Praise Him in this Storm

Wordless Weds.

2012-01-25T16:39:00.002-06:00

Don't Carpe Diem? My thoughts

2012-01-23T14:08:00.003-06:00

There is been an article ALL over fb and the Internet lately called "Don't Carpe Diem." If you haven't read it you can do so here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mobileweb/glennon-melton/dont-carpe-diem_b_1206346.html

car·pe di·em/ˌkärpā ˈdēˌem/
Exclamation:
Used to urge someone to make the most of the present time and give little thought to the future.

Basically, a mom is writing (and in my mind justifying) how she does not enjoy every single moment of parenting her young children, but rather cherishes the few moment of each day that are memorable.

To be honest, the article bothers me. In fact it is one that kinda makes my skin crawl. I have mentioned before SEVERAL times on my blog that complaining parents break my heart. If I know you and you do it in front of me, I might laugh out loud with others but inside it makes me sad. I would probably think the same thing I do when I read this article.

As our heavenly father tells us in His word,

"Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,

The fruit of the womb is a reward.

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,

So are the children of one’s youth.

Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;

They shall not be ashamed,

But shall speak with their enemies in the gate" Psalms 127:3-5

Our children our GIFTS. Given to us straight from God, his very own heritage straight to us. Whether screaming in public, messing up your house or not letting you sleep at night these babies are GIFTS. All of the things that wear you out on a daily basis are the very things that grieving mommas miss EVERY DAY of their lives. Or the thousands that suffer with infertility and would give anything for it.

The article goes on to say that "Everywhere I go, someone is telling me to seize the moment, raise my awareness, be happy, enjoy every second, etc, etc, etc." and she "allowed myself to admit that it just doesn't work for me."

One of my favorite versus in the Bible is 1 Thessalonians 5:18. "in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." It doesn't say pick out the moments of your day when your kids are acting just right, being sweet or using their manners. It says in ALL things give thanks. Not because it makes you feel good but because they are from God and God is LOVE and that is what he tells us to do. And giving thanks doesn't mean being miserable or complaining.

In dealing with our kids, giving thanks could include thanking Him out loud with our mouths for the gifts he has given us. In the moments where you aren't feeling so thankful, thank Him. Tell your kids how thankful you are that God sent them to you to enjoy on this earth. Pray for them. Pray for you. "Be GLAD and rejoice in God!" Psalm 9:2 It might just make a difference:)

Just my two cents. There are often times that we may fail. And I certainly do, but it is something to strive for rather than submitting to it and thinking that it is okay.

27 months!

2012-01-19T16:48:00.003-06:00

My baby girl is growing up:( I love that have this blog to be able to document all the highlights of each month of her life! Here are just a few things from this month:

Little miss is becoming "opinionated." Part of growing up yes, but a sad day when you don't get what you want:( Like getting to hold your snacks during a picture, watching 300 episodes of Mickey or going out to play in the snow when you have fever.

She is however finally starting to practice her "big sister" or "motherly" skills by pretending to feed her "bebe" (an icecream cone!) and cooking in her kitchen. Lots of "yummmmmm."
We also have a budding fashionista (I know, I know she has been fashionable since day one but that was all my choices!). She is always accessorizing with sunglasses (just like momma wears hers), necklaces, and bracelets. She loves to put on ALL of my bracelets when I am getting ready and I often find her with my hair rubber bands around her wrists!

See what I mean??? Goofy girl woke up from nap this day with none other than.....a Fiona headband!

She is also starting to be....just downright silly and I LOVE it. Lately one of the funniest things is when she tries to put herself in little containers!

I have also been trying to cook more and I guess she is noticing. Little girl really loves to help momma in the kitchen.

Are you noticing a trend in any of these pics? Well, lets just say that this month Callyn has all of the sudden become very possesive of certain items. At first it was Elmo. But, Elmo talks and when mommy hears Elmo on the monitor at 3:00 a.m. he loses his privileges. SO, now it's Mickey. Mickey mouse doesn't talk, but he does sleep with Callyn, go to school with Callyn, cook with Callyn and even shares the occasional yogurt with Callyn;)

Before church this past Sunday....before falling at church scraping up her chin and almost biting through her tongue. If there is an accident she is going to find it!

This is how I find my sweet girl most mornings. I know this is going to come in quiet handy once we have this new baby. She is SO sweet and will gather all of her things and just sit and play!

BIG GIRL!!

Few other things I want to remember:

Callyn Joy you are making so much progress with your speech! Our goal is more spontaneous words and you have added several this month. Mickey, milk, thank you, please, and night night are just a few. You are also starting to put 2 words together- today you said "bye bye beau" to your friend at school.

You can count to 10 all by yourself and never miss a number. You can also sing the WHOLE alphabet!!!!

you are starting to show interest in potty training and i think you would probably catch on if i really worked with you, but i have decided to wait until spring break when we have some time at home to try again!

you are still in a size 2t clothes and now a size 7 shoe. You have grown over 2 inches in 6 months in height!

You would watch TV ALL day if we let you, so we have to hide the remote and keep you busy doing other things. You love going outside and playing with your new toys and you also love to do all things artsy- stamps, paint, colors, stickers, etc.

Kitchen Help

2012-01-13T20:04:00.002-06:00

Monday we were stuck in side with the biggest snow store Midland has EVER had....seriously! We made the national news with over 11"! Callyn wanted to help me make crock pot tortilla soup. It it so fun that she is getting big enough to actually help and enjoy some of the things that mommy does.

And the best part? Tonight (5 days later) she found the recipe, brought it to me and then guided me over to our "cooking spot." She was ready for some more!

"Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him." Psalm 34:8

Callyn's News

2012-01-09T17:03:00.002-06:00

Cruise 2011!!!!

2012-01-07T10:20:00.023-06:00

This might be the longest post in blogger history...but, all the wonderful memories MUST be posted. Instead of our traditional family Christmas, our parents gifted us a Cruise! Here is the lovely couple...one of which enjoyed 4..yes FOUR massages on our 6 day vacation!

And now for just a portion of the over 600 pictures I took:

On our way to Port in Galveston, TX

First night aboard the Carnival Magic 12/26/11

First Day at Sea 12/27/11

{day included dodge ball, toms, swimming, laying out in the sun, water slides, much relaxing, elegant dinner night and dance show}

Costa Maya, Mexico 12/28/11

{dolphin encounter, beach, snorkeling, beach side massages, writing names in the sand, naps on the beach and the best guacamole ever}

Cozumel, Mexico 12/29/11

{Xcaret park, swimming, shopping, Fat Tuesday's with a classic dad looking wasted but not really picture, casual dinner night}

Progresso, Mexico 12/30/11

{day in town, dune buggy rides, sand toys on the beach, soft servfe ice cream}

Last Day at Sea 12/31/11

{dodge ball, family t-shirts, keens, new year's eve formal dinner, unwrapping chocolates}

On our Way Home 1/1/12

{boat, bus, plane, car and home to a blessed start to 2012}

Christmas 2011

2012-01-04T17:13:00.005-06:00

Well, this is what are POOR little Callyn woke up to on Christmas morning. We are definately down sizing next year! Christmas was so special and unique for us this year. It was our turn to be with my family, but since we were leaving the next day for the Cruise (more to come!) we did it.....ALL ALONE!!! Lots of time to play!

TONS of art stuff, easel, playdoh, glitter pens, trunki, vacuum, dance clothes, leap frog letter game, tag leap books, elmo, and more! Santa was GOOD to this girl and she was SO fun to watch this year. It was a joy to see her play and enjoy with each and every little thing throughout the day.

Christmas Eve 2011

2012-01-02T13:06:00.003-06:00

Playing in the Christmas SNOW!

Making Happy Birthday Jesus Cookies

Candlelight Christmas Eve Service

Opening Family Presents

Cookies for Santa

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T14:37:00.004-06:00

Christmas Shopping ( buying for foster kids!)

