Kim's Blank Canvas

Phone - photo challenge

2012-02-15T23:48:00.001-05:00

Meme & Papa had called as we were reading books last night while I was putting Reese down. So the phone conversation was from her bed. She reminded me of a teenager sitting in bed just chatting away.

Heart - Photo Challenge

2012-02-14T21:13:00.001-05:00

Not much of a challenge taking their photos, they see my phone or camera and give me a smile... My heart is full this Valentine's Day with these two.

Inside my closet - photo challenge

2012-02-12T22:52:00.001-05:00

I'm really embarrassed by this next post. Don't know how Hubby shares this room with me. Here's a part of my area.... Ughhhh!! And then his area... Ughhhhh, it's so neat! Look, and no clothes on the floor.

What makes me happy... photo challenge

2012-02-11T19:34:00.001-05:00

Crafting with Reese makes me happy....

Melted crayons in our mold last weekend, but we put all the treat bags together for her Valentine's party this week. I printed the "Have a colorful Valentine's Day!" from The Long Thread. So cute, right?! Reese helped me drop all the goodies in the bags today... lollipops, heart necklaces, bubbles, heart "fruit" treats, and stickers.

Two other things that make me happy... when Tillman and Reese play together... don't worry, this only lasted 30 seconds. But it was a joyous 30 seconds! And kid art makes me happy, especially when it's my kids!

Self Portrait - photo challenge

2012-02-10T21:09:00.001-05:00

The way I have been looking lately the only self portrait I could stand taking is a photo of my left finger nail and even that is cracked and has been ignored for years. So when I saw this thismorning I cracked up. I looked in the mirror and looked exactly like this:

Front door - photo challenge

2012-02-09T21:55:00.001-05:00

I almost forgot that I took this a while ago today and I'm super exhausted
to write anything about it. So here it is, our front door.

Sun - photo challenge

2012-02-08T21:37:00.001-05:00

And the SUN goes down on the coconut tree...

I thought I was going to miss another day of this photo challenge, but while reading to Reese tonight, I saw the sun!! Chica Chica Boom Boom! That was our third book after the two Belinda the Ballerina books. Good night...

Dinner

2012-02-06T22:29:00.001-05:00

Photo Challenge day 6 - Dinnertime is somewhat chaotic. I don't mean it to be, it just is. We just mention the word dinner and Tillman climbs up on his high chair and cries until he has a plateful of food in front of him. Reese takes her time getting to the table asking me why (for the 1000th time) she has to wash her hands. I spend time blowing off food because it's too hot, cutting up pieces because I think Tillman will choke, replenishing plates because thankfully we have good eaters while making sure Tillman uses his spoon properly, reminding Reese of her manners, cleaning up the floor, and trying to have a meaningful conversation with the kids too. Whew, it's always a sigh of relief when it's over. So here is the picture of dinner when it's over... They had chicken nuggets, baked beans and corn. I offered Tillman peaches, but no go. The corn was not much of a hit tonight either.

10:00 am and a stranger...

2012-02-05T12:03:00.001-05:00

I managed to get today and yesterday's photo challenge in one picture. This morning after church, we went to our regular breakfast deli. Blueberry pancakes were enjoyed by the kids... The stranger in teh background apparently didn't get his blueberry pancakes yet.

Photo Challenge - Day 3 on Day 4

2012-02-04T07:13:00.001-05:00

Hands
Tillman loves this book and he is showing me his favorite page...trucks & tractors!!

February Photo Challenge

2012-02-01T22:02:00.001-05:00

Ok, I'm up for the challenge this month. I love taking pictures, so why not. Here's the first day pic.

YOUR VIEW TODAY

I get to play with iPads all day at school, so this is my view on most days lately. What a job!!

Hair

2012-01-25T22:14:00.001-05:00

It's been fun so far being able to play with Reese's hair each morning. She definitely has a preference of what "hair do" she wants for that day. She is absolutely thrilled that I can actually braid it now! And she is still at the stage where she likes Mommy's recommendation as well. It's been fun for both of us. She loves making her hair BIG too. She just laughs and laughs posing in front of the mirror. We have yet to cut her hair, and I have no idea what that would be like or when!!??

Rain, Rain Go Away

2012-01-21T22:22:00.001-05:00

The kids really wanted to play outside today, even if it meant sweeping away the puddles themselves! There was a time between storms that Hubby took Reese out to the swingset and Tillman could get out and explore. I've actually liked the rain... It meant guilt-free naptime for Mommy!

New place for dinner...

2012-01-20T21:27:00.001-05:00

So excited that a new commercial/residential development opened up walking distance from our house with many eating establishments! Our favorite so far is the pizza joint. Great pizza, great service and it's a place you can bring the kids or bring the girls for drinks or the guys can watch the game. This can easily become our go-to place every week. And the best part.... It's an easy walk! Whoo hooo!

possible careers

2012-01-14T22:35:00.000-05:00

What do YOU want to be when you grow up? Tillman wants to be a race car driver. Here he is switching gears and looking in the rear view mirror probably saying something like, "How did ya like that, suckers!?" Who needs hands on the wheel, when you've just passed all the cars at The Daytona 500? And Reese wants to be a Barista! She can really whip up a good cup of brew. She tells me that my coffee can change colors as I drink. Booya, Starbucks!

Literally Eating Dirt... he's gotta learn sometime

Today at storytime, Reese and Tillman were the only kids on stage. They even did the hokey pokey up there on their own. I'm pretty proud of them, it was a full house at B&N today. Tillman apparently thinks the crowd is more fascinating than the book. Probably so.

Hi! My name is Tillman....

2012-01-12T21:37:00.000-05:00

Hi there! My name is Tillman and I'm 16 months old. I am getting into a lot more these days as I'm getting older and boy, am I lovin' it! I am really into trucks and cars now. I can recognize trucks in books, I drive them all over the house complete with sound effects, I see them on the road while my Mommy drives me around and I even have them on my pajamas!

I have moved up a level at school and feel like the big kid on campus. I can walk myself into school, go to my classroom, say hi to my teachers and friends and it's adios to Mommy & Daddy! I don't even cry! I love visiting my sister who is right down the hall. I get to walk down there by myself (I think my teacher watches me), say hello and she walks me back to my room. I love to play outside, if I could, I would be outside all day. But my blankey calls and I'm out for a good two hour nap each day.

I love to watch football with my Daddy and I can even say the word! I love to play with my soccer ball, wiffle ball, plush ball and just about any ball. I can throw and catch pretty well, and my Mommy gets pretty excited when I kick and run with the ball. I also love to dance!

I adore my sister and basically try to do everything she does. If she is walking backwards, I walk backwards. If she is brushing her teeth, I brush my teeth. If she is screaming at the top of her lungs, guess what I do? She is the best. Sometimes she yells at me, but I don't care, I still love her.

I'm growing up so fast, at least that's what everyone tells me... followed by a big ol' kiss. I kinda like that though, I give a big ol' kiss back!

if anyone has any pointers...

