Our Boys

Brothers

2012-01-19T10:27:00.001-06:00

Here are a few pictures of the boys in their brother shirts. (1/18/12)

2 Weeks Old!

2012-01-19T10:21:00.000-06:00

Charlie turned 2 weeks old on January 12th. I can't believe how fast the time is going. Papa and Gigi left to head back to Ohio on the 11th. We were all sad to see them go but enjoyed our time with them so much! We are already looking forward to them coming back to visit us for John's birthday in March.
We took Charlie for his 2 week checkup on Friday, January 13th. He weighed 9 lbs, 7 oz and was 21 1/2 inches long. The doctor said that he looks great. There are no lung issues and he is obviously growing well. The doctor said that a lot of big babies lose weight the first two weeks...not our boy! He will go back when he is 2 months old for his next check-up.
We had to start putting Charlie in size 1 diapers already! We switched him on January 7th. It made me a little sad to already have my baby out of newborn diapers. It wasn't too surprising that we had to switch him so quickly, though. In fact, they gave us a pack of size one diapers while we were in the hospital! I didn't even know they had anything other than newborn size in the nursery!
Charlie went to church for the first time on Sunday, January 8th. He slept pretty much the whole time! We went out to lunch afterwards at Pizza Hut which he also slept through.
The boys are still doing really well with him. They like to hold him and talk to him occasionally, but pretty much go on with their routine as if nothing has changed. It helps that they enjoy playing together so they don't feel left out when I am taking care of Charlie.
Here are a few pictures from the week. The picture at the top was taken on the 12th at 2 weeks old. He is trying to figure out how to suck his thumb. He almost has it figured out!

Ready for church! (1/8/12)

Trying out the new bouncy seat from Papa and Gigi (1/8/12)

Wearing the onesie from Great Aunt Hilda and hat and booties from Great Aunt Betty (1/10/12)

The boys with their playhouse. (1/11/12)

Pictures

2012-01-10T22:37:00.005-06:00

Here is a link to a few pictures on Facebook. Enjoy!

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.738757871851.2183386.71005935&type=1&l=77882f3a47

One Week Old!

2012-01-10T22:00:00.001-06:00

Charlie turned one week old on Thursday, January 5th. We had quite a big day. Burt and I took him to have his one week pictures taken at Walmart that morning. Later that afternoon, I had a check-up. All looked great for me. I was released to drive and will go back for my next appointment at the beginning of February.
Charlie is such a sweet baby. He really is very easy to take care of. He only cries when he is getting his diaper changed or during his bath. He LOVES having his hair shampooed. He is taking 4 to 6 ounces of formula at a time and eats every 3 to 4 hours. He is normally awake about three times in the night.
Charlie is quite the little snuggle bug. He loves to be cuddled and rocked. Since Gigi and Papa are here he is getting lots of good snuggle time.
The older boys are doing really well with him. They like to hold him and tickle him. Will and John are having a great time with Gigi and Papa. They love playing with them and are having so much fun.
Here are a few pictures from Charlie's first week.

First night at home (12/31/11)

First Bath (1/1/12)

Big brothers checking on Charlie (1/1/12)

Due Date--1/4/12

One Week Old! (1/5/12)

Charles Turner Hollandsworth

2011-12-31T08:21:00.001-06:00

He's here! Charlie was born at 8:50 am on December 29, 2011. He weighed 9 lbs, 2oz and was 21 inches long. The c-section went great.
Charlie had "wet lungs" and had to be on oxygen until yesterday (December 30) morning. Because of the oxygen we couldn't have him in our room. Burt was able to go in to see him in the nursery Thursday and I went in Friday morning when I could get out of bed. By about 10:00 Friday morning he was able to be with us (finally!)
Charlie is very calm and layed back. He doesn't cry often and is very snuggly. We were both released from the hospital this afternoon.
The older boys got to come visit yesterdayat the hospital. They were so excited to hold him. It was very sweet to watch them interact with Charlie. They were both very happy to have him come home today. Will came to the hospital with Burt to pick us up. He couldn't wait for us to be released. John came out to the garage to meet us as soon as we pulled in to see Baby Charlie. They are great big brothers!
Here are a couple of pictures of our baby boy.

Finally getting to hold our sweet boy!

Proud big brothers!

Our sweet Charlie

Ready to go home!

Our hospital bands

Our family of five!

December 27, 2011

2011-12-28T15:29:00.000-06:00

I had my last doctor's appointment on December 27th. I am all set for the c-section on December 29th at 8:00. I am supposed to be at the hospital at 6:00. I have gained 28 pounds during the pregnancy. My blood pressure was still great. I can't believe that we are so close to meeting Charlie.

Here is my last belly shot picture! The next pictures posted will be of Baby Charlie....stay tuned!

Christmas 2011

2011-12-28T15:24:00.002-06:00

We had a great Christmas this year. Gigi and Papa came into town on Christmas Eve. I think the boys were more excited by that than Santa's visit!

They loved all of their gifts and were so excited by all of the activities leading up to Christmas. This year we started doing the "Elf on a Shelf." Will named our elf "Artie." The boys loved looking for Artie first thing every morning. Here are some pictures from our Christmas.

Our stockings

Christmas Eve

Helping Daddy open his gifts. They were so excited to give gifts to other people this year!

Christmas Jammies

Kissing Baby Charlie

Cookies for Santa (John was already asleep!)

Christmas Morning

Opening Gifts

Family picture

Burt and Me

The boys

Baby Charlie--38 weeks, 4 days

Baking Fun

2011-12-28T15:07:00.000-06:00

This year the boys enjoyed helping me bake Christmas cookies. They especially enjoyed making gingerbread cookies, sugar cookies and making a gingerbread train.Here are some pictures of the fun times!

December 19, 2011

2011-12-28T14:56:00.002-06:00

The 19th was a busy day for us! I also had another doctor's appointment. Things are still going great. I will go for my last appointment on December 27th.My Belly Shot (with a little guest in the picture!)at 37 weeks, 5 days.

Will's 1/2 Birthday

2011-12-28T14:48:00.000-06:00

Will's half-birthday was on December 19th. We got him a cupcake to celebrate. He also got an activity book that was cutting and pasting. He loved it! I can't believe how fast he is growing up. He is such a little boy now. He is becoming very independent and it is so much fun to watch him learn new things. He loves activity books and coloring. I can't wait to see how he will grow and change over the next few months.Waiting for his surprise.

New Book

Visit to Santa

2011-12-28T14:42:00.000-06:00

We took the boys to see Santa on December 19th. They both really liked seeing him and talking with him. Here are pictures of both boys with Santa.

December 12, 2011

2011-12-28T14:36:00.000-06:00

I had another doctor's appointment on December 12th. All still looked good! I will go back in one week for my next appointment. Here is my belly shot taken on the 13th at 36 weeks, 6 days.

Charlie's Baby Shower

2011-12-28T14:30:00.000-06:00

My friends from church gave us a baby shower on December 4th. It was such a nice day and Charlie got all kinds of great presents. Here are a few pictures from the fun afternoon.With my friend Tia

Opening presents

With Anna and Sarah

With the hostesses

November 2011

2011-12-11T21:29:00.009-06:00

November was another fun-filled month for us. We enjoyed our Thanksgiving break and the preparations for Christmas. We didn't have as many events this month which was nice. Here are a few pictures of our fun times.

The boys playing musical chairs. (11/8/2011)

My dirty boy after playing outside (11/9/2011)

With my big boy (11/15/2011)

Headed to Walmart (11/18/2011)

Will helping me make a cheesecake for Thanksgiving dessert (11/23/2011)

Santa's Helpers (11/25/2011)

Will checking out the singing Disney clocks (11/25/2011)

Will tucked in bed with his friends and Santa hat (11/25/2011)

The boys decorating the tree in the living room (11/26/2011)

Decorating the kitchen tree (11/26/2011)

Johnny J! (11/26/2011)

The boys enjoying the singing clocks (11/26/2011)

November 29, 2011

2011-12-11T21:12:00.004-06:00

I had my next check-up on November 29th. The appointment went well. My blood pressure was good and Charlie's heartbeat sounded great. So far, I have gained 27 pounds. I gained about 33 with the other boys so I am about the same so far. I will go back in two weeks for my next appointment.
Charlie is still very active, especially at night. I can just sit and watch my stomach move as he kicks and moves around. I am so excited to see what he looks like and how big he is! Only one more month to go!

Here is my belly picture at 34 weeks, 6 days.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-11T20:47:00.005-06:00

This year we weren't able to travel since I was too close to my due date. So, for the first time in my life, I was not in Ohio for Thanksgiving. We had a good reason for not traveling, so it was easier to stay home. It was actually really nice to have the week off from work and be home. We were able to get some odds and ends done around the house which was nice. I spent the week getting the boys' summer clothes put away and their winter clothes out. I also got Charlie's clothes out and washed up and put away.
I made a mini-Thanksgiving dinner. We didn't have a huge meal, but had enough traditional dishes for it to feel like Thanksgiving.
John ended up running a fever pretty much the whole day, so it was nice to be at home. I think it may have been a reaction to the flu mist vaccine that he got earlier in the week. He didn't have any other symptoms and was back to normal by Friday.
I always go Black Friday shopping with my family, so I hated to miss that. I met a friend at JCPenney here in town and we did some shopping. I also went to Walmart and Walgreens. I went later in the day so the crowds weren't bad at all. Friday evening we started decorating the house for Christmas. The boys were so excited to help! We finished up all the decorating on Saturday. The boys love the trees and all of the decorations.
Here are some pictures of Thanksgiving day. I will post some pictures of the boys decorating later.

John playing a "video game" and watching the parade.

