The Big Day...

Well, I finally gave in to all of the begging and pleading from Vance.


We went from this:


...to this:


All thanks to Mr. Tony.


Fox did great, and Mr. Tony was super-fast! We followed the advice of the Kagys and the Johnstons and visited Mr. Tony's Hairstyles. Mr. Tony was a pro and Fox didn't seem to mind all the fuss.
To help me get in the right mind-set, Vance had to take me to Sonny's for lunch. We are working on compiling a list of where and when kids eat free. (Sonny's on Saturday!) Mr. Fox was quite the flirt with the greeter.

It's been crazy around here with this toddler that has invaded our home.
He is into everything.
And now he is awake, so I can't finish this post!
More later, I promise!

Crazy Talk

Make sure you turn the volume way up to get the full effect. Vance and I were cracking up through dinner!

Finally...new pictures!

Here.
I went through and uploaded a bunch of pictures from May up to yesterday.
My kitchen is not clean, but the interweb is graced with tons of pictures of Fox.
Enjoy!

It's a Small World...and we are walking through it!

Fox's first LAN party!

So tonight Vance is in the office, watching online videos of churches similar to ours and how they do worship. I came in and watched a church for a little bit...they got to the announcements and this guy bounds onto the stage. It was my youth pastor from high school. I just sent him an email to say hi! Small world, that interweb.

We have a walking Fox now. He's been taking a few tentative steps here and there for a few weeks. Thursday he decided it was time to get on the walking train. I haven't taken a good picture of it yet. I'll work on that!

But, I have lots of other good pictures to (finally) share!

He's teething again...he's got 8 teeth now, and the drool is excessive.
We've been having lots of fun outside...I bought a bike trailer at a consignment sale, and Fox and Ethan have been loving it!


Fox is really getting into reading his books...


Sandra and Carey and I are doing a little co-op so we can all work a bit. Fox loves having the big boys over, but sometimes has a hard time understanding that ALL sippy cups in the world are not his! I actually managed to get all of them in the same area long enough for a few cute shots...



And the moment passes..One of the things about having three little guys in the house instead of just one, is that things get overlooked that would have normally been stopped right away...enter exhibit 'a', the tissue box...



Snack time!
Momma brought up Dylan's Halloween costume from last year...if it's cold enough and Fox cooperates, we may have the Monkey for MonkeyNinjaPirateRobot....
That's a big if...this is not a happy little monkey!
And now, for the monkey tantrum!

I have a feeling that soon enough he will be throwing King Kong sized tantrums...this child has apparently inherited my temper.


And now for a series of Fox in hats...he will actually consent to wearing them for a few fleeting moments...some of which we managed to capture on camera!




Fox's latest obsession is shoes. It's crazy how well he says 'shooooooes'. He was on cloud 9 earlier tonight...I sat him in the closet surrounded by all our shoes. Everywhere he turned, there were shoes. He finds them in every room...maybe we should keep them more confined!

My Jesus

Warning - this is a complete departure from my usual posts full of cute baby pictures and funny Fox stories.
I'll write one of those soon enough. I've just had a lot of heavy stuff on my heart lately and need to get it out in the open.

I'm writing this while looking at my sleeping son on our video baby monitor.
We are blessed, really, with so much material stuff. I might gripe about the price of cherries going up by $2/lb at Publix, but when it comes down to it, I could still buy them at $4.99/lb vs $2.99/lb and we wouldn't suffer from it.

There's a song that I've liked for awhile now, but recently I've been contemplating what it really means, and how it SHOULD affect my life.
Todd Agnew's "My Jesus" is a seriously hard song to listen to. This link may or may not work, give it a shot.

Which Jesus do you follow?
Which Jesus do you serve?
If Ephesians says to imitate Christ
Then why do you look so much like the world?

Do I look like the world? I probably do. I was so thrilled with the new cute pants my mom bought me Saturday, and I wanted to make sure to wear them to church yesterday since I was singing on stage.

Cause my Jesus bled and died
He spent His time with thieves and liars
He loved the poor and accosted the arrogant
So which one do you want to be?

I do spend most of my time with believers. It was a total shell shock this summer when we spent a week with some family members who cuss. Vance and I were pretty uncomfortable with it, realizing we are quite insulated from the 'thieves and liars' that Jesus spent His time with.

