Write It Down

This is just a little exercise.  Think of a few things in your life that make you so happy. Write them down.  It will mean more. 

11 reasons why my life rocks big fat piles of awesomeness:

I have two babies who have the softest, sweetest baby skin. Delicate, soft as a petal, and smells so good. I get to kiss their cheeks, nibble on their necks, and softly stroke their arms and legs every single day. 

I have a husband who treats me like a queen. He loves me, respects me, and would do anything for me. If it’s 2 in the morning and I wake up STARVED, he’ll get out of bed and make a grilled cheese. He’s the best.

I have a job that I love going to every day. I love what I do and I love who I work with. I love my family at work and it makes such a big difference in life when you can go to work with a smile on your face and come home with a smile on your face. I feel so lucky to be with them and I feel so lucky to learn from them.

I have a 2 year old daughter who is so so so so smart. For real. She blows me away with the conversations we have…and the things that she imagines and says - Hilarious and Amazing! I get to be entertained by her every day.

I have a 6 month old son who can make my heart skip several beats with his gorgeous smile and dimpled chin. He is what starts my day - he and his gummy, good-morning smile!

I live in the perfect place - Near my family and in a climate with all four seasons. Since family is my everything, I need to and want to be close to them to share as much life with them as possible. And the whole 4 seasons thing…well…I do love summer, fall, winter, and spring!

I get to go see Elton John in a few weeks! That’s something I can mark off of my Bucket List.

I have the ability (sometimes it is very hard) to see the potential, beauty, or goodness in every situation. Happiness comes from within.

I am a mother. For me, there’s nothing better than that in this world.

The Love that is shared between me, Kevin, and our children. We’re together. We’re One. We have a love that is too big to explain, but one that many families are able to understand.

I get up every morning to a healthy family and can thank God for another day. 　 　 　 　

Which One Is Funnier

I don't know what is funnier.  Makayla's outfit or that she has to clean the scissors after every cut of her baby's hair. 

Makayla loves to pick her own clothes out and dress herself.  Today she wanted to wear her froggie shirt (pajamas) and her blue dress with black pants and her 'work shoes'.  She has work shoes.  When you ask her where she works she says she works at the hospital.  When you ask her what she does, she says she takes care of sick people.  Sometimes, she says that she takes pictures of sick people (just like her mama)!  It's not always a pleasant thing that she wants to dress herself all of the time, though.  When she can't get a buttoned snapped or a zipper zipped - you better watch out!!

Makayla has a couple of OCD's.  She loves to clean and keep things in order.  A new habit she has aquired is wiping her mouth after every single bite of food.  I think it's hilarious.  She always needs a napkin because 'her mouth is dirty'.  Well, her OCD was shining through when she was cutting her baby's hair.  She needed to wipe down her scissors (Mason's nail clippers) after every snip of hair.

She's way too funny!  I don't know what I did to deserve her!

It's Not Just A Hockey Game

We are always looking for places to go and people to see. 

This weekend we went to a Riverman hockey game and we were lucky enough to be joined by a few good friends.  We  had a great time and Makayla loved every single minute of the game.  In fact, the first words that came out of her mouth this morning were "Daddy, I wanna go to a new hockey game".  Knowing that she enjoyed herself so much makes me so happy.  While Makayla danced, cheered, went potty 65-70 times, and ate (chips, hotdog, animal crackers, cheez-its, popcorn, laffy taffy, and sprite), Mason sat on my lap like the good happy baby he is and soaked up everything around him.  They were so good. 

So, when I say that it's not just a hockey game - it's sooo much more than that.  Ever since Makayla was born, we've exposed her to as many people, places, and events that we possibly can.  We're doing the same with Mason.  Sometimes, it is hard and challenging - I'm not going to lie.  There are times when kids don't want to listen or they've decided that they are going to act as bad as they possibly can...It can be hard, frustrating, stressful, and completely exhausting.  Even if the kids are being good and listening, it can still be stressful and exhausting. 

But...

It's worth it.  I know they won't remember out outings and trips right now.  I know that they are too young to remember all the places we take them and the details of our outings, but they are learning so much.  They learn obedience, respect, culture, and manners.  They learn how to engage and interact with all different type of people.  They get to see that all the good things in this world can outweight the bad. 

