our morning

Freeland is in Philidelphia right now (its about 7-8 hours away on the other side of PA for those curious) taking an exam that he is required to for school. (just one step closer to graduating!)

So River and I spent the morning soaking up all the royal wedding festivities.  (he loved it Im sure)



I tried to record the wedding but at some point in the middle of the night our electricty went out so we just had to rely on the coverage once we were up.



Obviously River had no idea what was going on.



But he did love stopping as he was crawling by to catch a glimpse of all the craziness.



However, he missed the kiss. Playing with my shoes was way more entertaining than watching someone share cooties of course.



Tonight Im off to our annual Girls Group Sleepover. (you can see the last 2 here & here) Cant wait.

Poor River.. a wedding & a girls sleep over all in one day!

the tooth saga continues

for those keeping up.. River apparently got the worst of both of our teeth. (its still to be determined who is to blame..  ;) But nothing about his teeth have been "normal" yet.

He got them all in backwards orders.
1 on bottom. then one on top.. but on the side!
then the other on the bottom.
it took forever to get his 2 top center ones.
Then he just had 3 teeth on top forever.
finally a fourth popped through.

However,  I dont know I ever showed you his tooth or if you have ever noticed or not..  but his top tooth came in with a crack straight up the center & a chip on the side:


Hi Freeland Junior!   (you can see it in the picture from Easter)

Crazy! It seriously grew in that way. The doctor said to just be thankful its a baby tooth! And we are. We are just going to have to teach him how to come up with an amazing story of how it got chipped so he can impress all the ladies until it falls out!



And of course in keeping with tradition .. he is now getting his molars before his other bottom 2 teeth.

Its been a bag of fun!

I couldnt believe it when I felt them pop through!  I definitely didnt expect them before his bottom teeth finished.

But I cant say I was that surprised. Poor kid. Lets just hope he doesnt have to go through the braces, retainers, etc. that I did. And lets hope he doesnt get his dad's enamel.

Easter Baskets

Technically this was River's first holiday that he has celebrated twice now.. since he was born on Easter weekend last year. So it was really fun to be thinking the entire day about what we were doing this time last year on Easter.

It also means he's pretty much a pro at the whole Easter basket thing. Sarah & Drew brought him one to the hospital last year. Truth be told we ran out late on Friday night and got him one at the last second. We kept putting it off .. so not like us?

It was fun to get him up & get him dressed for church. Then take him down to enjoy his Easter basket. Obviously, its not what Easter is about. And we'll make sure he knows that. But its still so fun.

note: Sunday morning we also realized he really didnt have anything to wear on Easter. This outfit was an attempt. Dont worry, we changed him right after these pictures seeing as the pants were now shorts and the top was more like a muscle shirt than anything else! :)


you would think he was smiling for the camera but this was his face when he saw the basket sitting on the table


we just did candy (our favorite kinds) and then 1 toy. (trying out something besides mickey mouse! :)








pretty sure he LOVED the eggs!








and he loves the Handy Manny.. I cant wait for him to one day realize its tools just like his dads. 


he also loved pulling the grass out of the basket. he's still playing with all of it today.

We went ahead and got his brother a basket too so they will have matching ones next year. :)

And we're the only ones who have had the candy. bad planning on our part.. next year I'll make sure to fill it with candy we dont both love eating.

We spent the entire weekend with friends. Henry's birthday party was on Saturday & then Sunday after church all of us got together to celebrate Easter as a "family!" I'll post those pictures soon. 

Raising Boys

Lauren posted this on her blog yesterday and I . LOVE . IT

So Im re-posting it here. You should read Laurens blog.. she always shares great insight and things she is learning. And she shares all her little inspirations that she finds! Freeland & I both knew Lauren back at Baylor from different things. I love that he has such great memories/stories of her from their trip to Morocco and I have other great stories & memories. (Lauren, you probably didn't even know this.. but we do talk about how wonderful you are all the time.. with Camille too! :) 

Here is what she wrote: 

