The Highlanders - Fall/Winter 2012

Here are some photos from a photo shoot we did with LifePrints. They turned out awesome! I planned on doing photos for our Christmas cards but our usual photographer was no longer doing them and we missed the deadline for the other photographer we use so I was searching for the perfect person at the last minute. I reached out to a friend who happens to be the Editor/Publisher of a local children's magazine (Giggle) and asked who she would recommend. She directed me to Lifeprints and it couldn't have been a better experience. Shandon was awesome with the boys and despite what I thought was a disaster of a photo shoot she managed to get some beautiful pictures. We did a few extra individual shots of Teague in place of doing one year photos for him and she captured his little personality beautifully. I have to admit, when we pulled into the vacant lot and hiked through the weeds and woods I was skeptical and then we came to a clearing that was nothing short of amazing. The lighting was stunning and it looked like something from a movie. I'm really looking forward to our next shoot with Lifeprints!

Pumpkins, fall and making it all work

In the whirlwind that is our lives we've managed to slow down enough to enjoy some pretty great things this fall. Between the pumpkin patch, trick or treating and fun house guests we also managed to squeeze in potty training, learning to walk and transitioning to a big boy bed.

October was a fun month with a visit to the Coon Hollow corn maze and pumpkin patch. We joined the Slade family and started the day in Micanopy. It's cute little town and we had great lunch at a little cafe but antique people and kids don't mix. You definitely got the feeling they were waiting on us to move on to Coon Hollow. The pumpkin patch was a blast and we did a hay ride, fed the cows, did games and played golf (which Colton really enjoyed). Teague hung in there despite skipping his nap and he loved playing in the hay. We got some of the best smiles from him just sitting on the giant hay bales. A highlight of the excursion was attempting to get Mr. Colton to potty. He kept insisting he didn't have to go and finally after holding it in the entire day he tells us he has to go right NOW as we're getting to the truck. Oh to be a boy, he just drops his pants and tinkles right there at the truck in front of the whole world and his girl, Briana.

Halloween seemed to never end. We started with an event at my work called Trail of Treats. We took the boys but Josh only stayed with them for the first hour. They got to do a little bounce house fun and some of the activities for little guys but we sent them home before it got crowded (and before the scary costumes started coming out). I was dressed as Snow White for my department booth - best moment of the night was a little girl seeing me and staring up with her big eyes saying "MOMMY! It's a princess!"

Colton selected his costume this year all on his own. When he told me Triceratops I was a bit nervous but I found the most adorable and well made costumes. They were super affordable too which made it perfect and he was in love with his dinosaur costume. As soon as he put it on he immediately turned into a fierce, roaring dinosaur. For Teague I picked T-Rex. Originally I thought Tigger but the only size available was 18 months and it just wouldn't fit. T-Rex in a size 24 months it was!!

On Wednesday during the day the boys' school had a fall festival so they got all dressed up for that and enjoyed lots of fun games. I was supposed to be working a booth for the event but Colton was a little clingy so I walked around and enjoyed the booths with him.

For the actual evening of Halloween our friends came over with their son James (cutest squirrel ever!). The boys loaded up in the wagon and off we went. We had lots of trick or treaters in the neighborhood so it was super fun. The boys quickly got the hang of knocking on doors. Colton was a bit too generous with the handfuls he was taking so we had to put some candy back a few times :) Of course there were lots of thank yous and Happy Halloweens. The most difficult part for me was my internal dilemma over Colton's peanut allergy. I'll save it for another post but we recently took the allergy skin test and his allergy is still as severe as before which means anaphylactic shock which requires an epi-pen. I always try to find a balance between protecting him and allowing him to just be normal. My biggest fear was that he'd start eating candy before I had a chance to go through it but he was really great and only ate the pieces we gave him. When we got home and went through his loot I was surprised that there were ZERO pieces of candy with peanuts except for a little pre-made treat bag that had all peanut types of candy in it but was nicely sealed so I could take it out and toss it. I'm sure it won't always be that way but as Colton gets older he'll start to understand his allergy better. Right now, he just knows "peanuts are nasty."

Finally, we recently had our good friends the Doehnes come for a visit. You may remember that we visited them last October in Charlotte, NC when I was hugely pregnant. This time they came to Gainesville for a visit and we had a blast. Jeff is a big Gators fan so the guys took Colton and their older son Connor to the game. I had seats in the Champions Club through work which means outdoor seating with all the action and excitement but indoor bathrooms, food and seating areas. Josh said Colton did well but he did fall asleep in the 2nd quarter and took a nice long nap on his shoulder.

