The Sweet Life of the Reeses

Amazing!

2012-02-10T19:22:00.001-05:00

This was in our yard today!

This probably wouldn't be that amazing if we lived out in the country, but we live in the city. Actually, the deer love our neighborhood because it has a little creek and lots of trees in a greenway that runs right behind the houses across the street from us. They are probably about as safe as they can be there since hunting isn't allowed in the city limits. As long as they stay off the main roads, we co-exist in relative peace and harmony although some of our neighbors may not like what they do to their vegetation. I don't mind though and just love seeing all the wildlife from my back window!

Dear Evan

2012-02-10T11:01:00.000-05:00

Dear Evan,

I want to write this little note to you so that when you are all grown up, you can remember how proud you made your mommy! I can't believe you are almost 5 years old and almost ready to start kindergarten. You are very excited about that, I know. I am so glad that you love school and learning so much. Although your Daddy and I already know how extremely intelligent you are as well as all of your other wonderful attributes, we love hearing that other people have also noticed. Even your new nanny who has only known you a week was just so excited about how smart you are and went home bragging to her own mother about you. She is preparing to be a teacher so she just loves being able to work with a bright child who loves to learn.

Yesterday, we had a conference with your head teacher at preschool, and she had so many wonderful things to show and tell us about how smart you are and how much you have learned. I just want to highlight a few of the wonderful things she told us:

1. She wrote us a wonderful little note that said, "Evan is a delightful little boy. He has matured so much this year. He should do well in school next year. I have really enjoyed being his teacher this year. - Mrs. Bowman"

2. She gave us your first "report card" which was all S's which means you have succeeded in accomplishing all the skills necessary to be successful in elementary school. You have wonderful language skills which your father and I always marvel at. You have always communicated with us and other adults very easily and your vocabulary is excellent.

3. You have been able to write your first name for a couple of years now and have also learned to write your last name this year. You can also spell your name orally which your teacher said was a great skill for your age since you don't just see your name and recognize the letters.

4. You have accomplished a whole bunch of other developmental and academic skills such as recognizing all of your colors, recognizing and drawing your shapes, recognizing and writing your letters in upper and lower case, counting and recognizing your numbers, etc. Before our conference, Mommy watched you do your money activities in your classroom. Every day, your teachers set up "stations" with different learning activities on trays. This week's activity trays were valentine themed so they were so cute to look at. You chose a tray with red paper hearts that had dots on them. You had to count and match the dots on the hearts with a heart clip that had the written numeral on it. I was amazed at how quickly you completed this task. You were also so funny with it because I immediately saw your OCD tendencies (you got that from me) come out as you picked up the hearts in numerical order starting at 1. You do not like going "out of order" for anything, and of course, I love that about you!

5. You also have excellent fine motor skills which have probably been sharpened by your love of video gaming. Ha! You hold your pencil correctly in your right hand (you have always been decidedly right handed), you drew your circle, square, and rectangle for your teacher, but she said you told her your "couldn't" draw your triangle. I assured her you did know how to draw a triangle. You also use scissors with great precision and can cut out very detailed shapes and objects. You can, of course, put together very large puzzles and that has been one of your favorite activities for a while now.

4. We already know that you are adept at the more physical tasks of jumping, throwing and kicking a ball, and are very coordinated as shown by your skills in sports.

5. You also do very well with dressing yourself, but Mommy had to laugh when your teacher mentioned that you do sometimes need help with your jacket. Mommy could just picture that little scene. You are so independent, but you get easily frustrated when your jacket has become tangled or is turned inside out. You also like to zip your jacket by yourself, but sometimes getting it started can be a little tricky which also frustrates you. Again, you are so much like me getting frustrated when things don't go your way!

6. Of course, you know your name, age, and birthday and even know your daddy's name. I had to laugh again when your teacher said you didn't know my name. I am just "mommy" and that is okay with me! I told Mrs. Bowman that you just hear me saying Daddy's name a lot more than Daddy says Mommy's name since I always have to call out very loudly for Daddy because he has trouble hearing me.

7. Socially and emotionally, you have developed and matured so much. You love playing with your friends at school, and I love watching you and your friends play together. You love to direct your friends in more organized games and pretend play. You have a wonderful imagination! You are also so kind and helpful and respectful of others. I never hear you say hurtful words to your friends or adults. You always want to help others. You are such a loving little man which is why you are such a great big brother. Brody is so lucky to have you!

There is really on one big goal we are going to work on with you. We have noticed and your teacher also noticed that you like to say "I can't" before you even try to do something. We don't understand where this started as we have always tried to build your confidence and self-esteem by praising you and telling you how proud we are of you. I cannot recall a task we have asked you to complete that you could not actually do. You just seem to have a little problem with believing in yourself. As your parents, we want to help you accomplish all of your dreams and do great things with your life. Your teacher suggested that we try some form of rewards system to help encourage you to stop saying "I can't" before performing activities. Mommy and Daddy plan to begin this system this week. Daddy already asked you what you wanted your reward to be, and you said bowling so I think that will be your first reward. We are going to begin with a weekly reward system and prepare a sticker chart to display for you. We love you very much, little man, and we want you to proud of yourself. You are just one of the smartest, sweetest, and most loving children I have ever had the privilege of knowing! We are so blessed to call you ours!

Love always and forever,

Mommy

The Creditors are Coming!

2012-02-09T11:10:00.000-05:00

He did it again! Evan can always find a way to get me laughing. This morning, I took him to school because we had a parent-teacher conference with his teacher (more on that later). Anyway, Evan insisted on playing his Leapster dinosaur game on the very short (literally not even in the car 2 minutes) drive to school. When he started the game, the game announced "The Predators are coming!" Evan giggled and repeated, "The Creditors are coming!" I just busted out laughing, and of course, he had no idea why I was really laughing. He just liked that he was making me laugh so he just kept repeating it. I told him, "Yep, Evan, the dinosaurs didn't pay their bills." Man, it is a shame that even the dinosaurs couldn't escape those pesky creditors, right? I then proceeded to use this as a learning tool and instructed him, "You have to stay away from those creditors, Evan." He, of course, giggled and said, "Yeah, 'cause they'll eat you!" I just love the way he thinks!

More Memories of Preschool

2012-02-06T21:44:00.000-05:00

I am so blessed that Evan has a great teacher who helps a devoted memory preserver like me have so many memories to preserve from Evan's preschool days. She captures so many wonderful pictures of him for me when I can't be there to do so.

My handsome little man is almost 5!

Playing flag "football" at My Gym.

Building ramps for their cars with his school buddies.

These boys love playing in block center.

They made penguin hats, wore black and white, and learned all about penguins last week.

Cute little penguins. I keep noticing a pattern here...Evan and his girlfriend, Ashlee, standing beside each other. ;-)

There's my penguin.

They even learned to eat like penguins...haha!

The Greatest Show on Earth

2012-02-06T21:29:00.000-05:00

We finally got the opportunity to take Evan to see the Barnum & Bailey circus last week, and his little brother got to go too. We have been wanting to take him for the past few years, and the timing was just never right. This year, we found out about a half-price deal on opening night which just happened to be on a Wednesday night (the only night Mommy doesn't have class) so we couldn't pass up the opportunity. Eddie checked Ticketmaster online and found some pretty good seats at $15 a pop and snatched them up. Daddy had been staying home with the boys so they took Mommy to work and picked her up since she works close to the arena in uptown. We tried to make it in time for the boys to get to go on the circus floor and meet the performers and animals, but by the time we picked up our tickets at will call and found our seats, it was only 30 minutes until show time, and there was quite a crowd already. The boys seemed to really enjoy the show, and we are glad we went!

My little ringmaster steals the show.

The boys in the ring.

Evan's daddy had promised him some cotton candy as a treat, and he got this special hat with it. It'll make a nice keepsake since it does say Barnum & Bailey on it.

The boys sit back in their seats and enjoy the show.

The ringmaster starts the show!

Brody just stared in amazement.

The elephants lead the procession.

The fantastic and colorful costumes were gorgeous.

Brody tries on big brother's hat.

Beautiful horses.

The "tall" man.

The circus is not complete without an astonishing tightrope performance.

My sweet boys having a great time.

Now that's a happy boy!

The show was called "Fully Charged" and it was!

The tigers performed well.

A "man" ladder.

Brody lasted through the first half.

About to shoot a flaming man through the air.

Gotta love the dancing elephants.

Elephants even played dead.

Smart animals!

And the grand finale!

WOW! WHAT A SHOW!

Brody's 9th Month

2012-01-29T21:33:00.004-05:00

Brody's Stats at 9 months:

Size: Brody is scheduled for his 9 month check up this week so we should know a little better about his size after that. We suspect he weighs over 20 lbs. now though. He still wears a size 3 diaper and has progressed to mostly 12 month clothes. The green outfit above was worn by his big brother during his second winter when he was over 18 months old, but we figured we better start letting Brody wear it now before he outgrows it!

Developmental Accomplishments: Teeth were a big change this month. He went from having only two teeth on the bottom to have seven teeth (four on top and three on the bottom)! He still hasn't attempted to fully crawl yet but is doing quite a bit of slithering around on his belly to reach stuff he wants. He likes to stand up more than lay on his belly though and is working on his balancing act. He can stand up for maybe 2 or 3 seconds on his own and can stay up for a pretty long time holding on to something. He has also learned several commands like "splash splash" in the tub, "clap clap" to clap his hands, and "dance dance" to move his little body like he is dancing. Brody still loves peek-a-boo and will just cackle at Mommy when she hides and then says "Boo!" Mommy and Brody also play ball together, and he does seem to have big brother's same affiliation there.

Sleeping: Brody is still sleeping well in his crib all night. We have also stayed pretty healthy over the last couple of weeks which is probably attributable to some pretty nice weather for January.

Eating: Yep, he still loves to eat, and with all those teeth, it is no surprise that he can eat more substantial meals! We are feeding him thicker pureed baby foods and mixed meals. His favorites so far seem to be pears and mangoes and peas and carrots although mac and cheese and veggies was also a favorite. He is eating three meals a day (breakfast, lunch and dinner) with either a fruit or yogurt for breakfast, usually a fruit for lunch, and a veggie or mixed veggie and grain food for dinner. He still gets about 4 bottles of formula (6 oz. each) a day with cereal. He definitely seems to prefer solid food to his milk now. He is feeding himself baby cereal puffs and yogurt bites and is very cute trying to pick his food up with his little fingers and get it to his mouth. We will probably try some more finger foods soon.

He's cuter than the quarterback...at least that's what his shirt says!

So sweet at 36 weeks old.

