Our first Big Boy bath...

I have been putting off placing the boys in the bathtub due to wanting to make sure they were very stable in sitting.......................and not knowing how they would do in the tub TOGETHER. Well this week, we took the baby tub out and placed them together in the tub...................it was GREAT! If I had known how well they would do and how much easier it would be bathing them at the same time, we would have done this sooner.

Of course, they love standing up in the tub, so thank goodness for slip free tubs!!!

We are going to see the Big Guy.....

.........well, wish us luck! We were going to go see the Christmas Lights at the Birmingham Zoo this evening, but it turns out, they don't start until the 14th!!!!

SO, we are going to go see Santa............................stay tuned for the results!

Sweet Bobby.......

Okay, I know we are always looking for cute things for our kids and ourselves (when we have time)............and I HAVE TO RECOMMEND a person/site I have discovered!!! Those of you from Alabama, will know where Columbiana is located...this past weekend I went to a Holiday Home Tour.....cutest house on the tour was owned by a young couple, who happens to have two small boys!!!! Great taste, great colors in the home, and really cute monogrammed curtains in one room. To make a long story short, the wife has her own business (fairly new) where she MONOGRAMS...........now all you Southern girls know that you can't be really Southern without having EVERYTHING monogrammed!!!!!

Anyway, back on track, she does jewelry, purses, shoes AND BABY STUFF!!!!!! She has a website, SweetBobby.com......A MUST TO CHECK OUT as you can purchase directly from site. She has MUCH more stuff than what is listed....so if you are interested in anything and you don't see it, drop her an email........she is doing three Christmas bibs for me (yes Abby, one is in the mail to Cecilia) and she is also making Christmas longalls for the boys...........................

Pass the word on as word of mouth is ALWAYS the best advertisement......................

Thanksgiving......

Just to let you know, I'm working backwards as I am so behind on blogging.........again. These are pics of the boys eating their first Thanksgiving dinner and first "official" table food.........they had sweet potato casserole, dressing, cheesy pear casserole, and veg all casserole!

"Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree"....

On Sunday afternoon, I spent time erecting our Christmas tree and then adorned it with bright shiny ornaments!!!!!!!!!!!! While the entire time, the boys ever so lovingly watched their mother become the Christmas fairy and decorate away!

I will admit, they did very well as I placed the tree up and turned on the lights...............they were not too interested in it............Hayden just touched the limbs as you can see in the picture, and that was about it. Brady wasn't even that interested.

Then came the bright, shiny things..............and that got their attention. I have placed non-breakables on the bottom limbs as I don't want the boys to live in a world of "no" and I would like them to understand what they can touch and not touch. To date, then have broken three ornaments in some fashion or another, and love to pull the ornaments to pop the hanger tops off of the ornaments.

However, we have started "encouraging" them to only look not touch!!!!! And by encourage, I mean using NO and popping their little hand............which just makes them stop pulling on that one ornament and start pulling on the next closest one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

9 month checkup.....

Off to the doctor's office we went yesterday afternoon!!! It was time for their nine month checkup.........and I couldn't wait to see if Hayden out weighed Brady this time. I'm so tired of everyone saying oh he's the bigger one, meaning Brady. When actually if you look at them, Brady is just longer........and bless his heart, he's a little boney.............whereas, Hayden is shorter and if you actually look, he is chunky!!!!

Well, Brady weighed in at 16 lbs and 8 ozs and Hayden weighed in at 17 lbs and 6 ozs., of course Brady is still longer at 27+inches and Hayden at 26+inches (which I think is really stretching him).

They had to have two shots, which made them both cry as they stick the needle in their little legs!!! Then they had to have fingers pricked to draw blood to check for Anemia.................Brady cried-------as they price and then SQUEEZE and SQUEEZE to get enough blood..............but Hayden just looked at the nurse and never made a sound about it!!!!!!!

They both checked out great and we have the okay to hit the table foods for Thanksgiving!!!!!!! They are on schedule developmentally but we need to work on the waving bye bye as they don't have that one down pat yet..................

Behind AGAIN........

