My Boy Is Three

Somehow it just does not seem possible that my little guy is three years old today. Where has time gone? This kid has taught us so much, and brings so much excitement to our lives! God really knew what He was doing bringing him into our lives three years ago. As soon as I saw him he seemed so small, even though he was bigger than his sister at birth. I have not stopped feeling that way yet. He is my tiny little man, but his spirit is enormous!

 

 

 My oh my, how he has changed.... and yet he is still my tiny little guy! His allergies are still a struggle and his skin has more bad days than good, but he is making improvements and that is wonderful! He is learning how to deal with a lot of these issues too, and that is making it easier on us. He is able to tell us when he needs medicine and things like that. Here are a few stats about Jayce...

Height: 34 inches

Weight: 25.6 lbs 

Favorite foods: bananas, cheese, avocados and anything sweet! 

Favorite books: The Bible, Berenstain Bears books, David and Goliath, Goodnight Moon... and lots more! He is quite a book lover now! 

Favorite toys: His drums (he is a natural people!) cars and trucks, rocks and his "sling" (to play David and Goliath of course) dice, Roger (his space ship... that he named Roger) 

Favorite color: blue and green (he only tells me 800 times a day.... so yeah, I'm sure about this one!) 

He loves to wear his pajamas... and chance he gets he asks to put them back on. 

He loves to watch his David and Goliath DVD.... he would watch it over and over if we let him. 

He loves to sing, mostly worship songs. He sings almost all day long, non stop. He is mu musical child for sure! 

He gets his feelings hurt very easily and wears his heart on his sleeve. He is a sensitive little man!

He still has deep eyes, like those of an old man who has seen so much. 

He adores his big sister and always wants to spend more time with her than she does with him. 

He looks up to his Daddy and loves him so much! 

He loves to be outside. 

He is very serious.... but when he is in a silly mood, his laugh and smile are precious! 

He is not a fan of yucky smells.... the chickens and the farm were a no-go in his book. 

He loves to come up and just give you a big hug and say he loves you. 

He is amazing and I just love him so much! I look back at how tough things have been with him, and yet I still fill with joy thinking about it all. God made him PERFECTLY and I am focusing on seeing my kids through His eyes, not mine. I am excited to see Jayce grow and learn more about the Lord. I know God has a great plan for his life! I don't know why God picked me to be the Mommy of this amazing little guy, but I sure am thankful! 

Happy birthday sweet Jayce! You are three, can you believe it? I wonder what adventures this next year has in store for you? 

And Then She Was 4....

 

 I had an amazing pregnancy with Lula Mae. Other than some preterm contractions and delivering at 36 weeks, everything was perfect. Even being born 4 weeks early our little girl was healthy. 6 lbs 3 oz and as precious as could be, we were smitten.

 

 I loved every moment of her babyhood. She was an easy baby. Her biggest problem was needing to be on a rigid schedule. I liked the schedule, don't get me wrong, but this girl wanted everything to be the same... every.single.day. Don't even think about messing it up by half an hour! OCD from day one folks, I kid you not!

 Her first 6 months were good. She was cute as a button and such a happy girl. Although she still had peach fuzz for hair.... no bows for this girl yet!

At a year she was bubbly and talkative. She was always laughing and smiling. She was so content to just sit and play. So content! By this time she was already reading so many words and was so into learning new ones!

By 18 months she finally decided to walk.  Her hair was growing... and as it grew those curls started showing! She loved being outside and would talk your head off if you let her. She had started reading sentences at this point.

 

At two she became a big sister. He curls we getting longer and more precious! She was a sweet little girl and yet so sassy. Tiny and talkative still. 

 As she neared 3 we saw so much change in her. Lots of personality and independence came spilling out of her tiny body.

 At 3 we hit a wall. Don't let that sweet face fool you, she was quite a wild one. She started learning how to be a person and that my friends got ugly. She started throwing fits and tantrums like you would not believe. We figured it would not be long and we would be out off the woods and start seeing our sweet little girl again. 

We were wrong! The second half of her 3rd year was terrible. We struggled day in and day out with this little curly headed thing. I won't lie, there were times where I thought she must be the spawn of satan! She made everything from eating to going to the store difficult. She was harder at 3 and a half than any other stage and Charlie and I both were being worn down. Our little curly headed girl is one of the strongest willed children I have ever seen, and I know God will use her mightily someday! 

And now she is 4. No longer a baby, or even a toddler.... a little kid. A kid with spunk and personality that I cannot do justice writing about. She is a one of a kind and I am so blessed to call her my daughter! She is so smart that it is scary sometimes. She has all the books of the old Testament memorized and knows roughly 30 bible verses and 29 Catechisms. She adores church and everyone there. She loves worship music and has a new love for dancing. She would live outside if it were up to her. She loves Veggie Tales and would spend all day in front of a TV if we would allow it. She never meets a stranger. She is quite a big helper, but you have to ask for it... she is not one to just jump in there. We are still working on having a servants heart ;-) She can blow your mind with her deep thoughts and conversations. The more I look at her the more I fill with pride. I am so proud of her in so many ways. She started out so tiny and seems so big now. God is working hard on her and I adore seeing the process. This year was our toughest yet with Lula Mae but Charlie and I are both still standing and we won't give up on this precious little girl!

