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Cullen is 2!!!

January 19, 2015

Yep, that’s right. I can’t believe it either. My little boy is two years old. Give me a minute while I wrap my head around that…

OK. So I have a two year old. And I have to say, He is one pretty awesome little boy!

I’ve said it before, but he constantly keeps us laughing. I never know what is going to come out of his mouth next. The way he answers questions and responds to our answers is absolutely hysterical; his responses range from “Um…how about…no” to “Oh yeah, that’s right, that’s right”. I feel like I have a teenager in my house already.

Despite being wild and sassy, he is also the sweetest little boy in the world (but I might be a little biased.) He loves to give hugs and kisses (to dogs as well as his family) and to hear him say “I love you” melts my heart every single time.

CULLEN’S FAVORITES

Foods: Chick-fil-a lemonade. Okay, so technically that is a drink, but he gets so excited for “more ‘nade” whenever he sees a take-out cup, always hoping it’s his favorite lemonade. Overall, he is a very picky eater. We still can’t get him to eat a meat or vegetable (without sneaking them into other foods like muffins.) For now, we offer what we eat, and make sure he gets as much good food as possible.

Activities/Toys: The toys he plays with most are Legos (Duplos) and any kind of vehicle. He loves anything with wheels or propellers. But Cullen would pass up any toy for a chance to run around outside. I am beyond thrilled that he loves being outside so much and is such an active little boy.

Shows: Curious George. But lately he has been into Octonauts almost as much. Almost.

Phrases: “Oh yeah, that’s right!”

“Um…how about..”(usually said with his finger on his chin)

“What’s that” (a question that is only slightly less annoying than “why” when asked 100

times in a row)

I am excited to see what the next year will bring and who this little boy will grow up to be!

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Nineteen Months

August 26, 2014

When someone asked last Saturday, I said that Cullen was eighteen months old. It wasn’t until about nine the next night that I realized he is actually nineteen months old now. At least it wasn’t a major milestone, right? So, now that I have a grip on what day it is and how old my child is, here are a few things about nineteen-month-old Cullen.

At his eighteen month check-up, Cullen was 34 inches tall and weighed over 27 pounds, making him way above average. Most days he eats non-stop all day long. I can’t imagine trying to feed him as a teenager. His favorite these days is anything apple. Apple sauce. Apple slices. Apple juice. Apple cinnamon Nutragrain Bar. He may have had all four of those for dinner one night recently. I can’t wait to take him apple picking this year!

I am in a list-making mood today, so here are some of the things Cullen does these days in list form:

He likes to work out with me on occasion. His specialties are jumping jacks and squats.
He can blow his nose. No more bulb syringe!
He knows to say cheese and smile in front of a camera. I catch him putting my phone up to his face and saying “cheese” all the time! Perhaps I take a few too many pictures.
He loves to nap on the couch, completely surrounded by covers. He will not share the blanket with anyone else. And he is not happy if he wants to “nap” and you are in his spot on the couch. He is a grumpy ol’ man already…stuck in his ways.
He likes to boss Macey around. I can’t tell you how many times a day I hear “Come on, Macey.”, “hop up”, “Move, Macey.”, “Walk, Macey.”
He loves to sing. I love hearing him in the backseat humming along to the radio!
He insists that every drink be on a coaster. I laugh every time he puts his sippy cup on the table and then says “no, coaster” as he searches for one. My coffee table loves him.

Cullen is more and more sure of himself every day. Sometimes to a fault. We have been hearing “no” a lot from him recently. But more often it is good. He knows what he likes and what he doesn’t like. He can tell us when he needs to blow his nose, when he hurts something and what exactly hurts, and when he needs a diaper change. (Could potty training be in our near future?!)

I think my favorite new expression of Cullen’s is “kiss it”. He asks me to kiss every single bump, scrape, and mosquito bite. He even asked me to kiss his teeth the other day. He has some new teeth coming in and a mommy’s kiss can fix anything, right? We settled for a kiss on the cheek. I’ll take any chance I have to kiss those sweet little cheeks!

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Five Years

May 16, 2014

Today, Corey and I are celebrating our 5th anniversary. It is amazing to me how much our lives have changed over these last five years.

Five years ago, our family looked like this.

And now our little family is a little bigger and even more in love.

I love this man more and more every day, and I could never have imagined a better husband or father for our son. He is my best friend, my encourager, my bug killer, the talkative to my quiet, the bold to my shy. I look forward to growing old with him (but not too soon!) and seeing what God has planned for our future.

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Mother’s Day

May 13, 2014

It is so hard to believe that two years ago, we found out that we were expecting, and just last year I was celebrating my first Mother’s Day! I got so much love from my little man this year, that my second Mother’s Day was absolutely wonderful!

