I've lost it...

...my creativity, that is. I have nothing creative to offer anymore. No fun words for my blog. It's almost like it has become a CHORE that I have to do. Does anyone else go through this? I miss the excitement and fun I used to have sculpting cute stories and mixing in fun pictures of my beautiful little boy! Oh well...I'm sure the fun part will come back. In the mean time, I do it because I want to chronicle these times for Malachi!! I love you sweet baby!

So, at 16 months (well I'm only 11 days late for that one) what is Malachi up to? A LOT! He's learning new words EVERY DAY! He has added Doggy, Quack Quack (we recently started taking him to feed the ducks), Juice, Cookie and Thank You. He had his first McDonald's hamburger on Thursday the 16th and LOVED.IT. He's running ALL OVER THE PLACE and plays peek-a-boo around ANY and EVERY corner he finds! The pacifier is now officially gone! (YEA and it wasn't even that hard! He lost it the night he got tubes put in and it remained lost until last Saturday when I opened up the top drawer to our desk and found it. But, according to him, it's lost forevermore!) He climbs up in his high chair when it's time to eat and says num-num! (Cutest thing EVER) He can now identify mommy, daddy, Uncle Logan, Lolli and Pops in any picture and point to them! He's been visiting the toddler's room at daycare more and more, and, even though it's not going too well due to the complete and total devotion he has to Traca, Delores and Brenda (his nursery teachers), he'll get there and learn to love Ms. Denise just as much! (On a side note, could I BE more thankful for the wonderful women that love my little boy like their own? God has truly blessed him!) He's sleeping on a cot at daycare for naptime and no longer takes morning naps, just afternoon naps. Bedtime is about 7:30 p.m. usually and he usually sleeps until about 6:45 or 7:00. However, if it's not closer to 6:45 when he wakes up, he doesn't get to finish breakfast! (He gets distracted WAY too easily and it takes him FOREVER to eat breakfast if the TV is on or anything else is around him to distract him!) On a side note, he's currently loving French Toast Sticks and Oranges/Peaches for breakfast! Yesterday, the little toot got his first office time-out when he wouldn't quit pulling hair. I don't think he knew that it was wrong, but, he's got to learn. (And, let's face it, it's Lolli's office, how bad could it really be? The worst is Lolli's disappointment! Hope it ALWAYS stays that way!) He's learned to sing E-I-E-I-O though most times it comes out YAYAYO. It's still SUPER DUPER CUTE!

A year ago I posted this post in which I talked about Malachi having Croup...YUCK. Little did I know what the next 2 months would hold after that post. UGH - I don't even want to think about how horrible last year was. How sick Malachi was. How helpless we, as his parents, felt. How much we coveted the prayers and encouragement of our families and friends. I could not be more thankful that he is SO MUCH BETTER OFF this year than he was last year. (Lord willing that will continue, of course!) He's currently on Poly-Vi-Sol for vitamin supplementation, Allegra and a nasal spray for allergies and Bio-Gaia Acidophilus for his tummy. We're hoping this will keep him healthier throughout this winter season. He did, actually, get Chicken Pox FROM the vaccine a couple weeks ago, but no fever, just a few spots, nothing major. Other than that, his tubes are doing their job and he's been relatively healthy for going on 4 or 5 weeks now. He got thrush from the two HUGE shots of Rocephin he got right before he got his tubes put in and we've been fighting that for about 6 weeks. Finally, I went and got some Gentian Violet, and, though it stains EVERYTHING it touches, including his mouth when he spits it out, his lips, his cheeks when the Q-Tip goes right up the side of his cheek while you've got the Q-Tip in his mouth and he decides he wants to sit down, his sheet from drooling at night and the one pair of pajamas we've been washing and letting him sleep in every night so it doesn't ruin EVERYTHING he has...But, it's finally gone for good now!

Finally, he went to Donut Stop about 6 weeks ago with Lolli and Pop (and me and daddy were there just for fun) for his first Cherry Donut! Pop said that they were gonna go for Cherry donuts as soon as he got old enough. So, I've been holding off on giving him donuts and chocolate milk until Pop could take him. And, it finally happened!

I'm telling you, right here and right now! Little boys don't get ANY MORE LOVED than this one! (And, on another side note...that shirt is already too small for him...YUCK - he's growing up TO FAST!)

Our Little Boy!

