The Marley Family

Business in the front, Party in the back....

2010-01-05T19:01:00.000-08:00

Okay, so Leyton got his first haircut in December! I teared up watching it get cut, but it was seriously time. Leyton had been sporting a mullet for some time. I never could bring myself to cut it because I kept holding out thinking that his hair might start to curl in the back. Nope.... he has very straight hair. It got to the point that when anyone saw him, they would say, "Oh, business in the front, party in the back!" So, off to see Mrs. Judy we went. It only took like 3 or 4 snips, but he did so good and sat so still! And yes, I kept his hair from his first haircut!

Before....

He was playing with this toy in the waiting

area, and fell asleep!!! Everyone started laughing

so hard he woke up! It was so cute!!

Sitting on Mrs. Judy's counter

He played with hair clips the whole time...

After....

Leyton's First Birthday!!!!

2010-01-05T18:44:00.000-08:00

I really cannot believe that my little boy turned 1 year old on December 8th!!! It seems like we were just in the hospital having him, but then again, I really cannot remember what life was like before we had him. We celebrated Leyton turning 1 with a family supper. All of our families came, along with Leyton's Godparents (DD, Lewis, Hunt & Gaines, and Brennan and Mary Grace). Mary Grace was sweet enough to take a ton of pictures of Leyton at his party, but I have not downloaded them to our computer yet, so I just have a few that I snapped along the way. Leyton had a great time, and he got so so so much stuff!!!

Our family

Digging into his gifts

Enjoying his own cake and ice cream!!

Eating with DD. I tried to keep his party hat

on him, but he would not leave

it on for long.

Leyton's mini cake just for him!

The big cake for everyone else

Leyton and his cousin, Grafton, playing at the party

First Thanksgiving

2010-01-05T18:29:00.001-08:00

Leyton had his first Thanksgiving this year! It sure was a great Thanksgiving. With the scare we had with Jason, and then getting the good news that he had an infection and not a brain tumor (we got the good news the night before Thanksgiving), made for a very thankful day!!! We had Thanksgiving lunch at my cousin Chris's house this year. We had so much good food! And Leyton had a great time!! He loved turkey and mashed potatoes. He also loved playing on Chris's pool table. He would chase the balls all over the table and throw them in the pockets.

We went over to Madge's house that night to have some snack food and visit with the Marleys. Minette and Bo came in town with their 3 girls. Leyton is about 2 months older than Reed, so they got to play and share food a little bit.

Leyton and Reed

Playing on the pool table

Leyton and GG

This is his first time in his forward facing car seat! He

likes it so much better!

Fall Leaves....

2010-01-05T18:18:00.000-08:00

Okay... I know that I am WAY behind on posting, but life has sure been busy in this house since November! These are some pics of Leyton over at the Marleys house in November. They had beautiful leaves that had fallen off one of their trees, so we could not resist taking Leyton's pic in all the leaves. He had a blast playing in them!!

Prayers for Jason

2009-11-23T08:18:00.000-08:00

As most of you know, the past week and been a hard week for the Graeber family. Jason Graeber had sinus infection symptoms starting last Friday. By Sunday, his vision was blurred and his equilibrium off. After going to the doctor on Tuesday, the doctor noticed that one of his eyes was dilated, so she sent him to the ER to have an MRI done. The MRI revealed a mass in Jason's brain. So, they immediated transfered him to Tulane in New Orleans. After several MRI's, bone scans, CT scans, blood tests, etc., we still have dont know what the diagnosis is. All of Jason's films and tests have been sent all around to several neurosurgeons, and they are all calling us back with their opinions. They all seem to agree that this could possibly be just an infection, but that it too could be a tumor. So, Jason is soon going to Houston, TX to the doctors at MD Anderson for the best possible care to find out what is going on and get the best treatment possible. I know that thousands of people all over are praying for Jason, and he already feels all these prayers! He is in great spirits, and he has a faith in our God that cannot be shaken. Karem is a strong and loving wife to Jason, and she is there to fight with him the entire way through this journey. Please keep the prayers coming for Jason and the Graeber family as they start on this journey of the unknown. God is good all of the time!!!!!!

11 Months

2009-11-09T16:46:00.000-08:00

Well...... he turned 11 months old yesterday. I can't believe I am saying that!! We are in first birthday party mode now!!! We have decided not to do anything huge this year for his birthday, but I still have a lot of planning to do! The only thing that I have new to report is that Leyton and Tootsie are really becoming the best of friends. They play together all the time! First thing in the morning, Leyton looks for Tootsie, and she is waiting on him every morning in his doorway. Tootsie loves the fact that he chases her!!

We had a fun weekend this past weekend! We had a block party in our neighborhood. Thornton was working late on Friday night, so I took Leyton to listen to the band, visit all of our neighbors and eat hamburgers!! He LOVED the band. Everyone passed him around and he did not seem to mind a bit. I hope this becomes a neighborhood tradition because we had a blast! We have so many fun people that live around us. We just hope Daddy can come with us next time! Saturday, Leyton and I went and had lunch at the club with Aubrey, Allie Harris, Melissa Miles, Mary Mason and Stratton. Then we all went downtown to the open house. Sunday, we headed to Cleveland to go to the open house there with my aunts and my grandmother.

