Big Brother, Little Sister

Susan gave me these shirts for Grady and Vera a long time ago...before Vera was born. Grady wore his to the hospital and still likes to wear his big brother shirt, but Vera has just now grown into hers... Grady loves to hold her. Can't believe she sits so still and actually lets him hold her because he can be such a clown! She eats up all that attention from her big brother and thinks he is so funny!

Backyard Fun

3 months

CanNOT believe we are at the 3 month mark with Vera! WOW! I remember my cousin Christy telling me when Grady was born that you just have to basically make it through the first three months and then things will start to get easier... That was SO true for Grady. Things were rough for about three months! Probably alot of that was because I had to go back to work so soon...the poor child was only about 7 weeks old. He didn't start sleeping through the night until he was about 12 weeks, if I remember correctly. Vera has been much different. This little gal started sleeping through the night at 9 weeks and hasn't had reflux like her brother! YEA! I'm sure things have been easier this time simply because Josh and I knew what to expect. Poor Grady-man! He survived the world's worst "first-time parents"! ha ha! So I guess little Vera had a bit of an advantage just being the second child. Anyway though, she really is a sweet baby and we all just love her dearly! She is going to be a tall girl for sure; she is SO long! Still has BIG blue eyes at the moment, and her hair is getting more "golden" every day. She smiles all the time, most often at her big brother! She loves to be outside, but HATES to be in her carseat (which really prevents me from doing lots of things...AGH!) She screams her head off every time I put her in it. The few times I have taken her in a store with me to pick up just a couple of items, she has screamed the entire time. So Julie doesn't get out very much with her! AGH! Hopefully that will get better soon.

Everyone says you just don't take as many pictures of the second child as you did for the first... I am determined not to be that mom! Here are a couple of pics I got of sweet little V this morning:

Orange Beach 2012

We had SUCH a fun trip! Grady was in hog heaven, so glad to be the center of attention with both of us for the long weekend. I don't think there is a place on earth where that kiddo is happier... can't say I blame him much! Watching him smile and giggle and have so much fun down there just makes me the happiest mom ever...brings back so many memories I have of growing up and summers at the beach! I cannot WAIT until Vera is big enough to go next year and I get to watch the two of them have a ball together!

Grady conquered his fear of the pool and did a great job "swimming" (not really swimming), but just getting in was huge progress for us! ha ha! Of course he spent tons of time playing in the sand as usual (along with his big-kid-dad's help!) and really kind of likes the ocean, too! He discovered that he now loves shrimp and tartar sauce....and ordered it pretty much everywhere we went.

yea for the pool!

fun in the sand!

ferris wheel ride at the Wharf

Adventure Island...

(Grady got lucky! You have to be THREE to ride the go-karts, so he just made the cut-off!)

playing in the waves

Lambert's..."throwed rolls"

Already counting the days until we can go back!

Until next summer. . . .

DAD!

Gimme a D.....

Gimme an A.....
Gimme another D.....

What's that spell???

DAD!

Josh,

These two kiddos are lucky to have the best dad in the whole world! They both adore you and light up as soon as they see you every afternoon when you get home. We are all three blessed to have you in our lives. I am so thankful for the example you set for Grady and Vera and the amazing father that you are to them! We love you! Happy Father's Day!

Ready for the Beach!

Vera is 12 weeks today!

Just kidding... she isn't going to the beach. But isn't she so cute in her suit? (Thanks, Jenny!) I seriously do not know what on earth I was thinking earlier in the spring when Josh and I were determined that we were taking Vera to the beach this summer. She is just too little and we decided that it would not be a fun experience for her and definitely not a fun experience for us. So she is staying with my parents for a few days while we take Grady to Orange Beach to spend some time with just the three of us. Looking SO forward to that! Poor little guy... he is always hearing "Not now, I've got to feed/bathe/change/hold/etc. Baby V." So we will enjoy a few days of getting to give him our attention and just enjoy relaxing. On the flip side though, when I think about leaving her for a few days, it makes me sad...and feel sort of like a bad mom to be leaving her at such a young age... I know she will be fine and Pete and DeeDee will take excellent care of her (she will be spoiled rotten when we get back... DeeDee thinks you can't let her cry for a minute!)...but I know I will miss that little girl like crazy!
We are praying for no rain this weekend... What's up with this crazy June rainy weather!?!?

Six Years!

June 10, 2006

Beach Party

We didn't do a big party for Grady this year... too much to organize with a 2 month old! So we just had a small family party at home...BEACH-THEMED at Grady's request of course. And Josh and I are taking him to the beach as a special birthday treat this coming weekend. That boy LOVES the beach! Susan, of course, made him a beach cake and cupcakes and they were precious (and delicious also!)

sampling the shark teeth...
cute little birthday boy....

posing with DeeDee...

Vera just enjoyed chilling out in her swing and having everybody talk to her!

So glad Paw-Paw was able to come all the way from Maryland!

I love you, little man! Hope you have many more happy birthdays!

Three!

Look how big my boy is! He is so grown-up. Today he turned three. THREE! Cannot believe it has been three years since this little man entered our lives!
Such a ham these days... it is rare if I get a picture of him actually smiling for the camera and not clowning and squinting his eyes so much they look as if they are closed.

Ok so this post will be kind of cheesy, but it's Grady's birthday and moms get all sentimential about their kids... at least this mom does! We recently gave some friends a baby gift, a book by Nancy Tillman called Wherever You Are My Love Will Find You. She posted the words to the book on her blog. It is the sweetest book ever written! I had to buy it for Grady and Vera. Grady loves it and I read it to him at bedtime some nights. Thought it was appropriate to post on his third birthday the words from the book. If you have kids, you need to buy this one and read it over and over to them! It's precious!

Happy Birthday, my sweet man! I love you so very much!

Wherever You Are My Love Will Find You

by Nancy Tillman

I wanted you more than you will ever know,

so I sent love to follow wherever you go.

It's high as you wish it. It's quick as an elf.

You'll never outgrow it...it stretches itself!

So climb any mountain...climb up to the sky!

My love will find you. My love can fly!

Make a big splash! Go out on a limb!

My love will find you. My love can swim!

It never gets lost, never fades, never ends...

if you're working, or playing, or sitting with friends.

You can dance 'til you're dizzy, paint 'til you're blue,

There's no place, not one, that my love can't find you.

And if someday you're lonely, or someday you're sad,

or you strike out at baseball, or think you've been bad...

Just lift up your face, feel the wind in your hair.

That's me, my sweet baby, my love is right there.

In the green of the grass, in the smell of the sea,

in the clouds floating by, at the top of a tree,

in the sound crickets make at the end of the day

"You are loved, you are loved, you are loved," they all say.

My love is so high, and so wide and so deep,

it's always right there, even when you're asleep.

So hold your head high and don't be afraid

to march to the front of your own parade.

If you're still my small babe or you're all the way grown,

my promise to you is you're never alone.
You are my angel, my darling, my star

and my love will find you, wherever you are.