Picture update

Snow-cones at summer camp

Jacob and Tweedle

First day of school

At the Laser Show with G-Daddy

Yummy peas!

Falling down on the job

It has been way too long since I have updated the blog! So much has happened since mid July, so let me try to catch everyone up.

Jacob is sitting up on his own, crawling up a storm, and even pulling himself to standing. He has tried to take a few steps while holding on to the couch, but can't quite figure it out. I think we are going to have a super early walked though! I am not ready for my baby to grow up so fast though. Jacob has also started on solids since turning 6 months. He has tried avocado, oatmeal, peas, bananas, sweet potatoes, applesauce, and prunes. Prunes and oatmeal seem to be his favorites so far. At school he is also trying to steal cookies from the older kids, but can't figure out how to chew them!

Speaking of school, this is the beginning of our third week of school. Jacob is in the Parent's Morning Out A class and Myers is in Parent's Morning Out B class. Myers is learning so much in his class. He has been singing all kinds of new songs like "Humpty Dumpty," "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," and "Zip a Dee Doo Da." In our Bible curriculum, we are learning about how God made everything, and Myers has informed me that God made the sun-shiny day, water, milk, and all the animals. Jacob is having fun playing with all the other kids and the musical toys in his classroom. He also did is first art project (finger painting with baby food with food coloring in it)!

Myers is potty training and doing pretty well. Of course he has accidents here and there, but he is making it to the bathroom more often than not. He has a rewards chart that we put a sticker on every time he goes to the potty and he is getting to pick out a hot wheel tonight. He also gets 3 M&M's every time he goes to the potty. This is also helping him learn his colors because he has to tell me the color of the M&M's before he gets them!

Our garden has been quite productive lately. We have lots of cherry tomatoes and we have been able to eat home grown okra and green beans several different times. The sweet corn harvest was delicious as well.

Playing in the sawdust

Myers and Jacob in the sawdust at the Tabernacle

Myers playing in the spring

Getting ready for Big Sunday

Last week we got back from Salem Campmeeting 2011. This is a very important annual tradition for us. It is a time of spiritual renewal for me each year. There are always great preachers, great hymns to be sung, and time to spend with good friends and family on the porches.

Myers really enjoyed his week and can't wait to go back next year. Almost everyday this week he has asked if we can go "to the tent" or if we can "do that at campmeeting."

For my friends who don't know much about campmeeting, visit the website www.salemcampmeeting.org.

Picture update

Jacob and me at the Marietta Square

Myers on the Train Slide at the Marietta Square

Driving on the screened porch

Honey and Myers looking at the giraffes at Zoo Atlanta

Jacob vhilling in the stroller at the zoo

Myers helped George water the garden and watered himself in the process!

Jacob hanging out on the porch

Myers and his bubble machine

At Aunt Cindy and Uncle David's pool

Jacob's first time in the pool

Starlight 6 Drive-In Theatre

In the Atlanta area, we are lucky enough to still have a drive-in theater. It is off Moreland Avenue and has been there since 1949. It is quite a steal at only $7 a person for two movies! Last night we went to see Rio and Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides. We brought blankets and pillows to put in the back of the hatchback. Myers was able to talk and play in the car without bothering anyone else, and George and I were able to watch a movie without having to get a babysitter. The concession stand even had King of Pops popsicles for sale. We tired the Arnold Palmer popsicle, and it was pretty good.

On a roll...

First, I am really on a roll with blog updates. Six in one month? That may be a record, or at least a tie.

Second, Jacob is on a roll. He is rolling all over the place these days. If you put him down on his back, he immediately rolls to his tummy. If you put him on his tummy, he is all of the sudden on his back. He will go from one side of the rug in the living room to the other pretty quickly, so I have to watch him like a hawk! Before I know it, he is going to be crawling and then walking. Soon my little baby won't be a baby anymore.

Extended Rear Facing

A lot of people have asked me, "Can't you turn Myers' car seat forward facing yet?" According to the laws of Georgia, we absolutely could. In fact, we could have turned him forward facing on his first birthday since he was over 20lbs. We have chosen not to though, and I thought I should explain why.

When Myers was born, George and I had never heard of extended rear facing. We assumed that we would buy a forward facing seat for him when he turned one and that was it. Then I read a magazine article in Parents magazine. It shared that rear facing is 5 times safer for children under two, and that in countries like Sweden, they routinely rear face their kids until 4 or 5 years old. This got us thinking, and so we started to do our own research. We read articles about the benefits of extended rear facing. We watched crash tests on youtube (some of which are chilling). We decided that we would rear face our kids as long as possible.

These are some facts about extended rear facing from Car-safety.org:

- Rear-facing is safest for both adults and children, but especially for babies, who would face a greater risk of spinal cord injury in a front-facing car seat during a frontal crash.
- Rear-facing car seats spread frontal crash forces over the whole area of a child's back, head and neck; they also prevent the head from snapping relative to the body in a frontal crash.
- Rear-facing car seats may not be quite as effective in a rear end crash, but severe frontal and frontal offset crashes are far more frequent and far more severe than severe rear end crashes.
- Rear-facing car seats are NOT a safety risk just because a child's legs are bent at the knees or because they can touch/kick the vehicle seat. (Myers often crosses his legs or props them up on the back of the seat)
- Rear-facing as long as possible is the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatricians, and can reduce injuries and deaths. Motor vehicle crashes are the #1 overall cause of death for children 14 and under.

Another question I have been asked is, "Doesn't Myers complain?" He has never been in a forward facing car seat, so he doesn't know the difference. Also, a rear facing car seat is slightly more reclined which makes long car trips and napping in the car more comfortable.

The fact is, riding in a car is by far the most dangerous part of our day to day lives. George and I have found a way to keep our kids a little bit safer for a little bit longer. Extended rear facing may not be the norm for most people, but George and I have never been the type of people to follow the crowd.

Here is a video on youtube about the importance of rear facing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psmUWg7QrC8

P.S. We also plan to keep our boys harnessed for longer than average, so expect a blog on that one at some point in the future!