I am so behind on posting that I'm not sure I will catch up!!! So here's updating and documenting things, then I'll go back and add photos. The boys spent their first night away from us on Saturday evening. My Mom picked them up Saturday morning and returned them Sunday evening. This allowed Tony to work outside and me to work on painting in the kitchen....two items that we CANNOT do anymore now that we have children!!!! Surprisely I survived without them..........and of course, they survived supremely without me!

Brady said MaMa last night for the first time...............GO MOM!!!!! If only he would say it in reference to me in lieu of just randomly saying it..........either way, he clearly said it and it has MADE MY WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Brady is also cutting a tooth on top, actually, this morning it appears that he might be cutting BOTH teeth on top. They haven't broken the skin yet, but you can see the whiteness thru the gums...................and now that he has discovered that he can crawl and go places, he's quite happy.....................and I can't say this enough, he looks like his Dad!!!!!!!!

Hayden, what can I say! Never did I know that a kid could find SO many things to pull up on, he constantly wants to be standing or pulling up to stand...................have a feeling, we could be walking by Christmas.............and need I say more, our Christmas tree this year, I feel sure it will never be the same again once he gets ahold of it! As I was getting ready this morning (I shouldn't be admitting to this) I noticed Hayden was being really quite (first sign of something not good) and I peek out of the bathroom to find him licking the dust off of the treadmill!!!!! First of all, there shouldn't be dust on the bottom of the treadmill if I had cleaned properly, and second, if we used the treadmill as we should, there wouldn't be any dust...................needless to say, I will be dusting it today when I get home from work!

Halloween.........

We are getting ready for trick or treaters tonight!!! Although the boys aren't old enough yet to go trick or treating, we are dressing them up for the event..............so as trick or treaters visit our home, the boys can greet them!!!!

Here they are dressed up for Halloween, we'll add more from tonight once we take them!!!!

Update.....

Well the news of the day is:

Hayden FINALLY has a tooth!!!! He is cutting his bottom right tooth..............you can clearly see it and feel it...................which means trouble as I have noticed him biting things!!!!

Watch out Brady!!!!!!!

My husband makes me cry....

Tony and I ventured downstairs last night with both boys in tow as Tony had told me there was something on the computer I HAD TO SEE. Little did I know what an effect it would have on me......and what an effect it had on him.

Anyone that is a parent SHOULD watch this........even if you aren't watch it, it is a little lengthy but it's the ending that will truly touch you:

"A professor's last lecture"---be sure your volume is on.

http://www2.oprah.com/videochannel/videochannel_player.jhtml?video=1178&category=31

Information....

Well this weekend wasn't too exciting, but it's nice to have a relaxing weekend with NOTHING to do!!!! We worked in the yard with the beautiful weather we are having....ripping out overgrown bushes to come spring we can plant new ones!!! Tony ripped out 9 overgrown bushes and I cut down a HUGE gardenia bush. I REALLY hated to do it, but he hated it as it was up against our deck and really did need to be removed. I AM SO GLAD FALL HAS FINALLY ARRIVED!

Brady discovered the word DA DA over the weekend. Hayden had already said it, but also makes other "words"...........but DA DA seems to be a favorite for Brady..............once again, when it comes to Brady, I'm just the Mom..............he looks like Tony and now he calls for him! Although I will say that Hayden has become a little clingy for me..............but I'm not sure that's a good thing!

Tony just called me, I know this is just a nomination, but he has been nominated for Teacher of the Year!!!!!!!! YEAH TONY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Julee', it's nice to be proud of your hubby isn't it??? and congrats to Justin!!!!!!!

The Sitters...as told by Brady & Hayden Craycraft

........................so Mommy and Daddy think the sitters actually watch us each day!! Ha, we say! This is what they do to us...............they hand us ONE toy, and not even a toy that does anything........and then they stuff us in our toy boxes!!!!!!!!!!

Oh the humiliation!!! I know Mommy and Daddy would be completely astonished to know the truth behind Kim and Rhonda's lies................oh they tell Mommy and Daddy how they have been so attentive to our needs and play with us ALL day........................but the pictures don't lie!!!

If only we knew how to use the phone, then they would be in trouble!

A Newborn's Conversation with God....