Raising Boys

"Okay, so I have this habit of hearing a teaching and sharing it with all of you. I can't help myself. This info is too good to not pass on! Yesterday I heard a mom of two teenage boys share her insights on motherhood and specifically raising boys. My little guy is ALL BOY. Here we go.
The first thing she said is that motherhood is an investment; not a sacrifice. We have to view it in that light or bitterness starts to grow in our hearts. She said to completely embrace the servant heart that is necessary for being a mother. She emphasized to not give a child too much responsibility for your wholeness. I've done this; I admit it.
She said that we cannot blame ourselves for our child's bad behavior. She said if we do this then we are probably taking credit for our child's good behavior. It's not about us; we can't take the blame or credit. We must keep ourselves separate from their behavior. Everything good that happens is because of God's grace.
She gave some little tips for raising toddler boys. She said that we need to teach them how to look us in the eye. She said to gently touch their arm or leg and say "Noah, look at mommy's eyes." Then we can tell them what we expect of them in that moment. Toddlers are so easily distracted. We have to teach them to look at us and listen.
She said to never discipline for something you haven't taught. Teach them to deal properly with negative emotions. They don't know how to calm down from a tantrum unless we teach them how. We can't just tell them what to do. Boys are very visual. You discipline for defiance; you train childishness.
We are raising someone's husband. Give his wife an emotionally healthy man. Teach him to identify his emotions at a young age by using a "feeling faces" chart. He needs to know words other than happy and sad to describe how he is feeling.
She said that a boy's mind is constantly changing and is extremely curious; we have to keep their minds busy by providing structured activities that help them learn and grow and feed their minds. Give them purpose every day.
She said to look for their passion. Try everything. Pay really close attention to what their giftings are. If you cultivate the gift of God in your children they will not depart from it.
Don't praise your child because they are smart. Praise them for their hard work. And teach them the value of hard work.
As they grow, we should remember to never define them by their worst moment. Look at their heart. Nurture them, teach them, train them. She said that her oldest son is now 18 and it went by so fast. She emphasized how fast it goes by and how sacred the moments are that we have with our children. Take advantage of building a relationship with your child. Be present in his life. It goes by ever so quickly... "

Epic post of tummy pictures

Okay, so its been awhile since I posted any pictures of the 'ol tumkin.

Ive tried to take pictures every week like I did with River .. but that has meant that pretty much all of them are taken by yours truly with my cell phone. Especially since we were traveling during a lot of these!

So please excuse the phone in my face, the work out clothes, the mess in the room behind me, the fuzzy pictures, etc. etc. etc. Lets just all be thankful I remembered to take these!


12 weeks (the only one that wasnt with my cell phone)






(same outfit. awesome)

















Im in my 27th week now. So as you can imagine Ive grown even more. I look larger than I do in these pictures. (if you want my opinion) Im definitely stealing Sarah's idea and telling people I dont know that Im further along than I am so I dont hear "oh my gosh youre HUGE." So dont be offended if you hear me say Im 35 weeks or something.

I have another doctors appointment today & then I start my 2 week appointments! Im feeling better as far as being tired or sick. But Im definitely way more uncomfortable than I was with River & getting a lot less sleep at night this time. I have lots of random pain in random spots. And Im looking forward to talking to the doctor about it today.

I have been trying to go to the gym and "work out" as much as possible. I use the term loosely because just Monday on the treadmill when I was "working out" the 70 year old man next to me was walking faster than I was! But its been nice trying to stay active. And I can tell its helping because my back doesnt hurt like it did last time I was pregnant.

I havent had any real cravings or anything. I do have random spots on my skin/face that I didnt have last time. But thats fine! People do ask me all the time if I think River knows whats going on. With out a doubt I know he has no idea! He kicks my stomach all the time & I dont think he realizes that its changed/grown at all.

As far as a name goes, same as last time, we've got nothin. Absolutely nothing. Well, I take that back. Freeland has some ideas.. but lets just say if you thought River was unique you would die if you heard these names! We'll keep working on it though.

Im ready to meet this little guy. And Im a little sad that I still have to wait a few months. I say lets just get this show on the road! But Im thankful he is growing and healthy and kicking like crazy daily. (he is WAY more active than his brother was! This makes me a little nervous! But its fun too)

He He's Birthday

Today is Henry's 2nd Birthday.



I have no words.



Except, I know Adam & Camille are moving soon .. but nobody said that they HAVE to take Henry with them.



Also, did you know that Henry calls us "Aunt B" and "AUNT Free"

True Story.



I die. It melts my heart.

*those pictures were from River's birthday party. They were looking out the window at their dad's I believe!

*up next.. an epic post of tummy pictures.

exciting news

Lots of exciting news from our friends to share!

First of all, meet River's new cousin!!!!

Eli Quinn Harrell

4/18/2011

9lbs 4oz,

20 inches.

oh how I love a little newborn baby! So excited for River to have a cousin so close to his age. (almost exactly a year except little Eli was a little toooo comfy in there & didnt want to make his appearance yet! ;) It will be so fun watching them grow up together!!

