Flashback Friday

Remember that time I didn't blog for almost an entire year? I'm sorry to say I missed some pretty big milestones and hence, here's a fun flashback to that time when Asher first started walking. He was by far our latest walker, so those precious first steps were a BIG deal. Is there anything cuter than a baby who has just learned to walk? That awkward baby Bambi phase is my fave!

Asher walks! from Rebecca Scott on Vimeo.

He took his first steps in our Morrisville townhouse at around 15-16 months, and hasn't looked back since. :-)

On moving

If ever you find yourself living in a castle of cardboard, here are some helpful moving tips I've picked up over the last few weeks...

1. Declutter, declutter, declutter! Moving is like Spring cleaning on steroids. Now is the time to refresh your space and get rid of things you don't use. If you don't wade through that box of useless but sentimental "stuff" now, it will haunt you on the other end. For us downsizing to a smaller square footage also forced us to think about bigger things we didn't need. We ended up donating a TON of stuff(which is a nice tax write off if you want to skip the work of a garage sale) and I was also able to sell a bunch online. In fact I funded all of our U-Haul expenses completely from selling things we didn't need to take with us. Plus, you're going to want to use the money you get from selling old stuff to replace the things you won't be able to find later, which brings me to the next point...

2. You will lose stuff. It's okay, just find you're nearest Target and buy the new toothbrushes(true story). Even if you are diligent to pack and label wisely(for the most part, not us), it's still incredibly difficult to get to things that may be boxed away. This is where making several trips comes in handy. If you can take a few loads before the big haul, bring the small stuff like cell phone chargers and Shampoo separetly.

3. Prepare to eat out, a lot. And don't worry about the extra calories, you'll burn plenty unloading boxes-especially if you move in the summertime.

4. It's a community effort. Moving is hard! It isn't just mentally exhausting, but requires muscle to accomplish. I cannot even begin to express how thankful we are for our friends, parents, aunts/uncles and church family who made it happen. Seriously, ya'll rock. I was almost sure we'd have to make two big truck trips and was blown away that we were able to get everything out of our house and ahead of schedule at that. To friends who gave up their Sunday afternoon to disassemble bunk beds, unloaded our dishwasher, vacuum, offer childcare and so so much more-we are beyond grateful. I should also note here that we were surprised and completely blessed by a local church here in Morrisville who reached out and helped us, strangers, unload on this end-heaven sent they were! So many evidences of grace on this crazy train.

5. Last but not least, it's probably a good idea to vacuum underneath those couch cushions before the whole world sees them-raisins, popcorn and pennies oh my! Just kidding, but seriously...I plead many small children haha! 

It's been one week since we moved and I can't tell you what a breath of fresh air it is to be writing this blog on the other end of it all, seated at our unpacked computer in a mostly put together new dining room. My last note would be that while moving seems an incredibly daunting task and is undoubtedly hard work, we got it done taking it one day at a time, having an amazing support system and trusting God for the big and small details-I did find those tooth brushes after all. :-) 

Sold

It's about time for a house update! In one word-SOLD! We are so so thankful and honestly a bit shocked that our home sold in just 3 days, in it's very first weekend on the market. Words really don't begin to explain the relief, gratitude, excitement, and surprise of it all. Since then we've been going non stop, securing a new home sweet home and preparing to say goodbye to this one.

On the heels of a home appraisal yesterday, we had the first of three inspections done this morning and, though we know who is really in control, I can't help biting my nails through these next few weeks!

Without a doubt it's going to be a bitter and sweet transition. I have a beyond amazing mama network here in Wilson. We will miss our friends, our church, the sweet kiddos I've seen grow alongside my boys, and even our local Target employees! But as I've said to so many, I'll take a "see you later" over a goodbye anyday. And, we are all excited for the adventure ahead and eager to redeem some quality family time-Chris is excited to cut out an hour and a half each DAY from his commute!

I thank God every time I pull into our driveway past this sign!

From Wilson to Morrisville we go!!!

First foods

A few weeks ago this chunk took a taste of his first food-rice cereal! As you can see, it was sort of a mess...

Welp, that was fun. 

After trying to feed him a bit of rice cereal at dinnertime on and off for about two weeks, the verdict is in. He does not like rice cereal! Part of the huge mess is him spitting it out or going to chew on his hand instead. I will say he did get some down when smashing his bib up to his face and licking it off that way lol. He's a stinker.

I decided from there I could either stop all together and give him some more time before introducing foods, or move on to something more exciting. Given his insatiable appetite, I went for the something more exciting.

Enter avocados! Pics to come, but I'll just say he loves them! I admit it's still a bit of a mess but I'm happy to report he does open his mouth for the spoon and actually swallows them. Win!

