THE CURRY'S

Wow, it's been 4 months??

2011-10-24T14:16:00.004-05:00

Ever since Facebook came into my life, I have been neglecting this blog! The main reason is that I rarely take pictures of my boys anymore (well, with my big camera), and then when I do, I rarely upload them to my computer. It's so much easier to take a picture with my phone and upload it to Facebook!

A few things have taken place since I wrote 4 months ago. Matthew turned 7 years old in June and is back at school, in first grade again at Joyner Elementary. His new teacher is Mrs. Jennifer Rinehart. He still has Mrs. Gravatt for his resource (SPED) teacher. He is doing great this year, probably the best year he has had so far. Poor fellow got some type of infection in his thumb, probably from a splinter, and had to have surgery last Tuesday! We stayed the night in the hospital, came home on Wednesday and he was back at school on Thursday. The boy is a trooper!

Nathan is a typical 2 year old, driving everyone in the house insane!! He loves to agitate Matthew and they fight pretty frequently. It drives me and Ryan crazy. However, he can be sweet too. He is learning to use the potty and I'd say he is about 75% trained. He occasionally pees on himself but for the most part will tell us when he needs to go. Pooping is a different story. Let's just say we're still working on that one. :/ He goes to day school two days a week at First Baptist Church and I'm amazed at everything he has learned so far!

Ryan is still working a lot, bless him. And I'm still staying at home until the Lord leads me otherwise. I'd love to get a part time job somewhere but it's hard to justify day care expenses with part time work. It's just not enough pay. I feel when the time is ready, the Lord will provide me with the perfect job!

Ryan and I are both training for the St. Jude Memphis Marathon on December 3. We are really looking forward to it! My only goal is to finish it! :)

I hope to update sooner next time!! :)

10 year anniversary trip to Disney!!

2011-06-12T09:05:00.011-05:00

Ryan and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary a little early by going to Disney World for a few days. While it wasn't really a relaxing vacation, we sure had a great time! It was so nice to focus just on us for a change. :) I did miss my boys, though, and can't wait to take them on a trip to Disney!!

Here are a few pictures, in no particular order. I'll post a few more later when Blogger isn't acting crazy!!

Gum Tree 10k

2011-05-14T22:48:00.003-05:00

After the past 5 years of living here in Tupelo, I finally got to run in the Gum Tree 10k! It's a very popular road race in our area and actually, people from all over the place come to run it.

It was a good day for racing and running since it was cool and overcast. I really liked the course since there weren't many hills! There were a lot of people running it, many people we knew. It was cool to see everyone out and having a good time.

I ran with a very good friend, Candise Brown. She and I have been running together for several months and have pushed each other. It's been such a great journey running with her and she has taught me a lot, both about running and about myself! She's been such an inspiration to me.

So back to the race: I had a goal in mind that I wanted to beat: 54 minutes. I thought I might be able to get under 53 minutes but didn't know that I wanted to kill myself in the process. Well, in the long run (hehe), I ran it in 51:20!! I placed 7 out of 80 women in my age group (30-34). I think it's the fastest I have ever run. I don't think I ran so hard in my life. My lungs were burning!!

All in all it was a great race and I had a good time! I definitely plan to do it again next year. :)

Ryan snapped this picture as we were taking off

Here I am pushing it at the finish

Coming up at the finish

Candise and I at the end - we were worn out!

Candise was pulling herself up from the ground

Renaissance Half Marathon

2011-05-01T16:09:00.003-05:00

Ryan and I ran our first half marathon on Saturday in Ridgeland, MS. It was Ryan's first race ever and only my third race (I have run 2 5k's.) It was quite an experience and I had a great time! My official time was 1:55:37 (1 hr, 55 minutes, 37 seconds) and I placed 23 out of 110 women in my age group (30-39 years old). Ryan didn't really count his time since he ran with me and not at his regular pace. He is a much faster runner than I am and ran with me for support. :) He plans to run the Tupelo Marathon in October.

The weather was absolutely perfect for the race! We started at 6am, which was fine with me since I normally run at 5:15 or so a few mornings a week. The course was mainly flat with a few hills and inclines. Those were tough, though, especially the very last incline where we ran up a ramp at the very end.

A few of my friends also ran the race. It was Julie's first half, Candise's second half, and I think Amanda's second half. Here we are after the race, sporting our medals:

And here are me and my hunny:

I am still so sore today from running the race yesterday morning. My quads hurt more than anything. Despite that, I still had a great time and a great experience.

Easter

2011-04-26T08:21:00.004-05:00

We had a great Easter day! The boys woke up to Easter baskets on the kitchen table, so they enjoyed some chocolate and jelly beans for breakfast. ;) We then got ready for church. We had no idea how packed it would be, so we showed up right on time. Well, that meant we were late! We ended up sitting in folding chairs in the aisles.

After church we went to Aunt Scarlet's house for lunch and egg hunting. She had a packed house. It was so great to hang out and visit with everyone. Ryan is so blessed that he has such a wonderful, close-knit family. I'm so blessed to be a part of it!

Here are some pictures in no particular order. I hate the way blogger loads them, and I can never figure out what pictures will be posted first so they are out of order. You get the idea, though.

Nathan (yet again)

2011-04-16T04:32:00.003-05:00

Nathan & George

2011-04-09T20:40:00.003-05:00

It's been awhile since I've posted a picture of Nathan and his pal George the Monkey so here ya go! This picture was taken on his 2nd birthday:

This was the first picture I took of him and George. Nathan was 4 months old here. He's grown up so much!

And I can't get over how grown he looks in this picture!

Nathan's 2nd Birthday Party

2011-04-09T20:25:00.004-05:00

We celebrated Nathan's 2nd birthday with a Curious George party at our church's gym. The kids had a wonderful time.

I slacked at my job as a photographer but I did get a few cute shots:

Nathan's adorable cake!

He tried to blow them out but in the long run, he needed help from mom!

Opening one of his presents

Matthew was being the teacher and I was the student - he was teaching me how to spell "front"

Family photo - ignore my fat knee

Happy Birthday NayNay!!

2011-04-08T16:39:00.004-05:00

Our little man is now 2 years old!! Can you believe it?? As I type this, I'm yelling at him to stop beating on his much older brother Matthew. He is quite a handful but we love him to pieces!

Happy Birthday NayNay!! We love you!!

Whoa, it's been awhile!

2011-04-01T13:47:00.003-05:00

I know I'm seriously slacking in the blogging department. There's nothing really exciting or new going on in our lives so I don't have a lot to blog about. But just to give you an update about our lives, here ya go:

--Matthew is doing much better in school this semester. He's a really good speller and reader but has to work hard at math. He has lost 3 teeth so far. He's been seizure-free for almost 3 years (in July!). We are still in the process of weaning his seizure medication but so far, so good! He loves to play his Wii and on the computer but also likes to play basketball.
--Nathan will be 2 years old in one week. He is a mini-me in every sense of the word. He's stubborn, hard-headed, and independent, but he also cracks us up with what he says and does. He is a ball freak! He loves any type of ball but especially a basketball. He is your typical 2 year old: talking up a storm, jumping, running, drawing, making huge messes, and throwing temper tantrums at the drop of a hat.
--Ryan and I are training for our first half-marathon which is in 4 weeks. He is actually training to run WITH me because I can't keep up with him! I didn't realize how physically exhausting the training would be but other than some knee pain here and there, I'm enjoying it. Running is my absolute favorite form of exercise! I just wish my body didn't have so many limitations.
--In less than 2 months, Ryan and I will be going on our first vacation without the boys. We're going to Disney for our 10 year anniversary. It's a much, much needed vacation!! I can't even tell you how excited I am to go!!

So now you see why I haven't blogged in awhile, but this month will be quite busy so you should see some newer posts coming soon!

Snow, snow go away!!!

2011-01-11T21:00:00.003-06:00

The snow started on Sunday afternoon/evening. Yes it was beautiful but I'm already so sick of it. School has been canceled for three days straight due to ice on the roads. Businesses are closing as well. Ryan is grumpy because he's been stuck at home with us and I'm grumpy because we're all out of routine. We're the weird ones, though. Most people around here are having fun playing in the snow and having their kids home, but we're hating it.

The boys decided that they wanted to play in the snow around 5:30 yesterday evening, so I was able to get some of the obligatory snow pictures that everyone is posting on Facebook. Matthew liked walking in the snow and making foot prints but Nathan hated it. I had no gloves, no boots, and no hats for either of them, so that might explain why Nathan disliked it so much. It was just too cold.

Now for the pictures. . .

View from my back door:

Matthew liked making his foot prints in the snow

Nathan decided to try it out. . .

but ended up falling in it.

And this is how he felt about the whole snow thing. I'm with him!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-03T18:10:00.003-06:00

As usual, I'm behind in my posts. Just call me lazy. ;) We had a nice Christmas. To our surprise, we woke up to this:

I was shocked when I got up Christmas morning and saw this outside of the window. Can you believe we had a White Christmas here in Mississippi? It was so beautiful!

