We love football!

Here are some picks from superbowl Sunday....my son in his Panthers jersey and my daughter in her South Carolina Gamecocks cheerleading outfit!!

And just so ya'll know....James called the game! He said the Giants would win and by 3 points!

The crib

We've been very fortunate with James and all of our recent transitions with Samantha. For example, one of my biggest worries was about James transitioning from the crib to a "big boy" bed. I had heard horror stories about toddlers becoming very attached to their cribs and not wanting to "let go" or "give up" THEIR crib to someone else. Andy and I decided to move James to his bed about 8 weeks before Samantha was scheduled to arrive. He took to his bed beautifully. Of course we had our bumps in the road....James discovering that he had the freedom to leave his bed (even at 3 AM, if desired), training him to nap (why should I lay down when I'd rather play with toys in my room?), and helping him to go to sleep even when mommy and daddy are still up (Shouldn't I be awake EVERY hour mommy and daddy are?). Even with all of these things, as soon as he went to "his bed" that was it! I even tried to get him to nap a few times in his crib after transitioning just because I REALLY needed him to sleep so I could rest (I know...not a good idea), but he DID NOT want to be in his crib anymore. And when he was threatened with returning to his crib if he did not nap in his bed, he chose to nap in his bed.

Well, then Samantha came along and I thought, "Here is the real test...another person in HIS crib." But there was nothing...no jealousy, no "my crib", no possession over the room, nothing. In fact, he enjoys propping himself up on the side of the crib to look at her, and he knows that's where "manfa sleeps". The other day Samantha woke-up from her nap, and cried out to let me know she was awake. James said, "Uh-oh, I get manfa" and went "shwish" (with a superman motion) down the hall to get her (Of course he didn't actually "get her"...I am the mommy after all). Anyways...there has only been one time this entire 6 months of Samantha's life that he's even wanted to be in the crib, and he wanted to be in it with her. So, here are some picks from the crib.....

Giving her a kiss

Cheesin it up

Awww...they held hands!

He's a little protective...

James loves his baby sister. Now this does not mean that he is without jealousy because that certainly is not the case, but, jealousy aside, he loves her.

See, as soon as Andy and I found out we were pregnant with Samantha we began to talk to James about having a sibling. Then, shortly after we found out we were having a girl, "the baby" became "Samantha." We talked about her a lot. We read books about babies and siblings. We made her such a part of our lives before she was even here that James seemed little phased when he FINALLY met her. He quickly put two and two together to know that SHE was who we were talking about all along. Well, in our effort to make James comfortable to having a sister, and trying to ease his adjustment to not being "the only one"...we may have also instilled some protectiveness.

For example, not too long ago we were in Target, and a little boy and his mom rode past our cart. The little boy pointed to Samantha and said, "Look mom, a baby." James then said (in a not so nice voice), "No, my baby Sisser. My Manfa (Samantha)" I then proceeded to explain to James that the little boy wasn't going to take her...he was just looking at her.

Then, this past weekend I got to visit with my cousin and her little boy Jack who is 9 and a half months old. The children were playing in the floor, and Samantha had her crinkle book (that she absolutely loves). Upon hearing it Jack quickly became interested in it (as children do) and he decided he wanted to see it. Well, as soon as Samantha discarded it to the floor, he was all over it. James promptly walked over and took the book back and said, "No, manfa's book" and handed the book back to Samantha! Then James and I had another talk about how Jack wasn't taking Samantha's book, he simply wanted to see and play with it too.

What can I say? He's a little protective...

I hope this is an indication of how he'll help us fend off the boys when they come knocking on our door... :o)

Good Deal

I found a killer deal on ebay for a Bumbo seat plus play tray. The seat plus tray usually retails for around $50, and I got mine on ebay for $28 (including shipping). I gotta be honest I'm very skeptical of baby toys because they often cost a lot of money, and it's about a 50/50 shot on whether or not your child will like it. However, our church has Bumbo seats in the nursery so I was able to experiment with it and see that Samantha liked it. So, it was well worth the purchase because Samantha loves it!! (and I love that I got a good deal :o)).

Ps. Please note that she was only on the counter for a minute for the picture and I was right there the whole time.

Snow at our house....

It's hard to believe that less than a month ago, there was SNOW at our house! Today the temp at our house got as high as 65 degrees. I even went outside in shorts...it was gorgeous! Here are some pictures from "the event"....

Where did you get those eyes?

Both of our children have blue eyes. Andy and I find this absolutely amazing, considering that I have hazel eyes and he has brownish-green eyes. Samantha's eyes still have time to change color since she's only 5 months old (although the pediatrician said they're so blue that she'd doubt they'd change color), but they are the first thing people notice about her...and I have to admit, I love them too!

My First Eating Experience

When James was a baby, he didn't care much for food. I call him "my snacker" because he would "snack" by eating a little here, a little there...this is why nursing did NOT work for him. Anyways, I never knew how different Samantha would be until she got here... I call her, "my full-meal girl". She is NOT going to miss a meal, and when she eats, she fills up so she won't eat again for another 3-4 hours! Well, I introduced her to cereal at about 4 and 1/2 months and she LOVED it!! She is now 5 and a 1/2 months, and she's almost taking the spoon out of my hand! Here are some cute picks from our very first eating experience...

Yummy....

I ate the whole thing!
How did all this stuff get on my face?

You're Still The One

"You're Still The One" By Shania Twain

Looks like we made it

Look how far we've come my baby

We mighta took the long way

We knew we'd get there someday They said, "I bet they'll never make it"

But just look at us holding on

We're still together still going strong

You're still the one I run to

The one that I belong to

You're still the one I want for life

You're still the one that I love

The only one I dream of

You're still the one I kiss good night

Ain't nothin' better

We beat the odds together

I'm glad we didn't listen

Look at what we would be missin'

They said, "I bet they'll never make it"

But just look at us holding on

We're still together still going strong

You're still the one I run to

The one that I belong to

You're still the one I want for life

You're still the one that I love

The only one I dream of

You're still the one I kiss good night

You're still the one, Andy! I love you more each day!! Happy Valentines Day!

Three Generations

Me, My mom, and Samantha over Christmas

Fun with the Caskey's

Over Christmas we were overjoyed to get the chance to have lunch with our friends, Beth and Jordan, and their little boy William. James and William had an absolute blast together, and Samantha really enjoyed meeting Beth! I hope it's not too much longer before we get to hang out again!!! We love you guys!!

Beth and Samantha

Andy, James, Jordan, and William

Can you tell me how you work that thing?

Below is a picture of James watching Blake (cousin) play a video game on Christmas day. Surprisingly, James simply watched Blake play without touching the screen or trying to play it himself. He just sorta stared in amazement like, "Can you tell me how to work that thing?" It was a sweet picture I'm glad I got the chance to catch!

Picture with Mama J

I think the hardest thing about taking pictures with multiple children is getting all of the chilren to cooperate. This picture was taken at Christmas and obviously my son was the ONLY one NOT cooperating. Oh well, it's something to remember, right?

Great-Grandma Jessalyn (mama J) with all of the great-grandkids - James, Blake, Samantha, and Brianna