Take Me Out To The Ballgame!

Hi friends!  Please excuse my neglecting the blog for the past several days.  We have been sick sick sick here at our house.  All three of us caught a bug & it has really kicked our butts.  Even Jared {who never gets sick} stayed home from work yesterday to get better.  Luckily, he's feeling much better & I sure hope that is a sign of what's to come for Jett & myself, considering we're still battling it.  Anyways, enough of that!

Onto a fun topic...


Today is the big home opener for the Royals!  Woo Hoo!  Jared is a huge Royals fan.  Actually, he's a sports fanatic in general, & is up for watching just about any game/any sport there is.  But it's most definitely the Kansas City Royals that he's got quite the soft spot for & come opening day, rain or shine, he's gonna be at that stadium cheering them on!

Wonder who Jared got that love for the Royals from?  None other than his own dad!

Every single Opening Day {I don't know exactly how many years it's been, but it's as far back as my brain can remember}, Jared & his dad have made it a tradition to get tickets, tailgate, & spend the afternoon out at the "K" together.  It is such precious father/son time for the two of them, & I think now that Jared is a father himself, that it even means a little more to the both of them.   I think it is so neat that both Jared & his dad carve out that special time for one another, clear their schedules, & have their little "thing" that is all their own. During those times out at the ball field,  I know they are making memories that will be etched into their minds forever, memories that penetrate their hearts & will stay there forever, memories that are simply priceless.  I can't help but think that it will only be a matter of time before Jett will be big enough to grab his own glove & join his daddy & "Coach"in their tradition!  And of course my mind doesn't stop there.  Even further down the line...I can imagine Jett,  all grown up with a family of his own,  calling Jared up & still wanting his ol' dad to join him up at the ballpark to cheer on those Royals!  I can only hope & pray Jett & Jared  have the kind of relationship that Jared & his own father have together.  I can only hope & pray that this timeless father/son tradition is just that--timeless.  That it lives on & on & on.

Oh, & one more thing...

GO ROYALS!!!

Cut The Crap.

Right before I got pregnant with Jett, Jared bought me the cutest little black dress for my birthday.  We were celebrating my birthday/ our 5 year wedding anniversary/"Babymoon" {my birthday & our anniversary are only a couple of days apart} in Mexico, so I got to wear the dress there--once.  Shortly after we got home from our vacation in Mexico, I found out I was pregnant, so that little black dress that I loved so much & only got to wear once?  It got shoved to the back of the closet & the comfy pants got moved to the front.

As I was organizing my closet last week, & digging every single item out of there, wayyyyy back in the back, behind heaps of sweaters & sweatshirts, I stumbled upon that cute little black dress again.  It took me back to our vacation in Mexico, how I wore it on our anniversary dinner which we thought was going to be dinner on the beach, but ended up being even more spectacular than that!  The host of the resort led us down a long path, past the area where the tables were set up for dinners on the beach & instead took us clear out to the ocean water {I have to admit I got a little nervous at this point.  Every time I go to Mexico I have this fear that someone wants to kill me.  I know, I'm a nut}.  He led us down the dark beach, & then in the distance I saw dim little candles flickering away, candles that made a path in the sand, & then led all the way up a staircase to this wooden area that was elevated up & over the ocean water!     It was the most breathtaking romantic scene I could ever have imagined, & we "ooooed" & "awwwed" & looked at one another all googly eyed, disbelieving that it was all for us!   Once settled into our seats at our table over the water, we toasted to my birthday, & to our marriage of five years, {& to dates that look like they are straight off "The Bachelor"}!  We spent that evening eating & laughing & kissing,  as the salty wind whipped my hair all over the place & the noise of waves crashed against the shore beneath us.  It was one of the most amazing nights I have ever had, & sitting there in my closet with that satin black dress in my hands brought it all back & made it seem like it was only yesterday that we were celebrating out on the ocean!

Some pics from our vacation, just for fun!

Well, you know what? We may not be in Mexico, & there may not be any place to have dinner around here where the ocean crashes all around us & a salty sea breeze blows, but my birthday & our seven year anniversary are just right around the corner, & I think that's reason enough to slip back into that little black number, get a sitter for the evening {maybe even overnight},  & make our own little Mexico with what we've got.

There's just one small problem...that little black dress?  It's just that--little.  Size 0 to be exact.  And sadly, last I checked, I wasn't a size 0 anymore.  Motherhood {& chocolate, & cupcakes, & dr.pepper,} have done quite a number on this body of mine, & though I can still squeeze into that dress, it ain't pretty.

