Ten months with Townes

my sweet Townesy

you are becoming a little guy and leaving the baby stage behind

and i'm not quite ready for that transition

you are still very much a snuggler who likes to be held

but you are increasingly interested in the world around you
and your moments of quiet are getting fewer and farther between

you are pulling up on things

and will let go with one hand, but aren't quite ready to make any moves with your feet

but, you always get excited when you can pull up and see something at a higher level

you seem to enjoy when we go on little strolls in the wagon and "talk" about everything 

you are very entertained with grass...

actually, anything that you shouldn't put in your mouth...that's what you're interested in.

you made your maiden voyage to the gulfcoast

and LOVED the water

not so much the sand

but the water was your favorite

every time that we got close to the pool or ocean, you start kicking your little legs and flapping your arms and wiggling your little body in the direction of the water

you now have 4 teeth!
the top teeth have about done us all in, but they are finally through and you are using them to their fullest potential
you love to eat
i mean, give you some food and you're pretty content

even lemons

but you are particularly fond of ice cream

can't blame ya

and spaghetti

you are often seen with some sort of snack in your hands
which would explain the extra chub you have put on lately
we haven't been to the doctor in quite a while, so i'm not sure what your fighting weight is...but i'm pretty certain that you have put on some ell-bees in the last month
you have put some squeeze on your thighs and i love them so.

you and your brother are starting to play together (i use that term loosely) and it completely melts me every single time

you love to laugh with him and at him
and he loves to make you happy
whenever you are fussy or sad, he will try all sorts of things to make you smile
currently he calls you "ding ding"(no idea) or "bubba"
or
"tay-ons"(the 2-syllable pronunciation of Townes. redneck, much?)

you and Judson will often have these little screaming sessions in which you yell at each other back and forth.
i mean, it's not my favorite-but at least you're learning to interact with one another.

of course, when he hugs you it often goes a little too far 

and you end up in a choke hold

but, it's a start in the right direction of brotherly bonding, i suppose

you are a fast little scooter

and crawl wherever you please

to get whatever it is that you want

we have to keep a close eye on you at all times so that you don't end up under, on top of or next to a precarious situation/item or with an unidentifiable object in your mouth

you are way more interested in not-toys than you are in actual toys

which is why my lens cap kept your attention longer than any toy i gave you for our little photo shoot

it was that or a water bottle

even though you are very curious and like to explore,

you still prefer for me to hold you, so this is how i get pictures of you often 

you are my little side-kick and i intend to keep it that way.

jk. but maybe serious.

we are rather eager to hear what you have to say once you start talking

i think that you will have a lot to say

you are a sweetheart that gives the best little snuggles
and a wild pistol that is ever interested in the world around you
you are very vocal about your needs and wants
and make it known when you are not pleased with your current situation
you have grown out of your title of the laid-back baby
that is no longer true

you get so excited whenever you see us and you can make us feel like a million bucks with your smile
you can wave "bye-bye"
you raise your arms over your head when we ask "how big is Townes?"
you can give a high-five
you are becoming less and less interested in nursing and i'm reminding myself that that is a normal progression and just going with it....kind of.

we are so in love with you, sweet Townesy
you are a tender little heart and i am so thankful that i get to nurture your sweet spirit

cue family beach photos

walking out of the condo we passed a man that said, "beach picture night, huh?"

so, yeah...

we had not planned to take family photos on this trip. 

rather, mom had not verbalized this to the family beforehand. 

but, we all know mom and should have expected it.

when my brother remarked that he didn't bring clothes appropriate for a picture because he didn't know we were going to take family pics,  GT said "that's like saying you didn't know the tide was going to come in"

so, we all threw on our most neutralish clothes and set the camera on timer

which we will probably do more of, because all of the kids looked at the camera!

something they do not do if a real-life person is behind the camera

go figure.

 

game changers (moms)

mothers day

celebratory for some, dreadful for others

joyous for some, painful for others

beautiful for some, depressing for others

i've only known it to be good

and for that, i'm thankful

but, it doesn't keep me from thinking of those who dread or even hate this day.

at this point of my life-the having babies/young children phase of life-i relate mostly to moms of young children on this mothers day
i most often think of those who are unable to have children or who have lost children
and their desire to be the one receiving the attention and the gifts this coming sunday.
that ache is something i will not pretend to understand
i'll let you read this... it's beautiful 

the other night at my Heart to Home Heartfelt group we talked about our moms.

in our few hours together, we each spoke about our relationship with our mothers.

i was in the minority when i shared of the goodness and health of mine and my moms relationship.

most of the women came from a family that was broken or unhealthy.

when asked about their mothers, their first thought was of pain and hurt.

something i could not relate to.

as i listened to each woman recount her story, i was heartbroken for them.

i could see their pain. the grief of a lost relationship.

but that didn't last long. 

i listened as they talked about how they were choosing to do things differently with their own children and grandchildren.

they did not operate out of a place of resentfulness or hate, but one of forgiveness, grace, and redemption. 

they all chose to be at Heartfelt because they believed in family and were making a decision to be something different as a mother than what they were shown or told to be.

i am forever grateful to my mom and my grandmothers for not only telling me, but showing me what it means to be a woman of God. who loves her husband and leads her children.

and i understand the great responsibility that goes along with that. 

for those of you who have a broken or non-existent relationship with your mom or women in your life, and have chosen to break that cycle and to show your children how to love... you are awesome.

and you have challenged me-
no excuses
we are each accountable to our actions
and how we love one another and teach our children
not based on our past
not because of how we were raised- good, bad, or ugly

you are the only way that the cycles of pain and bad relationships are broken

you are the reason children can have a beautiful future

you are the haven that is home

you are the creator of a safe, secure and happy childhood for your children

you are the story of redemption and grace

not only for your life, but for you children, their spouses, their children and generations to come

for eternity

you are a game-changer

framily trip to Sugar Land

Our framily vacation took place in April this year (other ones here and here)

6 adults and 6 kids, all 3 and under...yikes! 

i mean, yay!

Tommy and Brice had us all stay at their house, which was awesome and so so generous of them.

that's a lot of people and kids and messes and noise, but they were the hostessess with the mostesses.

we loved being in their home and being able to relax and enjoy one another.

mostly, we just watched the kids play and visited

saturday, we went to the Houston zoo!

Judson had his first celebrity siting with "Nemo" and lost his mind.

(a little snippet)

all the kids (kind of) in one picture.... plus Larry, ha!

this little bitty was a trooper

as long as he had snacks

also, i nursed him in the middle of the Houston Zoo,

which was a first for me and well, it was not my favorite

anyway...moving on.

the kids really played so well together and we got a few good laughs at their expense

which is what kids are good for, right?

jk

Saturday night, us gals headed out for some coffee and HomeGoods perusing, while the boys played video games and the littles slept.

and not one second was without words, we had some good talks and i'm pretty sure have solved all toddler-parenting problems..... right.

and how many pictures do i have of the adults?

zero!

Sunday morning we went to church 

then Brice cooked us a delicious brunch before we hit the road towards Lousy-Anna

the weekend was short, but a short-time is better than no-time

we love our friends who are more like family

we are in this child-raising thing together and i'm so glad to know my kids will grow up knowing the Waldrons and Lovetts

i get so exciting thinking about the many years of framily vacations to come!