Blessed are the poor in spirit
Or do we pray to be blessed with the wealth of this land
Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousness
Or do we ache for another taste of this world of shifting sand

How many prayers of ours are for the wealth of this land? I jokingly talk about when Daddy wins the lottery and we get out cut, but honestly, we could live without a lot that we have. My attempts at frugality are just that - attempts. I could be a lot more hardcore and survive without the cute cover-up for my bathing suit I picked up at 75% off Saturday at Dillards.

Cause my Jesus bled and died for my sins
He spent His time with thieves and sluts and liars
He loved the poor and accosted the rich
So which one do you want to be?

Who is this that you follow
This picture of the American dream
If Jesus was here would you walk right by on the other side or fall down and worship at His holy feet

Would I walk by? Is Jesus that guy on the corner who needs a shower, shave, meal and a bus ticket? I unconsciously reach over and check that my doors are locked - a sad commentary on how suspicious society has made us.

Pretty blue eyes and curly brown hair and a clear complexion
Is how you see Him as He dies for Your sins
But the Word says He was battered and scarred
Or did you miss that part
Sometimes I doubt we'd recognize Him

We do picture Jesus with a handsome face. I haven't watched The Passion of The Christ - Vance thinks it would be too hard for me to watch. He's right, but it was harder for Jesus to die, wasn't it?

Cause my Jesus bled and died
He spent His time with thieves and the least of these
He loved the poor and accosted the comfortable
So which one do you want to be?

Cause my Jesus would never be accepted in my church
The blood and dirt on His feet would stain the carpet

My toes are pretty, Momma came up this weekend and we got pedicures.
I like to think that Jesus would be accepted at my church. We're definitely very laid-back on the dress code. We can always spot a first-time guest - they're wearing ties and 'Sunday dresses'. But would a shabbily dressed, dirty man be welcomed? I hope so.

But He reaches for the hurting and despised the proud
I think He'd prefer Beale St. to the stained glass crowd
And I know that He can hear me if I cry out loud

I want to be like my Jesus!
I want to be like my Jesus!

The way Todd Agnew really cries out at this part is what hits me hardest. Does my desire to be like Jesus outweigh my desire to be comfortable? I didn't sign up to go to Nicaragua with the team from our church like so many others did. Is it because I'm afraid of getting dirty? Or am I afraid of being too saddened by what I'd see? The stories the team came back with had our entire congregation in tears.

Not a posterchild for American prosperity, but like my Jesus
You see I'm tired of living for success and popularity

I've always said I wanted to be on Jeopardy! - what a better way to be successful and popular!
My priorities need to change - seriously.

I want to be like my Jesus but I'm not sure what that means to be like You Jesus
Cause You said to live like You, love like You but then You died for me
Can I be like You Jesus?
I want to be like my Jesus

Okay, enough of that for now. I'm going to join my family, and enjoy listening to my son's new favorite word - SHOE!

More Milestones...

Fanged Fox is fanged no more. The front two teeth are nearly in. This kid talks ALL THE TIME, with crazy words like 'backpa' (backpack) 'acaca' (avocado) and 'gogoo' (yogurt).
Oh, and he took two steps tonight. HE TOOK TWO STEPS!

(I'm shaking my head...he's growing too fast)

I promise I will post pictures next week...maybe even a video if I'm feeling adventurous!

I am embarrassed to say I am from South Carolina...

...after seeing the "Miss Teen USA" South Carolina delegate...



Of course, I wasn't educated in South Carolina, just born there. Man, that is scary!

No pinch.

Reason # 756 Why I Love My Husband

Most of you know about my obsession with finding the most efficient way to do, well, anything really. While on the way to Monday Night at the Mitchell's house tonight, I was excitedly sharing with Vance that I had discovered the most efficient way to navigate the contact list in our new cell phones. See, I had to call Carey and let her know we were running a little bit late, and "Mitchell" falls smack dab in the middle of the "M"s, so I didn't want to start at the beginning of the "M"s or the "N"s and then have to scroll all the way through them to get to "Mitchell".

Wow, this story is so dull. I'll get to the point, the reason that God made Vance just for me and me just for Vance. After sharing my phone hack with him and telling him how excited I was to be sooo efficient, he looked at me and said "Babe, you're a real "efficianado". Ba dum bum.

Y'know, he just gets me.




He's going to have a fit when he sees this pictures I found from his Hummingbird days!

Fanged Fox

More pictures and a real post soon - just couldn't resist posting Fox and his fangs...yes, he is hanging upside down in this picture - it was the best way to get the full effect!

It's Done...

I've finished the book. Maybe now I can get to sleep. Or maybe I should get something done around this house - I've been slacking since Friday night.

