Having company is so nice

Aunt Stephanie is in town and we took the boys to Hogle Zoo yesterday. Here is Stephanie teaching Will about the snow leapard. Will's favorite animal was the wolf.
I took several pictures but here are just a few.
Thursday night, Matt Bruner and his BNL, Craig, stopped by on their drive out to Seattle. Matt is Kara's husband (one of my great friends from college). It was nice to see them and I am glad they stopped to visit.
Here is William sliding down the slide.
William's loves the swings at the park.

Back to zoo pictures. Harrison slept the whole time.



It is so nice having company!!!!

William and Harrison

Harrison's 4 month appt

Harrison had his 4 month well baby check up today. He weighs 15 lbs 10 ounces and is 25 inches long. He is growing like a weed. He loves his tummy time as you can tell by the pictures. He rolls over all of the time but has been doing that for a long time. He smiles all day long and William can get him to laugh. Harrison loves to look at himself in the mirror and enjoys ceiling fans :) He is really strong. You can tell by the one picture where he is balancing with one arm. And his hair is out of control. It is hard to believe he is already 4 months old!

Best Friends

Willliam considers Miss "Bella" his best friend. He asks for her first thing when he wakes up and he likes to chase her around the house. He gets so excited to see her. He loves to give her hugs and kisses. Usually they play ball or with one of Will's toys. Tonight he wanted her to take a pacifier and he kept putting my sunglasses on her. You can tell she wasn't very interested.

Memorial Day

"Traditional observance of Memorial day has diminished over the years. Many Americans nowadays have forgotten the meaning and traditions of Memorial Day. At many cemeteries, the graves of the fallen are increasingly ignored, neglected. Most people no longer remember the proper flag etiquette for the day. While there are towns and cities that still hold Memorial Day parades, many have not held a parade in decades. Some people think the day is for honoring any and all dead, and not just those fallen in service to our country. "

Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war). It is now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May (passed by Congress with the National Holiday Act of 1971 (P.L. 90 - 363) to ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays), though several southern states have an additional separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19 in Texas, April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10 in South Carolina; and June 3 (Jefferson Davis' birthday) in Louisiana and Tennessee.

To remind Americans of the true meaning of Memorial Day, the "National Moment of Remembrance" resolution was passed on Dec 2000 which asks that at 3 p.m. local time, for all Americans "To voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence."
www.usmemorialday.org

Memorial Day is not just a 3 day weekend to us. We would like to thank ALL of the men and women who fight for our country each and every day. Thank you for risking your lives for us. And thank you to their families for their support.

Becoming a boy?

I heard William awake during nap time so I figured it was ok to go in his room to put away his laundry. I am putting his clothes away and I hear this noise that sounds like water being poured out. I was thinking, "I didn't leave a sippy cup with him?" I turn around to find William standing in his crib. He took his pants AND diaper off. He was peeing on his bed and then through the crib bars!!!!!! He was looking at me like he wanted me to clap for him. Keep teaching him dad because he is trying to pee like a big boy but doesn't know where is appropriate.

American Idol shocker?!

Well it was a win/win for me. David Cook is from my hometown of Kansas City, MO and David Archuletta is from our current home town of Salt Lake City, UT. I must admit that I thought Archuletta had it in the bag. I was so sure he was going to win it. And I am a little embarrassed to say that I actually voted last night. It was the second time I ever voted for American Idol. The first time being for Carrie Underwood during her season (and I was right then). This time, not so much. Too bad David Archuletta. You had my vote.

A fun weekend with daddy

Well the weekend came and went so fast. It was a really nice weekend having Scott home even if it was just for a short while. We all missed him so much and it was refreshing to spend quality time together. Dropping him off at the airport last night was tough as it is more of a reality this time that we don't get to see each other every day. So we will just focus on the fun that we had. We celebrated Scott's birthday. William loved eating cake and it was quite the mess!

I took the boys to the park before Scott got home. William loved the slide and the swings.

It was so hot this weekend. William cooled off in the pool. And then he was too cool for his trunks....

Oh yes, the biggest germ infestation...the play pit at Artic Circle. We went for ice cream and decided to let Will play in the play area. Needless to say, bath time afterwards.

I may be little but I can ride this thing too (Harrison)

One of Will's favorite toys-his motorized 4 wheeler. I wonder who he takes after???

So Excited!!!!

Scott didn't plan on coming home until Memorial Day weekend BUT he is now coming home late tomorrow night. He will only be here about 36 hours but I will take all I can get :) He has only been gone a week and a half but it feels like an eternity. This past week has been so emotional and it is hard to imagine another 47 days to go until we live together again. Right now, I feel broken. I know this time is going to be hard and hopefully it gets easier with time. I know it sounds corny but he is my soulmate and I miss being with him and seeing him every day. I can tell that William misses him because he keeps asking for him. Every time the phone rings, he asks for dadda. Last night at 4am, he woke up crying asking for "dadda." So...we will celebrate our anniversary, Mother's day and Scott's birthday this weekend since we were apart for all 3 :) I am so excited to see him and for the boys to see him:)

A Beautiful Mind

William loves to balance different objects together. He amazes me. The other day he had a book on its end and he balanced the remote control on top of it (standing up right). I took this picture this evening after he put this ensemble together. He took the candle off of the holder and put it next to the clock. He then put the holder on the top of both of them. From there you can see he added his sippy cup and to top it off, his bling.