A Newborn's Conversation with God A baby asked God, "They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow, but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?" God said, "Your angel will be waiting for you and will take care of you." The child further inquired, "But tell me, here in heaven I don't have to do anything but sing and smile to be happy." God said, "Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you. And you will feel your angel's love and be very happy." Again the child asked, "And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me if I don't know the language?" God said, "Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak." "And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?" God said, "Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray." "Who will protect me?" God said, "Your angel will defend you even if it means risking its life." "But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore." God said, "Your angel will always talk to you about me and will teach you the way to come back to me, even though I will always be next to you." At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from Earth could be heard and the child hurriedly asked, "God, if I am to leave now, please tell me my angel's name." God said, "You will simply call her, "Mom."

Mama T....

Thank goodness for Grandmas.........and thank goodness that my boys are blessed to have all 4 grandparents still living and doing well. I KNOW how fortunate we/they are!!!!!

My mom, MaMa T, as she is called, watches the boys on Tuesdays........she watches BOTH boys by HERSELF. Now I know this is a task, as I have done this by myself and so has Tony......but at this point we are use to it and kinda know what to expect and how to manage. MaMa T only watches one day a week and at this stage the boys change from week to week.

Well, today for lunch--which was a serving of sweet potatoes and garden vegetables (don't let the name fool ya, it sounds lovely, but really is just dark green semi liquid food)----she had prepared the boys dishes with their serving of each. She placed Brady's dish on his highchair tray while she turned to attach Hayden's tray to his chair...........................

I know you know what is coming next............

Yes, he did it, he (Brady) grabbed his bowl and dumped on himself.

Now the question I have is this, when my Mom called to inform me of this, she said he dumped it all over himself, so she would clean his pajamas for me...............what are my children doing still in their PJS??????????

Dad doesn't do poo poo....

This is a little late, but had to post it. After reading Julee's experience with poo poo and me sharing it with everyone.......................I came home from work this past Thursday (Oct 12) to my husband shaking his head and telling me to look at MY son.

My first thought is that of terror....oh my gosh, he's fallen against the hearth of the fireplace and has a cracked forehead!!!!! No, Tony assures me......go closer to him and look. Brady, my beautiful Brady, is sitting quitely in his highchair with passie in mouth. When I near him, I discover POO in the seat of the highchair, on the side of his outfit, and his hand and arm are to his side playing in the mess.....................and even worse, the poo is on the handle of his passie!

Tony tells me that no he hasn't had his hand in his mouth......he had just touched his passie!!

So in one quick scoop, I have Brady off to the bathtub, hosing him off with his clothes and diaper still on........then I undress him and bathe him...........then time to wash the highchair cover........clorox the passie THEN soak in boiling water for the rest of the evening.

A mother's work is never done!

Behind...

Well I said I was going to post every other day....and here is a WHOLE week and I've posted nothing!



BUT I do have lots to post...........so tonight I'll be typing away AFTER returning from the grocery store.......where do the hours in the day go?



The one thing I can post without the picture to back it up, is my excitement for this past Friday the 13th....



Imagine this (don't worry I still laugh everytime I play this in my mind), my husband, who is off work happens to be home this morning, I'm in a chipper mood as I'm dressed and ready for work, the boys are fed, diapers changed, and dressed for the day!



I have my coffee in hand, bagel on plate in my other hand and I'm walking out the door to work. I feel pretty good. Now in our house we have steps going to the front door then another set going down to the lower level where you exit to the garage....it's your typical split level home.



As I take my first step down on the second set of steps, the heel of my shoe catches and I go head first down the flight. Coffee cup breaks, coffee goes EVERYWHERE (including the ceiling), bagel and plate go flying and I land face down on the stairs-----my head is at the bottom of the stairs and the rest of my body on the stairs.

Now at this point, I am screaming for my husband to help............and thinking do I move, have I broken anything, can I even move??? Then I think, how ridiculous I must look when he sees me.....so I decide to move, and to my surprise nothing is broken. And I start saying, boy what a stupid wife he has!!!! Especially when I see what a mess the coffee made!!!!

Tony helps me clean everything and insists that I go ahead and head to work, he will take care of the coffee. That is when I decide to lift the leg of my trousers to see if there is any damage.....nothing major, just took the skin off my leg and knee and bruised it really well.

Still, I can't believe I did that but thankful it didn't happen while I was pregnant or while I was carrying one of the boys down the stairs.

