Mountain Trip.

We spent a long weekend in the North Carolina mountains a few weeks ago -- we stayed north of Franklin, NC, which was about forty minutes from Highlands.  Buck and I had been to Highlands before on a "grown-up" trip pre-children (I was pregnant with Fawn at the time and could barely stomach the car sickness from the mountain driving, but we had an amazing time with wonderful friends).  Since I'm still nursing Small Fry a "grown-up" trip was out of the question this time around.  Plus, we thought Fawn was old enough to really enjoy this type of vacation.  When we were looking at houses we realized that they were all way too big for just the four of us and decided to invite friends to join us. 

Best decision ever!  Our friends have three young children -- one Fawn's age, one Small Fry's age and one in between.  It was wonderful to be on a family vacation with such a fabulous family.  Fawn loved having his best buddy (and his best buddy's little brother) to play with.  And, Buck and I really enjoyed the friendship and fellowship.  Each night we put the kids to bed before cooking our dinner, which we enjoyed on a fabulous porch with a to-die-for view of the mountains.  We followed dinner with friendly card playing.  My idea of a perfect evening -- three times in a row!  It was definitely food for the soul.

Mommy was glad to relinquish Small Fry-toting duties for the trip.  Buck carried him in this backpack (borrowed from some very outdoorsy friends of ours) the entire trip.  Small Fry LOVED it and Buck didn't seem to mind.  In fact, he said that they really bonded over the trip.

 

My three loves.  Check out the matching camo hats -- thank goodness I'm still in charge of Small Fry's wardrobe.

 

Our sweet friends -- who marvelously manage their three precious little ones.  (I felt kind of guilty that I was the only grown-up not toting a baby.)

 

Sunset Rock, Highlands, NC

 

Fawn LOVED every minute of this trip.  We hope to make it an annual affair.

 

Of course, Fawn wanted in on the picture taking (what was I thinking handing a three year old my camera on top of a mountain?!?!).  But, I'm thankful to have a shot of Buck and me.

 

After spending the first afternoon exploring the waterfalls between Franklin and Highlands, and the second day in Highlands, we ventured north to Sylva for the third day.  We went on a great hike that lead to Split Rock -- and luckily convinced these three monkeys that it was the end of the hike (no way we would have made the 7.5 mile round trip!).

 

My sweet friend and me on top of Split Rock (slightly terrifying!).  She and I went to elementary school together and were great friends -- part of a small group of inseparable girls.  Enter junior high school, different class schedules and different after school activities.  Then she transferred to private school the same year I moved to Colorado.  Fast forward to a year ago -- we go to the same church and our oldest boys love to play together.  To say that having her back in my life is a blessing is an understatement.  I love spending time with her and watching our children enjoy each other.  She provides true friendship and fellowship -- I feel like I could talk to her about just about anything for hours.  And, she inspires me to be a better mom.  She has so much fun with her kids and can always turn tears or a tantrum into smiles and laughter.

 

What a great long weekend!  And long overdue -- the first time in SIX years that Buck has taken consecutive days off of work.  I kid you not!  It made us realize that we need to do it more often.  Thanks to our awesome friends for joining us and making it so much fun!



Put Your iPod Down.

Never thought I would utter those words to my three and a half year old.  I am not a techie -- in fact, my brother always comments that Buck and I are so behind the times in terms of technology.  We did not own iPhones until this Christmas, bought our first flat screen television just last summer (as in 2011), can't really figure out how to use our Kindle, frankly we don't even understand iTunes, and we don't own an iPad. 

Fawn loves kid music, though.  And, I love walking without listening to Fawn whine in the stroller about wanting to be finished.  So, I loaded four CDs of his kid music onto an old MP3 player (not an iPod, but he doesn't know the difference).  And, he gets to listen to "his iPod" when he's in the stroller.  It's a great bribe but he sometimes has a hard time giving up his music.

Sitting at the kitchen counter while I fixed his lunch (very scary visions of what's to come...):

 

So happy to be in control of his own tunes.

First Day of School.

Sweet Fawn started 3K at his precious pre-school.  Part of me is so sad that the summer is over.  We had such a nice, relaxed time and really started to settle into a day-to-day routine of the three of us (Fawn, Small Fry and me).  And, I loved having my little buddy home with me every day.  But, for my sanity, I have to say that I'm relieved September is here.  It's not hard to have Fawn with me all the time, but he wants to be active and to have his friends to play with.  So it's exhausting to constantly plan to keep him busy, happy and thriving!  Now someone else gets to be the camp counselor/cruise ship director/pre-school teacher three mornings a week.

