Has It Really Been Seven Years?

We asked ourselves that several times tonight over dinner- have we really been married for 7 years?!? We sure have packed a lot into those 7 years- it's been one wild & crazy ride. We know with the newest addition to our family this past year, it's only going to get crazier, but that much sweeter:) Our dear, sweet neighbors, Laura & Sherrod, offered to babysit Palmer, Jake, & Lucy tonight so Mike & I could celebrate. We had a wonderful meal at 17hundred90 & stopped by Target for diapers & a tunnel for Palmer on the way home- It was super romantic & the perfect night for us!!!

Attention All Drivers

Palmer is behind the wheel!!!

Oops, she did it again!

Palmer's Aunt Coco has outdone herself again & made this adorable John John for Palmer. Courtney was asked to help test a pattern & she wanted to make one for Palmer- I just love how it turned out! She had some leftover fabric from Ford's nursery bedding & decided to use it for the outfit & I think it worked out perfect. So, once again, Palmer got to model- he wasn't in the best mood to model, but I think he's looks pretty darn handsome:)

Milestones & Mr. Monkey: 9 Months

Is our baby really 3/4 of the way through year one?!? It's really hard to believe. This is a fun, fun, fun stage, but it also makes me tired, tired, tired! I can't get enough of his smiles, giggles, & cuddles and I get so much joy from watching him learn, teaching him silly songs, & seeing the world through his eyes.

This monthly little photo session went much as I had anticipated & it will be a miracle if we get any more pictures of Palmer with Mr. Monkey in the chair. As you'll see, Mr. Monkey may not survive that long- we may need another monkey on standby! Happy 9 months Sweet P!

Milestones:

• Weighs 19 pounds & 13 ounces (34%) 28.75 inches long (64%)
• Palmer still isn't the most consistent eater, but he's obviously not going without!
• We're working on getting him to hold his own sippy cup & actually drink from it & not use it as a chew toy- some days are better than others.
• Right after Christmas, Palmer learned to sit up on his own... this wasn't the most fun milestone for mommy & daddy! He would sit up in his crib at night & not really know how to get back down. So, it took a few nights & many trips to his room before he learned to lay back down on his on.
• Right after the sitting started, Palmer mastered forward crawling and this boy is a crawling machine! He went from going backwards to crawling forwards 100 mph. He goes super fast to get to mommy & daddy, which makes us feel pretty special;)
• Once Palmer got the hang of crawling, he decided to move right along to pulling up. Ugh... not very fun either! I thought I had baby-proofed, but I was sadly mistaken. Palmer quickly showed us how little we had actually done.
• Along with Palmer's new abilities have come many hard knocks on the noggin'- I think he always has a least one bruise.
• His favorite toy is his little activity table- he loves to crawl over & pull up to play with everything.
• Palmer has started playing with toys in both hands at the same time and he loves to bang them together, especially blocks & balls.
• He loves to throw a ball,& crawl after it, then repeat over & over again- this can entertain him for a while.
• Palmer's favorite non-toy discovery this past month has been windows. He loves to crawl over & just watch what's going on outside. He also likes to play with the blinds... they stay up now!
• Palmer still talks constantly & babbles. I think he's come closer to saying Jake than 'mama'- my feelings are not hurt... yet;)
• We've been teaching Palmer to clap & wave bye. He has combined them into what we call 'The Clave.'
• His new favorite song is 'The Wheels on the Bus' & he loves all the sounds. It's mommy's favorite song too- it offers just enough distraction during a diaper change that he'll be still. We even made up a doggie version called 'The Tongue on the Dog' (goes lick, lick, lick) I know you're all dying to know more & if you're lucky I may share it with you:)
  

Extras:

"What's up Mr. Monkey?"

When you do this...

...this happens! Sorry Mr. Monkey!

(Palmer was pretty proud of himself!)

"Can I please get down?"

"If you won't get me down, then I'll take care of that myself!"

"Now this is much better."

Happy Love Day!

The Orange Ball

Last week, we had the chance to hangout with this little cutie & her sweet mommy for the afternoon. Palmer has played with some older kids & some younger kids, but never anyone his age- Nora is 2 weeks younger than Palmer, so this was fun to see them interact with each other. We tried to get them to sit still beside each other for a picture... did we really think that would happen with 2 active babies- ha! This was as close as it got to them sitting still & looking forward!

