Two Little Princesses

2011-12-25T20:57:00.026-05:00

We had our annual Christmas up north the weekend before Christmas. And once again it was a blast! It is so fun to get the whole family together. The girls LOVE playing with their cousins and I think Haley & Whitney were attached at the hip! Of course, they butt heads along the way because they both like to be the boss, but they have so much fun! :) We spent Saturday with Dad’s whole family, and then Sunday with Mom’s whole family. The girls opened their presents on Sunday morning and then we headed out to a wonderful dinner, courtesy of Grandpa! :)Someone got her crayons taken away because she wasn't listening.....check out that bottom lip!Happy girl because she got her crayons back.....she sure knows how to turn it on and off!!

Making Christmas Cookies

2011-12-21T17:17:00.001-05:00

New Glasses

2011-12-20T20:56:00.001-05:00

Someone got her first pair of glasses! I remember when we were younger, glasses were NOT a cool thing! Well, that definitely isn’t the case anymore. Haley was EXCITED about her glasses – I couldn’t believe it! She got to choose her frames and she looks adorable. I actually think she looks so much cuter with glasses than without. I also think they make her look sooo much older! She loves them and was very excited to tell everyone about them! :)

2011-12-18T20:56:00.001-05:00

Frizzly the elf has been staying with us since right after Thanksgiving. The girls love to look for Frizzly every morning to see where he has landed after going back to the North Pole for the night and reporting to Santa how the girls had been that day. Kennadie & Haley LOVE Frizzly and know he will be in a different place every morning. They also know they are not supposed to touch him…..well….one of them understands that a little more than the other! ;) Kennadie knows she is not supposed to touch him, but apparently she didn’t understand that she wasn’t supposed to try to give him her paci. He was sitting on top of the speaker the day of the accident. I was in the bedroom packing and Kennadie came running in saying, “Uh oh Mommy! Uh oh Mommy!” I asked her what happened and she said, “I give Frizzly my paci!” I knew right away what had happened…..

Yep, poor Frizzly fell off of the speaker and landed on his back! It was so cute because when we went out to look at him, she would not touch him. She just kept looking at me like, “what are we supposed to do Mommy?” It was too cute! Frizzly must have gotten his magic back shortly after because within a couple minutes he was back on the speaker!

A Couple Unscheduled Appointments

2011-12-16T15:27:00.000-05:00

I had a couple appointments right around the 16 week mark. I had been having lower abdominal pain on my right side on and off for about 6 weeks and then started having really sharp pains in my back on the right side. I initially thought it was a kidney infection, or something related to that. I’ve had them before and that is what it reminded me of. So, off to the doctor Kennadie and I went to get me some antibiotics to take care of the infection. This was the first time Kennadie got to hear the baby’s heartbeat. She was pretty scared while we were in the room and kept whimpering and looking at me like, “Mommy, what are they going to do to you?” But the doctor got the fetal monitor out and found the baby’s heartbeat. As soon as we told Kennadie what she was hearing, she got a HUGE smile on her face. It was so sweet. She was very excited to tell her teachers at daycare the next day that she got to hear the baby.

Well, as it turns out….no infection. So, with all that pain the doctor ordered an ultrasound for the next day. I got to see my little peanut and he or she looked perfect! The heartrate was 134. I didn’t have the doctor tell me what the baby was even though I’m pretty sure she could have! There was a point during the ultrasound where the baby was looking at us and just started moving its fingers…it was JUST like it was waving at us! Then it just shook its arm back and forth and continued waving. The ultrasound tech couldn’t believe it and I couldn’t either. It was one of the absolute sweetest things! Pretty sure that is the moment I completely fell in love with this baby! :)

HELLO 2ND TRIMESTER!

2011-12-12T15:26:00.003-05:00

I am officially in my 2nd trimester and finally have my energy back….thanks goodness! Still feeling great and not even really feeling pregnant….except for my expanding belly. Still not into maternity clothes yet, but getting close!

I am definitely having more cravings this time around. My current cravings are cereal (which I hardly ever ate before), Mexican food and whoppers from Burger King (which I never get because there isn’t one close to our house!) :(

I had my 12 week appointment and everything looked great. We were able to hear the baby’s heartbeat through the fetal monitor, so luckily didn’t have to have another ultrasound with this one!

I am 15 weeks and feel like this pregnancy is just flying by. Good thing there isn’t a whole lot to do to get ready for this one. We have a few things we have to buy, but for the most part we are pretty set!

Chicago

2011-12-09T16:40:00.001-05:00

We took a trip up to Chicago in December so we could take Haley to the American Girl Place and she could get her new doll, Kanani! We left on Friday night and it took us quite awhile to get there….almost 5 hours….ugghhh! But both girls did extremely well for that long of a ride! We had a wonderful time shopping at the American Girl store. Haley was all smiles when she got her doll. We couldn’t leave Kennadie out, so of course I got her a little puppy dog. No, she did not get a $100 doll! She was such a trooper all day and didn’t have a single meltdown, even though we had shopped all day in downtown Chicago and the poor girl never had a nap. And Haley was wonderful as well. Both girls loved the train ride to and from downtown and I could tell both of them had a great time! And Mom & I did to. It was so much fun to take them there! :)

Train ride to downtown......Taxi ride to the American Girl PlaceHaley with her personal shopper......Haley & KananiKanani got to get her ears pierced!One Happy Girl......

Baby Time!!

2011-12-03T15:25:00.001-05:00

That’s right….we have another little peanut on the way! Baby Arthur is due on May 16th and we couldn’t be more excited!:) We were a little surprised it happened as quickly as it did, but Kennadie and the baby will be 2 ½ years apart so it worked out perfectly! :)

We found out on Labor Day and had to keep it a secret for 2 months, until Kennadie’s birthday party. It has not been easy, especially given that I am showing much earlier with this one than I did with Kennadie! But we kept it a secret as best we could!

We had our first appointment on October 10th and everything looked great! The heartbeat was around 176 and the little bean was growing right on track. I was 8 weeks 5 days at the appointment and the baby was measuring 9 weeks….almost right on! :) They kept my due date at May 16th, but my doctor said given that Kennadie came so early, chances are this one would come early too….but ya never know!

I have been feeling pretty good so far. There have been about 4-5 times when I have felt really sick to my stomach, but that is about it....and it hasn't lasted more than 5-10 minutes. I haven’t felt as sick as often as I did with Kennadie, but I definitely have felt worse when I do. I am exhausted of course and ready for that be done! Other than that, things are going great!

If we decide to, we will find out the sex two days before Christmas, but as of right now we are leaning towards not finding out until he or she enters the world!

Kennadie's 2nd Birthday Party

2011-12-01T08:42:00.002-05:00

Kennadie had yet another great birthday party. Mommy on the other hand, stuggled quite a bit. I was sick with a sinus/respiratory infection/fever, etc. and it was a rough day. I had a hard time getting everything around, so it was a good thing the family was in town to come to the rescue!

The Spread:

Our big 2-year old:

Time for presents:

Of course the first present she opened was Elmo books. If you know Kennadie, you know that new books are one of her favorite things. I had to force her to put the books down & open more presents (lesson learned for Christmas!)

Time out to hop around on the balloons.....

More presents:

Our family with Kennadie's "I'm going to be a big sister" book:

Time for cake (Kennadie's 2nd favorite thing behind books!)

Happy Birthday Ms. Kennadie Jo!!

Two Years Old

2011-11-07T08:33:00.001-05:00

Ms. Kennadie is officially a 2-year old! (tear). It’s hard to believe that she is already 2 years old, but at the same time she acts so old for her age, I sometimes forget that she is just now turning 2!

Some of her favorite things to do include reading books, singing songs, dancing & playing with her baby dolls. She likes to feed them and take them to the grocery store. She even puts them in time-out….she walks over to the corner and holds them there for a couple seconds. I ask her what they are there for and it is usually for whatever Kennadie was in time-out for earlier that day! She then makes the baby apologize to Mommy once it is time to get out of time out! She will bring the baby over to me and say “Baby, tell Mommy you are sorry”. Then in a cute little baby voice, Kennadie will say, “sooorrrry”

She also likes to hold up the phone to her ear (or anything that looks like a phone – remote, pretend phone, calculator) and carry on a conversation. It usually goes something like this, “Hello, good, good, how doin’, bye, see ya marrow!” And she doesn’t actually hold the phone up to her ear…..she cradles it between her ear and her shoulder.

She loves to help out around the house (sweeping, dishes and especially laundry!)

Some of her favorite songs include “Sparks Fly” by Taylor Swift (aka “Barks Fly”), “Take a back road” by Rodney Atkins(aka “back road”), “You and Tequila” by Kenny Chesney (aka “Quila”), Itsy Bitsy Spider and Jesus Loves Me. She asks for it by saying, “More Jesus” or “More Bible”! And the funny part is she can sing almost the entire song by herself. Same with Sparks Fly….she will sing most of the chorus all by herself.

She can count to 10 and sometimes higher (sometimes missing a number or two…usually 3 & 4!)
She is talking in complete sentences.
She loves to “brush the teeth”.
She loves to read “No More Monkeys” and will literally point and yell at the book when she says “NO MORE MONKEYS JUMPIN’ THE BED!”

She still likes to push our buttons and see what she can get away with. At the same time she is becoming very polite. She is starting to say “thank you” quite a bit without having to be told. She also just started saying “no thank you” too!

She is doing great at school and absolutely loves the daycare, her teachers and all her little friends there. I would really feel guilty if we ever took her out of daycare!

We love her so much, but she is just growing up too fast!

Trick Or Treating

2011-11-05T08:54:00.001-04:00

We went trick-or-treating through our neighborhood this year. It is so much fun to see all the kids dressed up.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Carving Pumpkins

2011-11-03T08:34:00.000-04:00

We carved pumpkins right before Halloween. The girls had fun cleaning out the pumpkins and then Daddy took over the rest! The girls decided they would rather play babies than watch Daddy carve their pumpkins. Haley's pumpkin was Taylor Swift and Kennadie's was Minnie Mouse.

Kennadie's 2 year pictures

2011-11-01T21:51:00.000-04:00

We got Kennadie's 2 year pictures taken at the end of October. It was a chilly morning, but she toughed it out and did amazing. I could not believe how she listened to us and did whatever we told her to do. She is getting so big. One of my friends, Lindsay, did a great job of capturing her personality. LOVE the pics!!

