Labor Day Weekend Fun

It is always nice to have a three day weekend, because Little R and I get to have Daddy home with us for three days in a row.  Woohoo!  That also means, tired, pregnant, and sometimes nauseas Mama, gets to have some help :)  We spent Saturday hanging around the house, grilling out with some friends, and watching the Bulldogs lose :(  On Sunday, we went to "The Farm" to spend the day with Trey's parents.  It was a beautiful day with lots of sunshine and somewhat cooler temps.  There was the slightest hint of fall in the air.  Little R had a great time playing with 5 crazy dogs, riding on the tractor, riding in the golf cart, and enjoying the great outdoors.  Here are a few pics of the tractor rides with G-Pa and Daddy:

On Monday, we helped Daddy wash the cars, went to the pool, and spent alot of time outside.  Little R also helped Daddy put up boxes in the attic...

Speaking of cooler weather and being outside, it was 63 degrees here this morning!!  Our morning wagon ride was delightful.  These two babies (and dog) cannot seem to get enough of the outdoors...

I hope the weather stays this beautiful for a while!!!!

August Favorites....

Well, today is the last day August.  Honestly, I am glad to see August come to an end.  I am kind of ready for some cooler weather (maybe.....we do live in GA), football, and the start of a new season.  I also get to celebrate two birthdays of two very special guys in my life :)  But, before I get ahead of myself, here is a look back on my favorites from August:

1. Oreo Fudge Cremes

These things are GOOD!  Trey and I don't usually buy cookies and keep them in the house.  I LOVE to bake cookies, so when we have cookies around, they are usually some that I have made.  However, I am definitely tempted to keep these around for a little, sweet treat :)  We had some of these at The Pond when we were there a few weeks ago.  YUMMO!  They remind me of the traditional chocolate covered Oreos, but on a much smaller scale. If you have not tried them, you should.

2. Swiffer Duster Extender

The current house that we live in is the first house that I have ever lived in with hardwood floors in the family room.  The current sofa that we have now is the first sofa I have ever had that has pedestal legs and sits up off of the floor.  This combination makes for a pesky, little problem called dust bunnies all underneath the sofa and love seat.  The worst part about it is that these days when people come over, we usually spend some of our time on the floor playing, and the dust bunnies under the furniture are very visible.  Our sofas are very deep (i.e.- when the back cushions are removed, two people could lay down side by side), so getting all of the way underneath them is difficult.  I have tried the broom, vacuum extensions, etc., but I still cannot seem to get all of this dust.  So, I finally decided to try a new product to remedy this problem, and VOILA!  Dust bunnies=extinct!  I also like this product for dusting the fan blades (so I don't have to climb on top of the beds) and the tops of the blinds and such.

3. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?  by Bill Martin Jr/ Illustrated by Eric Carle

My child is obsessed with this book.  He carries it all over the house with him.  It is also the only book he will sit in our laps and listen to.  All of the other books that we read him have to be read while "playing" with him on the floor.  He is a busy little guy these days.  On our trip to The Pond, we gave him this book in the car.  It was so cute to watch him "read" it to himself in the back seat.  He would turn each page and talk to himself in "Reives language."  I am glad that he has a favorite book, and I anticipate that he will definitely have this one memorized in a couple of years!!!

4. Yo Baby Yogurt

This has quickly become Little R's favorite food.  Yo Baby Yogurt made by Stonyfield Farms is whole milk yogurt and is 100% organic.  So far, I have only bought the peach flavored yogurt, but they also make vanilla, banana, blueberry, and maybe some other flavors that our Publix does not carry.  I was a little nervous to try yogurt because of some potential dairy issues Little R had when he was little and could still have.  However, he has done fantastic with cheese and yogurt, and we have not even seen a hint of his eczema break out.  I am trying to give Little R a protein with every meal, and this yogurt is packed with protein.  He usually gets it for lunch, and I make sure that he eats some fruit and veggies first because once he sees the yogurt carton, he is done with everything else!  Thank you, Stonyfield Farms, for making my little guy so happy!!!