Fawn was so excited to start school.  Of course, in typical Fawn style he fussed about getting ready and pretended to be so sad to miss the morning with Small Fry and me.  He even claimed that he wanted to run errands!  But once we arrived at school he was beside himself with excitement.  He did not look back at me -- no kiss, no hug, no hesitation.  It hurt my feelings a bit, but I was also amazed at how much he's grown in the past year and how self-assured he is.  He even rejected my attempt to introduce him to his teachers, bypassing such pleasantries for a huge pile of matchbox cars.

I had that motherly, knot-in-your-stomach feeling all morning hoping he was enjoying himself, getting comfortable and behaving (after a summer of the crazies!).  When I picked him up he was his usual wild man self.  Even referred to me as "girl" in front of his teachers -- excellent first impression of my parenting.  He was able to tell me his teachers' names, that he went to art class today, that he didn't eat his lunch, that he played with his best friend T, and that his friend P turned four and they had cookie cake to celebrate.  For Fawn, that's quite a load of information to dump on mommy in the car ride home.  Must have been a great day.  Hoping for a fabulous year.

We started the day with Fawn's favorites for breakfast -- a buttered biscuit, a slice of bacon and grapes.

 

Posing with his new school bag.

 

Love sweet Fawn, who made me brush his hair to make sure he looked handsome.

 

A little brother love.



Photographer Fawn and His Photos.

My budding photographer

Has three favorite subjects

His toys

His brother

And himself



Small Fry's (HALF) Birthday.

Of course, Small Fry had not a clue.  But, we celebrated our little angel anyway.

We made brownies, which we decorated like a cake.  And, we sang happy birthday.  Though I bought Small Fry some new pajamas and a new teething ring (those little buggers still haven't popped through), I haven't managed to give him his half birthday gifts yet.  The pj's need to be washed and the teething ring needs to be cleaned too.  Oops!  Clearly, he has no idea and Fawn hasn't pushed the issue.  Speaking of Fawn, he had a little bit of a hard time that it wasn't his half birthday again (or too? -- I wasn't quite sure what the issue was).  But, he was happy to blow out Small Fry's candle.  He was insistent that he get Small Fry a gift -- specifically he wanted to get Small Fry his own "Bow Wow" (Fawn's most beloved lovie, a Gund stuffed animal).  I could tell that he wouldn't handle going into a toy store for someone else so I avoided the issue.  We will order online!  A fabulous solution to sibling shopping.

My three boys.

Birthday boy!  We love you so much sweet thing.  You are a beautiful, happy, joyous, loving, wonderful addition to our family.  We are so blessed to call you ours and can't remember life without you in it.

And, for a trip down memory lane, here's a flashback to Fawn's original half birthday:



Pool Days.

We are so lucky to live close to my maternal grandparents for so many reasons.  Only one of those reasons is the beautiful (and did I mention heated?) pool in their backyard (surrounded by a gorgeous garden).  I spent my childhood summers swimming the days away at their pool (they moved into the house while my mom was pregnant with my little brother, so it's the only house of theirs I've ever known).  It's unbelievable to me that I'm now raising a family of my own less than a mile and a half from them -- and my boys are spending their summers the same way I spent mine.  I sometimes find myself waiting for someone to tell me not to run by the pool or to let my food settle before I go back in the water.  But then I remember that I'm the grown-up. 

I'm lucky to have other grown-ups around to help -- namely my grandmother and my mom -- because swimming with a three-year old and a baby is tough work.  There's all the gear to load up, the snacks or picnic lunch to pack, and juggling two kiddos in water.  I couldn't do it alone -- and it wouldn't be near as enticing to do it anywhere other than my grandparents' pool.  For me, it's one of the places that defines summer.

Gotta love Fawn's yellow goggles.  I'm so proud of my little swimmer.  He's done great this summer after two weeks of intense lessons.  While I generally encourage swimming wings (and they are a must if I've got both boys by myself), he is definitely able to swim all by himself (just ask him).  He jumping off the side of the pool and even the diving board solo too!  You go Fawn!

Fawn with my precious grandmother -- Mema.  She looks more like his grandmother than his great grandmother!  And although he runs circles around most, he's no match for this energetic lady.

 Happy fish.

Fat baby in a bathing suit.



Brother Fun.

From one direction the fun looked like this...

From the other direction it looked like this.

Two smiles, two laughs, two little hearts.

One blessed mama.

Fawn's (HALF) Birthday.

I know in today's day and time parents are (rightly) criticized for too much praise of children and spoiling of children.  So some of you may be horrified that we celebrate half birthdays around here.  It's not a family tradition passed down from either side, just something I wanted to do for Fawn because his birthday is so close to Christmas -- so certainly something we will also do for Small Fry.

