blog

I want to blog again. I want to record this thoughts, our life. Mainly, I want to do this for my boys...preserving our memories. Maybe, I will make this a priority again in 2015.

home.

today my boys collected their first medals for finishing their first summer reading program, cannon bought a journal with a lock and key and has been drawing little inventions all day, visited Mrs. Natalie at A Very Little Bookstore, purchased clearance Nerf guns at Target and had a "war", played Capt. Hook and Peter Pan, watched the movie, purged the toy room in preparation for a yard sale (bucket list for cannon), drank Biggby, made a putt-putt course in my room with books, pillows, etc., "purchased" robots from cannon Trio Block creations, had fights and snuggle moments, and enjoyed being home after three weeks of being away. we enjoyed home.

Crazy Hair

Serious cuteness. 

Sutton's First Email from Dado

Brett recently had the idea to start an email account for the boys to send them little notes. Here is Sutton's first birthday email from Brett.





sutton, this is the first ever email i'm sending you. i look forward to sending many more. just had a very big birthday weekend to celebrate you turning 3 years old. i took friday off of work to get the yard ready for the big party. your mother worked extremely hard to pull together the surfing/beach boy theme. it was an amazing party that had a couple of pools, a slip-in-slide, water guns/balloons, and lots of bouncing on the trampoline. many of your friends/family attended. they included mimi, grandpa/gigi, uncles sean and ryan, aunt laura, and many of your friends. its hard to really put into words what you've meant to our family over your first 3 years. its also very hard to describe your personality at this point. here are some of your more noticeable traits as of now: 1) you have done a complete 180 and are now a big-time daddy's boy. 2) you will only do something if its your idea. everything has to be on your terms 3) i've never seen anyone change outfits more in one day and you refuse to wear anything you didn't pick out. 4) your diet consists of wogirk(yogurt), apple sauce, chick-fil-a chicken nuggets, pizza(your favorite), and anything sweet you can sneak behind the sofa and eat. 5) every person that sees you thinks you're the cutest thing on the planet, attempts to interact with you, and you will have nothing of it. 6) your favorite movie is Brave, starring Princess Merida. 7) you must be snuggled nightly to fall asleep and require your fishy pillow. 8) your sense of humor consists of "gassing".....constantly. 9) your bff right now is hudson poe. you two are inseparable! 10) you are full of love!!!!! i can't wait to celebrate many more birthdays with you and to see how your personality changes over time. as of right now, i couldn't imagine loving your more. talk to you soon, dado

Happy 3rd Birthday, Sutton.

