Playing Catch Up

Brandon went to the doctor for his 18-month physical today. Yes, he is almost 20-months old but because of Nathan's job change, we had a change in our insurance so I had to wait on that to be effective before I could take the boys to the doctor.

Well, today was Brandon's turn...We went to the Y this morning and then came straight home for some play time before going down for an early nap. He usually naps from noon-2:30 but his appointment was at 2:20 so I put him down at 11:30. Well, his is what naptime looked like today...

Not going to sleep...this is RARE. He is normally a great napper!

So, I decided to be goofy...I love making him laugh.

"Show me your muscles"

Off to the doctor we go.

Carson was just excited that it wasn't his appointment

So cute

The border in the room...he said "basketball" and "football" about 1000 times! =)

He did SO good!! He cried for about a minute and actually got more frustrated that I wouldn't let him take the "stickers" (band-aids) off his legs than he was at the fact that he had just gotten pricked in the legs! =)

He weighs 28 lbs 12 oz (80th percentile) and is 33.1 inches long (60th percentile). His head is in the 95th percentile - hahahaha - I blame that on his Daddy! =)

No nap + shots = ONE TIRED BABY BOY!!!



He asked for his "blankie" (Olivia, he still uses it and loves it) and "paci" and laid down on the floor to watch the Wiggles. He lasted about half an episode before he dozed off. Bless his heart! He had a hard day!

Brandon is NOT a cuddler. Well, this afternoon he wanted to stay in my lap. Awww I couldn't resist. When his Daddy got home, I took advantage of Brandon's clinginess and cuddled with him until he was over it. Of course, Carson (my Mama's boy AND cuddler) got jealous but I had to take the opportunity to love on my B.

I love my boys!



Meg

Sunday Sunday

Yesterday was the craziest day that we have had in a long time. It wasn't bad crazy...just crazy busy.

Church. Took the boys to Hendersonville for the afternooon (40 minute drive one way). Hosted a recipe exchange at Grand View. Went and picked up the boys from Hendersonville (another 80 minutes in the car). Helped lead the youth community group that night. Finally got dinner. Home.

It was a non-stop day! I am so thankful for our church family at Faith who contributed so much to the recipe exchange. We had a few residents stop by but there was definitely a lot of down time. We were told that this type of ministry takes about six months to really get going and we have been here for three. So...hopefully in the next couple of months we will notice more residents getting involved.

Nathan lead the youth community group in a devotional last night. He taught our adult Bible fellowship class at Highview in Louisville and I always thought he did such a good job. Well, if you have ever worked with teenagers then you know it's a totally different ball game. I LOVE IT but it does take a little more work to keep them involved and interested. Last night I was encouraged by Nathan's challenge to the youth to read the Word. He is passionate about the Lord and his Word and it's encouraging to see and hear him communicate that to others...especially teenagers.

My sister is DA BOMB!!! =) She has five kids of her own and she was sweet enough to add mine to her bunch yesterday. Thank you, Tiffany!!!! Love you!



Meg

Haircut & Chili's

Brandon had helmet head...yes, he was in desperate need of a haircut!!! So, Thursday afternoon we drove to Hendersonville to hang out with Tiffany and the cousins. While we were there Brandon got a new "do."

Carson loves his Graciee

Bless his little heart!! He loves playing at Aunt Tiffany's but this was not his idea of fun! After leaving Tiffany's, we went and met Nate for dinner...options: Cracker Barrel and Chili's. Hmmmmmm, CHILI'S please!!!! That is my FAVORITE restaurant (besides Sakura in Jackson) and we hadn't been there since we moved to Nashville. Sad, I know!!




The boys were very well behaved which was a BONUS!!! I love my family! =)


Meg

Ear Infection

Carson had the seasonal cold until yesterday when it became a wheez. Since Nathan just switched jobs we were inbetween insurances...fortunately, our coverage started this past week so we were able to go see a doctor. I was referred to a doctor that I really like which is a great feeling!

Carson has an ear infection and is on antibiotics. He is weighing in at 14 lbs. 8 oz. That is the 10th percentile for babies his age. I knew he was long and skinny but DANG! =) Brandon NEVER heard the words "10th percentile". In fact, he has always been the opposite end of the spectrum - 95th to 100th percentile! =) Anyway, the doctor encouraged me to supplement with formula for the next two weeks to see if he is able to gain weight. He goes back for a check-up on his ear and his six month physical in two weeks and hopefully he has a little more meat on him!

Brandon patiently waiting for the doctor to see his "Bubba"

Carson not feeling good =(

Ready to see the doctor...long and skinny

Supplementing with formula for 2 weeks...

We go back for his check-up and physical on February 7th.

I am blessed to be the Mama to these precious baby boys!

