Tacy Mae–8 Months

Time again for a monthly update on Miss Tacy Mae.  It really is becoming quite a challenge to take these pictures.  Tacy is no longer content to lie still on her back.  No, sir!  She’s far too nosy and busy for that.

I am asked all the time if I think she looks like Ty or Lucy.  (Funny how no one ever seems to mention whether she looks like me or the Tool Man.)  Over time I’ve seen both Ty and Lucy in her.  Honestly, I mostly see my Dad.  Who’d a thunk it?  Today was definitely a Ty day. 

Perhaps the biggest new thing going on with Tacy this month is that she has learned to crawl.  Yippee!  For now she does more of an army crawl than a normal, baby crawl, but that doesn’t mean she can’t get around quickly.  She can zoom across the floor, under tables and chairs, and even from room to room lickety split.  If you don’t want Tacy to get her hands on something, you better keep it off the floor.

This little girl is really something.  Tacy’s only been crawling for 2 weeks, and already yesterday she pulled up to standing all on her own.  More than that, she actually tried climbing onto the couch!  I’m afraid she might be following in her sister’s footsteps – the fearless, daredevil mountain goat girl. (Who by the way fell off a stool yesterday and had to have her chin glued back together.)

Let’s see…  What else is Tacy Mae up to?

She’s doing a lot of babbling and laughing.  Although she does say Mama and Dada, I’m not sure if she’s doing it intentionally or not yet.  I’d like to think that she was, though.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again.  Tacy is the best baby ever!  People ask me if she is always so good and happy.  The answer is most definitely YES!  Happy, happy, happy.  The only times she frets are when she’s hungry or sleepy.  If you can stay on top of that, she never cries.

This month, our whole family went to summer camp with our church’s children.  Of course, Tacy was a dream.  She was perfectly content the entire four hour drive, napping, cooing, and playing.  While we were at camp, she was so sweet.  She must have been going through a grow spurt, though, because she spent the majority of the trip napping.  And when she wasn’t asleep, she was scarfing down food.  She ate every last drop of baby food we packed, and all kinds of table food from our plates - turkey, potatoes, fruit, Cheerios, pancakes.  Baby sister was hungry!

I’m continuing my mission to get Tacy to eat healthy foods.  She still nurses about 5 times a day.  In between those times she eats rice cereal, a variety of baby food vegetables (I stay away from the jarred fruits and blends because of all the added sugar), grilled chicken, pork, oatmeal, potatoes, cucumbers, and fresh fruits (the newest being mango – which she loved).  Tacy also enjoys eating the little Gerber Puffs cereal, and she is very adept at picking up the tiny pieces with her thumb and index finger.  She can even pass the pieces from hand to hand, which is quite a feat for such a little girl.

One thing’s for sure.  No one can accuse Tacy of not getting enough to eat.  She’s got rolls on top of rolls.  Tacy is wearing anywhere from size 12-24 month clothes!  Don’t even think about trying to squeeze those chubby arms into a size 9 month.  It ain’t happening.

Lucy was not into taking sister pictures this month, but Ty was more than willing to step in to take her place.  But first, he asked me to take his picture building this tower and explain that he was being a distraction to the whole photo session.  It’s true.  Tacy definitely was more interested in getting to those blocks than lying still for her picture.

Tacy may not know it yet, but she is quite blessed to have a brother who loves her so much.  Ty’s very good with his little sister.  He likes to be the one to get her out of bed in the morning, and he’s even willing to change a diaper if it’s not too dirty.  Now that Tacy is getting older and can play more, Ty really enjoys making her laugh.  This night he was setting up obstacle courses with the blocks for Tacy to crawl through. 

Wow!  Eight months down.  That first birthday is speedily approaching.  You know me.  I’ve already begun party planning.  I want Tacy’s first birthday party to be as special as she is.  But we’ll save that discussion for another day.

Lindsey

The Birthday Interview, Continued

I finally coaxed Ty into completing his birthday questionnaire. (If you missed the first half of his interview, you can find it here.)  I think he enjoyed answering a few questions about himself.  I could tell he was really putting some thought into it.

