Happy Birthday Mandy- Now go to Timeout

When you get older birthdays start to have different meanings.  When I told Jake that it was Mandy's birthday he was very excited.  I thnk that he thought maybe he would get presents just like as if it was his.  I made (bought) this cake for Mandy today as a surprise but Jake sabotaged my plans by quickly telling her that we were going to eat cake after dinner.  I guess I underestimated how exciting birthday cake is to a 3 year-old.  Mandy also had a rough day at work combined with a headache and Sam's teething did not make for a smooth transition to home.  Even though I had dinner pretty much done when she got home she was in a pretty tough mood made worse with Jake demanding her immediate attention.  I think the sight of the big 36 also didn't help.  Jake eventually got upset and told mandy that she was in a "bad mood".  Usually timeout is reserved for toddlers in our house but this time Mandy got up and put herself in the timeout chair.  My only regret is that I didn't get a picture.  After a few minutes Jake went and got her out so we could eat dinner.
I guess I learned that timeouts work for adults too.

We are reminded of how fast the years can fly by on our birthdays.  I can't believe that I met her when I was barely 23 years old.  Even more unbelievable is that our 10 year anniversary is almost here.

Sam has a tooth!

Sam has his first tooth! It's one of the bottom row. He's doing great, sitting up, all things cute! He and I just spent the week together while Daddy was in El Salvador and Jake spent the week with Grammy Kris and Tom Tom and Aunt Heather. I think they were all happy to see some sunshine in Atlanta this weekend!

Happy 7 months, Sam!

Sam is 7 months old, adorable, sitting, and babbling. He mostly says "mum mum mum" which is likely a demand for his current favorite snack of the same name. He's always laughing at Jake and observing closely what his big brother does. We're thankful everyday for both of them. Auntie Heather is visiting this weekend to help us celebrate!

Babies don't like the cold

We are home from work today. We got 6 inches of snow here in Virginia Highlands and according to our neighbor, this constitutes "Snowmageddon" in Atlanta. It is nice to have some more time at home together. We did venture outside with the boys this morning. Jake had new snow pants and we layered him so I knew he'd be ok in the cold. I also layered clothes under the Milo hand me down "bear suit" from the Gap. I figured that if it worked in Minnesota, it would be fine here in Atlanta. We made it to Piedmont Park, though, and Sam had had enough. I guess frozen snot on cold cheeks would make anyone unhappy. He and I walked home and he cried the whole way. It took about 10 minutes for him to calm down but then he took quite a warm winter's nap. We've been enjoying a quiet day and are waiting to see what happens tomorrow. More freezing rain is in the forecast this evening.
Jake sledding in Piedmont Park.

Sam and Mommy before freezing!

Jake ready to go!

Happy New Year and Happy 6 months Sam!

What is it about tools and butt cracks? This sight made me laugh on Christmas morning!

Above is Sam the Baby Gap Model.

Here is Sam for Christmas pic:

Sam 6 months old:

Jake at Christmas:

It was really cold here for a bit...Sam looking chilled after a walk outside. Brrr, Mommy!

Boys together on Christmas Day:

Christmas picture of boys together:

We had a good holiday this year. Spent Christmas just me and the boys, but then went to church and our friends, Jon, Jenn, and Maddie's house for a delicious dinner. New Years found Grammy Kris and Tom Tom visiting just in time for the ChickfilA bowl (USC vs Florida State). Dad and I got tickets and went with friends Jimmy and Jenn from North Augusta. Fun time, but sorry, Gamecock fans!

Sam got his 6 month shots yesterday and spent the night crying with a high fever. Poor little guy but he was fine today. Jake has been sick for about 3 days and has certainly learned how to milk it! He's on the mend, as well. Sam is now eating rice cereal and some green veggies. He is sitting up and rolling back to front and front to back. He sleeps 10 hours and some nights 12 hours straight beginning at about 6:30pm. Amazing how early they go to bed at this age. How tiring life is! They continue to be loved while we are at work by our nanny, Elizabeth. We are grateful for her every day!

New bowling shoes

If you follow the blog you know that Jake likes to bowl and it was one of the final carrots we could dangle in fromt of him to get him potty trained.  The place near our house is pretty good but half of the fees are actually shoe rentals.  After a while I decided to buy some shoes to cut down on the continuing costs.  His shoes arrived two days ago and last night we took him bowling again.  He also likes to copy any older kid and a few weeks ago he starting trying to roll the ball like older kids (and adults) do.  This actually has significantly increased his score as you can see from the pictures at the 9th and 10th frames.  You can see that not only did jake get two strikes and two spares in the first 5 frames but we were tied going into the 9th frame.  I am an increadibly erratic bowler and will bowl anywhere from 100's to 190.  Unfortunately jake was getting so enthusiastic around the 6th frame he was almost throwing the ball into the the adjacent lane.  I had to stop him and this made him start rolling the differently without much force.  (good thing or he probably would have won).  People started coming by and giving me a hard time about losing to Jake before the 9th frame.  Fortunately for me I survived with my ego intact and won out by 1 point.

Sam is 5 months old!

Well, actually Sam was 5 months old 2 weeks ago, but this picture was actually taken on December 4th. He has been interacting a lot, definitely expresses discontent when he drops his toys or you don't feed him fast enough. He's doing well with rice cereal. I haven't quite moved onto veggies yet. He is sleeping really well since we returned from San Antonio, about 10 hours most nights. He laughs at Jake and Daddy. He is cuddly and smiles with me. Happy 5 months, Sam!