Little Brother

Dear Gage,

Yesterday I had a 19 week ultrasound and it was discovered that you are going to have a baby BROTHER! Your Dada's face lit up like the Fourth of July when we heard the good news. I am very excited too and this means we don't have to buy all new bedding, toys, clothes, blankets, etc. Having a little girl to dress in ribbons and bows would have been lovely, but having a baby boy will be a little easier. You're going to have a little brother to train in all the ways of a little boy. The most important thing learned yesterday, is baby boy is extremely healthy, all parts are functioning properly and is measuring right at 19 1/2 weeks! We have been very blessed thus far with this pregnancy and continue to pray for continued health for the remaining 20 weeks! He'll be here before we know it!

Sucking his thumb

Healthy baby boy!

I love you so much,
Mommy

Ink Pen Mischief

Dear Gage,

A few days ago you decided to practice your art skills with an ink pen, on our couch! I'm not really sure where you found the ink pen, but while you were alone for 2 minutes in the living room, you went to town on the couch. All five cushions were reflections of your self expression. While I appreciate y our art, I don't appreciate it on the furniture. I sought help for cleaning the couch on facebook and received several ideas. Among them were rubbing alcohol, hair spray, Goo Gone and Norwex wipes. I didn't have any Norwex wipes and not enough Goo Gone to tackle all five cushions, so I went with the alcohol. I poured some off into a spray bottle and armed myself with our little cleaning brush. After 15 minutes of spraying and scrubbing, the ink was gone, and so was your art work. I'm sorry, but it had to be done.

Before

After

I love you,
Mommy

Greenwood Class of 2002 Reunion

Dear Gage,

Last weekend your daddy and I went to my 10 year class reunion. You didn't go with us, so you might be wondering why I'm writing you a letter about it. While you weren't there in person, you were ever present in spirit. It seemed like everyone we talked to was a huge fan of yours. I still post your daily photos on facebook at weekly increments, so everyone can see your recent pictures. We were introduced to spouses and partners as the parents of the really cute boy! It was so flattering that others believe what we do, that you are absolutely adorable! There were also some people who follow this blog and read about your life. It was really nice to know that people are interested in all the crazy things you do! You seem to have quite a following.

Mommy and her pregnant friend Bridgette

Elizabeth and Chris Thomas

Kevin, Oriaku, Mommy, Elizabeth and Chris

Annie, Anna, and Mommy

I had a really great time catching up with friends from high school. It was great to see everyone so grown up and doing well!

I love you,
Mommy

Visit with the Salyer family

Dear Gage,

On Thursday night we went over to see Dustin, Amanda and Emma. It has been nearly six months since we've seen them and that has been too long. We last saw them at Emma's first birthday party. You both were barely walking and only saying a few words. My how babies change in 6 months! You were both running around, talking up a storm, playing with toys and harrassing the animals! Good times. You haven't really been around cats, and only see them in pictures. The had a little calico cat sitting under their table and as soon as you saw it, you screamed out "cat!" and proceeded to chase it around. You finally got a hold of it and tried to pick it up. Poor little kitty. He was more than happy to go outside after that.

After a delicious dinner, we went for a swim in their pool. It was a little later in the evening, but the water was so warm and refreshing. We hadn't been swimming since our vacation, but you acted like a pro. You kept trying to get out of my arms and swim around, when you do not know yet how to swim. You're a brave little boy! We had a great time swimming around the pool, throwing the beach balls back and forth and you had a great time splashing everyone!

You splashed right before Daddy took the picture

Mommies and their babies

Giving hugs Goodbye

We had a great time with the Salyer family and we have promised each other it won't be six months before we see each other again!

I love you,
Mommy

Vacation Day 8 (6/24/12)

Dear Gage,

We left Miramar Beach pretty early this morning, and it was perfect timing. As we pulled out of the parking lot of the town house, it started raining. We drove along the beach for about a mile and it was a scary sight. Dark clouds in the distance, large waves and strong wind. I'm glad Debby decided to wait for us to leave. Our drive home was quite uneventful. With it being a Sunday, the traffic was light and there wasn't any construction going on. You were content watching The Sword in the Stone and Snow White, in between cat naps. We stopped in Alabama to refuel and got gas for $2.99 a gallon! That's the lowest I've seen gas prices in quite a while! It was a nice relief. We drove through four states to get home: Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, and Kentucky.

