Not Me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week!

i did not hear little hands and feet on the hardwood floor and see my baby lucas crawling. not him, he's still my baby! i also did not stick my fingers in his mouth and realize he has 2 new teeth up top. nope, again, he's still my baby!

trace was not very ugly to me before church sunday... and i would never slap his cheek and then hope AND PRAY there was not a handprint left there when we got to church!

i did not have a mostly lazy day after church sunday... and i didn't eat lunch at fox's pizza so i didn't have to cook. and i didn't lounge around the house all afternoon, and then make nate fix scrambled eggs and toast for dinner. not me.

i did not go to old navy today to return something. they did not tell me i couldn't exchange without a receipt. i didn't proceed to go to the back of the store and exchange the super cute halloween outfit for a bigger size without their permission. nope. never. and if i did that, i wouldn't tell the whole world (or my 2 blog followers!) about it and secretly hope i don't go to jail for it. i wasn't worried about a security video at all.

oh, and while at old navy, i most certainly did not find the best deals ever. i didn't buy 3 new shirts and a dress for myself, and an outfit for the baby for only $12. who could find that kind of deal?

i am not loving this cooler, breezy, sunny, fall weather. it is not the most refreshing thing ever after a hot summer and 3 weeks of rain.

ok. your turn. please share with me. what have you not been doing this week?

sunshine on a cloudy day

recently, we had pictures taken at portrait innovations. they were a surprise to the grandparents for grandparents day. we are so blessed to have such awesome godly parents in our lives. our babies are even more blessed!

we love you bitsy and poppi & meme and granddaddy!

just the 4 of us... love how trace is waving to the camera!

givin' kisses!

shannon, josh, caden, and laura grace

the 8 of us...

how cute

bitsy's 4 babies
mae mae and lu lu

these just make me smile!

sweet sweet girls!

all the crazy boys! love this pic of trace!

caden and lala know how to pose!

kenely loves her mason

6 babies 3 and under! wow :o)

caden- 3, kenley- 2 1/2, trace- 2 1/2, lala- almost 2, lucas- 7 mo, mason- 6 mo

sweet bubbas~ i love lucas' face!

love love love these kiddos. they are definitely like sunshine on a cloudy day!

wordless wednesday

just can't find the words for this one. guess it's a good thing it's wordless wednesday!!! :)

"Not Me" Monday!

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

ok. i'm not sure if i should use the "not me" or "not my child" button... b/c all of these have to do with me, and my children! so anyways, here goes...

* i did not start feeding lucas some baby food that he didn't like. he didn't gag on the first bite, and i didn't give him a few more. and he didn't proceed to puke after that. and i so did not catch the puke with the jar of baby food. that's just gross.

nope, not me! :)

*i do not have to tell trace several times a day to be easy with his brother. he does not love him so much i think he might smother him.

*trace did not stay up until 10:45 pm when we went to the jeremy camp concert. and i certainly did not save him a little of my milkshake from chick-fil-a and let him drink it that late, after it was already 3 hrs past his bed-time. more sugar? never!

*that same nite, trace did not have a t-total meltdown before getting in bed, b/c i would not let him sleep with his 2 matchbox cars. then he didn't start crying about being scared of monsters. all b/c he was so stinkin tired. not my tracecar.

*we have not been swaddling lucas at nite since he was born. there is no way i would ever buy a large size swaddle me blanket when he outgrew the smaller one at 5 months of age. he is not now 7 1/2 months old and we did not decide that this weekend was finally time to break him of that habit... we didn't turn down the sound on the baby monitors and make him cry it out. not so we could get a good nite's sleep.

*i have not caught trace with his hand down his diaper a few times lately. he is not obsessed with his private parts at 2 1/2. he is totally not ALL BOY. oh, and another thing. he has not actually peed in the potty at least once every day for the past 5 days. and if he had, i would so not be proud of him!