Here is a link to Jamie's awesome photos of the boys -

https://plus.google.com/photos/108975974970822083107/albums/5808519587640929681?banner=pwa

The rest of the weekend went by too quickly. It was chaos with four boys under four but thankfully the Doehnes know chaos and don't judge :) On our last night we visited campus and saw the gators in Lake Alice and then had a yummy dinner at Blue Highway Pizza. I'm not at all surprised they stuck us at a table outside away from everyone else, good move!! It was crazy but so much fun and I loved every second of their visit. We can't wait to make our next trip to Charlotte!! Hopefully we'll be up there next fall.

That about wraps up the start of fall and the holiday season. I'm in full party planning mode for both boys and we're finalizing the details for Thanksgiving with my family. I know the next seven or so weeks until the end of the year (that's just crazy!!) will fly by so I plan to soak up every second and remember all the reasons we celebrate this time of year.  These days go by so quickly and I don't want to miss a single second to create memories that my boys will have with them forever.

Love,
Jenny

Halloween 2012

Teaguer McGooter Pants

Yesterday was my little big man's 9 month milestone! He has grown so much and is still my little angel baby. His doctor's check-up was great and confirmed that our healthy little man is growing strong. He was 23 lbs and 14 oz and was 30 1/2 inches long. I think it was something like 80th percentile for weight and head circumference and still off the charts for height. His ears were beautiful and we've only had one ear infection since he was born. I'm so grateful after dealing with countless ear infections with Colton.

Teague has pretty blonde hair and he still has his Grammy's blue eyes. He popped out six teeth at once (all four top teeth and two bottom). He started crawling around 7 months and never looked back. At 8 months he started pulling up and walking along furniture and is now standing on his own for a few seconds and working on his balance. Walking is definitely not far off now. I definitely attribute all of this to Colton - he sees his big brother and wants so badly to take off after him. Speaking of his brother, I realized that I may have been a little overzealous with the nicknames. A few of my favorites are Teaguers, Teaguer the Tiger, Teaguer McGooter Pants, T and Teaguerdoodle. Well, one day I asked Colton what his full name was to which he replied Colton Ray Highlander. Then I asked him what his brother's name was to which he replied Teaguer McGooter Pants. I tried again and said, "what's Teague's last name?" His answer? "Pants."

Teague is really good at his ma-ma-ma-mas and his da-da-da-das. He loves all types of food and I can't even think of one thing he hasn't liked yet. So far there have been no signs of allergy which is such a relief. He doesn't have eczema like Colton did which is an indicator of future allergies so I'm hopeful that he won't have any.

Teague is such a great sleeper. He goes to bed around 7 p.m. (working on getting this later in preparation for the time change) and wakes around 6:30 or 7, sometimes sleeping until 7:30 a.m. He naps at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. and the first nap is usually an hour and the second is typically an hour and a half. I think there have probably only been a few times he's woken at night since we sleep trained at 7 months and both were times when he was sick and he easily went back to bed with little rocking and a bottle. Such a far cry from our sleepless nights with Colton.

Smiles - I can't write a post about my little man without describing the cutest smile you've ever seen. Teague reserves his smiles for special occasions and his favorite people. Much of the time he assesses and watches and explores. When he does smile though, it comes from his pure little heart. He tilts his head forward and squints his eyes and sticks his little chin up with the biggest grin. It melts my heart.

We are so blessed to have this beautiful, happy boy in our lives. Teaguer McGooter Pants is perfect in every way and reminds us daily that we are so, so blessed.

Teague loves his Darby.

The start of a big grin...

He loves the balls and gets so excited when we take them out.

Breakfast in bed with daddy.

Checking out Thomas on Mommy's new Kindle Fire HD (thanks daddy for the birthday present!).

You better watch out Mr. Lion, the only big cat around here is Teaguer the Tiger!!

