Kennedy's First Slumber Party

Kennedy will be turning six on the Fourth of July, so we always have to have her party early. Sidenote--Next year I hope to have it in May though.  It's very difficult to get people to come to a summer party.  They are busy with things like vacation.  Hello!  It's MY daughter's birthday party.  Isn't that a little more important than a vacation? haha

This year she decided to have a slumber party!  As a first grade teacher, I thought, no problem, after all, I take care of twenty-plus kids in my classroom! Well, a classroom and a home are two different things, as I figured out on Friday night.  In my classroom, I am the boss, and I can reasonably punish children who do not follow directions.  In our home, I do not want to be the mean parent who raised her voice at sweet, innocent children.  It was a learning experience for sure!  I think Matt has sworn off slumber parties for good, but I'm game for some more, maybe even soon!

When the girls first arrived, we played outside.  Matt played football with them, until he scared one little girl into screaming!  I told him that her dad was going to get him!

When we went inside, Kennedy wanted all of the girls to promptly change into their pjs, so they did.  They colored and did puzzles while Matt went to get dinner at McDonald's (his favorite restaurant, not! he got Arby's for himself).  

Enjoying MickyD's

Present Time

Singing to Kennedy (She always get so embarrassed!!!)

An ill Case bonded with Aunt Larky, who let him eat an entire freezer pop!  He LOVED it!!! 

Kennedy had a freezer pop too, of course.

Quiet Time (There was a Barbie movie for the girls to watch.)

Craft Time (They made beaded bracelets and necklaces.)
The girls finally went to sleep around 12:30, after I forced them to stop attacking Paige, my almost thirteen year old niece.  The next morning we got in the sprinkler and slip and slide. Then we went back inside for a few games. Overall, the first slumber party was a success.  There were no major injuries and hardly any crying!

Visit the blog this weekend for true birthday pictures of our sweet AngelBug!!!

Farewell, Porter

Three years ago, when our house was being built, Matt, Kennedy, and I would often stop by to check the progress.  On one such occasion, we noticed the neighbor's vicious dog, who was constantly barking at us.  We feared that Kennedy would be eaten alive by this attack dog.  We just knew that we would have to watch her CLOSELY around him.  Kennedy has always loved dogs, and she had never had a fear of them, so we knew she would try to play with the monster next door.  

Well, after we moved in, we got to know the vicious attack monster, Porter, and we grew to LOVE him!  Porter was sweet and kind.  He wouldn't harm a fly, but he sure could eat a leaf! Kennedy loved Porter so much.  

A few weeks ago, when our neighbor, Dana, told us that Porter was sick, we did not tell Kennedy.  We wanted to be sure of what was wrong before we told her, just in case Porter was going to get better.  Well, on Friday, Dana, called to let me know that Porter had a very aggressive form of cancer and he was taking him to be put to sleep.  I began crying, knowing that my little girl's heart would be broken.  I had to break the news to her while Matt was at work, and Case was in the floor crying himself.  Not only was Porter sick, but she had to go and tell him good-bye right then.  Kennedy was sobbing uncontrollably.  When we went outside to meet Dana and Porter, Porter instantly ran to Kennedy; that made me so happy!  We petted him, and Kennedy hugged him many times.  I ran in the house to get my camera, and I snapped this picture of Kennedy with Dana and Porter.  Porter was such a sweet dog.  He is missed so much already! 

Farewell, sweet Porter.    

Evenings

Where can we be found most evenings, after five, when it is no longer 90+ degrees outside?  At the swingset, of course!  I'm not sure which kid loves it most.  I usually sit in the chair, pushing Case.  Kennedy and I eat quite a few freezer pops while we're out there.  Case gets an occasional taste too.  Matt usually does yard work, but he often pulls a chair up beside mine, and we just enjoy God's handiwork!  I think Case would sleep out there (if it was safe).

This summer, Kennedy has mastered the monkey bars.  She REALLY put forth a lot of effort to finally cross the bars.  I am so proud of her.  I could never do the monkey bars, so I really wanted her to be able to do them.  I encouraged and pushed her to keep trying, and she did it! 

