Vacation is about to begin! It has been pretty major to get to today and we are so thankful for all that has been accomplished.
We stopped mid-way to get some BBQ at one of our favorite spots – The Happy Tomato in Amelia Island (it’s kid-friendly too…although we just realized this year for the first time).
And now, this week, we look forward to showing Rand some new-to-him things about the world we live in!
“For God SO LOVED the world (that means all of us, folks!) that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
Today I am thankful that God SO LOVED US that we ARE redeemed of our sin, through Christ, and can have a relationship with Him now and forever. A perfect song for today…I think…
Happy Valentine’s Day Friends!!!
It was a beautiful day today so we went outside for the afternoon as soon as Rand got up from his nap (as a 21-month-old he’s doing really well with his naps. consistently sleeping from 1pm until sometime between 3 & 4)! I was looking through some photos I took this afternoon and realized they were a great representation of this stage in the game.
Rand is such a little boy now! I don’t know what happened. We watch his baby video all the time (at his request) and I still think of him as that little baby. Then I see these pictures and he’s all toddler.
He’s SO BUSY. All. The. Time. And it is great. Daddy is really nice and let’s him play in his car…one of his favorite things to do.
Rand also tries to do some things that he just can’t do yet but wants to…like riding this scooter. Almost…it won’t be long bubs!
We don’t go anywhere these days without these two – “Meow” and “tut-tull” – Seriously. They ride in the car, they sit next to the crib, they come to breakfast and they LOVE to go outside. Rand found them in the garage a few weeks ago and remembered them from last summer. They are having a much more exciting off-season than most pool floats I know of.
Lately, anything can become a horse. And this boy loves some horses.
This is the “cheeeeese” face. We need to work on it some.
There has been a language explosion in the past week or so. I have a feeling we are in for it. The kid knows what he wants.
He’s also a great listener still.
Thanks to a weekend project with Uncle Sam and Kristen (aka “Diddy and CeCe”), our trees all have bird feeders hanging from them.
“Bird seed” and “Tweet Tweet” have been added to the growing word list.
Here’s a proud face for making it up a step without having to hold on or crawl.
Oh and of course the drool continues. Does it ever stop? That is one thing I will be happy to grow out of!
Thanks for hanging out with us today!
Meal Planning. This might sound crazy to people who know me (and how I like PLAN THINGS AHEAD) but I really struggle with meal planning. I think it is because I also give into impulsiveness…ooooh just saw Ina make a perfect roast chicken (folks, if you wanna cook a chicken, just follow this recipe) OR a bunch of yummy things just popped up on Pinterest…and then whatever I bought earlier that week at Harris Teeter just has to sit in the fridge and deal with it (but then I have to deal with it later, of course). So I need to make a plan and, for the most part, stick to it. Especially since it is my JOB to fix our family 3 healthy meals a day. Plus snacks. Speaking of which, if you don’t already keep up with 100 Days of Real Food, go check it out too. I started reading it about a year ago and it has been extremely helpful with cutting down on the amount of processed foods we consume.
Today, I was inspired to get started on this by Pawley’s Island Posh (cute blog!) who referred me to this blog and motherload of genius ideas for meal planning…i.e. making repeating schedules on my google calendar…why didn’t I think of that especially since I’m notorious for leaving my list at home and having to play the memory game.
Anyway, it is too helpful not to share so go check it all out:
(image from lifeingraceblog.com)
I’ll post any good recipes I find as well as keep you up on any other tips I come across as I tackle this. Got any meal planning tips to share?
And so I’ll leave you with this photo from Sunday afternoon. We had to get outside, even though it was FREEZING and took a walk in our local arboretum. Rand found some pinecones that are now hanging with peanut butter and birdseed in the yard. I guess the birds got the first meal plan:) Whoops.
Before Christmas, we had our friend, and super-talented photographer, Cassie Butler, take some photos for us. Our goal was to get a few good ones of Rand that we could frame to hang in the hall and our room as well as a good family shot for the Christmas card. It was soooo hard to choose which ones we liked best but these were some of our favorites. I just can’t believe that Rand is almost 2 and that Wes and I have been married for almost 10 years!!!
