Tree Hill

Last week, the kids and I went with Monica and her kiddos to Tree Hill. Apparantly the place has been around forever but none of us had ever been there. It was a really neat place. They have a little museum type thing that has replicas of different habitats and they have a room with reptiles. Kaylee wanted to touch all the animals...even the frogs. She definently doesn't get that from me!! Thank goodness the only animals you were allowed to touch was goats!! Kaylee and Isaac loved the goats..Noah wasn't to sure about them :) They also had a really neat butterfly room that you could walk around in. The kids loved that but they didnt understand why they couldn't touch them. We walked on one of the trails but there were lots of spiders (Monica is deathly afraid of spiders) so we didnt go too far into the trail..we decided we would wait until John and Jay go back with us and they can knock all the spider webs out of our way..haha!! It wasa really neat place and the kids really enjoyed it. We decided next time we will pack a picnic for the kids and make a day of it!!
Isaac, Noah and Kaylee in the reptile roomKyle and Cambree chit-chatting..hahaIt was soo hotKaylee showing off her butterfly necklaceComing out of the butterfly roomPretty girl CambreeNoah loved the snakesIsaac and Noah with the bear...Kaylee was afraid to stand up there with themPretty KayleeIsaac and Kaylee with the goatsKaylee called them "doats"They were holding hands...so cuteBubba really enjoyed his crackers..can you tell!

My Birthday

Last week I turned 22 and I had a really good time celebrating!! Thursday was my actual birthday and my day started off with a new car...Ill do another post about that..then my mom brought me lunch and a gift, then later my mother-in-law and my grandparents came by to give me a gift!! That night John took us to Chuck-E-Cheese to eat pizza and play games...the playing games was more for Kaylee but I didnt mind her having a little fun on my birthday haha!! Then Friday I went shopping for a new outfit with Monica and Jessica and all the kids (6 kids...that was definently an adventure) then that night John and I and our friends Jay and Monica and Jessica went to PF Changs for dinner then we went to Whiskey River for a little fun and Farryn met us there!! We had so much fun..I got to ride an electronic bull for the first time which was really fun!! A big thanks to Katelyn who gave up going out with us so she could stay home and watch my kiddos :) Overall I had a really great birthday and I am so thankful to everyone that made it special!!John and Jay at Whiskey RiverMe, Jessica and FarrynWe ran into Drew at Whiskey River so he hung out with us!!

Birthday Kisses

7 months Old

Kyle is 7 months old now and he is finally mobile...he isnt crawling yet but he is rolling all over the place and can get anywhere he wants!! He is such a sweet boy...I just love him so much :) He still isnt sitting up, but his dr said its nothing to worry about. He would probably be able to sit if he wasnt so interested in chewing on his feet all the time which makes him tumble over HAHA!!! He still doesnt sleep all night..but it doesn't really bother me like it did with Kaylee..I just calmly get up and get him a bottle and go back to bed!! I know I should probably not let him eat in the middle of the night and just let him cry it out like I did with Kaylee...but it just breaks my heart to hear him cry because he is always so happy...that is as long as his mommy is around!! John kept them the other night while I went out to dinner with some friends and he cried the whole time!!! He is just not used to being away from me and as long as he is with me he is happy as can be. I dont even have to be holding him he just has to know that I am around!! Kyle is my little swimmer...Kaylee didnt like to get in the pool much when she was little and she is just now getting to the point where she wants to get in but she is still not so sure about it!!! But Kyle loves the pool...we got him this little baby float with a little shade on it and he loves to float around the pool...he doesn't even seem to mind that its still quite chilly lol!! I think we are going to have so much fun this summer with the kids being outside and doing fun smmer activities!!

Mowhawk!!!

