In case you thought it was National BBQ Day

Words cannot express my gratitude to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom I enjoy in this country! While many, including myself, enjoyed a holiday today, there were a lot of families who spent the day remembering lost loved ones who died defending our country so we could enjoy holidays like this.
All I can say is "Thank you" from the bottom of my heart!

Easter and Miscellaneous Happenings

I was a little apprehensive about our Easter this year because we had a very busy day scheduled starting at 6:00 a.m. with a Sunrise Service and an Easter breakfast afterwards. On top of that and our regular church services of the day, we had our monthly nursing home visit in the afternoon. I wasn't sure how Brett would handle being up early and pretty much being on the run all day. Turns out he was a trooper, and was only mildly fussy by the end of the day.
I tried to get organized Saturday night and get the diaper bag packed with everything we would need for the sunrise service, breakfast, and morning service; get our outfits laid out so that we wouldn't be searching for them at 5:00 the next morning; and make sure that we all had our Saturday night baths. :) Daddy took this adorable picture of Wink that night.

 The men always cook the Easter breakfast, and this year Grampie cooked a special pancake just for Winky.

He loved the taste of it, but after eating about 3/4 of it, he got too full and just wanted his bottle.

A pancake just a little boy's size!! Thank you, Grampie, for thinking of Brett and his tummy!

Grammie Baker sent Brett a pair of jammies for Easter, and we have been enjoying him wearing them. I think this is his first pair of jammies without any feet in them, and Matt and I love seeing his little toes peek out the bottom. He looks like something straight from a story book page. Sorry he's wearing socks in this picture!

Over Easter weekend, Matt brought me home a delightful surprise! Imagine my surprise finding this on the kitchen table when he said I could open my eyes!!!

He knew that I REALLY liked how the Ruger LC9 fit my hand and how easy it was to shoot. He also knew that I wanted a girly color, so when he found out about this purple one, he knew his wife would be a willing taker! :) How can it get any better than a purple gun?!?!?! I haven't been able to try it out yet because it has been rainy every chance we get to go to the gravel pit, but I'm looking forward to breaking it in!

Last Thursday we were invited to Seth and Rachel's for supper. Brett had a grand time playing with Friend Tyler, and we parents enjoyed visiting with each other and watching our little boys interact.

Spring has arrived in this part of the country, and we are enjoying the warmer temperatures. I've enjoyed taking Brett outside, and showing him the great outdoors. One day he helped me plant seeds out on the back deck...

...and did the heavy looking one while I picked up brush that the linesmen had cut away from the power lines during the ice storm at Christmastime. ;)

Matt bought us each a bicycle so that we could do some biking along the carriage trails in Bar Harbor this summer. Of course Wink needed to get in on the fun as well, so we bought him a chariot to ride in behind my bike. We've gone on one ride so far, and Wink loved it!

We went out for supper on one of our date nights, and Wink was able to sit up to the table in a highchair for the first time. As you can see, he was VERY excited!!

Giveaway!!

Just a quick note to let everyone know that my friend Amanda at Quiet Workings is hosting a giveaway from my shop right now. The giveaway is open until Monday April 28, at 8am, Atlantic Time. Check out her post here to find out how to enter! Good Luck!!

Brett Pictures

At any given point when Matt and I are spending time with Winky, you will find one or the other of us with our phone out taking a picture or movie of him. A lot of these pictures have been piling up without getting posted here, so I thought I would dedicate this post entirely to sharing pictures of our little man that we have  snapped over the last little while.

We found this shirt and vest on clearance at Burlington Coat Factory and couldn't resist getting it for him, since orange is definitely a Winky color.

Brett has developed a love for gardening, and loves to tend to Mommy's peace lily. For some reason, Mommy doesn't seem very appreciative of the help. ;)

Daddy bought Wink a pair of rubber boots just his size. He loves wearing them outside!

