Happy Birthday Tucker!!

March 4, 2009, the time was 12:24 p.m. when my little bear took his first breath. His cry was as sweet as I could have imagined. The day is as vivid this very moment as it was two years ago.  Hmmm, two years ago. As I child it seemed like the years drug by like a snail. As a mother they're whipping by me like the wind of a tornado.

Our little Tucker-bear celebrated his second birthday with a small birthday party at our house.  We've had so much going on that we just kept everything simple.  Tucker didn't seem to mind, he thoroughly enjoyed his Elmo pull apart cake and all his new presents.

He's changed so much in the last year. His little chubby cheeks are thinned out, his vocabulary grows with each day that breaks. He's smart as can be!  He mimics anything and everything. He wants so bad to be able to keep up with Daddy and Bubba. His little legs scurry as fast as they can trying to keep up with the big guys. The sparkle in his eye is one that I can't explain.

His eyes shine with excitement and cheer. There's nothing better than rolling over in the mornings to that little hand on my shoulder, his messy red hair, and through his nippy he says, "momma, where bubba?!' Then he jumps up and takes off.

He's a bit timid at times but once you break the ice with him, he's quite the little love bug.  He climbs in my arms and wraps his little arms around my neck as tight as he can and gives me the sweetest hugs and kisses a momma could ask for.

I love to hear him say please and thank you.  To be only two, he has pretty good manners. I must say though my favorite is when I tell him to stop and he turns around and gives me the sweetest little smile, turns his head and says, "you top it!" then he just giggles.  It becomes a game between the two of us.  I often wonder how I'll keep up with him and his busy little self, but we seem to make it through each day with minor bumps and bruises.

Our family wouldn't be complete without this little fellow.  He brings lots of excitement, many, many laughs, and there's never a dull moment when little Tucker-bear is near.

I thank God for blessing us with him two years ago. May the years ahead bring many precious memories together.

Tuck-bear,
My sweet little red head, I love you.  I love your spunk, I love your giggle.  I couldn't have asked for a more precious little guy.  You are full of life and you always know when I need a hug the most. I love our snuggles at night before you go to bed and the way you reach for my hand at night. I pray that God continues to bless your little life as you grow. You are the sunshine on my cloudy days.  Thank you for being you. Your smile warms my heart and I love you more today than I did yesterday and tomorrow I'll love you even more. Happy 2nd Birthday Monkey!
all my love today and forever.... Momma.

Never wake a sleeping bear

We've all heard that before, never wake a sleeping bear.  Well same goes for our little bear. He's still a nap kind of guy and for that I'm so thankful.  It means that for two hours a day the house is clean while he's napping and Carter's at school. So if you'd like to see my house during that time, come between 11-2.  Somedays nap time doesn't always happen when it should and by 4:30/5:00 in the afternoon our little Tucker turns into quite the sassy pants.

I decided that a late nap would just have to do this day. He still wasn't feeling 100% and the only place he was content was either in my arms or in our bed. So we snuggled down for a minute and when he drifted off, I snuck out to do some stuff around the house.  An hour or so went by and it was getting closer to 5 and I just knew if I let this nap go on it would make for a very sleepless night, for both of us.

I headed into our room to wake him.  He did not wake up on the right side of the bed for sure. I don't even know if the other side would have been a good start either.  He cried, and cried and made the most pitiful faces.  Most mothers would have picked up there unhappy toddler. I'm not your typical mother though. I'm the momma that likes to stick her camera in the unhappy toddlers face and capture those pitiful, yet oh so very cute faces.

Carter and I were getting quite the kick out of making him wail.  I know, sick isn't it.  But you can't honestly tell me these pictures don't make you chuckle at some point.  We always joke that he's going to retaliate one day and when he does, we're all in big trouble!

I won't put it past him to shave my head when I'm sleeping or sneak under the table and tie my shoelaces together when I'm not paying attention.  He'll get me back, I don't doubt that one bit.  Oh, and Carter... he's in for it just as much as I am.  We better invest in some helmets and defense armor! Just look at Carter's face... tell me he wasn't enjoying every minute!!

M-I-C.... K-E-Y..... M-O-U-S-E

Excitement, anticipation, eyes that sparkle, a little boy that could barely sleep!  Carter couldn't wait for us to hit the road that early Friday morning. We were all packed and ready to go.  When I woke him up and he realized that it was the day we were leaving, that's all it took. It was like you poured an entire pot of extra strong coffee down him.  He was ready to go!  He told me, "momma, let's hit the road!"

I was as excited as he was to see him light up for the first time at this magical place. On the short ride to Main Street, USA, he watched a few movies but about 30 minutes away he started asking, "are we there yet" To his surprise he started seeing signs with Mickey, Pluto, Donald, and the excitement really started boiling.

