Some cute things before I forget

I do...

For quite some time now Legree has been using "I do" to replace his "yes". For example, do you want to eat lunch? "I do". Do you want to color? "I do". It's so funny and cute! Now that he's in school he's started to say "yes" more because I guess he's finally realized that that is the correct response. I never corrected him because we all thought it was so cute and part of him!

I want to pick APPLES!....

We went to the mountains for a quick day trip this past weekend. We had talked about going to pick apples while we were up there. They also talked about apples at his school this past week. Well, I guess Legree latched onto that idea and all weekend all we heard over and over again was " I want to pick APPPPLLLESS!". Too cute!


I'm scared of....

Lately Legree is "scared" of everything. Really he's not scared of anything (except Ben's uncle John for some unknown reason). But instead of saying he doesn't want something he says he's scared of it. I offered him some bread with pumpkin butter on it the other day and instead of saying no or I don't want it he proclamied he was "scared" of pumpkin butter and started screaming when I got it near him. What a mess!!

Legree has started to potty train some now too! Another plus from going to school! He usually goes potty two or three times a day (never more then that and not all the time)... but it's a start!! He also has gotten to where he does NOT want to leave his grandparents houses. If we go there for a visit he will literally grab onto the door frames screaming if we try to leave.

Okay, there's my quick Legree update... more to come!!

A bum again

I've become a bum again. So, a quick update on what's going on in our lives...

1. I've started a business with two of my closest friends, Megan and Jessica. They are extremely talented. Jess in the jewlery field (among other areas) and Megan with her diaper cakes and canvases... you wouldn't believe the cute and beautiful stuff these girls come up with! I am on the sewing end and have no clue what I'm doing, but maybe i'll catch up :). Our business is Simply Sweet Gifts. We are going to festivals, selling online etc. more details soon! Here we are at our very first festival!

2. We're heading to the Garden City SC to enjoy the beach for a week. We leave on Sat and I'm SUPER excited!! Legree LOVES the beach and so does this mommy! Let's pray this hurricane doesn't mess up our plans.

3. Legree starts preschool on Sept 6th. I don't want to think about it or talk about it, we are attached at the hip and I don't know what I'm going to do without him! Maybe work on my business? That would be a start!

That's all for now! Pictures and updates to come when we get back from the beach!

At the risk of being cheesy...

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder,
You get your fill to eat, But always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed.....



I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean....

Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance I hope you dance

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Living might mean taking chances
But they're worth taking ....Lovin' might be a mistake ....But it's worth making

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Living might mean taking chances
But they're worth taking
Lovin' might be a mistake
But it's worth making
Don't let some hell bent heart
Leave you bitter

When you come close to selling out
Reconsider....
Give the heavens above
More than just a passing glance

I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance, Dance.....

Happy 4th of July!

This is how we spent our 4th of July weekend...

Relaxing outside at Grandma and Paw's house... cousin Ava, Uncle Jeremy and Aunt Keri came down to play...

We had picnics outside with yummy summer foods...

We found a new found love of the slip and slide...

We took a trip to the zoo to see all the animals... (best trip ever, we got there right when they opened and I've never seen the animals so active, I guess because it was cooler)

We feed the giraffes at the zoo...

We pretended to take naps with cousin Ava... when really all we did was giggle

We dressed alike to make sure we were the cutest kids at the Peach Festival...

We tried to talk Paw into letting us drive the tractor in the Peach Festival...

We rode in the wagon Paw made us in the Peach Festival... Legree helped Paw drive while everyone else rode in the wagon.. (don't let this picture fool you there were TONS of people, this is when we were in line waiting to get to the parade route)

We played in the park with our most favorite and prettiest little girl...(gree's girlfriend Kaylynn)

Legree's 2nd Birthday Party... part 2... the decorations

Legree's birthday party this year was a John Deere theme. If you don't know us personally, or Legree, then you don't know that he is OBSESSED with John Deere (no other tractor will do). Ben's father restores antique John Deere's and has quite a few, so Legree has grown up aroud him. I have a picture of Legree when he was 2 months old sitting up on an antique tractor. One of his first words and his first multiple word was "John Deere". So, it was only natural to have his birthday party John Deere. I scoured the internet for John Deere decorations and everything was just SO expensive. So, I just decided to get crafty and do it on my own. It was pretty easy to just stick to the green and yellow theme with a couple of tractors thrown in. Legree loved the theme! The whole ride home from the party he kept saying "My John Deere party!" "My John Deere party!" It made this mommy's heart melt! For all the hard work, time and effort to hear his exciment even after we left was PRICELESS!

Here are some pictures and descriptions...

This is a banner I made to hang up at the party. I did one like this last year with a picture for each month. So, I used those same pictures for the first year and then printed off pictures for each month for the second year. I attached the pictures to the ribbon by... get this... sewing them onto the ribbon! Who knew you could sew pictures, but you can! I used my circle cutter to cut out 24 circles and wrote the month on each one. It turned out super cute and everyone loved seeing the pictures!






