The Beane's

Best friends...

2012-02-08T19:37:00.000-06:00

(.... sometimes)

Suzi is so good with Colin! She puts up with so much. Colin likes to play with her... like he'll run up to her and throw his body onto her. Or he will grab one of her toys and then throw it at her. Or if she is playing with her toy, he tries to tug it with her... this sometimes ends with him flat on the floor.

And boy does Suzi love snack time. Actually she loves anytime Colin has food. She knows she will usually get some. Suzi was never allowed "people food". (she still isn't, unless Colin gives it to her!)

I was in the kitchen and it was really quiet in the living room. When I walked in I saw that Colin had backed himself into Suzi, sat down, and was enjoying his snack with her leaning on him.

I just love these two! I love that Suzi is so good with Colin. And I love that she is big enough to handle a ball or two thrown her way. =)

Things we like...

2012-02-03T18:56:00.000-06:00

I did a post here when Colin was 3 months old about what we liked (and didn't) so I figured I'd do another one now that he is 16 months old!

These IKEA plates are awesome! Colin is learning how to use plates, and these hold up great! (They have taken a few throws to the floor) They are a perfect size, and Colin loves them.

Cell Phone:

Colin LOVES this toy! The Fisher Price phone - there is music (that he dances to, of course) and it does the ABC's, and much more. And he holds it up to his ear and says "Heee" (Hey) haha

For snacks:

These are great! Most of the time, if we are out and about, I put animal crackers in these snack catchers. They allow Colin to just grab one at a time, without spilling things everywhere!

This book:

It's called Heads, and it is great! There are tabs to pull out and things to touch and feel - Colin will run to his bookshelf and grab this book all the time! It's one of the few that he lets me read the whole way through =)

Sippy cup

We have tried many cups for Colin, and they all seem to leak. But we haven't had a problem with this one (yet anyway!) It locks closed, and even when he tosses it from his high chair it hasn't spilled! Yay!

Diapers:

The Flip diapers! That's right, I'm still cloth diapering! And I still love it! I haven't ventured out much with the brand, but I figured I like the Flips so why change things! These have worked great for us, and because there is a seperate insert in them, they weren't hard to get used to.

Of course, there are lots of other things that we like, but those are the stand out ones =)

Crock pot...

2012-02-01T18:40:00.000-06:00

I love cooking with my crock pot. I love it even more now that I have a child. There is just something about the end of the day that makes Colin need all of my attention. I can usually keep him occupied with something while I cook, but on the days that I have a meal in the crock pot, I can easily get a meal on the table without someone hanging on my leg =)

I am always looking for new (easy) crock pot meals. I have found a few blogs, and I have a few cookbooks, but I have found that I plan my meals more around what I have on hand rather than going shopping for all new ingredients. So, sometimes it's hard to find a new meal with things I already have. If you have any you'd like to share with me, please do =)

Here are a few of my favorites:

-BBQ Chicken:
6 frozen skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
12 oz bottle bbq sauce
1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Place chicken in crock pot. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. Cover. Cook high 3-4 hours or low 6/8 hours.

-Chicken and Dumplings (I got this from my sister-in-law):
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 Tbsp butter
2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup
1 onion, finely diced
2 pkges biscuit dough (I use Pillsbury)

Place chicken, butter, soup and onion in crock pot, fill with enough water to cover (2 cans full). Cover. Cook on high 5-6 hours. About 30 minutes before serving, place torn biscuit dough in slow cooker. (don't stir! I made this mistake before!) Cook until dough is no longer raw in center.

- Chicken Parm (this is a favorite):
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 beaten egg
3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
salt and pepper
1 cup shredded cheese
1 26 oz jar marinara sauce
1/2 lb spaghetti noodles
Place olive oil in crock pot. In small bowl, whisk egg. In another small bowl mix bread crumbs, parm, seasoning, salt and pepper. Dip chicken into egg then coat with bread crumb mixture, then place in crock pot. Top with marinara. Cook on low 6-7 hours, high 3-4 hours. Just before dinner, prepare pasta and add cheese on top of chicken mixture.

-Southwestern Chicken:
2 cans whole corn, drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
16 oz jar chunky salsa, divided
3-6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Combine corn, beans, and 1/2 cup salsa in crock pot. Top with chicken. Pour remaining salsa over chicken. Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours, high 3-4 hours. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover and cook 5-10 more minutes until cheese is melted.
I serve this over rice, but you can eat it alone.

Outside...

2012-01-26T14:23:00.001-06:00

I don't know about you, but I'm ready for Spring! I love that it has been in the 70's outside!! Colin, Suzi and I have been taking advantage and going out to play! We got Suzi a new ball (her old purple one had a nice long life....) and she LOVED playing with it! Here Colin spies the ball...

...and he drops his stick and makes a run for it! Suzi sees him...

....and Suzi gets there first, grabs the ball and runs!

Colin loves to be outside! He picks up pine cones, those sticky ball things (ya know what I'm talking about), sticks, dirt, rocks, leaves....

He really likes when Suzi comes running past with her toys! Even inside, he gets a kick out of Suzi =) This next picture is so awesome - though blurry - it is sooo Suzi! Ears and all!

I obviously had my camera while we were out there, but I mostly got shots from the back. The boy is just so busy! There's no time to smile for Mom!

These next few, I was so busy snapping away on my camera I didn't realize how dirty Colin was getting! He was playing in some dirt. Oh well, it was fun =) And, by the way, Colin really likes to wash his hands! So, there's that.

We had a blast! And then came inside and at least 2 of the 3 of us took nice long naps! (one of the three had coffee.... wonder which one...)

Weekend and hair...

2012-01-24T19:22:00.000-06:00

On Friday I made a very last minute decision to drive to Charlotte with Colin and Suzi (G was out of town). I have wanted to make my hair dark for awhile now. My sister in law does hair.... so we made a date =) Here is the before and after (on a side note - the before picture was how my hair is when I wake up, wavy. The after picture it had been straightened.)

I love it! I am still getting used to it though. I do a double take when I walk by a mirror! And it didn't faze Colin at all

Since Kailey was occupied with doing my hair... my dad took on the job of watching the kids! And he did a great job =)

We had a great weekend. I can't say enough how nice it is to just be able to jump in the car and go for a weekend trip to my parents house! And Colin picked up a new skill.... he can now peel an orange:

So, where was Garet this weekend? Hanging out with all his sisters!

They had a great time! I think it is awesome that they were all able to get together!

Pinterest DIY...

2012-01-14T18:54:00.001-06:00

I have talked about Pinterest before, but I wanted to do a post about the do it yourself things I have done/tried from there.
- For Colin's 1st birthday I found this:

Source: cfabbridesigns.com via Kelly on Pinterest

And here is mine:

- I also found this:

Source: alittleloveliness.blogspot.com via Kelly on Pinterest

And here is mine:

- Then for Christmas I wanted to do a canvas for my parents of their grandchildren (Kailey and I actually got together to do this one). I found this:

Source: mommymodelsblog.com via Kelly on Pinterest

And here is mine:

- I wanted to try this next one because I wanted Colin to be able to play with something that was non-toxic. But to be totally honest I didn't like this one. I thought it was too watery, and it didn't last long (I felt like it started to smell...)

Source: easiepeasie.blogspot.com via Kelly on Pinterest

And here is mine:

- I saw this and thought it was really neat, but my schedule with a 15 month old isn't really that crazy where I need a whole dry erase board... so I made mine a dinner menu. And I LOVE it! It keeps me more organized!

Source: fey-next2heaven.blogspot.com via Kelly on Pinterest

And here is mine:

That is about it that I've tried so far. I really love this idea of "pinning" things! I will have to a post of the food I've tried from there!

A short get-away...

2012-01-13T13:38:00.000-06:00

I totally forgot to post about this!

Garet and I were able to have some time - just the two of us right before Christmas!!

I left Colin and Suzi in Charlotte with my parents and drove home to Whiteville where Garet had just got back from an out of town conference. It was a little weird to be home with out the baby or the dog... quiet. Real quiet. But we had a good time.

Saturday night we drove to my cousins house to surprise her with a 30th birthday/tacky Christmas party! Her birthday is on Christmas, so her husband Chris planned this a week early...

It was a lot of fun, and she was definitely surprised!

The next day we drove to Lake Waccamaw to ride our bikes around the lake! It was beautiful!

We packed a lunch and had a picnic by the water

It was nice to have that time just Garet and me! But we were both really excited to see Colin (and Suzi)!

Bye Marshall...

2012-01-12T18:49:00.000-06:00

Mathers that is (a.k.a. Eminem a.k.a. the REAL Slim Shady)

I am definitely an Eminem fan. Yes, he can be inappropriate ~~sometimes~~ a lot of the time, but he is a genius. Have you listened to the lyrics?! Wow. He is amazing. But, I am a mother now. And I have Colin with me most of the time. So... that means no more inappropriate music. (at least not while he's around.) (Don't worry I don't listen to the bad words.) I haven't listened to any music like this around Colin since he was born - but now he really gets things! Like I can say "Hey Colin, go get your water and let's go upstairs" and he does! So, good bye for now Slim...

And speaking of inappropriate. I got this book for Christmas. H I L A R I O U S! I mean, yes there are bad words on.every.single.page. but it seriously cracks me up! You can't take life too seriously. I just need to make sure to put that one well out of Colin's reach =)

Toy storage...

2012-01-10T10:14:00.000-06:00

After Christmas, we had tons of toys that were scattered around everywhere. I am the kind of person who has to have everything in it's place... so this toy situation didn't work for me. I decided that I was going to separate toys into bins, and then I would be able to pull out one bin every day for Colin to play with. That way he doesn't get bored with the toys... and he doesn't get overwhelmed with so having so many toys out at once!

In Colin's room, we have an awesome toy box (that Garet's dad made him!) So when we play upstairs in his room it is easy to throw everything in the toy box! But downstairs the amount of toys grew out of the small box I had to hid them! Plus it seems like we play more downstairs than upstairs (I get more done when we are downstairs while Colin is playing!)
Here is a couple bins and what I have in them:

Every bin has at least one: toy that makes noise, learning toy, puzzle, car, and then some randoms. Of course as he gets more toys I will add to each. But we'll see how this goes for now! I also have a bin that is out all the time that has some of his books and his bouncing ball. And then of course the toys that don't fit in bins like his little bike and tunnel are out all the time. But I'm excited that everything is put away, and it is nice and neat!

Hiking...

2012-01-09T20:04:00.000-06:00

Yesterday (Sunday) morning while Colin was eating breakfast, I noticed that his eye was a little red. So, I thought that he may be getting pink eye. I got all nervous about him being around other kids in nursery at church... so we didn't go. Oh - and he didn't have pink eye. Better safe than sorry I guess!
Instead, we packed lunches and went on a hike!

Here was my view =)

It was beautiful outside! We had such a nice time! We had a nice picnic - where Colin just sat on top of the table, and he did a great job!

My favorite was when he got a sip of his drink! What a cute kid!!

Suzi was just happy to be out running around! I love getting out as a whole family!

After lunch, Colin got to get rid of some energy! He quickly found a stick and got to work "sweeping" the pine needles away!

We had a great time!

Pictures...

2012-01-08T13:44:00.002-06:00

So... I didn't realize that I had made a resolution last year.... I said I was going to take a photo a day for the whole year. And I did it! And I LOVE that I have the pictures I do now! It is really amazing at how fast children grow, and the only thing that I have to give my memory a visual are the pictures I take. So... after much debate.... I decided to do it again this year. I really have no clue at how many people look at that site, but the ones that give me feedback were very encouraging!

If you don't know what I'm talking about go to my other blog: A Beane A Day

(by the way - I tend to do a better job at keeping that one up to date. I slack on this one. oops.)

Cold or Hot...

2012-01-07T19:41:00.000-06:00

On Wednesday of this week, I woke up and realized our heat wasn't working. Now, if you know me then you know that I am ALWAYS cold. And I hate to be cold. I am not a fan of the winter - the fall is fine, but I am definitely a warm/hot weather girl! So to have a cold house, was just not okay with me! Long story short... it took them until yesterday afternoon to get our heat working again! Luckily we have two seperate heat/air condition units - one upstairs and one downstairs. So Colin was fine and dandy upstairs!

