Things that I love about my Parent's home...

My grandfather's desk and chair. I am sure the builder never thought a laptop would perch on top of it.
The outdoor kitchen. Mom painted and tiled the backsplash.

The men in my family hand make thier own lures.

Papa's Navy clock

Mema's collection of bird mugs.

The old wooden boat they found after a hurricane and turned into a flower pot.

Mom's greenhouse that overlooks the dock

This little bell. I don't know the story behind him.

And of course the the view....

Thanksgiving

Of course we have a special reason to be thankful for this year. Moses celebrated his first Thanksgiving at Mimi and Papa's house! Of course the food was great and it is always wonderful to sit down in a warm loving home and share a meal and thanks together. I hope everyone had a wonderful day like we did. I also hope everyone realizes how truly blessed we are. Here are some pictures from the day!

The Ultimate Grilled Cheese

Today we had one purpose. Our goal was to make it to Atlantic Beach so Brett could get his favorite sandwich, the Ultimate Grilled Cheese. Since I was little, my parents and I have been eating at the NY Deli by the Crow's Nest in AB. It is one of my favorite places. The deli has six or seven tables crammed into a sliver of space. The walls and ceilings are covered with wine, NYC, and Italy items.

We took Brett for the first time within the last year. That's when he was influenced by my dad to try this particular sandwich. Prosciutto ham, fresh mozzarella, tomato, basil and provolone toasted. It was polished off in seconds! He looked very happy to be eating this sandwich again. Mom got her favorite Reuben and I stuck with the same "Empire State" (turkey and bacon) I have always ordered.

I guess we were so happy, we decided to carry home some dinner as well. Shrimp salad, chicken salad, pasta salad, potato salad, and prosciutto. And bless the man's heart that owns the place, he talked us into taking home a chocolate pecan pie and pumpkin roll for Thanksgiving. It's not even turkey day and I have eaten more than I did last week! I only wish I had my camera to give you a visual...maybe next time!

Barker Thanksgiving in Rocky Mount

Today we drove to Rocky Mount to have Thanksgiving with Brett's father's side of the family. Uncle John (Brett's father's brother) and his wife, Aunt Melissa, have all of their relatives over the Sunday before Thanksgiving for a big meal. So many people and good food, it reminds me of when I was little and my mom's family could still fit in one house!

We haven't seen Aunt Melissa's family since last Christmas when we announced we were pregnant so they were all very eager to see Moses for the first time. Brett and I feel very lucky that even though he father is no longer with us, that we are still such a big part of the family for them. I feel Aunt Melissa especially makes sure we feel included which means so much to us both. I love listening to them talk about when Brett was little and what his father was like. I heard on more than one occasion that baby Moses definately favored Grandpa Moses as well as Brett.

I always feel like the day goes by too fast! We are so ready for Christmas with them in a few weeks.

Santa Visit

Thursday I met Carrie and Tanner, Jessica and John, and Andrea and Julianne for lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. It was so great to swap stories and get advice. Moses is the youngest of the group, so I think I benefit the most. I am so thankful that Carrie and I have reconnected. She has been the biggest help and I don't know what I would without her advice.

After lunch, we took the kids to see Santa. Crabtree has an awesome Santa and they allow you to take pictures with your own camera so everything was free. We then went on to do a little shopping and luckily Moses slept almost the entire time. For some reason, he sleeps so well when we are anywhere but home!

It also looks like Moses is definately a good charm as Brett suspected. What a great win for the Pack! I think my little boy is going to be just like his daddy. He "jawed" at the TV for the entire game! It was hilarious! His little shrieks and babbles sounded like he was really yelling at the players. Maybe it will be warm enough next time to try him again. We need all the luck we can get! Below are some recent pics, enjoy!

Crib Sleep

So things are still going a little rough with the crib sleep this week. It seems we have gone backwards entirely. Hopefully this is just a growth spurt! Thought I would put up some pictures to give everyone a visual image of our struggles! This was nap time yesterday. Only a half an hour nap and a VERY hard time going to sleep last night. As I write this Moses is sleeping on the bed underneath his Baby Einstein. Almost forty mintues! I dare not wake him. Pray for us!

We also enjoyed some flakes yesterday. Riley the most! As far as her sleep, she thinks her new spot is the couch!

Three months old!

Moses is three months old today and what a wonderful three months it has been. Moses went to his first football game this weekend. Brett thinks he is a good luck charm because we played well and won! It was so nice to see Julie and Travis and all our other tailgate buddies. I've missed them so much.

The little man has been doing great. We are starting crib sleep. The first three nights went very well. Slept through the night in the crib no problems. The next few days did not go as well. For some reason he has been pretty cranky in the afternoons and refusing to nap anywhere but in mommy's lap or bed. He begins the evening in his crib but eventually wakes up in the middle of the night and needs a little snack. This is making me tired! I guess it is all progress though!

As far as the rest of the sleep goes it changes daily. I have really been trying to make sure he gets a good morning and afternoon nap. I've learned and read that just because he may not want to nap doesn't mean he does not need it. The more he sleeps during the day, the better he will sleep at night. He goes down well but wakes up 15 or 20 mins later. I'm now starting to coax him back to sleep and not let him fight it. It makes our days better.

Halloween Weekend

Boy do we love to pack a lot of travel into one weekend! Last week we visited both sets of grandparents. I feel very lucky that we can do this. So many people have to travle much furthur to see their parents. While we were visiting my parents we also got some professional pictures of Moses made as well as some family ones. He did so well! No tears and stayed awake the entire time. We also visited my dad's office and the studio where I danced. My friend Jessica had a baby a month before I did and Moses got to meet her! Well he slept through it all but she is a cutie!

We also made the trip to Wilmington where we got to spend some time with Judy and Vernon. We took Moses to the Riverwalk and watched some of the triathalon. We also squeezed in a little shopping. Needless to say Moses has a very tired Mommy and Daddy!

Moses is getting so big so fast. I knew it would happen but it still amazes me. Monday night he started rolling over consistantly when we put him on his belly. He coos and babbles a lot as well. It's fun when I am on the phone and people can hear him chatting. I think he is trying to grab his feet now too. He keeps bringing his knees up to his belly. He is so active and loves "marching his feet." I will try to figure out how to upload videos so everyone can see! Enjoy the pictures below!