My Mangled Meanderings

Ten MORE Things Mommy Loves About Chloe Kathryn

2010-06-25T14:59:00.000-07:00

I've also written Chloe's list in 2007, 2008, and 2009. I wrote the first one when she was three months old. How time flies!!

10. The way she thinks she's the same age as her brother.

9. The way she replaces her L's with W's: wovey, wap, Weapster, and Cindewewwa, and says hangaber, just to name a few.

8. The way she loves pink, her princesses, and is so girly.

7. The way she tells Daddy, "I'm not a Chicken Nugget; I'm a Chloe Bug!"

6. The way she sleeps with so many loveys that it's sometimes tough to find her in her bed.

5. The way she eats fruit like it's going out of style.

4. The way she wants to wear a dress everyday, even in the dead of winter.

3. The way she loves and misses her big brother, no matter how much he tortures her!

2. The way she chooses hair accessories that don't match her outfits, and refuses to change her mind.

1. The way she melts my heart, and lets me call her Sister Friend, Sissy, and Chloe Bug. Oh how I love her so! I am so proud to be her Mommy!

Ten MORE Things Mommy Loves About Sawyer Blake

2010-06-23T14:24:00.000-07:00

I also compiled this list in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009. I can't believe how much my little man has grown!

10. The way he still loves George, even after numerous patch jobs, and smells his ears when he comes out of the dryer to make sure he's “just right.”

9. The way he'll play Lego Batman on Wii for hours if we'll let him.

8. The way he never meets a stranger and will speak to anyone about anything, much to our chagrin.

7. The way we still talk about his least and most favorite parts of the day while sitting in the rocking chair at bedtime.

6. The way he still wants to wear his long-sleeved flannel Christmas jammies, even during the summer.

5. The way he so freely gives out hugs and kisses, his lips landing in whichever spot he can reach.

4. The way he has so many little girlfriends: Sophia, Kyra, Rachael, Dharma, and Julianna. He's such a charmer!

3. The way he is so kindhearted. When Rosie went to heaven this year he wanted her to have his stuffed monkey, and he painted her a picture to put on her cloud.

2. The way he stated in his preschool graduation interview that Kit Kat was his favorite food, and he wanted to be Batman when he grew up.

1. The way he amazes me more and more each day. My little man-so smart, so energetic, and so all together wonderful! I love you, Bubby!!

Typos

2009-07-13T05:51:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!
I am more than happy to report that My Mangled Meanderings is up to date!!! Be sure to check back as far as April because I have been adding posts here and there. I'll be behind again once the butterflies make their appearance, but I digress.

The only problem is that I'm stressing out because Lorne said that he found some typos, but he couldn't remember exactly where. I have a degree in English for goodness sakes! I can't have typos! I'll send a box of Cracker Jacks to anyone who wants to comment with any discovered typos. LOL He said he thought one of them was to/too/two which really bothers me because that is a huge pet peeve of mine when it is used incorrectly! It's probably a close second to there/their or maybe its'/it's/its. OK, I'll stop now and go get the kids ready to leave for swim lessons!

~Kelly~

New Fence

2009-07-10T16:06:00.001-07:00

I am so excited to show the pictures of our new fence. It has been quite a process! I got estimates from three fence companies back in April. I couldn't believe how much it was going to cost, so I thought I would try going through State Farm since the west fence had been damaged by wind on more than one occasion. I should have had State Farm come out first. There was a recent hailstorm, so it took about two weeks for him to come out and take a look. He said that they would pay to replace the fence posts along the west fence, but that was all. The damage didn't reach our deductible so that was a complete and total waste of time. I think that it actually hurt us that Lorne had been doing repairs along the way, because it was in much better shape than it would have been otherwise.

The next huge step was getting four signatures from our affected neighbors for the Homeowner's Association Architectural Change form. How difficult is it to get four signatures? I'm so glad that you asked, because it is a HUGE PAIN!!!! It took me about six weeks!! It's amazing how busy people get when you start asking them for money! It didn't help matters that the house along the north fence was on the market. The original owners wouldn't sign the form even though I kept telling them it was just for the HOA. Lorne did the math and split the cost in half for our part, and then the remaining balance three ways for our neighbors' contribution. I finally started telling them that it was okay if they didn't pay (none of them did; the losers!), so that we could get our fence! The fence guy said that what he sees happen is that they won't pay us, but they'll call a fence company to construct a new fence for them and they only have to replace two sides instead of three...nice!

I was hoping to get the new fence in May because Rosie spent the month with Larry and Velma since we'd traveled so much. It saved her time in the car and the cost of boarding for us. That obviously didn't happen, but it wasn't too bad having to take her outside on the leash. I was afraid that I would forget at 4:30 in the morning and she would get loose, but I just left the leash right in front of the patio door as a visual.

They came on Wednesday and removed the old fence and posts and set the new posts. We now have metal posts which should help tremendously with sustaining wind damage. It started to rain about thirty minutes after they left. I was worried that it would change their schedule, but the owner said it would be fine. They didn't come Thursday because they were allowing the posts to set. They didn't get here Friday until after 10:00, so I was worried that they wouldn't finish, but the new fence was up by 5:00 that same day. We now have cedar instead of spruce, so the backyard smells so great! This fence also has a cap along the top, so it makes for a cleaner and sleeker look which I really like.

The street view of the original east gate.

The street view of the new east gate.

The yard view of the original east gate. We have been double checking the latch for years, always fearing that Rosie would escape.

This gate had been damaged since we got Rosie in September of 2001. She was only an outside dog for a short time, but she did a lot of damage as a puppy. I was very happy to see it go!

The yard view of the new east gate. What an improvement!

The before shot of the north fence.

The new north fence. We were also able to pay the guys to haul off some concrete that had been in that back corner since Lorne updated the patio back in 2002. I was almost as excited about that as I was about the fence!

The before shot of the west fence. This stretch sustained the most wind damage and wear and tear. Lorne replaced fence posts and bracketed the rails many times after we had 70+ mph winds on a few occasions.

The after shot of the west fence.

The before shot of the south fence.

The after shot of the south fence.

The before shot of the remainder of the east side.

The after shot of the east gate. They were running a "special," so now we have two gates. I like how the new gates are level unlike the original ones.

Lorne's not happy about the Blackwell Fence sign. He doesn't believe in free advertising for someone after you've paid them. That's why we always take the dealership names off of our cars, for example. This sign probably won't last long either.

The kids were happy to get back in their sandbox.

Chloe is Potty Training!

2009-07-10T13:33:00.000-07:00

I started potty training Chloe on June 15th. I thought that the timing was good because we would be home for two weeks before going out of town again, and we would be going to Mark's where we could be pretty casual and laid back about the whole process. She actually did ever better than I thought at Mark's. She never had an accident, and even kept her swim diapers dry (as dry as a swim diaper can be, that is). I think it was in large thanks to Kayla. It was so funny to see them lined up in the restroom. I brought Chloe's potty and Kayla had hers, too. What a sight!

I started with her in Pull-Ups, but quickly realized that I wasn't going to get very far going the Pull-Up route. I had gone from changing wet diapers to changing wet Pull-Ups. She didn't seem to understand what I was trying to tell her about keeping them dry, but I really didn't give her much of a chance, either. I just kept hearing "girls are much easier than boys," which was the what I heard one million times while I was training Sawyer, so I just had a feeling that she would do great in big girl panties.

I was having flashbacks of starting the process with Sawyer. I remembered how he started wetting Pull-Ups, and then moved to wetting training pants, only to quit the process until the following summer when he was three. I am still putting her in the nighttime Pull-Ups, but we have just recently started Sawyer in underwear at night, but that's another story!

Everything is going really well with Chloe, and I think it is because of some major differences from what I did with Sawyer. She is crazy about the Disney Princesses, so I took her to Wal-Mart to let her choose her own big girl panties, knowing the royal ladies would be her choice. Sure enough, she gravitated to Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and the gang, so I knew we were on our way! It may mean a larger carpet cleaning bill, but I have the Kiwi warranty for a good reason!

The other thing I have been doing is keeping her potty as close to her as possible. The potty changes rooms when she does. If it's just us at home, who really cares if there's a potty in the living room? I sure don't, especially if it means that we will be able to avoid an accident!

She started telling me when she needed to go in about a week and a half, and she's on target about half of the time. The rest of the time she just sits and sits, but I think that is a normal part of the process. They seem to realize pretty quickly that this whole potty training thing is a way for them to gain some control over their little lives.

My life on the road has gotten really interesting since both kids are wanting to use the travel potty. I pretty much have to add at least ten minutes to each stop so that each child can do their thing. I know that the novelty will wear off with Chloe, and Sawyer will go back to only using it when he really needs to go. I don't know what I would do without the Tahoe. It's Pit Stop Express on the tailgate most of the time!

I was a little worried about how she would do in a public restroom, but I fretted for nothing, which seems to be pretty common where Chloe is concerned. I think it is kind of funny that Target's restroom was the first public restroom she used because it was Sawyer's too. Target was also the first place I took each of my kids other than the pediatrician's office when they were newborns. I guess that I should stop spending so much time at Target!

Another difference is that I haven't done any type of reward or prize with Chloe. I almost went to the poor house (not really) buying trinkets for Sawyer's "Treasure Bowl" that he would be allowed to choose from and unwrap upon completing his mission. It just seemed to lose its appeal before he had really gotten the hang of using the potty, which conflicted with what was referenced in the book I read. I only read one book, which was The No-Cry Potty Training Solution by Elizabeth Pantley.

All I have done with Chloe is the "potty dance." Everyone joins in and has a grand old time shaking their groove thing to celebrate Chloe's accomplishment. I took a quick video to torture them with when they get older.

Something that I took from the book was to make them their very own potty book. It turned out that Chloe's is much nicer than Sawyer's, but I attribute that to the fact that Chloe was only three months old when I made Sawyer's. I have quite a bit more time these days! I took pictures, as rated G as possible, in their various stages of using the restroom. I put it together in a book, had it laminated and bound, and the potty book was born!

I had quite a bit of drama with Chloe's book. I took it to a UPS store that I don't usually use because the one closest to me didn't have the coil binding. I didn't want to go back to Kinko's, because that's where I went with Sawyer's, and I didn't think that they did the best job because the holes for the binding weren't far enough away from the end and soon began to tear. I guess that I should have gone to Kinko's, because the man didn't put the pages in the correct order when it was bound so I had to redo all of the pages. I was so upset!!! I had left the book with him for a few hours, per his request, so I wasn't there to verify. I went home and worked on the second book during nap time and most of the evening. I was also upset because I had missed going to the gym that Monday because I had stayed up until almost 2 AM working on the silly thing only to have it ruined.

I was waiting for the store to open the following morning with my new potty book in hand. This time I was able to cut the pages out of the laminate myself (one had already started to unravel in the other one), and triple check before they were bound.

