Time is flying by!

I know there aren't a lot of people who read this, but the few that do have been on me lately to post something new. So here goes nothing. : )

Miles is growing up way too fast. End of story. Where did the time go? In a month and a half he will be TWO. Crazy!! These past few months have been really fun with him but also pretty stressful. He has officially been in school (daycare...school helps me cope with it better) for 2 months now. I can't believe it has been that long! He is really enjoying it, which warms my heart. I think my biggest fear was that that he was going to hate me for putting him somewhere, but I think it is quite the opposite. He seems to enjoy me more....sounds funny, I know.

I talk to him A LOT about what we will be doing each day and have started waking him up every morning (WHAT!?!? Yes, you read that right!) before I leave for work. The reason I am doing this is because it makes him happy. We stared going through a phase where he was waking up quite a bit at night and I honestly believe it was because he was afraid he wasn't going to get to see me in the morning. So now, every night before he goes to bed I "talk" with him about what will go on the next day. Ever since I started it, he has been sleeping like a champ and I believe he looks forward to it our chats each night. (I like to think so anyways.)

He has been sick quite a bit. This has been hard! Poor fella has had 2 ear infections, croup, an upper respiratory infection and possible hand/foot/mouth....all in 2 months. I hate it!! I know that it is either sick now or sick later, but I would still prefer sick later. At least then they can take cough meds, blow their nose and tell you what hurts. Oh well.

I keep telling myself that I am working because that is what needs to be done and my family is benefitting from it. I know this is true, but it still makes days away from him hard. I know that it is temporary and that one day (hopefully sooner rather than later!) I will get to be at home again with him and hopefully another one (NO PLANS).

This age has been SO much fun. Sure, he is a handful, but he is such a big ball of energetic fun and I love it. He loves to "hide" from me and have me "find" him. This usually involves some type of object covering his face and him thinking I can't see him. He loves to run all over the house naked and LOVES to watch himself pee...on the carpet. He is still a big goof ball and hope that that never changes!

Miles is parroting everything we say these day. His vocabulary has gone from 0-60 in a matter of weeks and it is pretty darn impressive. He says things like:

*Mountains

*Sunshine

*Shadows

*Outside

*Plate

*Santa

*Train

*Candy

Those are just a few of his newest words. He also knows his colors now and has started referring to things saying what color they are as well. For example, it isn't just an object now, it is a black car or red car or green grass or blue sky. He also knows all the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse characters and their names and proceeds to say all of them when they come on t.v.

This leads me to my next thing. For Miles' second birthday we are taking him to Disney! Instead of throwing a party, we have decided to put all that money into a trip. Now, you might think "he is way too young for that," and while I don't disagree, here is my reasoning for still going. For starters, he loves Mickey THIS year and may not next, so why not let him go when he is obsessed? Secondly, I am sure we will go another half dozen times over the next 5-10 years. And lastly, well, we want to. : )

That's about it. I'm sure I am leaving out something, but that will have to do for now. Here are a few recent pics!

He LOVES cars!!

Being a handsome boy!

Thanks to my friend Kelly for this great photo!

A quick update

Last week I started back to work. Yep. I finally went back after being a SAHM for 21 months. It's crazy to think that it has been that long already. While it has been very hard to leave Miles, it has also been pretty eye opening on a few different levels.

First of all, I never truly believed people when they said that going back to work makes your time with your kids that much more special. How could that be? I already love my child SO much (words don't do it justice) there is NO way I could love the time I spent with him that much more. Well, I do. Every single minute I have with him, I cherish it. It's pretty unbelievable. I think he feels the same way because as soon as I get home with him, he say "mickey...momma." Hahaha...He wants to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with me. So, we sit down and we snuggle for 30 minutes and watch TV. It is SO much fun. There is no more time for cooking (not that I ever really did) but Miles will not let me now if I wanted to. The whole 3 hours that we have together at the end of the day is spent, snuggling, laughing, hugging and playing. It is very rewarding.

