Dance Dance

Here is a fun little video from last Friday night...enjoy! http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4127383056177152773

Brice Says...

"Dear Jesus, Thank you for Buster and please help him to keep growing bigger and bigger, and please don't let him get smaller. Help him to look like Mommy and have purple eyes because that would be really neat. I would like that really a lot. And if he's a girl, we'll call him 'Tink,' and Kaitlin and Tink will share a bed and be really excited and bonk heads. Amen."

Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater

Well, our pumpkin eater is actually named Kaitlin Jane, and she is serious about her pumpkins. Instead of apples, she has been walking around the house chomping on pumpkins, it is really funny. What can we say, she is really festive!

Oh, and update on the rat we exterminated...it is an endangered kangaroo rat...oops!

We Caught The Rat

We have had a few mice in our house in the past year, but they have always been very teeny. So the last couple of days we have heard the scurrying again (in the walls behind the kitchen), so we set up our traps, and charged the rat zapper. This morning, Brad went to check on the zapper, and sure enough the light was blinking so we were thrilled to have caught the mouse, only to find it was actually a huge RAT! It not only took up the length of the box, but it's nasty tail was hanging out the end.
More update...the latest on Kaitlin. I have followed her trail and have figured out one of her routines. She watches at the door to make sure that Jaeda is "really" gone for school, and then she hurries into her room, climbs on sissy's bed and takes down all of her pictures that I have hanging on a clothesline. Then she takes all of Jaeda's babies out of their crib and the stroller and plays with them. These are two things that would not be so easily done without interference if Jaeda was at home. I think that Kaitlin likes taking advantage of the "free reign" that she has over the house for the few hours that her siblings are at preschool.

Buster Ache Remedies

I am officially in the fun of the first trimester...little Buster is making it known that he is growing fingers and toes, and has been sucking the life out of me to achieve his whopping size of a single blueberry. But thankfully, I have found some little remedies that have helped to take the edge off of the nausea. And either I am super lucky, or they are working, but either way, I can say that I have not thrown up yet (WAY more than I can say than my other pregnancies-by this time I was already blacking out or in the hospital, no joke). I have so many prego friends right now that I thought this would be a fun blog...please share your ideas too!!!
One of my best friends Katie gave me an adorable gift basket last night full of fun teas and "remedies" that I think are so helpful.
1. GINGER TEA-Yogi from Trader Joe's is a good brand. This tea is my favorite, as I have been using it for 2 weeks now and found it successful. Now, you have to get over the bite because it is strong, but sipping on it throughout the day definitely makes a difference.
2. Papaya enzyme supplement-these are (I think) yummy chewables that you take after you eat and they ease digestion and I feel like they clear my nauseous head.
3. B6-I am not sure yet because I have only taken one. In my last 3 pregnancies people always recommended them and I wouldn't try them, but I am giving them a try this time.
4. Glaceau Vitamin Water-I really love the lemonade flavor that Katie gave me and I feel happy because I am getting extra nutrients since the prenatal vitamins make me gag!
5. Raspberry Tea-Helps strengthen the uterus, etc...and it tastes great. I crave tart things when I am pregnant, so if you don't it might not be a good idea for you.

OK, hope these help. PLEASE give me any hints that you have...I would love any suggestions!

Like Mother, Like Daughter

(Below) So this was the first time she had attempted this foot thing on the table, so before telling her "No" I had to take a picture of her because she was so cute and proud of herself.

I know that I am just like my mom in doing this, but I LOVE taking pictures intentionally, to show progress, or to compare and show similarities. I am just a "tradition" junkie in general. When my mom was a toddler, her mother took a picture of her in the dryer, so when I was a toddler, she took a picture of me in the dryer. So because we were both firstborns, I also took a picture of Brice in our dryer last year. These things make me smile. So I am posting a picture that I took of Kaitlin last night hanging on the dishwasher (that is her daily goal, to get up there and hang out), because Jaeda did the exact same thing this time last year and I took pictures of her doing it! Jaeda is in the pink dress, in case you didn't know by her blond hair :) What about you-what ways are you like your mother, or what traditions have you kept in your family?

K & J's Pretties

Kids' Cut Hut just opened today and it is awesome! A lady named Kim, the owner, just opened our first kids salon in town and I have never been in such a great place for kids! She has a play structure for the kids and babysitting when mom is getting a haircut, massage, or facial! Kids can get a haircut, and make their own shampoo (there are over 20 colors and scents to choose from!) for under $20!
Anyways, I just set up my displays with my bows, clips, etc yesterday and shop opened today! Here are just a few samples of items that I custom make and am selling in the salon. They are a little crumpled because I took these while running out the door with Kaitlin on my hip!


