Lights on??? Lights off???

With news of a “blizzard” on the way and two little ones in the house, we were not interested in risking a weekend with no electricity, heat, etc. like we did in December. So, we decided to play it safe and head to Tulsa to a hotel for the weekend. We were predicted to get 6-12 inches of snow, but that missed us and hit all of our friends and family in northwest Arkansas instead. (Sorry guys!) We only ended up needing to stay Saturday night and we had fun. Maddy likes checking out all of the cabinets, etc. at the hotel & climbing on the couch, etc. It was nice to just relax with the kiddos and not worry about laundry, toys all over place, dishes and all that fun stuff. We had Papa Johns delivered (a luxury now that we’re out in the country & there’s no such thing out here!) & just chilled out & played. Here we are…

Here's Gavin! Looks like he is thinking about going to sleep!
Maddy passed out on the couch watching Snow White while we were packing up Sunday morning. She only sleeps in her bed and in her carseat, so we were shocked that she agreed to crawl up on the couch with a pillow to rest!

The boys hangin' on the couch.

This looks like me on any ordinary day now that we have 2 kiddos!

Mother & Son Weekend

Jerod was off to drill this weekend, so Maddy went along with him and stayed with the Duncan's. Jerod was there at night to put her to bed, but otherwise this was her first official "sleepover" without Mommy. I miss her bunches, but know that it was good for her to get out & have fun since we're not really going to get Gavin out and about for a few weeks. She and I get cabin fever pretty easily! Plus, she got to go to Chuck E. Cheese for the first time for her cousins birthday party. I know Nana, Grandad and Zach enjoyed having her & were looking forward to keeping her for us--thanks you guys! As much as I missed Jerod and Maddy, I must say, it has been nice to cuddle with Gavin and have a little mother-son bonding time. I thought I would catch up on sleep and probably should have, but I opted to catch up on cleaning, little projects, blogging, working on birth announcements, bills, organizing toys, etc. instead. I'm sure I will regret it tomorrow!

Here's Gavin...not really thrilled with me & his "photo shoot" to get a cute one for his birth announcements (which turned out too cute! I can't wait to get them!)
Here's the picture I used for the announcements--love it!
Here he is chilling in his bouncer while I made a pan of homemade mac n cheese--the ultimate comfort food! Our family puts canned tomatoes in it--it's like heaven!

Life with Two!

Life with two kids is even better than I expected. Granted, I have been anticipating utter chaos for several months now and planning for a nervous breakdown, none of which have occurred. (Knock on wood!) I've learned that trying to stay a few steps ahead of the kids and staying organized really help us get through the day. Also, getting Gavin's routine aligned with Maddy's routine has been successful & very helpful. We are all adjusting, but so far it's been pretty painless. Maddy started getting a little short-fused & testing us more, but we figured that would happen. We are introducing "big girl" ideas to her & letting her "help" with Gavin, which seems to help. Here are some pics of our first couple of weeks at home...
Maddy the proud Big Sister (at least at this moment!)
Gavin is so easy going and such a laid back baby!
Maddy not enjoying sisterhood at this moment--can't you just hear her?
Sweet kiddos!

Introducing...Gavin Jerod Duncan

We are so excited that Gavin is finally here! He was born on February 23 at 1:08pm. He was a healthy 7lbs. 8 oz. & 20-1/2 in. long. He is a sweet little guy...doesn't cry much at all, is so snuggly & is getting cuter everyday! We already switched to soy formula after he kept having poopy diapers after every feeding which caused him to get a horrible diaper rash. He is all better now & doesn't mind getting his diaper changed. Big sister Madelyne seems to be taking it all in stride. She loves to kiss Gavin, point to his eyes, nose, mouth, etc. and pat him. She did get in one quick smack on the head, but that is the only real disaster so far. We have enjoyed having both of our moms here to help over the past week--it was a relief to have someone here to entertain Maddy, help with Gavin, cook, do laundry and really just to have someone here to visit with while Jerod was at the barns was the best. Starting tonight, it's just the four of us. At one point, both kids were crying--Maddy ready for bed, Gavin ready for his bottle...I just looked at Jerod and laughed & teared up at the same time--here we go!

Fun at the Mall by Maddy

Hey everybody! It's me, Maddy! I wanted to show you how much fun I had after Mommy's appointment today! When it takes over an hour to get to "town", riding in a car seat isn't on my list of favorite things to do, so Mommy & Daddy thought I'd like to stretch my legs at the play area in the mall. Here I am in the fire truck... (Daddy says I look super-cute in this picture...but what's up with that guy behind me?)
And here I am checking out the puzzle toys on the wall.
I also had my first taste of sweet tea today...and my second...and my third... Yummy!I'm not sure what was more fun...the tea or the straw!