2012-01-05T10:00:00.000-05:00

....on how to get small children to look at one camera and SMILE, please send them my way!!! We had no luck... my mom actually came around and took a picture of all the parents making fools of ourselves trying to entertain the kids to make them smile. No luck, believe me, this is the best one I have. I took about 80! Hilarious!

Stella (thank you.. the only one looking at my camera) Tillman, Caden, Reese and Lily

Christmas in Review

2012-01-04T22:12:00.001-05:00

Love this... photo credit - HUBBY!!!

Decorating the tree

Making sure Santa's reindeer get some food too

"I Love my cars!" Tillman really enjoys his new cars & trucks, he has even mastered a little truck sound when he plays.

A Cardboard Box House! Yep, it was a hit! Reese and Tillman LOVE it!

We had many beautiful days on the lake in Georgia.

Reese laughing with Meme

We hit several parks... always make time to dance!

We took a day trip to Athens... We stopped by a zoo and saw a bear!

The bears were pretty cute at this zoo!

More walks with Tillman... I wonder what he is talking about?

Happy with his new fire truck.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T08:03:00.001-05:00

Northern Travels

2011-12-23T21:54:00.000-05:00

We traveled (by car!) to just outside DC to visit my family for Christmas. It was wonderful! Cousins got to see each other. I saw my cousins, aunts, uncles, mom, dad, my Mimi... it was wonderful!

My mom brought back Snoopy Sno-cone Machine... I think my sister and I got that for Christmas at their age.

Tillman & Stella

Lily & Reese love to dress up.

These are just a few pics of the cousins. I have too many to go through, that's a good thing!

Loving this...

2011-12-17T09:52:00.001-05:00

And it works!!! It sends you to a Christmas video on YouTube! What a cute idea. Maybe I'll try one next year.
This one is from Etsy. http://www.etsy.com/listing/87015678/letterpress-qr-code-holiday-card

Our humble Christmas decorating....

2011-12-11T22:17:00.001-05:00

Decided on no tree this year... Are we Bah Humbug? Whats the deal? Well, we are traveling north for 5 days, then heading to the lake for Christmas and beyond, then we are going to Charlotte for New Years. Decorating the house just wasn't in the cards. We get to enjoy my sister's festive house and my mother-in-law's warm Christmas decorations at the lake. But we couldn't NOT put Reese's tree up in her room. Actually, that has been enough. She loves her tree and hasn't even mentioned another tree, or lack of....
Anyway, I attempted lights and wreaths outside too. Not a good picture but I enjoy looking at it as I drive home each day.

Getting ready for Christmas!!!

2011-11-30T23:01:00.001-05:00

Tonight, I ventured to the attic for the Christmas boxes. I was specifically looking for that little elf who will be showing up every day. I also brought down Reese's tree and some books and a wreath. You should have heard Reese squeal with excitement when she saw her tree emerge from the attic. She started decorating right away, it was hilarious! It was so fun trimming the tree with her. I hope she keeps this love for Christmas for a long long time. We didn't finish tonight, we have a bit more to do to the tree and the rest of her room.

Their school pictures came today. I was happy with their individual shots, but not so much of the two of them together. Oh well.

Thanksgiving 2011 recap

2011-11-27T21:07:00.001-05:00

We had a pretty amazing Thanksgiving! Spending it with Hubby's family at the lake... We were so lucky to get to spend time with all of Meme's siblings (the Tillman Family!). We have not seen all of her siblings at once since our wedding six years ago! We had the best food ALL weekend long! We basically had TWO Thanksgivings, one Thursday and another on Friday. WOW! And we had the most perfect weather! We had so many people we were counting on being able to have family eat outside on the deck and we did! Gorgeous! This was the sight Thanksgiving morning....

We know what we are getting Tillman for Christmas! His very own football. As the guys were tossing, or shall I say rifling it at each other, Tillman didnt take his eyes off of the ball. He wanted to throw it too... or in this case, just hold it.

While the guys were outside, Reese was helping out in the kitchen, something she loves to do! There is Meme in the background putting the last finishing touches on the turkey, while Aunt Tricia patiently lets Reese scoop out the biscuits.

Tillman cracks me up in this picture! He looks like he is busting out of his shirt and pants. Too much turkey for this little guy!

Reese was sooooo excited to have cousins Carter, Avery (below) and Morgan come over! Hubby has two cousins on his father's side and we were thrilled to have them all over! Carter & Avery are several months older than Reese and it's wonderful to have them all get together. They enjoyed playing rockets, playing in the kayaks, playing on the swings, running around, but mostly playing with the rockets!

This picture cracks me up because it's so typical of three year olds. "Let's all get together for a picture." And then they are all doing thier own thing... I love how Carter is still looking through the binoculars!

We got one!!!

The following picture is of my Hubby's mom and siblings... Also her precious Aunt Jean is in the middle with her two children as well. It was a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with family!

Happy Turkey Day

2011-11-24T19:22:00.001-05:00

So much to be thankful for! Hubby, Reese, Tillman, family, friends, wonderful job, health and much much more! Wow, feeling so blessed.

Craft by Reese

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weekend pics

2011-11-21T06:30:00.000-05:00

Reese played camping all weekend, complete with stars, bears and smores... here's her tent. Looks cozy.

Tillman likes to hit the ball with the bat, he hits it any way he can... not quite a full swing, but he's got that motion started... below is my pic of him picturing he just hit it out of the park for the first time.

gynastics love

2011-11-20T13:00:00.001-05:00

Thursdays are the highlight of Reese's week because it's GYMNASTICS DAY! It has really been a great thing for her to participate in. She loves the obstacle course, beam, bars, and especially the trampoline... her favorite!!! "Jumping Reese, Jumping Reese, do a little hop, hop hop, turn around, turn around, 'till you hear a plop, KER-PLOP" - We sing this DAILY in our house for the past two years!!! seriously! Anyway... she's out there all by herself and she listens so well to the teacher.. except when she's watching the big kids do something and she can daydream until the line backs up behind her and all the other kids from her class are bumping up behind her...

jumpin around

2011-11-13T18:26:00.001-05:00

He spent a long time on this going up and down. I wish we had one... he was getting pretty good.

Reese flying through the room over the pit...

Birthday girl was the best at swinging through the air into the pit.

I wish I could crop from this laptop so you can see the huge smile on his face. Tbone loved it!

Tillman called his peeps to set up a playdate at a jumpy house/gymnastics place... he wanted some company at a birthday party Reese was invited to... All the kids had a blast on real gymnastics contraptions.They had a pit they all jumped into, they jumped forever on multiple trampolines and glided through the air in a swing that was on a pulley contraption. Wild! Tillman even got a ride! Great place to have a birthday party!

T Bone walks!!

2011-11-06T22:04:00.004-05:00

And here's proof! He's so proud!

weekend wrap up

2011-11-06T21:08:00.001-05:00

Some new exciting developments this weekend at the lake... Tillman started walking!!! yea!!! Tillman now likes to swing! I'll post a video later...

Not so successful developments.. attempt at family Christmas card... there is always someone not looking... how do photographers capture these perfect moments??!!!

