on the way home...holding hands and napping...so sweet.

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My boys: 3 years old & 2 months old.

The other night Eli was fussy while we were trying to eat. Wes laid him flat on the table and he loved it.

I looked at Wes like he was crazy when he did it but Eli stayed there for about 10min happy as can be. I must admit, this move has never occurred to me.

What a serious face to be wearing such a funny looking hat!

Eli has just started to enjoy stretching out and playing so we brought out the play gym...he is following animals as they move around

More practice talking and smiling. Check out those leg rolls!

And that precious smile again!

Quick update from the boys' well checks. Jay is 35lbs, 39inches tall, 80th percentile for both. He is doing great with his milestones and is coasting along to big boy status quickly. In fact, he had to get a shot which I felt really bad about since I told him only Eli was getting shots. But when he found out he just sat up next to me, squeezed my hand, and let the nurse give him a shot without the first whimper. I was so proud!  Then he let her prick his finger and peed in a cup with no problems! 
As for Eli, he is 10lbs 6oz, 15% percentile in weight and 18th for height. So a good bit smaller than Jay when he was a baby. I was worried at first but he definitely has some chunky baby rolls and has really increased how much he eats this week so I bet we will see a big jump next time. At least I am getting some use out of his 0-3mon clothes because with Jay, he barely wore them one time. His head circumference is in the 78% percentile so he will be a little boy with a big head!
He eats every 3 to 4 hours during the day and at night only wakes up once, if at all, for a little snack. When we get back home my goal will be to get him sleeping through the night consistently. He loves looking at his hands and watching his toys. He is very impatient when he gets hungry and shows off his healthy lungs for everyone! He still naps a lot during the day but is very active when he wakes up. He loves to kick and stretch on the floor. He will smile and talk to us all day. I need to start doing "tummy time" with him but, so far, he doesn't seem very eager to play in that position...this may be a battle, like it was with Jay.
I will have all of the pictures from our trip to Georgia with the next post. We are still in Valdosta for a few days and Jay is having a ball. Mimi has one thing to add before I finish: "I am their favorite!"

on the way to georgia!

We r on the way to tifton to see papa and mama ross....I am uploading this via my phone app so I can how it works. Eli is smiling! And has been an angel so far...only one hr to go!

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3 years with our wild man!

This is how he came downstairs after taking a nap the other day....I told him he looked like a crazy old man...he took it as a compliment.

Getting ready to watch the monster trucks!

Jay will be happy to illustrate the fine details of this extravaganza, including every flip and crash, as he has done for us all weekend

So happy with his daddy

This boy was in heaven!

Trying out his new tricycle for his birthday!

Three years ago at exactly 1:28pm we saw the face that changed our lives forever. I think Wes will agree that these have been the best three years of our lives. Which, when I think about that, seems weird considering how difficult some of that time has been with dad's death and the never-ending stress of residency. As I look back at how we made it through those horribly difficult times I think about the deep love we have for Jay, the way his hugs still give us butterflies, and the realization that he really is our entire world. He changed us the moment he was born and has taught us so much over these last three years.

Here is some of what I've learned from my precious boy...

- Love in its purest form
- Discipline really does hurt parents more than children
- How the most important things in the world become nothing compared to your baby
- Sometimes we all just need a good temper tantrum
- The importance of a daily nap
- To never take for granted being able to use the bathroom all by myself
- The difference between dump trucks, forklifts, and excavators
- Effective burping is probably the most valuable skill a parent can master
- Sometimes television is a necessary evil
- To always look through the trash before taking it out
- Never leave the house without gas drops
- How many curse words there are on basic cable
- The vast number of bears and monsters that live in and around the house
- Sticks make excellent shotguns
- Terrible words to hear while on I-20 going 70mph: "Uh oh, I gotta go poopey!"
- The sorrow of walking into a grocery store with no kids' cart available
- A child really can be "too smart for his own good"
- Bribery is a very effective parenting technique
- Children can live entirely on chicken nuggets and chocolate milk
- People drive way to fast through neighborhoods
- Tools needed to get toys out of their high-security packages: serrated knife and wire cutters 
- All of life's problems can be solved by a fireman
- The woes of daylight savings time
- The insanity that occurs between supper, bath, and bedtime every night
- The way my heart stops every time he says, "I love you, mommy."
- Knowing the blessedness that comes only from God and the undying gratitude that He has entrusted this perfect child into our care

May the Lord bless him and keep him, may the Lord always shine His face upon him and give him peace.

