Reid 2 months old

One of my favorite things about living in Fairhope, is living in the neighborhood that we live in. 

We have quickly become friends with several families and it is normal to find the streets full of children, toys and strollers in the afternoon.

 Reid had his 2 month old check up at Daddy's office.

Nurse Mary took extra good care of Reid. Little man is a big baby. He weighed 16.7 pounds and ended up in the 99th and 100th percentile for weight and height. 

We took our first trip to Jackson with Reid. I can only imagine what these guys will get into as they grow up!

Jackson

We made a short visit to Jackson but squeezed a lot in our time there.

Grandmama was eager to see us and have Christmas with the boys. We shared our news of the new baby with her that first night and she was so excited. We showed her the ultrasound and it was so sweet hearing Owen repeat to her that yes, that is our new baby. It's in Mama's tummy. Loved that sweet moment we all shared.

David and Owen went hunting out near Aunt Lynda's. Though they didn't see anything, all was made better with Christmas cookies and hot chocolate at Aunt Lynda's house. 

It rained a good bit at the camp, but that led to some good naps.

Owen loves being at the camp and maybe the treats that come with that.

It's always to nice to get to visit with those you love and miss. A few more months and we can see each other much more often!

more of our time in Jackson

Grandmama adores this baby.

She went on and on about how perfect he was…from his neck to how round his head was, how smart he is and what a good baby boy he is. She loves our visits.

Granddaddy took Owen down to the park. I spent many hours here as a child swimming in the pool.

We took swimming lessons every year (long after we could swim), I was even part of the Jackson wave runners swim team. 

The pool is most unique.

The shallow end is to the right of this picture and the left being the deep end where it had a dirt bottom. Piers go out where you can dive off of. The lifeguards would go out in a little boat and dump chlorine.

This slide is new and Owen went down it about 25 times according to my dad. 

Many years spent at the park and I don't know of any other pool quite like this one.

camp time

Our first weekend here, we went down to Jackson and stayed at the camp for the weekend.

You never know what critters you are going to find, in this case it was a gopher tortoise. Granddaddy found him and brought him over for us to see. 

We loved having Grandmama come out to the camp and eat dinner while looking out at the river. 

We ate hotdogs and talked about what a fine camp it was.

We love making memories here and it excites me thinking about the fun these boys will have in these woods. I know Pop would be thrilled. 

It's funny how many people have mentioned they can see a little of Pop in Collin. I see it too and I love that little wink from God. 

Collin's first trip to the camp

Waking up to this view never gets old. 

Nor does snuggling in a big comfy recliner with a little one. 

Owen was so genuinely excited about everything at the camp this time.

Almost like he was seeing or experiencing it for the first time. 

He waved so hard at those barges coming down the river until they honked their horn.

Granddaddy loved having his boys with him at one of his favorite places in the world. 

We truly love our time here, and I know as these boys grow up and get older we plan to spend a lot more time in these woods. 

David's already dreaming of hunts with his boys.

But there is plenty of fun to be had before they get old enough to hunt. 

We rode through the woods looking at how the river changes, the wildlife, the seasonal changes in the woods and the trees that surround us.

My dad took us down a trail that I had not been down in a long time. He tried to keep it cut so he could ride Pop back to it to see this tree. It was one of Pop's favorite trees.

The tree is a Cherry Bark Oak and rare for this area. 

And that's the kind of son my dad was to his father. The kind that would make a road to bring his dad back there to look at a tree that he knew was important to him. 

I can't help but think of Pop when we are in those woods, and I love that my boys will get to enjoy what he loved so much.

(cypress in the Chastain swamp)

Owen had a big time.

And there is still enough little boy in him to have fun picking flowers with his mama.

We picked this big beautiful bouquet of yellowtops and took them to Grandmama. She adored them and the little boy who brought them to her.

meeting Grandmama

Every time I talk to Grandmama on the phone, she always asks when we think we might come to visit. I could not wait for her to be able to finally hold this baby in her arms. 

and she couldn't either. 

When I told Grandmama I was having another boy, she was elated. She said, you know I love little girls, but I have always just had a special place in my heart for little boys. So she was very pleased with another great grandson. After all, she had 2 sons of her very own. 

Aunt Lynda stopped by as well to meet her newest nephew and deliver their hand-painted Easter eggs.

Grandmama would have held him all day long. And she tried, she really didn't want to let him leave. They shared some sweet time together. Collin, you will never truly know the joy you have brought to this world. 

Priceless.

river fun

We got to have a little fun on the river while we were at the camp this trip.

This was Owen's first time on the river and I think he could definitely get used to it. 

This guy was a natural as well.

Cool dude in his shades...

So much beauty on the river. We pretty much had it to ourselves seeing that we were riding on a Thursday.

Cooper would like to retire to the river. He is a woods dog at heart.

So much running through the woods, riding on the Ranger, smelling for critters, swimming. retrieving and boat riding will just wear a dog out.

Maybe this guy was worn out too. He was actually rocking me. Sweet boy loves his mama. I vividly remember this moment on the boat ride. There was a beautiful sunset right in front of us. Bright vivid colors. This little guy was hugging me and rocking me side to side. How could life get much better at a moment like that?