Abby Kate at 42 Months

My favorite color is pink!

I love helping mommy with baby Jackson: I get his diapers and wipes, I put his passy in his mouth when he needs it, I play with him and make him laugh, I bring him new toys when he needs one. I also love to hold him.

I know all of my days of the week.

I love having my fingernails and toenails painted.

I am a girly girl.

I have to have things done a certain way or I lose it!

I love watching Dora.

I love coloring and playing with stickers and playdoh.

I love talking on the phone.

My favorite restaurant is McAlister's Deli. I always get a toasted cheese sandwich with cheetos.

I love it when Mommy shares her sweet tea with me.

I love to read books. I make up my own stories to go with them.

I can count to 25.

I know my ABC's.

I plan my birthday party every day.

I love drawing.

I love to eat peaches and applesauce.

I love going to ballgames with my Daddy and my brother.

I love going to the mall.

I am very organized.

I love sleeping in my Princess tent.

I have a really great memory.

I love to swing.

I love all things Princess!

I love to sing.

I love listening to my Bible songs.

I love wearing piggy tails.

I love seeing my PawPaw and Nana.

I love working puzzles.

I like to go to the library.

I love going to church.

I like to help feed Jackson his baby food. I love giving him cheerios and puffs and when Mommy will let me, I will feed him his food on a spoon. I'm always interested in knowing the color of his spoon.

I love to sit in people's laps and cuddle.

I am a pack rat. Big Time!

I love playing dress up.

My favorite movie is "Cars".

I love to wear my "dressy" coat.

I love chocolate.

I love to copy my teachers. ("Ms. Milam's class line up.")

Every night I pray for just about everybody I know.

I love all of the big girls that I look up to: Ashley, Elizabeth, Haley, and Holly.

I love playing in my kitchen.

I Praise You God

One year later...

I praise you God for the gift of life.

I praise you God for our good news.

I thank you for a healthy and happy baby boy.

I am thankful for the godly men and women that lifted our baby up to you in prayer.

I praise you for surrounding us with great friends.

I praise you for being the Creator of life.

I thank you for hearing our cries and our hearts as we poured ourselves out to you.

Today God, I praise you for the gift of our son Jackson. I thank you for blessing our family with this precious child. I am in awe of the men and women that lifted all of us up in prayer to you. I thank you for the "Good News" of our son. May your name be glorified in His life. You have truly been "Gracious" to us in blessing us with this child.

Joshua at 42 Months

I love sports. All sports.

I sleep in my "Cars" tent every night.

I know all of my colors.

I love to sing.

I can say my ABC's.

I love Italian food.

I can throw a mean fast ball. (Daddy has the bruises to prove it!)

My Daddy is my hero!

I love making Abby Kate laugh.

I love my "tag" blankie.

I can count to 25.

I love saying the prayer.

My favorite movie is "Cars".

I love to talk about the things I'll do when I'm a "big kid".

I ask everybody at church for gum!

I love to ask "Why?"

I love to ask "What?!?"

I love to be a "Big Helper".

My favorite super hero is Spider-Man.

I love the Tennessee Vols.

I love the Tennessee Titans.

My favorite team is the St. Louis Cardinals.

I love to guzzle my milk.

My favorite restaurant is McDonald's. I always get chicken nuggets, fries and chocolate milk!

I have a really good sense of direction. I know where all the turns are between my house and school.

I can't wait to play with Jackson when he gets older. I'm going to show him how to play ball.

I love to sing the Disciples song.

I also love David Crowder.

And Johnny Cash's "Jackson". I sing that one to my brother!

I'm really friendly!

My favorite Bible stories are the ones about Noah, Jonah, Moses, and baby Jesus.

When I'm bigger, I want to preach like my Daddy.

I have a weird thing about my shoes. I usually put on every pair I own at least once during the course of a day.

And sometimes, I wear my sister's shoes! (Shh, don't tell Daddy!)

At church, I love to give money to God.

I'm extremely ticklish!

I love to visit my PawPaw and Nana.

I love M&M's.

My favorite color is red. (Cardinal red, not Crimson Tide red.)

I love going to the library to pick out books.

I love playing outside, especially riding my bike and throwing ball. Spring can't come soon enough.