Another one bites the dust

Soon after Evan lost his first tooth, the one beside it started to wobble. Sure enough, just two and half months later we had another visit from the tooth fairy. Actually, it was a near miss since this pearly white fell out while brushing his teeth last night and quickly snuck down the sink. Evan was devastated, sure that the tooth fairy would not know where to find his tooth. Daddy even put on his plumbers hat and got under the sink to look in the pipes! We did not find the tooth, but resolved instead to write a note to the tooth fairy explaining its whereabouts. Thankfully, Evan was happy with that. :-)

Pssssttt....fellow mamas and tooth fairy assistants all over-check out the most adorable "Tooth Fairy Receipt" printables FREE at JeniRo Designs. :-)

Four months

And just like that, he is four months old.  Hello hands, rolling belly laughs and monster grip. Drool, I did not miss you. Call me a broken record, but I love this age!

Asher Elliot loves his brothers and bathtime. He continues to be more of a movement and music baby, and is always a captive and eager audience to daddy's guitar. And not surprising, he is a mama's boy thru and thru(x3 hehe)-how lucky am I?!

We are so thankful that Mr. Piglet is happy and healthy. Tipping the scale at 15 pounds, 13 oz and measuring 25.5 inches long, Asher is on track to be our biggest babe. This is pretty ironic considering he was the smallest at birth.

Also making headlines this month he got to meet his Aunt Sami and cousin Jake. More on that surprise visit to come. :-)

Happy 4 months buddy! Our cup overflows!

Big Boy Status

Yesterday afternoon, my very first boy lost his first baby tooth. Talk about milestones! Just a flash ago he was learning to crawl after Gerber puffs and now he's writing notes to the tooth fairy.

Of course I had to document the momentous occasion...

This bottom tooth of his has been loose for quite a while, and was waiting till it was good and ready to fall out. To be honest, I was completely dreading the moment. Based on the recent dramatics over teeth brushing and apple eating, I was sure Evan would fall into the whole "freak out" category over the "this is cool" school.

Thankfully, he proved me wrong.

I was sitting downstairs at the computer with the baby(it was quiet time for the big boys) when I heard the chourus of "you were right, you were right!" marching down the stairs. He was beaming with pride as he held out his tooth to me, and let me know that "I was right, and it did'nt hurt at all." No big deal he said with a new smile. I asked how and when it came out, and in that moment really did feel just as excited as he was. He replied very simply that he was practicing his math on the computer, and plop it just fell out. A little underwhelming after weeks of fuss, but I am thankful!

I'm happy to report that the tooth fairy paid his pillow a visit last night and left a note with two dollars. He was sooo excited to open his letter and man did his eyes pop when the two dollars feel out. His immediate response to seeing two separate dollars was "look Bennett can have one too!" The first dollar he picked up that had fallen to the ground went straight into his brother's hands. I wish I had caught the scene on video. My mama heart swelled with pride. I even explained that the money was special for his tooth and he could keep all of it, but he insisted that Bennett have the dollar. I was'nt surprised per say, but this is especially big and re-assuring to me as Evan is not my natural "share-er." It was a genuinely sweet moment,  full of kindness and thoughtfulness and care. The work of parenting is hard and often tiresome, but oh the fruit is sweet. Truth be told it was sort of an afterthought to include that extra dollar. It worked out. :-)

(We'll probably go the half dollar coin route for future teeth, you can imagine how expensive the tooth fairy could get with three boys and give or take 20 baby teeth to loose!)

Evan is already looking forward to loosing his second tooth, and I'm counting my lucky stars that #1 was so easy and not traumatic. Now, what's a brand new tooth fairy to do with this pearly white?

First days-Kindergarten!!!

It happened. Today in the life of Scott family stories marks a huge milestone-the beginning of our homeschooling journey. I'm excited beyond words to embark on this adventure with my biggest boy, and looking forward to seeing him learn and grow as he rocks out Kindergarten.

 We did a lot of fun "first day" activities that I hope will stick out for future traditions, starting with a super special breakfast(thanks to the hubs for running out to Panera for muffins and bagels!).

As I plan to structure most days, we worked on our "3 R's" in the morning(Reading, wRiting and aRithmatic). After lunch and a short quiet time we came back together for an art project and fun science experiment, both of which enforced our monthly unit study "Under the Sea."

Shark Art(sideways)

We found this awesome science project via Pinterest(click pic for link). I can't even express how  thankful I am for the wealth of *free* resources available on the internet now.

Oh, and I should also mention we enjoyed "recess" at the pool-just one perk of doing school year round in July. 

I hope to document our homeschool days as best as I can, so stay tuned for blogs of a more school-y shade. Kindergarten day 1 is in the books!

The first cut

The time had come. At 2 and a few, it was time for Bennett's very first big boy haircut. It may or may not have been long overdue...

