The importance of mother/son time

On Saturday, April 28, Finn and I participated in a "Mother-Son Date Knight" at Chick-fil-a. It was so much fun. We were treated like royalty - table cloths, food on plates, served by a waitress, and much more! Overall, I was just so grateful I got to take Finn. Being 39 weeks pregnant you never know what you will get to do since I'm like a ticking time bomb that could go off at any time.

Today I want to write about how important this time was with Finn. First of all, children need their love tank filled up just like adults do. When I told him we were going on a date, he was so excited. G got him all ready and had him take care of everything just like the man would on a date. Finn held on to the ticket, opened my car door for me, and told me I looked "pretty." While on the date, I made sure to ask him questions and have him ask me questions to keep him engaged. These mother-son dates will help prepare him for the dating world when he's older. Gasp!

Being a mom of a son is a very special bond. I pray for the mate that God has created for him everyday. And I pray that I can prepare him to treat her like a queen, just as his daddy has treated me. So if you have a son and you haven't had a special date just the two of you...do it! You won't regret it. Last night was an etched memory for me.

What a precious little son I have :) Thank you God for this blessing!

 He's saying "Are you ready to go, Mommy?"

Love my lil' knight!

Father and son

Pictures taken on Sunday, April 1st outside at the Avenues of Forsyth. 

I just love seeing my boys together. They are so cute! The love they share is something special. And it makes me smile to see them together. 

I know that relationship being built is so important. G is leading Finn to be a leader himself one day. I have to brag on my husband and say he is doing an awesome job so far. 

I know he is taking the lead from several great books and being mentored. Below are a list of the books he'd recommend. 

1. Raising a Modern Day Knight by Robert Lewis

2. Better Dads, Stronger Sons by Rick Johnson

3. Personality Plus for Parents by Florence Littauer

And last but not least, here is a link to the mentoring program G did last year. He still meets with his mentor now that the year is up. But for him, I know this program was life changing! http://www.radicalmentoring.com/

Memory verse #1

My sweet 2 1/2 year old has memorized his first Bible verse. To me there is nothing sweeter than hearing his voice recite God's word.Nothing else I can say - just watch the video and you will see.

"Every word of God proves true." Proverbs 30:5

An interview with Finn

I thought it might be fun to do a little interview with Finn since he is talking so much. Below is the video and underneath that is a transcript for the video :)



And just in case you can't understand him - here are my questions and his answers:

What's your name? Finn Walkup
What's your favorite color? Pink
What's your favorite food? chicken and ranch
Do you sleep in a big boy bed? Yea
Who's your best friend? Will
What's your favorite animal? Giraffe
Do you know the ABC song? Sing it. Singing the end of the ABC song
What's your favorite animal (i tried to trick him-haha)? Elephant
What's mommy's name? Rachael
What's daddy's name? Gregory
What's nana's name? Nana Walkup
Do you have a girlfriend at school? Yea (he didn't tell me her name during the video but a week later he told me her name was Skylar Anna Kate - thats two girls names form his class)

My sweet boy

So I have a sweet story about my boy that I just had to document. A mommy's boy already at 2 years old!

This morning I got Finn out of bed and dressed for the day. As we are walking out of his room, he looks at my feet and says "Mommy, feet cold?" I said "Well, I guess a little." To which he grabs my hand and says "Hold Finn's hand, Mommy." Then he walks me to my room and leads me right to my sock drawer. He opens it and hands me a pair of my slipper sock saying - "Here Mommy, here." So I said "Thank you, Finn" and I put them on. Then he says "Mommy, feet cold now?" I just shook my head and said, "no." And with that Finn said "You're welcome, Mommy...Mommy, Finn said you're welcome."

 I love that he was just taking care of me. He will make a good husband some day. But for now, I'm just enjoying my little mommy's boy!

There is some of me in there...

Last week Finn started playing with my phone. He recorded himself and it was too cute! I see several faces that he makes and they look like me. So I just had to share. Enjoy...

