It's Been A While...

First I thought I would add a few new pics of the girls. My sister took these at Portrait Innovations last week. I thought they turned out great. We are finally in our new house, but have had nothing but problems. On the second day we lived here, the sewer backed up and flooded the downstairs. They replaced everything down there, and then our house was struck by lightening which caused a whole list of damage. Now I have fire ants and spiders inside even after 2 treatments from an exterminator. He is on his way back today. The good news is I am off of work now and enjoying my kids, who are both healthy and doing great. Addie is growing up so fast, trying to keep up with Kendall, who is turning into a teenager already it seems. She just started ballet class, which she loves...but what an expensive hobby!! It is ridiculous! Kyle and I are great...just celebrated my 30th birthday and our 5th anniversary all in one week....poor guy:) We are headed to the beach for the 4th, so I will have to post pics of that. Last year when we went Addie couldn't walk yet, so this year I am sure it will be a handful!

Surgery is Upon Me!

I went today for my consultation and so many things were not right!

For simplicity, I'll make a list...

1. When I told the nurse my weight, her response was "You don't look that heavy." What the heck does that mean?


2. I find out that I can't eat after 2pm on Sunday and I have to drink 12oz. of laxative to "deflate my intestines". Does that sound fun?


3. I have to shower Sunday night and Monday morning in antiseptic to prevent MRSA. Oh, and did I mention I can't wear deoderant for 2 days!!!


4. The nurse who drew my blood had a disorder that causes tremors where her hands shake violently....and of course she had one while the needle was in my vein!


5. I have to wear two hospital bracelets all weekend to verify that my identity and blood type do not change before Monday...seriously!?!? They will be a great accessory to my girls night out!

Of course, when I got home I greased them with lotion, had mom pinch my hands as small as we could get them, and took them off....hopefully they will go back on Monday!

On a brighter note....I am attaching Easter pictures. Aren't they cute!

Update

So...I am officially living with my parents. It has been interesting, but we are adjusting. We are closing on our house on Monday, and our new house should be ready in a couple of months. We had some good news...Kyle's health issues aren't as bad as we anticipated, and after a biopsy on Monday, we can wait a year or two to begin the treatment. On the side of more bad news, I am having to have a hysterectomy on the 20th of April, so pray for that. My co-workers are wonderful, and are giving me plenty of sick days so that I don't have to lose my paycheck. Kendall had a round with strep throat during moving weekend, which yielded 2 trips to the Urgent Care after the first round of medicine made her vomit profusely. I am headed off to a night with friends this weekend, which I desperately need, and hopefully things will only get better.

If anyone still reads this...

So much has happened it is probably easier just to make a list...and I can't even promise that it is in order...
1. We have had the NEVER ending stomach virus. Why can't everyone just have it at the same time? Kendall started it on Valentines Day. A week or so passed and I thought the rest of us were safe...wrong...Addie started last week, then my mom, and then me. Kyle is pulling up the rear for us. I missed 4 days of work which isn't easy as a teacher, and now with snow in the forecast it looks like I won't be going tomorrow. At this rate I think I will just take off until next year:)

2. We sold our house, and are building a house is Tucker Chase in Midland. We will be moving in with Mom and Dad this month until it is ready. Pray for good weather!

3. We started going to church...or back to church...and it feels good. We had every intention of starting back after Kendall was born, and 3 1/2 years later here we are. The girls love their Sunday School classes, so it looks like it's going to be a good experience.

4. Kyle and I are both having some health issues, so keep us in your prayers for that. It looks like this year we just may have enough medical bills to write off on our taxes...talk about a silver lining!

5. I completed my portfolio for my National Board Certification and submitted it. Now I have to wait until November to see if I passed. It is crazy the amount of work a teacher has to do just to get a raise!

I am sure I missed something, and will try to post some pics soon. The girls are so big now it is riduculous! And they both came with attitudes just like their mommy, so that has been fun. I am sure the teens years will be an absolute joy:)

So Many Things Have Happened...

I know that it has been FOREVER. I can't find time to do this no matter how hard I try. I am back at work now, and working on National Board Certification so I have no time for anything anymore. Kendall turned 3 on October 14th. Addison had tubes put in her ears on the 15th after 8 ear infections.....the last of which took 4 antibiotic shots in a row to clear up. She is doing well now...except for the fact that she will not sleep through the night anymore unless she is in our bed. She is also as mean as a snake. I guess what people say about the second child is true. I will post a few pics and maybe have time to get back on here more regularly.

