It's Friday and we're FINALLY...

On the way to the beach! After this past week, we all need it! I am attempting to post this from my phone while riding in the car so not sure how that will go. We got a later start than planned because of my crazy work. I had a ton of stuff to finish and get mailed including a Brief to the Court of Appeals because of our office closing next week for the Democratic National Convention which will likely wreak havoc on our lovely little city as the President and his entourage will be attending and likely staying right down the road from our house. Needless to say, we are thankful to be getting out of dodge! We had to make a couple of stops to fill 'er up in SC where the gas is always cheaper because NC has like the highest gas tax in the country (ugh!), to get some yummy Italian ice and gelato because I just needed some, and now we'll have to stop soon for dinner. A big shout out of thanks to my wonderful husband for packing up the car, cleaning up the house (can't come home to a dirty one), picking Evan up from school and loading the kids in the car and coming to get me from work so we could hit the road and beat the rush hour traffic. Whew, I am finally breathing easier as we leave it all behind. Brody and I are ready to sink our tootsies in the sand! HAPPY LABOR DAY WEEKEND, YA'LL!

Twas the Night Before Kindergarten

And a sweet little boy is tucked in his bed under Star Wars sheets dreaming of all the fun he is going to have at his new school!  Tomorrow is the big day!  Is Mommy ready?  Um, probably not.  When Mommy arrived home tonight, the boys were bathed and dressed for bed.  Mommy helped Evan lay out his clothes for school, and then she asked him to pick a book to read.  She gave him two choices tonight because she wanted the book to have significance for the occasion.  Mommy had planned to go look for a new book about the first day of kindergarten, but she never had the chance.  His choices were:

or 

I was really pulling for this one, and he usually really likes this book about a silly Moose who goes to school because he can't count out the money he needs to buy some candy.  

But alas, he chose:

Reading a book about all the places Evan will be able to go after he gets an education. 

You know little brother could not be left out.  Don't you just love his little snarl? 

Evan likes to pretend he is scared during one part when the little person is in the "alone" place. 

Yes, Brody is very involved in the reading process.  

The clothes and new shoes.  This is one of his newest outfits, but Mommy is waiting to do the rest of his back to school clothes shopping until we are at the beach with the benefit of an outlet mall. 

We said our prayers and wished him good night!  Sweet dreams, my Evan!

Brody's First Teachers

We took Brody to his new school (big brother's old school) to meet his teachers this morning.  I have been a little nervous about how he is going to like being left at school because he is only 16 months, but I think he will be just fine.  His brother was in full day daycare at this age and loved it, and Brody will only be at school three mornings a week.  I hope that the socialization will be good for him.  He really seemed to like his classroom.

Surprising to me, the first thing he headed to was this little basketball goal, and he knew exactly what to do as he scored several goals.  This was surprising considering that Brody is my car guy.  He loves anything with wheels.  Evan was always the ball lover!  

But he soon found some wheels and was zooming all around the room.  Yes, that's a baby doll stroller, and he loved it.  But he paid no attention to the doll inside.  It is so funny to watch when he gets himself caught in a tough spot and struggles to figure out how to go around whatever he bumps into.  He glares at it like he's saying, "Why don't you get out of my way?"  Haha!  Sorry, buddy, you have to learn to problem solve.  

Playing with one of his teachers.  Why does my little baby look so big in these pictures?  :-(

I don't know why, but I could almost cry over this one.  He just looks so big bending down and picking up this big block.  Just a few weeks ago, he still couldn't bend down and stand back up without holding onto something, and now he's mastered the squat and stand move!  

Helping teachers build with blocks.  I need to get some blocks like these at home.  I love them!

And of course, he had to tear it down!  I love those hands spread wide!  

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

About a month ago, I entered a contest on Facebook to win free Charlotte Bobcats gear through the "Free Stuff From Our Office" Contest.  Basically, it is a way for the team to get rid of last year's stuff to make room for the new Bobcats season.  I'm not picky so I entered the contest knowing good and well that I would never win.  Well, this morning was my morning.  I received an email from the Marketing Director of the Bobcats congratulating me on being one of the winners of the contest and asking when could I come by to pick up the prize.  I immediately thought about Evan and how happy he would be to get anything from the Charlotte Bobcats so I stopped by and picked it up on the way home from work today.  Below are some pictures of all the stuff we got in our goody box.

