Road trip to meet baby Houston!

 A few weeks ago, we headed up to Nashville to meet my little sister, Britney's, little baby Houston!  We made a fun little road trip out of it and stopped by my sister, Lindsey's house for a night.  The babies had so much fun playing on Sadie's new swing set...and the cooler fall weather was awesome!

Fun times swinging!

Brother just chilling =)

Jackson's turn to swing!  He loved every minute of it!

SO fun!

Then, we said our good-byes and headed north to Nashville...(good-byes are always hard)...

This little guy travels just fine...as long as mommy is in sight =)

YAY!  Welcome to our family baby Houston!  These little rascals will be playing together in no time at all!

I sewed a few little gifts to welcome Houston!

Mimi and Pappa got the babies dressed and we headed out to their park!  (Nike's were the best choice....since Pappa would be tagging along!)

More swinging!

YAY!

Sadie made her way to Nashville too!  Lots of sweet cousin time =)

Just Because "I Love YOU!"

Last Saturday, Jer kept the babies and I was out running errands by myself.  You know that feeling when you are on a date or shopping by yourself and you just feel like you're missing part of yourself!?  Like...I have some quiet time in the car or time to run in and out of stores.....but you just keep missing that little voice who talks non-stop.....or the little baby that coos and watches you with delight. =)

Well, needless to say I returned with a sprinkled doughnut for my Boo...just because I love her!  We've been working on potty training so I've been implementing lots of positive reinforcements.....and we've had lots of great days!  But, we've had days where it seems that we take 10 steps backwards....it's a training process. =)  So anyways, this one particular day I just wanted to give my Boo a special treat just BECAUSE!  I really don't even think she's ever even tasted a doughnut...I know I tend to be a health nut mommy.  So, I enjoyed every single minute of purchasing her a $0.99 sprinkled chocolate doughnut.  I think I enjoyed watching her savor every bite with that little twinkle in her eyes more than she enjoyed tasting it!  I sure love my baby girl!

It got me to thinking about how our heavenly Father loves us so much more than I will ever be able to love my sweet babies.  Yes, there are times in our lives when He must discipline us...because He loves us and wants what is best for us.  And, yes there are times when we work hard at something and then see a reward as a result.  But, sometimes....God just blesses us because He Loves Us! =)  If Isabella and Jackson never gave me another sweet kiss....or never hugged me or did anything for me...I would still love them so so so very much!  And that is just a taste of how much God loves us and enjoys blessing us....we don't deserve any of the blessings He gives us.  But, sometimes He just wants to bless us...just because He loves us. =)

Ready for Fall!

Believe it or not we've actually had some "cooler" weather down here in the sunshine state! :). The babies and I usually head out for our jog around 9...and unlike the normal temps in the 90's!!!...it's been in the low 80's! With a nice breeze! Come on fall weather...we are ready!
We are ready for some Tennessee football.....pumpkin patches....hay rides...fall festivals...cool breezy jogs and pulling out our jackets. :)
Speaking of clothes...I initiated myself back into the sewing world for the first time since having Jackson! A friend of mine loves to sew and actually has a little girl one year older than Bella which works out perfect for hand-me-downs! She gave me 2 fall dresses and the pumpkin dress I made Bella last year still fits! SO I whipped up some pants and coordinating onesies for Jackson....

4 months!

My little handsome is four months old! I can't believe it! He is officially no longer a tiny newborn but rather a chunky, giggly, roly-poly baby! We fall more in love with him each day and it's so hard to even imagine what life was like without him!
He continues to have a layed-back "chilled" personality! He'll let us know if he has a dirty diaper or if he's getting sleepy but for the most part he is just along for the ride! :)
It seems like he has really come to life this month! He loves his tummy time mat...and loves laying on his back and pulling at his toys (his monkey is his favorite). He rolled over consistently this month and is just about to roll back to tummy! He smiles all the time and giggles too! He's especially ticklish under his chin and on his chubby thighs! Nothing sweeter than that open mouth giggle! He loves looking in mirrors too! He continues to love his swing...still takes all his naps there! It amazes me that he can still sleep so soundly for hours! We will probably be transitioning to his crib soon for naps (pretty sure I said that last month)! Haha! He continues to sleep in his bed next to me...I know he'd be fine in his room but I am not excited about having him across the house from me! He loves riding in the stroller with his sissy...but we are sure ready for some cooler fall weather!
We all four made the trek to see Dr. Dean yesterday for Jackson's four month appointment! Here are his stats:

Height: 25 inches. 55%
Weight: 16 lb 2 oz. 75%
Head: 42 cm. 50%

He showed the doctor all his smiles, babbled for him and even showed him his awesome tummy time skills! :). Since he's doing so great on gaining weight, we will wait a bit longer for cereal.

His routine:
7ish Wake/Nurse
8:30 Nap
10:00 Nurse
11:30 Nap
1:00 Nurse
2:30 Nap
4:00 Nurse
5:30 Cat-nap
6:30 Nurse
8:30 Nurse/Bed
10:30 Nurse...and hope for good sleep!
4:30ish Nurse

We love this handsome little guy! It's gonna be a fun fall season together! :)

"School Time"

Bella has loved getting back into our little school routine! By "school" I mean...singing rhymes, learning numbers, doing projects....reading books and so on! I'm following the "abc Jesus loves me" curriculum...which I love! It is a perfect guide for us as we integrate learning throughout our day! With Bella, just barely 2, we don't have tons of structure but just enough to keep our day flowing smoothly together! If you are interested in the curriculum google...."abcjesuslovesme". Of course I love supplementing with various resources but I use this as my major source. We will have to post pictures of our projects throughout the year! :)
We have a little board in the kitchen where we keep our flash cards and tactile number/letter cards to practice. And we made the wall in Bella's room above her desk her "project wall". We keep our objectives for the week on the refrigerator so we can be learning all day....while cooking dinner etc! Jackson's morning naps have been the perfect time for Bella and I to enjoy this special time of learning together! :).

She surprised me with her sorting skills! =)

We get to practice  our Bible verse and flash cards during meals too!

Bella's "project wall"...

Our objectives for the week!  And Bella was so proud of her first "Puggles" project (She started Awana's this year at church as well as Music on Sunday nights!)

Rain, Rain, Rain!

Last week, hurricane Isaac came through the Gulf Coast. Thankfully it hit East of us but we got tons of rain! By the end of the week, we had a bad case of cabin fever!!! But, we sure enjoyed some rainy afternoon naps and playing in the puddles! :)

John Johns!

I can't wait til these little John Johns fit my handsome! They coordinate with some smocked dresses Bella has...got a great deal on them last winter. I just monogrammed them today...just in time for fall :). John Johns and smocked dresses.....I can't wait!