What A Week!

Last week was the busiest & hardest week that I have had since having 2 kids!  We have a ton going on with Brayden & of course because of that Colton decided that he was going to start getting up between 3-4am again.......not nice little guy, not nice at all.

Brayden has been a busy little guy since starting potty training; he doesn't like it because it interrupts his play time, movie, show......you name it he doesn't want to do it because there are so many better things he could be doing!  He is getting the hang of sitting there but has yet to actually go.  When he finally does (& I have faith that it will be soon) this momma is going to look like the biggest idiot dancing around, screaming & yelling in praise.  He loves when we clap & say yeah when he does something grand around the house so maybe this will help with this process.  I actually didn't think that it would be this hard to get him to actually pee for the first time; he has been pointing when he has been peeing for a while now.........oh well he'll get the hang of it soon enough.

We have also taken his most prized possession away just this past week; his binky was "broken" on Monday & Tuesday so Wednesday it had to go bye-bye.  He has done remarkably well; yes he still cries for a second for it & he wakes up here & there throughout the night looking for it & get very upset when he doesn't find it but goes back to sleep in about 2-3 minutes & yes it breaks my heart to see him so upset but it had to go eventually so now was as good a time as any!  With all of these changes going on I feel like my little guy is growing up so fast & I have even shed a few tears over it; silly I know but as amazing as it is to watch him grow up it is sad too.

Lastly, on Thursday we had an appointment to get B evaluated with a speech therapist.  At 2 years old he should have a 50 word vocabulary & since he isn't close to that number & we don't want him to fall behind we took him to see someone.  We were also concerned since "Googling" the subject of a few other things that could be delaying him BUT thankfully he is just stubborn & hard headed & it is something that we can work on & he will be caught up in no time at all.  It was such a relief to hear that he is physically & mentally OK; I knew that he was but I guess I just had to hear it for myself.  We will be starting therapy twice a week in about a week; I can't wait for B to start talking to me & being able to communicate when he wants & needs........I the the frustration level in the Goodson household is about to decrease a good bit!

Let me just say that B isn't not talking at all; he is saying things here & there but he's just not talking like he should be so that is why we were concerned.  Let me also say that B was the one that was supposed to be getting the evaluation but I felt like I was the one under the microscope.  I felt like when she would ask questions about what he does, how he is, or how we try to get him to do this or that that it was actually me that she was evaluating.  It broke my heart to think that it could be because I maybe baby him a little to much that he isn't talking.  To think that I could be the reason for him being behind broke my heart; I try to make sure that I "do" what is right for B & C too but is babying your baby actually a bad thing sometimes??  Apparently so........

Don't get me wrong she didn't say any of this, this is just how I felt after the session with her; she actually said that B is just a strong willed chilled.  Hard headed, wants what he wants when he wants it, & just like his father in my words.......maybe B comes by this honestly because of his genes but whatever the case may be we were told that we have a rough few months coming but the outcome will be our little guys voice being heard more & more & the tantrums from frustration will come less & less.

I pray each & every night for God to guide me to be a great mom for the boys, to help me teach them right from wrong, good from bad & how to grow up as amazing young men.  I pray for him to let them know how much they are loved & how much we want only the best for them.  I pray for him to instill in me that I have to be a parent before I am their friend & playmate & to just help me to overall do what is best for them!  Having & raising these to little guys is the best job I am ever going to have & I just want to do right by them & sometimes knowing what is best or right is hard..............I still have to learn to trust my own judgment.

1st Family Vacation - Part Three

I don't know if B had more fun or if Lance did; he works so hard & so much so that I can be home with the boys so this was a very special trip for him & the boys.

We ate so much food at every restaurant we ate at; this was Bayou Bill's

It really couldn't have been any better than this.........

We got the flash light out to show B how to look for sand crabs.

B chilled by putting his feet in the hot tub; he didn't want the jets on at all or to get in it but he loved to just barely dangled his soft little feet in it.

Thursday (the day before we left) we spent all morning in the pool & B was swimming the whole time & almost all by himself too.

