Joey's "Cam Newton" band-aid!

While watching the SEC championship game on Saturday night, Joey noticed that Cam had a large band-aid on his neck. So, he had to have one too. What is funny is that the little dot bandage was as big as we could get him to go...but, he was so proud of it!!!

Holiday Pictures

On Saturday morning, we went to see our favorite photographers at Love Life to have some holiday pictures taken. The studio and area around it are an old mill....which make for a beautiful place for pictures. When the session was over, we took the boys down to the old bridge for some additional shots while they were playing. Enjoy!

Fun Time with Daddy!

Days with Daddy are few and far between these days...it is just that time of year. But this weekend, Joe was home and the boys got some much needed time with him. I just wanted to share how happy they are while playing the tree out front and wrestling in the grass!

          

Pumpkin Patches & Halloween

We began the Fall season with trips to 3 different pumpkin patches/farms leading up to Halloween. It was a great place to take the boys on beautiful Saturdays. I think Joey and Jack's favorite activity was riding the kiddie size tractors followed by sliding down a hill on potato sacks! If you asked Joey he would say getting his face painted like Spiderman was the best thing of all. (Do you remember Spiderman from the TX State Fair last year?) Surprisingly, Jackson wanted his face painted too, so he was our little Tiger. I would have to say that the farm we went to last, Baugher's, was #1 overall (although I didn't really appreciate the deer tick that Joey brought home with him). The boys were able to ride ponies, get their face painted, go to a petting zoo and take a long hay ride to pick their pumpkins off the vine. It made Joe and I chuckle watching Joey try to pick his pumpkin. You know him, it had to be perfect AND still on the vine. We weren't leaving until it was found! Jack just picked one and sat on it. I can't wait to do it again next year!

Joey picked his Halloween costume on the day that the 1st PBK costume catalog came in the mail...an airplane. There was no question about it and he wanted the treat bag shown in the picture too. I then asked him what Jack was going to be and he said, "Mom, Jack is going to be an airplane too".  As Joey said, he would be Maverick and Jack would be Viper (Top Gun). So, we were on a Halloween countdown from the first of October.  The weekend began with a Halloween parade at Joey's school on Friday. All of the "little kids" parade through campus and show the parents and the "big girls" their costumes. It was a family affair as Daddy flew in that morning and Jack walked with us as well. I loved watching the girls' reactions to my little jets. I know I am biased, but I think they were the hit of parade! When Sunday FINALLY arrived, the questions kept coming... kind of like when you are on a long road trip and keep asking how much longer.  As we walked out of the garage, Joey took off like a jet.  Jack, on the other hand, was glad to be wearing his costume but was still going to be chauffeured to each house in the wagon.  They got better at saying "trick or treat" as the night wore on and Jack played the "you can't resist my cuteness" card from the very beginning. He would linger at the door long after Joey was running down the steps....kinda like "really, that is all, are you sure you don't want to give me some more?". And he would get more EVERY TIME! It is so much fun to watch them grow and think back on how they have changed from one year to the next. I think about Joey's first Halloween and how he, in his kangaroo costume, and I sat outside on the steps and waited for trick or treaters while he slobbered all over the candy. And Jack was only 3 weeks old when he was a pea-in-the-pod...sleeping through the whole event.

Jack's 2nd Birthday & 1st Ravens Game

We celebrated Jack's 2nd birthday to begin the month of October. It begin on his actual birthday, October 6 with the four of us and some yummy cupcakes! That Saturday was his "Madagascar Party" with family and close friends at our house. There aren't many pictures as my big camera was in the shop, grandmom and grandpop forgot their camera and daddy doesn't take pictures. :(  Given that the Madagascar movies are so "old" finding party supplies was very difficult. I made Marty, Melman, Alex and Gloria footprints for walking up the sidewalk, but most of what I found was on ebay including plates, napkins, coconut cups and mylar balloons. Though the boys' favorite decorations were the inflatable palm trees. They were running around and whacking each other with them as Joe was blowing them up. When it came time for the cake, we had a little situation that upset Jackson. Joey decided that it was necessary to take the airplane off of the cake and lick it clean for Jack. Needless to say, that did not go over very well. I think Jack was beginning his downward spiral toward nap time at that point so the tears came often after that point. It was capped off by the boys' babysitter Melanie walking in the door and Jack becoming hysterical because he thought Mommy was going to leave. He was down for the count before he could open presents. A scooter was his present from us and Joey picked out a remote control helicopter to give Jack. I will never forget Jack riding that red scooter around Toysrus/Babiesrus every time we went in the store for a month. He would literally ride it all over the store while I pushed the cart. When we would get to the front of the store to check out Jack would "park it" until the next time.