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T21:04:00.000-04:00

Here are a few girls in her class at today's Halloween Parade. It was pretty cute. Reese started a few weeks ago saying she wanted to be a princess.... and she didnt forget it or let it go. So, I guess that meant that she really wanted to be a princess. So, Cinderella it was... Below is her "best friend" at school... they were really cute holding hand together during the parade.

Tillman was brought around today at the parade by one of his teachers. (Tillman's giving me a look wondering why Im not holding him... this is the best picture I have of him all day.) Tillman was a sock monkey, I guess. I couldnt get it together enough this weekend for Tillman to be a pirate... that was Reese's idea.

Fantastic

2011-10-30T21:34:00.002-04:00

What a fantastic day to wear their "God Made Me Fantastic" shirts from Buckhead Church. I think this is such a cute tshirt. Reese's teachers bought her this shirt and gave her a tattoo she is trying to show off... or is she giving me an excuse to strangle her brother??? either way... they look pretty FANTASTIC, dontcha think?

walking??

2011-10-29T21:49:00.001-04:00

I had to post a video so you can see T-bone getting around... he prefers knee-walking and gets around pretty well. He does walk when you hold his one hand just like Reese is doing.... but he's getting there... He will find his stride.

Can you say, MAMA?

2011-10-23T21:13:00.003-04:00

Aparently not... still working on it though...

back door friends...

2011-10-23T20:21:00.000-04:00

We are fortunate to live on a street with a lot of kids around Reese's age. And right next door is one of Reese's best friends, Savannah. The two of them get along so well... running between our back yards in and out of our houses until one of the parents says it's time to go. Lately, Savannah has started to come over on her own and knock on our back door. It's so cute! Reese just squeals with excitement and runs to the door. Today was no exception... there was a knock, and Reese raced to the back door to greet an equally excited Savannah. They played and played... It's so nice to have neighbors like that!

And all Tillman wants to do is be apart of the fun. Tillman was having no part of me taking pictures of him, he just wants to be over where the girls are.

Dyslexia Dash

2011-10-22T21:20:00.001-04:00

We had a fun morning this morning at the Dyslexia Dash. The Schenck School had an impressive turn out! I wanted to take pictures and run/walk but Tillman had other plans. He was pretty fussy aka tired and I ended up trying to appease him instead of running/walking. But it turned out pretty well. I stopped with a friend while Tillman slept to take pictures of the rest of our team as they ran by us to the finish line. We cheered everyone on and had a good time.

I might have ran a whole mile out of the 3.1 total miles of the race, but hey, who's counting!?

Reese joined a friend to walk with for a short time. I think they were the very last people in the race. The cop car is just turning the corner behind them.

Then she raced to join Hubby and Tillman. Is that Tillman walking back there!!??? Yes, but only when you hold his hand. He still prefers to walk on his knees. I have to get a video of that.

Some Saturday Snapshots

2011-10-15T21:36:00.001-04:00

Proud Mama

2011-10-12T21:12:00.001-04:00

I'm proud like only a Mama can be...

Rainy Day Crafty

2011-10-11T22:43:00.001-04:00

sewing class

2011-10-09T20:18:00.001-04:00

I'm taking a sewing class at Intown Quilters, a beautiful sewing shop that makes me happy just entering it's space. So needless to say, I'm pretty excited to get to pick out a project and sew for a few hours on a Saturday. It's an apparel class, so I picked out something for Reesie to wear. (if Im lucky!). The first pattern I choose was from modkid boutique, she is right here in Atlanta and designs fabric for Michael Miller and also designs the cutest clothes... so that's one project with her fabrics I chose above for the skirt. Click here to see the pattern.

I'm starting the class with a pattern by Burda... I wanted to choose a simple pattern so I'm currently working on a corduroy jumper. Reese is holding up the front panel. I have a good start, but I'm getting stuck on the pockets and lining. hmmm.... But the fabric is pretty cute, light pink corduroy with little applique apples. I can't wait for the finished product!

Loving the slide

2011-10-02T20:28:00.001-04:00

This picture is a fake video clip. Don't click on the play button, it's just a picture. Believe me, you don't want to hear me screaming into the phone while Tillman is sliding down. "yeeeeaaaaaa"
The picture says it all. He's doing it all by himself now, climbing up and sliding down. He loves it.

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saturday happenings....

2011-10-01T20:23:00.002-04:00

Tillman's pumped that he got his first pair of shoes today... Gray Vans.

And Reese is concentrating on her bracelet she made at the High Point Elementary Fall Festival today.

Bookworm

2011-09-25T20:49:00.001-04:00

Tillman loves to flip through books... He actually loves taking books OFF the shelf, then placing them ON the shelf, taking books OUT of his locker bins, then back IN his locker bins. In the middle of all that he takes time to flip though several books. He's also "reading" in the car. We have a ton of small board books from Chic-fil-a that they both like to read while in the car. It's really cute how Reese gives one to Tillman and when she is ready, she will swap books with him. I can't believe it even holds his attention but he is in the routine now of flipping through a book, then giving it back to his older sister.

picture happy

2011-09-24T21:40:00.000-04:00

Playing with a Nikon D90.... I really LOVE the photos it takes.... obviously I LOVE the subjects.

Friday is Paint Day

2011-09-23T17:03:00.004-04:00

I love that Reese's teacher posts pictures of her during her school day. It's like I am there and I get to ask her more direct questions about her day. Then she gets to tell me who all her friends are too. Every Friday is easel painting day. Looks like fun.

Playing in the dirt...

2011-09-21T21:55:00.001-04:00

Went to Chastain Park today and spent most of the time right on the ground...and we all loved it.

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Flying high this weekend...

2011-09-19T22:35:00.001-04:00

Yep, that's Reese being thrown in the air. "one more time, one more time" was all she said.

Tillman crawls up everything now at parks. He's figured out how to climb UP the slides. That really gives me a scare because I don't know which end to cover! Will he slide back down? Or do I need to get my butt up to the top of that slide in a hurry?

Reese ran a lot of "races" today with Hubby and I. "On your marks, get set, GO!"

T Bone playin' it cool after the park in his new Paul Frank shades.
What a beautiful weekend it was. The weather is perfect!

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Toddler Activities

2011-09-17T17:38:00.001-04:00

Reese is at the age where she is starting to enjoy doing activities with identifying letters & sounds, comparing shapes, cutting, matching, sorting, etc.

Well I stumbled upon both of the following blogs on Pinterest that are of the home-school variety who make their own packets for their toddlers. They are FREE printables with worksheets and fun activities to do. Why recreate the wheel? These are great!

I love this Halloween packet from Over the Big Moon. The packet includes activities on sorting, counting, coloring, numbers, beginning sounds and more... 24 pages! The colors are great too.

The screen shot on the left is from Oopsie Daisey. Her Mommy School section has tons of packets for each letter of the alphabet. Wow!

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Another clever chalkboard idea

2011-09-16T18:17:00.001-04:00

I wish I can claim this.... It's a great little project to do with all those worn out board books you have lying around. Transform it into something fun and useful for the kids. Whipup.net show all the details.

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Reese....

