I will sleep well tonight....

Knowing I have the sweetest most loveable boy in the whole world :) and a daddy that could snuggle with him all night long.......





- Posted on the run using BlogPress from my iPhone - because chasing a toddler all day does not leave time to sit on a computer and blog!

Location:Milledge Dr,Conway,United States

Slinky slinky

I had to go to the post office today to mail off a package and had the buddy with me! Obviously with him my hands are full so when I was writing out the address the lady asked if she could hold Declan :) oh she held him! And took him to the back to see all the other ladies and while they were back there I heard Declan say "ba" and what did he come back with? A ball! And a slinky :) they were gone for 10 minutes - more than enough time for me to write the address out. She was in love! It was extremely nice of her to do that though and decky made yet another gf......

Trying to figure out how to work this thing:

- Posted on the run using BlogPress from my iPhone - because chasing a toddler all day does not leave time to sit on a computer and blog!

Sitting like a big fella!

With his buddy, Levi. They were feeding each other fruit loops.............

Can't believe it but he actually sat thru a whole story on the big boy rug! First time :) Usually I am chasing his sweet little @$$ all over the library....

Fruit loops gone mom?????

Things I do NOT like about Conway:

Pageant moms. Oh I could have vomited the other night at dinner..................Paul and I had to go to BofA in downtown (Conway :) ) and so we just walked to a little restaurant for dinner. Apparently it was right below a dance studio because there was this obnoxious group of moms with their daughters dressed in their tutus and they had basically taken over the place. And the waitress was less than pleased.

So in any case, Declan and I had been at the park earlier and like most days, I was dressed in workout clothes because A) its hot and humid here and B) chasing him all day = I am disgusting and I would rather be in not nice clothes sweating than a cute dress. Let's be real. So I was in workout clothes looking RIPE, my frizzy hair piled on top of my head, and the way these women looked at me when I walked in was absolutely priceless. Like how on earth could this woman be wearing clothes like that? And go out in PUBLIC?!?!?!?! :) Oh I literally laughed out loud because it was clear what they were thinking and they kept looking at me with this disgusted look on their face. Apparently I should have used a whole bottle of hairspray to tease my locks, slapped on some powder, pink lipstick and worn a flowery dress with heels. But c'mon, that will never happen. And I will apparently never be friends with these ladies. If I have a girl, God help me because I just can't do it.....................they were around this table with their pageant "coach" and I wish all of you could have heard and seen them talking. Puts that show "toddlers and tiaras" to shame. They were serious.

Phew - thank heavens Paul was like "wtf" when we left so we are on the same page.....but we are officially in the South - in the place where women dress up their 2 year olds in pink tutus, spray tan their sweet little bodies, put in fake teeth, hire "pageant coaches" to talk about the next great routine and make them take tap lessons when they probably just want to be outside being toddlers. Ohhhhh nelly.

A day for mother's everywhere......

Decky says "Cheers to all you awesome moms out there!"

..........was a beautiful day here and spent in the water! I woke up a little after 8 to the sound of my boys giggling - Daddy was changing Declan's nasssssty ass diaper and they were singing the ABC's :) Gotta love it - a kid who sleeps well and a husband who changes the gross ones and lets his wife sleep in!

Paul and Declan made some delicious stuffed french toast, we hung around the house for a little bit and then packed up and headed to the beach! We drove down to the Huntington State Park about 40 mins from our house but SO much nicer than the touristy Myrtle Beach beach. Our goal was to take a few pics and then head to Murrells Inlet.......................but that was just our goal. Decky had a different one. Who woulda guessed that?!?!?!!?!??

He wanted in the water in a baaaaaaad way. We are really lucky we got any pictures honestly. At one point I walked Declan up to the top of the sand, sprinted down to the water, held out a sign and took a quick picture before I had to grab Declan again as he was running at top speed for the waves. That was the only way to get a picture taken for our moms...............................bad parenting maybe? But we got it done. 