I purchased the cupcake toppers and wrappers from Chickabug on Etsy. Super easy and cute! I just printed the PDF off that she sent me, cut them out and put them on the cupcakes. I found the cupcake stands on clearance at Walmart for $3 a piece! Can't beat that! I took ribbon and tied it onto the cupcake stands for some extra pizzaz. The Happy Birthday hat was given to Legree on his 1st birthday. Thank goodness it didn't say 1st birthday because it was perfect for this birthday. And I completed the cupcake table with a picture of Legree on his tractor.



This was a big hit at the party! A Balloon wreath. I can't take the credit. I mean I made it, but the idea came from here: http://www.howdoesshe.com/birthday-wreath. I love this blog! They have the cutest crafts and ideas. This one was SO easy and precious!




And here's a picture of the food table. Nothing to fancy. Just the food, the wreath and a couple of pictures of our little man around it.

This is not the best picture of these little gems. But they are cake pops. Ever heard of them? Well you need to go make some... now! Because they are OH SO GOOD! Do you like to eat cake batter? You know like the spoon clean of cake batter? Well, these puppies taste just like cake batter, but they are fully cooked! I got the idea here: http://brodyfrancis.blogspot.com/2011/04/cake-pops.html .

I'm so glad I made them! I had these in cups sitting on each table for people to eat as they wanted. They were soo good! Everyone was begging for the recipe on how to make them. Basically you bake a cake, cool it, crumble it all up in a bowl (like into little pieces), mix it with a can of frosting, roll it into balls, stick it on a lollipop stick and coat it with melted candy and cover with sprinkles. Sugar rush much? Seriously, give them a try! YUMMY!

And last but not least the kids table. Pretty simple but the kids loved the tractors on the table. And each kid had a bag with their name on it. They got crayon rolls monogrammed with their name on it (thanks to my sister in law Keri), a coloring book (I just printed off farm pictures off the internet and tied the papers together to make a personalized coloring book. The cover said "Thanks for coming to my party! Love, Legree) and they had a package of John deere fruit snacks.

There you have it! Pretty cheap but still very cute nd fun for the kids!

Next up, the party, the guests, the birthday boy eating his TWO cupcakes AND the John Deere Choo Choo train!! Yup, you read that right... Legree had a John Deere pulling a little train at his party (courtesy of his Paw Lewis).

I feel so blessed...

to call myself this little guy's mommy...

Birthday details and more pictures to come soon!

Legree's Birthday party... Part 1... getting ready!

Legree's 2nd birthday party will be this weekend. I've been stressing myself out like crazy about it! Last year I said I wouldn't do this and all the months leading up to it I said it wouldn't be a big deal, I wasn't going all out, I wasn't going to invite many people etc etc. And now here we are, just a few short days from his party. We have 50 or more people coming to his party, I've made two banners, his outfit for the party, got tons of decorations, made a wreath, got food all lined up, am making all the cupcakes and an extra dessert. I'm crazy! But I wouldn't have it any other way. I love decorationg and throwing parties. And I love my little man like crazy so combining the two just seems logical and even more exciting for me (although still a bit stressful).

Why do you need 50 people at a two year olds birthday party might you ask?? Well, we just couldn't leave out anyone! We want to share our little guy with ALL of our family and friends and not exclude anyone. Our aunts, uncles, parents, cousins, brothers, sis-in-laws, nieces, nephews and friends have all played such a BIG role in getting us to this point, we don't want to exclude anyone in the fun!! Plus Legree loves a crowd to show off too, so he'll have a ball! We also both have big, close knit families so there you go!

So, next week I'll have pictures of all the decorations, my little man (Daddy says I'm not allowed to call him a baby any more!), and all of our family friends together to celebrate the most important little boy on earth! Ok, well he's the most important to me :).

Legree did not disappoit!

Legree certainly did not disappoint me this year at the beach. Not that he really could... but I was super excited to see how he'd react to the wide open space, the sand between his toes, the waves, the waney (water). His reaction was better then I could have expected! Seeing these things through your child's eyes is like reliving the beach as a child again yourself. It makes you really appreciate the beauty, simplicity and fun that God gave us in a beach!

The highlights from the trip:

1. Legree running around and trying to keep up with all the "big kids" (his cousins). He played ball, danced, and showed off for them like I've never seen before! He was a hoot!

2. Legree loved the beach and wanted to go as deep as he possible could! Everytime a wave would hit him he would just die laughing. And he'd lick the water off of his face and say Yumm Yumm! ( So gross!).

Here's a picture of Legree going as deep as he would go. He would get mad if we tried to help him walk or stay steady in the water. When we let him go, he'd walk out until the water was up to his chin. SO SCARY for this mommy!!

Here's a picture of a wave hitting him and his reaction!! What kid likes getting hit in the face like that with water?? What a crazy boy!! (By the way, we did not normally let him get hit that hard with the waves. Although he would have loved it if we would have let him. This was a big one that hit him hard, he loved it, but normally we helped him jump them)

3. Ben and Legree build a sandcastle that Legree called a "Barn" for his John Deeres. He's always worried about where he's going to put his John Deeres. Even on the beach! He must have sat there an hour building onto his barn and playing in the sand.