So that's it.  If I'm ever gonna fit back into that cute little black dress that I love so much & only wore once, I'm going to have to cut the crap.  It's time to say good-bye to things like:

this:

& this:

{Dang Easter candy aisle.  Gets me every time.}

And it's time to say hello to my treadmill, running shoes, oatmeal, egg whites, baked chicken, lean turkey, crystal light water packets, & of course...

little black dresses.

Wish me luck!

Fun Friday!

I was cleaning up the kitchen after breakfast this morning when my phone rang & I answered to a chipper voice on the other end, "Hey sis!  What's your plan for the day?  I want to come spend the day with you!" Luckily, my schedule was wide open & it ended up being a great day to spend time with my little bro! 

As soon as Jared caught wind that we were about to have a fun filled day, he took the rest of the day off of work & joined us as well!  The more the merrier! 

We had yummy lunch at Noodles & Co.

Tormented each other like brothers & sisters do!

And there was lots & lots of "Uncle Curtis" time!

I love my brother's visits & the times we get to spend with him!  I love the energy he brings & how he makes me giggle at his silly sense of humor.  I admire his heart of gold & get a kick out of his funny little quirks.  I love how he still lets me boss him around & how he tells me to "cool it" when he's had enough. I love how he flies by the seat of his pants, & how he sings ridiculous songs completely off key.  But more than all of that, what I love the most is that the little twirp that I grew up with, the one I fought with every single day of my childhood, the one who annoyed me more than anyone else possibly could, the one I swore was placed in my life for the sole purpose of ruining it, I now count as one of my very best friends.  

I am so thankful & blessed that my brother & I have the precious relationship that we do.  We've been a part of one another's lives for as far back as our memories can go, & our lives have been & will forever be intertwined.  We've laughed & cried, fist fought & hugged, screamed "I hate you" & said "I'll always be there for you".  I've had his back, & he's had mine.  And after all these years I can honestly say there isn't any other little brat I would have rather spent my life growing up with.  He is one of my favorite people in the whole wide world, & I'm honored to call him my brother.

I'm already looking forward to the next out of the blue phone call, with the same chipper voice on the other end of the line, eager to have another fun Friday with!  

 

Miss Me

Let me just tell you one thing about myself.  I HATE shopping for jeans.  It ranks right up there with cleaning toilets for me.  I literally have to get all geared up for a day of shopping for my blue jeans.  And more times than not,  the day often ends with me storming out of the store in disgust, wanting to rip to shreds the 27 pairs of jeans strewn all over the fitting room that had just wasted a whole bunch of my time.  I will go years without buying a pair of jeans because the whole process is truly that traumatizing for me. Hate. Double hate shopping for jeans.  

I'm not really sure what my deal is.  I'm not a real big shopping fanatic to begin with.  I mean, I love pretty new outfits & super cute high heels.  I love getting all of my shopping bags home, pulling out my loot, & trying everything on all over again.  But the whole shopping process...not my thing. Especially now that I have a little one tagging along with me.  If you wanna tick a kid off real good, strap them into a stroller & cram them into a 3x3 dressing room.  Talk about stress.  

Well here recently, I took one hard look at my closet & had to face the fact that my wardrobe was in dire need of some updated denim.  So I mustered up some courage, tried to have a positive attitude, & even said a prayer on the way to the shopping center {no I am not kidding}.  I strapped Jett into his stroller, & off I went to get this dreaded task out of the way.

The sales associate loaded me down with a mountain of jeans, all different washes, styles, & brands, & we crammed ourselves into the fitting room {we hit the jackpot & got the handicap dressing room so there was actually room to see myself in the mirror--woo hoo!}.

I believe there were about seven pairs "to start with".  Ugh.  I loaded Jett man's stroller tray with Gerber puffs {I knew this wasn't gonna be quick & painless, & I needed to distract him}.  I quickly tried the pair of jeans that were at the top of the pile.  And what happened next was nothing short of a miracle...

As soon as I buttoned that button on those jeans, the heavens opened up, & a choir of angels began singing!  They fit!!  They freaking fit!  {the angels didn't sing that...those were the thoughts in my head.  I don't think angels say "freaking"}.  The first pair of jeans I tried on fit & I actually liked the way they looked on me!  They were exactly the right length, just the right color, & made my butt look two sizes smaller!  I'm pretty sure I pinched myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming!  I took one glance at the heap of the rest of the jeans lying there, still needing to be tried on & said, "SAYONARA!"  I wasn't about to go & mess up a good thing!