P.S. Sherry will probably kill me for posting these last two posts without her proof reading and approval.  LOL

 

All of our gear laid out on the table!!!

Evan wearing Daddy's long sleeve shirt and giving a Bobcats cheer.  "GO BOBCATS!!!!!"

The boys being silly, showing off their prize.  Brody wasn't too happy here.

That is better.  He seems to enjoy the pom poms 

An autographed Bobcats basketball.  Now as to whose signature it is, that is anybody's guess.

A Deserving Post about a Dedicated Wife and Mother

I have been meaning to take a few minutes out of my Daddy Daycare mode and write a little about how wonderful my wife, Sherry, is.  She is a dedicated wife and devoted mother to me and our two beautiful children.  She has been having a rough time at work, where it seems that her hard work is overlooked and goes unrewarded.  Recently, she is not only doing her work but also the work of another employee who is out on maternity leave and another who is out after having surgery.  You would think that once her stack of "To Do's" get 12 to 16 inches high, you would pass the work on to the other people who are lazy and as I call it "just making look busy."  Not in this case.  Sherry is such a hard worker and hates to leave anything uncompleted during the day so she works herself to death to get it done.  All the while, two attorneys continue to bring more work and pile it up on her desk.  Does she complain?  NO!  She does her job to the highest standard and keeps her head up.  After work, my beautiful wife packs up and heads to law school.  That's right, you heard me right.  LAW SCHOOL!  She goes to school at night and is now in her last year of school.  She made the Dean's List this past Spring semester, but you will never hear her tell anyone.  She also completed her second year of law school while pregnant and working a full time job!  I feel that I have to make sure that everyone knows exactly how special she is and how much she is loved.  After class finishes up around 9 to 9:30 p.m., Sherry heads home to love on her two babies and to me.  The kids, if they are awake, come running to the door screaming, "Mommy's home!"  After giving hugs and kisses, her OCD kicks in and she proceeds to pick up everything that the kids have played with that I have missed.  Sherry's time is very precious to her, and we value every moment that we have together.  This Friday, we are excited to head to the beach for 5 days.  The break will be a blessing for Sherry who deserves more than I can ever give her.  I just hope that this post will let her know just how much I love her and how much I appreciate the sacrifices she is making to help improve our family's life.  I ask that you pray for Sherry as she works to complete this final year of law school and prepares to take the North Carolina Bar Exam in July of 2013.  I know that she will do well and God is guiding her on this path.

Baby Talk

Brody seems to have second child syndrome when it comes to talking.  He has been gibber gabbering a lot lately, and we think we have figured out more and more of what he is trying to say.  He seems to say something that sounds like "this" and "that" a lot when he points to stuff.  We think he says "ball" although it sounds more like "dall" when he is throwing a ball.  "Da" seems to be his favorite sound still.  He has been saying "mama" and "dada" for a while.  When he calls for Evan, he yells, "Ehhhhhhhhh!"  With Evan, his first distinguishable words came well before his first birthday and were actually always very coherent.  We think Brody is actually more typical of babies.  Ball was Evan's first word and first love, and he actually said "cake cake" on his first birthday.  We actually think Brody just said his first "coherent" word last night.  He loves my glasses and is always trying to take them off my face.  He hears "No, don't take my glasses!" a lot.  Last night, he was sitting on the bed with us, and he tried to take my glasses again.  He got hold of them and was saying something that sounded very much like "glasses."  The most pronounced part was the "sses" part.  Then, after I took them away, he was pointing and pulling at the monkey on his shirt wearing sunglasses and saying the word over and over.



Yep, we think he's got that one figured out!

What I'm Lovin' Monday #9

It's another lovely Monday, and I'm back to compose another list of random things I'm loving.  Why, you ask?  Because it makes me happy.  Because it gives me something positive to think about on a usually dismal kind of day.  I like to begin my week on a positive note!

