We have a little bird in our house

I love having a toddler! Riley is so much fun and he makes us laugh all the time by the things he says. He is extremely sweet and I love getting hugs and kisses from him. Over the past year I have learned that there are many things that you cannot "make" a toddler to do. This includes, but is not limited to....

1. Napping
2. Using the potty
3. Smiling for a picture
4. Eating

The main one that has caused me stress is the eating issue. For over a year, Riley has been eating like a bird. This is very frustrating! Especially, when dinner takes an hour and he's only eaten a few bites. Now most of you can just say, "Kids will eat when they get hungry." But with Riley we cannot do that. He HAS to eat. He was diagnosed with MCAD through NBS when he was 10 days old. Basically, he has to eat or he has to go to the hospital and get a glucose IV. Thankfully, we haven't ever had to do this. Mainly, it just causes me to worrying if he's eaten enough to keep his blood sugar up.

He also struggles with his weight. He goes up and down on the growth curve. Sometimes he is in the 25% for weight and other times he's in the 5th percentile.

He's been eating horribly for the past week. He's started this new thing where he's keeping food in his cheek and then ends up spitting it out. I've tried just about everything with him. I've tried letting him help me cook and making cute little shapes out of it. That hasn't helped. Sometimes he tells me, "Mommy, its not tasty." He ends up winning because I give in and let him have an ice cream sandwich so that I don't worry about his blood sugar. Unfortunately, he also has issues with constipation. This also has do with him not wanting to eat. Needless to say, mealtime at our house isn't fun. I am beginning to dread each meal. I hate it when I cook a meal for him and then most of it ends up in the trash.

So, why am I posting this?

1. To get it off my chest and vent.

2. To ask for prayer regarding this.

3. To ask for advice. Any ideas are greatly welcomed!!

Happy 1st Day of Spring

Today is the first day of Spring and it was a beautiful day! My favorite season is Summer and Spring is my runner up. Here's my top 10 things I love about Spring or love to do in Spring:

1. Wearing sandals again

2. Running outside

3. Sitting on the front porch with my family

4. Easter Sunday, Easter Egg Hunts, and the Easter Bunny

5. Watching everything turn green again!

6. Kite flying

7. Playing outside with my children

8. Driving with the sunroof open

9. Listening to the birds chirp in the morning

10. Hiking

Our 1st day of Spring began by Riley and I playing outside with his cars. I love being outside and I'm so glad its finally warm enough to play outside!

Then, this afternoon we met some friends at Rita's. They were giving away free Italian Ices in honor of the first day of Spring! I am all about getting something for FREE, so I knew we had to go and I hadn't been to the new on in town.



I got Riley Cotton Candy and I got Cookies and Cream. Yummy!!


I hope you had a wonderful 1st day of Spring!!

Story Time

I have been taking Riley to Story Time every Tuesday for about 7 months now at the Public Library. I enjoy going because its free entertainment and its a great for Riley to be around other children.

Now that Riley is getting older, he is able to interact with the story and follow directions. This past Tuesday, it was sweet to see Riley holding hands with a little girl. They tried to play a game but it didn't work to well with 2 year olds.

Notice how all the children have green on? I completely forgot to dress Riley and Ethan in green for St. Patrick's Day.

His favorite part of story time is the craft!

Ethan's Dedication

Sunday was a very special day for our family. We had a Dedication Service for Ethan at our church. Tim and I take this very seriously. We desire to be the best parents we can be to our 2 boys and we know need God's help. We know we need to seek God daily in order to give them the patience, love, kindness, and support that they deserve. We want to teach them about Jesus and about how abundant His love is for Riley and Ethan. We pray that we will be a light for Jesus and that they will see us trusting, obeying, and honoring God!



Dr. Murray did an amazing job leading the service. He always takes his time and makes the moment very special!




Ethan's outfit was special because it was the same outfit that Riley wore when he was dedicated 2 years ago.





What do you think.... do you think they look alike?

Bays Mountain Park

Saturday morning started off with a trip to the hair salon. Before Saturday, I hadn't had my hair cut or trimmed since August of last year- 7 months!! I'm the type that doesn't enjoy spending hours in the salon and its hard to find the time to go with 2 small children. I went to a new woman in Jonesborough. I hadn't ever met her and didn't know anything about her. Obviously, I'm not too picky. She ended up being a sweet girl and I liked the way she cut and colored it.

When I got back, my mom and stepdad came for a quick visit from Hendersonville. It was a beautiful day so we decided to go to Bays Mountain Park. We all loved being outside and seeing all the animals.

We saw deer,


wolves,


birds, and a bobcat.

Ethan enjoyed taking a nap in my Baby Bjorn.

Riley was looking for a "Snow Bear" but couldn't find one. Isn't he handsome?!?


My mom

If you haven't ever been to Bays Mountain Park in Kingsport, I highly recommend it. It is so beautiful there! On Saturday, they reopened their new planetarium.

Little Eyes Are Watching

Me: "Riley, you need to get down from there."

Riley: "Mommy, I'm checking my email."

A Great Day To Go To The Park

The weather was so nice this afternoon and I decided to take Riley and Ethan to the park. We walked to it since we live less than a mile from the park. The boys enjoyed the ride and its great exercise for me. On the way back there is a "killer" hill, especially with the double stroller.

I think fresh air is great for kids! I'm so glad the weather is beginning to get warmer! I hope the warmer temperatures are here to stay!

The great thing about walking to the park is that I don't have to clean sand out of the car!

Ethan enjoyed being outside, too!