My review? Without spoiling, I will say that it was a fitting, satisfactory end. Thanks for the ride, Ms. Rowling.

Pics and stuff

I love my little man.




I love his Daddy too.

Fox is cutting teeth #3 & 4 (oh so fun). He stands for up to 10 seconds, and waves at everyone he sees.
I was totally in denial about this earlier, but now I'll admit it.
He is (sort of) talking.
He says "Dada" when we talk about Vance, "Tss Tss" when we go out and visit Tanji, and today at lunch when Vance asked him if he wanted more, he said "Mmmm".
Notice the significant lack of the word "Momma".

This morning I think he signed "fan". We've been doing baby signs for a few months now, mostly at meal times. I recently started signing 'fan' when he would point at the fan, and then I would help him sign it. Today he signed it on his own, and was so proud of himself.

We went to the TMH Music Therapy Playgroup today. He was quite a hit. All the other babies were sitting in their mom's laps, smiling and enjoying the music. Fox, on the other hand, wanted to stand up on me the whole time and talk - loudly. I truly believe this child was put on this earth to make people laugh. He really enjoyed himself, and we will certainly be going back!

Here is a real conversation Vance and I had earlier this week. I swear, we can't make this stuff up.
"Oh, you can't eat my Oreo McFlurry, it's got chocolate in it."
"No, it's okay, I'm starting to introduce little bits of chocolate into my diet to gauge his reaction."
"Oh good. With your PMS back, I'm afraid you'd kill me without chocolate"

That's all for tonight folks.
Stay tuned for more updates.
If yer lucky.

A few updates...

Fox is way too mobile!
He climbs up and furniture walks all along whatever he can.
No more inchworm, the boy is seriously crawling now.
He does the funniest wave - he just sticks his hand up in the air like he's issuing a proclamation.
I think it's "Yes, I am here, and I am the cutest, funniest baby ever. You may giggle."

Okay, time for bed.

Just a quickie...

One of the silly things I like to do is dress Fox to match Vance.

Here's an example...


Yeah, I need to get out more!

Happy, Danielle? ; )

Danielle has been getting on to me about my lack of posting. I know, I compose them in my head, but y'all don't know that unless I actually get things on the blogosphere. What a weird word that is.

I'm thinking I psyched myself out trying to do big meaningful posts once a month. Yeah, that's the excuse I'll use for not posting. ; )

I'll have to get Vance to show me how to get to our pictures. He's rebuilt his machine (with all the pictures) with some crazy Linux thing called Ubuntu. Every time he says Ubuntu I feel compelled to respond with "God bless you".

Quick Updates:

• I started a part time job as a Research Assistant with FCRR. I only go in to the office one day a week for 5 hours!
  
• Fox has two teeth, and the next few are imminent.
• He has also started crawling - sort of this modified belly flop that reminds me of an inchworm.
• Both sets of his grandparents came for the Mother's Day weekend. A good time was had by all.
  

And now he's awake. Time to get ready and head to church!

Really?

I noticed this while handing Vance a roll of TP tonight...
Um, duh?

Hmm...Maybe I should start posting all the little things like this that just make me shake my head. Nah, then y'all would know how REALLY crazy things get around here.

I always said I'd try anything once...

So I've now installed a theatrical standee.
I totally got suckered into this one. A $50 job! How great! That would pay for my dress for Darcy's party...except I made $10 after paying a babysitter and Emily, without whom I could not have done this 12 foot wide 8 1/2 foot tall behemoth. Oh, did I forget to mention that it took us 4 SOLID HOURS?!?
No Vance, we're not taking it home when it's over.

Go by the AMC Tallahassee Mall and marvel at our hard work. And then come over here and rub lotion on my hands. If I never see a piece of cardboard again, it will be too soon.

Emily and I are awesome.

best.crackers.ever

Saltines Multi-grain. Almost makes up for having a yucky tummy. Almost.

6 Months...

Dear Fox,
Wednesday you turned 6 months old. About a month and a half ago, I discovered a crazy mommy blog where the mommy writes her daughter a letter on the blog every month. I thought it was a great idea, so I'm copying it. (Warning - Dooce.com is not G-rated, more like R-rated- the author is a rather potty-mouthed liberal, but I admire her honesty and sometimes we think alike in the realm of mommy-related OCD things) I was planning to start this last month, but we all see how that turned out! Next month I'll start this a week ahead of time so it might get posted on time!

So back to the all about you thing. When I first started composing this post, you were napping - your second attempt at an afternoon nap is proving to be much more successful than your first. You sneaked a power nap in the car after lunch, so by the time we got home you tried to convince me you didn't really need a full nap right then. I let you roll around and talk to yourself and then fuss at me in your crib for 45 minutes, then gave in and got you up.