I think that the worst part was that he never apologized, and he was the owner of the store! I swear customer service just isn't like it used to be! The good news is Chloe is enjoying her book, and is well on her way to being a big girl (and increasing the balance of Mommy's checking account!) :)

This is one of my favorite pictures of Chloe!

I love to sit and listen to her "read" her potty book to me.

Chloe Has Earrings!

2009-07-06T12:53:00.000-07:00

I took Chloe to have her ears pierced today. She didn't even cry!!! She actually acted more annoyed that the lady was bothering her ears! It was too funny! It makes me glad that I didn't make more of a deal out of it. I did promise her that she could choose a toy afterward, but that was kind of anticlimactic because she wasn't even upset!

It may have been an impulse on my part, but Lorne has been wanting them pierced since the day she was born! I knew that it was going to involve some maintenance on my part, and even though it isn't much, I wanted to wait until she was a little bit older. I'm hoping that she doesn't do like I did when I was young which was pull them out so that the holes grew back. I ended up having them re-pierced when I was older.

We were at Grapevine Mills mall to meet Ashley, Erik, and Ariana for lunch. They were in town for some testing for Ariana. They actually walked by when we were getting ready so Ashley was able to take pictures for me. I wanted to be there when the mall opened so that she would have time to adjust if she was in any pain, but we didn't have to worry about that which was great!

The before shot.

Chloe pointed to the largest CZ, the 6 mm, when asked what earrings she wanted. I have already taught her well in her two years! :) FYI: I went with the 3 mm!

Chloe with her, "Just Got My Ears Pierced," sticker.

She was able to choose a lollipop and was all smiles when it was said and done.

Enjoying her prize.

We had a nice time at the Rainforest Cafe. The kids kept pointing out "Dori" in the fish tank.

Afterward at the Rainforest Cafe. I was able to get a good shot because she was distracted by everything in the gift shop.

Chloe was so excited about the elephants that I finally let her stand up and get a peek.

July 4th Weekend

2009-07-05T19:23:00.000-07:00

The kids and I traveled to Mark's house in Buchanan Dam to spend July 4th weekend. We were there from Wednesday to Sunday. Lorne wasn't able to take off work, so we went alone. They do so great in the car, so that went really smoothly. It's kind of tricky when we have to stop, but we have the Fisher-Price Potty On-the-Go, which is one of the best things Fisher-Price ever invented, second only to their Healthy Care Booster Seat, but I digress...

Mark was the only one there when we arrived. He purchased his new boat Wednesday so we were able to help him out and take him to get his truck at the boat dealership. We also got to take the first boat ride which was a lot of fun!

Here are some pictures from the weekend:

Mark bought a beautiful new boat just in time for the holiday weekend.

Co-captain Sawyer.

Mom and Chloe

Sawyer was busy helping Uncle Mark get the fishing pole ready.

Sawyer didn't get to wet his line for long, but it seemed to satisfy him so that was the main thing.

Mom hung out with the kids while Mark and I docked the boat.

Chloe wanted Mom to have a strawberry birthday cake, and Sawyer wanted me to write Mimi and a smiley face on top, so there ya go!

Chloe was enamored by Bonz as usual.

Sawyer and Chloe getting in some pool time prior to Kayla's arrival.

The kids spent hours in this pool from HEB.

They loved their Drumsticks!

All smiles and waves!

I loved Chloe's expression in this picture. I cannot even express how much fun she had on the water.

Sawyer warmed up to the tube and gave us a little wave.

Jackie had fun riding in the tube too!

Chloe was totally comfortable in the boat.

I went for a ride with Sawyer and Kayla. I was terrified, but I didn't want them to know!

We pass by this house on the lake, so Jackie took a picture. It's massive!

Chloe threw a fit each time we took her out of the water. I need to check her birth certificate and verify that she's only two!

Mom had just sent Dad a picture of the Marigolds he planted when Chloe picked them for me!

Jackie got this great shot of the kids on the Power Wheels.

Mark serenaded us with his guitar. He's getting quite good!

The kids all had their scooters, so I bought them bells.

Chloe and Sawyer working on their sparkler project.

Kayla hard at work.

The kids with their safe sparklers.

Chloe and Kayla take a break!

Mimi wanted to wear a bandanna on the boat, so of course the kids had to have one too!

"Ahoy, Matey!"

Watching the fireworks from the boat. It was quite a sight.

The fireworks over Lake LBJ.

We "stumbled" upon this fireworks show on our way back to the boat slip, but it was the most spectacular show I have ever seen!

Chloe kept saying, "Another one, Mommy, another one!" when the fireworks exploded.

Sawyer twirled his sparklers round and round.

Kayla swirling her sparkler.

Chloe wasn't very impressed with the sparklers.

Sawyer's Well Check

2009-06-30T13:53:00.000-07:00

Sawyer's well-check was late this year because of insurance. I did his three-year check late last year so that I could do Chloe's fifteen month at the same time, so we had to wait until June 30th or later to do the four-year one. This one was pretty involved so Chloe stayed with my friend Trina. He had a vision and hearing check which went well. His vision is 20/40 which they said was normal for a four-year-old and his hearing was normal too. "So he CAN hear," was my response! :)

He also got two shots in each leg which wasn't very fun. At least now he's finished with those until he turns twelve. He used to do pretty well with shots, but he was traumatized at his Pulmonologist appointment the week before. They drew blood for allergy testing, and were unable to find the vein in his left arm after trying for what seemed like forever. I sat helpless with him on my lap while the nurse called in another nurse for assistance. They got some from the other arm, but the damage was done. Sawyer kept saying that he didn't want any more "shots," so I kept trying to explain to him that shots were different from blood draws.

Karen, the nurse at Pediatric Place, gave him an entire bag of prizes after his shots, so now he will expect that each time he sees the pediatrician. She said that she would rather call in sick than give Sawyer his shots. She is such a wonderful woman! It's also so nice to see Patti, the nurse who helped me learn how to nurse a little six pound baby four years ago. I was so overwhelmed and clueless, and she was so patient and understanding. I will always remember and admire her for that!

Sawyer is only allergic to Kentucky Bluegrass, by the way, which makes me very upset that I put him through all the pain of the blood test. He had a "mild" reaction to milk, wheat, and chocolate, but the numbers weren't high enough to consider them true allergies. His IgE (Immunoglobulin E) score was 41, and the normal is 0-30, so there is evidently some predisposition to being allergic, but the scale can go into the thousands, so I don't know that it is much of an indicator of how "allergic" Sawyer can become. The test only screens for the most common of allergies, so who knows, maybe he has some allergies that weren't included.

Sawyer is 41 1/4 inches tall, which puts him in the 72nd percentile. He weighs 39 pounds, so he is in the 74th percentile for weight. He is growing steady and sure. He has grown almost three inches and gained five pounds since his well-check last year.

He completed the annual developmental survey and his answers were pretty amusing. It's funny to see how much they have changed since the first one done those four years ago. He actually gets to complete tasks in the office and answer a series of questions. I jotted down some of his answers because I thought they were indicative of the personality of our little man, Sawyer. I was instructed to end the survey after three answers of no. I think that those were for dressing himself completely, balancing on one foot for eight seconds, and drawing a person with six different "parts." His little person had five, including two sets of arms, eyes, a nose, and two legs. He scored above the normal four-year-old on the overall survey so I was very excited about that.

My favorites are #8 and #9:

What is a ball? Round circle
What is a lake? Whole group of water
What is a desk? What teachers sit on
What is a house? What you stay in
What is a banana? What you eat
What is a curtain? What you close and open with
What is a fence? What keeps dogs and cats from getting out
What is a ceiling? Where the fan is
What do you do when you're cold? You cover up to someone that is warm
What do you do when you're tired? Go to bed
What do you do when you're hungry? Eat

Ten MORE Things Mommy Loves About Chloe Kathryn (AKA Nogoey)

2009-06-25T22:05:00.000-07:00

I have two previous posts for Chloe from 2007 and 2008 if you'd like to read them first.

10. The way she "reads" her books to us, reciting them from memory.

9. The way she loves all things Disney Princesses, especially "Cindewewwa."

8. The way she sings the Alphabet Song, "Q R S L M N O P."

7. The way she could eat ten bags of fruit snacks if we'd let her.

6. The way she says, "I not a chicken nugget, I a Coie!"

5. The way she removes her ponies before we even get out of the driveway.

4. The way she says, "peet, enephent (elephant), cober me up, peet (feet), wap, wet
(let) me out, and wove."

3. The way it takes at least two rockings with her "blankie" and Georgia before she
will fall asleep.

2. The way she is so fearless, climbing rock walls and dangling every chance she
gets.

1. The way her entire face lights up when she smiles, and she shares her joy with
everyone she meets.

Ten MORE Things Mommy Loves About Sawyer Blake (AKA Stallyer)

2009-06-23T22:28:00.000-07:00

I have other versions of this post from 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008. It is always so much fun to go back and read my thoughts from the previous years.

10. The way he sticks to his bedtime routine-fish cup, lotion, Mederma, Vaseline, and "Bandin" without fail.

9. The way he still asks to watch his French friend Caillou.

8. The way he counts off MY two choices like I do to him.

7. The way he requests tacos for supper each and every night.

6. The way his cup, plate, and silverware all have to match.

5. The way he gets so excited over construction equipment.

4. The way he asks, "Why?" about one thousand times a day.

3. The way he always wants me to sing the "Dumbo Song" or "Godspeed."

2. The way he likes to sleep in "our two beds," or in "our two rooms."

1. The way George remains by his side even after a nose, body trim, and double ear transplants.

Scooters and Princess Shoes

2009-06-16T16:06:00.000-07:00

Sawyer was so excited about Kayla's scooter that she got for her birthday that I decided to take the gift cards he got for his birthday and get him a scooter along with a Cars helmet and knee pads. I got him the three-wheeled Radio Flyer scooter. I also got the Disney Princess dress-up shoes for Chloe thinking that she would be happy with that. Little did I know that she would want a PINK scooter just like her brother! I think that was her best fit so far. It was a real doozie! I went to Wal-Mart the next day and got her pink scooter and a Disney Princess helmet and knee pads.

I asked Chloe to show me her Cinderella shoes; so she did!

She is so in love with Cinderella.

I thought it was funny that she was playing with Sawyer's Jeep while wearing her girlie princess shoes.

Sawyer with his new scooter.

I had to get a picture of this fit, because it was a monumental one! I wish that I'd taken video too.

"Gig 'Em!"

Chloe and her pink scooter.

My two rotten children and their scooters.

We went outside to test drive the scooters.

They were checking out our neighbor's sprinklers.

We just had to run through the sprinklers at least twice before we went in for the evening.

Happy Birthday Kayla!