The next day, Jackson attended his first Ravens' game! He was so excited to go and wear his jersey. He just sat in his seat during pregame and took all of the sights and sounds in. Jack and Joey were great, but it really helped having grandmom and grandpop there when they got a little antsy! The best part of the day was watching them tackle each other outside of the stadium while waiting on Joe. While it probably wasn't the best time to be doing it with the stadium emptying, they were too cute and drawing a lot of oohs and aaahs from people walking by.

Finally Done!

The granite was installed on Wednesday and Ryne returned on Thursday to install hardware and rehook the plumbing! I have never been so excited to run a load in the dishwasher! The whole project wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be...a little on the inconvenient side but nothing we couldn't handle. Here are the before and after pictures:

I realize that the white appliances don't exactly look great, but they don't look terrible either. The range/micro and the dishwasher were only 1 year old when we bought the house, so it was not really reasonable to replace them. Besides, the next owner of this house can take on that project. :)

A Wedding

Last Friday, we drove up to Philadelphia...Joe's cousin, Patrick, and his fiancee, Nichole, got married. It was the first reception we had attended where the kids stayed with us. It was a little hectic chasing them around because they did not want to sit at the table. They both loved getting out on the dance floor and running back and forth to Grandmom and Grandpop's table. Jack was pooped at the end and fell asleep on Grandpop. Joey thought he was going to miss something and didn't want to give in even after we got back to the hotel. Overall, it was a fun night and they looked too cute!

Which side of the car really does matter!

On Tuesday, Joey and I talked about switching his and Jack's car seats on the way to school. He currently sits behind me, but because of the car pool lane at school, he needs to be on the passenger side. As I tried to negotiate with him, Joey started welling up with tears and said, "If you move my seat then I won't be able to reach my bag in the drive thru at Chick-fil-a". Funny how everything of importance in his world revolves around Chick-fil-a. You would think that we go there 5 times a week!

Last Day @ The Pool

Labor Day meant that it was the last day to enjoy the pool for the summer. It was a little chilly at first and most of the kids chose to play on the playground instead of in the pool. But, after lunch things warmed up or they were so cold that numbness set in and it didn't matter how cold it was :)

Day 2 of School

On Jack's second day of school he was a little more challenging to get out the door. He knew what it meant this time when we said it was time to go to school. I asked him if he wanted his backpack and he said "nope".  And he wasn't leaving the house without his bink. I know, I know...but it got him to leave. Joe said that Jack cried the second he tried to leave. Given that there were 4 other kids crying or hanging on to their parents, his teachers weren't really able to help. As Joe tried to leave, Jack tried to crawl out of the classroom after him :(.  When I picked Jack up, his teachers said that it was a tough beginning, but he settled down. I asked him after we got home if he had fun at school and he gave the standard "uhuh". So, that is a positive sign.

Kitchen - Stage 2

Here is a picture of the kitchen after the new cabinets were installed....the next stage is the trim and molding and then the counter tops!

1st Day of School

The last two days marked the beginning of school for both boys. Jack is enrolled in a 2-yr old program that meets 3 days a week from 9-Noon. It is at the same school that Joey attended for the past 2 years. Joey started his new school, Garrison Forest, today. He will go 5 days a week from 8:30-Noon. Woohoo, a little mommy time! We weren't sure what to expect from Jack. He loved going to get Joey from school last year so I knew he would be comfortable with the setting...I was concerned how he would react when he realized Mommy & Daddy weren't staying. He cried for about 10 min as is reflected in the picture of one of his teachers holding him. After that, they said he was fine, until Joe walked in to pick him up and he burst into tears! Joey is an old pro by now. He walked right in to the classroom and his friend, Michael, was there to greet him! He is getting so big!

