Polar Express

One of the best things about the town we live in is that we have a real train depot. As far as I know, there is only one like it in the state- and it is literally 10 minutes from our house. We have taken Wyatt many times, and they have fun activities year round for the kiddos. Thomas the Train comes every spring and during the fall the entire family can take a train ride to the local pumpkin patch.

For one reason or another, we have never participated in the Polar Express at Christmastime- until last week. This was one of the BEST experiences we have ever had with Wyatt and Delaney. Their little faces literally lit up when we boarded. Between the live acoustic music in our train car, getting to wear their PJ's, visiting with Santa and being served with cookies and milk- these two were in seventh heaven. I just love this age- everything is starting to click and it is all so magical.

I know as moms, we all kill ourselves trying to make the holidays special for our kids. In the end it is completely worth it. I would do it 100 times over just to see the precious look on my little guys face as he soaks up Christmas and the wonder of it all ...

Preparing

We are in the midst of full-on planning mode around here. I found myself reaching a place of panic as week 30 loomed ahead and began peppering my husband with deadlines. Cleaning the guest room out, painting, assembling baby girl's crib, installing a chandelier (a sweet gift from my sister in law!) . It is all coming together, and for a control-freak like me, my panic is abased... for the time being-- I am thrilled to be decorating a girl's room- oh my goodness, what fun.  It has been a dream of mine for a very, very long time. Probably as long as I can remember.

Tonight I found myself leaning up against the door jam of my now Robin's-egg-blue nursery for almost an hour, wondering just how I deserve so many blessings. Tiny pink onesies, giant hairbows, smocked dresses and distressed furniture-- directly across the hall from the most precious,  rough-and-tumble four-year-old boy in the entire world. My God, how you love me-- and how much I take for granted.

The second time around isn't quite as nerve-wracking as the first time, but I still can find myself giving way to fear, stress and nervousness as I try to remember what life is like with a newborn and wonder what life will be like with two. I am the world's absolute worst at enjoying what is in front of me and living in the moment. I want to be the best and most organized on every front, and I want to do it right.now. I feel guilty for not journaling every waking moment of the pregnancy. I feel guilty for letting the days pass so quickly and trying infinitely, and failing, to cherish every tiny tidbit of this time in my life. My mantra seems to always revolve around doing the most I can for every single person I can -- and sometimes, it comes at a cost. Most of the time, I admire those who can take a breath, take time for themselves and soak up the goodness that this life has to offer, and wonder how in the heck they do it.  My prayer is that as my children grow, they will learn with me and through me to be a vessel for His Kingdom. I also pray that I will hear God's voice in telling me that it is okay to rest in Him.

Oh, I am thankful this Thanksgiving. My prayer for the next few days is that my heart will still and rest in Him. That I will enjoy whats in front of me, and let tomorrow worry for itself. I pray that I will relish in the blessings of this time in my life and stop stressing over what still needs to be marked off the list (Lord knows my husband would enjoy the break too!). The busier life gets, the easier it is to forget that one day, this chaos will end -- all too quickly. 

Whirlwind of a Weekend

Delaney Grace... how did you get so big?!

There have been so many highlights of this weekend (Wyatt shoving his old baby comb into the drive on the PC not being one of them) that I am not sure how best to sum it up.

I have a love-hate relationship with these kinds of weekends. I love them because there is nothing better than being among close friends and family and the excitement of rushing from one activity to the next. There is also nothing more exhausting. We had t-ball and birthday parties galore, church, after-church meetings- not to mention the spring chores including planting our garden and mulching flower beds.

It's Sunday afternoon and I think I might be more tired than I was on Friday.

I did, however get these... from a certain little boy (pre-computer destruction in case anyone was wondering).

He picked them simply because- in his words- he loves me :) I am still trying to put myself together after melting all over the floor. Oh how I love having a little boy. I have to catalog these moments because I know one day we will be fighting over keeping his room clean and he won't want to be seen with me. Until then, I have these precious and tender gestures that make him seem so grown up compared to just six months ago. I ask myself this a million times a day--

How did I get so blessed?

Which also begs the question- what in the heck did I used to do with all of my spare time??

It's quite comical to think about this. I was asked the other day what my hobbies were I almost laughed out loud. Does sprinting through Publix count? Washing jerseys? Planning birthday parties? One of these days I will get back to reading a novel a week, cooking fantastic meals and writing features... in this stage of life I am good with the t-ball games, sweaty hugs, home grown flowers and little kisses in between :)

Happy Sunday!

