Clemson v. PC

We just got back from another great gameday in Clemson.  We had a fun time and even though both boys were super tired after a late night out last night, they did great!  This was likely our last game with both boys in attendance, though.  I've probably only seen about 20 minutes of actual football over the past 2 games, but it was worth it to have them both there.  From here on out, however, the games are bigger and more important, and darnit...I wanna see some football!

Austin's buddy, Tyler, sat with us for this game and the boys had fun playing cars together.  We also sat next to Clemson great, Perry Tuttle.  Last game we ran into President Barker and another Clemson great, Michael Dean Perry (brother to "The Refrigerator" Perry).  I love that these guys still come out to support their Tigers!

Here are the pictures from our day:

Daddy and his boys!

Tyler and his dad, Ben!

Owen awake...

...Owen asleep!

Boys and their cars.

Look who else was getting tired...

...nothing a Dum Dum can't solve!

The three little boys!

Our little Clemson family!

Fair!

Whew!  You'll never guess where we just got back from...the upper SC State Fair. Our trip was complete with rides, hot dogs, lemonade, cotton candy and the big finale...a demolition derby!!  We even ran into the Clemson tiger!

Austin loved the rides, especially the bouncy house.  The derby was pretty fun too, especially since it was considered to be one of the best derbys to date!! Lots of noise, smoke, fire and crashes...you know, those things that every little boy (and his daddy) loves.

We got the boys home around 10:30 pm, washed off the fair germs and got their tired little heads in bed.  Another big day ahead of us tomorrow as we travel back to Clemson to see the Tigers take on PC!!

Austin's 1st fair ride!

...and here's his second.  No, it wasn't nearly as exciting as my face might lead you to believe.  Austin called it "bumpy" the whole time we were riding.

Lovin' the bouncy house!

Look who we found!

The merry-go-round is always a hit!

Totally diggin' the double stroller!

Austin watching the cars go crash!

Still as happy as can be at 10 pm!!  Just look at all that drool!

Me and my big boy!

Who knew a man pushing a bright teal double stroller could look so sexy! ;-)

Owen's 4 Month Well Visit

Our pediatrician's office has gotten really popular since Austin was born.  They have had to extend their hours until 7pm and bring on new doctors.  Since our doctor was there from the beginning, and is by far the coolest one there, he is always very busy.  Our appointment was moved from 10am this morning until 6pm this evening.  We weren't seen until 7pm and didn't leave until 7:30 pm.  As much as I love our pediatrician, I just don't know if I can handle an over 1 hour wait for a 15 minute well visit, especially with BOTH boys to try and keep entertained, but I'll worry about that another time...

Owen is 16.1 lbs. (71st %tile) 26 inches long (83rd %tile) and has a head circumference of 17.22 inches (84th %tile).    Everything checked out well and the doctor was impressed with his physical ability, said he had the body and muscle control of a 6 month old!  He also noticed 2 tooth buds on Owen's bottom jaw.  There's no telling when they might come in, but it looks like Owen will get his first tooth long before Austin ever did.  I guess I should have known considering he can't keep his little hands out of his mouth (see above picture).

We got the OK to start rice cereal, but I've decided to put off solids until around 6 months.  There is no medical need to start solid food right now, solids can often cause constipation, Owen is growing and gaining weight appropriately on breastmilk alone, he is satisfied after his feedings and feeding a 4 month old from a spoon basically does nothing but make a big 'ole mess!!!  He'll let me know when he's ready!

Finally, Owen got 4 shots at this visit and was NOT pleased.  Austin got a lollipop and a sticker.  Totally unfair, but at least one of my boys left with a smile on his face!

Upcoming CSN Review!

I was really happy when I was approached to do a review for CSN Stores.  They have over 200 stores to choose from and sell everything from dining room tables to shoes to baby accessories!  They have over 1,000,000 products to choose from and offer competitive pricing and free shipping on almost everything!

I've chosen to review a really fun item for Austin to play with in his new room.  I can't wait for it to arrive!!

Check back for pictures and my review, coming up soon!!

