Christmas 2012

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE CRAVENS FAMILY!



We have had such a fun Christmas season this year! This was the first year for us to have a child old enough to (sort of) "get" Christmas. Jack understood that we were celebrating Jesus' birthday and that we give and receive presents. As a typical 2 year old, he was VERY excited about the receiving end of it :) Witt feeds off of other people's excitement, so my sweet 1 year old has been excited for about a month now :)

Because we were going to be in Grenada for Christmas and for a few days leading up to it for Allen to hunt, we asked Santa to come to our house a little early. Our boys must have been good this year, because he obliged and we had a wonderful early Christmas at our house with just the four of us.



Once in Grenada, we had so much fun being with family (and eating ridiculous amounts of good food) for several days. It flew by WAY too fast! The boys were spoiled rotten by all our family and we are going to have to clean out our house to find room for all of their new toys :)
















Wishing everyone a 2013 full of blessings!

- Terra

Hulk and Hippos (A Trip to the Zoo)

Saturday was the long awaited day! A few weeks ago we found out that The Avengers were going to be making an appearance at the Memphis Zoo, so we immediately made plans to be there! It just so happened to be the same Saturday as opening day of deer season, so Daddy decided he would rather be in the woods than at the zoo :-)  Nana and Aunt Mea Mea tagged along and it was a perfect day for the zoo!  We waited and waited and waited for the Avengers to appear for their "show".

We wished Daddy was there when we realized the only way Jack could see the stage was on someone's shoulders.  I took the first 10 minutes before happily handing him over to Mea Mea.

Jack was SO excited when IronMan, Captain America & the Hulk appeared!!!  This little boy LOVES his super heroes!

Thankfully, Jack wasn't interested in the whole show, so we got to sneak away and see the animals.  My boys love the zoo!

I am very thankful Nana and Mea Mea are always up for a trip to the zoo!  They make the day much for fun for these little guys.  Oh, and Jack's favorite thing at the zoo.... "The hippothomas" aka hippopotamus. Witt's favorite? The ICEE :-)

Witt is 15 Months Old!

November 15, 2012

Witt, I CANNOT believe you are 15 months old already. I still think of you as a baby and not a toddler, but you think you are a preschooler and not a toddler so I guess that evens it out :)  You are such a happy, happy child!  You have brought so much laughter to our family.  Here are a few things about you as a 15 month old...

• You are BIG!  Not very tall, but heavy!  You weigh 26 lbs, 8 oz and are 31 inches tall. You wear 18-24 months in clothes and a size 5 diaper.  You have the chunkiest little legs and round little belly and I'm so glad that baby fat is still there!
• You are (obviously) a good eater!  I love that you will eat anything that I put in front of you.  New things that you love are hummus, peanut butter, Mama's green smoothies, and of course, halloween candy.
• You only have 6 teeth... 4 on top and 2 on bottom.
• You are a TALKER.  You "talk" to us all day long, but you do have about 25 true words and you sign "more, thank you, all done".
• You LOVE your paci and lovey.  We have a rule that you can only have them in the bed, car, and stroller.  You love to break this rule.  You run to your room, grab your paci and lovey out of the bed, then run wild around the house with them... laughing the entire time.  
• You think you are so big and you imitate EVERYTHING Jack does!  Most of your day, you are right beside him, watching everything he does.
• Your favorite things right now:  Wrestling with Dada, rocking with Mama, following Jack, playing with cars, trucks, and tractors, throwing balls, reading books.  You are very well-rounded :)

Witt, you are such a fun little boy and we are having the best time watching you grow!!!

Talking, Turkeys, & Time-Out!

If you know Jack or have been following this blog for a while, you know he was a late talker.  He was a very quiet baby, didn't babble much, rarely made noises while playing, but followed directions great and signed his wants/needs, so I wasn't worried (just a little frustrated that the child of a speech therapist wouldn't talk).  Anyway, let's fast forward to present day/time.  As I sit here, my child is putting Mr. Potato Head together while explaining every little move he makes.  The child NEVER stops talking!  And I love it!!!

Speaking of talking, Jack is completely intrigued with Christmas and talks about all things Christmas non-stop.  We always visit the Christmas decor section at Wal-mart and while looking at the blow-up Santa the other day, I decided it was a good time to remind the boys that we celebrate Christmas because it is Jesus' birthday.  Jack then informed everyone in Wal-Mart that "Christmas NOT Jesus' birthday, it HoHo's birthday."  Every since that day, I have really tried to talk more about Baby Jesus than Santa Clause in our house :)  And maybe it's sinking in.... Yesteray Jack was asked by someone who was going to come see him on Christmas and bring him toys... his response "Baby Jesus is!!!!"

