KAGY

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2011-04-11T15:47:00.002-02:00

It has long been tradition that leprechauns visit schools on St. Patrick's Day morning and cause chaos amongst the classrooms. Aiden had first hand experience with this tradition this year. In his classroom leprechauns came and threw toys all over his classroom, turned tables over, and caused mass confusion. He was so excited to tell us all about it!

The Many Faces of Taylor

2011-04-11T15:37:00.003-02:00

Taylor Grace is my sassy, sweet, fun loving precious little girl. She is sweet and sour. She makes me laugh and makes me take deep breaths. She make me sigh. She makes my heart ache because she is so sweet and so passionate about everything. I can't wait to see what God has in store for her.

Let the Birthdays Begin Again

2011-04-11T14:09:00.005-02:00

During birthday season it is not uncommon for our family to have more than one birthday party a day. The year Aiden was born there were several 2006 babies. Ranen, Cash, Nena,Aiden, Clark, and Fox all were born in the span of a couple of months (mostly in April). This was just the ones born in 06! Every year we know birthday season has begun with Ranen's birthday. Last year and this year seem to be the age of super heroes. Ranen celebrated in style with a transformer birthday. The boys played games, hit some stuff, and generally had a good time being boys.....Taylor helped with the cupcakes....

Mr. Chris lead a game of hide some transformer related item and the other teams goes and finds it. I think there was a better name but that was just the gist of it...

I caught Ms. Sandra in a picture! She is so pretty. So may times mommies are so busy taking the pictures that they are rarely caught in them...

The 2006 boys....Cash, Ranen, Fox, Aiden, and Clark....

The 2006 boys and sweet Nena- the only girl- guess she will have her pick ;-)

Aiden hittin stuff (the pinata)....
Sweet Taylor Grace- this of course is after she "helped with the cupcakes...

After Ranen's we rushed home, napped, and prepared for Lennon's birthday! She had an Irish party complete with green punch and Irish step dancing with miss Britney. Taylor was completely enthralled with her and made me want to rush down and sign her up for dance...maybe next year...

Happy Birthday Sweet Lennon! We love you!

Oh sweet babies...

Love is in the air

2011-03-10T17:06:00.004-02:00

I am pretty lame when it comes to Valentine's Day. I love my husband and like the idea of having a reason to do something nice for one another but I HATE, HATE the stress of trying to find just the perfect thing to do or buy on this day. So this year we did dinner the night before with kids. I am at the point in my life where going from point A to point B can be stressful if not done the correct way. So we beat the crowds, and the day of hung out with our friends, made cookies, and played with the culdesac gang.

The kids preparing to make cookies...
The finished product...
Taylor "cleans" up... The cookies were finished I PROMISE...

We are in the age of funny faces can you tell?

So sweet...
The Besties...

The culdesac gang! Happy Valentines Day!!!

Lexi Lu is 15!

2011-03-10T16:57:00.003-02:00

I remember vividly being 15 years old and going to Atlanta to meet my sweet cousin Alexa. She is so special to me and I love every single inch of her. She is so very special to me and I would do anything in the world for her. So now this February 15 years later Alexa or Lexi Lou Who as I have always called her turned the big 1-5! We had a family party for her and enjoyed some time together. The kids love NeNe gorgeous and Lexi and really who could blame them....

A New Summers....

2011-03-10T16:44:00.003-02:00

On January 28,2011, my little brother and sweet sister in law had their first little baby boy. Jacob Michael Summers came via c-section. I worked that morning and was so upset that I had to miss the momentous occasion. We rushed to the hospital as soon as I grabbed the kids that afternoon. Taylor and Aiden had been on baby watch for days and were so excited to meet their new cousin. Cody and Melanie got zero sleep the night before but you could not tell because of how happy they were. Jacob is a sweet little man and I love him from the tip of his nose to the top of his toes!

Park Time

2011-03-09T14:31:00.003-02:00

January brought us the first glimpse of nice weather, or at least a taste of it for the weekend, but hey I'll take it. We decided to take the kids to the park. After the usual play equipment time, Mark and I took the kids on a walk through the woods on the nature trail. Growing up here I knew that there was a train track that I thought the kids would enjoy. The boys RAN through the woods and Taylor and I made our way their together. Let me tell you this was a boys dream complete with rocks, stickers, and even tar. Aiden and Mark climbed to the op of the track first and then Taylor and I eventually followed. We spent a good hour climbing, throwing rocks, and laughing. By the time we left Aidens hands and pants were covered in tar. Oh well....

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever!

2011-03-08T17:21:00.005-02:00

I am telling you what folks, we were busy this Christmas! Aiden had a christmas performance one evening at school. He was an angel if you couldn't tell...which is why he is wearing garland on his head. Now, we were a little nervous for Aiden this time. At his Thanksgiving play he clammed up and did not sing one word to one song. He didn't even move his lips! When we asked him about it later he told us that there were too many people and he didn't like them clapping. This time the play was in the evening and every child's entire family was there! I was right up there with all the crazy's too! I had the camera in one hand and the video camera in the other. I was one proud mama and was not about to miss one single thing. There were so many people that I ended up in the front, on the floor. But to our surprise Aiden smiled, sang, and even did the occasional hand motion. His one nervous tick was that he pulled on his shirt collar the entire time. I kept telling him hands off! Other than that the whole thing was very sweet!

Taylor got to hang out with her buddy Kyle while big sis Tori sang in the play too!

He's really singing!
Sweet Angel!
Pulling on his stinkin' collar!
This is when he entered. He was so happy and cheerful

This was before the play. So sweet and loving...

Gingerbread Party

2011-03-08T16:54:00.005-02:00

One of my favorite things at Christmas time is making "gingerbread" houses. I usually do this with my class but just wasn't in the mood this year. Our wonderful friends The Walworth's opened up their home to host ALL of the craziness! The bigger kids were able to construct houses but the smaller ones (aiden and taylor) basically painted some frosting on a cracker and added some candy. What do they care?

Just a peek at the craziness! When all of the cookies were eaten, and the candy was finally put away, the kiddos snuggled close to enjoy a holiday cartoon. I think this time it was a christmas carol.

Aiden, Cash, Nena, Ranen, Clark, Libby.

Here are some more fun pictures from the night...

Traditions with the Besties

2011-03-03T12:14:00.003-02:00

Another tradition that we have is watching old school cartoons. You know what I mean- Frosty, Rudolph, etc. I think Aiden watched Frosty 300 times this christmas and would have watched it 300 more if I would have let him. So one night I took the kids over to my besties house and we let the kids watch christmas shows in their jammies. It is so fun to see our mini-me's love each other. I hope that they always do.

Dorothy Oven

2011-03-02T18:14:00.004-02:00

As a child I remember riding in the car and looking for the best Christmas light. The tradition continued when I went to college and Dana and I were roommates. One year we gathered up our hot chocolate from the Sing store and looked at lights for hours giving each of them a little note letting the home owners how wonderful they were! I know...too much free time...these are the things that I did before I had kids...now I try to pass the tradition on to my own. There is a park in town that lights up the whole park each year. Each year we find our selves wandering through and marveling at the magic. This year we went with our neighbors and shared the fun! It was freezing!!!

Snugglin

2011-03-02T18:13:00.000-02:00

Aiden and Taylor are pure snuggle bugs! It is our favorite past time!

Thanksgiving 2010

2011-03-02T17:27:00.013-02:00

Thanksgiving was a very interesting but an exciting one! Uncle Steve, Aunt Sam, Abby, Joanna, and baby Joshua all moved from Louisville to Sarasota! They are living with Nana and Papa for now, but will eventually have a home of their own. Thanksgiving was a time of good food, happy children, and fun family time.

Sweet cousins!

Nana read...

The big kids played...

Benny the wonder dog protected...

Baby Joshua slept....

We made messes, and cookies, and memories...

On Thanksgiving day we all pitched in and made the yummiest dinner ever! Grandma and Poppy and Uncle Larry and Aunt Starla came over, Daddy fried a turkey and we found out just how bad mommy is at corn hole...

And just like true Aiden and Abby fashion they were like two little peas in a pod...and played for hours together.

Why do I do this?!

2011-03-02T12:20:00.019-02:00

SO I find that I go through waves and troughs of blogging. Life happens at such an incredible speed and I am often to busy relishing in its wonder to sit down and post about it. But I must. For my family- for my kids- for the memories. I want them written in stone in case for some reason the craziness of life wipes my memory clean. Last post date was JULY! Wow! So... I am once again going to try to do a quick recap of what life has been like for the past 7 months.

In August school began again and my "little" Aiden began pre-K. He was so excited about it! Can't you tell? His teachers are Ms. Marsha

and Ms. Kayla, and they do so many fun things in their room! Here is my happy pre-K boy!

September came and I found out that we were going to have a new addition to our family! I was pregnant! Baby number three is due in May. Of course this meant that I also felt like I had been hit by a Mack truck oh yeah and it was hot out!!! We spent time being lazy on the weekends and playing lots of dress up! Taylor is such a sassy little thing and loves to look like a "peh-pess" princess. She has such attitude and is coming in to her own.

In October the weather finally cooled off and allowed us to go out and picnic and play...