Suffering from his first little ear infection, but he was still all smiles most of the time.

Wearing big brother's hat.

Giving Daddy love for his birthday.

They have a blast together!

Sweet big smiles.

Brody loves playing in the bathtub...and makes quite a mess now going "splash splash."

Washing his face.

So sweet wearing another outfit of big brother's.

Oh how we love that face!

Sweet little smile.

Nothing says boy like OshKosh overalls.

"Oh Mom, are we done yet?"

Happy teething baby!

There's that big smile!

So pretty in his new outfit from Uncle Paul and Aunt Jessica.

Pretty in blue!

Sweet brothers.

The sweetest kiss.

Mr. Irresistible!

"I'm so cool!"

"My future's so bright, I have to wear shades."

But I do hate to hide these beautiful eyes.

Brody gives big brother a ride.

Sweet boy loves his "Mom."

He's getting so big.

Playing with big brother's valentine's puppy.

Wearing big brother's 12 month outfit.

Adorable!

Prayers for our Nanny!

2012-01-27T18:06:00.000-05:00

I write this post with a sad and heavy heart. We have had a rough week this week. On Monday morning, we awoke as usual to begin our weekly routine of getting ready for work, getting Evan ready for school, and getting Brody up and fed. Our sweet nanny called at about 7:00 a.m. sounding just awful and informed us that she was too sick to come to work. We, of course, told her to stay home and rest and get well. Eddie had a work meeting to attend that morning so I stayed home with the kids until he could get back at lunch time. I enjoyed the morning with Brody as I cherish any extra time I get to spend with him, and when Daddy returned, we picked Evan up from school and ate lunch together. Afterwards, I headed to work and then school. We didn't hear anything from our nanny the rest of the day but just assumed she was resting and taking care of herself. She is a sprightly 60 plus year old lady who lives alone but has children and family close to her. On Tuesday morning, we didn't hear anything from her so I called but did not get a response. I left a message and then went on to work because Eddie was available to stay home with the kids. I did not return home until almost 10:00 p.m. (my usual Tuesday/Thursday work/school schedule), and we still had not heard from the nanny. I had an inkling something was wrong, but I assumed her family would have checked on her. Wednesday morning I again attempted to reach her by telephone and received no answer. I then proceeded to call her daughter (I had her number in case of emergencies) and left a message for her. Then, I called my office to let them know I would be home with the kids again and left a message for my co-worker who was our nanny's friend and former employer. She got in touch with the nanny's daughter finally, and someone went to check on her. Apparently she didn't respond to their knocking on the door so the door had to be broken down by emergency personnel to go in. She was found unconscious and in very bad shape on her couch. She was immediately transported to the emergency room where tests were performed which revealed she had suffered from kidney/renal failure. She had always been in reasonably good health for her age except for some arthritis and orthopedic problems with her knees and legs that is expected in a woman of advanced years. She had also been battling some colds and bronchitis this winter. We just don't know what could have caused her condition to deteriorate so quickly. Dehydration, maybe? She was transported to a different hospital with an acute care facility and has been kept sedated as they track her enzyme levels and monitor her. Her enzyme levels are almost back to normal now, but she is still very sick and sedated and faces a long road to recovery. The doctors are also worried now about some potential internal bleeding. We are praying for a speedy and full recovery for this dear lady who has been such a blessing to our family. After coming to work for us this summer, it didn't take long for us to realize that she considered us part of her family. She loved her boys right from the start and gave them the loving care they need and deserve when their parents could not be there. She worked with Evan this summer while he was out of school on his reading, writing, and letter recognition. They made many art projects for me too. I know the boys cherished their time with their "Nana." She was just another grandmother to them!

Happy Birthday to our Papa!

2012-01-23T09:46:00.002-05:00

Evan and Brody wanted to send Papa Smith big birthday hugs and wishes today since they don't get to see him so they hijacked the blog!

We love you, Papa! Have a wonderful birthday!

Love,

Silky Love

2012-01-22T18:08:00.000-05:00

Oh my goodness, is there anything more cute than a little baby sucking on a blanket...especially when going to sleep? I have never had an experience with a baby being seriously attached to an object like a blanket or stuffed animal. I had a little boy who found his thumb at about 3 months old so I knew all about self-soothing, but I am just so tickled by this baby. Neither of my boys have ever cared for pacifiers and have never really been fussy babies. Evan could always soothe himself with his thumb when going to sleep. We are quite thankful that Brody never found his thumb, and we're equally satisfied that he didn't really ever like pacifiers...here's hoping we have at least one child who can avoid expensive orthodontics! In the last few weeks, Brody has really taken to loving his blankies. While he doesn't really have one favorite, he does have a pretty specific requirement for the blankie. It absolutely must have a silky soft satin lining. When he gets tired and fussy at naptime, he will get the satin part of his blankie and just hold it against his lips and make a little sucking motion although he doesn't really put it in his mouth. He seems to just like the feel of the soft satin against his lips. My only theory is that it somehow reminds him of Mommy since he started doing this shortly after we ended breastfeeding. He will usually fall asleep within minutes of getting the blankie. Seriously, he is just too sweet! I can see him taking his silky blankie with him everywhere over the next few years.

Evan's Snowman Story

2012-01-17T22:56:00.001-05:00

Evan had to "dictate" a story tonight about his snowman friend as part of his homework. His class has a notebook with all their stories written in it. I thought Evan's story was very cute and shows a lot of potential for storytelling. He has always had a great imagination.

If I had a snowman for a friend, I would take him to the grocery store. We would go to the freezer section and watch TV. We would watch shows about snowmen. I would eat some carrots, but Mr. Snowman would not because his nose is a carrot. Mr. Snowman would eat snow cream instead to keep him nice and cold. After lunch, we would go ice skating and enjoy playing together.

The End.

(I especially liked that his story recognized that the snowman needed to stay cold. Some of the other class stories had snowmen playing in volcanoes and getting warm by the fire. Ha!)

Happy Birthday to the bestest Daddy in the world!

2012-01-14T21:58:00.000-05:00

Around here, we definitely love our Daddy (or Dada as he is affectionately termed by one in the house). I often feel that Daddy's birthday is "uneventful" because it follows so closely on the heels of Christmas, and we are usually trying to unwind from the busy holiday season. Daddy always understands and just enjoys being with his family. Usually, Evan and Mommy like to make him a special cake, but we were just too busy this year because Mommy had to take care of both boys by herself that morning (Saturday) while Daddy had to go help with a booth at the annual Landscape Expo in Charlotte. He returned in time for lunch, and Grandma came up so we took Daddy out to eat...he picked Tony Roma's. After lunch, Evan and Mommy stopped to pick out Daddy a yummy ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins. We all enjoyed going home and spending a wonderful afternoon playing outside in the backyard on an unusually balmy day in January. We hope Daddy enjoyed his special day as much as we enjoyed being with him! We sure do love him and know he is the best!

A perfect cake for Daddy...red and white for N.C. State with oreo cookie ice cream inside!

Daddy with his boys and Mama.

Singing happy birthday and getting ready to blow out his candles.

Evan was a big help to Daddy!

The Cutest Video Ever

2012-01-11T20:48:00.001-05:00

Video: We really think this may be the cutest video we've ever seen. Brody just had so much fun entertaining his six month old cousin, Cate, at Christmas this year. He has been waiting for her to learn to sit up with him.

Happy New Year 2012!

2012-01-02T09:20:00.001-05:00

We were so glad to just spend a wonderful night together as a family as we ended another wonderful year together. Our little family grew in size and love this year, and we look forward to another amazing year in 2012. The boys enjoyed celebrating the New Year together although neither lasted until midnight. Here is just some of the cuteness that we experienced this New Year's:

He thinks his big brother is so funny!

After a little too much partying...

Our trumpet playing, superhero, leprechaun son...he has many talents!

The last few years since becoming parents just seem to keep getting better. Although every year has had its own share of hard times (don't they all?), we seriously always have way more good memories than bad when we leave it behind. Let's see if I can summarize our year in just a few pictures (when I take 1000s):

January

We began the new year with some nice snow to play in.

And celebrated Daddy's birthday too!

February

We spent Valentine's with the ones we love!

March

Evan started playing t-ball!

And turned 4 with a fabulous birthday party at Panther Stadium!

April

We celebrated a wonderful Easter together.

And welcomed the arrival of our sweet baby Brody!

We became a family of 4!

May

Mommy celebrated her first mother's day with her two babies.

And Brody went to the beach for the very first time.

June

Evan got a trophy for playing a great season of T-ball.

And Evan went to the dentist for the first time.

And Brody started giving us big smiles!

And Brody and Evan welcomed their new cousin Cate.

July

We enjoyed another trip to the beach.

And Brody's 1st 4th of July fireworks.

August

Evan tried out for soccer.

Brody went swimming.

And Evan too.

And we all went to Discovery Place Kids!

September

Evan started Pre-K!

Evan also played his first soccer games.

And we all enjoyed another fun trip to Myrtle Beach!

Mommy also celebrated getting another year older.

October

Evan had lots of fun at school.

Brody went to the pumpkin patch.

Well, we all did!

Brody enjoyed his first halloween.

And the boys enjoyed dressing up as a pirate and parrot duo too!

November

Evan's soccer team finished up a great season.

And Evan got another trophy!

We all enjoyed a wonderful family Thanksgiving.

And Evan enjoyed his first trip to Chuck E. Cheese!

December

Brody enjoyed meeting Santa!

Mommy and Daddy enjoyed one of the best presents in the world!

And our family enjoyed the best Christmas of our lives!

Brody's 8th Month ~ Celebrating his 1st Christmas!

2011-12-31T11:29:00.001-05:00

Brody's 8th month was chock full of excitement and merriment from the Christmas season. I find myself constantly comparing my two boys and am finding that harder and harder to do as they show me that they are each unique individuals with their own "style." Brody, of course, is a lot bigger than Evan was. He is a great eater. Besides the obvious differences in their sizes, there are more subtle differences. Evan was almost 9 months old at his first Christmas and was already crawling around and pulling up on the furniture. He may have been small, but he didn't let that slow him down. I keep expecting Brody to do the same things his big brother did, but he has a mind of his own. He has done some things a month earlier than big brother (like sitting up), and some things at almost the same time (like sleeping through the night and giggling). I am not worried about his development at all and am just so happy that I am raising two healthy, happy little boys. Brody continues to bring so much joy to our little family.