The parade!

Will working on an activity book while we watched the parade.

34 weeks, 1 day pregnant with Charlie

November 15, 2011

2011-12-10T23:14:00.003-06:00

My next check-up was November 15th. My doctor thinks that Charlie is no longer breech. I seem to be able to breathe better so I think he is right. All is still looking good and I will have my next appointment in two weeks. The picture above was taken at 32 weeks, 6 days.

November 1, 2011

2011-12-10T23:06:00.006-06:00

My next doctor's appointment was November 1. I also got to have another ultrasound. It was great to see him again. He has such a sweet little face and looks so much like the other boys did as newborns
All is still going well with the pregnancy and Baby Charlie looks great. The ultrasound tech estimated that he weighs 3 lbs, 13 oz. He is breech but since I will have a C-Section anyway, it doesn't really matter. It does explain why I felt like I was carrying him differently than the other boys. I kept feeling a lump sticking out near my ribs that turned out to be his head!

Belly shots at 31 weeks (taken a day after my appointment, 11/2/2011)

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October 2011

2011-12-10T22:28:00.009-06:00

October was very fun-filled for us. We had our trip to Tennessee and Halloween. We attended a fall fest for the kids from our church. The boys also had open house at their school and it was Homecoming at Harding. It was a busy, but very fun month. It is hard to believe that Baby Charlie will be here in only 2 months and we will be a family of 5!

Here are a few more pictures from our month.

Fall Fest (10/1/2011)
Will playing a game

Snack Time

My boys!

Open House at the boys' preschool (10/18/2011)
JJ in his classroom

The Pumpkin Game

Duck Game

Face Painting

Playing outside- our brave boys (10/20/2011)

Homecoming at Harding (10/29/2011)
Bounce house/slide

Pony Ride

Petting Zoo

Halloween 2011

2011-12-10T22:15:00.006-06:00

The boys really enjoyed Halloween this year. Will dressed up as Spiderman and John was Superman. The Sunday before Halloween we went to a fall fest in town. They had trunk-or-treat and lots of games for the kids to play. On Halloween, we took the boys trick-or-treating in our neighborhood. They had a great time.
Here are a few pictures from the festivities.

On the way to the fall fest. (10/30/2011)

Our Superheros (10/31/2011)

John as Superman

Will as Spiderman

Trick-or-Treating with their friend from the neighborhood, Kate

October 17, 2011

2011-12-10T22:09:00.003-06:00

The day after returning from Tennessee, I had my next doctor's appointment. This was the check-up with the glucose screen. Unfortunately, I failed the one hour test. Everything else checked out well at the appointment and I got my flu shot. I also officially got on the surgery schedule for Thursday, December 29th at 8:00 for the C-Section.
I had to go back to the doctor on Thursday, October 20th for the 3 hour glucose screen. Thankfully, I passed that one!

My belly picture....28 weeks, 5 days

Weekend in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

2011-12-10T21:41:00.008-06:00

We took advantage of a day off from classes to take a weekend trip to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee on October 13-16. My mom and dad were able to meet us with made the trip even more fun. We rented a condo for the weekend which the boys loved. They thought it was great to play in the condo and to drive around town and look at all of the sites.
We were able to go to Dollywood for a day and a half. The boys loved it! They had a lot of rides for little kids that the boys really liked. On Saturday evening, the boys stayed with Gigi and Papa and Burt and I got to go out to dinner and do some shopping.
We had a wonderful weekend get-away. The boys still talk about it and want to go back again. I can't wait to go again, too!

Here are some pictures from out trip.

Papa and Burt relaxing at Cracker Barrel after lunch.

Gigi and the boys playing checkers at Cracker Barrel.

On the tram going to Dollywood.

Gigi and the boys walking at Dollywood.

Ferris Wheel!

Burt and the big hot dog

The boys on the duck ride

Waiting on the tram

Sweet John Jackson!

Train ride

Our big boy Will

The boys on the pig ride

Burt and Will on the elephant ride

Gigi, Papa and the boys

Our family

September 2011

2011-11-22T23:17:00.006-06:00

September seemed to fly by! We have quickly developed a routine of work and school for the boys. We are very thankful that our schedules allow us to not need a babysitter this semester. The only time that we are both teaching at the same time the boys are in school. Burt takes them to school and picks them up on Tuesdays and I get to take them and do pick-up on Thursdays.
The boys are enjoying school and are making new friends. I love hearing about their days when they come home. Burt and I are both enjoying our semesters. It is a busy, but great life!

Helping make banana pudding (9/1/2011)

John Jackson! (9/3/2011)

Helping pack lunches (9/5/2011)

Will at the park (9/7/2011)

The boys leaving school (9/8/2011)

Taking a ride in their "monster truck" (9/8/2011)

Playing with blocks (9/18/2011)

Trying on their Halloween costumes (9/23/2011)

Riding Bikes (9/23/2011)

Playing "boat" in a box! (9/30/2011)

John's 1/2 Birthday

2011-11-22T23:10:00.003-06:00

We celebrated JJ's 1/2 birthday on September 30th. We had a cupcake for him after dinner and gave him a couple of little surprises. He enjoyed playing with the cupcake more than really eating it!
I can't believe that my "baby" is 2 1/2. Where does time go? He is such a sweet, loving little boy. He makes us laugh all the time and it is so much fun to watch the relationship that is developing between Will and him.
Here are a couple of pictures from his celebration.

Will pretending to take a picture of John with JJ's new play cell-phone.

Cupcake Time!

September 26, 2011

2011-11-22T23:06:00.002-06:00

I had my next check-up on September 26th. Things are still going quite well. We get to hear the heartbeat every time and Charlie is growing right on track. The next appointment will be in 3 weeks for the glucose screen.

Here is my picture at 25 weeks and 5 days.

The Boys' 1st Day of School

2011-11-22T23:00:00.004-06:00

The boys' first day of preschool was September 6th. This is Will's 3rd year to attend this school but it was John's first time. They go two mornings a week for four hours each morning. They both love it so far.
Here are some pictures from their first day of school.

Will in his classroom.

John in his new classroom.

August 29, 2011

2011-11-22T22:57:00.002-06:00

On August 29, I had my check-up at the doctor. All still is going great. Burt got to feel Charlie kick for the first time on August 21st. He is becoming quite active!

Here is my "belly shot" at 21 weeks, 5 days.

August 2011

2011-11-22T22:35:00.005-06:00

Here are a few pictures from August. We spent part of August traveling. Once we returned, we quickly got back into routine for the start of another semester of school.

The boys helping me bake a cake (8/14/2011)

Silly JJ (8/17/2011)

Playing Musical Chairs (8/19/2011)

Playing with a sensory tub with pasta and beans (8/26/2011)

John and Daddy at IHOP (8/28/2011)

Will fell asleep coloring in his bed (8/29/2011)

John in bed with his "friends" (8/31/2011)

Disney!

2011-11-22T22:06:00.009-06:00

About half-way through our beach trip, we decided to head to Florida instead of coming home as soon as our time at the beach was over. We went to Ocala and spent the night with Burt's aunt, uncle and cousin. The next day we headed to Orlando! We spent two nights at the All Star Sports Resort. We got to go to Downtown Disney and to the Magic Kingdom. It was a short trip, but it was so much fun.
The boys loved Disney and did great. We were at the Magic Kingdom for more than 12 hours and they held up great. They both loved meeting the characters and really enjoyed the rides. Will's favorite ride was the "People Mover." He called it a roller coaster. John's favorite ride was "Dumbo." One of my favorite memories of the day was the teacup ride. Both of the boys were laughing and had huge smiles on their faces. It was such a fun family day. It really was a magical trip and we can't wait to go back.
Here are just a few of the many pictures from our time there.

Playing with Aunt Hilda while we were at their house.

Our room at the All Star Sports Resort. They loved the Mickey made from a towel and washchloths. The workers at the check-in desk gave them balloons and Mickey and Tigger.

Walking with Daddy

At the resort

Meeting Pinocchio

John enjoyed meeting the princesses. Will had to take a potty break, so he didn't meet them. I think the princesses enjoyed seeing a boy since it was mostly girls in line to meet them.

Will with Mary Poppins and the penguin

Mickey and Minnie!

Meeting Buzz. This was John's favorite character!

Will and Daddy on the "Dumbo" ride

JJ on "Dumbo"

The "People Mover" or roller coaster according to Will.

John on the carousel

Teacup ride!

Family picture in front of the castle

Burt and me!

Sunset Beach- 2011

2011-11-22T21:40:00.006-06:00

On July 30th we headed to Sunset Beach. We spent the night on the way and got to the beach house on Sunday. It was a wonderful week of family, sun, beach and relaxing. The boys had a great time. They enjoyed playing in the water and always love playing with the cousins, Aunt Debbie and Uncle Joe and Gigi and Papa. We celebrated Burt's and Tony's birthdays while we were there which made the trip even more special.
Here are a few pictures from the trip.

Coloring on the way.

Two tired boys asleep at the hotel on the way

South Carolina Welcome Center

Burt's birthday dessert

Playing with Cousin Tony

Watching Cousin David play a video game

Checking out the hermit crabs with Cousins Mario and David

Celebrating Cousin Tony's birthday

At the beach with Daddy

John Jackson!

Will

Our sweet boys

John and Daddy

Graduation

2011-11-22T21:12:00.004-06:00

On Saturday, July 30th, I graduated with my MSE. It was a very fun day and a great couple of days leading up to the big ceremony. I knew that my mom and dad and niece, Kristin, were coming into town on Thursday. The plan was for them and us to leave right after graduation to head to the beach. What I didn't know was that they were bringing a big surprise for me...my sister, Debbie! They even built the suspense by dropping her off on the street behind our house. Then, the rest of them came in and after a few minutes, she rang the doorbell. It was a huge shock. We all had a wonderful time hanging out before the graduation and it was helpful to have everyone here as we prepared for the beach.
Here are a few pictures from the day.

