We're Goin to the Beach!

I feel like it's been a long time since I've blogged and I have a feeling it's going to get harder and harder to stay on top of this-but I'm not giving up yet!! Justin and Courtney were here for Luke's birthday in March and we talked about coming to see them in May for Jansen's 3rd birthday. Emma was BEYOND excited to go to the beach (I really don't think she had a full grasp on what the beach really was, though). We talked to Jansen at least once a week through facetime and Emma was growing more and more impatient to go see her and the beach. The day FINALLY arrived and I thought she was going to burst through her skin with excitement. Luckily, we got her a few new movies to watch in the car and the three-ish hours went off without a hitch, for the most part. When we pulled into the drive-way, Emma immediately starts asking where the beach was. Soon enough little lady, soon enough! It only took about 3 minutes, and Emma and Jansen were off running around all over the place. Saturday was Jansen's princess party and Emma woke up again asking to go to the beach and insisted on putting her bathing suit on. Everyone had a great time at the party-it was nice and warm, perfect for playing in the water! After the party was over and the house somewhat cleaned, we were headed to the beach!!
Emma squealed with delight when she saw the ocean and was so excited to get out and see it all. She doesn't like to sit inside her sand box, so we were curious to see how she reacted to the larger than life sand box. She did great! It took her a minute to realize she had to stand on it, but soon she was running around looking for seashells and making sand castles. Luke was a little squeamish when we plopped in down in the sand, but he quickly got over it. I really didn't think Emma would be too keen on the water, but she shocked me! She fell in love with the water and didn't want to get out, even when her teeth were chattering and lips were blue. Luke thought it was the funniest thing he had ever seen and squealed every time a wave came. Needless to say, the kids loved the beach and had a blast!
J and C live in a great, kid friendly neighborhood. After the kids ate dinner, a few older girls came over and played with Emma and Jansen outside for over an hour and we enjoyed a little quite inside :)
Sunday was Mother's Day, so Blair, Courtney and I headed to the beach for a little "gal time" and despite the chilly wind, enjoyed the beach before it got too crowded. Before we knew it, it was time to pack up to start the trek home. We (hopefully!!) got a few great pictures of the cousins before heading out to grab some lunch. Everyone had a great time and we can't wait to go back!!

Birthday Birthday Birthday Party!

April is quite the birthday month in our family. There's at least five within a week of each other. This year, Elle turned five on a Thursday-not that significant, expect that Emma is in school that day as well. And it just so happened to be Muffins with Mom that morning. So, not only was it Elle's birthday, but Christine and I were able to go have breakfast with them. And, she had a cookie cake for snack, AND we were going to Chuckie Cheese! Talk about an All-Start fifth birthday! Christine had to get her wisdom teeth out after breakfast, so she couldn't make Chuckie Cheese. So, Grandmommy, Jen, Luke and the girls headed over after school. The girls-and Jen-had a BLAST! They were from one ride to the next and Emma loved riding this big horse ride. I think she rode it 6 times. We did manage to get them to stop long enough to scarf down two slices of pizza and some fruit juice before they were gone again. Two hours later, we were able to bribe them outside by promising a slice of cookie cake and Luke was loving it! He couldn't get enough of it and had a green face to prove it.
Friday afternoon, Emma headed over to Christine's for a slumber party!! She was looking forward to sleeping in Elle's bunk beds and making Princess and the Frog cupcakes. Saturday was Cindy's surprise birthday party and Matt was feeling up for the party, so we all headed out to their house. Cindy was VERY surprised to see everyone at her house waiting to celebrate with her. Emma was loving playing with Marley and they ran around the whole night. There were disposable cameras people were to use to take pictures and they held two of them all night. Marley did manage to take a few pictures, but Emma had the camera backwards and if she had taken a photo, she would've blinded herself with a flash.
I swear Luke has a wooden leg. We arrived at their house around 5 and he had 6 ounces of milk, a little bit later he had an entire hot dog and cupcake, another 5 ounces of milk and before we left (around 9:30) he had 5 more ounces of milk. And that was only while we were at the party! He sees food and just needs to eat it-ha.
Sunday was Elle's birthday party and we went to see Arietteye at Market Place theater. After the movie, we had "dinner" reservations at 4 at a Japanese restaurant. We had some time to kill, so we went to the dollar store and the girls were going crazy picking out all kinds of random things they wanted. Christine and I finally realized we had to get out of there, fast! Dad, Lisa, Brooke and Sandy were able to come eat with us and we all had a good time. The fire was a big hit and they did a great job at making Elle feel special on her birthday. Once again, Luke scarfed down 10 ounces, a plate full of noodles, rice and bananas. He even managed to attack a cupcake when we weren't looking. Emma is not much of a fan of rice or Japanese food, so she had a ridiculously blue smurf drink and then a pb&j when we got home.