Now, on the other hand, it is SO hard. I don't have the time to do the things that I used to. We had to go to the grocery store as a family tonight at 8:00pm because we had nothing to eat and I have had NO time to go. Yes, I could go after work, but Miles is STARVING then and that just will not work. It's just things like grocery shopping, laundry, dishes, etc that I am finding really hard to juggle. I know that eventually I will get the hang of it, but for the time being, it is kind of overwhelming.

Overall, things are going well. I am enjoying work and Miles is enjoying daycare. He has learned SOOO much in the month that he has been there. It makes me feel that much better about my decision to return to work.

So enough about me, here is what Miles is up to these days.

His vocabulary has taken off. Here are a few new words he says:

*Airplane*Blackberries*Teacup*Apple*ChooChoo*Puzzle*Mickey*TV*I see*Papa*Grandma*Blue*Green*Yellow*Red*Purple*Black*Poopoo*Peeps(his penis)*Tang (yes, the drink...he is obsessed)*Moon*Twinkle(when he sees a star)*Baby*Ashley (his teacher)*Ty*Kerri (He hears us say each others names....)

*He has started telling us when he goes "poopoo."

*He knows about 90% of his alphabet sounds and can point to about 90% of the letters when you ask him where the letter is. He doesn't know how to say the actual letter, though.

*He is still a super picky eater and still loves trains, trucks, and cars.

*His newest obsession is "Mickey".

The most wonderful time of the year..

Is Fall!!! I love fall...and pumpkins...and Halloween...and well, you get the idea. Maybe it is because my birthday is in October (this is what I have always told myself) but this time of year makes me feel alive and in love with nature. If it were up to me, I would live somewhere that felt like fall all year round...too bad that doesn't exist, at least not that I know of.

Anyways, today Miles, Ty, myself and my in-laws went to Burts Farm and let me just tell you...it was SO much fun!! Miles LOVED it. I wasn't sure if he would show much emotion towards it (meaning liking it or not) but he definitely takes after me when it comes to Burts...he adores it! He was climbing all over the pumpkins and giggling, once again...precious. We took a hay ride (of course!!) and Miles had a blast. Actually, we all had a blast. It was such fun to see him having such a good time. He is a little obsessed with tractors so I am sure that had something to do with his excitement. The entire time we were on the hay ride he was saying "brrmm brrmm!!" It was priceless.

I hope in 25+ years I will still be going to Burts and maybe then I will be going with Miles and his little family. : )

Looking for the perfect pumpkin.

CHEESE!!
Look over there...more pumpkins!
The end result...a tuckered out little boy!!

The many sides of Miles

These days I feel like I never know what Miles' mood is going to be. One minute he is happy then the next he mad. I love him very much, but I will tell you...I am looking forward to the day where he can tell me exactly how he feels. Now, I know then I will have to listen to him whine and gripe and I am sure talk back (hopefully not often!) but it has to be better than having NO clue as to what he is thinking.

Anyways, here are a few pictures to show you 'The many sides of Miles."

Believe it or not, this wasn't planned...I just happened to have my camera out and within a 5 minutes this all happened. SEE!! I told you!!

Relaxed Side

Silly Side

Happy Side

Back Side

Sad Side

Remembering 9/11

As I was driving down the road today, I started thinking a lot about 9/11. I think about it quite often, but since it is the 10 year anniversary, it is really making me very emotional. I remember that day like it was yesterday and I will never forget it. I remember laying in my bed watching the news that evening and crying my eyes out. I was 15 years old, a sophomore in high school and I was terrified.

As I was thinking about it today, it hit me that that event was the only big event that I have been alive for. Then it hit me that Miles has no clue what happened that day and that it is going to be my responsibility to teach him about it. As that thought crossed my mind, I got very upset and teary-eyed. I mean, what a big job that is. I know that raising a child is the toughest job that I will ever have, but to explain to a child about something that happened before he was ever born and to explain it to its fullest...that is tough stuff.