The boys were up early, as usual. Matthew was excited but Nathan was a bit bewildered by it all. He walked around with a look of confusion on his face. He enjoyed playing with his new toys, though. We had cinnamon rolls for breakfast and roast, potatoes, and steamed veggies for lunch, just the four of us. We spent most of the day in our PJs.

Just a few pictures:

And here was my gift, a beautiful diamond necklace from my honey!! I just LOVE it!

20 Months Old!

2010-12-09T14:04:00.003-06:00

Good grief, we completely skipped 19 months. How did that happen? Yesterday Nathan turned 20 months old. It's hard to believe he'll be a 2 year old in 4 months!! I didn't take a picture of him with George since I had just taken these pictures on Sunday.

Just a little bit about him:
*He's quite a handful, having full-blown, all-out, screaming temper tantrums. Yay for us.
*He loves TV. I know, bad mommy.
*I love his mispronunciations: cup is "puck," milk is "meek," Matthew is "Dadew," cookie is "coocoo," donut is "nonut," paci is "papi" or "pabi," pretzel is "pupu."
*He likes to color and, oh yeah, eat the crayons.
*He is very independent. He wants to do it all himself. And don't even try to give him pieces of food or he throws a fit. He wants the entire hamburger, not cut up in little pieces.
*He would live off of fruit alone, seriously. His favorites are pineapples and grapes.

In the quest for the Christmas Card picture!!

2010-12-08T20:58:00.003-06:00

Haha, the title says it all! On Sunday we broke out the camera to attempt some Christmas card pictures. After last year's debacle, you'd think we were gluttons for punishment but I decided we'd at least TRY it before paying someone mucho $$$ to do it for us. Surprisingly, it went well and we got the perfect picture. I won't say which one it is; you'll have to wait and see when you get your card!! ;)

Just a few snap shots

2010-12-07T13:10:00.000-06:00

Oh Christmas Tree!

2010-12-07T13:00:00.002-06:00

The boys, especially Matthew, really enjoyed decorating the trees this year. Nathan tried his best to help out but actually made more of a mess. Of course that's to be expected with a one year old.

He is so silly with his lovey on his head.

Matthew showing off his Percy ornament

Matthew did this last year in Kindergarten and I just love it!

The boys' tree

Field Trip to Cedar Hill Farms

2010-11-30T20:28:00.004-06:00

I went with Matthew and his 1st grade class to Cedar Hill Farms in Hernando. It was cold, rainy, and it took us 2.5 hours to get there but otherwise, it was a nice trip. The kids got to feed some animals and ride a couple of tractor rides. There were other fun things for them to do, like riding a pony, but had to cut them out due to time constraints. The highlight of the trip was the class picking out a Christmas tree for their room. You could only imagine what it's like for 16 kids to agree on a tree.

One of the workers explaining how to feed the animals

Matthew enjoyed feeding the goats

Some big cabbage! At least I *think* it's a cabbage. . .

The kids and their tree

Matthew and Santa - when Santa asked him what he wanted for Christmas, Matthew just said "Presents!!" That's my boy!!

Some Halloween pics

2010-11-11T16:15:00.003-06:00

I know I'm a little late but here are a few pictures from Halloween! We went trick-or-treating with our friends Lisa, Brady, Reed, and Collin Russell. The boys had a fantastic time. Nathan got the hang of it quickly but wanted to eat every piece of candy given to him, especially the suckers. Matthew was always the first one out of the truck and at the door. He LOVED it this year.

NayNay is 18 months old!

2010-10-18T20:11:00.002-05:00

Little man turned 18 months old on the 8th of this month. I waited until his 18 month appointment to post this blog entry so that I could include his stats, speaking of which , he is 34" long and weighs 27 pounds. He is saying multiple words (book, ball, bye bye, bath, bubble, hey, eat, milk, mine, no, up, cheese, grape, cookie, cracker, ear, eye, nose, choo choo, duck, baby, Mama, Daddy, NayNay. These are the ones that come to mind.) He still doesn't say Matthew regularly. He asks "where Daddy/Mama?" when we're not around and says "I poo poo" when he poops (and sometimes when he doesn't.) He will attempt to repeat anything you ask him to. And what's really funny is that when we drive by a restaurant that we frequent i.e. McDonalds or Cici's, he points to it and starts yelling, "Eat, eat, eat!!!"

He feeds himself 100% of the time now. If we attempt to feed him anything, he throws a fit and well, it's just not a battle we're willing to fight. We'd rather just deal with the mess. Besides, that's how he'll learn to use a spoon and fork. He'll use them some of the time but most of the time, he prefers to use his hands.

He has 16 teeth and is working on his 2 year molars. After these suckers come in, he'll be finished with teething until he gets his 6 year molars in (and speaking of which, Matthew is getting those!) We're so looking forward to that.

Like most parents, I could sit here and write about my kids all day but I have other things to do. Here are some pictures taken today:

He says "Cheese" nearly every time he sees the camera.

Two of his most favorite things in the world: his paci and his lovey.

Family Picture

2010-10-18T07:44:00.003-05:00

My mother-in-law Becky took this picture at her house before we left for Ryan's cousin's wedding.

Memphis Zoo

2010-10-06T20:18:00.011-05:00

We made our yearly October trek to the Memphis Zoo last Saturday since the weather was so nice. It was a nice trip and the boys seemed to enjoy it.

A Taste of Joyner

2010-09-20T15:37:00.003-05:00

This past Friday night, Matthew's school -- Joyner Elementary -- hosted "A Taste of Joyner" which was a fundraiser for the PTA. There were bouncy slides, bouncy houses, an obstacle course, and a few other fun activities for the kids. Ryan and Matthew participated in the 1 mile fun run and I participated in the 5k.

Matthew and a couple of his classmates

Matthew loved the big slide!

And the obstacle course

He really, really loved that obstacle course

Hula hooping was fun!

Matthew and Ryan after the fun run - let me tell you, it wasn't fun for either of them. Ryan said Matthew cried the entire time.

Off I go in the 5k!

Woohoo! At the finish line!! I beat my first 5k time by 4 minutes!

Touch a Truck

2010-09-12T20:43:00.003-05:00

On Saturday we visited Ballard Park to Touch-a-Truck. The boys got to play on a variety of vehicles, including a fire truck, helicopter, cop car, garbage truck, and a Segway. They had a great time. Me, not too much. It was hot and humid. Oh the things we do for our children!! :)

I hope this isn't a premonition of what's to come!

Matthew and Taylor playing in the ambulance

This little dachshund was adorable!!

Matthew loved driving the Segway. He did a great job, too.

In a Humvee

A Day Out With Thomas

2010-09-12T20:23:00.005-05:00

Last weekend we took the boys to Nashville to A Day Out With Thomas. They enjoyed it. We stayed with Ryan's aunt and uncle in Cross Plains, and we really enjoyed our stay with them. We visited downtown Nashville and went to the Galleria in Franklin. We had a nice weekend.

Matthew showing off his Rosie tattoo.

Nathan is playing with the Lego set.

This is the stadium where the Tennessee Titans play football. I think it's called LP Field or something like that.

Downtown Nashville

Here are some pictures taken by the staff at A Day Out With Thomas:

My Cub Scout!

2010-09-12T20:15:00.003-05:00

We are so excited that Matthew is finally old enough for Cub Scouts! We signed him up at our church a couple of weeks ago. We hope that he enjoys it as much as we did.

My first 5k!

2010-08-08T14:33:00.003-05:00

On Friday, I ran my first 5k in the Bodock Twilight 5k Run. Thank goodness it was at night and the weather had cooled some (if you call "cooling" in the 90's!). It was such a great experience. Sure, I was hot, tired, and sweaty, and my sides and legs hurt at times; but I accomplished a goal that I had set for myself months back and well, all of that was worth it! Not only did I beat my goal time, but I way exceeded it! I had originally wanted to run it in less than 40 minutes, with 36 minutes being my "ultimate" goal. Well, my time was 32:39!! I'm not one to brag but I'm so proud!

I'm fortunate in that I had two great girls running with me, Tammy and Lori. Tammy and I are new runners and have been running together a few times. Lori is a seasoned runner and ran with us for support, although she could've dusted us at any time. :) We had so much fun and look forward to our next 5k, which will hopefully be at the end of September.

Me and my first race shirt!

Lori, Tammy and me

Off we go! I dropped my MP3 player right at the beginning

At the end - woohoo! Thank goodness I didn't need the ambulance in the backgroud

We're looking sweaty but fabulous!!

First Grade!

2010-08-04T22:26:00.002-05:00

Matthew's first day as a first grader went well, so I think. No one called to tell me otherwise and he was in a good mood when I picked him up so I'm going to assume he had a good day.

When we arrived at Joyner, he was happy to see everyone again but wasn't happy about me leaving. As I started to leave, he said, "No Mom, don't leave!" He normally doesn't care one way or the other if I'm there, but since I stayed with him at Open House the night before, he might've thought I was supposed to stay this time, too. He didn't freak out and cry but pouted some.