Lately our baby boy seems to be turning into so much more of a *gasp* little boy insteady of a baby boy. Since my last post, so much has happened. Now, that could be because he is such a genious little boy and he's picking up on SO MUCH SO FAST, or, it could be because I haven't posted for almost a month...haha! Either way, Malachi is doing SO MANY new things!

The August 12th ENT appointment turned into an August 21st appointment for tubes and it went swimmingly! We showed up at 7:00a.m. with Mali still in his pajamas (which were adorable and everyone loved, if I do say so myself!) We registered and then sat in the waiting room for a few minutes before they called us back. He played with the bead path they had on the wall (that's right, they had it stuck to the wall - genious if you ask me), walked around, and then came over to daddy. Daddy was playing with this REALLY cool sand toy. It's basically a table with a LITTLE bit of sand on it, some toys on top of the sand with a plexiglass cover so you can't actually get to the sand. Daddy had found that the toys would move with magnets from underneath. So, Mali laughed for a few minutes watching the toys move without being able to touch them. Then, all of a sudden, he bent down and picked up one of the magnets they had hanging from the bottom and started moving a little tugboat from underneath. I'm tellin' ya, he picked up on it FAST! When it was time to go back we dressed him in his adorable little hospital gown with some sweet little booties they provided. Almost immediately they gave me a syringe of some sort of medicine used to calm him down, and calm him down it did! 5 minutes later he was jelly in my arms, laughing at EVERYTHING, giving us kisses and blowing us drunk kisses. It was THE.CUTEST.THING.YOU'VE.EVER.SEEN!! I swear, he was the cuddliest thing and I CHERISHED that time because I was able to get some REALLY sweet kisses from him! When it came time for them to come get him, he went to them without hesitation (not at ALL like MY kid - normally it's WWIII for him to go to someone he doesn't know). The sweet nurses then took us around to where he would come out of recovery and we talked for a couple minutes. Before we knew it, the doctor was coming out and giving us post-op instructions. I'm telling you, I thought he was fixing to go INTO surgery it was so fast, I didn't think he had even started when he came out and told us he was finished. It literally took less than 10 minutes from the time we handed him over to when the Dr. came out. However, we soon heard his screaming coming from down the hall. One nurse came out and got his pacifier. Then, another nurse came and got his sippy cup. Then, 3 nurses brought him to us and let US try to console him...NO.SUCH.LUCK! After we signed the release papers we were out the door, got breakfast, and were back home (30 minutes away) by 9:15a.m. He and I slept most of the day Friday together and by Friday afternoon he was as good as new!

Funny story, though, I had gotten up and started the dishwasher when he was asleep and when he woke up, I was feeding him some Cheerios and playing in the floor since he was still a little wobbly. All of a sudden, the dishwasher kicked into the rinse cycle and Malachi stopped dead in his tracks, carefully walked into the kitchen and looked around the refrigerator - then he walked up to the dishwasher and started screaming and banging on it. I guess he had never heard it before - it was HYSTERICAL!

So, post-tubes, things have been pretty laid-back. We now have him on a twice a day regimen of Allegra and Nasonex for his allergies. He hasn't REALLY gotten sick EXCEPT for the fact that he had a reaction to his Chicken Pox vaccine and we had to quarantine him for a couple of days. Other than that...he's been pretty healthy! As long as his immune system continues to do as well as it's been doing lately I'll be happy - BUT, if he starts having a hard time and not being able to fight anything off again, I WILL push for immune system testing to make sure his levels are all where they need to be!

On the development front he's doing FABULOUSLY!! He used to be behind compared to his buddies in the nursery at daycare. He didn't roll or sit up or crawl as fast as they did, but he's kicking baby butt in the walking department! (And no - I don't REALLY compare him like that nor do I think it's bad that the other babies DIDN'T walk as fast as he did, it's just that HE has always been the one that's been behind, so I'm thrilled that he's not when it comes to walking!) We now have him back in shoes and he's doing great! During the time we were letting him learn to walk WITHOUT shoes, though, his feet went from a size 3 to a size 5! And those adorable Nike Shocks that Lolli bought were a size 4 - maybe if we have another little boy HE will be able to wear them, but for now, they're stuck in a SpaceBag with the rest of Malachi's clothing he's already outgrown! (I guess when Daddy wears a 13 and Uncle wears a 15...there's not a lot that can be done to prevent big feet!) He loves to run from us when we say we're going to get him and we LOVE to chase after him...it's SO FUN!

