Thanksgiving Weekend…

Thanksgiving day we headed to Little Rock to meet up with Paul’s parents and visit with family for the day.  We started out by stopping at his Uncle Tommy and Aunt Jerry’s house to see them and some of Paul’s cousins.  We were able to visit with them for a little bit and then we headed down the street (literally like a mile down the same street), to Paul’s grandparents for Thanksgiving Dinner. 

 Wyatt got to meet some of his Aunts, Uncles and cousins while at Mimi and PawPaw’s house for Thanksgiving.  By the time we got to their house, Wyatt was exhausted and he took a 2 hour nap on the guest bed!  It was a really nice time for a nap, because it gave Paul and I the chance to eat and chat with family, uninterrupted!!

After Wyatt woke up and had his bottle he spent some time being shuffled amongst the family members!  Everyone wanted a chance to hold and love on the new addition!! 

We didn’t get many pictures that day (We have to get better about that), but here is one of Wyatt and his Aunt Jenni!!  It’s hard to tell in the picture, but Wyatt was wearing a Pearl Button Shirt, and a Turkey Bib that said “I’m Stuffed”.  It was adorable!!

Wyatt and Aunt Jenni

After dinner and visiting, we headed back to Tommy and Jerry’s house to spend a little more time with them.  While there we watched the rest of the football game, passed Wyatt around some more, and then packed up and headed to Paul’s parents’ house to spend the rest of the weekend!

Friday, Paul and I decided to head out and run a couple of errands and Paul’s parents said they would keep Wyatt for us.  He did really well with them; Sweetie (Paul’s mom) was even able to get him to go down for a nap!!  While he napped, Paul and I took out Doodah’s (Paul’s dad) motorcycle.  It was nice to be able to do something we enjoyed so much before having Wyatt!  It was even nicer to not have to worry about him, knowing he was in good hands with Doodah and Sweetie! 

When we got home, Susan, Jerry Wayne, Bowen and Heston had just arrived to spend the weekend with all of us!  Shortly after that, Mimi, PawPaw, Jenni and Phillip arrived to visit with everyone and see Heston (the newest addition to the whole family).  We all got to spend some time together, eat, and chat!  It was such a fun afternoon.  After the Little Rock group headed back, we headed out to get dinner at a local burger place, it was a fun day!! 

Saturday morning, Paul and I got Wyatt up and headed to one of my favorite places in Paul’s hometown for breakfast!  We got to meet up with Courtney and Cady, who were also in town visiting family for Thanksgiving.  I LOVE having the chance to meet up with Courtney; she is such a caring and fun person!  I can’t wait until Wyatt is a little bit older and can play with Cady.  For this meeting he just kind of stared at her, I believe he was trying to flirt…  I guess you can’t start too early?!

Saturday afternoon we headed up Mt. Nebo, in a neighboring town.  Paul and I had taken some pictures on Mt. Nebo the first time I went to Arkansas, and I wanted to try to get some pictures of our family up there as well!  Paul’s Aunt Jerry, cousin Jennifer (with daughter Caryssa), and cousin Jorgia, had come to spend the afternoon with everyone, so they followed us up the mountain to wait for the rest of the group!  We stopped by the visitor’s center, and headed off to Sunset Point (one side of the mountain).

Mommy and Wyatt

Look at the view behind us, it felt like you could see forever!

Daddy and Wyatt

Jennifer, Jerry (in back); Caryssa, Jorgi (in front)

We left Sunset Point and headed to the playground so the “kids” could play for a little bit, while we waited for the rest of the group to get up the mountain.  When we got to the playground they had some swings, which were always my favorite as a kid.  Everyone took turns swinging, including Wyatt!!  Wyatt really enjoyed swinging in the infant-seat swing, enough that he fell asleep and got to wear his daddy’s hat to block the sun!!  We ended up spending a couple hours at the playground, with everyone eventually joining us and playing as well!

Mommy getting Wyatt settled in the swing

Daddy and Wyatt Swinging

Paul and Jerry

Jennifer and I swinging

Wyatt in Daddy's hat

Bowen, Susan, Caryssa, and Jerry Wayne

One Happy Boy!

After everyone had a chance to play for a bit, we headed over to Sunrise Point to try to take some more pictures.  Thanks to the tripod we were able to get a group picture, but Wyatt wasn’t being very cooperative at that point for any family pictures!!