I love my Mommy and Daddy very much.

I'm a Mean Mom

Yep, that's right. According to my son, I am a mean Mom.

The reason for this accusation is that I would not let Joshua wear a short sleeved shirt this morning.

The temperature this morning was 31 degrees.

I'm sure this won't be the last time I'll be called a "mean Mom". Guess I'd better get used to it, right?

On a happier note, I saw this on "Ellen" the other day and I thought it was hilarious! Thought I would share.



My favorite part is when Charlie laughs! And I love the English accent. Just makes the video.

Our Twins are 3 1/2 Years Old!!!

We love our Daddy, Mommy, and baby brother, Jack.

We love to play cars together.

We love to watch Dora.

We really love going to church.

We like to play together.

We love riding our bikes.

Sometimes we don't like to share.

We love bath time.

We love to help pick up.

We giggle all the time.

We are the best of friends.

We love sleeping in our tents.

We love to tattle.

We fight a lot.

We love to watch videos.

We are big helpers at home.

We look out for each other all the time.

We do get on each other's nerves.

We like to take toys away from each other.

We love to sing together.

We love to talk on the phone.

Our favorite song to sing together is "Happy Birthday".

We love talking about what our next birthday party is going to be.

We love hiding in the closets.

We also like jumping on the bed.

We love to "twin" up.

We can be so sweet to each other.

We give big hugs and kisses all the time.

We tackle each other.

We pinch, push, pull, and bite, at times.

We love being called "goobers".

We have so many "favorite" friends that we love!

We love telling the story of Jonah.

We can say our ABC's and count to 25.

We love to wear costumes.

Getting a picture of both of us looking at the camera is quite a challenge!

We like to listen to Daddy's iPod.

We help load and unload the dishwasher.

We're ready for spring time so we can play outside!

We like to say the prayer at dinner.

We love to wear each other's shoes.

"Cars" is our favorite movie EVER!

It's Only...

It's only 10:00 and I can already see the day that lies ahead. Last week was hard enough! Jason was in Nashville ALL week, so I did my best to hold down the fort. I am happy to report that our house was still standing when he returned. I battled fights, pushes, pulls, bites, hits and tantrums. On top of that, we had a trip to UAB and I was "twinned" multiple times over the course of the week.

It's only 10:00...

5:30 CAN'T COME SOON ENOUGH TODAY!!!!

They do have their mischievous moments...

They also have their silly moments...

I really like these moments...

I love the sweet moments...

But these are my favorite moments...

My Little Helpers

The other day I took all 3 kids to Wal-Mart after running a marathon of errands. I needed a few essentials to make it through the rest of the week. "Water" was on my list. Jason always puts all of my water bottles in the refrigerator for me. I placed the water bottles on the kitchen floor beside the refrigerator when we got home. I had to change and feed Jackson. When I was finished with Jackson, this is what I saw...

They even took care of the trash for me!!!
I have the best little helpers! They always are more than willing to help out with anything. (I know that their joyful attitude will not last, but for now, I am loving it!) They really know how to take care of their momma.

Jackson at Seven Months

14 pounds, 9 ounces, 26 inches

My first word was MaMa!!!

I love to eat solid foods. I have had peas, green beans, sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, peaches, pears, apples, plums, and bananas. My favorite food is banana!

I can sit unsupported.

I am starting to roll "around".

I can fall asleep on my own now.

I am still working on sleeping through the night.

I love to talk. I can say dada, ba-ba-ba, ga-ga-ga, na-na-na, and la-la-la.

I can feed myself puffs. Most of them end up on the floor.

Let The "Why" Games Begin

The endless "why" questions have begun! I knew this was coming and I thought that I would be asked why some things in life happen. Like, "Why did God make the sun," and so on. No, I am constantly asked "why" when I tell my kids to do something.

It goes something like this...

Please pick up your toys.
Why?

Time to put on your pajamas.
Why?

Lets eat!
Why?

Time to go inside.
Why?

Let's brush your teeth.
Why?


I understand that they are probably just wanting an explanation. But WHY do I have to give them one for each little thing that I say ALL day long? So for now, I'm using the old classic, "Because I said so!"