Meg

What Do I Know of Holy?

This song came out several years ago but I was reminded of it this past week. I couldn't help but post it with the hopes that someone else would hear it and be drawn to worship HIM!



I made You promises a thousand times
I tried to hear from Heaven
But I talked the whole time
I think I made You too small
I never feared You at all No
If You touched my face would I know You?
Looked into my eyes could I behold You?

What do I know of You
Who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood
But the shore along Your ocean?
Are You fire? Are You fury?
Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?
What do I know? What do I know of Holy?

I guess I thought that I had figured You out
I knew all the stories and I learned to talk about
How You were mighty to save
Those were only empty words on a page
Then I caught a glimpse of who You might be
The slightest hint of You brought me down to my knees

What do I know of You
Who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood
But the shore along Your ocean?
Are You fire? Are You fury?
Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?
What do I know? What do I know of Holy?

What do I know of Holy?
What do I know of wounds that will heal my shame?
And a God who gave life "its" name?
What do I know of Holy?
Of the One who the angels praise?
All creation knows Your name
On earth and heaven above
What do I know of this love?

What do I know of You
Who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood
But the shore along Your ocean?
Are You fire? Are You fury?
Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?
What do I know? What do I know of Holy?

What do I know of Holy?
What do I know of Holy?


Meg

Bubba!

Brandon LOVES Carson! Since he can't say "Carson", we have taught him to say "Bubba." Recently, he wants to know where Bubba is at all times. I think it's precious! Brandon's new thing...wanting Carson to lay in his bed when he gets up in the morning. Carson and I will go in Brandon's room to get him up. I will change Carson's diaper and Brandon will say, "Bubba" and pat his mattress where he wants me to lay Carson. I will lay him down and Brandon will laugh and say, "Bubba!" He loves him and it makes me happy.



Carson still has a look of fear on his face whenever Brandon gets too close but one day he will love it! =)



Meg

So Blessed

I love, love, love days like today! Nathan working 8-5 Monday through Friday allows us to have REAL weekends. He has always worked in retail which means he has worked Saturdays and/or Sundays. So, I am LOVING his new job! =)

I started the day by getting some laundry done and straightening up around the house, then Carson and I went to the YMCA so I could go to a Zumba class. After a great work out (have I mentioned that I love Zumba?!), we headed to Kroger. Once every two weeks I go to the store for the "big trip" which means the boys stay home with Nathan. If I am just getting a few things then the boys are usually with me. Brandon sits at the front of the buggy and I put Carson's carseat in the buggy. Well, since Carson was the only one with me today, he got to sit where he could see me. He loved it!


One of mine and Nathan's favorite things to do is watching sports. We spent the rest of the day today watching basketball (GO VOLS) and football (hates that the Steelers won but excited for the Packers)!

We are delivering "Thank you" and "Welcome" packets at Grande View tomorrow so Nathan baked 16 dozen cookies! He is a better baker than me...seriously. He makes the BEST cookies! So, not only did we spend the day watching sports and hanging out with our PRECIOUS boys, but our place smells like chocolate chip cookies!

I am so thankful for my family and days like today that allow us to spend quality time together. I am so blessed!!!!


Meg

Oh, the JOYS!!!

I experienced something yesterday that I hope never happens again...it's doubtful but I can always hope, right?!

Brandon took a great nap yesterday afternoon. He normally wakes up talking and laughing and yesterday was no different. I walked into his room to get him, turned on the light, walked to his bed...and it happened! I stepped in a puddle...yes, of pee!!!! Oh.my.goodness. Within a second of stepping in it, I realized that Brandon had taken his diaper off during nap time! Then my next thought, "Whew!! Well, at least he got it on the floor and not all over the bedding!" WRONG. Apparently, he took the entire 2-hour nap without a diaper because his bed was soaked. Gross.

I picked him up, carried him at an arms length to the changing table, wiped him down, then took him straight to the bathtub! I stripped his bed and put everything through the wash cycle twice.



I sat Carson down and gave him a lecture about how everything is supposed to stay nice and neat. No messes. Hahahahaha!! I hope you know I am kidding. It didn't take very long after Brandon was born for me to realize that Mommyhood is full of dirties and messes. And that's ok. It makes the day interesting and breaks the monotony of my days! =)

I do love my boys...UNCONDITIONALLY!!!



Meg

Sick Day

We are very blessed to have two healthy baby boys! Neither one of them has been sick other than the seasonal cold. Ok, I lied. Brandon had an ear infection last year. I am really just thankful that neither one of them has had a stomach bug or any other reason to vomit...I HATE VOMIT!! I mean, I don't know anyone that enjoys it but I can't handle it.