With mom and dad

With mom, dad and Deb

With "Dr. Burt"--still in his robe from the ceremony! :)

Debbie and me

Baby Bump--17 1/2 weeks

With my boys. They stayed home with Cousin Kristin during the ceremony.

It's a BOY!

2011-07-28T00:25:00.009-05:00

I went for my checkup and ultrasound yesterday (July 26). We found out that the baby is a boy! He looks very healthy and is still measuring right on track. He is very active and I started feeling him move a couple of weeks ago (July 6). I still don't feel the movement very regularly and it is not real kicks, just some fluttering. I love feeling him move and it makes the pregnancy seem even more real. The ultrasound estimated his weight at 6 oz! He was moving so much during the ultrasound that the tech had to chase him around to get good pictures.

I have finally started to get some energy back and the sickness has almost completely gone away. Thankfully, the obsession with food has also started to lessen! I was a little worried that I would eat my way through this pregnancy and be too big to leave the house by December!

The doctor said that all is looking great. He gave me the ok to travel to the beach in a few days. I will go for my next appointment in four weeks. We are still planning to do the C-section at the end of December.

The boys were a little confused when we first told them that the baby was a boy. The had both thought it would be a girl. Once we convinced them that it was a boy, they started to get excited. Will said to me today "Can you believe that I am getting a best friend" referring to his new baby brother. He said that John was his best friend the other day! I love watching Will and John together and can already imagine another little boy joining in on the fun.

We have decided on a name....Charles Turner Hollandsworth! He will be named Charles after my grandpa and Turner was my maiden name. We are excited to see what this little boy will look like and to see what sort of personality he has. Only about 5 more months until we get to meet him!

16 weeks, 6 days pregnant (July 26, 2011)

Happy Birthday to Me!

2011-07-28T00:20:00.004-05:00

My 34th birthday was last week. I had a wonderful day. That morning, Burt came home from work and watched the boys while I went to have my haircut. After I got home, I thought he went back to work. Instead, he surprised me by going to the Verizon store to get me an iPhone for my birthday! I love it! He brought it home to me and then had to go back to teach the rest of his class. He sent me a message later saying that he had arranged for one of our friends to watch the boys so we could go to dinner.
Burt took me to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in town. During dinner, we were talking about plans for later that evening. That is when Burt told me about the 2nd part of my gift. He had reserved a room at a local hotel for just me! We drove home and I quickly packed my bag. We drove separately to the hotel so he could get me checked in then he went to pick up the kids. I spent the rest of the evening and night at the hotel all by myself. It was so relaxing. The room even had a jacuzzi tub. I read, took a long bath and just enjoyed the quiet. It was the best birthday gift!

My Last Master's Class!

2011-07-27T23:54:00.004-05:00

I finished my last class toward my master's degree on July 15th! I only had to take one class and take my written comps this summer. The comps were in June and I found out a couple of weeks after taking them that I passed. Then, I had one class the first two weeks in July. It was on-line which meant I was able to do my classwork around the boys' schedules.
The night before the last day of my class, several friends surprised me with a dinner out. One friend showed up at the door and asked me to go to dinner with her. When we got to the restaurant, five more friends were waiting to surprise me. There was also a vase of beautiful flowers and a sweet card waiting for me. We had a great time just visiting and eating our dinner. It was such a great surprise!

Celebrating the 4th of July

2011-07-23T15:34:00.007-05:00

We had a very relaxing and low-key 4th of July. Burt didn't have to teach his class that day so we were able to just hang out and have fun. We took the boys to see Cars 2. It was John's first trip to the movie theater. He did really well for about 45 minutes then he started asking to go home. So, I brought him back to the house while Burt and Will stayed for the rest of the movie.
After the movie and dinner, we set off a firecracker that we have had for years. It had lots of pretty colors and made a fun popping sound. The boys loved it. Then, Burt and I lit some sparklers so they could watch them. All in all, it was a very fun day!
Here are a few pictures.

The boys before the movie.

Waiting for the "fireworks"

Burt lighting the firecracker

Pretty...

The boys watching the firecracker

Mommy's boys!

June 2011

2011-07-23T15:08:00.006-05:00

June was a busy and fun month for us. We celebrated our anniversary, Will's birthday and Father's Day. We spent a lot of time playing and just enjoying the more relaxed summer schedule. The boys are starting to play together more often now. I love listening to their conversations. They both love to sing and play their toy musical instruments. They also really like to color and play with stickers.
Here are some pictures from the month.

John playing hopscotch

The boys playing in their pool (6/2/2011)

Will fell asleep coloring one night (6/3/2011)

John looking at a catalog (6/6/2011)

Will with his tools (6/8/2011)

Will opening his birthday gifts from Mama Jan and Papa Gary (6/15/2011)

Will playing with tinker toys (6/15/2011)

Telling Papa and Gigi that another grandbaby is on the way! (6/16/2011)

Kitchen helpers (6/21/2011)

John Jackson (6/30/2011)

William Burton (6/30/2011)

Will trying to start a fire by rubbing two sticks together!

Father's Day 2011

2011-07-19T13:33:00.002-05:00

Father's day and Will's birthday were the same day this year. We had a quiet day since we had celebrated Will's birthday the day before. Debbie, Joe and the boys headed back to Ohio that morning, but Papa, Gigi and the girls got to stay with us for a few more days.

Here are some pictures from Father's Day.

Burt and the boys in their matching shirts before church.

Our family

After dinner, Will, John & Cousin Jami played in the boys' pool. They had so much fun!

Will is 4!

2011-07-19T12:55:00.008-05:00

Will turned 4 years old on June 19th. We celebrated with a Little Einstein's birthday party on the 18th. Some of my family came from Ohio to celebrate with us and we had some of Will's church friends at the party, too.
It seems impossible to me that my sweet boy is already 4. Somehow, that seems so much older than 3. Maybe it is knowing that school is in the not too distant future or seeing what a little boy he has become. He is so sweet and loving. He is funny, but can also be very serious when he is thinking about something. He loves to try to figure things out and is very into counting and numbers. He likes for us to read books to him and is spending lots of time drawing and coloring these days. We are so blessed to be his parents!
Here are some pictures from his birthday party...

The cake table

Birthday cake

Cupcakes on his special plate (from his first birthday party)

Will checking out his cake

Our family

Playing "stick the tail on the donkey"

Scavenger hunt to find musical instruments

Group picture

Singing "Happy Birthday"

Will blowing out his candle

With Papa & Gigi

Opening gifts

New bike!

Flying his kite that he got for a birthday gift

Our birthday boy

4 years old! On his actual birthday, June 19th

Could be a He, Could be a She...

2011-06-29T21:21:00.007-05:00

That's right...I am pregnant with #3! We found out on April 28th that we are going to have another baby. We are so excited!
I knew that there was a chance that I was pregnant, so I stopped on my way home from class to buy a pregnancy test. I took it when I got home and was thrilled to see the + sign appear. I already had an idea in mind of how to tell Burt (he didn't know I was taking the test), so I typed up a little poem, taped the test to it and gave it to him. He was a little surprised, but very excited, too.
We decided to wait for several weeks before we spread the news to many people. My family was planning to come into town in June for Will's birthday so we waited to tell them in person and got to tell Burt's parents while talking with them on Skype.
So far, the pregnancy is going great. I am a little more tired than I remember being with the boys and feel like I am hungry all the time. Some of my cravings have been similar (tomatoes, baked potatoes, hot peppers) but I have had some that have been different (bagels, fried potatoes, potato soup, eggs). I am thankful that the tiredness and sickness didn't really hit until after our semester ended. It has been nice to be able to be home and not having to work during this time.
My official due date is January 4th. I will have another scheduled C-Section and right now, the date that the doctor has in mind is December 29th. I have had one appointment with the nurse and one with the doctor. They did an ultrasound at the 2nd appointment and I was measuring right where I should have. I have a friend that teaches in the PA school at the University and she and a doctor that teaches there also did an ultrasound for us. It is always a relief and so much fun to get to take a peak at the baby and see that everything is going well.
My next doctor's appointment is scheduled for July 26th. I will also have another ultrasound and hopefully we will be able to determine the gender of the baby!
Here are a few pictures from the pregnancy so far...

Burt reading his poem.

The letter I gave to Burt to tell him the news.

It's positive! (April 28th) 4 weeks, 1 day pregnant

Mothers Day (May 8) 5 weeks, 4 days pregnant

After 1st appointment with nurse (May 26th) 8 weeks, 1 day pregnant

After 1st doctor's appointment (June 15th) 11 weeks pregnant

1st Ultrasound--taken at the PA school on June 14th (10 weeks, 6 days pregnant)

Link to Pictures

2011-06-28T12:55:00.004-05:00

I have posted a link to the boys' pictures that we had taken in May. You can find it under "Picture Galleries" on the left.

Our 11th Anniversary

2011-06-28T12:32:00.005-05:00

We celebrated our 11th anniversary on June 10th. I can't believe it has already been 11 years!
We went out to celebrate the night before our anniversary. Burt surprised me with tickets to the Searcy Summer Dinner Theater. I didn't know where we were going until we got inside the building! Burt even arranged for the babysitter and all I had to do was get myself ready. We had never gone there before and didn't really know what to expect. It was so much fun! All of the shows this summer have a Christmas theme. The theater was decorated with all kinds of Christmas decorations and the play was really good. We had a great time. The picture at the top was taken by the boys' babysitter before we went out on our date.
We went to Little Rock with the boys on our actual anniversary to pick up the pictures of the boys that we had taken in May. After we picked up the pictures, we took the boys to Chuck E. Cheese for dinner and some play time. It was our first trip there and they loved it!
Here are a few pictures from our actual anniversary. The pictures from Chuck E. Cheese aren't great because I didn't have our camera with us and had to use the camera on my cell phone to take them. The last two are our traditional cake pictures!