Walking in to school

Crying when he realized we were leaving

Walking out to the car

Walking in to class and seeing Michael

Getting new shades from Mrs. Peichert

Too cool! He said he was going to where them on the playground b/c it was so bright!

Kitchen Makeover

We started the renovation of our kitchen on Tuesday! Not exactly the best time for it given that school started on Wednesday, but there was no turning back. Here are a few pictures to show the progress:

Before: White Laminate Cabinets with a White Laminate Countertop

After Demolition

The kitchen seems so much smaller with the cabinets gone. Thursday is the beginning of the cabinet install!

Quote of the Day

We have 3 friends who are expecting right now and Joe and I were talking about it last night. Joey chimed in that he wanted a baby too! This is the conversation that followed...see where a 3 yr olds priorities are:
Joe: If we have aother baby, then you'll have to sit in the back of the big red truck.
Joey: By myself?
Joe: Yes
Joey: But, if I sit in the back I won't be able to get my Chick-fil-a from the lady in the drive thru!

Quote of the Week

We have been in Dallas for the last week....this quote came early in the trip after Joey had a bad afternoon including a long trip to timeout. Gertie is my mom's dog and she had eaten a roll out of Jack's hand and was sent to "timeout" herself.
Joey:  Listen to me, Gertie, that is not where Granny put you!
Joey: Gertie, if you don't listen it is going to take longer for you to get out!

Quote of the Day

Joe says, "Baby, I know you like the bed made, but you are being a bit neurotic!"
Joey (trying to repeat what Daddy says), "Momma, I know you like the bed made, but you are being a rocket!"

A few "firsts"

Since we have been home from the beach, Jackson has experienced a few new things. The first big thing was converting his crib to a toddler bed. He loved getting in and out of the bunk bed Joey slept in at the beach and Joey was about the same age when we moved him. Jack did great the first week, but we have taken a few steps back this week. He gets out and comes to the door crying unless we rock/sing him to sleep. I battle this at nap time as well. Not to mention, the 6 am wake up call where I have to sleep on the floor for him to go back to sleep. Hopefully, he will snap out of it soon!
The next day, Jack made his first visit to the dentist. He cried when the nurses took him back and screamed while they examined him, but he didn't realize that he was actually helping Dr. Marks look at his teeth while he had his mouth wide open.  He got a great hygiene score and his teeth looked great!
While we were at the beach, Jack figured out that he could pee outside like his big brother. So, anytime the swim diaper came off, he went right for the rocks or the edge of the deck. But, he wouldn't go on the potty. That has all changed. Last week, after bath time, he was running around without a stitch of clothing. We normally get a diaper on him first thing otherwise he will pee where ever he feels like it. Joey distracted me and I realized I didn't hear Jack. I walk into the bathroom and he is holding the toilet seat up with one hand and peeing on the toilet. I scared him when I walked in and he stopped. I put him on the Elmo seat and he finished his business! He was SO proud of himself. Since then, Jack has been going on the potty every time we put him on!

The Beach

We've been back from the beach for 10 days and are already counting down to next year! To say that it was a wonderful two weeks in the Outer Banks is an understatement. We stayed in a different house than last year and boy was it beautiful...straight out of a Southern Living magazine and Pottery Barn catalog!  The boys loved the beach and having their "own" pool. At the beach, most of our time was spent making sand castles to be immediately smashed or digging their own pond to play in. Joey loved playing paddle ball and Jack spent most of his time trying to get the sand washing off his hands or out of his mouth. They both were so good about the water! I now have two dare devils when it comes to the pool. The boys gave us our fair share of heart attacks with their adventurous ways of jumping in. Joey was a little timid at first, always wanting to hold at least one hand. But, by the end of the first week, he was jumping, hoping someone would catch him. Jack, on the other hand, was full go from the beginning. We would tell him to count to three and would start counting with him, but he would always go at 1 1/2! We rented bikes this year and one of them had the kiddie trailer on it. The boys loved riding down to the beach and after dinner rides around the neighborhoods. Joey loved for mommy and daddy to race....which really wasn't fair since Joey was pedaling all the extra weight. And it was too cute watching them the boys snuggle up with each other while they were riding :) Joe, my dad and I took Joey on a fishing charter one day. He amazed us at how well he noticed that there was a fish on the line. The 3 of us and the captain would be talking and all of sudden he would yell that the rod was bobbing and he was ALWAYS right! We also took him for his first round of golf. I really didn't think he would enjoy it that much since it was really hot and he wouldn't get to "play" like he wanted. I was prepared to take him back to the house at the turn. BOY, was I wrong! He loved every minute! At the turn, he wanted to keep going and after 18 holes he said he wanted to play some more..."I want to play all day and all night!"

