It's beginning to look

...a lot like the best holiday* ever!

*I say this about every holiday, I realize.

 Love this pic of these boys with Santa. GG & Brandon took them to see Santa at the Town Hall one day when I was at work. Oh, and GG bought them those adorable matching shirts! (She also feels every holiday is the best, I think)

Your vote: prom pose, giant Anderson or chokehold?

Almost Christmas time around here means birthday celebrations of some of out favorite people. Poor Bop broke 3 ribs the week of his birthday so he didn't really get to live it up, but we did get him a coconut pie and I made dinner at the Publix deli area with the Rotisserie chickens. 

How many Santa visits can we possibly cram into one season? So far, the answer is 3. This was a visit to Santa at the YMCA breakfast with Noni on her birthday. We don't have a pic of her with her cake because we were face timing Nicole during the singing. I seriously love FaceTime. And Noni.

Anderson & I decided to decorate this tree next to our house as a new tradition. Why on earth I thought it would be a good idea to add anything to my decorating plate is beyond me, but it was pretty fun, even if it looks a little rough.

It looks sort of pitiful when you see it next to the rest of the trees, but it was pretty tall for us. I actually had to get the ladder out to put the decorations on it. Which, really means nothing because I am pretty short.

Anderson made this card for Bop when he broke his ribs. He really can be sweet when he is not terrorizing people. 

The Noni.

Christmas brunch at the Brimer's!! This has been a tradition since the boys were born and it really is so much fun. Look at these 2...just destined to be BFF.

And these two, of course, already are BFF! Brunch was so yummy because Clare & Andy made so much delicious food and Publix made some great fruit in a bowl, which was my contribution. Brandon asked, "We are bringing fruit?" And I explained that it was important to play to our strengths, so Clare cooked and I brought pre-packaged food.

He is the best.

At some point, their biological mother is going to return to get them, I think.

**People are obsessed with his hair. The fuzziness is really out of control.

So....Anderson is not impressed at all with our Elf. He notices it as I remember at the last minute every morning to move it around the house. To be honest, this whole disinterest in the elf is totally ok with me because one less thing to have to keep up with is perfectly ok in my world.

On this day, I saw some idea to act like it snowed by throwing a bag of cotton balls around a room. Keep in mind that this was literally the one day I tried to do something other than move it from one counter to another. Please look at Anderson's expression. It is almost annoyance. I said, Maybe the elf brought snow from the North Pole?"He responded, "Maybe Chloe ate something and got sick?

The whole experience was really an epic failure.

But, a few days later I totally redeemed myself by starting a massive cotton ball fight when he least expected it. Bam. Redemption.

Christmas train building at Lowe's! I just am in love with both of those little elves.

Late night visit to Kroger in his jammies for last minute cookie making stuff. (And, groceries for the week)

Max really is so good with our tree. Apparently he keeps trying to eat Noni's, but he is not that interested in ours, which is nice. He is more interested in looking adorable and like a grown up.

Max-7 months!

Big Stuff. 

 Someone is crawling everywhere. EVERYWHERE. I actually love it.

 Those chubby legs might be the most delicious things ever.

First time on the slide!! Thanks for the pic, Aunt Clare!

My life is now complete due to these 2 perfect boys and the fact that we can streamline bath time. Plus, I think Max's life is also complete based on the joy on his face. 

"This one" really is perfect. For example, I don't remember a time EVER when Anderson fell asleep in his stroller. Ever. Max is not consistent about sleeping in th stroller, but totally stepped it up this one time and I am IN LOVE.

And....I love Target. Look at these awesome new carts!  (And, we love Uncle Zack.)

Anderson has been obsessed with these random gardening gloves. He wears them all of the time. We accidentally left them in our car when we sold it and thank goodness some of our good friends (the Futchers!) ended up buying it so they could return them to us.

It just does not get better than a baby in a bucket.

How great is this outfit!!! Thank you, GG!

7 month update:

-This boy is perfect. 

-He eats like a champ-loves the blended baby foods, random pieces of whatever we are eating (tiny, tiny because he will choke on a cheerio) and the Gerber cheetos (they have some kind of pseudo healthy name, but they really are like baby cheetos). He still does not totally love a bottle from me, but we have made massive progress. 

-Spits up every single thing I just mentioned. All day. Every day. 

-He does this hilarious crawl that is sort of like a belly flop, followed by a few swimming strokes and then a few normal crawl moves. He is trying so hard to pull up on everything and gets really frustrated when he cannot do it. 

-He loves cords of all kinds and will beeline to them in every room. 

-He spends a lot of time with the grandmas, so maybe Noni should be writing this post....

-He loves, loves, loves Anderson, his jumperoo, bathtime, flopping everywhere when I try to change his diaper, his monkey lovey (truman), snuggling, laughing, Brandon, Gabbi and laughing at his reflection in the mirror. 

