1 big brother & 1 little sister

Wonderful site for busy moms

2009-09-02T06:39:00.000-07:00

I have recently made the best purchase I have ever made for my own sanity. I became a member of the ezmealz program and I LOVE it!!! This is a meal planning program that you pay 15 dollars every three months for. Basically, these two women sit down and take the sale ads for many different stores and they make a menu that includes seven dinners ( a main course and two sides). Every week you log on to the site and you print the menu, which includes three different grids. One box has the menu for each night, the next box has the ingredients that you will need for that night and the last box tells you how to make everything in a few easy steps. You also get a shopping list that is broken down according the the layout of the store. So you have produce, meats, canned goods, and so on. The best part about this is that they base the menus off of what is on sale for the week and the meals are wonderful. There are many different stores and meal options to choose from so there really is something for everyone. I have been doing this for 3 months now and I have to say that I do not have the first complaint. I have not made the same meal twice and every night my husband tells me how much he loved the meal. Check it out and I know you will be as happy as I am.

Click on the link on my page for the ezmealz plan.

School

2009-09-02T06:08:00.001-07:00

Seems that my son is just not the school type. I knew this before I sent him. I contemplated home-schooling him, holding him out a year or just biting the dust and sending him. Obviously I choose to send him and there have been many times that I have questioned my decision. School is against everything that he believes in. He is my child that does not like new situations and will go kicking and screaming if made to do something he is unsure of. Not to mention that he has more energy than he knows what to do with. So, needless to say, starting Kindergarten has not been an easy task. After the first day, he came home and told me that he went to Kindergarten, finished it and is not going back. Once he realized that he had to go back, he dug his heels in and tried with everything he had to get out of it. The first week he got in trouble 4 out of the 5 days. Most days I was home crying just knowing that I made the wrong choice in sending him. But now, going into the second week, I might be seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. I have gotten any notes home from the teacher and he seems to be a little bit happier when I pick him up. I am praying that this will continue to be the case and we will end up having a great year.

Kayce is loving school. She claps when we pull into the drive of the church and starts yelling "school, school". She is very happy with her teachers and seems to just love everything about her cute little room.

Back after a LONG summer.

2009-08-17T12:44:00.000-07:00

I am back. Most of you probably think that I was gone forever, but after a much needed, fun summer, I am back in the swing of things. Since the last post I published was from Feb., I will use this post to update everyone.
B turned 5 on March 25. We deceided that we really wanted to make a big deal about turning 5 since that is the offical crossover from toddlerhood. Since Disney is having their year of celebrations, we made reservations to spend 3 days visiting the parks. Darren's mom and dad came with us and we went to MGM and Magic Kingdom. B had a blast. He still talks about turning 5 at Disney World.
K turned 2 on Feb 17th and is really coming out of her shell. She is much less shy with people but is still the exact opposite of B. She loves to cuddle, loves her thumb and blanket and is very particular as to the way things should be. She is much more particular than even I am.
We had a very busy summer. It started out with a visit from my brother and his family. After hanging at our house for a couple of days, we all went to the Keys for a long weekend. We all rented RV's right on the beach and had a blast. I can't wait to go back. After that, we went to the TN mountains for a week with my husband's side of the family. It was a very relaxing week and the kids had a blast. From there we met up with my brother and his family one last time in PTC before we had to say goodbye. They are now in Germany for 3 years and we are already missing them. We can't wait to get over there to visit and explore Europe. After our sad goodbyes, we returned home for a few days only to pack up and head to Melbourne with our friends for a week at a beachfront condo. 7 kids and 3 moms = 3 tired moms. We did have a great time and the kids are still talking about the fun week at the beach.
We are now home and in one week B will start Kindergarten. I am a little sad and exceited all at the same time. My babies are growing up and there is no stopping it. I am just hanging on and enjoying the ride.

Kayce is 2

2009-02-19T17:38:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that just two years ago I had this precious little baby girl. Time really does fly!! I am scared that I will go to sleep and wake up tomorrow with children who have grown up to be teenagers. In two years this little girl has gone from a shy mommy's girl to a very independent strong willed girl who is ready to take on the world. She will go poop on the potty but really wants nothing to do with peeing in it. I think this is because she has watched Blake stand to pee for so long that she thinks that is how she should do it. Many times throughout the day I will see her walk up to the toilet and pull her dress up and then shiver. I know she is peeing but when I try and sit her on the toilet she pitches a nice little fit. So Blake is now commanded to shut the door when he pees and Kayce is not allowed to watch big brother for awhile. She is trying to talk but really only babbles. Blake was a very late talker so I am sure she will start sooner or later. She still does not have a full set of teeth. I think we are setting new records on that one; however, it does not slow her down in eating everything in sight. She LOVES shoes. Today she went to the doctor in a cute little dress and her pink plastic boots. I am just not willing to fight over shoes. I thank God on a daily basis for the two wonderful blessings he has given Darren and I and I look forward to many more birthday celebrations.

we are back

2009-01-21T18:40:00.000-08:00

We are back from our semi-wonderful trip to Kansas to see my brother and his family. It would have been a wonderful trip had we not all come down with the stomach bug the last two days we were there. It never fails that whenever there is a big trip planned, someone gets sick right before or during the trip. But aside from that, we did have a great time. We stayed at a fantastic place called Great Wolf Lodge where we did a lot of this

while it was doing this outside

We got to eat with the dinosaurs and do a little of this

the kids got to see this for the first time

Kayce spent a lot of time doing her most favorite thing (dressing up) and looking like this

and this

and in the end, Blake got to do this

Doesn't he make a cute little pilot.
But most importantly, we got to spend time with

the best cousins ever. We had a great time and can't wait to do it all again soon.

I've Been Tagged!!

2009-01-11T16:34:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my dear friend Mary Beth over at Four Silly Sisters, I have been tagged. The directions are as follows: Open a document or photo folder and choose the fifth folder and then the fifth photo in that folder. Next, post the photo with a description about it and then tag 5 friends to do the same.

So this is my picture. I actually love this picture because it is a rare find and I was able to get it on the camera. Kayce LOVES her big brother and really strives to do exactly what he does, when he does it and how he does it. Blake, on the other hand, does not always love the mini me he has running behind him and has recently started going in his room and closing the door just to get some alone time. Don't get me wrong, he does love Kayce, but he does not always show it. This picture is one of those moments when he did not mind her being in his space.

The other reason I love this picture is because this is Kayce when she is ready to snuggle and just be loved on. Thumb in mouth and blankie in hand. When she inserts her thumb and grabs that blanket you know you can head to the rocker and she will be right behind. I know that won't last long and oh how I will miss it when it is gone. But for now, she is simply to cute.

For my five tags, I choose the following:

Amanda at 2 fun sons

Lori at Peach out of Water

Marianne at Villafjolle

Since I am not huge in the blogging world, this is it for me. So I really hope you three participate and have a great time finding your fifth picture.

Toy Story

2009-01-08T18:14:00.000-08:00

I live in a house made of toys. They are even in my bathroom. While I sit on the toilet doing my thing, I look around and see toys. Plastic lipstick, GI Joe men, trains, plastic pink shoes, a doll with her head turned in weird ways. I just can't escape the toys. There are times that I feel like they are watching me and laughing. I really want to purge and get rid of some but my dilemma is as such: about 99% of the toys in this house were a gift from a grandparent or an aunt or uncle. So every month as I start going through the house sneaking toys into my big black bag going to the children's shelter, my guilty little brain starts to say things like, " the next time the grandparents come to visit they will notice that this toy is not here and ask what happened and you will have to tell them that you gave it away". The big black bag gets emptied and put back under the kitchen sink and all of the toys do a happy dance because they are safe for one more month. So my question to all of you lurking out there, What do you do with all of the gifted toys that come into your home? Do you just live with toys harassing you daily by laying under foot because they just refuse to stay in their designated places or do you just show the toys who is the boss of the house and get rid of them and break the news to the ones that gifted the toys that they no longer reside at this address?? The toys are forming their game plan for the month and I refuse to go down without a fight.