A little bit of Halloween

....And Baby Makes Six

That's right! I am pregnant and we are expecting our next baby in May! I know, I say "next" instead of "last" because who knows how many we will have-and for some reason, I am not feeling like four is it for us. (Though I have not yet met anyone who wants more than 4-that might be a clue that I am crazy).
But we are very excited!
I will share with you (and anyone close to me already knows this) that I have been on birth control since KJ was 6 months old. But my doctor explained to me that there are two possible explanations...the antibiotic I was taking cancelled out the birth control (of which I had no warning-nobody told me this!!! How did I not know? Before this pregnancy, I had not been on birth control since my first year of marriage, I guess I am clueless, but I thought my doc would fill me in), or the hormone was not strong enough. Either way, we are going to have another baby and we are thrilled! Now there will be six of us in our constant houseparty :)
I had my first ultrasound today and I am around 8 weeks. I found out the news 3 weeks ago and told Brad a few days later...I was confused and a little upset because of the whole birth control thing and wasn't sure how he would react (I had my own timing plans for our next one-like wait until Kaitlin was in preschool to start trying or look further into adopting...work part-time for a little while...get back to pre-pregnancy weight!?? ) but he was super-excited and started talking about baby names.
Brice and Jaeda were excited too...they LOVE babies more than any kids I know...Brice is going to be a big brother AGAIN! I love that I had a boy first because he really protects and takes care of his little sisters. That poor but lucky little 3 & 1/2 year old! He has a lot of responsibility, but steps up to the plate with his sisters, especially his baby sister. When I was pregnant with Kaitlin, he always laid his head on my belly and prayed for her, and a week ago he started praying for this baby (that he has already named "Buster"), and he prayed a couple of days ago that he will be able to catch Baby Buster when he falls out of Mommy. WOW...
Just wanted to share our surprising but very exciting news!!! Sorry to go on forever, I am just excited and have waited for 3 weeks to talk about it openly with everyone!
Lord, thank you for our little peanut-sized baby that already has a strong heartbeat.
Laura

Keeping Tradition

My mom has a picture of each of her five grandkids walking down a hallway...or toddling really because they are all around one year-old when we take the pic. They are in a diaper and it is taken from the back, so cute! So Mamaw, here is the long awaited Kaitlin Jane picture.
Love you
L

Date Night...Not Late Night

I usually blog about the kids, or Brad and I as parents, kid stories, preschool and poop stuff, but tonight I wanted to take the time to post Brad and my highlight of the week event. We go out every Monday night for our date night by ourselves or with friends, and look forward to this night until the next Monday rolls around! It has been so important for us to do this, because without time away from all of the things that we love and wrap ourselves in daily, we are unable to focus on those things functionally. Brad's mom or our friend Aimee watches the kids (thanks guys!) Monday nights give us time to be "dating" for those few hours, where we are the only thing that we have to focus on. Tonight two of our best friends Kate and James joined us for Sushi (our favorite!) and we had a lot of great laughs and a great meal. I always get really tired around ummm.....8:30, and I ate way too much tonight, so we called it a night around that time. I am so thankful for friends, other adults, special time with Brad, and coming home to bathed, fed, and sleeping children (well, almost, Jaeda wasn't, but she usually is.)

Bye Bye BaBas

Kaitlin is officially off of the bottle...yeah for her! She doesn't even miss it! I was going to take a picture of the 12 bottles that I threw in the trash, but Brad took it to the curb too quickly. I was happy that my friend Katie asked for the lids (we both use Dr. Brown's) because I know part of them is still being used!
Oh, and a little bit of reiteration on my "sharing" blog...thanks for the feedback. I loved your comments!!
Hannah, I totally agree with your thing about 2 year olds not knowing what the word "share" means unless explained, ESPECIALLY if they are the firstborn. Jaeda, probably because she has an older brother, has heard and seen sharing for over a year now, so she caught on right away, which was nice. She has always known what we mean when we ask her to share. Brice was the difficult one because we had never dealt with this before and neither had he!!
Please understand that I DO teach my kids how to share, and like Hannah, we teach them that sharing is giving, and "How much fun it is to give our toys to our friends!" ...I just found it humorous that I totally felt the emotions that they must feel when we are constantly asking them to share with their friends/siblings. Jaeda is really good at sharing, her teachers from school tell us this too. Having a 3, 2, and 1 year old, this is a pretty big issue in our house these days, and when it is between the kids, it is an easy fix..."Jaeda let's give Kaitlin a turn," and she does it. But when it came to me, the MOMMY, I wanted to override all of our rules and not do it! I was having a 3 year old moment. I had to share this moment with other mommies, and I am glad to hear that I am not the only one that has experienced this!

