Boss Man's Blog

B-I-G Day!!!

2011-02-09T23:42:00.001-06:00

January 27th - Big day for me and the boss!!! We went back to Birmingham for a play date with Keegan and Sondra & to go with grand momma to the circus. The next day we visited with family and had a lunch date with Stephanie. It was a very busy trip and we were both exhausted when we got home, but we had a really great time!

Play date:
Since both Sondra and I have memberships to the McWane Center, we decided to meet there and let the boys play. This is our second play date at McWane and the boys had a ball both times. It is nice that we can let them run and play without having to tell them "no" or hover over them the entire time. Both of our boys are potty training, Trav has been at it since Thanksgiving and Keegan is just now becoming interested in the whole idea. So we had lots of group potty trips where the boys would high-five their accomplishments. It was cute watching them play with other kids too, because they kinda just know they are on the same team so to speak. So when other kids were mean or rude to one of them the other would step in. These boys are just cute! We are looking forward to our next play date!

Cute boys digging for bones.

Circus Time:

After our play date we went to grand momma's house for a quick nap before heading to the circus. This was the boss man's first trip to the circus, and I will admit that I was a little nervous about how he would react. Luckily he did great! The show started at 7:30pm and wasn't over until 10:00pm (well past his 8pm bedtime!) and amazingly he made it through the entire circus. He liked all of the big acts and was somewhat bored with the clowns and little time filler acts. I think he most liked the horses and elephants. Of course you can't go to the circus without getting overpriced trinkets, so we have a stuffed train and light up twirly thing. I appreciate my mom for taking us to the circus, we love spending time with her! And I hope that the boss enjoyed himself as much as I believe he did.

"hmmmm...whats going on over there?"

"yay look mommy, a train"

My mom said this is the only thing he wanted at the trinket stand; he wouldn't even look at the other toys. He is train OBSESSED!

But there was a kid behind us with one of these and he decided he needed one of them as well. (of course!) So at intermission we went and got one- yes I have "sucker" printed on my forehead.

He really liked the elephants! He was saying "night night elephant, go bed". Just so darn cute!

McWane Center with daddy

2011-02-09T23:01:00.000-06:00

January 18th the boss and I took the hubs to the McWane Center in Birmingham. We had such a great time!! I loved watching my two favorite guys explore and play together. I didn't take too many pics because I was really trying to just enjoy family time. But, I did snap a few....

love this one

The Mad Hatter

2011-01-17T00:39:00.001-06:00

We do our best to keep the boss man's head and ears warm, and to do it fashionably. So he has several hats...here are my favorites.

For when he's feeling froggy.

The warmest hat he has, but its also a little big.

He has an Alabama hat from Nana....

and an Auburn hat from Grandmama.

Hello Elmo!

Snow in the South

2011-01-17T00:18:00.000-06:00

As stated before, we live in north Alabama. We don't get snow here...at least no more than the occasional dusting. But even the dustings we get every few years are enough to close down the city. So imagine what 9 inches can do. We learned last week that it closes down the city for a week!! The snow began on Sunday evening and by midnight we had about 5 inches in our backyard, and when we woke up on Monday there were 9 inches total. Since our area isn't equipped to deal with such snow, area schools were closed most (if not all) of the week, businesses closed, roads were called impassable, and we were stuck in our house. Some people love snow and cold weather- our family is not "those" people. I can say that we enjoyed it the first day, and then we were done. Cabin fever began to set in on day 2 and by day 3 the boss was begging his daddy to "go bye bye" as soon as he came home from work. Finally on day four, the roads were clear enough for me and the boss to leave, so I treated him to a special lunch of chicken fingers and fries. LOL! Friday he was able to go back to preschool for the first time since December 17th, when he got out for Christmas break. I believe he was equally happy to have time away from me as I was to have four hours of alone time.
Here are the pictures I snapped during our snow days:

"more snow mommy"

Our Killer boy almost drown in the snow.

We did all the snow activities I could come up with. Here he is 'snow paining' with a food coloring and water mixture.

Boss man makes a snow angel

Day 2- he wanted to wear my boots when he got up that morning.

Running from daddy's giant snowball.

Alabama snow plow

Boss and daddy with our really big snowman.

He is an Auburn snowman!! WAR EAGLE!

He's not happy about another snow day.

Still this deep on day 3!

Handsome fellas.

Family Gatherings

2011-01-09T01:34:00.000-06:00

The weekend before Christmas we had my family gathering in Birmingham. Always a good time! We have 3 two year old boys running around the house now, so the get togethers are more interesting than ever. This was the first year that the boys did a gift swap and they were so cute.

Cade and Keegan opening their presents

Boss looks more interested in what the other boys got. ha ha ha... he loves his Toy Story goodies!

New Years Day was the hubby's family gathering to celebrate Christmas. We all got together at Nana's house and ate a fantastic lunch and exchanged presents.

Nana with the six grand babies.

Left to Right: Travis (2), Shelby (3 mos), Alex (9), Kara (3 mos), Annah Parker (5) & Ty (3 mos).

Traintastic Video

2011-01-09T01:10:00.000-06:00

Santa came!!!

2011-01-09T01:01:00.000-06:00

This was our best Christmas yet! Not because we got some extravagant gifts or traveled to an exotic location, but because the boss was so much more into everything Christmas this year. I know (hope) that he will be more excited next year and the following year.

Our Christmas tree

Santa brought a train table to our train obsessed little boy

Grand momma and Nana were here Christmas morning...yay!

I'd say he was a little excited!

We live in North Alabama and snow here is unheard of! So, imagine our shock when we woke up to 3 inches of snow on the ground Christmas morning. A white Christmas in Alabama!!!! We were all SO very excited!

My guys and their snowman

Getting a family photo with a 2 year old is IMPOSSIBLE!

our house all snowed up

Like I said....best Christmas yet!!

Santa's Village with Boyd

2011-01-08T00:03:00.000-06:00

We have a great Christmas attraction called Santa's Village here in Huntsville. Last year when we took the boss he had fun- but this year he had a blast! Cousins Brandy, Bill and Boyd came in town this year to go with us, Trav and Boyd always have a great time together. This year we went the Saturday before Christmas and it was packed! The lines were a little longer than we would have liked but the boys did okay and had a good time anyway. Nana and aunt Jane were kind enough to brave the cold and crowds with us this year too.

Playing in the "snow"

Sucker bribe for the long wait to see Santa

Cousin Boyd and the boss with Santa

My favorite pic!

2 train obsessed boys checking out the train display

my snowman

Daddies and their boys checking out the reindeer

Not so sure about that.....

cute little elves

craft time! this paper tree amazingly lasted until the day before we took down the tree.

PreSchool Party

2011-01-07T23:38:00.000-06:00

The last day of MMO was Friday, December 17th and two of the room moms put on a fabulous Christmas party for the kids.

the entire class- so sweet

Bobbing for ducks

McWane Center

2011-01-07T23:32:00.000-06:00

On December 15th we made a day trip to Birmingham. Nana and I took the boss for some shopping at the Galleria, then lunch with Grandmomma, and finally the McWane Center with cousin Keegan. FUN, FUN day!! At the galleria we visited with Santa, did a little shopping and rode the carousel- he loved the carousel! But we all had a fantastic time at the McWane Center!

