7.16.10

Zoe Cate loves to read.  This makes me very happy as I have always loved to read and Shea seems to love it, too.  I was a little concerned when Zoe Cate was younger that perhaps she wouldn't like books as much Shea does, and that's fine, but I really wanted her to have a love for reading.  Now, she loves to look at books all day.  I snapped a few shots of her "reading" one of her faves.  One of my sweet friends made me a book filled with pictures from Zoe Cate's first birthday.  She can be found reading it several times a day!

"The more that you read, the more things you will know.  The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."

-Dr. Seuss

Keep reading, sweet girl! 

Zoe Cate's Treasures

In this edition of "Zoe Cate's Treasures" we find that little girl is prepared to......

JAM!!!!!!!!!

Zoe Cate is ready to jam with her maraca should the time arise!

Dinner Plans

I think Shea is the funniest child I know.  I am SURE I am a lot biased in that opinion but still, he is a funny kid.  He is always saying something to make me laugh.  Well, this afternoon when he woke up from his nap, he topped ALL of his hilarious quips from the past.  I heard him at his door when he woke up from nap so I opened the door and immediately he says to me "Mommy, I just said a prayer.  I prayed you would make a good dinner."  Anyone who knows me just a little bit KNOWS how hysterical this is! I do NOT like to cook....at all.  I, of course, started laughing so hard and he ran over to his toy box, knelt down and said "I prayed right here that you would make a good dinner."

Guess this means we'll be ordering out tonight!!!

Zoe Cate's Treasures

I am always finding the most random things in Zoe Cate's purse.  So, I've decided to start a series called "Zoe Cate's Treasures" to show off the things that are obviously near and dear to her heart. 

In our first edition we find that Zoe Cate is hauling around.....

A BULL!!!!

Because you just *never* know when you might need to whip out a bull.

Jesus Loves Zoe...

Tonight, I was rocking Zoe Cate before bed and we always sing but tonight she says "Momma, sing." So, I started singing the Doxology and she says "NOOOO!".  She says "Mommy, sing [and started humming Jesus Loves Me]" So, I started singing that and she beamed! It was so precious.  I always have to include her babies [Her lovey, her bear "B", the baby doll my dear friend, Melinda, got her and another baby doll] in whatever we are doing so I had to go down the list of who Jesus loved.   Jesus loves her and so do we!  We are thankful every day for this precious, feisty, loving baby girl He has blessed us with!

Impatient Nation

Shea got me thinking tonight of how impatient a nation we have become.  We pulled up to a light that had *just* turned green with 3 cars in front of us.  From the backseat I hear "Mom, go!  Its green! Go!!".  I had to explain that I would GOOOO as soon as the cars in front of us went.  It got me thinking how impatient a society we have become.  People want to lose weight but do not want to diet or exercise to do it.  I remember hearing a lady complain that she went to a doctor regarding her weight hoping he would put her on a diuretic to lose weight and was upset when he told her to cut her calories and start exercising.  People want to advance in their work place but do not want to start out low on the totem pole and work their way up.  It is the same in parenting, people want kids who are well behaved and mannered yet do not take the time to teach them manners or expose them to different environments and teach them how to behave in the environments.  Being successful in ANYTHING takes work, dedication and consistency.  

In high school, a lot of my fellow students had cars given to them.  Of course, at the time I was totally majorly bummed that my parents insisted I pay for a car if I wanted one but now I am SO thankful.  I will never forget my first car payment.  It was $162.18 and due on the 15th of every month.  I took such good car of that car and I believe it taught me that not only do you have to work for what you want but that you also need to take care of your 'stuff' lest you want to pay to replace it, clean it, etc, etc.  I want to raise my kids to APPRECIATE the opportunities they have, the THINGS they have acquired and also to know that hard work really does pay off in the end.  To me, hard work is rarely if ever fun but the end result always worth the sweat, tears and bodily fluids that I had to deal with at the time.

This society we live in is so fast paced and technologically advanced that we expect everything right away and think we shouldn't have to wait for anything! There is always a weight loss commercial hawking some pill that will make you lose 20 pounds the first week you take it or a work from home job that will earn you 100k in 6 months.  Not likely, my friends!  There is a reason the disclaimer at the bottom reads "Results Not Typical"!! :)


What happened to good old fashion work?  

I can assure you these 2 will not be rolling up to their high school in Range Rovers. 

I know I am not the best mother in the world but I do know that I work hard everyday in my job of raising these two loves and they better appreciate it and bring me cakes and cookies when I'm in the 'home' one day!! :)

Conversations with Shea

Last night as I was putting Shea to bed, we had an interesting conversation.  We had done our normal routine, read some books, read a couple of bible stories and prayed.  I went to leave and Shea says "Mommy, don't leave me right now.  Lay with me a few minutes and let's talk for a little bit."  How could I say no to that?!  So, I laid back down and asked him "What would you like to talk about?" 

Shea:  "Let's talk about the Chick-fil-a cow and how he doesn't always come out when I am there." 

Me:  "Well, he only comes out at certain times."

Shea:  "Maybe he doesn't feel good.  Maybe sometimes he has diarrhea."

