3 Month Pictures

Last year I bought a Groupon for a photography session.  We had the appointment scheduled on Anderson's 3 month birthday...family pictures and 3 month pictures all at once...great plan, huh?  Well as it turned out it was 109 degrees that day and, needless to say, we had to reschedule for late August.  I didn't want to hold off on Anderson's pictures until he was 4 months so I decided to hold a photo shoot of my own (again).  They are by no means professional, but I did capture a few good ones.

Just for comparison...here are Connor and Anderson's 3 month pictures side by side.  Do you think they look alike?

Rain?? Rain!!

When we came out of church there was something falling from the sky...could it be?  RAIN...Yeah!!  We needed some so bad!  It wasn't nearly enough to rid the drought, but it was enough for some splish splashin fun!  And that is exactly what Connor man did :-)

He was cracking us up with his umbrella!

3 Months

Anderson has turned 3 months old.  He is getting to be our little chunky monkey and we love every little ounce of him to pieces.  He is such a happy baby (for the most part) and always has a smile to share. Nights are getting better and better all the time...last night he slept from 8pm to 5am, ate a couple ounces, and went back to sleep until 7:15am.  WooHoo!!  He started getting a little rice cereal in his bottles because his reflux took a turn for the worse, but we now have it all under control again :-) He loves playing on the floor and he keeps a constant eye on whatever Connor is doing.    He is a strong little guy and enjoys sitting up and looking around...he is starting to love his Bumbo chair. At night, before bed, he likes to cuddle and I can't say I complain...I love soaking up every second of it.  He is such a joy and we feel so blessed to have him in our family.

Happy 3 month birthday Anderson!  We love you so much and can't wait to see what this next month has in store for you. 

2 1/2

Connor is officially 2 1/2!  He is growing up way to fast.  Sometimes when I look at him I am taken back at how old he looks and how he is starting to look more and more like a little boy and less and less like a baby. 

It amazes me that I can have an actual conversation with him...well, you know, a 2 year old conversation...but still.

He can be the sweetest little man giving kisses and hugs one minute and he can be a crazy, whiny stinker who tests our patience the next minute.  Mike and I do are best to stay one step ahead of him to try and prevent as many temper tantrums as possible.

 He is so sweet with Anderson and is such a big helper when it comes to his little brother. 

Not a day goes by without him making us laugh. 

He is the definition of a 2 year old boy- energetic, wild, dirty, funny, sly, lovable, messy, sweet...and we wouldn't trade him for the world.  However, I can say I smiled today knowing that we are now closer to 3 than we are to 2.  The temper tantrums do get better at 3...right?

We love you Connor Michael.  Happy 2 1/2 birthday!

How Is It Possible?

Can someone please tell me how it is possible that my 12 weeks of maternity leave are up???  Tomorrow is my first day back to work. I feel like we had Anderson more than 12 weeks ago, however I feel like I have only been off for a couple weeks.  Part of me is anxious to get back, see my coworkers, and get back into a routine.  A BIGGER part of me wants to lock my doors and hide inside with my little boys in hopes that they don't notice my time is up.  Butterflies have filled my stomach all week, but I just kept pushing the reminder out of my head.  Here I sit on Sunday afternoon with tears running down my face knowing that I cannot hide from the reality any longer. It puts me at ease knowing that Connor and Anderson will be together at our sitters house.  It also comforts me knowing that they are in such great hands.  I know in a couple weeks we will be back into the swing of things and maternity leave will seem like a distant memory.  I am so grateful to have done so many fun things with my little guys these past 12 weeks and to have spent so much time with them.  Tomorrow I will physically be sitting back at my desk, in front of my computer, going through thousands of e-mails and catching up...mentally my mind will be with these sweet faces...

Swim Lessons

Today Connor had his last swimming lesson of the summer.  We enrolled him in a 6 week session at Manchester Aquatic Center.  He has come a LONG way since class number 1.  The first week he cried the entire class.  Every week got a little better.  The first 4 weeks either Mike or I had to be in the water with him.  Last week when I took him they announced that the parents no longer needed to go into the pool (of course the 2 weeks it reached over 100 degrees, I couldn't go in).  Connor was a little hesitant last week, but warmed up and did pretty well.  Today he did awesome!  He walked right up to his teachers, sat and waited his turn, listened and followed instructions, and did it with a smile on his face.  He kept looking back at me and would yell "Look Mommy I did it." I was so proud of him.  At the end of class Connor received a report card and he successfully completed Preschool Level 1 swim class.  Way to go Connor--you did it!!



His favorite part was jumping in the water.



Happy Fourth!

I can't believe it is already the fourth of July!  Happy fourth of July everyone and Happy Birthday America!  We hope you all enjoyed the day and stayed cool because it was a hot one.  We celebrated by going to the place where I have spent every single fourth of July...the farm.   My parents always throw such a fun party with family and friends and tons and tons of food.  Everyone enjoyed a day of swimming, fishing, jumping on the trampoline, swinging on the horse swing, playing disc golf, and eating until we couldn't eat anymore.  It was over 100 degrees out, but everyone still had a great time.  Thanks Mom and Dad for a fun time!

I wish I had more pictures, but it is hard to carry a camera and a 2 month old around.  :-)



I haven't been in the lake in years, but I remember when I was their age and you couldn't get me out





My Dad spends the majority of the day BBQing...God love him!



!!Scary!!

Look what Mike found in our garden today!  A FIVE foot long snake skin...YIKES!!  Some snake must have shed its skin in our flower bed last night.  The scary thing is that the snake is still out there somewhere and it is just about as tall as me.  SCARY!!!

Meramec Springs

Mike planned a little day trip for us on Sunday to Meramec Springs.  I had never been before so I was interested to see what it was about and if any kind of fish or animal is involved,Connor is on board.  We walked around the spring-- I was amazed how clear the water was and how the temperature in the air dropped a few degrees around the natural spring since the water is SO cold.  We also saw all the rainbow trout and even fed some of them in the hatchery.  Connor loved feeding the fish and playing on the playground.  Mike took Connor a little further down the river to see some of the fisherman in action.  It was so fun to see both Mike and Connor so excited about this trip.  Connor definitely takes after his Daddy and his love for nature (not my cup of tea, but it was worth the trip to see their faces light up).  I know Mike is looking forward to the day when the boys are old enough to take them back to fish and camp.