3. Wonderful parents who love and support me always

4. The great family I married into, and all the fun we have.

5. The Church. Need I say more?

6. Soldiers. and their families.

7. The ability to spend everyday with my little guy.

8. Wonderful friends who I can text all day, or meet up with at the park.

9. Food on the table every night, roof over my head, and a hot shower.

10. modern technology so we can be close to friends and family near and far.

grateful day one and two

I am going to jump on the bandwagon, and hopefully post everyday something I am grateful for. Number one and two are much two of the three favorite menfolk in my life, Kristofer and Wesley. They make me happy and smile tons each and every single day.

13 Months

Well Mr. Wesley,

You do something new everyday! It's absolutely amazing. New milestones constantly, he always has us smiling and laughing. It's so fascinating to sit and watch him, how he does things, what makes him smile and laugh, and his reaction to new things.

1. you walk all over the place, more walking than crawling these days

2. you love the fish and go up and talk and kiss him.

3. Mandarin oranges are your favorite fruit now. you eat them every morning with your breakfast.

4. you love to give kisses and blow kisses.

5. you can make the sounds of a dog, cow, chicken, monkey, and a duck.

6. you give me hugs and kisses all day long, you like to sit on my lap and hug my neck and kiss my cheek

7. when you are tired or falling asleep and someone is holding you, you play with their hair.

8. you have become a little more picky with food, and if you don't like it you throw it on the ground.

9. you can say apple, grandma, mama, dada, hot, shoe, teeth, eyes, hi, juice, up, out, keys, and itsy bitsy spider.

10. i made a little rice sensory bucket for you, and you love to play in it.

11. still absolutely love books, you can flip through them forever.

12. you ate m&ms for the first time and loved them.

13. you love to empty out drawers all the time, you like to dig through your dads bottom drawer and find some under armor pants. once you find them you rub them on your face and then roll around on the ground with them.

14. we built you a bear at build a bear and you absolutely love it. you always give it hugs and kisses.

15. love to pull blankets or pillows of the couches and sit or lay on them.

16. down to one nap a day for about 2 and half hours.

17. you enjoy playing with cars or anything with wheels.

we love to watch you learn and grow. we try to teach you new things constantly. we love you so much.

love, mom and dad

Please let me go outside!

Wesley loves to be outside. He constantly WALKS! (he is a walking machine these days) to the door and waves and says hi. This means take me outside now! We go outside quite a few times a day, not as often now that it is getting colder. If he is fussy, outside we go. Crying, take him outside and it instantly stops. If someone goes outside without him, big mistake- a tantrum is sure to follow shortly. He loves to take my parents dog outside when we are there, if you forget him, he will not forgive you. It's great that he loves to be outdoors, don't get me wrong. But sometimes he is a little extreme. So a few times a week we go for walks, or to the park, wherever he can get some of that nice sweet fresh air.

A few weeks ago, it was a whole driggers family affair to the park. Wesley loved it. He went down the slide for the first time, he's still not certain about that. He watched the kids run around and took quite a few steps himself. He especially enjoyed having his dad around at the park, because we usually go while he is at work.

Tate Farms

Tate Farms is the place to go in the fall around here. I had been wanting to go, but was willing to pay for it. ( I am super cheap) My sister got a new job, and her new company was going there for a work party. She so kindly invited Wesley and I to come along and be her dates. Wesley was kind of sick with a cold, so he wasn't super happy. But we still enjoyed our time.

We were able to see the animals, and Wesley could make most of the animal noises. He loved to pet the little rabbits. He would stick his hand out real quick, touch it ever so softly, pull back, and grin real big. The little calf also got super close to the fence when he was peaking over, he wasn't to sure about that.



There were some fun things for Wesley to crawl around on, including a tractor, some tires, and of course we had to go on a hay ride. It was dark, and I wasn't too sure how he would do, but he enjoyed it. I took some little flashlights for him to play with, and it worked. We quickly picked a pumpkin and got back on the trailer. It was a little too cold for us to be out. As soon as the tractor started pulling us back from the patch, wesley was dead asleep. It was very fun, and I definitely think it will be worth the money next year.

