Staying with Nana and Pops

Reed and I went home to see Nana and Pops a few weeks ago. It was our first trip home without daddy. Reed surprised me and slept for most of the trip. We stopped when it was time to eat and then got back on the road. I was a little nervous but we managed just fine. Reed had soooo much fun playing with his Nana and Pops! Pops took him riding on the golf cart several times a day. I would ride with them and we would feed the catfish, check on the oil wells, and feed the turtles at the creek. Reed liked to be moving so when we would stop he may decide to throw a fit....so Pops would take off again...anything to keep "little man" happy:) Every morning Pops or Nana would take Reed outside to swing. Reed LOVES to swing! I am trying to talk daddy into getting a swing for our house. We shall see... Reed also got to play with his cousins Tate (who is 1 week younger than Reed) and Lambert too! He had a full weekend of fun!



MMMMM....this is good Pops!



Pops swinging with Reed and cousin Lambert




Riding on golf cart with Pops




Swinging with Pops!

Hot Springs Lake Trip

We went to Hot Springs to the lake for vacation this year. We stayed at my dad's friend's lake house. It was so relaxing but not long enough. We met up with our friends Wendy and Brandt and had some nice lake time. Brandt would come and pick us up almost every morning and let either the adults go by ourselves or take the kiddos. These pics are with the kiddos. Reed fell asleep on the boat for the most part. He got a little cranky on our way back to the house b/c he was ready to get his lifejacket off or maybe get some milk?? On the other hand, Isabella really enjoyed her first time on the boat! She still associates Wendy and Brandt with "the boat" She loved getting in the lake too. Thanks Wendy and Brandt for taking good care of us! We had a blast:)

"Just a Swangin"

I babysat Isabella the other day since my sister's babysitter was on vacation...She loves her cousin "Baby Reed" as she calls him and he loves her too!!! The minute she walks in our house she says "Where's Baby Reed JJ??" She entertains him after that. She wanted to push him in his swing so I had to snap some pics. I am so blessed that my sister lives so close. We spend great quality time together all the time:) I treasure those moments! Luv ya Linds and Izzy:)

Happy 6month Birthday Baby Boy!!!

WOW....Where has the time gone! Our baby boy is now 6 months old!!! I had always been told that time flies but until you actually experience it you never really fully understand how FAST it goes by. I can say he has filled our hearts with soooo much joy. He has put my patience to the test for SURE!!! He is growing so much and doing so much I can't believe it. I missed out on an annual lake trip with our friends b/c it is still so hard to leave my little man.....Yes, I was extremely torn but I knew in my heart there would be many more lake trips to come and my little one will only be little for a short time. I headed south to spend some time with my parents and family. Also, I have FINALLY got Reed on a bedtime schedule and my sleep is so precious that I really wanted to stick with it. I was a little nervous about traveling b/c every time we do....something happens and Reed gets so out of tune. This time may have been the exception. He actually slept pretty well for the most part and continued to keep that schedule until he cut another tooth the second day after we came home:( We managed to make it though. I will fill you in on stats when we go to his 6 month check up but until then I will let you know what he is doing now.....

1. Laughing and Giggling
2. Rolling over from back to front and front to back - He has this down pat:)
3. Picking his pacy up in his crib and putting it back in his mouth....so great! I watch him do this on our monitor.
4. Kicking during bath time
5. Bucking out of Car seat and Bumbo seat....I need a highchair quick!
6. Watching me and Cody (every move we make)
7. Army crawling
8. Almost sitting up...
9. Eating baby food...Loves bananas and pears:)
10. Watches his cousin very closely..He even rolled a ball to her last night (sort of)
11. Throws fits (I mean screams bloody murder sometimes)So embarrassing when in public.
12. Stands up sometimes in the bath tub with my support...scary
13. Coos and talks in the car
14. Sleeps all night (only when we are lucky) I have faith he will get there soon.
15. Swims in his baby floaty
16. Loves for me to sing and read to him
17. Plays in his exersaucer all the time
18. Loves Bath time always.
19. Plays peek a boo
20. We introduced a sippy cup...He has done pretty well with it considering it is so new to him.
21. Loves to play superman with daddy
22. Loves to ride in the car still....falls asleep usually.
23. Has 2 teeth on bottom and 1 more coming in on bottom
I am sure there is more...He is so much fun and we are looking forward to much more fun in the future! Will post stats soon!

Reed's Play Date with Mary Margaret

My friend Melissa came to Fayetteville to visit for the weekend and we had a play date with Reed and Mary Margaret. We met for lunch at Marketplace....Man, how times have changed....Melissa and I have always been able to catch up with each other but it was hard to get a word in edge wise with my 6month old son fussing and just being a wiggle worm....I tried to fill his belly up with some bananas....Well, he liked them for a little bit but then just wanted to fuss some more. Finally, the waiter brought my lunch and Melissa ( being the sweet friend she is) offered to let me eat and walk Reed around the restaurant. I was watching sweet little Mary Margaret chow down on her sweet potato fries...It was hysterical!!! I am sure we got many looks but I really did not care. My little guy finally crashed in my arms after putting up a fight. Well, Melissa I would not have it any other way.....Lunch was a little crazy but I would do it all over again in a second. Good to see ya and miss ya lots Melis!

Can I go for a ride Daddy????

Cody bought a 1970 model Razorback red bronco from a friend in our neighborhood right before Reed was born. I swear that bronco almost put me into labor....He would ride me around to see if we could rush things up a bit... Well, it never happened but it was heck trying to climb up in that thing! We decided to take Reed for his first ride in it the other day....We only went a few miles down the road...mom...I think Reed enjoyed it.....for 1. Reed loves anything that moves constantly and 2.He loves being outside and with the top down he was basically outside....it did make me a little nervous though but it was a neat family moment for the 3 of us. I think his Daddy enjoyed it the most!

Let's Play!

Isabella loves to entertain Reed at all times...Reed just watches every move she makes. He smiles at her and she plays and talks to him. They truly enjoy each other's company......for now anyway.

Reed and "Big Daddy"

Playing with Lollie in Hot Springs

Magic Springs

We decided to have a family vacation this year in Hot Springs. Since Reed was only 5 months this summer, we thought we should skip the beach and go to the lake. We stayed at my dad's friend's lake house. It was very relaxing but not long enough....We decided to make the most of our trip and check out Magic Springs one morning with the kiddos since the guys were playing golf. Lindsay and I took Isabella down the water slide...Well, she liked it so much she wanted to do it again and again and again... Isabella had a blast and so did we!! Reed had a nice long nap in the shade with Lollie while Isabella, Lindsay, Mom, and I floated in the lazy river...so nice! When Reed finally woke up from his nap I let him play in the water. We went under this deal that squirted water everywhere...he loved it....My sister and I both agreed that Magic Springs sure has come a long way from when we were kids...Whoever decided to put a water park in knew what they were doing. It was the only place to be since it was soooo HOT! We enjoyed ourselves and wore the kiddos out early!






Mommy and Reed



Isabella and Aunt Lindsay getting ready to slide!



Sweet Sugars!!




Reed taking it all in...





Water park for kiddos!


We're here...Yippee!



Nana and Lollie



Are we there yet??




Reed napping on our way to Magic Springs