Brody's Stats at 8 months:

Size: Although we aren't scheduled to go back to the doctor for another month, Mommy weighed Brody at home on the digital scales and found that Brody now weighs 20.8 lbs. Wow! I never thought I would have a 20 lb. baby at 8 months old. Evan didn't weigh 20 lbs. until he was well over a year old. We aren't sure how long Brody is, but he does seem pretty long for his age. He doesn't appear to be too chubby, but he does have some adorable chunky thighs like his Daddy. He still wears a size 3 diaper and mostly 6 to 9 month clothes although his jeans have gotten a little tight.

Developmental Accomplishments: Brody still only has 2 bottom teeth. He still hasn't attempted to crawl yet and really just acts like he would prefer to not be on his belly. Mommy will help him get into a crawl position, and he will remain in that position for a few minutes and even make a rocking motion, but he doesn't want to try to move his hands and knees. She has tried putting some desireable objects just out of reach to encourage him to move, but he usually just gets frustrated. We think he's a little stubborn. He has started swaying to music like he wants to dance and has also learned to clap his little hands together which is a pretty big skill for an 8 month old. He is a strong baby and although he hasn't attempted to pull himself up on furniture to stand, he likes when we stand him up and will hold onto his play table or lion walker for a long time. Brody also loves peek-a-boo now and will just cackle at Mommy when she hides behind her hands and then says "Boo!" That is probably his favorite game right now.

Sleeping: Brody moved into his own room at the beginning of this month and has been sleeping in his crib. Mommy and Daddy preferred to keep him in their room as long as possible. Although he has passed the period where the risk of SIDS is the greatest, we still want to do all we can to keep him safe. We use his Angelcare monitor in his room which has a wonderfully clear sound monitor as well as the sensor pad that alerts us if movement isn't detected. He has still been sleeping very well through the night although he has had a rough cold that has caused him to wake up a little more frequently. He is still too busy to want to take long naps during the day.

Eating: Boy, does this baby love to eat! He is eating three meals a day (breakfast, lunch and dinner) with either a fruit or yogurt for breakfast, usually a fruit for lunch, and a veggie or mixed veggie and grain food for dinner. He usually gets 4 bottles of formula (6 oz. each) a day with cereal, but he has been leaving some milk in some of his bottles. He definitely seems to prefer solid food to his milk now. He also recently started feeding himself some baby cereal puffs and yogurt bites and is very cute trying to pick his food up with his little fingers and get it to his mouth. Sadly breastfeeding ended this month as Brody seemed to have lost interest, and Mommy's production had diminished greatly. Mommy and Brody still try to get plenty of cuddle time together though. I feel okay with the breastfeeding because I feel like I surpassed my personal goal. I had doubted that with my schedule of work and school that I would be able to even make it to six months, but we managed to continue for over seven months.

Mommy could seriously eat this baby up in his candy cane striped pajamas. She loved these when they were big brothers, and she still loves them on her little Bro-Bro! (Yep, she calls him that a lot.)

Showing his "mad" face.

Not digging tummy time too much.

Had to get a shot of that adorable reindeer booty.

There's our happy baby!

So stinkin' cute!

Just hangin' out in his crib for a while.

No, he isn't pulling himself up yet, but he can stand up for quite a while.

Riding his fire truck.

So excited about Christmas.

Brody meets Elmo.

And it was love at first sight.

We just love this face.

First night in his crib...yes, we just moved him to his room. We have always wanted to keep them in our room as long as possible for our own peace of mind. We love having them close!

Sweet sleeping baby...looks like an angel to me!

Playing with his best friend in the world.

He discovered Peepers again.

Driving his first car.

And rode on top of the ambulance.

Making silly faces in the fun mirror.

He loved this little puzzle game at the mall's play area.

Bath time is a real treat.

He loves his bucket.

Big brother shows him how to play with Transformers.

So happy for bath time with big brother now. He thinks he is so big!

Playing in Evan's new dinosaur tent that he got from his best neighbor buddy, Zachary.

Love watching these boys playing together!

Gives new meaning to the phrase "brotherly love." Now, we definitely understand what it means.

Brody learning to play the guitar.

So big standing at his new activity table.

He loves his new toy.

Playing with one of his favorite Christmas presents.

Evan's Christmas Program

2011-12-30T21:23:00.000-05:00

Evan's little preschool Christmas program was so sweet and special this year at his new school. The kids were just precious, and Evan even had his first speaking part. He had to memorize his line too! He said, "R is for reindeer that pull Santa's sleigh." We were so proud of him. And as you can see, he got the front and center position on the stage so he was our little "star" this year!

Evan and his buddy Jack making their pine cone Christmas trees.

Of course, he LOVED this Santa puzzle.

Evan and his buddy Daniel playing a Christmas game of tic-tac-toe.

Evan's teacher reading a special Christmas story before the program.

Awww, our little angel got his wings!

A quick lunch before their performance.

The stage is set.

A whole bunch of little angels. Really, what a great class!

Oh my goodness, our little reindeer is just precious!

Evan got to perform his favorite song, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer."

Cheese Daddy!

Christmas Videos!

2011-12-30T04:32:00.001-05:00

Video: Christmas Morning 2011 at the Reese house! Both of these boys were so excited to see what Santa brought them.

Video: This was a small part of Evan's Preschool Christmas Program. What a cute bunch of little angels, and of course, we do think ours is especially cute!

Christmas with the Reeses/Hudsons

2011-12-29T22:05:00.000-05:00

Our third Christmas celebration this year was with Eddie's family. Wow, what a crowd we all are now when we all get together. Of course, there were several of us missing since we are all getting more spread out now, but there was still quite a crowd. We initially all get together at Eddie's Aunt Dava's house for some yummy food and a fun game of "Dirty Santa." Everyone always has a good time and the game usually gets pretty competitive as some of the gifts are highly desireable. After the extended family separates, we usually head over to Great-Grandpa's to do our little family Christmas with Eddie's Mom (Grandma), sister, etc. Brody got to meet lots more of his family, and Evan enjoyed getting to play with Grandma again.

Brody and his Grandma.

Aunt Dava passes out numbers and directs the game of Dirty Santa.

Brody enjoys meeting cousins Andrew and Ashley.

Brody really liked Ashley.

We enjoyed seeing cousin Marian and Robert too.

All the boys love cousin Jason!

Evan liked "cousin" Sophie!

Aunt Naomi brought Sam to his first Christmas.

Brody with Aunt Naomi and "Uncle" Sam.

The Reese clan

Grandpa with all his kids.

Just a few of Grandpa's great-grandkids.

Brody hanging out with Great-Grandpa.

Evan gives Great-Grandpa a helping hand.

He's a big helper!

Evan gets a big present.

The big remote control helicopter he asked for that you can actually shoot down with surface to air missiles. Oh my!

Brody got some fun cups...seriously, he loves to play with a cup!

Big guy got his own guitar!

Grandma and Papa James having fun.

Awww, young love!

Mommy got some lovely earrings and a pretty little sweater dress.

Although we all had a wonderful Christmas and received many nice gifts, we hope to always remember that being together for Christmas is more important than expensive gifts.

Our "Magical" Christmas Morning

2011-12-29T12:42:00.000-05:00

I have always missed those Christmases past when I was so excited to wake up on Christmas morning in my own house and couldn't wait to see what Santa had laid beneath my tree and put into my stocking. Somehow, even after I "logically" knew who the real Santa was, it still felt magical. Maybe it was just the joy of being together as a family with the warm glow of the Christmas tree shining in the background. Whatever the reason, I have always wanted to give my children this same experience. We have always planned our Christmas around being at home on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning for this reason and plan to continue to do so. Christmas 2011 was truly a joyful time in our home as we celebrated our first Christmas with Brody. I think Evan really appreciated having a little brother to share Christmas morning with.

The first thing Evan said when he woke up on Christmas morning (still unaware that it was actually Christmas Day!) was the same thing he has been saying every morning for the last few weeks. He has been really into our new tradition involving the Elf on the Shelf and loves to go and find "Brewster" in the mornings. Mommy had been a little worried that he would miss "Brewster" when he was gone because the Elf is supposed to leave on Christmas Eve night after Santa comes to visit only to return the next Christmas. Luckily, "Santa" had left a little note downstairs beside his cookie plate that explained how Brewster had departed with him and would see the boys again next Christmas. That did seem to help. We all gathered in Mommy and Daddy's bedroom before going downstairs together although Evan had peeked over the gate on the stairs and tried to see what was under the tree for him. Luckily his big present was out of sight in the Den with the television.

Christmas began on Christmas Eve when we returned home from Nana and Papa's, and Daddy and Evan made a birthday cake for Jesus.

Evan loves to help in the kitchen.

Evan poses with the finished cake after helping Mommy decorate it and add birthday candles.

We hope Jesus liked his special cake!

Next, we set out our milk and cookies for Santa and some special food for the reindeer.

Santa arrived and made his delivery for Brody.

Evan's pile...his main gift was set up for him in the den with the television and all ready for him to play.

Yep, Evan got a Wii for Christmas and has been loving it. He had to have a Star Wars game, of course, and also loved Mario Kart.

Evan's stocking looks more full than Brody's, but his stuff was just bigger.

A letter from Santa addressed to the boys!

Little Santa and his elf couldn't wait to get downstairs on Christmas morning!

Sweet Santa!

Evan finds his Wii when he hears the "Star Wars" music playing from his game.

He had all the accessories hooked up and ready to play. Santa must have some very tech savvy elves these days.

Brody got a lot of neat new toys, including a lot of Leapfrog toys that will help nurture his little mind.

Checking out some of his toys while big brother is trying out his big present.

Big brother gave Brody his old lion walker/ride-on for Christmas. Brody loved it!

Brody goes for his first ride.

A big present for a little boy.

Learning to rip the paper off.

This was Brody's new play table.

Evan unwraps a present too.

The cutest redheaded elf ever!

Mommy shows Brody his new table.

Brody did a good job standing at his table for a few minutes.

Evan checks out his stocking!

Brody got his very own laptop!

These cheap little snap together beads are always a classic.

Brody had lots of treats in his stocking too.

His new toothbrush was probably his favorite stocking find.

So funny that sometimes the cheapest little toy can bring so much joy. He loves his little "fishing" game from his stocking.

Brody racked up this year!

Christmas with the Smiths!

