The story of Lynyrd

Andrea, this is for you. :)

People often tell me that they can’t believe I still love my dog now that I have a baby. They wonder how I find the time anymore. I’m not going to lie: Lynyrd does get less attention than before, and it is not easy or convenient to take care of this little high maintenance dog (the sock thief that he is).

But the truth is, Lynyrd came to my rescue while Justin was in Iraq.

I was so depressed that a good friend (the piano player from the band, Lynyrd Skynyrd) and his wife said that I was too sad to not have a dog. They wholeheartedly support the troops and asked if they could buy me a puppy. I wasn’t sure of the idea since I’ve never been a dog person, but I had never been so lonely in all of my life. So, after Justin came home for his two week break, I said goodbye to him {again}, and I went dog shopping.

Justin’s deployment was 14 months. 14 months of crying holidays, lonely Friday nights, sad Sundays, and then all of a sudden, this 1 pound and 10 ounces made me smile every day!

He knew he had his paws full.

He took pride in keeping me happy.

He moved to Texas with me to meet his Daddy.

Then we moved to South Carolina.

And now baby comes along.

Albeit, his world is a little different now.

He always seems to need a haircut.

His food bowl is usually empty.

And he gets away with a little bit more than he used to.

But we love the little guy. I can’t tell you how we find the time to take care of our Lynyrd, but our family wouldn’t be the same without him.

Grammy and Papa

I’m starting to realize that although my parents love to visit me, I am no longer the center of their world.

And I am okay with that. Not only do we have a great time when they visit, but they help so much. They feed the baby, feed the dog, hold the baby, hold the dog, clean the kitchen, cook us dinner… It’s great! We always know when it’s about time for them to head home: when Lynyrd goes to Grammy when he needs something instead of me, and when Justin and I don’t even flinch when James cries, because we know Grammy will get him.

I think James might love his Grammy more than any other person in the world.

All she has to do is look at him, and he smiles.

James also loves his quality time with Papa.

There is never a dull moment when Papa is around. They watch videos on his cell phone.

They read.

They play.

And they play some more.

When it’s bedtime, they just sit back and relax.

And since Papa knows James loves music, he even serenaded him to sleep one night.

Grammy joined in serenading her other Grandson.

And they danced around to beach music, singing William Bell’s song, Private Number. “Baby, baby, baby…”

It was such a well-rounded trip: We even visited some Great Grandparents! James got see Bama, who he hasn’t seen since he was 4 days old!

He absolutely loved her.

Then we visited Nanny and Moose. No matter how much James grows, Moose always manages to make him look small.

We always have such a great time hanging out with you, Mom and Dad. Thanks for making the trip and for all the help that gave us a much needed break.

We love you and hope you catch up on some sleep now that you’re home. We can’t wait ‘til next time!

Daddy and me

I love my Daddy so much that I get so excited when he comes home from work! We play all the time, and I am fascinated with the new stuff he is teaching me!

We play peek-a-boo.

He has even taught me how to blow spit bubbles, which is my favorite thing to do right now! And it’s way more fun when he feeds me than when Mommy feeds me.

(side note from Mommy: We all remember this picture.)

Daddy doesn’t make me try new foods like Mommy does. Like the green beans and prunes she tries to sneak in my food. Gross!

I love my bath time with Daddy. Afterwards, he even gave me a comb over. It made me feel very distinguished.

We have so much fun that I usually need a nap when we’re done. But Daddy understands. Cause he’s the best.

I love you, Daddy. I can’t wait ‘til we can play catch in the backyard. Love, JW

The Ratliffs

This weekend we had a long overdue visit with our cousins, The Ratliffs. Before JW, we used to go visit them in Charleston every couple of months. Sometimes I forget whether we are friends that seem like family, or family that seem like friends. I never would have thought that these two cousins

would have remained such good friends. I never would have imagined Jason would marry someone that I love so much, and I would marry someone that Jason loves so much!

They have a little yorkie, Baxter, who is only one month older than Lynyrd. They are the bestest of friends.

Each visit that Lynyrd and Baxter have together is followed by a two day depression for both pups (loss of appetite, fatigue, excessive sleeping, irritability, loss of interest in normal activities, etc.)

But it is well worth it, because they always have a great time!

And are exhausted at the end of each day.

James made sure to welcome Aunt Katie and Uncle Jason with a meltdown, but was on his best behavior for the rest of the visit.

We had the kind of weekend where we hardly got out of our pajamas. IT WAS GREAT. That’s one of my favorite things about Katie. I can always be myself. {whether my hair is washed, I’m tired and grumpy, or I’m in my sweatpants} We just hung out, played Dominos (my new obsession), watched Jersey Shore (yes, I’ll admit that), grilled out, and played some cornhole.

While we cooked out, I couldn’t resist letting James try fruit any longer! Katie and I just had to give him some applesauce.

It seemed bitter at first.

But then maybe something we could get used to.

So we asked for a little more.

And loved it.

Jason, Katie and Baxter, thank you so much for making the trip to Cola. We had a great time even though the dynamic of our vacations has changed a little a lot. A beverage holder that once held beer, now holds a baby monitor.

We love y’all and thanks for a wonderful weekend!

P.S. Happy Birthday to my brother, Hampton. I love you.