Happy Birthday Reid

Reid, on Saturday you turned a year old! I would've posted this for you sooner but we were busy celebrating! How is it possible that you, my sweet and perfect baby boy, are already a year old?????? It seems like just yesterday I was at the hospital getting ready to have you and overcome with panic that I wouldn't love my second child as much as I did my first. The second I laid eyes on you I knew how silly that fear was because I already did! We brought you home from the hospital and you were just soooo laid back. You started smiling within the first few days--it was amazing and hardly anyone believed me until they saw it for themselves--it was not JUST gas! You have been happy since day one...and you have brought so much joy to everyone around you since day one as well!!

Since the day we found out you were going to be joining our family, we knew it was God's plan for you to be here and that you are here for something special! I can't wait to find out what it is and watch as you grow in the Lord! I suspect it has something to do with that smile of yours! Strangers comment on how contagious it is ALL the time! I know your smile is too great for God not to use it for some good! (c:

See what I mean? You have such a sweet personality. You love to cuddle. You can make the darkest day bright just by being you!

You are so determined! You like to walk outside to the car and sometimes the little bump on the threshold trips you up. You don't just stand back up and finish walking to the car though! You crawl back inside, stand up, and keep trying until you WALK over the bump. I pray that you keep that spirit of perseverance as you go through life!

You are a thinker and a people watcher--or at least a "sister watcher". Haha. You watch what she does and either laugh at her or try to do it yourself. One of the greatest joys of being a mommy of two is watching you two interact--especially when you are laughing with one another and loving on each other. Talk about the simple pleasures of life! You guys just melt my heart!

You are so full of life. Every day we are getting to see more and more of your personality. You are so funny already! You are so proud of yourself for walking...and you are officially a full-time walker! You just suck in your breath really loudly because you are so excited and then just squeal!! Also, when you walk really fast, your legs go the side and your knees come all the way up to your chest. It is hysterical! There just isn't anything about you that isn't adorable!

You can already throw a ball pretty stinking good! Mommy and Daddy are very impressed!

You are really into playing games right now. Peek-a-boo just cracks you up and you actually do the hiding yourself. You love "chase" too. And you really think it is funny to be startled (especially when you know it is coming but just don't know when).

You are starting to talk a good bit. You sign and say "all done". The saying of "all done" pretty much just started...or at least I just started realizing it! You love to say "no no" and "yea". Then you jabber all the time too.

You laugh and make us laugh all the time. Tonight at dinner you and Lilly were sitting next to each other and she was eating something you wanted and you just snatched it out of her hand and then started laughing because you got it. You are getting speedy!

The past year presented some issues...like 3 months of the same ear infection and more sleepless nights than nights with sleep...it is true! But Buddy boy, I wouldn't change a single thing about it! If there is anything I have learned through you and your sister is that God's plan (AND TIMING) is so much better than any plan that we could've come up with or even imagined!! (oh, and the joys FAR OUTWEIGH any challenges)

We pray for you nightly--for guidance in raising you, for your health and safety, for a heart that desires the things of Jesus, for your future, and we always always always thank God for choosing us to be your parents! We are so honored with the blessing that is YOU!

We love you more than words could ever express and to my amazement that love continues to grow daily! We can't wait to see what you do everyday and are so lucky to get to watch you learn and develop! Can't wait to see your big toothy grin in the morning!! Hugs and Kisses to my big little ONE year old!!!!

Backyard-The Finale

Okay, so until now, you haven't really seen the "redneck" aspect of the backyard and may be thinking I over-sold it....so here it is in all it's glory--the remainder of the backyard! Haha. Reid is sporting a comb-over just for this occasion. (c:

This is one of our two blow-up pools. Lilly is mad in this picture because the water isn't spraying out of the dolphin's nose (like it does when it is hooked up to the hose).

I picked this pool out because it had two areas with two different water levels. A shallower (word?) section for Reid and a deeper section for Lilly. Somehow it never crossed my mind that Reid would constantly be trying to climb into the deeper area of the pool to get to the spraying water. Oh, and please note the water hose in the background that had to be strewn about in order to hook it up to said pool.

Mr. Handsome!!

This pool was a HUGE hit and I would HIGHLY recommend it.

Lilly practicing her kicks and Mr. Adventure diving in the deep end.