They get to experience so much and while they are busy 'experiencing',  they are also busy 'learning' all about life. 

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own.  And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

-Dr. Seuss

Just Bottles

SO...

I am cleaning out closets (slowly but surely) and I ran across a tub of baby bottles.  I was going through them, cleaning them, packing them and getting ready to pass them along to an expecting mother.  


It made me laugh. 

It reminded me of the horrific ordeal that I went through when I was trying to wean Makayla from breast to bottle.  She was almost 12 weeks old and I had to get her used to a bottle before she went to daycare.  She did not like eating from a bottle and most of the time refused to eat.  It was our first, of many, 'trying' times.  She cried, I cried.  It was hard.  Very hard.  At one point, I even called the doctor, begging for advice.  What he said was - keep trying and don't worry.  The baby won't starve herself. 

Going through the tub of bottles made me laugh because it reminded me of the many different routes I took in weaning her to the bottle.  It reminded me of all my failed attempts to successfully have one feeding from a bottle.  Makayla never starved herself and after a week of Hell, many different types of bottles, combinations of breast milk/formula, and 100 different feeding positions, she finally took to a bottle.  We finally figured it out.  Ahhhh.

Here's one bottle that we tried.  Thank goodness we didn't go with this one.  Just looking at the top half, there's already too many parts to clean.

This is one really made me laugh.  I thought that I needed to get a bottle that resembled the breast as much as possible...I thought maybe that would help...(it didn't)

This is what we ended up with - with both kids.  Thank goodness, too!  I get to throw the 'bottle' part away each time.  So much less cleaning and washing!

I'm glad I can laugh now (kind of) at the transition from breast to bottle with Makayla and I'm very thankful I didn't have that struggle with Mason.  Maybe I didn't have that struggle with Mason because I learned a thing or two from Makayla...

So, if anybody ever has a struggle with getting their baby to take to a cold, hard, bottle after they've been used to a warm, soft, cozy breast - you can talk to me.  I've been there, done that and learned several things - the most important being that the baby won't starve herself. 

Molding, Guiding

I don’t look forward to the day that the difficulties of existence become a reality for my babies.

So…before that day approaches, I want to make sure that they are prepared. I need to teach them, to mold them - to guide them.

Right now, my kids don’t know anything else besides love. They don’t know meanness, cruelty, hate. They don’t know anything outside of love and kindess. So, I ask myself: What type of people do I want my children to be? What is the most important thing I could teach my children? What is the best way I can prepare them for the world ahead? What’s important?

Children learn by example. They learn what they live. Makayla and Mason are watching me and how I react to life. Everyday, I try to live in a way that portrays good values in order to teach them what they need to help them through this life.

• I want Makayla and Mason to know that what they say, what they do, and who they are really matter.
• The power of attitude is one of the greatest powers on earth. It is the ability to choose the quality of your life regardless of its circumstances.
• You teach love by giving love. Ultimately, love is everything. After all, there is only one happiness in life: to love and be loved.  
• I’d like to teach my children to ask themselves this question: “If everyone acted as I am about to do, what kind of world will I have created?” It will remind them that what they do matters, that how they act has an impact on the quality of our society, that everything they do becomes a role model for others and that they have the choice to act in such a way that if everyone follows them, then the world will have more love, more compassion, more caring, and more kindness than before.

I don't know.  This is the 'scary' part about being a parent.  It's sometimes overwhelming to me when I think about guiding my children into adulthood.  I don't want to mess up.  I want to do the best and be the best that I can possibly be for them. 

I know that Makayla is 2 and Mason is only 6 months old, but they are the most lovable, funniest, and kindest souls I know.  They don't know how to 'hate' or how to be mean.  They haven't met negativity yet.  

Every once in awhile, when I want an escape, I try to look at the world through they eyes of a child.  It's beautiful.  It's happy.  It's full of adventure and discoveries.

I don't want their character and hearts to be spoiled by reality.  I don't ever want to see them hurt, sad, or angry.  But - when that day does come (because I know it will), I will make sure that they have the tools and knowledge to make the best of the situation.
　