So here they are!  My "Miss Me" pair of jeans--also known as the jeans sent from heaven!  

 

 

40 Days Challenge Check In

My lists are shrinking!  I'm goin' crazy with that orange hi-liter, crossing things off left & right!  It's such a great feeling!

I've even got Jared on the bandwagon with me!  He actually threw a bunch of holey underwear out without me having to coax him into it!  This is progress, people!  The man holds on to everything.  I'm the one who throws things out & he's the packrat. If I haven't used it/worn it in a year--goodbye!  If he hasn't used it/worn it in FIVE years--he holds onto it "just incase". And it never fails, once I have proudly thrown a great big bag of junk out, he noses around in it & pulls a thing or two out & exclaims, "You're getting rid of this?!"  He will guilt me into keeping whatever piece of junk I thought it was in the first place, just so the next time Spring Cleaning comes around, I can throw it out again.  And mind you, this is MY stuff.  I don't throw his stuff out without his permission.  This year I wised up--black trash bags that he can't see through.  Oh, & a rule that he is not allowed to snoop through them.  We'll see how long it lasts before he comes bursting through the door with some spatula or duffle bag trying to convince me that we need  to keep it,  "just incase"!

**Jared, when you read this, I'm just giving you a hard time.  Even though we both know it's true ;)  Love you!**

It's been quite a cleaning/organizing frenzy around here.  My closet is perfectly neat & tidy {Jett is now enjoying using it as a little playroom}! The master bedroom is clean & organized--every drawer has been emptied & gone through, all furniture has been moved away from the walls & cleaned behind {yikes...that was a nasty job}, the windows are sparkling, & everything has been rid of dust bunnies!

I'm a girl on a mission!  Let the cleaning continue!

Happy.

Nothing too exciting to report here.  Our days have been simple, but that's just how I love em'!

Tonight we sat out on the drive chatting with neighbors while our kids ran around like little wild indians!  They raced push toys across lawns, skinned up their arms & knees, & Jett turned a perfectly nice pair of shoes into "play" shoes.

And I could not be happier.

I love Spring.  I love being a mom.  I love watching my boy run around with the neighborhood kids, scuffing up his shoes.  I'm in a happy place.

Hope you've had a happy Monday too!

 

Bring On Spring!

The past couple of days have been nothing short of pure bliss!  Spring popped in to say hello once again & left us with some warm weather, beautiful breezes, & more daylight in our evenings.  I'm getting so antsy for Spring to quit with the popping in & out & just STAY already!  But that's the way Spring rolls, I suppose.  So we'll just roll with it & suck every bit of daylight out of the beautiful Spring days we are given!  

What that means for us is:

Splashing our driveway in a rainbow of colors! {love those little rubberband wrists}

Blowing bubbles til' we're blue in the face & lookin' like blowfish!

Playing in the yard, finding sticks & rocks! {that smile melts my heart}

Flip flops & bare feet!

Breathing in every great family moment spent during our "evening driveway parties"!

Thank you Spring, for the little drop in this week!  You are most certainly welcome ANYTIME!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

My pot of gold--

How did I ever get so lucky?

Hope you are having a wonderful St. Patty's Day--full of green & free of pinches!

40 Days--Progress!

Happy Wednesday!  I am one week into the 40 Bags in 40 Days Challenge & I am lovin' it!  Garbage bags are going out the door & my home {& life} is feeling simpler, cleaner, & fresher!

I do have to admit that it has been hard to get moving some days {like today when I really wanted to take a nap while Jett took his}, but that LIST is hanging on my fridge & keeps giving me the evil eye every time I pass by it.  So I traded in my pillow in for a Superwoman cape, & I plunged through TWO things on my list today!  Go me!

Here's what I have crossed off my list so far:
- Laundry Room {I got carried away & cleaned the whole thing from top to bottom! This counted
  for like 3 things on the list--woot woot!}
- Kitchen drawers
- Kitchen cabinets
- Organized cleaning supplies & bins

I like the idea of doing a little something everyday.  It helps me to keep my motivation & momentum up, & I find that it makes the task of "Spring Cleaning" feel a lot less daunting.