He also loves to CLIMB EVERYWHERE! A couple of weeks ago he climbed up onto the toddler sized couch my mom has at the daycare and tried to stand up. Well, he succeeded in standing up, but not for long...he fell right off into the edge of the train table she has and got a HUGE red mark on the side of his face. It bruised, but not terribly. Then, he got right back up and did it again...Oh what I'm NOT looking forward to when he learns to ride a bike/plays football/or does anything else that little boys just DO to hurt themselves...haha! Last night, in fact, we had taken the tray off of his high chair because it was dirty from dinner and he kept trying to climb up in his high chair seat. He succeeded a few times, but couldn't figure out how to get back OUT of it. SO, daddy kept rescuing him. Finally, I encouraged daddy to let him figure it out...after a few minutes of SCREAMING at the top of his lungs and looking at us WAITING for us to come get him (inevitably for him to get back up there...I'm sure) he figured it out and was SO proud of himself. We clapped, he danced, and the cycle continued for the next 30 minutes...haha!

He's pointing at EVERYTHING now! We have a series of picture books for him that are VERY heavy duty and he especially LOVES the animal book. I try to make noises of all the animals (except for, you know, the Panda, or the Giraffe...we have to glaze over those pages) and he laughs so hard on some of them. He's especially fond of the Dino, the Dog and the Sheep! He even tries to make the Elephant sound...it's SO sweet!

He loves his xylophone, his train (push and ride toy) and he still loves to dance! He rocks back and forth and bounces up and down anytime there's music on ANYWHERE!! His daddy also bought him his first matchbox car and he's learning to make vroom vroom noises and push it around! (Everything's a car these days, and, frankly, EVERYTHING gets pushed around with vroom vroom noises!) He loves his big yellow ball that Pops' bought him, and during the evening when I'm fixing dinner, his activity of choice is sitting in the floor with my metal colander, a long plastic ladle and goldfish! He hits the colander, turns it over, puts his goldfish in there, dumps them out and stays content for usually 30-45 minutes this way! (On a side note, he turns EVERYTHING over, his toys, our cell phones, anything gets flipped end over end if it's in his hands! Even his goldfish get flipped around a few times...I guess he feels the need to inspect everything!)

He's not horribly talkative, but knows how to get his point across. He says Lolli, DaDa, MaMa, Pop-Pop and Bye-Bye a lot. (The last two sound interestingly similar) He's started saying something akin to "Cal-Chi" which, I interpreted as Malachi since he hears his name so much, but, one of his daycare teachers thought he was saying outside...so we're still not sure about that one! ALL food is num-num and we're working on please and thank you. There was a little girl the other day at the doctor's office who was saying a LOT more, but I've come to learn that little girls just talk more than little boys...I think it's instinct...haha!

He's also learning the difficulties of discipline! The other night he got his first time-out in his room after a spanking. He threw a wall-eyed FIT at me and screamed AT me when he was finished eating. So, a swat on the leg and to his bed it was. After a few minutes of screaming I went in to see if he was ready to calm down and as soon as I went in his room, the screaming went UP a few octaves so back out I came for some more cool-down time. Then, after another few minutes (like maybe 5 at the most) I went BACK in and picked him up because he had calmed down. As soon as I picked him up, it started all over again. Finally, after about 3 or 4 cycles of this he had completely quieted down and I went in expecting to see him asleep. BUT, he was looking at the ceiling and when he saw me, his hands went up and he didn't make another peep. He finally got it! It was SO hard on me and daddy, BUT, he will learn and I'd rather deal with it NOW than 20 years from now! He has learned that he can't scream when he's getting dressed in the morning and get away with it and he's learning that when we SAY NO, we MEAN NO! It's hard, but it's part of our job as his parents to teach him right from wrong!

I know this has been a book, but I want to make sure I record everything I can so that when he comes back and looks at everything when he's older, he'll be able to see as many details as we can remember!

Oh, and by the way, hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to post pictures from him eating his first cherry donut with Lolli and Pop at the Donut Stop! A new tradition has begun!

Something New I've Learned

You know, lately Thomas and I have been working very hard at forming good habits/not forming poor habits with Malachi. You know the ones I'm talking about. He needs to get in the habit of eating well. He doesn't need to get in the habit of playing during a meal and then coming back for multiple bites between playing with his train, book, Gizzy, George, respectively. He needs to get in the habit of wake up/diaper change/breakfast/get dressed...etc. He doesn't need to get in the habit of drinking with his meal because then his drink is all he'll want. He needs to get in the habit of picking his toys up before bed. (okay, really just learning that habit, and it's more like we put up, but we don't take our hand off the toy because we're not ready to ACTUALLY put it up yet) He doesn't need to get in the habit of _________________.

