Gulf Shores Day 2

We woke up Sunday morning to beautiful weather. Mom made us breakfast and we headed down to the beach. He was cracking us up because he seriously wore that hat and sunglasses for what seemed like an entire hour. He was all about wearing it!

 

 

 

Jason's camera got most of the pictures from this day. I wish I had taken a bit more but I'm waiting for him to upload his.

 

After some beach time, mom, dad, Jason, and Ryan went on a golfing trip. I was plum tired and praying Wyatt would take a little nap so I could rest too. They left about 11 and so Wyatt and I ate some lunch and then settled in to hopefully take a nap. Playing at the beach that morning must have done the job because he went to sleep quickly and I got sleep too! I groaned an hour later when I heard him start rustling around knowing nap time was over. I got him out of the pack-n-play and put him in bed with me where we slept for 2 more hours. I could not be more thankful for that 3 hour nap, especially since I was watching the baby on my own. The timing worked out perfect because I got a shower, dressed, and on the road to head to a restaurant to meet the others.

 

We ate at Flippers and it was soo yummy! After dinner we came back home and hung out before heading back down to the beach. Mimi stayed behind to play with Wyatt and when I came back at 8 she proceeded to give him and bath and rock him to sleep. It always amazes me how quickly she can get him to sleep. It must be a grandma thing because Wyatt never goes to bed that quick for us.

 

I didn't stay up long becaus you guessed it...I was worn out. Pregnancy is so much harder with a toddler to chase around!!

 

We kept an eye on the weather and knew we had one more day to enjoy!

Gulf Shores Day 1

Last Friday night we headed to the beach. We were a little skeptical since Tropical Storm Isaac was also headed directly to Gulf Shores as well. We had already paid for the condo, knew we would have at least 3 days of good weather so we opted to go ahead for Wyatt's first beach trip!

 

He did soo good traveling down there. Traveling at night is the absolute best. Ryan probably loved it because I wasn't having to bother him to stop and pee since I was snoozing away. I took over driving for a couple of hours when the sun started coming up. We arrived a little before noon, went to eat lunch, and then crashed. Once we woke up, we got ready to head down to the beach.

 

Wyatt just took it all in when we first got down there.

He had to get a better look so we opted to remove his sunglasses. He is seriously such a little boy now and not a baby. (Sad face.)

He absolutely loved the beach!! He and daddy are such buds.

 

I believe the waves were his favorite part. He would run down to them and when they started to come ashore he would hightail it out of there. It was so much fun watching him. We got plenty of laughs of out him.

 

 

His other favorite part was sitting there waiting for the waves to wash in while he was sitting next to us or in our laps. This was the same facial expression he would have every time. He also said "Ohhh" just about everytime too.

 

Once the sun went down we headed in to eat supper at the condo. We finally got Wyatt to bed. He wasn't really ready to go to bed and was out of sorts. We were waiting for my parents to arrive (along with the pack and play). Wyatt was asleep about 30 minutes before they did get there and I didn't hang out long once they did arrive. I was super tired and the bed was calling my name.

 

Mother's Day Weekend in STL

Last Thursday we loaded up the vehicle for a trip to STL. By loaded up, I simply mean that we crammed food, snacks, luggage, and a baby into the Edge and headed north.

 We decided to make the trip a little easier on Wyatt so we split up the first day. We drove to Republic, MO about a 3.5 hour drive and had dinner with some people that Ryan does business with.

We had dinner with them and their two kids, Cash and Tinley. Cash who is nearly 3 did such a great job entertaining Wyatt at dinner. They sat across from one another and just mimicked each other the entire time. The Garner’s were quite amused with just how much our little guy can put away when it comes to food! After dinner we headed to Bass Pro Shops so that Wyatt could burn off some energy. Chasing around him and Cash was quite an adventure for the daddies. Lindsey and I just walked around talking about motherhood and I got to get some sweet baby holding in! Holding Tinley while chasing after Wyatt gave me a glimpse into life with 2 kiddos. Whew- I can definitely see I would have my work cut out for me.