Once we arrived at the hotel, I knew that I had made him one very happy little boy. It was so nice to spend some one on one time with him. He and I had a wonderful weekend and he was so good!  There was no complaining about the heat, the lines, or anything.  He was a trooper about it all. We opened the door to our room, and to his surprise it was decked out in Buzz & Woody stuff, everywhere!  It warmed my soul to see him so excited and happy.

We threw our things down, and packed up what we needed and off to the Magic Kingdom we went. He wore his cute, cute, cute little Woody shirt and anxiously awaited his turn to get in the gate. Once inside the gate, I'm not sure if he was in shock, or what but he was kind of quiet. He was taking it all in.  I just smiled as I watched his little eyes look around and search for the next coolest thing. As we entered the park we found Pluto right at the front gate.  We got in line and Pluto started pointing for us to look in the sky. We were able to see the space shuttle Atlantis taking off into space. Super cool!

We spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the magical happenings of Disney World. Carter's first ride was the jungle cruise. He wasn't too impressed. Then we did the magic carpet ride, which intrigued him a bit more, then we climbed a hill, the hill to SPLASH MOUNTAIN!  Before getting there though we made a quick pit stop to see Woody & Jessie!  Carter loves him some Woody.  After getting our picture made with him, we stood in line for Splash Mountain. I was certain he would be screaming and so scared, but to my surprise he loved everything about it. So much so that he wanted to get right back in line and do it again. I talked him out of that idea, thank goodness because I had to have a minute or two to get my stomach out of my throat!


Next we were off to Thunder Mountain. There was no doubt in my mind he would love this ride. Sure enough, he giggled, he screamed, he held his hands high, and of course time it was over he asked to ride again!!  It was after that ride that I realized that coming to Disney as a parent is far more exciting then coming as a kid because you really do see the magic that it brings to your kids!  He was loving every minute of it and wasn't about to slow down for a break.


We did the rest of the rides throughout the park, ending with Dumbo.  Then we found ourselves a spot to watch the firework show. He's not usually a fan of fireworks but he did much better with these then most. The evening was over, we were all exhausted and we were headed back to the hotel to get a bath and find our way into dreamland!


That night around 4 a.m., he woke up and said, "momma, I had a great time with you at Disney World!" Talk about making it worth the trip?! How sweet and precious, and let me tell you that is a moment I won't forget as long as I live!!!  The sun starting peeking around the curtains earlier then I would have liked, but we were up and at it, ready to go!  We were off to Hollywood Studios to see Lightning McQueen and TowMater.  Again, his face was all I needed to make the day perfect!

He stood in line so patiently, and then it was his turn. He was hesitant, and insisted that I go with him to stand between TowMater and McQueen. McQueen revved up his engine a bit loud for my little guy so we didn't stick around long. From there we were off to the ToyStory ride. Now that was probably my favorite of the trip. We got to shoot all kinds of stuff, from cows, to aliens, you name it. Had the line not been 1.5 hours long we might would have rode it again! 

We then saw Handy Manny, and made our way back to the Magic Kingdom. Carter made it very clear this was his only place to be. He loved everything about Magic Kingdom. I wish we had more time to visit there, and see everything. It's just so hard to cram everything into 3 short days.

After another ride on Splash Mountain, and Thunder Mountain, we made our way back to the hotel so that Carter could swim in the giant pool! He and I wanted to go back to the Magic Kingdom for the light parade. So we showered, and off we went again. Talk about getting a work out!  I think my legs are still screaming from all the walking I did!  The light parade is one of my fondest memories of Disney trips my family and I took as a child. I remember finding a place on the sidewalk and waiting patiently for Mickey and Minney to make their entrance. I remember Cinderalla passing us and her princess gown was all covered in lights and it spun around. The parade is just as beautiful as I remember it as a child. 

Watching all the parents line the streets with their little ones brought back fond memories for me. I knew that evening sitting on the corner of Main Street, USA all the excitement and joy my mother felt when she took us to Disney.  

Carter sat ever so patiently with his lighted sword. He had his cotton candy to snack on. I could tell he was getting tired, but there was no way he was going to admit that. He was in it for the long haul!  The parade came, and went. We made a mad dash for the gate in hopes of getting on one of the first buses headed back to our hotel. We were lucky, first bus!  It wasn't two minutes into the ride my little guy had fallen asleep in my arms. He was beyond exhausted. 

