{2012} Paxton, 2 years - Weston, 4 months

I had a lovely Mother’s Day! There was no breakfast and bed, flowers or gifts but it was lovely.

While grocery shopping Saturday, John David treated me to a Caramel Frappuccino {there’s a Starbucks in our Kroger!}

I accidentally slept in Sunday morning {due to the rain!} I woke up at 8:45 for the 9:30 service! That doesn’t leave much time to nurse a baby and get two little ones ready for church by myself. We finally left the house around 9:25 and I called John David hoping he wasn’t doing a specific task so he could get the boys out of the car so I wouldn’t have to walk a block or two in the rain with my littles! Thankfully, he was available and got the boys out of the car for me! I also enjoyed the rare treat of having my hubby sit with me during the service {it happens about twice a year!}

After church, we came home and ate lunch and enjoyed a lazy, restful afternoon. It rained all afternoon and we snuggled up on the couch and I nursed and nursed and nursed sweet Weston.

We did decide to venture out in the rain and went to our favorite local pizza place for dinner…yum!

A look back on past Mother’s Day’s:

{2011} Paxton, 12 months

Last year, I secretly celebrated as a mama of two! I had taken a pregnancy test just 4 days before which was positive!

{2010} Paxton, 3 weeks

On my very first Mother’s Day, I had been a mama for 3 weeks!

Beyond precious. Nothing like a chunky baby boy in nothing but a diaper sucking on his fingers!! LOVE!

He certainly has a good appetite (and rich milk) to maintain this chunkiness!

Paxton sometimes wants to sleep on ‘daddy’s bed’ I let him nap here one afternoon and he enjoyed the extra space. (Also, this is proof of how John David and I end up hugging the sides of the bed when Paxton does sleep with us. That little boy sleeps in the middle and sprawls out!)

Precious little one!

Love the chin!!

We propped Weston up on the pillow and he fell asleep so Paxton had to got get babies and a blanket for him! And then Paxton laid down too and pretended to sleep…complete with fake snoring!

Precious baby snuggled up with his brothers babies!

Love this little bitty man!

Impromptu reading in the kitchen floor during supper prep!

Weston does some reading too these days!

And he does lots of chewing…the boys loves his hands!

Nannie and Pawpaw came for a visit to celebrate Paxton’s birthday!

Sweet little Weston in one of his precious rompers!

Hope you enjoyed these precious pictures of these two sweet boys!

Weston was 4 months on April 22 {and that’s when I took these pictures!}

We’re falling more and more in love with this little boy with each passing day. It’s really like he’s always been here and I cannot imagine life without my sweet Weston!

Milestones from Three Months to Four Months:

• Still sleeping through the night! {I am so, so, so thankful for another amazing sleeper! In fact, he’s often the last one in our family to wake in the morning!}
• Exclusively breastfed!
• He loves, loves, loves to nurse! He’d suck and soothe all day if allowed I do believe.
• He is a mama’s boy. There are many moments when nobody but mama will do.
• Loves to be held. Most of the time it doesn’t matter who is holding him as long as he’s being held.
• Doesn’t like to be alone. If I walk out of the room he’s in for just a minute or two, he knows he’s alone and does not like it one bit!
• In the largest bumGenius setting.
• Wearing a variety of clothing sizes! Some 0-3 still fit and he’s now wearing mostly 9 month rompers since they’re a little bit now with some room to grow into this summer! And we’ve got a few 6 months pieces in his wardrobe too.
• Drooling like crazy and chewing on his hands. {I don’t think he’s teething, Paxton was drooly like this when he was about this age too.}
• Weighed 17 pounds 4 ounces at his 4 month check up. {That means he’s gained a whopping 10 pounds 6 ounces from his birth weight of 6 pounds 14 ounces in a mere 4 months!}
• Is interacting with a few of his toys. So far he loves his bear lovie, a taggie blanket and his Sophie giraffe.
• Smiles and laughs the most for brother. It’s so much fun watching the two developing a relationship.

Laughing at his big brother!

More giggles for brother!

Bubbles!

Chunky man!

Brothers.

Weston at One Month

Weston at Two Months

Weston at Three Months

Last Sunday our church held a baby/child dedication.

There were 30 something babies and children dedicated on this day but it was a lovely, intimate feeling dedication and amazingly quiet with that many babies in one room!

