Fourteen Months

 Watch out! This sweet 14 month old boy is on the loose.  .  .   and he's in to everything!  He's keeping us all in shape!  We have to close all of the doors in the house or else he'll go into our bedroom and twirl himself all around our sheer curtains nearly pulling them out of the wall.  Then again he might just go in there, open up the drawers, and pull all of the socks out.  If he makes it to the bathroom he might play in the toilet water or try to get into the tub as he tells you in that sweet voice, "Baa!  Baa!"  Maverick loves getting a bath.  If we didn't close Rocco's bedroom door he would find his way to the closet and drag out all of his brother's toys. That boy is a mess!  Rocco used to call him a "meany baby" until Jason told him to stop.  Now, Rocco has his own made-up word for Maverick.  Too-too-taa-taa.  (This made up word means meany baby in his mind.)  He also calls him his "tinkerbaby".

And speaking of Rocco, he has taught Maverick how to act like a wildcat.  He roars and comes after you.  He can also make car/truck sounds when he's playing with his toys.  He's such a smart little boy.  He knows which balls go with certain toys.

Recently he's enjoyed closing the doors himself.  The only problem is that once they are closed he can't get them back open.  And he gets pretty upset when he's in a room alone.  He's got himself locked in our bedroom closet several times doing just that!

He continues to put things in his mouth that shouldn't be there.  He knows it is a no-no.  When I see him put something from the floor in his mouth, he'll turn around and take off running.  The other day I caught something in his hands before it even made it into his mouth.  "Bring it to mommy!"  I told him.  He walked towards me about to hand it over.  Then at the last second he turned around and ran off with it. What a tease he is!

Now that he knows he can make noises and scream, he does just that.  He squeals just to hear himself.  He has also made up his own song.  It has three beats. One song goes, "Da-da-da....da-da-da."  The other song he sings is "Na-na-na...na-na-na."  When we join in and copy him he just loves it!

Being outside is one of his favorite things lately.  You have to watch him when you open the door because he will be the first one to dart out.  When you close the door and don't let him go outside, he gets so upset and cries.  He also likes to ride Rocco's Hot Wheels outside on the driveway.  When it's time to go in, he will pitch a fit, throw his body back, or wrap his arms and legs around the toy so that you can't pry him off of it.

Now that he's eating more table food, he's learned that there are many foods he likes.  Waffles with syrup, Cheerios,Fruit Loops, French fries, and watermelon are just a few. The only problem is that he doesn't know when his mouth is full.  He just crams it all in there.  Then he'll ask for more.  "Bie-bie-bie!"(bite)

He received a hand-me-down rocking horse from Janna's mom, Sue.  He already knows how to rock it back and forth.

Here we are at church one Sunday morning.  This little tux was a hand-me-down of Rocco's.

 We already knew that the barricades weren't working any more.  But what we soon found out was that the barricades were becoming an obstacle course for little man.  He not only learned to climb over the sink but IN it!

 And what would your childhood be without dress up time?  Here are mommy's cute pirates.

Mother's Day was so special this year.  What blessings my children are!  They are straight from the Lord!  We spent this year's Mother's Day at my parents house. We spent some quality time with my mom, dad, and nana.

 Three generations:  my mom, my nana, and me.

 I think Maverick was about to go to sleep on the tractor; he looked so relaxed riding with my dad...his papaw.

 No, this is NOT our pink car.  We don't own much pink at our house.  This is Daelyn's Barbie car.  Maverick and Rocco sure do enjoy it though when they go to Mimi and Papaw's house.

This is the month that Maverick had to quit nursing.  If I could have I would have probably nursed him until he turned two, but my heart doctor advised I go back on my beta blocker.  I was experiencing extra beats and "aflutter".  Maverick could not have my milk with this new medicine in my system.  The last time he nursed was on May 26th.  I wasn't very sad though because my heart was filled with such gratefulness that God had allowed me to experience childbirth and nursing.  And many moms never get to nurse for 14 months like I did.  I'll forever cherish the time I had staying home part-time with Maverick his first year and being able to nurse him.  What a blessing...straight from Jesus!

Seven Years and One Month Old

Rocco has been in a size 11 shoes, but he just got some new Asics size 12.  He was so proud of those shoes that he dreamed about his best friend, Will, and himself.  In the dream he was wearing his tennis shoes.  They Velcro - he hasn't yet learned how to tie laces.  We need to work on that. 

One thing he doesn't need to work on is being cool.  He's got that part down!

 Sometimes he cracks he me up with the things he says.  Noticing yet another toy was made in China, he said, "Mommy, those China people are good makers."  And one night before going to bed he said, "Mommy, I want you to be my wife because I just love you so much!"  Now that did something to my heart that I still can't explain in words.