Resolutions

2009-01-07T11:11:00.000-08:00

I have never been big on resolutions and really only because I never keep them. But this year I resolve to do better. I have been thinking long and hard about this and what I really would like to change about me and/or my life. I also think that by making them public to those of you who do follow us throught this blog, I might feel that accountability to stay true to myself. So without further hesitation, here are the few resolutions I have made for myself:

1. to read my Bible everyday. I began to do this last year ( again a resolution failure) and made it all the way to Deuteronomy. I have picked up where I left off and so far have stuck to reading a couple of chapters per night.

2. to be a more patient mother and wife. There are really times that I am ready to throw the towel in with my kids and my husband (don't tell them I said that). These feeling really show their head when Blake and kayce are scraping and screaming at the top of their lungs, when I have asked Darren to do something (like take a library book back on his way to the store) and realize a week later that the same library book is sitting on the counter and I am getting nasty emails from our local librarian. This year I resolve to not focus on the negative and instead realize that the kids are kids and Darren does most everything I ask him so if he forgets one little thing, I will patiently and positively respond.

3. to hire a housekeeper. In the perfect world I would already have one. Doing housework feels like I am about to have to rip out my toenails. I know this sounds lazy and I do agree but this is my one pet peeve. Somehow, someway I will find a housekeeper that I can afford and welcome her into my home with open arms.

There you go. Whether you are interested or not, that is what I resolve to do in the year 2009.
On another note, the kids are doing great. We had a great holiday season with lots of wonderful time with both sets of grandparents. The kids LOVE to spend time with the grandparents and I am so glad that they have such a close relationship with them. Blake is becoming quite the train lover. He now has a geotrax layout in our familyroom, a thomas the train table and layout in his room and now a L&N layout on a roll-away platform that he and Darren built which he can roll under his bed when he is not playing with it. Kayce also loves the trains but spends much more time at her vanity table putting on her make up and combing her hair. Most of the time they are both loving all over one another and the rest of the time they are fighting and screaming. True siblings in the making.

Only 5 more days!!

2008-12-20T04:55:00.001-08:00

I love Christmas!! This has not always been how I felt but I really do love it now. I love giving gifts to everyone, I love all of the opportunities to get together with friends and family, I love the smells and lights, and most importantly, I love that this is when our savior was born. I feel very blessed this year as I have two healthy, beautiful children who drive me out of my mind sometimes, but who I love more that anything else in this world. I love how Blake is coming into his own. He loves to get on the computer now and watch trains on Youtube and he knows how navigate the computer all on his own. I love when he tells me I am his best friend and gives me big hugs (because I don't get them when I want them anymore) and I love watching him be a big brother (when he is not body slamming Kayce into the tile floor). It is amazing to me how opposite my two children are. Besides the obvious gender issue, Kayce is a very calm and content child. She does not need to be entertained, she will snuggle for hours in our arms and she is very unsure of new situations and people. Blake is very energetic and constatnly moving from one thing to another. It is very rare that he is not in the same room with us, regardless of which room we are in. He is a social butterfly who never meets a stranger. He can make friends with a wall if you give him enough time. And I love every trait of each of my children just the same. My favorite thing to do at this time of year is to sit next to the Christmas tree, all lit up, and just thank God for every blessing I have in my life. Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas from the Singletons

2008-12-06T11:10:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

YUCK!!

2008-12-05T11:05:00.000-08:00

I have many weaknesses but I know my biggest weakness is vomit. I think God knows this because he blessed me with a child who has only thrown up once or twice in his life. Unfortunately, this record is officially broken. Blake woke up around 4:30 am coughing. Darren got up with him and tried to put him back to bed and right when Blake was climbing the ladder, he hurled all over the bottom bunk and floor. So we cleaned him up and got him back to bed. I prayed the rest of morning that it was just a fluke. He got up and ate breakfast and acted fine. He said he wanted to go to school and stay for pizza. I was so happy. Well, 30 minutes after dropping him off I get a phone call fromt he school saying he is complaining and wants to go home. I start praying again and head to pick him up. Seems that right before I arrived, he hurled again. So I officially braced myself for a day of throwing up and started to plan out the best was to deal with my adversion to vomit and my child who is now vomiting. I got him home, bathed him and got him to sip on some Gatoraide. I then covered the couch with a waterproof crip sheet, towels and put a bucket next to the couch. I explained to Blake the importance of hitting the bucket if he felt sick again. As expected, he started feeling the need to vomit again and bless his heart, he hit the bucket. I am so proud of him and relieved. I now am waiting for the dr to call in some Zofran so we can make through the weekend. I have disinfected my entire house and am now praying that this is only 24 hours and that Kayce will not get it. I can almost guarantee that she will not be able to hit the bucket and my palms are already sweating thinking about it. I hate illness!!!!!

I'm finally back

2008-12-01T14:09:00.000-08:00

I bet you all thought that I had retired from the blogging world. You would be right in your line of thinking but I am now back. I guess I went through a long moment of writers block. But after a long break, I feel like I can start to update the blog again. The sad thing is, not much has changed from my last post. Really!! Other than the kids getting older things are pretty much the same here. The weather is still hot, the kids are still wild and I am still doing the same things day in and day out. Kayce is starting to think about talking instead of screaming for everything. She still knows how to play with cars and planes much better than she does with baby dolls. Blake is still 200% all boy. He is well trained in the selective hearing department but is getting somewhat better depending on the day. One difference is that they are finally learning how to play together instead of aggravating one another. As I type this, they are both playing Blake's GeoTrax and have been for the past 30 minutes. That I am thankful for. So, even though I am back in the swing of blogging, we are still doing the same things as before. Hope eveyone is doing well.

Summer is FINALLY over!!

2008-08-27T11:19:00.000-07:00

It is funny how things change as you get older. I remember that I used to live for the summer when I was a kid. Summer meant that I would go to Kentucky and stay with my grandparents. I would spend most every waking hour with my cousin, Eric and together we would rule the world. We spent most of the time outside riding our bikes up the railroad tracks, exploring the fields and ponds and simply playing with whatever caught our interest that day. Some summers my brother would join us and add to the trouble. Whenever anyone asks about memories of my childhood, I always go back to my summers in Kentucky. Now as an adult and more importantly as a parent, I really dread summers. Not because I don't want to spend time with my kids, don't get me wrong. But it is very hard to play with kids toys all summer long. Not only that, but it is so hot here that the kids really don't love being outside unless it involves water. So when school starts, things just seem to flow better in our house. We have a schedule and the TV is usually off, thank god. So as sad as it makes me to admit that I don't live for summers anymore, I will admit it and start living for fall.

Fay, Fay, Go away!!

2008-08-19T16:56:00.000-07:00

Fay has decided to take up residence here in Florida. Really, she is moving at a snails pace of 8 mph and is just lingering over us with rain and wind and tornado warnings. Someone should really lock her up in a house with two children ALL DAY LONG. I don't think it would be near as bad if I knew that I had the option of letting them outside to play a little and get their energy out. So we have played Wii, we have played battleship, we have had lots of snacks, we have watched lots of cartoons, we have attempted to have naps but the heavy rain kept the little one up, we gave baths at 4:00 in hopes that it would be a calming experience (not), and now we are counting the minutes down to bedtime. In addition to all of this fun, we have been watching the weather to keep up with the tornado watches and warnings. The eye of the storm is still heading our way, so the worst is yet to come. Obviously, Fay never had kids of her own or she would know better than to sit on us for so long.

