Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas......

Good Lord, could they get any cuter?

Family Vacation - Fall 2012

  

      Jeff was able to coordinate some vacation time with Jaydan's Fall Break, so we packed our bags and headed to Florida. 

   
     Jeff's cousin and her family ended up coming that weekend, too..... they have two boys (11 months apart!!) and a newborn baby girl!  The boys all played so well together and we really enjoyed spending time with their parents and baby Victoria, too.

Of course, we always like to spend as much time with MawMaw and Grandaddy as we can. Jeff's sister, April and our nephew DJ joined us for part of the time .... it was a great get-together!

      We played so hard!  Our whole family loves the beach and we spent pretty much all day, every day at one of our favorite little spots.  It's been Jeff and my favorite since before we were married and its fun now to share it with our kids. 

      Due to weather and changing tides, etc. it looks different every single time we go out there, but its fairly private and easy to get to.  The boys (big and small) fish, we play in the sand and if I'm lucky I get a little reading in, too!  Even Zoe (the family dog) loves it!

      Jeff and I even got to sneak away for a date night with April and Little cousins Addie, Laura and Aaron.  Fun was had by all..... even if my husband did embarass me a little with his fancy dancing ;)  Its good to get some time with other grown ups too!!  Especially other grown ups that are as fun and fabulous as this group is!!

I could only stay for a three day weekend, but Jeff and the kids got the whole week.  We don't get a whole lot of time, with all four of us together due to our crazy work schedules but we so enjoy these little get-aways and the time we get together!  There is something so calming about the ocean, I really feel like it recharges my batteries but the highlight of the trip is when several dolphins swam by, playing about 30 yards or so from where I was swimming.  Ok, THAT part wasn't soooo relaxing until I was sure they were dolphins but it was truly breathtaking!  So grateful to have this quality time and these memories with my family!

Miss Thang

   

     Kennedy has been busy this fall too!  She's finally starting to really talk a lot....using real words!  She is 95% sweet and 5% sass.... if she doesn't like something, she will definitely let you  know.  She's got very strong opinions on things and does not like it when things don't look or act like she thinks they should....... weird, right?  I have no idea where she gets that!  She getting to be very funny and enjoys making people laugh.  She absolutely HAS to do whatever Jaydan is doing..... for better or worse!

     She is definitely a little more tentative than Jaydan was.  She tends to be a little slower to warm up and is still kind of a Mama's girl (I don't mind).  She's very much a girly-girl.... twice I have put her to bed at night in jammies and gone back to check on her later to find her sound asleep in various states of dress, complete with hat, sunglasses, purse and shoes!  I'm not sure where she thinks she's going, but she's going in style for sure!

Missing teeth and broken bones

     As if the first day of Kindergarten wasn't enough to do this poor Mama in, Jaydan came home on the third day and reported his first loose tooth!!  Slow down, kid.... give me a moment to adjust, will you?  He is not blessed with an abundance of patience so after a few days he asked me to pull it.... and was very brave while I did!!  He lost his first tooth on my birthday, to help me remember the date!

     A couple of weeks after that, he was sent home with a note that he'd fallen off of the monkey bars at school, but did not seem to be badly hurt.  Its true, he told me about it, but didn't seem to be very much worse for the wear.  We even went to soccer practice.... and he scored 2 goals!!  But as practice wore on, I noticed that he began to favor his right arm quite a bit.  A couple of times he came to me complaining that it hurt and by the time  practice was over he was crying.... by the time we got home he was vomiting, so I knew we had a real issue.  I put in a call to his Dr. who felt sure it was dislocated.  She game me instructions on how to "reduce" it myself..... and in fairness, I tried hard.  He was in so much pain and it was so hard for his Mama to put him through that.  Eventually we decided to let him sleep on it and take him in to her office in the morning if it wasn't better.  It wasn't.  She also tried to put it back in and ultimately decided that he was just still in too much  pain for there not to be another issue and sent us for x-rays.  Sure enough, there was a break!  Ugh, more Mom guilt!!  Once they set his arm, he felt 100% better and had a cool blue cast to show for it.  He was SUPER tough and we put him through a lot of pain!

