Weekend

We had a nice low key weekend here...a few turkey hunts (James not me), a dinner with friends, awesome Blue Jean church and Sunday school, and a lot of outside time.

He is turning into ALL boy, loves sticks, rocks, mud, dirt...

don't worry we gave him a trim last night

such treasure to a 13 month old

I ordered several of these cute appliqued T's from Jennifer at Clothe Yourself With Love. She is a cute momma of two and has great taste! They are all adorable and affordable! Go check her out...

Sharing his cheese straw with Amos which is a big deal because he LOVES cheese straws

Hope ya'll all had a great weekend and enjoyed the beautiful Spring weather!! 

Random Roundup

This little boy had his first pizza experience last week:

To say he loved it would be an understatement. He is a bread and marinara sauce addict. I am not surprised, so are his parents. 

It was everywhere by the end. We are entering a new phase of eating, independent eating. It is a struggle most of the time. I am have to die to fact that the counter/floor/child will end up a wreck by the end. He wants to hold the utensils, put them in the containers and then feed himself. If it is a cut up solid type meal, half usually ends up on the floor. At the same time, it is fun to watch his dexterity develop. 

Foster's mom and I went for a walk, and then the boys played. They were hysterical. 

I think that is a good spot too Foster

learning to share

Foster going in for a hug

buddies

I am 22 weeks and feeling great, I have so much more energy than I did with Lane. I think partially because I am working out more consistently, and also because I believe the Lord supplies you with supernatural energy when you have a toddler. 

Yesterday, I picked up the rockers James gave me for Christmas for the porch. I also added a few pillows for a pop of color and a new table. I can't wait to enjoy late afternoon lemonade time here. 

I think with a few ferns it will be complete.

please drop by anytime

We have two upcoming mini trips I am looking forward to:

Masters

Blackberry Farm

The Masters is a present to my father for all of his support during my 20+ years of education. I told him to pick anywhere in the world, and I would take him. (thinking he would go for Scotland, Ireland, etc.) His first choice, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Ok, well almost anywhere in the world I said, because we were not going to Gettysburg again. We had been on a family trip there when I was in middle school, and let's just say I spend most of the time napping and going to the ice cream shop. On his bucket list was the Masters so we are going!! 

We are headed to Blackberry Farm in May for a babymoon/anniversary trip. I am thinking the mountain coolness will be a nice break from the HOT weather around here. The food and activities are suppose to be top-notch, so we are really looking forward to it. 

If anyone has any tips on either, please shoot them my way!

13 months

I am continually amazed at how much he learns month to month. This past month, he has gotten a lot more verbal and opinionated. Two of his favorite new words are "Go, Go!" and "Uh Oh!".  He is also very opinionated about what he eats...he points to what he wants each bite....and goodness gracious if you don't get it right! His favorite is still spaghetti and now in the mornings a bagel, raisin toast, or yogurt.  We went to the Gulf this past weekend, and he loved fried shrimp. He gets it honestly :) He also learned to drink through a straw this weekend, which was very helpful when eating out.

His favorite thing in the world is outside. As soon as he wakes up in the morning, he says, Dog?! to mean he wants to see Amos, and then points to outside. Mary says he wants to spend most of the day outside....He likes to watch the cars go by, adores the mailman, and now enjoys crawl/walking around the yard. I say crawl/walking because he still will not commit to walking 100%. He walks about five steps then crawls a few and back again. 

Lane loves motorized vehicles, mules, golf carts, cars, boats, and now the four wheeler. We had a great visit to Moulton a few weekends ago, and he had his first experience. 

Don't call child services, he didn't have a helmet but we didn't go over 3 mph. 

He is sleeping great, still from around 6:30 to 6:00...we will see what the time changes brings to the schedule. He is still not much of a napper, usually only one substantial one a day. He does not get this from me. We are a little late for his 1 year check up, but I would say he is still right in the middle on height and weight. 

Such a JOY!!

Oh how times have changed...

We are are at the Gulf for a little work/play weekend. Today it rained, rained, and rained some more, but we were able to venture out for dinner. Since having a baby (emerging toddler), eating out is definitely a luxury. I know all of you moms understand. We decided to brave it in the name of fresh seafood. We headed to Cobalts for my absolute favorite, firecracker shrimp. I have already learned the earlier the better as far as Lane goes...better to get there before the crowd and before his fussy tired time.

Do you all take snacks in your purse to appease until the food arrives? Thank goodness I had stashed a pack of Newk's breadsticks in my purse.

Daddy and Son fun

He loved fried shrimp!  Guess he is not allergic?! Good thing, as they are a summer beach staple.