Trick-or-Treat!!!!

2009-11-01T16:35:00.000-08:00

Leyton had a wonderful first Halloween!!! He dressed up as a lion cub, and in my opinion, he was just the cutest little lion cub ever!!! He did so well, he never tried to take off his mane or anything. He had so much fun pulling all of the candy out of everyone's bowl!!! He even had his first taste of chocolate! He had a couple of mini mm's and LOVED them!!! And he did put a whole mini milky way in his mouth and i had to rush to get it out before he tried to swallow it! Lets just say i will not let him hold a little candy bar again. After we made the rounds with Leyton, we took him to Sweetie and Heydaddy's and he spent the night with them. Thornton and I headed over to an adult Halloween party at Marley and Bradley's! It was so much fun, and there were so many cute costumes!! All in all, a wonderful first Halloween for our little family!!!

Fred and Wilma Flintstone....

The cutest little lion cub ever!

Digging into the candy bowl at GG and Pop's house

Our little family

Thornton, Leyton, Graydon and Allie Harris..

She was a giraffe... arent they the cutest

little jungle animals???

Favorite New Toy

2009-10-19T16:54:00.000-07:00

I saw one of these cute little cars in Destin this past summer, and had to get my little man one. He loves it! He keeps his hands on the steering wheel like he is driving and talks the whole time you push him!

Driving his car on a cold day!

In his pumpkin outfit

Such a happy man in his car!

The Grove

2009-10-19T16:43:00.000-07:00

Well, I really did not pack well when we went over for the game. I only took suede shoes... go figure. And the grove was so so so muddy, and it misted all day. Not to mention it was FREEZING and neither me or Thornton took a coat!

So what did we do? Wore jeans, tennis shoes, and went to the bookstore

for sweatshirts! That is honestly the most comfortable

I have ever been in the Grove!

Leyton with Gigi and Pop

Me and Leyton

The family

Leyton with Sweetie and Heydaddy

Weekend in Oxford

2009-10-19T16:30:00.000-07:00

Thornton and I took Leyton over to the Ole Miss vs Alabama game a couple of weeks ago. We were giving an engagement party for Sparky and Jenny Kate in Oxford on Friday night, so we made a weekend of it! I took off work on Friday and headed over to Oxford with Leyton that morning. Jason and Karem came and brought Thomas, and we also got to Eric and Shea and Grafton. Also, Pfeifer came in town for the game from New York, so we got to see everyone!!! The grove ended up being really nasty and cold after all the rain we have had, so Mr. Leyton did not have the best grove experience. We will try again though!

So happy!

Playing with Thomas after breakfast. I didnt have my camera

when Grafton came by, but I will hopefully get

to see them again soon!

The girls at Roosters after the party Friday night!

We had such a good time!

10 Months

2009-10-08T19:07:00.000-07:00

Well, another month has passed by! My baby is 10 months old today. I don't have a ton to report over the last month. Teething has definitely kicked up a notch over the last few weeks. We are cutting 4 teeth right now. I don't have another child for comparison, but everyone tells me that this teething business can get pretty rough at times. I have to say this little boy has not missed a beat during teething, so far! He has been his normal, happy and busy little self. The only way that I can tell he is cutting a tooth is the constant knawing on EVERYTHING and the tons and tons of drool!!! It has not effected his sleeping or eating, so far so good!!

I have a feeling we will not be eating baby food much longer. He is at the stage where he wants to feed himself. He LOVES the Gerber puffs!! He is great at feeding himself with those. And now, when I am feeding him baby food, he tries to grab the spoon and put it in his mouth himself. So, I guess I will have to get better about cooking dinner here soon!!!

Leyton is so so so busy these days! He does not want to be held much. He wants to go go go ALL the time! He literally tries to jump out of my arms at times. I must say that I am surprised we dont have brain damage. I am so glad their little heads are so hard! He somehow got out of his stroller the other day and landed on the ground. We were shopping and I turned my back for 2 seconds and then I heard him crying and he is on the floor!! Of course, I started crying thinking the worst, but he was back happy a minute later. He hits his head on everything, and has even slipped and landed face first on the hardwood floors many times. His little lip was swollen the last time he slipped!

Other than pulling up and "cruising" around his toys, I guess that is really all that I have to report this month. He still "talks" a ton too!! We are taking him to the Grove for the first time this weekend to cheer on the Rebels against Alabama, so I am sure we will have tons of pics to post when we get home. And Halloween is just around the corner! He is going to be a little lion cub and I cant wait!!!

Ready for Halloween with our pumpkin pjs!!!

Whenever he sees me with the camera, he immediately

starts grinning and crawling toward me!

I hardly have time to take a picture!!

He loves to look through his books

Eating in my new big boy booster seat

at Nana's house

Holding his own bottle. He is showing off in this

pic holding it with one hand.

The stats.....

2009-09-16T16:41:00.000-07:00

Leyton went to the doctor today for his 9 month check up. She said everything looked good, and she would probably see us back in about a month for his flu shot, yikes! He weighed in at 19 lbs. 5.5 oz, and is 29 1/4 inches long!!! Still very long. I dont think he is taking after his mama on that one.

