FINALLY

I am finally able to post pictures so I can get back to updating my blog more often. I have wanted to update so many times but I feel like a post with no pictures is BORNIG!! So I have lots of catching up to do. I didnt re-read my last few posts so I am not sure what I have already talked about but I just wanted to go back in and add pictures so I would have them here for my own future reference :)

Kaylee turned 3 back in March and I know I already posted about that but here are the pictures to go along with it. John and I took her to Chuck E Cheese and then my Nana and papa also had a little party for her at a park but I didnt get any pictures of that :( Here are the Chuck E Cheese pictures. For Easter we went to my mom and dads and had a pool party..the kids LOVED their easter baskets that my nana made for them and had a great time hunting easter eggs that Pappy and Uncle Jordan did for them. They also got to spend some time in the pool with is one of their favorite things to do :) In May Kaylee was the flower girl in Katelyns wedding and she was the most beautiful little flower girl I have ever seen :) She did a great job (despite the way she acted at the rehersal) and she has been asked to be a flower girl in my other cousin Farryns wedding at the beginning of next year!! Hopefully she will do as great of a job :) A few days after the wedding Kyle had his surgery for his ear tubes. I know I posted details about that in a previous post so I won't explain the whole ordeal again but I will say what a HUGE difference the tubes have made. Before the surgery he was ALWAYS sick and he hasnt been sick once since he got them put in. His balance is also a lot better. He used to fall all the time and no he runs around with no problems and we are always commenting on how fast he is!! We were hoping that the tubes would help improve his speech but that really hasnt changed much. We will more than likely be starting him in speedch therapy very soon!!

May Update

Our home computer has been broken for over a month now making it hard for me to update the blog and impossible for me to post pictures. But i thought it was time for an update. We have been keeping busy around here and are enjoying this nice warm weather. The kids are both doing great and loving life.

Kaylee has been 3 now for a few months and is no longer a baby...she talks ALL the time and sings non-stop. She has a major attitude that gets her in trouble quite often but can be a sweetheart when she wants to be. She tells me all the time that her daddy is her best friend and that I can be her best friend another day haha. She loves her bubba and always wants to be around him even though they are usually fighting lol. She has told me several times that she wants to give Kyle back and get a new tiny brother that she can hold. She wants him to be her baby and let her rock him and wrap him in blankets but of course he wants nothing to do with that. She still hates the doctor and will cry if you even mention taking her there...she probably needs to go for her 3 year check-up but I just haven't been able to bring myself to take her and go through the ordeal haha. She was in my cousin Katelyns wedding a few weeks ago and surprised us all. I kept telling Katelyn that I didn't think she was going to walk down the aisle and that she may want to choose someone else but she wanted Kaylee..I was sure it was going to be a disaster and she would cry and make a scene but she proved me wrong. During the rehearsal the night before she cried and wouldn't walk down the aisle but the day of the wedding she grabbed her basket and told me I could go sit down because she was going to be the flower girl and sure enough she was the cutest most perfect little flower girl lol. She loves to be outside and play on her swing set and go on bike rides. She is finally becoming a less picky eater but most of the time it is a struggle to get her to eat something healthy.

Kyle is 20 months old and is my wild child haha. He is completely opposite from Kaylee in every way. He is a climber and isn't scared of anything...he is perfectly content playing on his own in his room and doesn't need anyone to entertain him. He also loves to go outside and play and go on bike rides but would much rather be riding on papas mini bike lol. He went for his surgery for tubes and to get his adenoids removed a few weeks ago but they ended up only doing the tubes because the doctors didn't think he was healthy enough to do the adenoids. Since the tubes he has been doing great...no sickness and a much happier boy. He still isnt talkin much but he will try to repeat things sometimes. I am VERY anxious to potty-train him so I have started having him sit on the toilet sometimes but he is no where near ready yet to ditch the diapers. He enjoys playing with his sister sometimes but I usually trying to aggravate her by taking things from her or hitting her or pulling her hair. Typical little brother. He is finally at the age where I know he understands what he is doing so the discipline wit him is beginning. Kaylee loves that she isn the only one to get in trouble anymore haha!!