Group Shot

Susan, Bowen, Jerry Wayne and Heston

Jennifer and Caryssa

Family Photo with a not happy Wyatt

After pictures we decided that it was time to eat, so we headed to Brick Oven Pizza!  We all enjoyed some pizza, good conversation, and the Razorback game! 

When we were finished, we headed back to Doodah and Sweetie’s to get in our pajamas and relax.  There is a big rivalry in Paul’s family when it comes to LSU/Razorback football.  One of Paul’s Aunts and her family are HUGE LSU fans, where the rest of the family pretty much roots for Arkansas.  It always makes for an interesting LSU/Arkansas football game.  When Paul’s nephew Bowen was a baby the LSU Aunt gave him an LSU sleeper.  Jerry Wayne found it and decided it would be funny to get a picture with Heston in LSU and Wyatt in his Razorback gear…

LSU Heston and Razorback Wyatt

Heston realizes he is in LSU gear, Wyatt is concerned as well...

Both boys freaking out! Once Heston got changed the boys made up and are friends again!

Sunday morning we made a quick stop at Doodah and Sweetie’s Sunday school class before heading home.  We had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend, we hope you did too!!

Zoo Lights

The weekend before Thanksgiving; Susan, Jerry, Bowen, and Heston (Paul’s sister and her family) came over so that we could all go to the Memphis Zoo and see Zoo Lights!

We started the evening by enjoying some yummy Hibachi at Shogun’s!  Then we bundled up and headed to the Zoo for Zoo lights!

I was super excited for this exhibit at the Zoo, and it did not disappoint.  When we first entered the Zoo, they had “snow” (soap bubble) machines blowing snow down on you, to really get you in the Holiday spirit!  The Zoo was a glow with sights and sounds of the holidays, they had horse drawn carriage rides, caroling, and of course – Christmas Lights!!  Most of the exhibits were open, so we got to enjoy seeing some of the animals while viewing all of the lights!

We started by heading to the Zoo’s newest exhibit – Teton Trek. 

Teton Trek Sign

Teton Trek has elements from Yellowstone National Forest.  The beautiful lodge is a replica of one of the lodge’s found in Yellowstone.  It is a beautiful structure, and it housed Santa Claus for pictures!  We took time to take a family picture in front of the HUGE tree…

Family Photo 2009

Then we walked around and looked at the Zoo’s newest additions, some baby bear cubs, wolves, and elk (I think they were elk at least?!).

Bear Cub

Wolf

Elk

Next we headed off to see the polar bears!  Wyatt fell asleep as we walked over to the polar bear “cave” but we took a family picture next to one of the snowflake trees anyway!! 

Family Photo - Snowflake Tree 2009

Susan, Bowen, and Heston enjoyed watching the sea lions!

Susan, Bowen, and Heston

After visiting the polar bears and sea lions, we wandered around the Zoo, looking at all the lights and stationary displays!  Wyatt LOVED the lights, can’t you tell by this face?

Wyatt - Happy Boy!!

We couldn’t resist posing Wyatt with a giant Christmas Present…

The best gift of 2009!!

The last stop we made was to see the Reindeer!  Dasher and Dancer were visiting from the North Pole! 

Dasher and Dancer

After visiting with the reindeer, we headed back to the cars; it had gotten late, and COLD!!  We stopped at the tree in front of the Zoo for one last picture…

Group Shot 2009

We had so much fun that day, and can’t wait to make it a fun family tradition!!  I can’t help but smile when I think that next year we will be chasing Wyatt and Heston through the exhibits!  I for one, can’t wait!!

Three Months (a little late)…

Here is Wyatt’s three-month picture…

Three Months

What are you up too at Three Months Wyatt? 

-  You are still sleeping really well at night, you only get up once between 10 pm – 8am!  I know you like sleeping for a longer time at night, it makes you such a happy boy in the morning!!  You usually nap twice a day.  In the morning, about 2 hours after you wake up, you take an hour nap.  In the afternoon, you take a 2-3 hour nap, and wake up right around the time Daddy gets home from work!!

-  You still eat about 4 ounces every 2-3 hours.  You are growing and changing every single day!  Daddy and I can’t wait until you can start eating baby food, and eventually solid food!!

-  You still don’t cry very often, only when you are really hungry or fighting going to sleep.  You just don’t want to miss anything!!