-He takes pretty good naps during the days, but does not sleep through the night yet. CIO worked at bedtime, but has just failed us miserably in the middle of the night. I used to think that it would just work and I had to be persistent, but 2 months later, I realize that every kid is different and I don't need to assume anything. Ever. We made him cry in the middle of the night for awhile and it never got decreased and then we found out he had 2 ear infections (mom fail) so we treated them and tried again and it never worked. And. then we found out he still had 2 ear infections, so we treated him again and tried again and it still didn't work. And, then we found out he still has 2 ear infections, so we gave him his 4th antibiotic, made an appointment with a specialist and decided that it is not worth making him scream, so he gets middle of the night snuggles until I know he does not have 2 ear infections. Literally, the child has had had 2 ear infections for over 2 months of the 7 months he has been alive. It is not ok. Well, it is ok because he is perfect and surely I am going to get a consecutive 6 hours of sleep one day. Surely. Please, for the love of God, surely. 

-I really, really love him and plan on kissing that sweet face every day for the rest of my life. Seriously, he is going to hate me when he is a teenager because I am going to hold true to this promise. 

Thanksgiving and the weekend

We had such a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with lots of food, family, football playing and just festivities, in general. And, because I am lazy & trying to get this post finished, these pictures are all over the place with regards to chronology, so just hang with me.

Lots of football. Always. And, this is probably what I was most thankful for since Anderson was literally in heaven.

Super high quality picture. How awesome are the giant forms of Kyler and Brandon? I LOVE that my family was willing to drive here...again, so we could be together. I just cannot believe how grown up my nephews are, though :(

GG will spoil these boys rotten with adorable clothes. And, Max will give you this face every time the flash goes off in a picture. Speaking of GG, she spent Thanksgiving morning in the ER with an ear infection, but still managed to pull off a perfect meal! Super thankful for her!

Not Thanksgiving...out of order, but we did a family trip to the mall to make Reese a Build a Bear for Christmas and it was just a really fun time.

I mean, of course it was fun. Look at this guy!

Snow on Thanksgiving! I really have never dreamt of a White Thanksgiving, but it was pretty fun.

I had this great idea to make the turkey cookies with the candy corn as the feathers and, well, it didn't turn out as planned. (This should not surprise anyone.) Well, I think it turned out as Anderson planned because his cookie creations were pretty epic. I can't help but think of Elf when I look at this because of the inclusion of all of the food groups...candy, candy corn, icing, cookies, sprinkes, etc.

So many adorable Thanksgiving outfits.

We really love that GG keeps everyone in themed clothing for the holidays. How great is this shirt?

Max with Uncle Andrew! Such a good pic, I think. I made a an Aunt collage pic with all 4 aunts & Max and cannot, for the life of me, figure out what I did with it. It might make an appearance in a later blog post.

Again, with the football and other people raising my kid.

One theme of the week was the pediatrician's office. Max has apparently had an ear infection for about 6 weeks, which means he still has not been able to get his 6 month shots. And, because the first 2 rounds of antibiotics did not work, he had to get 3 shots in a row of an antibiotic. Hence, the 3 visits to the doctor office in a span of 4 days. Poor little guy was/is such a trooper and we are hoping that he is finally clear now.

We went on a visit to Bristol & did a festive activity of tube sliding on this frozen hill. It really was such a fun idea & we in true hoarding form are already planning to make this a yearly tradition.

They really are hilarious. SO thankful for cousins.

These 2, also. I bought these outfits on clearance last year assuming that Reese would need a 12 month and Max would need a 9 months and I never would have guessed that I should have switched the 2 sizes!

Our Elf (Engineer) made an appearance with new jammies for everyone. 

Again with the out of order thing...After the tube slide, we went on a 4 hour adventure of driving through a light show. The kids fell asleep while we were waiting and missed the show and we learned to never go on the weekend of Thanksgiving in the future.  The only positive of being stuck in a light show for that long was to experience the joy that was watching Nicole relish in the Auburn victory. It really was all that got us through the experience.

SO thankful for such a wonderful week and all of the people in it!

 These are not from Thanksgiving, but I just got them from Amanda. How perfect are these cousins? And, how are my nephews so old? When did they become adults?  I love them.

They even posed with pajamas for us because they are wonderful.

Check out Nicole's post with the most adorable pictures ever.

EYE know.

EYE really do know now.

EYE totally get it.

MEYE ikid is perfect.

Surgery/patching/stress/anxiety/tears/worry works.

Dr. Cogen is awesome.

Sigh.

Our latest EYE visit was about a month ago, but today is our 3 year anniversary of patching, so I figured I would combine the two in a celebratory/informative post.

I said 3 years. THREE YEARS OF PATCHING. WHAT THE HELL.

A little drawing in the waiting room. He wrote "COGEN" and drew his picture. This is big stuff because the boy does not really like anything that can be classified in the "craft" realm.

