Success!

After this failed attempt....

I decided to give up on professional haircuts and cut Henry's hair at home no matter how much he protested. Turned out that this meant Taylor had to pin him down on the couch with his knee so I could give a few whacks at his mullet. It proved worthless to even attempt to trim around his ears or his scraggly bangs.

Not an ideal situation.

So, we decided to let Taylor model how a big boy gets his hair cut at the barbershop. All day long, I prepped Henry for the big event. I let him play with scissors until he didn't melt down at the sight of scissors and we discussed how we would visit the firetrucks after his haircut.

I was pretty anxious about the whole event until the barber announced that he is the father of 4 boys, one of which is just a few weeks older than Henry. At that, I let out a sigh of relief. I knew this man wouldn't back down from a toddler and wouldn't be phased by tears.

I was right!

Pete at Rooney's Barbershop is my new favorite person.

Notice the sucker firmly clamped between his teeth.

It wasn't going anywhere...

My clean cut boys!

LT, recognize the shirt? It's been his favorite for over a year!

the good and the bad.

Henry is sick. Again.

The bad:

High fever.

Red and puffy left eye.

Nasty cough.

Sad demeanor.

Official diagnosis: clear ears and lungs with a lot of drainage

The good:

A 5.5 hour nap yesterday and we are working on hour #3 today.

He loves loves loves his mama when he doesn't feel good.

Sickness is the only time Henry watches videos at our house.

Yesterday was filled with hours of 2 minute Sesame Street clips from Hulu and YouTube.

Henry loves him some Elmo!

Notice the tongue?

He sticks his tongue out as far as he can when he sings the "la la la la" from Elmo's theme song.

Cute. Huh?

Chilling post 5.5 hour nap.

He woke up with a high temp so I stripped him down to his diaper.

Taylor was so concerned that even his toes were hot!

I am glad to report that little man is feeling much better today.

In fact, he was feeling well enough upon waking up to demand that his daddy put back on his dirty firetruck jammies he had worn the day before.

And, thankfully, he is feeling well enough so I don't have to endure another day of Elmo and gang!

Henry's favorite thing.

Hang around our house for a few hours and it is easy to decipher Henry's favorite thing...

All day long, he talks about Taylor.

Dada this and Dada that.

I ask him to help find my shoes.

He finds a pair of Taylor's shoes and says "Dada?".

I tell my child I love him more than anything.

The response?

"Dada."

I get him from his crib in the morning.

"Dada?" with his little neck craning to see if Taylor is following behind me.

panacea.

Henry has a bit of a cough this morning so I thought, "Mmmm, what makes a cough better?"

Shipley's Donuts -- duh!

Show mama your donut.

Think he likes sweets? Maybe he is my child after all...

He also loves his water, just like me!

I don't think Henry has minded this pregnancy too much...

I've been on a major baked good and fried dough kick lately and he has definitely benefited from my sweet tooth.

Cheesers!!!!!

sweet saturday.

happiness.

Henry loves TV.

Too bad we didn't ask his opinion when we uplugged our TV last summer.

Good thing he knows how to work that remote at his grandparents' house!

nesting.

For several days, I noticed this little bird hanging out on our fence with his little mouth filled to the brim with nesting materials. Lo and behold, one day I saw him fly into a tiny little decorative birdhouse that sits on top of our fence.

Looks like I'm not the only nester on the block!

fishies.

How can you tell Henry was the biggest fan EVER of the Georgia Aquarium?

Hmmmm.

The smile on his face?

The hand on the glass?

The aquarium themed outfit?

The wonder in his eyes?

The sounds of his "oooohs" and "aaaaahs"?

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

But, maybe the best indicator of his love for the Georgia Aquarium is that it absolutely, completely, totally wore his little butt out and he napped for 2.5 hours in a hotel room in a strange hotel crib!

proudly rear facing at 20 months!!!!!

Did you know that the American Academy of Pediatricians recommends that babies ride rear facing until 2 years old?

If you have a baby under two years old, google "extended rear facing" and make your own decision!

just like daddy.

Easter traditions...

How do we celebrate Easter in Columbia?

Riding the golf cart in loops around the yard.

Enjoying a beautiful day with great company.

Blowing bubbles with cousins.

Attempting a posed picture next to the bunny rabbit.

Being very piggy with his Yogurt Melt treat snacks.

Sharing his Yogurt Melts with his only true love in life: dogs.

Dyeing eggs for the annual "Easter Egg Dyeing Contest".

Hunting hard boiled eggs on Easter morning with lots of cousins.

Cindy and Danny, thanks so much for making yet another Easter a very special memory!

our summer garden.

For the past 3 summers, we have enjoyed the fruits of Taylor's labor in our summer vegetable garden.

We are a vegetable loving family and there is nothing better than eating fresh produce grown in your own backyard -- especially when your only job is to sit on the back steps and comment that the tomatoes looked wilted and need watering or that the garden is looking a bit weedy and needs a little love.

Last summer, I decided to actively participate in tending to the herbs but after I picked every single dill sprout thinking they were weeds, I decided why mess with Taylor's heritage of solo gardening success?

Thankfully, this summer Henry is big enough to shoulder some of the gardening responsibilities:

Helping his dada plant the seeds in their little baby seed home. Henry was a BIG fan of throwing the dirt on top of the seeds.

Helping his dada push the wheelbarrow of dirt around the yard.

AND, BEST OF ALL...

Watering the garden complete with his very own sound effects.

President Keenum's Egg Hunt!

Henry was a seasoned pro at his 2nd Easter egg hunt of the season. Too bad there were a million other seasoned kids in the mix. Thankfully, Hen didn't seem to mind that he only snagged 3 eggs and that I immediately ate his candy loot.

We saw lots of friends and had a good time even though it was officially "hot" that day and I was feeling extraordinarily pregnant after the walk from the car to the egg hunt.

wrong reaction.

Aren't you supposed to be happy and smiley after your mama shares a plate of freshly baked homemade chocolate chip cookies at 9:00 in the morning?

Looks like someone didn't get the memo.