Halloween 2013

I knew that this may be one of my last year's to influence Connor on what he should be for Halloween.  I'm not going to lie, I took full advantage of it!  I also wanted the boys to coordinate and I think it turned out so cute.  Connor was a fireman and Walker was a Dalmatian (not a cow as some guessed).  

 

The weekend before Halloween, we went to the Germantown Fire Station to get some pictures of the boys on the fire truck.  The firemen who were working that day couldn't have been nicer.  Connor loved every aspect of the fire house!

 

 

 

It's started to become a tradition of the grandparents coming over to the house before Connor leaves for trick or treating.  This year, I made a big pot of chili and we enjoyed dinner before Matt, Dennis, and Connor hit the streets.

 

 



Becoming Friends

It seems like in the last week or so Walker has transitioned from a newborn to a very interactive baby.  He has started sitting up while being supported with the boppy and reaching out for specific objects (i.e. taking my glasses off or pulling my hair out from the roots).  I've said it multiple times, but Connor has a special way with Walker that he can make him smile in 2.5 seconds. 

Now that Walker is much more interactive Connor really enjoys playing with him.  The other night we sat on the floor to roll the ball to each other and Walker was cracking up laughing every time Connor rolled the ball to him.  It definitely melts my heart to see those two play together and I hope they will be each others best friend forever!

 

 

Fast forward a few days...Connor was crying because Walker snatched his bag of mini muffins and squeezed one of the muffins.  Then that night, Walker grabbed a chunk of Connor's hair which resulted in another meltdown.  Not every moment can be a happy moment!

It's official...I'm a soccer mom!

I'm so excited for Connor and his opportunity to play soccer at Hope.  Back when I was off on maternity leave, I started looking for sports that Connor could be enrolled in (age wise).  I wanted him to have something that was all about him so that he wouldn't feel like Walker was always the center of attention.

The practices and games are on Sunday afternoons for an hour.  I really like the idea that it was only once a week and it was on the weekend.  Our schedule right now with the two boys is hectic enough, I couldn't imagine throwing in multiple practices after work during the week.  Connor is on the yellow team with Coach Conner.

The first practice was in the gym due to thunderstorms rolling through.  Thank goodness for the director's big heart and high level of patience, because corralling 50 4-5 year olds takes a very special person!

The second practice was outside on the soccer field.  Connor was excited to wear his new cleats and use his new water bottle (the one like the professional football players have, the smallest things mean so much to him).  I on the other was not prepared at all.  We had our chairs and I had a bottle for Walker, but I did not plan for sitting in direct sunlight for an hour.  Thankfully I had a huge umbrella in the car and we used that for shade for Walker.  We will buying a huge sports umbrella ASAP!

It so cute watching the kids practice.  First their attention span is all of 2 minutes and second they all huddle around the ball like a pack (you'll never wonder where the ball is, just look for the kids grouped together).  So far Connor's really enjoying it and I'm excited for the games to start!

 

 

 

 

 

Nashville Wedding

This past weekend, Matt and I headed up to Nashville for Ryan and Sarah's wedding weekend.  We left Friday morning after dropping the boys off at school.  The drive to Nashville is always so boring to me, but we ended up making there around lunch time.  We grabbed lunch with a few friends and then walked around the Green Hills mall for a little bit.  We had rehearsal and rehearsal dinner Friday evening and the wedding/reception was Saturday evening.  Here are a few pictures from our weekend trip! (Apparently I took no pictures of Ryan or Sarah, but the bride and the wedding were both very pretty)

 

Walker's Baptism

This past Sunday we all got together and celebrated Walker's baptism at Hope.  We met everyone for breakfast at Perkins before the service (Gigi, Big Daddy, Grandaddy, Uncle Chris and Cici).  After breakfast we headed to Hope to take a few pictures before the service started.  I was so happy with how they turned out!

Walker had fallen asleep during the worship session of the service, which was right before the baptism.  I thought for sure he'd be out the entire time, but he woke up right before he had to go to the front.  We were towards the end of the line and all I could think about was trying to keep Walker from spitting up all over his outfit!  I took the bib off right before we went up and just crossed my fingers that we would make it all of 10 minutes without any incidents.  Walker had to be the happiest baby ever to be baptized!  Once I get the video, I'll try to post it. 



St. Petersburg Work Trip

The time had finally come for Ashley and I to go to St. Pete for a week long work trip.  Most of the department went back in April, so we were the last to visit.  I think Matt was dreading the trip more than I was because all the responsibility of the kids was going to fall on him.  Not only did I pack for myself, but I also laid out the kids clothes for the entire week and made day by day instructions for Matt so there would be no confusion.  I really tried to make it as painless as possible!

 

We ate at the "world famous" Hurricane Restaurant one night

 

The sunsets were so pretty

 

FaceTime with Connor

 

FaceTime with Walker didn't go as well, he started crying once he heard my voice

 

We look really hard at work, don't we?!

 

By the end of the week we were both ready to go home.  I couldn't imagine having to travel for work on a regular basis, I was so ready to get home and hug the boys.  (And I'm happy to report that Matt did just fine, I had no doubts)

Walker {4 Months}

 

Weight:14 lbs 14.5 oz

Length:
25 inches

Feeding:
You eat 4 ounces at 6 am, 9 am, 12 pm, 3 pm, and 6 pm. Then at bedtime, around 8:30, you eat 6 ounces

Sleep:
You're still doing pretty good in the sleep department and I have no complaints.  However, you don't nap throughout the day as much as you used to.

