Happy's Mother Day!

On Saturday morning, we got up and drove to Bryant to see Mimi and Pops, and then drove on down to the Whippit in Prattsville (Grant County) to see the Norris side of the family.  We all got to celebrate Mother's Day like we used to (except for the location).  Aunt Kay, Uncle Sluggo, Aunt Snooks, and Uncle Scott were all there, along with my cousin Molly and her family, and cousin Charlie.  It was fun visiting with everyone and we took up a good 1\4 of the restaurant that afternoon.  We missed having Beth, Katie and Sarah there.  

Jackson did so good - he sat with Pops at the other end of the table and while they had ketchup on both of them, he was really good.  Aunt Kay had brought the entire toy section from the Dollar Store with her, so the kiddos were very entertained.  

Four generations:  my dad, Jackson, me, and Ma.  I hope I look this good when I'm 83!  She is really enjoying life these days in Sheridan.  She is so involved in her church:  sings in the choir, has a big Sunday school class, and attends a quilting group.  It's just another example of how God provides when you step out in faith.  

Cade and Jordyn gave Jackson his birthday present a little early and even sang to him.  Of course Jackson didn't know what they were doing, but he was super excited about his Curious George car (or Monkey George as well call him). 

When we got back to Bryant, Mimi opened her mother's day presents.  From Sarah, she got a really pretty wind chime for the Ponderosa (her new house in Bryant), and I made her gift.  

When we were cleaning out my grandmother's house, she had two big containers full of thread, and several of the spools were old wooden ones.  I hated to get rid of all of that because I knew people who sew and thought they might like to have some of it, but when I started looking through it, I realized how neat these old ones were.  Thanks to Pinterest, I found a similar idea and decided this would be the perfect Mother's Day gift since this is the first year without Nannie here.  I think it turned out great, and I will do a separate post on how I actually did it.  

Of course Jackson had to help open the presents. 

Sunday morning, we snuggled in bed for a while and I opened my cards and gift, and then we scrambled to church.  For mother's day, I got a new printer, a new Shark mop, and a Fitbit activity/pedometer tracker that I've been wanting.  My boys are really good to me.  

My sweet boy looked so handsome in his outfit, so we had to get some pictures after church.  He was more interested in looking around, but I did get a few good ones. 

The weather was so nice on Sunday.  We played outside with the chalk and just enjoyed being with each other.  This was a great Mother's Day and I'm honored that God allowed me to become one.  My dad told me that I am a lot like my mother, which is the biggest compliment I could ever get.  I am also a lot like my mother-in-law, and I'm so thankful to her because she raised an awfully good husband and daddy.   

I'm so thankful for my sweet family. 

A Little Bit of Everything

"I do it" and "me" are common words around our house these days.  His independence is growing and I honestly love seeing him take charge and want to do things on his own.  He is mimicking a lot of what we say and it's understandable for the most part. He also knows when we turn into our street that he's going to Jackson's house, and when we get close to school, that we're going to see his friend Noah (also known as "no no").  

He thinks its fun to put on our shoes and walk around.  

This kid will wear a hat.  In fact, most of the time he will get it himself and put it on this way.  Not sure where he's seen it, but it's hilarious.  He still loves his wagon.  

Although here lately, he'd rather pull it than be pulled in it.  

Last weekend, I took him swimming and since then he's been acting like a little fish in the bathtub.  I can tell that he has no fear, so I'm going to start working with him on some swimming techniques to get him more comfortable in the water.  I took swimming lessons until I was probably 10-11, and was a pretty good swimmer, and I want him to be as well.  But I'm not paying $60 for someone else to teach him to kick his legs (which he is now doing in the bathtub). 

He likes to brush his teeth with the toothbrush that Sar-Sar gave him. 

As my dad says, this is the smile that will light the world. 

And this is the frown that will make you want to pull out your hair and laugh all at the same time.  We are in the midst of the fit-throwing, and sometimes you just have to laugh.  These usually only come when he's really tired or really hungry or both, and honestly, I think everybody is like that.  We just discipline when needed and ignore the rest.  