2009-06-13T14:56:00.000-07:00

It was so great that we were able to go to Kayla's third birthday party. She and Sawyer are one year and four days apart, so this is always a special time of year. Kayla had a Dora party, so she got lots of Dora loot! Matthew and Jackie bought a water slide last year, and it was a huge hit with the kids! I don't think Sawyer slowed down one bit that day. I thought maybe Chloe would be scared because it was pretty tall, but she wasn't worried at all!

Dora turned out great!

Jackie made Dora's house out of the giant cupcake mold. What a cute idea!

Chloe was loving having the sandbox all to herself.

Matthew and Jackie actually bought this water slide. It looks like it was a great investment.

Sawyer had a blast on the water slide!

Kayla unwrapping her Dora nightgown from us.

Kayla and her cake. She looks so happy!

Sawyer was in love with Kayla's new scooter.

The little princesses

Princess Chloe

Her Highness Kayla

Sawyer is Four Years Old!

2009-06-09T14:55:00.000-07:00

Sawyer has changed in so many ways over the past year. He is so much fun to be around, and he loves to be right where we are all the time. He is literally wanting to be where we are recently, even at night. He started sleeping with us while we were doing all of our traveling, and now he mostly sleeps on the floor in the hallway in front of our bedroom until we come to bed, and then we put him back in his bed.

We've also stopped having him sleep in Pull-Ups at night, but I don't know that it's the best thing to do just yet. I am changing his sheets at least once, if not twice, each night, and sometimes during nap time, too. I don't punish him when he has an accident, but I just worry that I'm going to make him feel badly about it when it happens. He is such a deep sleeper that he isn't waking up in time.

Sawyer is definitely an inquisitive child. He asks me "why?" at least fifty times a day. He loves to talk about everything, especially when we're in the car. We had a great conversation about filters the other day: coffee, pool, air, fuel, etc. I try to speak to him like he's a little adult so that he can expand his vocabulary and his awareness of the world around him.

He has recently started pouting which is pretty cute! He gets his feelings hurt easily these days, so we're trying to really explain ourselves when we discipline him. He is still harassing Chloe on a daily basis, and I really don't know what to do about that. I think that it's mostly just part of being siblings.

Gliding with Bear

Climbing with Bear

Sliding with Bear

Swinging with Bear

I don't know where he learned to tummy swing, but he's really good at it.

Swinging is so much fun!

My stair steps.

Here are a few pictures of Chloe from the day:

Captain Chloe

Four Years Ago

2009-06-09T14:39:00.000-07:00

I became a mom four years ago today, and my life changed completely, never to return to the "normal" to which I was so accustomed. I had absolutely no idea what being a mother would entail. I can't even tell you what I used to do with my time. I used to think that I was busy, but being a mom changes the definition of busy in so many ways. These two little kids didn't ask to be here, so it is up to me to ensure that they are well taken care of and live in an environment in which they can thrive and become the best possible version of themselves.

Lorne and I had been together for so long, just he and I, living completely for one another, that it is still such an adjustment to not always feeling like his number one anymore. I may not always get the first kiss when he walks through the door, but seeing his face light up when he sees his children touches me in a way that I never thought possible. By the same token, I remember watching him holding those blue and pink swaddles in his arms, knowing with certainty that he was meant to be their father, and that he and I were in this together, forever.

I still have days when I think that I'm way too selfish to be a mom. Then I realize that a selfish person isn't as hard on themselves as I am. Selfish people don't anguish over making sure that they are the best possible mom to their children. I used to wonder why God blessed me with children when I feel so unworthy of them. I now know that He sent them to me to teach me humility, patience, flexibility, and how to give and receive their beautiful and tender love and affection.

I started brainstorming on the changes all parents experience, so I've developed a table in true Kelly fashion! :)

Four Years Ago	Today
Kelly	Momma
Patricia Cornwell	Dr. Seuss
People	High Five
Date night	Play dates
XM Radio	Raffi CD
Free time	Time-outs
All My Children	Caillou
Dine-in	Take-out
Poker	Go Fish
Laundry day	Daily laundry
Alarm clock	Sawyer
European vacation	Staycation
Graduate school	Preschool
Lorne & Kelly	Smith Family

Happy Fourth Birthday Sawyer!!

2009-06-06T14:56:00.000-07:00

The Disney Pixar movie Cars was the theme of Sawyer's fourth birthday party. I had so much fun planning and getting ready for the party! It is really amazing that we even had a party based on the week that we'd had.

Chloe had an ENT appointment on Monday that we had to reschedule for Tuesday because Dr. Gottleib got paged to the ER. We got there Tuesday afternoon and Chloe had a sinus infection. Her hearing is 100%, though, so that was a relief. Dr. Gottleib said that he wasn't surprised about the infection since her brother was sick. I told him that I had just taken Sawyer to the doctor the Thursday before and he only had allergies. Dr. Gottleib said that his cough sounded like he either had an infection or Asthma. Needless to say, I got to the car and immediately scheduled an appointment for Sawyer. Dr. Darrow was booked for the remainder of the day so we saw the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Michele. We were in the office for almost THREE hours! It was horrible! Evidently three cases came in once we were there and they were more serious than ours so we had to wait on them. I had only packed enough snacks for a fifteen minute ENT appointment, and I'd left the water cups in the car, so it was not fun!

She listened to Sawyer's chest numerous times and said that she heard wheezing. The next thing I know they are bringing in a nebulizer and doing a breathing treatment. I was so confused and tired that I didn't even think to ask why they were doing all of this. They sent us home with a nebulizer and enough medicine to get us through Friday when we were supposed to return. They actually didn't get us enough medicine, though, so we had to go back to the pharmacy for refills.

We went back to see Michele on Friday because Dr. Darrow was on vacation in Cabo or Playa, or somewhere else where you can see the ocean floor. Now Sawyer had bronchitis and an ear infection, and she was still hearing wheezing and saying he had Asthma. I tactfully asked for a Pulmonologist referral, because I just didn't think it was Asthma. His cough came out of nowhere a little over one week ago, and he had no history of excessive coughing up to this point.

We went and had a chest X-ray to rule out pneumonia. I couldn't believe this! Sawyer can't have pneumonia; he's having a birthday party in the morning! The X-ray only showed bronchitis so that was good, but he was still having to do three breathing treatments of his "dragon medicine." The mask looks like a dragon, so the term was born.

Jackie and I stayed up until almost 4:00 Saturday morning getting ready for the party which was scheduled for 11:00 on Saturday. I awoke at 7:00 and only one of my eyes opened. I jumped in the shower and was at Care Now in Garland when they opened the doors at 8:00. I had pink eye and a sinus infection! I stopped at the pharmacy on my way home (that was my fourth trip in five days for those of you who are keeping track), and told Jackie and Velma that they would have to take over the food preparation due to the pink eye. I was sooo disappointed! Luckily I had stayed up really late getting most everything straight so there wasn't quite as much to do that morning as there normally would have been.

I think that the party went really well! They always come and go so quickly. I feel like I plan and plan, and then just like that it's all over!

We put some decorations on the fence for this year's party.

I made two cakes because the Cars cake was pretty small. This one has a checkerboard inside. The checkered flag and traffic light favor bags are in the background.

Lightning McQueen cake

Hot dog race cars

Traffic light desserts and the watermelon car

I told Jackie that I never get any pictures of her, so I had to take one.

Ashley, Ariana, Lexi, Sophia, Lynn, Dharma, Sawyer, and Cade

Bekah, Luke, Dharma, and Sawyer on the swing set.

Sawyer in his cardboard car

Presea in Strip Weathers

Sawyer and Chloe in the race cars

Lorne raced with Sawyer. It was really funny!

Sawyer with his checkered flag cake.

I wanted to show the cross-section of the cake that showed the checkerboard.

Lorne made these cars from cardboard, Mod Podge, and our printer. They were so awesome!

Sophia, Sawyer, and Lexi

Kayla had a good time at the party.

Chloe and GrandDad

Ariana and Chloe

Caroline

Cate had a lot of fun on the swing.

Sawyer was more impressed with the whistle than actually racing.

Chloe got a Disney Princess hooded towel from Nana and Poppa and wouldn't take it off for at least an hour!

Nana and Poppa

I had to shoot video of Sawyer playing catch with GrandDad for the first time. This is how he always played with us. All the things I was saying while filming were the things Dad always said to us! If we didn't hit his glove we had to run after the ball, usually stopping and get him another beer on the way back!

I'd say it was a successful party!

Brittany's Graduation

2009-05-30T14:22:00.000-07:00

Brittany's graduation was held at the Merrell Center in Katy. She graduated from Lamar Consolidated High School. Mom stayed with the kids at Larry and Velma's house which was really nice since graduation didn't begin until 6:00. I wasn't quite sure how it would work with that being dinner time and it probably going into their bedtime. We also didn't have to worry about watching the graduation in the foyer in case one of them wasn't wanting to be still. We're very proud of Brittany and are looking forward to her next graduation from Houston Baptist University. Go Britt!

There was a neat sideshow of the graduates' pictures playing prior to the ceremony.

It took about five tries to get this shot, but we got there really early so I had plenty of time!

Half the fun of attending a graduation is spotting your loved one in the lineup.

Walking to her seat.

I'm so excited to be able to add this video of Brittany. I just wish I weren't talking through the whole thing! Sorry, Britt! :)

Moving her tassle.

Back to her seat to wait out the remainder of the ceremony.

Brittany and Tyler

Brittany with Velma and Tyler in their Lamar blue.

Uncle Lorne and his "Paco."

Brittany with her diploma.

Uncle Lorne and Aunt Kelly

The Proud Nana and Dad!

Swing Set

2009-05-25T21:20:00.000-07:00

We bought a swing set for Sawyer's birthday. It's obviously for both kids, and probably would have been a great Christmas present, but we thought it would be so cold in December that it would be torture for the kids because they wouldn't be able to really enjoy it until the weather turned warmer.

We got it from Backyard Adventures which I had seen many times because it's off Central Expressway and close to where Sawyer takes his little weekly preschool class. We'd also gone to Lowe's to look around and get some ideas of what accessories come with a swing set these days. It's pretty incredible to see that we could have gotten one that was greater than the down payment on our house. This is such a crazy world in which we live!

The swing set came in on Wednesday and Lorne's boss Tom was gracious enough to let us use his truck to transport it home. It came in five huge boxes which they unloaded in the garage. Lorne started carting the boxes to the backyard and attempting to arrange the pieces in order of assembly. It quickly became apparent that Sawyer and Chloe were going to be a big "help."

Memorial Day weekend was approaching, so I had the idea that I could take the kids to Mark's for the weekend so that Lorne would have uninterrupted assembly time. The birthday party was two weeks away, and it would probably have taken Lorne all of that time to finish since he would only have about one hour each evening, if he was lucky.

