Monday, November 26, 2012

Introducing....

 Mary-Harris McRae Vaughn
Born:  November, 9, 2012 @ 1:52 pm
8pds, 2oz
19 inches long
Perfect in every way
Our hearts are overjoyed!!!







 waiting on the reveal
 what is it?
 IT'S A GIRL!!!!!
























Thursday, November 1, 2012

Dear Little Buddy,

Happy 4th Birthday!!  How can it be that you are already 4 whole years old?  I feel like it was just yesterday your daddy and I were holding you for the first time at the hospital.  So much has happened over these last four years.  You have changed so much.  You are growing and learning new things everyday.  I couldn't imagine what life was going to be with you, and now that you are here, I honestly can't imagine life without you.  I am so thankful that God chose me to be your mommy.  I'm thankful that four years ago today you invaded my world and made it SO much better than I ever thought it could be.  Years from  now I want to be able to look back and remember what you were doing at this time.  I also write these letters so you can know how awesome you are!!!  Here's a list of some of my favorite things you are doing/saying right now....

Things You Say:
- "dirty hampster" (what you call your laundry basket)
- "brekwrist" (this is how you still say breakfast and I LOVE it!!)
- you call the moon pizza planet (from Toy Story)
- "Mommy...when the baby gets here, I think it would be fun for just you and me to go to the beach."
- "Time to get up Mommy.  It's sun."
- you use words like actually and I suppose
- "Do the rain thing" (after reading a book about a thunderstorm one night I randomly did a"rainstorm"
   on your back.  Now, you can't go to sleep until we have done the rain thing)


-Jacob:  "Daddy, where's Heaven?"
 Daddy: "I'm not sure."
 Jacob:  "Well, I guess it's in the big, blue sky.  But not in the clouds.  Because wouldn't it be awful if it
             started raining and we left the windows open and Heaven got all wet."

- Bible Verse: "I life my eyes up to the hills.  Where does my help come from.  My help comes from the
                      Lord, maker of Heaven and earth.  He who watches over you will neither slumber nor
                      sleep.  Indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep."

Favorite Foods:
-pizza, blueberries, any kind of fish (especially salmon), cauliflower, waffles, ham sandwiches, yogurt,
 hamburgers, salad, mashed potatoes, lima beans, carrots, really any kind of fruit, oatmeal, anything sweet
-your favorite thing to eat right now though is green "snoothies" (or green smoothies with spinach).  We
  try to make one several mornings a week for breakfast.

Songs You Like to Sing/Know:
-Jesus Loves Me
-This is the Day
-Oh Be Careful Little Eyes
-Bless the Lord oh My Soul
-Any song from Jake and the Neverland Pirates

I especially love to listen to you sing when you are in the bed.  It is so soft and sweet.

Favorite Shows:
- Jake and the Neverland Pirates (you are OBSESSED with this right now).  Everything revolves around
   this show.  You favorite toy right now is Bucky the Pirate ship.
- Sid the Science Kid
- World World
- Leap Frog Shows

Favorite Things to Play With/Do:
- anything pirates
- cars
- building castles out of blocks
- playing outside
- going to the park (every plaything is the Jolly Roger and you always play the captain)
- puzzles
- reading books - you would literally read all day long if you could
- coloring
- looking at old pictures
- going to school...as soon as you hop out of the car you run in the door and down the hall to your room.
  I can hardly keep up.  It is so sweet to see your love of learning and being with your friends.
- wrestling with daddy when he gets home from work
- helping me cook in the kitchen
- taking baths
- your imagination when you play astounds me.  it i so fun to see the things you come up with
- building forts in the house
- making phone calls to family before you go to bed
- the Titanic.  It's the strangest thing.  We went to Gatlinburg for Labor Day.  They have a Titanic museum.
  It was the only thing you wanted to do all weekend so we went.  You have been obsessed with all things
  Titanic ever since.  You have read several books about it and watched videos online. You are very
  knowledgeable about the story.  It is so fun to listen to you talk about something so grown up! :)
- helping daddy do things around the house.  you want to be just like him.  it's so cute!!
- going to the library or the bookstore and reading books together
- doing learning activities at home.  as soon as we are done with one you ask what we can do next.  I
   hope you will always have a love for learning.
- telling knock-knock jokes

- I love going on fun outings with you.  We go to the park, we go out for lunch, we play outside, we go
  to the zoo, we go to bookstores and the library, we go to Toys R Us and look at toys, and we do all
  sorts of other things.

Favorite Books:
- any Berestian Bear book
- your Bible
- Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy
- Little Blue Truck
- Sesame Street Books
- Llama Llama Red Pajama
- your Titanic book
- Jake and the Neverland Pirate books

Things You are Learning To Do:
- you can write your name
- you can also write the letters: p, s, t, i, l, v, g, and h
- you can identify all of your uppercase letters and you know what sound each letter makes
-you can get the mail all by yourself
- you can dress yourself
- you can brush your own teeth (sometimes with a little help)
- you can make your own bed (you often do this as soon as you get up without me even asking you)
- put your shoes on
- you help me make your breakfast every morning
- get Samson his food
- brushing your hair
- you are getting so good at cleaning up your toys when you are done playing with them
- you are learning so much about God and the Old Testament in Sunday School right now.  You are
   learning that God is Savior and Healer at the moment.
- you know your days of the week and months of the year
- you  can spell Jacob, Gran, and apple