I really have to get him in swim lessons this winter; I was going to do it last winter but didn't want to scare anyone by being pregnant & in a swim suit.

He was VERY tired & took the best nap of his life!!

Colton seemed to be pretty tired himself & Lance took that time to find out where we would be dining that evening.........he wanted to find the perfect place for our 4th Wedding Anniversary

This is where he decided we should go & it couldn't have been any better!!

It was the perfect restaurant on the beach in Destin & the had the most amazing atmosphere.

It stormed while we ate & made it even better since it was very open.

That night we took our last stroll on the beach with the boys, JuJu & PaPa

& blew bye-bye kisses to the ocean to say good bye.........until next year!!  We will be returning because it was the perfect trip at the perfect time of year!!

Thank you to JuJu & PaPa for taking us on such a very wonderfully amazing vacation!!

1st Family Vacation - Part Two

Doesn't he look like a Ninja Turtle??

This is the building our condo was in!

One of the very few pictures of the 4 of us together; Brayden doesn't like to sit still for anything.

Colton just hung out in his carrier each night for our after dinner walks on the beach

B has his hands up because it is part of the game that we we play with him to get him to listen & pay attention to who is talking to him........whatever works right?

I know I have said it before & I know that they are mine but goodness they are cute!!

Bath time for C while B was still on the beach running a muck

The sunset was so beautiful every night.

Thankfully there weren't alot of people staying in the building because B loved to ride up & down the elevator & in the lobby downstairs every night before bed & first thing in the morning too & when we would come back from the beach or pool or when he would wake up from nap........you get the idea!

Peaceful.........

On our way to eat at Tommy Bahamas

& what is right out of the back patio just for Brayden to play in???  Water fountains...........

We walked to the ice cream shop to get some dessert & B saw his reflection in the window & got so excited he danced

& there are still more photos..  Sorry for the overload but we aren't all 4 together that often & I went a little picture crazy!!

1st Family Vacation - Part One

We spent last week in Santa Rosa Beach Florida (15 minutes from Destin, FL) for our 1st official family vacation & had the best time.  The weather was perfect & not too hot & because kids are back in school this time of year we had the beach almost all to ourselves.

We left on Sunday (the 11th) & returned that Friday (the 16th); we celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary on the 15th & the 16th was my 35th birthday but I didn't really feel the need to celebrate that!  We enjoyed each & everyday that we were there, ate too much food & loved every minute of the boys playing & laughing...........it was a week of perfection!!

The boys, PaPa, JuJu & I left around 10am Sunday morning so that we could travel while B slept; he didn't sleep long at all but we still only had to stop once & both boys did amazingly well.  Lance had to work so he was driving down when he got off at 5.  B was so excited to get out of the car & get into the elevator to push the buttons.  

We walked down to the beach & waited to see if it was going to scare him or if he was going to fall in love......

He was in love...........he had no fear of the sand or the water at all.  I wish he was a little bit more hesitant about getting into the water since the undertow warning was high but he wasn't so we just stayed by his side the entire week!

As B frolicked that first evening Colton & I spent some quality time together; he loved the carrier he used to despise & was quite taken with the birds, views & the sound of the ocean.

We went back to the condo to get bathes & get settled in for the night & wait for Lance.

Colton stayed up way to late & just passed out.

The boys slept great & the next morning they were up & ready to go; B enjoyed the view from the patio as we ate breakfast.

We went straight to the beach & Colton passed out........for a kid that doesn't like to nap he liked to do it at the beach!!

B obsessed over feeding the birds

& was in hog heaven the whole morning!!

We walked up & down the almost completely empty beach & just let B run free

He & Lance built sand castles 

& we attempted a family picture but as you can see the sad won out of us holding him.

We walked up from the beach & he wanted to get straight into the pool; again no fear even though he had no clue how to swim.

Colton sat in the shade & enjoyed some time in his walker playing.

& B started to learn to swim.

We went back up to rest & Colton & daddy enjoyed some time while B napped.

I of course took a bazillion photos so am going to post them in a few different entries to spare an overload.