2011-09-11T21:02:00.003-04:00

Reese has really improved her attitude towards her brother as of late. And that's a good thing! She talks so sweetly to him, (c'mon buddy) telling us what he needs (tillman needs more puffs), comforting him when he cries and she is sharing a lot more with him. She is discovering how to be playful with him... chasing him around the house, tickling him, making him laugh. She is so sweet. Yes, we still have our moments, but overall, she is getting so much better. Reese has recently started school and loves it. She really hit it off with her teacher last year and I was wondering if she would miss her, but it turns out that she sees her once a week in Music Class anyway! What a wonderful thing! She likes her classmates and she was already telling us about her new friend Lexy when she came home the first day. I'm so proud of her (knowing her alphabet, wanting to learn more, singing all the time, loving going to church and school, pretending and making up grand stories, mastering potty-training, attending gymnastics, listening to mommy & daddy, being so observant, remembering her manners.....) and I'm loving every moment of this sweet, sweet stage she is in.

Tillman's room

2011-09-11T20:44:00.000-04:00

Don't think I ever posted pics of Tillman's room yet. Here are a few to get a feel for his room. All the full shot pictures I took all came out pretty blah... so here they are. We used the same black crib and dresser we had in Reese's room. I placed alphabet vinyl letters above his crib, a map of the United States above his dresser and locker organizers below his bookcase. All from Land of Nod by the way... As you can tell the teacher in me had great influence in the room. I was going to paint a space in the room with chalkboard paint just like Reese's room, but I found a better idea today here.

I love it! I think it would go well with the metal lockers. Guess what this is? It's a oil-drip pan you can buy at a local automotive shop for 9.99! Isn't that fabulous!? I have read that you have to give it a good cleaning before you hang it up due to the grease on the pan, but it's not that bad. You can use it just about anywhere... kitchen, classroom, bedrooms, etc... With everyone now having the stainless fridge, this is a great alternative. I still may paint in the room, but not anytime soon. I'll probably give this a try first. I love the idea!

I love being in Tillman's room. There seems to be a lot of space when the bed is a crib. Tillman loves to take his books out of the locker containers and place them back in. When I am changing him, I distract him by checking out all the fun drawings on the map. He knows the word map and when I ask him where it is, he points to it. He loves that thing. After changing, he stands up and points and grunts at the different states.

We have also hung up a family crest of the name Tillman, which is actually spelled, Tilghman. It's really neat, and goes well in the room with it's black frame. Hubby's cross-stitched birth announcement is framed and hung on the wall. (do you remember those, I think everyone had one back in the 70's) I also have a cross that has belonged in my family for generations that I will hang up too.

Baby food is for Babies....

2011-09-09T21:14:00.002-04:00

Tillman has made it pretty clear he will NOT eat baby food anymore. Just seeing the jar would make him cry and writhe in his highchair. So, we are happy to say, he is loving every "table" food we have offered him so far. He is eating up cantaloupe, honeydew, corn, carrots, green beans, mashed potatoes, pasta with red sauce (above) and trying it out with a spoon too! I feel like this has all happened overnight! He does not like to be rocked after reading books anymore, it's just straight to bed with him. That happened overnight too! Just like that, Tillman, you are going to abandon your Mama like that and want to hop in your crib with no calm rocking? hmmpp! I'll have to find my snuggling time somewhere else with you. I am proud of you Tillman for growing up, eating big boy food, falling to sleep on your own, and taking more steps towards officially walking. Your are growing up and that's what it's all about.

Official Birthday Celebration

2011-09-04T22:44:00.000-04:00

More icing, please

Who is going to blow out this thing? Sister, I need your help.

Yum!

I love books!

I love my sister even more!!

We had a small celebration at the lake this weekend for Tillman's first birthday. He wasn't to interested in his cupcake, until Mimi started feeding him the icing.... Then he couldn't get enough! We had to cut him off! He loved all the presents he received. THANK YOU!!

Happy 1st Birthday Tillman

2011-09-02T16:11:00.001-04:00

What a great big smile you have! Happy Birthday, T Bone!

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The True Gentleman

2011-08-31T10:32:00.001-04:00

Originally written by John Walter Wayland in 1899, this has been adopted by SAE fraternity and the US Naval Academy. Pretty good words to live by!

"The True Gentleman is the man whose conduct proceeds from good will and an acute sense of propriety, and whose self-control is equal to all emergencies; who does not make the poor man conscious of his poverty, the obscure man of his obscurity, or any man of his inferiority or deformity; who is himself humbled if necessity compels him to humble another; who does not flatter wealth, cringe before power, or boast of his own possessions or achievements; who speaks with frankness but always with sincerity and sympathy; whose deed follows his word; who thinks of the rights and feelings of others, rather than his own; and who appears well in any company, a man with whom honor is sacred and virtue safe."

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Big helper at school

2011-08-22T06:43:00.002-04:00

I had to do few things at school yesterday and decided to bring Reese. She usually colors or looks through books, but yesterday she wanted to "press the buttons." So, I showed her a few things on the computer and she had a blast pressing the letters and numbers and discovering them up on the screen. The one thing she did complain about was not getting the exact letter that matched the keyboard. Hmmmm.... So I clicked Caps Lock and all was good. She printed it out with a little help, of course, and colored her masterpiece.

Then she helped me with a bulletin board. She really was a lot of help. She loves visiting my school and it's fun seeing her excitement.

Earlier that morning when we were at Buckhead Church, I saw the thing no parent wants to see during the sermon. Tillman's room number and number showed up alerting us to come and get him from his Sunday School room. Oh no!

Last week the poor guy had a fever of 103.1, felt lousy, threw up, runny nose, didn't eat as well, all the while having several teeth come in. However, by Friday, he was feeling much better and no fever. But then Saturday, he broke out with this rash. The church wanted to alert us and better safe than sorry. He does not do well in church nurseries, so the poor thing looked worse than he really was. Crying, red splotches all over, runny nose.... He looked sick, but wasn't. I was grateful that they alerted us. And I was scared for a moment that it was something worse. But as soon as I picked him up, he calmed down. We watched the remaining service in the lobby where he ate cherrios they gave him and where he could check out all the people walking by while I listened to Andy Stanley. Tillman was perfectly content. When I got home I called the nurse and she confirmed it was Roseola and that he was fine. Whew.

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bulldozers, rocks, and chains

2011-08-19T18:14:00.001-04:00

Down at the end of our street they are building more townhomes. We noticed bulldozers down there so we took a walk to watch the excitement and hang out with our neighbor. Reese and Savannah were interested for a while, then decided to go rock hunting. And Tillman enjoyed getting up close to the dump truck! Construction is always fascinating at this age...

3 year check up

2011-08-16T22:07:00.001-04:00

I can't blame her, most doctor's visits are not always pleasant. Hence, the worried, "mommy, why did you bring me here?" look.

It actually was pretty painless - literally - no immunizations! Whew!

The doctor looked at her toe-walking and referred us to Physical Therapy. Which I'm happy with because while she needs help with that issue, she favors her right leg. (walking up&down stairs, etc) And she needs to strengthen her left - the knee with the juvenile idiopathic arthritis. While she has had no issues with flare ups, we also got a referral to the Rheumatologist.

