The bike was a little big so Colby came to the rescue!!
Conner "the birthday boy"
Braxton enjoying the water!
Wyatt checking out the slide!
First one in!
It was a fire truck party so a real fire truck came and sprayed us off.
I really started thinking about what I was going to do for Colby's 2nd birthday party. I know it's not until December but I like to plan ahead and have my ducks in a row. Besides, I will be 8 months pregnant so I want it to be as little work as possible when the time comes. We went to an Easter Egg hunt and they had a huge blow up slide and Colby absolutely loved it! I wanted to get one for his birthday party but it's so cold outside in December, so that wouldn't work. I have decided to have it at Pump It Up. It looks like a lot of fun and they do all the work for you, sounds like a plan!! The only thing that stinks is I won't be able to play, I will be a big preggo! I already booked it for December 19th 10:00-12:00. I figured this time would work out great because they can play play play, eat lunch, and then go take a long nap!!
Colby doing nose dives in the pool!
This is what Colby wants to do everyday when his daddy gets home. I told you he is goofy hehe!
I haven't been able to escape to blog land because this pregnancy is making me oh sooo tired. So, I try to rest when he is napping. Since Chris has started grad school he is constantly on the computer at night so my blogging time is put on the back burner, sorry Mawmaw & JoJo!!
Since I last wrote Colby has turned 18 months old. I think this is such an intriguing age because his motor and language development are expanding by leaps and bounds. Overnight he learned how to climb to get whatever he wants. We have a pub table (which is really tall) and he climbed onto the stool and then to the top of the table and indulged himself with a plum. He use to just roam around the house and I had no worries but that's not the case anymore, I have to watch him like a hawk or he would be hanging from the chandelier. His language development cracks me up! He called Bentley ornery because he growls all the time ( he got that from daddy) and he is trying to string words together to form sentences. His favorite book in the entire world is Brown Bear so every time I say, "it's storytime" he starts yelling, "Brown Bear, Brown Bear!"
Even though this age is intriguing, I think it's the most difficult age so far! I have read so many discipline books, and I completely understand that they don't understand certain concepts at this age and they are trying to explore and find their independence but it really takes a lot of patience and prayer to say the least! One of our biggest issues is during meal time. We can't have a pleasant meal because he throws his food on the floor, wall, and on us! We put him in time-out over and over, say "no no" in a stern voice, and desperately resulted to hand slapping :( ! Nothing works and he has no clue why we are slapping his hand (which we decided is no longer an option), so what's left for us to do? Please offer any advice because I would like to enjoy a meal sometime soon!
He does the same thing with throwing buckets of water out of the bathtub, throwing blocks (which doesn't feel good when I get a blow to the head), and throwing toys at Bentley. I guess my son is destined to be a pitcher or quarterback! He acts as if we haven't said no 100,000 times. He goes to timeout, says he sorry, and does it again. I know they say that timeout is much more effective at 2 years old, but holy moly that's 6 more months YIKES! The thing that's so mind boggling is, I can say go get me the wipes, go sit on the potty, or go get your shoes and he does it but doesn't know what no or stop means..........I'm confused????
Feel free to give me any tips or advice to stop the throwing! I know most people support physical punishment but it's not an option (especially at this age ) so I would prefer other options if you have any!!!
Other than all the throwing he is an absolute delight to be around!!! He has the quirkiest personality, laughs at everything, loves to give hugs and kisses, and has the most precious smile! He loves to eat all the time! He now weighs 28 lbs and 27.5 of that is all in his belly. He looks like an Ethiopia child, skinny but has an enormous belly!
He loves to be on the go, but he still loves his sleep! Colby still sleeps from 7:00-6:30 ( He has only woken up during the night once since he was about 8 months old, praise the Lord!) and takes a two hour nap. He tries to take a second nap but I finally got him to completely drop it about a week ago. I pray this next baby has Colby's sleeping habits!
He use to wake up between 7-8:00 so I'm hoping by dropping this second nap he will return to his later wake up call. I even tried putting him to bed a little later and he still wakes up at 6:30 on the dot.....craziness! I really don't see how parents put their children to bed at 9:00, 10:00, even 11:00 o'clock because by 7:00 o'clock Colby and I are both pooped!!! Plus I'm so ready for alone hubby time, I think it's vital for a marriage!!! I know it is harder for working moms because you want more time with them before you put them to bed, it has to be hard to balance!! I get plenty of time all day so it's easy for me to say night night at 7:00!
We went to two birthday parties last Saturday and Colby was worn out at the end of the day!
Braxton Byrd turned 1!!!!! Colby & Conner My little crazy man!!!
testing out the toys for Braxton
Colby & the birthday boy!
Colby helped feel the pool up.
Paige Buckley turned 3!
Colby tested out the toys for Paige too! We might start charging for toy testing!
Birthday Girl
Colby loves to be goofy! Kelsey Weathersby came by to play and he was showing out! I have kept Kelsey since she was born so it's insane to see her playing with Colby now!
We went to our first doctors visit and we decided to leave Colby with mom because we feared he might get a little impatient with the waiting! So we took a few snap shots with our baby boy before going to tend to baby #2!
I asked him if it was a boy or girl and he signed "girl".