We had so much fun at the beach we are ready to go pack! We were only there two days and only got to go out on the beach twice. We weren't planning on taking another beach trip and try to save the money, but we both decided we just have to. The memories are too special. We'll just cut corners and save money elsewhere. So, I think we'll be headed to Garden City beach sometime in August for the week with my parents!! I'm SO excited for them to get to see Gree out on the beach and playing. And they are too!!

Getting ready for Edisto

We're headin to Edisto tomorrow to spend the weekend with Ben's family (all his aunts and uncles and cousins on his dad's side). We went last year for the whole week with them. We are trying to cut expenses so we decided to only go for the weekend this year. I am SO SO SO excited to see Legree at the beach this year!! He was a TON of fun last year. He had just started walking and was into everything. He would just crawl right into the ocean last year. This year will be even more fun I'm sure! I just know he'll run around like a wild man! Pics and details to come soon...

Legree on Edisto beach last year... ohh the sweetness, the babyness, the cuteness in him!! I could just eat him up with a spoon!!

The world according to Legree...

Legree is now 23 months! I can't believe my little baby will be 2 years old next month!! So, in honor of the 23 month mark I thought I'd share some 23 month old "thoughts and ideas" according to Legree.







He sure is head strong and wants things his way already! When he gets an idea in his head it HAS To happen or a tantrum begins. We're working on that, but between mine and Ben's genes, stubborness is bound to be one of his fine qualities!




1. The word "green" does not exist. That color that you are referring to as "Green" is called "John Deere". You won't convince Legree otherwise.




2. The word "red" also does not exist. That color is "pink" and any shade of red or pink is "pink". Also, don't tell Legree otherwise.




3. All balloons are "mine bawoons" (Legree's) and he thinks he should have one whenever he sees it. Once we get home with a balloon, all interest is lost.





4. Pancakes and dip-dip (syrup) come before any form of drink in the morning. When Legree is ready for a drink, I hand it to him, he sits it on the table and then immediately picks it back up and starts drinking it. Why he can't just start drinking it when I hand it to him, I will probably never know!





5. If you say the word "fries" in front of Legree, you'd better be prepared with fries in hand to give to him. If not, you'll hear the word "fries" about 10,000 times until you hand them over.




6. Don't tell Legree you are going somewhere until you are 100% ready to walk out the door with him. Otherwise, tantrums will ensue!




7. ALL tractors are John Deeres. Doesn't matter what color or make they are, if they are real or just in a coloring book. They are John Deeres and he loves them.




8. Whenever I give Legree a blank page of paper to color on, he always "draws" (scribbles) and announces it's a choo-choo train.


9. Legree now knows when we are passing by the local park. If we don't pull in, I hear "park? go n there!" Over and over again...




10. Mommy's hair is solely for Legree's pulling and playing with pleasure. 23 months and I still can't break that habit. It hurts like crazy, but is so sweet too!




11. Once we get outside to go somewhere he generally bolts for the fence to see the dog. I have to tell him that we're going to see Ian or Kaylynn to get him to come too me. I think he'll probably catch on soon that we're not really going to see them (at least not all the time). So, I should probably stop huh?





12. If the dishwasher is open, he must help get the dishes out. It doens't matter if they are clean or not, they must come out.





13. No one is allowed near him while he is... doing his business. If you try he yells "nooooo" and hides.


14. The word "yes" does not exist. Instead if you ask Legree a question and he wants to answer in the affirmitive it is answered with "I do". Like: Legree, do you want something to eat? I do! Legree, do you want to ride tractors? I do! He never ever answers with a yes. So weird!




15. He will not say Grandma or any variation of it. I think he's said it about 4 or 5 times. He can say about anything now and he knows who his grandma's are, of course. But he refuses to say it!




16. Popsicles and syrup are their own food group and he tries to make sure I give him 5-6 servings of each a day. (That doesn't happen, but he begs constantly!) Here's Legree with a "pop". While he eats the "pop" he says Yum Yum! And then followed by... COOOOLLLD! And he shivers... that's what he's doing here.







17. If he doesn't recognize a food, he will not eat it. Even if it's really good. Like hot dogs. He won't touch them because we don't eat them too much. But I know if he'd just try it he'd like it. Ohh well!




18. Going "outsii" (outside) to play with "Kiwo" (Kilo) is an essential part of the day. Don't mess with this time or you will get a serious tantrum! We often "fight" about this everyday. I won't let him go out while he's tantruming over going out, which causes more tantrums, which causes more time outs. It's a mess!




Okay, that's all for now!

I promise he does look like me...

Okay, in my last post I said that Legree looks a little like me. Then I realized the picture I chose as a comparison (see above post) makes Legree look JUST LIKE BEN! Honestly, it really doesn't matter... but I wanted to show a picture of Legree that DOES look like me :)




Same day, same photo shoot...
and the picture of Ben and I as little kiddos again :)

Things that make 22 month old Legree smile...