October also marks the beginning of Mark's football officiating season. This year Nana and Papa and I took the kids to see a game that Mark worked. They had so much fun and loved to see Daddy. Taylor Loved the cheerleaders. Both the kids got cute pom poms and shook them until I couldn't take it anymore.

October is also pumpkin time. We made our annual trip to the pumpkin patch. Taylor was NOT in the mood this day! Aiden wanted his picture taken next to every prop there was and was quite irritated that we had to leave soon after we got there because of sassy britches...

Uncle Cody married Aunt Melanie in October and Aiden and Taylor were the flower girl and ring bearer. The wedding was simply beautifully and it was such a wonderful day! With hundreds of pictures it is a little bit difficult to choose...

Aiden had cowboy day at school. He rode ponies, played games, and loved it!

I love fall for the weather, but also all of the carnivals that there are! We went to the carnival at Celebration this year. We love it there! Aiden was so very brave and climbed up the huge slide and even went down it probably 1 dozen times, and Taylor rode her very first pony! Before she had always been too freaked out but she did a great job! Rosie even had fun with an Elvis impersonator who sang to her. It was a fun, fun day!

We had to carve our pumpkin. It was so hot we did it right before Halloween so it wouldn't attract bugs and flies in a day. This was also the first year that Aiden would voluntarily touch the pumpkin guts.

We went trick or treating this year with our friends The Stallers. We began at Canopy Roads for a carnival-ish event. We went out to dinner and then hit the streets lookin' for candy! Aiden is still in his spiderman phase and wanted to be "Venom" or as we call him black spiderman and taylor was a princess. She is so sassy that we literally went through her dress up clothes the afternoon of and she chose. I then bribed her to get dressed by telling her she could wear mommy's makeup. Whew she keeps me on my toes!

My next post will include the holidays...I better do it while I am still motivated...

Another Beach trip

2010-07-13T00:57:00.004-02:00

Mark and I took the kids to St. George last weekend to visit Uncle Cody, Melanie and Yaya. We were a little worried because it rained off and on the whole way to the island but by the time that we got there the rain cleared up and it was just overcast enough that we were able to play and have fun without the scorching summer heat. We mostly played in the sand. Because there was a tropical storm way out in the middle of somewhere the water was extremely rough and full of seaweed. Taylor of course loves the adventure and Aiden like me could do without the seaweed. We stuck close to the beach.

St. George is a special place to me. Growing up it is where I spent a lot of my summer time. I have a lot of memories associated with this place. I crave it. I miss it. It is where Mark took me and proposed. It frightens me that this place that I knew so very well as a child might not be as beautiful as it once was because of the current oil spilling into the Gulf on a daily basis. I think I have written about this before but it truly hurts my heart to think about the gorgeous land, animals, fishermen, and future memories. So...we go when we can.

Fourth of July 2010

2010-07-13T00:43:00.003-02:00

This fourth of July we once again spent in style with our great group of friends at Northwoods. We have started somewhat of a little tradition. There is such a wonderful family atmosphere here and the kids have so much fun. The Rutherford family came over for dinner before and then we hit the road. When we got there the kids played, and Mark and I got to hang out with the grown ups. The kids loved the fireworks. Taylor kept repeating over and over again "Fireworks go BOOM!", and insisted that her Daddy hold her ears. We were home by eleven and even managed to keep the kids awake so that we could bathe them when we got home, and read a story. We can mark this in the books for a successful trip!

No Florida summer celebration is ever complete without a sno-cone.....or a afternoon rain shower. Thanks Laura for the straw mats. FYI- they leak ;-)

Down on the Farm

2010-07-06T17:17:00.006-02:00

We had an early fourth of july cookout with our sweet Holland friends. They kids swam, ate, and then we took them for a ride around the farm. They had fun. We saw deer along the way and this cute little snake that was 2-3 feet away from me. Yikes! Lennon fell asleep on the way and while I was going to take a picture of her, I looked down to find this little guy. Jumped back in the kuboto super fast. We shot off the fireworks in the field and the kids ran and played and jumped. I remember thinking, this is the perfect summer evening. AMy looked at me at one point and said "We are living our dream." We are.

June 2010

2010-07-06T16:29:00.008-02:00

In June the kids and I went with YaYa to our annual blueberry picking place. We have gone

here for 2 years and to one other place when Taylor was itty bitty. This year the kids actually put more in the buckets than they ate. It wasn't as hot this year and we were able to enjoy the day more. We picked about six pounds and have gotten to make a tasty blueberry cobbler with our find.

We have officially entered into the "I do it myself" phase with Taylor. She is so much more independent and headstrong than Aiden ever was at this age. There is not reasoning with her when she decides that she wants to do something. I am sure that one day this will be a very charming quality, but when you are in a hurry to go somewhere and she wants to dress herself, or pick out her clothes, or shoes, or bow it really tests my patience.

Amy came over and got to have some quality time with Amy. Taylors hair is growing so much it is fun to play with it and dress it up with some really cute little bows. More on that later...

The kids LOVE to play with Daddy. Some days I feel like chopped liver. When Mark comes home the kids go running and screaming DAAAAADDDYYY!!!!

The kids have even caught the creative bug and have spent lots of time painting and coloring. Aiden loves to write his name and has fun tracing letters and shaped. Taylor...well..she loves to make a mess!

Aiden and Taylor can fight and scream like cats and dogs but MOST of the time they are pals. They love seeing eachother and playing together. They are partners in crime!

Bad Blogger

2010-06-25T01:47:00.044-02:00

It is June, well now july. It has been four months since my last post. I feel like I needed to confess if you didn't notice the dates already. Every now and again I have to play catch up. So here I am...playing catch up. The easiest way...by months. Here goes:

March-
The month of March brought on a wave of craftiness. I painted, took pictures, picked fabrics and even bribed my very own loving mother to create my idea due to my lack of sewing knowledge. My very loyal friend Cyndi and I created a family rules canvas. It is a set of rules for our family to live (haha) by. Here is my final product. I also took the cuties to the park and embarked on one of many to come photo shoots with my new camera.

I bribed mom into making pillowcase dresses for Taylor. They are aparently really easy and so very cute. Tay's favorite is her ladybug dress. I think that she would wear it daily if I allowed it.

We also began building our privacy fence in the back yard. Every night after work, we would go outside and work. Mark-o is superman. He amazes me. He worked so very hard and we have a beautiful fence that can keep our kids safe, and provides so much privacy. I LOVE it.

For spring break the kids and I went with our very wonderful Cyndi and her little lovelies to see their Nana in St. Augustine. We swam,went to the kids museum, painted easter eggs and just generally had a great time.

April-

We finished off our spring break by taking a trip to St. Marks. As a child I have memories of it being this miraculous place. This is an example of how childhood memories should remain just that..memories. When we got there the sand fleas almost carried us away. There was not really a place to walk out in the water so we walked to find some. As soon as we found a place, Taylor ventured out onto the rocks and fell on some barnacles and cut her leg all up! So after 15 minutes of being there we loaded the kids up and went home. Next time we drive to a real beach!

Easter came along and we went to Yaya's and grandaddy's and hunted eggs with the grandparents and Uncle Cody and Melanie. Aiden and Taylor did so well and it was so sweet to see Aiden help is little sister out and find the eggs. Taylor sported her coll shades most of the day and refused to take them off.

Then came the big event. Aiden and Taylor's big Spiderman Princess party! We had so much fun! Aiden was turning four and Taylor turned 2 on the day of the party. All of our friends and family came to celebrate with us. The day was complete with a spiderman bounce house, sno cones, crafts, a pinata, games, two cakes and tons of kids everywhere. Aiden was so very excited about his bouncy house and between the two of them they probably ate 25 sno cones. People just kept handing them out to the kids and they never objected to this. Mark was a sport and manned the snocone machine most of the time. By the end of the day there was a new meaning to the word exhaustion! I loved baking the cakes and planning the day, but mostly I enjoyed how thrilled A and T were about all of the fun!

The weekend of the party we decided to move Taylor to her big girl bed. She was so excited and jumped on it and played and kept saying "my bed" In the beginning she would lay in bed in the morning until someone got her up. Now when the sun comes up, so does Taylor!

For his birthday, Aiden got a big boy bike. It is now June and he has become very good at it. In April...not so much. We would go outside everyday and practice. At first there was no pedaling, steering or any activity. Now he has gotten it down and is very proud of himself. Go Aiden!

May-

Mother's Day was wonderful. Mark and I went with the kids to the beach. The kids love the beach and the waves. Some of my favorite childhood memories happened while at the beach. Every chance we get we try to take the kids.

We had a cookout with our dear friends the stallers. We swam, made dinner, we made smores, watched lightning bugs, and then the kids snuggled up and have movie time. It was a wonderful night with great friends. Cyndi and I secretly have a plan for an arranged marriage for Taylor and Kyle. I hope they will be okay with this :-)

So hopefully I am all caught up. Now I can start fresh. Well, somewhat..it is almost July ;-)

Valentines Day

2010-02-12T01:30:00.011-02:00

I try to fight it. I try to say I am not a fan of such silly days like Valentine's, St. Patricks Day, Halloween etc., but I am. I love all things festive. More and more I see the product of this through my children. Aiden was extremely upset when Christmas was over and frequently asks me when Halloween will be here again. I secretly love it.