McWane Center had snow! lol- check out the awesome "snow boots" aka shower caps.

PERFECT- my little boy is obsessed with trains and they had about 8 train sets on display that you could push a button and they would run the rails.

super big lite brite

Trav & Keegan splish-splash

cousins are the best!!

up up and away!

Boss was SOOO tired by this point...big day with no nap makes for a quiet ride home!

A few of my favorite things

2010-12-12T00:45:00.000-06:00

Thought I would share a few of my favorite holiday things right now.

This is the coolest ornament and book set ever. You hang the ornament on the tree and read the book, on every page there is a colored bulb following the text and you press the coordinating light color and the ornament either finishes the verse of the song or adds a little something to the story. Sometimes its Santa and sometimes its the reindeer talking but either way it is so cute and funny! The boss has a ball with this, he just cracks up pushing buttons and listening to the ornament.

Our Christmas books. It doesn't seem fair that we only get to pull these out one month a year! This 'Night before Christmas' book is a recordable book from Hallmark so Nana reads it to us, and the Charlie Brown book also plays music.

I have a very helpful little man! He feels the need to help with everything his daddy and I do. I've found ways for him to safely help do most things around the house and those that aren't safe I reserve for nap time or preschool hours. Here he is helping Carson make kool-aid, he pours the sugar and stirs for us.

The Polar Express

Boss is obsessed with trains of all kinds right now, so I dvr'd the Polar Express when it came on tv. He became obsessed with it as well! We now own the dvd and the boss's keepsake ornament this year is none other than this one.

Of course my little man is always one of my favorite things!

Potty Time!!

2010-12-12T00:04:00.000-06:00

The day my two year old told me "good job" after a diaper change, I knew it was time to potty train. Of course he also started announcing when he needed to pee pee in the potty. So I decided that while he was out of preschool for Thanksgiving break we would do the potty training thing. And we did...mostly!

I studied online about the best/worst techniques & talked to other moms about their successes and failures and came up with my own game plan. It was a combination of what several people told me, and it just made sense for our family. My 'potty plan' included nudity, house arrest, m&m's, stickers & Hershey kisses. We started only 2 1/2 weeks ago and I am proud to say that we are now at a 98% success for pee pee and 75% on the poop. YAY boss man!!!! He still wears a pull-up to preschool and to bed, but otherwise he is in his big boy underwear. For some reason he still won't tell his teachers when he has to go, but he will go if they take him to the bathroom!?

mommy moment: I actually get excited doing his laundry and finding his tiny little undies for 2 reasons...1- no more buying diapers (cha-ching $)... 2- our last step away from babyhood (okay this one is kinda bittersweet)

Christmas already...

2010-12-11T23:34:00.000-06:00

Before Thanksgiving, we walked through our local botanic gardens for the annual Galaxy of Lights display. This is the first year we have walked through but we always drive it...every year! I personally love Christmas lights! And lucky for me the boss has a great appreciation too.

My favorite part!!!

It wouldn't be the rocket city with out the rocket display, this was one of two shuttle/rocket displays.

My little man's favorite display- and it was of course at the very END!!

He was done...

Borrowed a baby

2010-12-11T23:21:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago we borrowed one of the triplets for a play date. Boss man and I took Ty to the playground and then came to our house for naps and tummy time! I was really proud of how the boss did sharing his mommy with another little boy, he even helped feed him.

Happy Birthday Baby!

2010-11-17T22:41:00.000-06:00

Two years ago at this time we were in the hospital waiting to meet our son. Finally at 9:58pm we welcomed the sweetest, most handsome little boy into the world. And as I type this my sweet, loud, handsome, loving, tantrum throwing toddler is sleeping soundly in his "big boy bed". I remember the day he was born so vividly that it can't possibly have been two whole years ago. *sigh* But since he insist upon growing up...we celebrated the BIG 2 with our boss man today!!

The day started with preschool- and he got to take brownies as a special snack for the class. Then I took him to get a much needed haircut. Followed by lunch at Chick-fil-a and nap time. When he woke up from his nap daddy was home and we got into the presents! After a quick trip to Nana's and grandaddy & Mimi's houses, the boss got to eat his Gigi's cupcake. I enjoyed my day with him and I hope he felt special and loved!

Gifts from mommy and daddy included: 2 puzzles, 2 books & a play kitchen!

Getting his first look at the play kitchen!

Coffee with daddy

Please note the use of hot pot holder

Yummy Gigi's cupcake! He got to pick from the flavors they had today and of course he picked the one with blue icing, sprinkles and a gummy worm!

At some point he asked for a spoon to eat it with- he then fed me and daddy bites of icing!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY sweet boy! You'll never know how proud and happy you make your daddy and I.

Travis turns TWO

2010-11-17T22:01:00.000-06:00

P-A-R-T-Y time

2010-11-16T22:06:00.000-06:00

Since the boss turns 2 this week, we had a birthday party for him at The Little Gym on Saturday. He had a GREAT time!! That place is amazing- the kids had fun, the adults had fun, everything went on schedule and I didn't have to lift a finger. Here are some pics from our good time!

Some of the big kids playing like little kids.

All the singing kinda freaked him out! ha ha!!

After the party we went to the Mellow Mushroom and I had a super tired boy!

1st Trip to the Dentist

2010-11-16T21:46:00.000-06:00

This has to be in the top 5 WORST pictures of the boss! But after 3 attempts the sweet girl at the dentist office picked this one for his magnet. Today was his first trip to the dentist office and I'm very pleased with the dentist we selected for him. They have an incredible office with video game rooms, indoor playground, tv's mounted to every wall, and a great big "prize" room! In addition to the cool office, they have a great staff. Everyone was so kind, patient and really wanted us to feel at ease- great experience! I was SO proud of how well he did considering this was the first visit. He climbed into the chair and let the dentist look in his mouth with the mirror and count his teeth like a champ! Also, I'm happy to say that he got a great report- all of his pearly whites look perfect! Whoo-hoo! Good job to the parents for brushing day and night!! After his exam the assistant took him to the prize room and he picked a new ball. He was a happy fella and I was a happy mommy!

Aubie the Tiger

2010-11-16T21:05:00.000-06:00

This year the boss dressed up as Aubie for Halloween. He also trick or treated as a plain tiger. We had a great Halloween, he was really into it this year. And, boy- did he rake in the candy!

This years Smith Family pumpkin. The hubster is great pumpkin carver!

My tiger with his grandaddy & Mimi.

Pumpkin Painting

2010-10-24T23:55:00.000-05:00

Mr. Creativity's masterpiece

New Room!!

2010-10-24T23:49:00.001-05:00

Since our little guy decided to start climbing out of his crib we made some changes to his bedroom. Including putting him into a bigger bedroom! He now has lots of playroom and is sleeping well in his big boy bed.

He is annoyed with me at this point for all the picture taking.