2011-12-24T09:08:00.001-06:00

About a month ( yes, I am behind) our sunday school class "adopted" 9 foster kids in midland from ages 6 weeks to 16. The ladies met for dinner, took a collection, made a game plan and headed to target! Bethany, Amy and I shopped for clothes and Elizabeth, Jodi and Elizabeth shopped for toys. We then met back up and added up our costs - and amazingly we stayed right in budget! What an awesome way to start the Christmas season!

26 Months....officially VeRy LATE!

2011-12-23T08:09:00.003-06:00

I am officially more late than EVER on my monthly Callyn post, but.....I guess as the saying goes "better late, than never." This month has been SO fun. Besides what I have already posted about Thanksgiving, Tech game, trip to the zoo, chuck e cheese, etc. here is what has been going on:

I gained a new highly efficient office helper;) This girl still loves her electronics and will jump on any chance to play on the ipad, itouch, computer or watch a movie. Her favorite show is Blue's Clues. Although we only let her watch usually an episode in the morning and one at night, she will bring you the remote through the day and say "blue." I love how she sings and dances along with the music and says "bye Steve" at the end!

Instead of ALL the extras, this year we JUST decorated our Christmas tree and hung stockings. No santas, no garland on the door, just a tree. And boy has Callyn loved this tree! *and climbing

She has also enjoyed our little people nativity scene and our advent calendar. She loves to find baby Jesus, mary and joseph.

And the FAMOUS football hat. Ever since the tech game Callyn puts this hat on every opportunity she gets! One morning she was sitting in her bed reading and already had it on. She also has semi fallen in love with Elmo. She doesn't have many elmo toys, but at her friend hannah's she spent most of her time loving and kissing on "melmo."

See what I mean about the hat??! One of our ALL TIME favorite moments has been watching callyn and her "Tree Routine." We have a remote control that turns the tree lights off and on. She loves it so much and will clap and yell YAY for herself. One night I filmed her on my phone doing just this. The next night she found the video.....set my phone on the table and acting out the whole thing play by play with the video. So cute! Went something like this....play....pick up clicker...turn off lights.....set down clicker and wait.....pick up and turn on....yell yay...drop clicker....pick it up and set it just right next to the phone....run to the tree and yell into it..the same thing every time. We wear IN TEARS laughing so hard!

We have been singing lots of songs, including Away in a Manger. This is "the little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head" part. She has been doing the motions of so many songs for so long, but now she can either sing the tune or fill in the words!

It has been colder so we have gotten to bust out with cold weather gear and boots..so fun! Not sure if I ever mentioned it hear, but we were referred to ECI after my concern of Callyn's lack of speech. She was assessed and they said exactly what I knew....she understands far about her age (knows her letters, sounds, colors, shapes, etc and can follow directions) but is a little delayed on expression. She we will be doing therapy 2x a month! Excited to get some ideas to help! Right now our main goals are to get more spontaneous words and for her to use please and thank you! She has really started doing a lot more in the past 2 weeks!

And the other stuff: wears a 2t, still in diapers and a size 5, size 7 shoe, LONG blondish brown hair, one nap a day in her big girl bed (which often results in shutter slamming and LOTS of toys in the bed!) sleeps from about 8-8, loves to laugh and is increasingly becoming a funny, funny girl, loves "bubbles" bath time, starting to pretend cook and play with her babies, and SO much more!

Playdate at Hannah's

2011-12-20T14:05:00.004-06:00

Playdate with Hannah, Rhys and Emme Kate. Thanks for having us Cheryl! Callyn loved playing with all of Hannah's new toys!

Thomas Christmas 2011

2011-12-19T15:25:00.003-06:00

We alternate Thanksgiving and Christmas and this year Christmas is with my family. So, we celebrated early with the Thomas' yesterday. Callyn has turned into quite the little entertainer. She kept us laughing running around, playing "monkey see, monkey do" with cousin Madi, "singing" and playing with the coasters and NOT wanting to pose for pictures!
"is this for me?"

getting the hang of this opening business;)

"mmmmmmm."

having a blast playing with the snowman "pop" pen...she would say "ready, set, go" and then push the button to send mr. snowman flying!

"enough with the pictures mom! "

Living Nativity

2011-12-19T15:16:00.003-06:00

I posted about our church's "Living Nativity" last year, but this year it was extra special. Along with two other friends from our sunday school class, Jarod got to be a shepard. He is the one in the middle...they do such a great job on the makeup Callyn didn't even recognize him. The west Texas wind was out in full force...but it was still such a beautiful experience. Callyn was in awe...we sat and watch for almost 30 minutes.

"And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people."

Luke 2:10

Play Date at Chuck e Cheese

2011-12-14T14:52:00.004-06:00

Instead of the same 'ole play date Marina and I decided to take the kids for a special treat to Chuck E Cheese on Friday. Let's just say they LOVED it;) The spend most of their time on the simulator riding roller coasters!

Snow Day!

2011-12-05T16:32:00.002-06:00

Mommy and Me Pics

2011-12-02T09:39:00.004-06:00

"I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me."

Psalm 13:6

Tech vs Baylor

2011-12-02T08:58:00.005-06:00

Last weekend we went to the game at the Cowboys stadium. We are raiders....the rest of the family are bears. Let's just say ANY other year in football this is a good thing;) The stadium was amazing and Callyn was in heaven....the BIGGEST tv she has ever seen. She was a perfect little fan (much more well behaved than some of the adults around us!). Even with NO nap the day before, a short nap earlier in the day and a game starting at 6 and not over until after 10... NO crying. No screaming. Just one sweet precious girl who sat on my lap the WHOLE game!!!

Fort Worth Zoo

2011-11-28T13:02:00.006-06:00

For Jarod's birthday this year I had a FABULOUS idea...I bought him tickets to see the Red Raiders play Baylor at the Cowboys Stadium. Little did I know this was going to be the worst football season EVER for Tech fans. Oh well, after much debate we decided to go ahead and go and try to squeeze in some good ol' family time. The forecast called for rain and tons of wind on Saturday morning, but we decided to go ahead and try out the zoo. We knew Callyn would love it and she needed to run off some energy if she was going to have to sit through a football game later. Turns out the weather was kinda chilly with the wind, but overall a perfect time to go! There were hardly any people there! Here are some pics from our day at the ZOO!

Having a BLAST...what a JOY!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-28T12:25:00.004-06:00

Sunday morning before Thanksgiving:

This was our year to be with Jarod's family for Thanksgiving. Wednesday night we went to Mami and Popa's and had tacos. Here is Callyn enjoying herself:

Thursday we went to the Country Club and had lunch:

So many *precious* blessings to be thankful for...all year round;)

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever." Psalm 107:1

First Recital

2011-11-19T15:27:00.004-06:00

The perfect little bun...
The perfect little smile...

The perfect little tutu....

And THIS is the only dancing Callyn Joy did. Good thing her grandparetns were there early enough to see it!

She JUST started ballet/tap about a month ago and is by far the youngest in her class. I knew that there was a HUGE possibilty that this little ballerina would not do well on stage.

Or get on the stage for that matter! Ha. No matter what the circumstance what mama doesn't love some good snuggles. As the girls were warming up Callyn did something she has never done befoer...FAKED being asleep. I guess she knew if she closed her eyes we wouldn't make her do it!

Oh well! At least she enjoyed WATCHING her first recital;)

Afterwards I thought we could at least get a picture of her on stage.

And my how she perked up after we took off the tutu (and the pressure to dance!)

Busy Bags for Busy Toddlers

2011-11-16T15:17:00.006-06:00

I finally joined Pinterest last week and discovered "Busy Bags." What a perfect idea!! Especially since I am looking for things to keep CAllyn busy on our upcoming cruise! Busy bags are wonderful because they are cheap, fun and they create wonderful opporutnites for learning and time together;)
I have made several, but thought I would share a few.

