It's true what they say...

I always said I would not let this happen, BUT it's true what they say: When  you have a 2nd (or 3rd or 4th, etc.) baby you are not as likely to take as many pictures, videos, etc of that baby.  I have actually been pretty good about the picture part.  We have as many pictures of Jagger at this point than we did of Malone.  However, I do NOT have nearly as much video.  When Malone was born I video taped her about every week or so when she was little and then about every month until her first birthday.  Well, I'm ashamed to say that Jagger is 4 months old and I just now took time to get some video of him.  I am already so mad at myself that I don't have any of him at the younger, newborn stage, but I can't change that now.  I just need to go from this point on and get some sweet video of him to watch in later years.  Malone's video from her baby stage already makes me cry because I can't believe she is growing up so fast.

Like I said, I've been pretty good about pictures.  We had his 3 month pictures and I recently got a 16x20 framed and hung beside Malone's 3 month picture.  They look so good in our dining room.  At first I thought Jagger was Malone's identical twin that was born 3 years later, but his 3 month picture looks so different from Malone's that I am rethinking that.  :)

Last week, I took Jagger to get his hand and foot prints painted on a piece of pottery.  I want to have those precious pieces of just him, like I have some that are just Malone's.  One day soon, I would like to have a piece of pottery with both of their prints on it, but I want them both to have their own special pieces and know that I cherished them as individuals, regardless of whether they were born first or second. 

God gave me you

There is a song out right now called "God Gave Me You" by Blake Shelton.  It is a beautiful song that really reminded me that God places everyone and everything in our lives for a reason.  The 3 most important people in my life are Justin, Malone and Jagger.  I wanted to write down the reasons I feel that God gave me each one of them

Justin--
God gave me you to be my best friend.
God gave me you to be the father of my children.
God gave me you to remind me that everything works out the way it is suppose to.
God gave me you to lean on and share my troubles with
God gave me you to laugh with until my sides hurt

Malone--
God gave me you to show me what instant, overwhelming love is
God gave me you to remind me to look at the world through innocent eyes
God gave me you to show me that I do have patience when I never thought I did
God gave me you to nurture and teach to be a child of the Lord

Jagger--
God gave me you to complete our family
God gave me you to help me understand how it is possible to love all of his children
God gave me you to cherish every moment, even hard ones, because they do not last for long
God gave me you to nurture and teach to be a child of the Lord

Fall Clothes

Although we are are in the middle of one crazy heat wave I am starting to prepare for fall.  Malone will go back to school after Labor Day at First Baptist Church for 3 days a week.  I have started buying her some new fall clothes and shoes.  Last year at this time Malone was still able to wear many of the same clothes from the year before because she did not have a big growth spurt and was in the same size.  However, this year she has grown quite a bit (especially her height) and none of her clothes from last year fit.  So, I feel like we are starting from scratch and creating a whole new wardrobe.  Amazingly, at the age of 3, Malone is VERY opinionated about her clothes and shoes.  If I pick out something she does not like she lets me know or throws a temper tantrum from not wanting to wear that outfit.  Wow!  Where does she get that from?!?! :)  Here is an outfit and pair of shoes that we have added to her new fall wardrobe.  So far she approves of both of these items.

Jagger, on the other hand, is set.  We started buying clothes for him when I was pregnant.  Justin has picked out several outfits for him that are super cute and are all boy.  We have flannel shirts and cargo pants, and we have some super cute shoes also.  Here is a picture of one of the outifts we have for Jagger (except his is not short sleeved but looks like it has a layered brown long sleeved tee under it). 

 I love shopping for clothes and have much more fun shopping for my kids than I do for myself.  However, I recently went through my closet for a yard sale and most of my winter stuff got tossed.  My rule of thumb is if I have not worn it in a year then it goes to the yard sale pile.  Since I was pregnant last fall and winter I did not buy any new clothes for that season.  So hopefully this year I can add some cute, up to date, stylish fall/winter pieces to my wardrobe.  However, I struggle finding fall/winter clothes that I really like and think are super cute.  Since I tend to freeze in the winter I want to be practical and dress warmly.  Maybe I can find a cute compromise between practical and stylish.  :)  Happy Fall Clothes Shopping to you too!!!

Time

Well the time has come....school starts back this week.  The time home with my sweet babies has passed by WAY, WAY too fast.  However, I am thankful that I am returning to work with a 90% possibility of working 1/2 time.  This means I will either work 1/2 days, or a 3 day work week/ 2 day work week on an alternating schedule.  I am prayerful that this will work out for me.  Babies grow up too fast and I want to be able to enjoy my time with them as much as possible.  I like teaching and love the kids, but my family is my first priority, ALWAYS.  So the 1/2 position will be a great compromise. We have had an amazing summer.  Although we did not go on a vacation since Jagger was so little during the summer, we did alot of fun things around town.  We did playground time, summer camps for Malone, play dates with amazing friends, lots of time outside in the "baby" pool, long naps, etc...  So my time off was much enjoyed and spent doing fun, memorable things!

Jagger is now 4 months old!!!  He is 1/3, or 33%, of the way to 1 year old.  :)  I can't believe it is going by so fast.  I think it seems even faster than when Malone was a baby.  He can now roll over (he has only done it in his sleep, but we have gotten him up several mornings where he has been rolled over).  He laughs and talks.  I think he can actually say "hey".  I'm wondering if I should count that as his first word?!!  HA.  He is so sweet and loving and likes to cuddle with Mommy, which is priceless.  I think he is trying to cut some teeth.  He loves to put his whole fist in his mouth and rub away.  The slobber is picking up too.  The doctor said today at his 4 month check up to start adding some solid foods to his diet.  He already gets some cereal in his bottles to help with acid reflux, but she said to make some really thick and spoon feed it to him.  I am NOT ready for that  :)  I may wait a few more weeks so he can be a "little" baby a while longer. 

What has your time been spent doing lately?