Half Way to a Year...WHAT???

So as of last Wednesday, our little Kynlee was 6 months old...half way to a year...are you kidding me? Where does the time go?

Life is so fun right now! Kynlee is finally getting out of the helpless infant stage and really starting to get a mind of her own. She's been sitting up on her own for several weeks now, but she's officially to the point that I no longer have to put pillows behind her if I walk away. She still hates her tummy, but is starting to tolerate it more when there is a toy she's trying to reach...the rocking, rolling, army crawl is beginning to take form...look out! We are constantly having "conversations" with her, because like her mommy...she likes to talk! There's nothing wrong with that if you ask me, but Kevin may chose to disagree!!!

Let's see...A couple of weeks ago we began solid foods because she went from wanting to eat every 3 - 3 1/2 hours, to wanting to eat every 1 1/2...um, no thank you! I think she may be the strangest baby I've ever heard of though, because she wanted nothing to do with the food foods (squash, applesauce, pears, etc.). All she would eat was the cereal. I tried mixing in some applesauce, and she would get this sour, bitter look, while shaking her head and spitting whatever it was all over me. Okay...cereal it is. We did that for about a week, and slowly started introducing WARM food. Now we've got her eating pears, applesauce and squash, but they have to be warm. She wants nothing to do with them if they're cold or even room temperature! Picky, picky! Anyways...we're back to eating every 3 hours or so, and I can deal with that...the fact that she's growing up so much, and already eating foods...not so easy to deal with!!!

Kynz is definitely slowing down on the weight chart, making me feel a lot better. She went from somewhere around the 115th percentile at 2 months, to right at the 50th percentile now. She's a straight 16 pounds, and finally growing into her cheeks...the lovable, pinchable cheeks that they are! So there you have it...a little update on our princess!

Kynlee

Kallen

Blessings,

Funny Hats, and Big Shoes

So, going out-n-about with the kiddos, just officially got hard. Up to this point, it's been relatively easy. Kynlee has been in her little carrier and I can set her down no matter where we're at: next to the car while I get kallen out, in the handicap stalls with us while I take Kallen potty, in the corner at MOPS so she can sleep, etc. etc.

Well, this last week, we decided that she was outgrowing her carrier, and it was time to put her in a big girl car seat! Good idea in theory, except for the logistic's of a two year old and a non walking 6 month old while we're out in public. Monday was the first time I went anywhere with both kids alone with our new seating arrangement...and let me tell you, I think I grew several grey hairs.

First was the fact that I couldn't really get Kynlee out first because I drive a big lifted rig and trying to climb up on the running boards with her in one arm all the while trying to unbuckle Kallen, would be a sight to see! If however I got Kallen out first, he would be able to run lose in the parking lot, and I think you can do the math there. Huh!

Then...what do you know, but the first store we walk into, Kallen needs to go potty. Fine, let's go...oh wait...what am I going to do with Kynlee? You see, he still needs help getting up and down from the toilet (especially public bathrooms where I really don't want him touching the thing), and I can't really sit Kynz down on the floor while I tend to Kal...gross...so once again, huh!

Getting back in the car...same dilemma. Kynlee first, then Kallen plays "frogger" with all the cars, Kallen first, and I look like a clown in a circus act, if in fact I don't drop either kiddo in the process.

So now it's Thursday, and I've simply decided to become a hermit! Okay, not really, but in all seriousness...we only go out when we need to. (Which was part of the "thinning out" plan was it not!) Then, when we do go out, it looks a little like this:

I unbuckle Kynlee first (she's on my side of the car), but leave her in her seat and run around and get Kallen out. Then Kallen comes with me and keeps one hand on the car at all times while I simply pull Kynlee out (much faster now that she's already unbuckled, and if Kal's 2 year old curiosity starts to take over, I'm not above the back seat spanking to show him how serious I am). Anyways...we head straight for the bathroom, where Kynlee rests straddled on one leg, while I prop Kal on the potty...talk about a balancing act! Then we're on our merry way. Same thing getting back in the car, Kynlee first, just sitting in her chair, then Kallen gets buckled in (and he's starting to be able to buckle himself, so that's nice) then I go around buckle Kynlee, and we're off. Hopefully the reminder note on my dash will prevent me from leaving Kynz unbuckled too many times! Oh, and the front pack and sling have also become my second set of hands...they just stay in the car so I never forgot them! Phew...I think we're figuring it out!

