PCB Fun in the Sun!!!!

We spent this past week in Panama City Beach. My friend Catherine and I took our boys to see our friend Anna and her little boy. All three boys are where born within 6 weeks of each other. so they are very close! Anna and her husband bought a gorgeous house in PCB a few months ago so we stayed with them. Despite the boys less-than-superb sleeping patterns, we had a very fun but busy week. We took the kids to toddler skate at a local skating rink. This is where you take your child's ride on toys and they ride them around on the skating rink floor. We went on a boat ride and played on the beach. Anna invited her mothers group over for a pool party. Thursday night we left the boys in the care of Allan while we hit the town for dinner. It was delicious and tasted even better without the distraction of our sweet darling babes.

Click here for some more pictures of our boat ride/beach trip.

Watching the tall ship pass by. We want to be pirates!

We had so much fun playing in the sand and water.

The three cutest boys ever!! James, Jimmy, then Moseley in the "cool cats"!!
Moseley looking at the gritty sand.

Happy Fathers Day to a guy who has it all...

... ME! Haha, seriously, let me tell you a bit about my husband, Kevin:

He is an old soul. He loves to read. He works hard so his family doesn't have to. He loves his son more than anything. He is currently researching our genealogy so one day Moseley can take pride in where he comes from (this is a very daunting task). He loves board games, scrabble especially. He loves Alabama. He thinks the world can and will be a better place if we work hard for it. He actually thinks the law is interesting (it's important, right?). He loves a good steak. He loves good music. Family is number one (my brother is his brother, etc).

These are just a smattering of the reasons why I fell in love with Kevin so many years ago. There are so many more that keep me loving him every single day.

Thank you Kevin for all you do for us but more importantly for all the fun we have together as a family!!

Moseley's gift to his favorite guy in addition to the yellow paisley bowtie!

Fig Leaf Farm

Saturday, our friends Joe and Sara Brown took Moseley to their farm for the day. Joe and Sara are of Eating Alabama fame and had a front page story about their quest to eat locally in the Birmingham News. They have Fig Leaf Farm in McCalla where they live and grow all kinds of food. Needless to say, when they agreed to keep Moseley we knew he would have a blast. When we picked him up he was happily eating blueberries and running around like he owned the place. He helped plant some basil and strummed the banjo with Joe. They had so much fun I know he cannot wait to go back!!

The entire way home he talked jibberish non-stop, I am sure asking "why WE don't have a pig?", and "where are OUR chickens?"

"Sweet Caroline (dum dum dum)..."

"... Good times never seem so good."

My good friend Caroline Hunter Engwall married her perfect match this weekendin Little Rock, AR. The wedding and all the events leading up to it were perfect. Fairytale. Period. Steven, her husband, is so sweet, smart, and will take such good care of her it was hard not to get swept up in all the romance of the weekend.

Some highlights of the trip
1) The bridesmaids dresses were FAB. At three months pregnant I looked hot! The other two bridesmaids looked pretty darn cute too!
2) She had our hair and make-up done for us. Again, I looked hot. And I didn't even have to participate in making it happen.
3) Our bouquets were bigger than most bridal bouquets and crammed with peony's, hydrangea's and roses. I felt like a million dollars. Did I mention I looked hot?
4) Kevin and I flew (not drove) up there and sat 1st class on a leg. Awesome!
5) We got there Thursday so celebrated our wedding anniversary at a wonderful French Chop House on Thursday night.
6) We ate very well thanks to the Engwalls.
7) We had wonderful company thanks to the Engwalls.
8) We (as in the 3 bridesmaids and the bride and groom) got to make a grand trip from the church to the reception sitting on the back of a vintage Cadillac convertible. We really, really, looked hot! Can you imagine how special I felt after all of this star treatment?
9) Caroline was and will always be the most beautiful bride I have ever seen. Her dress, hair, makeup and overall exuberance reflected Steven's complete devotion to her.

You wouldn't believe how many people were there from Mobile. If you knew the Engwalls, who are the most loving and selfless people we know, you wouldn't be surprised. But to drive 9 hours for a wedding, with gas prices what they are, A LOT of people went over and above. I have to thank these people for making our weekend awesome and making Caroline's wedding a gorgeous event.