When I got him up on Thursday morning... it was 57* downstairs! So I bundled him up in his robe (which he LOVED) and we went downstairs to get breakfast

We played most of the day up in his room, but when it was time for lunch and dinner... we got dressed like we were going outside!

Of course the weather was COLD while we didn't have heat. But then once it was fixed (yesterday afternoon) the weather warmed up! Funny how that happened...

I have no clue what the temp was... but we were out playing most of the day! Colin loves to get dirty and play with sticks, leaves, pine needles, pine cones...

really just anything he can get his hands on. At my parents house he liked the rocks and the mulch!

I just can't get over how beautiful and NICE it is outside and it is January! We even have one of the trees beside our house in full bloom!

And we weren't the only ones that enjoyed being outside! Suzi had a blast!

Sometimes when she is sleeping inside I get so sad just thinking about how she is getting older (she turned 6 in September), but then we get out her "purple" and she turns into a puppy again!

I just love my dog!!! She is so good! Hope the weather stays this way =)

New Year...

2012-01-01T21:10:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year!

Who has made new year's resolutions??
I normally don't. But, this year I [kind of] am. I decided that I am going to get in shape.
I have never really had to work out to stay thin, I've always been fairly active, but never felt like I had to work out... after I had Colin, I breastfed, and I was very blessed to have all the baby weight plus some fall off. I was below pre-pregnancy weight within 3 months. So... (now that most of you reading this probably hate me now...) all of that to say that I stopped breastfeeding the beginning of October... and now I am feeling the effects of baby/not working out/eating crap.....
I really need to get in shape.
The reason I am "kind of" making a resolution is because I am scared to commit. If I don't do it, then I lose. And I really hate to lose.
I guess by writing it on this blog I have a little bit of accountability.
So, there ya have it. My resolution.

Garet made one last year - to quit drinking soda. And guess what? He did it. Not a sip of soda in 2011! Go Garet!
So this year he and my mom made a joint resolution. See - my mom drinks at least one soda a day. Diet Coke. And Garet has a couple beers a week. (he likes the taste for some reason??? =) ) Their resolutions were Mom has NO soda... Garet has NO alcohol! I told my mom she should start a blog to document this - and she did! Go say hey to my mom!

Hope everyone has a great year!!

Christmas recap...

2011-12-30T21:00:00.000-06:00

We spent Christmas in Charlotte at my parents house. It was sooo much fun! Colin and I wrapped a few presents that we had shipped there...

He really liked playing with the tape =)
My mom and I got to go out and about some, which was really nice! Garet stayed with Colin so we weren't on a time restraint (I always plan around naps). While we were out we found this cute little chair, and mom said Colin just had to have it!

I had to agree! He loved sitting back in it! Actually he wanted to stand in it... but after he was told that was a bad idea, he decided that sitting in it was just as fun.
My brother and his wife and daughter came for Christmas too! Morgan and Colin quickly caught up on what was going on in the world...

We brought Suzi with us (of course!) and Eric brought their two dogs.... so we were a FULL house! In my room was me, Garet, Colin, and Suzi... in Eric's room was Eric, Kailey, Morgan, and two dogs (Macy - a boxer, and Biscuit - a little white dog)... so we were packed! But everyone did wonderful, and it worked just fine!
One day there, we decided to go into downtown Charlotte to see some singing bears (we had heard about them). To get there we got on the light rail (a train)...

Colin just thought that was the neatest thing! He loved to look out the window! When we got downtown he enjoyed looking around at all the people and big buildings! When we got to the bears, they had already started singing Christmas songs (they were mechanical bears)

Colin and Garet were so cute watching them. But... this only lasted a few minutes. The rest of the time Colin was ~~walking~~ running ALL over the place! Dancing, singing, waving to everyone... making friends with anyone that made eye contact =) It was so much fun!

On Christmas Eve we went to a service at church. It was really good! And Colin did sooo good! In my family we always opened one gift the night before Christmas. And it was always PJs... so we are going to continue that tradition with Colin. Here he is opening his gift:

I don't have a good shot after this... he really just liked the tissue paper =)

Christmas morning!

We had breakfast then started opening gifts! Kailey and I had gotten together and taken some pictures of the kids so we could give one to my parents. I did this with it, except I used real canvas (got the idea from Pinterest), and it turned out perfect!

They LOVED it!

Morgan needed a quick nap while we were opening =)
Colin helped open one of his gifts, then he was ready to play with everything...

He didn't even want them out of their boxes! This was a little cell phone!

And he got a big bean bag chair!

Here is Colin and Morgan in their cute Christmas pajamas!

All my family came over to my parents house for Christmas dinner this year - so we got prepared to have everyone over (there were 28 of us!)

But first I had to try out something I found in my stocking...

=)

I actually didn't take hardly any pictures while my family was over. I just decided to sit back and enjoy. But I did get a couple of the whole crew!

We had an awesome Christmas!
And we are home now... so I am going to try to catch up on this blog! It may take a week or so though =)

Almost 15 months...

2011-12-22T12:28:00.000-06:00

What a fun kid!!!!
We are having a blast with Colin! I just can't believe he is almost 15 months! When I was doing a picture a month of him, it was easy to do a post of his milestones... but now it is slipping away! So I figured I would jot down some of the things he is doing now.

Colin is:
- waving bye bye and good night
- says a few words, although I don't know if anyone else would understand =)
he says: hey, mama, daddy, Suzi, hot, ball, amen...
- we always say the blessing before he eats and he will be quiet while we are saying it and then say "MA-MEN" (amen)
- has started trying to use a fork (he gets the concept, he just has a hard time getting the food on his fork)
- running around everywhere
- dancing (wow is this cute!)
- sleeps from 7 pm until 7 am
- takes two naps, 1-2 hours each
- weighs about 23 pounds
- wears 18 month clothes
- loves to play with his cars and balls!
- also loves to play with remotes and cell phones
- is such a BOY! He loves to play outside and get dirty!
- can throw his ball to me, then catch it (most of the time) when I throw it back
- is shy when he is first introduced to someone, but warms up pretty fast, and then is all over the place!
- sensitive. He may be all boy, but he is sensitive. If anyone else tells him NO, you can see him get hurt feelings, which sometimes makes him cry.
The other day, my parents dog took the stick he was playing with... that made him cry really big
- has no fear. He likes to climb, and has just started standing on things (stools, his bike... whatever!) and he likes to just walk off things... the the bottom step!
- is so happy! He does cry, but his is a really happy ~~baby~~ toddler!

I'm sure there is more, but I can't think of it now. I will have to make a point to keep writing what is going on with him so I don't forget as he is getting older!

I have to write his nap and bedtime routine down so I don't forget...
Colin naps at 9 am, 2 pm, and goes to bed at 7. He still uses his fire (aka pacifier) but he only gets it when he goes to sleep. I will give him one fire, change his diaper, then pick him up. At this point he gets his second fire (he likes to hold it)... as soon as he gets it, his head falls on my sholder. It is the sweetest thing! I sing a song to him (I sing "I love you, a bushel and a peck..." Garet has another song when he puts C down). Then I lay Colin down, and Colin will start waving to me. Oh it melts me! I say "Good Night Colin. I love you." And I will wave back. Then I close the door, and he goes to sleep.
It is seriously the most precious thing!

Organized...

2011-12-18T13:31:00.000-06:00

Or I am at least trying to be organized!

I am a huge Pinterest fan! And I found a DIY project on there that used frames to organize your week. Well, I didn't have a place for a frame collection that big... and it isn't like we have tons going on during the week that I need to write it all down, but what I do need to organize is my thoughts for dinners during the week!

Here is my solution:

I love it! I had the 4 small frames, and I bought the 3 bigger frames at Walmart (for like $0.97 each!!) Then I used some random scrapbook paper I had and wrote Sunday - Saturday on them. Framed them. Then hot glued them together.

Now I can write down what we are having for dinners each night. It is so much easier for me to keep organized when I can see it all written, rather than trying to remember each day what we are doing!

You can use dry erase markers on any frame. It wipes off simply with a paper towel.
Now if I could just figure out how to do the crazy couponing that I keep hearing about....

Catching up...

2011-12-07T17:56:00.000-06:00

It is hard to keep up with this blog!
So, after Eric's homecoming, Garet and I went straight up to DC to spend Thanksgiving with Garet's family!
We stayed with Garet's dad... and soon after we got there Colin was already up in Pop's lap playing with his ball.

We spent Thanksgiving day at Garet's sister, Adriane's house. It was a lot of fun hanging out with everyone. They have a ping pong table downstairs that got a lot of use! I think Garet was the reigning champ!

The next night everyone came over to Garet's dad's house for dinner. Here are the Beane guys:

We had fun talking and laughing. Then we decided to play chicken foot at the adult's table. And we got some pictures... this one was supposed to be "serious", but as you can tell only half of us participated =)

When we got home I got in the Christmas spirit. I am still not big on Christmas music, but I did put on a Christmas CD we have. It was fun to pull out all of our decorations. It was just Colin and me at home, and I wanted to get some pictures since Colin was so excited about all the Christmas stuff...

I had just hung the stockings... and the boy jumped up on the fireplace right as I snapped this picture. He is NOT allowed on it, and he knows this! Crazy boy!

Speaking of the brick fireplace.... Colin had a run in with it. I have been so nervous about him running around the brick. He tripped and his chin scrapped the side. Poor sweet boy. So I went out that day and got a "cushion" for the edges.

See his poor sweet chin?
Then we all packed up and went back to Blue Skies! This time Garet's mom and Rod were there with their dog Schmange

Oh I just LOVE it there! We are making it a habit of going too =)

The next day (this past Saturday) I left Colin with the crew in the picture above, and went to my brothers house. I got to babysit his daughter Morgan, while Garet kept Colin. It was perfect! I got a whole night (and day) away (for the first time since Colin was born, by the way!) and Eric and Kailey got to have a date night. It was a lot of fun!
The next day Garet and Colin met me at Eric's house.

Then we all went to see Santa! Garet and I predicted that Colin wouldn't cry, but would probably be very nervous about us leaving him on a strangers lap! And we were right! See for yourself:

Hahahaha
I LOVE it! His poor scrapped chin, his pants all hiked up exposing his awesome socks, his look of "what the heck!" OH MY GOSH I LOVE THIS CHILD!!!!
Seriously, I am so in love!
So that brings us up to date. I've been running around like crazy to get things ready for Christmas. We are traveling to Charlotte to celebrate, so there's lots to do!

Homecoming...

2011-11-25T11:56:00.000-06:00

I am finally able to post about Eric's homecoming! (if you are on my facebook, you've probably already seen most of these pictures... but if not, they're are a lot!)

Garet, Colin and I all headed to Blue Skies in Morehead (if you are keeping track, that would be two weekends in a row! =) sweet!) and waited for my parents to arrive. Blue Skies is about 45 minutes from Camp Lejeune (where my brother is stationed) in Jacksonville. Once my parents got there, we ate dinner, put Colin to bed, and started working on our banner to welcome Eric home!

It says "Welcome Home LCPL ERIC DAVIS", we painted it green, then did glow in the dark paint around the letters. Since Eric was coming in around 6 pm we wanted him to see it!

The next day Garet and Dad worked in the yard.... Mom and I played with Colin and got things together for that night. At about 2:30 we loaded up and headed to Camp Lejeune! (Colin went down for his afternoon nap, but decided he was way too excited to do any sleeping) When we got there, we got checked in at the gate then went to hang our banner. I got pictures, but you really couldn't see it too well. A little farther down from ours, I found the one Kailey did...

Then we headed to Kailey and Eric's house.
Kailey was getting herself and Morgan ready (remember this was the first time Eric got to meet Morgan!) Everyone else was just hanging out.... the race was on, Colin was having a snack, the dogs were running around, kids were playing with toys...

At 5 we headed to where we were going to see Eric!!
When we got there we all unloaded and started heading to the building... and we noticed that Kailey left her door open....

... and was off to see her husband!

haha
We got a kick out of that! No time to shut the door... she was ready!
Here is the crew heading towards the building. (Garet, my mom, Colin, Rachel, my dad, Gary, Dana, their three kids (Jordan, Teagen, and Trenton), Kailey and Morgan)

We decided we didn't want to sit in the room that was provided, so we all hung out outside. Colin ate his dinner and had fun playing in the yard with sticks...

