Vacation in iPhone pictures! :)

We are currently in South Carolina enjoying some quality family/beach/friend time!  We're having so much fun!  Traveling with our newest addition has certainly been an adventure, but totally worth the memories we'll have!  I've been taking lots of pictures but thought I'd share a few of my iPhone pictures thus far.  I have PLENTY of pictures to edit and share..but who knows when I'll have time to get to those!

Our vacation in iPhone pics...

{Our tiniest traveler on our way to SC. We stopped at McDonalds for breakfast and Kason was glad to be car seat free for a short while.}

{He did SO well in the car but the last hour of the trip was melt down time in the Gibbs' car!}

{FInally made it!  Kason's first time to stick his toes in the ocean!}

{View from our 15th floor balcony.}

{A pretty night at Barefoot Landing.}

{Sweet boy waiting to eat at Margaritaville.  The wait was LONG but this little guy was SO good!}

{Such a fun place to eat!}

{Mine and Lauren's dessert!  So much for losing the baby weight....:)}

{Shopping at the outlet mall.  If Prince Harry ever gets married..I'm wearing one of these!}

{Spending some time with Mama at the pool while Daddy golfs.}

{All clean!}

{Daddy wasn't feeling so hot tonight so Mama and Kase had a mini-photoshoot on the beach!  I'm excited to share the pictures with you soon!}

Happy Wednesday! :)

My favorite part of the day

My favorite part of the day looks like this...

I know I will miss this time SO much when he is older.

Happy Thursday! :)

Tiny Prints

I hope everyone had a great Father's Day!  Kason and I had lots of fun spending the weekend with Duane.  I think his first Father's Day was a success. :)

I will post Father's Day pictures when I have more time but while I have a few spare seconds, I wanted to show you the card that Kason got Duane for Father's Day...

I ordered the card from Tiny Prints.  I learned about this website from one of the blogs I read.  I LOVED all of the cards for Father's Day.  They have cards for lots of different occasions and they are all so unique and creative.  I take SO many pictures of Kason, I wanted to put them to good use for Father's Day.  This website was perfect for that!  The best part is, they are SO reasonable!  I paid $4.90 for the card I ordered.  That's about the price of a card you would buy in the store and in my opinion..these are much cuter!  Duane really liked the car and I think it surprised him to see Kason's cute face right on the front of the card. :)  Check out the website for yourself.  

Happy Monday Tuesday!  :)
(I started this post on Monday and then got sidetracked and am just now getting around to posting it.  Oh, how life changes when you have a little person you are responsible for :))

Kason is 3 Months!

Our sweet baby boy is 3 months old today!  I think I have noticed the most changes between months 2 and 3.  He is SO alert and loves to interact with anyone that will talk to him.  He has also gotten so much bigger!  He's still little but we're slowly making strides.  He's finally getting some chubby little rolls and mama loves it!

3 Month Stats (we didn't go to the doctor this month, so these are just rough estimates): 

Weight: Around 12 lbs.

Height: About 22 1/2 inches (It's hard to measure a baby that's moving all over the place!)

Kason is still wearing all 0-3 month clothes.  He still wears a few pair of newborn pants/shorts but we are slowly phasing all of those out.  He can wear 0-3 month shorts, they just have to be rolled up.  His Children's Place sleepers are 0-3 months and they are actually getting a little small!  I can't believe I could be buying 3-6 month clothing soon!  He is growing too fast!

Here are some of Kason's current favorites...

Kason LOVES. . . 

...his toes!  This is his newest discovery.  He has been examining them for a few weeks but in the last week he has started grabbing them.  I will often look back at him in the car and he has his tiny hands squeezed around him sweet toes.  I love it!

...his paci!  This kid is for a sure a pacifier kid.  We are so grateful to whoever invented those things!

...his daddy!  Duane often comments on how much of a mama's boy Kason is.  This is true when he is really upset, I'm pretty much the only one that can calm him down (I'm not magic, I think he just feels comforted when I hold him in the position I nurse him in.  Duane just lacks boobs!  Ha!).  However, every evening Duane puts Kason on his lap and they just have a little conversation.  Kason will often try to imitate the sound Duane is making.  This melts this mama's heart for sure!

...being outside!  If Kason is ever fussy during the day, I just walk outside and he is immediately calmed down.  He loves to look around at everything that is going on outside.  He is so observant and I can almost see the little wheels in his head are just a spinning!  I can't wait to take him to the beach next week!  He will have SO much to look at! :)

Kason does NOT LOVE...

...bottles.  We are slowly making progress, but he still fights the bottle.  He will usually take a few ounces but not without putting up a fight!  

..tummy time.  I have been trying to give Kason lots of tummy time.  He likes it for a few minutes and then starts screaming.  He usually gets so mad he rolls himself over to his back.  I'm still trying to do this daily, so that he starts to like it and so that his neck gets stronger.

