pulling up

I took these pictures about a week ago.  This is how I found him after his nap.  He was so proud of himself.  I'm glad we lowered the bed a couple weeks ago. 

He is also teething. He is getting his top 2 teeth so chewing on everything, including his crib.

month pictures

Look how much he has grown.

8 month pictures

Austin turned 8 months on the 25th (just now getting around to posting them).  He is getting harder and harder to photograph.  I had my mom helping me this time and we had the hardest time getting him to stay still.  He wanted to flip, crawl, pull up, roll, anything but lay there.  He ripped the 8 before I took even the first picture.  He is going to keep me on my toes =)

Swimming

More pictures of Austin and mommy swimming.  He loves the water.

triathlon

I did my first triathlon last weekend and really enjoyed it. My friend Halley and I trained for a few months and competed at the Memphis and May Mountain Bike Triathlon. The swimming was great, the biking was hard, and the run was pretty good. David, Austin, and Ron (my father in law) came to watch along with some friends from church.

Austin watching the race.

My biggest supporter.

Halley and I in our wetsuits before the swim.

Before we started the swim in the lake. 

Mountain biking in the grass and trails.

Crossing the finish line. My official time was 1:36.07. I placed 2nd in my age group.

I was exhausted. 

more beach pictures

My father in law sent these beach pictures to me and I couldn't help posting them because they are precious.

Granddad putting Austin's feet in the water.

Austin loves his granddad.

Don't you want to eat him up. 

He is the happiest baby.

This is my favorite picture. He is so happy and loving life. 

my two boys

My two boys have the sweetest relationship. Austin lights up when he sees his daddy and gives him the biggest smile and David grins from ear to ear when he sees Austin. I am so blessed by these 2 special men.

Such a great daddy

Austin loves the remote control. We found an old one to let him play with.

A little piece of Heaven

 

swing

Daddy and Granddad hung a swing in our front yard and Austin loves it. At the end of the day when he starts to get a little fussy, I can always count on the swing to make him smile.

favorite time of the day

Mornings are my favorite time of the day. Austin sleeps anywhere from 12 1/2 to 13 1/2 hours at night (I'm very blessed) and then wakes up making the sweetest sounds. I go into his room to get him and bring him back to my bed to nurse. After he finishes nursing we spend time playing on the bed together. We laugh, sing, jump, crawl, roll, pull mommy's hair. It is my favorite time of the day.

Playing with mommy

Just relaxing 

Now it's time to play!!!

Look at that precious smile...don't you want to squeeze those sweet cheeks?!?

Mother's Day

I had a wonderful Mother's Day! David was on call the night before but got off in time to make it to church. When I got home from church, there were beautiful flowers for both Forrest and I, some tasty treats, and a new CamelBak for me to use while biking and running. The best gift was spending the whole day as a family. We don't get a lot of days like that because of David's busy work schedule. We ate lunch together, took a nap together (Austin in his crib), went and visited Forrest, visited David's grandma, and ate dinner together. It was a very special day. David knew it was going to be tough on me because not only was it Mother's Day but it was the 10th which is always hard on me. Forrest would have been 20 months old. Even though I have the most precious son here on Earth with me and I am so thankful for his life, I still miss Forrest every day. I wish he was here to play with his brother and for me to hug and kiss on.

Austin wanting to touch the flowers at Forrest's gravesite

Mommy telling Austin all about his brave big brother

I wish I was holding both my boys and not visiting one at his gravesite

Austin with his great grandmother Grace

He loves Grandma Grace

in the baby pool

I purchased a baby pool for our backyard and we tested it out today since it was so hot. He loved it!! He splashed and splashed and splashed. I think this is going to be a fun activity for Austin and I this summer.

just hanging out in my pool

i did stick him in there naked. we do have lots of swimsuits but it was just easier to put him in there naked. 

watching Sadie run around like a crazy dog

(disregard the high grass, david is working ALOT so the yard has not been cut recently)

new outfit and cutting teeth

This is Austin's typical face right now, not too happy. He is fussy for part of the day (and some nights) because of teething. He cut his first tooth but we think there are more coming. Austin is typically the happiest little guy so its been tough to see (and hear) him fussy. I am ready for those teeth to break through. (For the grandparents, click on the picture above to see my one lone tooth cutting through).
On to the cute outfit he is wearing. My friend Amy sewed this precious outfit for him. It is perfect for him because it has airplanes, trains, and sailboats on it, all things that his extended family loves. We met for lunch a couple weeks ago and she brought along the sweet outfit. Thanks Amy! It fits perfectly.

Austin and Amy at lunch