We are looking forward to a fun filled summer and hopefully soon I will be able to post pictures of our latest adventures :)

Extreme Couponing

Has anybody seen this new show on tlc?? Well I have and I'm hooked!! I am by no means an extreme couponer like the people on this show but the show has definitely inspired me to start couponing. I have only been doing in for a couple of weeks now but I have done hours and hours of researching and I was able to score a bunch if items for free last week and some that I was even paid to take out of the store. It is a great feeling to leave the store with bags full of stuff knowing you paid next to nothing for it all. I have pretty much figured out how to do fairly well at Walgreens and cvs by using their reward systems but I haven't tried couponing at the grocery store yet. That's a little more indepth and I wanted to make sure I knew exactly what I was doing first. I will admit that it very time consuming planning your shopping trips and it gets a little stressful when you get to the register especially if you have more than one transaction..but it is so worth it. I feel like for me being a stay at home mom it is a great way to contribute to my family.

Ear Tubes and Adenoids

We have been having some computer issues around here lately so I haven't been able to update but my poor boy has had a lot going on!! He has always had issues with his ears and has had lots of infections but this year it has gotten worse. Since January he has had ear infections that we can't seem to get rid of. He has had numerous antibiotics and shots and nothing seems to help so his pediatrician recommended that we take him to an ENT. He went for a hearing test also because she thought all the ear infections were probably affecting his hearing and she was right. He has so much fluid in his ears that he is having a very hard time hearing and she thinks is also why he doesn't talk much. The ENT doctor said that he is a good candidate for the tubes and that she also wants to remove his adenoids at the same time because Thayer are holding infection and causing him to be sick all of the time. Poor little guy just can't catch a break. But we couldn't ask for a better boy...even through all of this he is still always smiling and just as happy as can be. They weren't able to get him in for surgery until May 10th so right now we are just trying to keep him as healthy as possible. Last weekend he started having issues with his eyes draining really bad and they got so swollen he could barely open them..his pediatrician has assured us that having these procedures is going to make a huge difference for him. It is always scary when your baby has to be put to sleep for surgery but we know that God is in control and are praying that this will help him be a healthy happy boy :)

3 years old

I can hardly believe that my princess turned 3 two days ago. John and I were talking the other night and we were saying that we feel like I was just finding out I was pregnant with her but then again we feel like we have had her forever haha!! Kaylee spent all of last week celebrating her birthday and she doesnt even realize that actually her birthday was only one day lol. We decided this year not to have a big party for her but instead we did a bunch of little things celebrating at different times with different people. We started out last Monday night at Chuckee Cheese. It was just John and I and Kaylee and Kyle and we had a blast!! We went right when he got off of work and it wasnt crowded at all. Both kids had a blast playing the games and Kaylee even got a little birthday cake!! Neither of the kids were too sure about Chuckee when he came out. They didnt cry but neither of them wanted to touch him and they made sure they knew where he was at all times. Then Wednesday we played with Kaylees best friend Michael at "Chickenla" (chick-fil-a). Friday we spend the afternoon with Grams then Saturday we spent the day with Michael again (per Kaylees request lol) Saturday night we had dinner and more cake at Johns parents house and the kids enjoyed playing in the yard. Then Sunday my Nana and Papa had another little party for her at the park!! Needless to say she has done a lot of celebrating and we are looking forward to a low-key week. She got lots of nice things for her birthday and her and Kyle have been entertained all morning going through all her new stuff :) She cried every time we someone sand happy birthday to her (not sure why) lol but then she would sing it to herself hen no one was around haha!! **Kaylee 3 year old stats** *She weighs 30 pounds and wears 3t clothes *She is an extremely picky eater and would rather eat nothing than eat something that is good for her *She LOVES to drink hot milk and has at least 2 glasses per day *She is fully potty trained and insists we check out the restroom EVERYWHERE we go *She loves her little binky and we are having an EXTREMELY hard time getting rid of it *She enjoys to color and paint and does so on a daily basis *Her favorite thing to do is be outside *Her favorite place is the Zoo!!