Labor Day 2010

We went back down to Columbia for a Labor Day pool party with Mimi, Papa, Aunt Catherine & Uncle Nick.  Aunt Geri and Uncle Carroll showed up too!!  The pool water was cold, but it wasn't a problem because it was hot outside!  I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves...

My pretty, pretty princess!

We forgot to get Owen't car float so Ryan ran down the street to CVS to try and find something.  This lovely pink float was all they had.  

Owen didn't seem to mind the pink, he thought that yellow steering wheel was just delicious!

Also at CVS was this inflatable volleyball net.  Ryan thought it would be fun to use Austin's head to pop up the ball with. Of course, Austin thought this was hilarious.

Here is Austin throwing the ball over the net to Uncle Nick.  He had more fun playing volleyball from outside the pool.

Ryan and Austin went inside the house for awhile and all of a sudden I heard Ryan yelling at me from inside the house.  I ran inside fully expecting to see an injured or inconsolable child, but this is what I found instead.  Austin had stuck a boiled peanut in the top of my dads giant penny jar and when Ryan tilted it a bit to try and get the peanut out, the glass shattered and pennies went everywhere!!  The big question is now, exactly how much were all those pennies worth?

Austin didn't take a nap all day but finally fell asleep in daddy's arms after being completely worn out playing in the sun and water.  I don't think we have to worry about Austin giving up his nap anytime soon, we try to make him go one day without one and this is what happens!

Aunt Catherine was trying to get Owen to do the same thing, but as you can see, he was wide awake!

So they played with this little white bear instead!

FYI

Bathing in Color

No, your eyes are not deceiving you, that's green bath water right there!

Bath time is not just a time to get clean in our house, it's also play time...especially since we've found these:

As you can see, I can't keep Austin's hands off this little tub of fizzy colorful fun!  Plain bath water is sooo last week.  I just don't recommend using the yellow tablet though, because unless you're mixing it with the blue to make green, the bath ends up looking a little too much like a giant toilet in my opinion.

Oh, and what do you get when you mix all three colors, blue, yellow and purple?  Another color I don't recommend, at least not in the bath tub that is...

...but when it comes to those big bright eyes of his, it's one color that's pretty irresistible!!

4 Month Old

My little tiger cub turned 4 months old on Saturday!  It was obviously too hot for him to wear his tiger suit to the game, but that didn't stop us from dressing him in it and taking a few cute pictures.

I still can't believe how fast they grow and change at this age.  We go for our well visit next week and I'm looking forward to seeing Owen's new stats.  He just seems so big for a 4 month old, he's got to be off the charts!

We switched the boy's rooms a couple weeks ago and moved Owen upstairs.  He had been sleeping in our room, but once he started sleeping through the night consistently, it was actually getting harder to have him in there because we would always worry about waking him up.  It took him awhile to adjust to his new room and new crib, but he has been doing great for several days now and seems to be back in a routine.

At 4 months Owen...

-is sleeping about 10 hours at night, taking one 3 hour nap and 3-4 shorter naps for about 15-16 hours of sleep per day

-is a total thumb sucker and using his thumb to help soothe him to sleep

-really loves his jumperoo (pictures coming soon!)

-enjoys being held in the Baby Bjorn

-smiles all the time

-loves being outside

-reaches for and holds his toys

-rolls from tummy to back

-has found his feet

-is one serious cuddlebug who loves being held and snuggled!

It's Football Season!

We just got back from the game.  The weather was beautiful, the seats were awesome, the Tigers won and both boys were SO good....seriously, we could not have asked for a better day!  Austin and Owen kept everyone in our section smiling and entertained.  Austin learned to cheer "Fight Tigers, Fight Tigers, Fight...Fight...Fight!"  He also did the tomahawk chop...what can I say...those Atlanta Braves games really made an impact!

Owen slept through the 3rd quarter so Austin and I went inside to cool off and stretch our legs.  Austin found a little friend who liked cars as much as he does and they ran around and played with cars for about half an hour.  After the game we all went out on the field.  Austin seriously ran in circles around the field for about 20 minutes.  He LOVED it!  I was a little more concerned with the 8,000 footballs being carelessly tossed about and coming within inches of my little boys.