There are several children in his classroom that I already know, four of whom went to daycare with Matthew at Kid's Landing. I don't know that Matthew remembers them, except for Bailey, only because she was in his Kindergarten class last school year.

I managed to snap a few pictures while holding Nathan and herding Matthew around. I didn't get a picture of him with his classroom teacher Mrs. Brooks. It was too chaotic. Maybe later!

Matthew standing outside of the school

Matthew and Mrs. Gravatt, his SPED teacher - we love this woman!

First Grade Hall - I can't believe I have a first grader!

Happily sitting at his desk, for now

Nathan's 15 month stats

2010-07-15T15:16:00.002-05:00

I know most of y'all probably don't care about the stats but I'm putting them here so I can look back on them later and remember what a chunk he was and what he was doing at this time. ;)

Yesterday he had his 15 month appointment and he's doing well. He weighed 24.6 pounds and was 32.25" tall. The doctor said he's in the 75% for both, so he's still growing along his growth curve. At the same age, Matthew was also 32.25" tall and was 24 lbs, 14 oz. I think it's funny that Nathan is growing at the same rate Matthew did, especially since Nathan is a much bigger and better eater than Matthew was.

15 months old

2010-07-08T15:59:00.004-05:00

My little man is now 15 months old and let me tell you, he is a STINKER!! He can be such an angel and devil all at once. When he doesn't get what he wants, when he wants it, he hits and spits. I have NO idea where he got that, considering that none of us act like that. Well, we don't spit anyway. ;) He also pinches and bites to get attention. I have no idea what to do about that. Right now we reprimand and ignore, hoping this phase will pass and soon! I have a feeling we are in trouble when he gets older. My mother says he is just like I was at that age and yep, we ARE in trouble if he turns out like me.

He is still saying quite a few words but there are other times where he just babbles away and I have no idea what he's saying. Like I said in an earlier post, he sounds like a combination of a Jawa and Ewok when he talks. He is mimicking our activities, like brushing his hair and trying to put clothes on. He loves to drink from a big cup but needs our help to do so. He still likes to eat but his appetite has decreased some. He loves grapes which is good since he doesn't really like fruit.

As far as his size, he's still a little chunky. He weighs about 25 pounds. I have no idea how tall he is. He seems to be pretty average compared to other children his age.

Slip 'N Slide fun

2010-07-08T15:53:00.002-05:00

My mother bought Matthew a Slip 'N Slide for his birthday and we finally had a day where he and Nathan could play with it. Matthew absolutely loved it. Nathan just loved the water sprinkles.

My big news

2010-07-06T15:09:00.002-05:00

So I promised some big news last week and have finally gotten around to announcing it. As of yesterday, July 5, I have lost 55 pounds!! Woohoo! I started this weight loss journey on January 4 of this year so I've lost the weight in 6 months. "How did you do it?" -- many people have asked. I've been doing Weight Watchers and working out. I joined Premiere Lady Fitness and have been doing Pilates, Boot Camp, Step Aerobics and Cardio Kick (kick boxing). I also try to run a couple of days per week. I've realized just how much I love working out. It's now a hobby of mine rather than "work."

I still need to lose about 10-15 pounds so I'm working to get that weight off. Even thought it's been hard, the really hard part is coming up and that's keeping the weight off. I'm a yo-yo dieter. I've lost many, many pounds, only to regain them. I'm hoping that this time will be different!

Here are my before and after pics:

Before, December 2009:

After, July 2010:

Matthew's 6th Birthday

2010-06-28T21:22:00.006-05:00

Yesterday was Matthew's 6th birthday and his party, which we had at Chuck E. Cheese. He (and Nathan) had a blast! I loved it because I didn't have to set up or clean up. It was well worth the money spent. We had a good time with a few friends and family. Happy Birthday to my sweet Matthew! I love you very much.

Family picture sans Nathan - he wouldn't sit still long enough for a picture

Cade's Cove

2010-06-18T20:06:00.005-05:00

What a beautiful place! We drove along the roads in Cade's Cove and saw lots of turkeys, several deer, and some bears. We enjoyed our time there, just driving and looking at the scenery.

Wonderworks Museum

2010-06-18T19:55:00.006-05:00

Another morning we went to the Wonderworks Museum. It was so cool! There were so many neat exhibits like a hurricane simulator (winds were only 65 mph though), an earthquake simulator, rock climbing wall, and some weird art stuff.

The Track

2010-06-18T13:26:00.005-05:00

We spent one morning at the Track where the boys were able to ride rides and play games. Matthew and Ryan rode the go-carts while I watched Nathan ride some rides.

Dollywood!

2010-06-18T13:13:00.008-05:00

The next day we went to Dollywood. I know it's not Disney, not even comparable, but we still had fun! The boys loved it. Most of the rides were water rides which were perfect for a hot day. Ryan and I even got sunburned.

Chimney Top, Great Smoky Mountains

2010-06-18T12:58:00.005-05:00

After our trip to downtown Gatlinburg, we stopped off at Chimney Top in the Great Smoky Mountains. We let the boys run around and play in the dirt, rocks, and water.

Gatlinburg, TN

2010-06-18T12:38:00.004-05:00

After our trip to the aquarium, we decided to walk around Gatlinburg. It's such a pretty little town. We ate lunch at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. which was so good! I've always wanted to eat there since I love the movie Forrest Gump. Ryan and Matthew rode the ski lift. I preferred to stay on the ground so Nathan and I walked around a little bit.

Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies

2010-06-17T17:27:00.007-05:00

Our first adventure on our vacation was the aquarium in Gatlinburg. The boys loved it and Nathan was so mesmerized by all the fish. He kept trying to touch and grab at them through the glass. I got to touch a couple of sting rays. We could've touched a horseshoe crab but those things are gross-looking and I had no interest in touching one.

Update on life :)

2010-06-17T14:20:00.004-05:00

Sorry I haven't updated in awhile! Even though I haven't been busy per se, I've been lazy about updating my blog, especially when so many friends and family are on Facebook and are able to see pictures I post on there.

We went to Pigeon Forge, TN, on vacation a little over a week ago and had a great time! It was fun and we hated to come home. I'll make a separate post with pictures for each place we went while there.

In other news, Nathan is now 14 months old. I haven't updated on him lately because again, I've been lazy. But he's walking (since 12.5 months old), talking, climbing, throwing fits, shaking his head yes and no, the list goes on and on. He keeps us entertained on a daily basis. He has 12 teeth, the front 8 and the 4 1-year molars. Thank goodness those molars finally came through because he had a rough time cutting them.

Matthew is turning 6 in less than 2 weeks. He finished kindergarten and will be going to first grade in August. He is currently attending summer school in hopes that he won't lose any skills when going to first grade. I can't remember if I updated on this or not but he was diagnosed with ADHD/ADD, combined-type, a few weeks ago and is on medication. We've already had to increase the dosage but this increase seems to be helping some.

This is just a bit of what's going on in our lives. I have some more news that I'll post at a later date. And NO, I'm not pregnant. ;)

Nathan's 1 Year Pictures - Thank you Sara!!

2010-05-18T16:31:00.003-05:00

My photographer friend Sara came to town right around the time Nathan turned a year old so naturally, I begged her (well, hinted anyway!) to take Nathan's pictures. She took pictures of him when he was only 4 days old and they were awesome, so I knew these would be awesome too.

So we met out in a cow pasture in Amory. It was a hilarious experience for sure but it was worth it! The pictures turned out beautiful! Here's a little sampling of what she took:

Happy Mother's Day 2010 - What a Difference!

2010-05-09T13:19:00.003-05:00

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!

It's amazing the difference a year can make. I've been the mother of two boys for 13 months now; and wow, what a difference it has been just adding one more baby to our family. I thought with the age difference between them, it would be easier but it hasn't been. It really is twice as much work when you add another child to the mix. But I wouldn't trade it for anything, except maybe a full night's sleep. Haha! Even though they are hard work, I love my boys very much.

And speaking of differences, this picture is from Mother's Day last year. Notice any differences?

12 month visit

2010-04-15T21:32:00.004-05:00

I'm a little late posting this, but Nathan had his 12 month appointment a few days ago. He weighs 23 lbs 10 oz and is 30.5" tall, something like the 60-70% for both. He also has yet another ear infection; and according to his pediatrician, his left ear "doesn't look right," so we left with a referral to see an ENT. Otherwise, he's doing fine.

He has been taking more and more steps the past few days but would still rather crawl. If he's not in a hurry (which isn't often!), he'll take his sweet time walking to his destination. But if he's in a rush, he drops to his knees and crawls at the speed of lightning!

He has also been using his signs more. His favorite ones are "more" and "milk." He wakes up from his naps signing "milk" and sometimes "eat." It cracks me up!

Happy 1st Birthday Nathan!

2010-04-08T19:52:00.002-05:00

One year ago today at 9:02 a.m., Nathan William Curry was born. He has brought much joy to our lives, and we are all crazy about him.