Now she's learning to do a cartwheel.  Another thing I couldn't do.  

side note-My sister tried to teach me to do a cartwheel when I was about ten, and she slipped and broke her arm.  Now do you understand why I never learned to do one?  I was traumatized!!!

Fathers' Day 2009

What a wonderful Fathers' Day we had!  We began the morning by going to church with Matt's parents (followed by lunch).  Then we visited my parents for a while at their house.  Matt took a nap, so he loved his day.  Then we were back at church that night.  We visited with some friends afterwards.  For Fathers' Day, we got Matt some Kobalt tools from Lowe's that he has been wanting and a pair of pajama pants (with pockets).  He also got to go fishing Friday and Saturday, and I did not complain one bit!!!  

While Matt was fishing on Friday, I took the kids shopping.  We shopped for six hours.  Do you know how exhausting it is to haul two kids (one being a ten month old) in and out of the car?  I kept wishing aloud that Case would take a nap, and Kennedy said, "At least he's happy!"  I had to agree!  Then, about fifteen minutes later, he was asleep!  Kennedy and I had fun buying her birthday party decor.  She is so into themes for parties.  She insists that every party needs a theme.  This year she chose some Barbie princess decorations (that were on clearance--YAHOO!!!).

Gross Motor Skills-Who Needs Them

Can I just say that I adore our sweet baby boy?  When we were expecting Case, before we knew his gender, Matt truly prayed that he would be a boy.  We already have our near-perfect girl, and so any other girl would pale in comparison to her (not really, but that's what you think), and Matt wanted a boy so badly so that he could share many boy things with him, like a love for fishing, superheroes, and GI Joe.  Of course, Kennedy loves all of those things (except she's never been fishing, yet), so I joke with Matt that Case will probably have no interest in superheroes; he'll prefer Power Rangers (YUCK!!!).  When we found out Case's gender I was so excited, but I was also worried about whether or not I would be able to love a boy like I do my princess.  Would he be as cute?  Would he be as cuddly (see this post to answer that question)?Would he be as fun to dress up?  After Case was born, I knew that yes, I could and would love him just as much as I do Bug. This little boy is after my heart.  I love everything about him, even the fact that he still does NOT sleep through the night (okay, well I could live without that).  

When Kennedy was a baby, she was ahead on everything-fine motor skills, gross motor skills, babbling, you name it, she did it early.  She was walking at ten months and a week (Case's age right now).  Well, Case just isn't the same as Kennedy, and it's a little hard for me to accept. If you know, me you know that I am a bit of a competitive person, so of course I want my kids to be good at everything.  I was never the best at anything (though I was valedictorian and All-County in volleyball), but I was always good at just about everything (I was even on Scholars' Bowl Team).  

Sweet little Case seemed to be hitting milestones on time for the first five months of his life. Then the ear infections hit, for several months, and he really fell behind.  There were two complete weeks during which time he ONLY wanted to be held.  Couple that with having an older sister who wants to do everything for him, and you have a baby who is a little behind on his gross motor skills.  He is great with fine motor skills, and he talks ALL OF THE TIME (just ask anyone at church), but those gross motor skills are just slow to develop.  Case still does not crawl (like we normally think of crawling to be). Instead, he either lays on his back and scoots or lays on his stomach and scoots (backwards only).  It's pretty funny because he can't understand why he isn't getting to where he wants to go.  Case has only gotten into a sitting position (from laying) once.  He can only pull up to his knees (but he's getting closer to pulling up to his feet).  When I sit him in the middle of the floor, he just yells and clenches his fists.  He has absolutely no idea what to do with himself.  Have we enabled him?  I think so! 

