Mudpies & Lollipops

We're Alive!

2011-05-16T19:14:00.000-07:00

And 6 months later...I still contemplate whether to keep this blog going or not. Facebook has connected me with so many people that I feel like no one reads this when I do write it...But, I have an idea for a new blog, and if I'm writing in it, I may as well write some here. Thoughts anyone?!

Quick Update: Kadynce is 18 months, walking/running/CLIMBING, and generally getting into everything. She loves playing with her big brothers (though they are not always tolerant of that) and her cousin, Drew (though he can be a bit rough - she's learning to tough it out with all these boys). She and her cousin, Caylin (2), are learning to tolerate each other. Yesterday was the first time they have played nicely together...um, EVER! They both have trouble sharing when they are together. Kadynce loves to help me around the house. She loves putting the clothes in the wash - I have to lift her up so she can each. She also likes helping me unload the dishwasher. Once I remove all the sharp knives, she hands me the silverware and puts up the bowls or hands me plates. She's really good when we tell her to clean up - something her brothers still have trouble with! She had her 18 month check up last week - she is 23 lbs. 5 oz. and 33 1/2 in. Tall and skinny. She was on target for everything, but she is not in a hurry to speak. So, we are working on that and attempting to remove paci as much as possible - which is hard when she is teething (cutting those "I" teeth). But today, I heard Kadynce say, "Yes!" for the first time - in response to if she wanted breakfast. The girl NEVER turns down food!

Kadynce with Nathan and Elijah in the bluebonnets last month

Elijah, Cousin Caylin (2), Kadynce and Nate with Baby (Cousin) Ellie (4 mos)

Elijah, Caylin, Nathan, Kadynce and Ellie

Elijah is still huge, as you can see from the above pictures. He's as tall as most of Nathan's kindergarten class. He still has a year and a half to go before he starts kinder, and I fear how much he will tower over his classmates. LOL He tries so hard to keep up with Nate and considering that there are only 3 inches between them, it is hard for us to remember sometimes that he is *only* four. He had a big accomplishment today - he learned to pump his legs on the swing at the park. He swung for a very long time all by himself - without any help from me. I also heard Elijah say my first name almost perfectly this afternoon. I didn't know he knew it! (And he didn't call me by it - he was playing and said, "And this is Krisinda..." LOL) He is still very active, and he still keeps me on my toes. It is such a blessing, though, to see his independence growing daily. He is not AS attached to my hip at all times.

Elijah Cade (4 years)

Nathan is just 12 days away from finishing kindergarten. It's hard to believe that my little "baby" is almost a first grader! He has done incredibly well in school this year. He is already reading and amazes us daily with the things he has learned. We love his kindergarten teacher and will be sad when he no longer has her. Nate is turning into quite the young man, and I am amazed daily at how big he is getting. He adores his baby sister and is a great help in taking care of her; his brother is his best friend. Nathan is still very active...he plays coach pitch baseball ball now and does very well. He rarely strikes out - almost always hits the ball. He is learning how to field now also...instead of playing in the dirt. LOL His favorite things to do after school are playing on his Nintendo DS and playing outside with friends. Just a typical, all-American, 6 year old boy...

Nathan Isaac (6 years)

Sean and I will celebrate 12 years of marriage in a few weeks...hard to grasp that we have been together for 17 years. On one hand, it feels just like yesterday; on the other hand, it feels like ions ago - as if we've been together forever. I'm more in love with him as I was the day I said, "I do." Sean will celebrate 2 years at his job in August. He really loves what he does now (project manager for commercial real estate co.), which makes it easier to go to work in the mornings. He is also now worship leader at our church on Sunday mornings. He has a real heart of worship unto the Lord. I am still at home with Kadynce and Elijah - and here for Nathan after school. Although trying at times, there is NOTHING else I'd rather do. This fall, I am taking on a new position in my MOPS group; I will not only be Prayer/Care Coordinator, but also over the Discussion Groups. Should be interesting. I also try to stay involved in Nate's school as much as I can. I was his room mom this year, and I will try to do the same thing next year. We stay busy, but I don't think either of us would trade this life for anything.

The Lingenfelters (Easter 2011)

All Pics Blue Snowflake 2010

2010-11-18T11:09:00.001-08:00

Noir Stars Christmas

Shop Shutterfly.com for elegant Christmas photo cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

1 Year Old Toy Recommendations

2010-11-11T08:01:00.000-08:00

I always hear questions about what to get kids for Christmas, and even moreso, what to get the young toddler crowd that is too big for infant toys and not big enough for older kids' things. I thought I'd share a couple of things that Kadynce got for her birthday that she loves:

My Pal Violet by Leap Frog (My Pal Scout is the boy version.)
*We just exchanged a duplicate toy for this yesterday, and she LOVES it! It comes with a USB cable to connect it to your computer. Then, you enter in the child's name (and correct spelling), favorite food/color/animal, etc. The dog will say phrases and songs personalized for your child. And the dog can say Kadynce so I'm sure it won't have a problem with pronouncing names right. Target has it on sale for $17.99 right now.

Princess Cozy Coupe 30th Anniversary Edition (Red/yellow one for boys)
*My parents got Kadynce and my nephew this for their birthdays, and they both LOVE it. The difference in this one and the one my boys had (fire engine) is the "floor" that you can put in until they are big enough to move it on their own - Elijah used to always get caught under his b/c he would fall off the seat and slide down. There's also a cup holder behind the seat for sippies to fit into. Theres a cut out part on top to be used as a handle to push them - much better than trying to get your arms around the bulky roof! Kadynce LOVES being pushed in hers, but she also likes just sitting in it and going "rooooom!"

Fisher Price's Brilliant Basics Stroll-Along Walker/Brilliant Basics Baby's 1st Doll (Baby's 1st Bear is blue and could be for a boy, but I've only seen the pink stroller)
*Kadynce got her doll for Christmas last year as a newborn and has just started to show a little interest in it. She's so soft and has a sweet rattle inside. (My mom recently gave me my doll like this - pretty sure it's the newer version of it. Mine was pink and white plaid and Mom said it was called Lolly.) When I saw the stroller, I was in love with it (and still am). It's ideal for a first stroller because it is sturdy enough for those not-so-sturdy walkers (like my daughter ). Kadynce loves putting her doll i it and playing with all the little gadgets on it. It's a great walker for her to push around too. All of the other strollers I have seen are not sturdy and would fall with the child, but since this one is more like a walking toy, it won't fall. LOVE it!!!

Anyways, those are my reviews and recommendations. Hope they help someone!!!

Christmas Cards

2010-11-04T23:21:00.000-07:00

Since we just entered November, my attention has now turned to the greatest task of the season...dum, dum, dum...Family Christmas Cards! It has been a tradition for us - almost since Sean and I got married - to do photo Christmas cards. It gives people an updated picture of the family - though I know they are more concerned about the kids than Sean or I - and in my opinion, is more fun to receive than a simple card with someone's name in it. So, I already have our photography session booked with a friend in downtown McKinney for next Saturday morning. The attire was picked months ago. And so, I have now begun to search for holiday cards with that information in mind. My first pick was Shutterfly, and I was amazed at how easy it was to find what I was looking for. I went to the photo cards section and found a preference column along the side to narrow my search. This was particularly helpful this year because our photo attire is gray and black with Kadynce and I in accents of hot pink. Obviously, a typical card with brown or lots of red will clash. Also, I want a card with a spot for a family photo as well as a spot for individual shots of each kid. As always, Shutterfly delivered exactly what I needed. While I don't want to give away the final product (which has yet to be created), I can give a preview of the card I found, which I believe will work perfectly for us:

(The name of the card is Snowflake Wishes Noir Holiday 5x7 Photo Card.)

I have ordered a few products from Shutterfly within the past year, and I have been very, very pleased with the products I have received.

If you are looking for Christmas cards like I was, you can visit: http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-cards . You can also find more generic, holiday cards at http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards . As I mentioned, they have a wide variety of cards, and the sidebar to help narrow the search is quite helpful if you know what you are looking for.

Last year, I ordered my dad a wall calendar for Christmas. I had so much fun putting it together, and the quality of it was wonderful! It has hung in my dad's office all year. If you are looking to do something similar for the holidays, visit http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars/wall-calendars .

I guess I'm singing the praises of Shutterfly this year! (Oh and hey, 50 free cards for this blog post isn't too shabby either!)

Mommy and her boys

2010-09-07T08:36:00.000-07:00

When I was pregnant with Kadynce last year, I decided to implement "Mommy and Me" dates for each of the boys. I knew their lives were about to drastically change by us adding a third child into the family. I wanted to share one on one time with each of them before the big day arrived. But, then Elijah broke his leg and put a kink in the plans. A few days after Elijah's break, Sean told me to go ahead and take Nathan on his date because a lot of focus had been on Elijah and Nate really needed his time. So, we went to do some pictures in Plano for his birthday invites and had lunch at The Purple Cow. I remember that we also went to Target to purchase Elijah his red wagon so that he could be transported places easier. Obviously, Elijah and I didn't get to do much of a date since he was in a spica cast and I was 8-9 mos. pregnant...and we couldn't go anywhere together without assistance. Elijah and I did go to a local popcorn place called Mom and Popcorn (yum), but Sean and Nathan were with us.

One year later, the need for more Mommy/Me dates arose as Nathan started kindergarten - another huge change for all of us. Nathan and I had our date the Saturday before school started - Aug. 22nd. He got all spiffy with his new haircut and even picked out my shirt to wear:

Excuse the sun spots - Sean was in a hurry and not paying much attention. He also didn't pay attention to my hair and the wind - LOVELY!

We made our first stop to our best friends' house...Nate's best friend started school the same day that he did so we dropped off a "First Day Survival Kit" for his mommy and a "First Day Celebration Kit" for Grant. Nathan thought that was really fun. Then, we headed to one of the local new McDonald's. He loved playing on the new play area. After lunch, we went for his surprise - Lunar Golf at Collin Creek Mall, which he has been begging to play for some time now. He was beyond thrilled! He was even happier that you get to play 3 rounds. Following a quick stop to visit my mom, we went to Mardel and found Nate a new Bible and a Christian tee to wear to school. That evening, I had a Scentsy party to attend in Plano so Nathan accompanied me to that as well. I greatly enjoyed my time with my little man...who has grown up so fast and started kindergarten just a few days after our date.

Nathan has been in school for 2 weeks now...he just started his 3rd week. We are all finally getting used to the new routine, and I decided it was Elijah's turn for a real date with Mama. Our date was this past Sat. (9/5). The first order of business was Mommy's haircut in Frisco - where Elijah sat very quietly on the couch watching (I was shocked). From there, we went to Target in Plano and had our pictures done together. Elijah did sooooo well during the pictures. I really wanted to share them on here, but Target has changed their website and I can't figure out how to download them. If you are interested in seeing the photos, please email me (krisinda@sbcglobal.net) your email address and I will share the album with you. Once the photos were finished, we went to Elijah's surprise - seeing "Nanny McPhee" at the Studio Movie Grill (where we shared coconut chicken and sweet potato fries - yum!). Afterwards, we went across the street to Yumilicious to get some frozen yogurt. I was greatly impressed (pina colada - yummy!); Elijah was less than impressed. We then went to US Toys, where he picked up a few goodies and I found some goodie bag stuff for the kids' birthdays. We stopped by to see my mom since US Toys is around the corner from their house. Finally, we met Sean and Nathan at Sean's mom's house in Frisco - they had been with family for a garage sale that day. All in all, it was a good day - Elijah acted really good when he wasn't egged on by his brother.

Lest anyone feel that she is being left out...Baby Girl and I have a Mommy/Me date planned for next Sat. 9/18. We are going to get Mommy/Daughter pictures taken around 1 p.m. and then she has a 1st birthday party to attend for a friend. We might even stop somewhere for a snack in between. :)

Daddy said he needs to plan dates with the kids soon. But, he takes the boys to Home Depot and Lowe's and then to breakfast most Sat. He and the boys like to go to the dollar theater for movies, and I know that Karate Kid is there right now so I foresee a Daddy/sons date there soon.

One Year Ago Today

2010-09-02T11:21:00.000-07:00

Most of you probably don't remember where you were on Wed., Sept. 2, 2009. But I remember exactly where I was and vividly remember the horrible details of the day that still cause my chest to tighten.

The morning started off with the potential for a fun day: I had a research study to do in Plano, and the boys were going to go play at McDonald's while my sis-in-law watched them. Then, we were going to my mom's house for lunch and the boys were going to stay with her while I went to my 31 week OB appt. Unfortunately, that's not how things came down, and the day was the complete opposite of fun!

From my diary one year ago...

Around 12:20, we were talking when we heard Elijah scream and saw him lying on his back in the middle of the play area. He was lying on his back with his foot/knees facing the basketball area. I am not a mom who typically jumps at every fall, but I immediately jumped up when I saw his leg. His left leg was bent to the side, and his left foot was up between his left elbow and shoulder. Once I got to him, I knew he was in pain. He did not have tears, but he was screaming and shaking holding his left knee/leg. I didn’t see what happened so as I headed back to the table to check him out, I asked the other lady in the play area if she saw what happened. She told me he tripped/fell over/with the basketball that he was carrying. I sat him on the table and tried to access his leg. He continued to scream and would not let me touch his leg. I did notice that he was not moving it at all. Since I am pregnant, Emily gathered him up in her arms while I got Nathan and the rest of our stuff. I could tell that people (other customers) were looking at us as we left because Elijah was screaming quite loud. We headed to the car, I got him buckled in his car seat, and he was still screaming and shaking...

I then took him to my parents' house, which was right around the corner, and called our pediatrician. Elijah had an appointment at 2 p.m.

Our pediatrician, Dr. Newton, was not available to see Elijah so we saw his new partner, Dr. Wiser. Dr. Wiser came in shortly after we were taken to an exam room. She asked the details of the injury and then accessed his leg. Everything looked fine until she asked us to remove his shorts. Once we took his shorts off, it became evident to all three of us that his left thigh was swollen. Dr. Wiser felt around his leg for a moment and then informed us that he definitely had a break because she could feel it popping. She left the room to get us the info for the orthopedic doctor and returned shortly thereafter with the name of an ortho office just one medical building over.

I'm not sure why we were not given a wheelchair or anything....because my mom was carrying my very heavy 2 1/2 year old who screamed with every step she took because it jarred his leg. That walk seemed like it took forever!!!

The (orthopedic) doctor came in shortly and immediately took my mom and Elijah to the next room for x-rays. (I could not go with them since I was 31 weeks pregnant.) They returned shortly thereafter, and the nurse pulled the x-ray up on the screen in the exam room. We waited for Dr. Diehl to come in to read the x-ray. At this point, I noticed that the x-ray on the screen was one from the knee down, but I assumed it was just one of a couple of pictures taken. When Dr. Diehl came in, I realized that this picture was the only one they took. I could tell that he was studying the x-ray trying to figure out where the break could possibly be. So, I simply said, “Now, you know that is not where they believe the break to be.” He then asked where the pediatrician thought that the break was, and I told him that they thought he broke his left femur. It was then that he said, “Ohhhh…well, we’ll have to take another x-ray then.” So, off they went again for another picture. Once they finished the x-ray and pulled it up on the screen in the exam room, it became obvious that there was, indeed, a break in the femur. Dr. Diehl showed it to me and said that he was on the verge of needing surgery. It did not look like he’d need surgery but he would be in a spica cast from his hip down and rendered immobile for 4-6 weeks. This was, of course, alarming to me, since I was almost 31 weeks pregnant and could not lift Elijah as it was…moreless with a cast on half of his body! Not to mention the fact that my husband was in his third week at a new job and did not have any personal time yet to take off. He informed us that Elijah would have to be sedated to have the cast put on. Dr. Diehl then left the room to see when we could get this done. He returned noting that Centennial Medical Center (where they are located) did not have any operating rooms open until morning. Therefore, Elijah would be admitted overnight and the procedure would occur first thing in the morning. Shortly after this, Sean (my husband) arrived at the office, and Dr. Diehl filled him in. Since the permanent cast would not be put on until morning, they put on a temporary cast/splint with gauze and an Ace bandage.

I remember the room seemed like it was beginning to spin at this point. The whole idea of him being in a spica cast while I was 31 weeks pregnant was almost inconceivable to me. This is NOT how I wanted to spend the last few weeks of pregnancy. Elijah was in better spirits once his leg was splinted, but he was still not a happy camper. We got him settled in at the hospital, and he kept asking - "Where's Nate?" Soon, family members arrived to see him...and my sister and brother-in-law FINALLY brought Nate up. Nate laid in bed with Elijah and comforted him so sweetly.

Elijah’s procedure was scheduled for 7 a.m. on Thursday morning. Sean said that they came in to get them shortly after 6:30 a.m. Elijah refused the “cocktail” to calm him down so he was pretty upset when he left Sean’s arms. Mom and I arrived at the hospital around 10 after 7 and found his room empty. Sean walked in just a few minutes later to get dressed for work. He then walked us into the waiting room and headed to work around 7:30-7:40. We were in the waiting room probably about 10-15 min. when Dr. Maurer came in to report. He showed us the x-ray where they set the bone back in place and said that everything went fine. A few minutes later, the nurse from recovery called to let us know that we could come back to see him. As soon as we walked into recovery, I could hear him crying and yelling for “Mommy.” He was quite agitated at this point. I walked over by his head to calm him down and assisted in giving him oxygen. (tube blowing on face) They gave him some meds in his IV, which helped calm him and he was soon fast asleep. His cast began right under his ribs, went down over his hips, down to his ankle on his left leg and down to his knee on his right leg. We were back in his room by 9 a.m. The rest of the day was spent cuddling and spending time with him. He ate a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch without any reservations. We kept trying to get him to pee in the bottle (since he is potty trained), but he had trouble going at first. He finally couldn’t hold it anymore and peed on himself. Luckily, though, we had a towel handy that I threw over him (he told me that he was going). Two nurses came in to help change the pad he was lying on and assist in cleaning him and making sure that the cast did not get wet (it did not). The nurses were not any help, though, in telling us how to make him go in the bottle, how to properly hold the bottle when he went, positions to put him in to go in the bottle, etc. It felt like the blind leading the blind at some points. The nurse did show us how to properly use the bedpan so that was beneficial. Before leaving that morning, Dr. Maurer had come by and told me that once Elijah peed, he should be free to go home. So, he was discharged between 3 and 4 p.m.

And thus began the longest 6 weeks of my life...

Some of the "joys" we encountered:

- Needing a sitter anytime I needed to leave the house whether it be for a dr's appt. or just to go to the grocery store - I was pregnant and could not lift him so we were home bound. I cannot express how thankful I was (and still am) for all of the friends and family who offered prayer/support, brought meals and helped watch Elijah during this time. I would have fallen apart without you (I was quite a mess as it was).

- Keeping a 2 1/2 year old BOY still and entertained was NOT fun!!! And yet again, we had friends and family who brought games and toys to keep a little boy still and quiet.