And wanted to get through the gate where Eric was going to be...

We were all so excited! My mom and I went to the bathroom to change Colin and when we came out we about ran down the hall, just in case Eric was there! We didn't want to risk missing anything! We got word that Eric was right on schedule to arrive at 6.

So... at 6 we were all gathered in the yard looking and listening for any sign of a bus. At about 6:15 we heard a bus, and then we saw headlights!!

It was so indescribable the feeling! A mix of nervousness, excitement, happiness, everything just all rolled into one! Kailey said she felt like it was her wedding day! So ready to see her husband and introduce him to their beautiful baby girl!

Once the bus got there, you could see the Marines getting off and walking into the gated yard (that Colin was trying to get into!) so they could get their bags, and check their guns, and get some instructions.

And FINALLY they started heading toward the gate door! Kailey immediately said, "I see him!"

And at last...

It was, by far, the sweetest sight! After a few minutes (which at the time seemed like a long time!), Eric looked up at the rest of us and we all got our hugs in!

Then, I think everyone breathed a sign of relief. Eric's here. Eric's home. Eric's safe. Eric got to meet his daughter and see his wife. Eric looks so good. HE'S BACK! Kailey and Eric walked to get their car so they could load his bags. That's my dad in the front with Eric's bags, and the reunited couple walking away.

Once everything was loaded, we were able to get a few more pictures before we left this sweet little family alone!

Eric couldn't take his eyes off Morgan. It was so precious! And she was so good. She woke up right before he got here, and was just as interested in him as he was her!

Kailey turned Morgan around to look at her Daddy, and she just smiled! I could have melted! Love at first sight!

And this is my favorite! Love these three!!

I am getting emotional just reliving it as I type! What a HAPPY Thanksgiving! We are so blessed to have Eric back home!

HAPPY {early} Thanksgiving...

2011-11-20T20:37:00.000-06:00

Guess who is home????????????????

MY BROTHER!!!!!!!!!!!

Surprise!

He was able to come home early from his deployment to Afghanistan!

Kailey told us (me and my parents) about 2 months ago... but we couldn't say anything. And like Eric said, nothing is definite until I am on that plane! So, we have kept our mouths shut. Last time he was home, Morgan wasn't born yet!

Don't worry I have plenty of pictures to share! I am just beside myself with excitement!!!!
PRAISE GOD!

(these pictures were taken from before Eric left, at the end of June. I put this together before we came to welcome Eric home. I wanted to have something to post =) I will have the homecoming pictures soon)

Sunrise at Blue Skies...

2011-11-15T19:17:00.000-06:00

Isn't God amazing?!
How gorgeous is this sunrise?

We all packed up and went to Blue Skies (Garet's mom's house in Morehead, NC) for a few days. Every morning there was a breathtaking sunrise, every day was beautiful, and every evening the sunset was just as awesome!
Check out this picture... if I flipped it you wouldn't be able to tell which was sky and which was ocean...

Colin has an awesome internal alarm clock that wakes him up at 6 every morning... so with baby on hip, I set out on the deck to get some amazing shots.

I went back out a couple more times to see the sun peek through

Sweet boy...

2011-11-15T14:24:00.003-06:00

Isn't he just the cutest ever?!?!

I was playing around with my pictures and did this the other day. Colin was 13.5 months old. Don't you just love his curls?! What a crazy head of hair! =)

So in love...

Birthday...

2011-11-11T08:43:00.000-06:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!!!

Today is my dad's birthday! I am so glad Colin and I were able to celebrate with him (a couple days early!) I found these pictures....

September 2010

September 2011

Very similar =)
I love you Dad!!! Happy Birthday! You are the best dad, and the BEST papaw ever!!
Not only is today my dad's birthday, but it is also Veteran's Day! I am so thankful to all our military - but I'm especially thankful for this guy:

My brother with the United States Marine Corps. Can't wait to for him to get home!!

Charlotte visit...

2011-11-10T21:01:00.000-06:00

Colin and I went to Charlotte for a few days this week. We got there Sunday afternoon and left Wednesday afternoon. Here we are enjoying snack time, with a new hat on, of course.

My mom went to work Monday night, but before she left Colin had to show her the lights on his truck...

I went out to dinner with one of my best friends, Christy, after I put Colin to bed. My dad listened to the monitor while I was gone =)

The next morning my mom was watching Colin... I grabbed my camera and went to see what they were up to. Colin was playing the piano! How cute is he?!

That afternoon we had a visit with this sweet girl!

and her mama! It is so amazing how fast babies grow! I totally see Eric when I look at her now! What an angel! Colin was very interested! He was very careful when he approached Morgan... they are going to be such good friends!

Me and Kailey with our babies =)

We spent the afternoon outside... it was beautiful!!

Colin LOVES to be outside! My dad was doing some yardwork, so Colin helped

He also got to play in the leaves! He had a blast!

We had such a great time visiting my family!

Ending October...

2011-11-04T18:10:00.000-05:00

Am I the only one that feels like this year has flown by?? Garet and I had been talking about going to visit his grandmother who lives about an hour away. Finally we both had free days, so we got to hang out with her!

Colin had a lot of fun. She has a little dog named Spot, and Colin was very interested in her! He also got to push around her walker and play with her Halloween candy!

Our church had a Fall Festival that we went to. It was freezing! But we had a lot of fun! As soon as we got there, someone handed Colin a tennis ball and he carried it around with him the entire time! Actually he held it until we got home... then Suzi got it. Here is Colin and Garet doing the cake walk!

For Halloween Colin dressed up as The Pokey Little Puppy. He loved it, see:

Haha!
When we first moved here and told people the neighborhood we lived in, people would say "Oh wow, has anyone warned you about Halloween??" Turns out we moved to the place to go for Halloween candy. Garet and I had never lived anywhere where we got a lot of trick or treaters, so we were excited.

We didn't take Colin out for candy, because, let's face it... he's one. He doesn't need it.
While we were getting our candy put in a bowl I handed Colin a wrapped Tootsie Roll Pop to keep him occupied. After a few minutes we noticed how quiet he had gotten.... he had managed to get the wrapper off and was getting his first taste of a sucker! And boy he loved it!

(so yes, we staged this photo. we had to document him "trick-or-treating")

It ended up pouring down rain! We still got a lot of kids, but I'm sure many stayed home. It was really nasty out!

We had a great time! And now we are looking forward to a super busy November!

Monkeying around...

2011-10-31T13:18:00.003-05:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Colin dressed up like a monkey =) We had him pose on the front porch with his painted pumpkins...

And he kept pushing the little one down the steps...

This was an action shot =)

He had fun walking all over the yard.

My sweet little man!

Colin was over the whole outfit by the time we put him in his swing...

Hope everyone has a great Halloween!!

Pumpkins...

2011-10-25T19:00:00.002-05:00

I got a couple of pumpkins for Halloween and I figured Colin is still too young to carve... so I decided to let him paint them. I was just going to set out paint and let him go at it, but a couple days ago I saw a blog post here (which is an awesome blog by the way!) So I decided to copy them =)

Before:

During:

After:

We set out a long sheet of construction paper so he would have plenty of room to make a mess. I put the paint on paper plates and we let him go! He actually seemed to be more interested in trying to get to the bottles of paint than actually "decorating" the pumpkins! And he got really excited about halfway through and got up and started running around! Garet and I were trying to chase him down, while avoiding paint! I bet we looked like crazy people! But in the end, everything was completely washable =) and the pumpkins turned out pretty cute!

Tee time...

2011-10-24T10:53:00.000-05:00

Last Friday, Garet had a golf tournament for his work. Colin and I went to hang out before they got started.

Colin had fun playing on the last hole...

He LOVES to be outside! And he LOVES to be able to walk around to get where he's going! Check out his pine needles =)

He's thinking "Mooooom, stop taking pictures!"

I just can't help it, he is so stinkin cute!

They are so cute together =)
The weather was perfect too. It was cool and sunny.... and my boy and I matched!

Apple Donuts...

2011-10-23T13:40:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago my parents brought us a big bag of apples. I made it my goal to use every one of them... I made applesauce, apple cinnamon oatmeal (for Colin), Garet made apple pie, and I found a recipe for apple donuts (on Pinterest - which is totally addicting by the way!) They are more like donut holes... and if I had to do it over, I would make them more round.

These donuts were SOOOOO good! I mean, we finished them in two days! And you bake them, not fry, so they are good for you. (okay, maybe not really "good" for you, but baked is better than fried, right???? =) ) Go here to get the recipe. The only thing I altered was I cut the apples smaller than "bite sized" because I don't like chunks of fruit (unless it is plain fruit). If I had more apples I would make more right now! Yummy!!

Walking around...

2011-10-18T19:13:00.000-05:00

Colin is walking around everywhere! It is now his main mode of transportation. He has been walking for a few weeks now, but just within the past couple days has he gone from mostly crawling to mostly walking. Today I was in the kitchen starting dinner, and he would walk from me to the living room, and back to me, and back to the living room... this went on and on! It is so amazing to see him becoming his own person! I love it! I waited in the kitchen with my camera for him to make his return...

He was so proud of himself! He even brought me our computer cord! =)
When he got real close, he started doing this face:

Silly boy!
I just love this kid!

Blue Skies...

2011-10-12T20:10:00.000-05:00

When we went to see Kailey and meet Miss Morgan, my parents, Colin and I were able to stay at my mother-in-law's place in Morehead, NC. The house is on the intercoastal waterway, and it is appropriately named "Blue Skies".

The first morning we were there it was super windy! And rainy....

but after that it was beautiful! It is sooo relaxing and nice to be at this house!

At night it is so peaceful. We love to walk out on the pier and watch the sunset.

My parents left, and Garet joined us. It was just what we needed. A relaxing mini vacation. We were able to ride bikes - and Colin LOVED it!

I don't think I can say enough how much we enjoy staying here at Blue Skies! Drinking coffee out on the deck, taking walks around the neighborhood, watching the boats go by, standing out on the pier...

On one of our morning walks I saw a lot of splashing out in the water. When we looked closer - we saw that it was dolphins! There were so many of them!

On our last day there we went to the Seafood Festival downtown. The weather was perfect to take a stroll outside!

We don't even like seafood =) but it was fun to go to the different booths. Just being in the atmosphere was fun!
We had a blast at Blue Skies! Can't wait to go back again!

My new niece...

2011-10-05T08:36:00.001-05:00

September 26, 2011

My parents, Colin and I traveled to Jacksonville to meet my new niece! My brother is deployed - Kailey had a c-section (Morgan was breech), so it was understood to everyone that no one gets to see Morgan until after Eric did. He was able to oovoo (like Skype) with Kailey after she got out of surgery... so here was our first glimpse of Morgan!

She was getting her bath in the nursery with Kailey's mom.

The rest of the family got some lunch in the cafeteria, then we took turns going in to see sweet little Morgan!

She is so perfect! She was 7 lbs 7 oz, 20 2/3 inches long, and a head full of dark hair!
Colin was very interested =)

Eric was in the room the whole time! It was soooo special! We got to talk to him and he had a permanent smile! He is going to be an awesome Dad! It was really great. I still get emotional thinking about it!

Colin had fun looking at Uncle Eric on the computer! He also had fun looking at his new cousin!

Me with Morgan.

Colin really really wanted to get closer to see her! He was so good in the hospital!

Morgan sleeping with her mama.

She started sucking her thumb! When Eric was a baby he used to suck his thumb!

Morgan Laine Davis.

THE birthday...

2011-10-04T19:34:00.002-05:00

He is one. My baby boy is one whole year! I can't believe it! I may have got a little carried away with the party =) I alway said I wouldn't have a big party, or a big theme... but once it got here I did anyway! We decided on a beach theme since we now live so close to the beach.

I made a birthday banner! I was so excited about this! It turned out so good - and I will be able to use this every year for Colin!

The birthday boy had a blast with the beach balls! He was so happy... the party was right after his first nap - so he was well rested!

I made some "ocean" punch. And had fun making the rest of the food...

My mother in law was staying here, so she helped decorate some of the cupcakes. We had pasta salad, fruit, jello (with [swedish] fish in it), flip flop [nutter butter] cookies, hotdogs, goldfish, lifesavers, and cupcakes.

Us with our birthday boy!

