Raisin Thing

Every Thursday morning, Daddy takes Makayla out to breakfast before school.  They usually eat at the hospital, the donut shop (Mel-O-Cream), or at Hardees. 

This morning, Makyala wanted to go to Hardees.  I asked her what she was going to get and she excitedly said "the raisin thing"!  I told her that I loved the cinnamon raisin biscuits.  Yum!

After daddy picks her up from school, I usually call her and ask her how school was.  Today, she said she needed to show me something, so I told her to have daddy bring her by mommy's work on the way to Brenda's. 

 Thinking that she was going to show me the stamp she earned today, I was definitely surprised when she had something else to share with me.

She proudly handed over to me a little box from Hardees.  I opened up the box and this is what I saw -

She had saved me her left over cinnamon raisin biscuit!  With my chin kind of quivering (because her sweetness melted my heart), I looked up to see a humongous smile on her face and her eyes beaming.  I gave her a big kiss and thanked her for thinking of me.  I told her that she is such a kind girl and that she makes me so happy.  Still smiling and nodding her head, she told me that she put a fruit snack in there, too, because she knows that I like fruit snacks.

OH, goodness, I love her!

Her heart is so good.

"While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about"

 

Each One

Today, each kid got a "check up".  Mason had his 18 month well baby visit and Makayla had a preschool screening.

Mason -

Mason has major separation anxiety...and that's okay!  One of the first steps in a child's growing faith is called "basic trust".  Mason trusts me and daddy to meet his every need.  So, naturally, he is going to get anxious when separated from us. It's normal, healthy behavior!

So, you can imagine the crying fit that went on at the doctor's office today!  Sitting in a strange room, with the door closed, with a nurse he doesn't know...once Mason started crying, he didn't stop until his clothes were back on his body.  The doctor is convinced that Mason was so upset because he remembers getting his shots there three months ago.  Maybe...but, I'm blaming the separation/stranger anxiety!

Other than the anxiety, Mason is doing great!  He's growing (32 inches tall and weighs somewhere in the low 20's.  He wouldn't be still long enough for the scale to stop bouncing around.), super active (LOVES to climb, run, and explore), and enjoys his food (loves everything except his veggies.  We have to trick him to eat those!...and he would be perfectly content to live off of cottage cheese, jello, and yogurt.).  We are slowly but surely saying more and more words everyday.  Here is a list of Mason's top 10 words (not including mama and dada) - Bubbles, Bye, Baby, Ball, Diego, Taco, Juice, No!, Poop, and Apple.

He's a quiet little boy that sits back, listens to everyone around him, and soaks in everything going on.  He is so very smart and amazes me every single day. 

Not only is he smart, but he has the heart stopping good looks!  It's the blond hair, big blue eyes, contagious smile, and that cute little pucker for all the kisses that he passes out.

Ahhh, I love my little boy!

Makayla -

Makayla is wrapping up her first year of preschool and can look forward to two more years of preschool before she starts kindergarten.  Tonight, I took her for a screening for the first time to assess her development in the areas of vision, hearing, motor, speech, language, cognition and social functioning.  Makayla did great! 

She did things I had no idea she would be able to do!

I wasn't able to be in the room with her when she was doing her screening, but as the teacher went over her scores with me and explained all of the tests that Makayla had to do, I was becoming more and more impressed with my baby girl by the second.

Without pointing and counting out loud, Makayla could tell the teacher how many blocks were in the palm of the teacher's hand; The teacher would build a design out of blocks and Makayla could replicate it; Makayla had great "spontaneous language" - the teacher would place an object on the table and Makayla would give as much information about the object as she could without being prompted; The teacher would say a sequence of numbers and Makayla would repeat the sequence back without any mistakes; They played a memory game (which Makayla is a master at); and they did other tests that included drawing and numbers.

