Andrew's Newest Tricks

Andrew has some new, or at least perfected, tricks that I thought all the grandparents would enjoy seeing.
He has started pulling up on low surfaces....

He had a little trouble getting his footing at first, but he is improving with every try! AHHHHHH!!

And, here is a video that I just happened to capture of him scooting.

I was trying to set him up for pulling up, but he scooted around instead. You can also see how he can push himself up into a seated position now.

And my favorite...

This is his newest half-smile. Just so cute!

And I threw in a rare shot of the toothies too!

Will Goes to School

I cannot believe it, but our little boy is going to preschool two days a week now. He just started last week at Emerson on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. He loves his teacher, Ms. Daisy, and has been excited to go everyday. He actually knows some of the kids in his class from other things we do around town, so that made the adjustment a little easier for him. And at first I was worried about the afternoon thing because he still takes a nap most days, but I think it is going to be fine. The first couple of days were kind of rough. He did great at school, but then was exhausted when I picked him up and either fell asleep or was really cranky the rest of the evening. But, this week has been much, much better! The person taking all of this the hardest is me! I had the hardest time pulling out of that parking lot that first day and leaving my sweet little boy by himself. I know he is in great hands and loving every minute of it, but I guess mommies need some adjustment time too! :) I can already tell that I am really going to get a lot done in the afternoons with just one child a couple of days a week.
And because I cannot ever choose which picture to post...

A Great Check-Up

Will and Andrew both had checkups today. We went to a new doctor in West Point and it was a great experience. I was never really pleased with the doctors we have seen here in Starkville. They are very nice people, but it just wasn't a personality match for what I wanted for my kids' doctor. Here in Starkville, they are very laid back and at times, I would leave feeling like I didn't get all of the information that I needed. So, at the suggestion of a friend, we tried Dr. Watson in West Point, and he was exactly what I was looking for: very personable, seemed genuinely interested in me and my kids, and did not seem in a hurry at all. The nursing staff was also very friendly and helpful. We were all happy with the appointment.
The boys are doing exceptionally well. No shots today thankfully! They are both growing like weeds and meeting all the developmental milestones.
Will is 39 inches (95%) and weighs 34 lb(75%). The doctor said on paper he is physically a four year old. :)
Andrew is 29 1/4 inches (75%) and weighs 20 lb 14 oz (50%). This is almost exactly Will's size at 9 months.
We are very blessed with two healthy boys!!
And since I didn't write much about Andrew on his month-day post, here are a few fun facts about our youngest lil boy!
He is an eating machine. He loves rice cereal mixed with bananas or applesauce and he still loves avocado and green beans. He is scooting around like a champ and starting to rock on his hands and knees, but no actual crawling yet. He is pushing himself up into a seated position and he has 6 teeth. Wow! His favorite thing to do is chase Will around or chase balloons on the floor. He is getting to be a handful, but more and more fun at the same time! He still loves being held and prefers Mommy but any lap will do. :) Speaking of, he is pulling on me right now, so I must go!

Look-a-likes

First of all, Andrew is 9 months old today! We are going to the doctor on Wednesday for his checkup so I will update later with all his stats. In the meantime, here are some pictures of our big boy!


Okay, so we go back and forth on how much Will and Andrew look alike. Well, today, I came across this old picture of Will at 9 months...

(same picture...just zoomed in)

and I could not believe how much it looked like Andrew.

Both are/were little bald, chubby fellas! Maybe it is the mouth that is different, because they look the most alike with pacifiers in. All I know is I am their own mother and I have trouble telling which baby is which. :)

Will's 3rd Birthday

Will turned 3 years old on Sunday! Wow! He is a real deal little boy now who is just so wonderful in so many ways. He brightens my day everyday and the last three years have been the best of my life. We love our little three year old man!
We threw a party for him at the Starkville Sportsplex and it was a blast. A bunch of kids, balls, cake, and ice cream = great fun! We had all the grandparents there as well as some Starkville friends and the Kirks who made a special trip up for the day from Jackson! Thanks to everyone who came to be a part of this special day!