Me:  "You might be right."
 
Oh, how I love him!

Shea's Kids

Anybody who has spent a little time with Shea knows there is no telling what will come out of his mouth next.  Shea has accumulated a few stuffed animals that stay on his bed at all times.  He calls them "his kids".  Sometimes he'll tell me that his kids were fighting and he had to sit them down and talk with them.  Yesterday he said that his kids stayed home from school because their school was closed for the day.  Today, after nap, Zoe Cate and I went in to his room after his nap and he told me that some of his kids were sick and that Zoe was going to stay home with the sick ones while he took the others the beach. HA!  Sounds like Zoe got the short end of the stick!

6.14.10

We were treated to an after dinner concert tonight. I will let the pictures tell the story.  The LOUD story, as it was.  These kids are lucky they are cute because bedtime was a hot mess tonight and they are lucky I didn't channel my inner Bon Qui Qui.

6.12.10

I have a date this afternoon!! He is short, blonde and handsome. I hear he is very charming, sweet and loving, we'll see!

I'll be driving....and paying...and possibly helping him use the potty BUT it should be an awesome time!

Vintage Pearl Giveaway!!

Y'all need to head on over to http://thevintagepearl.blogspot.com and check out Erin's generous giveaway!! I have 2 necklaces from her shop and I absolutely LOVE them. I would seriously like one of everything from her shop. Head on over and check out the awesome giveaway! You can check out her awesome piece's here: http://www.thevintagepearl.com/ . HAPPY SHOPPING!!!
Above is my first necklace. I absolutely love it and wear almost every day. I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my 2nd necklace. I chose to get the kid's initials an birthstones this time!!

Overheard

Shea in the living room: "Zoe, I love when your babies get sick!!"

I find him spinning her favorite bear and baby doll in the chair and telling her over and over "Your babies are getting sick! Your babies are getting sick!!"

Typical big brother, no??

Two Peas in a Hamper Pod

Zoe Cate adores her big brother, Shea. ADORES him. She has to do everything he does. She also tries to use the potty like he does and got MIGHTY ticked off this afternoon when I made her SIT on the potty. :)She

Does
Everything big brother does!!!
I love this picture. I love the look on her face "Ok, we have socks on our hands and we are just standing here...I'll just keep watching and follow his lead."

Shea and Zoe have really grown close over the past few months. They play together pretty well. I think ZC would follow Shea in to volcano if it meant being near him. I love watching their relationship blossom!!

Zoe Cate lets Shea get away with a lot of stuff. She fusses when I rinse her hair in the bath but allows Shea to do this:



and thoroughly enjoyed it:

In my own biased Mommy opinion she could not look up to a better boy! I asked Shea to get Charlie's bed out of my bedroom today and bring it in the living room before we left this afternoon. He came running down the hall with Charlie's bed *and* her lovey. He said "Momma! I brought her lovey, too, because I know how much she loves it." What a sweetheart!

Shoes, shoes, shoes!

Zoe Cate is definitely a girl after her Momma's heart! She asks for her shoes about a million times a day. "Shoes? Shoes?? Shoes!" She and I were in a shoe store the other day and she watched patiently while I tried on several shoes. Finally, she had to get in on the action! "Momma? Shoes?" She was smiling so big and picked out a pair of shoes to try. She looked like such a big girl trying on her shoes. Much like her Momma, she was none to happy to put them back on the shelf!!

Here she is in one her fave pair of shoes. She is singing "Until the Whole World Hears" to her baby!

HamBiskit!!!!!! No caption needed on this one. We love you, Zoe Cate!

These are the days

We have had so much fun with Shea this Christmas. He has loved every minute of this holiday season and really gets the fact that we are celebrating the birth of Jesus and also that Santa is coming!! He is always making hilarious comments or randomly being extra sweet to me or Zoe Cate. Last night I was sitting on the couch and Shea was playing with our new nativity set when he comes up to me, lay his head in my lap and says "Mommy, I love you so much. I'm so glad you are here.". I scooped him up and just squeezed him tight. I don't ever want to forget these precious moments!

Sweetest Thing!

My sweet Zoe Cate is an absolute doll baby!! While she is definitely a firecracker, she has a sweet, loving side, too. Today we were trying to kill 30 minutes before nap time. We went to the library earlier this week and picked out some new books to read. Shea and I were in the floor reading some books, while Zoe Cate played around us and every now and then sat on my lap to hear the story.* While we were reading, Zoe Cate made her way down the hall to Shea's room and came back carrying one of Shea's trains. She had the BIGGEST grin on her face as she handed it to Shea. Shea and I both thanked her and told her what a sweet girl she was and off she went...back down the hall! We repeated this process until she had brought him 5 of his train cars. IT WAS PRECIOUS! The grin on her face each time she toddled around the corner just melted my heart. As most moms do, I tried to make this a learning experience for them both but especially Shea. He has the tendency to be a little rough with Zoe Cate and doesn't always 'share' like he should. I used this moment to try and impress on his heart that she just REALLY loves her big brother and wanted to make him happy by bringing him some of his favorite toys. Did I get through!? Who knows!! For a brief moment though they were both so pleased with each other and this Momma's heart almost burst from the love I feel for them!! I'm so blessed and so grateful to God that I get to be with these children every day!