-  You still LOVE your vibrating seat, especially when Daddy bounces it!!  You also really enjoy your swing, and love the little play toys (giraffe and tiger) that are on the tray.  You just stare at them and have little conversations with them, it’s soo fun!

-  You got to go out of town and stay at Doodah and Sweetie’s house over Thanksgiving weekend!  You even stayed with them so Mommy and Daddy could do some shopping and go out on Doodah’s motorcycle! 

-  You LOVE watching your Daddy.  You will just follow him around the room with your eyes/head.  When he gets home from work you kick your feet, smile and make lots of noise!  It is your favorite part of the day!

-  You have started pushing up with your arms when you lay on your belly!  You look like a sea lion when you do it!  It is so cute!  You are now sitting up really well on your own!  You also love being held up so you can “stand”.     

-  You have the biggest smile, and sweetest laugh. 

Wyatt, you are so much fun to be around and make me so happy to be your Mommy!  This next month will have so many wonderful firsts for you, meeting Santa, your first Christmas, and much, much, more!  I can’t wait to be a part of this magical time with you!!

A Sunday Stroll…

Last Sunday was a beautiful day, so we decided to head out to Meeman-Shelby State Park to do a little hike.  Meeman-Shelby Park has campgrounds, frisbee golf, bike trails, boat ramps (into the Mighty Mississippi), hunting, and quite a few different hiking trails.

Since it was our first hike with Wyatt we went with the one mile loop through the woods.  The hike took us about 30 minutes, and included some climbing and descending.  I carried Wyatt in a carrier on my stomach, and there were a couple times when I think I really scared Paul!!  To be perfectly honest, there were a couple of times when I scared myself!!  Here are a couple of pictures from our Sunday Stroll…

Mommy and Wyatt

Watch your step!

Family Photo

Paul

We had such a great time, and can’t wait to go back and do a longer hike!!

 

Two Years Ago…

Two years ago, in a pretty church, about a block from the beach,

In front of our family and friends, my dad walked me down the aisle.

Paul was at the end of the aisle, with some of our closest friends.

Paul and I stood at the altar and exchanged our vows, imagining what our life together would hold.

Then we were pronounced husband and wife, and Paul kissed his bride.

At the reception we had our first dance, to the song, Cross My Heart by George Strait.

Today, these words ring just as true as they did two years ago today:

“I cross my heart, and promise to,

Give all I’ve got to give, to make all your dreams come true.

In all the world, you’ll never find, a love as true as mine.”

**Paul, you are my best friend, an amazing husband, and wonderful father.  You made one of my dreams come true on November 10, 2007, and have continued to make them come true ever since.  As the song says, “From here on after, let’s stay the way we are right now, And share all the love and laughter, that a lifetime will allow.”  Happy Anniversary Paul, I love you!

Weekend Recap

We had a busy but fun weekend.

Friday, we took Wyatt for his 2 month check up and to get his 2 month shots.  His check up went smoothly, he weighed in at 12 lbs 13 oz, and was 24 inches long.  He is in the 75th percentile for both, and is very healthy!  He did great during the exam, laughing, smiling, chatting with the Doctor.  Then the nurse came in and it was time for his shots.  The nurse started by giving him an oral vaccine, which must have tasted AWFUL, because he had the most sour face while he was drinking it.  When that was over, it was time for the shots.  He had to get 3 shots which covered multiple vaccines.  She had me hold his arms and try to comfort him while she stuck him twice in one leg, and once in the other.  He let out a wail when they stuck him the first time and then held his breath while they gave him the other two.  Then he cried hysterically for about 15 minutes.  Then we put him in his carseat and left quickly.  He fell asleep in the car.  He slept for awhile, and woke up screaming.  He ran a temperature that afternoon, but infants tylenol did the trick.  Later that evening he started feeling more like himself, and then slept fine that night.

Halloween morning we woke up and carved pumpkins!  It was so much fun, and I can’t wait for Wyatt to be able to help in the future.  It will be a great family tradition!  We were able to get a family photo with the carved pumpkins…

Family Photo

We had two pumpkin’s with faces carved into them, and Paul did a R^3!!  He is always so creative when it comes to carving pumpkins!!

Pumpkins at Night

Halloween night we went trick-or-treating with our neighbors – Tara, Derek and Kaylee.  Kaylee is 2 1/2 and was a strawberry for Halloween!!  Soo cute!  Wyatt got all dressed up too…

Elvis!!

