Check out Jayce's expressions

Hey, check out Jayce's expression in the one of he, Gabe and Santa...that was 1 of about 99 where he WOULD NOT SMILE, or at least not a REAL smile! Also, as you can see, Gabe sure got his turkey for thanksgiving! The boy has had nothing but my milk, it's so crazy! You'd never know he goes to the gym all week would you? I just LOVE his little fat cheeks though, I could kiss them all day long!

Thanksgiving and other pics

I wanted to post some pictures of the boys and family from Thankgiving... we had a wonderful day! We spent lunch with nanny and grandaddy in Flo town and loaded up and headed to Chapin for dinner...Jayce had a ball playing with all his "cuzzies", not sure why we started calling them that, but it has stuck... and though it was quite a tiring day... especially on the Humphries side with 8 boy grandchildren 6 and under... it was so nice to be with our family, and we are so thankful God has blessed us on both sides with such wonderful family!
At the Humphries house, we had a special concert which the boys particularly loved, and enjoyed dancing to (especially Jayce)... My youngest bro, Stephen, just won the national Hammer Dulcimer competition and he played for us on his brand new dulcimer which he won there! It was beautiful! I'm posting a picture of that below... by the way, he just came out with a great Christmas cd if anyone needs a stocking stuffer!

The other pics are just random, and a few shots of me TRYING to get a Christmas card picture... can I just say that is SO NOT FUN! It is SO HARD, especially with 2! It's so funny, b/c you know we all go through about 100 before we find the very right one, and half the time, we settle on one, and get a great one as soon as we mail the cards out... oh well, we'll see what will go out this year...

MOHAWK

ok, now that I've got my camera up and running, I needed to catch up on a few stories and pictures...
SO, last week, Jay was looking to put a little excitement into our lives I suppose, and he decided he needed to have a mohawk... So, he goes to shave his head one night, as he does often now that he keeps it short... and comes out with one big strip right down the middle, and says, I think Academy Awards needs a little action going on, and I will go to work tomorrow with a mohawk... I dared him, and he agreed, and then I said oh no, mother's morning out is in the morning (and he takes Jayce), and I said you must wear a toboggan to drop Jayce off in the am though... I THINK that he did... otherwise, I cannot imagine the gossip around Central MMO... Anyhow, So he wakes up Jayce the next am, and Jayce looks at him curiously and says, "what you got on your head daddy?" He kept staring at it, looking so confused and when he came down, Jay asked him if he wanted a mohawk, and he said "NO WAY DAD!" And, this has been his saying ever since... not just no, but NO WAY! I Told Jay I had to post this for you all to get the full effect... oh by the way, the mohawk is gone... I'm NOT sad to report...

santa

So, we made the mistake of trying to explain a bit about Christmas to Jayce... we told him about Santa Claus this year... and he keeps asking, all day long, "Santa Claus coming to see m?" Mama, when we going to see Santa Claus? and my favorite comment about him yet was "mama, Santa eats beans and rice????" Where on earth did he get this one from, not sure! I told Jay that he thinks it's just like us telling him he's going to see his nanny, or sitter, or friend one day... he is waiting for that visit... doesn't understand it's a month away...we might be making frequent mall trips to let him visit with Santa... his new best pal...

Jayce is going to be really fun this Christmas I can tell already! WE got him a singing frosty the snowman book and silent night book and he loves reading them both... He loves talking about baby Jesus and he loved pulling out the Christmas decorations yesterday afternoon, and really loved playing with my 3 southernliving wisemen, thank goodness they're not breakable... the funniest part was when I pulled out his box of his very own Christmas ornaments...he's gotten through the exchange with his cousins the past few years... he had so much fun pulling them out and I look over to hear him say..."oh me goodness..." at least 4 or 5 times, as he pulls each one out... it was the cutest thing ever...
Oh also, he enjoyed helping Clark Griswald (my husband) put up lights all the way around our fence... and I must say they do look really pretty this year... Jay has really been in the Christmas spirit already, b/c he knows how much Jayce will love it! We had a date night Friday and did a little shopping for Jayce, and got him his first red tricycle... I'm excited as he's been asking for it forever! And I had fun picking out some toys for Gabe that will be his "very own" and not "handby downs."