May 2011

2011-06-26T22:49:00.000-05:00

May was another fun month for our family. We wrapped up Will's school year and Burt and I finished another semester. We had about three weeks off together before Burt started teaching summer school. It is so nice to have the time to just hang out and not be on a schedule.

The boys are enjoying the pretty weather and love to play outside. They enjoy driving their monster truck and playing on the swing set. They also really like to play t-ball.

On Sunday, May 1st, Will promoted to the 4 year old classroom! He was excited to be in the older class and is doing well. John also decided to promote himself from the crib to the toddler bed! On May 24th, I put him in his crib for nap and thought he was asleep. Suddenly, I heard his bedroom door open and he came walking down the hall. He had managed to climb out and thankfully didn't get hurt. He acted so calm about it. So, starting that night, we moved him into the toddler bed. He has done great with the transition!

Here are some pictures from our month.

Having fun coloring.

Driving the monster truck

Will playing in the rocks

John sleeping for the first time in his toddler bed.

The next day, this is how he fell asleep for nap!

John playing library!

Playing with playdough

Waiting for their dinosaurs to "grow"

John Jackson!

Wiliam Burton!

Mother's Day

2011-06-26T22:30:00.000-05:00

I had a great Mother's Day with my boys. Will and I went to church. Burt stayed home with John because he slept in that morning. Will made me a gift in Bible class. He decorated a flower pot and planted a flower in it. After church, Burt went out to get us KFC for lunch and the boys gave me my gifts. They got me a flipcam video camera (I actually got it early so we could use it at Will's school program), candy, house slippers and earrings.
We had a relaxing afternoon and then the boys and I picked up a pizza and took it to campus to meet Burt for dinner. We had a picnic outside the science building and the boys had fun just running around and playing. It was a great day!

Here are a few pictures from the day!

With Will and my flower.

My sweet John Jackson

My boys!

Burt & boys at our picnic

Will's End of the Year Program

2011-06-26T21:26:00.000-05:00

On May 5th, Will's preschool had an end of the year program. It was really cute. We left John with a babysitter so that we could just focus on Will. I really had doubts that he would participate, but he did a great job! The kids sang several songs. The theme was songs about rain so they sang those first. Then, they sang some Bible songs. After that, all of the kids were introduced by the director. Their teachers had asked them questions and submitted their answers to two of them to be read at the program. Will's answers were very cute. They asked what he would say if he talked to Jesus on the phone. His answer "Hello, Goodbye." The other question was what he would teach if he was the teacher. His answer...."science!" That's my boy!

Here are some pictures from the program.

Will with his teachers.

With our sweet boy!

April 2011

2011-06-25T22:51:00.000-05:00

April was a busy month for our family. We had John's 2nd birthday party and Easter to celebrate. We also had the normal fun with our two sweet boys!

John is becoming quite the little talker. He is starting to put words together and making little sentences. One of his first sentences was "Dadda hold me." Another sentence that we hear more often than we want to is "Will-Will hit me!"

My parents were in town for John's birthday party which was a lot of fun. The boys love playing with them. While they were here one night at dinner, Will was telling knock-knock jokes. Suddenly, John started telling one! It was so cute. It made me think that in his head he had been telling them along with Will for weeks, but just couldn't verbalize it. His knock-knock joke was: Knock-knock...who's there...Car go...car go who?...Car go Vroom! It is so sweet to hear John tell it.

On April 3, John promoted from the nursery to the 2 year old Bible class. I had to admit that it made me a little sad. It made me feel like my baby was growing up a little too fast!

Will is still loving his preschool. He has a lot of fun playing with his friends and teachers. He is such a little boy now. He loves to talk and sing! He has started to lose his obsession with balls. He still likes to play with them, but also likes to play with cars, trucks, trains, etc. He also is really starting to enjoy coloring.

Here are some pictures of our month!

Playing in Will's bed at bedtime. John would love to sleep in Will's room!

Playing with the sand table that Aunt Debbie and Uncle Joe got the boys for their birthdays.

The monster truck that Gigi and Papa got the boys for their birthdays!

Bird feeders that the boys and I made from pine cones, peanut butter and bird seed.

Making birdhouses with Papa!

The boys loved painting the birdhouses...

With Papa and the birdhouses.

Fun with bath tub paint!

Burt and me before the faculty/staff dinner.

Enjoying their Easter baskets from Miss Anna.

When you live in Arkansas, tornado warnings are part of the springtime routine...hanging out in the hall!

Easter 2011

2011-06-13T14:48:00.000-05:00

We had fun celebrating Easter. The boys loved having Easter Egg hunts. We hid eggs several times in the house so they could hunt for them. Will also liked to hide them for JJ to hunt.

Will had an egg hunt at his school on April 19th. Here are a few pictures.

Will with his class waiting for the hunt to begin...

Hunting for eggs

Checking out the goodies in his eggs and eating his lunch.

On the 20th, our church had an egg hunt before evening services. Because it was raining, we had it inside. The boys still had a lot of fun, though!

On the 22nd, I helped the boys dye Easter eggs. They really liked it. Will wanted to keep all the colors separate. John wanted to mix them all!

The boys had a lot of fun discovering their Easter baskets. The bunny hid them and left them clues with eggs so they could find them. Will woke up first, found the eggs and clues and his basket. Since John slept in, he got his basket after church. Will helped John on his hunt for clues and his basket. They both enjoyed their baskets and all their goodies!

Leaving carrots for the bunny in their baskets on "Easter Eve."

The bunnies that the Easter bunny left with the letter with the first clue for the hunt for the baskets.

The baskets.

Will with the bunnies on Easter morning

Finding a clue

Baskets!

Will ready for church.

Burt and the boys walking home from church.

Burt and the boys

My sweet boys!

Will helping John find a clue for his basket.

John discovers his basket.

John checking out his goodies.

John's Birthday Party

2011-06-02T22:30:00.000-05:00

We celebrated JJ's birthday on April 9th with a Sesame Street Birthday party. He really seemed to enjoy his big day. Papa & Gigi came from Ohio to celebrate with us and some friends from church joined us as well. Miss Anna (Will's former babysitter) and her sister, Miss Sarah (one of the boys' current babysitters) also came to the party. Here are a few pictures from his special day.

The cake

John with Miss Anna & Miss Sarah

Checking out his cake

Blowing out the candle

Playing with friends

Opening gifts

John and his friend, Braden, reading some of his new books

Our Family

John with Papa and Gigi

John Jackson is 2!

2011-06-01T22:22:00.000-05:00

Our sweet John Jackson turned 2 on March 30th. Where has the time gone? I can't belive it has been two years since we became a family of 4. He is such a funny little boy and has a great personality. He smiles all the time and is just so happy. He runs, skips, hops and jumps and sometimes walks! He is a great sleeper...I think because he is so busy when he is awake. He gives lots of hugs and kisses and still is a huge fan of his big brother. We have been so blessed to be his parents.

John's birthday was on a Wednesday so we didn't do a big celebration. We had a party for family and friends a couple of weeks later (I will do a post on that later!). We tried to make the day as fun and special as possible. We spent most of the day playing. He got some gifts throughout the day which he (and Will) enjoyed playing with. For dinner, we got him our traditional Happy Meal from McDonald's. We got some Sesame Street cupcakes for dessert. He didn't eat as much of it as I thought he would, but he had fun playing with it and the ring that was on the top.

We went to church that evening to wrap up John's special day. That night, at bedtime, John asked to sleep in the toddler bed in his room. I put him in it, but he quickly decided he wanted his crib. It was so funny. It was like he understood that he was two now and ready to move into a big boy bed. For now, we will keep him in the crib!

Here are a few pictures from John's big day!

Opening his gift from Will.

Playing with his new blocks

Having a picnic for lunch

Happy Meal for dinner

Cupcake!

Bath time

March 2011

2011-06-01T22:05:00.000-05:00

I have decided to just start doing monthly updates along with posts for special occasions. I hope to be able to get caught up and stay up to date better this way!

March was a fun month for the boys. John turned 2 on March 30, but I will do a special post on that later. The weather is starting to get nicer and the boys love playing outside. John likes to chase birds. He will see one and take off running as fast as he can after it. He gets so excited and never gives up even though, of course, he has never caught one!

Will is turning into such a little boy. You never know what he will say. One day we were playing outside and he said "When I grow up, I might be a teacher." When I asked him what he would teach, he replied "lab." That's my boy!

We had spring break this month. We decided not to travel and just had a relaxing week at home. It was nice to not have a schedule and to just be able to hang out and have fun.

Here are some pictures from the month. You will probably notice when looking at the pictures that most of the pictures have both boys in them. They are starting to play together much more. It is great to watch them interact and listen to them "talk."