Kendall at her 3rd Birthday. She is so grown up!

Kendall, Addie, and Callie...our new yellow lab. I really needed another mouth to feed!


Kendall blowing out the candles on her castle cake.

Addison playing outside on Kendall's birthday. Did I mention she is a chunky little thing at 24 pounds and only 11 month old!

News

Okay...so I haven't had time to do this in forever! So much has been going on. We went to the beach in June, which both girls loved. Addie came back with a nasty sinus infection that took a month and 2 antibiotics to clear up. Kendall is now officially potty trained....except at night....and she loves to anounce to EVERYONE when she pees or poops in the potty...especially in public. Hopefully anyone with kids understands. Addie took 2 steps today.....she is only 8 months old. I thought I would have a baby forever, but she is determined to keep up with Kendall. I admire all the stay at home moms out there because I am ready to go back to work just to rest. They are definately keeping me busy. I also took up running this week. I have been working out since a few months after Addie, but this week I decided to kick it up a notch. So far I have lost 50 pounds, which I am very proud of. Let's just hope my motivation doesn't die and that I can keep it off. Kyle has also lost about 20 pounds, which he isn't happy about, because I have started cooking differently. I keep telling him it isn't going to hurt him, but I also keep find receipts for candy bars in his wallet....

Our First Trip to the Zoo

Kyle and I both took the day off of work today and took Kendall to the zoo in Asheboro. We left Addie at home with my mom, which turned out to be a really good idea because it turned out to be HOT by the end of the day. We swore that we were going to make this trip BEFORE it got hot, but we didn't make it. Kendall had a great time...actually we all had fun. I haven't been to the zoo since I was little so I think I was just as excited as she was. Here are a few of the 70 something pictures that I took.

Kendall and a baby hippo

Kendall and Mommy on the Carousel

Taking a much needed break

Kendall and Kyle looking at Zebra's

Kendall and Addie when we got home today...they missed each other

Just a few of the animals we saw today during our 6 mile walk.....up hill!!!!

New Pics

I have been terrible about posting pictures. I just had 170 pictures developed that go all the way back to about 3 weeks before Christmas....yes I am slack! Here are a few of the girls....yes some of them are old and outdated but still cute!

Kendall and Addie hanging out

Sucking on her fingers...a favorite pastime

Hanging out in Addie's crib

Addies first real bath
Kendall on Christmas morning
Addie's first Christmas...all she did was sleep!
Bonding while watching TV

Kendall after her first haircut

It's Been a While!

I don't even know where to start. I feel like I haven't had time to breath, much less write on this thing. So much has happened recently. Addison had her 4 month check up on the 27th of March. She weighed 15 pounds and 4 oz. She was 25 1/2 inches long. I thought that was huge for a 4 month old, but I looked back at Kendall's baby book, and she was only one ounce lighter, but she was an inch longer than Addie. I hope that doesn't mean that Addie is doomed to be short like me. Addie also finally rolled over back to front on April 1st. I swear she is already starting to crawl. She will pull her knees up and push herself across the floor. The only problem with that is that she buries her head while she does it....so I am afraid we are going to end up with some serious carpet burn.
We are also in the process of trying to potty train Kendall. She was doing pretty good for her age until Addie was born, then it all went out the window, so we are starting over. The problem is she doesn't seem to be bothered to be wet. She will announce to me that she pee-peed (not sure how to spell that), and then when I ask her is she wants me to change her she says "no...it's okay". We have now resorted to bribing her with M&M's. The only time she can have them is if she uses the bathroom in the potty.....we'll see how that works. People keep saying that it will happen eventually, and I guess it will. You don't see too many adults walking around in diapers, so I guess everyone learns how at some point!
Things are pretty good with everyone else. I am in the race to lose the baby weight plus about 50 pounds by summer time. How come it is so easy to put it on, not to mention fun, but it is so hard to get it off!! I have like 10,000 pictures on my camera that I need to post, but that will have to wait....right now I am going to try and catch up on some much needed sleep!

What a Long Week!!

Kyle has been out of town all week for work...what a challenge. Things have gone well for the most part, but I miss my husband!! It has broken my heart the way that Kendall runs in the house every day calling for her Daddy...and he isn't there. She asks me everyday if Daddy is ever coming home. Kyle is having a tough time too...which actually surprises me. He isn't real emotional most of the time, and I figured he would kinda float through this week without it really bothering him...I was wrong. He says he misses his girls like crazy....I just let myself assume that that means me too:) Things will be back to normal...whatever that is...tomorrow night and I can't wait!
Oh...Addy is rolling over. She started about a week ago. I don't know if I had mentioned that earlier or not. She was 3 months old yesterday....time really flies with the second one!

