The Curtis Crew

Pajama Day

2012-02-12T17:24:00.001-08:00

We defined pajama day today at our house. Robbie and I did shower and get dressed but both girls stayed in their pajamas all day. It was cold and wet (a snowflake or two fell from the sky!) Lazy, perhaps? Who cares when you have two sisters who have just as much fun in their playroom as anywhere else. They are so cute together---makes momma happy!

No, this picture isn't staged. I walked upstairs to find Kamryn chatting to her cousin, Emma. I knew it wouldn't be long until Ashlyn was cooking something up in the kitchen! And last, we enjoyed the few minutes of snowfall we got today. Kamryn said, "oh they look like crystals.....is Santa coming?"

Pinterest Inspired - Our Special Dates

2012-02-11T07:47:00.000-08:00

It would be my dream to have a weekly pinterest project. I know this is not obtainable unless I don't have any interaction with my kids or sleep-two things I highly value. Instead we'll shoot for one project a month. This one I actually did yesterday afternoon when I got home from work. It was quick. Here's the supply list:

1 sheet of muted green scrapboook paper (cut to 8x10)
$5 frame from Hobby Lobby, size 8x10
I cut the numbers out of vinyl with my Silhouette (thought it made it look a little more professional) but you could easily just feed a sheet of 8.5 x 11 paper through your printer and print the numbers.
I cut one tiny heart with my Silhouette using glittery red cardstock
The flourish scrolls at the header and footer are a sparkly white cardstock cut with my Silhouette

I'm going to put this on a shelf in my craft room (that doesn't exist yet.......But Tinkerboy is building cabinets as I type!

*and for those of you who didn't know already, yes I'm the old maid.

Sleep

2012-02-10T13:51:00.000-08:00

As a parent, will sleep always be a topic of conversation? First, they're newborns and they don't know how to sleep/self-soothe and you have to teach them. Then they're conniving toddlers who think they can manipulate you into any bedtime ritual just to prolong bedtime. Then they become preschoolers who think they can really reason with you and provide 100 excuses on why they should be playing instead of napping. I can't imagine what sleep patterns will arise once they're teenagers. If they are anything like me they'll be zonked out at 11 am all summer while their mother vacuums their bedroom just to annoy them. But wide awake at 2 am eating bon- bons and playing Super Mario on Nintendo with their siblings all the while letting the neighbor kids sneak in to play video games.
This brings me to the topic at hand. Kamryn is going through a weird sleep phase. In 2012 she decided she no longer needed a nap. Which I kinda agree on. She had been slowly fading them out and doing relatively well without one. As long as she was in bed early. So for the past month she has been in bed asleep by 7:30 pm and awake the next morning at 7:30. Not too happy with the earlier wake up time; I was very used to 8 and 8:30 am. But I was starting to like the no nap business. Her and I could go shopping together on weekends while daddy stayed with Ashlyn. We had more freedom in our day (especially since Ashlyn was still napping 2 times a day). Side note: for the past 6 months I have had to be in my house from 11 am - 5 pm to accommodate nap schedules. Now that we've gotten used to this new schedule Kamryn has napped every day this week from 3-5 pm. Which is fine because that's what time Ashlyn takes her afternoon nap. Hence the reason why I'm blogging at 4:00 pm without any interruptions. Along with this nap Kamryn is still sleeping from 7:30-7:30. She either isn't feeling well (which could be the case since she has a horrible cough) or my persistent nagging her to sleep during quiet time has finally caught up with her.
In addition to this weird sleeping pattern, this morning at 5:30 AM (yes that's way too early in our house) Kamryn comes into our room, turns on the light and announces "I went pee-pee (she wears underwear to bed) in my potty and I put on new panties." My response, "did you pee-pee in the bed?" (why else would she need new panties?) Kamryn: "Noooo, I said, I pee-pee in my potty in my bathroom!" Me: "that's great, good job, now go back to bed! (as I carried her up the stairs back to her bedroom.....every light upstairs but Ashlyn's bedroom was on!) I was very proud of her for waking up and going into her own bathroom by herself, but very curious as to why she walked all the way to our bedroom to tell me. It's a long walk, especially at 5:30. I can remember going to my mom's side of the bed in the middle of the night telling her I needed to go the bathroom (the bathroom wasn't much further than my mom's room). She would shine the flashlight down the hall and that's all I needed. Not sure why I just didn't turn on the hall light?

Happy 1 Year Ashlyn

2012-02-09T09:42:00.000-08:00

Well, this is the last monthly update I'll give on Ashlyn. It's a good way to document all her milestones that she is going through so rapidly. Otherwise, I'm not sure if I would be able to keep up.
Dear Ashlyn,
At one year you weigh 24 lbs 8 oz (93rd percentile) and are 30 inches long (80th percentile). You still enjoy your morning nap and take a 2nd afternoon/early evening nap. At some point we need to combine those into one mid-day nap so mommy and sister don't feel trapped inside the house. But for now we'll let you be. You will eat a.n.y.t.h.i.n.g that we set on your tray including blueberries, bananas, peaches, pears, waffles, pita with hummus, steamed carrots, broccoli, green beans, green peas, quinoa, deli meat, veggie shreds, veggie burgers.....the list seems endless. We'll start whole milk with you as soon as I can get to HEB to buy it. You still love your night time bottle but that's the only bottle you take, all other formula has been in a sippy cup for several months now. I'm quiet sure you would be ok without a nighttime bottle but not quiet sure mommy will survive the lack of cuddle time. You learned to pull up to standing just this past weekend but get extremely irritated when you can't figure out how to get back to sitting. You have attempted to go up the stair case and soon realized you're not capable of maneuvering them (you learned the hard way but apparently you have a hard head as it has hit the tile numerous times). You love playing with your big sister but you tend to invade her space. There are little squabbles that I overhear in the playroom. For the most part yall both play really well with each other. You have 4 teeth and several more trying to make their appearance. You can say "dada," "mama," "nana," "Sh Sh" (for Ash Ash) and a lot of other jibberish that were unsure of. Like most females in your family you have a lot to say! You light up our lives and bring a smile to our face each and every day. We love you!

Watch Me Grow

2012-02-09T09:30:00.000-08:00

Smash Cake

2012-02-05T14:36:00.001-08:00

Ashlyn put the beat down onto her smash cake. She was covered in cake and icing. If it hadn't been cold and windy outside I would've hosed her down.

Party Pics

2012-02-05T13:30:00.000-08:00

Boy, do I love to throw a party! Ashlyn's birthday party theme was "Be My Valentine." I strategically made the decor so that I can reuse it in our house for Valentine's day. It was obviously easy to plan since we are less than 2 weeks away from Valentine's day. Besides it was fitting because I call Ashlyn "my sweet lovey!"

The Birthday Girl

2012-02-05T12:47:00.001-08:00

This past Saturday we celebrated Ashlyn's first birthday (actual birthday is the 8th). It was a great day surrounded by lots of family and friends. The guest of honor was greeted by her maw maw and paw paw, her nana and gramps, her great grandmother, Aunt Caryl, cousin Cheyann, and cousin Blake and Krista and 2nd cousin Lucy, many special friends and of course mommy, daddy and big sister Kamryn. We felt very honored and loved to have so many people to share the day with. And best of all Ashlyn enjoyed every minute of it. Here is the birthday girl sporting her cupcake shirt and baby legs both handmade by mommy. Daddy insisted there be a flame on the cupcake. I thought it made it look like she was on fire. But ..... daddy insisted. The coordinating hair bow I must say was adorable even though it only lasted for about the first 15 minutes of the party.

Latest Entryway Project

2012-01-25T13:29:00.000-08:00

The latest entryway project never made it's way to the entryway. Instead they are hanging from my mantle. For one simple reason.......too time consuming to make as many as I would need to fill up the entryway space. That's ok b/c now my mantle has a little sparkle to it. But if you find anything you think would look fabulous hanging in our entryway that Kamryn can help make please share.

These crystal hearts was a really neat experiment. It was fun to make just not sure I would make very many. It takes a little while to tie the string around the heart then around the pencil.

Crystal Hearts-
Here's the cliff notes: Make a shape out of pipe cleaner. It's almost February so we choose red pipe cleaners twisted to make a heart. Tie it to a pencil with fishing line. Dissolve 1/2 c Borax (now a staple in my kid craft cabinet) into 3 c boiling water. Stir until the water is clear. Lower the heart into the water. Wait a long time (overnight). Actually, the crystals started to form before we went to bed, but there were much more the next morning. Kamryn was excited to see that we "grew diamonds" over night!

Entryway

2012-01-25T13:24:00.001-08:00

I have the perfect spot to hang fun children's projects from in our entryway. Problem is it takes several to fill up the space. I glued and glued and glued popsicle sticks together and Kamryn decorated them to make sparkly snowflakes. I was going to leave them up through "winter" but looks like we won't be seeing any colder days. Guess they'll come down soon. Anyways it's a fun little project for your little ones. And as with most projects we had all needed supplies lying around our house anyways.

The Bowling Pin

2012-01-24T15:42:00.000-08:00

Who knew a plastic bowling pin from a $5 bowling set would create so much entertainment for an almost 1 year old. She carries it with her everywhere. She bangs it on the ground as she crawls around...she's like a little caveman/cavebaby! Ashlyn has actually been interested in this bowling pin since she was about 6 months old. She would sit on a blanket in the front yard for up to an hour holding it while we watched Kamryn play. Now you know what we do on rainy days......we crawl around with bowling pins!

Dress-Up Wardrobe

2012-01-22T08:47:00.000-08:00

I've wanted Tinkerboy to build Kamryn a dress up wardrobe for some time now. I had etched out different designs, but when I saw the one my cousin had made for his little girl I knew that was the exact one I wanted. Thanks for the inspiration cuz! Tinkerboy did a fantastic job and Kamryn loves it! It's kept in her room for now as Ashlyn tends to dismantle any organization I've put in to it. Can you believe the pink bins were found after this was made? They fit perfectly!

Whew!

