The Jumpy Thing

Taylor has started to jump in her doorway jumpy thing.  She loves it.  The other day I was piddling (is that a real word?) around the house cleaning (yeah right, more like moving piles around) and I could hear Taylor jumping away.  After a while I noticed that I did not hear the "jumpy thing" anymore (I promise I supervise my children) I went over to investigate and this is how I found sweet little peapod.  She jumped herself out.

Halloween and there after...

Here are a few more pictures that I couldn't help but post.  This is Aiden's very first trip to the door Trick or Treating.  He would shout "Trick or Treat please!"  I was pretty surprised considering how quiet he usually is.  I guess if you stick some candy in front of the kid he will talk to anyone.

The game that we played with the kids was hanging doughnuts on a string and trying to eat it- hands free!  After the older kids ran off ready for the next activity the toddlers were left to eat the remains.  They had three down each before I figured it out and told Mark to stop hanging doughnuts. Maybe that is why Aiden ran from

 door to door like he did. Hmmm... For the rest of the weekend Aiden walked around in his sunglasses refusing to take them off.  I think he got a little too into character.  In the bath?  Really Aiden?

Halloween 08

Every year for a while now, we get together with our friends and do fun, festive things. This year was no different. It was complete with pushy little neighborhood kids that entered the house when the door was not answered quickly enough. Taylor sat and looked cute, while Aiden loved every minute of it, from the 2 dozen doughnuts he ate (ok, it was more like 3) to running up to the doors saying "Trick or treat please!" The group picture was taken prior to dinner and we all know what happens when you stand between a boy and his food...

Sweet Baby Break

I haven't blogged in a while because that just doesn't seem to fall into the category of things I absolutely must do.  I am actually squeezing a little picture upload while the students in my class take a 45 minute writing test.  I consider this a brief moment of down time.  So here is my sweet, happy, little girl.  Thanks for the outfit Nita!  The bottom picture is Taylor with my best friend, Amy's little girl.  Her name is Rose and I can't believe that she is in first grade.  She was the first baby, out of all of my girlfriends.  Wow, time sure flies!

I should be sleeping

School is wearing me down. I love it, but it is exhausting. When the alarm goes off for the FIRST time at 6:00 I start my day and usually end it at about 11 or 12 that night. I am learning a lot about third grade, the kids, the teachers, FCAT! AAHHH. My day flies but so do I. I make it a point to devote my full attention, or as much as possible to the kiddos when I get home, because I miss them so much. Little things like bath time, or watching Aiden play golf with Daddy, seem to recharge me. My house however has not had my full attention. Yuck... I am off to bed i guess, if my pics will ever upload! I HATE DIAL UP! So, this post is kind of random, but I thought I would share some cute kid pics-maybe it will recharge your day. Maybe? In the meantime, if anyone needs me I will be watching the weather channel. Go away Gustaf. Take cover Dana! Love you all...

Make yourself comfortable...its a long one

It has been a while since I last posted. I have been busy spending my last few days of summer with the kiddos and taking a few lessons in being humble, and flexible.

This summer was amazing! I had so much fun just being a mommy.

Aiden is a raging two year old and I am loving every minute of it. He is a very sweet little boy and for the most part is very obedient. He is learning so much about life and I cannot believe the amount of information that he takes in. Currently he is obsessed with his racecars and tractors. He can spot a tractor a mile away. I often find rocks in his pockets, and dirt behind his ears. He loves to count in english and spanish, and I love to listen to him sing songs, and pray for his friends and family at bedtime. It is enough to take your breath away. This summer we have battled with obedience, fears of the dark and the thunder, and now it is crawling into bed with mommy and daddy. One night last week he got up four times to crawl into bed with Daddy and Mommy. Each time we traded off sending him back to his room. The next day when Mark and I were discussing the game plan for the evening, we discussed while it is troublesome to get up over and over with him, there will be a day when he doesn't want to crawl into bed with us. Somedays I just want to embrace him and try to stop him from growing. As we tuck him in at night after books, and songs, and prayers, most children snuggle up with a nice soft stuffed animal. Aiden likes to snuggle with a river rock Mark brought him home one day, a little fake bug in a wooden box, and my ART BOOK. I make sure I tell him every night that I am glad that I am his mommy.

