Seven Years

August 2 will be our 7 year anniversary!! We decided to celebrate it Friday night with dinner at Red Lobster (I seriously haven't eaten there in 3 years). It was good.....even though I'm not really a "seafood lover". Matt mentioned going there, and he LOVES seafood so I hated to say that it wasn't MY favorite.....give and take, right?!?! I was surprised how expensive it still was (or what I call expensive). Matt's meal was about $20.00. Anyways, we had a good, QUIET dinner, made a stop at Sam's for formula (while I was there I got the Shark Steam Mop/Vac that I've been wanting) and then made a stop at Gander Mountain. It's funny how after you have kids, the simpliest things become absolute luxuries. We didn't do anything "special", but we enjoyed each other's company and had good conversation without being interrupted!! I have to say, as much as I enjoyed the night minus kids, I was missing them by the time we were on the way home. Mom was nice enough to let them spend the night, so after we got home, we got a movie (Bounty Hunter).

Seven years.....WOW, how time has flown!! It feels like yesterday we stood before God, our family and friends in a little, country church and said our vows.....what a beautiful, special, perfect day it was!! Seven years and 2 kids later, I can honestly say that our love has grown deeper. Is our marriage perfect....of course not.....but I know, that no matter what, I have someone that "always has my back"! I know that Matt will teach our boys (by example) to be loyal, honest, hard-working, gritty, independent, loving husbands and fathers.

I feel so unworthy of the life the Lord has blessed me with, but I'm soooo THANKFUL!!

Fun at the Pool

Wednesday, I was having some rooms painted in the house, so Courtney and me decided to take Sawyer to our cousin's pool (Pops was nice enough to keep Sutton for me). Sara and Graysen met us there. Sawyer had such a great time. The past few times I have taken him, he really hasn't warmed up to the water much, but that was not the case on Wednesday. He wanted to jump in the water (he even went under water a few times). He was also wanting us to let go of him, and he wandered out in the water on his own (with arm floaties on of course). I was so proud of him. I'm going to try and take him back a few more times before summer is over since he is enjoying the water more. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera but these are a couple of pictures from the first time we went to the pool this summer (Sawyer would not look at the camera...typical).

BUSY Tuesday

Tuesday was "water day" at school, and it was also the last day of school before he starts back August 10. He also got to play with the dinosaurs at school, because he told me all about that when he got in the car. Also, his teacher informed me that he went to the potty ALL day with NO accidents....GO SAWYER!! Speaking of the potty, how in the world do you convince a 3 year old to go poo-poo on the potty?!?! We have tried rewarding, taking away, time-out, etc. I asked the doctor about it, and he basically said he'll do it when he's ready. I'm trying to be patient, but my patience is running thin!!

After school we went to McDonald's to play for a bit before the boys' 3:00 doctor appointment. Mom met me there to help, because "genius" me scheduled the boys' appointments at the same time....NEVER AGAIN.....at least not until they get a little older. If Mom wouldn't have been there, I would have lost my mind! One of us had a kid the whole time. The boys had check-ups and both had to get shots. When the nurse came in with her gloves on, Sawyer was telling her to go away....he knew what was coming. He had to get one shot in the arm. She barely got all the medicine in before Sawyer yanked the needle out of his arm and scratched his arm with the needle in the process....yeah, not good!! Both the boys checked out great.....here are their stats:

Sutton - 16.2 lbs - 75th percentile
24 1/4" - 35th percentile

Sawyer - 38lbs - 95th percentile
39" - 85th percentile

More Pictures

Here are a few more pictures of the boys. Family, if you want to view the rest of their pictures go to

marylambertphotography.com - proofs - client proofs - password is hyatt72010.