What is he doing now? Well, he's NOT walking. He can stand up all on his own, he can cruise very well (with one hand, might I add), he can walk behind toys and while holding on to someone's hand. However, he will not walk all on his own. He has taken a few steps here and there but he really has zero interest in walking. I guess he'll walk when he's ready.

He is saying mama, dada, uh-oh, bye/bye bye, hey, and has said book, ball, and bath. I've been trying to teach him a few signs; he can sign more, milk, and all done but doesn't use them a lot.

He loves taking a bath and throws a fit when he has to come out of the tub. He also loves being outside, riding around in his little Radio Flyer coupe. He is just so much fun at this age!

Here is the big boy today:

Easter 2010

2010-04-06T21:40:00.004-05:00

Easter weekend was nice. It was busy, chaotic at times and stressful at other times, but we enjoyed it! I think the boys did, too.

Nathan's basket - I know it's pitiful but he had a big birthday party the day before and well, he didn't really need anything else.

Matthew's basket

Matthew grabs the candy first - that's my boy!

Nathan just grabs everything!

And this is the aftermath

Trying to take a family portrait - I gave up after that one shot. Nathan was just too busy that morning.

He did better when someone actually stood behind the camera and got his attention.

but only for a second

At least Ryan and I know how to sit still and smile for the camera

This one turned out just fine - he's such a cutie!!

And it was impossible to get a GOOD one of the boys together. They were too busy playing and/or fighting.

Matthew posed for the camera:

I guess Nathan did, too.

Nathan's First Birthday - Red Wagon Party!

2010-04-04T16:32:00.006-05:00

Even though Nathan won't be one until April 8, we had his birthday party on Saturday since most everyone would be in town for Easter. Our small house was packed, but it was a great party!

Here's the birthday boy:

The favors - They matched his invitations, which I got from Etsy:
One of his gifts:
I LOVE this banner! Candise made it for Nay Nay:

I found these balloons online. They were too cute!

This was probably the best birthday cake I've ever had! It was wonderful!! It was made by Cakes by Rita. I cannot say enough great things about it. She did a great job.

At first Nathan just picked at the yellow parts and ate them. . .

But then he discovered that cake was under all of that red and yellow stuff!

His Pottery Barn chair - he loves it

This picture cracks me up. Matthew loved this bow and wore it most of the day:

This was by far the most popular gift. Nathan, as well as the other kids, loved it.

Nathan & the Easter Bunny

2010-04-01T21:27:00.003-05:00

While at the mall today, I thought we'd drop by and see the Easter Bunny. Nathan went to him willingly but wasn't too keen on sitting on his lap for pictures. I think he realized it was "alive" and not a stuffed animal, so he wanted down! Matthew was with us but wasn't interested in seeing the bunny. He's growing up too fast! Well, they both are.

At least I got one cute picture:

11 Months Old

2010-03-10T11:31:00.003-06:00

Hard to believe that in one month, my baby boy will be a year old! Time slowed down for a brief period and now it has sped back up. The past 2 months have flown by; and I suspect from here on out, it's going to go by even faster.

Nathan still isn't walking yet but to be honest, I'm not in a hurry for it. There are moments where it would be convenient, for example, when we're outside and he wants to crawl around on the ground (yuck, not to mention it'll ruin his clothes). But he does just fine with crawling. He is saying mama, dada, bye bye, uh oh (takes A LOT of prompting for this), and book (buh). He says "ba" sometimes for ball and has said "baba" for bottle but I haven't heard that one in awhile.

He points at EVERYTHING!! He loves using that little finger to point. He even sticks it up his nose! He waves bye bye when he wants to, but sometimes he'll just point instead.

He has 8 teeth and is working on those molars. He drools constantly. There's usually a trail of drool all along the floors. I've given up trying to keep them clean.

Things he loves: books (yay!), Backyardigans (see previous post), and making messes! The playroom stays a mess because he dumps everything out and on to the floor. He also loves playing in the fridge and cabinets. And yes, he still loves to eat.

He also loves his big brother Matthew:

Nathan Hearts The Backyardigans

2010-03-09T22:15:00.002-06:00

I know, I know. Nathan is a little young to be watching TV already. However, I do have an older child that watches TV so by default, Nathan gets to watch it too. He absolutely LOVES The Backyardigans. If he is in another room and hears them come on the TV, he crawls into the living room as fast as he can and dances to the music. We just crack up at him!

Matthew and the Lost Tooth (literally!)

2010-02-23T21:11:00.003-06:00

Tonight Matthew lost his first tooth! It had been loose for several months but he would never touch it and wouldn't let me wiggle it either. While brushing his teeth before bed, it just fell out. And then it fell down the sink drain. I was trying to rinse the toothpaste off of it and the force of the water washed it out of my hand and into the drain. Good thing Matthew knows nothing about the tooth fairy and sticking a tooth under the pillow or else he'd be disappointed, huh?

Sweet Taters

2010-02-23T21:03:00.002-06:00

Nathan loves some sweet potatoes! He'll eat a whole one by himself. See how happy he is when he eats them:

Yep, this child loves some sweet taters!

Super Bowl Party

2010-02-08T16:37:00.005-06:00

We hosted a Super Bowl party for our Sunday School class. Our small house was packed full but we had a good time. I think the kids enjoyed themselves more than the adults, though. There were toys everywhere!

Speaking of the Super Bowl, I was sad that the Colts lost but happy that the Saints won. I think the team truly deserved to win this year.

Nathan sitting in the middle of the chaos, chewing on anything and everything

Just one scene of the craziness

Little Charlie loved all of the Thomas train stuff

Some of the guys - I wonder why Michael was looking at me like that?

And this is one of the sweetest pictures ever! Nathan crawled into Allen's lap and cuddled up to him. Isn't that too cute??

10 Months Old!

2010-02-08T16:06:00.002-06:00

Little man is 10 months old today! They sure do grow quickly, don't they? I weighed him on our scale, and he was 23.2 pounds. I don't know his length but I'm guessing he's around 30 inches tall.

This past month has been a big month of growth for him. A few days after he turned 9 months old, he started crawling. He had been pulling up for a week or so, but would hold on for dear life and couldn't get himself back down. Well now he's squatting and picking things up while holding on with only one hand and has actually let go a couple of times! He's cruising along furniture and will sometimes walk if we hold on to his hands. I'll be honest and say I'm not ready for him to walk yet. He gets into everything as it is just with crawling and pulling up. I can't imagine how much more freedom he'll have by walking! My guess is that it'll be a couple more months before he walks so we're okay for now.

He said his first clear word -- "bye bye." I thought he had been saying it beforehand but I wasn't too sure if he was just babbling or actually saying it. However, several of us heard it clear as day last week so I'm counting it! He also says "dada" and rarely "mama," like that's fair, right?? He waves bye bye, plays patty-cake and peek-a-boo, and feeds himself. Matter of fact, it's getting to the point that he doesn't want us to feed him at all; he wants to feed himself.

He has quite a temper when he doesn't get his way. He will kick his little legs and flail himself backwards, all the while screaming bloody murder. He also likes to bite anything and everything. There's a roll of toilet paper in our bathroom with little teeth marks in it. Speaking of biting, he has 7 teeth with #8 on its way. Soon the molars will be coming in and I'm so dreading it!!

Despite the tantrums, we are all just loving his personality! He's so full of spunk but is so sweet and cuddly. He is so expressive with his face, especially his eyes. I crack up at all of his facial expressions.

Now come the official 10 month pictures, which are getting harder and harder to take. He won't sit still for a minute which makes it impossible to get a really good shot. Oh well, I tried.

He is now anticipating the flash on the camera so he automatically squints his eyes when he sees it.

"Move George, I'm ready to get down!"

"Okay, I've had enough of this picture-taking business!"

5 Things

2010-01-23T16:26:00.002-06:00

Candise tagged me in her blog to answer the following questions:

Five Things
Instructions: Answer 5 questions with 5 answers, Tag 5 other bloggers

Questions:

1. Where were you 10 years ago?
--Living with my parents and siblings in Columbia, MS
--Attending college at USM in Hattiesburg, MS
--Dating my boyfriend Ryan who is now my husband
--Working 2 jobs, one at Express and one at Pam Castle's law office
--Lost in my own world, a world without Jesus

2. What is on your TO DO list for today?
--Go to the gym (DONE)
--Go to Sam's (DONE)
--Wash sheets on all the beds
--Go out to eat for supper
--Write letter to our Compassion sponsor child (working on it)

3. What 5 snacks do you enjoy?
--anything chocolate
--Chips and dip
--Bowl of cereal
--Cup of coffee from Starbucks
--Ice cream

4. Where are 5 places you have lived?
--Tupelo, MS
--Hattiesburg, MS
--Columbia, MS
--Natchez, MS
--Gretna, LA (for a few months after I was born)

5. Name 5 things you would do if you were a billionaire.
--Build the house of my dreams on a nice piece of land out in the county
--Travel to every place I've wanted to go: Italy, Disney again, London again, Greece, Israel, the list goes on and on
--College funds for both of my boys
--Help my parents and mother in law retire
--Support some type of ministry but I don't know what

Now I am tagging:
--Kasey
--Lori
--Colby
--James & Kristie
--Nicole

9 Months Old

2010-01-09T19:41:00.003-06:00

Nay Nay is 9 months old! I would ask where has the time gone but, for me, it has slowed down a good bit since he hit 6 months old. It's not that I'm in a hurry for him to grow up. I'm just in a hurry to get him off of the bottle and formula. Plus I remember loving the 12 - 18 month time period with Matthew, so I'm looking forward to that.