Once we left Bass Pro we retreated to our hotel and finally got the baby down to sleep about 11. ELEVEN. His bedtime is anywhere from 7-9 depending on naps and to even see 11:00 was a shock. I finally got him chilled out enough to fall asleep and we didn’t hear from him until 6:30 that next morning.  Early riser on vacation he appears to be.

After we got around and back on the road for a 3 hour drive, I picked up my book again. Wait- let me backtrack for a second… Have you ever been carsick before? Well I most certainly had not. Never. I can ride through the most winding roads and not even be phased by it. I can read it a car without a care in the world. This time, however, going up towards Branson I was reading the book I had picked up, The Lucky One, and all of a sudden it hit me. I was nauseous. I immediately felt like I was about 9 weeks pregnant thinking I was dying and the mere thought of anything made me queasy. I put my book down and told Ryan I seriously didn’t feel good and that’s when he informed me I must be carsick. Me, being the know-it all that I am, insisted that was not the case and it may be something else. Unfortunately he was right because as soon as we got out of the mountains and out of the car I was 100% back to normal. It was by far the most yucky I have felt in a very, very long time. Back to the story though…I was reading my book and as I was reading a character in the book Nana, just happened to love the Atlanta Braves. I thought it was such a coincidence that we were headed to watch the Braves games because we too love the Braves.

We arrived in STL around lunch time and immediately headed to Saint Louis Galleria for none other than The Cheesecake Factory! So, so yummy! I enjoyed a 4 cheese pasta and Ryan got some tuna. We ended with a bang having a Reese Peanut Butter Cheesecake with Fudge Cake. Ohh my word. So good. So fattening. So terrible for us! So worth it!

After eating we did some shopping and then headed to the hotel to hopefully get the baby to take a nap before the game since it started at 7:15. Yes, baby’s bedtime. Eeek! After trying and trying to get him to lay down and him refusing for about an hour. I finally fed him some more, gave him some milk, and he passed smooth out. A momma knows when her baby is tired and it would be so helpful if they would just go with it, wouldn’t it?! After taking about an hour and a half nap we got him up and dressed for the game.

He did so, so good at the game. Even then people around us complimented us on how well he was behaving!

When he would get tired of our seats I would take him and let him walk around the stadium. This worked out perfectly for us!  He was such a great baby and we were so thankful. It was 10:00 when the 9^th inning rolled around and we knew we had to call it quits for the night even though the game was tied up! It wasn’t until around 11 that the game was over and the Braves had won! THANK GOODNESS we didn’t stay any longer than that! Our hotel was downtown close to the stadium, but I still get weird about being out so late especially with a baby no matter how many sports fans were walking next to us. Maybe it’s my small town ways! Ha!

Chipper got a standing O his first time at bat.

Can you tell we have a tired baby?

Saturday we got up, got around, and took Wyatt to the STL zoo. If you haven’t been to this zoo you seriously need to! It was beautiful!  Every exhibit was so clean, the animals didn’t appear depressed, and the best part was the exhibit closely resembled that of their natural habitat! I was so thankful for that. I honestly believe that Little Rock should be shut down and then animals released to a sanctuary because it is nothing more than a joke. So sad for the animals there. We said I don’t know how many times how great the zoo was and how beautiful (and HUGE) it was! We plan to go back soon when Wyatt can appreciate it more!

This little duck ate 3 french fries right out of my hand. First time for that and probably the last. 

After the zoo we came home so Wyatt could get a nap. He was getting cranky after about 5 hours of no nap. He fell asleep in the car and when we got to the hotel and I got him out he stayed asleep-something he never does. I laid him down on the bed and he snoozed for 3.5 hours before we had to wake him up and get him dressed for the game.