Bad days, good days

We all have them. Good days. Bad days.

But what happens when the bad days last for 3 1/2 weeks now?

Finn has been sick for 3 1/2 weeks now. First it was just a cold. Then at 1:00 am on a Saturday night, it turned to croup and we found ourselves at the emergency room.  Then only 5 days later - he wasn't getting better. So I took him to the doctor and it was a double ear infection. So he started an antibiotic. Then just 10 days later, he got hit with a stomach bug. Poor little guy. It was so sad seeing my baby throwing up and just miserable. The next day he was all better and I thought it was over. But it wasn't 4 days later - he threw up again and spiked a high fever. So back at the doctors office we went...his ear infection wasn't gone. And doc thought the stomach bug came back. Oh and one more thing - it seemed like he had either strep or a sinus infection on top of that.

Now that is a lot of bad days. Bad days for my baby boy!

And me - Well, I've had my own ups and downs. Days where I cried. Days where I was pissed all day. But today, today I gained perspective. I had been praying for it. And I'm glad it came.

It could be worse. It could always be worse.

The fact is i'm thankful. Thankful for a God who loves me more than I can imagine. Thankful His mercies are new each day. Thankful for a husband who knows when I need to get out and away. Thankful for friends who call, text, and pray for us. REALLY thankful for a boss and an organization that make it ok for me to miss work to take care of my child.

It's been a rough 3 weeks. But I'm hoping Finn is fully recovered soon.

Thanks for listening to me vent.

Being a mom

Today is Mother's day and I've only been a mom for almost 2 years. But it has changed me. And changed me for the better.

Yesterday at my sister's wedding I found a cheerio in my pocket. And I just had to laugh. Being a mom is such a blessing. I read a book before I had Finn called Sacred Parenting. The book basically describes parenting as a way for God to pull you to him. Now after having a child, I know that's true. I love the way God has molded me since becoming Finn's mom. And I'm learning something new everyday.

I wanted to make a top ten list of what I love about being a mom in honor of Mother's day. So read and enjoy. Hopefully this will make some of you moms out there smile and give you ladies without kids yet something to look forward to.

I love being a mom because...
10- I have a son who is a spitting image of his incredible daddy

9- of the way I feel a different type of love that I never felt before when I first saw his sweet face

8- it forces me to stay home when he's having a boundary testing day
7- I finally understand how God feels about me - an unconditional love
6- I never got to talk about poop as much as I do now
5- it's now a treat to have alone time or a quiet meal with just my husband
4- I get the opportunity to teach Finn about Jesus and God's love for him
3- I have a mommy's boy

2-of the way Finn touches my face while I pray for him
1-of how my life will never be the same

1.5 year update!

Hello friends,
Since Finn is approaching 1 1/2 years old, I thought it would be good to give an update. What better way then through pictures.

Here's Finn with his best friend, Savannah. He's watching Mickey Mouse - his new favorite show!

Here's Finn in his new class climbing - that's his new favorite act. And his best bud Will is behind him.

On Wednesdays, I'm home with Finn - in this picture he learning to color.

Look at that face lighting up while coloring, too cute!

Here is Finn outside just running on the deck

And here he is jumping from the deck. Finn makes me super nervous because he is all boy!

Finn is just enjoying exploring around the yard

Sitting at the table like a big boy and eating with a fork!

Finn, you are growing up way too fast!

I love you,
Mommy

Snow day 2011!!

Over the last few years, I've had many times that I want to keep etched in my brain. This morning was one of those. We went to bed with no snow and woke up with close to 7 inches. It's cold, beautiful, and exciting outside. So we got all bundled out and went exploring! Here's some videos and pics. Hope you all are staying warm and enjoying the memories with family on this snow day!

Checking things out

 Guess he felt like sitting

Daddy and son just hanging out!