Tiny Tots Paint Class

2011-10-30T21:58:00.000-04:00

I took Kennadie to a Tiny Tots paint class in October and she had a blast. We met my friend and her little boy, Zac, there. He is 6 months older than Kennadie. She had so much fun painting, coloring and just getting everything everywhere! A majority of it ended up on her hands and face. But she had a blast! :)

Zoo Boo

2011-10-29T21:51:00.000-04:00

We went to ZOOBOO for the first time this year. We met Aunt Carla there and they had the zoo all decorated for Halloween and it looked awesome! The girls looked at all the animals and went around and trick-or-treated. Kennadie LOVED the meerkats….we couldn’t get her away from the exhibit!
Kennadie petting a GIGANTIC dog. She would pet him and say, “Nice puppy!” Little Ms. Strawberry & Tangled!
Trick or Treat

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-26T21:51:00.032-04:00

We took the girls to an awesome pumpkin patch this year (Stony Creek Farm). They had a lot of stuff for the girls to do. They had a haunted blow-up house, a little wagon train, corn maze, zip lines and lots of other stuff. We took a hay ride out to the pumpkin patch and picked out our pumpkins.

Tennessee

2011-09-20T08:29:00.000-04:00

In mid-September Matt and I took a trip down to Gatlinburg, TN. It was a much needed vacation for just Mommy & Daddy! We had a really nice cabin in the mountains.....equipped with a hot tub on the deck! We got there Saturday night, cooked dinner & then just hung out at the cabin and decided what we were going to do while we were there. On Sunday we headed to Pigeon Forge to hit the outlet malls....totally Matt's idea! We shopped for a couple hours, got ice cream for lunch (now that really was Matt's idea) then headed back to the cabin. We made some steaks, then spent the night in the hot tub. On Monday we spent the day in Gatlinburg. We started off by playing some Hillbilly Golf. We had to take a little lift up the side of the mountain. We walked past all the shops, and then went on the sky lift to the top of the mountain. It was a little scary but alot of fun. We went out to dinner then headed back to the cabin. We got up Tuesday morning and headed home. But not before breakfast at Flapjacks (there is one like every 2 miles). We decided that Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge is all about go karts, mini golf and pancakes!

Big Girl Bed

2011-09-14T22:56:00.001-04:00

In mid-September Kenandie decided she no longer wanted to sleep in a crib. She started climbing out of hers so we decided it was time to switch to her big girl bed. I had no intention of movin her into a big girl bed until was at least 2 1/2......guess she had other plans!! :)
She did a wonderful job. I couldn't believe how easy the transition was. I thought it would be much more of a struggle. But overall, she does a good job of staying in her bed once it's bedtime. She does get from time to time in the middle of the night, but she goes right back into her bed. We have such a big girl! :)

Go COlts

2011-09-12T21:59:00.000-04:00

Kennadie and her best bud Penn in their matching Colts jerseys!

I was just informed the other day that Penn told his Mommy that Kennadie is his girlfriend! :)

Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-09T08:50:00.000-04:00

We spent Labor Day weekend like we do every year, up North. We had a great weekend & had so much fun! Uncle Chuck, Aunt Sue, Beth, Travis, Whitney & Mallory came up on Saturday so we spent the day swimming. We played outside & went on a boat ride & swam in the middle of the lake….until the storm rolled in. On Sunday the whole family came over! We had so much fun & it was great to see everyone. The girls had a blast playing with each other. We had a big cookout with TONS of food! Everyone had a great time!

The girls got a kick out of Uncle Brad pulling them down the hill on the wagon. They thought they were hot stuff because they put their hands up in the air as they went down the hill!

Pretty sure I don't have to try and put into words how much fun the kids had.....the pictures speak for themselves!

First Day of 2nd Grade

2011-09-01T21:39:00.000-04:00

Haley on her first day of 2nd grade!

Taylor Swift

2011-08-30T21:39:00.001-04:00

Friday night, Matt & I took Haley & her best friend Claire to the Taylor Swift concert at Conseco. They had NO IDEA that is where we were headed. They thought we were going to see the Smurfs movie.

We got to Conseco & started seeing a lot of Taylor Swift stuff. Shirts, souveniers, pictures, etc. I even took this picture of the girls with the Taylor Swift poster & still – NO IDEA what we were doing.

We were walking around & Haley looked inside the arena & walked in. She said – “No Fair! A Taylor Swift concert!”

They were looking around at everything & still – NO IDEA what we were doing! Finally, Matt gave them the tickets & told them to look at the tickets to see what theatre we were supposed to go to. Haley looked at the ticket & said, “It says Taylor Swift.”

And they still didn’t understand that the Taylor Swift concert it what we were there for! We finally told them that we were here to see the concert & they were so excited!

We realized though that last time we came here, we brought Haley to Disney on Ice. That was also a surprise & we also told her we were going to see a movie that time too. Now next time we tell her we are going to see a movie, she is going to be disappointed when we actually take her to a movie! J

"Scuse Me"

2011-08-27T21:35:00.000-04:00

One of Kennadie's new sayings is "Scuse Me."

When we were doing puzzles, the pieces were sitting on my legs & every time she grabbed one she said Scuse me mommy.

I put her rasberries on the plate for her to eat. After that I put some cheerioes on there. So, as soon as i Put them on, she moved the cheerios over because they had touched some of the raspberries & she said, scuse me berries.

When getting out of the car seat, the car seat buckle hit her leg & she said scuse me leg.

I honestly have no idea where she even heard it. I can remember one time when I told her to tell the person in front of us Excuse Me. That must have been where she picked it up! :)

haley

2011-08-25T21:32:00.000-04:00

Haley

~ I love that you call Kennadie “baby girl”.

~ I love that you like to eat popcorn, cuddle on the couch & watch TV with us.

~ I love that you have taken such an interest in softball.

~I love that even when things aren’t going the greatest for you in softball, you still want to practice & get better. And you almost always do it with a smile on your face!

~I love that you get so excited to see your sister.

~I love that you care so much about other people’s feelings.

~I love that you act like you get so annoyed when Kennadie wants to do everything you do & be just like you. But we know that you really LOVE that Kennadie wants to be just like her big sister.

~I love that you are the kid of girl that I want Kennadie to be like! J

kennadie jo

2011-08-10T21:31:00.001-04:00

~I love that when someone gives you something, you say “Thank you, you’re welcome”. Not just “Thank you”, but “Thank you, you’re welcome”.

~I love that you are so strong-willed. I know it means you & Mommy will probably butt heads a majority of your childhood – but knowing what you want & not settling for anything less than that is a wonderful trait to have! :)

~I love that every morning you throw your bobbies, “beddy bear” & blankie out of your crib. And I love that as soon as I get you out of your crib, you put everything back in.

~I love that you are only 20 months old and already, many times will say “please” without having to be told. But, it does make it really hard for Mommy to say “no”. ;)

~I love that you follow me around the whole house & are my little “mini me”.

~I love that you have four dimples (one on each cheek & one under each eye).

~I love that when you take a picture with Mommy’s camera, you put it up to your eye & say “cheese.”

~I love that you get so excited to see your sister. You love to follow her around & you always have to do whatever she does.

~I love that you sing the song lyrics to the Taylor Swift song Mean. And I love that we can actually understand what you are saying!

~I love that you are so social. You have never met a stranger & the teachers at daycare tell me you have the greatest personality.

~I love that you now have to sleep with 10 stuffed animals & want to take them everywhere we go. I also love that you talk to them at night before you fall asleep.

~I love that ask to listen to your song by saying “rock-a-baby”. I also love that when we listen to it in the car, you wrap your arms around yourself, sway back & forth & sing “rock-a-baby”.

21 Months Old

2011-08-07T20:34:00.000-04:00

August 3rd - 21 months old

Her absolute favorite thing to do is her puzzles. It used to be books, but now it’s all about the puzzles. She also loves to color, bounce on her zebra & play with Sissy’s Barbies. And of course, be outside & swim.

Favorite Foods:

Green beans, aka “bean beans”

Pizza

Cheese

Cheerios

Raspberries & Strawberries

She still talks more than about any other child I have ever heard. It is not unusual for her to talk the entire way to and from daycare. Or anywhere for that matter. She can talk to herself for 30 minutes straight in the car. She is also talking in sentences most of the time. She knows every single kid & teacher’s name at daycare.

New/Favorite sayings:

“I go with you please.”

“I don’t like it.”

“Sissy, cooommmmeee hhheeeerrrreeeee!”

“my do it.”

“scuse me, Mommy.”

“Where’d he go?”

“I don’t know”

“Get out of here!”

“One more?” while holding up one finger.

Or basically ANYTHING we say. She repeats absolutely everything that comes out of our mouths! There isn’t a whole lot that she doesn’t say anymore.

Another one of her favorite sayings is “myself.” Especially when putting her shoes on. She doesn’t want any help and wants to do it herself. Which is fine, because she usually does it without a problem. Only problem she has is she often times puts them on the wrong feet. But for 21 months old – I think she is doing great!

Her favorite songs are “Mean” by Taylor Swift & “Dirt Road Anthem” by Jason Aldean. She asks for them constantly.

She is still ornery as ever. But I’m pretty certain I love this little girl & her outgoing, lovable, rotten, fun-loving personality more & more every day!! :)

Baby Nolen

2011-08-05T22:19:00.001-04:00

Baby Nolen (our brand new nephew) was born on July 25th & we went to meet him the next day. Kennadie was very excited to him! I thought for sure she would get jealous when I held him, but not at all! She loved it…..which is a great sign she might be ready for a little brother or sister! No, I’m not dropping any hints here & no, I am not pregnant….I’m just sayin! Anyway, she loved giving him kisses & just smiled & laughed at him. I asked Kennadie the next morning if she had fun meeting her baby cousin & she said, “I give the baby kisses.” We saw him again later that week & Kennadie got to hold him for the first time. She did great with him & was so gentle! But thought she needed to give him kisses all night long (I have no idea where she could have possibly gotten that from!) ;)

I don’t think Nolen knows what he is getting into having Avery as a big sister & Haley & Kennadie as older cousins! :)

Spending the week with Gramma & Pacaw

2011-08-04T22:18:00.002-04:00

The girls got to spend 3 whole days with Gramma & Pacaw without Mommy & Daddy! I can only imagine how spoiled they were. The first thing they did when they got there (at about 8 pm!) was to do some swimming! They spent their time their swimming.....

Going on walks in the wagon.....

Hanging out at Shipshewana.....