- Trying to figure out a way to cover Elijah's "private" area, which was left exposed with the cast. Because of the cast's positioning on his hips, we couldn't get normal shorts up him as his legs were too far apart. I praise God for my one of my best friends, Amber, and her mother who took measurements of my man's cast and constructed some make-shift shorts and undies for Elijah to wear - big boys' shorts/undies with the side seam ripped out and velcro or snaps in place. I don't know what I would have done without them!!!

- Dealing with continual potty issues for a 2 1/2 year old who had recently potty trained and was now having to learn to pee in a bottle and poo in a bedpan - he peed on his cast too many times to count. So gross!

- Refusal to eat the first few days in a cast - Can you say protest???

- Lack of sleep those first few days/week as E dealt with the pain and side effects from the medication - I remember sleeping on the couch during the week since S had to go to work (remember, I was 8 mos. pregnant; S took the weekends) with the TV on because Elijah would wake up in the middle of the night and not able to go back to sleep. At least I got to sleep this way!

- Dragging around that big plastic Little Tikes wagon because there was no other way to transport Elijah once we got somewhere - he was quite heavy, esp. once we had to get his cast reinforced

- Planning/cleaning for Nate's birthday parties with a toddler in a cast...on top of being 9 mos. pregnant!

And then, six VERY LONG weeks later, he was free of that thing...but so skinny and unable to stabilize himself well to sit in the tub that first night. It took him a few weeks to learn to walk again, and he limped for a few months.

But, here we are one year later, and he shows NO SIGNS of the injury. To be honest, I'm not even sure he remembers it. When I ask him which leg he broke, he doesn't know and often points to his right leg (he broke his left). He was shocked when he saw pictures of himself in the cast the other day. I think the only "memories" he has are from pictures he has seen and stories he has been told. Now, big brother can tell you every detail of the day... But, I suppose that for Elijah, it is best that he does not remember. His 1 year check up is on the 13th. We are believing for a positive report from the ortho and hoping that this will be our last time to see him ever. Will give an update after that appt.

Photo courtesy of Bella Mia Portraits

First Day of School

2010-09-01T15:44:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am about a week and a half late in posting this, but this new schedule is kicking my booty! I think we are finally starting to fall into a routine, but I know it takes a month to form a habit...I guess we are halfway there. :)

The day before school started, I had my sister take a family picture at church. It turned out really nice.

I needed it for Nathan's lunchbox. See:

I know that some parents put notes in their kids' lunches every day, but my kindergartener can't read yet! I thought this would be a nice reminder of how much his family loves him. But, I wasn't sure if it would embarrass him, because, you know, he has a reputation to maintain. He put all my fears aside, though, when the first thing he said upon entering the van after school was, "You put a picture in my lunch!" with a big grin. Whew! He even checked the next morning to make sure that I had left it there. One and a half weeks later, it's still there and will probably remain there until we decide to replace it, it becomes ruined or I am asked to remove it.

I had a friend recently start an embroidery business so I asked her to make a "Kindergarten Rocks" shirt for Nathan. It turned out AWESOME! (Even Daddy liked it.) Our little man was HAPPY to show it off the first day of school...after he had hoped right out of bed, scarfed down breakfast, and gotten dressed.

We got Nathan to school a bit early - around 7:30-7:40 a.m. Because it was the first day, we were able to walk him in...and yes, we all 4 walked him in as Sean went in to work late that day so he could go. Nathan was most impressed by his locker.

He strutted into class, and Sean helped him find his seat. I snuck in for one last glimpse of my baby and a picture of he and his teacher, Ms. Cone. Oh, yeah...and that one last glimpse...I was hoping for a hug, kiss...something! I had to ask for a hug, and it was quite forced. My baby is growing up!

I didn't think to get any pictures of he and I or he and Sean. Let's just say that I was not quite myself that day. I didn't cry...BUT when we went to the Coffee and Kleenex breakfast for new parents, one of the PTO moms asked me how it went...I felt the tears well up, and I couldn't speak there for a minute. I was pretty much that way during the entire breakfast...heck, I was like that the entire day! All someone had to do was get me talking about my baby growing up.

For dinner that night, we went to Chuck E. Cheese to celebrate OUR first day of kindergarten.

A week and a half later, Nathan is thriving. His teacher told me that he makes friends with everyone - yep, that's my boy. (my politician) He jumps out of bed in the morning and gets ready for school without too much prompting. He gets in the van every afternoon talking about how much fun he had at school. Nate is an older kindergartener - he will turn 6 next month; he was so ready to start school this year (but was definitely not ready last year). As for me, I am getting used to the routine. I LOVE hearing his excitement about school and becoming a big kid...and yet, I also love seeing his face light up and seeing him wave when he sees me in the carpool lane. He might have made his first flight of independence, but he still holds my heart!

Meet the Teacher

2010-08-19T23:21:00.000-07:00

Tonight, we got to meet Nathan's very first teacher - Ms. Cone. I went into the meeting a bit apprehensive and concerned - afterall, she is going to have my baby longer than I will during his waking hours. :) But, a few minutes with Ms. Cone put me at ease. I feel like we are on the same page and are in this journey together. Nathan was REALLY excited about his room and walked around checking it out with Daddy and Elijah. However, he got all shy and put his head on the desk when I tried to get him to talk to the boy who sits across the table from him. (I think Monday might be exciting!)

When we got home, I had a message from a friend of mine who made Nathan's first day of school shirt. She brought it by tonight, and I LOVE it! I'll leave it as a surprise for Monday, but my boy will be "rockin'."

As we inch closer and closer to Monday, this song keeps playin in my head (and goes along with my last post)...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4NS7...eature=related

I know all I've been writing about is Nathan and him starting kindergarten, but...well...that's all we are talking about around here. Here's a funny story in closing...tonight at dinner, Nathan was concerned that we wouldn't pick him up from school. I assured him that I would never leave him at school, and then Sean and I both said that we loved him and couldn't live without him. "Oh, you love ME, just not Elijah!" Ha! Knowing Nathan, I am pretty sure that he is convinced that he is loved more because he is not the one always getting in trouble (Elijah pushes the boundaries). We nipped that thought process in the bud; it had the makings for the Prodigal Son story to me!!! :)

Here's a recent shot of all 3 of our cuties in the sunflowers, taken by Desiree Chapman of Bella Mia Portraits. It's next to impossible to get 3 looking at the camera with cute faces so she did the best she could with what they gave her. It's a great shot!

My Baby

2010-08-18T00:03:00.000-07:00

Six years ago, I waited in eager anticipation for the birth of my firstborn. I could not wait to become a mother! Ten short weeks later, I met my Nathan Isaac face-to-face. I loved spending one on one time with Nathan as a newborn and toddler. But, as a first time parent, I was a bit too eager for him to reach the next milestone, the next stage.

Nathan has always been the typical firstborn - receiving attention from everyone (esp. his Uncle Sam).

As I watched him grow from a baby to a toddler to a preschooler...I was amazed at the blessing and gift God had given me in my son. Sean & I always wanted children and being a stay-at-home mommy was always a dream of mine. To see that dream become a reality, still leaves me in awe sometimes.

And then, even that preschool age faded as he turned 5 last fall. FIVE?! How could I have a five year old?! I had babies, not children!!! But, much to our chagrin, they do grow up.

With almost six years of motherhood under my belt, there are times where I wish I could go back and savor every moment of those one on one times I had with my firstborn. I did not know how fast it would go by and how much I would miss it! So, here we stand today...with our first hill behind us(infancy/toddlerhood/preschool years)...and our first cliff before us - where my baby will take his first flight (kindergarten)! I pray that he does well; I know this is not the last flight he'll take as he has many more ahead of him. Mama might shed a few tears, but I'll be his biggest cheerleader. I anticipate what lies ahead of this young man. I have known from the time he was in my womb that God's hand was upon him. His name means "God's gift of laughter," and I know he will touch the world with that. He has a very outgoing personality and a compassionate heart. Shortly after his birth, it was prophesied that he would go to lands and do things that his grandfather and father only dreamed of reaching. I cannot wait to see this come into fruition!

Nathan, as we stand here together just 4 days before your big first flight, know that you can do ALL things through Jesus who gives you strength (Phil 4:13 - the first verse you ever memorized). May His love be the wind that allows you to soar through this! I love you very much, sweetie, and will always be here for you cheering you on!

Book Sneeze

2010-06-14T11:20:00.001-07:00

Giving this a program so you might see a review in the near future... :)

Our "Powder Puff Girl" is Rolling!

2010-02-08T23:57:00.000-08:00

Let me clarify...by rolling, I do not mean that she is getting around by rolling across the room. Not YET. Come on, she's only 3 months old! BUT, during the Super Bowl party at church last night, I put her on her tummy and watched her roll onto her back for the first time. :) I think she is the first of my kids that I actually got to SEE do this. Love it! I tried yelling at my mom to look while she did it, but it was rather hard to hear in there with the game on. (She did catch on and saw Kadynce on her back shortly thereafter.) It won't be long before she'll roll from her back to her tummy - she can get to her side but not all the way over yet.

And now for her new title of "Powder Puff Girl..." We had MOPS this morning, and I was holding her during our group's discussion time. At one point, I thought I smelled a dirty diaper. She was sitting up on the table so I leaned her head on my shoulder and peeked at the diaper from the top. As I opened the diaper, she let out a little toot and "poof" - out came a poof of baby powder. It was hilarious, and the 2 other ladies at my table at the time got quite a kick out of it. Thus, she has earned herself the title of "Powder Puff Girl." :)

Happy Valentine's Day from our own "Powder Puff Girl!"

Darn Wisdom Teeth

2010-02-08T23:26:00.000-08:00

So...why do we have wisdom teeth?! Very few people actually get to keep them or have room for them, and most people go through much pain with them. I have often wondered what God's reasoning was in giving us these extra teeth since very few people can actually use them! I am not one of those lucky people. I have been battling with my wisdom teeth since high school, and the time has finally come for them to be removed IMMEDIATELY!

When Kadynce was about 3 weeks old (right before Thanksgiving), I started having some pain on the left side of my mouth. Very soon, I realized that I was clenching my jaw/gritting my teeth whenever I slept. Sean later told me that I was grinding my teeth at times as well. The pain subsided for a few weeks around Christmas and New Year's, but it started up again at the end of Jan. I finally broke down and went to the dentist last week. I have a rather large cavity in my upper left wisdom tooth - which is fully in. I am now finishing my last day of penicillin and will be calling an oral surgeon this week. I was told that I need that tooth out ASAP...within the next 2 weeks. So, we are working fast and furiously on that! Blech! I am getting all 4 done at once...2 will be pulled (top) and 2 will be surgically removed.

I am hoping to get this scheduled on a Friday so that Sean only has to miss one day of work to help with my recovery. He will probably stay with the kids, and my mom will help me. I am waking early every morning to pump as I suspect that even if I CAN nurse Kadynce during this time, I will not feel like it (thank goodness that she takes a bottle). My sis is helping with this part of the endeavor (and I am eternally grateful) - I KNEW there was a reason we got pregnant at the same time. LOL

I will keep everyone posted on this...as much as I hate the idea of it! :)

Tissue...Kiss You...

2010-02-08T23:07:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday, I had to go to the dentist so my mom watched the boys for me (Kadynce stayed with me). Elijah said something to my mom...and having worked with children most of her life, she went to interpret what he said as a mispronunciation of the phrase, "Kiss You." She immediately corrected him - "Elijah, say k-k-kiss you." He confusingly obliged and said, "K-k-kiss you!" Nathan finally spoke up on his brother's behalf and said, "Mawmaw, he needs a TISSUE!" Apparently, Elijah had originally said, "I need a tissue," and my mom heard, "I need to 'tiss' you." LOL How cute is that (on both parts)?!

Not the best picture, but it's the most recent one I have of Elijah on the computer. :)

"Is there chocolate in this?"

2010-01-27T21:45:00.000-08:00

I do not know what I did differently with my 2 boys, but their tastes could not be more different when it comes to food! Nathan is a rare little man. He enjoys "healthy" foods (which I am grateful for). His daily afternoon snack is an apple. He LOVES salads, and his drink of choice is typically water (if chocolate milk isn't available LOL). Granted, he loves sweets too, but he eats quite healthy for a 5 year old, and I don't have to force it down him! Elijah, on the other hand, has always been a pain in my side, er rear, when it comes to food. He was almost 2 before he ate meat on a regular basis; even now, he calls all meat "chicken," but hey, whatever gets him to eat it. He pretty much refuses all veggies. As you saw from the previous post, he doesn't like beans. :) He would eat SWEETS and cheese all day long if I'd let him. He prefers milk or juice and has just now started drinking water. *sigh*

So, today, I had fixed myself tostadas for lunch (boys weren't impressed with them last night), and Nathan asked for a bowl of lettuce (not a salad, just lettuce) when he saw me fixing some for my tostada. Suddenly, I heard a conversation between the boys...

"Eat it, Elijah. I promise - there's chocolate in it!" (Nathan)

"No, there's not!" (Elijah)

Then, Elijah approached me with a piece of lettuce and asked, "Is there chocolate in this?" Holding in my laughter, I confirmed that lettuce contains no chocolate. Elijah trotted off and proudly proclaimed, "See, Nate - there's no chocolate in there."

The boys and I at Babe's Chicken House on my birthday 1/2/10

**Ignore my hair - not sure what was up with my bangs!**

Just to Update

2010-01-26T23:12:00.000-08:00

Kadynce is going into her second week of sleeping anywhere from 7-9 hours at night. Bedtime is anywhere from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. But, that's TOTALLY okay if she'll sleep until 8 or 9 a.m.! Way to go, Baby Girl! She's growing up...

Christmas Pictures

2010-01-26T23:07:00.000-08:00

I finally got a chance to edit a few pictures from Christmas. While this may seem like a lot, it's not compared to how many more I have to do! But, just to give you an idea of what our Christmas was like...

First up - shots of Christmas Eve at Sean's mom's house...it was icing outside!

Kadynce Joy - 8 weeks old

Nathan and Elijah were ready to open gifts!

Sean with his Garmin and PINK tie (Tie courtesy of his Aunt Amy)

And now for Christmas Day shots...

Santa thought we were all REALLY good!

Santa brought Nathan his "Big" Bakugan

Santa brought Elijah an Imaginext Space Shuttle

Nathan showed Kadynce her first doll that Santa brought her.

Our backyard on Christmas morn

Elijah with his Batcave - He LOVES this thing! Plays with it every day...

Kadynce Joy on Christmas Day - all dressed up from head to toe!

Nathan with Uncle Chris on Christmas night

Elijah opening his Leapster 2 from Mawmaw and Pawpaw. There's a story behind this photo...Sean got a DSi for his birthday in mid-December; Nathan has pretty much overtaken Sean's original DS. Elijah always wants to play, but doesn't know how. While he was out with his broken leg, his best friend let him borrow his Leapster. He enjoyed it so much that my parents decided to get him one for Christmas. He opened it, lifted it up (shown here) and exclaimed, "A DS!!!!" He was soooo happy and soooo cute!

Sean Can Claim Him!!!

2010-01-26T22:23:00.000-08:00

Well, Sean can finally claim Elijah! I believe Sean's heart skipped a beat, and he thought, "That's MY son!" tonight when Elijah exclaimed, "I don't LIKE beans!" Sean is NOT a bean lover, and I have only seen him eat them ONCE when we were dating...he took it like a pill. It was hilarious. Since Elijah resembles my side of the family, I believe that Sean finally thinks that he can take his claim on E-Man! :)

Starting Fresh

2010-01-15T10:19:00.000-08:00

2010 is a new year for new things and great success...at least that's what I'm claiming!!! As you may recall, Sean took the Professional Engineer's exam last April shortly after losing his job. He was quite distracted with everything life had dealt him - job loss, new baby, etc. During the exam, he said that all he could think about was how he was going to pay bills and provide for his family with the new baby on the way and no job! (Obviously, he had not yet given it to the Lord.) I'm sure that taking an exam to advance your "job" status did not help either. Well, Sean wound up failing that exam (just by a few points, but it was still failing). He could have taken it this past October, but the date was close to my due date. Since it's an 8 hour exam over an hour away during which time he cannot be reached at all, he didn't want to risk leaving his 8 1/2 month pregnant wife alone with his 3 and 5 year olds. He did not think he could concentrate well then either. Since he is not "actively" in the engineering field anymore (he is now a project manager for a property management company), he had not planned to pursue the test this spring. However, having his licensing does benefit him in his job. SOOOOO, after a conversation with his boss yesterday, Sean is now signed up to re-take the test on April 16th. Lots of prayers for clarity of mind and understanding both on test day and beforehand during the study time would be GREATLY appreciated.

On a side note...Kadynce's wonderful sleep schedule was short-lived. Her 2-3 a.m. bedtimes have returned no matter how hard I try to fight it. We'll just keep working on an earlier bedtime and know that someday soon it will catch on. ;) Meanwhile, I am busy getting her princess room set up as she is quickly getting too big for the bassinet. I will post pictures once I get the room completed. Still gathering all the princess stuff right now...mobile and window valance have been ordered, and I'm going to pick up the diaper stacker today. Hoping to make her a bow holder as well.

I am going to try to work on photos today so hopefully, I'll have some to share soon from the holidays. Until then, have a FABULOUS Friday!!!

Giggles

2010-01-12T20:52:00.000-08:00

Tonight was one of those nights that makes parenthood worth it! Kadynce was in a good mood so I was playing some fun games with her...she likes doing Patty Cake really, really fast. When I finished, I tickled her chest, and she giggled out loud. Sean and Elijah heard it too; it was so sweet! She has been smiling for some time now, but the giggle was just precious!!!

SLEEP!!!

2010-01-12T09:13:00.000-08:00

My precious sleep - I never realized how much I truly needed you until you were gone. It is so nice to have you back!!!

At 10 weeks old, Kadynce has decided (at least for now) to get on a normal sleep schedule. On Sunday night, she slept from 11:45 p.m. until 7 a.m. On Monday night, she slept from midnight until 8 a.m. Sure beats her previous 3 a.m. bedtimes or her attempts to sleep with us! I know 2 nights isn't a guarantee that the pattern is here to stay, but it's enough to get my hopes up. :)

Kadynce is 2 months old!

2010-01-08T00:05:00.000-08:00

While everyone else was simply celebrating New Year's last week, we had one more thing to celebrate around here - Kadynce's 2 month birthday! She went to the doctor this week and is growing quite well. She now weighs 12 lbs. 12 oz. and is 24 1/4 in. long. The doctor seemed pleased with her growth. She's already off the charts for height, just like her big brother - Elijah; we'll see if she keeps that up! She still has a head full of dark hair - only a strip in the back has worn off! The top that is growing in seems to be coming in dark. She might have her daddy's hair afterall!!! Her neck muscles are a bit tight - she favors the right side (probably means she was tilted that way in the womb) - and her head is a bit flat on that side. Therefore, we have some exercises to work on with her - she's not too fond of them. Of course, she'll also be doing more tummy time! That's not one of her favorite activities either. She really only enjoys eating, sleeping and being held. Her newest accomplishment has been smiling and cooing - esp. in response to those around her. It is the sweetest thing when she "talks" to you and smiles...every morning, I put her on the changing table and say, "Kadynce Joy!" I always get the biggest grin. What a wonderful day to start the day! Here's a recent photo of Kadynce and our niece, Caylin (8 1/2 months), on Christmas Eve...