All that for a gallon of milk...who needs to eat, right!

Blessings,

In Need of A Good "Thinning"

As New Years resolutions go...I've never been one to truly make them. I may say, "oh, I'd like to be more organized", or "I'd like to be healthier", or something like that, but those are things I tend to say anyways...new year or not. Well this year, I've really been thinking about it, and have decided that it IS a New Year, and therefor a perfect opportunity to change a thing or two. For me, things need to be "thinned" out in almost all aspects of my life. You know...like a good forest thinning. Not quite a clear-cut, but simply cleaning out some of the old, so the new can fill in! Okay, so the clearing begins...

First, our stuff: A few weeks ago it hit me that we were being over run by our stuff. I had boxes of clothes in the bottom of my closet that I put away while I was pregnant...still sitting in those same boxes (obviously I wasn't missing them). The Christmas boxes were a chore to get down and back up in the attic because of all the other miscellaneous boxes of stuff we had in the way. The door to the den/sewing/scrapbook room, has remained closed for the last month or so because it's such a mess that it looks like a hurricane made it's way through that room. etc., etc. I'm really good at finding drawers, cupboards or closets to stash things in, so the house as a whole remains uncluttered...but my secret stashing places are all filling up, and filling up with silly material things that we don't really need or use! I tend to have the "it's too nice to give away or get rid of, and some day I may use it", attitude.

Next our schedule: I looked over the calendar for the last month or so, and realized there have been very few days that we've actually stayed home an entire day. We're always on the go...whether it's to the grocery store, to grandma's house, to MOPS, or just out running errands. Poor Kallen has woken up the past few weeks with the first words out of his mouth every morning being "I stay hooooome" (with a long drawn out enunciated "home"). Okay kiddo...I get it.

Then the weight: Of course when we're talking about "thinning" out my life, I've got to address the weight issue. Now...I'm back at my pre-Kynlee weight, and have been since she was a month or so old, Yeah me...but that doesn't mean I didn't have a little extra to begin with! More than that however is the fact that I...we...need to eat healthier. Not just healthier foods, but an all around healthier habits. I rarely sit down and eat a decent breakfast (normally a few handfuls of cereal while I'm pouring Kallen his), or the left over half of english muffin that Kallen never touched while I'm clearing his plate. Lunch normally doesn't happen in any organized sense of the word either because Kallen doesn't really eat much and I'm so busy tending to him, Kynlee and the house, that I don't make the time to make something for my self. In turn I end up snaking on junk throughout the day. Dinner, we're good...we always have a sit down dinner as a family, which tends to be the only decent meal I get throughout the day...so unhealthy I know!

Anyways...These are just a few of the major areas that need thinned in my life...not to mention the amount of TV I have on the DVR that I am always trying to catch up on, or the stack of projects that lay half started in my craft room. It just seems that we've got so much going on around us, that we're not really taking the time to enjoy life as it is. I'm looking ahead at what needs to be done next, what project needs worked on, which cupboard can I sort through, who can I email, etc., etc. My goal is to simplify everything, and if I haven't needed, seen or used something in the last 6 months or so...it's out!

What a project this has become, though I already feel like I've accomplished so much. I can't wait for the entire weight to be lifted, and I'm tellin' you...it will be some garage sale come spring time!

Blessings,

The Wheels on the Bus...

I've never been one to have toys lying around the house, that can't be put away in an inconspicuous place. The kids toys that are in the living room, have their own cupboard in the entertainment center so the doors can be shut and the toys not seen. Big toys that don't fit in the cupboard go in bedrooms or in the garage. Basically everything has it's place, and everything is in it's place, and the house doesn't look like it's being ran by kids. That being said...

For the last year or so, Costco has had an Activity Bus for sale that since the moment he saw it, Kallen has been pining after. That first fateful day while walking through the store, Kallen spotted the bus from across the room, ran with full force towards it, and played non-stop for 30 minutes or so while I did some shopping (with him in sight the whole time of course!). My first thought was that this wonderful activity bus would be a great Christmas present, but those thoughts were immediately replaced with..."where will it go?" I decided that in our house, the "little" bus was just too big. We left that day, no worries.

