Happy 18 Months & What We've Been Up To

I cannot believe that 18 months has come! Wow! It's been a FUN and SWEET age on this big guy! ;) He's been quite the active fellow with lots going on...

Playgroups, playgroups, playgroups...

With our new and wonderful friends, Cristina and her two little ones, Jude & Jocelyn...
Fun times in the bath...(and staying HYDRATED on these HOT days)
ANY time with Daddy that we can get!!!! :)

Great family movie nights!!!

Recommendations: The Blind Side (SOOOOO GOOD!!!!), Extraordinary Measures (VERY SWEET!!!!), Invictus (also great!)

And today's entertainment: The 21st Annual Duck Race, a community highlight here in Pulaski County!!!! Russell is sporting his new shirt because he helped 'man' the race for community service hours.

Joshua is one of Russell's new buddies (same training class). He and Jocelyn, his little girl, are helping carry the ducks after the ducks crossed the finish line. (These are decorated decoy ducks, not real ones.)

Joshua's wife, Cristina, and their son, Jude. Cristina has been my best friend here!! We take our kiddos to playgroups, the pool, Bible study and whatever else is available for fun fellowship and play time!!!The ducks at the starting line...

Coming down the river...

The finish line...The river was definitely the PLACE to be today! All of 92 or more degrees outside, and the water was so nice and frigid that my feet were numb in it! :)

Rhys helped Daddy with yummy shaved ice...

I am so blessed with these wonderful men! I'm THANKFUL to have had the day TOGETHER!!!
What doesn't look comfy and fun about this...? Such a sweet father-son bonding time! I can tell that Rhys will have fun on future camping trips with Daddy. (I'll stay home and enjoy the cozy indoors and my girl time! :))

It's been a fun last month, since Rhys made 18 months. Time is FLYING by here in MO, and before Rhys' 19-month post, we should have another little man joining the family. More fun ahead, and we absolutely PRAISE our Lord!!!

Something to Remember...

Rhys has some of the sweetest words and sounds, and I want to remember them by capturing them on video. Russell and I made this video of Rhys last night, and I've watched it at least 20 or 30 times! It's so sweet, and it's so Rhys! Treat yourself to the end of this little video!!! It's so worth a minute of your day!!!

Jenn, doesn't this make you want to go back and watch over and over again Rollins' video making the roaring lion sounds? :) Parenting is such a gift! Thank you, Lord!

Happy Belated 4th of July!!!

We hope everyone had as sweet a 4th of July weekend as our family did! Ours was four days long, and we enJOYed every minute of it...TOGETHER!!!

Rhys sported a CUTE and SWEET new outfit from my sweet friend, Ashley, who sent it from good ole' Alabama just for him!

And this just for Caleb...he'll have to get here to model it for us...should be soon enough! :)

What a sweet surprise to find these at our doorstep!! :) Thank you, sweet friend!! :)

Recent Projects for Caleb...

Here's to our coming little man...

Poor guy, he's already expected to live up to this... :) I ENJOYED embroidering these burpcloths!!! I had to use larger appliques because my goal was to re-use Rhys' burpcloths, and I needed to cover up whatever designs/his name with new ideas. I love how they turned out, so I wanted to share.... :)

I liked how they all turned out, but I think my very favorite is the sweet, simple elephant. :)

Thanks for letting me share. :)

4th of July FUN with Papa & Grandmom!!!

Papa & Grandmom came all the way up from Louisiana (a 12-hour drive!!!) to spend this nice, long weekend with us! We had fun, fun, fun! Lots of relaxing, catching up, playing with Rhys, playing LOTS of Joker, and I'm just thankful for the good fellowship. Russell and I were just talking about how fulFILLED our hearts are from this weekend, and we are so thankful for the quantity and quality of time we were able to share because our time here is truly limited.

We got to go to some fun restaurants over the weekend. One was The Point Steakhouse which has an amazing view of a gorgeous valley with grazing cattle and lush, green grass, trees and a landscape you will not forget. We had delicious appetizers, steaks, great side dishes, etc!

Rhys got to try Papa's iced tea...

Papa & Grandmom :)

Yours truly & the love of my life...

Gotta love Rhys' pose here, folks!
I am enraptured with these men!
Can you tell?
We are more blessed than we ever deserve. I praise our Lord for where HE has our family, that He's allowed for us to experience this season of life TOGETHER, and Russell and I are enjoying dreaming and praying toward whatever God has laid out next.

Happy 17 Months, Rhys!!

Rhys is into everything these days!

First and foremost, he is ABSOLUTELY 'into' his daddy! First thing in the morning, Rhys wakes up either saying, "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy..." until I get him out of his crib, or, once we're out of his room, he'll be saying, "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy..." Daddy's gone long before this little guy wakes up, so I try to be quick with distractions so that I don't have to deal with a sad heart. You better believe he's all over his daddy when he walks in the door at the end of the day!

One afternoon this week, I was trying to work on my computer, and Rhys was not about to let me have fun with that cool, bright, colorful 'toy' without having part in it. So, I got smart, and I gave him his very own 'computer!' :) Look in his hands below. He thought it was cool, and it worked as a fun toy of his own...for a while!Yesterday, I found Rhys putting on Mommy's shoes. Yes, my feet are HUGE! :) Especially against his little body! The picture is blurry b/c I didn't give the camera enough time to focus for fear I'd lose the photo opp! :) SO cute! Such an inquisitive little fellow...like his daddy! JUST like his daddy!
So, of course, I helped him accomplish the "feat"! ;)
Then, as I was packing our bag to take Rhys to the pool, I walk into our bathroom, and he's stepping into our trash can! What is it with him putting his FEET into everything?!?!? :) This morning, he had his foot in his snack trap! :) Then, he proceeded to put other stuff into the trash can...
And just for fun, I had to take a picture of what he looks like when he's ready to go outside....DESPERATELY waiting and by no means patiently! Can't you just hear him now? "Mommy, come on already! Forget the snacks! Let's just get to the pool already!" with fussing between every word. :)

Lastly, this child is into using his utensils! I had NO clue! I saw a friend's post where she was teaching her daughter {same age as Rhys} to use a spoon and fork, and I thought, "Hey, we'll give that a shot!" Rhys picked up his little fork, and he's learning to use it properly! What great timing! Maybe he'll completely feed himself before his brother gets here in 6 weeks!?!?! :) {okay, that would be amazing!}And this picture shows you how 'into' watermelon he is...don't you love the look of excitement over his face!?!? Or maybe he's telling me, "That was a really big and really COLD bite, Mommy!" It was right out of the fridge, so maybe that's what he's communicating. :)

Happy belated 17 months, Rhys! You are into all things these days, and, although it sometimes just about causes my heart to stop when I see you attempting something new, I know in my head it's all part of the growing-up process, and I need to let you try and learn new things.

Russell and I are constantly telling each other, "I love this little boy!" We do, and we have fun imagining and dreaming what Caleb will be like and how these brothers will interact as they, Lord willing, get to grow up together. It will surely be challenging but such a blessing in every sense of the word! I praise our Lord for His blessings through children! {Now, if I could just figure out Rhys' sleep schedule since we've been in a new environment. He wakes up around 5:00/5:30am, naps ONE measly hour around lunch time and goes like a little crazy man until we put him down around 7pm. Today, I'm trying something new...he awoke at 5a, napped from 11 to noon, and I just put him down for a second nap about an hour ago, and he's OUT, so maybe that's the discernment I've been praying for! Go back to two naps! We'll see!}