A blessed day...

Yesterday was simply a fabulous day. I'm pretty sure we enjoyed every second of the day and I wanted us to remember it. It wasn't a day full of new, exciting things. Just a pretty ordinary day, which is where the beauty comes in for me. Don't get me wrong, the day had a typical toddler meltdown or seven, but it was just a great day. We were too busy enjoying the day to take any pictures, so no photographic evidence...just the beautiful memories of how blessed we are.

We woke up yesterday and Mimi was still visiting, so she & I got to enjoy conversation and a bowl of cereal together before Jeremiah came downstairs. Mimi & Little J hung out at home while I went to a Cycle class at the YMCA with 2 good friends. After Cycle, I came back home, Mimi headed back to Raleigh, and we had "Brunch Bunch" at our house. It was a light crowd - just Julie, Nicole, and of course J's best buddy, Anna. While J & Anna played, the mamas enjoyed coffee, bagels, and adult conversation until noon. After lunch, Jeremiah took a 2.5 hour nap while I worked in the yard trying to get it ready for a new landscaping look. Jeremiah & I snuggled on the couch and had a quick snack of Ritz crackers when he woke up and then headed over to Nana & Popa's house. Jeremiah rode the Gator for almost the entire 2 hours we were there. He saw a calf being bottle fed, cows & a bull in a local pasture, and even a baby bunny just in time for Easter this Sunday. We eventually had to come home for dinner and a much needed bath. A few snuggles when Daddy got home, a couple of minutes of Cars and it was time for J to hit the hay. Josh & I ate dinner together and snuggled on the couch watching TV for the rest of the evening before both falling into bed very tired.

What a wonderful day full of friends, family, and simple fun. I hope I never take for granted the blessings God give me every day.

What have we been up to???

We've been enjoying the last days of summer and the preview of fall with gorgeous, cooler weather this past week. Nothing feels better than the cool temps after the heat of summer!

Jeremiah is really enjoying walking (getting faster and closer to running), exploring, and just having fun! He still enjoys riding the Gator at Nana & Popa's house. His new favorite toy there is this tricycle-type toy because he's just big enough to walk it around the driveway. He's still learning to steer, so Daddy has to help him steer from the handle in the back. Jeremiah is way too independent for you to help him steer on his handle bars. He will promptly stop & push your hand off. Boy are we in for it in the years to come! :)

Little J recently got his first haircut. I was waiting for a few curls to show up, but it wasn't happening. A mullet was starting to appear instead so we HAD to get that taken care of. Little J did not enjoy this experience at all & let everyone at Great Clips know about it. He did however like the balloon & Dum-Dum that he got at the end.

We went to the Winston-Salem Children's Museum last Friday night because you could get in free if you bought a canned good along. I wasn't really sure how Jeremiah would like it because I thought it might be a bit too old for him, but boy was I WRONG! He loved it!! He ran around with all the bigger kids, played in all the different areas, and did not want to leave. He was still so wound up when we got home that he ran around the house for 40 minutes, refusing to eat his supper (unheard of!). We will definitely be going back for more playtime there, maybe even getting a membership because he had a blast!

We can't wait to try out the Life & Science Museum in Durham on one of our trips to Raleigh. I've heard great things & it looks like there is a lot for Jeremiah to enjoy. It's so fun now that he's old enough to enjoy all these outings!

I'm not even sure what we had been out doing the day I took this picture, but when I got home to take J out of his carseat he had fallen asleep (a RARE occasion these days). I noticed that he must have fallen asleep mid-snack because his hand was still in his snack cup with food in his grip!

We took a trip to Raleigh this week to visit Mimi & G-pa Jim, as well as kick off the start of FOOTBALL SEASON!!! Josh is a happy camper that football season has arrived. We are both hoping that the Wolfpack's dismal performance (on national television, no less) this past Thursday night is not a sneak peek of what we have to see the rest of the season. Aside from football, we enjoyed trips to the Farmer's Market, Flea Market, & Lake Lynn playground, as well as hanging out with the Watson family, and of course playing with Mimi & Grandpa! They got lots of time to spend with Jeremiah, especially since they kept Little J for Mommy & Daddy to have 2 child-free night outs in a row!!