Love,
Jenny

Cabins don't always mean camping

This past January I was randomly dreaming about warm weather and beaches and went online to look and see what great beach deal I might be able to find for a summer 2012 vacation. I had heard from a few different people that we should check out the state parks. Now, let me just state for the record, I am not a camper. I did it for years as a Girl Scout and while I loved the idea of it...I hated most everything other than the smores, campfire and swimming. Bugs, dirt and pottying in strange places are all things I can do without. As I started to look online at the cabins at some of our state parks I realized that "camping" was not really the right way to describe it - some of these cabins are nicer than hotels I've stayed in before!

We decided on the state park at Grayton Beach in the panhandle. It was already a place we're familiar with and love to visit and the cabins there were some of the nicest. Even better, they were $100 a night when most places at the beach were $300 and up! Can't beat that! We settled on labor day weekend since we knew we would have three full days and it's right around my birthday so it was a perfect time to get away.

The trip up was pretty pleasant. Both boys are great nappers in the car and Teague only got a little fussy right before we arrived. We checked in at the entrance to the state park and then got our cabin key and headed to the cabin entrance. It was unbelievable. The cabins were literally right on the beach. We could hear the waves crashing and smell the salt water. The cabins were little duplexes and each had two bedrooms, a nice size bathroom, full kitchen, fireplace, screened porch and all were fully furnished with fresh linens and fully stocked kitchen.

After we arrived Josh and Colton went to Publix (a few minutes down the road) and stocked up for our long weekend. Teague and I got the bedrooms ready. Teague had his pack and play in the master room and we put both twin mattresses on the floor of the other room for Colton. He is still happily in his crib at home so this was a real test and it went perfectly!! We made him a giant bed on the floor and he was a great sleeper all weekend. Josh and I slept on a mattress in the family room which worked great.

Sunday morning we ate a yummy breakfast and then packed up everything but the kitchen sink and headed to the beach. It was about 5 minutes walking from our cabin door to the sand. PERFECT! We set up our tent and spent the rest of the day relaxing, playing and enjoying the beautiful gulf. Josh's best friend Daniel and his wife Stephanie (who were married at this beach in May) came to visit also. After an exhausting day both boys crashed and Josh and I grilled some steaks and just relaxed on the porch with a glass of wine - not something we get to do often enough.

I realized a few things about Colton on this trip - he is pretty much obsessed with anything and everything outdoors. He would rather be dirty, sweaty and covered in bugs than clean and sitting in air conditioning (obviously doesn't get that from me, see above). He absolutely loved picking up sticks, looking for bugs and lizards, digging in the dirt and sand and chasing birds. He also has developed quite the little personality. He had several intense meltdowns but the majority of the time he was creating his own elaborate little stories and adventures. He loves to build forts and hide in caves. He fights monsters and bad guys daily and the other day he referred to Teague and Jonah as "his babies." He loves when they follow him around :)

Unbeknownst to us Teague had a little virus. He had a fever the Thursday before we left and it went away but during our trip he ended up covered in a rash. I'm pretty sure it was roseola which Colton had before. You hardly know when he's sick though because he slept great and never complained. He thoroughly enjoyed eating sand, splashing in the water and hanging with mommy in the tent.

It was a quick trip but just the right amount of days. With kids so little I really only like to be gone from home a few nights at the most. More than that and we're all a little cranky. It was the perfect getaway just before the craziness of fall.

We will definitely be heading back to this beautiful little piece of paradise next year and hopefully for years to come.

Grayton Beach State Park - September 2012

Love,
Jenny

Daddy's Day

We had a quiet Father's Day this year. We made daddy breakfast and then went to church in the morning. After church we came home for naps and then went to Ivy House for lunch (daddy's favorite). I think it was probably Josh's favorite way to spend a Sunday, just relaxing and enjoying our family. I'm so grateful for such a wonderful father for my boys. He brings so much laughter to our home and makes every day fun all while making sure to set a good example of hard work, faith and love.

Here a few photos of daddy and his boys.

Father's Day

Weddings, anniversaries and more

It's been two months since I last posted so I had quite a bit to catch up on. Since the blog is to document our life for the boys I wanted to include some of the little day to day.