That’s right, Elvis was alive and well in Memphis on Halloween night!!  How adorable was he?  He loved riding around in his stroller and getting candy!!

Trick or Treating 2009

We got home and Wyatt wanted to see all of his goodies…

Wyatt and his goodies...

He was very sad when we told him that he couldn’t have any of the goodies this year, but promised him next year he would get to eat some!!

We had a wonderful Halloween weekend, and we hope you did too!!!

 

Two Months…

I can hardly believe that Wyatt is TWO months old today! 

Remember what Wyatt looked like at birth and One Month?  Here is a reminder…

5 days old

1 Month

Now here is our little guy at TWO months…

2 Months

 

Wyatt and I have a blast every morning when he wakes up.  He is such a happy baby in the morning.  He just smiles and laughs at me.  We talk, sing, tell stories, and have so much fun!  We normally spend the first hour and a half of the day doing those things, then Wyatt takes a little nap!  I treasure these moments, as I realize they will pass all too quickly!! 

 

What else are you up too at Two Months Wyatt? 

-  You sleep for an 8 hour block and a 3 hour block at night, the only thing that changes is the order of the blocks!!  You started sleeping in this schedule at 6 weeks old!!  You LOVE to sleep at night, and I love getting sleep at night!!  You make Mommy very happy with your sleeping schedule!

-  You are eating really good!  You eat 4 ounces at a time.  Sometimes you seem like you are starving after 4 ounces and eat another 2 ounces!!

-  You still don’t cry very often, only when you are really hungry or fighting going to sleep.  You just don’t want to miss anything!!

-  You LOVE your boppy pillow and your bouncy seat.  In the past 2 weeks or so you have really gotten a LOT of use out of your swing.  You will stare at the arms, or at the TV while swinging back and forth, sometimes you even take naps in the swing!!

-  You had your first overnight visit this past weekend!!  We took you to Hot Springs, AR to visit with Shane and Bethany.  We spent 3 nights and 4 days away from home, you did fantastic!  I just know that you are going to LOVE traveling, just like your parents!

-  You are very observant, your eyes are constantly moving when you are awake.  You will now follow the sound of a voice by moving your eyes and head!  It is wonderful!

-  You are starting to have control of your neck when sitting.  You will lift your head up when laying on your belly as well!!   

-  You have the biggest smile, and sweetest laugh. 

-  You are changing, growing, and learning new things EVERY day!  You are constantly surprising your Daddy and I.  We love watching you mimic our movements and sounds.  You just want to talk so bad! 

-  When you have tummy time, you will push your legs into the ground and try to move across the floor.  You are trying so hard to crawl.  I know once you figure it out, you will be GONE!!  I just hope I have the house ready for you!!

Wyatt, you are such a wonderful baby, your Daddy and I love spending time with you!!  Everyone who meets you, adores you, and you are truly the light of our lives!  We can’t wait to see what you learn over the next month!!

Wyatt has his 2 month check up on Friday.  Paul and I are going to try to guess how much he has grown over the past 6 weeks.  If you want to make a guess, leave it in the comments of this post… It will be fun to see who is the closest!!  I will tell you this, at birth Wyatt was 21 inches long and 7lbs 11 oz., at 2 weeks he was 21 inches and 8 lbs 12 oz.   I look forward to seeing your guesses!!!

Future Engineer

Lately Wyatt has been examining things with a new intensity.  He has an adorable look on his face as he tries to figure out how things work.  It absolutely cracks Paul and I up.

Wyatt has finally started enjoying his swing.  The other day we put him in his swing and he just stared at the arms as they moved back and forth.  I asked him what he was looking at, he started smiling and blabbing, as if he was explaining to me how it all works.  It was hilarious!! 

 

Wyatt staring at the arm...

Intense stare...

 From the beginning, I have said that Wyatt can be anything he wants to be!  With the way he examines the way things work, I might just have a future engineer on my hands…  If that is the case, I’m glad that Wyatt has both of his engineer Granddad’s to ask for help!!

‘Cause I’ve been watching you…

Some songs have new meaning now.  Lyrics from “Watching You” by Rodney Atkins…

Cause I’ve been watching you, Dad ain’t that cool?

Wyatt watching Daddy

I’m your buckaroo, I want to be like you.