Love my buddy

fam shot

Tonight was one of those nights that he did wonderful and I thought, we should do this more often. HAHA. Who am I kidding? I also feel guilty as we leave and try to clean up around the table, as it is a disaster. I now am an excellent tipper! Hopefully the sun will come out tomorrow, for a day on the boat. Happy Weekend!

Q&A

My friend Kristen at Joy in the Journey tagged me to do a little question and answer session, and I am happy to oblige. I always like to read these because it gives you a little glimpse into a person's personality you might not know very well.

1.  You've been forced to give up all but one item of makeup.  What is the ONE thing you have to keep? 
This is hard, not because I wear tons of makeup, but because I love products. OK, just one... Chanel Foundation, Perfection Lumiere. At least my skin tone would be even!
2.  What is your favorite online store to shop? 
Now that I moved to a small town, my online shopping has definitely picked up. James and I are Amazon Prime junkies. You get a better price and free shipping within two days. You can get anything on Amazon, from Keurig cups to diapers. As far as clothing, I would say JCrew. I love when their sale items are 30-50% off!
3.  What book are you currently reading?
 I am an avid reader, so my nightstand is always full...right now: Love Lifted Me Up by Sara Evans, Shepherding a Child's Heart by Ted Trip, and just finished Bossy Pants by Tina Fey (hysterical btw)
4.  What is your favorite vacation spot? 
Napa/Sonoma!!
5.  If you could go back and choose a different career path what would it be? 
I am very blessed in that I love what I do and know it is exactly what God wants me to do. However, if I had to do something different I always said I would have been a travel agent.
6.  Do you have any hidden talent or something you are good at?
 Tough one....not really. I just asked James, and he said "making messes and losing my sunglasses". Well, thanks. (and sadly true, at least the sunglasses part) He said I am an excellent baker, so I think I will go with that one...
7.  What is playing on your ipod right now? 
Taylor Swift, Ours...because it is Lane's favorite and he likes to boogie to it (literally)
8.  List the places that you have visited from around the world. 
So I am not redundant, I just posted about traveling, go check it out!
9.  What is your favorite clothing store? Anthropologie for that fun top of the season, Saks for that special dress, The Pants Store in Birmingham for something cute and trendy at a good price, Old Navy for comfy Ts, Target for bathing suits, and JCrew for good basics, and right now Swanky Stork in Birmingham for maternity, where my friend Caroline is a manager.
10.  What goals do you have for the next 5 years? grow our family in God's design, continue to care for the children of Central Al at CDCA,  Missions with Integrity Worldwide to Meto, Kenya, and go to the Maldives!!


Thanks Kristen, that was fun! 

Adventure

I LOVE to travel.  When I was younger, I would plan pretend tropical vacations just for fun. I have helped many a friend with their honeymoons.Thankfully James loves to travel as much, if not more than I do. Traveling is one of those things we both agreed when dating would be a priority in our marriage.  It is something we talk about, plan, and look forward to. We have gone on some wonderful trips together and have many many more planned. Now that we are in a more family season of life, our trips have to be a bit more practical in duration and value. I feel so blessed that I have already seen and experienced as much as I have!

Here are some of my favorites so far (in random order because it would be too hard to rank):
bareboating in the BVIs:

such a great group of friends! We graduated from Auburn and then drove straight to Atlanta to begin this trip for graduation...

 Rappelling in Utah with mom

 Anguilla with James:

Maunday's Bay, pure perfection

Ancient city of Kyoto in Japan:

We were on a foreign exchange program in dental school

    Missions in South Africa:

nothing like a South African sunset

 San Fran and Napa/Sonoma: (I think James and I would go here yearly if possible)

 Orange Beach:

I probably have some of the best childhood to adult memories here: learning to ski on Cotton Bayou, snapper fishing in the Gulf, sunset cocktail cruises, lazy beach days, lunch by boat at Sunset Grille, maybe the occasional Flora-Bama bushwhacker AHHHH, I am ready for summer!!

Other favorites with no pictures:

Belize: Ambergris Cay specifically, best snorkeling ever!

Prague: such amazing history and beautiful architecture

Italy: riding through the Tuscan countryside, bartering in the markets in Florence, eating amazing food, visiting the Vatican, the uniqueness that is Venice

Now here is the never ending list that James and I are constantly updating, discussing, and day dreaming about:

 Maldives-

Hello gorgeous water! 

Hawaii

specifically Kauai

Costa Rica to sports fish

A marlin for me, yes please!

New Zealand

 Greece

Telluride, Colorado (this was my favorite skiing trip we took when I was younger, and one day I want us all to go back with the kiddos

If you are still reading, thanks for reminiscing and "playing pretend"as my sister and I call it...

Where were some of your favorite trips taken? What is on your bucket list for traveling? I am always looking for some more great ideas!!