Santa at the Mall

John Lawrence and Mac went to the mall to see Santa. John Lawrence wanted to tell Santa that he wanted a race track. He forgot to tell him at the library. So, both boys fell asleep in the car and I (along with Mason) dragged them out and made them see Santa immediately. I was worried the line would get long if we went and played first. So, this is what we got. Both boys wanted nothing to do with Santa and would not even talk or smile at him.

The picture at the library was truly priceless!!! I am so glad we got it.

Visiting Santa at the Library

Here is a picture of the boys that made it in the local newspaper. John Lawrence was so excited to listen to the story and sit on Santa's lap. Big difference from last year!

Decorating the Christmas Tree

Here are some pictures of the boys decorating the Christmas tree. John Lawrence is so excited about Christmas this year he can't get enough!!! It has been such a treat to watch him experience it all!

Mac turns ONE!

We celebrated Mac's birthday on November 17th, but his true day was November 29th. He had a great birthday that last for 12 days thanks to big brother John Lawrence. We had to celebrate many times in between!










The next few are on his actual birthday. He was trying out a new toy with the help of JL. The last picture is on Mac thinking about eating a cupcake. He had a lick or two and then decided he did not want it.

Month of October

The month flew by with many fun Fall activities:

We started out at the Pumpkin Patch. John Lawrence had a ball there. He was able to ride in a tricycle race, ride a cow train, go on a hay ride and pick a pumpkin out of a real pumpkin patch.







Next, Dad and Diane came over Fall Break. We had a great visit with them. It is always so great to see them, but never long enough. They brought their new camper and the boys had a ball in it. JL stayed in it the entire time. (We even picked him up from school in it).



Then it was Fall Festival time in our neighborhood and at JL's school. They were both tons of fun. JL got to go on the Euro Bungy. He loved it and was not scared at all.









The week of Halloween consisted of a school party, carving pumpkins and eventually Trick or Treating.











Wow- now it is time for Thanksgiving, Mac's Birthday and then Christmas. Where has the year gone????????

Conversation between John Lawrence and myself

This morning on the way to preschool John Lawrence and I were talking. Here is how it went....

Mommy what are you going to be for Halloween?
What? (I am trying to think of what to say in case he holds me to it)
Mommy what are you going to be for Halloween?
Maybe I will be a witch. (Still thinking will he really make me do this)
No mommy I think you should be a ballerina.
Are you sure a ballerina?
Yes, I want you to be a ballerina.

So, anyway we will see if I can get out of dressing up as a ballerina for Halloween this year. Maybe he will forget about the conversation. I thought it was such a cute one that I had to put it in my blog, so that I will not forget our conversations at this age.

Mac's Baptism

Mac was Baptized on September 16th. We had a lot of family in town for the big event. We went to the service and came back to our house and had a great lunch. Mac was wonderful during the service. He never cried and tried to smile and laugh to keep everyone entertained. He did not mind water poured over his head or the walk with Father Tim around the church to meet all the members. Eric and Ellen were the Godparents and we thank them for coming home early from vacation to be a part of the special day for Mac.

Godparents Eric and Ellen

Family with Father Tim

Grandma Walker and Mammy

Mac after the service

Mac's Nine Month Check Up

Mac went for his 9 month checkup on September 17th (I am very late reporting). Here are his stats!

Weight: 25lbs 14oz -96%
Height: 31 1/2 in- 99%
Head: 18 3/4 94%

As you can see he is our big boy and almost off the charts!!! He still only has 2 teeth.

Trying on Halloween Outfits Mac and John Lawrence

I finally got John Lawrence's 1st Halloween costume out of the closet to see if Mac would be able to wear if this year. I am so excited that it fits!!!

I was convinced the boys looked identical in the costume so I searched on the computer to pull the pictures of John Lawrence and I now see they look nothing alike. It is amazing!

See if you know who is who.


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First Day of School

Here is John Lawrence on the first day of school-September 4th. He was so excited about going (and so was I). He goes 3 days a week and really loves it this year. He did not cry at all his first week so we rewarded him by taking him to Chuck E Cheese! He loved it!

