On the way to Daycare this morning (VERY EARLY)...

Collin: dadadadananananmamamammama
Blakely: Collin, say "mama"
Ashton: (sigh) and a few minutes later, "Collin, try to say mama"
Collin:nananana
Blakely: No, not na-na...MaMa
Ashton: (laughing very hard) "That makes my tummy laugh!"

Our weekend

Yesterday we took the boys to the playground at Virginia Highlands which has a cool firetruck. I searched online for the best playgrounds in Atlanta and this one kept coming up. It turned out to have some cool things for older kids but this firetruck was Ashton's favorite part! Here are the truckers... After playing we went to Soul Vegetarian, a nearby Vegan restaurant I found online and was so excited about! Ashton could eat anything on the menu! He had fried tofu fingers with some creamy dipping sauce, mac and cheese (with their own homemade soycheese that was awesome), and bites of my cornbread and sweet potatoes. Then the best part, they have their own ice cream parlor with soy ice cream!!! That's the main reason I wanted to try it and he didn't even love it! he ate a few bites and said, "mommy, this is really icy." Wes and I liked it a lot and enjoyed our dinners too. Anyways, it was cool just to all go out and let Ashton eat some new foods.

Collin has now joined us at the dinner table. Ashton loves having him sit with us. I didn't get a great picture because by the time I got the camera, Wes was skyping with his parents but at least I have one pic of our first family meal. It was really fun to have all 4 chairs filled up!

This was Ashton playing the other day while I unloaded the dishwasher. He told me he was going to work on his computer for a little bit and then grabbed his phone. hilarious. here also are some cool train tracks he made this weekend. We may have an architect on our hands!!

Collin, Collin he's our man!

The Cereal Series...first bite was NOT enjoyable

Neither was the second!

Huh...I'll show them what they can do with this spoon!

I much prefer my feet!

Just try to come at me with that stuff again!

A few weeks later, much better and pumpkin is a hit!

Love these because it shows how he reaches for EVERYTHING especially my hair and necklaces and the camera strap is a favorite!

Haley loves him too

EVERYTHING in the mouth!

First Valentine's Day!

Starting to sit up

Sweet sleeping baby!

If he can't do it, no one can! Ashton loves singing this to Collin lately. Lil C is 7 months old today! We celebrated at the park with our dear friend Sarah and I had so much to carry that I didn't bring the camera and now I regret it of course. It was a beautiful day and we had so much fun! Wes had his symphonic band camp so it was just us and the boys. Yesterday we spent with my grandparents and Ashton did so well riding his tricycle on their driveway. I am so proud to be the one to teach him to pedal even though his daddy is the big biker (although I did do Bike Ride Across GA with him several years back and his dad and I ended up finishing more days than he did because he got food poisoning and ended up in the Royston ER...but that's another story) We hardly bike at all anymore since Ashton was born but I hope we can get back into it once Collin gets old enough to sit in the baby trailer.

Food-this month we have made big food strides! So Collin is now eating solids. I looked back and realized we had started Ashton on solids a little earlier and to tell you the truth, it just snuck up on me! Anyways, we let Ashton feed Collin his first bite of rice cereal and he loved being the one to do it. However, right before we started I realized that we were going to mix it with formula (milk based) and so we had an allergy dilemma. We let him feed him a couple of bites and then rushed Ashton to the bathroom to wash his hands. He was so upset to have to stop. Have I said lately how being an allergy mama and son stinks? Thankfully when I was home sick with the flu I got to catch up on some of my favorite allergy mama blogs and got some new tips.It's always encouraging to read that other moms freak out over restaurants and birthday parties and are picky about things too. One mom I like had to leave a b'day party because cheese residue was on the bouncy thing the kids were jumping on. How sad! Anyways, thanks to that same blog, Ashton has successfully tried Oreos! I have been back and forth about trying them because I have read different things about their ingredient listed "chocolate." But when she said her daughter ate them, I decided to go for it! Funny thing is, he liked it but it wasn't this life changing event like I thought it might. I think he liked the dairy free brownies I make better. Funny. But it was a big deal for me. My kid can eat oreos!!!! Back to Collin, as you can see by the pics he HATED eating the first few times but now seems to like it a lot. So far he's just had cereal and pumpkin but I just made a batch of sweet potatoes for this week. Adding yet another meal to the endless snacks and meals and bottles I am cooking is a bit overwhelming I must admit but we'll get through it and I enjoy making his babyfood. Plus he's so active now that I am starting to wean him.

TALKING-These boys are talkers! I thought Collin might be the quiet one since Ashton always talks but he seems to have come out of his shell and babbles all the time now! Of course, dada is coming out all the time now too which Wes loves. Speaking of talking, Ashton said some hilarious things this week. On their way to daycare, Wes said they drove up on an awful car accident and there were police cars and a helicopter circling overhead. Ashton told Wes, "daddy, that helicopter is having a hard time getting off our car!" Yesterday on our walk he tells me, "Mommy, I hear cars on the interstate" Since when did he learn interstate? He also saw a short bus and said, "Look! A little bitty bus!" which I thought was funny. He also said Wes was "as tall as a giraffe." Lately he has been asking us what time it is a ton. Then he'll say, "What time did Collin get a bottle?" I guess he's worried we won't feed the baby! He certainly does run the show.