It all seemed to go by so fast...but we enjoyed EVERY minute!

 

Our Little Golfer

Joey has had a little set of plastic golf clubs since he turned one. He loves to play! In the last couple of weeks, I have been getting my clubs out when we played outside to get ready for our trip to Birmingham last weekend. Once my clubs came out, he didn't want to play with his plastic ones anymore. So, we decided it was time for him to have his first set of "real clubs". The trip to Golf Galaxy was a hoot! We picked his clubs out based on age/size, but those weren't the ones he wanted. He preferred the "big boy" clubs.  Once we let him go in the practice area to test them out, he was ok with the purchase. We also couldn't leave without getting the practice balls and a glove. He even wore the glove home in the car...too cute!!! He has been practicing non stop and always asks for me to practice with him. Joey even told me that he couldn't play with Jack in the sandbox one afternoon because he needed to practice so he could play golf with Joe and I. When he concentrates, I think he is really good...but that could be the proud mommy talking! But, most of the time he looks like he is playing field hockey :) All that matters is that he loves the clubs and has a great time. The best is when he is done practicing, he has to attach his glove to his bag strap so he knows where it is at all times! Precious!

The Last Month

I have been a little lazy the last month on the blogging...we have just really been enjoying having daddy "back in our lives" since the draft! We've been doing a lot, so I'll just share some of the highlights:
+ The boys got a Jeep the first week we were back from Dallas...based on the GREAT advice from the Foster clan, we purchased a two-seater so if one is driving the other can ride. Joey loves driving all over our neighbors yards and Jack is very content just going along for the ride (as you can see in some of the pics).
+For the first time, as a family, we participated in the Fiesta 5K to benefit ALS research in downtown Baltimore. Joe and Joey had gone before, but this was mine and Jack's first time. I got lucky and found a used jogging stroller for a great price and the boys rode while we pushed. At the end, Joey got out and ran to the finish line. It had to be one of the cutest things I have ever seen!
+Joe and I have been fortunate to have a few "date nights" too! A couple of dinners out and an O's game were so nice! We also went to Preakness last Saturday! It was beautiful weather and a lots of fun to get dressed up!
+Joey went to the dentist for the first time! HE DID AWESOME! Dr. Marks takes the kids back without mom or dad and I wasn't too sure how he would handle it. Not one tear or one second of fussing! We have to work a little harder on the brushing, but all in all it was a good visit. :)
+I finally gave in and we now own a Wii.  I had been trying to delay what I knew was the inevitable...I just didn't want Joey to become a Wii fanatic when he loves to play outside so much. Needless to say, my fears came to fruition in the first 48 hours. We had more fuss fests than I care to remember. I am hoping that the newness will wear off and that my time limit guidelines will be less cause for crying soon!
+Monkey See...Monkey Do! That is the theme of our house these days! Jack does everything Joey does...literally! If Joey yells, throws something, says he has to go pee or wants to play Wii...Jack has to do those things too. Except Jack yells louder, throws something harder and with his diaper on he goes and sits on the training potty.
+Jack, the instigator...Jack is also starting to take on the annoying little brother role. He loves taking food off of Joey's plate...even if his is full with the same food.  He also loves throwing food at Joey when he is done eating. He will walk right up to Joey and take a toy out of his hand and run the other way. Jack does truly love his big brother, though. This morning, Joey went down to the fridge in the garage and Jack started fussing calling Joey's name because he thought he had left. Then later, Joey stepped outside when he walked Joe to the front door. Jack started fussing again because he thought he was leaving. Jack wasn't worried about daddy leaving, just Joey.  It is so funny to watch them now...I know I shouldn't laugh but it is so hard sometimes. ;)
+It rained here the last three days and Joey was out of school for a holiday, so we were going a little stir crazy. I took the boys to Storyville. It is like a little town inside one of the public libraries. There is a house, a library, a theatre, grocery store and tree house. They had the best time! Jack just ran everywhere! Joey went right to work in the kitchen. I think he liked the grocery store the best, though. He has his own play register, food and basket at home. In Storyville, there were two check out lines with registers, a whole wall of food, aprons and baskets. He just took over like he was running the place!

