Favorite Foto Friday - Beach Vacation

Sadly, today is our last day in North Carolina.

Rather than bore you with "we saw this" and "we did that", I'll simply say it was a really great trip and let the pictures speak for themselves.

The only thing I will not miss about Atlantic Beach, NC is the excuriatingly slow speed of the internet. After spending literally 35 minutes uploading these few photos, I just don't have the patience to arrange them properly, so you'll have to enjoy them as is.

Favorite Foto Friday - Milestone

Aidan, 32 months old:

First solo book-reading experience not ending in riped or chewed pages.

Man of the House

Andy walked into the kitchen where I was doing dishes (okay, fine! Maybe I was checking my email) and we had the following conversation:

A: Mom! There is a crab in the playroom that pinches butts!
M(laughing): A crab that pinches butts, that's funny...oh, also don't say butts.
A: MOM.ITS.NOT.FUNNY. Butt-pinchers are very dangerous.
M: Oh.
A: Don't worry, I will catch him, cover his eyes and tell him to shoo.
M (trying to supress giggles): okay. Thank goodness you're here.
A: Yes, thank goodness. Otherwise Daddy would have to come home from his work.

Its so comforting to know Andy is now a qualified butt-pinching crab tamer. That's a load off my mind.

Three Years Ago Today...

Three years ago today, I understood...
why moms drive cautiously in the right lane
why dads spend hours baby-proofing the kitchen cabinets
why parents stand next to their baby's crib just to watch him breathe

Three years ago today, our house...
became a place overflowing with baby toys and accessories
became a place filled with the sweet sound of lullabies
became a place where a family lived

Three years ago today, I realized...
the joy of a baby's smile
the heartbreak of his cry
the sweetness of his hand in yours

Three years ago today, Andy filled...
our hearts,
our home,
our lives,
with love

Happy Family Day Andy! There isn't a day that goes by that Daddy & I don't thank God for the privilege of hearing you call us Mom and Dad.

Favorite Foto Friday - Out of Retirement

I bet when Chris gave him up many years ago, Potbelly Bear thought he'd spend the rest of his days in quiet reflection. I'm sure he didn't think he'd ever again...

...share a boy's dinner...

...or serve as a soft place for a child to rest his head...

...be part of movie night...

...or experience the joy of a really small one's really big hug...

Luckily for Potbelly, even when one particular boy grows up, there are always others waiting to love him.

Best Friends & Worst Enemies

Yesterday, the boys couldn't look at each other without a fight breaking out.

Today, they want only each other, telling me the playroom was for brothers only. Andy did briefly come out to "check on me" and told me "when Aidan grows up he will grow into a mommy-girl and I will marry him and be the daddy-mommy."

Such is the life of brothers.

Fav Foto Friday - The Fundamental Things Apply, As Time Goes By

The movie may have been more focused on kisses and love songs... ...but we've stumbled on another one of those "fundamental", unchanging parts of life...

...as long as there are little brothers, there will be big brothers to torment them.

In Case You're Unaware

Aidan wants to make sure you know they're called thunderworks. It doesn't matter if everyone else calls them something different. Everyone else is wrong. Thunderworks. That's the real name.

I'm envious of my two year old's stubborn self confidence.

You're Invited

To visit I Spy a Family - my new blog!

I love documenting our lives here and this blog will still be the place to come for Favorite Foto Friday, funny things the boys do and the latest in our day-to-day lives. My new blog will be somewhat anonymous, complete with fake names and no identifying pictures, which will give me the chance to write about my experiences as a mom without worrying about the information I'm putting out there for the whole world to see.

I hope to see you over there and look forward to sharing a bit more about our family.

http://www.ispyafamily.blogspot.com/