So here are Ty’s answers to the remaining questions:

13.  I love my mom because she makes me breakfast, loves me, bakes, and much, much more.

14.  I love my dad because he gave me life and more.

15. I like to go to Papa and Sandy’s house because they have a hot tub and much, much more.

16. I like to go to Pappaw and Grammie’s house because they are just fun and much, much more.

17. My favorite Bible story is Jonah in the big fish.

18. Something I need to work on improving about myself is how reluctant I am at school.

19. Three of my best qualities are:

a. I’m a good sport.

b. I’m a good math worker.

c. I’m good at making friends.

20. My favorite season is May(season?) because it’s my birth month.

21. My idea of the perfect day is no rain, no school, and a lot of swimming.

22. My bedtime is 9:00 and I sleep with a pillow and a blanket.

23. My favorite drink is Sprite.

24. My favorite movie is I don’t have a clue.

25. My favorite cereal is Cocoa Puffs.

26. For my birthday I would like a new phone.

27. If I had $1,000 I would buy an iPad and a car and much, much more.

Obviously I have to comment on a few of his answers.

First, to question 14… Seriously, Ty??  Sure, Dad had a little something to do with it, but a nod to Mom would have been nice. Ha ha.

To answer question 24, I would say that Ty’s favorite movie is Wall-E.

Question 25.  Yes, Ty likes Cocoa Puffs, but he probably would opt for plain-Jane Cheerios if given the choice.

Question 26.  A phone?? Ain’t happening.  Sorry, Buddy.

And according to his answer to question 27, Ty has a lot to learn about how far (or not so far) money goes.

Well, that was fun.  I hope to continue the birthday interview tradition for years to come.  It’ll be fun to see how Ty’s answers change over time.

Now I need to get to work on planning Ty’s birthday party.  We’ve been on the road so much already this summer, that I’ve had to push his party out a few weeks.  Ty finally decided he wanted a Duck Dynasty party.  I was thrilled he still requested a themed party.  I’m afraid that he’s about to outgrow big birthday parties, but at least I got one more year out of him.  It should be an easy party to plan.  We’re keeping it small, and I’m sure we already own enough camo to decorate the entire house.  Hey, all I need to make is a cake and some sweet tea, Jack!

Lindsey

Happy Birthday Ty!

This week my sweet boy celebrated his 10th birthday.

Wow!

Ten years.

A decade!

While it’s hard to believe I’ve been a mom that long, I can barely remember life before motherhood.  Becoming a mother changes so much about you.  Your thoughts, worries, fears, priorities, sleep habits… I could go on and on.

But enough about me.  Let’s talk about my buddy.

Now you know I didn’t forget the annual “exact time of birth” picture.  Ty was born at 2:11 in the afternoon.  Today Ty was swimming in our new pool with Lucy and his best friend, Luke.

I’m amazed at how much older Ty is looking these days.  I don’t know if it’s his new set of braces or what, but his looks have changed so much in the past few months.  Gone are the soft round baby cheeks.  And in their place is a more chiseled and structured appearance.  He’s turning out to be quite the handsome little man.

This year I decided to start a new birthday tradition.  I’ve seen these things called “birthday interviews” on Pinterest.  Basically, you get your kid to answer a few questions about himself each year on his birthday.  Over the years, it’s fun to go back and see how your children’s answers have changed as they’ve aged.  (Sure do wish I would have started doing this when Ty was 3 instead of 10.  Oh, well.  Better late than never.)  I could have simply chosen one of the dozens of free printable interviews available on Pinterest, but I decided to make up my own list of questions –  including some that would probe a little deeper and would, perhaps, mean a little more in the years to come.  I ended up with 30 questions in all.

At first Ty grumbled when I told him about the interview.  After all, it’s just a little too much like homework.  Once he started, however, he admitted it was fun.  I only made him complete about half of the questions so far, so I’ll share those today.  Ty’s answers are in red.  As you will see he altered a few of the questions.  I’ll post the rest of the interview when he finishes up.