Taylor is such a sweet little pea pod. Her little smile is so infectious and when you get her going she has this deep laugh that just makes you want to stand on your head just to hear it again. She loves to look at Aiden and seems to always be aware of what he is doing. Usually she has no other choice because he is constantly in her face. Her eyes seem to be turning green? maybe, but I can tell that they will not be blue for much longer. When she wakes in the morning she loves to stretch and coo and slowly greet her day. She is growing so long and growing out of clothes. Which brings me to how much fun I have dressing her up. I know that she will be as big as Aiden before I know it. Uuuughhh- it makes my heart hurt. I can feel the tears coming as I type, so I think I should move on from this subject.

SO this week God humbled me in ways I cannot explain. This past week my principal told me that I would no longer be teaching K, and that even though I had never taught third grade, and even though my room was almost ready for kids, that I needed to pack my stuff and move across the school 2 days before planning. I know this sounds a little trivial but I didn't see this coming and I was so comfortable with my team, and my grade. We are all very close. So I had no time to waste. I showed up at school the next day and 3 of the girls I work with, my wonderful friend Michelle, My awesome mom, and a son of one of the teachers, helped me pack my entire classroom and move. Did I mention that Aiden and Taylor were also there, and Mark was out of town? I felt so loved and so blessed that day to have such a support system, physically and emotionally. Then my bud Michelle (GO BLESS HER!!!) came back on Saturday with her husband and son, and helped Mark move my furniture so I could get settled before the week. Michelle cleaned and organized ALL of my drawers while I wandered around trying to make sense of all the madness. Once my room was set up the wonderfulness?? didn't end there. My new team of teachers came in on Monday and welcomed me with open arms and got me set to teach this week. They are amazing! So to cut my self off, God has reminded me alot this week that he is in control, and we should never be too comfortable. He has also showed me what amazing people that I have around me. With this being said: If you were one of those people that helped me this week, you will never know what your friendship meant to me this week. I felt like I could have a panic attack at any given moment and you were there to encourage me, to move furniture, books, crap(yea- I said it) and you did it without hesitation. I LOVE YOU ALL!!!

So now I have more work to finish but thats where I am. If you have made it this far...Whoa maybe you have some free time to come and help me ;-) Ta-ta for now!

Movin' and a-shaking

Little Taylor grows sweeter each day. She is one determined baby, always moving and wanting to be on the go, so I savor the moments I have with her when she smiles and coos, letting me hold her close. She is a very strong little girl who is rolling over and holding her head up high. I love it when she laughs. Yesterday, Aiden and I were talking to her and making silly baby faces, and she laughed so hard, and so deep that it shook her entire body. This week she has really been into Aiden. He can make her laugh, and when he talks to her, she stares very intently. In the first picture I was able to catch the first time she rolled over. Aiden is right by her side showing her how to do it. I hope he will always be so sweet to her...

Pea-pod loves to stuck on her fist and her fingers...the sucking sound she makes is extremely loud.

I call this the classic Taylor look. She often has her eyes so wide open they look like they might just pop out of her head. She has that deer in the headlights look. I think its because she is taking it all in. Uh-oh.

More Vacay Pics...

The Kagy's at Look out Mountain
Lupi's Pizza...or is it Lupis Pizza?
Peekaboo!

Cousins! Taylor may have a motive for being close.Give me that fist! "No Nice Taylor." This is my favorite picture from the 1200 that we took last week. I know...what would we do without digital cameras?

VACAY 08!

A few days ago we returned from our vacation with the Kagy family. We rented a cabin about 20 minutes outside of Chattanooga. This is something we did two years ago when Aiden and his cousin Abby were first born. Now with two more babies we decided that this was a must. I have not yet blogged about this trip because I had no idea where to start and still do not. So, I thought I would just touch on a few highlights.

First I must say that there is something so special and wonderful about the relationship between cousins. Aiden and Abby (for the most part) played wonderfully together. Aiden absolutely loved Abby and would squeal whenever Abby woke up in the morning. They spent their mornings running around on the deck chasing each other, pushing the stroller, playing with the big ball, and chasing Nana. Then whenever we would travel to TN., they would play in the car together laughing and singing.

We visited the Tn aquarium, the zoo, an awesome hands on kids museum, spent some time in a nearby creek, and playing in some of the numerous water features around town. We even got to have a date night (Date Night 08) in which we indulged in some Ben and Jerry’s ice cream.

