me. I am so thankful for lessons learned of hard work, tough love, finishing a job (even though you might totally hate it - picking up rocks!), appreciation for animals, learning how to work together, and all of the wild and crazy memories:

- getting mowed over by a sawdust cart and my tooth going through my lip
- jumping off the rafters of the barn into the sawdust pile
- changing sprinkler lines in the crisp morning air
- feeding the animals
- waking up in the wee hours of the morning to see if the sow had had her babies yet
- being a midwife to pigs
- getting chased by a cow and thinking I was going to die (I was only 5 or 6 years old)
- walking the pigs to get ready for the fair
- when Dad spooked the pig so that it ran between my legs and I rode it backwards before falling into a pile of manure
- learning how to ride my bike at the farm... Dad thought he would help by gently pushing me down a gravel slope and I fell and crashed HARD!
- getting in fights... there were many of them
- holding baby animals
- so many more... it's hard to write them all!

I never Want to Forget...

I never want to forget...

the open mouth kisses I get every time I pick up our sweet little boy. the way he admires and adores his Daddy. the big smile he gets everyday when he walks into my classroom with Dad. the loud laugh he shares when he hears others laughing. how he clapped tonight with the audience as we watched American Idol. the many silly faces he pulls every day. his determination to get whatever he wants. the way my class absolutely ADORES him. crawling after him up the stairs as he laughs, screams, and hurries to get away from me. when I grunt, because I am frustrated he immediately copies me and grunts in turn. his love for being outside. when he puts his head down and crawls as fast as he can. when he purposely takes off for the toilet, computer, or anything else he knows he isn't supposed to get into. the rare snuggle time I get with him. going on walks together. watching him discover new things. when he waves hello/goodbye.

Growing up I never imagined my heart could be so full of love for two amazing boys in my life! I am in awe each day that the Lord blessed me to be married to the man of my dreams, and be a mom to the sweetest boy in the world! I am so thankful for this opportunity to be called a wife and a mother. Two titles I honor and hold very close to my heart. I love you Mark and Little Bubs :)

14 Months

He is the sweetest thing! He and his daddy have had such a fun time together this school year. Mark has been able to watch him while I have been at work and they have such a sweet bond. I love watching them play together.... he definitely wants to be just like his Dad!

I can't believe he will be 14 months soon! Time truly does fly by so fast! What he is up to:

- He is still the fastest crawler around, he has taken his first steps, but would much rather move on all fours.
- He loves to mimic everything we do!
- He can tell us what the dog, cow, and bear say and loves to show us what the bunny does (he scrunches his nose and closes his eyes.)
- He LOVES to be outside! He has learned how to open the screen door, and always goes to the door and knocks so we will take him outside to play.
- He loves to give open mouth kisses and hugs
- He waves hi and bye to everyone
- He loves to watch Chuggington, Mickey Mouse Play House, and Super Why
- He is the biggest celebrity in my third grade classroom - my students LOVE him!
- He is the most curious little boy! He is into everything! If the bathroom door is open - he books it over to try and get to the toilet. He hasn't dipped his hands in yet, but I am sure that day will come :)
- He tries to crawl through the obstacle course we have set up in front of the T.V. (to try and keep him away from it) and when he succeeds he loves to hit the screen - makes us crazy!
- His favorite new game is to start crawling up the stairs - wait for us to peek around the corner and say, "We are going to get him" - then he crawls up the stairs as fast as he can to get away from us. It is SO CUTE!

He truly is the light of our lives! We love every second we get to be with him and feel so blessed to be his parents. He is full of life, laughter, and definitely ALL boy! We love him more than words can say!

What We Have Been Up To!

We LOVE the ducks! They come to our backyard to visit, we go to the pond to visit them. He hasn't quite decided what to think of them yet, but they definitely like him :)