31 Things

I thought I would write 31 things that I love about my husband as we celebrate another year of his life!

1. He loves me:)
2. He loves our children with all that he is.
3. He reminds me that organization and plans are not always needed.
4. He likes to have fun.
5. He is money conscious and keeps me accountable.
6. He does the researching!...I like to buy and plan but I hate to do the leg work.  Definetely thankful that this is something he's good at.
7. Although it is not often, he is not afraid to show his emotions.
8. He daily abandons his adult, mature self to roll and crawl on the floor and play "bull" with Riggs .
9. He's smart...much smarter than me!  I can only hope our children get that from him.
10. He's always willing to help.  I can tend to complain alot that he doesn't just do things..but if I ask he's more than willing.
11. He is such an active daddy and present in parenting our babies.
12. He loves to go or he loves to stay home.  So FLEXIBLE.
13. When we go somewhere he usually drives and some how I hardly even have to get gas in my car (it's the little things).
14. He's learned to make some pretty awesome pancakes and biscuits from scratch (thanks Sue Sue).
15. He loves the Lord and desires His plan and His best for our family.
16. He's athletic.
17. He's pretty darn handsome.
18. He tends to love people that can drive most people crazy!
19. He comes home from work ready to play even though I know he would love to have a few minutes of down time.
20. He will go shopping with me.
21. He deals with my dream big and in the future mindset although he is an 'in the present' type of guy.
22. He changes diapers, burps, rocks and sings to our babies.
23. He's even tempered.  He stays calm ALOT when I am not so calm.
24. He is always quick to apologize...(even when something may not be his fault).
25. He wakes up early and lets me sleep..alot (even if its usually only for 10 or 15 more min., isn't it great not to be the first one out of bed?!)
26. He's sacrificial.
27. He holds me, loves me, cries and laughs with me.
28. He's giving.
29. He could care less about coming home to a clean house or a homemade dinner (although I know he likes the dinner part)
30. He has this terrible habit of needing something chocolate and a tall glass of milk EVERY SINGLE NIGHT..and I may secretly join him with no remorse.
31. He's MINE!

Happy to you

Today is this mans 31st Birthday!  I am working all weeked so we did a little something for him on Thurdsday.  We went to target to get one last thing to add to his birthday present and I got Riggs excited about making daddy a birthday card and cake.  Oh boy, I should learn not to tell him anything until the exact second that it will take place because this is what I heard until we got home, "daddy close his eyes, have surprise,"  "make daddy cake," "I have cake," "where daddy hat?" and on and on:)

So, we got home and wrapped daddy's present and made him a card.  I sure should have taken some pictures.  I flipped through magazines and told Riggs to point at anything he thinks daddy likes and we would cut it out and put it on his card.  He picked a picture of pizza and goldfish:)  His excitement was SO cute! 

We took naps and then woke up and made daddy a cake.

After dinner that night I called Riggs into his room (where I hid the cake, gift and card) and asked him if he was ready to sing to daddy...his face lit up!  So I lit the candles and here we came down the hallway singing "Happy to you, happy to you daddy" (R's own rendition of Happy Birthday). 

Before Andrew could even open his gift Riggs said, "where you hat daddy?" 

So, Riggs likes to celebrate and sing "Happy to you!" 

We are so thankful for another year with the best husband, daddy and friend!  We LOVE YOU!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

(sadly all the pics I took:( )

Silly

We went to the park yesterday and met a  girl that I randomly met at the mall and her two girls to play.  She also invited some of her friends and their children.  One of the girls had twins named Leo and Olive.  I took R to the potty and we were talking and I asked him if he was going to play with Leo ad Olive when we got back and he replied, "I gone eat her!" I didn't even know he knew what an olive was:)

Andrew was trying to teach Riggs to say the blessing other than just singing God our Father.  He was praying and getting R to repeat.  Andrew said thank you for mama and Harpin and then continued on to thank God for our food and the whole time Riggs was patting his chest and saying "for me, for me". Yea, we are thankful for you too buddy! 

