Parks and Recreation

Yesterday we visited Veteran's Park in Birmingham. Clay had some stuff to pick up for school and I thought it would be fun to take Bryson to the park nearby. This was the second time he's ever been to a park. Isn't that terrible of me? But this time last year Bryson was only 8 months and I didn't think there was too much at the park for an 8 month old.

I think Veteran's Park is now one of my favorite places to take Bryson. He had so much fun and they had alot for him to do. If only it wasn't so far from my house!

Bryson was in love with the numbers on these cylinders. He would count them over and over.


We eventually made it to the slide. He was a little hesitant at first, but once he figured it out he didn't want to leave.


I think trying to go up the slide is something every kid tries to do at some point in their life. He never made it all the way up, but he tried really hard!


We never made it to the swings. Every time I would ask him he would tell me "NO mama!" So of course I never forced it. Ha!

I think going to the park gave Bryson an energy boost because he TOTALLY missed his nap. He did sleep for about 20 minutes before we got there, but I thought for sure he would crash out on the way home. No such luck.

When we got home I had two packages waiting on me! Ya'll know how much I heart packages!!

I've been looking for a chalkboard for my kitchen over the last few months and found this one on etsy. It ended up not being as big as I thought it was going to be, but it will work for now. I love the red. It gives the kitchen some color since most of my stuff is black and white.


And Bryson's Easter pail also came in. I ordered it several weeks ago and was anxious to see how it turned out. I love it! It turned out just perfect! I can't wait to fill it up. I've already bought a few things to go in it.

I hope ya'll are having a wonderful Friday. Clay and I are going on a much needed date tonight and meeting up with The Armstrong's for dinner at Sweet Bones Alabama.

Ya'll have a wonderful weekend!!!

New Tradition

My mom was so sweet enough to keep Bryson for a little while so I could get a few things done around the house. It's spring time and I was in the mood to do a LITTLE spring cleaning! Plus I thought earlier in the week, the girls from prayer group would be at my house and I wanted it to at least look somewhat clutter free and not like Toy's R Us just threw up in my living room! HA!!

After we had breakfast and took a bath I got B ready and took him over to my mom's. My dad was home (he works evening shift) and I was excited that he would be able to spend some time with the little man before he had to leave for work.

I can't tell ya'll how blessed I am to have family so close by. They have been a tremendous help over the last 20 months! I am so grateful to them and I truly believe Bryson has learned so much from them. I can never say thank you enough!

At some point in the afternoon my mom called and asked if Bryson could go out to eat dinner with them. Of course I was fine with it, but a little confused since I thought my dad was supposed to be at work. That's when my mom precedes to tell me today was their anniversary and my dad decided to take off work! Oh my words...ya'll I completely forgot today was my parents' 24th anniversary and here they were spending it with their grandson. But my parents were excited to have him and take him out to dinner :)

This was Bryson getting to taste some chocolate pie with his passy!

Isn't that hilarious? I was actually on the phone with my mom while all of this was going on. They were laughing hysterically at how excited Bryson was getting over this pie!

How sweet is that face? Oh, I could just eat him up!!

Of course you can't take your grandson out without going into some store and buying him something. No, Bryson did not come home with this hat, but after looking at this picture I kinda' wished my mom would have bought it.

Pawpaw and Bryson

When my parents dropped Bryson home they were all smiles and my mom said they had the BEST TIME! She told me he counted for them and kept them entertained the entire day. She even mentioned making this their anniversary tradition!

My baby is so lucky to have so many people who love and care so much for him!

20 Months

Bryson - you are 20 months old today.
I can't hardly believe that you are almost two! You are growing up so so fast!!



You wear a size 2T and can still wear some 18 months
You are in a size 6 shoe
You weigh about 28lbs


You are VERY headstrong and strong willed. You and I are constantly battling each other. I pray that God will use this to your benefit. I worry alot about how you are with other kids and if you mind other adults. But just the other day one of your teachers at MDO told me you are one of the sweetest kids they have. She told me you play so well with all the other children and never give them a problem. I teared up after she told me because I felt like this was a answer from God letting me know I'm doing a good job as your mom.

You are so funny. Your laugh is contagious! I can't begin to tell you how often you make your daddy and I laugh giggle. I wish I could capture every one of those moments on camera and show them back to you one day.

You talk more and more everyday and always have alot to say!

One of your favorite things right now is counting. You have learned to count 1-7. We can hold out our hands and you will point to each finger and start counting. You miss the number 4 sometimes and in place of it you will say BOB! Ha! (For those of you that don't know - Bryson is obsessed with VeggieTales).

You have started looking at yourself in the mirror and saying "meeee"! You used to say "baby."

You've become a very picky eater. Breakfast is something I can always get you to eat. But lunch and dinner are always up in the air. Ha!

You are in your 3rd month of MDO and I think it's the best thing that's happened! You don't cry anymore when they come to get you out of the car. I can tell how much you are growing socially and the break from each other has been great for both of us!

