Summer Update Part 1!

I can't believe how fast this summer is going by! We have had a wonderful summer! So many new things to report and share! I honestly don't even know where to begin! I also have tons of pictures to post, so hopefully I can narrow them down!

I've decided to do this post in parts! This is part 1 and will encompass our first night in Tennessee! Somehow I am noticing a trend -- Davis literally has 100's of clothes that fit - not exagerating either! But somehow all of my pictures and posts lately he has this outfit on! I am going to make sure he wears other attire for the camera for a while! :)

Davis crusing in his car and Mimi and Pops' house! I have no idea why he is driving with his snack plate on his car! Go figure! This picture is just too cute I had to throw it in!

Updates:

1. Tim started a new job, and here is the best news! NO MORE TRAVELING! So excited!

2. Davis is using the "Potty, Potty, Now-ow!"

3. Marleigh is growing like a weed and rolling and moving ALL over the place!

4. Mommy has agreed to a new job next year - She will be teaching ESOL part-time at her current school! :)

5. Oh and did I mention that Daddy turned 30!!! Mommy doesn't know what to do being married to an OLD MAN!

We had an AWESOME trip to Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg! The cabin we stayed in was INCREDIBLE! We could SO live there!!! It's forsale - but I don't think we could spring the $650,000 they are asking for it!!! The kids were GREAT!!! The loved Dollywood and we discovered that D is a daredevil!!! He will ride anything and the faster/higher the better!!! :)

We made a stop in Cherokee, but Davis was to preoccupied with the fact that Mimi had just told him we were going to visit the Aquarium in Gatlinburg to care for indians!

He did enjoy riding this horsey!

And he even let sissy in on the fun!

On the way to our cabin - he spotted a kiddie amusement park or more specifically this train! Guess where we ended up later that evening?

Of course, Pops had to go with him first!

Then he let daddy go for a ride!

Davis suprised us as he wanted to ride anything and everything - even by himself! Mommy was so excited! She knew he would love Dollywood!

Next it was super high up in the air by himself, Davis the pilot! Mommy was a nervous wreck waiting on D to try to skydive out, but he LOVED it!!! He just waved and waved!

Next, it was on the Ferris Wheel where we were shocked that he didn't want out after his cage mate had a nervous breakdown! They stop to let the boy out and Davis said he was ok and wanted to keep going! Good for you, my big boy!

Next, the scrambler! We were worried about this one as it makes daddy VERY sick! Davis LOVED it -- The operator couldn't spin him fast enough. He kept screaming more more faster faster! I just knew we'd see dinner again! However, he was a pro until he let go and started spinning with the cart! The operator saved the day and got him back under control. Davis just laughed. He would have stayed on it all night!


Sissy slept most of the time at the Kiddie Park in her stroller, but Mommy got Sleephead up for some lovin' and a quick photo!

Our Mar-Star!

Ok, so I must admit -- we began calling Davis --- D from the start. Marleigh was Mar Bear for ever and I still call her that, but the past few weeks I have been calling her and refering to her as my Mar-Star! And that she truly is! She is quite the little Star of the household! In fact, here lately her stardom has sortof taken its toil on the rest of the household!

"What? I know she is not talking about ME!"

Oh, but I am my little Princess! :) Ms. MarStar has become quite the little spoiled Princess. She is your typical little girl! She wants CONSTANT attention and interaction and nothingless. If you take your eyes off of her for even a second she DEMANDS you back in line! :) Our perfect little princess has always went to bed like a light switch. Here lately (the past 5 or 6 nights), bedtime has become her "showtime." In fact she will sleep like a little lamb as long as mommy is holding her in her arms. The second mommy begins to lay her down - her eyes POP open huge and she won't have it! :) Just to explain -- this cycle has easily continued for 4 and 5 hours at at time. Turning her 7:00 bedtime easily into midnight. And oh - I am NOT exaggerating! Since Mommy has removed her wedge and blanket. She is now sleeping flat in her bed in Halo Sack. Last night was the best in a week. Mommy got her to sleep quite quickly until Daddy and D caused a stir and woke her up. Needless to say Mommy was not happy with Daddy and told him he had the priveledge of dealing with the Princess. Luckily she went back easily and slept until 8:40 this morning! Over 12 hours! So we are getting there! Mommy is convinced that MarStar is starting to exhibit the early stages of Separation Anxiety. This week it has been quite intense. She is young to exhibit the intial signs, so we might be in for a quite a time the next few months! Please pray for us all! :)

Mommy explains, "She better be glad she is so darn Cute!"