Ramblings About Riggs

I feel like I have updated alot about Harpin lately and have neglected what my growing 2 year old is up to! 

• He adds 'ie' onto the end of EVERYTHING that it can be added to and its usually in a whining voice.  ex=> "I need my shortsies,"  "Where's my snackie?" "Put on my shoesies!"  It's hilarious and annoying all at the same time;).
• The questions have started already and the main one is, "What you doin' Mama?" and I will tell him and then he asks again and is not satisfied until I answer again and again.
• He LOVES to wear our shoes, from flip flops to high heels.
• Every morning we are both up while daddy is getting ready for work.  He will be all snuggled up on the couch and the second he hears Andrew's cereal hit the bowl he pops up and runs in there saying, "have daddy's cereal!"  (there's something about the way he says cereal that is too cute).
• Nine times out of ten the first thing he says to me in the mornings after he calls me in there to get him out of his bed is, "Wanna watch a show Mama?"
• A few days ago instead of the normal call for "MAMA" when he wakes up from his nap, I heard him yell, "Mama, poo poo in da potty!" (and he did...he's doing well with potty training).
• While I was getting ready yesterday he picked up the hand held mirror under my sink, looked at himself and said, "I handsome!"  Yes, you are sweet boy!
• I often tell him that he is too big to whine (the whining..oh the whining!).  But, I think it may have backfired on me as several times I have asked for a hug or kiss and he says, "I too big" and once when I told him I would spank him, this was his response.  NO, my son, you are NEVER TOO BIG for either!
• We were in the car the other day and he wanted some crackers I was eating and I told him no because he already had a snack.  He whined and whined for the crackers and then I guess he would try another way to get what he wanted and he yelled, "Gimme dat cracka!"  Hilarious.
• Since we have gotten our double jogging stroller when we wake up in the mornings he says, "Go for run/walk Mama?"
• He loves to play hide and seek and says, "You hide, I count"
• He loves any show or movie with animals and is not a fan of much else.
• He is still the worst eater and meals consist of chicken nuggets, veggie burgers, veggie corn dogs, shrimp, cheese, yogurt and any fruit.  It's nearly impossible to get him to eat anything green!
• He sleeps from about 8pm to 6am and naps from around 1-4 everyday.

Riggs,  I can't believe how quickly you have changed from a baby to boy! You bring us SO MUCH JOY!



Harpin is 2 Months!

As always, time FLIES!  Harpin is the sweetest baby girl and has brought so much joy to our lives already.

 

A little about H at 2 months...

 

• You weigh 12 lbs 2oz (65%) and 22.5 in. long (49%)
• Wearing 3-6 month clothes.
• Size 1 diapers.
• Nursing every 3 hours during the day.
• You nurse and then stay awake for an hour to an hour and a half and then nap until we do it all over again.
• You are mosly sleeping through the night. Usually you nurse around 9 or 9:30 and sleep until 5:30 or 6 in the morning.  There are nights where you wake up and want to eat around 3 and go right back to sleep.
• We have taken you all over the place and you are so easy and laid back!
• Your brother adores you and loves for all of us to do tummy time together with you.  He loves to give you your paci and to kiss you all over:)
• You love your swing and your soothie paci.
• Around 6 weeks you really started talking and smiling alot..we LOVE IT!
• You still like to be swaddled at night.
• You have rolled from your tummy to your back a few times, usually when you are mad doing tummy time!
• You got 3 shots for vaccines at your doctors appointment yesterday and this is the most I have ever heard you cry.  It breaks my heart to know you don't feel good.

 

We are so thankful for you Sissy, Harp, Harpy Harp (just a few of your new names:) and we love you FOREVER!

 

 

 



 

 

 



Friends

This past Friday some of our best friends from our time in Kennesaw came and spent three days with us!  I keep telling Andrew that I forgot what it feels like to have friends.  I know I sound like Debbie Downer:) but they are the kind of people that push us to think deeper, to know Christ, to give, to love people, we laugh and act like teenagers and we just LOVE them!  