He had his 9-month well-baby visit on Friday. He's still my chunky boy, weighing in at 22 lbs 13 oz and measuring 29.75" tall. The pediatrician said he's in the 90th percentile for both. He still loves to eat, although he is starting to get pickier with his food. For example, he doesn't like regular bananas but will eat them pureed. He loves to feed himself so when I need to cook supper or get something done, I put him in his high chair with some Cheerios and he's in hog heaven!

He still isn't crawling much on his hands and knees but gets everywhere he wants to go by army crawling. Ryan and I call him our little slug. He started pulling up a week ago, which has resulted in at least one injury by the fireplace. It's time to do some serious baby-proofing because he is now into anything and everything.

As far as teething goes, he now has 6 teeth. Let me tell you, he is not a good teether which surprises me because his first two teeth came in without a hitch. Plus Matthew was a good teether, so I thought he would be too. But when he's teething, we know it. He's fussy and is up a good bit at night. Other than his first two teeth, his teething has been coinciding with an illness, so the illnesses could be making him feel badly.

Here is little man at 9 months old. Isn't he adorable? You can see the big knot on his forehead from hitting the fireplace.

And this is what you get when you can pull up but you can't get back down:

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

2010-01-09T17:00:00.003-06:00

Okay, okay, I know it's no longer Christmas but I felt the title was appropriate. Tupelo saw its first "snow storm" of 2010. It snowed not one, not two, but three days (even though the last 2 days were mostly snow flurries off and on). There was a lot of snow on Thursday. Had it been colder, more of it would've stuck. However, we got enough to play in it and build a snowman, which was destroyed before I got any pictures of it.

I'm glad it wasn't too cold because we were able to go outside and actually enjoy it a bit. I took Nathan out in it, too, since it was his first time to experience snow and since I don't know when we'll see it again. After the initial snowing, the weather got extremely cold, well, for us Southerners anyway. The temperatures dipped into single digits with 0 wind chill. It's been coooold. Although I'm not looking forward to summer, I am looking forward to some warmer temperatures.

Nathan and I standing out in the snow:

The front of our house - the girl in the pink is a neighbor

Matthew liked the snow, but only for a few minutes
Matthew and Ryan playing in the backyard

Christmas at Becky's

2010-01-06T20:10:00.004-06:00

We spent several days, including New Years Day, at Becky's house since that's when she has Christmas for her children and children's families. We had a great time. Matthew got to spend a lot of time with his cousins, Callie and Bo. On New Year's Eve, Mark (Becky's long-time significant other aka boyfriend) brought the kids a bunch of sparklers and fun fireworks. They loved them!

Ryan and Matthew with the sparklers:

Becky and Nathan

Callie, Matthew, and Nathan.

Bo didn't want to cooperate.

Becky opening one of her presents. Every time someone opened a present, the kids crowded around to "help" and see what they got.

Ryan got almost an entire new wardrobe of Polo stuff

Nathan loved chewing on the bags, ribbons, and paper.

He's upset 'cause Daddy's digging that piece of paper out of his mouth. He desperately wanted to eat it

Matthew loves his Thomas rain coat and DS games

Becky got a Wii and Wii Fit from Mark.

Nanny and her boys

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-28T21:06:00.004-06:00

We had a nice Christmas at home. The boys woke us up early, as usual. We told Matthew that he had a surprise. He ran into the living room and got excited to see all of the presents under the tree. I know Ryan and I are mean, but we had breakfast first before we let them open their presents. Matthew loved opening everything and since he loved it so much, he helped Nathan open his gifts as well.

We had lunch at the chinese buffet. The food was good and the restaurant wasn't too busy. There were a lot of old couples there, which made me wonder if they had anybody to spend Christmas with. I'm so thankful that I get to spend Christmas with my favorite boys!

Here is our "fireplace" which created the perfect background for opening presents. The channel was also playing Christmas music.

Matthew opening one of his gifts

He was excited about his stamp set (even though he has YET to play with it)

A girl, seriously??

2009-12-21T21:32:00.002-06:00

Does this sweet baby boy look like a girl? Today, while out and about in the mall, he was mistaken for a girl not once, not twice, but THREE times! And this wasn't the first (or third) time it has happened. It seems that any time we venture outside of our immediate circle of friends or family, someone mistakes him for a girl. Contrary to what Ryan says, I don't dress him like a girl. But when he wears something that is a unisex color, like red or green, someone will ask "boy or girl?" Heck, they'll ask when he's in an obvious boy outfit!!

"It's the eyes" is what they tell me when I point out that he's a boy. So I'm assuming that big eyes + long lashes = girl? At any rate, he's still a cutie!

8 Months Old

2009-12-17T15:46:00.003-06:00

I'm over a week late posting this since I've been lazy about uploading my pictures. Anyway, Nathan is now 8 months and one week old. He still isn't crawling, which isn't all that surprising since Matthew didn't crawl until he was 10 months old. (Apparently Ryan and I produce fat, lazy babies.) He is army crawling, though. It's easier for him to do since he is lugging around about 22-23 lbs. He is getting braver, too, and venturing into the playroom and kitchen. Although he has a room full of toys, he wants to play with everything else within reach.

He finally got his top two teeth in 3 weeks ago, so he is now sporting four pretty white teeth. He looks so grown up when he smiles since the top teeth are now visible when he smiles. He still loves to eat nearly everything, especially if it's coming off of my plate. Even if I make him his own plate of food with what I'm having, he wants it off of my plate. It's so funny!

He is still a friendly baby and so far isn't experiencing any stranger anxiety. He will let anyone hold him, although he will act teased when someone unfamiliar talks to him. (He tilts his head to one side and will smile bashfully.) He is also still pretty portable. I take him to the school quite frequently to help out in Matthew's class. We also go to playgroup once per week. He is like his mama; he likes to get out and go!

He loves his big brother and thinks he is hilarious. I love watching them play together. Matthew loves playing with him and will even get on to him. When I'm not in the room, I can hear Matthew saying, "No no Nathan. Don't play with that. That's for decorate." LOL!

Christmas Play Group

2009-12-16T20:24:00.007-06:00

Today was our last official play group of the year. Since Christmas is less than 2 weeks away, we celebrated by having a birthday party for Jesus at Kasey's house. We enjoyed some good food and mommy chatter. Jennifer made reindeer cupcakes, which I didn't get to eat because I was too stuffed from everything else, and Kasey made some awesome Oreo balls (the main reason why I was stuffed!).

We chatted and refereed the arguments among the children while Candise, the crafty pregnant gal of the group, made us some cute ornaments. Thank you Candise! And thank you Kasey for letting us hang out at your beautiful home.

Here are some of the boys playing around in Collins' bedroom.

Nathan hung out and commando-crawled everywhere.
Getting ready to eat!
Here's cute Candise, working hard on our ornaments

And here is the ornament! This is Nathan's hand print, with the fingers decorated like snowmen. His name is written on the other side. It's sooo cute! The tree ornament was made by Kasey. It's so cute as well. Thanks girls!

Here's our little group. A few ladies and a few kids were missing but this is usually our core group. From left to right, Deanna W (and Tyler), me (and Nathan), Jennifer (with Addi and Carson), Candise (and Andrew) and Kasey (with Collins).

Lastly, this is a cute picture of Nathan that I took at Kasey's house. Isn't he so adorable?

Tupelo Christmas Parade

2009-12-06T20:24:00.004-06:00

Brrr, it was so cold on Saturday when we attended Tupelo's Annual Christmas Parade. I enjoyed it, other than the blistering wind that blew in my face occasionally. Matthew complained and whined most of the time. And Nathan, go with the flow Nathan, slept half of the time. He was upset at first but quickly fell asleep.

Matthew is pouting:

This is our mayor, Jack Reed Jr.:

He is smiling here. I wonder what he was looking at?

Here's Nathan, all bundled up and sacked out

You would think they would've proofread the sign before putting it on the truck. It says "Have a safe HOIDAY from VeronaFire Dept."

I took this picture for my dad. The guy even stopped his car to let me take the picture.

And this one is for Ryan, the TMS Varsity Band.

And this one cracked me up. I can't remember what type of beauty queen HE was but he looked pretty funny.

I thought this float was very nice:

Christmas Card Photo attempt - Take 3

2009-12-06T20:16:00.002-06:00

Now I see why photographers charge so much for their services!! I think I'm going to use one of the pictures from yesterday's session. (Kasey, it's the one you like!) I like some of these but Matthew's hair doesn't look all that great. Plus, I like yesterday's outfits better.

