Happy Monday!

Good morning, everyone!

We had a nice relaxing weekend...It was so nice not to have any plans! The weather was absolutely perfect, so we spent most of our time outdoors. Here are a few pictures of us at the zoo.

MJ and Daddy listening to the lion "ROAR"

Ty's new favorite thing is the Baby Bjorn. He will sit in the double stroller for a little while, but he gets bored quickly these days and wants to be in all of the action.

Look at the cool panda, mommy

Ty also loves to touch faces and pull hair - especially now that mommy's hair is getting longer. Atleast I got a break for a little while while he got a hold of his big brother's mop :)

I love your hair, bro!

Marathons, Birthdays, and Babies- Oh My!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

To say this week was busy would be an understatement. The day after my last post, Ty started rolling over - now he is half way across the room before I can blink!

Steve and I went on a whirlwind trip to Birmingham last weekend so that I could run the Mercedes Marathon. My best friend, Kim, lives there so we were able to visit with her, Bobby, and my "niece" Ella. This was my 13th marathon, and while it wasn't my fastest, it also wasn't my slowest....so I was happy to finish in pretty good time. It felt GREAT to be racing again!!!

26.2 miles later... Mommy- this is one cool medal!

Valentine's Day was Monday, and we decided to have a nice evening at home (I cooked, believe it or not!).

On Tuesday, after a big playdate over at our house with all of MJ's preschool friends, we decided to start Ty on cereal. He is eating like crazy these days (45-49 ounces a day), so I am hopeful that this will satisfy him more. A wise Grady Doctor (http://www.gradydoctor.com/) informed me that giving cereal before 4 months is linked to obesity, so I have held out until now. (thanks, Dr. Manning!)

Bring it on, Mommy

Ok- I take it back. That is not as good as mommy's milk!

Thursday was Steve's 32nd birthday, so we enjoyed take out from his favorite Mexican restaurant with some of his family and my brother.

Uncle Andrew and Ty

"Miss Weesa" took the boys to the zoo on Friday, and MJ loved petting the goats and sheep.

Lots of handwashing happened after this photo!

As most of you know, MJ and Ty are the oldest grandchildren on both sides of our family. We were thrilled when their first cousin arrived Friday afternoon...Steve's brother, Nick, and wife Kerry welcomed a beautiful baby boy! The "No Girls Club" continues!

James Ivan Economos

After a visit to the hospital, Steve and I enjoyed a date night at Morton's Steakhouse. It was nice to be able to focus on eachother for a few hours!

On Saturday morning, I went to my friend Erin's wedding shower - she looks beautiful and so happy. We can't wait for the wedding in May! This was followed by taking the boys to Eleanor's first birthday party (she is my dear friend, Barbara's, daughter).

Ok, that is enough for one week. I think this is why God made Sundays. :)

Ty at 4 Months

4 Months old!

Ty turned 4 months this past Saturday. I can't believe how much he has grown and developed. A couple of weeks ago, he grew out of the swaddle and the Miracle Blanket. His transition to the sleep sack has gone surprisingly well, and he is still sleeping from about 8:00 pm to 7:00 am, give or take 30 minutes. He went through a major growth spurt in the middle of the month and was eating over 40 ounces a day... now he is back to about 36 ounces (mostly breast milk, but some formula)

This is one cool toy!!

Ty is not rolling over yet, but MJ didn't roll over until he was 6 months old (and then he walked at 9 months)! Ty enjoys sitting in the Bumbo and playing with his toys. He is much more aware of what is going on around him, and he always smiles when he sees a familiar face or hears a familiar voice. My favorite thing right now is his absolutely adorable laugh- I can't get enough!

You're not going to give me any shots, are you?!!

We went to the pediatrician yesterday. This was our third visit in one week because both boys came down with a nasty GI bug as well as ear infections! Ty had a fever of 103 on Monday, which freaked everyone out (including our pediatrician), but he is much better now.

4 month stats: weight 14 lbs (30%); height 25.75" (75%). He grew over three inches!

Last week was the perfect storm - both boys sick, mommy sick, daddy out of town, the Steelers lost the Super Bowl. We were defeated ... the Crud (and the Packers) had won.

The Crud - enough said

While the boys were quarantined inside the house, "Miss Weesa" set up some fun activities for them.

Finger painting is awesome!!

We are all feeling much better now!