Kadynce Joy

2010-01-07T23:41:00.000-08:00

I am including this here because it is my latest writing endeavor and also the reason that I renovated the blog in the first place. Enjoy!

The journey to our princess’s arrival was long as I had dreamed of having a daughter from the moment Sean and I married. But, we celebrated ten years of marriage and two sons before my princess arrived.

Our journey to meet our princess began in August of 2008 when Sean and I decided it was time to add a third child to our family. The process of conception did not come as easy this time as it had for us in the past. It took us six months to conceive our sweet girl. In early February 2009, my sister and brother-in-law found out that they were expecting their first baby. I was thrilled for them, but my heart was a bit disappointed in our continued failure in the area. A few days after we found out about my sister, we were in the car when Nathan, then 4 years old, told me, “Mama, you have baby in your tummy too; it’s just littler than Chee-Chee’s. It’s like an M&M.” I was quite amazed at my son’s “intuition” and immediately called Sean to tell him of Nathan’s insight. One and a half weeks later, I took a pregnancy test on a whim – totally expecting another negative, which I had become quite accustomed to in six months’ time. But, this time, it was positive, and I felt those all too familiar emotions – extreme excitement, a faint feeling, barely able to control myself and having to concentrate to breathe. Any woman who has ever been pregnant knows exactly what I’m talking about here. I quickly grabbed a Ziploc and threw the pregnancy test in there. I also grabbed the boy onesie and “Daddy’s Girl” shortalls that I had been saving for just the right time and threw it all in a decorative bag. I found Sean in the kitchen with the boys and videotaped him opening the gift. He was so excited!!! He then got down and explained to the boys what the gifts meant. They ran into the living room and danced around because they were going to have a baby! From the moment he found out that I was pregnant, Nathan was emphatic that it was a baby girl. He even had Sean, Elijah and I convinced within a few months’ time.

The first trimester brought the full package of all-day sickness: nausea, vomiting, stomach problems, etc. It was terrible! I was sick for two months straight. Taking care of the boys was exciting with my head in the toilet most of the time. Outings were near impossible. There was one trip to IKEA with my best friend, her mom, her niece and our kids that did not end well. Talk about embarrassing!!! I wound up losing 10 lbs. from the vomiting. Everyone told me, “It must be a girl since you are so sick.” In hindsight, I believe they were right.

By the end of the pregnancy, Sean was pretty confident that Lil’ Punkin, as we nicknamed her in utero, was a baby girl. He KNEW our princess was on the way. I really felt that way too, but deep inside, I tried not to get too excited or my hopes set on a girl because I knew that there was a 50/50 chance of it being another boy! Our boys, however, did not understand that. When people asked, they would promptly tell them that we were having a girl, and her name was Kadynce Joy. Every time they told someone this, we had to clarify that we did not know the baby’s sex and that they only THOUGHT it was a baby girl.

Halloween was really “just another day” in our house because we don’t celebrate it. However, since children all around dress up on that day, we did find some costumes for our boys to wear as we ran errands. We had gone to Target the night before in search of a newborn girl outfit and a newborn boy outfit for the baby to wear for hospital pictures (since I didn’t have anything “photo worthy” for either sex and knew Sean would be working and not able to get anything immediately after baby arrived). I found a cute Carter’s outfit that was brown with red stripes and a doggie on it for a boy; I found a pink pants set for a girl – velour top that said Princess in the corner with leggings. I had baby boy socks, but no baby girl socks. I also wanted a headband/bow for the baby girl to wear for pictures. I wanted to be prepared! But, Target didn’t have the right socks for a newborn or a headband. So, on Halloween, we went to Sam’s to pick up some pictures I had printed of my nephew (who was born earlier in the week). Then, we ran to Wal-Mart, where I found some cute Princess socks that matched the girl outfit perfectly. But, I still couldn’t find a headband for my “potential” baby girl. After a short afternoon break at home, we decided to head to my mother-in-law’s that night to visit with family. On the way there, I made Sean stop at a different Target so that I could attempt to find headbands. I finally found some, and I was thrilled! After nine crazy months (which included 5 months of unemployment and 6 weeks of a preschooler in a spica cast with a broken femur), I finally felt ready to have this baby!

We enjoyed a quiet evening with Sean’s family. We got some cute photos of the kids - our niece was dressed as a flower fairy, Nathan was dressed in his cowboy attire, and Elijah was sporting a ninja costume. They enjoyed helping Gigi pass out candy to the trick-or-treaters. Sean kept telling me that he thought I’d go into labor that night, but I wasn’t sure. I felt fine that evening and wasn’t having anymore contractions than normal.

Once we arrived home, we got the boys to bed. I started noticing that I was having contractions quite a bit, and they seemed to be in a pattern. I went online and started tracking the contractions on www.contractionmaster.com. My contractions were lasting about 1 minute each and were coming everywhere from 4-8 minutes. I was online chatting with a fellow mommy, and I had to ask her how far apart the contractions had to be before calling the doctor. I couldn’t even remember! We decided it was when contractions were every 4-5 min. I called my parents to give them fair warning of what “might” be happening. They just laughed because it was about par – it was a Saturday night…and my dad is our pastor. For them, the timing couldn’t have been worse, but they were thrilled that their fourth grandchild might be coming soon. Before calling the doctor, I decided to take a bath and see if things changed any. The contractions did indeed STOP while I was in the tub, but I found myself having trouble truly relaxing – even with the lights off and candles burning. I think I had a bit of anxiety over what was to come. When I got out of the tub, I informed Sean that I thought it might be just a false alarm. He, on the other hand, was convinced that it was more than that. Sure enough, my contractions started again once I got settled. We called the doctor and then called my parents to let them know that we were headed to the hospital (as the dr. had advised).

I will admit that I was concerned when I found out that my doctor was not on-call that night. For one, I have only had female OB’s, and there was a male doctor (Dr. Fleming) on-call that evening. More importantly, I was adamant from day one that my doctor, Dr. Boyd, deliver the baby. I had done a lot of research to find a new OB after my previous one failed to meet my standards of a competent doctor. I did not want just “another doctor” delivering my baby. So, when Sean called, he requested that Dr. Boyd be notified, if at all possible, because I really wanted her to deliver. I had heard some good reports about Dr. Fleming earlier in the week so that did help things a bit. (I’m thinking God might have had something to do with this.)

We woke the boys and told them that the baby was coming – they hopped out of bed and headed to the car (at least Nathan did – he’d been waiting on this day for months). I got very nauseated before we left the house – I’m not sure if it was nerves or the onset of labor – so I wound up carrying a bowl with me to the hospital. What made it worse was the strong skunk smell on the way there. Blech! Luckily, it never turned into anything more than simple nausea – thank goodness!!! Sean and I did a bit of talking in between contractions to keep my mind off things and help my nervous energy (the trauma and problems I had after Elijah’s delivery left me with a bit of anxiety for this one).

We arrived at the hospital and chuckled when I was placed in the same labor and delivery room where my sister delivered my nephew less than a week earlier. Then we realized how neat it would be for the cousins to take their first breath in the same room. When I mentioned that my sister had delivered there 5 days earlier, the labor and delivery nurse said that she had been with my sister during her delivery. Several others remembered her throughout our stay – that was pretty neat. Once hooked up to the monitors, it was confirmed that I was in labor and having consistent, mid-range contractions. They were coming about every 2-3 minutes. I was 4 cm. dilated and about 80% effaced. I was nervous about the IV (after having all my veins blown during the complications following my last delivery), and of course, the first vein they tried blew immediately. I started getting light headed and required oxygen for a bit while they worked on the IV, but they finally got it in! I labored all night long with very little sleep. Sean and Mom managed to sleep (and snore) on the fold out chairs in the room while I moaned through contractions. I remember that Roseanne was on TV at the beginning (there was a flat screen TV on the wall at the end of my bed), and it was the episode where she gives birth. Pretty ironic! At one point closer to morning, I think Full House was on. Sometime around 5 or 6 a.m., my contractions petered out and I was able to get a bit of sleep.

As I mentioned earlier, I was pretty nervous about this delivery because of complications following my last one. I was at a different hospital this time, but I had been told that one of the best nurses I had at the last hospital had transferred to this one. As soon as I was settled in for the night, I asked the nurse about Mischa, and I was told that she was actually a manager for the labor and delivery unit. They said that she would be in the next morning. I had my hopes up to see her that next day.

When the nurse came in that morning, she told me that Dr. Fleming was still on-call. If my water hadn’t broken by 11 a.m., he would come in to break my water and get this show on the road. Around 11:30 or so, the nurse checked me, and I was 4-5 cm. with my bag of waters still in tact. About noon, Dr. Fleming came in and broke my water (and promised he would try to contact Dr. Boyd, though we weren’t sure she could make it in time). It didn’t take long for the contractions to pick up in intensity and frequency. I had forgotten how painful those transition contractions are! Ouch! Somehow during this time, my TV got changed to the Dallas Cowboys game. And yes, the game was on (though muted) when I gave birth! After a couple of painful contractions, I asked the nurse to check me because I was beginning to have the slight urge to push. I was only 7-8 cm. dilated, and I remember thinking, “Geez, this is going so slow this time.” (I went from 5 cm. to 10 cm. in 30 min. with my previous birth.) But, based on the way I was feeling and the urge to push that was setting in, I knew that we had to be close.

After 1 or 2 more contractions, I was begging the nurse to check again because the urge to push was so strong. She got her glove on and was ready to check but never got a chance. She told me that she’d do it after the next contraction, but that next contraction was filled with surprises! The pressure to push soon became too intense to ignore, and my body began bearing down without my control. (I know it sounds crazy, but trust me – there was no stopping it.) Everyone was telling me, “Don’t push” – including my mom, who was one of my birthing coaches. The nurse ran out of the room to get the doctor, and my mom tried talking to me calmly and telling me, “You can’t do this. Don’t push yet, Krisinda. Wait on the doctor – he’s coming.” I believe my response went something like, “I can’t help it. *GRUNT* I HAVE to puuuuush!” I remember the doctor coming in and immediately beginning to put his “garb” on. All the while, I was grunting/pushing on the bed. The nurses were scrambling, and I remember them trying to get the stirrups up. I pushed one more time, knowing something was happening, and exclaimed, “Oh, God!” As I watched the doctor put on his shoe covers/booties, I heard Sean say, “Um, I see the head, people. Okay, head’s out!” The doctor then dashed over and jumped on the end of the bed in time to catch my baby with the next push. I saw the baby but couldn’t tell if it was a boy or girl. I heard Sean say, “It’s a girl!” with tears in his eyes. My mom then gave me a side hug and patted my cheek saying, “It’s a girl.” She, of course, was crying too. Sean and Mom both tell me that I cried, but I don’t recall that. Kadynce Joy Lingenfelter arrived at 12:30 p.m. – only 4 minutes after the doctor was called to the room.

Sean did not get to cut the cord; they rushed Kadynce over to the warmer fairly quickly. Apparently, she was blue and not breathing well at birth. We were told that she had quite a bit of amniotic fluid that had to be suctioned out. (After further research, it seems that the fluid did not get pushed out of her lungs since she came so quickly.) I was not terribly worried about her at this moment because 1) I was busy with afterbirth pains and delivery and 2) Mischa happened to be in the room after birth so I knew Kadynce was in good hands. After a few minutes of suctioning, she let out a beautiful cry! She weighed 7 lbs. 15 oz. (same as Nathan) and was 21.5 inches long (1 inch longer than her brothers). She had dark brown hair, big blue eyes, and chubby little cheeks. Her nose was crushed towards the left – she must have had a funky position in the womb - but I thought that she was gorgeous! After years of waiting and dreaming, I couldn’t believe that my princess was finally here.

Everything went smoothly during recovery. Because I hemorrhaged after my previous birth, I was very conscious about postpartum bleeding and such. The nurses and doctor were aware of this so I was left on pitocin a bit longer than usual as a precautionary effort. I also had some extra cramping – due in part to the pitocin and in part to the fact that this was my third delivery. However, by the next day, I felt much better. I spent the day alone with Kadynce since Sean went in to work and my parents had the boys. I just rested, watched TV, surfed the net, etc. Later that afternoon, my mom came by to help me shower…I felt almost back to normal after that! We went home on Tuesday, November 3, 2009. Sean and the boys came to pick us up, and we went home to McKinney. It was so surreal driving home as a family of 5. Sean and I both felt extremely blessed by the Lord during that drive home.

Kadynce, you are definitely the princess in our family. I have always said that you were Mommy’s princess, and now your brothers have nicknamed you “princess.” You are adored by all!!! You have been in my heart for a while…and now you are in my arms! There are days that I can’t believe you are finally here. I know that God has a plan for you and that His timing was perfect for your arrival. You have many people to touch in your lifetime. My prayer is that you would submit to God’s plan for your life early on and will live for Him all of your days. I love you!

-Mommy

Welcome, 2010!

2010-01-05T16:11:00.000-08:00

Five months later, and I'm baaaack! Thought you'd never hear from me again?! Wrong! I just needed some time to catch my breath. LIFE got pretty crazy after my last post. In a nutshell...Sean got a job on August 18th as a project manager for a property management company in Dallas. Praise God! He did not abandon us, yet again!!! Sean really enjoys his job, moreso than anything he's done in the past. That is really refreshing - to know that he is enjoying what he does during the day! Two weeks after Sean started his job, Elijah broke his left femur when he fell at McDonald's. He spent the night in the hospital and was put into a spica cast from the waist down. It was so sad to see! He was in that dreaded thing for 6 VERY LONG weeks. To make matters worse, I was 32 weeks pregnant when this happened so I could not care for him on my own (that cast was HEAVY!). Therefore, we relied greatly on the help of friends and family - to whom we are forever endebted. (You know who you are!) Elijah's cast came off on October 12th, and I'm not sure who was happier - Elijah or Sean and I. :) Almost 3 weeks later, on November 1st, Kadynce Joy graced us with her presence. She weighed 7 lbs. 15 oz. and was 21.5 inches long at birth. Shortly thereafter, our church purchased its own building and moved to our new location in Wylie at the corner of 1st and Brown. Then, we celebrated Elijah's 3rd birthday (Dec. 5th), Sean's 31st birthday (Dec. 13th), my dad's birthday (Dec. 22nd), Christmas (Dec. 24th-26th), New Year's and my 31st birthday (Jan. 2nd). Needless to say, the last half of 2009 was quite busy for us! I can't say that 2009 was our best year, but God, once again, taught us many things through it, and we praise Him for pulling us through. The "Footprints" poem is quite appropriate for the way I feel about the end of last year - He literally CARRIED me through; I would not have made it on my own.

And so, we look forward to 2010 with open arms and great expectations for a blissful year. We will celebrate many exciting events this year...from Kadynce's 1st birthday to Nathan starting school in August! It's already started off quite nicely. We had a blast celebrating my birthday this weekend. We went to Babe's Chicken House in Frisco as a family for my birthday lunch. We stopped at Love, Peace, Popcorn for a popcorn/frozen lemonade treat on the way home. I went to Kohl's to use my Kohl's cash from Christmas (while the kids napped and Sean did dishes - aw!). I got a black pencil skirt that Sean used as part of my birthday gift (I picked out some new Skechers earlier in the week), and I got a matching black sweater and scarf with my Kohl's cash! Score!!! I came home to my brother and his girlfriend here to spend an evening with our boys. Sean, Kadynce and I went to the mall and walked around (thought about going to the movies, but well...that would take a whole other post). Then, we had a late dinner at Macaroni Grill (yum!). Sean and I had a nice time together because Kadynce slept the whole time!!! On Sunday, I had a birthday lunch with family and close friends at Black Eyed Pea. It was a very nice time and a great way to kick off 2010. I look forward with anticipate to all of the exciting things this year holds.

Oh, and I have totally redone the blog. "Pretty in Pink: Running a House of Blue" did not really fit anymore, even though I had a friend tell me that Kadynce will probably run this house too. LOL "Mudpies and Lollipops" is a much better representation of our family these days. I am excited about this new blog and promise not to wait 5 months before posting again. I just uploaded picture from Christmas through my birthday and hope to get some of those up soon. Thanks for reading!!!

Writing

2009-08-10T13:09:00.000-07:00

So, apparently, pregnancy and blogging do not work well for me. I wonder if anyone even follows my blog anymore...probably not. But, it gives me an outlet to begin working on something that Sean and God have been on me about for quite some time - writing.

Throughout middle school and high school, I had several pen pals (some of whom I am still friends with today...none of whom I have ever met). I was always known by the notes of encouragement I would pass out to people at church. I would write notes to friends when we went on vacation and even started a story, which was never fully completed. People always saw me with a pen and paper nearby. Six years ago, I graduated from college with a degree in literary studies with the full intention of writing "some day." I figured it would be the perfect career to have while being a stay-at-home mommy and raising a family, not to mention the fact that I really enjoy writing.

Well, it seems that "someday" may have arrived. Perhaps the reason I have neglected my blog so much is because I am ignoring the nudging God is doing in my spirit. Within the last two weeks, I have received a couple of words at church about writing and fulfilling my calling. Then, this weekend, I went to see the movie, "Julie & Julia" with a girlfriend of mine. While the main focus of this movie is about cooking, there is an underlying theme about writing, and it was even more fire under me.

I honestly don't know what I'm going to write about or where to start. Sean and I have a few ideas for children's books that we have been tossing around so maybe I'll start there. How to get published or who to contact....that kind of thing is what I am clueless about so if you have any suggestions or contacts, please let me know.

I'll keep you posted on what evolves from this journey. In the meantime, I could use all of the prayers, encouragement and support as I embark on this endeavor that cannot be ignored.

Still Here

2009-06-07T20:13:00.000-07:00

Yep, it's been another month since I last checked in. While the nausea and vomiting are gone here at 19 weeks into the pregnancy, I am still about 2 months behind from all the time I WAS sick. My house shows for it too so fear not, blog friends, you are not the only ones suffering. LOL Because I know you just anticipate my new blogs with such excitement that to not have something new from me must be devestating. Ha!

Nathan has finished his t-ball season. We are having an end-of-year picnic at a splash park this Thursday to celebrate. These boys were just learning the basics of baseball, and they learned a lot in a few months. It was amazing to see them at their first practice and then at their last game - big difference! Nathan's goal for the season was to hit the ball all the way out to the grass (outfield), and he did that on his last game. Each boy got a trophy at the end, and you would have thought that someone had hand-picked one just for Nathan. He is so proud!

Both boys are growing like weeds. It is hard to believe that I will have a 3 year old and a 5 year old by the end of the year! They aren't "babies" anymore....but at least I'll have a new baby to keep me feeling younger.

