A double birthday party

Bradley trying out the zip-linethe prettiest and sweetest ballerina there

the performance

Bradley and Eli in the ball pit

Bradley and Eli having a blast throwing all the balls OUT of the pit

Rachel trying a flip on the bar

Rachel and her old buddy, Camryn, on the beam

Bradley...very tired...at the end of the party, with a dinosaur painted on his face

Last week, Rachel and Bradley got invited to a birthday party for their (sibling) friends, Raquel and Eli. They were turning 5 and 3. Raquel's birthday theme was ballerinas, and Eli's was (appropriately) dinosaurs. Both kids were so excited that they were going to the School Street Gym (where Rachel used to take gymnastics) to play and party! The whole thing was great and the ballerinas even put on a mini-performance for the moms at the end, complete with make-up and spray painted hair. The boys had fun running around the gym and using the equipment, and of course, getting their faces painted.

The boys take their first bath together

"welcome to the big boy tub, Trent!"
"Isn't this fun?!"

"look at me splashing in this big tub!"

"aww, shucks, ain't I cute??!!"

Yesterday was the first time we've tried to bathe the boys together. Now that Trent is sitting up very steadily, we figured he could handle the bath seat in the big tub instead of sitting in the baby tub. Bradley was so excited that he was going to take a bath with his baby brother. He picked out several bath toys that he thought Trent would enjoy playing with. Trent was equally excited when he saw the large tub filled with water and he had more freedom to move in the water. The whole experience was precious of both boys. Of course, after the bath was over, Rachel asked if Trent could take a bath with just her some time too. So, Trent may be taking a bath with alternate siblings until the excitement wears off.

6 Months Old!!!!!!!!!!!

TNM @ 6 mo.
BFM @ 6 mo.

I recently took Trent (by himself!) for his 6 month check-up. This is actually one of the fews time he's gone to the pediatrician without a sibling. It was nice being able to concentrate on Trent for a change! Poor baby got 3 shots and he was furious, as always, but really did well. Anyway, Trent is doing GREAT and growing wonderfully in every direction! He weighed 19 lbs. 7 oz. and was 28 in. long. When I got home, I wanted to see how R & B compared at 6 months. Here's the lowdown:

Rachel - 19 lbs. 14 oz., 27 in. long

Bradley- 18 lbs. 10 oz. 27 in. long

So, it looks like Rachel took the lead in the weight at 6 months, but Trent's got the height. It'll be fun to see how he compares as he continues to grow! We're so thankful for our precious son, a blessing who makes baby-rearing the 3rd time around, sooooooooooo easy! We love you, Trenty!!

(By the way, I don't have any pics on my computer of Rach when she was 6 months.)

Gramma 12/30/20-10/03/09

(Pictures are in random order!!)

Juj- July 2008

July 2008

July 2008

July 2008

July 2008- Alex

August 2009- Trent

August 2009

June 2008- Bradley

June 2008

June 2008

Gramma's American-made "Satrun" (Saturn)

the pump house

5933 Old Stone Mountain Road

back of Gramma's house

View from across the street

March 2008

March 2008

January 2007- Bradley

January 2007- Bradley

Christmas 2007

June 2008

July 2008- Gramma's rocker

July 2008

August 2008

August 2008

November 2008

November 2008

December 2008

April 2009

April 2009



We sure will miss our sweet Gramma...she was strong, loving, kind, caring and always wanted to take care of her family. She was fiercely loyal to those she loved and cared for. I spent many of my young years at her house playing in and exploring her yard. I have fond memories of eating fried chicken (just the skin for me, please!), zipper peas, cornbread and lots of other homemade fixins for Sunday dinners. I remember that she always kept fudge swirl ice cream in her freezer for us to eat in special cups/mugs. I remember she always made us sandwiches on fresh white bread with peter pan peanut butter and cheddar/sour cream chips with a cup of milk. I remember playing "office" or "school" in the guest room with Wendy and Tommy. I remember a turquoise and a purple bathroom...in the same house. I remember cat knick-knacks placed everywhere...pictures, figurines and calendars that featured cats. I remember that large sliding glass door that led to the patio and a heavy curtain that covered it. I remember a large round bulbed lamp that clicked on different bulbs with each click. I remember cartoons and Dallas. I remember a loving grandmother who loved having us with her. I remember a pretty lady who was always dressed well in cute clothes with perfectly coiffed hair. I remember the pump house that I was unsure of what it was for and the huge steps that led down to it. I remember the boxwoods that were planted in front of the house. I remember hugs and kisses and kind words. I remember visits that she didn't want to end because she was enjoying the company so much. Since I became a mother, I remember her enjoying watching her grandchildren have children. She loved watching her great grankids as they grew older. I'm so thankful that all 3 of my kids had the privilege of meeting her and developing a bond with her. I'll miss visiting with her. It wasn't often, but when we went to see Gram, it was a special time. She truly lit up when the kids walked into the room. They brought with them an air of youth and vitality that she seemed to absorb for a short time. Rachel loved getting to see her Gramma and summed it up best. We told her tonight that Gramma had passed away. We tried to keep it as simple and easy to understand as possible. We just simply said that Gramma had died. Rachel said, "my gramma?" I said, "yes". She said, "where did she die?" I said at her house, the white one that we used to visit." She said, "but who's going to be my gramma now?" I said, "no one, baby." I think she just about summed it up...we cannot replace our precious Gram. She was one of a kind and dear to our hearts and family gatherings will not be the same without her. But, I know she lived a long life, full of many great and challenging things and she made an impact on many people in her 88 years on earth. Now we can look forward to seeing her again one day in heaven.