If you joined me on the challenge, let me know how you're doing!  I'd love to hear all about it!

Have a Happy Hump Day!

Shout Out To Shutterfly!

I'm a big ol' sappy sentimentalist, so it should come as no surprise that when the scrapbook I designed for Jett's first year came in the mail, my eyes welled up with big alligator tears & I pratically wept {& that simply upon looking at the front cover}.  With every single page I turned, my heart sailed through memory lane & let me relive each sacred moment we had shared with our sweet baby during those first 365 days of his precious life.  This scrapbook means more to me than words can convey, & it has come to be one of my most prized possessions.  It's value is priceless, & it grows to be worth more to me with each passing day.

This was my first attempt at digital scrapbooking & designing on my own.  I had researched some great sites that offer excellent page designs & layouts, but none of them really captured the look that I was going for, & I felt like my creativity wasn't being used to its fullest.  So in the end, I decided to take a stab at designing the pages on my own.  And what do you know?  Homegirl can scrap with the best of em'!   After designing each page, I used Shutterfly to drop my custom designed pages into their 12x12 photo book & had them print it up!  The book ended up being 100 pages & I spent $130.00 for it {with a promotion}. I believe that is a great deal & worth every penny!

Now, with this being my very first go at this sort of thing, there were some pages that I wasn't 100% satisfied with--nothing I wouldn't be able to live with, just small things like the words on the page running a little too close to the edge of the page, or the color not being exactly what I had envisioned. I figured since these were my own designs, that Shutterfly probably wouldn't be able to help me out, but I thought I'd give it a try.  Never hurts to ask.  So I called them up, & was astounded at their response!  They told me that not only could I keep the book I had in my current possession, but that they would also allow me to go in & make corrections & then send me a brand spankin' new photo book!  Talk about customer service!  And sure enough, just a few days after making my corrections, a big orange box showed up on my doorstep! And this time, the book is 100% PERFECT!

So I want to take a moment to send a great big shout out to Shutterfly!  I plan to make a scrapbook for each year of Jett's life {& all of my future children's lives} & there is only one place I will turn to help me make that possible!

Thank you, Shutterfly!  Your quality is outstanding!  Your customer service is top notch.  And to put it quite simply, YOU ROCK!

{And no, Shutterfly is not paying me to say that--although if they wanted to, I wouldn't be opposed.  *wink*}!

Whirlwind Of A Week

This past week has been quite a whirlwind!  Sometimes this crazy little thing called "life" kicks into into high gear & you just gotta hold on & enjoy the ride!  It's been a ride alright, but I'm survivin' & thrivin'!  Here's our whirlwind of a week!

It all started on Tuesday morning when Jared left to go out of town on business, leaving early Tuesday morning & getting home late Thursday night.  It doesn't sound like much, but it was three days of just Jett & me, & by the third day I was pretty much over doing the whole "single mom" thing.  Day one- no problemo.  Day two- started to get a little frazzled.  Day three- after getting puked on {which ran down into my shirt & smelled like rotten milk}, I was done.  D-O-N-E.  Stick-a-fork-in-me.  DONE!  The house looked like it was hit by the Tazmanian Devil himself,  I looked like a monster truck had rolled right over the top of me, & I was in need of some serious adult interaction {& a shower}!  I have to take a moment to give major props to all of the moms out there who do it ALL on their own from sun up til' sun down.  I am most certainly not one of those women.  I am used to a husband who walks in the door, drops everything he is doing, & helps me out in any way that he can, whether it be playing with the little guy, taking over the bedtime routine, or picking up the toys that are strewn all over the house.  It is amazing how much those little things can bring so much relief & how much that help is missed when you're used to it & don't have it! It's hard having to take care of every single daily activity, & by the time Jared walked in the door Thursday night, I couldn't decide if I wanted to kiss him or yell at him!  Don't worry.  I kissed him first.

On friday, my sister {in law} turned the big 3-0 & we spent the evening at her house with the rest of the family celebrating her special day!  She handled her big milestone with confidence & ease, & I have to say, thirty looks pretty darn good on her!  It makes me a little less frightened of joining the "30's club" next month!