Let's talk a little about Baby Brother.  This little guy will most definitely NOT be a late talker.  Little Guy wants to be so much like big brother, he is already trying to imitate anything and everything he hears!  He has a vocabulary of about 20+ words.  It is already a loud house, but I can't imagine what it will be like when Witt starts talking in sentences!  His most frequently used words are "Uh huh, Dada, Jack, Hot, Ball, Up, Tractor, Truck, HoHo."  Notice "Mama" is no where on that list!  He will say it, but only when he is fussing because he wants something (and thankfully this child doesn't fuss often).  It is SO fun to see how different these 2 little boys already are (but also how they love the same things!).

We had a Thanksgiving Feast at Jack's school yesterday at lunch.  Jack was so excited that his Mama, Daddy, and Witt showed up at school!  His little MMO program is so wonderful and we are so thankful for all the sweet teachers there!  Witt thought he was such a big boy sitting at the table with Jack and his friends.

Jack made a placemat and listed things he is thankful for.  I could tell that Jack chose these items himself, because the items listed were some of his favorite things.  I'm just not sure where "Poppy" came from since he does not have a Poppy... ha!

Can you tell Witt thoroughly enjoyed the food!!!  HA!

Recently, Allen and I decided Witt is old enough to understand timeout and we started using it when he hits or disobeys after a warning.  He thinks it is GREAT!  Yes, you read that right.  The child thinks he is SO big when he gets put in time out! Here are the boys this morning after they got in trouble for fighting, hitting, and pushing (oh the joys of raising boys).

Thankfully, Jack is not so happy about timeout :)

Conversations with a Two Year Old

Jack: (while wearing his Buzz Lightyear pjs which he believes is a costume with magical flying powers). "Mama, I can't fly. My tummy needs some supper so Jack Buzz Lightyear can fly fast!" (and after he eats his supper) "Jack Buzz Lightyear full! I CAN FLY!!!" (while running through the house full speed with his arms out).


Me: "Jack, what is your full name?"
Jack: "Jack Cravens the third....... And Jack Buzz Lightyear"


Jack: "Ms Corie (J's MMO teacher, who he LOVES) is a princess!
Me: "She is?! Is Mama a princess too?
Jack: "No ma'am, you Jack's mama."


Jack: (while riding in the car) "When I get big, I drive a truck and go very fast."
Me: "You have to be mighty big to drive a truck and you are only 2 right now."
Jack "Yes Ma'am, I 3 at Jack's birthday and I drive a big truck very fast!" (He might be a little disappointed when his birthday rolls around an he doesn't get his drivers license.


Everyday is amusing at our house right now! :-)
- Terra

A Fireman and a Dalmatian

After several requests to be Spiderman, Ironman, Superman (ect...) from a certain 2 year old, his smart mama was able to steer him in a direction that suited her tastes for this years Halloween costume selection. Introducing the cutest Fireman and his trusty Dalmatian.



Ready to save the day!



This was our first year to really trick or treat and Jack absolutely loved it! Witt wasn't quite sure what was going on, but he had fun watching brother run to the door.... Sometimes he even followed and stuck his pumpkin out for a treat.



I was a proud Mama when Jack said "thank you" at each house and even prouder when I looked over and saw Witt sign "thank you" after hearing his brother say it :-)



- Terra

Little Brother

This little guy melts my heart!



He is cuddly, sweet, hilarious, and thoughtful. He is so full of personality. He is completely in love with his mama, yet is his daddy's little shadow. He imitates everything his big brother does, and I know he wants to be just like him. He has the most adorable cheeks and his smile will brighten anyone's day. He is a little parrot, with a vocabulary that grows by at least 1 new word everyday. He is our baby and to us, he is perfect!