Purees

Jackson has been eating solids for a good month now. He really did not care for the food at first, but now he is eating like a champ. My little guy will put away a good amount of food during the day. He starts out his day with cereal and a fruit (if its a banana, he will eat the whole thing). For lunch I usually give him a veggie and a fruit. An afternoon snack consists of two fruits. He really goes all out for dinner with 2 veggies, a fruit and some cereal. After eating all of that food, he still feeds about 5-6 times a day and will wake to feed once or twice during the night. I am going to try and have him weighed tomorrow (7 months). Hopefully he will have gained some weight with all of the eating he has been doing around here. (He did not gain anything from his 5 to 6 month weight checks. It might have been the teething.)

Anyways, I am back to making baby food. I did this with Joshua and Abby Kate and it was a huge money saver!!! I really enjoy making baby food and it is so easy. This go around has been even better because of my new Magic Bullet (thanks Mom and Dad). The other day I spent a couple of hours making apples, pears, peaches, sweet potatoes, butternut squash and carrots. I had already made the yellow squash, peas and green beans. Here are some pictures of my finished products. Jackson has already made quite a dent in the stash, so I'm off to the produce section to buy some more.



Jason and I have been busy painting Jackson's room and our bedroom. The foyer/den/kitchen/playroom are next on our list. I am trying to put the finishing touches on our room and Jackson's and will post pictures of them as soon as I can. (Don't expect much, I can't even begin to compete with all of you other talented, creative and crafty mommies.) Until then, this picture of my baby Jack sleeping will have to do. There is nothing sweeter than a little one sleeping.

Q-Tips and A Punctuation Question

Why do they make and sell q-tips if all of the books and doctors tell you not to use them in your ears?


So, here is my random question. I use to teach 3rd grade before we had kids. As a part of our grammar curriculum, I taught my third graders about using commas. Well, the other day, Jason corrected me on something that I thought I had right. This is kind of hard to explain, but stay with me.

Take this sentence: "I like to eat roast beef, potatoes and carrots." Notice that there is no comma between "potatoes" and "carrots". This is the way I taught my 3rd graders and this is what I was taught in school, too.

Jason said he used to punctuate his sentences the same way until he started getting papers back from his professors with "comma" corrections. The corrected version of the sentence would read, "I like to eat roast beef, potatoes, and carrots." Jason says he was taught that you weren't supposed to put a comma between "potatoes" and "carrots", but he does it now because he doesn't want to lose points on his grad papers.

I was taught that the only time you would use a comma before the word "and" was if your sentence had a series of 4 or more words. An example would be, "I like to eat roast beef, potatoes, carrots, mac n' cheese, and rolls."

Does this make any sense? Can somebody help me clarify which way is the right way? I'm not sure why this matters, but I just can't stand the thought of doing something wrong.

The World of Colors According to Abby Kate

Abby Kate is and has always been fascinated with colors. She is constantly coloring in the office at her new desk that Santa brought for her. She loves ALL color! Her favorite is PINK!!! At dinner tonight, she informed us that she wanted all of her friends to wear pink to her birthday party. I don't know how thrilled Joshua will be about that one! Lately I have been getting asked a lot of questions about what color certain places are.














Here's the run down of the different places that she has identified along with their colors.

Walmart is blue.

Hobby Lobby is orange.

Target is red.

Publix is green.

Books-A-Million is black.

Logan's is brown.

Kroger's is blue and white.

McAlister's is green.

Abby Kate's room is pink.

Joshua's room is blue.

Jackson's room is green.

Mommy and Daddy's room is brown.

Our van is gray or silver.

Daddy's truck is black.

Here's some of the color related questions we have been getting lately.

What is your favorite color?

What color do you want your handles to be? (It took me awhile to figure this one out, but she was wanting to know what colors I wanted my candles to be for my birthday.)

Who painted the sky?

Who painted the trees?

Who painted the houses?

What color is Jackson's spoon?

Our Holidays

I hope that each and everyone of you had a great Christmas and New Year's! Our family had a blast! December was a pretty busy month for us. I could sit here and list each and every thing that we did, but I don't want to bore you all with the details. Instead, I wanted to share some of my favorite pictures from the holidays. I hope that you enjoy them as much as I do!

Jackson asleep in his swing!