Second, check out Sarah & Drew's blog with their exciting news!!! River will soon have another bestie up here to play with!!! We're so excited for them & for their family to be growing! And we're thrilled that they are sharing the news with everyone else. Make sure to check back on her blog to read about their journey!

Third, Kori & Jon had their son, Grey! He's precious!!!! Keep checking her blog for updates as Im sure they will post pictures/updates soon!! I want them to be the ones to share everything! Praise the Lord that he is doing well. Thanks for all your prayers for them!

Fourth, Henry turns 2 tomorrow. Has it seriously been 2 years already?? blows my mind

PS: Im glad yall all enjoyed the video of River dancing as much as I did! :)

River does The Dougie

I bummed because I cant find the video of River going nuts when he hears the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Song. (same with the hot diggity dog song) its adorable that no matter where he is .. if he hears it he stops to dance.

So instead Im going to share this video with you to show off his insanely awesome dance skills.

While Freeland was out of town last month I tried to teach River how to Dougie. (mother of the year, right?!)  If you have no idea what that is - its probably for the best! But you can see a video here that shows you what it is and you can also see Justin Beiber teach Regis & Kelly how to do it here

Basically its the 2010 version of the macarena. but with rap. its catchy. and it makes me laugh more than anything.

And apparently River agrees:



Please notice that he has it nailed down perfectly:

1. lean side to side.
2. put your arms into it.
3. add some dougie fresh. (his "dougie fresh" is kicking his legs)

ie: River nailed it!

His love of dancing may be the only thing he got from me so Im living it up.

Im Lovin It

I have really loved every stage of Rivers life. I especially loved the newborn stage. But I really have enjoyed it all along the way.

Except for a month ago or so I found myself thinking "okay lets hurry through this stage." Im not sure what it was or why I felt that way. Im sure it was mostly the pregnancy but I just didnt know what to do with River and the different ways he was trying to express himself to us. (without being able to tell us what he wants) It felt like the days were much longer and he was super needy and took a lot more work all the sudden. Again, Im sure it was the pregnancy and me just being exhausted at the time. But Im just being honest.

Then all the sudden I woke up one day and absolutely fell in love with this stage of his life. I love that he can play by himself for a while, I love that he is trying to say things, I love that he fake laughs whenever we are laughing, I love when he is independent, I love that he still crawls in our laps, I love seeing him drink out of a sippy cup, I love that he makes a little "vroom" noise when he plays with cars, I love that he wants to be next to other kids when they are playing (even though he doesn't understand sharing yet), I love that he understands how to sleep, I love that he feeds himself, I love that he gets so excited he practically falls over, I love that he dances all the time, I love that he wants to play with us, and I especially love that he knows at times he is being funny & a little charmer. Its so nice he is understanding us more & more each day. For the most part he is understanding when we say "no" and its easier to tell when he is truly upset vs. just throwing a fit all the sudden. He seriously makes me laugh all the time. 

Those are just a few things that come to mind. But Im so thankful I find myself loving each stage as he grows up. It makes it easier to enjoy him growing up. I feel like we are in a great routine where he is doing well also & that makes every day so much easier also.

Its like Im nailing this motherhood thing & with one kid have it all figured out.  

Just Kidding!

Now lets add another little boy to the mix & see what happens. Woo Hoo! Party People!

J Man

Forever ago Christie came by and we snapped a few pictures of Jackson. Also known as J Man.

And then this week I was finally able to go through all the pictures. I love them. Jackson makes the funniest little adorable faces. (as seen in the photo booth pictures below with his mustache on!)

He is such a calm baby (well, pretty much toddler now) And oh my gosh I wish he would teach River how to walk up, hug me & just sit there & cuddle. (Jackson did this the other night while we were at Girls Group at Christies & it melted my heart) River cuddles but not nearly as much as Jackson does. Its precious.

Enjoy.




who doesnt love baby legs & feet???


such a cowboy











Christie said she didnt want anything fancy just a few pictures to capture Jackson at that stage in his life & Im so glad we did them when we did because we got cute pictures of him crawling & sitting.. it was only a couple weeks later this boy stood up and took off! Now he is running everywhere!




seriously, I die! The hat. The face. The pose. Such a heart breaker.











Thanks for letting me take these Christie. And thanks for waiting (forever) for me to go through them!