Fun Weekend

Friday night, Matt fished an all night tournament, so mom and me decided to take the boys to Bridgestreet. Mom let Sawyer play in the sprinklers, while Sutton and me shopped. Sawyer had a BLAST!! He also got a turtle balloon, which he still is holding on to (Sawyer is the type of child who gets VERY attached). Sawyer was wanting chicken nuggets, so we went to Chick-fil-A. While we were there, Sawyer was in one of his goofy moods. While we were eating, out of nowhere, he decides he wants to pull down his shorts, along with his pull-up, so that's just what he did...LOL!! I don't think anyone saw him, but mom and me, thank goodness!! We had our FIRST potty-trip out in public, and it was a success!! Then, we headed outside to play on the playground, where he made several friends. By the time we got back to Mom's, it was getting close to 9:00p.m., and of course, he wanted to get out and play, so we ended up just staying the night there.

Saturday, Matt and I went on a canoeing trip with a group from church. It was a LONG day, but a lot of fun. The boys stayed with Mimi and Pops, and they had a great day as well. Any day with the grandparents, is a great day for them :)

Sunday night, Sawyer got to collect his birthday money at church (his birthday was June 22nd, but they are a little behind at church). Of course, he didn't want to go up there, so I had to pick him up and carry him to the front and hold the collection plate for him. I meant that child was getting his money...lol!! Most of the time, he is a VERY friendly child and doesn't meet a stranger, but that is when it's on HIS terms. Last night, he was having a "shy" moment. It was cute though, i guess...lol!!

All-in-all, a FUN weekend!!

Pictures

So, yesterday we had Sawyer's 3 year old pictures and Sutton's 3 month pictures (although he's actually 4 months). I was dreading it, but all-in-all, it went well. We started out here at the house for Sutton's sitting. He and I had the "white gown pics" made in his nursery. This is what I done with Sawyer, so I wanted to do the same with Sutton. Sutton is wearing the same gown that Sawyer wore in his pictures, which I think is special (although, if both the boys are sentimental, I don't know which one will get the gown.....downfall of sharing special things). After Sutton's sitting, we headed to Rocky and Jody Childer's place to have Sawyer's pictures made. He did good, considering he is a "live wire". I bribed him with a prize, so that helped! He's at the age where he likes to "cheese", so we were having to tell him NOT to smile...LOL!!

Vacation Bible School

So, Monday started out with vacation bible school at Plainview Church of Christ (this is where Sawyer goes to MDO). He was a little leery when I left, because he didn't recognize his teacher. He asked me to stay, so I told him I would go to the back and stay for a few minutes and then I snuck out. When I went to pick him up, Georgia told me that he had started crying and wanted to go to his classroom, so that's what they did. Apparently, that made it all better. When we got in the car, he said he needed to go potty. I've been keeping a potty in the back of the Suburban for emergencies (I saw this on Jon & Kate and thought it was a good idea) so I pulled around to the back and put him on the potty. Apparently, he "held it" the whole time at VBS, because he almost filled up the potty....LOL!! Then, we headed to the grocery store to pick up a few things where we saw Grandma Marie. It was so cute. When Sawyer saw her he said "Hey Grandma.....that's my baby".....talking about Sutton. He's so proud of his brother :)

The next day was VBS again and MDO. So, he was at school from about 8:30a.m. 'till 2:00p.m. While he was at school, Sutton and I headed into town to do some shopping and met up with Courtney and Mom for lunch. After school, we went to Cayden's to give him his birthday gift since we missed his party because Sawyer was sick. Sawyer had a great time playing with all of Cayden's toys and of course, didn't want to leave. He had a MAJOR meltdown when we left!! I'm talking screaming at the top of his lungs....it was BAD!! Of course, by the time we got in the car he was fine. It was already 3:00p.m. when we got home, so we didn't get a nap. He "gave it up" while in the highchair though....LOL!! This is a rarity at our house. I rarely let him get to the point of pure exhaustion (naps, in our house, are an essential) but this day was an exception.