Each child and family was recognized, a scripture was read and a few pictures were shown of the child. It really was lovely!

Even though we don’t believe dedications are necessary {we’re committed to raising them for the Lord from the moment we know we’re expecting}, our boys’ dedications have been reminders of the huge responsibility we have in parenting.

Our little family! {And everybody is looking at the camera with no limbs obstructing faces…victory!}

‘I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are living according to the truth.’ 3 John 1:4

Friday we let him choose dinner! He wanted a hot dog so we took him to Five Guys! He ate all of his hot dog and enjoyed his fries!!

After dinner, we went to church for movie night! They were showing The Wizard of Oz and Paxton sat through the entire thing! John David said he was mesmerized by the movie! {I missed watching him watch his first movie since Weston was fussy…beginning with the opening music!}

Saturday we went to town and bought Paxton his first pairs of big boy underwear! We’re starting to slowly encourage him to potty train so this was the first step! He liked his underwear, especially the pair with the monkeys! He also picked out a ball while we were grocery shopping. {It’s amazing how much joy a simple ball brings a little boy!}

Sunday we went to a birthday party at a playground for one of Paxton’s friends who turned two last week! He enjoyed being with his buddies, sliding and eating a yummy cupcake! Then the day got even better when Papaw arrived to visit for the evening. He played outside with Papaw and then we had pizza for dinner! {“Piz-e” is one of Paxton’s favorite foods!}

And today has been full of celebrating:

Paxton woke up at 8:00 saying, “Daddy, Daddy, Daddy.” His daddy went and got him and brought him back to our bed and we snuggled with our birthday boy!

Around 9:00 we let him open one of his presents from his Mimi:

A guitar shirt!! And there was another shirt with a monkey playing guitar!!

Wearing his guitar shirt and big boy underwear while hanging out with brother!

We watched the clock for Paxton’s birth time!!

Blowing out his birthday candle after we sang Happy Birthday to him!!

Daddy lighting the candle again! He blew out the 2 candle 2 times on his 2nd birthday!!

Eating his yummy birthday brownie and ice cream!

A birthday mess! After he was finished he was ready for mama to get him cleaned off.

Around 3:30, we left and headed to the local children’s museum where we have a membership. Since they close at 5:00 and we arrived around 4:00, there were very few people there so Paxton was able to play without worrying about sharing with other kids {which is a big deal for a 2-year-old! }

Playing in the water!!

He loved the boats!

Weston even got to play during this visit! The other two times we’ve went I’ve nursed him and worn him in a wrap the whole time but today he was able to play. He enjoyed touching the water and Paxton made sure he had some boats!

Paxton had a blast sliding and playing in the huge climbing area!

One of Paxton’s favorite spots is the preschool area that has a little kitchen. Today he made brother some food!

He went digging in the sand for dinos for the first time today too! The last time we tried this, he was very disturbed by the sand!! We also put Weston’s toes in the sand today!

Weston hanging out with Daddy!!

After we finished playing at the museum, we called Papaw who was in town for a conference!

Paxton and Papaw share a birthday so it was so fun that they were together on their birthday! {They’ve been together for every one of Paxton’s birthdays so far!}

Birthday boys at dinner!!

Our family!

My sweet 2-year-old!!

Paxton and  Papaw!!

Cheesy grins from the birthday boys!!

Love this!!

He adores his papaw!

Once we arrived home, we video chatted with Aunt Jill, Nana and Pawpaw and then with Mimi. Then we gave Paxton’s birthday hugs and goodnight kisses and put him down for the night!

Then Aunt Beka called and cousin Emmy wanted to tell Paxton happy birthday! Since he wasn’t asleep yet, we let him talk to them {and he actually talked back on the phone!} 

And then it was really goodnight for the birthday boy!

Paxton’s past birthdays:

Birth Story

1st Birthday

Our family, Easter 2012.{It’s almost impossible to take a good picture of two kids!}

We had a lovely Easter! After church, we went to Nana & Papaw’s for Easter dinner with the family!

Paxton hunting eggs with Mimi & Papaw!

He loved finding eggs, he hunted about 6 different times! When all the eggs had been found, he’d say ‘more’ and they’d be hidden again!

The boys with their Papaw, former agriculture teacher and state FFA advisor, at their very first Tennessee FFA Convention!