The one test that got me giggling to the point of no return (for some odd reason) was the balance test.  They want kids to be able balance on each foot for 5 seconds.  Makayla balanced on her right foot for 21 seconds and her left foot for 15 seconds.  Then, next to those scores, was a note in big letters "And She Really Likes To Hop On One Foot!!!!"

A Viennese woman once asked Sigmund Freud, "How early should I begin the education of my child?"  Freud replied with a question of his own, "When will your child be born?"  "Born?" the woman asked.  "Why, he is already five years old!"  My goodness, woman," Freud cried, "don't stand there talking to me - hurry home!  You have already wasted the five best years!"

Style

THESE are days I don't want to ever forget!

...a 3 year old little girl who has her own sense of style!

Mid March

Is it strange that it is mid March and

the flowers and trees are bloomed;

for the past week, we've enjoyed our dinners outside;

there are bugs and gnats flying all around;

the smell of mowed grass is EVERYWHERE;

my windshield is filled with splattered bugs;

and I am freezing when the temps dip below 68 degrees?

It might be strange,

BUT we're LOVING every second of it!

Usually on the weekends when daddy is gone, Makayla and I will pop some popcorn, pour ourselves a little cup of coke, crawl in my bed, and watch movies.  It's our thing.  We giggle about it and look forward to it.

Well, daddy is gone tonight DJing a wedding.

After dinner tonight, Makayla got really excited and asked if we could...

"You wanna pop some popcorn, drink soda, and read the Bible tonight?!"

Random.

(smiling)

So...tonight we're going to pop popcorn, pour ourselves a little soda, and read the Bible before we watch our movies. 

Oh, she never seizes to amaze me...and while she's busy gathering her Bibles, applying grandma's deep red lipstick on her lips while she chomps her gum, and learning to write her letters -

Mason's busy amazing me, too.

I have a kissy smoochy little man on my hands.  Mason IS a kisser!  He loves to kiss and he loves to be kissed!  He melts my heart every single time he puckers up and reaches out. 

His new word is "Diego".  He loves to watch Diego on tv and he loves to eat Diego yogurt.

Balls are still his favorite toys.  The boy was built to play with balls - throw balls, chase balls, kick balls, and we're still working on catching balls.

He loves to pick up his toys and drop throw them in the baskets and tubs and he loves to throw things away.  He sometimes is a very good cleaning machine.

He often times says "poop" and darts towards the bathroom.  We run to the bathroom, set him on his potty seat (which has Elmo on it), and he'll start singing the Elmo Song - La, Laaa, La, La...La, Laaa, La, La...and he neeever poops. 

Sitting on the potty, though, is one of three things that make him feel like a Big Boy.  When he sits on that potty, his chest puffs out, and looks around the room like he's King Tut.  The two other things that make him feel like a big boy are throwing things away that I hand him and ask him to throw away and handing me my razor every time he gets in the bathtub.  He knows the razor is a no-no and that it is dangerous, so when he hands it to me, he'll smile and wait for me to praise him.

My kids are ever growing and ever changing. 

I love what they have brought to my life.

In The Meantime

These past couple of weeks, we've been busy. 

Busy living!

We've been busy planning for the future, living in the present, and learning from our past.

And as the days go on - the kids are growing taller, getting smarter, and becoming even more funnier than the day before. 

Makayla Questions Bathroom Decorations:

A few weeks ago, we were washing our hands in Michaels, one of our favorite places to dine with Uncle Bruce and Aunt Sue.  As she was scrubbing away, a massive look of confusion came across her face.  She just couldn't understand why Michael would put cinnamon sticks in the bathroom!

Makayla Is Still Having Babies:

Makayla is still having babies, but NOW she has added an oxygen mask to the delivery.  Every once in awhile, she'll put a bowl over her face because she needs oxygen when she's having her baby.

Makayla Still Likes To Sneak Away With Me On Night Drives:

It was one of those nights last night - the weather was warming up and I wanted to sing a duet with Adele (To Make You Feel My Love).  SO - I nonchalantly whispered to Kevin that I was going to go "mail some bills".

