Pictures Are Worth a Thousand Words

Beautiful Chloe Turns One!

Chloe enjoys the rose from her birthday cake!Notice her left fist full of cake and icing--it gets a lot hairier than this!

The last picture we took before deciding she needed a bath...and her gown needing laundering!


On January 1st (an easy date to remember for this busy mamma!) Joseph upgraded to a big boy toddler bed. I had many pictures of him and his new bed-he loves it!- but this one with Mom I liked a lot...because Joseph is holding her hand while James and Mom have a conversation. He loves Granny!

Birthday Boy- Birthday Week!

"A mighty flame followeth a tiny spark."
~Dante Alighieri


Notice the 'paw print' at the bottom of the cake! Joseph was already into it!


(ValuMarket makes the best cakes!) Joseph enjoyed his Elmo, Dorothy goldfish, and Mr. Noodle figures... They're now active members of the barnyard, where Elmo loves to ride horses.

James and I feasted on this cake all week....and needless to say, it's now history!


Joseph is sharing a bite of cake with Mr. Noodle-- how thoughtful...and smart! ;)

I took a lot of video footage, so I don't have many photos to post from his little birthday celebration. He's lovin' the toys he received: a Little People barnyard set, a bop-it ball, and a police car and policeman set.

Joseph had his two year pediatrician appointment with Dr. Al, and we were given a clean bill of health. The nurse weighed Joseph on the 'big boy' scale--no more sitting nakedly in the bucket seat for our Little Man! He now weighs 25 lbs., which puts him in the fifteenth percentile for his weight (34" in height, 45%tile).

I'm curious if those stand-up scales measure ounces....or are ounces now a measurement of the past just like months? Joseph is now simply "two". What's a momma to do??

Dr. Al was very pleased with Joseph's progress, and checked off all the fine and gross motor skills for a happy and healthy two year old. Dr. Al noted that Joseph is still a smidgen behind with speech, but was so delighted with the progress that our little 1 lb. 9 oz. miracle has made! Joseph's receptive skills continue to shine (ask him anything!!), and his language and cognitive skills are anywhere from delayed. Kim, Joseph's speech therapist, is working weekly with Joseph on speech development and it shows!

Every day I give thanks to the angels at Kosair's who were there for our growing son when he was so tiny. We were two proud parents walking from the pediatrician's office with our growing toddler, and believe you me, I was giving many thanks that day!!!!

What a difference two years make!

Don't Miss The Bliss

Chloe: Brother, I see the alien signal coming through our Classical Baby
video.

Joseph: I'm getting the same signal through my time-warp watch receiver. We'll be out of here in no time with a press of a button! Let's go tell Mom and Dad!


Seriously, the kiddos LOVE Classical Baby videos. I DVR'd a few from HBO family channel to watch and life will never be the same.


Showing off our pumpkin painting talents
This pumpkin pic was taken after an unforgiving rain that we had. The pumpkin art is a little smudged because we used washable paint, but the fun we had painting remains!



A few small gourds in the window to "autumn-ize" our place
It's not the best pic angle, but it'll have to do... To see some great photography, see my friend Lacey's new blog

And, last but not least by any stretch, James and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary. I'll post more later about our fun trip to Nashville and a nearby antique shop. Let's just say we had a very fun road trip (like in the 'old days') and enjoyed some pizza (a tradition; we ate pizza before our wedding) while in Nashville!

A Serving or Two or Three

A whole week without posting? I cannot believe I'm guilty of this blogosphere crime! The 'real world' has kept me hopping. Seriously, if my to-do list gets any longer, it's going to grow arms & legs and run from me! And, my brain, well, it's already on system-overload, but I'm still able to finish sentences....that's a good sign!

a few servings on our plate:

~Joseph has an ABR scheduled for this Friday; I'm nervous because they'll have to sedate him with an oral medication. I'll be glad, though, if hearing loss is ruled out. At his last hearing appointment, the audiologist said she has concern that Joseph has trouble hearing high-pitched frequencies. Keep you posted....

~Someone has the sniffles. I hope it's only allergies and not a cold; otherwise, the ABR may be postponed.

~Meal planning- We need some grub! We also need fall clothes! We'll be out and about soon.

~Our 10 Year Wedding Anniversary is this month! We're planning an outing for ourselves to celebrate. Aaah, how do I love him? Let me count the ways.

~Chloe is in the beginning stages of First Steps. Joseph's physical therapist, Courtney, is going to take on Chloe to help her get that jump start in mobility. Everyone- watch out! Yesterday I had her up on her knees and hands and she was rockin' and rarin' to go!

~I have a whole list of crafty things I want to create and/or finish!

~Joseph received a haircut from Mommy Monday. Sitting still? Not in his vocab!

~Oh, keep everyone updated on the blog. (I better include this, right???!)

With all this mentioned, I am truly enjoying my days with the Little Ones. Next time I blog, I'll let you in on what Joseph and Chloe have been up to.


Watching a Signing Time dvd- I was able to get a shot of Monday's haircut- not bad!


There's something to be said about a little boy's shoes being kicked off and left on the steps outside. I realized his feet are not always going to be fit in these little shoes. I had to capture my feelings in that moment.