2010 End of Year Recap.....

You read that right.  I just caught myself up somewhat on 2010.  Next up...2011!  I'll get to 2012 eventually! I back dated it so that it would be with the rest of 2010.  You can find it here.

Happy First Birthday Zachary

My sweet baby boy is one year old!  He is such a happy and special boy with a silly personality and an infectious smile!  Zachary was the perfect addition to our family just one short year ago, and we just wouldn't be complete without him.

Happy First Birthday Zachary Graham!  I love you more than words could say!

Joshua at 3 Years Old

Joshua's first day of preschool.

My sweet big boy is three years old now.  So hard to believe.  One of my favorite things right now is being able to have actual conversations with him.  I can also ask him to do something and he understands and does it....most of the time.  We gave him a new big boy bike for his birthday.  He LOVES it and is becoming really good at riding it!!  If he is in a bad mood all you have to do is ask him if he wants to go out and ride his bike and his mood gets better....most of the time.  We still have our moments where he can't decide if he wants to be a baby and make mommy and daddy do everything for him, but those moments are becoming fewer.  He is so smart.  He knows all of his letters (uppercase), can say the alphabet like nobody's business, and can count up to 20.  He tends to leave out 14 many times, but we're working on it.  Right now we are practicing writing his letters and understanding lowercase letters better.  We have started with writing the letters of his name.  Joshua loves doing crafts.  His favorite things right now are cutting and gluing.  Most of his artwork in which he gets to do the gluing has TONS of glue.  He goes to preschool at Fuquay Varina United Methodist Church on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.  He loves going to school!  Joshua is still crazy for his baby brother!  He seriously loves that kiddo!  The boys are interacting so much right now.  We still have to remind him that Zachary is a baby and he can't be quite so rough with him.  His favorite things to do to Zachary right now when they are "wrestling" is putting him in a headlock and licking him.  That's right, he straight up licks him on the side of the head.  I find a gross wet spot on the side of Z's head at least five times a day.  I can only imagine what those two will be like when Z is older and they really get rough.  I'm not sure I'm ready for that, but I better get used to it since there aren't any little girls around here to balance out all the testosterone....ha!  I love being a mom to boys, though!  I thank God daily for my two sweet blessings!  Joshua was my first baby boy, and I often tell him that he made me the boy mom that I am.  It's just so neat the relationship a mom can have with her boys.  Joshua is just so special to me, and these last three years have flown by.  I'm trying to soak up every ounce of his little boy self while I can.  I'm sure he'll leaving for college before I know it.  He actually asked me just this morning on the way to school why I wanted to keep him little.  I didn't realize I told him that all that much, but apparently he's caught on to the fact that I want him to be my little boy forever.  And I love that little boy so much it hurts sometimes!

Z's First Two Teeth

Zachary has two teeth now!  He had a rough time cutting them.  While Hurricane Irene was happening outside on August 27, Hurricane Z's Teeth was happening inside the Taylor house.  Let's just say that wasn't a fun weekend around here.  We survived, though, and are relaxing until the next tooth decides to make an appearance.  Zachary is still chewing up a storm on anything and everything he can get into his mouth.

Can you see them down there?  So cute!

Zachary's 9 Month Stats

Height: 28.25 in (49th percentile)
Weight: 19 lb 6 oz (29th percentile) (still has his chunk, still can't believe that percentile is right)
Head Circumference: 17.75 in (43rd percentile)

Still cute as can be and healthy!

The Blog That Got Neglected.....

I have had a terrible time trying to keep up with our blog the last year.  As of September 1st I am now staying at home with Joshua and Zachary!  We are loving it!  Even though the boys keep me super busy I am hoping to play catch up.  There are still things from last year that I wished I had blogged about.....

Stay tuned!

My New Job :)

....and this momma couldn't be happier!!

Zachary's 6 Month Stats

We went to see Dr. Bloom today for Zachary's 6 month appointment (a week late).  He laughed at her the whole time she was checking him out, which of course had us laughing, too!  I love how happy my little man is!  Z checked out just fine, and she said everything looks good!  We'll go back in 3 months (and no shots at that visit!!!).