I will post some pictures very soon but in the meantime: I love you CHE and I am so happy for you and Steven! Wyatt and Georgia, thank you, thank you for taking us in as family. We would do absolutely anything for you two as well as your precious children. Your ever-giving and un-judging personalities are always evident in how Lee and Caroline live their lives. We love you!!

Happy Anniversary Baby!

This Fall will mark the 7 year anniversary of Kevin and I dating. Today, however marks the 3rd anniversary of our wonderful and perfect fairy-tale wedding. We are just as in love as ever and I think we probably have as much if not more fun together now. We have an excuse for being silly and juvenile... Moseley.

How are we celebrating? We are going to Little Rock, AR to be in a wedding. We treated ourselves to plane tickets (yay!) and will go out to a nice dinner tomorrow night in Little Rock, AR.

I love you sweetheart, you are my very best friend and I can't imagine my life without you.

Baby bedding

You might know by now we aren't finding out/telling the sex of our baby until he/she is born. You might also know I am a planner (OCD at times) and must have all my ducks in a row just in case... (...it's a girl). Obviously, if it's a boy we are set. He will use the same bedding as Moseley with a new monogram (below: Harrison by Serena and Lily). And he will be the best dressed boy on the block!

If it's a girl however we will get new bedding and hide it just in case. This is bedding I think... presenting... Harper by Serena and Lily
Stroller/Crib Blanket

Changing Pad and Cover

Boudoir Pillow

This is SO YOU Mom...

If I could redo my momma's room this is what I would get her and base the room around. It is the most beautiful bedding ever!!

Night and Day

Moseley vs. Sweet Pea - the fight is on.

When I was pregnant with Moseley it was no big deal. I was a tad tired the first few weeks and then I was fine. 2 weeks before his arrival I was tired again. This time b/c of the incessant braxton hicks contractions I had during my REM cycle. Other than that, no biggie. My c-section even went famously. I even worked until the day before I had him.

On to this pregnancy... Sweet Pea (aka baby #2) is kicking my butt (and Kevin's too I must say).
1) I have been sleeping more than I have been awake. Poor Moseley gets upset when he sees me grab the throw blanket in the den b/c he knows I am about to lay down and "rest my eyes for a bit."
2) I have been sick since day one. I have meds for my sickness but they make me tired so I try not to take them.
3) I have anti-cravings like you wouldn't believe. What is that you ask? It's when you make a meal you think you will like and then all of a sudden it's repulsive. Then you move on to another meal hoping this one will be the winner. I drove all over the city of Montgomery trying to find an open Guthrie's. I couldn't figure out anything I wanted more...

So, I am mid-way through week 11 and I am counting on this to stop on Sunday (week 12 right?). Wishful thinking? Probably :) But regardless I am hopeful that soon I will get my second wind.

So what does this mean? This baby will probably be a little sassy compared to "go-with-the-flow-and-lovin-life-Moseley." This baby will probably hate MDO unlike Mose who never wants to leave school. This baby will probably NEVER sleep unlike Moseley who still takes 4 hrs worth of naps and sleeps 13 hours at night. I am spoiled with Moseley. Every day I realize it more. I am terrified of what little Sweet Pea will bring. I am also excited and looking forward to tackling a new type of parenting. The same ol same ol is boring, right?

More pictures from our Plan Review

Click here for more pictures of our house.

Plan Review

Here are some pics of our house from the Plan Review today. I am so excited it looks so good!

Front view

Side yard with patio (taken from back)
Front and Side view

Landshark

It is summer so we have been playing in the water quite a bit. This is Mose in his swimgear. He also has a matching pair of sunglasses but he likes to take them off.

Moseley is signing "hat."

Happy Birthday Julia!

This morning we went to a birthday party for Julia Luck. Her daddy is a clerk also and her mom and I are in a mother's group together. They had lots of yummy food and the children got to make a visor to wear with their name on it. It was so fun! Moseley ran around on the playground with his best buddy Sam Tuck and had a blast.

Mose eating in his cool visor. He is a heat factory, it doesn't take him long to get flushed.

Moseley Lautrec

This is a sample of the art that Moseley did this year at school. They had an artshow at the end of the year to show it off. It was very cute :)

The rain are Mose's fingerprints.

The snow here are fingerprints as are the snowmen.

You can see the rest of his art here!

18 Month Check-up

I can't believe my little baby is a year and half old. Time has flown. He is such a sweet little boy and does the funniest things. He also repeats just about everything you say. That can be a good thing (or a bad thing). Today's two words are "apple" and "sticker."