We had a great time and can't wait for next Saturday.  Both boys were so tired and sacked out on the ride home.  Ryan is currently sacked out on the floor after re-watching the game on DVR.  I don't blame them, it was a long, exciting day!  I'm headed to bed to sack out myself...as soon as I decide whether or not to wake up my snoring husband.  I've got to admit, crawling into a king sized bed with NO snoring husband sounds pretty good about right now....

Oh, and Owen turned 4 months today!!!  A post on that to come later....now, here are pictures:

"Children are made readers on the laps of their parents." Emilie Buckwald

I truly believe that books are among the greatest gifts we can give our children.  Reading to a child is one of the best ways to enjoy spending quality time while educating them all at once.  As a stay-at-home mom, I am responsible for the early education of my boys.  However, I don't believe in forcing learning at such a young age with flash cards and curriculum.  After all, these pre-school years don't last long, and when your children do start school, they are there for good until they begin a career!  There is so little time to just have fun and be carefree and I certainly want to make the most out of these few years we do have.

Of course, education is important and critical to do well in school and in a future career, but there are ways of educating our children without them feeling like they are being drilled in a classroom.  Reading is a perfect example!  You don't know how much Austin has learned just from Ryan and I reading to him every day.  He learned to play peek-a-boo from reading Pat the Bunny, he learned about different animals and their sounds from his Touch and Feel Animal books, he's learned his numbers and ABC's from reading, he's learned Itsy Bitsy Spider and other fun songs from his rhyming books, he's learned about matching objects from his Seek & Find books, colors from his rainbow book and recognition of every day items from his many word books.

The best part of all this reading is that it makes learning fun and easy!  Austin has always had a love for books, which I attribute to the fact we have read to him since birth, and when we read together he gets so involved.  He doesn't think that reading is boring or a chore or that he's being tutored.  He thinks that it's fun to point out the letters and say their names and that it's fun to recognize animals and make their sounds.  Reading has helped him learn so much as well as improving his coordination, rhythm, speech and vocabulary!

So, how do you teach your child to enjoy reading?  Well, the first step is you have to have a lot of fun and entertaining books!  And to find some really wonderful books to either start your collection or expand your current one, you should seriously consider heading over to my friend Dana's new blog, Barefoot Mom.

I met Dana a few years ago when we were working together in Columbia.  She is now expecting her first child, a little girl, and has decided, in addition to being a stay-at-home mom, to start Barefoot Mom as a tool to promote reading and sell some amazing books!

Hurry over today for her Grand Opening Sale Extravaganza and receive 40% off an order of $50 or more AND free shipping!! There's a great selection of books to choose from, you won't be disappointed!

Of course, buying great books is just the start to a lifetime of learning through reading.  The next step is to sit down with your child for just 20 minutes a day and read to them.  You'll be amazed at what they'll learn when you open a book.  Go ahead, I dare ya!  :-)

Gameday!

I can't believe that football season is just a few days away!  It certainly snuck up on me this year, but it's finally settling in that the Tigers will run down the hill again in just 3 more days!!  I'm getting chill bumps just thinking about the Young buses pulling up and those boys in orange gathering at the rock, the touchdown cannon going off and Tiger Rag!!

What's even better is that both our boys will be joining us this year for the season opener AND we will be enjoying the game from the new West Zone seats!  Buffet, shade, AC, unlimited drinks (including those of the alcoholic nature...not that we will be partaking considering we'll have 2 kids with us, but the option to certainly is nice).  Now that's how you watch a football game!!

I can't wait to upload all the pictures of our family of 4's first trip to Clemson, but until then, here's a picture from one of last year's games (the one where it didn't rain).  Owen is technically in this picture too, but this will be his first Clemson event post-womb.  :-)

Could it be?

Every time I see those classic signs; drolling, chewing, night waking, occasional irritability...I tend to blame teething.  I claimed Austin was teething every month from the time he was about 3 months old, but he didn't get his first tooth until he was 10 months!

So, here goes again...

Owen could fill a bathtub with his drool, he keeps his hands or fingers in his mouth at all times, he hasn't slept through the night but once or twice in the past 2 weeks and wants to be held and cuddled at all times.

Could it be?  Is my (almost) 4 month old getting his first tooth?  Or is this just a stage?

What do you think?