This was the first Valentines Day that Aiden could really get what was going on, I guess. So, If Aiden thinks it is cool so does Taylor.

Aiden filled up his bedtime sticker chart for sleeping in his bed all night every night, and got to go have frozen yogurt and pick out Valentines for his friends at Ms. Amanda's. He was in heaven! He chose spiderman valentines (of course) cups to drink out of, m&m's, heart shaped cookie cutters, and heart sprinkles. I took this as a hint that we were going to make cookies (again, I love it!)

So this week we made cookies (no cut out roll cookies here folks), rolled them out, made icing and decorated them. There were moments of sure chaos and screaming that they wanted cookies before they were done, but we made it through. They had so much fun decorating (and tasting). Taylor was a little angel! She was very meticulous with her frosting and spent a great amount of time placing sprinkles on each cookie, and Aiden was frosting one after the other like a little machine. By the time they were all done, it was bathtime and then bedtime. Mark whisked them off to the bath and I got to clean up the mess without little grabby hands reaching everywhere.

When Taylor went to bed Aiden and I sat down and wrote his name on his valentines. It went well for the first two or three but by number 5 he was done and so was I. It was a great night but exhausting and I wouldn't trade one minute. Happy little festive memories.

2009

2010-01-03T03:31:00.010-02:00

New Year's Eve 2008- One of the worst nights ever. Our sweet Dog Coletrane was hit by a car and passed away soon after we found him. Our hearts were crushed and we spent the next couple of weeks mourning his death. He was so special to us and touched our family so much. I know...he was a dog....he didn't think so, and he made us really understand what it meant to love an animal. This is the way that our 2009 began, but thankfully it went much better as the year progressed.

This New Years Eve of 2009 I sat and began to reorganize pictures. Nothing like starting the year off with a little organizing project, right? As I sat there I realized how different our lives have become in just one year and how my baby boy seems a whole foot taller, and our little baby girl is so much bigger with so much more hair! These are just some of the physical changes of our year.

Shortly into the New Year we realized that our kids were only getting bigger and the drive from Monticello to Tallahassee was only getting longer. Things were different after Coletrane was gone and it felt like a majority of our time was spent in the car. We took the plunge and finally put our house on the market.

In April Taylor had her first birthday. Our little girl celebrated in style with her friends and family and the wonderful people that support us on a daily basis.

After a few short months our house sold late in the spring. We packed our home that we brought our babies home from the hospital to and moved to a two bedroom apartment and continued to look for our new home. It was such an emotional time. We were so excited about the next step of our lives, but as we cleaned our home that one last time, tears poured from our eyes as we walked and reminisced about everything that had taken place there. Our Monticello house was one that we put everything we had into. It was full of love and happy memories.

The summer brought a time of looking at houses, swimming in the pool at the apartment, teaching a spunky little three year old to jump off the side of the pool without fear, easing his fears of the people upstairs at bedtime, watching Taylor take her first steps at the end of May, buying a new house, a stomach bug that traveled through our entire family, renovating our new home, vacationing with family in Sarasota, moving into our new home, and finally starting a new school year.

We are into our routine now and have enjoyed the first round of holidays in our new home. We have had family stay with us through Thanksgiving and Christmas and have really enjoyed our new lives. Our friends live within 5-10 minutes of us. We do not require an entire day to do one activity anymore, and have come to realize what wonderful neighbors we have. Bedsides the few minor illness that we have had our family has been healthy. We are happy. 2009 started out poorly, but overall we have had a blessed year. 2010 here we come!

Have a holly jolly christmas

2009-12-20T11:19:00.011-02:00

We started our holiday season off this Thanksgiving with Thanksgiving at our house. Mark's grandmother and grandfather, aunt and uncle, and mom and dad came to stay with us. My mom, dad and brother also came over and I got a surprise visit from my aunt. It was great fun! We well I woke up the next morning and went shopping at 3 am with my best friend and my mother. We got 90% of our christmas shopping done, but ran into a ton of crazy's along the way.

This Christmas has been a great for teaching about the reason we celebrate. Aiden is supremely interested and loves this time of year just like I do. It was very important to him that we get our christmas tree, and it must be big, and be put in the center of our living room. We have our big tree but it is not in the center of the room. We decorated our house for the first time with christmas lights and let the kids play in the ever growing piles of hickory nut leaves.

I also started an advent calendar this christmas. I started but did not finish. I got somewhat off track. I began by adding a piece of candy in each little door and we would talk about a piece of the christmas story from the kids bible, or read a bible verse. Since then I have gotten a plan from Sandra and plan to start it hardcore next year. The lack of planning started my slackness, but what really got the ball moving was what happened in the wee hours of the first weekend of advent.

Aiden woke up very early and I took him into the living room and put on a movie for him to watch. I got him a cup of milk and his breakfast bar and left him playing cars. Usually Aiden will come back in our room 15 times. The result of this is never going back to sleep but rather just closing your eyes. This is really the story of my life lately, but thats another story. So, this morning he did not do this and I when I woke up at 11:00 I flew out of my bed. I was not worried about Taylor because I know she will stay in bed just as long as you will let her most mornings, but I was relieved when I found Aiden still quietly playing with his trains and cars. That is until he looked up and his mouth was covered in chocolate. Our conversation went something like this:
Me: Aiden, why do you have chocolate all over your face?
Aiden: I ate chocolate
Me: Yes, I know that Aiden, but from where?
Aiden: From the calendar
Me: (running to the calendar and frantically opening every door) you ate it all?!!! All 20 pieces?!
Aiden: I did not eat baby Jesus' birthday.
Me: Does your belly hurt? Do you need to go potty? We don't eat chocolate without asking mommy or daddy!

Needless to say he did not eat much for the rest of the day. So this is how our holiday began.

Friday we went to see Santa. Taylor cried and Aiden had a long talk with the big guy. Aiden ran right up to him and began telling him that he wanted a rope? for Christmas. He also asked him if he liked chocolate milk. He was a hoot. Santa even chuckled a few times. After Taylor got as far away from Santa as she could she pointed and called out "Santa!" and "hohoho."

Today we have more family coming in and we will have the first of many family dinners. Here we go...

Need I say more?

2009-10-11T14:37:00.000-02:00

Pea Pod

2009-10-04T22:50:00.003-02:00

I feel like every time I go to post lately it is because I am feeling sappy. . I have also had a bad case of writers block. Our lives are so fast paced and busy that it is hard to sit down and just think about how we have spent our time. Tonight I will give it a shot. Bear with me, I am a proud mama!Regardless, lately I have started to realize that our little Pea Pod is growing up. I seem to notice changes in her on a daily basis. Her language is building every day and she is changing from baby to little girl. She has such a funny sense of humor and loves to laugh and play. She is our little love bug. She is a VERY loud child that voices her opinion whenever she can. Currently she is like a little Linus with either a baby or a blanket. She loves her baby and can often be distracted from injury, or from her older brother. She uses words like: baby, mama, daddy, cup, yes, thanks, night night, snack, bow, eyes, teeth...I think there are a few more. She loves to dance and has rhythm from who knows where. She can identify her eyes, nose, mouth, head, tongue, teeth, ears, knees. She gives kisses, plays peek a boo and does whatever Aiden does. I just love this age!

We got the sickies

2009-09-30T23:11:00.002-02:00

Last week Taylor was home for 2 days sick. This week Aiden was home sick. I always struggle with when it is an appropriate time to take them to the Doctor. Now, with the H1N1/Flu scare and craze, I don't want to take them to the doctor to pick up any more germies. So Saturday in a matter of about an hour Aiden went from no fever to about 104. It scared me. With some Ibuprofen and some snuggling ( I like to think it helps) it came down to about 102. He was lethargic most of the time, but leave it to Aiden to make a situation comical. In the midst of it all, this is how I found him on the potty entertaining himself. Where does he get this stuff? I love his spirit. He loves to entertain, and to find humor in everything. What a nut!

Raining

2009-09-19T22:26:00.004-02:00

It has been raining this week, I mean the whole week. My children are crazy, I am crazy, and the 25 children that I teach everyday are crazy. I mean I am all for a nice rain storm, but seriously enough is enough.

Today the kids and I went to my mom and dad's house, which includes driving down a very windy, very wet canopy road. As we were leaving I told Aiden that we should say a prayer to God to ask him to keep us safe on the way home. This is pretty much how it went: "Dear God (hands folded, eyes shut tight), please push the rain button and turn off the rain. We are all done. Oh and keep us safe, Amen.) Amen brotha!

Baby Shower Fun!

2009-08-27T23:07:00.005-02:00

In our group of friends someone is always pregnant. Right now four girls are prego. One of the many great things about having babies is that it gives us girls another reason to hang and have a fun night out together. This was taken at the latest shower. Michelle's little Zoey is on the way. Any day she will be here. I imagine the future and I think of all of the fun pictures like this that our children will have together. So far there are 20 something of them so I am sure there will be plenty. We are blessed to have such wonderful friends!