While both boys are definitely growing, Elijah is the one who is huge. He inherited the Lingenfelter side's big bones (which skipped Sean). He is STOUT...oh, which, by the way, is what his middle name (Cade) means (we didn't know this when we named him but how appropriate). He is solid. He is just a few inches shorter than Nathan, but I think they are only 1-2 lbs. different in weight. When you pick them up, Elijah feels much heavier!

Speaking of Eljah...our passive baby has turned into a fiesty, defiant 2 year old. We are working on breaking his strong will - which wears me out often. The good news is that he is fully potty trained!!! He just mastered night-time and naptime training. Gone are the days of diapers and Pull-Ups for him. I am just happy that I will only have 1 kid in diapers this fall, not 2. Wahoo!

Sean is still looking for a permenant job, but in the meantime, he is working for my dad and brother. It gets a little overwhelming and stressful at times when you start thinking about the whole ordeal. He has a tendancy to get a bit depressed sometimes. But, we are continuing to trust God and know that He will be faithful to provide for our every need, however that may be.

Sean and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary this past Friday. My parents watched the boys overnight (Elijah's first time) while Sean and I stayed at the hotel where our wedding reception was held - Embassy Suites. We had dinner at a Japenese restaurant downtown that we like called Kenichi. It was great, as always. We walked through Victory Park and saw the Channel 8 news anchors preparing for the evening news. :) On Saturday, we had a late breakfast at the hotel and then went to the dollar theater for a movie before picking up the boys. Once we picke them up and were settled, we headed to Grapevine Mills Mall to look around AND have dinner at Rainforest Cafe. The night Sean and I were engaged, we had dinner at Rainforest Cafe. So, ever since Nathan was born, we have taken him there to celebrate our anniversary. The boys had a blast. Elijah was scared last year, but he LOVED it this year. He just didn't want to get too close to those moving elephants. LOL Overall, we had a fabulous weekend! I am so blessed to be married to such a wonderful man for a decade now. I am praying that we have many, many more to come. In the meantime, we will enjoy every day that we have together.

I know I am behind on photos, but I am hoping to catch up on those these week too. So, hopefully, I'll have a bunch of catch-up photos to post within the next few days. In the meantime, I hope everyone has a wonderful day! I'll check in soon.

T-ball Pics

2009-04-27T19:12:00.001-07:00

"Outta my face, boy! I'm on the base!!!"

Coach Sean and Nate

Sean gets to help everyone bat!

Our little ball player running to base.

Go, Nathan, go!

We are very proud of our little man, and he is having a blast playing. If you want to check out a game, let us know and we'll get you the info.

Baby Caylin

2009-04-27T15:19:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures of our new niece, Caylin Dakota. Our boys are absolutely smitten by her so I hope that is a good sign of things to come this fall when their new brother or sister arrives.

I have some more pictures from our visit the week after she was born. I have yet to upload them yet. Oh, and that is new daddy, Andrew, with Nathan. :)

Keep Praising

2009-04-27T13:22:00.000-07:00

This is a devotional I wrote for my MOPS newsletter, and I wanted to share it with all my blog-readers as well.
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“Life is full of unexpected surprises” - we have all heard that phrase before, and I dare say that most of us have experienced our fair share of “unexpected surprises.” I am sure that several life experiences have already come to mind. How we deal with these unexpected surprises is up to us. We basically have two choices: we can allow the burdens of this world to pull us down into deep despair, or we can praise God for His hand and will in our lives and trust Him to see us through. While the choice seems simple enough, carrying it out is something much more difficult.

In Psalm 34:1, the Psalmist says, I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. (NKJV) Perhaps, if we each got a handle of the depth of this Scripture, handling life’s difficulties would be so much easier. To be able to praise God continually – even through the hardest trails of life – would allow us to experience so much less stress and even draw us into a deeper relationship with our Lord Jesus.

Like most of you, life has thrown me some pretty unpleasant “surprises.” Back in 2004, Sean lost his job, and I conceived our first child within the same week! For the first seven months of my pregnancy, Sean was unemployed. This should have rattled me to the core, but instead, I had a peace inside that I simply cannot explain (even now). I continued to keep praising God and putting my faith in Him to deliver us. Although the wait seemed to take forever, He finally did pull us out and provided for us in ways beyond our imagination.

I think my biggest “surprise” came last fall when we started trying to conceive. This had never been a problem for Sean and me. Nathan was conceived shortly after I got off birth control, and Elijah’s arrival was a bit of a surprise. J So, when we decided to start trying for number three, I never imagined it would take seven months! Every month when my cycle arrived, I would cry tears of disappointment. I wondered why God would not answer our prayers…especially when our four year old was praying fervently for a new baby. What kind of God ignores the prayers of a four year old child?! I really struggled with my faith during this time; I struggled with seeing God’s blessing in this area of my life. Of course, my past struggles with the uterine infection (following Elijah’s birth) just played into my fears of never conceiving again. Finally, my pastor told us just to relax and leave it up to God. He prayed over us one Sunday, and then told us to forget about it and let God do as He had planned. It was then that I refocused and began praising God for everything in my life – everything He had given me, everything He had done and was going to do. Sure enough, I got pregnant the next month.

The Word tells us that God inhabits the praises of His people. When we praise Him, He allows His blessings to flow in our lives. As you face life’s “unexpected surprises,” may His praise continually be in your mouth. Praise the Lord!

Still Alive

2009-04-27T13:04:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am still alive. And yes, I know it has been a while since I have updated. The reason behind this is due to what I posted 2 posts ago - the baby! I have battled SEVERE nausea and vomiting with the pregnancy for the past 4-5 weeks. Luckily, I am entering my 2nd trimester, and the doctor says that should be ending soon. For info on more of that...check out the baby's blog. :)

Our new niece arrived on April 7th. Caylin Dakota arrived at 3:48 p.m. weighing 7 lbs. 7 oz. at 20.5 inches. She is a tiny little thing, but so beautiful. Per her parents' permission, I will try to upload and post some pics of her soon.

We had a beautiful Easter. We celebrated the resurrection of Jesus at church that morning with our church family. Afterwards, we went over to Sean's mom's house for an Easter lunch and egg hunt - even though it was wet and muddy. (Thank goodness for patios.) I have some photos from the special day that I am going to upload in a bit and hopefully, I can post those soon. (I'm making no promises as to when!)

Nathan is busy playing t-ball this spring, and Sean is busy coaching. It's quite humorous at their games. Instead of catching the ball and throwing it to the appropriate location, they are busy fighting over who got the ball. (Think football more than t-ball.) Kicking the dirt and playing in the grass are popular occurences as well. Luckily, most of our boys have learned to hit the ball off the tee...that's a big improvement! I should have some photos to post of this fun endeavor also. We are looking forward to this Friday when we get to go to the Rough Riders' baseball game with our whole team! (Rough Riders are our minor league team.)

Perhaps the biggest disappointment this month arrived on April Fool's. Unforunately, the news we received was not a joke. Sean was laid off from his job. So, he has been desperately looking for a new job. Every time I have gotten pregnant, though, he has changed jobs and always gotten something better. So, when I found out I was pregnant this time, I jokingly asked him if he was ready for a new job. Little did I know how prophetic that statement would be! He has had some very promising interviews so we are holding out hope on those. But, we know that our provision comes from God so we put our faith in Him to see what He has in store for our family!

Oh, and Sean took his professional engineering test this past Friday. It was an 8 hour exam. We will find out around July if he is "officially" a professional engineer. :)

That's about it. I will try to get some photos up soon because if you're like me, that's the most exciting part about blogs. :) Until then...Blessings on each of you!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

2009-03-18T09:22:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to get this video to upload for weeks, and it finally worked today! Wahoo! This is Nathan singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" and then some song about Leonardo, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, that he made up.

Nathan & Elijah's Big News!

2009-03-02T21:33:00.000-08:00

YES, I am PREGNANT!!! Online calculators have due date as Nov. 9, 2009. Of course, I have yet to carry to 40 weeks so I'm hoping for first of Nov. I made my first doctor's appt. today - sono, bloodwork and dr. visit on March 18th. We are looking forward to it. We are all thrilled! Nathan is SURE it is a girl; I hope he's right. :) The boys will be almost 3 and 5 when the baby arrives, and I think that will be good spacing - esp. for Elijah.

So that I don't BOMBARD this blog with pregnancy news, I have started a pregnancy blog. You can keep up to date with pregnancy news at http://www.lingenfelterbundleofjoy.blogspot.com/.

Babies, Babies...Everywhere!!!

2009-02-28T19:48:00.000-08:00

I announced earlier on the blog that I was going to be an aunt for the first time this spring...and Sean will become an uncle. His sister, Emily, and our brother-in-law, Andrew, are expecting their first child in April - the week before Easter. We already know that it's a girl, and her name is Caylin. :) We are so thrilled. I am hosting a baby shower for Emily in two weeks. We cannot wait to meet our first niece!

THEN, we found out last week that MY SISTER IS PREGNANT!!! We are even more thrilled. I have to say that I have been waiting for my sister to get pregnant for a long time. Although, having your baby sister pregnant is kinda weird....then again, my baby brother getting married is even more bizarre!!!

So, that's all the excitement around here. Everything is baby, baby, baby...I'm sure the guys are quite sick of it now!!! LOL

Ketchup

2009-02-28T16:29:00.000-08:00

I know, I know...it's a play on words! Well, my sweet Sean keeps me on my toes with this blog thing and gently reminded me this week that I haven't updated in quite a while. So, here I am again with a "catch-up" post. :) Hopefully, this will be the last one, and I can stay up-to-date from here on out. Honestly, I haven't had much time to edit pictures so I haven't wanted to blog without photos. But, hey, you only live once, and I might forget all the fun things we've done if I don't at least write it all down. LOL

Since my grandfather's funeral was on my birthday, we did not celebrate that night. Well, that is, unless you count going out to dinner with family at my grandpa's favorite Mexican food restaurant there in town. They did sing to me and bring out a little dessert - which wasn't very good. Ha! My real celebrations were the next day - Jan. 3rd. My mom told me that she and my dad wanted to take Sean and I to lunch that Saturday and that my brother and future sister-in-law were going to watch the boys. That seemed a little suspicious to me, but I went along with it. When my dad drove into Spaghetti Warehouse, I was sure something was up...and seeing my best friend in the parking lot sealed the deal. :) But, I had a good time with some close friends and family...

Megan (future SIL), Sam (brother) and me

Chris (BIL), me, Charity (sis)

Dad, me, Mom

Amber (BFF) holding her 2 year old, Isaac, with me holding her 4 year old, Grant

That night, we met our best friends, Jason and Malia, for dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. Yum! Then, we met my siblings and their significant others for some ice skating. Shall I mention that 30 year olds should NOT ice skate?! I fell once, but I banged my knee up pretty bad. It is just now feeling better.

The Whole Gang (L-R): Megan, Charity, Sam (in front), Sean, me, Malia and Chris

Sean and I about to hit the rink - amazing we're standing!!!

This is what your knee will look like if you ice skate over the age of 29. LOL

January started off with a bang, but got kinda boring after that. LOL My dad went on his annual mission trip to Nepal a week after my birthday. He was gone for two full weeks, but they flew by fairly quickly. We spent some time with my mom keeping her company.

On February 7, my MOPS group hosted a couples' Valentine's dinner for the parents. It's called MOPS & Pops. The theme this year was Hollywood, and we were told that we could go as our favorite movie stars/characters. We chose to go as Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in Mr. and Mrs. Smith. What do you think?

We agreed not to do too much for Valentine's because we are working on paying off our debt this year - and we have a big 10th wedding anniversary coming up in June. Well, Sean took me literally and did NOTHING. Yeah, I let him hear about that. :) I made some waffles...well the waffle maker and I had a falling out so the boys got frozen waffles...that we topped with strawberries and whipped cream for breakfast! Sean and Nathan went to Home Depot to build...made Mommy a nice jewelry box. (Elijah made me one at Lowe's the week before.) When they got home, we had chicken nuggets for the boys and honey BBQ chicken wings for Sean and I for lunch. Dessert was these red velvet cookies with cream these filling. They were good, but we forgot to put them in the fridge later that night, and we had to throw them out. :( We used a gift card and brought home Jason's Deli for dinner - I love their chicken salad sandwiches (it has pineapple in it!). After getting the boys to bed, the boys and I enjoyed homemade chocolate covered strawberries and watched "Fireproof." **Married/engaged couples - if you haven't seen that movie, go check it out NOW!!!** Sean did make up for his Valentine's blooper by bringing home flowers and chocolate that Monday after work. :)

Made with red velvet cake mix...baked like cookies...filled with cream cheese icing!

The boys loved them - not sure why they are eating them this way!

Last weekend was full of parties...on Saturday, the boys attended a birthday party while I hosted a bridal shower with church. Later tha evening, we attended Sean's mom's surprise birthday party. I won't say how YOUNG she is, but it was a BIG one! :) We celebrated at Texas Land and Cattle with other family members and some of their close friends.

Elijah enjoying cake at a friends' party! ARGH, Matie!!!

Elijah with Gigi, Osye and their friends at Gigi's birthday party!

And, here we are today...Elijah and Sean went to the store this morning to get stuff to turn on soaker hoses for the foundation. Deuce had destroyed the others so Sean got new ones and a tie down for Deuce (to be used while soakers are out/on). :) Meanwhile,I straighted up Elijah's room - we can walk through it now - and then I cleared and organized the linen closet while the boys napped. Tonight, I addressed som baby shower invites. Exciting, huh? I wanted to get into Nate's room to work tonight, but I didn't get a chance. Oh, well. Maybe one day next week.

"I Wanna Go Home!"

2009-01-23T00:12:00.000-08:00

This will be my last "catch-up" post for the evening. Perhaps the writing of this post is why it has taken me so long to update...

Per my previous post, we all saw Pawpaw on Friday, Dec. 26th. When Dad and Uncle Bill took him back to the VA nursing home, they told him that his residence there was probably going to become a permanent thing. They were already scheduled to meet with the directors there about permanent residence the following week. Pawpaw seemed to understand - although, he was so confused recently that who knows how long he remembered that or how well it even computed.

On Sunday, Dec. 28th, he was admitted to the hospital with some breathing issues. My dad was not able to make it up to see him that day, but had planned to go on Monday if he was not better. The nurse told Dad on Monday that he was doing better, and they were planning to release him on Tuesday. So, Dad decided to hold off on his visit until the following day when they were scheduled to meet with the nursing home director.

All Monday night, Pawpaw told the nurse, "I wanna go home! I wanna go home!" At 6:44 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 30th, he sat up in bed, breathed his last breath on earth and entered heaven's glory - his eternal Home.

Pawpaw lived a long, fulfilling life; he was 83 when he died. He had been married to Mawmaw for 53 years when she died in Jan. of 2003. He had two sons - my father, Gary, and my uncle, Bill - who are both ministers. He had six grandchildren: me, my sister-Charity, my brother-Sam, and our cousins - Jason, Angela and Melissa. And, he met two of his great-grandchildren: my boys, Nathan and Elijah.

My brother wondered why he had to die this year; why not next year? You see, Sam will marry his sweetheart, Megan, this November, and he will have only one set of grandparents present at the wedding. I remember asking the same question when Mawmaw died. My Nathan, her first great-grandchild, arrived one year later. Yeah, there's a lot they will miss...I am the only grandchild with children; my sister and I are the only two who are married. My youngest cousin is only 13!!! But, I like to think (whether it's true or not, I don't know) that they aren't missing ANYTHING; rather, they have the greatest seat in the house!

We buried Pawpaw on Friday, Jan. 2nd, my 30th birthday. My family asked if that was okay, and I realized...how appropriate for him to be buried on the 30th anniversary of him becoming "Pawpaw." It was hard, but it also seemed right. My dad and uncle performed the ceremony; they'd have it no other way. I did a power point of his life to Chris Tomlin's "Amazing Grace: My Chains are Gone." Indeed, Pawpaw is now free!

The funeral was much harder than I expected. It wasn't so much Pawpaw's death, in and of itself, that bothered me. It was the fact that I no longer had ANY grandparents living on that side. It was like a whole chapter of my life was ending, and I wasn't prepared. Growing up, we spent a lot of time with the Taylors - they kept us when Mom and Dad went on trips and had us over "just because." When my brother was born 7 weeks early, my mom could not get him out of the house for 3 months. That summer, my grandparents took my sister and I to San Marcus on vacation. When Mom was in and out of the hospital before Sam was born, we often stayed with Mawmaw and Pawpaw Taylor. THAT'S the kind of grandparents they were; they were a stability to us, in good times and bad. I just never dreamed they would both be gone so soon from my life.

So, there you have it...the reason this blog has been delayed...I just didn't feel like typing it all out and dealing with it all over again. But, now it's done and I can move on! If you made it this far, thanks for reading. I know it was long...

In case you can't tell...we're sitting at a table outside covered with rocks...but they weren't really rocks; they were cookies...heck, that's why I'm blowing on them! Yeah, the family loves this photo; I'll NEVER live it down!

They've got the best seats in the house now.

Clarinel "Mawmaw" Taylor, 1931 - 2003

Joe "Pawpaw" Taylor, 1925 - 2008

He made it to two of his grandchildren's weddings - mine and my sister's.
The only complete 4 Generations picture we ever got: me holding Nathan, Pawpaw, my dad holding Elijah (Jan. 2007)

He was laid to rest with military honors for his time spent as a POW in WWII. Goodbye, Pawpaw...

Day After Christmas

2009-01-22T23:53:00.000-08:00

It has been a tradition in our family to spend the day after Christmas with the Taylors. This was a tradition when I was younger and has carried on through the years. Mawmaw used to tell me that Christmas did not occur for her until the day after because that's when all of us were there. *Sigh, I miss that lady!*

Once Mawmaw moved to heaven, we continued the tradition and spent the 26th of December with Pawpaw at his place near Bonham. Our traditional meal was brisket and sometimes ham when Mawmaw was alive, and it later turned into BBQ from a local restaurant once Pawpaw was in charge! LOL

My grandfather's health had been a bit shakey for the past couple of years. He had been in and out of the hospital, had a pacemaker put in, lived with my parents for a greater part of last year, etc. The Sunday before Thanksgiving, it appeared that he was not going to pull through. The family was called in, and we remained at the hospital the entire day. His will to live pulled him through, though, but he wasn't quite the same. He returned to us very weak, frail. He relied on oxygen to breath and a wheelchair to get around. We did not even get to celebrate Thanksgiving with him because he was in the hospital. Around the 1st of December, he was released into a VA nursing home, no longer able to live in his home even with assisted care.

He was able to get out of the nursing home for 3 hours at a time so we kept our family tradition and celebrated Christmas at his house with him on the 26th. We had the traditional BBQ meal and banana pudding for dessert. I don't know that Pawpaw ate much food, but it didn't take long for him to devour that banana pudding. :) He even spilled a bit on his shirt in the dash from the bowl to his mouth.