A mountain of anticipation preceded this moment. Months of what I call the "battle royal" of hair ensued back and forth between Chris and I. To cut, or not to cut. 

Well, it was time. The pancake syrup said it, his sweaty neck in the hot summer sun told us so. The detangler agreed. And the well meaning old ladies in line at the supermarket commenting on "her" beautiful hair? Well I had just plain had it up to here with that.

Drumroll please......here come the before and afters...

 Before...

 

After!!!

I'm happy to say that a few curls stuck around. His first haircut was a glowing success, and we are so pleased with how it turned out. Did it usher in his boyhood? Only by a few inches. ;-) He is as handsome as ever! His hair is still long and totally "Bennett." It's not a drastic departure from the former look, but it IS clean, off his shoulders, above his eyes and safely out of girl zone! It's just enough change for this mama's heart to handle.

First cut? Check! He's got the lollipop to prove it. :-)

Turning Three

Evan is peaking over the edge of two and ready to roar into the big 3s. I say "roar" because dinosaurs are a pretty big deal if you didn't know-at least in 3 year old boy world. It's amazing how much he changes every month at this age, and we are especially loving his ever expanding vocabulary.

At "almost 3," Evan is completely daytime potty trained and knows all his ABC's and 123's. He is Mr. Polite, and starting to say those please, thank you's and your welcome's unprompted. He reminds me we need to be quiet in the library, and often tells me which way to turn in the car. What's really fun and new recently is that he is starting to sing songs out loud more articulately and with actual lyrics-so encouraging to see even those tiniest of fruits from our labor! I LOVE it when I catch him repeating back to me something we've taught him. Just the other day I was grabbing a quick snack of vanilla wafers and he says to me "mama you share with me? You have one, I have...two!"

As always, he loves his cars, trains, search and find books, and books in general. He is an "I Spy" and ahem "Ipad" pro. It's safe to say that he has stepped into the world of pretend with a bang! He loves to race his cars, chase Peter Pan's shadow, and play Peter Rabbit in his tent (everyone in the house has their assigned characters...I'm still wondering what I did to become Mr. McGreggor). Also, something tells me that superhero's are about to explode in this house. Not sure if I'm ready for that one yet. #boyworld

Here are some fun things he says nowadays...
In the morning when he get's up, he always asks "did you have a good sleep?" (Because we always asked him...now he happily returns the question!)
He's all about sharing his blanket with mommy- "Sit with me mama, I share my blanket with you...super cuddles!!!"
Frequently while walking he'll spot an "x" on the ground and say ""X marks the spot!"
Many times when he falls down or clumsily runs into something he'll say "Don't worry, I'm OKAYYY"
My favorite which he says multiple times a day with enthusiasm is "Hmmm...I got an idea!"

Lastly, we recently took a dive into our first sporting activity-rookie baseball! But, that's a story for another post! I can't believe my first baby is about to be three. While I wish I could stop his feet from growing, I sure am enjoying every inch of this new season.

Introducing...

...his two front teeth.

I snapped these shots this morning and stared at them for quite a bit wondering what seemed different.  Could it be those new pearly whites? These are the first pictures where you can noticeably see his brand new bottom teeth. So happily I'll file this in the "milestones" category. :-)

Brought to you by the number "6"

Bennett is 6 months old, can it be? Time is going by way too fast, I can't believe our "B bear" is half a year already. To celebrate, we all went to the Wilson Cake Shop when Chris got home from work and "cheers-ed" a cupcake in his honor. No buttercream for Bennett just yet, but we did enjoy our share of sugar while talking about our sweet little love.

Just for fun, here are a 6 "sprinkles" about Bennett.

1. He has the best, most content disposition and hardly cries or complains except for when he's tired or hungry. I could not have asked for a sweeter spirit.

2. He already admires his big brother so much. Evan can make him laugh and giggle with little effort, and every move he makes is carefully observed by those tiny blue eyes.

3. Blowing raspberries is his favorite new trick lately. And when he's not occupied with his paci, you better believe he's making all kinds of crazy noises-that is, in a good, mostly happy, sometimes smelly type of way.

4. "On the move" barely describes this one's mobility these days-he is so so active. Of course, he's not crawling yet, but he is certainly on a roll-literally! Not only is he a proficient roller, but he's also mastered the "scooch," and I'm praying that crawling stays far behind. I.am.not.ready!

5. Having started solids a little over a month ago, Bennett is following brother Evan's suit as a garbage disposal of food. He loves to eat! Pass the squash please. :-)

6. He is on the edge of sitting up. Every day shows leaps of new strength. Sooner than soon, I know he'll master this new milestone. He much prefers being on his stomach or being sat up to laying on his back-he's growing up so fast, too fast!

 

Words can't describe how much we love you Bennett Shepherd!

Rice cereal take 1

Bennett, meet your new friend-his name is cereal! Excited? Try it, you'll like it...

