The boys turned 8 & 2!

Written 2.5 years ago...Garyn and Layne will be 8 1/2 and 2 1/2 this week so I figured it was time 

for me to post about their big day! Obviously, life is busy 

and thats even more the reason I want to write about it as much as I can! 

These boy's are growing and changing too fast for me to keep up!

Garyn has gotten so tall in the last year and I still do a double take sometimes! 

At 8 years old, he was 4'6.5" tall and now, 6 months later, he is up to 4' 7". 

His weight has also gone from 76 lbs to 81 lbs now. He is also wearing a
size 6 shoe! Like, men's sizes! Makes it hard to find shoes. All this growth 

has caused some lankiness and clumsiness. He'll grow into himself, though! 

He played upward basketball and was doing so much better than last year! 

He is loving baseball and basketball right now.

Opening his Nintendo 3DS on his birthday

Garyn also loves board games and just plain competitions. We have been playing 

Monopoly and Risk, a lot. Also, likes to do cooking competitions. 

One thing that hasn't changed is his love for swords!

You can often find him outside playing with the beloved swords. 

We offer to play with him and he just wants to be alone! 

He does let Ansley and Layne play swords with him sometimes, too. 

Other interests of Garyn are Star Wars, K'Nex and movies! 

His Wii U, Xbox1 and Nintendo DS keep him occupied, too.  

He has started reading Magic Tree house books and really likes them! 

Speaking of reading, he is doing great in school. He recently got a 

math and reading award at school. He reads on a level O now which is two or three 

levels higher than he needs to be. 

After breaks, he will complain about going to school but otherwise loves it. 

On the flip side, one character trait Garyn has acquired since turning 8 is some attitude.
Still very mild, but for our sweet Garyn that typically rarely complains, its different. 

We have seen more huffing and puffing, more pouting, and even voiced frustration

 over the simplest of things. Now, these aren't things we have never seen. We are just 

seeing them more often! 

Layne also took on the terrible two's with full force! The little stinker has begun 

the tantrums over just about anything thats not going his way. 

In between those tantrums, he is still a cuddly, quiet little boy. 

And by quiet, I mean talking wise. He hardly says a word but can 

speak in full sentences if he wants. Not long after his 2nd birthday, he yelled for me, 

"Momma, where are you?" and I about fell out! So we know he can talk and are always 

trying to make him use his words. 

Layne loves movies, too. All 3 of them do, just like Daddy. Layne particularly likes 

to watch Disney Jr. on our phones and IPad. He knows how to get to netflix, too, 

and watches power rangers on there. He will sit still watching as long as you'll let him. 

I have found him numerous times in an empty room with my phone trying to hide! 

Layne also loves to run around hitting us with swords and shooting us with nerf guns. 

Small little character men can keep him entertained for awhile, too, 

knocking them over in battles. 

Layne has, of course, grown a lot, too. He was 32 lbs and 2'11.75" at his 2 yr checkup
and now is 35 lbs and 3' 0.5" at 2 1/2. That's about where
Garyn was at 2 yrs old, just over 3 feet. Layne's just a little shorter.
Layne is now wearing 3t/4t and size 8-9 shoes. He wears 6 diapers
but we have tried potty training recently. He goes pee-pee most of the time
we take him but will NOT tell us when he has to go. I got discouraged
and haven't been taking him much lately. We will try again this summer!

Layne's breakfast pan"cake"

We have recently switched him to a twin bed and he has done really well!
He started climbing out of his baby bed
in December and it worried us that he'd fall in the middle of the night.
Plus, he was 2! I was hanging on to my baby as long as possible!
We switched the bed and had a couple nights of him getting out.
Once we threatened a spanking and then did it the next time; he doesn't get out now.
Occasionally, he'll get out once in the middle of the night but it's few and far between.
Oh! And we got rid of the pacifier way back in June, just before he turned 2.
He started biting them off and us finding the piece in his mouth! It wasn't a bad transition, either.


We had a mixed birthday with Star Wars and Mickey mouse.
Garyn got to have a game truck come for the big boys to play in. That was a hit!
We also tried our first ice cream cake and Garyn says he wants those from now on!

Garyn chose cookies and cream with cherries

Boys' Birthday!