Happy Easter!

We seem to get super excited when it's our child's first holidays-Christmas, Halloween, Birthday. I'm finding out, though, that while the first ones are fun because they are new, the real fun starts when they get old enough to somewhat understand and they get excited about holidays. We started talking up the Easter Bunny and Egg Hunts with Emma a few weeks before Easter. She had fun having egg hunts around our house and was SUPER excited about going to an egg hunt with Elle. We had been planning on taking them to the Lillie's Friends egg hunt for awhile and Elle came over Friday night for a sleepover. When we got up Saturday morning, it was cold and rainy!! So we took our time getting ready and out the door. We got to the ballpark around 10:15 and the sun decided to come on out! The egg hunt was more like an egg dash and you had about 30 seconds to stuff your bag with eggs. Emma was DYING to get in there and grab the eggs, but had to wait a little bit. When they said go, she kinda freaked out and didn't want to do it. I had to start shoveling eggs in her bag and she just stood and watched. Elle was up next and she didn't want to go either! I started shoveling eggs in hers too, and then Emma realized it was pretty fun and started scooping up some eggs. There was a place to get face paint and Emma usually shys away from stuff on her face, but she hopped right up in the chair and asked for a fairy princess. They had a great time playing in the bounce houses and Emma said later she wanted to go back to the fair-ha!
We were at brunch the next day and out of nowhere, Emma says she didn't believe in the Easter Bunny. Of course we started (silently) freaking out about that and tried to distract her from that thought.Even after about 20 minutes of hopeful convincing she was still saying there is no such thing as the Easter Bunny. She did say that Santa Claus brought the eggs-so at least we still had that! We have an Elf on the Shelf and we got an email from Santa saying there was an Easter Egg going on with all the elves and I think that's what helped convince her the Easter Bunny was, in fact, real.
Easter morning, we got up and Emma was excited to see that the Easter Bunny had come and there were eggs all over the house. She started running around grabbing all the eggs and shaking them to find out if there were candies in them. After checking out all her loot, we got ready and headed up to King for church and lunch. After we finished stuffing our faces, we were headed to Grandmommy's for round two! We got there just as everyone was eating; and we were all a little too full for food, but I managed to scarf down three Dewey's cake squares! We headed home around 8 and we all slept great that night!

Growin' Babies

I remember growing up and hearing "old people" always saying how big my siblings and I were getting and how fast we were growing up. Little did they know, but I was NOT growing up fast, in fact, life was just creeping by. And I most certainly did not like being told how "big" I was when I was 14. Now, it seems it is more like little did I know. Time passes so fast, sometimes I can't believe just how fast it can go. I also remember when I was 10, 12, heck even 20, and thinking 29 is SO OLD!!! Being 29, and dreaming about 29, is two totally different worlds entirely. Twenty nine is not, in fact, old anymore. Instead, 29 is almost like the cusp of my adulthood. Although, I am married with two kids, I still feel like we are just now establishing ourselves as adults. Matt has a great job, which has made me fortunate enough to be home with our children. We have a house, own two cars, life insurance, a will and a bunch of other "adult" things. Despite all that being said, having children allows you to relive all the great things we miss from our childhood. We can pass down the toys and games we loved to the next generation. We get to spend hours on the baseball fields again and have dance parties in our living rooms. I know that it's not possible; but I wish, somehow, we could help our kids enjoy and cherish every minute of their childhoods instead of wishing to be a little bit bigger.

All that being said, our little princess is....POTTY TRAINED!!! And let me tell you what, I do not miss buying all those extra diapers! It all started the day after Luke's birthday (Friday the 16th). She went to bed the night before in a diaper that was way too big and scratchy. She woke up that morning and needed a diaper change, we were out of diapers (hence the big and scratchy one) and she had to put one of the "yucky" diapers on. She literally burst into tears as I was putting it on her. I reassured her we would be getting Elmo ones really soon. I got a bottle ready for Luke and we were in the bonus room when, all of a sudden, Emma yells out she needs to go potty! She hasn't said that since...well, it's been a long time. So of course I jumped out of the chair, scooped up Emma and we raced down the stairs. I was more than half expecting nothing to happen, but all of a sudden-pee pee! I (we) was so excited and gave Emma a huge hug and started squealing how great she did. Immediately, she said "Now I get to wear big girl panties!!" Ummmm, that wasn't quite how it was going to work, but I didn't have the heart to tell her. She ended up wearing them to the grocery store, the mall, Dewey's and home without any accidents. Wheeew! I wasn't getting my hopes up though, and it's a good thing I didn't. She pooped in them a little later and was MORTIFIED!! She did NOT want to put panties or pull-ups on. She insisted on a diaper. I tried reassuring her it was ok and she could put on a diaper if she needed to poop. It's been a little over two weeks and she is doing great! I almost forget to ask her about needing to go anymore-she will poop and pee in the potty. She just won't wear panties. I think she is going to be more willing to once its summer and she doesn't wear a swim diaper at the pool. I am not complaining at all though! And we still treat the pull-ups like panties and she rarely goes in them.
Luke had his one year check up on his birthday and he is doing great. He weighs 18 pounds and is 29 inches long. Emma was only 15 pounds and 29 inches when she was a year old! We are done with formula (!!!!) and now dealing with getting him off the bottle and using the sippy cup-he HATES them! He likes his bottle and gets aggravated with those cups! Eventually he'll get it, we hope :o)

