Happy Birthday, Daddy!!!

We had the BEST long weekend celebrating Daddy's 34th birthday! He was able to take Friday off and had Monday (Memorial Day) off, so we had 4 whole days together! Originally, we thought about trying to go to the lake for the weekend, but realized we had spent every single weekend since early April either traveling, taking day trips, or doing something major here at home, and we were feeling it! Scott and I really make an effort not to over-schedule our family. While we love going fun places and doing fun things, we really feel there's a lot to be said for slowing down and simply enjoying time together rather than just running from here to there. So we decided to stay home with no other plans than to celebrate Daddy!

We kicked the long weekend off with Mexican food and margaritas! If take-out Mexican on leftover Easter plates doesn't say "Happy Birthday," then I don't know what does!

On Friday morning we had birthday muffins, and Scott and Jacob got a little work done before we headed to the End-of-the-Year cookout at Jacob's school.

Jacob got to say good-bye to his teachers, a few of his friends, and Mrs. Patty, who is retiring after 21 years as the director of the school! We had fun sitting and visiting with Ceci and her family.

We didn't really eat at the cookout, because afterwards we headed to Asiana (or as Jacob says, "Age-e-Ana") Grand Buffet, which is a birthday tradition in our family! The restaurant gives you a free lunch on your birthday, so of course we have to take advantage of free food! We were sure it was going to be a disaster. Lydia is awful at restaurants, plus she hadn't had a nap, but she held on pretty well! It really helps that there's no waiting involved at the buffet!

Lydie loves frozen corn ("cone"), and it turns out she loves corn on the cob, as well! This kept her occupied for at least 10 minutes.

On Friday night Jacob and Daddy had their first camp-out in the yard! Jacob lasted outside all night and absolutely loved it! He didn't want to come inside in the morning. Scott is excited about future camp-outs and adventures with both kids. I am excited about having some alone time (what's that, again?) while said camp-outs and adventures happen!

Jacob said he was going to pick some lettuce from our fields (our garden) for their camping breakfast! While he doesn't like to eat vegetables from our garden, he LOVES to pick them. Speaking of, we have delicious, sweet peas now!!! I'm not a huge fan of raw veggies, but these peas are GOOD! Lydia agrees!

On Saturday night we celebrated with birthday cake - well, maybe birthday icing is a more accurate description of the dessert. I halved the cake recipe, but obviously forgot to do the same with the icing! I didn't hear any complaints though!

On Sunday afternoon we went to the Nature Center. This was the first time Lydia has visited as a walker rather than a stroller rider, and she loved it! She was delighted by all the animals, especially the big metal turtle! She also loved seeing the sheep, goats, and donkeys in the petting zoo.

Jacob was super excited about climbing the "spider web" by himself!

After the kids went to bed on Sunday night, Scott and I went to Corner Kitchen for his birthday dinner. We don't get the chance to have many date nights, so it was really nice to have time together without the kids. A big thanks to Meme for staying with Jacob and Lydia while we went out!

During Lydia's nap time on Monday, Jacob and I went to Fletcher Park. Krista and her boys were passing through on their way to Kentucky, and asked if we wanted to meet up. It was a quick visit, but it was so great to see our good friends. We haven't seen them since they moved in April.

On Sunday afternoon we took a family bike ride, which sounded like a lot more fun than it actually ending up being. We started off with Lydia in the trailer and the rest of us on bikes, but apparently she HATES riding in the trailer and riding a bike beside of Jacob requires cat-like reflexes with all his sudden stops, swerves, and unpredictable weaving. So we tried putting Jacob in the trailer with Lydia...but she still hated it. Oh, well! At least Scott got a good workout pulling them up and down the hills in our neighborhood!

Jacob was so sad when he realized Daddy had to go back to work this morning! We had so much fun being together!!! Happy Birthday, Scottie! We love you!!!

Last Day of School

Jacob's last day of school was Thursday! He had such a great first year at SonShine PreSchool and is already looking forward to being in the four year old class next year.

