Shoelaces, Strings, and a Puppy

Palmer seems to have a thing right now for shoestrings.  He especially loves the ties on Raleigh's house shoes, but I haven't gotten a picture of it.

This morning, I was getting the boys packed up to head to Beau's speech class, and I found this....

He rolled himself right over to my tennis shoes! Ha! 

Well, fast forward to speech class.  Palmer and I were in the waiting area. (which is a HUGE PRAISE that Beau stays in speech without me)  There are lots of toys in the waiting area for all different ages, and Palmer found this..

and he loved it! We played with it for about 30 minutes! He would play with the string and he would stay engaged when I pulled it around and he watched the puppy "walk." 

Once we got home, I immediately searched online to buy this because I thought it would be a perfect Christmas present for Palmer.  However, it looks like Playskool no longer makes it.  Bummer! 

I did find this though.... 

It is made by Fisher Price and seems really similar.  I think this just might be under the tree for Palmer's first Christmas! 

Favorite Songs

As Beau's speech is developing, he is learning to sing songs and it is so cute.  He has always LOVED music, but he would just hum along or dance.  Now he actually mimics the words and sings along.

Right now he has three favorite songs and I wanted to make note of it so that I don't forget.

1) the ABC's: This is probably what I consider to be Beau's first song.  He has really mastered singing his ABCs and he sings them loudly and proudly.  He is really into letters right now and knows all of the uppercase and lowercase letter names and sounds.  He cannot produce /k/ and /g/  properly but you can still understand what he is singing. (says /ch/ or /t/ instead of /k/ and /d/ instead of /g/) (His speech teacher thinks she could get him to produce the sounds correctly, but she would need to use a tongue depressor or lollipop to show him proper tongue placement, and he is just not quite ready for that.)

2)  10,000 Reasons by Matt Redman: This song, based on Psalm 103, is really special to our family because it was part of my dad's memorial service.  We sing it a lot in our house, in our car, while we are playing, etc.  Beau knows almost every word and requests to sing it often.  His ultimate favorite is when Raleigh plays along on guitar.

3) Turkey Dinner: This is just a little Thanksgiving song that I always taught my kindergarteners every year.  It is a simple song with lyrics that repeat.  Beau has really connected this song to Thanksgiving and he asks to sing it whenever he hears us talking about Thanksgiving. (lyrics: Turkey dinner, turkey dinner, gather 'round, gather 'round, who will get the drumstick, yummy yummy yumstick, all sit down, all sit down.)

Teeth!

I've discovered that it is really hard to get a picture of baby teeth. :) This is the first one I've been able to capture that shows a little sneak peek of Palmer's teeth.  It is blurry, but I still love it!   

Multiplying the Loaves and Fish {or OCC Shoeboxes}

{Karen and her mom}

 My friend Karen honored her mother on what would have been her mom's 70th birthday last week.  Her sweet mom, Clara Mae Pierce, passed away in May 2012.  To honor her mother's life and legacy, Karen set a goal to pack 70 shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child this year.  Karen previously worked for Samaritan's purse and is a shoebox enthusiast because of the hope it provides the children receiving the boxes.  She is so great at finding bargains all year long and stocking up on shoebox items.  In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she has already found some great items for next year! :)

We were so blessed to be able to pack a few boxes with Karen at her packing party.  

Although Karen set out to pack 70 boxes in honor of what would have been her mom's 70th birthday, she was able pack 140 boxes!  To God be all the Glory for doubling the number of shoeboxes she was able to pack!  Just like God multiplied the loaves and fish so that thousands could eat, He blessed Karen's efforts and she was able to pack more boxes than she had anticipated! You can read about some of her amazing finds HERE!  Her shoebox packing party was so fun and such a neat way to include others in honoring the memory of her mom.

Samaritan's Purse asked Karen to write an article about her packing party and I highly encourage you to read it HERE! You will be blessed to read it and Karen's words tell the story of her heart much better than I can! Really, go read it! 

My Main Men

Thankful for these three!

Thankful

Today I am thankful for this photo and what it represents.  

My friend Karen snapped this photo at Beau's 2nd birthday party in July 2012.  Karen's mother had passed away in May of 2012 and she found it to be an extra special moment when my dad was saying the prayer at the party and she captured the moment.  I am so very thankful to have this photo.  What a beautiful legacy of love and faith for Beau.  I of course remind him daily how much all four of his grandparents love him, but this photo will serve as a reminder of how he was not only loved, but also prayed for and prayed over.

If you know my friend Karen, you know that she always has her camera and is always capturing special moments.  Now that I can no longer take pictures with my dad, every single picture I have of him is an absolute treasure! 

Here is a partial group shot during the prayer.  You can see my parents in the back.

Here is picture of my dad on the morning of the party. :) He helped me get all of the balloons staked in the yard.   

I love this picture of my dad and Beau playing on the swingset that my parents gave him.

