DOWN FOR 5.

it's monday. and i'm at work. and i'm SO happy about it.

the 5 days prior to today, our family was out of commission.the many joys of a working mother. right, there are many. right?  one of those would be daycare. bless our daycare for providing a safe place for banks during the day and for feeding him, teaching him and mentoring him, but oh, em, gee. talk about a germ bank. 

i felt like a 'mom' for the first time this week. well, i mean, i had my first moment where everything wasn't butterflies and rainbows. in fact it was puke. a crib full of puke and a baby covered in it. scared to death. this is the first time banks has ever thrown up and for me to find him like this after i had already taken a shower and gotten half-ready for work was scary. why didn't the monitor pick up this awfulness?! my poor baby! i grabbed him, stripped him down and got him to the bath tub as quick as I could while Garrett cleaned out the crib. saddest. morning. ever. i stayed home that day, and banks was everything he always is - happy, active, crazy - and we went to bed thinking we were on the mend. until i heard a choking noise the next morning while i was in the bathroom getting ready. i ran to his room and found him sitting him gagging. i scooped him up and ran to the bathroom just in time for another vomit episode. saddest day ever #2. and again all day, we had a happy-go-lucky baby. That night we packed for our KC trip and figured he was over everything since nothing had happened in 12+ hours. that was until midnight when i was packing and smelled something funny. AGAIN!  a crib full of puke and a covered baby. by now, we had the routine down and we stripped Banks and the bed and  got everything cleaned up and Banks back to sleep. and about 2 hours later, I woke up with the FLU. and then about 24 hours after that Garrett woke up with the FLU. Evil germs.

it was obviously not a fun 5 days. it was awful.

i've never been so excited to go to work on a monday - just go announce 'We're NOT sick!!'. 

thank god we are all feeling better and we are all well just in time for the holidays. 

having a sick baby is the worst. thing.ever.

what i did learn while we were sick: i like regular chicken noodle soup over double noodle and sierra mist is better than sprite and 7up. Do not leave the seat down while puking and baby cuddles are still the best. thing.ever.

1st BIRTHDAY PARTY

if you're a fellow blogger,  i'm sure you will understand. 

a few weeks ago i ran into the 'out of space' alert. basically, the blog was telling me i'd have to pay to upload any more pictures, so i didn't want to share banks' birthday party post until i got all of that figured out. what's a party post without pictures!?

needless to say, the last year has been by far the best year of my life. banks has brought so much joy and meaning to our lives and i couldn't be happier. being a mom is the best.

i took the day off for banks' birthday to help him celebrate. i was greeted with the happiest birthday boy ever.

we met dad for lunch and banks ate his big boy kids' meal.

that night we met banks' grandpa steve, grandpa wayne and grandma juju, uncle shelby and our best friends for a birthday dinner at texas roadhouse. banks had a great time riding the bull for his birthday!

i'd say he had a pretty good day.

the following saturday, we celebrated his first year with family and friends at his very own mustache bash. i'd have to say the highlight of the party was the homemade 'mustache ride' (inappropriate, i know) that his grandpa steve made him. the kids loved it!

banks' birthday invites (shout out to royal script! ;) )

banks had a blast! we had such a great time. of course, b didn't let us down and went head first into his birthday cake. that kid loves to eat. 

thank you to everyone who came. b has been in love with all of his new toys (and his parents thank you for keeping him entertained!)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY BANKS. you are the very best boy. ever.

LOVE YOU.

DEAR BANKS,

I've been typing that a lot. especially, lately.

Dear Banks, You're walking!

Dear Banks, You're talking!

Dear Banks, You're ONE!

Dear Banks, You're the best kid ever.

Dear Banks, You'll never know how much I love you.

except I tend to type hundreds of more words per email.

Cliche or not, weird or cool, when Banks was born I created an email account for him, actually I created it before he was even born. Welcome to social media, buddy!

I pray to God that I will be able to tell Banks everything about his childhood in person, but that we are not promised. I also pray that I will remember everything that happened during Banks' childhood, but that is not guaranteed. I also thought I would be super mom and write in Banks' baby book, every other day, with updates on what he was eating when, what he weighed everyday, but the baby book really hasn't come out of his bookshelf since month 2. Let's face it, life is busy. It seems that no matter how busy life gets, there is always time for a quick text or email. Put it together, and you get Mom communicating with Baby Banks via email. Obviously, I still tell him everyday how great I think he is and how much I love him, but I want him to hold onto those words forever and be able to revisit them, even when I'm not here to tell him face-to-face.

Hopefully, Banks will enjoy reading about his childhood as much as I enjoy being his mother through it.

Dear Banks,

Being your Mom is the best.

