Scouted

So the other day at IKEA, in the couch section, a woman approaches us. She tells us that Rhett is a beautiful baby. (I smile inside knowing that it's true :)) The conversation goes like this.

Lady: Have you ever thought of having him do some modeling?

Us: We've thought and joked about it...but we don't want to exploit him or give his pictures to some pervert.

Lady: I totally understand. I have kids too. I just wanted to tell you that I work for a talent agency and I wanted to ask you if you would be interested in coming in for an interview with your son.

Us: Umm...

Lady: How about I give you my card. It has our wesite on it. You can check it out and if you're comfortable with it we'll call you in a few days and see what your thoughts are.

Us: (After a quick conversation with our eyes) Sure that sounds fine with us.

We exchanged numbers and went our ways. 

We think that Rhett is the cutest little man ever...but it is nice to hear it from other people.  

And if he becomes the next Gerber baby...well that's fine too. :)

Month 7

Dear little man,

Happy 7 months Mr. Handsome Pants!! Oh you are oh so fun. So fun. When you go to sleep we love to watch you. We love how you sleep with your little bum up in the air with your knees tucked under you. We love your little yawns and snores. We especially love that you sleep through the night and you don't need to be swaddled anymore. That's the best.

We love how silly you've become. Everything makes you giggle with delight. And scream. You've learned to scream with delight. It's so adorable. You love when we squeeze your chubby thighs. You love when we kiss your cheeks. It makes you grin ear to ear. You love when we flip you up side down. You've become so social. You squeal when we see your friends. You love to pat their hands and heads. You still love your little friend in the mirror. We went to IKEA the other day and when we passed the mirrors you looked so surprised and thrilled to see your friends there with us. We had to stop so you could have a little chat. Sometimes I have to avoid mirrors because if you see your little buddy we have to stop and play for a long time. :)

I am amazed everyday with how much you learn. I can see it your big blue eyes. You take everything in. In just the past few days you've gotten a tooth, started waving, rocking on your hands and knees, holding yourself up on the edge of chairs, you can walk across the room when we hold your fingers.

We love you Rhett!!

Julia Smash

I don't know how many of  you are familiar with Marvel Comics the Hulk,but when he get mad he yells"Hulk smash!" and then proceeds to do just that.

Jake also likes to yell "Jake smash!" before he tackles me. So fun.

Last night I clearly remember putting my glasses on my nightstand, but when I woke up my glasses looked like this...

Kaput

(Thankfully I have a spare pair)

I haven't a clue how this happened.

Julia smash!!

Unofficial Stalker

I absolutely adore wedding photos. I'm mesmerized with the joy they capture. I remember seeing our wedding pictures for the first time. There were moments captured that I didn't remember. Those are some of my favorites. Honestly if the house was on fire the first thing I would grab (after Rhett) would be our wedding albums. Sometimes I wish I could back and recreate our wedding day because I have so many ideas of ways I'd like to have them shot.

Maybe this is why I love looking at other peoples wedding photos. I love seeing how happy they are. How much unadulterated joy and love they have in their eyes. I love looking at the bride's dress, the groom seeing her for the first time. I love seeing how his hand rests on her waist. I love seeing him twirling her during their first dance and the sparklers showing them the way to their getaway car.

And FB has opened a whole new world of wedding pictures to me. I don't even have to know the bride and groom,I just have to know someone tagged in their pictures. At first I thought it wasn't a problem. Looking at peoples special day when I didn't even know. But now I'm seeing these people who I've "stalked" on FB around town, at church, at the grocery store, pumping gas etc. I the problem is I'm having a hard time telling if I know them or not.


Bahah!! It's becoming an awkward  problem. I just stare at them wondering if I need to say hi because we know each other or if they don't know me from Adam.

I think this makes me an unofficial stalker.
But what bride doesn't want everyone to woo and ahhh and her pictures? 

From Rhett to Dad

Rhett "drew" this for Jake.

(I drew the squiggles)

He loves his dad.

He also chewed on the crayons...he's such a 6 month old.

Rhett's New Favorite Game

We slowly open the door halfway and say Rrrrrhett!

Then we jump out and shout "I'm HOME!!!"

He thinks it's fantastic.:)

He also loves to help get the mail.

And then chew on the junk mail.

He's a big  help around the house. :)

My Casaova

I love my husband.

And I love knowing that he loves me.

He wrote this poem for me.

Love spoken but once is as the ineffectual prayer.

In times of deep emotion its song is heard but soon forgotten.

This is not what I seek.

Our love. My love. As the faithful heart will always find joy in its song.

For it sings of you.

And knows in your love it has found home.

And he got me flowers. 

Can I get a collective awww?! :)

The Most Important Birthday of the Year

Today is my mom's birthday. Every year on my birthday I feel like I should give my mom a present. I haven't yet...but one day I will. If it weren't for her my birthday wouldn't mean very much. She and my dad decided to try and get pregnant when my dad didn't have a job because they knew it was important to start their family. When I was born and my mom and I were getting acquainted in her recovery room she was so excited to have me there with her, that she couldn't sleep. She sang "I am a Child of God" to me. She's always taught me to follow my Heavenly Father. I've seen her on her knees praying when she didn't know I was watching. She as taught me to but others first. Honestly it is so hard to say no to her when she wants to do something for you because she loves to serve others so much it hurts her feelings when you say no. She posses the sweetest smile. Her cheeks were made for her smiles. They are perfectly round when she gives you a genuine one. She always smells like...comfort...I don't know how to describe it any better. She has the perfect motherly shape for hugs. I know she'll hate me for saying that, but it's true.