2011-12-29T11:38:00.000-05:00

Christmas celebration number one began with Sherry's family this year. We drove to Sherry's parents house (Nana and Papa) on Thursday night after Sherry got off work so that we could spend at least one whole day with her parents and come back home on Saturday (Christmas Eve). The kids were wonderful in the car. Brody slept most of the way there after we stopped for dinner, and Evan watched his movies in the backseat. Mommy and Daddy actually love these times in the car because it gives them some much needed quiet time to just talk together...or sing along to the radio! Haha! On Saturday, Mommy spent most of the day helping Nana and Papa wrap presents and prepare their home for the celebration. That evening, Uncle Paul arrived with his large family (all 4 kids and counting). Sherry had put in her request for some good ol' Eastern NC barbeque so the menu was easy...just a quick trip to Wilbur's in Goldsboro to pick up the food. After dinner, we all tackled a huge mound of presents and just enjoyed watching the kids go crazy. It is our family circus!

Brody enjoyed his first visit at Nana and Papa's house.

Nana and Papa get ready for the whole gang to be together for Christmas.

Brody got to meet our special friend, Mrs. Diana.

And his favorite part was getting to play with his new best pal, cousin Cate.

Looks like he was trying to hold her hand.

The kids enjoyed playing together before dinner and present opening.

Brody and Daddy enjoy sitting back and watching the action.

Uh oh, someone is getting sleepy!

The present pile has definitely grown in the last few years.

The kids' table has filled up...gonna need a bigger one next year!

Pretty cousin Cate is ready for her first Christmas!

Cate enjoyed Nana's singing reindeer.

Brody liked it too.

Cousin Lanny is crazy about babies!

Evan gives cousin Cate some sweet love.

Happy cousins playing together...can't believe how big they are already!

Sweet, happy Cate!

Brody and Cate get the first presents!

Brody opening his first present.

Lanny and Reade get matching Ironman gloves that shoot lasers from cousin Evan.

Cousin Emma gets a sweet pink package.

Papa and his second princess.

Brody is ready for his second present.

He got a talking, dancing puppy friend.

Cousin Emma got a new scooter.

And Cousin Lanny got a pogo stick. Man, I don't remember my old one being that hard to maneuver...haha!

Cousin Reade got a Darth Vader head that is also a boombox. Pretty cool!

Brody and Cate really liked his new puppy.

Aunt Sherry steals some sugar!

Future best friends, maybe?

The Nativity Story

2011-12-28T13:21:00.000-05:00

The church where Evan attends preschool conducts a Live Nativity Program every year outside. We had been wanting to see it every year since moving to Charlotte and always seemed to have something else to do that weekend. This year, we made special plans to attend. The night was cold so we all bundled up to keep warm and went out to celebrate the true reason for the season. We arrived with about 15 minutes to spare before the second showing so we enjoyed some warm hot chocolate, and Evan got to peek into the stable and pet the animals and even peek into the manger. It was so sweet, and we hope to continue this little tradition in the years ahead.

A special message appears in the "sky."

Evan pets a sheep.

Peeking into the manger where Baby Jesus laid.

Angels sing of the joyful news.

The Shepherds huddle around a campfire to keep warm as they decide whether to go to Bethlehem.

A star and an angel appear in the "sky."

The Shepherds arrive at the stable to witness the joyful birth.

King Herod sends the wise men on their way.

"And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, everyone to his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city called Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem: (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her first born son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them at the inn.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone about them; and they were sore afraid. And the angel said to them,

'Fear not: for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born today in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.'

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men.'

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, 'Let us go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.'

And they came with haste, and found, Mary, Joseph and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

~Luke Chapter 2 verses 1-20~

Merry Christmas from the Reeses!

2011-12-28T12:10:00.001-05:00

Our Christmas was double the fun this year with our two boys. Brody was big enough to partake in a lot of the fun, including opening his presents and playing with the wrappings. Mommy's favorite parts of Christmas were dressing the boys in their Christmas pj's and outfits and watching the joy on their faces as they opened their gifts from "Santa." Daddy's and Evan's favorite parts probably involved playing with Evan's Christmas present, a new Wii. Brody's favorite parts were playing with all of his new toys and the wrapping paper, dressing up like Santa, and just experiencing all the wonder and magic of his first Christmas morning. I love spending Christmas at home with just our little family and seeing our kids' faces light up to see all the packages mysteriously left under their tree during the night! I hope that they retain that joy and wonder for many years to come...and if possible, may they never lose it!

Our Family Christmas

The Boys!

Dressing Brody in his big brother's first Christmas outfit was fun for Mommy.

Brody is ready for his first Christmas!

And he wanted to read his "favorite" Christmas story.

Brody was our jolly little Santa this year, and Evan was his big elf helper.

So much love contained in this look.

Now I truly understand the phrase "brotherly love!"

Serious Santa!

Happy Boys!

Santa got under the Christmas tree.

And Elf tagged along!

Papa paid us an early visit this year. Brody definitely has the jolly belly to fit the Santa suit!

Evan made this little "advent" Santa calendar at school to count down the days until Christmas. When completed, Santa had his full beard ready for Christmas.

Our stockings were hung by the chimney with care. Mommy did not do as much decorating this year. It was a very busy month for her.

And our house was dressed in holiday cheer.

Mommy and Evan made some special Christmas cookies.

And Daddy stole one!

The presents are wrapped and placed beneath the tree.

Santa Baby ~ The cuteness just keeps on coming out!

2011-12-18T23:03:00.000-05:00

Oh my goodness! We just love this little Santa Baby. We really do compare him to Santa because he is so jolly all the time and has the cutest little round cheeks. I cannot even begin to pick my favorite of these pictures.

I always forget about this neat function on the camera where you can select a certain color to come through in an all black and white photo. I had to read my camera's manual when I got this idea, but I think it turned out just as cute as can be.

Cousin Reade is 3 -- Celebrating Like A Jedi!

2011-12-18T22:33:00.000-05:00

Cousin Reade is another big Star Wars fan so there was no question about what kind of birthday party he would want this year. Well, actually, he prefers the "darker" side of Star Wars and is a big fan of Darth Vader and Darth Maul. Haha! He is such a funny little guy, and we just love his little quick wit and sense of humor! Like when he started potty training at school a few weeks ago, and when his Mommy asked him at home when he wanted to use the potty again, he said very matter of factly "Tuesday." Haha!

The birthday boy enjoys some yummy snacks.

Many of Reade's little school friends came to his party.

Evan really liked Reade's Star Wars balloons and centerpiece.

Reade's Mommy got some cute and yummy Star Wars cupcakes with Yoda, Chewbacca, and light sabres on them.

Little Yoda gets a Yoda cupcake.

Reade's Daddy had to surgically remove Yoda from Reade's cupcake because he didn't want to eat him.

Happy Birthday, Big Cousin Reade!

Cupcake -- Yum!

Brody made a new friend at the birthday party too.

Brody really loves wrapping paper and bows...Christmas is going to be so fun!

A Day at the Firehouse!

2011-12-18T22:19:00.000-05:00

It's a boy thing! They just all want to grow up to be heroes and save the day! I really think this was the best idea for a boy's birthday party. Evan's soccer and t-ball buddy, Porter, had his 5th birthday party at a local firestation. The party was easy to plan and fun for all and was even tax deductible (the only charge for the location was a tax deductible donation to the firestation). Can't beat that deal, huh? The boys (and there were quite a few of them) all enjoyed just running around playing on the fire trucks and seeing the firemen. It was a great day to be a boy! Eddie is friends with all the local volunteer and professional fire stations in our area because of his job responding to all the outside fire calls. He enjoyed getting to spend some time with his buddies during the party and has been wanting to take Evan to meet the guys too.

Our little fireman in front of the big red truck.

He has been wanting to be some kind of fireman for a while now...maybe since Nana and Papa gave him his little ride-on fire truck when he was a year old! Or maybe just since Daddy let him turn on his sirens in his own fire truck. ;-)

He loved checking out the truck.

Waiting to climb aboard!

Sitting on the front of the truck.

Little brother got to check it out too.

Daddy and his boys on the big red truck.

Wow, that's a lot of boys...but they were so good and were seriously entertained by this fire truck for an hour. Boys are just EASY like that! Yes, there was one little girl in the mix, and she didn't mind at all!

Evan drives the truck!

Birthday boy Porter takes the wheel!

Porter's little brother liked all the buttons.

Evan strikes a pose. I think he plans to use this photo for his dating profile picture. Haha!

Or maybe this one.

Evan and his firemen buddies.

Evan and Cole, another pal from soccer and t-ball.

The birthday boy!

Porter's Dad gets to play with fire at the firehouse.

Porter with his Mom and Dad.

Evan gets a yummy cupcake.

Brody enjoyed some cupcake icing.

Videos: Brody in action!

2011-12-18T16:33:00.000-05:00

Brody is just doing so much these days that photos just don't capture. He has really come alive and is trying to get around, talk, and play like a big boy.

Video: Brody tries to crawl!

Video: Brody drives his first car at the mall.

Video: Brody learns to play like a big kid and sat in front of this little puzzle game for a long time totally entertained! He is just so curious and really loves to figure stuff out on his own now.

Video: Man, he just jibberjabs all day long. He is definitely going to be a talker like his big brother. Sometimes he sounds like he is trying to say "mama," "dada," "lalala," or some other almost word. He actually started saying "lalala" after I sang the Elmo song (La la la la, la la la la, Elmo's song). He was definitely trying to sing along.

The Sweetest Present Under the Tree!

2011-12-15T00:56:00.000-05:00

Yes, I know he is not a newborn, but he is our family's best Christmas present. He has brought us so much joy all year long. We love you, little snuggle bug!

Merry Frickin' Christmas to you too! :-)

2011-12-15T00:52:00.000-05:00

Yep, I'm that Mama...

I just love his little mad faces!

Where's the line to see Jesus?

2011-12-06T12:26:00.000-05:00

I love Christmas! I love seeing the excitement on little children's faces when they talk about Santa and the presents he will bring them. I love all of our happy Christmas traditions that we have shared through the years. But sometimes we have to stop and wonder "What's it all for?" Of course, as a Christian, I believe the Christmas season is about celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I know many go through the motions of "celebrating" this holiday as just another tradition or day off from work on the calendar. Although I enjoy sharing the fun traditions of Santa and giving presents with my children, I have strived every year to incorporate the true meaning of Christmas into this season. We have several traditions we began with Evan to help show him the true meaning of Christmas: (1) We sit down to watch a movie about the nativity story and talk about when and why Jesus was born. (2) We read the Biblical Christmas story. (3) We make Jesus a birthday cake on Christmas Eve and go to our church's Christmas Eve service. Enjoy watching the beautiful music video below and hopefully you will also think of ways to share and incorporate the true meaning of Christmas into your Christmas traditions. Also, please notice that I do not like to use the term "Holiday" in place of Christmas. It just doesn't feel right to me!

Thankful for Miracles!