The next morning we were scheduled to have breakfast with Mickey. We packed all our things in the truck, and headed to check out. After checking out and realizing that I had locked our room key, in the room, we were scurrying to get to breakfast on time. As luck would have it, Disney was hosting a triathlon while we were there. So all the roads that I needed to get to the hotel where our breakfast was, were blocked off. I stopped four times to ask for directions, and four times I ended up not at Ohana's!  In the mean time Travis called, and when Carter talked to him and we hung up my baby decided he was ready to go home. I asked him again, and again, are you sure you want to go home and not see Mickey for breakfast. Are you sure you don't want to ride Splash Mountain again?  Each time his answer was yes.  So we headed out. We were on the road to Cow Bird Lane, quick like!  We were both anxious to get home to Travis and Tucker-bear.  They won't admit it but I think they missed us! :) 

Since we missed our breakfast, we made due with biscuits from McDonalds. I also had another dilema. I had put off buying souvenirs because I had planned on doing it Sunday afternoon before we left the Magic Kingdom. Umm, what is a mother to do without souvenirs from Disney World?! Never fear, super mom is here!  I took my chances, pulled off the next exit to find a one stop shop.  You know those places that have every shot glass, to every beach towel, to every coffee mug... yeah, that's where we got our souvenirs!  I'm proud, no shame to my game!  Carter picked out a Disney book for Tucker, and they both now have matching Mickey Mouse stuffed animals. To my surprise when we got home the book Carter picked out is written in Spanish.  Umm... we don't speak that here on Cow Bird Lane!  Oh well, we can still look at the pretty pictures!!!! :)  Okay, enough... stop laughing. I was ready to get home, I didn't care what book he picked out. We'll make due with it!

All in all, our trip to Disney is one I'll cherish forever. I'll never forget the giggles, the excitement, and the special time we shared together. Thank you for a magical weekend Carter-bug, I LOVE YOU!!!!

Happy Mother's Day

We celebrated Mother's Day with my mom and granny.  We had lunch at moms, and then we enjoyed another one of my new favorite things to cook, pound cake!  

As each year passes now that I'm a mother I've come to realize that life is not made up of the things in your life but the relationships you share, and the memories you make. My children have brought me more joy in the past 5 years then I ever dreamed possible.  It is my daily prayer that God continue to mold me and make me the mother He would have me to be. So many days I fail terribly at this task, but by the grace of God, He picks me up and lets me stand again. I am so grateful for my duties as a mother. Although there are days I feel like I could pull out all the grey hairs on my head, or scream to the mountain tops, I know that I'm doing what I was put on this earth to do. I am thankful that my children run, make messes, whine, and drive me to that breaking point sometimes.  Am I crazy you ask?? No. I'm blessed. I'm so grateful that I can hear them bicker, or scream over a toy. I'm grateful that they can run down the hall, I'm grateful that they can laugh and giggle, and thrive. Things I once took for granted, I now see that I need to thank God each and every day for.

Mother's Day... we celebrate it once a year, but shouldn't we celebrate it day in and day out?  Just like Father's Day, or Valentine's Day, and Christmas??? All of these days should be days that we honor our parents, our Lord, and show that true love that we have for each other, not just on the days that Hallmark deems necessary.  I'm blessed to be a mother. I love my boys more then life itself. I thank God for choosing me to watch over and keep them. It is my prayer that I guide them down the right paths of life, instill in them the love of God, and teach them lessons that truly matter in life.  

I'm not perfect, I hope I never come across as thinking I am. I am who I am, and I hope that my boys view me as genuine, compassionate, honest, loving, and a Godly woman. I pray that they grow up to respect others, and themselves. I hope their lives are full of happiness, love, joy, and contentment. May they always feel at home when they come to visit, and may they always know that their mother loves them more with each day that passes. They are my heart, my soul, and my purpose.  Boys, 

Boys, seek God first in your lives. Put Him above all else, and if your life takes turns that are unexpected, look to the cross for the guidance you'll need. Our plans aren't always God's plan, remember that. You both bring me more joy then I could ever explain. You make me smile when I need it most, make me cry because I laugh so hard, and each and every day you amaze me with the new things you do. Thank you for being such wonderful children, I hope I'm the mother to you that you deserve. 

All my love to both of you, to the moon and back my sweet babies, to the moon and back!

The many faces

What a face!  Eyes that sparkle, a mischievous little grin, that laugh that is contagious, the 'I'm going to get you' growl, each one of these are one of the many faces you'll see of Carter on any given day.  




Everyone has always said that Carter is a very expressive child, and it is so true. Take a look for yourself....

Mad face:

Happy Face:

Sad Face:

Loving Face:

Now tell me at least one of those didn't brighten your day or make you smile.  He's a blessing, I'm telling you a true, true blessing!  LOVE YOU CARTER! :)