2012-01-19T10:14:00.000-08:00

Well we haven't been doing much of anything lately. Last Wednesday through this past Monday Ashlyn had Roseola. Holy smokes that was a bad virus. With a fever of 104, chills and body aches Ashlyn was m.i.s.e.r.a.b.l.e. She had a rough few days. In the midst of it Kamryn got strep throat. She never really complained of pain, but was lethargic and wanted to be left alone for 2 days and didn't eat a single thing. After a couple trips to the pediatrician, several doses of ibuprofen and just waiting it out, the Roseola rash appeared on day 6 and Ashlyn was her normal happy self. And after 2 doses of antibiotics Kamryn was her typical self. In between all of that we had an ENT consult----a tonsillectomy is in Kamryn's immediate future. Her tonsils are HUGE. And did you know tonsils continue to grow until you're 8. By that time Kamryn wouldn't be able to breathe. These homemade pillow pallets came in handy. As the girls were most comfortable just lying around with no one bothering them watching Mickey Mouse, Tinkerbell and Cinderella. My MIL made these for both Kamryn and Ashlyn for Christmas--- 4 standard pillows covered with fabric. It's nice that you can fold the top pillow under the 2nd one to prop up to watch TV. Poor baby, you can tell she didn't feel well.

11 Months? No way!

2012-01-10T12:00:00.000-08:00

Here she is, 11 months and 2 days old! Boy has the past month been a busy one for Ashlyn. First, she had her first Christmas (es) and was happy to get all the attention as the "baby" of the family on both mine and Robbie's side of the family. She can now say "Ash" (and if you don't believe me look at her lips puckered up in the first picture, that's her saying "Ash!"), she still only has 2 teeth, still wears 18 month clothes, takes 2 naps a day, usually in bed by 8, sleeps til about 8 in the morning, adores her big sister and is primarily eating all finger foods. Her favorite fruit by far is blueberries (she devours them with both hands stuffed in her mouth), loves loves loves hummus, her favorite veggie is probably carrots but she likes most anything you give her so it's hard to tell, although she will not eat a cucumber for anything. She takes most of her formula by sippy cup, having only 2 bottles a day (1 before her PM nap and one at bedtime). She really has been a great eater. She is on the move a lot! She never knocked the Christmas tree over although we had a few close calls. She has tipped over my potted houseplant- twice! She's learning what "stop, that's not a toy!" means really fast. Especially since she hears it from me, her daddy and her sister who thinks she's in charge. When Kamryn is home Ashlyn is happy to just sit and play alongside her. They love to play hide and go seek together. It's so sweet to watch them. The also enjoy taking baths together although Ashlyn crawls around the bath the entire time getting in the way of Kamryn's barbies taking a swim. In the midst of all the holiday madness and Kamryn going back to school I returned to work. Thus, Ashlyn has been staying with a dear friend and neighbor. Ashlyn has adjusted quiet well. I know she is in great hands but boy are we happy to see each other when I pick her up. I know I've said this a 1000 times but she is such a sweet happy little baby.

Shower Ideas

2012-01-05T08:04:00.000-08:00

I recently hosted a shower and was inspired by many shower ideas online. Thought I would share some of my creations with you.

I really like this banner. I adapted it from something similar I saw online. I cut out brown onesies with my Silhouette, then another to overlay that had letters cut out to spell "baby girl." I attached the onesies to twine using clothespins. This way I didn't have to glue the letter onesies to the brown ones making it easier to reuse all of them. Then Tinkerboy strung them across the entryway for me.

Here's the cake table....without any food. I should've taken a picture after we set up the cake, chocolate covered strawberries, fruit tray and punch. Oh the punch......YUMMO! I make a batch of this weekly just for myself. I concocted this recipe based off some others that a neighbor gave me.

Sparkling Punch:
1 can frozen pink lemonade
1 jug White Cran-Strawberry Juice
1/3 of a 2 L bottle of Ginger Ale
Make sure all ingredients are cold. Mix together and garnish with fresh cranberries. It's the perfect shade of pink for any girly party! I would double the recipe though b/c we ran out really fast.

I use Martha Stewart's directions for making tissue paper pom-poms. It only takes about 5 minutes per pom-pom. I'm reusing the pink ones for another party. I have tissue paper pom poms hidden in all closets in my house so I can reuse them. I like the white lanterns. It's a nice touch and again reusable....$6.99 for 3 at Party City. Oh how Tinkerboy loves to hang pom poms from the ceiling.

This photo block is a simple, creative, inexpensive gift idea you can give for any occasion. I mod podged a piece of scrapbook paper that matched her nursery decor to a wooden block that Tinkerboy cut for me. I've used several different kinds of clips to hang the picture from (some from Wal-Mart, Office Depot, Office Max). I gave it to the guest of honor as a gift but I used it as table decor for the shower first.

And last the diaper wreath. I wanted another decoration that I could double as a gift. Need to make sure I'm getting my money's worth from these decorations. Again this was simple, inexpensive but time consuming. The items hanging from the middle were from the baby registry
This game wasn't my idea but is a lot of fun. Again, another item that serves two purposes. First as a game then as a gift for the new baby. Here are the directions:

College Fund

Buy a plastic piggy bank and tell your guests to bring spare change. Each guest takes a turn saying "I've never..." and says something that they have never done like "eat sushi", "been in a helicopter", etc. If someone out of the group actually HAS done that thing, they have to put a coin in the piggy bank. At the end of the game, the change goes toward the new baby's college fund!

Timid Tumbler

2012-01-03T10:03:00.000-08:00

We signed Kamryn up for gymnastics this fall mainly so she could have something to do by herself without Ashlyn tagging along, partly because she has an intense fear of any gross motor activity and a little bit because I thought the socialization aspect of it would be good for her timidness in large groups trait. And so far it has helped with all of those! She cried....and cried....and cried the first day because she wanted so badly for momma to go into the gym with her. But at this age, the parents sit in the waiting room and watch the gymnasts through the big windows. She could see me and I could see her. Her sweet teacher Ms. A held her the first half of the class and before long she was warming up and tagging right along with the other kids. She's now enjoying it much more and has become brave, trying things I never thought she would.

Christmas on the Farm

2012-01-02T16:04:00.001-08:00

We spent 4 days on our farm in East Texas the week after Christmas visiting my family. Robbie gets time to hunt, dad gets free day labor, the grandkids all get to play together, my sisters and I get to eat whatever we want, I get a break from tending to my children because my niece wants to do it all......it's a win-win for everyone involved! I'm sure you're wondering how do all those crazy kinfolk sleep under the same roof, share the same bathroom and spend 24 hours a day together for multiple days. Well you see, it's a group effort from the entire county road. Some bunk with my grandma (my family b/c my kids are the most high maintenance when it comes to sleeping.....lights out, no one make a noise and leave them in a room by themselves), some go to a family friends, some don't sleep, some sleep with 5 other people in the room with them, some sleep in closets. For the good times.....

Here's the whole gang! *for the record I actually I have a shot of everyone including Ashlyn looking at the camera but someone-an adult (not naming any names had a goofy look on their face, how come we can get the kids to cooperate but not the adults!)

Christmas Morning

2012-01-02T15:30:00.000-08:00

Yes, Kamryn is carrying panties as she walked downstairs to see what Santa had brought her. It's her morning ritual......wake up, crawl out of bed, go grab her panties, walk downstairs, go potty, take her pull-up off, put panties on.

Santa's helper made Kamryn the most adorable dress up wardrobe. It still has some finishing touches that need to be added but for now it serves its purpose. Kamryn had so much fun opening all her presents (and every one elses). Ashlyn thoroughly enjoyed eating tissue paper, wrapping paper, bows and most of all loved ripping the paper in two! Wow who knew paper was so much fun. I have now experienced the old saying "it's like watching a child on Christmas morning." It really is a magical time for so many reasons. What a blessing!
Little side note: Robbie insisted that Kamryn needed a Spirograph like he and I both had when we were little kids. He found an identical one on ebay. I thought it was a little advanced for Kamryn but with a little practice here is her masterpiece. She loves it!

Twas the Night Before Christmas

2012-01-02T15:16:00.000-08:00

and Kamryn looked so pitiful for reasons we do not know. She was quieter than usual and might have been feeling a little under the weather but that didn't stop her for having a wonderful Christmas. This was the first time since Robbie and I have been married that we attended our own church on Christmas Eve and were in our own house Christmas morning. All other times I was either working or we were at his parents. It was the most memorable Christmas we have had together. My parents stayed with us Christmas Eve. We went to the children's church service at our church. The girls looked precious in their matching red Christmas dresses. You'll have to take my word for it as I didn't take a picture. Ashlyn was napping right up until the seconds we left for church so I literally dressed her and put her in the car seat. After church we ate chicken tortilla soup, made Santa some cookies, fed the reindeer and got the girls in bed early. Apparently, we should've gotten them to bed even earlier because Christmas morning all the adults were sitting on the couch drinking coffee when Kamryn and Ashlyn finally rolled out of bed at 8:30.

Curtis Christmas

2011-12-23T18:35:00.000-08:00

Robbie and I hosted his family Christmas this year. I love to host and was so glad everyone made the trip to our house. The weather was amazing (too warm for a few days before Christmas) but Kamryn and her cousin, Jaci, were happy to play outside together. Ashlyn has perfected saying "nana" (that's my MIL) and says it all the time. In fact after Nana left last night, Ashlyn woke up this morning repeatedly saying "nana" as if she was looking for her. Kamryn took a surprisingly long nap the day everyone arrived (she awoke to her Nana). So I let her stay up wayyyy past her bedtime Wednesday night to watch Christmas movies with Jaci. Because we let some our guests sleep in Kamryn's room Kamryn bunked with us. Note: She does not sleep with us, she only does when we travel and then it's usually just in the bed with Robbie. And she has never slept on a pallet on the floor. She's a high maintenance sleeper ....... she sleeps best in a dark quiet cave, alone. That's extremely handy when you have a dark quiet cave....i.e. anytime you are in the comfort of your o wn home, but extremely inconvenient when you are away from home. Often times she tells me when I lie down with her a night that "snuggling hurts her" or reminds me that "your bed is downstairs!" Nonetheless, we unrolled a sleeping bag and made her a pallet on the floor next to our bed. She never complained or said anything otherwise; however, she did look at us like we were a little crazy. But when it was time for bed she nestled down, talked to herself for 30 minutes and then started snoring.

Emma's 4th Birthday

2011-12-23T14:24:00.000-08:00

My niece, Emma, had a princess birthday party (appropriate). I can say that because her mom thinks so too. This was Kamryn's first dress-up party. Kamryn calls Emma "my friend, Emma Claire, my cousin." And she addresses her that way each time she talks about her. The girls had so much fun together. It was a fantastic party complete with princess tattoos, DIY crowns and princess slippers. The queen even made an appearance.