John Lawrence's 1st USC football game

We took John Lawrence to his first ever South Carolina Gamecock Football game. We had a great time. My brother Gregory joined us as well! We tailgated, grilled hot dogs, went to see the band, chased Cocky around and even saw the first half of the football game. His favorite thing was cocky the mascot! Mason is just glad to have turned him into a Gamecock! Mission Accomplished!!!!!!


John Lawrence is truly tailgating!!!





Mason and JL just minutes before going into the game

Thanks Allison, Dad and Diane for babysitting Mac overnight so we could go to the game!

Another picture post

Tallulah Falls Hike with Martha Jane.

Picture Post

The first few pictures are at the beach on family vacation.








Mac's first day crawling.

Highlights from rest of July and August

Mac got another tooth on Tuesday, July 16th (only 2 days after his first tooth!!!). Mac is almost 9 months old and only 2 teeth so far.

We went to Allison's house on July 23rd for a few days. We had a great time. We went to some parks and Holly wild. The boys played great together.

Friday, July 27th we headed down to my Grandma Hunt's house. We always stop there on the way to Myrtle Beach for the Walker family vacation. We had a nice visit. My grandma and aunts always cook for us while we are there. It was a wonderful meal and so nice to see everyone. John Lawrence got to ride a go kart and a huge tractor. He had a ball. Mac was held the entire time so he was in heaven.

The next day (July 28th) we made it to Myrtle Beach where we did nothing, but relax by the pool or beach all day everyday for a week. We stay at the same house every year; however, this year they put in a pool and I must say it was the best year yet! The entire Walker clan came: Larry, Jan, Martha Jan (that is what JL calls her-there is no e on her name if you ask him) The Pangles and our family. The weather even cooperated with giving us a nice breeze.

The night before vacation was over John Lawrence and I were talking on a bed and JL was sitting Indian style and slipped off the end of the bed. He tried to catch himself and ended up breaking his left arm (he is left-handed). We took him to the emergency room immediately and they gave him morphine through an IV and then transferred us to another hospital that had a orthopedic surgeon on call. At about 1:30am he was put to sleep so they could set his arm back into place. He broke both bones in his arm about 3 inches above his wrist. We ended spending the night there and staying all day the following day before we could leave and head back to Atlanta.

We came back to Atlanta and have been seeing a pediatric ortho. surgeon weekly since he broke his arm. It is healing great and JL is adjusting just fine. It is amazing how fast kids recover and forget things. JL is already jumping on beds again-even though he was not jumping when he fell out. The downside of the broken arm is we had to cancel a camping trip with Allison, Dan and the boys, cancelled a week long beach trip to Edisto with Mom and Ron and JL is not going to play t-ball this fall. We all were so excited about t-ball. It would have been the first organized sport JL would have participated in.

==Milestone==
Mac started crawling at Larry and Jan's house on August 10th. He is happy to finally be mobile!

Jan and Larry had Mac the weekend of August 10th, so Mason, John Lawrence and I got to do things that we can't do with Mac. We went to a movie, the mall and on a hike. We went to Tallulah Falls in North Georgia for the day with Martha Jane. We had a great day. We went hiking, exploring and ended the day eating lunch at a nice restaurant in a small town nearby.

August 13th, MaryRose, Matt and the kids came in town for a visit. We had a great time. The kids played hard and stayed outside most of the time. We even went to the aquarium and it was not busy at all. Kids are back in school and going on a week day made it perfect. The adults all stayed up too late both nights, but we got to catch up.

Jan was in town for 2 days last week on Aug. 16th and 17th. She babysat for us while I took Mac to the doctor and then went shopping the following day. It was so nice to have a break! Thanks Jan!

Next week Mammy (Mason's grandmother-Jan's mom) is coming into town and spending half the week at our house and half the week at Ellen's house. We are looking forward to spending time with her and eating some great food!We are so looking forward to school starting for JL on September 4th. I think this year he will be as excited as I am.