Happy birthday Lula Mae Bell. I love you so much!

Today My Boy Turned TWO!

 

The day my boy was born was amazing. An easy labor and delivery brought us a healthy little 7 pound boy. So tiny and perfect. 

 

Looking back I can't believe how tiny he looked.  And yet he seemed to grow at lightning speed.

  

 He loved to be sitting up and watching everything going on around him.

  

He did not however enjoy our beach trip. He takes after his mommy I guess. 

  

 His expressions melt my heart, and that round head is just adorable.

  

 As the months went by his cheeks seemed to be one of the only things growing! So kissable.

 

 He has always smiled with his entire face.

 

 He was quick to get on the move and begin exploring the world. He did not like anything or anyone to hold him back!

 

 Heather could make that baby laugh and smile more than anyone, and when he was younger she was an instant nap spot. He loved sleeping on her.

  

 And then he turned one and seemed so big, yet so young at the same time.

 

His sense of humor began to shine through. 

 

His silly side only makes guests appearances throughout the day, but we all know it is there.  Under that serious grown man disguise we all know that fun loving boy is there. 

He has always loved his sleep.

 

 He has an obsession with "daddy's things". Doesn't matter what it is, if it is daddy's he wants it!

 

This year he has started to make some of the funniest faces, especially when the camera is out. 

He is such a tiny boy! He finally hit 20 pounds this year but he seems to be stuck there.

 

 He loves music so much. All kinds.

 

 His very favorite thing has to be playing outside. He can't get enough of it!

His deep eyes make me wonder what he will be like as an adult. I feel like he has the gaze of a 70 year old man who has seen and lived through so much.

We are not a family that is into sports but this boy is planning on changing that. He loves baseball the most, but enjoys basketball all the same. Golf is becoming quite a fun activity to him and he enjoys football too. We are in trouble in a few years, aren't we?

He simply adores his sister yet they can be worst enemies at the drop of a hat. She can manipulate him all day long and he just can't get enough. He loves her so much! They will surely drive each other crazy in the years to come. His friends at church mean the world to him and not a day goes by where he does not ask about all of them. This boy has a huge heart!

My boy has a great father to guide him and train him. He adores his daddy and want to fill those big boots someday. 

How quickly this year has gone. The last year of his babyhood is now in the past. Today he is a toddler, and he has the tantrums to prove it! He is so expressive and is quite a thinker. There are not many problems he can't solve and he sure won't let something stand in his way. My tiny little guy had a bit of a tough year with the his skin and all his allergies, but we are slowly figuring out how to help him. He is a special guy and I am so honored that God entrusted me to be his Mommy. Watching him grow and learn about God melts my heart and gives me hope that he will someday love God with all of his heart, mind and soul. I pray everyday for God to use him mightily for His glory. I adore his little man voice and his sweet cuddles throughout the day and just before bed. I never get tired of carrying him as though he is still my little baby. Today my boy turned two and I can't help but hope this next year goes a little slower than this one has. I want to soak this last ounce of babyness up!

Jayce this year was a little tough for you and I am so grateful that God has led us to the right people to help make you feel better. You are so sweet and I love you so very much. I hope this year is filled with lots of fun new memories. You are such a gift from God and we love you so much! 

Happy birthday Jayce! My big 2 year old!

The Big 30!!!

My Hubster is 30!!!!
I guess it is easy to get excited about him turning 30 since I still have 6 more glorious years in my 20's. ahem.



For Charlies 30th birthday I couldn't get him...

I mean, could there be a more impersonal gift??? So I thought about getting him this...



because he needs one. Nothing says "Happy Birthday" like a gift that will put you to work. No, no, no. So instead I got him this....

No, not a race car....

He got to drive 8 laps at the Charlotte motor speedway.

My man loves cars. He loves to drive. Could there be a better gift? We had a great day of just being together. By the way, that was him in the Army car passing that other car ;-) just thought I would throw that out there.

Now I don't think Charlie has a NASCAR career in the future, but he did have a great time. It was a very memorable 30th birthday gift for sure.

PS-wives don't hate me if your hubby starts asking for this as a gift.

Happy Birthday Little Miss

Has it possibly been 3 years? It feels like just yesterday the baby swing swallowed you whole. It feels like only last week I was cradling you in my arms, feeding and changing you every hour or so. It does not seem like you should be 3 yet.