While going through some stuff at the house I found a picture of me around 18months old that was taken at Olin Mills. You southerners know what I'm talking about. The ONLY portrait studio back in the day where all cheesy family pictures were taken.

Anyways, I'm smiling in it and to my suprise Legree looks like me! Well, a little. He's still Ben's boy for sure, but I can see it in the smie. Since Legree was born everyone (including myself) thought Legree looks just like Ben. Now, I see some of me in him! Not that it really matters, I kind of liked that our little boy looks like Ben. I'm rambling now... so here's the picture, and one of Ben too.




And now one of Legree for comparison...




Seeing the picture of myself as a little lady made me think about the extent we go through to get Legree to smile in pictures sometimes. And then it made me wonder what silly things my parents did to get me smiling. So, I thought I'd list some things that we do to get Legree to smile for the camera...

1. "MUUUUSSSSHHH" said in a really deep silly voice. It really only works when Ben does it but he ALWAYS looks up and smiles. It started when Ben was reading Goodnight Moon to Legree one night and started saying Goodnight mush funny like and it's kind of stuck.

2. Pretend Sneezing. This used to always work, but is starting to run it's coarse.

3. Dancing and waving your arms like a crazy person. Works the best when Ben does it, Legree pays NO attention to me when the camera is out. I think he's just over me taking pictures.

4. Singing a silly song that you make up. If he knows he wants to sing along or doesn't pay attention

5. Making silly noises, but watch out because he'll start to mimick you!

Okay, that's it for this Wednesday's post... till next week :)

Wednesdays post

Well, as usual I'm a SLACK blogger. So I thought maybe if I set myself on a schedule I might do better. So, once a week and maybe I'll move up from there. I'm going to shoot for one post every Wednesday. So here goes...

This Wednesday we're going to talk a little about floors. Our carpet was gross! It needed to be taken out and changed. Ben and I are planning on putting the house in the market next spring and we knew this was something in our house that needed to be done before anyone would consider the house.

So, we picked out some nice (and inexpensive )laminate hardwood floors. So, hopefully it will help with the resale value of the house. Well, who am I kidding I just hope it helps to sell the house period!

Here's a picture of the new floor, complete with a cute little boy dancing with excitement over them!

A day in the life of a stay at home mom...

I love being a stay at home mom. Simple as that. I get a lot of "well, don't you want a career?", "he'd be fine with someone else watching him", etc etc. But it's my calling, it's who I am to my core and I couldn't/wouldn't change my job. Also, let my preface this post by saying.. I know not everyone can afford or want to be a SAHM. I get that. Just like I want to be here with Legree, some mom's want to be an office. I get that and that's what works for you. I don't think this job is for everyone AT ALL! Not everyone can be heart surgeons, or teachers or construction workers or nurses... so not everyone can be SAHMs either.

Being a SAHM is not all play dates, shopping all day or watching TV all day. It's tough work! I was in the working world for A LONG TIME before I became a stay at home mom. I've worked in several offices, in different capacities for different jobs. None of them came close to this. Is there times when I look around and say "What do we do next to pass the time??" You betcha! That's part of what makes it hard. We don't watch TV all day (usually two 30 minute shows a day is what Legree gets and that's while I cook breakfast and supper). Although, some days are 90 miles an hour and I don't have time to stop or sit down b/c we have too much to do!

We aren't wealthy people (contrary to popular believe that all SAHM husbands are making some big money). Ben makes good money and we are good with alloting money where we need it and being VERY careful with EVERY dollar. That's how we manage on one income, not because we are wealthy and just can. It's a sacrifice, it's a struggle... it's worth it! Since we are one income and not wealthy Legree and I can't go out shopping and spending money on this or that. Our activities have to be FREE! So, you have to get a little creative when it comes to what do in the house, around the house or near by the house that's free. I'm getting better at it. Especially as he gets older and needs more stimulation then just sitting and reading books on the floor all day. We have fun, we laugh, we play, we run around the house, we cook, we clean, we read books, we go outside and play with the dog,we do whatever we can find that needs to be done and/or looks like fun!

So, for those of you wondering what a day looks like at home, this is it...