I'm still here

2008-08-12T17:45:00.000-07:00

I am getting bad about not posting but at the end of the day it is so hard to sit and do anything that requires thought. This summer just seems to go on forever. The kids will start school in two weeks. Blake will be in the four year old class and really is not looking forward to having to write and learn new things. He says that all he is going to do is play. If this is any indication of how the rest of his schooling will go, we are in trouble. Kayce will be in the "puppy" class for 18 month olds. There are 10 little ones in the class and two very brave teachers. We met her teachers today and Kayce did fine as long as no one touched her. She is getting better about venturing off on her own but don't dare touch her. Her head will spin and green stuff comes flying out of her mouth. Ok, not really but it is about that dramatic. Her teachers will have lots of fun with her this year. The good thing is, once she gets over the fact that I leave her, she is just fine. I am really hoping that the next two weeks fly by. Not because I want to get rid of my kids or anything, but Blake is becoming stir crazy and I can only play GeoTrax so many times in one day. Let the countdown to school begin.

Vacation

2008-07-23T18:29:00.000-07:00

We are finally home from our busy summer fun. I love summer and I really love traveling to see all of our family but it is always nice to come back home and get back into the swing of things. We had a great trip to the mountains with Darren's family. We did a lot of things that the kids really enjoyed. We learned that Kayce can fall asleep anywhere. We all went on a hour long horseback ride and after laughing and calling the horse "brewster", she fell asleep and slept for most of the ride. When we got back to the stables, Darren handed her to me and she woke up laughing and ready to go again. Then another day we went tubing down the river, again about an hour or so long. The ride was very relaxing but there were a couple of places that we went down rapids and things would get a little wild. She fell asleep after the first wild thrill and slept the rest of the way. Thankfully she was with Darren and he was able to stay in the tube and not flip over. Blake loved everything we did but he really loved being able to drive his own go cart this year. Granted, he ate the wall the majority of the time but he did not care. We spent a lot of time relaxing and enjoying spending time with one another since it is not often we all get to do that as a family. Now we are back in Florida and watching the weather channel every night praying that we will be spared another summer from those lovely hurricanes. The kids are catching up with their sleep and I think they are enjoying not doing anything. We will be spending the rest of the summer hanging out at the pool and with our friends that we missed while we were gone.

Summer Update

2008-07-06T18:50:00.000-07:00

We are halfway done with our summer adventures. So far we have had a great summer and are looking forward to the rest of our fun. The kids and I has a great trip to Kentucky. The adults on the trip had the very emotional task of going through my late grandmothers estate and getting it ready to auction in September. I will say that was the most emotionally draining thing I have done in a long time. The kids, however, had a ball with my cousin and her family. They were able to ride their bikes all day, go on a real steam engine train ride, pick apples from the trees and just run around playing. They loved it. We then went back to Ga and rode back to Florida with Darren's family. By the time we got home, the kids did not want to look at their car seats for a couple of days. We had a very relaxing week. Thursday the kids left with Darren's parents. So Darren and I are alone for a whole week. We really did not know what to do with ourselves at first but now we are figuring things out. We have gone to restaurants that we typically avoid, we have gone to the beach and left without having the dig sand out of peoples cracks, we have gone fishing and enjoyed the silence, we have walked on the beach at night because we don't have to worry about bedtimes. I really had forgotten what it was like to feed myself first and uninterrupted. Don't get me wrong, I miss my kids beyond words, but Darren and I really needed some time to focus on us as a couple and not as mommy and daddy. So here we are on Sunday night and we just decided that we are going to lay on the beach in the morning before he goes to work. I am sure that we will be very refreshed and ready to go by the time we drive to Ga on Thursday to meet the kids. After we pick them up, we are heading to Pigeon Forge for the week. This will be Darren's vacation for the summer and I can't wait to get somewhere that has no sprint service so that his phone will remain silent for the week. That is our summer so far. I hope everyone is have a great summer!!!

Post Surgery

2008-06-14T17:06:00.000-07:00

Blake now has tubes in his ears. I have to say that it was unexpectedly easy. We got to the surgery center around 6 in the morning. Blake was in his pajamas and took his beloved train blanket and ducky. They took us back around 6:15 and immediately gave him some happy medicine, which was a good thing because he was not letting anyone touch him up until that point. Once he got the happy medicine, he was a happy kid. It was actually quite funny. He was laughing at anything and everything. They let him stay in him pajamas and he took his blanket back with him. About 10 minutes after they took him back, the doctor was out telling us that everything went great and he was in recovery. This was the worst part for us because he was out of it and crying. As soon as I got back with him, they let me hold him and he calmed down but was still very out of it and upset. When he calmed down he asked if he could have something to eat, so we got him something and went home. We was pretty drunk when we got home so we put him on the couch and he was in and out of it for about an hour. Then, all of a sudden, he got up and went to the bathroom and started playing with his geotrax. He did not say anything else about the tubes all day. I really don't think he remembers the surgery, which I am ok with. He has never complained with pain and has been very agreeable to wearing the earplugs at bathtime. So, all in all, I have no complaints and only time will tell if they will reduce his ear infections or not.
Monday starts the beginning of our summer plans. We are all flying to Atl on Monday. Darren will fly home on Wed and the kids and I will go to Peachtree City. Then my family is going to Kentucky for a week. We will come back home to Florida with Darrens family on the 26th. We will be here for the week and then the kids will go back to GA with Darrens family. Darren and I will head to Ga on the 11th of July and then we all go to Gatlinburg for the following week. Needless to say, we are not hurting for things to do this summer. I am really looking forward to spending time with our families and seeing people we have not had a chance to see in awhile. I hope everyone has a great summer!

Sorry no pictures

2008-06-08T18:24:00.000-07:00

I have not been doing a great job with my camera lately, so no pictures this time. Since the last post, Blake went to the ENT and he is having tubes placed in his ears this Tuesday. I am hoping that this will take care of most of his medical issues. The rotten thing about the whole thing is that he will now have to wear ear plugs whenever he gets in the water. I am really hoping he is going to be ok with that because he has just recently started to swim and he loves the pool now. He will jump in and swim all over the pool with no fear now. We are going to have plugs made just for him and he will be able to pick the color out, so I am hoping this will make him be ok with wearing them. Only time will tell. Other than that, there is no real news coming out of our house. I hope everyone is having a great summer so far.

Better days

2008-05-31T18:22:00.000-07:00

Since my last post, I have had much better days. The kids and I were scheduled to fly into Atlanta two days after Kayce had her seizure. I was not sure that I really wanted to chance flying with the kids by myself after that incident but the morning we were to fly out went well and we went on our way. Thankfully, the kids did great and we had a very nice visit in Atlanta and Kentucky. Of course, the wellness did not last long and as soon as we got home Blake started to run a fever and was feeling horrible. We went to the Doctor and he said that it looks like Blake has elmers glue in his ear. Of course it is not glue but it is so full of fluid that is what it looks like. We are off to see a ENT on Monday and have accepted the fact that we will more than likely be getting tubes in his ears, and possibly removing his adnoids and/or tonsils. As much as I really don't want him to have to go through all of that, I am so ready for him to not be sick and on antibiotics all the time. Other than that, things are going great. We have been swimming a lot and Blake is really taking off this summer. He is all over the pool!! Kayce loves it to. She is not afraid to step right off into the water. Here are some pics of the kids at the pool.