Diaper Size:
3

Clothing Size:
3-6 months and some are just 6 months

Hair Color:
Your hair is a very light brown almost a dirty blonde

Eye Color:
Still my blue eyed boy

Connor:
Connor is still in your face ALL the time!  He has the ability to make you laugh/smile on demand.  I am starting to see that I am going to have my hands full with you two.  If I tell Connor to me quiet, he'll try to get you to "talk" and then says "it was Walker, not me".

Random Facts:
You're still not rolling over yet, but that's probably my fault because I don't let you lay down long enough to practice.  You've started to sit in the Johnny Jumper and you absolutely love the fact that you can spin yourself around.  Connor seems to think it's funny to spin you around and around, bless your heart...I know one day you'll be paying him back!  The doctor said you looked great at your 4 month check up.  He wasn't as concerned with your head being flat in the back as I was.  We're going to start you on rice cereal in a couple of weeks once the monthly calendar slows down a little.  Right now you seem to be very content with life!

Oklahoma Trip #2

We were able to go back out to Oklahoma for Dennis' birthday in July.  Now that Connor is getting older, I really enjoy the fact that we can go out there and he just run around like crazy.  The whole property is fenced in, so I know he can't get too far! 

 

This is how the car ride started

 

It quickly turned into me having to get in the back seat and provide entertainment

 

FINALLY he was asleep, of course we were only had about an hour to go

Garner was also out there at the same time, so the two of them keep each other entertained.  They had mounds of sand to build sand castles with and endless hours of swimming in the pool.  Connor did SO much better swimming this time, than he did when we went for Memorial Day.  I think having Garner there really helped to boost his confidence level.

 

 

This was Matt's office while we were out there

Besides playing in the yard and swimming, Garner and Connor were able to go ride four wheelers out at the big property.  I think this was what Connor was looking forward to the most.  Between the 4 four wheelers everyone had a chance to ride.  We did have to give Connor a warning for turning the corners too sharp.  That boy has no fear sometimes!  After we all rode around in the field for a while, Matt, Connor, Reid, Kim and Garner took a ride along the creek.

 

He looks so grown up when he rides the four wheeler

As for Walker, his trip to Oklahoma wasn't as exciting.  However, he did get to float in Mimi's pool and absolutely loved being in the "big bath tub".  He spent most of his day taking in the fresh air and napping (such a hard life he lives). 

As always we had a wonderful time relaxing, eating good food, and spending time with family!

Walker {3 Months}

I'm sure that I will say this every month, but I can't believe how quickly time flies.  We are really starting to get into a routine and it's getting easier to understand exactly what Walker wants when he cries.  Not too mention, Connor is really starting to enjoy being a big brother.

Weight:
13.7 lbs (according to the home scale)

Length:
Not sure, but definitely longer than at your 2 month check-up

Feeding:
You eat 4 ounces at 6 am, 9 am, 12 pm, 3 pm, and 6 pm.  Then at bedtime, around 8:30, you eat 5 ounces

Sleep:
You're definitely like your brother in this area, you love your sleep!  You generally cat nap throughout the day and then you're out around 7:30.  I'll wake you up about 8:30 for your last bottle and then you sleep until I wake you up at 6 am.  You have transitioned from sleeping in the car seat (which was in your crib) to sleeping in your crib with an elevated mattress.  I think you love being able to stretch out all night!

Diaper Size:
1-2

Clothing Size:
3 months is starting to get a little snug in the length, you do best with the 3-6 month size

Hair Color:
Your hair is definitely starting to sprout on the top.  It's coming in a lot lighter than I thought it would, I was betting on dark brown.  However, it's not as white as Connor's hair was.

Eye Color:
Still my blue eyed boy

Connor:
Connor is SO in LOVE with you!  In fact, I'm sure you have noticed this because he is ALWAYS right up in your face.  He really enjoys that you now smile back at him when he talks to you and can't wait until you're able to play.  He still hasn't really attempted to pick you up, which I'm very happy about, but he does like to hold/feed you.  Connor's also really good about giving you the paci when you're crying, sometimes it looks more like he is shoving it in your mouth, but at least he's trying right?!

Random Facts:
Your favorite time of the day is bath time.  You can go from screaming to smiling just by putting you in the water.  You're also starting to "talk" a lot more these days.  Connor seems to think I speak baby, because he's always asking me "What did he say?" (generally I just make something up).  You've adjusted really well to daycare and I'm slowing adjusting to being back at work.  You still aren't a fan of tummy time, unless you're tired then you're happy to sleep on your stomach.  You've also discovered your hands and if you don't have a paci your mouth, you're generally nawing on your hands.  I'm looking forward to seeing how you change in the next month, but I'm wishing the baby days wouldn't go by so quickly!

Random Pictures

It seems like these days I only use my iPhone to take pictures of the boys.  The big camera is such a hassle to tote around with Walker and Connor hanging off of me.  Here are some random pictures from the last few weeks.

 

Connor attempted to win us the $600 million jackpot, unfortunately we did not win

 

We've been having lots of sword fights

 

Always helping a brother out!

 

Snuggle time

 

Connor is obsessed with Walker these days, it's so cute!

 

The boys had a slumber party and I was not invited to join