Henry updates

I forgot to include any updates on the man in my last post.

Oh, my sweet boy. Not even 2 and a half yet and already in 3T clothes. Growing up so fast!

- We are not quite ready for potty training yet. He seems to play better when his diaper is at full capacity. Zero interest at all.

- Since we'll need the crib for the little sister, we'll probably go ahead and make the transition to big boy bed first. We have a hand me down comforter set from his second cousin Noah with trucks and construction all over it, so he's pretty excited about that. He's sleeping great in his crib right now...so we'll see how it pans out.

- He talks ALL the time! His vocabulary is out of control. He's just started the "What is that?" phase and is so curious. The other day, we were watching a nature show with a moose, and he said "Hi moose. How are you doing?". He loves to watch nature shows, especially ones with tigers! He loves cats of all kinds and will sometimes walk around the house meowing.

- The boy has the sweetest and most caring heart. If Betsy is acting up and I yell at her he says, "No no mama. Betsy nice." He does not want me to yell at her. He'll sneak up on me, wrap his arms around my legs and say, "I love you mom". If I tell him no, he'll look at me with this most concerned look and say, "Don't worry mom". Yeah right!

- He is still obsessed with Mickey. We watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse at least once a day. We have a Mickey Mouse firetruck book and an Easter book that we alternate every night. We can't ready anything but those two books no matter how much we beg. Mike Mulligan used to be his bedtime fave, but now....only Mickey. Lord help us. I see a Disney World trip at some point in our near future.

- His favorite video is called Mighty Machines. It's a construction video that his Aunt Ashie sent him. He asks to watch it everyday. We have set up his own construction site in the backyard so we can be like Mighty Machines. Sometimes, he'll wear his hard hat and when I ask if he's ok, he'll yell back, "I working. Big jobs."

- He loves to climb up on his step stool and wash his hands and brush his teeth like a big boy.

- His favorite toy is still his Bruder garbage truck, which he loads and unloads with "garbage" everyday. He loves his piggy bank right now and likes to fill it up with coins. Blocks are a big favorite again lately. And he's just starting to like coloring and playing with stickers.

- He will do anything for a lollipop. He's still a pretty good eater, but is getting pickier by the day. Breakfast and lunch, he'll eat. Dinner, forget about it.

Henry and his best buddy Jack

Sliding!
We always have a shovel at the ready. The sand is endlessly entertaining.

He loves to watch sports with his dad and snuggle on the couch. Such a cuddler!

It only took him 2 years, but he's finally come around to the swings.

Right now, his favorite sport is golf. And he will tell you, "I love golf." Good thing we're moving to the golf course! He practices hitting in the backyard all the time.

The fascination with sports continues. Throwing a football or soccer ball up and down the stairs with his daddy. Yay!!

When grandparents come to visit, we get really excited and don't like to take naps. Then, we fall asleep on the couch at 7pm. Too tired to suck the thumb.

Our first time watching the Cars movie. I'm not really sure why we had a step ladder in the living room. Provided a good place to climb though!

And to pose!



Cooking in our play kitchen with our best neighbor friend Austen.

"Helping" mom make brownies.

His first attempt at photography. Look at the size of that foot!

I understand throwing all the blankets out, but how in the world did he get the mattress pad off??

The library makes me tired.

Love,

Lyndsey

A whole lotta life

I have not blogged in a long time.

Frankly, we have a bit a bit busy around here and I have not had a spare brain cell available to even think about writing about our lives. We have been too busy living it.

And that happens sometimes right? The past couple months have been filled with a whole lotta life. And that's a good thing.

A new baby- July 5th.

An old house move out- April 15th.

A new house move in- April 17th.

A new car- February 15th.

A new office- March 1st.

So much new!! Throw in our yearly winter sicknesses and work travel, and I admit that I have had days where I have wanted to pull my hair out with all the stress. My hair that desperately needs some highlights if I can ever find a chunk of time to go get my hair did. Oh, I've seen some gray stragglers in there. I have earned them.

This seems to be the way we do things around here. Let's do every major life change at once! Why not?! Yeah!

I am a routine girl. I like my daily schedules, to-do lists, and a little order.

In the wise words of Garth, "We fear change."

BUT...in the grand scheme of things, changes that would have thrown me totally off kilter a couple years ago, I am handling pretty well. And we are so blessed and thankful. The timing of our move and the baby is working out amazingly well. And Henry is growing up and being just his sweety boy self. What a great big brother he is going to be. Even though he still wants to name his baby sister Airport Seven and when given the question, "Do you want a baby brother or sister? (this was before we knew the sex). His response was "Nothing."

Look at me, handling all this mature adult stuff. Baby girl's growing up!

Speaking of baby girls......the little one is progressing nicely. Her heartbeat was strong and fast at our last 23 week appointment. I was glad to find out she was not affected at all by a 48 hour stomach bug I caught when I was up in NYC for work.

