Mister Manners

We have been working on saying "please" in the Scarlet house. Connor is quite a pro now! :)

Isn't he the cutest? I sure think so ;) This summer has been a whirlwind....I can't believe it's almost over! I am not one to wish the time away, but this summer has been so hot and miserable, that I am ready for fall. Those of you who followed my blog last year may remember THIS POST about how much I love Fall! It's my favorite season :) I am ready for cooler temperatures.....BRING IT ON! :)

Connor is just growing up so very fast.....next week he will be 17months old. I often catch myself looking in my rear view mirror at the 26lb toddler sitting in his car seat. I remember a time when he was rear-facing with his neck all scrunched up in his little carrier. Time is literally flying. I must admit, though, that this is, so far, my favorite age. He is walking, talking, and making us laugh on a daily basis. He understands the things I say, and he can feed himself. He can tell me when he is hungry or thirsty. He is fairly cautious and knows the difference between some right and wrong. We are loving and cherishing every single day because we know it won't be like this forever :)

Connor's First Lake Trip....Sorta'.....

Last Sunday afternoon, we decided to call the Hossley's, pack up our boys, and head to Sebastian Lake! We haven't taken Connor to the lake yet, so this was his first trip. Sebastian is a really small lake about 15 minutes from the house, so we thought this would be a perfect opportunity to see how Connor would do on the boat. And his buddies, Baylor and Benton, got to go too, so we loaded up for an afternoon outing full of fun in the sun........or so we thought......

It had been a gorgeous, sunny day all day long! No one thought to check the weather before we went because we hadn't had any rain in a while.....and the sun was out! No need to check right? We had been on the water for no more than 8 minutes when the first bolt of lightening struck off in the distance....followed immediately by a loud clap of thunder. Guess what kiddos? A nasty storm was headed our way! So, we got the kids off the boat, loaded back up, and headed back to The Ranch. We just had a little driveway boat party, followed by chili dogs, spicy cheese grits, and chocolate chip cookies. Hey, there's always a silver lining to every dark cloud :) It's wonderful to have great neighbors and friends to share those moments with. We love you, Hossley's! :)

This guy LOVES to drive the boat!

Me and my big boy prior to launching the boat


Baylor, AKA B1

And sweet Benton, AKA B2

My sweet curly headed little boy checking things out....and we were in launch mode when these pictures were taken, I assure you life jackets were put on as SOON as we headed out!

Daddy and his big boy

After 2 hours of getting ready, 15 minutes of driving, 15 minutes to launch the boat and get everyone on board, 8 minutes on the water, 20 minutes to reload the boat onto the trailer, and a 15 minute ride home, this is how the Scarlet's and the Hossley's did it up right! :) Friends like these are priceless :)

Happy Birthday Adrienne!

A couple weeks ago we celebrated my sweet friend, Adrienne's, 7th annual 25th Birthday with a wonderful surprise party! We had dinner at Doe's and finished the night off at the bowling alley! Her husband, Drew, and I were in cahoots and pulled this party off without a hitch! Adrienne had invited us to dinner that night, so I "declined", saying we were going to Tulsa to see one of Justin's friends. :) The following day, Adrienne's Dyson vacuum cleaner broke and the closest place to have warranty work done in Tulsa....so......she sent me a text: "Hey, can you do me a HUGE favor. Our Dyson vacuum broke and Tulsa is the closest place to get it serviced. Can you take it with you when you go this weekend?" LOL!!!! Always something when you're trying to plan a surprise party! It was fun playing it off though :) Since Justin works in Tulsa 2-3 days a week, we were able to get the vacuum there no problem. The night before the party, we had dinner with Adrienne and her family and continued to play the game....she asked us lots of questions about where we were going, who we were going to see, where we were staying, etc....lol! Needless to say, we nailed it. She was so surprised when she walked into Doe's and heard 7 of her closest friends yell "SURPRISE!!!!!" At that point she turned to Drew and says (loudly, while other people are eating LOL) "YOU PUNK ASS!!" She was so overwhelmed that it brought tears to her eyes, which in turn brought them to mine. What a great night :) Happy Birthday, Adrienne!! We absolutely love you! :)

This didn't turn out the best, but this was as soon as Adrienne walked in!

Beautiful Birthday Girl!

SOCCER MOMMA! :) Adrienne is in an indoor women's soccer league! She's a badass :)

No Patty Cake....

We do this alllll the time....sing "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and then start "Patty Cake".....everytime it's the same reaction. Guess he's totally over "Patty Cake" lol :) Yes, and please excuse my "beautiful" singing ;)

Teach 'em Young

With football season right around the corner, I thought it was appropriate to start teaching Connor to call the Hogs! We started practicing on Saturday of last week, and this was Monday morning. Get ready to CALL THOSE HOGS!!!

First Haircut!

Connor got his first haircut today! Don't worry, we made sure to keep those cute little blonde curls in tact :) We took him to see Suzanne, who has been doing my hair for 13 years (I think...maybe 11....who knows, but it's been a VERY long time). I trust her and no one else, so who better to call! She had a cancellation today, so we got him in at 4:30. We went prepared with a sucker, the calculator (he LOVES to play with the calculator lol), and a few other random toys to hold his attention while she snipped away at those curly little locks.....BUT, Connor was SO good, that we didn't have to resort to other measures :) Justin held him, and for the most part, he sat very still. The lady in the chair next to him had her little 2lb yorkie in her lap, so that was GREAT distraction! I saved a little in an envelope. It was a good day :)

Here he is waiting to get his hair cut! He was walking back and forth between Justin and I

Daddy spun him around in the chair a couple of times to show him it was a "fun" place! He loved it :)

Always pointing to the "liiiiight" lol!

Daddy held him and he was REALLY good!

Here we go! The cape didn't stay on very long!

I forgot to get an "after" pic, but here he is all tuckered out! And see, he still has those sweet blonde curls :)

Justin has.....

Gone back to his old job at Reddy Ice!!! We are both thrilled about this opportunity, and are amazed everyday at how God always has the perfect timing.

I am so excited that Justin had the chance to experience another line of work over the last few months, but am even more excited to have him home more often. Justin really loved working at AAU, but the hours were long, he's not used to working behind a counter (yes, it was supposed to be outside sales but didn't quite work out like that on a daily basis), and he's not used to not being the boss :) Annnnnnd the company car with Reddy Ice was something he missed (me too!!).

Over the Memorial Holiday weekend, Reddy Ice started calling Justin at 7:00am Saturday morning, practically begging him to come back. The man who had taken over his job parked his truck Friday and left the company high and dry without a manger. Long story short, Justin wrote his own ticket back to Reddy Ice, got everything he wanted, and is slowly adjusting back to life as the boss. Although there are always stresses with a new (old) job, he is handling those better than I ever could, and I am so proud to be his wife :)

I am also thankful to have him home a little longer in the mornings and a little earlier in the evenings. After having him around the last couple weeks to help with Connor in the mornings, I don't know HOW I was doing it on my own! I guess you just do what you have to do when you do it, and when you don't have to do it, you realize how dang hard it was! WHEW!

Congratulations, honey :) You make me so proud, and I continue to fall more in love with you each and every passing day. (yeah, I know that was sappy....lol...so what?) ;)