Zoo fun!

We hit the zoo twice this past week for a little fun in the sun!  First, we visited with our small group/playgroup and played on the splash pad.  The kids had a blast.  I thought it was funny that at one point there were probably 10-11 little boys out there playing and Emerson.  She's a trooper!  She is gonna hang with her tough-love bro just fine!  Here are some pics of our recent adventures.

If you are looking for us this summer, we will probably be here:

 A peaceful sibling moment.  Sadly, they are more rare these days :(

 My sweet girl wanting to be just like her big bro.  It's funny how sassy she can be one minute and how tomboyish the next!

 GG and Emerson at the Dinosaur exhibit at the zoo.

 Love these two.

 Griffin wanted to take a picture of Aunt Janet, Emerson and I at the zoo.  Although it is a bit far away, I thought he did a pretty good job!

 Worms, lizards, frogs... this kid has no fear of the slimy.  That's just gross.

We had a fun weekend this weekend at GG and Pop's house while daddy had some friends in from out of town for the Men's conference at our church.  We visited the farmer's market, went to the zoo and played outside a ton.  These kids are exhausted so I think our Monday will be spent at home re-grouping. 

In other news, Emerson pooped on the potty for the 3rd time today.  (FYI - This is not her third consecutive time... the 3 random events have happened over a period of about 2 weeks.)  I am not really sure what to think of this.  I do not by any means think that she is ready to potty train, but I do like the idea that she is not afraid of the potty and do not want to discourage her from going to the potty.  So, I am kinda stuck.  Got any advice??

Griffin has some serious skills.  Watch him run across the yard to catch this toy.

That's what is going on in our world.  I am heading out of town to a girls weekend next weekend and cannot wait!!  It will be a good chance to get away and enjoy a little R&R while daddy and the kiddos play.  Who knows, maybe Blake will make a post of their adventures... don't hold your breath :)

Have an excellent week!

sk

3.5 and 1.5

How about that?  Another blog post already and it hasn't even been a month!  I guess it is your lucky day, my friend! 

The weather is starting to turn a little bit here in Birmingham, which has made me totally crave a trip to the beach or really anywhere that we could spend more time outside.  Bring on the sunshine! 

Griffin is exactly 3.5 today and Emerson's half birthday will be on Monday.  Time is Fah-lying!!  Here are some recent shots of the little boogers.

A little late, but I just have to show ya'll this.  How cute were these Halloween costumes??  Real cute.  (That's your answer.)

 Griffin had his first dental appointment.  It went well and he did exactly as he was told.  He even told the nurse that "My mommy uses floss."  Thank you very much!

 Daddy puts the kids to work on the weekends.  And they love it!

 Emerson is a bit confused about how all of this works.  I find her in this position often.  It's pretty crazy to think that we will be here in a few short months... I am tired just thinking about it!

 Future's so bright, we've got to wear shades!

 We couldn't resist a little water play when the temps rose to 70+ last weekend!

 Oh yeah, even got a little slide action in.

 I mean, really?  How cute is my precious angel girl??

 These two wear me out on a daily basis.  They can drive me nuts one minute and cause me to melt into a puddle on the floor the very next. 
Griffin is so stinking smart that it is crazy.  I often look at him and think, "where did my baby go?"  He likes cereal for breakfast (and will sometimes eat 3 bowls full!!), asks for snacks all day long, goes potty solo, loves sword fighting with daddy, loves the zoo and McWane and story time at the library.  He wants to walk beside the cart at the grocery store and swipe my card at check-out.  He can do almost any apparatus at the playground and can pump his legs when he swings.  His favorite movie right now is Tangled and Winnie the Pooh Heffalump Movie (although I think he thinks Poo when he hears Pooh).  This kid is just cute.  That's all there is to it.  I love to catch him singing or dancing or just being silly. 

