Mr. Mom

Scott and I have a pretty good routine going this fall. He teaches/writes during the day on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday and then works on Tuesday evenings. He spends all day with the boys on Tuesdays and Friday while I'm at work. This part-time Mr. Mom amazes me with his creativity, patience and energy...he exudes joy and our two little boys are so lucky to have him as their Daddy. I know Jack and Sawyer are gaining a great deal from this special time with their Dad, and Scott is in hog heaven. Basically, I am going to see my way out of a job or least start getting called Mrs. Dad! :) Scott, thank you for being everything that I could ever ask for in a husband and a father...I love you and the boys do, too.

T-R-O-U-B-L-E!

I guess it had to happen...Jack finally got busted at school! He may look sweet and innocent in these pics (and he truly is the majority of the time), but he loves to push the limits whenever he gets a chance these days. Despite his "excellent listening" during Circle Time and "best behavior" at Kindermusik, Jack was reminded to not spit on anyone! As someone who works in schools, I was mortified to read this report! :) Scott and I have caught him experimenting with mouth bubbles for the last couple weeks at home (especially when he is in trouble), but I was pretty surprised that he took it to the next level. He is definitely testing out the waters at age three, and is always looking to see what he can get away with. Dear Lord, I pray for patience and creative parenting ideas! And wine...thank you, God, for wine.

Our little red head!

Sawyer's favorite thing to do these days is explore every inch of our apartment...walking around, crawling under things and climbing onto anything and everything. Here's a great series of shots that portray his curious side and his temper! He starts out happy to be under the chair/table, examines the area around him and then is enraged that he's stuck! 95% of the day Sawyer is laid back and rolls with the flow, but watch out for that 5% red headed streak. He's perfecting the art of arching his back in protest, and I'm predicting a few more tantrums out of this little guy...guess he has to be heard over his big brother!

Sleep mode

Jack's naps seem to be a thing of the past. He goes into his room daily for rest time, but despite how tired he may have seemed just moments before he rarely drifts off to sleep anymore. We'll typically hear him in his room reading his books, singing songs or recounting his day (we call it his defragging time). The other day we realized that it was silent in his room, and we walked in to find this scene. I guess his little curious and creative mind needed to go into sleep mode that day!

While Mom was away, the boys did play!!!

So I'm sure they DID miss me, but the boys had a wonderful weekend with Grandma and Daddy. During Grandma's visit they got to go to the library, play at Chick-Fil-A, eat at the Rainforest Cafe, dance/sing at music class and just have a grand old time! As you can see, the boys loved building and playing in their "fire pit" all weekend...they could sense that Type A mommy was gone! :) Scott is such an amazing husband and father, and I can't thank him enough for everything he does in our lives. My boys are blessed with such an amazing role model, and I feel so thankful to have such a wonderful partner in life.

In just four days, Sawyer changed SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much...it's shocking! He's now walking all over the house, pointing to his nose and mouth when asked, blowing kisses, incessantly clapping and making new noises with his lucious lips. I missed the everything about my little boys this weekend, and even the smell of them brought me to tears last night. Home sweet home!

On the road again

Here is a very belated peek at a trip our family took to Chatanooga this summer. We all had an amazing time exploring the city again and visiting the children's museum, the aquariums and a AAA baseball game. I was thinking about some of our travels as a family this afternoon because tomorrow morning I fly out bright and early for my cousin's wedding in Tucson, AZ...by myself! Packing for one and traveling alone will feel so simple! What do people do on airplanes when they don't have children? I know Scott and the boys will do wonderfully this weekend (their blessed to have Grandma here until Friday afternoon) and being with my extended family will be a blast, BUT I am going to miss the smiles, hugs, laughter, questions (!) and company of all three of my boys. Absence...and impending absence...makes the heart grow fonder.

On another note, we're having a wonderful time with Grandma in town! The boys can't get enough of her, and Jack sobbed today when he left for school because he didn't want to be away from Grandma. Thankfully, he calmed down and was thrilled to be discussing apples and bakign apple pies today with his class, but I know both boys (and their parents) can't get enough of Grandma this week. Pictures and stories to come...

Sizing them up

Jack is so focused on growing, buidling his muscles and being "big" these days! He asks us after meals, "Do I look bigger now?" When talking about other people, he often inquires if they are "big, medium or little." I always remind him that Mommy (and all women!) are only medium or little! Jack also loves the fact that Sawyer is getting bigger each day. Each time See-Saw does something new (like the many steps he is taking now), Jack yells out "He's not a baby anymore!" I can't believe how much they are growing, and it's so special to see them becoming friends. Here's a shot of "big" brother, Jack, treating Sawyer to his lone bottle of the day before bedtime. Sweet dreams, boys.

Johnny and Dubby Dub

The Nashville Egans were thrilled to have Grandfather and Grandmommy (aka Johnny and Dubby Dub - childhood nicknames that Jack was fascinated with) visit for a few days. The boys loved taking them to the downtown library, the playground, the pool and the duck pond. Jack even got to have them visit his classroom on the day his class discussed "Grandparents." Perfect timing! We loved every minute of their visit and miss them already!