Weekend with the Rogers!

The ONE time Eli isn't pitching a fit in his car seat, he was sitting straight up on the couch...maybe he just doesn't like lying down in it. Too bad this position is illegal while car riding.

I have no idea what he is doing here...he just asked that I take a picture of "his muscles"

More pictures of Eli's sweet smile. I was so excited about this one that I cut off half of his head.

The camera just doesn't do his cuteness justice. They are sooo much more precious in person!

Here he is smiling at a picture of Jay on the wall.

Giving you his crooked smile....or very possibly, just taking a poop

Walking with his new girlfriend....sorry James, i think Jay stole your woman.

After Gus (James' and Randi's dog) jumped on the rock, Jay had to follow.

Jay asked me to take a picture of him and the dogs on the rock together. Aren't Gus and Clover so cute?

We must have looked like a circus with 4 adults trying to keep up with 3 wild dogs and a pair of screaming kids!

yes, i am really showing you MORE pictures of my baby's smiles. :)

I think he is annoyed that every time he tries to talk , obnoxious flashes of light overcome him

Just a little grin here

Getting ready to go to Congaree Forest, James captured some great ones of Jay while we were there

I love that boy when he is smiling so sweet!

Notice he is still holding Randi's hand....he seriously "needed her hand" everywhere we went

Wes pushing "sleepy-head" around the park

The forest is full of cypress trees with long boardwalks through the forest

Jay thought these cypress "knees" were really cool but wanted to walk on them the whole time

Only Jay would think it is a good idea to walk on long, pointy, tree parts in the middle of a disgusting swampland

And only Jay would come up with the even brighter idea to lick the trees..???...what is wrong with this child?!

Our professional fisherman at work

As you can tell by the pics, James and Randi came to meet Eli this weekend. Although if you talked to Jay he would tell you that they actually came just to see him. We really enjoyed hanging out and did a few things around town since the weather was so nice. Jay claimed Randi as his girlfriend from the minute she walked in the door except he kept calling her "that lady", which I guess I need to explain is not the best way to impress a girl. He would say, "I need to hold that lady's hand" or "where did that lady go?" as if she were a total stranger staying in our house. By the time they left I think he was calling her "Mrs. Randi" at least.

Eli is growing every day as I see his chubby cheeks getting chubbier and I have an increasingly difficult time carrying him in the heavy car seat. He is usually pretty low maintenance until about 5pm when he needs to be held constantly. I need to start making more meals that can be prepared early since he will not let me get supper done without a screaming fight. He sleeps a lot still, thank God for our swing, as I'm not sure where he would sleep otherwise. He loves it and probably spends at least half of the day in there. He has been smiling even more these last 2 days and the competition is getting fierce between me and the fans. But I must say that the smiles he gives me are a lot bigger than the little grins he gives to his beloved ceiling fan. So I think, quality over quantity, I am in the lead. He also smiles at Jay's picture a lot, which is so sweet.

As for other things, he wakes up once at night, usually around 3 or 4 (since I put him down between 8 and 9, I won't complain). I am hoping in the next few weeks he will start to stretch that a little. Jay slept through the night at 11 weeks and, so far, Eli seems to be on the same track. I think my attitude will take a major turn when I can get uninterrupted sleep again...something I know Jay will appreciate. I told Wes last night that I was short with Jay all day for some reason. He wasn't being that bad, I just had no patience for him. Of course after I laid him down last night I felt so guilty because I know it wasn't him, it was just me being tired. And he didn't even talk back, he would just say sweetly, "ok mom" when I'd tell him to go play or stop whatever it was he was doing that I was annoyed by. It is amazing how forgiving children are. I guess God knows we will need it as we try to raise them without going completely crazy. :)


Jay is getting excited about turning 3 next week. Wes is taking him to a monster truck show on Saturday that Jay can't stop talking about. His class is having a birthday celebration for him on Thursday so I am going to be a "real mom" and bring cupcakes for them to eat. Jay's 3 year and Eli's 2 month checkups are next week so I will have updated stats for both of them.

Otherwise, all is well. We are just trying to find a good schedule to adjust into and I am still learning the "tricks of the trade" in this whole "mom of 2" thing. I am thinking that the hardest part is over though. I remember the first 3 months were the worst with Jay and, really, after the first 6 weeks things quickly improved each day. So only one more month of my "newborn woes" and I should feel more in control of this show. That's what I am going to tell myself, I least. :)