So we're taking a break on pottytraining. It's too much effort when he's not interested. the other day I said, "Doesn't it feel yucky to be all dirty in your diaper?" "No" was his answer. It's crazy. He's so mature but yet does not seem to care about diapers.

Last funny thing he did that wasn't so funny...we're still having the issue of him throwing stuff in Collin's crib. So I took all of his animals out of his bed as a punishment and told him he could have one. I mean this was like 20 stuffed animals he sleeps basically on top of every night. So he decided on Pooh. Once in bed, he changes his mind and yells for us to come in a couple of times because he wants a different one. Then this morning he asked if he could have them back and I said only if he does not throw them and he said, "But sometimes I share them with Collin." Ugh. This boy is so smart! He said that because yesterday I was praising him for sharing his toys with Collin. What in the world are we in for when he is arguing with us as a teenager?

The Blame Game

me this morning as boys were getting up: Ashton, why are there snowmen in Collin's crib?
A: I don't know.
me: Really? I think you might.
A: He was trying to get them!
me: I don't think so.
A: But he was!!
me: Ashton, we've talked about this and you know not to throw things in Collin's crib and if he was trying to get them, you're older and you know better.
A: mommy? I'm ready to eat now.

Now do I sound like a mom or what?

Here are some pics we took at Stone Mtn yesterday. Wes had honor band in the area and got to meet us over there. A loved the train although a little nervous at how loud it was!We had fun on their playground too! Collin got to ride like a big boy in the stroller sitting up!

Thursday during nap, both boys were laughing and squealing so I went in and Ashton was jumping up and down playing peek-a-boo with Collin (the heads of their beds back up to each other). Collin was lying on his side staring up at Ashton and cracking up. I don't know what I was thinking but before nap I let Ashton decorate his Valentine's cookie we made with sprinkles and pour them on himself. This picture does not do it justice. Half the bottle was on that cookie! Hence the jumping up and down playing "hide and seek" as he called it.

These last pics are from our friend James' first birthday party last weekend. Happy Birthday James! You are such a cutie and we look forward to more fun times with you!

Cowboy milk

Recent conversation with Ashton:
A:"Mommy, you're drinking milk like me?"
B:"Well, I'm drinking cow's milk and you're drinking soymilk."
Since we're starting to teach Ashton about his allergies I saw a teachable moment here..."Cow's milk makes you sick so that's why you drink soymilk or ricemilk."
A: (After a thoughtful pause) "You like that cowboy milk?"

Also, do you like my new background? I am a little tired of all things boy around here so I picked a nice, girly Valentine's one that I loved!!

6 Month Swing

So I am home sick with the flu. Happy Birthday, here's the flu. But the weekend was wonderful until I got sick Sunday night! Friday night Wes made me an awesome dinner. Peppercorn steak (adapted from Julia Child's recipe), rosemary potatoes and a marble dairy free chocolate cake that Ashton helped with and said, "This is going to be YUM-MY!" As my hip brother would say, the meal was slammin'! ( I have recently been teased because Ashton has picked up on my 80's exclamation of "pretty neat" like, "that tractor is pretty neat" so I need to bring him up to date) Anyways, it was such a fun night with my boys and my sweet husband gave me a gorgeous pearl necklace.Then Saturday night he and my parents had planned a surprise party! The party was so much fun and I loved having my favorite people under one roof! I will have to post pictures when I get some from other people's cameras. Now these pics are from the week before when we celebrated Collin turning 6 mos at the park with his first swing! We had done the same for Ashton so I thought it would be a tradition for us! In fact, I dressed Collin in the same little jacket for the pictures. He seemed to like the swing and Ashton loved being at the park after such a long winter. The second pic is Ashton counting graffiti on the tunnel. haha The last pic is of Ashton at 6 mos on the swing and all the others are Collin. There were too many cute ones not to share. My favorite is the boys looking at each other-they do adore one another. Wes told me Ashton said to him just today, "Daddy, Collin is my buddy!" How sweet!!!A friend for life!

Every year on this day

my grandfathers call each other and discuss how it was "the coldest, longest night where they slept on the hardest tables at South Fulton Hospital (gasp! I was not a Northside baby) the night I was born." Today my grandfather reminded me, "I have to call Earl and tell him it was THIRTY years ago that we were at the hospital." This morning before he left, my husband kissed me and said, "goodbye my Old Lady!" Can you believe that? Yes, turning 30 so far stinks. Plus, it is pouring rain and I ate a hard Trader Joe's dairy free waffle standing up for breakfast because I had pushed the toaster down three times in the middle of trying to get both hungry boys fed trying to keep my waffle warm and it was hard as a brick. So I'm old and grouchy! All day I have sung to myself, "Happy Birthday to me. I wish Ashton would go pot-ty!" He said he did but I am not sure because while he was on the toilet I was bathing Collin who pooped all over himself and me. I know Collin at least tinkled in the tub. In fact, while he was doing it Ashton laughed and said, "mommy, he needs to sit on the potty!" Anyways, at least I have these two to keep me company...they'll get me through it and Wes is making me dinner tonight!