Last week, I learned something. Maybe it's okay to not worry so much about forming/not forming habits. As I laid him down in our bed one evening last week to cuddle and snuggle and love on him as he drifted off into dreamland my first thought was that I need to be careful not to form a habit of this so he doesn't depend on it to go to sleep. Yet, as I stroked the top of his beautiful little head and kissed his sweet nose, and in between adorable smiles and sucks on the paci, something struck me. (No, not the paci that hit my nose while we were playing...) What struck me was that sometimes I need to just chill and realize that these times when I get to cuddle and snuggle and kiss that sweet Johnson's Baby Lotion smelling forehead will be gone all too soon. No, I don't want to have a 5 year old that has to lay in mommy and daddy's bed to go to sleep. But, what I do want is a 5 year old who knows that it's OKAY if he just wants to lay with mommy and daddy before visions of sugarplums start dancing in his head!! I want him to know it's okay if he just wants to be left alone with Gizzy and his blankie and drift off to sleep alone.

In the grand scheme of things, I'm learning that taking it one day at a time and cherishing EVERY moment can't start early enough. I already miss so much having to work full-time. So, while I don't want to start forming REALLY bad habits, I'm giving up on the notion that I can start from birth training my child to NEVER have a bad habit (relatively speaking, of course). Last night as I laid with him, again, in our bed, patting his bottom in between no-no's and various renditions of Twinkle Twinkle and This Little Light of Mine, and giggling because I think I just have the cutest baby with the cutest laugh, ever, I figured it all out. The meaning of my life, that is. I'm here to raise my son (and any more that God chooses to bless us with) in the knowledge of the One True God, first. I'm here to raise him to be a happy, healthy and productive member of society and an example of Christ to the world. But last night, with the weight of the world off my shoulders, as my beautiful baby laid sleeping beside me, I gave up. I gave up the urge to put him in his bed because that's what I "should" do. I laid there with him for about 30 minutes just watching him sleep and kissing his head and praying, thanking God for him. And I realized, I may never be the "perfect" mother, but I can be the kind of mother God wants me to be. The kind of mother that is gentle with her manner but firm in her teaching. The kind of mother that speaks loving words often, correcting and chastising when needed. The kind of mother that realizes that some habits are okay, and life isn't perfect, and she's not perfect and that sometimes it's perfectly acceptable, even expected, for a mommy and son to lay down together and cuddle at night because that night will be gone all too soon.

Where in the World to Start???

I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted something about my sweet baby boy! Things have been CRAZY busy at work for me and Thomas lately, but this is just ridiculous! So, without further ado - here's what you're all on here to see anyway!!

Seeing as how it's July 29, I figured I'd throw in a little bit about our July 4th this year first! This year began like many others - breakfast at Braum's with Aunt Donna and Uncle Steve, then to the Square in Canyon to visit the shops and booths! (But, not before a quick stop at LolliPop's house for pictures!)

Pretty patriotic huh? Red White and Blue!!

After walking around the square, as is custom, we headed BACK to Lolli and Pops' house for some downtime and pooltime! And yes, folks, we have a swimmer on our hands!! Malachi LOVES the water. Unfortunately, mommy didn't have her newfangled camera at this time so we didn't get any pictures IN the water because, frankly, I was too afraid to drop our EXPENSIVE one in trying to get a good shot! So, I'll this next set of pictures will just have to do I suppose!

Who needs a swim diaper? (How'd you like THOSE camera angles???)

THEN CAME THE BIG NEWS - Sunday morning we didn't go to church and stayed home trying to get some things accomplished for the week. It was then that I posted THIS on Facebook - MALACHI IS OFFICIALLY A WALKER!!! He took 5 steps to daddy earlier and then we went to Lolli and Pops' house this evening and he was walking (however wobbly) to them too!! YEA MALACHI!!! so incredibly exciting! Since then, he's been doing a LOT better as we've been keeping him out of shoes and socks so he can feel the ground. Especially this week he's really taking off! I'm just so proud (and scared) all at the same time! Thomas and I also think he's grown a couple of inches in the last couple of months! He seems SO MUCH TALLER!