Those 3 hours were up quite quickly, and it was soon time to take Pawpaw back to the nursing home. It took my dad, my brother and my uncle to load him in the car. I don't know why, but I walked out with them. I was holding Elijah, and when Nathan stuck his head out the door, I told him to come give Pawpaw another hug. I felt that it was going to be the last time we saw him. The boys waved and blew him kisses. And, he returned to the VA facility.

The pictures from this gathering are quite sacred to the family, but here are a few I got to share...

Thanks to my aunt and uncle, Elijah now has this annoying...I mean, wonderful...toy called Elmo Live!

You can see Pawpaw in the back of this picture, behind Nathan.

On our solemn car ride home...I just didn't feel like talking much...God gave us this to behold.

Christmas Photos - only a month late!

2009-01-22T22:52:00.000-08:00

Apparently some people actually read my blog...hmmmm, that's good to know because I've been wondering...and those people who do read it have been asking for an update. Geez, once a month isn't good enough?! I jest, I jest!!! Of course it isn't! It's just been quite crazy around here, and you'll find that out soon enough from the updates...

But, I couldn't update without at least including photos and info on Christmas. :)

Christmas Eve: We attended an afternoon candlelight service at my best friend's church in Plano - Grace Community. Since we got out right at dusk, and they are located right next to Deerfield, we decided to take the boys on a tour of lights. They loved it! After our short sight-seeing, or should I see "light-seeing," tour, we headed to Sean's mom's house for Christmas Eve dinner (tradition is soup, baked potato this year) and gift exchange with his grandparents and aunts. We headed home around 9 to get cookies made for Santa and get two very excited little boys in bed. For some reason, I didn't get pictures at Sean's mom's house...I kept forgetting once I started helping the boys open! But, here are a few other shots from the day...

These are Boo-Boo Kits that the boys and I made as gifts.

What was inside of the Boo-Boo Kit!

Look what Santa left Elijah!

Look what Santa left Nathan!

Christmas Day: Our morning started before sun-up on Christmas Day. Ugh! Be forewarned...apparently, I am not very good with the camera at that hour b/c I didn't get the best shots AND my point and shoot was on a wonky setting so some of those shots are BW! Anyways, we got up between 6 and 7, I believe, to open gifts as a family. Then, we went to Sean's mom's for Christmas breakfast and to exchange gifts with her, Sean's sis and brother-in-law, etc. From there, we went to my grandparents' house in Burleson for lunch. (The boys and I slept on the 1 hour trip there.) We stayed until dark to see my grandfather's Christmas lights, which he is very proud of! That evening, we went to my parents' house to celebrate Christmas with my parents and siblings. It was a very busy day, but filled with lots of love and family...we wouldn't have it any other way!

Ever seen Sean in glasses?

The boys with Daddy and Uncle Andrew

It was a long day for all of us!

Proof that I WAS there, even though it's a HORRIBLE shot! Thanks, Babe!

Warmed up to Santa

2008-12-28T21:17:00.000-08:00

Well, we made 2 more visits with Santa since the last post. Elijah warmed up to the jolly old man quite quickly. A week after the previous visit, we went to the North Pole Express in Grapevine. Before we went on the train ride, we went to see Santa at Bass Pro Shop. Elijah walked right up! Of course, the candy cane bribe migh have helped! :) Nathan was being a stinker and refused to visit with Santa so this time, it was just Elijah.

Our final visit with Santa came a few days before Christmas. Our friend, Desiree Chapman (Just One Year Photography), hosted a Christmas celebration and took pictures of the kids with Santa. Elijah was leery at first, but he warmed up fast. And, you will notice...he isn't smiling a ton in these photos, but that's Elijah. He's very passive, and it just takes a lot to get him to smile.

Happy Holidays from the Lingenfelter Elves!

2008-12-06T22:56:00.000-08:00

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/ag4in9CPg98tTLBH

*Can someone tell me how to put the video directly on here so that I don't have to do just the link???*

Santa Picture

2008-12-06T22:50:00.000-08:00

We took the boys to meet Santa about 2 weeks ago when he arrived in Allen. We stood in the cold for hours to see him arrive on a firetruck. Elijah was ALLLLLL about that - chanting, "Santa, Santa, Santa!" while waiting and peaking under the railing to wave at him while we were in line. He and Nathan could hardly be kept back when it came time to see Santa. But, alas, when we got up there near him, this is what we got...

Happy 2nd Birthday, Elijah!

2008-12-06T21:32:00.000-08:00

I'm a day late on this post - Elijah turned 2 yesterday. But, since I was up until 5 a.m. cleaning for his party today and then up again at 10 a.m. to get ready for his party...I'm just a bit slow! LOL

Sean took the day off yesterday to celebrate with the family. The morning started off with donuts for breakfast. Sean took the boys with him to pick out their favorite donuts...$13 and two boxes later...we had a box filled with donut holes - Elijah's favorite - and another box of an assorted dozen. They even threw in some sprinkled ones for the birthday boy! After getting dressed, we headed to The Zone, an indoor bounce house play area here in McKinney. We thought it would be a special treat, but the birthday boy wasn't as thrilled. He did get in, but he had to be holding on to Sean or I for dear life the whole time. Apparently, he does not like the instability under his feet that a bounce house offers. LOL

After that time of fun (we DID have fun; Elijah just wasn't thrilled), we went to Toys R Us to use Elijah's $3 off coupon that he got for being part of the Toys R Us birthday club. We went in and told them it was his birthday - he got a crown to wear and a mylar balloon. As we were walking through the store, we heard an announcement over the intercom, "We have a special guest in the store with us today. Elijah is turning 2; you will see him walking around with his crown and balloon." And, as we walked through the store, other customers wished our little man, "Happy Birthday!" It was so sweet. He wound up picking out a huge dinosaur from Animal Planet. It's the size of a stuffed animal, but plastic and soft inside. He slept with it last night! And hey, it was only $8 so we paid 5 bucks for it with the coupon. From there, we came home for a lunch of PB and banana sandwiches (which Daddy thinks is weird so he had PB and honey). Then, it was time for the boys' nap...during which time Daddy and I cleaned house some more for the party today.

After naps and a viewing of WALL-E (which Pawpaw Link sent Daddy for his birthday), we decided to take Elijah out to dinner. We thought about going to Chick-Fil-A for a change of pace, but Elijah doesn't like Chick-Fil-A. Yes, that' right...we cannot get him to eat CFA. The last time I took him there, he held the nugget in his mouth until he gagged on them and then spit them out. But, the one place where he will down all 4 nuggets....McDonald's. Yep, that's where we wound up! Pretty funny, huh? He climbed up into the play area, got stuck and Sean had to (he volunteered, really LOL) go get him because Nathan couldn't.

Once home, we gave the birthday boy a bath and got him snuggled in bed. But before that, he'd gotten birthday calls from both grandmas, Geoffrey the Giraffe from Toys R Us and Mickey Mouse (something Sean ordered online with some Disney points he had from movies). Elijah loved all his phone calls.

Today was his Elmo/Sesame Street birthday party. All of our family and close friends were here. We had Little Ceasar's pizza for lunch, then presents and an Elmo cake made by my best friend, Amber. While Elijah loved all the gifts (which he maticulously opened, as I mentioned earlier), the party was all about the Elmo CAKE for him! (He got all upset the other day when he requested an Elmo cake from Amber and she couldn't produce it right then. LOL) And the cake is all about the ICING! He was a blue mess by the end (blue and yellow trim/writing). I have some pics I need to upload and will post later. We had some cute crayon candles that Amber found, and Elijah was yelling, "Crayons!" Our friend then pointed out to his son that these were "special" crayons - we don't light real crayons or put them on cake. LOL And, Elijah sang "Happy Birthday" to himself when the rest of us sang; it was very cute.

I took these picture of the birthday boy a few weeks ago at a local park. We used the one of him with all 3 Sesame Street characters on his birthday invites...Enjoy!

My Guys

2008-12-06T19:47:00.000-08:00

I am very behind in my blogging. Life just got really crazy for us there for a bit! We just finished Elijah's birthday party today, though, and I think we're just ready for Christmas and New Year's now...oh, and my 30th birthday (Ugh!).

I just had to take some time to brag on my guys, though. I am so proud of all 3 of them!

Youngest first...Elijah turned 2 yesterday. I can't believe my "baby" is entering his 3rd year of life. Wow! How did THAT happen? His vocab has grown by leaps and bounds, as I mentioned. There are a few things that I still have to interpret, even to Daddy. LOL But, most of the time, he's pretty clear. His most recent accomplishment has been learning to catch a ball. He's been able to throw for a while, but catching has been troublesome. That is until righ before Thanksgiving when he caught a ball that Sean threw to him. What a big boy! I took him to the doctor the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, and he's huge - most of you who have seen him in person already know this. He weighs 30 lbs. - over average - and is 37 inches tall (off the charts). I was told that he is the size of a 3 year old! Geez, son!!! Elijah is my little perfectionist...everything has to be lined up just right and perfect. When opening gifts today at his party, he maticulously took every.single.piece of paper off the gifts. Very organized about it. Actually quite funny to see in a 2 year old. LOL Here's a recent photo of my big boy...

Nathan is growing by leaps and bounds too. I have already mentioned how he is memorizing Scripture in his new "big boy" class at church. He already has 3 verses under his belt (since the end of Oct.) and is currently working on two verses for the church's Christmas program on 12/21 (Citipointe Church - meets at Clark High School in Plano, 10 a.m. - would love to have you join us). Just to tell you how amazing his memory is...my sis and brother-in-law got a Christmas Story ornament a few years ago. It's the scene of the boy with his tongue stuck on the poll. Nathan was over at their place 2 years ago when they got it (after I had Eijah and was rehospitalized; he was 2 at the time). We didn't make it over there last year during Christmas so it has been 2 years since he's seen this. Well, when we started talking about decorating for Christmas, he started talking about this ornament. We were all amazed that he remembered something that he saw once 2 years ago. Heck, I'm shocked he remembers anything from 2! My memories don't start until 3!!! Here's a current picture of my biggest "baby"...(shhhh! Don't tell him I said that! He IS 4, you know!)

This is Nathan and his best bud, Grant, at Sean's 30th birthday party last month...

And finally, THE BIG MAN! LOL Sorry, I meant to say the OLD MAN! Ha, ha! Love you, Babe! I have to give him a hard time because he turns the big 3-0 next Saturday. :) I just told him that he was entering his last week of his 20's, and he gave me that SHUT UP smile. Anyways....there is a point to me mentioning him...LOL Most of you know (or maybe you don't) that Sean is an engineer, but technically, he's an engineer-in-training. What's the difference, you ask?! Well, there is a process to become a professional engineer. First, you must receive a undergrad/grad degree in engineering (any kind). Sean received his bachelor of science in electrical engineering (his first job pursuit) from UTD in Dec. 2004. At the time, Sean had many years of experience (since high school) in CIVIL engineering - just a field that God opened the doors into in high school. While he was out of a job for 7 months in 2004 (fun times - I was expecting Nathan!), he pursued work in the electrical engineering field, but to no avail. The field was still recovering from 9/11 and was not interested in new hires. After getting a new job in the civil engineering field, he took the next step by taking his EIT (engineer in training) test in April 0f 2005. Once approved as an EIT, one must then work 4 years of apprenticeship under professional engineers. At the time, that seemed soooooo far away....BUT, coming this spring, Sean's 4 years will be fulfilled. It is then that he will complete his final step - taking the big exam to get his professional engineering license. It is then that he will be Sean Lingenfelter, PE. He ordered the books and registered/paid for the exam last week (his company is compensating). Even though it is still 6 months away...okay, 5 months...he is already super nervous. So, any prayers lifted this way for this matter are greatly appreciated. You should see the books he has - wowzers! I am just super proud of him for making it this far and for pursuing his dream. He would really love to be in land development someday, but until then, he is following where God leads. Doors are opening already for him with his position on the P&Z Committee. I am anxious to see what God has in store. Here's a new photo of the birthday boy that I somehow conned him into taking for his own surprise birthday party...

In general...Our finances are being stretched right now (our garage door broke this a.m. and Sean's insurance just went up at work), but as an old song says, "Things are looking right for a miracle. Ain't no reason I should get hysterical - open up the door; God, you've done before. Things are looking right for a miracle." And hey, what a better time for a miracle right here at Christmas. Things are definitely lining up for one! :)

He Knows His Name!

2008-11-17T21:11:00.000-08:00

Tonight, Sean and I were quizzing Elijah on a few things before bed. At first, he kept telling us that his name was 4! This comes because Nathan always says he is 4 when people ask how old he is. So, that's what started this whole thing...we taught him that he is 2 years old...and we showed him how to do show that on his fingers.

Within the last week or so, Elijah began identifying himself by name. Now, when he sees himself in a photo, he says, "Jijah!" Until now, he has always looked at us with a blank stare when we show him pictures of himself. He used to get that same stare when someone would ask, "So, what's your name?" This weekend, I noticed that when we went through the, "Where's Mommy/Daddy/Nathan?" game, he could point to himself when I asked, "Where's Elijah?" So, tonight, I asked, "What's your name?" and he said, "Jijah!"

Oh, yes, it's becoming more and more apparent that he is no longer a baby. The closer his 2nd birthday gets, the worse it is!

Elijah's vocabulary

2008-11-16T23:39:00.000-08:00

I'm not so sure that Elijah's vocabulary is always for the best! Tonight, I made macaroni and cheese for dinner with sandwiches. While the water was boiling for the mac and cheese, I sat down in the living room. Elijah noticed the box of mac and cheese on the counter, brought it to me and very seriously, almost sternly, said, "Mama, mac-roni! Hungry!" Great, now my 2 year old is getting on to ME!

He's also become very good at saying, "No!" and "Stop!" Hmmmm....wonder why that is! LOL

My brother-in-law thinks it is HILARIOUS that he doesn't always get the t-r part of truck out correctly. :) But, it's FROG that comes out sounding really bad with a K at the end and the inability to pronounce the f-r at the beginning. LOL

Tonight, we found him playing with letter magnets in Nathan's room. When we asked him what he was doing, he said, "P, H, E..." (just started naming random letters)

This little man is most certainly growing into a toddler. He's not my baby anymore!

Memory Verses

2008-11-16T22:30:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned before, Nathan has moved up to Children's Church at church. They have a memory verse every week. The first week, we got right to work, and Nathan had it memorized by Wednesday - Matt. 7:11: "So surely your heavenly father will give good things to those who ask Him." Last week, I completely forgot about it until mid-week, but he was SURE to remind me! :) It took a bit of last minute work, but he got it to0 - Matt. 8:8: "Lord, I am not good enough for you to come into my house. Command that my servant be healed, and he will be healed." I am so proud of my little man! He is showing some of the big kids - and adults - that it can be done.

Fast forward to tonight...like most kids, Nathan tends to get up a few times after we actually get him to bed. So, when he got up tonight, I was frustrated with him and told him to get back to bed while I put ice in his cup (don't ask - his daddy started him on this). On the way back to bed, he yelled, "but I know my memory verse!" I guess that good was supposed to outweigh the bad. I couldn't help but chuckle. He's a mess sometimes!

He Rocks!!!!

2008-11-12T14:01:00.000-08:00

I have had a rough week (Mon. and Tues. were rough at least), and it all started on Monday when I had to change out of my jeans because they were too uncomfortable - hurting my abdomen because they were too tight. I was almost in tears. Anyways, I won't go through allllll the other issues, but that was the one that set things off. I was so depressed and told Sean that I was having a "fat and frumpy day." OK, then I had to explain what "frumpy" meant because my husband had NEVER heard that word. He still acts like it's something I made up!

So, last night, he asked me if I was still being...what was it?! Frumpy??? I just laughed - "yeah, sorta." I later went to shower after we got the boys to bed and saw a note with some clothes on the bed..."I love you. Hope this helps 'un-frumpatize' you." (Yeah, now HE'S making up words.) There was a CUUUUTE silk tank - purple and blue pattern with empire waist - and a pair of jeans a size up from my others (all from my favorite store - New York & Co). And guess what?! It all fit!!!!

So, yeah, he rocks! We also spent some time tonight praying together, which helped a lot as well. He's the best! It's almost like he knows me - like we've been together for almost 15 years or something.

Facebook

2008-11-12T11:45:00.000-08:00

If anyone even reads this blog...

I now have a Facebook page so if you do, look me up - Krisinda Lingenfelter. :)

Santa and Deuce

2008-11-12T11:44:00.001-08:00

While eating lunch the other day, Nathan was watching Deuce, and it dawned on him....

"Mama, Deuce will get to see Santa and all the reindeer."

"Yep, that's true, Nathan."

"And Santa will bring Deuce something too!"

"Yeah, I guess he will."

So, now we have to add doggie toys/snacks to Santa's list! LOL

Ms. Paper

2008-11-12T11:41:00.000-08:00

I babysit/teach at First Baptist Church Frisco on the first and third Wednesdays of the month. I teach the early 2's so Elijah is in my class. Nathan has his own class. I knew the name of one of his teachers from orientation, but I hadn't actually met the other one. Nathan INSISTED that her name was Ms. Paper, even though I knew that probably wasn't quite right.

Well, he was close...her name is Ms. Paige!!!!

Gotcha!

2008-11-09T23:53:00.000-08:00

Tonight, we surprised Sean for his 30th birthday - which is not really until next month (right before Christmas). I had the party at Randy White's BBQ in Frisco, and it was perfect! The room was roped off, nice and big, with TV's playing football in the corners and sports memorabilia on the walls. Sean thought that we were going to have dinner there with our best friends, but he saw the rest of our friends and family when we walked in. He was so surprised, and I'm so glad that we pulled it off.

While people waited for us to arrive, they filled out a "Who Knows You Best" game about Sean. He gave the correct answers after dinner; I think everyone enjoyed that (at least I THINK they did - LOL).

Amber made an awesome cake that was shaped like a Cowboys' jersey (Dallas Cowboys was the theme) with the name "Lingenfelter" and number "30" on the back. It was a spice cake with her yummy butter cream icing, and it was YUM-MY!

Thanks to all who attended and help make this day so special. As always, I will post photos soon. I did not get very many at all tonight, but I hope that others did!!! :)

Camping and Such

2008-11-09T21:54:00.000-08:00

This weekend, Sean and Nathan went on a campout with the men at our church. I hear that they had a blast. All of you moms will appreciate this one...I got a call Saturday morning, and the other voice on the end of the phone said, "Hi, Mommy!" What a way to start the day! :) And THEN, I heard, "I pee-peed on a tree!" Oh, great! I proceeded to tell him that he could ONLY do that on campouts...after he told me that he wanted to do it when he got home!!!

While they were gone, Elijah and I spent some fun Mommy and me time together. Well, we didn't really spend time together on Friday. I had actually planned to take my best friend out for fondue (she'd never had it!) for her birthday on Friday night long before the other campout was ever planned. Two other great friends of ours watched Amber's two boys and Elijah so that we could go out (thanks, Carol and Carin). We went to The Melting Pot in Addison. Can I just say, "Yum!" I forgot how much I love that place!!! Fondue is some of my favorite food. We did the Big Night Out - a splurge, for sure. However, after further debate, Amber and I both agreed that next time, we can do the cheese fondue and dessert and totally skip the meat! :) Of course, we can probably go more often if we skip the meat because that's the most expensive part. LOL Anyways, we had a great time and had lots of laughs...which was something we both needed!

