Happy Birthday Sam!!!

I’m going to be really honest here…I have tried 3 times to write a “letter” to Sam on his 3rd birthday and 3 times I have had to fight back tears!! How do you put into words what the little man means to us?? He is our firstborn, our fearless son, our little comedian, the best big brother in the world, our sweet, kind, sensitive, 3 year old!! And hopefully soon I can pull myself together to give him a true birthday post. Here are pictures Chris took from his school birthday party. He had strict orders to take pictures and report every single detail. He even forgot the camera and turned around to get it because he knew I would kill him!!  Look forward to details and LOTS of pictures from his "football party" on Saturday! 

Wordless Wednesday: Early Preperation for the 2026 Winter Olympics

in our house...it's best not to ask questions!!!

Can you tell it's soccer season!!!

The "soccer twins"  are together again! 

Zoe and Charley will turn one soon!!! I still can't believe they were born on the same day...same room (no, not at the same time, we checked in once Nikki and Craig moved out of the L/D room),  Nikki and I even go to the same doctor.....seriously, what are the odds!!!  (Craig is Chris's assistant soccer coach...so he and Craig would literally drive from the hospital together to go to practice and then back to the hospital)

Mental note Nikki:  Popcorn may get us through a whole half with the kiddos!!!

Speaking of Dates...

Sam and I had a "mommy/son" date last Saturday to go see Curious George!!  Sam was so excited about our "date" and would wake up every morning counting down the days!  We had such a fun time!  Sam sat and watched the entire performance on my lap!  He just sat, eyes glued to the stage

We met Kelly and Jackson there!!  Notice Serious Sam in full effect!!!

Sam, you are the cutest, sweetest, funniest, momma's boy ever....and I can't wait to go on more dates with you!!

Date Night!!

The Friday before V-day we had our annual V-Day date night with the Jones'....we had SO much fun!!!!

Of course we ate at the one and only IHOP!!!  Did I mention how wild and crazy we are!!! 

This picture cracks me up...oh how I love Kelly!!! 

We went to see Valentines Day and after the movie we continued our crazy night with a trip to Target!!!  Do you know how exciting Target is MINUS kids.....I was giddy!!! 
Kelly, Amy, April....soccer starts tom.....we think we can....we think we can!!!! 

Sam, smile for your momma...

Sam, smile......if you smile I'll give you a piece of candy...

that's better, at least I'll take what I can get...for a piece of candy!!!  You see those dimples....I'M.IN.LOVE.WITH.THOSE.DIMPLES!!!!


sidenote:  go here to read a great post from Missy
...and for the record: I don't want my kids to be happy either
...so here's to having even more HOLY and CONTENT children...but happy, maybe not

I'm sorry people but...

we have the cutest kids...THE.CUTEST.KIDS! 

What do you think Sam is telling Miss Charley??? (I love this pictue...love it!)

"Charley, here's the plan...I'll sneak into your room during naptime and hide your bow box from mom...but you'll owe me...you'll owe me big time!!"

LATE AND BREAKING NEWS FROM THE DOWDY HOUSE....CHARLEY TOOK 13 STEPS BY HERSELF TONIGHT!!!!!....

we jumped and yelled like crazy...and then Sam said in an annoyed, so what, big brother voice  "I can walk too!!!"  She still prefers to crawl but she will walk like crazy when you make her!!!  Perfect timing Charley...we were having family time in Sam's room so everyone was a witness!!

Charley, we are so proud of you! 

He is his father's son...

You know how we have been having SO much snow!  It has been so cold...and what does my son beg to wear???  His outfit of choice:  a cut off tanktop and his redskins sweat pants!!!  and sometimes he throws OVERTOP his orange "basetball shorts"!!...I did say overtop...and yes I let him!!  (notice the tongue...still out...maybe he has a little momma in him after all!)

Sam is WAY into board games now!  He loves to play Candyland and calls it the "winner game" because we always let him win!  Now memory...memory is a different story...

We always play right before bed, after sissy goes down!  Chris and I always battle it out, but Sam is stepping up his game...he is getting really good!  And of course we think he is our little genius!   (Please note the upside down laundry basket...it was Sam's "house" for his cars..I was just glad it was empty...that means I didn't have any dirty laundry to do!)

Any recommendations??

Chris and I are both currently reading this:

So far we both really like it!  It really gets to the emotional and spiritual side of discipline...the "heart issue".  We are about half way through and so far we greatly recommend it!  Any book out there (parenting, just for fun, anything) that you would recommend?

Wordless Wednesday: Old Fashion Dogpile

(Just to expain: Chris will yell out "Old Fashion" and then Sam will come running across the room yelling "Dogpile" and jump on top of "the pile"...can I just say poor sissy...sometimes she's on the bottom!!

Happy 11 Months Sissy!

Today Charley is 11 Months old and I officially say "Stop growing up!!"  She is such a big girl!

At 11 months old you:

-Sleep about 11-12 hours. Knock on some wood people because Charley, you are SUCH a good sleeper and you take 2 naps a day!

-Eat anything we eat.  Chris found the beauty that IS the Magic Bullet and he whips anything up in there!  Tonight she had a whole piece of cheese pizza all blended up!  Huh, that's funny...the Dowdy's eating pizza, we rarely do that!

-You want to walk SO bad but you are too quick crawling to care! 