9/11 has been and will continue to shape his future. It will shape the way he will perceive certain cultures and ultimately, when 9/11 happened, it changed life as we know it...which is the only life he has ever known.

Hopefully when the time comes I can explain it to him the way it should be explained.

With all of that being said, I pray for the families that lost someone that day, I pray for all the soldiers who have lost their lives defending OUR country and I pray that we never ever forget what happened that day.

God Bless America.

The ONE picture I took....

TA DAAAA!!! Here it is! At least it is us all three of us.

This was around 11am the morning after Irene hit, so it was still a bit yucky out. After we left it was BEAUTIFUL outside.

A visit with 'Irene'

This past week, Ty and I decided to take a very impromptu trip to visit his sister who just moved to Maryland. I am telling you...I don't think I thought this out very well. 12 hours...in a car...with an 18 month old. Need I say more? Needless to say, we all survived (I may have less hair and maybe a few more gray ones) and are back home.

You probably won't believe this (alright, you will...because it's me) but I only took ONE picture the whole time we were there. Yep. That's it. It never occurred to me to actually snap photos of Miles playing with his 3 cousins or his aunt and uncle that we get to see probably twice a year. I am hoping to have the one picture that I actually did take up sometime with in the next day or so (of all things, we took it with Ty's phone).

Anyways, while we were there, hurricane Irene made herself known, but all was well. We had some downed trees and a lot of rain, but overall, it was pretty much like a normal thunderstorm we would have here in Georgia.

The only day we were able to get out was Sunday (we came back on Monday) so we went down to the Inner Harbor in Baltimore and went to the aquarium. Miles LOVED it and was pointing and making his 'fish face' the whole time. Thinking that getting a pass to the Georgia Aquarium is a good idea....even though I am not a big fan of it.

So that is about it. We went. We played. We ate. We slept (horribly b/c Miles wouldn't sleep in his pack-n-play). We drove. Next time we are flying. : )

A few more things...

So I think instead of always posting pictures I am going to start just writing stuff. Now don't get me wrong, I am still going to post pictures, but not with every post. It is so rare that I actually take pictures. Miles is too busy to photograph and well I am too forgetful. : )

I have been watching Miles a lot lately and I believe that he is going to be left handed. This doesn't surprise me at all. Ty is left handed, as well as his mother and my dad. So he definitely has the lefty gene. Now not everything is done with his left hand (but the majority is) so I am not sure if that means he isn't quite sure yet or maybe we have an ambidextrous on our hands (no pun intended.)

Also, I think he is going to be a quarterback or pitcher. He can throw a ball. Seriously. I am impressed everyday. He throws far and he throws precisely. Who knows, we will see. I don't care what he does (even though I really didn't want him to be a jock) as long as he is happy.

One thing is for sure, he is going to be a book worm like his parents. The boy could really care less about his toys...all he wants to do is read a "ook" and point out ALL the pictures.

Anyways, that's it for now. Just though I would share a few of my thoughts.

Beach Trip

A few weeks ago we headed down to St. Augustine for a little bit of R&R. Well, not really R&R, because that term doesn't exist with an 18 month old. Lets just say we took a little trip to "get away" for a bit.

Miles loved the beach. Well, not exactly. He loved the water...hated the sand. He is a lot like me. I would love a "beach" with no sand. Grass maybe? Does that exist?

Every time a wave would come he would say "WEEEEEEE!" It was pretty darn cute.

Unfortunately, the pool had a major leak while we were there, so we didn't get to spend too much time in it.

My mom and her husband went along with us and I have to say it was very nice. They watched Miles for us one night so we could go to a ghost hunt around the light house and the old jail. Very creepy, but very fun.

If you are ever in St. Augustine, make sure to check out The Columbian Restaurant. It is AMAZING! We actually went twice this visit. YUMMY! Their 1905 salad is great and so is there mahi. I'm drooling as I type this.

Anyways, it was a fun trip but like always, I am glad to be home. There's no place like home....