Jack and Jill

2009-08-27T22:48:00.005-02:00

Aiden and Taylor have a new backyard game this week.
Aiden pushes the fourwheeler (that he is probably too big for) up the hill and Taylor follows. When they get to the top of the hill Aiden rides the fourwheeler full speed down the hill and Taylor follows running. There is a lot of squealing involved. This goes on and on for quite a while and several times Taylor rolls down the hill head over feet, laughing the whole time. When we cannot stand the mosquitoes any longer we head inside. They are sweaty, tired, and Taylor is covered in dirt and scratches.

Each night they beg to go outside. I can feel summer slipping away. The cooler air is coming and I can't wait to open those huge doors and let them run in and out!

A new stage

2009-08-21T00:54:00.004-02:00

This summer was a whirlwind. In late May we sold our house, moved into an apartment, bought a new house, worked on the new house while living in the apartment, moved out of the apartment, and into the new house and now I have gone back to work.

Apartment living is not for me. It may have been a one point but with a family it was a very tense time. We lived in a two bedroom apartment. Aiden and Taylor (3 and 1) shared a room, and Mark and I had the other room. It definitely had its perks. The pool being the top one, and listening to the sweet sounds of brother and sister laughing and giggling as they settled down for the evening to go to sleep. It was a precious memory that I will always remember. The down side was the close quarters and the lack of our possessions that made us feel at home. One of the other major problems we had this summer was with our sweet imaginative Aiden. This has been the summer of "monsters, people in the wall, and dinosaurs in the closet. It was not a loud place, but in general there are going to be noises of other people in the building. Aiden was terrified each night to be alone and it was heartbreaking. I prayed each and every night that my little one would rest and would feel comfortable in his own room but it did not come. Mark and I took turns comforting him and sitting with him until he fell asleep. He would then wake up in the middle of the night, causing Taylor to wake up. We didn't get much sleep. ever. The days were fun. We would wake up in the morning, go do something fun, be home to nap, play in the afternoon, have dinner, swim, and then go to bed. We did this for an entire month. Often times I felt like I was staying at an extended stay for the summer. I told myself this often to stay sane. Taylor took her first steps in that tiny apartment on May 31 and took off running soon after in the days following.
Aiden became very comfortable in the pool. He went from clinging to Mark or I for dear life, to jumping of the side of the pool into the water. He swam with his floaties but loved every minute of it. Taylor was a different story. Most of the time she had to be coaxed into floating around the pool and then we usually bought more time for us in the pool by giving her a snack in the stroller. Aaah the double stroller. What a lifesaver that was. It was always stocked with towels, sunscreen, various pool toys, and floaties, ready for the pool at the drop of a hat.
At the end of June our WHOLE family got a nasty stomach virus, which is even more fun and inevitable being in such close quarters.
At the end of June we bought our house. We had it for 3 days and worked in it night and day before Uncle Steve, Aunt Sam, Abby, and Joanna came to visit. When they were here we hung out with friends and went to hang out at our annual trip to the fireworks. Abby and Aiden are so much fun together. They are like peas and carrots and had fun dancing and playing together at the fireworks. We left the next day with all of the kids in tow and headed to Nana and Papa's for a week. After the fun there we returned to finish an entire month of working night and day in the house to get it move in ready.
By naptime each day we were at the house and would not leave until midnight or later each night. We would wake up the kids move them to the apartment and then start over the next day. We had awesome friends come and help us each and every day. We COULD NOT have done it without them. They were there for the hideous textured wallpaper removal and the painting of the ALL of the trim and countless times offered reassurance that it would indeed get done in time.
Finally the day came that our POD arrived. What a glorious day. Aiden and I watched as the man came unloaded the POD from the truck and set it in the driveway. Once again our amazing friends came over and the POD was unloaded in about 45 minutes. The day had arrived.

Now we are here. Most of our things are unpacked. We are no where near from being done with the house but we are home. My prayers have been answered and Aiden goes right to sleep on his own and everyone seems to be much more at ease with one another. We all have our own space and we love our new home. I can't believe the summer is over. I started school again this week and I don't like it one bit. Working is for the birds.

Both Aiden and Taylor have grown up so quickly this summer and I feel like I have been so busy that I have missed it.
We are in a new stage in our lives and I am ready for it! Come see us sometime!

Monday Night Family

2009-08-18T01:30:00.004-02:00

We have the most special group of friends. This was taken tonight at dinner. This was posted by Julie and it was so sweet. I couldn't have said it better myself. Thanks Julie!~

Our Gifts

Dear Children of Monday Night,

We, your parents, used to be a bunch of college students. There were no kid plates, no sippy cups, and no toys flying around when we got together. We were just God lovers trying to figure out what we wanted to do in this world. We had dreams and plans to make and do big things. We thought we knew what we wanted. But what we really wanted was you. Because you are our wildest dreams. And you've come true. You have shown us what it means to begin. To cry. To laugh. To try. To learn. To believe. To love. You are children and you are hope. You are new life and you are precious.

We are thankful. We are blessed. You have made our dreams come true. We are honored to be outnumbered by you. May your zeal, innocence, and wonder inspire us every day. We will not give up meeting together. We will do it forever. We will do it for you. We love you.

The Moms and Dads of Monday Night

Staying Cool

2009-06-24T01:44:00.003-02:00

Today we tried something different and went to the pool down the road. FUN FUN FUN! Worth every penny. Aiden was glued to the water slide, and Taylor was right behind him as usual. Two hour pool trip= Three Hour Nap!

Its blueberry time!

2009-06-24T01:31:00.004-02:00

For the second year in a row we ventured out to pick blueberries. This summer has been a scorcher so we were there by 8:30 am and by 9:30 (I think..) we were drenched in sweat! Taylor tromped around with Aiden and discovered just how yummy blueberries were. She found a seat next to Yaya and then Aiden promptly showed her how to pick them straight from the bush. She is a quick learner! So after a few diaper changes later I decided that I would freeze them up and save them for some yummy goodness when we visit with the Kagy Family later in the month. I'm saving them for you SAM!

She ate some grass along with her blueberries!
Best seat in the house.
Aiden doesn't go far without his shades.

Just like brother

2009-06-15T16:06:00.004-02:00

This weekend Taylor officially seemed like a big girl to me. I don't think she crawled but once the entire weekend and strives to do everything Aiden does. As a result we have been constantly on both of them" off limits, no no yuck Taylor, Aiden make good choices, Aiden give that back to her, Taylor the potty is off limits, whew!

Taylor really looks up to Aiden and now it is a matter of getting him to make choices that are good so that she will follow good behavior.

Trying to stay cool.

2009-06-14T00:27:00.006-02:00

So we are in the full swing of summer. This includes the 100+ degree weather that comes along with it. Our activities have been centered around getting out of our apartment and keeping cool. Most days we get out but by the time I make it to the car with a bag, a lunch box, two cups, a baby doll, a race car, a purse, a bag of trash, and any other item that we may need to take with us, sweat has begun dripping down my forehead. So we usually to something outside in the morning and try to nap during the hottest part of the day. This summer we get to add our YaYa to our play schedule. My mom retired this April (go mom!) and we get to go play at her house, or shop, or swim! This week we went over after nap and played. Aiden has been playing baseball with the tee and seems to get better and better. Taylor is walking everywhere and getting into everything. She mostly hung out in the pool and played ball girl for her big brother. Note: This was almost o'clock in the evening and still freaking hot!

Notice the look of concentration!

Pool Kids

2009-06-02T23:08:00.003-02:00

Aiden and Taylor with my bestie Amy's girls, Rose and Lennon.

No more school! Summer has officially started. Call me to set up a playdate!

Summer Cuties

2009-05-30T02:22:00.003-02:00

My last day of school was today. I am looking forward to hanging out with my babies each day and doing whatever we want. We are enjoying having a pool but are looking forward to working on our new home and eventually moving in and feeling settled. There is a lot to do, but we are so excited. We are set to close June 30th if all goes well and we have our work cut out for us. In the mean time if anyone needs me we'll be at the pool, or maybe on a play date...

Aiden's Birthday

2009-05-29T00:19:00.008-02:00

In the midst of the craziness of the sale of our old house and the move to the TEMPORARY apartment, we still made time for our sweet Aiden's third birthday. Because of the small amount of time that we had we had a small Sunday afternoon party at the park. It was fun to hang with our buddies.

Daddy's a....

2009-04-21T12:17:00.007-02:00

Lately Aiden has been very interested in who is a boy, who is a girl, man, or lady. This is the conversation we had in the car yesterday.

Aiden: Mommy you are a girl?
Mommy: Yes Aiden, but when girls grow up and get bigger we call them ladies.
Aiden: Oh. You are a lady.
Mommy: Is Taylor a boy or a girl?
Aiden: She is a baby girl.
Mommy: What is Daddy?
Aiden: (with great excitement) Daddy's a man! (quicker now) with big strong muscles, and he is good at fixing things too. Like my bike. He fixes my bike.
Mommy: (laughing) Yes, you should thank him for those things Aiden.

Well 30 minutes later when we walked in the door, the first thing he did was walk directly to Mark and tell him thank you for fixing his bike. I hope he always thinks so highly of his Daddy.

Sweet Friends like to Party~

2009-04-20T16:01:00.006-02:00

These are the last ones...I promise

More Egg Fun!

2009-04-20T14:40:00.003-02:00

Mark the tool man Kagy used his mad skills and created an easter egg launcher! He used his shop vac and with a little guidance from Vance had one mean launcher! The kids loved it and as you can see so did the adults! This will become a new tradition.