Marleigh has become quite the little fashion diva with her hairbows here lately! I know, you either LOVE big bows on babies or you HATE them! I am a HUGE fan myself! I am also very proud of myself for making them! In fact, I have already had a number of people asking me to make some for their little girls and friends. I guess I am going in the bow making business! At least it is fun, and I enjoy it! And I am saving a ton for not ordering them online as I had been doing! :)

Well we hope you all had a GREAT 4th! We sure did! Our money shot days are SHOT. We cannot seem to get a good pic of the kids together. One day we will look back and Love these. I just know it! Marleigh is always ready for the camera, and she just can't seem to understand why Davis HATES to pose for pictures!

Our True Colors!

I hope this post finds everyone doing well and enjoying summer! I just wanted to post a few pictures of my little darlings! We are staying at home for the most part! It is hard to get out with 2!!! :0) Especially with a new member who isn't very fond of car rides unlike her brother! :0) We are working on Potty Training with Davis and He is doing very well! We aren't really pushing it but trying to make it fun! Today he hasn't had any accidents and he has worn big boy undies all day! Thomas the Train to be exact! And last night and this afternoon he suprised Mommy with a Poo in the potty! :0) I am beginning to see that Potty Training might be Possible!!! Marleigh on the other hand has become a fan of the Jumperoo that she experiences for the first time today! She is going to be a jumping bean like her big brother!

Marleigh actually tolerating Tummy Time this weekend! Look at those eyes!

Have I ever mentioned how much Marleigh LOVES Davis! Davis on the other hand would rather ignore her most of the time! She puts a crunch in his social life! :0)Davis being Davis! He likes to pretend he is swimming in the ocean under Marleigh's excersaucer!My Little Princess this morning during Mommy time! We have Mommy and Marleigh time until Davis decides to wake up and grace us with his presence!

I could literally just eat her up! She's too cute! Mommy's little Flirt!

Striking a quick pose in her Jumperoo!

Here is a video of Marleigh enjoying her Jumperoo this morning! I made the mistake of shooting it vertically - so unless I can figure it out -- you might have to turn your head to the side! :0)

Where do I begin?!?

Wow . . . We've had so much going on at the Henson front, that I have NO idea where to begin!

* Our 5 year anniversary

* Another house accident

* A 4th month B-day and check-up for Marleigh

I guess I will start with this past week! Davis LOVED Vacation Bible School! In fact he still often asks "Is the church open?" I had to start telling him Church was closed, when he asked at random times to go to church! He says he learned about "Baby Jesus!" When asked what he sang he begins singing "Deep and Wide!" Ms. Margaret did a GREAT job with 10 his age! I don't know how she kept up with them or got anything accomplished! Davis was excited about singing and painting! He even got quite excited about the boys vs. girls mission offering competition. By the 4th night when I would ask if he put his money in the blue (boys) bucket, he would say illy, "I done did that!" Ouch! That is painful to an educator's ear! I guess I should start working on grammar early! :) I had a couple of cute shots of him from the VBS commencement celebration last night, but it is on the other digital camera, and I am not exactly sure where it is at the moment!

Friday was mine and Tim's 5 year anniversary! (Plus exactly one year since we found out we were pregnant!) Don't worry -- no news like that this year! Where have the past 5 years gone? Wow . . . what a ride . . . never a dull moment around here! Tim and I for the first time actually paid a babysitter to come and stay at the house so that we could go out! We went to Athens and had tapas at Speakeasy! It was fabulous! We ate SO much, but it was OH so good! I have many recommendations if you ever want to go! Before desert, Tim surprised me with a "little blue box" from Tiffany's. I was speechless, and beside myself when I opened the box to find a 9 caract emerald cut amethyst. Amethyst is Marleigh's birthstone! Needless to say it is huge and beautiful! As we were leaving a young couple sat down next to us and all of sudden she turned to us and said "OH MY GOSH DID YOU JUST GET ENGAGED! YOU HAVE A LITTLE BLUE BOX, I LOVE LITTLE BLUE BOXES!" Which I quickly replied with a not exactly and a 5 year and 2 kids later story! It was quite shocking, but we got to talk to them for a little bit and she asked to see the ring and we told them about our kiddos! Needless to say I think her boyfriend was glad to know that she liked "little blue boxes." It's always a plus to find out things that your boyfriend or girlfriend "really" like! Tim and I have been through so much together, and I anxiously look forward to our time together! What can I say! He is ALWAYS full of surprises!

