Christmas Fun!

We had a very busy and fun Christmas weekend!  We started off going up to Greenville on Christmas Eve to spend time with my side of the family.  We had my dad's immediate family over to my parents house and then headed out to my great aunt and uncle's house with the whole Martin/Stone clan.  I think Luke was a bit overwhelmed with all of the gifts but had a great time opening presents and playing with Charley and Stone.  We came back to my parents house and while both boys were asleep Trey and I exchanged gifts with my brother and sister-in-law and parents.  Then of course Santa came!  I was so excited about spending Christmas day with my two boys.  Little did I know, we would get a lot of family time in before 8am Christmas day!  Luke ended up waking up around 2am with the stomach bug!  It was horrible but we made it!  Luke did not want to open up any gifts from anyone.  He just laid in the floor while I opened up his presents from Nana, G-Diddy, Erik and Amanda.  Dalton pretty much slept through the whole celebration!  Luke began to feel a little better so we took him outside to ride his Gator.  He loved it!  We had lunch with mom and dad and then headed to Union to spend some time with the Anthony clan!  Luke was good all day Christmas day and then low and he got sick again while asleep that night.  We had a great time in Union and ended up getting snow!  We came home on Sunday and Luke was feeling much better!  We immediately had to make a snowman when we got home.  Dalton even got in on the action!  Overall, I felt so blessed to spend time with our boys and families on Christmas.  We are so lucky to have our two boys and I couldn't imagine life without them!

 Lauren, Katie, Amanda and Ashley

 It's present time!

 Sweet Dalton

 Luke and Stone

 Santa came!

 Luke loves riding on his Gator!

 Christmas with The Anthony's

Luke had a great time building a snowman with daddy! We used his cowboy hat, rolos and M&M's!

Christmas Play

Last Sunday, the children at our church were a part of a Christmas play.  The play was through the eyes of the animals as they told the Christmas story.  The kids practiced so hard and they did so good!  It was Luke's first time in a program like this so I was a little nervous but he did a great job!  He was a red and white cow.  He did sang out on a few of the songs and if he wasn't too sure of the words, he'd sit there and nod his head! 

All of the kids!

 The red cows singing their part

 Luke and Gran afterward

Luke and Papa Mok 

Pumpkin Carving and Trunk or Treat

What a busy weekend!  Saturday we had a pumpkin carving party with our Sunday School class.  Of course, the kids didn't carve anything and the adults did all of the work!  After the pumpkin carving, the kids headed out on a hay ride.  We had a great time!  Sunday started off with Dalton's first trip to church!  We had to start getting ready 2 hours before and actually made it on time!  It was also Trey's birthday so Gran, Papa Mok, Nana and Aunt Amanda met us at church and then we all went to eat lunch.  We celebrated Trey's birthday at the house with the whole family and cupcakes! That afternoon we headed to church to have Trunk or Treat!  Luke was Buzz Lightyear and was so excited to dress up!  We had a great time at church but our night wasn't over yet!  Needless to say after Trunk or Treat and then trick or treating, we were all exhausted!

Trey carving our pumpkin

 Some of our pumpkins!

 Fun on the hayride

 Luke and his pumpkin

 Buzz Lightyear ready to go to Trunk or Treat!

 Luke and Jack at Trunk or Treat

Boo at the Zoo!

Last night we too a trip to Riverbanks Zoo for the annual Boo at the Zoo!  We had a great time!  Luke dressed up as Buzz Lightyear (of course) and we loaded up both boys and headed to the zoo.  We didn't get to go last  year so we were super excited to go!  Luke had a great time and Dalton slept the entire time.  Here are some pictures!

Meet Our Newest Addition!

On October 5, 2008 at 1:13 pm Dalton Owens Anthony entered into the world!  He's a chubster weighing in at 8 lbs 9 oz and 21 1/4 in long!  We are so in love with him and so is Luke (thank goodness!).  We are all home now and doing well!  Luke is doing well with him and loves to give him hugs and kisses!  We are so blessed to have Dalton in our lives and can't wait to see our boys grow up together!

Here are some pictures!

3 weeks away...

To update you on baby Anthony, I'm 3 weeks away from delivery!  I still can't believe that it's almost here!  I'm going to the dr weekly now and I'm already dilated 2 cm and boy have I dropped!  I'm having a lot of Braxton Hicks with this one, something I never experienced with Luke.  So, this pregnancy is completely different than when I had Luke.  My due date is Oct 7 and I'm hoping I make it to at least 39 weeks but who knows! 

