Happy Father's Day Daddy!

We celebrated Chad and our Dad's this weekend.  Our kids are not really old enough to understand that Father's Day is a day for Dad to relax and take it easy.  To kick up his feet and watch golf all day if that is what he would like to do.  For our kids, Father's Day is just like any other day, kid-centric :)  We did cook breakfast for Daddy, steak, eggs and fried potatoes.  And, we ate on the back porch for an extra special treat.  We spent the day doing yard work, although Chad did escape for a couple hours to lay down with T to watch a movie.

I am never more impressed or in love with Chad then when I see him interact with T and Sarah.  The love that he shows to our children is immeasurable.  He has more patience than most of the fathers that I know and he is always willing to change a diaper, fix a lunch or rough around with them on the floor.  After spending 18 months with them at home as a stay-at-home Dad, the relationship that he has with them is different from most dads.  Chad knows what it is like to want to pull your hair out from the screaming that has surely taken place during the day.  He knows what it is like to put to rest 100 squabbles before 11am and he knows what it is like to go into the bathroom for 2 minutes and come out to what seems to have been a tornado flying through the house.  He has experienced all of this first hand over the last year and a half which has given him a different perspective.  I have been blessed with not only an amazing best friend and husband, but a truly outstanding father for our children.  One day T and Sarah will realize what they have in Chad and love him even more than they do today.  Thank you Chad for everything that you do for T, Sarah and me.  We love you more than you know.

Turned a Corner

The last time that our children spent the night away from home was July 3rd of 2009 only because Chad and I were running the Peachtree Road Race the next morning and had to leave before 6am.  Otherwise, if T had a choice, he would have been cuddled right next to me in the bed.  Until last Friday.  I picked up T and Sarah from my parents house and was informed by T that he was coming back on Saturday to sleep at Nana & Pop's house because they have lots of fireflies and he needs to catch them.  I was pretty surprised that he would initiate that and actually brushed it off.  The next day after swimming lessons that is all that he talked about and he and Sarah ended up spending the night with my parents without turning back once.  There was not even a mention of Mom & Dad when he was going to sleep.

The next morning, Chad and I went and grabbed some bagels to take to the house.  When we got there T said that he did not want us to come because he had not had enough time at their house (he had spent 3 days that week there and the night).  Sunday night as we were getting ready for bed, I came out of the bathroom and T was crying.  He was crying because he wanted to be at Nana & Pop's, not our house.  It is really bittersweet.  On the one hand, I want him to spend the night out and be comfortable.  On the other hand, I want him to still want to be at home too!  We definitely turned a corner in the sleepover realm but I am thinking that maybe we turned it a little too sharp :)

Mommy, you are my hero

Tyler and I were looking at old pictures last night.  Pictures of when my life was seemingly easier than it is today.  Easier in that we had no children, minimal stress, the ability to pick up and go on a whim and the time to just enjoy one another as a couple.  Easier in that we had no diapers to change, no little mouths to feed, no lives that depended on us to thrive.  Easier in that we were not consumed with teaching ABCs and 123s, making sure that little ones know what is truly important in life, we were not playing ball in the backyard nor were we blowing so many bubbles that our heads hurt.  It was just easier.  Oftentimes, Chad and I reflect on the 'easier' days and think that it would be nice to just go on a date whenever we choose, sleep until, dare I say 8am, eat junk for dinner if we wanted to and just be lazy if that is what we wanted.  There was not someone waking us up before the sun and hitting the ground at 100 miles an hour from the second they awaken.  It was just easier.

Easier, yes.  Complete, no.  I have always wanted to be a Mom and I feel fulfilled each day when I lay my head on the pillow.  These are some of the pictures that Tyler and I flipped through and our conversation is below each picture:

  "This is when you were growing in Mommy's tummy.  You were just a tiny, tiny baby but you kept growing."  I explained.

"I was little there too, right?" Tyler asked.  "Yes, baby, you were tiny here too.  And you kept growing and growing."

 "Until you grew so big that you were ready to come out of Mommy's tummy.  We were so excited to meet you and hold you."

On July 13th of 2006 you were born.  Tyler looked at me with that look that he gets when he is really trying to figure something out.  "Mom," he said, "with all the pictures we looked at you and Daddy went to a lot of places before I was born."  "Well, yes, some things were just easier before you were born and we tried to do those things when it was just Daddy and I."  "Mommy, I really didn't want to come out of your tummy when I was born.  I wish I was still in there" he said.  I explained that he could not grow forever because my belly couldn't get any bigger.  Why would you want to stay in my tummy, I asked.  "Because when I was in your tummy, I got to go everywhere with you and we were never apart.  I wish I could stay with you always and never leave you.  Mommy, you are my hero" Tyler said.  With a tear in my eye and a lump in my throat, I hugged him tightly and reassured him that we would be together as much as possible.