The months that followed, every time we went to Costco, Kallen found the bus and was just as thrilled with it as the first time he saw it. Ponder, ponder..."nope, too big, and too expensive". Then, sometime in November, we went to Costco as a family, and the darn bus was on sale, and had the mark that they wouldn't be getting it back in the store again! The price was much better, but the "it's too big and "ugly"" thoughts were still running through my mind. We went back a week or so before Christmas, and all the buses, had finally sold out. Kallen wandered through the store, tears-a-streamin', because they no longer had the bus. I asked the front counter, and there was only 1 bus left in the whole Costco chain, and it was in Helena Montana (just a short jaunt...ha, ha). I had finally realized that I was being silly about my reasons for not wanting the bus that would bring such joy to my little man, and was ready to go ahead and get it...too little too late.

I went home that day, and got on the Internet to see what I could find. Finally, after searching, digging, and prying for quite some time, I found the bus! It couldn't be here by Christmas, but that was no big deal. (We're not a "big" Christmas present family anyways...little things do just dandy!) Anyways...this way, it would just be a special little something that showed up one day.

It arrived in the mail yesterday, and Kevin and I put it together once this kids went to bed...setting up the surprise for the morning. After waking up on the wrong side of the bed, and throwing a bit of a tired fit...Kallen spotted the bus, and tears of frustration were replaced with giggles of excitement. He's having so much fun with it, and although it's a little "goddy" and large, for my taste...it's "hidden" in his bedroom! The singing of "The Wheels on the Bus" while he's behind the wheel is just too darn cute!

Blessings,

Our Little Van Gogh

So, while I have several pictures of the festivities this past week, and numerous stories to go with them...I just couldn't resist posting this first.

Kallen got some fun bathtub crayons in his stocking this year, and although I was a little unsure of the mess they would create...I was pleasantly surprised. He loves the fact that he gets to draw all over the tub, and...the clean up is a snap! Yeah for Crayola!





Oh, and this is our little angel with her first biter biscuit...just so she doesn't feel left out!

Getting in the Spirit!

I recieved this email (as I'm sure some of you have) a few days ago, and thought I would share it with you all. A simple, yet powerful reminder as we share and experience the next couple of days!

Will the Christ Child Come?

Written by Gaye Willis

One Christmas we had an interesting experience that I would like to share. Halfway through December we were doing the regular evening things when there was a knock at the door. We opened it to find a small package with a beautiful ceramic lamb inside. We looked at the calendar and realized that the 12 days of Christmas were beginning! We waited excitedly for the next night's surprise and only then, with the gift of a matching shepherd, did we realize that the lamb was part of a nativity set. Each night we grew more excited to see what piece we would receive. Each was exquisitely beautiful. The kids kept trying to catch the givers as we slowly built the scene at the manger and began to focus on Christ's birth. On Christmas Eve, all the pieces were in place, all but the Baby Jesus. My 12-year-old son really wanted to catch our benefactors and began to devise all kinds of ways to trap them. He ate dinner in the minivan, watching and waiting, but no one came. Finally, we called him in to go through our family's Christmas Eve traditions. But before the kids went to bed, we checked the front step - - no Baby Jesus! We began to worry that my son had scared them off. My husband suggested that maybe they dropped the Jesus and there wouldn't be anything coming.

Somehow, something was missing that Christmas Eve. There was a feeling that things weren't complete. The kids went to bed and before I went to bed, I again checked to see if the Jesus had come - - no, the doorstep was empty. In our family, the kids can open their stockings when they want to, but they have to wait to open any presents until Dad wakes up. So one by one they woke up very early and I also woke up to watch them. Even before they opened their stockings, each child checked to see if perhaps during the night the Baby Jesus had come. Missing that piece of the set seemed to have an odd effect. At least it changed my focus. I knew there were presents under the tree for me and I was excited to watch the children open their gifts, but first on my mind was the feeling of waiting for the ceramic Christ Child. We had opened just about all of the presents when one of the children found one more for me buried deep beneath the limbs of the tree. He handed me a small package from my former visiting teaching companion. This sister was somewhat less-active in the church. I had been her visiting teacher for a couple of years and then, when she was asked to be a visiting teacher, she requested to go with me. I had learned over time they didn't have much for Christmas, so that their focus was on the children. It sounded like she didn't get many gifts to open, so I had always given her a small package -- new dish towels, the next year's Relief Society lesson manual -- not much, but something for her to open. I was touched when at church on the day before Christmas, she had given me this small package, saying it was just a token of her love and appreciation. As I took off the bow, I remembered my friendship with her and was filled with gratitude forknowing her and for her kindness and sacrifice in this giving me a gift. But as the paper fell away, I began to tremble and cry. There in the small brown box was the Baby Jesus! He had come! I realized on that Christmas Day, that Christ will come into our lives in ways that we don't expect. The spirit of Christ comes into our hearts as we serve one another. We had waited and watched for Him to come, expecting the dramatic "knock at the door and scurrying of feet" but He came in a small, simple package that represented service, friendship, gratitude and love. This experience taught me that the beginning of the true spirit of Christmas comes as we open our hearts and actively focus on the Savior. But we will most likely find Him in the small and simple acts of love, friendship and service that we give to each other.

This Christmas I want to feel again the joy of knowing that Christis in our home. I want to focus on loving and serving. More than that, I want to open my heart to Him all year that I may see Him again.

"She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."Matthew 1:21 NIV

May the spirit of Christ be with you and yours this Christmas and always!

A Routine of Sorts!

We needed to make a quick trip down to the post office this afternoon, so I could put some invitations to a baby shower I'm hosting in January, in the mail. Well, even though the plan is for a "quick" trip, it always seems like such a production. I run around and make sure the diaper bag is loaded with diapers and a change of clothes for Kynz (for the ever so random "blow out"), a change of clothes for Kallen (in case of an unexpected accident), a few trucks and cars (to keep Kallen busy if need be), some juice for the little man, a snack of sorts, and most importantly my wallet, cell phone and keys. I always change Kynlee right before we leave, and have Kallen use the bathroom too. The various Christmas lights spread throughout the house have to be turned off, the dog bowl filled with water, and all the doors locked. I tend to use the bathroom myself, and pull a jacket and pair of shoes out of the closet for Kallen and I. Then Kynz gets put in her carrier and moved to the front door while Kallen takes a moment to put on his shoes and coat. Then we're "clear" and we can head out the door.

Well during my little "routine" this afternoon, I was constantly talking to Kallen and giving him instructions while I moved throughout the house. Every once in a while he acknowledged me saying "okay mommy" while staying out of my line of travel. Final lights were shut off, Kynlee in my arms ready for her carrier, and this is what I found:

"I ready go bye bye mommy" says Kal.

I was laughing too hard to get mad at the fact, that not only were his socks and shoes not on, but his mouth was full of chocolate chips.

Too bad the kid basically still fits in the thing!

Just as I Predicted

As I've mentioned before, Kevin and I started Potty Training Kallen a little over a month ago. We have a little potty chair, and because of that he's become quite independent with the whole bathroom "business". We've taught him to sit, so if he needs to go, he runs on into the bathroom and goes. He doesn't have to come get me to help him on the pot, and I'm not afraid of "over spray". His little chair has a little shield...for the boys! Anyways...there is little assistance needed on my part.

Well, that's how it works when we're home, but small little toilets out in public...I think not. Therefor he needs a little help to go when we're out and about. Also, when he's got to go, he can only hold it for so long...hence the little Travel pot I got him. It, once again, has a little shield, and easily folds up and stores in the back of my car. If we're somewhere we can't get to a potty...I pull over, set up the pot (in like 2 seconds mind you) and there he goes.

Kevin wasn't sure why we needed to have a "port-a-potty", when Kallen could simply "water a tree" when we can't get to a bathroom. I informed my darling husband, that the little man wasn't quite ready to be "watering trees" outside, simply because I wasn't sure that my entertainment center, or the walls (not to mention the current tree that we actually have standing in our living room), wouldn't become a "tree" also. He informed me that Kallen would definitely understand the difference between outside and inside, and that it would be no problem.

Well...this weekend Kallen "watered" his first tree outside, and thought it was the funniest thing ever. He kept giggling and saying "like daddy". Oh great...He's seen daddy going at home, and now he's doing the same thing...what happens next you ask.

Sure enough...I found Kallen this morning, standing in front of his potty chair saying "ook mommy, I wa'er tees". You can imagine what the walls, floor, and cabinet looked like when he was done. At least it was in the bathroom and not the Christmas tree, right!!!