Just had to show everyone how cute my little man looks today with his mowhawk lol

2 Years Old

Kaylee turned 2 years old on Friday. I am still in shock that my little princess is 2 years old...where did the time go!! These past 2 years have been the best 2 years of my life..Kaylee has been such a blessing to us!! I was thinking last night about what I would do for this post and there is just so much to share about Kaylee I could never fit in all i one post!! Kaylee is full of life...she has a very strong personality and has no problems getting her point across :) She is so funny! She keeps me laughing all day!! She is very independent and doesn't want you to do anything for her unless she absolutly can't figure out how to do it fo herself!! She loves to watch her shows on Playhouse Disney and her favorite movie is Shrek (she watches it EVERY single day) She loves to eat chocolate and will do anything you tell her to if she thinks she is going to get some :) Her favorite thing to do is play outside..she would stay out all day if you let her....she loves to swing and slide and pick up leaves!! Lately she has been asking to "get in water" everytime we go outside...which means she wants to get in the pool!! I have to keep reminding her that it still isnt quite warm enough outside but she will still try to put her feet in haha...last summer she didnt really care for the pool to much so I am hoping this year she will enjoy it more!!! Kaylee loves her Emma so very much..Emma is the first thing she asks to see when she gets up in the morning..for those of you who do not know, Emma is our chihuahua. Kaylee will play with Emma al day..she loves to give her treats and hold her and she always wants to know where Emma is at!! Kaylee also loves her little bubba..she loves to help me feed him and she knows to give him his pacifier when he cried...if she cant find his then she will give him hers. It is so sweet!! Kaylees is such a daddy's girl..she opens the garage door numerous times throughout the day to check and see if he is home from work yet.. she loves cuddling with him, and especially sharing ice cream with him lol!! So now that you know some of the things that Kaylee likes..Ill tell you some of the things she doesn't like...

Kaylee doesn't like to go to bed at night..she will do her best to stall. She will tell me shes hungry and that she needs her diaper changed and she wants to give daddy hundreds of kisses so that she doesn't have to go to bed. Its really cute and John falls for it every time..he says aww just let her stay up with me for a little bit. LOL!! She also doesn't like to take naps..she has to go in her room every afternoon for at least an hour and have quiet time..she usually stands at the door for the first 20 minutes and yels "mommy help im stuck". Kaylee also hates having her hair washed. She loves taking baths..but when it comes time to wash her hair she says "all done" and tries to climb out of the tub!! She hates to get her pull-up changed..she is still working out the potty training but for now she is in pull-ups...its like pulling teeth to get her to lay there while I change her!! Kaylee also hates to share..she thinks all the toys are hers and she doesnt want anyone touching anything that she wants!! (We are working hard to break her of this)

Well I guess that about sums up what Kaylee is doing these days...she is such a fun kid to be around and I am so lucky to be her mom. These first 2 years have been great..i can't wait to see how the next 2 years will be :)

Kaylee loves to play in Kyles JumperooShe jumped herself to sleepKayle loves baby dolls..this one here is one of her favorites..she loves the hair!! She is so sweet to her babys!!

6 months old!!

As usual I am a little behind on my posting but last week my little prince turned 6 months old!! I can't believe its been half a year already since we brought him home. It is very bitersweet for me...with Kaylee I couldn't wait for her to get older and do new things. I am like that with Kyle to an extent..I love watching him grow and learn new things..but I am also sad because I know he is my last baby and I am gonna miss not having a baby so part of me wants to keep him a baby forever :) These past 6 months have been amazing. He is such a sweet little boy and I can't even begin to imagine our life without him. He is such a good baby...he rarely ever cries. The only time he really gets upset is in the church nursery..because he doesn't really like to be away from me!! He isa mommas boy FOR SURE!! He is starting to eat more baby food now and has started cutting down on his bottles. I havent found a single baby food yet that he wont eat. I just startd giving him the baby food meats and hes not crazy about them..but he eats them!! Last week, John asked me why we havent started giving him snacks yet, like puffs and yogurt bites since we had already been giving them to Kaylee at his age. I told him no reason really..I think it was just one of the ways I was trying to keep him a baby..haha!! So John got him some snacks and he is loving them. He is finally rolling over now which is fun..if he sees a toy he wants he can slowly but surely make his way to it now. Kyle is much easier to get to bed that Kayle was at his age. I feed him, change him and lay him in his bed and he plays until he falls asleep. He still doesnt always sleep all night which is a little frusterating, but most of the time I dont have to do anything with him, he just plays and talks for a little bit then goes back to sleep :) He has figured out how to scream and talk so we have been limiting our outings to kid friendly places and have been eating at drivethrus more than resturants haha!! Kyle loves his big sister very much and she feels the same about him. He laughs and smiles when he sees her and he loves when I let her get in his crib with him in the mornings and play with him!! Kyle has been such a blessing to our family and I can't wait to see what the next 6 months will be like with him!! Thank you Jesus for our sweet healthy baby boy!!
Kyle in his new big boy carseat!! Kaylee asks every time we get in the car if she can ride in Bubba's seat!!Kaylee was pushing Kyle around the house in the stroller and he was having a great time!!Kyle drinking out of a sippy cup. What a big boy!!Hanging out in his walker. He is getting pretty fast in that thing lol...you have to watch your toes when he is on the loose hahaKyle in his new jumperoo..he really loves this thing..he can bounce in it and it has lights and music...he really enjoys it!! Kaylee likes to play in it too haha..If she doesn't think Kyle is bouncing high enough then she will hang on the side and bounce him. He cracks up!!

