My Gram

Sunday was a good morning. We had woken up for our last day in Vermont with the Magees. I was making bacon and eggs when my dad called. My hands were full and I just let it go to voicemail. I thought it was weird that he was calling at 9 on a Sunday morning, also weird that he actually left a voicemail. It was Gram. She had passed away at 4:30 this morning. I didn't really know how to react. I had visited with her at Christmas. She wasn't doing well and was barely talking. It was a drastic change from when I was hanging out with her over Labor Day. I knew that I was probably going to get this phone call, but I didn't think so soon. I mean really, I didn't want that phone call. ever. I really loved my Grandma and had a great relationship with her. Her and my Grandpa loved me and I knew it. It was so evident to me in the time that they spent with me, in the way that they were involved with my life, and in the many times that they had told me so. I can remember summers spent hanging out with Gram during the day. She watched my sisters and I every day during our summer breaks. She made me pancakes nearly every day. She called me the pancake kid. I'm so thankful for my Grandma and her influence on my life. I'm thankful that she was willing to hang out with us and love us and put up with all our crazy non-sense.




I got one last "I love you" from Grandma at Christmas. She wasn't really talking or responding to much. She was smiling at Everett and seemed happy to see us. Dad and I stayed to hang out for a while longer. We fed her dinner and watched Jeopardy, which Gram loved. We talked with her, even though she wasn't talking back. As we got ready to leave I hugged her, gave her a kiss and told her I loved her, and to my surprise, she said I love you too. It was one last sweet reminder of what I already knew. 

Celebrating Everett

We had so much fun celebrating Everett with our families! We're thankful that so many people love our little man.  A special thanks to Mimi and Pop-pop for all their help getting ready for the party, Robin Smalley for the incredibly cute and delicious cake, the O'Malleys for watching our pups and to Uncle Luke for the machete, dart guns, and other "age appropriate" toys :)

Happy birthday little love!

Dear Everett,

You are one today. 365 days ago you made me a Mama and I've loved every minute of it. It has been an amazing, joyful, fun year. My heart fills to overflowing when I think about how much I love you. Your sweet little face with those big, squeezable cheeks and your big blue eyes that are constantly smiling at me. You have grown into a little wild man who wants to be running around the house and getting into everything. You squeal with delight when Marley or Kai sit long enough to let you pet them. You have that funny little walk where you have to lean back to support your cute pot belly. You think Daddy is the funniest person ever. Most nights I just sit and listen to the two of you laughing with each other during bath time, wanting to stay in those moments a little while longer. This year has gone so fast- too fast. You've grown so quickly from that tiny little baby to a walking, talking, happy little boy. I am thankful that the Lord entrusted me to be your mama, to raise you and love you and tell you about Jesus. I am excited for this next year and our adventures together.

Happy birthday my sweet boy!
I love you more than I ever thought possible.
Mama

Cribs- Everett style

While I was pregnant, I documented everything, including the progress of Everett's nursery; however, I never put up the final product. Since Everett arrived all sneakily with my water breaking, I never ended up taking final pictures and posting them to the blog. I also never found a good reason to post them until now. So here you go- Everett's nursery reveal- 1 year late :)

So there you have it folks- Everett's room

month 11

I really, really love this little boy. With just a few days left before his birthday, I have such a mix of emotions. This first year has gone so fast. I love seeing him grow and develop, but I'm sad that he is quickly becoming less baby and more little boy.

month ten

Where did my little baby go? It's like overnight I got a little man. Everett started taking steps this month and got his bottom two teeth. He also started eating more table food and loves everything from ritz crackers to cheese and blueberries. He had so much fun at Christmas- ripping off wrapping paper, eating it, and playing with the boxes. It has been so fun to see his little personality develop. He is wild and crazy and just plain happy. He is goofy just like Aaron - sticking his tongue out and making crazy noises. He absolutely adores Aaron and (just like mom) laughs at all of dad's antics. I just can't get enough of this sweet face.

months 7-8-9

month 6

Month six was hard. I had 6 perfectly perfect months at home with Everett. Month 6 I had to go back to work. I've been a teacher for the last 4.5 years and I love it, but I found that I love Everett more. It was a hard transition back to work. Trying to balance it all proved difficult--- working all day, still nursing 4 times a day, cooking, cleaning, loving my husband, son and doggies. But, we were blessed. Blessed with God's perfect plans for Everett. A week before school started, the Lord provided my dear friend Missy to watch Everett (You can read the story here). It has been such an incredible blessing to watch my friend love my son and make him a part of her family. While month 6 was rough, it was bearable because of the Lord's provision.

months 4 & 5

These months brought rice cereal and my adventures in baby food making. Everett LOVED to eat from the very beginning. One of my favorite things about the way he eats is how wide he opens his mouth. Exhibit A:

It's hilarious and also convenient since all the food goes straight into his mouth. We didn't even use bibs until he started feeding himself. Seriously. He's just like his dad - he wants to be fed lots and quickly. As Aaron says- he wants that goodness in him.

I decided that I wanted to try to make all of Everett's baby food. I wanted to make his food because I knew I could buy organic while still saving us money. Making Everett's food was definitely a labor of love and it certainly would've been easier to just buy pre-made from the store; however, I really loved going to farmers markets and knowing exactly what I was giving my baby and where it came from! Plus, it saved us a lot of money! At 75 cents-$1 each, organic baby food adds up fast.  That's not to say that in a pinch I didn't run over to the store to grab a jar or two, let's be real, I'm a working mama and time is at a premium! But-- at the end of the day, I loved knowing that I had done my best to give Everett the healthiest food I could while not breaking the bank.

month three

Sleep. Sweet sweet sleep. Month 3 Everett started sleeping through the night and he's never looked back. I love lots of things about Everett--- his sweet face, his happy and laid back personality, but the fact that he sleeps through the night like a champ= one of my favorites.