This is how i found him this morning. He always wakes up

so happy!

Playing with one of his many toys!

9 Months Old!

2009-09-08T17:20:00.001-07:00

I cant believe it... in just 3 short months, my baby boy is going to be 1 year old! Leyton is a busy busy busy boy these days! This little guy does not like to sit still for a minute. He is crawling EVERYWHERE, and fast! He loves the door stops in the house. Every single time I put him on the floor in my bedroom, he heads straight for the bathroom and plays with the door stop. He loves the "spring" sound it makes. He has pulled it off twice now.

Another thing that we LOVE these days is Peek-a-Boo! I took Leyton to Memphis on Saturday shopping. A lady came up to us in Macy's talking to Leyton, and he pulled his lovie over his eyes. When she said "peek-a-boo" he would pull it down and smile at her. He did it like 5 times! It was so freaking cute! And today, he was standing on the couch, and would bury his head in the cushion, and wait for me to ask "Where is Leyton?" before he would look up.

Thornton and I lowered Leyton's bed to the lowest level the other night. Joyce said that she came in his room when he woke up from a nap, and he was standing straight up in the bed. He is so tall that the railing was hitting him midway on his chest, so we had to lower it all the way down. Now, when he is not standing up, it is hard for me to get him out! He is still talking his baby talks all day, sleeping great, making new sounds, etc. He is even mocking people! We went to Abby and Graydon's on Sunday to watch the Rebels play. Allie Harris started coughing, so Leyton fake coughed back to her! But he does not like anyone to mock him. If you do, he screams at you!

The changing table used to be his favorite place when he was really little, now he hates it! I have to put him on it to change him because if i change him on the bed or the floor i have to wrestle with him to keep him still. But when i first put him on the changing table, he screams until i give him something to play with while i change him. And if you tell him "No" to something, he does this funny thing with his nose and pouts for a minute. Too funny!

I cant say it enough what a WONDERFUL baby Leyton is. He is just always happy and easy going. I took him to Memphis with me on Saturday and he was such a trooper! And i took him to Greenwood on Monday to look at furniture with DD, and he was great! He never fussed. He is truly a blessing, and we thank God for him every day!!!!

We are going to the doctor next week for our 9 month well baby check up. Will update the stats after that!

Lovin him some bath time

Glued to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. If you get in front of him he

will lean so he can see around you.

So happy at breakfast

This is what i do now while i take a shower to keep him in one spot.
As you can see, he is pulling up tryin to break out
of baby jail!

Laying in bed with Daddy... well, Daddy is laying. Leyton is trying
to crawl off the bed.

One more exciting thing!!

2009-08-26T08:49:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention on yesterday's post that Leyton is starting to say Mama!! Last Friday, I was getting his breakfast ready, so i put him in his exersaucer for a bit. He saw me getting his food together and started jumping up and down and saying something like "ma-ma-ma-ma-ma"! I turned around and looked at him and he was grinning and kept doing it. I was so excited that I called Thornton and told him, and he didnt believe me. So, i told my mom, and she really didnt believe me either. Well, after church on Sunday, we were standing around and talking to several people in the sanctuary. Leyton was beginning to get a little fussy with hunger, and he started pulling my hair and saying "ma-ma-ma-ma-ma". I looked at Thornton and he just started smiling.... he knows what he heard!! And then he looked at Leyton and started saying "Da-da??" Which Leyton has been doing..... My mom even heard him do it! I cant tell you how good that makes me feel to hear him say that!!!!

And He Is Off.......

2009-08-25T06:57:00.000-07:00

Leyton has finally mastered crawling!!! He has been taking his little one and two steps at a time, but now he has it all figured out. I was at work yesterday afternoon when Joyce called me to tell me that he was crawling all around his room! I got a little teary-eyed about it, but it is so exciting at the same time. Needless to say, I rushed home right after she called to see for myself. Sure enough, he was crawling!!! And, of course, the first thing he crawled to when i got there was an outlet with his night light and monitor plugged in....so, we headed to Wal-Mart to get outlet covers for the house. We are going to have to up our game a little bit now!!!

Leyton is also starting to pull up on stuff. He grabs at the couch to pull up, and he even grabs for the top rail in his crib to pull up (glad he has not mastered that yet). If he is sitting in my lap, he will grab onto my shoulders or my shirt and pull right up.

He is just getting to be a big boy so fast!!!! I will post some pictures later of him crawling. I dont have my camera with me right now!!!

Leyton's on the Move!!

2009-08-16T18:31:00.000-07:00

Leyton has been trying to crawl for so long now... and he is on the move! Today was like any other day, getting on all 4's and rocking back and forth, getting tired and then stopping and scooting backwards. Well, all of a sudden, I look down at him, and he is on all 4's but he put one knee forward, and then the other and made some movement, FORWARDS!!!!! He only got a couple of "steps" in there before he fell, but he did it!!! And ever since then, he is moving. It is not a "full out crawl" just yet, but he is going..... sometimes he just puts his behind up real high in the air and pushes really hard with his feet and leaps forward. It is so cute to watch!!! I put him over by his changing table today with a book, and I left the room for about a minute. I came back in and he is almost on the other side of the room getting into all of his books. It is so much fun watching him move around, but i have a feeling once he gets the crawl perfected, he is going to be so fast. I am going to try to enjoy the little bit of time i have before he gets that way!!!