Saturday was really the day that Elijah and I spent together. Did I tell you that this kid's vocab has exploded?! Yeah, I guess I mentioned that. Well, the "quiet weekend" that I thought we'd have turned into something quite loud. He really does have a voice when big brother isn't talking all.the.time. "Mama, tootie-ta -tootie-ta-tootie-ta-ta pease!" Tootie-ta is a song that the boys like on a Jack Hartman CD that we have. I just could not believe that my 23 month old was requesting it!!!

On Saturday morning, I took Elijah for his 2 year photos. They're adorable, and I promise to post them when I get them via email. I'll post Nathan's then too - just realized I never posted them. And, if you ever need some awesome studio portraits, I suggest Target! They have done a great job on my boys this year. They are very reasonable too.

We had to pick up a few groceries after pictures, and Elijah did well since I brought his lunch along to keep him occupied. However, as we were checking out, he decided he wanted out of the cart and tried to stand up. When I asked him what he was doing, he looked at me in annoyance and said, "Done!" This is similar to his "Stuck!" when he's in his carseat. Did I mention he's becoming vocal??? LOL

After pictures and a bit of grocery shopping at Target, we had to go to Willow Bend Mall to pick up a birthday gift for a dear friend. So, newly independent, we did it without a stroller! Elijah did well - although I carried him through much of our walk through Saks. :) After getting the gift, we went to take a peak at Santa as I knew he had arrived at the mall that day. Of course, he was at lunch when we first got there but was due back at any moment. So, we waited...and what better way to pass the minutes with a toddler than to ride the escalator up and down! As soon as we got up, we saw that Santa was going down. So, we raced over to go down and say HI to Santa before leaving. As soon as we got to the bottom of the escalator, Elijah started saying "No!" very adamantly. But, as I explained that Santa was nice and our friend, he relaxed. We went to the fenced area in front of Santa where Elijah waved and blew kisses to him. It was so sweet. We plan to visit Santa and his reindeer later this month when they arrive here in Allen.

We then headed towards the house, and Elijah took a nap in the car on the way home. He stayed asleep at home, but we didn't stay long so his nap was cut short. We met my mom and sister at a local church where my MOPS group was holding a children's carnival. Elijah went dressed a Elmo - will try to post a picture of that soon too. He was so cute! His favorite games were those that involved balls. LOL

We stopped at Dollar Tree on the way to my mom's house to pick up items for a shoebox we are filling for Operation Christmas Child with our MOPS group. Yet again, Elijah decided he was too big for the cart. So, he walked alongside me as I pushed the cart, and he did quite well - esp. considering how busy the store was. He found a small outside/bouncy ball and carried it around happy as a lark. He followed me when I said, "Come on" and stopped when I told him to. Hmmmm...I wonder if he could teach his brother and Deuce a few of the obedience tricks.

We then met my mom, sister and future sister-in-law for dinner at Chick-Fil-A. That's when Elijah showed them his distaste for CFA nuggets - I do not KNOW what is wrong with this child. He likes McDonald's nuggets and not CFA?! He doesn't know what's good! It was there that he showed them his new trick - holding food in his mouth until it is mush, gagging on it and having to spit it out. And he thinks we haven't figured this one out???

From there, we went to a local Christian bookstore that was having a big sale Saturday only. We got some CD's for $8 each!!! We then closed the evening at my mom's house before returning home to meet Daddy and Nate (who was asked about ALL weekend..."Mommy - Nate?!") before bed.

We had a great weekend, and I hope to have pics soon. It's too late to edit them tonight, but maybe tomorrow. A friend got some of Sean and Nathan at the campout too so I'm hoping to get copies of those as well. Oh, and I found out something new about my Nikon point and shoot (the friend from church has a similar one)...I can take pictures in black and white, sepia, vivid color, etc. I've had this camera for 5 months now and didn't know that. I guess I should check out my camera more!!!

Time is Flying By - This is LOOOONG!!!

2008-11-06T22:50:00.000-08:00

Lots of thoughts and things to blog...I hope I can keep all of my thoughts straight. Thanks in advance if you read the whole thing!

Let me begin by saying how amazed I am that I have a four year old. While the thought of this somewhat jars me awake, the idea of having a FIVE year old next year completely blows my mind. I mean, seriously, it was just the other day that I found out that I was pregnant with our first child, wasn't it? Now, he's four, are you serious??? Four has proven to be quite interesting so far. It all started on his birthday...the tantrums. People call it the "terrible twos" - really?! I seriously think that four has been harder for us, and we're only two weeks in! I am not sure why tantrums and tears seem so much easier than talking it out, but in the mind of my four year old, it does. I am constantly having to remind him to use his words and tell me what's wrong. And then, to deal with the situation. Learning that life ISN'T fair and that things don't ALWAYS go like we want them to is a very tough lesson to learn!!! Heck, sometimes even I don't always understand it or like it! (that's when God reminds me that He's in control and He sees the big picture I cannot see) There are times when Nathan does use his words, and it's all I can do not to laugh because he is so passionate about everything. He often says, "I'm grumpy" or "I'm mad," but they're said with such gusto and conviction, it's just downright hilarious.

Nathan is growing well; still a bit on the skinnier side. He only weighs 34 lbs. He's 40 inches tall - about 75th percentile. (I think these numbers will mean nothing once his almost 2 year old brother goes for his check up in a few weeks. E-man is HUGE!) He did great on all the doctor's tests - hearing, vision, fine motor, blood pressure, etc. Because he turned four, Nathan got to move up to children's church - instead of the nursery area - at our church. He was so excited. He calls this "Daddy's class" since Sean works in there. He has been wanting to go to "Daddy's class" for over a year now! LOL Just to brag on my little man...in children's church, they have memory verses each week. This week, their verse is Matthew 7:11: "So surely your heavenly father will give good things to those who ask Him." We started working on this Tuesday afternoon, and by Wednesday evening, Nathan could say the whole thing by himself! My mom is trying to get him to say it in front of the whole church on Sunday. I'll try to videotape it if he does!

Elijah will be two on December 5th...wow, that means he turned 23 months yesterday. Wow! 23 months ago, I almost lost my life to the undetected uterine infection. I praise God daily for bringing me through that and for restoring my full health! I know that our next baby will be a testimony of God's great healing power. Anyways, back to Elijah...he does not look like he's only 23 months. Most people look at me in shock when I tell them that he is not even 2 yet. He is the size of a 3 year old. I promise, I am not exaggerating or just bragging here - he is huge! His best friend is 4 months older than he is...and Elijah TOWERS over him!!! Tonight, we were at the movies and in line by another couple who also had a little guy. Turns out, their little man will turn 3 in December. Um, yeah, well, he and Elijah were the same size...and Elijah will turn 2 in December. We're preparing for a fun Sesame Street/Elmo birthday party for him so be looking for those pictures coming next month.

Elijah's vocabulary has exploded! Sean and I were talking about writing down words he can say (as we did with Nathan around this age), and then we realized that he repeats everything. He says everything! Of course, some is only understandable to us..."drink" comes out "rink," and "pop-porn" is not a naughty show - "popcorn.":) We are full blown potty training! We have been in Pull-Ups for several months now, and I decided last week that it was time to move to underwear. Elijah hadn't been keeping the Pull-Ups dry, but my thinking is that he doesn't do this because he doesn't have to. Pull-Ups are just diapers sorta made like underwear - probably not much difference. While wetting the Pull-Ups used to bother Nathan, Elijah is soooo much more passive, he doesn't really mind. So, earlier this week - I think it was Tues. - I decided we'd just go cold turkey with underwear. Several of the moms on my mommy board (www.dallasareamoms.com) have done this with great success. Well, by Tues. night, I felt like a definite failure in this area. He had wet at least 5-6 pairs of underwear (which are a size 4 b/c Nathan's old 2-3T's look like Speedos on him). The ONLY positive thing from this attempt was a protest from him when I tried to put Pull-Ups on him when he went outside to play with Deuce. Fast forward to today...I put him in undies, and we only had 1 accident all day (okay, it was only about 4-5 hours but still a HUGE improvement from the other day). We're going to keep this practice up and hopefully get this potty training done soon. Save me some money not having to buy those diapers! Then, I can spend more on the food to feed this kid!!!

We have had a fun, but busy week. Of course, Tuesday was election day, and although we already voted (on Nate's birthday - 10/28), many places were giving out free food. Sean picked up a free Starbucks coffee on the way home from work - I don't drink coffee so he didn't get me any. After dinner, we all got into the van and headed to the Ben and Jerry's here in McKinney for a free ice cream. Nathan got strawberry on a cone (which broke and wound up in a cup - and he will tell you about this if you ask), Elijah got strawberry-banana yogurt in a cup (he tasted everyone else's too - "Bite!"), and I got chunky monkey (don't remember what Sean got). That was a special treat since we rarely go OUT for ice cream (why? when you can get Blue Bell at home) AND we rarely let them have it that late at night!!!

I babysit for First Baptist Church of Frisco for their MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group on the first and third Wednesday of the month. The church is 5 min. fom Sean's work so we always meet him there. AND he works in Frisco Square, which also includes the Frisco Library. So, we eat lunch outside at the tables at the library and then go inside the library to read and check out books. It's also neat because my friend (Jaclyn) is a children's librarian there. Nathan always likes to go see my "friend." LOL So, this week was our Frisco Wednesday. But, we didn't get to see Jaclyn because she went into work late that day. :(

I have a subscription to a parents' magazine called Cookie Magazine. It definitely keeps me up to date on the latest styles and trends for kids. ('cause you guys know I need all the help I can get in this area; now, if I just had the money to keep up with the Joneses) Well, last week, I got an email from the magazine about an advanced screening they were having tonight at North Park Mall for Madagascar 2. Completely free! Nathan has been looking forward to this movie all summer so he was pumped that we were going. Sean and I were pumped that all 4 of us were going to the movies for FREE! Elijah was excited but not sure why - he just knew that we kept talking about a movie and popcorn. (He loves popcorn.) We left as soon as Sean got in from work and arrived about an hour before the show. We were about the 5th-6th family in line and got fairly decent seats - clients of Cookie were there too so it was pretty crowded by the time we got in. The boys LOVED it. Elijah danced every time music came on - he is such a lover of music and the arts. LOL It was a very cute movie! What's so ironic is that Nathan's first "real" movie was Madagascar. I took him when I was about 4 months pregnant with Elijah. They were showing it at the summer movie club here at the local theater. Tonight's viewing of Madagascar 2 was Elijah's first "real" movie! (Sean had to take him out at Ratatouille - our first attempt with him. That was a year ago.) Kinda cool. :)

Tomorrow is another exciting day. We have a birthday party to attend around lunchtime for one of Nathan's best friends. Then, after Sean gets off from work, he and Nathan are going camping with the men from our church. Nathan CANNOT wait! I hope it's all he's dreaming of! LOL In the meantime, I am taking my best friend out for fondue tomorrow night to celebrate her birthday, which was earlier in the week. We have friends who are watching her two boys and Elijah for us. On Saturday, Elijah and I have a busy day planned - his 2 year pictures, a carnival with our MOPS group, groceries and dinner with Mawmaw/Chee Chee (possibly Megan = my future SIL). We're having dinner out with our other best friends on Sunday. So, yes, we're staying busy, busy here, but having loads of fun. Hmmmm...I wonder if that's why time is flying by...you know it flies by when you're having fun. (although I'm beginning to think that it's flying by because I'm getting old!)

Costumes

2008-11-03T22:07:00.000-08:00

Let me preface this post by saying that we do not celebrate Halloween. However, our boys had a couple of costumes that we decided to let them wear on Friday since it was the one day that they could get away with it. :)

Ninja Nate and Incredibles Elijah - Elijah is giving me his mean face here! I LOVE how the boys are holding hands in this picture; they are starting to do that quite a bit.

These are their ninja poses!

Nathan's Party...and my hair!

2008-11-03T21:42:00.001-08:00

Let me begin by introducing myself...my name is Mommy, and although I am an amateur photographer, I am first and foremost Mommy. Therefore, I did not get many pictures (or many good ones) from Nathan's birthday party. I only have 3 to share right now, but I figured I better share them now before it got to be too late. I still cannot believe that my "baby" is 4!!!

I love this face Nathan makes because it's the same face my dad, grandpa and brother make. It's the way they hold their mouth - as if they're trying NOT to smile!!!

He was mesmerized by his pirate ship cake and those candles! (Cake pictures are on my other camera and not yet uploaded.)

One of my friends from my mommy board online (Nicole from Dallas Area Moms) made this for Nathan for his birthday. There was a bandana made out of the same pirate material, but it didn't stay on.

Let's start with Nathan...I thought he was past this scrunched up nose phase, but apparently when you're ready to be done with pictures and get back to playing, this is the face you get! And then there's me...that's my new haircut. LOL Kinda boring, isn't it? I took in pictures of Jenny McCarthy and other stars, but the bob looked so much cuter on them. I'll go for a trim in Dec. and will probably get a few layers cut into it then.

Pumpkin Patch

2008-11-03T18:45:00.001-08:00

I am still working on editing pictures, but I have enough to give you an idea of things so here you go before I get too far behind. LOL

October 17th - Big Orange Pumpkin Farm, Celina, TX

This was Elijah's first pumpkin patch, and he LOVED it. He is fascinated by pumpkins now, as Nathan was at this age. He points them out EVERYWHERE - yes, his vocabulary has exploded!!!

I LOVE this photo of Nathan...remember this photo in the next post...he gives me a great smile when he's cooperating!!! Did he REALLY just turn 4? Where did my baby go???

This one probably needs a little bit more editing, but I'm really liking its potential.

Elijah was prompt to pick his pumpkin, and it was just the right size.

Nathan, on the other hand, needed just the right pumpkin, and it took him FOREVER!!!

Today's Events

2008-10-24T09:18:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't posted in a while...I have been a crazy cleaning fool for about two weeks now. My house somehow had turned into a disaster zone, and Nathan's 4th birthday party is tomorrow! So, I/we have been doing Fall Cleaning!!!

Did have a set back on Tuesday when we all had a touch of a stomach bug. The boys and I threw up once, but Sean spent all morning hugging the toilet. Of course, that was not only a day where I didn't get much done, but all of the cleaning supplies and bowls used just added to my mess to clean. Ugh! So glad that's behind us!!!

I AM going to get my hair cut this afternoon so I should have pics of that to post soon. (along with tons of pirate birthday party pics) I am going to do a bob and am looking online for pics and ideas. Still not sure about my bangs as of yet, but I'll figure out something (I hope).

We are headed to Sam's for party food. We're meeting our best friends there for lunch too. How sad is that?! LOL Will update more later.

Elijah's New Trick

2008-10-14T14:25:00.000-07:00

As I awoke this morning, I heard Elijah yelling...probably, "Mommy! Out!" which is what he normally yells. I got off the phone, threw on some clothes (since Deuce was neutered yesterday, is being kenneled inside and would need to be put outside to potty) and headed to get my little man. As I opened the door, my mind did a spin because there stood Elijah on the floor next to his crib. "Hi!" was the greeting I received. He had his 2 blankets, Monkey (lovey with monkey head on it) and his water cup. At 22 1/2 months, he has discovered how to climb out of his crib. Now, he just has to master the door knob and he'll be waking ME up. :) We plan to do either a trundle bed or a bunk bed for he and Nathan around Christmas. It's DEFINITELY time!!!

Fun at Rough Riders' Stadium

2008-10-14T14:01:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, Sean planned to take the boys to the local minor league park where they had a little pumpkin patch set up, face painting, food, drinks, etc. Sounded like lots of fun, but I had to stay here and clean since we have SOMEONE'S 4th birthday party in less than 2 weeks. Well, when they arrived, all of the pumpkins were gone. They apparently sold out within the first 30 minutes. Pretty crazy, huh? Luckily, Daddy has connections and was able to get the boys out on the field, in the dugout, locker room, etc. Their own private tour! They had a blast, and N still talks about running the bases.

In the dugout - future stars! (Yes, Elijah got eaten by mosquitos the other day.)

Dreaming...

What a sly little look!

Running the bases, but um, son - I think you're going the wrong way!

LOVE this shot!

I think they're ALL dreaming now. :)

Our dog's namesake!!! LOL :)

State Fair of Texas

2008-10-14T10:03:00.000-07:00

Last week, we went to the Texas State Fair with one of my best friends, Amber, and her two boys who are Nathan and Elijah's best friends. The kids all had a blast. Us "old folks" had fun, but boy were we worn out. :)

Nathan and Grant waiting for the dog show to begin - with Elijah amazingly large in the foreground. LOL

Nathan, Elijah and Sean waiting for the dog show.

Sean dreaming

This is great - Elijah dancing to the music at the dog show (K-9's in Flight, I think). Tell me if you can watch it without bobbing/dancing yourself. It's contagious - beware!!!

HAIR HELP

2008-10-03T22:16:00.001-07:00

OK, I don't know how many of you read this, but if you do, I need some help (ladies!).

I need a hair cut...and I don't know how to get it cut!!! I've had the swing cut where it's shorter in the back and longer in the front/sides. However, I thought it was too short. I've thought about doing the whole bob thing with it longer in the front...but, is that cut still in? Also, I don't know WHAT to do with my bangs! I've had them straight across my forehead, but I have a cowlick up front that makes it part anyways. I don't know that it looks good parted to the side because I have a big forehead. So, what should I do??? I want to keep it no shorter than my chin (I have a long face and found that this looks best). Any ideas? Celeb photos or something? I have been told that I have a lot of hair, but it's very fine. Translation...seems thin b/c so fine, no body (limp). Layering seems to help with the body in my hair...

H E L P!!!

Here are some pics of me to help...

See how the bangs still tend to part?

Straight from the hairdresser - a bit shorter than I like, but like the cut (Make sense?)

Boy Funnies

2008-10-03T22:00:00.000-07:00

OK, I do have these cute quotes from the boys to share with everyone...

Both occurred today as we were getting Nathan's 4 year portraits done at Target. On the way there, Nathan told me, "Mama, my heart burns." Thinking that there could be something seriously wrong with my almost 4 year old, I ask him what he means. "Yeah, I think Jesus is trying to get out or something." Oh, brother...where does he come up with this stuff?

While waiting to view the portraits, my mom decided to treat the boys to popcorn. The lady behind the counter noticed our dilemma of 2 boys and 1 bag of popcorn so she actually threw in a 3/4 bag of popcorn for Elijah so that everyone had their own bag. :) (I thought that was something nice that you rarely see these days.) Anyways, my mom had Elijah in a cart, and I was pushing Nathan. Mom reached over to eat some of Elijah's popcorn, and he yelled, "Heyyy!" OK, it was much funnier coming from the voice of a 22 month old!

They do keep me on my toes, but that's what makes life exciting! I love these two angels so much. They are really such good, sweet boys. Oh, and Nathan could be a model - he hammed it UP for those photos!!! I paid extra to get them on email so I'll have to post some on here when I get them.