We had a Dr's appt today and he is 35" tall and weighs 28 pounds! He is tall and a very healthy eater :)

He had two shots and when she was listening to his heart she noticed a rattle in his chest. She whipped out the oxygen saturation machine and it registered low so she had us on the nebulizer for a few minutes. To say that he hates and is scared of that thing is the understatement of the century. He kicks, screams and violently jerks around to get away from the mask. His oxygen was up though due to the fact that a screaming child inhales more.

In the end she was concerned b/c we have been in several times this year and had to do this. She diagnosed him with "sensitive airways" and prescribed TWO inhalers for home use. I am not looking forward to administering (wrestling) meds to him 6 times a day!

Our next post will be all about our fun weekend in the smoky mountains!!

It's a Miracle!

Kevin taught Moseley to sip through a straw this weekend! Goodbye to toting a sippy cup out to restaurants!!!

A day in the life of . . . ANOTHER Garrison!

I have saved my first blog entry for a very special occasion. I am pleased to announce the arrival of our next child will be on or about 22 December 2008. I know, I know. Everyone wants to know if the new child favors the mother or father? Well, I think the picture speaks for itself. Behold, the next member of the Garrison clan:



I have heard from reliable sources that children tend to ignore their new brothers or sisters. Moseley is no different. He has yet to express the slightest interest in playing with his new sibling and acts as if nothing has changed. Well, my first born, you are in for quite a surprise.

Last but not least, before everyone thinks I deserve all the credit, I'd like to recognize someone without whom this miracle of life would not be possible. Thank you to my wonderful wife for doing the heavy (perhaps more accurately, all) lifting necessary to bring our new child into this world. I love you Jess, and thank you for all you have given me.

Best wishes to all,

Kevin

Our Home :)

I am not sure when this was taken, but this is progress on our house! The siding will be painted a darker green with a khaki trim.

Sister is Famous!!

Click here to see Lily's newspaper debut.

My Mother's Day

I had a great Mother's Day. We were in Mobile and saw lots of family which is always great. Moseley was such a sweetie. He got me a gorgeous coffee table cookbook called Tables of Content by the Birmingham Junior League. He also got me some monogrammed cocktail napkins and hostess napkins.

Some Pics of Moseley

Victoria took some pictures of Moseley this weekend in Mobile. I just love these two pictures so much. I can't believe he is one and a half years old!

Happy Mother's Day to me!

Moseley made this tile for me at school for Mother's Day. I picked out the tractor theme because I thought it woud be cute for his room next year :) I love his fat feet so this gift was perfect!!

My Favorite Books (by Moseley)

I LOVE to read. I bring my momma books to read to me day and night. We rarely leave the house these days without a book. These are my favorite books to read. I can pick them out of the stack and also love to flip through them by myself.

Whose Mouse Are You?
I call this book "Mouse." Its about a little mouse who is all alone b/c his family is caught up in some tricky situations. He brings them all home and even gets a new brother. This just so happens to be my Uncle Staples favorite book of all time. When he was little he read this book a ton!



Big Red Barn
Also known as "Barn." This is a story about all kinds of animals and what their day is like living in a barn. At the end the animals go to sleep and I tell them "nigh-nigh." I can point to the "meows," "woowoo's," and the "gee." That's cats, dogs and geese in laymen terms.



Do You Have a Hat?
The "Hat" book is great. It is about a bunch of famous people and their hats. "Walt Whitman had a hat, at times a makeshift table mat..." This book actually came free in a box of cheerios. Even more of winner b/c it was free.


Pat the Bunny
Victoria gave me this book for Easter and I LOVE it. It has a lot of interactive features. I love to feel "daddy's scratchy face" and then feel my real daddy's scratchy face!



If you have a favorite children's book let me know what it is. I am always on the lookout for new books!

Wetumpka...

Kevin, Moseley and I went to Wetumpka this afternoon to eat dinner. Casa Napoli had great food but smelled like old people. Moseley was very well behaved and ate almost all of his chicken parmesan. I gave Mose a bite of my whipped cream from my Tiramisu and he went nuts. He loved it!

We have found our Keds!

Hooray, hooray! I won't be going into any detail as I feel pretty dumb but let's just say they got "put away." Hehe.