You know the kind of friends that no matter the distance between you, or the amount of time that passes by, {or even all the drama you've been through together}, the moment you spend time with them you literally pick up like you never missed a beat?  Well, I've got a few of those friends & on Saturday evening I had the pleasure of having dinner & catching up with them!  Courtney & Brooke are two of my girlfriends from college & it was long overdue that we spend some time together!  We sat in a corner booth at M&S Grill well into the night sharing our "mommy wars"& reminiscing about old times from our college days, such as Sigma Chi toga toga parties & life at "Vogelville".  We shared laughs & shed tears.  We poured out parts of our hearts that had been broken, & paths along our journeys that been rugged.  I watched as each one of us overflowed with pride when asked about our own families & simply glowed when we got the opportunity to dote on the joys of our hearts--our sweet children.  The evening was really easy.  It was comfortable.  Like we'd never missed a single moment of each other's lives.  It wasn't all surface stuff.  It was real life, real hearts, real friends.  I could have sat at that table all night long listening & sharing about all the different facets of our lives, where we've been & what lies ahead for each of us {& probably would have if we weren't being kicked out because it was so late}, but clearly the night was closing, & it was time to say our good-byes.  We hugged each other & promised that we would do this more often, & I will see to it that we do!  It was such a precious time & I left feeling like I had inhaled a great big breath of fresh air!  On the drive home I kept thinking to myself how neat it had been to sit with friends that I could still see small glimpses of the girls they once were, yet could also see sitting in front of me, the beautiful strong women that they have become .  They are amazing women, wonderful mothers, & friends that I admire so very much.  I am truly blessed to have them in my life.

On Sunday, my parents came for the day to get their dose of the little Jett man.  Not too much time can go by before they go through withdrawals, complete with "the shakes" &  have to hop in the car to come & satisfy their addiction to our little guy!  I'm not sure that Jett will ever truly grasp the magnitude of the love he is surrounded by, but I'm tellin' ya, it just about knocks me for a loop every time I witness it.  He has two sets of grandparents, four individuals who absolutely explode with love towards him every time his name is even mentioned, let alone when they are near him!  He realizes that they are just smitten with him & that he can work their heartstrings to jump at his every whim!  To be his momma & see someone else love him with the same  "I could just eat you alive" kind of love that I have for him... well, there just aren't words.  But it's more than amazing.  I can tell you that.

Ya know, I'm a structure/routine kinda girl, & I always feel better when there is a schedule in place, but sometimes whirlwinds have their place, too.  Sometimes it's fun living life when it's kicked up a notch.  Where the moments are crammed full of friends & family & love & energy.  When we don't have time to stop & count our troubles because we are too busy focusing on the stuff that really matters!  This week I will happily slow our lives down.  I will embrace the moments that we aren't scrambling to get out the door, & aren't running here & there & everywhere.  But I do have to say, that when another whirlwind of a week decides to drop in on us, I'll gladly grab hold & enjoy the ride!

40 bags in 40 days

Easter is only 40 days away {not including Sundays} & I am jumping on the 40 bags in 40 days bandwagon!

I first heard about the 40 bags in 40 days challenge from my blog friend, Sarah at Clover Lane.  Then I saw that another blog friend, Sara at August Fields is participating in the challenge, & my heart did leaps when I saw the spin she put on it!  It inspired me to get in on all of the fun & to put my own spin on the challenge, as well!

I am excited to take these next 40 days as a time to clean out my home, get rid of clutter, throw out the garbage, clean out the corners & crevices that have been overlooked, & haul some bags off to Goodwill! What a great way to shrink that 3 page spring cleaning list of mine, huh?! 

But even more than simply getting my house squeaky clean, what better time than the Easter season to do the same thing to my spiritual life?!  There are most definitely some areas of my life that need purged of the dirt & grime that have settled in.  There are corners & crevices of my heart that have been overlooked for quite some time now, & there's some stinky garbage that needs thrown out!  

Easter Sunday is a celebration of what Jesus Christ did for me.  It was my sin that put him on that cross so many years ago, & thankfully, he conquered that grave & my sins have been forgiven & wiped clean!  Because of him, I am made new!  "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

I owe him my entire life, not just 40 days of it, but it is my desire to spend these next 40 days drawing closer to him.  While I am spending hours scouring, scrubbing, & tidying this home, I want to make it an opportunity to spend those hours focused on him.  To meditate on the things he is showing me in my daily reading, to spend time praying for the things on my prayer list that often times get overlooked or just simply forgotten, to allow him to change the parts of me that are not Christ like, to find out if I am being the wife, mother, & woman he desires for me to be, to make sure that my heart is set on things above & not of this earth, & then sometimes to just crank up some good christian music & praise his name!  

