Phelpsy and Friends

More Pumpkin Patch

2010-11-15T19:34:00.000-08:00

These are some of my attempts to get a group shot. There were four of us taking pictures and I don't think any of us successfully got a decent group picture. But it was hilarious to try!

Pumpkin Patch!!

2010-11-15T19:28:00.000-08:00

As usual, I am waaay behind on my posts. No surprise to anyone who looks at this blog, right? If anyone still does, that is. Here are some pictures from a mid-October trip to the Pumpkin Patch. I think Jacob and Ben could have spent the whole day just moving pumpkins from one location to another. You gotta love cheap entertainment! It was about impossible to get both of them looking at the camera at the same time, but I think I got some cute shots anyway!

He's Alllll Boy

2010-03-14T11:46:00.000-07:00

In fact, they both are. It's funny to me, how you don't have to encourage them to love trucks and dirt and snakes and frogs. They just do. At least mine do. Luckily the great outdoors are just full of such things, so it makes for very easy entertainment!

Helping Daddy

2010-03-14T11:44:00.000-07:00

So this is how Daddy gets helped in our house. What could be more helpful than a little monkey on your back? I'm hoping this means Jacob will inherit his Daddy's technical skills. His future wife will be thankful!!

Baby Ben!!!

2010-03-14T11:40:00.000-07:00

Okay, I am waaaaay behind on my picture posting! I apologize to friends and family who hope to see new pictures on a semi-regular basis. Above is one of the faces that lights up my day every day. Ben is such a fun, happy baby and he is usually wearing this very grin. Can I just say that I love my job??

Christmas is Coming!!

2009-11-27T20:03:00.000-08:00

Our neighbor across the street put up her Christmas decorations today and Jacob was transfixed. He LOVES Christmas lights and we can't get through a trip to any store without stopping to look at their Christmas light display. It makes for very long shopping trips. Still, it is cheap entertainment, so I'll take it! It is definitely a treat for him to have this winter wonderland right across the street.

2009-10-28T15:59:00.000-07:00

Day at Ashton Farms!

2009-10-11T19:39:00.000-07:00

Day at Ashton Farms!

2009-09-30T14:02:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, a friend organized a trip to Ashton farms for preschoolers. It was a great day of feeding animals, catching chickens and riding horses! I wasn't sure how Jacob was going to react, but he rode the horse twice and fed all the animals and loved every minute of it! And DJ caught a chicken! I'm so proud to have a husband with such mad skills!

Day at the Beach with the Wests!

2009-08-21T08:15:00.000-07:00

Here are pictures from our time at the beach with more dear friends, the West family. Jackson saved the day for us by keeping Jacob entertained and happy. Thank goodness for sweet friends!

Random Beach Pics

2009-08-21T08:06:00.000-07:00

Day at the Beach with the Laniers!

2009-08-21T07:26:00.000-07:00

Finally, an update at last!! A few weeks ago, we went to the beach with our dear friends the Laniers. Their son Oliver is about a month and a half younger than Ben. We're so thankful our boys have sweet friends to grow up with!

Ben vs. The Dragon?? Frog?? Fragon??

2009-05-09T07:46:00.000-07:00

I just love this shot of happy Ben on a happy dragon blanket! Thanks Aunt Kelly and Uncle Ian!!

Ben!!!

2009-04-14T11:02:00.000-07:00

Okay, seriously, how cute is this baby?? Ben is now five months old and happy as ever. It's so fun to hang out with him and watch him smile. He especially loves smiling at his big brother. I really hope the two of them will continue to be friends as they get older. (You experienced parents are probably saying, "Yeah, right!")

Happy Easter!!!

2009-04-13T07:09:00.000-07:00

One of our neighbors had an Easter egg hunt this weekend and we had a lot of fun watching Jacob hunt for eggs. We couldn't have asked for a nicer day!!

Jacob vs. Elmo!

2009-03-31T10:41:00.000-07:00

Is it wrong that this video gets funnier every time we watch it?

Jacob is Two!!

2009-03-30T10:41:00.000-07:00

On March 14th, Jacob turned two years old! We had a rather low-key birthday for him, but I saw the idea for the cupcakes in a magazine and had to make them. They're supposed to be monkeys. DJ and I had a ton of fun making the different faces and then Jacob's Aunt Kelly and Uncle Ian came to visit and celebrate with us. It's hard to believe he's two already. Benjamin turned four months old the next day, but he didn't get a cupcake. They're both such fun boys!

Benjamin!!

2009-02-21T06:38:00.000-08:00

Here is Benjamin at two months old.

Snow Day

2009-02-20T11:58:00.000-08:00

Its snowed here a few weeks ago. I honestly never thought I'd see snow here, so this was a huge treat. Jacob loved it and kept pointing outside saying, "nooo!" (That's "snow" without the "s") He liked wandering around in it and was NOT happy when I got too cold and made him come in. I think he would've stayed outside all day in the 20 degree weather!

