Our Birthday Boy

Last Saturday, the 23rd, we celebrated Connor's 2nd birthday. We just celebrated the four of us, but we had a great day!! It is so hard to believe that my baby boy is 2. I remember the day he was born as if it were yesterday. I can't wait until he is old enough so I can tell him about that day. It has been a crazy 2 years, but we would not trade it for anything. Connor is such a blessing and it is an honor to be his mother.

As you can see, the theme (sort of) for this year was Cars. He still has yet to watch the whole movie, but he still loves cars. He points out cars stuff when we go to Walmart. He still needed a little help opening his gifts, but he is starting to get the hang of it. Of course, he kind of got distracted from opening gifts when he found the Veggie Tales movie we got him in his gift bag. Getting that open was the first priority, of course. It was fun to watch him open his gifts. He loved the Cars tshirt he got from my parents, as well as the books they gave him.

We tried cupcakes again this year. He seemed to like them more this year than he did last year. I just ordered Cars cupcakes from the Walmart bakery. We tried to get him to blow out two candles, but he tried to grab them instead of blowing them out. Joey blew them out for him. He really enjoyed the icing on the cupcake. He didn't really seem to like the cake part of it. He certainly had fun making a mess.

I praise God everyday for our curious and constantly in motion little boy. It is a joy to watch him grow and I love seeing him learn new things everyday. I love that he likes to pray, read Bible stories, and play with his sister. We love you Connor!!!

What a summer so far

Once again, I have let a couple of months pass between posts. I am trying to better about updating our blog, but the summer has been crazy so far. At the end of May, the kids and I took a trip up to Kansas to spend some time with my family. We had a blast, but missed Joey and wished he could have been with us. Connor really enjoyed getting to see his cousins, Reagan and Zane. He really loved Zane and would just randomly hug him. Connor has never done this with someone who is a virtual stranger. It usually takes him a while to warm up to people. He would gently bang his head on the bannister and then go to Zane for comfort. It was hilarious to watch. Connor also tried my Dad's homemade spaghetti and meatballs, well the meatballs really, and loved them. Guess I need to make them more often. Mom and Dad came back with us and spent Memorial Day weekend with us in Maumelle. We had a good time showing them around.



June was also a busy month. The second of June, Joey's older brother and his family came down from Kohler, WI. We all met at Joey's parents's cabin in Mississippi (near Pickwick Lake). We had a great time. Joey loved spending time with his brother and Connor and Bailey got to meet their cousins. The youngest of their children is 5 days younger than Connor. Connor enjoyed playing in the pool and playing in the rocks and dirt that surrounded the cabin. Every little boy's dream.
Bailey enjoyed the cabin and staying cool inside. She also found a cool new "toy" to play with. We had a great time with the family and were able to get pictures of all the grandkids together as well as all the kids and their families. It was quite a group. Taking all the pictures was hard work.The end of June saw the kids and I back in Kansas. Joey had to go to Maryland for some training for two weeks, so the kids and I decided another visit up there was in order. Thankfully, my wonderful mother was able to fly down and drive with us up there. I did not attempt either trip to Kansas on my own. We had a blast again. Connor and Bailey got to hang out more with their cousins, Reagan, Zane, and Brynn. We took the kids to a farmstead up in Kansas City. Connor enjoyed walking around with Reagan and Zane.

Bailey had a good time hanging out with Brynn in the dirt. We were glad to get back to Maumelle and have Daddy back home with us.

July has been a little bit slower. Joey was gone for a few days for training so one of my good friends, Dara, came and stayed with kids and I. We had a great time. We have started house hunting here in Maumelle. We are so ready to have our own space. The apartment is getting cozier and cozier by the day.

The kids have also changed a lot in the past couple of months. Connor is talking more. He loves saying the number 2. We are working on trying to get him to say how old he is when asked. He has to be in the mood. He also loves pointing out cars and colors. Bailey is standing up and walking around holding on to furniture. It won't be long before she is walking on her own. She is saying "mama" and sometimes "dada."
They both love to dance. Connor mostly spins around and Bailey just bounces, but it is so much fun to watch them. They are starting to interact more. I love to hear them laughing together.

We are having a great summer so far. We can't wait to see what the rest of the summer brings for us. Hope everyone is having a great summer too. God Bless!!