Happy 18 months!

18 months...already?

My baby boy is 18 months. When did this happen? Six more months and he will be TWO!! I keep thinking "that can't be right," but it is.

Miles is a big bundle of joy these days. Of course, he has always brought me joy, but lately it is very overwhelming. He gives kisses on demand and points to his eye when I tell him " I love you." I assume it means he loves me too since I have been teaching him to point to his eye, his heart, and me when I say it.

He is also really expanding his vocabulary. I have no idea how many words he says, but his newest words are: lawnmower, robot, monster truck (daddy taught him), pool, go!go!, and daddy (not dada anymore).

He can point to almost all the animals in his book when asked where it is and loves to show off his animal sounds.

He knows where his head, ears, eyes, nose, ears, and peeps (penis) is. He also loves to clap his hands and stomp his feet when I sing "if you're happy and you know it."

He is still a picky eater, so the majority of the time he is eating either PBJ, corn dogs, chicken nuggets, or vienna sausages. I know...it's bad, but it is what it is. He also LOVES fruit and cookies...but will NOT eat a bite of veggies...that is what multi-vitamins are for. : )

At his 18 month check up he was in the 50% for weight (26lbs) and height (33inches), but of course his head is still the 95%. Lots and lots of brains.

He will probably be starting daycare with in the next few weeks and while I am sad to not be spending as much time with him, I am really looking forward watching his little mind get to work on learning lots of new stuff.

I DID IT!!! I POSTED!!

Alrighty, I am going to TRY my hardest to keep this blog up. I feel like I have NO time anymore and the time I do have....well I just don't want to spend it fighting with my computer. We have put all of our pictures onto a really big hard drive that is not on the computer and if makes the whole process of putting pictures onto it and then getting into it to create a blog a lot more time consuming. Anyways, here I am and I am going to (like I said) TRY to keep it up. I have been a really bad mom lately and have not taken any pictures of Miles. Poor kid. I know when you have another kid, the pictures are less and less...but I don't have another kid. So with that being said, if you are reading this and you have pictures of my child, (you know who you are!) send them my way!!

He has started to LOVE to just lay down on the floor for no reason.

So a lot has been going on lately. Miles is ALL over the place. He runs. He walks. He dances. You name it. He is a very busy little boy and has really started to do and say a lot of things. His new favorite thing to do is growl. Yep...growl. We read ALL day long. He is literally obsessed (takes after both his parents, sop we can't say anything). So we have this alphabet flash cards and the letter "L" is for Lion and I try to make the sounds and well...he is listening. This morning while we were watching Good Morning America he started growling and I wasn't really paying attention (I was on the computer and he was in his highchair eating) and I look up and there is a lion on tv. I swear it was SO funny. Wish I would have had a camcorder.

He loves to talk is pretty much babbling ALL day long. His favorite words are "no", "book", "car", "truck", "dada", "cup", "bye bye", "all gone", "again", and "up". And I should use the word 'favorite' losely b/c well, those are really the only words he knows. There are few others (that aren't coming to mind) but you get the idea.

He actually knows what "no" means and will tell ME no. Seriously. It has already started. If he doesn't want to do something it is "nay nay nay" and with a shake of his head to top it off. We have also been trying to work on eating with a fork and a spoon and that is going OK. He can definitely hold it and bring it to his mouth but he isn't good with putting force into fork where the food will actually get onto it. Instead, he likes to use the fork with one hand, pick up the food with the other and bring them both to his mouth. I guess he gets the concept. He is pretty darn good with the spoon and more often than not gets the food in his mouth...and a lot on his shirt. : )

Miles has really been enjoying the pool and LOVES to jump off the side. We really have to be careful with him because he will just start jumping, it is quite scary to say the least.