Buck thinks I'm crazy.  But, he also acknowledges that it's nice for me to get to do something fun and special for Fawn.  I think most fathers of little boys fall into Buck's mold -- they are the bearers of all things awesome and fun.  I can't compete with four wheelers and fishing, and I don't want to try.  Nothing will be more beneficial to Fawn and Small Fry's development than a strong bond with an amazing male role model -- their dad!  And us moms, we are the guardians of the mundane and the keepers of the little hearts.  It's a job I wouldn't change for any other, but it's easy to at times feel like the "un-fun" parent.  The one brushing teeth, combing hair, scrubbing behind ears.  The one double checking school bags, re-filling endless sippy cups, packing pint-sized lunches.  So Buck indulges me in my opportunities to make my boys feel special and dote on them.  Half birthdays are one of those.

Not only is it fun for me and Fawn, but it's been great in terms of spreading out new toys -- and being able to give toys that are now of interest that weren't six months ago.  We are not big gift givers at Christmas (we abide by the three gifts for three wise men rule).  And, we keep things very light for Fawn's January birthday.  Don't get me wrong...Fawn is not hurting for toys or for spoiling from us and his plethora of extended family.  But, it's nice to have a "reason" (even if it is basically a fake reason invented by me) to get Fawn a couple things that he is currently expressing interest in.

This year it was extra special because Small Fry was here -- not only was it great to see Fawn's excitement over his present from Small Fry but it also was a small way of showing Fawn (and not just telling him) that he is still so very important to us even though his baby brother requires more hands-on care.

Buck was worried he would miss the nighttime activities, so we did gifts and cinnamon rolls at breakfast.



So excited to be three and a half!



A popgun from daddy -- early present from the deer show at the BJCC.

PlayDoh Fun Factory from mommy.  (Am I the only one who remembers this toy?  Buck insists he's never seen one.  My brother and I sure loved ours.)

Posing with his new superhero (Phil Canteen -- a superhero army man) -- from Small Fry.  Fawn was so excited to receive this toy that he literally tackled Small Fry in his Bumbo seat to give him a hug.  Melt my heart.

All smiles with his "3.5" cookie cake -- complete with the recycled tool decorations from Father's Day.  Buck was thankfully able to stop by home post-work and pre-evening work function to sing happy birthday and eat some cookie cake.  Made Fawn's day!

Make a wish.

(By the way, we don't ALWAYS wear pajamas...just most of the time.  I'm only kind of kidding.  We did leave the house for a large chunk of the day to enjoy the beautiful Alabama sunshine at the swimming pool -- I promise!)

Our happy, loving, hilarious three and a half year old.  We love you sweet boy!



Water Balloon Fun.

A bag of water balloons = an afternoon of boyish fun. 

Let the games begin.

What are these crazy guys doing?

Little hands, hard at work.

Dad pitches in too.

Going after Buck.

Gotcha!

Fawn's Friday Funnies.

The material keeps coming....

I was wearing a UNC-Chapel Hill t-shirt that had a tar heel on the sleeve.  Fawn said, "Mommy, why do you have a picture of a foot with a huge splinter on your shirt?"  How to explain the legend of a tar heel to a three-year old??

Not only does Fawn have a nickname for me ("Girl"), he's got one for Buck as well.  The long version "Big Ole Man."  The short version of the nickname is simply "Big Ole."  He will actually say, for example, "Mommy, do you know when Big Ole will be home from work?"  I need to pray for the ability to parent with a straight face.

Fawn loves to turn my parenting lines back around on me.  Since Small Fry's arrival, I've really been gently forcing Fawn to give me a hand as we attempt to get out the door, etc.  It usually involves me asking him to help get his stuff to the car -- I get him to wear his little backpack or to carry his sippy cup and snack.  I usually explain that he has a hand and that I don't so I need his help.  Now, on the rare instances that I actually have a free hand, instead of doing anything for himself, Fawn will say, "Mommy, can you do it?  You've got a hand girl."  And, then he will put whatever he wants me to carry in my hand...as if his verbal request wasn't clear enough.

Fawn's Friday Funnies.

This kid continues to be hilarious, so I'm implementing a weekly column until I reach a week where he doesn't give me any funny material.  This week, though, he didn't disappoint.

We were at Triangle Park and Fawn was playing on the jungle gym while I fed Small Fry sitting at a picnic table.  I started chatting with another mommy who was also there with her son.  When Fawn realized I was talking to someone he came running toward me screaming "It's a stranger!  It's a stranger!  Don't talk to strangers mommy!"  I tried to explain that I was an adult and he's a kid and I can talk to people I don't know but I think I just confused the kid more.  We've been working on stranger danger with Fawn, but I'm not sure we're doing a great job based on the incident at the park.  Also, Fawn is now terrified of the Publix workers who offer to push the groceries out to your car.  He totally freaks and insists that he get out of the cart before the stranger pushes the cart.  Hmmm....