Then, Malachi got his 5th ear infection in the last 7 months and it was back to the Dr. Medicine and ear drops and things seemed to be better! So, it was off to vacation we went on July 15th. Lolli, Pops, Me, Thomas, Malachi, Logan, Logan's best friend, Tanner and our cousin, Hannah, all piled into a 15 passenger van Wednesday afternoon and headed down towards San Antonio!

Sounds a little "Beverly Hillbilly"ish...I know...BACK OFF! At least Grandmommy wasn't strapped to the top in her rockin' chair! Before you judge...YES, we took Malachi out of his carseat for parts of the trip...I don't want to hear it, we're good parents, we strapped him in ALMOST ALL OF THE TIME - this was one of the few exceptions to that rule!

We stopped in San Angelo halfway there on Wednesday evening and spent the night at the LaQuinta there. As soon as we got settled in, it was off to find somewhere for dinner and Cheddars seemed to be screaming out to all of us so Cheddars it was! And man, was that the right choice or what?!?

Malachi was absolutely FIXATED on those fans! They are pretty cool, though!

Here's just a few random Cheddars shots!

After eating it was time to head back to the hotel and daddy and Mali got in a good swim before bedtime!

Is this not THE CUTEST PICTURE EVER????

It was back on the road Thursday morning and our first stop was New Braunfels, TX. What does that mean? Schlitterbahn? What did that mean for us? (mommy, daddy and Mali?) Sitting under a hot tent with mommy and daddy going back and forth from the wave pool, to keep cool, while Malachi slept and we tried to keep him cool. Everyone else rode a few rides, mommy and daddy left Mali asleep with Lolli and Pops for a little while to ride one ride and then it was time to leave. Schlitterbahn = 1 expensive ride! Oh well...such is the life when you have a little one!

It was SO HOT!

Once we got to San Antonio, and our beautiful vacation home, it was time to chill out and Malachi had an absolute BLAST playing! We slept REALLY well our first night there and woke up to a very happy little baby playing all OVER that hardwood floor!! (This is also where he started to get MUCH more sure on his feet and started to walk more without holding onto the couch, etc.)
Friday morning it was OFF to Sea World - we were a little nervous because that morning Malachi seemed a little warm, but when we temped him, the thermometer showed 99, so we didn't think anything of it. He was playing REALLY well and seemed to be in a GREAT mood so we vowed to keep him cool and hydrated and headed off to Sea World!!! The first half of the day was spent in the water park and we got to watch all but ONE of their awesome shows! We even sat front and center watching the Shamu show and had a GREAT time getting splashed - BIG TIME! Malachi didn't really seem like himself much of the time, but in the water he seemed FINE. Then, it rained and cooled the air down and all of the sudden, his wet clothes made him COLD. Unfortunately, we were all WET and his blanket was stolen while we were watching one of the shows. SO, we had to think fast and take his clothes off. Daddy turned his shirt around since the back of his shirt was dry and we held him close until he warmed up. He was miserable during that time and mommy was a little nervous because his lips were turning blue and so were his hands and feet. He warmed back up after a little while, though, and everything was okay. BUT, with the rain and lightning, Sea World all but shut down. So, we headed home a little earlier than planned, unfortunately.

Waiting to Get In!!!

Chillin' with Dad!

Our Awesome Parents!

That night we all went to the Alamo Cafe (If you haven't been there, when you visit San Antonio, you MUST) and had a GREAT time! Don't ask about tip-stuffer, cherry wang or num-num Malachi anytime soon. I just had to put these in there so we'll try to remember what they were 10 years from now...because I am good like that working on a blog-to-book! Anywhoo...we were driven around to the front of the restaurant in a golf-cart by their security guard and had a great time on the drive! haha Yes, it's a long way from the back of the restaurant to the front door! (Especially when you're parking a 15 passenger van! GREAT JOB DADDY!) This was by far, the most fun evening we had while we were there!

Don't ask me why I look so surprised???

1-4-3

I Scream...

You Scream...

WE ALL SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM!!!

(And kisses from Lolli!)

The next morning, AFTER taking Malachi do the clinic for running a high fever and finding out that he STILL had an ear infection and possibly hand, foot and mouth (again...though it went away after one day, so I'm not entirely convinced...) was kinda low key. We went shopping at San Marcos, but Malachi slept a LOT in his stroller. It was Uncle Logie's b-day on Saturday and here's a picture of him reading his card from Mali, Mommy and Daddy! (It was absolutely hysterical...usually I go for sentimental cards, but this one fit the previous few days' conversations TOO WELL!!) I love you Uncle Logan...very much!

