The Little Things

I'm noticing more and more lately just how enjoyable the little things are.  I tend to occupy my mind with details and future events and what needs to be done or cleaned.  I try not to beat myself up over it too much, but I do want to try and slow down and just enjoy hanging out with my two kiddos.  


So, if anyone needs a recipe for fun here ya go:


Ingredients:
Trampoline
3 year old girl in a cute lil swimming suit
9 month old boy in nothing but a diaper
Folding Lawn Chair
Water Hose
Spray Nozzle


Mix together and here is the end result:

 Yields:  Dozens of giggles and laughter from cute, wet, kids.


In trying to think up an alternative to packing all our gear, suits, sunscreen, and diaper bag up to the community pool, we decided to strip down (the kids of course) and break out the hose.  Addison loves being sprayed while jumping on the trampoline.  And not surprisingly, I love to spray her as well.  Her favorite game is when I do a "little bit of water" so she can come get a drink and then when she's walking away I'll blast it on her little bum.  


Jonas is even easier to please.  All I have to do is sit him in the lawn chair and sprinkle him with water and he's happy.  Especially when he gets to play in the small collection of water in the seat.  He was so enthralled with it all that he refused to look at me for a picture.  


A great time was had by all.  This will definitely be a favorite activity we will return to many more times before the end of the summer.

Conceited?

Is it wrong to be convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that I have the two cutest children out there?  I'm not sure if that is still classified under conceited or not.  I guess if it is, I'm guilty.  


Before I had children, I used to believe all babies were cute just by merely being babies.  It didn't take long before I realized I was quite wrong.  In actuality, very FEW babies are cute.....especially when they are newborns and all wrinkled and squishy.  This of course, excludes my children and a few select others out there.  Nope, I won't be naming names.  I'm just glad I'm in the minority on this one folks.  And trust me, I like to think I'm the type of parent that would totally admit it if I had an ugly child.


Quite often, I find myself in awe of their beauty.  Even when I'm using the restroom and Addison is, of course, standing 2 inches away from me and jabbering my ear off.  I just marvel at how two cuties could come out of my tummy.  I must say John and I make cute babies.  Time to announce it to blog-land....that is if I haven't already announced it to you in person like I have to most people I know.  

"I Was Running!"

Said in the best Forrest Gump impersonation.  And yes, I probably resembled Forrest Gump while I was doing it.  


For the past year or so I've been trying to start up running again and convince myself I enjoy it.  Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.  Which is why I have to periodically sign up for 5K's to help motivate me in this endeavor.  


But, this 5K wasn't too hard to sign up for considering 95% of my family was doing it also.  It's hard to imagine that a family who used to plan their weekends and fun around dinners and restaurants and eating are now planning them around 5K's.  I still can't comprehend it myself.  


The kids and I took a little road trip (with Grandma in tow) to Kansas City to participate in the KC Temple Run 5K.  It was the 2nd annual but my first time at this one.  I was quite impressed with the turn out since I was expecting a low-key event.  It was a great cool & breezy day and the scenery of the KC temple was enjoyable as well.  Funny how "wind" is a good thing when you are sweating but a bad thing when it's pushing against you at the end of a race.  All my family whooped me and got much better times.  However, I was just lucky to shave a minute off of my usual time and doing that on about 3 hours of sleep thanks to a wonky crazy night the night before wherein there was puking, eating, falling off beds, trying to sleep on beds, Dr. Phil marathons, crying children, rotating beds, etc.  In no particular order.  


It was a fun time but lets just say, I still haven't achieved my goal of running a whole 5k (in competition) without stopping.  All the adrenalin in the air gets me starting my first mile so fast that I'm wiped out by my 2nd and 3rd and just grateful to be standing vertical at the end.  


In summary, it was a great run, a great time with a great family, and I have a few ideas as to training approaches to tweak so I can finally accomplish my goal one of these days.

Grandpa Bell & Addison hanging out before the run.  She loves her some Grandpa.