A tribute to the many aunties this little boy has. :)

Mommy bought a couple of hats for Wink to help out with the sun this summer.

Sporting a new shirt from Mr. and Mrs. Jim

We went out for supper on one of Matt's days off, and Winky got his own chair and his very own sippy cup. He looked so grown up that Mommy almost cried!

All fresh and clean from a bath first thing in the morning.

 Ready to go to Grampie and Grammie's on a sunny, spring day.

Doing some reading while waiting for Mom to get ready in the morning.

Peek!!

Helping Mom make supper.

Wink won't sit still for pictures very long any more. He likes to reach for the camera, as you can tell in this picture.

This vest from Auntie Rachel matched his hat so well. He looked like a proper gentleman to go to church on Sunday.

Reading Go Dog, Go with Daddy.

A new shirt from Auntie Sarah.

 Wink can really get around fast in his walker now, and keeps us busy running after him. :)

A very "Winky" shirt. (Anything with bright stripes is definitely a "Winky" shirt at our house.)

Meeting Auntie Rachel's bunny.

Daddy put a toy on Wink's head, and when I started laughing, he just sat there looking at me with a "what is so funny, Mommy?" expression on his face.

Playing the piano with Grampie.

His first episode of splashing in the puddles. (I'm sure it's the first of many! *smile*)

Announcing...

If you are checking my blog this morning, you will notice that some changes have been made in the last 24 hours. I basically handed my laptop to my husband last night and asked him to help get things set up a little differently. He worked with me for most of the evening and came up with
 the look you see this morning ( which I am loving, by the way.)
The  main reason for the change is that with some prompting from Matt, and a ton of help from him, I am opening up a small business to sell some of the knitting and crochet projects I enjoy making. It's still in the early stages, and I'm still figuring out a lot of the details, but it is slowly coming together. Matt and I both thought that my blog would be one of the many avenues I could use to advertise my products. If you click on the "Handmade by Hon" tab at the top of the page, you will be able to view what I have for sale, and you will be able to navigate to Amazon.com where you can purchase my products. I still have more work to do to get the page up and running as I would like, and I still have more products that I need to photograph and list. Check back to the "Handmade by Hon" page often, because I am adding new items almost daily. If you think of it, please spread the word as well.... I'm told that word of mouth is one of the best advertisers there is!
With all of that being said, this blog will not turn into a purely business site. I still plan to blog about our everyday life, Brett, and anything else I want to share with you as I have done for the last two years.
In other news, Matt has revamped his blog and has it up and running where he posts regularly. If you would like to read interesting news articles, life hacks, and much more, visit the link on the side of my page called "My Darling's Blog".
And just because blog posts can be boring without pictures, I am sharing one more picture of our little Buddy from his 9 month photo shoot. :-)

9 Months Old

I blinked and my little boy turned 9 months!!!! How is it possible that 9 months have already flown by since that drizzly night in June when we drove to the hospital for the second time that day and by midnight found ourselves in the OR in Bangor welcoming our teeny, tiny son into the world? The calendar shows that it definitely is possible, but in my mind it seems it was just yesterday. Now that teeny, tiny son has grown into a rolly,polly, full of smiles little boy who seems to learn something new every day. I know the journey of his growing up is just beginning for us, but my "mamma heart" already has a bit of nostalgia as I realize how fast the first 9 months of our little guy's life has gone!
Enjoy these pictures from Brett's 9 month photo shoot.

What Are Little Boys Made Of

 A wee bit of dirt and a devilish grin...

 Curious eyes and spaghetti sauce chin...

 

A dollop of mud behind his right ear,

And a handful of worms in his pocket, I fear.

 

You see his knees through the holes in his jeans

He likes ice cream, but won't eat his beans.

He's made of mudpies...

And bubble gum kisses

and wonder at Christmas and birthday wishes.

And a heap of giggles and wiggles and love;

These are the things little boys are made of.

-Patsy Gaut