Ty’s 10th Birthday Interview:

1. My favorite color^s is are red, green, and blue.
2. I love to eat fruit!!!!! for breakfast.
3. My best friend^s is are Luke, Jake, Jared, and Sam.
4. For fun I like to ski, hunt, (and) play the Wii, DS, and Nintendo.
5. When I grow up I want to be a worker at my dad’s pizza business.
6. One thing I learned this year was to learn how to go fast in a kayak race.
7. If I could change one thing that happened this past year it would be all my lies. (OK, now I’m worried!)
8. I was in the 4th grade this year.  My teacher was my mom.
9. Something I learned in school this year was how to convert (fractions, decimals, and measurements.)
10. My favorite subject^s in school is are science and history.
11. If I could go anywhere in the world I would choose China because I want to see all the toys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (He’s just figured out that’s where most of his toys are made.)
12. The best thing that happened to me this year was getting a pool!

God Made Dirt…

…and dirt wont’ hurt.

At least that’s what I keep telling myself.

We are right in the middle of a swimmng pool installation, and this week we had a couple of loads of dirt delivered.  I’m pretty sure that a pile of dirt is just as much fun for my kids as pool is.  The monkeys could spend hours digging and scratching around, using their imaginations to build roads and tunnels and forts and bridges.

Just because Lucy Lee is one of the prissiest girls you’ll ever meet, doesn’t mean she won’t get down and dirty with the best of them.  Take a look at her.  She’s actually hugging a clod of dirt!  So unlike her mother.  I could play in a dirt pile in a white shirt and shorts and not get one speck of dust on me.  Lucy?  Not so much!

Leave it to Ty to do a little aggravating.  It’s what he does best.

These shorts may never be clean again.  The little girl may not be either.

Thankfully, we have an outdoor shower.  I highly recommend one if you have kids.  The monkeys were perfectly clean before they set one foot in my house. 

I mentioned earlier that we are installing a swimming pool.  Nothing too fancy.  It’s an above ground pool, 18 feet across and only 4 feet deep.  But because our yard is on an incline, this simple project is turning out to be quite complicated task.  The rain hasn’t helped matters either.  Now that the sun is finally out, we hope to get things finished up this weekend.  Keep your fingers crossed!

Lindsey

100 Things

I’m so excited for y’all to see what I have prepared today.  It’s a little something I’ve been working on for months now.  Actually, my intent was to publish this post as a separate page, but I’m having technical issues with that, so I’ll share it with y’all like this instead.

This is my list of 100 random facts about myself.  Some are funny, some are serious, but all are true.  Hopefully this list will help you get to know me better.  It was a little challenging thinking of a hundred things, but I had fun doing it.  Hope y'all enjoy!