My best friend/cousin Jared and his cute little girly Makayla.  He was a designated "babysitter."  He still belongs to the side of the family that doesn't run. ;-)

Addison and her medal after she completed the kids race w/Grandpa.  She got to borrow my running bib so she could be just like Mommy.

Almost all of the grandkids after they finished the kid race....showing off their medals.

The crazy running adults pre-run.

The crazy running adults post-run and all sweaty.  Don't zoom in, trust me.

Stay tuned to hear the rest of the festivities we enjoyed while playing in KC.

Splish Splash

Just thought you needed your daily dose of wet, adorable, squeezy, nakey, babies today.  Enjoy.  'Nuff said.  Your welcome.

Turkey Timer

Jonas LOVES to stick his feet straight up in the air when he falls asleep.  It's not only hilarious but adorable as well.  Without fail, every time I lay him in his crib, his feet shoot straight up.  Then as he drifts off to dreamland they slowly fall back down to the mattress.  Which makes it difficult to actually cover him in a blanket.  And of course, they return straight up once he wakes up in the morning.  All I have to do to see if he's awake for the day is peek in the door and look for the feet.  


He's hilarious, and adorable, and flirty, and easy going, and I think it's cute how his little hair wispy's stand straight up on the back of his head.  I sure do love my little turkey timer.

Old Dog. Same Tricks.

And they still aren't working - go figure.
  
For my devoted blog readers (aka my favorite people) you may have remembered this blog post about a certain "Devil Fly".  It was quite the ordeal and experience.  


As it turns out, the flies have returned and so has my lack of sanity.  I've determined we can't coexist without one of us losing their life - and I'd rather it be them.  Which is why I've yet again tried to come up with a creative way of making them die.   Insert evidence A & B your honor:

Am I the only one who has tried the old "Clear Packing Tape on Trash Can Covered in Honey" trick?  If so, don't do it - it doesn't work.  However, it made sense since my minutes of observation concluded that they land on the trash can all the time, they like sweet things, why not honey ON a trash can?  Makes sense right?  Actually, it just makes a mess.  Which is why I also decided to attempt the "bubble soap in a yellow dish" method.  It's common knowledge that flies prefer yellow over any other color folks.  Seriously, thats what I've been told by Pinterest.  And the same people also told me that they like to taste the sweet bubble soap and DIE.  However, scenario B didn't work either.  


So, all I made was a mess and sat and watched it while the flies flew around it and mocked me.  I guess worse case scenario I could have saved myself some time and actually picked up a fly swatter and killed them.  Or, perhaps actually take out the stinky trash?  Nah, that's not fun enough.  Death to the flies.  The End.

I'm A Mom

Shocking? Nope.  But apparently I'm also a Mom that is a bit delayed in posting yet again.  That must mean I'm so busy being a wonderfully, talented, sewing, crafting, cuddling and loving on my super sweet children - type of mom that I have NO time to blog right?  Eh, not so much....except for the cuddling part....more days than not.  In all honesty, we've actually just been sooo busy have sooo much fun that I haven't wanted to spend my down-time blogging just yet.  So, now that I'm rested....I'm back.  Enjoy the gazillion blog posts sure to follow.


Wow, I'm verbose.  In getting back to the actual reason for this post, I wanted to blog about my wonderful Mother's Day before I forget it all the fun details.....and it did have lots.  Just not lots of pictures.


The day started like any other....us laying around and relaxing until we find ourselves scrambling for our "early start-time" of 11:00 church.  (Not sure how we'll survive switching to 9:00 church soon).  Anyway, we enjoyed church and Addison particularly enjoyed my rose handed out by the young men as part of Mother's Day.  


The best part was waiting for me at home.  Dinner made by John.  Check it out!