Christmas Round 1

2011-12-20T12:46:00.001-08:00

We spent Saturday and Sunday in Houston visiting my grandma and attending my niece's 4th birthday party. I announced I was pregnant with Kamryn the day after Emma was born....how in the world has that been 4 years? Here are a few pictures from Christmas with Grandma Haught.

Here's the whole gang! My nephew, Holden, sporting his Christmas shirt I made him (Kamryn just told me "that's a silly Holden!") The girls acting goofy. Cheyann is such a terrific big cousin! Grandma Haught and Ashlyn

Christmas Program

2011-12-16T09:14:00.000-08:00

Last Friday was Kamryn's preschool Christmas program. She has been practicing her songs since Halloween! Her favorite is Away in a Manger, but her class also sung Oh Christmas Tree, Up on the Roof Top and another one that I can't remember- bad mommy! The program was in our church (smart idea because last year it was standing room only in our fellowship hall). She walked in holding the teacher's hand and you could tell she was a little in aw of all the mommies and daddies looking at her. She sat in the teacher's lap during the other classes performances but she smiled real big and sang all her songs when it was their turn. She was very excited! And we were so proud of her. Special thanks to my sweet friend D for keeping Ashlyn so that I could actually enjoy the program and take some pictures.

You can tell she was a little uncertain of all the people at first. But then she spotted daddy in the back video taping her and she was all smiles! And she started singing all her songs! Here's all the 3 year olds- they were all so good and well behaved. Check out this picture from the end of the program, notice how everyone on the front row is doing their own thing - hilarious! ( I couldn't get Kamryn in it too, but the front row is all her little friends from school)

Ashlyn- 10 Months

2011-12-12T19:48:00.000-08:00

I'm 4 days late with this post. Partly because I keep forgetting to take a picture of Ashlyn with her 10 month onesie but subconsciously I think I'm doing it on purpose. In my head I want Ashlyn to be 9 months forever - that's my favorite baby age. What's happening, how is Ashlyn already 10 months? And so much as happened this month. Ashlyn is now crawling and getting into everything. Luckily, I have a very independent, bossy 3 1/2 year old that doesn't allow Ashlyn to get to anything she isn't supposed to. On days that Kamryn is in school I'm constantly having to redirect Ash, but when Kam is home, Kamryn assures me "mommy, I'll watch her." And with my supervision I let her. Ashlyn's favorite thing to do is open any non-baby proofed drawer and take everything out of it. She has a thing for my Pellon wonder under and Kamryn's bottom dresser drawer. Ashlyn has her 2 bottom teeth, constant runny nose and the sweetest grin and laugh. She is now feeding her self bite sized fruits and veggies. Grandma Haught worked on this with her over the Thanksgiving break and within one week she was doing it like a champ. Oh how I wish I could freeze time....I would go back a month a do it!

Breakfast with Santa

2011-12-10T14:36:00.000-08:00

Our HOA and lots of neighbors and volunteers put on a magical event for all the kids in our neighborhood. We had breakfast with Santa- donuts and breakfast burritos served by Santa's elves, face painting and crafts. This was Ashlyn's first encounter with Santa and she loved him. Kamryn wanted to know why Santa didn't have a mouth! A little timid at first but she got enough courage to sit on his lap for a few minutes. In case you're wondering why they aren't in a picture together.....I forgot about Ashlyn the first time and had to wait in line again. Ha! Atleast I didn't leave her at the grocery store or something. To be fair, I was holding Kamryn on my hip through the line convincing her that Santa was a nice man. By the time I got to the front of the line I forgot Ashlyn was waiting in the stroller back at the table with Robbie. The plan was for him to give Ashlyn to me when we got to Santa. But I totally forgot because I was so focused on keeping Kamryn from getting scared. And to think I consider myself a pretty good multi-tasker. I'm slacking in my old age!

Santa Came to Mommy's Work

2011-12-09T10:15:00.000-08:00

Santa has been very busy, making an appearance in our neighborhood and then again last night to mommy's work. Kamryn told us she didn't want to sit in Santa's lap this time that she wanted to sit with Ms. Claus. She also told Santa to bring Ashlyn a Tinkerbell sippy cup. Yes, I managed to get a picture of all three girls in their matching shirts and bows. You can tell I'm a beginner at sewing because Ashlyn's rick rack faded allllll over her shirt even though I washed the rick rack first. She dribbled her water from her sippy cup down the front of her shirt but after we left the party. So atleast she got to wear it to one event. I'll try to salvage it but guess I'll be making another one. And Kamryn will just have to wear hers multiple times without me washing it! Ugh, I'm so mad at myself. Anyone know how to get rick rack to stop fading?

What does Jolly Ol' St. Nick and Ashlyn have in common? a little round belly that shakes when they laugh like a bowl full of jelly. (zoom in you can see Ashlyn's- awwww)

Just the Girls

2011-12-09T10:00:00.000-08:00

photography by Ellis Eyes Photography

Christmas Card Photo Shoot

2011-12-08T19:31:00.000-08:00

photography by Ellis Eyes Photography

A Christ-Filled Christmas

2011-12-06T20:19:00.000-08:00

I strive to illustrate the real meaning of Christmas to Kamryn and Ashlyn. Kamryn learns alot about baby Jesus at school and I take every opportunity to educate her on the subject as much as I can without making it too difficult to understand. She looked at me with concern when I told her Jesus was everywhere. So far the take away message this year (she is only 3) is that we celebrate Christmas because it's Jesus's birthday. She is begging me to make Jesus a birthday cake.....I'm sure we will. She must be soaking in some of this. She visited Santa this past Saturday and the first thing she asked him to bring her was "Christmas music" followed by a "Cinderella doll." She tells us her favorite Christmas song is "the bump a rum rum" song (The Little Drummer Boy). Robbie made her a CD of her favorite Christmas carols and we drive around the neighborhood at night listening to her CD and looking at Christmas lights. I also overhead her singing to the Baby Jesus in our nativity scene (while petting him)...."away in a manger no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus lay down his sweet head. The staaaaaarrrrrs in the sky look down where he lay down his sweet head..." So precious!

Christmas Shirts

2011-12-06T20:09:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited/pleased about the way these shirts turned out. A friend of mine and I made them for our little girls today. And they all have coordinating hand made bows to match. We're all going Thursday to see Santa at my work. Stay tuned to see the girls in their cute outfits (wishful thinking that I'm going to get a picture of all 3 of them together)!

Call Me Crazy

2011-12-06T20:02:00.001-08:00

Or bored or creative or maybe a combination of all three. But I decorated my half bath and kitchen soap dispensers. The brown one was originally a Dawn foaming dish soap container, the other a .99 cent Target brand hand soap bottle. With a little paint and vinyl mongramming they're now unique. Before long everything in this house is either going to have a vinyl cut out on it or ribbon tied around it. Ha!

Such a Big Girl

2011-12-06T19:44:00.000-08:00

Kamryn is independent in so many ways. I find myself asking her to do stuff and then thinking "wait, she's only 3, she can't do that." Well, never underestimate the power of a very strong willed 3 year-old that comes from the stubborn Link gene pool. But oh how it comes in handy. One morning I was upstairs feeding Ashlyn while rocking in the glider. I heard Kamryn rummaging around downstairs. She had just gotten out of bed. When I walked downstairs this is what I saw.And she happily said "mommy, I'm ready for you to make me breakfast!"

Another morning I heard Ashlyn wake up. She likes to roll around and babble in bed and I let this go on as long as I can. I usually wake up when I hear her first start "talking" then shower, start putting make up on and do whatever I can until she insists I come get her. (by insists I mean her babbling turns into a cry). One particular morning over the monitor I heard Ashlyn first and about 15 minutes later I hear Kamryn come in her room, turn off Ashlyn's monitor and start singing "Good morning to you....Good morning to you...." My first thought was to run upstairs and supervise this but to my surprise Kamryn was in Ashlyn's crib reading her a book and Ashlyn was just smiling! Ashlyn always wakes up before Kamryn. Now I use this to my advantage. Ashlyn naps twice a day so each time she wakes up from a nap if Kamryn is home/awake I send her upstairs to read to Ashlyn- it buys me 10-15 minutes. Oh what one can do with an extra 10-15 minutes twice a day! Besides they need some sisterly bonding time.

It's Beginning to Look Alot Like Christmas

2011-11-30T19:20:00.000-08:00

Thankful

2011-11-30T18:50:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving "break"- Ha! For us it's more like let's see how many miles we can drive in 4 days. Although I'm really not complaining b/c I have this traveling to East Texas thing figured out. First, my parents and my in-laws live within 35 minutes of each other. So if we're going to East Texas to see one family we get to see both. Therefore we're really only making one "trip." But with baby in tow we have to pack and unpack the pack and play, bottles, bibs, baby food, diapers, wipes, etc etc more times than I would like. However, as Ashlyn is approaching her 1 year mark we'll be able to lighten our load a bit next trip and at the rate she is growing she'll outgrow that pack and play long before most babies do. Second, I reserve a room at my grandma's house (she lives on the farm with the rest of the Link family). Ashlyn and I end up with a nice quiet room all to ourselves. This year after I put Ashlyn down I bribed my sister and cousin in laws to hang out at Grandma's with me. We stayed up way too late playing cards and gossiping. It was perfect.
Since I met Robbie we have always spent Thanksgiving Day with his family. I don't even know if my mom knows how to cook a turkey (hehehehe!). I have no room to talk, the year Robbie and I hosted Thanksgiving we bought an already cooked turkey from Rudy's. Before dating Robbie, Thanksgiving with my family entailed a basketball tournament (yes, in high school both my older sister and I played basketball on Thanksgiving Day) or when I was in college we were at Kyle Field. Time spent on Thanksgiving Day with my in-laws though is a great tradition that I'm proud to be a part of. We enjoy our time there catching up with his family and now watching the granddaughters plays together. The food is always fabulous. Everyone has their "signature dish" they bring, Andy eats the turkey leg (gross!), Robbie and Andy ask if any wants "gaaarrrrrravvvvvy" or "potaaattooooes," there's always a sports discussion (usually about Doak Walker, the Aggies, or the North Forney Falcons), football on the TV and a big lull after lunch time when every takes their designated spot in the living room.
If I had to list the things I was thankful for (after God), my family, extended family and in-laws and all the memories we share would be at the top of the list. I am who I am because of my family.
And here is our turkey day in pictures.

knitting with the "other nana" AKA Aunt Karen

Turkey and football- 2 necessary things on Thanksgiving Day

Cousins wearing their turkey shirts handmade by Nana

Girls Weekend in Aggieland

2011-11-21T16:27:00.000-08:00

It was months in the making, tickets bought ahead of time, room and board arrangements made several months in advanced, new maroon shirt bought and has luck would have it, plans came crumbling down four days prior to kick off! My cousin in law, Kelly, and I (both Aggie graduates) planned a girls weekend in College Station which included Aggie football, margaritas, girl talk, card games and hospitality from the world's best hostess. It was the perfect get away. However, Kelly's plans changed quickly and with good reason could longer come. So at 10:30 at night 4 nights before I was supposed to leave I texted my first Aggie friend asking her to clear her schedule that I had a ticket to the game for her. Even though she is a school teacher and has 3 busy boys she found time and joined me in College Station. It was a blast. The weather was perfect, the hospitality was no less than a 5 star resort, the food and drinks were yummy and the Aggies won. I look forward to an annual girls getaway at Kandi's house!Kandi (hostess, dad's cousin's wife), Phyllis (dad's cousin), Karyn the giant
Meet Jenny- I met her at fish camp the summer before we started A&M. We were close friends throughout college, roommates for one summer and I was a bridesmaid in her wedding. We now live about an hour and half from each other.