So this past July, our boys turned one and seven years old. It was obviously a fun and busy time! Being the first birthday for us to have both boys to celebrate at the same time, I felt a little overwhelmed trying to watch both with their friends and their gifts. I did enjoy just one party to plan and get ready for though! However, I wanted to talk a little about each one and where they are right now.

Layne is our little scooter. That's what we call him, literally, "scooter". He is learning so much everyday. Books are one of his new favorite toys. He brings them to you and then very cutely turns to sit in your lap. His favorites are ones with animals. Which brings me to his next new favorite, visiting the horses across the street. We go about everyday to pet them. He starts jumping and kicking. He points his finger and tries to say horse, it doesn't sound much like horse though. :) Now they are gone and he will look up that way for them. I just love watching him soak new things in. You can see it in his eyes, the amazement.

Him in same outfit Garyn wore at his first birthday. 

At his first hair cut, he was 13 months old. He had a second one about a month ago.

Scooter loves to climb on everything right now! He gets on the bar stools, train table, chairs, desk and dining table. We can't keep him off things. He is saying more now and just today I realized he could tell me what the farm animals say. I love hearing those little words and trying to decipher them. He loves his brother and sister and all their toys. We are now constantly refereeing him and Ansley, mainly. And he likes to put up a good fight, too!

His favorite birthday present.

Layne loves to eat. He definitely eats more than Ansley! He is starting to use a fork and spoon, but is still very messy with that. We love how he starts working his lips and mouth when he sees food or drinks in anticipation of them. It just cracks me up cause I can always tell when he is about to go for someones food. He is a little mooch! He doesn't fall asleep as often in the high chair, now! He still eats veggies pretty good but has gotten a lot more picky and demanding about what he wants. He weighed 24 lbs at 12 mos and is now up to around 27 lbs.. He was 30 1/2 inches long and is now 31. He has quickly grown out of 12 mos clothes and is in 18-24 mos clothes. I had been looking at Garyn's clothes from that age thinking they were so big but Layne is catching up to Garyn's size. Garyn was 25 lbs at a year and 31 inches.

We had water toys at the party. I had used this exact slip n' slide at Garyn's 1st party.

 It was all very nostalgic for me and believe it or not, unplanned!

He is finally sleeping though the night! He went through a phase a month or two ago were he was waking around 5:30! Oh, I was so tired everyday. We would try to keep him awake at night but he usually would just fall out around 8 no matter what we did. Thankfully, he has now grown out of that and is sleeping from 8:30-9 ish til 6;30ish. He naps twice most days but can do with just one. We are still having no problem putting him down. He loves his blanket and paci and will just basically let us know when he is tired. He hasn't tried to climb out of his bed yet but has gotten stuck putting his legs up on the headboard part.

He absolutely loved digging into his cake. He started throwing it everywhere!

Now for Garyn, our sweet big boy! He is still so tender hearted and wants to do everything right. School is easier for him this year as far as the teacher and schedule goes. He complains a lot less, at least! He has been doing very well, too, learning addition and subtraction. He taught himself some multiplication and shocked us all. One example was right around his birthday he asked how many months old he was since I'm always talking about Layne's age. I said well 7 years times 12 for each month in the year. Within a minute he said, "84?"  He still loves the WiiU and mostly plays Skylanders. He chose a sports theme for their birthday party because he liked watching the World Cup this summer and playing baseball. We are about to start Upward basketball for the first time. Most of all, he still loves his swords. He doesn't like to go without them for long. As soon as he gets home from school he takes a couple outside and plays as long as I'll let him!

This was the chalkboard I did for him. He has already grown since then!

Playing with his MarioKart toys from his birthday presents.

This summer he lost his first tooth and since has lost his second one. We had to pull the first one because his adult tooth was coming in behind the baby. The second fell out but also had the adult tooth already in. I say this because he never really looked like he was missing a tooth with both of the permanent teeth already in. He is getting so tall, too! He is 4' 5 1/2 " and 68 pounds (He was only 63 at his birthday). I'm gonna be looking straight at him before long. He is also getting big feet. This fall we quickly realized he could no longer wear 3's and needed 4 1/2's!

After losing his first tooth.