We've been trying to hone our healthy eating skills so he created this masterpiece.  It's a lighter version of Cashew Chicken and was quite tasty.  Especially the "me not making dinner" part.  :D


Then afterwards I was showered with gifts.  And it was creatively done around a theme.  I was quite impressed with the Daddy's skills.  It started with adorable hand made cards.  One from Addison and then one from all three of them.  The group card had a picture of a sailboat on it with the words "We would be adrift without you Mom!"  And then a random top hat drawn on it - which made sense later.  Originally I just thought it was an attempt to black out a drawing mistake.  ;-)


So, out came the paper hat with my favorite gift ..... COUPONS!  The real kind that are hand made and offer nothing but wonderful wonderful service.  Priceless in my opinion and always wanted.  What are they serving me with you ask?

• Bathroom Cleaning (From Dad) - I H.A.T.E. cleaning bathrooms folks....hate it.
• Breakfast in Bed (From Dad) - Delish!  Who doesn't like to eat before they even get out of bed?
• Cuddles (From Addison & Jonas) - Two of the most squeeziest, cuddliest, children I've met.
• Mommy/Daughter Date (From Addison) - We could always use some one-on-one time and she is so fun to hang out with when we leave all the tantrums (from both of us) behind.
• Baths & Bedtime (From Dad) - as in he does it all while I nap or watch or relax.
• Dinner of your Choice (From Dad) - he makes some pretty great meals.
• Girls Night Out (From Dad) - These are ALWAYS needed.
• One Wish (From Dad) - Woohoo a wild card!  Hmmmm how will I spend it?
• Mommy/Son Date (From Jonas) - He's such a handsome and easy going little fella.  Plus his smile just melts me every time.

I haven't quite used any of them yet but I am definitely plotting in my head and selectively choosing which to start with.  Can't wait to cash them in.


Then, I was given a few gifts that had to do with light.  Get it, the sailboat, needs a lighthouse to find shore, kinda like a Mom helps do with her family?  Creative.  Plus, I really enjoyed my fancy candles and candle holder to boot.


After that, we enjoyed a nice visit with Grandma & Grandpa Fields and I even got to talk to my own Mother on the phone.  It was a great day.


I'm so very grateful for the Mothers I have in my life and all they've sacrificed.  Whether it was raising me or raising my husband.  I'm sure it wasn't easy at times but they did a wonderful job.  And now, I'm reaping the blessings and enjoying a husband who appreciates me being a Mother to his children.  I'm very grateful that he's always aware and appreciative of just how much work it can be at times.  It's the greatest job I've ever had and trust me, I've had a LOT of jobs.  And thanks to the two adorable cute kiddos who finally gave me my dream job.  I couldn't have hand picked any better ones.

Idol Threats

Addison loves this lady....uh LOT apparently.

This is my mom, also known as Grandma Bell.  This past Sunday, I was on the phone with her wishing her a Happy Mother's Day (she's one of the best) and I was holding Jonas and of course Addison was attacking us and wrestling and I was going bonkers with the lack of personal space.  Grandma told me to tell Addison that "She better stop or tell her Grandma Bell is going to come get her!"  Immediately Addison gets excited, jumps off the bed and runs to tell Daddy with a big smile on her face ..."Grandma Bell going to come get me Daddy!"  The poor thing thought that Grandma Bell was not only coming for a visit but that she would be coming to pick her up soon.  She loves her Grandma - and I do too.  She's a pretty fun lady.


Even today, Addison called Grandma on her pretend phone and told me "I calling Grandma.  She coming to get me."  Yup, three days later.  This little girly never forgets.


Let's hope that Grandma Bell can really "come get her" this Friday as we meet up with her for a brief Kansas City trip.  I'm holding out hope that Addison's fever is just that and not the wretched hand foot and mouth disease that is going around as of late.  Love you Grandma Bell!

She-Ra!

 I grew up watching He-Man and She-Ra as Masters of the Universe.  I've decided Addison is She-Ra.....or else she'd like to be.  Even though she's never heard of her....yet ;-).

She-Raaaaa!!  Princess of Power!!