Now, as a teacher, I know that all children do things when they are developmentally ready to do them.  So, I am putting things in perspective, and I am not worrying about when Case reaches his milestones, as long as he stays in normal range.  Many babies never crawl, and that's perfectly fine.  We do not really expect him to.  Case is quite strong, but he's confused about how to use his muscles to correctly crawl.  Plus, imperfect practice makes imperfect results. Case does many things very well, like sitting and turning while on his bottom.  Case stands for long periods of time (holding onto something).  He even takes a few steps while holding onto an object (still not cruising).  He has also figured out that he can hold our hands to walk, and he LOVES this form of walking.  He is so amazed by his feet.  He just stares at them.  It is the cutest thing.  He will grab for my hands many times throughout the day so that he can walk.  

So he may not pull up or walk yet, but we're so thankful for his health.  There are so many babies who are in dire need of prayer (many of them listed under Blogs I Can't Avoid).  So what if our healthy, cuddly boy can't crawl?  That just gives us more time to hold him, squeeze him, and nurture him!

Here are some pictures of Case trying so hard to pull up to his feet! 

He kept getting excited about the camera, and he did not want to perform.

You've got to love that face!

ALMOST!!!

Alright, so I helped him just a smidge!!!  How could I refuse that face?

Now That's Snuggling

Our family LOVES to cuddle.  Matt and I always cuddled pre-kids (Do I even remember those days?).  We have raised Kennedy to be a cuddler, and it looks as though Case, too, is going to be a cuddler.  We left Kennedy on our bed with him the other night while we watched TV in the living room, and this is how we found them!  They were just too sweet, snuggling together.

When Kennedy's friend E spent the night again this past Sunday night, I took them to bed around 11, read them three stories (E fell asleep during the last one; her eyes just kept getting heavier...), and left.  I came to check on them, and I found them cuddling!  So sweet!!!

Kennedy's Kindergarten Year

The school year officially ended a few weeks ago, but I never got around to this post, so here goes...

Our little darling girl started kindergarten on August 6, 2008.  The doctor wanted to induce me the night of the 5th, but there was NO WAY that I was going to miss my Bug's first day of school (no matter how swollen my feet were or how high my blood pressure was).  This was the day I had looked forward to for so long.  So, on the first day of school, Matt and I took Kennedy to school. Of course, I had to be in my classroom to greet my students and their parents, so I hugged Bug, and Matt took her to class.  She was just across the hall from me, and I loved seeing her at lunch and PE.  Here's how Kennedy looked on her first day of kindergarten.

Case was born two days later, and I was off work until November 3rd.  Matt took Kennedy to school the first week after Case's birth, and when I had to do it the next week, I nearly broke down.  I always kept my girl home with me when I was off work, but now I couldn't.  I watched her walk to the school doors, with her bag on her shoulder, and I wondered how Kennedy ever became five. Wasn't she just born a few days ago?  I felt as though I was deserting a baby. Things got better, and it wasn't so hard to leave her anymore.  Then there were the days that she came home upset because she had been kicked out of another club.  I teach first grade, and I have never had clubs in my classroom, but Kennedy had some sweet little girls in her class who just loved having clubs. There is nothing more upsetting to a mother than when her child is broken-hearted.  I cried with her and for her.  Kennedy is very sensitive, often crying when a sad song comes on.  Making and keeping friends was a challenge this year.  Kennedy wants to be friends with everyone, and she wants to please everyone, so if she feels banished, she becomes broken.  I think part of the reason she was so especially sensitive this year was because of Case's birth. Kennedy had to learn to share Mommy with a new sibling, and Case is a handful, so he wanted and needed a lot of Mommy's attention!  

Kennedy eventually learned that she couldn't make everyone like her, and she gave up trying, becoming content with her circle of friends.  She had fun at her classroom parties.  Here she is trying to pin the carrot on Frosty.  Field trips and birthday parties were a blast!  She loved Spring Fling.  Most of all, Kennedy loved seeing Mommy everyday at lunch (and often swiping my food right off of my plate).  Do you think she'll still do that in middle school? ha!