Garyn also loves playing board games and card games. He likes for their to be as many players as possible. This leads to him planning game nights. Some times they come to fruition and others he just schemes. He also went through a phase of watching Food Network competition shows. We did a lot of "Chopped" competitions this summer. I will never forget our summer list either. He had a lot of things he wanted to do while he was out of school so we made a list. I loved the items like Creative Discovery Museum and Coolidge Park. Things we did when he was younger and at home all the time. He is still in that phase were he loves to do fun preschool like activities but looks like a 10 year old at the same time. We are trying to get him to do some things on his own but he is always a little slow at it and needs guidance. He takes showers now on his own, finally! He is also a big help around the house and with his brother and sister. I can have him do light chores and he gets some money in exchange. He plays well with Layne, he and Ansley fight a lot. Its hard to have patience with her sometimes, even for me! We are having a lot of good life lessons with Garyn more and more. He is understanding more about how people and things work and likes to ponder on them.

Planning one of his games for us to play.

Every age has its own new discoveries, from the 1 year old to 7 year old, we are enjoying these days with them!

Month to Month: Layne is 7 mos. old

Seven months have past now since the cutest little guy entered our world......

His little personality is still so calm and collected, although he has started having some stranger danger. He definitely knows if a new person is holding him. While it doesn't always bother him, he will occasionally look at me and just begin to squall if he is unsure of who exactly is holding/talking to him.

Layne is moving more and more. He just started crawling about a week ago. He has a little shuffle going on, he isn't always on both knees and will drag the other leg or will straighten it and kick off so to speak with it. He hasn't moved room to room yet but gets around one room well. Everything goes straight to his mouth, as usual for 7 months, so I have had to really stay on top of the small toys and everything else that ends up on the floor.

(He didn't want the monkey to sit next to him!)

Sleep wise, he is still getting up to eat in the middle of the night. I am not sure when we will break that habit. Generally, he sleeps from 9ish-7ish. Naps are getting to be in the same time frame but are still sporadic. He has developed a habit of staying awake until  the next feeding in the mornings and then falling asleep for an hour or so. Same happens for the afternoon. Then usually after dinner or later he might take a quick 30 min nap. I have been letting him call the shots sleep wise because he has always been a good sleeper. But I am beginning to see the need for a routine because he wants to wait til a feeding to go to sleep and isn't letting me just rock him or lay him down.

Speaking of sleep and moving.....he usually is sitting up in bed by the time I get in there. He will just grin and laugh once he sees me. So cute! He is starting to pull up to standing on some things so we have moved his bed down. And another sleep change is that he prefers his stomach now. I believe the other two did this a little earlier, because I was surprised at how long he stayed on his back.

We have now tried most all the fruits and vegetables. He likes most all of them except peas. He will eat them but not as readily. Usually, he eats something at all three meals with us. But if I forget to bring something or he is asleep, he doesn't notice or act hungry. He now has one tooth! It poked through last week and there is now a second about to make its appearance. (The two front bottom) Seven mos is the earliest for my 3 to get teeth. I am not sure if that's a good thing or not! But now I have let him have some little teething biscuits and rice cake type baby things.

When we went to the doctor for his last illness right around he's 7 month mark, (he has now had 2 ear infections since Christmas) he was 19 lbs 14 oz. Then a week later, we were back for a recheck and shots and he was already up to 20 lbs 4 oz! I was able to look back at Garyn's weight at 7 months and it was a whopping 22 lbs! I just didn't realize how big Garyn was for his age. Like Garyn, Layne doesn't look super chunky but is dense/solid I guess.

Another milestone reached....he said "momma" last week! He says it most when he is tired or fussy. Not sure he knows its my name but he says it and I answer! :) Garyn and Ansley just love seeing all these changes and new things. They both still exclaim "He crawled!" every time he moves practically. Milestones that aren't intended but always happen have also been reached. In the past month, he has fallen off the bed and couch. So we are no longer putting him on those! Thankfully, with both, he took it great, cried but didn't have any symptoms to worry about.

Layne's hair has gotten longer and thicker. It looks to be turning a little blonder but still seems darker than Garyn and Ansley's. His eyes are definitely brown now. Those eyebrows are still the most talked about feature his has! People will think he is raising them on purpose but he isn't.....they just grow that way! We still think he looks a lot like daddy and Garyn, too. Every once in awhile people will say they can see some of Ansley in him, too.

Mixture of all 3, Garyn is in train shirt and baseball shirt; Ansley is easier to pick out.

I think their cheeks are all the same when they smile.

Well, I only have a week until he is 8 months! Geez, ssssllllooowww down time!

