Trying to get Little Man used to his ear covering so maybe he can enjoy the beach and the pool at Gigi's this summer. So far, he's not been a huge fan of the water but he doesn't really have a choice so I'm pushing forward. Hoping this little band, along with ear plugs will help prevent any other ear infections.



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Getting ready....

We are making an impromptu trip to the beach soon so I went by Toy's R Us to get the kids some headphones the other night. I found these that are safe for their little ears and they both just loved them!! I am just glad mom and I are going to have some freedom in the car :)



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Fun times

We have been going to the park a lot after dinner. We have a great one just around the corner and we frequent it often. Little Man has become quite adventurous and has NO fear, which worries me a bit. He wants to do exactly what sister is doing and typically will just follow her around. Little Love, also has no fear but I've been used to that. :) Her hair is growing out some and I've come to grips with it. I think I allowed her hair to define her, at least in my eyes, and I've had to not do that. She is still the most precious, loving and gentle hearted child.








She actually had a really hard day at school when she first went back, after the "big cut", and I think I realized then, it's just hair. (of course Clay's still in trouble)

We had a wonderful Mother's Day. Actually, we celebrated last night with dinner at The Flying Fish and a Redbirds game. Little Man somehow escaped from our eyes though, seriously for like 30 seconds and I had a brief panic attack but he was quickly spotted being carried back towards us with a Redbirds worker. Good gravy, I'm going to need a leash for that kid!! Little Love is scared to death to get more than 5 feet from me but I'm thinking he could care less.

We are approaching the end of the school year and I can't believe Little Love will be saying good-bye to the precious school we have attended for 3 years. Luckily for us, Little Man will start in the Fall so we're not losing ties.

I can't believe it's the middle of May and in just a few short months Little Love will be starting Jr. Kindergarten. I have no idea how she is old enough for that!!

I know I've been a horrible blogger and I'd love to blog more but life is just so busy right now I'm doing good to keep up. We are looking forward to a busy summer and can't wait for our big family vacation in the Fall to Disney World. Both Nana and Gigi are coming with us and I think we are all ecstatic!!

Hopefully I can update again soon. :)




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A day we won't soon forget

This is what my precious Little Love looked like when I arrived home this morning ....






Yep, her beautiful long locks are gone!! She said she wanted to be like Rapunzel, so she cut her hair. I was working, she said Clay was watching TV on the couch.




I was LIVID!! Actually, that is putting it mildly! Clay packed her up and took her to see Alisa, my hairdresser to attempt to shape it up some.






I am still in shock!! I have actually cried all morning, which, I know is ridiculous but she's my little Princess and I just loved her long hair. I am trying to remind myself that it's just hair, and I know that sounds so superficial but, I'm just being honest. :(

Oh, and just for documentation sake, here she was at Easter.




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Little Love - the ballerina

This is from one of Little Love's last days at ballet. We have decided to take a little break and just enjoy our days off at home instead of running around town on Tuesday's like we used to. I just know our days of staying at home all day with nothing to do are so very numbered so I decided to savor it while we can.

All that to say, she does love ballet. I hope to start her back again in the Fall when she will be able to take at her new school. Will save Momma time from running her all over town, and she will get to take dance with some of her classmates.

We will definitely miss Miss Anna but know this is the best decision for our family at this time. She is only 4, there will be plenty of time for all these extra curricular activities later :)

Showing off his skills

Sometimes she loves on him a little too much ...

But, he can't get enough of her most days!! I just love the way they love each other. No one can make him smile and laugh like Little Love can. :)

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iPhone dump

We've had some busy days that have lead to some pretty tired kiddos come nighttime :)











You know that it was a full nights rest when you wake up with bed head!




On Thursday evening we had our sweet friends over for dinner and playtime. Love spending time with these kiddos and their Momma.





A couple months ago I transitioned the kids to one room. They love their new shared space and I'm loving the new "playroom" we were able to make.







My sweet friend JenaBeth brought these wonderful lemon cookies to work over the holidays. Everyone went crazy over them so I knew I needed the recipe. They are so easy and super yummy. I call them little bites of sunshine!!



Lemon Cookies by JenaBeth

1 box of lemon supreme cake mix
1/3 cup oil
2 eggs

Mix ingredients together, roll into little balls and bake on cookie sheet 7-9 minutes.

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice

Remove cookies to wire rack for cooling and top with glaze!!

Yummy!!

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A fun Saturday

On Saturday, we decided to get out a run a couple errands before Clay had to head into work.

We made a stop by McDonalds for breakfast and then went by the sports store and Target for a few things.

It really doesn't matter what we do these days as long as these two enjoy themselves along the way!!






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Little Love singing about Jesus

I absolutely love the school that Little Love has been going to for the past 2 1/2 years. I feel like they have helped prepare her for big girl school and more importantly, teach her about Jesus. The teachers she has had are THE BEST!! I mean seriously, I can't believe how blessed we have been to have such amazing, Godly teachers love on my Little Love when I'm not around.