During the last two months we made two quick trips. First, Josh and I went away for one night for the first time since Teague was born. We went out to my parents place in Steinhatchee and took their new boat out for its first run on the water. We put the boat in at the new landing in Steinhatchee and after a little mishap with the wind (let's just say I'm very appreciative of the gentlemen who came to my rescue as the boat spun away from me in the ramp thanks to giant gusts of wind) we were off! We cruised up the river and by Steinhatchee Landing where we were married 5 years ago. It was even more beautiful from the water. It's grown so much and now there are quite a few more cottages and homes. After cruising up the river we took the boat out into the gulf. We set the anchor and just relaxed and enjoyed a gorgeous sunset. After a nice dinner we went back to enjoy the first full night of sleep in months. Of course I woke up several times anyway thinking I heard Teague but it was more restful than a night at home! Thanks to Grammy and Grampy for keeping the boys for us. Mom was a trooper and willingly took that middle of the night feeding :)

Our next quick trip was in May when we went back to the panhandle for Daniel and Stephanie's wedding. Daniel is Josh's best friend (and was his best man in our wedding). They had a beautiful ceremony on the beach at Grayton Beach State Park (where we're vacationing this September). It was the perfect wedding for them. Just immediate family and one or two close friends. We had a delicious dinner after at a nice restaurant in Destin and enjoyed yummy cake. After, we went out with the newlyweds in Baytowne to celebrate. Another thanks to Grammy and Grampy for keeping the boys for us for the night!!

Here are some photos from both weekends -

2012 Fun

Love,
Jenny

Happy Birthday America!

What a wonderful 4th of July! Our town does a huge event for the 4th with a big festival at the park. There were bounce houses, food vendors, live music, and lots more. They have a giant fireworks display at the end but we skipped it this year and opted to do some fireworks at home instead.

Our friends, the Weitekamps, came over with Colton's best buddy James. The boys played and the parents enjoyed catching up. Josh did some fun fireworks for us and the boys really enjoyed their first sparklers.

Here are some photos -

Fourth of July 2012

Jenny

Halfway to ONE!

Wow, it's really hard to believe six months have gone by since we welcomed baby Teague into our family. He is growing every single day and is such a happy, happy baby. He smiles the biggest grins and loves to laugh at his brother and daddy.

At his six month doctor's appointment we had a great visit. Teague was 28 1/2 inches long and 20.3 lbs. He started sitting up just before he turned six months and now he has it perfected. He is starting to move and can get all the way around the room by a combination of scoot, roll and caterpillar moves. He is still a really great sleeper. He takes three naps a day (sometimes two) and goes down so well. It's amazing, you truly don't appreciate how wonderful it is to have a baby that falls asleep on their own until you finally have one! I thought all babies were like Colton as a baby ;) He is eating lots of different baby foods and he has a huge appetite. He loves baby mum mum crackers and seems to like pretty much all foods. He hasn't made faces with any of them yet.

Teague loves Ms. Carmen (one of Colton's first teachers) and he gets so excited to see her every morning. I'm hoping he'll learn a little Spanish just like Colton did. He has three little friends in his class which is the perfect size. The other three are a few months older and most are just starting to walk. Teague thinks he can walk too and tries his hardest to get up and go just like they do.

Bedtime for Teague is pretty early. We keep him on a similar schedule to what we did for Colton and it works well. He goes to bed between 6:30 and 7 p.m. and sleeps until 4:30-5 a.m. He wakes up and nurses and goes right back to sleep and usually sleeps until anywhere between 6:30 and 7. It works great for me since I have an opportunity to start the day earlier. I'm looking forward to moving bedtime a little later as he gets older since it steals away our precious moments during the week.

I think one of the best things about having two little children is watching them interact with each other. Teague just watches Colton in pure amazement and smiles and laughs when Colton interacts with him. Colton is really good with Teague. He has his moments of being too rough or trying to take a toy away but overall you can tell he really loves his little brother.

Let's see, if I had to summarize I would say...

Teague loves: his big brother, chewing on anything and everything, sucking his thumb as he falls asleep, rocking with mommy, Darby, music, and food!

Teague can do without: his car seat, prune juice, diaper changes before bedtime (he's always cranky!), and that's about it.

Here are a few photos of my baby boy at his half birthday. I also included some summer fun photos. I love the redneck rigging Josh did when our neighbors (who are moving) gave us their hot tub. He had to move it asap so he hooked it up to his beloved lawn mower. I didn't know whether to be proud of his ingenuity or embarrassed as my husband rode with a hot tub from their house to ours. Priceless.

