chubby chin

 

brian was playing with garrett...after work on monday.

the luckiest

there are moments in life that you find yourself consumed, simply overcome, with emotion. this weekend i found myself in several of those.

it is not often that garrett will fall asleep on us. he takes 2 naps a day, but sometimes needs a little catnap in the late afternoon, for 15/20 minutes, just to make it until his 7 pm bedtime. saturday was one such day. he squirmed around on me...sucking his thumb, rubbing his head - which is his way when he's trying to get comfortable...until he finally dozed off for about 20 minutes. there's simply nothing sweeter than feeling the weight of a sleeping child against your body. their little breaths, sighs, movements...in these moments (& then later watching garrett playing with brian), i was so grateful that "these are the days of our lives".

i am grateful for a sweet sitter who came to watch garrett early on saturday so brian & i could have a much needed breakfast to reconnect & catch a movie. i'm grateful for a healthy & happy little son who finds joy (so far!) ;-) & comfort in being with his parents. i am grateful for a husband who adores our son...who will talk to him, do anything to make him laugh, & who revels in the small things we watch garrett do. there is nothing about my life i would trade. i am grateful for the grace that God's bestowed on my life to bring me to this place. i am unworthy of the blessings that present themselves to me daily. & i am overcome with love & happiness towards my little family. in the words of ben folds, i am the luckiest. :-)

oh happy day!

 

one of my favorite parts of every day is in the morning, just after garrett eats. he's usually very happy after his bottle & he sits on our bed playing with his toys while brian gets ready. some mornings i read or sing to him, or sit & play with him too. he's also very talkative during this time (go figure!). he's becoming so adept @ "crawling" though, that i have a feeling we'll soon have to move to the floor for a *safer* play time!

yesterday i decided to try & capture some of the *spirit* of these mornings. this is what my little guy gave me. i laugh so hard every time i look @ this shot. hope that it will make your day too!

cal ripken, jr.

 

are you kidding me? one of the biggest legends in the game of baseball (& hottest players, ever) & my husband gets to meet him? (seriously...check out the blue eyes on that man!)

brian was in DC a few weeks ago for a client (holiday inn) event. cal ripken, jr., has been a "spokesperson" for holiday inn (appearing in ads & such) for a couple of years. HI is also the official hotel of major league baseball. so brian was stoked when he found out CRJ would be speaking at this event!

PLUS...brian was able to chat with CRJ afterwards about baseball in general...as well as the braves, specifically about jeff francoeur's recent stint down into AAA, as well as chipper jones' stellar season. how cool is that?

our miami getaway

ok, ok...geesshhhh...susan, this post's for you, girl!

our trip to miami was precisely what we needed. several friends (who have multiples) had received some good advice & passed that along to us...no matter what - when your baby's 6 months old, you simply must get away as *just* husband & wife. & despite their triplets & twins they all managed to do it, so we figured we could too! my mom agreed to come stay with our little man & our plan was put into action...

we set off for miami in late june...i was apprehensive about leaving garrett for a few days, but knew this time was crucial for me & brian! so after a few tears when we took off that morning, i did just fine (&, incidentally, so did garrett!). we landed early, arrived @ our hotel (the palms, south beach) & were on the beach by lunch. lovely.

what did we do? hhhmmmm...read, slept, went to a movie, ate out every night, lounged at the pool & beach, sipped cocktails...read, slept, talked about our baby, did not talk about brian's job (way to go, honey!), laughed...it was phenomenal. check out the size of those crab claws & the way yummy pizza (we didn't eat them in the same night!). we are obsessed with trying pizza everywhere we go (& ssshhhh, but we would love to have our own place one day!). so if you have recs for pizza in our area OR in a city/spot that you love, let us know!

our trip to Miami was so phenomenal that we're being brave enough to go away again in august! brian's parents are going to come watch G for us & we're heading to NYC...going to hit a Yankees game & see the Braves take on the Mets! since it's the last year in both stadiums, we wanted to see both teams play while we're there. any recs for a great show/place to stay/restaurants while we're there? i know some of you have been there in the last year or two & i'd love to hear your thoughts (my heart is set on seeing 'wicked' while we're there, but i haven't even looked into it, yet).

all this to say...if you have kids (or think you will one day in the future)...go away for a few days alone (repeatedly)...our marriages are just as important to our kids (& each other) as being good parents are! you'll have more fun than you might think; you will miss your baby/babies & be happy to get home; but it will be rewarding time...very well spent!

we didn't take many pictures, so this is one of the only ones i have of me & brian...in the back of a cab on our way to dinner.

a view of our pool & beach from the room.

pizza party - fantastico!

check out the size of those...crab legs!

our little guy gave us a big pout when we first walked in & then burst into a giant smile. here he is with grandmom just before she left.

