THE DOHERTY FAMILY

Let's go back...

2011-12-20T08:47:00.005-05:00

So, I am just now realizing I have not updated in quite some time, so let's go back a little and do some catching up!

Every weekend, we watched the Gamecocks try to pull out a win - some times successful, some not. Here are the kids, cheering their team on.

If DJ and Dutch weren't home on the weekends, they were out hunting. Dutch has enjoyed going with him. Even if it's just going to the woods, he loves it! He comes home to tell me all about what he saw, how he sat in a tree and was really still and really quiet.

We visited the pumpkin patch with my sister and nephews. The kids had a ball and we brought home a few pumpkins too.

We dressed up for Halloween. DJ and I went to my sister's party dressed as Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head. Yes. Really. Dutch went with me to the costume store and picked out our costumes for us. Dutch and Lane went trick or treating this year and went as Buzz Lightyear and a cat.

Well, that at least gets us to Thanksgiving, which we spent in Florida with DJ's family. It deserves a post of its own because there are too many pictures to post!

Manners, Shoes and Such

2011-09-22T08:56:00.002-04:00

Some funny things happening in our house lately:

-Lane throws about 2-3 temper tantrums a day - and by that I mean screaming/crying, throwing herself on the floor or sofa, running in another room to pout and cry kind of temper tantrum! And to top it off, it's usually over wanting a particular color juice cup that she didn't get, or not enough juice in the cup or the latest, not enough ice cream in her bowl. It's no surprise the little lady loves food, so it's no surprise that this is what the fits are over!

- Many of you may know that Dutch actually has REALLY good manners - better than most other kids and adults I know! He's always saying please, thank you, you're welcome, etc. The most recent is 'yes sir' and 'yes ma'am'. He still gets a little confused as to when to say them to whom, but he's saying them nonetheless. He also believes we should say 'yes sir' to him all the time, so be sure when you come over to direct that him as well or he may call you out on it. Also, if you're looking for reinforcement, he throws out "great job" about 20x a day!

-Both kids are talking and talking and talking! ALL DAY! I love it, especially since Dutch can be very quiet most of the time and Lane's vocabulary is growing so much! Dutch really likes to talk in the car and laying in bed at night. He'll call you out if you are "hmm"ing him along with his story. He knows/interprets that to mean that you are not really listening to his story and are not talking to him. Smart fellow! At night, I usually have to make him stop talking because some nights I really think he may never fall asleep!

- Lane and Dutch both love their shoes. Lane in particular, likes to wear hers all the time, whereas Dutch likes his "running shoes because they make me really super duper fast." Just yesterday those same running shoes that make him super duper fast caused him to run smack into a corner and split his eyebrow in two.

Some other things: they both have become attached to their blankets so I've just acquired two extras in case something happens to the others, Dutch is OBSESSED with Toy Story and dives on the sofa daily yelling" to infinity and beyond", they both love their daddy and beating him up, Lane loves to dance and "sing" - which is more like humming.

Lane goes today for her well check, so I'll post stats a little later!

Three's a Crowd

2011-09-20T09:21:00.002-04:00

So, every night DJ and I battle with the same thing - who's going to lie down with Dutch until he falls asleep? I used to say that one of the best parts of my day was snuggling with my little ones, reading to them and sleeping with them, but over time that now requires much more. I still love doing that, don't get me wrong, but I'd also love "MY" time as well. When either of us goes to do the bedtime routine with Dutch, we end up laying in his bed for so long that either we fall asleep in there or we are so tired that we drag ourselves into our room and fall fast asleep - accomplishing nothing we had planned to and having no down time. I know many of my friends can agree with me here :)

Most recently, Dutch has wanted to have his blanket, two lovies, Woody and Buzz in the bed too. I mean, really?! As if I weren't crowded enough with you sleeping practically underneath me, now we really need five more things in here with us? Not to mention, when he wakes up in the middle of night and comes into our room he brings them with him to put in our bed - umm, nope, not happening! We (not really, we, more like I - my husband is snoring his face off and has no clue what is happening) have now started walking him back to his room so that he and I and all his belongings can get a little more shut eye. I guess I'll be sleeping with DJ again once my kids are grown and out the house!

On a side note, last night's bedtime routine reminded me just why I love it most of the time - Dutch told me I was his best friend and that he loved me to the moon and back. Melts my heart!

Back to School

2011-08-17T20:20:00.003-04:00

I am so happy to be back to a routine and have the kids back in school. They went for their first day today and I am proud to say there were no tears.

Dutch was ready to go back- a few days ago, he saw an old picture of his class from last year that I had just taken off our fridge. I figured it was time to retire it to make way for his new class. When he saw it, he named them all and said "Those are all my friends. I miss them." It was really cute - and so, today, he got to see all of those old friends and some of which he is in a class with this year too.

Lane started in a new and bigger class this year. I thought she would give me a hard time this morning, but to my surprise as I put her down she walked over to where her "friends" were playing and only looked back for a second. She will be there three days - the same as Dutch - and they will both go to P.E. and music this year.

I hope they both have a GREAT year!

Kids on their first day!

This one was sent to me by Dutch's teacher - taken at school

Beach 2011

2011-08-17T19:13:00.007-04:00

This year we went to Litchfield with my family for a week. We stayed on the creek, which was Heaven for DJ - and the boys liked it too :)

Lane really took a liking to the pool and the beach; in fact, she learned how to swim with her swimmies on, so it was much easier for me with both of them swimming on their own. Dutch went every morning with DJ to fish and usually ended up taking an evening boat ride as well. We all had a really nice trip!

My loves

Pop with the littles and Joseph celebrating his 6th birthday at the beach.

My sister and her cute little family

My three nephews and ALL the kids together

My sweet munchkin!

The boys on the creek

PRODOH proud :)

Beach bums

Lane and Dutch

2011-08-14T16:32:00.003-04:00

I just realized that I never posted after taking both the kids for their check-up with Dr. Phillips.

Dutch - at three years:

Weight - 31 lbs., 7 oz. (46th percentile)

Height - 38.4 inches (68th percentile)

Lane - at 16 months:

Weight - 21 lbs. 4 oz. (22nd percentile)

Height - 31.3 inches (68th percentile)

My loves are growing so fast!!!

PRODOH shirts!

2011-08-09T11:24:00.004-04:00

We are excited to announce that the PRODOH shirts are in!!!

DJ and Evan have worked long and hard to create a shirt for kids (12 mo-4T) that they can wear doing anything outside - playing, swimming, boating - really anything! So far, things are going great - we have sold some shirts on our website as well as some in a few stores. At this moment, we have shirts in Greenville, Charleston and the Myrtle Beach/Pawleys Island area. We are hoping to expand beyond those areas, but with anything it takes time, so we are trying to be patient. Please check us out on facebook if you haven't and "like" our page - and check out our website too (www.prodoh.com - it is a work in progress with a few minor glitches, but we are working at it everyday).

Thank you to everyone that has supported us and helped us along the way!!!

Summer 2011

2011-08-09T10:44:00.007-04:00

We've been so busy this summer that I haven't found much time to post on the blog, so here is a summer recap leading up to our family lake and beach trip.

After coming home from Moab, we spent every weekend at the lake. I am not kidding. Up to the beach, we were at Jocassee or Hartwell every single weekend - most times just for the day with our fantastic neighbors, and spent the entire 4th of July weekend with lots of our close friends (including our great neighbors). The kids have had so much fun on the boat and in the water!

Here are a few pics of our weekends at the lake!

4th of July:

Big kids at the lake!

Little girls at dinner

Best buds - no smiles here...

Group shot!

Attempt at group shot

Showing off their PRODOH shirts!

Lake Jocassee:

Kaylee and Lane

Group shot

The three amigos

KT and I

Me with Kay and Lane

MegaJed Wedding Event - part 2

2011-06-23T20:28:00.005-04:00

Sorry it has taken me SO long to post the wedding pictures. Our internet has been down almost an entire week thanks to these crazy storms we've been having. It is nice to be up & running again.

Anyhow, because I had so many pictures - and so many are so good, I couldn't choose which ones to post. I had to dedicate two postings to the great wedding of Meghan & Jed - ENJOY!

Mother and Daughter sharing that "moment"

The KISS

Mr. and Mrs. Wolfrom

MegaJed Wedding Event - Part 1

2011-06-17T09:20:00.008-04:00

This past week, we traveled to Moab, Utah, for Meghan (DJ's sister) and Jed's wedding. It was a fun week! Moab was beautiful, but even more beautiful was the La Sal Mountains were their wedding was held. The weather was perfect and the bride looked stunning. Prior to Bobbie and I arriving out there, DJ, Reid, Meghan and Jed stayed busy in the outdoors doing all the things Moab and the surrounding areas had to offer.

Mother's Day with Bobbie

2011-06-17T09:04:00.004-04:00

Again, a little late on this post! We spent the Saturday of Mother's Day weekend with Bobbie on Lake Hartwell. We decided to pull onto a beach, picnic, swim a little and do some boating.

First (and hopefully last) broken arm

2011-06-14T21:11:00.002-04:00

Just days before Dutch's 3rd birthday, he fell on our neighbor's trampoline and broke his arm. He was a trooper and it hasn't slowed him down one bit. In fact, he's been back on that same trampoline at least 5 times since his fall. He gets his cast off this week :)

Birthday Day, Birthday Week, Birthday Month - why not?

