birthday boy

 

Another year has come and gone and my little boy is now...

2!!!

Charlie is such a sweet, sweet boy.

He loves babies and likes kissing them on the cheek.

He loves his cousin Azzie and wants to be with her every day.

He loves reading books and going to story-time at the library.

He loves to dance.

He loves to cuddle with mommy.

He loves running around at the park with his dad.

He loves his Grandparents. So. Much.

He loves playing the drums with Uncle Nate.

He loves having his own hymn book at church.

He loves eating spaghetti or any pasta for that matter.

I will stop here, since it's a long list!

afternoon in the square

  the kids taking the shopping carts for a whirl in the toy shop!

Yesterday, my sister Leanna and her daughter Azzie came out to my neck of the woods for the afternoon!

I really wanted to show her the Historic Marietta square which is full of antique shops, bakeries, specialty shops, restaurants and a cute park in the middle of the square.

The kids just wanted to run around and play the whole time so after walking through a few antique shops we headed to a toy shop called Lizards and Lollipopz.  The kids were pushing the little shopping carts for about 30 minutes, thankfully no other shoppers were in the shop because these kids took it over!!

We had so much fun playing at the park and I especially loved spending time with my sister.

I am so, so, so, so, so thankful she is here in Georgia and our kids can be best friends again!

Labor Day weekend

 Charlie helping Grandpa get the boat ready!

 wonderful Tybee Island!

small pool we swam in while at the beach.

We spent our Labor Day in beautiful Savannah!  Charlie's parents invited us to go on this last minute rendezvous and I'm so happy we went!  I didn't have my camera most of the time so these pics sum up our weekend!  We spent time downtown shopping, eating, watching fireworks, went to Tybee Island to swim, took a quick boat trip to Hilton Head Island for an afternoon, and spent a lot of time playing monopoly deal at the house!  It was the perfect weekend getaway with great company!

Charlie's graduation

My husband graduated!  What an accomplishment.

 { mother and son }

 the boys are laughing, like always!

 graduation dinner at CPK

 Charlie with his Aunt Reba

 Charlie's graduation ceremonies were wonderful. My favorite part was a moment when a speaker asked the graduates to stand if they served a mission, knew a second language, were married, graduating with honors, graduating with a masters degree, graduating with a doctorate, etc.  

Each time the speaker asked a question fewer and fewer people stood up.  

Then the last question to the graduates was if they had entered the highest degree in college, 

parenthood.  

My husband stood proudly and I smiled at him.

Tears rolled down my face and hit the floor fast as I realized what we had done.

We had a child in college.  We entered parenthood in college.

Perhaps parenthood wouldn't be presented as the highest degree in college at any other university besides BYU, but I am grateful it was acknowledged.

Parenthood is hard, in or out of college.

But, parenthood is extremely rewarding, in or out of college.

Knowing that my father finished his undergraduate degree from BYU with a wife and three toddlers is enough motivation to know that any thing is possible with children.  

It's great what you can take from a graduation ceremony!  I am so grateful for my husband and his strong love for education.  I know he will do great things with what he has learned.

saying goodbye, part 2

Me, Kenyle Hakes, Sis. Stone (advisor), Genny Barrett, and Kamille Fox

My Relief Society presidency for the summer of 2011.

I thought I was going to be released in May but with our ward switching stakes and splitting, my Bishop asked that I stay in for a few months to help with the transformation.  I am so glad I had another chance to serve my ward in this capacity.  I was even luckier to work with some amazing women too!

  My presidency helped make the transformation go smoothly and we grew a lot in the few short months we served together.  I believe Heavenly Father sent these women in my life at the right time and I'm forever grateful.  

We had a goodbye dinner at Gloria's Little Italy in downtown Provo and had a great time!

We got to talk about things other than our Relief Society, so that was a nice change!

I miss these girls so much and miss all the sisters in our married student ward.

I am so grateful for the time I had to be in a married student ward and I will always cherish the days in Provo!

saying goodbye part 1

I met up with my best friend Michelle at Gardner Village a week before we moved.

It was fun to browse through shops and window shop for an entire afternoon.  We sat by the pond while our kiddies ate their lunch and watched the ducks swim by.

I already miss Michelle so much.  We have been best friends since my junior year of high school.  We roomed together for 2 years in college and were each others bridesmaids.  It's fun that we're moms together and I'm so glad we spent one last time together before I headed to Georgia.

I love you Michelle!!

update from the South!

We made it to Georgia last week and are settling in slowly but surely.
Little Charlie and his cousin are peas and carrots since reuniting and it feels good to see those two playing again.
My sister Leanna and her family live right outside of Atlanta and we have seen them 3 times already! We love living by family! We went to a family BBQ on Saturday night and had a family dinner on Sunday night!
We attended our new ward with the in-laws last week and the members were very warm and welcoming. There were several moms that came up to me following Sacrament meeting getting my name and number to invite me to mommy playgroups. We feel very loved here and very comfortable in our new town and ward.

creamy tomato soup

This is hands down, the best tomato soup I have EVER had!
Plus, the little one slurps it right up.
Isn't he getting so big eating with a spoon!
It is on the pricier side, but I figure I can serve it for dinner one night
and serve the leftovers for lunch the next day!

I serve it with some grated Parmesan cheese on top and viola!!

moving right along

favorite pastime lately
(I think the pictures show what I'm referring to!)

and he falls over!!

he wasn't too happy

love my mischievous little boy!

Did I mention we are moving?
Ah yes, moving.
Isn't moving splendid? Perhaps for those that are fortunate enough to have someone else pack up their lives.
But really, we have been taking our merry ole' time packing and doing quite a good job at that. My husband is very organized and I am warming up slowly but surely to his style and professional attempt to packing.
Charlie will take off an afternoon to devote his time to packing every thing perfectly.
While I, look for any 2 minutes or 30 seconds to spare and throw baby clothes and shoes into boxes.
See the difference?
Actually, we have been working together this last week and it has made all the difference.
Little Charlie's newborn to 2 year clothes are all packed into old diaper and wipes boxes, neatly labeled and sealed for shipment. Well, not really shipment but sort of.
Today, we opened the garage and began sifting through things we haven't used in 3 years.
Since living in my Aunt Maureen's home, we haven't had to use our wedding presents at all. Dishes, eating utensils, can openers, blenders, every thing we needed was in her kitchen.

We are about 2/3 packed which is looking good. We have 2 more weeks before we head to the South! Georgia that is!
I am beyond thrilled to move to Georgia. I LOVE Georgia. Even more, we will live close to all of Charlie's family! Plus, my sister Leanna and her family will be there too!
Things are looking up and things are moving right along!