Your sweet little features were so tiny and delicate. Every tiny piece of you was perfectly made. I stared at you for hours, soaking up every ounce of babyhood I could. I adored every stage (even the hard ones) because I know each one was a gift. Every tough stage, every easy stage.... brought its own joy and happiness.


I look at you now, at 3 years old, and I wonder how you got so big. I feel like I treasured all the little moments with you.... and yet I still feel as though it went too fast. Your features are still delicate, just not quite so tiny anymore. I still stare at you and notice how perfectly you are made.


God has such big plans for you. Watching you grow a heart for Him brings me so much joy. I am so blessed to be able to call you my daughter. Your spirit may be strong willed, but it is exactly what God wants. He is helping your Daddy and I shape you into what He desires. I pray for you without ceasing sweet girl.

I love your laugh, your hugs, your kisses, your curiosity, your artwork, your passion, your concern, your sense of humor, your love for learning, your bubbly personality, your curly hair, your petite stature, your determination...... your everything. I love you so much. You look so grown up with a pony tail in your hair. I feel like this is your last "baby year". I plan on continuing to soak up the last little bit of your babyhood. These past three years with you have been the most rewarding and the most amazing. You are so smart and astound me on a daily basis. I love having you read to me and get down right giddy hearing you recite all 9 of your bible verses and the first 20 catechism questions! This next year will be full of fun and learning too I am sure, and that makes me smile.

Happy birthday Lula Mae. You are so loved!

The Days Are Swiftly Passing

Today my hubby is celebrating his 29th birthday. So next year he will be.... 30! Out of our friends we hang out with he will be the first to turn 30... so it is a big deal. (I have to chuckle because I will be the LAST one to turn 30 :-) oh bummer!) Time is moving so quickly these days that I feel like I can hardly catch my breath! I feel as though we just had a birthday bash for him a few months ago! Not only is it Charlies birthday but Jayce is 4 months old today. My boys are growing up!

29 Things I Love About Charlie

1. He treats me like a queen 99.9% of the time
2. He supports me 100% in everything
3. He provides wonderfully for our family
4. He can fix anything!!!
5. He lets us go to Disney World on almost every vacation just because he knows how happy it makes me
6. He trusts me with our finances
7. He used to sing me to sleep
8. He is the most loving father to our children
9. He listens to me complain (even though I shouldn't) and truly cares
10. He believes that distance makes the heart grow stronger... and we have tested that quite a few times
11. He tells some ridiculously funny stories
12. He always tells me dinner is great... even if it is burnt to a crisp
13. He watches all the dumb movies I like even though he couldn't care less about them
14. He never complains about cutting the grass
15. He likes for me to pick the restaurant when we go out to eat
16. He randomly sends me text messages that say "sure do love you babe" all the time
17. He can tell when I need a break
18. He is not into football so I don't have to worry about game days, scores, team paraphernalia, etc.
19. He loves to drive on trips so I don't have to
20. He washes my van so I never have to
21. He can get us out of any bind
22. He gets lost, at least once, on every vacation.... even though we typically go to Orlando every time.... he still get lost. It just wouldn't be vacation if we didn't!
23. He can laugh at himself
24. He has tons of integrity
25. He can't stay mad for more than about 3 minuets
26. He admits when he is wrong or messes up
27. He always blames the Wii remotes and batteries in the Wii board when he does bad on a game.... it's pretty funny.
28. He can clean and cook very well and will step in anytime I need him to
29. He knows I hate emptying the dishwasher and will do it for me anytime I ask, with a smile on his face

I know it is a long list, but quite honestly I could have written about 900 more! I love my Husband so much and I am very lucky to have him in my life. It's not that he has had a tough life, he has just had one of those lives that could be turned into a Lifetime move. I mean, the way we met and how our relationship started could be a two part movie alone! You wouldn't believe me if I told you more than likely! I have seen my Husband change so much over the last 6 years. I have seen God work on him. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with him!

4 Things I Love About Jayce

1. The way you smile every single time you see me, your Daddy or Lula Mae.
2. Listening to you talk to yourself when you wake up in the mornings.
3. Cuddling you any chance I get ( have I mentioned that Lula Mae HATED cuddling?)
4. Hearing your laughs all through out the day. Every single chuckle, belly laugh, giggle and held back squeal make my heart melt!

Jayce, your first year is moving so quick. I am soaking up everything I can so that I can treasure them forever. Your personality is really shining through now. You can roll over from your back to your tummy! Go Jayce! You can roll from your belly to your back... you just choose not to for some reason. Stubborn little guy. You are ready to be on the move and you get frustrated when you realize you can't yet. Slow down son, it will happen soon enough. Your sister can't wait until you can play with her! You love each other so much and it is beautiful to see your relationship grow. I am amazed at how much you look like me. Our baby pictures are scary similar. I think that means you look a little like your Uncle Mark and that makes me smile. These 4 months have had tough times, but for the most part they have been amazing! I love you Jayce!


My life would not be the same without my boys!