2011-06-14T20:45:00.005-04:00

So, in continuing with the birthday festivities for Dutch, we also had a small, impromptu birthday party with family on Dutch's actual birthday. I celebrate my birthday for almost a week - hehe :) so my son should too! Here are a few pictures from that celebration.

The dinosaur cake - his only request

Blowing out trick candles

And they continue...

Lane enjoyed the sweets

And, we continued on celebrating into the night with our neighbors - with more cake and popcorn - Dutch's favorite!

Zoo and Friends

2011-06-14T18:11:00.005-04:00

This year, we decided to do something a little different for Dutch's birthday party. I was a little "partied out" after the birthday party for Lane, the kids' baptism party and a baby shower all in a months time- so we decidedto have the party outside of our home and we chose the Greenville Zoo. It was wonderful to not have to do a thing and just show up for the party - they literally did everything from the cake to the party favors. The kids really enjoyed themselves. Dutch chose to have the educational instructor bring a snake in for everyone to see. I was thinking it would be a small snake, maybe a garden snake or black snake.Nope. They brought in a boa constrictor and the kids were able to touch it and see it up close. I think they all were too mesmerized to be afraid of it. Good thing! Here are some pictures of his 3rd birthday party.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Dutch!

2011-05-23T20:39:00.003-04:00

Our little man turned three this past Saturday. We celebrated the weekend before with a birthday party at the zoo with friends and then celebrated with family on his actual birthday. He had a lot of fun this week, except for the broken arm - but I actually think he liked all the attention he received with that so maybe he doesn't really mind it. It hasn't slowed him down at all! These are just some random pictures we came across. I will upload all the birthday festivity photos soon!

STATIC!

Shaving cream!

Climbing at the climbing gym

Just the beginning of days...

2011-05-23T20:30:00.002-04:00

At the lake. This post actually should have occurred a few weeks back, but I thought I would still share :) Dutch's best bud, Bradley, and his family invited us to the lake with them a few weeks ago. We had a fun time! The boys always play well and it helps that our kids are all the same age - with the exception of their youngest, but she'll catch up with the girls very quickly!

It was a little too chilly to get in the water, but the adults did anyhow (only with some liquid courage). We will be heading back to the lake this upcoming weekend with lots of other friends so stay tuned for pics.

Update on Holland Grace

2011-05-20T13:23:00.002-04:00

So, in the midst of posting all of our happenings from the last month or so, I realized I never updated about my friends, Austin and Derek, and their baby daughter, Holland. She was born May 10th, at only 29 weeks and weighing 1 lb. 9 oz. She fought for her life as hard as she could everyday, but God called her home on May 14th. We have had a very heavy heart this week and cannot imagine what our friends are feeling at this painful time in their lives. Please continue to keep them in your prayers and they begin the healing process.

'Dem Bones

2011-05-20T13:10:00.002-04:00

So, Dutch, at two years old, has a broken arm :( However, it didn't happen on the tree swing. Instead, it happened on our neighbors trampoline. And, it didn't happen the way you think either. He didn't fall off, he didn't hit on the edge - nope. He was running, not even jumping and fell on his own arm. Apparently, he landed the wrong way and his little 32 lbs. of a body, broke his bone in his arm. We are going to the ortho today and he'll get a hard cast and we'll figure out how long he may have to wear it. Hello, summer. Hello, pool, lake and beach. We'll watch you from the sidelines for now.

Tree Swing

2011-05-20T13:04:00.004-04:00

Brilliant idea. DJ and our neighbor, David, decided to put up a tree swing for the kids in our backyard. Looks like a death trap to me, but the kids enjoy it. It will probably break a bone...which will lead me to my next post :)

This is Dutch with his much older girlfriend, Kaylee. I am not kidding. I think he really thinks it may be his girlfriend.

Egg Huntin'

2011-05-20T12:49:00.004-04:00

I have been trying to get better at posting, but things are always so crazy around here - it is hard to keep up! So, let's go back to Easter...some friends and I arranged our first annual Easter Egg Hunt. Although it was very last minute, we had a few kids show up and they had a ball!

Easter Sunday, we spent time with our families and had another egg hunt. It was a great day!

Prayers Needed!

2011-05-11T15:55:00.002-04:00

I know many of you have heard of our very good friends, Austin and Derek (Derek, aka Butta to Dutch, is Dutch's favorite). Anyhow, I believe I have also written somewhere on this blog that they were expecting a little girl in July. Well, she arrived yesterday, at 29 weeks, weighing 1 lb. 9 oz. She is in the NICU and has a LONG and HARD fight ahead of her. At their 20 week appointment, it was discovered that she has two holes in her heart. This development, paired with her tiny size, is causing some problems for her currently. Please be praying for them and for baby Holland to get stronger. If anyone is more deserving of love & support right now, it is these two. They are some of the most selfless and loving people we know.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-27T21:34:00.002-04:00

Who's there?

2011-04-26T15:44:00.002-04:00

It's always something with the littles...it never fails that when springtime rolls around, so do the illnesses. Dutch has been fighting what we thought was just allergies or maybe even a cold, but it just wasn't getting any better, in fact, it only seemed to be getting worse. I took him to the doctor this morning to find out he has walking pneumonia. Yes, walking pneumonia. Great. Just what I wanted to hear to start off a super busy week. He is on antibiotics so hopefully we will see an improvement in the next couple of days. Until then, no school for him and no breaks for me! It really could not have come at a better time, considering my parents/mom/help will be in Vegas the rest of the week so I will be "working" for them this week. Please sense my sarcasm.

Anyhow, we will get a break this weekend when we, among others, will host a baby shower for some dear friends of ours, Austin & Derek. Bobbie will be keeping the kids overnight so we can have a little fun with lots of our friends :) Love my babes, but I need them well and I need a break from being cooped up!

Bottle It Up

2011-04-23T22:13:00.003-04:00

I really wish I could just bottle up some of these memories we are making so that I can relive them years from now! I love the smiles, laughs, silly comments, silly faces, hugs, kisses - even the cries at times. My babies put the biggest smile on my face everyday!

Here are a few reasons why:

The silly smile hanging with daddy

These smiling faces together

The sweet big brother

This Buddha belly

This ham for the camera

Blessed in Every Way!

2011-04-14T10:30:00.002-04:00

The last weekend of March, we had both kids baptized, together, at Westminster. It was a beautiful day and the kids were perfect! We were a little nervous not knowing exactly how they would react when a) the minister (a stranger to them) would hold them and b) sprinkle water on their heads. To our surprise, Lane didn't freak out and Dutch, although squirmy at times, was quiet and behaved. It was a perfect day shared with friends and family!

Tell Me Lies, Tell Me Sweet Little Lies

2011-04-14T10:19:00.002-04:00

Yesterday Dutch came home from school with all sorts of stories...

First, he told me that a girl in his class was put into time out and she cried and cried. The reason she was put into time out is because she hit the teacher (probably not true) and told the teacher NO! Then, the lies (probably shouldn't call them lies - as they are "stories") really started - the teachers started hitting each other and one of them was crying. He said it was a very loud, mean day! I know this not to be true - I mean, really, the teachers crying and hitting each other! I couldn't help but think to myself - "And here we go!". Children have the most amazing imaginations and skewed vision of how things actually go down that you just cannot help but love their outrageous stories!

This morning, I asked him how he slept and if he dreamt about anything. His response - "I dreamt about you, mama! I always do!" - just melts my heart! Who cares if he really doesn't dream about me or that he probably has no idea what a dream is at this point and more than likely cannot remember them!

What's on my mind?

2011-04-05T11:49:00.002-04:00

The name of this post is exactly what it will be...just a some random thoughts that I felt like writing about today.

I love that the weather is slowly changing - you really can't beat springtime in SC! With this time of year comes weddings, parties and vacations and I am really excited about all three of those! We will be hosting two baby showers this month for some wonderful friends of ours. We will also be heading to the lake a few times to soak up some sun in the coming weeks as well as celebrating our five year anniversary (has it already been five years - woah!). Not sure exactly what we will do for that, but hopefully it involves something fun and kid-free! April is also a big month full of birthdays! I turned the big 3-0 last week and both my grandmother and nephew will have birthdays later in the month - as well as some friends of ours.

We are also looking forward to heading to Moab for Meghan and Jed's wedding (DJ's sister) in June. Neither one of us has visited the area before so DJ is going to make a long 10 days or so out there to explore and I will be staying with the kids until it is my turn to fly out mid-week. Should be a fun time and a fun wedding! Towards the end of the summer, we will be going to Litchfield for a week with my family. Lots to look forward to!

On a kid note, Dutch is staying busy at school, learning all about his colors and shapes. He loves school and really enjoys being around his friends. He talks so much these days that we joke that he just likes hearing himself sometimes! He will be three in May - hard to believe! Lane is also a busy bee! She is walking so much now and has started talking more too! Just this weekend, she started saying 'Dutch", "juice" and "bye-bye". I was just telling DJ that this is one of my favorite times as a parent. I love that I can actually have a conversation with my soon-to-be three year old and I love that Lane is beginning that stage too - even with her 8 or so words :)

Lane 1st Birthday Party

2011-03-30T19:19:00.003-04:00

It only seemed fitting to have Lane's 1st birthday party with a ladybug theme. I found most everything on etsy (one of my favorite websites!) - I was really happy with the way it turned out - in large part, due to my friend Lindsay putting in countless hours helping me get my house in order and also with the decorations for the party. Lane devoured her cake, as we all knew she would! Aside from the wetness outside, it was a GREAT day!