The Zoo

Now that the weather is warming up I am sure we will be spending lots of time at the zoo. We went almost once a week last summer and now that we live closer and have passes I am sure we will be there all the time. We went today with some friends (the Slegers) and we had a blast...its so much fun now that the kids are a little bigger and I dont have to spend the entire time taking care of a baby :) We thought the waterpark would be open but I guess it still has a few weeks before its up and running...it was definintly hot enough for it today!! The kids have so much fun running around and playing..I think they like all the little parks and things they can climb on more that they like seeing the animals. I keep Kyle in his stroller for as long as I can because once I get him out he does not want to get back in. I think Kaylee's favorite part is still the goats...I got Kyle out so he could go in and pet the goats and he wasnt so sure about it at first, but after he saw that his friend Cambree was touching them he figured it was alright!! We had so much fun and can't wait to spend many more summer days there!!

The Library

I took the kids to the library for the first time about a month ago. Kaylee LOVES books so she was in heaven..I quickly realized I had to give her a limit on how many books she could get each time because she was just grabbing handfuls and putting them in our bag lol...I let her get 10 books and she was thrilled!! They also have a little play area in the childrens section that the kids enjoyed..I told Kaylee before we went in that we had to be very quiet in the library and she did really well...of course Kyle was loud as usual haha..every time he would make a noise she would say "quiet bubba this is the libary" lol. She was a little upset the next time we went back when she realized that I was putting "her" books in the book drop. haha. She calmed right down when I told er we were going in to get a bag full of new books lol...We have been going about once a week and they are really enjoying it :) I'm so glad she enjoys reading!!

Swimming

Kaylee has been wearing her bathing suit around the house for weeks now and has been asking if its time yet to go swimming. So last Wednesday I told her we could take her swim stiff to Mami's and see how cold the pool was...it was cold...really cold, but Kayle didnt mind. She only stayed in a few minutes because no one wanted to get in with her but she enjoyed herself. This was Kyles first time getting in without being in a baby float. I put one of those little life jacket swin suits on him and a pair of water wings and he enjoyed splashing around on the steps. It was a little to cold for him and he only enjoyed it for a few miniutes before he got out and sat by the back door waiting to go in lol. Kaylee has been asking everyday of we can go swimming again..the girl loves to be in the water!! Im looking forward to Summer...they are going to have so much fun :)
He looked so cute in his swim gear!!Acting like she was going to jump inThe pool was to cold for him...he just waited patiently by the door until it was time to go inReady to take her "wing wings" off!!

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Picnic Lunch

Today was such a nice day that I decided to let the kids have a picnic lunch. Kaylee couldnt believe it when I told her we were going to have lunch outside lol..Usually therule is we can go outside after we eat our lunch. Kyle seemed a little confused why I was taking the food outside but didnt really mind. As long as he is getting lunch he doesnt care where he eats it at lol!! They were so sweet eating together and playing nicely together. I love seeing them have fun together, and I love that it only takes something as small as a picnic for them to have such a great day!! They are such a joy!!
PB&J and cheeseballs!! Yummy!!She said I needed to take a picture of her becasue she is "Super Kaylee" hahaI should have known he wasnt actually going to sit at the table and eatI LOVE this boyMaking sure he had the whole sandwich in his handsI think someone is getting ready for a nap :)

BUSTED

This girl LOVES her candy!! I mean who doesnt right?? We have been trying to limit the amount of candy and sweets she has because she is a very picky eater and would just eat junk all the time if we let her. So now she gets candy as a reward and in much smaller portions than she is used to. We always have tons of candy in our house...I think every time someone comes over they bring some kind of goodies and of course Kaylee knows this. I used to keep in in a kitchen drawer but she realized where it was and started helping herself..so then it had to be moved up ono a shelf she couldnt reach. I guess thismorning it was left in her reach because I heard a loud noise and she said "Its okay mommy I dont need you to check on me" haha I knew immediately I better see what she was into. She wasnt very happy when I told her she had to pick up all the candy and couldnt have any since she tried sneaking it lol!! Silly girl!!