Fast forward until we arrived home . . . With our luck lately, I am sure this next snipit won't really suprise anyone! We are sitting on the couch talking to my aunt when all of a sudden it sounds like a guy peeing in our living room. We quickly realize their is a large stream of water pouring on our couch. Well any of you that have been to our house know that our living room is vaulted 2 stories. Well we look up and there is like a drill like hole in our ceiling with water quickly racing out. Tim runs to the basement to cut off the water. It keeps coming! By this time I holding a cast iron pot catching water and getting soaked in the process! Come to find out it was a problem, which I cannot technically explain, with our upstairs cooling unit and it had leaked all in the attic and found a weak spot! The good news is Tim's father was home and is a heating and air mechanic! So he came over after midnight to take a look and was able to fix it for us. Thanks Papa! :) No we just have to wait and see if there is much damage as it is all drying out. Look on the brightside! It could have been SO much worse!!!

Ok . . . . let's have some pictures!

A rare photo of Marleigh actually halfway enjoying Tummy Time!

Marleigh LOVES the Einstein Activity Center!
I washed it and cleaned it up on Friday, and the first time I put her in it she started turning around in it! I don't remember Davis figuring out how to move around in the seat that quickly!

Saturday we were hoping to get a new picture of Marleigh and Davis together. Well Mr. "I have the ability to do the opposite of what Mommy and Daddy want" made sure that didn't happen! Here is a trial shot. Needless to say Mr. D ended up in TIME-OUT which is frequently visited these days!

Could Marleigh's shirt have been any more appropriate for her brother's behavior?

Of course, when things are Davis' idea then it is a different story.

Davis woke up on Sunday asking to "hold Sissy!"

The "Ok, I'm done with this" shot.

But I don't mind giving her a quick kiss!

Four Months Old and Growing Like CRAZY!

Friday Ms. Marleigh turned 4 months old! Funny she hit 4 months one day before the one year anniversary of finding out she was on the way! I cannot believe it has been a year ago that I found out! It feels like YESTERDAY! Looking back at my blog I can't believe that I didn't post the finding out I was expecting Marleigh story! To make a LONG story short I found out on our 4th wedding anniversary, June 7, 2007. Tim was out of town, and I kept it a secret until I picked him up at the airport and we went out for our anniversary. Needless to say his anniversary gift was a plastic toothbrush travel case with a positive pregnancy test inside! I don't think I will EVER top that one! I took Marleigh in for her check up today! Everything looked GREAT! I've kept her on Tylenol for the day as I can tell she is sore, and she has slept alot! She was ready for bed at 7:00 tonight!

Weight: 17 pounds and 11 ounces

Length: 25 and 3/4 inches

Here's the happy baby today!

Poor D! The doctor thinks he has a mild case of pink eye! He HATES medicine, including eye drops! Luckily it showed up on the same morning as Marleigh's appointment! I love my big boy! Mommy hopes you feel better REALLY soon!

Introducing Shark and Shark-bait!

I hope this post finds everyone doing well and enjoying a great start of summer. Davis LOVES the water, so he is very excited about summer! No more swimming in Mommy's garden tub! On the way home from Vacation Bible School last night, I ran into CVS and picked up a cheapo pool for the deck! Our hard plastic one is too big to bring inside to get to the deck, and there is no way I can handle a 2 year old and a newborn at our neighborhood pool!

Davis and I filled it up this morning while Ms. Priss napped! Davis was raring to go with his new found Shark! Mr. Shark came from Cheyenne last night at church, GREAT! Davis LOVES anything that swims, because he loves the water. He had been eyeing Cheyenne and Chasity's prop since Sunday. They taught their last VBS lesson last night, so Davis was chosen to take Sharky home!!! He had fun in the pool too, even though he was really too big! :)

Davis is our little shark! He has NO fears! I got a few good pics!

Showing off one pair of Shark Trunks!

Playing with Sharky!

Now let us introduce you to Shark-bait!

Standing with Pops!

Calling a Truce!

After our spillage in the previous post, Mom and Dad decided to go with a suitable one piece! We found this cute little set at Gap last weekend and couldn't resist! How precious is she? Davis wasn't quite sure about sharing the waters with someone who is "too little!" He conceded once Mommy warned that it was not "his" pool. "Mine" sure is a new coined term in our house since Shark Bait came along!

Bring on the Pool Parties!

Tomorrow is Mommy's last day with her kids at school! She is going to miss them, but she is looking forward to summer time and the fact that she is NOT taking classes this summer!!! Can you believe that tomorrow is the kids LAST day and we have already been invited to TWO pool parties tomorrow afternoon/evening!