Rest in peace, Gramma, we love you...

Walking with the Dinosaurs

Well, tonight we got to go to an awesome production of "Walking with the Dinosaurs" at the Gwinnett Arena. It was AWESOME!!! The dinosaurs looked so lifelike...the way they moved and the roars they made. There was a narrator that explained about the different eras and how it affected the dinos. I was originally worried that Bradley would be scared by the size of the dinos, but Rachel was more scared than he was. She has such a creative imagination that it works overtime sometimes, and she had psyched herself out about the dinos. But, once she saw them and realized that the small ones were actually moving because there were people inside them and the large ones had a person in a car-like contraption underneath them, she wasn't scared at all. Bradley loved it too, only he didn't like the loud roars that the dinos would emit every once in awhile. The whole show was so cool, so exciting, so well-done, that it didn't even feel like it was as long as it was...about an hour and a half with an intermission. Of course, Trent was a precious angel, as always, and didn't make a peep. He enjoyed his paci and snoozed in my lap...what an easy-going baby! We had such a good time and I'm so glad we got to go! We don't frequent Gwinnett too often and noticed that we were the minority at the arena. On the way home, we were driving down Sugarloaf Parkway and Rachel said, "Mommy, I saw a Genie!!!" She was so excited and Nick and I just chuckled and agreed with her even though what she had actually seen was an Arab man with a huge turban on his head walking on the sidewalk. I thought that was hilarious...but definitely a sign of the diversity of Gwinnett county!

Flip Flop

We are on day 2 of operation: Flip Flop. Otherwise known as: let's swap the kid's rooms. We had a couple of reasons for doing it. One, the bunkbeds were already in the larger room (Rachel's) and we thought it would be silly to move them to the smaller room (Bradley's). Also, we have been trying to decide when to move Trent's crib out of our bedroom. I certainly don't mind having him in our room, but he's so stinkin' easy, that he doesn't even need me that much during the night. That sweet boy will sleep lots and awaken only once to nurse for a few minutes and then he's back to sleep again. He makes everything so easy! So, we were thinking about going ahead and putting the crib in Bradley's new room (the boy's room) and just setting up the pack-n-play in our room for daytime naps. That way, Rach and Brad can still play in the boy's room during the day if they want and Trent won't be disturbed. Anyway, in the process of moving things, we have also decided to PURGE toys and de-clutter and throw away some things. So, while it's liberating, it's also a huge task! But, we're actually having fun!! (We're also having a garage sale on Saturday to see if we can sell any of the stuff...if not, it's off to Goodwill!) The next step is flip-flopping the closets. THEN, we can start on the painting! We're going to re-paint the boy's room in a khaki color with a denim blue accent wall and use all the adorable cowboy decorations that were cousin Carter's old things. Rachel has picked a new look for her room too...mostly pinks with some orange (it's actually quite cute) and she's wavering between a floral mural or a horse painted on her wall. I don't mind either one...as long as I can get something good to copy. So, we'll be painting all of her furniture as well as her walls! Anyway, I'll get some pics of the new digs soon, so I can share our progress as we go. I'm not sure exactly how long it will take to finish it all!!

Guess who loves his paci?

Well, as though Trent could be any more laidback, easy-going and just plain content...he just made things even easier. He has decided (at 5 1/2 months) that he likes his pacifier now. Fine with me!!! I love it that he goes along with whatever...pacifier-sure; sleep-okay; swing-sounds good; play on the floor-whatever; jump in my jumparoo-yippee!! I just didn't know that babies like this existed. Rachel and Bradley were not difficult babies at all, but they certainly weren't as laidback as their baby brother. Of course, Nick and I are even more relaxed this time, so that may have more to do with it. Anyway, we sure do love our sweet Trent-y poo!!! And, I think he looks adorable with his paci!!! (as long as he wants to use it!) :)