Where we spent our day...

Outside!!

We went for a long walk around 10, and played outside until it was time to get lunch ready.

Pushing 55+ pounds around our neighborhood is no joke!
I definitely got my workout today!

Then, after the boys woke up from their naps we headed back out for some more sunshine!

Sawyer likes to watch for birds!

Sweetness!

I could get used to this!

A First!

Sawyer went pee pee on the potty tonight!!

After he got out of the tub, I asked him if he wanted to sit on his potty! He sat for a few seconds and went pee pee!

He was sooo proud of himself and he giggled and giggled while he was pottying!

I was so excited and apparently got him off the potty too fast because when I took him to the kitchen to get his M&M's, he peed on the floor! Gotta love it!

He sat on the potty again right before bed, but no success that time.

Funny

I posted earlier about my parents getting down my old Little Tykes toys...

Well, Sawyer loves the little red car. He found a little dog that he would sit in the seat and then he'd push the car around. Today Sawyer decided he wanted in on the fun....

He wanted to get in the car SO badly!

When he couldn't get in, he sat down and took his socks off....
I guess he thought they were adding too much bulk!

And then he discovered that even with socks off, he wouldn't fit!



Still trying...

He tried getting in the car for a good 10 minutes before he gave up. I like his determination!

Skating Party!

Lance's extended family has a get together every other month. We rarely get to attend these gatherings because they're usually a couple of hours away, and on Saturday evenings. But, this time, Grammy was in charge and rented out the skating rink in Asheboro for a couple hours. We miss getting to see everyone, so we were excited to be able to go!

Sawyer had a blast...it took him about two minutes to fall asleep when we got back to my parent's house!

Grammy and Sawyer!

Getting help from the big guys!

Arcade with Daddy!

When I was a little girl...

Geez Louise, I feel old when I say that...but, it's true....when I was a little girl I played with all of these toys. Mush and Papa got them out of the attic for Sawyer to play with. All he really wanted to do was put the people in the chairs and ride a dog around in the Little Tykes car.

And a few more pics from his visit to Mush and Papa's house over the weekend...

He loves Mommy Kitty...he calls her "Memmy."

Hugs for Papa

Magnets with Mush

I'm so thankful for grandparents who love my little boy to pieces! And that little boy loves them right back. This evening, after we ate dinner, Sawyer went and got his shoes. As he was trying to put them on I asked him where he was going. He told me "Mush....Papa!"

The Adventures of Sawyer and Aidan...

How precious is this?!

Sawyer made coffee for Aidan....and then force fed it to him....

Best buddies!

I find them doing things like this all the time...
It's almost as if Sawyer said "Ok, Aidan, you keep watch
for my mama....and I'll take all the balls out of the bucket..."
They're so fun!

Nothing sweeter....

than a sleeping baby....

He sleeps with all of these animals every.single.day...and
if even one is missing, he knows and he has to go find it!

I had to wake him up from his nap today because he had
been napping so long....precious thing couldn't keep his eyes
open when I brought him to the living room!

Sawyer: 1 year, 10 months

Sleeping:
- We had a few weeks of a bad cough/congestion that would wake him up in the middle of the night, but our Vicks Vapor Rub trick pretty much solved that!
- We started putting him to bed at 8:30 instead of 8 since he was staying awake in his bed so long, and that has helped tremendously. He is usually asleep by 9 and he's sleeping until 7 almost every morning! Praise the Lord!
- He's started sleeping with stuffed animals (his Gabba Gabba's and Blue) and it's so cute!
- A few days ago, he carried his stuffed animals to his bed and climbed in himself instead of me carrying him down the hall and putting him in bed. He looked so big doing it all by himself. 

Eating:
- He went through a couple weeks of not wanting to eat anything...but I'm thinking it had to do with the fact that he couldn't breathe!
- His favorite thing right now is string cheese. He would eat it for every meal and every snack of the day if I let him.
- He's still really good about trying new things and eating his fruits and veggies.
- He doesn't like breakfast (the time, not the type of food). He's like me and has to be up a couple hours before he wants to eat!
- His self-help skills are really developing and he is using his utensils more often and more successfully! I am also giving him water in a cup some throughout the day. He does ok with that, but we're not getting rid of the sippy cup anytime soon!

Talking:
- We've heard LOTS of babbling this past month. I'm just waiting for his language to explode!
- He is imitating us more and more. My favorite thing is when he says "Whaaaat?"
- He asks "Where ______?" a lot now. Last week we went to visit Lance at the office and before he even went to see Lance he walked into our secretary's office and said "Where candy?!"
- He is easily frustrated when we can't understand him...poor guy!

Social Skills:
- He started Toddler Choir at church and I've been really impressed! He is (mostly) kind to the other children and really likes interacting with them. There are two little girls that he loves to hug and kiss on!
- We have a new nursery worker that he is not a fan of. He screams and cries when he's with her...or when he sees her (even when he doesn't have to stay with her). He did better last Sunday, but he is having a rough time. He loves his Sunday School teachers, though!
- He is starting to show some aggression with Aidan (last week he tried to ride him). I'm constantly reminding him to use gentle touches and be a good friend. I think some of it comes from the fact that Aidan is cruising and Sawyer thinks he should be able to walk...so lots of times when Aidan is standing up, Sawyer will try to pull him wherever he wants him to go.