The little moments like these are the reason why I am overjoyed to be a Mom.  Yes, my life was easier but with ease you tend to miss the little things.  If my life was easier then I would not have the precious little faces waking me at the crack of dawn, I wouldn't be fixing broken toys or justifying why we don't have lollipops for breakfast.  If it was easier then I wouldn't have boo-boo's to kiss, stories to read, nursery rhymes to recite and songs to sing.  If it was easier I wouldn't have these precious conversations, I wouldn't be the hero, I wouldn't have four big blue eyes loving me with all that they are for exactly who I am day in and day out.  I will take a challenge any day in exchange for the Lord entrusting me with these two precious blessings.  I love you Tyler and Sarah.  You both have made our lives a challenge and complete.

Sarah's First Haircut

I took Sarah for her first haircut today.  You can tell by her expression that she was totally excited about the entire experience.  Sarah hates to have her hair touched by anyone.  She hates washing her hair in bath time, she will not let me get close to her with a barrette or rubber band and she cringes when T gets near her head.  Needless to say, we waited until she was 21 months to attempt the first haircut and I went alone.

She surprised me beyond belief.  She climbed into the car and sat there the entire time with the above expression. She never cried or screamed in fact she didn't utter one single sound.  There were a couple moments of intense eye rolling but that was the only reaction.  I think the pure terror of a stranger touching her head with scissors was enough to keep her quiet and focused on finishing the haircut as quickly as humanly possible.  This experience just confirms that Sarah will always surprise us.  Here are the after pictures, cute as a button!

Happy Birthday, Cooey!

Tonight we celebrated my nephew, Corey's, 16th birthday.  I always like to reflect back on the previous year and years when someone's birthday rolls around and this one was no different.  Chad and I started dating when Corey was just 2 years old.  Considering that Chad was an only child, Corey became more of a little brother to Chad than a "nephew".  They have had a special bond since they met and it continues to this day.

We have so many great memories of Corey and things that we have done with him over the years. From trampling through the creek to sleepovers when we were in college to visiting elementary schools for lunch to attending band concerts to vacations in Florida and Disney to making the trek to Camp Rainey Mountain for an hour dinner to tutoring, tutoring, tutoring our way through high school to playing with T and Sarah to shopping to just chilling out and for all in all just being a great kid to spend time with. We treat Corey as if he is one of our own and for the most part always have a laugh or two along the way.  He has helped us with T and Sarah over the last couple years and has been a big part of our family this year as he spent a few nights a week at our house for tutoring.  There are definitely two little kids that look up to him and miss him terribly when he's not here. We have all learned a lot this year and have grown in our maturity (Chad and I included).  Some days were smoother than others and some days we were just tired but I would not change a thing if I had to do it again.

We are so proud of the young man that Corey has become and is on track to become in the next few years.  He is inspiring to many young scouts which was recently reconfirmed as he served as a counselor at Cub Scout camp.  He is a leader in his troop and is submitting the final paperwork for his Eagle Scout this summer.  We are immensely proud of this accomplishment for Corey and Nana, too.  All things considered, Corey, you are a wonderful teenager so amazingly tender hearted, genuine, thoughtful, resilient, intelligent, humorous and fun!  We love you, Cooey and are honored to be a part of your life.

Swim Lessons

We had our first swimming lessons this morning at Swim Atlanta. Chad and I have really, really talked up the swimming lessons so T and Sarah would be excited.  As a child, I only had one lesson where I proceeded to cry so hard that I vomited in the pool and my Mom made the decision that I probably wasn't going to be the best swimmer.  Chad, on the other hand, wore goggles as glasses when he was a kid and has always loved swimming. It was not until I was required to swim in college (it was a graduation requirement to be a survival swimmer) that I developed a love of water, in a pool that is.   Here we are getting ready for the lesson:

No, we did not go to the lesson bearing arms we left our guns in the car.

The whole way to the pool, T informed us that he already knew how to swim.  He could do it all and really did not need the lesson.  Remember, Mom, we went swimming at Tom & Ashlee's pool last summer?  The one and only time the child has been swimming.  We proceeded to the lesson and let's 

just say that Sarah takes after me (minus the vomit) and T takes after Chad (minus the goggles).  Here's to summer!

Turtle Day

We took a trip to the Gwinnett Environmental & Heritage Center to see the turtle exhibit. We were able to see turtles of all sizes and some other marine life as well.  This is the biggest of all the turtles that we saw:

More than the turtles, we really enjoyed the water exhibit.

They have an interactive area where you can learn about the cycles

of water from rain to plumbing to treatment plants. Tyler had a great

time.

We even had the chance to play with our cousins, Dayton and Dalton.  They definitely showed us the ropes on how to do everything. I love these boys.  They remind me that, yes, things do get easier when you don't have to deal with diapers anymore. And, more than anything, they are just great boys that love their "lady" aka me :)