Atlanta Machinery Show

The first weekend in June, Matt's family business attended a machinery show in Atlanta. They only have the show every 2 yrs, so the last time we went I was pregnant with him. He was pretty fascinated with the glass elevator in our hotel =)

Since the expo mostly deals with the saw mill industry, there were lots of "trucks" to see during the show that Greyson was enthralled with. 

He was quite a hit with all the business men there so they would give him free stuff like hats, sunglasses

 & tape measures to take home with him =)

We had to spend some time - selling the business- so to speak, but it also is a great little get-a-way weekend for our family. We always eat at some really nice restaurants, visit Olympic Park & just do whatever we can fit in. One of our favorite places to go is Ruth's Chris Steakhouse that is in the lobby of our hotel.

Greyson still had to take his monkey with him to the restaurant. =) 

This year we were hoping to take Greyson to the splash pad in the park, but it is too big & powerful for him at that age. We ended up utilizing the pool at our hotel though, & he had a blast.

He was sooo tired after swimming that he just fell right to sleep.

We also enjoy going to Atlanta for the show & had a lot of fun.

Greyson sure loved it! 

Exciting Announcments!

This month starts off with lots of happy news! Baby news to be exact!!

That's right...we are happy to announce that we are expecting another baby Crawford & that Greyson will be a BIG BROTHER!

It was quite the surprise of the year since we had talked about adding another member to our family NEXT year. I guess you can never really PLAN these kinds of things.

If that wasn't a surprise enough...I'm having baby #2 in December...ON Greyson's 2nd birthday to be exact!! I think I will be even more surprised if that really happens...a few days a part wouldn't be that bad =) I always wanted my kids close together & 2 yrs is pretty great timing =)

 Over Mother's Day weekend, we were privileged to have our friend Erica take some family photos for us. She's amazing & worked her magic even though the weather was gloomy, rainy & not the best lighting...but she pulled it off! (Check out ericajphotography here)

I was right around 10 weeks pregnant so we got some tiny belly shots. 

 I love the way Greyson has changed me into the person I am today. I can't wait to see how this little one will impact our family once again. We are so excited...Matt was beyond thrilled when we found out together. He has wanted another baby since Greyson was 3 months old!! He is an awesome dad...he stepped up from the moment Greyson was born & took on the role like he'd been doing it all along. I love the family God has given us. I love being a mother.

I love sharing God's blessings with others.

In other family news, I became an aunt, Matt became an uncle & Greyson got his very first, first cousin! My brother & his wife had a little baby girl on June 5th.

Meet 

Karleigh Brynn Ritchey! 

7lbs 10oz born at 12:56am

She is beautiful! I can see both mommy & daddy in her & it is so fun to see which color of hair they will end up having. With red heads marrying dark haired spouses, you just never know! I think Karleigh may be taking after her daddy in that area as a strawberry blonde. She's just precious!

They live in Idaho & since we are in Alabama, we won't get to meet her until mid-July. Our family is so spread out with us in the south, my parents in PA & other brother & sister in law in OH & this new little family all the way out west. It is hard being so far a part but I'm thankful for technology & the fact that we can keep up with each other when these special events take place.

My brother Matt, his wife Mindy & little Karleigh all ready to go home. 

Our family is growing. This time in our life is so special...you never know the surprises God will give you. My parents waited over 5 yrs after we got married to have grandchildren & now they get 3 with in 2 years =) I guess you can say we are making up for lost time!

Lazy days in May

This month has been full of birthdays, summer kick off parties, vacations, Holidays & more. We have gone non-stop all month. Greyson is eating it up & want's to "Go Go Go" every day when he wakes up. He loves being outside (which I am thankful for) & we have a great time. 

His first time on a bouncy slide with daddy at his little buddy's birthday party =)

 They are getting so big!!

Play date party

Our little friend, Katie's Lady Bug birthday party! He loved the balloons =)

We spent Memorial Day with our friends at the lake. Matt was out of town for a whole week working so he missed spending it with us. We still had so much fun! Greyson got to swim with his little buddy Jace & then we went all over the lake on their boat!

Wearing red, white & blue!

 We also spent a lot of time out at the farm...Greyson loves riding with Poppy in the pasture =)

 This month is finally over! We are excited about starting our summer activities with family & friends!

Florida for Mother's Day!

My first official Mother's Day in 2012 was full of family, friends & gifts galore! It was incredible but there was so much going on; it was a little overwhelming. I had 5 month old & cooked Sunday dinner for Matt's entire family; I decorated our church, did the bulletin & helped shop for & put together all the mothers day gifts for our church mothers as well. It was a VERY busy day!! 

This year was absolutely WONDERFUL! I was planning to cook & have everyone over again...plus all my church duties, but it worked out for us to take a break & be in Florida this year. We were able to meet up with my inlaws & take Gmama with us too. Greyson did great in the car & only fussed 30 minutes before lunch out of a 11 hr trip. On the way home he only fussed 15 minutes before lunch. I guess he lets us know when's he's ready for food =) 

The beach was amazing this time of year & Greyson absolutely loved it...obsessed would probably be a more accurate word. We toured Peanut Island one day after breakfast & Greyson got to ride in his first boat! We went to Jetty's & got our traditional photo in front of the light house =) Sunday Lunch was held at the Carroll's beautiful house with the whole extended Finney clan. I gotta say their tradition of having the men cook & clean up is worth it. They do it all...with the exception of the unmarried girls (poor Jacinda) but her food & dessert was good too & I'm glad I got to enjoy it =) I was so impressed I told Matt he better start learning how to cook because we might adopt this tradition! They were SO nice, not only to feed us, but give us Mother's gifts as well! So unexpected & sweet. We have very thoughtful friends. Before we left, we checked on my Mama's house. Memories flooded back as I walked through the door. I got a classic picture of Greyson on the blue steps =) 

On our way home we stopped at Cracker Barrel. Gmama bought Greyson a red truck that he attached himself to the moment he saw it. It is his favorite toy since then & he had so much fun playing with it.