Jackson also loves being outside and has really taken to his swing.  At first, he was not amused by it, but now he says "wee" and wants to keep going.  

So my garden this year really isn't much of a garden.  I'm not planting anything this year because I'm not sure I have the energy and finances to keep it updated and watered.  But my rose bush has really exploded with flowers, and I love it.  

My azaela and hydrangea is also very pretty too.  This side of the garden is staying in a little better shape than the other side - maybe because it gets more shade.  

My attempt at flower photography.  

In just six short weeks, my baby will be TWO.  I can hardly stand it, but we are so crazy about him it's not even funny.   

First Trip to the Dentist

Last month, I scheduled Jackson his first dentist appointment with his favorite dentist, Sar-Sar.  My sister is working at Saline Children's Dentistry in Bryant, and I was excited to see where she works and meet her friends there.  Jackson is the type of child who is shy and cautious in new experiences, and he had a death grip on me the entire time we were there.  She works in an open room with several chairs - it's very interesting how it's set up.  So different than when I was a kid, but they also have rooms where they can take the cryers so not to freak the other ones out.  We went back there just because she knew that he would definitely not like the exam.  

As far as the exam goes, all she did was lay him down in my lap and look at his teeth and do a quick brush, and then that's it.  When we first started brushing his teeth at home, he was not a fan.  In fact, I would have to hold him down to do a quick brush.  But now he can do it himself, and it's much more fun.  

He says he wants "tuppies" which means toothpaste

More Cousins

We've had some good quality time with both sides of the family this month.  Last weekend, Aunt Kelly was here to visit and we went to Morrilton to see the Moellers (Kelly and Brent's first cousin and her family).  Kelly was in Dallas for work last week and decided to skip on over to Arkansas to see her favorite nephew.  She, Caitlin and Gamma are coming in July and we're super excited about that!

On Saturday, we went to see the Moellers new house in Morrilton. It's in the beginning stages of renovation, but the house is super cool.  Built in 1948 by the wealthy family who owned furniture stores in the river valley area, this house is 5600 square feet with a pool and finished basement.  It's overwhelming how big it is, and actually reminds me a lot of my Ma and Pa's house (but much much bigger).  It has a maid's quarters, a breakfast sun room where the family would take their breakfast, a library, formal living room, and about 5-6 bedrooms.  ( I lost count).  It's going to be really cool when they have it all finished and I can't wait to see what they do with it.  Natalie and Rich have three kids and they absolutely love Jackson.  They think he's their personal baby doll, and Jackson lets them carry and drag him around.  It's hilarious!  

This is Hannah (8) and Jacob (12) with their baby cousin Jackson.  The look on his face is priceless here.  ha! 

Kinda reminds me of another picture I've seen before.  The Golden Boy (aka Brent) was the first boy born to the Gardner family in 36 years, so all of these girls probably dragged him around like a baby doll too.  

This week has been much better on some fronts, but we're still struggling with the evenings.  I think Jackson's upper molars are coming in and he's been really cranky.  Or maybe that's because he's a toddler and expressing his independence.  I don't know but it's been a little stressful from 6-8 every night.  I know this too shall pass, but those kisses that I get surely make up for it.  (The kisses are spontaneous now and we don't have to always ask for them - I love it!). 

Weekend with My Cousins

I know it's been a couple of weeks since all of this happened, but it's been a little crazy at my house lately and I just can't find the motivation to do a lot of blogging.  Hopefully this will get me back on track. 

My sweet little toddler loves being at Mimi and Pops' house .  He did so good with all of the people he met during the weekend we were home for Nannie's funeral. My three cousins were all there, and it was so good to get to hang out with them again. 

Food just tastes better at Mimi's house.  

I don't think my mom would approve of this picture because it shows all of the junk in this room, but in her defense, it's Nannie's stuff that she's got to figure out what to do with it all.  Jackson found him a place to sit and he liked looking through the window at Pops.  

He also discovered the fireplace that weekend and wanted to sit up there and read the magazines.  

There's nothing better than reading a 30-year old book with his mommy's name in the front. 

