Sweet and Funny.

I know I gave up the Friday Funnies blog posts awhile ago, but I had to share this gem from Fawn.

The boys were fighting playing rough and Fawn was kicking. I asked him to not kick. "Mom, I am not kicking, I am pushing with my feet." 

But then he can also be just the sweetest thing. The other night when I was getting him ready for bed he said, "Mom, God is my first favorite person because he made you my mommy." Sigh. 

Love him.

Small Fry is THREE!

Oh to describe this precious life at three. Wow, I can hardly begin. First of all, it's amazing to think that when Fawn was three we were welcoming Small Fry into our family. Fawn seemed so grown up; and Small Fry still seems so childlike. I actually think they are at just about the same place developmentally and it's really all just relative. In 2012, I was comparing Fawn to an infant -- he did seem grown up. Now I'm comparing Small Fry to a six year old.

While I know I had three amazing years as a mom to Fawn before Small Fry entered our family, I truly cannot imagine life before Small Fry. He is so much a part of us that I don't know how we functioned before him. And, when "they say" love multiplies "they" are so right. Not only has our capacity as parents to love increased (love is patient, in the words of Paul, and more children means more patience), but the love between our children is something this house was missing before there was Small Fry. As one of the boys' favorite books says, "Life is truly twice as fun since you came along." No statement could be more true of Small Fry.

He has grown up so much in the past year. He is potty trained -- woo hoo! -- and did so easily. It was a breeze, and for that this mama is thankful. He can participate in just about any outdoor activity with his older brother -- pedaling a tricycle, playing whatever pretend game Fawn has thought up, and giving his best to any athletic endeavor. He still loves balls -- and loves to be active. We've started gymnastics, which he loves. He is a strong little guy and determined. He sleeps in a big boy bed, and has given up naps (no sorrow here -- I love the extra time with him and not being on a schedule). And he does carpool at school -- morning and afternoon. Just goes on his merry way to get on with his day.

Small Fry is SMALL. He hasn't gained much if any weight since his first birthday. And, has gotten just a bit taller coming in at less than the 10th percent on the scale. We're hoping his eating will improve and he will hit a growth spurt here soon. He's not a terribly picky eater, but it's hard to keep him still or focused for long enough to eat a ton. His favorite foods are almonds, strawberries, scrambled eggs, and macaroni and cheese. He does not like carbonated drinks (yay!), but loves apple juice and Gatorade. He will pretend to be sick so he can have Gatorade. And speaking of being sick, when he is sick (which has been a lot this winter), he insists on a milkshake. Like father, like son.

Small Fry has transitioned to IPC Day School effortlessly and absolutely loves school. He does not, however, like church. He pretends to not know much from school, for example he will not under any circumstance let on that he knows the ABCs but then I will catch him singing them when no one is looking. He is not as likely to grab a stack of books for me to read like Fawn was at this age. But if a book is being read, he hangs on every word and is so attentive. He likes to play near other children, but aside from interacting with Fawn, he is not social. He prefers to keep his circle small. He still loves Mickey Mouse, but is starting to be interested in all the things Fawn loves (TMNT, Transformers, super heroes). When it's just the two of us at home he is much more likely to play with age appropriate toys. He has a style all his own. Boots whenever at all appropriate and what he refers to as hipster clothes. Think hoodies and stripes and jeans. He will not wear any of the cutesy clothes I made for and dressed Fawn in at this age. He's just growing up so fast.

His sweet little voice I could bottle up for the rest of time. I love the way he says "that because" whenever he's asked why. And how "all" comes out more like "awl" and little is "wittwe". And, I even love that he calls me "Fat Belly" and Buck "Big Ole".  Small Fry, your Fat Belly and your Big Ole and your Bubby love you more than you will ever know. We are so very thankful for you each day.

Celebrating Small Fry's Third Birthday.

