My Little Fishies

Mom and Dad put in a pool a couple weeks ago. The first few days, Ian wouldn't get off the top two steps... with two arm floaties. Two or three days later, he started jumping in on the sides, and even doing a few flips. He graduated to being thrown, and going under like a fish. He heard one of his buddies talking about swimming with just one floatie, so he thought he'd try it. During one of his flips, he apparently raised his arms, and when he hit the water, his floatie slipped right off his arm. If you know Ian, even a little, you know that this usually means PANIC!! I am so proud... he popped right up, and said calmly, as he was swimming like a little dog, "Uh... excuse me... my floatie... I can't swim, you know." I grabbed him, and a light bulb went off in his head, that he was just swimming! He's everywhere in the pool, now.

And Tucker... he has to do everything "Big Bubba" does, so he'll walk right up to the edge of the pool, and crawl right in. It's so funny. He thinks he's jumping in, and then he has to "go under" so he sticks his whole face in the water. He get strangled every now and then, but that don't stop this determined child! He's definitely one you have to watch all the time.

My boys are getting so big!

Panama City Beach Trip

Our trip to the beach was a total success! We stayed for four nights, and went to Panama City Beach this time, instead of the usual Gulf Shores. We ate some new places, and experienced some new things. I have lots of pictures, but sadly none of the new things we did. We tried canoeing (will try it again, but this time, not with a sleepy 1 yr old), and went on a helicopter ride (it was my second time, but everyone else's first). We all absolutely loved the helicopter ride. We were afraid Tucker would either scream or fall asleep, and he did neither. He clapped and cheered the whole ride! Ian loved it, and thought the headphones were neat, and wouldn't stop talking into the mic. Oh, I wish I had taken pictures of that! We stayed on the 22nd floor (the higher, the better, for me) of The Boardwalk Beach Resort Condos. Our room was super nice, and we loved the view. I have only one complaint: we had Tucker in the carseat so much, when it was time to come home.... well, just look at the last picture. We tried a new place (Sharky's). It was okay, but Tuck loved his noodles! And of course, we played putt-putt golf, and raced go-karts (what's a vacation without putt-putt and go-kart's?) The second day we were there, some friends joined us, so I have a few pics with the kids playing at the condo's splash zone (they all loved it) and racing go-karts.

Kindergarten Graduation, and New Summer Toy

This is our big boy, Ian. We are so proud of him, and he is of himself. Here he stands, proudly displaying his kindergarten diploma. I don't think he understands yet, that when he goes back to school, he'll have a different teacher, and for the most part, different classmates. We'll see how that goes...

And this is our new summer toy. A 7 hp Manco go-kart. Big enough for me and Jared to ride, and almost small enough for Ian to drive. He does need to grow a little bit more before he can take the pilot's seat all by himself, but we have let him drive a little with one of us in the passenger seat. The seat actually slides forward and backward for short or long legs! So far, we've had a ball on this little thing, and have ridden it nearly every day! Can't wait for the neices and nephews to come enjoy it with us.

"I REFUSE!!"

A lot of people may argue about the following, but it's true: I have the most stubborn baby ever. Tucker is almost 14 months old, and he absolutely refuses to do certain things. For example, my husband and I, along with a few select others, have witnessed with our own eyes, that this baby is perfectly capable of walking, feeding himself, putting his pacifier in his own mouth, and drinking from a sippy cup all by himself. Yet he refuses to do so! Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love the fact that he's "milking" this whole baby thing, because he and Ian are the reason I'm a stay-at-home mom. I'm in no rush at all, because when he decides he's ready to walk, he'll run, and if he runs as fast as he crawls, I'm in trouble! He just fed himself french fries all the way from Fayette to home, and when we got home, he would not feed himself green beans (go figure). He will drink from a sippy cup by himself more than he'll do the other things mentioned, but if you ever raise the cup for him, he won't do it all day. He's got this whole thing figured out! Again, I'm not complaining, I just think it's hilarious. Stay a baby as long as you can, Tucker!

My Ride!!!

I finally got my ride back!!! We went yesterday to pick up our vehicle from The Shop in Fayette. We've had it in the shop getting a dent and scratches out of the door. Randall, the owner, had to replace the whole outer skin of the door. He definitely had his work cut out for him, but he did the BEST job. You can't even tell it's ever had any damage! We're so satisfied with the quality of his work, and of course, the customer service was awesome, too. We definitely recommend him to anybody needing work done. Thanks, Randall, and The Shop.

While the vehicle was getting fixed, we had a rental to drive. There was nothing wrong with the rental, but it just wasn't mine, and it definitely wasn't anything to look at. We were in a Chevrolet HHR. If you've never seen one, you're not missing anything. Let's just say, Chevy won't sell them based on their looks! I don't know if it's considered a car, SUV, van, or wagon. I do know it's UGLY! Other than the looks, it wasn't a bad experience. I'm so glad I have my vehicle back!!!

