The Train Cake

We celebrated John Daniels birthday on Saturday. He LOVES trains so we knew we had to have a train cake. I asked my friend Kristen to help me tackle this project. She is self-taught and is teaching me. This was the final product. I thought it turned out great :)

We have joked or maybe not about opening our own bakery in the future.

Only time will tell.....

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Under the Weather

a couple of weeks ago, actually 2 nights before Christmas, John Daniel

got the dreaded croup cough.

you know the one where they sound like dying seal barking.

or something like that.

ha!

he was back to his normal self by christmas eve

with only a minor, non-abrasive cough.

thank you jesus!

yesterday, i ran to Hobby Lobby to get a few things

and John Daniel started coughing and it wouldn't let up.

it was croupy sounding but on the same hand it was a wet cough.

he looked at me and said, 'i just wanna go home, mommy' -- break my heart!!

i got him home and he wanted some lunch.

my boy rarely skips a meal. ha!

his lunch consisted of a clementine and an apple.

then i laid him down for a nap.

he slept pretty good but woke up with a fever =(

we went to get elijah from school and took him to my FIL so he could listen to his chest.

and

lo and behold he has pneumonia and ear infection!!!

i was shocked! could not believe it!!!

he slept good last night other than waking up every 4 hours burning up with 102 fever!!!

it was like clock work!!

bless his heart.

we have obviously stayed IN today.

pumping him full of juice and fruits and veggies!!!

he is napping now and i pray that he feels better quickly!!!

side note: i went into great detail b/c the whole reason i started this blog was to scrapbook our lives. sickness and all

happy birthday

2 years ago today my lil man was born!

wow!

i can't believe it has been 2 years.

John Daniel has been pure joy from the day he was born.

he is such a sweet boy.

i didn't ever think another child could have as much energy as elijah...but, john daniel is giving him a run for the money.

he is on the go from sun up to sun down!!!

i have such a close knit bond with both my boys b/c it was just us for about 18 months while jim was deployed!

i love watching elijah & john daniel together -- being brothers and doing what brothers do.

from day one jim and i have prayed that they would be best friends all through out life.

they have a very special bond and elijah is very protective of john daniel =)

i love being the mom of 2 boys!!

john daniel you are such a precious boy.

you are funny.

you are loveable.

you are kind.

you like to sing jesus loves me.

you are talking so much and making complete sense.

you love to give kisses and hugs.

you adore your daddy.

you are slightly attached to your 'bomber' (pacifier) only at night.

you are always happy.

you LOVE to eat.

did i mention how much you love to eat???? ha.

you like praise music and you love to dance to it.

you love wrestling on the floor with daddy.

you like to brush your teeth.

you are very funny little boy.

you love trains.

you love baseball, football, basketball & golf :o)

you like to read and have mommy & daddy read to you.

you love dogs!!!

John Daniel,

i love you more than my words could ever express. i am honored to be your mom. the lord has truly blessed me with precious boys. You helped mommy get through some very difficult days when your daddy was gone.

you are a treasure. you are going to live a long and prosperous life, john daniel. the favor and mercy of the lord follow you all the days of your life. you have brought so much joy to our lives!!

your smile lights up a room :o)

it's hard to believe that my youngest is already 2...officially not a baby anymore.

makes me sad.

my prayer for you lil man is that you follow the leading of the Lord always. i pray that you walk in His love. i pray that you won't be attracted to the things of this world but ONLY to the things of the Lord...to LIFE!!! i pray that you listen & obey the Lord.

the Lord has amazing plans for you.

you make mommy & daddy so very happy!

we love you :o)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET BOY!!!

the party

***disclaimer***

i was in a hurry while writing this post

so, i apologize, in advance, for my lack of creativity and fluidity

ha.

yesterday i posted about the BRIGHT cupcakes for john daniel's party.

you can go here to check them out!!

we celebrated john daniel's 2nd birthday several days early.

we invited some friends over and we enjoyed good food, fellowship and quite a few laughs :o)

my neighbor, sheri, was very kind and let us use her bouncy house & truck for the kids to ride in & drive!!

a BIG thank you to you sheri :o)

we also did smores with our other neighbors fire pit...

we left ours in augusta @Christmas!

thank you erin :o)

the kids all had a GREAT time!!!

look @ that face

singing happy birthday to our 2 year old!!!!

we had to light the candles again b/c the wind blew them out.

about to dig in...

i think he liked it

such a sweet boy...wanting to share with daddy

still eating. ha.

and eating

hubby & dylan

this little bundle is hilarious...

we laughed so hard at her 'performing' for us

elijah thought he was a cool dude driving this truck...

check out the face.

the 3 amigos...cruisin' the ROW.