Helping with laundry (3/2/2011)

Brushing teeth after bath (3/12/2011)

Our little football player (3/13/2011)

Playing baseball (3/19/2011)

Playing dress-up (3/25/2011)

Reading at the library (3/25/2011)

Blocks! (3/29/2011)

Basketball (3/29/2011)

Playing with the train set (3/30/2011)

Bath time (3/30/2011)

John- 23 Months Old

2011-03-20T21:31:00.000-05:00

John is 23 months old! Since February only has 28 days, we have to count the 28th as his 23 month "birthday." I can't believe my baby is almost 2! We are already starting to plan his second birthday party. It is going to be a Sesame Street theme. His favorite characters are Cookie Monster and Elmo!
JJ loves to play with Will. He follows him around and thinks anything he does is great. He also still likes to play ball and loves "cat-cats." He is starting to like to color and draw more. He will play with a Magnadoodle and pretend that he has drawn a ball or cat.
John likes to give hugs and kisses. He is very sweet most of the time and is very funny. We have a few friends that recently had babies and he LOVES them. We have a couple of birth announcements on our fridge down low enough for him to see. He likes to look at the announcements, pat them and say "baby sleep" and give the picture a kiss. We went out to lunch with some friends with a baby and he kept saying "baby, baby, baby, hold!" because he wanted to hold the baby.
JJ is getting more into reading books, especially if they have cats, balls or Sesame Street characters in them! He will sit and look at them and pretend to read the books and loves story time before bed.
On February 11th, JJ peed in the potty for the 1st time! We aren't trying to potty train him, but he went a little in his potty before bath. He is starting to get more interested in the potty and will try to take off his clothes and diaper if he is wet or dirty and we don't change him fast enough! I am planning to try to potty train him this summer.
Here are some pictures from February:

Big smile (2/1/11)

Playing football (2/1/11)

Playing with the ambulance that Gigi and Papa got him for Valentine's Day (2/4/11)

Playing in Will's tent (2/5/11)

Getting to be such a big boy (2/7/11)

Having snack with "cat-cat" (2/8/11)

Snow! (2/9/11)

Measuring the snow (2/9/11)

Ready for church (2/13/11)

Playing baseball (2/13/11)

With his Valentine's Day present from us-- "You Are My Sunshine" Book (2/14/11)

Enjoying a cookie that we made for Will's class party (2/14/11)

Swinging with Will (2/16/11)

Resting in Will's bed before bedtime. He would love to sleep in there, but Will isn't as excited about the idea. (2/22/11)

With Will after story time and getting ready for bed (2/27/11)

Painting---23 Months Old! (2/28/11)

Will--44 months old

2011-03-20T15:11:00.001-05:00

Will turned 44 months old on February 19th. He is having a great time at preschool this semester. He is so excited to go and is really learning a lot. He got to have a Valentine's Day party and go to Pizza Hut on a field trip this month. We had another big snow storm this month so we all got a snow day from school.
Will is starting to interact with John a lot more now. He tries to explain things to him which is always cute to listen to.
*One day, he said to JJ "Bubby, you don't take things from people without asking." JJ's response: "Uh-uh"
*Another time, Will was helping me do laundry and was putting the dirty clothes in the washing machine. I went down the hall to gather up more clothes and heard Will say to JJ. "Bub, you can help do laundry- Mom won't mind." Obviously, I didn't mind if John helped with the laundry, but in my mind, I couln't help but wonder how many times in the future Will is going to say "mom won't mind" to JJ and I really won't be so happy about the outcome!
*The boys and I were playing in the living room and Will was going to his room to get something. Will said to John "Bub, keep an eye on Mom."
Here are some pictures from the month:

Painting with their Aquadoodles (1/24/11)

Ready for preschool-spring semester (1/25/11)

All my boys in the tent (1/27/11)

Our sweet William (1/29/11)

Brothers (2/1/11)

Playing with his Thomas Lego Set (a Valentine's Day gift from Gigi & Papa) (2/4/11)

Buckeye Boy (2/6/11)

The boys watching it snow (2/9/11)

Fun in the snow (2/9/11)

Measuring the now (2/9/11)

Signing his Valentines for his friends at school (2/11/11)

Ready for church (2/13/11)

Playing outside (2/13/11)

Will with his Valentine's Day gift from us....a "Super Why" activity book (2/14/11)

Baking cookies to take to school for his class party (2/14/11)...his party was on the 15th

Will's "car lot" that Daddy helped him make (2/19/11)-- 44 months old

John--22 Months Old

2011-03-20T14:50:00.000-05:00

It is hard to believe that John is already 22 months old! He turned 22 months on January 30th. He enjoyed playing in the snow we had this month and playing with all of his toys from Christmas, especially "Cat-Cat."
On December 31st, I was playing ball with JJ and we were counting the balls as we put them in a toy and he counted to 7! When I put John to bed I will say "I love you to the moon and..." and JJ will say "BACK!"
Here are a few pictures from the past month.

Asleep in his crib with all of his friends. Notice that he jammies are zipped up the back? If we don't put them on him backwards (we have to cut the feet out of them) then he will undress and take off his diaper and pee out the side of the crib! So, every nap and night, he is in backwards jammies. (1/4/11)

"cheese" (1/5/11)

Enjoying the snow (1/10/11)

Brothers in hats (1/10/11)

Play time (1/11/11)

Feeding himself applesauce (1/16/11)

We moved him from his high chair to the booster chair on January 23, 2011

JJ wanted to wear underwear...this was my compromise! (1/26/11)

John Jackson-22 months old (1/30/11)

Coloring with Will (1/30/11)

Will- 43 Months Old

2011-03-20T14:34:00.000-05:00

Will turned 43 months old on January 19th. We were able to have a few relaxing weeks at home in between Christmas and our spring semester starting. It was great to be able to spend time as a family and to not have such a busy schedule.
Will is turning into such a little boy! I love the things that he says and you can almost see his mind working as he tries to figure everything out.
Here are a couple of quotes from Will from the past month:
* Will was looking at our wedding picture on the wall and said "Momma, you were a princess and Daddy was a prince."
* Will was eating some pieces of pepperoni and I told him I would get him 3 more pieces. He said " If I tear them in half, I will have 6."
Here are a few pictures from the past month!

Will drawing a self-portrait.(1/7/11)

The picture (1/7/11)

Check out this hair! (1/10/11)

Snow Day! (1/10/11)

Cowboy hat (1/17/11)

Asleep with his golf club (1/10/11)

43 months old (1/19/11)

Happy New Year!

2011-01-14T21:13:00.000-06:00

We had a very quiet and relaxing New Year's Eve. We just stayed at home and had a nice evening. After the boys went to bed, Burt and I played cards and watched a movie. This was the first New Year's Eve that we have spent in Arkansas. Typically, we are traveling and are either in Ohio or Virginia. It was nice to have some time to relax and just hang out before we start back to work again.

New Year's Eve

New Year's Day--Playing Trucks

John--21 Months Old

2011-01-14T20:43:00.000-06:00

John turned 21 months old on December 30th. He had a great time celebrating Christmas in Tennessee and did really well with all of the traveling. He loves to imitate Will and likes to play ball and play with trucks and cars. His favorite toys are two stuffed cats. He likes to carry them around and has to have them both in his crib for nap and night time. He calls them "cat-cat."
John also loves for us to sing songs. He tries to sing along and likes to do hand motions that go along with the songs. He also enjoys dancing. He and Will love to chase each other around the house. They are very entertaining to watch!
One of John's favorite replies when we ask him a question or tell him to do something is "K" (for ok). He also frequently responds with "Uh-Uh." (while shaking his head no!). He is talking more and more every day. He is able to make us understand exactly what he wants. He also likes to take us by the hand and lead us where he wants us to go.
He likes to have his picture taken. As soon as he sees a camera he starts saying "Cheese!" When he smiles, his eyes crinkle up so much that you can't see them. It is hard to take a picture of him with his eyes open! It is so much fun to watch him learning new things and to see him growing into such a sweet little boy.
Here are a few pictures from the past month.

With Miss Anna (December 10)

The boys with Miss Anna and Miss Sarah (December 11)

Asleep with his "Cat-Cat" (December 13)

Cheese! (December 18)

Hanging his ornament on the tree--a cat! (December 18)

In front of the tree (December 19)

The boys with their gingerbread boy aprons (December 20)

With his drum from Papa Gary & Mama Jan (December 22)

Playing trains with Will-21 months old (December 30)

Christmas 2010

2011-01-13T21:08:00.000-06:00

We celebrated Christmas in Tennessee. We spent a night in Nashville with Burt's family then headed to Townsend, Tennessee to meet my family at a cabin. It was lots of fun! The cabin was beautiful and we had a white Christmas. It started snowing Christmas morning and kept going until the 27th. By the end, we had about 10-12 inches of snow. Our cabin was way up on a mountain, so the road up and down was quite steep. We were supposed to leave on the 27th, but they weren't able to plow us out. So, we were able to stay an extra night! They plowed us out on Monday (the 27th) afternoon so we could leave the next morning.
The boys loved seeing both sides of the family. They enjoyed playing with all of their cousins and got to play in the snow at the cabin.
Here is a link to all of the pictures from our time in Tennessee.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2153710&id=71005935&l=a7862c9ece

I am only going to include a few in this post! Enjoy...

The boys with cousin Joey

Our Cabin...Bear Lodge

The family that went to the cabin

Dad, Deb and me before the snow (December 24th) on the deck

After the snow (December 25th)

Mom, Dad, Deb & Me- Christmas Day

After more snow (December 26th)

The boys with their favorite gifts. Will with balls and John with "Cat-Cat"

Fun in the snow!

Will is 3 1/2!

2011-01-13T20:46:00.001-06:00

Will turned 3 1/2 on December 19th. He is getting to be such a big boy. It is amazing to watch him learn new things every day. He talks all the time and comes up with some funny comments. He loves to tell knock-knock jokes, but sometimes he gets them a little messed up when he is telling them. He has John trained well--John will laugh when Will tells a joke, even if it doesn't really make sense!
He loves to sing and will sometimes make up songs which is very funny. Over the past couple of months it really seems like he has grown up. It is partially because of him being potty-trained!
We celebrated Will's 1/2 birthday on December 19th. He got a truck Pez dispenser and ring pops! JJ got to share in the fun of the ring pops. They seemed to really like them!
It has been so much fun watching Will get excited about Christmas this year. He is excited about Santa coming and is very excited to see all of the family in Tennessee.