The second worst day of my life

2008-05-20T09:23:00.000-07:00

I love being a mother more than anything in this world but I really hate the medical emergencies that come with children. Yesterday started off relatively normal for us. We have been fighting fevers and the yuckies for a couple of days now but nothing out of the norm. Kayce woke up with about a 99 degree temp so I gave her Tylenol and went on about our day. I kept checking her temp throughout the day and it never got above 99 and she was acting fine. Darren left for work around 1:00 with the intention of working till midnight. After the kids woke up, I again gave Kayce Tylenol and the kids and I headed out to the outlet mall because Blake was in desperate need of new tennis shoes. We shopped around and went into the bookstore. I got Kayce out of her stroller and let her walk around and finally started back towards the car. I had put Kayce back in the stroller for the walk. As we were walking, I noticed that she was slumped over a little bit so I looked around at her and saw instantly that something was wrong. Her eyes were rolled in the back of her head and she was making a gurgling sound. Her fists were clinched and she was shaking all over. I realized she was having a seizure and called 911. As we sat there, a wonderful lady and man came up and stood with me. She called Darren and told him to meet us at the hospital. After what seemed like FOREVER, the ambulance got there. By that time Kayce had just come out of the seizure and was very lethargic and mad. We all piled up into the ambulance and speed to the hospital. Kayce was hotter than I can tell you. We took all of her clothes off and started to wipe her down with wet towels. When we got to the hospital, she was still very mad and out of it. The doctor ran her blood and urine and her temp was 103. Thankfully we have the most wonderful pediatrician. He came to the ER and as soon as he walked in the tension in the air disappeared. He assured us that she was fine and had a febrile seizure from her temp rising so quickly. Apparently, these can run in the family and sure enough, Darren had one when he was a child. So she is now on Tylenol and Advil around the clock for the next couple of days and whenever she starts to run a low grade fever from now on. Today everyone is tired but fine. She is still running a low grade temp but she is ok. I guess the good thing we can take from this is that Blake really loved riding in the ambulance with the sirens going.

The growing pains

2008-05-14T18:10:00.001-07:00

Everyday my children do something that just makes me laugh and in an instant will turn into crazy children. I love to have "conversations" with Blake. He is most definatelty my "why" child. He can talk about anything and everything. I know he gets this from me, I openly admit it. He loves to talk. He is also really into all things bugs and slimy creatures. The other day he met me at the door with a lizard in his hand. He is ALL boy.
Kayce is ALL girl. She already has a love for jewelry. Her favorite toy right now is a purse that came with a bracelet, a lipstick and a mirror. She will wear the bracelet for hours and just walk around jabbering to herself. Darren and I are in trouble when she gets older. She is also really starting to form a little personality. She knows what she wants and can throw a wonderful tantrum when she does not get it. She is great at throwing herself backwards and onto the floor in a fit of rage. The timeouts in the baby bed are about to start happening.
The sibling "love" is very abundant in this house. I know that we are lucky to have one of each sex and I love enjoying the world of both, but I can already foresee a future of screaming kids. Kayce is very good at growling at Blake for just looking at her. Of course there are more times than not that he is doing more than just looking but there is a rare time that he is really not doing anything but looking and she goes nuts. I am actually starting to feel a bit remorseful about how I treated my brother growing up. My nightly prayers are pleading sessions for my children to grow to love one another and be best friends. Do you think God will answer my prayer????

The lizard has been caught.

2008-05-06T18:38:00.000-07:00

After assuming that the lizard was dead and decaying somewhere in my house and having nightmares about Kayce finding the dead decaying body and playing with it, the lizard showed his face to Darren. After a 15 minute chase, Darren and Blake cornered the lizard and put him back outside. I can now sleep without worrying what will be crawling on me in the middle of the night. Other than that, things are pretty normal here. Blake woke up this morning with an ear infection. I don't think we have made it more than two months in a row without an ear infection. Our pediatrician is keeping count and I just know we are doomed to getting tubes. So out of pure pity for him, I am going against my better judgment and he is eating a lollipop and watching cartoon right now at 9:43. What is wrong with me??? This afternoon he crawled up in my lap and fell asleep. This has not happened except one other time when he was about 6 months old and again had an ear infection. I was in heaven and did not put him down for a good hour. I have learned to cherish those moments with him because they do not happen often. Kayce, on the other hand, will cuddle whenever you want to. All you have to do is pick her up and she will lay her head down on your shoulder and start sucking her thumb. I love it!!! She is such a sweet baby. I thank God every night for both of my children.

Here little lizard

2008-04-30T18:52:00.000-07:00

After my last post, I sat down to a stare off with the lizard. I called my friend, Melanie, and collectively we deceided that the best plan of action would be to get my broom and a bucket and try to swat the lizard off the ceiling and onto the floor so that I could throw the bucket on top of him and put him outside. This after we decieded that sucking him up in the vacuum cleaner would not be such a great idea for anyone involved. After thirty minutes off swatting and chasing, the little lizard had retreated to under my bookcase and will not show his face. Darren just called and said, " just leave him, he will find his way out or die trying". I love the male perspective. The lizard will die and then a nice little smell will fill my house. And on top of it all, my favorite person just got voted off American Idol. AGHHHH!! Ok, off to try and catch the little *****. And of course, here are some recent pics of the kids.

Kayce has teeth!!!

2008-04-30T17:58:00.001-07:00

The fact that my daughter has teeth is a huge relief as she is almost 15 months old and is just now cutting her first tooth. I took her to the dentist last week because of the absence of those pearly whites and he informed me that it did not look like they were even close to coming in. Low and behold, this morning I finally caught a glimpse of the very top of one cutting through on the bottom. I think that she holds the world record for being the oldest baby to cut teeth. Granted, this has not slowed her down in her eating habits. I have not found anything that the girl can not gobble up. She puts Blake to shame in the eating department. So while I am very happy that my child does indeed have teeth, I am a little worried as to what this means in the volume of food she will now want to put down.
On another note, the joys of living in Florida mean that you become immune to the fact that you will live with lizards in your house. As I write this, there is a little fellow on my ceiling looking at me. I tried to catch him but he ran and stayed on the ceiling the entire time. I am not willing to fight this fight tonight, as I have already dealt with a dead snake in my yard this afternoon. I think God is trying to tell me to love all of the animals, even the slimy, yucky ones. So I will go to bed tonight and pray that the lizard remain in the family room and not decide to join us in our bedrooms tonight.

We have ourselves a ball player!!

2008-04-14T17:55:00.000-07:00

Blake had his first tee ball game this past Sat. It was a lot of fun for everyone. The dads had a great time out on the field reliving their childhood and cringing when their sons started to cry, the mothers had a great time on the bench laughing at all of the kids, and the kids had a great time kicking dirt, crying when they missed the ball and dog piling each other. Blake has talked about being a baseball player everyday since the game and can't wait for his next game. Here are some of the pictures.

Brand new blog

2008-04-09T17:36:00.000-07:00

As you can see I am now sporting a brand new look, thanks to Hilary!!! After a huge headache in dealing with me, someone who is not so computer savyy, I was able to upload the new image and pictures. I love it and I hope you do to.

Happy Birthday Blake

2008-03-31T13:56:00.000-07:00

Blakes birthday was the 25th and we have been celebrating for about two weeks now. We started by having pizza and cake with Sophia, who also turned 4 on the 25th. Blake and Sophia have been celebrating their birthdays together since they were two. I don't think they would know how to celebrate by themselves at this point. For Blakes birthday, Darren and I bought he and Darren tickets to the Indy race in Homestead (Miami). They left early Saturday morning and spent the majority of the day at the race. Blake saw his first concert, Three Doors Down, and rocked out for the first two songs, then told Darren the music was to loud and put his hands over his ears. He gets that from his mother!! I hate loud concerts, thus, I really don't like concerts. They had rides at the race and Blake rode a lot of them. The race started at 8:00 pm and Darren said the Blake was a tropper. He loved the race cars and can't wait to go again next year. Here are the pictures.