Kennedy REALLY matured this year.  She was already mature, but she seems so much more so now.  She loves God more than anything (even Mommy), and we often talk about how to please Him.  A few months ago one of the aides who works in Kennedy's classroom began to tell me how helpful and patient Kennedy is with the special needs children in her classroom, and I was so proud to have a daughter who is doing the Lord's work at such a young age. Kennedy is blessed to be intelligent and beautiful, but it is her acceptance of others that makes her light shine!  I have always prayed for and tried to instill in her an acceptance and tolerance of others.  It seems as though God has worked through these actions to give Kennedy such a sweet presence.  She is such a help to us (though she didn't like wiping down the chairs the other day). I never want to take her for granted, but I am sure that I do all too often.  I look at her eyes, and I think about how I was the first person she ever laid eyes on, and I think about how she is beginning to see the world now for what it is.  I wonder what she will do with her life, but as I told her the other day, "We have plenty of time to worry about those details; let's just enjoy today."  If I let myself, I could cry nonstop about how Kennedy is growing up, and about how she will one day part from our home, leaving a hole the size of a crater, but I just can not allow myself to do that.  If I do, I am missing out on precious moments that God means for us to enjoy.  Everyday with Matt, Kennedy, and Case is a gift, and I enjoy opening that gift everyday!

Here Kennedy is on her last day of kindergarten.  I know wonderful things await her in first grade.  She can't wait to see who her teacher is!  She had a fabulous kindergarten teacher!

Super Summer Saturday, Part 3

What a boring, but exhausting Saturday!  Almost immediately after getting up this morning, I actually worked out on the Total Gym that has been collecting dust for MONTHS!  Matt re-set it up for me Thursday, but if I don't use it, I'm sure he'll break it down again, so I am going to try to use it four times a week. Let's see...  We went to Sherwin-Williams and bought paint for the kitchen and breakfast room (burnt orange-ish) and the kids' bathroom (light blue).  The paint was 30 percent off!!!  We went to Hobby Lobby and Bed, Bath, and Beyond, just browsing. We ate lunch.  Kennedy and I wanted Five Guys, but Matt wanted Zaxby's, so we split the difference: Kennedy and I got burgers and took them to Zaxby's.  We ate fries at Zaxby's!  It's kind of embarrassing, but oh well!  Everyone does it, right?  We then proceeded to Lowe's where we bought new light fixtures for the kitchen and breakfast room.  We are still looking for fixtures for the bathroom.  Upon arriving at home, I spent an hour in the flower beds, pulling weeds.  I usually keep up on weeding, but I have fallen behind since about March.  All the while that I was weeding, Kennedy was serenading me with cute songs she made up about Disney characters.  To cap off the evening, a couple from church came over with their five year old and six month old daughters.  It really was an exhausting day! 

Swim for Melissa-Anyone Interested?

Matt and I would love for Kennedy to participate in Swim for Melissa this year.  This wonderful fundraiser honors the life of Melissa George, daughter of Chris and Amy and sister to Ann Catherine and Lily Baker.  In order to participate as a team, you need eight (I think) participants who are at least five and who can swim.  If you're interested in your child being on a team with Kennedy either leave a comment or e-mail me.  The proceeds from the fundraiser go to Huntsville Hospital's NICU.  If we get a team together, I will also be hitting you up for donations. <3!!!!

Huge Haircuts

Kennedy has never before wanted a real haircut (only the occasional trim), so when she told me she wanted it cut, I immediately made an appointment for she and Case to get haircuts.  This was Case's first haircut, so it was huge, though very little was cut off.

Case's hair is wet, and he is entertained with his shoe!  Bring on the scissors!

This is Case's serious, Mom I can't believe you just let Mrs. Brenda get that close to me with blades look.  Doesn't he look so well-groomed?

Here's Bug's new haircut.  It makes her look a lot older.  Now she really looks like a first grader, though I'm still not sure that I'm ready for my baby to be in first grade!

Here they are together, after their huge haircuts!  So sweet and precious!

Thank you, precious Father, for our sweet babies!