Tate Farms

2010-10-24T23:40:00.000-05:00

This weekend we went to Tate Farms for our yearly pumpkin pickin. We had a great time and picked 3 awesome pumpkins. And the frog boots made an appearance!! :)

Weagle, Weagle...War Cam Eagle!!

2010-10-24T23:26:00.000-05:00

My mom invited us to an Auburn game the first weekend of October; so we got to take the boss to his first college football game. Being a huge Auburn fan I was SO excited that his first game was an Auburn game! My die hard Alabama fan husband was a great sport about the whole thing.

Cool spinning Aubie cup

Grand momma and Trav at the game

Here comes the team!!

Cheese!! :)

In his frog boots

2010-10-24T23:02:00.000-05:00

We got the boss man some new boots to wear out in the woods and when it is really wet outside. They are super awesome frog boots! And he L-O-V-E-S them!! We debate daily as to why he can't wear them every where we go- including school. He does look so cute wearing his froggy boots though!!!

Now there are 3!!

2010-09-30T00:08:00.000-05:00

Here is a picture of our new nieces and nephew. They are one week old today! Mom and babies are doing well. They will be in the NICU for a little longer to get big and healthy.

Kara, Shelby & Ty

Miss Kara weighed 4lb 14oz, Sweet Shelby weighed 2lb 15oz, and Mister Ty weighed in at 4lb 14oz at birth.

Bloggy Blog Updates

2010-09-24T00:29:00.000-05:00

Hey! I decided to add a tab to the top row that lists all of the books in the boss mans library. This replaces the book club- we read multiple books a day now!

Pineapple update

2010-09-24T00:25:00.000-05:00

I decided one day last week that the time had come to pick the pineapple.

I think it got to be a pretty good size.

The finished product. It was really, really good- just sweet enough and juicy...yumm!! And lucky me we have another fruit trying to come up on the plant now! I'm kind of a pineapple farmer I guess. ha ha ha

Cause he's a cutie!

2010-09-24T00:17:00.000-05:00

Just some pictures cause I think my boy is cute!!

The Lake for Labor Day

2010-09-24T00:08:00.000-05:00

We went to the lake for Labor Day and spent time with my family. What a great trip!! Even though the boss was getting over double ear infections- he was a trooper! I wanted to share some pics of our weekend.

Two of my favorite men!

What do you get when you put 3 almost 2 year old boys in a sand/dirt pit with 3 spoons and 3 bowls??? Hours of fun!

Playing with Grandmomma

Stephanie and I rocking the tube

Chloe & Sondra take a turn as well

Chloe & Chris make it look easy

The girls! :)

Grandaddy with his 4 great-grandsons

(left to right....Travis, Keegan, Grandaddy Travis, Brett & Cade)

The boys and their daddies

Keegan and the boss take a boat ride with grandaddy.

Buh-Bye!

Memphis

2010-09-23T23:39:00.001-05:00

My mom and I took Travis to Memphis a few weeks ago to visit Grandaddy Jeff, Cole, Darbi and Kelli. While we were there we took the boys to the zoo, playground and to feed the ducks. The best part to the boys was the pool in our hotel!

...oh and they loved riding the luggage cart.

Travis and Darbi checking out the monkeys.

Travis & Cole feeding the birds. Well it looks like Travis is feeding fish.

My personal fave!!

We took in a sea lion show.

Hung with the grizzly bears...

they aren't all that sweet after all!

Feeding the ducks with Grandmomma and Cole.

He had to run from the ducks because they were trying to eat the bandage on his hand. He said over and over "ducks bite". ha ha ha

Sweet cousins playing at the park.

Finally- goodnight!!!

the pineapple

2010-08-24T16:11:00.003-05:00

My pineapple is getting big!! Now if only I knew when to pick it.....

Big boy!

2010-08-23T23:49:00.002-05:00

Here is a pic from the boss man's first day of pre-school! Doesn't he look so happy and big?!? He was so excited about school, and getting to take his backpack- there was no way that I could not be happy for him. He had a great first day!!

Second Day: He loved it just as much the second day as the first! :)

Third Day: His first full 4 hour day, and he did great! He really likes school and talks about it all the time now! In this picture he is waiting by the back door for me to take him to school, he decided that it was a good time to catch up on his reading.

PreSchool

2010-08-15T22:31:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow my little guy starts pre-school. I could say that I am fine with this, not worried, not sad for him to be so grown up, and that I am excited for the "me" time- and all of that was true until I saw this...

Yep. This image got me! He had been marching around the house wearing his new backpack when he stopped to look for bugs outside the window. And it hit me that my little guy is just growing up WAY to fast! He looked so big and he is so excited that he gets to go "bye bye school". It's really sweet and I am sure we will both be just fine tomorrow morning- but tonight I'm kinda sad that my baby is so big.

ELMO parade....

2010-08-10T23:06:00.003-05:00

He cracks me up daily with his creativity!

Cousins!

2010-08-10T22:52:00.004-05:00

A couple of weekends ago Christy came to town and brought Alex and Annah Parker to play with us! The kids had such fun playing together, especially in the pool! They don't get to see each other nearly enough so we all enjoy when they are here.

My sister in law, Michelle is pregnant with triplets! Yep, the boss is getting three new cousins sometime in the next few weeks. She is having 2 girls (Kara & Shelby) and a boy (Ty). A couple of weekends ago we held a baby shower in her honor. My mother in law (Nana) and I made these diaper cakes for her and the new additions.

Kiddie Carnival

2010-08-10T22:31:00.003-05:00

While my sister in law, Christy was in town for my other sister in law, Michelle's baby shower; we took all the kids to the Kiddie Carnival. Now this Kiddie Carnival has had the same rides since before my husband was old enough to ride them. I won't lie- they look a little unstable and I questioned myself for letting the boss ride- but what do ya do?!?! It was his first trip to the carnival but I'm sure we'll be back next year.
He did really good on the first ride with Alex & Annah Parker-

Did good on the train too-

BUT... by the time he got to the ferris wheel he was done!

Poor fella, they had to stop the ride for him to get off. His sweet cousins even got off with him. The boss man was so glad to be put in his stroller!! He ate funnel cake, dippin dots and cotton candy for the rest of the trip and was a happy guy.

Play date with Boyd

2010-08-05T01:05:00.007-05:00

Last week we were lucky to have Carson's cousin Brandy and her son Boyd in town. Boyd is 6 months older than the boss, and they had a B-I-G time on their play date. First we went to the Huntsville Depot and played in the Little Toots pretend area, rode the trolley and checked out the vintage car and truck collection. After that we headed to the EarlyWorks Museum and the boys built with blocks, worked on the farm, rode cows and played in the water. The last stop on our play-a-palooza was the splash pad. The boys had so much fun running thru the water and playing in the fountain.

Stop 1- Huntsville Depot

Stop 2- Earlyworks Museum

Stop 3- Splash Pad

For Comparison-

2010-08-05T01:00:00.002-05:00

These 2 photos were taken almost exactly 13 months apart. It always amazes me how much he has grown up but not really changed! Thought this would be a cool comparison.

If you're a toddler boy in the summer, you......