Easter

2008-03-30T17:41:00.000-07:00

This post is a little late but that is better than never. My parents came into town to help celebrate Easter this year and we had a great time. My mom spent a lot of the time sewing things for the kids. She made some wonderful hooded towels for them both and then made an adorable outfit for Kayce. I wish that I had an ounce of her talent. On Saturday, we all went to the church easter egg hunt. The kids loved hunting for eggs and Blake was thrilled to have candy. Unfortunately, that night we all realized that he had too much candy when he threw up all over his bed and Darren. The good thing about that is that he will tell you today that he can't eat to much candy because he will spit up if he does. Then Easter morning, Kayce woke up sick so we opted to stay home just in case she had something that was contagious. Turns out it was a double ear infection and she is just fine now.

Weekend full of fun!!

2008-03-16T17:48:00.001-07:00

As much as I complain about the hot weather in Florida, I do know how lucky we are to be able to enjoy the outdoors as much as we do. The weather was perfect here this weekend and we spent the majority of the weekend outside. We started by going to the 12 hours of Sebring race on Saturday. One of the guys that Darren works with gave us two tickets and invited us to spend the day with them at there RV in the infield. Blake loved watching the cars go by and Kayce just enjoyed hanging out. Then Sunday we spent the afternoon with our great friends, Melanie, Jimmy, Sophia and Ella. The kids swam and played in the pool and Kayce seemed to really like it. We all walked up to the beach and Kayce really enjoyed that. This was the first time we have taken her since she was an infant and we really did not know if she would like it. She surprised us and loved it. She did not mind the freezing water but preferred to just crab crawl in the sand. I know where I will be taking the kids during the summer!!!

Things I can't live without

2008-03-11T04:58:00.000-07:00

This post is not about the kids or happenings in our lives. I love to read about products that other people use and love. I hate going to the store and buying things on a whim because more often than not I get it home and hate it. I am a consumer reports girl. Before most purchases, I will spend a lot of time looking up reviews and ratings on that particular item. Call me crazy!! So this is a list of some things that I love and can't live without.

1. Bare Minerals Make-up - Hand down this is the best make-up out there (in my opinion, of course). Yes, there are a lot of little containers of loose make-up and yes, it does get on the sink and counter top, but nothing that does not clean-up in a second. Despite those down falls, this make-up is the bomb. I can't stand to have anything on my face or to have anyone touch my face. I used to cringe when I put on the liquid or pressed foundation because I knew that I was in for a night of feeling my make-up sitting on my face. If I knew that I would be sweating, I would not even waste my time putting make-up on. I tried foundations across the board from the drug stores to the clinique counter. I never really loved anything. Then I was told about Bare Minerals. I was a little hesitant to try it at first due to the price and the fact that you have to buy brushes. But I am so glad that I did. I bought the start-up kit and got everything I needed to get started. This make-up is so light, that I can't even tell I am wearing make-up until I look in the mirror and see an shine free face. I can apply once in the morning and never have to touch up again. Even if I sweat, this stuff will stay put. I absolutely recommend trying it.

2. Gap Long and Lean jeans-- Well worth the price!! They are flattering on most body styles and you can buy them deeply discounted in a Gap outlet.

3. This one is related to Blake. If you have a son, then you must get him a GeoTrax set. I am in love with toys that help Blake play independently. Don't get me wrong, I love to play with him but there are times that it is nice to not have to play by a three year olds rules. This train set is built for his hands. He can easily lock the track in place in any configuration he wants. He has four of the remote control trains that he puts on the track and controls them with the remotes. The trains come with people which encourages him to role play. It does take up a lot of room but I bought a plastic tub and Blake keeps all the trains and accessories in this tub when he is not playing with them. This set keeps him busy for hours. I must have for the boys in your life.

Life is a beach!!

2008-03-07T18:25:00.001-08:00

It is not often that Darren and I get to have a night out without kids. We would love to do it more often but it just never works out. This morning Darren called from work and asked me to work on getting a babysitter so that we could have a date. I called our beloved sitter and asked if she could come around six. She showed up and off we went. We had dinner at a little hole in the wall Cuban restaurant which we love. Dinner was wonderful and we really just sat and ate and enjoyed the quiet. Usually we are the center of attention on most restaurants thanks to our loud children so it is nice to not be noticed. We then tried to decide what we wanted to next. We talked about a movie but realized that we were both so tired we could have gone to bed, so we passed on sitting in a dark room with no children to keep us awake. We finally decided to go over to the Vero Beach Club and Resort on the beach and listen to the band. This resort was actually featured in this months Souther Living and we had never been inside so we wanted to see what it was all about. It was very nice and very ritzy but the outside bar was not open so we left and went to one of our favorites. As we were sitting there on the beach, we realized how we really take the fact that we live right on the beach for granted and most people pay to get to sit on the beach at night. We really enjoyed just sitting and talking and listening to the waves. We had a wonderful date and I can't wait to do it again.

Our new game!!!

2008-03-05T11:25:00.000-08:00

Blake and Kayce have a new game. We bought Kayce a cheap (10 dollars) babydoll stroller for her birthday this year. She is able to walk behind it and she loves to push it around. This morning I came around the corner to Blake holding Kayce and putting her in the stroller. I hid around the corner because I wanted to see what was going on but did not want them to see me. He was very careful and even strapped her in. Then they were off. She was laughing hysterically and he was zooming her around the house as fast as he could. It was the funniest thing I have seen in awhile.

Kayce is still refusing to walk. Really wants no part of it. As long as she has something to hold on to, she will try and walk but don't even think about letting go of her hands. She has a new spot in the house that she likes to play on. It is the box that holds Blakes geotrax cars. If I can not find her, I can pretty much bet that she will be on top of the box.

That is what is going on in this house these days. Life is an adventure!!!

You say Miami, I say Yourami

2008-02-26T16:42:00.000-08:00

Darren and I decided to buy Blake Indy 500 tickets for his birthday this year. The race is south of Miami in the town of Homestead. We have been telling Blake that he gets to go to Miami with Daddy to see the race cars for his birthday. He is so excited and loves to tell people what he is doing for his birthday. Yesterday he was telling one of his friends and said " My daddy and I are going to daddy's ami to see the big race cars." I busted out laughing and tried to explain to Blake that the name of the town is Miami not daddy's ami. He promptly replied, "Mommy it is not yourami it is daddy's ami". There was no winning this one so it shall be daddy's ami in this household.

The Drama Has Begun!!!

2008-02-24T18:59:00.000-08:00

Seems that my oh so sweet baby girl has found her temper. She threw her first real temper tamper today and it was quite funny, if I do say so myself. It was all over the fact that I needed to make a phone call as I was carrying her around. She wanted the phone that I had in the hand that was not holding her. I did not give her the phone because as I said earlier, I need to make a call, so she proceeded to start to cry and stiffen up. Instead of fighting her, I sat her down which really ticked her off. As soon as I took a step back, she threw herself backward (onto carpet) and started to scream as if I had just cut off her hand. I start laughing (which made her more mad) and calmly turned around and walked away. I then prayed to the wonderful lord above and asked for this to be a fluke and not the norm as I already have one spirited child and would really love to have my calm mellow daughter back. I really hope that God was listening and will have mercy on this household because I thought that I wanted more children until that little episode and if this is his way of letting me know that we don't need anymore, I get the picture loud and clear.

Birthday Weekend

2008-02-19T17:49:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful weekend celebrating Kayce's birthday. Saturday we celebrated with pizza and cake. Kayce ate two pieces of pizza, with no teeth, and then downed her cake like a champ. Sunday we bought a kite from Sam's and went to the park next to the river and had a great time flying it. The wind was just right and the kite stayed up for the majority of the time. Blake had a blast chasing and flying the kite, while Kayce was happy to just watch. It was a nice relaxing weekend. Here are some pics of Kayce celebrating.

