Snow in April??

No snow in April. Just a catchy title to a long-overdue blog. While everyone else blogged about their snow adventures in January and February, I have waited till almost April to post any. Is this because I'm just that interesting and different?
I wish.
No, it's because I just found them and realized how cute they were and decided I needed to share them.

Warning:

Do not read this post if you don't think my kid is cute. There are a LOT of pictures. Don't worry, I'll never know.

Snow Joy!

Sweet cousins! Owen will be just in time for next year's snow!

Let me just preface the next three pictures by saying to please notice two things:
1) How cute my two boys are
2) How cute Josh is in his snow attire. Is this a man thing? When I put on snow clothes (this year I wore my brother-in-law's coat, keep in mind he is over six feet tall) I look like a stuffed person of questionable sexuality.

I love this picture of Isaac. He wasn't 100% convinced that snow was a good thing.

Baby snow kisses!

I love my sweet little man!!

First snow angel!

Josh pulled Maddie on this awesome sled. The men were most definitely the fun ones. Josh, Brandon and Duck (Maddie & Isaac's name for Josh's dad) built a snowman that was over six feet tall! Sadly, we did not get any pictures.

This is so overdue it should have been left alone, but... I had to include these pictures that Katie, Josh's sister, took of Isaac around Christmas time. He is wearing an outfit that Josh wore during his first Christmas 100 years ago. Apparently they had to squeeze him in, but I'm sure glad they did. He looks so cute!

Dancing Queen

This is my mom's ring tone for me when I call. Why? Because I'm an accomplished dancer of course.

In high school, I shook it. Nelly, Usher, Lil Jon & the Eastside Boyz, I tore that stuff up.

Oh yeah, and Josh was pretty talented back in the day:



I moved to Mexico. Booty shaking, poppin it, etc., not so much. Some were impressed with my American skills, yes. But it general, if I wanted to enjoy dancing while there, I had to get some Latin rhythm in my hips and stop trying to get low every time the song started.

So I did. I found people (thanks Amanda & Natasha!) that would spend hours with my nonrhythmic, ungraceful feet and refine my cumbia, bachata and merengue moves. Guess what? After almost a year of "hard work" I could hold my own! Here's a picture of this occasion:



Oh wait. That's me as a cheerleader. Bet you didn't know this about me.

So I couldn't find a picture. You'll just have to believe me.

Next in my dancing journey, I moved back to Olive Branch, Mississippi. You can imagine what this did for my flourishing hobby. Not a whole lot. I think I hit up a few dance clubs, but when my fancy steps didn't jive with "Kiss Kiss," I went on a dancing hiatus. I think I learned "Soulja Boy," and for that, I will always be proud.

I didn't actually go on a hiatus. I just sort of gave up on being good at any one style of dancing. Confidence and a determination to have a good time kept me positive.

Then I had a baby.

Now, on a daily basis, I dance to Disney songs and Broadway pieces. Yesterday I showed Josh our best "If I Were a Rich Man" impression. He was impressed.

Also yesterday, I took a Zumba class with my friend Ashley. She's always trying to coerce me into taking these classes. What a humiliation! While everyone else followed along so cutely to various Latin and Hip-Hop beats... I was clumsily tripping around in the back of the room.

Who knew it would come to this? A life-time of dancing to end up as graceful as Tevye in "Fiddler on the Roof."

Short True Story

So I have a "co-worker" that I've never actually met. We talk on the phone on a semi-regular basis.
She saw a picture of me and Isaac by reading the blog of a mutual friend I had commented on.
The next time we talked she said (imagine a very sweet, but very surprised sounding voice) : "Oh! I saw a picture of you on -- blog... You guys are so cute!"

Does this mean that through our phone conversations, she had determined that I was definitely not cute? Does this mean I have an ugly phone voice? How am I supposed to take this?

Don't call me anymore guys. I just text now.

Seriously.
I'm.
So.
Insecure.

We Love Our Friends!!

Seriously, when was a such a lack in social graces so acceptable then before you turned 3?

So while Isaac is learning to share (a feat we most certainly have not mastered yet), I get to laugh and admire the cute interactions of he and his little friends.

Hanging out with their mommas isn't so bad either.

Isaac's first friend:


Josiah used to kick my tummy when I was pregnant, I think that is a sign of eventual brotherhood.


I'm not sure who's teaching who...


His little sister Allison is our favorite baby girl!!

Sadly, I have yet to take any pictures of Eli and Jude with Isaac. This is a situation to be rectified shortly!! I do however, have pictures from our playdate with their cousin Parker. What a fun day!


I know everyone says Parkie looks just like his Daddy, but seriously, look at those Jessie eyes!!


Parker tried to teach Isaac to say "cheeeese!" but all came to naught.


Before friends, you have family. And in some happy scenarios, you have friendly family. Meet Isaac's beautiful cousin Madison:




Here we have Maddie, Isaac and sweet Ava. I don't use that word lightly, she is literally most well-behaved, sweet-natured child I have ever come into contact with!


We can't wait to meet cousin #2. Baby boy Marlier!!!

Our next friend to be birthed was Braden. We love Braden. I believe God has put little B in little I's life to be a sort of chill factor. A "hey dude, maybe we should think about this..." I'm am trusting in you, Braden, to be my... ehem... his conscience. No pressure!!



What a cute patootie is little Wyatt. He must be the most patient of all our little friends as he continues to come hang out with us on a weekly (sometimes bi-weekly) basis. While Isaac throws fits at having to share his momma, Wyatt sweetly sits by and smiles. He is so good at sharing his toys!


The usual...


Isaac sitting in Wyatt's lap because Wyatt was in Isaac's way to a toy. Notice Isaac is the one fussing. Thank you for your sweet patience little Wyatt!!


Now off to bed!

Distracted

In my knowing it all, I used to believe that being a stay-at-home mom would be the cushiest job ever. Second to that, I also thought that working part-time from home would be the next best easiest thing. Hello?! Pajamas and access to the kitchen all day!!

All mom's are shaking their heads at me now, you of course know what I soon realized. Stay-at-home mommy? Rewarding, exhausting, fun, repetitive, special, draining... I could on. But the working part-time? Who knew? Maybe its because I have the cutest kid ever, but jeez! How distracting is this??



Well, it gets worse. Isaac, unlike anybody I know, likes to be the center of attention all of the time. While this is definitely a temptation for me, as I love making him the center of my attention, it is sometimes impractical. (And bad for little sinful natures that are born believing they are the center of the universe anyway)

This is the progression of faces I received yesterday afternoon as I tried to get some work done (please note, these were faces of anger, there are no tears):



"Time to play!!"



"You seriously aren't going to pick me up?"



"How could you????"


And my personal favorite...



Now, off the computer to go play with my favorite little baby!!!