I threw up in a cab.

You read that correctly. I THREW UP IN A CAB. It was one of the most horrible moments of my life. You never feel more vulnerable than when you are yacking your guts out into a Gap shopping bag in an already disgusting taxi in the Departures section of Laguardia airport. And I didn't even have a crazy drunken night out to show for it. Lame.

Here's some pics from our gender ultrasound. These pics tend to creep me out, but I think the top one actually is a good face shot, minus the umbilical cord in the eye. I can totally see Henry in her little face.

I cannot wait to get into the new house and start on her room! This is such a big part of the nesting process for me. Being pregnant with the second baby is so different. You are so busy with everything that you tend to forget most of the time what is actually going to happen in umm....4 short months away. Oh, you know it will be the night before and we'll be scrambling to get the car seat in the car and all that stuff. But, we're pros right? This ain't our first rodeo.

Who am I kidding? I remember nothing. Let's just say a little prayer that I will remember how to hold an infant, rather than propping her on my hip like the sack of 33lb potatoes that I currently carry around.

My mama bought her nursery bedding on Etsy. Could you die? I love all the colors. Totally bohemian. She is going to be a total free spirit. Thank you mom!

And here's her dresser. I'm turning an old antique ivory desk that I currently already have into a changing table. I'm just going to change out the knobs with some fun ones from Hobby Lobby or Anthropologie.

I haven't decided on the wall color yet. I might go with something a little more neutral, like this color Coventry Gray I saw in the PB Kids catalog. Or I might do lavender to match the bedding. Decisions, decisions.

As far as the house goes, we are moving to a golf course community called Skybrook in our same town of Huntersville, NC. We love the neighborhood and already know some friends that live there, which is going to be absolutely great to have some other mommies close by.

Worst picture of a house ever. I promise you, it does not look like an orphanage from the 1800's in person.

I am changing my name to Scarlett. I have found my Tara. Can I walk down those stairs in evening gowns on my way to all the galas that I currently go to? And by galas, I mean play dates at Chick-Fil-A. Maybe I'll throw on some big earrings for some sparkle.

The kitchen is sick! This is my domain.
Marc's long awaited Man Room. Aka Football watching headquarters.
We are sitting right on the 12th hole.

The main goal of moving was to get a larger house to fit our expanding family and still have room for our visiting family. Plus, in the words of Beyonce (I am really quoting some legendary 21st century minds today), "Let me upgrade ya!" 1800 square feet to 3300 square feet. I cannot promise it will always be clean, but let me tell you....it is going to be decorated like a boss.

Can't wait to get in there already!

Love,

Lyndsey

Christmas in a Nutshell

Is there any possible way I can squeeze the entire Christmas of 2011 into one blog post? I am going to try!

Work went ahead and decided kick my arse with 3 huge meetings in the month of December. Only the busiest month of the year. Thanks work. I'm not bitter. I haven't even written about Thanksgiving yet. Always getting the shaft, that Thanksgiving.

Hence, I have not updated the blog with all the fabulous activities we have done to celebrate the holiday season with Henry. I cannot even explain to you how much more incredible Christmas is having a little one around. Last year, it was all about the wrapping paper and that's it. This year, OMG, it was like I was living my childhood Christmas' through him and I was a kid again!

"You mean Santa gave me an orange and a banana in my stocking mom? And some old toys that I forgot about? What?! How did he know that's what I wanted?! Amazing!"

(There were some new things in there too. No need for concern. I know this is probably the last Christmas I can get away with this.)

If you are reading this as an endorsement to have children, you are absolutely correct. Please. Have one. For Christmas' sake alone. You will be have a ridiculous goofy smile on your face all December long.

You will love it so much, you will happy cry as you listen to the same Amy Grant Christmas CD you've listened to for 20 years.

And then ugly sad cry and tell your husband you are not ready for it to be over yet.

And then you will realize you are an emotional mess and you need to get a hold of yourself.

A praline will help. And maybe a mexican wedding cookie. Top it off with a piece of peanut brittle and all is well again. Thank you sugar.

In all seriousness, we did have an amazing Christmas this year. We tried to pare down a little with the gifts and not buy things just to buy things. No lists this year. We went on pure instinct. I liked it! Required more imagination (thank you to Etsy for your imagination), but I love when the gifts have meaning. It makes it so much more exciting when they're opening your present!

My favorite gift to give this year was Henry's silhouette that I bought from Etsy for my mom. I loved it so much, I had to get one for me too.

I loved all my presents I got! I always do, I'm so easy. Henry's favorite presents were all his Bruder trucks. He got a Bruder garbage truck for his birthday and he is OBSESSED with it. Being apart from it for 6 days for Christmas break was a struggle for him. I could just tell.