Alabama the Beautiful, and hot

Cheap gas

Sleeping beauties

Tennessee

Home Sweet Home

We had a great time on vacation, but it was nice to finally be home!

I love you,
Mommy+

Vacation Day 7 (6/23/12)

Dear Gage,

Today was our last full day in Miramar Beach, so we decided to spend as much time out on the beach as possible and soak up some rays. Mother Nature had a different idea in mind. Tropical Storm Debby started brewing out in the Gulf, so we had overcast skies. It rained one time during the course of the day, and luckily we were inside eating lunch. The storm made the waves rough and the rip currents strong. We didn't go out any further than waist deep and you didn't make it out past your ankles. We didn't let the weather ruin our fun. We had a lot of fun playing on the beach, building sand castles, and relaxing on the beach.

Looking out at the big water

Self portrait on the beach

Playing in a hole

Tearing down the castle Daddy built. This ended up being your favorite
thing to do, destroying everything we built!



Daddy's big castle

After we packed up and went inside for the day, we cleaned up and went out to eat dinner. We ate at a restaurant not far down the road called Big Kahuna's. We were worried there would be a wait since it was Saturday night, but we got lucky and got a table immediately. We feasted on fried calamari and oysters for appetizers. You got your own fried shrimp plate for your meal and you loved it! I gave you some steamed veggies off my plate to round out your meal, and you ate them up!

 

Sissy eating calamari



Daddy preparing the raw oysters

 

Happy boy after a yummy dinner

After dinner, we took our final stroll on the beach and posed for pictures. The wind was really picking up from the storm and the beach patrol had hung double red flags warning people to stay out of the water. It looked like we were going to be leaving Florida just in time.

Mommy and Gage :)

 

Daddy and his babies

I love you,

Mommy

Vacation Day 6 and Daddy's Birthday (6/22/12)

Dear Gage,

Today we celebrated Daddy's 31st birthday! Daddy wanted to spend the day relaxing, so we got out to the beach pretty early and set up our umbrellas and chairs. Dillion and his family were out there too, so you and Daddy helped Dillion build a sand castle. The waves were a little rough, so we didn't get too far out in the water. We waded in the waves, played in the sand, and soaked up the sun. It was a very relaxing day on the beach.

All ready for the beach

Checking out the water with Daddy

Playing ball on the beach

Building a castle with Sissy

 Before we left the beach for the day, you decided to imitate a crab and crawl in the sand. You crawled around for about 5 minutes, covering your body and hair with the white sand. It was so funny, but we weren't laughing come bath time. Talk about a challenge!

Posing for a picture after crawling around in the sand

Daddy wanted to cook dinner at the townhouse, so we went to a local seafood market and bought some fresh shrimp and smoked tuna dip. We feasted on grilled shrimp, tuna dip, green beans, steamed veggies, cole slaw and fried squash and zucchini. We couldn't have found a better meal anywhere. I had gone to the store and gotten Daddy his favorite cake: cheesecake! I got one of the sampler cakes with a variety of flavors. You and Sissy liked the chocolate pieces the best. I really liked the raspberry and Daddy liked the plain.


Happy Birthday Daddy!

We decided to walk off our dinner with a stroll on the beach. We took nets and flashlights with hopes of catching a few sea critters. No such luck, but we had a nice walk and the breeze from the Gulf was so refreshing!

Out on the beach with your Shark Bait shirt

We had a great day and Daddy had a great 31st birthday!

I love you,
Mommy

Vacation Day 5 (6/21/12)

Dear Gage,

Today we decided to relax and spend our day out on the beach. Shortly after we got down to the beach, we saw our first beach critter: a crab. And we didn't just see one crab, we ended up seeing 4 or 5 during the course of the day. After we returned to the beach from our lunch break, we had a small crab camped out underneath our umbrellas. You were quite fascitated with the little creatures and weren't sure how to react. You would advance on one, and it was run the other way. You'd follow it and it would change directions. It was so cute watching you chase the crab around.