After church, we had lunch at my parent’s house complete with naps, playing outside, and sno cones at our favorite shaved ice stand.

Once we were home, the three of us took advantage of the gorgeous weather and spent some time together outside. I got to relax and sip on iced tea while Corey did yard work and Cullen flitted back and forth between trying to help Corey and playing in his pool. We stayed outside until the sun went down, and it was perfect.

It melted my heart to see Cullen chase Corey around the yard. He already wants to be just like his Daddy. He followed Corey back and forth row after row and kept begging to help push the mower. Nothing makes me happier than watching these two together and seeing how much they love each other.

I could not have asked for a better day. I got to relax and enjoy time with my two favorite boys. It may not sound like much, but a laid back day filled with giggles and kisses was all I needed. I wish we had more days like this, with less concern about getting things crossed off a list and more focus on taking advantage of every moment we have together. It’s the little things, like bare feet on freshly cut grass and backyard pool parties that build the memories we share for a lifetime. I love this little boy so much and feel so blessed to be his Mommy.

I hope you had a great Mother’s Day as well! What was the best part of your day?

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Backyard Fun

April 14, 2014

After a crazy long winter, especially for us southerners, we have been blessed with some gorgeous spring weather over the past couple of weeks. I am enjoying it because it gives Cullen a chance to use up some of his little boy energy that wears me out when we are stuck inside. And he is really starting to love being outside.

Maybe love is an understatement. It is pretty obvious that Cullen would spend every minute of every day outside if he could. If Macey has to go out, he wants to go with her. As soon as we get home and I get him out of the car, he takes off running for the front yard. And he quite frequently taps on the back door to let us know that he would like to explore the great outdoors.

If we do not go outside as soon as he demands it, the meltdown starts. Dramatic tears and puppy dog eyes. This isn’t usually a problem, like I said, I jump at the chance to let him get some fresh air and run around. But sometimes it rains, or it’s dark, or it’s time for bed. It is so difficult to tell him we can’t play outside, especially when I see how much fun he has out there.

It melts my heart to see how his little face lights up when he gets to walk out the back door. He runs like a wild man, pulls grass and weeds, chases Macey, and belly-laughs the whole time. He likes to carry sticks around the yard, steal my sunglasses, and recently we have started making wishes on dandelions. It is so funny to watch him try to blow and then get frustrated and try to eat the dandelion.

We have a few parks nearby and a playground in our neighborhood that we are going to have to start taking advantage of. I am so excited about the possibilities for outdoor fun that await us over the next few months!

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Snow Days

February 17, 2014

Mondays are usually difficult; having to go back to work after a weekend of spending time with Cullen is never easy. But leaving him and making it to work today was especially difficult. If you haven’t heard, the southeast got a pretty big snowstorm this past week. I got to spend almost a whole week at home with my little man! I loved every minute of it, but it definitely made today a little worse than most Mondays.

It started snowing at our house at about 5 am Tuesday morning and didn’t stop until late Thursday evening. We got more snow than we have seen in a long time! That meant I got to spend Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and half of Friday at home with Cullen. It was wonderful! And Corey was able to work from home most of the week, so we were all safe and warm at home.

Cullen was sick when we got a dusting of snow a few weeks ago and couldn’t play in it, so I was excited to bundle him and play in the snow. As soon as the ground was covered Tuesday morning, Cullen and I went out to play.

Since we very rarely get this kind of weather,and it never really gets that cold, I have not invested in a heavy coat for Cullen. I had to layer several pairs of sweatpants, shirts, and jackets on him. He had to wear regular ol’ tennis shoes because the only boots he has come up to his knees and he couldn’t walk in them. Can you tell we are not used to this kind of weather? I will have to be more prepared next year. Despite our unpreparedness, we put on enough layers to venture out into the frozen tundra that was our backyard.

Cullen seemed pretty impressed with all of the snow. And the first thing he did was taste the snow. Isn’t it amazing that some things don’t need to be taught? Obviously, the white stuff laying on the ground is meant for eating.

Cullen seemed pretty happy with the snow so far, so I picked him up and we went further into the yard. Big mistake. He did not like standing in the snow. He just plopped himself down and fussed. Poor guy could hardly walk and was very concerned about the white fluffy stuff stuck to his mitten.

So we headed back inside to warm up and snuggle on the couch.

After his initial reaction to the snow, Cullen and I didn’t even attempt to go outside on Wednesday. Instead, we got in lots of snuggles, watched the snow fall, and made snow cream, which was a huge hit with everyone.

Since it was still snowing when Corey finished working on Thursday, the three of us bundled again and attempted this playing-in-the-snow thing one more time. Again, Cullen was having non of it. He was happy when we were holding him, but he did not want to be in the snow.