1. I have the same birthday as Elvis - the day, not the year - January 8. 
2. I broke all three bones in my left arm when I was 8 years old.
3. I played basketball in Jr. High.
4. I was valedictorian of my senior class - 4.0.
5. I married the Tool Man when I was 19.
6. He's 5 years older than I am.
7. I'm 3 inches taller than he is.
8. I have a degree in Psychology.
9. I graduated college summa cum laude - another 4.0!!!
10. I actually got paid to go to college.
11. If I had to do it all over again, I'd go to culinary school.
12. I taught myself how to cook by watching Food Network.
13. I've seen every episode of the Golden Girls at least 2 dozen times.
14. I have a good memory.
15. I'm a procrastinator.
16. I'm a right-wing, conservative, pro-life, pro-gun Republican.
17. Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, and I'm not talking Pop-Tarts.
18. I worked in a dentist office when I was in high school.
19. I'm a stay-at-home mom to two, make that three wonderful kids.
20. I have the best job in the world.
21. I homeschool my kids.
22. I have the toughest job in the world.
23. I worry too much.
24. I have a messy car.
25. I blame my kids for the state of my car.
26. I've never drunk one drop of alcohol. Ever. Not one.
27. I don't like winter.
28. Kit Kats are my favorite candy bars.
29. I have a very specific method for eating Kit Kats. (I should write a blog post about this.)
30. I've never been to an eye doctor. (Knock on wood.)
31. I'm a homebody.
32. Sugar is my favorite food group.
33. I was a cheerleader in Jr. high and high school.
34. Gone with the Wind is my favorite movie.
35. I'm incredibly shy.  Incredibly.
36. Having a one-on-one conversation with anyone terrifies me. I mean it.  If I haven't married you or given birth to you, or vice versa, I'm afraid to talk to you.
37. I'm a Christian.
38. I believe Jesus is THE Way, THE Truth, and THE Life.
39. I believe EVERY word of the Bible is true.
40. I'm very artistic.
41. I learned to oil paint when I was 9 years old.
42. I taught myself to sew when I was 20 years old.
43. I taught myself to crochet when I was 30 years old.
44. I don't like talking about being 30 years old in the past tense.
45. I'm a good speller.
46. The worst pain I've ever felt was when I had a kidney stone.
47. Yes, a kidney stone is definitely more painful than childbirth.
48. I don't enjoy water sports.
49. I have extremely low blood pressure. My record low is 70/40.
50. I don’t like cats.
51. I have one younger brother - one cool, sociable, popular brother - my polar opposite.
52. I was a super huge Atlanta Braves fan when I was a teenager.
53. I hate shopping.
54. Except for flea markets and antique stores - love those!
55. I don't like going to the movies - that's at least two hours of my life I'll never get back.
56. My favorite dessert is cheesecake.
57. I started drinking coffee in my late 20's.
58. I love drinking coffee.  All. Day. Long.
59. I can make the best pie crust you have ever tasted.  Guaranteed!
60. I'm an awesome cake decorator.
61. I had a successful cake decorating business.
62. I closed a successful cake decorating business when I got pregnant with my 3rd child.
63. I love planning and decorating for my kids' birthday parties.
64. I wish I had more time for scrapbooking.
65. I've had braces...twice.
66. I still have crooked teeth.
67. It's hard to think of 100 random facts about yourself.
68. I enjoy learning new words.
69. I enjoy using big words.
70. I never curse.  I think its a sign of ignorance.  Not to mention it's rude and crude.
71. Chihuahuas are my favorite dogs.
72. I've owned 3 Chihuahuas - not all at the same time.
73. I wish I had more self-confidence.
74. I've always lived in the same town.
75. I'm not a risk taker.
76. As a child I had a fear that my house was going to burn down.
77. I have a talented tongue:  I can roll it, curl it, ripple it, and flip it upside down.
78. I do NOT like talking on the phone.
79. I pretty much don't like to talk, period.
80. I don't like to sing either.  It's just fancy talking.
81. I have a strange fascination with cargo ships.
82. I don’t like to be around people who talk a lot.
83. I really don't like to fly.
84. I'm a night owl.
85. I don't like uninvited company.
86. I'm beginning to notice there are a lot of things I don't like.
87. I worry too much about what other people think.
88. I drive the speed limit.
89. I love my privacy.
90. I am self-diagnosed ADHCD - Attention Deficit Hyperactive Crafting Disorder.
91. I absolutely hate to read.
92. My mom made me get my ears pierced when I was 12 years old.
93. I never wear earrings.
94. I'm having fun making this list.
95. I was so fat healthy when I was a baby I had to be put on a diet.
96. I have big feet.
97. I have a double-jointed elbow which lends itself to some nasty looking tricks.
98. I am terribly out of shape.
99. I slept with my blankie 'til I was 12 years old.
100. I sucked my thumb about that long too.

And I’m totally bummed that the dumb computer won’t count past 99!  What a let down.

Anyway, I hope y’all enjoyed my list.  You should try making up one for yourself.  It’s not as easy as you might think.

Lindsey

Tacy Mae–7 Months

 

Lucky 7!!!

Tacy is well past the half-way point of her first year now, and this month was full of new tricks and surprises.  She is really beginning to make that transition from infant to toddler.

My chunky monkey weighed in at 17 lbs. 12 oz. this month, which means she’s quite a load to carry around.  Luckily, Tacy has learned to sit up.  Usually, I am able to sit Tacy on a pallet with a few toys (or kitchen gadgets), and she will entertain herself long enough for me to cook supper or fold clothes or blog.

Usually.

I’d be lying if I didn’t say that she’d much rather be held.

By me.

All the time.

Sorry, Dad.

Let’s see.  What else is Tacy up to this month?

Well, eating for one.  In addition to nursing at least 5 times a day, Tacy’s eating baby food, rice cereal, baby rice cakes, mashed bananas and strawberries, oatmeal, and even avocado.  I am determined to get Tacy to eat better than her brother and sister.  And by “better” I mean something besides chicken and pizza and sugar.  I’m talking vegetables!  Which means I’m trying to keep the sugary foods away from her as long as possible, so she can develop a taste for the more savory things first.  I would love to have at least one kiddo who would munch on a stalk of broccoli or share a bowl of salad with me.