2010-08-05T00:46:00.003-05:00

...catch a ride on daddy's shoulders

....play in the sand box

...eat fruit chillers on a hot day

...build forts with daddy on Sunday mornings

...hide in really fun places

....run naked thru the sprinkler

...and end up with an awesome tan!

Dance baby dance!

2010-08-05T00:39:00.002-05:00

July 4th Vacation (part 2)

2010-08-05T00:11:00.005-05:00

For the second part of our vacation we headed further south and back to uncle Chris and aunt Erin's house. Since the hubs didn't get to go to the beach with us last trip we wanted to be sure and make it down again this summer. We had a great trip. My sister in law was down with our nieces and we got to celebrate aunt Christy's birthday with them. Our trip started with fireworks on the night of the forth, then we had a day at the beach, a rain out day that we spent shopping and eating, and another day at the beach! Who can complain?!?

Beach Day 1:

The life of a toddler is a rough life to lead! LOL!

How cute is he?? I mean really?!

Love beach days with uncle Chris and his Gators tent.

Beach Day 2:
Hanging with Christy, Alex, Annah Parker, Michelle & Nate

Diggin with his cousins.

Telling Alex all about what is in the bucket.

What is in this bucket you ask....

Well fish of course!

Aunt Christy getting ready to sing at Joe's Crab Shack on her birthday.

This is his new "cheese" face. geez!!

My guys with uncle Chris.

July 4th Vacations (part 1)

2010-08-04T23:37:00.004-05:00

The 3 of us started our vacation by spending the night at the lake and celebrating with my family. Tons of fun as usual! It is always really special to spend time with my mom, grandparents, the hubs and boss man at the lake house that has been in our family forever. We went on boat rides, bird watching, swimming, played with cousins and we ATE...and ate, and ate!

We went to see where the fish eagles had a big nest and momma bird was taking care of her babies.

Even Mimi got in on the action!!

A few of my favorite people... My grandiddy Travis, the hubs & boss man, and my momma.

The 2 Trav's driving the boat.

One of the boss mans frogs (aka ribbit ribbit) he and grandmomma caught over the weekend.

Cousin Keegan- such a little ham!

My independant boy.

Nana Got Moved

2010-08-04T23:33:00.003-05:00

As I mentioned in earlier posts, my mother in law recently moved from Florida to a beautiful new house about 5 minutes from us. We spent one weekend helping her get all moved in and I snapped this cute pic of the boss man helping my aunt Donna and his Nana put the dining room table together.

Pool Time

2010-08-04T23:24:00.003-05:00

We've been spending LOTS of time at the pool this summer. Here are just random pics of our pool time so far. The boss is quite the swimmer and he gets better all the time. He's even swimming (very) short distances without his water wings now!!

At the pool with Taylor and Grayson.

Kissy, kissy with Taylor!

The Family! Love this one!!

Remember me?

2010-08-04T23:21:00.001-05:00

taptaptaptap...is anyone there? I've been a bad blogger!! But, I'm gonna make up for it now.

smith Look-alike Meter

2010-06-30T21:31:00.002-05:00

I'm just saying.....lol!!!

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Geneology search - Old pictures

Beach Trip - tar balls not included!

2010-06-17T23:51:00.006-05:00

Since I heard that the oil spill in the gulf was beginning to affect our Alabama beaches, I had this overwhelming urge to put the boss in the car and drive south. I just really wanted him to see the beach again before it is a black tar mess. So last weekend my friend Kelli and I did just that- we packed up and drove to Destin, FL. Carson and I are so lucky that we have family who lives at the beach so we usually have a nice place to stay, and this trip was no exception! Kelli, Trav and I stayed with uncle Chris and aunt Erin for a long weekend and had a BLAST!! Unfortunately, Carson wasn't able to make the trip with us, he was busy helping Nana move. While we had a great trip, we did miss him! Our trip was filled with beach time, pool time, good food, and some boats.

Yes the water is a little green....it was seaweed. Seaweed vs. Tar balls - I'll take seaweed! :)

Dinner at Harry T's on the docks. Trav LOVED watching the boats come in... he didn't love having to be put in his high chair.

Wait for me.....

LOL

Mr. Independent

Here Kitty, Kitty....

Here I come uncle Chris!

He figured out the grown ups pool toy.

Aunt Erin & Uncle Chris with the boss man

Playground time with his uncle Chris

Memorial Day at the lake

2010-06-17T23:18:00.004-05:00

Memorial Day weekend was our first trip to the lake this year and Trav was just in awe of it! Last year he loved every trip we took down to the lake house but this year it all clicks for him and he just couldn't hardly sit still. Our property is surrounded on three sides by water so everywhere he looked it was "water....boat....water..." Carson and I had a great time just watching him take it all in. This was also the boss man's first real swimming experience of the year, and he did really well. He was cautious at first but after hanging out in the water for a bit he let loose and kicked and splashed. We had a great trip and got to enjoy time with some extended family!

Bad Blogger...

2010-06-17T23:16:00.003-05:00

I admit that I have not been doing a very good job keeping the boss's blog up to date lately. What can I say- we've had beautiful weather lately and we love to be outside. I have two vacations to blog about and several other blog-worthy events I'm sure, so I'll get to work! :)

What's a vacation without a little terrorist threat?

2010-05-27T23:40:00.003-05:00

While we were squeezing in our last day sightseeing we noticed that an entire block of historic downtown was closed off and there were tons of cops & other important looking people everywhere and 2-3 helicopters in the sky. It turns out someone found a balloon full of white powder...so of course homeland security, hazmat, local & federal agents all had to run their tests on this powder to find out it was baking flour!!! Of course we had to get pictures of all the chaos (it lasted 5 hours!!).

Silver lining was that Trav loved the helicopters!

City of Brotherly Love

2010-05-27T22:14:00.011-05:00

We had a very FULL last day in Philly! Trav and I started out with a double decker bus tour of the city. Then we headed to The Academy of Natural Science Museum to check out the dinosaurs and butterflies. Carson finished up his conference that afternoon so we met up with him to go do some more sightseeing. The three of us went to the Philadelphia Museum of Art to see the Rocky statue and of course run the 72 steps that were made famous in the Rocky movies. We went to the Rodin Museum to see the famous Thinker statue and the beautiful Gates of Hell. After that we caught the trolley back to historic Philly to tour Independence Hall, which was more interesting then I had thought it would be. Since we missed the last trolley back to the hotel we did our own walking tour of downtown and made sure to see Ben Franklin's grave and Chinatown on the way. I really wanted to have dinner at McGillin's Old Ale House so we went there only to be run out by the noise. We did get our dinner to go and it was yummy!! After dinner we went to the JFK Park to see the LOVE sign and some more of the super old buildings that were near our hotel. Enjoy the pictures- we'll enjoy the memories!!!!

The Academy of Natural Science Museum

Trav & a moose

Me comparing my hand to a HUGE moth in the butterfly house. Trav and I really enjoyed this part. We got to see a butterfly emerging from its cocoon, it was awesome to see that process!!

Petting a bunny- he was really sweet saying "bunny, awwww" over and over again.