Fawn was really sweet to Small Fry and I told him he was such a good boy.  He responded.  "Mommy, you are such a good mommy because you do everything I say."  I laughed out loud.  And then reconsidered my parenting tactics.  And then told Fawn he was the funniest person I knew.

Fawn is starting to be more aware of my relationship with Buck -- so we've been saying "Mommy is my wife" and "Daddy is my husband."  Totally unprevoked, Fawn looked up at me while we were reading books and said "Mommy, Daddy is not your husband.  He's your cousin."  Please, Fawn, do not spread that rumor. 

Easter Egg Hunt.

Buck was out of town for work for a week starting the Monday after Easter, so we held our annual family Easter Egg Hunt the Saturday before Easter.  It was very low key this year -- instead of coordinating with all of the aunts and uncles we just invited the grandparents.  And, I didn't cook a thing.
 

Fawn loved the camo eggs (of course!).

LOVE this picture of Small Fry and Daddy watching the action.

Shaking an egg.

Fawn quickly determined that not all of the eggs were filled with goodies.  This was not acceptable to him, so he proceeded to shake the eggs upon retrieval and keep those worth keeping (the ones with candy) and leave the ones that were empty.  It was hilarious!  As a side note, I encouraged the Easter Bunny to fill all of the eggs (predicting that Fawn would pick up on the absence of treats in some eggs) but the Easter Bunny insisted that it would be fine and enough eggs were filled.  After the hunt, the Easter Bunny acknowledged that momma knew best after all.

Enjoying the new swing set.

Belle was there too!

Rewind: Spring Break Staycation.

Another very long overdue post on our fun-filled Spring Break week (I will continue to use Small Fry as an excuse for my delinquent blogging until he sleeps through the night!). 

I have to admit I was dreading Spring Break -- and not because Fawn would be home from school.  That part I was actually looking forward to!  There are two important reasons for me to love Spring Break -- Fawn's home and my mom is off work.  But, since everyone in the state of Alabama (slight exaggeration, but pretty much everyone...) is on Spring Break the same week it's so hard to take kiddos anywhere because everywhere is packed.  This year, though, seemed better than years past.  Perhaps because I've learned my lesson in terms of expectations and where to take the little ones to not be bombarded by ridiculous crowds (i.e., it is insane to attempt McWane Center period and crazy to try the zoo on 1/2 price Tuesday).

Monday: Mom and I took the little ones to the Botanical Gardens in the morning for some exploring, strolling and a lunch picnic.  The weather was gorgeous and it wasn't crowded at all!  We capped off the picnic with a Doodle.  Yummy!

Tuesday: Library time for puzzle playing, book reading, and choosing new library books.  They had awesome vehicle/machinery puzzles and toys out, which Fawn loved.  We were the only ones there (probably because there were no story times or events that week).  Even the Children's Library desk which is usually manned by three or four librarians was occupied only by Miss Rachel (who happens to be Fawn's very favorite librarian).  The conversation that took place:
Fawn:  Miss Rachel, why are you the only one here?
Miss Rachel:  That's a good question, Fawn. 
Our library time was followed up by meeting sweet church friends at the Tot Lot.  So very crowded, but still fun.  We spent the afternoon at Overton Park with a different group of sweet church friends.

Wednesday: We braved the zoo at Fawn's insistence.  Luckily, we got there right when it opened and played in the fountains before they were swamped.  We met our neighbors -- who have two precious children close to Fawn's age -- a little later and enjoyed the morning at the zoo.  It quickly got packed, though, so we headed home.  We got out the baby pool in the afternoon for some at home fun (I think being in the zoo fountains made Fawn remember how much he loves the water!).

Baby pool...here we come.

Thursday:  A group of Fawn's school friends gathered at Overton Park.  He was so excited about this outing and was looking forward to it all week.  Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate for very long...but the fun continued at Chick-Fil-A where we ate lunch and let the boys run wild in the inside playground.

Friday:  Art day with Mommy!!!  The weather was still uncooperative, so Fawn and I painted Easter pictures, made foam sticker pictures, and dyed Easter eggs.  Fawn loves him some arts and crafts and was thrilled to hang out in pajamas and be creative all morning.

I love the look of concentration while peeling the back off a dinosaur foam sticker.

Using his hands to retrieve the egg -- that's how he rolls.

All in all, a wonderful week! And, I have a much better attitude for future Spring Break staycations.