If she’s going to be munching on veggies, Tacy will need some teeth, right?  Her first little bottom tooth made it’s appearance on April 26.  I knew it was about time because of all the drooling and chewing she’s been doing lately.  She. Chews. Everything.  From toes to pens to iPhones, if she can reach it, she will chew it.

It will not be long until nothing is out of Tacy’s reach.  I can already see the wheels turning in her head.  She’s thinking hard about getting mobile.  She’ll stare at a toy that’s just out of reach, stretching and bending as far as she can until she topples over.  Once she’s on her tummy she pushes up on her hands, but she hasn’t quite figured out how to pull her knees under her yet.  When she does though, watch out!  It’ll be on like a chicken bone.  I may have to implement the cage play pen then.

Tacy’s turning out to be quite a talker too.  She “goo-goo’s” and “ga-ga’s” a lot. It’s so sweet the way she babbles.  I love those happy, baby noises.

Another trick Tacy learned this month:  clapping her hands.  If you sing “Pat-a-Cake” or say, “Yay, Tacy Mae,” she will clap her hands together for you.  She’s so smart!

Tacy is really beginning to pay attention to her big brother and sister now.  The first time Tacy sees them each morning, she smiles from ear to ear.  I think she loves those kids already.  They always make her laugh with their funny faces and weird noises.

There were a couple of experience this month that weren’t so great.  Tacy had her first illnesses.  When I took Tacy in for her six month check-up she had an awful, double ear infection.  I say “awful” because that’s the exact word the doctor used to describe it.  I had no idea there was anything wrong with her ears.  Tacy never did anything to indicate she was in any pain, so I was totally surprised to hear the doctor say how bad her ears were.

Only one week after her ears healed, Tacy got Coxsackie Virus.  What a weird name, right?  She developed a spotty rash on her hands, feet, face, tummy (basically everywhere), small blisters on her throat, hives, a runny nose, a cough, and was generally grumpy.  Who could blame her for being grumpy?  The virus interfered with her sleeping habits for a few days, but thankfully she was back to her routine in 3-4 days time.

One last thing worth mentioning is Tacy’s first flea market adventure.  That’s right.  I took Tacy and Lucy with me to Canton, TX, this April for a few days of shopping with the girls.  Tacy did great!  I can’t stress that enough.  Tacy was a perfect angel.  She slept the entire trip over there and back (a three hour journey, one way).  And while we were out shopping she was the sweetest thing.  Mostly she rode around in style, strapped onto me with the Moby Wrap.  It was a win-win situation.  My hands were free to shop, and she had the best seat in the house.  She was only hungry when it was time for everyone else to stop and eat, and when it was her nap time, she went to sleep strapped right on my chest.  I really couldn’t have asked for better, baby behavior.  Thanks, Tacy!

Well, I guess that about wraps it up for this month.  I wonder what surprises Tacy has in store for us next.

Lindsey

Easter Family Picture

 

Every Easter Sunday, while we’re still wearing our fancy frocks, I like to take a picture of our family all together.  It’s a pretty big deal to me, because I’m fairly certain it’s the only time each year that we all make it into the same picture.

Thankfully, the weather was gorgeous this year.  It seems as though every Easter the temperatures drop, and it threatens rain, but not this year.  Warm and sunny!

As you can see, not only did all the human members of our family make it into the picture, but the canine members made the cut as well.  This was mostly Ty’s doings.  I have never seen a kid who was more smitten with his puppies than Ty is.  He treats them better than he treats his sisters.

Looking at these pictures made me think about how the Tool Man and I have multiplied over the years.  With the addition of Tacy Mae, we are officially outnumbered.  Three amazingly beautiful, healthy, intelligent children.  How God has blessed us these past 14 years! 

After Ty ran off to play with his beloved puppies, I had a few pics made with the girls.  Aren’t these little ladies the prettiest?

Hope y’all had a great Easter too.  Now get out there and enjoy the rest of this lovely spring.  In my opinion, it’s the best time of year.

Lindsey