Nashville Bound

We took the plunge and attempted the 13 hour (according to Google) drive to Nashville with two kids. They really did well on the way down... watched movies, took naps, ate plenty of snacks, and enjoyed several new surprises along the way (The biggest hit a red car whose doors open and a trash truck named Rowdy... not like he needed any more cars :)).

We stopped at Cracker Barrel for Papa to make a work call... I couldn't pass up the photo opportunity in the little rocking chairs :)
We broke up the trip by stopping in Knoxville for a night on the way down. We got to meet baby Bintz (friends from college) for the first time...
Samuel was more interested in the dog than the babies... He liked to look out the window "like Radley does." It was so good to see these friends. I wish we lived closer to you all!

The next day we finished the short little three hour drive to Nashville... it seemed like nothing after the 11 hours the day before! :) More posts coming soon!

A Child of the Covenant!

Emma was baptized last Sunday. We are so happy to welcome her to the Covenant family! I am so excited about teaching her the things of the Lord, reading Scripture with her, and helping her to understand God's grace and mercy in our lives!

She was absolutely perfect during the ceremony. She sucked her thumb the whole time we were up there and didn't react to the water at all. Sadly, we didn't get a single picture of the actual ceremony, but we recreated what we could.

Two beautiful ladies, ready for a special day...

A beautiful day...

No one can make Sam laugh like Gigi...

Our recreation, this is where Emma was baptized...
The kids were not in a great picture taking mood, but it was a beautiful day, so we powered through...
The three "Jeans"...
Emma modeling her dress. She is the third generation to wear this baptism gown. It was worn by my dad, myself, and now Emma!
She's not actually sitting, the Boppy is holding her up... :)

Spring is Here!!!

It is finally warm enough to be outside almost every day! I love having extra play space for the kids and being able to work in the yard while they play (sometimes). I've even been able to send Sam out to play while I stay inside... he's getting so big to play outside by himself!

The hammock is once again a hit... Emma spent a lot of time on the hammock while in my tummy last fall, so of course she liked it!

Samuel enjoys rolling around in the ivy... "Like Clara does."
This is quite a fashion statement, but still so cute :)
Samuel and Emma were playing together... it might have been forced and only lasted as long as it took to snap a few pictures, but it's progress!

My boys practicing their golf swing... Samuel now picks up his golf club and says, "One hand here, one hand here, pull back, and swing."
Playing football with a baseball... "Set hut, Go Go Go, Tackle!"

Permanent Paci

No more need to dig through the diaper bag for a pacifier...

Funny Book

Mommy - "That crayon isn't working very well, maybe we should try another one."

Sam - "Need batteries for it."

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Mommy - "Sam you are coloring so well."

Sam - "So bea ful (beautiful). So proud of you."

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Some other funny "Sam-isms"...

- Spit up = "EEEma dripped up"

- Three, Two, One = "Two, Free, One"

- Stuffy nose = "Sam has stuffy, stuffy nose."

- Macaroni and Cheese = "Mamamama cheese"

March Pics

Sam has taken to crawling into Emma's crib. So, I often put Emma in there with him to make them play together. :) I particularly love this picture because Sam is biting his lower lip, exactly like my "harp face" for those who know me well.

Sam and Clara are good buddies most of the time. When he's not telling her to "scoot over" or "get out the way" or "leave him alone." He likes to have someone to boss around.

Emma's first denim...
Sam's cow-lick...
Finally warm enough for the hammock!
Heading off to preschool. He looks so grown up!
Story time...
Helping baby sister not be scared of the coffee grinder...

Emma 4 months old

I will start this post like all other monthly posts... I can't believe Emma is 4 months old! I know it's repetitive, but the time really is flying by! She's such a sweet girl, full of smiles and chatter. I can't wait to see more of her personality. I have a feeling she's going to test her limits quite a bit, then flash her beautiful smile to get out of trouble. :)

New things this month...

- A tooth (or maybe two)!! She has had a lot more difficulty with these teeth than Sam ever did. Or, maybe she's just a drama queen :) It took a really long time to pop through, so I'm sure it was uncomfortable.

- Sleep has stabilized a bit. She usually sleeps 8 to 8 with a rare wake up in the 6 o'clock hour. Teething has made her hesitant to go to sleep, so for about a week she would cry on and off for a couple of hours.

- She has kind of settled in to three naps. I'm not willing to stay home for all three naps, so they aren't real predictable. But on stay at home days, she will sleep forever. I often wake her up after she's been napping for 4 hours!!

- Laughs! We've heard some little giggles. She's quite the dare devil, she laughs most when in physical peril. She loves to fly through the sky ("Like Buzz does") or be held up over our head and "dropped" (ever so gently of course :)).

- Emma is much, MUCH more vocal than Sam ever was. She "talks" all the time, loves to carry on a conversation with anyone who will listen, and cries loud and hard when she needs something (or just wants something).

- She loves to stick her tongue out.

- She's earned the nicknames of Miss Priss and Little Chunk... she might not be too pleased with these names someday. For now, she thinks they are great.

- Toys are beginning to be a part of my diaper bag packing. She holds on to the toys on her play mat and gives the biggest smile when her doll, "Beautiful Holly," makes an appearance. Sam named her doll for her. :)

- She's constantly on the move. She rolls from back to tummy, then gets mad that her arms are stuck under her. She also spins 180 on her play mat. She loves to be on the move!! I just got the Johnny Jump Up out today and it was quite the hit.

- No more swaddle! She just kind of gave it up without trying too much. She outgrew the small/medium blanket and didn't like the big one. So she started breaking out and still fell asleep (it might have taken a bit more crying, but not much). I still wrap the blanket around her chest to keep her warm, but her arms are free. I also still use the swaddle in desperate situations (i.e. we are out, she's been crying for a really long time, etc.).

Love you Emma! Happy 4 months!

Cherry Blossom Festival

We headed down to DC for the annual Cherry Blossom Festival. I've heard wonderful things about this festival, so we had to check it out since we were so close (2.5 hours). I'm not sure if it was a success or not, but I'm glad we went (not sure if the rest of the family feels the same way :)).

Some fun things...

- The Cherry Blossom's were beautiful and in peak bloom!

- We got to meet up with a few friends from law school again.

- Samuel loved the dinosaurs (All "Rex"), whales, and elephants at the Natural History Museum.

- The monuments are quite amazing to see in person! Even though I've seen them before, it's still really neat to be there.

- The new double stroller worked amazingly and I think will be quite a great investment for us. We got the Phil and Ted for anyone who's interested.

- Washington DC is just a fun place to be. So much to see and do. I look forward to going back sometime soon!

Things we learned for next time...

- Stay 2 nights. The kids would have done A LOT better had we been able to take a break in the afternoon to nap/relax a bit. And we wouldn't have been as miserable driving three hours with a screaming baby if we hadn't been exhausted from walking all day.

- Plan around the weather (if possible). It was a bit rainy, but bearable. Sam did not like the wind. Everytime it blew in his face he screamed dramatically, "Get out the way!" and "Like it!" (which actually means "I don't like it!").

- Bring a babysitter so we can have some adult time and decent food... kid friendly restaurants are not the most delicious. Maybe not realistic, but we shall see :)

This little poncho was made by my Grandma for my big sister. Very sentimental and cute too! Thanks for bringing it up mom. I really love it!

Check out more pictures in my Facebook album.