Here are just a few pics from this week.

This is after breakfast the other day. He had prunes and apples with

his cereal and made an absolute mess,

but it was so cute!

Leyton "riding" his little tractor, with a little

help from Joyce.

He loves this thing!!

8 Months Old and So Much Fun!!!

2009-08-09T16:24:00.000-07:00

Leyton turned 8 months old yesterday. We have had many many changes over the last month! Leyton got his first cold :(! About a week ago, I noticed that he had a little bit of a runny nose, but it was clear. It did not take long for him to become stopped up. After a couple of days of sucking his nose constantly and using the saline drops, i called the doctor. She said it was good that I came on in because he was really congested, but we caught it before it moved to his ears and chest. So, he had to take 2 antibiotics. He was great at taking his medicine, and he is so much better now!!!!

Leyton is "talking" so much more these days! He has got his b's and d's down pat! He is constantly saying "ba-ba-ba-ba" and "da-da-da-da". I know he does not know what "Da-Da" means yet, but it is still so much fun to hear him say it! I hope his M's come soon so i can get close to getting a "Ma-Ma"!!!! He is still rocking so hard on all 4's trying to go forward. He still scoots backwards, but he is getting to where when he rocks back and forth, he will take one giant leap forward, and then stops!

Leyton also shakes his head back and forth when I say "no, no". He is so funny to watch! I was feeding him the other night and he didnt want another bite, so he would just shake his head "no, no". Too cute! Thornton and I just laugh at him! Thornton looked at him the other day and said "No," and he shook his head!

He is still a great eater and great sleeper. He eats whatever we give him, and seems to like everything except the Gerber Vegetable Beef dinner.... he makes an awful face with every bite of it, so I will not buy that one again. We are just having the best time watching him grow and change every single day. I really cannot believe that in just 4 short months, we will be having his first b-day party!!

Playing with his blocks. He loves these things!

Constantly has his fingers in his mouth feeling his teeth.

Sitting with Daddy in his chair wearing his visor. Leyton looks like

such a big boy in this picture!

Trying to go forward!

He loves to hold his own spoon

In our soft pajamas getting ready for bed

7 Months Old

2009-07-14T18:24:00.000-07:00

Where is the time going???!!!! My little man turned 7 months old last Wednesday!!! He is just growing and changing so much each day now. Someone told me that from now on he will amaze me every single day doing new things, and they were right!! It seems like every day he is doing something new. So, what is Leyton doing??? He is trying so hard to crawl! Everyone has told me that boys are a little slower at stuff like this than girls, but he sure is trying. He can turn all the way around in a circle and he can "scoot" backwards. It is so funny to watch him because he starts to grunt when he gets mad that he is not moving forward. Even though he is not crawling yet, he is into EVERYTHING that he can get his hands on!! Take tonight for example...... i was getting his dinner ready. I had warmed up some squash and sweet peas and put them on the counter while i loaded him into his bumbo seat (he usually eats in his high chair, but i was trying to cook at the same time). When i picked him up to put him in the seat, he reached behind me on the counter and grabbed the whole bowl of peas and threw it on the ground!!!!! I could not get mad because it was funny...i just fixed him some green beans instead.

Leyton LOVES bath time right now too. He can now pick up his little bath toys and play with them while he kicks and splashes in the tub. Leyton is still a wonderful sleeperz is babbling up a storm, and sitting up great! Sorry to ramble, but i just cant get enough of him! Here are a few pics that I took tonight. Enjoy!!!

Oh!!! I never posted Leyton's 6 month pictures that we had taken. They were PRECIOUS!!! I will try to get a few put on the blog... AND, i have tried and tried to get a pic of his precious little teeth, but he will not let me! He smiles so big all the time and shows them, but when i try to get a pic of them, he wont let me... it's like he knows what i am doing!!

This was at dinner last night.... DD took this pic before we went riding on

the golf cart.

Leyton playing with his lady bug... he LOVES his toys!

Okay. This is Leyton holding his sippy cup. He drinks his water out
of his cup, but he really just likes to bit on the sippy part!
I really think he is going to bite through it one day soon.

Swinging in the back yard!

The sun was a little bright, so he is squinting in these.

Family Beach Trip!

2009-07-05T17:14:00.000-07:00

Leyton went on his first trip to the beach!! The Marleys treated the whole family to a trip to Destin last week. We had a blast!!! Pfeifer came in from New York, Tony Clay brought his friend Kaylen, and Joyce (our good friend and babysitter) all came too! We stayed in a great condo, and ate great every day! The Back Porch was really close, so we walked there a couple of days for lunch and then got sushi one day and ate it on the beach. The first night we got there, we went and ate at the new Harry T's. The second night we went to the Village at Baytowne Wharf. We had drinks at the Famous Door and then ate dinner at Poppy's (where i used to work) and it was so good!! The next night, we decided to take it easy and go to the movies to see The Hangover. If any of you have not seen it yet, you have to go see it! It was so so funny! Our last night there, we went to eat at The Red Bar in Grayton Beach. Hands down, best meal ever!