Egg Hunt

2009-04-20T14:32:00.003-02:00

The kids had fun hunting eggs.

Mmmmm cake!

2009-04-20T14:22:00.004-02:00

After the party I realized that all of the pictures I had of Taylor she was either in her high chair or asleep. She promptly fell asleep on Yaya after a cleanup from her cupcakeShe wore her polka dots! Thanks Jessi!

This was Aiden's way of telling me he was done with her and wanted his own cupcake. So much for using words, right?
Taylor loves her brother!

Par-tay Take one

2009-04-20T14:02:00.003-02:00

Taylor's party came and went and added to the "excitement" of our lives at this time. It was a nice time to put aside all the craziness and hang out with our wonderful friends and celebrate our sweet Taylor. I can't wait to share the pics but I am afraid due to time constraints I will put them up when I can. Here are just a few to start.

I went with a Ladybug theme and tested my creativity with a ladybug cake and baby ladybug cookies. Here's what I came up with.

Baby Girl is One!

2009-04-10T14:12:00.003-02:00

A year ago today, precious Taylor entered our world at 6:35 p.m. Our lives have never been the same since. She has brought us so much joy and continues to amaze me each day. She is our angel, our sunshine, our little explorer, our little piece of heaven. I remember being so worried that I would never be able to love this little girl like I loved our first. Boy was I worried for nothing. It amazes me how much love a heart can feel. I thank God each day that I am her mommy and I cannot wait to see what this little girl accomplishes. It will be great things!

I would like to thank all of our friends and family who have been there for our family and our sweet Taylor and helped us "survive" this first year. It has flown by and we could not have done it without your constant, love, support, prayers, and hugs. We love you!

Happy Birthday Taylor Grace!

Spring Picture Day

2009-03-25T16:05:00.003-02:00

Things never work quite like I expect them to. Maybe this is just because I always seem to have high expectations, maybe it is because we cannot control everything and life is just...well... life. I took the kids to the park with Amy to take some fun spring pics last weekend. Taylor was sweet, Aiden was a big grump. I got maybe one acceptable picture, but this is how most of the morning looked...I just wanted a picture of the two of them , being as loving as I know that they can. Aiden is crying because he did NOT want to be there. Taylor was crying because she wanted a hug from Aiden and clearly that was NOT happening. Where was my sweet Aiden? We did get a few good ones, but I felt like I ran a marathon afterwards. Wow!

Chaos

2009-01-20T14:43:00.007-02:00

I am living in chaos. That's all there is to it.

In order to have a better chance of selling we decided to refinish and paint all of our 500( not really) kitchen cabinets.

Yes, we may be crazy.

We embarked on this adventure on Sunday. We began with the cleaning, sanding, and painting of a small section. We got through sanding, and priming and successfully keeping the little ones out of all of this mess on Sunday evening.

So Monday morning we woke up, finished painting the few cabinets left of the first SMALL section, and began sanding the next section. Well, all was going well until...

I walked into the laundry room trying to keep some sort of order and water was, not running, but GUSHING out of the water heater and water was several inches deep on the laundry room floor. So we quickly switched gears to the water heater and left the cabinets behind.

All I have to say is thank you for the shop vac and thank you God that we were home and caught the water before it got far. We pulled out the washer,dryer, deep freezer, and the water heater. Then, because all of those items were too heavy to deal with before I then decided that while

Mark went and bought a new water heater to install that I would paint the laundry room. Yes, I understand how crazy this all seems. It seemed just as crazy while it was taking place.

Neither one of the kids thought it was a good idea to nap this day, so while I hid away painting, Taylor was reluctantly playing in her pack- n play and Aiden enjoyed some good ole Dora! After a while of listening to the whining coming from the pac n play, I went to investigate and of course found a poop covered Taylor, and Aiden stark naked playing cars, watching Dora.

At this time I am accepting nominations for Mom of the Year.

Well... the laundry room got painted, thanks to my wonderful husband we now have a new hot water heater and even got hot showers last night. We are right back where we started. Mark decided that he would hang the new cabinets with the new hardware. Wouldn't you know... they do not fit. Figures.

WWF

2009-01-08T13:45:00.008-02:00

Lately, Aiden loves to wrestle. He will run right at me and tell me to get on the floor where he proceeds to crawl ALL over me and tickle me. Yeah, it get annoying rather quickly but we are having fun together and that matters most, right? Well, the other day I caught him standing over Taylor with that look in his eye like he was going to body crush ( I don't know correct
wrestling terms) her. I ran and before I could get there he was already on top of her. She quickly surrendered. There have been other instances of this. Its hard to correct a behavior when the other kid (Taylor) thinks that it is so funny. Rotten kids...

DROOL

2009-01-08T13:43:00.002-02:00

I am catching up on some blogging...

CHECK OUT THE DROOL! GROSS! Yes, that is my phone she is holding!

It was the best of times, It was the worst of times

2009-01-07T17:22:00.012-02:00

Its been so long since I have blogged. I thought for sure that I would have a chance once school was out for the holidays, but quite honestly the holidays were such a whirlwind I am sad to say that I just didn't have time. You know it might be easier if we didn't live in the boonies where the thought of high speed is just a dream. Uploading photos without it usually takes all day, and no I am not exaggerating.

The holidays were fun, frustrating, exhilarating, exhausting, magical, and heart breaking.

The Saturday after I got out of school I started potty training boot camp and somehow m

anaged to potty train Aiden. He did such an amazing job. Once we got the

job done at home, I was a little hesitant in taking him in the car because we have such a long drive both ways. He was

such a little champ. The first time we pulled over quite a few times and were successful each time. Now we have not had any other problems with this.

We made sure to visit Dorothy Oven to view

the lights and play at the park. Aiden loved this and of course Taylor enjoyed some stroller walking. His descriptions are so sweet and so innocent. We heard things like "wow, its so beautiful!" all through the park.

Over the break I brought home the movie "Olive the other Reindeer" for Aiden to watch, and if you have not seen this I highly recommend it. It is about a dog named Olive who thinks that Santa needs her help for Christmas. So, whenever Aiden saw a reindeer figure over the break he

called them all Olive. Several ti

mes a day we got re

quests to "watch Olive please." It quickly became my least favorite movie.

We spent Christmas Eve with my parents

and then Christmas morning at our house and lunch with my family later. I made a yummy dinner and even pulled out the china. Aiden tore through presents and was so excited with each

and gift big or small. I swear I could probably wrap up some of his toys that I have put away and play with later, and that would have been fine with him. He got pretty carried away with tearing through paper and I had to re-wrap some gifts we had not given out.

For my birthday day Mark and I took the kids to Ms. Amanda's house and enjoyed the day running around together. It was so quiet. It was so nice.

Mark's parents came right before New Years and played and we all had a nice time.

New Years Eve we were going to take advantage of some free babysitting, and go hang out with some friends. Before we were to go out that evening, our dog Coletrane ran away. Mark and his dad took off looking for him, and after a while I went looking as well. Unfortunately we found him right after he had gotten hit by a car. He was still alive, but only hung on for a short time.

We have been devastated. The death of our Coletrane has really rocked our world. We spent many days just simply depressed not really knowing what to do with ourselves. We are slowly feeling better but when Aiden asks about him it stirs everything up again. We think that he was the best worst dog ever. We miss him a lot. Words cannot really describe feelings but the whole thing shook us hard!

After new years some of my girlfriends got together and had a birthday hangout night for me. It was nice to be away and to catch up with such sweet friends. I had a really nice time and a wonderful desert. Thanks Michelle!

Mark and I celebrated 7 years of marriage this past Monday. We had a wonderful time together. I am so lucky to have such a great man to be my husband. He is my rock and my best friend. I love you Mark-o (yeah right like he really read this..haha!)

So Christmas holiday was wonderful and horrible all at the same time. I know that I have wonderful irreplaceable family and friends. I love you all!

Happy New Year!

The Jumpy Thing

2008-11-05T16:54:00.003-02:00

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...

2008-11-05T15:39:00.010-02:00

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

2008-11-03T15:37:00.004-02:00

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

2008-09-23T11:57:00.004-02:00

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

2008-08-31T02:12:00.006-02:00

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

2008-08-16T22:51:00.005-02:00

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

2008-07-24T11:08:00.005-02:00

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...

2008-07-22T17:00:00.004-02:00

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!

2008-07-22T01:38:00.007-02:00

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

2008-07-08T16:51:00.003-02:00

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

2008-07-06T00:59:00.004-02:00

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!

2008-07-04T12:53:00.005-02:00

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...

2008-06-26T10:06:00.005-02:00

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

2008-06-22T23:14:00.004-02:00

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

2008-06-20T09:16:00.002-02:00

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.

Its Pickin' Time

2008-06-19T16:16:00.005-02:00

Happy 100th Blog post to me!