Dear Sutton Button, Happy, Birthday! I cannot believe that you are already three! You have brought so much joy to our little family. I told you the other day that your special gift was making Cannon a brother. He loves you so much and truly is the best big brother to you. He is always trying to teach, help and take care of you. You are a typical little brother! You love to fight him, torture him and you do love him so much. At school this past year, when you would get hurt you would immediately begin crying and asking for "My Cannon". You do the same thing if you get in trouble with Mom or Dad. You expect your big brother to rescue you. I pray that you two will always love each other and be a true TEAM. There are so many ways to describe you: sweet, spirited, independent, humorous, screamer, clothes-lover, whoa-gurk (yogurt) eating, major sweet tooth, discerning palate, super snuggle bug, charmer, rotten, absolutely adorable, soccer pants fanatic... Sweet memories... you sneaking food and hiding to eat it. When I say food I actually mean anything with sugar! I recently found several candy wrappers behind the couch that you had been eating in secret. You are constantly asking for gum, candy, milkshakes, cookies and the like. You love to sleep with your fishy pillow and your "sleepy friends" which include Pete the Cat and Wink (a little owl) and sometimes Snuggie which is a blanket you have had since birth. You went from being an amazing sleeper to waking up every night and climbing into bed with Mommy, which you now call "your bed". You are a tough little boy and often when you get hurt I brace myself for tears and instead see smiles. You recently took a major face plant in the cul-de-sac on your bike and damaged your mouth and tooth (which you may loose). Dad said you took it like a champ, a few tears but nothing major. You DO NOT like for anyone to laugh at you! Recently, you fell playing baseball and some kids were laughing at your and you came after them, swinging, ready to fight them! Yes, short stuff, you were about to attack a 10 year old even! You have no fear when it come to fighting anyone. You are however, afraid of the witch in the movie Brave and Wizard of Oz. You are frightened by the darker images in movies. Which is interesting to me since you are so brave in real life situations. You are a MAJOR Daddy's boy! You are so content just sitting in his lap watching any of his shows...golf, football, baseball. You adore your Daddy. You LOVE clothes and you change clothes SEVERAL times a day. By several, I mean sometime five times within an hour! You destroy your closet multiple times a day and laugh about it! You want to wear soccer pants everyday! You have decided that you are going to play soccer with your best friend, Hudson Poe in the fall. Speaking of Hudson, I have never seen two little boys love each other so much! You each call each "my Sutton/Hudson". You two are a little team and love paling around which each other. I think he might just be your little 3 year old soul mate. You can consume over 40 yogurt tubes in a week. It is insane how much you eat!! We are beginning to think we have to stop the yogurt eating due to an awful case of cracking toes! You have cracks, scales and even little open wounds on your feet and Mommy thinks it might be because of eating waaaaay to much yogurt. You are very charming and get away with way to many naughty little antics. You have this special way of getting out of trouble. Its not just with Mommy either. It is amazing the way you can charm most anyone. You have shaggy hair and a little Baltic amber necklace that makes you look like a surfer. You tell people all the time that you are a surfer dude. We had a fun Surf themed birthday for you and it was totally tubular! You are ALL boy. You are fascinated by gas and all disgusting body sounds. Your favorite word is "poop" or any version. You pass gas all the time which you call "gassing". I call you a 21 year old frat boy stuck in a 3 year olds body. You will climb on my lap and force yourself to pass gas. We listen to you say "I gassed" about a million times a day. Recently, we were in Lowe’s and you said, “Mommy, did you gas?” Me: no. Then you looked at the cashier and said “did you gas?” She looked confused. Then you started laughing hysterically and said, “NOOOOO, I gassed”. Thankfully, you call it gas instead of the F@*t word that almost everyone else in the world says. That word is a no, no with Mommy. It is just one of the words I really dislike. Thank you for saying “gas”. I have never thought that “gas” humor was funny and we have always gone in separate rooms if we needed to pass gas. I have to admit, though, you have made me laugh about gas! I guess you have loosened Mommy up a little bit. FYI: Daddy STILL must take his gas in a separate room. Sutton you have brought so much humor and fun to our home. You are constantly making us laugh with your made up language and your silliness. I love you so much little boy. I pray that you keep your smile and infectious laugh, that you remain just as spirited as sweet. I pray that you live a long life full of laughter, happiness and love. I pray that God’s grace surrounds you and that you find accept Jesus into your heart at a young age . I pray that you seek God’s path for your life and live it to the fullest. Love, Mommy.

Oh, Dolly!