Paxton wondering in the convention hall between sessions!

Love this shot of our little boy checking out the stage.

On stage!

This child couldn’t pass up the opportunity to bust a move while on a stage! He’s a born entertainer!

Little rocker coming off stage!

“The plow is the symbol of labor and tillage of the soil…” I had to get a shot of this since John David and I both were Vice Presidents!

Our family at convention!

Now we just have to figure out a way to get back to Tennessee in 12 years so Paxton can be enrolled in agriculture and an FFA member in Tennessee!

While we were in Gatlinburg this past Monday for the Tennessee FFA Convention, we took Paxton to the Aquarium of the Smokies as part of his birthday present! We want to give our children gifts of experience instead of a lot of things and Paxton loves fish and penguins since his trip to the Tennessee Aquarium back in December! We knew he’d love a visit to the aquarium and we were right!

A shark!!

He loved looking at the fish in this big tank!

You can’t tell very well since it was so dark but he’s squatting down looking up at the fish in awe! Precious moment!

Seahorses! I love all the little sea creatures, they’re intricate and beautiful!

Checking out wild looking sea dragons! They were beautiful!

Enjoying the fish with Paxton!

There was this fish that talked about the different parts of a fish and Paxton loved it! It’s talking here and Paxton has his hands in its mouth! Too funny!

Pushing buttons to make the fish talk!

Love this sweet smile…he had a blast!

Checking out treasure!

Crawling with daddy to see the penguins up close!

Paxton and Daddy up close with penguins!

And crawling out!

A beautiful penguin!

He’s ‘touching’ a penguin swimming up against the glass!

With my sweet boy…he was a little upset because this part of the penguin exhibit was outside and he thought we were leaving! He kept saying ‘fish’ and pointing! I guess that’s a sign he had a blast!

Hanging with his daddy!

We all had fun!

Next on our list is the Georgia Aquarium!

In their brother shirts! We bought Paxton’s when we found out baby number two was on the way and we found Weston’s a few weeks ago!

My boys are full of personality!!

Look at this precious boy!!

We had a mini (and somewhat unsuccessful…it’s hard to photograph two!) photo shoot the day the boys wore their matching rompers!

Sweet boys!! (Little Weston was not up for holding his head up this day!)

I love that this little expression was captured!

A little editing on this precious shot!

Daddy and his boys!

Love! Look at Paxton’s puckered little lips!!

The boys!!

Precious brotherly love!

Sweet little Weston was 3 months on March 22! {I took these pictures that very day but am just now posting them!}

What a joy this sweet boy is in our lives! The first two months were a bit rough but once we figured out he has a dairy intolerance {only when I drink milk} life has gotten much easier for all! He is such a happy and laid back baby!

Milestones from Two Months to Three Months:

• Sleeping through the night!
• Less fussy!!
• In largest bumGenius setting.
• Still wearing some 0-3 month clothing but mostly in 3-6 months now.
• Started sleeping in his own crib at 10 weeks old!
• An excellent napper.
• Loves to snuggle and be held.
• Laughing, cooing and smiling!
• Adores his big brother…he smiles at Paxton more than anybody!
• Loves to ‘talk’!
• Thinning out a little bit since he’s getting longer but still adorably chunky!
• Loves nursing.

Look at those lips!

Sweet baby hands!

Love, love, love the sweet baby rolls!

Laughing out loud at mama!

A nice surprised look!

Getting some love from brother!

Sweet boys in their matching diapers!

This month I think we’ve all settled into life as a family of 4! Weston is interacting with all of us and is developing a personality and since he’s not as fussy as he was the first 2 months, he’s much easier! We love this sweet boy and are so thankful he’s a part of our little family!

Weston at One Month

Weston at Two Months

Little Weston is not a newborn anymore! He’s developing a personality and interacting with us and things around him!!

Look at that sweet face! And I adore his defined hairline!

This is hands down  my favorite baby outfit!! I purchased it with gift cards right before Paxton was born! It’s a size 3 month and Paxton wore it until he was 3 months before he grew out of it. {It was a sad day!} Weston wore it for the first time last week…since he’s shorter it still fits him, at least for another week or two!

Since I loved this outfit so much, at the end of summer when Paxton was little, I purchased this romper in 18 months for Paxton to wear the next summer! He wore it all last summer!