 This one is learning like a sponge!!!  Yesterday she repeated after Griffin when he said, "train tracks."  And today she said, "Griffin, where are you??"  Her vocabulary is in full bloom and she will repeat just about anything that you say.  She loves to play ring around the rosy and have dance parties.  She loves to play with her baby dolls, but she goes crazy if she sees a real baby out and about.   She will pose for the camera and say "cheese" and she asks for "monkey" whenever she sees my phone.  Her hair really has started to thicken up a good bit, but we are LONG way from pig tails.  She is just a little beauty and just the sweetest little cuddler when it comes to bedtime.  I love you Emerson Camille!!

Hope you enjoyed this teeny tiny update.  Just trying to get back into the blogging habit... bear with me!

Playing catch up

Thanksgiving in Macon:

This is a perfect picture demonstrating the joy of decorating a Christmas tree with a 3 year old and a toddler.  Holy Moly.

Santa brought Griffin a brand new Power Wheel!!  And I am not sure who loves it more!

Griffin in his first starring role: a shepherd in his MDO Christmas program.  What a cutie!

January brought a lot of firsts, including: 

Griffin's first Monster Truck Rally

And Emerson's first snow! 

I realize that I have been neglecting the blog for quite some time now and that I need to do better.  But, I'll be honest for the past several months, I have felt a little scattered.  Blame it on the move, blame it on my kids being the ages they are, blame it on whatever.  It just didn't get done. 

But, these little ones won't be little for long and I should really try to do a better job of documenting these moments before they are gone.  So, in an attempt to hold on to these days as long as possible, here's a quick list of 10 things that these kiddos are doing now that blow me away and make me even more crazy about them:

10.  Griffin's vocabulary continues to amaze me.  He has used the words reflection, enormous and familiar correctly within the last few weeks.  The kid is smart, ya'll!

9.  Speaking of vocabulary, Emerson said "Thanks, Mommy" today after I made her a cup of juice.  She will be 18 months old on the 25th of this month.  Not bad.

8.  Lately when I am scolding Griffin, just when I am really driving home a really important lesson that I need him to concentrate on, he will gently blow in my face so that he can see my hair move. Usually the lesson does not end well.  But later when I have time to reflect, I can't help but laugh.

7.  Emerson will go into the bathroom, attempting to communnicate to me that she needs to potty and will stand in front of the toilet with her shirt up just like Griffin.  I think she's a bit confused.

6.  During one of our regular dance parties this morning I introduced the kids to Blues Travelers and  Stevie Wonder.  I think they love them.

5.  Emerson is obsessed with shoes.  She especially seems to love wearing Crocs (hers or Griffin's) on the wrong feet.

4.  Griffin will watch a movie one hundred times in a row until he can quote it.  Lately, Peter Pan and the Winnie the Pooh Huffalump movies have been our viewing choices.

3.  Both of my kids are excellent snugglers when they want to be.  However, both children could wake up from naps less grumpy.

2.  Having the stomach bug twice in 2 months is for the birds.  Here's hoping that these kiddos' immune systems grow stronger quickly.  Mama can't take it anymore.

1.  When we don't have the stomach bug, these kids are snacking machines!  I don't know how I am going to keep up with their consumption.  It is quite impressive.

All this to say... life is crazy right now.  After the fastest move in history, a short stint living with the Greenes, another quick move into our new house, holidays, stomach bugs and such... I am finally to a point where life is relaxing just a bit.  So, hopefully, you will see a little more of me on here.

Life is good.

Spent the weekend with my three favorite people at the beach and it was good for my soul!  The kids were awesome and Blake and I had a blast watching them play and playing with them on the beach.  Even Emerson, completely covered in sand, had fun in the sun.  Griffin's favorite weekend activity was chasing seagulls on the beach (which totally entertained many beachgoers). 

We head back to Birmingham tomorrow to play with cousins who are visiting from Cincinnati and in a couple of weeks we go camping with Bets and Papa!  Get ready for lots of blog posting because I plan on documenting our upcoming month of birthday celebrations!