Kid-Free Saturday

I had a wedding to go to on Saturday right outside of Birmingham. We were going to take Sawyer and make it a family weekend, but he got sick (see previous post) so we decided to keep him here and I went on to the wedding with Mom and Dad. We decided to make a stop at the Cheesecake Factory at The Summit and do a little shopping. The Summit has a Pottery Barn Kids, so I bought Sawyer a shelf to go in his room, bought the boys matching shorts from Gymboree and a couple things from Baby Gap. That's about all the time we had before heading to the wedding.

Back at home, Matt and Sawyer had a good day. Since Sawyer still wasn't feeling 100%, they stayed in all day. Mimi and Pops kept Sutton most of the day. When I got back home, I noticed that Matt and Sawyer had cleaned the house, which I thought was very sweet. Sawyer had picked up his playroom all by himself, which I was very pleased to hear! All-in-all, it was a great day. As I said before, it was suppose to be a family weekend, but I have to say, it was nice to get away for the day, and Matt and the boys had a great day too.

Sick Baby

Early yesterday morning (3:00 a.m.) Sawyer wakes up running a low-grade fever. I didn't think much of it, gave him some Motrin and then put him back to bed. He woke up feeling fine, but as the morning went on, he went downhill. I gave him some more Motrin, and he felt good for a while but went downhill as soon as the Motrin wore off. He basically ran a fever most of the day. He and I had enough of that fever, so at 7:00 p.m. I started alternating between Tylenol and Motrin and that finally broke it. His fever stayed down all night, so I thought he had "kicked" it, but as the day went on today, he started feeling bad again. Now, not only was he complaining with his stomach but also his throat. I immediately thought he might have strep. I called the doctor and made him an appointment. Thankfully, his strep test was negative, but his tonsils were VERY red. The doctor said it was just a "summer time virus", and it will have to run it's course and could last 3-5 days. However, since we have been home from the doctor, he has started feeling a lot better. Unfortunately, he missed his best friend's (Cayden) birthday party tonight that he was very much looking forward to. I just can't take him around other kids knowing he is contagious. We also were planning to take him to Alabama Adventures this weekend, but those plans went down the tube :(

Since Sawyer missed Cayden's party tonight, we wanted him to have some fun. We had pizza and cooked peanut butter fudgy bars, which he helped make!!

Hyatt Reunion 2010

So, last weekend was the "big" Hyatt Reunion. It's something that the whole family looks forward to ALL year long. It starts on Saturday morning with the hog killing (Hyatt tradition). They smoke the pig on the pit ALL day and ALL night, and it is delicious. They also cook chickens which are wonderful too!! Saturday evening, we all get together and EAT, EAT, EAT!! Then Sunday, we go back to eat some more and just enjoy each other's company. On Sunday, they have the annual "family initiation" where anyone who was married into the family within the past year gets DUNKED into a water trough (clean i might add) full of ICE COLD water! I had the "pleasure" of being dunked about 6 years ago! I might also add that Matt literally threw out his back while trying to dunk someone.....they are serious about this people....REALLY serious......LOL!!

However, this weekend was a bit bitter-sweet. This reunion was the first one without PawPaw Garland. We lost PawPaw back in November of last year. He looked forward to the reunion every year and took pride in his family traditions. He would have wanted everything to go on as usual, so that's what we did (of course, not without remembering him the whole time). We have a picture of Matt, Rick, PawPaw and Sawyer at Sawyer's first Hyatt reunion where he was only 2 weeks old. That picture is truly priceless!

The "phone call"

Haven't all us moms gotten that phone call from the husband, "umm, when are you coming home?"?? I don't get those phone calls often, but I did on Monday. I needed to run a few errands, so I left the kids with Matt and went on my way. I was gone for maybe an hour and I get the "phone call" and it went a little something like this:

Me: Hey, did you just try calling me?

Matt: umm....when do you think you'll be home?

Me: not too much longer, why?

Matt: well, the baby won't let me put him down and sawyer almost choked on a piece of candy so he's now upset.

Me: you didn't let him have a lifesaver did you?!?!

Matt: uh, yeah, I thought you let him have them.

Me: NO!!