Going on boat rides......

and visiting an animal farm. Getting Messy!Matt & I spoiled ourselves & went out to dinner both nights. Wings & beer the first night, then a much nicer dinner the second night at Stone Creek Dining. It was so nice! :)

Matt & I came up on Friday & got to spend the night hanging out with some of my best buds from high school.

We went to my Grandma’s family reunion on Saturday & saw family that we haven’t seen in years. A lot of people met the little stinker for the first time!

That night we came home & the girls spent the next couple of hours swimming & playing outside. I think they wore Pacaw out! On Sunday, we went to the Elkhart Co. Fair. We let the girls ride a couple of rides, then ate lunch (nothin’ better than fair food!). We even go to see a live bear show. The grizzly bears were so cute. We saw bears ride a scooter, skate board, walk on a ball, do somersaults & even play basketball.Thanks so much “Gamma” & “Pacaw” for taking the girls for a couple days & giving Mommy & Daddy a chance to relax, go out to dinner & have a few quiet nights at home!

Kentucky - July 15th

2011-08-03T21:23:00.001-04:00

In mid-July, we were finally able to find a weekend to get down to Kentucky with Matt’s parents.

The girls hung out at the cottage while Matt & his Dad went fishing. They caught our dinner for the night!

Checking out the boat will Pacaw & Daddy went fishing.

Coloring & Puzzles

Checking out what Daddy caught!

Haley's face says it all.....
Then we took the girls down to the dock & let them fish a bit. A couple minutes & they were over it! ;) We were hoping to get out on the boat, but the boat wasn’t working…..once again another weekend without a working boat!!

The girls hanging out in the hammock during the rain! On Saturday night we hung out with the Wallace clan & had a fish fry! The girls had a lot of fun just playing outside. Hopefully next time we make it down there, the boat will be working so we can do some swimming!! :)

A weekend with Grandma & Grandpa

2011-08-01T21:46:00.003-04:00

Matt had a little guys trip planned down near Bloomington in the middle of July, so Kennadie & I thought we would spend the weekend with Grandma & Grandpa up in Middlebury. We didn’t do a whole lot & really just took it easy – it was sooooo nice!

Kennadie of course spent lots of time in the lake with Pacaw. That girl loves to swim! We went on a couple boat rides & just spent most of the time relaxing outside. :)

Slip n Slide

Kennadie with Great Grandma

Driving the boat

Blowing bubbles in the lake

This is one of her favorite things to do....lay in the sand.....

Searching for froggies

And of course, reading!!

Snack Time

Boat Ride w/ Great Grandpa

Bein' Silly

2011-07-27T21:44:00.001-04:00

Kennadie doing what she does best....being a goofball! :)

puzzles

2011-07-26T22:19:00.001-04:00

Kennadie LOVES puzzles. It used to be all about the books, but she has moved on to puzzles. She has 3 wooden puzzles that she plays with. One with zoo animals, one with barnyard animals & one with 6 random animals. She will get all the puzzles out & all the pieces out. She likes to challenge herself – one puzzle at a time just isn’t enough (she is an overachiever!) ;) She does them so often that she has mastered them all, so I think we need to get her some new ones to keep her on her toes! :)

Happy 4th of July

2011-07-24T19:14:00.001-04:00

We had such a fun 4th of July weekend. On Saturday, we spent the afternoon at the pool. One of Matt’s softball buddies invited us over so we spent the day over there. On Sunday, we went to a party & cookout. The food was GREAT! They made the BEST bacon-wrapped shrimp…I think Matt ate about half the plate! And they had some really good fireworks. Kennadie wasn’t too sure about them (we had to watch them from inside).

On Monday, we took it easy & spent the afternoon outside by the pool again (our little inflatable pool). Matt sat in the lawn chair, with his his Coors Light, I had my Budweiser, sitting in the little blow up pool with Kennadie, all while we listened to some country music. Not sure if it gets more redneck than that folks! And remember those bacon-wrapped shrimp? They were so good, we made some more that night! :)

I'm ready to swim Mommy....

Our Little Firecrackers!

The fireworks!

What a cutie!!

She loved playing in the dog cages!

SPARKLERS!!

MEAN

2011-07-23T20:32:00.000-04:00

Oh my goodness….does Ms. Kennadie love her some Taylor Swift. Daddy recorded the video of her song “mean” on the DVR for Haley. Haley is also a big Taylor Swift fan & loves singing & dancing to her music. Turns out Kennadie loves it to! We play this video over & over & Kennadie gets so excited, runs up to the TV & dances. She even sings! She says “a mean, a mean, a mean”!

The other day I was watching Entertainment Tonight & they showed a picture of Taylor Swift. Kennadie ran up the TV & started dancing & saying & signing “more, more”. :) She wanted me to put the video on. I put it on & she danced and just sang her little heart out! :) If I haven’t said it before – I seriously LOVE this age!

She will grab the remote, bring it over to me or Matt & say, “ahh mean, pease!” She will also ask for it in the car! :)

Ben & Ari's - June 26th

2011-07-21T21:51:00.001-04:00

I recently bought a Groupon, which I am addicted to, for a place up by us called Ben & Ari's. They have video games, miniature golf, mini bowling, etc. We took the girls up there & let them play some games, play mini golf & have pizza. It was a lot of fun! We established that 19 month olds are ready for miniature golf. Kennadie really just wanted to grab all the golf balls, pull the flags out of the holes & throw everything into the water! ;) Probably doesn't help that she is so ornery! But we all had a good time & was a fun little night with the family!!

Kennadie had just hit Haley in the head with her golf club.Mini golfing for the first time.Man this girl loves to eat & she always have to have something to dip her food in. Merry Go Round

Deal or No Deal

CHESNEY

2011-07-19T21:21:00.001-04:00

Matt & I had one of the most fun nights we have had in a long time. We went with some friends to the Kenny Chesney concert & had A BLAST! We were afraid it was going to be cold & rainy but it ended up being perfect! I definitely overserved myself & was in bad shape the next day – but it was so worth it! Just reminded me that I’m not in college anymore!! Here are the pictures to prove how much fun we had!!

See....told ya!

Very First Potty

2011-07-18T19:50:00.001-04:00

We haven’t started potty training yet, but I will let her sit on the potty when she wants to. Usually she just sits on for a couple seconds, then gets up & runs around, but not tonight (June 23rd)!

Kennadie had her very first real potty in her potty tonight! I say “real” because she has pottied in her potty before, but it is just because she had been sitting on it & happened to go. Usually she will say “I potty”, but it is when her diaper is wet & she has already gone….but not this time!

She came to me & said “I potty”, took off her pants & had me take off her diaper. Her diaper was dry, so I thought, hmm, maybe she really does have to potty. I took off her diaper, brought her potty into the kitchen where I was emptying the dishwasher & brought her books & computer for her to play with. She sat on the potty for a couple minutes (read a book, played with computer, jabbered, etc.) then she stood up and said “UHHH!” and pointed to her potty. I went and looked and sure enough – she went potty! We started cheering & we went and poured it in the big potty – she loved helping pour it down the toilet! She was very excited, flushed the toilet & told the pee “Bye, Bye.” She was so proud of herself. So I told her she could pick a snack. She ran over to the pantry & grabbed the big tub of cheese balls (still naked). She ate a bunch of them & then we headed to the bath.

Happy Girl eating her Cheesy Poofs!!

Too Cute Not To Post.....

2011-07-16T20:13:00.001-04:00

Found this picture I took from awhile back & had to post. Like Father, Like Older Daughter, Like Younger Daughter.

Very First Potty

2011-07-15T21:19:00.000-04:00

We haven’t started potty training yet, but I will let Kennadie sit on the potty when she wants to. Usually she just sits on for a couple seconds, then gets up & runs around, but not tonight(June 23rd)!

Kennadie had her very first real potty in her potty tonight! I say “real” because she has pottied in her potty before, but it is just because she had been sitting on it & happened to go. Usually she will say “I potty”, but it is when her diaper is wet & she has already gone….but not this time!

She came to me & said “I potty”, took off her pants & had me take off her diaper. Her diaper was dry, so I thought, hmm, maybe she really does have to potty. I took off her diaper, brought her potty into the kitchen where I was emptying the dishwasher & brought her books & computer for her to play with. She sat on the potty for a couple minutes (read a book, played with computer, jabbered, etc.) then she stood up and said “UHHH!” and pointed to her potty. I went and looked and sure enough – she went potty! We started cheering & we went and poured it in the big potty – she loved helping pour it down the toilet! She was very excited, flushed the toilet & told the pee “Bye, Bye.” She was so proud of herself. So I told her she could pick a snack. She ran over to the pantry & grabbed the big tub of cheese balls (still naked). She ate a bunch of them & then we headed to the bath. :)

Happy Girl eating her Cheesy Poofs!!

~SNUGGLE TIME~

2011-07-14T20:35:00.000-04:00

Most of you know that Kennadie is not a cuddler. She is not a fan of cuddling at all. She doesn’t really like to be held too often & when she is ready for bed, instead of snuggling up with you, she will toss & turn because she isn’t comfortable. She wants to sprawl out – just like her Mama.

I rocked her to sleep until she was about 8 months old. Then right about that time, she decided she didn’t want to be rocked anymore & was much more comfortable falling asleep on her own, in her crib. It made me so sad, but at the same time, at 8 months old, it was her decision to no longer be rocked, so I was ok with it!

Even though people told me not to rock her that long because it would be so hard to get her to sleep in her own crib, I did it anyway and I’m glad I did.

#1 – it was as easy as could be to get her to sleep in her own bed. We didn’t have any problems, it was what she wanted.

#2 – I’m sooo glad I rocked her for as long as I did. That is one thing I miss soooo badly. I know lots of parents loved that they didn’t have to rock their kids to sleep – but not this Mama. Could I have been cleaning the house or putting clothes away or doing something else productive with that time? Yes. But looking back I can tell you with 100% certainty that rocking my child to sleep was time much better spent that cleaning up a dirty house! I rocked my baby to sleep for 8 months & loved it! <3

So, now that I’m done with that rant, on to the point. On Father’s Day – I got 45 minutes of snuggle time with Kennadie! Yep, that is right. The little booger woke up at 7 am on Sunday morning. Usually, I have to wake her up at 7:30 to get ready for school, but not this past weekend! I think it is because she has a little cold and is a little stuffy. I could tell she was still tired so I grabbed her bobby, teddy bear & blankie & we sat & cuddled for over 45 minutes. Ahhh I loved it! That is one thing I don’t mind getting up at 7 am for – Snuggle time with my anti-snuggler!

