Going Back

As of tonight my maternity leave is officially over. The past 7 weeks have gone by in a blur. I have enjoyed so much spending time with my sweet Cooper. He is such a wonderful baby and such a joy to be with. I know that every mom has this heart break moment when they return to work, but it truly is awful!

I do feel very blessed that Cooper has a wonderful place to go while I am at work. He will be going to Leigh Anne Cowles' like Colby did as a baby. She is wonderful and I trust her completely. I just hate the thought of Cooper figuring out that other people besides Mommy can take care of him! :)

I also am extremely blessed to work at a place where I love the people I work with and am supported by them. The staff at Warren East Middle School is a true family and I know they will lend their shoulders for me to cry on if I need to. I have missed my work family though and it will be nice to see them again.

I'm just not ready to trade this sweet face



these sweet little feet



or the tiny hand that holds my heart




for hormonal and smart mouthed teenagers! Yikes!!



The photos used in this post were taken by Angie Wingfield. To view her blog just click on her name!

Bad?

Does it make me a bad person if I know that my son can sleep well in this car seat while setting on the clothes dryer while it is running? Does it make me a bad person if I sat him on the clothes dryer in his car seat so I can clean the house and do laundry? Does it make me a bad person that I want to put a clothes dryer in my bedroom for night time sleep? Just wondering!

Wordless Wednesday

Dropping It!

Today was my post baby visit to Dr. Lyons. I am thrilled to announce that I have lost weight. I am less than thrilled however to know that my scales are LIARS!!! According to home I have lost 22 lbs from my PRE pregnancy weight. According to Dr. Lyons scales I have lost only 18, but hey. I'll take it!

I most likely would have lost more had I not stumbled onto this lovely thing.



This chocolate molten lava cake was a yummy desert found on Lesley's blog from the Pioneer Woman. For the recipe click here! You will be glad you did............unless you are going to the doctor!

Signs

I have an addiction. I am addicted to primitive signs. To the point that Jeremy doesn't allow me to go to Martin's Wholesale anymore where they sell them. Here are a few of the signs I have around my house.









I have one that is on the tacky side, but it fits me so it hangs in my kitchen.......placed right by Jeremy's seat at the table.



But this sign is my favorite. I have had it for years hanging in classrooms full of children but I was FINALLY able to hang it in my home!



I think these signs give the home a little personality and I really like the sayings on them. Now I just need to find one that says "Bless this mess" and our house will be complete! :)

Measuring Up

I am thrilled to death that God has blessed me with two healthy boys. When each of the boys were exactly one month old I did their hand and foot prints and framed them. Look at them side by side.



Cooper's is the much larger prints on the left while Colby's are the teeny tiny prints on the right..........I think it really irritates him to think that if Cooper is bigger than Colby was as a baby that he just might be bigger than him when they grow up too! :)

Channeling My Inner Betty Crocker

I am not a good cook. I don't like to cook and don't like to clean it up so I always go for what is easiest for the family. I would be fine with Stouffer's meals each night, but Mr. Vincent won't go for that. So for me to kick my culinary skills up a notch for Valentine's Day was a BIG deal!

You see, Colby wanted to take something "cool" for his class Valentine's Party. He told this request to Nana who graciously bought stuff at Hobby Lobby for ME and Colby to make chocolate lollipops for all 67 kids in his class (really there is only 26 but that is a LOT of kindergarten kids!) I really thought since she bought the stuff she would make it, but I was wrong. I think it was her evil plan all along!

The lollipops were not hard to make, however they were very time consuming. It took 2 and a half ours to make enough for his class. In the future I will know to get more than one mold (is Nana torturing me?)

Melting chocolate and lollipop sticks were needed. I also bought some white chocolate almond bark to make white chocolate lollipops too. The Wilton melting chocolate seen here worked best though.



You pour the melted chocolate in the mold. It then goes in the fridge for 15-20 minutes before you can remove them from the mold.



Colby wanted to do sports balls instead of hearts. They turned out really well!



Then I wrapped them in treat bags and twisted ties around them until my fingers were raw.



I did all of this because my little boy owns my heart!



On Saturday I had another culinary adventure. I took a roll of chocolate chip cookie dough and formed it into the shape of a heart. After it had baked I wrote "Be Mine" in the center and put the boys names at the top of the heart and Dad in the bottom. They loved it and ate it up, but sadly it was too ugly to post a picture!!!

A Betty Crocker I am not, but I did make an effort this weekend! Now I think I'm good for a while!

My Valentines

I have the sweetest two little Valentines a girl could ask for. I love them with all my heart and soul!



But I wouldn't have these sweet little Valentines if it were not for my big Valentine.



