Happy Birthday, WP!!

Dear WP,

Two years ago today your daddy and I welcomed you into the world with more love and happiness then we could have ever imagined.  The day of your birth was a magical day filled with excitement, anxiety, joy, and most importantly love.  God placed you in our lives and we are forever grateful that he entrusted us with you, a most precious gift.

Over the last two years we have watched you grow from a newborn into a toddler full of so much energy!! We have watched you learn to crawl and then walk and run, we have watched you go from babbling to talking in full 3-4 word sentences, we have watched in amazement as you have gone from an only child to a big brother, we have watched you turn from a baby into a little man...we have watched you grow and it has been such a pleasure!

You have developed your own sense of humor, your own personality.  You love to watch ball games with your daddy, you love to look for the alligator at mom-mom's place in florida, you love to explore Daddy Bill's house and look for the kitty, you love to sing silly songs with mommy, you love to play with your sister and Rocko, you love to go outside and push your lawn mower around or ride you bike, you love to go for walks, you love to swim in the pool, you love to read books, you love Thomas the Train and Elmo.

You are constantly learning about and exploring your world.  Your vocabulary has developed so much over the last two years...you can basically repeat anything we say, which means we have to be super careful around you!  You love to ask "What's that noise" or "Where'd go"!  You can say "I love you" which melts Mommy and Daddy's heart more than you will ever know.  You can say your name and you do so with such pride!!

You became a big brother this year.  Mommy and Daddy were a little nervous about how you would transition, but from day one, you loved your little sister...your baby.  You look out for CE, you play with her, you bring her toys, you talk to her and tell her what you are doing, you adore her and she adores you.  Sometimes you get upset when she tries to play with your toys or when she tries to pull her hair, but those moments are few and far between.  It is so obvious how much you and CE love each other and it is clear that you (and Daddy) are her heros.  I hope that you and CE always remain close.  Having a sibling is an amazing thing, so cherish that bond!!

From the very moment we heard your heart beat on the sonogram for the first time you had us wrapped around your little finger.  Mommy and Daddy are so proud of the little boy you are turning into.  While we are sad to see you moving further and further away from the baby stage, we are so humbled and blessed to be able to travel down this road called life with you.  Remember, that we will always be here to help you grow, we will always be here to support you, and we will ALWAYS LOVE YOU.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Little Man...Mama loves you!!

Love,

Mama

WP on his birth-day, May 1, 2009

 Mama's Handsome 2-year old!!

WP's 2!!

Growing like weeds...

Today, WP celebrated his 21st month-day! How can it be that my sweet little 7lbs 6 oz baby boy is almost two years old?  Time moves way too fast when you have kids!  He is growing up more and more each day, his vocabulary is expanding by leaps and bounds, he's trying to figure out how to jump (which might be the cutest thing ever), he loves to read books, to play catch and peek-a-boo, he adores his little sister, Rocko is his best friend and his Daddy is his hero!

Last weekend, we headed to the park for some family bonding and to take advantage of the amazingly wonderful 70 degree spring-like day on Saturday.  WP had a blast, CE slept through most of the trip.  WP was a little timid of going down the "big boy" slide by himself but he loved it when DH and I took turns holding him as we slid down the slide. 

WP was super excited about our day at the park

Whee!

I think a swing set for our backyard may be an ideal birthday present for WP!

WP - 21 months old!

Somebody woke up right before we headed home from the park!!

WP's latest words (in addition to the ones previously listed):

• drum
• blast off
• cac-cac (cookie)
• apple
• bear
• orange
• pear
• leash
• swing
• cheese
• green
• red
• Aunt Diana
• Andrew
• "I do"
• pot
• car ride
• help
• hide
• cow
• "what's that"
• picture
• stuck
• help
• peek-a-boo
• snack
• yogurt
• pig
• purple
• hot
• cold
• doctor
• light (and "light on" and "light off")
• three
• four
• five (all though he doesn't truly understand the concept of counting)

On January 28, 2011, CE turned 5 months old.  We started her on rice cereal and she has really taken to it!  She still wakes up once or twice a night so we'll be addressing that with the doctor at her six month check up at the end of this month.  I weighed her today and she came in at 16 lbs .5 oz which puts her in the 50-75th percentile for her age.  She is definitely trying to become more mobile...she is rolling non-stop and trying to work on her army crawl.  She wants to be able to keep up with her big brother so badly.  DH and I already knew that WP was a funny guy, but CE goes into absolute fits of laughter around him...it's just plain cute!

In non-baby news, R's company announced that they have postponed their plans to open the Charleston office...wish we had known this news before we sold our house, but so is life.  Luckily, we have found a nice 4 bedroom/3 bathroom house in a lovely neighborhood that we are going to rent for a year.  Our lease starts Feb. 15th so we will be able to get out of this horrible apartment and into a home with a fenced backyard (much better for Rocko and the kids), a real kitchen with appliances that actual function properly, a two-car garage, room for the kids to play, space for us to actually sit at a table as a family instead of DH and WP sitting at the bar and me standing in the kitchen to eat our meals.