2011-12-05T13:20:00.000-05:00

A friend on Facebook recently shared this sad story about a family in our hometown who recently lost everything in a fire. It really makes you count your blessings and remember what is truly important in life. If I were home right now, I would be hugging and squeezing my babies and husband! Please join me in praying for this family:

http://groeneveldfamily.blogspot.com/2011/12/to-god-be-glory.html

As you can see from their blog, they are missionaries scheduled to return to Africa next year with their three young children. They are also both nurses who give selflessly to others everyday of their lives. My heart breaks for the many memories they have lost in this fire because I am so attached to the photographs and memorabilia of my children and family. The loss of those items is tragic, but the loss of any of their lives would be unimaginable. Thank you, God, for keeping this family safe! Please help me to remember that every blessing I have comes from you and can be taken in a second, and please help me remember to always keep you first in my life and remember that treasures on earth are not what we are meant to treasure most.

If you can and are willing, you can find out how you can help this family by visiting their church's website here:

http://www.faithfwbc.com/

A Visit With Santa

2011-12-04T18:07:00.001-05:00

Of course, we had to pay our favorite jolly ol' man a visit this year so the boys could whisper what they want this year. Evan was prepared with his list: a Wii and some batteries (for all those electronic toys we can never keep batteries in). I suppose a year's supply isn't too much to ask for, right? Hehe! Brody enjoyed his first meeting with our dear ol' Santa (yes, he was the same one we always visit)...the one and only real one, of course. (*wink*) Although Brody didn't pull his beard as his big brother did at his own first meeting, Brody seemed content to sit on the big guy's lap and be read a story. Brody and Santa do have something in common -- they are both pretty jolly!

Waiting at the door for Santa.

Big brother shows Brody what to do.

Santa seems to like this little guy.

Santa reads Brody a story.

Our boys share Santa's lap!

Meet Brewster

2011-12-04T17:58:00.000-05:00

We started a new tradition this year.

Yep, our Elf on the Shelf came to stay with us.

Evan named him Brewster after his Pilgrim name from school...that was still fresh in his mind, I guess. I do think Brewster is actually a very cool name for an elf or a person! We also think Brewster looks amazingly similar to Brody...notice the full round cheeks, long lashes, and big mischievious grin?

Evan wanted to show Brewster his gingerbread man he made at school this week to tell Santa.

Brewster has already made our mornings more fun by making it a game to find Brewster's new hiding spot. We have already discovered that Brewster likes candy canes and will be making more discoveries as the weeks go by until Christmas.

How To Make The Perfect Tree

2011-12-04T17:37:00.001-05:00

Our family's how to on making the perfect Christmas tree would go a little something like this:

1) Find the perfect tree. Make sure you have a lot of fun and take a lot of pictures during the search. For Daddy the Forester, the tree must be tall and full and must be kept watered on the Christmas tree lot if already cut down.

The boys arrive at the Christmas tree farm.

Evan follows the peppermint path to the Christmas trees.

He loved hopping on the peppermints.

A lot of love must go into the search.

Working together as a team works best!

Giving Mommy a hug will bring good luck on the search.

Mommy and Brody make great supervisors.

Evan is a good tree inspector.

A little game of hide-n-seek is a must.

And kisses are always welcome.

A little break to play in the straw is okay.

And boys must be allowed to climb some fences!

Mommy and Brody made a great team this year.

2) Decorate with love...and smiles!

Let the baby help straighten the lights.

And big brother hang the first ornament.

Daddy should help big brother hang the special ornaments.

And Mommy too!

An adorable baby should be placed in front of the tree.

And should be allowed to play with a fun ornament too.

Brody liked this ornament that played his favorite lullaby.

Don't freak out if the baby tries to eat the ornament...it's not the end of the world!

THE PERFECT TREE IS MADE WITH FAMILY, LOVE, AND FUN MIXED IN!

Where a kid can be a kid...

2011-12-04T17:05:00.001-05:00

Yes, I finally had to give in and take Evan to Chuck E. Cheese's for his long time friend Bryant's birthday party. Bryant and Evan had not seen each other in a few months since they no longer go to school together so it was very important that we not miss this big event. Unfortunately, Bryant's mother had to book his birthday party on the weekend after Thanksgiving because it was the only time available. Evan had been seeing the advertisements on TV and really wanted to go so we were happy for this opportunity. Mommy took him while Daddy kept Brody. Needless to say, Evan had a great time!

The first ride had to be with Chuck!

Evan really enjoyed getting to ride a horse.

Bryant and Evan really enjoyed this game of air hockey.

Cruisin' for chicks!

This picture reminds me of Evan's Uncle Paul's wilder days when he was cruising the streets of Goldsboro with his buddies! Haha!

These boys always have a blast together!

Enjoying some pizza.

Bryant has been a serious Cars fanatic for several years. For some reason, I can't even get Evan to sit down and watch this whole movie although he has no trouble watching Transformers 1, 2, and 3 which aren't even made for kids!

Bryant with his parents.

Evan nibbles at his cupcake. Have I mentioned this kid is no longer crazy about cake? I mean, you would never have guessed it after his first birthday!

The birthday boy with Chuck E. Cheese.

All the kids with Chuck E.

Bryant in the "tank." Not really a deprivation tank...he got to go in and try to capture as many tickets as he could hold.

Evan enjoyed this little roller coaster simulator. I sure hope he enjoys riding big coasters one day with Mommy!

Bryant really liked his present from Evan...the only non-Cars related gift.

Evan gives Bryant a big squeeze goodbye!

Our Thanksgiving

2011-12-04T16:41:00.000-05:00

We are so thankful to be able to share Thanksgiving with both of our families every year. We know how blessed we are to be able to live near family. I was a very bad memory maker on Thanksgiving day and amidst the hustle and bustle of getting our dishes prepared and getting two kids ready and out the door, I forgot our camera to take pictures of our wonderful feast with the Reese-Hudson clan. We had a great time catching up with Eddie's Mom, sister, Grandfather, Aunt Homa, cousin Hudson with girlfriend, Lindsay, cousin Jason, Aunt Dava, and Uncle Garry. We had so much to talk about and many of the family had not yet met Brody. Aunt Homa really enjoyed holding Brody as she was missing her own sweet grandbabies (and awaiting news of the birth of her newest grandsons, Elliot and Ezra (the twins). With the births of three new babies in the last couple of weeks, Eddie's Grandpa now has 11 great-grandchildren under the age of 5. Wow, craziness! What a blessed family! And there is still one more on the way next year. Anyway, I don't want to forget the wonderful day we spent with my wonderful in-laws and the marvelous events surrounding this Thanksgiving season.

Thanksgiving weekend was very busy with decorating and preparing our home for the Christmas season. On Sunday, we celebrated Thanksgiving with my family. The Smith family has also been extremely blessed this year with the addition of 2 sweet babies, little Brody and his sweet, beautiful cousin Cate. Nana and Papa are up to six grandchildren and counting! Hehe! The more the merrier, right?

Here are some of the pictures I captured of our wonderful Thanksgiving feast mostly prepared by my amazing husband and sister-in-law:

Daddy's infamous and tasty apple sage turkey.

Some yummy treats prepared by Aunt Jessica.

Daddy carves the turkey.

The adult's table is set. We enjoyed our meal in the comfortable and beautiful home of Uncle Paul and Aunt Jessica.

The children prepare to dine. We really wish our kids could appreciate all of the amazing food a little more, but they are mostly just interested in playing when together.

The men prepare their plates.

Aunt Jessica prepares to sample her creations.

The adult table. Yes, someone is missing. Someone's got to take the pictures!

There's her plate filled with yummy goodness.

Sweet cousin Cate hangs out with Daddy at the table. Brody was sleeping in her swing.

Beautiful girl!

Thankful for healthy babies!

Brody enjoys playing with Cate's toys after his dinner.

Miss Cate loves her playmat and just rolls all over it.

And what Thanksgiving is complete without a delicious pecan pie? Courtesy of yours truly!

Dear Father in Heaven,

We thank you for our bountiful blessings this year. Most importantly, we thank you for sending your son, Jesus, to save us. You are the reason for this Thanksgiving and Christmas season, and we do not want to forget it! We are so very thankful for the safe arrival of our beautiful, healthy little Brody and for keeping our family together through the good times and the bad. With thankful and grateful hearts, we ask for your continued blessings in the coming year!

Love,
The Reese Family

Brody's 7th Month ~ Almost mobile!

2011-11-30T23:13:00.000-05:00

Brody at 7 Months:

Size: We aren't sure what he weighs this month since we haven't been to the doctor, but we expect it is somewhere around 18 to 19 lbs. He wears a size 3 diaper and mostly 6 to 9 month clothes although a few pieces say 6 to 12 months. The cooler weather means he is enjoying getting bundled up more now.

Developmental Accomplishments: Brody still only has the 2 bottom teeth. He has been sitting without support for the last two months. He isn't crawling yet, but when you place him on his tummy to play he will reach and twist and try to get a toy out of reach. He is working hard to push himself forward and trying to lift that tummy off the ground, and he can turn himself in a circle trying to get something. He definitely experiences "stranger anxiety" as he knows when someone new is holding him. At Thanksgiving, he met lots of new family, and when they held him, he would look at them and his little lip would start quivering and he would look around for Mommy or Daddy and even shed a little tear or two although he didn't cry much. He loves standing up while holding Mommy and Daddy's fingers and Daddy is teaching him to take steps. Ha! I have also noticed that he likes to bang on objects (like my computer keyboard) and can grasp objects in both hands and bang them together. One of his favorite objects to play with lately is a cup so maybe we will teach him what to do with a cup soon. I also swear he is starting to say "mama" and "dada" in the proper context. When he cries and is fussying when he is tired, he often says something that sounds very much like ma-ma-ma-ma when Mommy is holding him. He also screams out "Ma!" when Mommy is cleaning his nose or doing something else he doesn't particularly like. Last week when we were in the kitchen getting ready for Thanksgiving, I had put him in his high chair to play and watch us work, and when Daddy had to leave to go to the store for a minute, he reached his arms toward the door and said something suspiciously similar to "da-daaaa!" We think he is going to be an early talker like his big brother who said many words by the time he was a year old.

Sleeping: Although he has been sleeping through the night for most of his life now, nap times are still a little rough. He is just too busy to want to take long naps during the day. By 6:00 in the evening, he is exhausted though and usually passes out until we give him his bath and his final bedtime feeding.