I was surprised at how emotional I felt about his last day. I'm just so proud of how far he's come, and so grateful to his teachers for loving, growing, and investing in him. Before the year began, I honestly didn't know how, or even if, it was all going to work out. Jacob was painfully shy around other kids, didn't do well when left with anyone other than his MeMe, and had never been left with anyone other than family. The first couple of days were rough, but his teachers were so patient and in-tune to what he needed from them in order to be comfortable there, that he quickly grew to love school and them! It makes my heart so happy to know his first school experience was such a positive one! Jacob will have many wonderful teachers in the years to come, but Mrs. Debbie & Mrs. Amy will always have a very special place in my heart! ♡

Summer, here we come! :)

Happy 1st Birthday, Baby Wade!

Happy 1st Birthday to our sweet nephew, Wade!!! Last Saturday we went to Charlotte for his party and had so much fun! He is such happy, active little guy! We love him so much!

He had no reservations about diving into his cake!!! (I love the little curls behind his ears! So cute!)

We also had a belated Mother's Day celebration last weekend! Daddy and the kids made me a special breakfast and got me some beautiful flowers. Lydia was really excited about the "cake" (cinnamon rolls).

The week leading up to Wade's party was a busy one for Jacob! He had his 4 year check-up on Monday and a dentist appointment on Wednesday. He was such a big boy! I can't even describe what a relief it was to take him to an appointment and not leave sweating and embarrassed. He was 100% cooperative and pleasant at each visit, which is a complete difference from this time last year! He said the nurse made his tummy feel scared (I think he was describing feeling nervous), but talked, and talked, and talked to Dr. Mustoe!  At 4 years old, he weighs 35.8 pounds and measure 40.5 inches.

I don't have a picture from his dentist appointment, but he willingly went with the hygienist all by himself while Lydia and I sat in the play-area! Its hard to believe it took 4 people to hold him down for his appointment this time last year!

Lydia had her 18 month well-visit a couple of weeks ago. She did really well, too. She screamed hysterically while the nurse took her measurements, but was very calm and mostly cooperative with Dr. Mustoe. Unfortunately she ended up getting sick a day or so after her visit.

At 18 months she weighs 22 pounds (38th percentile) and measures 34 inches (97th percentile!) She's long and lean, just like her brother!

I've been joking that Lydia would probably be potty trained by the time she was 18 months old, since potty training was such a horrendous disaster with Jacob. And while she is nowhere near potty-trained, she has surprised us by asking to sit on the potty and has actually gone pee-pee a few times! We're not really pushing it, because I don't think she's truly ready. We're just following her lead and letting her sit when she asks. She's a multi-tasker and brushes her teeth while taking care of business!

At 18 months, Lydia continues to want to be an independent girl! She loves to try to dress and undress herself, as evidenced below. She still loves shoes, purses, and babies. She also loves dancing, reading books, playing outside, and doing any and everything Jacob does! She also continues to be very verbal, and says more words than we can count. She isn't putting words together yet, but certainly understands everything we say. She isn't quite as good-natured as she was as an infant, and has an explosive temper when things don't go her way. However, she does seem to bounce back pretty quickly after her tantrums. I think some of her frustration comes from not being able to articulate her feelings. Hopefully some of that will work itself out as she learns to communicate more effectively. She is definitely still an extrovert and loves being in large groups! She seems to thrive on the energy and excitement of a crowd. And while she may not be as easy going as she was when she was younger, she is still an incredibly loving, sweet girl!

In other news, Jacob rarely naps anymore, which is sad for Mommy. However, if he does fall asleep, he's up until at least 10pm, which is also very sad for Mommy! So instead of napping in the afternoon, he has quiet time in his room. This works better some days than others. A few weeks ago I found him passed on his floor after getting Lydia up from her nap!

And I had to include this one...Yep, Jacob is in his jammies and my Halloween socks for a Post Office run.

I also had to include this picture of Daddy and the kids in Jacob's toddler bed. Daddy is very lucky the bed didn't snap!

Meme got Jacob a pretend coffeemaker for his birthday. He loves it and the kids have "coffee" with breakfast some mornings! I think its funny that Jacob is so into "playing coffee," because neither Scott or I are coffee drinkers, so its not like he's really seen us to mimic it.

Most of May has been really hot, so we've been breaking out the hats, sunscreen, and sprinkler! I love the picture of Jacob "reading" in the yard. He's really into the Magic Tree House books right now and carries them around in this backpack. I really hope grows up to love reading like I do!