Take Me Out To The Ball Game

T-ball season is in full swing (pun intended). I honestly did not think I was going to be one of those crazy moms who signs their son up for organized sports before they can even write their name- but.. alas, here we are. I think it was the thought of burning off some energy that sold me on it. Then, I saw him in the teeniest of jerseys and minature Rawlings (complete with a color-coordinated belt) and almost melted on the spot.

I don't think there is anything on earth that could be more precious than this.

Another surprise? I LOVE the ballpark on a warm Saturday. There is something about the sun, the dirt and the dugout that is just so darn fun. I love watching Mark try to keep a bunch of preschoolers from rolling around in the infield or to encourage them to actually touch home plate rather than heading directly for the dugout after rounding third.

Seriously, its the best! I think this self-proclaimed girly-girl might be trading boutique browsing for the bleachers and salon Saturdays for the spring Sunshine. I know, it's crazy. Don't worry though, I am drawing the line. There will be no shooting houses, turkey blinds or stints in the woods for this mom. That is strictly daddy/son time :)

A day like today...

This morning, I was uber (yes, it is a word) proud of myself. Not only did I make coffee, feed the dog, feed my child, got myself ready, packed two lunches, dressed my son, organized a back pack, refilled a juice cup, and loaded us into my toasty car (because of course I started it ahead of time), I also had us pulling out of the driveway at 6:20 a.m. BY MYSELF.

I know, I was patting myself on the back too. In fact, I was thinking of ways to nominate myself for some mom-of-the-year-award for oh, the entire 45 minutes to Wyatt's school. Even the traffic seemed to lighten. In fact, there was no traffic. Given the fact that I left before the crack of dawn, I was feeling pretty darn smug. Right up until the point that I pulled into the parking lot only to discover that I was the first in the carpool line. And the lights weren't on. And... OH S%^*.

It's a national holiday. No school. My husband is 500 miles away, the in-laws are dealing with a family crisis. And... I am pretty much SOL. No vacation time left. No such thing as working from home in my world. Just as I was beginning to imagine the horror of a three-and-a-half year old running rampant through the office terrorizing my co-workers and pissing my boss off, I decided to desperately dial the drop-in care at the hospital, praying for a miracle. A miracle I got. I must be living right, because the heavens parted and allowed me the last spot in the preschool room.

At lunch, given that Wyatt had failed his hearing screening at school the week before, I called an audiologist friend that works at the same campus as me. She graciously agreed to retest him, reassuring me that he probably just got distracted the first go-round. We headed over to the clinic, only to discover a flat line test, and definite hearing loss. Two appointments later, and my work day shot- we are bounding towards the land of tubes. Thus far this year, we have paid for our ENT's trip to Maui and new BMW-- now we can add the lake house to our tab :)

This day was stressful, and we have many more hurdles to get through the rest of this week- however, I am so very thankful that this is all that I have to complain about. These are things that can be fixed. My family is healthy, my little boy will regain his hearing and I will make it through my surgery at the end of the week. I might be a nervous wreck, and feel like the worst mom in the world at times, but I am crawling along. As this day concludes, I can't help but laugh at the chaos and feel grateful for all that I have.

This new year has brought new perspective-- let's hope it sticks around :)

Labor "less" Weekend with Uncle Kurt

I am a little behind on posting, but this pretty much sums up our Labor Day weekend. We were blessed with one day of semi-sun on Friday, and took full advantage of our beach time. The rest of the weekend we enjoyed the Auburn win, cooked and played with Uncle Kurt. It was so nice just to relax and enjoy spending time together as a family.

Tropical Storm Lee was a doozie, and when we returned back to Birmingham, we lost power for two days. Wyatt entertained himself by stomping around in his rain boots and pretending to watch cartoons. He wasn't nearly as excited as we were when our power was restored :)

Sittin' on the dock of the bay...

It's hard to believe that the summer is half over! We had a wonderful Destin-filled holiday. These two munchkins couldn't have been happier (i.e. rambunctious as all get out :) to spend four uninterrupted days on the coast with one of their favorite uncles.

It may be the last of the traveling we do for a while (other than the three of us going to Atlanta). It is beyond exhausting to protect, entertain and discipline an almost three-year-old when he is around his 10-month-old cousin for an extended period of time. I probably sound like the Wicked Witch of the West after asking 9,458 times for him to give a toy back, or to stop whining or to quit throwing sand.

