Days Spent Outside

Loved the Iris that bloomed at our house this year, so beautiful. 

 

We've also been spending lots of time outside, when it's not RAINING that is!

Popsicles with Av-ar-ay :)

...and even when it rained we played outside...

Love my boys so stinkin' much.

Half way to a year!

Our sweet sweet Rhetter man is 6 months old today! 

I cannot BELIEVE he is already to the half way mark to his first birthday! 

He is such blessing, he makes us smile and laugh every single day.

Rhett is almost sitting up, our Doctor assured us today that he is well in the range of normal for gross motor skills but isn't leading the pack - but reminded us that bigger babies take longer sometimes :) He is still measuring 2 months ahead!

I think it's just because he's so content in watching his big brother run around like a crazy person he doesn't really care if he's sitting up all by himself, he just leans on his exersaucer and watches Case (and Gunner) in complete awe. Last night at bath time, Rhett was just cracking up at Case playing and splashing, melted my heart!

He's also only rolling over from his back to belly, but not vice versa. Again, I swear it's just because he's such a mellow and content baby!

Stats:

His growth is right on track, he's still 90th percentile in height and he's 50th in weight. He's long and lean, built for speed as our Doctor says!

17 lbs 1 oz 

27 1/2 in long

At his 4 month appointment in March, our Doctor discovered that Rhett had a heart murmur. He said it was a flow murmur. He told us that this particular type of murmur usually goes away on it's own, and that he would check it again at his 6 month appointment. Well, that was the first thing I asked about when he came in. It had been in the back of my mind ever since he mentioned it that day. He listened to Rhett's heart carefully, and reported that it was definitely "on it's way out". He explained that they rate them 1-6, and at 4 months it was a 2, and now it was a 1. Woo hoo! Matt has a heart murmur as well, his Mom told me last night that he has a "functional" heart murmur and he had to see a heart Doctor until he was five years old! I never knew that! Matt just shrugged his shoulders when I asked him about it! Men! :)

The shots made him scream and scream, which always breaks your heart! He was smiling away quickly after though so that always helps ease a Momma's pain. Our nurse was so sweet today, she told me she used to always leave the room crying after she gave babies their shots when she first started! I know I would be the same way :(

The past 6 months have flown, I really need the next 6 months to slow down. I am SO not ready to be planning a first birthday party! I wish they could stay little forever!

Mother's Day

This Mother's Day was going to be both rough, and special. I had a heavy heart thinking about my cousins losing their Mom days before Mother's Day. Prayed a lot for them through out the day.

This Mother's Day, we were dedicating our sweet Rhett at church. We were so excited to dedicate him, and to also have Nanny, Poppy, Mamaw and Papaw come up to see it as well. (I also had fun making a slide show to play before the service of all the kid's pictures that were being dedicated!)

The morning was a little bit crazy, Matt helps out with lights so he always leaves the house around 7am every Sunday morning. So, I got Case, Rhett and I all ready (including a bath for Rhett, ironing, and packing the diaper bag) by 9 o'clock to get to the church early to go over how we were going to walk on stage etc. Shew! :) ...I even wore a dress! Ha!

We got there just in time to get Case into class, and to hear the plan on what to do during the service. All of the parents and little ones were lined up in a hallway to wait to walk across the stage as our Pastor Cameron read off our names. It was so funny hearing all of the noises of babies and kids, as us the parents hushed them and waited in there for about 15 minutes, so cute!

Nanny brought her fancy camera and was able to get a few right after we walked off stage!

Thankfully, after going across the stage we were able to hear the service about Mother's on Mother's Day. It was amazing. :)

Afterward, we gave Mom her gift and tulips at church and then all went out to lunch at Cheddar's.

Then, Nanny, Poppy, Mamaw and Papaw all came back to our house so we could give Sally and Mamaw their presents and tulips.

After that, we went out to Gratz Park for an Art Festival they had going on that weekend. It was so much fun, beautiful arts and crafts, Nanny bought Case an adorable hand made wooden car. Case even fed a few goats and a sweet baby cow! (I know it's called a calf but I think baby cow sounds so much cuter!) and the best part...Case got to ride a pony! ADORABLE! Rhett was an angel the entire time, and quietly hung out in the stroller. :)

 (We were waiting on Daddy and Poppy to pick us up) :)

We had such a wonderful day, Matt took the boys and I out to dinner just us, it was the perfect ending to a perfect day.

Then  I heard this sweet voice say "Happy Muder's Day" and it made it even better. 

I felt (and feel) so unbelievably loved by my sweet husband, our boys and our family... and also reminded of how very blessed I am to be a Mom.
I love the two boys that made me a Momma so much I can't hardly stand it. I hope they always know how much I love and cherish them, and will forever and always.

Thank you Case and Rhett, for making me a Momma, and making me who I am today.

I love you both SO very much.

Aunt Marie

My sweet, beautiful Aunt Marie passed away last week. 

I woke up to the heart breaking phone call, early Saturday morning, May 7th. 

All day long I was just numb, I felt so guilty for not reacting right away. I think I just couldn't believe it.  I could not wrap my head around the fact that she was gone. My Aunt Marie was always so unbelievably loving, and nurturing. A beautiful woman inside and out. 

My Uncle John and her were so madly in love, I always looked forward to seeing them every time we made the trip to my Granny's house. Their family is so beautiful, so loving. My two cousins Jeremiah and Caleb, their wives and their children are so much fun, and so close.  

Our last conversation was about our pregnancies, I went to visit Granny when Matt had his conference in Colorado. She loved her family with all of her heart. I loved talking to her, she was so easy to talk to, always felt like I was talking to a friend. :)

Aunt Marie will always remain in our hearts, and it is easier to know without a doubt she is in heaven. She loved God, and knew Jesus. She had the most beautiful voice, and used it to praise him. Uncle John and Aunt Marie sang in our wedding, and I will be forever thankful we have it on video. 

Love you Aunt Marie, and your beautiful family. You will be missed dearly.

Ramblings

It is FREEZING today. 

Weather.com tells me it is 43 degrees outside, but that it feels like 36. 

It is May. MAY. 

(sigh)

Thank goodness we had beautiful weather last weekend. Matt and I worked so hard on the yard, and it looks so much better. 

We actually put landscaping fabric down beneath all of the mulch this year, so hopefully we can win the war against weeds this summer! I worked a little, but not nearly as much as my hubby. He unloaded two truck loads of mulch, spread it out, mowed, helped me move bricks, and we even added another mulched area in our backyard. (The whole back corner, Gunner's favorite place to bark at people as they walk by) So far we've only had to re-do a few places where Gunner has already tried to rip it up. UGH!

I had a bunch of really great pictures...pictures of the mulch, our yard, the beautiful Iris on the side of the house, and an awesome shot of Case in perfect dusk lighting eating an orange popsicle in our front yard. However, they are lost. Lost in wherever lost pictures go when I ruin the memory card somehow. Matt tells me it's because I didn't "safely remove the hardware before removing it from the computer."

Broke my heart.

I mourned the pictures for about 10 minutes, and then told myself to get over it. I am just SO VERY thankful I had recently uploaded all of my Easter pictures etc before this little tragedy happened!

I'm hoping to recapture the pictures...if it is EVER above 50 and if it EVER stops raining! 

Tomorrow looks a little promising : 64 degrees and partly sunny.

Shew. 

In other useless news, I am ridiculously, unbelievably, annoyingly addicted to the Angry Birds game on my iPhone. I hate those stupid pigs that smile at you when you don't kill them. UGH!