Colin got to open presents - which he did help with some... but he mainly liked the boxes and ribbons. He had a blast in this wagon... but he also really liked making a tunnel with the box it came in =)
After presents we let Colin have a birthday cupcake... and he LOVED it! He ate the entire thing! There was almost nothing left when he was finished!

We had a cute shot of the 3 of us, but I really liked this action shot! Colin decided to share his cupcake with me!

It was so great for everyone to come out and help us celebrate Colin's birthday! We are so blessed and thankful for our sweet little man!

One...

2011-09-23T20:21:00.000-05:00

My baby is one.

This is the last of these shots I will do... as you can see, it is getting tougher to do them anyway (I should do a post of outtakes!)

I am a little at a loss for words... I am sad that he isn't the newborn baby we brought home from the hospital, but I absolutely love the person he is becoming! What a blessing! Colin has brought more joy to our lives than I could have ever imagined. I just can't believe it has been a whole year!

Colin is:

- almost walking... he have taken steps by himself, but I would consider him "walking" yet

- eating everything in sight! Well... except he gets picky when it comes to anything green, but the boy has an appitite!

- sleeps 10 -12 hours at night and takes two 1-2 hour naps

- is soooo busy!

- copies what we do... if we cough, he coughs... if we laugh, he laughs... anything!

- has started throwing toys/balls

- is almost finished nursing (we are down to 1 feeding a day... and I have mixed emotions about that as well!)

Tomorrow is the big party! What a great first birthday!!

Go Panthers...

2011-09-17T17:30:00.000-05:00

It is great to be back in NC so we can cheer on the Panthers!! Colin got an early birthday present from us... a jersey! So we got all dressed and got our snack and sat down to watch the game last Sunday.

When I pulled out the camera, Colin looked at me did this:

I have no idea what he's doing, or where he got this face from. I only assume he is smiling (?) at the camera. I thought it was just a one time thing... but then, I took the camera out a little later...

Crazy kid!
I finally got him to somewhat smile "normal" at me!

It was so fun to watch the game, but in the end we lost. Sad. But we look better than last year. At least we looked cute watching it =)

Love my girl...

2011-09-13T19:03:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Suzi!!!

We celebrated Suzi's 6th birthday on September 11th.
What a great dog!

Lounging...

2011-09-10T17:04:00.001-05:00

Colin has starting lounging on things... Like he will be sitting playing, then lean back on whatever is behind him. I got a few pictures of him... the first couple are a little blurry. I had to use my phone and this boy is fast =)

Love this last one!

What a sweet boy!!

Helping in the kitchen...

2011-09-09T13:30:00.000-05:00

Colin likes to help in the kitchen - mostly he just takes all my Tupperware out of the cabinet! Lately he's been pushing our chairs all over the house =)

Garet decided to make milkshakes one night. He and Colin went to the store for ingredients, then came home and got to work. Garet crushed up Oreos, then let Colin help...

When I poked my head in, I saw Colin shaking the Oreo bag...
and Garet taste testing...

And boy were those milkshakes tasty!

How did this happen...

2011-08-23T19:36:00.000-05:00

My sweet little man is 11 months old! I just can't believe it!
Colin is:

- clapping, waving "hey" and "bye"
- pointing to things he wants
- grunting ALL the time, and this can mean various things... I'm hungry, I'm full, I'm tired... pretty much anything.
- standing up on everything!
- cruising along tables
- walking with a toy (or a chair) (or actually anything that moves, he will walk with it)
- starting to dance (yay!)
- getting very picky! I am going to have to start disguising his veggies!
- sleeping from 7 - 6:30
- taking 2 naps, each is usually between 1 - 2 hours long
- eats 3 meals a day and 2 snacks
- nursing 4 times a day, but we will soon be introducing cows milk
- growing up waaay too fast for this mama!
Colin is really such a good baby! Since he was just a couple months old everyone asks "is he always this good?" and the answer is Yes. I know I say it all the time, but we are so very blessed. I am just so in love with our little boy and thank God every day that he chose us to be Colin's parents.

Schedule...

2011-08-22T18:35:00.000-05:00

(Just came across this... I did this post about a month ago! Guess I forgot to post it... oops. And see, his schedule has already started to change again =) The main change being that he is sleeping until at least 6:30 now! haha)

I thought it would be fun if I could look back and see what our schedule is while Colin is 10 months old. It's funny how once you get in a schedule, something changes (like going down to two naps... start eating solids... cut back on nursing... three meals a day... snacks...) and the whole schedule changes again. We've got a good system going - and I will be introducing whole milk soon, so this schedule is going to change! But in the meantime - here is our day:

5:30 a.m. - Colin wakes up and nurses
6:00 a.m. - snuggle
7:00 a.m. - breakfast - today Colin had apple/cinnamon/raisin oatmeal and Cherrios
8:00 a.m. - family walk around the neighborhood
8:30 a.m. - playtime
9:30 a.m. - nurse and nap
10:30/11 a.m. - snack and playtime
12:00 p.m. - lunch - today Colin had peas, corn, apples, potatoes
12:30 p.m. - play or run errands - today we went to the grocery store
2:30 p.m. - nurse and nap
4:00 p.m. - snack and playtime
5:30 p.m. - dinner - today Colin had chicken, green beans, peaches, bananas
6:00 p.m. - playtime
7:00 p.m. - bath, nurse, bed

Big brains...

2011-07-29T17:57:00.000-05:00

Colin had a doctors appointment. He is 10 months, and he is 28 inches tall... 26th percentile, 19.5 pounds... 24th percentile, and his head is 42 cm... 84th percentile. That's right folks - my boy has a big brain in that noggin' =) And can you see his little band aid?

At least he is all smiles! I really thought he was going to weigh more than he does - but the doctor said he was right on track. Everything checked out perfectly!

When we got home, Colin was so busy playing in his room. He likes to peek out over his baby gate. And I had to get a shot of his beautiful head of hair

Other than the shot, it was a good day! Even with that he didn't cry long.
Colin really likes his little buddy Scout. This stuffed animal sings songs and says phrases that are personalized. Like the dog will say "I love you, Colin" and one of the songs spells out C. O. L. I. N. And he says his favorite color (blue), favorite food (banana), and favorite animal (dog), which is programmed as Colins favorites. It's really cute.

Birthday boy...

2011-07-25T09:49:00.001-05:00

Garet's birthday was yesterday (the 24th) and we had a big celebration.... that lasted for about 2 weeks! =)

Last weekend we headed to Charlotte. We had a big night out! I got Garet tickets to see OAR - one of his favorite bands. They were playing in downtown Charlotte, so we figured we had free babysitting for the night and a free place to stay! (Thanks mom and dad!!!!) We were meeting one of Garet's good friends from college, and his girlfriend for dinner then the show. I had to get some last playing time with Colin before we headed out.

Dinner was good... but it started raining. It wasn't a downpour, but it was enough to be annoying. So we got soaked as we jammed to Crazy Game of Poker!

We had pretty good seats. It was a lot of fun - Garet and I used to go to concerts a lot in college. It was nice to get away and enjoy some good, live music again.

The next day (Saturday) my parents took Garet out for lunch, gave him his birthday gifts, and cupcakes.

One of his gifts was tickets to the U.S. National Whitewater Center! We had been wanting to go anyway, but Garet was surprised to see that the tickets were a gift! Garet, my dad and I were sooo excited to try out everything there! My mom was sooo excited to watch Colin while we were there!

We left soon after breakfast so we could get there early and beat the crowd. And it worked! We were on the first rafting trip...

It was awesome! I had only been rafting once before, but since this was man-made, it was rapid after rapid rather than a long resting time between. Our guide was great! He took us on about 5 trips, and each one was different. He asked us on a scale 1 - 10 how crazy did we want to get... I said a 7.5 because I didn't want to get thrown out... Garet said a 12, to make up for my 7.5. Well, the next rapid we hit, Garet flipped out! hahaha Then the guide got my dad and G good by holding them under one of the rapids!

Next we did the mega zip line. It was fun too - we actually went right over the whitewater rafting. This is me and G...

We had lunch there, then did the rock climbing. After that my mom, Colin and I headed back home and G and dad stayed to do a few more things. This is them on a rope course... this was a text from Garet... he said "Is there something wrong with your dad's helmet?" haha

We left the next morning. The week was pretty uneventful. Oh, except I fell down the stairs and thought I broke my foot. Lovely. I think it is just really bruised. So, we haven't been able to do our morning walks... but we have enjoyed the pool!

Here is one of Garet and Colin with the "Beane & Son" shirt.

And finally it was actually his birthday! We got some pictures before church. We went out to dinner, Garet got a cake and his favorite dinner.... sausage lasagna!

Hope you had a great birthday Garet!!! I love you!!!

10 months...

2011-07-23T19:03:00.001-05:00

My sweet baby boy is 10 months old today! He is growing so fast! I am just amazed at what he can do! And it is so neat to see the world through him! We are truly blessed. Colin is our little angel.

Here is some of what Colin has been up to:

- pulling himself up on everything and cruising along, and is super fast at crawling now

- claps and is starting to wave

- loves going on walks, and just being out and about

- just about finished eating baby food... he is over it. I have started giving him some of what we are eating (fruits, veggies, meat...)

- loves his books. He is now really into the touch and feel books

- getting top teeth in

- takes two naps and sleeps from 7 pm to 5:30 am

- absolutely LOVES the water! bath, pool, ocean... I even put some water in a pan and just keep him occupied with that!

- such a flirt! He just laughs and shows off for everyone!

We love our little man!

Semper Fi...

2011-07-11T06:31:00.000-05:00

It means "always faithful" and is the motto of the U.S. Marine Corps.

My brother is a Marine. He has been deployed to Afghanistan, he left last week.

We have known for some time now that this was going to happen. I went to Charlotte in June to see him one last time before he left. I just haven't been able to blog about it... as you can imagine, it is emotional.

So when I was in Charlotte, we got to spend a lot of great time with Eric! He was able to have a week off before his deployment and he got to see most of our family and friends. My parents hosted a little party at their house. Here is me with some of my cousins...

Also while we were there, my dad put up a swing set for Colin! And as you know, Colin loves to swing! So this was a major hit!

It was so great to hang out with Eric! We had such a great time - it was very upbeat and fun. We just enjoyed everything. Garet was missing (he had to work... boo!) but it was good to have the rest of the family together. Colin loved hanging out! In fact, he showed Eric how to drive the ice cream truck!

We had a great time at the party! My parents had BBQ, yummy! There was corn hole (which I still haven't really ever played!) and Aunt Kailey kept Colin happy

By the way... that's Morgan Laine Davis that Colin is sitting on =)
I think everyone had a good time! And you can see that Colin is completely taken by his Uncle Eric!

After dinner, everyone got to hang out. My parents have a pool table, so Eric and my dad took on Eric's best friend and his dad. I'm pretty sure Eric and dad won =)

Once everyone left, mom, dad, me, Eric and Kailey were left hanging out. I think we were all just enjoying every.single.moment that none of us wanted to go to bed! In fact, we had a competition...
Mom had some gum, so Eric and I tried to see who could blow a double bubble first!

(Eric won, but that's besides the point)

The next day, Eric and Kailey left to head back to Camp Lejeune. Eric isn't big on taking pictures, but I warned him that we were taking a lot =)

And he, of course, was fine with that! We had such a great visit! And I just can't wait to give him a big hug in a few months! Our military is amazing. I really have no words for how proud I am of my little brother.

My little brother, who is going to be a daddy in less than 3 months! I am so proud of you Eric! I love you!!

July 4th weekend...

2011-07-07T20:06:00.000-05:00

We had a great weekend! On Saturday, the 3rd, we drove to Wilmington for the day. We used to live there, and still have our house that's being rented... so we drove by to make sure it looked good. Then we drove around town, and stopped to have lunch downtown. Wilmington is such a cute place! It is old, and there are horse carriages, and it is right on the water. So pretty!

When we were finished we were leaving downtown and we passed a parking lot... Garet said he thought he recognized a car... it was his old car! The one he sold when we moved here (since he has a company car now)! How crazy is that?! Of all places, we drove by the car we sold!

Oh - and there was a ticket on the front! HA!

Then we drove to our friends house for a cookout! Garet has been friends with these two (Elliot and Melissa) since first year of college. I met them when we lived in Wilmington, and now that we are back, it's fun to get together! They have a daughter that is about 7 months older than Colin. And boy did Colin love her wagon!