Will with his gingerbread boy apron. (December 1)

He looks so much older in this one! (December 3)

Making gingerbread cookies to take to school (December 7)

Opening his Christmas gift from Miss Anna (December 10)

Opening up their packages from Gigi and Papa (December 14)

So sweet!

Hanging his ornament on the tree--a baking bear! (December 18)

Celebrating his 1/2 birthday--December 19th
Waiting for his surprises

Momma's boy!

The boys with their ring pops

Visiting Santa

2011-01-02T14:43:00.000-06:00

We took the boys to see Santa on December 17th. They both loved seeing him and both told them they wanted a ball for Christmas. When Santa isn't playing Santa, he is a professor at Harding. He recognized us and asked Will if his last name was Hollandsworth! Got to love living in a small town.

John- 20 Months Old

2011-01-02T14:07:00.001-06:00

JJ turned 20 months old on November 30th. We had a fun month spent at Homecoming festivities for Harding, celebrating Thanksgiving in Ohio and decorating for Christmas!
John is starting to talk more and more every day. It is fun to hear his new words and to see how he is starting to understand things more every day. One day, we were playing outside and he had a ball that Will wanted. When Will asked him for it, JJ said "please?". After Will said please, JJ handed it over. I guess he is used to us having him say please when he asks us for something!
John absolutely loves cats. When you ask him what a cat says, he makes this very realistic purring sound. It is so cute. He loves stuffed animals and has quite a collection in his crib. There is barely room in there for him. His favorites are a stuffed cat and a little yellow lamb. He always has to have those right by him when he is tucked into bed at night.
John loves the Christmas decorations. We have some kid-friendly ornaments down low on the tree that he likes to take off. He thinks that the ornaments are balls.
Some of the words that we hear often around the house are "Lamby, cup, Papa, Gigi, Will, Dora, cat-cat, the end, ball, Brown Bear."
Here are a few pictures from this month.

Homecoming at Harding (November 6)

Will and John helping sweep (November 13)

Cheese (November 13)

Checking out the Christmas tree (November 13)

The boys brushing their teeth (November 17)

JJ eating Thanksgiving dinner (November 25)

Thanksgiving 2010

2011-01-02T13:33:00.001-06:00

We traveled to Ohio to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family. The boys did great with the travel. I am amazed at how well they do with the long drive. We are able to make the 13 hour drive in one day. The dvd players in the van really help!
We got to see lots of family while we were in Ohio and the boys loved playing with the cousins (as usual). They never have any trouble remembering the family and act as if they are there every weekend. Will even remembered his room from our trip there in May.
On the day after Thanksgiving, some of the girls in the family went on our annual "Black Friday" shopping trip. We even had matching shirts made this year!
Here are a few pictures from our fun time in Ohio.

The boys helping Gigi in the kitchen

Papa & Burt relaxing before dinner

JJ

The family hanging out at Thanksgiving

Black Friday Shopping!

Gigi playing with the boys

Gigi reading to John before bed

Will 41 Months Old

2011-01-01T12:40:00.000-06:00

On November 19th, Will turned 41 months old. It seems like he is becoming such a little boy now. Sometimes I look at him and I am amazed at how big he looks. He talks all the time and is so funny! He is starting to have quite the imagination and it is fun to see what he plays and how creative he can be.
This month we made our first trip to the ENT with Will. Apparently, at some point, he stuck a sticker in his nose. We have no idea why or when, but he did. When I took him for his flu shot, the pediatrician discovered it. He tried to remove it, but couldn't. So, we had to take him to the ENT to take it out. It was not fun, but at least the doctor removed it quickly!
I love the questions that Will asks and the things that he says. One night, he was saying the prayer before dinner. This was his prayer "Dear God, I love you for this food. I praise you with all my heart. Amen." One day when we were playing outside, he was playing t-ball. He said "My curve ball isn't working, going to try a knuckle ball." He also likes to pretend to hit "home runs" and gets upset if he doesn't hit the ball as far as he thinks he should.
I was preparing a demo for my lecture one day and he saw it and asked what it was. I explained that it was for me to take to school. He asked if it was for my show and tell!
It is so much fun to watch Will and JJ together. The other day Will "read" the Brown Bear book to John while we were in the van. John loved it!
This month, we went to the Homecoming festivities at Harding. We didn't make it to the football game, but the boys loved the petting zoo, pony rides and inflatables. They even got to see the mascot and band! Will also had a field trip for school. The students went to the director's house for a hayride, pumpkin decorating and games. John and I went along. Will seemed a little confused that we were there and didn't want to participate too much. JJ, on the other hand, thought he was one of the big kids and tried to do everything!
Here is our month in pictures!

The boys in the swing (October 20)

My helpers cleaning the bathroom mirror (October 20)

Playing at their table (October 23)

Some pictures from Will's school. The firemen came to visit and Will and a girl from his class...

Will riding his bike (October 23)

Field trip for school (October 28)

Helping me bake peanut butter cookies (November 4)

The boys brushing their teeth (November 6)

Big Boy (November 6)

Homecoming Fun (November 6)

With the blanket he helped me make for a baby shower gift. He also helped pick out the material! (November 16)

41 months old- November 19th

Halloween!

2010-12-31T13:42:00.000-06:00

The boys had a fun Halloween. We went trick-or-treating in the neighborhood on October 30. Then on the 31st we went to a festival for the community. The had lots of fun games for the boys to play and they got to trunk-or-treat.
We had a difficult time getting Will to wear a costume for Halloween. We had an OSU football player outfit for him, but he didn't want to wear it. Then, we tried to have him dress like a fireman. He didn't want to do that either. He kept saying "I just want to be myself" for Halloween. Finally, we gave up and just had him wear sweat pants and a football jersey. He liked it and called it his costume. JJ wore an "Incredibles" costume that had been his cousin Joey's. He seemed to really like it and got the hang of trick-or-treating very quickly.
Here are some pictures from the fun celebrations.

Will's costume

The boys

Watching for kids to come to our door for treats

JJ's costume

Momma's Boys

Will playing the football toss game at the festival

JJ & Daddy

Will & Daddy

Will doing the baseball toss

John doing the bean bag toss

John- 19 Months Old

2010-12-31T13:21:00.000-06:00

JJ turned 19 months old on October 30th. We celebrated by going trick-or-treating! He still loves to read books. When he knows it is story time he will drag the entire book basket over to the couch so we can read. His favorite book is "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See." He loves the picture of the purple cat or "cat-cat" as he calls it.
He likes to imitate Will. He loves to stand on the stool and brush his teeth. He knows which toothbrush is his and which is Will's. He thinks he is big enough to do everything like his big brother.
Here are a few pictures from October.

John trying to climb up the ladder for the slide all by himself (October 1)

Brothers! (October 2)

"Cheese" (October 2)

Playing blocks (October 4)

Climbing to the top of the slide without any help...look how proud he looks! (October 4)

Getting his hand painted at the Fall Festival at Will's school (October 7)

Fun at the park (October 8)

Ready for story time! (October 8)

Pumpkins (October 8)

Fun at the church fall festival (October 9)

Opening a package from Gigi & Papa (October 15)

Getting Halloween treats from Miss Anna (October 16)

The boys in their pumpkin shirts (October 26)

Enjoying a game at Will's field trip (October 28)

Ready for trick-or-treating! 19 Months Old (October 30)

Will 40 Months Old

2010-12-30T21:03:00.000-06:00

Will turned 40 months old on October 19th. It was a busy month for us. We had a fall festival at Will's school and also one for families at our church.
The boys have been enjoying the cooler weather and love to play outside. One day we were playing outside and Will went to kick a soccer ball. When he did, he almost fell down. He looked at me and said "I almost tackled myself."
Will has also started helping me in the kitchen. He likes to help me mix bread and cookies. Here are a few pictures from the month.

Playing with stickers. Check out the Silly Bands on his arm! (September 25)

Will with the pumpkin for our porch (September 25)

Playing with Papa Gary (September 29)

Will relaxing with his trucks that he got as a potty gift (September 30)

Brothers! (October 1)

Ready to go to a Harding football game with Daddy (October 2)

Playing soccer & football at the same time! (October 4)

Helping mix up bread (October 6)

Fall Festival at Will's school (October 7)

Playing at the park to celebrate a friend's birthday (October 8)

Fall Festival for our church (October 9)

First time playing the Cooties Game! (October 10)

Opening his package from Papa & Gigi (October 15)

John Turns 1 1/2

2010-12-30T20:54:00.000-06:00

John turned 18 months old on September 30th. It seems impossible that he is already getting so big. We celebrated his half birthday with an Elmo cupcake after dinner. He didn't eat too much of it, but he enjoyed playing with the icing.
He is starting to say more words this month. Some of the often heard words are "ball, kick, momma, dadda, Will, papa, please, thank you, cat." He loves to look at books and have us read to him. His favorite books are those with pictures of cats in them. We got him a new cat book for his half-birthday!
Here are some pictures of our growing boy.

