Fun with Coco

Stryker spent all last week sick; therefore, the poor little guy remained in the house not enjoying the outdoors. So, Coco & I decided to take him Saturday to the McWane Center. It was a blast! Unfortunately, Logan had to work (did I mention that I am grateful for his job but hate never having any family time?) but he reminded me that we took him there first & knew Stryker deserved a day of fun after being sick. As soon as the elevator door opened into McWane's lobby, Stryker yelled "oooohhhhh" threwing his arms in the air! He took off running towards all of the action. He couldn't decide what direction he wanted to go in, what discoveries to experience first. I'm pretty sure he was the only kid that never stopped running. Walking...what is that?!

Coco & Stryker throwing balls in the water fountain

gotta love water

there is a massive water table for the kids to play in; of course Stryker wanted ALL in!

shooting the water guns

bubble maker

uncovering fossils

"help me clean this fossil, Coco"

the fossils were covered by bits of rubber which Stryker enjoyed dumping into our hands

Stryker wanted to dump the rubber in our hands & then flip our hands over quickly to let it fall onto the ground

Stryker made it big!! He couldn't quite figure out why he was on the screen.

running along the blue background (t.v. screen) playing a soccer game

touchable tornado

let's build something!

working the crane

focus, there's work to be done

learning from my boy

my little golfer; even though this was a short putt, Stryker wanted to hit it HARD!

peek-a-boo

he kept taking the light sticks & placing them around the table (just on the outside)

oooooohhhhhh, lights

controlling the conveyor belt

After the McWane Center, Coco took us to Dairy Queen for ice cream & play at Outdoor Adventures. She wanted to see what playground equipment Stryker liked so she could buy it for his birthday! The weather was perfect. Thank you Coco for such a fun day!

love this pic

this was one of his favorite things (swinging from the trapeze bar & then jumping to the ground)

Songs with strong messages

While I'm Waiting - John Waller
I'm waiting. I'm waiting on You, Lord and I am hopeful. I'm waiting on You, Lord though it is painful. But patiently, I will wait. I will move ahead, bold and cofident. Taking every step in obedience. While I'm waiting, I will serve You. While I'm waiting, I will worship. While I'm waiting, I will not faint. I'll be running the race even while I wait. I'm waiting. I'm waiting on You, Lord and I am peaceful. I'm waiting on You, Lord though it's not easy. But faithfully, I will wait. Yes, I will wait.

Lord, I am waiting through this time of difficulty. I will stay strong in my faith, serving and worshipping You. Praying for constant patience on waiting to see what Your plan for our family entails. May our future hold a growing family.

The Same God - Newsong
...There was a day when your faith couldn't be held down. God was near enough to hear every word. But somehow you wish He heard you right now...
The same God who was with you then is with you now. The same God who led you in will lead you out. So take all the fear and doubt. Go on and lay them down. The same God, the same God is with you now. Can't you see. Everything happens for a reason. There's a time, there's a place for every season. He knows what's best for you. So don't be afraid. The same God who was with you then is with you now. The same God who led you in will lead you out. So take all the fear and doubt. Go on and lay them down. The same God, the same God is with you now. Just keep holding on. Oh, keep holding on...

God is always listening. He may not answer your prayers on your time, but He will fulfill them on His time. Faith is complete trust or confidence in someone. If you have faith, then you have to completely trust in our Lord. Lay all our burdens at the feet of the cross. Give all our troubles to Him. Let Him lead you through times of victories and defeats.

Something to ponder

Last week, a wise man told me about a book entitled A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23. Shepherds' sole responsibility was to keep watch over the sheep because sheep can easily wander off & get lost. If a sheep wandered off, then the shepherd was to break one of it's legs & carry the sheep over his shoulders until it healed. After the sheep's leg healed, the sheep would remain close to the shepherd. What a lesson! God is like the shepherd to us. Sometimes, He uses difficult situations to draw us closer to Him. But always remember that He carries us through these situations no matter what. His strength is bigger than any mountain we may face.

Stryker's 23 months old!

One more month & Stryker will be a 2 year old!!!!!

It seems as though it was just yesterday that I was preparing for your 1st birthday. You are truly an amazingly smart, compassionate, athletic, handsome little guy. You have stolen your momma & daddy's hearts as well as many other people's hearts. You light up the room with your precious smile & flirty personality. We enjoy each day with you & wondering what we did before we had you in our lives. Of course, you daddy says that we laughed at me before you were born. I'm not sure that was a compliment! I've been busy lately trying to prepare for you 2 year old birthday party. The theme for this year's party is Sesame Street (your 1st birthday party theme was baseball). I know many people are shocked that this year's theme is not connected to something athletic but we need to change it up! The idea came to me several months ago on our way down to the beach. I wanted a party theme that I could do most of it myself. Being able to do this for my child means the world to me. Below are some updated information about this month:

