Maemie's blog

Nathan and Lindsey have the sweetest cousin, Maemie, who is in Peru for the 2nd time volunteering and serving at an orphanage. She is an amazing girl. If you have any free time, here is a link to her blog-
To Let Them Help Me
She is spending the end of her summer in Peru (and spent last fall there, which would have been her freshman year of college-how many people would do that?) taking care of these abandoned children with no parents who need SO much love. Just know before you read that it is heartbreaking, but it is real life for those kids. Go read it if you have a chance!

Happy 5 months, Watson!

Our little Watson man turned 5 months on Monday. He is changing and growing so much every day. He is such a smiley and jolly baby. I hope his personality will stay that way!



A few facts at 5 months...
Wearing size 2 and 3 diapers
6, 9, 12 mo. clothes
He is a good eater! Nurses about 4 times a day, 8 oz bottle at bedtime. Has started oatmeal in the last few days and eats it so fast, then so sad when it is all gone!
Naps-he takes about 3 naps a day and they are getting a little longer than last month, but every day is different still. Some days he'll nap in his bed anywhere from 30 min-3 hours-with afternoon nap being the longest. I'm hoping he'll learn to sleep on his tummy soon for naps and nighttime sleep. Started rolling over just a few days ago, from back to tummy but can't get back over to his back again.
Still loves the swing-but big boy makes it swing a little slower than it's supposed to
Weighs about 17 lbs. He gives my arms a good workout every day!
Likes his exersaucer and will stay content there for a good while. Doesn't care for the bumbo for very long. Loves a stroller ride and being outside.
Keeps his hands in mouth at all times, or his new giraffe, or a paci
LOVES Hayes and is so entertained by her. He looks for her all over the place and smiles big time when he sees her. I love when we are in the car to see him looking over at her to see if she is there and see what she is doing. I hope they will always love each other and enjoy playing together. So far, so good!











We all love you little bud! Happy 5 months!

She's 2 1/2

Yesterday Hayes was officially 2 1/2, which means she's getting closer to 3 and not as close to 2. I don't really like that! We say all the time we want her to stay just like she is and not get any bigger. Just this morning she had on her ballerina pajamas, diaper, milk in hand laying on a blanket watching Miss Pattycake. I don't think her days are going to get any sweeter or more innocent than that. I have never been good at documenting her month by month, so here are some fun thing we want to remember about our Hayesie Daisy at 2 1/2 years old...



She loves...to be outside. her family-cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and us too. ABC's. making shapes out of playdough. watercoloring. puzzles. cooking in her kitchen. for you to write her name. singing (esp. in her bed or to Watson). jesus loves me and twinkle twinkle are her go-to's. miss pattycake and cedarmont kids. her Bible and Good Night God. dresses and bows. her babies-loves to change their diapers, rock them, put them down for naps-she's a little mama for sure. hugging her friends. saying her blessing. snacks. milk. throwing the ball. mcwane center. paula deen. storytime at the library-mainly for the beanbag rock song and the sucker at the end. publix cookies. climbing anything. building stairs w/her blocks. her Sunday school teachers. wagon and stroller rides. pulling her chalk in the wagon/strolling her chalk outside. the zoo. her baby bed-although she climbs out nonstop-but still doesn't want to sleep in her big bed yet! our neighbors-Ms. Grace and Ms. Sandra. starfall on the computer. listening to music. noahs ark. chick fil a. playdates w/her friends. Bible stories. carrying her own diaper bag. playing with her big baby. helping with laundry. sleeping with all her babies and animals. her baby brother!



She dislikes...coming inside. getting dressed. brushing her hair. taking any medicine. getting in in/out of the bathtub.



Favorite Foods...
MILK. ham and cheese. blueberries. bananas. crackers. chips and salsa. publix cookies from the bakery. popsicles. chicken fries. yogurt. cereal. applesauce. cereal bars. green beans. peas. peanut butter crackers. she's a decent little eater!



