Fashion Friday: Plaid Tidings

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Fashion Friday: Polka Anyone?

The Moments When It's All Worth It

Fashion Friday: Mommy's Turn

A few weeks ago, this mommy got to celebrate her 31st birthday (gulp!) with another mommy. Granted, I would have liked more than one day with my East Coast girl, but I'll take what I can get.

The day was spent browsing Chicago boutiques -- spending way too much on shoes and laughing like teenagers. We capped that off with a relaxing 5pm massage (yes I used 5pm and relaxing in the same sentence!). But as usual, our nighttime adventure was the most fun. We always have a great time and manage to find just enough trouble to keep the night interesting...but that's all I'll say. It was all in good clean mommy fun! ;)

As part of a little tradition we started way back in 8th grade, we posed for photos before our big night out. Here are the few I think Cara wouldn't kill me for posting. (I hope!) Love you and miss you, girl. :)

It's Not About Me.

Bless those we often forget.

Fashion Friday: Let's Get Physical

With the cool weather here, I knew there was no stifling Emma's never-ending energy. So, we signed her up for gymnastics once a week. The perfect way to get her used to following directions, making new friends, and most importantly, working out all of her "wigglies."

She really likes it, and her teacher is very patient with the fact that Emma seems to notice everything in the room. I thanked her teacher for her patience the other day, and she just smiled and said, "She's just very detailed oriented." In the beginning, I didn't know if I liked this teacher -- she was young and not as animated as some of the other teachers -- but after that response, she won me over.

The class is organized, but laid back. They let the kids try out everything -- balance beams, parallel bars, rings. Emma's already learning forward and backward rolls and cartwheels. It doesn't exactly come naturally to her, but then I have to remind myself that she's only 3. And she is busy. So I just let her have fun and back off of my perfectionist tendencies. A lesson I'm sure I will continue to learn as the years pass.

Emma has warmed up to a fellow gymnast named Lilly, who is a cute little peanut. In fact, she's the niece of one of Jeff's childhood friends, so Lilly's mom and I already know each other. We chat as we watch the girls though the window -- and as I chase Kendall around the waiting area. I have to say it's a nice 50-min break from the norm for all of us.

And, of course, Miss Emma loves wearing her leotard. She actually takes her nap in it on gymnastic days so that she can get up and go right away. Once we get home, it must stay on until everyone gets home and sees her in it. I have to say, she does look pretty darn cute in the thing.

The only drawback to our new activity is that Emma somehow manages to come home with MORE energy than before the class. I'm not sure why that surprises me. But as long as we continue to point this energy in a positive direction, I'm thinking there is no telling what this girl can do. I just hope I can keep up with her.

Fashion Friday: Promising More Treats!

I know I have been MIA lately. And I can give you a million excuses of why I don't have time to post anything, but really it comes down to the fact that I've just been in a funk. Kendall's first-year letter is still half-finished. I haven't posted any photos from her party. Heck, I never posted any of Emma's birthday pictures from August. I don't even read other blogs anymore. But I'm determined to pull out of this yuck.

Anyway, to kick off my new-found joy, I am posting photos from a pretty fun day. This year we were fortunate enough to celebrate Halloween as a family. (I use the word "celebrate" loosely here since I'm not super fond of the meaning behind day, yet I'm always up for an excuse to have some fun.) Anyway, Jeff was able to come home early from work, and we all trick-or-treated together. He wasn't too happy that I made him dress up, but he took one for the team (ha!).

Emma had lots of fun, even though she couldn't eat most of the candy in her bucket. But she could eat some of it, which is really all she needed. Kendall hung in there until the very end, when she started to get hungry. Then we all headed home for dinner and some fun family time. We turned off the lights and played with Emma's glow sticks, which kept her happy for nearly an hour. Although I think Jeff may have had more fun than any of us. ;)

Here are some photos from the day. Hope everyone else had lots of fun with their little pumpkins!

The Girls in their costumes:

Our Little Pumpkin Kendall


"Princess Ballerina" Emma


Off to score some treats:




Daddy and his girls:

Lucas is Here!

My nephew is finally here! Lucas James was born on Saturday at 7:41pm -- a good week after the little stinker's due date. His stats: 8 lbs, 13 oz; 21 inches long; a good amount of hair; a sweet little nose; and the broadest shoulders ever seen on an infant. ;)

Jenni and Todd are already totally in love, and who can blame them? He is so darn cute. Well, you can all see that for yourself!