7:20 Legree wakes up crying for his paci
7:25 Roll myself out of bed and go get him, I can't find his paci either.
7:30 Still can't find paci... oh well, he's supposed to be giving it up anyways
7:32 Turn on Barney and sit on the couch with Legree. He asks me for his cakes (pancakes). Ohh yeah, food.. forgot!
7:35 Start breakfast, mix up pancake batter, and start the frying pan going. Legree is fussing at my feet for his cakes
7:45 Cooking away and Legree is still begging. Give him a yougurt instead till the pancakes are done
8:15 Ate breakfast... now clean up all the syrup all over Legree's chair.
8:30 Finally the syrup is gone.. clean up all the dishes and clean kitchen (while Legree begs to help or gets under foot)
9:15 Done cleaning kitchen, getting everything put away etc. Legree wants to read books. OK...
9:30 After pulling every book he has off the nicely organized shelf he decided he didn't want to read any of them.
9:45 Cleaned up books, make bed... Legree sees his swing out the window and wants to go WEE HIGH! Finish making up the bed, get myself and Legree dressed.
10:00 Dad called and wants us to come over. Go outside to play.
10:30 Come back in from going outside to swing and dodge all the dog poop in the back yard.
11:00 All cleaned up, changed and ready to go to Grandparents house, Legree needs a MAJOR diaper change. Great.
11:15 Arrive at parents. Take Legree outside there to play.
12:00 Inside, Legree and dad play. I cook lunch over there.
1:00 Done eating lunch. Legree tells Grandma and Papa all his news words and tricks from the week. Plays with all their toys and runs around entertaining us. Add in several diaper changes and clothes changes because he eats a lot so he poops a lot... and he's a boy so he gets dirty, OFTEN!
1:45 Leave mom and dad's because Legree is an hour past nap time.
2:00 Carry sleeping baby boy in and put him down for nap. Check facebook/email/blog 2:30 Look around at the mess of toys from earlier in the morning. Decide to wait till later to deal with that. Clean up our bedroom.
245 Watch an episode of Grey's Anatomy (hey, everyone gets a break at your work, I do too. I just have more freedom on what I do with mine).
4:00 Start a load of laundry, fold clothes left in the dryer from a few days ago. 4:30 Check FB/email/blog again (yes I'm obsessed).
4:45 Walk around aimlessly and see what all needs to be done, like clean out our closet etc. Decide I have no time b/c Legree will be up any minute.
4:47 Research recipes online to figure out what's for dinner because I forgot to take anything out of the freezer. Decide on a yummy looking quiche that I happen to have everything for.
5:00 Legree wakes up and in is in a BAD mood. Turn on Barney so I can get supper ready, he screams when I walk away. Sit back down.
5:02. Get back up and start supper. Legree keeps fussing...
5:15 Daddy calls and says he won't be home till 6. Great, cooking supper with no extra hands. OK, not fun but i got it.
5:30 Get quiche in oven. And realize I probbly need something else to go with it. 5:32 Legree gets off couch and throws a temper tantrum to go outside. I put him in time out and watch him scream for 10 minutes.
5:42 Give Legree some Tylenol because he says his teeth hurt and that's probably why he's in a bad mood.
5:50 Ask Legree if he wants to help me make a cake. He goes nuts and is SO excited. I try to decide if I've gone crazy.
6:00 Daddy comes home, Legree squels and dances and forgets our cake.
6:10 Legree comes back to the cake and we mix it up and get it in the pan without any major mess. Pure luck.
6:15 Ben takes Legree outside so I can finish supper.
6:45 Supper is finally on the table (only 45 mins after normal time, oh well). Call the boys in and feel like I'm in Leave it to Beaver.
7:20 Finish supper, clean up Legree and kitchen. Wash dishes so I don't have to do them in the morning.
7:50 Play with my men (my favorite time of day). And hear about daddy's day at work and we fill him in on what we did.
8:05 Ben takes Legree to get a bath. Legree insists I come too (my only quiet time alone, but okay I'm coming).
8:35 Get Legree ready for bed, PJs on, sing songs while we get dressed
8:40 Read Jesus bedtime stories with Legree, say our prayers, drink milk and put Legree to bed (40 minutes later then normal, whoops!).

There you go... that's my normal 12 or more hour long work day. After Legree goes to bed I normally watch TV with Ben, or seperately if we've got somethingwe want to watch that the other doesn't care to see. Some nights I clean the kitchen after he goes to bed. Some nights I sew. Most nights I get my shower in after he goes to bed. There is just no good way to shower with a toddler in your house by yourself! That's asking for trouble! Most days also don't include trips to my parents house. They didn't get to see Legree this weekend, so that was an extra trip. That time is normally spent playing with playdoh, putting away clothes, painting something, coloring, looking at pictures of tractors or pumpkins on the internet, trying to learn colors/numbers/words, sliding down his slide in his room, going to buy groceries etc. Every day varies but it's all crazy, busy, creative and fun! It's hard, it's lonely being with a 2 year old all day. I don't have much to talk about because it's not very exciting to anyone but me. But it's my job, it's my life, it's my child and I LOVE IT!

21 months...

Well, Legree is now 21 months old! In just three short months my little "baby" will be 2 years old! I can hardly believe it. I know he's not a baby any more, but he's MY baby. Everyday he proves to me he's not a baby by the things he can say or do.. but I don't want to let my little baby go!

21 little updates...

1. Still LOVES John Dee (John Deere)

2. LOVES LOVES choo-choos...

3. Is a little parrot. Everything we say he just repeats! It's amazing to see his vocabularly grow so much in even just a day.