Like Rocky!-- The Philadelphia Museum of Art

I am so proud of Trav- he climbed all 72 steps all by himself! Such a big boy!!!

The boss & daddy half way up the steps.

Its Rocky!! lol

The Rodin Museum

My guys just thinkin'... cute!

Carson & the boss standing in front of the Gates of Hell.

This is the Gates of Hell- funny thing is tons of people get married here every year because it is sooo pretty but they don't realize they are having their wedding pictures made in front of the Gates of Hell. lol!!

I'm glad we stopped there, it was a really pretty and peaceful garden.

Independence Hall- I wish I could caption all of these pictures but I'm afraid I'd get something historically wrong. Basically these rooms are where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were drafted and the idea of freedom began.

This is what the boss thought of all the history! Snore!!!

Our round about walking tour of downtown Philly

This is where we had lunch every day! It is a market place that has about 70 vendors, so we could have something different every day. Of course we had a Philly Cheesesteak the first day!!

CHINATOWN entrance

Here lies Ben Franklin--- incase you didn't know, he's kind of a big deal in Philly. :)

This is where Carson spent most of our trip...working.

Last night in Philly...

Where we attempted to have dinner our last night...seriously WAY too loud but really nice people and good food.

The most beautiful building I think we saw. I could post tons of pics, but I won't bore you.

Me + the boss = LOVE

Ride the Ducks

2010-05-27T21:51:00.005-05:00

On our second day in Philly (Wed.) Travis and I did a "Ride the Ducks" tour. It was fantastic!!!!! We rode around town in an amphibious vehicle then splashed into the Delaware river where we could see Camden, NJ and Philly from the water. Trav really enjoyed blowing his 'wacky quacker'- its a duck bill shaped whistle that sounds like a duck quack. Here are some pics of the tour.

The boss man blowing his wacky quacker- so cute!

Me & my guy riding the duck boat.

It was kinda windy on the water.

Sights & Sounds of Philly

2010-05-27T00:14:00.002-05:00

This is a slideshow of the places and things we saw during our Ride the Ducks & double decker bus tours as well as just walking around town. We saw sooo much and took sooo many pictures I thought this would be the best way to show them all off. Look forward to more Philly posts specifically of the stories of our trip.

Philly Day 1

2010-05-25T23:59:00.004-05:00

Since it was raining and cold on Tuesday (our first day in Philly), I took Travis to the Please Touch Museum. We had the BEST time!!! He & I played for about 4 hours at the museum and the boss man played so hard that he not only fell asleep on the trolly back to the hotel, but he slept for 11 hours that night! Good Times!! I really wish we had a museum that is this super cool close to home.

My Pineapple

2010-05-14T00:37:00.002-05:00

Three years ago Carson's grandad, Charles, gave me a pineapple plant. It is just the top of a pineapple that he planted and it grows into this big plant. He had several of these plants and had just gotten his first fruit- he was so excited! So the day we moved into our current house, he brought me a big pot with a pretty small pineapple plant in it.
Fast forward to April 2010----- and I got my first fruit! I see why he was so excited. A very small but long awaited pineapple is thrilling. The plant has more that tripled in size, and is kind of a pain to re pot and keep during winter but there is no way that I can get rid of it! I think of Grandaddy Clem every time I see it and wish he were here to see my first fruit.

Funny Monkey Boy

2010-05-14T00:33:00.002-05:00

Before I was a mom....

2010-05-10T01:04:00.002-05:00

Someone sent me this in an email this week and it so perfectly describes how I feel so often.

Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not
my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind
and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child
so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn't want to put him down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of
having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond
between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment
or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!!

Playdate with Cade

2010-05-05T23:16:00.003-05:00

Today we had a playdate with a high school friend of mine and her youngest son Cade. Our boys are just a couple of months apart in age, and it's so funny to see 1 1/2 year olds "play together". It is actually two little boys playing side by side. Either way they had fun and we had good conversation. After playing at the playground for a while, we went to a shady picnic area and had snacks. Then the boys decorated a parking space with sidewalk chalk. Good day!!

Backyard = Kid Central

2010-05-05T23:04:00.002-05:00

This is what we do all day.

Random Phone Pics

2010-05-05T22:57:00.004-05:00

Since my camera is broken all I have right now are pics from the phone to share. ha ha ha!!

Kite flying with daddy. lol! It was a mess!

At the park riding the choo choo with daddy.

Plane spotting at our favorite playground!

The boss watching a movie on the plane to Jacksonville! He was sooooo good!!!

Mommy Moment!

2010-04-19T23:33:00.002-05:00

Total "mom moment"- I've noticed lately that when I give the boss a bath his bath water is visibly dirty. He is playing so hard outside and doing such boy things that he is getting really dirty! The rag is dirty and you can see that the water is cloudy. Some days I really have to scrub to get the dirt off of him- he gets in with black feet and when he gets out they are squeaky clean! This may not sound like anything to the average reader... but to me it is another sign that my baby is no longer a baby. He's a little BOY!

Easter & Jacksonville, FL

2010-04-13T22:48:00.005-05:00

Here are some pictures of our recent trip to Jacksonville, Fl. We had a good time!

Our little family on Easter Sunday.

Uncle Evan teaching Trav how to blow dandelions. Cute!

Grandmomma getting tickles

Boss man chasing uncle Evan

Splashing in the "big ball" fountian

Chasing rainbows

Look daddy- ducks!

Cheesin in front of the elephants with mommy.

Trav's FAVORITE part of the zoo- the choo choo train! He was such a happy camper once we got through the line and on the train.

Petting goats... he wanted to brush all of them. Trav would point to a goat and say "do it", so we would go from goat to goat brushing away.

The giraffe feeding area - really cool!

Trav got to see the Atlantic Ocean for the first time! Our one day at the beach, with Nana & daddy.

With mommy at the beach.

What to do when you've been in a hotel room for 7 days and you're bored out of your mind? Baby Yoga that aunt Donna taught you! LOL!

Carousel & A Duck Bath

2010-04-13T22:36:00.003-05:00

We took Travis to ride the carousel for the first time a couple of weeks ago. He loved it! He said "wheeee...." the entire ride.

So I had to post these pictures of Travis giving the big duck a bath. The boss LOVES this duck! And we love that we made him SO happy with just a little research online! :)

Kisses first...

Then wash the ducks face.
My guy is too cute!

lOOking for eggs-

2010-04-13T22:28:00.003-05:00

Where are the eggs??

Come on daddy help find eggs.

Happy Easter!!

2010-04-03T00:14:00.004-05:00

This years Easter eggs. Artists inclued Carson, Courtney, Travis, aunt Donna & uncle Alan.

The boss man's Easter basket- Thank you Mr. Easter Bunny

He had to have a huge rubber duck just like the ones we saw at the Early Works museum so I found one online and ordered it for him. Carson was surprised at how big it actually was. His name is "bee duck" aka big duck.

So silly!

New pics.

2010-04-03T00:00:00.002-05:00

We played outside on Tuesday and had a ball! As you see we even got in the water for a bit. ha ha! I love the pics from this day so much for 2 reasons. 1. Boss man has gotten to where if you get the camera he says "cheese" and gives a silly grin - my fault I know! and 2. These are just pics of a boy being a boy. No posing, just followed him around for a few minutes to see what he could get in to and snapped some pics. Hope you like.