Santa's Village
Joshua and Abby Kate were thrilled to see their buddy, Mikel, and his family there too!

Joshua finally slowed down long enough for me to get this ONE picture!

The loves of my life!

My how we've grown!

Abby Kate checking out the desk that Santa brought her.

Nana and Jackson

Joshua and Abby Kate loving on their Great-Grandfather

Look at ALL of those presents!

Joshua can hardly contain his excitement!

The Bybee Family 2007

Jackson enjoying his First Christmas with PawPaw and Nana

Jackson can now sit unsupported! He loved the bows!
I love those little feet!!!

Jason and Jackson opening up presents

Love

Jackson at Six Months

14 pounds, 9 ounces, 25 1/2 inches

I have TWO teeth!

I am eating food. Mommy has made me green peas and sweet potatoes. I love the sweet potatoes, but I don't really care for the green peas. She plans on making green beans, carrots and squash next. She will also try and get me to eat some avocado and some bananas.

I am sleeping in my own room at nighttime.

I give Mommy the best hugs around the neck.

I love to play with Mommy's hair.

I love my Jumperoo!

I love to touch Daddy's face.

I cry when I see that my Mommy is not holding me.

I "flirt" with ALL of the ladies!

I can sit with the support of my boppy.

I do not like baths anymore!

I love to play.

I love my brother and sister! They love to give me toys and talk to me.

Potty Talk

Joshua has been potty trained since March! He has done and continues to do a fabulous job. May I highly recommend the Baby Bjorn Potty Chair for all of you mommies of boys! It does its job quite well. I have been starting to wonder when I should put the potty chair up. I must admit, I am getting a little tired of the little white potty sitting in the kids' bathroom. I am also a bit tired of dumping it out and cleaning it after each use. I know, I know, this makes me sound really lazy, but I am looking for any and all ways to make this ship move a little quicker. Abby Kate loves to use the "big" potty and uses her stool to reach it. I do not have to assist Abby Kate or Joshua with using the potty at all. Now I'm only called in to wipe! I always love it when I hear, "Mommy, come wipe me!!!" Which makes me question - when can I stop wiping my children's bottoms? Anyways, back to my original thought. When can I put away the potty chair? Joshua is the only one that uses it. If I take away his throne, he will have to learn to use the big potty. I have a feeling that this will be quite a messy process for my little boy. I don't want to create more work, but I am still really tired of that potty chair and all that I have to do to keep it clean. So, what would you do?

Submitted...

...as a Bad Santa Picture

On Spoiling

Jackson is spoiled! He is my last baby and I am enjoying each and every moment. He has been a great baby from day one! I think that having one baby is a WHOLE lot easier than having two!!! I have absolutely NO sympathy for those moms that complain about their ONE baby (especially if it is their first). When Joshua and Abby Kate were little it was nearly impossible to please both babies at the same time. When one cried, the other cried. When one ate, the other ate. When one needed to be held, the other was right there with us. Thankfully, we had them on the same sleep schedule, so that was huge help. In order to keep up with the demands of two babies, I was one organized scheduler. (It helps that I am that way by nature and it is the only way that I can function). The most frustrating part of caring for two babies was that I could not meet every need immediately. Someone was always left in want of being held or played with. When both babies cried at the same time, I had to see whose needs were more pressing and meet that child's needs first while trying to "gently" pacify the other.

With Jackson, things have been quite different. I am more laid back about the "schedule" thing. I do not let the schedule dictate our time together. Instead, I go with the flow that Jackson has created. If he is hungry, I will feed him. I do not try and "hold him off". If three hours have passed since his last feed, then I will feed him when he wants to eat. I know that after eating, Jackson will play for about an hour to an hour and a half and then be ready to take a nap. I do not lay him down to rest at a set time each day. Yes, he still gets in his naps, they are just according to the last time that he ate. I am working on dropping one of the nighttime feeds. He has done this for the past few nights very well. He will still wake up, but Jason will kindly go into his room and put him back to sleep for me.