At the completion of this 40 days, my home will be sporting a fresh new look, & hopefully, I will too!

I am so eager to spend this entire Easter season honoring the Lord Jesus Christ!  It will make Easter Sunday that much more precious, powerful, personal, & meaningful to my life!

Let the countdown begin!

Who's with me?!

Momma's Cookin'

It's no secret that I absolutely love to cook!  Now, I'm not saying I am Martha Stewart in the kitchen, but I think I do a pretty decent job. Jared honestly believes I am the best cook that ever lived,  & while I wouldn't go that far, I can't say that I mind the compliment!

I try to make a home cooked meal just about every night of the week.  I think it is important for my family to eat food that is good for them, & that we get to have precious family time gathered around our dinner table.  Dinner time has come to be one of my favorite parts of our day around here.  We pray before we eat, we share all about our day, & my heart grows full & I watch my boys' bellies grow full!  Cooking is a hobby of mine, but it is also a way I can pour out my love to my family!

I remember growing up, that my mom always had a hot meal on the table at dinner time.  We didn't have frozen pizzas, chicken nuggets, or any other kind of packaged, processed food in our home.  My mom just didn't buy it, so we never grew up with it.  You probably won't believe this, but up until a couple of years ago, I had no idea what instant potatoes even were!  The only potatoes I knew about were the ones you peeled with a knife, boiled on the stove, & mashed with a masher!  My parents also had a rule in our home that we had to sit together at the table for dinner.  I remember it getting on my nerves as I started getting older, but now that I have a family of my own, I see the importance of our family dinner times, & I look so forward to them!

Before I quit my job to stay at home, I would spend hours on end dreaming of the days that I would be able to cook & bake every single day!  I anticipated all of the new recipes I would try, & all of the scrumptious dishes I would serve up to my hungry family!  It was one of the things I was most looking forward to about being a stay at home mom!

Well, those days are finally here, & they are just as fulfilling as I knew they would be!  But there's just one little thing.  The picture I had envisioned in my head all those years was a tad skewed:  I dreamt I would be whipping up all kinds of yummy, divine dishes in the kitchen while my sweet angelic little toddler would be playing ever so contently with his toys on the living room floor.  I would set the table, call my boys in for dinner, & our meal would fall into place seamlessly.

I never anticipated it looking like this:

The pics below are of little Meatball attached to my leg & ankle.

Now, don't get me wrong, some days my little toddler is a perfect angel who will play sweetly while I prepare dinner in the kitchen.  The whole process is peaceful, & smooth, & almost therapeutic. And then there are days that the only place in the world this same little toddler wants to be is attached snugly to my hip.  On those days, dinner doesn't fall into place so seamlessly.  There is scrambling, & shuffling, & sheer madness!  It's days like those that a frozen pizza or a plate of chicken nuggets seem like a dream.  But then, once the smoke clears {literally}, the three of us sit down together at the table as a family,  Jared compliments how delicious dinner tastes, & my little Meatball gobbles up Momma's cookin' until his belly looks like it will burst!  It is then that I remember the reason why I slave away in the kitchen with a baby fiercely attached to my hip, leg, or ankle-- because it truly is one of the best parts of my day!

Here's what I served up tonight! 

Spaghetti with Tomatoes & Artichokes

You just can't go wrong with Pioneer Woman!  

I baked some chicken breasts to go along with it & mmmmm!  So yummy!

13

Jett man turned 13 months this week so I thought it would be fun to fill you in on 13 little "happenings" of his precious life!

1) He's walking!  But you already knew that--I shouted it from the rooftops & did an entire post on that alone!

2) He's going through milk by the gallons!  He transitioned wonderfully from formula to milk {which I am so thankful for} & he only takes a sippy cup now--no more bottles!  He has been such an easy baby when it comes to his eating habits!

3) He is eating 3 meals a day & two snacks!  This past week he has been a bottomless pit, & has been extremely hungry {growth spurt, perhaps?}.  The other evening he ate an entire chicken breast & two bowls of rice & broccoli {and just 2 hours before that, he ate 1/2 of a pb sandwich}!  Linebackers love them some food, I tell ya!

These photos are from the other evening when he crawled into the kitchen, opened the pantry, & helped himself to some graham crackers!

