4 & (almost) 7 years old!

Beach Trip - June 2017- Seaside, FL

Ages 4 and 7 seem like big birthdays for our boys, and in some ways things are getting easier on Brian and me. We have been completely out of diapers (and pull ups at night) for quite some time, and they can feed themselves, go to the bathroom by themselves, entertain themselves, and tolerate long car rides. They can freely express what they want or need (for better or worse!), and we love hearing what they have to say. Brian and I have loved all of their different stages of life, and we feel the same way about this stage. Being parents of young boys is so much fun!

Now that our boys have gotten a little older and are better travelers, we are taking advantage of it. We had an awesome trip to the beach last week, and we have a trip planned in early July to Chicago to see the Cubs. We realized our beach trip was during Grayson's birthday, and Logan wanted to see a Cubs game for his birthday. Brian and I decided to go for it! They are at such fun ages to travel and soak in so much of their surroundings.

The whole crew at Seaside, FL. We had a great time!

Our boys have sure grown, and we are so thankful for their health. I took them both for their 4 and 7 year old check-ups when I was in Memphis a couple of weeks ago. Eventually I will establish a pediatrician in Martin, but it just seemed easier to go while we were in Memphis. Plus, we love Dr. Siegel!

Logan is still off the charts for his age, and I suppose he always will be. He definitely got his height from his Daddy! He is 4 ft. 4 1/4 inches tall and weights 73 pounds. He is a big boy! He is only about 14 inches shorter than me. At his 6 year old check up (which I did not blog about), he was 4 feet, 2 1/2 inches tall and 63 pounds. He has really grown a lot this year!

Grayson had a good check-up too. He is holding steady at 90th percentile in height and weight, so it looks like we will have two tall boys. At his check-up he was 42 1/2 inches tall and 42 pounds. At his 3 year old check-up, he was 40 inches tall and 40 pounds.

Logan's interests still include Star Wars, but now he is interested in real life history as well. He can read just about any book geared toward children, and he enjoys learning about new things. He is still very active and would rather be up running around than just about anything else! Logan is a sweet big brother to Grayson most of the time, too. He also learned to ride his bike without training wheels this year, and he is loving driving super fast. We are so proud of him and his sweet heart!

Grayson loves baseball, superheros, Star Wars, Mickey & the Roadster Racers, being read books, and most of all snuggling. He is the sweetest little thing and gives out lot so hugs, kisses and I love yous. He loves playing with Logan and lets Logan take the lead most of the time. Grayson takes a lot from Logan's bossiness until he has had enough- and then he can hold his own when they wrestle and fight! We often call Grayson the pokey little puppy because he does not get in a hurry to do anything. I have learned to appreciate his pace because he always does everything in his own time. He may not be the first one in the pool, but he will get there after he tests the water a little first. I think his cautious personality will serve him well in life. We are very proud of this sweetie!

We love our sweet boys so very much and are so thankful for the life we get to have with them. Spending time with them and watching them grow up is the greatest joy of our lives.

Catching Up

I decided it was time to resurrect the blog mainly because I love looking back and reading about my sweet boys. A lot has changed since 1 1/2 years ago when I last submitted a post, so I will try to cover over all of that as quickly as possible.

Last May after some encouragement (prodding), I applied for the Director of Admissions position at UT Martin. Honestly, I never thought we would leave Memphis, but God had other plans. After agonizing over the decision, I accepted the job. Brian felt like God was leading us to Martin, and he never wavered from that. So, we moved on July 12, 2016 and have never looked back. Now? I love my job and the people here. They are working hard to make change at UTM, and we are seeing some results. Brian is still in pharmaceutical sales and is doing more driving than he used to, but we are both grateful to be where we are.

The boys are doing great. Logan finished Kindergarten in Martin, and he thrived. We absolutely loved his teacher, Mrs. Brook, and he is reading like a rock star. I am unbelievably proud of the young boy he has become. He still has his wild, energetic spirit, but he thrives in a school environment. He is a rule-follower and is academically competitive to the core (I wonder where he gets that from). Logan has such a good heart and is a deep thinker, and he still talks to me about everything. I know that time is fleeting, but I soak it all up right now. He is so close to his Daddy, and they love their one-on-one time together.

Grayson is probably the sweetest child ever. He is in tune with others' feelings, and he loves nothing more than to sit and snuggle all day long. He talks constantly and loves music. He also played t-ball this year, and I think he has the love for baseball that his Daddy has. Grayson is our cautious child (a stark contrast to big brother), and I have learned that he will do things in his own time. He loves his little class at preschool, and we are thankful to have found a place that is a good fit for him.

We recently joined First Baptist Church in Martin, and we enjoy our involvement there. I am singing on the praise team, and we are in a great Sunday School class. The boys also love it. We are so thankful for our church and look forward to more involvement. I cannot wait for Logan to be in the children's choir next year. I think both of my boys got my ear for music!

So, things are good in Martin! I am going to try to post more updates about how the boys have grown and keep things up-to-date.