Gabe is 4 months now, SO HARD TO BELIEVE! He had a great first Thanksgiving and was a very good sport as he was shuffled from house to house and person to person of course! We think he weighs around 16 pds based on our scales... and his legs are getting so strong, I think from "standing" in his exersaucer... he is becoming more alert for longer periods of time... but still takes good naps and at night sleeps from 8:30 or so to 7... Still loves his mama and not a bottle, but hey, it's only a season right?
He is LOVING Jayce and will stare at him all day long ! Jayce makes him laugh so much and he loves when Jayce sings to him... I have had a special song for both boys... and Jayce loves to help me sing our song to Gabe... it starts out, Gabriel, you are our angel, Gabriel you are a blessing from above... and Jayce will always say, mommy sing Gabe you are angel... it's so cute the way he sings it!


WE plan to get and decorate the tree this week, and we'll see how that goes! I'll post new pics soon!

More on Jayce

there are a few more things I meant to write about Jayce before I forget... Looking back at Jayce's old blog made me realize how important it is to write down everything, b/c I had forgotten so many of the little things... and I love looking back through my entries!

Anyhow, Jayce is still doing really well with his manners... and nearly each time he eats... whether I make a homecooked dinner or we have carryout from somewhere... he will say "thank you for dinner mommy..." and it is so sweet... I always feel bad b/c half the time Jay has brought it home for us and Jay feeds him... but hey, I'll accept the credit for it I guess!


Also, he loves to ask for something and say "pwease" and it is so darn sweet the way he says it... it makes me always WANT to give it to him, ya think he knows that?

For being such a boisterous boy, he sure is tender hearted... his good friend's little brother was in the hospital last week and he was very concerned. I told him that we needed to pray for him and he led the prayer, asking God to help him, and that was not enough, he asked God to bless his mommy and his daddy too... who really needed God at a time like that.It really made me tear up, as I believe God loves to hear the prayers of children, and it was so simple, yet so genuine. I was so proud of him.

also, sometimes he sounds like a little Brittish boy, because he will say "hey mum"... mum... it is so cute... but I still prefer mommy!

Last thing, I'd just put him down for his nap today, and he was not happy about it, and through his sobs I hear him talking into his monitor saying, "I'm happy now mommy. I feel better so much." This is what we say when he is going down, you will feel so much happier and better when you wake up... and when he wakes up, we ask do you feel better? And he always replies " I feel better so much." So, he was trying to convince me he had already had all the rest he needed... it was so funny... Obviously he did need it, b/c that was the last I heard from him!

new pics

A few pics of Gabe trying out his exersaucer... that is when big bro doesn't snag it... And, tell me these boots aren't the cutest things ever! I LOVE this little baby all bundled up!

LOVE my boys!

So, Gabe is really getting a little personality! He has been talking up a storm, not quite as much as his big brother though... But, he is smiling and LAUGHING at the most simple things Jay, Jayce or I will do... just making faces or holding him in front of a mirror and leaning into it, he LOVES it, and just cackles! I LOVE that... I had forgotten how much fun it is when they FIRST start really interacting with you!

Jayce is always making me laugh... his newest funnies are... Today I was telling him that Christmas was right around the corner and we would go see Santa Claus and take a picture with him. Later he kept saying, where is Aunt Claussen and when we going to see her? He asks about her from time to time, but he was insisting upon seeing her soon... finally I figured it out when he started calling her Santa Claussen... it was too cute, and I'm afraid he's going to be really confused about the similarity in names!

