little fish

summer favorite: the neighborhood pool. 

now that we've lived in a community with a pool, i'm not sure we'll ever be able to go back (much like converting to a king bed).  the pool is on our daily agenda and never gets old.  i pack the boys a bowl of grapes & strawberries and we embark on our 1/2 mile walk to the watering hole.  we love meeting up with friends and meeting new neighbors.

parker is a FISH.  he loves, loves, loves the pool.  he is not afraid of the water one bit and can jump in the deep end and swim to the ladder at 3 years old!  (no worries, i stay close to him).  he taught himself how to do a flip off the side of the pool and can do both back and front flips in the water.  he is so happy being out in the sun.  with all of this talk of generation XL, i am thankful for morning exercise (which = longer nap!).

paxton took a few weeks to warm up to the water, but now loves it almost as much as his brother.  like parks, pax has been known to jump off the side into deep water so we have to keep a close eye on our little walking machine.

i am so thankful to have this "free" summer activity at our fingertips and am living it up while the temps are over 100 every day!

my little snuggle bug.  and because it's fun to compare, here is a little video of parker at paxton's age.  i hope to have a similar video of pax to post soon!  love yall.

taking it to the man

i can't believe i am finally a stay at home mom!  since parker was born, i've known i wanted to stay home.  i wrote several posts about the stress of being a working mom, and i knew it was not best for me or my family.  however, i didn't want to make a rash, emotional decision and wanted to make sure financially we could afford it (another post to come on how we prepared financially for the change).

so why did i decide to stay home? 
*to make memories with my kids
*to be their primary teacher and influence
*to be a better mom
*to give my children my first and best energy of the day (instead of working for the first 9 hours and being tired/stressed out when i come home)
*to take my kids to the pool and park instead of having someone else text me photos of them enjoying the pool
*to teach them how to read
*to not be locked to a computer all day
*to cook more and eat more meals at home
*to hang out with other stay at home moms
*to workout
*to take care of myself
*to volunteer more
*to participate in a women's Bible study
*to spend time in the sun
*to give my husband a break from taking care of the kids so much by himself
*to enjoy life (it is so short!)

disclaimer: i fully understand that you can do most if not all of these things as a working mom.  some people are better parents when they are working and i completely respect and admire that.  others work to provide for their families and i respect that so much, too.  for me, i was trying to work and do everything and was not doing anything well.

i know that staying at home is not easy, but after 2 months, i could not be any happier with my choice. i've been called by recruiters asking when i want to go back to work, and my answer is that i am loving life right now and have no desire to go back to work any time soon.  here's to reading books, building forts and spending lots of quality time together as a family!!

paxton & parker's nursery

i am doing a link up today with kelly's korner about nurseries!  below are a few pics of paxton's nursery... i used the same room/bedding for both boys because i am too cheap to buy all new things.

paxton's dedication verse, isaiah 40:31, above his crib:

originally the boys were going to share a room, but until they both fully sleep through the night without waking each other up, parker is sleeping in the guest bedroom.  the wall still bears his name (and i just realized i didn't straighten the plates before snapping the pic.  oh well, there room is far from perfect!)

 paxton's big boy bed (parker's bed when we have actualy guests sleeping in the guest room).

paxton's sweet pillow i got at a local craft fair and the quilt my mother in law made.  she picked out all of the materials and it matches the boys' room perfectly.  love!

 growth chart!  it lists famous people's height on the left side and our family members height on the right

sweet cards line the top of the room.  i wanted some way to display them and they make the perfect nursery border!

i am working on a post of why i decided to be a stay at home mom and how we planned for it...thanks for reading--more to come! :) 

dear paxton: year 1

dear paxton,

what an incredible year.  you bring so much joy to our family.  from the day you arrived and nursed for the first time, i've felt an incredibly close bond with you.  your snuggles, cuddles, and contentness laying on my chest make me feel appreciated and loved.

you give parker the joy of being a big brother and are teaching him how to share and be gentle.  even at parker's young age, his awareness and protectiveness of you is evident.

 

paxton, you are such a happy baby.  evening is your favorite time to give us the biggest smiles and laughs. 

 you have beautiful big eyes, and i am so content holding you and staring in them.  i love being your mom.

when daddy and i had you, we were worried you would be a tough baby because parker seemed so easy.  i am so thankful that you are just as easygoing.  you make me want to have 100 more babies.

 you are curious, mischevious 

sweet, healthy and strong.

love you oh so much and can't wait for many years to come watching you grow (not too fast).  muah!

lifelong friends

about to board a plane to reunite with my best friends from 7th grade.  we try to get together every summer and i can't wait to see these ladies tonight!!!

last summer in arkansas

somewhere on highway 1 on the cali coast

san fran beach walk

wine tasting in napa

 cali beach

 wine tasting in santa barbara

vegas

hollyood!

senior year

high school mud volleyball

 my wedding

love you and can't wait to see you in the outerbanks of north carolina!