So proud!

Andrew taking in the scene from Jabo's arms

Will knew just what to do with the gifts.



"It's my party and I'll cry if I want to!"


Some of his friends at the party:


Opening his gifts...

We had one tired little boy on our hands at the end of the party!

Christmas and New Year's Eve

On Christmas day, we drove down the Jackson to spend time with my family. Erin and James came in late on Christmas eve so we were all together for Christmas day. We went over to Amma and Papa's house on Christmas afternoon and saw all of my aunts and uncles and cousins. I realized that this was the first time that everyone was in town for Christmas day in probably 5 years! Wow! What a great day?
The rest of the week, we just enjoyed our time off and spending time with Nonnie and Papaw. Dan went hunting a couple of days and shot his first deer! Congrats, Dan-o! (Sorry-no pics from the hunting trip)
I unfortunately do not have many pictures from the week, but here are a few:
Mom, Erin, and I enjoyed the kids' toys as much as they did. Dan took this lovely picture and it was just too ridiculous not to post! :)

My two boys in their new jammies! Look at Andrew...this is why we call him our little bulldog!

Then, the Kirks had a New Year's Eve party at their house. We had a great time as always!

Lees: the happy couple!

the other happy couple! :) jk

Wha-keys!

my girl, Nat!

Thanks for a great week! I love all of our family and friends so much and I am so thankful that we get to see each other as much as we do.

Will's birthday party pictures to come...

Christmas Eve and Day

We came back to our house on Christmas eve before heading down to Jackson for our next installment of Christmas visits. I really love being at our house for Christmas eve and Christmas morning. I love our church here and I find it really special to celebrate Christmas mass there. I also love having the kids wake up at home for Santa's visit.
This picture is terrible of everyone, but it's the only one that turned out of all of us. It was pouring rain outside on Christmas eve and we had just come back home from church!

Andrew, not looking like a morning person here.

Will is happy! Dale came through for him and told Santa that he had been a good boy this year.

Christmas in Hartselle

We are lucky enough to have a couple of weeks off work for the holidays, so this year, we got to spend lots of time with both mine and Dan's family. The week before Christmas, we headed to Hartselle to visit Gigi, Jabo, Patrick, and Clay and Michelle. We also got to see Grandmother, Pappa, Tamra, and Randy as well as Nanny and Papa and some of the Staudt crew! It was a full week of shopping, opening gifts, and cooking that went by so fast! We had so much fun with everyone being together under one roof.
And of course, we took lots and lots of pictures that can tell about the week even better than I can put into words.
Here are pictures of all the family. Yes, Will is asleep in our big family picture! :)

Will had a blast this Christmas. He was all into opening gifts and literally could not wait for the next present! He even got to help out Andrew. However, I have a feeling this will be the last year Andrew lets him get away with that. ;) In these pictures you can tell just how much Will loves being with everyone! He is such a sweetheart and loves his family!

Even Dale (the elf on the shelf) made the trip to Hartselle! This has been a really fun tradition that we have started in our family. Will loves to wake up and look for Dale every morning.

Andrew: the baby with a thousand looks!

What is better than one baby to dress up? 3 babies that you can dress up to match!

This was one of my favorite moments...Andrew decides to plant one on Kate! Poor baby Kate had no idea what was coming her way! :)

Thanks Gigi and Jabo for having us! We had the best time and cannot think of a better way to spend Christmas than with our wonderful family!

Amy's Birthday

In the midst of all our Christmas celebration, I turned the big 2-8. Mom (Nonnie) came up during the week to celebrate with us and took us out to Umi for dinner! Yum!
For my actual birthday, I was in Hartselle and had a fun day filled with shopping and hanging out with the fam! Thanks to everyone for a great b-day!