Connor & Ashlee's Wedding

One of Ryan's former players, Connor Lowery, got married on June 1st and we went to Nashville for the wedding.  It was a beautiful evening for an outdoor wedding at the Belle Meade Plantation.  Ashlee looked gorgeous and they were so happy!   Meredith and Ben are friends with Connor & Ashlee from Samford so they were there which was great!  We also had fun visiting with some of the CPA coaches and their wives.  

I love weddings because it always makes me reflect on my own marriage and how incredibly blessed I am.  I am so thankful for my Ryan and so blessed that he chose me!

The Dentist

We took Madison Claire to the dentist for the first time and it was ADORABLE!  Oh my goodness, she was so cute getting her x-rays and was not sure what to think about getting her teeth cleaned. She did NOT want the hygienist to put the electric toothbrush in her mouth.  She resisted for at least 5 minutes before finally agreeing to it.  She checked out perfectly although the dentist did tell her that she really needed to stop sucking her thumb.  She has been really cute - she will say "the dentist says I have to stop sucking my thumby."  She has been trying really hard during the day - we will catch her in the back seat of the car sitting on her hand or holding her thumb down with her opposite hand so she won't put it in her mouth.  She will ask for permission to suck her thumb and sometimes she will just look at me with those big eyes and say "Mommy, I think I need just a little more time with my thumby."  How am I supposed to say no to that?!? 

At the x-ray machine - big girl!!

Not sure what she thinks about this



Patrick's Graduation

Patrick graduated from Georgia Southern in mid May.  I wasn't able to make it for the ceremony, but the rest of the family went and sent me pictures and updates from the day.   They also got to meet Patrick's girlfriend, Jenny.  I joked with Patrick that if I was able to figure out how to go to the graduation it would be because I didn't want to miss meeting Jenny :).  

He will be commisioned with the Marines in December.  I am so proud of my brother - he is strong willed, handsome, disciplined, smart, funny, great with kids, and a great brother!  Congratulations, Patrick!! 



Buddy's Day at the Zoo

I took the Friday after Mac's birthday off from work so we could spend the day together.  I decided to take off the Friday so that Annie and I could have a special day with Mac while Madison Claire was at school.  We dropped her off that morning for school and she was very skeptical about what was happening. She saw Annie packing some snacks for our trip and asked as I got her out of the car - "Where are you going".  We told her we were going home because we didn't want her to lose it before going into school.

We had a great day at the zoo!  Buddy loved seeing the animals - especially the lions, pandas and dinosaurs.  Enjoy the pictures!

A few weeks later, we went back to take Madison Claire to see the dinosaur exhibit.  They are very lifelike - their eyes move, they make noise, even their necks and bodies move.  Madison Claire was so excited to see them because she loves the movie the Land Before Time.  As soon as we went in, she went running up to the first one and once it "breathed" and moved she went white as ghost, froze in her tracks, and squeezed my hand so hard I was sure I would have a mark.  She was terrified.  She started pulling backwards and didn't want to see anymore.  She did like the one long neck dinosaur - I think because they are the nice ones in the movie, and it was so tall that it was far enough away from her she didn't think it would hurt her.  At the very end, they have a HUGE T-Rex and you can see from the picture below that Madison Claire just buried her head onto Ryan and closed her eyes.  Precious.

Happy First Birthday, Mac!!!

On Mac's actual birthday, we celebrated again at home. Madison Claire was very confused and none too pleased that he was getting 2 birthday parties.  We tried to explain to her that she had one big birthday party with lots of friends and buddy had 2 parties with just us.  That went right over her little head :).  Anyway - we served buddy his second cake and he loved it again.  I'm so thankful for this little guy - I can't even imagine how our life would be without him!

These days, he is still happy most of the time, but he has started showing his temper.  We thought Madison Claire was stubborn but boy are we in for it with him!  When he doesn't get his way, he arches his back and screams like no other!  He's also incredibly persistant.  He does not give up easily - sometimes not at all and is very frustrated when he can't do whatever it is he wants to do.  I know that trait will serve him well later in life so am trying to remember that when it is exasperating me on a daily basis! 

He still melts my heart with one little smile though.  Those dimples are to die for and I am definitely his favorite.  During the day when I'm working in my office, Annie will get him up from his nap and bring him downstairs and he will just get the biggest smile you've ever seen as if I was worth $1 million dollars to him. 

Watching him & Madison Claire play together is better than I could have imagined.  I'm convinced he thinks she is the funniest person on the planet.  He laughs at her all the time - in the morning when we go in to wake him up together, in the car when they are holding hands, playing games during the day, during dinnertime.  You name it, he wants to be near her and playing with her.  I'm sure it is going to drive her crazy later in life, but she loves it now!  She is just as taken with him as he is with her!

He is eating well, but only in the 25% for height and weight.  It's hard to single out what he really loves because he seems to like everything.  He does like to eat right away though.  As soon as we put him in the highchair, he wants something right then and gets really fussy if it's not ready.  We've learned to have a small snack ready for him to keep him busy and entertained while we get the main meal ready.

He's not walking consistently but knows how and can walk across an entire room if he wants to.   He has also started to climb stairs and still loves his pacifier and his bunny.  He's sleeping through the night - usually from around 7pm - 7:30am and taking 2-3 naps during the day.   

We *love* our buddy!!!

First steps