Lane's 1 Year Check up

2011-03-30T19:04:00.002-04:00

We have had a super busy March, so I am just now getting around to posting Lane's stats from her check up at one year.

Height: 29.5 in (62%)

Weight: 20 lb 1 oz (32%)

She is growing fast. I can't exactly recall what Dutch's stats were at this age, but she seems like a little shrimp compared to him - and he is tiny for his age! She is still a good little eater for the most part. We have moved on from formula to whole milk and she loves it! I hope that continues for her - Dutch wanted nothing to do with milk and still only likes chocolate milk sometimes. We are still waiting on her hair to grow....

Our little Lady is ONE!

2011-03-04T23:06:00.006-05:00

This time last year, DJ and I were loving on our newest addition - probably trying to calm her down and hoping the screaming would stop (if you remember, she cried A LOT and very loudly in the beginning). Now, we are busy trying to keep up with two toddlers and loving every minute. Lane is ONE today! She brings such a new, fun element into our lives. She smiles and babbles all the time. She really is a happy baby and most of the time, easy too. She loves her daddy, but recently has started wanting me more. She has started having some separation anxiety when she is not in our arms - I remember that with Dutch also. She says a few words: dada, mama, kitty cat, uh-oh, and something that sounds like Bella and Dutch. She is walking everywhere and most of the time, prefers that over crawling. She is a great eater and an even better sleeper. She goes to bed at 7:30 and sleeps until 7! We love her so much and wish her a very happy birthday!

Here are some recent pics we had done...did I mention she loves cake?!

Happy Valentine's Day from Lane!

2011-02-15T21:45:00.004-05:00

We hope everyone had a nice Valentine's Day. We spent actual Valentine's Day home with our kids, but celebrated tonight at Nantucket. It was nice to get out, just the two of us and enjoy dinner and drinks and actually be able to have good conversation without having a crying baby or naked toddler in our face. Yes, I said naked - it's his new thing.

Sweet teeth

2011-02-15T21:38:00.002-05:00

So, both of my kids definitely have a sweet tooth. We had some of Lane's 1st birthday pictures done and in them, we had a smash cake. Well, the cake came home with us - what was left of it -and within 24 hours the entire thing was gone! DJ nor I ate any of it, just the kids. Dutch even found ways of getting the cake down from where I had to continuously hide it. I came into the kitchen one afternoon to find this...

#2 Lovelies

2011-02-13T00:29:00.009-05:00

#2 thing of things that I love...

Sunny, warm days. They remind me so much of all the funtimes I had growing up with my family and now also remind me of all the fun memories I have made with our little family - at the lake, pool, beach, park, etc. As a kid, I spent most summer days in the pool, but we took many vacations to the beach and spent countless weekends at the lake. I loved the water and I see now that DJ and I's love for the water is showing through in our little ones. I try not to speed up the seasons and want to enjoyall the days with my kids, but the truth is, I cannot wait for warmer days when we start cooking out, being outside more often and venturing off to all things "water".

LOVE is in the air!

2011-02-11T18:45:00.006-05:00

So, to keep with all things "LOVE" this month, I thought I would do a tribute to the things that I LOVE! Something new each day until Valentine's (yes, I am starting a little late)!

For today, it's a simple smile - well, two smiles :)

This smile:

And this one, with these two chicklet teeth:

Let's Race!

2011-02-08T20:53:00.003-05:00

Dutch loves to drive his new car and thankfully, Andy, a boy that lives down the street, likes to drive his too. Andy must have more practice because he can actually steer the car and knows how to really drive it. Dutch, on the other hand, doesn't turn much - which then ends with a head on collision into our house or someone! Anyhow, the boys got together over the weekend and decided to race down the driveway...

Calling all Ducks!

2011-02-08T19:24:00.003-05:00

DJ and Derek have been doing their fair share of duck hunting this winter, but now it's over...sigh. Each morning that they went, Dutch hurried outside to see what they got that particular day. Lane and I stayed inside where it was much warmer! Check out the pictures below!

Did I hear that correctly? Did he say snow?

2011-01-31T09:13:00.003-05:00

Did the weatherman seriously just say that we may be getting snow and 6-10 inches at that? For once, he was right! Snow fell - and lots of it, for the South. We played, played and played some more and had so much fun. Dutch and DJ in particular.

It was nice to see it for a day or two, but then we were all ready to see it go - especially since it kept us at home and unable to drive most places. School was cancelled for the week, work was postponed until mid-week for most people and wewere BORED! And, if you recall from my last post, the boredom got Dutch into all kinds of trouble!

Here are a few pictures from our snow day(s).

Routine, please come back...

2011-01-20T11:31:00.003-05:00

So, to say that I was glad that my kids (well, mainly Dutch) were back to their regular schedule of going to school each morning is such an understatement. While I was glad to be home with them, enjoying the snow and being lazy with them for the last 10 days or so, I was incredibly happy to send them off on Tuesday to Jade's house. I have been trying to get my house in order every since the holidays really and having them both home, it is nearly impossible to keep my house clean.

In the last two weeks, Dutch has managed to write all over my duvet cover with a red PERMANENT marker, he put the cat in the toilet yesterday - only to have it freak out and get water all over the walls and floor in an attempt to get out of the commode, he also put the cat in the bathtub with ME while I was in their relaxing one afternoon. Obviously, we all know cats hate water so he freaked out and placed his claws in my arms, legs, etc. It was a wonderful experience. I have now witnessed twice him in the laundry room sink, with the sink on and the sink hose OUT of the sink - either hosing down Bella or just this past Monday - Lane. Lane thought it was great, she was completely soaked and was playing in it as if nothing was wrong. I have to find some humor in it or else it would drive me mad. There are lists of other things - throwing a paci in the toilet after going potty in it and before flushing - twice now, emptying each box of cheez its on the floor as well as Lane's formula, writing on the wall with a pencil, among other things.

I love him dearly, but when will he stop being so mischievous? You all are probably wondering where I was when all this was happening. Well, I could have been folding laundry, tending to Lane, in the restroom, cooking dinner, taking the trash out, etc. That's how quickly these things occur and how often. He definitely knows how to get my undivided attention! I'm glad to see that this week, he is taking his energy out at school and playing lots outside now that the weather is nicer.

Some new happenings in 2011

2011-01-04T23:00:00.003-05:00

This year is off to a fast start!

First, we have hit the potty training hard the last couple of days. Since New Years Day, Dutch has only had a handful of accidents and has stayed dry through every nap and even at night. He is pretty good about going on his own, but I do constantly remind him that he needs to go (literally, it is at least 50 times a day, if not more, to the point where he says "NOOOOO, Mama, I just told you!"). We are very proud of him and hope that he continues and it clicks forgood! We are having trouble getting him to go #2 in the potty (sorry if that's TMI), but I hear this is very common so I hope for a change SOON!

As for Lane, she is BUSY! She has begun tostand alone a few times and is cruising like a champ around all the furniture. She has also started saying "dada", "uh oh" and something that sounds like "kitty cat". I think it is safe to say that she will probably be walking soon. We can tell that she really wants to let go and just go for it, but then she collapses onto the floor - she'll get it, but for now I am okay with having a crawler :) She eats all sorts of foods, but her favorites are bread, pasta, pancakes, greens, and applesauce. She is by far the better eater between she and Dutch. She likes most foods and will try anything. She will definitely bethe richest in our family - she ate more collards than any of us! She also has started drinking from a sippy cup and prefers it over the bottle. She is growing like a weed and it saddens me that it is happening so fast! She is 10 months TODAY!

Pictures - enjoy!

These last two pictures were taken at Gattitown at our 1st Annual Kids Christmas Party. A friend of ours coordinated it and it turned out great. Each child drew another child's name and that day at Gattitown, everyone exchanged gifts. There were about 20 kids that participated. It worked out better than buying each child a gift - especially since we are good friends with so many of them.

White Christmas!

2011-01-04T22:56:00.003-05:00

A few pictures taken Christmas night...

All was Merry and Bright - and WHITE!

2011-01-03T21:04:00.004-05:00

Christmas this year was FABULOUS! Dutch was really into it and it was fun having another baby this year to watch open her first gifts, play with the bows & wrapping paper, etc. And to top it all, we had a "White Christmas" - the first ever for all of us, but hopefully not the last we will ever see!

Dutch's big gifts were a power wheels car and his train set. He has said for months that he wanted a choo choo, so thankfully Santa delivered and he got just that! Lane got a ball pit and a new walker. As for me, DJ and the kids got me a GPS for my car and a new Flip camera. DJ got a lot of clothes and a new wedding ring from Santa. I guess the big man knew he lost his and it was time for another :)

We spent the day hustling and bustling around town, going to relatives and eating A TON of food. We finished the day at my parents, where the kids were able to enjoy the snow.

We really could not get him out of this car to open any gifts!

Please check out her facial expression!

Sneaky, Sneaky!

2011-01-03T20:52:00.004-05:00

We couldn't keep Lane (or the cat) out of the presents this year. I had to rewrap at least five gifts and replace the bows on a good many also!