In the 3 seconds that it took me to run upstairs to grab my sweatshirt, Makayla was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs - her shoes on her feet and her coat hanging off of her.

Dang!  That girl has good hearing!...and she's lightening fast!  So fast, she couldn't even pair up the right shoes!

 I tilted my head at her and grinned.  I grinned, but on the inside, I was having flashbacks of the last time I wanted to take a drive alone - Our 5 Minute Drive.

In a grown up whisper, she said "It's alright.  I'm going to go with you real quick".

And as much as I wanted to go alone, I couldn't turn her down.  She was too cute and growing up way too quickly.  I just couldn't get myself to deny her the time that she wanted to be with me.

I told her that we were going to go on a relaxing drive.  We weren't going to watch any movies and we weren't going to talk.  We were going to relax.

We hop in the car, open the moon roof, crank up Adele, and pull down the street.  Makayla immediately begins telling me yelling over the music about Chief (our cat) catching a mouse.  I turned the radio down and reminded her that we weren't talking.  If she didn't want to sing with me, then she needed to look out her window at the stars.  She didn't talk again.  She did whisper a few things and everytime I turned around to look at her, she claimed that she was YAWNING. 

After a much needed drive with good music and the air blowing in through the roof, we pulled in the driveway.  I unbuckled her from her seat and as I was carrying her in the house, she said "that was a good drive".  She also let me know that she was relaxed.

Good.

It Was Time

Mason's FIRST Haircut

So, I became that mom who got all sentimental about her son's first haircut.

You know it's time when...

 you can put your son's hair in a ponytail,

or when his hair sways beautifully to the beat of the music when he's dancing,

or when his blonde mullet curls bounce gracefully with each one of his baby steps...

 

I didn't get the least bit sad or sentimental when Makayla had her first haircut because her first hair cut was merely a trim to help her hair keep growing - whereas Mason's first haircut drastically (in my opinion) changed his appearance.  

 While Mason kept busy filling his mouth full of cheese puffs and feeding me wet soggy leftovers, Aunt Jenny did a fabulous job with the scissors!

In 10 minutes, he went from a baby,

to a todder. 

*sniff

*sniff

I am definitely going to miss his little boys curls, but oh boy! - he is so handsome!!

He's growin' up!



When I Thought She Was Sleeping

The other night, we were laying in bed - Kevin and I, with Makayla between us.  Kevin was watching TV and I was reading my book.  Makayla was laying there, so peacefully, with her eyes closed.  Her skin was flawless, soft, and smelled of Mason's lavendar baby wash.  Her lips were relaxed and shaped oh so perfectly - pouty, full, and red.  Her soft blonde curls layed gently across her cheek.  She was beautiful.  She was my baby girl.  I leaned in and whispered in her ear that I loved her, I gave her a soft gentle kiss, and couldn't take my eyes off of her.  I thought about what's in store in life for her and her brother as they grow and I thanked God for giving me Makayla and Mason. I'm not sure how long I was in La-La Land, but suddenly, Kevin ruined my moment. Kevin:  Stop staring at her! Me:  (as I look at him cross eyed) - Don't you love to stare at her when she's sleeping? Kevin: (looking at me like I am crazy) - No!  I don't stare at her! Me: (thinking if I re-worded the verb, I might bring out his sensitive side to push his admittance that he does stare at her) Don't you ever gaze at her?! Kevin: No!  I don't gaze at her, but you need to stop!  You look weird with your eyes locked on her and your body frozen with your book held up in mid air.  (as he imitates me)     I told him that I couldn't help it and started giggling. Makayla then popped her eyes open, grinned, and said "Read your book, mommy"...Then I started giggling even harder and told her how much I loved her.  I absolutley love that when I thought she was sound asleep, she actually had been awake.  She was quietly laying there, soaking in my gazes, kisses, and whispers. I ALSO love how our first Parent-Teacher conference went!  Yes, we had a Parent-Teacher conference for a 3 year old! I was surprised at how well Makayla is doing. She listens to the teacher, follows directions, and even raises her hand when she wants to talk. She loves story time and working in her Weekly Reader. She is very attentive to other children's needs and loves to be consoling when her classmates are sad, mad, or bad.  She is very intune with her emotions and her classmates emotions. She loves to play at the "kitchen" station, craft station, and reading station. She has her favorite toys in the class room and is very protective of them! She asks lots of questions and is so interested in learning what the answers are. She knows her letters, numbers, shapes, etc... She made me proud! The only things we needed to work on were cutting with scissors, zipping our coat, and galloping.  We've perfected the zipping, have fun in practicing galloping, and are getting better with the scissors! Children are like wet cement. Whatever falls on them makes an impression. - Dr. Hiam Ginnot