Batman 2010

For Halloween this year we went to the Jansen's for trick or treating. And wow was it so fun! They have an awesome neighborhood  with LOTS of kids. Thanks to Mark and Ashley for letting us tag along. Below are some pictures from Finn's first Halloween dressing up!

 First I have to show you this. Finn learned to smile on command this weekend. When I say CHEESE, I get this adorable face :)

Finn is really excited about candy!

Seriously, he wouldn't put it down

Daddy and son

Mommy and son

Just strolling around outside

Finn's new thing is messing with his shoes

A true boy-playing in the grass

Ready to go Trick or Treating

Lets go daddy!

Getting tired but having fun

Having too much fun with daddy and getting very sleepy!

Look a lollipop!

Haircut and candy

So last week on Friday, I took Finn to get a "real" haircut. He was also introduced to candy-a sour apple ring pop to be specific. He loved both the haircut and the ring pop. Here's a few pictures. I can't believe how much hair this kid has!

 Getting ready-already checking out that ring pop

 And the first taste is pretty good.

 Oh yeah, that's delicious!

 Such a sweet little boy

" Here come the clippers, but I don't mind-I have a ring pop!"

All done! Now he looks like a little man :)

12 Month Update!

Feeding
Nothing really new here. We have been off of baby food for a while now. He does enjoy feeding himself-so I guess that's new.

Weight/Height
We just had his 12 month doctor appointment today. He was 23.4 pounds. I will also start posting his height on here. He was 30 inches tall. That puts him at 55th percentile. Just a good ole average size.

Sleep
We still have a great sleeper. Bedtime is 7:30 and he sleeps til 7:30. As for naps, at school he naps at 10 & 2. But at home he naps like a big boy-one nap at 12:00ish. He will usually sleep 2 or 3 hours with this nap.

Wake Time
Well, the last few days have opened up a whole new world. Finn is walking! He stumbles all over the place. It's adorable!

Clothes
Finn is now in the 18 month size for the Fall. The pants are a little long, but fits him great in the waist. He got some great clothes for his birthday so he has some very cute outfits!

Fun fact
I've decided to start making our Fridays special by doing a "Mommy/Son day". We either go to the park or shop together. Or for a special treat we are doing outings. Today we went to the Cagle Dairy Farm with a groups of moms and their kiddos. It was so much fun! Below are some pictures. Thanks Ashley - for taking the cute pictures and inviting us to go along. But I hate we didn't get any pictures of us or the boys together. Oh well-next time!

 Feeding the calf

 One more shot of him feeding the calf (he loved it!)

 Who knows what Finn was pointing at, he loves to point these days :)

 Showing me where his head is, such a smart boy!

 Giving mommy some love-great memories!

 On the hayride

 Wanting to jump out and pet the cow!

I have a toddler!

Well, it's official my little baby boy is 1!! No longer will I refer to him as months old. It will be years (and possibly half years) from here on out! I wanted to highlight our special weekend on here so I have it documented in pictures. It was a great day. We are truly blessed with a wonderful church, beautiful family, and an awesome son-Enjoy!

 Finn's birthday cake...yes that's the old school Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!

 His 1st year in monthly pictures. Amazing how much he changed!

 Finn is all ready to be dedicated at church in his tie and converse shoes!

 Aww-such a sweet picture of my mom(Mammie), Finn, and Gregory!

 Another picture of his adorable outfit!

 Here I am walking him around like he's a big boy (he will ALWAYS be my baby)

 His second outfit for the party was his TMNT onesie. Here he is with me.

 I loved seeing him love the gifts!

 He's thinking..."Hmm, what is this stuff?"

 Wow, he is destroying that cake!

 Yum!

 I love that little smurk and black lips :)

 He really liked that icing!

 Going in for the bite-thanks Aunt Nay Nay!

 Here's our sweet family. Thank you to everyone who came. We are so blessed!

 And we had to have a silly picture!

 And now the sugar coma sets in. What a perfect day it was!

 This picture is from a few weekends ago but it's so cute. He loved riding in the wagon!