Party time - Excellent!

On the evening of Cash's birthday we had his party with our family. A lot of his favorite people were able to come and celebrate his big day. Here's  a look at it in pictures...

Cash was very, very excited about his cake. He had told me he wanted a Cranky the Crane birthday party and a Cranky cake. (This is the big crane on Thomas for you non-Thomas watchers.) I found a lady in BG who is an awesome cake-maker as you can see. She was able to make a Cranky the Crane to put on top. He loved it!

She also made a Thomas to put on the tracks at the bottom of the cake.

Can you see how Cranky is lifting a number three? Totally cool if you ask me. She was so creative with it!

Lighting the candles ... Can't believe he's already three!

 

Happy birthday to Cash!

No trouble blowing them out (with the help of daddy for support).

Proud parents of a happy three year-old!

Cash wanted B to see the cake and be in the picture, too.

I think cousin Nick thought the cake was pretty cool, too. He was waiting for his yummy piece. It was delicious, by the way!

B scarfed down his piece. Yes - he ate most of what you see here.

Family and friends all gathered to celebrate!

He could not get enough of the Cranky that was on top of the cake. He had asked for the real Cranky for his birthday, so I guess he thought that he got what he asked for.

Happy little brother!

Getting ready to open presents ... We got Cash his new chair for his birthday.

Watching Cash open presents is rather interesting. Once he opened one, he wanted it out of the box so he could play with it. It was hard keeping him focused on the task at hand.

Reading the card from Grammy and Grandad

Cousin Kennick was very curious about Harold's Helipad.

B checked out Cash's new chair.

We were trying to get Cash down off the couch so he could open more presents. He was trying to get Grandad to get Captain and his shed out of the box.

More presents! 

B also got a present from Bhavini Mashi. She couldn't come to his birthday party in March, so she brought him a surprise, too. He loved this toy! 

Cash playing with Captain's shed after all the presents were opened.

And there's Cranky! He was so, so, SO excited about him!

Kennick and B were busy trying out Cash's other presents.

Thanks, Aunt Kaffy, for getting Cranky the Crane! He was one happy birthday boy!

Here's both his Crankys - the cake one and the real one.

We played with both the Crankys after everyone left and before bedtime. What a big day!

Birthday morning

Yay! Cash's birthday fell on a Saturday this year. That meant a full day with daddy at home and BIG breakfast! (We always have a super yummy Saturday morning breakfast.) We fixed eggs, sausage, bacon, and Cash's favorite, pancakes.

Three birthday candles in his birthday pancake!

After breakfast we walked up the hill to check on our garden. We had been getting plenty of rain, and I wanted to check on things. I figured we had some squash ready. Besides, the boys love being outside, and checking on the garden meant getting to play in the dirt. 

Cash played around in the dirt while I searched for some perfect-sized squash.

Found some! B usually has to be the over-curious one and take a bite out of whatever is picked.

Cash played in the gravel ...

so of course Baylen had to as well.

As for the rest of the garden, the tomatoes are getting closer,

and so are the green peppers. Maybe they will be ready in a week or so.

June 25th

In the Doggett house, this day, June 25th, is a special one. On this day in 2008, we were blessed with one of God's greatest blessings. We became parents for the first time on this day, and over the past three years, we've had the great honor of calling Robert Cash our son.

Three years? It's crazy! Where did time go? It's gone by way too fast, but it's been fun and full of love, smiles, cuteness, craziness, tears, prayers, lessons, patience, hugs, kisses, boo-boos, and amazement of how wonderful God truly is to us.

Here's our lil' man at 12:23 pm, June 25th, 2008. Brand new, and oh, so precious.

Here he is on 12:23 pm, June 25th, 2009, such a playful kid!

12:23 pm, June 25th, 2010 - A big brother, and all grown-up! :)

And at 12:23 pm, June 25th, 2011 - yes, eating lunch, and I couldn't get him to smile at the exact time.

A bit later, he did manage to show us three fingers between bites.

So what's the difference between two and three? Well, for Cash, it's his speech and language. Looking back, Cash didn't really start saying his first words until he was 18 months old. By the time he turned two, he had a large vocabulary, but it wasn't very clear. I can remember visiting a friend last August after Cash had just turned two. Cash was asking me a question, and I answered him. She asked me how I understood what he was saying. First of all, mamas know their baby's language, but really, I had just gotten used to it. She opened my eyes though to the fact that he wasn't speaking very clear. At three this has really changed. Sure, there are times when I still have to interpret for some people what Cash is telling them, but for the most part, he's a talking maniac, full of words, complete sentences, lots of inflection, and for the most part, his grammar is pretty accurate. I'll insert here that it's because he's around me more than he is Heath. Ha.


What else does three look like for Cash? He's definitely taller and slimmer, but a hefty, solid guy. Don't ask me his weight or height because I don't know. He hasn't been to his three year well-check, and I doubt I'll take him. Just know he's taller and heavier than he was at two. (Obviously.)


