Been TOOOOOO Long - 'nuf said!

Since I have taken over as president of our state association, I've been soooo pressed for time. But I need to be better about posting so everyone can see how much the boys have grown. I'm going back to our Christmas photo shoot, which we held on our new backyard addition. We are going to love this once the weather finally starts cooperating here in Alabama (where is has snowed more this winter than in the past 10 combined!). Lucas is no longer a baby. I let his hair keep growing until after this photo shoot, because I knew as soon as we cut it, he'd really be a big boy. He's talking more and more each day and making long sentences now! He follows his big brother anywhere, and like Jackson, he has no fear...uh-oh! He was 20 months in these pictures.

Jackson loves the outdoors and can't wait for the weather to be like it was last weekend - high 60s and sunny! We spent the entire weekend outside :-) He loves his playschool and can't wait until 3k next year - when he will be at the big boy school!

Looking at the playground - where they really wanted to be

Best way to entertain - the tom cat app on my phone

The way they play with each other now, and really since day one, I have a feeling they will be the best of friends. Don't get me wrong, I know the will fight (like they do over Buzz and Woody now) but they are so sweet to each other for the most part.

Say "Cheese!"

Not a baby anymore!

It amazes me that Lucas will be 2 next month. Time goes by so fast! They are at such a fun age right now, I love all the time that we get to spend with them!!!! I can't wait to see what they will do next :-)

Beach Pictures Part 1

Here are about half the pictures from our beach trip a few weeks ago. We wish we were still there, and today when I was looking at these deciding which ones to post, Jackson asked when we were going back. I wish I could have said right now! We had such a good time and can't wait to get back to the condo!!! Jackson has always loved the beach. He was like a little turtle, crawling at 6 months old right out into the ocean. Nothing has changed, and I hated that he couldn't play in the water a lot. This was him the first day down there. He actually wore the hat for a while, and he played with his trucks and shovels in the sand.

It's a little hard to tell, but you can see the line of the booms, and the boat helping to clean up the area. The water was gorgeous when we were down there. No tarballs and tons of people in the water!

Wes watching the boys

This was really the first time Luke has played in the sand in his bathing suit. When we were there early this year, we took him out in his pants, and he loved walking in the sand. He wasn't so sure about it this time. He did figure out how to shovel sand on himself though, and once he had sand all over his face, he really didn't know what to think of it. But he figured out not to dump it on his head eventually!

Step 1 - shovel sand

Step 2 - close eyes and lift shovel

Steps 3 and 4 - dump sand on your head

Step 5 - laugh and try to figure out how to get the sand off your face

Just hanging out

Luke looking pensive

I was not able to get any pics of them both smiling on this day. It was hard enough to get one with both of them looking at me. L kept watching J instead

Sweet smiles :)

I just want to play with the shovel in the sand!!!

Plotting his escape to play

More to follow soon. Wes has his next certification exam on Monday, so keep him in your thoughts and prayers. J and L are doing great - grow, grow, grow. We are (impatiently) waiting for L's molar to finish cutting. They have taken FOREVER! J's took about a month, but this is twice as long. And we can tell they are bothering the little guy, and there's just not much that is making him feel better now. This too, shall pass, I know, but I hope for his sake (ok, for all of us!) that it speeds up!

More Milestones

On October 3, Jackson turned 2! I can't believe how fast time flies by. Unfortunately, I had a conference that weekend that prevented us from celebrating his birthday that day, so we celebrated last weekend. The only tv show he will even watch 5 minutes of is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, so we had a Mickey party :) The cake was so cute!

Jackson had a great time, and thankfully the weather cooperated and it finally quit raining for a day! The boys all got to play in the yard while Wes grilled burgers and hotdogs, then we had cake and ice cream for dessert. Jackson got too many gifts, and he loved everything he got!

Everyone eagerly awaited the cake while we sang happy b'day.

YUM - cake:) Jackson dug in and about ate it in one big bite, lol.

Playing around.

Playing with his new shopping cart. He loves to push anything, so this is perfect for him to run around the house with....and it doesn't make any noise when you push it, which Wes and I love! At his 2 year visit with the doctor he sat on the scale - and he's finally gained some weight!!! Thank goodness for peanut butter. He's up to 24 pounds, and finally out of the "< 5th percentile" and up to almost the 10th percentile. He's doing great. The only bad thing about the trip was that the office is out of flu shots! So we will have to go back again once they get in...whenever that may be.

Another milestone in our house these days is Luke eating real food. He's almost 7 months now, so it's been about 3 weeks of real food. So far he's had sweet potato, squash, butternut squash, carrot, and green beans. A few more dark veggies, then we'll get into the fruits. And I'm making all his food, just like I did for J (well, except for rice cereal). It's so fun and easy, and we know exactly what he's eating. And the boy loves to eat! At his 6 month visit, he weighed in at 17 pounds! Only 50th percentile (that just means there are some mommies and daddies out there w/ some sore backs!), but so much bigger than Jackson was:) Amazingly enough, he was 90th percentile for height. I hope he stays tall!

Enough with the camera - give me more food ;)

Here are some older pics from Auburn that were on Jackie's camera.