Goes to bed around 7:30 every night. Her naps are sporadic these days. Most days she stays in her bed and plays and as of lately will crawl out and play in her room until I put her back in. On a good day she will nap about 2-3 hours. It just depends on what we have done in the morning as to whether she is tired or not!
She just had her first dentist appt. last week. She got an A+ report, but she made those hygienists WORK! She cried and was so mad! I thought she had gotten a little more cooperative, but she still doesn't like anyone messing with her. At 2 1/2, she's still a good mix of sweet and spicy. I can't believe she'll already be in the 2's this fall. It seems like she was just born! Happy 2 1/2 years sweet Hayes!!

The Looooooong Week

We are on day 7 of Nathan being away on a work trip. I can say for sure it's been the longest 7 days I have ever, ever had without him here. We have had family in town which has been WONDERFUL, or I would have surely lost my mind. They have been awesome to come help out/cook/entertain/clean/do projects/etc. Both little ones have not slept well at all since he left (naps or nighttime), so neither have I. We've had some definite highs and lows, but only a couple more days until he gets home, and then all will be right with the world again! I've had a song from one of Hayes' cd's playing in my head over and over...
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, He is good, His faithful love endures forever...Every day He watches over us, and every night God is there, when I sleep and when I rise, He is always by my side...
How perfect is God's timing that He put this song in my mind the day Nathan left.
I have some fun things to share, but that will have to wait until next time.
Happy Thursday!
And happy Birthday to PAPA! We love you so much! Hope your day has been AWESOME!!!

Six Years

When we first got married I started making a scrapbook for each year of our marriage. That lasted for the first 3 years, and then Hayes was born, and so of course that was the end of that! So then I started making photo albums of her/our family and I have tried really hard to keep that up. Also, I am so happy to say that Watson's album is now started and up to date! What a JOB those albums are, but such a treasure. I found a video that I made of us in 2007-just Nathan and me-and our family, friends, memories from that year. I think we watched it a few times after I made it and then put it away until a few days ago when I found it. Hayes is now obsessed w/that video. There are so many memories and it was all about our life before she and Watson came along, hard to imagine now! I have cried several times seeing pictures on there, especially ones w/my grandparents in them. I have thought so many times over the last week how glad I am that I made that video (this was back when I had my awesome mac laptop from school-sadly I had to return her when I left.) That video is such a fun reminder of the time we spent together before the babies started coming along. Back when we didn't think about schedules, routines, fevers, ear infections, bedtimes, potty training, discipline, etc. Happy, fun, light, easy-breezy, (mostly) carefree times spent w/just the two of us. I wouldn't trade those first 3 1/2 years of our marriage for anything!!



And now 2 1/2 more years have passed, these involving 2 precious babies. And now I wouldn't trade this time of my life for ANYTHING. It's so true that you really only remember well what stage of life you are in at the moment. Everything passes so quickly and things get really blurry. So I'm thankful for the 1 million pictures, videos, and this blog I have to document these sweet days w/Nathan, Hayes and Watson.



Happy anniversary to my best friend in this world! I can't believe it's already been, but only been 6 years. I'm thankful for God's perfect plan and for you. He always knows best!

The Little Artist

The newest favorite hobby around here is "playing watercolors" as she calls it.



It usually fills up all of 5 minutes or so of our day, and it's a good indoor, not messy activity.



Look Shug, I'm an artist like you!



H-29 mos.

Baby Bootcamp Update

Well, it seems that our little man must have read this blog last week and knew what was coming. He has done so well at night since last Wednesday, I am wondering if he is really our same baby? Last Wednesday night I told him night-night and of course he fell right to sleep and then woke up around 9, 9:30, 10:30, 11:30, etc. and cried every time for his paci. It's a good thing it was still early in the night, because if I had been in a deep sleep I might have automatically jumped up and given him the paci like I've done every night for the past month. MANY TIMES EACH NIGHT. But I did not. And then the next night he woke up a few times and cried but went back to sleep w/out the paci and now the last few nights he has slept from 7 p.m. to 7 or 7:30 a.m. w/NO PACIFIER. I can't believe it. I feel like life has returned to normal, having 2 little ones that go to bed early. Here is a strange fact-Hayes and Watson both started sleeping 12 hours/all night long at 19 weeks exactly-both of them!I love that they now both go to bed way before we do and get up after we do (but we get up early around here, like in the 5:00 hour.) Nathan runs early and I just like to have some free time before they wake up.