You are extremely busy! You are always going and going - I can hardly keep up with you. You never sit still long enough to play with your toys. And you are always following me and your daddy around to see what we are doing.

You are enjoying getting to be outside. Every morning after breakfast you will point to the door and say "outside mama." I am so very thankful that spring is here!

You LOVE music. I love singing to you at night before bed - I'm not the best singer. Ha! We usually sing "Jesus loves me," "You are my sunshine," "Amazing Grace," "This little light of mine," and "Jesus loves the little children." You enjoy listening to music in the car. When you hear a song on the radio or TV you sway back and forth and clap your hands.

I'm trying so hard to enjoy this time. This stage of your little life keeps me on my toes and can be difficult at times, but I know one day I will want so badly to go back to these days. I love you and I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for you!!

Weekend Review

Actually...this isn't a weekend review, it's more of a Friday review. Ha!

Clay has been on Spring Break this past week and he and Bryson have been getting in some good father/son time. Which I LOVE!!! With the job that I have, I get to be a SAHM every other week and I feel like I get to spend alot more time with Bryson than Clay does. So I was really looking forward to them bonding over the week :) And it worked out perfect that this was my week to work.

There were a few things Clay had on his to do list that he wanted to do with Bryson this week and one was take him to the zoo. I must admit to ya'll that I was kinda' shocked that Clay wanted to tackle the little man all by himself out in a BIG public place. But after a little time to think it over he ended up asking me if I wanted to join them. Of course at first I told him that he could go by himself and they would do just fine and then I reminded him that this would be Bryson's first trip to the zoo and that he would have to take pictures. So what do ya'll think happened???

I ended up going and we had a blast! Now I did let Clay and Bryson do alot together. I just kinda' hung back and took pictures and let them enjoy spending time with each other for the day.

Bryson insisted that he walk when we got into the zoo(I guess he saw all the other little kids and thought he needed to do the same).


This was Bryson's first time on the carousel! Isn't he precious? Oh, and he was waving at me as he would pass by.


Looking at the elephant.


Watching the giraffe's


I just love zebras! Isn't it amazing at some of the animals that God created? Their black and white stripes are beautiful.


About half way through the trip Bryson was in the beginning phase of meltdown mode. He would want to be in his stroller and out of his stroller. Oh the life with an almost two year old.


Lions are probably one of my favorite animals. When we got up to the glass to see him Bryson decided he was going to ROAR like a lion, oh my heavens...one of the cutest things my son has ever done. I wished I would have caught it on video. I told Clay that we would have to come back just so I could get a video of him roaring like the lion. Ha!


Another one of my favorite animals...the tiger. He's at the top of the picture on the right side.


The rhino's!
All the animals were being a little lazy that day.


I have NO idea what he was looking at through the glass. I think at this point he was all over the place and we could hardly keep up with him.


How precious is this Ape? He looks like he's in deep thought. Ha!!


Me and Bryson talking about the Ape.


After seeing about all we could see we hit up the train ride.
Can ya'll tell that Bryson was exhausted?

Overall, we had a wonderful day! The weather was beautiful and it was so much fun getting to see Bryson look at all the animals for the first time. I'm hoping we can go back soon!

Flashback Friday

I was looking through some of Bryson's pictures (I'm in the process of finishing his baby book) and I came across this one. It was taken at my mother's house a year ago today.

Doesn't he look like the old man, Carl from the movie Up? Ha!

I can't believe he was ever this small. Well...he isn't that small. Lol!! But just looking at this picture it's so hard for me to remember those days. They go by so fast. I'm so thankful that I take as many pictures as I do so I can always have these to look back on.

Happy Friday!!!

St. Patty's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I thought I would try and do a quick post early before I went to bed (my work week...ugh - and by the time I get back up St. Patrick's Day will be over. Ha!!) This was the only green shirt I could find for Bryson to wear this morning! I never got around to getting him something green for today. Oh, well...

Hope ya'll have a wonderful St. Patrick's Day!!!

Cupcake Toppers Giveaway!!!

My sweet friend Lianna over @ Be Thou a Knight is hosting a giveaway on her blog.

There is this awesome shop on etsy...The Paper Kingdom that literally has everything you need to plan you next party.

Here is just some of her fabulous work...


I just LOVE these cupcake toppers! I'm thinking about doing a Handy Manny themed birthday party for Bryson and these toppers would be perfect!


I think the door signs are adorable


And how cute is this for a centerpiece?


I wished I would have known about this shop for Bryson's first birthday last year. These cupcake toppers would have been perfect for his theme.


To see the rules for this giveaway, just hop on over to Lianna's blog and the details are in her post Cupcake Topper Giveaway!

Good Luck!!!

Weekend Getaway

Well - we had a wonderful weekend!

My in-laws took Bryson on an overnight trip to visit my SIL and her husband in TN. This was kinda' planned last minute. Bryson hasn't seen his Aunt Geca (that's how he pronounces Erica) in awhile and I knew she would be just ecstatic to see him! This would also be the first time he has ever spent the night away where he hasn't been a least 15 minutes nearby. It was so funny...after I buckled him up in his car seat to leave he looked at me and said "bye momma!"...break my heart. Of course I immediately demanded that he give me a kiss and at least act like he was going to miss me. Ha!