Per so many requests, here are some recent pictures of the boys. William always wakes up really happy. BUT since daddy has been gone, he wakes up upset after his naps. Mornings are still his though. You got to love this smile.

Picture after a nap asking for dadda when he wakes up:


Picture in the morning:

Harrison LOVES blankets. He loves to play with them.

Look at this strong guy. I swear he is going to learn to do everything fast so he can keep up with his big brother.

I thought William was a happy baby but Harrison smiles and laughs all day long. It is not hard to catch a smile from this little one. And get this. I worry about him being so little and getting hurt by William's antics. William steam rolls over Harrison and Harrison laughs. He is so rough with him but Harrison loves the attention. Last night William was eating spaghetti and Harrison thought it was hilarious to see noodles on his face.

William loves to brush his teeth. Of-course I brush them for him first but he has to brush them afterwards.

What a cutie!

Cowboy up to TEX.

I can't leave Miss Belle out. I never post any pictures of her. She is a great pup and watches over the boys every day.

Happy Mother's Day

I continue to be very sad that our family is apart right now. But waking up to two amazing babies brightened my day. I know they don't know that it is Mother's Day today but they have been so lovable. Harrison smiles every time I look at him and William keeps giving me hugs and sitting in my lap. I am very blessed. Happy Mother's Day to all of you moms out there!

Remembering Grandma Archer

It has been a very sad time for the Archer family. Grandma Archer passed away this past Wednesday. We are thankful that Harrison did get to meet his Great Grandma last week and William was able to see her again. She was truly a remarkable woman and she will be missed dearly. Please keep Grandpa Archer and the rest of the family in your prayers.

Feeling Depressed...

It's only been 3 days and I miss Scott so much. I can't imagine waiting 3 weeks to see him and 2 months to live with him again. William asks for "Dadda" all day and runs for the phone every time it rings. I have to give credit to all of the single moms out there. I am lucky to have two really great kids but it is hard doing it all by myself. The stress of selling a house, buying a house, raising two kids while living states away is probably the hardest thing I have ever had to do. I truly have the best family and I am sad that we are not together.

Home sweet home

We are finally home!!!! Travelling with two babies....not so fun. On the plane ride there, we had a very rough landing. We hit so hard that everyone screamed....except Will. He thought it was so fun that he was cheering. The impact was so hard that it made his diaper explode and he was so excited that he peed all over the two of us. And I thought that would be the only plane story I would have for a while UNTIL the flight home. Right as the plane landed in KC and we were getting ready to board, William had a blow out. Now parents with children, this was not your typical blow out. It was the worst thing I ever seen. I had to rush to the bathroom to change Will. It was so bad that I threw away William's clothes and the stroller he was in. We did catch the flight because someone connecting wasn't there yet thankfully. And I guess I could be thankful that it happened before we got on the plane. Everyone already hated us for the screaming toddler who couldn't sit still and wanted to entertain everyone around him. This included sticking his hands through the seats to steal or knock over the drinks behind us. I have to say that I do NOT plan on travelling with these two by plane for a long time. There is no place like home.

The stress is no where near over. I don't even see the light at the end of the tunnel. We have a lot to do tomorrow as the list seems endless as Scott is off to California Wednesday morning. And we still have yet to put our house on the market. For those of you wondering, the sellers accepted our offer on the house in California so we will be closing June 30th and the boys, Miss Belle and I will join Scott in early July.

Now as for our trip. Harrison finally got to meet his namesake, Great Grandpa Harry Archer (the two pictured above). He took well to him as he did everyone else. He is a perfect baby.


Harrison had a big day on Sunday morning. He was baptised. Pictured with us are his sponsors Shanna and Dusty. Shanna and Dusty are also William's sponsors. We thank them for making the drive to be a part of this special day. We are so happy that they graciously accepted this responsibility.

Here is a picture of the "Payne" Grandbabies. My parents probably would like a grand-daughter one day but for now, it is all BOYS.

One of the main reasons for going home was for one of my best friend's weddings. Becky finally tied the knot to Eric. He is a great guy and I couldn't be happier that they found each other and are blessed with such a wonderful relationship.

Pictured are the four generations of Archers.

Oh, this is nice. William missed Belle a lot during our trip home to Missouri. He asked for her every morning when he woke up and several times throughout the day. He was scared of all of the other "Belles" he met. BUT he finally realized the little ones aren't so bad if he can pick them up. What he doesn't know is their names really aren't "Belle."

Our trip was quite stressful on the way home. But on our layover, William made a girlfriend and she calmed him down. Here is a picture of Miss Isabelle Marie chasing William at the airport to give him a hug.

Ahh. Home Sweet Home. Now it is time to unpack.