My Non-Mobile Subject, Baby Hats and a Green Block

So it's Sunday afternoon and James is napping, the laundry is going and our weekend to-do list is growing shorter and shorter. Seemed like the perfect opportunity to dust off the old camera and play around with my new lens a little more. Subject of choice: well my non-mobile cutie, of course! Brendan sits still for Mommy and lets me practice getting good shots, and lets me play with all the dials on my camera and he could care less how long it takes me to find the right light. That way when his big brother is awake I can ***try*** to capture some good shots of our energetic and ALWAYS moving big boy! I know the last few posts have been about B, but here is one more. I couldn't resist posting these....when you have a sweet baby boy, some cute baby hats and a green block you can have a neat little photoshoot in your kitchen. This boy here, ladies and gentlemen, is just a miracle growing right before our very eyes. Love you B! :-)






Brendan at 5 months 3 weeks!

There is always something to clean, but.....

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
For babies grow up as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs;
Dust go to sleep!
I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep. (By Ruth Hulbert Hamilton)

One of the hardest parts of being a working mom of two little ones is keeping up with housework. Even though I am one lucky girl to have a cleaning lady come in twice a month, keeping up with the day to day stuff gets overwhelming. Where does all this junk come from? And where does it all belong? Well, I will tell you what. I am learning to let go of the neatness and just accept the "lived-in" look. I would rather hang out with my boys than obsessively pick up like I used to. I think on week nights I will start setting a timer every night and do what I can in 30 minutes after the boys are asleep and that will have to be good enough! It is not that bad overall, just certain rooms seem to be magnets for stuff. Goal for this summer will be do get rid of everything in this house that is not nailed down and go for some minimalist approach. Who knows, it could be just what we need.

Wouldn't you rather cuddle up with this sweet thing than straighten up the house???
I thought so!

Brendan is 5 months old!

Brendan is already five and a half months old! I can't believe it. He has gone from a tiny little newborn who was completely focused on mommy to a 5 month old who is very interested in what big brother is doing. Of course he still gives his biggest an best snuggles to his momma, but loves giggling with everyone who talks to him. Brendan has big smiles and the sweetest disposition. He is just a joy to be around and puts so much happiness in our hearts. You CANNOT look at Brendan without getting a huge grin on your face!






James is very proud of his little brother and gives him so many kisses. They are starting to play together more and more. James thinks it is SOOO funny that "baby" wiggles all around when they are on the floor together. He is psyched that Brendan is now able to sit up for a minute or so unassisted to "play" with him. This is a brand new development! I am so proud! It was all of a sudden. James also likes helping me feed Brendan baby food. I have been making more with the Babycook and I still love that thing. We have discovered that B is not a fan of the butternut squash but likes carrots and sweet potatoes a lot. Next up, peas. I can't believe my baby is growing so fast. I just want to keep him little forever.......

Just an afternoon at our house

Wedding Fun

Daniel's brother Andrew married Marian in a beautiful ceremony in Birmingham last Saturday. I am so excited to get a sister-in-law! Marian is awesome and I love Andrew like he is my own brother. Seeing them tie the knot was a big deal because we have watched these two people love each other for the last 6 years. Their happiness is contagious! The rehearsal dinner, wedding and reception were very memorable. Congrats Andrew and Marian! We love you both!

While in B'Ham we saw many people in the Duffy Family plus several high school/college friends. Awesome time as always!!! A huge thank you to Lorelle for putting us up in her BEAUTIFUL home. Can't wait until summer when we hope to make it back to visit family and friends. Until then, know that we miss ya'll! HUGS!!!

James was a great co-pilot as he and Daniel drove. Brendan flew for the first time and handled it like a champ. It was a really cool weekend but man did it wear us out. We are getting old! But all the traveling was well worth it! Enjoy the pictures! We didn't get any good pics of our sweet B. :-( Every one we got of him was so blurry. Bummer. James was the ring bearer and did great....he also had his first dance with a girl!

I resolve to....

1. Lose the 30 lbs of baby weight still hanging on to me, unwanted, like gross gum on the bottom of your favorite pair of shoes.

2. Attend church every weekend unless someone is REALLY sick or we are on vacation.

3. Finish painting everywhere in our house we still want to paint.

4. Get back to scrapbooking/photo books on a regular basis, after the boys are in bed and my big-boy is enjoying some hobby of this own.

5. Landscape the backyard (plant two trees and some shrubs and a small container garden) and help the front yard grass

6. Read at night instead of watching TV in bed.

7. Go out on 2 dates a month with my main squeeze!

8. Figure out how to jog with both boys in the jogging stroller with the dog jogging alongside. This could be tricky.

9. Start family movie night/game night once a week. (First up......Snow White!)

10. Continue accruing savings for college/retirement/rainy day through Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover Book.