Leyton did not care too much for the beach the first day that we took him down there. It was super hot that day, and he did not care for the sand or the ocean! But, he did LOVE the pool! The pool had a waterfall over some rocks, and he just sat in his float and stared at the waterfall in amazement. He strolled every day and got out a lot. He also went with us to the Back Porch for lunch one day. By the last night, he warmed up to the beach. He just watched the waves.

We had a wonderful vacation and I did not want to come home!! Thanks again to the Marley's for a wonderful week!!

Me and my hubby our first night there.. we had a wonderful view!

Tony Clay, Kaylen, Pfeifer, me and Thornton at Harry T's

As you can see, Leyton didnt care much for the beach the first day.
A wave came crashing down as soon as i put his feet in the water...

The family on the beach

Thornton and Leyton hanging out under the umbrella.

Dipping his feet in the pool

Chillin in his float at the pool

Having so much fun!!

Leyton and me at the Back Porch

Our family attempting to get a pic the last night on the beach

Father's Day Weekend

2009-06-22T18:29:00.000-07:00

We had a great Father's Day weekend!! Thornton played in the golf tournament at the Country Club all weekend, and we had a bunch of family come in town. It was Skip's birthday this weekend, so Paige, Peyton, and Jason all came in town with their spouses and children and we got to visit! Saturday night we had a cook out at Mama and Skip's house, and then Thornton and I went to the party at the club. While Thornton played golf, Leyton and I went over to Mama's on Saturday and let Leyton do a little "swimming" in the baby pool that she got for him. He LOVED it! He just splashed and splashed and kicked and kicked!! He splashed his face one good time, but he just laughed and kept doing it! Oh... and we got our second tooth this weekend!

We are heading to the beach this weekend with Marleys. I cant wait to see how Leyton likes the beach!

This is right after he splashed water on his face... he loved it!

The cutest, biggest grin in the whole world! I could just eat him up!!!

6 Month Stats

2009-06-16T15:16:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! We had Leyton's 6 month check up and shots today. They had to prick his little finger this time for a blood count! Anyway, Leyton did a great job with these shots only crying a little. And we are done with shots until he is a year old.. WOO HOO! Leyton weighed in a 17 lbs and 2 oz, less than what i thought he was!!! Anyway, he is in the 50th percentile for weight. And.... the big change... he is now 28 inches long, in the 90th percentile!!! He grew 3 inches in 2 months. He is a very long baby (I guess he is not taking after his mama in the height department)!!! And one more biggie.... we have our first tooth!!! Here are some recent pics. I will try to get one of the tooth, but it will be a challenge!

Sitting in his bumbo driving his toy car... he loves to be outside!

Playing with Tootsie

Grabbing for his toy phone...

The flash on the camera always gets this look on his face

Looking so cute for church!!

6 months old!!!

2009-06-08T15:44:00.000-07:00

Leyton turned 6 months old today! Yes, he is half way to a year... I get a little sad thinking about it!! I will have to download some recent pics later, because he is wanting my full attention at the moment. So, what is Leyton up to now? Busy, busy, busy!!!! He is doing a great job at sitting up on his own, but we can only hold it for a little bit then we get excited and falls to his side. One of my books said he probably would not be too sturdy before 7 months, but he is doing great!! He is so curious, he looks around all the time and cannot stand to be in one place for too long. This child loves loves loves to be outside! Whenever he is fussy, just take him outside for a few minutes and he is good to go! We have been feeding him his dinner outside like a picnic cause he loves it so much! He is getting to the point where he is getting frustrated because he cannot crawl. He will see a toy in front of him, and he reaches to pick it up. But if it is not within his reach, he gets angry and grunts. And i dont know how he is moving, but he is! I layed him on his play mat the other day and i turned around and he was under our table!!! He is sitting like a big boy in his high chair now, and he loves to watch the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse in the morning while he is eating breakfast. We have tried all the veggies and fruits now. His favorite of all foods is bananas.

Leyton continues to make new sounds all of the time. He blows his lips, clicks his tongue, and yells all the time. I gave him a sippy cup the other day for the first time ( it was empty) and he put it straight to his mouth. Now, I know that he has no idea how to drink from a sippy cup, but he at least put it to his mouth. Of course, everything is going straight to his mouth these days! And my favorite thing he is doing now, is loving on everyone! He will get those little hands and grab my face and pull it up to his and just love on you!!! It melts my heart!!!!

Leyton loves dogs! Every time a dog walks by he dives for it. He just loves them!! I am glad, too. He can jump so high in his jumparoo now, and it is fun to watch. Also, he loves to sit at the computer with me whenever i am on it. Whenever we go out to eat now, clear the table because he will if you dont!!! We are definitely still teething. I see 2 little bumps on his bottom gums, so we are working on some teeth. The dr said he would probably get some at 6 or 7 months. Leyton continues to be so happy all of the time and we love that! He is such a joy!!! We love him so much and cannot wait to see what he can do this month. He amazes us every day!

We go to the doctor next week for our shots, so i will let you know the stats after our visit!!!

