That first smile

Today, while McKinley was at preschool and Cary was at work, this Mama was blessed by our sweet Baby Jackson's very first smile.  I was carrying him from the nursery into our room when I looked at him and those beautiful blue eyes lit up when we made eye contact and he smiled this small, sweet smile.  It was such a precious moment and I feel so lucky to have been the first to share this with both of our boys.

Jackson is so sweet, he sleeps a lot.  I mean...a LOT.  I'm quite sure he's gearing up for when he is mobile.  I can't wait.  He doesn't fuss all that much, just when he's hungry and tired.  And when he's both...well, watch out!  He will babble and coo and make eyes at all of us, but he reaches this point where he must just sleep...like, RIGHT NOW!  And he will cry, which signals us he's had enough and then, as quickly as his fussiness came, in it's place is a peaceful, sleeping baby.  He likes the same "hold" McKinley liked, and the "butt pat".  They work like a charm. 

Ahhh, that first smile...
Lynn

13 years

Thirteen years ago today Cary and I met.  There are many things I will never forget about that day, like what I wore, what I was doing when I saw him for the first time, his very first question to me.  And then I look at all the life we've created in these thirteen years.  I may not remember all of that, but I can recall many, many things and there is one recurring theme through all these memories...HAPPY AND LOVED.

Now more than ever I feel like God has blessed me by that funny, awkward moment the day after Valentine's Day, 1999.  Loving life...

Lynn

How '90's is this???

My Three Valentines...

Today I took my Mom and my two LITTLE Valentines to the airport to drop Mom off for her next jaunt abroad.  When she was safely inside the airport McKinley and I were pretty hungry and I was sure Jackson would be ready for that bottle soon enough, so I decided it was time to try out my mother-of-two skills by having lunch, sit-down style.  I'm not big on drive thru food, and there are a plethora of our favorite quick food restaurants nearby, so let's do it!  Noodles & Company sounded perfect, McKinley sat across from me and used chop sticks with the chop stick helper for his Macaroni & Cheese.  Jackson was nestled beside me in his car seat carrier while I ate, then it was his turn.  The whole adventure went off without a hitch.  Hey, five and a half weeks post-partum?  Not bad! 

When we got home in the late afternoon I toodled around in the kitchen when all three of my boys came around the corner carrying a rose (okay, well, Cary was carrying Jackson's because he was asleep and he's only 5 weeks old...but still, it was a moment).  One red, one pink, one yellow.  And cards.  I've got more handsome Valentines than I did when I was 16 years old (and let me tell you...that was quite a year...).  I am completely surrounded by love...and loving it.

Tomorrow Cary and I celebrate 13 years together...it's amazing to look back on the beginning and to be living in the middle of a sweet little family now. 

I love my boys...all three of them!

Lynn

Monkey See, Monkey Do

Or is it See No Evil, Hear No Evil?

Only time will tell...

And aren't there going to be some pretty funny times ahead?

Again, just overwhelmingly blessed.

Enjoying our sleepy baby and our big preschooler.  Cleaning lots of bottles and running around after the preschooler schedule.  Life is good!

Lynn

Brothers

McKinley is such a fantastic big brother, and Jackson is a terrific little brother.  They are precious together and make us smile.  Every morning before school McKinley gets us and HAS to go look in on his little bro.  "Gotta go check on Jackson!", he says.  Or he will ask to hold him, help feed him, kiss him, snuggle with him, anything to just be near.  I know this won't always be the case, but I do feel pretty confident that the two of them will be peas in a pod. 
And over the last few weeks, here are some sweet photos of the most precious moments I have ever witnessed:

Sweet baby boys...We are so very, very blessed.

Lynn

Sweet Little Moments

Below the title of our little blog is my favorite quote. Over the years it has grown to mean different things for me. At one time it was healing, now it try to live the quote. Lately, there have been lots of these breathtaking moments in my life. As my little family has grown, my love for all these men in my life grows as well.

This morning, as I end my first week as stay-at-home-mom-of-two-boys-who's-hubby-has-returned-to-work-after-paternity-leave, I'm getting McKinley ready for school when Jackson wakes, hungry. McKinley said, "Mom, I'll go see him!" Okay, so I make a quick trip to the living room to drop backpack, coat, etc. I come back to find McKinley, on his stool, standing over his baby brother. I peeked inside the crib and found a very quiet and transfixed Jackson, who was obviously hanging on his brother's every word while studying his face. That did very good things for my heart. Thankfully, I thought fast enough to grab the camera and snap a few photos of the moment.

Camera by my side lately, I've also snapped these cute shots of moments that are precious to me.

Jackson, trying to enjoy his bath (we're getting there!), he discovers the faucet sprayers and loves to touch it with his toes. TOO CUTE!

McKinley & Cary, on their way out for some Man Time at the ISU basketball game. At that game, the boys caught a little basketball from the cheerleaders. McKinley was thrilled! He had a blast with his Daddy.

The boys aren't the only ones who give me precious moments to capture. Valentine, our beloved white cat (and the only other source of estrogen in our home) loves her boys so much she cannot decide where she wants to spend her time. So, she floats back and forth between the two rooms all night and all day. This morning I went in to wake McKinley for school and found this: Valentine back to back with McKinley, both sound asleep. After I woke McKinley, she sauntered into the nursery to lay under the crib for an early morning nap. What a life...

Love these sweet little moments in my life,

Lynn