"Just Like Daddy"

Landon told me Saturday his legs were itchy. Here is the conversation:

Landon: My legs itch.
Me: Go get some lotion.
Landon: It is ok mommy, I don't need lotion. I am just growing hair on my legs like daddy.
Me: Ok...

That was the comment I was not expecting. This kid keeps me on my toes!

Bye Bye Bottles

Right before Kaylee turned 1 we started slowly cutting down the formula in her bottles and giving her more milk. We knew she was ready because she was stealing every ones milk cups at Nana's house. She was even try to climb ON the table to get to the cups. Within 2 weeks she was off of all of her bottles except her night bottle. I decided to hold off on it since she ended up with a double ear infection and was not eating like normal.

Now that she is over her ear infection I was feeling it was time to try to go without her bottle. I took a cup of milk upstairs tonight. We rocked and read a book while she drank her cup of milk. We brushed her teeth and off to bed she went without any tears. Now it is a waiting game to see how she does tonight.

Needless to say these Dr. Brown's bottles have been a lifesaver to us. They helped Kaylee get through all of the reflux at the beginning. It is a bitter sweet goodbye to them.

I know Wes is most excited about saying goodbye to the formula. It will be nice to not have to spend the money on this anymore, but I can't begin to say how glad we were to find this solution to our reflux problem. We had many people give us their opinion about soy formula, but looking back I knew that my Dr. and my gut were right ne track. Kaylee has had NO problem switching over to real milk. I have learned that everyone, even people that you don't really know, will give their opinions. (especially with facebook) Either way you have to make decisions on your own. I am a strong person and a good mom. I learned I have to trust what my gut says and do what I knew was right for my child. I am VERY glad that we did. I am so happy that we had this along with meds and new bottles. Now to see her handling all milk products so well makes me very excited!

So, goodbye to bottles and soy formula. You have been my lifesavers for the last 12 months, but I am very glad to see you go.

Happy 1/2 Birthday

The other day Wes asked me where I wanted to go eat and Landon said, "I really don't think it is fair that you guys always get to pick where we get to go eat." Wes was thinking on his toes and said that Landon could pick where we went to eat on his 1/2 birthday, which was only a couple of days away. We have always talked about his 1/2 birthday, but have never celebrated it with dinner. I have to say he was SO excited all week.

March 19 came and we all went into his room singing, "Happy 1/2 Birthday to You". He decided that we were going to go to O'Charleys. This is funny to us because there is nothing on the menu that he really likes, but when asked why he picked it he said, "I love their rolls." I can't say that I disagree. So, I packed him a lunchable and we headed to O'Charleys. It is hard to believe that he is already 4 1/2!

My Attitude

Sunday Landon was getting out of the car and he said, "Mom, I think I need some time away from you two." My response was, "Ok you can have as much time as you need in your bed, in your room!" He cried for a minute then he got quiet and said, "Mom, do I need to stay here until I fix my attitude?" I responded "Yes", but was so excited that he realized that he had an attitude! Sometimes being a parent makes you laugh!

Sneaky Leprechaun

Last night when I got out of the shower I came down to let Sophie out and I was in disbelief! My house was a MESS and then I realized that we must have been visited by that same sneaky leprechaun that was at my school today. Lucky for me, I think I must have spooked him because he didn't get to make too big of a mess of the playroom. The living room, bathroom, and kitchen were a different story. I couldn't wait for Landon and Kaylee to see what had happened.

Landon was so excited when he saw what the house looked like. We decided next year that we will have to build a trap to catch that sneaky leprechaun.

My Best Friend

Landon was sitting at the counter making a birthday card for Kamden'd birthday. (I have started the tradition of letting him make cards instead of buying them.) As he was drawing a picture I asked him if he was excited about Kamden's party and he said, "Yes mommy, he is my best friend!" That is the most precious thing I have ever heard. (Kamden lives across the street.)

Kaylee - 12 months

I cannot believe that our Little Bit is now 12 months old. I thought time went really fast with Landon, but nothing has compared to how fast the first year with Kaylee has gone.

What is she doing now???

- She loves whole milk.

- She only has a bottle, mostly of milk, at night.

- She says Mama, Dada, Lan Lan, Nana, No, Dog, Uh Oh, BaBa (Bottle), Bye Bye, Go Go, Yep

- Climbs the stairs

- Climbs ANYTHING

- Gives kisses...saying Mmmmmmm

- Blows kisses, but forgets to move her hand from her mouth

- Eats everything that we eat. She loves turkey meat slices

- She will take 3-6 steps and then decide to crawl

- She knows where her shoes are. (Tell her to go get her shoes and she crawls to the back door and gets them.

