February Wrap-Up

1. Doug gets a new car and takes the kids off my hands for a while! :)
2. Baylor hamming it up at DOC band adjustment appointment
3. Katie strolling Baylor (and Max)
4. Mustaches are all the rage!
5. Little Miss Sassypants at the Riverwalk
6. Birthday party fun (Check out the adults in the mirror)
7. Is there anything sweeter than a sleeping baby?
8. Mom and Dad dressed up for a big event at Epworth they both helped coordinate
9. First visit to the SC State Museum
 

High Flying Fun

For Valentine's Day, I got Doug a certificate to go zip lining together at a course in Rock Hill. What better way to say I love you than to push each other out of trees! My parents watched the kids for the afternoon so it was nice just being together! It was also a surprise...We went with Lindsay and Marshall and the guys had no idea where we were going or what we were doing until we were about five minutes away!

  

On the Road Again

The kids and I headed on another road trip together. We went to Dalton, GA to visit some of my best friends - the Callaways and the Browns and half of the Armstrongs...This is the farthest I've ever driven by myself with the kids and I was so nervous but they did great. It couldn't have been a smoother ride.

Lauren was the maid of honor in my wedding and we've traveled many roads of life together! I was beyond thrilled that we ended up pregnant at the same time and then even more excited when she gave birth on my birthday!!! Olivia and Baylor are only 9 days apart! Lauren was coming to Dalton for a visit so I headed that way to meet her little girl and visit with the rest of their families!

Jackson was our welcoming committee!

That's a whole lot of baby weight!

Lauren taught Katie how to play dominoes.

Roadside farm with my bundled up baby!

Jackson and Katie making silly faces by the creek

Baby Love!

Baylor tried sweet potatoes!

  
Kristina with Grant (2) & Jackson (4), Me with Katie (4) & Baylor (5 months), Lauren with Olivia (5 months)

Mom Swap!

  

Birthday Buddies!

DOC Band - THE END!

I don't know whether to say "Has it been 7 weeks already" or "It's only been 7 weeks!" We have worn the band for 7 weeks and headed to Charlotte for what we hoped would be our last time. They were pretty confident we wouldn't have to come back again but I wasn't getting my hopes up! Baylor and I drove to Charlotte on a rainy, foggy morning but left with the best news that made in sunshiney in our world!

They were really pleased with his measurements and growth and gave us the green light to discontinue wearing it! Yay! It's technically his first little graduation. While the technician was filling out paperwork, I silently hummed Pomp and Circumstance in my head.

Here's some of his before and after pictures. The before pictures remind me just how slouchy and tilted he was! His torso and neck have gotten so much stronger in just seven weeks! The diminishing fullness of his face amazes me too...Since there is no longer distortion in the skull, the rest of the face can kind of go back to normal and isn't being pushed forward! He's still got great cheeks though!

And here's the real money shot! The aerial view of his head...What a difference 7 weeks makes!

Aside from the first few days of adjustments, the entire process really was not that bad. Baylor was a trooper and it never seemed to bother him one bit. People didn't really stare at him...In fact, we had more people come up and tell us stories of their child wearing the band than we did get funny looks from people. I'm glad that we did it but also glad that it's over! Now maybe he can start sleeping a little better without it!

Happy Valentine's Day

Who doesn't love love, right? We had fun making cards for all the kids in Katie's class at school. We printed some God is Love cards and stuck them on gummy bear packs and were good to go! She got lots of goodies from friends at school too!

My loves! (He has an "I heart Daddy" shirt too, but I got him dressed so that's what he wore)

I had a meeting at work on Valentine's Day and they gave these balloons away as a prize for answering a question right...Glad I was paying attention! Katie was thrilled. But then she decided we could give them to my mom to take to her friend at a Children's Home to decorate for their dance party! 

Doug had been out of town for several days arriving back home after midnight the night before Valentine's Day. Katie and I still scored big with flowers and chocolate!

 

Super Bowl (Again)

Another year and another Super Bowl party at our house! It's the time of year when we clean the house and find some major project to undertake to have it completed just in time for all the guests. This year there was no project, but I did clean the house...

The Kids' Room! Blanket on the floor = crumb catcher

The fare...Excellent as always! Dips, meats, desserts...

My Pinterest project...Individual veggie cups with ranch and hummus

Bacon wrapped chocolate covered strawberries. Top that!

Who won? Who cares...I don't even know who played. I was too busy popping bacon wrapped entities (strawberries, jalapenos) and eating spoonfuls of cheese dip!