Two Months

Our sweet little boy is two months old. At his well check up today he weighed 14 lbs. and was 23 1/2 inches long. He's growing like a little weed. We think he is the most adorable thing we've ever seen!



We took him to the doctor a few days ago and he has another ear infection. Bless his little heart. Hopefully this is not a sign of things to come.



He is such a happy little guy during the day. If only that would carry over into the nighttime and we could pretend like the 'C' word was never even mentioned.



He still likes to be wrapped in a blanket and be all snug and cozy. And he absolutely LOVES bath time.



He gave his first little laugh to Grandma while she was getting his sugar the other night. It was the cutest thing, and made Grandma's day, of course.



His blessing day. He looked so handsome.



He started smiling last week. It is seriously the cutest thing ever and melts my heart everytime!



He has also started 'talking' a little too. They are the sweetest little sounds. We sure love you little man and are enjoying watching you grow!

Nine Years

Today Aaron and I have been married for nine years. It's hard to believe that it's been nine years already. It seems like my life before Aaron was so long ago, but it also seems like our time together has flown by in some ways. Does that even make any sense? Anyway, what I do know is that I am a better person because of him. He is such a great example to me and truly treats me like his queen. There was a time when I wondered if I would ever get married, but he was definitely worth the wait. We certainly don't have a perfect marriage, but we both agree that we have it pretty good. While we have never been ones to have 'knock down drag out' fights, or even anything close to it, we do have disagreements. And in honor of our nine years together, I made of list of nine things we agree and disagree on--in no particular order.

Nine things we disagree on:
1. How to spend money.
2. The correct pronunciation of pecans and salmon.
3. If it's okay to wipe your mouth on a dish towel--NO!
4. Where we will retire--He says the mountains of NC and I say the beach.
5. If John David can have a baby doll when he gets older (I know it's crazy that we have discussed that and he is only 2 months old. We actually discussed it months before he was born.)
6. How to dress John David--Aaron doesn't want him to look like a 'pretty boy'.
7. How many guns we really need.
8. If North Carolina is a southern state--of course it is!!!
9. When I knew he was 'the one'.

Nine things we 100% agree on:
1. We have extremely adorable and sweet kids.
2. Chocolate and naps are a necessary part of our everyday lives.
3. Captain Moroni was the first marine. (He was mine and Aaron's most favorite Book of Mormon hero before we even met, and when we found this out about each other, it was like a 'sign' that we were meant for each other. Cheesy, but true.)
4. The Tarheels rule in basketball!
5. We are truly blessed to live in this great country.
6. Jesus is Mormon.
7. We are so lucky to have each other!
8. We make a great team!
9. If Aaron had hair, he'd probably be translated! Just kidding! I couldn't think of anything else and it's getting late.

I am so grateful to call him my husband and look forward to each day with him! I love you honey!

Sisters Are Blisters

Or so they say. And I'm sure I felt that way in my younger years....okay, maybe even occasionally now. HA! Just kidding! But these girls are my best friends now and I am so grateful to have them in my life. They are great women and mothers and I admire so much about them. I just wish we lived closer. We could have a blast hanging out and helping each other out with kids and stuff. There are so many times I wish I could call one of them to watch my kids for me or that I could watch their kids for them when they need help. Maybe someday. As for now, I'll just have to cherish the short time we get to spend together and look forward to the next time we'll see each other. All I know for sure is that I hope our mansions in heaven are right beside each other!

Fun With The Family

We are so glad that Grandma, Grandaddy, Aunt Melissa and Kristie, and Ethan and Charlie were able to come visit us. We have had a great time with them. Here are some of the highlights.



Makeovers with Grandma



Bonding with Charlie



John David bonding with Aunt Melissa (and Aunt Kristie too, I just didn't get a picture of them together for some reason)



Watching our sweet boys together





Laughing at each other





Hanging out with Grandaddy



Sharing some sugar





Taking naps together



Baking brownies with Grandma

Thanks for coming to visit and for all of the fun memories! We love you all tons and can't wait to see you again!

2009 NCAA Mens Basketball Champions

What a rare treat to be able to watch the Tarheels play with other die hard fans--my family! And the championship game at that! And the best part............they won! Life as a Tarheel fan is GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!

Biscuits and Chocolate

I know it sounds like a strange combination, but don't knock it 'til you try it. It's actually pretty awesome! And we somehow talked my mom into making it for us this morning. She said she hadn't made it in years, but we sure couldn't tell. It was just as delicious as I remember eating and loving when I was a kid. Ahh, nothing like some good ole' comfort food to start off the day!



