Deja Vu

 Where have I seen that grin?

(Rex at 5+ months)

Oh, there it is!

(Lyla at 3 months)

Lyla and Rex even look the same while sleeping

 (Lyla at 3 months)

(Rex at 5+ months)

This is how we find Rex most mornings. 

He likes the top of his head right up against the bumper pad.

 

Why Seth Should Trust Me with Powertools...

My friend, Sara, gave me this plywood and batting a while ago. She had originally planned to make two of these, I think, but then decided on one for her two girls to clip their hairbows to in the bathroom. I commented how much I liked hers and she gave me the extra materials. Score!

 Seth and I came up with a plan to drill holes out to pull brads through

(to give the board the tufted look at the ribbon intersections)

I must have said more than once that I was tired...to which Seth responded, "from watching me work?"

That was when we decided that it truly had become HIS project.

 The truth is that Seth didn't trust me with his staple gun.

That is how he accidentally volunteered to pretty much do the project while I helped.

 

I love, love, LOVE the way it turned out!

Oh, and as it happened, our drilling plan was a little too complicated.

Seth ended up hammering thumbtacks and I hot glued my fabric-covered discs on top of them.

I googled "how to cover buttons" and followed the steps.

Finding buttons the size I wanted that weren't an arm & a leg (after all I was covering them) was impossible.

Seth came up with the idea of visiting the woodworking section of Hobby Lobby (he is a closet-crafter, I just know it) where we found this bag of 12 discs for $1.47. They were perfect!

We really did have fun making this for Lyla and she loves it. 

We haven't hung it in her room yet because she has a chair rail around her room and we haven't decided how best to hang it low enough for her to reach it without it looking weird.

So, to be continued...

Rex's Baby Dedication (Weekend)-September 16, 2012

Apparently strep throat doesn't take rain checks. It hit Lyla HARD the weekend of Rex's Baby Dedication at our church. Lyla threw up Saturday afternoon but seemed better by that evening when we put her to bed. We decided that Rex and I would go to the first service and Seth and Lyla would come at the beginning of second service for the dedication. Then Lyla threw up in her bed at 10pm Saturday night. So, two of the most special people in Rex's life who otherwise wouldn't have missed this special day for the world...had no other choice. This is one of those "divide and conquer" situations when you are the parents of two children.

 Rex enjoyed looking around at all the lights

He was so cute in what one friend called his "big boy shirt" and overalls.

 We took some liberties with his harness and gave him several hours off from it. (shh)

Rex loves looking at himself in the mirror.

He knows good-looking when he sees it.

 Jamie sure does love Rex...

 or as she likes to call him, "Rexter."

 Rex wasn't sure about the grass

Rex is blessed to be loved by so many. These four would do just about anything for him!

 Granny made a delicious lunch to celebrate the big day!

 When we came home, Lyla had put on what she had planned to wear to church.
You wouldn't know she was sick at times then she would crash.

Lyla took this picture of me and Dad

 Mimi couldn't get enough snuggle time with her youngest grandson

 I failed to get a picture of Mimi & DDaddy with Rex (and Lyla) on Sunday

So I snapped some Monday before they headed back to Georgia


 I have the best parents.
They live 6+ hours away but they never miss out on being with their grandkids.

We had such a great visit with them in spite of Lyla's strep throat.
DDaddy even kept both kids Friday night while Mom and I got our nails done.

Always Learning

I love watching my kids learn new things. Because of their 5-year age difference, their lessons are very different but equally as important and exciting. Right now for Lyla it's writing and reading. She is getting better and better at both and continues to surprise me and also herself! I recently had my first parent-teacher conference with Lyla's Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Edgington. **BRAG WARNING** Lyla is doing great! She is one of the top readers in her class and had top scores on the other tests all the kids had to take to see where they were with reading and math skills. She continues to bring home prizes from the treasure box on Fridays, too, which means she is listening & behaving well. When I asked about her behavior (making sure there wasn't anything going on that I didn't know about), Mrs. Edgington told me Lyla will talk occasionally but when she is warned with her name on the board, she stops immediately. She also said sometimes they have a problem with Lyla getting out of her seat when she isn't supposed to--mostly so she can show the teacher what she is doing or ask a question. They are working with her to try to raise her hand instead of getting up. These are not major problems at all, though. So thankful to have such a good girl.

Two updates for you. First of all, here's "THE" frog. My scanner did not do it justice, though, because she did completely color its body green as she was told to do. I love her signature, too--this was before they started working on using upper- and lowercase letters.

Update #2: Last Friday, Lyla brought home her uneaten pudding cup. She actually ate her sandwich first! She was rewarded with her choice of the pudding or a cupcake and chose the cupcake. I left the pudding in her lunchbag for Monday.

 

For Rex it's finding his voice and his hands and learning to use them both.

He loves hitting his piggy (that jingles) and usually kicks his legs in excitement when he makes contact.

 

No Other Bond

like a father and his son

Stompeez

Lyla's Uncle Ken had asked what she wanted for her birthday and I didn't have to even think about what to tell him. Stompeez. Thanks to the Qubo channel, she has been wanting them for months. Apparently, she wasn't the only kid wanting them because they were on back-order.

 

 I never told her that she was getting them so when she opened the box, to say she was surprised would be a huge understatement.

 She got a pillowcase as a bonus gift and has slept on it ever since.

 See how the ears pop up as the walks?

Lyla wears them all the time and even slept in them a few nights. 

Gotta love belated birthday gifts!

Rex.Out.

 Rex isn't usually one to fall asleep eating

...but Seth couldn't keep him awake no matter what he did

Lyla's Weekend in GA-Part 2 (The Hall Reunion)

My Aunt Sara sent me these pictures of the reunion. Lyla had so much fun with her cousins, aunts and uncles.

This is Amelia who is just six months younger than Lyla.
Her Grandfather, Curtis, is my grandmother's brother.

My cousin, Lecia's daughter, Brooke (Lyla's 2nd cousin)

Hanging out on Aunt Sara's porch

My dad with three of his four brothers, Bobby, George and Farris

Aunt Sara (Dad's sister), Dina (Cousin/George's daughter), Jennifer (Cousin/Sara's daughter), Mom, Lecia (Cousin/George's daughter), Miriam (Aunt/George's wife) and Lori (Cousin/George's daughter)

 

Jennifer and Lyla playing golf. Aunt Sara gave the set to Lyla and she loves it!



 Uncle Bobby did his best to sing "Mahna Mahna" with Lyla

Lyla still has a teddy bear Bobby gave her a few years ago which she appropriately named Bobby Bear.

I am so glad Lyla got to have this fun weekend with her extended family. Wonderful memories for her!
Hopefully next year we will ALL be able to go! I know everyone is dying to meet Rex.