US Open

Pinehurst hosted the US Open this year, and we were lucky enough to be able to go to the men's final round on Sunday, June 15.  I had never been to a professional golf tournament before, but I really enjoy the sport, so I was looking forward to it.  We had a great time.  The weather was hot, but the course was beautiful and the atmosphere was great.  We saw all the big names (except Tiger Woods, because he didn't compete).  I was amazed at how much access you have - I guess because a golf course is so big.  Also, they didn't allow cell phones, so it was kind of peaceful.  No one was looking down at their phone or texting or taking pictures.  It made you engage with the golf and with each other.  It definitely felt strange not to have it, but I enjoyed it.

Anyways, because you couldn't have a phone or camera we didn't really get to take any pictures, but American Express had a photobooth that you could get in for free and they took several pictures of you on a green screen and then added shots of the golf course in the background, so here's our documentation of our fun Father's Day, US Open date.  :)




Sweet Baby James

James was baptized Sunday (June 22) and it was such a sweet day.  We had a lot of family in town and our church is great and James did great and really, it was perfect.  I'll share the pictures when I get them. I am continually thankful for all the blessings in our life.

James is 7 months now and so full of energy. I am really going to be in trouble when he is mobile and I am chasing after both him and Henry.  He is rolling really well now (although sometimes he gets on his tummy and gets mad because he can't figure out how to roll back over), and he scoots a lot.  He loves his playmat on the floor, but I really have to pay attention to what is laying around it because I will look over and he will have managed to grab something totally random that wasn't on the mat.  He's not pushing up to crawl yet, but he's definitely mobile in his own way!

He's started eating more solid food and seems to love it all.  He also still loves his bottle and is getting better at holding it himself.  In the last few weeks he as started what we call his "man cry."  He used to have a really high-pitched squeal that he used to get our attention, but not he has started this much deeper scream that sometimes rattles and sounds very manly.  Lol.  It is hard to describe, but you'd know it if you heard it.  He definitely doesn't let you forget about him, but overall he is very happy.  We're still working on the nap schedule, but he will go down in the afternoons now around the same time as Henry.  He's only sleeping about an hour, but it is something, so I will take it. And as I mentioned, he's doing great at night, so again, no complaints.

He can almost sit up on his own, but he isn't stable yet and tips over easily.  He does like the exer-saucer thing and has started to actually jump in it some now.  Mostly, he likes to tinker with all of the toys that are on it and spin himself around.  Sophie the Giraffe is one of his favorite toys as well.  He still only has his bottom two teeth, but I think the top teeth will come in any day now (I've been saying that for a month).  He is definitely chewing on everything.

We're still wearing the helmet, but at his appointment last week they said that he was doing great and might only have 4-6 more weeks in it, so here's hoping.  It is fine, but I am ready to see his head!  I'm trying to be patient though.  I know it will be worth it in the long run.

He still thinks his brother is hilarious and will just start laughing at whatever Henry is doing.  I hope he always looks up to him like that! Time will tell.

He is mostly happy and always kicking or waving his arms.  As long as he is included he is content and we've learned that he wants to be on the same level as everyone else (no sitting him on the floor in his car seat at a restaurant!).

I can tell so many ways that he is like Henry, but there are so many ways he is different.  I cannot wait to see them together as they grow and watch their relationship develop.  I think we are in for some very busy and very fun years ahead!

Here I are!

One of my favorite "toddler sayings" from Henry lately is: "Here I are!"  I know it is not grammatically correct, but it is super cute when he says it.  He likes to throw a blanket over his head and we play the, "Where's Henry?" game.  Then he uncovers his head and shouts, "Here I are!"  That boy just loves to play.  From the time he gets up to the time he takes a nap/goes to sleep, he is BUSY.  The only time he slows down is if Curious George is on TV, but even then he usually runs around and occasionally stops to watch when it grabs his attention.