     In  total honesty, I'm actually a little surprised that we made it to the ripe ole age of  5 before we needed a cast.  He's what we call in the South, "wide open" and its amazing his injuries up until now haven't really warranted medical intervention.  I'm glad it wasn't more serious than it was and I guess all I can do is brace myself  for the next time!  Boys will be boys, after all!

First Day of Kindergarten

     Jaydan's first day of Kindergarten was looked forward to with equal parts of excitement and dread.  He was so excited to embark on this adventure and I just can't believe that my tiny baby is going to be roaming around that big school all by himself!

     Jeff took him to open house and we were thrilled with the teacher he got and even more thrilled to learn that there were a couple of kids in his class that he already knew, including his bff Dylan.  Not one of the kids from his prek are going to this school, so it was a relief to learn that he didn't have to start ALL over.

     The big morning finally arrived and we were both nervous.... he said "I'm newvous.... I don't know those people".  But he was brave.  We got all ready and set off.  He did seem every bit as tiny as I was afraid he would walking through those doors!

     Again, it was pandemonium!   They had breakfast ready for the kids, but with all of the dropping off, etc. it was kind of wild.  I sat with J, while he ate and colored and then, I turned to leave and......  burst into tears!  Which made him burst into tears!  WHAT????  I didn't really see that coming, but it really breaks your heart to realize that the tiny baby you brought home from the hospital and stayed up all night just watching them breathe..... and watched learn to eat, and crawl and finally walk and talk.... is suddenly, in the blink of an eye..... in school!?!  Crazy!!  We got ourselves together fairly quickly.... and then it was time to go.  Another huge milestone.... first day of kindergarten?  Check!

Kennedy is TWO!

Seems like yesterday we were all waiting..... and waiting...... and waiting for your arrival!  Time has flown bye and you're already a big toddler!  At two you are:

-  Pretty sweet..... you will just randomly walk up to us and give a sweet little kiss on the leg or hand, or whatever.  When we tell you how much we love you, you simply say "too".

-  Getting a little sassier with each passing day!  You get your little finger going and will really give it to whoever is on your list at the moment.  We can't always understand you, but your intent is always pretty clear!

-  Quite a little character..... you have quite a repertoire of facial expressions and aren't afraid to use them!  You've been rolling your eyes since you were about a year and a half!

-  Still pretty laid back.  At two, you are testing your boundaries, for sure..... but your feelings get hurt pretty easily so discipline is pretty straightforward with you.  You go to time out, cry and then often will come find me, hug my legs and say, "Sorry, Mommy" before I even come back to talk to you!

-  You love your "babies".... you won't get out of bed in the morning with out your Pig and/ or Pillow Pet (preferably both).  You get really irritated sometimes that you don't have a THIRD hand for your sippy cup or whatever else you think needs to be toted along!

 -  Your "Bubba" is still your favorite..... he bugs you some, but when he's not around you ask about him almost constantly.  You have to always know where he is and what he's up to!  You are so used to him calling you "Sissy" that you call yourself "Shishy"!

-  Still pretty tiny!  You weigh just about 22 lbs right now..... What you lack in size you make up for in spirit!!

-  Such a blessing to our family!  You are the prefect little counter-balance for our family and we love you soooooo much~  Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!

Dancing Queen

 

I'm not even sure its necessary to SAY anything with this one..........

Jaydan is FIVE!

How is my tiny baby boy FIVE years old?  Jaydan, at five you are:

*  So, so funny!  You never cease to amaze us with your wit, spazticity, facial expressions and word misuse!  Friends and family from across the whole country wait anxiously for the next "Jaydan-ism".

*  Very smart.... you knocked preschool out of the park.  You are reading already and made a lot of good friends!  You were such a good boy, all of the other Moms and your Teachers (Miss Jessica and Miss Nikki) raved about what a sweet boy you are.  I think there was only one week all year that you didn't get to pick a treasure from the treasure box!

*  Some of my favorite things that you say incorrectly are "beesaster, beediculous, beesgusting (see a pattern?) tach-ed (attached)"  You are smart enough to use big words in context, but you don't always get the pronunciation 100% right.  BUT, its so cute, I can't bring myself to correct you!