-Loves to talk...loudly...huh, that is equally funny, I rarely talk loud...hardly ever!

-Loves anything that has wheels or bounces...bless her little girly heart...she doesn't stand a chance at being frilly...NOT.ONE.MEASLY.CHANCE.

-She can say: bye-bye, mama, dada, Elli, and a form of I love you (at least Chris and I think that is what she is saying and we're the ones that count!)

-Love your big brother!  You think he is SO funny!  and you are HUGE fan of Elli dog!  You like to pull her ears and lift up her jaws, and she just lets you...and mommy says, pay back Elli for sleeping in our bed everynight! 

-Climb the stairs in 5.3 seconds.

-Always sleep with Charley bear and your paci! 

-Love to look out the front door and beat on the glass!  

-Girlfriend, your legs are CHUBBY...I LOVE me some chunky baby legs! 

-Scrunch your nose when you laugh! 

 

Charley, I'm in love with all of your sweetest and cuteness...totally in love, you will always be momma's little girl!

Go, Ethan Go!!!

I knew as soon I as met our speech teacher I was going to like her!!  Not only did she also go to JMU but within the first 3 minutes of meeting her...I broke her laminating machine...and she was SO sweet about it!!  This year Holly's schedule works out that she can eat with the first grade team and we were SO EXCITED when we found out she was expecting!!!  She cracks us up at lunch and her sweet spirit is contagious!  Holly was due in March but in early January we got the call that she had delivered little Ethan Andrew!  Although he is little he is a fighter, much like his daddy who happens to be a firefighter!  They keep us up to date through the blog they created!  What I LOVE so much about their daily blogs, besides the scripture, is that even after all they have been through they are still praising our God! 
As I was looking at their blog Sam said, "look at the "wittle" baby". I explained that he was in the hospital and that we needed to pray for him, but not to worry because by the looks of it, he is quite the fighter!! That night when we laid Sam down for bed and said prayers Sam prayed, "be wif the wittle baby at the doctors, so he can be big jus like Sam" Sometimes those almost 3 year olds know just what to say!! We are praying hard for the Lipes family!!!! Go, Ethan Go!!!!      

You know you have one...

Well needless to say I'm in a blogging funk.  For once it's not a time issue because I don't know if you're aware, but apparently Virginia is going on a run for The.Most.SNOW.EVER!  Amy Jo, for the record, I'm not one of those teachers complaining...just stating fact here!  :) I've started many a post, then bailed...mainly because the question, "Is anyone really out there?" was on my mind...but seriously people...anyone out there...anyone...I'm waiting (cuing crickets chirping).  The fact that I can't figure out how to use the spell check in the new blogger format doesn't help (First grade people...I teach first grade)

So here I go, for all three of you, I forge ahead:

April and Brad recently came over for a movie night and I can't even begin to tell you how happy my little heart was when April brought in a book (I believe it was called "Baby Bargains") and starting asking me all kinds of good mommy questions!!!  Seriously my heart was smiling!  Because nothing warms my soul like mommy advice!  I've a firm believer in the fact that us moms HAVE to help each other out...because lets be honest here, try as they might, there are certain things that our loving, wonderful, best daddy in the world, husbands will NEVER understand!  We went through everything from bottles to bumbos to bumpers!  For the record Charley DOES in fact sleep with her bumper in her crib.  I'll let the following pictures serve as my explanation...

She would have the imprint of the bars on her forhead all day long...just trust me on this, she may or maynot know from experience!   Speaking of April, do you see what Charley has clutched in her hand...that would be her Charley bear that our sweet April gave her and that Charley sleeps with EVERYNIGHT!

Anyway, April got me thinking...do you have any questions about how we roll here at the Dowdy House??  (really Emily, "how we roll"...did the snow make me travel in time to the 90's) and no, you can not ask me why I like using the ...  so much...I just do...see...I can't stop!!   Send me an email or leave a comment!!  or maybe just maybe someone can teach my first grade self how to work the silly spell check! 

Dear __________,

You know how Kelly has "Show Us Your", and BigMama has Fashion Friday, and  McMama has "Not Me Monday"?  Well here is what I thought I'd start: If you had to think of your day in letters, how would it go!  Mine would read something like this:

Dear Little Tykes Basketball Hoop,
Thank you for the HOURS of entertainment you have given our almost 3 year old.  You have earned your weight in gold.  You are such a good friend to a "trying to cook dinner" mommy, a "need to take a shower" mommy, and a "just plain tired" mommy!  Thank you for your existence at the Dowdy House!
Love,
"Trying to cook dinner, need to take a shower, tired" Mommy

Dear Mrs. Tiffany, (Sam's preschool teacher),
Please note that when Sam comes to school in his neon green t-shirt that doesn't match anything...know that his Daddy (who is a child of the 80's) dressed him!
Love,
Sam's Mom (another child of the 80's who has put her love for all things neon...in the past!)

Dear Wintry Precipitation,
Now that I'm on my second day off from school and things are looking good for tom. and more snow is headed our way....I'm no longer bitter that you decided to start Friday after school...you are forgiven!!
Love,
Emily, a first grade teacher you did not want to talk to on Friday afternoon

I was thinking of going with something along the lines of Dowdy Diaries or Dear Dowdy???  What are you thinking???  Do you have any letters in mind???