He figured that it took him about twenty-four hours total. The kids and I were gone from Friday to Monday, so it really worked out great! Sawyer went straight to the patio door when we got home, peeked through the blinds and said, "Oh my goodness!" It was so cute!

This is the perfect example of the "help" Lorne was getting from the kids.

"How tall are you, Chloe?"

Lorne did a great job of taking progress pictures for me.

Climbing wall

Roof

The other roof

Slide

All finished!

Side view

Other side

Back view

First swing

Chloe loves the rock wall!

"Wow!"

Sawyer taking a turn on the rock wall.

First slide

First glide

We love to dangle!

I have officially decided that Chloe is part monkey!

What a laugh!

"Thanks, Daddy!"

Daddy's Little Girl

"May I help you?"

San Antonio Zoo

2009-05-17T20:55:00.000-07:00

The last attraction of our trip was the San Antonio Zoo. We had also planned a trip to the river, but a cold front arrived with the rain from the day before. We also had to tweak our plans a bit because Chloe got croup. She and I went to Boerne Acute Care that morning to get her checked out. She had started coughing Saturday morning, and it just got progressively worse.

I dropped off her prescription at HEB and we headed for the zoo shortly after. She seemed to have a good time, even though she wasn't feeling 100%.

There were some animals at this zoo that we don't' have at the Dallas Zoo, so that made the trip more special for the kids.

Sawyer had been asking for popcorn all weekend so we finally caved. He didn't have much to do with any of the animals until he polished off the container.

The prairie dog exhibit was a big hit with the kids. They were able to crawl inside their home and get really close.

Sawyer found a shady spot to enjoy his popcorn.

The kids each love hippos, but this was the first time for them to see them in person. We spent quite a bit of time in front of their tank.

Chloe used this as her "stage" and started singing the alphabet for God and everyone else to hear.

Fiesta Texas

2009-05-16T20:30:00.000-07:00

Our trip to Fiesta Texas was cut short by rain. It was a good thing that we started in Wiggles World, because that was as far as we made it before the bottom fell out!

We waited in the beer garden for forty-five minutes and made a run for our cars when the rain lightened up a bit. The day wasn't a total waste because Kenneth and Lorne took the big kids back that evening. Lorie and I stayed with Landon and Chloe. I think that a fun time was had by all!

Landon and Sawyer couldn't wait for the train to arrive.

The kids had a lot of fun on the train.

Landon, Lorie, and Kaden

The airplane kept going up and down and the kids really enjoyed it.

I love my squinting kids!

We can never quite get all four of us looking at the camera at the same time.

I spent the ride practicing with the zoom lens on my new camera.

We were able to take a picture with Dorothy the Dinosaur.

Chloe just loves hanging out!

I thought this was a great shot of Kaden.

Kaden was not impressed with Wiggles World, but he tolerated it for the younger kids.

Bugs Bunny came by to entertain the kids during the rain.

Sea World

2009-05-15T20:02:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful time on our first real family vacation to San Antonio. We arrived on Thursday night and spent our evenings with Lorie and her family. They were so hospitable and gracious to allow us to stay for so many days!

We decided to do our vacation in May for a few reasons. Lorne had to take days off work anyway, and we decided that the weather would be much more pleasant in May than August, for example.

Our first day was spent at Sea World. The kids had a really good time. They were probably the least impressed with the shows I think. It was difficult to time because if we got there too early we had to try and entertain the kids. If we got there too late we ran the risk of not having a seat.

Chloe lasted in Lorne's lap for about two seconds!

Same with Sawyer.

Chloe was patiently waiting for the show to begin.

I was terrified of the cargo net, but I didn't want the kids to know, so away we went!

Chloe got into the tube and wouldn't move. She wasn't scared, she just took up residence and the other kids couldn't get around her.

The kids were entranced by the show.

This was the best of all the shows we saw.

Sawyer kept referring to the whale as "Shampoo." It was so cute!

The kids really enjoyed their picnic lunch in the Tahoe.

What a sweaty kid!

I was so honored that Sawyer chose me to ride his first rollercoaster with him.

I should have taken the picture in front of the sign BEFORE the ride!

Chloe was not impressed with the "sharks" in the tank.

Chloe really got into the fish tank.

The kids really played well together, especially considering that they were together for four days!

Our Random Little Lives

2009-05-09T20:34:00.000-07:00

First daily, weekly, bi-monthly, monthly, now it has been over two months since I have been on Aggiefamily. I'm really looking forward to the summer and things slowing down a bit. I'm trying to think of ways to make things not quite so hectic. I'm already getting up at 4:30 to work-out Monday-Friday, so that means that I try to get to bed by 9:30-10:00 in order to get enough sleep. Sawyer usually finally falls asleep around 9:00, so that doesn't give me much time with Lorne. I try to be productive during nap time, but most days I'm pretty worn out from getting up so early. Today was the first day all week that we didn't leave the house by 8:30. Something's gotta give; I feel like a hamster on a wheel most days!

I enrolled Chloe in a Ms. Linda class for five 1 1/2 hour sessions once a week, but I don't think that I'm going to have her take any more because it just makes one more morning for us to be away from home. I have to do registration for the summer on Monday, but I don't think that I will re-enroll her. I figure we'll be busy enough with traveling, birthday parties, swim lessons and me getting ready for my new moms group.

I'm starting a group at church called St. Anthony Moms (SAM), by the way! (So much for life getting less hectic!) It is going to be a ton of work, but I am so excited to start the process. I have the first meeting scheduled for September 11, so that gives me a few months to get organized. My brain is on complete overload every time I think about it. I'm doing an organizational meeting at the end of the month, and I think that will help ease some of my anxiety.

I don't have as many pictures as I would like, because my camera decided to go on the fritz last month. All of my pictures turn out with the colors all distorted. It is very frustrating, but Lorne has already saved the day and I have a new camera on the way as we speak!

Here are some of the random pictures that we've taken lately:
The kids on a morning when we were actually home.

Chloe thought she was the bee's knees when she helped her daddy mow.

Sawyer was very proud of his drawings. They are really starting to resemble people!

This is a fruit pizza that I made for MOPS. I'm totally turning into Mom because I've had this recipe for years and this was the first time I actually made it!

Chloe's First Day of Class

2009-04-28T20:49:00.000-07:00

Chloe was so excited to go to her Ms. Linda class. She is such a big girl! I was excited for her to go, but I couldn't believe how great she's doing. Most of the other moms stay around for most of the class, but Linda said that Chloe isn't fazed by my absence in the least. I think that MOPS is the main reason. She has enjoyed MOPPETS so much this year, and it has prepared her well for being away from Mommy.

This were some of the last pictures I was able to take with my camera. At first I thought that I would try and recreate the day when I got my new camera. Now I'm hoping that maybe Trask could work his magic and make them look like they should. :)

I wasn't planning on taking her picture in this chair, but as usual Chloe had her own plans!

Brittany's Graduation Party

2009-04-25T19:55:00.000-07:00

I had SO much fun planning for Brittany's graduation party. I started in December when I asked her about her favorite flower and we set a date. She said Gerber daisies, and the theme was born! It was the perfect time of year for a Gerber daisy party! They seemed to be everywhere. I found a few different daisy invitations, so I had to decide which one I thought was easier to read. One of them had the stem going down the middle. It was cute, but I was afraid it would take away from the wording.

The biggest step was the location. I chose the tearoom Pat-A-Cake in Wharton because it's about halfway for those driving from Sugar Land and those coming from Matagorda County. I called in early January and reserved the location. They said that all I would have to do is call two weeks before to finalize the menu and give them a head-count.

I never checked in with the tearoom again. I really wish that I had! I looked up the website for the phone number, and I noticed the red background with the words, "Sorry but we will be Closed Until Further Notice." I looked up the former owner's phone number and called him at home. He apologized and said that I must not have been on the books because they called everyone and let them know. This had all happened at the beginning of the month, so it hadn't been closed for very long. I started to freak out just a tad. It was Good Friday, though, so I figured it wasn't quite a tragedy if I thought of it in relation to that, but an inconvenience nonetheless!

I called Jamie and asked her for help. She gave me a few locations, and we talked about Sandy McGee's in Richmond. I hadn't been there since my cousin Dawn's high school graduation party back in 1996, I think it was. Jamie said that they had remodeled since then and that they had a party room. I called Sandy on her cell phone and we chatted on her way out of town. She said that they had the room available and that they could work with me, even with the short notice.

The next thing was to contact everyone. I thought about just calling the people who had RSVP'd, but I hated the thought that someone might show up in Wharton to a darkened tearoom. I think that everyone understood, and we actually ended up with a larger party which was great!

I made some really cute centerpieces and a topiary. Brittany got the topiary, and we gave the four centerpieces to the four highest scores on the "How Well Do You Know Brittany" Quiz. It was a lot of fun! I had e-mailed Brittany a list of questions earlier on so she could be in on the fun. I also made flower pot pens as favors. There were four on each table and the ladies were able to take them home. I even made extras to give to my MOPS friends at our banquet.

I borrowed Larry's digital photo frame and played Brittany's senior pictures. Her friend Kirsten took the pictures and I was able to contact her through Facebook. She mailed a CD to Larry & Velma's house and Lorne was able to upload them for me. It was playing on the gift table.

I also made daisy lollipops for everyone to take home. I found some cute pots and "planted" the lollipops in them. Kayla helped me pass them out. It turned out really well!

Aunt Faye made the cake and it was so awesome! She does really nice work! I have made enough cakes to be able to appreciate the scale of cakes she makes. We also had miniature canapes, spinach spread, Roquefort grapes, olive cheese balls, and garlic bread rounds. I think that everyone really enjoyed the menu and the afternoon!

The topiary turned out really cute!

Here's a shot of all the flowers for the party.

The food table looked really pretty!

A few shots of the guests.

Gift table

Tracey and Jamie

Brittany and her cake

Brittany with her friends.

Brittany and Jordan

Jordan, Brittany, and Jamie

Velma and Brittany

Brittany and the Happy Hostess

Aunt Margie, Aunt Faye, Brittany, Aunt Phyllis, and Aunt Naomi

Kayla, Brittany, and Jackie

Brittany with Cissy, Amy, and Ivy

Jamie, Brittany, and Tracey

Brittany with Leslie, Savannah, Jamie, Jordan, and Karen

Jamie, Brittany, and Leslie

Kayla was a huge help in passing out lollipops.

Happy Easter!!

2009-04-12T21:18:00.000-07:00

This Easter was monumental because Chloe left her pacifiers (suck sucks) for the Easter Bunny. That way he could take them to baby girls who didn't have pacifiers of their own. She has done fabulously without them. She didn't even ask for them after the second night! She only had them at nap time and bed time to begin with, so I really think that helped. I am so proud of her!

The Easter Bunny really went berserk this year!