I have missed having friends, period, but there is something really special about them!  So, we are super thankful that they decided to come and visit us on their time off this summer and on the way to Kansas to a cow show that they go to every year.  Riggs loved them and warmed up to them again really quickly.  

I can only hope and pray that soon we will be closer and have alot more time with them!

 Trying to stay awake way past bedtime on Friday night to see Uncle Matt and Aunt Lydia

Fun at the Farmer's Market

"I tickle you on the bed"...one of Riggs favorite things:)

Getting frozen yogurt

We went to Bay Beach AGAIN!:)

Riding with Mama and Daddy and putting our hands up like Aunt Rach taught Riggs.

Waiting to ride the Choo Choo

My sweet angel baby

Matt and Andrew being big kids and racing on the slide.

Matt and Lydia with Riggs on Lake Michigan

So beyond thankful for these friends!

Riggs loved them!

Hoping we live closer and get to do more of our lives together!

Buddies:)

Potty Training

FYI- If you are not a mom you will not appreciate this post!

I am sure Riggs will hate me for this one day down the road but I want to be able to look back and remember all these times and milestones with them!  

We started potty training a week ago yesterday.  We started out quarantined in the kitchen with a potty, toys, books, the frog potty and a pants less two year old.  In the middle of playing play-doh he tee tee'd and looked down with a scared face and said "uh oh."  That's when I told him that we tee tee in the potty, and he did.  The rest of the day we left him in nothing but his shirt and if he would go a little he would run his cute little heine to the potty.  The first day was LONG and I didn't know if I would make it through it without getting out of the house.

The second day we did the same thing but were able to move out of the kitchen because he would run to the potty the minute he needed to go and only had one accident.  He also pooped in the potty this day! YIPEE:)  

To make this story shorter I wasn't sure how long it would take him to know what it felt like to have the urge to go and to be able to hold it, so I gave in and went and got pull-ups so we could get out of the house.

The third day we used our pull-ups and headed to the mall to play.  We went to the potty probably 4 or 5 times in an hour and half, but he stayed dry!  

I think the key it consistency in taking him often and asking him if he needs to go ALOT and watching him for ques that he needs to go.

He has done great and wears his pull-ups for naps and bedtime and has done well out in his big boy underwear.  He says, "don't tee tee on buzz (or mater or elmo..whatever underwear he picked for that day:)

He loves that he gets a treat (one m&m) when he goes and there have been times where he will go and then not 5 minutes later will sit down to go again and immediately stand up and say, "where my treat?"...silly boy!

Whitefish Dunes

Yesterday we drove up to Door County and spent the day at Whitefish Dunes.  This is as close to the beach as we will get this year. We left pretty early and got there about 8:30 and left around noon to get lunch at a place recommended by a neighbor and then headed home. 

 We quickly realized where the name came from as there were tons of little white fish that had washed up on shore and died. This beach is on lake Michigan and was alot like the beach with sand and small waves. The only difference was the temperature of the water.  I googled it and the warmest the water gets in July and August is 60 degrees!  It was colder than ice water and you would not believe the number of people that got in.  I guess if you have lived here all your life you don't know the difference?!

Riggs enjoyed playing in the sand, running on the beach and watching the waves wash his tennis ball back onto shore.  Harpin soaked up the sun napped in her tent or on me the whole time.  She is the sweetest!

We left and headed to the bay side of lake Michigan and ate at a hamburger and icecream place called Wilson's right on the water that apparently has been in business there since 1906.

We had a great time together and are thankful that we made the trip to go somewhere that we will probably never have the chance to go to again in our lives...HOPEFULLY:)

Taking it all in

 White fish..yuck fish!

Daddy holding his sweet baby girl!

A cool lobster sculpture

 Snack time

 Sand castles with daddy.

 A quick nap for Riggs on the way to lunch.

 Our view from the porch at lunch.

 When you ask Riggs to smile for a picture you get one of two faces...this one or...

...this one.

 I love my sweet boy.

H was at lunch too:)

Just a little dessert!  If we knew they were this big we would have only gotten one..promise:)

 Riggs enjoyed it too.

 Lake Michigan

 A little fun on the way home.  "I hide, you count"