Matt: well, then we need to throw them away....why do we have them anyways?!?

Me: Because they are MY candy....i'll be right there!!

How is it that I'm home with the kids day-in and day-out and I manage to keep the chaos to a MODERATE level, but he is left alone with them for an hour and I get the "phone call"....LOL!!

Double Stroller

So, I've been looking for a double stroller since Sutton was born. I had received mixed opinions on double strollers so I was hesitant to make the purchase. Some moms said that they were "lifesavers" and others said that they were more trouble than what they were worth. As I was searching craigslist, I came across one that looked VERY interesting. I decided to go look at it today and ended up buying it. It practically looks brand new (only about a year old). It is a Graco Quatro Tour Duo. So far, I LOVE it! If you are looking for one, I highly recommend it. Both kids have plenty of room. There is also plenty of storage space underneath, as well as cup/snack holders for both kids and lots more features. It navigates very well and collapses easily too.

Family, Food and Fun!!

This weekend was FULL of family, food and fun!! Saturday, we cooked out at Ninny's, Sunday night we cooked out at our house, and today, we cooked out at Mom and Dad's!

Happy Fourth of July from our family to yours!!

Day 4 of Potty Training

I have to say, the past 4 days have not been nearly as bad as what I thought they were going to be. Sawyer has done so good. He has really "gotten it". Yesterday, he had one accident in his underwear and so far today, he has had 1 1/2 accidents (he started going in his underwear but we made it to the potty in time to "finish up"). I am still putting diapers on him at bedtime/naptime; however, the past several mornings he has woken up with a dry diaper, and this morning, he woke me up and told me he needed to go potty. The first few days I feel like all I said was "sawyer, do you need to go potty", but since then, he is telling me when he needs to go, most of the time. All of these things are really encouraging to me and I hope within the next few weeks I can say he is FULLY potty trained (although, I am prepared for set-backs).

Sutton is doing great as well. He is still sleeping in his bed, ALL night!!

I'm so proud of you boys....keep up the good work!! By the way, here are a couple of pictures of Sutton, just because..... :)

Oh, the Joys of Potty Training (insert sarcasm)!!

Potty training is something I think I've been dreading since day one!! If I could fast-forward through this period of time, or hire someone to do it for me, I think I would. I think I've been holding out hope that one day he would wake up and he would magically "get it". Unfortunately, that hasn't happened, so now it's on to plan B.....potty training him myself. Of course, this is something that I want to happen but it's just the process of getting there that is so dreadful. Sawyer's school really prefers the three year olds to be potty trained (which I can't blame them), so that is giving me some incentive to "bite-the-bullet". Through advice from family/friends (and the Internet), I've decided to skip the pull-ups (for the most part) and go straight to underwear. I have to say, it hasn't been fun, been messy and time consuming, but it really hasn't been as bad as what I thought it would be. As you can see from the picture, I'm making the potty very convenient....lol!! He doesn't want to take time to actually go to the bathroom, so I decided to bring the "bathroom" to him.....whatever works, right?!?! I'm also setting a timer every few minutes to remind Sawyer and myself to put him on the potty. Of course, we are rewarding with M&Ms!! By the way, I do understand that one day he will kill me for posting this picture, but I'm his mother and he has to love me no matter what, right?!?

Brice Adam Buckner

Isn't he just precious....oh, and let's not forget proud, big sister, Brentleigh!! Brice is the son of proud parents, Rachel and Doug Buckner. He was born June 8 and weighed 8lbs. and 4ozs. Brice and Sutton are only ten weeks apart, so I hope that they will be the BEST of friends like their mothers!

GO SUTTON!!!

Sutton slept ALL night in HIS crib last night!! I've been waiting to put him in his crib until he was consistently sleeping through the night, which he has been doing for the past several weeks. So, last night after his bedtime feeding I decided I would put him in his crib and see how he done. I put him down (without rocking) and he whined for a few minutes, but then drifted off to sleep. Keep up the good work "big" boy!!