4) He sleeps about 12 hours a night--sometimes not waking up until almost 9 am!  Mommy loves those mornings!  He is still taking 2 naps & they can range from 40 minutes to 2 hours. I thought he was possibly ready for just one nap, but he couldn't handle it.  His growing body needs two still!  I don't put him down at an exact time every day, I just kind of follow his lead on nap times.  His naps generally end up falling around the same time everyday, though.

5) Chompers!  He has four top teeth, two bottom, & is cutting all four of his molars right now {one on top is already showing, & the other three are just sharp points right now}.  He has been a pretty good boy for cutting all of these {big} teeth at one time!  I had no idea until I caught glimpse of one & stuck my finger in his mouth to find that he has FOUR coming in!  He always has been one tough lil' cookie!

6) Backtalking big time! When he gets in trouble {like for throwing his sippy cup or food off of his high chair}, he responds with a "Na."{his way of saying no} & some other jibberish.  He gets a stubborn little look across his face & boy oh boy, does his will really showcase itself! I think I'd better get to reading "The Strong Willed Child" now to get a head start!

6) Our little climber!  He is constantly hoisting his leg up, trying to climb onto everything--the couch, ottomans, dishwasher, & kitchen drawers.  He hasn't quite got enough height on him {just yet} to master climbing on the couch & ottomans, but he has definitely conquered the dishwasher door & kitchen drawer!

7) Signing!  He has been doing the sign for "all done" now for awhile {well, his version which consists of waving one arm quite rapidly}!  And just recently he started signing for "more".  It is the sweetest little thing to watch him gently take those little fingers & do the perfect sign for "more"!  I melted into a puddle at the grocery store one day when he saw me pick up a bag of fresh rolls from the bakery, & began bouncing in the cart, while signing for "more"!  It took all I had to not rip open that bag of rolls right then & there!

8) It's a Gymboree day!  Last month we started going to a Gymboree class.  He absolutely LOVES it!  It is wonderful for his social development & helps him to fine tune his motor skills, & I swear, while he's playing at Gymboree class,  you wouldn't be able to wipe the smile off his face if you tried!  We have even taken DaddyBoy with us a couple of times!  The minute we walk in the door, he is ready to get those shoes off & play, play play!  I think it is so important for him to have his little classes & outings.  I have already seen how it has helped him to become so very social & friendly!  And it gets us out of the house! =)

9) A new game.  His new thing is to go into a room or closet & shut the door behind him.  This always leads to him crying because he has locked himself in a room by himself, & then me opening up the door again, just for him to shut it once again--rinse & repeat.  It is usually the laundry room door when I am in the kitchen, or my closet door while I am getting ready in my bathroom.

10) He listens & understands so much of what we say, & it is so fun to watch his little wheels turn & sometimes repeat what we have been teaching him.  His vocabulary right now consists of "Mama", "Dada", "Na" {no}, "Duh" {duck}, "Mmmmm" {moo}, "Aiiii" {neigh}, "Bababa" {for a sheep sound}, & a high pitched little "ruff" {for a doggie bark}!

11)  He loves his board books!  He will spend hours pulling books off his shelf, scattering them about his room, opening & shutting them, & looking at all of the pictures.  It is getting difficult to read an entire story to him, because he is constantly trying snap the book shut while I'm in the middle of reading it!  I know this is perfectly common with little ones, & we just read the pages we can squeeze in!  There are however,  a couple of books he will sit like a little statue for--"Brown Bear, Brown Bear" & "Trumpety Trump".  He insists that we read them over & over!  I love that he has already decided on his favorites!

12) He has an obsession with the dishwasher {don't all kids?}.  When he hears the dishwasher door open, he makes a b-line from wherever he is to come & "help" me with the dishes!

11) He is just beginning to lose that little baby look.  Once in awhile Jared & I catch tiny glimpses of the little boy he is growing into & can see his baby-ness slowly fading {tear}.

12) He's got moves!  This boy can dance!  If he hears any kind of music whatsoever, he rocks out some major dance moves!  He puts his head, shoulders, hips, everything he's got into it, & I just die!  I nearly lost it this week while shopping at Wal-Mart--a woman was walking by with her cart that had a janky wheel {it was making a very consistent "tap.tap.tap.tap" sound, & little Jett man thinks it's a beat & starts jamming out to it!  I could have died I laughed so hard at him!  Never a dull moment.  Never.

And the 13th happening....

13)  He gets CUTER & CUTER by the day!

Happy Friday, friends!  Enjoy your weekend!