Happy Father's Day

2011-07-13T21:41:00.003-04:00

Happy Father’s Day to all the wonderful Daddies out there!

To my hubby (who is the greatest Daddy to two little girls),

Kennadie & Haley are so lucky to have such a loving, hard-working, Dad, like you! You are one smart COOKIE and I am so lucky to have such a FLAMIN’ HOT hubby. I would go NUTS without you….you are SWEET as sugar BABY! :)

Hope you enjoy your deep tissue massage, yummy candy & snacks!

We love you to PIECES!

Love,

Your three PEANUT BUTTER CUPS!

Sweetest Little Girls.......

2011-07-12T16:07:00.000-04:00

I think Matt & I may have the sweetest little girls two parents could ask for. We went to the Indianapolis Indians game for Danielle’s birthday & when we were there, Uncle Jorge won Haley a stuff animal from the water gun game as we were walking out. Well, on the way home, Kennadie was acting like she wanted the animal, so Haley gave it to her & said she could cuddle with it since she was tired. After awhile, Haley asked Kennadie if she could have the stuffed animal back, and Kennadie actually went to hand it back to her! But, Haley said, “No, you can keep it!” Kennadie just hugged it and smiled!

I remember thinking – wow, how lucky are we that instead of fighting over the stuffed animal, they are both willing to give it to the other. Now, don’t get me wrong – these two can definitely get on each others nerves & fight. But, they are both so sweet to each other & love each other sooo much! :)

Indianapolis Indians Game

2011-07-11T16:07:00.000-04:00

We went to the Indians game in June for Danielle's birthday. Wasn't too sure how Kennadie would do sitting still for so long, but she did a great job! It was a beautiful night & the weather was perfect. Both the girls were really good & we had a great time!! Hope you had a wonderful birthday Danielle!!

A Trip to the Zoo with Grandma & Aunt Carla

2011-07-10T21:40:00.000-04:00

Mom came down for the weekend & watched Kennadie on Friday. Aunt Carla was off of work, so they thought it would be fun to take Kennadie to the zoo! She is loving animals now & spent most of the time making animals noises & playing at he little splash pad! I'm sure she had a blast!!

Thanks Mom & Aunt Carla for taking our little goober to the zoo!!

PENN

2011-07-09T16:07:00.000-04:00

I am doing this post just for Daddy!

Kennadie has a new little boyfriend at school – his name is Penn. He is about 1 week older than Kennadie. They have been in class together for quite awhile. I ask Kennadie just about every morning while we are getting dressed, “are you ready to go to school & see your friends?” She always answers with “PENN!” And I say “Do you want to go see Penn?” & she of course answers, “YAH!” Then I ask her “Who else?” and she will usually answer with “Kenny” (Makenzie) & “Zuke” (Luke). But no matter what, she always says “Penn” first. She doesn’t just say it, she yells it with SUCH excitement!

Every once in awhile they take Kennadie’s class on a walk around the church. They always tell them they have to hold hands. So, last time as soon as the teachers told them to hold hands, Kennadie ran over to Penn & said “PENN!” & Penn ran over to Kennadie & said “Kennani”. They grabbed hands & held them the whole walk!

Penn also has a little nickname for Kennadie – “KK”!

Ahhhh they are just too cute together!!

I told Matt all about it & he said no way are they boyfriend & girlfriend – they are just friends! :)

Potty Mouth

2011-07-08T16:08:00.000-04:00

Ok – my daughter is officially a potty mouth…..

1. Mommy: “Kennadie, what does a duck say?”
Kennadie: “Cock, cock, cock, cock.”

2. Kennadie: “D*ck, d*ck, d*ck, d*ck.” While reaching for her DRINK.

3. Kennadie: “I sh*t, I sh*t.” While sitting on the couch.

4. We are driving in the car & Kennadie is reading her book (Brown Bear, Brown Bear). Kennadie: “Bear!”, then “Birdie, teet, teet”, then “F*cky, F*cky.” I look back thinking what in the world & she says, “Ribbit, Ribbit!”

I guess with a Momma like me, what else could you expect?

I don’t care you ya are – that’s funny! ;)

SOFTBALL

2011-07-07T16:07:00.000-04:00

Haley has started softball & Daddy is her coach again. Her team won their second game 5-0 & Haley got on base 5 out of 5 times! Then she went through a little hitting drought after that. For 2 games straight, she didn’t hit the ball one time. Then all the sudden after those two games, she has hit the ball EVERY TIME! She claims it was because Grandpa Fred told her to “seeeeee the ball, beeeee the ball!” Well whatever, it worked! She has improved a ton this season and so has their team overall. Towards the beginning of the season we really thought they were going to be Greenfield’s version of the Bad New Bears, but they started playing AWESOME about half way through the season. They started hitting, winning games and getting really excited about it!! Of course, I guess much of that can be attributed to their wonderful coach! I’m really glad Haley enjoyed it this year. We were starting to think this may have been her last year playing as she was getting frustrated with her hitting, but she is 100% certain she is going to play next year too. It’s amazing because even when she wasn’t hitting the ball & just not doing very good, she still asked to play catch, practice hitting, etc. I think she really wants to get better & really wants to play – so that is awesome! She is one of the youngest in the league & still has 2 more years in the league she is in now – I can’t wait to see how well she does over the next couple of years!!

Memorial Day

2011-07-06T19:14:00.000-04:00

Sweet girl in her Memorial Day dress.

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!!

CHEESE MAMA!!

Good Girl!!

2011-07-04T21:50:00.000-04:00

Kennadie’s new favorite thing (thanks to Uncle Jorge), is saying “good girl!” She LOVES to be praised & loves when we tell her good job, or good girl or clap for her. Last time she was at Grandma & Grandpa’s, she kept putting her shoes on & cheering for herself. So when she would cheer, we would all cheer with her. When we would stop cheering she would sign & say “more! more!” It was hilarious….she just wanted lots & lots of cheers!

She is an awesome picker-upper! We don’t even have to ask her to do it. When she picks up her books, she says “YEAH!” or “Good Girl!” every time she throws a book in the basket!

Here’s the kicker…..she will do something ornery (like crawl up on the dishwasher) just so that we can yell at her & tell her not to do it. So then, once she listens to us & does what we say, she says “Good Girl!” Ahh the girl is too smart for her own good!!

Little Cookie Clown

2011-07-03T21:50:00.000-04:00

On May 20th, one of Kennadie’s friends, Quinn, at daycare brought in a BIG ol’ frosted cookie for her birthday! Of course Kennadie *LOVES* her cookies & she dug right in. The teachers were putting up the cots from naptime & Ms. Brittany turned around and this is what she saw…..

She then took Kennadie around to every classroom to show all the teachers!

P.S. Did you notice how the little girl in the background hardly has any cookie on her face?

CONGRATS!!!

2011-07-01T21:49:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to Danielle & George! He popped the question while we were at my parent’s house in Mid-May! The proposal was SO sweet & the ring is absolutely beautiful! Great job Uncle Jorge! Can’t wait to share in your SPECIAL DAY! ;) Soooo excited for you two!

Mother's Day

2011-06-30T21:48:00.000-04:00

I had a great Mother's Day this year. I got my necklace about a month before Mother's Day. It has each of the girls names on it & says Mommy on it - I LOVE IT!

I also got the most perfect card and Daddy thought this Momma needed some "me time" so he had the girls get me a gift certificate for a manicure & pedicure...can't wait to use it!! :) Thank you babe.....it is much needed & much appreciated! :)

Me & My Little Goober on Mother’s Day!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!

Love Them Little Piglets!

2011-06-29T21:50:00.001-04:00

Can't go wrong with the pig tails!!

Kennadie's 18 Month Check-Up

2011-06-28T21:49:00.002-04:00

STATS:

Height: 32 ½ inches (74th %)

Weight: 22.6 lbs (21st %)

Head: 46.4 cm (45%)

She is still growing & growing (at least height wise – weight wise not so much!) She is still really little for age – but that is to be expected, I’m assuming she got her Daddy’s metabolism!

The doctor said she is doing well, talking very well for age & a smart little girl! She also said she is very social & interacts well with other people (like we didn’t already know that!)

Kennadie Jo :: 18 Months Old

2011-06-27T21:48:00.000-04:00

Kennadie turned 18 months old on May 3rd!!

Oh Goodness…..where do I start? Well, to begin with, she is talking up a storm! She repeats EVERYTHING we say, so it is time to REALLY start watching what we say in front of her (mommy especially)! Some new things that she has started saying are:

“I take a bath”

“I take a bite”

“Where’s Sissy?”

“I go walk”

“I poop”

“I toot”

“Thank you, Your Welcome” (She says them at the same time. Not just “thank you”, but “Thank you, your welcome”) LOVE IT!

“I love you”

“Outside”

“EWWWWW” (love that one!)

After she takes a bite she will say “MMMMM GOOD!”

She loves to say Bye, Bye - See you! I laugh every time! She is also getting much better at saying Thank You without us having to tell her! Most of the time when we give her something or someone does something for her we still have to ask her “what do you say?” And she knows to say Thank You. But lately, every once in awhile she will just say Thank You without us having to remind her! She is making her Momma proud!!

She has also learned what most animals say…..she has elephant, dog, cat, cow, duck, monkey, bird, etc. down!

She can count to 2! HAHA – yes, we say one, & she says two!

She still eats like a little piggy! She likes just about everything (except peas….still can’t get her to eat them!) She is getting a little bit pickier…..not even really picky – she doesn’t eat quite as much at dinner time as she used to. And don’t get out the big thing of cheese balls before she eats her dinner….if so, that is all she will eat! She usually has whatever we are having & is still on lactose free milk…..although I think she is growing out of her lactose intolerance. This girl loves her food & is a huge grouch when she is hungry. Of course, I am too & as soon as she gets her tummy full, she is usually back to her happy self!

By far, her favorite thing to do is read. She is constantly grabbing her books & bringing them to us saying, “read, read, read.” I’m pretty sure I could get rid of most of the toys in the house, just keep the books & she would be completely fine with it! She does like to play with her computer though! And she absolutely LOVES to be outside! She got spoiled a couple days when it was warm and now she thinks she needs to go outside all the time. She likes to go to the park & slide & just run around outside. We got her water table out about a month ago and she had a blast with it. She loved taking the bucket & pouring the water over her head…..she thought it was the funniest thing.