Our beach buddy

This afternoon after deciding we had enough of the beach, we packed up and came back to our little house. On our way back, we saw an ice cream truck and decided we had to patronize it. Daddy and Sissy got strawberry crunch bars, I got an orange cream sickle and you got a chocolate and vanilla ice cream bar. Once we got back to the room, we chowed down. I didn't get to eat mine and instead helped you eat yours. It was a nice, refreshing treat from a hot day out on the beach.

Waiting in  line at the ice cream truck

Yummy chocolate and vanilla

Sharing some of Daddy's ice cream

After ice cream, we took a fun dip in the pool. Tonight we decided to eat at home. We had left over green beans and cabbage from Tuesday night, along with some fresh fried squash, grilled zucchini, grilled turkey sausage and New York Strip. It was a wonderful dinner and you ate very well.

Thursday nights are celebrated in the harbor with a firework show, so once the sun started to set, we took off down the beach so we could catch the show. The harbor is about 6 miles from where we are staying, so we were hoping we would be able to see the fireworks. As we walked down the wooden walkway beside the beach, you were hollering, "Beach, beach, beach!" I'm glad you like that word and use it in the correct context, but it does sort of sound like a naughty word. So as you're screaming about the beach, we throw in a few comments like, "Yes, we're going to the beach. You're so excited about the beach." (just to clarify what you're saying). We got down onto the beach just in time to see the firework show. We were still pretty far away, but we could still see the show and enjoyed it just the same.

Today was a great day! I love you so much!

Mommy

Little Elmo (7/7/12)

Dear Gage,

Daddy found you a little Elmo outfit at a yard sale today and decided to dress you up! All you need to do now is start singing the Elmo's World theme song, and we'll have your act ready for Halloween!

I love you,
Mommy

First visit to the dentist

Dear Gage,

Today we took you to see the dentist for the very first time. We went to see Dr. Randy Elliott at the referral of Dr. Chris. The office was super neat. There were video games in the lobby and you thought it was pretty cool to watch. There was a boy around the age of 5 who was playing one of the games. He invited you to sit and play with him, but you were acting shy. It was ok, because we got called back pretty quick.

We went to our station and the hygienist had you sit in the chair. You didn't like the chair too much, so I sat down with you on my lap. The area was open, so we could see all the other kids in the office waiting to see the dentist. You were getting a little antsy so the hygienist gave you a little toy hammer to play with. That won you over! You liked her after that.

Not sure about this big chair



The hygienist was wanting to look at your teeth, so she was trying to get you to say "aaah." You weren't really sure what this silly lady was doing, so Daddy did it, then I did. After that, you decided it was ok to do so you opened your mouth and started saying, "aaah!"

Saying "aaah" with Daddy

The dentist made his way over to our area and it was time to give you an examination. Daddy was in the chair with you at this point, so he laid you back on the foot rest and the dentist took his post in the wheelie chair. He had a little dental mirror that he let you hold while he did the exam. You were such a good boy. I was so afraid you were going to cry, but you didn't. You sat so still for him and opened your mouth wide. We are so proud of you! You are growing up so fast!!

Getting your teeth checked by Dr. Elliott

I love you,

Mommy

Basil Griffin Park

Dear Gage,

This week the weather has cooled down, so we took advantage of the 90 degree weather and went to the park. We went to Basil Griffin Park with a half bag of hot dog buns and our bicycles. We went to the lake side first and fed the ducks. It was a little frightening when they started flocking around us, but we kept our distance and threw the bread out. They really liked the bread and you thought they were very neat.

Excited about the ducks

Thinking about getting in the water

After feeding the ducks, you went on a bike ride with Daddy while I walked. It was great to get out and exercise. This cold snap (90 compared to 105) has made it a lot more bearable to be outside. You really enjoyed riding around the park with Daddy and afterward you played on the playground. The slides were a little too hot but the swings were fine. You had a great time!

Bike ride with Daddy

Sliding with Daddy

Having fun swinging

I love you,
Mommy