Playing at the park with dad.
His imagination is exploding.  I walked in his room this morning and he had lined his three paci's up on a shoe box and he proudly told me that he had created a caterpillar.  Then he proceeded to take one of the paci's and put it in his mouth and he said, "I ate part of the caterpillar, Mommy!"  Ew.  But cute.  And all boy.  He loves to play outside and insists on putting his shoes on to go out with Matt each night when he goes out to water the garden.  Mostly he just runs around the yard and picks up things.  He'll throw and kick a ball around occasionally, but I think he just likes the freedom to move and run mostly.  Bubbles are always a huge hit with him and he really likes sidewalk chalk right now too.  He is a collector and always seems to be interested in gathering things and putting them in a bucket.  I think he's going to love the beach this year just because of the abundance of seashells to gather!

He still is a great eater, but is all two-year-old and it depends on his mood whether or not he eats a lot.  He loves chicken and pretty much any fruit and vegetable.  Occasionally, he'll eat red meat, but he seems to only eat it for Matt, not for me.  He eats a lot of beans and rice and still loves mac & cheese.  He will eat cherry tomatoes and cucumbers like they are candy.  Oh, and he is currently obsessed with pickles.  Every day when he wakes up from his nap, he asks for a pickle.  Actually, he asks for one for breakfast too, but I tell him that pickles are only for snack, not breakfast.  All of a sudden he is great with a spoon and pretty good with a fork, and he still drinks a ton of milk.  That is his drink of choice and he goes through almost a whole gallon a week, just by himself.

He's happiest playing with other little kids and I think he learns the best by watching and copying them.  His memory continues to be crazy, and he loves singing songs and spinning around in circles.  Also, as I mentioned he's all two-year-old and is really loving testing his boundaries lately.  He thinks that going to time out is fun and will actually ask to go to time out, so that is making things a little difficult.

He has started to get a little more possessive around James lately.  Whatever toy James has, Henry immediately "needs" it.  That is to be expected though and I know this won't be the last of that.  He still loves his little brother though and expects him to be with us wherever we go.  If someone jokes that they are going to take James with them, Henry gets upset and says, "That's my baby!" so I know the love is there :)  I think he's just too busy for the most part to be bothered by him.  The time is coming though.  Each day, James is more and more mobile and I know it won't be long before they are both running around the house having a big time.
Wearing dad's shoes.
We're not potty training yet, but we talk about it a lot and just ordered a little potty for him.  Everything I have read/heard says not to pressure him until he's ready, but he actually asked to sit on the big potty last night and he's started telling me when he's pee-peed, so I am guessing our time is coming.  He definitely feeds off of my mood (if I act stressed or scared, he gets more stressed or scared), so I am trying to take a relaxed approach and not make it a big deal.  Infamous last words, right?  It will be a good day though when I get him out of diapers and James off of formula!  Our checkbook will appreciate that.  

Henry is still a great napper and although he fights me about taking a nap, once he lays down, he will usually sleep for 2.5-3 hours.  His bedtime is around 7pm-ish and he wakes up around 6:30am each day.  He's always been a good sleeper and I really can't complain.  James is finally starting to get the hang of the bedtime idea and goes down around 7pm too.  It's nice for Matt and me to have our evenings back.

He's not quite 2.5 yet, but people assume all the time that he is at least 3.  There's no doubt that he is bright, and he is definitely a charmer, but he's still my little guy and I treasure the times I get to cuddle with him on the couch. He still sleeps in a sleep sack and in the mornings when I go in there he is usually still wearing it, waddling around his room.  He knows how to take it off by himself, but he usually doesn't.  I love it.  He just looks so sweet and sleepy like that.

Henry begged to ride in this cart at the grocery store.   James was a little tipsy, but he held his own.
I didn't intend for this to be an ode to Henry, but I don't think I've written a thorough update on just him in a while, so it was easy to do.  He is a treasure.  James is a treasure.  We are very blessed by them both!

Lots of Fun

Preschool is officially on summer break, but they have several weeks of camp that meet Monday-Thursday.  Each week has its own theme.   James' class is too small to participate, but Henry's class is really getting into it this year.  So far we have had Hawaii week and Rodeo week.  On Thursdays, the kids all meet in our New Life Center for a special wrap-up.  For Hawaii week they had a luau and for Rodeo week they had a hoedown/line dance party.  Of course, Henry's class mostly just runs around and looks cute, but they dress them up in the theme and it is adorable. 

For example...

Hawaii Week

 
Rodeo Week
Isn't he adorable?  The noodle/hobby horse cracks me up.  They are so creative at his school.  He's having fun too.  Imagine 10+ two-year-olds running around like that and yelling, "yee-haw!"  So cute.