She still does not like to watch TV. I try to get her to watch Mickey Mouse Club House and a few others & she will watch for maybe 5 minutes, then she is onto her toys or books. I guess it’s a good thing she isn’t a TV junkie – but I just figured by now it would keep her entertained!

She is doing a much better job listening. She still gets time-outs from time to time, but she is usually pretty good if we tell her not to do something. She still tries to be ornery & see what she can get away with, but she is a good little girl. Still the social little butterfly….always wanting to talk to strangers & has to tell everyone at the daycare bye-bye when I pick her up. She goes into all the rooms to make sure she has told everyone bye before we leave. She also does this as restaurants when people are leaving – she will wave & tell them bye-bye!

She is becoming very independent & doesn’t like a lot of help from us. She wants to do most stuff on her own. She is so incredibly strong-willed, it is unbelievable! The only thing she really wants help with is getting her shoes on so she can go outside as fast as possible!

Her and Haley get along sooooo well! Kennadie gets so excited every time she gets to see Haley. Most days when she wakes up or when she gets home from daycare she says, “Where’s Sissy?” and holds her hands up. They play together very well & even do some cheers together…..it is hilarious.

Easter & Mamaw & Papaw’s

2011-06-26T21:48:00.000-04:00

We finally got to have Easter with Matt's family in May. I think it was on Mother's Day weekend. The girls opened up their Easter baskets then did ANOTHER Easter egg hunt & there were tons of eggs to find at Mamaw & Papaw's house! I'm pretty sure there still may be 1 or 2 laying in Papaw's yard!! :)

OK, I think I am officially caught up on the Easter posts!! :) I hope everyone had lots of Easter fun with their families!!

Easter at Mom & Dad's

2011-06-25T22:19:00.005-04:00

Well we had another Easter with Mom & Dad the weekend after Easter. The girls did once again, another egg hunt. They both worked together to find their eggs! I love that Kennadie likes Haley to help her & that Haley likes to help Kennadie find them. I love that instead of being competitive & fighting over the eggs, they have fun finding them together. Not sure how long that will last but its nice for now!

The girls opened their Easter baskets & got some cute clothes, American Girl stuff, and some toys. Kennadie also got a beautiful wooden bunny rabbit from Grandma & Grandpa that Uncle Chuck made! I love the little tail on the bunny – it is soooo cute!!

We were also able to get out for a boat ride! Can’t wait for it to get warmer so we can do some swimming!!

Easter at Grandma & Grandpa's

2011-06-24T21:47:00.000-04:00

Matt, Kennadie & I ended up going to Plymouth to Grandma’s house for Easter. It was nice to get up there because we hardly ever get up there anymore! :(

Kennadie did her own little Easter egg hunt and LOVED it. As soon as she would find an egg & put it her little basket she would say “more, more”. Once she found them all, we had to keep hiding them so she could find them. She wore the cute little Easter dress that Mamaw got her.

Kennadie & Grandpa heading down to the lake.

Grandma & Kennadie

Uncle Jorge & Kennadie

Smelling the flowers she picked.

Kennadie walking up the hill - may be one of the funniest pictures of her I've taken.

Kennadie & Great-Grandpa

Kennadie & Great-Grandma

Lynndi (my best friend at my Grandma’s house when I was little) & I and our girls!

Easter Egg Hunt

Easter at our House......

2011-06-23T21:47:00.000-04:00

Haley woke up bright & early on Easter morning. She had looked through her whole Easter basket & looked for all the eggs before we even got up. When everyone else finally got up we went through the girls Easter baskets & the girl hunted for eggs. Haley helped Kennadie out they found all the eggs together!

Haley got some barbies, books & candy & Kennadie got a potty & the book Everyone Poops. They also got a sprinkler for when it gets warmer outside!

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!!

Harper's First Birthday Party

2011-06-22T21:47:00.000-04:00

Kennadie and I were able to make it up to Lafayette for Ms. Harper’s first birthday party over Easter weekend. Kennadie had a great time being a ham & running around. She loved the Easter egg hunt…her & Ms. Harper worked together to find their eggs! So glad we got to help her celebrate her first birthday!

The girls doing their egg hunt…..

Pretty girl in her piggy tails & party dress!!

Morg, Harper, Kennadie & Me!

Hope you had a great 1st birthday Harper!!

Chocolate Face!

2011-06-20T21:46:00.000-04:00

Mommy let me lick the spoon! :)

Worst Flight Ever......

2011-06-19T22:13:00.000-04:00

Our flight to Florida wasn't that bad. Great - no. But OK. We didn't have any crying or melt downs or anything like that. We just have a child that wants to be on-the-go, all the time....and that we could handle. What we couldn't handle is the flight back home. I had a lot of fun in Florida, but honestly, much of the time we were there, I thought about the dreaded flight home. I knew this one would be worse because it was a longer flight & we had a layover....ugghhh!

....well for us. I know there are much worse things that can happen on a flight.....but for us it was not an enjoyable one!

Our first flight back from Florida was to Kansas City (a 3 hour flight). Don't even get me started on the fact that the flight from Orlando to Indy is just over 2 hours. I don't need to be reminded of that - I am well aware of it. Anyway, most of the flight was fine. We kept Kennadie awake on the car ride to the airport so she would sleep on the plane (or at least we THOUGHT she would sleep.) I should have known right away the flight was not going to go well. I had filled Kennadie's cup with CHOCOLATE milk before we left. And on the way up, just as she was going to take a drink - it exploded...I guess because of the pressure. I dunno - whatever. Either way it was all over her face/clothes/hair/shirt - everything! Not to mention I was the one holding her so I had chocolate milk all over my face & shirt too. SWEET!

About 2 1/2 hours into the flight - we were doing ok - besides the chocolate milk incident. And then it happened. Kennadie threw the MOTHER of all temper tantrums. I have never seen her throw a tantrum like this. By now, it was almost 6 pm and she still hadn't taken a nap - I should have known we were in trouble. She started SCREAMING, squirming around, hitting, kicking. She just wanted to get down & was overly tired. She just screamed & screamed & kicked & yelled. I would pass her Matt, that wouldn't work & he would pass her back. This happened 2 or 3 times. The flight attendant came over & told me to rub the back of her ears because it would help with the pressure. I had 3 thoughts when she said this.....

#1- what makes you think I can possible rub her ears when I can't even get the child to stop kicking me? (don't get me wrong - she was so nice & just trying to help but come on!)

#2 - while I appreciate that she thought maybe the change in pressure was bothering Kennadie's ears....I'm not buying it! The girl was just tired & grouchy & so sick of sitting in one place.

#3 - I am thankful that the flight attendant said it loud enough so all the passengers around us could hear her - making them think it was just her ears bothering her & not because she was just throwing a tantrum.

Finally, with about 10 minutes left in the flight - Kennadie fell asleep. Not just fell asleep, but passed out. She was out like a light & didn't even wake up when we walked off the flight. She is SUCH a light sleeper & usually the littlest sound wakes her up. Not this time - nothing was waking her up so I knew she was EXHAUSTED!

Once we landed, the very nice couple behind us said, "And how are Mom & Dad?" :) Matt said I'm fine, but I don't know about Mom over there! They told us we were very patient & did a great job with her. That made me feel so much better. I mean, I have never in my life been told I was patient. But like Matt said, what were we going to do, throw her out the window? But, at least we knew not everyone on the plane hated us!! ;)

I guess now we can say we were "those people" on the plane.

By the way....the next flight (only 1 hour) was a breeze! :)

Cocoa Beach :: Spring Break 2011

2011-06-17T14:58:00.000-04:00

We had a great time in Florida this year. It wasnt the best weather w have had but you can't have perfect weather every year, right? The flight down wasn't too bad. Kennadie slept most of the flight. She was a bit grouchy after her nap because she wanted to get down and run around on the plane. Sissy....I think that is our plane!!

"Oh hush"....."No you hush!"

We are ready to go!!!!!

We got to the hotel at about 8:30 pm, got unpacked and went to bed!! We have got another huge water bug on our hands ladies and gentlemen. We spent a majority of the week at the pool. Haley spent almost all day every day in the water like we knew she would, only taking breaks to eat and past her dsi!

I knew kennadie would love the water but had no idea how much she would love it. She would have spent all day in the water if we had let her. She loved splashing around on the stairs and playing with her toys in the water. The best part is that she learned how to put her face in the water....and actually liked it. She would put her face under the water on her own and when she came up from under the water she thought it was just the funniest thing!! I had thought about putting her in swim lessons this summer but I'm pretty sure that's about all they teach them at that age anyway!! :)

Learning how to go under the water.....

What you lookin' at?

Snack time with Papaw.

Chief in the pool - it's like an eclipse - you see it about once ever 4 years.

Even the rain didn't stop them from swimming...

She loved having her face in the water....

Video of Kennade jumping in the water to Gramma.

We also spent lots of time going on walks. Kennadie loved to be pushed around the streets & the pier in her stroller.

Sittin' on the dock of the bay.....

All tuckered out from a long day of swimming.

I'm ready to roll!!

She also had a milestone there and said her first sentence...."I took a bath." She said it constantly after she took her baths at night. She is getting too big!! :(

Dinner time was a little stressful. In case you don't know Kennadie at all, she hates to sit still. She is not the type of child that is satisfied by sitting in a chair and playing with a toy or watching a movie. No people, not this little girl. She is nonstop, on the go 24-7. She has places to go and things to see!

Eating her ice cream sandwich.

Mmmm....

Mommy & Kennadie!

Not to sure about this lemon, mama!

What a sweetie pie.....

An Impromptu Photo Shoot.....

We had so much fun in Florida - but are so glad to be home! :)

I'm BAAAACCCKKKK!

2011-06-15T21:46:00.000-04:00

Ok – I lied – I’m not quitting the blog! I just can’t do it! I love my blog & honestly, I do it more for myself than anyone else. I love having something to look back on & one day I plan on printing all my posts into a book. It will be our little family journal! So anyway – the blog is back & once we either get our wireless working or I get my new computer (which should be next month!) – the posts will continue! I have a ton of them written from the last few months so hopefully soon I will have lots to post and soon!!

See you all soon!!

To My 5 Readers......

2011-05-05T20:38:00.002-04:00

To my 5....maybe 6 faithful readers.....I'm sorry to upset you, but I am taking a blogging break. I am so far behind on my blogging, plus our desktop, with all my pictures on it has taken a crap and frankly, I just don't have time for it right now! I promise I will get back to blogging eventually, but for now it is time for a break!! :)

Talk to you all later!!