Why have I nicknamed her this?  Because she thinks she has the power to move the sun.  Many times, while we are driving down the road, she'll yell at the Sun when it's in her eyes.  "Move Sun!  You're hurting my eyes"  "Go away Sun!" etc. etc.  Oh the innocent mind of a two year old.  I assure her that it's the Sun and it usually makes people happy and she does not have the ability to make it go away and that she should probably just close her eyes in the meantime.  Actually, now that I think of it, I think she's more of a fan of the moon.  She loves pointing it out when it comes out in the sky.  And so far, it has not hurt her eyes that I know of.  


And she also thinks she has the power to shush Jonas.  Jonas has mastered his trait of screeching and squealing just to be heard.  It's not the most pleasant sound to my ears and apparently Addison has decided the same.  She keeps telling Jonas to "shush"  or "stop yelling brudder" or "be quiet!"  I've assured her that it's his way of talking and that she needs to be nice to him.  And that she wouldn't like it if he told her to be quiet, etc. etc.  Apparently, my explanations haven't landed on deaf ears.  The other day as we were driving, I was talking to Jonas and saying something to the effect of not being fond of his latest talking ability and quickly Addison told me "He just talking' Momma, he just talkin'"  Hmmm....pwn'd by my child yet again.  At least I'm relieved she is actually listening to what I say.  Most days it doesn't seem like it.


Oh and another funny thing about Addison....  The other day we were shopping in Wal-mart and I was checking out toys for her upcoming birthday party.  As we were leaving the aisle she came running up to me asking me if we could stay.....and told me she had to "check her email" really quick.  Whuh?  So, of course, I had to oblige and wait on her to check her email.  So many pressing duties in the life of a 2 year old eh?

 

In This Corner....

Weighing in at a whopping 21.5 lbs and 29 3/4" is little J. McKay

Yep, there's a reason we call him 'lil beef.  He da big boy!

Today, we headed to the doctor for what I thought was a well child visit for this little guy.  It's a little disconcerting when the nurse asks you what you are there for.  Um, isn't that why I pay you guys the big bucks?  Don't you have a record of some sort?  Yikes.  Anyway, I figured we had already walked in the door and thus would be charged a co-pay so I decided to stay and ask the Dr. a few random questions about Jonas.  They ended up turning it into a 9 month well child visit even though he's technically 8 1/2 months but oh well.  At least we got measurements.  And this little guy....er big guy....is still hovering around the top of the charts in pretty much every category.  They don't measure the head anymore at this age but I can look at it and tell you it's a Hufford Head and is likely at the 99.9 percentile.  His weight is around 75th percentile and his length is in the 90th percentile.  Honestly, I don't remember any instance where he dipped below the 50th percentile since he's been born.  He's a big boy and perfectly proportional in all his big-ness according to the doctor's professional opinion.  Just as I expected.

He's still toothless but drooling and snotting like crazy.  So hopefully any day now.  His head is a bit misshapen but apparently that happens when you prefer sleeping on one side of it like he does.  And the poor guy's bowels have had a bit of a battle adjusting to solid foods but luckily that is improving and will continue to once he decides to get moving more.  Hint.....crawl Jonas crawl!  Of course, once he starts crawling I'll miss the days where I could just sit him down and not have to worry about what he got into.  

He's such a fun kid and so squeezy and so laid back.  I've been told by many just how good he is.  He's just content to sit and hang out and watch his surroundings while we shop.  There are many times he acts TONS better than his 2 year old sister while out in public.  I've even spent the last two days planting flowers and he happily just sits in the grass and watches me.  That makes me one happy mama!!

Oh and his latest trick:

He's a bottle holder boy now!  Anything to keep the food coming right? ;-)

Thievery

And so the life of crime begins at two years old....sigh. ;-)


If you see me being hauled away in the paddy-wagon just know it was Addison's fault.  Two days ago we were in Target and I happened across clearance galore.  I was in heaven.  I started digging for my bargains while Addison started jabbering and asking me a billion questions every 3 seconds.  Remember, I'm not good at multi-tasking.  And I love me some clearance.  So, lets just say I wasn't the most patient Mommy that day.  