Happy New Year to everyone! We are “staying in” this year and trying to get well. Up until Christmas Eve I thought I was immune to the stomach bug, but as it turns out, stomach-bug immunity is not a superpower that I posses after all. Which means that my sweet mother-in-law’s oyster stew is off the hook as the culprit since Wes and Rand clearly had what I did a few days later…
Rand has been watching Santa Paws on rerun and I fear we have not done our job in teaching him the true meaning of Christmas. How do I know this? Today he picked up a Noah’s Ark book and pointed to a white-bearded Noah and said “Ho Ho Ho!” Time for a little less Christmas and a little more Jesus around here.
I leave you all with my favorite thing about New Year’s…it’s my brother’s anniversary. Happy Anniversary James & Samantha!
Samantha & James : the celebration from Inkspot Crow Films on Vimeo.
I’ve joined instagram. Find WAY too many photos there… @annafranklinsmith
From the past 24 hours:
We had cake and ice cream and (almost) all of the family over for dinner. Fun!
I think this little boy ate my piece of cake too!!!
I am so behind in updating the blog, it is overwhelming to figure out where to start, so I’ll just start with today. While the entire day didn’t go exactly as planned…or as I’d hoped…we did finally end up making it to Star, NC to their annual StarWorks Pumpkin patch I’ve been DYING TO GO TO FOR THE PAST YEAR! My decoration style has always been “holiday minimal” but ever since I saw the most beautiful glass pumpkin collection in a friend’s kitchen, I’ve been wanting to go to this event! It is held once a year at the StarWorks glass/ceramic studio in Star, NC and they put all the glass pumpkins out in the grass and on hay bales.
So…we got there late and there was not a huge selection left (unless you wanted to spend $200-$500, and while it does go to fund the glass blowing program in the Montgomery County Schools, it was a little out of our price range) but we did get 2 smaller pumpkins to start off what will maybe be a fun fall collection.
Here’s Rand checking out some of the finer pumpkins…
The evening ended with a fun wedding with old friends. But I think Rand had the best evening as he was spoiled (including a walk to the playground) by a fun evening with Uncle Sam, Kristen and Nina.
Rand is pretty serious about his hummus. He loves to dip pretzels or cucumbers…or his FINGERS. Anyhow, this “sensory activity” took place the other day under dad’s watch:
In June, the “Franklin/McWilliams/Smith” Family went to Emerald Isle. We stayed in an incredible beach house and had some fun times. Rand was super-spoiled because he was the only kiddo and so of course he got all the attention. I have a few photos to post too from the trip, but in the meantime, I’m just going to steal Kristen’s photos from her facebook page because they are AWESOME.
A view from the marsh near the Aquarium:
Me pretending to paddle on our kayaking adventure
Thanks to my really strong husband, this is usually how I kayak,
Nobody capsized, Kristen has a cool water-proof camera
Flotilla in the waterway
Beach view
One of the best things about the house we rented…it had a POOL!
It was a wonderful week. I am so blessed to have these sisters (plus one more – we missed Claire in this shot!).
Ok I’m off to work on perfecting a peach cobbler recipe. If I ever nail it I will post it for you!!!
And we’re back. As I’m looking around at an unpacked cooler, suitcase and sandy beach bag filled with who knows what (I’m looking forward to cleaning that one out about as much as Rand’s carseat), I realize that I need to Step. Away. From. The. Computer.
So come back on Wednesday okay? I’ve got a few photos. Oh, and I came out from under a rock and joined instagram – so check me out there too.
Recently we went to Emerald Isle (I know…I need to download the photos!) and, on the way out the door, I grabbed a dvd that a sweet friend gave to Rand as a gift – Baby Einstein “First Signs.” Basically this dvd saved what could have been a pretty miserable 3.5 hour car ride and back. And now, he KNOWS there is a dvd player in the ceiling of the car and points to it every time we get in. When I start the dvd he lights up and claps. He’s even begun to imitate the words and signs – it is a hit.
BUT…we are sick of it! With another beach trip coming up, I have been searching for some variety. We just ordered Sesame Street: Singing with the Stars. I found another mom-review on a blog I like to read and her little one has taken to it so I’m hoping it will be fun for the trip. So far, Rand has loved Will.i.am’s catchy number.
Side note: Rand doesn’t care for watching tv at home. There are far too many other things for him to get into. I know the American Association of Pediatrics recommends that children under the age of 2 watch NO tv whatsoever…and any of those fine folks are welcome to come and ride in our car for 3 hours!