Writing name. I printed this out and laminated it. Can practice tracing name with dry erase crayons/wipe off and repeat!
Quiet felt street with girly cars from wal-mart.

Sorting by size. I had this container from my old school stuff, but you can find it with the painting supplies. Sort the glitter pom poms by size tiny, small, medium and large.

Threading. Practice fine motor stills by "threading" the chenille sticks through the wooden spools.

Soft foam blocks for building.

Counting Bears. Add any kind of manipulative, I used bears, with a sheet with numbers. Put that many bears in each circle.

Matching Game. Callyn loves memory match so I got these wooden tokens at Hobby lobby and put colored stickers on one side. We can play color match, memory match or drop them in and count (which is great for one on one correspondence)

Soft books and Elmo....Elmo can sing and dance as he reads the books;)

Hand Puppets- Dollar Tree

Miniature Elmos song books- 2 for $1 at the Dollar Tree

Sorting Cups from Dollar Tree and colored pom poms...sort the pom poms by color and place in corresponding cup. A favorite so far!

Washable stamp pad, stamps and notebook

Photo book filled with family photos

Pushing Buttons Bag...still need to add some more, but what toddler doesn't like to push buttons!

Traditional flash cards...Dollar Tree

Turkey Dress round 2!

2011-11-16T12:51:00.002-06:00

You all know I love all things smocked....they are not only classic and never go out of style, but simply look adorable. One more reason I love them is because of the make of the bishop they can be worn year after year! This turkey dress is a size 12 month. Here is my two year old in it yesterday (and yes it is dirty because little sneaky pulled her daddy's cream slush off the counter and was having a treat).

Don't know whether to laugh or cry but here she is at this time last year;)

(Wow! That girl can grow some hair!!)

25 months

2011-11-14T20:19:00.006-06:00

Here is the latest on my little two year old:

As you will see from the pics, she is too busy for pictures now days. She has really enjoyed her tap/ballet class on Mondays. First "recital" coming up on Saturday!

Has been a little more "peculiar" in her eating happens...she is on a yogurt kick right now and would eat it at almost every meal if I let her;) She actually goes to the fridge, opens it up and grabs the yogurt before meal time.

She is a singing machine! She loves to sing and can really work a crowd. Not much makes her happier than having people clap for her as she yells "yay!" Favorites include Head and Shoulders, Jesus Loves me (she loves to do the Bible part), If Your Happy and You Know It, Wheels on the Bus, and she even sings along with Blue's Clues and Super Why. Love it!

Since moving to a big girl bed this little pillow is Callyn's best friend. She carries it all over the place. And speaking of the big girl bed, she has figured out that she acutally can get out of it on her own. So for a few night we would find her with both pillows, laying on the floor and reading. After just a couple of nights of putting her straight back in, she is back to sleeping great and staying put.

**Disclaimer I am about to brag on my super smart child*** After playing letter games with her bean bags just ONE time, I came in to find this!

She had matched up EVERY single bean bag to the letter on her alphabet mat all by herself. And she says the sound of the letter while doing it. Smart girl!!!

Some other "Callynisms" for this month are...saying Mami and Popa, getting "lost" in the morning at CDO only to find her playing in her own classroom in the dark, she loves giving mama sugars and will say "muah", had to sit in time out at school for the first time for taking food off of her friends plates, can name all her colors, loves to sort, do puzzles and pretend to drink out of a cup.

Sleeping Queen.....NOT!

2011-11-11T14:27:00.003-06:00

After about a month in her big girl bed, someone has figured out that she can indeed escape. I heard little miss singing in her room after laying her down this afternoon and it was unusually close to the door. I walked in and see this....
oh my!

Wordless Weds. - Pictures from the Week

2011-11-02T16:48:00.003-05:00

trick or {TReAtS} for Callyn's class

2011-10-31T09:12:00.004-05:00

Last Thursday was PUMPKIN day at CDO and Callyn was SO excited to help make some treats for her class!
Mallow Pumpkins

Orange Play-doh

Pumpkin cookie cutters (some got bats and cats, we threw out the witches:)

Ready to get started!

First we put the play-doh in the bag...

In goes the cookie cutter....

Then we counted out 5 little pumpkins in every bag, tied them up...

and added this card:)

FORE!

2011-10-30T12:59:00.003-05:00

Saturday the MCC was hosting a family Halloween Festival...and since there is not that much ever going on in Midland we thought we should give it a try! We started off with pictures of our little golfer in the front yard. Then we headed to the club and let her play on the chipping green....she was in HEAVEN:) Not only did she look super cute, but she loved running around, picking up the golf balls and putting them in the hole! We decorated pumpkins, ate dinner, had orange dessert cupcakes, played on the playground, went on hayride and ended the night with a pony ride. So much fun!

Fiddlesticks Farm 2011

2011-10-28T13:43:00.009-05:00

Last Saturday we made our annual trip to Fiddlesticks farm. Just by chance we went on the exact same weekend last year, so just to compare this is my precious on her 2010 trip:)
And here is all the fun we had this year!

*This picture makes me laugh...after reading about other blogger friends and their trips to their beautiful pumpkin patches with a huge variety of beautiful pumpkin stilll on the vine. Here is west texas...pumpkins (probably shipped in from somewhere) thrown in the middle of the field, bruised and rotting. At least we got a hayride to get there. It is still 90 here!

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Party- Callyn is TWO!

2011-10-27T16:30:00.007-05:00

Goodie Table

Tent and Tables

Party Favors

The Games
Bean Bag Toss

Sand Dig for Letters

Craft

Big Coconut Tree Slide

Friends

Family

Happy Birthday to Callyn!

The Greatest Moment

Presents

Life at Home

2011-10-23T17:23:00.004-05:00

Just thought I would show some pics of our life at home...just because it's the little things in life that mean the most!

(can you tell she has got the "cheese" face down?)

Hokey Pokey

2011-10-19T13:35:00.002-05:00

"You put your right hand in, you take your right hand out. You put your right hand in and you SHAKE it all about."

" You do the hokey pokey and you TURN yourself around..."
"that's what it's all about!"

Yay!

(and for your viewing pleasure this is the TOES portion to "Head and shoulders, knees and TOES!"

Birthday Girl!

2011-10-18T21:48:00.005-05:00

This past Friday, October 14 my sweet girl turned 2. So strange to think that she has grown up so fast, yet on the other hand considering that she has only been a part of our family for 2 short years I can't imagine my life without her. Sweet girl woke up in her big girl bed and I brought her in mommy and daddy's room for some birthday snuggles. She was then surprised with some pretend cupcakes, new sink, and a broom! (she has been sweeping like crazy!)

After playing for a bit (and even reading some of "Happy Birthday Callyn") we got dressed and went for some donuts. Amidst the craziness of party planning and the Walk for Babies, Jarod and I both took the day off from everything and spend the whole day celebrating with our girl. I may be a tad biast, but isn't this the CUTEST little two year old you have ever seen?!!!

Too bad she didn't like the donuts;)

After donuts we headed out to our favorite park. And this is a girl who knows what she wants. And since the birthday girl gets what she wants.....swings it is!

Birthday lunch was our very first trip to Chuckie Cheese. Although she really did not want to play any games or ride anything, she was super excited to just walk around and explore with her cup of tokens.

When we got back home there was a surprise on the porch from Callyn's sweet Sunday school teacher.

We spent the rest of the day playing and getting ready for her party the next day. While setting up the tent I saw this and HAD to run and get my camera. Seriously?? This little girl is growing way to fast.

And here is what is going on with our 2 year old:

Weigh 28 pounds (72%) and are 33.1 inches tall (30%). Your head is still in the 97%! Gotta have room for that big brain:)

Your favorite things are swinging at the park, playing outside, walking the puppy on the leash, playing with playdoh, sticker or painting, listening and dancing with music, anything with letters ...and electronics (aka i phone, ipad, computer)

You have very good receptive communication- you understand almost everything we tell you and you are very good about following directions. I love being able to ask you to put something in the trash and watch you do it. However, we have been asked by your ENT to have your hearing tested for possible hearing loss in one ear and have been referred to a speech therapist to assess your verbal communication skills. Although you are saying more words now than you ever have, by two years old one should be able to put together 2 words phrases and it's just not there yet. I know this more than likely has to do with the chronic ear infections, so I am not worried, but just want to get the help needed as early as possible to avoid problems in the future.