Jax Zoo Dino-Alive

This week the zoo opened up a new attraction called Dino-alive and Tuesday and Wednesday night they had a members only preview. We dont usually go out during the week nights but we figured the kids would enjoy it and you never really get to go into the zoo at night so we thought it would be neat and it was. They have been announcing that dinos were coming to the zoo now for a while but they werent giving any details..so no one really knew what to expect!! We went on Tuesday afternoon and it was really neat..they have made a whole new section in the back of the zoo and had animatronic (spelling??) dinosaurs all in the woods. They moved and made noises and were really cool!! We didnt get to stay too long because the weather was cooler than we expected and we werent prepared for that..but Kaylee loved looking at the dinosaurs..you could tell in her face that she was enjoying it but she sat on daddys shoulders the whole time and was very cautious of everything around her lol. We had so much fun that we decided to go back again Wednesday night..this time we were better prepared and heven took the camera :) Kaylee wasnt as nervous this time since she knew what to expect and she even wanted to walk around. It is a really neat addition to the zoo and Im sure we will be visiting the dinos again soon!!Family Picture

Kyle wouldnt take his eyes off the dinos for a pictureKaylee and Daddy!! Can you tell she was HAPPY!!!

I think I can I think I can!!!

I have been struggling with losing my baby weight since well....about 3 years ago when Kaylee was born lol...I gained over 50 pounds with her and wasnt even close to losing it when I got pregnant with Kyle and gained more..so needless to say I have a lot to lose. I have tried many different diets and I would stick to them for a few days and then give up!! Man it is hard to lose weight. But summer has come and I have promised myself that this time I am going to do it...I AM goingto get this weight off!! I started weight watchers a few days ago and I think that it is something I am going to be able to stick with...I have done the pasrt couple days with no problems and I dont feel deprived which is usually why I give up. I even took the kids to McDonalds thismorning to play and I made sure I ate before I got there so I wouldnt be as tempted and I did it...i got nothing. Those of you who know me well know that is a major accomplishment because McD's is my weakness!! I LOVE it. I have also been going to the gym and I took my firt ZUMBA class last night...it was so much fun and a great workout. I loved it. I know that the weekend is going to be the hardest time of week for me, but I am praying that I will be able to stick with it because I really want to be able to wear my bikini at the beach this year lol....wish me luck!! I have 39 pounds to lose to get to my goal weight. I CAN DO THIS!!!

My Girl

My sweet little girl has not been so sweet today!! In fact she has been the opposite..we are having a VERY rough day. The morning went fine but as the day progressed things went downhill. She had been asking to go outside and play all morning so I told her that after she ate lunch and cleaned her playroom I would take her out to play. Of course as soon as I mentioned cleaning her playroom the waterworks started...she HATES to clean her playroom!! It is like torture to her lol!! I told her there was no need to cry and if she ate all her lunch I would HELP her clean it. Next she cried because I wouldnt let her have doughnuts for lunch...what a mean mommy I am haha!! Her Gram brought over a dozen heart shaped valentines day doughnuts and she thinks that she should be able to have them for every meal until they are gone. We finally setteled on a ham and cheese lunchable and some blueberries...but after I got it all out on the table for her she didnt want that either so she cried....and cried...and cried!! I ended up just telling her to forget about lunch and we would move on to cleaning...She did get the playroom picked up although she cried the whole time. So I said we could go outside for a while thinking that would cheer her up. It worked for a little while but then she started crying about every little thing and I got frusterated and told her we were coming in to call daddy. I always threaten to call daddy but never have actually done it..but this time I had had enough. So I called daddy and he told her to go get in bed!! She cried for about two seconds and then passed out...I hope she wakes up happier. I want my sweet girl back!!

FINALLY!!!

I finally got a new card for our camera so i can take pictures again...I am so happy!! I love taking pictures and I have felt like I missed so many memories not having my camera haha. I finally realized that it was just the card for the camera that was scratched up so we picked up a new one and it works great!! Here are some pics of the kiddos from thismorning...they had heart doughnuts for breakfast since its valentines day :)
"Happy Balentimes Day Bubba"Enjoying his breakfast :)Pretty girl

The Binky

I have a love hate relationship with these things..Heres the thing!! Both of my kids are completely addicted to them! And I kind of am too because without them my kids are cranky and dont sleep well!! My peditrician said that they need to be taken away when a child turns 2...so for Kyle to still have his is not a big problem but Kaylee will be 3 next month..so it really needs to go. I have tried taking it away numerous times and she went a couple of weeks without it and I thought we were going to finally be able to break her, but somehow she ended up with it again!! I know that I need to take it from her but I keep coming up with excuses because I know how much she loves it and how hard its going to be for her. It is already starting to mess up her teeth and I know its time its just hard. So Ive been limiting her MOST of the time to having it only when she sleeps (although she is sitting here right now with one in her mouth). That is kind of working but since Kyle walks around with one all the time she ends up finding one or taking his.