4. Has a thing for pumpkins. At first he called them pumps... now it's something like "pumpumpin". It's so darn cute!

5. Loves to swing... HIGH! Whenever he swings he says "WEE DOGGIE" "HIGH!" and giggles the higher you go

6. Very attached to me and still doesn't want me out of his sight. He has attachment issues and it's going to be rough in Sept. when he starts 2-k.... but he's very friendly and great with other kids, so he'll love it once he gets the hang of being away from family.

7. Has become the prayer police. He makes sure we pray at every meal and sometimes randomly throughout the day he'll just fold his hands and bow his head like he wants to pray. I seize it and pray with him WHENEVER he wants. Part of the joys of being home with him is I can do that with him and he can see that we can and should always stop for more time with Jesus. I guess Jesus knew what he was saying when he said we should all have faith like little children.

8. We're working on taking ba-ba (pacifier) from him. He only has it at naps and bedtime. We started Wed and so far so good. Wed was NOT fun... he still asks for it but I've been trying to distract him with extra fun activities.

9. Likes to play with play-doh now. He likes for us to roll it into a ball and he says Ball! Catch! When he's done playing he likes to go open the drawer I keep them in and put it in there.

10. Still loves food, but has become more particular about what he eats. He likes to KNOW what he's eating and if he doesn't recognize it he doesn't want to touch it. I have to convience him that he likes something.

11. LOVES to eat cheese and asks for it A LOT

12. Loves "candy" which is really just raisins. But he calls it candy and I'd rather him have that then real candy. Poor child is brain washed!

13. Loves to read books and be read to. Especially tractor or train books.

14. Still loves to help clean up and loves when you give him a project.

15. I have some herbs and he loves to help be poor "waneee" (water) on them to help them grow

16. We have to cut his hair about every other week (it really could use it every week) because it grows so fast! And it's so blonde and beautiful!

17. Daddy gives Legree a bath every night. They love their time together and have all sorts of special games and things they do in the tub.

18. Loves to feed Kilo snacks through the window in our kitchen when I open it up.

19. Knows what a duck is now and when you ask him what it is he says "DUCK!" "WUACK WUACK!"

20. Loves to share his food with anyone who will take it from him

21. Is now in love with watching Barney. Ben introduced it to him and now he's obsessed!! UGHH...

Love you little man!! Till next month!

Tractors, Trains and a boys love at 20 months...

Legree is now 20 months old! Well, he turned 20 months about 2 weeks ago. But alas, I am a bum of a blogger and haven't gotten around to his 20 month post. I was telling a friend of mine today that since our baby book we have for Legree ended at 12 months, I was blogging to keep up with all the milestones since then. That's when I realized... I forgot to even blog about all his updates!! UGH.. got to do better!





Anyways, here's 20 updates on our 20 month little man. And no, I do NOT want to acknowledge how close we are to the big 2 year birthday. He's to much of my baby to consider that he will be that old. So, we won't talk about it till it's closer and I am forced to acknowledge it!





1. He said "I duh dew" (I love you) for the first time to me! It was SOO sweet and brought me to tears. Why he said that to me? Because I was letting him play with my hair, I guess he appreciated it.


2. Is talking up a storm! He can say basically anything now!! It's amazing how much he's picked up even the past month or so. It's like suddenly, he can say, well everything!


3. Still loves to eat!! He eats like he's never eaten before at every meal and snacks in between! You would think he'd be a fat boy with as much as he eats, but he's still pretty short and average weight.


4. Still LOVES tractors, especially John Deeres. He can now tell the difference between a combine, tractor and plow. He also knows how to crank up some of Paw's tractors.


5. Loves cof-cof (coffee) and begs for it all the time. I don't give in because I think it's TERRIBLE that he even knows what it is! But his grandparents got him started with it. Since he was LITTLE he'd always beg for it from them and finally one of them (not sure if it was my parents or Ben's) gave in and gave him some thinking he wouldn't like it. Nope, he LOVED it and still does. Ben gives it to him occasionally and his grandparents give it to him all the time.


6. Loves taking his vitamins every morning and asks for "vittys" to make sure I'm staying on top of my game as mommy.


7. Loves to brush his teeth about 10 times a day. Well, not really... but if he sees his toothbrush he makes sure that we brush his teeth immediately. At least he remembers and I don't have to remember...


8. He is mommy's little helper with cleaning now. He always wanted to help while I was emptying the dishwasher, so I let him now. He picks everything up and hands it to me while I put it away. I take out the knives etc before I let him start. He helps me carry the clothes from the dryer to our bedroom, I hand him the clothes out of the washer and he puts them in the dryer and he now knows how to empty the dryer vent of all the lent! He also throws any trash he finds away now. He also loves to wipe things down after I spray them with cleaner (an all natural safe for babies type cleaner). He saw me doing it and wanted to help, so I gave him his own rag and he started wiping with me. He's SOO Good at listening to commands and does pretty well at listening when I ask him to do something.


