The Night Watches

We headed down to North Carolina for the weekend to see my sister and her family two weekends ago! It was a whirlwind trip, but oh so fun as well as tiring! We didn't get there until 1 am.... and did not get to sleep until 4 am because Tyler was so freaked out about the newness of the place. It was a long first night, but it was worth it just to be with my sister. On Saturday, we got to visit with my sisters in-laws... they love our kids, and have always been so much fun to visit with. I finally go to see my sister with a bump! She has hardly gained any weight and is just now starting to look pregnant and she is almost 27 weeks! Can't wait to meet little Katie Grace! My sister's step-daughter, MacKenzie was there with us too, so Tyler had a playmate most of the time! She looks so much like Lotte's husband! Makes you wonder what Katie will look like. My sweet boy... such a poser! He got a hold of Wes' birthday balloons. His birthday is on Valentines day, so he gets ...

My how the time just flies by. Sweet baby Jack is already 3 months old. I cannot tell you how much joy this little man brings to my life. He has the sweetest smiles that he shares when he wakes up and when he sees our faces. He is ticklish, which is just so much fun. He even "talks" to us... oh how I love him. I am having so much fun being his mommy. He is taking better naps too- the basement has been a great solution to the nap problem, and he is adjusting well. And Tyler has gotten back to 2.5 hrs of sleep! Thanks for the input ladies! Here are some shots I took today of Jack- to commemorate his 3rd month of life! I am trying to get creative and take better pictures... enjoy!

I don't usually try to sell things to my friends, but I have to tell you about a product that I simply LOVE and think should be in every moms laundry room. My mom gave me some spot cleaner a few years ago, and I have never used another kind! Let me just tell you why this stuff is simply the BEST... ~ It can take out dried-on, caked-on infant poop from a garment that was not pre-soaked or pretreated days after it was stained. Simply apply and throw in the wash- and it is GONE! ~ It can remove those annoying dark grease spots from cooking, even after it has gone through the dryer. ~ It can remove the nastiest thing your toddler can spit out, lay on, or rub on his/her clothes. ~ It can even remove blood and sweat stains (in case your man is having a tough day!). I have tried Shout, Tide Sick, Spray N Wash, and Zout... this is really better than them all! OK, so I just wanted to share how much I love it, and how much time it saves me, and that you really should try it! You can get it...

On his own initiative... Tyler pooped on the potty tonight!!!! Hip Hip Horraayyyyyy!!! Let the good times begin!!!!!

Alright all you experienced moms out there... if you read my blog, I need your help! I am having the hardest times getting Jack on a schedule, because if I let him cry during Tyler's afternoon nap, he consistently wakes up the big boy. Tyler used to sleep 3 hrs in the afternoon, which I think he needs. Since Jack takes smaller naps, with feedings and their schedules do not typically match up, Jack's wake-up falls smack dab in the middle of Tyler's long chunk- thus Tyler has only been sleeping for 1- 1.5 hrs the past few weeks! In addition to his lack of sleep, Tyler has figured out how to climb out of his bed and open his door... so when get gets up, he marches right out the door to play. This is not making things easy around here! I have put a sound machine in Tyler's room, and it sounds like the waterfall is falling directly in his room!!! That still is not enough to block the loud cries of Jack next door. Jordan suggested we try putting Jack down in the pack n play i...

I was hoping to post some cute pictures of Tyler and funny stories today... but have not had the time to upload my pictures. Instead, we had a scary moment, that certainly got my heart racing. Tyler was out in the common ground field by our neighbors house. He and Marli (their 5 year old daughter) were just running around the field, when a big boxer jumped up on the fence and began to bark at them. Marli tried to grab Tyler and run back, but Tyler being the boy in love with dogs, refused to move. My neighbor suddenly saw the situation, and told me to run. I looked over and saw the dog clear the fence and head straight for my son. Hit the pause button here: by the grace of God alone, I did not freak out. I had complete peace. Not typical response when an angry dog is attacking your child. Back to the rescue.... the dog was circling and snarling at Tyler, who at this point, began to scream and cry, and was frozen in place. I cannot imagine what he was thinking,when this dog twice as big ...

Jack is sleeping through the night!! I am so blessed!!! I wanted to wait a little while before making a decision that he was, indeed, sleeping a 8-9 hour stretch each night. It started two Sunday's ago.. so we are two weeks into me getting more sleep!! You would think I would not be still desperate for a nap some days, after getting so much more sleep, yet here I find myself still needy! Today, I decided doesn't count, as a day I shouldn't have gotten a nap-- Tyler was wide awake and wanted to play from 12- 3 am! It was a long night! Why is jack sleeping so long at 9 weeks ?? Maybe it has something to do with his weight, maybe it is just a whim, and will change back tonight... either case, I am a blessed woman, to have gotten a stretch of sleep longer than 4 hours for the past two weeks! Here are a few pictures from the last photo shoot I took of Jack. I love his blue eyes. Just gorgeous! I hope he keeps them! Is that one chubby boy or what??? I keep trying to capture his w...

I took the boys to the Dr. last week for the 2 year and 2 month check-ups! It was a long visit to the Dr! We were there for an hour and a half! Tyler began to melt down towards the end of the visit, which made an unexpected visit from Daddy so wonderful! He happen to be near by, and it was raining, so he was able to lend a hand! So grateful! So the stats as they are: Tyler 35 inches tall (70%) 27 lbs 13 oz (75%) Jack 14 lb 2 oz ( 90%) 23 3/4 inches tall (75%) 15 1/4 inch head (50%) Jack got three shots and did not like them. He cried in pain at first, but then he just seemed to be angry! My boys are getting so big!