Not much is happening...

Everything has been pretty normal around my house recently......everyone is finally well, and both kids have been sleeping all night. It kinda seems too good to be true so I am waiting on something weird to happen. Kendall had her first haircut last week...it wasnt' really long...but it needed to be cut just to look healthy. She did a great job. She also had her first dentist visit on Monday....that wasn't as good as the haircut. She did okay with the brushing, but not so good with the scraping....and we didn't even attempt the flouride because she refused to use the little straw that sucks all the spit and water out of your mouth. She kept telling the hygienist she was "all done". I was really glad to get out of there. I will post some pics later. I can't seem to find time at home to do that....I have to take time at work just to write this. It is sad when things are less hectic at work than at home!!!

Call me Cruel.....

Calvin is going to a new home. He has become an expense that we can't afford. I tried to tell Kyle that from the beginning, but you know how men can be. We have spent about $300 on our "free" dog in the past month, and now something is wrong with his foot. Kyle wanted to take him to the vet, and I told him we didn't have the money. The kids are getting more expensive, with haircuts and dental appointments and preschool.... I told him that if he wanted to sell his new(used) truck then we would be able to afford the dog. He finally agreed that he may be better off with someone else. It is funny how reasonable men become when they may have to sacrifice their toys!!!! Kendall seems okay with it....I don't think she was all that attached yet. I hope she handles it well. I am sure we will have a family pet one day...when the timing is better.

Sick Again

I am beginning to hate winter. We are sick again. It started with Kendall this time...coughing, runny nose, and a fever. We went to the doctor and they checked her for the flu. Luckily it was negative. The did give me some prescription cough medicine for her and it is the BEST stuff ever. It stops the coughing all night and doesn't make her jittery like OTC medicines. I thought that she would be the only one sick for a few days, and then yesterday I started coughing and running a fever...this morning it was Kyle's turn. We are just hoping to keep it away from Addison.
On a more positive note...Addison is sleeping through the night and has done it consistently for about a week and a half now. I started feeding her rice cereal a couple of times per day and she started sleeping through the night. I don't care what the doctors say....you sleep better when your tummy is full. She is starting to lift her chest off of the ground during tummy time, and I swear she is already trying to roll over. She prefers her side anyway, and I think one day soon she is just going to roll all the way.
Calvin....the new puppy....is good. He sleeps in the garage in a cardboard mansion. Now that he isn't keeping me awake I guess he isn't so bad. As long as Kyle continues to pick up his poop I think I will let him stay.

Another New Family Member...

Okay...I was happy with having a fish...very little maintenance and it doesn't cry at night. On Friday Kyle calls me at work...which never happens...and tells me he has a surprise for me. I thought "Yeah...he finally has the romance thing happening and is going to do something sweet!" Then he tells me that he found a puppy at work. He says that he is bringing it home for Kendall. Don't get me wrong....I like dogs....but we do have a newborn that I am still not sure we can afford. The timing was all wrong. He repeatedly reminds me that if we take it to the pound they will gas it...which he describes in detail....and then continues to remind me that it is free, and that Kendall will love it. He was right about Kendall loving it....not about the free part. This "free" puppy has cost us almost $200 up to this point. To top it off, Addison slept all night Friday and Saturday....but we were up with the puppy. Can I not catch a break? I woke up Sunday ready to call the pound, but Kendall is so attached and I kinda like the little guy too....so he is staying. I told Kyle that he would have to get up with him every night...which is starting to wear on him.....which is kinda funny. Kendall named the dog Calvin. He was 5 weeks old and 1.5 pounds when Kyle found him. He is a boxer mixed with who knows what. Here are some pics of the new puppy and a picture of Addison who is 9 weeks old today......wow time sure does fly when you don't have time to breathe.

Calvin and Kendall

Miss Addy playing with her bug

She still doesn't get the concept of a small smile....it's all teeth!

The cute little money pit!!

Calvin just had his first bath and Kendall wanted to keep him warm...she can be so sweet when she wants to be!