Dear Cannon, Do you know who Dolly Parton is? Well, just in case you don't here is a picture so that you know what she looks like. Well, this seemingly sweet lady, brought your Mommy to some major tears tonight. You see Mrs. Dolly has been sending you books from her Imagination Library since you were a baby. Every month you receive a book from her. Those books have found their way into our home and many are tucked fondly away in our hearts. Dolly gave you "The Little Engine that Could" as your first book, and as I type this I can hear you chugging away making your little train noises. One of my personal favorites, "Ferdinand", oh how we love him! She gave you "Big Brother, Little Brother" which you think is hilarious and I find to be a little ill-mannered. She gave you the "Look, Look Book" which Mommy read to you a million times a day before you could even talk. You would bring that little black and white book over and climb onto our laps. I remember telling Brett I had no idea why you loved that book so much but you did. The contrast of colors or perhaps it was the crazy way Mommy read it to you, you enjoyed it so. "Corduroy Goes to the Doctor" was read MANY, MANY times in preparation for the doctor's visits that you loved hated so much. I never really helped but I always hoped it would. Amazingly, at five you are no longer a challenge at the doctor's office! Oh my!! How could I forget, "Roar of a Snore"! How we laughed and laughed through that book and talked about Daddy's LOUD snores!! "Read to Tiger" was one that you memorized and we read and read and read! That was another one that elicited giggles, screaming and action too! Well, yesterday we received the book from Mrs. Dolly and I finally had a chance to read it to you tonight. Sometimes, she has a pre-printed letter inside of the book. The book for this month was "Watch Out Kindergarten, Here I Come!". I thought the title sounded fun. Sutton, you and I all piled into your bed as I turned to the first page. It was a letter from Dolly. I started to flip the page and for some reason I flipped back. This is what I read: "Dear Imagination Library Graduate: It seems like only yesterday you were a baby". Then, I realized this was your last book! The Imagination Library sends books until the child turns FIVE! I think back to when I signed you up for this program and that seems like yesterday. How can we already be at the five year old mark. I think having your turn five is going to be the hardest birthday for me. I can remember holding you in my arms and reading that silly "Look Book" and thinking that 5 was so far away and yet it is here and I am not ready. I don't want you to grow up, I want to to stay little. I want to freeze this moment. I want to freeze your sweet kisses and cuddles, all the mispronounced words that are slowly drifting away. I want to freeze your sweet innocent prayers and your tender heart. I want to freeze your huge messes on the bathroom floor when you decide to dive in or use the floor as a slip and slide. I want to freeze the moments when you ask to so belly-backs. I want to freeze the way your sometimes write your A's backwards even though you know the right way, I want to freeze those infectious five year old giggles! I don't want you to grow up. I want to keep you little and safe in my arms. I want to always be able to smell your sweet, smell as we cuddle in your bed, scratch your back, get your big wet, sometimes snotty kisses, read you books, and make you peanut butter and Nutella sandwiches. I love you so much, my sweet, sweet boy. I want to remember this moment, these tears streaming down my face. This sadness, I want to remember each day when you ask to cuddle a little longer even though laundry is waiting, or dinner needs to be cooked. I want to remember this when you ask me to build something and I am to busy. I want to remember this sadness and make the most of the time we have left for a know that all to soon "the clock will strike midnight and you will be gone".

5 years, 31 questions.

1. What is your favorite color? blue 2. What is your favorite toy? guns 3. What is your favorite fruit? blueberries 4. What is your favorite TV Show? Cyberchase 5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? 6. What is your favorite thing to wear? Chick-fil-a. I chicken sandwich. 7. What is your favorite game? 8. What is your favorite snack? Goldfish 9. What is your favorite animal? Elephants 10. What is your favorite song? My God's bot dead, He's Surely Alive, roaring like a lion. 11. What is your favorite book? Wocket in my Pocket 12. Who is your best friend? Harper, Evan and Kristopher 13. What is your favorite drink? Water 14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Trampoline 15. What is your favorite holiday? Easter 16. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Verdi and Target 17. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Green eggs and ham 18. What do you want to be when you grow up? Football player 19. Where is your favorite place to go? Hockey game 20. What food is NOT your favorite? mustard on a hotdog 21. What is your favorite food? hamburgers 22. Who is your favorite person? Who's your favorite person, Mommy? 23. What is your favorite movie? Rio 24. Tell me something no one knows about you. That I have a trampoline. 25. What do you like to do with your Dad? Golf. 26. What do you like to with your Mom? Love on her. 27. What do you like to do with Sutton? Attack him and kiss him. 28. What does it mean to love someone? To love them and say I forgive you. 29. Who do you love? My whole family. 30. Who is God? He loves us. 31. Who is Jesus? He died for our sins.