To My Grown Up Daughter

2011-04-02T21:11:00.004-04:00

I read this poem at a restaurant when we were in Florida this year and MAN did it hit me hard! It REALLY made me think about my little girl and how fast she is growing up & how I really don't want to miss any of it. I know before I know it she won't be so little anymore...... Before I read this I would think, man I don't have time to read her book to her, I don't have time to play with her toys, I don't have time to chase her around. I have so much to do....house is always a mess, dinner is always whatever I can throw together in 10 minutes, clothes are never put away, and on and on and on..... Don't get me wrong - I have always loved playing with her and she is so much fun - but I was always thinking - man I should be doing something else...I don't have time to PLAY all day!

I read this I my outlook has TOTALLY changed. When she brings me a book and says "MOMMY READ", instead of getting frustrated because I have a million things to do...I smile, pick her up, read her the book - AND I ENJOY IT! That is something, in the past, I wouldn't have been able to do. All because I would have been too anxious, thinking about how much stuff I needed to get done! I have realized that as long as I am a working Mom, those things can wait. I don't need a perfectly clean house or a home cooked meal. Don't get me wrong - there are still those days when I am looking forward to bedtime, but spending time with my baby while she is still little enough to want to spend time with me is what I need & what I want! :)

To My Grown-Up Daughter by Alice E. Chase

My hands were busy through the day, I didn’t have much time to play

The little games you asked me to, I didn’t have much time for you.

I’d wash your clothes; I’d sew and cook, But when you’d bring your picture book

And ask me, please, to share your fun, I’d say, “A little later, hon.”

I’d tuck you in all safe at night, And hear your prayers, turn out the light,

Then tiptoe softly to the door, I wish I’d stayed a minute more.

For life is short, and years rush past, A little girl grows up so fast,

No longer is she at your side, Her precious secrets to confide.

The picture books are put away, There are no children’s games to play,

No goodnight kiss, no prayers to hear, That all belongs to yesteryear.

My hands once busy, now lie still, The days are long and hard to fill,

I wish I could go back and do, The little things you asked me to.

So, So, So glad I read this now and not 20 years from now..... :)

Hide & Seek

2011-03-20T21:15:00.001-04:00

Hi Mom, I'm looking for sissy.....

Where did she go?

I think I know where she is!

She may have gone behind the couch!!

There she is!! :)

BATH TIME

2011-03-18T21:14:00.001-04:00

Grasshopper's Day

2011-03-15T22:12:00.002-04:00

Haley is ALWAYS good for a laugh......

Haley: Did you know the Grasshopper didn't she his shadow.

Us: Huh?

Haley: You know, on Grasshopper's day, if he comes out & sees his shadow it means 6 more weeks of snow.

Us: Comes out of where?

Haley: His treehouse.

Us: OH.

And we left it at that.....

And I personally like it better that way......groundhogs are gross.....so from now on - we will celebrate "Grasshopper's Day"!

Our Little Rebel

2011-03-06T21:01:00.002-05:00

Seriously, we have THE most mischievous, ornery little girl one could imagine! Just a few things she has done lately – and remember – she is only 16 months old….. After nap time, Kennadie’s teacher told them that they could watch Elmo while they were getting the snacks ready if they stayed sitting on their cot. Well, Kennadie and her little friend Daisy thought it would be funny to put the smallest little part of their butt cheeks on the cot & then when the teachers would turn around, they would stand up. When the teachers looked at them they would sit down & just smile…..she does this quite often on the kitchen chairs at home too! One of the little girls in Kennadie’s daycare class threw a toy & the teacher told the little girl that she was not supposed to throw toys. Kennadie went over, picked up the toy & went and tossed the toy down in front of the teacher and just looked at her like “what are you gonna do about it?” Rotten I tell you!!

While we were eating dinner, Kennadie kept banging her fork against her plate really loud. Matt told her to stop – which she didn’t do, so he took the fork away from her. She kept whining for it, so he gave it back to her. He told her don’t bang it against your plate. So what does she do, immediately bangs it against her plate, while watching Matt the whole time. He took the fork away again. She whined – again and got the fork back – again. With Matt telling her – once again – don’t you dare bang the fork on the plate! So what does she do – puts the fork as close as she can to the plate without actually touching the plate – once again – not taking her eyes off of Matt he entire time. And she slowly, touches the fork to plate, ever so lightly – eyes still on Matt, just waiting to see how he is going to respond…..Seriously – how can you NOT laugh at that?!? A lot of times when she gets sent to time out she will sneak out (well she thinks she is sneaking) and come around the table and just stare at me the whole time & as soon as I look at her she will get this big smile on her face, wave and say “Hiiiiii!” At home she just LOVES to see what all she can get away with & just how far she can push us. She loves to push our buttons too!! Matt gets soo frustrated but I just have to laugh because she TOTALLY gets that from him. She is so much like him it isn’t even funny! Rotten & ornery!! AHHH I really do love her personality….makes life so entertaining!!

"You can't be talking about innocent, little ol' me, Mommy?!?"

And this is just the tip of the iceberg people....

Happy Birthday Ms. Haley Makenzie!!

2011-02-28T20:43:00.002-05:00

We had Haley’s 7th birthday dinner at Ponderosa…..totally her choice! She wanted to go there because she likes the way they sing happy birthday to her! :) LOL! We had lots of fun at dinner & Haley got some great presents. Toys, money, Super Mario Bros for her DSI (which she hasn’t stopped playing)! We hope you had a great birthday Ms. Haley Makenzie. Thank you for being such a wonderful big sister to Kennadie – we love you!!! :)

Kennadie's First Haircut

2011-02-13T12:41:00.012-05:00

Kennadie had her first haircut right before Valentine’s day. She didn’t really need one but she was totally getting a mullet! I had put it off as long as I could, but it had to be done! She actually did so much better than I thought she would! Haley & I took her up to Cookie Cutters (LOVE THEM) in Fishers & she loved playing on the slide & sitting in the Thomas the Train chair to get her hair cut. I was a little nervous because she was still going through a little stranger anxiety but she was fine. The lady cut the back of her hair with no problem. However, the bangs were another story. Kennadie didn’t like that she could see the lady cutting her hair!! :) But she did great & now instead of a shaggy mullet she has a cute little bob – just like Mommy! :)

Kennadie also won a year's worth of free haircuts!! I don't think we will be getting to many haircuts in the next year - but it will be nice to run her up there to get her bangs trimmed & not have to pay for it!! :)

My little *angel* sitting nice & still.Ok, Mom, maybe this isn't so bad!!Hey, wait a second - she didn't cut it all off did she?!?And the cute new stylish little bob.....

If you are looking for a place to get your kiddos hair cut - I totally recommend Cookie Cutters. The ladies were sooo sweet and did a fabulous job!! :)

Kennadie's Scrapbook

2011-02-06T12:45:00.003-05:00

I meant to post this awhile back and completely forgot about it. Anyway - Kennadie's scrapbook from her first year. I hope to keep up with this but so far it is not looking good. Haven't worked on it since her birthday!!

Fifteen.Months.Old

2011-02-03T21:19:00.001-05:00

Our big girl is 15 months old today. She is talking up a storm and repeating everything we say! Her vocabulary is growing by the week & includes way too many words to write! Her new favorites are uh-oh, pease, & puppy. She is starting to take direction very well. If we tell her: take a drink, put on your shoes, give this to daddy, pick up your books, etc, she understands it and usually does what we say. She will also go get her diaper, wipes & medicine if we asked her if she has pooped.

She moved up to the ONES room at daycare in the middle of December. They said she walked right into that room like she owned the place. Anyone that knows Kennadie knows that this is not hard to believe. She is adjusting so well to that room and is doing great interacting with the older kids. She gets along very well with everyone & loves her teachers. She also is a little angel when it comes to naps. The teachers can't believe how well she does, since she was never a big napper in the nursery. But when it is nap time she goes over to her cot, lays down and falls right asleep. No crying, fussing, nothing....she doesn't even ask for her bobby. She lays down & sleeps for at least two hours a day.

She has at least 8 teeth & is in the process of getting her one-year molars. At least a couple of them have popped through just these last couple of days.

She is still getting into everything and is as ornery as ever. When she knows she has gotten something she shouldn't have, she will look at you and then take off. She knows she shouldn't have it, but she loves to be chased and knows this is a way to get someone to chase her. She thinks it is a big game! She is no longer a walker - but a full time runner. She is also a little monkey & loves to crawl in/over/around/through anything she can fit into. She has even gotten stuck in Haley's dollhouse. She has even learned how to climb up onto the kitchen chairs & table by herself....ugghh!!

She has been off of bottles since 13 months & luckily it was an easy transition. A couple nights of crying for 15-20 minutes and the bottles were gone. She is definitely a better sleeper & I think part of it is because she isn't getting so much to drink right before bed so she doesn't have such a full belly. She goes down between 7:30-8 everynight & sleeps until 7:30-8 every morning. She takes a 2 hour nap from 1:30 - 3:30.

She has learned where her head, belly, teeth, ect. are. She knows how old she is, how to do peek-a-boo, wheels on the bus, & thrown her hands up for a touchdown. She has also discovered how to twirl & does this when she dances. Her favorite thing to do is read. She doesn't play with her other toys that often - mostly just her books!

Another funny thing she has started doing is letting us know when she poops. If we ask her did you poop - she will squat down & grab her diaper - this usually means she needs changed. I am hoping it is a good sign that potty training will be fairly easy. Just yesterday I was giving her a bath and she said poop like 4 times. I kept telling her - you didn't poop! And about 20 seconds later - a turd in the tub. Mommy should have listened! Looks like someone is getting a potty for easter!! :)

Quick Little Surprise Visit

2011-02-02T20:43:00.001-05:00

Ms. Kennadie and I took a quick little "surprise" visit up to Plymouth to see Grandma, Grandpa & Uncle Steve! Well it was supposed to be a surprise but they knew we were coming!! :) They were supposed to come to Indy, but Ms. Haley had been sick so didn't think it would such a good idea. So Kennadie & I decided we would just go up and visit them! We had a good trip up there & a good drive back home & Kennadie was great for Momma. We had fun and it was nice to go up and visit them for the day!!

Read to me Gramma!!

Of course Great Grandma had to go and buy her a toy!!

Love you guys & wish we could see you more!!