Kids at Play

2010-12-20T20:49:00.003-05:00

Now that Lane is at an age where she can "play" with Dutch and his toys, my days are even more interesting! She likes being in the playroom with Dutch when he is playing in there - Dutch, on the other hand, not so much. For the most part, they will play side by side with no complaints or crying, but every now and then, she takes his toy or knocks down his tower and he becomes furious. Oh, just wait until she can REALLY play...

Christmas Cookies

2010-12-20T20:23:00.004-05:00

Gran (DJ's mom) came over to help us make Christmas cookies this past weekend. It was a fun time had by all and a big mess, I might add. With DJ's encouragement, Dutch had lots of fun blowing the flour all over the kitchen!

News I have been meaning to share...

2010-12-14T09:24:00.004-05:00

DJ's sister, Meghan, and her boyfriend (now fiancé), Jed, are getting MARRIED!!! We are very excited for them and cannot wait to travel to Utah for the wedding in June. Congrats to the happy couple!

(Meghan, I hope you don't mind, I stole your pic from FB!)

Christmas is just around the corner!

2010-12-13T20:00:00.004-05:00

Christmas is in full effect at our house - from Dutch's Christmas program at school where he sang Jingle Bells, to putting the tree up and decorating it and even just recently getting a few Christmas gifts already from friends.

Yesterday, we had our 1st annual Christmas party with friends & their children. Each child drew a name and we met at Gattitown to exchange gifts. They all had a really fun time. A big thanks to Macy for arranging the Christmas party! Dutch received lots of artsythings (fingerpaint, playdoh, construction paper) and Lane received a chunky puzzle and somepajamas.

Today, Jade, the girl that has kept Dutch since he was 9 months old and Lane since about 3 months, gave the kids (and us) a wonderful and generous Christmas gift - and something I have been needing for LONG time now! She got a sit & stand double stroller. I already love it and cannot wait to be able to use it. There have been countless times when I needed one of these and I know there will be many times to come! I can never say thank you enough for that gift!!!

Dutch singing Jingle Bells

Dutch, front & center

Lane is her new pjs

Dutch with the new double stroller from Jade

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-13T19:52:00.004-05:00

This Thanksgiving we had dinner at our house. It was nice having everyone together and as chaotic as it was at times, we loved every moment!

A New Smile

2010-12-09T12:04:00.001-05:00

Fall Fishing

2010-12-09T11:29:00.003-05:00

DJ and our neighbor, David, decided to take the kids fishing and from the looks of it, they had a great time! Lane and I decided to stay home and stay warm :)

Carolina Football

2010-12-08T07:32:00.004-05:00

We've been enjoying watching Gamecock football this year (even me, a Clemson graduate) especially after seeing them make it to Atlanta - even if they did not win that game. We debated all season whether we should take Dutch to his first football game and we finally decided we would for the Troy State game. Lane stayed home - as we figured she may not be as interested ;)

We went with my parents, sister and nephews. Dutch was excited at first, but the second the fireworks started, he was a little afraid - and let's be honest, there were A LOT of fireworks that game. He fell asleep in the stands in the middle of the first quarter and stayed asleep until halftime. I'm not sure how he did that with all the noise,but he did! At the half, Carolina was up by some ridiculous amount and it was so warm sitting directly in the sun so we decided to go back to the car, tailgate and listen to the rest of the game. Carolina won, so overall it was a good first football game for him.

Our new addition...

2010-11-30T15:37:00.004-05:00

No, people, I am not pregnant. We have a KITTEN! DJ thought it would be a good idea to get a cat for the kids. More so for Dutch since he loves my parents cat, sister's cat, and anyone else's cat he has seen. He is a cute little thing, but I am not sure it was the best idea yet. I must admit, I am not super crazy about cats to begin with - especially living with me. Dutch seems to like him, but can't quite figure out that he is not a toy or rag doll. If the poor cat survives this first month, it will surely amaze me. Just kidding - kind of! Dutch likes pulling his tail, picking him up by one arm only or the neck and chasing him under beds, under the sofa, etc. We are constantly reminding Dutch that the cat does not like those things and would rather be left alone. Lane also loves the cat. She can't ever seem to catch him to play with him so she just watches him a lot and laughs at him.

He is 8 weeks old now and his name is Pawley.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-30T15:23:00.003-05:00

This post is coming a little late because I am just now realizing that I never posted about our Halloween this year. We spent that Sunday at our neighbors Halloween party then finished the evening with trick-or-treating with my nephews.

Dutch loved going door to door. We practiced at home before going out just to make sure that Dutch understood what he was doing.

I asked him, "What do you say when someone answers the door?"

He responded, "Give me candy!"

We had to repeatedly tell him not to demand candy, but to say "trick-or-treat."

Then it became, "What do you say at the door?"

He would respond, " Not give me candy!"

He did eventually figure it out and he followed his cousins' lead. Lane, well, she just enjoyed riding in the stroller taking it all in!

Let Us Be Thankful

2010-11-11T17:25:00.002-05:00

I have had a heavy heart this week. The sweet, little two year old boy that I have blogged about recently, Ezra, passed away on Monday after battling a ferocious cancer beast, Neuroblastoma. A friend in Tampa brought his story to the surface for me and it amazes me daily that a child that I did not even know would captivate my attention so. His story reached thousands of people from all over the world, taking us through the motions with his parents and loved ones of love, hope, joy and loss. I read Kyle's posts, each update I received, and you could certainly tell the amount of love they felt for each other and their children, but also the amount of pain and frustration they were feeling. He has such a way of writing, so transparent, that you can almost visualize being in the hospital room with them and feeling whatever they are feeling. He writes about the alarm monitors going off to alert them of Ezra's heart rate slowing, so they climbed into bed with him and held him, kissed him, hugged him and told them they loved him as he drifted off into Heaven. They laid with him a while, then got up, packed their things and left the hospital without their son for the second time this year. They witnessed him being brought into this world and unfortunately, witnessed him leaving also. No parent should ever have to bury their child, but especially not two in the same year (the Matthews family also lost one of their newborn twins a week after birth in March). It saddens me that a child so young, with so much life to live was taken too soon. I am sure it touches me also because my two children are the same ages of their boys. Ezra has touched more people and changed more people than a grown person may ever do in their entire lifetime. We are all better for knowing his story and knowing him - if only through reading his parents' blog. If you want to read their story, you can do so by going to http://thematthewsstory.com or by clicking on the link to the right of the page. You can also donate to them by visiting their blog.

So, let us all be thankful for everything we have, every person we know. I know I am. I am thankful for a wonderful, loving husband, family and my two healthy, happy children that are full of life that I get to see to see their smiling faces everyday that I am alive.

Bella's 11th Birthday!!!

2010-10-28T21:13:00.003-04:00

Today, our chocolate lab, Bella, turned 11 years old. Lane, Dutch and I all played hookie today and in doing so, we made Bella a peanut butter carrot cake. When DJ came home from work, we sang to Bella, blew out her candles and gave her the cake to eat. She devoured it in less than 2 minutes!

And don't forget to notice the hat that DJ and Dutch made for her to wear!

Happy Birthday sweet Bella!

Niven's Farm

2010-10-28T20:56:00.004-04:00

This past weekend we took the kids to Niven's Farm. It is a cute, little place that has farm animals, apple picking, a pumpkin patch, corn maze and water mining, for a lack of a better term.

Dutch had a fun time and as for Lane, she and I did a lot of people watching!

New skills and teeth!

2010-10-28T20:43:00.002-04:00

I have also been meaning to post about a new development with Lane! The day of the infamous win against Alabama, Lane began crawling! In the same week, her two bottom teeth popped through also! Now that she is on the move, Dutch is beginning to realize his toys are no longer safe. Sometimes you will see him being really nice and sharing, but for the most part, he takes things away from her and replaces it with some boring baby toy that even Lane doesn't want to play with. She has just started pulling up on things this week and likes "crawlking" (the act of crawling, but with legs straightened and feet flat on the ground). It looks like she wants to walk with her bottom half in a walking position, but top half on the ground, butt in the air. She also has started eating a few table foods - she loves most things, which is GREAT!

Meghan and Jed's visit

2010-10-28T20:31:00.003-04:00

I would have posted this sooner, but we have been unable to locate our camera cord to transfer any pictures, but at long last, it is found! DJ's sister, Meghan, and her boyfriend, Jed, came to visit for about two weeks. It was so nice to see them, as always! We spent time watching some football (going out to celebrate the big win against Alabama, then sulking about the loss to Kentucky), going to the park, playing soccer, etc. I am not sure when we will see them again, but hopefully it will not be too long.

Here are some pictures of their visit.

Correction to website

2010-10-20T08:05:00.002-04:00

Sorry guys for the additional post/email, but I needed to correct the website I gave in my last post. I have received emails from a friend in St. Pete, FL about this family and they really need everyone's prayers right now. Coming from a mother with two children, both the same ages of the children this couple now have, it is important for me to support this family - if that means only by getting the word out about their fragile situation.

http://thematthewsstory.com

Thanks!

Happy Fall Y'all!

2010-10-19T08:35:00.004-04:00

We have been battling a few colds in our house, probably due to the weather changing and daycare, but we are hopefully getting better after finishing our antibiotics. We have also been dealing with some pretty awful diaper rash. Lane is a pooping machine and we just can't seem to get a handle on this out-of-control rash she has going on. It is really is pitiful and if you could see it, it would just make you hurt too!

