Random pics

Here are a bunch of pics from the past 3 months

Amelia Jayne's first bath. She was not impressed.

Making pumpkin bread - this boy loves some pumpkin bread! He also loves to help me out in the kitchen. :) 

Daddy and Xander

One of granddaddy's visits - he stops in every once in awhile when he's waiting on a flight since he's based in Charlotte. It's nice when he can just drop by and visit for a couple of hours, especially since he lives in Tennessee. Xander loves his visits!

Xander still likes to hold Amelia Jayne. She's not so sure about it, though. :)

Flying boy! He likes to get on my feet and we play "airplane."

Vist with Santa 2011

I somewhat dreaded meeting up with the bearded man again this year. After last year's experience -

I wasn't quite sure how Xander would handle it. I wanted to do it because I really felt that Amelia Jayne needed her first-Christmas-meeting-with-Santa experience, too. And I couldn't stand the thought of not letting Xander tell Santa what he wants. So, a few weeks before Christmas, Xander told me he wanted a monster truck. I said, "Well, we'll have to ask Santa for a monster truck! Maybe he'll bring you one for Christmas!" This seemed exciting to him so he would go around saying, "I need to ask Santa for a monster truck." This was good preparation because once we got to Santa, he sat on his lap, told him what he wanted (his list was, and I quote "a monster truck and butterflies" - Hilarious!) and then he was ready to leave. He didn't want to stay with that man any longer than he had to, but he did talk to him and he did sit still long enough for us to snap a few pics.

We will definitely be going back to that Santa! He was, of all places, at Bass Pro Shops at Concord Mills. I suppose it was appropriate that Xander's request was for a monster truck. Not so much with the butterflies.:) They really had their ducks in a row there. We got there early and they gave us a Bass Pass. We were there at 5 and they told us to come back at 7. We went to dinner, walked around and then went back to the store. Once there, we got in a "fast track" line and only waited 30 minutes to see Santa! The other line was moving pretty slow, so I was glad we had gotten our quick ticket! They also had all kinds of things lined up for the kids to do while they were waiting. There was a model train that went through mountains and valleys, remote control trucks and boats that the kids could play with, and some tables setup with coloring books. It was great! Xander especially loved the train. Also, you didn't have to buy the pictures if you didn't want them (even though the packages were very affordable) and they allowed you to take your own pictures (this was not the case Xander's first Christmas when we went to SouthPark Mall and had to pay $35 for two low-quality digital pics...at least last year's 10-second-experience didn't cost anything). AND the Santa was awesome! He had a real beard and was very kind, polite and patient with the children. Overall, it was a great experience!

Xander watching the train

About AJ -Two months

Amelia Jayne is perfect!  She is such a sweet baby, smiling and watching everything we do. She turned 2 months old on Christmas Eve, December 24. She had her dreaded two-month appointment where she had to get two shots and take an oral vaccine. She was a trooper! She cried, but as soon as I picked her up she calmed down. Here are her two-month stats:

Weight - 12 pounds, 12ounces (92%)
Length - 24 inches (96%)
Head Circumference - 15 inches (34%)

As compared to Xander's at the same age:

Weight - 11 pounds, 14 ounces (56%)
Length - 23 inches (55%)
Head Circumference - 16.25 inches (81%)

Fun

One of my favorite pics of the boys :)

Cousins

Patrick and Amelia Jayne

I have a similar pic of Patrick looking at Baby Xander's feet, too :)

Kaitlyn and Amelia Jayne

The boys

Buddies :)

LOL

I was feeling a little down this evening. I read an email tonight from my sweet aunt who lost a dear friend. I had been emotional over some other things, too, this afternoon, and tears weren't far away. I sat down at my computer to write an email to my aunt when David came over to check something on his computer (we share a desk). He hit a button and this is what came up only right at minute 1:14. It couldn't have been timed more perfectly.



No matter what my mood is, this scene makes me crack up every time. I laughed so hard the first time I saw it that I almost peed my pants. And it doesn't matter - EVERY time I've seen it since then I've laughed. I'm so thankful for the little things.

**Not to, in any way, devalue or minimize the pain that my aunt has over her loss. I just hope this brings a smile to her face. :)

Moms

Amazing and inspiring articles for moms -
To the Mother with Only One Child
Don't Carpe Diem

In fact, the momastery blog is great. Very true to life. Makes me feel sane on most days. :)

Boy, am I thankful for my mom. Never knew until I had my own kids how amazing she is. And I always thought she was awesome. But she's way more awesome than I even knew. In fact, she's way more awesome than I could ever begin to understand. I hope my own kids can say the same about me when they're my age.

I really love that lady.

My mom and me in 2010

Mom, Erin and me in 2009

Apparently I need some updated pics of my mom and me!! I'll have to work on that with my awesome new camera :).