The second game was just as great as the first- we won! And, we had a very well behaved baby who did wonderfully again. We got more compliments on our sweet, easy-going baby and even got back by 9:30. Ryan was claiming he was dying of hunger so we called up a local pizza place and had them deliver pizza to us once Wyatt was bathed and in bed. Pizza was delicious and I felt like a 17 year old staying up late, eating pizza in bed except this time I was with my husband and it was 10:30.

Sunday, we got ready to leave after we fed the baby. We made it all the way to Branson before we ate at Fuddrucker’s for lunch. Wyatt did so awesome with the road trip. We could not have been more proud of him. We made it home right at 5:00. Since I had finished my book, I was bound and determined that I was going to the movies to see The Lucky One. Neither grandmas could watch the baby so I declared that I was going alone. Ryan was somewhat shocked and kept asking if that’s really what I was doing. I pinky promised that I was in fact going to the movies alone…something I had never done before…and he shouldn’t feel bad that I was going alone. I think I needed a mental vacation actually. 4 days straight with a baby and husband is physically and mentally exhausting and no one can deny that. The movie was just okay. I didn’t like the things that they changed and could have actually gone without watching it, but it is what it is.

It was also my 2^nd Mother’s Day! I got a sweet card and another tumbler to add to my growing collection and I also got to clean up a boo-boo that Wyatt got as soon as we got home. I wish I had a pretty posed picture of me and my little boy, but sometimes real life is what you get…scraped knees and all!

Hope all you mothers out there had a great day. My sweet momma left me a sweet card in the mailbox, so I was very thankful for that. Ryan and I have great mothers and we are so very blessed to have such good relationships with them!

STL

This past Friday we left for St. Louis to go to the Braves and Cardinals games sans-baby. What the heck were we thinking?! I think when we initially decided to go about 3 months ago that I felt that I would be ready for a mini-vacation. I looked forward to it, in fact. A couple days away from mommy responsibilities sounded appealing...no dirty diapers, no bottles to clean, no playing on the floor for endless hours, etc. just real adult time with my love.


My mom and dad kept Toot McGoot so we stayed the night with them Thursday so I could get every ounce of lovin’ in on Wyatt until the moment we left. We headed out at 10. The Buchanans joined us also, leaving little Mia in the A-R also.

It was a long, long drive up there and once we arrived we had to pretty much get ready to go to the game then. It was a really good game, but we didn’t win. Actually we didn’t win either games that we watched, but whatever. At least they were entertaining. We only sat 25 rows up and under an awning so it was perfect.

Saturday we woke up and had breakfast at a cute little restaurant called Roosters. What’s funny is we were really impressed with our food at first and even shortly after the meal. But, later in the day, I told Ryan that “now that I think about it, I really didn’t care for my breakfast.” You win some, you lose some I guess, but we will probably not ever go back.

After breakfast, Ryan and I went to the Arch. Let me preface by saying that my husband is deathly afraid of heights. Seriously. He is scared to death. He must seriously love me though because he was very willing to go up in the arch. What didn’t help was the fact that we had to wait close to an hour to go up in it. When we were finally in line, about to enter the death chamber capsule to go up, you would have thought Ryan had dipped his hands in a bucket of water. Poor thing, I wasn’t sure he was going to make it, but once we got up there he was great. He even looked out the windows! He was a little on edge though…a little skittish, but that’s to be expected. We took the first ride back down (it runs every 10 minutes) so we really hung out 650 ft above the Earth for a long time can’t you tell?

Once we were safely on the ground and walking back, Ryan was literally skipping along. He felt so accomplished. So proud. I just let him gloat. We then went to a late lunch at Charlie Gittos. Holy Moly! So very, very good. Ryan hates Italian…It’s my favorite. This is another way that I know that he loves me because when asking someone who lives in the area for the best place to eat, he was A-OK with the Italian restaurant suggestion. It definitely didn’t disappoint! We will definitely go back next time we are there.

And we like to do prom poses from 1992.