"Cheese"

Lilly sitting oh so lady-like. Haha.

I had to include this because Reid just crawled in and out of the pool whenever. Such a smartie!

Lilly sitting in the storage coffee table.

Reid thinking about shutting her in there! Hehehe.

The swing set. And, yes, we do mow our yard. It had just been raining daily for weeks and the grass was growing at unbelievable speed!

Lady-like and fully dressed...nice!

Ah, here we go! Blow-up pool pushed under the slide-check. Babies running around in diaper and underwear-check. Blow-up pool #2 -check. Water diapers in the background-double check.

Matt liked this pool because it had a basketball goal and ring toss for the "kids" (wink, wink).

Playing around the yard in the swim diapers. Some days our backyard had some skinny dippers (the babies...not the adults!)

So, there you have it--the end of the backyard tour. It may not be the most aesthetically pleasing yard, but it has provided us with a summer full of fun and great memories. We are so blessed and I am so thankful that our kids have these fun things to keep them entertained! (Thanks in large to DeDe and Mike...(c:)

Beach Wrap-Up

Well since we have been home for over two weeks, it is officially time to wrap up the beach. Plus, I need to blog about a few other things that have happened in the last couple of weeks and finish the backyard tour (the finale is really the best part...haha) BEFORE this weekend because we have a ton going on INCLUDING the BIRTHDAY PARTY that will need to be blogged about so it is time to catch up! So, without further adieu, here is day 5 and 6. Wednesday night for some reason nobody slept. So, both kids took a morning nap and I used that time to get a little beach time by myself. It was marvelous! There is just something so calming about being on a beach!!

Aunt Becca pushed Lilly and Reid all over the place in this laundry basket--they LOVED it!

Almost every night, we would play for a while before bed at DeDe and Mike's condo.

Reid really started walking more and more at the beach. Now, he is pretty much a walker around the house. It is still so weird to see him bop right past me!

Lilly and Reid are playing together more and more...they will both head back to the playroom at the house and just play away. Soooo sweet....but I am digressing.

Lilly is in a bit of a "wrestling" phase. Maybe I can blame this on Uncle Bert??? Probably not since I don't think he wrestled with her but I think I am going to anyway. Haha.

She likes to tackle Reid and really thinks it is hysterical to tickle him.

Sometimes he agrees with her.....

sometimes not so much!! She also tries to tackle him when he is walking across the room. A lot of people say to just let her while she has the chance since he will be bigger than her soon. I say no because I am not going to let him tackle her either! Haha.

We went to the pool both Thursday and Friday. Lilly was so impressive in her swimming abilities. There were so many times throughout the trip when I would look at her and see a little girl instead of a baby. Tear. Sigh. I am so happy seeing her growing up--it just happens so fast!

On Friday we decided to just do lunch at the pool. Believe it or not, Lilly typically eats more when she can eat a bite, run around for a minute, eat another bite, run around, etc.

Thursday night we did our annual beach photo in khakis and white shirts. My group one is really dark but here are a couple of awesome ones that Becca took of Lilly and Reid.

This is my first 8 X 10 photo of them together. LOVE IT!!!

I also just love this picture of Lilly and Reid with their DeDe. They love their DeDe and Mike! And DeDe and Mike love them and spoil them beyond rotten....or just really ripe as some might say. Ha.

We went to dinner at DarWell's on Thursday night. It was another place that had been on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. OH MY GOSH--this was the BEST place we ate at the whole trip...and quite possibly EVER...it definitely makes the top of the list for sure!!! In fact, we liked--scratch that--LOVED it so much that....

we ate there Friday night too!! They had these cute little drawing on the cups for the ladies. I believe this was the "rocker chick".

This was it at night. It has bands play every night and the food is to die for! The crawfish etouffee was SO DELICIOUS.

Lilly and Reid really loved getting to spend a whole week playing with Uncle Bert....

and Aunt Becca! (Mommy and Daddy really enjoyed having extra people to entertain the busy twins too!)

We had such a great time and can't wait for next year!!! Oh, and the guy to the right of Becca is Papa Darwell. He used to run the place but now his son does but he still hangs out and makes it a really fun place to go...if you look close you can see that there is a rubber chicken hanging out the top of his shirt.