Monday, August 29, 2011

Sawyer's Birthday Bonanza

Saturday morning we woke up and hurried to get the house ready for Sawyer's birthday bash. This task was amazingly easier without Avery and Dalton around, as they had spent the night with Maw. :)
As everyone started arriving I went and took my camera off the charger where it had been the entire night before. However, when I turned it on it said, "battery exhausted." I was SO disappointed! And NO one had their cameras with them! I was sad, but my handy dandy iPhone camera still documented what it could. I put SB in charge of the photography role and she did her best, but I am pretty limited in my photos today. Sniff, sniff.

To start it off I just wanted to show a collage of EACH baby on their birthdays ... They really look SO different.

I love that Avery is buckled in to the high chair ... first child. Now, with Sawyer, I'm pretty sure the straps aren't even attached to the chair any more.


It was really fun to have the whole fam come to our house for some food, fun, and birthday festivities. Sawyer was still feeling terribly, but he made the most of it. The poor boy slept until 10, and all but fell asleep in his cupcake.













Uncle Ben shared all his homeade ice cream ... Thanks Uncle Ben! ;)


(Apparently someone wiped his mouth with a dish towel that had cleaning solution on it so he had a little allergic reaction for about 10 minutes ... hence the red patches on his cheeks ... Happy Birthday Sawyer... )




Thank goodness Avery and Dalton were there to show him how to unwrap all his toys. ;)







Happy Birthday, dear one!! You are so loved!!

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Sawyer Turns One!

Sawyer turned one on Friday ... it was such a bittersweet day. Although being induced into labor a year ago seems like forever ago, it just doesn't seem possible that our baby boy is heading toward toddler-dom. Seeing all the pictures of itty bitty newborns just doesn't seem right either, he's getting to be a big boy (I will not cry, I will not cry ...)! TOO big if you ask me! He has become quite inquisitive the last few weeks. He's very active and we have re-learned about all the no-no's in our house lately. He's always climbing, "organizing," and dumping out as much as he can. Little lovey.

Before I get ahead of myself, I want to remember all the fun things he's doing lately.

- I can't believe I'm saying this, but we haven't been at the doctor in over a month! So I'm actually not sure of his weight. I do know he's gained some because his little clothes are fitting more snug, but I need to check out his weight.

-He is wearing mainly size 12M clothes, some 18M, but those are mostly hand-me-downs from Dalton that have been laundered a bunch ... And I have a tendency to reduce the size of things in the dryer. :/

-He is still in size 4 diapers.

- Still has his same 8 toofies- four on top, four on bottom. However, he's had a major fussy bug the last few days, on top of some yucky tummy trouble leading me to think we may be getting some more shortly. Or just a bug ... yay.

- He goes to sleep between 8-8:30 every night and wakes up around 8:30 every morning. The last few days he has wayyyy slept in. Yesterday he didn't wake up until 9:30 and today 10! But, like I said, he's had some kind of bug.

-We left formula in the dust right before he hit the 11 month mark, the transition to whole milk was super easy. He drinks about 24oz a day in his sippy cups. We also are all done with baby food ... right now his favorite foods are bananas, blueberry pancakes, grapes, turkey, avocado, scrambled eggs, and mac 'n cheese. Also, after yesterdays trip to the Donut shop, I'm pretty sure we can add donut holes to the list. More on that to come ... :)

-After he took his first steps right before his 11 month birthday, the last week he has really started taking off. And now I would say he walks more than he crawls (when we're inside). But, if he is really eager to get somewhere he drops down to crawl as quickly as possible.

-He's still climbing ... everywhere. Lord. Have. Mercy.

- Really not saying much these days ... we have the "Dada" down and that's about it. He'll babble Momma, but I can't guarantee he's saying that on purpose. He'll mimic what we say ... but that's about it. It'll come. :)

-Loves his family, especially his brother and sister. And I can't even begin to tell how much he loves that daddy! I don't think any of my babies have been more head-over-heels like Sawyer is (at this age). He just is OBSESSED!! Sweetest thing!
Dropping him off in the church nursery has just been terrible! He acts like we are just the worst! And when we pick him up he loses it again remembering that we left him all over again!

