Uncle Jon & his new fiance (Holli)

We had a pizza night (including brownies & homemade ice cream) at our house with a great group of family/friends. This night was planned for a welcome into the family & to meet Uncle Jon's (my best friend) fiance Holli. Stacy, Nick, & Lucy came for the get-together along with Aunt Barbara & Uncle Steve. Coco & Fletch were there too. Holli, you are the perfect wife-to-be for Jon. Thank you for making my best friend happy & supporting him in all he does. Welcome to the family Holli! Can't wait for wedding bells!

Lucy & Stryker (Stacy holding the two buds) giving each other five!

A few pics

Stryker getting haircut

(special thanks to Midge for making house calls)

loves to run around his room covering his head/face with blanket

silly boy

loves Dunkin Donuts (like his momma)

loves to tackle us & jump on our back

(never a dull moment)

playing at Coco's work

(old school golfer-look)

Stryker figured out how to blow into his bath water to make noises!

Inspiration to all Mothers

I am borrowing this website article from a friend of mine. She posted it on her blog & I have began reading it. All mothers would appreciate the reading. Motherhood is an important job & you should seek to value our Lord's values. Please enjoy!

http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/motherhood-is-a-calling-and-where-your-children-rank

What the little man has been up too lately

Well, this past weekend was filled with fun again...I think our little man has fun all the time! He has been learning new skills & being as hyper as ever.

found our neighbor's dog kennel

ready for church on Sunday
(thank you Coco for the new shirt)

this is how he wanted to wear his overalls

Mrs. Lisa (our neighbor) kept Stryker while I mowed the yard

& this is what they called "the pool"!

oh, no! he found something new to do with our decorative bowl!

he pulled his chair up next to me & showed me how he could stand on it without holding on

(he amazes himself)!

Stryker's 17 months old!

Oh, how time surely flies! If you are a parent, then you know exactly what I'm talking about. Little boy, you are growing up too fast. We have been blessed over the past month with the progress you are making in every area of life. Words cannot express the unconditional love that we have for you. Thank you for being such a blessing in our lives.

Here are some new things in your life:

• words that you have said (only a couple of times each because you think if you say it once then you don't have to say it again!): Coco, cookie, red, yellow, blue, thank you, please, blueberry, cat, Elmo






• words that you continue saying on a regular basis: mum, momma, dadda






• use the "more" sign appropriately






• babbles all the time (there goes the silence!)






• attends Mt. Vernon United Methodist Church's daycare - teacher says Stryker is excelling in school; changes classrooms (like real school); feeds himself






• started the potty-training process: you point or grab at your diaper when it's wet or dirty; you head towards the stairs to go to your room when asked if your diaper needs to be changed






• started picking up your toys & putting things away






• ascends/descends stairs independently: you get frustrated sometimes because you want to use a reciprocal pattern like we do but you need some assistance for that technique (Mr. Independent)






• we began attending a new church (Desperation Church in Cullman): you adore the women in the nursery; they say that you're the best child in the room






• you push your chair underneath the table when finished eating






• hand us your dishes/cup when you are finished eating






• still loves to play rough: you will come tackle us or want us to wrestle with you by coming up to us & tucking your head






• when asked if you're sleepy & you are, then you'll rub your eyes






• points to crib when ready to go to sleep






• you'll put yourself to sleep, but not before giving us a hug & kiss






• if we ask for a hug, then you'll lean over & put your arm around us






• if we ask for a kiss, then you'll lean over with your little lips open & press them against our lips






• just started wearing size 5 diapers (could still be in size 4 but the 5's seem like they fit a little better)






• wearing 18-24 month old shirts & 12 month old shorts (you have the long torso & no butt like your momma)






• will point to the car DVD player or an Elmo book when asked where Elmo is






• loves Coco's car - a 2011 black camero (at least he has good taste!): you point to it if you see it outside & want to ride in it






• still loves water (pool, bath, baby pool, water in a bucket, water standing on the ground/object, even the dogs' water bowl)






• likes to try feeding us bites of food






• not much of a picky eater but your favs are fruits & veggies (I'm so happy about that): blueberries, strawberries, mandarin oranges, green beans, my baked beans






• loves ice cream (especially homemade ice cream when you can help Coco make it) & chocolate (like father, like son & also Coco)






• get excited about going to Cracker Barrel






• Fletch has actually completed babysitting duties one day (only for about 2 hours): he fed you Dunkin Donuts, fruit, & let you play in his truck (you must be a special little boy because his truck is off limits to anybody else)






• loves to play with our neighbor's son (16 year old boy Austin)






• absolutely loves attention: if someone is not paying attention to you, you'll get in front of them until they notice you