Playing in the clothes from the consignment sale (September 4)

Enjoying bath time (September 19)

Basket Boy (September 22)

Playing with stickers from Papa & Gigi (September 25)

Playing with Papa Gary (September 29)

Celebrating his half-birthday (September 30)

Will- 39 Months Old

2010-12-30T15:13:00.001-06:00

Will turned 39 months old on September 19th. He has had a fun-filled month. He really enjoys school this year. He likes his teachers and enjoys playing with his friends.
Occasionally, Will likes to try to persuade us to change our mind when we say no about something. I am trying to teach him that arguing with me won't help. When he starts to try to convince me I tell him "All you need to say is yes ma'am." This month, he has decided to try to use that same logic on others. Once, he got up from nap and found me eating candy. I gave him a piece. When he asked for another, I told him no. He kept asking and I kept saying no and trying to explain why he didn't need more. Finally, he looked at me and said "All you need to say is yes ma'am." It was very hard not to laugh at that response!
Another time, JJ was fussing to get out of his high chair. Will told him "No whine bubby." JJ kept fussing. Will said "All you need to say is yes, ma'am."
Here are some pictures from Will's month...enjoy!

Our little Buckeye (August 20)

Playing his guitar (August 21)

Making Crayons (August 22).

Coloring with his new crayons August 22)

Sticker Boy (September 14)

He fell asleep for nap reading his book (September 19)--39 months old

Will Starting School

2010-12-30T14:48:00.000-06:00

Will started his second year of Carpenter's Kids on September 7th. He goes two mornings a week (Tuesday and Thursday) from 8:30 until 12:30. He is attending the same school that he went to last year and several of his friends from last year will be his classmates again.
This year, since he is in the 3 year old class, they have weekly show show & tell. They are going through the alphabet and were asked to bring something starting with A for the first week. He decided to take acorn shells!
He really likes school this year. He has great teachers and they seem to have a lot of fun. He likes to color and work puzzles and enjoys playing outside. It is fun to hear him talk about his friends and to have him tell us about his day.
He gets "homework" also this year. They don't have to take it back to the teacher, but it is a way for them to practice at home what they do in school.

Sorting his acorn shells for the first show & tell.

Before the 1st day of school

With John before school

Will's classroom and other students

Working on a puzzle

Homework from the 1st day

Doing his homework

John--17 Months Old

2010-12-30T14:26:00.000-06:00

John turned 17 months old on August 30. He has had a fun summer. He loves being outside and playing with Will. He tries to do anything that Will does. He is still easy-going and fun-loving. On August 19th, I told him said I love you to him. He looked at me and said "I love you" in his sweet little voice. It just melted my heart!
Here are a few pictures from our busy month.

Asleep in his crib (August 1)

Playing at the table (August 2)

My construction worker (August 19)

Playing blocks with Will (August 19)

Playing the piano (August 21)

The band (August 21)

Having a picnic (August 21)

Story time (August 21)

17 months (August 30)

Will- 38 Months

2010-12-30T14:05:00.000-06:00

Will turned 38 months old on August 19th. He had a busy summer. He had a great time traveling to the beach and hanging out with his cousins. He also enjoyed playing outside this summer, especially in the kiddie pool and on the swing set. He and JJ are starting to play more together and it is cute to watch them interact. He will start school in September two mornings a week again. I don't think he remembers much about school last year, but I am sure he will enjoy it again.
Will still loves to play ball and enjoys coloring and playing with cars and trucks. He is using the potty more often, but is not completely potty trained yet.
Here are a few pictures of the month.

Will resting in the chair with Daddy. (July 25)

Playing with his backpack (July 26)

Playing with marker lids (July 30)

Coloring with John (August 2)

Playing blocks (August 19)

Sharpening Pencils (August 19)--38 Months Old!

A few more beach pictures

2010-12-30T13:45:00.000-06:00

Sorry for the LONG delay in posting. I am trying to get caught up on the blog while we are off for Christmas break. We will see how that goes! Here are a couple more pictures from the beach trip that Deb sent to me. Enjoy!

John playing in the hotel pool with Jami and Daddy.

Will & Jami walking to the beach

Beach Trip

2010-08-21T23:35:00.001-05:00

We spent a week in Sunset Beach earlier this month. We had a great time. The boys did so well with all of the traveling.
We split the trip there into two days. We also went a day before we had the reservation for the rental house. We met up with Deb, Joe, their girls and my niece Kristin at a hotel close to Myrtle Beach. We spent the night in a suite and the kids got to swim at the hotel pool. We also took the boys to Broadway at the Beach and they got to make bears at Build-a-Bear.
On Saturday, we went to Sunset Beach and started our week vacation. The boys loved being with the family and playing with their cousins. John ended up with an ear infection. Thankfully, his doctor was able to call him in a prescription, so he started feeling better pretty quickly.
Both boys liked the beach. Will was a little more timid about the water. His favorite part of the beach was collecting shells. He especially liked the little ones. Every day he would go back to the house with a bucket of shells and sit with Gigi and sort them.
John was not timid at all with the water. He loved playing in the water and sand. He also really liked chasing the seagulls.
We decided to drive the entire way back without splitting up the drive. The boys did amazingly well with the drive. It took us about 16 hours to get home and I couldn't believe how well they did. The DVD players in the van really helped!
There were so many pictures from the trip that I knew I couldn't put them in this post. So, I am putting in the link from the pictures on Facebook. Please check them out.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2130671&id=71005935&l=fa1deabe9e

Here are a couple of pictures that I couldn't help but include on the blog!

John enjoying the sand

He was covered in sand by the time we went back to the house!

Will at the beach

The boys with Gigi and Papa

Our Family

This is my favorite picture from the trip...Burt & the boys at Broadway at the Beach

Turning 33

2010-08-21T22:29:00.000-05:00

Burt and I both celebrated our 33rd birthdays this summer. My birthday was on a Wednesday when Burt was teaching and I was taking a class. However, Burt got me a great new laptop for my birthday. It is even purple! I love it and it is a great help with my classes. Burt's birthday was the Monday after our classes ended for the summer. It was nice to have the day to relax as a family. Will wanted Burt to have a Handy Manny cake, so I got him one. Will thought it was great!
Here are a few pictures from our birthdays with our boys. Be sure to check out the videos at the bottom of the post!

My sweet boys made my day very special.

Burt's Handy Manny cake

Will checking out the cake...he was so excited!

Burt and his boys.

Yummy cake

Will singing "Happy Birthday" to me.

Will singing to Burt.

John-16 Months Old

2010-08-21T21:59:00.000-05:00

John turned 16 months old on July 30th. He is trying to talk more now and still loves it when we sing. He still likes "Twinkle, Twinkle", "God Made the Big Round Sun", and "If You're Happy & You Know It." On July 1st, John said "kittie" and on the 5th he said "cup."
We found three more teeth this month. On the 1st we found a molar on the top left--tooth number 9. On the 10th, we found the top and bottom molars on the right--numbers 10 & 11.
John loves to play with Will. He thinks that everything that his big brother does is wonderful. I love watching them together.
John loves to play outside. He likes to run around the yard and play in the boys' little pool. I am constantly amazed at how dirty he can get. He truly has fun and just enjoys life.
He also gives great hugs and kisses. He is very loving and sweet. We had some friends over who have a baby. John went to his room and kept bringing out things for the baby and would put them in her carrier. The sweetest part was when he came walking down the hall dragging his blanket behind him and gave it to the baby. He just melts my heart when he gives me that big smile that lights up his face!
Here are a few pictures from John's month.

Our sweet boy (7/1)

John with his stuffed animals (7/3)

Helping clean (7/6)

Sprinkler fun (7/10)

Dirty boy (7/10)

Pillowcase cape (7/17)

Trying to be like his big brother (7/25)

John LOVES his stuffed animals (7/26)

I heard some strange noises coming from the kitchen one day. When I walked in, this is what I found. (7/29)

Playing with the kitchen toys--16 months old (7/30)

Will-37 Months Old

2010-08-21T20:58:00.000-05:00

Will turned 37 months old on July 19. He is getting closer to being potty trained, although we aren't quite there yet. He is doing better with it and is starting to recognize when he needs to go without us needing to prompt him as much.
As John gets older, Will is becoming more interested in playing with him. They like to run around the house chasing each other and Will sometimes calls John "little buddy." Will tries to help John climb up on the couch or chair. I love watching them play together and hope that they will become even better friends as they get older.
Will had his first visit to the dentist on June 24th. He did great! He sat in the chair like a big boy and let them look in his mouth and clean his teeth. I was amazed at how well he did.
When we are out driving around town, Will loves to look around and comment about everything he sees. One day he saw a semi truck and wanted it to come to our house and play with him in his room!
Both boys loved having Papa and Gigi here for Will's birthday. When they were getting ready to leave, Will was upset and didn't want Gigi spending time with John. He said "I want Gigi to be my best friend." So cute!
Will loves to count and find shapes. He can count to 40 in English and 14 in Spanish. He is able to identify several shapes including squares, circles, rectangles, hearts, diamonds, crescents and octagons.
One day the boys were sitting having snack and John said "Da-Da." Will said "Daddy is at work doing science." A couple of days later Will was coloring at the table and told me he was "doing science." I have no idea what he thinks science is.
Will got to go to VBS this year. It started on June 20th and went for four evenings. He really liked it. The first night he actually fell asleep and slept through half of it! He managed to stay awake the rest of the nights and seemed to enjoy going.
Here are some pictures from the past month of Will.

