Raising Schuurmans: Fun at the Fair & A Three Month Old!

     Last Saturday, Grandma B was in town at Windy Gap, our local Young Life camp. She and a friend from church were attending a women's retreat. During the day, they get free time, so the boys and I went over to visit while Mark got started on the flooring at the new salon. The weather was BEAUTIFUL and couldn't have been better. It was quite the relaxing time before our work-fest began.
     From last weekend through Tuesday, we have worked (what seemed like) non-stop on the new salon while continuing to work the bread route, care for two small boys, and keep the other salon up and going. It has been a FEAT! But Wednesday is Mark's normal day off, so we made it a point to enjoy his "time off" from work and have a family day together. We went to the gym in the morning and worked out, then in the afternoon we took the boys to the WNC Mountain State Fair. Last year we just missed seeing the pig races so this year, we made it a point to get there in time. As long as Mark's lived in the South, he's never seen a pig race, so it was a treat for him, too. They had little pigs, goats, ducks, and pot-bellied pigs all racing for cheese doodles! Marcus thought they were so funny and Titus wasn't impressed in the least. He was just hot and cranky.
     While at the fair Marcus enjoyed seeing all the animals again this year including horses, cows, bulls, sheep, chickens, ducks, and a guineas (my Grandmother's favorite). :) We didn't ride rides this year, but plan on starting that tradition NEXT year. Nonetheless, we had a great time and it was good to step away from work for a few hours and enjoy each other's company. We say this to each other all the time, but it's fun doing life with him.
     In other news, WE HAVE A 3 MONTH OLD and AN ALMOST 3 YEAR OLD! Titus turned 3 months old yesterday and is such a joy to be around. He's quite the smiley little fella and he follows Marcus like a hawk. When Marcus gets up in the morning, the first thing he says is, "where's Titus?" and once he finds him, he goes to hug him (ie: lay on him) but when he gets off, Titus is all smiles at his big brother. They are SO SWEET together. We recently had to put their car seats side by side and as I now drive, Marcus will hold his hand. They even have a "shake" that he'll do with Titus' hand. It's adorable.
     Titus is probably 16-17 pounds and very blocky. He looks like a linebacker without a neck sometimes and had an enormous head. But his blue eyes and rosy cheeks make all the girls melt, especially when he flashes that million dollar sideways grin. He sleeps through the night, most nights, and that usually consists of 10-12 hours. He's not the best napper during the day but I'll take sleeping at nights over daily naps ANYTIME. If we're in the car, he naps beautifully. It's just at home that he'll wake up after 30-45 minutes. He still spits up quite a bit, but it could be in the middle of a meal, after 5-6oz, or 2 hours later. It doesn't matter. He's a happy spitter-upper, though, so I don't think it's acid reflux related. All and all, we are SO BLESSED with these two boys. They're healthy, happy, and (as I like to say often...) joyfully exhausting.