Kevin Turns 30

I have so much I want to write about -

things about life,

     things I've learned over the past two weeks (what's important in raising kids),

what I love about my kids (Mason's kissing obsession),

what makes me smile (Makayla's parent-teacher conference),

my goals (Relay For Life)

and all the other "things" weighing on my mind...

 ...but this post is going to be dedicated to Kevin's 30th birthday.

The day before Kevin turned 30, I had a little surprise planned for him.

Throughout the day, he would be receiving 30 cards.  Each card would be delivered by people he would be meeting (some planned, some surprised) throughout the day and each card would contain a puzzle piece.  So, by the end of the day, he would have a 30 piece puzzle.  As the day went on, he put the pieces together.  At the end of the day his puzzle read "Surprise, you are going to be spending your 30th birthday in...".  I gave him his last piece at the very end of the day that said "Florida".

He was surprised.

We left that night and spent the next few days in Destin, FL as a family.

View from our balcony.

We did a lot of "hanging around"...

Watched a gorgeous sunset over the gulf...

Ate lots of yummy food...

Smiled under palm trees...

And laughed at lunch on the beach...

Splashed in the warm swimming pool and went under water...

Played in the sand, ran from the waves, and soaked up the sun.

The essence of pleasure is spontaneity.

A last minute, planned in a week, trip to Florida with our family was something that not only took Kevin by surprise, but also took me by surprise.

Our time away was beautiful.

Unforgettable.

Be Mine

Hockey Game Plus Birthday Parties

Cheering and clapping,

Music and dancing,

Dippin' Dots, popcorn, and soda,

Nachos and cheese and candy,

Goals, whistles, and horns,

Hockey players and fights,

Family and friends,

Fun and memories...

...all at the Riverman hockey game!

We had another great night in Peoria with our friends and family.  My kids love going to the hockey games.  They love the excitement and fun.  They love the whole atmosphere that the arena has to offer.

I've always had fun going to hockey games, but it's even more fun since we've started taking our kids.  I can see the excitement of being at the game through the eyes of child and I've discovered that there's a lot more to it than people watching!

**************************************************

Candles and cake,

Fried chicken and mashed potatoes,

Tours of a new house,

Playing with Dave Meowtthews,

Taking pictures,

Staring at butt cracks,

Family and fun,

"Happy Birthday"....

 ...all at Aunt Nina's house!

We had a nice visit at Aunt Nina's house, celebrating her 24th birthday and purchase of a new home!

  ***************************************************

Roller skating,

Music and disco lights,

Bruised butts,

Video games and tickets,

Pizza and soda,

Cake and ice cream,

Laughter, hugs, and memories...

...all at Jersey's 5th birthday party!

We had a wonderful time celebrating another birthday over the weekend. 

 Makayla had fun skating and Mason had fun munching on cake pops! 

*******************************************************

We had a very full-filling weekend.  We were surrounded by family and friends, having lots of fun - making wonderful memories. 

Last night, once our weekend was all wrapped up, I was giving Makayla a bath and I asked her what her favorite part of the weekend was.  She said eating candy.  After a short pause, she then said "and giving Jersey a hug".

Life is good.