After some shopping, we headed to the Riverwalk for the evening. It was ridiculously hot, ridiculously crowded and we were ridiculously tired and LOST from all the construction. So, after an obligatory picture by the Alamo, wandering around like the Israelites in the wilderness (and Mama Bear almost having to get ugly at a homeless guy or two messin' with us...) and FINALLY finding the restaurants, we ate at the Hard Rock. It was loud...really loud. But it was indoors and cool and there was food so it met most of our prerequisites by that time!

This is an absolutely BEAUTIFUL glass sculpture inside one of the "mall" areas. The pieces of glass looked like candy. It was gorgeous!

Finally, after a MUCH more restful Saturday night, we packed up the van, again, to head back home. It was a...stressful, but fun vacation. Needless to say, this picture pretty much sums up how we ALL felt by the end!

As far as sweet sleepy boy up there is concerned, he is developing an absolutely adorable personality and everyday we have more and more fun with him! He has learned how to say no. Only, it's not verbal, it's just a shaking of his head and flapping of his arms. It's actually pretty funny! When he's done eating, if you try to offer him another bite, he looks down, shakes his head and his hands and then looks back up at you to see if you got the message! Lolli tries to pick him up sometimes when he's playing with her trains at daycare and he'll go all the way into the corner (against the wall between the little toddler couch and the train table) and shake his head and his hands to get away from her! Of course, he thinks this is a game now and Lolli LOVES to show it off! It really is quite funny!! We can ask him to find George, his monkey or Gizzy (a stuffed sock animal kinda thingy that he loves) or his phone or his sippy or his blanket and he'll go get it and hand it to you. He knows when you say thank you and put your hand out that he is to give you whatever it is he has. (Generally this means one of our cell phones, his pacifier, which he is weaning from, or the remote control) He also knows what no means when WE say it and most of the time we only have to say it once or twice before he gets the picture. Of course, it goes without saying that a third "no" is never spoken as being told once and reminded once is more than enough warning...I'll let you deduce what you will as to what follows two "no-nos" if the behavior continues...but if you know me well, at all, I'm sure you can figure it out pretty easily!

Health wise, we are still struggling, somewhat. He's been relatively well for the last 4-5 weeks, meaning no strep, no viruses, etc. However, the ear infections are getting out of control. So, I've already made an appointment with an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist on August 12. I KNOW we're headed in the direction of tubes and I'm TOTALLY okay with that. In fact, just last night he was up most of the night crying and pulling at his ear and we just finished a second round of antibiotics for this ear infection on Tuesday. I credit him not getting sick with anything from the antibiotics he's been on, but I don't think it'll be long before Lolli's calling from daycare saying he's sick again. Needless to say, I'm getting ready to REALLY push for immune system testing, since, as many of you know, his Uncle Logie was born completely without an immune system and had to take IV therapy for a good long while when he was a kid. I don't know, we'll see. But, I am learning that my instincts haven't been wrong, yet, so I'm not going to back down anytime soon.

Okay, this has been a book, and for that, I'm sorry. BUT, hopefully I'll get back into the swing of things on this blog and keep it updated more often! Until then, I'll leave you with this gem!

First Haircut

Malachi's First Haircut!! You see, Malachi doesn't have a lot of hair, anywhere, but his curls were getting a little out of control in the back (tear - sniff - sniff) so it was time to tame them with a trim!! Of course, anyone whose been in Canyon for any length of time knows that if you're a little boy in Canyon, Texas, you have two options when it comes to getting your hair cut. One is Tim at Buffalo Barber and the other is Joe Rodriguez - the same man that cut Thomas' hair and pretty much every guy he went to school with's hair too!!

For the most part...I'll let the pictures tell you the story here with a few interjections thrown in here and there!

Okay - all of those pictures were self-explanatory, however, this one might not be so easy to figure out! When I was a little girl I would ALWAYS take my hairdresser a bag of cheetos (yeah, not sure what it is with me and cheetos) and a Dr. Pepper. ALWAYS. So, we have started the same tradition with Joe and Malachi. Joe's favorite coke is Coke and his favorite candy bar is a Payday - Hence, Malachi's first gift of a Coke and Payday to Joe the barber. The first of many!!!

And...because I forgot to take a picture of his haircut at the same time (because frankly I was trying to comfort my baby boy who was, at the time, feeling a little betrayed by his father) - here's a picture of his new haircut the next day...the 4th of July!! (That post will be coming soon!!)