6 months Old

William had his 6 month check-up today and weighed in at exactly 20 pounds (75th) and 27.5 inches long (75th). He is such a little wiggle worm these days rolling all over the floor and has just started trying to scoot forward. He will get on all fours and just rock back and forth! He also loves to jump...all the time!! I've been working with him to sit by himself for longer than a few mins. before rolling to his side so he can fully sit up without by supervision. He has very good hand/eye coordination and I just started teaching him the sign for "more" during his feedings and "milk". Those were 2 of Nolan's favorites! William has also started making his m sounds and is trying to say either mama or milk. Nolan began with his d sounds and said dada when he was 7.5 mths old. He didn't really say mama until he was a year old. William is going to be very outgoing like his brother because he's such a social baby always giggling, cooing, smiling and reaching for objects. As soon as William starts crawling...I'm really going to have my hands full ;)

Tonight we're starting baby boot camp. William is still waking 1 to 2 times during the night to nurse out of habit. It's a horrible cycle...one that leaves me exhausted most mornings and never fully rested. I have to start by trimming those feedings during the night by 2 mins a night until he gets no milk and just the paci and lovie. Pray it goes well....I'm so ready for him to sleep through the night again!!

Celebrating my 30th

Eric and I started the day off right with running in the Ocean Springs 10k Winter Classic. The weather was sunshiny and warm and we ran our best and stayed with each other till the finish line coming in at 1:04. We had a great run and then came back to Gulfport to pick up the boys and my parents to enjoy a yummy Greek lunch (my fav)and a slice of chocolate Doberge cake (my annual tradition)! It was a nice treat :)

That night Eric and I enjoyed a really nice dinner with some of our closet friends we've made since living down here. We had much fun and enjoyed a live band and piano bar before calling it a night. It was a great birthday!!

After the race quick pic :)

Dinner at The Chimneys

Claire, me, Alison & Sarah

Dancing take one...

and dancing take two!

Turning Thirty

Like most moms my age, most of my days are filled with to-do lists and this ongoing cycle of getting things done from the time we wake up till the time we go to bed. I give and give of myself to my kids, my husband and our home,...rarely carving out enough time for me most days. It happens. My family comes before me and I would never have it any other way, but there are things I often cross off as not important because it's for me. Too often my focus is shifted on everyone else, making sure the kids are taken care of, my husband is happy, dinner is on the table and the house is clean....or at least somewhat picked up!!

In my quiet time alone with God (mostly in the afternoon when the boys are napping) I can sit back, enjoy a cup of hot tea, and focus on where I am. My check point. My mid-day how are you doing chat with God. My hand-it-over refreshment time to nourish my daily walk. Lately, I don't know if it's because I'm turning thirty and about to start the next decade of my life...but my wheels are turning. God has me focused on goal setting. I'm not a dreamer or a visionary. I often set small goals, never anything long-term. There's always a sparked interest, but rarely a full follow-through. My time is often divided, cut short, or interrupted...the joys of having 2 small boys!

However, as my 30th birthday draws near this Saturday...I'm realizing there's a few things I'd really like to do in these next few years. They are just "things" but worth a shot of experiencing or accomplishing. So here goes:

1. To just sit down and make a baby book for each child. I've procrastinated way too long!
2. Run a half-marathon.
3. Pick 1 community organization and volunteer at least twice per month.
4. Adopt a dog for our family (preferably a Beagle) :)
5. Take adult cooking classes with Eric.
6. Go on at least 1 mission trip.
7. Teach Nolan at least 2 bible verses and a prayer he can recite by the time he's 3 years old.
8. Adventure vacation with Eric and no kids!!
9. Disney World with the boys in 2011
10. Napa with friends.
11. Learn how to snow ski.
12. Spa trip with the girls :)
13. Establish a regular date night with Eric at least twice per month
14. Go camping with the boys
15. Try for one more baby (possibly that girl to complete our family)...you reading hon!!!
16. Take boys to their first "real" baseball game.
17. Bring William to the beach for the first time
18. Stay settled in a home for a least 5 years
19. Go to a few concerts with Eric
20. Take Nolan on his first train ride

It's my turn!

The weather has finally started to get warmer and the sunshine has returned...so have our afternoons at the park! Yesterday we headed over to our neighborhood park so Nolan could ride his scooter and I figured it would be a good time to put William in the swing for the first time. He loved it and his first push was from his brother :) Nolan was so excited that "brodher" was big enough now to get in the swing too. William has such a sweet spirit and just made the sweetest cooing sounds while he enjoyed his time swinging! I love my boys so much and just an hour at the park sometimes makes their world seem so big!

First time to swing!

Did this little man have fun or what!!

Five...

And so the New Year has started off full swing for us! Eric and I started our 21 days of prayer & fasting on January 10th and always look forward to this spiritual time of renewal in our lives. This year I have chosen to consume no more than 15grams of sugar per day and no Facebook. I have the biggest sweet tooth (always have) so ridding my body of all the extra sugar is really hard at first, but I already feel so great a few days into it! I also really enjoy keeping in touch with everyone on FB, so fasting that cuts off my communication with others and causes me to focus more on my communication with my main Man!

On another note, I just joined a gym yesterday and have committed myself to exercising there when it's too cold or rainy to take the boys with me on my runs. No more weather excuses for exercising! I'm running in another 10k next Saturday and if all goes well and I feel great...I'm going to continue my training to run in the Seaside half-marathon on March 7th. I'm already up to 6 miles so how much harder could another 6 be?? I've been having a little trouble with my right hip for the last month, so I'm going to see how next Saturday's race goes before I follow through and sign-up.

This year we are focused on finding our Five...which basically means we are focusing on 5 things on our daily agenda and doing them everyday. We are committed to finding time each day to do these 5 things and have fun doing them.

My daily Five:
1. Prayer/Bible reading
2. Quality time with Eric each night
3. Exercise/eating more Organic and low sugar
4. One educational thing with the boys each day
5. Spending wisely

Eric's Five:
1. Prayer/Bible reading
2. Telling me something special each day
3. Playing with boys
4. Exercise (he's slacked on this very badly so far)
5. Do 1 chore a day around house

To learn more about what we're doing go to : www.churchofthehighlands.com/21daysofprayer/

This week Nolan got his first black eye from running into a church pew at MMO. The swelling is gone, but the eye still looks pretty bad. William also just finished all of his vegetables (no allergies) and we started on apples yesterday...which he smiled after tasting! He's also been sitting up by himself for about 3-5mins here and there. His hair has been growing out crazy so I had to trim myself around the edges a little. It looks SO MUCH better!! Here's a few recent pics:

William 5 1/2 months

Nolan not getting his way!

William sitting up alone for a few mins to play

Early Saturday morning with Daddy

Nolan painting with his friend Parker who came to visit us after New Year's

Carrots and Two Teeth!

Today was William's first time to start solid food. We've tried rice cereal and with 2 different brands he's broken out in a bad rash all over his tummy. So, I thought we'd start the New Year off by trying some real food! I fed him carrots first and he loved it!! He actually ate the whole jar and cried when it was all gone. Speaking of firsts, he also cut two bottom teeth today! Big boy!!

William's first bite of carrots :)

Daddy's turn to feed too!