Mom's 60th and Mother's Day Weekend

My mom turned 60 on May 16! Helen and I wanted to do something special this year, so she decided to fly home and surprise my mom last weekend. I was so anxious for Saturday to get here and for Helen to land in Shreveport. After being delayed 3 hours in Dallas, she finally arrived! We picked her up at the airport and headed to Mom's house for the big surprise. My mom thought she was babysitting for us that evening, so we had to get creative as to why we were dropping by a couple hours before she was supposed to come to our house. We dropped Helen off at the next door neighbors house and the rest of us went in to get some "sugar" and "change a diaper". When the doorbell rang, Alex got the camera ready and we followed my mom to the door. When she opened the door, she was completely shocked and just kept saying "Helen...Helen!" I was so glad we pulled it off! 

 Surprise!

That night we took Mom to Chianti's for dinner.

The next day was Mother's Day. Alex and I hosted lunch for Mom, Grammy, and Helen at our house. I decided to keep it super simple because I wanted a day off too! Lunch turned out to be just perfect--Papa Murphy's pizza, salad, and brownies with ice cream. We gave Mom her big present at lunch (a Pandora bracelet and charms).

 Alex and Perry "making" the brownies on Sunday morning

 adorable!

Helen, me, Mom, Grammy

That afternoon was the first opportunity we had for me to get a picture with both my boys...proof that I'm a mother...

We also went to see Dad and Shelia on Sunday. Perry had a blast throwing the football with Alex and Josh. 
Mom took off work on Monday since Helen wasn't flying out until early evening. Me and the boys went over there for a pancake breakfast and to hang out with Helen. We all (including Alex) went to lunch at Superior Grill. It was a fun way to spend Helen's last day.

I'm pretty sure my mom enjoyed the weekend. I know we enjoyed planning it for her. Thanks for making the trip, H. Perry and Mills loved seeing you!

Perry had fun recalling what happened at Mae Mae's surprise. When he woke up from his nap on Sunday, he was talking/playing in his bed saying, "Ding dong...A-pise!! yay!!" 

Growing

Today was Perry's last day of MDO for the year. I can't believe how much he has grown this school year. He has gone from an adorable, chubby, almost-2-year-old to a taller, leaner, big brother! I am so thankful for the wonderful experience we have had with MDO. It has been a pleasant constant in Perry's life throughout the big changes of the past year. His teachers were always so encouraging and complimentary of him. I'm very proud of the little boy he is growing to be...it's just REALLY hard to see him growing up so quickly. His teachers made a sweet scrapbook for each child with pictures from every month. I had no clue they were taking so many pictures of the kids. I boo hoo'ed as I flipped though Perry's book. It will be something I cherish forever. Here are pictures from Perry's first day and last day of school this year. I just realized that he was wearing the same shirt on both of these days. It's definitely a little small on him now :-)
First day:                                                                                          

Last day:

Boys and Hats

What is it with boys and hats? They just love them. Daddy's panama hat has been a hot commodity lately.

Workin' at the Car Wash

A few weeks ago, the boys and I went to get my car washed. Perry had the best time watching the cars go through the wash station. The following day, he had the idea to wash his own car. I gave him a bowl of water, a brush and sponge and he got to work. 

Then, just this weekend, Alex pulled out the water hose for Perry to wash his car with. Perry had so much fun hosing off his truck, but after a while he got bored with that and decided to attack Daddy! He was giggling and squealing as he chased Alex around. It was quite entertaining! 

7 Months

Our sweet little Mills is 7 months old now! Time is really flying by, but we are definitely having fun. Some things about Mills' 6th month:
At 7 1/2 months, Mills weighed 17 1/2 pounds. He's still a petite little guy with chubby thighs. We moved his crib mattress down since he is getting more mobile. He can sit unsupported for a short time, but can't be left unattended. He thinks Perry is so funny and LOVES giggling with him. He's eating solids 2 times a day. Foods he has had: butternut squash, pears, sweet potato, avocado, applesauce, bananas. He is grabbing for everything. He is still a great sleeper. He goes to bed at 7 and wakes around 7:30. He's taking 2-3 naps/day, usually 3. He can put his paci in mouth by himself, but he only cares to use a paci when he goes down to sleep. I remember this happening with Perry...Mills will be totally happy and content before we sit down to nurse, but as soon as I lay him on the boppy, he starts to freak out and get so impatient. It's really funny! He is becoming more expressive and definitely lets me know when I do something he doesn't care for.

 This is how he sucks his finger (normally it's the right index finger though)

 bath time!

sweet sleeping baby

At 2 1/2, Perry loves....

-calling me "MaMom". I'm no longer "Mama" :-(
-racing/running in the back yard
-driving his pick up truck

-going for walks on foot
-being silly

-digging in the pantry for food
-playing/making music
-being sweet to his baby brother

-sitting on the carousel

...until it starts moving.

We went to the Holiday in Dixie fair this past weekend. The first thing we did was hop on the carousel. We were talking so much about getting on the horse that we forgot to tell Perry that it was going to start moving. Well, as soon as it started up, he got SO scared. I thought he would warm up after a few go rounds, but nope! He hated it and wanted off ASAP. I was so sad for him, but I couldn't help but giggle every time he and Alex went by. On our way home, we asked Perry if he had fun on the carousel. He responded, "Yeah!" and then immediately did an impersonation of himself crying in an effort to explain to us what had happened. I wish I had a video of him doing his "cry". It is so funny!
It seems like almost every night, Alex and I talk about just how much fun Perry is. He truly brightens up our days. We are so thankful to have him and we grow to love him more and more every day.

Other Easter Happenings

Perry was quite the egg hunter this year! Here are several pictures from some of the parties he attended.
My mom took him to a party while we were out of town. They had an Easter bunny there and she said that Perry wasn't afraid of the bunny at all! This surprised me because Perry is such a cautious kid, I would expect him to be hesitant around something so new and strange.

We went with Nonnie to the Junior League Egg Hunt. It was the most beautiful day and such a lovely way to spend the morning. 

 Admiring the fountain. He's been to this house a couple times now and has loved that fountain each visit.