Can I get some peas please?

Hamilton enjoyed the peas much more than the cereal and he gobbles them up. Right now he is only eating at lunchtime and he is still eating 4 6-7oz bottles. Going to try carrots today then probably butternut squash or avocado.

"you can't tell from this picture but I do like peas!"

peas - steamed frozen peas and pureed in the vitamix to get a smoother consistency

Carrots - steamed and pureed in the babycook. forgot about them when they were steaming so very happy to have the automatic cut off when they are done. used fresh carrots 

carrots

butternut squash - fresh. pureed some of what we had leftover but didn't add any spices or oil since he can't have those quite yet

apples - yum! we all will enjoy this yummy fuji and gala applesauce

Hamilton's first solid food: Cereal

We fed Hamilton his first taste of solid food - some rice cereal. He liked it okay but really only had about three bites and then kept making a face. I don't blame him - it's not very tasty. At first he just smiled every time I would look at him and try to put the spoon in his mouth. It was very cute. He just wanted to grab the spoon. We will keep trying.

7th Anniversary

Today is our seventh wedding anniversary. It is hard to believe that we have been married seven years and that we have been together 16 years. Our lives have changed so much from when we first began dating. We've grown as individuals and also as a couple. When we first began dating we were just teenagers, and the most important things in our lives revolved around sports, our friends, what we were going to do on the weekend, and going to college. We grew up together - we lived our 20's together, we've entered our 30's together, we've lived in three states, we became parents together...we have a lot of road ahead of us and we travel that road together as man and wife, as friends, as confidants, as parents, as children.

When I met Scott I was instantly drawn to him. However, it wasn't until later in our high school years that we began to date. He was a sweet, charming, smart, hard-working, honest, incredibly cute, (and sometimes cocky) teenager. Looking at him, I knew that he would grow to be a good man and that he has. He is more charming than ever, smart, hard-working, honest to a fault, incredibility cute (and handsome), and still sometimes cocky. He is also now an amazing father and his humor and tenacity can be seen on a daily basis. At our rehearsal dinner a friend stood up and talked about how I had told her that I loved Scott more on that day than I ever thought I could. This is still true. My love for him continues to grow as I watch him father my children and care for our family. It grows as I learn of his faults and hear his same stories. It grows as we grow, and I am grateful that we grow together. Life is not always easy but knowing that I've got such an amazing person to walk hand-in-hand through life makes it much easier.

The seventh anniversary is the year of copper and wool. Scott and I celebrated yesterday. We each gave the other a gift of wool and Scott gave me a 2007 penny so that I could make a wish into a copper-colored fountain. He also made a wish with a 2007 penny, and Addison made wishes for her and Hamilton. After our wish we walked in Edisto Gardens and just enjoyed time together. This weekend we are going up to the mountains to wear our wool and to take Addison snow tubing. Here are a few pictures...a blast from our past. I don't have any of the earlier ones digitally to put online.

1999

2005

2006

SC 2007

Newlyweds - SC -2007

Florida 2007

Florida 2008

Florida - 2008

New parents - Florida 2009

Washington DC 2010

Florida - 2011

2012

2013

2013

Expanding our family 2013

3 months!

Today Hamilton is three months old. He's smiling more and very active kicking and moving his arms a lot. He's been rolling over for a couple weeks now. He's a very sweet and a good baby. He's been also sleeping through the night for probably about three weeks now from 10pm to 6 or 7am.

Hamilton's Baptism

Hamilton was baptized on December 8th and it was a lovely ceremony. Afterward our family hosted a Baptism party and everything was wonderful! We are so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends.

Derrick and Michelle are Hamilton's Godparents

Addison insisted on having a picture of her and her brother

Papa and the grandbabies

This is the same christening gown that Michelle and I wore. Addison, Jocelyn, and now Hamilton have all worn it as well.

I forgot to take pictures before the Baptism so I took them afterward at Aunt Martha's house. You can still see the anointing oil on Hamilton's head

Someone gave this cute outfit to Marie so Hamilton wore it for the party

Holy Holy Holy Baptism

The decorations were lovely

Hamilton and his Godmother

Hamilton - 2 Months

At Hamilton's 2 month appointment, and he was 9 lbs 15 oz and is 22 inches long. He has almost 4 pounds since his birth. Here is a picture of him with his Little Foot. You can really see how much he has grown from looking at his previous little foot pictures.

Coodles of Updates

Hamilton has been cooing and "talking" to us for a few weeks now, and he just started to smile this past week. He is a very snugly baby and loves looking around and sucking on a paci or his hands. He likes to lay flat when he is awake so he can kick and bat his arms and look around. He isn't sleeping as well as we had hoped (we got spoiled by Addi) at this point but most nights we only have to get up once in the middle of the night if we feed him between 10 and 11pm and again at 6am. He also seems to notice when we aren't around and seems to really like Addison's voice. She is doing great being a big sister. She is protective and loving and calls him her baby. The other day Hamilton wiggled out of his diaper (he has wiggled out of some pants as well) and since he had just pooped, he got poop all over his clothes and the crib. I stripped the sheets and his clothes and laid him in the middle of his floor and ran to the laundry room and to get another sheet. Scott was in the shower and Addison was eating breakfast and watching cartoons. She had gotten up to see what Hamilton and I were up too and after visiting Hamilton's room, she sought me out and was concerned because she had found Hamilton by himself in the middle of his room. When I told her that I knew he was there and that I had only been gone for a minute, she practically fussed at me and told me that I shouldn't leave him like that and that she would sit with him until I was finished. It was really sweet. She doesn't like hearing him cry or fuss. Addison hasn't been jealous but does seem to get needy and whiny at times. We make sure that we each spend time with her one-on-one and that we call it such. When people visit they naturally are coming to visit Hamilton and Addison tries to get them to play with her or she wants to show them something, etc. We are trying to teach her not to ask people for presents when they visit but that hasn't taken. She also keeps asking every woman who is around my age if they have a baby in their belly or when they are going to have a baby. We try to explain that she shouldn't do this, but she doesn't understand.

She is enjoying 4K and seems to really be thriving there. She loves her enrichment periods (especially computer and already asked for a computer for Christmas - a real one just for her) and comes home with new songs, games, and information on a weekly basis. They play a lot of games and spend a lot of time learning through play and learning through more structured time at the table. She loves her teachers and has made a lot of friends.

Dylan is doing well. She turned 12 this past September. She wants to eat our two kittens still so that is a problem. She has gotten to like having Bella around. Bella is now 6 months old. She is sweet, smart, and really energetic. We are trying to transition her to sleeping in the house with us and it seems that every other day is a good one.

All in all we are doing well. We love being in SC and seeing so many friends and family on a regular basis. We truly are blessed with our beautiful family. 

please let me on the couch

7 weeks

7 weeks

our budding artist

7 weeks

sibling love

6 months

6 months

6 months