I give Jeremy Vincent a rough way to go, but there is truly no one else I would want to spend my life with (and no one else that would but up with my crap!)



Jeremy and I started dating when we were both 16. After 3 years of dating we got engaged. We were engaged for 4 years and have been married for 7. These 14 years have been filled with ups and downs, but fortunately we have been blessed with far more ups than downs.

I love you boys! Happy Valentine's Day!

Dear Cooper

My Dear Sweet Cooper,

I am copying an idea from a friend of mine. Carol Stice had a baby a few months before you came along. Every month she writes him a letter on her blog to let him know what has gone on in their lives the past month. I want to do the same for you........so thanks Carol for the great idea!!!

Cooper you are now one month old and you are without a doubt a blessing for our family that we only dreamed of. God blessed us so much nearly six years ago with your sweet brother Colby. After complications with his pregnancy and delivery the doctors suggested we never have another baby..........said we probably would only be a family of three. But after 5 years God answered our prayers and sent us you! We feel so blessed and so complete to have you in our lives now!

Your big brother Colby thinks you are absolutely wonderful. He loves to talk to you and whenever you hear his voice you look around the room for him. The experts say that babies can only see 8-12 inches in front of their face, but I don't think I am sold on that idea because you really seem to check your brother out no matter how far away from you he is!



When you were still snuggled safely in my tummy Colby went to the Build-a-Bear Workshop and made you a dog with a lullaby in his paw. Every night Colby would play that lullaby for you..........and guess what. When you cry he goes and gets the puppy, plays the lullaby, and most of the time you stop crying! I can't wait to see what the two of you will get into as you grow up!



Your Daddy thinks you are just wonderful! I hear him talking about you all the time to friends and family. He is one proud Papa for sure. He loves to snuggle you and hold you while you both take naps! He also loves to talk to you and tell you all about the fishing trips and wrestling you have in your future!



As for me, you have completely stolen my heart. I worried so much that I would never be able to love anyone like I love Colby, but the moment I heard you cry when you were born my heart doubled in size and I feel in love with you also. I love the way you watch me when I feed you. Your eyes never leave my face. I love the way you grunt and whimper in your sleep. I love the way you try to talk and your shrieks sound like you are hollering "hey" for all of us to hear. You rarely cry and you are a wonderfully tempered baby. You still want to eat every three hours on the dot so I don't get a lot of sleep, but I will take sleepless nights to enjoy every moment I can with you.



Your Pa adores you.



He has thanked me a million times for giving him another buddy, another grandson. Nana loves you to pieces as well.



For some reason though each time you are around her you sleep like a log! May May has kept you and loves to snuggle you and show pictures of her handsome nephews off to anyone who wants to see.

You are one loved little boy. You were loved before you even arrived on Earth. You were so wanted and we waited so long. Let me tell you son, you were worth the wait. We all love each moment we have with you and can't wait to see what kind of little man you will become. I love you with all my heart and soul.

Mommy

Oops!

Deciding to go anywhere with a baby is a big deal....especially for a germ-o-phobe like myself. So yesterday we made the decision to leave the house and go run a couple of errands before dropping the boys off at my mom and dad's house. On the way out of the driveway I tried to miss a dog food bowl that had somehow landed in the driveway. Imagine my surprise when I slid off of the driveway and the car stopped about 1/2 inch from the fence.............and imagine Jeremy Vincent's anger. Go ahead and picture it. Veins popped out, red faced, saying unkind things. Yeah. Not a fun trip for us at all. My car is still stuck and he is still mad. Just another example of my not so perfect life!

Stain, Stain, Go Away!

I had forgotten all of the stains a little one can bring. And what pray tell takes out the leftover markings of exorcist spit up and exploding poop? Well I have found two products that work SOOOO well!

The first is the Tide Stain Releaser Laundry Boost tablets.



I had a coupon to try them for free and LOVE them! They work like magic!

The other item is Grandma's Secret Spot Remover.



You can pick this up at Hobby Lobby at the fabric table (Mom brought some home for me.) It gets out ANYTHING from poop to motor oil! It is fantastic.

Stains be gone! Anyone else got any stain fighting tips to share with the rest of us?

Pictures From Our Weekend

Getting ready to head to Nana and Pa's so Mommy and Daddy can go out for diner!



My two wonderful boys! I love being the mother to two sweet little boys! Talk to me again when they are teenagers though! :)



Colby is in LOVE with his Nerf game for the Wii! It is very fun if you ask me! :)



Look at that sweet face..............he looks EXACTLY like Colby did!! I love it!



Every time my mom (aka Nana) snuggles Cooper he falls asleep.....I think she needs to spend the night!!!



Cooper is one tired boy after riding in the snuggly while Mommy does housework! He loves that thing!