One year ago

2008-02-14T17:23:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that almost one year ago (on the 17th) Kayce arrived as the newest member of our family. Time flies!!! She still has no teeth and she is not even close to walking but she is still the sweetest most content baby. She has blond curls and big blue eyes. When she was first born I thought that I still wanted one more baby but the longer we go, the more I am thinking that we are done. I am ready to start the next chapter of our lives. Blake will be going five days a week to pre school next year and Kayce will be in the "puppy" class at the same school. I have turned in my application to teach at that same school which also happens to be my church. I am really exceited about the idea of going back to work. (Yet another reason that I think I am done making babies). I am really looking forward to the idea of working again. I might change my mind once start working but right now the idea makes me happy. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE being home with my kids but Blake is ready to be at school full time and Kayce will be right there with me. Hopefully I will still feel this way when the time comes to start working.
On another note:
I am finding myself constantly comparing my parenting skills when it comes to Blake and Kayce. When Blake turned one, we had just moved here and we did not know anyone. So we did not have a party. It was Darren, Blake and me. We had a cupcake for Blake and took pictures of him digging into it. We did celebrate later with my family and with Darren's family, but for his actual birthday, it was the three of us. So now we have lived here for awhile and we have made such wonderful friends. However, I feel so guilty even thinking of having a huge birthday party for Kayce when we did not do it for Blake. So I have decided that we will have a very small gathering on Saturday for Kayce and then on her actual birthday it will be just the four us. I know it sounds crazy but I just can't get past doing something for one of the kids and not doing it for the other.
Here are some updated pictures of Kayce.

Winter in Florida

2008-02-04T18:35:00.001-08:00

Winter in Florida has been in the 80's on average this year. Blake spent a lot of the weekend swimming with his friend Sophia. That's what we do here during the winter, swim. We do miss the cold weather but after reading all of my friend's posts about being housebound due to cold weather, I am thankful for being able to go outside and not freeze. In fact, most days we are in shorts and t-shirts.
Blake is amazing me more and more these days. He is so funny with a lot of what he says. The other day Darren had a drink and Blake asked what it was. Darren replied that it was just a drink and Blake shot back, "Actually dad, it is coke and I would like some". Then that night we were waiting to turn into a parking lot and a driver pulled out in front of us. Out from the back seat we hear" crazy moron". We cracked up after explaining to him that it was not nice to call names. Blake looked at Darren and said" yeah dad, its not nice to say that".
Kayce is developing her little personality more and more everyday. She does not like grass. She freezes up and screams if she comes in contact with it. Pretty funny. She loves all food and will soon pass Blake up in weight. She usually finishes her plate and his at all meals. It is hard to believe that she will be one in less than two weeks. She still has no teeth!! I am wondering if we need to start looking into dentures.

Bitter Sweet

2008-01-31T06:36:00.000-08:00

Well, it is official. Kayce is no longer nursing. I have mixed feelings on this. On one hand, HOORAY!!!! My body is all mine again. I don't have to think about what I am eating or drinking any longer. I am free from the horrible nursing bras. I am done!!!! On the other hand, I am no longer the only one who can put her to bed. I am not sure that we are going to have any more little kiddo's, so I am probably done forever. This chapter in my life is closed.

Pictures from our trip

2008-01-22T18:06:00.001-08:00

We are back in Florida!!

2008-01-22T17:35:00.000-08:00

We are home. This is a bitter sweet feeling. Of course, there is no place like home and as much as we all love to see our families, we all love to be sleep in our own beds. We found out that Kayce is a homebody. She regressed in her sleeping habits horribly while we were away. She went from sleeping through the night to waking up about twice a night while we were gone. This was hard because as much as I wanted to let her cry it out and not form a habit, I also did not want to wake the entire house. So I got up with her every time she woke up. When we got home last night I told Darren that if she woke up during the night, she was going to have to cry it out. Obviously she just needed her bed because as soon as I laid her down, she smiled, grabbed her blanket and did not make a sound until 7:30 this morning. Blake slept until an unheard of 9:45 am. My children were exhausted from our trip and just needed their beds. We do love to be with our families. And we really loved the cold weather. Blake got to see a little bit of snow and loved to be pulled in the sled with his cousins. We had a great time and loved seeing all of our friends and family. We can't wait to do it again.

2008-01-22T10:31:00.000-08:00

We are in the big ATL!!

2008-01-14T11:36:00.000-08:00

First and foremost, Blake is much better. He ended up having a horrible virus for about 7 days. He ran high fevers and had the "runs" for most of the seven days and was just really run down. He is now recovering and although he is not 100% himself, he is getting there. We arrived here in Georgia around 1:30am on Thursday morning. The kids did great on the trip. We have been enjoying the cold weather (we being Darren and I). Blake does not really know what to think of it. Yesterday we were outside and he was very concerned that Nanny and Papa's grass was brown and not green like ours. We had to explain that the grass dies here during the cold weather. He also asked Nanny where the cold comes from. That was fun to explain. Today we went to an interactive kids neighborhood and Blake had a great time. There was a fire truck, a police car and an airplane that he was able to climb in and play with all of the gadgets. He was also able to go grocery shopping, be a doctor, a banker and a vet. It was a really cool place. I took lots of great pics but I will have to wait until I am back home to upload them. Friday night I was able to have a "girls night" with a lot of my great friends from college. It was wonderful to see everyone again. Hope everyone is doing great. I will update again when we get home next week.

Blake is Sick

2008-01-08T05:41:00.000-08:00

I guess I should not be complaining to much as this is the first time Blake has ever had a stomach bug and he is not throwing up. He has been running a fever since Friday morning and has had diarrhea. He is still sick. We are going on the 5th day. This sucks!! We have been in this house since Friday and we are all about to go stir crazy. And the worst part is that we are set to leave this Thursday for Atl. I really don't want to put Blake in the car for a nine hour drive with him not feeling well. But he has already packed his bags and asks everyday if it is time to go. So here we are, taking Imodium, Motrin, Tylenol and drinking Gatorade like it is going out of style. I am praying the fever will break soon and he will be feeling better by the time we pack up the van and head north. Cross your fingers.

We made it through the holidays.

2008-01-03T18:56:00.000-08:00

Let me start with saying that we had a wonderful Christmas here in Florida. My mom, dad, brother, sister-in-law and 2 nieces all came to stay with us for the week. We also had three dogs. All of us in a 1700 square foot house. And we all survived with no fighting, no biting, no pinching and no major drama. Well, except for Buck, the escape artist, taking a tour of Vero Beach and almost taking residence in the Animal Control. This is a huge accomplishment for the three cousins. The last couple of times that we have been together, Blake and Caroline, who are 5 months apart, have not really loved each other. The problems were Blake pinching Caroline and Caroline crying because Blake did something or did not do something that she wanted. I am so happy to report that this week went off without any of this. All three kids got along great and Blake misses his cousins horribly now. He is like a lost puppy dog. Very sad. He asks me everyday when we are going to Georgia and Kentucky to see everyone. Only one more week and we will be on the road. Darren and I can't wait to get some good cold weather. I am hoping for snow. I know it won't happen but a girl can dream.