Craft Night

2011-11-21T15:52:00.000-08:00

I hosted my first craft night last week. And it wasn't even held in my craft room- ha! Although the craft room is coming along it doesn't have any seating yet. The bar stools have arrived but they aren't put together. By the new year I hope to have the counter done and all the shelves so that I can host another craft night soon! I already have our next project picked out. Last week we did a felt Christmas tree. Nothing fancy, just some felt circles and a sparkly ornament, but I love it. And all the other girls did wonderful for their first "official" craft night! I won't mention any names but there was Crafter #1: the experienced crafter who can whip together anything without directions or staring at an online tutorial but had no idea Hobby Lobby sold felt by the yard and bought many felt sheets instead (note it took atleast 200 felt circles for this project), Crafter #2 who thinks she can't do anything and would rather just buy it but ended up creating a very nice tree, Crafter #3 who wanted to know what kind of scissors to buy to cut felt, had no idea had to cut a circle but ended up with a beautiful tree, Crafter #4 who got blisters from cutting all her felt circles, broke the top off her styrofoam cone before we even started but managed to create a beautiful tree as well and myself who studied the directions for an hour, had every circle perfectly cut but bought the wrong length straight pins so I had to start over a few times borrowing pins from my fellow crafters. It was a fun night. Here are the trees- note the white ones (not completely finished b/c they were so tall and I had to start over!) And here's my finished project; yes I have green walls in my craft room, but it's a craft room it's supposed to allude creativity besides I love green. Oh and Robbie had the nerve to tell me that my tree didn't come to a point on the top!

Happy 9 Months Ashlyn

2011-11-09T10:13:00.000-08:00

Weighing in at 22 lbs 6 oz (95th %) and measuring 29 inches long (92nd %) ...... our 9 month happy baby, Ashlyn! She primarily wears 18 month clothes (occasionally can squeeze those thighs and belly into a size 12 month). Surprisingly, she has gone down in her weight percentile but increased in height percentile. Another long-legged Link offspring headed for the volleyball court! For a baby that doesn't crawl yet Ashlyn sure knows how to get from one place to another. She scoots backwards, she rolls, she gets on all 4's and then into a sitting position but no forward crawling. It's probably going to happen any day now and my days are going to change rapidly-baby gate will have to go up and Kamryn is not going to be happy when Ashlyn starts invading her space. But until then I'll enjoy my cup of fireside coffee while Ashlyn sits happily on her rump!

Trick or Treat

2011-11-02T09:09:00.001-07:00

The little fairy princess and her beau Buzz Lightyear set off for the 2nd year in a row to trick or treat in our neighborhood. They were so cute running up to each door "taking turns" ringing the door bell. They got so much loot we had to empty out the pumpkins into the stroller. We donated the majority of the goods to the troops overseas. Ashlyn was able to make it through all but the last 30 minutes of the trick or treating when I took her home for bath, a bedtime bottle and a little snuggling before going to bed.

Family

2011-10-31T09:51:00.000-07:00

For the past4 weekends we have had family in town. It's been a lot of fun. Makes me wish that we all lived closer together. But since we don't I'll take weekend visits. This past Thursday my cousin Paul and his wife Kelly and their 2 little boys stayed with us. Kamryn and A are 7 months apart and Ashlyn and R are 4 weeks apart. Here are 4 future Aggies from the Link gene pool----smart kids!

Kamryn's First Hair Cut

2011-10-31T09:19:00.000-07:00

Kamryn's hair was starting to grow uneven. With all the curls it was hard to notice at first but the longer it got the more noticeable it was. I needed a hair cut too so off went. Kamryn was near exhaustion and I thought the relaxing hair wash was going to put her to sleep. She was a good girl and sat very patiently for Ms. Mendy.

The final result: it's hard to tell that her hair has been cut because of all the curls but if her hair were straight it would be like a little bob right at the shoulders

Kamryn Pumpkin Patch Pictures

2011-10-25T14:22:00.001-07:00

Ashlyn's First Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-25T14:02:00.000-07:00

My Little Pumpkins

2011-10-25T13:57:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin Patch Disaster

2011-10-25T13:22:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday I had planned to take the girls along with my mom to the pumpkin patch. Even though it's nearly an hour drive I enjoy the trip and the beautiful fall weather (a little warm this year). Besides I thought having my mom with me would help me get better pictures of the girls. We had decided to leave early Saturday morning to beat the crowd. Kamryn woke up with a low grade fever but I didn't think much of it. She's had low grade fevers with no other symptoms before and it rarely slows her down. Thinking it was something minor we loaded up and headed out. Half-way into the drive (remind you Kamryn has been very quiet the entire trip) I hear a faint "I want some water mommy" followed by vomiting and more vomiting. We're winding around the hill country on a small 2 lane road with no shoulders. There's puke everywhere on Kamryn and all in her car seat. We manage to find a spot to pull over, strip her down, clean up as much as we could and turn around. The car smells awful and about 10 minutes later we do the routine all over again. This time most of the vomit was contained in a barf bag I gave to Kamryn. She looked so pitiful and so did her brand new home made pumpkin patch outfit (hand wash only!). We get back home clean everything and Kamryn stays in my bed watching movies the majority of the next 24 hours with a fever climbing to 104.4. Robbie is in Dallas enjoying the World Series free of vomit fumes. Thank God my parents were in town.

Being the determined person that I am, I loaded up the girls again this morning to make that drive myself. I was going to get my pumpkin patch pictures one way or another. We left 30 minutes later than I wanted to because Ashlyn was still asleep at 9 am! Away we went with the girls in their pjs. I wasn't taking any chances. On the way Kamryn said, "I'm not going to throw up this time!" Whew! A few miles past where we stopped last time we came to a stand still on that same 2 lane road with no shoulders winding through the hill country. There were about 30 cars in front of me and behind me. Luckily, it was cool outside so we rolled down the windows and sat and sat and sat with the ignition off. There wasn't enough room for me to turn around. Thank goodness Kamryn didn't need to go to the bathroom. In fact, I asked her and she replied, "no, but where is the potty?" After about a 30 minute delay we made it through (some sort of tractor trailer accident). Alas, we see pumpkins. It was quiet an adventure complete with Kamryn's first trip to an outhouse. I feel like superwoman after all that!

3rd Annual Playgroup Halloween Party

2011-10-25T12:05:00.001-07:00

Remember this picture?

Well these little cuties are now all in preschool. The penguin (barely pictured) now has a little sister, the escaping longhorn football player and twin sister little chick also have a baby sister, the concerned baby hulk also has a little sister, the scared ladybug also has a little sister, the totally oblivious gnome to the overly sensitive girls around him now has a little brother and another one on the way, the extremely scared, trying to get away Pebbles Flintstone now has more hair, longer legs and a baby sister! And to celebrate another Halloween together one of the mom's hosted a Halloween party at her house. It was perfect! Maybe by the time they are 13 we can get a picture of all of them looking and smiling at the camera. Atleast this time no one was crying! We're making progress.

In Laws

2011-10-19T13:03:00.000-07:00

My brother-in-law/Robbie's brother, sister-in-law and niece Jaci came to visit this past weekend. Kamryn adores Jaci and loves to follow her around doing whatever she is doing. Ashlyn loves her some Uncle Andy and gave him kiss after kiss. It so sweet! It was a quick visit but were very happy to see them!

Behavior Chart

2011-10-19T11:17:00.000-07:00

Whew, who knew teaching a 3 year old about manners and good behavior was so hard. Don't get me wrong, she is a sweet girl who knows right from wrong. However, she also knows how to play the cards right. And there's only so much whining and misbehaving this momma can take. Last week was a tough week for Kamryn. By Friday I had enough. I knew we had to deal with the misbehaving before it got out of control. So with a little pixie dust and a magic wand I've had my sweet girl back for the past few days.

My Broken Heart

2011-10-12T10:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Kamryn was in rare form. I don't know what her problem was but it was resulting in a lot of disciplining on my part. In the midst of me getting on to her, she teared up and with a pouty face and sad voice she said, "mommy, you're not my sweet pea anymore!"

8 Months and Proud

2011-10-09T09:55:00.001-07:00

I say "proud" because this month Ashlyn learned to clap (Ashley Allen do you remember when you taught Kamryn to clap?) Well, Kamryn has paid it forward and taught Ashlyn to clap. And she is so proud of herself showing off her moves every chance she gets. Ashlyn can also say "ma-ma" and "da-da" but let's make note that "ma-ma" was her first word and she says it frequently -mostly when she wants something! Some things will never change. Doesn't everyone want/need their mama still-some more than others (Krystal)? Ashlyn had her first sleepover at the farm with MawMaw and PawPaw this month with only her big sister there. Because we've noticed Ashlyn sleeps much longer at my parents house I invested in an eclipse curtain to block out the morning sunlight in her room. It is actually working I think. I'm not getting 6:30 wake up calls anymore! Instead I hear little babbling and a pacifier banging against the crib at 7 or 7:30. Anything before 7 just seems way to early. And then she even falls back asleep sometimes. Ashlyn still eats like her daddy (alot, getting fussy when her tummy is empty). We're past the pureed foods (well have been pretty much all along). She can really gum her food and loves bananas and avocados. Ashlyn can maintain her position on all fours and rocks back and forth, scoots backwards on her belly but no crawling yet. We get a lot of "she looks just like her daddy" but her hair is lightening up a lot. So maybe a little strawberry blonde Robbie.