Aiden loved his first carousel ride, but not his second one. While planning one night where to go for the following day, I began reading some reviews on a trip planner website about the Chattanooga Zoo. While many people loved it, one person described it as a dirty little pet shop! Despite this claim we ventured out to find that the person was pretty right on with their description. Maybe it was just that it was bloody hot, or maybe it was because all of the animals were sleeping, or maybe it was because one of the animals on display was a crow! But this was not our favorite place. There was a carousel that we thought would be fun, and it turned out to be quite old and rather scary. Aunt Sam almost fell off as the crazy old lady started the thing and the creaking of the carousel itself caused Aiden to hold on for dear life. Notice the yellow caution tape in the background.

The cabin had 3 floors, and our bedroom along with a bunk room for the kids was on the bottom floor. It was not unusual to hear the pounding of little feet running from one end of the cabin to the other. While it was loud, the sound was such a sweet reminder of what it meant to be little and carefree.

We also met our sweet little niece Joanna. She is such a sweet wonderful little girl, and unlike little miss Taylor she loved to be held and rocked. Her “tractor beam” would pull you in and before you knew it you would have sweet Jo-Jo in you arms fast asleep.

Aiden and Abby loved climbing the stairs to the third floor and throwing balls over the side of the loft area. Someone would quickly run over to guard the babes playing on the floor, and it was game on.

Going anywhere was a huge production because we would plan to be out all day. So with two toddlers and two newborns and 6 adults and lots of walking this meant a lot of packing and preparing, and unpacking and then packing again. Thank you for the double stroller, oh how I love thee!

After the kids were in bed we would stay up visiting and playing games.

Before we knew it, our trip was over and we started the mass clean up and pack up. I was overcome with emotion as we said goodbye. Family is so important to me and it was so special seeing Aiden and Abby play together and generally just love on each other. They are the A team; the first of the grandbabies. Now there is Taylor and Jo-Jo a new generation. It is so exciting to see our family grow. I also cherish the relationship that I have with Sam (my sister in law) we have been through a lot together and I feel a special closeness with her that cannot be described. I am so lucky to have her.

So we headed south. I gathered myself and finally stopped the tears flowing from my eyes. Aiden and Taylor were sleeping before we knew it. Later when Aiden woke he was somewhat cranky, and upon asking him what was wrong he said, “I want see Abby, I want see Abby.” I know baby, me too.

Now we are home. Vacation is over. As we came in the door, I put Taylor on a blanket to stretch out while we unpacked the car, and she decided to roll over! What a determined little 3 ½ month old. So many things I never want to forget.

Here are some pics for your viewing pleasure. Check out the cabin here.

Aiden 2, Taylor 3 months

My best friend, Amy came over today with Lennon, and took these shots for me. There are lots more but these made me want to freeze time. Thank you Amy for catching my babies in such a natural way. I love you!

Some All-American Fun

We went last night and did the all-american thing. We hung out with friends, ate some food, saw some fireworks. The place we go each year is extremely family friendly. They do not allow alchohol, and the people that go there are generally nice and mostly families. There are lots of vendors and bouncy house things for the kids to jump in.

Aiden had a great time. About 4 seconds after we placed our blanket on the ground he had located the one patch of dirt in the whole place. Once his buddy Fox arrived he roped him into his mischief. Aiden was covered from head to toe with dirt. He made sure that Fox was also covered in dirt along with an innocent little boy who was merely passing by. The boys had a great time but they were sweaty, gross, sandy, and covered in sno-cones.

We didn't really know what to expect with Aiden and the fireworks, but he did rather well. For the first half he watched them but made sure my hands were tightly over his hears. By the end he loved it and was ooohing and aaahhing.

He fell asleep by the time we left the parking lot, which was about 30 minutes, but he DID get a bath when we got home close to midnight.

Here is Aiden with his buddies Fox, and Ranen.

There was a man flying in the sky with a little engine on his back and a flag attatched. I think this is what they are looking at. Notice the stained mouth and the water ( I hope) on their shirts. They were having fun.

Taylor stayed with my mom and dad. The heat and noise would have been too much for her. I took this picture today. Her eyes look so pretty to me. Note: she is wearing a swim suit that I wore when I was a baby. Weird.