Right on the heels of Fawn's birthday, Small Fry turned three on Sunday, February 8th. This year we wanted to do something to celebrate him. When Fawn turned three we had his first "real" birthday party with friends and such so I just assumed we would do the same for Small Fry. He, however, had other plans.

When I would ask and try to figure out what he would enjoy he was absolutely against any birthday party with his friends. "I not want nobody at my birthday" and "I not want no party" were heard and heard frequently in our house. Small Fry is a strong willed child and I knew not to push it. If he didn't want a party or friends at a party I was not going to force it. So we tried to think of something fun to do for his party -- just the four of us -- to make the day special. Small Fry came up with horseback riding. And, after lots of Google searching and phone calls, I found a stable south of Birmingham that starts lessons at three years old. So we set up private lessons for Small Fry and Fawn and I got them cute cowboy stuff for goodie bags. We were also going to have the grandparents over for a fun birthday dinner. Everyone seemed super excited about this plan...until January 25th (otherwise known as the night of Fawn's birthday party) when Small Fry announced that he was having a hunting party just like his brother. Awesome.

He was still set on his new birthday plan the next morning. So, we cancelled our horseback riding lessons, went to Smith's in search of extra camo paper products (score!), and took all of our cowboy and western paraphernalia back to Party City. Small Fry was still set on just his family being with him on his birthday. He is not my social child! I did want to do something with his class to celebrate, though, so I arranged to take treats the Friday before his birthday so he would have some experience of celebrating with friends. The week of his birthday we went to Hobby Lobby for paper products and a favor for his classmates -- of all things he picked pirates even though there was both camo/hunting and cowboy stuff to also choose from.

The Friday before his birthday, he got the full treatment at school -- birthday crown and all. I came after lunch with a birthday balloon, iced sugar cookies, and pirate patches for the kids. He loved passing out treats and pirate eye patches to all of his friends. Then they sang to him and it was the sweetest thing.

Mr. Non-Cooperative

Buck was out of town for work and I thought he wouldn't be home until Sunday afternoon...but being the A+ dad he is, he booked an earlier flight and arrived Saturday night and surprised us. He was home for his baby's birthday and it was awesome! We woke up as a family on Sunday to celebrate Small Fry with cinnamon rolls. Then it was church, lunch, and a mommy/Small Fry play date at the park while Fawn went to a birthday party. The grandparents plus Uncle Ben (Aunt Allison was sick) came over at 5 pm for some Nerf action (we didn't really get out any of the other hunting games) and dinner. Dinner was followed by presents galore -- Small Fry loved every minute -- plus the exact same duck hunting cake that Fawn chose. Only difference...Small Fry actually figured out how to use the duck call on his cake.

So proud to be three.

At the last minute he decided he didn't want to wear camo to his party.

After the hilarious comment "I not have no guns" during Fawn's birthday, Mimi and Pops were sure to get Small Fry not one but two Nerf guns. He was a happy camper.

Fawn, the most amazing big brother, is helping explain a fun animal sound toy from Lulu and Doc.

Deja cake.

Small Fry was happily tasting frosting while we sang to him.

I love that look of joy.

Happy birthday to you!

Make a wish.

Hope it comes true.

I guess I wasn't cutting cake quickly enough because he started licking the cake decorations.

I am determined to have a picture with my boys on their birthdays each year.

I hope he was happier than this looks!

It wasn't what I thought we'd do for his birthday, nor what we originally planned, but it was a perfect way to celebrate the absolute joy that is our three year old. We love you to the moon and back Small Fry! You are such a light in our lives. We love watching you grow and are absolutely in love with the little boy you are.

Lately.

Between farm trips, birthdays, and sickness, January was gone in the blink of an eye. I still don't think we've quite found our rhythm around here in the new year.

The boys have both missed lots of school. They have both had a stomach bug, about one week apart. They have both had the crud -- Small Fry's more of a fever virus and Fawn's more of a cough that turned into an ear infection. And, poor Fawn has had more than his fair share of migraines.

