News!

Okay so it has been a really long time since our last post. The boys have grown so much since we last posted. Garrison is walking all over the place and is in to everything. Elias is going to soccer practices with Matthew and loves it. I guess the news that you may not know is that we are expecting baby number 3 due November 28. We are super excited and can't wait to find out what this little one is. Elias is convinced it is a baby sister, but we try to remind him that we don't know that yet. Hopefully I will get some pictures on here soon. I apologize for being super slack.

Update

Elias on the balance beam at the Tumble Gym.

Garrison helping Mommy cook.

Sweet brothers. I promise Elias was not trying to poke his brother in the eye he was just rubbing his face.

Garrison chillin in the tent at the beach.

Elias' second birthday!

So, it has been quite a while since we last posted. Our boys have grown and changed so much.

Elias turned two in June and is now potty trained. Praise the Lord we only have one in diapers! He learns something new every day. He can count to ten most of the time, uses words in sentences, is a great big brother, can melt your heart when he smiles and says "Lub you" (love you), is really good at finding hidden pictures in the find it books, loves to fight and is very dramatic when he gets knocked down (look out Hollywood this boy has got some skills), likes to paint and write, wow let me stop because I could go on all day. I hope that shows you a little about what he is up to.

Garrison is now four months and is so much fun! He smiles, laughs, rolls over (from his belly to his back), puts everything in his mouth, loves his big brother, and likes to watch our fish. We took him for his check up last week and here are his stats: weight= 14lbs 13oz (50%) length= 25in (50%) head= 43.5cm (75%) still right in tack with where Elias was at this age.

We love our boys and thank the Lord everyday for what a blessing they are in our lives. We did get to take a family vacation to Emerald Isle and had an amazing time. The boys were great and of course the beach was fun. Elias liked the ocean until he got taken down by a wave. He enjoyed the pool as well and was even brave enough to jump in to us a few times. Garrison just liked being in a different place and having new things to look at. I hope this updates where we are now and what we are up to. Enjoy the new pictures!

First Smile

I know it has been a while since our last post, but I wanted to let you see Garrison's first smile. It was a few weeks ago when we took this. I am pleased to say that this wide open mouth smile was given to me (Tara/Mommy). He is such a precious little boy. He gives smiles all day. He loves to smile at his daddy and big brother as well. He even smiles at times when he is not the happiest. We can't wait to hear his little laugh, I am sure it will not be to much longer as there is always something or someone to laugh at in this house.

Brothers

Here are a few pictures of our two little guys! It is fun to watch Elias do big brother things with Garrison. He really tries to be sweet to him even if he accidentally pokes him in the eye. Just the other day we were playing in Elias room and Garrison was crying. Elias went and got his "gigi" (blankie) and gave it to Garrison. My heart melted. He is a great big brother!

Garrison James Thomas

He is here! Garrison James Thomas was born on April 3, 2010 at 12:40am. He was 7lbs 13oz (exact weight of Elias at birth) and 20 1/2 inches. Friday was quite a busy day with two trips to the hospital. Our first attempt we were sent back home. After being home for only a few hours we were back on our way to Rex. We got there around 9:00pm and as you can see he was born at 12:40am. Praise the Lord for our precious son Garrison!

Big Boy Bed!

Several weeks ago we got Elias' new big boy bed! Thank you Marian for being so generous. My mom and Dad drove with Elias to pick it up and bring it to its new home. Thanks guys! He was very excited about it when his Pop Pop was putting it together. He actually helped put screws in the holes and tried to use the wrench. Anytime his Pop Pop has his tools out his little shadow is right by his side. It is priceless. We got it all put together and then put on his cute bedding. Thank you Nana and Grandaddy! I don't know if you can tell by the pictures, but it has monkeys on it. Monkeys are one of his favorite animals. The next day we put him down for his nap in his big boy bed and he did great! After two or three days of naps he was sleeping all night in his bed. Such an easy transition! We are thankful that he is ready in some ways to be a big boy since his little brother will be here in a little over a week. Hope you enjoy the cute bed pics.

Big Brother

Today while I was giving Kathleen's little Charlie his bottle Elias went into the kitchen to find one for his "dog dog". He has been showing lots of nurturing to his stuffed animals and his glow worm. It is too cute!