Bedtime Ritual

2011-10-06T11:45:00.000-07:00

Kamryn's OCD kicks in to overdrive at naptime and bedtime. Then once it's over she naps for 2 1/2- 3 hrs and sleeps 12+ hours at night. But good golly the ritual is a beating. The following takes about 10-15 minutes if I do it and 30+ minutes if Robbie does (he will do whatever she tells him to do). At bedtime all of this is preceded by reading 2 books.

Kamryn: "Let me tell you something, okay? Sing Hush Little Baby."
Mommy: sings this version of Hush Little Baby and if I mess it up one bit Kamryn interrupts "No, no not that way, start over." Luckily, I think I have it memorized now.
"Hush little baby don't say a word, Kamryn's going to buy you a mockingbird and if that
mockingbird don't sing, Kamryn's going to buy you a diamond ring.
And if not that diamond ring turns brass, MawMaw's going to buy you a looking glass.
And if that looking glass gets broke, PawPaw's going to buy you a billy goat.
And if that billy goat won't pull, David's going to buy you a cart and bull.
And if that cart and bull fall over, Hannah's going to buy you a dog named Rover.
And if that dog named Rover won't bark, Uncle Mike's going to buy you a horse and cart.
And if that horse and cart fall down, Ashlyn will still be the sweetest baby in town."
Kamryn: "ABCs!"
Kamryn and Mommy in unison sing the ABCs.
Kamryn: "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star!"
Kamryn and Mommy sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in unison.
Kamryn: "Babies on the Bus."
Kamryn and Mommy sing one verse of the Wheels on the Bus...."the babies on the bus go wha-wha-wha......."
Kamryn: Soft Kitty (song from The Big Bang Theory)
Kamryn and Mommy sing Soft Kitty in unison followed by this "ahhhh ka ka ka ka ka" I have no idea where this came from.
Kamryn: "Now I say the Pledge Allegiance" and she proceeds to say the entire thing without messing up.
Kamryn: "Now I say the food prayer. God is great, God is good, let us thank him for our food. Amen!"
Kamryn: "Now I say the sleeping one. Now I lay me down to sleep, I play the Lord my soul to keep. Angels scarred me through the night. Keep me safe til morning light. Amen!"
Kamryn: "Let me tell you something, okay? You say I can't give you hug and kiss."
Mommy: "You can't give me hug and kiss"
Kamryn: "Lay down on your back. Put your arms out, don't move them. Let me check to see if they are moving." And she climbs on top of me and gives me a big hug and kiss. "You say I can't push you to the music."
Mommy: "You can't push me to the music." She then pushes me off the bed to go turn on her music box.
Kamryn: "You say I can't get pretty up there." (while pointing to her pillow at the top of her bed)
Mommy: "You can't get pretty up there."
Kamryn: nestles down on her pillow and says "I'm pretty!" "Let me tell you something, okay. You say I can't push you out the room."
Mommy: "You can't push me out the room." And she pushes me out the room making sure to call me back for one more thing.
Kamryn: "Get me tight"
So I tuck her in one last time with another hug and kiss and quickly tell her to talk to Rigsley (her teddy bear) about what she did at school that day or what she did with mommy and Ashlyn. It distracts her so she doesn't call me back in there 1000 times.
As I'm walking out the door I hear "I want daddy. Daddy! DADDDYYY! Daddy? Daddy?"
So I just respond lying "okay!"

See all of you moms whose kids don't sleep well at night, waking up 2 or 3 times or make you lie in bed with them til they fall asleep. You're doing it all wrong. You have to sing some goofy version of Hush Little Baby and then let your 3 year old boss you around for 5 minutes. And yes we do this every day at naptime and every night at bedtime. It's a quick 10-15 minutes so I'm not complaining but geez is it weird! Oh good grief child one day I'll show you this and we'll have a good laugh!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-05T14:22:00.000-07:00

Halloween Spectactular

2011-10-05T13:22:00.000-07:00

Boo Wreath- I first attempted to make a foam wreath out of plumbing foam but I failed. I even had Robbie try to engineer it but it just wouldn't stay together the way I wanted it to. But here's where I got the idea from let me know if you try it out and have success with it. Instead I used a straw wreath (much cheaper than a styrofoam wreath, especially when they are 50% at Hobby Lobby---about $2.00) I left the wrapper on it so I wouldn't make a mess of the straw. Because the mess I made with the burlap was plenty. Here's the inspiration behind the burlap part. I highly recommend using this method of cutting burlap. Yes I know, my second "O" is upside down, I'll fix that later, but I was probably holding a 23# 8-month old, cooking dinner, washing laundry and teaching Kamryn what the letter I looks like all the while using a hot glue gun to glue the darn thing down.

Bats- One of mine and Robbie's first nights out in Austin was to Congress Bridge to watch the bats take flight at dusk. It was an awesome sight and I can't wait to take the girls when they are older. But since they really wouldn't appreciate it yet, I brought the bats to us. I first stuck these with duct tape to the brick around our front door but within a couple of hours I had floppy dead bats all over my front door step. Not sure how long they will last on the front door but they're thriving on the walls inside the house. This blogger, also an Austinite, has a template for the bats.

A&M Heartbreak

2011-10-05T13:09:00.000-07:00

I almost didn't blog about this because I could not bear to relive the heartbreak. Robbie and I went to Dallas this past weekend for the annual Southwest Classic game. I swear if I have to look at another Razorback fan I will barf all over them. They are so disgusting, rude and classless. Win or lose atleast we look better, have more class and are from Texas. Enough said. A&M lost, Robbie and I are depressed, but are anxiously awaiting another shot at them next year! Besides it's become a yearly tradition for us to go to the game with my dad's cousin (Jim) and his wife (Kandi), spend the night in Dallas and catch up with old friends. There's always entertainment when you're with Jim and Kandi, it's as if they attract good fun. So while Robbie and I were away the girls spent the night with my parents. It was Ashlyn's first night away from home sans mommy and daddy. She was a little sad at first but once she figured out mawmaw had baby food, bottles, toys and a nice comfy pack and play she was just fine. And like a good child of mine she slept through the night and took 2 good naps. Kamryn had an ultimate meltdown Friday night at bedtime because I left her lovey in Robbie's truck (which was with us in Dallas). Fortunately, Mawmaw can sew and made her a new one.......Mr. Buttons! Now Mr. Buttons is part of her bedtime entourage.

Egg Carton Pumpkins

2011-09-27T13:51:00.000-07:00

Alright fall is here and our Halloween and fall crafts are starting. I think I'm just as fond of decorating for Halloween as I am Christmas. Especially when I have a 3 year old to share all the fun with. And who knew you could make so many crafts with an egg carton (thanks pinterest!) We're big fans of collecting egg cartons around here since my parents have a funny farm that is home to a bunch of chickens. But we're putting the cartons to other uses this year....little pumpkins!

The Stars of Sea World

2011-09-26T09:49:00.001-07:00

I have to admit the dolphins are my favorite. Something about how their cute little face always looks like it is smiling that puts a smile on my face. They're so sweet. It still amazes me how you can train a killer whale to do tricks. I remember as a little kid the trainers would get in the water with Shamu but they didn't this time. Wonder if it's because of the tragic accident a couple of years ago with the trainer in Orlando?

Sesame Street at Sea World

2011-09-26T09:16:00.000-07:00

Sea World

2011-09-25T18:20:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I had been to Sea World. Although I knew Ashlyn would have no recollection of it I also knew Kamryn would thoroughly enjoy it. And she did. Robbie and I did too. I was highly impressed with how brave Kamryn was riding all the kiddie rides in the Sesame Street play area. She was so cute watching all the shows, she didn't want to miss a thing but she wanted her daddy to hold her during the shows because the whales and dolphins made her a little nervous. She did throw a fish or two in to feed the sea lions and dolphins but she kept her distance. Ashlyn even watched Shamu some but quickly fell asleep. We got to meet Cookie Monster, Grover and Abby after the Sesame Street sing and dance performance. During the Sesame Street show Ashlyn got very hot, tired and lethargic. It was as if she was panting and I got a little nervous. I monitored her for a few minutes but she just got limp and quiet. I knew she was tired but the heavy breathing was really bothersome. So I quickly found the first Sea World staff member I could to ask where a fan/cooler area was. Fortunately, there was a fan near by and Ashlyn and I stood under it. I could instantly feel her breathing change. Then the Sea World worker opened a nearby door and motioned for me to go in the room because it was quiet and air conditioned. Whoa- what do you know, I'm now backstage with Big Bird. And boy was he big! He was so sweet and was worried about Ashlyn-(by this time Ashlyn was sound asleep on my chest). The show ended and Elmo showed up who was also concerned about Ashlyn. I told them thanks for letting us rest in there and that I better get going before my 3 year old realized I was hanging out with the cool crowd!