7 months old!

 

garrett's 7 months old today! the summer is passing so quickly & we're enjoying every moment with our little guy. he's getting so big & less & less "babyish" as the days go by.

he has 2 teeth now...garrett eats oatmeal, banana, avocado, sweet potato & yesterday ventured onto carrots!...he is loving being up on all fours (sometimes hands & feet, not just hands & knees!) in preparation for crawling (not sure how ready his parents are for that, but!)...garrett's a HUGE fan of his jumpy swing (thanks, gilmore family!) & will just scream in sheer excitement while he jumps & jumps & jumps...he loves being tickled & will give us the GREATEST laughs...he's started reaching for people here & there (mainly mommy...aaawwww)...in the last month brian & i went away to miami for a few days & garrett stayed here with my mom - he did awesome, though i think grandmom was pretty tired when she left! brian & i had a great time being on the beach/by the pool & while we missed our little man, it was nice being just the 2 of us for a few days...

hope that you're all enjoying the summer & leave us a little note here & there...we'd love to hear from you!

the 4th of july

 

the white crew had a great 4th of july weekend...brian's sister (julie) & her boyfriend (brandon) came to visit us & it was fun just hanging out & catching up with them...in addition to eating well, taking garrett to the pool for the first time (he loved it!) at our friend's (dustin & kelly jo), going to a braves game (despite their poor performance & loss on saturday night) & downing some homemade peach ice cream with our newly-returned-to-atlanta friends (the bolden clan).

hope that everyone enjoyed the long weekend...now back to the grind, eh?

my new boss drools

so...after a not so long stint back into my life as a career woman, i finally put my job to rest on june 13. my heart was being called home...to brian & garrett. knowing that - for me - being the wife & mother of excellence i desire, was simply not possible as a working girl.

the decision, in many ways, was very simple. and in other ways it has presented me with a new set of *issues* to work through in my identity, in my relationships, in my beliefs, etc. i am suprised (though most have said you are not!) at how i am already relishing my new roles. the ways i am finding myself more fulfilled and at peace. i have found a renewed energy that seems to come with the start of a school year, a new job, moving into a new place...whatever the change is.

and already i've experienced the questioning about my new roles...ignorantly, i am sure i've asked this question of other women before i had kids, but...people are already saying "what are you doing with all your time?" are you kidding? what's funny is how many of my stay @ home mom friends have said people ask them the same things...one friend has twin 3-year-olds & people *still* ask her what she does all day! WHAT? some days are so busy i couldn't begin to list it all out. and some days are so amazingly peaceful that i'm able to watch the *small* developments in garrett occur right in front of my face! i am grateful for brian...that we've chosen this path for our family. i'm grateful that he supported my "being happy" & would've encouraged whichever way i went...

so below you'll see some recent photos of "what i do all day"...my new boss is great, though...big blue eyes, approximately 19 pounds, drools, only 2 teeth, can't feed himself...& btw, if you read our blog - ever, basically - please let us know. just click on comments & leave us a little note...we'd love to hear from you!


see - he does cry! a not so happy moment in garrett's life!


my parents came for a visit over father's day weekend & to watch garrett as i ended my last week of work.


brian's parents came for a visit during my last week of work...to watch garrett (we really had to twist their arms to come!).


crawling could be close? i walked into the family room for a minute & came back to find him far away from the pillow on the right where he'd been sitting when i left!


yesterday garrett ate sweet 'taters for his afternoon *meal*...in the midst of this, he found his hands quite fascinating & kept sticking his hand in his mouth after a bite of food...he then ended up rubbing his hands all over his face - love it!