mccoy's big day!!!

(this is the longest post...ever, but he's just too cute!)

saturday, june 26th was mccoy's 1st birthday...we had too much fun at his sock monkey party...here, he started out the day with bunches of fruit! he also loved this birthday horn from gracie...he wouldn't let go of it for two days at least! getting fired up for the guests to arrive

the sock monkeys have their party faces on!

mccoy loved looking at the balloons...i wanted to let him play with one, but i was afraid it would pop in his face, which would be awful!

let me just start by saying that i decided to make his cake because i didn't want to pay a fortune for a birthday cake from some cake shop and that i also have never really baked one before...so, i enlisted the help of barry, my friend/co-worker to help me bake...we made four batches of pound cake in an assortment of sizes...we decided to use pound cake because it is easier to carve into (we learned that on all of those cake shows)...then the night before, i started carving and icing, and it didn't end for awhile...around midnight, i had to make a run for more cream cheese icing (which i had already gone through 4 of them)...so here it was, 1:30 in the morning, and i finally finished carving and molding and icing, and i was so excited about how they turned out except i had no one to show, and i was super hyped up off my sugar high...cleaning, anyone?

the sock monkey head on the stand was mccoy's smash cake and the smaller one is his papa's (burt's dad) because they share the same birthday!

gracie, us and auntie b

hugging his 2nd cousin, miss indigo wren

on the move...we're not quite walking, but we're oh so close

the metropolis girls
shea, us, julee t, barry and julie k.

getting ready for cake...i made him a birthday tie to wear while eating his cake but that lasted all of 2 minutes...

"what is that?"

"are you sure you want me to eat this?"

"no, no, no"

at this point, he was making all kind of gagging noises like i was torturing him to eat cake

"no, no, no" again

"i can't even look at you!"

"get me out of here, please!"

bath time!

telling papa stories about his sock monkey...and all the fun he is going to have at his swim lessons that lucky and papa gave him

the box boys

whitley and mccoy playing

checking things out

"look at my lion, daddy!"

picture time...my cousin, jessica and her daughter, indigo wren

auntie b, cousin byron and jessica and indigo wren

brad chillin' with sweet mccoy

my girls, becca and mandy

godmother mandy...we can't wait for madeline grace to be here!

attack of the sock monkey

auntie b making little man laugh

uncle p sent this great pig that looks so realistic...

kiss the pig...or eat it!

this year at 9:54 pm, mccoy was sound asleep...but last year, our precious little boy arrived in our lives...

now, the party is over and the monkey's are done!

the aftermath...

the next morning, mccoy had more one present...

his very own ball pit...thanks gracie and grandaddy...now we have balls everyone!

mccoy's birth was such a blessing, and now, burt and i are the proud parents of a toddler...oh, get ready! mccoy said, "it's on!"

father's day pictures...

for father's day, mccoy and i took burt out to emelia's for brunch...it was so good! mccoy had a great time eating his banana and trying all of the food on our plates!

i love this picture because you can actually tell his eyes are hazel...most of the time you can't really see what color they are...his eyes are an exact mix of burt's and mine...alittle brown with bluish/green tint! recently, mccoy has been everywhere exploring...here, he found the pantry with all of the tupperware and baby food.

"i didn't do that, did i?"his birthday party was a blast...so pictures will
be coming shortly!!!

to our sweet boy, mccoy...

how do we even begin to express what you mean to us...after a long year of trying to conceive, we finally found out we were pregnant with you! for those very special nine months we waited to find out what we were having...on the morning of june 26th (two weeks early), it was time to head to the hospital...at 9:54 that evening, you arrived "sunny side up"...we quickly found out, we were blessed with a beautiful baby boy! your daddy and i remember that day like it was yesterday.

it makes us smile each day, when you wake up to see your bright eyes and the biggest smile on your face...your personality is precious! you are very aware and attentive at all times...watching everyone and what they are doing...you are also extremely laid back, everything about you has been easy going...sleeping, eating habits and playtime.

you love it when we chase after you, but especially when we make funny faces...you just laugh and giggle away...at night, your daddy and i watch you on the monitor and talk about how we want to go pick you up cause you are sleeping so sweet!

life is an amazing thing to watch happen...to think that your daddy and i are lucky enough to be a part of your life from the very beginning...and to continue watching you grow and learn and explore...the toddler years are upon us...and we will take them on head first...and then one day, you will become a young man..our wish for you as you do grow...is to remain true to yourself and have confidence in the man you have become.

one day, you will meet someone, and we can only wish you find someone like your daddy and i have...love between two soul mates is an amazing thing...then they have a child, and the love only grows stronger, wider and longer in every direction.

each day is a blessing that we get to spend with you! we thank God that he has trusted us in loving and caring for you.

happy birthday mccoy emerson

all of our love

mommy and daddy

happy father's day!

happy father's day, burt...you are such a loving, supportive and strong father and husband...we love you so much more every day...thank you for always taking care of us and being the best role model for mccoy...he told me that when he grows up, he wants to be just like his daddy! almost every day...mccoy and titus wait for burt to come home...it is the sweetest thing...they both get so excited, titus's tail wagging and mccoy's bouncing...