Painting ourselves Navy and Gold

As you know, we are changing from blue and white to navy and gold. Might seem simple on the outside (and it is...) but it also takes a change of mind. When I see clothes out and about for us all, I have to think on these new colors now. My mind is getting more geared to navy and gold though after having a week of literally immersing myself in it!

We spent a few days getting Tyler's room ready and once again I painted the logo for him. The new logo, that is. As I painted away, I thought a lot about the significance of this new change we have. Tyler and I graduated from Red Bank, but we aren't Red Bank now. A lot changes over time and Red Bank has, too. The Red Bank I knew, isn't what the kids now know. You could even take it further to say, we aren't the same. We are two adults with children moving to the Soddy area and changing our surroundings a bit. Funny how a little paint can make you reflect on so much!

 

(The bottom color is silver not baby blue as it looks)

 

 Within the same week, we also went to The Athletic Shop and ordered some printed shirts for the  kids and Tyler some coaching stuff. Plus, I found a t-shirt for me to wear. Which reminds me, I have to clean out most of my Red Bank clothes cause its just not kosher for a coaches wife to be seen in a rival team's shirt! I am starting from zero and really don't have any Soddy things!

 

Then, I also went to Carter's that week to get some sibling shirts and instead found a gold mine.(..and navy...haha.) I was literally spinning around the boys section and at every turn finding a different  shirt that my two boys could wear...and be matching! I even called Tyler to tell him he better come in and help me decide. (He was out in the car with the kids) He didn't, so I just got them all!

 

Now, I just have to work on Ansley and I, I have a couple items in the works for her, though. I was so excited to find a cute navy Nike skirt at Goodwill that's pleated like a cheer leader skirt in her size! I also found that yellow-gold color pair of bike shorts she can wear with a long shirt or even under that skirt. Goodwill never fails me!

 

After all this, my eyes are a little more trained to see navy and gold when I'm out and about. I'll always be blue and white at heart but the new colors are seeping in naturally. I can't wait to start this new chapter!



 

Football Season 2011

I have been wanting to post on the event that takes up most of our time during the late summer/ early fall......which you can guess from the title is highschool football!

Tyler became the defensive coordinator for this year and was therefore busier than he normally is already with football. He loves it, though, even as time consuming as it can be for him. Garyn and I love going to the games on Fridays, but wish we could see him more during the week. But its just part of our life! Ansley seemed to enjoy it, too!

loved this outfit K.mac made!

she made the cute bow too

We didn't miss a game! The one cold rainy night of the season, I was planning to skip, but then Garyn insisted we go! So we went but didn't stay that whole game.

Garyn's favorite part is still getting to play on the field afterwards, here he is dancing

Don't remember what he was doing but he is wearing his RB jacket monogrammed by K.mac

The team finished 7-4 going into the first round of playoffs. Tyler survived his first year as a coordinator. I was stressed much more than he every thought about being most of the time! However, I was also proud and thought he handled it all well.

another outfit by K.mac

Daddy and his baby girl

I have always loved going to the games. However, I don't see as much now that I have Garyn to keep up with. Next year, I imagine I'll be chasing down Ansley, too. I actually had to this year really. She was passed around a lot between player's moms and teachers. Since Tyler and I went to Red Bank, we see a lot of people we know.

Speaking of Red Bank being our Alma mater, Tyler was crowned the Homecoming Queen from the male teacher homecoming court. Yes, that is him there in a lovely pink dress and red wig.....

It was truly hilarious, the whole gym was laughing except for Garyn who was terrified of his daddy and the others dressed up. We made the mistake of walking into the room they were waiting in before it started and he was not prepared to see all of them dressed in drag behind the door. So he stood in a corner crying and shaking. Poor thing! Any who...I couldn't stop laughing and frequently left his side to see and take pics. (There was a football parent with him) The pic below was a "cat fight" with another candidate.

I wish I had gotten a photo of the back...the dress wouldn't zip all the way but did clasp at the top so it looked like an oval shaped view of his beautiful and hairy back!

\

Good times, I tell ya! The season always keeps us busy but doing fun things. After a short break, work outs have already begun for next year! It will be here before we know it.

pieces to the puzzle

I have many fond memories of doing puzzles when I was younger. My grandmother used to have one on the dining room table at all times. We would spend time together working and talking finishing them. A very important family friend loved puzzles, too, and I often stayed at the table with him for hours working on one. Garyn has a heart for puzzles, like myself. We often sit down and do puzzles together now learning about each other as we work.