Road Trip to Cincinnati

We took a road trip to visit Aunt Coco and Uncle Daniel in Cincinnati this past weekend and had an awesome time!  We are so glad to know that if they have to be so far away, that they are surrounded by great neighbors and are doing so well.  We left on Thursday afternoon and made it all the way to Horse Cave, KY before we stopped to get some sleep in a hotel.  The kids were WIDE awake and they did not seem to be interested in sleeping in the car anytime soon, so we decided to stop and rest up for our weekend.  We arrived at the Cox household around lunch on Friday and the fun began.  We caught a Reds game Friday night, had a block party on Saturday and played in the slip n slide on Sunday.  We were sad to leave on Monday morning, but we knew that it would be a long drive so we hit the road early and were back in Birmingham by dinner.  It was a fabulous trip and we can't wait to visit again.  Here are a few pictures from the trip:

Emerson and Caroline - our sweet girls!

 And here are the rowdy boys watching Shrek in 3D in Daniel's movie room.  It was pretty sweet.

 The happy siblings reunited.

 My sweet Em trying so hard to join in the outdoor fun, but not quite ready to stand and walk

 There was LOTS of bike riding this weekend.  Check out these two riding machines!

 Clayton was intense on his bike.

 Time for the slip n slide!!

I took these last two while the kids played tonight after dinner.  Griffin was one sweaty little boy.

While in Cincinnati Emerson decided that the time was right to stand up and walk.  Today she was all over the place.  I think that she is really getting a hang of it.  Mom and Dad are so proud of you, baby girl!!

Look who is standing up!

So, there have been a few changes since our last blog post. For those of you who feel out of the loop, don't feel bad. This has all happened so fast that my head is still spinning. But, the short story is that we sold our house in Dacula in about 10 days and closed and moved out within about a month and a half. We have moved in with my very gracious in-laws for the time being until we can find a more permanent living space here in Birmingham. We are excited about the move and the kids and I are having lots of fun having playdates with new friends and exploring our new town. We have visited a church that we LOVE and are excited to get plugged into.
As for the children...
Emerson stood up for the first time today!!! She is growing up so fast, is a GREAT eater and is on the move! She is still not a great sleeper, but I will blame that on getting her front teeth. As of now, she has two bottom teeth and one front tooth and is working hard on the other front tooth.
Griffin is completely and utterly two. I don't know if it is all the change that is happening around him or if it is just his age, but he has been a real handful lately. I mean BIG time fits and crazy attitude, but after all that he will still roll over to me and say "I love you, mom" as he is drifting off to sleep. I love that kid.
I will leave you with this video... and I know that I owe you all some pictures, but I'll have to get them to you later because this mama is tired!

Baby Dedication and the Beach!

April flew by even though we spent lots of good time at home soaking up every minute with our cuties!  On the 22nd, many of our family members came into town to help us celebrate our Baby Dedication at our church.  It was a very special day and we were so thankful that those who were able to come traveled to be with us.  Here are a couple of shots from the day. 

Emerson was wearing the infant baptismal gown that I wore.  My grandmother made it which made it even more special.

 It was so special that the church allowed us to have both children dedicated in the same service.  This is a picture of the pastor reading to each child the meaning of their name, a special scripture passage for each one and a prayer written especially for them.  The volunteers and church staff did such a beautiful job of personalizing every moment.

 Emerson  turned 7 months old on April 25th.  She is growing up so fast and is just so pretty.  She is such a smiley baby and I actually think that she may have a dimple after all.  It might not be as pronounced as mine and Griffin's, but it's there!  And how about those beautiful big eyes??

 The week after the dedication, we packed up and headed to the beach for some fun in the sun.  Emerson has started clapping her hands and she knows that she must be doing something special because every time she does it she just smiles.  She is also so close to crawling.  She will get up on all fours and just rock back and forth.  She will be on the move in no time!

 She is also still teething!  She has her two bottom teeth all the way through, but it looks to me like there are two more on the bottom starting to grow.  No sign of teeth up top just yet...

 Our fearless boy was once again all over the beach.  He loved splashing in the waves and digging in the sand.  Here he is playing with Blake.  I took this from our balcony;  I was pretty impressed by how close I could get.

 My boys.

 Pop and Emerson on the beach.

 Family shot!

 Blake was trying to bury Griffin's legs, but he wasn't so sure about it... Check out the water behind them.  It was an absolutely gorgeous week in Destin.  I haven't seen the water this clear in years!!  We hope to get down there again before too long.