Birthday pictures...

At the movies...
Chuckee Cheese....

Birthday cake surprise...

Blowing out the candle...

Finger in the icing...

Our 2 year old...

Mater...

We finally just gave him a fork...

Happy Birthday Brooks!!!

Brooks turned 2 today!!! We will have his big party Saturday, but today we celebrated with a trip to the movies to see Madagascar 2 (so cute) and then to Chuckee Cheese for lunch. Ryan and I then surprised him with his birthday cake, balloon, and blow up Mater toy after he woke up from his nap late this afternoon. It was a fun day despite the fact that Brooks hasn't been feeling too well.

It is mind boggling to me to think about how different my life is now that Brooks is here! He has made such a huge impact on my life in the two quick years he's been here and I am a better person because of him. He was so tiny when we brought him home and you barely knew he was in the house because he was so quiet! His cry was so faint and it always made Ryan and I laugh. I remember watching him sleep (usually with his hands behind his head just like Ryan) and being overwhelmed at this living thing that grew inside me. It is still a miracle I just can't wrap my head around. Seeing how much he has grown and changed just makes it even harder to grasp!

Though we have our moments, I am so enjoying this age. I love to hear him talk and try to say new things...the way he says "mommy", "belly butt", and "chaket milk" are my favorite! I love how he watches Cars and Thomas the Train a million times a day without ever getting tired of them! I love the way he pokes out his bottom lip to give me a kiss and then says "love you" without me having to say it first! I love the little games he plays...Where's Frank?...diaper head...You can't git me! I love the way he fake cries when he's being a brat! I love to see him play with other kids and see him get excited when we talk about going to see some of his friends. I love the way he is learning people's names. I love the way he mocks Ryan and I when we call for Rainey to come back in the house. I love that he insists on having bubbles at EVERY bath! I love to watch him climb in the play gym at Chick Fil A...he looks so much like a big kid!

I don't know what the future holds for Brooks, but he is (as Ryan and I like to say) a really cool little kid! Happy Birthday Big Man!!

Yay Brooks!!

Brooks asked to use the potty for the first time today!! When we woke up, he immediately asked to go potty and actually tinkled when I sat him on the toilet. Ryan and I haven't really worked with him on this much so we thought it was so cool that he actually asked to go. We figure he must be watching our morning routines pretty closely because he grabbed the deoderant after he went to the potty! Straight to his armpits...at least, he got it in the right spot!!

This picture was from another successful attempt to use the potty...

A Day for Rainey

We dedicated an afternoon to our precious Rainey the other day because we hardly ever take her anywhere anymore. Sad, I know, but life is just so busy right now! She loves to swim so we took her out to the the lake to practice retrieving...it's duck season you know!! I love to watch Ryan work with her. They have a special bond that just melts my heart (there I go again)! The funniest thing is to see Brooks try to get Rainey to "heel" just like his daddy does. He was hilarious!! Then, every time she jumped in the water he would say "Ohhh!" like it hurt her! What a fun afternoon!! It was especially fun running from Rainey when she got to the bank. We were soaked by the time we left because she would get right next to us and shake the water out of her coat!

They spotted ducks...can you tell?!

Rainey was so sweet to "heel" for Brooks!

I'm not sure what we were doing, but I love the sun in this picture!

Isn't she beautiful?!

Brooks got to slide down a hill for the first time!

We took family pictures at this spot during this time last year. Brooks was terrified of the water then, but this time he thought it was the coolest thing. Time has definitely flown by!!

Big Boy Bed

The night before our flood, we decided to make Brooks's crib into a big boy bed. He actually sleeps in a toddler bed at the foot of our bed, but we needed to have a place for company to sleep because we are turning the guest bedroom into a playroom for Brooks. Ryan and I are very proud of ourselves because we got him a bed without spending hardly any money! The bed conversion kit from the baby store was $200, but Ryan (with a little help from his friends) was able to build it for nothing!!! Then, I used the matress from the guest bedroom, the comforter and sheets that I had in storage from my college bed, accent pillows I don't use anymore, and a black throw that was a gift from my friend, Ashley. I literally only spent like $15 on the black pillow shams...not bad if I do say so myself!

Goodbye custom bedding that Brooks barely even slept on...

Several new posts...

I added 5 new posts this morning because I'm not really sure when I will be able to blog again...or have anything to share. We will be consumed with the house for at least a few weeks (at least that's what Ryan tells me...I can't see it being finished that quickly!).

We have had to postpone taking Brooks to Stone Mountain for the Christmas show and a few other things that we had planned (I say postpone because I am determined to not let this affect Christmas for Brooks). I don't even know if we will get to decorate for Christmas this year :(! Anyway...you can definitely count on late Christmas cards from us and anything we take to a Christmas party is going to be bought from Ingles. Just giving a heads up!

I LOVE my parents!!!

My parents are absolutely amazing!! They are always there when I (or my brothers) have ever needed anything...no matter what is going on in their own lives at the time! From them, I have definitely learned to be selfless and how to provide for your children no matter what it takes. When the house flooded, Mama came up immediately to get Brooks since there were nails and funk everywhere. Then, Mama and Daddy both came back this weekend and worked their fannies off to help us start putting things back together. I am so blessed!! They have done this numerous times in my life for all three of us kids! I just wanted to take a minute to express how grateful I am for them and how much I love and respect them for how wonderful they are to their children. Thank you Mama and Daddy!!