This is where things started to get interesting & there was lots of adult intervention; mainly because of Palmer. We decided to throw a ball in to the mix to see if it would help them be still, but it was just one ball, not two. Two babies + One ball = we need another ball:)

I guess they're keeping a close eye on each other's hands- maybe they knew what was about to happen with those hands:)

Nora got the coveted orange ball first, but Palmer wanted it real bad...

... and he got it, but Nora was none too happy about that & she plotted a take back...

...and was sneaky while Palmer looked the other way...

... and she had success! Palmer was none too happy with that either! It was time to separate:)

Nora got her chance to nibble on the ball all by herself...

(and yes, Nora is rockin' the jeggins!)

... and then passed it back to Palmer so he could chow down for a bit...

... and then Nora decided to act all innocent like nothing ever happened:)

Is this not the sweetest little face?!?

Rain, Rain Go Away...

... because we're ready to go outside & play!

Sunday Snapshot : Surprise Visit

We had a surprise visit from my cousin Matt & his girlfriend Stephanie today. Palmer was pretty happy to show off his crawling & pulling up skills and he also enjoyed flirting with Steph a little bit too:)

A Walk Down Memory Lane

Mike's work schedule has been C-R-A-Z-Y lately, so I decided to head to Vidalia for a few days & I picked the perfect time to go! The day after we arrived this was our schedule:

We woke up & quickly got ready to head out the door for Brantley Grace's play at school. Her class has been learning all about careers & they performed the play 'Magical, Magical Me.' Each student got to dress-up as what they wanted to be when they grew up- Brantley Grace chose to dress-up as a ballet teacher. The play was just precious & everyone did a great job, expecially BG. She had a speaking part & was so confident when she spoke & she even got to do a little dance during the play... right up her ally!

Palmer sat on my dad's lap the entire play mesmirized!

After the play, Brantley Grace made a b-line for us & gave her mom a big hug. After I took this picture, she quickly asked "Did you get my shoes in the picture?"

So, here is the re-take to include those special shoes!

She then immediatly went to 'Palmie', his special nickname from her- I think she was pretty happy he came to see her perform.

We then headed home for a nap & woke-up in time to head out for lunch with Ms. Blount, my 1st grade teacher. It was so great to visit with her & have her meet Palmer. I know that I probably spent many a day giving her a run for her money & talking her head off!

We then headed back home for another nap & then scooted out the door for Roper's basketball game. It turned out to be the last one of the season and they were season champs! The allstar list was posted after the game... he made the team! He also made his first 3-pointer of the season, so we were all pretty proud. I do have to point out in the picture below, there is a sign for Midget Girls State Champs- 1992- that would be yours truly:)

I decided to leave Palmer in his carseat during the game, just to see how long I could go without having to hold him & keep him from crawling all over the place. He made it the ENTIRE game!!! His carseat fit perfectly between the bleachers & he had a perfect view of the game, which was perfect for both of us.

Midget Boys League Champs

Stone decided to sneak in a little kiss before we headed home for supper.

We had a yummy supper & then we decided to let Stone & Palmer take a bath together. Palmer thought it was pretty cool, but Stone wasn't so sure about this arrangement. Just like Avery, he didn't know if he wanted to take a bath with the toy thief:)

The trip seemed like a whirlwind, but we enjoyed every second of it. It was crazy to go back to my elementary school, to the very stage I had performed in plays, to the very gym I grew up playing ball in. It really made me think about all of the people that poured themselves into me to help shape me in to the person I am today. So many people that volunteered their time, energy, wisdom, & love. Now people are doing the same thing for my nephews & niece and one day people will do the same thing for Palmer. My prayer is that I can do the same and pay it forward.

Mirror, Mirror On the Wall...

Palmer thinks he's the fairest of them all! For months, one of Palmer's favorite things is himself:) He just loves to look at himself in the mirror. We quickly learned that it would turn any cranky frown into a huge grin & it's become a fun game around our house.

At first, Palmer would just grin & squeal at himself:

Then he really started to experiment with many facial expressions & watch himself drool:

Now, he loves to kiss himself:

I wonder what's next?!?