The Easter Bunny left Chloe a special surprise in exchange for her pacifiers. She LOVES Boots from Dora the Explorer!

Easter Cookies

2009-04-12T20:25:00.000-07:00

The sugar cookie making process is getting a *little* less messy these days. The kids are definitely getting the hang of the process. I think that they are enjoying it more and more.

I LOVE this picture!

MOPS Easter Egg Hunt

2009-04-08T21:32:00.000-07:00

It wasn't so much an Easter egg hunt as an Easter egg grab, but the kids still had fun! The swing set held much more power over my kids than the Easter eggs, though. They got excited once we got home and they realized that there was candy inside the eggs!

Can you tell that it was bright outside?

The Arboretum

2009-04-06T20:52:00.000-07:00

Trina and her kids Bekah, Luke, and Natalie went with us to the Arboretum. My thought was that we could watch Eddie Coker in concert, but my kids were as receptive to him this time as they were last time, which wasn't much at all! We lasted about five minutes! I think it would be better if he sang more and talked less, but that's just me!

The featured exhibit is Storybook Playhouses which the kids really enjoyed. They were scattered throughout the grounds so that added to the fun. It was a great addition to the already beautiful landscape of the Arboretum.

Some Time Away

2009-04-05T21:38:00.000-07:00

We traveled to Mark's for a long weekend. It was really nice to get away from it all for a while. I did stressful things like organize my coupons and read a book. It was wonderful! The kids got to spend time with their uncles and grandparents, and I got to visit with Lorie. She and Landon drove up from Boerne for a visit. I hadn't seen her since October so it was so great to catch up in person instead of the phone or Facebook for a change!

Chloe's Well-Check

2009-03-24T16:09:00.000-07:00

Chloe had her well-check today and she did great! She has grown so much! She weighs 29 pounds, 8 ounces, and is 37 1/2 inches tall. She is in the 82nd percentile for her weight and the 99th percentile for her height. She grew six inches in the last year and gained almost seven pounds!

She is often mistaken for a three-year-old when we are out in public. Dr. Darrow actually alluded to that when she said to make sure that Chloe is placed in groups according to her age if she attends preschool or Mother's Day Out. She scored as a three-year-old in her developmental questionnaire, but that didn't surprise me. She thinks that she's as old as her brother. I didn't need to complete a questionnaire to tell me that!

Chloe is Two Years Old!

2009-03-23T21:58:00.000-07:00

I decided to take the Aggie Bear on location to the zoo for Chloe's second birthday. I really enjoy our zoo membership because we can go as many times as we want and stay as long or as short of a time depending on the weather and/or how the kids are doing.

Love her leg lift!

Our Crew at the Zoo

2009-03-23T21:15:00.000-07:00

Happy Second Birthday Chloe!

2009-03-21T22:37:00.000-07:00

Our house was transformed into ladybug land for Chloe's second birthday. Those little critters were everywhere! It was so much fun! Chloe Bug is still talking about her "wadybug party."

Bubbles, Bubbles

2009-03-16T21:53:00.000-07:00

The kids got a new bubble toy from Caroline and Cate. It had a little of a learning curve, which frustrated the kids, but made for super cute pictures!

I couldn't get it to work, can you tell?

"Almost, Mommy!"

"Now we're talking!"

Chloe's shoulder slouch is priceless!

Success!!

Happy Fourth Birthday Bekah!

2009-03-07T22:59:00.000-08:00

We had lots of fun at Bekah's Build-A-Bear birthday party! It was the first for us, and the kids caught on pretty quickly. Sawyer got a cute new firefighter bear.

The birthday girl!

Luke with his new turtle.

Chloe brought her JoJo along.

The kids had to try and fall into the fountain while Bekah opened her presents.

FINALLY!!!!

2009-03-06T22:39:00.000-08:00

I really don't know where the time goes! I cannot believe that it has been over a month since I have posted. I've tried to make up for lost time, as usual, and do more than one post. I hope that everyone enjoys reading as much as I enjoy posting!

Trina's Shower

2009-02-28T21:53:00.000-08:00

I co-hosted Trina's baby shower with Julie and Ginger, whom I also met through MOPS. It was held at Julie's home and we had a fun afternoon! Trina's daughter, Rebekah, came to the shower too, and she had a really great time! She's already an awesome big sister to Luke, and she's excited to meet her new sister, Natalie.

I have so enjoyed getting to know Trina and Julie.

We got Bekah a tiara so that she could feel special, too.

Trina received some really nice gifts. I always forget just how tiny newborn clothes can be.

I made these daisy candies as favors for the guests. We had a pink and yellow flower theme for the shower, so these candies worked out perfectly.

Chloe is Twenty-three Months Old!

2009-02-23T20:54:00.000-08:00

Chloe, if you're reading this in ten years, I want to apologize for combining your twenty-two and twenty-three month posts. I'm sorry that I let my life get so crazy that I don't take the time to keep up with this blog. I promise that I don't love you any less, my sweet bug! I watch you get older with each passing day and my heart aches. I want you to stay little and by my side, but it's just not to be. You're going to grow up and leave home, because that's just how life works.

I love how you're replacing your L sounds with W sounds. You're saying "wips," "wap," and "wove." You start every other sentence with, "How about...." or "Well..." You love Mickey Mouse and you call him "Gaga" even though you can repeat pretty much any word we say. I get so many comments from people on how well you're speaking at your age, how your vocabulary is so advanced for a not-quite two-year-old. I wish that I could take the credit, but you're doing it all on your own.

You run to your daddy's arms the minute he comes home from work. You love to sit on his lap and watch Boots from Dora the Explorer. You would eat booberries with every meal and love Popsicles and pancakes, and pruit snacks, especially the Dora and Nemo ones. You're still in your crib even though the toddler bed is set up in your room. I just can't bring myself to move you from that baby bed, even though you think you're as old as your big brother.

You love to play with the Doodle Pro. You're constantly asking someone to trace your hand or "peet." It's so cute! You always ask Daddy to draw a train, and he's getting really good at it! It has become his signature drawing.

You can name your shapes (heart, diamond, square, circle, oval) and we're working on colors and letters. Everything is green, or an "A" or an "H." You're starting to say your name, but mostly you answer, "Me" when I ask you your name.

You're starting to assert your independence by buckling your own car seat. You're taking off your socks and shoes in the car, over and over, and over. It's a game that never seems to get old.

You like to look through all of your bows and choose which ones your want in your hair, but you don't keep any of them in place for any length of time. It takes me forever to fix your hair, but only a second for you to undo what I've done. You already have such a mind of your own. You amaze me more with each passing day.

"Cheese!"

*Scroll down to 01/23/09 to see her twenty-two month pictures.*

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T20:02:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day was even more fun this year since Chloe was able to help, too. They made their valentines, sugar cookies, and Pooch Pops. I always look forward to these times, but I kind of have to go to my happy place when it comes to the clean-up!

I don't know how Chloe kept all the glitter out of her eyes.

I wanted to get a shot of Chloe's glitter hands.

I couldn't believe how much glitter was in my kitchen!

Making sugar cookies was lots of fun for the kids as usual.

Chloe helped made the Pooch Pops, too.

The Pooch Pops turned out super cute!

I made these Jam Cutouts for Lorne.

Sawyer opening his present from Mimi.

"Thanks for the candies, Mimi."

Sawyer is really enjoying reading the Berenstain Bears these days.

A Kodak Moment

2009-02-11T20:36:00.000-08:00

Every now and then I get pictures of our kids that I know I will forever cherish. I wanted to get some pictures of Chloe in her Gymboree outfit Denise gave her for Christmas, and they turned out so well!

She looks like she's ready for her first day of school!

Sawyer wanted to take a picture, too.

Our cute Chloe Bug.

They really do love each other!

Beary Fun

2009-02-03T19:40:00.000-08:00

Sawyer has a subscription to High Five magazine which is from the creators of Highlights. He looks forward to reading it every month. I like to save it for the Saturday mornings when Lorne and Chloe are sleeping. It has become our special time. Part of the magazine includes a recipe that kids can make. This month the recipe was bears made from Bridgford rolls. The kids had lots of fun making them.

Recovering Well

2009-02-02T14:41:00.000-08:00

I wanted to write a quick note to thank everyone for their prayers, phone calls, and e-mails. Sawyer is truly loved, but we knew that already! :)

He is doing really well it seems. He hasn't had any pain medication for the past two days and has thus far had no complaints so I think that's a great sign. He has actually only told us once that his "hip hurt," and that was when I was laying him down for a nap when we first got home from the surgery center.

The fun part will be keeping him contained for the next two weeks. I'm hoping that this cooler weather will help that somewhat. I know that he's going to start feeling a little stir crazy after a while, who wouldn't?

Thanks again, everyone!

Surgery is Scheduled

2009-01-28T09:26:00.000-08:00

Sawyer's surgery is scheduled for 10:30 tomorrow. We have to be there at 9:30. They called a day early to schedule due to the weather today. They said that if Plano schools close then they do too. Pretty much all schools are closed today because of the "ice storm." They told me at the surgery center that today's weather won't affect tomorrow's surgery schedule so that's good.

I haven't even told Sawyer about the surgery yet. I want him to get a good night's sleep so I'm going to tell him about it in the morning when he awakes. He cannot eat or drink after midnight but can have clear things like Popsicles, Jello, and water until 7:30 in the morning. It should be an interesting breakfast.

I found a neat coloring book online that a group of anesthesiologists compiled about taking a trip to the hospital. I'm going to choose the appropriate pages (he's not staying the night, for example) and we can read and color it while we wait. That's going to be one of the worst parts, I think. We'll have to wait at least an hour with a hungry child. No snacks or drinks for distraction...fun! I'm going to skip afternoon snack and make supper a little later tonight so that he will fill up and hopefully be okay until tomorrow afternoon. I know Chloe napped for at least three hours when she got home from her surgery, so I'm guessing Sawyer will do the same. It will probably take a while for him to get his appetite back, too.

I'm going to the grocery store tonight so I'm wracking my brain on which are his favorite foods so that I can have them for him. I just want to make all this as painless as possible for our little guy.

Feel free to call tomorrow for an update. We're supposed to be there for three hours max, so we should be back home around 2:00 I'm hoping. Chloe will be with Denise so that is such a weight off our minds. We know that she will be in great hands!

Chloe is Twenty-two Months Old!

2009-01-23T19:52:00.000-08:00

I get this pose a lot these days!

Sawyer's Surgery

2009-01-20T16:41:00.000-08:00

Sawyer's surgery is scheduled for Thursday, January 29. We don't have a time yet. I have to wait for the surgery center to call and schedule the time. All they said was that it would be in the morning, that it would take about thirty minutes, and that he could be in recovery for 1-2 hours. I feel like, "Here we go again," since Chloe just had her adenoidectomy in November. I think it's funny that happened on Election Day and we found out about Sawyer's surgery on Inauguration Day. Does that even matter? Not really, so I digress...SHOCKING!!