He is the most ticklish boy I've ever seen.  Even when I kiss his forehead he just laughs and says, "Mommy, that tickles my brain!"

This is his fourth year playing ball.  His best friends, Will and Hunter, are on his team.  Here he is below with Will and his brother, Weston.

The other day we took the boat out for a ride.  He enjoyed it so much.. . so long as daddy didn't go too fast.  He is cautious like his mama.

 Rocco is so smart in reading and math.  He has earned over 35 AR points.  His daddy set a yearly goal for 20 points, but he has surpassed it.  And in math you can ask him to add ten or take away ten to any number under 101 and he will tell you.  He is the BEST writer in all of first grade.  He prides himself in the fact that he fills up an entire page every time he writes.

With a little brother around, Rocco has come up with a neat idea of how to keep his toys from being taken away.  He puts them in a "bunker" that is barricaded.  Just look at his swords, gun, and shield!  Maverick can't get to them!

Thirteen Months Old

He just turned one last month and he's already headed toward his two's.  Slow down little boy!  You're growing up too fast.  From the look of that precious face . . . .

you'd never know that he can already pitch a little fit like a two year old.  He's taught himself how to arch his back, fling his head, and throw a big one.  If you take something away from him that he's not supposed to have or if you put him in his car seat you just might see one of these fits.  But he's much too sweet to throw one for long.  Look at this precious little boy!

 Here he is at his brother's baseball game.  He's already been to several.  Sometimes he'll sit in our laps...

and at other times he'll go down to the fence. Sometimes he see daddy, who happens to be the coach.  He'll  say, "Dada."  That happens to be he favorite word.  He says it all day long.

Jason's cousin, Allison, made us matching shirts.  Colston and Rocco are on the same team together.  Allison and I have "Baseball Mom" shirts and Carlton and Maverick have "Colston's Brother" and "Rocco's Brother" shirts.  

Maverick experienced his first boat ride the first of April.  The four of us went out on Jason's Bumblebee.  He took it all in, and daddy even let him behind the wheel for a while.  It was a nice day but the wind made it a little chilly.  

One thing he likes to do is look in the mirror.  He will smile and pat the baby that he sees looking back at him.  He also loves to explore and open cabinets/drawers.  They say cleaning the house when you have kids is like brushing your teeth while eating Oreo's; I believe it!  I will finish putting the magnets back on the fridge that he tore down when I turn around and see that he's drug out pots and pans out of the pantry.  When I get those picked up I have to put the trash back in the can because he found it. Then, I have to go refold the clothes that he's unfolded on the couch.   It goes on and on. . . I love that sweet little mess! He's cut my computer off several times...and some of those times I've lost some data that I was working on.  He, of course, is oblivious to what he's doing.  He just thinks it's cool to watch the blue light go off and on. 

We used to barricade the living room so that he couldn't get out.  Now that he can crawl, stand, walk, climb, and anything else he so chooses, there's no containing him!  He just gets up on the couch and climbs over it so that he can get into the kitchen.  He's also learned how to turn over on his belly and slide off the tall bed.  Little man is so muscular and has such a tight grip.  There's not much slowing him down. He's even learned how to wiggle his way out of his high chair and stand up. Thankfully we've caught him before he toppled to the hard kitchen floor.   He still stays with nana and granddaddy on Tues and Thursday; he keeps them running!

My mom calls him "Little Moses" because he loves to carry anything that resembles a staff.  Canes, brooms, golf clubs, sticks, you name it.  He will hold it like a staff and walk with it in tow. 

On April 1st, we brushed his teeth for the first time. When I gave him the toothbrush he tried to brush his hair with it.  

With his daddy and granddaddy being cattleman, it is no wonder that his first animal sound was the mooing of a cow.  He even moos at Duke, our dog.  Granddaddy bought Maverick a little toy cow now that he can moo so well.  

If you leave some clothes on the floor, he will wrap it behind his neck like a scarf and walk around the room like that.  If he finds a brush, he will comb his hair.  The other day he found a Qtip and started to put it in his ear.  And he already knows what a remote it.  When he woke up the other morning, he went to the living room, picked up the remote, climbed up on the couch, and he pointed the remote to the TV like he was about to watch it.

Of course I have to brag on how smart he is.  He can point to mommy's nose, his belly, diaper, head, mouth, and eyes.  He's also learned to point.  And he's using the sign language we've taught him for eat, milk, and bye.  When wants to nurse he usually just pulls at my shirt and starts sticking his tongue back and forth.  He's growing healthy!  He measures over 24 pounds at his one year check up and was really tall for his age. He's already in a size 6 shoe; list lastest pair were some sandals made by TEVA.

Maverick is all boy.  He loves to run tractors across the floor.  And he loves to play rough.  He's learned how to tackle his brother down to the floor.  We're having to work on the hitting part.  If he smacks at you and you respond with an "Ow!" he just cackles.  The rougher you play the more he likes it.  He also likes to be tickled, and mommy and daddy know just where his tickle spots are!

