girlfriends already???

So, last night we are at the dinner table... Usually, Gabe eats before Jay, Jayce and I so he goes down early and the 3 of us talk about how our day went... Gabe will join us sooner or later I'm sure... but for now, it's nice to let Jayce tell us how his day was while we can both focus on him... So, he gets this really big grin on his face and starts talking about a little girl in his class named "Abby." Jayce and I always joke about if he has a girlfriend and I always tell him that his only girlfriend better be mommy... but he loves to tell me otherwise because he knows it gets a rise out of me... Well, last night when we asked him if he liked Abby, he said "yes, Abby is my girlfriend... well sometimes... some days she is my friend Jacob's girlfriend but some days she is my girlfriend." It was too funny... Jay said "that's my boy" of course...stealing other people's girlfriends...This was once a great accomplishment for my husband apparently back in "the day"... or so he tells me... It was too cute... not what Jay said, but what Jayce said!

snapshots

Here are several fairly recent snapshots of the boys... As you can see, getting them BOTH to look or even to take a good picture is nearly impossible! (not to mention how difficult it is to get one of Jayce clothed or not roaring...) Anyhow... the one of the guys in their USC gear was before the first football game, we had a pizza party to celebrate! We haven't done that much since... go figure...the life of a Gamecock fan!

There are a few of the boys in the wagon in front of the house before we went to Nanny and Grandaddy's house for our memorial day dinner...
And, their of some of them just playing around the house... Gabe and Jayce both love Gabe's new birthday presents and his John Deere tractor in particular is one they tend to fight over... so their new solution is for Jayce to ride it and Gabe to push it... which also helps him practice walking... everyone wins! They have so much fun doing this in the kitchen and den while I'm getting supper ready most nights.

Sweet words

I wanted to jot down a few really cute things Jayce has said lately before I forget them... Jay is in his busiest season at work right now and has been working some pretty long hours, so Jayce has really been missing him lately and always is extra excited when it's time for daddy to come home... He said the other evening, mom, I'm said that dad's still at work, and he said I miss him... I said, I know you miss him, but he will be home soon, and he said "but no mom, I miss him really hard this time..."

He also loves to talk about bugs and such and likes to take him spray bottle around to try to spray them... maybe he'll be a bug man, who knows... but he is always talking about "posquitos" for "mosquitos"... and just now he said, "mom, a posquito bit me everywhere, all over my bodies"..

This brings to mind a cute story, the other day at his friend Emma's 3rd bday party (which was SO much fun by the way), a bug was walking across the ground, near a circle of little girls and mommies, and Jayce walked right up, with absolutely no hesitation or fear, and SMASHED that little creature with his croc shoe... all the moms looked up, like "wow, that was pretty cool"... I will say that is a definite advantage to having little guys around the house!

what's new

So Gabe is 13 months, and as always I am late with his update... but I think now that he is one, I'll kind of do their updates together, WHENEVER I can get around to sitting down at the computer...

Gabe-
Has gotten SUCH a little personality lately! He is such a ham all the sudden!

He loves to be told no, no (not a good sign), and he just LAUGHS, and I mean cackles if you tell him not to do something, and goes right for it again (Again, NOT a good sign)... I probably need to start cracking down on him a little harder, but he still just seems like such a baby to me, it is hard... I once again have a biter... I thought that the likelihood of having 2 in one family was not going to be that great, but here we go again... Gabe however does not seem to do it in spite (or just yet)... it more seems to be that he is teething and hurting... and it has thus far only been directed towards daddy, mama and bubby... hopefully, we can nip it in the bud... I pop his fat little leg though, and he just laughs, and thinks it is a game... what to do??? I would love any suggestions from anyone who has dealt with baby biters before... Jay has started calling him pit bull... we need an intervention!

He is loving early morning jogs with mommy while bubby is at school! It is really nice b/c he is so content without even having snacks or his sippy cup, and mommy really enjoys a quiet, uninterrupted jog!

He also is loving to get to ride in the top part of the grocery cart now that we sometimes get to go by ourselves while Jayce is gone... he thinks this is SO much fun! He just lays back and crosses his feet and grins at everyone as if he's in Heaven! I have been trying lately to not venture out with both boys unless it's the park, gym, or church or going to be a really quick trip... so Gabe really enjoys getting out!