Teague - 6 months

Love,
Jenny

Mother's Day 2012

This was the second Mother's Day that I was honored to share with the dedication of one of my boys. Once again, we had both sets of grandparents in town and we attended a special service at our church when they dedicate the babies. There were quite a few of us this time and I love that we know so many of the young couples in our church. We have a relatively small Sunday school class but it's married couples ages 26-32 so we've seen some come and go over the last few years and gotten to know quite a few people. Speaking of, Josh is 32 and I'm not far away...I guess we better start looking before the tell us to move on!

Our church currently has an interim pastor so it wasn't the same service as Colton but it was pretty similar. We stood in front of our church family and dedicated Teague to the Lord. It's such an amazing feeling to know that no matter how much we love our boys (and there are no words to even describe) our God loves them more. He blessed us with the opportunity to care for them and raise them but ultimately we know they belong to Him. I pray they live to be old and gray (like their daddy) and have children and grandchildren of their own. I pray that they love God and that they live their lives to honor Him.

After church we came back to the house and relaxed and ate a yummy meal. It was a super relaxing weekend and I can't think of anything I would have rather done to celebrate Mother's Day.

May 2012 - Mother's Day

Love,
Jenny

Four Months Old!

On April 22 Teague hit the four month mark! He is such a wonderful baby and such a perfect addition to our little family. He is still my "angel" baby and sleeps, eats and plays very well. He almost never cries which still amazes me. Recently at a friend's birthday party he was a little fussy (we interrupted his nap to leave for the party) and that was the only time in the recent few weeks I can remember hearing him cry. He was appeased with a quick drive around the neighborhood by Josh!

Teague loves to LOVES to talk lately. He really enjoys interacting with the older babies in his class (there are four total including him) and when he sees someone he knows he gets super excited and his arms and legs start going and he smiles and yells out. Trying to get him to smile for a photo is nearly impossible. He'll smile at us all the time but never when there is a camera in front of him. Of course daddy gets him laughing without fail, those two are buddies.

He is back to his good sleep schedule after a two week off period thanks to an ear infection and cold. He goes to bed between 6 and 6:30 and sleeps until between 3 and 4 when he's up for a feeding and then back down until 7 ish. He has been waking a few times around 5 to practice his talking but he goes back to sleep all on his own and thankfully doesn't wake his brother. He still has three naps a day but the middle nap is usually two hours which is a nice break.

His appointment with Dr. Kathy went so well. She was amazed at his size - 18.3 lbs and 27 1/2 inches on his 4 month birthday. He was 97th percentile for weight and off the chart for height. He is wearing 9 month clothes and quickly outgrowing the appropriate seasonal clothes from Colton so we may be in trouble. I was counting on him wearing Colton's old wardrobe!

He is really great at grabbing toys with his hands and he especially loves putting his feet in his mouth, he's quite flexible. He has rolled over both ways but doesn't do it very often right now. He prefers to be in a sitting position and has started using his little arms to work on tripod (and hold himself up) but he is definitely not stable yet.

I think the thing I love most is how he watches Colton and smiles and laughs at him. It's just a look of complete amazement and anything Colton does is funny. His brother is great with him too and loves to tell him he loves him and gives him hugs and kisses. He can be a little rough so we have to be careful. One time Colton was holding him for a photo and Teague's little arm kept moving up and down (as baby's do) and Colton felt like he needed to hold still for the photo so he just pinned his arm down and told him to stop moving :) A little bossy I suppose!

He's got beautiful blonde peach fuzz hair and bright blue eyes. Not sure both of those will last but they are in such stark contrast to my brown hair, brown eyed boy. It's funny how similar but yet different they both are.

One last story - Josh and I like to ask Colton who is favorite is...mommy or daddy. He has fun picking one over the other as we tease him. Well, the other day I said Colton, "who is your favorite, mommy or daddy?" as I winked and pointed at myself :) He yelled out "BABY TEAGUE" and it just melted my heart. No worries, we're not having him take sides with us, it's just a fun little game we like to play and then we have our "family hug" with all four of us.

We recently introduced solid foods! Teague likes to go 7+ days between poopie diapers so prunes are supposed to help move things along so we started there. We've attempted rice cereal a few times but it's not his favorite and we've only done little amounts. Up next, momma's homemade butternut squash!

Here are a few photos of our growing baby boy. I also included some older photos from our trip back to Vero Beach for Teague to meet his Great Grandma and Grandpa. I kept meaning to blog about it, but let's be real...it ain't gonna happen!

Teague - 4 months

Love,
Jenny