(we live on brick row)

viv again -- she knew we loved her doing this...so, she kept just falling into the sides!!

elijah loves him some viv

john daniel towards the end of the party...

happy early birthday my sweet john daniel.

we love you so, so much!!!!

i can't believe...

that this little bundle of joy:

is going to be 2 very soon!!!

it seems like just yesterday that i went into labor with him!!

he has brought so much JOY to our lives.

john daniel,

mommy & daddy love you so much.

you are a precious 'little' man :o)

you keep us laughing all the time.

we love to hear you talk...which is a good thing b/c you are mr yappy :o)

JOHN DANIEL - 19 MONTHS!!

i'm having hard time believing that john daniel turned 19 months on the 27th!!

he is growing up so fast!!

this little boy has captured our hearts. he is one of the sweetest things ever.

some of his favorite things to do are:

EAT!!!

he likes to eat:

cheerios

yogurt

pizza

chips/salsa

bread

fruit bars

loves carrot juice

bananas

etc.

play outside

take a bath

kick the ball

play with elijah

he loves playing with our old cell phones and usually always has one in hand

climb on anything and everything

he is so funny. he talks quite a bit. definitely knows what he wants and doesn't!!

he will shake his head no or yes and say yes or no!!!

he is in that toddler stage where they fall quite a bit and hit the head -- and we all know our boys have big heads!!! ha.

i love, love this age.

i'm enjoying every minute of it b/c this household isn't having anymore kiddos!!!

we are love our two boys and are quite content with just the 4 of us!!!

here are a few pictures of our big boy!!!

we love you so much john daniel!!

you have brought so much joy and laughter to our lives.

may god bless you in all you do!

*************

without going into too many details i'd like to ask you all to pray for a dear friends family. this past weekend they had a terrible tragedy and i'm praying for strength and peace for them.

thank you.

FUN AT THE PARK

one morning about a week ago i took the boys for fun at the park.

it was about 900 in the morning and they needed to burn some energy :)

i knew elijah would have a blast but, i wasn't quite sure about john daniel. for all you friends in bloggerland who i've never met, john daniel, is super attached to me. at times it drives me bonkers that he won't go to anyone else but, i love that he wants just to be with me. i am savoring this time because i know all to soon it will be gone.

we had such a good time this particular morning.

we went about 900ish so the weather was perfect.

elijah took off on his own leaving me and john daniel in the dust & trying to catch up. ha!

they both had a ball {and i did too} :)

i've posted quite a few pictures -- they were all so cute i just HAD to post them all :)

ENJOY!!

elijah's 'cheese' face :)

is he cute or what?

look at that pose? - ha!!

i'm thinking he could be a child model?!?!!

{make mommy & daddy some money...ha!ha!}

loving the 'oversized' hat ;)

there is nothing like watching your boys playing together :)

too cute for words...

sweet john daniel

he LOVED the swinging

he is also loving that he can walk...

cutie-patootie :)

checking out his {1st} gumball!

AREN'T THESE BOYS THE CUTEST THINGS EVER!?!?!

TELL ME...WHAT ARE YOUR ENERGY-RELEASING ACTIVITIES FOR YOUR LITTLE ONES?

my baby!

i am having a hard time believing that john daniel is already a year old.
4.27.09 my baby boy turned one. i can't believe just 12 short months ago i was using my epidural pump to numb the lower half of my body. the people that say you forget the 'pain' once your precious little one gets here -- IS NOT TRUE!! i can still remember the pain like it was yesterday.

however,

the 'pain' is so worth it!!! i would do it over again a million times if it meant having my precious boys. i'm telling you -- i am the most blessed mom!! i have the two sweetest and cutest boys ever.

okay, enough gushing!! :o)

we went today to see 'dapa', aka the BEST pediatrician ever, today for john daniel's 12 month check-up.
our baby boy now weighs 18 lb. 3 oz and is 28 3/4 in.
yes, our baby is long & lean! he only gained a few oz in the last 3 months. this baffled me because if you know john daniel, you know his favorite thing to do is EAT, EAT, EAT!!! my boys can put away some food. i don't even want to think about what our grocery bill will be when they are teenagers. geesh.

but, he got a clean bill of health from the doc :o)

oh! i can't believe i almost forgot this BIG milestone.
NO MORE BOTTLE.
he has been off the bottle for 8 days now :o) this is a big deal, since elijah didn't give it up til he was almost 18 months old.
i know, i know...please, don't judge me!!

needless to say, i am one PROUD mama!

he is crawling all over the place and he puts EVERYTHING in his mouth (unlike his brother).
he is saying a few words:
mamamama (usually, just when he's upset -- but, hey, i'll take it however i can get it)
da da :=)
bye-bye
ball
and believe it or not....he said 'balloon' tonight! (yes, he is a genius don't be jealous :)

last night, we had a small, family party. john daniel had a great time. enjoyed every minute of his SWEET treat!! he is quite the entertainer AND was loaded up on sugar!!!

i wanted to make him red velvet baseball cupcakes.
i have always had a secret (not so secret anymore) dream to own my own 'cupcake' business. i love cooking and baking. but, last night proved that i should could keep my day job. stay at home mom. unless, somebody wants to send me to school to perfect my skill or lack there of.

#1 - i used a box cake mix (i don't think ppl would come to my store to buy cupcakes from a 'box' recipe)
#2 - i don't have a steady hand (just wait til you see the pics)
#3 - they were pretty dry. gross. nothing worse than wanting a really moist cupcake and you take a bite and it is DRY!!
(i wonder if it had anything to do with the 'box' mix? hmmm....

here are some pics from the BIG DAY and also the 'infamous' cupcake picture (notice the red (thread) icing on the baseballs, i.e. - shaky hands.