Flexing his biceps right after delivery



Mommy in love


First family photo



Grandma gets her baby fill

A Year of Smiles

Kendall is officially 1 years old, and I am still in denial. The letter is in the works, but until then, here is proof that my peanut is indeed 12 months old. Her smiles only hint at the happiness she has brought to our lives.

Love you, baby!

Fashion Friday: And So It Begins...

We have officially entered Princess mode. I can't believe we are here, but we are. Emma is obsessed with role playing the Cinderella story. We read at least four princess stories a day. YouTube sing-a-longs are begged for daily. And I must sing a princess song before nap and at night. Whether I know the real words or not. Even at 4am potty breaks, I'm expected to spout out "A Whole New World" before either one of us can head back to sleep. It's not pretty, people.

And she's pulling Kendall in as well. Both wear crowns most of the day (Emma gets the silver, jeweled Cinderella crown, while poor Kendall gets the cheap plastic Jasmine crown), and dresses are put on at least two to three times a day. Magic wands are in hand, adorning us all with the "most beautiful gowns I have ever seen." And glass slippers of course.

We are not, however, being a princess for Halloween. Instead, Emma has decided to be a ballerina. Probably because at this point, dressing up as a princess wouldn't really classify as a Halloween costume, seeing as it is our normal attire.

Lately, we've been also sporting a bit of a princess attitude, which I am REALLY not fond of AT All. Three year old princess tantrums are not fun.

Life as queen certainly isn't all it's cracked up to be, but I suppose it's worth it. Now would someone just tell me where the maids are?!!!

Let's Talk About It: Duh!

Sometimes the things that come out of Emma's mouth take me back because they are so right on. It's even better when she has that "tone" that tells me she clearly thinks I should have already known the answer to my question.

A few examples:

* Emma is notorious for putting things in her mouth (still!). One day, her cheeks looked a bit "full," so I asked her what was in her mouth. Her reply: "Spit."

* In the middle of playing "people," Emma decides she must take her socks off, N.O.W. When I ask her why, she replies, "So my feet can breathe."

* Kendall is nearing the fireplace ledge for the zillionth time, so I am a little annoyed and tell her, "No, no, no Kendall!" Emma steps in: "Mommy, she doesn't know any better."

Yeah, I am pretty sure I'm going to be put in my place more than a few times as these years go by. (Somewhere my mom is grinning from ear to ear.)

Happy Birthday Daddy

Your girls love you VERY much!

Let's Talk About It: Heaven

So the other day, Emma and I are driving in the car, and we start talking about Heaven...


Emma: When I go to Heaven, Mommy, I'm going to give Jesus and God a big hug.

Me: That will make them very happy.

Emma: And it will be a party, right, Mommy?

Me: Yes it will.

Emma: And all my friends and family will be there!

Me; Well, sure. But it's your job to tell them about Jesus to make sure they are there with you.

Emma: I will, Mommy. And then all my family and friends will take an airplane to go all the way up to Heaven.

Me: Sure, sweetie. Something like that.

Tooth Number 4...

...is here. Top left middle tooth. Lots of crying going on around here!

Fashion Friday: K is for Klimbing

Okay, so I am taking some creative license here, but as of right now, I can't think of a more fitting title.

Miss Kendall is quite the climber. She gets into EVERYTHING. Emma has always been curious, but as long as it was off the floor, I was safe. Not the case with Miss Monkey. Hence, the huge gash down the middle of her forehead.

Although to be fair, that actually happened on the way to climbing. As I tried to stop her from climbing Emma's wooden stool for the billionth time, she ran away from me (an often occurrence, even at 11 months!) and tripped on a rug. She fell right into the corner of the stool, leaving a huge goose-egg that scared me half to death. But after ice and lots of crying, she was good to go.

This little peanut constantly has some sort of bruising on her head, butt, and legs at all times. Seriously.

So much for my relaxed second child. :)

Let's Talk About It: Clear as a Bell

Not to be outdone by her chatty older sister, Kendall is talking up a storm lately. There are even a few words that I know are intentional and as clear as a bell: Ba-ba (of course!), hi (complete with a wave), and uh-oh! (the latest).

Unfortunately, the scream is still there, but not as often as other new gurbles come out. Her voice seems a little higher than Emma's, but that may just be the screeching. She is also getting very intentional with her playing, which is so fun to watch.

I love how even though I have been through all of this once before, I am still in awe of how these little ones grow up. God is pretty awesome.