5. Punch Bowl Evites

My 10 year high school reunion is quickly approaching!!!  Because I was a class officer and one of the few class officers who is local, I have a big part in planning our reunion.  I am not sure if we will have a big turnout, but it will still be a blast with whomever shows.  We opted to send evites instead of mailed invitations.  I have never created or sent evites before, so I was a little unsure with how everything worked.  But, I discovered Punch Bowl Evites, and the process has been extremely easy.  It was easy and fun to create and send the evite, but the best part is how the website lets you manage your guest lists.  It shows if and when each person checked the evite.  This has been beneficial in letting us know if we have the correct email address for each person.  There are still several people who we are having a hard time tracking down, but most of our class has been accounted for and invited.  If you ever need to send evites for any occasion, I would definitely recommend Punch Bowl!!!

Now, on to September, fall, UGA football (GO DAWGS!), and some very special birthdays!!!  (And, hopefully some cooler temperatures, so we can finally enjoy the great outdoors all day long!)

Important Announcement....

In case you have not heard our news, Little R is going to be a BIG BROTHER!!  Yep, Baby Glendye #2 is due March 19, 2012.  This will make our two little ones 18 months apart.  We could not be more excited about this little blessing on the way!!!  As many of you know, we had some bumps along the way when trying to get pregnant the first time, so this somewhat unexpected surprise is certainly something we are thanking God for daily!  So far, the pregnancy is going well.  I am having to do pretty much the same regiment of shots and things that I did when I was pregnant with Little R because of some blood flow issues I have.  Although giving myself a shot in the stomach everyday is not fun, it is totally, 100% worth every stick, burn, and bruise. (These shots burn like crazy and often leave huge bruises...:(  )  On the up side, because of these blood flow issues, I get to have alot of extra ultrasounds, so we have been able to see our little baby and hear his/her heartbeat 5 times already, and I am only 11 weeks!

I have definitely been more nauseas this time around, so that has not been fun.  I hope that will come to an end pretty quickly.  I have also been tired but not as tired as I remember being when I was pregnant with Little R.  Maybe it is just that I don't have time to be tired....who knows?  

Everyone is already asking me if I think we are having a boy/girl or if I want a boy/girl.  Honestly, I feel it is a win/win situation.  I think we would both LOVE a little girl, but at the same time we would LOVE for Little R to grow up with a brother so close to his age.  Only God knows the perfect baby and gender for our family, so we will be happy with whatever He gives us.  I don't know if we will find out the gender this time or wait until he/she is born again.  The verdict is still out!

I am going to close with this verse from 1 Chronicles.  I love this verse that praises God for who He is.  Each time that I have found out I was expecting a baby, I have used this verse to praise and thank the Lord for blessing us.

"Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is Yours.  Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; You are exalted as head over all.  Wealth and honor come from You; You are the ruler of all things.  In Your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all."

1 Chronicles 29:11-12

Country Roads...

Last weekend, Little R got to spend the weekend down in the country.  My dad's family has some land in Southwest Georgia, near Bainbridge.  We call this place "The Pond," but the actual name of the house is "Covey Rise," named by my Grandparents.  I have always loved going here because it is so relaxing and peaceful.  The house has a huge, screened in front porch that overlooks a beautiful pond.  While sitting on the front porch, you cannot hear anything "civilized".....cars, people, etc.  You can hear the occasional gunshot and the melodic chirping of birds during the day.  At night, all you can hear is an overwhelming chorus of frogs, accompanied by the chirping of crickets.  One of our favorite things to do at night is to sit on the front porch, in the pitch black dark, and watch the stars and fireflies and just listen.  It is a beautiful thing!

Little R had a big weekend this time.  Now that he is walking, he was able to explore around and just plain enjoy himself.  August is definitely not our favorite time of year to go down there (extreme heat and pesky black gnats), but we still had a blast.  Here is a recount of the weekend:

On Friday morning, Trey, Little R, Chip (our dog), and I went on a walk around some of the property.  Here are some of the pictures:

Later on Friday:

 Little R worked on eating and getting his top two front teeth (they are finally coming in)

 Little R swang and swang and swang...he could not get enough!

 Daddy took Little R on the tractor

 We all modeled our latest "do's"....Little R's afro won by a long shot!

Little R had a big time playing around the cabin....

On Friday night, my parents (Grandaddy and Grammie) and my sister and her husband (Aunt Laura and Uncle Josh) joined us for the rest of the weekend.  So, Little R had alot of extra people to play with him on Saturday.  He loved that!