Our first swim!!!

2009-05-25T16:55:00.000-07:00

We had a fun (and busy) weekend this Memorial Day weekend! Thornton and I went to a wedding in Oxford this weekend and had so much fun! We got back on Sunday afternoon. Today (Memorial Day), we had a great day together as a family! Thornton and I worked in the yard for a bit, and then we took Leyton over to the Marley's for his first swim and crawfish! Leyton looked so adorable in the swimsuit that his GG gave him!!! I was worried that the water might be a little too cold for him, but he liked it!

Riding on the golf cart... how cute does he look!
Swimming with Daddy

In his little float

Checking out the water... he just stared at it!!

Leyton and Toosie

2009-05-17T15:12:00.000-07:00

When we first brought Leyton home from the hospital, I could tell Tootsie (our precious shih-tzu) was going to have a hard time adjusting to life with a baby. After all, she was used to having all of our attention on her at all times. She ruled this house! The minute we came home with Leyton, Tootsie would not come near me or Thornton. She was so mad at us. But now, she has definitely taken a liking to Mr. Leyton. In fact, she wants to give him kisses all day and plays on his mat with him. And Leyton definitely likes Tootsie. Every time she walks by, he dives for her! He pulls her tail, pulls her ears, anything he can get his hands on. Whenever she jumps or barks, he just dies out laughing! It is the funniest thing to watch.

Whenever I am on the floor playing with Leyton, Tootsie comes up and tries to play too. She jumps for any toy we are playing with at the time, and takes it away! Here are some pics of them in action this morning.

Tootsie coming to take the toys...
She got the toy.

Leyton did not seem to care

Leyton has been doing so good trying to sit up. Obviously, he still needs some sort of support, but he is doing so good! He pulls himself to a sitting position in his car seat, swing, and bouncy. This was him one morning this week while I was getting dressed. He is getting too big too fast!!!

Reclined in his bouncy seat

I turned around and he was sitting up grabbing at his feet. He did have both hands on his feet, but moved before I could take the pic. We love our feet!!

5 Months Old!!!

2009-05-10T18:01:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe that Leyton turned 5 months old on Friday! He is just growing way too fast!!! The months are just flying by these days. Leyton is doing so many new little things now. For instance, he has definitely found his little voice, and he loves to hear it these days! He does this "fake cough" sound over and over and then just laughs at himself. He is laughing out loud a lot now. The things Thornton and I do now to hear that little laugh..... But it just makes our day to hear it. He is still rolling over a lot, and he is even trying to sit up on his own now. When we are doing tummy time, he is getting his little rear end up in the air and getting up on his knees. Scary!!!! He is still sleeping strong, and we are even getting better at eating with a spoon. We are not eating that much, but that is okay since he is not 6 months old yet. We have tried bananas, pears and squash so far. Going to try the sweet potatoes this week!!!

I had my first Mother's Day as a new mom today, and it was wonderful! I was reminded today in church what an important job being a mother is, and I am very blessed to have this job! God has entrusted me to raise one of His children, and that is the most special gift!!!!

He loves to hear his own voice these days!!!
Playing in our exersaucer!!

Eating our squash... it is best that he eats in just his diaper because we sure make a mess
with vegetables!

At the club for my first Mother's Day as a mom

Sitting up! (with a little help)

Mother - Son Weekend

2009-05-03T15:49:00.000-07:00

Thornton left to go on his FINAL turkey hunting trip on Friday, so me and the little man have had a lot of quality time this weekend. DD came over to play today, and she had Leyton laughing so hard all day! They just played and played. Leyton spent the night with Sweetie and Redbone on Saturday night and had so much while Mama enjoyed a night out and got to sleep late today. It was so nice of them, and I really appreciated it!!

As far as the cereal eating, he likes bananas, but we are still not big fans of the cereal. But it is getting better!!!

Leyton, Aunt DD and Tootsie playing
DD had Leyton laughing so hard!

I came in the den and saw Leyton like this... up to no good!

Eating his bananas and cereal Saturday morning!

Updates... FINALLY!

2009-04-26T16:10:00.000-07:00

Okay... so I have been out of the blogging world for a while! I have just been so busy lately that I have not had a chance to sit down and update. With turkey season and planting, I have been a single mom the last few weeks! Leyton turned 4 months old on April 8th. I cant believe it, and now this month is almost gone! He is rolling over like crazy, and he never stays in the same position anymore! Every morning that I go into his room, he is at the opposite end of the bed and rolled over on his stomach. He is still sleeping great at night, but naps are getting a little tougher. He has started taking lots of mini naps instead of good 2 hour naps... we really need to work on getting him back to long naps! He just does not want to miss anything these days. We have tried rice cereal now, and Leyton is not too crazy about it. I cant blame him because I tasted it, and it really is not good! However, I am going to add a little banana to it next time and see how that goes. I have been trying to spoon feed it to him at night, but i might try in the mornings when he is in a good mood and really hungry. Maybe that will work better!

Also, he is getting so mobile! He is now getting up on his knees and pushing off with his feet to move around! I have a feeling this little man may be an early crawler!!!! He is trying super hard. I put him in his swing the other night, and he about bucked himself out of it, just twisting and turning and pushing. I am going to have to keep a close eye on this little man from now on!!! Well, that is it for now! I will be blogging again soon because Leyton will soon be 5 months old (WOW)!!!

