Sawyer's First Day at the Beach

On Memorial Day weekend, we made plans to go to the beach with friends.  It was an absolutely beautiful afternoon, and I was so excited to introduce Sawyer to one of my favorite places to be.  He loved the sand, but was not a huge fan of the water.  Everytime I would dip his foot in it he would squeal.  However, he loved laying on the towel and playing in the sand.  It was a gorgeous day and a wonderful time spent with my family and our friends in North Carolina.  

He wouldn't look up...he was completely fascinated with the sand.

I love my boy!

"laying out" with daddy under the tent

Ladies Man

Playing with Brock

After a long day...

"I Hate Green Beans!"

This month we began feeding Sawyer solid foods including vegetables.  So far, this kid is a very picky eater.  He absolutely HATES green beans.  We captured his first bites and his reactions are pretty hilarious!

 He looked at us like, "Are you serious, Mom and Dad!  That's gross."  Since then, we have tried peas, sweet potatoes, and pears, but he doesn't seem to be a fan of any solids (other than cereal) so far.  Any suggestions, moms?

Sawyer's Nursery

Since we are moving in a couple of weeks, I figured that it was about time that I took some pictures of Sawyer's nursery.  I wish I could say that I had done a lot of cool, fun things in the room, but honestly, working full time and going back to school made it difficult to do anything extra.  However, for anyone who knows my decorating style, you know that I like clean, simple colors and accents. Steven and I decided to paint the top half of the walls an Olympic color called "By the Sea", which works since we actually do live near the sea...We left the chair rail and bottom half of the room white.  Below are some pictures, if you are interested. 

The picture turned out bright but the inscription above the bed says, "Every good and perfect gift comes from above."

This is a picture that Steven's grandmother, Sidney Ashley, painted for his room when he was young.  I love it and think it was a great addition to my future outdoorsman's room.



One of mom's friends distressed this old rocking chair, which was passed down to me from my cousins Keisha, Kasey, and Kody.  I just love it!

This wreath was made for us by a lady in Asbury named Sherry Halstead.  I liked it so much we made left it on the door to his room.  It actually matches the colors we used perfectly!

5 Month Update

I cannot believe that my little man is 5 months old!

Five Month Fun Facts:

1. This month, we started feeding Sawyer rice cereal every morning and night.  It took him a few days to get used to it, but by the end of the month he couldn't get enough. 
2. We also got serious about sleep training him this month.  Sawyer was sleeping through the night by one month, but then around the four month mark, he started to wake up multiple times a night.  After a month of hoping and praying he was just teething and would grow out of it, we decided to do something to help us him sleep a little better.  We are using a revised "Cry It Out" method that we found in a book I'm reading.  At first, it was a real struggle for me Sawyer, but he is now sleeping through the night and is a much happier little baby during the day. 
3. Sawyer loves the car and being on the move.  He is really good about going on long walks with us in his stroller and is a good sport on road trips. 
4. He is starting to get better at spending time on his belly. He is scooting around and rolling over both front to back and back to front. 
5. We have been blessed with an incredibly happy baby.  He is constantly smiling, cooing, and "talking" to us.  I love it!

eating cereal

 

Loves his daddy!

Sawyer helping me grade research papers ;)

 He loves looking in his mirror.  It makes him look like a conehead!

I love my smiley boy!

 Sawyer is now old enough to enjoy a lot of his seats and bouncers.  Mom bought him a Bumpo seat and he really loves it.  We usually sit him in it while he is eating.  He also LOVES his bouncer and is slowly figuring out his Johnny Jump UP.  As for now, he doesn't do much jumping, but he is starting to stand up and move around in it a little more. 

figuring out his Johnny Jump Up



Loves his jumper!

It's really weird that this is the last full month Sawyer will spend in North Carolina in our home here.  Looking forward to next month and our new adventure in Alabama. :)

Going on a "Mommy Date"

On Saturday, Steven went golfing with some friends, so Sawyer and I made a "Mommy Date".  I put up an umbrella in the backyardand threw down a beach towel blanket underneath.  We ate lunch, read books, listened to music, and took naps outside.  It was such a great afternoon spent together.  And I must say, I think that my date is pretty handsome!

I can't wait to have many many more dates with this little guy!

Mother's Day

First off, I want to thank my wonderful mother for all of the sacrifices she made for all of us growing up.  My mom always made sure that we had everything that we needed and instead, so many times, she did without. I hope to be as special to my son as she is to me!  I also want to thank Mrs. Theo for raising such a Godly, respectable, and hard-working son.  He has been such a blessing to me as a husband, and I know that it is because he was raised by such a loving mom!

This May I was able to celebrate my first Mother's Day.  It was so special!  I feel like the most blessed woman in the world to be the mother of such a wonderful little boy.  He has brought so much fun, laughter, and playfulness into my life.  It's honestly hard to remeber what life was like last year at this time (pre-baby).  We had a magical day.  We went to church and then out for lunch.  Later that afternoon, we vegged out, cuddled, and napped before going for a late afternoon walk.  I love days when I can relax and really appreciate all that God has blessed me with in my life. 

playing around at the restaurant

cuddling with my boys

 As a gift, Sawyer Steven bought me this AMAZING camera, so that I can better document our family outings.  I have been doing research and really wanted it.  It was a complete surprise, and I couldn't have been happier with it!!!

Happy Mother's Day to all of the women in my life who are mothers.  I have been blessed to know so many great women who may not be my biological mother, but have treated me like one of their own.  I hope you are all blessed and had a great day!!!

Mom's visit to North Carolina

Mrs. Myrtle decided to go to the mountains for a week with her senior group, so we were in need of a babysitter.  Of course, Mom (energetically) agreed to come back with us after we went home for my reunion in order to stay with Sawyer during the day.  We had the BEST time.  We cooked, ate dinners on the porch, went to a movie, visited Vanceboro's Strawberry Festival, did some shopping, ate out at some of our favorite restaurants, and just spent good quality time together. 

eating dinner out on the front porch

Sawyer had his four month checkup while mom was visiting, so she went with me to get his shots.  He was sad until she started to play with him.  It's pretty obvious he is in love!

big boy after shots

On Saturday night, Mom agreed to keep Sawyer while me and Steven went out to dinner and then to prom (I was a chaperone).  We had a great time and felt like teenagers again. :)

before prom

at the Strawberry Festival

After one week, we asked mom to stay with us for a little longer. I know she probably thinks it was because of all the cleaning, cooking, and laundry she did for us all week, but really I just love having her around.  However, I must say, it was VERY helpful to have her with us while we were busy getting our house ready to show (we had just put it on the market the weekend before).  She did so much to help us get everything ready, and I will give her a lot of credit in staging it to sell (more on that in a later post).

After spending two weeks with us, we drove to Greensboro and she (literally) took a midnight train to through Georgia (en route to Tuscaloosa).  It was so hard to say goodbye, but it did make it easier since we knew we would soon be permanent Alabama residents in June. 

 I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful mom.  I hope that I can be half the role model for my son that she is for me.  I love you, mom!