There are times during the day when he's the best big brother ever, bringing books and toys to B when he's upset, finding his woobie (blanket) when he's tired, bringing his shoes to him when it's time to go outside, sharing his trains when they are in the playroom, but then there are times when he's the most aggravatin' three year-old on the planet. He knows exactly how to push B's buttons, and at times, he's a little too good at it.


He loves his daddy. A few weeks ago I signed Cash and Heath up for the workshop at Lowe's to build a tow truck. He had a blast Spending time with Heath is special because of Heath's schedule at work, and when he is at home, it's shared between the two boys (and me!). He also loves riding on work equipment with Heath here at the house. We've had bulldozers, BobCats and a backhoe here in the past month, each of which Cash has had his turn on. If you ask Cash, he'll tell you he's "Daddy's boy." Definitely.


But when it's time to settle down and go to bed, he's definitely a mama's boy. He loves to sit and snuggle, and I do, too. He's growing up so fast, so I'm soaking it all in while I can.


He's 100% boy and completely loved by us all. Happy birthday, lil' man! 

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

It's no secret that I love going to see the Hot Rods play. I love watching any baseball game actually. Some say it's too slow-paced and boring, but as for me, I'll take a baseball game over any other sport any day.

Thankfully I've got a family who shares in my love of the sport. My dad has always agreed it's America's favorite past time, my mom has grown to love it, Heath is a true Braves fan and played in high school, and my boys have shown a true interest for it as well (Cash way more than Baylen, but both love playing ball and attending Hot Rods games.)

June 24th was a warm night, but we packed our bags (it takes a bit of planning to keep little ones entertained), and we headed to Bowling Green Ball Park. It's the same routine every time we go. First we eat, then we watch a few innings, ice cream comes next, and of course, the boys run around a bit. It's impossible to keep the boys in their seats for the entire game. Our goal is to make it to the third inning in our seats (it doesn't seem long, but it's a true challenge), and then we split up. Dad stays and watches the games, Heath and/or I take Cash to walk around and sometimes play in the inflatables, and either myself or my mom walks with Baylen until he falls asleep. 

So you may ask where baseball actually fits into the picture. Well, I may not get to see every pitch, but I do get a chance to catch the game in between feeding hot dogs to little ones, making trips to the bathroom, running up and down the grassy hill, or carrying a sweaty sleeping baby around the park. It never fails to be an eventful night, but they are always fun, and the best part is that they are spent with some of my favorite people.

Mom brought some fun light toys to this game. The boys loved them, especially B.

Cheese!

Dad and Baylen taking time to smile for the camera.

Baylen - our smallest baseball fan

Window Washers

On June 22nd, mom and Granny came to BG. I had intended on waiting to clean windows until the yard was seeded and the straw was blown on it (because I knew it would get them dirty again). But mom and Granny thought it would be a good idea to give them a "lick and a promise."

They had a little extra help, too.

Three generations of window washers

Father's Day

June 19th was Father's Day, and we were able to spend it at our new house that Heath built. What an awesome father he is! He has sacrificed so much time and energy to build this house for his family. We both hope it is a house that will both glorify God and serve our family for many years.

Father's Day morning before church - the boys got him an iTunes gift card and picture frames for his new desk at work (with pictures of his favorite people, of course!)

After church and before we left for Roseville, we tried to take a walk in the backyard.

I say tried because it was muddier than we thought.

My boys - excuse the blurry pictures. These were some of the last pictures I took before it completely died on me.

This is the path behind our house that goes over to our neighbor's house. It was muddy, too, so we decided to turn around and head back to the house.

Is he not getting so big?

Big brother wanted to "hep Bay-yen." 

Sweet brothers

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. - Ephesians 6:4

Our first night

Thursday, June 16th was our first night staying at our new house. I had spent most of the beginning of the week at the house putting things away, organizing and "setting up" house. We wanted to wait and actually start staying there when things were more in order.


That Thursday afternoon, mom and dad helped me pack up the car with a few more things (ha - it was completely full) that we needed ... Cash's bed, clothes, etc. and we headed to BG. The boys were excited, but they were always excited about going to the new house, and not so much for the house, but because it meant mud boots and playing in the dirt/mud.


Cash's big boy bed had been picked up and put together earlier that day, so we made it with his new bedding, and everyone was set. I had already put Baylen's crib together and made it and our bed earlier in the week.


The first night was rocky, but a success. Cash woke up two times and Baylen woke up once (Cash always sleeps through the night, and at the point, Baylen did most of the time, too). I made the trek upstairs thanks to night lights that I had already placed (smart girl, I am) in the hallways and rooms, comforted little boys, assured them that I wasn't too far away, and made my way back downstairs.

Our TV was still in a box, so our morning cartoon watching was done on our portable DVD player.

First morning in the new house! Yay!

They didn't mind their small screen...

they were just happy to be together in their new house!