Loving comparison photos like this of brothers who wore the same outfit at the same age at the same fun place!

Loving Daddies who love their babies, and babies who love their daddies so much they want to be with them all the time.

This little guy has been so clingy to Daddy lately and fusses when Daddy leaves a room without him.  He fell asleep on Daddy in church after feeding him some of his cheese crackers and offering him his water.  It just melts my heart!

Loving little boys who have learned to give high fives!

Loving big boys who show off on the monkey bars!

Loving only four more days until the beach!

Loving that I get all next week off from work and school.  Thank you, DNC!

What are you all loving this week?

P is for the Park and ParaNorman

What a fun day we had!  The weather has just been gorgeous...not too hot with a nice breeze.  This morning, the boys and I played outside after breakfast while Daddy cut the grass.  Brody even learned to drive Evan's old 4-wheeler by himself.  Until now, his little fingers had trouble holding the button down to make it go.  When he got on it out in the yard, he was in his pajamas with no shoes on.  He had just gotten on it, and I went back to the porch to get something.  When I got back to the yard, Brody was no where to be seen.  Evan was on the swings, and I asked him where his brother was.  The shed door was open from Daddy getting out the lawnmower, and Evan said Brody was in there.  I checked, but he wasn't.  The 4-wheeler was gone too.  Finally, I spotted him way across the yard behind a big tree and all the way against the fence.  He had climbed off because he couldn't go any farther.  It was so funny!  When Daddy finished cutting grass, Brody showed him what he could do.  After we all got dressed and cleaned up, we went to eat lunch and then thought we would try to see "ParaNorman" at the theater during Brody's nap time.  We hoped he would at least sleep through the movie.  The movie didn't start until 2:30 so after lunch we went to the park to tire Brody out some more so he would be really tired.  I had conveniently dressed him in the same outfit Evan wore at the same age when we visited this park, and I had conveniently remembered to bring the camera.  Although this wasn't Brody's first visit to this park, it was his first visit since he has been able to walk and get around on his own.  He had a fabulous time!  When we arrived at the theater, Brody had just fallen asleep in the car, but unfortunately, he woke up on the way in.  We had arrived early enough to get in and find seats so that hopefully he would fall back to sleep before the movie began.  Although he took his time going back to sleep, he was still pretty good, and the movie was very funny as expected.

Warning:  Picture cuteness overload!

Showing Daddy what he can do!

And away he goes. 

Looking behind him. 

He still likes to get off and push it around. 

Headed into the park. 

He was so excited!

Comparison #1:  The Slide

Evan going down the slide on his tummy.

Brody going down the slide on his tummy.

Comparison #2:  The Purple Dinosaur

This purple dinosaur was a favorite of Evan's.

And Brody approved too!

Comparison #3:  Same Outfit

I loved these little OshKosh overalls when they were Evan's.  I just think a cute pair of overalls are a necessity for all little boys!  

The overalls are still a hit with Brody. 

Riding the dinosaur with Mommy. 

We do have fun together. 

We just enjoyed capturing a bunch of pictures of Brody on this special occasion:

Walking with Mommy

Loving to drive.

Oh what a beautiful face!  This is what we get when Daddy actually uses the camera.  Yes, I do try to get him to use it more!  ;-) 

Lookin' like a smurf inside the blue tunnel.

This is a Sherry face right here!

My beautiful baby boy.

Climbing up the tunnel with Mommy. 

Racing brother on the slide. 

And down we go!

Hey, silly brother!  We love you!

Evan waited a long time to get to ride this dinosaur with his little brother. 

Brody says, "Giddy up, t-rex!"

Two sweet boys

In the lion's mouth. 

Seriously, does it get any better? 

Brothers stick together!

Evan tries the monkey bars. 

Another little monkey on the monkey bars. 

So happy!

Stopping for a rest. 

Time to go!

Evan was excited to see this movie and really loved this big display. 

The zombie hand tried to get him. 

Brody is ready to "see" his first movie!

My boys