But we've also had lots of fun. Basketball at the JCC came to an end. It was a good experience and Fawn learned a lot, but I wasn't too sad to see it go as it wasn't quite organized enough for my type-A child. They changed teams every time and it was hard for the boys to get used to playing with each other. It makes me appreciate the team aspect of baseball and the lessons that come with it. Speaking of baseball, that's coming up next though we are relishing this break from afternoon activities. We've filled the time with play dates and movie afternoons.

New rain boots.

Small Fry and I continue to spend Tuesdays at the library and we've added gymnastics to the mix for Thursdays. Small Fry loves it and is so stinking strong. It is the perfect way to start the day and to spend special time with my love bug.

Hipster clothes. Both boys desperately needed new jeans -- and a few more winter pieces. They are growing like weeds. Let's just say that Small Fry's "style" is very different from Fawn's "style" at this age. Read: I dressed Fawn however I wanted; Small Fry only wears what he wants to wear, when he wants to wear it. Small Fry is a hipster. Here are some of his new hipster clothes. He picked these out himself and he is so proud (and there are more where they came from).

My mom and I took the boys to the circus. Buck absolutely refused to go. It was a bit of a bust. Fawn got a migraine (despite a two-hour nap that afternoon) and Small Fry came home from school with a 102 fever. But onward we pushed when the migraine and fever were gone. We skipped the Magic Moments pre-circus party. It's super fun but so over the top that skipping it was okay and definitely the right decision. And we only stayed for the first half. Fawn really enjoyed it but Small Fry was not feeling it. He was a handful and a half. He kept asking me to call Buck to pick him up. Ha! And if you ask him he says he hates the circus and will never go back.

Small Fry was kind of enjoying his first (and last) circus when I bought him an over-priced light-up toy.

Big brother was all about it.

Especially the cotton candy.

Buck and I took the boys to the Boat Show. They had a fun time, though I found it exhausting to walk around the exhibition hall for hours. But, I'm glad I went! It was a good "boy" activity. The highlight for me was meeting Mountain Man from Duck Dynasty. He really does talk like that.

Thankfully, the boys did not destroy a boat.

He picked out a $57,000 boat that he said he was saving his allowance for. Bless his heart.

Best five dollar activity ever -- fishing for trout. He caught two.

Small Fry is fearless. And gross. (And my boys match Miss Kelly style.)

This was his highlight of the day.

Mom and I took the boys to Red Mountain Park to hike on MLK day. It was gorgeous and we made it to the second tree house. They were troopers (as was mom as she coaxed an exhausted Fawn back to the car).

I'm sure there's much more we've done I just can't recall! We are currently in week two of crud that won't leave this house. I feel like this happens every February. It's par for the course with kids, I know. And, it's doable. But all of those "to dos" that were "supposed" to happen once I got through Fawn's birthday have been put on the back burner. I know I will get to them when we get well and come up for air -- I just don't like to leave loose ends. I'm learning to "let it go" as Elsa would say and accept each day as it is given. Work hard as a wife and a mom doing what I can and leaving the rest for another day.

Fawn is SIX.

It has been a huge year for our big boy...started Kindergarten, learned to read, learned to ride a bike without training wheels, learned to catch and hit a live baseball, learned to swim the length of the pool, learned to tie his shoes, really started hunting with dad, learned to dribble and shoot a basketball. He truly is learning something new constantly and it is a blessing to be on this journey with him.

He is still a sensitive, caring child -- moms comment to me all the time that their children tell them he is the nicest boy in the class. That warms my soul and I pray his kindness never leaves him. But, he's also full of life and oh so wild. In my completely biased opinion, I find it to be the most charming personality combination. He is just a dear, dear child, who is constantly maturing and surprising us.

He's an outdoors-man for sure. He loves the farm and the woods....and camo, hunting, and weapons! He is educating his classmates on the ins and outs of farm living; his published "how to" writing piece was How to Bush Hog by Hughston. This boy is truly wild at heart and though I never pictured raising such a country bumpkin I absolutely love this about him.