Me and My Girls

Could I be anymore blessed?!

Fashion Friday: I Finally Remembered!

I know, it's about time, right?! Anyway, loving Emma's eyes in this photo, so it won over a few cheesy grins and even the shoe shots. Happy Friday everyone!

11 months!

Sweet Kendall,

Even though you will be getting THE letter next month on your first birthday, I wanted to write you one more before that milestone. It is all coming too quickly!

These past 11 months have been so eventful between the move, building, and all of Emma's milestones/struggles, that I want to make sure that you know NONE of it overshadowed you. In fact, you have been a light in my life these last few months, warming my heart with those cute dimples and making me laugh along with your sweet giggles. I am beyond thankful that God put you in my life.

Overall, I would describe you as sweet, but your personality intrigues me. Once again, I am reminded that you are a complex being that God carefully knitted together. I suppose you are what they call "a good natured baby" and love to show off that smile.



BUT you also let us know when you are ticked, whether it be because you want your ba-ba N.O.W. or that Emma just knocked you over for the billionth time. A piercing, high-pitched screech is one of your trademarks. I'm hoping this ends soon.

Your determined spirit is also very evident. You know what you want and will do just about anything to make it happen. This includes carrying things twice your size until you fall over, and running away from me when I try to get something out of your mouth. You find ways around any barriers we put up and manage to find every single microscopic thing on the floor to put in your mouth. You are hard to keep up with, and I really can't turn my back for one second. Otherwise, you are doing things like pulling the floor vent out of the floor, or digging into the Cheerios hidden in the closed pantry door.

At 11 months, you are already a pro at walking. You've been doing it for almost 2 months now, so you have moved on to climbing. Emma wasn't really a climber, so you are officially my monkey. My favorite so far has been watching you hang from the oven. How did you even figure out this was possible?



And it's a good thing I have pictures of you crawling because I swear I blinked and you were on those legs.



It is so funny watching you walk around, especially because you are usually carrying something with you that is way too big for an infant to be carrying.



You LOVE to dance and bounce the second you hear anything that might sound like music. The other day the two of us had a little dance party while Emma napped. I can tell we're going to have lots of fun together in the years to come.



I amazed at how much you have learned already. You say ma-ma, da-da, ba-ba, maaah! (for kisses), and more recently, puh-puh for doggie. Most of the time you talk in this sweet little whisper -- unless of course, you are hungry. Then that scream comes out.

You can wave bye-bye and hi, throw kisses, give hugs and kisses, do "So big!", play peek-a-boo, shake your head no, and make car noises as you play with Uncle Johnny's old cars. At first we thought this was a coincidence, but you have now shown us that you are in fact playing cars. You make a better "vroom" noise than I do!


You can roll a ball to me, and you even know to kick a soccer ball. I think this is all part of your trying to keep up with your sister!



You are sleeping better now that we have put you on Prevacid. It has been a miracle worker. You sleep through the night and take two 1+ hour naps. Well, that is before you started teething again. Today, your right top middle tooth popped through, and it looks like your right eye tooth is also on its way out. I'm sure this means the left ones are not far behind. Hopefully sooner than later. You are quite sensitive, so this has not been fun for you.

I find myself turning to Tylenol much more with you than I did with Emma, but it really seems to help you. And you LOVE it. I mean LOVE it. Anytime you see the Tylenol dispenser or your Prevacid syringe, you get all excited. I'm not sure what this means, and it is a little disturbing. I guess I should be thankful you are so cooperative???

You play by yourself so nicely and really are a very good girl. You are busy and curious like your sister, but you are very content most of the time. We are working on getting you to stay still for books, but right now I can only get you to sit through Where is Baby's Belly Button. It's your favorite.



You really like playing with Emma's baby and Heidi the Hippo. When you were younger, you loved Heidi best, giving her loves, talking to her, and wrestling with her. The last few months, however, you seem to like baby dolls more. Emma isn't so crazy about this, so it's a good thing you might be getting one of your own for your birthday.

I can't even believe that in one month, you are going to be one years old. I have enjoyed every moment of these last 11 months, and truth be told, I am sad that you are entering toddler-hood. I truly want you to stay little forever. I want to be able to hold you in my arms, hear that baby giggle, and tickle those chubby legs. Just for a little longer.

I plan to savor every last minute of these next 30 days because I know that after you hit that one year mark, all sorts of developmental switches go off and you start turning into a little person. But for now, you are my baby. My sweet baby Kendall. I love you so very much!