Visiting Grammy and Grampy

We took a little afternoon trip to visit with Cope's parents yesterday. Ramsey just loves it there and was looking forward to going all week. One of the main reasons Ramsey was so excited is that Grampy got a new 4-wheeler a few weeks ago and Ramsey has been imagining what it would be like. He of course loved it and got to go for a ride. When it was time to stop and come in since it was so cold he cried and said "I'm sad". Anyway, we had a nice time have all just got up from sleeping in late this morning. I haven't slept till 7:30am in years it seems.

The results of a day well spent:

Potty Training?

So let's be real here I am not Potty training Ramsey yet. I know he is a boy and the average potty training age for them is 3-3.5 years old. So I am sort of hoping by the end of this summer we'll get it down??? Anyway, he does pee on the potty occasionally like if he wakes up and his diaper is dry I sit him on the potty and he pees. I look forward to potty training in lots of ways but dread it in a million ways more. He is a bright kid and I know he'll get it when the time is right but he is a boy and I am not sure he would care if he had pee run down his legs or if he had poop in his pants for hours. If it means stopping playing to potty, at this point forget it. I still have a good 6 months before I have to become a nut about the potty so sanity stay put, we're good for now.

This video was shot the other morning whenI was in the my bathroom putting on my makeup and Ramsey just comes strolling in and says "Mommy, I need to potty". Who am I to deny him so I stripped him down and sat him up there. He did not pee and instead I think thought he needed to poop. Hilarious. He says "help momma" because he wasn't sure about this poop in the potty thing or how it works. Oh, and he say's he is "farting" in that first part.

So as far as the potty stuff goes I think until it comes to crunch time I'll just follow his lead and try to make it a non-issue in the meantime.

Morning Conversation With Ramsey

PJ Day

Ramsey's little playschool had Pajama Day Friday yesterday morning. It was basically parents come with your kiddos (to help wrangle them) and we went around to different classroom for activities. Of course all Ramsey cared about was his BFF Ty being there. These two are like peas and carrots:

The first stop was their regular class room since it had the most play toys:

Ramsey trying to hide from Mommy's dreaded camera:

Then it was on to get some hair color. Ty opted not to get his done but Ramsey was all for it. I mean he screams to get his hair cut but will stand stiff as a board to get it colored. Ahhh???

They found time for a little reading: They then sat down and ate a pancake and sausage breakfast. It was a really cute little morning. There was also a nail painting room (the boys ran right by this one), a tatoo room, a saving cream painting room, a bouncy house, and a craft room.

Ramsey then came home and had to admire his new do in the big mirror. We washed it out before we went to dinner last night and he didn't want us to because he liked it so much.

The Shirt Says It All

He's All boy (by that I mean WILD) but he a sweety too:

Conversation with Ramsey

Conversation with Ramsey today as we were getting in the car while running errands:

Ramsey: Mommy, where we goin?

Me: Home to eat lunch.

Ramsey: I go Target.

Me: Well, we don't need anything at target today.

Ramsey: I need Popcorn.

Me: Really? You've already eaten enough junk this morning.

Ramsey: No, I need popcorn.

We're still working on the difference between need and want but as I think about it we all have trouble with this one. Oh, well. Ramsey still makes me giggle to myself constantly.

4-wheelin

Cope got his 4-wheeler back yesterday from our neighbor who had been trying to fix it and even though it is still broken Ramsey is pretty enamored with it. Hopefully soon we'll get it up and running and Cope and Ramsey's can have some male bonding driving it up and down our street.
Oh, and about 1 minute after I shot this video Ramsey tried to get down by himself and fell off and bumped his head on the garage floor. Oops, no awesome parenting awards today for us. He was just fine and I think it only scared him a little because he was asking to play on it all afternoon.

Umm, Dounuts!!!

Our Friend Kelly made some homemade doughnuts (she is quite the chef) and we all loved them especially Ramsey: In other news we are back to the grind. Cope working crazy hours Mon-Thurs. but we are still enjoying and soaking up the 3 day weekends with him. My sewing business is off to a great start. The store I sell my products to in town has made an AWESOME looking window display and in just the past 3 days since she has had it up I have had tons of orders! We have also hired a housekeeper. Thank God! We are also trying out a babysitter so we can go on a date occasionally.
Ramsey is growning up soooo fast. I looked at him the other day and it hit me really hard that he is a total little man now. No traces of baby (except for diapers). He is talking up a storm and says the funniest things. I LOVE this stage. He has friends now, he has stated to really like movies, he is no longer a terrible eater, he loves to color and paint. He is the sweetest most head strong little person I know.

