5 years ago

5 years ago today Andy and I got married. I can't believe it's been five years, but at the same time I can't believe it's only been five years! To the love of my life, my best friend and the father of my children, I love you more and more each day! I look forward to many more years together!

Happy Anniversary!

My girls

...are growing up waaaaaaay too fast! My little bitty infant has turned into a fluffy, smiley, chatty baby. Her smiles light up the room and her cooing just make you want to stare at her and "chat" with her for hours. Those cheeks make you want to pinch them and keep her smiling because they are so adorable. She truly is growing up way to fast.
My sweet, empathetic, strong-willed, independent toddler. I don't remember allowing her to grow up and be a big girl?! Watching her help me this weekend with Kendall warmed my heart. She has such a serving attitude (mixed in with her toddler antics and tantrums!) and runs to help when someone is in need. She is one of a kind...

Their growing up brings a change in me and in my life. they have been such a blessing to Andy and me. I can't imagine what we did without them in our lives. Yes it's crazy at times and yes I get extremely stressed (I need to let go of my "have to be in control" mind-set) but I would change my life for all the treasures in the world. I've got them here, with me, in my house. Life couldn't get any better then that! With young children, you learn to look and enjoy the small things, embrace change because it's a part of life and to look for the beauty in everything.

I took care of a good friends daughter, who happens to be Alley's best friend, for a little bit this afternoon. I sat back and watched those two busy-bodies play and move from activity to activity all the while checking in on Kendall to make sure I was tending to her needs. I can't tell you how many times they each got in Kendall's face and asked if she was okay ("Kenda, you otay?"). Sweetness just oozed out of them...I hope they never change

Mommy's Little Helper

Finally a weekend off for Andy! Football ended early, so the weekend was free for us to do whatever we wanted to do...of course, we were looking forward to just relaxing and being together as a family, buuuuut....Andy had to leave before the sun came up to travel to Lynchburg to cover HSC's baseball conference tournament. His assistant got sick, probably food poisoning. I'm glad he was able to help out but it left me without my helper for the weekend. Alley, sensing a need, stepped up to the plate this morning and was an extreme help! While Kendall napped, we played, folded the cloth diapers, cleaned the kitchen, swept, she did my hair (man did I look great! Yikes! No pictures of that hair-do!), and plenty of over tasks I never would have thought we needed to do;)
After finishing all that, Kendall woke up from her nap, so I went up stairs to bring her down to feed her. When I got downstairs, Alley ran into the kitchen saying, "Mommy, I feed Kendall...I pumping! Kendall like it!" all the while she is pulling out my pumping accessories! This is how I found her....

(pardon the awful pictures...I was laughing so hard and I didn't have time to change the setting on the camera!!)

and she was making the noise the pump makes when it's on...oh my word! I couldn't stop laughing!!here she is organizing the pumping accessories....

When she was "done", I started putting everything away again and she ran into the living room were Kendall was hanging out in her papasan. I heard Alley say "I help, I feed", but thought nothing of it. This is what I saw when I walked back into the living room...

Look at her! She even pulled up her chair!

That got tiring, so she tried this position...

WOW! I got more help than I bargained for today!!

I claim her...

Three months have past and Kendall is still a dream. Sh is such a happy baby. She smiles constantly and is beginning to talk everybody's ear off (even if they aren't paying attention). She has grown leaps and bounds in size...she is quite fluffy now, which I love! I'm a squeezer so I love when my babies have extra "stuffing". I was a fluffy baby, so they come by it honestly. Kendall is beginning to look more like me with each day. The only two things that I see are Andy's is her blue eyes (please stay!!) and her extremely laid-back personality. (Sorry Alley, you got my brown eyes and high-strung personality!). Here are some pictures to emphasize our similarities:

me at 3-4 months - smiling away

Kendall at 3 months showing us her potential pearly whites

me- staring at someone (probably my dad or mom)

Kendall- staring at me:)