Today the kids and I went and picked blueberries at a vineyard near our house. Okay really I picked, Aiden snacked, and Taylor slept. It was a beautiful day with very low humidity which is hard to come by during summer in Florida. There were tons of blueberries and the biggest blackberries I have ever seen. At first we were the only ones there. I found myself really enjoying the sounds of a summer morning. These sounds were not only from nature but the little boy next to me as well. I looked over and Aiden deep in concentration was picking blueberries faster than he could put them in his mouth. After each one he would let out a long "mmmmmm good." Sometimes it was "mmmmmmm yummy." This little slice of cuteness was followed by the smacking of his little lips. I wanted to bottle this moment up and keep it with me forever. There was something so innocent about it. After about an hour or so I guess the fun wore off and it was time to high tail it out of there. Peapod woke up, Aiden was suddenly tired of walking and wanted to be pushed in the stroller, and I had a gallon jug hanging by a rope around my neck. Finally finding a break between the bushes, we weaved through the stickers and the thick grass. I saw the car in sight and it was all I could do to get there. The owner was extremely nice and after giving us some blueberry recipes, adding our name to his email list, and giving Aiden a juice box we could get going. Whewww... its time for my nap.

These are the big honkin' blackberries that we bought and what happens when you give them to a little boy..

Our week at home

2008-06-13T23:58:00.008-02:00

This week we have been stuck at our house due to a nasty cold that the kids and I contracted. Even little Taylor had a yucky nose. So in the best interest of our friends we have kept our germs away. Taylor did have her two month check up and is doing everything she should.

We lounged around a lot. Here is how I found Taylor when she was supposed to be sleeping, and sweet Aiden resting on the floor.

Eventually we got tired of lounging and I began pulling my resources. We have painted with brushes, and our fingers, we have played in shaving cream,we have molded, we have baked, we have eaten Popsicles, we have read books, we built towers with blocks, we have watched movies, we danced,and even practiced some yoga. What we did not do was a lot of cleaning the house.

I have had several reasons lately that I have wanted to bake something sweet. I have made triple chocolate cherry bars, chocolate chip cookies, a strawberry amaretto cake, and know I have moved onto breads. I really like making them and sharing them. I usually try to leave the dessert where I take it and only bring some of it home. One of my good friends,Lauren gave me a book to borrow called 500 cupcakes. I have gone through it and am in the process of copying recipes. Now I just need some volunteers to eat them, anyone? Anyone? I think that I have always secretly wanted to own a trendy little cupcake shop. So many cupcakes so little time.

A while back I bought a couple of handprint mold kits. I think it was during the holidays. After reading the directions ( I always read the directions) I discovered that in order for the mold to take, one had to hold their hand still for 2 minutes. At the time I thought that this was really unreasonable for Aiden so I put the kits at the top of the closet and decided to wait until he was a little older to try this. Well, this week I tried . I thought "oooh- father's day." So, I read the directions, I laid my materials laid out, I read the directions again. I had a dum-dum lollipop ready for Aiden to distract him. This was going to be a breeze. Well actually what the directions meant when they said let the hand sit in the ooey-gooey nasty gel, was let it rest, without touching the bottom, or moving a millimeter AND it will take more than 5 minutes to set ( We stopped trying at 5 minutes when Aiden began to cry very loudly and it stopped being "fun") So, needless to say the mold idea was a bust and it was extremely messy. Save your money… DO NOT BUY THIS KIT!

Yesterday I introduced Aiden to a yoga video I had. We had such fun together practicing the poses. He really got a kick out of it. I even put baby girl on the floor and let her join us. He had so much fun with it that I ordered a kids yoga DVD online, that also teaches ABC’s. It had wonderful reviews so we will see… Here is Aiden's downward facing dog pose.

My yearlong search has ended. Last summer a friend of ours had these homemade Popsicle holders that she found at Wal-mart. They are wonderful because the Popsicle twists up and the juice is caught in the container (unless you like to drink it like Aiden.)I found them the other day while wandering around. Aiden’s current favorite flavor is white grape pomegranate. I enjoyed my cherry coke creation. I cannot believe I am at the point in my life when I am excited about popsicle makers. Sigh.

Next week will be better... we are hoping to see some buddies, maybe pick some blueberries with Ms. Michelle and Fox, maybe hit the library.

Bring the Rain

2008-06-09T12:41:00.006-02:00

Lately there have been things in my life that have happened that I thought were blog worthy so this is what Samantha refers to as a "Heinze 57" post.

A couple of weeks ago a pretty bad thunderstorm came through in the late evening. Mark and I were just headed to bed when the lightning and the thunder began. Now, I will have to admit that I love a good rainstorm but thunder and lightning makes me want to hide under the covers. It scares the bah-gee-bees out of me! As it started I thought of my little angels sleeping peacefully in their beds, mainly worrying that it would wake the baby girl who is so high maintenance at getting to bed. So when I heard Aiden screaming I was surprised. He has never woken at a storm, so Mark and I headed in. Aiden was lying in his bed panic stricken as the thunder boomed around him. We consoled him, laid next to him, telling him that it was the rain and with it comes thunder, but that he was safe. I must mention that throughout this conversation lightning is striking it seems right outside his window and the thunder is shaking things in his room, and every-time I nearly jump out of my skin. So he is shaking and now has his fist balled up and is pushing them as hard as he can into his eyes, and all of a sudden he opens his eyes and shout “light-boom!” and covers them back up. We eventually had to pull him out of bed and bring him out of his room because after a good 45 minutes he was still not calm. He finally went back to bed but only after the storm was long gone. A few days later out of nowhere he talked to mark about it. It went something like this:

Aiden: Daddy?
Mark: Yes Aiden
Aiden: Bad Boom Bye Bye
Mark: Yes Aiden Bad boom bye bye.

Now Mark and I never referred to the thunder as a “bad boom” this is just something that Aiden came up with. This was especially sad to me because it made me realize how much that it in fact had scared him. Since then he has asked me at random times about this bad boom to make sure that it is in fact gone.

Taylor is wonderful. If you ask me this at bedtime I might tell you different. She is really difficult to get to go to bed, but when she does she sleeps. Last night made the second night she has slept for 11 hours straight. PRAISE GOD! On other nights when she doesn’t sleep all night she will sleep from 8pm-3am and then to 7am. After she eats then she usually sleeps again until 9 or 10. Pretty good for 8 weeks.

I think that Aiden is getting sick again. He woke up this morning with a fever and has been ever so whiny. Words like “mama” turn into “maaaaamaaaa” and “cereal” turns into “ceeereeeeaaaallll”. When Aiden is sick the number of syllables used around our house increase dramatically. This is nothing that a pallet on the floor with some Little Einstein’s cant fix.

Today we showed our house again. First of all keeping a house show ready with a baby and a toddler is no fun. I find myself putting toys away right up until the last minute and Aiden is still pulling them out. Like I said Aiden woke up with a fever today so I should have taped a sign to his shirt that said “BEWARE.” When the people came to see our house 40 minutes late I scooped up Aiden and took him outside. Taylor was sleeping so she was no problem. As soon as we got outside Aiden started asking for his ball that he likes to play with. Well of course Mark has put all of the toys away. I begin looking for the ball but I hear his whine starting to grow. By this time our big beast of a lab is barking furiously and our beagle is starting her beagle howl/cry. This by the way is my only job: to keep the kids busy and the dogs quiet and so far I am failing. I try to make the dogs get quiet but they are louder when I am near them so I abandon ship and tend to Aiden. He had now given the cat a hug and a kiss and is getting upset because of the amount of cat hair on his face and in his mouth. I clean his face and redirect back to finding the ball. The potential buyers are now outside and the dogs are still barking. Aiden now has hurt his foot and is crying (loudly) and refusing to walk. I check his foot. Nothing. Still crying, still barking, now we are sweating. Finally, the buyers leave. I was about to pull out a popsicle. When all else fails, offer a popsicle. Magically Aiden's foot is healed and the dogs are quiet. JERKS.

Lately I have become what I heard someone once refer to as a blog stalker. It can become addicting because one blog will lead you to another then another. Mark thinks that it is weird to read other peoples blogs that I don’t know but what does he know anyway? One that I was reading was a mommy blog that I found particularly funny called Rocks in my Dryer. This blog had a link the other day to another blog post called a letter to my daughter. After reading this post I then went back and read all of the posts from the beginning. This mommy created a blog to log the story of their dear baby that they found out had a number of problems in utero, and has just recently passed away. In addition to this, her sister in law who had a baby right before her just lost her new baby to SIDS. I am amazed at this woman’s sweet spirit and courage through what can only be described as a nightmare. The numbers of people that comment on her blog and pray for her have been unreal. It is heartwarming. I have found myself praying for this family and for their healing. If you have a few minutes to read or to take a look, or to pray, please do, but remember your Kleenex. The power of prayer is amazing.

Here are my sweet babies. When ever Aiden lays on the floor next to Taylor he tells me "mama picture." I think that he has learned how cute they are together and wants me to take a picture. Notice the orange spaghetti stained face. Aiden enjoyed swimming with YaYa and Taylor was pouting because it was sticky outside. Gross.

Watching

2008-05-29T13:33:00.003-02:00

In the afternoon Aiden often waits for Mark to come home by sitting in the window watching. We see a lot of birds and squirrels, and cars. Yesterday Aiden and Tigerlily (T-lily) formally know as the Demon cat played a cute game of Peekaboo. The second picture shows Aiden giving kisses through the window. When Mark pulls up he screams and pounds on the glass. It is a great way to come home.