Condensed Versions of the Trav

2010-04-02T23:29:00.003-05:00

Birds in the rain:
One day last week while the boss and I were stuck in the house all day due to the rain, I was doing dishes when I realized that our house was too quiet. I looked around for him and found him sitting in the floor of the dining room, looking out the window perfectly still and quiet. I went over and bent down to his level and he looked at me and just said "birds" and pointed out the window. He had been sitting there for who knows how long just watching 2 birds play in the rain in our front yard. I sat down in the floor with him and he climbed into my lap and we watched the birds play for another ten minutes.
These are my favorite mommy moments, when he makes me slow down and notice the little things that are so new and cool to him but that I wouldn't notice otherwise.

Daddy & the dogs:
You know that toddlers are often called sponges. Travis has picked up on the ways we call the dogs to get them to come to us and has started mimicking us. Often times we will slap the arm of the leather recliner and the noise makes the dogs come running and jump in our laps. This is what Trav picked up on first; he would climb into Carson's lap and slap the arm of the chair expecting the dogs to come. Of course they don't because they avoid him at all costs. Our oldest dog Killer is a fool for kissy sounds- he can't resist it....until Trav does it. He picked up on Carson making that noise and saw that Killer came to him. So now he climbs up into Carson's lap and makes the kissy noise while slapping the arm of the chair and the dogs still won't come. Finally he will look at Carson and question "dogs?" then go right back to his dog calls. Of course we always make the dogs go over and let him pet them and point out the eyes, ears, mouth, nose & teeth before we let them run off. Carson said to me earlier this week "he only uses me to get the dogs- that’s the only time he's happy just sitting in my lap" to which I responded "just be glad he gets up there and sits still!”
In the dogs defense- I wouldn't go running to anyone that throws sippy cups at me on a daily basis either! No matter what noises they were making.

Rules:
Every night at dinner we have the 'don't feed the dogs' talk. And every night the dogs get bites of whatever the boss is having for dinner. Of course we have the daily 'Trav don't mess with the dog food' talks as well. So I can understand how confusing all of this must be to a toddler. Travis now scolds the dogs telling them "no no" or "no bite" every time they go to the dog bowls to get a bite or a drink of water. We correct him, explaining that the dogs eat out of the dog bowls so its okay, but I will admit that I'm glad to see he's picking up on the rules. Even if he is getting them a little backwards.

Dance, Dance:
The boss man LOVES to dance! Any music he hears he starts moving & shaking, it doesn't matter if we're at home or in the grocery store. But one of his current favorite dance jams is 'Bad Romance' by Lady Ga Ga. I can play it in the car and he just goes nuts. Hilarious!!!

Let's get physical...

2010-04-02T22:39:00.004-05:00

I had the brilliant idea that I wanted to run a 5k this year, so I recruited my loving husband to do it as well. We both had issues with our legs when we first started training, but have since been fitted and sized for the proper running shoes. So we are back in order! I snapped some quick pics of Carson breaking his shoes in on our home treadmill.

Travis was NOT happy that he wasn't included!
(I never post crying pics so I had to include this one because he is just so sad!)

Oh well! He decided to show his daddy up with his mad skills on the trampoline. LOL!

St. Patty's Day

2010-03-26T00:47:00.002-05:00

On St. Patrick's Day this year I took Travis to see the parade in Huntsville. Our friend Taylor came with her son Gray too. We had a nice day- even though it was super cold!

Feeding the ducks with my boy...waiting for the parade to start.

Our friend Taylor and her son Grayson.

We had to bundle up the boss, it seemed like the temp dropped the enitre time we were there.

Men in skirts- it's what St. Patty's Day is all about!!

The green dog & dreadlock dog. My favorite part!!

Travis the librarian

2010-03-16T23:43:00.003-05:00

We keep all of the boss's books on the bookcase in the living room. Most of the books he doesn't get to play with, but he has about a dozen that are all his. Today I was in the kitchen doing dishes and it was waaay to quiet in the living room so I peeked in to see what was the matter. I found boss man organizing his books! He was putting all of his "play books" onto the shelf with his good books. The catch is that we have the good books wedged so tightly on the shelf that not a single piece of paper would fit between them. So what he was actually doing was putting them on the shelf in front of other books, between the books that stick out further on the shelf, and on the top shelf that he can barely reach. It was super cute and funny- he was so serious and working so hard.

He really does LOVE his books & he LOVES being read to!

( I just looked at these pics again and I'm cracking up at Trav's 'The Pirate Ship' book next to Carson's 'Fundamentals of Engineering Thermodynamics' book!!!)

Happy Birthday Daddy!!

2010-03-16T23:31:00.003-05:00

On Tuesday, March 9th the hubs turned the BIG 3-0! I tease him about being my old man, but the truth is I am extremely proud of him and all he has accomplished in 30 years! Mostly I'm proud of what a great husband and father he has grown up to be. This past Saturday we had a little lunch to celebrate Carson. I was happy that so many of our family members wanted to come into town and celebrate with us. We had all of Carson's favorite finger foods and lots of sweets of course! Good times! THANKS to everyone who came for making it a special day!!!

KID Central

2010-03-08T00:35:00.005-06:00

This weekend we turned our backyard into kid central aka Trav Zone. We got his sandbox filled and cleaned up his swing and slide. Carson and the boss planted my dogwood tree for me. (It was my mother's day gift but we kept missing "tree planting time") We had a great weekend it was beautiful weather and every one was feeling good and in a good mood- we had some great family time. Please note however that these were taken March 7th... just 5 days after all that white stuff came falling down on us! Yea- that is Alabama weather for ya!

Diggin holes with daddy- such a big help!

Gotta rehydrate after all that hard work!

Look mom- you got a tree!!

Playing in the turtle sandbox with daddy while Killer looks on and wonders "what the heck just landed in my backyard!?!".

Oh cool! It's a climbing toy too- wow!

The snow got lost

2010-03-08T00:26:00.002-06:00

These pics were taken at our house- in Alabama- on March 2nd. I'm pretty sure that the snow got lost on its way to somewhere that expects this kind of weather. Thankfully it was all melted by noon, and here's hoping that we are done with the white stuff for this winter! The boss had fun playing in the snow and trying to catch snowflakes in his mouth.

Mommy's B-day!

2010-03-08T00:18:00.002-06:00

So I got another year older on February 27th... I turned 27 with little fanfare. My fantastic husband cooked a yummy dinner and baked me my favorite cupcakes- funfetti with cream cheese icing. YUM!! I spent some quality time with my 2 best guys and got to relax. All in all not too shabby I suppose.

Me being goofy at the Early Works Museum

The "trick" candle didn't work- that was pretty funny!

One of my handsome guys enjoying his cupcake.

Happy Birthday to mee.....