The Pledge of Allegence

Picture Post

Catching a little snooze time with his Aunt Paige on the way home from Holiday shopping:Enjoying some Cheerios while we wait for our food:

Playing with Pops. My Dad had back Surgery 2 days before Christmas so was a little layed up but managed to still entertain Ramsey quite well:

Stickers are a must have out to eat. They keep Ramsey entertained while we finish our food:

Modeling his new bathrobe from his friend Kaden. Can you tell this kid loves the movie CARS?

Snow in Georgia- Watch Out!

We got snow in Georgia. WOW! We received a light dusting of snow last Thursday (enough to let school out early and close the next day too). I will admit the roads were a little icy but was it enough for us to all think we should stay captive in our homes? You see I'm a little jaded in my opinion about snow. We we're stationed in Upstate NY for 4 years (30 miles down from Canada) and it was intense when it came to snow. I mean there was enough snow some days to cover cars. I remember one day going to the grocercy store and when I got home I had to shovel the drive just to get back in. So I have not yet regained my love of snow but since we have a little boy who doesn't need to know his mom's pessimistic outlook I shook it off (for a minute) and we bundled him up and went outside. He loved it until Cope tried to get him to lay down and make a snow angel. He must have gotten snow in his pants because he lost it and had to come inside. We did enjoy our nice evening home together and warm. That part of snow I do enjoy!

Check It Out

Check out some of my new stuff on my business blog at www.collectionsbytaranicole.blogspot.com. I've been working hard to reorganize some aspects of my website to make it even easier to shop and also added lots of new designs and fabric choices as well.
Valentine Pirate Boy (an exclusive TN design- My talented Mom made this applique from scratch and is now available only for my AWESOME customers!

The Underwear Bandit Strikes Again

Yesterday afternoon one of my goals was to clean out some of my clothing drawers, one of them being my underwear drawer. We'll the "underwear bandit" made his return and this time with even more furry. He started layering the undies around his neck like it was his job and wore about ten pair around for quite a while. He seemed very proud of himself and and would stop by our big mirror and admire his new wardrobe.

Then he came to these weird things (bras). He wasn't quite sure what to do with them so when in doubt just drape around your neck.

A Nice Treat

New Years Eve night we welcomed a visit from our college friends Justin, Katy, Caroline, and dog Tater. They are stationed at Ft.Leanorwood, MO. and we're heading back from Fayetville and stopped at our place for an overnight visit. Their little girl Caroline is 18 months old and seriously the happiest kids I've ever met. We went to Cracker Barrel the next morning for brunch and keeping two toddlers entertained/occupied was a bit of a struggle but we managed. It was so nice to see them and play catch up. It is neat to talk about parenting and such with Katy ans she is quite the SUPER mom. Maybe her super-ness rubbed off a little??? Anyway, great to see you guys. Come back anytime!

I Workin

Last night I was finishing cleaning the kitchen and Cope was busy getting his stuff together for work. It was time to take Ramsey up for his bath when we found him in our closets in this get up:

Cope said what are you doing and Ramsey's response was "I workin". We knew he was trying to stall the getting ready for bed process but it was too funny to us and we just joined in his fun for a little while.

2009 In Pictures + Some Resolutions

January

February

March

April

May

June

July August

September

October

NovemberDecember

My 2010 Resolutions:

1) Either hire a house keeper or clean it better myself

2) Cook More (at least 3 times per week)

3) Have friends and family over more often

4) Keep my sewing business fresh and exciting

5) Find a good babysitter so Cope and I can have a date night occasionally

6) Don't sweat the small stuff

7) Steer clear of annoying people

8) Use my gym membership

9) Find a church and go regularly

10) Be committed to making 2010 the best year yet!!!

Happy New Year!!!

I am so excited to get started on a new year but I can't do so without reflecting on 2009 for a minute. It was truly the best year of my life thus far. COPE WAS HOME!!! We have Ramsey and he is tons of fun and I also have created a home business for myself that I simply love. I feel so blessed to be living this life. That is not to say we haven't had our share of obstacles but I've done better at looking at the bigger picture this past year. Trying to focus on true priorities and not getting bogged down the details that don't really matter when all is said and done. I hate drama. 2009 has made me more comfortable in my skin, I enjoy being me, and I celebrate each day this gets to be my life. I'm a lucky girl!