 On Saturday, we rode down the road to look at the cows.  

 I don't think Little R knew what to think about these guys.  He acted a little bit scared when we got up close to these cows.  He did, however, wave "bye bye" to them when we drove off :)

 We took Little R on a golf card ride around the property.  This picture is taken from the dam, looking back across the pond at the house.

 Had to get a black and white shot, too...

 Little R was hammin' it up in the golf cart....

 Cutest baby I ever did see....

 We played with Chip....

 Later that day, Trey and I went fishing.  Trey caught a fairly good sized bass, but I only had two nibbles :(

Little R had alot of fun with his Grammie and Aunt Laura :)

Needless to say, it was a very fun weekend, even though it was not Little R's best car trip.  He has always loved riding in the car....until this trip.  I hope it is only a phase!!!!  Overall, he was a happy little camper, and we cannot wait to go back to "The Pond" in the fall!

A-Bah

When Little R first began to eat "meals," I became so frustrated with myself because I would forget to say a blessing before we ate breakfast and lunch together.  Trey always says our blessing when we eat as a family, but I would forget sometimes when it was just me and Little R.   I have no idea why I kept forgetting because I have always said a blessing before my meals.  Trey and I obviously want to teach our children the importance of being thankful for God's many provisions, including our food.  So, I began to ask God to help me remember to always say our blessing and thank Him before our meals.  Now, this little "blessing" time is one of my favorite times.  I always lean close to Little R and say the blessing with my hands folded.  Of course, he does not fold his hands or close his eyes, and he is usually already eating his food, but he does help with the "AMEN."  It is the cutest thing.  I always say "A" (I kind of drag it out) and when I say the "men" part, he always says "bah."  So sweet!!!!  I am glad he is already joining in on this very important time of talking to God :)

11 Months

On August 11, Little R turned 11 months old.  I cannot believe that in less than a month, we will have a 1 year old at our house!!  I mean, WOW!!  I love this stage that Little R is in now.  It keeps all of us busy, but it is so fun to watch him explore and learn.  He is "toddling" around everywhere and is into everything....cabinets, trash cans, toilets, dog food, etc.  He points at everything now and usually says "baaa"....whatever that means!?!  I was trying to hold out getting him a haircut until his first birthday, but I doubt we'll make it.  His hair is getting a bit out of control, so we'll see :)

Happy 11 Months Old, Sweet Boy!!!

Things he is doing:

-walking everywhere.....very little crawling these days

-throwing Chip his ball

-waving constantly

-pointing at things

-saying "mama" and "bye bye"

-eating a lot of blueberries, strawberries, and raisins (he loves these)

-finally cutting a top middle tooth (we think)....he won't be our vampire baby anymore

-loving eating in restaurants....he is just mesmerized by everything and everyone

Here are some other pictures of him at 11 months:

Little Buddies

About 6 months after Trey and I got married, we went to Keller's Flea Market and picked out the newest addition to our family.  This tiny, little black and tan miniature dacshaund just captured our hearts, and we couldn't resist.  For some reason, this little dog reminded me of the little boy teacup named "Chip" from Beauty and the Beast.  Don't ask me why they reminded me of each other....I have no idea.  I mentioned the name "Chip" to Trey, and he liked it.  Thus, Chip got his name.  For a little over 4 years, Chip was pretty used to having all of our attention, so we were a little concerned about how he would do when we brought our new baby home from the hospital.

Well, Chip was not too fond of Little R the first few weeks.  He kind of kept his distance and growled on occasion if Little R accidentally touched or kicked him.  Over the weeks, he began to warm up to our cute, little addition.  But, even then,  he only wanted to interact with Little R on his terms.  With each of Little R's major milestone's, I fretted over how Chip would react.  It turns out, though, that with each milestone, Chip has come to love Little R more and more.  And now that the little guy is walking, these two are the best of buddies.  Anytime that Chip comes around, Reives smiles and "talks" to Chip in a certain voice that he uses only to talk to animals (dogs, cats, etc.)   Chip gets so excited to see Little R each morning when he wakes up and runs to lick him and play with him.  I think Chip also loves the fact that Reives tries to throw him his ball.  They are such cute little buddies :)

 Chip is always right by his side these days

Ahhhh.....don't lick me!