Happy Fall Y'all!

2008-10-03T18:56:00.001-07:00

I know I haven't updated in a while, and the reason is because there really isn't much going on right now. We went to the Oktoberfest festival here in McKinney last weekend (see photos below)...very crowded. The boys enjoyed winning prizes on a toy walk (like a cake walk), getting balloons and listening to the music. Other than that, we haven't done anything real exciting. We are WAITING for fall to arrive. We are so done with these upper 80 and 90 degree temps (well, at least I am!). The boys are having a blast with Deuce - they go out almost every day before nap and spend an hour outside playing with him. So, I guess he's doing them some good! I promise there will be more to update soon. In the next 12 weeks...until the end of the year...I have 3 birthdays in my immediate family (Sean and the boys) - not to mention my dad's and a couple other family members. This all on top of Thanksgiving and Christmas. :) I promise...more to come soon. In the meantime...

HAPPY FALL Y'ALL!

Happy Anniversary!!!

2008-10-03T18:44:00.000-07:00

This is a belated anniversary wish for my parents. On Wednesday, they celebrated 37 years of marriage, and I think that is something to be acknowledged. In today's society, very few couples see this benchmark. I am proud to say that my parents are some of the few! I know they've had many good times and many struggles over the years...but if you ask them what has kept them together, they will tell you that a strong foundation in Jesus keeps them steady and their love strong (even when the emotions aren't there).

Mom and Dad - Happy Belated Anniversary! Thank you for living a life of example for many of us couples to follow. I love you both dearly!

Highs and Lows

2008-09-15T23:36:00.001-07:00

I have been a member of a local MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group for going on 3 years now. We meet at a local church and enjoy sharing our lives together...the good, the bad AND the ugly. One "tradition" this church has is to start the meetings by doing highs and lows. You basically either go around in a small group or with a partner and tell about your recent/weekly highs (good things that have happened) and lows (the not-so-good things). Well, this thread is kinda like that - my highs and lows. Luckily, there are way more highs than lows! :)

I guess the ONLY low recently came last week...I had spent all day last Wed. (9/10) catching up on laundry and was pretty well caught up. I had even started going through the boys' clothes for fall and began washing them. Doesn't exactly sound like a low, does it? I was finishing a final load for the evening around 11 p.m. when we started hearing a noise that sounded what I can only describe as that similar to a garbage disposal. Sure enough, my washing machine had given out. After reluctantly calling a handyman help service (after much of my prodding), Sean figured out what appeared to be the problem (broken cupling). However, after talking with them, Sean was convinced that this was a project he did not want to delve into. I drug my feet for several days - seeing no reason to get a new dryer when he could buy the part for this one for $30. Seeing as I was getting nowhere, though, I finally gave in...

Which leads us to the highs...We finally went shopping on Friday night, but I didn't wind up with a washing machine then. (although we had already been shopping Thurs. night and I picked out what I wanted) But, I digress...on Friday night, we actually bought a new dishwasher!!! While I hated spending the money (I never like spending large amounts like that), I was STOKED to get a new dishwasher. The one we have barely works...I have to pretty well clean the dishes before I put them in, and then sometimes it leave a powdery substance on the dishes. I have oftentimes had to rewash the same dishes twice, this after I already handwash them before putting them in! Needless to say, this 15 year old dishwasher had ran its course. As of Wednesday, it will be put to rest...and I'll be getting my new Whirlpool!!! Wahoo! I might actually do dishes then, who knows?!

Sean finally did buy me a new washing machine after having gone over 3 days without one. He and Nathan went to Lowe's on Saturday for the children's building workshop (they made a pirate ship - right up Nate's alley). Afterwards, Sean bought my washer and dryer, and they delivered them Sunday morning before church. (who knew that they delivered on Sunday and at 8 a.m.) The only problem is that they brought/ordered the wrong dryer. We bought one of the upper end GE Profiles, and they brought us the one just beneath it. So, I am using this "borrowed" dryer for 2 weeks until mine comes in. Ugh! I didn't really need a new dryer, but Sean wanted to get a new one after hearing several people comment about dryers that went out after the washer did. We held on to our old dryer and are giving it to a good friend of ours who was in need of one.

The other bit of news indirectly affects us. As most of you know, my Pawpaw Taylor has been living with my parents since May (when he was found unconscious in his home). After having a pacemaker inserted and several rounds of therapy, he was finally ready to go home to his house near Bonham. My dad found a lady who comes in and cooks his meals for him and cleans...helps him prepare for bed...the stuff he can't do on his own. So, as of last Wednesday, my parents have their house back to themselves (and my brother, Sam). Mom is back to her joyful self again; she was quite stressed with my grandpa there. So, that is definitely good news.

On one final note...the boys have their very first cousin on the way. Sean and I will become an uncle and aunt for the first time in April! We can't wait. :) Sean never had any cousins growing up except for some that lived off so I am happy that my boys will finally get to experience this unique relationship. I don't have a ton of cousins, but there are 4 older cousins on my mom's side and 3 younger ones on Dad's side.

It's late and I'm off to bed...I think you are all caught up on us now! :)

New Family Member

2008-09-15T23:10:00.000-07:00

As an update to a previous thread, I wanted to let you know that we have a new family member. On Sept. 4th, Sean found these pictures online of a free puppy in the area. We all fell in love and scheduled to meet the owners on Sept. 6th.

As it turns out, we all did fall in love with this little puppy when we met him. We brought him home a little over a week ago, and he has fallen right in the groove of things. Yes, he is an outside dog, but he will do just fine. He doesn't yelp at night and often sits comfy in his makeshift doghouse (the boys' outdoor playhouse) while we await his real doghouse, to be delivered later this week. He was born on July 11th so he is about 9 1/2 weeks right now. He is a Sheltie/Cocker Spaniel/American Eskimo mix. We have named him Deuce.

Background on his name: Sean wanted a cool name for the dog (which he's been trying to convince me to get for over a year now) so he and I started brainstorming once we made plans to meet the owners. I had come up with the name Oakley, and Sean thought it was great. The morning we were to meet our future puppy, I asked Nathan if he liked the name we had picked out. His response?! "I like it, but we are going to call him Deuce." With that, he walked out of the room. Well, okay, then. And why would my almost-4-year-old son want to call a dog, "Deuce?" Those who know us well know that we are a baseball-loving family. Of course, we're partial to the home teams. :) So, we root for the Texas Rangers and really enjoy the family-friendly games with their minor league team, Frisco Rough Riders. We have been taking Nathan to the Rough Riders' games since he was just a little tot. Well, the Rough Riders' mascot is a prairie dog named Deuce. So, there ya' have it! Probably best, though, because Elijah can say Deuce really well; I'd be curious to see how Oakley came out!

The boys LOVE the dog. They now spend more time outside than they ever did. Elijah is a bit skiddish around him, but he is doing better. Deuce is just a puppy and loves to jump on you. Well, for a little tot like Elijah, that means that Deuce is jumping up to his face. He has knocked Elijah down a few times and pulled on his clothing. So, you can definitely see why the poor thing has a tendency to be less than thrilled around the puppy. But, he is getting better; he spent an hour outside with Nathan ("Nate") and Deuce today.

Here are a few more pictures of our new love...

Long Awaited Pics

2008-09-15T22:50:00.000-07:00

OK, I finally got the pictures from Elijah's surgery edited and uploaded onto the laptop. So I thought I'd share a few.Looking a lot like my dad here, I think

Playing with Daddy's hat while waiting on the surgery to begin

I love this shot of my monkey man!!!

Elijah LOVED riding in the wagon so I spent 90% of our time in the hospital pulling him around the halls.

Does he LOOK like he just had surgery?

Breakfast the next morning

One last ride in the wagon while waiting on Daddy and Nate

Something Unusual I Did...

2008-09-04T22:34:00.000-07:00

I didn't do anything unusual, per se - just something unusual for me!!! It's something that I enjoy doing but don't get to do enough. So, what did I do?! I ran myself a warm bubble bath, dimmed the bathroom lights, lit some candles, grabbed a book, shut the bathroom door and enjoyed a nice, quiet bath and a book. :) Then, I wrapped myself in a towel, put on some lotion I enjoy and got comfy in my PJ's. And you know what?! I ENJOYED it!

This weekend's plans aren't too terribly huge. We are meeting someone on Sat. to look at a puppy we may possibly be getting. It's a Sheltie mix - only 8 weeks old and really cute!!! Sean and Nate are quite sold on him already; we'll see how he does with the boys in person. We're already throwing around names for him, and so far, Nathan has come up with, "Anakin" (Star Wars) and "Optimus Prime." Needless to say, we are still working on names. I mean, our fish are already named "Peter Pan," "Tinkerbell," and "Wendy" after the Peter Pan movie(s). Surely we can come up with a "normal" name for our dog. But, really...who am I to speak?! My parents helped me name my dog, "Fred" after my hero, Mr. Rogers, when I was younger!!!

The boys' best friends (Grant and Isaac - brothers the same age as my boys) are having their 2nd and 4th joint birthday party on Saturday night. We're looking forward to celebrating with them.

MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) begins on Monday, and since I'm in leadership (Prayer/Care), I've got some planning to do for that. Luckily, Prayer/Care does not require near as much work as the children's planning did last year!!! Really looking forward to getting back into the swing of things with this...we all really enjoy it.

On that note, I do have a special prayer request. Our MOPS coordinator delivered her second daughter unexpectedly early this week at 24 weeks gestation. Little Ruth weighs 1 lb. 9 oz. and is doing well. She still has a long road ahead, though. Please keep her in your prayers when you think about it.

I know this post was a bunch of rambling and a lot about me, but hey...the title IS Pretty in Pink: Running a House of Blue so I do get some "air time" too. I'm sure I'll be updating again with puppy news/pics next. I still have Elijah's hospital pics to share from his tonsil/adenoid surgery last month. I need to post a few just to see how cute he was in that tiny hospital gown. :)

A Brother's Kiss

2008-09-01T23:51:00.000-07:00

"Ouch!" is right!!!

We were at a store that had one of those cars for the children attached to it. This particular one had a spot for 2 kiddos - complete with 2 steering wheels. So, of course, my boys were in heaven since they could BOTH drive it. We were doing good for quite a while...and then it got quiet. I should have known that there's always a calm before the storm. Out of nowhere, I heard a blood-curdling "hurt" wail from Nathan! I ran over to see what in the WORLD was going on. (The cart was stopped while I was looking at something.) I find Nathan holding his cheek. When he sees me, he says, 'Lijah bit me! Sure enough, there on his cheek is the "kiss" of his brother...whom promptly got removed from the car and tapped on the mouth. We rubbed it in the store and put ice on it at home. It got pretty ugly several days later as it turned yellow before it went away! Elijah is NOT a biter - he's done it only a handful of times - so I do wonder what prompted this "kiss." The joys of having 2 boys...

August 10th - Day before E's Surgery

2008-09-01T23:09:00.000-07:00

My dad said Elijah would be unhappy with me one day for dressing him in this outfit, but I thought it was cute!!! (Oh, and he was totally ready for a nap - thus the reason for the blank stare!)

Nathan's cheesy grin; still can't believe he'll be four in 8 weeks!!!

Just Boring

2008-09-01T22:28:00.000-07:00

Things have been pretty boring around here since Elijah's surgery, and thus the reason I have not updated lately. Elijah is doing great! He bounced right back after that first week. He begged and begged for popcorn, but we made him wait until 2 weeks post-op. :) He has done fine until today. Nothing major, but he had a little nose bleed. Just very light pink runny nose. Tonight at dinner, he was eating chips and screamed in pain. Apparently, he cut his throat. Poor thing! We looked at his throat with a flashlight, but seemed to be okay. His follow-up with Dr. McDuffie is next Tuesday so we're believing for good news then. We have noticed a significant change in his breathing - no mouth breathing and NO MORE SNORING!!! Wahoo!

Besides that, nothing new has been happening. All of our friends have started MDO (and we are not) so we're a bit bored around here. MOPS will start next week so at least our Mondays will be busy. I may be babysitting for a couple of MOPS groups so that will give us a few days with things to do throughout the month. The boys' birthdays are also coming up in October (Nathan) and December (Elijah). We are planning a Capt. Hook/Pirate party for Nate and an Elmo/Sesame Street party for Elijah. With fall comes the pumpkin patch and the Texas State Fair too. We'll do both of those in October. Then, there's Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's...all the fun stuff!!! Now, if we here in Texas could get out of the 90's, I'd be soooo much happier! I love fall and get so anxious about this point when I know that it "should" be happening but isn't!!! We only have a couple of weeks of fall here.

OK - off to upload some very late photos.

This Week

2008-08-16T19:05:00.000-07:00

As you might have imagined, we have been pretty busy this week with Elijah. Monday through Thursday were pretty crazy. Things started looking up Thursday afternoon. By Friday, Elijah was back to his normal self...when he was on the pain meds, that is. :) Daddy had him Friday night because I had a meeting with MOPS, and he decided not to give Elijah his pain meds as we had discussed weaning him off them when he seemed better. OK, so maybe weaning him off of them overnight wasn't such a good idea since he woke up a few times overnight (Daddy had to deal with him). He has done great today and even got out with me for a bit this afternoon to run errands. He woke up extremely fussy after nap - crying and holding his mouth - so we gave him more pain meds, and he has done great since then. We'll give him another dose before bed so that he sleeps, but overall, he is doing great!!!

I've got some cute pictures of Elijah from this week - riding in the wagon in the hospital, in his baby hospital gown, preparing for surgery, etc. I am hoping to upload them in a bit while the boys watch a movie before bed. Forgive me if I post some that are older too - it's been a while since I've uploaded!!!

Update on Elijah's Surgery

2008-08-11T09:28:00.000-07:00

Elijah had his tonsils and adenoids removed at 7 a.m.

11:30 a.m. - Elijah came through his surgery with flying colors. Dr. McDuffie said that his tonsils were huge...so huge, in fact, that the anesthesiologist had trouble getting the breathing tube down his throat. So, hopefully, this means that he will breathe a lot easier now.We are in our own room...which is nice.

The only thing that really bothers him is the fact that there's an IV in his left foot, and it's all wrapped up in an ace bandage. He keeps giving us his foot saying, "Ow!" In other words, "Get this thing off of me!" We had to pull the pulse-ox off because he tried to do that on his own. The nurse said we'll just put that on when he sleeps because that's when they want to monitor it. At the moment, we're waiting for him to take a nap. He tried earlier, but couldn't get comfortable. He's had pain meds since then, though, so hopefully they will help. Wait...I just looked behind me, and he's OUT!!! :)

Call if you'd like to stop by...we're trying to keep him still, but I think a few people to say HI and distract from all the tubes might help also. I know my mom is brining Nathan up for a bit, and I think my mother-in-law might stop by after work. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers; keep them coming!!!

ALL of my boys

2008-08-07T21:45:00.000-07:00

When I talk about my boys, I don't just mean the little ones. Sometimes my "big" one causes just as much stress...:)

This afternoon, I fixed the boys some homemade mac and cheese based on a recipe I found on the back of the box of pasta that they eat. (Heartland Whole Grain pasta with Disney characters) I didn't actually mix the cheese and pasta since I didn't cook as much pasta as I should have (making it mac and cheese was an afterthought). So, I saved the cheese sauce with anticipation of making more pasta tomorrow to mix with it.

I had to get a cavity filled this afternoon so I came home for a nap around 6, waiting for the feeling to return to my tongue and right side of my mouth. This meant that Daddy was in charge of dinner. Once the boys were in the shower, he came in to check on me, and he told me what everyone had eaten.

"Elijah and I split those potatoes."

"Baby, what potatoes?"

"The real cheesy ones."

"Those weren't potatoes; that was cheese sauce for the boys' pasta!"

No wonder Sean complained about a stomach ache tonight!!! Pure cheese, milk and a bit of flour and butter...

And no wonder Elijah didn't eat much!

See, this is why mommies can't EVER get sick!!!

Priceless

2008-08-06T17:34:00.000-07:00

Today, I took the boys to see Veggie Tales: The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything at the Summer Movie Club (discounted kids' movies). They loved it! It was really good except for the fact that we had to sit/stand in the back. Nathan is completely into pirates (that's his birthday party theme for this year) so this was right up his alley. Elijah had popcorn so he was good too. :)

Afterwards, we went to the bank, and then I had a craving for something sweet. So, we stopped at the donut shop right across the street. We took the donuts home and my boys chowed down. Elijah ate 10...yes, 10...donut-holes, and half of Nathan's chocolate covered donut. Yes, he has a sweet tooth!!! LOL

After the donuts, Elijah went poopy in the potty...and bit me on the leg while I was wiping him! Ugh! (We're having issues with this - more on that later.)

3 tickets to the movies: $3
Popcorn: $5
Donuts: $4
Time with my boys: PRICELESS :)

More on Elijah...

2008-08-04T22:07:00.001-07:00

I don't mean to write about my little man so much, but he's at the age where he's growing by leaps and bounds so there's way more to talk about regarding him than with Nathan. :) I just had to share these two cute things...

We call Sean's dad, "Pawpaw Link." We were trying to teach it to Elijah tonight, and he can say Pawpaw since that's what we call my dad. So, he'd say "Pawpaw" and then stick his tongue out. We soon realized he was thinking "Pawpaw LICK!" That cracked me up!!! He is so cute...I love this age!

Duck, Duck - Goose! has become a favorite game around here. Elijah LOVES it! He's so cute when he says it, though. It comes out more like, "Duck, Duck - DEUCE!" So very cute.

Unfortunately, our sweet guy has to have his adenoids and tonsils removed on Monday (8/11). Since birth, Elijah has snored and breathed quite noisily through his mouth; he also drools a lot. Our pediatrician recommended that we see an ENT after realizing that he wasn't outgrowing any of this. We saw one a few weeks ago, and he said that Elijah's adenoids were so swollen that he could see them through his nose. It was given that they had to come out. His tonsils are a little large too, but the ENT isn't sure that he can get the adenoids out around them. So, it looks like his tonsils will have to come out as well. We'll find out on Friday what time his surgery is scheduled - should be before noon. They will more than likely keep him overnight to make sure he is staying hydrated as it is often difficult to make them drink at this age. Pray for a peaceful night and that everything goes smoothly! We'll keep you posted.

Proud of my Man!!!

2008-08-04T21:59:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, Sean applied for 2 boards on the city council for McKinney. Tonight was the council's decision. He didn't make the Board of Adjusters...didn't even get on the final list. However, he was on the top 5 of 4 positions for Planning & Zoning, which is the one he wanted. He got it!!!! I am so proud of my man. It'll take away two nights a month with the family, but it'll greatly help his experience and look great on his resume. Wahoo!

Growing up!!!

2008-07-28T21:26:00.001-07:00

My little Elijah-man is growing up so fast! It's like after he hit the 18 month mark, he decided to become a big boy. We started potty training last week, and he is doing great. He stays dry overnight and during nap, which was our first inclination that it was time to start potty training! Here he is pictured in his Pull-Ups for the first time (19 months)...