She came home a couple weeks ago singing this song and I knew exactly where she had learned it at. Thank you so much to Ms. Melba and Mrs. Annie. You mean the world to Little Love and to me!!

A little raccoon

Little Man is constantly snacking these days. I swear he seems ravenous at times!! I am just thankful he is eating more and loving it.

I had not blogged much about his stats lately but honestly, he hasn't gained much weight since his 6 month check-up! I was so worried about him at his 12 month well baby check up and then shortly after that he got sick with his ears.

When we went for his 15 month check-up, 1 week after PE Tubes, he was up 10 ounces. I weighed him today and according to my scales he's gained approximately another 12 ounces.

Praying all this eating and finally feeling better will catch up with my little raccoon.







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Lunch date for 3 please

On Wednesday, Clay and I decided to enjoy a little lunch date with Little Man while Little Love was in school.

We enjoyed some yummy sushi and a semi quiet lunch. Little Man is still so good to take places and will eat pretty much anything you put in front of him so that makes meal times a breeze with him.

Little Man is such a little "ham" these days. So full of life and joy. I am so glad we went ahead with his PE tubes surgery because he has been a completely different child since then!

He is walking all over the place, so much more vocal, awake a lot more and much more active and happy. And, best of all, sleeping through the night more nights of the week than not. Still not perfect by any means, but much improved.




He is constantly saying "oooohh" in the cutest little voice when he sees something he likes. Just melts my heart.






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A little help ....

Grocery shopping with 2 kids is not always fun. I try my best to get things done while Little Love is in school, but that doesn't always happen. I decided that if it has to be done with both of them in tow, then at least we should make the most out of it. I typically attempt to make a list for me to go by, and one for Little Love to help me with. I typically cut out pictures from a magazine or newspaper clippings and paste them on a blank piece of paper of things we need that she can assist with while perusing the shelves. She absolutely LOVES to help Momma and it actually makes our trips so much more enjoyable.

Of course, there's always the wonderful "cars" they can ride in while we are at the local Kroger. I totally don't mind pushing around the gigantic cart, as long as they promise they will stay put in it. I love that the 2 of them play so well together now and Little Love is such a huge help with Little Man. She helps occupy him with fun "games" and songs while they drive around the store.

One thing we started recently was to use little pencil organizers to hold our lunches on the go. There are definitely times when life is so busy, this is a necessity. I was so tired of finding little pieces of Chick-fil-A chicken nuggets and old dried up fruit in the crevices of their carseats. We even tried them while running into the grocery for a couple items a few weeks ago and they worked like a charm. Didn't leave too much room for the items I was in search of but happy kids make it all worth while.






I am always on the look out for ways to make my life easier and ways to stay better organized. Definitely one of my goals for the new year.

Just doing a little shopping

These 2 have been a bit insistent lately that I push around these ginormous baskets at the grocery. They love to sit next to each other and it actually makes my shopping trip much easier.

I am relishing in this time that they love each other oh so much and always make one another so happy. Praying they always have such a fabulous relationship and know they can always count on one another!






"You're my best buddy, My favorite friend, We'll always be pals, from now until the end!"

Author: unknown

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It's assessment time ...

Well, I posted back in November that we were done with our applications for Junior K for Little Love. (click here to see that posting) Well, now the time has come that we are preparing for assessments at the aforementioned schools. I got an email today letting us know that we are scheduled for our first assessment on January 19th and I am so nervous. I actually didn't expect to feel this way because I really feel that Little Love is a bright and outgoing child so I don't think she will have a problem at all but it sure didn't stop me from drilling her on all kinds of things shortly after the email arrived.

Lucky for her, she has no idea what she will be doing and will just think it's a playdate. Oh the joys of childhood!! I am ready though, or at least ready for them to be over and for us to know what we are doing for next Fall.



Oh, and no, I am NOT ready for my Little Love to be in school everyday, just thinking about it makes me want to cry :(

I did it again ....

I do realize that I am so incredibly far behind in blogging. I am going to try and get caught up at some point, but who am I kidding, I should probably just start where we are at currently and not fret the past but I'm going to try. Hoping to be a better blogger in 2012 :)

Tubes

After almost 9 weeks of sickness in our house, we decided that PE Tubes for Little Man were just unavoidable. We have had 5 rounds of oral antibiotics and 2 IM injections of a potent antibiotic without any relief. My heart has just been so heavy for my precious little boy but I wanted to make sure I didn't put him under anesthesia or do any type of procedure that wasn't absolutely necessary.

After another trip to the Minor Med last Tuesday night, and another bad ear infection, I was done. I called the ENT back the following morning and we set up our surgery date. To say I was a little hesitant would be putting it mildly. It took me forever to decide on an ENT and once I did and made an appointment, I actually changed my mind and called to change my appointment. I absolutely love the MD we chose and I think he is the best around and the best for my family. (I find that I am quite a bit needy when it comes to people treating my children) After deciding on surgery, I called the surgery center to request my anesthesiologist and CRNA, and that also helped put my mind at ease. Knowing who's hands are going to be on your baby and having that knowledge of who to choose and ability to do so does have it's perks.