"I bwoke it mommy"

Well the third and final swing we had in the house is now broken!! For those of you who didnt know Kaylee has been obsessed with her baby swing since she was little and never grew out of liking it lol. Once she got to big for the batteries to swing her she learned to swing herself in it and thats how she would get herself to sleep. Well a few months ago I heard a loud noise and when I went in her room I found her on the floor in her swing and it was broken...she was sad, but I was kind of releaved since she was really way to big for it anyways. Well...since I do daycare, we had two more of the same swing that she loved SO much, so after a few days I caved in and put another one in her room and she wasa happy camper. That one lasted a little over a month and a few weeks ago I sent her to her room to take a nap and she wasn't up there very long when I heard a crash and I knew exactly what it was. Sure enough the swing was broken. So I debated about putting the third and final swing we had in there but eventually caved in AGAIN and put it in her room. Last night I put her in her room to go to bed and she of course climbed into her swing like she does every night..but it broke!! So, now we are out of swings and I felt bad for her because she was heartbroken...but in a way I am releived because now she has to sleep in her bed...no more caving in!! So last night me and her took the swings out to the trash and she said goodbye to them. She still looks for them when we go in her room, but she slept in her bed all night last night with no problems...so I guess it was really a blessing that our last swing finally broke!!!

Potty Training...Again

A few months back I started potty training Kaylee and she didnt get the hang ofit as quickly as I would have liked so I stopped lol. We were going to Disney World and I didnt want to have to deal with worrying about accients all day so I put her back in diapers!! Lately she has been getting bad diaper rashes no matter how often I change her so her pediatrician said I should give potty training another shot. We started yesterday and she is doing much better this time around. She did have quite a few accidents yesterday but she also went in the potty a lot too!! She cnt get her pantiesdown by herself so if she had to go and I wasnt right there to help her then she would sit on the potty with her panites on and go in them lol..at least she had the right idea!! Today is going better..she hasnt had any accidents yet so hopefuly this will be a good day!! Right now I have her potty in front of the TV because it is the only way I can get her to sit there long enough to actually go!! I am hoping and praying that she will get the hang of this quickly and she can be out of diapers!! Wouldnt it be great if I could have her potty trained by her birthday next month!! Thats my goal!!

Playing Catch Up!!

Wow..3 months since my last post..I can't believe that!! It seems like every time I say I am going to start posting more, I actually start posting less haha!! Well anyways lots has been going on with us these days..the kids are growing so fast and we are having so much fun with them!! I'm just gonna give a person by person update on everyone to get the blog caught up to date then I really am going to try to update more often!!

John- John left his job at Fastenal a little over a month ago to go work for his dad. We prayed and thought hard about whether or not this was the right decision and now we are so glad he decided to make the move. He loves his job and loves the people he works with..it is especially nice for him to work with his dad because now they get to spend a lot more time together. His normal work hours are from 7:00-3:30 but he works overtime almost everyday and has also been working some weekends. This has been nice because at his last job there was no overtime available!! We miss him when he is gone for long days and has to work on the weekends but it has made us enjoy our time together even more!!

