How Cool is This?

Briley's BFF from Memphis sent him a birthday package with glow in the dark chalk. He thinks anything that glows in the dark is about the greatest thing ever. So we broke it out right away. The boys drew aliens. Briley's alien:

Daddy's aliens:

Proof that I have the cutest hubs ever.

The New Obsession

There is something about this child and playing with toys beyond his years. Every year, we have to look at the ages on the toys he wants and push it up 2 years. So at 3, he could have toys that said 5+, 4 was 6+, and now we're at 7+. Our neighbor gave this to Briley for his birthday.

Introducing Beyblades. His new obsession. 8+ toy. The toy I took up from my 3rd graders and filled my desk drawer. My 5 year old now plays with them.

Just what we needed.

What happened to your arm?

"I fell off my bike... Without training wheels."

B Time and Sebastian

This week, Lawson is in Memphis. So it's quality time with my B-man. We took him to see Cars 2, we've gone on a lunch date, and had lots of swimming time at the pool. I wanted to take him to some new places just the 2 of us, but he's so obsessed with his new birthday toys that it's hard to get him to leave the house.

Meanwhile, we're taking some time to give the old man/dog of the house some loving and belly rubs.

I can't believe our "BoBo" is 10 1/2 years old. He was our first baby. We adopted him after we'd been together for only 6 months. He was technically Nick's dog in the case that we broke up. Now he's been with us through everything, college, first apartment, first house, 2 kids, and a move to Nashville. The only thing that's changed is that he's officially Mommy's dog. Besides the fact that he sleeps like a teenager and has white whiskers now, he still acts like a puppy.

Lawson and His Tractor

Last week before his party, Briley spent the week with Papaw and Mamaw in Memphis. That left for some great quality time with my Sawson. Right now, he is completely obsessed with "tractor trailers". He always has some kind of tractor that pulls something in his hand. In the mornings when it's still cool, he likes to go out and ride his tractor in the yard. There's a hook on the back of this tractor, and he constantly asks me "Goes in there? Goes in there, Mommy?"

Look Mommy! No training wheels!

Right after B got his new bike, he said that since he was 5 it was time to learn to ride without training wheels. We'd tried it back a few months ago, and he decided that he wasn't ready and promised he'd do it when he was 5.

So out came the old bike, and off went the training wheels.

Lawson wasn't too excited. He was hauling around his cotton candy, while waiting for a Despicable Me movie night.

Mimi was more than ready to help him get going.

I'm so mad that I missed this shot! He took off on the 2nd run, and Mimi was running behind him with her hands in the air cheering. I was so excited that I let go of the camera to cheer. By the time I thought to take a picture, she was running to catch him as he drove off the sidewalk.

I love this face. He gets so proud, but tries so hard not to smile really big.

Daddy jumped in for a try.

And off he goes. Just another thing I love about being a parent.

B's Birthday Bike

Briley was overdue for a new bike, so when he got home from Memphis Friday afternoon, he had a new bike waiting for him. He wasn't too happy at first, because he didn't think this was the bike he wanted.

After getting ready to put it back, he decided that it WAS the one he wanted and was very excited!

Briley's 5th Birthday Party

5 was a big deal for Mommy. When we first started talking about having kids. I pictured babies. Diapers, bottles, finger foods, and choo choo trains. That's about as far as I got. It never really hit me that my babies would turn into kids. And we officially have a kid now. Yeah, he's still a little boy. But he's not a baby, no longer a toddler, and barely a preschooler. So I think birthday parties are the way I cope with my babies getting bigger. I plan, plan, and plan, and it keeps the growing up part off my mind.

We had so much fun at his party. Briley was so excited to have all of his friends at his house at one time. We were excited to have all of our family in town. The bouncer was a huge hit, and somehow we all managed to stay somewhat cool. The party lasted well into the night, and at the end everyone crashed. So here are the pictures from my FIVE year old's Ben 10 birthday party.

5 Years Ago - July 21, 2006

There are so many things I remember and love about this day.

I woke up with an enormously swollen belly. It was so big that my shirts wouldn't cover it, I had quit weighing myself, and the last belly picture was from 2 weeks earlier.