*Zoe Cate is not near as in to books as Shea was at her age. However, I read to her every day and while sometimes she'll sit on my lap and interact, I continue to read to her while she roams around where ever we happen to be at the time. I'm not sure what else to do!? I know how important reading is in life and I feel like her at least hearing me read a book she'll pick up on the rhythm of speech? Any educators who might happen on this entry [LEA!! :)] care to chime in??

Ahhhhh, It's 1pm...

It's the MOST wonderful time of the day!!!! 1pm means nap time for the babes and REST time for the Momma!!!

Zoe Cate at 1pm...


Shea at 1pm...


Mommy at 1pm...

I tried to take a pic of the TV but it didn't come out to well. I love 1pm!!!!

Three

Shea is three years old today. Just writing that out seems insane. I cannot believe that he is already three!!! These past three years have flown by. I can remember the first few weeks of his life when I was so overwhelmed with happiness that he was here but also so sad and overwhelmed by what having a newborn entailed!! He was such a sweet, calm baby. He rarely cried or fussed unless he was hungry or tired. Charlie instantly fell in love with him when we brought him home.

I want to remember absolutely everything about Shea at this age. His mannerisms, his sweet sayings, his determination, his inquisitiveness, his joy, his spunk, EVERYTHING! He never ceases to amaze me or Eric with something he has come up with. He has such a loving heart. Now, don't be confused by my choice of words :).... Shea can be rough and tumble with the best of them!! He is DEFINITELY all boy. We've known this for awhile but it was solidified this weekend when we went to Tennessee to see our family [whom Shea has NEVER met]. He took right up with my older cousin David. He and David rode the riding lawn mower for an hour raking up leaves. Shea was in charge of lifting the rope to dump the leaves out by the side of the road. After their hard work was done, David let Shea steer the mower himself up and down the street.
After riding the mower, they took off with their 'walking sticks' to the pond. David told me later that Shea saw a trout and wanted to catch him. David said "But we don't have any fishing poles." David said Shea just looked up at him, held up his stick and said "But we got these!!" HA!! My silly boy! David said he did have a point so he held on to Shea while he stabbed around in the water trying to catch something! He came up empty handed but had a fantastic time.

We had a FULL day. We basically did whatever Shea wanted to do!! For breakfast, Shea had powdered doughnuts on his 'special' plate. Then we headed to the zoo! He wanted to ride the train so we rode [Zoe Cate got a free ride thanks to the nice Conductor!] and they both loved it. The conductor knew it was his birthday so he let him sit up front in the engine but Shea was a little leery of that. Then we had lunch at McDonalds, home for nap, and off to Cracker Barrel for dinner. I asked Shea last night what he wanted for his birthday dinner and he replied "I think I just want a kids meal from Cracker Barrel.". HA! What makes that even funnier is that we rarely eat there in the first place! We had cake and opened presents at the restaurant and he loved his dinosaur his Gigi and Pawpaw got him. We came home and finished off the evening watching Merry Madagascar. When he was going to bed he told Gigi "You can just leave that dinosaur here..." So sweet! We had a fabulous day and are so thankful for the blessing that Shea is in our lives! Here are a few pics from our day....

Enjoying birthday doughnuts

Train ride at the zoo

Nap time with "Chachy" as he calls her


Enjoying the last of the frosting for his cake

Birthday pancakes at Cracker Barrel


Happy Birthday, Shea!

Cool dinosaur
We love you, Shea!! Thank you for brightening our lives with your sweetness! May you always find joy in life. I love these lyrics from the song "My Wish" by Rascall Flatts, it truly says what Eric and I wish for our babies!

I hope the days come easy and the moments pass slow
And each road leads you where you want to go
And if you're faced with the choice and you have to choose
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you

And if one door opens to another door closed
I hope you keep on walkin' til you find the window
If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile
But more than anything, more than anything

My wish for you
Is that this life becomes all that you want it to
Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small
You never need to carry more than you can hold

Happy Birthday, Shea!!

Praise God...

.....from whom all blessings flow





Praise Him all creatures here below...





Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts....



Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost....



I absolutely love the Doxology. I sing it many times a day to Shea and Zoe Cate. Eric and I are beyond blessed with these precious babies.

Reading Time!

I was reminded today of such a special time Shea and I shared while I was pregnant with Zoe Cate. The further it got in to the summer, the later it was in my pregnancy. I was HUGE and it was SOOOO hot outside!! I was also exhausted from being 8 months pregnant with a 20 month old. Many an afternoon, I would lie on the couch. Shea would bring me book after book and climb up on the couch with me. We'd lay there and read for usually an hour. We would read a book and then he would climb down and go pick out another one to read. I so enjoyed that sweet time with him. He's always loved to read and to see his excitement as he would point things out to me in the book was fabulous. It was so nice to just relax and snuggle my boy. I knew that the coming months would not allow for much 'laying' around so he and I took full advantage and did this practically every day!!!



This is how he and I would spend many of our afternoons [minus Eric as he was at work!!].