I am alive and blogging again

2007-12-22T04:53:00.000-08:00

First, sorry for the long break. I have been in hiding without really knowing it. Things have not been crazy, no sick babies, no real drama, no excuses. Just not blogging. Well, I'm back. Things here have been moving at normal speed. Blake is still a wild, wild three year old. I am at my wits ends with him and not listening. I was beginning to think that I was the only mother who has a three year old who is still not listening. I have tried many, many different discipline techniques which all work for a little while and then seem to loose the magic. Yesterday I implemented a new one. I began taking away his beloved toys. Oh, the heartbreak. After a nice little episode of me repeating myself for the 50th time, I calmly walked to my room and got a bag. I then took Blake into his room and made him place one of his race cars into the bag. I then explained that Daddy works very hard so that Blake can have these nice toys and that there are a lot of little boys who don't have any toys to play with. I told him it is his job to listen to us and that if he can't do that I will begin taking toys away to give to the little boys who do listen. INSERT TEARS AND SNOT. He LOVES his cars and I feel horrible taking them, but something has to give. I am crossing my fingers that this will work.
Kayce is growing and meeting milestones like crazy. She is FINALLY crawling, 10 months later, and is now starting to pull up. She is eating us out of all of our food. She loves to eat. I have not found anything that she will not eat. She has not gotten any teeth yet, but that does not slow her down with eating. She is a very sweet baby. She is a huge snuggler. She is very happy to be held and rocked. All she needs is her lovey and her thumb.
Darren and I are the same just older. We love to be in bed at 9:30 and we are not the least bit embarrassed by this little fact. I still can't not believe that I used to be able to stay up into the wee hours of the night and then wake up and go to class. What was I thinking?? I have no desire to be out past dark these days. It is sad. On our anniversary we got a babysitter and went out to a local cuban resturant. We had a couple glasses of wine with our dinner. When it was over Darren asked if I wanted to go somewhere and get a drink. I actually said that I would rather go get a cup of coffee and go sit on the beach and watch the sunset. He thought it was a great idea. We are getting old.
I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year.

Things Change

2007-11-05T05:20:00.000-08:00

It is funny how things change as you get older and have kids. I used to LOVE daylight savings time because it meant that I could sleep 1 extra hour, even if only for one day. Now I HATE daylight savings time. Children have internal clocks and have no concept of the fact that the clock says 6:00AM. To their bodies, it is still 7:00am. So for the past two mornings, my children have been up and ready to play at 6:00am. What is wrong with them??? Don't they know that you can sleep for one extra hour??? Obviously, not children from my genes. Not only that but Blake loved to go outside and play after dinner because here in this hot state, that is when the weather was bearable enough to enjoy yourself. Now it is dark when we eat dinner, so he burns his energy running around in the house instead of out of the house. Not only am I overly tired, I have a 3 year old bouncing off the walls. Calgon, take me away!!!!

It's Winter in Florida!! Yeah Right!

2007-11-04T17:15:00.000-08:00

This weekend has been wonderful here. The highs were in the high 70's, low 80's and the low's were in the mid to upper 60's. Now for Darren and I, this meant that we wore shorts and long sleeved shirts or short sleeved shirts and jeans. For most everyone else here in the state of Florida, it meant sweatshirts, sweaters, jeans and long sleeved t-shirts. These people would freeze to death if they lived anywhere else where the temps actually drop to 30 degrees and lower. Because the weather was so wonderful, we spent a lot of time outside this weekend. We planted new plants in our pots, Darren and Blake mowed the lawn (a weekly chore) and other odd ends around the house. We have had a wonderful relaxing weekend.

Its a bird, Its a plane, No its Superman (AKA- Blake in his halloween costume)

2007-10-23T09:53:00.000-07:00

Blake insisted on being superman this year even though he has never seen the movie nor have we really ever talked about superman. But he LOVES the costume and loves to wear it whenever he can. Kayce is going to be a ladybug this year. She is not as crazy about her costume, probably because she knows that it will be 100% degrees outside on Halloween night and her costume is fleece. That is the downfall of living in Florida around the holidays. It is very hard to find costumes that are made for hot weather. So all of the parents torture the kids by dressing them in hot costumes for the sake of some Halloween fun. I am one of those parents. Today, after both kids got their flu shots, we went to the park and almost suffered from heat stroke. It is so sad to see everyone enjoying fall weather and we are still enjoying the hot Florida weather. Oh well!!!! Here are the pics of the kids in their Halloween Costumes.

I'm Back!!!

2007-10-12T11:11:00.001-07:00

It has been a while since my last post and here is why. The kids and I flew to Atl on the 25th of Sept. We met my parents and then we all drove to Ky to see family. Then we came back to Atl and went to Darrens parents until last Monday, Columbus Day. We had a great time but it sure does make us homesick. It does not help that Blake cries when we have to come home. He loves being with his grandparents and I feel horrible that he does not get to spend more time with them. So now we are home and getting back into the swing of things. This harder than one might think. Blake loves to help me get things put away but his version of put away and my version are two different ideas. I am still trying to get clothes put up. Today while I was feeding Kayce, Blake decided to help around the house. I did not think anything of this and paid no attention. All of a sudden I heard something fall and a little voice say, "Sorry mommy". I did not even want to look around the corner, but when I did, I saw part of our door frame on the ground and Blake standing there with his play hammer. To his benefit, the door frame was already cracked, but it was by no means hanging off. Then he looked at me with big sad eyes and said," that was my fault, I am sorry" and walked into his room and put himself in time-out. I felt horrible for him but at the same time was fuming inside because I know what a task it will be to fix it. But since he was already punishing himself, I did not have to. What a morning!!

My clothes monster

2007-09-20T10:35:00.000-07:00

Blake is so funny these days. Of course, he is funny when he is not getting into something, which is most of the time. So in those spare moments, he is doing some pretty funny stuff. The most recent being that he likes to wear pajamas. He loves them. The past couple of days I have put him down for his nap in the clothes he is wearing for the day (shorts and t-shirt) and he wakes up in long sleeve, long pants pajamas. He is very neat about the whole thing. He puts the shorts and t-shirt in the dirty clothes and makes sure to close his pajama drawer when he done changing. When he wakes up, he insists on wearing the pajamas for the rest of the day. It doesn't matter that it is still in the 90's here in good ole sunny florida and that he sweats the whole time he is running around. Nope, he has to keep those winter pajamas on. Whatever makes him happy, right??? He is also saying the funniest things. I have a list of Blakeism's:
1. tomorrow in actually "tomoyo"
2. in the morning is "tomorning"
3. most mornings he wakes up and tells me that he dreamed about "the jungle".
4. Darren is "yes, mam". This one makes me really laugh. Of course, Darren does not see the humor.
5. Kayce will forever be "baby Kayce".

THere are more but I have "mommy brain" these days and can't remember them all. I will keep posting them as I remember.

I've Been Tagged!!

2007-09-18T19:16:00.001-07:00

My friend over at foursillysisters, Mary Beth, has so graciously tagged me. This means that I am to write 8 things that you might not know about me. Now I was actually tagged a little over a week ago and I have not done my tagging duty because I have been trying to think of eight random things about me to tell. The problem is that I lead a VERY BORING life. Really I do. There is no drama, no abnormal happenings and no excitement that I can think of to write about. I lead a very normal day to day life. Here are the few things I could think of to write.

1. I once was a probation officer and I carried a gun. I was able to shoot a 98 out of 100 almost every time I had to qualify. No, I never had to use it out on the street, only to qualify. I do not miss that job at all. I can still shoot a gun and I still have one that I keep close when Darren is gone but I like not having to deal with the scum of the earth on a daily basis.

2. Darren and I have been happily married for seven years and have been together for ten. I am very proud of this, as it seems like divorce is so common these days. Darren and I have been through a lot together, including moving our family away from home. This is something that will either pull you closer together or make you turn against each other. This move brought us closer together and although we are ready to move closer to home, we know that we can make it through anything together.

3. I do not like to admit when I am wrong. I actually hate it. My dad used to tell me that if I did not go to law school it would be a waste of talent. I can argue with a wall. I like to think that I am better about this now that I am older but I am sure Darren will say that I am not any better. I do know this is a weakness of mine and I do try to work on this everyday.