- She knows where her feet are. (Ask her to give you here feet to put her shoes on and she will lift up her feet.

- She is still a DADDY'S GIRL!!!

- She loves brushing her teeth. She learned, from Landon, to say Ahhhh...to open her mouth.

- She is into everything and constantly moving

- She has 2 molars that have cut this week and the other 2 are right under the skin about to break through. I am so excited to almost have good back teeth for chewing.

-She says "Yep" when asked if she wants something. We will have to work on her manners!

I just can't believe that she is getting so big. We are blessed with her sweet, spunky personality. She keeps us on our toes everyday!

"It hurst me more than it hurts you."

"It hurts me more than it hurts you," is something I have heard my mom say many times, but never understood until I had my own kids and found out that it is completely true! This morning Landon told me he wanted to make french toast, but he meant cinnamon toast. Well, I started making french toast when he realized that he didn't want it. I explained that I have already started making it and that is what we were having for breakfast. Of course, this prompted a melt down from him, but I continued to make breakfast and explained he could eat what I had made or he could wait until lunch to eat. I made his plate and sat at the table. Inside I was dying because I wanted him to make the right choice, I wanted to say you can have the cereal if you will eat, but I didn't because I know that those choices would not teach him a lesson. Within a couple of minutes of Kaylee and me starting to eat he came over to the table and said, "I am sorry mommy, I am hungry. Can I eat?" My response..."of course you can" and my heart rejoiced. We talked for a few minutes about his choices and then he said, "Your french toast is good, but can we make cinnamon toast tomorrow?" I then told him because he made the right choice that we would make whatever he wanted for breakfast tomorrow.

So Landon, one day you will understand the saying "It hurts me more than it hurts you!" I promise that daddy and I just want to teach you how to be a wonderful, respectful gentleman that everyone wants to be around. I love you more than you know...to the moon and back!!!

Independent/Strong People Do Break Down

I always have felt that I was raised to be a strong and independent woman. I now know that God has always been preparing me to marry Wes and this independence would be needed with him traveling so much. Many people tell me that they couldn't do what I do, but the difference is I don't know any different. I have never had a husband home all the time like most families. Our family has been built around Wes being gone and enjoying the time that he is home. I usually have no problem "making" it with 2 kids, but yesterday I hit that breaking point that I seem to cross once every couple of months.

It all started with Kaylee being sick with a double ear infections on Friday. This was the first day Wes had to work so I had to call in sick. Kaylee did pretty good on Friday, but Saturday was a completely different story. She decided to wake up at 5am ready to go. She didn't want to lay down in the morning so we went and ran some errands. She wasn't too interested in eating lunch and when I tried to put her and Landon down to take a nap I quickly realized that it wasn't going to happen. UGH! Around 3:00 the three of us headed out to Landon's soccer game. Needless to say Landon did great and Kaylee wanted nothing to do with sitting in her stroller. So for an hour I battled holding her and running around with Landon. I was WORN out!!!

On our way home I stopped to grab a pizza and the rest of the night was dealing with two GRUMPY little kids! Landon can usually function without a nap, but he had played hard and was over it.

After getting them both down to bed. I sat on the couch and cried for about 5 minutes. I hate feeling "weak", but there are just times where being by myself for a long weekend is overwhelming. Overwhelmed doesn't just come from the kids not napping, but also from the large stack of school work that needed to be done, and the house that needed to be cleaned.

There were a million things that needed to be done and sometimes the job of being a mommy whether your husband is home or not, can be overwhelming. Life, with kids, isn't easy, BUT it is exciting! I wouldn't change my life with these munchkins for anything in the world. I will have plenty of time for "easy" when they are older. I know then I will look back and miss these days where Kaylee and Landon both need me at the same time. I just have to remind myself of that when I am in need of a shower and Kaylee won't nap.

My Bald Princess...

Last night Irene called to let us know that 2 little ones that stay at her house had RSV. Well, that freaked me out knowing that Kaylee has had this wet cough for the last 6 days. I called the United Healthcare nurse advce line and the symptoms didn't seem to match, so I just prayed that if I should take her in I would just know. When I woke her up this morning my sign was very evident. Kaylee felt warm when I picked her up and the thermometer was 100.5. This is a low grade fever, but that goes hand and hand with RSV. To be safe I called in sick to work and took Little Bit to the Dr.