Dr. Kadesky (who was referred by Dr. Darrow) seems to think that Sawyer was probably born with this inguinal hernia. He said that they will use the scope to check out the left side to see whether or not it is herniated as well. If so, he said that he could repair both at the same time. Sounds great to me! I love that Chloe had an adenoidectomy and they can grow back, and now Sawyer is having hernia surgery and they can reoccur again as well. Isn't parenting fun?

I don't know that I'll post again between now and then, but I'll try to write again when I find out the time. I'm sure that all my readers will be praying, but I wanted to ask all the same.

Tips for a Better Life

2009-01-17T19:37:00.000-08:00

I know that we're over halfway through January, which means that most of our New Year's Resolutions have flown the coop. That's partially why I'm posting this, because I can use these reminders myself. I need to work on numbers 7, 16, and 22.

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day and while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least ten minutes each day. Buy a lock if you have to.

3. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement: My purpose is to __________ today.

4. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

5. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, and almonds.

6. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

7. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts, or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

8. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a
college kid with a maxed out charge card.

9 Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

10. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

11. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

12. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

13. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

14. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

15. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

16. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"

17. Forgive everyone for everything.

18. What other people think of you is none of your business.

19. God heals everything.

20. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

21. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick, your friends will. Stay in touch.

22. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

23. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _________.

24. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

A Hernia, Really?

2009-01-15T21:24:00.000-08:00

I took Sawyer to see Dr. Darrow this morning. He has an inguinal hernia. A bump kept reappearing from time to time, and we knew that it just wasn't normal. I think that we've seen it at least three times since the Christmas holidays. From what I've read it can occur due to heredity, excessive coughing, or straining. Lorne's dad has had three, Sawyer just got over RSV where he coughed for seven days, and we're smack dab in the anal retentiveness of potty training, so take your pick as to the cause.

He has an appointment with a pediatric surgeon on Tuesday. I can't believe that another one of our kids may be having surgery. One of the nurses said that this surgery would be more involved than Chloe's tubes, but I kind of guessed that would be the case.

I'll write on Tuesday when I know more.

Dinosaurs Alive!

2009-01-12T20:45:00.000-08:00

We went with Trina, Rebekah, and Luke to the Heard Museum in McKinney to see their Dinosaurs Alive! exhibit. I met Trina through MOPS and she actually lives in our neighborhood! We've had a few dinners together as well as some play dates. Bekah will be four in April and Luke turned two in October so our kids are pretty close in age. Trina is expecting their third child, another girl, in April.

The animatronic dinosaurs were dispersed through some woods on the grounds of the museum. The kids weren't too sure what to make of the first few.

I couldn't get Chloe to sit on the dinosaur, but Luke finally warmed to the idea.

She wasn't too keen on the sandbox either.

Sawyer's Big, Big, Boy Bed

2009-01-11T20:21:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that Sawyer is in a twin bed! I wanted to get more pictures of the assembly process, but Lorne said it would go quicker if I stayed downstairs with the kids, and he was right.

He has done great with the transition. I bought a bed rail, but we haven't put it on yet. I'm just so afraid that he'll fall out. Knowing Sawyer it will only take once and he'll never forget that it happened.

We have the toddler bed in Chloe's room, but she's still in her crib. I just can't bring myself to move her yet, especially after my reaction to going through the baby clothes. How can I be so excited that they're growing while simultaneously yearning for them to be babies again? What an interesting ride life can be!

I remember leaving the toddler bed in Sawyer's room for a while before we moved him from his crib, but the toddler bed was totally new to him. Chloe has seen the toddler bed her whole life, so it's really no big deal to her I'm thinking. I'm probably going to keep her in her crib until she starts escaping!

Family Symphony Sundays

2009-01-11T20:03:00.000-08:00

I got us season tickets to the Plano Symphony Orchestra's Family Symphony. It's sponsored by a large chain store that already gets tons of our money, so I won't mention that part! Let's just say they're building a Super one across the street from our neighborhood so it's only going to get worse!

The Spooky Symphony back in October was the first part of the series. The four remaining concerts are in a much smaller venue in Plano and feature a few musicians from each part of the orchestra. This one was called Swingin' Strings, then there's Whirlin' Winds, Boomin' Brass, and Poundin' Percussion. I think that I'll need to bring a few more things for Chloe to do this week. She was intrigued, just not for the entire hour. Lorne gets her this week, so maybe he'll have some tricks up his sleeve.

Christmas Take Two (Or is it Four?)

2009-01-08T19:34:00.000-08:00

We went to see Denise, Sophia, and Presea the other day so that the kids could open their Christmas gifts. We weren't able to get together before Christmas, but I think that this actually worked out better because all of the craziness is over.

Chloe got the most precious clothes from Gymboree. I'm going to be sure to get lots of pictures of her in them.

I meant to get a picture of Presea too since they were matching.

I think Chloe was as excited about the dump truck as Sawyer.

Presea tried to help Denise extract Sawyer's dump truck from its box.

We got Sophia and Presea a Cozy Coupe.

Sophia with her Leap Frog Tag books.

Presea was mostly interested in the wrapping paper I think.

I know she's too young to understand now, but I hope that she'll be excited about her cross-stitch one day. I can't wait to get started on Austin's.

Playin' With Play-Doh

2009-01-06T19:24:00.000-08:00

Sawyer and Chloe spent over an hour playing with their new Play-Doh kit that they got for Christmas. I found it in a catalog and I thought it was so cool. It's basically a tackle box with lots of gadgets and Mr. Potato Head type pieces, just for Play-Doh instead. We also got some Play-Doh in neat colors like purple and pink.

I had to get a picture of the little guy Sawyer created.

"Cheese!"

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T21:03:00.000-08:00

We rang in the New Year with some special French Toast. I got the idea from my Family Fun magazine. I cut out the stencils on New Year's Eve while Mom, Lorne, and I played Scrabble. I bought the new Scrabble Me for Lorne and we played a few games before we moved on to Super Scrabble. We partied it up, let me tell ya! I think we were in bed by 12:15!

I should have propped up the French Toast to show the "2009" a little better, but I sure got some cute pictures of the kids.

We had breakfast for lunch so that I could have bacon grease for the turnip greens for supper. I made our traditional New Year's Day meal of ham, black-eyes peas for luck, cornbread, and the turnip greens for greenbacks.

The kids made some homemade doughnuts for lunch. I got Paula Deen's My First Cookbook for Christmas, and it gave me the idea.

The busy bees.

I couldn't get Sawyer in the shot, but what a great smile from Chloe!

We had way fewer sprinkles this time around compared to the sugar cookies.

Our First Christmas at Home

2008-12-25T21:01:00.000-08:00

It meant so much for us to be able to have this Christmas morning in our own home. Lorne and I have been married 9 1/2 years, and we've never woken up in our own bed on Christmas morning. We've been together for sixteen years and we've always said that once our kids could understand Santa we'd stay home for Christmas. It was so great to walk downstairs with the kids (at 8:00, I might add), and have them see Santa in their own living room. I'd been awake since 5:30 myself, tossing and turning. The whole time felt pretty surreal because it was so different from all of our other Christmases.

I had to get a shot of the stockings. Santa had to put them on the floor because they were so heavy.

Even Rosie got something from Santa.

I think Santa left enough for a few extra kids!

On the way downstairs Sawyer said, "I've got to go see the bulldozer Santa brought." Once he got downstairs he said, "My fire truck. It came already!"

Sawyer told us (and everyone else) over and over that he wanted a bulldozer, but the crane was definitely his favorite gift.

Chloe ignored all the girl gifts when she came downstairs and said, "My truck!" and ran to the recycling truck. It was so funny!

Chloe got all kinds of girl toys, including a dollhouse.

Chloe brought one of her new dollies along for a ride on the bulldozer.

Chloe got an Elmo DVD so she was super excited.

Chloe serenaded us with her new guitar.

Chloe kept ripping off tiny pieces of paper like this one and saying, "Here, Momma."

More paper for Momma.

Fireman Sawyer.

Chloe had to try on the outfit, too.

I think that the kids were getting tired of unwrapping and wanted to spend more time playing.

Christmas Eve

2008-12-24T21:04:00.000-08:00

We were busy, busy, busy on Christmas Eve. I keep trying lots of things, hoping that some of them will stick and become traditions. As far as baking, I made chocolate chip cookies and oatmeal raisin cookies. I also baked the "Happy Birthday to Jesus" cake and the kids decorated with the sprinkles. I made snowman sugar cookies which the kids decorated. The kids also decorated Rice Krispies wreaths. I helped Velma make her Grandma Bert's orange slice cake. We also made pigs-in-a-blanket for Christmas morning.

We lit the Advent Wreath one last time and the kids opened their one Christmas Eve present. They got matching jammies to wear on Christmas morning. Those can be seen on the "Chloe is Twenty-one Months Old" post.

The kids set out their cookies for Santa on their new plate before they went to bed. I documented that on the "Cookies for Santa" post.

Daddy jumped in and fashioned the snowmen's hats out of orange slices.

Chloe decorated the two cookies on the left, Sawyer the ones in the middle, and I did the one on the right. Chloe kept yanking the arms off hers, and Sawyer made one of his female with a little help from Daddy.

We never ate the Rice Krispies wreaths, but the kids sure had fun making them.

The wreaths turned out really well.

As if the day weren't crazy enough, Lorne was playing bowling on Wii when Chloe walked in front of him. He was trying to keep from hitting her and he threw the remote into the screen of his television and shattered the screen. I told Lorne that I had to tell people because he does stupid things so rarely that I had to share when he does.

He went to Best Buy and grabbed a new television that same day. I was hoping that he'd find a better sale, but I think that he got it for the same price as the first one.

Lorne got a new television for Christmas.

Chloe dumped all of her sprinkles in one spot on the cake.

The kids are becoming old pros at singing Happy Birthday.

Sawyer wanted to serve the cake with salad tongs.

Sawyer blew out the candles on the Advent Wreath one last time.

Cookies for Santa Plate

2008-12-24T13:22:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited about the Cookies for Santa plate that I wanted it to have its own post. I wanted to let the kids create a plate to commemorate our first Christmas at home. We went to a shop called Art & Soul in Plano on December 9th. The kids put their handprints on the plate and the shop owner painted Santas around the handprints. I am so in love with how this plate turned out. I really will cherish it forever!

The look on Sawyer's face is priceless! He HATED his hands being dirty...he's my typical firstborn child.

Sawyer was very still and took the task very seriously.

Chloe could have cared less that her hands were dirty.

Chloe wasn't wanting to lay her hand flat.

I can't remember what they were looking at in this photo, but it was more interesting than the Santa plate. They were probably just tired of taking pictures.