Look Who's One!!

I am way late in writing this post-mainly because I have (thankfully!!) been swamped with making cute little rompers for a bunch of little guys Easter outfits. Now that Easter is almost here, I am a little more caught up but still staying busy and loving all the cute things people are asking me to make for their little cuties. Keep 'em coming!!
Anywho-our little guy turned one on the 15th and we were blessed with a-mazing weather! Emma and Jansen were Face Timing for a few weeks prior to Luke's birthday and loved "playing" hide and seek with each other. Emma was ecstatic that Jansen (and Uncle Justin, Aunt Courtney and "Baby" Collins) was coming for three days to play with her. That was all she would talk about and constantly asked when she was coming. When that Friday finally arrived, Emma was about to burst she couldn't take it much longer. They (finally!) arrived after lunch and Emma squealed and squealed when she saw their car pull up. Courtney and I were planning on taking the kiddos to the mall while the men played golf. The girls were going to ride the carousel and have some ice cream. Nana and Katelyn were able to come as well and everyone enjoyed some yummy ice cream. Papa and Blair came over for dinner and we all enjoyed pizza and wings and some Dewey's cupcakes for dessert.
Saturday was the big day-Luke's Thomas the Train party! Everyone started arriving around 2 and Luke was just hangin out, going from one Aunt to one Grandma to one cousin and making everyone laugh. Soon it was cake time!! We had Linda make his cake and she did a fantastic job! She has made all of Emma's cakes and it's always the talk of the party. Luke was dying to get his hands on some cake and wasted no time diving into his train cupcake. He made a nice little mess and enjoyed every bite that made it into his mouth.
After Daddy gave him a bath it was present time! Being that we have a three year old daughter, we have a LOT of pink in our house. Thanks to older cousins, we've inherited a nice little collection of "boy toys". His collection definitely grew after this birthday! And no first birthday would be complete without a handmade toy box from Uncle TayTay-once it's painted I'll post a picture of it.We are so thankful for all our friends and family that were able to celebrate Luke's first birthday with us.

A Shower We'll Never Forget

Sunday March 6, 2011-Luke's First Baby Shower-9 weeks and 4 days before my due date

"Kari and Brooke were sweet enough to throw us a baby shower for Luke and I had been looking forward to it for a long time. Elle was spending Saturday night with us and I thought it would be cute for the girls to have matching dresses to wear. That Sunday morning started out like any other Sunday, the girls woke up and had donuts and chocolate milk for breakfast. They got to play for a little while before we all took baths to get ready for the shower at 2. We arrived at Brooke's house a little after 2 and I was feeling good. Around 3:15 I was standing talking to a few people when I felt a pop and fluid. I ran to the bathroom thinking my water broke. Instead of fluid, I saw a lot of blood. I grabbed Matt and we immediately left for the emergency room. After what seemed like an eternity, we were able to hear Luke's heartbeat and knew he was ok. I spent the next four days getting tests done and not learning a real reason as to what exactly happened. Now the doctors think my placenta partially abruptured; which basically means if I'm bleeding at all I can't go home. Being in the hospital hasn't been completely unbearable because Matt has been able to stay with me. The hardest part, for both of us, is not being able to see Emma. She spent most of Saturday at the hospital with us and it really helped my spirits. I feel like she has grown so much in a week!! Right now we just have to take it day by day and hope Luke can cook as long as possible!"