They immediately did a nose swab for RSV. I then had to wait for 10 minutes. While I waited Kaylee just laid on my shoulder, which says a lot. She is not a cuddler. When the Dr. walked in she said, "No RSV". I was so excited, but I knew there was still something going on. After telling me her lungs looked great, she found the culprit...DOUBLE ear infections. As sad as I was that she had 2 ear infections I was so happy to not have RSV and to get an antibiotic.

Well, we left the Dr. and went to Publix to get the amoxicilin for free. There was a 45 minute wait so we went to Wal-mart to get some things. I was walking down the isle when this man, in his late 40 - early 50, approached me. Here was our conversation:

(Remember he interrupted my shopping)

Him: Excuse me mam' how old is your baby?
Me: 1 year
Him: Did you cut its hair? (She had a PINK shirt with PINK leggings...REALLY?)
Me: No, I have never cut HER hair.
Him: Don't you think it is kind of weird that your daughter doesn't have any hair at her age?
Me: Don't you think it is kind of rude to approach someone and say that.

I was in COMPLETE shock that someone would interrupt my shopping to insult my daughter. I had to call my mom to tell someone because I was shocked. I am glad he caught me off guard because if I would have had time to digest what he was saying I probably would have been kicked out of Wal-mart. I was so mad after, just for the fact that someone would be so RUDE!

Kaylee, we love you! You are our little bald princess!

Mommy, daddy, and Landon were all bald too.

Three Steps for Kaylee...One Huge Step for Mommy

Monday morning Kaylee got up early and was playing in our bathroom while I got ready. She stood up with her snuggie and took 3 steps towards me. I screamed, and she sat down. Wes came in and she stood up and took 2 more towards him. We both clapped and yelled. She sat with the biggest smile on her face.

I know most of you think I am crazy for wanting her to walk, but that is Wes and my favorite time. I can't wait to see her running after her brother, even though she is a pretty fast crawler. I know it means she will get places faster and into more things, but I LOVE IT.

So, those 3 little steps was a HUGE step for us! Go Kaylee Go!!!

Kaylee's First Birthday

I am going to start by saying sorry that this is a really long post, but it will mostly be pictures, but this was a FUN birthday!

I made the kids party favors out of stage 3 baby food jars, filled them with M&Ms, Wes cut a hole in the lid, and mom tied the bows. I found the pinwheels at Hobby Lobby. I was so excited that they turned out exactly the way I thought they would.

In each of Kaylee's invitations I asked people to help us build Kaylee's library with books instead of toys. I also bought the book "Oh the Places You Will Go" by Dr. Seuss for people to sign. This was a huge hit and Kaylee got a lot of great books!

My mom helped me make the centerpiece. It is a bunch of sticks with Easter eggs and wood owls on it.

I made this wreath out of yarn.

I also blew up balloons and let them float to the ceiling. This was my favorite decoration!

Birthday Girl got up from her nap one happy little girl.

Wes, Bubba, and Mimi all chipped in to make Kaylee's chair. Bubba and Mimi made one for Landon's first birthday, so it has turned into the favorite 1st birthday gift.

Kaylee, like all of the other grankids at this age, loves to ride on Mimi's leg. The funny thing about her is when Mimi stops she tries to climb on Mimi's foot or leg.

This is the top part of Kaylee's cake. I found this owl at Khols over Valentine's Day.

Kaylee enjoyed playing with all of her little friends while all of her big friends played in the garage.

Kaylee's cake was beautiful. Kerri Hildreth, my neighbor and good friend, made it and she never disappoints with look or flavor. I told her what I was thinking, gave her the topper and candle, and said go for it. It was exactly what I wanted!

We tried to get a family picture before Kaylee got her cake, but she was more worried about chewing on her sock and playing with her brother.

Then she started to hug and kiss on her brother. That was priceless!

Kaylee loved everyone singing to her.

She started picking little pieces off of her cake and then I decided to do exactly what I did with Landon. I grabbed both of her hands and shoved them in the cake.

Well, Landon loved it and as you can see Kaylee DID NOT!!!

After a quick bath we decided to open her books. We were so excited to see all the new books we get to read!

Landon was very excited about the books too.

The kids had a blast playing with the balloons.

It was a great birthday, but as you can see the balloons were as tired as we all are. They all started to fall on us as we were watching TV,

Happy 1st Birthday to our sweet Kaylee...AKA...Little Bit

You are a precious little girl!