Eating: He still loves to eat, especially baby food! He has now tried baby organic yogurt and some mixed fruit baby foods. He still eats two jars a day, but we may move up to three soon. He usually gets 4 bottles of formula (6 oz. each) a day with cereal, but we think breastfeeding has about come to an end so he will need more. I have been happy that I have been able to keep up breastfeeding this long with our crazy schedules, but my milk supply has been diminishing quickly lately. I was pumping at work, but now I can barely get an ounce when I pump. I am glad that it has been a gradual process of weaning us both from this precious process. I have cherished our special time together, but I just want him to get what he needs. It is really proving difficult for Mommy to let go of this special time with her baby. He is really growing too fast!

Some pictures from Brody's busy 7th month:

Brody with his best bud!

They have so much fun together.

And enjoy being silly together too.

Yep, Mommy adores him!

Beautiful baby.

He loves a blankie!

Seriously, I have never seen such a happy baby! We must be doing something right around here!

Of course, he is the happiest when big brother is around.

And big brother just dotes on him like little old grandma.

"Who you calling pretty?"

"Me?"

Nana pays a visit.

And Papa too.

Cutie dressed for church.

So cute and happy.

It's play time. He's so busy these days and loves playing with his trucks and tractor and animals.

And finding things to put in his mouth of course.

Now this is some good food. Blueberries Beets & Bananas...yummy!

"Mmmmmm....purple stuff is good!"

All dressed up and looking fine!

So sweet.

Handsome boys ready for church.

Brody started taking baths in the big tub with big brother this month. He does very well sitting up.

Awwww, so sweet!

I do love that face!

Loving his teddy bear from big brother.

Big brother loves him!

Mutual affection!

More Preschool Fun

2011-11-30T22:31:00.000-05:00

This month has been just full of fun events for Evan at school. Mommy is sad that she can't join in all the fun, but she does enjoy getting to hear about all the fun and definitely enjoys all the pictures she gets from his teacher. I am so happy with our choice of preschool, and I think Evan is too!

GYM TIME

Evan loves getting to do gym with Mr. Charles.

RECYCLING IS FUN!

For the second field trip of the year, Evan's class got to go to a local recycling center that puts on quite a show for kids.

This wolf taught the kids all about recycling and his trip to outer space.

Some unique recycling art.

This tree was made from recycled products.

Evan sitting with some of his buddies watching the show.

A Preschooler's Thanksgiving

2011-11-30T22:16:00.000-05:00

Evan the preschooler had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration with his little school friends. Although parents were not able to attend this event because of space concerns, we are thankful Evan's teacher took some great pictures for us.

Evan the pilgrim works on his hat.

Evan the grocery store clerk.

Evan the grocer checks out his friend Daniel's Thanksgiving shopping.

Evan and friends Jack and Julia (yes, they are twins) aboard the Mayflower.

Evan's class celebrating. Apparently only Evan and his friend Daniel wanted to be the pilgrims.

On the way to the feast, they had to partner up with someone from the other class and walk to the banquet.

And hold hands!

The feast. The kids made the decorations and brought the food.

Evan is thankful for his feast!

He saw what???

2011-11-25T21:27:00.001-05:00

Picture this:

And this:

I do not ever want to forget Evan's wonderful little sense of humor. He just never ceases to surprise us -- or make us laugh along with him! Yesterday morning (Thanksgiving), we were all up and working in the kitchen getting some yummy goodies ready for Thanksgiving. Daddy decided to play some Christmas music to get us all in a festive mood. When a rendition of "I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus" came on, Evan got the most curious and thoughtful expression on his face. He listened for a few minutes and suddenly said "Mummy?" Ha! Yes, I guess he was picturing Santa kissing a mummy. And I thought I was going to have to explain why Mommy was kissing Santa -- guess I got out of that one this time, huh?

Kick Off to the Christmas Season!

2011-11-20T22:36:00.000-05:00

Since moving to Charlotte, we have enjoyed a little annual tradition that just helps us jump into the Christmas season and really get in the spirit. One of our local malls host a big tree lighting celebration. Although they have done different things every year to spice things up, it pretty much revolves around the lighting up of a big cedar tree in front of the amphitheater and then an outdoor showing of some favorite Christmas movies for children. We've never stayed for the actual movie showing because it is either just too cold or too late for our child/children. Evan has always enjoyed this tradition, and we couldn't wait to share it with Brody. He seemed to enjoy himself and especially liked riding the little Christmas train. It was a cold night so our little ones were bundled up like eskimos but that just added to the mood. We were all ready to get home to our jammies and some yummy hot chocolate before bedtime.

Our baby eskimo

Big brother didn't stay seated long.

All aboard the Polar Express.

Mommy and the boys waiting for the choo choo.

Front row seats on the Christmas train.

Ready to ride.

Big brother showing Brody his first Christmas tree.

A nice gentleman took our family picture in front of the big tree...we didn't realize Brody was too busy looking at the tree.

TIS THE SEASON!

Leaves are Fun!

2011-11-18T17:23:00.000-05:00

I had been waiting for weeks for our weather to cooperate and dry up so my wonderful husband could blow the leaves into a pile that me and the boys could jump in. We finally got our wish last weekend, and I must say we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Evan enjoyed throwing leaves on Daddy while he worked.

Evan makes a run for a pile.

What a jump!

Brody finds his leaf bed quite cozy.

Got a little smile out of him. Yes, he tasted a few.

My cutie pie.

Brothers loved playing together outside. It really is more fun with two!

Brody liked it when they fell back into the leaves.

Mommy and her boys just makin' memories!

HAPPY FALL, YA'LL!

11-11-11

2011-11-11T23:19:00.001-05:00

Well, I almost posted at 11:11 p.m. on 11-11-11! Haha! This day only comes around once every 100 years so I thought I should commemorate it somehow. It was not that extraordinary of a day as far as events go, but we had a nice day. Mommy and Daddy were both off from work and looked forward to a nice relaxing day at home. Unfortunately, those plans don't always work out when you are parenting. We enjoyed some quality time with our beautiful children and even managed to get a few chores accomplished although we didn't get the naps we had hoped for. Haha! Today was also Veterans Day which is always a special day to us. We love to remember and be grateful to all those brave men and women who have served our country in the armed services. My Dad is a great example of one of those who served their country loyally for over 20 years in the Air Force and served in Vietnam and other parts of the world. He is such a sweet and giving man and has given me more than I could ever repay to him. I love him dearly! God bless all the Veterans who have and continue to serve the U.S.A.!

Brody's Special Day

2011-11-11T23:13:00.000-05:00

One of the most cherished days in our lives as parents is the day we dedicate our children to God before our family, friends, and fellow church members in love and thanks for the wonderful blessing God has given us. We believe that parents need the love and support of many people in bringing up children in a Christian way, and this service is meant to ask God for his love and blessings on the parents and the child as well as to ask the parents and their families and friends to pledge or "covenant" to help support the parents in this great task. Our church calls the dedication service "Covenant Promises" for that reason. We are so blessed to be able to participate in this beautiful and meaningful ceremony. Daddy said a special blessing for his beautiful baby boy too.

Getting all dressed up for his special day. Yes, I am a "traditionalist" and went with the all white attire. I think he just looked like a little angel.

Sweet, happy baby!

Cutie with his little hat on. I chose a warm sweater outfit since the weather has been so chilly lately.

My beautiful angel faced baby.

His picture on the big screen.

Being prayed for and promising before God and witnesses to do our best as parents.

Daddy prays for his little boy.

Brody sitting at his special table with his pretty flowers.

Our blessed family!

With Nana and Papa

And with Grandma and Papa James

The whole Smith family. Baby Cate was dedicated too.

The Reese family

Aunt Dava and cousin Jason joined in the celebration and made it feel so special.

A sweet picture with Aunt Dava!

Last Soccer Game & Another Trophy

2011-11-11T22:08:00.000-05:00

Evan is a typical boy and is amassing quite a collection of trophies and awards to show it. Last Saturday, Evan played his last soccer game of the season and then ended the season with a picnic-style lunch and awards presentation on the field. It was a pretty chilly day, but we were thankful it was at least dry. We have enjoyed the season but are looking forward to a break in the crazy sports schedule...and maybe even sleeping in a little on Saturdays again (yeah, right!). Since not all the boys could attend the big awards presentation, we also met the team on Wednesday night for a pizza dinner. It was a crazy night, but the kids enjoyed getting together and playing. They have really developed some close friendships over the last few months.

Meet the Strikers (a great shot of the team after the last game caught by my Dad on his new iphone)

Waiting with Coach to get their awards.

Evan waits patiently for his trophy.

Go #3!

Evan and his teammates show off their cool new trophies!

He couldn't wait to put the trophy in his room.

Cousin Lanny shows off his trophy after the game. He got to play with cousin Evan again and did so well. We were very proud of these boys!

And their biggest fan, Brody, bundled up for the last game of the season.

Our Very Happy Halloween with Two!

2011-11-06T22:25:00.001-05:00

We had been waiting so long to share a fun halloween with two kids. Last year, Evan had really looked forward to getting to dress in a costume with his little brother. Mommy just had to coordinate their costumes. She would have loved to have made their costumes if she was more crafty, but she had to settle for store bought. She thinks they were rockin' their pirate and parrot costumes though. Brody also had to wear his big brother's costume for a little bit too.

BRODY'S 1ST HALLOWEEN

THE COSTUMES

The cutest monkey we've ever seen!

Big Brother loves his monkey!

Monkey in the jungle.

Monkey see, Monkey do.

Pirate Evan and his cute little feathered friend. What's a pirate without his parrot?

Love!

Mommy and her boys

Daddy teaches the little parrot to fly.

Daddy and his handsome boys.

Evan shows off his favorite pumpkin and that his house got "booed!"

A BIRTHDAY COSTUME PARTY

Evan's new school friend Scarlet's 5th birthday was a little costume party at Gymboree Play & Music. Scarlet's Mommy and Evan's Mommy are also school buddies so we all had a great time. Evan enjoyed some extra time with all his new friends on the Sunday afternoon before halloween.

Evan and his little "girlfriend" Ashlee playing "follow the leader" I think.

Sliding

Scarlet, the birthday girl, is in the middle dressed as a cute little Cinderella.

Evan enjoyed the "freedom" in this fun place. The kids can just run wild in this big room.

Jumping off the ledge.

Scarlet and Ashlee jump together.

Scarlet's Mommy was a kitty cat and her little sister was Princess Belle.

Evan loved being in the parachute house.

Ready for some sweet treats.

Sweet boy is ready for cupcake.

Evan and his buddy Brendan enjoy their cupcakes.

TRICK OR TREAT

We enjoyed eating a yummy halloween dinner made by Aunt Jessica and letting the kids get together in their costumes. Aunt Jessica made "spooky" spaghetti for the kids before they went trick or treating.