Here's a few more cute pictures of the kids:

It's been a busy month...

So after doing so well during most of December, I've totally slacked off on the whole blog thing.  However, I think I have a good excuse...we sold our house, celebrated Christmas and New Year's, moved into an apartment and now we're trying to find a house to rent for the next year because our move to South Carolina seems to be in a holding pattern for right now.  Needless to say, it's been a busy month full of ups and downs and way downs.

This last month has been a true test...I've questioned my faith in ways I've never done before.  I've had moments of weakness, discontent, sadness, and pretty much every emotion in the book.  I've tried to be a strong woman and hold it all in so as not to further upset my husband...I've tried to act like nothing's been going on for the sake of my kids.  But as I pulled out of the driveway of our home for the last time, I couldn't hold back the tears.  I couldn't stop the waterfall from falling.  Then I heard this sweet voice from the second row asking if I was okay and somehow I found strength I didn't even know I had.  Somehow I found my tears stopping and my heart healing as I told WP, "Yes, I'm okay...Mama's okay."

See to WP, it's not about the house we live in, it's about his Mama and Daddy being together...it's about his family being happy and healthy.  I'd be lying if I said I was totally over the craziness that was the sale of our house and the disappointment at the fact that we aren't able to move to SC yet, but my heart feels full when I see my sweet children and when my husband walks through the door at the end of a crazy day.  And what more can I possibly ask for?

In other news:

CE will be 5 months old on Thursday, January 28th.  She had cereal for the first time on Saturday morning and is starting to get the hang of it.  She's rolling over and not sleeping again.  It's causing me to be a little moody...oh, who am I kidding, the lack of sleep is making me a mega *****.  I'm trying to get her onto a better schedule since we've basically been doing to the whole "on demand" thing, so hopefully that will help.  We introduced her to the saucer and she LOVES IT most of the time - a true blessing to her Mama.

Will's almost 21 months old...which means he's almost 2.  How can that be? His vocabulary is exploding like crazy.  He is in to everything and apparently has a temper similar to his Mama's.  He's a joy, a sweet, loving boy.  He adores his sister and is a huge helper.  He is growing up so quickly.

Favorite Vacation

For our honeymoon, DH and I went to St. Lucia.  We stayed at Jade Mountain and it was pure perfection!  The rooms only have three walls...the fourth one is open so your room has an amazing view

The resort was built into the side of a mountain.  The very top level is The Celestial Terrace.  Below is a picture of DH and I on the Celestial Terrace with a view of the Pitons in the background.

 

Below is a picture of the resort.  I took this picture during our half-day sail.  DH wasn't such a fan of the sailing but if you like to sail and snorkel, then the half-day sail is wonderful!

Sunset one night

DH has informed me that we will be going back to Jade Mountain for my 30th birthday in March 2012...motivation for me to finally lose all of this baby weight!! 

Catch up!

Day 20: Nicknames

The most common nickname I've gotten over the year is "Elmo"...so much so that my parents bought me an Original Elmo doll.

Day 21: Picture of Yourself

Day 22: Favorite City

I've got a couple, in no particular order:

1. Alexandria, VA
2. Nashville, TN
3. Venice, Italy


In other news, we are still looking for a house to move into by January 6!!! Please keep your fingers crossed and say some prayers for us!!

Something I miss...

I'm suppose to write about something I miss, but I'd rather write about someone.  I miss my mom and I wish she lived closer to us.  She's coming next week for Christmas and I am so excited.  She is one of my dearest friends.  She is a constant sounding board for me, someone I can rely on to always have my best interest at heart.  I'm so blessed that she is my mom!  I can't wait to see her on Wed. and get a big hug...I need one right now!!

I love you, Mama!!

Regrets

Today's 30 in 30 is suppose to be about regrets, but I don't believe in regrets.  Every decision I've made, every road I've taken has molded me into the person I am today so why would I want to do over anything?  I think my life's pretty good...I've got to amazing kids that light up my life and a wonderful husband who is my best friend, my soul mate. 

Some readers may wonder why I don't say I regret going to law school...but I DON'T.  If I hadn't gone to law school, I would have always wondered if I gave up on my dream job and I would not have been in a position to meet DH.  I believe it was in our destiny to meet each other...we both got accepted to Furman University and considered going there...we both considered going to law school at Wake Forest University, but ultimately, we ended up in the middle of Georgia sitting across from one another at a local Mexican restaurant playing trivia.  So, no, I don't regret going to law school.

I think it's a waste of time to have regrets...if there is something you wish you had done, try and find a way to do it.  I am passionate about cooking and I wish I had gone to culinary school.  Right now, that's not an option...two small kids and all.  And I'm not sure that I would want to be a chef or anything like that...maybe down the road I'll explore it more.  But right now, I'm turning that passion into a little adventure for my family.  I'm taking all of the recipes that I've collected over the years and I'm actually making them.  DH is having a blast testing all the different recipes and I'm exercising a passion of mine that got pushed aside while I was practicing law.

So that's it...my past lead me to my present and I wouldn't change a thing!!