Mason - 6 Months

Isn't he lovely?

In just a couple of short days, my little man will be 6 months old.  Wow!  It's been amazing to watch him grow and learn something new every day.  As much as I cherish each passing day, I look very forward to the next 6 months of my son's life.

Today was Mason's 6 month well baby visit with the doctor.  He's 14 pounds and some odd ounces, putting him in the 6th percentile for weight and he is 27 inches tall, putting him in the 75th percentile for height.  Very similar to his sister, Makayla.

A few weeks ago, my mom brought to my attention a pea sized nodule towards the top of Mason's neck, at the base of his skull.  Of course, I felt it that one time and then made it a point to avoid it from then on, making a mental note to show the doctor.  I knew in my heart that it was 'nothing', but finding a nodule like that on my baby, still gave me the creeps.  The doctor felt it and informed me that it was a benign lymph node - nothing to worry about.  Still, I felt it was my responsibility to make sure that everything was okay. Whew.

It was a perfect time to visit the doctor so we could follow up on Mason's yucky cold.  He is doing well.  He has a little bit of wheezing and a little cough.  Other than that, doc said that he'll be fine and that this cough could linger for a couple of weeks.  How fun.

So, what else is new with my 6 month old son?

• He loves to eat.  So far, we've tried and succeeded with bananas, carrots, and avocados.  I think he is really going to enjoy tasting all of the new foods we're going to introduce to him within the next couple of months.
• He loves the sound of Mickey Mouse.  He will stop dead in his tracks and break his neck to follow the voice of Mickey Mouse.
• He is a strong little boy and loves to stand.
• He is a great sleeper.  He sleeps for at least 10.5 hours at night without waking mommy and daddy up.  Even though he sleeps soundly through the night, I will sometimes lay in bed for an hour and listen to his breath through the monitor.
• He seriously smiles 95% of the day.  Anyone and anything can make this boy smile.
• He is becoming more and more curious and observant with each day.

I thank God for my healthy and happy children. 

Week of Colds

Wow.  All week without an update!  Here's why.

Monday evening: Kevin was gone all night teaching a class in Peoria and besides her cold, Makayla was feeling fine, acting fine.  Her nose was running, hurting, running, and hurting all evening.
Monday night:  As tired as Makayla may be, I think that she tries really hard to stay up until daddy gets home from class so she can see him before she goes to bed.  Well, Monday night, I couldn't get Makayla to wind down at all.  Kevin gets home and she still doesn't wind down, so we take her to bed with us.  Her nose is still running and hurting and she is hacking up her lungs.  I'm going to sleep really good tonight. 
Monday night (11pm): I was right!  I slept great (In need of saracastic font)!  Makayla pukes all over our bed.  She puked from coughing so much and so hard.  Since I live in the stone age, my 50 year old washer can't handle my king size bedspread, so...I sent Kevin to the laundry-mat to wash all of our bedding.  While he was busy doing that, I set up camp in the living room for Makayla.  She slept on the couch, I 'slept' on the floor, and Kevin 'slept' in the recliner.  Needless to say, I didn't sleep for the rest of the night. I layed awake listening to her cough the rest of the night...just waiting for her to puke again (which she never did)!

Tuesday:  ZOMBIE all day.  Thankful that I was off of work and didn't have to function as a radiographer.

Wednesday:  Still sort of zombied out, but made it through the workday.  Kevin taught classes in Peoria again Wednesday night and I noticed Makayla started feeling a little better and Mason began coughing.  Oh great.



Makayla singing...in the bathtub...with PASSION.


Thursday:  Still sort of zombied out.  Kevin built the kids a toybox and Makayla was on the mend, feeling much better and eating much healthier.  We had a long talk and decided that maybe she was eating too much junk and maybe she would start to feel really good if she started eating more foods that were healthier for her.  Mason, on the other hand, can't breathe, has red and watery eyes, chest congestion, icky cough...I've realized that he has definitely caught the cold that his sister had.  Yeah.



The toybox!  Good job, Daddy!



