22 Questions with Pate

Interview with Pate at 5

1. What is your favorite color? Blue

2. What is your favorite toy? Blaze

4. What is your favorite TV show? Blaze and the Monster Machines

3. What is your favorite store? Toys R US

5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? turkey and cheese

6. What is your favorite thing to wear? superman shirt and fast pants

7. What is your favorite game? football

8. What is your favorite snack? fruit snacks

9. What is your favorite animal? tiger

10. What is your favorite song? Jesus Loves Me

11. What is your favorite book? Blaze book

12. Who is your best friend? Caleb

13. What is your favorite restaurant? Mexican

14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? play football 

15. What is your favorite drink? Sprite

16.What is your favorite candy? gummy worms

17. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Pancakes

18. What do you not like to do? take a picture

19. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? tiger and bunny and eeyore

20. What do you want to be when you grow up? a football player

21. What is your favorite movie? Cars

22. What was your favorite part of being four? going to the museum 

Sunday Funnies

Yesterday, Pate asked me something about how God and Jesus were the same thing, while we were riding in the car. I said, "Yes, they are the same but they're also different," as I tried to explain the Trinity to him in four year old terms. I was telling him about how God the Father, God the Son, Jesus, and God the Holy Spirit are three different people, but one in the same. Alabama says, "Yeah, Pate, you know, just like that stuff in our bathtub. It's shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. 3-in-1." Lol!!! 

5 months

Sweet baby, you are 5 months old now! You're growing up way too fast to be the last baby! You weigh 16 pounds and wear 3-6 month clothes. Some of those are a little tight now. Your hair is getting a lot lighter. I still think there's a little bit of red in it, too. You haven't got any teeth, but drool constantly. You can reach for toys and love to put necklaces, etc, in your mouth. You have held yourself up with some assistance a few times. You got in the pool for the first time when we went swimming with Ana and John. You sleep in your crib now, except when you were sick this past month. :( You had yucky congestion and a cough. You do a "silent laugh" which is so funny. You found your toes and love to play with them while you're on your back. You can also roll to your side but haven't rolled all the way over. You do turn all around though!  You like to play in the exersaucer now and are walking around with it! You still play with the baby gym and sit in the bumbo, too. You love your passy but have also sucked your thumb a few times this month. We went to church one day and forgot it and you sucked your fingers and went to sleep. I was shocked! You're such a sweet baby and everyone tells me how beautiful and how good you are.

You did not want to sit here for this picture. You kept pushing up with your feet and falling over. 

After church

Swimming in your cute bikini

Atlanta for Papa's birthday

My favorite Carter's outfit

B and JJ came to see us!

The first day of school in your Beaufort Bonnet outfit

This little piggy

Date night with Aunt Ashley, Uncle Wal, and Annabelle

Celebrating my birthday at Sconyers with the family

Pate climbing up to check on you. Sweet brother. :)

 We love you more and more every day. I'm just so very thankful for your precious life. I know God has great plans for you and I'm excited to see you grow! Just not too fast. :)

Summer 2016

As it feels like our summer is coming to a close, I wanted to write about the things that we've done this summer and what we still want to do! We will start back with school on August 15th. We have joined a co op this year and are excited about the new opportunities there. I'm a little nervous about my music class but I know it will all come together and be fine! :) So, even though summer isn't over, and even when it technically is, the days are still warm and we will still have time to do some fun things. 

This summer we've: 

Completed the Library's Summer Reading Challenges 

Went to the {Atlanta} Zoo

Played outside

Watched TV

Went swimming several times with friends

Picked blueberries

Alabama went to Ballet camp and Art camp

Monkey Joe's

Visited Alicia in Atlanta (ha! that's a fun nickname!) (oh, and Audra in Athens is funny, too!)

Spent the day in Decatur

Ate ice cream

Slept in

Went to VBS 

Went to story times 

Rode the trolley

Cleaned out the craft room

Pate is playing T-Ball

Went to Greenwood to see Aunt Ann

Visited with Nana

Drew lots of pictures

Went to the lake with Georgia

Set up the bookcase with new school books

Lots of Chick fil A

Went to the park

Met sweet baby Annabelle

Ate donuts

Painted the dining room white

Rode on the Augusta Canal

Had Mattie Mae's picture made

Went to the movies 

Playdates with friends

Thrift store shopping

Built Kids Alive set

Girls Night

Visited residents at the GWV Nursing Home 

Late nights at church on the lawn

Some things still on our list:

Eat lunch with Adam

Go to the Thomson Museum

Go to the beach

Plan out our school year

Send out more Happy Mail

Craft some gifts

Make popsicles

Bake cookies

Post more on Sterling Oak Vintage

Ride our boat on the lake

Take the full Trolley tour downtown

Wow, when you write it out, we've had a full, fun summer! Even though we didn't take a big family trip this year, we still managed to make it a great one! Hoping to check a few more things off soon! 

Sunday Funnies

The other week, I told Blue to tell Alabama his whole name. He told me, "That not Bama. That my wittle Mama." So true, Blue! ha!

Pate likes to make up jokes. His funniest one yet has been: What do you call a banana that's old? A Nana! ha!

Mattie Mae - Four Months!

Mattie Mae, You have learned so much this past month! You have found your hands and can't keep them out of your mouth. I don't know if you are trying to get some teeth early, but there's lots of chewing and drooling! You haven't rolled over, but you are pushing up with those {strong} legs and crossing them over as if you are trying. You're holding your head up much better on your tummy now. Just Friday, you reached up on the baby gym and grabbed the toys! It was so neat to watch you concentrate so intently to finally get them!