I found this poem online and tweaked it for our family. The picture didn't turn out very well, so here's the text:

When you set out this plate
From year to year,
I hope it brings a smile
From ear to ear.
These handprint Santas will
Help you to remember
How small you were in 2008-
In the month of December.

Sawyer and Chloe thought Santa had a huge appetite, no doubt! They even left a carrot for the reindeer!

Chloe is Twenty-one Months Old!

2008-12-23T21:01:00.000-08:00

Chloe turned twenty-one months old amid all the Christmas craziness. Sawyer was 21 1/2 months old when she was born. How did it go by so fast?

I thought it would be cute to photograph the kids in front of the Christmas tree in their jammies. I buy them matching jammies and that's the one present that they open on Christmas Eve.

She is saying more words than I can remember. She's calling Sawyer, "Soger," which is really funny. She can also name and mimic the sounds for cow, horse, monkey, chicken, duck, snake, sheep, bird, dog, and cat. She can also say giraffe and apple juice. She's speaking sentences like, "Rosie got mine." She says, "saucy" for Frosty, which is every snowman she sees. She also says, "C. Claus" for Santa Claus, and "C. Brown" for Charlie Brown. I think her favorite Christmas song is "Jingle Bells." She sings, "G, la, la, la, HEY!" She is too cute! I really wish that I could have gotten that on video.

Chloe's still "looking with her eyes."

This is the result of Sawyer helping Chloe look at the camera.

A Visit to Nanny's

2008-12-22T21:11:00.000-08:00

Mom, Chloe, and I went to Nanny and Poppo's house on Monday morning. Sawyer stayed at Larry and Velma's house with Lorne because he woke up with a horrible cough Sunday morning. It turned out to be RSV so it's a good thing that I kept him away.

We went for a visit and for me to bring Nanny the candy I made. I brought her Martha Washington balls, white chocolate candy, peanut butter balls, peppermint bark, nut creme drops, and millionaires. She has gotten to where she isn't able to make her candy like she used to, so I volunteered to make them for her.

I went and got Diamond S for lunch. Dad came by with the dogs and he and Mom left to return to Mark's house. I think that it was a really nice visit.

Chloe didn't want to leave Nanny's tree alone. I think that all the grandchildren and now great-grandchildren have played with those figurines.

I wish I'd had a way to get Dad in the picture, too.

I wanted to get another four-generation picture while we were all together.

Early Chritstmas, Take Two

2008-12-21T21:07:00.000-08:00

We went to Matthew and Jackie's house on Saturday evening. Matthew and Lorne went to Ty and Jamie's house that night to watch the Cowboy's game since it was on NFL Network. Jackie and I went to Katy Mills Sunday morning to pick up some cycle shoes for my Christmas gift from Matthew and Jackie. I was so happy! Mom and Dad were at Matthew and Jackie's house by the time we got back from the mall. Matthew barbequed a great brisket and we ate all day long. It was awesome!

I wish that baby Austin could have been in the picture, too.

Kayla's kitchen gadgets were a big hit with the kids. Sawyer was obviously not wanting to share the mixer!

I got Mimi some Longincrapper, as Lorne calls it.

The ViewMasters went over really well:

Kayla and Chloe each received Cabbage Patch dolls from Mimi and GrandDad:

Early Christmas, Take One

2008-12-20T21:06:00.000-08:00

We opened presents with Lorne's side of the family at his parent's house on Saturday. We had another Mexican food feast like last year. We made homemade tamales during Thanksgiving. We had those with Mexican Casserole, chili, beans, salsa, queso, and chips. It was delicious!

I love pictures like this because they show just how much everyone has grown.

Jamie compiled this great collage for Velma.

Brittany received the second set of Gossip Girl books.

Tyler was really excited about his guitar from Nana and Poppa.

Jordan waited patiently to open her books from us.

Sawyer got a Thomas Playmat from Uncle Ty and Aunt Jamie.

Chloe got an Elmo ornament from Nana and Poppa.

An Evening at Aunt Net's

2008-12-19T20:36:00.000-08:00

Aunt Net invited us over while we were in Van Vleck for our early Christmas. We got into town a little early so that we could drive around the neighborhood to look at Christmas lights. We also stopped at the Richmond State School on the way back to Van Vleck to see their Christmas display.

We had some yummy chicken salad, fruit, veggies, and Aunt Net's famous stuffed mushrooms. Tracy baked some sugar cookies and had sprinkles and icing so that the kids could decorate. Sawyer was very entertained by all of Uncle Greg's policeman paraphernalia. Uncle Greg even had a policeman stop by so that Sawyer could check out his police car. We made sure to talk about the importance of staying in our car seat so that Mommy doesn't get in trouble with the police. That has been a big issue with him lately so I told him Mommy could get a ticket if he doesn't stay in his seat.

A good time was had by all!

Tracy had some super cute antlers for the kids.

Sawyer stayed put until he decorated all the cookies.

Sawyer really got a kick out of his badge and flashlight.

Sawyer even got to sit in a real police car.

I grabbed a picture while we were outside checking out the police car.

Austin Randal is Here!

2008-12-19T20:23:00.000-08:00

Mark and his fiancee, Evelina, welcomed their son, Austin Randal, on December 19th. He weighed in at 8 pounds, 3 ounces, and was 21 inches long. Austin and Evelina live in Lithuania. Mark recently sent some pictures and I wanted to share them here.

Father and son

What a precious baby boy!

I think that every family has a picture just like this.

Cookie Fun

2008-12-14T20:03:00.000-08:00

The kids made their Christmas sugar cookies recently. They always seem to have so much fun! This time Chloe was really able to get in there and help, too. The memory I will keep is them shoving in those sprinkles quicker than they could ever get them on the cookies.

Chloe kept trying to put the sprinkles in the raw dough.

Pounding out the dough.

My busy little bees.

"Peek-a-boo!"

Can anyone guess what color icing was in front of Chloe?

"All done!"

The sugar cookies are still mostly sprinkles.

I had to get a shot of the sprinkles carnage, and yes, that is all sprinkles!

The cookies turned out really pretty this year.

Sawyer also made these Sugarplum treats for his friends.

My Christmas Wish

2008-12-11T14:28:00.000-08:00

I finally updated my website. I hope that everyone enjoys reading about the last six weeks or so. I won't be updating until after Christmas because I have lots to do, as does everyone else, I'm sure. My goal in all the madness that is the "holiday season" is to stay balanced and focus on what is really important about this month of the year: my children.

I'll close with this poem entitled, "A Mom's Night Before Christmas." Lorie shared it with me and it definitely brought a tear to my eye. I am constantly reminded of how fleeting this time is and how precious my children are. I just want to remember how well I truly have it and how incredibly lucky and blessed I am and not take it all for granted.

My Christmas wish for all moms, and all parents really, is to find peace with where they are in their lives and take the time to reflect upon the impact they make upon their loved ones. We have been given a huge responsibility and the future is in our hands.

The state of the economy and the world in general are helping me realize that it's not about number of rooms in a house; it's about making room for quality family time. It's not about the balance of the bank account; it's about balancing the time so that God and family come first. It's not about finding that perfect gift with the best coupon; it's about our friends and family knowing that we love them. That is more precious than any Doorbuster.

Have a Merry Christmas. Take time to find your balance. I know I will.

A Mom's Night Before Christmas

2008-12-11T14:22:00.000-08:00

It was the night before Christmas, when all through the abode,
Only one creature was stirring, and she was cleaning the commode.
The children were finally sleeping, all snug in their beds,
While visions of Nintendo and Barbie flipped through their heads.

The dad was snoring in front of the TV,
With a half-constructed bicycle on his knee.
So only the mom heard the reindeer hooves clatter,
Which made her sigh, "Now what's the matter?"

With toilet bowl brush still clutched in her hand,
She descended the stairs, and saw the old man.
He was covered with ashes and soot which fell with a shrug.
"Oh great!!" muttered the mom, "Now I have to clean the rug."

"Ho-Ho-Ho!!" cried Santa, "I'm glad you're awake.
Your gift was especially difficult to make."
"Thanks, Santa, but all I want is some time alone."
"Exactly!!" he chuckled, "I've made you a clone."
"A clone?" she asked, "What good is that?
Run along, Santa. I've no time for chit-chat."

It was the mother's twin.
Same hair, same eyes, same double chin.
"She'll cook, she'll dust, she'll mop every mess.
You'll relax, take it easy, watch The Young and the Restless."
"Fantastic!!" the mom cheered. "My dream come true!
I'll shop. I'll read. I'll sleep a whole night through!"

From the room above, the youngest began to fret.
"Mommy?!? I'm scared, and I'm wet."
The clone replied, "I'm coming, sweetheart."
"Hey," the mom smiled, "She knows her part."
The clone changed the small one and hummed a tune,
As she bundled the child in a blanket cocoon.

"You're the best mommy ever. I really love you."
The clone smiled and sighed, "I love you, too."
The mom frowned and said, "Sorry, Santa, no deal.
That's my child's love that she's trying to steal."
Smiling wisely Santa said, "To me it is clear,
Only one loving mother is needed here."

The mom kissed her child and tucked her into bed.
"Thank you, Santa, for clearing my head.
I sometimes forget it won't be very long,
When they'll be too old for my cradle-song."
The clock on the mantle began to chime.
Santa whispered to the clone, "It works every time."

With the clone by his side, Santa said, "Good night.
Merry Christmas, Mom. You'll be all right."

~Author Unknown~

Happy Birthday Lexi and Ariana!

2008-12-06T13:01:00.000-08:00

We traveled to Wichita Falls this weekend for Lexi's and Ariana's birthdays. Lexi had her third birthday party and Ariana will celebrate her first birthday on the 14th. The kids enjoyed the unseasonably mild weather and spent quite a bit of time outside. The theme was Dora the Explorer. They had Dora, Backpack, Boots, and Swiper pictures to color. They also played "Pin the Tail on Swiper." Chloe kept saying "Boots" over and over. That's her favorite character.

The kids took a break from playing to color some Dora pictures.

Ariana also had tubes put in her ears the day before Chloe, believe it or not, and her hearing is back to 100%. That's great news!

I couldn't believe that Chloe let them blindfold her, but she did great!

Sawyer got pretty close to the tail.

Ashley did a wonderful job on the Dora cake.

Sawyer was very focused on his piece of cake.

This is one darn cute picture, I don't care what anyone says!

Maxim Holiday Party 2008

2008-12-05T21:51:00.000-08:00

We attended the Maxim Holiday Party this evening. I think that the kids had a great time! We've learned from previous years and got there as soon as the party began at 4:00. We were at Lorne's office at 3:30 and all rode over to the hotel in the Tahoe. We didn't stay as long, probably because we were at the front of every line. I think Sawyer was disappointed because Elmo didn't dance as long as he did last year. Elmo, Mickey, and Santa were there, but either Pooh had another commitment or we didn't stay late enough.