You are a happy girl! I love your chipped tooth smile! You are most happy when being tickled, reading your favorite books, and singing and dancing. You have all the moves to "head and shoulders" , "twinkle twinkle" "the itsy bitsy spider" "hokey pokey" just to name a few.

You are such an explorer! You rarely care what anyone else is doing around you...you mostly love to just run around and check out your surroundings.

You are also very "goal oriented." If you know what you want.......you know what you want:)

You are still a great eater, but are being more selective on your vegetables. Mostly carrots , broccoli and tomatoes are all you will eat so we rotate between those. You are great at feeding yourself out of a spoon and love yogurt and applesauce.

Favorite words are "whoa" and "weeee." It cracks me up when you fall over and say "whoa!"

You LOVE letters! You can recognize them all and can give me the sound they make. You can now even give me the name of most letters. Yay!

If I had to name one thing that I love the most....that I wish I could just record and play over and over...is at the end of the CDO when I go pick you up. When you see me and smile and run towards me...it just melts my heart. And then when I carry you back to the office and have to stop and talk....you gently turn my face to look at you and kiss me and laugh!!

You are one amazing little girl and I feel incredibly blessed to be your momma!

Wordless Weds. Pumpkin {PaTcH}

2011-10-12T12:30:00.004-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-05T14:11:00.004-05:00

Book Beaver.....and Bed!

2011-10-02T20:13:00.002-05:00

Callyn's new nickname is book beaver.....

seriously the girl can eat through some books while I think she is napping;)

And speaking of sleep, guess who got her crib converted today into a big girl bed??

Yep! She jumped right in and layed down.

Is now asleep and did not get out one single time.....wait, maybe I should go check to make sure she is asleep in the bed!!!!

Bottle-Sippy-Cup

2011-09-29T20:55:00.002-05:00

This is my girl trying out whole milk from a sippy cup for the first time on 9/28/10. She was pretty happy about it:)

A couple of nights ago I decided it was time to try a big girl cup. It was 9/26/11, almost a year ago to the date that we tried the sippy. It is so amazing to see God's work in a year of your child's life. I am only filling the cup a little bit, but she seems to think it's pretty neat. She is doing pretty well with it....we just have some wet clothes! Good thing pajamas come after dinner:)

sweet (dirty) hands!

Happy Fall Ya'll!

2011-09-26T13:13:00.002-05:00

Even though it is still 100 degrees outside here, it is offically Fall. Last year I dditn' decorate at all becuase Callyn's party was in the house and I didn't feel it was worth it. By the time I put it up, I would have taken it down for party stuff and by then it's almost Christmas. I love fall decor...since my time is limited now days I spruced things up in a total of about 15 minutes. Here are the results!

If you post your fall decor please let me know! I would love to see!

Hair

2011-09-21T15:29:00.003-05:00

Big piggies,
Little piggies,

French braids,

and pony tail curls!

She might look like her daddy,

But this sweet girl has got her momma's hair!

23 Months

2011-09-18T14:05:00.004-05:00

My precious little one is under a month away from being a terrific two year old. I just can't hardly believe it! Here are some stats along with some of my favorite pictures from the month (and yes, I have continued my picture a day habit so she has still not gone a day of her life without at least one picture!)

Little miss is taking after her momma and is really loving anything artsy- water coloring, finger painting, and stickers are her favorites.

She still loves anything outside, especially a special water hose treat. We laugh because we put the puppy outside and she runs in, we have Callyn in and she escapes through the doggy door to to outside.

She still LOVES her letters and "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" is read several times through the day. This book (we have 3) is finally torn in 2. She amazes me how she can follow along with her finger as we sing the ABC song, even return sweeping at the end of the line. She can recognize every letter and it's sound now:)

And her new favorite pose...the splits!

Playing with pup pup and letting her out of her crate all by herself are new hobbies. Others include throwing all the pillows off the couch and "Sliding" down the seat cushions, playing her cd player way too loud in the playroom and building with her new legos.

Hair! Wow! Can you believe the hair on this kiddo? She looks much older because of these beautiful curly locks.

Size 5 diaper. Size 6 shoe. Size 2T clothes. Dropped weight to about 28 pounds.

This is the month of the "chipped tooth" and the dreaded fit. I do hope that these fits are just a "stage." They don't come often, but it seemed more frequently recently. Looking through the pictures I noticed that there are SEVERAL with her fingers in her mouth....hummm, could this be the reason...excuse?? The dentist did check out her tooth, said it appeared to be minor and would not recommend anything being done at this point if it was not affecting her eating or hurting. AND he confirmed that one 2 year molar had already popped through and the rest would be coming soon. So, maybe this could be part of the fit "issue". For now, making sure we get down for nap before overtiring and redirecting her attention to something else seems to work. And worse case scenario time out does the trick!

We did try out some new sponge rollers this month- too bad they were all on the floor the next morning so they didn't do much curling:(

TROUBLE!

Although she is very smart and understands most everything we say, Callyn's speech is still somewhat delayed. Her ENT referred us for hearing testing. We made an appointment and went....and then she screamed the entire time. We did not get any definite results so we have to try again soon.

Disney Live

2011-09-14T14:03:00.011-05:00

Last Sunday we packed up for the day and headed out to San Angelo with our friends, the Peckham's. We have been waiting for weeks for Disney Live! (the tale of 3 Princesses) and yes the daddy's did go!

Here is my sweetie modeling her special Disney day outfit. I actually made the shirt MYSELF! Can you believe it? It turned out really cute!

Our plan was to get there early enough to beat the church crowd for an early lunch, get to the show early enough to sneak in a nap and then showtime. Perfect...right?

These little girls had a BLAST running around outside the restaurant. That last spurt of energy...running and a little bit of "Head, shoulders, knees and toes: before...

The great meltdown of 2011. This picture looks peaceful, but it was actually taken after the end of the biggest fit of Callyn's 23 month old life. Being tired just does her in and the whole late nap thing wasn't working for her. She started screaming right when we arrived and thankfully I found this covered porch thing on the outside of the auditorium. After at least 30 minutes of screaming, kicking, and throwing her body around as I held her tight she finally gave in. Whew...that was quite the workout....on my body and my patience;)

Ryan, Cheryl and Hannah

Jarod, me and Callyn

The girls checking out the stage during intermission (still so tired!)

Callyn enjoyed the show and watched intently the entire time, however we were on the second row and it was very loud. As you can see she hung on tight to whoever's lap she was in. No complaints there!

The End. All in all a wonderful day with wonderful friends!

Septemberfest

2011-09-13T21:17:00.005-05:00

Something fun in.....Midland??!!! Yay! Each September the Museum of the Southwest right here in Midland hosts "Septemberfest.". A bunch of art booths are set up and then there is a big part in the back for kids. See the pony in the background. Callyn screamed, so daddy took her off. She wouldn't have any of it this time. Weird how a almost 2 year old changes their tune so fast:)
Then off to the petting zoo- goats, a calf, big turtle, pony, and....

(and yes, she does have toothbrush in her hand:)

a camel. She really didn't want to touch it either, even though I told her Jesus rode one!

She went into the bounce house....and stayed in this position. Then she got out. Totally worth the 3 tickets;)

Favorite part was the "train" ride.

Our tickets also included admission into the children's museum, which we have sadly never visited before. Since this little one is my "explorer" she loved being able to run around and check everything out. We will definitely be going back.