Jackson moved into his own room this week. I was clearly not ready for this, but he was. I still hold him while he falls asleep. He can and will lay down in his crib and fall asleep on his own, but I don't want him to. Unfortunately, this will all change soon. I know that he needs to go to bed on his own or I will be stuck putting him to bed like this for the next 2 1/2 years. I still swaddle him to sleep. He loves to have a burp cloth near his face (this is a good thing seeing as how he loves them all and I don't have to have that "one" special thing). The burp cloth is clearly his "lovey", but I am looking for a good name. "Lovey" is not really a good "boyish" name. Any suggestions?

I cannot stand to hear him cry. If he cries, I pick him up. Why should I let my baby cry if he only wants to be held? This time will pass way to quickly. Last night while saying prayers with Abby Kate, I pulled her up into my lap to cuddle. I was amazed at how BIG she was in my lap!

Jackson has a schedule. I know that he must nap and be feed and have play time. The only difference with him is that I let him dictate those times. I am not watching the clock anticipating what is coming up next. I definitely feel more in tune with what Jackson is wanting or needing. I know that I can meet each of his needs and I do that in a timely manner. I once read that you cannot "spoil" a child during the first 6 months of life. When you meet your child's needs immediately, you are instilling in them trust! I am enjoying each moment. These moments are very short and they will all end sooner than I will want them too. So for now, I am spoiling my baby and we both love it!

Merry Christmas!

From our family to yours, Merry Christmas!

Our Night Out with the "Rocks"

Girl's Night Out!

Abby Kate and I had so much fun in Nashville! Abby Kate had been looking forward to seeing the Rockettes for a very long time. She was thrilled when she woke up on Friday morning about the day we had ahead of us.

We were able to meet up with Tara and Hope outside of the Opryland Hotel and walk in together to the Delta area. Abby Kate was so happy to see Hope. She adores her so much! We all rode on the Delta River Boat. The girls really enjoyed being on the water and seeing all of the wonderful sights in the hotel. Jackson even enjoyed the ride. He LOVED watching the fountains and waterfalls.

After riding on the River Boat, we decided that it was time to get some dinner before the show. We tried eating at the Aquarium Restaurant, but ended up leaving without eating (Poor service. We sat down and after ten minutes decided that no one was coming to our table to take our order). Abby Kate was still very fascinated with the fish in the aquarium. We were short on time, so we strolled up to Johnny Rockets and grabbed a quick burger and some onion rings (I might add that these were the best o-rings that I've had in a long time). I met up with my Dad and he took Jackson for me and went off to meet up with my mom. My parents had so much fun keeping Jackson.

We walked over to the Grand Ole Opry and saw the Rockettes. I have always loved getting to see the Rockettes. I have gone the past two years with my mom and I am still amazed at the talent! I was so anxious to see the look on Abby Kate's face as she watched the Rockettes perform. She absolutely LOVED every minute of it! I think that her favorite part was seeing the Rockettes dressed up as "Ragdolls". I always love seeing the "Parade of the Wooden Soldiers".

After the show, we met back up with my parents to get Jackson. Tara treated me to a Decaf Peppermint Mocha from Starbucks. Yum - o!

At the end of the night, we rode in a Carriage Ride outside of the Opryland Hotel. The lights were beautiful. While riding in the carriage, Abby Kate looked up at me and said, "Momma, this is so much fun!"

Abby Kate was sad to see the night come to a close. When Tara and Hope left, she cried for a long time. I let her talk to Jason on the phone while I drove out to my parent's house. I loved hearing her describe the night. The funniest thing that she told Jason was that our horse, Tiny, stunk! This was the first time that I had heard that. We finally fell asleep at 11:00 in the same bed with Jackson in his bassinet right beside us. (Abby Kate has started calling his bassinet a manger.)

This is what Abby Kate wanted to wear to Nashville for the evening. Doesn't she have a great sense of style?

Abby Kate and Hope in the Opryland Hotel.

Abby Kate and Hope on the Delta River Boat.

Tara and Jack on the Delta River Boat.

Hope and Abby Kate on the Delta River Boat.

Abby Kate sitting on a church pew in the Grand Ole Opry during intermission.

Abby Kate LOVED looking at all of the Christmas lights while we waited in line for the Carriage Ride.

Abby Kate and I enjoyed our Carriage Ride outside of the Opryland Hotel.

Tara, Hope and Jack on the Carriage Ride.