EarlyWorks... super fun

2010-03-07T23:53:00.004-06:00

On February 26th Kelli, Aunt Donna & I took T-rav to the EarlyWorks Museum. He had SOOOOOO much fun!! His favorite was the big tub of water with all the ducks and fish. He also liked the cooking area and the train table. But it didn't matter where we went in the building; he was trying to find his way back to the duck tub. I personally really enjoyed seeing how much fun he was having. It is defiantly a children's museum and the under 5 room is the best part. I've already told Carson that we have to take the boss back when he can go with us!

In the chicken coop.

Working at the grocery store.

Tunble zone... he liked this alot too. Especially because he could still see the duck tub.

The Duck Tub!!!

The story telling tree.

Train table

Ride a little cow down to town. Isn't his apron super cute?!?!

Back to the ducks and fish with Aunt Donna

Gone Fishin'

Boy dress up stuff.

Its a TRACKHOE!!

2010-03-07T23:28:00.005-06:00

We spent several days the week before last at S'miles where they were putting in some culverts. Travis really, really enjoyed watching the trackhoe, he said "bbrrrmmmmm" most of the day. It was a 2 day affair, so these pics are for both days. I had fun playing with Aunt Donna and Grandaddy. Travis just loves to be outside, so he was in heaven. The cold didn't bother us too, too badly- but it was COLD- we had on tons of clothes and Trav wore some rockin sock mittens to keep warm. Enjoy the pics.

PEEK-A-BOO!!!

Bumps

2010-02-21T23:42:00.004-06:00

So if you know my family then you know we come by the clumsiness honestly. If you are a Schollian or a product of one then you learn early to fall gracefully. Exhibit A:

We were trying to get a pic of everyone on this fallen tree and my mom couldn't keep herself balanced on the log. Not a very good bump on a log!! * No babies were hurt during this fall*

Sooo Beautiful!

My bumps on a log. Carson, Travis, Mom, Alan & Donna. Note who is holding T-rav now??! HA HA~~

A boy and his daddy. Is anything sweeter?

It's all fun and games....

....UNTIL someone gets hurt!

So this is Trav's first official goose egg. He slipped and fell while walking around on the trailer and his eye hit the corner of the metal railing. Not fun!!! I know it had to hurt, he was quite upset about the situation. But it does look better now and he is a boy I guess. Aunt Donna and I are petitioning Alan to pad the rails so we don't have this happen again. LOL!

Good Times @ the Park

2010-02-21T23:13:00.004-06:00

Check out the new shoes! Mr. Big Foot!!! This is a really good picture of our favorite park. Everything is toddler sized, he can climb up and slide down alone and they have a large portion of the play area matted with the soft & squishy mats. It's also close enough to the airport that the planes fly over head and pretty close to the ground. Travis loves searching the sky and pointing them out to me every time one flys over. Riding the frog.

RaNdOm PiCs

2010-02-17T00:11:00.003-06:00

Using the baby monitor receiver as a phone. Can you hear me now???

1st crayon art

Here he is eating lunch- yes in his pjs, it was a snow day- on this day he had his favorite grilled cheese sammie and chicken noodle soup. What is so cute is that he saw me dip my grilled cheese in my soup so he started doing the same thing.

Another Snow Day... In Alabama

2010-02-16T23:54:00.002-06:00

Last Monday Travis and I woke up from our nap (ha ha!) to find 2-3 inches of snow on the ground. It was crazy because not a single weather man saw this coming so it was a big shock for us all. How many 15 month olds in Alabama can recognize snow? MINE can! Which is so funny because in his little lifetime I've seen more snow here than in my long lifetime. He was looking out the window at the massive snow flakes falling and saying "nnnoooooooo", "mommy... nnnooooooo" and this continued when we went out to play. I'm glad that he's gotten to see snow and knows what it is, but we are ALL ready for some warm weather!

Our House in the snow.

Boss Man checking it all out.

Ooops!! Someone fell down...

Well, while I'm here I'll just play in the snow.

Trav's baby feet and mommy's big boats! Poor kid got his big ole feet from me I'm afraid!

Be Mine Valentine!!

2010-02-16T23:35:00.002-06:00

This year Travis made very special and creative Valentine cards for some of his people. I think he did really well, considering this was our first attempt at finger painting. We had fun and he painted all of the cards without trying to eat the paint so I considered it a success!!!

Mommy & Me Day

2010-02-05T01:09:00.005-06:00

So the temp got above 50 on Wed. and Travis and I needed to be in Huntsville anyway. While we were there we met with Carson for lunch and made a trip to Big Spring Park to feed the ducks. Now if you've never fed the ducks at this park- let me tell you about these ducks. They know why you are there and they are aggressive! Even if you just sit down to eat lunch at a table, they come all the way under the table and make this barking sound. I'm willing to bet they would eat out of your hand if you tried. I've never attempted as I don't want to pull back a nub. lol! All of the ducks were on good behavior and didn't try to attack my boy! Trav was in heaven with all of these ducks surrounding him; he kept screaming "duck, duck, duck" and pointing in every direction.

On the way home from Huntsville we stopped by our favorite playground. As always Trav had a ball! Just in the past few visits he has gotten so confident and brave. He climbs up the steps and goes down the slide by himself. We had to "ride" on all of the spring animals, he had to push the swings and say "wheeee" and of course he got in the swing and let me push him. I really LOVE this playground and lucky for me it isn't too far from the house. I'm sure this will be a popular place for us this spring/summer.

Playground with Donna

2010-02-05T00:51:00.002-06:00

WHHHEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!

Nice catch aunt Donna!

Two of his favorite things at this playground were the fish wall and the drums.

Let me go explore... Let me go.... Let me go...

Shiny New Car Seat

2010-02-04T23:39:00.003-06:00

This week we finally moved Travis to a forward facing car seat. We got him a brand new seat that has a cup holder (he loves) and he has secret cubby holes in the arm rests to stash little toys. But, from the mommy point of view- also extremely safe and highly rated. ;) He seems to like it, although the first few times he rode facing forward we think he was kinda freaked out. He would pitch a little fit for the first few minutes, and then chill. I can only imagine that going from looking at your toes and the car seat to looking at other cars and the road and everything else could be kinda freaky. He just talks, sings and dances now, I think he is happier in this seat.

Such a BIG boy! Bittersweet!

Travis at play

2010-01-27T09:55:00.002-06:00

My favorite guys! Aren't they so handsome?!? They happened to be dressed alike on this day so I made them pose for a picture for me... as you see Trav was telling me about it!

"What mommy?"

Jammin on his turtle.

Ride a little turtle down to town.... This turtle sings songs and teaches colors and shapes as you bounce on it. It's really cute.

If this isn't the cutest little wagon- then I know nothing! I found this at UG White here in Athens and I thought it was the perfect size for Trav to pull his toys around in, and he thought it was the perfect size to ride in.

Tornado in Huntsville

2010-01-27T09:51:00.001-06:00

This picture is of the tornado that touched down in Huntsville last week. I wanted to share it with you because the building in the picture is the building that Carson works in. I'm so glad he was already home safely when the tornado hit!!

My OTHER Boys!