I keep expecting your first tooth (or teeth) to pop up any day. You've been drooling like a champ for 3 months now, but this week in particular have kicked it in to overdrive. Wednesday night you woke up after 45 minutes asleep, which was really weird for you. Compounded by the fact that Momma and Daddy were at Praise Band practice at church, and you were home with Miss Katlynn. Poor Miss Katlynn was pretty surprised at how mad you really were.

You are so happy in the mornings - this is the smile we're greeted with when we come get you - super happy boy!


I think a lot of people don't believe me when I tell them about your temper. You totally got that from me, along with every other negative aspect of your budding personality. You look just like Daddy, and you act just like Momma. It's all your Granny's fault. When I was a kid, she told me that she wished I would have one just like me. Thanks a bunch! Miss Terri knows all about your legendary temper - you threw down a royal fit when she was hanging out with you in the waiting room and I was seeing the doctor for a checkup. That's okay, she still loves you!


Today a new toy came in the mail, your first Legos. Predictably, you were at first more interested in the box than the actual toy. After a few minutes of exploring the box, you toppled over onto your belly and then discovered that there were TOYS in the box, TOYS that could be put in your MOUTH! Which of course is your latest favorite thing to do - putting EVERYTHING within reaching distance in your mouth. Your Daddy is so excited about the Legos...excited for you of course, not that he has told me to start buying you the real Legos when they're on sale or anything...no, not that at all.


You've become very adept at sitting up. I think you really love the new perspective from which you can see everything. I think you'll be crawling soon, which by the way FREAKS ME OUT! I know, you have to grow up, I think that part is cool, but the idea of you being able to get around by yourself is just a bit TERRIFYING. We'll have to have Noah Conrad come back over and show us everything you're likely to get into.


You have the best smile in the world. Everyone comments on how smiley you are. Last Friday we went up to the hospital to visit Ms. Jo and Mr. Jim. Mr. Jim fell in his garden that morning and broke his wrist and kneecap. He was in surgery when we got there, so we were able to keep Ms. Jo company in the waiting room. You not only kept Ms. Jo in a good mood, you managed to have the entire surgical waiting room smiling and laughing at your antics. You have such a sunny nature, and love to interact with people.

This is you eating squash...
We started feeding you solids a few weeks ago. I wanted to wait until you were 6 months old, but Dr. Martin said that we should just go with it then because you had such an interest in everything Daddy and I put in our mouths. So far, so good. You didn't like oatmeal at first, but we switched brands and started mixing it with breastmilk instead of water, and you've come around.
This is you eating the other brand of oatmeal...
You really like squash and prunes (which we introduced earlier this week in response to the lack of poop - too much oatmeal and bananas!) and don't seem to mind green beans or peas.

You're finding your car seat slightly more tolerable these days. We went up to Thomasville, GA two weeks ago with Ms. Mary, and you talked the whole way there. It's amazing, I'm almost forgetting how you used to scream your head off anytime we went anywhere. Almost.

You're funny. Nena taught you this one, huh?


Whenever we go to Publix or any other grocery store, you talk to everyone that walks by. They all comment on what a cute baby you are, and you smile and put on quite a show. Yesterday I sat you in the seat part of the shopping cart, instead of sitting you in the carseat. You were just fascinated with all the sights you could see without the constraints of the carseat! It's hard to believe you're big enough to sit up like that on your own.

This is you and Daddy in the truck you'll rebuild together...if it's still running when you're 16, we won't have to buy you a car!

You are obsessed with trying to watch TV. We don't let you watch it, but any time we're at someone's house with the TV on, you contort yourself into all sorts of interesting positions to try and be able to see the action.

I think the coolest thing about you this month is how you're interacting with things so much more. You are now able to see what you want, and lunge toward it. You scoot around in circles in your play gym, and pass things from one hand to the other. You're always trying to help us turn the pages in your books.

This is you with your cousin Keyan in Panama City.

Superstition is your favorite song. That's right, the Stevie Wonder hit. Daddy made you a CD of funky tunes (he thought the classical music we listened to was too dull) with a good beat. You can be in the middle of a huge throw down fit, and we just walk you over to the CD player. Sometimes you calm down before we get a chance to turn the song on. Sometimes it takes a little bit longer. You've learned that song, and when the track changes, you will occasionally get fussy until we turn your song back on. It's a little creepy sometimes, how much you love that song.