My water broke as soon as I got out of bed that morning. Next thing I knew, Nick was rushing home from work, and we were on our way to the hospital to meet our baby boy. I loved laying in the room listening to his sweet heartbeat.

What I didn't love about that day was waiting for my epidural only to get it and have both of our heart rates drop so low that doctors and nurses were running in the room to start an emergency c-section.

Surprisingly, our heart rates went back to normal and the c-section was canceled. I remember the look on Nick's face when it all was going on. It was the first time I ever saw him scared.

At 8:13 pm, we met our first son. I couldn't hold him, so Nick took a picture to show me. I remember thinking about how huge his lips were.

Oh my goodness, I loved when I finally got to hold him. He grabbed my finger immediately, and my heart melted.

I loved the look on Papaw's face when he held his first grandson.

And how Mimi seemed to make the same faces that Briley did.

I loved our first family picture together, even though my face was swollen to the size of a cantaloupe.

I loved finally going home.

And that first night at home when I laid our precious boy down on our bed and realized that he was all ours.

Happy 5th Birthday, Briley. Your Mommy and Daddy love you with all of our hearts.

Lawson's Eyes

Ok, I admit it. I married Nick for his eyes. I hoped, just hoped, that one day I'd get one baby with his eyes. Turns out I ended up with 2 of them!

I can't get enough of pictures like these. I have thousands, possible millions. I love catch lights, and with good catch lights, you can see your reflection. So I thought I'd show you my reflection in my baby's eyes :)

Anniversary Date Night

We had a babysitter so we could celebrate our anniversary Saturday night. I wanted to try out a new and different Nashville restaurant. We had tons of amazing recommendations, and I had a hard time deciding. I literally spent one night reading menus! So we narrowed our decisions down to Germantown Cafe and Whiskey Kitchen. Germantown Cafe looked like they typical date night spot, and Whiskey Kitchen looked a little more eclectic and fun... so we went there. The food was yummy, but the company was even better. We had fun and ate some yummy calamari and fried pickles. I could go there and just eat the appetizers next time. Then we went downtown for a few drinks and picked up ice cream.

We did lots of exploring this weekend. Each time we explore Nashville, I fall more in love with it. There are so many places to go and fun districts. Briley is in Memphis for the week, so it's just us and Lawson. It was a great weekend, and I was happy to spend it with my husband of 8 years!!! I think each year gets better!

8 Years

I can't believe it's been 8 years already. Here are some pictures from our big day.

Ok, I'm going to leave out the mushy stuff, no blog PDA. But I have to say... 8 years, 2 kids later, and he still makes me smile and gives me butterflies when I see him. I couldn't have asked for anything better.

Coloring

If there's a mess to be made, he will find it.

Briley colors on paper, Lawson colors on himself.

Our New Friend

Meet Karate Sushi, the lizard that Mommy caught. I rescued him from the door at my CPA's office, brought him to the car to see the boys, and ended up putting him in a cup to bring home. He's now calling a sand bucket his home. I think this means I've officially embraced being a mom of 2 boys!

Briley vs. Lawson 2 Years Old

Ok, it's been a while since I've posted comparison pictures of the boys. With B's 5th birthday coming up, I thought I'd do it a little differently. So this time we are reflecting on the B-man when he was Lawson's age.

He was his own little person. Determined, strong willed, opinionated, and hysterical. He had us laughing all the time and was so much fun. He was a full fledged Daddy's boy and loved Rescue Heroes and all toys that seemed "big boy".

He loved his pets and still does, especially Madelaine and Chase.

He had lots of big changes going on too. He had announced to Daddy that he was going to be a big brother. He was fully potty trained, and moved into his Big Boy bed. (all things he doesn't have in common with Lawson at this age) Oh, I remember that first night, peeking in his room, and thinking how little he looked in that big bed. We didn't even use sheets because he was used to not having them in his crib.

Every now and then we see resemblances in the boys, mainly their eyes, but as I look at these pictures, they are so very different. Briley's hair was yellow! Everyone says they grow fast, and they really do. This was a precious age, and in a way, I will always see Briley as this little boy now matter how big he gets.