Sisters

2011-09-25T15:14:00.000-07:00

Fun in the Sun at the JW Marriott

2011-09-25T13:00:00.000-07:00

First Family Vacation as of Family of Four

2011-09-25T07:56:00.000-07:00

If this was any indication of how much fun family vacations are going to be then we are in for the ride of our lives. Some of my greatest childhood memories are family vacations with my sisters and parents. I hope that the memories we are making with our girls will last a lifetime as well. Having a 7 month old who needs 2 naps a day made it a little difficult to plan a vacation. The last thing you want on your vacation is a cranky tired baby. So we planned our trip with Ashlyn's schedule in mind. We booked a 3 night stay at the JW Marriott Resort Hill Country in San Antonio. We spent two days at the resort enjoying all their amenities including water slides, a lazy river, several pools, poolside drinks and a cabana. The best part was there were no more than 15 people at the water park the entire time! We basically had the place to ourselves- minus the little boy who came up to our table during dinner and hit Kamryn. Kamryn looked at him like he had 2 heads. Going during off-peak season was the way to go. We were treated like celebrities. On the first night for dinner we splurged at the resort's country club steakhouse (sounds like a kid friendly place right---reservations only, slacks and collared shirts, steak knives brought to you on a silver platter). The girls were very well behaved; Kamryn plopped right into the plush leather chair at the dinner table and told the hostess, "this is perfect!" Luckily, this sophisticated establishment served grilled cheese. When it came time to pay (gasp) the waiter suprisingly tells us that the couple seated next to us who had already left picked up our bill. What? Were we on candid camera? So far complete strangers were coming up to us for no reason oohing and aahing over our children, talking to us as if we were their family and now this random act of kindness from a very generous couple (about my parents age). Kamryn and I happened to see the wife the next day at the pool and I expressed my gratitude and appreciation for dinner and her reply was a sweet "we just thoroughly enjoyed having your girls seated next to us." Talk about making a mama proud! ALl of this and it was just day 1 of vacation. Day 2 we spent in our poolside cabana and in and out of the water. Kamryn braved all the water slides, Ashlyn splashed in the pool, napped, ate and splashed some more. We were one of 2 families that had rented a cabana and scored big when they set up a pack and play and high chair for us inside the cabana- which was also equipped with a fully stocked fridge, DVD player, iphone docking station, huge comfy couch and most importantly shade! Robbie joked that it was overkill for a family of 4. But when we checked out and the cost of the cabana was not charged to our room I think he thought otherwise- score! Day 3 was spent at Sea World and yet again the crowd was sparse so there was no waiting in lines or getting to shows early to find a good seat. Ashlyn and I even ended up backstage with Big Bird and Elmo during the Sesame Street show. The best part of the entire vacation was seeing Kamryn run and dance around the yard at sunset at the resort, splash and play in the water as if nothing else in the world mattered, begging her mommy and daddy to ride the slide "just one more time," stuffing her face with brownies a la mode and seeing her eyes light up while watching Shamu jump out of the water all the while motioning her arms as the trainers were. And of course Ashlyn was just happy to be with her mommy and daddy.

"Play at Home Mom"

2011-09-20T14:10:00.000-07:00

I love the title of this group of mom's blog- Play at Home Mom. Darn, I wish I would've thought of that. But thank you much for offering such great ideas to a stay at home mom who loves to do activities with her children especially those that evoke learning, creativity and fun! To me that is what being a stay at home mom is all about. Don't get me started on my soap box. Today's activity in our house was tile mosaics and homemade puffy paint.

Tile Mosaics

Fold a piece of tin foil around a piece of cardboard. Apply tissue paper with glue (we watered ours down a bit so it was easier to apply). Add glitter.

Homemade Puffy Paint

· 1 tablespoon self-raising flour

· a few little drops of food coloring

· 1 tablespoon salt

Add water to make a smooth paste. Apply mixture to cardboard squares. You can also use mat board. We used paintbrushes because that's what my daughter chose to use but there are many different options... squeeze bottles, Q-Tips, dabbers, scrapers, etc. Microwave the design on high for 10 - 30 seconds until the paint puffs and it's all nice and dry. We did ours for 30 seconds.

Snake, Scorpion, Sick Baby

2011-09-18T10:57:00.000-07:00

Our week/weekend in review:

Ashlyn had a 103 fever, screamed one night for 3 hours (very sad, pitiful, scary) turned out she had an ulcer on the uvula in her throat from all her drainage.
Robbie killed a rattlesnake in our garage- disgusting, scary
I killed a scorpion that was in the sink of our guest bedroom
Robbie turned 32 and we celebrated with a trip to the Salt Lick (BBQ) on Friday and then to Phil's (hamburgers) on Saturday. We realized that eating out with our kids is a blast. We really enjoyed it. They are very well behaved at restaurants.
Robbie's brother and his family were supposed to come for a visit this weekend but our niece got sick with strep. We were all bummed. And poor Kamryn cried, "I want Jaci to come see me......"
Then we made dinner plans with some of our friends and their little boy got a fever so they had to cancel on us. Apparently it wasn't in the cards for us to hang out with other people this weekend.
Ashlyn can say "ma-ma" and says it alot!

Smarty Pants

2011-09-18T08:26:00.000-07:00

I told Kamryn to go draw me something on the easel. I was shocked when I heard her exclaim, "I drew you the letter A."

Girl's Bathroom

2011-09-10T18:05:00.000-07:00

Kamryn and Ashlyn share a Jack and Jill bathroom. Is it still called a Jack and Jill if there are 2 sisters sharing it? Jill and Jill just doesn't sound right. Regardless, they each have their own sink and share the bathtub and toilet (well Ashlyn doesn't really partake in that part of the bathroom yet but you know what I mean). The bathtub hasn't had a shower curtain on it until just the past few months when I finally made all the decorating decisions. I'll spare you all the pictures of each accessory but show you the hand made ones.

headband holder and soap dispenser turned chic thanks to my Silhouette
our third bow holder
hand towels made by Nana

Ashlyn- 7 months

2011-09-08T19:34:00.000-07:00

Oh what a sweet baby you are. At 7 months you can sit like a champ, occasionally will attempt to get on all fours but are quiet content just sitting on your bum and watching everything going on around you. You are constantly gnawing on toys/rattles. I suspect your first tooth will make it's appearance this month as you are starting to drool more too. You will grab anything within reach. Daddy thinks you are very quiet- compared to your sister you are. But it's such a sweet quietness. You are still the best sleeping baby I've ever known. You calmly put yourself to sleep every night between 7:30 and 8. You have a pacifier in your bed but use it more as a chew toy then spit it out when you fall asleep (sometimes you even toss it over your bed). You did tend to wake up a little too early for mommy- but have been sleeping in til 7 or 7:30 the past week so maybe you're on to something. I'm not complaining because after I put you in bed at night I never hear from you until the next morning at 7. Not even a little peep. Your naps are random but that's my fault and I apologize now, I tend to have you in the car, at a store, on an errand when it's nap time and you catch some shut eye whenever you can. But when we're at home you take 2 good naps a day. You love eating solids and haven't turned up your nose to anything I've offered you (rice cereal, oatmeal, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, peaches, applesauce, pears, bananas---all homemade by yours truly). I know you should never talk about a girls weight, but you wear size 12-18 months already. You love to laugh at Kamryn, your still mommy's biggest fan but your eyes light up when you look at daddy.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-07T12:54:00.000-07:00

The McBrooms Came to Town

2011-09-07T11:26:00.000-07:00

My older sister and her family came to visit over the Labor Day weekend. I'm so glad they made that dreadful drive from Beaumont. I cannot tell you how many times Kamryn has whined this phrase since they left, "I miss Aunt Caryl"......(and if that isn't enough, she occasionally adds "and Aunt Krystal"). Aunt Krystal wasn't even here. No telling what she'll say after my sister-in-law's visit in a couple of weeks. Aunt Caryl has a, hmm how do I say this, very cute and extremely hyper/playful yet well-behaved overly hairy puppy that Kamryn adores. She chased Harley around my house constantly. We enjoyed their company and look forward to hanging out together again.

Kamryn's First Week of Preschool

2011-09-07T10:51:00.000-07:00

Kamryn is attending preschool 3 days a week (same school as last year). Last year I worked while she was at school, this year I'm at home with Ashlyn until she can attend school with Kamryn. We've been talking alot about her new class, new friends and new teacher. I think we prepared her pretty well. However, when I picked her up on the first day of school and asked her what she did at school today she responded, "I put my nose to the wall." I freaked! I was driving and couldn't really look at her but I responded "why, did you get in trouble, were you being nice, did you go to time out, did you hit someone...." Poor child was getting interrogated. She just kept saying, "no I'm a good girl." Then I got really puzzled as to why in the world she would have to stick her nose to the wall. So Wednesday came around and I asked the teacher as soon as I got to her school. She started laughing and said "well that's the first time in my 20+ years of teaching that I've had a child go home and report that" and went on to tell me that it's a game they play while waiting in line to go potty. She asked the ones waiting to touch their nose to the wall, then their elbow, then their right foot......just a game to keep them busy. Whew, thought my 3 year old was getting into trouble on the first day of school. Wednesday (2nd day of school) was uneventful. Friday, Robbie picked her up from school and began the same after school conversation, "what did you do at school today?" Kamryn's response, "I just cried for my mommy." Talk about melt your heart!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-31T08:16:00.000-07:00

What's for Dinner

2011-08-31T07:44:00.000-07:00

I have found that if I plan out a weekly menu, then go to the grocery store on Monday mornings my evenings are much less hectic- especially when I'm working. So I just had to make this cute dry erase menu board to accessorize my kitchen! I cut the days of the week out with vinyl on my Silhouette and put a piece of scrapbook paper inside a 12x12 frame and tada!

Daddy's Little Helper

2011-08-29T10:22:00.000-07:00

She walks in his footsteps being careful not to miss a beat. Even thought it was a blistering 109 degrees this weekend Robbie and Kamryn worked on the pathway of our side yard. It's a great addition to our backyard and will help decrease the amount of mud on our shoes (which mommy likes). Grass wasn't growing there so the sprinklers were just making a mess out of the existing dirt. We hope that some grass will grow in between the rock though.

Out of the Mouth of Kamryn

2011-08-22T18:28:00.000-07:00

This morning after I put a "new" (hand-me-down from my niece, Emma) outfit and coordinating sandals on Kamryn she starred at it with fascination. She kept touching the sandals, talking about her shirt and shorts like it was the best thing she'd ever seen. Then walked over to Ashlyn and said "Look Ash, I'm so pretty!"

Yesterday at lunch
me: "Kamryn sit down and eat your lunch. Sit on your bottom, finish eating.....Stop playing with your food or you're going to go to time out."
Kamryn: "I don't want to go to time out, I want to go to Joseph's." (not only is she fascinated with new clothes, she's fascinated with Joseph)

Tonight while taking a bath Kamryn was playing with a little Santa figurine. She told me that Santa brought toys to good boys and girls. We talked about the sleigh and all the reindeer. She then told me that Santa also brought big heavy Christmas trees that mommy and daddy had to help him carry. I told her this was all done on Christmas Day which was Jesus's birthday. And she said, "ohhhhh maybe Jesus will have a Tinkerbell party!"

Words that someday I should probably teach Kamryn how to pronounce correctly but until then I love listening to her rendition.

Soggles=goggles
A little bit a bunch= a whole bunch (as in "Can I have a little bit a bunch of chips."
the j-rator= the refrigerator
What you say'd?= What did you say?