Juke Joint Festival.... It was bright out there!

First time eating rice cereal...

He is not a big fan of it!

Playing with our car the Easter bunny brought us

A little tummy time

The Baptism

2009-04-10T16:31:00.000-07:00

Leyton received the Sacrament of Baptism last Sunday, April 5th at First United Methodist Church. It was such a wonderful day! We thought the weather was going to be bad, but the sun came out and it turned out to be a beautiful day. Leyton did so good during the baptism. He did so good while the preacher walked him around and showed him to everyone! Aubrey sang a beautiful song for this little man on his special day, too. I have to admit, I cried a little bit when Aubrey sang for him. I think it all just hit me at one time how lucky Thornton and I are that God gave us Leyton and that He is letting us raise one of His children. After the baptism, we went to eat lunch at my Mom and Skip's house. Mama and Cheri put on a great lunch for everyone. The food was absolutely wonderful! My dad also got to come down from Biloxi to visit Leyton for a little while. This is the first time he has gotten to see him since he was born! We had a great time visiting him, and Leyton had so much fun with Geno. We hope he comes back soon! Here are some pictures from Leyton's special day.

Little boxes of assorted baby blue chocolates with a silver cross on them for the family to take home as favors from the day

The food table was so pretty I had to get a picture

The beautiful cake that Mrs. Chow made

Leyton with his Godparents, DD and Brennan

Leyton and Geno

Rolling Over!!!!

2009-03-18T16:00:00.001-07:00

Well, I am happy (and sad) to say that Leyton is rolling over! I was at work on Tuesday when Thornton called me and told me that Leyton rolled onto his stomach for the first time. He has been rolling from his back to his side for a few weeks now, but he went on over on Tuesday! I got a little upset because I missed the first time he did it. I came home from work all excited and wanted him to do it again so bad, but he wouldn't. But.... I came home for lunch today and he did it for me twice! It is just amazing to me that he is getting so strong at just a little over 3 months old. It makes me realize just how fast he is growing! Also, Leyton loves spending time in his jumparoo! He will push off the ground with his little feet, and the jumparoo makes noises every time he does. He just gets so excited and laughs and keeps jumping!!! Here are some pics in the jumparoo!

Concentrating so hard on grabbing onto those toys!

Hello, Mommy!

3 Months Old!!!

2009-03-08T16:42:00.000-07:00

Leyton is 3 months old today!!!! Where has the time gone? It seems like just yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital, yet I dont even remember what it was like before he was here. Leyton's little personality is just showing so much now! He just babbles all the time and laughs out loud a lot now. Here is what he is doing now:

-He is rolling from his back to his side and back to his back. He has not made it all the way to his stomach, but he sure is trying!
-Babbling and laughing all of the time!
-Drooling and blowing spit bubbles a lot, and constantly putting his hands in his mouth, and anything else he can get to his mouth.
-He is really starting to be able to grab things. The other day he had his hat on while he was in his car seat. He reached up and grabbed it off himself!
-He is still a great sleeper! 11 hours a night!!!!!
-Really working hard on holding his head up. He is doing so good and getting so strong.

Leyton and Daddy
Doing so good holding his head up! First time in the Bumbo seat!!!

His favorite place, the changing table

He loves to be naked!!!!!

Family Update

2009-03-01T15:15:00.000-08:00

Well, Leyton made it through the week without catching the stomach virus, THANK GOODNESS!!!! Thornton left this weekend to go to New Orleans for a bachelor party, so Leyton and I had a mother-son weekend. We had so much fun! Friday night when I got off work, I got us all packed up and we went to stay with my Nana in Cleveland. She had supper ready when we got there, so we ate and visited and played. The weather was awful, so it was a good night to stay inside. Saturday we got to visit with Aunt Linda and Aunt Cynthia and Uncle Stig before we headed back home. Saturday night, Leyton and I went to Ramon's with GiGi and Pop. And today Eric and Shea came back to visit and bring Grafton. She has grown so much in the last 2 weeks since we saw her. It is so hard for me to believe that Leyton will be 12 weeks old tomorrow! I fall more and more in love with this little boy every day!!!! Here are some pics from the weekend!

Playing in our gym

Leyton's first snow! Very little, but still snow!

My sweet boy

Stomach Virus...

2009-02-24T14:11:00.000-08:00

Okay. So this past weekend was going good. Until Sunday.... I got up and went to Sunday School, and Thornton got Leyton dressed and brought him to church. After church was over, we went home and Thornton said he did not feel well. About an hour later, we soon figured out he had the stomach virus. I told him to stay in our bedroom, and I would stay with Leyton on the other side of the house. After about 2 hours, I started to feel funny. Not wanting to take any chances, I called Cheri and asked her to come get Leyton. And good thing I did! Not an hour after they left, I got it. Sweetie and Redbone kept Leyton on Sunday night, and Gigi and Pop kept him Monday night and are keeping him again tonight just to make sure we have it all out of our system. Thank goodness for our wonderful parents who help us so much!!!! THANK YOU!!! My good friend and babysitter, Joyce, came over today to help me sterilize the house before Leyton comes home in the morning. He is just so little, we don't want to risk him getting the virus. Hopefully it is all over though!!!!