Tucker's 1 Year Checkup

Tucker had to go to the Pediatrician on Wednesday for his 1 year appointment. He had to get two shots in one leg, one shot in both arms, and his toe pricked for a CBC. This is the usual treatment for a one year checkup. He did really well. He didn't even flinch when his toe was pricked, but cried with his shots. Before the nurse left the room, he was done crying. I'm really proud of him. He was such a big boy. He weighed in at 23 lbs. 4 oz. and I don't remember the exact inches long, but he was above the curve for his age. He seems to be really tall for his age. In all, I'm really satisfied with the visit, as usual. Tuscaloosa Pediatrics, Dr. Julie Vaughn and the nurses, have always been really great. He's growing up so fast!

Birthdays and Easter

Well, the boys are another year older. Ian is the big 6 tomorrow, and Tucker turned 1 on Friday. I can't believe they're that big already. Their party was a combo deal, so I had to come up with two totally different themes that still could work together. (Those of you with kids who have birthdays close together, I totally recommend a combo party! It kept my family members from being tied up on multiple Saturdays, and the stress on me as a parent wasn't any worse.) Back to the post: I decided on Yoshi for Ian, because of his addiction to Super Mario Brothers games and with some of his Christmas money from family, he bought all Mario Bros. Collectables. So that decision ws pretty easy. Tucker's, on the other hand, was a little challenging. I wanted something cute, and memorable, but nothing to compete with Ian's. I settled on a stacked cake, decorated as a present. I didn't want the same loop bow that you usually see on cakes, so we tried something a little different. Overall, the party went great, we had lots of fun, and it was awesome having distant family visiting. I want to thank all the parents who came and brought the kiddos!
While the whole family was up, we decided it would be a great time to celebrate Easter, because some of our family can't come up on Easter weekend. After the birthday party, we all jumped in the kitchen, done a LOT of chopping, and cooked Chinese food. Yes, Chinese on Easter. It's not your typical Easter meal, but by the time Easter rolls around, we're all tired of ham, turkey, and your usual vegetable sides. I had a ball in the kitchen with the family cooking. It's not often that this happens for us, so I definitely want to do it again soon. We all over-stuffed ourselves and went to the yard for hiding and hunting the eggs. I think we hid 60 eggs, and only found 50-something. They were all plastic, so I guess Granddaddy will find them with the lawn mower when spring rolls around. We had a ball this weekend, and crammed as much as we could in one weekend. Anyway, here's a few pics from the occasions, (and I kinda mixed them up a little):

Brotherly Understanding

I don't have any cute pictures to post this time, but I do have a cute little story I'd like to share with all of you. My youngest has definitely started developing his temper. He gets so mad over the least things. I had hoped he would be my calm one, but it seems he's not going to be. Anyway, to my story: We were riding home, and Tucker fell asleep about 10 minutes from the driveway. Apparently, 10 minutes is just enough to make him ILL!!! Ian was so sweet. He gave Tucker every toy in the toy bin, and Tucker would have nothing to do with any of them, and was doing that constant cry/whine (emphasis on the whine) that we all love so much. Ian didn't give up, and finally satisfied him with a Hot Wheels from his own overflowing collection of cars. This seemed to work for about 5 minutes, until Tucker lets out a spine-chilling scream, and chunks the car as hard as he can. Instead of Ian getting mad, he gently pats Tucker on the back and says, "I know how you feel, Tucker. sometimes I just have to throw stuff, too."

Christmas Pictures 2009

Okay, so I've been promising Christmas pictures for a while, so although they're a little late, here they are. I know some people gripe about people having blogs and using them as an album, but it's my blog and I'm gonna show off all the babies in my life. If you don't like it, you might not want to read this post.

My newest neice, Zoe Jane

Cory and Ian playing Mario on wii. Look how Ian's leaning on Cory and the space on the ottoman.

Tucker playing at Mom's with one of the three penguins he got for Christmas.

Katie Beth pushing little sis, Kendall on the pony we got her at Grandma's and Granddaddy's.

Ian at Mom and Dad's

Tucker relaxing at Grandma and Granddaddy's with his Taco.

Ian's putting out cookies for Santa. He had to pick the best ones from the batch and even gave Santa a few extra M&M's for the trip.

Tucker's first Christmas at home, and his first ever stocking.

He couldn't wait to tear into those presents.

Of course he had to help Tucker open his presents, too. That's what big brothers are for.

Ian with his Granddad.

Tucker with Granddad.

Tucker and his Daddy. Such a Daddy's boy.

Ian and Nonna. He loves it when she gets to come "camp out" at his house.

Christmas from Nonna and Poppy.

He was so tired after everything was said and done. We all had a great Christmas. Again, my favorite holiday.

I didn't get any good pictures of Carly or Carson, and I didn't get any at all of any adults. I didn't even notice it until I started posting these pictures. I'll be better prepared next year. I'll try to do better next Christmas with getting pictures on here sooner. I can't make any promises, but I'll try.