She came from a broken home, but she has been a bridge with my dad to a better life for me and my siblings. She joined the church even when it meant she was disowned from her family. She served a mission for our church in Brazil. I said my whole life that I would serve a mission, but when it came time to start my papers I said I wasn't going to go. It broke my mom's heart. She cried. Honestly, it made me mad at the time, I thought she was being unfair. But seeing how much she wanted me to go, it really touched me and so I reconsidered. I am so grateful I went. I am so grateful for her example and caring.

She is a beautiful woman. People said she looked like Audrey Hepburn when she was younger. And it's true. She always gets so excited about Christmas and birthdays that she can't help but give us some presents early...and then she goes out and buys more. She laughs the hardest at her own jokes. When we're all together as a family, she loves to have us go around the dinner table and say nice things about her. It's endearing. :) She "cheats" at our family game nights...and we love her more for it. :) She has always loved our pets...probably more than most people do. She "talks" for them. She has a voice for each of them and they love her more than anybody. She can't ever get our names right. Sometimes I'm Julia...sometimes I'm Ginger, our cat. But it doesn't matter. I know she loves me more than anything, and I love her. I love her for being a life line as I've become a mom. I love her for her being her.
Happy birthday mom! I LOVE you!

Love,
Ginger, John, Jane, William, Winne, Rosie, aka Julia :)

Month 6

Rhettford,
You are 6 months old now. I spend time each day just staring at you trying to take in all of your cuteness, your smiles, your unconditional love, your energy, your giggles, everything. Everyday I look forward to seeing you achieve your milestones. Every month I think that that month is my favorite time of your life thus far, but then the next month is my new favorite. Each day you seem to grow more and more and I love it.

You are hands down the happiest baby I've ever seen. You smile smile smile at everything. And the best part of your smiles is that they make your already chubby cheeks even chubbier and more kissable. Love love love it.

You can blow raspberry's with your lips. You have the cutest pout. You  pull your upper lip in and push your bottom one out, just like I do actually. :)

You've made a very special friend in the past few weeks. You get so excited every time you see him the the mirror. I don't have the heart to tell you it's your reflection. You give each other high fives and kisses. Dad says that your head butting your little buddy, not kissing him since you're a boy, but I think I'm right.

You can get on your hands and knees by yourself. You can't crawl yet but you can scoot. In fact you scooted right off the bed one day. Opps. But you were OK...after snuggles. And now that you can roll both ways you have come dangerously close to rolling off the bed. But we keep a much closer eye on you now.

And you can sit on your own. You still tip over on occasion, but you love the easy access to your toes.

We love your little quirks. We love how you grab our noses and think it's so funny. We love how when you face plant on our laps it means you want to be flipped upside down. We love how much you love having your cheeks kissed.

We absolutely adore you little dude!

Mom and Dad

Green beans

If you can't tell Rhett thoroughly enjoyed his first round of baby food.

We're going to need some more paper towels.

Lovefest!!

Here's to everything mushy gushy-lovey dovey-snuggley wuggely-cutesie wutsie.

Happy Lovefest Day!!!

Rhett's embarrassed of us.

(I know this is a day late.Our computer was having issues yesterday.)

Kamikaze Poop

I have bad luck with getting our car washed.

Without fail, every time I do a bird poops on our car within 3 hours of getting it cleaned.

And usually we don't get too many gifts from birds.

It frustrates me SO much.

Makes me want to give those stupid birds the bird.

Dear Friend

When I wrote the post about my frustrations with money, I was doing it to just vent. I honestly didn't think that anything would come of it. But you read what I wrote and you did something about it. How do I begin to thank you for the box of crafts, of books, of ideas for me to have an outlet during the day? How do I begin to tell you how much it meant to me to come home and see that box with your note? I love everything you chose for me. The yarn is beautiful, the colors are perfect. The felt is also just what I would have picked out. I love the books. I've started "The Translator" and I'm really enjoying it.

 

Thank you for going above and beyond. There need be more people like you. You are so sweet and although we've never met, I feel like I know you a little bit better now. You really were and are a ray of sunshine. Thank you for bringing a smile to my face. Thank you for the time and effort you put into the package. Thank you so so much!

Love,

Julia

I've got a fever...

for Justin Bieber.

Does that make me a creeper?
Maybe.

But if I was 12 I would totally have a major crush on him.

Now I just have a minor one.

And I really want to go see his movie that's coming out.

Does anyone know a 12 year old I can take to see it so I don't get too many weird looks?

A Little Note

Before I got married I thought I wanted 6 kids. When we got married we decided 4 would be ideal. After spending the past week watching 5 kids for a family friend I think I'll take 3. It's a good solid prime number. Anyway, the kids I watched were wonderful. Really, they were adorable so stinking cute and I loved watching them.

So to sum up the adventures of the week, here's a little note I would have hypothetically written to the kiddos.

Dear Children,

No, you cannot have 10 Oreos. Yes, you are all the baby's favorite. No, I can't give you all a piggy back all at once. Yes, that was a really funny joke you just made up. No, I don't want to go dance with Chuck-E-Cheese. When I ask you to put your plate on the counter, that doesn't mean put it on the floor. How have you not heard me calling your name 12 times just now? Yes, I can beat that level on Mario for you. Has anyone seen the kitty? No, I have never met Santa Claus. How about you ask your mom how Rhett got in my belly. Girls, I'm sorry I only know how to do a pony tail.  Please don't run around in your underwear. Please put your PJ's on. And please don't ever forget I think you are all absolutely wonderful. :)
Love, Julia