Reese measures in at 38 1/2 inches and 34 pounds. Right at the 75th %-tile.

We ended the trip by going to get an ice cream cone. She was in heaven. Life is good!

Trip to the library

2011-08-15T22:30:00.001-04:00

It wasn't a very good trip to the library, I must say. Most of the time the kids were running/crawling away, yanking books of the shelf, and getting chastised by the librarian! Yikes! I guess we will continue to go to Barnes & Noble where they have trains, stuffed animals, we can talk above a whisper, and staff that know us by name. Although, I want to keep going back, despite possible evil-eyes from the librarian because the teacher in me knows the importance in having children appreciate and follow "library etiquette."

During our good moments, Reese wanted to read me a book and pretended she was a teacher. (correcting bad behavior and everything) oh my!

Then Tillman was pretty much occupied with a bin filled with board books. He would take the books out, put them back, take them out, put them back and so on. However, when he saw Pat the Bunny, he took a break to read it. I was amazed when he did every activity on his own! (that's all Daddy!!)

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bubbles

2011-08-15T10:24:00.000-04:00

Aunt Abbie gave Reese this bubble maker and boy did she have fun!

Break on thru to the other side....

2011-08-14T08:29:00.000-04:00

Finally! Tillman is getting 3 teeth at once! ouch! There's one breaking through on the bottom. And the other two are on the top. We still change his slobber shirts a few times a day because they are SOAKING wet and we watch constantly with what he puts in his mouth. (just about everything) Looking forward for this phase to pass. I'm proud of you Buddy!

Happy Birthday Pics & I'm no Cake Boss

2011-08-13T22:19:00.000-04:00

Reese's birthday weekend was fantastic! Reese was so excited about eating her chocolate cake, blowing out the candles and turning three. She really did not care too much about opening presents and luckily for me, she could care less about how ridiculous her birthday cake turned out! I'll tell ya, this is the last year I'm making a cake! I like the thought of making and decorating the cake, but in reality... I STINK at it! First of all, a crevasse formed as I was icing the cake. (not a good sign)

Then Friday night during dinner time, the pinata that was hanging from the chandelier above the cake FELL smack dab in the middle of the cake! Not good! Reese did not even care, but that is the last time I make a cake. I'll stick to cupcakes, thank you very much. And this is more evidence of why I'm buying the next cake. Click here to see Hubby's sinkhole disaster of a cake.

Cake disaster aside, Tillman liked it too. This is just a warm up of yummy deliousousness to come in one more month, buddy!

Reese enjoyed the fun treats inside her pinata. And enjoyed opening all her gifts! Thank you all so much!! I would say this was the year of the Hello Kitty. All she wanted for her birthday was a Hello Kitty book. There was not much out there as far as books, but I managed to find an activity book and she was in heaven. However, everyone else found so much more. She received two Hello Kitty t-shirts that she loves have worn already. She received the cutest Hello Kitty purse and hair clips. She even received a rhinestone hair clip in the shape of Hello Kitty.... very fancy!!! WOW! She loves it all! Pooh made quite an impression too this year and she loves all the Winnie the Pooh items.... A puzzle (the clever kind that features Pooh and friends with an actual picture of Reese in the puzzle!), coloring books, cards and a Tigger. She is one lucky gal, thank you so much everyone!

Getting ready

2011-08-06T08:36:00.002-04:00

We are at the lake and getting ready to celebrate Reese's 3rd birthday today! Wow, how times flies. When I asked Reese what she was excited about her party today, she answered "I get to eat cake!"

I made the piñata this past week thanks to Simply Modern Mom. It was pretty easy.

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Making the bday cake

2011-08-05T00:50:00.001-04:00

Reese has requested a chocolate cake with vanilla icing for her birthday. So that's what we made today for her celebration at the lake on Saturday. And the only thing she's asking for her birthday is a Hello Kitty book.

Today she asked me if she turns three when she blows out the candles on her birthday cake. Hmmmm, I never thought of that, but sure.... that should be the moment we turn a year older. We make a wish, blow out our candles and instantly turn a year older... what a magical moment.

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TJY - 11 months

2011-08-01T22:33:00.001-04:00

Tillman James at 11 months...

has the biggest smile EVER, just two teeth still
sleeps on his tummy holding a blanket
likes to hug and snuggle
gets into EVERYTHING! we will have to really baby proof with this one.
likes to play peekaboo
crawls up steps
climbs up on anything he can
loves checking out the refrigerator, whenever it's open, he speeds on over and wants to be inside.
he does not like hearing "no" from anyone
he is teething like mad
he enjoys flipping through books
he enjoys smiling at strangers
he loves people
he does not like being held by many other people though
he likes to throw balls
he opens his mouth so wide when really excited
has a high-pitched scream when he is frustrated
he said, "jet ski" at the lake this past week.. really! He said it a few times after I said it. Or at least he said something very, very close to it both times as a jet ski went by.
he wears 18-24 month clothes
he suddenly looks like a little boy to me
he puts anything and everything in his mouth
so naturally, he is starting to eat table food
he kneels down on one knee, while he stands on the other foot. It looks like he can take off walking at any moment, but he does not like the whole hand-holding and walking bit.

I really CAN NOT believe that he will be one year old next month. It's very hard to believe! Where did this year go?
Check out Reese's 11 month picture... HA!

Out on the links

2011-07-30T17:13:00.003-04:00

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Enjoying the lake

2011-07-27T14:14:00.002-04:00

I'm so glad Reese & Tillman love the water! Reese has her floaty and just swims, or shall I say paddles all around. She even paddled 100 feet out from our dock to the little yellow ball we have floating. (we were with her swimming near her) I'm going to enroll her in swimming lessons next month. We are looking forward to it. Tillman just splashes around and dunks his face in the water.

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Kayaking with Reese

2011-07-26T12:41:00.002-04:00

We took the kayaks out this morning with Reese. We headed across the way to a small beach and I think Reese had a better time playing with the sand than riding in our kayaks.

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Location:Lake Oconee

birthday countdown

2011-07-22T06:31:00.001-04:00

Someone is getting excited for her birthday! Reese will be turning three in August and it has been fun counting the days with her until her birthday. THREE??!!! WHAT??!! (I apologize for the worst picture ever... I wanted to get a picture of her so excited!)