 Hmmm, not exactly love at first sight. "I'm supposed to eat this stuff? Really??" Say it aint so...

 Wait a minute...

 I like it I like it a lot!!

 And, the rest is history.

(Both my boys have started these semi-solids on the early end. Evan at five months, and now Bennett at four. Not for lack of growing, but rather in favor of ferocious appetites and seemingly bottomless bellies).

Milestone-First Haircut!

Today Evan recieved his first ever hair cut. To celebrate this monumental milestone, we took him to a special kids place called "Snippet's" in Brier Creek, and we were not disappointed! He did miles better than I thought he would, and sat happily-for the most part-while his sweet baby locks were snipped for the very first time.

Blinding bright colors greeted us at the door...

Everything was super kiddo friendly, and made for a pleasant, meltdown free experience. Thankfully, none of the worst case scenario's I had built up in my head surrounding this moment came to fruition. No kicking and screaming in sight. Instead, we had a great first haircut!

Being the brave big boy he is, Evan sat still for most of the time. Truth be told, Chris and I were the nervous ones! Entertained by an animal cracker dispenser, a firetruck, a lollipop and a bottle of bubbles, he barely noticed as his lovely locks fell to the ground. Surprisingly, he didn't even pay much attention to the cartoon playing for him; I gotta hand it to them, that place knows what it's doing!

He even got a prize at the end! Not to mention this adorable keepsake certificate. Our handsome boy is growing up so fast! His newly trimmed "surfer do" is just perfect. Of course, we didn't let her have too much of his hair, but are very happy with his new clear line of vision and cleaned up look. I dare anyone to mistake him for a girl now haha!

Afterwards we treated our trimmed up boy to a cupcake. It was delicious, and the perfect "icing on the cake" if you will to a great afternoon. :-)

18 months young

Has 18 months with my sweet boy gone by so fast? It feels like just yesterday we were looking at our chubby cheeked baby and wondering what this age would hold, what he would look like, sound like, act like, etc. Well here we are, and this is what 18 months looks like to us...

He grows more handsome every day, even when covered in Chef Boyardee. He loves trains and balls still, and has added trucks and dinosaurs to his favorites list. What does he eat? While he's turned into a Mr. Picky Pants at this age, he's gotta have his chicken nuggets(like his mommy no doubt!). Following close behind he loves ravioli, Pb&j sandwiches, and all things fruity.

He hasn't added to much to his vocabulary, but he's a studious little boy and understands us much more than I'd like to admit.  He does puzzles really well and can correctly point to just about any animal you ask him to in a book-smarty pants. Favorite book-"Curious George's big book of curiosity." In other big 18 month news, he is really good at giving kisses and hugs now, claps on command, bops his head to music, loves to drum, and is starting to run(in a size 5 almost 6 shoe).

Schedule wise, we are officially down to 1 nap, and he sleeps beautifully from about 12:15 to 3pm everyday(except for those Sundays!). Bedtime is still 7:30, sometimes 8pm. A true morning person, our little alarm clock is up and ready to go by 7am most mornings. I'm praying he'll start to sleep in a bit later before baby #2 arrives, but I'll take 7:30-7 any day of the week. (Aside-the toddler bed turned our world upside down for a good 2 weeks...after determining he was not ready for the jump, he's back in his crib-side up-and loving it.)

On the health front, he had his first bad cold and ear infection about a month ago, and after a few doctor's visits we ended up with a brand new, shiny firetruck nebulizer for breathing treatments. I'm so thankful for it because we needed it again with cold #2 just a month later. Luckily he doesn't seem to fall into the asthma category just yet, but lands nicely in the "reactive airway" camp-you bet I am dreading flu season! Can we just be bears and hibernate inside now until Spring? On the bright side, it looks like he may be outgrowing his eczema as it has improved tremendously over the past few months.

Along with 18 months has come more independence, and with freedom frustration. I'm noticing he's come to that age where he thinks he can do things he can't (aka run down stairs) and it's a hard reality to have to need mommy's help with those "big boy" things! Speaking of, we are working on the word "help" as I see him get much more frustrated with toys, ect. that he can't figure out right away. On this note of new challenges, I've also seen that he's become much more socially aware. All of a sudden, he realizes it when other kids take away the toy he's playing with(or when mommy puts the toy back on the shelf at Target), and it is not okay... oh, and did I mention it goes both ways? Sharing 101 here we come. No doubt baby brother will be a great teaching tool for this big life lesson!

Put simply(after the longest post ever), if I had to sum up his personality at this age in 3 words, it would be sweet, sensitive, and silly. :-) Happy 18 months Evan Matthew!

Stats:
Weight-23 pounds, 20th percentile
Height-32.5", 50th percentile
Head cir.-80th percentile