Super Summer Saturday, Part 2

Today was not the most fun Saturday ever.  We got up and ate Hardee's for breakfast.  Matt loves their breakfast.  Matt took Kennedy swimming for a little while, and I stayed at home, cleaning as Case slept in his crib.  He has been taking his mid-morning nap in his crib all week (for about an hour and a half)!!!  He woke up just as I was finishing vacuuming.  We all got ready for church, enjoyed a wonderful meeting, and came home.  Matt and I watched a movie.  It was so bad I won't even tell the name of it.  Then I prepared three dishes for church tomorrow.  We have what we call regular meeting on the first Sunday of each month, and we cook dinner for our visitors. 

*children updates that I do not want to forget:

During church tonight, Case couldn't get enough of standing on the pew, turned around backwards admiring a little baby girl.  He is doing great on his standing.  He is holding on to things wonderfully, and he has even begun taking little steps.  He'll probably be cruising everywhere in a few more weeks. He has also pulled up in his crib onto his knees.  He is almost pulling up to his feet independently.  He loves to hold our fingers and walk.  Most times he walks tippy-toe, just like his sissy.

Kennedy can not get enough of her new haircut (pictures coming soon).  As I gave Case a bath the other day, I overheard her doing a freezer pop commercial in front of the mirror, all the while primping with her hands under the edges of her hair.  She has also decided that she does want to go to first grade after all. I'm still not so sure.  She and I have been working on her handwriting (so that I can perfect it, of course), and she told me that I am a really good teacher (though she didn't like me being so bossy about the letter formations).

Please pray for Princess Lindsay.  She just received a new heart this past Thursday.  She will turn one year old on June 11th.  I can't imagine the anguish of Lindsay's family or the donor family, but I know that God can comfort them all.  

Happy 8th Anniversary, Hub

June 2nd is Matt's and my anniversary.  If you've been around us any, you've most certainly heard me refer to Matt as Hub.  This is my name for him, though I've had others, such as Matchbox and Caveman (though that one really offended a co-worker of mine; "You call your husband Caveman?" she asked again and again.  Little did she know that Matt looked at it as a term of endearment; me not so much at first, but since he liked it so much I began to also. Then the Lord found him, and Hub is not so much of a caveman anymore, but Kennedy and I still enjoy telling him he is on the Geico commercials!)  I digress.

Well, today for our anniversary, I sent Matt off to work with a very sleepy kiss. We talked on the phone a few times, I took the kids to get their hair cut (pictures later, but too CUTE!!), I took Kennedy to her first tumbling class (where Matt met us), and then we went to eat (as a family) at Logan's (our anniversary tradition).  Case behaved himself for the meal, Kennedy always does, and as a special treat, Santa and a rock star (by rock star I mean a goth kid that Kennedy couldn't stop looking at; in the car she mentioned the rock star-her words not ours) even made an appearance!  We got home, I took Case to bed, Matt took Kennedy to bed, and that was our anniversary.  Seems a little boring, huh?  WRONG!!!  Let me explain.

Matt and I have a love unlike most people.  We truly know that God designed us and put us together because we best suit each other.  We are married because God wove a path from my childhood home in Atlanta to Matt's home in New Hope.  When my family left Atlanta, we went to Florida and then to Tennessee, before finally settling in Alabama (that's a whole different post).  I was seventeen when Matt and I began dating.  I remember everything about that first date and that first kiss.  Matt had me cracking up all night on our first date (not an easy feat mind you).  Later we danced, and then there was that magical kiss.  A kiss that told me that I never wanted to kiss another man for the rest of my life.  Matt and I fell in love, got engaged in May 1999 and were married on June 2, 2001.  We have a wonderful marriage, made all the more wonderful when God found us a few years ago.  We do not need a special day to celebrate our love.  We celebrate our love everyday.  Sure, there are bumps along the way, but we talk through our conflicts and always compromise.  We love each other enough to try to work on our shortcomings.  I do respect and reverence Matt, and I know that he loves and respects me with all of his heart. He is the head of our household and the one wearing the pants in the family (literally and figuratively ha!).  I am the one keeping the house (halfway) running.  We're a team, and with God on our side we are winning the battle here on this Earth, which runs rampant with sin, smut, divorce, infidelity, and filth everywhere you turn.  