Kennadie's First Time Out

2011-01-27T21:19:00.008-05:00

Well, at the age of 14 months & 3 weeks, Kennadie had her first experience with time-out. Not by Mommy or Daddy - but at daycare. Apparently Kennadie was taking toys away from her friends. Her teachers told her no three times, but Kennadie kept doing it, so they sent her to the corner for a time-out. Her teacher said it was really hard to put her in time-out because she is really good at school and of course she is so cute! ;p But she said Kennadie did great. She didn't throw a fit or try to get out of time out. She just stood there and cried a little bit. Her teacher went over and told her time-out was over and she was Ms. happy-go-lucky the rest of the day! So hopefully she learned a little lesson about sharing! I didn't know whether to laugh or feel bad for her when the teacher was telling me what happened, but obviously it didn't phase her too bad because she was all smiles the rest of the day. It did make me laugh to think of her in the corner with her bottom lip puckered out and the fact that she was taking toys from other kids when she is by far the tiniest one in her class. But something tells me with her stubborness and orneryness she will have many time-outs in her future! :)

This is a picture of Kennadie "playing" timeout - she was really smiling! :) But this is what timeout looks like at our house!! ;)

Disney On Ice

2011-01-23T14:55:00.013-05:00

We took Haley to see Disney on Ice: Toy Story 3 this past weekend. She had no idea we were going - she thought we were just going out to dinner. We started out by taking her to Old Spaghetti Factory - SO YUMMY! We go to sit a table with huge chairs and looked like something the Queen of England would sit in. Haley loved them and thought she was pretty special sitting in those chairs. While we were there we kept seeing kids with Toy Story stuff (dolls, hats, t-shirts). Some had come from the earlier show and some were going to the show we went to. Haley made different comments about some of the things, but I guess she didn't think anything of it! We ate dinner and walked in the freezing cold to Conseco. Haley kept asking what we were doing and when she saw all of the Toy Story 3 stuff we told her we were there to watch the movie and it was a big theatre. As we were walking to our seats (which were great) she saw the ice and said Disney on Ice! She was very excited when she realized what we were doing and said it was the best day ever. We asked - even better than Christmas? And she said yes because tricked her and it was a surprise! The was was really good and we all had a great time! :)

Having fun at the show..... The Aliens.....

Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head

Slinky

The army men

Haley & Daddy before the show..... The Queen at her throne..... Haley & I at Old Spaghetti Factory

I Guess We'll Call Them Bobby

2011-01-22T21:11:00.001-05:00

Operation "take-away paci" has begun! Not intentionally - it just sort of happened. And for some reason, Kennadie has started calling her pacis Bobby. We have no idea where this came from. I guess she just thought they needed a name and she must like the name Bobby. So BOBBY it is!

Anyway - she no longer has her bobby at daycare, period. One day before her nap (right after she moved up to the toddler room), she threw her paci and her teacher told her the paci was all gone and she hasn't used it at daycare since. She doesn't even fuss or ask for it at naptime. So we have accomplished phase 1! Next will be eliminating it from the car - which will not be easy! I think we will begin this when we turn her car seat around to face forward. I'm in no real rush to get rid of it since she is only 14 months old, but I would at least like to start the process. I'm not sure how easy it will be since she really likes her bobby, but it was really easy getting her off of bottles and if it was that easy to take it away at daycare - then maybe she will surprise us!! :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

2011-01-08T14:55:00.001-05:00

For New Year's Even we met up with some friends at the Incredible Pizza Company. The girls both had a blast! Haley played lots of games and Kennadie ran around like crazy! She loved playing on the slides and climbing on everything. The girls were exhausted & went home and went to bed. Mommy & Daddy weren't too far behind! We were so tired from chasing K around that we fell asleep before the ball dropped. I've seen the ball drop enough times! :) Happy New Year & here's to a great 2011!!

Knock Em' Down

2011-01-05T22:20:00.002-05:00

After Christmas we headed up to Middlebury again for the annual Duell/Runge bowling match! Bowling was so much fun but I think the Wii has really hurt my bowling skills! I'm awful!! Haley even beat me one game. It was so much fun bowling and Kennadie even had a great time just running around the bowling alley.and have people chase her. But as bad as we were at bowling - the Duells were victorious! After bowling we went to Hacienda for dinner - YUM!!! Then we went to the Runge's house to have some drinks & play some beer pong. Matt and I actually did pretty well considering we haven't really played since college.

On Tuesday, Matt & Haley went home & Mom, Grandma, Kennadie and I headed to Shipshewana to do some after Christmas shopping. Kennadie loves to go shopping and loved being pushed around in her stoller all day! The cold weather didn't even bother her. She was sooo good all day - I couldn't believe it! She napped for about 15 minutes all day but still was a trooper the entire time! By about 4 pm though, she was ready to be done shopping and so were we, so we headed home. Kennadie took a nice long nap!! :) She had a blast and that girl just loves to shop!!

Told ya.......little stinker loves to be out & about - just like her Momma!

GO HALEY!

YAY MOMMY!!

See I can play too!!

Something must have been funny!!Watching sissy knock em down!Taking a break to read about the snowman......Cheering for Sissy!!Daddy & Haley

Got my ball and I'm ready to bowl guys!

The girls with Grampa

I think this one will work!

Dance Party at Mamaw's

2011-01-03T19:47:00.000-05:00

Family Christmas

2010-12-30T22:19:00.022-05:00

On Christmas Eve, the girls each get to open one present - their Christmas pajamas! :) And from now on they will also get to open a Christmas book each year that Daddy will read to them before bed. (Haley is really excited about opening pajamas and a book on Christmas Eve - let me tell ya!) I also think that next year I will get each of the girls an ornament to open on Christmas Eve. It will be one that has some sort of meaning regarding the past year. Matt makes fun of my traditions but I like them!!

Santa came to our house and brought lots of presents. Kennadie got a shopping cart, water table, clothes, books, dvds and lots more. Haley got zoobles, zhu zhu pets, clothes, movies, books, and she must have been a good girl this year because Santa brought her a DSI! Lucky Girl!! That is all she wanted to do all day! The girls had fun opening their presents & Kennadie actually got into opening the presents too. But once they were open, she just wanted to play with sissy's toys. I must have been pretty good this year too because I got new nightstands and a new ceiling fan for our room - a couple more things and our room will finally be complete!

Later that night we went to Matt's parents house. We went in the afternoon to watch the Colts game then had dinner & opened presents - once again the girls were spoiled!! Haley got a DSI game, some zoobles & some things presents & Kennadie got a stroller, a little people farm & some cute things for Florida!!

Presents from Santa

Kennadie decided that since Santa didn't eat all his cookies she would have one for breakfast.... It's Christmas Ya'll!!

Pretty Baby.....

Haley reading her & Kennadie's letter from Santa!
Daddy reading the girls their Christmas book on Christmas Eve

Haley with her new bag Daddy & Kennadie opening presents Bowling set for Ms. Kennadie Last but not least - the DSI

TOUCHDOWN!!

2010-12-24T22:19:00.001-05:00

TOUCHDOWN - GO COLTS!!!

Christmas in Middlebury

2010-12-21T22:19:00.001-05:00

We spent the weekend before Christmas up in Middlebury for Christmas with Dad & Mom's sides of the family. Luckily both Christmases are at Mom & Dads so we got to stay put! Saturday was Christmas with the Duells and of course it was a blast! It's so fun to get together with everyone, especially when we get the kiddos together! And of course Aunt Carla went overboard with presents for the kids - but it was great! (Thanks Aunt Carla!!) We even had cousin Eddy at our Christmas - we were all so lucky!! :)

Cousin Eddy & Cousin Eddy

I think we need a few more stockings....Upside down Baby!!

Mommy - I hope these aren't my new pajamas!Ms Haley opening presents.....

Hmmm wonder what is in here....

Let's see how this tastes

Kennadie, Whitney, Haley, Dad, Matt, Travis, Uncle Chuck & Uncle Fred also had a great time sledding. Whitney & Haley could have stayed out there all day - they had so much fun! Kennadie was out for about 15 minutes and I'm pretty sure she could have stayed out awhile longer but it was just too cold for her! Plus I think Grandpa was tired from pulling her around on the sled!

One of my favorite pictures of my little stinker.....

Grandpa pulling Kennadie....

Watch Out!!

Uncle Fred attempting to snowboard

Saturday night Mom's side came up along with George's mom. We were so glad she was able to come and spend Christmas with us. We spent Saturday night having drinks, playing apples to apples and laughing. I laughed so hard my cheeks were sore!

Sunday morning we got up and opened up presents. Haley wanted to go to bed early on Saturday night so she could open presents sooner. The girls were spoiled as usual and got lots of presents. We went to Fisher Lake Inn for dinner then came home and watched the rest of the Colts game. We had a wonderful weekend and Christmas with the family is always so much fun!Merry Christmas from our little family!

Christmas Pictures

2010-12-19T22:35:00.001-05:00

We got the girls pictures taken the weekend after Thanksgiving and the session went much better than Kennadie's one year pictures. I am sure having sissy there helped. The girls both did great and we got some good ones! :)

PRICELESS

2010-12-18T22:35:00.001-05:00

Every little kid has to have at least one "Scared Sh*tless of Santa" picture.

Watching The Snow Fall......

2010-12-16T21:15:00.002-05:00

THANK YOU!

2010-12-14T21:11:00.000-05:00

Well, my efforts at telling Kennadie “thank you” every time she gave me something and telling her to tell me “thank you” every time I gave her something finally paid off. While we were out to eat with Matt’s family, Kennadie had given Matt’s uncle her cell phone. He handed it back to her and clear as day Kennadie said “thank you!” As if I thought my little girl couldn’t get any cuter – she goes and says “thank you”. Music to a Mama’s ears! It is very important to me that my children have good manners. I love when children say please & thank you – especially when they don’t have to be reminded to do so! It drives me nuts the amount of kids these days don’t have better manners (man I sound old)!

When people do things for my kids I want them to know how much I appreciate it as well as how much my kids appreciate it. Nothing upsets me more than someone who is unappreciative! I want my kids to be appreciative of what other people do for them and teaching them to say “thank you” is the first step! Now, we work on please….or most likely - pease! But then again if she starts saying “pease” it may be impossible for Mommy to say “NO”! :)

Trip to the Children's Museum

2010-12-13T22:35:00.001-05:00

On Saturday we took the girls to the Children’s Museum. They both had a blast and were sooo good! We were there for about 3-4 hours and I swear they both could have stayed there the whole day. Haley had fun playing in the Barbie exhibit & Kennadie loved just walking around and looking & playing with everything. We went and saw Santa & Kennadie just screamed as soon as I sat her down….she was not having it! Haley asked Santa for a DSI & DSI games.
Walking the runway.....

