Saturday, August 18, 2012

Hugs

Perry has been giving his little brother lots of  "I love you" hugs lately. When he's not doing that, he's stealing toys from him and bossing him around, so it's a nice thing when the love comes out!


Thursday, August 16, 2012

Potty Time

A couple days after we returned from Colorado, I started potty training Perry. Day 1 (Friday) went so well. Perry tee teed on the potty every time and had NO accidents! We were off to a great start! Days 2, 3 and 4 went pretty well too, with just a few accidents thrown in there. Day 5 and 6 were hard for me. Perry was having trouble getting the poo poo part down, and on top of that I was cranky and tired and just needed a little break. After a good night's sleep and a few trips outside the house, I was back on track! An added treat was the nice date that Alex took me on that weekend. Perry has done remarkably well with potty training (poo poo still doesn't come as easy, but I hear that gets better with time). I feel like we started at the perfect time and went by the best method (Pottywise)....the jars full of candy and basket of new "reward" toys haven't hurt either, but ultimately we made it through with a lot of prayer and dependence on the Lord. We started about 2 weeks ago, our lives are now starting to get back to normal, except our oldest baby is wearing BIG BOY UNDERWEAR (or as Perry calls it "my wear").
 Day 1 sitting on his towel eating an "M treat" (an M&M)

 checking out his big boy pants 
 I couldn't resist!

Showing off his presents from Mae Mae and Cheetah/Papou. They were so thoughtful to buy him some special undies that he will LOVE!

Sunday, August 12, 2012

10 months


Happy
Happier
Happiest
Mills,
Where is the time going? Even though we've been down this road before, I'm constantly surprised at how fast you're growing. I truly cherish every moment with you and love everything about you! You make that pretty easy though. You're such a happy, lovable little fella. Here are some of the things you did during your 9th month:
You started officially crawling (not army style any longer) and just started pulling up and climbing on low objects.
Your new trick is to click and stick your tongue out.
You love playing peek a boo, chewing on my sandals, following Perry around and touching everything he's playing with. You often remind us of a dog because you will put things in your mouth and crawl away.
You fake laugh to get our attention.
You're babbling "ma ma" and "na na" and will give a response like "ah" when I ask you to repeat a word.
You went on your first plane ride and did great except for having trouble falling asleep.
Your top 2 teeth are in and are so cute! You have 4 teeth total now.
You used to get upset when Perry was crying, but now you've starting to holler back at him when he's throwing a fit.
At 10 months, you weigh 18 lbs 14 oz and are 29" long.

This is what I mean by looking like a dog with its toy.
Also, this was a particularly crazy hair day. 
Playing around with Perry

adorable little guy!

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Colorado Springs Day 4

On day 4 we were out the door by 8:30 and on our way to the Zoo! Another of Helen's friends stayed back with Mills for the day. The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is located in the mountains, so it was a gorgeous setting.
We saw lots of animals and did lots of fun things. Here is a small sampling...
 Bird house
 Perry loved the birds!

 holding it all by himself!

 Kangaroo
Alligators aka "chomps"
 Mr. Grizzly
 Mountain Lion
 Moose
 Perry got to ride a horse! He was so excited and looked like such a big boy up there!

A couple of group shots:


one of the many monkeys we saw
 love those Orangutans
And finally, the giraffes...

 We all got to feed them!


so fun!
After the Zoo, we drove around to see some of the fire-burned neighborhoods. It was definitely sad to see so many homes burned to the ground, but at the same time, amazing to see how many were saved. We grabbed lunch at Chipolte and headed home. Helen, Mom and I got pedicures that afternoon and then we all cooked in and played around that evening before packing up.
 Jeremy taught us how to play corn hole.
It was such a wonderful vacation. I wish we could have stayed another day just to lay low, play outside and enjoy the nice temperatures. I've decided I want to "Summer" in Colorado, so hopefully I can escape the Louisiana heat again next year. Helen and Jeremy were gracious hosts and Mae Mae was sweet to make it all happen!




Colorado Springs Day 3

Day 3 we woke up at The Broadmoor. Mills had a good night's sleep in the pack-n-play in the bathroom and Perry slept pretty well on his palate next to our bed. We ate a light breakfast in the room and then Helen, Mom, and I went for a stroll with the little boys while the big boys slept in and relaxed.
Perry got to play on the playground in his pajamas. It was nice and cool in the mornings...something we aren't used to, so I didn't pack any cool-weather clothes.
Perry and I were some of the very first guests at the pool that morning when it opened. We enjoyed having the place to ourselves!


Mills joined us at the pool after his morning nap.

We all had lunch by the pool and then the little boys went back to the room for a quick nap before check out. Staying at The Broadmoor was such a neat experience. Everything about it was beautiful...so much more than pictures can capture.
That afternoon we went back to the house to clean up and rest before going to Focus on the Family. Helen and Jeremy both work at Focus, so they were able to give us the grand tour. Perry loved playing in the Children's Center and running around all the big buildings. He was saying "Wow!" at everything. After  Focus, we ate a delicious meal at Ted's Montana Grill. Everyone had the Bison (except for Jeremy, of course).

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Colorado Springs Day 2

Our clan was up quite early on Day 2, so we lounged around the house while H and J slept in. Our only plan for the day was to pack up and head to The Broadmoor after naps. The Broadmoor is a gorgeous resort that is spread out around Cheyenne Lake and sits at the base of the Rocky Mountains.
Main (original) building
 You can see the West Tower on the far right of this picture. That was where we stayed.
After we checked in to the hotel, we immediately hit the pool. It was so crowded, but the views were phenomenal! Alex and Perry had fun in the water, while everyone else enjoyed drinks by the pool. 

Can you spot Alex and Perry?
 Check out that slide! It was even bigger in person. Helen and Jeremy were the only brave ones to do it. Perry was too little to try.
We had a babysitter (friend of Helen) come to the hotel that night and the 5 adults went out to dinner. We ate at Phantom Canyon Brewing Co. and then got some of the best ice cream I've ever had at a place called Josh & John's. It was a fun night!
Oatmeal cookie ice cream!