In other news, we're through with our second month in the helmet.  I didn't think the progress was as drastic this time around until I compared the pictures again...

Pretty amazing, right?  I am so glad we are seeing such improvement.  At least we know it has been worth it.  And it really isn't that much trouble.  I will be glad when he gets it off though.  I miss seeing his little head.  He is super cute, no matter what, but it will be nice to see him as he is.

 
We are rolling with the solid foods for James now, and he is starting to get into some really good sleeping routines.  I put him down just after 7pm each night now when Henry goes down and he is mostly sleeping until the morning.  This week he figured out how to consistently roll onto his stomach, but at first, it was making him mad because he couldn't figure out how to roll back over.  He seems to be over that now though and hasn't woken himself up the past few nights.  As for the food...he loves it, of course!  He's had applesauce, oatmeal, pears, bananas, and a little bit of pureed mango.  I am thankful for my good eaters! 
 
 
June is halfway over already,  which is nuts.  We're hoping to get to the beach sometime soon and really get in some fun summer activities.  I am ready for the sun and surf!

7 Years

This week, we celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary!  Crazy.  I'm not sure I feel old enough to have been married for 7 years.   We always try to get away for our anniversary, at least for a night or two.  We didn't have any plans this year because we have some fun things coming up (we're going to the US Open next weekend), and we have a 6 month old and two-year-old.  However, last Friday we went a little wild and decided to go to take the whole family to the mountains. Matt literally called the hotel Friday morning and booked us a condo in Blowing Rock.  Then, once he got home from work, we loaded everyone up and off we went.  All things considered, everyone did great in the car.  It's an almost 4-hour drive from our house to the mountains.  We stopped and ate dinner, but otherwise drove straight there.  When we first told Henry we were going to the mountains he said, "Will we see big snowflakes, mommy?"  I think we can thank Mickey Mouse for that one.  I told him there probably wouldn't be snow this time of year, but that they'd be big and really fun to see.  Driving in, it was so sweet to hear him in the back seat going, "I see the mountains!"  Little did we know that Friday would be the only day we could actually see the mountains!

Just riding in the car to the mountains!

The fog rolled in Saturday morning and you literally couldn't see anything.  Everyone did a great job sleeping - James in the pack n' play and Henry slept in a queen-size bed we pushed against the wall.  We decided to venture to Grandfather Mountain with the hopes that the fog would burn off and with the knowledge that even if it didn't, they have a zoo and some other fun things to do there.  The fog definitely didn't burn off.  Visibility was very low.  We were able to enjoy the zoo - Henry got to see the bears and eagles, and we did (stupidly) drive up to the top of the mountain thinking maybe we could get above the fog.  Nada.  No such luck.  The fog was so thick up top that you could hardly see the car in the parking lot.  Needless to say, we didn't venture out on the swinging bridge. 

Foggy at the top.  See the bridge in the background?
 
Just chillin'
 
See the bear?
 
We did have a delicious lunch at one of our favorite little restaurants in Boone and then headed back for nap.  We had so many leftovers from lunch, that we were able to feed Henry dinner from that.  Matt went fishing during nap time and after everyone woke up, we walked around the lake at our resort and just enjoyed being outside.

When we checked in, they gave us a take-out menu for the nice restaurant at our resort.  Matt and I decided to celebrate our anniversary after everyone was in bed, so we ordered take-out from the restaurant and enjoyed a yummy meal in our condo.  It was actually really peaceful.  Unconventional, but a nice way to celebrate.
Everyone ready for bed in their sleepsacks.

We hoped that Sunday the fog would be gone and we could stop at some overlooks on the way down the mountains, but again...no such luck.  Foggy the whole way down.  We still managed to have a great time though and it was just the change of pace we needed. 
So foggy.  And Henry was over it. 

Another bonus was that we got to stop on our way home and meet our new nephew, Ian!  Oh, he is such a precious little bug and we love him so much already.  He seemed so tiny next to James, but he is as sweet as can be.

Baby Ian and Baby James
 
Love this little nephew.
 
It is hard to believe that 7 years have gone by, but we've accomplished a lot and been so very blessed.  Looking forward to all that the future holds!