All the big boys with their swords. Lanny looked like Big Foot here, but he was a realistic looking gorilla with his mask on. Reade was the cutest little kangaroo.

Lanny and Evan were being silly as usual.

Sweet Reade loves cousin Evan, and Evan loves cousin Reade. That was really why he wanted a little brother...just like Reade!

Brody & Cate's first halloween!

And one with all 6 of the crazy kiddos! Miracle -- I think so! Emma the peacock, Lanny the gorilla, Reade the kangaroo, Cate the pink elephant, Evan the pirate, and Brody the parrot.

Evan rings the doorbell for trick or treating. He's an old pro!

Getting his bucket filled didn't take too long.

Our sweet neighbors, Mrs. Regina, and little Levi the tiger. Levi loves babies and is just so loving!

Levi's cute little face.

Our neighbor, Mr. Eddie, was pimpin' at the block party.

And so was his son, Zach.

PUMPKIN CARVING

Evan pretending to help Daddy scoop out his pumpkin.

No, he refused to touch the "yucky" stuff.

Evan helped Mommy carve her silly mummy pumpkin. He loves his mummy!

Daddy made Evan a Panther pumpkin.

Mommy's Pumpkin

Daddy's Pumpkin

EVAN'S SCHOOL HALLOWEEN BALL

Since Halloween fell on Monday this year, Evan had a special Halloween Ball at his school. Everyone was supposed to dress as a "storybook" character. Evan already had the pirate costume so we just added a hook so he could be Captain Hook from Peter Pan. Of course, there were several princesses and a few comic book superheroes too. There was also one of the 3 little pigs, a little Jack "be nimble," and even a Big Bad Wolf (the teacher)! I loved all the pictures Evan's teacher took of the event.

And there's our cute little Captain Hook. Arrr!

Playing at one of the activity tables. Evan still chose to do the puzzle while his friends played with monster claws and eyeballs.

The class listens to the "Big Bad Wolf" at story time.

Yum...marshmallow spiders!

Eating doughnut "eyeballs."

It's Beginning to Feel a Lot Like...

2011-11-03T12:22:00.000-04:00

I don't usually like to start thinking "Christmas" until a little closer to Thanksgiving, but I guess the Christmas bug has bitten me this year. Maybe it's the excitement of having a baby at Christmas this year or maybe it is the chillier weather we've been having lately or maybe a little website commonly known as Pinterest is to blame. I mean, it is just so tempting to browse for Christmas ideas for hours on that site.

So here's what I've been doing. Shhhh, don't tell!

Now, I need to get on that Christmas shopping business...

Fall Fun at School

2011-11-01T23:16:00.002-04:00

Evan has been having so much fun at school the last few weeks. They've had so many fun events on the calendar and have really been so busy. He is making so many new friends now which makes me feel a lot better about making him change schools. He had some great little friends that he had gotten so close to over the last several years at his previous school so it was hard for us to take him away from them although we knew he would have to leave next year anyway when he goes to kindergarten. We hope that some of his new friends will go to kindergarten with him next year.

Evan and one of his new friends, Grant, building log cabins.

The boys teamed up for a game of basketball against their teacher, Mrs. D. She's a good sport!

Evan and one of his best new pals, Daniel, show off their Teddy Bears for "Bear Week." Evan had the "spookiest" bear since he insisted on taking his halloween bear.

A TRIP TO THE FARM

Evan and his pal, Alejandro, are partners on the trip.

Evan and Alejandro pose as farmers.

Evan the strawberry picker.

He's getting so big.

I gave Evan and Alejandro a ride in the wagon.

Then, Evan and Alejandro took turns giving each other rides.

Listening and learning about pumpkins.

Helping the boys find their pumpkins.

Evan found his very quickly.

Showing off their pumpkins.

Decorating their pumpkins. Evan had to sit beside his "girlfriend" Ashlee. Her mother said they are apparently "in love." Haha!

Ashlee sure is a cutie.

Evan drew a face on his pumpkin. He's always so "practical."

Going on a "spooky" hayride.

The kids checking out the chicken coop.

Playing with the chickens was fun.

Evan's treasured feather.

Evan operates the pump.

Evan lets Ashlee have a turn.

This maze was a big hit!

Evan loved the challenge of getting through the maze.

This was actually quite challenging, but they all enjoyed getting "lost" in the maze.

He made it!

Enjoying his strawberry slushy.

Alejandro and Evan really enjoyed their drinks.

The class picture at the farm.

SMOKEY BEAR AND DADDY VISIT!

Smokey with Evan's class

Smokey gives high fives.

Daddy the Forester teaches the kiddos about fire prevention.

Brody's 6th Month

2011-11-01T22:38:00.001-04:00

We can't believe half a year has already passed since Brody was born. It seems like only yesterday I was still pregnant with him and now he is just such an important part of our family. He is such a blessing.

Brody at 6 Months:

Size: He weighed 17 lbs., 13 oz. (69 %ile) and was 26 inches long (49 %ile). He has still been wearing a size 2 diaper although we are about to go up to a size 3. He is outgrowing all of his 3 to 6 month clothes and needing more 6 to 9 month clothes for the changing Fall weather. It seems we are having a chillier Fall this year than we did the year Evan was born.

Developmental Accomplishments: Brody has 2 teeth! Within just a few days of getting his first tooth, his second front bottom tooth also came through. Wow, are those little teeth sharp...and so cute! He is still a very happy baby who loves to talk and be talked to. He has been sitting up by himself since the beginning of this month. He is really curious about everything and is reaching and playing with his toys now. He learned how to splash water in the bathtub by himself too. He wants to sit up all the time and also likes to stand up holding your fingers. He makes circles around his exersaucer very quickly now playing with all the toys attached. He grabs for his bottle now when you offer it to him and can hold it although he still usually likes for you to do it for him. He also started sitting in his high chair seat for meals this month. He is making lots of sounds and trying to talk a lot and still loves to laugh.

Sleeping: He is still sleeping through the night although we were having a little difficulty getting him to nap in the daytime, but he is doing better with that now too. He was falling asleep pretty easily but would wake up after just 15 or 20 minutes. We moved up from 5 oz. to 6 oz. of formula in his bottles and that seemed to do the trick. He will now sleep in his swing with the music playing for an hour or two at a time in the afternoon.

Eating: He still loves to eat, especially baby food! He has tried avocados, peas, bananas, apples, pears, sweet potatoes, and squash, and he never fails to eat the whole jar and would probably eat more. He is now eating two jars a day. He also moved up to 4 bottles of formula (6 oz. each) a day with cereal and about 3 breast feedings a day. He gets a jar of baby food in the morning and in the afternoon.

And, of course, some pictures of the 6th month:

Happy fellow at 22 Weeks!

Getting more serious and thoughtful too.

Twins!

The cutest pumpkin in the patch!

Somebody was really getting his giggles!

Or two somebodies to be precise.

Big smiles!

Two Toothies...we call him "Sharp Tooth." That's his dinosaur name.

Sitting up!

ENJOYING THE FALL

Hanging out with Uncle Paul at soccer games.

PLAY TIME!

Playing in his tunnel. We think mobility will be coming soon.

He already loves a ball!

Big brother had to join him.

Playing blocks with big brother.

Looking so big now sitting up and playing.

Playing in the ball pen.

He really liked getting buried in the balls.

6 MONTHS!

Pumpkins, Corn Mazes & Lots of Fun

2011-10-21T17:49:00.000-04:00

Fall is one of our favorite times of year although we really have something to love about every season. Spring is great for Easter, flowers, and pretty clothes. Summer is great for going to the beach. Winter is great for Christmas and snow. But Fall is always a special and fun time for our family. We love big orange pumpkins, falling leaves, dressing in costumes, and eating yummy Thanksgiving dinners. One of our favorite traditions since Evan was a baby has been going to a pumpkin patch/farm. We usually go to a local farm where we pick out our pumpkins and feed the animals, but this year I thought it would be more fun to go to a farm that has more activities for kids. I found one not far from us that had a large corn maze, a cow train for the kids, a petting zoo, a country store with yummy goodies to eat (funnel cakes and homemade ice cream), and lots of fun games to play. We met my brother's family and enjoyed a nice afternoon on the farm.

BRODY'S FIRST PUMPKIN

FAMILY PICTURES

Mommy and her littlest pumpkin.

Sweet pumpkin sugar!

Mommy and her two pumpkin heads.

Our Blessed Family of 4!

Brothers!

The Cousins!

The Smith Kids ~ Emma, Lanny, Reade & Cate

The Blessed Smith Family of 6!

THE CORN PEN

Evan buries Lanny in the corn!

Emma and Evan could have stayed in there all day!

Lanny and Evan went crazy in the corn.

Emma thought this was a great beauty ritual and marveled at how soft and smooth her skin felt from the corn dust. Apparently, it makes a great exfoliant!

Lanny passed on the corn pen for a ride on this horsey.

COW TRAIN!

Evan and Emma climb aboard the cow train (a string of "train" cars pulled by an ATV). Emma had developed an "irrational" fear of the cow train when she heard it in the corn maze because she just knew it was coming for her, but she got over her fear and rode the train.

Evan in his cow train car.

A tired little pumpkin at the end of a long, fun day.

Brody and Cate nap through dinner.

Evan's School Days

2011-10-18T10:27:00.000-04:00

Now that Evan's school year is in full swing, I think he is really enjoying his new friends and routine. He is talking more and more about his school activities and friends. Just this weekend, we met a little boy from his class that was Evan's first new friend. He plays soccer in the same league as Evan so we will be seeing him quite frequently this Fall. I think their teams play each other this weekend. I am very thankful that Evan's class has a great room mom who shared some pictures of the classroom activities with us because I am always curious about his days.

The first day of school at circle time.

Evan enjoying some free play on his own.

Last week was "farm" week, and Evan loved telling me about Mrs. B's cool farm hat with the cow on top.

Evan (in the red and blue striped shirt) was being very attentive at story time.

Music time.

I presume they were pretending to play the drums.

Evan spies the camera. He's used to having one in his face all the time.

Lunch time! They eat pretty early and only get about 20 minutes since they get out at 12:30 so Evan doesn't usually finish his lunch until he gets home.

FAMILY NIGHT

Last Wednesday night, we had a family pizza night at Evan's school. We enjoyed eating pizza for dinner and then getting to tour Evan's school and classroom while the kids were being entertained by Fish the Magish and his "magic" act. I had to get a little peek at the magic show of course.

Mommy spent too much time talking at mealtime so Evan was already on his dessert before Mommy even got started.