Well, the 19-months of never having a sick baby ended last night/early this morning. Brandon goes to bed at 8:30 and sleeps until atleast 7:30. Every once in a while he will sleep until 8:30 or 9:00. He doesn't wake up in the middle of the night unless something is wrong...well, at 2:30 this morning something was definitely wrong. He let out a LOUD SCREAM that got Nathan out of the bed with a quickness. Before I could get in there I knew that he was sick...ugh.

Somehow I clicked into Mama mode and did what I needed to do to help get him cleaned up and back in bed. Nathan is so great because it didn't phase him at all. Maybe he should be the designated parent that handles issues such as this. After Brandon was back in bed I had to go sit in the living room for a little while because I was convinced that I was going to be sick! hahahahaha Yeah, I'm that big of a wuss!

Anyway, he woke up again at 6:00 but this time he was up for good. Awesome. Our day was VERY laid back as he spent most of the day laying on the living room floor watching TV. On a normal day, I let him watch an hour or so of TV then I try to make it a point to play on the floor with him, read books, etc. Well, today was an exception and the TV was on all day...I have seen more Wiggles episodes than I care to admit! =)



He didn't eat much of anything all day. I made sure he drank lots of liquids but he had no desire to eat. When Nathan and I were sitting down to eat dinner he came in the dining room and walked straight to his high chair. I gave him some jello and mashed potatoes. He went to bed at his normal time and seemed to be feeling much better. Hopefully, he sleeps GREAT tonight and is back to his playful, hyper self tomorrow! I missed my little buddy today!



Meg

J.E.A.L.O.U.S.Y

Within the last week or so Carson has started showing a real interest in Brandon's sippy cup. It could be because whenever Carson cries Brandon thinks he can calm him by shoving his cup in his mouth. hahahahaha. Hey, sometimes it works so way to go, Brandon! =)

We had to go to Walmart to get a new baby gate for the kitchen...Nathan says Eli (our cat) broke our other one. Sure. Blame it on the cat. Anyway, we were in the baby section of the store and I decided I would go ahead and get Carson his own cup.

I am the GOOFBALL that decided to give Carson the cup when it was time to start cooking dinner. I guess my thinking was, "Hey, this will keep him entertained." ...and the drama began....

Minding his own business...

And Brandon, of course, thinks that everything Carson has is his

Carson decided he would try to fight back...bless his heart! He'll be able to chase Brandon down one day.

Carson: "Thank you. Finally."

Brandon: "I don't really want to give this back but Mama started counting to 3 and you know what that means."

SITTING UP!

Carson sat up by himself for about 10 minutes today!! Yay, little man!!! Brandon sat up when he was 5 months old but I "coached" him a lot. I decided with Carson I was going to let things happen on their own. Well, he is 5 1/2 months and has decided that he is ready to sit up.

He still has to keep his balance with his hands on the floor but he is doing great! Brandon was so sweet in letting him stay that way for quite a while. Normally, he runs over and either pushes him over or gets right up in Carson's face which causes Carson to kind of freak out and fall over! =)


We love you, Carson!!!



Meg

"I Love You"

I can't believe I forgot to post this but I just remembered I had this video and I HAD to share...

This was the best Christmas present ever!!! Brandon started saying, "I love you" and it blessed my heart!! (Hopefully, you can hear it!)

Meg

TIME OUT

This is Brandon's time out chair. He got the chair from his Grammy (Nate's mom) for Christmas. It wasn't given or received with the purpose of using it for discipline but that's the way it's worked out. He has gotten into the habit of hitting, scratching, and kicking Carson. I have heard, "He is just trying to play with him" about 50000 times and I agree BUT I can tell that he knows the difference between PLAY and BEING MEAN. Of course, he only sits there for one minute but he thinks it's the worst thing ever. I know that there will be TONS of hitting in the future but for now this is what we are trying to do to reel it in.

Anybody have any suggestions for teaching a BABY not to hit a BABY? lol.



Meg

Around here

Yesterday, we served breakfast to the residents of Grande View. Well, "we" didn't do anything. Nathan and some volunteers from Faith Church stood out in the COLD from 6:00-8:00am while I stayed in with the boys. They stood by the exit to the complex and handed out free breakfast to those who were interested. We have another breakfast planned for later this month and then we are having a Recipe Exchange at the end of the month.

My goal is to go to Zumba six times a week. My goal. The boys do so well in the childcare at the YMCA which makes it easier to load them in the car and go. We joined the Y the week of Thanksgiving but I didn't start going that much until the second week of December. I think I am addicted! =)

Other than Zumba-ing and taking care of the daily tasks around the house the boys and I enjoy playtime, reading, watching the Wiggles (a highlight of the day for Brandon), etc. Carson loves watching Brandon play...I think he thinks his big brother is pretty cool. Every once in a while he will start laughing at him which I think is so sweet!!! It won't be long before Carson is running around too!!!