The visitation and funeral were very nice and it was so nice to see the community reach out to my family.  There was food everywhere!  We started joking that we had to eat every two hours because that's how much there was.  I couldn't help but think that Nannie was a little aggravated because she couldn't be with us, but I know she is with Jesus and nothing is better than that.  

Here are all of Nannie's grandkids:  Me, Michelle, Adam, Sarah, and Shannon.  It's probably been 15 years since we've all been together and I forgot how much we used to laugh when we were kids.  Brent fit right in with them too.  

Uncle Mike, Aunt Debbie, Adam, Michelle, Landon, Shannon, Kayla, and Chris. 

Mom and Aunt Debbie. To me, my mom looks just like her dad and Aunt Debbie looks like Nannie.  Genetics are funny. 

Here's our little family - Jackson wouldn't look at the camera, but we're all here.  

Nannie didn't have an easy life, but she was faithful to God and he blessed her with a loving family and a long life.  She was feisty and a hard worker, and if I can be half the cook and gardener she was, I'll be OK.  My goal now is to make sure that Jackson and any future children know what kind of person she was because even thought she isn't with us, she is still very much apart of who we are.  

My Nannie

I'm very sad to say that my sweet Nannie passed away yesterday morning.  She was 81 and had been sick for a couple of years now with complications from a stroke and lymphoma.  I'm sad to see her go, but honestly I'm not sorry.  There is no sorrow where she is right now.  Honestly, I feel a great peace and joy with her passing, and I feel like God has been preparing my heart for this for a couple of weeks.  Back in March, I went to McGehee for a couple of days to help my mom and aunt clean out her house because they were renting it out to a newly married couple in their church.  It was amazing to see how organized and neat she was, and she had pictures for days!  I love pictures, but I was so overwhelmed with the thought of trying to organize them.  She also had folders for each of the grandkids with news clippings and pictures just for us.  

She will truly be missed and I'm so glad I was able to have a relationship with her as an adult.  I don't think I look too much like her (hello, I'm a foot taller than her), but I hope that I can be half the cook and gardener she was.  I remember when I grew my first tomato - I was so proud and couldn't wait to tell her about it.  (I'll never be able to sew like she did, though).  

I'm also grateful that she got to see Jackson and he learned who Nannie was.  I never knew my dad's grandmother, Martha, but I felt like I knew her from all of the stories about her.  I hope we can do the same with Jackson's great-grandmothers. 

It's pretty rare today to have 17-year-old great-granddaughters, but Nannie did.  Kayla's the oldest, and the rest of the great-grans are Ethan, Grace, Jackson, and Landon.  

In going through some of her news clippings, I found several pages where she wrote notes on leading people to Christ and sharing God's word.  What a great legacy she gave us!  I know she is talking Jesus's ear off right now! 

Here's her obituary.  She worked very hard in her life to overcome struggles, and even until a few years ago, she could run circles around all of us!  She made an awesome strawberry cake and beautiful afghan blankets.  She lived a good, long life and had a great testimony. We love you Nannie! 

Jean Tucker Burns Naugher, 81 of McGehee, passed away Wednesday, April 3, 2013 in McGehee. She was born November 5, 1931 in Florence, AR.

She was a retired sales clerk for Murphy’s Cash Store in Winchester and a member of First Baptist Church in McGehee. She was the daughter of the late Vance Tucker and Lila Dale Peacock Tucker and was preceded in death by two husbands, Rodney Burns and J. C. Naugher and three brothers, Royce Tucker, Waymon Tucker and T. J. Tucker.

Jean loved to garden, sew and crochet. She was a “Pink Lady” for the Hospital Auxiliary while living in Hobbs, NM. She was a Pill Packers Lady for the Honduras Medical Mission Team at First Baptist Church in McGehee. She won many Blue Ribbons for things she entered in the Desha County Fair. She loved playing cards, ball and etc. with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and was a loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother and was a very vivacious lady, full of life and vigor. Jean will be greatly missed by her family and friends.