The other night I decided that we were quiting cold turkey, this was mostly due to the fact that I could only find one and I had already put Kyle in bed with it!! So she went ahead and got in her bed...she of course kept asking me for it and I told her that I wasnt sure where anymore were but if I came across one I would give it to her. Well she sand and played and talked to herself for a while then after a while I realised I no longer heard her but now Kyle was up playing and screaming. I went in to see what his deal was and sure enough she had taken his binky and curled up and went to sleep. I didnt have the heart to take it from her while she was sleeping, but I couldnt find another one so Kyle ended up having to go to bed without one. He finally fell asleep although it took him a lot longer than it normally would have.

So I say all that to say this. I think in order for me to get it away from Kaylee I am going to have to get rid of them all together!!! I am SOO not looking forward to this and I am sure we are going to have a few sleepless nights and some miserable car rides but I know its gotta be done!!! So wish me luck. We are starting next week!! I decided I would enjoy my peaceful weekend before the torture begins!! haha

Sick AGAIN

My sweet babies just can't seem to stay well for more than about 2 weeks. I think we have been to the doctor at least once a week for the past month and a half. I took them yesterday because they both had really nasty coughs and fevers. They were acting fine, happy and playing, but I wanted to get them checked out before it turned into something else. Im glad I decided to take them because they both have bronchitis and ear infections. They have had so many ear infections lately...the doctor said if they keeo getting them we would have to talk about doing tubes. They had ear infections 2 weeks ago and were on antibiotics then I took them back last week for their re-check and they were fine..so I was shocked when she said Kyle had a very bad infection in one ear and Kaylee has infections in both ears...one of Kaylees ears was so bad it started bleeding when she put the thing in to look at it...it was so sad!! I can't wait until summer time...we seem to have a lot less sickness around here when the weather is warm :)

2011

I have been neglecting my blog for so long now that I almost decided to do away with it. I keep meaning to update but my camera is broken and I feel like I cant post anything without pictures..haha silly I know!! It's been so long I barely even know where to begin!! Things around here are going great. Christmas was busy but a blast!! This was the first year Kaylee was actually excited for Christmas. She asked me on a daily basis from Thanksgiving until Christmas day if it was time for her to open her presents lol. She got so much stuff and she is still talking about Christmas haha. She was not thrilled about taking down the Christmas tree and the big socks (aka stockings) lol..I guess she thought they were permanent decorations. I assured her it would all be safe in the garage until next Christmas haha. Kyle also enjoyed Christmas...he didnt care to much about opening the presents but he sure liked playing with them. He wanted everything out of the box as soon as it was opened...haha!! We got a zoo membership and a MOSH membership for Christmas so Im sure we will be visiting those places lots this year. We also got tickets to the alligator farm in St. Augustine so we are going to visit there soon!!

The kids and I enjoyed having a few weeks off from school but were glad to get back. Things go much smoother when we stick to our routine!! The kids had a little bit of a rough time their first few days back after spending so much time at home with mommy...but they quickly got back into the swing of things!! We have had to visit the doctor way too many times already this year..Kaylee got croup, then both kids had bad colds, they both just got over double ear infections and now Kaylee is getting a nasty wet cough again so we will be making another trip to the doctor again tomorrow. I think its this weather...freezing one day and hot the next. Ill be glad when summer is here....they seem to stay much healthier during summer. Kyle has had a weird thing going on with his hands for the past couple of weeks..they will sometimes turn blue for no reason like he has no circulation to them. It happens randomely and the doctors are still trying to figure out what is causing it..more on that later!!

Other than all the sickness we are all pretty muchenjoying life. John is working a lot as usual...but we make up for it on the weekends!! We have been having a blast doing anything and everything. Both kids love to be out and doing things. They love to play outside and Kyle is such a little monkey....he is fearless and loves to make his momma nervous. Their new favorite thing to do it ride on Johns dads go carts and mini bikes..Kyle especially loves to ride and cries every time he has to let his sister take a turn...they are so funny!! I guess that about sums up what we've been up to!! Hopefully I will have a camera up and running again soon so i can get some pictures on here!!