Anyways, on Thursday night we took Little Love out to Gigi's so that she could spend the night since we had to be up super early to get LIttle Man to the surgery center. Thankfully, Clay got off work early Thursday night so he was able to get a bit of sleep before getting up and getting him ready. We had to be there at 6:30 for check in and pre-op stuff and then surgery was set for 7:30. I was so glad we were Dr. N's first case because I knew LIttle Man would not be a big fan of the strange environment at the surgery center. Nana met us there and brought us a little breakfast to enjoy while LIttle Man was in surgery.





The Pre-op nurse took us back promptly after arriving and getting paperwork filled out and I dressed him in his little yellow gown and slipper socks. Then we did pre-op vitals and weight and had a little chat with Dr. A, the anesthesiologist and shortly after Dr. N, the ENT. It felt like the hour flew by, because before I knew it, the nurse was there to take us through the bunny tunnel and take him into surgery. The hand-off actually went really smoothly and he amazingly didn't even cry after picking out his toy and the nurse taking him.









Nana, Clay and I went back to the pre-op room and wait and not more than 15 minutes later, Dr. N came in to tell us that everything went great. He did mention that my poor Little Man STILL had an ear infection and that his little ears just looked awful. He told us that he had suctioned out a lot of mucous from his ears and put in antibiotic ear drops while in the OR that I am to continue at home for the next week.

Then it was time to go to the Post-op room to hold Little Man, I was told by many people to expect him to be extremely upset and irritable waking from anesthesia but he did fairly well, He was a little irritable when I initially got back in there but he settled down fairly quickly. I think we only waited about 45 minutes afterward and then were on our way home.



We all took a long morning nap upon arriving home and then enjoyed a PJ day at home. I am so glad all of this is behind us and I just pray this is all it will take to help get my LIttle Man well. I am so ready for my precious baby to feel better and start gaining some weight!! Bless his little heart, he has felt bad for so long, he hasn't been eating well and I don't think he has gained an ounce in 3 months!

Enjoying this beautiful weather

We have had some unusually warm and gorgeous weather this week. The kids got some great ride on toys for Christmas so we decided to take advantage of the sunshine and enjoy some time outside playing while it lasts.

Christmas Morning

After arriving home last night from dinner at Poppy and Gigi's, we decided on a whim to get our pre-purchased tickets to Starry Nights and enjoy the beautiful lights at Shelby Farms.

It was super late when we got home, almost 10:00, so the kids went straight to bed and Mommy and Daddy, AKA Santa and Mrs. Clause went to work. We had purchased a train table for the kids so that was really the only toy that needed to be assembled. We had purchased Little Love a TAG pen and book reading system so I decided to go ahead and download the book swe had bought and make sure all the new toys had working batteries in them. We put on one of our all time favorite Christmas movies, "Elf" and just enjoyed our time together.









We decided last year that we were going to always try and have CHristmas morning at our house with the kids. We just want them to be able to enjoy all their new stuff and not have to rush out to get to someone's house. Last year my mom spent the night and was able to be there to see their faces on Christmas morning but since she'd stayed the night the evening before, and not gotten much sleep, she decided to forgo that this year.

After getting up and watching the kids enjoy their gifts for a bit, I put a Sausage, egg, and cheese casserole in the oven, biscuits, and cinnamon rolls and then Clay's parents came over with his brother to see the kids and all their loot from Santa.

We were going to attempt to go to the Christmas service that morning at church but again, Little Man wasn't feeling well and actually Little Love had started complaining that her ears were bothering her and they were both running fever so we just stayed in our jammies and lounged and napped all day.

I hate that both kids were sick this year over Christmas but I think they still had a wonderful day.

We ended the evening by baking a cake for Jesus' birthday and singing Happy Birthday to Him. I want to make sure that my kids realize that He is the real reason for the season and it's not about all the hype of Santa and so forth. Obviously, we do celebrate Santa at our house but we just make sure not to focus on that.

Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve, we headed over to Poppy and Gigi's for dinner and presents. We were so excited to see all the wonderful gifts and spend quality time with our family. I love this little tradition we have started of enjoying Christmas Eve with Clay's side of the family. My mom always joins us after the Christmas Eve service at church and we just enjoy a nice quiet, low-key evening at home.

Clay and I had both worked the evening before so my mom had come over to stay with the kids. Little Man was still struggling with his ears so he had given Nana a run for her money the night before with his multiple wakenings.

I felt so guilty that she wasn't able to get a good nights sleep but so thankful that I had such a wonderful Momma and Mother-in-law that are more than willing to lend a hand when needed.

















The kids and us were certainly spoiled this year!! We had a fabulous evening us celebrating!