Pea Pod

2008-05-29T12:40:00.002-02:00

Some people have made requests to see more Taylor... As you can see second babies often have their siblings help them play! Here is Pea Pod...

More Vaction Thoughts...

2008-05-27T00:31:00.002-02:00

While still reflecting on our week in Orlando I thought of two more interesting points that I would like to comment on.

When Mark was in training during the day Butch, Janie, the kids and I found things to get into. One of the days we spent the morning shopping at Downtown Disney. The weather was nice, and there was not too many people there. Marketing is a powerful thing.With everything you could ever think of that you may want to buy Disney related and the sound of the songs of Mary Poppins and other movies playing in the air, it just makes you want to go to disney world. It also make me dread the future of having a little girl and the disney princess hype.

As we walked around we kept seeing little girls from the age of about 3-12 walking around in princess dresses, pageant sashes, with their hair in up-do's. We wondered what it was about. Well while wandering in one of the store we found the source of this madness. I think it was something called the Bibbidi Bobbidi boutique. Well, basically this is a salon in one of the stores for little girls. The prices rance from about 40 dollars for just hair ( we didn't see many of these girls) to the low price of $225 so your little girl can look like a princess in no time complete with nails, hair (with extensions) makeup and princess dress (we saw LOTS of these girls) Here is the kicker...The salon at 10:00 in the morning was filled and there was a line. Some of the daddies actually looked like they were in pain. They would rather break the bank than so no to their little girls. I only pray that I can stear Taylor clear of this madness.

The other interesting thing that I found was the amount of people from different countries that were in Orlando. Aiden was dumbfounded when I told him our waitor at dinner one night was named Diego, who was from Columbia ( he watched Diego before naptime each day).At our hotel alone, at one point I think that we were the only Americans at the pool. There were many people with British accents and others that were speaking other European languages. I found myself listening to conversations to hear the different accents. I think the red-headed boy from Harry Potter was there, and by the way had no business being in the sun. Oh- and those Europeans love their speedos! Yuck!

I need a vacation

2008-05-25T18:04:00.003-02:00

We are back from Orlando and I am so thankful to be home. We had a week full of both good and bad points. Here are the highlights…

The Good Points:

- Aiden had a great time playing with Nana and Papa
- We visited the Rainforest Café. What a cool place!
- The hotel had a great pool with a beach entry. Aiden could play in the
water and we could play with him without having to get in the water all the
time.
- Mark and I got to go out by ourselves while Nana and Papa watched the kids.
- We explored the many shops of Downtown Disney.
- We made it home safe and sound.

The Not So Good Points:
- Aiden ran a fever of 103 for the first two days, and then recovered for the
rest of the week.
- He screamed all the way to Orlando because he didn’t feel well.
- Anything he said to me for the next couple of days was in a whine.
- We left most of the places we visited the end of the week because Aiden’s
behavior was so horrendous. We tried the outlet mall twice but left with a
child screaming both times after being there only a few minutes.
- Our “suite” was nothing but a hotel room with a wall as a divider.
- That very cool pool gave me a STAPH infection in my left eye!

I am glad to be home. ALthough I feel like now I need a vacation.

Zionks!

2008-05-15T17:03:00.002-02:00

Today we met Aiden's friend Noah and his mommy at Zionks. It is a new place in Tallahassee for kids to go. It is filled with the air bouncers and they also have games. There were some that were huge and had enormous mazes but there were also 3 or 4 that were perfect for Aiden. He played for two hours and took a 3 hour nap afterwards. Money well spent. They also take security measures by tagging you and your child with matching arm bands that are checked and then destroyed on the way out. For parents there is a lounge with leather recliners, flat screen tv's,and internet access. Also next to the tvs there is another screen that is like a security tape with a view of all of the bouncers.

With that little commercial out of the way... I would just like to say we had BIG fun!

It's Hot Already...

2008-05-15T16:30:00.003-02:00

Most of the days that we have been having are warm and sunny with a wonderful little breeze, but man, there are some days that it is already HOT! This past Saturday it was 90 degrees. So I decided that I would go ahead and clean Aiden's little pool and let him swim around. I have to say this has been the best $11.00 that I think I have ever spent at Walmart. This is the second year he has used it.

Last night we sat outside while Aiden played in the pool and jumped in the air, yelling "Aiden JUMP!" This went on for a good 45 minutes. I would have thought that it would have hurt, but if it did it did not stop Aiden.He was so eager to get in, I didn't have time to take off his clothes.

Taylor is 5 weeks old today and is smiling all over the place! Her smiles remind me of little Madeleine Walworth with her mouth open big and wide. It is already so sweet. Nightime is getting better but going to bed seems to be worse. I think we have taken 1 step forward and 2 steps back.

I think I will print birth announcements soon. Man- what's my problem?

Happy May Day!

2008-05-01T14:27:00.003-02:00

Taylor is 3 weeks old today and I am wondering when the day will come that she will learn that day=play, and night=sleep. Even though it has only been 2 years you really forget how an infant can quickly zap the energy from your body.

Aiden is smitten with her and just wants to hold her and kiss her. I make sure that I am take plenty of pictures of this so the day that she won't leave his side I can remind him of how much he loves her.

Here is an Aiden/Taylor fix!

Big Brother

2008-04-19T16:21:00.004-02:00

Aiden is such a sweet boy to little Taylor. Most of the time he is listening and he is very in tune to what she is doing or what she needs. While changing her the other day she was crying and he said "baby taylor trying (Crying). He he left the room only to return with a pacifier. In this picture of him laying on the floor he was whispering to her while he petted her head and told her "its okay". He loves to hold her and kiss her head.
This Friday Aiden will be two and I can't believe how much he changes day to day. It is remarkable to look at Taylor and then look at him and know that she will be his age before the blink of an eye. Better get off the computer so I can enjoy it! Hope you enjoy the pictures of my cute kids!

Taylor is here!

2008-04-15T19:06:00.002-02:00

Taylor Grace is here! She came via c-section April 10, 2008 at 6:35pm. She was 8lbs 8oz. We are home and she is a sweet baby! Look back at one of the first posts I ever made and you will see that Aiden also sleeps this way. They make a lot of the same facial expressions, but she is definitely more of a little petite thing. We feel so blessed

She'll be here soon

2008-04-09T03:06:00.002-02:00

We have decided to go ahead with a c-section. Taylor will be here Thursday at 5 p.m. Keep us in your prayers for a safe delivery and an easy recovery. More to come...

Easter

2008-03-24T12:53:00.004-02:00

Our Easter weekend was crazy busy!

It started Saturday morning and did not end until SUnday at midnight when I pulled my aching pregnant body into my soft bed. We had 3 egg hunts, 2 dinners, lots of wiggly kids, a new baby ( not mine), family time, girl time, and a wedding. Whew!

Aiden was very well behaved. I say that because in the land of two's it is sometimes hit or miss. I think he may be over the hunting egg thing, but he was very focused. While hunting for the eggs, he would squat down, and put his pointer finger over his lip, and say " HMMM, let's see."

We had easter lunch at our house with my parents, and then again that afternoon at the park with our buds and the kids.

After the park I got to go see the newest baby to the group Mr. Elias Strickland. He is a handsome little boy! Then, it was off to bible study with the girls.

This is my last week at school, before I begin maternity leave. Thank goodness! With no time to rest at school, I am exhausted at the end of the day. Let's hope this baby gets here sooner rather than later! I feel like the crazy woman inside of me is showing herself more and more each day! Beware.

I posted our pictures here on shutterfly, but here are a few of my favorites...

Lately...

2008-03-17T12:42:00.013-02:00

Lately, it seems like we have been so busy. I can't really recall what exactly it is that we have been doing, but I know that it seems like there is never a moment to catch a breath. I have been trying to wrap things up for maternity leave and trying to have conferences with all of the parents at school. I also am taking an online graduate level reading class to renew my teaching certificate. Here is the deal though... it ends April 28th. So I have been staying later than usual and staying extremely busy. I do know that the other weekend we went to my parents house to celebrate my cousin Alexa, and my dad's birthday!

My mom made the bedding for Taylor's room. I love it! Thanks mom. Here is a sneak peek! Pretty funky, huh?

One of the other things that I hung in the room is a piece of art I actually made with my mom in the fourth grade. I made it while I was attending the elementary school that I now teach at. It is pretty off the wall, but I have held onto it for sentimental value, I guess. Mark thinks that it is hideous but I am finding that I am quite fond of it. Here it is

In the midst of all the craziness that is our life right now, I have forgotten that it is almost April which means Aiden will be two! Time flies. He is doing all of the things you would expect a two year old to do... repeating things you say ;-( climbing and jumping on things, stomping his feet when he doesn't get his way, and getting into everything ( I'm sure Julie can relate). He also does some really cute things like singing into things that resemble a microphone, counting to four, sometimes five, saying prayers, and kissing your face at night and saying" love you." He is a sweet boy.

What a sweet kitty, Tigerlily has turned out to be!