*i do not let lucas pull my hair just b/c he likes it and thinks it is fun. why would i go thru that torture? what, i know you did not say it's b/c he is spoiled? he most certainly is NOT! :)

**wow. i feel better now that i've gotten that off my chest!**

**so, what about you? what have you not been up to lately?**

we'll never forget

wow. it's so hard to believe it has been 8 years since the attack on 9/11/01. i will never ever forget where i was on that day. i had just graduated high school a few months before. i had a part time job and was also going to jeff state. on that day, i was working at southtrust bank, the 2nd avenue branch, downtown. i had to work the drive in that day, which was actually downstairs in the parking garage, where people could drive thru or walk up to the teller (me.) i was basically in a very small room, all by myself. my sister called me and told me what was going on. i remember hearing about the first plane crashing into the towers. and customers were coming in from the streets talking about it. but at that time everyone was still like, woah, what is going on? was this an accident? all too soon it became clear that it was no accident, it was a planned attack. as the day went on, i remember how sad it was. i called my mom several times, and i knew she had been crying. i asked her did she know anyone who was hurt or killed. she said no, but she was just crying for all the innocents lives lost. later that day, and for several days afterwards, i found myself doing the same thing. crying. crying for those who didn't deserve to die. the children who lost parents that day. the parents who lost children. brothers, sisters, friends, family. so many lives were ended. just like that. i think that day will go down as one of the saddest days in history. i know for me, it is definitely the saddest thing i've ever lived through, as far as our country goes. little did we know the events that would follow 9/11... like this seemingly never ending war, which means more sadness and more lost lives. more people have been killed, fighting for our country, more than anyone probably would have imagined 8 years ago. i think it caught us all by surprise. but you know who wasn't surprised by any of it? GOD. he knew what was gonna happen. we still don't understand why it happened, but i think it makes it a little easier knowing it is all in his hands. unfortunately, i think the worst is yet to come. that is why it is so important to pray for our nation. the government, leaders, officials, and also the citizens of the U.S.A. pray also for the people who have lost loved ones fighting for our freedom. it is so easy to overlook the heros, and to focus on all the crazy people in this world. but look around you, and thank a hero. army or navy, police officer or firefighter, nurse or doctor, young or old, black or white, male or female. we owe our freedom to them. no matter what, we'll never forget.

2 chronicles 7:14 says "if my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

FSU BOYS

i bought these cute lil shirts online at the children's place... i couldn't resist, b/c they are florida state colors and i think they are just adorable! (they say 1/2 pint half back at the bottom, but you can't see it in the pic.) we are going to get the boys names printed on the back i think! trace and lucas showed their support for daddy's favorite team on monday, but it just wasn't enough! the noles lost, but it was a good game. or so i heard... you know i don't watch the games :) just wanted to share this sweet pic with you. it's hard to get the boys to both smile for a picture, so i was happy the way this turned out!

what about you, what colors are you wearing on game day and who's your fav team? or are you like me, and you wear the shirt but you totally go to the parties for all the yummy food? and not the football?

oh, and in case you were wondering... yes, the last post was a roll tide post. we are first and foremost FSU fans. but we also like BAMA. so we will pull for both teams! and, our good friend austin plays at GT, look for him, he's # 73! so you will also see us in GT gear when they are playing, like tonite! ahhhhh. so much football, so little time :)

my boys

this first video was taken saturday nite during half time of the bama game. ROLL TIDE! we were hanging out at josh and shannon's watching the game. trace had an iced sugar cookie after dinner... guess we were still seeing the effects of it 3 hrs later! granted, this was 1 hr past his bed time. and when he gets sleepy, he gets HYPER! the video is kinda blurry b/c it was taken from my phone, but i think you get the idea! the sound might be messed up too, but again, you get the point!

the second video is lucas... it was taken a week or so ago, but i have been having trouble uploading videos so it's a little late. anyways, it's just lucas being silly and smiling at his mama. he is getting too big, too fast! these boys have my heart! hope you enjoy watching them!

has anyone seen my baby?