*  Getting soooo big,  you want a "piddy back ride" to bed every night and you're almost too big for me to carry!

*  Still very empathetic..... if you see someone sad, you are sad.  You are still very protective of your Sissy, though you HAVE started to antagonize her some too!  No one else had better though.... including Daddy and I.  Sissy got swatted last week and you yelled "HEY, YOU KEEP YOUR HANDS TO YOURSELF"!

*  A great helper.  You're a sweet boy and like to help Mom and Dad out however  you can!

*  Just absolutely delightful!  I can't believe that you're five years old and will be a big ole kindergartener in a few short months!  Mama wants to slow down the hands of time, but with each passing year I am prouder still of who you are becoming!  We love you, Jaydan Chase!

Another One

I get shivers of glee down my spine when I think of all the ways we'll be able to torture our kids in the future with these little clips ;)  This is from a few months back, but oh so delicious I had to share it!

I have a lot to catch you up on.... its been a very busy Fall so far.  BUT, I haven't had time..... its been a VERY busy Fall!

Itty Bitty Sports

We decided it was time to get J into some kind of activity. After looking around, we decided on "Itty Bitty Sports" through the YMCA. Its sort of a sampler of soccer, basketball and flag football, so we decided it was a good place to start and he could see which he liked the best.

Its been a lot of fun. There are about ten 3 and 4 year old boys on his team, so practices are..... interesting. There is not a lot of focus, but there IS a lot of cuteness!

(this is what jumping jacks looks like when you're four.....ba ha ha!)

J was one of a handful of kids who could catch the football and one of two that could throw it. They all seem a little more adept at soccer.
I can't wait to see what basketball brings! He's having lots of fun and we are enjoying watching..... hopefully this is just the beginning of our sports-watching careers!

Its very family oriented..... Daddy, Sissy and even "Gumpa" got in on the fun!

Bye Bye Binkie!

Oh, my baby girl is growing up :( I have been thinking for a while that it was getting to be time to pull the plug (ha ha) on the binkie. I'm convinced its the reason Miss Thang didn't talk for the first year and a half of her life and she still liked it a little more than she probably should at this age. I refuse to have one of those preschoolers who is carrying on full conversations around a mouthful of paci. BUT, I was going out of town, she was sick, then I was sick.... on and on. You get the idea. I had more excuses for not weaning her off of it than I had desire to do so.
Until.... she stated biting through the tips of them. Miss Heather, the wonder sitter, brought it to my attention and said no more at her house..... she was worried she would get a hunk off and choke! My mom had weaned my brother and I off of them by cutting the tip off, so I sensed an opportunity. I brought home one of the bitten binkies and that evening offered it to her a couple of times. She would take a couple of pulls and cry.... and throw it down! Pretty soon she wouldn't even take it.
But, what about bedtime? Was I ready for an all night throw down? I mean, she has NEVER gone to sleep without one in her precious little life! We did our usual.... bath, book, binkie, bed..... except we skipped right over the binkie part. And then it happened...... I kissed her goodnight, gave her a baby and.......she went RIGHT to sleep!

I can't lie and say there haven't been a few rough moments, but overall it was sooooo much easier than I'd expected. To celebrate on Saturday when we went to the store I let the kids each get a balloon with the idea that we would do a binkie send off into the sky. We tied a binkie on to the string (she didn't even reach for it when she saw it), I explained that the balloon was going to take it away, she waved "Buh bye" and blew it kisses and we launched the balloons toward their heavenly destination. At least that's how it went in my head.... in reality, the binkie was too heavy for the balloon, so I had to yank it off real quick and stuff it into my pocket, before she could see. Either way, NO MORE BINKIE at the Little House!!! YAY....... I think.
Its unbelievably bittersweet. The last Little Baby is not much of a baby anymore. Its not fair, how fast they grow! She gets more and more fun with each passing day, but its a slow agonizing pain for a Mama to see them leave that "baby-ness" behind. And now that there is not a plug in her mouth, she is free to be just as sassy as she wants to be!