Apparently, for the two minutes she decided to not jabber, she was busy stuffing things into the back pocket of my diaper bag.  Yep, the one I NEVER check or get into.  On our way to check-out, I remember asking her what happened to the shirt we had picked out for her.  She had no clue where it went.  I figured she'd probably dropped it in an aisle somewhere and thought nothing of it as we picked up another one to replace it.


Two days later I find it.  Crammed into the diaper bag pocket with some gardening wire that I had completely forgot about.  It all comes flooding back to me now.  I'm a shoplifter.  And it's my child's fault.  Time to fess up and head back to Target I guess.


As a disclaimer, I am 99.9% sure she had no ill intentions or even a clue as to what she was doing.  So, if there is time to be served, I will serve it. ;-)  I took a few minutes to try and explain how that was "stealing" and it wasn't good to do.  How exactly do you explain stealing to a two-year old who didn't have any clue what she was doing?  I guess it's time to figure it out.  And apparently it's also time to do a diaper bag check upon leaving any/all stores.  


She did the crime.  I'll do the time.  And it'll make for a funny story as she gets older.  Lets hope Target thinks it's equally as funny as we do. ;-)

8 Months Old

Alas, we are now caught up on this little guy's milestones.  This past Tuesday, Jonas officially turned 8 months old.  Still amazing how quickly it goes by.  Especially so since he's a second child and life just seems to fly by in general.  I do realize (and am grateful for) how much easier it is for me to slow down and enjoy the kids more than I seemed to the first time around.  Less anxiety, less stress, more confident, etc. etc.  All I know is that I love just sitting and watching both of them and observing just how good and sweet and kind and obedient they really are.  I'm a lucky lady to have such good little kids....and they are cute too!


Again, with our 8 month photo shoot we took advantage of a park/picnic just so we'd make sure not to forget or procrastinate it yet again like we did last time.  So, this is technically the DAY he turned 8 months - pretty impressive eh?  Let's not hold out hope it'll happen again. ;-)

This is what happens when sister helps me make him smile.  She's good.

And this is what happens when I'm left to do it on my own.  Still cute though!

Lets not focus on the fact he's in the same outfit that he wore in his 7 month pictures.  I promise, they were taken on different days...and yes, the laundry was washed in between.  ;-)

Jonas just loves to sit and play and is content to do so wherever you plant him.  He rarely ever needs toys either.  He'll always find something to entertain him whether it's grass, or a binky, or just watching his surroundings.  I love that he is so chill and mellow.  I hope it is here to stay...of course with a little bit of rowdy boy mixed in as well.  

No doctor's appointment this time around either but we will have one in a  couple of weeks so we'll find out his exact measurements then.  Lets just say he's still a big boy.  Doesn't have a lot of rolls or chub but he's long and solid.  Neither of my babies have really had the huge rolls but they haven't been featherweights either so who knows where they hide all that chunk.

Jonas has an adorable smile and is very generous with it.  Especially when Addison looks at him.  I love watching them sit and play together or watch a movie together.  They are the best of buddies still.  I hope they stay that way for their whole lives.  Occasionally, Addison will either crowd  him or get too rough with him or take his toy away just for the sake of it but otherwise they get along great.  I would have to say that is the funnest thing about having two kids is seeing the relationship they share with each other.  Especially watching it grow every day.

Jonas has learned a few tricks and still maintains the ones he learned awhile back.  He now knows how to juggle his binky in his chubby fingers until it is planted perfectly in his little juicy mouth.  However, at night time or nap time he still prefers Mom to come give it to him.  He is sleeping very well through the night now with an occasional binky request but doesn't need the bottle anymore.  I'll happily oblige. :D  He has a cute way of putting himself to sleep where he'll just hum to block out any noise and then he's out.  It's quite entertaining when we get the stares at church as they try to figure out where the noise is coming from.  

He is slobbering and drooling and snotty a lot lately which I presume it means teeth are on their way soon but they haven't poked out quite yet.  Other than that he's a pretty happy guy and such an easy baby.  