Lauren- Not much has changed with me...just trying to keep up with the housework (which I am horrible at) and keeping up with the kids. I am still doing daycare but I am only keeping 3 children now instead of 5 which has been really nice. We are all on a great schedule and two of the kids are just a few months younger than Kaylee and they have a great time playing together. I am loving being a mom so much and get sad when I think about how fast my babies are growing up :)

Kaylee- Kaylee is such a funny little girl!! I cant believe that she is going to be 2 years old next month..where has the time gone!! Kaylee is so much fun..I don't know what we would do without this girl!! She is talking up a storm now...she can say so many things now and she has the cutest little voice. Her favorite thing to do is play outside. She would stay outside all day if you would let her and she cries every time we have to go in. I am so glad that it is finally warming up so we can spend lots more time outside..summer time is going to be so much fun this year. Kaylee still rarely sleeps all night which is frusterating, but I just try to keep telling myself that its just a phase!! She goes in her room everynight between 7:00-7:30 and watches Shrek until she falls asleep. She is absolutely obsessed with Shrek these days and will sometimes ask towatch it 2 or 3 times a day!! Needless to say I am a little tired of Shrek :) Kaylee had a few months where she didn't have much of an appetite and it was a struggle trying to get her to eat anything...but her appetite is back now and she will eat and eat if you let her (as long as it is something she approves of) Kaylee loves to take a bath and especially loves when her daddy gives her a bath. She screams everytime I was her hair but when John does it she laughs..I guess he makes bathtime more fun!! Kaylee loves going places and is constantly asking to go bye bye..we try to get her out of the house as much as we can on the weekends since we are pretty much home all week. Kaylee also loves going to church to play with her friends.she cries every time I take her to the nursery but as soon as they pull out the bubbles she immediately gets happy and gladly tells me goodbye!! Kaylee loves her little brother very much and is constantly looking out for him. She looks for him every morning when she gets up and gives him a big hug and kiss..its really sweet!! She still has quite the attitude and we sometimes have a hard time keeping that in check...but she is learning that what we say goes and that there is going to be consequenses for her actions.

Kyle- my little man turned 5 months old yesterday!!! In one sense it seems like he has been part of our family forever but then again I can't believe it has already been 5 months..I feel like I was just pregnant yesterday!! Kyle is the sweetest most laid back little girl..I love him so much!! He is so much smaller than Kaylee was and seems like he is taking longer than she did to do things...but I am perfecly fine with that! I tell John all the time I wish he would stay a baby forever. Kyle rarely every cries..he is teething pretty badly right now so he has been a little more fussy than normal but he is still a really easy baby!! He sleeps through the night (most nights) and is perfectly content hanging out wherever you put him. I dont have to fight him to go to bed or take naps..I just lay him in his bad and turn on his mobile and he goes right to sleep. He has started eating baby food this past month and that is going really good. There hasn't been much that he has turned down and I make sure that he eats lots green beans and peas so that hopefully he will continue to eat those things once he gets bigger...unlike his big sister!! Kyle loves to go for rides in the car and is really easy to take places..he usualy doesnt mind hanging out in his carseat or stroller. Kyle is a MAJOR mommas boy and he sometimes wont let anyone hold him but me..but I love it (most of the time) I have had to pick him up from the nursery a few times because he wouldn't stop crying and he stayed with Johns parents one time and I had to go back and get him because he wanted his mommy..but as long as he is with me he is happy!! Kyle loves playing in the exersaucer and bumbo and likes to hang out on the floor..he is not yet rolling over but I am hoping he starts that this month.

Emma- we can't forget about Emma!! She is our new Chihuahua puppy we have had for about 2 months. I got her from a friend and Kaylee is absolutely in love with her. She is such a good dog and we are glad we have finally found a dog that seems to mesh with our family. She is crate trained and pretty much housebroken (she still has accidents sometimes) She is a tiny little dog, only about 5 pounds and she is so sweet...she loves to curl up on the couch with me and loves when I let her sleep in the bed with me. She likes Kaylee in small doses..haha she will lick her and play with her but she doesnt like when Kaylee chases her or tries to pick her up...she has never tried to bite her or anything, she just runs and hides. Farryn also got a little chihuahua the same time I did..hers is names Lexi!! Lexi and Emma are great buddies...we are happy to have Emma as the newest addition to our family.