Love, Mom

SHOTS, SHOTS, SHOTS!

about 3 years ago that meant something completely different. 

yesterday, it meant Banks getting his 1 yr. shots. Boo. one thing is for sure. the shots 3 years ago were a lot more fun. although the shots yesterday SUCKED, B handled them like a champ. he didn't even cry during the first, but the second, he let out a high-pitched scream and the saddest face-ever. 

the boy has been breaking my heart lately, and yesterday, dad couldn't make it to the dr. appt, so I had to handle the heart breaking alone. his newborn, 3 mo. and 6 mo. shots were all easier than the shots yesterday.

for many reasons:

he now says mama

he now looks at me with a "HELP!" face

he now cries because he is hurt rather than just hungry

he now puts his hands up asking to be picked up when he's hurt

he has tears now

he doesn't just lay there anymore. he crawls, walks, and plays like a little boy, not a baby

yesterday. YOU SUCK. I hate shots. 

being the perfect lil' boy that he is, Banks forgot about the shots a lot quicker than I did, and was ready to play as soon as we got home. he ate well, slept well and this morning he greeted me with bright eyes, and MAMA with his arms raised ready to be picked up. He smiled and accepted by good-bye kiss.

Life is good. He doesn't think I shot him. Thank goodness. Love that boy.

WELCOME WINTER

ahh. it's cold and kansas finally feels like november.... actually I think we went straight from september to december. 

we had a great thanksgiving. we celebrated with my family at our house and my grandma drove up from mcpherson. later in the day, we went to my father-in-law's house and had thanksgiving dinner. we have so much to be thankful for, and we were so happy banks had a great thanksgiving with family.

the day after, i braved black friday with a few close girlfriends. i absolutely hate shopping in crowds, but our game plan of a two-stop agenda, was perfect. the lines were way too long, but i was able to get so much accomplished in our two-stops. we then welcomed the holiday season with baking and decorating sugar cookies. so fun. except for the burnt batches and the underdone batches of cookies. we were definitely not making betty crocker proud.

saturday, the fam ventured to good ole' norwich, kansas for santa day. i ran the 2 mile santa run - holy,  i hate running in the cold... especially with wind, met Santa, bought some goodies at the craft fair and ate mom's deliciousness while watching college football. absolutely love days like that.

so, we welcome you COLD. welcome the holidays. welcome the spirit!

THANKFUL

it's thanksgiving!

which means the following day, my pants won't button and sweat pants are a priority thanks to the amount of food i ate the day prior. this is by far one of my favorite holidays as i'm a foodie at heart. but, it's also one of my favorites because it's always spent with family. i wouldn't ever have it any other way than to spend thanksgiving with the ones i am most thankful for.

i often talk about the business of my life. busy, busy, busy. always up to something - working, playing, running, mommying, wifing.. whatever the case may be. life is busy. it's fast-paced... and it seems to become more face-paced as time goes by. therefore, and unfortunately, i (and most likely, you, too) forget to thank. to thank people, to thank God, to just be thankful. we all do.

it seems that there are a few weeks out of each year when i hear stories of the sick and wounded and hear inspirational stories about their meaning in life, or the remembrances of those who were called Home far too early.

That's been lately.

I've heard of three people diagnosed with cancer in the last week. I've heard of three passings of three women that happened far too early in the past three days. Life is short here on Earth. We tend to lose sight of what really matters in the midst of our ever so busy lives. 

So, tomorrow, like every year I plan to spend the day with my family. And, tomorrow, just like every year, I will probably realize how very thankful and blessed I am to have what I have. And, tomorrow, I will come to the realization that I do not often enough say 'thanks' to those I should throughout the year. And, tomorrow, I will pray that I will express my thankfulness for those around me more than I did the year before.

So, THANK YOU...and THANKFUL FOR...

my family

my husband

my God

my ever-so perfect son, Banks

my home

my job

my talents

my best friend

my friends

my body

my freedom

random acts of kindness

forgiveness

..... give thanks....

BANKS' FIRST HAIRCUT

i finally gave in. 

Banks got his first haircut today, just in time for his 12 month photo shoot this weekend. although, i really had no problem with his long locks, it was beginning to tickle his ears to the point i think banks was annoyed with his hair. 

he was born with the best hair ever, and i just hated to see any of it go.

these pictures bring a tear to my eye. where has time gone?

since our sitter is out of town this week, i took the day off to watch banks and so what else is a mama to do with his boy than to get a haircut at the beauty shop?

i was so impressed with b. he was tired for one, because it was 11am and he hadn't had a nap yet, but he was the most calm, cool and collected lil' man i've ever seen get a haircut. he thought the place itself was pretty interesting, and so were the scissors and the combs and the brushes and the cape he wore. he didn't cry, didn't scream, and i think he may have even enjoyed himself.

and now i have the cutest, most-grown-up looking boy in town.

BUSY, BUSY, BUSY.

Nothing has changed, and life is still busy. Busy, but good. So, so much to be thankful for.

Banks has been eating a TON lately. He's taking after his mama with his "I'm never full" attitude. I'm sure we'll have many mother-son dates at local buffets. Especially since KIDS EAT FREE :) 

He's eating basically whatever we eat now, and his current favorite is Grandma's vegetable soup. He loves him some veggies. Banks has figured out that Hadley loves food too, and he feeds him bites while he eats. Sometimes he just lets Hadley lick his food, and then puts it back in his mouth - i know, bad mom alert - but it's seriously the cutest. Banks is so in love with Hadley. They play tug-a-war, chase after one another and feed eachother. Thank goodness for Hadley and keeping Banks entertained.