Seven Years Old

Rocco now stands three feet and seven and a half inches tall.  He's moved up to a size 11 in shoes, 5 in shirts and 5/6 in pants (as long as they have adjustable waist).

 Rocco is certainly one strong boy.  He began planking with me when I was working out one night to Gilad.  His abs are like steel, and right after he turned seven we were at the park with the Cox boys when he -for the first time- traveled across the monkey bars all by himself.  He was so proud, and I was too!

He is such a sweet boy, and he's still oh so smart!  The other day his teacher was out and he had Ms. Nancy Rogers for a sub.  She had the children line up in front of the room for a spelling bee.  It got down to just Rocco and Hannah.  He won by spelling the words fly, fast, and floor. 

He recently started telling jokes where word play is the punch line.  He gets most of his jokes off of the milk cartons at school.  Here are a few of them:

"Why are basketball players messy eaters?     Because they're always dribbling!"

"What did one plate say to another?     Food's on me tonight!"

"Why do fish not play basketball?       Because they are afraid of the net!"

"What is a boxer's favorite drink?     Punch!"

"How do you keep a bull from charging?     You take away his credit card!"

"Why are you under there?"  After I say, "Under wear?"  he just starts laughing because I said underwear.

Blue glue is still on his back teeth, but his front teeth have naturally aligned over his bottom ones.  Now that he's found his new bite, the under bite has been reversed.  That's one small step towards brackets this summer!

Since Rocco has decided to be a follower of Jesus, he's made some astounding statements.  The other evening he was sitting in the living room floor playing with his little football figures when out of the blue he stood up and said, "I"m going to go read my Bible."  Wow! Where did that come from?  I learned that the previous Wednesday nights Team Kid lesson was about having a quiet time. I followed him to his bedroom so that I could direct him to a book that might be easy for him to read. First John was my pick.  He wanted me to shut his door.  "God wants me to read His Word in private," he informed me.  Later he also told me that he did not need any distractions because he was trying to "read his Father's Word."  

And then another day he told me that he had asked God to forgive him for some sins he had done.  That is what it's all about!  I love the fact that Rocco is so sensitive to God's Word.   I continue to pray that both he and Maverick will grow up to be great men of God.    

Rocco has certain sayings that I hear him say every day, or at least once a week.  When something cool happens, he'll say, "What a play!"  When something ridiculous happens he will sarcastically reply, "Really?"  And he also calls Maverick his buddy boy.

The school counselor has taught the students at our school that spending time together is important. She's explained it in terms of buckets. The other day we were riding together on the golf cart and Rocco said, "Hey mommy, you're filling my bucket and I'm filling yours."

I'll close with a few sweet pictures of the boys that God has blessed us with. 

One Year Old

Maverick one year old this month!  He's a big boy, weighing in at about 26 pounds.  On the 26th, he got his first hair cut.  Gloria, a long time friend of ours, did the honors.  She also gave Rocco his first hair cut years ago.  Little man fussed at first, and then he let her do the task.  I guess it helped that he was sitting in his daddy's lap.  I took pictures while Carolyn and Rocco watched from the side.

Maverick really took off walking within the last month.  He went from using a cane, to an upside down mini golf club, to no assistance at all.  Within two weeks, he was walking!  By his first birthday he was a little pro at walking!

We celebrated his first birthday Sesame Street style!  The party was for family and held at our house on Saturday, March 23rd.  I decorated the garage and kitchen/living room. Angela, the nursery worker at our church, made the 3 hanging tissue characters.   Jennifer Taylor's mother-in-law did the cake.

 His present from us was a red Polaris Ranger that plays music and makes noise.  It's just the right size for him to push and ride on.

And here's our family at the party right before we sang Happy Birthday and Rocco blew out the candle for his brother.

 Little man dug into the cake just a little.  Then, he got upset that he was dirty.

Six Years Eleven Months

Rocco is almost seven years old. He weighs about 36 pounds and is 3 ft. 7 1/2 inches tall.  He's one tough dude.  Just look at him dressed up like a sheriff.  He loves to pretend, especially with his toy guns. 

He has a gun holster that he likes to carry around his waist.  Don't mess with this cowboy!

One of his best friends from school, Hunter, had a birthday party this month.  They enjoyed playing cowboys, even though it was supposed to be a baseball themed party.  They get together so well because they are both Georgia Dawg fans.  They've also been on the same tee ball team for the last couple of years.  

Rocco began writing about wild cats in January.  It took him about two months to complete his book.  I helped him illustrate it by copying pictures from the internet and gluing them into his pages.  I also bound it at school, so it could be published (just for our enjoyment).  He wrote the book with very little help from me.  I let him sound out many of the words that he didn't know how to spell.  I would pull up videos on National Geographic and read books to him about pumas, cougars, lions, cheetahs, jaguars, and any other wildcat you can think of.  The ending result was a well published book by my favorite six year old.  Below is a sample page.