And we were all upset when trying to make a snowman didn’t work. The snow was too fluffy to stick together. Even Cullen was clearly upset by our snowman failure.

Several inches of snow on the ground for three days and we spent less than ten minutes outside. This child clearly does not love the snow as much as I do. Maybe next year.

Despite our failed attempts to enjoy the winter weather, I loved every minute of my time at home with Cullen. We played, made messes, read the same three books over and over, and had lots of great snuggle time! I love snow days!

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2013: Our Best Year Yet

December 31, 2013

Am I the only one in shock about how fast the year has gone by? It has been one crazy wonderful year for us.

At the first of the year, I still looked like this, and we were anxiously awaiting the arrival of our son. Can you believe that was only a little less than a year ago? It feels like it has been forever since I was having to carry that belly around!

It wasn’t long though before we were celebrating the birth of our beautiful little boy. What better way to begin a new year than with new life?

We have enjoyed a lot of firsts this year. First snow, first Easter, first beach trip, first trip to the zoo, first football game, apple and pumpkin pickin’, first Halloween, first Thanksgiving, and first Christmas (post to come soon…I hope). That is a lot of fun to pack into one year!

As crazy as it has sometimes been with a new little one, a new job for Corey, and all that comes with figuring out parenting for the first time, we have enjoyed every minute of this year. I would not change a thing!

We are going to spend the last day of 2013 just the three of us. I am going to get in every last snuggle, hug, and kiss I can this year from Cullen. Then Corey and I are going to ring in the new year snuggled on the couch. I can’t imagine a better ending to this year and beginning to 2014.

I hope you are spending today reflecting on all the good 2013 has brought and thinking about what you want out of 2014. I don’t usually make resolutions, but I will be back tomorrow with some plans for the new year.

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Life with a 10 Month Old Boy

November 19, 2013

As of yesterday, Cullen is now 10 months old. I should be posting his monthly update complete with stats and pictures, but that will have to wait until later. Hopefully no later than the end of this week.

Why? Because my sweet little boy has turned into a rambunctious little boy. To keep your interest until I can get him to stay in one spot long enough to take a picture or two, I will share some of the most recent shenanigans that are keeping me from getting anything done.

1. I caught him feeding the dog. Is he supposed to know how to do that already? The other night, after eating his dinner, I left Cullen in his high chair with a teething wafer thinking it would give me a few minutes to clean up the kitchen. I’m standing at the refrigerator with Cullen in the high chair behind me, and I hear little giggles. Eating should not be that funny. I turn around to see Cullen leaning over the side of his high chair and Macey standing on two legs trying to lick the teething wafer in his hand. Then he proceeded to grin at me to try to feed it to her again after I told him NO.

2. When I came home from work last Thursday Macey’s blanket was no longer in her crate. According to Corey, it had to be washed because Cullen decided to hold a McDonald’s cup upside down over the crate and watch the drink come out through the straw. Really?

3. On at least 3 occasions, he has managed to escape the baby blockade and dump over Macey’s water bowl. Up side? That part of the floor has been mopped a few times. We have got to start making sure that gate is closed.

3. If you didn’t know already, he has figured out how to turn the cable box off. Then we turn it on again. Then he laughs and turns it off again. Best. Game. Ever.

4. Corey and I couldn’t find the remote Saturday night. After searching everywhere we would have put it, we found it in one of the cubbies in the sofa table. So now, he is also hiding things.

5. He can crawl up the back of the couch to get onto the sofa table.

6. He likes to try to unplug lamps from the wall. I was not aware that baby proofing required removing everything from the room.

This is all within the past week. Did you sense a trend? He is already blatantly defying me. I tell him NO and he does it again and laughs. How in the world am I going to survive the next 18 years?

I blame Corey for this. From what I hear he was the same way. At least we don’t have a VCR for Cullen to shove a PB&J into.

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Go Tigers!

September 1, 2013

Tonight, Cullen got to experience his first Clemson football game, and I think he is already a fan. He loved watching the game (especially the pretty cheerleaders.) And he looks pretty darn cute in Clemson orange!

I didn’t get any pictures of him watching the Clemson game, but I did take a few pictures of him on his football blanket earlier in the day.

I only got a couple of pictures where he was actually looking at the camera. The rest of the time he was trying to crawl away…

or watching whatever game was on TV at the time.

He had the same reactions as any other man watching a football game. Tears…

confusion and concern…

anxious anticipation…

Overall, I think Cullen really enjoyed his first day of football!

GO TIGERS!!!

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A Day At The Zoo

August 25, 2013

Cullen got to go to the zoo for the first time yesterday. I had to drag Corey there since he was convinced this zoo trip was for me and Cullen would never remember it. In the end though we all had a blast. Cullen loved the big animals, and Corey had just as much fun.