Summer Staycation

2011-07-21T20:38:00.002-04:00

I had a girls night Tuesday night at a friend's home in Buckhead. It was fabulous! Upon entering the driveway, you felt like you were driving up to a mountain lodge. We did not feel at all like we were in the city of Atlanta. It was a great getaway. We all arrived around two o'clock and had drinks around the beautiful saltwater pool until dinnertime. We treated ourselves to crab cakes and flank steak out on the front porch overlooking the wooded front lawn. Dinner was delicious! Thank you Dennise! Conversation lasted until late with lots of wine. And I slept in until 8:30! It was a dream! It was the perfect mid-week getaway. Thank you ladies, I so much enjoyed it!

crafty saturday

2011-07-17T14:43:00.000-04:00

Reese needed a place to store all her hairclips. I have seen these all over Etsy and decided to give it a whirl myself. I went to Michaels yesterday, bought my supplies and during naptime, came up with this. It came out pretty well considering it was my first try at it. I bought extra supplies so certain special nieces can have one too! Shhh...
Those very same nieces have a special grandma, Nonnie, who just sent Reese a ton of the cutest hairclips. Wow! She loves them all. She certainly enjoys choosing the hairclip of the day. It has to match. Then she will say, "Oh, I just loooooove pink, that's my favorite!" When yesterday, red was her favorite. :)

Going Bananas for Pooh

2011-07-16T22:12:00.003-04:00

Tillman likes bananas! And he is doing a great job of eating them too. We need to get him eating more table food. I'm always at a loss of what to offer at that next stage though. Bananas were a great start, he loves them. He's finally eating off his plate from Olliegraphic... I just love her stuff! Reese eats off of her plate everyday!

And Reese went to her first movie with Daddy today! They went to see Winnie the Pooh. She loved it. She had to bring the star of the show, of course. She had popcorn and chocolate covered raisins. What a treat!

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

2011-07-13T20:48:00.000-04:00

I highly recommend this - my sister and my friends and I would do this a lot as kids and Reese and I did it today.... start fake laughing with someone, making up different kinds of laughs, mimic other people's laughs, then before you know it you are truly busting a gut! It's great! Reese asked me to laugh today so I made up a few different laughs (Beavis & Butthead kind) and she started to do the same, then we were both laughing hysterically. It was so funny! I loved being able to do that with her. It brought back memories as well as just made me feel good. I totally recommend it! Go ahead.. Laugh!

We have been going to the pool, going to the bookstore, and going to indoor play thingys.. (forget the name of them) Reese calls them "Jumpy Houses" to stay cool. As always, Reese enjoyed the Jumpy House today and Tillman enjoyed throwing all the balls out of his tub of balls. That's all he wanted to do. I hope this kid has an arm!

back in the saddle?

2011-07-11T21:21:00.000-04:00

The answer is no... I ran the Save Our Skin 5k a few weekends ago, hoping it would light a fire in me to start running again. All I got was a luke warm feeling. Good news is that I did not die, considering I have not literally run in a very, very, VERY long time! Maybe if I stare at this picture long enough, I'll believe I'm a runner.. Once a runner, always a runner, right? Maybe all I have to do is get out there and "just do it" and that runner's high will overcome that part of my brain that will sign up for all these races and I'll actually run! So, if you wanna run sometime, let me know and maybe I'll join you. How's THAT for commitment?

Happy Independence (from diapers) Day!!

2011-07-04T14:16:00.001-04:00

This morning we went to nearby Dunwoody to celebrate in their July 4th festivities. It was a great parade and Reese and Tillman seemed to enjoy it. Reese said she liked the soldiers marching and we think Tillman enjoyed the music. Once we heard music, he started movin', dancing and smiling, nearly jumping out of Hubby's arms! This guy loves music!

And you read the title correctly, not only are we celebrating this nation's independence, we are celebrating NO DIAPERS for Reese! Everyone is thrilled! She has been doing a great job so far and we have tested it while out to friend's houses, shopping, and parades! :) We are very proud of her!

So, I hope you have a lot to celebrate as well this July 4th! Whoooo hooooo!

Tillman - 10 months

2011-07-03T22:50:00.000-04:00

Tillman's 10th month has not started out smoothly. He's been extremely irritable, wanting only to be held, runny nose, he's tugging at his ears and getting so worked up... poor fella. No fever, but teething. As he enters his 10th month, Tillman is showing us more love than ever by hugging us, snuggling, leaning into us, reaching out.... yet showing another side too. He gets frustrated and screams, wants to bite, furrows his brow. However, most of the time, he is the sweetest boy. I just love him.

getting into everything...

2011-07-01T19:49:00.000-04:00

Tillman is getting around, into, over, under, in between everything!!! He got himself into our stools and entertained himself in there for a while. The only time he hurt himself was when he bit into the wood to relieve his teething pain. But other than that, he liked it in there. He was hootin' and hollorin', having a good ol' time.
Today he turns 10 months! WOW! The formal pics to follow....

Lately he has been enjoying this book, I'll See You In the Morning. It's in the bedtime reading rotation now. I think it looks just like Tillman. The little boy has a "high n tight" just like Tillman's hair.

gated community

2011-06-26T22:40:00.000-04:00

Tillman is getting up and crawling around and we are now, officially, a gated community. The gates are back up and for good reason, this little guy is motoring! He's standing up on everything and he even made it up the steps! Yikes!

Lately, Tillman has been having a BALL with this soccer ball. We throw the ball, he picks it up, bites it, and throws it back, laughing the whole time. Hubby put his crib down to the lowest level today... my boy is growing up so fast! I would like to add more, but I'm literally sooooo exhausted. I just know that I love this kid more and more each day. I'm so grateful he is in my life.

our new birthday wall

2011-06-22T18:48:00.001-04:00

Reese has been interested lately in birthdays always asking when family member's special days are. Particularly wondering if someone's is coming up or already past. So, I decided to show her in pictures. I'm printing out family members and special friends' pictures and placing them on their month. I still have more to print. But at least she knows that her cousin Stella and Aunt Karen's birthdays already happened this month and her momma and her teachers birthday is coming up next month. It was easy to do and if I have time, I might print out better quality pics of everyone.

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T09:03:00.000-04:00

This is what Reese & Tillman gave to Hubby. Cool Mom Picks suggested it and it ended up coming from this Etsy shop. I know I'm biased, but I must say that my Hubby is THE BEST Daddy... no seriously, he is! Just simply spend a few hours a day with him and you will see why!

This is a great reminder of what a great father looks like written by our pastor, Bryant Wright.

June has started as a blur...

2011-06-17T22:33:00.001-04:00

I can't believe it's June 17th and this month is more than half way over! The last thing I remember is the last week of school, then heading down to Destin. Well, it's been quite a few weeks and it has certainly been a blur for me. I'll try to recap the last three weeks.... My mom came down from Delaware to visit for the week. I started summer camp that week, so she was able to help me get ready. It's really summer school, so I needed to really prepare, not just bone up on my camp songs and be sure I had enough glue sticks for the arts and craft time. After that, we headed out of town to the lake for some R&R. The rest of the week was great having my mom around and for her to be with her grandchildren.

The day she left, however, was pretty bad! Our sump pump and sewer pipe EXPLODED leaving several inches of sewage in our basement! It was awful. Hubby and I did what we could to clean up the mess.. mostly Hubby did... and we moved everything out of the basement... drum set, guitars, bed, ect! He had people out the next day to replace and fix everything, and then the professional cleaners to do the rest. So, currently we have NOTHING in our basement. We have a cement floor, no baseboards, a foot or so missing of wall at the bottom of the wall all around the room! We are currently in the "reconstruction" phase. Good times!