2010-01-19T00:28:00.002-06:00

Killer - age 4

Buster - age 3

Here are some pictures of my fur-babies. They used to be our #1 guys, and with the addition of our T-rav they have fallen to #2. However, I still find time to dress them up and humiliate them! Don't they look business like?! :)

Pray for Noah

2010-01-09T00:56:00.003-06:00

Just Travis being cute!

Travis is obsessed with my Pray For Noah bracelet. Noah is a little guy, not too much older than Travis, who had a brain tumor. Please visit this little boy's website to read his very special story. While we don't know him or his family (Carson & I went to school with his mommy, but she wasn't in either of our classes) we have become followers of his journey. This poor little boy has been put through the ringer! It is amazing how these things touch you once you become a parent.
Anyway- I snapped this picture of Travis playing with my bracelet today and thought it was blog worthy.
Pray For Noah: http://www.prayfornoah.com/index.html

My Little Linus... walking!

2010-01-09T00:39:00.002-06:00

I got this little mini movie the other day before we went out to play in the snow. I was just trying to get a picture of him walking around with his Mimi blankie but he was so cute I switched the camera to video. Carson calls him Linus... but I say he's MUCH cuter than Linus! And I'm not sure about the crazy faces he's making.

Snow Day.

2010-01-09T00:19:00.000-06:00

So the Blizzard 2010 has come and gone. It snowed big, pretty snowflakes that mostly melted as soon as they hit the ground. Travis and I went out at the peak big snowflakes, and as it turned out we never had more than what you see here on the ground. But, thats okay- it was Trav's first snow day. And he loved it! I should mention that he also loves the rain, so this was right up his alley. He walked around the back yard checking it all out and fell on his butt a couple of times and looked at me and said "no no". I guess cause it was cold!? Super cute! Here are the few pics I got.

Yes he is rockin his pj's in the snow! I didn't feel the need to get dressed on a snow day, so we wore jammies most of the day.

Hip-hip-hooray! Daddy got off work early! I told Carson that we HAD to build a snowman, so when he got home he and Travis built me a tiny snowman. So sweet!

Go ahead- laugh- its okay. He's only about as tall as a coke can, but that is fine. I just wanted a snowman!

Snow Day 2010

Christmas at Nana's

2010-01-05T00:16:00.000-06:00

Over New Years weekend we went to Navarre, FL to celebrate with Nana. Christy, Zach, Alex & Annah Parker were there, as well as Michelle & Sheldon. The weather was SO great on NYE that we were able to take the kids to the beach to play in the sand. They had a ball- the cold water didn't even seem to bother them! Oh to be a kid again! Here are some pics of our adventure.

Aunt Christy with the kids

Alex & Annah Parker- our gorgeous nieces

AP informed me that she was making "sand balls" and throwing them in the water. I guess thats what you do when you have sand and not snow to play in.

This is Trav's cool new car that we can push him around in. He loves this thing!

1st sparkler experience...

We wanted a picture of all 3 kids in front of Nana's tree in their Christmas jammies. Easier said than done! I don't know how anyone with 3 kids gets a good picture with everyone looking, smiling and being still at the same time.

My handsome boys! I love this picture of my guys.

We had our big lunch on New Years Day and Nana set Travis a place at the table. The place setting was too cute not to take a picture of, she had the tiniest spoon and fork and a little glass. It was so sweet for her to think of Travis... too bad he slept thru lunch. :)

YAY! It's Christmas Day!

2010-01-04T01:03:00.004-06:00

Travis got his very own mini power wheel 4 wheeler from Santa. He got right on and after a little while got the hang of pushing the button to get it moving. Now he is a driving machine- he just can't steer! Lots of crashing going on at our house.

I love this face.

Our little daredevil! GREAT!

Schollian Christmas Party

2009-12-22T23:07:00.001-06:00

Look whos walking now!

2009-12-21T22:13:00.003-06:00

Here is some video of Travis walking!!! Sorry it's sideways, but I just used the regular camera instead of getting the video camera out. Bless his heart, as you see he's walking so well then he stops and gets down to crawl and put the letter in the mailbox of his house. He knew what he was doing!
More to come soon!! :)

Santa's Village

2009-12-17T23:47:00.000-06:00

Monday came and it was finally time to take Travis to Santa's Village to see the big man himself. I was extremely nervous about it because every time we have seen Santa, Travis freaked out. But, thank goodness, he did really well! Santa's Village is really cool, and even though Trav didn't understand or care about alot of the stuff going on, I'm really glad we went this year. They have people dressed up all over the place- there was a snowman, gingerbread man & elves- and they didn't seem to bother him. He LOVED the "snow"- there is fake snow every 20 min- again really cool! We decorated a cookie at Mrs. Claus's kitchen- I decorated it and Carson & I ate it (we did give Trav some icing). Then we toured the elves quarters, ya know- where they make toys and candy. We had to go and see the live reindeer, I believe Dancer & Prancer were here this year. Oh, and we went into the woodworking shop and got to play with some awesome wooden toys. There was one that even had Carson stumped as to how it works. But the main event was Santa himself! Travis didn't even mind standing in line outside (it was a super warm night!) because there was a pretty little girl in line behind us that he flirted with while we waited. When the time came for him to go see Santa, he was very cautious but didn't freak out! YAY! He was a really nice Santa too, he gave Trav a candy cane and Carson ate it! Overall, a sucessful trip to see Santy Clause this year! Enjoy the pics!

This train was really cool. They had a button that you could push to start it going round and round.

Travis isn't really sure what just happened or who the guy in the red suite was. And Carson is trying not to get caught eating the boy's candy. We finally got Travis to say "ho,ho,ho"... he just does it in a really deep growling voice.

Trip to Mooresville

2009-12-17T23:12:00.000-06:00

Last week I took Travis to Mooresville and took pictures of him. It is the cutest little town!! They decorate the enitre area for Christmas (and by area I mean its a tiny little place). All of the decorations are really simple and classy- think homemade natural & real wreaths with red bows and lots of greenery- no silly inflateables here! Anyway check out the link to the town because it is really old and super cute! Apparently every local photographer goes there to take pictures- who knew?! My friend Taylor was kind enough to tell me about this place and she went with Travis and I to help keep him wrangled. While we were there we had lunch at Limestone Bay Trading Co., the food was really good, and reasonably priced. Everyone we met there was really sweet and genuine. Check out the slideshow (turn on your sound!) to see bunches of great pics we got of Travis that day!

Mooresville Slideshow

2009-12-15T16:02:00.002-06:00

I like BIG trucks

2009-12-08T23:56:00.000-06:00

This weekend we did some playing outside with Trav's big dump truck. He loves this thing! Just some pics....

Go Bammer?!

2009-12-08T23:45:00.000-06:00

Travis was ready for the SEC Championship game this past weekend. His team came out on top (of course)! Now he looks forward to the BCS Championship game, where he will root for the Tide. Not mommy's choice but we gotta keep it in the SEC!

Playin around the Christmas tree....

2009-12-08T23:31:00.000-06:00

Ahh... Christmastime with a toddler!

"So this is what you don't want me to touch?"

"But mommy- I found a ball!"

"It's pretty"

And shatterproof!

"What else ya got?"

"I'll just undress this snowman."