-He is the silliest little thing! He laughs all day and lives to dance. I turn music on several times a day so he can just go to town. So stinkin' funny.

Here are some of my favorite pics of us this year.


Already in love.


Just a few weeks old ... no telling how much time we spent in this same spot. :)


Our first trip to NYC! You were a DREAM baby the whole time!


A trip to Hot Springs to look at all the lights in Garvan Gardens. You were definitely enamored with all the lights!


6 Months old! At one of Aunt Ray Ray's wedding showers.


Your first trip to the beach! You woke up every morning by 5 so we walked up and down the beach every morning. I actually ended up liking it by the end of the week!


Finding out you were FINALLY going to get tubes for your little ears this summer! No more ear infections!!

Dear Sawyer,
I am so in love with your sweet self I can't stand it! You are just delightfully darling and perfectly precious. I love your giggles and high pitched squeals and amazing dance moves. You are so loved by our family and we have had a blast this past year! It was definitely overwhelming at first, but I think we've got it figured out now. Since the big kids are going to school this week we're going to have a lot more time to play! Can't wait little boo!!!
I love you to the top of your blonde curls, to the bottom of your tippy toes!
XOXO
Mommy

Sawyer slept in on his birthday and then we packed up to head to the donut shop. He scarfed down a whole dozen donut holes and CHOCOLATE milk. I told my mother-in-law that he acted like it was the best thing he'd ever had, and she said, "it probably was!" She's probably right! Nevertheless, he LOVED his birthday breakfast.
He kicked and squealed with every bite. Cutest. Thing. Ever.















Then we left for the park ...









He had a great birthday with our fam and geared up for his par-tay the next day!

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Weekend Update... This and That.

This weekend was the perfect blend of relaxing and fun! Friday my mom came and picked up Dalton so he could spend the night with my sister Rachel. Avery had gone to spend the night with she and Ben on Wednesday night and by Friday Dalton needed a turn, too. I was so proud of both of them that neither tried to come home! They had only spent the night away with Dede or with Maw, so this was new territory. However, with as much fun as Ben and Rach pack into a short overnight visit, there is no time to miss Mommy and Daddy! Thankfully they send pictures around the clock. Since my mom took D first, and then they met up with Ben and Rach, plus they ran into Sarah Baker and Ben (for non-familial readers, I know it's so weird that both of my sisters are married to Ben's!) when they went to Orange Leaf ... it was pic overload ... I'll share of course!


Afternoon milkshake at Dede's ...


About to go meet the fam for U.S. Pizza ... I love that you can tell Dede just brushed his hair to a little side part. Love her.


Shopping for a new book at Barnes and Noble ..


More ice cream at Orange Leaf. (Spoiled beyond belief)


Look at those eyelashes.


He started off wanting to sleep on this cot ...


But ended up in the bed (Uncle Emerson spent the night with Ben and Rach, too!)


Waking up with all his new BFF! Thanks Ben Haynes and RayRay! He loved every minute!

Also Friday night Ashley brought her crew in for a short visit. We all went to Bobo's for pizza and cousin time galore ... I totally forgot to take any pics! There was just too much going on! But, while we were waiting on Aaron to come home I snapped these...

(Cutest girl I know!!)

Funniest picture of Sawyer ever!! Oh, he makes me laugh!!

Saturday while Avery was playing with the cousins, Sawyer and I went to Conway with Ben and Sarah Baker. Aaron is on the pro-staff for a new duck call line, Black Ops Duck Calls. They had a booth at the Arkansas Outdoors Expo in Conway this weekend so we went to check it out.


BFF.












We took this for Dalton ... loves him a bear.


Already callin'.




Look hard to see Dash, Ben and SB's dog, jumping for a field trial! She's hard to spot!


Barely let me buckle him in before falling asleep!

Sunday everyone in the house slept till 9:30 ... ummmm ... unbelievable! Aaron had to go back up to the Expo center, and so the kids and I laid around the house all day. It was a super easy day. We missed church, so thankful for the on-line campus when we miss!! It's almost makes it too easy to stay home! ;/

Hope everyone had a good weekend!!