Survivors include two daughters, Linda Burns Norris and husband, Ronnie of McGehee and Debbie Burns Nichols and husband, Mike of Springfield, MO; one brother, James Earnest Tucker of Texas; one grandson, Adam Nichols and wife, Lisa of Denver, CO; four granddaughters, Shannon Wegley and husband, Chris of Ozark, MO, Michelle Austin and husband, Rocky of Hartville, MO, Laura Haywood and husband, Brent of Cabot and Sarah Farmer and husband, Josh of Bryant; seven great-grandchildren, Kayla, Landon, Ethan, Grace, Reid, Taylor and Jackson.

Twenty-One

So my child is officially 21 months old now.  I can't believe we're just a few months shy of him being two years old.  I look back at pictures from a year ago and he still looks like a baby.  But before I get lost in thinking about that sweet little baby, let me tell about the sweet little boy that he's become.

First of all, his language is really expanded in the last month.  New words include open, truck, purple, and booger (yes, I am proud).  Last night he was eating dinner and I told him that Pops wasn't feeling so great and we needed to pray for him to feel better.   Next thing I hear was him saying "Amen."  It's amazing to me that he associated the word prayer with Amen, and I'm thankful for that little God moment.

He knows what cars and trucks are, as well as all of the basic animals and their sounds.  In fact, he finally started saying "cow" rather than "moo" when I asked him what the picture was.  Sheep is still "Baa" though.  We found this new show on Netflicks called Shaun the Sheep and it's a claymation show from England.  I think Brent and I like it better than he does, but he says "Uh ho baa" a lot in it.  I definitely love to hear his little voice.  Recently, I can tell he's starting to say "one two three" but it's not clear so that anybody other than me would know it.  Same thing when I sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.  The sounds are the same as the melody, so I know that's what he's singing. We're working on colors right now, and he can say the words after us, but he automatically thinks everything is "pu-ple".  Oh and one word that he definitely knows how to use is NO.  He also knows the tone to use it in, which often times gets him in trouble.  I've also noticed that he's starting to put two words together "mommy's shoes" and "open please".

For the most part, he is a good helper and likes to pick up his toys at the end of the evening.  He especially loves to go outside and play with the broom.  (Why do we have toys?)  I'm so ready for the weather to stay warm so we can play outside after dinner.  He pitches the biggest fit when he can't go right outside when we get home.

A typical day right now looks like this:
6:30 - get up, eat breakfast
7:00 - leave work
8:00 - drop off at daycare
8:30 - breakfast, part 2
11:30 - lunch
12 -2 - nap (although I'm not sure he sleeps the entire two hours anymore).
2 -5 - snack, outside playtime, free-for-all until mom/dad get there
6 - get home and whine for "craka, ckookie, meelk, jooce" until we give in.
6:30 - eat dinner of mac & cheese, hot dogs, chicken nuggets, meatballs, green beans, grapes, applesauce, mashed potatoes.  (not all at once)
7 - 8:  play with mom/dad, take a bath, read books, watch TV, and go to bed.

He's still really good about going to bed, which I am so so so thankful.  He's not attempted to crawl out of the crib yet, but I know that it's coming.  We moved some office stuff around and moved some of his toys into his room (also in attempts to keep my living room from looking like a daycare). And speaking of daycare, he loves his little friends at school.  Noah is his "best friend" and he goes by "no no" at school (which I'm sure his mother loves), there's also Chelsea, Maddie, Ethan, Liam, Will, Caleb, Judah, and Pranjah.

As of March, he weighs about 24 pounds and he's 34 inches tall.   I knew he had grown recently because some of his shirts are looking really short.  I would say he's a pretty picky eater, and we've tried different things to get him to eat his food, but if he doesn't want to, then you can't make him.  I try to be reason with him, but then I wonder why I'm reasoning with my toddler.  One thing he does like to eat is anything that Mimi fixes - that gets scarfed down quick, but my dinners he doesn't want to eat.

I'm sure I am forgetting some things, but one thing I can't forget is that he is very sweet and will give kisses and hugs on command.  He loves it when we do "family hug" and usually says "aw mama daddy".  I pray that he will always be so sweet to us and his friends, and that he continues to like to go to church.  I keep cherishing these days because I know they'll be gone before I know it.  I'm so glad God decided to send him to us.