9. LOVES LOVES LOVES trains now! It's his latest obsession! We watch Thomas the Train all the time now.


10. He has gotten very fond of our dog Kilo. So, now I let him feed her. We go and get her food and he carries it outside (With my help) and poors it in her bowl. He also, does not let me forget to feed the dog. Every day at 5 he says dog? food?... He talks to her all day through the door and tells me about "dog".


11. Thanks to Ben's dad Legree now LOVES pigs! Weird I know... but Ben's dad kept telling Legree about the pig eating corn...and I guess since Legree loves corn he found a friend in the pig. So now when he sees one on TV or on his books he goes nuts. And if you ask him what eats corn he proudly proclaims PIG! And if you ask him if he's a pig.. .he says yes!


12. He can now name most any animal and/or what noise they make.


13. He can read the words car, corn and dog. Yes, REALLY read them!


14. I am working on colors with him but he doesn't seem interested or understand the concept of colors. And I'm really not sure how to teach him... ohh well, he'll get it eventually.


15. When he's playing or being silly he'll say... 1, 2, 3.. .GO! And start running around or dancing... it's SO cute!


16. He loves to read his Bible Stories before bedtime with mommy and daddy and when we tell him to make pretty hands he clasps his hands together and bows his head while we pray. When we are done he looks up at us and smiles so big! It warms my heart. I pray that he becomes a child, boy and eventually man after God's own heart.


17. When Ben comes home every evening he runs to the door as soon as he hears the knob turning and squeals HEY DADDY!! and starts dancing around in delight!


18. Loves to go visit and spend the night over at his grandparents. At my parents he normally wakes up in the middle of the night and gets in bed with them. They love it! At Ben's parents he used to sleep through the night but the past few times he's been waking up in the middle of the night there and sleeping with Ben's dad in the recliner. Thankfully, this hasn't affected his sleep at home (or mommy and daddy would have to end sleep overs). But he sleeps great at home!! Sleeps usually from 8 to 8 at night and a 2-3 hour nap during the day. I can't complain about sleep in this house!


19. Several of my friends have little babies. He loves them and says baby and points to them. He loves to give them kisses and hugs and will bring them their ba-ba (pacifier). He even will bring them his toys to share. It's very sweet and it makes me hopeful he'll be great with any future siblings.


20. He is the cutest, sweetest, smartest and most fun little boy I've ever met! I love him to pieces and cherish every day that God has given us with him. He's growing up so fast and I love to be home with him to see him grow. I hope he will grow to appreciate me being with him every day as much as I appreciate it.





Till next month little man... mommy and daddy love you!!

My baby CAN read!

Earlier this week I noticied something amazing... Legree can read! No, not a whole book, but a couple of words!! I still can't believe it. We didn't teach it to him (yes, I'm a horrible parent and haven't even tried). But we read to him a lot so I guess that's where he picked it up..? Who knows!



He loves to carry around one of our DVDs "Dude Where's my car?" because it has a picture of a dog on it (but oddly no picture of a car). Tuesday he pointed to the DVD and said "CAR". I was like, uhh did you just read that? We hadn't been talking about cars, there was no picture of a car on the dvd.... but I still thought it was a fluke. Later that afternoon we were watching Yo Gabba Gabba and the show that was on was about cars. Before the show starts they show a sign that displays what the shows theme is. So on the screen was the word "CAR", but no picture of a car. He pointed and squeeled out CAR! I knew then he WAS REALLY READING!



So, over the past couple of days I've written it on a piece of paper and shown it to him and he proudly says car. Today, I decided to see what other words he might know. I tried John Deere since that's one of his most favorite things but he looked at me like I was crazy. So, then I tried dog, another favorite of his. And lo and behold he said "DOG". I was astonished! I tried corn next (he LOVES corn and asks for it all the time). I wasn't sure if he could do this one since it's VERY close to car... but he said corn clear as day!



So, I'm going to get some flash cards and see if I can teach him some more... my little child prodigy may be reading whole books in no time!!



Here's a video for any skeptics out there :) Ohh and by the way... he's 19 months old! And excuse my hand and the length of the video, he wouldn't come to me so I had to unplug the video and go to him.

Growing up

Legree is saying more and more words lately and learning more and more tricks. I love seeing him grow and learn. I do miss my little baby, but I love my toddler every day! Here are some of his new "things" and "words"

- He has a tractor book that has a word for each letter of the alphabet. He can say each word that goes with letters A-E (apple, barn, corn, dog, egg). It's so cute and he's so proud!

-Says pumpkin now... well, his version which is "pumpin"

- I pointed to a barn the other day and said what's that Legree? He responded with "Barn, put John Deeah!". I knew he knew what a barn was but I didn't know he correlated barns with where you put tractors! He's picking up more then I thought!

- He spent the night with my parents the other night and in the morning dad was getting dressed. Mom told Legree that Papa was going to put his clothes on and Legree looked at my dad and said "Paw, put clothes on!" She said he said it clear as can be!