Snowed in Fun!

Fun times in the snow!

A sippy cup of hot chocolate and marshmallows in front of the fire. He did not like the hot chocolate, but marshmallows are always a favorite.

Helping mommy make brownies.

The boys watching a movie together! Is this not the best ever!

So a little out of order, but here he is picking up some snow and throwing it at his daddy!

A few weeks ago we got several inches of snow and were stuck inside for a while. We really enjoyed our time together as a family! We baked, played games, and just enjoyed being together. We did go outside in the snow some. Elias liked it when the snow started falling on Friday night, however, Saturday our trip outside was cut short due to the sleet coming down. He did not care for that. The next two days he had fun throwing snow balls, crunching snow under his feet, and just playing around. Hope you enjoy the pictures of all of the fun we had!

Christmas Fun!

Opening Presents!

In awe over his stocking!

Family shot. Sorry we look a little sleepy. Someone wakes up early.

Making a Birthday cake for Jesus!

Elias had an amazing Christmas this year! He got to celebrate twice. Matthew's parents came the week before Christmas and we had Christmas with my family on the actual day. It was so fun to watch him open his very first present from Matthew's sister. We had been telling him for so long that he could not touch the presents that he was a little confused when we told him it was okay. He did what we call his "happy feet" dance. Too cute! He really racked up on presents and has just now started to settle in to having so many new things. Some of his older toys are now in hiding only to return when these new toys don't seem so new anymore. Our favorite part of Christmas would have to be making a birthday cake for Jesus. In effort to make the holiday what it is truly about we had Elias help to make Jesus a birthday cake. While we were making it I was telling him it was a cake for Jesus and on his own he started to sing Jesus Loves Me.

It can't get any sweeter than that!

Not only did Elias have a great Christmas, but Matthew and I did as well. On top of all of the wonderful gifts from friends and family our parents went in together and surprised us with a brand new 40" flat screen HD tv. Wow! We hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas and that you were reminded as well of the great love our Father has for us in sending his son!

Cold and Cute!

So I just had to put this picture up. Elias really wanted to go outside even though it was freezing. Enjoy his cuteness!

Boy #2

We found out before Thanksgiving that we are going to be having another little boy. His name is going to be Garrison James Thomas. We are excited about God's blessing on our family.

Farm Fun!

Fun times on the hay ride!

Lama

Playing in the corn!

Hay maze

Pumpkins!

Feeding the ducks with daddy!

Last Tuesday we took Elias to Hillridge Farm. He had a great time and seemed to enjoy it all. His favorite parts were feeding the animals, walking through the hay tunnel, and picking up pumpkins. Don't tell the farmers that after he picked them up he threw them. He thought they were balls. Thankfully no pumpkins were harmed in the process. Here are a few pictures from our family fun day.

New Addition!

We are excited to announce that baby Thomas #2 will be making its appearance around April 4. Here is our first picture of this little one. We can't wait to see if it will be another little boy or a sweet little girl. We should find out in November. Praise the Lord for the blessing of children!

One Year Old!

The back of Elias' new baseball glove chair. Thanks Aunt Mary & Uncle Thomas!

Elias loves his new dump truck! Thanks Nana and Grandaddy!

Elias new big boy backpack. Thanks Grammy and PopPop!

Opening presents.

Puppy Birthday cake made by me (Tara) and my mom.

Elias is one! WOW! Time has flown by. Our precious little bitty boy is now a big (well not so big) one year old. This has been a great year! Elias has grown and learned so much. Here are his recent stats:

Weight: 20lbs 12oz (25%)

Height: 30inches (55%)

Head: 44.9 (11%)

He had a wonderful birthday! We celebrated with family and friends at Grammy and PopPop's house. We did a puppy theme. Elias loves dogs. He was a little cranky that day, but still had fun and enjoyed himself. The boy is like his mom, he loves cake. Here are a few pictures from all of the fun.

Elias is still not walking yet, but we know when he does it wont be long before he is off and running. He has one lonely little tooth and a new one on the way. We don't have any pictures of that because it is still too small to see in pictures. He is learning new things every day. Just last week he started to play a little game where he popped up from behind the coffee table and would laugh at us. It was too cute! Hope you enjoy these recent pictures.