Faces of Ashlyn

2011-08-22T18:08:00.001-07:00

Fun at the Haught Get Together

2011-08-22T13:17:00.000-07:00

Haught Get Together

2011-08-21T19:58:00.000-07:00

It's been a couple of years since my mom's side of the family has all gotten together. We sporadically see each other here and there but not everyone at the same time. We all live within 3 hours of each other and some even closer. My mom has 2 sisters and 1 brother. There are 9 grandkids (all but the caboose are married) and 11 great grandkids. This past Saturday 35 of the 37 were able to make it with only 2 grandsons-in-law away for work. Not bad for something my cousin, Mandy, threw together via email. Our annual summertime get together used to involve gathering around in my grandparents backyard, swimming, throwing darts at balloons, throwing grandma (who cannot swim) into the pool, playing a game of volleyball, knocking the breath out of Karyn while playing volleyball, throwing Karyn (stuck in a rubbermaid bucket) into the deep end of the pool, eating homemade ice cream, peeing behind the greenhouse, getting dried off with grandpa's air compressors - towels and blow dryers are so overrated, having egg/water balloon tosses, going on scavenger hunts, getting mad at your teammates when you lost, yelling at the other team when they beat you, jumping off the diving board over a rope spread across the deep end, and the lists goes on. This year we let the 11 great grandkids carry on the tradition. Instead of a pool though we had an inflatable slip-n-slide. After scoping it out for an hour and seeing her MawMaw ever so gracefully slide across it, Kamryn finally gathered up enough courage to participate. Bless her little timid heart. It was sweet though and she loved it. Ashlyn endured the heat and being passed around from one family member to the other. My girls (and husband) are such troopers. We headed out early saturday morning, drove over 3 hours all to come back home Saturday evening. And it was over 100 degrees. Not one complaint from anyone.

The Haught Family

My Grandma and her 4 kids

My Grandma and her 11 great grandkids

Yarn Wreath

2011-08-14T15:23:00.000-07:00

I have an addiction. An addiction so bad I might need counseling. It's called pinterest. And for those of you who haven't heard of it, don't even try to google it or you will be addicted to. I'm warning you, take my advice and don't get an account or you will forever be changed. Part of this addiction is causing me to make a new craft every week. It's spiraling out of control. Thus was born the yarn wreath. I wanted to make a wreath for my front door. I have a fabulous Christmas wreath that I purposely leave up way past Christmas because I like it so much. I thought a fall wreath was needed too (yes I know it's not fall but maybe if I hang the fall wreath now it will bring cooler temperatures). Well, sure enough pinterest had many recommendations and the "yarn wreath" was most popular. Now off to pinterest to find something I can make to hang on my front door for spring.

Swim Lessons

2011-08-12T08:44:00.000-07:00

Kamryn loves playing at the pool, she loves the splash pad, she loves water, one slight problem- if she can't reach the bottom she latches on to you with a death grip that I swear is going to choke someone one day. So my goal/hope with swim lessons this summer was to get her comfortable floating in the pool. I even bought her a Tinkerbell float in hopes she would detach herself from me and float around. Didn't work. She started swim lessons this week. And her instructor said Kamryn never grabbed on to her, jumped from the side and would kick and paddle all about the pool while just holding on to the "noodle" or her fingertips. Granted she's not "swimming" but this is huge progress. And the instructor came to our house, walked her to the neighborhood pool and I could come and go with Ashlyn as I pleased. The best way to do swim lessons for sure!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-10T08:37:00.000-07:00

I've always wanted to do a Wordless Wednesday post but either keep forgetting or realize I don't have the right pictures. But oh my goodness, these pictures need no words.

Happy 1/2 year Ashlyn!

2011-08-10T08:10:00.001-07:00

I'm two days late with this post and I have no excuse. Six months did catch up to us real fast. Amazing how that happens. But we've had so much fun with Ashlyn that it's no wonder it goes by so quickly. There's always something going on and a memory to be made. She's been eating cereal- like a champ, dwindling down to 2 naps a day, and still sleeping 10-11 hours at night without making a peep. She had her first babysitter last week while Kamryn was visiting MawMaw and PawPaw. Robbie and I went to dinner and a friend/co-worker of mine kept Ashlyn. The report from the sitter was, "Your baby is an angel, I just put her in her bed after I gave her a bottle and she feel asleep on her own. Do you sprinkle fairy dust in her bed to make her fall asleep?" I know it's hard to believe but she does put her self to sleep. I greatly appreciate that Ashlyn! She's almost perfected sitting and enjoys playing with her toys in a seated position. She had her first grocery cart ride without the infant carrier and only tipped over a few times - Kamryn was a great big sister and held on to her real tight and made sure she stayed upright. I can no longer lift the infant carrier. Maybe because I'm not in the greatest of shape but probably more because our 6 month old weighs 20 lbs!!! She's 26 3/4 inches long. That's the measurements of most 1 year olds. I'm signing her up for the Aggie's volleyball team next fall! Oh wouldn't that just make one momma happy. Speaking of happy, Ashlyn is the happiest baby I've ever known. Nothing seems to bother her (too much) and she has the best smile and laugh. Things that make her laugh: playing peek a boo, balloons and watching Kamryn jump up and down and fall onto the floor. Sweet, sweet Ashlyn.

Weekend at the Farm

2011-08-08T12:08:00.000-07:00

Robbie, Ashlyn and I went Thursday to the farm to pick Kamryn up. She ran to us as fast as her uncoordinated little legs could go, crying and laughing with joy. She was overwhelmed to say the least. We spent the weekend there so Robbie could work on his "deer lease." AKA his area of the farm that he tries to kill a deer on each year. We had fun visiting with Emma and Grandma Haught on Thursday and Friday and then with the McBrooms for the rest of the weekend.

Kamryn's Week at MawMaw and PawPaws

2011-08-08T09:15:00.000-07:00

After her birthday party last Saturday Kamryn went home with my parents. It was a 3 hour car ride so I was nervous Kamryn would get homesick just waving goodbye to us. The good bye was easy for her but hard for Robbie and I. In fact, I think Robbie and I cried more that week then Kamryn did. With only 1 of the 5 nights being homesick Kamryn had a great time at her MawMaw and PawPaw's house. My grandma and niece, Emma also stayed the week. You can imagine all the fun, attention and giggles the girls endured. Somehow my mom got both girls to nap each day and bedtime was just as successful. There were lots of "here I'll share with you, oh that's nice, thank you's and please." Followed by some tantrums when not getting their way but overall we got a great report. I never worried about Kamryn and Emma fighting or arguing with each other. They are both well behaved and good at sharing. I was more worried about Kamryn getting homesick. That was the longest she has ever been away from us. Robbie and I enjoyed Ashlyn by herself for a week but were very excited to have Kamryn back home. Not a fan of my children not being with me. But am blessed and appreciative of the time Kamryn got to spend with her grandparents, cousin and great grandma. I have lots of memories of my summer times with my grandparents, like wearing a coca-cola nightgown barefooted in the grocery store, eating blue bell ice cream all day long and not waiting for it to settle to jump back in the pool, watching Poltergeist way too young, shopping at every mall in north Houston, having taco eating contest at Panchos, driving the Cadillac in the neighborhood when I was only 15- see what happens at grandma and grandpa's stays at grandma and grandpa's!

Chore Chart

2011-08-03T18:02:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know she's only 3 but you got to start somewhere right. I made it cute, does that help any?

Kamryn's Birthday Weekend

2011-08-02T08:04:00.000-07:00

The Birthday Girl

2011-08-01T14:45:00.001-07:00

Kamryn was so excited this year about her birthday. She woke up the morning of her birthday wondering where all her friends were (the party was 2 days later). That evening before going to bed I said, "Happy birthday, Kamryn. I hope you had a great day." She responded in shock "But I didn't even have a birthday cake!" We had to remind her yet again her party was in 2 more days. Note to self: the donuts for breakfast from daddy, a lunch date with her boyfriend and an early visit from MawMaw and PawPaw didn't make up for no cake on her actual birthday. Saturday morning Kamryn was thrilled with all the party decorations, food and cake. She looked out the window an hour before the party and exclaimed "I'm waiting for all my friends to get here!" Luckily her cousin Emma was 30 minutes early!

Dear Sweet Kamryn,
At 3 years old you talk non-stop, have a vast vocabulary with your newest words being "actually, ridiculous, wonderful and delicious." You love to use these words and use them appropriately. You are one smart cookie with a terrific memory-pretty scary at times. You are learning the days of the week. You have a new interest in arts and crafts and will spend hours by yourself doing these things. Your pretend play is very cute and entertaining to others around you. You like things to be done your way. You like order and consistency. You are a perfectionist and won't try something unless you know you can do it accurately. You are independent. You can pick out your own clothes, get dressed and use the bathroom by yourself. In fact 90% of the time you will get upset if someone tries to help you with any of the above. You are becoming more self confident with your physical capabilities. You are a caring big sister who loves on Ashlyn. You have grown up so much since she was born becoming mommy's littler helper, mommy's little cook, mommy's little cleaner. You light up a room with your radiant personality. You are such a joy and blessing to mommy and daddy. We love you!

party dressed made by my mom

Happy 3rd Birthday Kamryn

2011-08-01T05:31:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love a party? And even more exciting, a 3 year old Tinkerbell party! I am on Tinkerbell overload but thoroughly enjoyed all the party planning and decorating for Kamryn's 3rd birthday party. Wish I could trade in my passion for planning children's birthday parties into some cash. I bet I could make money off this some how. I have realized that there is no way I could do it alone. Last year my older sister and her family and my in laws were in town the night before Kamryn's party and this year my parents came in two days early and my younger sister and grandma were here to help the day of. And let's not forget all the hardwork Kamryn and Robbie did. Kamryn told me several months ago she wanted a Tinkerbell party, so the planning began. With 12 three year olds, 7 babies less than 1 year old, 2 "big" kids, a MawMaw, a PawPaw, a Great Grandma and all the mommies and daddies, the party was underway. And this was the end result.