Wyatt imitating Daddy

And eat all my food and grow as tall as you are

Wyatt holding his own bottle

By then I’ll be strong as Superman

Wyatt in his bouncy seat

We’ll be just alike, hey, wont we Dad

Razorback Fans...

When I can do everything you can

Wyatt October 15

‘cause I’ve been watching you…

Wyatt watching Daddy

Pumpkin Patch…

I would have to say that Fall is one of my favorite times of the year.  I love the crispness in the air, treating yourself to caramel apple ciders and pumpkin spice lattes, and pulling out the sweaters and boots!  As a child, I would look forward to this time of year because it meant it was time for the pumpkin patch.  The pumpkin patch we visited as kids had lots to do, corn mazes, stacked hay bales made into a fortress to climb on, hayrides, petting zoo, and of course, tons and tons of pumpkins.  As kids, my sister, brother and I would spend hours playing at the pumpkin patch, and picking out the perfect pumpkin.  These are memories that I cherish, and want for Wyatt!  Paul knew how important taking Wyatt to the Pumpkin Patch was to me, and even though I am sure he was thinking “Wyatt is 7 1/2 weeks old, he will never remember going to the Pumpkin Patch this year”, he humored me and let me research the perfect patch to visit.

After some research of local Pumpkin Patches, I found the perfect one.  Who cares that it was a little bit of a drive from our house?  Not me!  So, we woke up Friday morning, got dressed in our Pumpkin Patch gear, and off we went.  I was, by far, the most excited person in the car.  I was giddy as we turned down the road leading to Cedar Hill Farm.  I thought for sure, being a Friday, the patch would not be as crowded as on a weekend.  I failed to consider that it could be field trip day, which it was!  As we pulled into the parking lot we were met with about 10 school buses… Just something to remember for next year.

Cedar Hill Farm was incredible!!  They had a petting zoo (with lots of free feed), pig races, multiple play areas for kids, a train ride, hay ride to the pumpkin patch, a pirate ship, pony rides, lots of picnic areas, a catch and release pond, corn maze, and a restaurant!  It was fun for us to go, but I can’t wait until Wyatt is able to run around and take full advantage of everything. 

We started off by walking around the petting zoo.  They had pigs, cows, turkeys, donkeys, goats, chickens, sheep, miniature horses, even some peacocks!  Wyatt’s favorites were the goats…

Wyatt and the Goats

 We had to stop and take our picture in the cutouts…

Mommy and Wyatt

 

Daddy and Wyatt

 

Daddy and Wyatt in Pumpkin Patch Attire

Next it was time for the pig races!  They had three pigs in each race, and there were three races.  We stood beside the track and cheered on the pigs!  Wyatt was fascinated by the race, but did not like all the yelling from the school children watching as well!

Mommy and Wyatt at the Pig Race Track

All the kids waiting for the races to start

The Pigs Racing...

After watching the pig races we wandered around the farm, checking out all the fun things that we can look forward to in years to come!  I can’t wait for next Fall when we can take Wyatt in his red wagon, and let him pick out his perfect pumpkin!  I just know Fall will hold so many special memories for him!

Then we decided to pose on some hay bales with some pumpkins…  (Most pictures are of me/Wyatt or Paul/Wyatt, it’s hard to get a family shot…)

Mommy and Wyatt 2009

Daddy and Wyatt 2009

Next, we hopped on the hayride and headed out to the pumpkin patch…

Family Pumpkin Patch Picture 2009

We took LOTS of pictures of Wyatt around the pumpkins in the field.  Here is my favorite…

Wyatt 2009

After walking around the patch, we walked over to the pirate ship.  By this time Wyatt was getting really tired, and fell asleep soon after.  So, after checking out the ship, we skipped the corn maze and decided to pick out some pumpkins and head home.  Wyatt slept soundly through getting our pumpkins, eating lunch, and driving home! 

Our pumpkins are now sitting in front of our house, just waiting to be carved.  Carving will take place closer to Halloween so the pumpkins won’t rot. 

We had a wonderful family day at the Pumpkin Patch.  Wyatt won’t have actual memories from this particular trip, but we will have pictures to show him later on.  I know that in the future Wyatt will look forward to our annual family trip to Cedar Hill Farm, and I will no longer be the only one who gets giddy as we turn down the long driveway to the farm.