"a glad heart makes a cheerful face." proverbs 15:13a

i think i am in denial that lucas is 7 months old. not that 7 months is a huge milestone, but still. with each passing month i am reminded that my baby is growing so fast and he will hardly be a baby for much longer! and with each passing day, i am so thankful for both of my beautiful, happy, healthy baby boys!

overall, lucas is doing great! in the past week, he has grown so much, physically and developmentally. he has moved up to size 3 diapers! he doesn't seem big enough for 3's, but he has been leaking out of the 2's for a few nites, so i think it's time! he has also started eating and enjoying puffs more- he is really liking them now. we put several on the high chair tray and his hand eye coordination is really improving. he can pick them up, and them get them close to his mouth, but usually his hands are sticky so he can't quite get them in his mouth! but we help him out! he still makes silly faces when he eats them, b/c they kinda get stuck to the back of his mouth. but he likes them and cries for more! so far i've only bought banana, but we will try a new flavor soon. he's also had a few bites of "real food." i've shared some mashed potatoes with him, and also some refried beans when we've eaten mexican!

also, he has started babbling a lot more. i've heard "da" and "ba" lately. i encourage him to say da-da and bu-bba and he just laughs when i say it. it won't be long til he talks non-stop like his bubba trace! speaking of his bubba trace, here's a pic of the boys... watching their new fav show called the fresh beat band. have you seen it yet? they LOVE it and won't take their eyes off of it when it is on tv! we've already started to record the episodes so we have a few for those "on demand" times!

and, lucas is sitting up on his own pretty well. his balance is def improving. i think he really likes being so big. he just smiles when he is sitting up playing with his toys! (unless he is super sleep and i'm making him sit up for a picture. see below!) he is also getting up on all fours and rocking! more often that not, if we lay him down on his back, he will flip to his belly. and then he lifts that head up and then pushes up on his hands and knees! it is so hard for me to believe that he is getting so big, so fast! where is my baby? has anyone seen my baby??



lucas has had a lil cough/cold for about 2 weeks though. i keep thinking it's just a cold, and i've taken him in to his dr twice in the past when they've told me "it's just a cold, let it run it's course." so i'm taking that approach now, but will def take him in to the dr soon if it doesn't seem better. for the most part, he isn't too fussy. and part of it i think might be teething? i'm not sure! his top gums are so swollen... it's so crazy to me that he got his 2 bottom teeth at 4 months and hasn't gotten any since. i remember trace got 2 more at 6 months. oh well. soon enough he will have a mouthful i'm sure!

we are praying for protection for the boys during this crazy flu season. i really hope that the babies stay healthy, as well as me and nate. nate's been fighting this cold with lucas, and so far trace and i have dodged the bullet. hope we can keep up our defenses for a lil bit longer!

we are really enjoying this fall weather! i know nate is looking forward to football season. me, not so much, it's never been my fav sport. but go noles and roll tide anyways :) i will try and watch a few of the games with nate, but i bet he'd rather me keep the boys occupied in the other room so he can watch the games. ha! i am looking foward to fall mainly b/c of the cooler weather. and i've bought the boys some new really cute fall outfits that i can't wait for them to wear. and with fall, comes lots of holidays as well. i get super excited about them and usually go overboard, but that's ok, right?? so what do you like most about fall? i'd love to hear your fall favs and traditions!

and for a few more pictures... last week you saw lucas as a monster, and now here's trace! i just love my lil monsters~ don't you?

trace isn't big into having his pic made anymore. but sometimes we can catch a smile!
lucas is cheesing so big! he must've learned this from his bubba!


where's lucas?? PEEK-A-BOO! here he is!

and one last picture of my lil blue eyed babe! he's snuggling with his blanky right before naptime.

sleep tight lil one. mama loves you more than you'll ever know.

smotherly love