So in closing, we are definitely going to put hardwoods in on the stairs and do away with the carpet and maybe in the meantime I can learn to walk!!!!!!!

"The Great Pumpkin"

I understand the concept of a world of "firsts" but sadly I realize they are really just a series of lasts.................this is my boys first halloween..........but really it is their last first!!! There will never be another FIRST halloween. With that thought in mind, I wanted to make it memorable.........so I set out to find an adventure........................kinda like Charlie Brown's adventure to find the Great Pumpkin!!!! So after searching the internet, ah yes the great knower of all things, I found a website called pumpkin patches and more.

I was only looking for a pumpkin patch to take the boys to, basically so I could fulfill my desire to capture the moment in film!!! When I discovered that just 15 minutes down the road in Calera, the train depot would take you on a train ride to a pumpkin patch!! What a wonderful adventure for the boys!!!!! So we loaded up the entire family: Mom, Dad, Brady, Hayden, Uncle Bart, Aunt Abby, Cousin Cela, Mama T, Papa T, Cousins Kimberly, Shane, Kayla and Haley....and all aboard we were off.

The trip was quite nice......all went well for the most part.....neither boy cared to have himself on the actual grass................so as you will see in additional posted pix, they would much rather be held. But yes, we did capture the moments on film.............and Mom and Dad even got in the photo too!!!

STARBUCKS....

............okay, this blog is more for my friend Julee' than anyone else. Yes, I know the Pumpkin Spice Latte is VERY fattening. And coming from a Starbucks obsessed mother of two babies, who constantly needs caffeine..............let me recommend my addiction of choice. The NON FAT SUGAR FREE VANILLA LATTE...............a tall only has 100 calories and NO fat.........and it tastes very delightful!!! Now you can get the same drink in a Caramel Latte.........which I love caramel............however, be forewarned, it is EXTREMELY sweet.........so I really don't care for it.....................so stick to the NF SF VANILLA LATTE...............now with this said and the calories/fat saved.......I'm off to finish eating the pan of white chocolate macadamia nut cookies I have baked!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Swing time....

We have now turned our screened in deck area into a kid friendly happy zone by installing swings for both boys............i understand why parents say "hey whatever makes them happy".....but seriously Brady loves his swing and is tickled silly if you push him and then tap the bottom of the swing as he comes near you......my sweet happy Brady!!!! Now Hayden is another story.....poor kid, he is fine as he swings away from you, but on the approach, he has the most panicked look on his face.............we are still working with him, hopefully it will become a joyful pastime for him!!!

Baby Growth Chart

Baby Growth Chart

They aren't looking.............

Quick, the babysitters aren't looking you climb down and head for the door..................I'll distract them with my boyish good looks and charm...............you head for the bottles and I'll pretend when they ask where you are, that I don't know what they are talking about......."brother, what brother....there's only one of me????"

Hayden

First of all, I've GOT to get better at this blog thing!!! So I am going to hold myself to posting one hopefully every other day.................

Second, I have realized that as a parent, it is my God given right........my badge that I have earned after carrying two boys for nine months, that I can take any picture of them. No matter how embarrassing it might be......because, you see, to me it's just cute!!!

With that said, I am learning just how fast your children grow........how fast they learn..........how fast they figure out how to do exactly what THEY want!!! This is Hayden, my youngest child, who has discovered he can move....those cute chunky little legs are more than two extensions that just flounder around with ten pacifiers attached to them.

After he and his brother took a bath on Saturday, he was placed in his bouncy seat while Mom went to their nursery to retrieve diaper, powder, hairbrush, and article of clothing. Upon returning after only briefly being gone.............I discovered that Hayden, not being strapped in, had maneuvered his way out of his bouncy seat to land on his feet with his body still against the seat for support.

He was quite proud of himself..............................in fact, he was so proud of himself that he looked up at me and with a huge grin across his darling little face..........................he relieved himself upon the carpet without a drop to touch HIS bouncy seat!!!

Creating a Blog!!!

I have no idea what I am doing.............but if my friend Julee' can do this, then by gosh, I can too!!!!

Plus if this works like I want it to, it will be a great way for family and friends to see the boys grow!!!!

So bare with me until I master this.........