• you'll clap your hands & want everyone else to when "good boy" is said

Doctors appointments with some fun thrown in between

daddy & Stryker watching the ducks

he looks like such a big boy sitting at the table

I hate to post that Stryker has another sick appointment with the pediatrician. He developed a running nose Saturday afternoon when he awoke from a nap. Sunday was the same story but ran a low grade fever (100.3) early that morning. Tylenol actually broke the fever within about 20 minutes. He was not fussy but was not hyper as usual. Poor boy. We hate that this develops every 2-3 wks. Sunday night brought restlessness & more fussiness. His little eyes had "sick" written all over them (sorry man, you get that from your mom). Coco kept him Monday until I could get him to the pediatrician. As soon as Dr. McCain came into the door, Stryker went straight to her with open arms & gave her a hug. He would not let go until she picked him up. He wanted to sit in her lap during the exam. How cute! She kept saying, "this has to be the sweetest & most handsome child I've ever seen." We agreed. After the examination, her diagnosis was a sinus infection. Oh, I forgot to mention that Stryker learned how to blow his nose! But of course, he would only do it for Coco. The pediatrician indicated it was time to schedule an appointment with an ENT. She felt about 95% sure for removal of his adenoids but only about 25% sure for removal of his tonsils. The appointment is scheduled for August 8th at 1:15pm. Please pray for only adenoid removal because he would battle dehydration with tonsil removal resulting in even a longer recovery period.

Tuesday welcomed another doctor's appointment. This time it was with the neurologist for a follow-up visit from our September 2010 visit. Praying for a better report this time which we did somewhat. As seen in a previous post, Stryker was diagnosed with mild CP last visit. Since that visit, Styker has received early intervention services with both PT & OT. PT discharged him about 3 months ago but OT still comes to our house 1x/month. Dr. Fequiere (neurologist) seemed overwhelmingly joyful on how much improvement Stryker has shown. CP diagnosis remains, notes improvement but still seeing weakness in left UE. He thinks our decision on Stryker beginning school at age 6 instead of 5 is best because he told us to be prepared for some type of delay when Stryker begins school. Hopefully, not anything major. We are okay with this & know we will keep tabs on any struggle Stryker presents with in school. Afterwards, Logan & I took him for a picnic at Star Lake in Hoover. It was definitely hot; therefore, we did not stay too long. It was nice to have some family time together.

Dear Lord,
We pray to you today that you keep our son strong & determined to face any obstacles that he may face in the future. May we, as parents, be there for him physically, emotionally, & spiritually. Lord, we are grateful for our son Stryker. May you bless him. May we give our son the foundation of faith he needs. Amen.

God Bless America - 2011

Fourth of July Weekend

This past weekend was busy, yet full of meaningful memories. It began with my wonderful boss who surprised me with a day off on Monday (well, I didn't ask off because Logan supposedly had to work; but when Logan found out that he was off, I quickly informed my boss that if she needed anyone off that I would love to volunteer). Thank you Lord for a great place for my career with caring co-workers (not just because I got off on Monday)! Anyway...

Logan worked Saturday, but I took Stryker to Birmingham. We picked up Fletch's birthday gift, Fletch kept Stryker (yes, by himself!!) for an hour while I completed an evaluation for the home health company, visited Coco at work, ate lunch with daddy at Chick-fil-a, shopped for a table/chair set for Stryker, & ended with a dinner (Logan, me, Stryker, Coco, & Fletch) at Outback in Fultondale for Fletch's birthday. Happy Birthday Fletch!! He received a recliner from Coco & a Cracker Barrel gift card from us so he can enjoy many breakfasts.

Sunday morning was filled with praising the Lord at Desperation Church in Cullman. Our neighbors attended the service with us. This is our new church home. Stryker loves the church nursery allowing us to learn. Words cannot express the ethusiasm the preacher conveys in his life for our Lord; therefore, I encourage everyone to try this church. You will never be the same! You will find yourself on fire for God! After church, it was grocery shopping & picking up the BBQ from Porky's in Fultondale. There was a great turnout: Logan, me, Stryker, Coco, Fletch, grandmomma, Big Daddy, Christian, Aunt Tolli, Aunt Sheila, Isabella, Uncle Cody, Hunter, Austin, & Hunter's girlfriend. We had a family cookout at our house. Everyone enjoyed the yummy food (BBQ ribs/meat, buns, baked potatoes, corn on the cob, salad, baked beans, fruit, Coco's famous chocolate cake, & homemade peach ice cream). We ate on the back patio due to a thunderstorm which at least cooled things off, watched Stryker play & grab everyone's attention, & swam in the pool. It was a great family event! We look forward to many more get-togethers.

Monday was nice to wake up as a family & have an extra day together. We spent the morning playing with Stryker & letting him eat at his new table. Such a big boy! A trip to Lowe's in a thunderstorm to buy plywood & paint for our back patio, spray paint for our mailbox, big garbage can, & storage bags for clothes occupied our late morning. I was able to organize all of Stryker's outgrown clothes which had been shoved into a closet & group into sizes for the storage bags. I even labeled the bags with what each contains! Logan & I also gathered more "things" for the garage sale this Saturday. A cookout at our neighbors' house that afternoon/night completed our weekend. Hope everyone's weekend was as meaningful as ours.

Morning bath

eating at his big boy table after church

running in the yard

trying to spray mom

who can I dump this water on?!

in the pool with Isabella

having fun in the sprinkler; perfect gift from Coco

spraying Fletch & Aunt Sheila

Aunt Sheila running through the sprinkler

Fletch & Stryker spraying each other

loves making homemade ice cream with Coco

All the guys lounging under the tent

Mom & Stryker in the pool

Look, I'm swimming!

"I got this, mom!"

learning to kick

he'll be ready for swim lessons soon

our little water baby

Isabella & Stryker