I'm Not Making My Kids Share Anymore

Just kidding, but seriously, I have a sharing issue. I was coloring with Jaeda tonight at the kitchen table. Now, when it comes to me and art projects, I take them very seriously, and tonight, too seriously. I LOVED what I was coloring for Jaeda and I had been working on it for like 20 minutes. I get on the phone with my friend Katie, and Jaeda starts asking for whichever color I am using at that moment. I ABSOLUTELY did not want to share...not at all. Katie asked me to please share with my daughter when she started hearing Jaeda begging in the background. I totally did not want to. In fact, I told her that she needs to learn to be patient (but not to teach her a virtue, but to indulge in my own selfishness!)
I was not sure if I needed to demonstrate sharing to her every time she asked for a marker, or require patience of her and KEEP the color until I was finished! So, what do you think? Please tell me that I am not the only Mommy who doesn't like to share her toys.

Overdue Gratitude

I have been feeling a little homesick for Kentucky lately...My sister Emily is pregnant again and it makes me want to move just to be with her...it kills me to live this far away from her especially knowing that I am missing out on the everyday lives of my niece and nephew and our kids growing up together, and with a new baby coming, it makes me want to pack up and move today. I am learning how God wants me to feel content and "at home" with Him. There is a huge difference in my days when I start them with spending time with Him. This is an area that I have often struggled with, but it has been SO WORTH it to give that time to Him at the beginning and end of each day because my loneliness in the midst of busyness, craziness, and stress levels are much lower for the rest of the day.
Yesterday morning I asked Jesus to give me some more love because I was running out with everyone around me. I do not for the life of me understand how He never runs low on love and kindness even when I am annoying, disobedient and unkind to my husband, children, the telemarketer. But it seems I jinxed myself by asking for this, because instead of receiving His dose, I acted otherwise...short, impatient, etc. So first of all, I am thankful for his faithfulness to supply me with everything I need whether or not I decide to take it.
I am also thankful for Wednesdays and Thursdays. They are my "long" days when I don't see Brad from 9 to 9 unless he comes home for lunch or early dinner before heading back to work. I actually love these days (though yes, there are very LONG hours throughout those days)...I love feeding my 3 kids, filling the tub with the 3 of them and bathing them.
I am thankful that Brice is so responsible now that he cleans his own room (with my motivation), picks out his own clothes and dresses himself without any help. I am thankful that I have 3 kids who sleep through the night.
I am also thankful for friends who make me 100 muffins just because she loves me (Aimee). I am thankful that today is Kaitlin's 1st birthday and she is healthy, happy, beautiful, and too much fun.
I am also thankful for the huge bin of 3T girls clothes that I stumbled upon this evening (had completely forgotten that I had), and for my sister that gave it to me. And these are not just any hand-me-downs, her kids are the best-dressed kids I know, so this makes it even more of a fun blessing :)
I am thankful for a wonderful morning with a friend, fellow mother of three, whom I share an understanding of motherhood with that is special to me being that I do not have very many friends with more than 2 kids. I love our connection, her spiritual encouragement, and our many laughs.
I am also thankful for the Cinderella shoes that Jaeda borrowed from her cousin today because of how happy they make her. And for princesses in general...her world would not be near as fun without them.
Lastly, I am thankful for the best husband and father in the world. I have never met a more honest, loving, patient, and accepting man in my life. And he is super-fun!

Here are some pictures from yesterday at Avila barn with our friends Allison and Mikela.
Click here for more pics.


http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=fgez5zq.ch7yxpxu&x=1&y=plzl31

No Kisses For Kaitlin

There is no picture with this post because the details in themselves are enough to gross you out. I'm warning you that this is really sick.
Yesterday I experienced the most disgusting episode I have yet to experience in my 3 1/2 years of motherhood (knowing there will be many more, but so far, this takes the cake). The girls were down for their nap, Jaeda in her toddler bed and KJ in her crib (they share a room). Jaeda came out of her room (unusual) and I told her to get back in her room. I went outside to read and 10 minutes later, Brad came out and told me that he needed my help. Well, he heard the girls chatting, so he went in their room and found Jaeda standing next to Kaitlin's crib and Kaitlin was holding Jaeda's POOPY diaper, eating poop (smeared on her face, mouth, and hair), and it was rubbed up and down the cribrails. I immediately gave Kaitlin a bath...then another bath. Her breath smelled like poop, so I had to wash her mouth out and give her laffy taffy (???) to get rid of the smell. KJ's bedding was covered in poop so I had to wash it all, while Jaeda's was fine. Brad asked Jaeda why she gave KJ a dirty diaper and all that she said, and repeated was, "Because, Daddy."
Feel free to throw up now.
And remember that I warned you.

Happy Birthday Little K!

This past Saturday we celebrated Kaitlin's first birthday (her actual bday is on Thursday the 4th) at the park at the cloisters with our best friends and Brad's family. Honestly though, and no offense, I think she would have had just as much fun if it were only her and the sheetcake. She did have a lot of fun playing on the playground, toddling around, eating, and opening her presents. She really liked trying to put her new clothes on (by the way, she is all set for fall :)
She is a cutie and we had so much fun partying with her! To see more pictures from the party visit our kodakgallery by clicking on the following link

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=fgez5zq.3erwscpu&x=1&y=1auon3