-He's obsessed with Kilo (our dog) right now. He loves to go outside and pet her and "feed" her anything he finds on the ground (leaves, rocks, straws). She' a great dog with him considering she really hasn't been around him much (she's an outside dog). She doesn't jump on him and just licks him a lot. And she plays along with him feeding her everything and just takes what he offers.

- He still LOVES (is obsessed) with tractors. He says John Deeah all day and talks about them constantly.

- He's really into DVDs and think all of them are his John Deere DVDs that are Ben's parents house. When he does go to their house ALL he wants to do is watch John Deere DVDs over and over and over again!

- Loves to "help" mommy sew. He loves that my sewing machine is a machine really. He loves all the knobs and the loud whirling sound

- He calls Daddy "Ben" now which Ben DOES NOT like. I thought it was funny at first, but now I'm trying to correct him. He picked it up from me talking to Ben and saying his name.

- He is currently in LOVE with peanut butter on graham crackers.

- He has been very curious and interested in the potty lately. He knows where we go potty... if I tell him I need to potty and where should I go he takes me to our bathroom and points to the potty. He's sat on our potty and his little potty a couple of times. He grins from ear to ear and is so proud. But we haven't had any "results" in the potty... but I'm sure it will come with time!

A minimalist approach...

I've been in a bit of a funk for the past week. Why you might ask? That's a good question! I couldn't and still can't quite put my finger on it, but I thought being productive this weekend will help light a fire up under my butt and get to working!!

I read a blog this past week (one of those you find on a friend of a friend of a friend's blog). I wish I could find it again, but alas it's gone to blog never never land. Oh well, the idea of the blog was minimalist approach to life and belongings. Not that you have to shed EVERYTHING but just go with the minimal amount of stuff to make life EASIER, LESS COMPLICATED and CLEANER! Sounds like a good way to go for a mama in a funk. Now, I am about as opposite of a minimalist as they come. In fact, I'm a bone a fide pack rat! I just can't seem to part with anything, especially of Legree's. It ALL has meaning!

But I'm going to try to do better and clean up and clear out! My best friend Megan and her husband Andrew are on the road to adopt another baby this year. While trying to raise funds for it they are throwing a yard sale at my church! I'm so excited! So I decided I'd "kill two birds with one stone". Actually kill three with one stone... here's why...

1. Go for the more minimalist approach in our house, de-clutter, organize etc.
2. Give everything we are getting rid of to Meg and Drew to help raise money for adoption fees
3. Get the house ready and cleaned out to put on the market this spring

WHY WHY WHY didn't I do this before?? I guess I needed three big reasons to get my butt in gear. So, here's my goal, one room every weekend. This weekend I did the big one... THE KITCHEN!

I took EVERYTHING out of the cabinets, scrubbed the insides and outsides of the cabinet, got rid of everything we haven't used in the past year (or ever in some cases, sad I know). Now I already have a HUGE stack of things to give to Meg and Drew. I'm sure some family out there could and will actually use. Now my cabinets are clean organized and sparkly AND I would be perfectly happy with ANYONE (even potential buyers) to look in my cabinets AND I can already feel a weight lifted off of me and my funk clearing.

Next up? The hallway closet and Legree's room... SCARY!! But I don't have to worry about it till next weekend, because I'm pacing myself here :)

28 years and counting...

Today is my birthday... when I was younger that was cause for celebration overload. It still is a reason to celebrate, but not nearly the same way. You know what I mean, don't you?? It just isn't the same. And that is OKAY with me!! For real! Today was just another Wednesday. Just me and my little man, with daddy in the evening. We went to Bible Study this morning like any other Wednesday and hung out the rest of the day at home. Our normal Wed. routine.

My mom came over to say hey and wish me happy Birthday. I told her I should be wishing her a happy birthday because she did all the birthing and the work to get me here!! I realize that birthdays should really celebrate the mom's more then the child now that I'm a mommy myself. Legree's birthday will always be etched in my memory much more then my own!! I got tons of phone calls from friends and family to wish me happy birthday. I also got TONS of Facebook happy birthdays. That means more to me then anything! I love my family and friends and I love having an "excuse" to talk to them and catch up. So, talking and hearing from everyone is my birthday presents.

Ben got me a sweet card, tulips (my favorite, which luck of all lucks are in season around my birthday every year) and a Joann's gift card to support my sewing/crafting habit. We're going to go out this weekend to celebrate when Legree can hang with his grandparents. It's NOT fun taking Legree out to eat. I get more stressed out about him talking and annoying other people that it's just NOT worth it. Since it was my birthday I didn't want to cook and wash dishes like normal, so I heated Legree up some vegetarian corn dogs, left over peas and cut up a pear. I had a lean cusine Pizza and Ben had cereal for supper. REAL CLASSY! LOL, but it was perfect because I'm here, I have the Lord in my heart and with us and my wonderful family by my side. What else do I need??

And bc I never take pictures of myself...a cute one of the Geesy Bear to end this post...

(He was eating cake at his cousin Ava' 2nd Birthday party, hence the reason there is frosting all over his mouth! )