This picture I really love too.  My dad lovingly walked up and down the street with Beau for almost an hour in the Atlanta heat when he did not feel well at all.  Although he would have never said a word, I'm sure he was so sore after such a long walk.  But he would have done anything Beau wanted.  

I miss you dad.  

Halloween 2013

We had a fun-filled Halloween this year! Beau chose to be Thomas the Train and much to our surprise, he actually wore the costume!  Palmer was a pumpkin!  It was a VERY rainy and stormy day in Nashville, but we tried to make it a very special day.

We started our day at Krispy Kreme donuts.  Yum! They were giving out free donuts if you wore a costume.  Beau was quick to point to the one he wanted.  Palmer was at Nana's house with Raleigh.  I decided not to get him out in the rain and it was a special outing with just Beau.

Say Cheese! 

My dad was a big fan of Krispy Kreme donuts, so I know that he would love seeing Beau enjoy a donut in the car!  And of course you only go when the Hot sign is on!

We also took a quick trip to Publix.  Looking at the picture above, I clearly need to improve my grocery organization skills! Yikes!

After our morning outing, the boys took a few pictures in their costumes before lunch and nap.

Once the boys woke up from nap, it was time to get ready for trick-or-treating.  Unfortunately, because of the rain and storms trick-or-treating was "moved" to the mall.  We did however make it to our friend Naomi's house.

Beau didn't get the memo that you don't actually go inside the house.  Ha! He was so brave to go in and trick or treat! 

Then we loaded up and headed to the mall to make the most of Halloween 2013.  Nana had received a catalog that happened to have a lot of puppies in it and Beau was enthralled by it during the ride to the mall!

When we got to the mall, it was C.R.A.Z.Y.    

I 

Most of the stores had signs like the one above.  

We took one lap around the mall and then headed home.  We didn't actually wait in the lines for candy. 

It was a great Halloween with our little Thomas and our little Pumpkin! 

Palmer {at 6 months}

I know I sound like a broken record, but I don't know how in the world it is possible for Palmer to be 7 months old tomorrow.

It seems like this was just yesterday! 

I guess the hands of time are not going to slow down, so I will just have to roll with it.  Since Palmer will be 7 months old tomorrow, I want to take a minute to record my memories of him at 6 months old.  

I guess the biggest change this month has been eating! Palmer is now eating baby food three times a day.  He has enjoyed a variety of homemade purrees including avocados, green beans, peas, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, black beans, apples and bananas.  I'm sure there are a few more, but those are the first that come to mind.  He has also enjoyed lots of store bought baby food.  We kind of skipped the stage 1 foods I guess because he ate homemade baby food the first few weeks.  Then we went to Nashville for a week and used jarred food.  When we tried the stage 1 foods, they were very runny compared to the homemade purrees I had made.  Since he never seemed to mind the thicker consistency, we bought mostly stage 2s.  He really has seemed to like everything, but surprisingly his least favorite seems to be bananas.  I think his favorite is probably sweet potatoes mixed with a dash of apples.  Yum! 

Another milestone is that Palmer's first teeth popped up on Sunday, November 10th.  We went to bed Saturday night and you couldn't see any signs of teething.  But when we woke up Sunday morning his two little bottom teeth were peeking out through his gums.  So much cuteness! I was so happy to see his little precious baby teeth coming in but I was also sad as it seems like his is growing up so fast! 

Palmer's balance has really improved and he has become an excellent sitter.  Last month he could balance for only a few seconds and had to use his hands as a tripod.  Now he can sit for extended periods without propping himself with his hands.  

He is not crawling, but gets around by rolling and scooting.  He does seem motivated by toys and definitely tries to get to things he wants.  Most things still go straight to his mouth.  I guess especially now that he is teething, it probably feels good on his gums.  

Isn't it funny how kids love household items instead of just toys?  Palmer loves the pack of costco wipes! They make a really appealing crinkly noise and he loves playing with the package.  

Palmer is still wearing size 2 diapers, although we will probably buy size 3s next time we order a box.  He is wearing size 6-9 month clothes, but the 6 months clothes are getting a little snug and small.  My mom recently ordered him a Mini Boden romper and pants that I had picked out and they are size 6-12 months and fit great.  The pants fit, but have room to grow.  

Palmer's hair is getting longer and seems to stick up in the middle.  Our pediatrician mentioned that he has 2 crowns ( I think that is how you describe it) and so his hair will naturally stand up until it is longer and the weight of it helps it lay flat.

Palmer and Beau are developing a really special relationship and I tell them every single day that they are so lucky to be brothers.  Beau loves kissing Palmer.  When it is time for Palmer to take a nap, Beau is insistent that he and everyone else in the house give him a kiss before bed. He also loves checking the baby monitor when Palmer is napping and he is so excited to let me know when Palmer wakes up. 

Palmer usually goes to bed between 7 and 8 (just depending on the night) and wakes up between 6 and 7.  

Palmer is just a delightful addition to our family and the perfect blessing that arrived at the perfect time.