My little chocolate lover thought it was pretty great too! Her exact words were "This is dee-licious!" Looks like I need to learn to make it!

Moose, Champ, and E-Dawg

No, these are not pet names, but really bad nicknames that have been given to these sweet boys, and unanimously rejected by their mothers. But we laughed and jokingly called them these names so much that they just might stick.



These are the two youngest grand kids on my side of the family. Champ--I mean Charlie-- is three weeks older than Moose (John David).

A Blessing and A Baptism

Today John David received a name and a blessing. We were so glad to have Grandaddy, Paw Paw, and Mark Clifford stand in as Aaron gave him a beautiful blessing.



My handsome men.



This was what John David did during his blessing. He did great.



Grandma and Grandaddy with their newest grandchild. We're so glad they were able to come for this special day.



After the blessing, we then had Katie's baptism. Here she is with her baptism gifts.



With Daddy before they changed.



With Daddy at the font after they changed and getting some last minute instructions.



Me with my sweet girl. I can't believe she's eight!



Katie with Maw Maw and Paw Paw...........



......and Grandma and Grandaddy.



With Aunt Amy and Jaimee.



Here she is with Aunt Melissa and Ethan. Aunt Melissa spoke on the Holy Ghost and did a great job.



Aunt Kristie sang "Walk Tall You're A Daughter of God" and also did a wonderful job.



Sweet sisters.



Here is Katie with her friend Payton that she met when she started kindergarten. She also had one other non-member friend there, Danni Kay, but we weren't able to get a picture with her.



These are the girls that Katie wanted to sing "When Jesus Christ Was Baptized" with her at her baptism. It was so sweet.



It was such a wonderful day and everything went really well. Thanks to everyone who helped to make it such a great day for us all!

Ethan is One!

My little nephew Ethan turned one the day after they got here. So of course we had to celebrate with some cake and presents.



He is such a sweetheart, and so adorable with his sweet little smile!



The cake.....



........which he seemed to enjoy playing with more than eating! So cute! Happy Birthday sweet boy! We love you and are so glad you came to visit us!

Lifesavers

Katie and Sarah have been lifesavers for me these past few days. When John David has been fussy at night, I told them to begin with to let me hold him because he was fussy. But they kept insisting and I had finally had enough at one point and needed a break, so I gave him to Sarah thinking that she would surely give him back in a matter of seconds when he wouldn't stop crying. Imagine my surprise when he almost immediately stopped crying and was just as content as he could be with her. And he is the same with Katie. They take him and he stops crying and just looks around as they hold him and walk around with him. It is such a relief, simply amazing, and so incredibly sweet all at the same time. Thank goodness for small miracles and the two other mamas!

Mama Said

Mama said there would be days like this. It wasn't actually 'one of those days' for me, but it sure was for my sisters and my sweet husband. My two sisters and their sweet baby boys started out this morning in Raleigh, NC trying to make their way down to the Bayou State for a long awaited and much anticipated visit. The craziness all started when my brother-in-law was taking them to the airport and took the airport exit, but passed right by the airport without any of them noticing (which I still can't figure out). Good thing they had left a little early. Then after a mix up with their tickets, trying to make it through security with their babies and all of their baby gear and stuff and seriously backing up the line, and a couple of rude Delta Airline employees later, they were finally on their way. They get to Atlanta and find out their connecting flight is delayed 30 minutes, which then changes to an hour, and then two, and then they finally arrived in Baton Rouge about 3 hours later than they were supposed to. Still thinking they would be home in time for dinner, I made crawfish ettouffe, since my youngest sister Kristie loves it and asked for it the second they decided they were coming. I called Aaron (who at the last minute decided he would go pick them up and made arrangements to get done with work early so I wouldn't have to go with Sarah and John David--THANK GOODNESS!) at about 6PM to see how much longer they would be and he told me they were stuck in traffic on the Atchafalaya bridge. We were hoping they were kidding and they would be driving up at any second. No such luck. After three hours on the bridge, and making friends with the people around them to get water so Kristie could make a bottle for Charlie, and just before they were all about to lose it, they were finally moving again. They made it in a little after 10PM and were swearing to never fly again. I hate that they had a crazy time getting here, but I am so glad they are here, and so are my girls. Hopefully we can make lots of fun memories that will help them forget--or at least minimize--all the trouble they went through to get here. And my sweet husband--for saving me from all of that craziness with my two little ones and not losing it while waiting in the airport and on the bridge--I think he deserves a medal!