To Grandmother's House We Go

"This coffee is delicious, mommy!"

Don't worry, it was decaf! This was a busy week for the boys. Between the Fernbank Museum, preschool, Spanish classes, and lunches with mommy and their grandparents, they were exhausted! Steve had a boys golf outing and night out up at Lake Lanier, so MJ, Ty, and I decided to hitch a ride and stay at my parent's house Saturday night. We had so much fun, and MJ thoroughly enjoyed his grown up breakfast Sunday morning.

Grandma and boys

Ty on the way home - Do Not Disturb!

Our nanny, Lisa, takes MJ and Ty on a ton of field trips. Here is MJ "catching a fish" at Fernbank last week.

"I got one!"

MJ is almost 27 months now and has become such a little boy. I can't believe how well he communicates! Here is a recent conversation between MJ and Steve over the phone (Steve was out of town for the evening)

MJ: Are you at work, daddy?

Steve: Yeah, bud. I'm at work.

MJ: Why don't you come on over to our house? We can get cozy and watch a movie together.

Steve: I wish I could, but I won't be home until tomorrow.

MJ: Tomorrow?? Oh, no! I want to see my daddy TONIGHT!

Steve: I do too, buddy. I promise we will spend a lot of time together tomorrow.

MJ: Ok (pouty face). I love you, daddy. Bye Bye (as he blows a kiss to the phone).

MJ says his prayers every evening (Now I lay me down to sleep), and he thanks Jesus for "mommy, daddy, and baby Ty Ty - our whole family!" It is way too cute.

Ty turns 4 months on Saturday - stay tuned for the update!

On the Band Wagon

Go Steelers!

The past 2 weeks have been full of fun in the snow, play dates, baby showers, catching up with work (since we were off almost all of last week), and FOOTBALL. As most of you know, Steve's brother Andrew is the long snapper for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. We are first and foremost Bucs and Falcons fans for obvious reasons. After that, we are Steelers fans. My mom's family grew up just outside of Pittsburgh. They are big time Steelers fans. When MJ was 3 months old, my Aunt Amy sent him a baby Terrible Towel and he cheered them on to win the Super Bowl that year. So now that the Bucs and Falcons are out of contention, we are joining the Steeler Nation!

Don't worry, Uncle Andrew- I'm still your number one fan!

Please note that I am posting this prior to the AFC Championship game - the confidence of the Jets scares me. haha :)

Let it Snow

I love the snow!

Snow Day! We got atleast 6 inches of snow here last night. The roads are terrible, with more sleet and freezing rain coming our way. Steve had to cancel their work day due to the awful road conditions, and my office closed for the day. The good news is we are having a ton of fun playing in the snow!

"More snow angels, daddy!"

On second thought, I'm pretty comfy just laying like this

We could not believe how much snow had accumulated overnight. Our house and street looked gorgeous this morning. The snow has a light layer of ice on it, so it was a little hard to build a snowman...as you can see, we made snow angels instead.

Our house covered in snow

Our little street was so quiet this morning

We don't have a real sled since it never snows here, but I did have some boxes from Amazon (my favorite online store) that we used as a make-shift sled. MJ went down our hill on it, but flipped out at the end and landed face first in the snow. It was hilarious! Needless to say, he didn't want to do much more "sledding" after that. haha

Mommy and MJ

Even Ty joined in on all of the fun

Daddy and baby Ty

We will be enjoying more snow later!....

Ty is 3 months old!

So happy

I have been a blogging fool lately! So much has been going on that I just have to post. I cannot believe that Ty turned 3 months old yesterday (January 5th). The past few months have really flown by. He is doing great and growing like a weed.

Hi everybody!

Ty is now a great sleeper. He sleeps from about 9pm to between 7:00 and 7:30am straight (thank you, moms on call)! He is almost exclusively breastfed, but I am starting to have to supplement a bottle of formula per day because he is eating like crazy (atleast 36 oz a day). He likes colors, fans, and anything that moves. He absolutely loves his big brother - his little face lights up when he hears MJ's voice, and he immediately smiles and turns to look at him.

Just chillin' in my Boppy

My best friend from childhood, Kim, came to visit last week. She brought her beautiful baby girl, Ella, to visit. Ella is 2 months older than Ty, so it was fun for us to be pregnant at the same time! Here are a few pics...

The boys with Ella

Ty and his future wife :)