Well I guess that about sums up whats going on with us these days. We are enjoying staying busy and looking forward to all the fun Summer will bring!! I am going to try really hard to keep this thing updated..sowe will see how that goes...here are some random pictures over the last few months!!Such a Happy Boy

Ready for some warm weatherKaylee making HUGE mess in the playroomLove the pigtailsCrazy hairShe loves taking a bath in the sink!!Playing in the exersaucerSweet BoyEmma...John absolutely hates when I put clothes on her but I think its cute!!

Family Update

Well it has been over a month since I have updated my blog..We have been busy lately and I haven't thought much of it!! I am going to try and get back into blogging reguarly so that I have things about my kiddos recorded so I can look back on them...and of course for everyone else to read :) Wow..where should I begin??

Yesterday was Thanksgiving and we had our families over for lunch!! This was our first time hosting Thanksgiving at our house and it turned out well!! John smoked a turkey and some pork and everyone brought sides and desserts!! Everything turned out so well..I am so thankful that John is such a good cook because I am terrible at it!! He has been patiently waiting..well maybe not that patiently..to put up our Christmas decorations :) This is the first Christmas living is a house (we have lived in a condo or apartment up until the beginning of the year) so this if the first house we will really be able to decorate!! As soon as we finished our Thanksgiving meal he headed outside to start on the decorations :) Ill be sure to post pictures once we are done!! We are taking our first vacation as a family of four to disney coming up soon!! I know Kaylee is going to have a blast now that she is big enough to walk around and now that she knows some of the characters!!

The kids are really growing up and changing so much!! Kaylee turned 20 months yesterday!! She is not a baby anymor and that makes me so sad!! I can't believe she will be 2 soon!! I was working on potty training with her for a little bit but I think she is still a little to young so we are going to hold off a few more months!! She will go when you put her on the potty but she was still having lots of accients and wasn't really grasping the idea that she needed to tell me when she had to go to the bathroom!! She is talking so much now and that is so much fun..she is repeating everything we say and she is starting to call everyone by their names which is so cute!! She is finally starting to get her appetite back which is nice..she is still very picky but we are working on that. Kyle is 2 1/2 month old now..its hard to believe it has been that long since we brought him home!! I took him to the doctor last week for his first set of shots and he did great..he cried a little when they gavehim the shots but as soon as they were done he was back to his normal happy self.. I am so thankful that he is such a happy easy going baby!! He weighed 11.6 at his appointment..he is still so tiny to me since Kaylee was so much bigger than him at this age!! He is sleeping great, he does about 7-8 hour stretched every night then eats and goes right back to sleep for a few more hours!! He is starting to smile now and it is absolutly precious. Kaylee loves him so much. She calls him "bubba" any time he cries she will go and put his binky in his mouth and cover him with his blankets..and tell him "its ok bubba"!! Its so sweet.

Well I guess thats enough for one day. I will upload some recent pictures of the kids soon and also try to post much more frequently!!

Kyle 3 weeks

oh my goodness...my little guy is growing up WAY to fast!! Kyle is already 3 weeks old today...in some ways I feel likewe just had him yesterday but then again I also feel like we have had him forever!! It seems like he is doing things so much faster than Kaylee did...with her I was so excited when she did new things, but with him I find myself being sad because I just want him to stay a baby for a little longer since I know he is my last one!! He is still nursing really good..he is going 2-3 hours between feedings during the day and 3-4 hours at night. He is still very calm and laid back..im waiting for it to change but praying it won't!! He rolled over on Wednesday from his back to belly..I couldnt believe it. He hasn't done it since so I think it was just an accident!! He is a good traveler, he doesn't make a peep in the car and pretty much just hangs out in his carseat wherever we go!! He is such an angel..I'm so happy God chose me to be his mommy!!

