Happy Fourth and a Few Firsts!

Yummy homemade ice cream with Graham's favorite! We picked the blueberries at Jones Orchard in Millington.

Before I forget the recipe: 1 qt half and half, 1 qt whipping cream, 4 eggs, 4tsp vanilla, 2 cans eagle brand. In a double broiler cook the half and half and whipping cream till warm. Add 1/2 cup warm mixture to beaten eggs while stirring. Then stir eggs and milk in double broiler till it sticks on the back of a metal spoon. Place whole pan in ice bath till cool. Stir every 10 minutes in the refrigerator. Leave "custard" on fridge for at least 3 hours. (better over night) Freeze in ice cream freezer. Very rich and custard like, almost as good as Rita's!


Gentry at 7 months with her first teething biscuit. Both bottom teeth broke through last week!Pap giving her a taste of baby carrots. She ate about 10 spoonfuls.

Grahammy boy eating one of his favorites! Matthew told him to stop eating his strawberries and blueberries and to eat his ice cream. What parent has to say that? Funny boy!

Can't get Blogger to load videos...... Hope you can see this!


Graham had a great "family party" at home on his birthday. He loved his cheesecake birthday cake and cheeseburger lunch.

Graham Turns Two




I can't believe my baby is two today! We have been so blessed to watch you grow and learn. I hope you have been just as blessed to call us Mom and Dad. We love you so much Grahamyboy!

What Graham loves to do at 2 years old:
He loves to sing (Itsy bitsy Spider and bible songs are his favorites)
kiss on baby Gentry
check the "crops" every morning
Eat any kind of fruit
Use his new tools
Fish in the swimming pool
Climb the stairs
Swim
He told Matthew, "I like Dirt!" while they were planting the garden
He loves to do anything outside
Read bedtime stories and hold Monkey
He can count to 16
He knows his abc's
He still loves baths
He doesn't love milk
He doesn't like mama to brush his teeth
He has started testing the lines we are drawing
He still doesn't sleep through the night but we love "getting" to check in on him and cuddle
He is sleeping in his Great great grandmother's double bed that came over on a boat from England.
He loves his new house and talks about it all the time

Happy Happy Birthday little boy!

To Wet Your Whistle

We have been very busy working on buying a house! Now for the long wait till closing. I promise to update very soon. We have been having a lot of fun lately!! Until then here are a few pictures and videos to enjoy!

Craft time with Nana!
All my favorite people! What a great Daddy!!!
Pap telling Graham about the elephant before church.


This is the first time Graham counted to 13! Way to go 21 month old!

Two Month Check-up

Gentry survived her two month check-up and shots! Unlike her brother she actually flirted and cooed at the Dr. the entire time he was examining her. I could actually have a conversation with Dr. Y without having to yell. It was pretty remarkable. Matthew said it was because someone was actually giving her some attention. That of course made me really sad. It seems like no one is getting any undivided attention these days. She weighed in at 10lbs. 5 oz. That is a five pound gain from her hospital release weight. She is only a pound shy of doubling her birth weight! She is now 21 inches long and her head is measuring 14 3/4 inches. These are both in the 6th percentile. Looks like she may take after the Truxton side of the family. Her weight is in the 25th - 50th.

She is sleeping less during the day and loves to talk to her bears while I'm changing her. She also really enjoys her activity gym. She just kicks and kicks at the "Target dog" and bats Lion with her hands. She seems to be less gassy, I'm hoping the block feeding is helping. I can sort of see an improvement in the spraying and gagging. Graham has started to show a little more jealousy and is acting out be hitting and sitting on Gentry. I would like to blame it on the cabin fever, but I think it may be a problem we are really going to have to work on.

Putting the kids to bed by myself is not really improving. I cherish the nights that Matthew is home to help. Hopefully Gentry will become happier playing by herself or be asleep while I'm putting Graham down more and more. For now we just all get in bed together and cry until one finally gives up. Most nights it's Graham who gives up first. He will fall asleep in the fold of my leg while I pat his back and he cries about the covers. They are never right; he wants them on, then off, then on and so on. I'm still loving being a mother of two, but am always wishing for more hands and the ability to hold them both at the same time.

I wish I had a picture: Last Thursday Matthew walked out the door for work just as I needed to begin dinner. Graham had just woken up in the worst mood. (comes by it naturally) Gentry was also crying. She needed to fall asleep, but also needed to be upright so she could burp. I quickly put her in the front pack (baby bjorn) and crammed Graham into the backpack. I stooped at the couch to hike Graham onto my back. I then proceeded to make dinner very peacefully. No one was crying and Graham was just talking and talking about everything I was doing. After dinner Graham was carrying the backpack around and was begging for me to hold him.(sound familiar?) I'm so glad we have these fantastic inventions!