Trauma #2

2011-09-09T19:56:00.005-05:00

Last Tuesday was another eventful night at the Thomas house. First, baby Brynna came for a visit. She is a rainbow baby too:)

Then dinner and a bath. A few days back the puppy was driving us nuts so we put her in the bathtub. So, now she wines to get into the tub. Callyn was laughing HYSTERICALLY! Until she leaned in a little too close, too fast and......................

Nice. A chipped front tooth. I am thankful it wasn't worse, but still. She is going to have this little chipped tooth until kindergarten.

Anyhow, good thing she isn't old enough to notice these things of vanity:) Here she is as precious as ever the very next day before our first day of Community Bible Study.

Afterwards we tried to have a little photo session with pup pup. Well, you can see how that went!

And just because I love this smile- here is my Callyn Joy on Thursday before school. I got this outfit a while back and it was marked $68. I think I paid $17. That makes it even cuter!

The GREAT Escape!

2011-09-04T14:33:00.004-05:00

Game DAY!

2011-09-04T14:12:00.002-05:00

Saturday was the beginning of College FOOTBALL! Even though we decided to skip the game (and the heat) Callyn was still all dolled up in her RED RAIDER gear. LOVE;)

First Day of CDO 2011-2012

2011-09-02T11:22:00.002-05:00

After lots of hard work and time at the church, Callyn and I had our first day of Children's Day Out yesterday. Here is my big :( baby girl on her first day!

And to compare, her first day last year.

"Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them..."

Psalm 127:3-5

Dallas/ Fort Worth

2011-08-30T20:27:00.007-05:00

Callyn and I had some spare time before CDO started....and my brother has been MIA in Arkansas for a rotation, SO my mom and I decided it would be fun to take Callyn and go visit Auntie Jo. Our first stop was my favorite store, Lakeshore learning. As you can see Callyn loved it to. She even "talked" my mom into buying her a red ball. She slept with it.

And this is her eating breakfast the next morning. Oh my.

Just a few miles down, North Richland Hills has a WONDERFUL water park. Joanna was working so my mom and I took Callyn. We got there as soon as they opened, played, had lunch, took a little siesta and played some more. It was the perfect size, had plenty of shade and was clean!

Out to PF Chang's for dinner. Yummmm!

Thursday Joanna was off and in need of a new wardrobe for her new job (go auntie jo!). And, Callyn has a mommy that loves to shop. So, we spent the day at the Grapevine Mills Mall. The whole day...as in 10-5. Callyn NEVER cried, whined or fussed. I did let her out of the stroller to do some shoe shopping:)

The mall also has a new aquarium inside, so while mom and Joanna were shopping I got to take Callyn all by myself to see the fishies. What a treasure to see the joy in your child's eyes...she was clapping, dancing and walking around looking at everything. They would not allow flash photos so here is the best I got!

That night after dinner (first time eating Fuzzy's Tacos....success!) we packed up and went for an evening swim. The pool had a kid pool with dumping buckets. Callyn thought it was hilarious....so we of course were laughing right along with her!

We headed home on Friday.....to a locked house with no keys. Oops. Here we are waiting for daddy to rescue us!

She's HERE!!!

2011-08-26T21:58:00.002-05:00

Meet.....................well she actually does not have a name yet, but here is the newest addition to our family! Our sweet french bulldog baby girl! She is exactly 6 weeks old and had her first round of shots today, meaning she was ready to come home to her new family.

Here is Callyn meeting her new furry sister...or "pup pup" as she would say. She actually looks more excited in the picture than she really was, but I expect them to become good pals in the next few weeks.

Isn't this the sweetest ever!!

The Thomas'!

And she is already fitting right in!

Week in Pictures

2011-08-24T10:47:00.007-05:00

Wednesday Rhys came to play.

Thursday Callyn looked PRECIOUS in her Hanna Andersson outfit ( I got 1/2 price in the store) and new Tom's (aka tom tom's). However, things were not so peachy ALL day. Crying around here earns you a spot in time out...which usually makes one scream even more for just a minute or so. Then momma gets a hug and all the crying is out.

Friday I had my Kelly's Kids party and it was super, crazy fun! Kids everywhere and Callyn was content as could be. I also assume she was pawning snacks off of all the guest because I did not give her anything...but the evidence was ALL over her face.
Saturday we played ball and drove to Andrews for the day. More on that to come!

Sunday we went to church, had lunch at our favorite Mexican food place and then went for an evening swim.

Monday we enjoyed NOT being in school and playing at the park.

Tuesday we worked at church for a little bit and then took some pictures of our daily walk to the mail box.

Parenting

2011-08-22T13:16:00.004-05:00

Today I am SO very thankful. My facebook has been full of messages and posts about kiddos and teachers going back to school. Today was the first day for most of the schools in our area. But me.....well I was at the park with this precious girl. In her new "kicks."

I know that there are some people out there that HAVE to work and I don't frown upon them in any way. But given the opportunity to stay home and mother this sweet girl, there was no question in my mind as to what to do. In 10 years from now will I look back and wish that I had worked instead of staying home? Nope. If I had gone back to teaching would I have looked back and wished I had stayed home? Absolutely.

I am so very thankful for a husband who works so hard to not only provide us with the things we need, but that loves Callyn so much that he realizes having her mommy at home taking care of her is the best thing for her.

On Sunday our sermon was about building a strong foundation. I will go ahead and admit it here that I am somewhat addicted to hollywood, gossip magazines, People, etc. How many times have I read quotes from "famous" parents gloating that they are not going to push their morals, lifestyles, ideas on their children? They are going to "let them decide" who it is they want to be. WHAT??? As our pastor says, this is pure ignorance.

The Bible says in Proverbs 22:6:

"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it."

There are people all over this world that are going to pull our children in every which way possible. Stealing, lying, cheating, drugs, sex, etc. It is our job to build a foundation of Christ in our children's hearts. Teaching them the values, decisions and way that HE calls us to!

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.” Luke 6:46-49

So today I am reflecting on what WE are doing as parents to prepare for the storm. What foundations are we building- can can we do more of? what can we do better? I love this little girl with all my heart and there is nothing more that I can do for her to show her how much I love her than this:)

I would love for any of you reading now to share what you are doing in your family to equipt your children to have a heart for Him?

PARTY!!!

2011-08-18T13:18:00.002-05:00

I am in LOVE with Kelly's Kids! I think the clothes are so precious I decided to host a spring party...had so much fun we are doing it again! If you live in the area I would love for you to stop by from 4-7 tommorow. If not, shop tax free this weekend in Texas at kellyskids.com. If there is anything you can't live without....just email me at paigettu02@hotmail.com!

Watercolor Wednesday

2011-08-17T13:34:00.001-05:00

22 Months

2011-08-15T19:08:00.003-05:00

My sweet Callyn Joy,
Yesterday you were 22 months old. You are such a beautiful blessing in our lives and we are so proud of the little girl you are becoming. Every day you fill our hearts with complete joy and make us laugh in a way we once thought we never would again. Here are just a few things about you now, just two short months away from being a 2 year old!

You weigh about 31 pounds, are in a size 6 shoe (with room to grow), size 5 diaper and.....a size 2 toddler in most clothes:(

Your new favorite toys are your miss potato head, blocks and building, gears and...accessories. You LOVE to wear bracelets! You also still love anything that plays music- in fact you have been dancing around, stomping and clapping with your new cd just today.

You are a little traveler like your mom- you have been on the road a lot lately and have had so much fun discovering new things. To see the joy in your eyes, watch you dance in happiness is priceless. I often say you are an "explorer." You love to walk around everywhere and just check things out. Although you often reach for mommy's hand and enjoy things with us, you are brave enough to do things on your own too. I love it!

You are adding new words to your vocabulary every day- my favorite for now is "snack." You also can name most colors on your own and recognize EVERY letter of the alphabet. You know almost every sound.

And just for fun...here is a picture of you exactly one year ago!

"Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward." Psalm 127:3

Craziness Recap

2011-08-14T19:53:00.006-05:00

As I mentioned in my last post, my grandfather passed away 2 Sunday's ago. Having someone you love die is never an easy, but it sure is great to get to share even the worst times with a loving family. And ours is a BIG one!

Sunday: Knowing that Callyn can put a smile to Gramp's face we traveled to Andrews after church and nap. She showed off a few new "skills" and loved running around with Aunt Kirsten.

After dinner my mom wanted to try out her new stroller so they went for a walk. After a few minutes I went outside to check and there was the stroller...with no Callyn or GranPatti. . This is what I saw at the end of the street:)

Took some pictures and then headed back to Midland.

Monday: "Night night" snuggles with daddy!

Tuesday: Pool time with the besties! And then back on the road again to spend the night in Andrews!

Wednesday: Day of service for Papa. During the stay Callyn became obsessed with this pillow.

Because the service was in the middle of naptime, she also had her FIRST non family member babysitter. Well, not biologically related, but Addy is one of Auntie Kay's oldest and bestest friends so she kinda counts as family too:)

This is funny. I was trying to pack up for us to leave for De Leon for the burial the next day. I ask Jarod "Will you watch her while I go pack." He says..."Sure." I walk down the hall into the room we were staying and hear Uncle Austin laughing and talking to Callyn. Turns out when Jarod was watching....she had already left the room, crawled up onto the bed using the nightstand (yikes!) and .............colored all over the pillowcase and sheets with a purple crayon.

Then we were back on the road to De Leon. About a 4 hour drive. We got there about 10 and Callyn never fell asleep in the car. We set up the pack and play and got to bed as quick as we could!

Thursday: After a good night's rest we woke up and Callyn was very thankful for the Texas shaped waffle and most of all the "dip." Syrup. Oh, my. Good thing is since we were in a room alone without daddy (had to work) a bath did a great job of getting clean and giving her something to do while I got ready! (and yes, this is what we call bed head!)

Went to the service (where Callyn wouldn't have anything to do with anyone and was eating dirt and it was SUPER hot) and then out to eat with the whole Brownlee clan. We haven't seen most of them since I was pregnant with Tatum and my grandmother died over three years ago.

After lunch, on the road AGAIN back to Andrews. Disclaimer* or parenting advice* - Callyn is always super good in the car but sometimes I do start to feel sorry for her. So on the last leg of the trip I give her a sucker. It keeps her happy for at least an hour:)

Made it to Andrews in time to play with Mitzi and then back in the car and back to Midland. Whew! I told you it was a crazy week!

"Papa"

2011-08-13T21:03:00.002-05:00

"Papa"

Our last few weeks here have been crazy. It all started Sunday before last when we got the call that my dad's dad aka "Papa" had passed away. He was just a couple weeks shy of 98- he lived a LONG, good life. We are so thankful in the hope of heaven...and that my papa reconfirmed his faith in Christ a few years ago at 92. I wanted to post his obituary here for our memories...and a just a few special memories of "old ornery."

Elvin Doyle Brownlee, Sr. , 97, passed to the next life Sunday morning July 31, 2011 at the Permian Residential Care Center in Andrews. Services will be Wednesday at 2:00 PM at McNett Funeral Home with a grave site service at Memorial Gardens between Comanche and De Leon, Texas, Thursday morning at 10:00 AM.
Doyle was born in De Leon, Texas to Jasper and Josie Brownlee as their 9th child on August 14th, 1913. His parents had moved to De Leon from Mississippi in a covered wagon in 1896. He graduated from De Leon High School and married Janies Green of Beattie in De Leon on January 10th, 1936. In 1957 the family moved to Kermit where he had a machine shop and later a well service company before selling out in 1970, at which time they moved to Brownwood, and later Comanche. In 1974 Doyle moved to Andrews when he and his oldest son Elvin purchased C W Vincent Well Service, which later became Brownlee Well Service. In 1978 he sold the business to Elvin and youngest son Reo. Doyle retired and stayed in Andrews except for a 3 year stint back in Comanche when in 2005 he moved back to Andrews. In March of 2007 he moved into the Permian Residential Care Center with his wife Janies. Janies passed away April 16th of 2008, after they had been married for over 72 years. Doyle was preceded in death by his parents Jasper in 1958 and Josie in 1959. Also preceding him in death were his siblings Cloie Watts of De Leon in 1963, Wilmer Brownlee of De Leon in 1964, Jewell Locke of De Leon in 1990, Ruth Locke of De Leon in 1968, Charles Rush Brownlee of De Leon in 1982, Ruby Kimbro of De Leon in 1983, and Cecil Brownlee of De Leon in 1998 and a brother Ray who had died at birth, and one great granddaughter Tatum Cate Thomas in 2008. Doyle and Janies are survived by their five children, Beverly Johnson of De Leon, Texas, Elvin Brownlee Jr. of Andrews, Bennie Brownlee of Brownwood, Jan Pruett of Pleasantview, Colorado, and Reo Brownlee of Andrews; 12 grandchildren, 19 great grandchildren, and 7 great great grandchildren.
The family would like to thank the people who worked with Brownlee Well Service through the years, for the friendships and memories. Doyle loved those times paying dominoes and joking with the employees and family every chance he got. He also was a world class tournament checker player who played and beat many of the best in the world. The family also would like to thank the nurses and staff at the Permian Residential Care Center, whom he loved, for the care, love and joking they shared with Doyle. Many of whom he would tell “you’re a good one”. Doyle had reconfirmed his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ just a couple of years ago, and in that rests our hope for the future and one day reuniting with him.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Home Hospice in Andrews at 801 N. Main, Ste. G, Andrews, Texas 79714, or Memorial Walk for Babies at 4738 Bedford, Midland, Texas 79703.

My fondest memories:

bright red hair until the day he died

guitar playing and singing "Elvira" and "I'll Fly Away"

he called my grandmother "mama"

growing up he would call us almost everyday to ask my mom "patti, you watching those kids?" and call every time there was a storm to make sure we were sheltered.....but no matter what the call was for, he NEVER said bye. just hung up!

every time we went to eat at their house as kids he would steal our plates when we turned around and think it was hysterical

he loved his garden!

took pride in reciting the alphabet backwords and could remember every number (or dollar he made or spent!)

everything was "the best thing I ever saw" or "the best thing I ever tasted"

as he was getting older, he never lost his wit or spryness- every time he saw Jarod and I together he would always say "that's not the same one you brought last time"

He was definitely a "good 'un"!

Ruidoso, NM 2011

2011-08-07T18:53:00.010-05:00

A couple of weekends ago we headed to the mountains of Ruidoso, NM for some cooler weather with Jarod's family.....everyone else would probably say relaxing, but all you mommas of little ones know that regardless of how fun traveling with a little one is anything but relaxing;)

Friday: I had Callyn all dressed up, but turns out black is not a good color for traveling in the car! She had crackers, juice, etc all over her. So we played for a bit, changed clothes and headed out to eat at what we thought was a family restaurant and arcade. Turns out the arcade was actually just two pool tables and the family atmosphere was steaks and seafood:( It was a bust, but she still looked cute and we saw a deer on the way home. Then Callyn, Jarod, cousin Madi and I got in the hot tub for a night time swim. Callyn had a blast swimming away....but the pictures are on Mami's camera. boo!

Saturday: We just hung out most of the morning and let Callyn catch up on her rest from the day before. After nap we went to Fun Trackers and it POORED....haven't seen that in a while. We patienly waited it out and then went on to ride the bumper boats and then to pony rides. The bumper boats cracked us up because Callyn immediently fount the "squirt" button and thought it was really funny to spray everyone! The pony ride was a big hit too- she rode Cherokee and laughed the whole way through. The pony ride "stable" also had a covered wagon ride so we did that too. Everything was lots of fun! (and the adorable shirt callyn HAD to have for her first pony ride is from my friend marina at www.marinasmonogramming.com.)