You also started sitting in the Bumbo  and your brothers love to push you around in it like it's a car.

 You wear 3-6 month clothes and size 2 shoes. You also wear size 2 diapers now. You are still nursing every 3 hours and will sleep about 7 hours at night. When you are ready to go to sleep, you fuss a little, want your passy and now you put your hand over your face or in your hair. It's the cutest thing! You are a go with the flow baby and can sleep anywhere, although the car seat has not been your favorite recently. Sometimes, you have some tummy trouble and it makes us both sad. I'm hoping you move past that soon! The day you turned 4 months, you slept in your crib about half the night. 

 You did some really fun stuff this month! You celebrated your first Fourth of July. You didn't mind the fireworks and were so cute in all your red, white, and blue outfits! :) 

Sweet Sisters

You're never alone on the playmat! Who says they are just for babies??! ha!


We took a tour of the Augusta Canal with the GCB and you did good! You like this carrier and will go to sleep in it about every time. You don't like the Ergo carrier at all.


You can seriously sleep anywhere! This is on the hard floor in a Sunday school room while Daddy was working on the Kid's Alive set!

National Ice Cream Day (with Birthday Cake for Mama!)

We took a trip to Atlanta for a mini-vacation to visit Tay Tay. You were so easy to take along and made it a lot of fun! The first day, we went to Decatur and ate at Sweet Melissa's, went to the bookstore and read and played, then had ice cream at Jeni's.

Tuesday, we went to the zoo and you wore your elephant shirt, of course! I don't think you actually ever saw any animals, but you were very content and happy the whole time.

 Wednesday, we went to eat breakfast at Tay Tay's work then went to the Centennial Olympic Park to play and watch the Fountain of Rings show. (No pictures, please!) ha!

The big kids went swimming every night and you sat with me and Tay Tay and got some snuggles! You're a good traveling partner, when you're not fussing about being in the car seat! We were glad to get back home to Daddy, though!
We love you so very much, Mattie Mae. You get no less than 102 kisses every single day. You're growing up too fast, though, so maybe slow down just a little! ;) We want you to stay our baby! Pate is your buddy and says he's going to teach you how to be good. Blue likes to talk in a sweet high pitched voice to you. Sometimes he grabs your arm in the car and makes you cry, though. I think your first word will be "Hey" because you hear them say that to you all day, every day. Alabama is a great helper and thinks she can walk around with you now. She picks you up and sits you in her lap. We're blessed to have such a sweet baby sister in our family and I hope you will all be best friends forever. Thank you, God, for this precious gift!

Three months

Sweet Mattie Mae, 

You turned three months old on June 30! You are growing so much! You wear 3-6 month or 6 month clothes. You are such a sweet baby and love to smile and coo and talk to us. You eat every 3 hours and then after a few minutes, you fuss a little and are ready to go to sleep. You like to have your passy, be held sideways facing me, and patted to sleep. :) We put up your crib, but you have only slept in it for naps so far. You don't like swaddling so much anymore, you get your arms out in no time! You hold your head up so good now and are trying to be too grown, of course! ha! A few fun things we did this month were going on a date with me and Daddy to the movies to see the new Jungle Book (You have a baby...in a movie...), going to ride the trolley downtown, attending your first year of VBS at church, and praising the Lord that the health tests for Daddy came back fine! We love your to pieces and are so thankful for the sweetness you add to our family! xoxo, Mama

Your BFF, Annabelle, was born this month, so we went to see her! 

Morning snuggles in Mama's bed are the best! 

She wiggled and she giggled, beat all I ever saw! 

We had a great week at your first VBS. I was in your class with Mrs. Brooks! 

After church with Nana

Mattie Mae - Two Months

Dear Mattie Mae,
You are two months old now and growing so much! By this month, you have moved into 0-3 month clothes. You were 12.8 pounds at the doctor for your checkup. She said you were perfect! You wear size 1 diapers and size 1 shoes. You have started to smile and coo at us! It's so precious and we love to hear you talk! I think your first smile was on May 7th! Everyone is still in love with you and kiss you all the time! The other kids are also such great helpers. They get your passy and burp cloth, they hold you, and are so attentive.

The babies are ready for the day! 

On Mother's Day, we had our baby dedication at church and dedicated you to the Lord. We promised to raise you to serve him and to lead you to a relationship with Jesus and to teach you to love him. Our family was there with us on this special day. Here are all of us after church. You wore the same beautiful gown that Alabama wore and that Mimi made.

After church, everyone came to our house to eat lunch for Mother's Day and celebrate your dedication. Here is Morgan holding you.

Baby Dedication cake

Pate love

Family Reunion picture. Dresses by Cruz by Sheena Whitlock. 

Sweet lemonade. 

Blue and Mattie Mae. A lot of people say that you look like Blue and I think you do, too!

Aunt Betty and Uncle Jerry, or B and JJ, as y'all call them, came up to Nana's and got to hold you this month! 

Aunt Kathie and Jenna came over to Nana's and met you, too. We had a fun weekend with family.

You are starting to get some cute little cheeks to squeeze and some rolls on those legs! Everywhere we go, people comment on your beautiful hair. You are sleeping well and usually only wake up once to eat. Sometimes, sleeping until 4 or 5. You still have some tummy troubles that cause pain and are no fun but you are a good good baby. You are more alert and awake more often and you love your passy.  We love you immensely, Mattie Mae, and are so thankful to have you as the baby girl of our family!