...sleeping lying flat.  I think this has to do with the acid reflux.  If Kason lays flat on his back to sleep he wakes up crying multiple times throughout the night.  If we lay him in his bouncy seat to sleep..he sleeps for 8+ hours!  I think we'll stick to the bouncy seat until he grows out of the reflux! :)

That's a little bit about our cute little 3 month old.  He has his 3 month pictures with Kaila today.  I can't wait to share them with you!  Here are some of the my not-so-professional 3 month pictures...









Check out his bald spot...



And a little comparison...



Happy Thursday! :)
 (I honestly had to think long and hard about what day of the week it is!  I can't even keep track anymore! :))

2 Years

Two years ago today I was looking out the window at all of the rain that was falling on my soon to be outdoor wedding.  You might think that I was stressing out, but I wasn't.  I kept saying over and over again that no matter what the weather, I would still be married at the end of the day.

Two years ago today I was putting on the most gorgeous dress I'd ever seen.  I was so anxious for Duane to see the "secret" dress.

Two years ago today I was praying with my bridesmaids and mom.  I was crying like a baby for the first time that day, believe it of not!  I was so thankful to be surrounded by my best friends.  They made the day so special!

Two years ago today my dad walked me down the isle and gave me away.  I said goodbye to the life I'd known for 22 years and welcomed in a new life. 

Two years ago today I stood up in front of our closest friends and family and made a promise to love Duane for the rest of my life.  Little did I know I would love him much more today than I did even on our wedding day.

Two years ago today I became Mrs. Gibbs.  I can honestly say that these two years have been the best years of my life.  They have been crazy but I am so thankful that I've had Duane by my side every step of the way.  He is one of the most patient and caring people I have ever met.  Life is so much fun with him.  I am grateful for his love for Jesus more than anything else.  Watching him with Kason has been so amazing.  I know that Kason will grow up with a loving, patient daddy and for that I am so thankful.  I'm so glad I have him as my teammate in parenting.  I absolutely could not do it without him.

Two years ago I never imagined that our family picture would look like this.  We had no idea that in two short years God would bless us with a beautiful baby boy.  We can't imagine life without our third family member! :)

Happy 2nd anniversary Duane!  I love you very much! :)

Kaia is 2!

Kaia turned 2 on June 10th!  Unfortunately, this busy mama totally forgot it was her birthday (horrible, right?!).  I remembered our anniversary is Tuesday, Kason's 3 month birthday on Thursday, and Father's Day on Sunday..but I totally spaced my sweet puppy's birthday.  I was feeling guilty until Duane calmly reminded me that Kaia has no idea when her birthday is..ha!  I'll just get her a yummy treat and she'll be good!  I do love this crazy dog though, so I thought she deserved a little blog love!  After all..she was my first baby!

Kaia has been so good with Kason.  She occasionally tries to get in his face when he is on the play-mat, but I know she just wants to play with him.  They will be best friends someday!  She is slowly getting calmer, however, she is still 100% puppy!  I've heard that they grow out of the puppy stage around 2..we'll see about that!  I don't see any growing up in Kaia's near future.

Happy birthday Kaia!  Mama, Daddy, and Kason love you! :)

Battle of the Wills!

I know it's hard to believe that this sweet face is already giving this mama a run for her money..but he sure it!  This being a mom stuff is hard.  Don't get me wrong, it is absolutely the best things ever, but it is hard work!  Now truth be told I am quite a stubborn person.  Have been since I could talk.  My husband, also pretty stubborn.  Well when two strong willed, stubborn people create a baby the chances of the baby being easy going are well..slim.  You might have an idea what I'm going to say next.  Kason is stubborn!  At only 12 weeks old he is already showing his personality.  Although he is such a good baby, he is a tad bit on the stubborn side.  I'm sure my parents are going to sit back and have a good laugh over the next 18+ years over the sweet payback they are witnessing.  

Our first major battle has to do with these...

Yes, those are all of the bottles we've tried to give Kason at one point or another.  About a month ago, Duane started trying to give Kason a bottle in the evening.  Since I will be going back to work in a couple of months, we knew that he needed to get used to taking a bottle.  As a new mom, this was not something I anticipated being a problem.  I had NO idea that some breastfed babies struggle with the concept of a bottle.  Kason would take about an ounce of the pumped milk and then just scream.  We tried three different types of bottles, different times during the day, different holding positions..nothing seemed to work!  I was getting more and more stressed out each time and would just end up nursing him.  After all, I had what he needed and wanted, so I felt bad not giving it to him.  We gave up on the bottles for a few weeks because of just plain frustration.  The bottle break lasted up until yesterday.

I'm helping with VBS at church.  It is over 3 hours long and Kason usually eats every 2.5 hours.  Immediately I foresaw a problem.  I would either have to leave my group to nurse Kason, or he would have to take the dreaded bottle.  Luckily, my incredibly patient mom was also going to be helping at VBS.  She was able to keep Kason with her and attempt the bottle feeding.  Yesterday Kason (as expected) took an ounce and then started screaming.  This time though, I did not give in and nurse him.  I think it made it easier that I was out of the area where he was being fed..but we'll just act like I was strong!  After a lot of struggle, Kason finally gave in and took 4.5 ounces!  Wahoo Kason!  I'm one proud (and relieved) mama!  Today he only fussed a little before giving in.  I'm hoping by Friday he'll be taking a bottle without a hitch!  I feel so much more at ease knowing that if I need to be gone for longer than 2.5 hours, Kason will not go hungry.