we love you!!!

memorial day weekend...

we had a busy, but very fun saturday during memorial weekend...first, we headed to the farmer's market...mccoy was very intrigued by all of the people and dogs (that's what has his attention here)... oh, pretty flowers...
off to the westmoreland's for whitley's 1st birthday! mccoy had so much fun hanging out with all of the kiddos...whitley looked too cute in her tutu...

mccoy was very curious about that flower on top of drew's head...

whitley got a new car for her birthday...

mccoy closing the door for her...such a little gentleman

such a cutie...i love these toothy grins

getting ready for cake!

is it time already?

mccoy tasted alittle piece of cupcake (no icing yet)...i think he was excited about it

out for a stroll...our first time walking in the grass barefoot!

mccoy's buddy, hudson...they had a blast laughing it up and talking to each other...

then it was time to take a trip in the radio flyer...i don't think mccoy let go once

it was so fun seeing everyone and hanging out...thank goodness for birthdays!

someone else's is coming up (mccoy)...only 12 days left!

blog break is over!!!

so...i originally planned on not blogging while i was on vacation...that was on may 15th...i guess you could say that i have been on an extended vacation, since it's almost been a whole month...i feel guilty for not sharing all of the wonderful things mccoy has been up to lately, but it has also been a blessing to just soak up every little thing he has done...these pictures were from mother's day, when my boys took me out to a wonderful brunch, and then we played all day!
since he turned 11 months about two weeks ago, here are some of his updates...
eating, eating, eating all of the time...anything and everything, which i am so thankful for...he has also started sharing his food with us.
now, he grabs the spoon with the food on it and feeds himself...he hasn't learned to get the food onto the spoon yet, but we are close.

he still sleeps great...two to three naps a day and still sleeping through the night...recently, we had to move the video monitor from his crib to the wall because he kept knocking it off during naptime.

crawling, crawling, crawling everywhere and pulling up...when we are in the kitchen, he will crawl up to my leg, pull up and just stand there holding on with one hand...he recently found one of our potted plants in the house and thought the dirt was pretty neat! (note to self: need to move!)

toys...anything that's not one...i could give him all the flashiest, most educational toys possible, but he will manage to find a popsicle stick and pieces of felt to play with...
today, burt called me into our front room, where mccoy was laying on his back smiling and cooing away at the ceiling...he would look at us and smile and just laid flat on the ground for a good five minutes...so funny!

i have so many pictures to post, and i can't wait to catch back up...until then!

i finally found it...

the culprit...the one and only food the mccoy will NOT eat...roasted red pepper with goat cheese...i know, i know, why would i even try to feed my son this...but i have this baby cookbook, and it made it seem like it might be enjoyable...obviously, i was wrong... after the first bite, mccoy closed up shop...
"please, mom, no more!"

"oh my gosh, i can't even stand it!"

he was relieved when i tossed it aside and brought out a banana! fortunately for me, it didn't go to waste...burt ended up liking it as a dip!

new play zone

at the end of one day, mccoy started getting alittle fussy...so, for some reason, i grabbed his bathtub and put him in it...well, he thought that was the coolest thing...i kept putting more toys in there, and he just kept laughing!

another day, i had to rearrange all the stuff from our kitchen cabinets in our guest room, due to our kitchen remodel...i needed mccoy to stay entertained...so, out came the bathtub...and the pots and pans, a plate and a measuring cup...

good times!

i'll miss the days when he won't be entertained by such simple things!

cool shades...

mccoy had his first eye exam on monday with dr. allyson mertins...he did so well...so far, his eyes are great, and he doesn't have to go back until he is 3...dr. mertins gave him these cool shades...he wore them for alittle while then they turned into a chew toy...

dallas, here we come...

this past weekend, we headed down to dallas for a wedding for one of burt's good friends from high school, eric robison and samantha rice...on saturday morning, though, we went to austin's baseball game...it was so much fun, and it definitely showed me what my future looks like for several years...the whole scene was kind of surreal, parents cheering on their sons, coaches arguing with the umpires, everyone in the stands trying to figure out the rules and who has how many runs...austin did so good, he played catcher and pitcher and scored every time he was at bat...this was the first of his scores... he's safe! the second was a close call, but he hit the plate before the ball hit him...then we headed to mandy and aaron's house to drop off mccoy so burt and i could go to the wedding...hanging with his cousins...

this is definitely a house full of boys...

at the wedding...it was in samantha's parents backyard and the flowers were absolutely gorgeous...

monica taking pictures of lincoln...his mommy and daddy were part of the wedding party, so it was only fitting that lincoln wear a tux too...he loved playing on the chairs...i wish mccoy could have played also...

monica and i

burt and kevin

when we got home on sunday, it was definitely time for comfy clothes...i loved mccoy hanging out on his knees...he was crawling all over burt...

he really knows how to turn it on for the camera...such a ham!