The next day, I caught a flight up to Maryland and caught Strep Throat. The trip to Maryland was wonderful visiting family, getting strep throat for the third time in three months... not so fun! Luckily, I went straight to the doctors and received meds that night, so it wasn't that bad, I was just wiped out. Getting to see my family was awesome!! I got to celebrate my niece's first birthday! Happy Birthday, Stella! I attended a bridal shower of my cousin's fiancee. They are getting married in August! And then went to mass and a luncheon to honor my Aunt Kathy, who passed away in April. Whew... lots of family and lots of fun!

I was able to bring Tillman and he was the perfect child on the plane ride up and back! He makes such a great traveling buddy. I learned that he is a people person and lights up around lots of people, whether he knows them or not. So, the airport was a breeze. He enjoyed hanging with Stella and our other family members too.

Here is my 92 year old grandmother, Mimi.... still rockin' it!

Here is my other niece, Lily with my cousin's son, Caden. Two of the most cutest kids in Maryland... Ok, the Mid-Atlantic... Ok, the upper half of the country! I really enjoyed hanging with the kids too. I'm always impressed by them, not to mention, they crack me up!

We visited our old grade school, K-8..... Both my father and aunt attended as well. It's always a bit weird to go back... I always feel like I could get in trouble at any moment... and this time, was no exception!

Cousins - Stella, Lily & Tillman

My trip was a whirl-wind trip... so glad I could go up though! Now, I'm back teaching summer school and tutoring. I just organized myself at school this past week... it was a mess! The worst feeling for me at work is to feel unorganized and scattered, and that's how I felt. Apparently, it does not bother me as much at home, because we are living in a disaster area!!! Guess what I'm doing this weekend! Time to clean!

June has certainly felt like summer already... we have hit the pool a couple of times and when we don't we have our little one in the back yard to cool off. I'm beginning to slow down and settle in to our summer....Yesterday, Reese and I made cupcakes. yum!

Beach Bum - Tillman @ 9 months

2011-06-06T23:22:00.001-04:00

We recently returned from a fabulous trip down to Destin to visit my aunt and uncle. It happened to be when Tillman turned 9 months so I was able to get some beach shots. He loooooved the beach! He loved digging his fingers into the sand and did not seem to mind when the water would rush up and surround him. Amazing! He ate some sand and seaweed and didn't seem to mind that either! Anyway, we all had a blast and Hubby and I are excited that our children love the beach!

Took Tillman to his 9-month appointment today. Good News - no immunizations! Bad News - anemia test! That meant, head to the lab to draw blood! Huh?? Reese's doctors never tested for that! So, what you are telling me is that I have to take my baby boy and hold him while he gets blood drawn from his little arm after you cut off circulation to look for a vein?! I was a little alarmed, but knew that is was going to be ok. We have been through worse with Reese and knew that this was routine (their routine, not mine!) and that it was going to be ok. The little guy was really strong and needed an extra nurse to hold him still. And finally, they were able to draw some blood. As soon as the needle was out, he stopped crying and turned back into happy baby. Whew!

The boy checked out well. All he has is some eczema on his face, but other than that, he is a healthy bouncing baby boy weighing in at 27.7 lbs! Off the charts! And he is 28 1/2 inches... 60th %-tile. Pretty good! (And he is wearing 18-month size clothes.) I'm proud of my boy, he did well today.

Happy Birthday, Aunt Kathy

2011-06-01T22:49:00.000-04:00

This is not meant to be a sad post, I just wanted to post a few pictures of my dear Aunt Kathy who passed away this past April on Good Friday. She grew up with an older brother and younger brother (my dad) who loved her, yet also drove her nuts. She grew up playing competitive tennis and gave me my first tennis racquet when I was 5. I still remember the wooden racquet with the personalized "Kimmie" cover... white with blue letters. I thought it was the coolest thing EVER! I would visit her in Florida where she showed me around her tennis club.

The above picture is Aunt Kathy on her First Holy Communion. She grew up Catholic and we attended the same Catholic School. She is my God-mother too. She taught me to respect the Catholic religion, however she also taught me a few good swear words as well for good measure. She was always good at looking at both sides of a situation.

Here she is more recently. She always loved my hubby and she wasn't afraid to talk about it! :) And the other photo is the only one I had with my sister and I. (Karen was preggers... sorry about the pic) She also loved my kids, always keeping up with them and wanting to get together. In my adult years, we both lived in Georgia, so we saw each other regularly. I'm so glad I moved to Atlanta for many reasons, and one was that I remained pretty close to her. She was a great confidant, always willing to lend an ear, not judgemental, and knew not to give too much advice. She just listened. She taught me how to play backgammon, to not be afraid of anyone, how to make a dollar stretch, how to laugh at a bad situation, how to hit a tennis ball, and how to appreciate life.

Here she is with her brothers. The above picture was taken in 1947 and I'm not sure when the picture below was taken. I just liked it.

Puppy Love

2011-05-30T12:12:00.001-04:00

My aunt & uncle have an adorable dog, Abby. Reese is in love. "She is so soft!" Reese just loves dogs. She pretends to be Uncle Coleman's dog, Sam all the time. Is there a dog in our future?

We made it to the...

2011-05-29T15:40:00.001-04:00

We headed down to Destin to visit Aunt Marilyn & Uncle Steve Saturday morning. What a way to start our summer! We are having a blast!

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Location:Clipper Cove,Destin,United States

Horsin' around

2011-05-28T11:28:00.001-04:00

Reese & I took break from my run to sit and watch the horses. I love Chastain Park, it has it all.

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Welcome Home Daddy

2011-05-23T19:57:00.000-04:00

We welcomed home Daddy from The Hangout with a huge sign that we painted this afternoon. I took off all their clothes, except a diaper and headed out back to paint!Reese really got into it. I also traced her body on one huge piece of paper and let her paint that as well. When I told her to paint her "body"... guess what she did!? Yep, it was all over HER body... oh, well... She had a blast, I hosed her down and she jumped in the neighbors afterwards. She really got a kick out of the life size paper doll too! I actually traced Tillman too, but it looked like a big blob when I cut it out.

The best part was when Daddy actually arrived home. Reese was so excited and jumped into his arms. Tillman nearly jumped out of my arms too because he was so excited to see daddy. It was the cutest thing to see. Tillman leaned into him and actually gave him a hug and a wet slobbery kiss. I wish I had the Flip. It was the best!!

Hubby's mom was in town for the long weekend. She was awesome to have in town and be with the kids while I worked and be with me to keep me sane. :) THANK YOU!!! Reese and Tillman miss you already!

Pool time

2011-05-22T20:42:00.001-04:00

We set up the pool in the backyard and there were smiles all around!!

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red faced girl

2011-05-17T20:48:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I ran with Reese in the stroller and of course she wanted to do the same. She pushed her baby in the stroller while she ran. She did pretty well. I thought she would get tired, but we went back and forth along one strip of sidewalk along Chastain Park where we run. She got all red-faced and it wore her out! She didn't even get out of bed like she usually does at night. No games during bedtime... I guess she was worn out from all the games she pulled on Daddy all day long. It was a particularly trying day yesterday. Reese drew that line in the sand and it was a tough day for all. Then there's this guy....

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Tillmans Still Scooting Along...