He loves to say "Jayce" in his cute little way, bubby, mama, daddy, I... U (forgets the love), bye bye still is his favorite...,

He loves to hold his arm straight up in the sky and point, and Jayce always thinks he is trying to ask us a question, since that is what Jayce now has learned to do in school...

He is crawling so fast and is standing holding onto things trying to walk around the room, and will stand alone, but still a little afraid to let go and walk... again, ok by me... let him be a baby as long as possible!

Loves to say "daddy" when Jay walks in!

He is getting a little temper if he does not like something, and he will clench his teeth, and ball up his fists, it is very hard not to laugh... I'm bad aren't I?
He is starting to say "uh uh, uh uh" when he does not want to eat something, and shakes his head... I was not thinking he would become so picky quite so soon... But, he is still eating some veggies and tons of fruit, just not wanting green ones anymore...

His new favorite breakfast foods are wheat toast with strawberry jam and quaker oatmeal squares, soaked in milk... he would eat these all day, I pretty much have to yank them away from him!

All in all, Gabe is just growing up so fast, and the boys are really playing together so well, it is amazing how much things change in one year... Their favorite activity is to roll around on the floor together, they both think it is hilarious!

Jayce-
Loving school and now doing great! Got 5 stamps in a row last week, so we headed to the dollar tree on Friday for our weekly prize and he gets so excited! The dollar tree is like the best place in the world to him, and I was so proud of him because he picked out a little miniature nativity set... I was thinking we were going for the usual bugs or snakes, when he surprised me with Baby Jesus, how sweet!

He loves Gabe so much and yesterday he looked at him and said, Gabe, you are my best buddy in the whole world... just out of the blue... Gabe just grins

He loves to sing with mommy "don't worry, be happy," (not sure how this one got started up again)and hot diggity dog (the mickey mouse clubhouse theme song)

Loves to see his daddy when he gets home from work each day, and runs to the door and yells "Dad! Throw me up in the sky!" Thank goodness Jay's back has not been seriously injured yet from this little routine...

Loves to blow on Gabe's stomach to make raspberry noises, and Gabe thinks it's hilarious too!

One last thing, he came walking in from Lowes today with Jay and brought me a new plant.. I thanked Jay, and he said don't thank me, Jayce was the one who wanted to get you one... that makes it all worth it :)

love my guys!

School

So, School is going fairly well over all... We have definitely transitioned into a far more structured atmosphere than the gym nursery or mother's morning out, and we have gone from 2 days a week to 5... Initially, we had a few problems with Jayce understanding he was not allowed to do certain things at school that he might be able to do at home... those of you boy moms will probably relate to this example...girl moms, you will probably breath a sigh of relief you have girls... but we'll compare stories again in the teen years :).... at least that's why Jay tells me I don't need a girl, after my teenage years... I'm rambling... ANYHOW, Jayce has this habit of growling, he is obsessed with animals and loves to try to become one himself... he loves to growl like a lion... So, most of the time, when he does this to people (such as nanny or mimi) they will laugh at him... not so with Mrs. Rogers... We touched base the other day after Jayce told on himself for going to time out and I found out the reason was because he was growling at her... I am on the phone, nodding my head, yep, the boy does growl and I probably have let him get away with this animal behavior too long...so it is partially my fault... I have to admit that I understand why he was put in time out for this at school... she has a class full of children who are watching her response and of course she does not want a class full of wild animals... BUT, it's just one of those things we are having to learn that USED to be cute and funny and NO LONGER IS.. So, he now knows, no growling at school...

Other than losing this privilege, he has really seemed to enjoy school and is up and ready to go nearly each morning, I've only had to coax him a few mornings when he was SUPER tired... He is also begging to go to bed about 8, which is kind of nice! He has already learned so much and is so proud of himself when he walks out to the car with a stamp on his hands... most days that is... every day except for the growling day!

The Horses

I was so glad to get some pictures of Jayce out at Nanny and Grandaddy's with the horses... we took alot of pictures this day of Jayce doing his favorite things: visiting the horses, fishing, riding his bike, and "playing golf." He was pretty camera shy with the horses this day but he has always loved to go visit them on the weekends.

Sweet pictures with Jay

We had Christina come take pictures our at the McLaughlin Clubhouse/ Farm and she got some really great ones I thought! Here are 2 of my favorites, I will post more here soon...