Protective Coloration

2009-01-27T15:00:00.000-08:00

Christmas on the Beach

2009-01-27T13:51:00.000-08:00

These are a couple of shots taken at Carolina Beach where we spent Christmas with the Phelps family. There's just something about beach pictures.

Flying!!!

2009-01-27T13:46:00.000-08:00

I just love the way this picture turned out!

Can You Tell Which is Which?

2009-01-16T10:22:00.000-08:00

When Benjamin was first born, I thought he looked just like Jacob as a newborn. But after looking at their pictures side-by-side, I'm not so sure. What do you think? The two pictures just above are Jacob and Benjamin on the day they were born. The other two are when they are a couple of weeks old.

First and Second Christmas

2009-01-03T13:01:00.000-08:00

Jacob vs. The Ball Pit

2009-01-03T12:43:00.000-08:00

For Christmas, Jacob's Aunt Kelly and Uncle Ian gave him this inflatable ball pit. We figured he'd love it, but his enthusiasm exceeded even our expectations!

Introducing Benjamin Walker Phelps!!

2009-01-02T08:35:00.000-08:00

I am finally getting around to updating our blog!! Benjamin Walker Phelps was born on November 15, 2008 at 3:27 am. The above picture was taken a few hours before we went to the hospital. I had been having contractions all day the day before, but they were inconsistent until that evening. We had plans to go out to dinner that night and I seriously considered cancelling, but the contractions still weren't close enough together, so I figured I may as well go out instead of sitting at home. At our childbirth education refresher course, they told us not to go to the hospital until our contractions were 3-5 minutes apart. So we kept timing all evening until about 1:30 am when they hit 5-6 minutes apart. Finally I decided we needed to call our friend to come over and watch Jacob and we headed to the hospital. At that point, I was REALLY looking forward to getting an epidural. We got to the hospital about 2:30am. They put us in a room to wait for a nurse to check me and I started getting really desperate for drugs. The pain was terrible. I kept begging DJ to go grab someone to give me epidural, but of course he couldn't do anything. That didn't stop me from getting mad at him for NOT doing anything! Finally, a nurse came in and checked me and I was six centimeters. I was excited that I was finally going to get something for the pain, but she cautioned me that there may not be time. I ignored this last part and held onto the hope that my suffering would be over soon. Which it was, but not before things got a lot worse. They took me into labor and delivery and DJ could tell by the way everyone was rushing around that I was probably NOT going to get an epidural. I was oblivious of course. They weren't even sure the doctor was going to get there in time. The whole time I kept asking when I was going to get the stinking epidural and the nurses were strangely non-committal. When they had an ETA for the doctor, they excitedly told me that as soon as he arrived, I could start pushing. This statement was missing a vital piece of information, mainly, "WHERE WAS THE ANESTHESIOLOGIST??!!" But Benjamin was coming and there was no time for anything but pushing. I think I pushed about four times and he was there. I couldn't believe it. A friend of mine who had a similar experience described it this way, "Hell momentarily engulfed the room. But it didn't last." I think that about sums it up. He weighed 7lbs 4 oz and was 21 inches long. And he is one of a VERY small percentage of babies (3%) who actually arrived on his due date. He's a great baby and we are very thankful.

What Do You Feed a Baby Dragon?

2008-11-02T11:36:00.000-08:00

According to the above picture, you feed him rubber duckies. And possibly lots of Halloween candy! These pictures are from our church's Fall Festival, which we look forward to every year. As you can see, we also have a crop of babies ripening for the harvest! Our church has had a new baby born every month since August and this will continue through January. I get to be next!

My Baby Shower!!

2008-11-02T10:02:00.002-08:00

I remember looking at my countdown clock on this blog when it read "80 days till due date" and "50 days" and how far away that seemed. Now it says 13 days and I can't believe it!! It really does go by fast the second time around. Here are some pics of my awesome baby shower that my sweet friends, Angie and Shelley threw for me on October 18th. As you can see, they are VERY talented and I was very lucky to be honored by them!!

Jacob Learns to Eat with a Spoon (sort of)

2008-10-31T12:52:00.000-07:00

Hallowe'en is coming. Mmmm....candy.....

2008-10-13T16:21:00.000-07:00

I'm really happy with how this picture turned out. It's from October of 2007. I'm trying to figure out a way to top it, but I'm coming up short.

A Day at the Beach!

2008-09-15T13:38:00.000-07:00

Rocks don't taste as good as they look.

Contemplating God's creation.

She told him it was ice cream.

The sad thing is, he kept eating it!

We took Jacob to the beach for the first time this year. I wasn't sure how he would take to it, but he absolutely loved it. He chased waves and tried to eat rocks and ate about two pounds of sand. Sand has lots of nutrients, right?