Next year, I might just pay someone to take the pictures for me.

Christmas Card Photo attempt - Take 2

2009-12-05T21:24:00.004-06:00

Okay, today went a little bit better but I still didn't get a picture I just love. I'm not asking for perfection here, just asking for my kids to sit up straight, look at the camera and SMILE. ;)

The next two pictures are possibilities, if we don't get anything good tomorrow:

Christmas Card Photo attempt - Take 1

2009-12-03T21:09:00.002-06:00

Oh boy. If at first you don't succeed, try try again, which we'll be doing on Saturday.

It's looking like Christmas around here!!

2009-11-28T20:44:00.004-06:00

We decorated our tree and living room a little early this year since we were out of town most of the week. You can tell that we buy most of our stuff half-price after Christmas since nothing matches! I'd love to find one theme and stick with it but I love so many Christmas themes (traditional, trendy, whimsical) that it is hard for me to chose just one. I am tired of looking at the same stuff over and over again, so I might make a change after this year. I need to buy new stockings now that we've added another person to our little family. I guess this would be a perfect time to invest in some new ones, huh?

And this year we put the little Christmas tree on the hearth rather than in Matthew's room. He loved decorating it but wanted to play with the ornaments rather than putting them on the tree.

Here's the fireplace - this has a Santa theme to it.

The tree and entertainment area - it has a snowman theme

Matthew putting an ornament on his tree

His tree (well, I guess it's Nathan tree, too)

And guess who loves playing in the tree?

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-28T20:20:00.003-06:00

Yeah, yeah, I know that it's no longer Thanksgiving but I've been lazy about uploading my pictures and updating my blog. I was bored tonight so I decided to do both.

We spent Thanksgiving at Ryan's grandmother's house in Greenville, MS. The food was great, as usual. The McGaugh women (Ryan's mother's side of the family) can cook!! They like to eat, too, so they are women after my own heart. *LOL*

I left my camera in the car so I didn't get any pictures at her house. I didn't even get any pictures of Nathan enjoying his first Thanksgiving! Quite frankly, I didn't even think about it being his first Thanksgiving until after the fact, while we were on our way home. Poor fellow won't have any pictures in his baby book of his first Thanksgiving. I guess I should just get used to the fact that Nathan is going to suffer from second-child syndrome.

Becky (my mother in law) took some pictures of us at her house so I'm posting those. As you can see, it's hard to get a picture of four people all happy and smiling, especially when there's a baby involved. And I've learned that it's really hard to get a decent picture of two busy-body children, too. I am dreading taking the "Christmas Card Picture," which I plan to attempt tomorrow.

Thankful

2009-11-20T13:52:00.004-06:00

Yesterday Matthew's class had their Thanksgiving dinner at school. I didn't attend because it was during Nathan's nap time. Plus he was teething and a little grumpy so I decided to stay home. I received an e-mail from Matthew's teacher, Mrs. Wallace, later that day and thought it was so sweet. This is it:

Okay! Your precious child has just reminded me one more time why it is I keep teaching these little ones...We were going around the big feast table, taking turns telling what we were thankful for..We started on one side and went down the other...Matthew was at the head of the table and we ended up with him. When I asked him what he was thankful for, I really expected him to repeat what some of the children before had said...family, God, friends, or even "Thankful.." but Matthew responded with, Thankful....( he thought a second)...Mrs. Wallace." Well, obviously, big tears came to my eyes and I said, "Matthew, that is so sweet. I looked at the other adults in the room and said I'm going to cry!" Matthew said, "It's okay, Mrs Wallace!" Now, that made my day! I believe he knew just what he was talking about!!!He was wonderful during the powwow and feast...He led our class in the parade and carried the pumpkin.

Isn't that so sweet? Matthew really does love Mrs Wallace. He's always excited and happy about going to school. He even wants to go to school on the weekends. I'm so thankful that he has such a patient and loving teacher because she is exactly what he needs right now. Thank you Mrs. Wallace!

Here are Matthew and Mrs. Wallace at the front of the line

7 Months Old

2009-11-09T21:12:00.004-06:00

Another month has passed by, which means Nathan is 7 months old! He is a big boy. I have no idea how much he weighs, but he is wearing 12 month size clothing. He is the sweetest, cutest thing, almost always happy and smiling. He still isn't crawling yet but he is starting to drag himself towards objects, sort of like an army crawl. I don't think he likes the hardwood floors much, so he tends to stay on the rug most of the time, just rolling around on it. He is also sitting without support, although he does topple over at times.

Those top two teeth still haven't come in yet! He is working on them, though. Maybe he'll have them by next month.

Birmingham Zoo

2009-11-09T20:56:00.004-06:00

On Saturday we went to the Birmingham Zoo. We had never been so we decided to take the trip since the weather was nice. It was a nice time. My favorite part of the zoo was feeding the lorakeets. They are so cute but naughty little things. One (or maybe two) of them peed on my shoulder. That's better than them pooping, right? And this time we paid the $8 to rent a stroller for Matthew to ride in. It was so worth the money! As you'll see in the pictures, he wasn't too keen about having to ride in it but it sure made it easier on us at times.

Halloween Photo Contest

2009-11-04T15:41:00.004-06:00

This adorable picture won us a $100 gift card to Gymboree!

Gymboree had a Halloween Photo Contest on their Facebook page. His costume was from Gymboree, so I decided to submit it (not to mention that I think he is the cutest thing ever). I really didn't expect him to win, especially since there were only 5 winners out of nearly 700 entries!! Now don't get me wrong, I think he is adorable and I loved this picture, but it's hard to be objective when it's your own child, ya know? I'm sure most, if not all, of the parents who submitted their pictures thought theirs was the cutest. I'm sure a lot of the parents are going to question why their child didn't win while mine and 4 others did. At any rate, I think Gymboree made an excellent choice and I'm looking forward to spending that $100 gift card when it gets here.

Epilepsy Awareness Month

2009-11-02T09:50:00.005-06:00

November is Epilepsy Awareness Month. If you haven't read Matthew's story, you can read it here. I feel so very blessed to say that Matthew has not had a seizure in one year and three months. If he can make it nine more months, he'll have more extensive testing done; and then, if his tests are normal, we can begin weaning his medication. After you read his story, you will know what we have been through to get to this point and we thank God that we can proclaim that Matthew is seizure-free!

Matthew and his neurologist, Dr. Wheless, July 2007

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-02T09:32:00.004-06:00

We had a busy day on Halloween! First of all, we went to our church's Fall Festival. There were a lot of bouncy houses, as well as a hayride and my favorite: lunch! Then that afternoon we went to another church's Fall Festival and Matthew had a blast. There were a bunch of fun games to play. Later that evening, we went to Aunt Scarlet's house and had supper and then went trick-or-treating in her neighborhood.

Matthew had a great time trick-or-treating, unlike last year. If you don't remember my post about last year's attempt at trick-or-treating, read about it here. This year was so much better.

Nathan just sat in his stroller, sucking on his paci. He didn't care for his costume but I thought he was so adorable! Matthew loved his costume. When I saw it at Walmart, I immediately bought it because I knew it would be a hit. He wanted to wear it every single day.

Here are just a few pictures from our day:

Fall Festival at the Oren Dunn Museum

2009-10-24T20:58:00.003-05:00

We're always looking for something fun (and free!) to do on Saturdays so we went to the Oren Dunn Museum's Fall Festival. There wasn't much to it but we got out and enjoyed the weather.

The Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-24T20:45:00.005-05:00

Matthew's first field trip with his kindergarten class was to the Pumpkin Patch in Blue Mountain last Tuesday. At first he was excited about going to the pumpkin patch. He talked about it non-stop for a couple of weeks. But when the time came to go, he didn't want to go so he spent most of the day pouting and whining. He did have a good time jumping in the bouncy houses and picking out his pumpkin.

Bowling

2009-10-24T20:36:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday we went bowling at Rebel Lanes. It was a good time and a nice way to spend a Saturday afternoon. We had a good time.

Buddy Bear

2009-10-24T14:31:00.002-05:00

A couple of weeks ago Matthew brought Buddy Bear home to visit with us. Buddy Bear sits on a shelf in Matthew's classroom and watches the children. He goes home for the weekend with one of the children who shows good manners and is respectful. Matthew was so excited that Buddy came to visit and I was, too. I was thankful that Matthew behaved at least one week at school. Can't say the same for the rest of the weeks, though.

Joyner Jubilee

2009-10-24T14:25:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago we attended Matthew's school's annual fundraiser, Joyner Jubilee. There were several fun little games, as well as a cake walk and face painting. I worked a booth so Ryan took Matthew around the school to play the games while Nathan hung out with me.

Nathan's 6 month stats

2009-10-12T09:38:00.002-05:00

I was almost right about Nathan's weight and height. He weighed 20 lbs 4 oz and was 28.5" long (in the 90-95% for both). Still a big boy! And at the same age, Matthew weighed 20 lbs and was 28 1/4" long. It's amazing how Nathan is growing at the same rate as Matthew did. So, yes, he's a chunk right now but that doesn't mean he'll always be one.