2011-05-17T20:46:00.002-04:00

I had a wonderful time at the lake this weekend with some girlfriends... and Tillman. He was a very good boy and loved all the attention. It was good to have a little one-on-one time with him as well. At one point, we all thought that he was going to officially crawl.. or shall I say, crawl forward. He is close, so close. We were all on our hands and knees cheering him on, waving enticing objects in front of him and wearing our selves out... to no avail. He is starting the climbing stage and loves to hang on to things while standing up. He's getting there...

"Hey, Mommy... Look at me! I crawled (backwards) all the way under Reese's bed!"

We played The Game of Things this weekend... hilarious! If you are an old-fashioned "Gamer", you have to add it to your collection. Also, I have Strep Throat... AGAIN (twice in 4 weeks!) I woke up Sunday morning with a sore throat and it got progressively worse Monday. So, I went in and tested positive for the Strep. YUK! Antibiotics are the bomb! I didnt' go to work today because I'm still contagious, but I feel so much better now. Ready to finish out the school year. Only 7 more days until SUMMER!

TJY - 8 months

2011-05-05T21:12:00.003-04:00

This boy is just on the verge of getting into EVERYTHING! He wants everything you have in your hand. Tillman will cry an angry cry if you don't give it to him, and he particularly likes bottles... water bottles, Reese's cups, Hubby's empty Gatorade bottles, my turvis tumbler cups, you name it! He got his first tooth on April 21st and tooth number two popped through on May 1st. Tillman does this interesting thing with his hands when he is excited. He waves them up and down like he is explaining how bumpy his boat ride was. It's so funny to watch. I get a dose of it everyday when I come home from school. I love it! Tillman is wearing 18-month clothes! Tillman is like a runner on a starting block waiting to take off. He is in position to crawl and rocks back and forth like he is going to take off running any second. He prefers to be standing when you hold him. He wants to be standing up against you or something else. He is about to learn that he can pull up on something and stand on his own. His world is about to explode any day now. Once he can figure all this out... watch out! We have to get out our gates again!! Here we go...

Tillman is still so loving and snuggly... he loves to give you big ol' open,wet, slobbery kisses and hugs you too! He loves when Reese is around and laughs hysterically when she plays with him. I have officially stopped nursing, (kinda sad and kinda freeing too) so he is completely bottle fed with baby food too. Tillman loves to take baths and splash around. I love this stage!

Reese @ 8 months - http://kimsblankcanvas.blogspot.com/2009/04/reese-8-months.html

Reese's flowers

2011-05-05T20:54:00.001-04:00

Reese and I planted some flowers yesterday. She was a big help and now enjoys watering her flowers with her new watering can. Hopefully, I have not passed down my "black" thumb. Perhaps this will be a start to a love of gardening for her.

Helping out with Teacher Appreciation

2011-05-02T22:09:00.000-04:00

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week! Hooray for teachers!!! At my school, I am on a committee that helps brighten up teachers' days... so in honor of teacher appreciation week, we are giving each teacher a flower. Pikes Nurseries gave our school a small donation to help with costs, Skip to My Lou provided the cute (and free) print out, and several teachers helped out with bagging and organizing.... So, tomorrow morning the teachers at my school will have a small token of appreciation! Reese joined in too by sticking the stick in the dirt. She seemed to enjoy the task and she did a great job!

Easter Picture

2011-04-27T21:43:00.001-04:00

Pretty pitiful, isn't it? I couldn't convince Reese to get any closer to her little brother. This is pretty typical of their relationship right now, though. While Reese says, "ew, stay away" Tillman just smiles and is so happy to just be around her. We are really having to teach Reese how to react to Tillman. For example, he gets excited when she is around and tries to touch her. We have to tell her that he is just being playful and we are teaching her how to be playful towards him. We have seen better behavior from her lately, like giving him a toy, or talking to him nicely, or sharing, but then she also has her moments of acting nasty. It's not like we don't give her any attention, it's quite honestly the opposite at times. I sometimes feel like we give her MORE attention. If anyone should be acting out, it should be Tillman! I just pray it gets somewhat better over time. I don't want to settle for "Oh, it's just how sisters and brothers are." I know it can and will be better, Reese is still adjusting to being a big sister and she is still TWO! In time....

One man band

2011-04-25T11:27:00.001-04:00

He sings...

He plays the guitar...

And he bangs on the drums.

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A tooth!!

2011-04-24T14:59:00.001-04:00

You will have to trust me on this one, T finally got a tooth. It's nearly impossible to photograph, so this shows him eagerly gnawing on his wooden toy so that the others will soon pop through as well.

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Afternoon shenanigans

2011-04-11T22:06:00.001-04:00

After school today, I headed back with the kids for time at the playground. This is one of Reese's favorite things to do. All of a sudden, she needed to go to the bathroom. We used the bathroom (so proud of her) next to our music room. After peering in, it was all over. We spent the rest of our time checking out all the instruments. She loved it, it took quite a lot of coaxing to get us out of there.

We found a bucket of colorful scarves that had Tillman in stitches the whole time.

I had to post this shot. I really can't believe it. Reese was having such a good time she actually was hugging Tillman and making him laugh even more!

The she got me laughing when she slipped these on at dinner. I turned around and there she was sporting the winter shades. It was like she was testing me... "How long is it going to take for mom to realize I have these on at the dinner table?!"

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I don't wanna forget...

2011-04-09T16:51:00.001-04:00

• the sound of hubby putting Reese down to bed. The singing, the laughing....
. Reese calling me "KimmieBear" when she wants my attention
• Tillman's smile when I come home from work
• Reese holding a book like, she calls, a teacher... showing the class so everyone can see it
• watching Tillman in the monitor in the morning after he wakes up & before I go in and get him. He just stares at the monitor with such a sweet face and he just entertains himself so well
• knowing that when I sing You Are My Sunshine, Tillman will look right into my eyes and calm down and stop crying

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school work

2011-04-08T11:08:00.001-04:00

Last week was the first time Reese brought home "real" school work. Now, I'm not saying that all her incredible art projects are not real school work! Art projects ARE real school work to two and three-year-olds... and I love it! This just got me excited for what's to come. It reminded me of kindergarten in a way... MY kindergarten many many years ago when it was half day and we were still coloring sheets like this. I was excited because she is growing up and identifying so many things and matching and coloring (not yet in the lines) and pretending to write her name in little scribble. It's so cute! This came home in a whole packet and she could identify all the pictures and colors and wanted to color some more... uh, my mom & teacher heart just melts!

random pics

2011-04-07T23:05:00.000-04:00

I love Atlanta for all the parks that make you feel miles away from the city!

Tillman was really enjoying this ball. He even carried it from one side of his body to the other....like those exercises with a medicine ball.

I was able to take my school's ipad home this week to test it out. Reese sure enjoyed it! She took right to it like it was an old friend. I hope she is not disappointed in the "i, i, phone" next time she uses it though.

Reese uses this as practice for her balance beam. Just tonight she placed my sentence strips on the floor and pretended she was on the beam. Did I tell you that she wants to be a GymDawg when she grows up. That's what she is telling people.