Of course it was well worth the trouble to see the look in their eyes as the fireworks started. Sitting on that dock in a rare moment of peace, my sister -in -law and I commented that though it was a lot of work to get them down there and keep them from killing each other, it was, in deed, worth it. I still do not understand how those of you with two or more do it! I can already tell that Wyatt's 3rd year is going to be quite the challenge.

Along increasing independence, Wyatt's rebellious side is ramping up. I feel I am having to keep a check on my frustration level more often than not, and also come up with creative ways to get him to do what he needs to do when he needs to do it- not easy, let me tell ya. I only wish babies came with lifelong instruction manuals :)

We returned home just in time to hit the party planning in full force. Everything is starting to come together, and we can't wait to celebrate the big #3!

This little pirate is ready... let's just hope I am ;)

Gulf Coast Getaway

Of course my husband knew the Captain of Zeke's Deep Sea Fishing Fleet :) Here he is, introducing Wyatt and drooling over the Red Fish
Thinking about where he is going to run next...
Vacation = Breakfast In Bed!
Crabbing with Daddy
What would be a trip to Orange Beach without the family beach picture?!
Seriously. Love. Tacky. Jack's. Wyatt loved the live music and the fried goodness in that basket
And, the sand and surf
Mark, Wyatt and I stole away for a quick trip to the coast this weekend. It was, by all means, one of the best weekends I have ever had. I swear, family is all that is right with the world- and there is nothing that clears my head or renders my soul more than selfish hours spent with the people I love the most.

We laughed, played, ate and slept. I came home feeling rested and ready for tomorrow. We did have a little bit of a let down that Wyatt is 3rd on the surgery list, and will have to go until 10 a.m. with no breakfast or his beloved apple juice. No one loves juice more than my son. Please pray for our sanity!

I was also prepared for the distinct possiblility that he will have to be admitted. I am praying, praying, praying that he does exceptionally well and can go home tomorrow.

Will be back tomorrow to update everyone. I can't thank you enough for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers!

Kick Start to Summer

Me and my sweet Lily girl :)




I hope that you all had a wonderful Memorial Day! I am so grateful to all of those in uniform, and overwhelmed by the sacrifices that have been made to secure our freedom. My daddy is a veteran, and I am thankful for his service to our country.

We had the kind of weekend that made me never want to return to the 'real' world. Mark smoked his famous boston butt, we enojoyed our new patio furniture (thanks, AL state tax return :) ate a ton of amazing food and spent the rest of the holiday with the Bufkin's on the lake.

Food, family and good friends is a great way to begin the summer, don't you think?

Gatlinburg

My little preppy pink polo model
In the blink of an eye, he'll be driving the real deal- for now, we'll take this!
Three Generations of Olis Boys


My loves :)

And, finally... just to prove we actually did hike 2.6 miles.

You guessed it- we just returned from a weekend trip to the Smokey Mountains (or "Mounts" as Wyatt calls them). Mark's parents and brother had a wedding to attend, and we tagged along if for no other reason than because we don't travel alone in this family ;).

Anyways, we had a great time! Wyatt has gotten to do a lot of fun things this year, and now we can add the Smokies to list.

Mark was happy for the hiking, I was happy for the shopping, and Wyatt was happy for the pool (and the go karts too). All in all, a wonderful vacation.

Wyatt's 3rd Easter- Part 2

Hunting... what Olis boys do best :)


Yes, it is smocked- guess who won the clothing battle this year?! ;)
Sweetness

So blessed to have most of the family to join us for Easter Sunday!


The loot

Wyatt's first egg-dying experience (yes, my child is almost three, and has never dyed eggs. I will admit that in rare cases, my OCD might inhibit the formation of family tradition)
Missy Prissy's Easter Basket from Wyatt...
Playing with baby Zach

He is Risen! Easter was nothing short of wonderful. I am so humbled to worship a risen Savior and blessed beyond measure to have family and friends to revel in the glory of an empty tomb.

Zach came to play with us on Saturday so that his sister could go to swim lessons. He is such a sweet and content baby, and Wyatt had a blast playing with him. I didn't want to give him back!

Saturday evening we dyed eggs at Steph and Joey's and Joey's side of the family joined us for church Sunday morning for the Easter service. I helped with Children's church, so I had to catch the message online today. I think you know it's good when you have to fight back the tears and the goosebumps in front of the computer. I simply cannot say enough about how grateful I am for our church, our pastor and our friends who worship with us.

We enjoyed a fun and relaxing day at Mark's parents house that included a fabulous lunch and the best egg hunt yet-- Wyatt is a pro these days :)

Hope your Easter was as blessed as ours!