And just for kicks, here's Nathan's first time in them at 22 months...

Check out how much bigger Elijah is! LOL Yes, he has Thunder Thighs. :)

We discovered last week that Elijah's shoes were too small when his toes began sneaking out of his sandals, and he developed a blister on the inside of his foot from his tennis shoes. So, on Saturday, I took him shopping for new shoes. I went to the Stride Rite outlet because I had a feeling he had wide feet. Yeah, try EXTRA WIDE! I was told he could wear W, but because he had a high arch, the lady there suggested XW. Sure enough, I couldn't squeeze his big feet in W. So, we left with new tennis shoes in 7 1/2 XW. LOL He actually measures a 7, but at least he has some room to grow since his shoes are so hard to find. I am glad that I went to the Stride Rite outlet, though, because the shoes only cost me $21 instead of $40-50.

At his 18 month check-up, our pediatrician told me that Elijah was the height of a 2 1/2 year old. He was 35 3/4 inches - almost 3 feet! Whoa!!! His best friend (Isaac) is 4 months older, and Elijah and Isaac are on the opposite ends of the spectrum. Elijah is really tall; Isaac is really short. When they are together, no one believes us that Isaac is actually 4 months older! LOL

Just last week, Elijah's vocabulary sky rocketed. He repeats everything anyone says now. He can say just about anything. I think perhaps the funniest event from this occurred last week during dinnertime. Every time I even START to cook dinner, Elijah heads into the kitchen and wants to sit at the table. The process of cooking dinner is rare to him. What's really funny is that he can't wait to eat, and yet, he has entered the picky food stage. But, that's beyond the point. On this particular night, I told him to go get Daddy for dinner. He ran into the living room, looked at Sean and said, "Eat! Sit down!" (while pointing at the table) It was so cute and funny!

If you know Elijah, you know that he LOVES his mommy. I am his favorite person - which is really, really sweet but can also be really, really annoying at times. The ironic thing is that as much as he loves me, he can't say my name. At almost 20 months, he has YET to say "Mama" or "Mommy." So, what does he call me? DADDY! What does he call Sean? DADDY! Yes, every parental unit is DADDY! How odd is that?! We try our best to get him to say, "Mommy" or "Mama" but have not succeeded yet. I'll let you know when that day comes. Surely he won't grow up calling me, "Daddy"...will he???

Elijah's "bestest" friend is NATHAN!!! He LOVES his big brother and follows him everywhere. He cries if he can't go in the same room that Nathan is in. Luckily, he has a big brother who is fairly tolerant most of the time and loves him a lot too. :)

I can't believe that my baby will be 20 months old next week. These past 2 years have flown by! I have a toddler and a preschooler now - no babies in this house!!!

Talking on the phone to Mawmaw (my mom)

One of my favorite shots of the boys from July 4th (even if it is a litte blurry)

Faux-Hawks

2008-07-22T10:18:00.000-07:00

We gave the boys "Faux-Hawks" on Sunday for church. They looked so cute!

Faux - Hawk = Fake Mohawk

(in other words, the hair isn't actually cut but sticks up like a 'hawk)

First Dentist Appt.

2008-07-22T09:22:00.000-07:00

Nathan went to his first dentist appt. on Friday (I know I posted on Sat. - didn't have the pics uploaded yet). He did GREAT - teeth look good and no cavities! Yea!!! The dentist's office had a TV above the patient's chair, and Nathan got to watch part of, "The Bee Movie" - which he's never seen. It was a pediatric dentist with lots of kid-friendly stuff (decorations and such) so I think that helped a lot. Here are some pictures from the experience.

Shouldn't have done that...

2008-07-19T20:56:00.000-07:00

Well, I did something today that I shouldn't have (please don't call the cops)...

While at Wal-Mart, I walked down the baby doll aisle. GASP! And, I wondered if I would ever be able to buy those...okay, I actually kind of longed for it. :)

Yes, I am waiting for the day when there is princess stuff, baby dolls and Barbies in this house that is OVERFLOWING with action figures, pirate stuff and cars!

And you know what else...all of this dreaming and hoping made the little bit of baby fever I have even worse. That and knowing that my best friend from high school just had her first baby boy (Jackson Troy) this week....so cute - looks just like his mama!

*Sigh* And so I continue to wait until next summer...when I plan to get pregnant again!!! LOL

Another Nathan Funny

2008-07-17T21:16:00.000-07:00

Nathan is at the age where he drives you crazy with his consistent talking/questioning, and he is filled with energy!!! But, there are times where - like the previous post - he says the cutest and sweetest things. Tonight was one of those nights.

During dinner, Sean was unsuccessfully trying to explain to Nathan how Nathan can be a daddy when he grows up. Nathan very innocently looked at Sean, chuckled and said, "I can't be Daddy! I grow up to be big Nathan!!!"

I cannot believe this little angel is mine and that he will be 4 in three months!

My Nathan

2008-07-08T22:59:00.000-07:00

I was reminded tonight why being "Pretty in Pink" in a "House of Blue" isn't always so bad...

In preparing for prayers before bedtime, I laid down at the foot of Nathan's bed. He was lying on his pillow and then came to lie next to me as we waited on Sean to refill Nathan's water cup. Our conversation went as follows...

"Nathan, you need to lie down on your pillow. Why are you lying HERE?"

"'Cause you're here, Mama."

Yeah, I still want my little girl, but until then, being Queen of THIS castle isn't so bad!

July 4th - Frisco's Freedomfest

2008-07-05T18:10:00.000-07:00

We laid low on July 4th since we had kept the boys up quite late the night before. We decided to head to Frisco's Freedomfest thatevening to see the fireworks there and enjoy the festivities a bit. Sean's company recently relocated to Frisco, and his office happened to be right across from where the fireworks were shot. We got reserved parking because of this connection and wound up watching fireworks from the bed of our brother-in-law's truck. We had an up-close view of the fireworks - it was awesome! The boys had a blast!!! Elijah would say, "Ew" or "Oh" while watching them. The best one was when we were in the car - sitting in a bit of traffic - when they shot off a few "extra" fireworks. I guess Elijah thought someone was taking his picture because his response was, "Cheese!"

July 3rd - Kaboomtown!

2008-07-05T18:00:00.000-07:00

As is our yearly tradition, we went to see fireworks at Kaboomtown on July 3rd with Sean's side of the family. We arrived early - around 5 p.m. - and staked our spot. Then, we spent about 45 minutes to an hour checking out the vendors in the exhausting heat! (It's upper 90's here now!) Then, we hung out at our little "campsite" playing games, eating dinner and talking until the fireworks started at 9:30. As you can see, we had a great time!

Weird and Random Stuff

2008-06-28T19:51:00.000-07:00

WEIRD: This week, the boys attended (and I volunteered) at VBS at our best friends' church. The church was in Plano, and we had to be there around 8:30 - 8:45 a.m. each day. It was probably Wednesday or Thursday morning when I noticed a car that caught my eye. I first noticed it because it was similar to a car one of our friends' drives - blue Impala. As I got up behind it, I noticed that it had two quite large soccer logos (with kids' names on them) in the bottom corners - not something you see every day. The next morning, I saw the same car. Kinda odd, but I figured we were just taking the same route...the lady was possibly headed to work at that time. What was totally weird...Friday afternoon, the boys and I were headed home along the same route and guess what car I saw?! That same blue Impala!!! How weird is that?! If it hadn't been for the soccer ball logos, I wouldn't have known, but they had caught my attention. Just kinda weird to see the same car 3 times in a matter of days. Don't ya' think???

RANDOM: Nathan is just 4 months shy of his 4th birthday (how did he get so old?). As appropriate with age, we are beginning to teach him where he lives, phone numbers, etc. He currently knows that we live in McKinney, TX. HOWEVER, in his mind, we don't reach McKinney, TX until we enter our neighborhood, and if I try to tell him otherwise, he gets upset. But, the moment we enter our neighborhood, he announces, "We're in M'Kinney, Texas!"

WEIRD AND RANDOM: A little known, but interesting, fact about Elijah - he has an aversion to BEEF! The child LOVES food and isn't too picky (though still can't get the veggies in him). For the longest time, we could not get him to eat ANY meat. We have recently had success with turkey (esp. lunchmeat) and most chicken. But, he REFUSES beef of any shape or kind! He won't eat hamburgers...picks the beef out of pasta (spaghetti with meat sauce, Hamburger Helper, etc.)...and refuses hot dogs (although I don't really consider those a specific kind of meat and am not heartbroken he won't eat them; just weird for a kid not to like them).

So, how's that for a hodge podge of weird and random stuff?! ROFL

2008-06-28T19:30:00.000-07:00

Adult giraffes - you saw the baby in the previous post!

HUGE fish we saw in the pond in front of the giraffes.

So cute! Elijah, especially, loved the penguins.

Riding the train back to the front of the zoo - the boys loved this as much as the animals!

Zoo Pics...FINALLY!

2008-06-28T19:03:00.001-07:00

There are more pictures that I'll post in a different thread...at this moment, I figure out how to put more than 5 pictures in a post or how to comment about each shot. These are my favorites, though.

The Capris...and ME!!!

2008-06-25T23:07:00.000-07:00

This past Christmas, Sean got me a pair of denim cargo capri pants from my favorite store - New York and Co. But, he got them in a size 6 - I normally wear a size 4. Of course they were too big! However, he got them on sale (since he bought them in the middle of winter) so they weren't really worth the hassle of trying to return. To be honest, I had forgotten about them until I was cleaning our room earlier tonight (for those who know me well - don't faint...but I did actually start tackling our bedroom tonight!!!) and found them in the corner. I thought, "What the heck - I'll try them on again and see if they fit." Sure enough, they fit like a glove.

Sean considers this a good thing; I do not. Considering that they were too big to even consider wearing at Christmas and now 6 months later, they fit fine...tell me, ladies, is that a good thing??? NOOOOO! :) I am excited to have another pair of capris to wear right now since I lost a pair in a dryer incident a few weeks ago, BUT I am determined to be OUT of these by the end of summer. Wii Fit...here I come!!!

My ghetto booty and mommy belly are going to be gone soon because they're driving me crazy!!!

Faith Dive

2008-06-25T22:41:00.000-07:00

It all started last week when I got our first electric bill of the summer. I knew it would progressively climb as the warmer days arrived. What I wasn't expecting was a $200 jump from last month. So, between that and the extremely outrageous gas prices, my budget was blown out of the water. A little reworking and maneuvering...I do think we'll survive. :)

This week, the boys are in VBS at a friends' church in Plano. I am volunteering there as well. One of the songs we sing at this VBS is Steven Curtis Chapman's "Diving In." There's a phrase that says..."Take the leap of faith...here I go...I'm diving in." Little did I know how much this would be true for me this week.

Sean came home yesterday with news that his company is moving out of their current location...as of this coming Friday (less than 48 hours from now). But, the best part is that they have no new location to move in to! As of now, Sean and a few others plan to work from home at least through next week. But, that leaves the job situation a little less than stable.

While my head says to freak out, my heart reminds me of the many, many times that God has worked a miracle in times like these. Even during Sean's 7 months of unemployment while I was pregnant with Nathan, God still carried us through. I know that He is the same today, yesterday and forever. No matter what happens, Jesus commands our destiny, and I know that He will cause all things to work together for the good. So, here we go...takin' the leap of faith!!!

Memo to My Son

2008-06-23T22:13:00.000-07:00

My Dearest Elijah,

I want you to know something that may come as a shock to you...YOU AND I ARE TWO SEPARATE PEOPLE!!! Although we were once connected when you were in the womb, that cord was cut over 18 months ago. Be free...enjoy independence! Let ME enjoy independence...I would like to be able to go to the restroom by myself every once in a while or cook dinner without almost tripping over you (that's not safe). When I leave you in the nursery or with a sitter, know that I will ALWAYS come back for you. I love you very much, and I could never leave you for good. I know that the day will come all too soon when I will cherish this time only in my memory, but for now...could you just give me some room to breathe? Pretty please!?

Love, Mommy

*Yeah, we're going through big time separation anxiety!!!*

First Ear Infection

2008-05-28T09:54:00.000-07:00

Elijah woke up with a fever and tons of drool on Sunday. We all chalked it up to nothing more than teeth - even my parents thought that after the massive amount of drool he had dripping off his chin at lunch. The fever persisted on Monday, but he acted pretty normal. His appetite has been off and he has been somewhat cranky/clingy, but nothing that would make one think anything other than teeth. (He has a mouth full, but is still working on his 2 year molars.) That is, until Tuesday morning...he had kept me up quite a bit on Monday night and was very restless. He woke up with fever again on Tuesday and became very restless and cranky when the Tylenol ran off. I also noticed him pulling at his right ear. Now, I knew from when Nathan had his ear infection that them pulling on the ear does not necessarily mean that they have an infection; a lot of times they wont' mess with the ear if it's bothering them. But, something told me that this was more than teeth so I took him to the pediatrician.

Sure enough...he has a double ear infection with more severity and drainage on the right. He also has extremely swollen tonsils. He's now on amoxicillian twice a day until his 18 month check up next Thurs. (6/5) It was 5 before we got home and got the antibiotics in him - and he konked out for 2 1/2 hours. Of course, when bedtime rolled around at 9:30, he wasn't tired. In fact, apparently the antibiotics began working because by 10, he came to life!!! Nathan was already in bed, and Elijah was in the living room playing with the balls, throwing Legos, etc. I FINALLY got him to bed at 12:30.

What's ironic...Nathan had his first (and only) ear infection when he was 17 months, a few days before he turned 18 months. His also happened to be the same weekend I found out that I was pregnant with Elijah. I'm quite sure we won't have that same surprise anytime soon.

UPDATE: Wednesday at noon - Elijah slept until 11:30. He seems 99% better today. No fever, no ear drainage, full appetite. We know he's back to normal because he's wearing shoes with his footed PJ's. (He has this thing for shoes.)

Fort Worth Zoo

2008-05-24T09:32:00.000-07:00

We went to the Fort Worth Zoo yesterday - Sean took an extra day off of work so that he'd have a 4 day weekend. :) Our goal was to leave around 9 a.m. in order to get there when they opened at 10. Then, we'd leave the zoo between 2 and 3 in order to beat the Friday afternoon traffic. Ha, ha, ha - yeah, right!

Here's how it REALLY came down...

We left around 10 a.m. (OK, so an hour late) We stopped at TI for discount tickets...they sell adult tickets for $9 and child/senior tickets for$6 in case anyone is interested. It was about 10:30 a.m. when we finally got on our way. I pulled my camera out because I needed to format the memory card, which was almost full. Um, yeah...battery was dead!!! The camera got left on overnight. What's worse - when I crawled into bed on Thursday night, I thought, "I should plug my camera battery in." But, I decided against it since I had just charged it a few weeks ago. I should have listened to that still, small voice. :)

"Well, we can't go to the zoo without a camera!" was mine and Sean's first thought. Afterall, this was Elijah's first "real" trip to the zoo. He went last year, but he was only 3-4 months old. This was the first time he'd grasp the animals. We couldn't go without a camera!!!

So, I ran into a Wal-Mart and picked up 2 disposable ones, but neither Sean nor I were satisfied with that option. So, after making a few other stops without much luck, we finally found a Best Buy. Sean bought me a Nikon Coolpix S600. :) Check it out here: http://imaging.nikon.com/products/imaging/lineup/digitalcamera/coolpix/s600/ It was something we had looked at getting - a back up camera that I could keep in my purse when I don't want to carry around the big camera. (We later decided that this is my anniversary gift - since our anniversary is June 5th.) The only problem is that the people at Best Buy told Sean that my memory card woud fit into the camera, and they were wrong. So, we were only able to get about 20 photos of the zoo, but at least we got some. (We picked up a correct memory card on the way home.) I will post the pictures as soon as I figure out how to upload them and get them on the blog. LOL

After all of this was over, it was around 1 when we finally got to the zoo. As we drove up, we saw about 20 Ft. Worth ISD school buses. Oh, great! But, as I looked at the time, I told Sean, "You know, us arriving later may have been a blessing in disguise because these groups will be leaving soon so that they can get back before school's out." Sure enough, I was right! We decided to eat our picnic lunch before we ever went in. We had to buy Elijah a hat at Ft. Worth Zoo since the sun was beaming down yesterday, and he (and Sean LOL) left the one I had for him at the house. We were finally set to see animals around 1:3o.

Everytime Elijah saw an animal, he waved at it. :) It was so cute! Nathan said his favorites were the giraffes. He's always loved these, even as an infant. They had two adults and one baby giraffe...very cute. Nathan also really liked the white bengal tiger. He thought that was pretty cool. Of course, he called it a black tiger...we still have trouble with the colors sometimes. LOL

We finished seeing the animals around 3 and decided to get a promised treat at the ice cream parlor before we left. We rode the train back to the front gate - which the boys loved - and headed home around 4. Sean THOUGHT we'd miss traffc, but he was wrong. Every highway we got on had an accident, and it took 2 hours to get home. Elijah slept for 30-45 min., but he was screaming and trying to escape his 5 pt. harness (car seat) by the time we hit stop and go traffic in Allen and McKinney. LOVELY!!!

We finally made it home around 7 p.m. after running a few errands on the way home. We were all tired, hot (it was 95 yesterday and humid - HORRIBLE) and hungry when we got in. BUT, we picked up buffalo wings and fries on the way home so our hunger was quickly satisfied. After showers for everyone and a little time to wind down, the boys went to bed early...tired, but hopefully filled with memories of a fun trip to the zoo. :)

THAT mom

2008-05-22T13:46:00.000-07:00

I am THAT mom.

It's a reality that I came to acknowledge last night. I shopped for ingredients for my best friend's birthday dinner on Saturday night AND also got the "fixin's" for a homecooked dinner to make tonight for a friend in my MOPS group that just had a baby...the same meal ingredients that I got a few weeks ago for another friend who had just given birth. As I put the meat and condiments into my cart, I saw a stark reality of my future because yep, I'm THAT mom.

You know the kind of mom I'm talking about...

She's the one caring enough...okay, GULLIBLE enough...to do whatever is asked of her!

The teachers love her because she's the first one to volunteer.

PTA loves her because she brings two or three things for the bake sale, sometimes even more than she signed up for.

She always brings goodies for the birthday parties...complete with cookies, juice and goody bags for all the kids.

I think I'm THAT mom. Last night I very quickly saw my future filled with "room mom" activities with cupcakes and cookies up to my ears. And, I got very, very tired. I'm starting to dread elementary school. LOL

I guess I'll do it, though, for my boys!!! Geez, this is what gets me into these things...someone make me stop. HA!

Welcome!

2008-05-22T12:21:00.000-07:00

Hi, there! Well, you all knew it would only be time before I started blogging. As many "update" emails as I send, I might as well do something a little more public for everyone to read so hear ya' go!!!

It's me, Pretty in Pink, with my 3 boys making up the House of Blue: husband, Sean; oldest son, Nathan; and the "baby" (for now), Elijah.

Enjoy!