I had a sonogram done and we saw and heard the precious heartbeat! It was 124 and Colby's was only 117, so it could be a girl. Chris asked the doctor about that theory and he said it was crap, oh well. He said everything looked great and told me all the pregnancy no-nos and we were on our way. I have gained 2 lbs and my due date is January 29. They remodeled at Baptist and it is really nice. They now have 42" plasma TV's that you get to watch the sonogram on and they even upgraded to heated exam tables, NICE!! It was crazy being there again and it just seems so surreal that we get to experience this amazing blessing all over again!! We saw Colby's baby picture hanging on the wall and I thought about how fast he has grown into a toddler and before I know it baby #2 will be the same way. Then it will be time for baby #3, hehe J/K it will be awhile before baby #3!
I kept looking for baby #2 (ohhhh I would love twins) but the nurse assured me there was only 1, beggers can't be choosy uh? You have to read this blog that I love, today she posted the story of her quad delivery.
After reading tons of books about discipline, especially bible-based parenting books, I decided that I would never use physical punishment. Do I think that spanking is completely wrong at anytime? No, I do think that it's usually done out of anger and that only causes more damage to the child and situation. By deciding not to spank, it allows me to not fall victim of spanking out of anger and rage. Colby has done things before and I have thought to myself, thank goodness I have decided against spanking because I could have really just lost my cool!! I never won't to teach him to handle his anger with violence, and I never won't him to question why I love him but cause him physical pain. So, it's a decision that works for me and my family!
Don't get me wrong....I strongly agree with firm discipline and grace based parenting. We are very consistent with time-out and when he is older he will have more severe consequences, but I just won't result to hitting.
I decided to use time-out and not even do the whole hand slapping thing either because I didn't won't him to learn to slap other people. This has been successful and he has never hit another child (knock on wood).
Well..... I lost my patience the other day because he won't stop throwing his food across the kitchen ( OH MY GOODNESS, PULL MY HAIR OUT). I'm talking about sling shooting food! We once put him in time-out 7 times during dinner before he quit (talk about unpleasant dinner). The other day I was worn out during lunch because I had put him in time-out several times and he still continued to throw his food. Before I knew it, I slapped his hand really hard. I felt awful, and my mom just gave me a shocking stare because it's just not me. I felt horrible, it didn't work, and you guessed it; he slapped at my arm a few hours later when I took something from him.
I know I will do a lot of things that I regret as a mother, but I will just have to pray and ask for guidance from above! It's crazy how God works because the same day that I was feeling bad about this I read my friend's blog and realized that many moms are going through the same thing and also have regrets everyday! Her last several blogs have helped me out soooo much!
This is Reese (and his mom Joni) and he might look like the average 7 year old boy, but he is far from it! He is the most amazing kid I know, but when you have such Godly, involved parents then what do you expect, right? He has the best attitude and manners I have ever seen at his age. I have not once seen him be disrespectful or even think about disobeying. These are all great things and I could go on and on about him, but the most amazing quality is his love for the Lord!!!
He mainly watches PBS but his mom agreed to let him watch Biggest Loser because he loves when they get on the scale. One night he was watching it and they said a dirty word. He was so upset and didn't understand why they had to curse, so he decided he wouldn't watch it anymore. He wanted to call the show but his dad helped him write an email instead (they never responded). What awesome parents to use this as a teaching tool for life. Instead of acting like it was no big deal, they showed Reese that cursing is a big deal, they don't condone it, and they helped him to stand for something he believes in!! How can we tell our children that we don't believe in something and then they see us watch it on TV, it sends a confusing message! Stories like this melt my heart because despite all the bad things we see and hear, there are some unbelievable parents and kids that are inspiring!
This is what Joni wrote on her facebook wall yesterday Joni Lee Tillman is so very proud of Reese!! Last night an "unchurched" friend of ours was over playing and at the end of the night Reese gave him a Bible to keep! We have many extras around the house and Reese said.."Its what God would want me to do. He wants us to obey Him and tell others about Him, so I did." To top it all off they then read John 14 together. This was done all on his own...it doesn't get any better than that! :)
" Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God and trust also in me". John 14
My Comment That's what life is all about! It's about serving others and bringing people to Christ! You should be so proud of Reese, he is only seven and knows his purpose in life!
I am so blessed to have such a great friend to get parenting advice from!!
Baby #2
Well....... I don't really feel pregnant yet, but I'm only 6 weeks. I have only been nauses once, but nothing a pack of crackers couldn't cure. My doctors appointment is June 11, next Thursday. Chris and I are going to take Colby to hear the heartbeat. I can't wait, it's such a sweet sound!
Fun in the Sun!!
Splash Pad at Shiloh Park in Brandon Noah
Kelli, Kim, & Breland
Madden Gerald
Colby & Abby
April & Gunner Colby helping Paw cut the grass and signing "flower"
He was ready to get off so he was signing "up"
Ummmm... not sure
He walks around the house pretending to have a conversation on the phone. He sooo got that from his dad. Chris will pace the entire house when he is on the phone.
Colby loves the water! He jumps in and tries to swim. I think I'm going to sign him up for swim lessons. He jumped off the diving board once and his eyes were as big as quarters!
Before Colby lays down to go to sleep he has to turn the light on and off.... Uh O, is there OCD in the future lol! (This is from the monitor, best baby item ever!)
The bike was a little big so Colby came to the rescue!!
Conner "the birthday boy"