Getting ready for the magic show.

Fish the Magish. He was a pretty funny guy.

Evan had a plan to get on stage...sit as quiet and still as he could and then give the magician his biggest grin when he was looked at. It worked!

Evan was the boy helper.

He was given a magic wand, but it appears to be broken.

He was then given another magic wand that just seemed to produce more wands. He thought it was so funny!

Soccer, Soccer & More Soccer!

2011-10-16T22:04:00.000-04:00

Whew! I really feel like a soccer mom lately, and let me tell you it is hard work. I really miss those "lazy" Saturday mornings when I might get to sleep until around 7:30. Who am I kidding? Those days are long gone. With two boys who will probably find at least one sport they want to play, I am sure our Saturdays from here on out will be filled. Although it is tiring sometimes to drag ourselves out to the ball field for an early game, we really do love sharing these special times with the boys. It is probably one of the biggest joys of having boys although there are many other joys too! Last weekend, we actually had a kind of "double header" with back-to-back games on Friday night and Saturday morning. I am thankful that is not a regular occurrence.

Daddy is wearing his "Striker" green and is ready to cheer for his boy.

We finally got to play cousin Lanny's team and see him play in his first game too.

Lanny was an ol' pro at the game.

Lanny "guards" his goal.

Evan and his team buddies waiting for their turn to play.

Evan cheers for the rest of the team.

Little Porter has big kicks on the field.

Lanny's got the ball!

Coach Shaun instructs Evan and Joe on the next play.

Evan and buddy Joe look so cute on the field.

They're ready!

Green v. Orange

Warming up for the second game.

Team huddle.

Evan's ready.

Evan and his team mates get ready for the kick.

Evan's buddy Joe offers encouragement.

Evan fights for the ball.

Little brother naps on the sidelines.

Evan assist with offense.

Huddle with coach.

"Go Strikers!"

Fall Fun with Smokey Bear

2011-10-11T21:14:00.000-04:00

As a fun way to kick off Fall, we decided to take a trip with Daddy to a big park close to uptown Charlotte where he was taking Smokey Bear for the annual Buddy Walk to support children with Down Syndrome. It was a beautiful day for the kids to get outside and play. Brody even enjoyed the weather and definitely enjoyed meeting Smokey Bear!

Evan loves the big pond in this park and all of the wildlife there.

Love this picture.

What a pretty duck!

These two got into a "fight" all over the pond.

Evan loved getting to see his old pal, Smokey. He told Daddy Smokey was wearing his boots!

Brody meets Smokey Bear. No tears there. I think he thought it was just a big stuffed animal or something.

I don't think Brody knew his Daddy was Smokey.

Smokey greets other kids at the Buddy Walk.

Evan loved getting to jump in the bounce house.

Grandma enjoyed playing with Evan at the playground. So fun!

What Evan has learned in school!

2011-10-05T21:22:00.001-04:00

I have to record this stuff here so I won't forget it. Getting Evan to tell us what he did in school each day is a bit of a challenge. He begins his "stories" with a recitation of the procedure they follow everyday and sometimes an interesting tale will evolve. Sometimes we just have to wait for little tidbits to come out here and there. Like when he starts singing a little song he learned in school. Last night, Daddy was getting him some ice cream in the kitchen, and Evan started singing:

"I eat apples
Crunch, Crunch, Crunch
I eat sandwiches
Munch, Munch, Munch
I eat lollipops
Lick, Lick, Lick
But I eat ice cream
Quick, Quick, Quick!"

I thought that one was so cute and had never heard it before.

He brought home a little paper sack this week with some food for the squirrels and is supposed to put the food outside where he can watch it from a window and see when the squirrels come to eat it. When Daddy told him what he was supposed to do, he said, "I can do that. I'll do it now." And he proceeded to carry the bag outside and sat it on the porch and came back inside to watch at the window. He was so serious too. Daddy told him he was supposed to pour the food out of the bag for the squirrels. I don't really know how he thought the squirrels were going to get the food out of the bag.

Brody's 5th Month

2011-09-30T22:32:00.001-04:00

Some things about Brody at 5 Months:

We have a tooth! It came through sometime last night or early this morning, and when Brody tried to chew on Mommy's finger this morning, she could feel that sharp little bottom tooth. By tonight, she could see the little white spot poking through. What a sweet little tooth!

Size: He weighs 16 lbs., still wears a size 2 diaper, wears 3 to 6 month clothes and some 6 to 9 months.

Developmental Accomplishments: He is still a very happy baby who loves to talk and be talked to. He can sit up with minimal support with great control of his neck and head for very long periods of time and can sit for a few seconds on his own (like 3 or 4) without falling over. He wants to sit up all the time. He also likes to stand up now and can pull himself up holding your fingers. He grabs for his bottle now when you offer it to him and can hold it when he's not being "lazy." I'm not rushing that one because I still love to hold him during feedings. Although he still likes his exersaucer and sits in his bumbo seat for meals, his favorite toy is his little stuffed friend we've named Peepers that he likes to talk to and chew on. We figured out why he's been chewing on everything since that tooth came through.

Sleeping: He is still sleeping through the night.

Eating: He still loves to eat, especially baby food! He has tried avocados, peas, bananas, apples, and sweet potatoes, and he never fails to eat the whole jar and would probably eat more. We are thinking of going up to two jars a day this month. Right now, he is getting about 3 bottles of formula a day with cereal and about 4 breast feedings a day. He gets his baby food in the afternoon.

And, of course, some pictures of our cutie's 5th month:

WEARING DADDY'S OUTFIT!

PLAY TIME!

He loves those little pandas!

STYLING IN COWBOY BOOTS, CORDS, AND FLANNEL

SWEET POTATOES!

1ST TIME IN THE SWINGS

BIG BROTHER LOVE!

BASEBALL!

I know, total cuteness overload here!

A Busy Day with Mom

2011-09-28T21:54:00.000-04:00

Daddy had to leave us early this morning so Mommy had to step up and take some time off work to perform her motherly (and fatherly) duties today. Of course, she loved every minute since these days are so rare in her often crazy and hectic schedule. Although we do have a full-time nanny now, Mommy still needed to be here for other reasons. One, Evan had his 4 year check up, and there is no way the nanny could have handled that one. He had to have 4 shots including his flu shot, and it was not an easy one. He was so mad after the first two shots in one arm, that it took some coaxing to get him to cooperate for the second two shots in his other arm. Ugh, it gets way more difficult the older they get. After the doctor appointment, Mommy had to treat her big boy to a special lunch date at Chick-fil-a. After we ordered and set down with our food, Evan insisted he was cold inside so we moved to the outdoor play area to eat. After he ate his meal, I had to encourage him to get him to play a little bit with a little girl who really wanted him to play with her. Ha! I probably do have the only 4 year old boy in the world who has to be coaxed to go and play. He is always a little cautious and more hesitant than most boys so I had to convince him he was perfectly capable of climbing the play structure by himself. Anyway, he let loose and enjoyed himself after that. After a few minutes playing, we had to get back home because Mommy did not like leaving Brody when she could have a few extra hours with him. Plus, we had some workers at the house installing a new AC unit and new duct work so she wanted to be there in case they needed anything. The lack of AC in the house does prove to be a problem when you have kids. Fortunately, our neighbor had a window unit we could use in our bedroom to allow us to sleep comfortably, but the rest of the house is just miserable. We weren't able to hide away in the bedroom today because the work involved getting into the attic which requires access through the ceiling right outside our bedroom door. We had to stay out of the upstairs to avoid the mess. Needless to say, no one got a nap! The afternoon went reasonably well although it did pass by too fast for Mommy between feeding and playing with Brody and keeping out of the way of the workers. After the workers left, we had to rush to get ready and get Evan to his soccer practice. After that practice, we rushed home to get a quick dinner and get the boys washed and ready for bed. As I lie here in bed with my little snuggle bunnies clean, fed, and sleeping next to me (for the moment), I am thankful for the wonderful day we spent together. Mostly, I am thankful for the conversations with my 4 year old. On the way to his doctor and at lunch, he filled me up with some delightful tidbits of information that I just have to record for his future enjoyment:

He finally told me about some of his friends from school. Thankfully, his teachers prepared a sweet little book with the pictures and names of his classmates to help them learn their friends' names. He had brought the book home yesterday so we had been looking at the pictures and names and learning all about them. Evan's teacher had told Daddy that Evan plays with a little boy named Daniel the most so we got to see that picture. Evan loves to say the name "Alejandro" because he thinks it is funny. Whenever he sees a picture of his classmate Logan, he says: "He's always mad in the morning!" Haha! I guess that one's not a morning person either.
He then proceeded to discuss some possibilities for his and Brody's Halloween costumes. That is a big deal to him. He wants them to dress up together but can't really decide what to be. He thinks they could be big brother and baby stegosauruses because he always says we are a family of stegosauruses. Stegosaurus has become his favorite dinosaur...replacing good ol' T.Rex. He has also suggested being a pirate again and letting Brody be his pirate ship. Ha! I have tried to convince him Brody could be his parrot instead. A cowboy and his horse is another possibility.
Another funny thing he said and did today was telling me he wanted 11 pancakes this morning and then telling me he wanted us to have 11 babies. Haha! 11 is now his favorite number.
The funniest thing he said and did today was probably this afternoon after we had returned home and Evan had been roaming around the house and observing the workers. I caught him walking around carrying his old cell phone (an old one we had given him as a baby to play with) and holding it to his ear and talking fervently into the phone. I listened closely and could catch some of the gist of the "conversation." He was obviously playing "bossman" and telling someone they "better get that water turned on." I heard some other mumblings which may or may not have been some curse words, but I was not going to draw attention to that one in hopes that he was not aware what he was saying and would not repeat them. He then proceeded to get frustrated and threw the cell phone down on the floor. Apparently, his employees were not listening to him. He was then seen carrying the cell phone around in his pocket and keeping a careful eye on the work going on. Oh my! I'm not sure if this was the first experience Evan had with what he thinks are "real men" and has some new heroes or what!

Meet Peepers

2011-09-25T17:34:00.000-04:00

Aren't first friends wonderful? This post is dedicated to Brody's first fuzzy friend. We have affectionately named him Peepers although Squeakers could be an appropriate moniker too since that is the noise he makes. Brody has really become quite attached to him. He grabs for him, clutches him in his super strength death grip, bites and chews on his beak, feet, tail feathers and wings, and just gives him the biggest and most curious grins.

Love at first sight!

"No, you may not borrow my friend!"

"Oh Peepers, your feet are so yummy!"

"Peepers, I love you!