This week we are starting our fall "schedule". We'll be heading to "Toddler Time" every Tuesday at the library for stories, songs, & a craft. On Wednesday we'll be resuming "Brunch Bunch" (Mommy is probably way more excited than Jeremiah about this time, but at least he'll get to play with his buddies). Thursday we'll start going back to "Musical Beginnings" class and every other Friday we'll have MOPS. Yay for structure & a routine to be starting back up again!! (OK...you can tell Mommy really likes all these social activities too).

Jeremiah has to have a Frenulectomy later this month. He has a heart-shaped tongue (also known as tongue-tied) because the skin that connects his tongue to the bottom of his mouth is too short & tight. This could cause speech problems later on, but worst of all he won't be able to lick ice cream! We just couldn't have that so he'll have his procedure done at a surgery center where they will put him under light anesthesia, clip the skin, & he'll heal up quickly with little pain.

Well, that's a bit of a "catch-up" on what we've been up to. Hopefully I'll get back in the blogging swing of things soon...for now I'm off to put out all the fall decor & maybe have a Pumpkin Spice Latte! :)

Haven't written too much this week. It's been kind of a dreary week and we haven't been up to much except ironing (I think I ironed ALL of Josh's work shirts Tuesday) & going to the doctor. We went yesterday for Jeremiah's InfantSee appointment and everything checked out great! They did have to dilate his eyes which wasn't much fun, but other than that it was good. 

The sun has FINALLY come out today, so we went walking/strolling with Jeremiah's buddy, Anna, and her mama (my buddy), Nicole, this morning...quite a light crowd for Brunch Bunch, but fun all the same!

Tomorrow we'll be enjoying Customer Celebration Day at Big J's work, which I'm SUPER excited about because they're having my FAVORTIE BBQ!!! Well, my fav BBQ for this part of the state at least :)

And of course this weekend will be loads of fun celebrating Granny's 70th Birthday Saturday and Jeremiah's Dedication, Perry's Birthday, & Mother's Day Sunday. I'm sure there will be LOTS of pictures to come.

Babyfood & Mommy Shoes

What a good day! We started off our day by going to Brunch Bunch (BB) - a mom's group I belong to. We eat brunch (hence the name), gab a lot, and hopefully talk about the book we're reading together (right now we're reading Creative Correction by Lisa Whelchel - aka Blair from the TV show Facts of Life). We always have a good time and it's a great break for us during the week.

After BB, we came home for Little J to nap. When he woke up it was time for lunch (around 2pm - a little late). While he was eating, I set off to make more baby food! That's right...somehow I became one of those "Hippie" moms. You know the type...breastfeeding, cloth diapering, baby wearing, babyfood making moms. And I'm loving every minute! 

Back to babyfood...I was given a Beaba Babycook for Christmas to make all this yummy food for Little J. It has been a GOD SEND! I can make so much babyfood quickly & without making a big mess.

After I steam & puree in this wonderful machine (yes - it does both!), I pour the puree into ice cube trays to freeze.

Once the cubes are frozen, I dump them into ziplock freezer bags, label them, and voila! I'm ready to provide a myraid of meal combinations for Little J at the drop of a hat!

So far I have made Sweet Potatoes, Butternut Squash, Carrots, Peas, Green Beans, Broccoli, Pears, Peaches, Bananas, and Apples. Usually Little J gets 2-3 cubes of fruit mixed with oatmeal for breakfast, 2-3 cubes of a fruit & veggie at lunch, then 2-3 cubes of veggies for dinner. Occasionally Little J is hungry enough to eat 4 cubes plus Puffs & Mum-Mums. What can I say...he's a growing boy!

After all this cooking (yes he sat in his high chair & helped), Little J was ready to play...with Mommy's shoes!

Wow Mom! You've got a big foot!