- Terra

13 Months and 29 Months

These sweet, wild, funny, loud boys are at such fun ages right now! I feel like I say that at every age. They are just starting to really play together (well if pushing and taking toys away from each other is called playing) and I absolutely love watching them interact with each other. Witt imitates EVERYTHING Jack does! I really think he believes he is 2 1/2 years old like his brother. Since I have been slacking big time on the blog, here is a little bit about the boys for me to remember them at this age.
Age 13 months (almost), Witt weighs 25 pounds, wears 18 month clothes and a size 5 diaper, and wears a 4 1/2 wide shoe. He is my little butterbean who will eat anything I feed him! He drinks all his milk out of sippy cup and eats only table foods. Most mornings, he wakes up at 6:30, eats breakfast, then goes right back to bed at 7:30 for about an hour nap. He then takes a long nap from 1-3 and bedtime is at 7:30 every night. Witt is such a happy, lovable little boy! He loves to give kisses and lay his head on my shoulder for a little snuggle...I LOVE that! We are going through another round of separation anxiety, and as much as I love being loved, it is nice to know that this is a phase and it will pass. Witt loves chasing his brother, and by chasing I mean literally chasing. We play chase through the house all day long and it is amazing how fast those chunky little 13 month old legs can go! He babbles constantly, his favorite being dada (of course), but he will say boo (as in peek a boo), ball (his favorite object), and bye bye. His favorite sound though is his very high pitched squeal.... I might need to get some ear plugs to protect my hearing. He is Mr. Independent.... Wants to walk everywhere we go and rarely will even let me hold his hand. As sweet and somewhat laid back as he is, the little guy has a temper on him! He doesn't show it often, but if he gets mad enough, you better watch out. He LOVES to dance, loves all music, and loves for me to sing to him when I rock him at night.... If I don't sing, he will touch my mouth and starting humming....sweet boy! Oh how I love this little guy!
At 2 1/2 (almost), Jack weighs 26 pounds, wears 2T clothes, big boy undies (woohoo!), and a size 6 1/2 shoe. He is my little string bean who is becoming quite the picky eater. He loves all junk food (which we don't eat a lot of) and isn't too fond of healthy foods (which we try to eat a lot of), so I feel like I'm constantly trying to get him to eat. He loves milk, cheese, and fruit, so we are getting some good vitamins in that little body of his. Jack is an early riser (much like his daddy and brother) and wakes up around 6:30 every morning. He has always stayed in his bed until Allen or I go in to get him, but he has just started to get out, come in our room and announce "Jack need to tee tee in potty. It ok, sun is up." Haha. I guess I have said a few too many times that I will see him in the morning when the sun comes up :-). He still takes an afternoon nap from 1-3 (praise the Lord!) and goes to bed between 7:30 and 8 every night. Jack started his fall semester of mother's morning out last week and is absolutely loving it! I am so very thankful for his sweet teachers. His favorite things right now are playing in his sand box, riding his tractor, reading, and playing with cars and trucks. He tries to be sweet to his brother, but I know it has to be hard to always have to share your most favorite toys, so we are having to work on the yelling and pushing that often happens when Witt reaches for a toy :-). I am LOVING this verbal child that my once quiet son has become! He tells me the funniest things.... The other day while we were baking cookies, I caught him licking the outside of the oven door. I asked what he was doing and he replied "Mama, I tasting the cookies!". His new phrase of the week is "3 minutes". Everything he tells me is going to happen in "3 minutes". "Daddy is coming home in 3 minutes.... I go to CC's house in 3 minutes.... I watch Jack's shows (aka the Disney channel) in 3 minutes." Every night when Allen and I get in bed, we laugh over all of Jack's entertaining moments of the day. He is the sweetest, smartest, cutest little 2 year old in his Mama's eyes!
I just need time to slow down a little so I can get more time with my babies as babies!

Witt is ONE!!!!

My baby boy is ONE! I really can't believe it. This has been the fastest, sweetest, hardest year of my life :-) Some days I wish we could go back to August 15, 2011 and do it all over again, but most days I am enjoying exactly where we are and looking forward to watching my little one year old (and his brother) grow and learn more everyday. 

We had a fun filled family birthday party a week before the actual birthday... It was a perfect 1st birthday party for my sweet little guy!  I'll be back soon with all the fun things my little one year old is doing these days.

The birthday boy with 3 of his great-grandmothers.... How lucky is this little guy!

Witt with his adoring grandparents.

Witt loves his uncles and aunts (we were missing Aunt Ray Ray).

Oh how I LOVE these boys!

Playing Catch-Up

I don't even think there is a way to play catch-up on the blog at this point.  I will tell you one thing, life with 2 busy little boys is never stopping, or even slowing down at any point during the day.  I am exhausted when 7:30 pm rolls around and they lay their little heads down.  I am blessed to have great sleepers and nappers, so I do have close to 2 hours every afternoon to try to get the house in order and supper going, but other than that, my day is spend chasing, hugging, disciplining, kissing, teaching and playing with 2 WILD little boys.... and I wouldn't have it any other way.  These past few months have been so much fun as Jack has started to talk NON-STOP!  The things he tells us are hilarious!  Witt decided he would start walking when he was 10 1/2 months old, and it took only 5 days of "first steps" for him to become a full-time walker!  Witt is a very verbal baby, mostly growling and grunting to communicate, but he will say "bye-bye", "hey", and "ball" spontaneously and appropriately (the SLP coming out in me) :).    With Jack suddenly talking ALL.THE.TIME and Witt babbling constantly, it is NEVER quiet at our house.  We have had a great summer with lots of play dates, time with grandparents, a trip to the beach, and tons of outside playtime.  We have celebrated Jack becoming "almost" completely potty trained, and had an early birthday party with our family for Witt.  Here are a few pictures to show you what our summer has looked like (in random order)... I'll be back tomorrow with Sweet Baby Witt's birthday post... I really cannot believe that my little baby with be ONE tomorrow!