Here are a few pictures from his trip...




I can't get this child to eat meat to save my life...Nana sent me this via text message and said "He's eating chicken!" Oh, that boy!!!


Aunt Geca insisted that Bryson sleep with her! Bless his heart...look how tired that baby looks.


Bryson and Pawpaw reading. This is something Bryson likes to do every morning after he gets out of bed.


I thought this picture was so adorable :)

So while Bryson was gone on Friday night, Clay and I made plans to go out to eat and to the movies, but that never happened. Once I got out of the shower and started getting ready we just decided to get take out from Full Moon and hang out at the house and catch up on our DVR. Sometimes it's just nice to stay at home.

I had been looking forward to Saturday for weeks. Several of the girls in our SS class received gift cards from our husbands on Valentine's Day for a massage and dinner. All five of us got together and went as a group for a "girl's day out" and it was amazing!

Our massages were at the Ross Bridge Spa and Resort. Clay and I stayed here on our wedding night and it was so beautiful. We've also been to several golf tournaments here. This place is wonderful and I would love to spend the weekend here laying out by the pool while Clay plays a round of golf!

The massage was great and very relaxing. The girls and I decided that this needs to be a ritual, so we were going to go ahead and talk to the husbands about saving up for next years trip. Ha!!

After our we pampered ourselves for a few hours, we had dinner at J. Alexander's. This was my first time at this restaurant and it was delicious! Kristie and I split the spinach dip appetizer and the crab cakes and fries. Oh my heavens ya'll...what good food! Clay and I will definitely be visiting here in the future.

We had a wonderful day at church this morning and just finished up watching the Selection Show for the NCAA basketball tournament. If ya'll been following my blog, you know that this is one of my favorite times of the year :)

Hope ya'll are having a wonderful Sunday!

"Bringing Up Boys" and Little Impressions

Well I finally finished up my first book of 2011 this week, Bringing Up Boys by Dr. James Dobson.


This was my first book to read by Dr. Dobson and I have to say he tells it to you straight. He left nothing out covering this topic. There were things he covered that I had not even thought of or considered when it came to raising a boy. Some of the facts he mentioned were a little scary. And I can't even begin to imagine what some of those facts would look like now, 10 years later. I want nothing more than to be the best parent I can be to Bryson. He has such a sweet spirit and his innocence at this age is so precious to me. This is a book I know that I will pick up again in the future. I recommend this book for any parent with an infant or teenage son. Oh, and just mentioning a few things from the book, Clay has put this on his list for his next book to read!!


I have been meaning to share this with ya'll for some time now. Last November one of the girls in my SS class hosted a Little Impressions Party. I'm not sure if ya'll have something like this in your towns, but it was alot of fun and the pottery turned out very cute.


I'll give you a quick run through...you pick out a piece of pottery you want done. Then they will take your child's hand or foot, brush it with a paint color of your choice, and then stamp it on the pottery. Then she will make a picture out of it. I don't have a picture of the Christmas ornament I had done with Bryson's hand, but she turned it into a reindeer with his hands as the antlers. It turned out so precious. This cross is hanging in his room. I also had one done up for my mom as a Christmas gift. I think this is something I will do again this year for Christmas gifts for the grandmothers.

Still My God

Up and down like
the tide is moving
In and out, we're in motion
And the ocean pulls us under
and even there, You're found
You never change so I will sing

If I'm standing on a mountain
or drowning in the sea
If I am filled with hope
or crying out for mercy
If I'm singing Hallelujah
or scared to make a sound
If I am learning how to walk
or when I'm falling down
I'm saying You are still my God
Still my God

In a world where so
much seems uncertain
You remain both for
the strong and broken
No matter where we are
You are never far
And nothing
changes who You are

If I'm standing
on a mountain
or drowning in the sea
If I am filled with hope
or crying out for mercy
If I'm singing Hallelujah
or scared to make a sound
If I am learning how to walk
or when I'm falling down
I'm saying You are still my God
Jesus You are
still my God

You were, You are, You will be forever
You were, You are
You were, You are, You will be forever
God

If I'm standing
on a mountain
or drowning in the sea
If I am filled with hope
or crying out for mercy
If I'm learning how to walk
or when I'm falling down
If I'm standing
on a mountain
or drowning in the sea
If I am filled with hope
or crying out for mercy
If I'm singing Hallelujah
If I am learning how to walk
or when I'm falling down
I'm saying You are still my God
Jesus You are
still my God
Jesus You are still
my God
Still my God
Still my God

Avalon is one of my all time favorite Christian groups. I heard this song for the first time (in a long time) yesterday on my way home from work. I've been struggling with some things this week and this song gave me such a peace and reminded me that no matter what is going on in my life and what mountains I have to climb Jesus is STILL MY GOD!!

Here's the link to the video if you're not familiar with the song.

Happy Sunday