• talking in short sentences: no, no momma; 1, 2, 3, go; more please; go now; no dog; yes more; tea please
• counts to 3 by yourself (will count to 10 with help)
• recognizes some letters (b, t, c, a)
• recognizes some colors (red, purple, yellow, green)
• names animals & their sounds (dog, cat, cow, horse, lion)
• loves anything ball-related & likes to throw any toy
• still only bats left-handed but throws & writes right-handed
• helps with housework: vacuuming, dusting, putting things away
• helps cook: waffles in toaster, stirring food in the pot
• food: Chick-fil-a, Dunkin Donuts, Eggo waffles, cinnamon french toast sticks, popsicles, ice cream, fruit (except bananas), baked beans, green beans, pinto beans, chicken, fries, bread, cookies, corn-on-the-cob; you like to eat whatever we are eating the majority of the time
• beverages: whole milk, sweet tea, grape juice
• bedtime: anytime between 8:30pm - 9:30pm
• bedtime routine: a popsicle or 2 while laying in our bed (between momma & daddy) watching the Sprout channel
• sleeps through the night mostly (had some recent nightmares around 3:30am that woke you up)
• being outside is still your favorite place
• potty training: only 0-1 accidents each week at school; began not wearing a diaper during nap time at school; you are doing very well with your potty training - so proud of you
• very independent: you like to problem solve; you get mad/frustrated if someone helps you without you asking
• naps: 1 each day (45 min - 2 hours) around 11:30am or so; it's a battle to get you to nap on most days at home because you're so active; at school, they say you nap most of the time but sometimes you just lay there hoping they'll let you get up & play
• like to sleep/nap in your own crib
• we'll be switching your crib into a toddler bed after your birthday! can't wait!
• loves school
• likes to talk to people on the phone (you still point sometimes thinking the person can see what you're referring to)
• knows how to color, trace, & complete simple activities on worksheets (drawing lines from 1 object to another; completing a maze on paper)

Hey batter, batter...

swing batter, batter!

Mischievous smile

Caught you!!! Stryker grabbed whatever he could quickly run off with out of daddy's drawer!

God won't protect you through what He can perfect you through.

Anybody who has gone through suffering/depression/hardship (which is the majority of us) knows that you have good days & bad days. Each day can be a challenge. I try to fill my mind with good thoughts or thoughts that would comfort me.

God won't protect you through what He can perfect you through. This statement really means a lot when you realize that God uses difficult situations to mold you into what He wants you to be.

If you're still on this earth, God's purpose for you isn't over. Sometimes people think selfishly & wish they were not here anymore having to deal with their problems. Don't worry, that's NOT the way that I feel. But I felt like this was something that someone may need to think about. God has a plan for each one of us. He will decide when your purpose has been lived out. Cherish each day & live to the fullest.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:6-7

It's God's presence, not comfortable circumstances, that lead people to the best version of themselves. So true! God is always carrying you through every valley & every mountain. Praise Him & trust Him throughout all situations. God will not give you more than you can handle. You are stronger than you may think, especially with Jesus on your side.

Sleepy little boy

Stryker was passed out in our bed this weekend. He's getting too big, too fast.

Out with the old & in with the new

I've been wanting to remove Stryker's bedroom rug for awhile & replace it with something "tough" looking. Logan & I came up with the idea of foam/rubber material that is typically placed in garages or workout gyms. The internet searches have only resulted in expensive (not too pricey, but more than I wanted to spend) material, but Walmart came to the rescue! I can't believe we found exactly what we wanted at Walmart for half the cost. The mat came in square pieces that could be connected, like a puzzle, in any shape you needed. We used 9 squares for the main mat in the middle of the room, 1 square for underneath his work bench, & 2 squares for in front of his changing table. Here's the finished product...

Future golfer?

Stryker & I visited Coco at Vestavia Country Club (she's the merchandise manager at the golf shop) on Saturday. I enjoy taking him on a golf cart around the golf course while teaching him about the game, hitting golf balls, watching other golfers, playing with Coco/golf directors & assistants/members, etc. He definitely showed us his perfect swing! Look at his finishing pose...

Now, that's a good follow-through! He did a nice pivot on his back foot. Golfers can appreciate this post. He hit the golf ball (left handed of course) with a putter. The ball you see in the picture is after he whaled it against the golf shop front counter.

Daddy got more than he bargained for!

Stryker jumping on the big bed! Guess he loves his trampoline so much that he wants to jump on anything.

I can't believe I caught this on video! I laughed so hard!! Sorry Logan, I should have asked if you were okay first. (Note: only daddy got hurt in this video)

Full of energy

We couldn't get Stryker to bed Saturday night. Well, this isn't really something new. He is so full of energy ALL OF THE TIME! We constantly fight with him to take a nap during the day as well as get settled down for bedtime. Below is a video of what this hyper child did for about 30 minutes straight before we finally calmed him down.

Active little boy

having fun after a bath

Stryker figured out how to push himself down the roller coaster.

Loves that he's so independent on the roller coaster.

Golf or baseball?! Stryker had fun hitting his plastic legos off the coffee table with his golf club (his baseball bats were upstairs).

Surprise Christmas present!

Logan & I do not exchange gifts right now because we're using any extra money to get completely out of debt (3 years of PT school adds up). But we both surprised this year with some wonderful gifts of love. I posted the presents in a previous post, but wanted to show a picture of my sapphire ring!