Halloween past

Most nights of the week, we take a walk around our neighborhood after dinner. Jack has really started talking about Halloween and likes to talk with Scott and I about where we trick-or-treated, which houses gave him candy, which house had the barking dog, etc. We're in the process of trying to pick out costumes for the boys, and I looked at the pictures from last Halloween and realized how much has changed in a year...the boys are growing so rapidly, we sold our house and are on the cusp of leaving Nashville and then of course we don't have Grandma and Grandpa in Nashville anymore. The latter of these changes makes my heart ache daily (for myself and for my boys), and we feel their absence in all that we do. Fall in Nashville will be beautiful and loads of fun, but it won't be the same without Grandma and Grandpa.

Welcome, Carley!

Congratulations to my best pal, Daniele, on the birth of her precious little girl, Carley. I am so thankful to have Dani in my life, and I look forward to spoiling her daughter in the future. Many of our friends from home have been having all boys (myself included) but the Borns finally came through with some girl power! I love you, Daniele and Carley!

The "three year old class"

Jack was, in his own words, "super duper excited" to go back to school this fall. He makes sure that we remember that now he is in the "three year old class" known as the Cardinals. He seems to love his new teachers, Ms. Jill and Ms. Boo, and has gotten wonderful reports home...hopefully that will continue! Here's a few of the teacher comments that made us smile.....



*"Talkative, happy and the other kids listen closely" - crazy too think that when he started the 2 year old class he was one of the quieter kids.
*"Tried his words first when negotiating with another kid - Excellent!"
*"Lots of digging with sticks with friends and "getting people" with leaves!"
*"Smiled all day"
*"Very independent in the potty."
*"Excellent listening at circle time"
*"Working on using his inside voice." - ditto at home. 3 year olds are loud!
*"Very well behaved but likes to try out what other kids are doing when they are being naughty." - who doesn't? we'll work on this!

We're so happy he's having fun back at ECC. Sawyer and I love our special time together, but are always ready to go pick up big brother, Jack!

Proud to be a soccer mom!

Our life at the ball field has officially begun! Jack recently started playing soccer, and it's a riot. His team named themselves "The Superheroes," and Jack chose the #3 jersey (same as his age...so he says). He absolutely loves it, and runs down the field while yelling "Look at me!" He' a little concerned with why the referees will be blowing their whistles during the game...he's definitely my little curious scientist. So move over Pele, here comes Jack and his soccer mom! :) Game pics (in the massively over sized uniform) will be posted soon.,

Let him eat cake...again and again!

So I'll start out by saying that I'm a bad blogger. Okay, a terrible blogger! Don't jump to my defense, just admit it and pester me for updates (if anyone even checks this thing). I saw "Julie and Julia" last night and was inspired to make my updates a bit more regular. I can't promise that they'll be as creative as Julie Powell's or as emotionally touching as my dear friend, Sarah's, but I pledge to at least put something out into the blogosphere more often.

So far starters, as of 8/26/09 sweet Sawyer (aka See-Saw) is one! In the blink of an eye my "little" baby has changed right in front of me. I remember thinking that Jack seemed so old at 1 (funny, huh?), but Sawyer IS still my baby. I love holding on to every last cuddle he'll give me and am secretly happy that he's still unable to walk (or run) away from me just yet. So despite his entrance into toddlerhood, I am going to keep him as my baby for as long as I can.

Here are Sawyer's 1 year stats, likes, and dislikes:
25 pounds and 7 ounces (97% - the boy likes to eat!)
30 1/2 inches (75%)

Sawyer loves:
-being around Jack despite the amount of times he's been pestered over the past year
-eating anything and everything (seriously, I haven't found ANY food he doesn't like)
-"sharing" - passing objects to you when asked
-giving kisses
-playing in his sandbox
-pointing at everything and imitating (as best he can) what you label that item
-the aquarium at the zoo - makes quite a scene as he points and squeals at the creatures!
-reading - current faves - "Toes, Ear and Nose", "So Big, Elmo", "Mr. Brown Can Moo. Can you?", "The Foot Book", "When the Elephant Walks" and any lift the flap books.
-driving his trucks/cars around the house
-trying to crawl under anything no matter the size of the gap
-practicing walking while we all cheer him on- we officially wrote down that today he took his first few independent steps (this occurred a couple times throughout the day)
-manipulating his fork - he's so proud every time he makes it to his mouth
-feeding the ducks and quacking like a duck!
-splashing his hands in the toilet (I'm ashamed to admit that I've caught him doing this a couple times!)
-exploring the inside of the car - my boys both love this!
-bouncing on the trampoline with Jack
-balloons, fans, and vacuums
-dogs of any size or breed - no fear!
-cuddling any chance he can get
-his thumb and Raffa (his giraffe blanket)

Sawyer's not so fond of (a nicer way of putting how he arches his back and hollers at you):
-having his diaper changed
-having his clothes changed
-you preventing him from doing what he wants (a little red head with the loudest scream I've ever heard!)
-being hungry
-the dark side of Jack! :)

We were so blessed to have two wonderful 1st birthday celebrations for Sawyer. The first bash was with our families and some close friends in TX on August 23rd, and then we enjoyed a gorgeous day at the park with our Nashville friends on August 30th. See-Saw loved having cake three times that week, and we loved celebrating this amazing little boy. We feel so privileged to be his parents.