Best Friends

Colton and Darby have really started to notice each other and become little buddies. When Darby was a tiny puppy I would hug him and love on him and pester the heck out of him knowing that one day he'd have little kids doing the same. I wanted to make sure he wasn't going to be the kind of dog that would get annoyed with it, and it worked! I'm sure being a lab has a lot to do with it though. In general, they are really great with children. As you can see by the photos, a friendship has been born.

xxxooo

Darby and Colton

Family Fun

We had another great weekend with family. My mom came up last Thursday to finish out Colton's week off from daycare (the school closes to prepare for the new school year) and then on Friday my cousin Alexa came for a visit. Saturday my Dad drove up with my Grandma and Grandpa and then we also had a visit from my one of my best friends, Heather. Phew, lots of people in and out!

We had a pre-birthday celebration with Josh's family (celebrating Caitlin's 25th and my 30th) and then we celebrated my birthday with my parents. I love birthdays but for some reason this one is bugging me more than normal. Not sure why. It could be that I just discovered my first gray hair. Not sweating that one though, watching my amazing husband embrace his gray hair (he thinks the older ladies think he's more distinguished, ha ha) has helped me to see it differently. I have a little over two weeks to prepare for it and move on so be patient with me!

Some photos below from the last week and here is the link to Jamie's photos from our Georgia Seaquarium trip:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jamie.doehne/GeorgiaAquarium?feat=content_notification#

Thankfully we have a quiet weekend at home coming up. Josh is going fishing and we're also making a quick trip to Jacksonville but we'll spend the rest of the time working on babyproofing. Little man is seriously on the move!

xxxooo

This was such a perfect moment but then I realized Josh was showing a little too much thigh so I covered him up and retook it and he woke up in the process. Oh well, I still love to look at my two sleeping beauties.

My first real injury from being mobile - a bruised left eye. The next day I followed with a bruised lump on my forehead.

I love this little boy!

First taste of cake icing and he wasn't impressed.

Celebrating dinner with the family. Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Wills were with us!

I want to go see Grampy now!

Oldest and dearest friend Heather and my handsome hubby.

My daddy and my baby.

And now I want to see Grammy!

Let me put this plate on my face...

And now let me put this bucket on my face too...

I'm afraid he's going to start pulling the "i'm crying, pay attention to me" trick now. This face looks so sneaky :)

Doesn't anybody love ME anymore?

Playing with cousin Lexi.

The birthday girls enjoying our yummy cake.

Caitlin and Mike enjoying the wonderful meal that Josh's mom cooked for us.

One Fish, Two Fish

This past weekend we met our good friends The Doehnes in Atlanta for a weekend getaway. We left on Friday after work and made it to the hotel around 11 p.m. I'd love to tell you that it was a smooth ride but that wasn't the case. Well, the ride itself was smooth, but once we got there things got a bit rocky. After an hour of the hotel searching for a crib that was supposed to be in our room I went ahead and crawled into bed and brought Colton with me. Of course a few minutes after dozing off they knock on the door with the crib, ugh. I'll just sum up the rest of the night by saying that it's amazing how much space a 30" long, 21 lb baby can take up!

The next morning we threw back some coffee and forged on :) We headed over to the Georgia Seaquarium and it was AWESOME! I highly recommend it if you are anywhere in the area and it's great for kids AND adults. The line for tickets wrapped around the building but we really lucked out. We called to ask how long the wait was and learned that we could buy tickets over the phone and pick them up at "will call." We probably waited a total of 10 minutes and got in quicker than even the people with tickets in hand...just crazy!

The aquarium had tons of giant sharks, Belugia whales, otters, millions of fish and really cool viewing tanks that you could walk through. Colton and Connor (the Doehne's 16 month old) seemed to really enjoy it. They loved to look around at all the pretty colors and moving objects (fairly certain Colton doesn't understand the concept of "fish" just yet). Both boys took their naps despite all the loud noise and movement around them and they were so good during lunch.

For dinner we went to Seasons 52 which is one of my favorite restaurants. I've never had a bad experience there. The food is always the freshest of the season and the menu changes out all the time. They have a great wine list also. Of course we were a bit nervous about taking the boys to such a nice place but they did great and we only had a few loud squeals and toys thrown around.