So here are a few things that I love about my Hub (by the way, his nickname for me is Apey).  I love how he looks at our daughter as though she is the most beautiful and amazing little girl he has ever seen (because she is).  I love how he wrestles with her (though I wish they would stop when Case is asleep).  I love that it breaks his heart that she is growing up WAY TOO QUICKLY because it is breaking mine too, and we can lean on each other.  I love how he prayed for our second baby to be a boy so that he could teach him how to be a man (what a great example Matt is to Case).  I love how he has supported me in all of my endeavors.  He really encouraged me to finish my master's degree, and he always reassures me that I am a great teacher, even when I feel as though I have failed in a situation.  I love how Hub has encouraged and supported my efforts to nurse the babies.  I would venture to say that most husbands aren't so encouraging on this aspect, which is probably why a lot of new mothers either don't try or give up quickly.  It has been doubly hard with nursing Case because my milk supply keeps going up and down, but Matt has prayed about it each time that he has seen me in distress.   I am normally cheerful and upbeat, so a distressed Apey is no fun!  I love how Matt makes me laugh!  I love how Matt shows Kennedy new tricks and how he loves to lay with Case on his chest.  I love that he is in Kennedy's bed right now, sleeping with her because he knows a day is coming when he can't do that anymore.  I love how he compliments the meals I prepare and (hardly; there was a green beans incident) never complains about my meals.  I love our funny sayings (such as manaversaire).  Did I mention that I love how he looks?  My Hub is just so handsome!  I love that Matt and I are committed to being the best parents that God will allow us and teach us to be.  I love that Matt (and I) put God first in all things.  We do not waver on our beliefs, but yet we are accepting of the beliefs of others.  I love that Matt is a light to others.  I love that he is good at all activities that require only a single person (such as yo-yo-ing, jumping rope, puzzles, etc.; he's an only child after all).  I love how his face lights up when Case smiles at him.  I love how he sat with a bottle in Kennedy's mouth for a solid hour when we were trying to get her to drink from one for daycare purposes.  I love that he did it again with Case (though it only took a few minutes for Case since he was much older than Sissy had been).  I love that he actually reads this Blog.  I could go on for the next hour or two, but it's late, and I need some sleep.           

I love you, Hub.  Thank you for a wonderful 8 years of marriage.  I know we don't have to have a special day to celebrate, but maybe for ten years, we could get away, just the two of us for a few hours. <3>

Overheard

Kennedy had a friend, E,  to come over yesterday.  If you were a fly (or a brown recluse or a scorpion) on the wall, you may have heard the following at our house:

He's so cute!  ~ I fully expected to see Zac Efron on TV, but it was Kipper the dog (from a Sprout show)

Maybe a bug fluffed.  ~said by K after E stated that something stunk at the sprinkler

You'll never take us alive.  ~said about a hundred times by both girls, as they were running from poor defenseless, walker-bound Case

We should call Orkin.  They kill bugs DEAD!  ~said by K after Matt found a brown recluse crawling across his leg; we do get our house sprayed monthly; Mr. Leon is on his way tomorrow, as a matter of fact

But, Mom, he'll take us alive.  ~said by K after I asked the girls to play in the floor with Case

It's not a race.  ~when doing puzzles

She'll do those puzzles all night.  Please turn the light off in a little while.  ~K was extremely sleepy last night, after having arisen at 6am yesterday morning at E's house

AHHHHHHHH!!!!!  ~a bug was spotted on the wall when the girls were in the jacuzzi tub; they both JUMPED out of the tub and had Matt racing to see who had died/been severely injured

Why does she get tea?  ~to which I replied, "She already drank her healthy drink."  Milk was immediately slurped up so that the other girl could get tea too; I do make GOOD sweet tea

Here's a picture of the girls on a different day.  They sure do love each other!