Sometimes I think that Mommy thinks I am little doll. She enjoys playing dress-up with me! This afternoon when mommy got home from school -- Mom decided it was time to play dress-up! At least this time she had a valid point -- seems that the doctor had led mommy to believe that I was going to be about half the weight I actually was when I arrived! Mommy could feel me though, and she knew I was big enough to make my entrance! Tell the doctor to try carrying me for one week shy of 9 months! Mommy wasn't in agreeance that I was going to be smaller than my brother! I don't know who was more shocked when I came out -- Mommy or the doctor! :) Mommy kept thinking -- bigger=healthier -- the doctor on the other hand was so shocked by my size that at one point he stopped pulling me out to reach over and look at Mom and tell her that I was much bigger than he expected! Mom thinks this why I swallowed so much junk -- The doc. was so taken aback he couldn't focus on getting me out! The doctor was even having the nurses call to see my weight in the nursery even before Dad and I made it there! He was completely stunned at my grand size! 9 lbs. 14 is alot for a girl ya know! Anyway, mom is all freaking out about my summer and fall attire for some reason! I guess my size was not quite prepared for! Anyway, with all these pool parties she had to try on my 3-6 month suits! There isn't really room to spare, but I guess I can make them work! What do you think???

Tankini?

Or Bikini?

Simply Precious!

A Bloggable Moment with Deep Thoughts!

Tonight I had the privilege of putting Ms. Marleigh to sleep. As I was sitting there rocking her and watching her drift peacefully off to sleep as her eyes got heavier and heavier I started reflecting on my life and how immensely blessed I am. It is a shame that life is all to often taken for granted, and the time spent on reflection is quite minimal. I was sitting there thinking to myself that I have been married for almost 5 years in a few weeks, and I have two precious and healthy children. I began to reminisce over my life and how as a young girl I use to dream that one day I would marry and be blessed with children. I smiled as I reflected on my juvenille thoughts of how I envisioned the "perfect life," having first a son and then a daughter. I always thought that it would be "perfect" for a brother to watch out for his little sister. I remember thinking to myself as a young girl -- "That's not always how life is -- Don't get your hopes up. There are many out there that try and try to have one of each gender and the chances of them coming in my desired sequence was slim to none." Only this time I realized that my idea of the picture, perfect, textbook life was now a reality. As I sat there rocking my little princess and listening to D downstairs goofing off with his daddy, I spoke to God and said "Why me? What have I done in my life to have all of my dreams come true!" I was thanking God for his blessings and I noticed Marleigh's music in the background. First of all let me preface this by saying that I had been a little distraught over Marleigh's new bedtime music as Tim had changed the CDs out this weekend. I wasn't happy because this one has words, and it seemed when hearing through the monitor as if it were more like elevator music. Boy was I ever wrong! Anyway, during my time of praise, thankfulness, and time of being literally speechless the words of the song became surprisingly clear. At first I thought as thought I was imagining it. Then I restarted the song 2 or 3 times and turned up the volume. I just sat there thinking that this was the story my heart was feeling. I couldn't take my eyes off my sweet little angel. I literally sat there and cried. After putting her in her crib and covering her up, I immediately resorted to my PC to find the lyrics to this song. I hope they are as precious to you as they were to me, especially tonight.

MAY ALL YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE
Words and Music
Terry Toler

I LOOK AT YOU
HERE IN MY ARMS
AND I KNOW THAT DREAMS COME TRUE
TONIGHT LIFE IS SWEET
AND MY DREAM’S COMPLETE
SO I OFFER THIS PRAYER
JUST FOR YOU

MAY ALL YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE
MAY LIFE BE GOOD TO YOU
MAY HAPPINESS FOLLOW YOU
YOUR LIFE THROUGH
MAY ALL YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE

SOMEDAY YOU’LL DREAM
OF A FAMILY
CHILDREN OF YOUR OWN
PERHAPS YOU’LL SIT
IN THIS SAME ROCKING CHAIR
AND SING YOUR BABY THIS SONG

MAY ALL YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE
MAY LIFE BE GOOD TO YOU
MAY HAPPINESS FOLLOW YOU
YOUR LIFE THROUGH
MAY ALL YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE

MAY HAPPINESS FOLLOW YOU
YOUR LIFE THROUGH
MAY ALL YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE
MAY ALL YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE

©Copyright 2006 by J. Aaron Brown & Associates, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Pictures from Today

Marleigh's new favorite toy: D's holey ball! It is GREAT because she can actually hold on to it!

Davis giving Sissy a Kiss!

Marleigh swinging with her ball!
Marleigh with her Oatmeal face!Marleigh grasping onto a small ball! Today was the first day she was able to palm/grasp a small ball for a little while! Maybe she will be a basketball player!
Davis last night at Cooper and Charlie's house!