Aside from the colds, we've had a great start to October. It's been filled with birthdays and football, visiting with family, going to the park (A LOT) and getting readyfor Halloween. This upcoming weekend it will be more football, supper club with our neighborhood friends and hopefully, the pumpkin patch AND Boo in the Zoo. Busy, I know!

On a more serious note, please, please, please pray for this family: http://thematthewsstory.com - it is very heartbreaking to read, especially if you have kids, but they need all the support right now. Thanks!

Back to a lighter subject, here are some pictures that Olivia took of the kids in theHalloween costumes (for free I might add). Enjoy!

Update on the kids!

2010-10-08T07:50:00.002-04:00

Dutch:

Dutch is loving preschool! He has made lots of friends that I hear about from him - although, I hear about a specific few more than others. We also have new neighbors, who are great by the way, and Dutch loves playing with their kids, Harper and Kaylee. It's so neat to see him interact with others more this year since last year most of the kids his age played independently.

Dutch also sings all kinds of songs to me (The Itsy Bitsy Spider, Twinkle, Twinkle and thanks to Sarah for clarifying - the Caterpillar song) and loves bringing home his beautiful artwork!

He is getting better about eating different foods and is now a whopping 28 lbs!!! Completely joking about the whopping part - he is only in the 35th percentile. Some of his favorite foods are pizza, tacos, french fries, rice, cereal, cheez its, chicken, goldfish, applesauce, any fruits, pancakes - some really healthy options, wouldn't you agree?

He loves going to the park, riding his bike and just being outside in general. He is very much into everything these days and can be quite rambunctious, but that's the life of any two year old, right?!

The only complaint we have is getting Dutch to go to bed on his own and at a decent hour and then staying in his room through the night. Right now, we read to him and then have to stay in there and lay with him until he falls asleep (which could be 9-9:30pm). At 3:30-4am, we hear the pitter patter of little feet making their way back to our room to get into bed with us. Some nights, depending on how tired we are, we take him back and end up sleeping in his room with him. Other nights, we are three deep in our bed!

Lane:

Lane is now seven months old. At her 6th month visit, she was 27 inches (79th percentile) and 16 lbs. 3 oz. (47th percentile). She now eats stage 2 foods and loves applesauce and squash. She also loves her oatmeal that she has been eating for about three months now.

We have now got her to where she will go down at 7:30pm, but we do wake her at 11pm for her last bottle. She then sleeps until about 7:30am. I have tried not waking her, but she still will wake up around midnight and fuss until she gets her bottle, so it works for us to just wake her as we are getting in the bed. She is still sleeping in a crib in our room for now. We could move her, but as I mentioned before, with Dutch getting up EVERY night, it's just easier that neither of them wake the other in the middle of the night and their rooms back up to one another.

She is sitting up like a champ and will rock on all fours. She will be taking off any day now, but until then she scoots around the room. Mostly backwards.

A new development this week, Lane has two teeth! One is completely through, the other I can see and feel on her gums, but I'm not quite sure it's popped through yet. She hasn't been fussy with them coming in so I can't complain.

She is such a happy baby - loves to laugh (at her brother especially) and loves to smile!

Both kids are feeling much better after having horrible sinus infections (I am now getting it - great!) and we will be hitting the weekend hard watching the Bama/USC game, Meghan will be coming home, Fall for Greenville, Halloween pictures and my grandfather's 80th birthday and my sister's 34th birthday!

Picture time

2010-09-27T21:26:00.009-04:00

I had some pictures taken by Olivia Collins of Lane and Dutch - they were Lane's 6 month pictures, but of course Dutch came along (as did Bella) so there were a few taken of him also. I was absolutely insane to think that I could take both kids and the dog to Falls Park by myself for the pictures to be taken. It is hard enough with just Bella, or just Dutch, but all three of them was nearly impossible for a few reasons. 1) I don't have a double stroller (if any of you know where to find a good one, keep your eyes and ears peeled) so that means Lane rode in the stroller and Dutch had to walk 2) Bella is the WORST dog to walk on a leash 3) Although Bella is a good listener for the most part, I wasn't thinking that when I got her around the water that she would no longer obey and just freak out that she could see & hear the water, but couldn't get in it. Needless to say, after about 30 minutes of juggling the three of them, I had to put Bella back in the car to finish the shoot. Anyhow, we got some really great shots. Check them out below!

First Day of School

2010-09-11T11:42:00.003-04:00

Dutch and Lane have both started school this year. Dutch is in a K2 class, going 3 days a week. Lane is only going once a week, but both continue to go to Jade's house on their off days, at least until she moves. They both seem to like it - or maybe I should clarify, Dutch likes it, Lane at least doesn't cry when we leave her and the women in the crib room say she is happy all day.

This year, Dutch will familarize himself with shapes, colors, numbers and letters. Some of this he knows now, but over time he'll get better at it! He'll also start going to music at school. Lots of new things for him!

I cannot believe how fast my kids are growing up. Before I know it, they'll be starting elementary school!

Pics coming soon!

Labor Day Beach Trip

2010-09-11T11:13:00.006-04:00

We just returned from a long weekend at the beach with my family. It was so nice to be able to do that since this was the first year that we didn't do an entire week at the beach. In fact, we were all a little sad that we thought we weren't going to do anything, but turns out we were all able!

On our way down, Dutch got sick in the car a few times - not sure why, but that was not fun at all - for any of us. We were sure it was over, but then entire weekend he went from being playful and happy to crying and uncomfortable. The only was I know to describe it would be if you had the flu and were achy, didn't want anyone to touch you and just weren't sure if you wanted to be under covers, lying down, sitting up, etc. You could definitely tell he wasn't feeling well. Now that we are home, he is all better, but Lane has a horrible case of diarrhea and diaper rash. I'm not 100% sure that this is the same thing Dutch had - could be something she picked up at daycare. More on that in the next post.

Anyhow, the beach was great and we were able to get some really great pics of all the kids.

Lane, ready to go to the beach!

Jackson

Dutch

Jackson and Lane snoozing

Jackson and Kirk

All the kids - Jacob, Dutch, Lane, Joseph and Jackson

The Groome Family - Joseph, Kim, Jackson, Jacob and Kirk

My nephews - Joseph, Jackson and Jacob

Playa Mujeres with the Norris'

2010-09-11T10:57:00.004-04:00

We had a great time on our trip to Mexico! Our resort was awesome and we couldn't have asked for a better time. We spent most of our days at the pool and swim-up bar :) and at night we ventured out to the cheesy shows the resort put on or the disco. You all know that DJ has a VERY hard time just sitting by the pool not doing much of anything, so AJ thankfully kept him busy with tennis, ping pong, etc. I think, though, at the end of the vacation he was glad that we weren't doing something every minute of every day. It was nice to just relax!

Anyhow, it was fabulous to have a break from parenthood, but we missed the kids terribly and we were ready to get home to them after our 5 days apart.

The day we arrived!

These hammocks were heavenly!

Kelley and AJ

Our last night :(

Oh. My. Gosh. Peaches, anyone?

2010-08-16T22:56:00.004-04:00

Dutch and I had a breakfast date on Sunday so DJ spent the morning with Lane. This is what we came home to see (I mean, it looks as though DJ poured the peaches on top of her!):

Good thing he decided she needed a major cleaning!

It's okay to be jealous.

2010-08-14T09:54:00.003-04:00

We want you to be. Here is where we will be this time next week:

A view from the top...

2010-08-14T09:29:00.004-04:00

We are enjoying a quiet Saturday morning at our house with our two babies. As I type, Lane is playing in her jumperoo and DJ is lying in bed with Dutch watching TV. We will be heading to my nephew, Joseph's, 5th birthday party around lunchtime. It is a karate party, so I'll be sure to bring my camera along to catch some pictures of Dutch participating in whatever he can! Tonight, I'll be attending a "going away" party for one of my best friends, Leah, who will be moving to Charleston next week. I will miss her terribly, but thankfully, she is only a few hours away and let's be honest, who wouldn't want to go to the beach to visit her?

In my latest post, I think I spoke about Lane starting to sit up. Well, she is getting better and better with it everyday. Here are some pictures of her doing her thing:

She is fascinated by the print on her dress

I really included this pic because she looks so much like a dollbaby here with that mouth!

She also likes sucking on her clothes...

Dutch showing her some love!

And of course, I had to throw in one of our BIG BOY!

Keeping up with the Jones'

2010-08-12T10:04:00.004-04:00

Well, it seems as if I have had no time to blog lately with everything we've had going on, so now it's catch up time. Let's see....

Dutch is getting ready to start preschool in September. He will be going three days a week, but will continue to go to Jade's house on the other days and if school is not in session. Lane will also be going to school with Dutch, but only one day a week to start. She is on the wait list to get in for more days, but until then she will be with me or Jade. On a sad note, Jade, our long time "nanny" (I use this term for lack of another), is moving to Columbia once her house sells here in Greenville. She has been wonderful to my kids and they love her dearly, I hate to see her leave! It is taking her house longer than expected to sell, and although I want her to be where her husband is, I am also being a little selfish in thinking it may take a REALLY long time to sell and my kids can just stay there with her :) My wishful thinking, I suppose!

Dutch loves the pool and has become very brave in the water this summer. He thinks he can really swim, but he can't. However, I am 100% positive that by next summer he will be swimming on his own. He loves to jump in the pool with his swimmies on (or not) when there is no adult in the pool to catch him. Brave, I tell you! He also prefers to swim "alone" - meaning don't hold him or hold onto him. He can do it! He also has started potty training. We are not hitting it hard just yet. We ask him if he wants to go, he says yes, hops on the potty, goes "teetee" and gets a gummy bear. He will sometimes tell us if he needs to go, but we aren't to the point where we are diaperless. We are just proud that he will go every now and then!