As of yesterday, we have a full-time walker. He had been taking 4-10 steps for about 2 weeks, but would fall regularly and end up crawling to his destination. He now prefers walking over crawling and is determined to get back up and walk after falling. He's walking from room to room and I couldn't be more proud - and neither could Banks as he claps when he walks. He knows it's a good thing :)

The boy and his hair - out of control. So, tomorrow we will venture to House of Hair and get the big boys hair chopped. It will be bittersweet as I love that boy's hair, but it's getting a little long for his liking (and mine). It will be just in time for Banks' one year pictures this weekend! WHERE DOES THE TIME GO!? I seriously remember the day we were getting ready for Banks' newborn pictures, and it seems like just yesterday. 

Other than trying to keep  up with Banks, Royal Script  is taking off and I'm LOVING IT. If you haven't checked out the site yet, please do! Even though I say I'm busy, the busier the better!

Grandma Julie and I stuffed envelopes this weekend with Royal Script First Birthday invites for Banks and did some fun crafty things for the BIG party :) I know I've already gone overboard, but it will be so fun celebrating the BEST YEAR EVER.

Thanksgiving plans have been made, basketball has started, and games occur a couple of times a week, which means anything 'extracurricular' is basically out of the question. On top of that, Garrett is back to working overtime, and the babysitter is out of town this Mon-Wed.

We are in love. We are healthy. We are blessed. Life is busy, but it's oh, so GOOD!

ELEVEN... THEN ONE?

Banks is eleven months old, and it just makes me the most happy and sad person all at the same time.

Cliche, or not, time has flown by. I'm not sure if I like it. 

Banks is so big, and so fun and I wouldn't trade this age for anything, but I also miss my baby! It's just plain crazy how fast they grow and how time flashes before my eyes. 

I can't believe in 26 days I'll be able to say "I have a one-year-old". 

Banks is still crawling, but standing up all of the time. He's taken 6 steps, twice. He usually takes one or two and then sits down. Ask anyone - he's the fastest crawler, and I think he prefers to get around that way because he can out-crawl any walker. 

He has 7 teeth, working on eight.

He constantly fights diaper rash - ugh.  We lather that butt up constantly.

He's still on formula and I'm definitely looking forward to buying milk instead of $28 formula every 4-5 days!

He LOVES mac n' cheese and kiwi. 

He's saying mama [ a lot!!!], dadda, haaa [hadley], maa [more], baa [ ball ], baaac [book] and the sitter says he says 'diaper' a lot, even though I've never heard it.

He claps at almost everything and chews on phones, shoes and channel changers anytime he can. He thinks the word "NO!" is hilarious. Not cool. 

He's sleeping 11-12 hours straight every night, and I LOVE HIM for this.

He loves kids, and babies.... hint, hint... Garrett???

We are so deeply in love. He's perfect in every way an I thank God for making me Banks' mama everyday.

Here's to month eleven and to bringing on the  end to YEAR ONE!! I cannot wait to celebrate Banks' first birthday and everything he has brought to our lives this past year.

our monthly 'sit in the crib corner' picture didn't go so well this month.

I LOVE kiwi! 

What's in there? 

Three drawers at the same time. Impressive!

MY FIRST HALLOWEEN.

Banks had a great first halloween.

I managed [with lots of Grandma Julie's help] to pull-off a homemade costume contest winner, a kids halloween party and a successful night of trick or treating [no meltdowns]. 

Banks went as Michaelangelo - the Ninja Turtle. We chose to go with the orange ninja since Banks' favorite color is orange :) Michaelangelo is also the  party goer and most fun ninja - so, of course, it was an obvious choice. 

We ventured to Norwich this Halloween for Trunk or Treat with our best friends Stacey, Dustin, Brooks and Bode. We would have loved to travel Wichita and stop at all of our closest friends and families' homes, but getting B in and out of a carseat all night would have been a nightmare. Trunk or Treat was perfect. Grandma Julie, Grandpa Wayne and Grandpa Steve had a great time walking up and down the streets of Norwich with their little ninja turtle. We stopped in the few 'stores' Norwich has to retrieve candy. Although, I love living in Wichita and probably couldn't survive living without fast food, a grocery store or a mall, it's always nice to experience small towns. Besides the joy our little ninja brought to us that night, it was so cool to see all the kids in Norwich come up to my dad and call out, "Hey Principal Morrow! Look what I got!" and then they would come up and give him a high-five or a hug. It was so cute. 

After Trunk or Treat we headed back to the house, handed out candy to kids and mama cooked us all a yummy meal. It was a Happy Halloween, indeed.

So.... here are the adventures of Banks' first Halloween in Norwich, KS.

Halloween morning in our black and orange.

Banks opening his Halloween treat bag from Grandpa and Grandma. He's spoiled rotten!

Lovin' on Gma Julie

Bode the MONSTER!

The crawling turtle

Our first picture of Bode and Banks standing at the same time!