The next day, on the 4th, we took it easy around the house and then that afternoon we headed to Lake Waccamaw. We have managed to make a few friends here =) One of them invited us to their lake house for a cookout.

When we got there they informed us that we just missed George Washington on the boat going up and down the lake! Colin was still able to get a picture with him though...

We didn't stay too late since I didn't want to mess up Colin's bedtime. So after Colin got in bed, Garet and I sat on the front porch... it was so nice. Just hanging out.

We did see some fireworks ( from the neighbors).

It was a great weekend!

Great day...

2011-07-03T20:04:00.000-05:00

We had such a wonderful day yesterday! We decided to drive out to Sunset Beach! Crazy, you might ask... on a Saturday the weekend of July 4th... well, I had my worries that it was going to be crazy busy, but I was (thankfully) proven wrong! We woke up and ate breakfast - which we do around 7 every morning. Then we packed a lunch and threw things in the car and headed out!

We arrived at the beach with absolutely NO traffic! And we got a free parking spot right next to beach access. Garet put up our tent thing, and I plopped Colin down in the sand while I organized everything else. Colin loved the sand! And this time he didn't even attempt to eat it! He was having a blast! Then we moved down to the water...

He had so much fun! He splashed so much! Every once in a while he would see a wave come and get a little nervous (he would reach up to me), but he did so well! It was really cute! Garet took him out a little deeper to let him get his whole body in the ocean (and to wash off some of the sand!) Colin was so good and seemed to really love it!

We put Colin in the shade for a bit and Garet let him have some water from his water bottle. Colin drank it like normal. haha - he didn't spill any. It's so neat to see him growing up.

My guys.

We were worried that we wouldn't be able to stay at the beach long because Colin would get fussy around his naptime. We brought his jogging stroller, and when his nap time rolled around we took him on a walk down the beach. And....

success!!
He took a 45 minute nap - which is shorter than usual, but wahoo! It will do!

It is so funny how our trip to the beach has changed. When we lived in St. John, we would stop on our way into town, or home from town, jump in the ocean... sit on the beach... all we needed was a towel. And now... we bring the whole house:

But I wouldn't trade it for the world!

And is it crazy to say that... I think I'm scared of the ocean?!? Is that weird? I guess after living where I can see through the water... going into water where you can't see your feet is a little scary to me. I didn't want to go out past where the water was breaking.

Anyway...
we had a GREAT day! Colin was perfect! When we got back home we grilled out.

Perfect.

Nine months...

2011-06-30T15:00:00.000-05:00

So, I'm a little late... but on the 23rd, Colin was 9 months old!! Wow.

Here's what he's been up to:

- Jumping. He loves this thing! And I love it because I can actually get things done in the kitchen =) Not to mention he is so darn cute in it!

- Still wearing cloth. I haven't updated on this, but the diapers are still going well. In fact (this might be tmi...) it is easier to clean them now that he is on solid foods. If you get my drift...

- Eating solids. He is so grown up... he would rather feed himself. I still give him baby food with a spoon, just to make sure he gets enough to eat, but he loves to pick up food and feed himself. This picture was taken after he decided to move his head real fast as Garet was giving him a bite!

I have been making him flavored oatmeal (he is over the plain baby stuff). So far he enjoys the peach oatmeal and the apple cinnamon raisin oatmeal. Other than that he likes to pick up: peas, green beans, banana, peach, plum, carrot, puffs, pretty much anything I put in front of him!

- Crawling. He crawls everywhere! It's an army crawl, but boy is he fast! He pulls up on everything too. So... we lowered his crib. Just in case he decides to jump out! He is so strong on his feet too! He stands for a long time, so it won't be long before he figures out how to move around on his feet!

- Swimming. We are members of a pool here in town, and Colin loves to swim! He loves water in general. (His bath times are hilarious! We are both soaked by the end of them) He even kicks his feet when he's in the float. And he doesn't mind getting his face soaked with water.

- Naps and sleeping. We have finally figured out a good nap and sleep schedule. It only took 8 months =) He takes 2 naps a day, about 1 - 1.5 hours each. He sleeps about 10 - 11 hours at night. Sometimes if he falls back asleep in the mornings, he skips his morning nap.

- swinging. The boy loves his swing! Well he loves to be outside. And Garet can really get him cracking up on the swing!

- Drinking. He can drink through a straw! And he's really good at it!

What a sweet, red headed boy we have! And it looks like Colin will be left handed! My fear with that: how do I teach him to tie his shoes?! haha
Everyone asks me all the time "is he happy all the time??" and the answer is yes. He is a very happy baby! But he is a baby, and we do hear him cry. Not much though. We are definitely blessed!

Family, Father's, and Fun...

2011-06-21T12:30:00.000-05:00

We've kept busy these past few weeks... I got to go hang out with my brother and sister-in-law (and baby Davis!!) Eric is being deployed in a couple weeks - so I really wanted to go hang out with them and see their place! I am hoping to head there when Kailey has the baby, so I wanted to make sure I knew where I was going too =)

It was so neat to see Camp Lejeune. It is a huge base, and it was neat to see my brother in uniform. He looks so grown up! Colin had a blast hanging out with them!

We stayed a couple days, then headed back here with Suzi and Garet.

When we were at Eric and Kailey's Colin was not quite crawling, but the day we got back he started! I asked Eric what in the world he taught my son - it was an army crawl! And he definitely did not do this before the visit with them! haha
So, since Colin was officially mobile, and he was pulling up on everything in sight, we decided to go ahead and lower his crib. The last thing I want to hear on that monitor is my baby jumping out of his crib!

It was a good thing we lowered it when we did, because the next day Colin figured out how to go from his tummy to sitting up. And after his nap I walked in to him pulling up on the side of his crib!
It is so crazy how fast they grow up!

We have spent a few days at the pool. It is a nice pool with a diving board, and it has never been too crowded. Though Colin only lasts about an hour before he is over it. But while there he LOVES splashing around in the water!

We celebrated Father's day Garet, it was a lot of fun! We ended up having a beautiful day - so we enjoyed the pool after nap time. That night we got to grill out and I made some yummy mac and cheese!

My sweet boy is now in 12 month clothes. What a sad day to put away all the 9 month outfits... my baby is getting big! But it is always fun to see the "new" clothes that fit him now! Doesn't he look so big?!

It has been so super hot here lately - but the past couple days there has at least been a breeze. We got Suzi's "purple" out and she had fun playing in the yard.

In fact, she had so much fun that we all joined her. I took (waaay too many) pictures, and Garet pushed Colin on his swing.

It has been a fun June so far - and we still have big plans. Colin and I are headed to Charlotte to see Eric again. (I am really trying to get in as much "Eric time" as I can before he leaves!) Can't wait!

Swing...

2011-06-10T11:43:00.000-05:00

The other day Garet got all the stuff together to put up a swing for Colin! (This post has a lot of pictures... just to warn ya!)

Colin and I decided to head out back with some toys and water and "help" daddy hang the swing. My boy loves water! In fact the water didn't stay in the containers long... he dumped it all over himself!

He has two bottom teeth and likes to feel them with his tongue... that is what he was doing. =)

Splish Splash

It is so neat to see Colin becoming more independent. He likes to do things himself, but gets frustrated when he can't. I think I could just stare at him all day... (and actually some days I feel like that's what I do! haha)

It was nice to be outside without sweating! It is so humid here - so we found the shade. And we got wet!

Like I have said before, Suzi is sooo good with Colin! She is never far away. We have realized though that a lot of Colin's "toys" used to be Suzi's "toys"... .like waterbottles... or maybe tupperware (or in this case, Cool Whip lids)...

I got the picture at the perfect time! She let it go and moved on.

Another thing I just love is Colin with Garet. If Garet walks in the room, Colin just lights up! And when Garet is working on something, his son is watching...

Once I got Colin in a dry outfit, Garet was finished with the swing. And Colin LOVED it! I am so excited that now we can enjoy being outside more! It's tough at this age because Colin isn't walking, but he isn't in one place either. So it is kind of hard to put him on a sheet outside without him pulling it up, or scooting off it into the grass/dirt. This is great, Colin just loves being outside!

Yup, I think he likes it!

Our anniversary...

2011-06-09T19:52:00.000-05:00

I am having a hard time keeping up with this blog! Go to A Beane A Day to see daily posts... I am better at keeping up with that!

So our anniversary was June 3 - FIVE years! =)

Garet surprised me with flowers and a cake with homeade peanut butter icing! I L.O.V.E. peanut butter!

We drove all around this small town looking for a park that had a baby swing.... we finally found one. And I mean there is only one in the whole town. Anywho... Colin loved the swing! Good thing because we had one for Garet to put in our backyard!

That night we went out to a nice dinner. The restaurant we went to had nice cloth table clothes, which we had to remove because someone likes to shake and pull on anything he can get his hands on!

The next day we went to a horse show! Down the road about 15 minutes at Lake Waccamaw there was a horse show! I so miss being around horses all the time! So I put on my boots, and got Colin's hat, and off we went!

It was a hot day... but the show was inside. We packed a picnic to eat while we were there. But we had to get creative since there weren't highchairs (these were picnic tables). Colin got to eat his lunch on the table =)

We have had such a wonderful 5 years! I am so thankful for Garet and the life we have together!

Memorial weekend...

2011-05-31T06:19:00.000-05:00

We were able to get away for the long Memorial weekend. Plus we have our 5 year anniversary coming up, so we wanted to do something special. We go to go to Charleston, SC. It was just perfect! And so beautiful! It is such an old historical town.

We started each morning with a buffet breakfast at our hotel. On the very top floor was a nice restaurant with an amazing view!

Saturday we headed downtown to the aquarium. (we got a package with our room stay that included tickets!) I love going to aquariums... here are the boys in the "rainforest"...

Colin was alert and watching everything while we were there. It was really cute. This aquarium had a lot of open tanks... and one section had pelicans and other birds out. If you know me, you know I am NOT a bird fan... so it was a little scary for me! haha
Alligators and turtles:

There was an awesome huge tank that had many different types of fish... and one big shark!

We went to lunch after this, then decided to walk around downtown. Charleston is sooo pretty! There is a sidewalk along the water, and then there is this cute walkway beside that, it's in the shade.

It was a nice long walk... and the weather was so great! Here I am with my boy!

There is a lot of cobblestone walks downtown. I was nervous having the stroller, but there were sidewalks that we could use. As you can see Garet enjoyed off roading with Colin:

We walked down to the Battery, and by this point Colin was sound asleep! I was in awe of all the gorgeous houses! They were so pretty! I was so tempted to knock on the doors and ask to look inside! I just love houses/floor plans!

I loved this one with the flag...

There are still real cannons everywhere.

When we got back to the hotel we changed and headed to the pool for a bit! Colin LOVED it! He was kicking like a pro! And boy does he like to splash! His little hat was soaked!

Sunday we loaded up and headed to Folly Beach! It was so nice! Hot, but nice. The beach was so big, so even though there were lots of people, it didn't seem too crowded. And there was so much shoreline! We got a big tent a few weeks ago, and I'm so glad we did! I couldn't imagine Colin out in that sun!

Randomly we found out that one of Garet's good friends, Amber, was also in town visiting a girl they went to high school with! So she found us on the beach.

We went back to the pool that afternoon, then had a wonderful dinner downtown. There is so much to see and do - we crammed in as much as we could!

Monday we headed back home. It was Memorial Day so we all wore our red, white, and blue!

I've always gotten very emotional on Memorial Day. I am just overwhelmed with all the men and women who are serving our country. Every Sunday before Memorial Day our church recognized everyone that has served, and is serving and every Sunday I am in tears with emotion.
This Memorial Day is even different. I now have a brother that is serving our country. I am so proud of him! So, it is even more emotional, to say the least!

Happy Memorial Day!

Family time...

2011-05-16T20:29:00.000-05:00

My parents came this week!

It was soooo great to have them here! I love the fact that they are less than 3 hours away! They brought us a riding lawnmower (which G is very thankful for!), rocking chairs for the front porch, and we got to borrow my dad's power washer!

It is amazing the difference after we finished!