Mum cupcakes (made precisely by mom and I over a few glasses of margaritas), flower cake pops (made by me with a little help from Kamryn), tissue paper pom poms (hand made by me about a month ago), Tinkerbell birthday cake (thank goodness for HEB), star shaped sandwiches (courtesy of MawMaw), Fairy mist drink (made by me, poked fun of by Robbie)

Scary oversized Tinkerbell pinata (straight from the side of the road in South Houston courtesy of my sister), treasure chest dig, pin the star on Tinkerbell's wand, knock over the lime green soda cans with a Tinkerbell ball

The Tinkerbell Pinata was a pain in the @$$ to fill with candy as it was stuffed with newspaper. After dissecting Tink with a knife, Robbie was able to stuff her with candy. The kids had a blast beating her up!
And of course lil' sis was there to celebrate too

Happy Belly=Happy Baby

2011-07-22T07:17:00.000-07:00

Because Ashlyn is such a good eater the pedi warned me she might be ready for solids sooner rather than later. I say "warned" because the solid stage is not my favorite. It's such a mess, it's not convenient to take with you (especially when I make homemade baby food) and it's one more feeding to fit into your day. He suggested to add cereal to her day when she was taking 7-8 oz in a bottle. Oh you mean when she downs an 8 oz bottle without coming up for air within 15 minutes. Little porker! So that being said, we started cereal last weekend and she loves it. Ashlyn ate her first helping of cereal as if she's been doing it all along. It's still messy but she is getting the hang of it. It's off to the farmer's market to buy local produce for Ashlyn's first batch of homemade baby food. Let the fun stuff begin. I love making baby food!

Activity of the Week: Paper Towel Butterflies

2011-07-15T18:44:00.000-07:00

First, you fold a paper towel into sixteenths. Then you dip the corners into assorted colored water while wearing your totally awesome Aerosmith shirt.

Next you unfold your paper towel and lay it out to dry.
Finally, you gather the paper towel in the middle and wrap it with a pipe cleaner. Curl the pipe cleaner ends to resemble an antenna. And voila, you have a paper towel butterfly to fly around your house.

Moustache Craze

2011-07-14T13:34:00.000-07:00

Why are their moustaches everywhere.....party decorations, I Heart Moustache logos, screen printed on t-shirts? And....at the dentist office? Kamryn went to the dentist Tuesday and for being such a great patient she got to get a prize out of the gumball machine. Go figure, it was a moustache. She wasn't impressed. But I thought the Curtis Crew in Texas should jump on the moustache wagon.

Laughter

2011-07-13T06:46:00.000-07:00

Something about seeing big sister make her little sister laugh that just melts your heart.

Activity of the (Two Weeks Ago) Week

2011-07-12T06:48:00.000-07:00

Tempera paint, a 3 year-old and a 5 year-old indoors sounds like an accident waiting to happen right? I'm actually proud of myself for allowing it to happen. In my own house! And it went flawless without a single mess. Granted it was washable paint so I wasn't too worried. I knew my 5 year-old niece was good at painting and wouldn't make a mess and although Kamryn cannot paint a masterpiece I know she doesn't like messes. So I was a little less concerned. I taped an old plastic table cloth (I knew I saved it for something) to my tile floor-this is why I don't have dining room furniture-,poured tempera paint into small containers, put art smocks on the girls, gave them a paint brush and away they went. It was interesting to watch their "styles" of painting and how different it was between the 2. Kamryn scooped up vast amounts of paint onto her paint brush having no regard for mixing the paint and blopped it on her canvas. Jaci had a purpose before she even began. She wanted to make a picture of baby Ashlyn wearing a red dress (Ashlyn had worn a red dress the night before), a rainbow and then one of her mommy and daddy.

5 Months Already?

2011-07-10T20:01:00.000-07:00

Our sweet baby girl turned 5 months this past Friday. It's been an eventful month for her. She had a couple weeks of sleepless nights (we fixed that though), learned to sit unsupported (not perfected yet), and is now dealing with diarrhea and projectile vomiting (a week so far...). Month four ended with her learning to roll over onto belly; however, this made Ashlyn extremely mad at bedtime. So I would go roll her on to her back, 30 minutes later she would roll back onto her belly, get mad, cry and cry until I came in there and the cycle would start all over. I knew I needed to let her fuss for a few minutes and try to get herself comfortable or this was never going to end but we had one slight problem. I couldn't let her cry because 90% of the time when she had rolled over her chunky little leg was stuck in between the bed rails (we don't use bumpers). When alas my friend gave me her breathable bumper. And it worked like a charm! Ashlyn rolled onto her belly, cried.....I waited just a few minutes......went back to check on her and there she was both arms had gotten positioned, head turned, thumb in the mouth and butt in the air. The cute little position she was so desperately trying to get into but kept getting stuck. And so began our nights of 10-12 hours of sleeping peacefully yet again. Now bedtime is the same as Kamryn's (between 8 and 8:30) but Ashlyn wakes up earlier (between 6 and 7)- hoping she starts sleeping in sometime soon (real soon). I'm quiet amazed at her bedtime routine. I've never seen anything like it. I feed her, put her on my shoulder for a few minutes, then lie her down wide awake and in a few minutes she is fast asleep. Sweet sweet baby! She's still growing like a weed (physically, socially and developmentally) and just a week before her 5 month birthday learned to sit- but is still not real secure and it's gotten more wobbly with her being sick this past week. For a full 7 days now Ashlyn has been sick and has had a loss of appetite. We've been monitoring her closely. She's been happy and smiling all along and hasn't lost any sleep or hasn't appeared to be in pain. I think she's on the mend though because she finally ate a decent amount at each feeding yesterday. Well, that's Ashlyn's 5 month bio.

Our Days with Jaci

2011-07-09T18:18:00.000-07:00

While my brother-in-law and sister-in-law were on an awesome vacation in Europe, Robbie and I being the extremely nice people that we are took care of our 5 year-old niece for 3 or the 9 nights that they were gone. We enjoyed Jaci tremendously but I have no desire to have 3 children. Unless, the next one comes with a chef, housekeeper and errand runner. Get ready Andy and Marisa, we'll ask you to return the favor someday. Here is our visit with Jaci in pictures.

4th of July: Bowling and Fireworks, I didn't get a picture of them bowling b/c I had Ashlyn strapped too me the entire time. But I did get a picture of them taking a snack break. Uncle Rob offered to stay with the "big girls" so I could get Ashlyn home and in bed. The fireworks show started at 9:30 and with traffic they didn't get home until 10:45- Kamryn has NEVER seen that time of night. She was exhausted. Jaci....not so much, when our heads hit the pillow she still wanted to talk.

Lazy day inside painting, playing restaurant, hugging on Ashlyn (a lot of hugging on Ashlyn) and doing chores, of course. Don't worry I didn't make them clean my entire house, Jaci asked to dust (what?) so I wasn't going to say no. And of course Kamryn wanted to do whatever Jaci was doing.

Going swimming with Uncle RobSaying goodbye

Gymnastics

2011-07-07T13:17:00.001-07:00

Kamryn has been taking gymnastics once a week for 6 weeks. I enrolled her in the mommy and me beginner class because I wasn't for sure if she would participate if I wasn't right there with her. Sure enough after one class she was walking in by herself and going to her little star on the mat to stand on to await the teacher's instruction. It's been a lot of fun for her. She comes home showing off her latest moves to her daddy. It's been a great class for learning to listen to instructions and take turns. She's definately ready for the next level.

Happy 4th of July

2011-07-04T10:12:00.001-07:00

The Quarry Splash Pad

2011-07-01T19:24:00.000-07:00

We have been looking forward to a new splash pad located less than 5 miles from our house. I can jog to it (if I wanted to.....and I don't, but I could if I wanted to). After 2 weeks of being open we finally made it there. One word....Overrated! We had already been told by several friends that it wasn't safe and was too crowded. I thought well surely it can't be that bad. We were the first ones there, got an awesome parking spot and a great spot under the shade to camp out with Ashlyn and watch Cheyann and Kamryn play. First, the entire thing is made of rock or concrete and has random landscape boudlers in the middle of all the water cannons and water fountains. Apparently, they were more concerned with making it look aesthetically pleasing than safe. The slide has about a 10 inch drop off that some little kid is going to whack their head open on. And within 15 minutes of the place opening everyone in Williamson County was there. Luckily, Kamryn doesn't wander around and go crazy at places like this and she really enjoyed herself. So to my friends who warned me......you were right!

Thank God for Cheyann

2011-07-01T18:37:00.000-07:00

We had the pleasure of having my 12 year old niece, Cheyann visit this past week. Cheyann started to come stay with Robbie and I for a week each summer when she was only 7 years old (before Robbie and I had any children). Little did I know how much I would appreciate Cheyann in years to come. I think this time we really wore her out. She was a huge help, changing diapers, giving bottles, playing with Kamryn, etc etc. I've come to the conclusion that I need a 12 year old to live right next door to me. Even though she told me I still had a baby bump and I smell nasty after jogging I think I'll let her come back next summer. Here's a few things we did while she visited along with going to our neighborhood pool several times, running errands (of course) and going to the world's crowdest bounce house with scary biting boy.

The Rock Quarry Splash Pad (totally unsafe, more on that later)Free Bowling

Sewing

2011-06-27T06:26:00.000-07:00

Mom and Cheyann made all the granddaughters matching sundresses. They are adorable and so are these 2 models.

Farm Living is the Life for Me

2011-06-27T06:04:00.000-07:00

I wish everyone I knew could take a trip to my farm. It's such a wonderful place to be that always brings a smile to my face. I brought back tomatoes, bell peppers, banana peppers and potatoes from my dad's garden, fresh eggs, and a live in nanny, my niece Cheyann.

Morning coffee on the back porch

Washing Pawpaw's mule

It's no secret that Kamryn is a little obsessed with being clean. She was concerned about the dirt on Cheyann's leg.
Maverick's biggest fan, my grandma sporting her new t-shirt I bought for her on our trip to Dallas. My cousin bought her one that she wore each game during the play offs. She was so proud of it but now insisted that she needed on that said they were the champions!

Farm Life is Tiring

2011-06-27T05:57:00.000-07:00

It's a lot of hard work to run a farm. Just look at these two during a trip to my parents this past weekend. In reality Robbie and my cousin David did work extremely hard repairing a fence all the while being supervised by dad and Uncle Mike. I don't know which is worse, manual labor in 100 degree weather or getting orders barked to you by 2 senior Link men. While they were hard at work, Cheyann, Kamryn and I drove to Dallas for my BFF's little boys first birthday celebration. Wow and what a celebration it was. We were surrounded by 140 of their family and friends. I was in aww.

The Girls' New Favorite Pastimes

2011-06-19T12:52:00.000-07:00

Ashlyn- Playing in the exersaucer. I didn't have this contraption with Kamryn but boy I wish I did. I borrowed this one from a neighbor and it's keeping play time fun for the little one.

Kamryn- Cutting paper. It's the best activity ever. She'll do this for up to an hour. At first I was letting her cut wherever whenever. Then when there were a million little pieces of paper strung about the house I decided we should confine it to the game room. Then after hauling the vacuum cleaner upstairs several times I decided we should cut over the trash can- genius!