Random Things:
- you tell stories with your hands
- you ask SO many questions about EVERYTHING
- you love Belmont basketball, especially Kerron Johnson #3
- I love when you wake up early and come snuggle in bed with me.  It's the best!
- I love spending precious time with you right before you go to sleep.  I know one day you won't want me
   to lay down with you and rub your back while we talk.  For now though you love it and I will
   enjoy every minute that I get.
- you still want to sit in my lap, hold my hand, give me hugs and kisses in public, you want to show me
  everything you do, and you still think I'm smart and funny.  Sometimes I get frustrated when you are
  constantly needing something from me.  But, I know one day all too soon you will be too big for these
  things and I will want this time back. I want to make the most of every hand hold, every hug, every time
  you want your mommy.
- you are so excited to be a big brother.  You talk about your baby brother/sister all the time.  I can't wait
   for you to be able to meet them.
- chasing Samson around the house with a ball or toy of some kind.  You are also really into giving him
   huge hugs right now.
-  you are really coming into your own.  You are becoming very independent.
- you love to play with your friends.  I love to watch this!!!  I pray that God will bless you with
  wonderful friends who will love you, support you, encourage you, challenge you, and want what's
  best for you.
- watching you play soccer this fall has been so fun.  When you started you had no clue what you were
   doing.  Now you can kick that ball like nobody's business and you can make goals.  It is so fun to
   watch you at your games.  You run with the biggest smile on your face and your tongue sticking out.
- you are so sweet and thoughtful towards others
-  you love to be silly and to laugh.  There is nothing like your deep belly laugh.  It gets me every time.

Jacob - you are all boy.  Rough, tough, wild, crazy, energetic, into everything, loud, non-stop, and so
much fun.  I wouldn't have it any other way!!!

Your daddy and I are so proud of you and the wonderful little boy you are becoming.  We thank God everyday for giving you to us.  I hope you know how much we love you!!  Happy 4th Birthday Big Boy!!!

Love,
Mommy

P.S.- You got sick on your birthday with a 103 fever.  It was so sad.  You were a trooper like always though.  And, you'll always be my favorite little pumpkin!!!!



Friday, October 19, 2012

Ahoy Mateys...It's a Birthday Celebration!!!!

It's (almost Jacob's 4th Birthday)

Our sweet boy turns 4 at the end of the month.  However, with baby due any day now, we decided to celebrate a couple of weeks early.  I really wanted him to have his special day!!  Plus, we have been pretty excited about this party for awhile now.  We would have had one devastated little boy on our hands if we had to cancel.

Anywho...Jacob is OBSESSED with the new Disney show, "Jake and the Neverland Pirates".  So, picking a theme for this year's party was easy peasy and oh so fun!!  Check it out below....
 Cupcake area
The big ship to the left is Bucky.  He is one of the stars of the show.







 Having a pirate party meant that all guests needed to have pirate attire.  I made swords out of cardboard and covered them with foil and electrical tape.  I thought they turned out really cute!!  I also made felt eye patches, and everyone got bandanas.  The main part of the party also included a treasure map.  More on that in a bit.
 Close up of the unrolled treasure map
 Yes.  We made a pirate ship out of a big cardboard box.  Go ahead....you can give us the parent of the year award!! HA!!  In all honesty, this kid could not have been more excited about his ship.  It had a steering wheel and everything.  And, it looks complicated, but it was actually very easy to put together. 
 Practicing walking the plank while waiting for friends to arrive
 What a happy birthday boy!!!
Oh - and of course he had to dress up like Jake from the show
 Steering his ship
 Funny PapaDoc dressed up like a pirate too
 Most of the kiddos 
They all loved playing in the ship
 They don't make pinatas like they used to.
We ended up having to get Jared to bust it open.
They all enjoyed whacking it though.
 Candy Time
 Treasure Maps for Everyone!!!

This next part was so fun to put together
We set up an obstacle course leading to "buried" treasure
 Checking out the map
Where do we go first?....
 Bucky's Cave
 Crocodile Creek
(kids had to jump through the hoola hoops)
 Hook's Treasure Island
(digging for gold and jewels)
 Where to next?....
 Touching Pirate Rock
 Swabbing the Deck
(had to use the broom to sweep the soccer ball around the cones)
 Cannonball Blast
 We spray painted styrofoam balls black to look like cannons.  The kids had to throw the cannons in to the ocean (or in this case the kiddie pool).
 Walking the Plank
 X marks the spot
 Jacob found his treasure
 Eating his birthday cupcake
 Present Time
 October Birthday Buddies
Jacob and his precious friend Addy
These two are just so adorable together!!
 Jacob with his grandparents - Coach and Mot Mot
 Me and my two favorite boys
 My sweet boy
 little bit made it the party too
35 weeks - WAHOO!!!

I had been joking with people that I just needed to make it through the party and the baby could come anytime after that.  Seriously though....sweet little one....you really can come anytime you want!!!  We are so ready to meet you!!!  And, I'm ready to not have swollen feet. :)
 After rest we of course had to go back out and have some more fun.  We played in the cave and of course the ship.
 Samson even joined in on the fun
Digging for more buried treasure

What a wonderful day of celebrating our Jacob's 4th birthday!!!  I still can't believe in 12 days we will have a 4 year old.  Where is the time going?  I don't know, but I sure am going to soak up every minute of it that I can.  Jacob - I love you so much and am so proud of the big boy you are becoming!!!!