Barbie Exhibit.....

Ice Skating...... At least she wasn't asleep this year.....

Haley as a penguin.....

Laughing at Sissy going down the slide as a penguin.....

The house of mirrors....

Tea anyone??Haley playing a video game.....

Hi There!!

Happy Girls.....

Big Girl....In front of the snowglobe....

Bite, Bite, Bite, Bite

2010-12-09T21:24:00.001-05:00

A Weekend Trip to Grandma & Grandpa's

2010-12-08T21:16:00.003-05:00

Kennadie and I took a trip up to Middlebury to do some Christmas shopping at the beginning of December. While the women spent Friday & Saturday shopping - Kennadie got to spend the day with Grandpa! She had Grandpa chasing her around and pushing around the house in her little car! On Friday night Jill & Kasen came over to play and they stayed until after 10 pm! The kids were sooo cute together and played together so well! :)

Kasen & Kennadie did some driving around the house.....

Great-Grandma brought a slide up!!

Boots With The Fur.....

2010-12-06T22:36:00.001-05:00

Getting Ready For The Holidays!

2010-12-02T22:35:00.001-05:00

The house is all ready for Christmas! I put the inside decorations up (minus the tree) right after Kennadie’s birthday party. Matt thinks I’m crazy for putting them up so early – but I don’t care! It’s a lot of work getting all those stinkin’ decorations put up so I want to have them up for as long as I can! The weekend after Thanksgiving Matt put the outside lights up and Haley & I put the Christmas tree up while Kennadie was taking a nap. But we saved a couple ornaments for her to put up. Matt finally found somewhere to hang the stockings (up on our ledge about the entry). And the next goal will be to get some presents wrapped and put under the tree!! I’m already getting excited to do my after Christmas shopping for more decorations for next year!!

Kennadie waking up from her nap and seeing the tree for the first time.....

Haley showing Kennadie how to put a couple ornaments on the tree….

Kennadie loves to touch the tree and say “pretty” (most Christmas decorations are called “pretties”) and of course her first instinct was to yell “BALL” and run and take one of the ball ornaments off the tree and shake it. But she heard “NO” enough that she really only has messed with it a few times!

KENNADIE'S One Year Pictures

2010-11-30T22:21:00.002-05:00

We took Kennadie to get her pictures taken awhile back and they didn't go as well as they usually do. Usually we have so many good ones we can't decide which ones to pick, but this time there were only a few. She was scared the minute we walked into the room. I think the fact that she had doctor appointments the 2 days before that (vaccines, finger pricks, blood drawn, etc.) made her a little suspicious of strangers. And the lady taking the pictures had reindeer antlers on and Kennadie definitely didn't like those....HAHA! So we started out a little rough, got some good ones in the middle and finished pretty well.

K's 12 Month Check Up

2010-11-23T19:22:00.001-05:00

Her Stats:
Weight: 20 lbs 6 oz. (34th %)

Height: 30 inches (73rd %)

Head: 44 cm (17th %)

This check up was NOT a fun one! This has been the worse one so far. Usually they aren’t bad at all, but she was not a happy camper the entire time! The first thing she had done was a couple finger pricks to have her blood tested and man this did not make her happy. She screamed as loud as I have ever heard her scream and did so the whole time and was still crying after the lady left. Finally, I got her calmed down and of course, the nurse comes back in and said that her hemoglobin was so high that they wanted to retest it….great! So – another finger prick, this time on the other hand and this time she was even more upset. It was pretty much downhill from there!

When the doctor came in she was terrified of her too! Finally she warmed up to her but screamed again when the doctor came close to her. The doctor said it was normal for her age and was typical stranger anxiety. She said Kennadie is experiencing it a little earlier than most kids – but it is still normal right now.

I told her about Kennadie waking up screaming at night a lot and she said that it is possible she could be having nightmares/night terrors…uugghhh! Once again she is a little young for them, but it is definitely a possibility and when I described what it is like, she said that is what it sounds like. She said that Kennadie is a very smart little girl so night terrors would be more likely. Yes, she said that – not me! And no – I have no idea how the doctor would know that…… And maybe she didn’t even necessarily mean smart – maybe she just meant she had developed certain skills sooner than other babies. Either way she said that it is normal for some kids to have nightmares at this age and to begin to experience stranger anxiety at this age.

She also thinks Kennadie may be lactose intolerant. She has been having tons of dirty diapers (and nasty diapers) since about 2 weeks after starting on milk so we are going to switch her to lactose free and see if that helps. I have to drink lactose free too so it would make sense! (of course it is twice as much as other milk but MUCH less than formula so I can’t complain!) It's been about 5 days on the lactose free and I think it's making a difference but am still not totally convinced.

Her hemoglobin levels came back elevated during the visit so the nurse wanted us to come back in a month to have them rechecked. However, Kennadie’s doctor reviewed the file the next day and decided that we should go get an actual blood draw to get a more accurate reading as soon as we could. So, I took Kennadie to the lab on Friday. As if she wasn’t already scared enough of people – we got to have another fun experience with the doctor. Getting her blood drawn was no fun – however it wasn’t nearly as bad as the finger prick (no idea why!) We had to wait about 4 hours to get the results back and of course my mind was racing and I was thinking the worst! But thank goodness her hemoglobin levels came back normal and I could relax again! :) So now when we go back in a month all we have to do is get the 2nd dose of her flu shot!

Busy Family.......

2010-11-18T22:29:00.001-05:00

We have been very busy around here lately. Matt is done playing softball and is finally done reffing football…thank goodness! He has been busy a lot in the evenings and usually is only home a couple nights a week. It sucks, but he enjoys softball and reffing so it was nice that he could do both of those! And it is def. nice to have a little extra money, especially with the holidays coming up! But I’m glad that he will be back home most evenings!

I have been busy with Ms. Kennadie and with the Boutique. Most of you know by now, I have a little boutique called Sweet Treats Baby Boutique. We originally planned to just sell stuff online, but we are now in seven different stores (2 in Middlebury, 1 in Shipshewana, 1 in Bloomington, 1 in South Bend, 1 in Bristol and 1 in Granger). We donate 10% of all of our profits to the Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis. Our website is finally done! www.sweettreatsbabyboutique.com . We also have a store on Etsy and our items are sold on MK Baby Boutique website. It is actually a lot of fun making the hair bows, hats, flowers, etc., but it is also very time consuming! It is so hard to keep up with it all!

Kennadie has had a rough couple of months! Between a growth spurt, teething & having a nasty cold awhile ago and nightmares she has not been sleeping much at night. However, I think we have turned a corner and she seems to be getting back to normal (maybe)! She started walking around 11 months and is officially a full time walker and a runner! And getting into EVERYTHING she shouldn’t. She loves to get into Sissy’s Barbie house and pull out every piece of furniture in there and throw it on the floor…..Haley loves that! ;) She likes to do this with her clothes too! Her newest phrase is “All Done”! She is understanding a lot more of what we say. She know where her nose is, and if we tell her go get her pillow, book, dolly, car, etc….she knows what we are saying.

Haley has been busy with school and gymnastics. Now that she is in 1st grade she has homework!! She is a pretty active little girl, but enjoys it! She just took a field trip to the zoo in September and had a lot of fun! She also just lost her top two teeth!

We have a lot planned in the next couple of months, especially with the holidays coming up! We are definitely keeping busy!! :)

Kennadie's 1st Birthday Party!!

2010-11-17T21:41:00.001-05:00

I had the brilliant idea of taking Kennadie to get a pedicure with me on Friday, thinking it would be fun. Although I knew it would be a toss up because she does not like to sit still….ever and she has super ticklish feet just like me! Well just as I feared - she wanted nothing to do with it! She was scared to sit in the chair (I think it was the jets and the bubbles that scared her because they were kind of loud). So – Mom and I just ended up getting one. She did finally sit in the chair and played with the remote and that is as close as we got to her getting her first pedi. I was going to have them try and paint her toenails at least but she didn’t have her nap that day so we decided just to skip it this year….maybe we will try again for her 2nd birthday!

We had a lot of fun at Kennadie’s birthday party and I think she did too! She had lots of fun socializing & going from person to person! It didn’t really phase her to have all of those people there. We thought she may get a little stage fright when everyone sang to her, but she just kind of looked around like “why is everyone looking at me?” But when we brought her the cake – she was ready to go. She started with the frosting and just picked off the lady bug’s spots and ate them first! Then we cut her a piece and she dug in! Kennadie got some wonderful gifts. Lots of super cute clothes, fun toys, dolls, money for her saving account, her chair & her pink car! We ended up having around 40 people there to celebrate with us……thanks to everyone who came! She was so tired and worn out that she slept for 13 hours straight on Saturday night and didn’t make a peep – that is unheard of for her! But she played hard at her party so she was one tired little girl!

The Decorations

Time to open presents......She loved playing in her little car.....

Uncle Jorge thought it would be fun to give K some lime juice! :) We may have actually found ONE kind of food this little girl doesn't like!!

Grandma & Kennadie.....

Momma & Kennadie......

And what I'm sure was her favorite part......

HOPE YOU HAD A WONDERFUL BIRTHDAY PARTY KENNADIE JO!

Zac Brown Band Concert

2010-11-15T21:58:00.003-05:00

A couple of weeks ago Matt and I got to go to the Zac Brown Band concert at Conseco. Thanks to Matt’s friend we got to hang out all night in the suite and had food & drinks catered in. Watching a concert in the suite is definitely the way to go! It was a blast, the food was great and the music of course was awesome! They are such a fun band and it was a great concert to go to! The band also does a lot to give back and that is so cool! They are super patriotic! They played patriotic songs during the concert and gave away free cds to anyone who wrote a letter to send to the troops in Afghanistan. They also mentioned a program they support to help kids with learning disabilities throughout the night as well. I think that’s awesome that they take the opportunity to spread the word about organizations like that! They are awesome!! :)

You can't really tell but this is Zac Brown sportin' his Colts jersey......

Had to record a little bit of my favorite Zac Brown Band song.......

Haley's First Grade Picture

2010-11-11T21:45:00.000-05:00

All Haley wants for Christmas......

2010-11-10T21:41:00.005-05:00

.......is her two front teeth. (Oh yah and a Nintendo DSI - LOL!)