We went to the game later that night and lost again. Seriously, the Braves lost alllll 3 games. I’m not sure what the heck is up with that, but it is not okay in our book. However, we proudly wore our Braves t-shirts once we went out on the town that night. It was fun to go out in a different place to an actual fun bar. I got to get my dance on which I hadn’t done in a couple months so we had a great time. Ryan and I stayed out longer and headed to the piano bar, but quickly grew tired of that and were ready to head to bed. We stay out real late nowadays. 1 o’clock used to be nothing back in the day. But now? Now I am craving my bed by the time. Plus, the quicker we went to bed the quicker we would wake and leave to see Wyatt.

I loved the little time away. The only thing I hated was the fact that I saw so many babies…everywhere at the game. What got me the most was I knew that we could have brought Wyatt and he would have been fine. Next year, we are taking Wyatt to his first Major League Baseball game. He will be proudly sporting his Braves gear and hopefully we will be leaving with a couple W’s.

It never felt so good to get back to Wyatt. Ryan and I argued who was getting to hold him first. I, of course, won that argument. What’s funny is Wyatt could have cared less that we were even gone, much less how excited we were when we got back home. That’s what grandparents are for though, right? To make them feel completely comfortable and happy so that they don’t realize mommy and daddy aren’t around. My parents did great with him, but I never questioned that they would.

I can say that we will stick to our one night overnight trip for Wyatt each month. Next month Nana will be keeping him and this time I won’t be 6 hours away. Thank. The. Lord.

5th Annual Trout Fishing Trip

Every year we go trout fishing with my family on the White River...this was the first camping trip that we threw a baby in the mix and let me just say that he did awesome. We are blessed with such a wonderful baby. I was painfully nervous about how he was going to do...camping, heat, sun, and a new place to sleep could potentially equal a disaster, right? Well not with our perfect baby! We arrived early Friday afternoon and set up camp. Luckily, we had our own camper so it was a lot easier. It was downright ridiculous how much we brought for Wyatt. This was his first overnight trip (a two night on top of that) and so we seriously packed up the entire house it felt like. However, the only thing we felt like we forgot was the stroller. Not bad for the first time parents! He didn't nap for anything unless you were holding him, which of course was not a problem with his Mimi around! He slept his normal 8 hours during the night without so much as a peep. We are so thankful he did well and that we had a fun (successful) trout fishing trip!

Loaded up and ready to go!

 His first sleep away from home in his little bed.

Mommy and Daddy:

 I got him up from a short nap and apparently gave him his first booboo. I, being the dork that I am, documented it. I felt and kissed it plenty of times telling him I was sorry. I assume my ring scratched him, but today it doesn't look near as bad and he didn't even seem to be phased by it in the least.

 Wyatt's first trip to the White River!

 Love my little family!

 Normally my dad gets three guided boats. One for us, one for my brother and guest, and one for my parents. We start fishing at 7 in the morning, meet for lunch, and then finish up fishing that afternoon about 3:30 or so. It is a full day of fishing and we love it. This year though, Ryan and I started out in the morning fishing with my dad and Mimi watched Wyatt. We came in for lunch and mom went out with dad while we stayed with Wyatt. While we only got to fish half a day it was still a lot of fun and sadly I got out-fished. This will never happen again. Ever. Here is one of the fish Ryan caught.

 Us with our boys!...They obviously don't care about looking at a camera.

2 years ago, on this same trip, Ryan asked my dad for permission to marry me...look where we are now!

While the rest of the family was fishing we took Wyatt to see the peacocks at Gastons...he was snoozin' so we actually enjoyed it. Unbeknownst to me, I speak peacock was was able to get this little guy to puff up. Glad I did!

 Before we left his morning we took pictures of "all the kids."

Here's the "Boys Club" as they dubbed themselves! Very cute!

I can't wait for next year's fishing trip! Wyatt will definitely be keeping us on our toes!



Our little guy is 2 months old! Ah! Two month shots are tomorrow- wish us luck!