Sunday Jamie and I managed to squeeze in a quick trip to the Ballard Designs Outlet. It's one of my favorite decor stores and they have two outlets in Atlanta. We both left with some great finds and it was fun trying to squeeze them in to already packed cars :) I got a great end table that I can't wait find a home for in the house! Jamie picked up some great finds to furnish the new home they are building. It's going to be GORGEOUS and I hope to show you the "after" photos when we visit them in Charlotte in November.

Here are a few photos from our getaway. I will post the aquarium pictures when I get them from Jamie, I forgot my camera!!! This weekend my parents and grandparents will be visiting to celebrate my upcoming 30th birthday. More on that later... I have to run and dye the gray hairs asap (kidding...sort of).

xxxooo

Jenny

Georgia Weekend

On all FOURS!!

And we have a crawler! Just before he turned 8 months old Colton started really showing an interest in crawling. He would get so frustrated and just kick his legs while sitting up and attempt to lunge forward. For the first week he would just lay on his belly and get into the crawl position but never really go anywhere. Finally he moved on to one leg forward, sit down, try again with another leg forward. He would slowly get where he wanted to go. At the same time he was also starting to pull up on the ottoman and at daycare and get to a standing position.

Just before I left for a conference and meetings (gone for 5 whole days!!) he just took off. I think he knew momma was leaving and that I would have been devastated if he started crawling after I left!! By the time I got home he had it pretty much perfected and now he even crawls to the ottoman and pulls himself to standing all on his own. I have said all along that I thought we were going to have an early walker and that definitely seems to be the direction we're headed, yikes!

In addition to his new crawling skills he also has three new teeth (five total). Yes, you read that right, three! We have had about three weeks (one for each tooth?) of very restless sleep. He is not a happy camper when he wakes up and his teeth hurt. Now that all three are out he seems to be doing much, much better and I'm hopeful we'll be back to our full 11 hours of sleep at night...at least that's what I'm praying for.

Alright, that's it for now. I have a TON of laundry to catch up on since returning from my trip and tonight we're off to Atlanta to meet our friends the Doehne's for a little getaway. We'll be visiting the Georgia Seaquarium and I can't wait :)

xxxooo

More Summer Travels

This past weekend we went back to Crestview for Nana's 92nd Birthday. On Saturday Josh and his dad did some yard work and his mom and I (and Darby) went swimming. The weatherman said it was "oppressively hot" and I couldn't agree more! I attempted a run in the afternoon (yes, you can call me crazy) and it's a miracle they didn't have to come peel me off the pavement! I'm determined to get back into my running routine though and I'm planning to run a 1/2 marathon next February. There, I said, now I have to do it!!

After recovering from yard work and naps we loaded up and took Colton to the Destin Commons to meet his Uncle Boone and Stephanie. Uncle Boone is actually Daniel, Josh's childhood best friend, and his girlfriend Stephanie. Josh's parents took Colton back home and babysat for us while we went out to a few of our favorite places. Red Bar in Grayton is an all-time favorite and despite the heat and packed crowds it didn't disappoint. We also went to Sandestin, a resort nearby, and made it a much later night than we're used to these days! We never made it to the beach so I can't report directly on the oil spill but it appeared as though the usual summer beach crowd was still around. The restaurant wasn't as busy as it normally is - 45 minute wait instead of 2 hours - but still seemed like the businesses in the area were doing well. We talked about taking Colton to the beach but ultimately decided that we'd wait to learn more about all the dispersant they've been using to combat the oil. Makes me sick to think of what's happened to the environment.

Sunday was wonderful. Nana came home from her nursing facility for the afternoon. We had a huge supper and a delicious 7-layer chocolate cake for dessert. Nana was able to hold Colton and even gave him a bottle. She was able to visit with her grand-pup Darby and she said many times that it was the best birthday she's ever had. I'm so glad we were able to be a part of it. Nana helped to raise Josh when he was little. He stayed with her while his parents worked and has so many wonderful stories. To say she spoiled him is an understatement....but that's what grandparents are for!

Keep us in your prayers - we have a big week coming up. I'll be traveling for work and gone from Sunday through Thursday. I'm dreading being away from Colton but I know his daddy will enjoy the special time with him. Thankfully when I get back we'll be leaving for a trip to Atlanta for a little mini-vacation.

Hope everyone is well! Sorry for the lack of pictures, Josh's mom took a bunch but I only snapped a few and didn't even get any from Nana's visit!!

Love,
Jenny

Visit to Crestview