Singing Happy Birthday!

Ryan Nicholas Turns 4 (04/29/13)!!!!!

 

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This has nothing to do with Ry's birthday, but I saw in Dropbox that Sean had taken these and I thought they were pretty......they line the side of our house.  :)

Ryan picked to go to Krispy Kreme for breakfast for his birthday!  This, however, is Andrew!  :)  In case you thought I didn't know. 

Hunter loved the chocolate donut!!!!

Watching the donuts being made :)

Birthday lunch

Birthday dinner.  He requested dinosaur meat and eggs.  Do you notice a theme?  He is very concerned about safety during meal times!  

We made him a football cake at his request

Riding his new bike

 

 

 

Dogwoods

 

Well, sorta, not really, more like pictures of our children playing on the playground, but it does have something to do with dogwoods.....I promise!  We went into the city last night!  To Farragut to be more specific.  To a richey-er neighborhood that is the featured trail for looking at dogwoods and other spring blooms!  It was nice.......pretty houses to look at and pretty flowers to see, too.  And of course there was a playground because most rich neighborhoods are equipped with their own private playgrounds.  Sooooo, we stopped and played and put Andrew in a swing for the first time and well that's exciting because we are his parents.  I don't expect anyone else to be excited. :) But that is what this post is about, and dogwoods, and I posted it, mostly because I told my Dad I would because he was hinting that Naner needed to see some pictures of the boys and this is all I had!  :)

Football in April!

On Saturday we went to the orange and white game at UT.  Free parking and free admission!  It was fun and the day God blessed us with was beautiful.  The boys enjoyed it to a point, but we didn't stay the whole time.  :)  So we left in search of Starbucks and dinner at Buddy's BBQ!!!

Morning at the Park

For Boston

little scooter!

Spring's A-Bloomn'

Spring is here!!!!  Which means you can find us outside playing, basking in the warmth of the beautiful sunshine, and soaking in the sights of budding flowers and green blades of grass!  Today, Sean worked super hard to mow our 3 foot tall grass that grew overnight (or so it seems) and he started putting down mulch.  The yard now is 100% improved from what it was!!!!  I decided to get a gel manicure, Starbucks, and snap a few photos......so yah I didn't work even half as hard as the hubby!  I did go get all 25 bags of mulch for him though!  lol 

Happy Happy Happy.........Spring!

First visit to the children's hospital!

A month or so ago, we purchased bunk beds from a furniture store that was going out of business.  Saturday, we went on a big shopping trip and got mattresses for the bunk beds - the top is a twin, the bottom is a full, and then the trundle is a twin.  We also got bedding for all three mattresses - Cars (the movie Cars) and spaceships!  Sean and I even got new bedding!  :)  We came home and Sean (with the boys help!) got to working on building the bunks.  And so Saturday night marked our first night with the BIG move......Andrew moved from our bed to his crib.  I was sooooo sad and I did way worse than little man did.  He has slept with us every night since he was born and he was my little cuddle partner.  I cried and cried.  Andrew, well, he did great!!!!  The first and second nights he slept from like 9 until 1 or 2 and then had a feed and then back to sleep until 5.  Five a.m. brings another feed and then into bed with us because I can't get him to settle again after that.  He is such a good little man!!!  Barely even cried at all.  Well, first night I slept horribly, but now I am excited to have my room and bed back with the hubby!  :)  Ryan and Hunter did well the first night.  Ryan slept on the top bunk and Hunter on the bottom (not the trundle).  Things did NOT go so well at nap time Sunday afternoon, however.  Both boys were crazy rambunctious and not listening.  I had come in for the ga-jillionth time to correct and discipline when I discovered that Hunter needed a diaper change.  So I take him to do that and a few seconds later I hear a THUD and then crying.  I ran in there and saw blood coming from Ryan's mouth.  He bit his tongue pretty good and cut his chin open from clowning around on the top bunk and falling off.  We debated and prayed about what we should do, but felt God leading us to take him in soooo we got to visit the children's hospital for the first time. 

Here's the tongue bite

And again!  Ouchies!!!

At East TN Children's Hospital.  Little man was so courageous!

Waiting for sutures....watching a movie!  They were awesome at the hospital......brought in toys for the boys to play with, drinks for all of us, and explained and talked to Ryan during the whole thing....even brought in all the tools she would be using to stitch him up so he could touch and feel (a different set was used for the procedure of course!)  :)

Suture time!  He sat so still and didn't cry at all!

All done!  4 sutures!

Went to dinner afterwards at a yummy place in Knoxville called Cookout and had burgers and got the brave patient a milkshake........that we all took part in eating!  :)

The infamous bunks!  lol  Ry decided to sleep up top again last night after we got home and he is back up there for nap time right now.  We pray that he learned his lesson!  And we have talked to him a bunch about being safe up there!

This is an example of proper top bunk behavior!!!!

He gets his sutures out on Friday.  He has been in some pain of course and it is tough to eat because of his tongue, but overall he has ben amazing!  The tongue should heal on its own in a few days!  What an unexpected Sunday!  When we got home, Ryan was so upset that we missed Sunday night church.  Bless his little heart!

Dah-Dah!!

We officially have 3 talking babies!!!!!!  Andrew chose to say da-da as his first word, just like Hunter.  Ryan's first word was mama :)Now, Andrew says it ALL day long!  It is sooooo precious!

Joyful Noise Children's Choir

Our church, Bible Baptist, had a Easter children's program that Ryan and Hunter were in.  Well, Hunter ducked out a little early!!!!  lol  Ryan did great and actually sang!!!!!  He made my mama heart swell and caused teary eyes, too! 

It's a little hard to see, so from left to right is:
Courtney Green holding Callie Bates
Josie Bates holding Judson Bates
Alves child
Warden Bates
Isaiah Bates (or it could be the other way around, but I usually get Warden and Isaiah confused!!)
A child I don't know
2 more Alves children (the Alves' are a family! :))  Gee, I'm bad with names!
Ellie Bates
Addee Bates (at least I think its Ellie and Addee and don't mind any misspellings BTW!) 
Ryan Brewner
Hunter Brewner for a quick minute!
Katie Bates
Warren child
Jackson Bates
Carlin Bates
and last but not least, Erin Bates on piano
If nothing else is learned from this post, it's that I need to purpose to learn my church family and their names a little bit better!

Prima Luce

My sweet friend Becca in Indiana was soooo nice to snap some very cute pictures of my little man and her adorable little man.  She has her own photography biz and well I just think you should go check out her talent!!!!  http://primalucephoto.blogspot.com/    Oh and don't forget to scroll down to see some baby cuteness!!!!!!

love the lip and the hand!!!

There's that hand gesture again!!!

OK, one more time!!!!  Strike a pose!!