While Garet started power washing... we all sat in the front yard and watched =)

So, we took a day (more like an hour) to show them around the small town of Whiteville. When we got back to our house, we got word from my brother that they are expecting a baby GIRL on October 1!!! YAY!! I am soooo excited! My mom and I, of course, had to go out and buy them a few cute outfits!

My parents left on Friday and headed on down to see Eric and Kailey... and Garet and I had my cousin and her husband over for dinner. Once again - so nice to be able to do that since we are close!

We have really been enjoying our front porch now that it is clean and we have rockers!
I just love my boys!

Sunday morning Garet was watching Colin while I was getting ready for church, and when I came in I saw Suzi laying with her head on our chair! See her ear? What a funny dog! She didn't even move when I took this!

My parents came back and stayed the night Sunday night on their way back to Charlotte. Before they got here I made some cookies! (chocolate chip!) I have been having a hard time trying to figure out how to get things done in the kitchen with Colin... at our house in Huntsville, I could see the living room from the kitchen... so Colin could be playing and I could still see him. Here, I can't. So, I just put him on the floor with some toys (a.k.a. kitchen utensils) while I made some yummy cookies!

He loved it... if you can't tell, he was playing the drums =)

Today was beautiful! We got to go on our usual walk this morning... Grandmama took Colin outside to check out our hydrangea... which I love!

And we got to try out Colin's pool! Here is my sweet boy in his swim suit!

He was very nervous about this! He had a death grip on me when I got in with him! He eased up a little when I sat down. You can see how worried he is... I was splashing the water.

He loves his bathtub, and he splashes like crazy in it... so we got his bathtub and put it in the pool for him to sit in. That did the trick. After getting semi-comfortable in that, I took him out and plopped him down in the pool...

He was a little unsure but he did well. We didn't last too long, but it was a start!

It was sad to see my parents go. I loved having them here!

Walks around the hood...

2011-05-11T09:46:00.000-05:00

We go on a walk (or a "w" as we say in front of Suzi) at least once a day. It's funny because here in our neighborhood most of the dogs have electric fences. So they run right up to you when you are walking. Well they run up when we are walking with Suzi... if it's just me and Colin, they could care less.

So, Garet and I have named all the dogs in our hood....
(just keep in mind, we have no clue what their names really are... or even if they are male or female)

- Regal - a brown and white English Setter. She seems like she turns up her nose when we walk by - occasionally she will bark, but for the most part, she is too good for us.

- Yacks - These are two labs (?) a black lab, and a yellow lab (according to the owner, whom we have met) but the yellow one looks like she has Great Dane mixed in there. We got the name because one is Yellow and one is blACK = YACK

There is one strip that I refer to as the "Dog Pound" Ya know how you walk through the pound and a million dogs run up and start barking at you? Well that's what this reminds me of...

- Wheely - Part of the Dog Pound. This is also a black lab. He runs with all his might up to the edge of the yard then starts hoping on his back legs at us... ya know, like a wheely.

- Humpy and Victim - Part of the Dog Pound. Humpy is a Black Lab, Victim is a black dog with long hair. I thin the name says it all.

- The Yappers - The main part of the Dog Pound. A Beagle, a Jack Russell, and a real old dog. The Beagle charges, followed closely by the Jack... and bringing up the rear is the old Yap (our favorite of the Yaps. He kind of trots towards us, and with each trot he barks.)

- Bouncer and Goldy - Part of the Dog Pound. Bouncer is a young Yellow lab. Our favorite in the hood. He is sooo full of energy and just bounces all over the place! His yard mate is a long hair golden dog. And she doesn't put up with this crazy young Bouncer!

- Dizzy and Mini Me - Last part of the Dog Pound. Dizzy is another black Lab. There is a huge patch of shrubbery in this yard, and Dizzy like to run around it. Mini Me looks like the dog from Wizard of Oz (ToTo).

- Bashful - A Golden Retriever. Love this sweet dog. She doesn't travel far from the garage, but when she does, she bounces in the flower bed and acts like she's going to bark, but then runs back into the garage.

- The Mafia - A crazy mix... a big ole St. Bernard, a German Shepard, a big long hair white dog with gray and black spots, an old dog that doesn't move, and a few ducks (weird, right?)

- Romeo - a tiny little white dog that roams from his home yard to the yard across the street. Barks at us from a distance.

- Juliet - English Setter that lives next to Romeo.

- Dragon - This dog stays in the garage. We will hear him barking, but rarely does he emerge from his cave (a.k.a. the garage).

Mother's Day...

2011-05-09T19:56:00.000-05:00

I had a good Mother's Day. I truly feel so blessed that God has given me such a precious child!

We got back from Bethesda on Saturday, so Sunday I could have my first Mother's Day here with my family. Garet was going to make me Sunday breakfast... but we only had eggs. =) We didn't have time to go to the store after we got back Saturday night.

We went to church, then Garet (and Colin!) treated me to lunch! I have mentioned before how small this town is... and how odd the hours are at stores and restaurants... well on Sunday's downtown looks completely shut down. So... we had lunch at the Southern Sizzler. haha!

It was pretty good... and PACKED! It was probably the only place in town that was open!

When we got home, we went on a nice walk - the weather was beautiful! Then my brother called and said him and Kailey were going to stop by on their way back home from Charlotte. It was so great to see them! I love that we are on their way home!

Then Garet made dinner for me! It was soooo good! He made Rattlesnake Pasta - we met when we both worked at Uno Chicago Grill... it was on the menu there. Delish! Oh, and he made brownie's with peanut butter! (I could seriously eat an entire jar of peanut butter with a spoon!)

It was perfect.

Last year we celebrated Mother's Day... since I was pregnant. But this year I feel like it was REAL. As many of you know, it took us awhile to get pregnant, so last year's Mother's Day was very emotional for me. This year I am just very thankful for my sweet little man! I am overwhelmed at how much love I have for Colin, and I thank God for him every time I look at him! I love being his Mommy!

Trip to DC...

2011-05-08T19:59:00.000-05:00

We went to Bethesda last Thursday (it is right beside DC...) for a memorial service for Garet's grandmother. We left Thursday afternoon and got there around 8 that night. A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. I mean, it took us about 6.5 hours (we had to stop a couple times) instead of... um... like 13 hours! Awesome.

So we stayed with one of Garet's sisters... she gave us some more hand-me-down clothes for Colin. He had to try on this awesome hat...

while he was playing with this awesome whisk!

We took a long walk around the neighborhood and Garet showed Colin the house he grew up in

I don't know why I didn't take any pictures with my camera! Crazy right?! I took a couple with my phone, so did Garet, so all of these are phone pics. I really need to get better about that.

Saturday before the service we went to his mom's house to hang out for a bit.

(once again Colin found kitchen utensils to entertain himself)

He also got to hang out with his cousin Abbi. She is the only cousin younger than he is (that is until September or October!) of his 13 cousins!

After the service we all went back to Adriane's house and had a nice dinner - it was so great hanging out and talking! Garet and his sisters take a picture together every time they are all in the same place, here is the most recent:

I try my best to keep Colin on his schedule when we are traveling. It doesn't always go as planned, but we do pretty well. So, I had to bathe and put him to bed shortly after we all got back to the house, but before I did he got to cuddle with his Great Grandpa Steve

Too cute!!

It was so great to hang out with family! And (if I don't say it enough on this blog!) we are closer so we can do it more often! We left yesterday to come back home, but before we did we went to Garet's dad's house for a lunch. Suzi got to play in the backyard with their dog (and all the kids, of course) so she was nice and worn out for the drive. Colin got passed around, and all of his cousins tried to make him laugh, so he was pretty worn out too. And aside from a huge diaper blowout (I won't show you the pictures of that! haha) we had a smooth drive!

(and thanks to my mother-in-law for a couple of these pictures!)

Cleaning up...

2011-05-04T20:17:00.000-05:00

no, not my house... my blogs!!

I have finally accepted the fact that I cannot keep up with all the blogs that I once did. I don't know how many of you bloggers out there use Google Reader, but I love it. And it is so easy to just keep adding blogs that you want to keep up with. I have had 1000+ unread blog posts for a long time now... so I have gone through and taken off some of the blogs I follow.

I had a lot of random, pointless, but funny blogs... like Awkward Family Photos and People of Walmart.
I love professional cakes... (like Cake Boss), I just think it is such an art... but this blog cracked me up: Cake Wrecks.
Before I was pregnant, I was obsessed with all things baby. Spearmint Baby was fun to look at, there are some neat ideas on it.... I may keep this one...
I also love weddings. Style Me Pretty has so many pretty weddings! But they have tons of posts, and it is just way too hard to keep up with it.

There are more...but for now I got it narrowed down to just over 500 unread posts =)

Busy day...

2011-04-29T20:26:00.000-05:00

We had quite a busy day today! Garet got his work done early, so we had most of the day to do what we wanted! We decided to head to the beach! It is so different being so close - we are less than an hour from the beach - so we packed up and headed out!

The weather was perfect! It's amazing because yesterday we were huddled in the house because of a tornado warning/watch! It was hot and there was a breeze - so nice!

Colin, once again, hated the water! I don't know if it is just intimidating because it is so big, or if it is just so loud with the waves. I'm sure he'll learn to love it =)

We walked around the town, then we headed to Barefoot Landing. There are tons of stores here around a lake. It's a really nice place to walk around (and shop, if you like that sort of thing!) There is a really long bridge across the bridge. I had to get a picture of the guys.

The sign says "Warning Alligators & Wildlife May Bite". Great. Thanks for that warning.

And Colin kept his shades on! And got many comments!

After that we headed back home and had dinner at a local restaurant. Turns out it is kind of a fancy place at night. During the day: sandwiches, at night: steak. We definitely weren't dressed the part - but, being a small town and all, there were only a couple other tables in there... so we stayed.

(wow those walls look bright!)

And now, I am sitting on the couch relaxing. Garet is in the recliner... Suzi is asleep on the rug... Colin is asleep in his crib...
I am so thankful today.

Easter...

2011-04-27T09:35:00.000-05:00

Garet's sister, Karen, came to visit us on Saturday! We went out to dinner that night, downtown... which let me just say that it will take a lot to get used to "small town" living. Every place here has such crazy hours - like downtown was empty! Most places closed early... places have random hours and random days they are open... I don't think I will ever memorize what is open when!

Anyway... on Easter Sunday we woke up and discovered that Colin has his first tooth! It is on the bottom, and before you ask... I will try to get a picture. Every time I look at it he sticks his tongue out! Here we are before church...

Speaking of church - it is going to be hard to find one here that will measure up to our last one!!

After lunch we drove down to visit with Garet's grandmother! It is only an hour away now! Yay!

She is just the cutest! Here we are:

It was so nice to see her! And Colin just loved his Great Grandma Beane! He really liked sucking on her necklace! We had such a beautiful that day - and we were so close, that we drove to the beach to let Colin dip his feet!

And being a mom - I was prepared with a bib in my pocket =)

So... we were so excited to let Colin see the water! He LOVES his bathtime... I'll let you see for yourself how he felt about it...

What a great weekend! It is hard to belive it was our first one here!

What's up...

2011-04-23T13:42:00.000-05:00

Wow, I am so behind on here I don't even know where to start! I have had this update in cue for so long - and so much has happened... this might jump around a lot! Here goes:

We LOVED our church in Huntsville! They had their baby dedication the week we left... so we had to get Colin dedicated before we left! In the midst of all our craziness, we had my parents and Garet's mom here to celebrate this occasion! The night before, we grilled out and celebrated Colin. Then the next day we got all dressed and ready for church. Here is the crew:

Colin was so perfect! He just looked all around when we were standing at the front - he didn't make a peep! What a sweet boy!

We had so much fun hanging out with the grandparents one last time in Huntsville!

Colin has started to get really interested in faces... With my dad he kept trying to grab his beard, and if you have glasses he wants to see those too! I love this picture:

Then it was time to move...
we had a few last dinners with friends, and then we had movers come and box our house up. It was so crazy how fast everything happened - you can read the posts below for that summary.

The house we rented is so cute, and the neighborhood is so nice! We did get in and paint the master bedroom...

That's my dad - and we took down the curtains, and painted over the lovely yellow.

After staying with my parents for about a week, Colin Suzi and I are now making our home here in Whiteville with Garet. While in Charlotte with my parents we met and saw lots and lots of people! We squeezed in everything we could in those few days!