Friday, today:  I'm exhausted!  I'm tired!...and I'm still a zombie.  I came home from a super busy day at work and Mason is miserable.  I want to cry right along with him.  I want to hold him, rock him, and kiss him.  I want him to wake up in the morning and smile.  We'll see.



So...That's what the break was in blogging this week.  I was zombied out.  I hope to someday soon catch up in life and get some good rest.  I know once these yucky colds go away and my kids get back to normal, I'll feel a little less tired and worn. 

It takes a lot from a mama when her babies are sick. 

i heart faces: Best Face In February

I am certain of nothing but the holiness of the heart's affections and the truth of imagination.

-John Keats

A two-year old flying high - high into the sky!  I love to hear her little voice ask me if we can fly.  She hops onto my feet and I push her into the air.  Her arms go out, she closes her eyes, a smile sweeps across her face, and she imagines.  I love it.  I love her.

This week's challenge over at i heart faces is "Best Face In February".  Go over and check out all of the beautiful faces!!

Makayla's Moments This Week

Here are a few moments this week that Makayla has been able to provide us a few laughs:

• Makayla was in her room and she had arranged her papasan chair to face the wall and she was licking her Flarp.  For those who don't know what Flarp is, click here.  I think she turned her chair towards the wall because she felt like she was 'hiding' and being sneaky.
• Mason was playing on his floor and I walked in to check on him.  Makayla was leaned over him talking ever so softly and ever so gently to him saying to him "it's okay buddy", "dooooog (good) boy", rubbing his face with cotton balls. 
• Makayla was standing in the middle of her dark room, naked from the waste down, had her shirt pulled up and was applying my deodorant heavily all across her abdomen.  When I asked her what she was doing, she said she needed to buy pink deodorant at Walmart.
• Makayla has been falling asleep on the couch and then we will carry her up to her bed once she has fallen into a deep enough sleep.  I've been looking forward to this time of night because when we pick her up to take her to bed, she's asleep but talks non-stop all the way up to her bed.  She makes no sense as to what she is saying but she is telling a story with such emotion and feeling.  Last night the three words I got out of her story were crackers, Kyleigh, and Kole (her cousins).  She talked complete jibberish and I'm not sure she even took a breath throughout the entire story.  The night before the only word I got out of her story was ice cream.  She gives me the giggles and the second her head hits the pillow, her story is done and she's gone to the world. 

These are the days of my life and I love it!





It Fell From My Body

You would think by now, after being back to work for almost 3 months, that we would be in some sort of ‘morning routine’.  But, no, we’re not.  I like to think that our mornings run smoothly, but when I get to work and I’m trying to catch my breath, it’s proven to me that we still have ‘kinks’ to work out.  Will we ever have a non-hectic morning again?  I don’t think so.

Once I got to work this morning, I never did get ‘settled’.  Things were rocky and things were busy.  I ordered a full order of bacon, pulled cords out of the wall, and held onto my unhooked bra while positioning.  Not to mention that our main xray room has been moved to the new facility, so my brain still hasn’t learned to function with a digital portable in Room 1.  Craziness. 

In the midst of my funky Friday, I went over to do an xray on a patient in the Emergency Room.  As I was raising my arms and ‘man handling’ the portable machine, something fell from my body.  I looked down to the floor and it was…

...Makayla’s Curious George sock. 

?????

Makayla’s sock!! Where did that come from?  How could I have missed that?  It must have gotten mixed up inside my shirt while doing laundry.

The sock on the floor made all of the morning mishaps go away.  It made me laugh and made my patient laugh.  It reminded me of what I get to go home to at the end of the day.  It reminded me that I have something amazing at home waiting to see me!  It reminded me why I work so hard.  I work hard to buy socks and anything else that my little miracles need or want. 

I put the sock in my pocket, smiled, and went on with the rest of the day.

Sometimes it just helps to know what all of this is for.  Sometimes, you just need a reminder of why you work so hard...even if it's just a sock on the floor.

Laugh A Little

Scroll to the bottom of the page and mute the blog music. 

 Then hit play on this video and prepare to smile wide!! 

This is just a 30 second peek into what's good in our life!!