I stole that from my other blog-although I guess it's not really stealing when it's your own work! I didn't need to go and track down that first insert to remind myself how this day went a year ago, because I remember it like it was yesterday. I still remember how good I was feeling that day, how glad I was to see everyone that was able to come to the shower, how cute Emma and Elle looked in their matching dresses, Roger and my Dad trying to read the directions to put one of Luke's toys together, the yummy food, and of course the "pop" that forever changed that day and our lives.
If there's one thing people know about babies and pregnancy's, its that the baby needs to stay put  until at least 36 weeks. Everyone longs for that due date to hurry up and get there already (especially that last month!!) Although it's just a strong guess, every woman sees that due date as the finish line. If I can just make it to that day, life will go on! I have a lot of things to do, but I have to get it done by that day. If that baby is stubborn and doesn't want to come on that day, it's disappointing. VERY disappointing. And every day, hour, minute after until that baby gets here is pure torture. The end result is well worth it-a beautiful baby that you created with your husband (or boyfriend, or friend, or secret lover....) And a few days after they arrive, you get to take that nerve wracking first ride home with that sweet little person and start the no sleep journey!
But for those of us who never make it to the finish line, it's an entirely different story. Instead of feeling as ready as you can; having all the supplies you think you need-only to realize you did NOT need that wipe warmer but DID need 30 more sets of diapers! Your bag is packed and repacked, the car seat is set up, the phone tree is organized, after 25 outfits you've finally picked the ever important "going home" outfit out. Now, you're just waiting on baby-instead, you get thrown off guard. That little person inside of you says, "Hold on a minute, I'm not sitting here waiting for YOU to get ready, I AM ready and I'm ready now!!"
Thankfully, we live 10 minutes from two great hospitals and when our son said he was ready to party, we didn't have far to travel to keep him safe. Although, the ride there was a little questionable! He did his best to hold on for us, but he knew enough was enough. So on March 15th-8 weeks before he was due-his journey began at 3 pounds 14 ounces and 17.5 inches long!
We were very lucky that he (or should I say I, since I know he didn't get two nice shots in the rear!) got two doses of steroids two days before he was born so his lungs were able to handle breathing on his own. We were also very lucky that he was born completely healthy and we would have no health or developmental issues to worry about. Unfortunately, he was born a white male :o) Which meant that he was going to have a tough time figuring out how to eat, drink and swallow all at the same time. 26 days later he mastered that skill and has been growing strong ever since!! Now he's a grits lovin boy who will eat everything in sight!

Who doesnt love free??

As some of you know, I have recently started sewing and monogramming. And I gotta say-I LOVE IT!!! It is so much fun coming up with cute little shirts and putting together outfits from a simple piece of fabric. Some of you also may know that it was sort of my husband's fault that I stumbled into all of this. First and foremost, I am a true southern girl. I love, love, love monograms. I would monogram my whole house if I could! My friends laugh at all the R's throughout our house-I think its some sort of addiction.
But anyways-after I had our little sass pot Emma, I knew a whole new world of monogramming had entered my life. I loved personalizing blankets, burp cloths, and any shirts or dresses I could find. I didn't, however, love paying $8-$10 every time I need her name or initials on something. So, I did what any woman would do. I begged and begged my husband for an embroidery machine. I showed him all the cute little shops on Etsy and told him I could even start my own shop and bring in a little extra mula (which, let's be real, just furthers my addiction!) He finally agreed it would be a good Christmas present. Well, that was that. I had 4 looooong months to day dream about my embroidery machine.
Anyone that knows my husband knows his OBSESSION for the Redskins. For Christmas, last year, I found a cute Redskins shirt for Emma. I quickly snatched it up and Emma got it from Santa. Shortly before the first game of the season, I thought about how cute it would be for Emma to have a matching skirt since she refuses to wear pants. Luke already had two Redskins outfits, I had a shirt, and of course Matt had tons of gear. I hadn't tried to sew since I "made" a few aprons 3 years back. I use the term made loosely, because I basically picked out the fabric and struggled to cut the pattern pieces out while my mom did the rest. I found a super easy skirt on-line that I figured I could master. I found some Redskins fabric at the fabric store, got some advice at the fabric store, borrowed my friend Kari's machine and supplies and I was off! Or, so I thought! Turns out, I should not have listened to that advice because I ended up making a toddler sized hoochie skirt! Emma was squeezed into it and literally couldn't walk in it! Luckily, I had enough fabric to try again a few days later with my mom's help. Had I not listened to the lady at the fabric store, my first attempt would've been more of a success.
After making that skirt, I started thinking about all of the great things I could make for Emma and Luke and what fun it would be to have them in things that I put together! Thus, my love for sewing was born! I'm still learning a lot, but I'm having a great time along the way!
Now onto the free stuff! I would really love to have this "hobby" of mine grow into something more. That's where you come in! What's the easiest (and cheapest!) form of advertising? Word of mouth!! I have a shop on Etsy My Shop and a page on Facebook Mamas Tiny Monkeys Right now, I'm offering a chance to win a free monogrammed shirt of your choice (can be for you, your child, niece/nephew, friend, neighbor, etc....) After I reach 70, I will pick a winner at random. All you have to do is go to my Facebook page and "Like" it. That's it! Super easy, right?? And if you already "Like" it, simply "Like" the contest post and you are entered in the drawing! Hopefully you'll look around a bit and maybe find something you'll love for your child (or niece/nephew, friend, well you get the idea!)