Happy Greetings

2008-08-24T17:12:00.000-07:00

One of Jacob's favorite times of day is when Daddy comes home. His face lights up and he bounces up and down, giddy with excitement. The video below isn't one of his best reactions, but it is still pretty good.

Finally Walking!!!

2008-08-24T16:29:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know a lot of you have over-achiever babies who are walking well before 17 months of age. Our son just happens to be a of a more laid-back temperament. Plus, why walk when you can have someone carry you everywhere you need to go? But I am happy to announce that Jacob has finally started walking!! Unfortunately, we haven't caught it on video yet. He seems to prefer practicing under low-pressure conditions. But he's using his legs more and more. As much as I want him to walk (and need him to walk because he just keeps getting heavier and heavier), I will miss his happy crawl as he comes to greet us. Here is a sample of it:

Three Little Monkeys!

2008-07-29T16:35:00.000-07:00

Jacob now has two more friends in his collection. Two adorable sock monkeys made by Nana Wills! Actually one is for Jacob and the other is for Benjamin (Baby Phelps #2). But till his little brother gets here, Jacob will have to be zoo keeper for them both. Since Jacob is unable to name them right now, I plan on calling them George and Clyde.

Trip to Nana and Poppy's!

2008-07-29T10:43:00.000-07:00

We went to Atlanta for the Fourth of July and DJ's parents were nice enough to keep Jacob for the weekend. Among the many things I forgot was a bib for Jacob. Nana and Poppy both sacrificed one of their shirts to serve the purpose. Here's Jacob happily playing in Nana's blouse. The first picture is Jacob being investigated by Nana and Poppy's cats. I'm not sure what they (the cats) thought of him, but he loved them! He had a great time that weekend and so did we!

Invisible Cheerios: The fat-free, sugar-free, calorie-free snack!

2008-07-21T11:07:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago, DJ and I were sitting on the couch when Jacob came up to an empty plate on the coffee table and started eating invisible Cheerios (we think). Now, whenever you hold out your hand to him, he'll eat invisible Cheerios from your hand. He even two-fists them like he does with regular Cheerios!

Reason #548 for Why I'm Glad I Married DJ. . .

2008-07-10T13:14:00.000-07:00

His mad technical skills.

Our DVD player went kaput a couple of weeks ago. After making sure everything was plugged in properly, it seemed that it was well and truly dead and we'd have to buy a new one. This was not an expense we needed at the moment. However, DJ performed surgery and got the thing working again. Apparently, the disc changer was out of alignment somehow and couldn't move. Hurray for handy husbands! He saves us a ton of money!

Last Halloween

2008-06-30T12:46:00.000-07:00

These are two of my favorite pictures of DJ and I with Jacob. They were taken at our church's Harvest Festival last October. As you can see, the lion costume didn't last very long. Also, Jacob has WAY more hair now!

Teeth!

2008-06-29T11:39:00.001-07:00

Any time Jacob gets overly fussy, I blame it on teething--even though he hasn't had a new tooth for nine months. I blame any problem he has on teething. He'll probably be sixteen and rebellious, and I'll say, "Well, he's probably teething." We've finally spotted new teeth coming in! He's got one, maybe two teeth coming in at the top. Here's Jacob showing off the two he's had since he was six months old. I was feeding him one day, and he just kept breaking out into this huge grin for no reason. It was hilarious!

Bath Time

2008-06-27T09:25:00.000-07:00

Luckily, Jacob loves bath time. Hopefully this will continue!

An Update at Last!!!

2008-06-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm finally getting to work on this blog which we set up months ago. Many other friends have blogs and actually update them, so now I'm feeling guilty. You may ask, "If all my friends jumped off a bridge, would I do that too?" Well, I had a chance to jump off a bridge with friends, and I didn't do it and I've regretted it ever since. But that's a story for another time.

For any who may not know, we are on the North Carolina coast, with one 15 month old son, Jacob and another boy on the way in November. Jacob is, of course, the impetus for starting this blog in the first place. It'll be an easy way for family and friends to keep up with us if I can keep up with it!

The above picture is Jacob's first experience in a ball pit. He was in hog heaven and everytime I took him out, he immediately scrambled over to get back in.

Bah bah bah?

2008-01-15T12:01:00.000-08:00

We've all had that crazy-hard day at work when everything goes wrong and your clients love to call and let you know about it.

Jacob to the rescue!

Your mileage may vary, but this video never fails to bring a smile to my face. You might need to play it a couple of times to catch all of the subtle nuances.

Let it Snow

2007-12-25T15:47:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to All!

The Grand Starting Point

2007-12-10T19:14:00.000-08:00

The Phelpsy blog is up and running. Thanks to my college friends for giving me the motivation to get going...especially as I stink at regular communication methods.