I thought that our family photo turned out really well this year. We were the first in the line which was awesome!

Sawyer had his cheesiest grin for the camera. He told Santa that he wanted a $180 ride-on bulldozer that he saw in a Sam's catalog. They put the Santa pictures on a button and this was an extra copy.

I was really surprised that Chloe wasn't scared of Mickey since she wouldn't have anything to do with Santa. I couldn't even get her to let go of me and stand on the stage.

This picture is so great because Chloe spotted Mickey again.

Sawyer and Chloe fought over the penguin for the rest of the night because it was way cooler than the green and white candy cane that was made for Chloe.

Sawyer was very excited about his reindeer.

The artist suggested holly for Chloe because she wouldn't have to sit still for too long. I think she would have done fine she this was her third face painting in her short twenty month lifetime.

Sawyer and Chloe followed poor Elmo all over the ballroom. Chloe actually had a fit once because he started hugging other kids and taking pictures with them.

The longest line was for the caricature artist, but I think that it was worth it. We chose a horse for Chloe since she loves their Radio Flyer "hee haw," and of course the bulldozer was a no-brainer for Sawyer.

Gingerbread House

2008-12-03T13:32:00.000-08:00

The kids decorated their gingerbread house today. Part of me wanted to make it all perfect, and use my Wilton tips and decorating bags, but I wanted it to look like the kids actually made it themselves. I think that I got my wish! They did great!

We took out the gumballs and added M&Ms (the kids' favorite), and it's a wonder that there's any candy on the house at all. I just let them eat as much as they wanted, because it's not every day that they decorate a gingerbread house.

Sawyer got a dose of his own medicine because Chloe wasn't listening when he told her not to eat the candy. That was her favorite part of the decorating!

Sawyer decorated the tree and Chloe the snowman.

Teamwork in action.

The finished product. I always look so forward to these projects and they seem to be completed so quickly.

Chloe Can Hear!

2008-12-01T19:30:00.000-08:00

Chloe had her follow-up appointment today. We got such a great report! Her hearing has increased five decibels which is the equivalent of 50%. Dr. Gottlieb explained that the increase may be even more substantial, but they're working with a twenty month old, and the test may be skewed. It was much more exciting to sit in on the test this time since she was actually responding to the sounds on her right side.

I cannot get over how many more words she has been saying for the past month. She is even speaking in sentences from time to time! Good grief! It kills me to think that she hasn't been able to hear for who knows how long.

She even asked me, "Why, Mommy?" yesterday. I'm thinking that she listens to her brother too closely because I know that she couldn't have possibly thought of that all by herself. She's only twenty months old, after all!

We were kind of worried that she would begin to sleep less soundly since she can hear, but we haven't noticed a difference, thank goodness! The main difference is definitely her speech. We go back in six more months for another check-up and hearing test.

Christmastime is Here

2008-11-30T13:47:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe how quickly the Christmas season is upon us! Thanksgiving was really late this year, so it's almost like we lost a week of planning and preparing! I'm getting a time line and lots of to-do lists ready so that I can accomplish all of my tasks. An excuse to make a list...right up my alley!

I love how much Lorne loves Christmas! He is so great about helping with all the decorating and puts so many pretty lights on the house. We even took a trip to Toys 'R Us and did some marathon shopping while Jeremy and Denise kept the kids. We had lots of fun! He has definite opinions on the kids' toys and it's really cute!

Santa sent two of his elves Edwin and Ella to watch Sawyer and Chloe until he comes on Christmas Eve. They brought Advent calendars with them.

Sawyer wasn't quite sure what to make of Edwin and Ella.

I think that was because Lorne had brought all the Christmas Rubbermaids downstairs so he was kind of overwhelmed by the change in the living room. It does take some getting used to I'll have to admit. Our living room is pretty bare the other eleven months of the year.

The Little People Christmas toys are a hit each year (at least for a few hours!)

My attempts at keeping the KidKraft Advent Calendar from the kids were obviously futile.

Denise bought me this calendar last year and I couldn't have been more excited. There's a new magnet for each day. I started out with it by the Little People in the living room, but Sawyer dropped them and a camel lost its head. I super glued the camel and moved the display to the game room, but the storage bins were obviously no match for Chloe! It's now at the base of the storage bins, but the poor camel was decapitated again, so he's currently residing on the refrigerator until he makes his debut. I think that's best and I'm thinking the camel would agree!

The Advent Wreath is a great way to teach our kids the true reason for the season.

Lorne gave me these bears years ago, but they're getting more love now than they've ever gotten.

I make "binoculars" with my hands and tell the kids to "look with their eyes" at fragile items. This is Chloe's version.

The Trains at NorthPark

2008-11-26T14:09:00.000-08:00

We went and saw The Trains at NorthPark while Larry and Velma visited at Thanksgiving. I thought Larry would like it since it was a model railroad, and I knew that Sawyer would think it was pretty neat. The display is a Dallas tradition that benefits The Ronald McDonald House. I'm really glad that we went.

This was a cool replica of Lombard Street.

The kids were too distracted by the action to focus on a picture. Who could blame them?

Daddy gave Sawyer a lift for a better view.

Sawyer was intrigued by the bulldozer and construction equipment.

I'd like to sponsor one of the cars next year, but I may wait until the kids can read because then they could watch for their names. It would probably mean more then. It's for a great cause.

I think that the carnival was my favorite part.

The display ended with a winter wonderland.

Hill Country Hideaway

2008-11-24T14:10:00.000-08:00

We met Mom, Matthew, and Kayla at Mark's house the weekend before Thanksgiving and stayed until Tuesday. Matthew was at the deer lease most of the time hunting his trophy buck, and he got him on Monday. Dad flew in to Austin on Monday afternoon. Jackie came later in the week because she had class. I hated that we didn't get to see her. I'm looking forward to spending some time with her over our Christmas visit.

Sawyer, Kayla, and Chloe fought over everything pretty much the entire time. We heard lots of "mine" and "no!" I think it's because Sawyer is used to getting what he wants with Chloe and Kayla is used to being an only child and having her own space. As someone who loves to study the dynamics of birth order it was an intriguing time! Kayla went from being an only child to being the middle child. Sawyer felt like he'd added another little sister, and Chloe, well, Chloe held her own as usual.

Matthew was so incredibly excited that he got his deer. It's a beauty! The stats on his e-mail read "139-7/8" 10pt." I'm not quite sure what that all means. I keep meaning to ask him.

Taking an M&M break. Sawyer loves to have a "picnic lunch."

Sawyer awoke at the crack of dawn each morning because he wanted to throw deer corn.

Kayla had fun throwing out the corn, too.

Looks like the corn tossing paid off.

I think Sawyer sampled more Rice Krispies than he pressed.

Chloe is Twenty Months Old!

2008-11-23T12:48:00.000-08:00

Chloe is full steam ahead this month. She is speaking a blue streak and running around and around, chasing her brother. I listened when everyone told me that the time goes by quickly, but I just never realized it would be quite this quickly. Chloe is almost the age Sawyer was when she was born.

She is saying some words in a really cute way. She likes to add an "ish" to her words. She says, "Bubbish," for example. She's also addicted to Boots on Dora the Explorer. She calls him "Boosh." I really need to do a better job of documenting all of her words. I always think that I will remember everything, but it just won't happen, no matter how hard I try.

I thought we'd try out one ponytail this month. I think it looks pretty cute!

Chloe, up close and personal.

We have such happy kids!

My children are such posers!

Sawyer wanted to take another picture, but Chloe was ready to play.

Dharma Comes to Visit

2008-11-18T19:48:00.000-08:00

Sawyer's little friend Dharma came to our house for a play date. Sawyer absolutely loves this girl. It is so cute! He talks about her all the time and Dharma is the same way according to her mom Lynn.

They came to the house and the kids played and made pine cone turkeys. I gathered the pine cones while we were in East Texas to ride Thomas. I think that the kids had a good time. I just had to laugh while I watched them, though. I really wanted to take over and make them like I wanted to, but I knew that I needed to let them create one all their own.

I made a lasagna for lunch and all three kids loved it! I was really glad. I knew that my kids liked pasta, but I wasn't quite sure about lasagna.

Chloe was such a big girl to make her turkey along with Dharma and Sawyer.

Sawyer is hard at work!

Here's Dharma!

My little turkeys made some pretty cute turkeys!

Fall is in the Air

2008-11-11T20:09:00.000-08:00

The winds are definitely changing, but it still feels like Texas. It's chilly in the morning and then we're in T-shirts by naptime! Oh well, it will be cold soon enough.

I don't have quite as many fall/Thanksgiving decorations as I would like, but I do have the window clings that the kids always enjoy putting on the patio door. They really are easily pleased!

I can always be sure that the patio door gets cleaned when it's time to change the window clings! I always get more help than I need!

I always tell Chloe to "look with her eyes," so she was demonstrating. The clings always get higher and higher on the patio door.

We got the kids the Little People Thanksgiving Celebration and Mayflower Play Sets this year.

Denise got me this gorgeous fall arrangement for my birthday.

I had to stop to take a picture of the kids on our way to a MOPS meeting. They looked so cute in their long-sleeved light-up shirts and their backpacks and lunch kits.

Sawyer prides himself for looking out for his little sister while at MOPPETS.

Chloe loves to wear the backpack Laura gave her.

Chloe's Surgery

2008-11-04T19:08:00.000-08:00

Chloe breezed through her surgery. We had to be there at 6:30 so we got up pretty early. Denise got to our house at 5:45 so that she could sit with Sawyer. We kept Chloe in her jammies and just loaded her in her car seat. It seemed to take longer to check-in than for the entire surgery. The weirdest part was when they gave her something to make her loopy and she turned into an instant rag doll. Lorne and I sat on a hospital bed in the recovery area for a while until a nurse suggested we wait in the waiting room. We weren't even really settled before they were calling for Chloe's parents. I heard her crying as they led us down the hall, but she stopped as soon as she was in my arms. Talk about the best feeling in the world. I can calm another person just with my touch. It felt so great to hold her again even though it had only been twenty minutes since I'd seen her last!

We got her home and she napped for three hours. I went to get lunch and laid her down again and she slept for another few hours. She seemed totally fine once she woke up from her second nap. It would seem like nothing had happened were it not for the fact that we have to use earplugs each time she's in water now.

We go back on December 1st for a follow-up. It's supposed to be in three weeks, but that falls on Thanksgiving week and they said that's one of his busiest weeks of the year. I'm just anxious to see the results of her next hearing test.

Chloe a few days before her procedure.

They kids spend more time "rinsing" their paintbrushes and paint cups than actually painting.

Sawyer loved that Chloe had surgery because it meant that he got to play with Daddy all day long.

"Ahoy, matey!"

Daddy makes everything more fun!