Sunday: Even with all the fun things we got to do, I would have to say I think Callyn enjoyed these stairs the most! We worked with her on going down "safety" and she went up and down.....over and over and over. After daddy and popa got back from the stables we headed back out to Fun Trackers. This time Callyn got to try the bounce house for the first time. She was a little hesitent, but still enjoyed herself. Then, back the bumper boats and another pony ride. This time after the pony ride Jarod and I walked across the street to the little park and let her swing. Still one of her favorites!

Monday: Up and out! I love how this little one is really paying attention to what is going on. Here she is waiting by "her" door to go....with sleepy bear and wolfie of course:)

Summer Fun with Friends

2011-08-01T14:25:00.006-05:00

One of my oldest (by association, not age) friends came into town and we were finally able to get together this time. After graduating, she moved to Michigan, got married, had kids.......so I think she is stuck there!! She always has tons of people to see on her trips and this time we were one of the lucky ones that made the list! Here is a few of Mason, Callyn, and little sister Averie.

Last week Cheryl and Hannah invited us to go the new water park in Big Spring with them. We got all the way to Stanton and got a phone call that the park was closed for the day due to a busted water pipe. So, Plan B, we went to a little city pool/water park instead. We had so much fun. Picnic outside and then loads of water fun....and TIRED girls!

Then Saturday Cheryl invited us and some other friends over for burgers. The girls are so much fun at this age- such a joy to watch them play and enjoy each other. I don't know how to upload videos on here- but the one we have of our "boo chase" was hilarious. Both girls were running around a wall in the house and I would chase behind and yell BOO. They would laugh and just keep running!

Potty Training Day 3 and 4

2011-07-30T13:51:00.003-05:00

By the end of day 2 I had about decided that this was not the right time for my Callyn Joy. Although we had several successes, non of them were self initiated. And I have always believed that to really be potty trained the child should be able to tell you when they need to go. Otherwise, they are just mommy trained. However, my original goal was to try for 3 days....so we did! Day 3 we had a success around 11, so I put on a pull up and decided we HAD to get out of the house. Our treat was Chick-fil-a. Oh, the small things:)

After a really good nap, Callyn sat and sat and sat. Then got up and tinkled on the floor a few minutes later:( Then she got it right in the afternoon so we got to play outside. This girl LOVES the water!

Potty training can wear a girl (and her mother) out! She loves her wolfie.

Well I guess the lingering question is where to go from here? We have had multiple successes, as well as a major dislike for being wet after an accident. I don't want to lose all the progress we have made, however we cannot just keep going to the potty every 10 minutes to try to catch something at the right moment. So for now I have decided to do something I said I never would- pull ups. And ONLY because we are going to continue to put her on the potty whenever we can (morning, before nap, after, etc.) and diapers are just plain to hard to pull up and down. I have total confidence that when we try again in a couple of months we will be more successful- just need to practice a little more on verbalizing potty words and pulling pants up!

Potty Training Take One- Day 1 and 2

2011-07-28T12:03:00.003-05:00

I am off for a few weeks so I decided now was as good as time as any to start potty training. So many friends have complained about how awful it is....well, let's just say I have already missed the opportunity to do this with my first daughter so I am more than excited to GET to do this with Callyn. Here are some things we did to prepare:
Pull-ups for emergencies (like going to chick-fil-a)
Fun Soap for hand washing
Mini M&m's for rewards
Stool to actually reach the potty as we already have a potty seat to go on the
big toilet
12 pairs of training panties

We also moved everything out of our formal living area so we could stay on the hardwood floor. Good idea! MUCH easier to clean up!

Day One:

Set the timer on my phone to go every 10 minutes and made her sit for about 5. I put lots of toys and electronics (her fav) in the bathroom to keep her on the potty. It went about as I though it would. She sat and sat and sat...and then the moment she got up she peed. On the floor. In the stool. But, by the end of the day she would run to the bathroom after she peed on the floor so I figured that was a good sign! We kept busy by doing dot art, having our first experience with play doh, watching movies, puzzles and everything else on the floor here!

Day 2:

Went exceptionally well! Spend the day inside for most of the day. Only 2 accidents. Since writing down the times you tee tee'd in the potty yesterday I kinda figured out what times you would go today. Around 4:45 you hadn't been in a while so we sat....and sat.....and sat....and finally when daddy was there too ....tinkle, tinkle, tinkle. You should have seen the look on your face. We were all SO excited and you happily crammed the mini m&m's down! You went a lot, so for a reward we finally got to play outside! You lasted through dinner and bath and then mommy had to go to a meeting. Just after your bath you poo poo'd in the potty for daddy- he text messaged me about it!!

21 Months

2011-07-20T10:43:00.003-05:00

Just 3 more months and I will have a 2 year old! I just can't believe it! I am just in awe of this amazing "gift" of mothering a child on earth. To watch her grow, learn and change everyday is just a testament to God's love and faithfulness. At 21 months, here is what Callyn is all about:

People always comment on what a great eater you are!! You are a lover of ALL fruits, favorite veggies are still broccoli and carrots, although you are eating peas again! I finally switched from whole to 2% milk and you drink about 3 cups a day. You are now saying "mulk."

I do believe you are taking after your mother in the "artsy" department. You LOVE markers, pens, crayons, stickers, paints, etc. Just this week you started decorating yourself;) You also really enjoy listing to your music on your cd player (or pushing the buttons), building and tearing down towers with blocks, puzzles, and anything with water. One of your favorite games is to sneak up on mommy and daddy and quietly say "boo".

You weigh right about 30 pounds. Size 5 diaper and are a perfect size 5 shoe. Depending on the brand you are growing out of some. You still have the most amazing sparkling blue eyes and your hair is getting so long. I still can't believe I have an almost blond, curly haired girl! (oh, and just for giggles the picture about is what you do after you stick you hands in the toilet:)

I know all mommas think there kids are smart, but I promise you REALLY are! You can recognize (meaning I ask for it and you point) almost every letter of the alphabet and can give the sounds they make for more than half! You can recognize all of your colors and are saying SO many words! Here are some newbies:

milk

wolf

yellow

black

bubbles

cup

cat

cup

and so many more! I love you so much sweet girl:)

Weekend at Gramps and GranPatti's

2011-07-20T09:36:00.005-05:00

We were SO spontaneous this weekend. Ha! If you know me (or my husband) well than this will impress you. Jarod was able to leave work a little early on Friday so he was able to go to the pool with us. Here was my view:) So nice when daddy goes, so I can relax!
On our way we decided it might be fun to go spend the night in Andrews with my parents- Jarod has been wanting to go play golf there for a while to prepare for the annual father/son tournament. So, on a whim, we cut the pool trip short and packed up. It is only a 45 minute drive so we made it before dinner.

Callyn had a BLAST! First off she went on a walk down the block with GranPatti. Then, her MOST favorite part- playing with Auntie Kirsten's dog Mitzi. Aren't these pictures priceless?

Bed head and breakfast with GranPatti.

Then outside for more fun (before we got dressed, which is highly unusual for us!). A round of putting, touching the turtles and then back to Mitzi. Gramps brought some bread out for the turtles, but Mitzi benefited instead;)

Here we are relaxing with our electronics while Daddy played golf in the hot, hot sun.Trip to the pool.

Visit from Uncle Max (which is Jarod's uncle and lives next door.)

And more Mitzi time with Auntie Kirsten. Good times:)

June Mini Session

2011-07-18T14:15:00.007-05:00

Here are my favorites from Callyn's latest photo shoot. All are from my friend Kristi McKnight- if you are local check her out at https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Kristi-McKnight-Photography/126723690700856. She does regular sessions and monthly mini sessions that are for 15-20 minutes and include digital images!! YAY!!!

she just HAD to have her wolfie!

VEGAS!