Playing/Learning:
- Puzzles are his new favorite thing. He LOVES his letter puzzle and will repeat the letters after I pronounce them. He is pretty consistent in identifying the letters in his name.
- He continues to engage in a lot of pretend play with his stuffed animals...most recently, putting them "night night" and feeding them.
- He loves to do art...we do lots of coloring, painting, and play doh.

Discipline:
- We've really started disciplining him for telling us "no." He is quite the opinionated little guy and thinks he should always get what he wants...you'd think he would've learned by now!
- We're also working on "obeying mommy/daddy the first time." He's getting much better at it, though he often gets sidetracked! He's such a man!

Spiritual Growth:
- We're working on his first memory verse, Ephesians 6:1, which says, "Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right." He repeats the words after me. I constantly talk to him about how obeying mommy means that he is also obeying God.
- This month we've focused on the creation story and Adam and Eve. As I've said before, repetition, repetition, repetition!
- Watching him pray is the most precious thing I've ever seen. At dinner, Lance and I always have one eye open watching him. He'll fold his hands together and bow his head and just stare at his hands instead of bowing his head and closing his eyes. At bedtime he sits up and folds his hands together and after we say "Amen" he lays right down.
- He said his own prayer the other day. "Thank you, Amen." I'm working on having him repeat my prayer, especially at the table or when he has a bad attitude.

And now some pictures, which is all you really wanted anyway!

He has an obsession with glasses right now!

Stringing apple jacks onto a pipe cleaner...fine motor activity!

That would be "mamers" (markers) all over his face!

Found him like this one day while Aidan was napping (in the crib...just to the right of
Sawyer). Apparently Sawyer didn't want him to feel lonely so he pulled the pillows off
his bed and sat down on the floor. He was being SO quiet, too!

Mush, who does this remind you of??? I STILL sit and sleep like this!

Walking in mama's shoes!

This is what he does every morning when he wakes up...
gets all his animals, his milk, and sits on the couch to
watch a show.

Sawyer, you make every day so much fun. When you go to bed, Daddy and I love to sit and talk about the cute things you've done and the new things you've learned that day. We love you so very much and we are so thankful that God has entrusted you to us.

Cuteness

Today while Lance and Sawyer were eating lunch, I walked out of the room. When I returned, they were both eating a little debbie cake. I said," Sawyer, who gave you that?!" to which he responded, "God!"

We've been reading the creation story a lot this week (repetition, repetition, repetition) and I'm hoping that he's remembering all the times I've told him that God made everything and everything we have comes from Him!
He's so cute!

Snow Cream...

For breakfast!!

When Lance went out to get all the snow off his car, he scraped some into a bowl for us.

My daddy taught me how to make snow cream, so today I showed Sawyer how to do it! He had fun stirring everything together:

And sneaking in bites:

Snow Cream for breakfast is the best!

Snow!

It started snowing around 4 today and I couldn't wait to take Sawyer out! It snowed last year, but he wasn't walking, so I just held him and he looked at it. But today, he really got to experience it for the first time. When he first walked out, he kept swatting at the falling snow, like he does with bubbles. He called it "no!"

And to make the afternoon even better, all of Lance's meetings got cancelled at church, so he's been home with us, which is VERY rare on a Sunday!

Fun Filled Saturday: Part III

Brently and his friend Ali came to visit Saturday evening. Sawyer adores both of them. We were happy to be able to visit with them for a little while!

The adults got fancy coffee from McDonalds, so Sawyer got chocolate milk!

Come back soon, Uncle Brently and Auntie Ali!

Fun Filled Saturday: Part II

Baby Aidan turned one Saturday, so we went to his birthday party at our church fellowship hall. He had a dino theme, and Jen did such a good job with everything. It was a great party!

Baby Aidan!

His awesome dinosaur cake, made by a friend at church!

Dinosaur head made out of a watermelon!!

The best part of first birthday parties!

Jen had plenty of activities for the little ones to do...Sawyer's playing with a huge bowling pin here!

Sawyer trying to take back the present he gave Aidan!

We had so much fun at the party! There's a very special place in our family's heart for baby A and his mommy and daddy! I love him like he's my own and over the past 10 months, Jen and I have grown very close. Sawyer also loves Jen and Ward. It's nice to have "family" when your real family is far away (I know they're not that far, but it feels really far!)

Fun-filled Saturday Part I

On Saturday, my family came to visit, we went to Aidan's 1st birthday party, and Brently and Ali came to visit. We had a very fun day!!

Drinking "Pepi" with Murphy and his new Gabba Gabba, "Foofa"

Playing on Murphy's phone!

Coloring with Papa

Sawyer LOOOVES having Mush, Papa, and Murphy come visit (and so do I)!