4. I am a Disney World Junkie. I love the place. It really is the most magical place on earth. Darren hates it. So needless to say, when he asks me what I want to do on the weekends and I say, Lets go to Disney, he cringes. Blake is taking after me in this area. He also loves going to Disney. Most days he asks if we can go see Mickey after his nap. Hopefully, Kayce will also follow the trend and then we will out number Darren.

5. My first car was a 74 VW beetle. I loved this car. I paid about 500 dollars for it and it was worth every penny. Of course, at the time I did not appreciate it as I should have. I locked the engine up twice because I did not keep tabs on the oil levels. I wish I still had that car but then I guess it would not be as practical as my mini.

That is really all I can think of. If any of you can think of some interesting facts about me that I don't know, please feel free to let me know. By the way, I am supposed to tag other bloggers now, so Susie and Kristina, your tagged!!!!!!!!!

Get the Camera Mommy

2007-09-14T10:36:00.000-07:00

Now that Blake is three and "a big boy", it is no longer cool to let mommy take his picture. So when Blake tells me to get the camera, no matter what we look like or what we are wearing, I get the camera. Last night, in pajamas and all, Blake told me to get the camera, so I got it and started taking pictures. He was being so sweet with Kayce, which is not an everyday occurrence. Here are some of the pics I captured.

Nanas Visit

2007-09-13T06:44:00.000-07:00

Nana is my great-aunt, my grandfathers sister. She and I have always had a special bond and we love to spend time together. Every year she comes to stay with us for about a week. It is always a great time and the kids love having Nana here to play with. She lives in Kentucky and since we are now 14 hours away from each other, we don't get visit as much as we used to. Here are some pics of our visit.

The Best Friends a Girl Could Ever Ask For!!

2007-09-08T19:18:00.000-07:00

Three years ago when Darren and I moved our little family of three to Vero Beach Florida, we never anticipated to make some of the best friends we have ever known. We were ready to pack up and move home after the first six months here; however, slowly but surely we started to make friends. These friends have been our family while we are away from home. Tonight we had some of our friends over to celebrate my birthday. The original plan was for the adults to go out to a nice restaurant and leave the kids with babysitters. This did not work out because all of the babysitters were out of town. So the plans changed and everyone (including kids) came to our house to celebrate. I am so glad that our original plans did not work out. I can not think of a better way to celebrate my birthday than with the people who we love to be with. The kids ran around all night and played and the adults spent some much needed social time together. It was a great night.

On another note, Blake graduated to his new lazy boy seat today. Actually, it is just a huge car seat but it might as well be a recliner in the van. It is HUGE!! But he loves it and he fits much better in it. We bought it at Babies R us and decided to put it right in the car in the parking lot. BIG MISTAKE!!! If any of you know Darren, you know that if things do not work according to his plan, he gets completely stressed out. Well, we start putting the seat into the car and attach all of the latch connections. Then Darren tries to tighten the straps; however, he can't get them to tighten. He tries for a good twenty minutes and still no luck. After taking the seat out and inspecting it and reading the directions, still no luck. The seat was about to be thrown across the parking lot when I called my brother and sister-in-law for their help as they have the same car seat. Turns out that there was a little trick to pulling the strap that the directions do not tell you about. THANK YOU JOHN AND DEBBIE for saving the seat from a life in the parking lot of Babies R us. So now the seat is in the van and Blake is riding in style.

Kayce is really starting to get a little personality. It is amazing how two people conceived by the same two people can be so different. Kayce is the complete opposite of Blake. She is so laid back and happy. Blake is happy but he is into everything and needs to be entertained all the time. He does not like to play by himself. Kayce is quite content with jumping in her bouncearoo or sitting on her blanket with her toys. Don't get me wrong, she LOVES to be held but is fine when she is by herself. I would say that it is just that she is the second child but I was the second child and I was more like Blake while by brother was more like Kayce. It does not really matter why it is the way it is, I am just amazed at the difference.

Sorry there have not been any pictures. I am working on uploading some and will post them as I get them on the computer.

Here Birdie, Birdie

2007-09-06T11:13:00.000-07:00

Last weekend while Brenda and Richard, aka Nanny and Papa, were here, Nanny and Blake made a spot in our backyard for the birds complete with a bird feeder and bird bath. This is the new play area for Blake. Yesterday I looked outside and he was using the birdbath as a pond for his boats. I explained to him that the birds won't come enjoy the birdbath if he is always playing in it. A little while later I looked out and he had scooped some dirt out of the ground and was stirring it into the birdbath. He explained to me that he was making the birds a cake to eat. Wasn't that nice of him??? So again, I told him that the if he wants the birds to come and take a bath, they need clean water. I went back inside to finish up what I was doing and all of a sudden I hear Blake screaming at the top of his voice, "Here birdie, birdie!!" over and over. I went outside and asked what he was doing, like I did not know. He told me that he was calling the birds to come and eat and take a bath. I told him he was doing a great job!!!!. I have yet to see any birds taking the chance in our new bird sanctuary; however, Blake loves it so thanks Nanny.

We are being taken over by ANTS!!!!!

2007-09-05T10:35:00.000-07:00

I HATE ANTS!!!!!!!!! Not the big fire ants and not the big black ones but the little bitty microscopic annoying little ones. If one day my family and I go missing, just walk into our back yard and look in one of the ant hills and you will find us. I really feel like I spend the majority of my life battling the ants and they are winning the battle. Unfortunately, Dan the bug man said the best thing to do is to use terro. The problem with this is that you put a drop of this mixture on a piece of paper and put it down in their path. Then the problem has to get much worse before it gets better. The idea is that the ants will ingest the poison and then carry it back to the rest of their family and then they will all die. Last night I swear I had millions of these little pests in my bedroom and the sliding glass door. Blake LOVED it!!! It was driving my mad and he was using his hammer to "kill" them one by one. I have to admit, it did keep him entertained for quite some time but should I be a little concerned that he found enjoyment in "killing" them??? Secretly, I was enjoying him kill them. Bad mommy!!!!! I guess in the end it is working because today there are only a few of them left. I guess I have won the battle for now. Next week might be a different story.

Welcome to our new blog

2007-09-04T13:00:00.000-07:00

I feel like I have entered the "cool" crowd on the internet. I now have a blogspot. I am tired of having to send an email and a snapfish message everytime I have new pictures to share. Also, it takes forever to attach and send videos of the kids using yahoo and bellsouth. Now everyone can come here and see what we are up to. I actually lead a very boring life so don't expect to much from this site. But for those of you who we talk to daily (you know who you are), now you can see what we are doing instead of finding out over the phone.

Brenda and Richard brought us our jumparoo that we had for Blake. It had been living at their house and we deceided that it was time to introduce Kayce to the fun of jumping. It now lives here in Florida and is being used on a daily basis. Kayce LOVES it. It is so funny to watch her jump.

Blake, what can I say. He is three. Need I say more.

Yesterday we went to Orlando to pick Nana (aka: Aunt Neil) up at the airport. We got there early, so we went to the Florida mall. I found Blake a pair of flip flops and he insisted on wearing them from the point I paid for them. This would not be a big deal except that he has only worn flip flops with straps holding them on his feet, so to wear a pair with no strap was a big deal for him. It took us thirty minutes to go from the door of the store to our car. He fell about 10 times. It was pretty funny. We tried to get him to put his other shoes back on but NOOOOO, he had to wear the new ones. Then he insisted on wearing them throughout the Orlando Airport. I was ready to throw the new flip flops out by the end of the day. I guess this is one of those things he will just have to learn to do since we do live in the hottest state and flip flops are the shoe of choice here.

Thats all for now.