See what I mean? He was so unhappy.

Bonding with the tow truck from Aunt Ashie. Gram got him a cement mixer too. I think I can go ahead and pack away all his other toys now.

A rare moment of not trying to tackle his second cousin, Noah, at Gram's house for Christmas. Aww, look at the look of concern! "Are you sure your arm is not broken Noah? I didn't mean to crush it with my body weight that is equal to yours. Me being 2 and you being 5."

We visited Dad's office for some old-fashioned Christmas fun. Extreme drawing!

Visiting Santa. This is the best picture we got. He neither hated nor particularly enjoyed Santa. He was much more excited about the dum dum sucker we gave his afterwards.

Sucker!!! Posing by the fake fireplace after watching The Grinch.

We hope you and yours had a wonderful holiday!!!

Best wishes & Happy New Year!

Love,

Lyndsey

Junk in the Trunk

Look at that booty!

I dare you not to smile looking at this photo.

Somewhere, Kim Kardashian is seething with jealousy.

Song lyrics are inspired by butts like this. Apple Bottom Jeans, Honky Tonk Badonkadonk, Baby Got Back, Shake Your Booty, Rump Shaker...the list goes on.

I know there is a diaper in there, but there is something behind it, let me tell ya.

And he did not get it from me. I have been trying to get a butt my entire life. My legs just flow right into my torso with no stopping point.

I know I talk about my child's size frequently. How me, being the delicate flower I am, birthed this beast of a man-child, I will never know. C'mon. Y'all know I am delicate. I am. Really.

I would have it no other way. The hugs and snuggles are so much sweeter with more to love on.

Today, I am thankful for this juicy little rump roast.

And many other larger things, like the food on our plates, the roof over our heads, and our health. And our family and friends. And our jobs and financial stability in this tough economy.

But today, I am thinking about the little things that make me smile and shoot a prayer of thanksgving to the man upstairs.

Yep, today it's the booty and the sweet hunk of love it belongs to.

Love,

Lyndsey

Twi-or-Treat!

I realize Halloween was two weeks ago and I am just now posting. I have been so absorbed in The Hunger Games book series, I have put everything else in my life on hold. The house is a disaster. We may or may not have gotten take out or eaten out three times this week. My fridge is barren. No fruit people. We have been drinking orange juice to fight off the scurvy. I can delay the grocery store no longer. But, I have also just finished the series so life will go back to normal.

I loved the books. I do not remember loving a book series this much in a long time. The writing is so much better than Twilight. You cannot even compare them. I am very sad the books are over, as the piles of laundry are taunting me from the corner of the closet. You win laundry. You win.

And back to Halloween! "Twi-o-Tweat" is how Henry says "Trick or Treat". And he would not say it during actual trick or treating time. Marc and I would say "Trick or Treat!" after we knocked on the door and Henry would scream "No!" and shake his head vigorously at the person giving out candy. But then he would take the candy and give a sly smile and perhaps utter a "Tank too". Not bad for his first time I guess.


He ate more candy in two hours than he has his entire life. The quantity of the candy in his bucket was too much to take in. "Bite? Bite???" after a Dum-Dum and a mini Snickers. This was followed by insanely fast running & pushing of the Cozy Coupe through the entire cul-de-sac while we handed out candy in the driveway. He almost ran over a gorilla.



Which led me to bust out in out of control laughter. How many times in your life will you see a random gorilla standing in the middle of the road? Gotta love Halloween.



Then Marc chimes in, "You know, the gorilla was my favorite Halloween costume ever. I was a gorilla for 3 years. Like from 11 to 13."



"You were a gorilla for 3 years?? In a row? You never changed your costume? That's really weird."


"I just liked being a gorilla."


I learn something new about my spouse everyday.



I will say, Halloween was so much more fun this year than it ever has been before.



Mickey & Minnie!

He thought the pumpkin seeds were slimy! We actually roasted the pumpkin seeds afterward for a chance. Umm yeah, delicious. Why have we never done this before?

Ignore my Quasimodo hunchback in this picture. I'm telling myself it's a bad angle and my posture is not forever ruined by hunching over a computer all day.

We had a fun photo session with Lisa for some fall family pics.

Am I the only one that absolutely turns into a nervous wreck when it comes to getting pictures taken? I stress about the outfits. I HAD to make a last minute shopping trick to Banana & Ann Taylor Loft since I had tried on everything in my closet and nothing seemed quite right. I worry about getting Henry to smile. I feel like I need to have multiple glasses of wine to just relax.

After we get them taken, I always have the biggest feeling of relief ever. And our photographer is the best about being super low-key and normal, while I'm over here sweating and singing "Wheels on the Bus" at the top of my lungs like some deranged lunatic.

All for the sake of this face. It's worth it.

Love,

Lyndsey