Here are some random pictures...

Chillin' on a Saturday morning. Carson is listening to Nate talk and Brandon is eating his poptart! =)

Playing with Daddy's BAMA hat. Gross.

Brandon watching it snow...as he calls it, "no."

Playing...he loves all the blocks he got for Christmas. Thanks, Uncle Tommy.

Carson in his exersaucer. He enjoys playing in it until Brandon comes along and tries to climb in there with him...

I am so thankful that I am able to stay home with the boys! I joke that I feel like I am on "Groundhog Dog" waking up to the same thing everyday. That's not necessarily a bad thing and even though the TASKS are the same (for the most part), each day holds something totally different when it comes to a 5 1/2 month old and 18 month old! =)

Meg

It's the Small Things...

We got Carson's social security card in the mail when we lived in Louisville. We received it right before we moved to Nashville and it got misplaced/lost in the moving process. With Nathan starting a new job we are on a new insurance which means we need the boys social security numbers to add them to our policy. Yeah, not having Carson's card OR NUMBER caused a problem.

Nathan turned in the information for us and Brandon and was told that he had a couple weeks to get them Carson's social security number so that he could be added to our plan. Nathan texted me this morning to let me know...I felt the need to act IMMEDIATELY even though he said we had a couple weeks.

Have you ever had to deal with the social security office? Have you ever had to deal with them at the first of the month? How about the first of a new year? Yeah, they weren't too pleasant which is understandable. I am sure they deal with lots of interesting people. Well, I called the Nashville office to make sure I had the necessary paperwork to reorder his card. The lady I spoke with was not helpful AT ALL!! In fact, I got a little frustrated because she wasn't answering any of my questions...well, that and both boys were fussy so I was trying to hurry the process.

I ended up getting both boys dressed, loading them in the car, and heading to the social security office at lunchtime! hahahahahaha yeah not the brightest idea ever but they close early in the afternoon and with naps I had to go ahead and get it done. Remember, I felt the need to act immediately. I probably could have waited until tomorrow...

I had the diaper bag full of fruit snacks, baby food, sippy cups, teething rings...anything that I could think of that would keep them somewhat entertained for an extended period of time. When we got there, there wasn't an empty seat in the waiting room. I seriously laughed to myself. But, I grabbed my number and picked a spot against the wall. Brandon took the first few minutes to check the crowd...he loves people!!

I know I am their mother so I am a little biased BUT they were AMAZING!!! We were there for about an hour and neither one of them fussed or cried at all! Brandon entertained the people around us and Carson just watched Brandon for the majority of the time. The man that helped me with ordering Carson's card was very friendly and helpful which made the experience even better.

When I got up this morning I was looking forward to a relaxing morning at home catching up on laundry and doing a few things on my to-do list. My plans were definitely changed but it's the small things (like behaving in the social security office) that make parenthood rewarding!


Meg

From Christmas till now...

We have had more computer issues but I think they are resolved so...here's to catching up in the blogging world.

We spent Christmas in Jackson. It was SO MUCH NICER driving 120 miles instead of 300! It was easier on the boys which made it much easier on us! We were there from Thursday, the 23rd, until Christmas night. Nathan preached the day after Christmas so we had to get back to Nashville but we had a great time with family! We were able to attend the Christmas Eve candlelight service at FBC Jackson which I haven't been to in 4 years.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to hear Nathan preach that Sunday because Brandon had some funkiness going on with his eye. I was scheduled to sing at church so someone was kind enough to watch him in confinement while I sang and then I took the boys home. I took him to the doctor on Monday morning...the nurse said it wasn't pink eye but just a cold in his eyes. She gave him prescription drops that knocked it out in 24 hours.

If I haven't already said this, I love Nathan's new job. He works Monday-Friday 8:00-5:00! He hasn't had a job like that for the five years I have known him. Since we are working with the apartment ministry, his work hours allow us more time to plan and organize which makes me happy! =)

He gets holidays off which is SO nice...so, he had Friday (New Years Eve) off. It was 64degrees (CRAZY) so we went to Hendersonville to hang out with the Hollis crew. They have a huge yard and it was the perfect day to play outside.

Brandon ate one too many chocolate covered marshmallows

Gavin getting some Mommy lovin'

Tommy and Nate playing "Just Dance" on the Wii...HILARIOUS!!!

Sweet Carson laughing at Sunniee

Graciee trying to ride the twins mini 4-wheeler =)

So, that's an overview of the last couple weeks. Hopefully our computer/internet issues are resolved for good and I can get this up-to-date.

Meg