His knowledge of Bible stories and theology is pretty remarkable, and to see his faith grow while at the same time being so childlike and pure is encouraging to me as his mother. He prayed to ask Jesus to live in his heart this year, which I had the privilege of witnessing. While I know the years will show where his heart is and we are no where close to the finish line on providing a foundation of faith for his life, I believe he truly understands even at his young age.

He's had a rough year with his migraines -- definitely the most difficult so far. It's been tough to watch him suffer, but I know that God works ALL things to his glory. He asks tough questions now, such as "why does God send me headaches?" And we talk about the fallen world and how God is using this experience for some reason in his life -- and for some reason in mine as his mother. It has certainly taught all of us more empathy -- and it has made me so thankful for the great medical professionals in our lives. I know that all children -- all people -- have their mountains they have to overcome. This is Fawn's and he is handling it beautifully.

He's huge! Tall and lanky, skinny as a bean pole. He barely fits in my lap, though still loves to cuddle up. He will sneak into my bed to sleep on any opportunity Buck is out of town. And, he has his first loose tooth! And the news of the loose tooth seems like the perfect place to end this synopsis of Fawn's sixth year. Really saying goodbye to the past but welcoming a whole new world of wonder with a big kid!

Happy Birthday Baby!

We started the day with cinnamon rolls and presents! He opened a Lego Chima book and watch from Small Fry and a bat from Daddy. Then it was off to school! Small Fry and I took brownies with orange deer picks in them to his class during lunch time. At lunch his friends convinced him to go to Davenport's for dinner -- we had said he could choose the restaurant. And, horror of horrors, had never taken the boys to Davenport's. Needless to say, the boys LOVED the pizza and the video games and we will be going back soon.

After dinner we had one more present for him...the Night Vision goggles he just had to have. They were a huge hit and he was a happy six year old.

I have to get a picture with my birthday boy every year.

A kiss from the birthday boy.

And a kiss to the birthday boy.

Happy Birthday sweet angel.

The morning after...officially SIX!

Happy (Hunting) Birthday!

In my head, I had kind of decided that we were going to "go somewhere" for Fawn's sixth birthday (Chuck-E-Cheese, bowling, movies...you get the drift). Last year we did a Transformers party at home. It was so much fun, and so Fawn...but it was a lot of work and very stressful to have so many people in our home. Plus with a January birthday I feel like we are so testing our weather luck. But, Fawn really wanted a hunting party at home. So, of course, that's what we did! I did try to dial it back a bit, and when the weather looked excellent for the actual day, I decided we were doing EVERYTHING in the garage, basement and outside. And, that really took the pressure off. Plus, hunting is popular (I guess the Duck Dynasty effect). So getting the goods was pretty easy (thank you Oriental Trading for all sorts of hunting decorations/paper products/favors and Publix for a duck hunting birthday cake). Whoop whoop. I think everyone that lives with me would agree that I was much more laid back this year about birthdays than I was last year, which was good for everyone!

We invited the boys in Fawn's kindergarten class plus three Covenant friends. It was a sweet, but pretty wild group. I was glad we asked the mamas to stay and kept the party to an hour and a half. As an aside, it's always easy when you live in a house of wild, crazy, loud boys to assume your boys are out of control and you have lost any ability to control them. Just get around another group of boys and your perspective will be set straight. My sweet boys, I am so proud of the boys you are growing up to be. You exhibit great amounts of respect and self control. You know how to have fun and live life, but you also are learning and exhibiting very admirable behavior traits that I know will serve you well in life.

We asked everyone to show up in camo; I had grabbed all of our extra camo from the farm in case boys showed up without it but was shocked when everyone showed up in their own! And we offered camo face paint upon arrival. My boys were all decked out.