2006 Babies

2008-02-25T16:43:00.004-02:00

Here are a few pictures of Aiden and his Tallahassee monday night buddies that were all born in 2006. These were taken the other day at Ranen's 2nd birthday at the The pictures are missing the lone girl Nena, but we think of her often. It is so cute to see how they have all grown and changed. I love to see each of their personalities. Aren't they the cutest?!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

2008-02-14T12:13:00.003-02:00

Our family really believes that Valentine's is somewhat overrated but we still celebrate it in some small way. We usually just try to order a pizza ( yummy!) and do something fun together. Last night I made Mark this heart cake. Sorry I cut off some of it, but you get the idea. So what I am about to say is completely from the mouth of Mark. BE WARNED! I showed him the cake and he said "ooh yummy! I think it looks like boobs." Now... really?!!! You be the judge. I think he should write a book- Deep Thoughts by Mark.

Aiden's Big Boy Bed

2008-02-12T11:21:00.000-02:00

Sunday afternoon Mark came home with a big boy bed for little man Aiden. We decided that we wanted to go ahead and transition him into this before Baby Taylor came home so that there would be one less thing for him to get used to. We also did not want to risk the idea of him thinking that the stinkin' baby stole his crib. So we skipped the toddler bed thing and just bought a mattress for him to start with. That way a fall would not be so far down.

Last night we moved the crib out- and put a mattress in. He seemed to really like it. Getting the bed ready he would run and fall into it. After the sheets and his entourage of stuffed toys he laid down just fine. We read our books, sang our songs, turned off the light and he was done. He slept the whole night, and was fine this morning. I hope this trend stays the same.

Here is Aiden showing off his new bed during the prep time. He is so proud!

Later I snuck in and took a picture of our sleeping angel.

Aiden the Toddler

2008-02-08T12:58:00.001-02:00

I feel like overall I have been blessed with a pretty easy baby. Once Aiden got the hang of feeding and sleeping, he was pretty easy to read. I always knew what he wanted, he is very obedient, and such a loving boy.

Lately I feel like we are headed full steam into the toddler years. We are working on "using our words." Oh for the love of Pete! The Whining! I feel like the grinch. "Oh the noise, the noise, noise noise." The sound of whining is like the sound of nails on a chalkboard to my ears. Soon I fear that we will be headed to the emergency room. The other day we were driving in the car ( the story of my life) and Aiden was eating some snack mix ( Kix cereal, raisins, etc.) and he suddenly begins to start coughing and sneezing. I reach back to wipe his nose and it is brown. I don't think much of this because he has been sick and I think no big deal. Well the coughing and sneezing continue and now I am wondering if I should pull over. I know he is not choking but he getting pretty violent.
Finally he stops and I looks back to see him pulling a RAISIN out of his NOSE!!!

When we get home that night he is pulling packing peanuts out of a box piece by piece and putting them in the garbage. Then he got quiet. I looked over at him and he was staring at me waiting for me to look at him. In his nose was... yes you guessed it... a packing peanut! He began laughing and took off running. I think he has his Dad's sense of humor.

Here are some pictures of Aiden being the toddler that he is...

Winter in Monticello!

2008-01-10T15:47:00.000-02:00

It was FREAKIN' cold the other day! Mark set up the water hose and this is what we got.

Holidays Part 3

2008-01-10T15:23:00.000-02:00

We spent Christmas at home. It was nice and relaxing. We rested up before the home improvements began. Dundundundun...

Holidays Part 2

2008-01-09T18:18:00.001-02:00

We spent Christmas eve with my parents at their house. Aiden had a much better time rolling in the all of the paper than actually opening the gifts. He got a toddler four wheeler, and his first pair of boots from his uncle Cody. He was such a trip!!!

Holidays Part 1

2008-01-09T17:43:00.001-02:00

I think that the most effective way to break up our holiday update is by the different activities. Maybe that can trigger my memory and it can be taken in more easily by others.

Before Christmas I felt like we needed to add more to our hectic schedule and fit in a Santa visit, as well as a trip to Dorothy B Oven Park. SO we made a night of it. When we got to the mall the line was not too long and the whole time Aiden would say HoHoHo! The closer we got the less there was of this. He hit the brakes when he realized that we were putting him on this strange man's lap. I snapped a few pics and SIr Aiden was done...

After when we went to the park to see the lights with the hundreds of other people, Aiden was so excited that he went full throttle all the way through the park. Mark and I were exhausted to say the least. It didn't seem to bother him that he had to run through big groups of people. Mark and I followed closely behind. I don't know how many times I said "excuse me", "so sorry", "pardon me." I am tired just recapping the experience...

Girls Christmas

2007-12-21T12:35:00.000-02:00

Every year since the 7th grade Dana, Amy, and Lauren and I have done a Christmas something together with just the four of us. It is interesting to see how it has evolved over the years. When we were in school it was always at our parents house and we would bring food and exchange gifts. In college we took turns at different apartments or townhouses, and the meals got more extravagant. Then the kiddies started to come and the gifts became just for them. So, now for the past couple of years we have decided it is so much more fun to have someone make dinner for us. This year we had dinner at the melting pot!!! You just can't beat melted cheese and chocolate. I think that this will be our new tradition.

Fun with Mommy

2007-12-18T12:22:00.000-02:00

Last night Aiden and I had some quality rollin' on the floor, ticklin' time. As you can see good times were had by all!

Baby Number 2 is a...

2007-11-30T13:12:00.000-02:00

GIRL!!! Sorry the pictures are so crummy. I am without a scanner, so I took a picture of a picture. Sad, right?

A long weekend

2007-11-26T13:34:00.000-02:00

Our long weekend is over...sniff, sniff, and its back to work for us. We survived Thanksgiving, Black Friday shopping at 4 am, 4 or 5 four wheeler rides, Tree cutting and decorating, decorating the tree again because it toppled to the ground pouring water, and glass from ornaments everywhere, and a second trip to the doctor for the ugly cough Aiden had. I am exhausted!!! We had so much fun though! I hate going back to our monotonous daily routines but Christmas will be here soon and there will be plenty to do. THE PARADE IS NEXT WEEKEND!!!

Aiden and I on a fourwheeler ride. You can see how much he cares about a picture at this time.

Aiden admires YaYa and Granddaddy's outside tree he "helped" decorate.

Scar Face

2007-11-06T11:33:00.000-02:00

Aiden is into everything and as a result, he has begun to obtain more bumps and bruises than he has ever had before. He just goes full throttle ALL THE TIME! So things like the corner of the table become invisible to him. This weekend we were playing with our friends Tori and Kaylin on top of a huge dirt pile. Aiden was climbing to the top with no trouble at all, and as soon as he hit flat ground he face planted into the dirt. This is what he came up with.
Ouch!

Nothing a little cuddlin' with the dog couldn't fix!

More Party Pics

2007-10-31T13:29:00.000-02:00

Aiden loved getting hit by the apple!

Ranen tries his best at it!

Jackson wants to know who put the eaten apple in the bucket!

Daddy help Aiden grab his apple.

83rd annual Halloween Party

2007-10-31T13:21:00.000-02:00

Every Halloween the MOndaygroup gets together for a halloween party. This year it was at the Mitchell's. We ate, bobbed for apples and tried to grab the apples hanging from the tree. The kids were the best part. They were all adorable!

More pics

2007-10-30T16:49:00.000-02:00

Halloween Dress Up

2007-10-30T15:55:00.000-02:00

Here are some pre-pictures that I took of Aiden in his costume. We were given a tiger, and Ya-Ya got him a lion. He hated both of them. I am beginning to think that he is not into this holiday thing like me. Yesterday we, well...I carved a pumpkin. On any given day he won't leave my side, but when I wanted him to actually stick his hand in adn grab the gunk out, he looked at me like I had lost my mind. He then found the potatoes and brought them to me one by one. Stinkin' Kid

Pumpkin Patch

2007-10-30T15:39:00.001-02:00

A couple of weekends ago we went to the pumpkin patch. It was not as much fun as I had hoped. Aiden could care less about the pumpkins, or as he called them the pum-pums. He was more interested in running down the hill, interestingly enough toward the road. Awesome.

I love this one because Aiden is actually dancing!

Aiden's Day

2007-09-24T15:32:00.000-02:00

We have been blessed to have a truly wonderful person to take care of Aiden. He has been going to Ms. Amanda since about November of last year. We have decided to keep him there for another year, and when the baby comes it will also go to Amanda.

These are some pictures Amanda sent me the other day of Aiden playing, and of him and Ms. Amanda.

On a side note:
I have realized that I really like to blog. I could be a celebrity blogger. I would get to go to award shows and blog about what people said, and what they wore. I could do it. If teaching doesn't work out, I am moving the family to Beverly... Hills that is. swimmin pools, movie stars.

Thankful for time

2007-09-23T18:20:00.000-02:00

When football season comes around, it is rare that we get to spend time together during the week or on the weekend as a family, because Mark is usually working. This makes the nights hard on Aiden, and me and I have a newfound respect for single mothers, and families that have members that work odd shifts. So I am so thankful when we do get some time together and not just in passing or 10 minutes in the morning.

Mark did not have to work this Saturday night so we decided to go have a picnic. We went to Cherokee lake in Thomasville with some Papa Johns Pizza! Aiden thought this was great fun! He enjoyed running straight for the water, quacking with the ducks, and of course PIZZA!

Today Aiden spent some time working on a some art. He calls it Ode to a Cheerio.

Reason #48 why you should mop your floor...

2007-09-21T21:10:00.000-02:00