New Family Member

We finally made the decision this weekend to get Kendall a pet. Kyle begged for a dog....a big dog....and I voted for no pets. We compromised and got a beta fish. Kendall was excited for about the first 20 minutes, and now she doesn't pay him a whole lot of attention. His name is Nemo....which I am sure is a very common fish name. I tried to tell her that Nemo is a boy and is orange, and our fish is a girl and is blue...so Nemo wasn't a great name...but she insisted so we have a female fish called Nemo. We found a really cool fish bowl that hangs on the wall, so we put him in her room. She talks to him occasionally and is proud to show him off to anyone who comes over. I know that it is good for her to have something to take care of. Kyle is really wanting a dog...a rottweiler to be exact. I just can't stand the thought of dodging dog poop every time I go in the backyard. Not to mention food and vet bills. I can barely afford the kids that I have!!:) I will post some pictures later of Nemo.
Today is my first day back at work and it was hard to leave the girls. Why can't I just win the lottery and stay home forever!!!

Sick Again?!?!

I think that I am going to live in a bubble for the next month to avoid all possible germs. Kendall started coughing again last night and has a runny nose again. It looks like she is getting another cold! I thought when I went on maternity leave that I was going to get to enjoy my kids and get to know Addison. All we have done is fight colds and wipe noses.
Kendall did have a pretty exciting moment this morning. I had jumped in the shower and she came into the bathroom with her pajamas already off. She loves to be naked so I assumed she had just taken them off because she was tired of wearing them. She told me she pee peed (not sure how to spell that) and I assumed she meant in her diaper. She wanted me to come to her bathroom so I did. She had taken her pajamas off, pulled down her diaper, peed in the potty, wiped, and pulled her diaper back up all by herself!! I was so excited. She has been going to the potty on and off for a while now, but never totally on her own. I was very proud!
Maybe she will be trained in the next few weeks so that I only have to keep one kid in diapers. Why is something so necessary so expensive?
Well here are some pictures from Christams and some random ones of the girls.

Kendall and Mommy making cookies for Santa.

Kendall on Christmas morning.

Kendall and Mommy playing with Kendalls new flutes.
Kendall and Addison watching Dora.

Hapy New Year!!

Everyone is finally getting better around my house. I think that the RSV is gone. Both girls still have a cough, but the doctor said that it could last for up to a month. My mom is actually keeping both girls tonight for the first time, and Kyle and I actually get to go out and come home and sleep all night.


Christmas was good for us. Santa was good to Kendall, and she has hibernated in her room since Christmas day playing with all of her new toys. I haven't loaded my Christmas pics yet, but I will post some when I get that done. Addison has discovered that she likes to be held all of the time, so I don't get to sit down very often and do anything.


Well.....here are some pics that I have had for a while but couldn't post. Thanks Carrie for helping me out.

Mommy and Kendall acting silly right befor Addison was born.

Addison at 2 days old.

Big sister Kendall feeding Addison

The Picture thing

My sis helped me with the picture thing. Here is a pic of Daddy with his girls.

Here We Go AGAIN!!

What a week! We have all been sick, which is hard enough. I took Kendall to the Doctor on Tuesday and they told me that it was just a cold and not to worry. She got worse...I took her back today and they tell me she has an ear infection in both ears, a sinus infection, and she tested positive for RSV, a severe respiratory infection. I had to leave Addison with my Mom for the weekend because she can't be around Kendall. They said that if Addison ends up with it, she will most likely end up in the hospital with a ventilator....that is not what you want to hear about your child! Pray for me please!!!! Hopefully everyone will be well before Santa's big visit.

Wow...What a Week!

Our first week at home was definately an adjustment. We are getting in to the routine though. Addison is still sleeping fairly well, and Kendall seems to be getting back to normal. She absolutely loves her little sister. We had an incident on Wednesday with Kendall at preschool. She was bitten for the first time ever....on her face. I had to fight the instinct to get totally upset, and remind myself that this kind of thing happens, and that it could have just as easily been my child that bit someone....but when you see your precious little girl come home with someone elses teeth imprinted right below her eye all of your logic goes out the window.
I also attempted to take pictures of the girls to put on Christmas cards. My sister is a professional photographer, but I didn't want to take a 2 week old to a germ infested studio during flu season, so I figured I could do just as good of a job myself....I was mistaken. The pictures weren't horrible but by no means professional. I am sure my sister will laugh at them, but anyone with kids will understand that it was a pretty big task to get a 2 year old and a 2 week old to pose for a picture. I am going to attempt to post some of the pics, along with one on our first bite.

Okay...the pictures aren't cooperating again.....I will play with it later and see what happens. I think my computer hates me!