And, when we were expecting Weston, I found this exact little romper in size 9 months at a consignment sale for $3!! So, as soon as he grows out of this 3 month one, we have another one waiting and then he’ll wear the 18 month one next summer!!

I suppose it’s a bit excessive that I have 3 of the same outfit but it’s so cute and I love putting my boys in it!

Sweet brothers! I let Paxton climb into Weston’s crib and cuddle with him, he loves brother!!

My big little man is so handsome!!

I found our bed just like this one day! Apparently Paxton thinks mama and daddy need teddy bears! I love the perfect placement in front of the pillows too!!

A little self portrait. I love this sweet chunky baby!

Paxton is quite a responsible little farmer! He fed his animals! I love that they’re all gathered around the apples eating!

Our sweet boy in one of my favorite baby outfits! We received this one for Paxton and he wore it a lot and Weston has worn it several times too! It’s getting small on Weston now so I took a few pictures of him in it.

Sweet baby feet!

With big brother!! Paxton sure loves his little brother!

One of the few recent pictures of me with Weston. I am pretty good at taking pictures of the boys but I often forget to get pictures with John David and me with them!

And for fun, both boys in the outfit:

Sweet little Paxton at 6 weeks 2 days! {He looks like such a skinny baby to me now since Weston is such a chunk!!}

And sweet baby Weston at 12 weeks 3 days! I’m amazed at the differences of my children, Paxton grew out of this outfit around 7 or 8 weeks and Weston still fits in it at 12 weeks even though he’s a bigger baby…Paxton had such a long torso that one piece outfits didn’t fit him long but Weston is chunkier and shorter!

Paxton recently rediscovered his farm and he’s been farming all the time! He played with it a solid 30 minutes the day he rediscovered it and has been playing with it daily since. {I’m going to be more serious about toy rotation…it works!}

All the plates and cups were used to feed his animals! He knows how to take care of his livestock!

Hard at play!

One day Weston was sleeping so I moved the barn out into the hall to encourage him to play outside of his room…he just sat down and played there for a long time!

Silly boy!

Last Saturday, John David was outside putting in a raised bed along our sidewalk. It had rained the night before so the area the bed was going into was full of mud.

John David, being a man, spit. Well, Paxton loves to imitate daddy, so he leaned over the edging of the raise bed to spit like daddy and fell, right into the mud! He wasn’t hurt at all, just covered in mud. As soon as he stood up he said, “I’m a mess!” John David and I had a good laugh!

Our muddy, muddy boy!

He’s asking daddy to clean his hands off! As soon as I put down the camera, I washed off his hands with the waterhose and he continued playing hard!

Daddy almost always wears a hat so naturally Paxton loves to wear hats and little brother can finally wear his hat! I had to take a few pictures of the boys on the first day Weston wore his sweet little hat!

Sweet, sweet brothers! As they’re getting older it’s getting a little easier to take their picture together. Paxton is listening a little better and Weston doesn’t immediately cry when sat down!

Paxton is all boy and I’m pretty sure Weston is going to be just like him!

I love that this little moment was captured! I think they look so much alike here!!

A little lovin’ for little brother!

And something to make you laugh! When we tell Paxton to smile, he almost always gives us this big, super cheesy grin…it’s adorable!

The past few weeks, the weather has been absolutely beautiful and we’ve been outside a lot enjoying flowering in bloom, watching our chickens, gardening and all the wonderful things that come with spring!

Sweet Paxton loves flowers!!

It’s been wonderful to get this little guy out some. We typically play while he’s napping or I wear him but it’s fun to bring a quilt out and let him enjoy being outside. {And I thought having a December baby was horrible but it’s really nice, now that the weather is warming up, he’s old enough to be outside with us! Paxton was an April baby and we pretty much stayed inside all spring and summer when he was teeny.}

Look at that serious look from such a little person!

He’s holding his head up like such a big boy!!

I adore his sweet little baby hair!!

While I was snapping pictures of Weston, Paxton was having a blast playing around this tree.

It is so much fun watching him and his imagination! A stick or a pinecone, coupled with the imagination of an almost 2 year old, becomes many fun things…who needs toys?!

Belly bumping the tree…so happy I captured this moment!

Playing with pinecones.

And the best shot I could get of the boys together…photographing 2 little ones is hard work!