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What its all about, right there.....

After we showered Decky off (a huge perk to going to the beach at the state park! lots of showers and bathrooms available for dirty children!) we headed to Murrells Inlet and strolled along the marsh walk until we found a nice little place we could eat lunch outside. I'm proud to say Declan had his first hushpuppy and LOVED it! That's my southern boy :)

We hurried home because at that point it was wayyy past Decky's naptime and he was about to lose it so we got home, put him down, took naps ourselves, woke up and headed straight to the pool for some more fun in the sun! And water! 

We ended the day with some leftovers and cuddles on the couch. Just perfect. 

The day can't go by without a thank you to our two mothers - Ginny and Carol. For obvious reasons, we would not be here today without them but for far less obvious, the deeds that went thankless for years, we are forever indebted.....................the diapers you changed, the attitudes you corrected, the food in our bellies, the teachers you met with, the hugs and back rubs you gave when we needed them the most......everything. Every. last. thing. Being a mother changes your world. In big ways and small. In the biggest though - your life is no longer your life and it is something that I understand today better than any other day in my life. And to know that our parents gave up everything they had to raise us, the way we are doing with Declan, is beyond words.

We love you both so so so much and will never be able to thank you but hopefully we are raising this little beautiful baby boy in a way that honors you.

Ca-raazay!

I love him - but he has issues :)

And I hope one day he grows out of his intense love for his blankey..... I mean we dont need a grown man still sleeping with his blankey right??? Ahem......

- Posted on the run using BlogPress from my iPhone - because chasing a toddler all day does not leave time to sit on a computer and blog!

Swimmer boy

So we had buddy's first official swim lesson last Saturday. And will have them for the next 3 Saturdays until June. Declan was allllllll smiles that morning and I was that mom taking 489302 pictures of him at this "first". Thank heavens every single other parent was there doing the same.

Paul and I, being the extremely mature couple that we are, rock paper scissored who got to go in with Declan and guess who won? Not me. In any case, I figured Paul would for sure be the only dad in the pool with their kid........................................and I was wrong! Place was filled with dads. And moms. It was great! Pretty sure it was a bunch of other first time parents so we were all there with our video cameras etc and whoever was out on the deck, was armed and very very dangerous with the lens :)

Declan was hilarious and is very good in water so even though I was "that mom" - Declan was not "that kid" screaming because he didn't want to go in the water. He was however "that kid" at the mexican restaurant on Cinco de Mayo - but that's a story for a different day.

Blowing bubbles/swallowing massive amounts of chlorine!

Just chillin' on my back - no big.

They wanted all the kids to jump in - buddy needed some help :)

**on a side note - I can't say how good it was to see other parents with kids around our little man's age. Boys and girls from about 9 mos to around 3 yrs old and it was like every parent that you were able to look in the eye gave you a knowing glance like "oh yea, I feel your pain" - whether it be the mom who's daughter was in the pool with the dad and screamed bloody murder until her mom picked up her up - and they just played on the pool deck the whole lesson because anytime she even glanced at the water she started screaming again. Or the father in the pool with his son who was super wiggly and wouldn't do anthing the instructor was trying to show them - and at one point I heard him say to his son "what the heck are you doing" in a tone I know allllll too well. "Like seriously - what are you doing? I do not get it. I'm trying not to freak out here in front of everyone but seriously can you please just behave and do what I ask for ONE SECOND?!?!" :) Or the mom and her son who was super happy but again, was very distracted and wanted nothing to do with the lesson so they just played with a pool toy off to the side. Hilarious.

 I have been around kids my whole life. But I haven't really BEEN AROUND KIDS. Like all day every day for months and months. Or years. So I still catch myself thinking Declan should be better behaved or wondering why on earth he acts the way he acts at times, and I'm trying to fit him in this little box that he is just flat out busting out of. He is a KID. And its good to be around all these other kids. Brings me some much needed perspective.