Happy 1/2 Birthday Nathan!

2009-10-08T16:19:00.003-05:00

Can you believe that my baby is now 6 months old? He has grown so much! I bet he weighs 20 lbs and is around 28" long. We'll find out for sure on Monday when he goes for his well-baby visit.

Today has been a little hard on my little man. He is running his first fever. I don't know if he has what I had on Monday (a really bad cold) or if it's due to the two little teeth that are trying to make their appearance, but he's miserable. His two top front teeth are almost in, so probably in the next 2 or 3 days, he'll have a total of 4 teeth! Poor little guy, maybe he'll have some relief then.

He is finally rolling around some. He's not crazy about rolling around on the floor, I guess because of the hardwood floors. But he'll roll all over my bed and in his crib, which means we can't leave him alone, not even for a second, on the changing table or on a bed.

He now loves his solid food. He loves sweet potatoes, carrots, squash and any fruit. He hates anything green, which I don't blame him. That pureed green stuff is nasty. He'll eat a green bean, though. He also likes bread. I usually cut the crust off of a pizza and let him gnaw on that. He loves it! Now that he's eating more solids, we dropped a bottle so he's drinking 4 8oz bottles a day. That's still a lot of formula! He gets his love of food honest, though, because his mama and daddy love it, too!

A Day at the Memphis Zoo

2009-10-04T12:27:00.008-05:00

The weather has been so beautiful lately that we decided to take a trip to the zoo in Memphis. This was Nathan's first zoo trip. Matthew has been here many times before, but this was the first time he walked the zoo on his own. He's normally in a stroller but he's too big for the strollers we have; and we weren't going to pay $8 to rent one. However, after having to holler at him about 100000 times to "come here" and "stay by us," I think next time we'll be paying $8 for the zoo stroller.

We had such a great time! The weather was perfect. The boys were well-behaved, no meltdowns for either one of them. Nathan didn't want to take a nap because he was too busy watching everything and everyone, but the tram ride did him in. He could barely keep his eyes open after that.

Ryan, Matthew, and Nathan at the zoo entrance

Me and my babies

The new exhibit - Teton Trek

Teton Trek - the Grizzly bear cubs are asleep in the back corner

Now look at this cutie-pie! So sweet

Matthew is posing with the panda

Nathan and I are on the tram - he could barely hold his eyes open

My other sweet boy - he had such a great time

Ryan and Nathan enjoying the shade

Matthew was EXHAUSTED after the trip - he slept all the way home

Random pictures

2009-09-23T21:14:00.002-05:00

Bath Time!

2009-09-23T21:09:00.002-05:00

My little chunky monkey has outgrown his infant bath tub, so I bought him a cheap bath seat since he's not sitting up yet. It was sort of cumbersome to use in the sink so I stuck him in the bath tub with Matthew. I can't say he really enjoyed it but Matthew liked washing Nathan's hair.

Touch A Truck

2009-09-13T20:27:00.004-05:00

Yesterday we took Matthew to "Touch a Truck" at the Sportsplex. There were a bunch of trucks and other vehicles that children (and adults if they felt so inclined) were able to "play" with. There were two helicopters, a fire truck, the library book mobile, a garbage truck, several Fed Ex trucks, a Coca-Cola 18-wheeler, some heavy equipment machinery, as well as some others. Matthew liked the fire truck the best.

What was so funny was that every time Matthew sat in a seat, he put his seat belt on. He just recently learned how to buckle himself in his booster seat in our van, so now that he's learned to do it, he loves doing it. I hope he keeps up that trend when he's driving and riding around with his friends!

In back of an ambulance

In the driver's seat of the fire truck, before he put his seatbelt on

I don't know what this is, but he had fun trying it out

A rare picture with me in it - we're hanging out by a golf cart

Sitting in the back of the fire truck - isn't he so cute?

Had to throw this picture of Nathan in there - doesn't he look comfy?

He's rolling over!

2009-09-11T16:36:00.002-05:00

Well, Nathan is making a liar out of me. A few hours after I wrote yesterday's blog entry, he started rolling front to back. It is simply amazing how quickly babies can go from not being able to do something to doing it very proficiently! Now as soon as I put him on his belly, he rolls back over. He's so excited about it and I am too!

He's screeching at me here. Yes, it's a happy screech. :)

Tired of being on his belly so he's attempting to roll.

Almost there!

Success!

He loves chewing on his toys, especially this one!

5 Months Old!

2009-09-10T12:24:00.004-05:00

I'm a couple of days late posting this, but Nathan is now 5 months old! I can't believe that next month he'll be 6 months old! Where has the time gone???

He's still such a joy, so happy and laid back. Matter of fact, he's so laid back that he has ZERO interest in getting around, none at all. He's still not rolling over, not even from belly to back. He will roll to his sides, which means he's almost rolling to his belly, but he just has no interest in going anywhere. He's perfectly content to lie on the floor and watch everything going on around him. He does love his feet, though, as you saw from pictures posted earlier.

We are still attempting to feed him some purees every night, and he's still not crazy about them. I can't really blame him. Rice cereal tastes like cardboard. But he drinks formula and that stuff is nasty, too, so I don't understand why he doesn't like the cereal. I'm going to add oatmeal and fruits once we've gotten the hang of veggies for supper. He seemed to like sweet potatoes, so it seems that he is going to have a sweet tooth like the rest of us.

He has finally dropped his late afternoon/evening nap so he's now napping 3 times per day. He's still sleeping through the night, although he does wake up at 5:30 occasionally. Sometimes he'll go back to sleep; other days he's ready to be UP! That makes for a very long day.

He loves the TV, watching Matthew run around, his bath (he gets all excited when he sees the water running), and really loves his bottle and paci. I can tell that I'm going to have a hard time breaking both of those habits.

The wet spots on his shirt and shorts are spit up, of course. Yuck!

He's either trying to grab George's hair or poke him in the eyes. It's hard to tell since he's known for doing both to us. ;)

Tupelo Fair

2009-09-07T20:44:00.004-05:00

Today we braved the heat and took Matthew to the fair downtown. He had a wonderful time. Me, not so much. It was so hot! Poor Nathan looked miserable but he was in a good mood.

I'm tired but it was worth it to see the joy on Matthew's face. Oh the things we do for our children!

This was his favorite ride. It was a rollercoaster ride.

Poor little Nay-Nay. Look at how red his cheeks are. I kept wiping him with a cold, wet cloth. I also poured water in his mouth.

Ryan decided to take a ride with Matthew. Looks like he's having fun as well!

Ballard Park

2009-09-07T20:35:00.002-05:00

Last Tuesday I took the boys to Ballard Park which is about a mile or so from our house. I'm embarrassed to admit that this was Nathan's first time to go to the park. To be quite honest, I'm not an outdoorsy kinda gal and much prefer to stay inside in the cool air rather than being out in the hot humid summer and being eaten alive by mosquitoes.

Of course Nathan didn't get much out of it, but Matthew had a good time.

I had to post this picture. Just look at those eyes!

Nathan's First Foods and Other Things

2009-09-06T20:00:00.004-05:00

At Nathan's 4 month appointment, the pediatrician said to start him on solid food. I didn't think he was ready because #1 - he still has a bad tongue reflex; #2 - he seemed satisfied with his formula and #3 - look at him! You can tell he's not lacking in the "food" department. At any rate, for the past month or so, I've been sneaking him little bits of food here and there, mainly bread products (like pancakes and toast) and potatoes, just to see his reaction. He wasn't too keen on anything I gave him and spit it right back out. So I decided to wait until he was 5 months old to try some foods. He's 2 days away from being 5 months old and we decided to start a couple of days early. He has been eating more formula (5 or 6 7-9oz bottles per day) and waking earlier in the morning, so we decided to start him on solids to see if maybe he needs more food. I think he's on his maximum limit of formula so I hope he takes to solid food well. So far, he's not liking it at all.

Look at those pretty eyes! He's getting ready for his food. :)

His first taste of rice cereal - after the initial taste, he warmed up to a little bit but got sick of it quickly.

Next try: carrots! As you can see, he wasn't crazy about those either.

As promised, here's a picture of those 2 little pearly whites!

He can sit for a couple of seconds with no support

And here are my two handsome boys. As usual, Nathan's not too crazy about being on his belly.

Nathan and His Feet

2009-08-27T10:40:00.004-05:00

A week after I wrote the "4 Month" post, Nathan discovered his feet. He absolutely loves them and chooses to play with them above all other things. I crack up at the positions he can get himself into at times. And what's even funnier is that he tries to suck on his toes, but due to his pot belly, his feet can't quite reach his mouth. So funny!

And in other news, he got his second tooth yesterday! So my baby is sporting 2 little pearly whites. I tried to get a picture of them but it was impossible! I'll try again later.

Attempt to suck on his toes - not quite there yet

Speaking of funny positions, will someone please tell me how my 5 year old can contort his body like this?:

Happy Birthday Ryan!