Here are the things Kendall is doing at 3 months:

• we put her on an every 4 hour feeding schedule (it's working great so far!)
• she's smiling constantly (she smiled through her bath and hair washing yesterday with a goofy grin...that crazy girl!)
• She is talking (cooing) up a storm and wont let anyone in on the conversation...she'll just coo right on over you!
• she's sleeping almost all the way through the night (last night she ate at 9:30pm and then didn't eat again until 5:45am...love it:)
• we are working on her napping in the crib instead of her infant seat (let's face it, she's almost touching to floor with her feet...yeah, it's about time!) - right now she's napping in the crib and doing wonderfully! She sleeps great in the crib at night, so why not try it for naps:)
• she has puffed out and is wearing 3 month and some 3-6 month clothing, but she is super long!
• She is still going strong in cloth diapers and I love!! I never thought I'd like cloth diapers, but I am wishing I had started Alley out in them!
  
• she watches Alley like a hawk - as Alley says "Kendall MY sista"
  
• she loves music and will instantly lock eyes with you if you sing and she searches around for where the music is coming from when you play it.
• she's still a sleeper (woo-hoo!) - of course daycare has been somewhat of a stumbling block in the sleep department (it's just too fun!)...but she comes home and sleeps like a champ so I won't complain.

We have been in love with Kendall from day 1 and our love is growing by the second. She is my precious baby.

Spring Break

We are back...whew! What a great trip we had (minus the loooong drive through the night!). We started spring break off with a bang by celebrating my dad's birthday on Friday. Here they are at dinner - dad is wearing our traditional birthday glasses. We all have to wear them on our birthday!
We spent the evening playing up at the churches playground while dinner was being prepared. Alley had a wonderful time. She loves playgrounds! Here are some pictures from her adventures on the playground.

My sweet girl on the swing (a new development, only recently has she decided she likes the swing!)

Peeking out from the "fort"

Climbing the big slide - notice what's written on the slide platform...:)
So excited about sliding:)

On Saturday we spent the day hanging out on the screen porch playing with trains, blocks and Kendall. It was such a nice and relaxing Saturday.

Alley and Kendall telling secrets - the first of many moments like this:)

Alley in her FAVORITE jammies acting like a cat

Sharing a laugh together - it was music to my ears!

Sweet Kendall - she has begun to smile all the time and has been "talking" up a storm. She is really growing up fast!

Alley playing trains - this girl sure loves her trains:)

close-up of our smiley girl

Another Easter family picture

On Sunday evening we made the 12 hour trek out to Arkansas to see all of Andy's family. It was a long trip and Kendall was not a happy camper...what happened to my laid back child?! I guess no one would like to be cooped up in a carseat for that long... Regardless of the ride, we had a wonderful time seeing family and just getting to play with G-ma and Jim (who we are trying to get Alley to call pee-paw Jim) .

Acting goofy outside in G-ma's backyard

Kendall playing

Alley playing in the backyard...calling to us through the window...the new drive through;)

playing with bubbles

reading books...Alley's favorite activity still:)

playing in her new too-too that her cousin's gave her...she loved that thing!

Hanging out with her cousin's Avery and Katie

Kendall talking her Uncle Brad's ear off

G-ma and all her granddaughters

My girls

G-ma and her youngest grandchildren

What a wonderful trip we had to both the grandparent's house. We are so blessed to have such amazing parents and wonderful extended family! But next year I think we'll split up the long drive....;)

Easter

Happy Easter! We are finally on break, and taking full advantage of the time off. This past weekend we have been in Richmond celebrating Easter with my parents. Tonight we embark on a 12 hour (through the night) trip out to Arkansas to visit with Andy's family. We have had a wonderful time with my parents and are looking forward to seeing Andy's mom and family! Here are just a few pictures from this weekend. I will post more once we return from Arkansas!

A family Easter picture...

Alley playing with "my trucks"...she loooves playing with trucks, go figure:)

More truck play