Davis - Almost 6 mos old!

Little Davis will be 6 mos old on July 3rd, which is just so hard to believe! His personality is really blossoming lately. He is such a sweetheart, and I'm telling you that if I'd never heard him cry before, I would begin to wonder if he even knew how. It is such a rare thing for him to cry that you know that something is really bothering him if he ever does. He is in complete awe of his big brother, and he finds JD's every move hilarious (which JD loves, of course!). He loves rice cereal, which he began eating one month ago, and he will begin vegetables next week. I can't wait! I just love filling up their tummies for some reason. He is sleeping in excess of 12 hours at night, which is marvelous! He is beginning to try sitting up in the tripod position, but for now he still topples over if he sits unassisted.

He is such a blessing in our lives! We simply don't deserve the two amazing gifts that God has given us in our sweet boys.

JD's first solo visit to Georgia

The first couple of pictures were taken at home in Winston-Salem while JD Sr and I were away on our sailing trip. The rest of the pictures were taken during the week that JD jr spent in Americus, GA at his Nana and Paw-Paw's house. As you can see, he had a blast! He spent the majority of the time swimming and playing with friends that he made once he got there. He didn't miss us even for a second, which made it easier on me to be separated from him. However, he wouldn't let JD Sr and me out of his sight once he returned home. I guess he didn't know how much he had missed us until he saw us again. Although JD Sr and I missed having him at home with us, we were able to spend some wonderful bonding time with Davis that week. We are definitely happy to have him back home with us, but we are thankful for such a wonderful opportunity for him to make warm memories with family.

Sailing the Deep Blue Sea!

We recently took a sailing trip on a yacht with another couple who lives here in Winston-Salem. I admit that after I agreed to go on this weekend getaway, I later questioned my sanity! Let's just say, I have a great respect for...ok, fear of...the ocean. I almost drowned in the ocean at the age of 17, and ever since then, I won't get in it any more than waist deep. However, after throwing caution to the wind, I made up my mind to go and ended up having a terrific time!

We prepared our meals on the boat, slept on the boat, showered on the boat, and just enjoyed the amazing views of the ocean. We were even fortunate enough to witness a large group of dolphins swimming and jumping surprisingly close to our boat. The yacht had a dinghy on the back, so after dropping anchor, we were able to make a trip to shore and look for shells on a gorgeous, pristine beach that seemed almost undiscovered based on its cleanliness and lack of people.

We wore motion-sickness patches behind our ears the entire weekend, so none of us felt queasy even for a second. The rocking sensation in our legs stayed with us for a couple of days after returning home.

I am so glad that I didn't talk myself out of going, as it turned out to be a very enjoyable experience and another excuse for JD Sr and I to spend some quality time together (the boys stayed behind at home with their Nana and Paw-Paw).

Happy Father's Day!

To my dearest, John David,

You are the greatest daddy EVER! I thank God for you each and every day!

We Love You!

Special Moments

JD has now finished his tumbling class at The Little Gym, and he participated in the end-of-semester show, in which he got to demonstrate all of the things he has learned. He was presented with a medal at the end, and if you could have seen his face, you would have thought he had just been told he was going to Disney World. It was really neat to see him truly feel proud of himself.

The picture of Davis is one that I took when putting him to bed the other night. He just kept gazing up at me and grinning, and even though his pacifier was hiding his smile, I could still see him smiling with his eyes. So sweet.

JD Sr set up the slip-n-slide for JD the other day, and needless to say, he had a blast!! I even went out and gave it a shot, and let's just say that the big yellow, "WARNING! Not for use by anyone over 5 feet tall!" sticker is there for a reason. I ended up with a bruise on my knee and a throbbing lower back. I'll know better next time, huh?

The final two pictures are of JD and his friend, Sara, from church. We babysat for Sara's mom and dad the other night, and I caught them by surprise with my camera as they were eating an Oreo cookie Klondike bar at the kitchen table. It was a big hit with both of them. Don't they look so sweet and snuggly in their pajamas? JD Sr rocked Sara downstairs in the recliner while I put JD to bed. She was out like a light by the time her parents arrived.

Off to the pool we go!

So, even though the first official day of summer hasn't arrived yet, we've already made our first trip to the pool! The water was quite cold, but we still enjoyed ourselves. We didn't know how Davis would react to his first time in the water, but he really seemed to like it. JD was actually very timid about getting in the water this year, which we found to be very surprising compared to his fearless behavior last year. Maybe he'll warm up to it as we continue to go more this summer. As hot as it's been these past couple of days, I could have stayed in the pool from morning till night!

A trip to Baa Moo Farm

Last week, we made a trip to Baa Moo Farm with our summer playgroup. It was a great day! We got to see a variety of farm animals, collect chicken eggs, milk a cow, feed a baby cow from a bottle, take a tractor-pulled wagon ride around the farm, run through a maze, and eat a picnic lunch. JD was cracking me up with his reaction to the farm odors! As we were approaching the area that housed the cows and pigs, it was as if there was a physical wall of foul smells, and when JD noticed it, he said very emphatically, "ShoooooooWeeeee!" while covering his nose and mouth. He walked around for the rest of the day with his top lip in a snarled position as if he thought this whole farm scene was just disgusting...especially when he noticed that there was poop on the ground. However, he did seem to enjoy running around in the open with his friends.

Davis rode around in the stroller enjoying the fresh (well, somewhat fresh) air. Ha ha. I played a game with him where I tossed a lightweight blanket against his face, and just when he reached up to grab it, I would quickly pull it back off again. He thought this was quite humorous and laughed every single time I did it. His laugh is contagious...you can almost hear him laughing in the photo below.

A sweet moment from our trip -- we were getting ready to walk to the next area of the farm as a group, and we were passing by a patch of clover when someone said, "Come on, JD, let's keep going." He had stooped down in front of the clover, and he said, "Hang on just a second, I need to pick a flower for my mom." He then brought it to me and said, "Here you go, mama, this is for you." What a sweetheart!