These Little Moments...

I wish that I could find more time for my blog!... More time for sharing the latest news and pictures, more time for reflecting on my days with the kids and reliving those special little moments while typing out the details in a blog post. Sometimes, I actually do find the opportunity, then stare at a blank screen as I consider all of the other things that could be accomplished in the same amount of time. We are busy, with good things. My kids are enjoying a lovely, often lazy, summer. We've been spending some of our evenings at the pool, mornings at the park, getting together with friends and visiting with family. I've managed to finish reading a few good books, which always leaves me excited about diving into the next one. I'm currently reading one of the latest by Nora Roberts, The Next Always. I'm 100 pages in and it's already sugary sweet and exactly the type of book I want to be reading at the moment. Ethan seems to be growing and changing by the day. ...

I wanted to share a few of my most recent iPhone captures: I have to point a few things out here... First of all, Ethan had his first haircut a couple of weeks ago. You can see he's nice and trimmed up in the picture on the bottom row, far left! Secondly, Gracie is ALL into My Little Pony. She loves watching the show, but is also a serious pony collector. Middle row, far left, she's showing off one of her latest additions. I would be embarrassed to tell you how many she has now. Thirdly, watching my boy walk is currently at the top of my list of "favorite things to do", as is evident by his swim diaper picture in the top row. :)

Check out my big boy, making his way around the pool this afternoon! I'm not sure there are many things cuter than a baby who's just learned to walk!  Gracie has really been enjoying our pool visits this summer. She does great swimming around with her water wings on, but now that she's more comfortable in the water, we'd like to start swimming lessons. She's started taking notice of the kids who don't have to use floats or water wings, so I think the interest is there. Either way, I think it's important that she learn to swim on her own!   Nana, Ashley, Austin, and Chandler also joined us at the pool! It was nice having the kids together. I think they had a lot of fun. :) Mine, at least, were completely worn out once we got home!

I realized that I never did an actual 12 month post for Ethan, so here it is! Gracie was in Virginia with Sean's mom the week of Ethan's check-up, which worked out well since Ethan had to have 4 shots and a finger prick. Sean was able to go with me, which is always nice, especially when the kids have to get shots. Ethan was pretty angry while they tried to get enough blood from his finger prick, and he hated having the band-aid on his finger afterwards! He was as upset as I've ever seen him while getting his shots, but once I was able to scoop him up, he calmed down. Overall, he is a healthy little boy! He weighed in at 19 pounds, 10 ounces (7th percentile). The doctor wasn't concerned with his weight, but wants me to push a high fat diet. We've since made a relatively smooth transition to whole milk, which should help with that effort. Ethan still nurses 2-3 times a day, but I imagine I'll wean him completely within the next couple of months. It's a bit...

Our little boy is walking! This video was taken this morning. Ethan took about 8 steps on July 4th, and now he can make his way across the entire living room. I'm hoping to add a 12 month post about Ethan soon! 

Sean and I celebrate 6 years of marriage today. It's amazing to look back and see how far we've come and how much we've learned over these years. If I could tell Sean one thing, it would be that I'm so thankful for it all. The ups, the downs, the best days, the worst days. All of them. Each experience has had a hand in bringing us to where we are now and in shaping us into the individuals, and the couple, we are today. It's been an amazing journey so far and I look forward to many, many more years standing beside this man. Happy Anniversary, Sean! I am so blessed to call you mine. I love you so very much!

Yesterday was easily one of the best 4th of July celebrations ever. First of all, Sean was off on a Wednesday, and while I know he would much rather have had the 4th fall on a Friday or Monday, it was kind of a nice way to break up the week. The morning started off great when I woke up and realized both of my children had slept in. It was 7:30am, but having two kids still sleeping at that hour is extremely rare around here! We then got them dressed, grabbed breakfast out, and headed to the Kernersville parade. I wanted to arrive early, partly so that we could find a good spot, but also because Nana and Grandpa Johnny were running in the 5K race before the parade, and we were hoping to cheer them on if we saw them run by. We did end up seeing my mom, and even though she couldn't hear us (ear buds in), we cheered for her anyway! The parade was so much fun! Ethan did get to see the Christmas parade, the one Gracie and I rode in, but he was so little then. This time, he was totally en...