We have begun our countdown to the beach trip! In the meantime, Joe and I have a mommy/daddy trip planned next weekend to Birmingham! I am so excited for my first visit since we moved. Golf, 2 Pesos margaritas, Edgar's strawberry cake, a little Auburn baseball and sleeping late are just a few things that I am looking forward to!

Dallas #2 - Fishing

We had an action packed Friday! That morning, we went over to the Halsey house to visit with Kristin, Hudson and Preston (Jensen was at school). We had a fun morning playing and moving from room to room in the house checking out all of the toys. K, I hope we didn't leave to big of a mess! We came home and ate lunch with Grandpa, who had the day off from work. Uncle Eric came over on his lunch break and we all went down to the pond for the much anticipated fishing session! Joey went right to it...before Eric and I even made it to the pond with Jack, he had already gotten his line stuck in a tree and whacked dad in the back. You have to really pay attention when he has a rod, as there is NO TELLING where the hook is going to land when he casts. Jack was more interested in finding the ducks, but had a great time doing it! Needless to say, when it was time to go in for naps, there was just a little bit of a 3-year old fit :) I knew Joey would love going fishing but I think everyone was surprised at just how much. Now, he does not really have the patience to hold his line, and prefers to cast and reel, but has a blast just the same. I think my dad was the happiest that Joey had such a good time...so much so that while the kids were napping, he dug up worms out of his flower beds (we had not been fishing with bait, just tackle). That night, mom, dad, Eric, Ashley and the boys and I went out to dinner.  What did we do when we got back to the house? Go fishing! I stayed behind to watch the draft and everyone stayed at the pond until dark. After our usual Saturday morning donuts, we were on the go all day Saturday as well...had to make the rounds to all of the cousin's soccer games. Joey went with Eric to Trevor's game. Then we all loaded up for Cooper's game. Coop is a star in the making! I know I am a little biased as his godmother and a former soccer player, but he really did a great job (when he wasn't distracted by what Joey and Trevor were doing :)). After a break at the busiest Chick-fil-a I have ever been to, our next stop was Maddie's game. She is so cute with her pigtails and loves to put on a show. Maddie does the most precious walk past everyone as she is going back down the field...it was actually the perfect pageant strut! Sunday began with a big breakfast and some playing in the pool. And then it was off to the ponds for some more fishing. This time grandpa made a trip to the bait shop for worms, so we were ready to do some serious fishing! The bait seemed to make all of the difference in the world as there was a constant flow of bass. Jack, sitting with grandpa, caught the biggest one of the morning (after he took a break from chasing the ducks). He really didn't seem to care though as you can see in one of the pictures. Joey was so excited. He caught a "little Joey fish" and 2 bass and told my dad on the way home that he had a great time! Later in the afternoon, Kelli and Brody joined us and back to the ponds we went. It was mostly brim this time and unfortunately, they kept swallowing the hooks, so were provided the turtles with dinner. As we were walking back to the house, dad dropped his line back where the bass had been to finish the bait. Of course, Joey was not leaving yet. So, he and grandpa stayed. With less than a whole worm, they caught another "joey sized fish" and 2 more bass...one of which was bigger than Jack's. He was SOOO happy when he got back to the house.  It was a great conclusion to the week and I know now that Joe and I have a serious fishermen on our hands!