I can drink diet coke too!

Nicholas was quite hungry the other day and when I go to give him his bottle, this is what I see. Nicholas can hold his bottle and feed himself! Well, not exactly every time he eats but Nicholas can hold his bottle if he feels the need. He loves to grab things and hold on to something whenever possible, so I guess his bottle was the most exciting thing around. Isn't he such a big boy!
Speaking of big boys, on the same day Nicholas decided he wanted more than his bottle of milk. He is sitting in Grandma's lap while she is drinking a diet coke. Nicholas suddenly begins squealing with delight at her glass of coke. Grandma holds the glass a little closer and this is what Nicholas does-he begins sucking the side of the glass!
My guess is that Nicholas got a little sip from Grandma's diet coke based on that face. I guess a tiny sip of caffeine couldn't hurt him too much. If so, Grandma its your fault!

Nicholas swims!

So the pool has been completed for about two or three weeks now, but we have been busy swimming and not posting the updates. Sorry! It is so nice to look outside and see a finished swimming pool and a sodded yard. No more mud. Brad and I (and other family members) have been swimming in the pool ever since it was finished, but I was afraid that the water might be a little too chilly for Nicholas. Well this past weekend I let Nicholas take his first swim. He is definitely a water baby! He absolutely loves the water. We have a cool turtle float to splash around in just like cousin Ben's. Enjoy the pictures below of Nicholas' first swim in the pool!

Mommy, Daddy, and Nicholas ready for a day of fun in the pool! As you can see, Maggie is also ready for her turn to swim. So far she has just put her paws on the steps, but I'm sure it won't be long before she figures out that the pool is used for more than drinking water.

Look at that big grin! Nicholas is having such a good time. He loves to splash in the little pool of water on the front of the float.

Nicholas did go face first into the little pool of water. He was watching his hands and decided to bring his face down to his hands instead of the other way around. He got a mouthful of water but just came up smiling.

"After a few laps around the pool on my turtle float, I think it is time to chill and take in some rays."

Nicholas was cracking us up with his arms propped up on the side of the pool. It was as if he was just relaxing with the ladies. It is a little too early for dates Nicholas!

Mother's Day

My first Mother's Day.So this year was my first real Mother's day. Well last year we kind of celebrated even though Nicholas was not here yet, but this one felt real to me. It was a beautiful and perfect day. Nicholas was dedicated in our Baby Dedication service during church with many family members present. We will have to post the video clip since we did not take any pictures. You will see on the video that he was a perfect angel during the entire service (The other babies were the ones making the noises:) He received his very first Bible and the children's book title Let Me Hold You Longer by Karen Kingsbury. If you haven't read this book yet, make sure that you do so with a handful of tissues. It is a sweet story recalling the "last times" in a child's life-the last day of kindergarten, the last time your child jumps into your lap, the last time he holds your hand while walking.

After church everyone came over to our house for lunch and a little swim time. (Yes the pool is available for swimming! Don't worry-photos to follow.) I received many special gifts, but of course the best gift of all is having a perfect, beautiful, healthy baby boy. I could not ask for anymore blessings than I have already received. As the old quote goes, Life is not measured in minutes but by a series of moments, and I know that my first Mother's Day is one of those moments that I will always cherish.

Here are my sweet gifts from Nicholas (with a little help from Daddy). A picture pillow that says #1 Mom, a Willowtree statue of a mother holding a baby (I love to collect these statues), and a homemade card.

Nicholas thinks he is funny...

So, when we get the camera out, we tend to take alot of photos at one time, hoping that we can capture just a few that are worth a thousand words. So, I'm posting some of those photos below. Hope you enjoy.....

The pool....

Well, here we are on week so and so...We are keeping our fingers crossed that it will be ready to swim in this coming weekend. I plan to have sod delivered this weekend. As you can tell, the sod has been delayed for several weeks due to rain/pool construction. Anyways, the liner was put in late last week. The only thing left to do is to cut-in the liner and hook-up all of the electrical stuff. However, we are looking forward to the finished product. Stay tuned...