I have had a lot of thoughts lately about how life is filled with pieces that come together to make it whole....like a puzzle.

God amazingly created this earth, us and the way we all live together. Some pieces are closer and more important but all the while need the other pieces to function.

On Saturday, when I was driving to Atlanta to pick up Tyler from the airport upon his return from Honduras, I thought a lot about our main 4 piece puzzle. Tyler, Garyn, myself and now Anlsey make a whole. Sentimentally, I thought about how when one of us is gone for an extended amount of time, life is just different. We need each other more than I usually realize.

We can't always be together obviously, and its so hard to imagine, but one day Garyn and Ansley will start their own puzzle. One of the most significant times that I was able to understand and relate to my mother n' law, now known as Nana, was when Garyn was in his first weeks of life. Tyler was once in her womb and a major piece to her puzzle of life. I had been, too, for my dad and mom. Seeing how much Garyn meant to me, helped me to completely understand the way our own parents feel towards us. Just like the old saying goes...that one you heard over and over..."One day, you'll have kids and understand"

Even though, we do have to let go of our children one day, they are always a part of your puzzle. Tyler and I are a part of our parents puzzle and have just added another picture of our own to the side.

Friends, family, church, memories, work...they also are part of our puzzles, whether we realize it or not.

Orphanage Emmanuel is now a part of Tyler and I's puzzle pieces. The staff, children, places and presence of God there tugs at our heart. We feel that we will always return, as much as we can, in order to keep this piece in tow.

Tyler, as he was supposed to, found us a new piece while there. Rosa and Karina, our first 2 sponsored girls, have both returned home with family. Them leaving didn't mean they left our puzzle, just moved out further to the edges. I still often think of them and pray they are well and safe. But little Omar is the new piece, a new member at Orphanage Emmanuel that needed a sponsor. Though I haven't met him or seen him, a place for him is growing in my heart. A pure reflection of God's love for us. I know God loves him and has a plan for his life. I can be a physical expression of that love for God because I know that is what he has called us to do and gives us the desire to do whether we want to or not.

Just can't wait to meet him and love on him. He is only one, as of Jan. 31st. I promise to post pictures!

I feel the same way about little Ansley, of course. Knowing that she is about to be a big piece of our puzzle just makes my heart swell. She already is actually. Once we see her and learn about her personality it is only going to be harder to imagine the 3 piece puzzle we had before she came into existence.

I know God has all of our puzzle pieces in His hands, big and small. He places them when the time is right. He knows the full picture and knows when we are ready to see more of it. I pray that I won't try to move any pieces on my own. We all know that when you try to make a piece fit that isn't right, it just never works!

I am thankfully for my big pieces and little ones, too. I felt so whole on Saturday knowing Tyler had returned safely and we all were together again.

Have you ever felt like life was a big puzzle?

One Month.....

In one month, I will be 27.....but today Tyler is 27

I have one month to be younger than him

We were one month apart in 1983.....

We had the same type of baby bed, both born in Georgia, and both ended up at Red Bank Middle School where we met

I love him so much and thank God for bringing us together, however

This year, at 27, he is not liking the number.....

Even more reason for me to rub it in that I am still 26 :)

And that I will, as I do every year.........

Summer: It's over?

 I think it has hit me that summer is over.

Football's first game is this week; Garyn starts Mother's Day Out tomorrow;

I start Bible study tomorrow........

The only area that hasn't changed is the weather! Man, it's still HOT!

Well I wanted to post some summer photos that I haven't yet to remember all the great moments.... 

Won't forget the beginning of the summer started with Six Flags!

Lots of water Fun!

So much yummy Ice Cream!

~All Boy~

New fascination with Toy Story with the release of the new movie

Will never forget my wonderful trip to Honduras!

Can we say guitar fan......

Garyn became a golf fan, too!

Garyn really has his favorite buds now...

He can drive! oh no!

Great 4th!

Beach fun

 

Daddy spent so much time writing his paper this summer, he often forgot to shave!

And last but not least, Wii games are still in high priority!

(In fact, while I am writing this Garyn is playing)

The summer went by so fast, but it was a lot of fun!