Lane is now sitting up on her own. Not well just yet, but still on her own. She topples over after a minute or two. She enjoys her jumperoo and any teething toys she can get her hands on. She is sleeping from 7pm-6:30am, which is great - except, she likes to wake up about 5am and "talk" for about 30 minutes or until I drag myself out of bed and pop her pacifier back in her mouth. It's super cute and all, but I would prefer it about 7am or even 8am! She is getting oatmeal at night and we've just started with a little applesauce. I guess it is true that no two kids are alike. When Dutch was almost 6 months old, he was eating all sorts of foods and had been eating rice cereal for almost 3 months.

As for DJ and I, we just recently celebrated the marriage of our friends, Derek and Austin. They are a great couple, wonderful friends of ours, and terrific to our kids. You probably have read posts about them - we refer to Derek as Dutch's 2nd best friend, besides Bella. They are always coming over to visit them, bringing them toys, lovies, etc., playing with them, holding them and just treating them as if they were their own. No rush intended here, but we cannot wait for them to have babies of their own that we can spoil too!

On an even more exciting note, we are leaving next week to go to Mexico with our great friends AJ & Kelley. We always have a blast with them no matter where we are, so I am sure they will not disappoint next week either!

I'll leave you with a picture of Dutch catching his very 1st fish on his own using his rod from Derek and Austin. (Excuse the blurriness)

Low Key weekend, which we LOVE

2010-07-17T11:50:00.002-04:00

It seems that we have been going so much lately, that it is nice to spend a weekend at home with no plans. Of course, as I type, DJ and Dutch have gone to Lake Jocassee for the morning - I guess they needed a good, refreshing swim. Lane is sleeping so I am catching up on loading pictures from the last 3 months and updating the blog.

I am super excited for Tuesday. Dutch has a playdate with Katy Cox and we will be going to the Children's Museum. We have never been, but I have heard wonderful things about it and I hope that there will be plenty to entertain Dutch. I'll post pics as soon as I can.

The next few weeks will be filled with weddings, birthdays, birthday parties, baby showers and our trip to Mexico. We are super excited about all the things to come, but as for now we are enjoying our time at home with the kids :)

Happy 4 months, Laneybug!

2010-07-15T10:33:00.004-04:00

On July 4th, Lane hit the four month mark.

As few things about Lane - She is babbling up a storm and loves to talk to anyone that will talk back or listen to her. I love hearing her "talk"! She is teething a good bit and our pediatrician thinks that any day now, her two bottom teeth will be in. If so, it will be a shock to me because Dutch didn't get a single tooth until 7 months or so. She now rolls over from front to back and smiles and laughs often. We thought we were over the waking in the night to eat, but ever since my Florida trip (where DJ watched them - what did he do to my sleeping baby?), she wakes up at 3:30am to have a bottle. She is now eating 6 oz. every three hours. The only time she stretches her feedings is from 8pm-3:30am. I know what you all are thinking - "just keep her up later or feed her again around 11pm" - trust me, we have tried it all and no matter what time she eats or how much or how often, she is still up at 3:30am. We have tried rice cereal, but I am not sure her stomach is ready for that just yet. As I have mentioned before, we struggle with acid reflux and milk allergy, so the rice has not been the easiest for her to digest. My pediatrician recommended that we try oatmeal, so we tried that last night. We'll find out today, as it processes, if it works for her. Hopefully if it does, it will allow her to stretch her feedings at night.

Also, because we haven't seen a complete change in her reflux, the doctor has recommended that we change her formula to the Similac version of Nutramigen since some babies do better with certain brands. He also switched us back to Zantac, but a higher dose.

Here are her most recent stats as well as some from the past (Dutch's and Lane's) that I forgot to post.

Dutch: 2 years

Height: 35.4 in. (73rd percentile)

Weight: 26 lbs. 6 oz. (29th percentile)

Head: 48.9 cm. (54th percentile)

Lane: 3 months

Weight: 11 lbs. 14 oz. (39th percentile)

Lane: 4 months

Height: 24.5 in. (50th percentile)

Weight: 13 lbs. 6 oz. (37th percentile)

Head: 41.9 cm. (69th percentile)

July 4th Beach trip

2010-07-14T22:28:00.004-04:00

This year, we traveled to Litchfield Beach with our friends AJ & Kelley, Lindsay & Brandon and their daughter, Anna James. This is the 2nd year that we have done this together and we are hoping to start somewhat of a tradition, especially once all of our families really begin to grow and the kids become older. We had such a good time! We were even able to find a sitter so we could go to dinner and grab some drinks afterward. It was nice to see others down there that we don't get to see that often and of course, it's always wonderful to be at the beach! Here are a few pics from our beach trip...

Just waking up from a nap on the beach

Brandon, Lindsay and Anna James

Brandon and Anna James

Too bad Dutch was napping...

Lane

Lane and Dutch hanging out in their pj's watching Elmo

AJ and Johnny

Anna James

Lake Trips

2010-07-14T22:03:00.005-04:00

We've been going to the lake a good bit this summer, probably due to the fact that Dutch loves the lake, the boat, fishing - just about anything that deals with water in general! Dutch had his first tubing experience this summer and seems to really enjoy it. Of course, we ride with him and the boat is going very S L O W. Lane also seems to enjoy the water. I'm not sure if any of you have gone to Lake Hartwell recently, but enter that water and it feels like a bath - seriously! So, I feel sure that has a lot to do with her tolerating it. We've had a great summer so far with the kids and now that Lane is a little older, she is so much easier to take places and really interact with her.

Here are a few pics of our recent lake trips - some with my family and some with DJ's.

Dutch and DJ enjoying a tube ride

My nephews, Jacob and Joseph

Me and Dutch on the tube

My nephew, Jackson

Laneybug

My beautiful, baby sister, Brittany

Jacob

Joseph

One man, two babies

2010-06-29T20:22:00.003-04:00

While my mom, sisters and I decided to travel to Florida for a long girls weekend, I left Dutch and Lane with DJ. It was his first time watching them both for an extended period of time, including overnight. I am generally the one to get up with Lane if she wakes up at 3:00am wanting a bottle. I am also the one to get them both dressed and out the door each morning. I was a little worried how he would do and more importantly, I was worried that Lane would give him a hard time. I called him constantly, bugging him about how the kids were doing and how he was doing, even to the point where he told me I was acting crazy and told me to "get a drink and relax." Well, we all survived the long weekend with a little help from Bobbie, DJ's mom :)

Here are a few pics DJ took while I was gone.

Metherell Visit

2010-06-21T22:20:00.004-04:00

My best friend, Jenna, and her family came over for a visit while they were home from Michigan seeing family and friends. I always love seeing her - I only wish it happened more often! Her son, Cash, and Dutch are exactly one week apart and her daughter, Lola, and Lane are about 6 months apart. It was so fun to get the kids together, especially the boys, now that they can interact with one another and have little conversations :)

Here are pics from their visit. Oh, and Dutch was in LOVE with Lola. He literally would not leave her alone and kept kissing her on her mouth! Too cute!

Fripp Island 2010

2010-06-21T22:07:00.004-04:00

We took our first trip as a family of four to Fripp Island a few weekends back with our good friends Stephen and Sarah Catherine. We had a great, relaxing time and it geared us up for our next trip with both kids to Litchfield for the 4th of July. DJ, Stephen and Dutch spent the mornings and evenings checking on the crab traps they put out on Friday. We ended up with lots of yummy stone crab claws for dinner :) Dutch and Lane did great on the beach and by the pool. Lane slept most of the time while Dutch played in the ocean and pool. They must have both been worn out because they went to bed at 6:30pm and did not wake up again until 8am the next day!

Here are some pictures from our trip.

Stephen and Sarah Catherine

Scarpa's 30th, ZBB and AJ's 80's Birthday party...

2010-06-20T23:02:00.002-04:00

As I mentioned in the previous post, we've had a busy month. I was waiting to post anymore because I REALLY wanted to get some pictures of these parties, specifically the 80's party where DJ and I looked ridiculous! I am still hoping to get some pictures from Kelley & AJ, but until then, I suppose I'll just write about it. It started with Elizabeth Scarpa's 30th at Oysters on the West End on Thursday - which was a fun night out - then Friday night, Zac Brown Band with friends and the AJ's 30th birthday party on Saturday night. Let me just say, when we were invited to the ZBB concert, DJ nor myself had any clue who they were, but their concert was so much fun and they are a GREAT band! And I loved that it was at the Heritage Park Amphitheater. I had also never been there, but it is nice to have a place like that near Greenville! As for the birthday party on Saturday, we had a blast! It was held at On the Roxx downtown and Kelley did an amazing job putting it all together. It was so fun to see everyone's outfits - from Madonna look alikes and exercise gurus to preppy boys and mullets! And of course, me in my all sequins top and leggings and DJ in Air Jordans and short shorts :) Needless to say, I think everyone enjoyed themselves and let's be honest, who doesn't love an 80's party?!

I hope to get some pictures posted soon of our outfits!