From Our "Weekend"

We are very slowly adjusting to Matthew's new work schedule. I am getting better at being a single parent when the schedule calls for it. We have even gotten out by ourselves a few times this week. LLL was great! Everyone really enjoyed getting to meet Gentry. Graham had a blowout and had to wear Pjs the rest of the night. Somehow I only got out of the house with one diaper for Gentry so I owe the church 3 size ones, that we borrowed. Church went fairly well this week! Thanks to Andrea and Barbra. I noticed on Wednesday that they have installed the TV in the nursing mother's room. That will be fantastic on Sunday! I may actually get to hear/see a whole sermon. Gentry is sleeping about 5 hours and then follows up with 3 hour stretches after that. Graham is still finding his way to our room most nights but goes about 7 hours by himself first. I have been on a video kick lately, so here are two more.... Matthew and I both got new glasses this week and we are working on getting back into contacts. I'll post pictures of our new glasses soon. Hope everyone has a great week!

I Lost my Newborn

Gentry will be seven weeks old on Wednesday! I have already put away all of the newborn clothes. She is fitting nicely in 0-3 month clothes now. I used the last newborn diaper last night. Size one here we come! She has a pretty bad diaper rash, again. I believe she is allergic to the Pampers Sensitive Thick Care wipes. Cloth diapers today and tomorrow should take care of it. She smiled and cooed at her daddy last night for the first time. She is really enjoying her playtime on the floor while Graham and I do "baby bible class" each morning. Graham was helping her pat the Bible today. It was precious!
I had to include these videos of Graham! He loves to play outside! The first video is of us walking to the trash. A daily ritual! The second video is Graham's love for rocks. He loves to count things, but doesn't get it right every time.
I'm loving my twenty month old and almost two month old!

5 1/2 Weeks as a Mother of Two

First off... Do I ever shower? No, this is my lovely self at our Curton Christmas get together. Before children I would have been put together and might of even worn makeup to said event. Now? Not so much. My kids were dressed and looking cute, bonus points for me. Right?














God really blessed us with a great work schedule for Matthew for the last two years. Of which I am very grateful. This year I am beginning to wonder what he is trying to teach me? Peacefulness? Gratefulness? Using my time wisely? Learning to depend on him? Wisdom? Some days I am at a complete loss. I have just finished putting my two children to bed alone for three nights in a row. Gentry has decided that 6pm to 10pm is her "crying time." Graham has a very strict bedtime routine that works like magic if I get to follow it. We watch Wheel of Fortune from 6:30 to 7:00, bath and PJs from 7:00 to 7:30, Three books, prayer, and three songs. Then he is out like a light. The only problem is he has to be snuggled while singing. This means one of us has to lay down and use both arms to hold him tightly. That is how he wants it. I can't "hold" both of them at the same time, so you see I am having quit the time getting both of them off to dream land. I have been "wearing" Gentry from about 7:30 till 10 most nights in the Moby Wrap. Graham hates this and cries "holllld yoooou" until Gentry is finally asleep and I can take her off. So you see my delima.....

The first night they both cried from 7:30 to 8:30, then woke up at 10:30 and cried until Matthew got home at 1:00am. The next night I tried leaving Gentry in a "safe" place while I concentrated on Graham. She cried in the swing so hard and loud that Graham wouldn't go to sleep. He kept saying "Gentry cry." This was with his bedroom door closed and the sound machine on. I just can't make both of them happy at the same time! The third night I let Graham watch Disney channel in my bed with the lights off while I nursed Gentry to sleep. She was almost out and Graham was laying over on my lap while I patted him with the free hand. Then the front door opened. Daddy was home and the party began (Graham got a second wind, like you have never seen before.) What on earth am I supposed to do? I can't reason with Graham and I can't stand to hear Gentry cry. Any suggestions??? Which one do you ignore and for how long? I am so glad Matthew is home the other five nights. He is such a good Daddy and very involved. I am very appreciative for that. For some reason nap time goes OK, which is the same routine minus TV and bath. Gentry usually sleeps through it which is great.













Here is a sweet picture of the outfit Aunt "Coco" Jana bought for Gentry for Christmas.

She is really starting to plump up. Her thighs have a few rolls I actually have to pull apart and wash in the tub. Her long "fluffy" hair is starting to disappear. No actual bald spots yet. She is beginning to be awake a little more during the day. At night she usually goes 3 hours before nursing again. I am only having to change her diaper once in the night. She slept 5 1/2 hours after that first horrible night of crying for 3 hours off and on. That night I sent Matthew a text "come home," it didn't work. I guess the planes can't land themselves.


I had to include this crazy picture of Graham. (A dentists nightmare.) He is nineteen months and talking in complete sentences. He still loves fruit more than anything else. He has had croup this week, which was no fun for anyone. He hasn't stopped playing with his airport and new tractors(both Christmas gifts). He loves his baby sister and wants to "tiss her" all the time. I can't wait until the weather warms up and we can run off some boy energy. The "twos" are beginning to show. Lots and lots of No!! Mama! This too shall pass. Right?




Only the grandparents will care, but this video was from today. I''l try to translate: At first he is saying "Oh Happy Day" from the song, Oh happy day, when Jesus washed my sins away..... Then he is talking about the blueberries. He is saying they are cold and eat it. Then I ask if they are good and he says"no", but then changes his mind and answers yes. Next he is saying Hat, hat, hat, on off. At the end he is saying eyes, eyes.
Well, there is the complete Horner update! Hope you all are well! Hope to blog again soon.