Since being here (less than one week!) we have almost got the house unpacked, switched our cell phones and numbers, got a big ole rug for our living room, got a new mattress, and are now trying to figure out where to hang frames! Oh and we had our first visitors this morning! My cousin was on her way to the beach and her car broke down - at our exit! So we had her over until that got settled.

We are now awaiting the arrival of Garet's sister - our first overnight visitor! And Colin turned seven months today!

Oh and tomorrow is Easter!

I think I am caught up now =) I will try to stay on top of this better!
I slacked on A Beane A Day also, but I did get caught up with that as well! Yay!

Moving...

2011-04-17T09:25:00.000-05:00

Another quick update:

So this has just happened so fast and so [knock on wood] smooth! We had our house in Huntsville up for sale and for rent to see which happened the fastest. Someone decided they wanted to rent it. Then they said they needed to move in the following Monday (a week after they said they wanted to rent it!!) for job purposes. Garet and I had movers come out on a Thursday, pack up our entire house... then we moved us, Colin, Suzi and a few other things of ours to North Carolina on Friday. On Saturday we drove to Whiteville, NC and found a house for us to rent for a year!

It is a cute 3 bed, 2.5 bath house with a big fenced backyard for Suzi!

Colin, Suzi and I drove back to Charlotte to stay with my parents. On Monday, Garet started his new job and the tentents moved into our house in Huntsville. Tuesday Garet signed the papers to make this our home. On Wednesday my parents and my crew drove down to paint and clean up the inside. Friday Garet got the cable/internet installed and had the carpet cleaned. Saturday the movers brought all of our stuff from Huntsville. Everything is all moved in! Today Colin, Suzi and I are officially moving.

After today I can take a deep breath... and then start organizing!

Quick update...

2011-04-09T20:03:00.000-05:00

I am getting slack on this!
And we have so much going on! I'll have to update more later, but the short version is:

We've rented our house in Huntsville.
We had movers come in Thursday and pack up our whole house.
We loaded up our cars with all that was remaining and drove to Charlotte yesterday.
We went to Whiteville, NC today, and are in the process of renting a house there.

Now Colin, Suzi and I are at my parents, and Garet is in Whiteville. He starts his new job on Monday!

What a whirlwind this has all been! And I am tired!

More later!

Half way...

2011-03-28T13:19:00.000-05:00

to one!

Colin had his 6 month appointment this morning! He is in the 45% for both height and weight... 16.9 lbs and 26" long! My sweet little man!

Six months...

2011-03-23T13:29:00.000-05:00

Colin is 6 months old today! Wow! I know I say it every month, but time just flies so fast!!

Colin is:

- Eating rice cereal, and has started fruits, twice a day

- Sitting up for a few minutes at a time, unassisted

- Scooting around everywhere on his belly

- Still loving books

- Grabbing his feet and sucking his toes

- Standing (with help, of course)

- Talking all the time

- Takes two (short) naps everyday, and sleeps from 8 pm - 7 am (waking up once to eat)

- Grabbing for anything in his sight

- Loving Suzi! He is so interested in her! He sqeals and smiles when he sees her (and braces for a lick!)

Garet and I feel so blessed to have our sweet little man! He has brought us more joy than we thought possible. I really can't believe he is halfway to one!! Crazy! We are trying to soak up every moment with him. He is changing so fast and I want to remember everything!

Funny sock...

2011-03-19T14:46:00.000-05:00

Colin pulled off one of his socks... so I took it from him and then started swinging it around. He got the biggest kick out of it! I managed to get it on video:

Five on Friday...

2011-03-18T13:25:00.002-05:00

1. Colin celebrated his first St Patrick's Day yesterday! He made sure to wear green so he didn't get pinched!

2. Also yesterday, I had to go to the specialist about my dumb knee. I am not a fan of going to the doctor, or taking meds, so after a lot of ~~pushing~~ encouraging from my husband (and mother), I went. Basically I have to go to physical therapy, but they also gave me a steroid shot in my knee! It hurt like heck I tell ya! I could barely walk out of that place! Anyway... all that to say that while I was ~~wasting 2 long hours getting my knee shot up~~ at the doctor, Garet took Colin to Publix to do some shopping. When they got home, this was what Colin looked like:

Super cute, right??? =) But also... pantless. My boy went out and about with no pants on! haha
When I saw him and said, "where are his pants?!" Garet replied, "oh, does he need pants?" I know around the house I let him go without pants, just cause it's easier, but not when he is going out! haha, I got a kick out of it! At least it was warm!

3. Let me back up some and fill you in on how traveling with a baby went...
It was perfect! Although, I am a very scheduled, planner type person, so I had to get over that. For example - here we start Colin's bedtime routine between 7/7:30. He is in bed, asleep by 8 each night. The first night we were there, we didn't get to our room till after 7, Colin was in bed at 10:30. And it was fine.
The airplane was great, as I have mentioned. I am still breastfeeding, so I got over nursing in public real fast! There really isn't a "private corner" to go to inside Atlanta Airport! So, I stacked all our luggage in a seat next to me and had G sit on the other side, and it worked just fine! In fact I bet most people didn't even realize I had a baby under my cover!
Feeding him rice cereal was done in his carseat. No big deal, just had to wash it real good once we got home! I borrowed a pack'n'play from the hotel. And for his bath, I just used a towel and put it in the bath with him (rolled up behind him) to keep him propped up.

It really couldn't have gone smoother! We made sure to "go with the flow" and Colin did perfect!
4. So, we have been staging our house since we found out we were moving. We have been non-stop cleaning, rearranging, fixing, packing, etc. We will get started on one thing and that will lead us to another thing... it's been crazy around here. Still, I chuckled when I found where Garet had left his water the other day:

See it? On the top of the guest closet!

Then Garet made me laugh again (do you see a pattern here??) when I sent him to the store for candles. We have one of those candle holders that go around your umbrella on the outside patio table. Ya know... the one that holds tealight candles. So, I told G that I wanted green tealight candles... this is what I got:

Every color tealight they had, plus some votive candles too! haha, just in case I needed options =) (We went with the green.)

5. Speaking of the house... it is officially for sale!
Anyone want to move to a beautiful 3 bed, 2 bath brick home in Alabama????

Our trip...

2011-03-13T16:32:00.000-05:00

The reason for our trip to Wilmington, NC this week was actually for a job transfer! About two weeks ago Garet was told about an opening there, they flew us out, showed us around, and then made Garet an offer. After talking everything over - we accepted! So we will be moving back to North Carolina!

Here we are about to meet up with Garet's new bosses for a nice dinner...

Lucky for us we had the perfect babysitter!!

Eric and Kailey are only an hour from Wilmington!

So we will be living right outside of Wilmington - a small town called Whiteville.
We've driven all around and are very excited about this! This will put us so much closer to family!! My parents will be 3 hours away! Wow! (Now they are about 8.) There is a really nice state park that will be close to us. They have camping/hiking and a really nice lake!

The town is super cute! We didn't have too much time to really explore, but we did get to eat lunch at this nice little cafe downtown.

We knew once we had Colin that we wanted to be closer to family. Garet was able to talk to his boss here and let him know that if anything closer became available we would be interested. At that time, his boss warned us that when another council was interested in Garet, it would be a very fast process - and boy was he right! Within a week of hearing about this opening we were flown out to see it. Then made an offer... so in two weeks we went from normal, to moving to another state! And to make things go even faster, Garet starts this new job on April 11.

We are so blessed to have this opportunity! And we couldn't be more thrilled to be moving so close to family! It is truly bittersweet to be leaving though. We have made some awesome friends here, and have really made Huntsville our home.

Before I get emotional... I will end this =)
Here is our sweet little man at the airport. He was so excited to be sitting in the chair! We were about to board our plane to bring us back here.

Travels...

2011-03-12T17:02:00.000-06:00

We went out of town at the end of last week. We flew to Wilmington, NC. Colin helped me pack...

He was sooo perfect on the flight there! He slept during both flights.

Before our first flight, Colin decided to spit up on my leg, so my pant leg was soaked, and then he decided to spit up on the chair where I was sitting, so I pretty much looked like I peed my pants. And on the second plane, te flight attendent was giving his speech, and didn't realize that the microphone wasn't cut on. He was doing all the gestures and everything! So then he had to redo it all. It was pretty funny

We didn't get to spend too much time in the hotel, but it was nice to have a huge bed for Colin to play on!

We got to see my mom and two of my aunts, and my brother!! It was so much fun! I posted on A Beane A Day of seeing them.

Rainy day...

2011-03-05T16:56:00.005-06:00

* just found this .... I had forgot to post it! oops =) *

Today has just been... blah outside.

I think I have been spoiled by all the nice, warm weather - and I forget that we are still technically in winter.

So Garet had to work for the most part today (boo!) so me and the little man had an inside day. We played peek-a-boo:

Colin loves this game! I did it with his burp cloth (it was clean, I promise!) Every time I say "Boo" or I say, "Where's Colin?" and pull the cloth away and say "There he is!" He just cracks up! He has started pulling the cloth away himself... that's what he was doing in this picture. That's why he is still partially covered! =)

We also played with many, many of his toys:

I loaded a bunch of them around him and took this picture. He tends to get bored with some real fast, and others I don't think he has gotten tired of them yet! See that alligator he has his hand on? He loves that one! It's funny to see which toys grab his attention.

We also read:

Okay, I read... and then Colin tried to eat it.
He loves to ~~read~~ be read to. He has favorites of these too.... I have found that any book I read that has more words than pictures, really don't interest him right now! This book is one of his favorites.. "Barnyard Dance!" He also really likes "Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See". I think I have these memorized...

Oh and we have only taken 1 nap, for 30 minutes... don't know what that means. He is about to doze off right now though... hopefully it means he'll sleep well tonight! =)

The weekend...

2011-02-27T21:05:00.000-06:00

We had a great weekend... it, of course, went by way too fast though!

On Friday Colin and I joined Garet for a luncheon he had out in Decatur. Colin dressed up in his scout uniform, and really stole the show! He was so well behaved! The speaker was Young Boozer, and we got a picture with him.

On Saturday, Garet volunteered to do a pancake breakfast at a high school out in Decatur. Colin and I went to that too... man was it crowded!! I am soooo blessed to have such a well behaved son! It was so packed that I didn't want to bring his stroller, so I just carried him... he did so well!

I love getting pictures of Colin and Suzi together... they are so interested in one another. It is really cute. Suzi will roll around on her bed, and Colin will just stare at her! Or Colin will roll around on his mat and Suzi watches his every move!

The weather is WONDERFUL!! I really hope it doesn't get cold again! We have really enjoyed being able to get outside. I need to get some baby sunscreen for the little man! He has been hanging out in the shade.

I went in for a little bit, and when I came back out I saw this conversation going on...

How cute?! Nothing beats seeing Garet as a Daddy =)

And nothing beats the sweet sound of Colin laughing and having fun. He just loves bouncing! It was fun to get it outside so he could have a change of scenery!

Now it's time to curl up on the couch for a little bit before headed to bed!

Playing outside...

2011-02-25T12:01:00.001-06:00

It has been so pretty outside lately, it has been hard to stay inside! So... I took the kids =) in the backyard to get rid of some energy.

Colin stayed in his swing in the shade while Suzi played with her ball.

I love that the weather is getting so nice!! And I know Suzi is in heaven with all the walks she has been on!

Golfing...

2011-02-24T11:44:00.002-06:00

So it wasn't technically golfing... but Colin and I did go with Garet to the driving range over the weekend. The boys even dressed alike...

We hung out and watched Garet hit some balls. Colin got a lot of attention - "Getting him fit for his first set of clubs?"

He did so well - I was worried he would start crying and disturb everyone. It is always so quiet on a golf course! But he didn't make a peep =)

Five Months...

2011-02-23T11:26:00.000-06:00

Wow, I can't believe Colin is five months old already! Here is a comparison picture from when he was one month:

He is:

eating rice cereal

"talking" all the time

sucking on his toes

grabbing everything he can get his hands on

still just rolling from his back to tummy

pushing up on his hands when on his tummy

bouncing like crazy in his bouncer (as we speak actually!)

sleeping well, but waking up at 1ish to eat

so curious, and loves to see what is going on

loving splashing in the tub

sitting up with assistance

Oh what a joy he has brought to mine and Garet's lives! He makes us laugh all the time! We seriously sometimes just watch him for entertainment! He doesn't have any teeth yet, but boy does he drool!! He is also working on getting some hair =)

First hike...