Rocco is so into wildcats that when he comes to my room after school, he takes out my staple removers and pretends they are cheetahs with sharp teeth.

Rocco continues to love football.  If a game is ever on TV, he's either watching it or running through the house with his helmet on and pretending he's actually playing.  He jumps over Maverick's toys and runs into the couch pretending like the obstacles are other players.  Sometimes he'll ask me to announce the Bulldogs so that he can run down the hall and make his grand appearance.  He's convinced that when he grows up he is going to be a receiver for the team.

Jason is such a good dad - in the morning when he fixes Rocco's toaster streudel he will put the icing on the pastry to look like a football field.  One morning I just glumped it in one big pile.  With disgust, Rocco asked me, "What's that supposed to be, mom?"  Guess I don't do breakfast as well as daddy does.

Rocco had his first experience at the orthodontist this month.  Although he will probably need braces later, it was determined that for now he will just have some "blue glue" on his teeth.  This will keep his adult teeth from grinding and wearing down since his bite isn't just right yet.  Maybe in the summer he will get a few brackets on.  He needs to quit grinding, though, because I've already taken him three times to get glue. He keeps wearing it down.

And as always Rocco continues to be an excellent big brother.  He's actually come to Maverick's rescue several times.  Like the other day when I saw the baby put something into his mouth.  "Rocco, check his mouth. Quick!" I told him.  Sure enough, Rocco pulled out a quarter out of Maverick's mouth.  He didn't waste any time. Praise the Lord he didn't choke!  Another time he also pulled a tiny football out of Maverick's mouth.  One time the door was open going down to the basement, and Rocco closed it so that the baby wouldn't fall down the long staircase into the basement.  I now know why I had Rocco first.  What would I do without his help in watching Maverick?

11 Months Old

 Almost one year old...and where has the time gone?  I've been so blessed to just be part time at work this year.  It's allowed me to be a stay-at-home mom and be able to nurse Maverick his first full year.  We have the best time together during the day.  He's such a fast learner.  He can sign "eat" but when you ask him if he wants milk he'll start to lick his lips. 

Our little boy still loves music.  He knows where the CD player/radio is. He'll go over to it, even if it is not on, and will begin bouncing.  I often play an old Kindermusick CD that belonged to Rocco.  Maverick will just bounce and dance to every tune.  He knows what it means to pat, clap, dance, bounce, and shake.  He has several musical instruments of his own that he uses.  Maracas, shakers, jingle bells, several drums, and even a xylophone are all in the living room floor.  He even knows how to use the mallets and drum sticks. ( At church he'll often bounce to the hymns. )

A third tooth finally came through this month.  It was the large top tooth on his left.  The bottom two teeth continue to shine through!

When we open the garage door, the cat often tries to come into the garage.  Jason makes a hissing sound to scare him off.  Now Maverick has picked up on this and he hisses at any animal or anything that even resembles an animal.  The other day he began hissing at my snowmen which are on top of our kitchen cabinets. 

He is a busy little boy.  And no matter how many toys we have in the floor, he will manage to find the newest ones and explore them.  He's very familiar with some of his old favorites, like the air machine that pops balls into the air. 

He likes to drop little things into that hole though, and I'm scared he's eventually going to get his little arm stuck in it.  He likes to put balls, blocks, or just any small object into other boxes or holes.  You can rest assured we have all of our electrical outlets protected.  He is mesmerized at tiny places that his little fingers can fit into.

"No, no, no!" is something that Maverick hears several times a day.  Whether he is trying to get to our video game wires or standing on top of his play table, this little boy always seems to find a way to get into something that he shouldn't be getting into!  He's my sweet mess!

This month he finally began to blow kisses.  It's the sweetest thing to see him put his hand up to his mouth (and sometimes even his ear) and watch him pat his mouth as he sends you kisses.  He also likes to wave bye-bye now.

Maverick has a head full of curly, dark blonde hair.  I just love all of his waves.  He actually needs a hair cut, but I'm trying to hold off until he is at least one.  During his naps he sweats a lot. When he wakes up his curls are in ringlets. 

He started to take a few steps this month.  In fact, he took 3 before falling in front of his granddaddy and me.  The other day he took nine steps to his Grandnana Helen.  He's watched his granddaddy use a cane, and now he uses one, too.

 He's actually turned Rocco's kid golf club upside down and used it as his walking stick.  Pretty ingenious if you ask me!

Maverick LOVES his brother.  He just squeals with delight at times when he sees him.  He especially likes to love all over him in the morning and wake him up.  ROCCO is one word that he definitely understands!