Prayer Request

Please pray for my cousin Kristin. She had her gaul bladder removed a few years ago and has had problems on and off ever since. She went to the emergency room Saturday with terrible stomach pains and they discovered a gaul stone in the tubes that were connected to her gaul bladder. They admitted her to the hospital and on Monday she had a surgery to remove the gaul stone. On Wednesday they discovered that she has pancreatitis (spelling) and also that they punctured her bowels during the first operation. She underwent emergency surgery yesterday afternoon to repair the tear in her bowel but when they opened her up they were upable to find the tear. The doctor said that the hole might have closed up on its own. She is in the icu right now and my mom and aunt lori and aunt vicki went down to be with her. They will be doing more testing today to make sure no more fluids are seeping out into her body!! Please pray that they get everything fixed quickly and that she has a speedy recovery!!

FROG

So, for those of you who do not know me well may not know that I am deathly afraid of frogs...always have been!! I cringe at the thought of them..they are just terrible to me!! Well early this morning, around 4 am, I was in Kyles room nursing him when I heard this noise. I was half asleep and didnt think much of it until all of the sudden I felt something jump on my neck. It immediatally woke me up and not knowing what it was I grabbed it and threw it across the room. The only light was coming from the TV and it was to dark for me to tell what it was but I saw that it was running up the wall and onto the ceiling. I jumped out of bed and turned the light on to discover that it wasa nasty, slimy, bright green BIG frog!! I couldn't believe my eyes!! I immediately grabbed Kyle and we headed downstairs to the couch where we spend the rest of our night!! I have not come across the frog yet today but I know he is in here somewhere so I will not be able to sleep tonight until I find him and make sure he is OUTSIDE!! I mean seriously...how did this thing get in the house??? GROSS!!!

Kaylee 18 month update

Well I am a few weeks late on this post..but I have been busy busy busy!! Kaylee turned a year and a half a few weeks ago!! I can't believe in just six short months my girl will be 2 years old!! She is a sweet girl but she has a BIG attitude!! Her newest thing is banging her head on the floor as hard as she can when we tell her not to do something!! It drives me crazy. She is starting to talk more the past few weeks and is actually starting to ask for things and people instead of just pointing..I didn't think she would ever start talking haha!! She has mastered running and climbing and she is all over the place.

I took her to the doctor last Friday for her shots and she weighs 26 pounds!! She sure feels heavier than that to me lol. She had to get 4 shots and she was not a happy camper. She cried as soon as the doctor came in..she didnt want him touching her or even looking at her for that matter :) She is still not eating much, the occasional peanut butter and jelly sandwich and banana is all i can really get her to eat!! I asked the doctor about this and he said it was completly normal and that she will eat if she gets hungry.

She is doing well with her little brother..she likes to hold him occasionally but not for very long periods of time!! She is still a little jealous when I feed him..and she steals his binky a lot, but other than that no major problems!! We are so blessed to have Kaylee in our lives and can't wait to see her grow and learn new things!

Kyle 2 week update

Today Kyle is 2 weeks old. I can't believe how fast the time flys by!! I think it is going by even faster than it did with Kaylee!! Kyle is such a good baby. He is such a good baby. He is so laid back and hardly ever fusses. I have only heard him cry a few times since he has been born. He is nursing really well and I am loving it. I was expecting it to go like it did with Kaylee (not well) and I thought I would have wanted to quit by now but I really like it. He is sleeping very good..he only wakes up once or twice during the night!! He had his 2 week check up today and he weighed 7.8 pounds. He has gained a pound since last week. I was glad to know that he is actually getting enough to make him gain weight!! His jaundice has gone away so we were very thankful for that. He went to church for the first time Wednesday night and he looked like a litle man in his dress pants and dress shoes HAHA!! We are definentally lovin this little guy!!!

Kaylee holding her brother for the first time!!We have this same picture of Kaylee in this basket when she was the same age!! Ill have to find it and post it so we can compare!!First bathLittle manKyle and Mommy heading to church

Flowers

Just wanted to say thanks to Nana and Papa for the adorable flower arrangement they sent for baby Kyle last week!! The flowers were beautiful and they came in a cute little vase that plays music. It is sitting on our kitchen table and Kaylee loves to play the music every time she sits at the table!! Thanks again Nana and Papa..I can't wait to put the little vase in his room once the flowers die with all his little things in it!! Its so cute!!