Things have been completely crazy since school has started back.  Planning to be out for an extended period of time is no fun!  But, it seems like I've got that under control and now it's just a waiting game!  I'm just praying my water doesn't break at school!

This weekend my mom came down so we could go to the Belles and Beaus consignment sale in Lexington.  It's a huge sale which completely put me out of my element because you have to "dig" through the clothes.  You can find some really nice things but again, I've never been a "digger!"  I did find some cute smocked things and longalls for the baby for next year so it was well worth my time! 

Before the sale on Thursday I came home from work to find that our AC wasn't cooling off the house.  The thermostat said the house was 84 degrees and climbing.  I thought maybe the AC needed new freon (sp?) but unfortunately we had 2 people come out Friday morning and look at it and they both said the entire unit needed to be replaced!  Did you know I am 3 weeks from delivery and it's been in the 90s every afternoon!  The best part is, they can't come until Tuesday!  Even better is that Trey had to go to Hilton Head for the weekend for the annual National Guard conference.  So, Friday after work, mom, Luke and I packed up and drove to Greenville for the weekend so at least we could be comfortable!  I'm just praying this baby doesn't want to make his appearance in Greenville!  I had told mom to just take Luke and drive to Greenville and I would meet them there after I got off of work.  But, my mom being the saint she is, waited for me to get home and drove Luke and I so I wouldn't have to be by myself. 

We knew we would have to replace the unit and we can't believe it's lasted this long (20 yrs.) but did it really have to happen when baby #2 was about to arrive???  I guess the bright side is that it happened before the baby came and not after! 

A Whirlwind of a Summer!

So, I haven't posted in a while and that is because we have been super busy!   First off, we have 8 weeks until Baby Anthony arrives (no name yet) and this heat has not made things easy!  But, Luke's new room is completed and the nursery is pretty much done (thank goodness this was another boy!).  July was came and went so fast and now is back to school time!  I've been busy at the school trying to prepare to teach a new grade.  I'm teaching first grade this year but will have all of the same students I taught last year in kindergarten.  I'm super excited about that but it's been a daunting task to try and plan to be out for 8 weeks when I haven't taught first grade in 7 years! 

Luke is a mess and his vocabulary has taken off this summer!  We took him to his first movie at the theater (Toy Story 3) and he did so good!  He now thinks he's Buzz Lightyear and all I hear is "to infin and beyon!"  all day!  He is still not potty trained and to be honest, he could not care less about the whole thing!  So, instead of driving myself crazy I figure I'll just wait until after the baby comes and then I can deal with it! 

Our summer was definitely busy!  Here are a few highlights of the month of July!  Enjoy!

Luke and I spent some time in Greenville and we went to the Greenville Zoo. 

Luke and Betsy at a Columbia Blowfish baseball game.  Luke loved going to the baseball games and we took him a few times.

At the end of July we took a family vacation to the Isle of Palms with the entire Anthony crew!  Luke loved the beach last summer but really enjoyed himself this year! 

Luke and Daddy building his very own swimming pool!  Of course Luke had to help!

Cameron, Caden, Luke and Austin playing putt-putt!  It was Luke's first time.  He would hit the ball and then pick it up, walk it to the hole and then hit it in.  He was so funny!

We took Luke to the SC Aquarium while we were in Charleston.  All Luke cared about was the shark!

Luke's New Big Boy Room!

I finally got Luke's new furniture delivered today!  I'm so excited and so was he until he figured out that he really was going to have to sleep in a new bed/ new room!  I'm not ready to share pictures yet as the room is only painted and there are no decorations!  Today we only got the bed and nightstand and the chest should come within the next week or so.  So, his room should be complete by the end of the month!  I'll keep you posted and definitely will share pictures once it is complete.  I think I'm more excited than he is!

Happy Saturday!

A Day on the Lake

On Sunday, Trey and I decided to take Luke out on the boat for a little fun.  The weather was gorgeous, not too hot even though it was a little windy.  I've been wanting Luke to have a good experience in the lake since he fell in the last time.  He loves the boat so he's always willing to go for a ride and even drive the boat.  He gets so serious when he's "driving."  We tried to fish a little but it was too windy and Luke hasn't quite gotten the hang of fishing yet.  Not to mention he has a hard time saying the word fish.  He begins it with an "sh" sound so you can imagine what the word fish sounds like!  Luke went swimming with Trey and then we headed to Spinners to eat outside.  It was a great afternoon and Luke had a blast!  Here are a few pics from our outing.