To be honest, I didn't think I'd be able to come up with a lot of stuff about Jonas for two blog posts in a row but apparently it was easier than I realized.  It's so easy to talk about this little guy and all my observations as I stare at him and admire him day-to-day.  Most days I wonder how I got so lucky to have the kids I have.  (Key word being "most"...we still have our crazy days tossed in there too folks. ;-)

Happy 8 months old Jonas McKay!  

  

7 Months Old

So, before one can turn 8 months old - they have to actually turn 7 months old.  Which Jonas did....a month ago.  However, Mommy has yet to post about it.  I have spent everyday thinking about doing it - does that count?  I don't know where the time has gone but this little boy is growing faster than I can imagine.  And we've been so busy lately that we haven't had a chance to celebrate his 7 month milestones either.  


So here is an improvised picture of the little 7 month old dude....when he was technically 7 1/2 months old.  Yep, poor 2nd child.  Hopefully he doesn't suffer too much from his birth placement.  

Point those toes!

There weren't any doctor's visits for the 7 month marker so I'm only guessing that he was probably pushing close to 20 lbs which means he likely doubled his birth weight now.  His head is still huge and he's still a big boy.  So much so that my arm is getting quite the workout.  Now, I find reasons to get him out of the carrier so I don't have to lug both of them around when we run errands.  And it helps that he's finally interested in sitting up all by himself...finally! :D  So, he rolls occasionally, sits up rather well with only a few tips backward, but has yet to show any desire to crawl, or pull-up, or walk.  I try not to worry about it too much.  He's a very happy baby and quite content with life just as he has it.  When you are waited on hand and foot - what isn't to like right? ;-)  


He is still toothless as well which may be a blessing in disguise.  I've heard from numerous people that the longer it takes for them to get teeth, the stronger they are when they come in.  So, if that's the case, we'll take it.  However, he has seemed rather fussy lately so I'm guessing they will be making their debut soon.  


He is SUCH a chill little dude.  Just sits back and smiles and enjoys life.  And we enjoy life with him in it.  I look at him multiple times throughout the day and think..."Man you are soooo adorable!  How can you be soooo cute?"  He's a looker that's for sure.  Maybe I should start crafting ways to keep the girls away from him soon.


I like to joke that he 'talks like a man but he screams like a girl'.  For any who have heard him jabber, it's a rather deep voice.  I've gotten used to hearing it but many people remind me just how deep his little voice is for such a little guy.  However, he has acquired a new talent, screaming....just to be heard.  And it's not the 'I'm in pain so I'm screaming' it's the "I'm bored and no one is paying attention to me and I have something to say" type scream.  Yes, it can usually go on for a long time.  Sometimes it's cute and sometimes the cuteness fades pretty quickly.  


We love having our little J. McKay in our family.  He's quite the popular little guy between all of us.  Happy 7 months old (a month ago) Jonas! :D

It's Official!

Nope, this is not a pregnancy post - got ya didn't I?  However, technically we did welcome a new addition this morning at 11:00.  Check out this beauty...

We've been drooling over this piece of land, well this neighborhood, for a couple of years now.  Driving by often to check on it, dream about it, etc.  Thinking...one day if it's still for sale, we'll buy it.  In the meantime, if it sold to someone else it'd be meant to be.  Well the first lot we were eyeing did sell - RIGHT as we were ready to act on it.  Oh well, it was a sign.  Then this piece was our 2nd preference....which ended up being bumped to our 1st preference because it was oh so much better.  So, it was a win in the end anyway.  Luckily, the current owners didn't even have it listed but when our agent went a calling, they were interested.  And today, we finally got to meet them for the first time as we exchanged ownership.  Woohoo!


The gestation period will be roughly 2 years before we do anything with it but ideally we will build eventually.  In the meantime, we'll be dreaming of what to build which is almost as fun.  Of course, we will get to maintain the grass for now and I'm considering pitching a tent and forwarding my mail soon.  Hey, it's legal now ya know! ;-)


The previous owners were workaholics and didn't have any kids.  This land was definitely meant for kids to run and play on.  All is well that ends well.  Welcome to the family pretty little lot of land.  :D