Potty Training... I must be crazy!

Yesterday we began potty training. I wasn't going to do it yet. Aiden didn't seem all that interested, but I thought well lets give it a go and see what happens. We took away the diaper, and I loaded him with liquids and made him sit every 10 minutes until he went. Well he did and we danced, we shouted, we gave treats. He was so proud he jumped up and down yelling "Yea Aiden!" I put his potty seat in the kitchen so that he could get there quickly, and reminded him over and over again. I was so proud of him. We had no accidents yesterday and several successful attempts. He would be playing with toys and would stop and go running to the potty. The problem that I had was with the actual potty. It is hard for him to get his boy equipment pointing into the seat and in return it can sometimes spray everywhere. So I learned very quickly to have the sink full of mopping water. I mopped more yesterday than well... I mopped alot. SO far today has been successful, we will continue to work on it. I just fear going out. For now we will put on the diaper if we go out.

Tonight we will see fireworks. We have started talking about them and describing them as "good booms." Taylor will be with my mom and dad but she still had to dress for the occasion. She has started to wiggle her self around on the floor. If I lay her on her blanket to play, I sometimes find her off of her blanket and 360 degrees from where she started. She has most recently begun to arch her back like she wants to roll over. She is a crazy little girl. She is so sweet and we love her so much.

Yesterday I ws trying to make Aiden's lunch and Taylor was also hungry. So she was fussing and I looked over and Aiden had given her the pacifier and was lightly bouncing her bouncy seat and was saying SShh, SShh, SShh. What a sweet thing.

Vacation time is coming and I can't wait to see my sweet little nieces. I am starting to dread the drive up....

Happy fourth of July!!!!

Old MacDonald had a farm...

Yesterday 3/4 of our family went to my best friends family farm. This farm started from a big piece of land and has transformed into this wonderful farm full of animals and place to play and hang out. Here you will see Aiden and Miss Lennon rockin' their cares away. Lennon is rocking a little harder as you can see. The thing that what I found interesting about all of the animals here was that they were all so vocal. No other place that I have been have had animals that have been quite so vocal. It was a great learning experience for Aiden. The animals that we saw were goats, and sheep ( one named patience with three legs), 2 horses, 2 mini horses, a ton of bunnies, guinea hens, chickens, roosters, donkeys, and a llama named Tula. When we got there we went to the "Goataminium" and went for a tour of the place. The goats were so sweet and friendly, but Aiden seemed to think it was a little unatural. Aiden got to watch the horses being fed, and give the donkeys a little corn treat. I was a little afraid Aiden might come home short a few fingers, but we still have all ten. The donkeys were hysterical. I have tried to explain that the animal that kind of looks like a horse is really a donkey and he says HEE-HAW instead of Neigh. Well these donkeys came running to us "hee-hawing?" very loudly.

Taylor was sweet as usual. I tried my off road stroller, but she is really too small still, and was less than thrilled about it, so she stuck close in the baby bjorn.

Fun in the....shade

Aiden really likes to play in the sand. I have searched high and low and there are not many playgrounds any more that have sand. It is usually mulch or recycled tire bits. We also looked around for a store bought sandbox and they are either really small or really expensive, or both. For the low cost of $31 dollars we now have a sandbox. Mark was super dad this weekend and built Aiden one kickin' sandbox equipped with lid. It is wonderful. He used pieces of wood that we had lying around and sand from a landscaping company down the road. It is under a group of huge trees so Aiden can play in it at any time of day without worry of sunburn. Yea!!!

Taylor is growing and changing. She is such a sweet little thing. I thought I would take a picture to recall how her hair looked at this point. The darker hair is falling out and coming in lighter. Aiden's did the same, it just cracks me up at how funny it looks. Like a little old man.

Another milestone happened on Friday. Aiden counted to ten. He was sitting it the back seat and while I was getting gas I just happened to peak in to get something and he was counting. He got to five and kept going. I made a big deal and clapped and hugged him, and since then he has done it several more times. I guess he got his Daddy's math skills. Thank goodness.

It's Hard

Its hard..... to color a picture.....
with a Tiger-lily in the way.

This is how I feel sometimes. I am engrossed in a task and something prevents me from completeing it. Mostly kids. But then I stop and remember how thankful I am for my babies and it makes it all worthwhile.