  And in case you were wondering..this is the bottle that eventually worked for us...

Another battle happened about 3 hours ago.  Kason is still sleeping in our room at night.  Judge me if you'd like..but I'm just not ready for him to sleep in his own room quite yet.  He is sleeping 7-8 hours in our room, which is great!  We will probably move him to his crib in his nursery in a couple of weeks.  I decided today that I am going to lay him in his crib for naps so that he gets used to it.  I have done this before, but I always rock him to sleep and then lay him in the crib.  Today I could tell he was getting tired so I went and laid him in his crib, turned on his sleep sheep, stuck the paci in, and walked out.  He laid there cooing to himself for about 15 minutes.  After that, the crying started.  And kept going and going and going.  I went in ever 15 minutes and put his paci back in, no luck.  It was so hard to listen to him cry.  FINALLY, after about 45 minutes this was what I saw on the monitor...

And then I walked into his nursery and saw this sweet sight..

I know some don't believe in letting a baby cry it out, and I don't either when the baby is super young. However, I do think it's important to teach a baby how to put themselves to sleep.  I'm hoping this will get easier every day.  He ended up sleeping for an hour and a half in his crib..which is a new Kason record!

Although we may have a stubborn baby, I'm happy to report that we are making huge strides!  We love this little boy and all of his characteristics (even the stubborn part!).  We can't wait to learn more about him!

Lots to say!

Kason has been talking up a storm lately!  He loves to sit in his bumbo and carry on a conversation with his daddy and I.  I just can't believe how much this little guy loves to talk..I have no idea where he gets it! ;)

  I always try to capture his sweet sounds on video but he always seems to stop when I pull out my phone.  I got this video today and though it was pretty good.  Just a fair warning - my annoying "mom voice" comes out big time in this video!  I'm sure it will make you want to cover your ears, but Kason loves his mama's high pitched voice! :)

Hope that made you smile!  Happy Thursday! :)

30 Day Challenge {Daily Devotion}

I've always struggled to make time to spend on a daily devotion.  I know how important it is to spend some quiet time with God on a daily basis and I know how much I need it.  So the question is..why don't I make it a priority? As soon as I make time for this quiet time, I'm so glad I did and it ultimately makes my day better.  It was hard to make time before Kason was born, now it's even harder.  When he's sleeping I'm trying to rush around the house and finish my laundry, sweet up the massive mounds of dog hair covering my wood floors, or unload the dishwasher.  By the time all of that is done he is ready to eat and quiet time is..well over!  This struggle has been on my heart a lot lately.  I need to be spending this daily time with the Lord now more than ever.  I have a couple of things that are heavy on my heart right now.  Things I am unsure about and things that I need to be praying about.  Those things along with being a new mom and a fairly new wife are all the more reason to spend time in prayer everyday.  Along with this, I need to be spending more time reading the Bible.  I need to learn about what God has to say about being the best wife and mother I can be.  He is the one that can teach me this, and I need to start taking a closer look about what he has to say.

I recently came across a blog post on one of the blogs I love about a similar dilemma.  The writer of this blog is also a mom struggling to make daily time for God.  She is hosting a 30 day challenge and I am going to try it!  So from now until June 30 I am vowing to spend at least 30 minutes reading my bible (or a devotional book) and praying for the things that are on my heart, my sweet baby boy, and my husband.  You can read a little bit more about the challenge here.  These are some questions that she asked us to think about when taking this challenge.

1. Have a plan...
What will your time alone with the Lord look like? Be prepared. -- I am going to spend some time ready out of a devotional book I got for Easter.  After that I am going to spend time praying about anything that is stressing me out about the future.

2. Have a time...
When will you spend time with the Lord? Schedule it and set that alarm! -- Kason usually wakes up to eat between 5:30 and 6 am.  I usually feed him and then go back to sleep.  I am going to make it a priority to do my devotion as soon as I lay him back down.  This is before I eat breakfast, get on the computer, or start cleaning.  It will be a challenge for sure..but it will be so worth it! :)

3. Have a place...
Where will you meet with the Lord? Find a quiet place where you will be alone and the least distracted. --  I will probably just stay in bed, with some quiet music.

4. Grab a friend...
Encourage someone to join you in this challenge and keep each other accountable! -- I told my sister, Jill, about this and I'm hoping she will do it with me and hold me accountable! 

So there it is.  I'm struggling to spend time with God everyday and this seems like the perfect challenge.  I am going to do my VERY best to keep up with it.  Feel free to head over to the McClenanhan's blog and check out the challenge for yourself!  I am off to spend day one with God.  I will keep you updated on my progress! :)

Happy Wednesday! :)