Update

Thanks for a great trip Grammy and Papa!

Future President!

Sleepy boy at the Smithsonian: Natural History

We had his swing out for Caroline to play in. When she left he wanted to try it out. See how much he has grown.

Elias and his friend Micah playing with pots and pans. How fun!

WOW! It has been a while since we last posted. Elias has grown so much. It is hard to believe that he will turn 1 in tweleve days. He changes so much every day and is learning so much. He is a pro at crawling, pulling up, walking around the furniture, and walking behind push toys. He is not walking yet, but hey who wants to rush that. He may not be walking, but man can he climb. He will try to climb on anything that stands still. He has learned to use several signs to express himself. My favorite is when he uses the sign for "please" when he wants me to pick him up. It melts my heart. He still does not have any teeth. We know they will come soon, however, that hasn't stoped him from eating big boy food. He loves grilled cheese, any kind of bread, chicken, noodles... He has had his share of ear infections and our recent trip to the ENT went well. No tubes for now unless he gets another infection in the next six weeks. He has also had the Roseolla virus. Man was that fun. A fever for 3 days followed by a fussy baby with a crazy rash to wrap up the week. He loves to be outside and enjoys the park. We took a trip with my parents to DC for a few days and had a blast. We will go with Matthew's family to the beach in July. We have the greatest parents! Enjoy a few pictures of the past few months.

Brody's new home.

Brody and his new friends Anna Bear and Rose.

Steve loves the dogs.

Brody's new house!

As soon as Elias started rolling on the floor it was evident that Brody's love was all over the house. He loves to be close to me, so his hair is everywhere. Matthew and I discussed what we thought about the Bro man. We both agreed that he is a great dog, but that there was no way to keep his hair under control in this small space. Before we were married Kathleen and I had a friend who kept Brody for us when we would go on trips. Nancy and her husband Steve live in Raleigh, with their two dogs. Their home is such a welcoming place for dogs. I told Matthew about them and we decided to talk with Nancy about it. Before I could even get it out of my mouth Nancy said that she would love for Brody to come to "Doggy Camp" for a while. We have not set a time frame, but I am not worried because I know that Brody is getting the best care ever. He has a nice big backyard, friends, and a doggy door so he can come and go as he pleases. Here are a few pictures of Brody at his new home. Nancy called me two weeks ago and said that he is doing great and is having a blast.

9 Months Old!

We can not believe that Elias is nine months old! Time has really flown by. We took him for his check up today and they told us that he is the picture of perfect health. Here are his recent stats:
Weight 19 lbs. 0.2 oz. (25%)
Height 28 in. (45%)
Head 43.6 cm. (8%)
So our little man may not be the perfect 50%, but what child is. He is perfect the way that God made him, not to mention he is the cuttest little thing ever. He is now such a funny little guy. He has such a cute little personality. He loves to laugh (especially at his daddy), copy us, and make funny faces to make us smile. He is now crawling, pulling up, and cruising around the coffee table. He is so much fun! This little boy is such a blessing we can not wait to see what the Lord has in store for him.

Wild Man!

Elias is offically a crawler! He is too cute, however, he is all over the place. We love to watch him go, until he goes to get things he is not to. We will update more after his next doctors apt. later this month. We just wanted to get this up so everyone would see our little wild man on the go!

The Bye Bye Boy

This is too cute! Elias has learned to wave bye bye. Matthew has been waving to him when he leaves for work each day. He has been practicing for a few days while he eats it has been cute to watch. Yesterday morning we were sitting on the bed and I waved at him and he waved back. Our little man is so smart! I could just eat him up. Watch this and see how cute you think it is.

7 months old!

Elias is now 7 mth old! It is hard to believe that much time has gown by. What a blessing from God he continues to be every day. We know it has been a while since our last post, but we will try to update more frequently. He isn't crawling yet, but he is now pushing up on his knees and rocking back and forth so it probably won't be long now (he usually goes backward). His personality is starting to show really well as well. Sorry we missed his 6 month post, but our computer has problemsl. At his 6 month check up he was 15.6 lbs and 26 inch. That puts him in the 10%, so he is just a little guy, but a sure cute one. Here are some pics from the past few weeks.