Memorial Day

2010-06-13T21:44:00.006-04:00

I realize this post is coming a little late, but better late than never! We have had busy weekends these last three weeks, beginning with Memorial Day. We decided to take both kids to the lake for the first time - thankfully, we had Bobbie there to help us out if we needed it. It turned out to be a rainy, cold day so no one got in the water and our lake adventure maybe lasted all of two hours or so. Lane, however, did great out there. I think she really enjoys being outside especially in the warmer air.

We also were invited to go to Derek's house to swim over the weekend and of course, took our little water bug, Dutch. Lane went too, but she was not all that crazy about the water and it was COLD!!! We had a good time with friends and the sun shined long enough for us to get a good few hours of swim time. Here are some pics - enjoy!

Derek and Dutch

Brandon and Anna James

Water Fun!

2010-05-28T09:17:00.006-04:00

Dutch loves playing with hose...check out these pics! Boy was on a mission!!!

Mission Accomplished!

So proud...now to do it again!

Lane just watches on...

2 Years, Really!?!?

2010-05-24T21:51:00.006-04:00

It is hard to believe my oldest baby is now two years old and it is not so much of a "baby" anymore. Dutch turned two on the 21st and we celebrated over the weekend with family and friends. He had a fun party with lots of other kiddos his age running around. He is so much fun at this age, although he is into everything all of time - you really have to keep a constant eye on him!

He is talking more and more each day, putting sentences together and expressing more of what he wants, feels, etc. His favorite food is definitely "cheese cheese" (cheez-its)...I know it is not a food, but in this house, between Dutch and DJ, they eat it as if it is. I spend a small fortune on cheese cheese a week! He also loves spaghetti, tacos, pizza, applesauce and grilled cheese...all healthy things :) He loves doing anything with DJ - fishing, walking Bella, playing t-ball, riding his toys, you name it! He also loves to dance and anytime music is on he asks me, DJ, Lane and Bella to dance with him. His favorite book is Goodnight Moon and we are required (by him) to read it every night. We throw some other books in the mix like Brown Bear, Brown Bear and Mother Goose, but it always comes back to Goodnight Moon. He can count to 10 and we are working on the alphabet and colors. He knows his color names, but almost everything is blue according to Dutch. Or "yeyo" (yellow). His favorite friend is our dog, Bella. He loves her so much and shows her with food, back rides and talks. Yes, talks! Like I mentioned before, he asks her to dance, asks her to play outside, tells her what he is eating and tells her that she can't have any, but then proceeds to give her whatever it is that he has. It really is cute! I could go on and on about him...anyhow, we are so in love with him and we have truly enjoyed watching him grow up right before us. It is like no other feeling in the world! I can't wait until he and Lane can interact more, teach one another things and have that great relationship that I already picture in my mind.

Happy Birthday sweet Dutch! You have brought so much joy into our lives and know that you will continue to do just that. We love you to the moon and back! Forever.

For those of you interested: he weighs 26 lbs. 3 oz. and is in the 28th percentile. We'll go in two weeks for a full well visit and I'll post his stats then. We only went today because he is so stuffy :(

Dutch with his new bike & helmet

Blowing out his candle for his actual birthday...please notice the candle -it is broken, so 1/2 of a 2

Birthday party with "D" - the name Dutch came up with for Gran

Getting ready to blow out the candle

Bradley

Hudson

Charley and Cale

Lane looking perplexed

"Eid" and Lane

Dutch opening his presents

Sweet Jackson

Happy 2 months!!!

2010-05-05T23:24:00.003-04:00

Lane is now two months old as of yesterday! She is bringing so much joy to our lives and we feel so blessed to have two amazing children. I also have some GREAT news to report. Lane is finally (and I say this with my fingers crossed) out of her "fussiness" phase. To the advice of other moms and our pediatrician, we decided to switch her formula to Nutramigen Lipil, specifically for colic and a milk protein allergy. We also are on Prevacid for reflux. The only downside to all of this is that the formula, for a 12 oz. can, is almost $30 - so double the cost of a 12 oz. can of "regular" formula and the Prevacid is also extremely costly. However, for a happy baby, we were willing to try anything and pay any price! Well, not any price, but this will do! Anyhow, the change in her has been dramatic and we are just glad to see it continue each day!

Dutch continues to be an awesome BIG brother to her! I love seeing his face light up when we pick him up each afternoon just knowing she is in the car too! I can already tell he loves her so much!

We are sooo ready for summer in our house! We have recently joined Stone Lake Pool and are looking forward to spending many days in the water. Dutch, my little water bug, will be so excited to be able to swim anytime. He is at such a fun age now - into everything, but fun nonetheless!

The lighting in these pictures is not all that great, but I thought they were cute!

One month flies by!

2010-04-10T23:20:00.005-04:00

Our little Lane is now one month old. Well, this post is late - by almost another month...but on the 4th, she was one month! We had our one month check up and have since been back to the doctor a few times.

At one month:

Weight: 9 lbs. 2 oz. (41%)

Height: 21.5 in. (59%)

Head Circumference: 37.7 cm (60%)

Last week (at 6 weeks) when we had to go back to the doctor because poor little lady had her first ear infection she was 9 lbs. 6 oz. (38%). She has been on an antibiotic for her ears and we'll go back tomorrow for an ear check up to make sure the infection is gone. We also have switched her to formula in hopes that it will help her fussiness. We are now on Nutramigen Lipil (specifically for babies with colic or a milk allergy) and reflux medication. We are keeping our fingers crossed that this helps! Just in the last three days, we've seen a major difference in her behavior. We are hoping that we have turned a corner - because let me just tell you, I am not sure I can go back to little sleep and then hearing her cry all day. I am just glad that it seems to be helping her tummy and she seems much more relaxed and happy!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-10T00:05:00.003-04:00

Our Easter was filled with fun times with family. The night before, we ate dinner with Bobbie and family and the day of we went to brunch and had an Easter egg hunt with my family. Dutch enjoyed playing with Kelan and Rory as well as Jacob, Joseph and Jackson. He also loved seeing what the Easter Bunny brought for him and Lane. As for Lane, she looked SO stinkin' cute in her little Easter dress. If only I had gotten a decent picture of the two of them that day. Oh well, maybe some of these will paint the picture for you...

Dutch, Kelan and Rory

Easter morning

Playing the piano at Mimi and Pop's

Hunting for eggs

Peanut sleeping

Momma's Night Out!

2010-04-09T23:48:00.003-04:00

For my last year in my twenties, I decided to take a night off from BOTH kids and celebrate with my girlfriends. Let me just tell you how much fun I had and how much I needed that time away. If you read my last post, you know that we have had a time with our little Lane so just to get away and have a few drinks with friends calmed my nerves - well, at least for that day & night!

DJ was in charge of both kids that night and he decided that it would be best to have a Man-BQ. Yes, this is what they call it. It is when all of the guys whose wives/girlfriends are at girls night get together (kids or no kids) and cookout and drink beer. I could have told him this was probably not a good idea. He called me midway through my dinner to inform me he thought my breastmilk was bad because Lane was not drinking it very well and was extremely fussy. Where had he been the last week??? Anyhow, he called me a couple times to ask when I would be home, that he had been inside all night, unable to partake in the Man-BQ because he could not get her to stop crying. I checked in a few times and the last time I did, he had gotten her to sleep. Needless to say, once I arrived home, he thanked me and apologized for not understanding or knowing how she's been each day he was at work or each night he slept peacefully.

Anyhow, it was just nice to get out of the house and enjoy a night away. Even if it was for only a few hours. So, thank you DJ for taking over and allowing me to let loose a little :)

Sleep, what's that?

2010-04-09T11:42:00.005-04:00

I haven't had as much time to blog as I had hoped. Lane is not quite as content as Dutch was as a baby. In fact, she can be down right scary at times! We have been trying to figure out why our little peanut is not happy most of the time. She cries on and off for a good portion of the day. I told my mother - as bad as this may sound - that my goal is just to keep her sleeping most of the day/night. Although I would love to "bond", talk to her, make faces, etc. the truth of the matter is, if she is awake and not eating, she is not happy. The doctor seems to think that she may have a food allergy of some sort that is coming through my breast milk. His advice - to alter my diet. I cannot have any dairy (if you know me well, you know I HATE this part!), peanuts, eggs or shell fish until we can narrow down what, if any food, is causing her to be fussy. He also has given us Zantac as well as a soy based formula for us to try. I am hoping, with all fingers & toes crossed, that this works and we can fix the issue. I hate that she is so upset and that we have no idea what's wrong with her or what to do to make her happy. We do A LOT of bouncing, rocking, patting and burping until she falls asleep. She eats every 3-4 hours and can stretch her sleeping at night to almost 4 hours. Of course, our feeding and burping routine to get her stomach just right takes almost and hour, so I am not getting much sleep these days. I'll keep everyone updated as to how she does this week with all the new changes.

I am finding that Dutch, even his "terrible two" stage, can be easier than Lane at times. He loves holding his sister and if you give him the opportunity to do so, don't expect to get her back with out a fight! It's super cute - until he gets a little too excited and pats her a little too hard! He has enjoyed this warm weather we've been having by going to the park, playing with his new water table or swinging in the backyard. I am hoping this warm pattern continues. He gets so much of his energy out when he can get out of the house and play.

Just watching a show, holding his "baby"

Last cold days - lake with Daddy

At the park, sliding

Busy, Busy, Busy!