Up up and away!

Over a month ago (sad i know) we went to the space and rocket centers with some of our best friends that came up from Tuscaloosa, the Mowry's. They have a little girl that's just a few months younger than Wesley, we served with them in Greensboro, they so graciously let us stay with them everytime we go to to Tuscaloosa, and know just about everything Kris and I want to learn. We always learn something new with them. It's been a blast.

But while they were here we took them to the Space and Rocket Center. Kristofer hadn't really been except for a few weeks before that when his work party was held there. So we wandered around, learned a few things, and Matt and Ashley flew a simulator. Here's a few pictures to document the trip.

ONE

Well Mr. Wesley, you turned a year old. Wow. This year has flown by. We love you so much. We are wrapped your perfect little finger, and we have no clue what we did before you came around. I am so happy to be your mother, and I am sure your father is super happy to be your dad too. Well you've changed leaps and bounds over the past year. And it seems everyday now you learn something new. We'll just start with the list:

1. you still eat almost everything, but now you want to use a fork and spoon to feed yourself instead of using your two fingers you always pick things up with.
2. you now drink soy milk instead of formula or regular milk, we tried you out on regular milk, but it was making you super cranky and had the runs constantly (super gross) so soy milk it is, and you love it.
3. we no longer have a paci!!!
4. you love to sleep on the floor (i did too when i was a kid)
5. you chewed the side of your crib and made me sad :( - now we have a blanket so you can't do anymore destruction.
6. you have taken your first steps, but you'd much rather crawl.
7. you have learned to throw balls or anything really. you like to throw zoey her toys. and laugh when you do it.
8. you have another tooth, so we are up to six, and i think we have a few more on the way, i can't wait for this teething thing to be over.
9. you can blow kisses, its super sweet.
10. you know where your head is, and you can point to my eyes, nose, and mouth.
11. you know what a dog, cow, and chicken say. it's super cute.
12. grandma thurgood taught you how to do the hand signals to itsy bitsy spider. we do it at least ten times a day.
13. you also an do patty cake patty cake.
14. we took our first trip to the space and rocket center.
15. we had your first birthday party!! you cried when everyone sang you happy birthday.
16. my sister is teaching you to say kit (that's what she wants to be called) and you can do it.
17. you like to copy whatever i say. sometimes you get pretty close.
18. whenever you do something you are proud of you clap and say yay.
19. you dance whenever we turn music on, or anything that has a little bit of rhthym to it.
20. you shake your head no.
21. if we tell you not to do something, you like to swap at us.
23. you hate when people scream, almost always break down in sobs.
24. you have learned to spit. not so awesome.

It's My Party...

Last Saturday, September 24th, we threw Wesley his first birthday party! It was stressful for me. We decided to keep it simple with an orange and blue theme (Go Gators!) So i sent out some cute invites with this picture in them :



So we set up, I was too busy to take pictures, so my sister and mother in law took a few. I wish i would have taken more. But, Like I said, it was simple. A happy birthday wesley banner, balloons, and three frames with pictures of his first year. I made him a huge cupcake shaped cake, and we did finger foods and cupcakes for everyone else.

He opened presents and got bored pretty quickly. He was spoiled rotten with tons of gifts. We then put him in his chair, sang him happy birthday, and he cried. then he ate some cake, and the party was over. He isn't a huge fan of that many people in one place, but he did really well.

Blogger won't let me upload pictures. I will do a picture post later.

Change, Change, Change

Well this week, Mr. Wesley has hit some milestones!!

Yesterday-- He took his first steps. He took two on his own, we all freaked out and scared him a little. I am sorry Wesley. I hope we didn't give you a complex.

We are also paci free!! Since monday night. He seems to be sleeping so much better already! he took a 3 and half hour nap yesterday!!

And today, he began to shake his head no at me!

Oh all the changes. Soon i will be able to post about his first year birthday party! Here are the pictures i sent out with his invitation.

Cooking

Has anyone tried one day a month cooking??

if so what are you favorite recipes? or do you have any recipes that freeze well?

I think i may start to try this. I love easy but tasty dinners. and with wesley that's exactly what i need.