2011-02-19T19:31:00.000-06:00

We have had wonderful weather here this week - and it managed to stay nice for the weekend too! We decided to go on a hike! The whole family! Colin was so excited!

~ Let me just say - Colin has never worn shoes. I honestly don't see much of a point. But he has these super cute tennis shoes and they matched his outfit perfectly! So this is his first time going out with shoes on =) That is probably why he is looking at them in this picture!

I wore Colin and Garet wore the bag with our lunch, water, diapers, etc. And he walked Suzi. We were a little over halfway to the top and Colin fell asleep.

Here is our fearless leader...

When we got to the top we had a little picnic lunch. It was really nice!

Colin woke up and enjoyed the view with us...

And we attempted a family shot...

Now I am about to put Colin to bed, and then curl up on the couch! Oh how our weekends have changed! And I love every minute =)

Valentine Weekend...

2011-02-15T19:25:00.000-06:00

We had a good weekend. Although I have been sick, and since someone is nursing... there isn't much I can do about it.

What a cute naked baby! I wanted to get a few pictures of Colin in the nude - it was a big risk, but we made it without incident. He LOVES being in his bday suit! Suzi wanted in on all the fun too...

We went out to dinner on Friday for Valentine's day. We knew it would be crazy Monday night. We didn't do too much more, since I wasn't feeling well. We did bring out a V-day dog... it barks and drives Suzi crazy!!! She is so funny! It will be really interesting when Colin gets older and his toys talk and make more noise! Poor Suzi =)

As you've seen in the last post, we had big news that my brother and sister-in-law are expecting... and if you've seen A Beane A Day you would know that Garet's mom got married today! What an exciting weekend!

Phone call...

2011-02-14T20:38:00.000-06:00

I got a call from my brother, Eric about a week and a half ago...

Him and his wife, Kailey, called to let me know that Colin is going to have a cousin!!!!!
I am soooooo excited!

(notice how in the first picture Colin was asleep... then due to my screaming, in the second picture he is wide awake)

They are pregnant!! And due on October 1... so almost one year exactly from when Colin was born! I can't wait to see them in person again!! YAY!

Bouncing...

2011-02-09T15:34:00.000-06:00

Once Colin had pretty good head control, we bought him a bouncing toy!

He LOVES it! You can't see it, but there is a pillow under his feet. He is still a bit short to touch the floor... and he hasn't quite figured out that he can make himself bounce... but he just loves looking at all the toys that are attached!

Everyday I am in awe of him!! Just watching him discover new things is so amazing!
Suzi is taking more of an interest too now that he is more interactive and talkative!

I'm pretty sure Colin was bracing for a lick...

Colin has also discovered his feet. It is so funny to see him trying to eat them!
He has started rice cereal, and is doing awesome with it! No funny faces... in fact he sees the spoon and opens his mouth up for it!

Well I hear him waking up from his nap!
Love that kid!! =)

So it begins...

2011-02-05T11:41:00.003-06:00

Solid foods.

I just can't believe Colin is old enough to start rice cereal! So exciting and so sad at the same time!
We started when he was 4 1/2 months old. He looks a little unsure =)

He actually did really well with it! And he didn't make too many funny faces... he pushed most of it out of his mouth, and then blew some bubbles with some of it...

He is growing up too fast!

Date night...

2011-02-05T07:37:00.001-06:00

Garet and I have tried to get out on a date night whenever we've had the grandparents here (or us there), and this past week was no different. We got to get out to a nice dinner.

We teased that we were going to take the baby monitor...

and then Garet really tried to take it =)

Before Colin was actually here, Garet and I talked about how we wanted to make sure we were still the priority to each other. It is always great to get away and be able to talk to each other without the distraction of a baby. But, of course we always love coming home to sweet Colin!

A great visit...

2011-02-04T07:37:00.000-06:00

It was so great having my parents here for a long weekend! They left on Tuesday morning (I'm just now getting time to post!)

Colin got [his first] little cold... it was so sad. You could just hear the congestion in his chest, but it isn't like you can tell a baby to cough! It really didn't faze him though! He was still happy and smiling! He even felt well enough to play on the computer!

We didn't really do too much (since the baby had a cold), but it was great to just hang out! My mom brought Colin tons more clothes (that were given to her)... most of them are a size too big, so he'll have stuff to wear as he grows =) He got a few new hats...

I am so happy that my parents could make the drive alllll the way down here! Colin is growing and changing so fast and I am just glad they can see him in his different stages. It just amazes me how much babies change in the first year of life! Here is Colin with is Grandmama and Papaw!

Grandparents visit...

2011-01-30T10:37:00.000-06:00

So, Friday afternoon Colin and I were just sitting around waiting on Grandmama and Papaw to get here...

Finally around 5 they pulled in our driveway! Colin usually has his last feeding around 7/7:30 and then goes to bed, so they didn't get to visit too long. But yesterday they got to hang out all day!

Colin showed them how well he rolls, how he can kick and splash in the tub, how he can scream at the top of his lungs... it's been great =)
But last night, my baby decided to get a cold.... him and I were up at midnight, and he finally drifted to sleep in my arms in the recliner. Sweet boy. I am hoping he can get rid of this soon! It's so sad to hear him congested.
At least he isn't acting like he feels bad! We have two more days with my parents! Woo hoo!

Conversation with Colin...

2011-01-26T14:57:00.000-06:00

Me: Hey Colin! You are such a cute baby!!

Colin: Hey mom! Thanks! You're a cute mom!

M: Oh thank you honey! Let's talk about last night... remember, you woke me up a lot...

C: What? Who? Me??

M: Yes my darling boy. You. You know, ever since you started rolling from your back to your tummy you do it all. the. time. Everytime you are laying flat, you flip.

C: Hmmm... Yes mom, I guess you're right. I just love to flip! But honestly once I'm on my tummy I have no idea how to flip back onto my back! So I get really mad and just start screaming!

M: I noticed that last night - ya know when you woke up every. single. hour. Mom is going to have to start trying new techniques to get you to stay asleep.... or at least stop screaming every hour when you are on your tummy.

C: Aw shucks mom! Look how cute I am....

M: You are so right son! I love you so much! What were we talking about again?...

Rolling...

2011-01-25T20:13:00.000-06:00

So, I finally got our boy rolling on video! Just ignore me in the video (does anyone ever like the way they sound on camera?!) And you'll get a glimpse of the squealing I was talking about in the last post! =)

4 months old...

2011-01-23T20:37:00.000-06:00

My little man is 4 months old today!!

~ 13 lbs. 9 oz.
~ 25 in. tall

~ Loves sitting up (with assistance) and looking around
~ Smiles all the time!
~ Rolls from his back to his tummy any time he is on his mat
~ Concentrates on his toys and then tries to grab them
~ Sucks his thumb (and loves sucking on the rest of his hand too!)
~ Laughs
~ Likes being read to
~ Grunts a lot! (The doctor said it's because "he's a boy" haha)
~ Loves his baths! He loves splashing in his tub!
~ Has slept from 8 p.m. - 6 a.m. a few times (which was awesome!), but normally still wakes up around 2 a.m. for a feeding.
~ Wakes up around 5:30 a.m. no matter how early/late he is put to bed, and no matter if he wakes in the middle of the night or not
~ Screams - he doesn't even have to be upset... sometimes he just wants attention =)
~ Drools constantly - he now has a bib on all.the.time!

He is such a sweet boy! When he is hanging out on his mat, or in his swing, and Garet or I walk over to him, he just lights up! I feel so blessed! I just can't believe how fast time flies!!

Making moves...

2011-01-20T07:38:00.000-06:00

I can't believe I haven't blogged about this yet!

On January 14, Colin rolled over!

He had been trying for a few weeks... He would get almost all the way over but then couldn't pull his arm through. I tried to capture a picture of him almost rolling...

See how his right arm is still stuck under him?

But last Friday he was on his mat and I looked away for like 5 minutes, when I looked back he was completely on his stomach! It surprised me! He was so happy! haha Since then he has done it a couple more times. He has also been on his stomach a couple times in his crib when I get him in the mornings. I don't think he can figure out how to flip back yet. He just stays on his tummy.

Suzi likes to show him how it's done!

Our weekend...

2011-01-17T10:06:00.000-06:00

We started the weekend with some naps...

=)
We have enjoyed having movie nights. Garet has always been into movies... I get hooked on anything that's on t.v. Commercials drive Garet crazy... he always mutes the t.v. when they are on. So, I have kind of picked up on that - and I have gotten way more into movies since we've been together! We have Netflix, and we have it where we get it through our Wii. So there are tons of movies to choose from! Every now and then we will make it a "date" and cut out all the lights, make popcorn, and curl up on the couch to watch a movie. Since this little guy has gotten here, it is a little more difficult!

But we still manage to make it work. Especially since he has been good about going to bed between 8-9.

Since starting A Beane A Day I have really been loving that I have taken so many more pictures! I don't want to miss any of these precious moments! And I love capturing Suzi with Colin. She is so funny around him!

What do you think they're planning???

Colin's doctor told us he really didn't want to have Colin in the nursery or anything until after flu season. So we have been taking him into Sunday school and church service on Sunday's. But during church one of us always has to leave with him because he is making noise (even his happy noises are loud!) So we decided to put him in nursery this Sunday. He did awesome (so did I!) and we got to enjoy the entire service together!

I just love this picture that I took that morning... I hate that it was blurry!

Garet and Colin were dressed alike =) Love these guys!!

Snow days...

2011-01-11T19:15:00.002-06:00

We woke up yesterday morning to 7" of snow! It was so pretty!

After breakfast we bundled up and went playing! Suzi just pranced around at first, but then started running all around! She really liked eating it! At one point she started pawing at the ground - next thing we knew she pulled out a tennis ball!! There is no telling how long that ball had been there!

I got Colin bundled and we snapped a couple pictures of him in the snow. (I know, I know, I forgot to put on his mittens... but he was only out there for a minute)

On A Beane A Day I posted my favorite one of him outside =) He wasn't thrilled about it, but he never did cry!

Garet made a snow angel in our front yard - the actual angel didn't show up too well. In the picture you can't even tell it's an angel.

We also made a snowman! It has been forever since I made one! We had a blast!!

(Now is it bad that I'm ready for the warm weather??????)

Back to normal...

2011-01-09T16:35:00.000-06:00

I guess we are finally getting back to normal around here. It sure was nice to ba able to spend two weeks with my family! I always miss them so much once we are home - but it is nice to be back.

Garet has had lots of work this week. Colin and I got to take Suzi to the vet. Boy was that interesting! I was wearing him in the Baby Bjorn... it was raining, and there was an emergency so there were a couple dogs in the waiting room with us. Then Colin decided to cry. I love our vet and they did everything they could to make it a fast and smooth trip! The vet assistant even took Suzi to my car for me!

We found a place for all of our Christmas goodies! While we were straighting, we found a pack of size 1 diapers... have I mentioned that Colin now its in a size 3?! Wow.

Yesterday we ran to the store and we were amazed at the crowd! They are calling for snow tonight (like 4-8"!) so everyone was out getting their milk and bread. We'll see if this snow really happens!

Here is a cute picture! Like father like son! (Although I think in this case it is - Like son, like father!)

Something new...

2011-01-06T20:39:00.000-06:00

Guess what Colin has started doing?

If you can't tell, he is sucking his thumb! For a few weeks now he has been sucking on his hands... and every once in a while he'll manage to get one finger to suck on. But while we were in Charlotte, he has figured out how to suck his thumb!

365...

2011-01-06T13:46:00.000-06:00

I am so excited to start this... project, yes I will call it a project (or maybe a resolution...)
I follow this blog, she is a photographer here in Huntsville and she does a photo a day for 365 days (you can see hers here). I have decided to do this (or attempt to do this!) Take one picture every day for the year. It can be of anything... mainly, it's just snapshots of day-to-day life. And I found out that I know someone else doing this! So, Lacey, you can make sure I am on top of this!
I started another blog to keep track.

Here is the new blog: A Beane A Day

And let me just say... I am bad about getting my pictures uploaded onto my computer... so if I miss a day it might just be because I haven't had a chance to get the picture onto my computer =)