Grafton comes to visit!!

2009-02-15T18:01:00.000-08:00

My brother Eric and his wife Shea came to visit this afternoon and brought our new niece Grafton to come visit! She was born on January 9th, so she and Leyton are 1 month and 1 day apart. She is so precious!! I got to hold her for a long time today, and she is just the cutest little thing. It is so funny to see Grafton and Leyton side by side. Leyton is 12 lbs now, and she is the tiniest little girl weighing about 8lbs. It felt like I was holding a feather compared to Leyton! She and Leyton are going to have so much fun together over the years!

Leyton and Grafton.. impossible to get them both to look at the camera!

Valentine's Weekend

2009-02-15T17:51:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Valentine's Weekend! Friday night, my grandmother came to town, and we went to eat with my mom and Skip and my grandmother. We took Leyton to Ramon's with us, and he did so well. My Nana was so glad to see him! Saturday morning, we got up and went to eat breakfast at my mom's house, and let Nana play with Leyton a little more before she went back home. My sweet husband surprised me with a dozen beautiful orange roses and a card for Valentine's Day and our anniversary. 2 years!!! Saturday afternoon, we packed Leyton up and took him to his Sweetie's house so he could stay with Sweetie and Mimi (Thornton's grandmother) Saturday night. They were nice enough to keep him so we could have a night out! Thornton and I went over to Oxford for the night. We met up with Wynne and Jessica that afternoon and walked on the Square. Jessica and I went shopping while the boys watched tv at the Burgandy Room. It was a wonderful day. It is always fun to get to catch up with Jessica since I hardly ever get to see her anymore. Saturday night we went out to eat with our good friends Abby and Graydon at Waltz on the Square. It was so much fun! We had a great dinner and lots of laughs! It was such a fun night!!!

Graydon, Abby, me and Thornton at Waltz

Carlyle, me, Jessica, Amber, Claudette and Rebecca at Waltz

2 Months Old!

2009-02-09T17:09:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe Leyton turned 2 months old on Sunday! The time really is flying by. He has been such a joy, and we try to soak in every minute we can with him. He had his first set of shots today, and he did so well! But it broke my heart to see them stick him 3 times. Leyton is cooing and smiling a lot these days! He is constantly knawing on his hand and drueling, and he is trying to figure out how to grab on to things with his hands. It is so funny watching him concentrate on objects and hit at them. He now weighs in at 11 lbs 14.5 oz and is 24 inches long. He started sleeping 10 hours at night when he was 7 weeks old, and he is still doing it! We are so thankful for every wonderful day with Leyton and cant wait for many more!!

Leyton getting a little irritated from all the picture taking

Getting ready to go for a stroll

Leyton loved Rhett! He would just stare at him the whole time he held him.

Thornton loves to try to sit Leyton up on the couch

Still trying to make him sit up... it really is funny!

First Weeks at Home

2009-02-01T13:09:00.000-08:00

We have had so much fun with Leyton over the first month. We have had so many visitors, and the grandparents just love to come and play with him. Leyton really has been the best baby we could ever ask for. He has not gotten collick or diaper rash or anything like that, so we are very thankful! He is just so happy all of the time!! And Tootsie has finally warmed up to him. She was used to being the only baby in the house, and it was a little shock for someone else to come in! But she just loves him to death now. Whenever he is playing on his mat she will just go up and give him love and sit with him as he plays.

Leyton and GiGi

Leyton and Sweetie

Daddy could not resist putting these camo boots on Leyton

My first stroll!

Leyton and Daddy sleeping so hard

2009-02-01T12:10:00.000-08:00

Coming Home

Well, after 3 nights and 4 days in the hospital, we finally get to come home with our little man!

Leyton Arrives!!

2009-02-01T11:23:00.000-08:00

Leyton Thornton Marley is finally here! Here is a run down on how the big day went. I was induced at 6:00 a.m. on Monday, December 8th. After 11 hours of labor, the doctor came in to tell us that unfortunately, there was no way i was going to have this baby. So, in for a c-section we went! And Leyton arrived at 6:28 p.m. and weighed in at 8 lbs. 15.5 oz and was 20.5 inches long! He is just perfect!!!! He looks a lot like his Daddy. And I think he looks a little like my Papaw through his eyes and forehead. Here are some pics of the big day!!!!

Here we go!

Thornton getting ready for the surgery!

O Our little man is here!

Daddy and Leyton

Our first family photo!

Leyton Arrives!

2009-02-01T11:14:00.000-08:00

Leyton is finally here! We had an adventurous delivery. I was induced at 6:00 a.m. on Monday, December 8th. After 11 long hours of labor, we realized that I was not going to be able to have the baby. So, we went in for a c-section, and Leyton was here in no time! He was born at 6:28 p.m., and weighed in at 8lbs. 15.5 ounces, and was 20.5 inches long!! Wow! I could not believe it. But he is just perfect, and we could not be more excited! The Lord has truly blessed us.