2010-03-22T22:10:00.004-04:00

Life with two is definitely busy! Thankfully, when DJ is at work, I have had the help of my mom to take care of Dutch and Lane. Of course, aside from the feedings, Lane is super easy - sleeps, eats, poops, sleeps, eats, poops...you get the idea! Dutch is another story. He is into everything these days and has lots of energy! I think I am ready for bed most nights before he is!

We had a friend of ours from high school come to take pictures of the kids and we got some really cute shots! Check them out below!

Catch up to Lane's arrival...

2010-03-14T12:05:00.005-04:00

Well, I have obviously not been posting much lately due to construction (which we are FINALLY back in our house) and our new addition to the family! It has been a busy three months with Christmas, getting the house finished, baby showers & finally the arrival of our daughter, Lane Elizabeth Doherty.

We are so thrilled to be back in our house and have all of this new, much-needed space. We are coming in on the home stretch with just a few little things to finish here and there. Dutch is adjusting well to his new BIG BOY bed and we are all enjoying being able to sit together comfortably in one room. We have had lots of movie nights as a family and are looking forward to being able to entertain with friends once our backyard is complete.

We are also thrilled to announce the birth of our daughter, Lane Elizabeth Doherty, on March 4th at 8:08am. She weighed 7 lbs, 10 oz. and was 19 1/2 inches long. We have had our one week check up and the doctor said she looks great! She lost a little weight in the hospital (which is very normal) and now weighs 7 lbs 1 oz.

Dutch is being an awesome big brother. He loves holding her and helping out mommy & daddy. It is so cute to see him with her - he is very good about listening and being very gentle with her. We are so excited to be a family of four!!!

18 MONTHS!!!

2009-11-21T19:16:00.003-05:00

Today, Dutch is 18 months old!!! He has brought so much joy into our lives, it is hard to imagine life before him!

He is into EVERYTHING these days - climbing, eating things that he shouldn't, etc. In fact, just this past Thursday, we spent a few hours in the ER due to him falling off a chair and his tooth going thru his bottom lip. After a few stitches, we came home and he acted as if nothing happened!

It is hard to believe how fast time has gone by and before we know it Dutch will be an amazing BIG BROTHER!!

Boo in the Zoo

2009-11-16T19:44:00.005-05:00

We had a great time at Boo in the Zoo this year. It was Dutch's first time for Halloween. I'm not quite sure the he felt all that comfortable with everyone dressed up, but he enjoyed being with his cousins! We tried and tried to get some good pictures of the kids...this is what we got!

TAKE 1

TAKE 2

TAKE 3

Pumpkin Patch

2009-11-16T19:25:00.004-05:00

This year, my sister and I decided we would take our kids to Denver Downs Pumpkin Patch. We had a great time and the kids really enjoyed it!

Work in progress

2009-11-06T19:20:00.006-05:00

After months of deliberating, we finally decided to add onto our house. We love the downtown area and really wanted to stay, so we figured why not make our house what we want it to be and continue to stay there. I must say, it is a work in progress and tests our patience everyday. And although I love decorating, choosing carpets/hardwoods, paint colors, etc, I have definitely already told my mom I would enjoy it better if someone just made the choices for me. I know that is not truly the case, but it is a lot of work and too many decisions! Just call me when it's ready to be furnished :)

Here are a few pictures from our construction progress. Our little man is such a BIG helper!

Pregnant mother of 15 month old went camping...

2009-10-14T09:08:00.006-04:00

We decided as a family that we would take Dutch on his 1st camping trip while the temperatures were still somewhat warm and the weather was nice. Well, most of you that know me know that I do NOT camp! I don't particularly like all the bugs and sleeping in a tent in the middle of nowhere, but I did it so that my boys could enjoy the experience.

Dutch seemed to like it - I'm not sure if he enjoyed camping or just the fact that we were outside for 24 hours! He loved jumping on the air mattress and just running around in the tent. I must admit, it was difficult taking a 15 month old camping, especially when you have to carry him up to the camp as well as ALL of the stuff that we brought with us (and you know DJ, he takes the entire house with him!). We had to keep a constant eye on him so that he wouldn't venture to the water on his own or get into the fire. I tried to tell DJ before we went that it would not be his "idea" of camping with Dutch. At the end of the camping trip (after I had been attacked by fire ants & mosquitoes and had fallen into the boat pretty hard), DJ agreed that he probably would NOT be bringing Dutch (or me) back anytime soon until he can do more for himself. I AGREE - and maybe next time it can just be the boys...just kidding! I am sure I will go again someday!

Here are some pictures from our camping trip -

Twinnies

Eating some breakfast

One last swim

And, I just need you to witness all of the stuff we brought with us...

It's A Girl!

2009-10-02T12:25:00.002-04:00

We are so excited to announce that Dutch is going to have a little sister!!! This has been a long time coming in our families as there have only been boys born for the last few years. Needless to say, we are ready to "Think Pink."

We have names picked out that we weren't able to use with Dutch, so we are sticking with one of those...most likely! It will be either Lane Elizabeth (my middle name & my mom's/grandmother's middle name) or Lillian Elizabeth (DJ's grandmother & my mom & grandmother's middle name). We like them both the same, so it will just be a matter of choosing. I am leaning more towards Lane just because I know sooooo many Lillie's, Lillian's, Lilla's, Lyla's, etc.

Stay tuned for more updates on Baby Girl Doherty :)

Brashier Family Beach trip!

2009-09-09T21:43:00.012-04:00

Back in July, we took a week long trip to Garden City with my family. This year, we had one more joining our beach trip, my nephew, Jackson, so all in all there were 12 of us!!! We had a great time and Dutch really enjoyed being with all of his cousins. He acts like such a big boy when he is around them. I guess he just wants to do whatever they are doing. It is so cute to see them all interact together!

Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall!

2009-09-09T21:24:00.002-04:00

It has been a while since my last post...we have been so busy lately with trying to get everything in order for our addition to our house to begin. For those of you that may not have heard, with the new baby arriving in about 6 months, we will need to add on to our house to make room. We've been needing more room for a while now, but this was finally the "push" we really needed!

We've also been busy camping, going to the lake, playing in the parks, etc. It has been a fun summer for the Doherty family. It is hard to believe how fast time has gone by and how big Dutch has gotten!

A few things he is doing now:
* He is going full speed on his feet - running, walking, turning in circles to make himself dizzy, going up & down the stairs, climbing, etc.
* He LOVES his wagon and riding in it whenever he can!
* He also LOVES the water - pool, lake, bathtub, whatever!
* He hams it up for the camera these days, which I love!
* He says - Dada, Mama, Hot, thank you ("ank you"), his name (if you seen him lately, you know he says this CONSTANTLY and very well, might I add), Bye Bye ("baba"), This, Eyes, I did it, and Hi. Some of these, he has to be prompted to say, but most he'll say on his own.
* Mostly, he points and grabs at the air when he wants something instead of vocalizing it.
* We've got somewhat of a picky eater on our hands. He loves junk food and sweets - go figure!
* He loves emptying anything - drawers, cabinets, baskets, my purse & wallet.
* He loves books & looking at pictures. He always can find a book anywhere he goes.
* He also likes throwing his food everywhere, especially now that he ONLY wants to feed himself.
* We've finally got more than 4 teeth - woohoo! I think we are now up to 7 and I can see more popping through!

Pics to come soon!

Dutch is going to be a BIG BROTHER!!!

2009-07-28T20:24:00.003-04:00

We are happy to announce that we are expecting baby #2 in early March of 2010! DJ and I are so excited and feel so blessed. I am also looking forward to Dutch having a playmate - they will be 22 months apart, so i hope they will be close buds!

We had our 1st doctors appointment last Thursday and Dr. Beck said everything looked great. Our official due date is March 13th, but because I will be having a c-section, it will be more like March 6th or 7th. We are still very early so all thoughts and prayers are appreciated!

My Big Boy Haircut

2009-07-22T19:56:00.010-04:00

Well, we finally said goodbye to the mullet that Dutch had going on. It is amazing how much older he looks now that he has a "big boy haircut." He did really well while getting his haircut and his cousins were there to help out in case he got scared.

Right before getting his hair cut

Good shot of the mullet

Bubbles...

Look at me now!

July 4th Beach trip

2009-07-22T18:55:00.010-04:00

Well, we finally made it to the beach! We decided to head to Pawleys for the 4th to spend the weekend with our great friends. Dutch really enjoyed the beach & playing in the sand. And, he finally warmed up to most of the guys that he has been terrified of the last few months - whew, hope we're over that bump!

Testing out the waters with Daddy

Warming up to Josh

MY LITTLE MAN!

Napping with Brandon

Playing with Johnny's niece and nephew

Me, Dutch and Kelley

Brittany Brashier Graduates!

2009-07-22T18:52:00.003-04:00

Congrats to my baby sis on graduating from high school. She is the last one for my parents...I wonder what they will do with themselves now that we are all out of the house??? Brittany will be leaving next week to start her new venture in Columbia. She is so excited and we are just as happy for her!!!

Summer Fun!

2009-06-02T23:54:00.004-04:00

We are ready for summer in our house. Can you tell? We have three beach trips planned this summer and hopefully we'll make it to the lake a few times too.

Let's Eat Cake!

2009-06-02T23:45:00.003-04:00

Of course, after the birthday party and feeling better, Dutch enjoys cake...go figure! He also loves giving it to Bella and apparantly decorating the cake with his favorite - Cheezits!