Luke was ready to go!

Taking a dip with Daddy

Cheesing it up for the camera!

On our way back to the landing.  Luke had a great time!

Fishing...

Last weekend we visited my aunt and uncle at their house on Lake Cooley. Luke was really excited to get to try out his new fishing gear from his Uncle "BoBo." We had a great time with Nan, Josef and the whole fam grilling out hamburgers and spending time together. After lunch we headed down to the dock so Luke could fish. Erik had even bought Luke real worms which Luke refused to touch! Luke loved fishing and even though he didn't catch anything, there was still some excitement! There were chairs on the dock and Luke decided he wanted to sit in one. Well, he pushed the chair and it went off the dock and Luke went in right after it. Yes, he did have on his life jacket so he popped right up and of course Trey was right there and jumped in after him! I didn't freak out but I was shocked that it happened. It happened so fast yet in slow motion that I couldn't move! Luke didn't seem phased. All he said was "I fell in lake and dada get me!" Needless to say, it was an interesting Memorial day celebration. Of course, I had my camera to capture the whole thing! Trey did lose the fishing rod and a flip flop but after a long search, we found both!

Luke is ready to fish!

Trying to find some fish!

After the fall!

Trey trying to find his flip flop!

Right now, we're working on Luke's new big boy room.  Hopefully we'll have pictures of the finished product soon!

And baby makes 4...

Trey, Luke and I are pleased to announce that we'll be adding a little one to our family in early November!  We're really excited and can't wait to have a family of four.  I went to the dr yesterday and I'm 8 weeks along.  I'm due on November 4 and we couldn't be happier!  Luke seems to be excited too!  He knows mommy has a baby in her tummy and whenever I ask him if he wants a baby boy or a baby girl, he answers, "a baby gurl."  He's been pretty consistent although he will come out with "baby boy" every now and then.  We would love to have a girl although I love my little man and would love another baby boy!  I feel like I'm already popping out and the maternity clothes are looking more and more appealing to me!  I can't wait to do some shopping!

I'll keep you posted on Baby Anthony's progress! 

I'm a Rocker Mom...

And by this I don't mean that I'm into rock music.  What I mean is that I've gone from a mom who had a child who could go to sleep on his own to a child that has to be rocked to sleep almost every night!  And no, it's not because I want to.

Let me just let you in on what has been going on the past 2 months.  I made a decision when Luke was born that he was not going to have a paci past 2 years old.  Luke has always been a good sleeper (with a paci) and was always able to go to sleep on his own (without rocking) and was able to get himself back to sleep on his own (with a paci).  So, I waited until all the Christmas festivities had ended and we had settled back into our routine and I took the paci away.  Of course the first week was hard but we dealt with it.  However, since that big milestone in Luke's life he has been a CRAPPY sleeper!  He cries when we put him down and he wakes up several times during the night and can't get back to sleep.  Now at first I thought this had everything to do with the paci being gone.  But, it's been 2 months people!  2 MONTHS! 

I will say there have been days at a time where Luke has slept his normal 8 pm -6:30 am and life has been grand.  Then the stomach bug hit and ever since then it has been a battle.  He cries when you put him down and I have to go in there several times to rub his back and eventually rock him until he's almost asleep.  Then there's the 2 am and 5 am waking EVERY DAY!  Yes, I said it, EVERY DAY!  And at 5 am he's not wanting to go back to sleep.

Last week he had sinus infection and his 2 year molars are coming in so I am aware that those 2 things can throw off sleep.  But, this has been going on for almost 2 months. 

So, we're all sleep deprived and I want my child back who sleeps peacefully all night long or who can get himself back to sleep after waking up. 

I don't like being  a rocker mom!

There...that's my vent for the day!

Snow! Or as Luke would say "NO!"

It started snowing yesterday around 3:30 and didn't stop until late last night!  We woke up to 5+ inches this morning and it was beautiful!  Luke was so excited!  He kept running around the house yesterday saying "It no side!"  Translation: It's snowing outside!  Of course, we were up early and outside by 7:45 this morning!  Luke had a blast making snowballs and of course a snowman!  Here are some pictures of our snow adventure!

Here is our house with 5 inches!  It was so pretty!

I was trying to show Luke how to make a snow angel.  He was not impressed!

Luke was so excited!

Luke's snowman complete with a carrot nose and M&M's for eyes!