2011-07-17T14:21:00.015-05:00

I went to Vegas in May and I am just now getting around to blogging about it. But, it was a special trip so I don't want to miss out on saving these memories. My mom took me to Vegas when I turned 21 and since then we have talked about taking my little sisters when they turned 21. Well, this was THE year. They were 21 and I was.....30! I started by leaving some goodies for Callyn...and daddy and of course and taking some pictures before we left. Checking in at the Flamingo....good location, but by far the yuckiest hotel I have ever stayed in at Vegas. Wouldn't recommend it:(
These are some pictures of our first day. We mainly walked around and checked out the scenery. Then we ate at Margaritaville (it was a big hit!) and went to see Terry Fator. I LOVED it. I have seen almost every show in Vegas and this is one of my favorites. Good, clean and FUNNY!!

We started off our second day early and went to the outlet malls. It was a lot colder than what we expected so we were glad to find some good sweater deals (see pictures below. ha. we are all wearing about the exact same thing). That night we were so tired from shopping we decided NOT to dress up and go eat at PF Chang's. There is not one around here so I never miss the opportunity. We ordered 3 plates and shared. Super yummy. Next on the agenda was LOVE at the Mirage. It wasn't my favorite, but still a really great show. Mom and Kirsten stayed and played slots at the hotel while Kaylan and I checked out the the strip. She had been dying have the cokes around the world a the Coca Cola place. Some of them were super gross. I had a coke float and it was YUMMY!! .

Day three we walked down to the very end of the strip, had lunch at a Mexican food place inside the Luxor , relaxed at the pool and then dressed up and ate..... can't remember where. That night mom and Kirsten stayed at the hotel and played some slots. Kaylan and I went down the other side of the strip and checked out ....everything! !!
The end. We had a great time. I think I wore them all out though!! It's funny how once you are a mom and have a "free weekend" you just want to go and do it all:)

Since last week...

2011-07-13T14:30:00.004-05:00

Since the dr. said to take it easy and not go to CDO last week, we:

Went to the movies for the first time and saw the 3d Cars 2. I loved snuggling with my girl and just looking at her wearing those funny glasses.

On Saturday we went to a baby shower and then came home and played one of our new favorite games. It's called "move the cups one by one to the fire place, sit on the fireplace, then move the cups one by one back to the table and stack them. repeat. repeat. repeat."

Sunday we went to church. I was a little apprehensive about leaving my precious in her sunday school class with her arm hurt, but she was fine. I did have to go check on her a couple of times!

On Monday we mostly just hung around the house and played. As you can see someone has become very attached to sleepy bear.

Tuesday was our first day back at CDO. Callyn's teachers said she was a little more "whiney" than usual, but this was no surprise. She has kinda been getting everything she wants since she broke her cb and I guess when all that starts to change someone gets upset.

Wednesday (today) we enjoyed a nice morning at the pool with some of our besties~

2011-07-06T20:18:00.002-05:00

At our appointment Tuesday, Callyn was given this little sling to wear for the next couple of weeks. It's not really her "style."
So thanks to my friend Marina at Marina's Monogramming (http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Marinas-Monogramming/167989693212199) we put a little "bling on the sling." Much better!!

I wouldn't wish a broken bone on anyone, but I can say all the time Callyn and I have spent together has been so blessed! Today I got one of the best laughs ever at this silly girl- she was with me in the laundry room (along with my beach bag) and I left to put some things away. All of the sudden she comes out looking like this! I was seriously cracking up. She wore it for almost an hour.

Besides accessorizing, we have spent our days during lots of fun, safe indoor things. Like puzzles, stickers, coloring and finally today after a recommendation from a friend we tried DOT ART. Oh my! It was so fun AND gave us an opportunity to work on our colors! Callyn can name purple, blue, black, yellow and red!

BEAUTIFUL!!!

Independence Day!

2011-07-04T20:20:00.004-05:00

I wanted to thank all of you for your kind words and prayers about Callyn. We are scheduled for a follow up tomorrow morning, so please pray she is all healed up and can have her arm back:)

YESTERDAY

Children's Parade Today

Fun with Friends

"So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free."

John 8:36

Callyn's First Lake Trip- BUST!!!

2011-07-03T09:58:00.008-05:00

This Thursday we hit the road and headed out to the lake for Callyn's first time. Oh the things we could do!! So excited. We were able to:

play inside with toys and some other things

take a little tease trip to test the water

play in the pool

have a golf lesson

swing in the hammock

morning movies with grandpatti

head to the lake for a swim (while daddy and gramps play golf)

running into the water and making a spash was the best!

play in the ice machine

have a little sweet treat (she didn't like it one bit;)

UNTIL...............

Our little lake trip was cut short when baby girl fell off a chair in the trailer. I was standing right next to her while she was sitting and watching a dvd. I turned around, she stood up, and boom. She cried to a little bit and then settled down, but anytime I touched her right side or tried to pick her up under her arms she screamed. So, I knew it was her clavical...aka collar bone. From previous experience, I knew that there was nothing the ER would do- but after much consideration we decided to take her in just to make sure. Always better safe than sorry.

X-Rays confirmed a fracture in her right clavical. They slinged it first and then after speaking to the orthopedic surgeon decided to wrap her up and immobolize the arm. All I can say is this girl is a TROOPER. Almost 3 hours in the ER- including half that was past her bedtime- the only time she cried was during x-rays. And even though I just posted about not wanting her to love this phone, it is times like these that I am glad to have something that makes her happy:)

The plan is to keep her arm wrapped up for 3 days. After that we will re-xray and reasses. It should heal up pretty fast. She has done WONDERFUl so far adjusting to one arm. It's almost like she knows it is helping her. Here are a few pics of my precious wrapped up girl!

(so we kinda felt sorry for her, so we treated her to her first cone on the way home at DQ!)

Needless to say we decided to come home so Callyn could be in the safest, most comfortable environment. We were all a little bummed to not get the full lake experience, but we are SO very thankful that my baby girl is healthy and healing!

Weekend....and some "news"

2011-06-27T12:42:00.005-05:00

No, I am not pregnant. What I meant by "news" is that there have been a few NEW things for Callyn this week. It is still been around 110 every day so we are trying to stay cool. The first collage is from our CDO Water Day! I am so blessed to have a job where I get a little time away, while Callyn gets to play- yet I can still see her and play with her during the day.

I don't have any pics, but this summer my baby girl started sleeping on a big girl nap mat on the floor at CDO. I guess this is why on Thursday afternoon she wanted ALL of her toys and blankets out of her bed. She made a little pallet, turned on her air machine and laid down.

Friday we had a playdate at our house. So fun! I am so happy that Jarod and I finally agreed to change our never used guest room into a playroom. It was so nice to get to chat with my friends while Callyn played with hers....without having to worry about not touching this or breaking that, etc. This was Emme Kate's first playdate....she had a BLAST!

Nothing out of the ordinary here....Callyn always looks so cute on Sundays I have to get a picture before church. This Sunday she wasn't much into it:( And my hair is way big because my chi broke and I have had blow dry and use rollers.

For the other "news" I decided it was time we could get rid of the high chair. Callyn has never been one to try to climb out or need to be strapped in...so, I put her in a booster at the real table. Not having the highchair there sure makes for more room!

And this is for 'ole times sake. My friends are always commenting on how Callyn is the "perfect" child. And I would have to say that a majority of the time she is pretty close to it. However, lately she has become a little obsessed with electronics (movies, iphone, i pad, etc). Today we went swimming and she got out of the pool on her own and started digging in the swim bag for my phone. SERIOUSLY?? She would rather play on the phone than swim? Maybe we do have a problem...so for now....no more iphone. Boo. Oh..and the picture is what happened after I wouldn't let her have it. She even sat in time out....by the tree...and SCREAMED. I still didn't give it to her, but she sure tried hard!

Father's Day 2011

2011-06-19T20:58:00.004-05:00

Callyn Joy and Daddy

Father's Day 2011

My girl and her daddy

Father's Day 2011

Wordless (Water) Wednesday

2011-06-15T14:35:00.005-05:00