Love these sweet brothers. And my heart swells when I see them love each other. Probably how God feels when he sees us loving on our brothers and sisters in Christ. Wow.

We started the party with a craft kids could do as they arrived...making nametags out of slices of wood on camo parachute cord. The boys were either really into them or couldn't care less. I just like to have something to do while waiting for everyone to arrive.

He loved his nametag...and loved that Mr. Lance and Miss Morrell helped him draw an armadillo. Can't believe how much this almost-three year old smile resembles his brother's at this age.

Then it was time for the activities. We started with an animal tracks scavenger hunt. I had painted rocks with animal tracks for deer, bear, bobcat, turkey, duck, and otter. We gave each kid a checklist that included the picture of the track, a crayon to mark off as they found the track, and a small drawstring bag to keep their rocks. It was a big hit! And, we are still finding rocks in our front yard. After the tracks activity, we did target practice in small groups. Mr. Lance manned the blow up deer and the foam bow; Buck armed the Nerf pistol and camo covered cans; Uncle Ben manned the tissue paper targets and Nerf crossbow; and Doc manned the bear and Air Warriors. I think the boys all had fun.

No good group shots. But Small Fry picked this of all times to look straight at the camera. Ha!

Then it was time for cake (plus goldfish and lime Jello jigglers). 

The duck hunting cake was precious.

But not nearly as precious as Small Fry singing every word of Happy Birthday to his beloved big brother.

Such happiness celebrating such a great kid.

Hope your wish comes true buddy.

After cake, we did a photo scavenger hunt to the goody bags. It didn't work out as well as last year, though I'm not sure the kids realized it. Some of the boys just started grabbing pictures wherever they saw them so I was running around trying to keep the hunt moving like it should. The last picture was of Small Fry and the boys had to find Small Fry who had hidden with Buck with a bag full of goody bags. Then we just enjoyed some free play in the backyard and with the basketball goal to end the celebration. It was a fun afternoon. And most importantly, it made Fawn so very happy. It was exactly what he wanted for his birthday! Happy Birthday sweet boy -- we love you!

You will always be the person that made us parents and taught us to love in ways we couldn't imagine.

You are an awesome big brother.

You teach me something every day about love, kindness and acceptance.

You keep us smiling and laughing with your antics.

PS: The grandparents were very good sports.

2014 Reading Recap.

I love to read! Love it -- and I certainly spend enough time at the library to pick up lots of great books. Per tradition, my favorite five books of 2014:

1. Unbroken -- A MUST READ! I have been begging Buck to read it and will insist that the boys read it when they are old enough. 

2. Somewhere in France -- A great historical fiction set in WWI. Loved every page and hope the author writes something else soon.

3. Mrs. Lincoln's Rival -- A companion book to the Lincoln book I read last year and loved. I think historical fiction is my new favorite.

4. Grace for the Good Girl -- A book that I felt was written for me and to me. So encouraging and real.

5. The Book Thief -- Disturbing from page one (the narrator is DEATH!) but a good read and one that makes you think, as the best books always do.

And, so I don't forget, I also read the following: The Dawning of Indestructible Joy by John Piper; A Christmas Journey by Douglas Webster; Sheer Abandon by Penny Vincenzi; Somewhere in France by Jennifer Robson; Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy by Helen Fielding; We Are Called To Rise by Laura McBride; All Fall Down by Jennifer Weinert; The One and Only by Emily Giffin; The Girls of August by Anne Rivers Siddon; The Matchmaker by Elin Hilderbrand; Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand; Driftwood Summer by Patti Henry Callahan; Tempting Fate by Jane Green; The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt; Roses by Leila Meacham; The Book Thief by Markus Zusak; Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline; Somerset by Leila Meacham; Grace for the Good Girl by Emily P. Freeman; Mrs. Lincoln's Rival by Jennifer Chiaverini; The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks; Beautiful Day by Elin Hilderbrand; The Red Book by Deborah Kogan; The Purchase by Linda Spalding; Revenge Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger