5 years ago today...

Spring has sprung!

Ok. Ok. I know that it's probably been spring for awhile now, but the other day when we were down at GG and Pop Pop's I had a chance to take some pictures around the house of all their beautiful flowers. They always have the most beautiful flowers. I was blown away by all of the vibrant colors and was so excited that I didnt even have to photoshop these pics. They turned out soo cool!

I am in love with the pigtails...

Happy Memorial Day!

This post is coming a little later than I wanted it to be, but I am on the new Mac computer trying desperately to figure out how to use it. It took me over an hour to figure out how to make the pictures small enough to upload onto here, then they were all sideways and now I cant seem to cut and paste anything. I am a few seconds away from chucking the Mac out the window. Ugh. This is what I get for years of PC use. I am useless without a right-click button. Anyways...



Did you all have a nice Memorial Day? We spent the afternoon at GG and Pop Pop's. Who are GG and Pop Pop you ask? They are K's great grandma and great grandpa on my dad's side. The weather was absolutely beautiful (not too hot with a beautiful cloudless sky) and even though we didn't even get to eat (the chicken was taking way too long to cook) and K was having a meltdown because we were going on 4:30 p.m. and she had yet to take a nap (she conked out 5 seconds down the road) we had a good time. And best of all I got some really good pictures of K in her red, white and blue dress Aunt Cathy and Uncle Larry gave her. She will probably wear this dress again for the 4th of July because it was such an adorable outfit and I cant stand to think she will only wear it once before outgrowing it.

I really do think that is a big difference between boys and girls. I cant imagine too many outfits that boys only wear once. But it seems like K has plenty of outfits that I have been lucky enough to just get her in and take a picture of before they are too small. Sigh. Maybe the next baby will be a girl and will inherit K's massive closet ;)

Anyway...On to the good stuff!




She was watching Spencer run up and down the sidewalk... I love the back of her head and how long her hair is getting! :)


I wish she was holding a flag in this picture instead of the flower, but I still love it.



Here she is with GG and Spencer. Look at poor Spencer's face. Ha!



Spencer goes everywhere that K goes. He is her little protector ;)





P.S. I made Dave go and get me a mouse with a right clicker so I could finish this post before the next millenia.

And so it begins...

Kensley went potty in the potty like a big girl for the first time tonight!!!

Gymboree

I finally remembered to take my little point and shoot camera to K's Gymboree class. (I love my Canon, but it is so big and bulky and it is hard to wrangle her with it around my neck and the kids in the class love all things electronic so they are then trying to grab it from me as well). I just wanted to show you how much fun she has in that class. She absolutely loves it. I also tried really hard not to take photos of other children since I am posting these online. But you can really see how much she loves her class in the photos.

Playing with the noise makers. This class was all about things that make noise!



Running through the classroom!



Bouncing with a little help from daddy.



All the animals made noise, so they walked to each one and pushed the belly to hear it.



Crawling through the tunnels.



Making noise on the air log.



I think getting K in a Gymboree class was such a great idea. When we started she was barely walking and after two classes she started seeing the other kids do it and really picked it up. It has also helped her interact with other kids and she loves her teachers. Since she is home most days with just Dave and I, its been really good to get her out and around other kids and people. We just love it!

Apparently Spaghetti Sauce Makes For Great Face Paint...

Living Naturally

*Just a disclaimer before I even get started on this post. This is my blog and I feel that I can write and say whatever I feel in my heart on this blog. Some of you may not agree with this post, or maybe sort of agree/sort of disagree and that is completely fine. I understand that we all take a different approach to our lives, our parenting etc and I feel that nobody is a better person than anyone else for the choices they make. We are all simply trying to live our lives the best we can.*

Before I get onto talking about Jillian's new book I kind of wanted to give a background to my personal choices for our lives as well as raising K. When I became pregnant with K I began to think about a lot of things that I never really had before. I began to hear stories about toxins in plastics, how to buy bpa-free bottles and nipples, the dangers of non-organic foods, not to microwave milk, to cloth diaper, to hold off on vaccinations etc. I researched a lot of it and made my decisions based on what I read and the idea that I could do a lot of small changes to make our environment a better one for our baby. I started to buy method products to clean our home. They were safe for the environment and didn't use harsh chemicals and perfumes and they were non-toxic. We bought K bpa-free bottles, nipples and pacifiers. I bought her all natural soaps, diaper cream and lotions. And when she started to eat solids I made my own organic baby food. I did not choose to cloth diaper (something that I may consider for the next baby) and even though I planned to breastfeed my milk never really came in and the most I could ever pump in one sitting was 2 oz. But I was alright with that. We made a lot of steps in the right direction. When K began drinking cows milk we started to buy organic whole milk. Not the cheapest thing in the world, but the benifits of drinking milk that was free of antibiotics and pestisides is worth it to us.

The thing is, that we were taking all of these steps for K, but Dave and I never really made any changes for ourselves. We still drank from plastic containers, we used harsh chemicals on ourselves in our shampoo, conditioners, toothpaste, deodorant etc. We did not eat much organic food. Does that seem hipocritical in a way?

Anyway, I checked out Jillian Michael's new book about secrets to boosting your metabolism. And right there in the book it spelled out for me what I already knew. That what we are putting into our bodies, on our bodies and around our bodies is making us fat and even worse, sick. It really was quite simple. The chemicals and man-made products we eat and surround ourselves our messing up our natural hormones. They are causing our bodies to go way out of wack and keep us fat, depressed, anxious. It is really quite simple. If it didnt grow from the earth or have a mother, than why are we eating it?

It really is such a facinating book and without giving the whole book away (I really encourage each and every one of you to read it) it has taught me soo much about the things that we should stop eating right now. The chemicals that we should be staying away from. Did you know that farmer's pick tomatoes when they are green and then gas them to turn them prematurally red? The chemicals and pestiside residue that we consume has increased our cancer rate? How can chemicals used to make a cookie last on the shelf for over 10 years be good for us?

I have already started to look at ways we can buy more fresh foods, less packaged foods, buy more natural body products and have even found cookware that is safe to use called Green Pan. (Teflon is a chemical that when heated slowly realeases into your food). No more diet coke or splenda. Use organic honey or natural sugar. She even explains that if you want a sweet treat, eat ice cream with 5 or less ingredients, the closer to natural the better.

Im not sure if any of you read MckMama, but she is pretty much a God when it comes to cleaning and living naturally. I have found plenty of tips on how to clean with vinegar, clean your body with goats milk soap and cloth diaper. Her kids eat extremely healthy and they like it! You want to know why? Well, she doesnt give them any other choice! Every meal she gives them plenty of options and each and every one of them is healthy. They eat what they like and its all good for them. Everybody wins. I tried this with K and the first thing she gobbled up? Brocolli! It can be done, if you start them young and early.

Anyway, I will get off of my soapbox now. But I really encourage each and every one of you to read this book. Even if your not looking to lose weight, read it for your health, your kids health, your families sake.

And if some of you are already living pretty naturally, feel free to comment and give me some of your great ideas. I am open to anything! And coming from someone who never thought twice about cloth diapering or what I put in my own mouth (besides if it was fattening or had a lot of calories) that is saying a lot!

My Belated Mother's Day Post

I couldn't help but think how much I enjoyed this Mother's Day. I believe it was even better than last year and I imagine as K gets older and she begins to understand the holiday it will get even better. I feel like I have the greatest job in the world. The hardest job in the world too, but definitely the greatest. If I had only known that being a mother was this great, I would have done so sooner!

Here are a few pictures of K and me reading Pat the Bunny before bedtime on Mother's Day.



Right here it asks you to put your finger through the ring and she was ;)






My beautiful flowers :)



I hope all of you ladies who are mother's, or soon-to-be mother's or future mother's or just all the women who have a mother had a fabulous Mother's Day.

14 months

Dear Kensley,

Today you turn 14 months old. This is nearly the amount of time I dated your father before we got married. Can I just say that I think this relationship is going to last? I think we were made for each other! Don't you?



Where do I start? This month has been so eventful. And I'm not even talking major milestones here. Walking? You have mastered it. I honestly don't think you stop from the moment I put you down on the ground. You walk over here, then over there and then back and forth and all around and then back and forth again all while holding on to two objects in your hands. Walking, Schmalking. You are a pro. You have even started walking backwards. Or maybe you are just giving us your best Michael Jackson moonwalk impression. But it is pretty darn good if I do say so myself.



And no new teeth this month...you still have your old 4. But you have started this unneccesary grinding of your teeth and could you please stop that? It is driving your mama crazy, and if there is one thing you dont need right now, it is a crazy mama. At the very least, please wait until you are in high school to drive her crazy (or tell all of your friends your mama is crazy). I don't know how to get you to stop it either. I can hear you on the monitor in the morning GRINDING your teeth and that sound is not unlike nails on a chalkboard. The very thought of the sound of you GRINDING your teeth gives me goosebumps all over. I researched online and all the major sites were telling me that this usually happens at around age three and mostly happens only at night. Well here you are at only 14 months GRINDING away. And you can do it all day long. You overachiever you.



I have a feeling teething is to blame for all that miserable GRINDING because today while we were watching a movie together I looked down and you were eating your own shirt. Or maybe I should say chewing because you CHEWED A HOLE RIGHT THROUGH YOUR SHIRT. And just consider yourself lucky that you have grandma's and an aunt that are probably out right now buying you even more clothes to chew, because heaven help us if you would ever run out of clothes. You are like the Harlow Madden of your Gymboree class. Never been caught in the same outfit twice.



I guess the biggest breakthrough you have had this month is the fact that you have started full blown temper tantrums. I must have missed the memo explaining to me that you are in fact a two year old, because BOY have we had some issues this month with your temper. Your father and I have been walking on eggshells around you lately, and have you seen the size of your mother? It is not easy for a woman of my size to walk on eggshells. Actually, it looks more like smashing eggshells. Your morning routine is the absolute worst. Never in a million years would your father or I walk into your bedroom in the morning and not bring with us a sippy cup full of milk. Oh, have we made that mistake you ask? Have you seen Ace Ventura when he walks out of the room they keep the shark in and his clothes are all ripped to shreds and he exclaims, "DO NOT! GO IN THERE!" Well, let's just say your dad won't be making that mistake again. One day I set you down on the ground to get you your lunch ready and you must really have not wanted to sit on the floor because you slammed your face into the carpet and started kicking your legs and screaming so high and so loud that we have re-named that cry the "Beyonce Scream". Yes, your screams have a name.



I had to walk out of the room because in one moment I felt like laughing at how rediculous it was that you were flipping out over something so small, and in the next moment I wanted to cry right along with you. I can only imagine how frustrating it must be for you to not be able to tell me what you want. If you are thirsty, hungry, tired, cold, hot, scared or any number of other emotions the only way you can get your point across is to cry. I completely understand that. So when you are having these major meltdowns I try to stay as calm as possible, tell you I understand you are frustrated and do my best to desipher what it is you actually need. I am hoping that this will get better as you learn to say more words. Right now your vocabulary is limited to Dadda, Hi, Hey, Hot and a whole lot of singing and grunting. When we go for rides in the car you make the most terrible AAAUUUGHHH noise and your father and I always quote Dumb and Dumber (Boy, do your parents watch a lot of Jim Carrey movies or what?) and say, "Hey! Wanna hear the most annoying sound in the world?" and then you always go AAAAUUUGHHH and we burst out laughing every time.



But let's not focus on the fact that your parents make fun of you for their own amusement. That would be cruel and certainly not something we would do. The truth is, this month has been a lot of fun. When we shake our heads and say yes to you, you shake your head as if you are saying no. I don't know where you learned to shake your head no, it is not something we have done but it cracks us up everytime. Also, if we ask you to flap your arms like a bird you will flap them up and down and run all over. You have eaten your first popsicles, love steamed brocolli and peas, bananas and ice cream. You can pull yourself up to standing just by using your arms to push you up off the floor. This month you stacked blocks on top of each other for the first time.



This month has been an amazing month and like all of the others, this month was even better than the month before it. Because each and every day is better than the day before with you. Every morning that we wake up to your singing, and your big grin I know that it will be better than the day before. Kensley, I have never laughed so hard as I have when I am with you. Seeing this world through your eyes makes it all the more special. And when you take a moment out of your busy day to come give me a hug, and lay your head on my shoulder, I have never felt more loved. It will be these moments that I will keep with me forever. That I will cherish forever. Thank you for them.

Love,

Mama

10 questions you should ask your mother

I found these questions in an article I was reading the other day and thought it would be neat to ask my mother them and then post them in my blog. Since Mother's Day is coming up this Sunday I thought it would be the perfect time! Feel free to ask your own mother these questions and post them for us to see. You may be surprised by some of the answers.

1). What's the one thing you would have done differently as a mom?

Stopped at one kid! Just kidding. I probably would have disciplined you more. I thought I was a nice person, but your father and I argued about that. I should have backed him up on the disciplining. Maybe not so much with you, but with your brother. With you I would have waited until I was older to have you...at least 22. I was just too young when I had you.

2). Why did you chose to be with my father?

Oh geez! He had a good sense of humor, he was good looking, he still is.

3). In what ways do you think I am like you? Not like you?

Your are talkitive, funny, you have a good sense of humor, you are compassionate, you are generous. I think you are stubborn like your dad. Your a leader, I am a follower.

4). Which one of us kids did you like best?

Am I going to get in trouble for saying this?! I would say you best. Your nothing like your brother. Respectful and thoughtful, he is not. But really, you are a girl and we have more in common.

5). Is there anything you have always wanted to tell me but never have?

No. Maybe that I love you and I probably don't tell you enough. Yeah. Your adopted! haha no really, I was pretty open with you. I think I was more your friend than your mom, but now I see us as both.

6). Do you think its easier or harder to raise a family now than when you were raising a family?

I think it was harder then. Maybe just for us, we were young and had bad jobs. You and Dave have a better set up. You both went to college, I never even graduated high school. No prom. I think technology has made family time more difficult for you and families now. Your children will have too much technology. When you were younger we red books, made cookies. We spent more time together.Your brother is either on the computer or playing video games so we didn't get as much family time with him.

7). Is there anything you regret not having asked your parents?

Yeah. My mom and dad got divorced when I was little, I wish they would have been together. I don't understand why my mom let my grandma interfere with their marriage. Or maybe I would ask my dad why he would let his mom interfere. I think that had a large part to do with their divorce.

8). What's the best thing I can do for you right now?

Just be my friend, be my daughter. Listen to me when I need to vent. Your the first person I think of to call.

9). Is there anything you wish would have been different between us? - or that you would still like to change?

I wish you wouldn't have moved to grandma's when you were 16. I understand why you did though. Wish we had more time together before you got married and had Kensley. Not that I am not glad those things happened, I just wish we had spent more time together before you started a family of your own. I wish we could spend more time together now. More than once a week.

10). When did you realize you were no longer a child?

A loooong time ago! I would say about 25. When your brother was born. I had a mid life crisis at 25! haha I was so young when I had you. We still went out and had fun, when your brother was born all of that stopped we just got mature and realized that we had to step up.

Our Patio

Dave and I had lived in an apartment for nearly 6 years before we moved to the townhome that we now live in. When we lived in that apartment the one negative thing about it (well, there was more than one negative thing but lets just keep things simple!) was that we didn't have a patio. When we needed to take our dog out we had to walk him out our door, up the stairs, out the main door, through the back parking lot, around the building and out into a field. Can I tell you how fun that was? Especially in the winter when you had to go through all that and then wait as my dog walked from one spot to another than back than forth, back and forth, back and forth until he decided to go? Aack.

So when we decided to move and found this townhome we were delighted to find that we had a back patio. We talked about finally getting a grill (my hubby's passion is grilling), getting a table and chairs and finally having friends and family over for dinner while getting to enjoy the sprin/summer/fall outside. This weekend we finally got around to getting it set up. And I must say so myself, it turned out really nice!

Here is Dave assembling the new grill-



One of my new hanging plants-



The view from the back yard looking in onto one side of the patio-



The other side of tha patio (you can see we ran out of mulch half way through!)-



Our table and chairs (Walmart steal for only 118!) -



Dave cooking hot turkey sausages. His first time using the grill :)



These plants were growing when we moved in, so we have to thank the old tenants for those...



The view from inside the townhome-



The flowers from another hanging basket-



It only took about an hour or so to get everything together and we are very pleased with how it turned out. Don't you think it looks lovely? Now we cant wait to have you all over for dinner to enjoy it!