Ready for the first night of VBS. (6/20)

So tired...fell asleep with his birthday balloons (6/20)

With his headband that he made at VBS (6/23)

At his first dentist appointment (6/24)

Playing with his birthday gifts from Miss Anna (6/25)

Hanging out at the library with soccer bear (6/26)

Potty time (7/6)

Playing with his new matching game (7/9)

He fell asleep playing his game (7/9)

Going to the ice cream truck for the 1st time with Daddy (7/11)

Playing in the band (7/12)

Having a picnic lunch (7/15)

Playing with a pillowcase cape (7/17)

John--15 Months Old

2010-08-21T14:41:00.000-05:00

John turned 15 months old on June 30th. He loves playing outside, especially since we have a new family of cats living in our backyard. They showed up the day before Will's birthday and have made themselves right at home. John was so excited when he first saw them. He took off running after them yelling "Cat-Cat!"
John really likes for us to sing for him. His favorite song is "God Made the Big Round Sun." He likes to do the hand motions along with us and will say "God." On the 13th, his Bible class teacher told us that he said "Bible" in class!
John also said "tractor" on the 23rd. He is starting to become quite the climber. He can climb onto the couch on his own and also has learned to climb onto the recliner in our room and then on our bed.
Here are some pictures from the past month of our sweet John Jackson.

Playing outside (6/9)

Water Fun (6/11)

Reading with Daddy (6/11)

Pool time (6/12)

Playing basketball (6/12)

Sitting at the table with Will (6/15)

With Papa & Gigi (6/19)

Chasing "cat-cat"---15 months old (6/30)

Father's Day

2010-08-21T14:07:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Father's Day on June 20th. Since it was the day after Will's birthday, Papa & Gigi were still in town. After church, Burt grilled out for our lunch. After we ate, Burt and Papa opened their gifts.
When John took his nap, Burt and I took Will to see Toy Story 3. It was his first trip to a movie theater. He liked the movie, but I think his favorite part was the popcorn!
Here are some pictures from Father's Day 2010.

Will delivering the gifts after lunch.

Papa looking at his gift.

Burt looking at one of his gifts from the boys (a photo collage for his office)

Will turns 3!

2010-08-21T13:34:00.000-05:00

Our Sweet William turned 3 on June 19th. He had a party with friends and Gigi & Papa Turner to celebrate. The theme of his party was "Wow Wow Wubbzy." Will was so excited for his party. He really understood what was happening this year and couldn't wait for the party to begin.
His face was so cute when he saw his cake and decorations for the first time. He isn't a huge fan of eating cake, so I had several kinds of candy for the kids in addition to the cake. My favorite part of the party was when we were singing "Happy Birthday" to him. He was singing along and had such a sweet look on his face.
He got lots of fun gifts, but his favorite was a guitar. It was a really nice party and Will really seemed to enjoy it. After his party, Burt and I took Will to McDonald's for lunch while JJ stayed home with Gigi and Papa. Will enjoyed playing in the play place and it was nice to be able to take him out for his special day.
I can't believe that we have a three year old. The time has flown by and it is amazing to watch his little personality develop. Here are some pictures from Will's big day.

Wubbzy Cake

Candy...yummy!

Decorations-The boys' babysitter made the sign and the construction paper chain

Will checking out his cake

Will singing along and enjoying us singing "Happy Birthday" to him.

Blowing out the candles.

Playing with his new guitar

Opening gifts

The birthday boy with Mommy & Daddy

Family picture

Our family with Gigi & Papa

Will with Gigi & Papa

Lunch at McDonald's

Playing in the Play Place

Our 10th Anniversary

2010-06-29T22:40:00.000-05:00

Burt and I celebrated our ten year anniversary on June 10th. I can't believe how fast the time has gone. It is amazing to look back and see all the changes that have taken place in our lives over that time.
We celebrated our anniversary by taking a weekend trip to Hot Springs, Arkansas. We went the weekend before our anniversary (the 4th through the 6th). Miss Anna, Will's former babysitter came to stay with the boys. She brought her cousin with her and they did a great job with the boys. The boys had so much fun with them and Will kept talking about "his friends" after they left.
Hot Springs is known for its natural hot springs mineral water. We stayed at the Arlington Hotel. It was built in the 1800's and is beautiful. The room had really high ceilings and glass doorknobs. We even had a real key to the room--not a key card! The hotel has a spa in it so on Saturday, I went and had a hot springs bath and massage. At the same time, Burt went golfing. We met back up for lunch and some shopping. We also took a "duck" tour of Hot Springs. It was fun to see more of the town and we loved going out on the lake. Then, we had a great dinner at the restaurant in our hotel. Sunday we did some more shopping then headed home.
We could not have asked for a better weekend away for our anniversary. We knew that the boys were being well taken care of and were having fun and we had a relaxing, wonderful trip. On our actual anniversary, we went out to lunch before I went to class and Burt taught lab. After the boys went to bed that evening, we celebrated with chocolate cake and watched our wedding video. It was lots of fun to watch the video and to remember our special day.
In honor of our ten year anniversary, I wanted to post some pictures of us over the past ten years (some years have more pictures than others). Enjoy watching us grow older!

Our wedding day--June 10, 2000

Our 1st Anniversary--
In our apartment in Grove City enjoying the top layer of our wedding cake.

Our 2nd Anniversary--
In our house in Grove City

Our 3rd Anniversary--
At our house

Our 4th Anniversary--
At our house. I am not sure why we both look so tired in these pictures. Burt was writing his dissertation this summer, but I don't know why I look exhausted!

A couple of days later at Build a Bear in Columbus (6/12/04)

Our 5th Anniversary--
In our apartment in Columbia, SC on our anniversary

Celebrating in Charleston, SC (6/11/05)

Our 6th Anniversary--
Build a Bear in Myrtle Beach, SC

At the beach house my family rented at Sunset Beach, NC

Our 7th Anniversary--
Getting ready to go out to dinner the night before our anniversary...in the living room of our current house (yes, I was hugely pregnant with Will!) (6/9/07)

Celebrating with cake on our anniversary

Our 8th Anniversary--
Apparently, we took no pictures on our actual anniversary this year. But, we have a family picture that was taken just a few days before.

Our 9th Anniversary--
Notice how tired we both look! 1 two year old boy + 1 three month old baby boy = 2 tired parents!
Burt with our new coffee pot

Me with the cake

Our 10th Anniversary--
On the lake during the duck tour (6/5/10)

Before dinner (6/5/10)

Our actual anniversary--celebrating with yummy chocolate cake

John--14 months old

2010-06-29T21:31:00.000-05:00

John turned 14 months old on May 30th. We were in Ohio for his 14 month birthday. John did great with the traveling. The only hard part is that he LOVES his crib. He slept ok in the pack-and-play but didn't nap very much or get into a deep sleep in the van while we were driving.
When we are at home, John sleeps great. He takes a two to three hour nap every day and is typically in bed around 8:00 at night. He will sleep until 7:00 or 8:00 in the morning. He sleeps all night most of the time, but occasionally wakes up for a cup of milk.
Speaking of his milk, JJ is no longer using a bottle! As of May 11, John started using only cups. On May 2nd, John was promoted to the older nursery class at church. He is doing great. He sits in his little chair and seems to enjoy the class. When we hand John something, he will say "thanks" and is able to sign "please." On the 14th, Burt handed John a cracker and he said "Thanks Da."
John loves to play outside. He likes to slide down the slide. I will say "ready" and he says "set, go." He also loves to play in the boys' little pool. He likes to splash and play with the buckets and water toys. He is starting to pay more attention to the birds and squirrels outside. He will try to catch them when he sees them.
John is talking more and more now. On the 28th, Gigi was singing with him and he said "over." He also said "Gigi" and "Dave." On the 30th, we were taking pictures of him and he said "cheese." When Papa walked in the room he said "Papa."
John also figured out how to go down the two stairs in our living room this month. He started doing it on the 13th. He sits down and goes down the first step backwards. Then turns around and scoots down the second step. It is very cute to watch.
Here are some pictures of our sweet boy!

Playing in the mud (5/10/10)

Playing with a car (5/22/10)

In the pool (5/22/10)

Watching daddy mow (5/24/10)

On the slide

Reading at Papa & Gigi's house--14 months old (5/30/10)

Trip to Ohio--Part 4--Memorial Day (3/31/10)

2010-06-29T14:09:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Memorial Day by going to a parade in Londonderry with my friend Brook and her family. We left John with my mom and dad and just took Will. It was the first parade that Will had gone to and he thought it was great! It was a very short parade so it was perfect for the attention span of a not-quite 3 year old. He got to be very close to the band which he loved.
After the parade, we went back to my parents' house and finished getting ready. Then, we headed back to Debbie's house for Tony's graduation party. The party was also in honor of Mario's 8th grade graduation. It was a very fun day.

Brook, Will and me at the parade

Brook's daughter, Olivia, and Will waiting for the parade to start

Watching the band

Tony

The boys playing

Debbie, Ivan, Dad and me

The Turner Family

Will playing with balloons

Burt and me

Will, Burt and Cousin David

Even though both boys took a nap at Debbie's house, they were exhausted by the end of the day. The both fell asleep on the way back to Gigi and Papa's house.

Trip to Ohio--Part 3--Kristin's Graduation

2010-06-29T13:53:00.001-05:00

Here are a few pictures from Kristin's graduation on Saturday evening.

Burt and me before we headed to Kristin's graduation

The group that attended the graduation

Kristin with Burt and me

Kristin with grandma and grandpa

Kristin with Debbie and Joe

Trip to Ohio-- Part 2--Tony's Graduation

2010-06-29T13:40:00.000-05:00

The graduations were both on Saturday, May 29th. Thankfully, one was in the morning and one in the evening. We went to Debbie's house and stayed Friday night. Deb found a babysitter to keep the boys at her house while we went to Tony's graduation. After his graduation, we all went back to my mom and dad's house for the afternoon. My friend Brook kept the boys that evening for us to go to Kristin's graduation. It was a great day of celebrating with the family!

Tony, Deb and Joe

Tony with grandma and grandpa

The Melucci Family

Tony with us

The group that attended Tony's graduation

Tony, Deb and me