Today is Rand’s first day at Mother’s Morning Out. He’s going to every Monday morning for 8 weeks this summer and then will go for 2 days in the fall. It seems like just yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital….and now…
We packed up his little bag, got dressed and put on some shoes (just in case he decides to walk like all the other kids at MMO…we’ll see) and had some fresh strawberries and a scrambled egg. This boy LOVES scrambled eggs for breakfast!!! This weekend at the farmers’ market we picked up some extra-fresh eggs from Fox Squirrel Farm. Yum.
Now I’m off to do a 2 hour errand blitz before picking him back up for lunch and a nap! Happy Monday!
Rand is 14 months today! To celebrate, my mom came over and played for most of the day (and I did a marathon grocery run while she did my laundry and cleaned up my kitchen)!!!!
Later, over at Grandmommie Smith’s, MJ and Rand had fun after dinner in their new sandbox…
Which led to more fun…
It was so fun to see Rand and MJ really play together – now that Rand is finally a toddler and keeping up with MJ a little better (although still crawling!) And Rand is FINALLY feeling better. New teeth, 2 days of fever, 1 ear infection and 1 sinus infection later…and I think he’s finally over the hurdle. He didn’t let it spoil father’s day though…we enjoyed the beautiful day. Rand sure loves his “Da Da Da Da” (also his favorite word).
Okay so a few more things I’m liking lately…
Hanging out with my little buddy who all of a sudden is a big boy! Unfortunately he’s not been feeling well and is cutting more teeth. Molars? The bad news is he doesn’t want to play much and has been running a fever. The good news is he has only wanted to cuddle with me on the sofa or in the bed and today he learned where his ears are on Sesame Street. This is the first time he’s ever felt like sitting still long enough to watch something for more than a minute.
This tea Tazo Organic Iced Green Tea with Spearmint and Lemongrass is on sale at Fresh Market for $1. It is still a splurge so I probably need to find tea bags and make it myself. For this week though, I’m treating myself to 1 per day:)
Also on sale at Fresh Market is the Mrs. Meyer’s line of cleaning products. In particular, the liquid hand soaps are 2 for $8 AND there is a hanging coupon on most of them for $1 off 2 which makes each one only $3.50. Obviously not as inexpensive as some other brands, but if you like Mrs. Meyer’s stuff, this is a deal – it makes it even less than it is at Walmart!! I like the Lemon Verbena scent the best.
One more super deal is this Groupon that landed in my inbox today. I just got a cute pair of sunglasses, but if I hadn’t I would love a pair of these (a $425 pair of sunnies for $85):
or these…
This weekend is going to be full of fun. We are going to have dinner al fresco tomorrow night and then Saturday, we are going to attempt to make pickles!
My fridge is full of cukes and I’ve got the jars and the canning utensils but need to do a little more research to find the perfect recipe. Any suggestions?
Also this weekend, we are going to be celebrating Wes and Father’s Day! We don’t have many father’s left on either side of our families, but we will sure celebrate the heck out of the ones we still have here with us! I think I might be trying to attempt one of these funny things for “Pops” and “Bebo” (Rand’s grandpa and great grandpa)…
Rand got a really cute Kid Kraft Picnic Table for his birthday and we LOVE IT. It was easy to put together and Wes even painted two coats of Thompson’s Water Seal on it. Several folks have asked where we got it – we got it from Amazon.com BUT it is on SALE right now for much less on Rue La La for the next 2 days. There is also a striped umbrella version with chairs. We have the blue umbrella with benches. I noticed there is also a cute canopy sandbox too. Check it out (when you get to the site, go to “Invite the Kids Over” section under the “Kids” tab.
Thanks Aunt Samantha for such a sweet pic from a fun week at the beach with the family. I love my beach bums!
This keeps happening – all of a sudden a month has blown by! We’ve been up to a lot, but one of the highlights was that Shelley and Jackson came to stay! Eventually I’ll get around to writing about it but, in the meantime, you can read up here on Shelley’s Blog here and here.
I have to tell you that the #1 baby item of the summer has to be the $8 plastic pool we got from Walmart. In the evening, I’ll even add a little soap to it and let Rand bathe al fresco. I couldn’t find a photo of it online, but it is in the photo above.
We’ve also been up to a little of this…
and this…
Wes and I were fortunate to escape to NYC for a quick weekend getaway (our first one since Rand joined the family) thanks to Aunt Mary Devon who kept Rand and our dear friends Eleanor and Brad who let us stay in their fantastic apartment.
More photos from NYC to come. At some point!
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