I hope you enjoy this effort of mine to document more of your development. You know that Momma and Daddy love you very much, Little Man!
Love,
Momma

What makes me tick?

"I loathe the expression "What makes him tick." It is the American mind, looking for simple and singular solution, that uses the foolish expression. A person not only ticks, he also chimes and strikes the hour, falls and breaks and has to be put together again, and sometimes stops like an electric clock in a thunderstorm."
- James Thurber

Food makes me tick. Raising the awesome son that God has blessed us with makes me chime.

Just a quick peek...

At all the fun Fox and I had in Orlando...

Crazy Eyes

Decent post forthcoming...(read Vance's post to tide you over.)

Grabby McDroolybuddy (or it's all our fault for naming him Fox)

Our son has proved to be terribly stealthy about his ability to roll over. Previously, we only saw the results of Fox's craftiness by finding him on his back in the crib when he wakes up. Little stinker would only roll over when no one was looking. Last week, he rolled a few times while Vance was watching. BUT NOT ME! This morning, Fox is playing on his back in his play gym. I step into the kitchen to make my oatmeal. I'm out of sight for an entire 45 seconds and the little monkey manages to roll on his tummy. WITHOUT ME SEEING IT. AGAIN.
Then he rolls over again for Vance while I'm working on dinner. I MISSED IT AGAIN. This makes about 10 times that I have not seen my son, who I am with almost 24 hours a day, roll over.
Finally tonight after Vance left for band practice, my patience was rewarded. Fox was on his back. He very determinedly grabbed his feet, swung himself to his side, and rolled onto his tummy. And I SAW THE WHOLE THING. I guess if you're gonna name your kid Fox, you have to expect him to have some sort of sneaky, stealthy habits, right?

Back to Grabby McDroolybuddy. We used to be able to hold him on our lap while we ate. Not so much anymore. Fox now tries to grab whatever we are putting in our mouth, or anything too close on the table. He's also drooling like it's his job. Thus, Grabby McDroolybuddy is his latest moniker.

When I got back home from band practice tonight, Fox's "Aunt Barb" was watching Steel Magnolias on ABCFamily. That movie has some of the most quotable lines ever. One of my favorites - "I'm not crazy, I've just been a very bad mood for the last 40 years!". I hadn't seen it in years. I didn't get to finish it, since LOST was coming on.

I am so thankful...

...for our awesome friends who came over tonight and helped Vance make forward progress on the fence.
I am so thankful that Vance ran to Wal-Mart after everyone left and got the parts he needed to fix the cable that was cut so I could blog now and work tomorrow.
I am so thankful for the amazing friends God has blessed us with.
I am so thankful that almost all of the dishes fit into the dishwasher.
I am so thankful my son managed to go back to sleep by himself when he woke up at 11pm.
I am so thankful that it's time to go to bed now.

Irish Macaroni...big surprise!

Aight, the masses have spoken. But I mean it, next time, I'm making something different.
See you at 6:30...or earlier if'n you wanna bang on the fence with Vance.

Dinner Monday Night

We're hosting this week, and I have no idea what I want to make. I'm just doing this because my house is seriously clean after my mom was here.
So, in the spirit of "American Idol", we'll go with the popular vote.
I'll make whatever gets the most individual votes. You can vote via email or comment on the blog. The winner will be chosen after Ladies' Bible Study tomorrow night and revealed here and on the website.
Each person with a valid email address may vote once (no having your kids vote unless they can type their own email)...
Okay, let the fun begin! If you need ideas for suggestions, let me know. I'm just taking the lazy route to deciding tonight.

Loudest Baby Ever...

I went to visit my friend Sarah to see their new baby, Collin. Fox, predictably, screamed for half of the trip down to Southwood. When we arrived, he was wailing at about a 7 (he has cranked it up to 13 on occasion). It was great to see Sarah, KC, and their daughter Emily, and meet little Collin. After awhile, Collin got tired and began fussing, making these tiny little cries. I observed for a bit, and then asked Sarah if that was as loud as he got. She replied that yes, he was pretty upset.
I shook my head, realizing that Collin's 'pretty upset' ranked about a 1 on Fox's scale of mad.
We have the Loudest Baby Ever.

Such a happy boy...

Anna told us a story about something she heard at an infant massage therapy workshop. Apparently, there is anecdotal evidence that babies whose mothers ate chocolate have happier babies. Here are some pictures to back up that theory...





And yes, I totally ate A TON of chocolate. Good thing!
As always, you can see the rest of these pics here...