Mommy and her boys!

Zack has been out of town this week for work.  He left on Sunday morning.  Prior to his trip and since he has been back, he has had to put in some extra hours at the office.... meaning he is getting home after the boys are in bed.... so this week I embraced a week of just mommy and her boys! There was definitely a lot of mother-son bonding moments..... just wanted to include a few pictures here!  And having two kids by yourself is no joke! I am worn out!  We played in the rain one night, Zander went to Cubbies with Grammy and Grandpa (giving me a chance to give Maddox a bath while Z was gone so I could give him a bath after M went to bed!), I took Maddox to his 15 month checkup (average weight -23 lb 7.5 oz, slight cold, fluid in the right ear-that we hope doesn't turn into an ear infection and an umbilical hernia which he should outgrow now that he is walking!), had a dinner date at Chick-Fil-A (the boys loved playing in the play area and even were giving each other hugs freely without prompting!), and was able to visit with Emmy (for a brief time).

 You can see how Maddox's belly button sticks out in this picture... it looks like he sometimes has an "innie" and sometimes has an "outie"!  That is evidence of the umbilical hernia that will correct itself through walking (hopefully!).  Maddox has taken off walking!  He can go from a seated position to standing and can pick up items from the floor while standing and then he is on the move again!  He also has three teeth coming in right now (some molars).

Road Trip!

We were able to head to Atlanta to visit Aunt A and Uncle Jay for the weekend! The boys did a great job in the car.  Maddox slept a good portion of the trip and Zander took about a 15-30 min. nap on the way there (and I was able to capture a quick picture!)  It takes about 5 hours to get there and 5 hours back so it was fun to see how we could "entertain" ourselves on the drive.  On the way back, I had to wedge myself between the two car seats so that Maddox would stop screaming (since he is still rear-facing).  Although my right butt cheek went numb, he was a lot happier when he could see mommy (hence the last picture included).  While we were in Atlanta, we were able to go to the park, check out the International Farmer's Market (with all their LIVE aquatic life) and visit the Atlanta Zoo!  We even fit in a quick visit with one of our youth that we worked with at our previous church.  She lives about 2 miles from Aunt A and Uncle Jay's new house!  Their house was perfect for the kids! It is exciting to think about Baby Cousin being there in a few short months!

Snow Days!

There is nothing like going back to work for a week and already getting some time off due to SNOW!!  I know one thing for sure..... my boys + snow days = just about the best time EVER!  Thank you to those of you that read my last blog post and said a prayer for me as I started back.  I could definitely feel the prayers because this past week didn't seem so overwhelming in the mornings!  Maybe we are starting to get into a routine and maybe the boys are a little older.... whatever it is.... I will take it!  And as a reward for my positive outlook and patience this week.... God gave us SNOW!  haha!  It came Friday night and we got about 8 inches.  Today is very cold.... as in the single digits so we have stayed in most of the day and schools are already cancelled for tomorrow.  With it being the weekend, Zack got to have both days with us and will head back to work tomorrow.  He typically doesn't get to enjoy the snow days if it is during the week since he has to open his store.  Zander wants to stay outside all day in the snow.  His favorite things to do are shoveling the driveway, having snowball fights and going on sled rides.  Daddy took him outside this morning in the frigid temperatures for a short time period since he was so terribly excited to be in the snow!  Maddox, on the other hand, doesn't really like the snow this year.  He is fine as long as it doesn't touch him which makes it hard since he hasn't mastered walking yet and he keeps getting in the snow.  Once he was riding on the sled and rolled off and experienced the snow head first!  Another time, he had taken his glove off to be funny and then reached down to touch the snow!  He didn't like that at all.  I am thinking next winter will be perfect to see both boys embrace this winter wonderland.  

A similar picture of Zander looking out as the snow falls.... Zander (below) was 9 months old while Maddox (above) is 14 months old (for comparison sake).

 In other news.... Maddox is officially walking!  He will move between rooms taking steps without holding onto anything.  He sometimes has trouble going from carpet to the wood floors but I think we officially have a walker! Zander loves grabbing his hand as Maddox is moving from one place to another just to be sweet and "helpful".... I had to capture that moment below!

These pictures below are from the colder day (today).  Maddox was so upset (below) that he couldn't go out with the boys but I don't think he would have liked it very much..... maybe he has a love-hate relationship with it right now?!  We took pictures of Zack and Zander from the window!