Peanut Island

Beach fun

Jetty's!

Last day at the beach...the water was so clear

Mother's Day after Church

Playing with his truck at Cracker Barrel

God is SO good & allowed us to have a fantastic weekend away!! 

Fun at the Zoo!

I haven't felt like blogging lately. There is just too much going on these days...but now I'm going to have to play catch up with all that we have been doing this month!

Greyson's first trip to the zoo was the beginning of May. We had SO much fun! We got there at 10:30am & left at 3:30 pm. I was afraid Greyson would fall asleep & miss out on seeing some of the animals but he stayed awake for the entire thing! It was just too exciting for sleep. As we were leaving he finally dozed off...it was a good day! 

 We accidentally went through the dinosaur exhibit...they had other animals mixed in so it was kind of funny to see Greyson's reaction. Poor thing doesn't know what's real or not yet...he wouldn't stand by himself to get a picture in front of the T-Rex....at least he's smart!

We are already planning our next zoo trip with daddy! 

What baby soap should you be using?

I thought I would share a tip with any moms or mom's to be who MIGHT be dealing with this same problem at some point.

For the most part, Johnson & Johnson baby soap products have been one of the top baby shower gifts & leading brands out there. I got tons & of course, being that they used it in my hospital I never had any reason for concern. Awhile later, I started reading articles like this one about J&J baby soaps & brands being "exposed" so to speak for harmful chemicals being put in the soap. 

There always seems to be "something" wrong with everything these days! I mean I can barely keep up with all the food we're not supposed to eat to all the other products dubbed "bad for you" so I didn't really pay it any attention. I know...cue the gasps,  but you can only take SO much information of what you should or shouldn't do!

I'm sure a lot of moms feel the same way...

Eventually, I came across a blog that talked about about her experience with soap & it was very similar to what I was going through so I decided to pay attention!

Of course, from the moment Greyson came into the world, he was bathed with J&J baby soap. It was all I used for the first 14 months of his life! A few weeks after he was born he got baby acne which is a pretty normal thing that happens...however his face was so scaly & dry I knew it was more than just acne. At his 2 month checkup my pediatrician said he had a mild case of eczema. It wasn't horrible but just enough to be irritating. We ended up getting a cream she recommended & it helped...for the most part.

 Fast forward 12 months & he was still suffering from eczema. I have seen really bad cases & Greyson's was never what I considered bad at all...just annoying...he would have dry patches pop up here & there, sometime red & sometimes just bumpy & flaky which he would scratch & cause even more irritation. He would get it all over his body & other times just a spot on his leg or arm.

At around 6 months, I finally decided to get Johnson's brand of aveeno eczema baby wash & also the eczema lotion. These together seemed to help & I still use the lotion to this day but it never cleared it up completely. The blog I was reading also mentioned that even some hospitals have switched from using the J&J baby soap products because of harmful chemicals they didn't agree with & recommended switching to different brands of baby soap. 

 Since the beginning of the year I have gradually started swapping a lot of our food & products over to organic brands. I came across this organic baby wash in Publix one day & decided to try it.

I started using this when Greyson was 14 months old...3 months later this is all the wash I've used & it's not a huge bottle! It's only 16 oz of soap so I think it will last us awhile! They always recommended bathing Greyson every couple days or as needed to help prevent breakouts & irritation...so only after a week of using this organic brand, I started noticing some results. After a few more weeks he had no signs of his regular eczema at all! Every now & then a skin toned dry patch with pop up but it isn't like his eczema & he doesn't scratch at it at all.

To this day I still love my J&J pink lotion because it just smells so good & I like to use it in his hair. I know I should be skeptical because it is from the same brand, but I have not had any major breakouts with continued use like I did with the head to toe soap. I also still use the eczema aveeno lotion just when I feel his skin is a little dry. 

So, to say the least I am very happy with this organic baby wash & the conclusion is kind of up to you. Who's to say it really was the J&J baby soap I was using, but it seems pretty clear that switching made a huge difference & we are basically eczema clear. I'm not sure if my hospital is still using J&J soap but if there are hospitals out there making the switch it might be a good idea to do your own research & see what you think.

I have seen a few other moms switch from J&J head to toe soap & have had the same results. However, using J&J may be just fine on your child & some parents have never had any problems...but just in case you end up dealing with something like eczema...it may be time to check your soap, any soap & switch or just start out using something more natural to begin with! 

Nana & Papa come to Alabama!

We LOVE having Nana & Papa visit! 

Checking out his Easter basket

Nana showing Greyson the wind up toys she brought =) 

One of his favorite snacks from his basket

Fun at the park!

Playing out side with Nana

Bath time!

Papa showing Greyson how to use a turkey call...haha

We made lots of new memories, had lots of fun & just enjoyed each others company! Until next time...we already miss our Nana & Papa & Greyson asks about them on a regular basis. We are looking forward to seeing them again in July!