He seems to be okay that his night-time paci game is over. I know he has to feel so much more rested in the mornings!

(decorated by big sister Saturday morning)

We are so proud of your progress, big W! Please, please, please keep it up!

A Watson Update at 4+ mos.

Watson had his 4 mo. check-up today. I am so proud of that big boy. He is growing like a weed. He weighed 16.5 lbs and was 25 1/2 inches long. He was super sweet and cried for just a minute when he got his 4 shots and then fell asleep on the way home. I had lots of questions this time for our doctor (who I love, love, love by the way-she's a Christian and a MOM of young children-enough said-if you need a new/different pediatrician she is awesome) And after ruling some things out today, I am bound and determined to make him a good napper and nighttime sleeper before I lose my mind!

He's definitely a different baby than his sister. Nighttimes, routines, feedings all are different than she was. I will give him some major credit w/his loooong afternoon nap, usually 2-3 hours. You do score big points w/that one W. But, we're about to start some baby bootcamp soon. The main thing is his inconsistency. Some nights are great, some nights are terrible and we're back at square 1! He seems to have a major infatuation w/his paci. A good and bad thing...good for daytime to soothe and calm him, bad at nighttime-especially in the middle of the night. He likes it in his mouth non-stop while he's sleeping. And if it falls out, he's awake and needing it back! This could be 0 times or it could be 18 times. EXHAUSTING!!!


Look at this sweet face. He doesn't even know bootcamp starts tonight! hahaha! He has had rice cereal a few times. Doesn't seem to be a big fan though. We will start working on the spoon soon-does not know quite yet what to do w/it.

He had his 1st bath in the big bathtub a few nights ago w/Hayes. She loved it, he was neutral. I'm a fan of kitchen sinks baths for babies. I bathed Hayes in the sink until her 1st birthday, and yes she was big in there. It was just easier that way. The faucet is so much closer!



He was a happy baby until Hayes crowed in his ear like a rooster. Then he got scared and cried. Bathtime was over!



So if you happen to wake up in the middle of the night, please say a prayer for this little man (or for me!) that he will LEARN how to stay asleep all night and self-soothe w/out the paci . I am sure one/some of us will be up!

A Fun July 4th Weekend

We had a nice loooong weekend and loved every minute of it. It felt like we were on vacation even though we were home every night. We had some full and fun days. The best part of the weekend by far was having Nathan home w/us for 3, almost 4 full days. It sounds like he works far away and we never see him. That is definitely not the case, he is here morning, lunchtime and after work. We just like that man around here and all get super excited when he's home all day long!



I remember at my grandparents house in Montgomery they had a big front window, and my Grandmama would stand there staring out the window forever waiting for Grandaddy to get home from work. She would get so excited and say "he's here!!" and run to meet him at the door like she had not seen him just a few hours earlier at lunch. I guess the apple does not fall far from the tree. Usually I am at the kitchen window and Hayes is around the dining room windows watching for Nathan! When we hear that garage door go up in the afternoons you would think Jesus was about to walk in our door. We have to run out and meet him most every day. And poor W usually gets left inside only b/c he can't walk yet! He'll be running out too before too long.

Saturday we spent the day at Brent and Lindsey's in Tuscaloosa and cooked out and played in their pool. It was such a nice day and they have the best backyard and pool. Hayes played and swam like a fish and Watson napped all day in the big hammock. We had a great time, Lindsey!

1st time in the pool-short and sweet-he lasted about 3 minutes and then got back in the hammock!


Granddaddy and a little fish!


These 2 not too pumped about a cousins picture!




Sunday we ventured to the zoo, despite the heat. We stayed just long enough to see a few animals and to ride the train-Hayes' 1st time. I love seeing her do new things.


I tried to get her to take a pic with the tiger but she wasn't having it.

Yesterday we hung out w/our friends the Fill's at their neighborhood pool and ate lunch and swam. They have the nicest pool! Hayes swam, Watson napped, Hudson napped and swam-all the little people did so good. Thanks so much for having us Jason and Emily and Hudson-we really can't wait to come back!



The evidence of a fun day...




And no fireworks last night for this family. We were all in bed before it started. Maybe next year. Happy 235th bday, America!!