Height: 26.25 in (30th percentile)
Weight: 16 lb 13.5 oz (30th percentile......he's so chunky and has so many rolls that I found that percentile hard to believe.....although he is smaller than Joshua was at 6 months)
Head Circumference: 17.5 in (70th percentile)

6 Months Old!

Our sweet Zachary is 6 months old today! This having two kids thing is fun, tiring, time consuming, and exciting! Zachary fits in so well with our family that it really is hard to remember life without him. Oh except for the full nights of sleep and having a little time to myself. ;) Baby Z is such a happy child. He smiles at just about everyone and everything. If you make one funny little noise to him he is almost certain to laugh. Oh his laugh! It is such a wonderful sound that comes totally from his belly! My Granny remarks so often that it's impossible to look at him and not smile. I have to agree. He is also such a stinkin' cute little guy. Derek and I do make some cute babies, if I do say so myself. ;) Zachary is doing all kinds of fun things these days. He rolls over all the time, usually only to his left, and then he hates to roll himself back over. He started this at about 4 and a half months old. (I hate that I've been too busy to write monthly posts for him.) He sleeps on his belly and has been doing so since about April 1. His laughter has to be one of my absolute favorite things about him, but his sweet little voice is a close second. He talks so much and is quite loud! There is no denying who his father is...ha! He loves his brother. When he's not interacting with someone he looks around for Joshua a lot of the time. He loves to just watch what Joshua is doing. Big brother seems to like the attention, too! Joshua is an entertainer, and to have his own personal little audience thrills him to death. He is constantly smothered with kisses and "lovin'" from Joshua. I find myself saying all the time, "Joshua get out of his face" or "Joshua that's enough". He loves to be held, especially by his momma, and I LOVE to hold my boy! I so wish I had more hands because I would never put him down. I wear him a lot in the sling or our front carrier so that I can still do hands on things with Joshua while giving Zachary the snuggling he loves so much. He goes to bed very easily by about 7:30 at night and then gets up around 7:00. He still doesn't want to sleep through the night. Most nights he still likes to get up and see me once. Some of those times he wants to eat and some of those times he just wants some snuggles. It's a habit I have helped to create and one that I need to help break. We're working on it. I don't like letting him cry it out. He is no longer nursing, but I am still pumping most of his milk. I never intended to wean him at such an early age. I miss it sometimes, but it's been easier not feeding him All.Day.Long. He is eating one solid meal a day. I usually feed it to him while we eat dinner, so that he gets to join in at the table with us. He started with rice cereal on April 15. We're taking it slow. He's only had butternut squash and sweet potatoes besides the cereal. He loves them both! I am making all of his food on my (new!) food processor. I hadn't planned on starting him on solids so soon, but he kept showing signs that he was ready. The first time he tried rice cereal he opened his mouth like a pro and gobbled it right up. We're getting ready to try carrots. Hopefully he'll like those just as much. He can put weight on his legs and is getting stronger in his exersaucer. He is really getting into playing more with his toys, and of course, sticking them in his mouth. He can usually be found with his hands or a toy in his mouth. Zachary has finally found his feet! He doesn't play with them much until it's time for a diaper change. He loves to hold his cute little chubby toes while I'm changing his diaper. Oh his chub! I so love his chubby legs and arms. That boy loves to eat and it shows. We don't go to the doctor until next Thursday, so we'll have some 6 month stats then.

Zachary Graham, your momma and daddy love you so very much! We thank Jesus daily for you. You are seriously such a sweet and beautiful little boy! Watching you learn new things and discover the world around you is so much fun! I couldn't have imagined a more perfect addition to our family! Happy half birthday baby boy!

Happy Mother's Day Mom

Happy Mother's Day Mom!!!

I'd like to share a little bit about her. She is such a wonderful mom. There were so many times when I was growing up that she gave up so much so that my sisters and I could have things and experiences that we wanted. She often worked multiple jobs to provide for us. I couldn't ask for a better example of what a loving and honorable mother is. She is such a humble and selfless woman. I love you more than you know, Mom, and I hope that I can be half the mother that you are. My babies think you're pretty awesome, too!