2009-08-27T10:31:00.005-05:00

Yesterday Ryan turned 34 years old. We celebrated with grilled shrimp po-boys and ice cream cake (yummy) for dessert. I told him in one more year he'll be hitting the downhill slope to 40, which I don't think he likes very much. But, some things better with age, and Ryan is one of those "things."

Ryan, we love you very much and are so blessed to have you as husband, father, and friend. :)

The cake I bought at Walmart - Come on guys, you know I'm not gonna bake anything.

Matthew was helping Daddy blow out the candles

And this is what happens when I try to get a picture of all three of the "boys"

Nathan's First Tooth

2009-08-24T20:12:00.002-05:00

My baby is growing up. He's only 4.5 months old and already has a tooth, the right one on the bottom. It sprang up this weekend. It never occurred to me that he might be teething because it's so early. Sure, he's been drooling, chewing on his hands, and moaning in his sleep at night, but I thought that was just part of his development. Well, except the moaning at night. I didn't know what that was about. . . The other tooth, the one on the left, is about to pop as well. What makes this ironic is that Matthew's bottom two teeth are loose. So Nathan is getting teeth and Matthew will be losing teeth.

I can't get pictures of it yet because it's hard to hold his mouth open, move his tongue out of the way, and get a close enough shot where you can see it. But rest assured, pictures of his little pearly whites will be posted soon enough!

Kindergarten!

2009-08-15T10:03:00.008-05:00

Yesterday Matthew officially became a kindergartener as it was his first day of school! He wasn't too excited about it and pouted and whined most of the way there; but once he got in the classroom, he was fine. When I picked him up after school, I asked him if he had fun and he said yes! He was in a great mood so I assume it was a good day.

We feel so fortunate in that he got an absolute GREAT teacher--Mrs. Wallace--who already cares so much about him. She even called me last night to tell me what kind of day they had. Because of his developmental delay (DD) ruling and epilepsy diagnosis, he was assigned a personal aide--Mrs. Magers--who will be with him at all times. He will also have a SPED teacher--Mrs. Gravatt--who will take him out of the classroom at times to work with him on the areas in which he's struggling.

Here he is, pouting outside of the school because he didn't want his picture taken. Oh well, that's life. Sometimes we have to do things we don't want to do!

Kindergaten hall Matthew and Mrs. Magers

Matthew and Mrs. Wallace

Matthew in his classroom

4 months old!

2009-08-10T14:07:00.002-05:00

Little man turned 4 months old on Saturday. Today he had his 4 month well baby visit and weighs 17lbs 12oz and is 26.5" long which puts him in the 95% for both height and weight. Yep, he's a big boy!

I'd love to report all of the fun, new things he's doing but unfortunately he's not doing anything new since last month. Of course that concerns me, but the pediatrician said to wait until he's 6 months old before I become worried. It's hard, though, since he seems to be following Matthew's developmental curve, and we all know how delayed Matthew is (and was, even before the seizures). I guess that's one thing that really sucks about parenting: the constant worry!!

Otherwise, he's still a happy-go-lucky baby. He's very observant. He loves to just sit and watch everything going on while chewing on his hands. He's not a very physical baby but rather he's a social creature, much like his mama and daddy. I think he's learning the difference between Mommy and Daddy and strangers. Today while a nurse was holding him, he pouted and cried some. When she handed him back to me, he gave her a huge grin. The little stinker!

Even though it's a little late, I've decided to start taking monthly pictures of Nathan sitting next to a stuffed animal so we can actually see how much he's grown. Several of my friends have done this and it's so neat to watch the physical growth of the child next to the animal. So, here are Nathan and older brother Matthew's stuffed monkey George #2:

And as usual, I must post a picture of his smile because I love it so much!

And I really hate the bib, really hate it! It hides his cute clothes, but it's necessary since he spits up about 10000000 times per day. Ugh, I hate it.

Sunday School Cookout at the Fultons

2009-07-19T20:01:00.002-05:00

We had a great time at the Fultons house on Saturday. They graciously volunteered their home for our Sunday School class to have a summer cookout. We kept with the Baptist tradition of food, fellowship, and fun!

Here's a group of the girls just sitting around and gossipping (LOL!)

And here are the fellows, doing the same thing

The kids had a great time jumping on the trampoline. Even Kasey joined
in the fun!

Matthew and Sidney having a good time

And here's Nathan, keeping himself occupied by sucking on his hand.

The Exersaucer

2009-07-19T19:54:00.002-05:00

Okay, I know I'm in a rush for my baby to grow up. Here he is, only 3 months old, and I've already stuck him in the Exersaucer. I do admit that I wish he were a little older, just old enough where he's actually playing with toys and maybe even sitting up on his own. And oh yeah, feeding himself solids would be nice, too.

Batting at the monkey

Hmm, still working on getting that monkey, and blowing bubbles

at the same time

Looks like a deer caught in the headlights - and look at the bubble residue on his bottom lip!

MawMaw & PawPaw

2009-07-12T14:45:00.002-05:00

My parents moved back home to Mississippi from Texas a couple of weeks ago and were finally able to come visit us in Tupelo. It was the first time my dad had seen Nathan (in person). They both commented how much Nathan looks like me when I was a baby. I'm sure looking at him brings back a lot of memories for them.

We had a good visit and look forward to seeing them again soon!

Me, Nathan, Mom, and Matthew

Daddy decided to join us in this picture. LOL

3 Months Old

2009-07-08T14:20:00.002-05:00

Little man is 3 months old today. I don't know any of his stats since he doesn't have a well-baby checkup this month, but I attempted to weigh him on our scale. He's about 16lbs, give or take a few ounces. I'd guess that he's about 25" in length.

He is sleeping through the night, sometimes up to 12 hours per night. He can barely handle being up an hour before needing to sleep again, so he takes about 4 naps per day. He's still cooing, smiling, and even laughing. He has rolled a few times from his front to his back but he gets frustrated being on his stomach so sometimes he just lays there and grunts or cries.

He is finding his hands which he sucks on and uses to grab anything within reach (he's still not really reaching out for toys yet, though). I had to cut my hair off because he was grabbing chunks of it and ripping it out. Ouch!

He is such a sweet and happy baby. We are enjoying him so much. Matthew just loves his little brother and it's so cute to watch him interact with Nathan.

I absolutely love his smile. It's so beautiful!

Happy baby!

Okay, Mom, I've had enough. Now feed me!!

Tummy time where he's not fussing about it

He loves grabbing his daddy's goatee and ripping out a few hairs.

Weekend at Nanny's

2009-07-05T20:11:00.003-05:00

We took a drive to Vicksburg to visit Nanny (Ryan's mom Becky) before going to Greenville for the annual McGaugh 4th of July family reunion. It was Nathan's first road trip and first time to stay away from home and he did wonderfully. I personally want to thank the inventor of the pacifier which made the road trip that much better.

We had a good time at Nanny's house. She bought the kids a swimming pool and they spent a lot of time in it. Nanny even got in the pool with them. She bought Matthew a birthday cake (which I totally slacked on this year!), so he got to blow out some candles after all.

We stayed in Vicksburg for a couple of days and then drove to Greenville on the 4th for the reunion. Unfortunately, I was slacking again because I got no pictures at the reunion. Oh well, there's always next year!

Nanny with 3 of her 4 grandchildren: Matthew, Callie and Bo

They had a blast in the pool - Matthew loved jumping in

Matthew blowing out the candles on his cake

Me and mini-me

The whole Curry clan

Guess who's 5 years old?

2009-06-27T20:05:00.004-05:00

Yes, Matthew is now 5 years old! As the saying goes, time sure has flown by! It really does seem like yesterday that he was born and now he'll be starting kindergarten in the fall. It makes me sad to see my baby growing up. One day he'll be a teenager and that scares me. Why can't they stay young forever??

Anyway, Ryan and I planned a fun day for him. First, he had his favorite thing for breakfast: donuts from Shipley's! Then he got to open his birthday presents. He loved all of his gifts.

After Nathan's morning nap, we went to Chuck E. Cheese where he had a blast! He loves that place. Every time he sees the commercial on TV, he says, "Mom, I love going to Chuck E. Cheese. It's fun!" After a couple of hours there, we went to the mall for lunch. He loves the rice at The Wok so we got him a big 'ol bowl. He then played in the arcade and the little play area for awhile. After that we headed to Toys 'R Us where he got to spend some money that his Nanny (Ryan's mom) gave him for his birthday. He had so much fun picking out his own presents.

We didn't do a party this year because, quite frankly, I was lazy in planning it. Plus, he had a really big party last year. Next year we'll have another one, though. We just wanted him to have a day of some of his favorites.

Here's the birthday boy! He's sweaty just from getting in and out of the car!

Just opened his Thomas the Train board game

He loved the Hot Wheels wrapping paper

Helping Daddy pump air in the tires of his new bike!

Playing with his Art Studio on the computer

And little Nathan was a trooper all day long! Here he is, sitting on his Daddy's lap, enjoying his fist.