I swear he totally told me to write this. My brainwashing has worked.

**This was actually a pretty anticlimactic visit because when you are told to "only patch 3 hours a day" in June, nothing will ever be exciting again. I take that back. It is still exciting because it is working and we don't have to increase the time.

The best part? As we were leaving, I went to shake Dr. Cogen's hand and HE TOTALLY HUGGED ME! #family

Three years down. Three more to go. We own this.

The End of an Era

We bought a new car. Y'all know I do not do well with change. Especially large, expensive change that requires me to adjust my already lacking spatial awareness skills when parking. Sigh. BUT....I really do like it, so there's that ;)




Along with the new car, came the loss of the old one. I realized that I was a little sad as we stood in the parking lot and it hit me that she wasn't coming home with us. (Does everyone else think of their cars as female?) I realized all of the LIFE that really took place in the car and I just need a moment to reflect.

First, let us reflect on the high quality picture of the 4 of us. I was debating using it as the Christmas Card because it does capture real life, but decided that I might need to send one out with Max wearing pants and at least 2 of us smiling.

But, really. Here is a quick run down of a few major life events that happened in that ton of silver.

-We got it not too long after we got married  & we went to eat at El Mezcal right after we bought it. I remember feeling so grown up that we just bought a car together. Granted, we had already bought a house together, but something about the car seemed more official.

-We carried Gabs home in it-she sat on my lap and was shaking the whole way home because she was nervous about living with us. I think it worked out ok for her, though.

-I went through a car wash with the sun roof open.

-I backed into our mailbox while reversing down the street, not down the driveway.

-I hit a parked police car.

-I found a gallon of milk in the trunk that had an expiration date of about 2 weeks earlier. (It was unopened, at least.)

-Brandon backed into Austin's car in his parents' driveway on Christmas Eve. I remember that he was talking about our stockings as he he reversed and for some reason that made the whole thing kind of funny.

-Brandon carried a huge box full of blue balloons home where I was eagerly awaiting to see them and know, for sure, that I was getting my second baby boy.

-I drove to Farragut HS and parked in the back lot and occasionally down at the bottom of hill. I drove to Powell HS and parked in the back lot, trying to avoid the yellow columns.

- We made many, many trips to visit Nicole in Johnson City, Birmingham, Winston Salem and Bristol. We made many, many trips to see the rest of the fam in Memphis, Birmingham and a few trips to Florida.

-Both babies snuggled in their car seat with me hovering next to them on their way home.

-I spilled an entire large diet lemonade from Chick Fil A all over myself at a red light and got out to literally shake the ice/liquid off of myself, much to the enjoyment of the people around me.

-So.many.Target.trips.

That is all I can think of now, but I am a bit embarrassed at the list already, so it is probably best that I stop now.

Thankful. I am late, again.

I really try to do a thankful list each year and it seems like I can never quite get it together on Thanksgiving, but here goes.

2011

2012


I am thankful for highlighters, chapstick and the surprise of a colored staple. I am thankful for the invention of iPhones, but even more for that of Lifeproof cases. For the fact that we don't have to patch Anderson on Christmas day and for the 3 years of perspective that allow us to fully appreciate what a gift that will be. I am thankful that Anderson is at an age when he is equally as excited about Pop Rocks, an escalator and a cupcake I brought home from work as he is about Santa and birthdays. I am thankful every single time that Max reaches for me because when those little arms raise in the air, a little piece of Mom guilt dies. I am thankful for people with short fingernails, the fact that Reese genuinely thinks I am her Mama when Nicole is not around and changing the month on my calendar. For these little people who are proof that my heart really doesn't resemble me at all. For cheeseburgers. I am thankful for the days I have a meeting away from school in the afternoons and don't have to do bus duty, for the fact that a lot of my office supplies say "Hughes" on them since Nicole gave them to me when she moved. For the time Salsarita's messed up and gave me a $10 credit on my Rewards card, for the fact that Brandon doesn't have to shave his facial hair and for every time Max is in footie pajamas. I am thankful for themes, in general. For 2 sets of grandparents close by, for patriotic holidays, Krispy Kreme, the invention of the cotton square instead of just the ball, and that there is such a wide variety of desserts in the world. I am thankful for the constant, stable, positive force that is my mother. For Free Shipping, for that time when I was caught up, when Anderson calls me Bobble and the fact that I have a lot of energy. I am thankful for a supportive husband who has the kids by himself multiple nights a week without complaining, for people who RSVP, for twinkles in eyes, surprise mail, hashtags, the little fridge in my office and bobby pins. For Publix BOGO sales, my iPad, positively true fortune cookies, gel pens and the fact that I am lucky enough to have multiple people to put as "Emergency Contact". Mostly, I am thankful for the over achieving mothers at Anderson's school who provide lunch on their kid's birthday because that means I don't have to make his. Those days are truly magical.