Family photo

Hopefully we'll get some pics of the boys this week so I can post some more. That's one of the things I didn't realize would change so much...we hardly ever take pics anymore and we used to take pics of J all the time. I'm trying to get better about it though. Hope everyone has a great week!

Promises, Promises

AGH - I really did mean to get some pictures up at the beach, but it just didn't happen. We had a great time though. I said goodbye to my 20s while we were down there, and managed to survive, lol. I'm hoping to work on those pictures tomorrow if I don't have a ton of cases (I'm on call) and maybe Monday I can get them up.

But for today, here's a few pics of the boys. He's been kinda fussy the past week. At first we thought it was just being at the beach and away from home, but now I'm not so sure. He's having screaming fits and not sleeping well. I'm hoping it's a growth spurt that will end soon! He turned 14 weeks today! Where does the time goes? Even when he's fussy, he's still so darn cute :D

He's usually all smiles, and here was one from earlier today. He's also found his hands, but he still has a hard time getting them in his mouth.

Jackson is definitely a big boy now - mixed feelings here! He got his hair cut today (it was like shaggy Hoover hair which you'll see in the beach pics) and looks so different! I've got some videos I need to post of him. He's nonstop, now both physically and verbally. Anything we say he repeats, and he's speaking full sentences almost all the time now. It's amazing the changes they make in just a few weeks.

The flash didn't go off, so I know this one is a little grainy, but I still really liked it once I lightened it up. Let me explain the scab on his chin. It happened at the beach. Jackson has no fear - not the beach, or the ocean, or people (wait I take it back - he hates the doctor's office). Anyway, he ran up to a little boy who had been playing by us all week, and right smack into the little guy's skimboard. He popped right back up though and didn't even cry, but it left a nasty little mark and scab. Oh well, boys will be boys!

Hopefully my call day won't be too bad tomorrow and I'll get some beach pictures up soon :)

Where does the time go???

Things have been soooo busy the past few weeks. It's hard to find time to blog these days! The weekend before last I was off to Chicago for an AANA function. As most of you know I'm on our state association's board of directors (www.ala-crna.org). This, on top of family, friends, and work keeps me busy :) It was my first weekend away from Luke! I missed all my guys terribly, but lucky for me, I left Friday after work and came back Sunday evening, so I wasn't gone that long. Last weekend I was on call, so that kept me busy. Work's going well - it's almost like I wasn't gone for 8 weeks. We are all doing great. Now it's almost hard to remember what it was like in our simpler life when we only had one child. What amazes me is the difference between the two boys - like night and day! Luke is such as easy baby =D Jackson cried every night when we laid him down to go to sleep and Luke is the total opposite. He's still smiling and cooing when we lay him down - it's adorable. Jackson is still the best big brother. He loves to run over to Luke and tell him "hey" and take his bottles to the sink. I hate that Luke can't talk back to him yet b/c J so badly wants to converse with him. And, I can't believe in the past two months how many words J has learned. He will now repeat anything that you say to him, including phrases. He started talking in sentences about a month ago - which is pretty early. He's too smart for his own good (well, more like too smart for our own good, lol ;)). They are both amazing children, and we are so blessed!

Luke loves to lay on his play mat and look at the lights and the toys. He's almost reaching out and hitting them with his hands.

Jackson looking at Luke :) He's really ready for him to be running around and playing with him. Unfortunately, we don't see Luke being as quick to roll, crawl, and run as J was. At this age J was pushing up when he was on his tummy. L, not so much...probably because he's a lot bigger ;) Only time will tell though!

I'm on call tomorrow, then have a 3 day weekend - woohoo! I'll try to be better about posting...if only there could be 28 hours in a day instead of 24...

Luke's Baptism

Happy Memorial Day! Thank you to all the people who have served for our country, especially Wes, my parents, and his dad!!! Everyone was in town this weekend for Lucas' baptism. Here he is in his baptismal gown - it's the same one that Jackson wore, and the same one that has been handed down for almost 70 years in our family!

We had the ceremony after mass. It was very nice b/c it was just our family :) I don't think with all the boys we would have been able to do it in the middle of mass like we did with Jackson. It would have been very hard for Jackson, Thomas and Mason to sit still that long. As it was Jackson didn't take his morning nap, I guess b/c so many people were at the house and he was wound up, but he ended up doing great through the short ceremony. Great minds must think alike b/c Noel Mark andLance wore the same color shirt and the same Auburn tie, lol.

Jackson and Wes before the ceremony

The Harvey side of the family

With the Godparents, Aunt Joanna and Uncle Mike

Family photo :)

The Rankin side of the fam

All the grandparents

Luke, mommy and daddy

Three generations of Rankin men

Uncle Noel and Aunt Joey - also expecting a boy!!! We are nothing but a family of boys :)

Here is Lucas at 8 weeks - such a big boy. He started smiling a few weeks ago and this is one of the first ones I caught on camera. I love those sweet baby smiles :D

He loves the swing!

Jackson laughing with daddy

With Grandma and Daddy

Luke and Uncle Noel

Another one of those baby smiles

Jackson helping out his brother - putting the paci back in his mouth (nevermind the fact that it's upsidedown, lol). He's so good with him and so sweet - they're great kiddos!!!

Hope everyone has a great week :)