I am at a point where I think he needs some outside learning and playing, so hopefully with in the next few months he will either be in a preschool or learning center of some sort. It WILL NOT be full time...just 2 or 3 days. He LOVES other kids and I just feel a bit selfish to keep him with me all day. I know he will love it...even if I don't. : (

I know, it has been awhile. What can I say, I have been super busy. This last month I would be surprised if I took more than 5 pictures of Miles. Since he has begun walking, it is hard to watch him and try to take photos at the same time. Anyways, here are a few. Also, I figured I would make a list of things that Miles is now doing.

* He is walking. He was taking steps before his 1st bday, but I didn't count that as "walking." I would say for the past 4 or 5 weeks he has been fully walking.

* He says "dada", "mama", "car", "look" (sounds like ook), "book" (once again, sounds like ook), "grumps" (umps, this is my grandfather), "all gone" (ga gone), and "block" (it really just sounds like ck part of block).

* He claps his hands.

* He blows raspberries.

* He plays peek a poo.

* He eats 3 meals a day, 2 snacks and 3 sippy cups of milk.

* He wears mainly 18 month clothes.

* He LOVES to read. All day long he brings me books and wants to sit in my lap while I read to him.

* He sleeps fully through the night. We were having issues with this for a while, but I think he was too hot in his fleece pj's. Ever since we started putting him in footless cotton pj's, he sleeps great!

* He will eat about anything...except for veggies. The only way I can get him to eat them is if they are in the squeezable pouches. Oh well.

* He loves cars and trucks. I think he is a little obsessed.

I know the lighting isn't great in this photo, but I love the way his eyes stand out.

Sea World Adventures

This past week, my mom, my sister, her children and Miles and I went to Sea World. This was Miles' first time and my second and I have to say that I really enjoyed it. I thought that it was much more small baby friendly than Disney World was and I think Miles enjoyed it more. There still wan't a lot of rides that he could ride on, but the shows were great for him. There was a lot of action and it kept his attention quite well. The ticket to get in is good until the end of this calendar year, so maybe, just maybe we will go back.

Miles was clapping with everyone else when Shamu did a trick. LOL!
The walrus. He was HUGE!

One of the whales. Unfortunately, since that trainer was killed a year ago, they aren't allowed in the water with them. Needless to say, the show wasn't nearly as good as it used to be.

My mom, Miles and me.

SHAMU!!

Ridin' along in my little red wagon

These past few weeks Miles and I have been really enjoying going out for a stroll in Miles' new wagon. Man oh man does he love it! A lot of the time we take ducks along for the ride and that makes it even more fun! Hopefully this weather stays nice for good and we can continue our daily wagon strolls.

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!! HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!

I CAN NOT believe that Miles is already a year old. Seriously, where in the world did the time go?

Today was an emotional day for me. I just couldn't get over the fact that my little boy is growing up. He is now considered a TODDLER. Huh?!?!?!

Anyways, I know it has been a while since I last post ( a lot of stuff going on and I haven't had a minute to sit down and download all my pictures).

Tomorrow is his party, so hopefully sometime Sunday I will have some pictures up. SO exciting!!

Here is a picture from this morning.....He is thinking "what the heck MOM!! It isn't even 7:30am yet and you are already taking pictures!"

Hangin' around the house

As everyone knows, we were stuck in the house for about 4 days this past week and so what better to do than take pictures?! I will have to admit, I didn't take many, but the ones I did get were really cute. Miles is a lot like his mommy. He DOES NOT like to be in the house much. Hopefully that means that when he is a little bigger we will be spending a lot of time outside riding bikes or hiking or simply just playing in the grass. He didn't really know what to think about the snow but he LOVED the cold air blowing on his face. It was pretty cute to see.

This was actuallly new year's day and Miles was eating his black eyed peas and collard greens.

Christmas morning

Here are a few photos from Christmas morning. Unfortunately we don't have many (as usual, I tend to forget to take pictures) but the ones we do have are super special. : )

Christmas morning on our way into Hollywood Studios.

Christmas morning! He was such a happy boy!

Holding his new sippy cup that Santa put in his stocking.

He is wondering why dada is interrupting him while he is going through his stocking.