So, one more mall story... I'm convinced the big man must want me to stay away from malls... We were going a bit stir crazy last week, staying away from school and the gym due to Jayce's cold... so I decided it was time for an outing Friday... I feed Gabe, right before leaving so we'd have at least 2 hours to work with at the mall... we get there, and I take Jayce to get his favorite chick filet and then I told him I needed to go a few places and then maybe we can ride the cars he likes to ride there... So I get into gymboree and Gabe wakes up and decides he's hungry about 1 1/2 hrs early... (come to find out, I'd been taking claritin d and it was suppressing my milk supply)... BUT, I had gotten NOTHING done, and after it took all morning to get us there, I was not going to leave... so I decided to let Jayce go on and ride the cars and TRY to give Gabe a bottle AGAIN... it failed, AGAIN>>> he refused, so I look around, and no one is sitting near me, so I sat down on a bench and covered up well, and decided to have my first public nursing experience, since life will be quite difficult for me if I don't do this from time to time... ANYHOW< things are going well, Jayce is happily entertaining himself on the cars without me having to insert money, and I am nursing Gabe fairly indescreetly (sp?) thinking that this is not so bad after all... when all the sudden here walks in a couple, and I know the man from the gym... and I think, maybe they won't see me... but they stop for her to go in Victoria's secret and he is in charge of watching their boys, and where do they play, but right beside Jayce on the cars... oh my goodness, quite embarrassing... but hey, he was probably a little embarrassed too with her going in that store! I know what that's about! anyhow, I continued to nurse away, and then I see Jayce making "that face" and I know he had too much lunch... So I wrap things up with Gabe because it looks bad...I'm thinking, yuck, public restrooms, but man, my car is on the other side of the mall, and I refuse to walk all the way out there, or go home, when I've still gotten NOTHING done... So, I look across and see a brand new Barnes and Noble and found NICE mall bathroom there, so we go in and I change him... head to toe... it was all over his clothes... thank goodness I had grabbed an extra change on my way out... I get him down from the table and wrap it up in a chikfilet bag... wash both of our hands like crazy, and as I'm walking out carrying the bag, it drops and busts all over the floor... still has leftover fries and yes, a lovely diaper... So, I clean that up, all the while trying to keep Jayce from touching the mess or anything else in the restroom, Gabe is crying... finally we get out of there and I am DETERMINED to get back to Gymboree... we make it in, and Jayce is begging me to sit in the little chairs there, and I say no, stay in the double stroller (b/c if he's out of the stroller, he runs through the store)... oh, and i forgot to mention we had already stopped by children's place, and while in the stroller, he had pulled sweaters off of shelves twice... so I know we have to be careful in these places, and I was determined to stand my ground... so he's whining, throws a fit... and after "that poor/ bad/ stupid" mom stares from nearly everyone in the store, eventually, I just decided it wasn't the fun day I had planned, and we headed home, but I was proud of myself for not giving into him... BOY THOUGH< that mall! I tell ya, my Jayce is the sweetest, funniest, but hard headed little boy! But, I LOVE every part of him...

I'll post pics soon, this computer is not cooperating tonight for that...

Happy Birthday Dad (and Happy Halloween)!

So,Jay's birthday is today and we wanted to write him a little birthday blog! Here's what the boys say...
Dad, thank you for being such a super dad to us... More specifically... Gabe says thank you for playing with my big brother so mommy can feed me! Thank you for being the only one who can seem to figure out how to give me a bottle! Thanks for making me smile so big! Thanks for holding and rocking me and carrying me to bed! I love you so much!

Jayce says... thanks dad for being so much FUN! Thanks for letting me climb on your shoulders and playing golf and football and baseball and "tackle" with me! Thanks for riding me out to nanny's house to see the horsies! Thanks for taking me to the Florence Christian football games! Thanks for taking me to get a quarterback uniform! Thanks for carrying me to school! Thanks for sneaking me all the sugary treats when mommy's not looking! Thanks for playing the whistle game with me... (This is where Jay whistles a song, and Jay tries to guess what it is, the cutest thing... he'll say "yankee doodles????", twinkle twinkle??? And he has the most inquisitive tone in his voice... most of the time he gets it right!) Thanks for reading me cuddling and rocking me in your chair each night! Thanks for putting me to bed and reading me stories each night! Thanks for holding me when I have a boo boo and giving sugars that make it "all better now." Thank you so much most of all for spending so much time with me, I love my daddy!

all of us say thanks so much for working so hard for us so that mommy can stay home and watch us grow!

Mommy says thanks so much for being such a great dad to the boys and husband to me. We thank God for you each day!

Happy birthday Jay, we all love you so much, in case you cannot tell, and we hope you have a fantastic birthday! And, you are NOT old yet!