Big girls!

Miss Carys had her 6 month appt on Monday. She's 19.4# (95th %) and 26" long(50th %). She's a chunk!!! She keeps moving from a sitting position to all fours and then plops on her belly. She's far more interested in crawling than Maylene ever showed- probably because she wants to keep up with big sister so much!

Maylene has been working in a pre-school book where she's practicing writing letters and shapes and following directions. She's doing a great job with it so far! We're looking into her going to pre school once or twice a week because she loves doing her "homework" and wants to go to school so bad. I hope this attitude sticks around!!

Maylene is three!

I cannot believe my baby girl is three years old. Time has gone by so fast. I was looking through all my old pictures of her and I just couldn't believe how much he has changed. Her and I watched old videos of her when she was little(er) and she was cracking up. There was one video in particular of her going nuts playing with Colin. She was doing this weird scream and 3 year old Maylene just thought 1 year old Maylene was hilarious.

We went to Red Robin for her birthday dinner the night before her birthday. Colin's mom made us homemade Mac and cheese (Maylene's favorite) for her dinner on her birthday. She had her eat ever restaurant birthday song and sundae and I'm pretty sure she lived it.

She also requested a pink cake with pink frosting so I made her a homemade strawberry cake that was adapted from a hot pink raspberry cake I mentioned earlier. It was pretty good if I say so myself.

Gosh, she is just too big now. She's acting so much older too and im torn with wanting her to stay little but then also I love watching her grow. I'm learning just how important it is to cherish everything, even the bad days and rough nights. One day, she'll be off to college and not wanting to talk to us, or we'll be those embarrassing parents to her we swore we would never be. Even now I get the "Mom..." line from her showing her future teenage self. I'll take what I can get though :)

I love you Maylene Elise and I hope you loved your special day <3

Time Flies

School has once again started for me! I took off from the day before I had Carys until 1/16 and I am feeling slightly overwhelmed already. One course is on psychological testing and assessment and the other is on career development counseling. Neither are particularly nail biting, but they play a role in my future career. Sometimes I feel that the courses I took in undergrad were sufficient enough because when compared to their grad level equals, there isn't much difference. Maybe more papers to write, but doubtful. I took a Testing and Measurements course as an independent study over a summer at Cedarville and I wrote at least five papers, and most of my grad level courses require about the same amount. I guess that just goes to show you how great Cedarville University is! I'm thankful that they required so much of me because it really has helped tremendously in these upper level courses.

The girls are growing up too fast!! Maylene will be THREE on Sunday and Carys just turned 3 months old this past Sunday. I just can't believe it! Maylene has been struggling a bit with her need for attention and occasionally with jealousy . Thankfully, she doesn't take it out on her sister at all. Every day she tells me she loves Carys and she is always asking to hold her. I'm amazed at how much love they have for each other. Carys smiles so big when she sees or even hears Maylene- she smiles a lot :) Carys is super attached to her Scentsy buddy lamb. If I ever struggle to get her to take a nap, all I need is her lamb and she's out like a light. She's a champion sleeper though- 12 hours a night now!! She rarely wakes up in the night now and when she does, it's because of a growth spurt so I'm usually expecting it. I'm so lucky, I know. I can thank the book "12 Hours' Sleep by 12 Weeks" (buy it here, NOW) for helping me get these girls on an amazing routine and sleep schedule. It does wonders for them both to have a routine, and it helps me out as I "know" what to expect every day and have a somewhat reliable idea of when I can get my schoolwork done, etc. There are always variances- particularly when Maylene refuses a nap- but for the most part, my days are pretty routine and that keeps me calm, happy and relaxed. The unexpected is not something I appreciate too often unfortunately.

This Saturday we're taking Maylene to the The Boonshoft Museum and I am so excited! One of CU's organizations is putting on a special family event and we just couldn't pass up the deal. That's part of her birthday as we're not doing anything big this year for a party. The next big party will probably be at age 5, but we'll always try to have a small get together every year with family. It's just so hard to invite a few people because we're fortunate enough to have so many great friends, with and without kids. I'm hoping that next year I can finagle something with more friends to come to without making it too big. I mean, I can't give her these huge expectations now because I'm just setting myself up for major party problems when the sweet 16 comes along. As much as I love my MTV reality shows, I do not want my kids acting in any way that would warrant their own show! Parties only get bigger and bigger and she had an entire gym at her disposal at age 2! It's just so fun though :)

She wants a strawberry cake with pink frosting so I'll be attempting this little sweetness using strawberries rather than raspberries: Hot Pink Cake (if it turns out well, it will be at future birthday parties so you may get your slice yet!) I'll post how it goes :)

Resolutions

Recently as the New Year approaches, of course resolutions have popped in my head. Usually I resolve to lose weight, workout more, eat healthier, etc. This year, I decided that I just want my entire life to be healthier. From how we eat, to how we live, to all we do. So many times I find myself thinking about my day and how I could have done something different that would have made my life a lot easier. I tend to forget these things later when I could use them again though haha.

I actually made a resolution to write here at least 3 times a week. I really want to keep family updated more on what is going on with us and now that we have two girls I feel like there is so much more to tell family. Time is flying by so fast with them and I cannot believe it. Carys is already trying to sit up on her own and is just about sleeping 12 hours at a stretch at night. We have one happy momma here! Maylene still adores her and when Carys sees her big sister she has nothing but smiles for her- I wonder how long that will last :)

Carys had her 2 month appt on Dec 15 and she weighed 12 lb 13 oz! She's in the 90th percentile in her weight and 50th for her length, 75th for her head. Maylene loves to hold her and I swear Carys is more than half Maylene's size!! Maylene has her 3 year visit on Jan 25 and I'm anxious to see where she is.

Getting hot chocolate before Christmas- a little mommy and may time <3

Maylene showing Carys her book. THEY ARE SO CUTE!

I titled this Resolutions as my hope is that the more public my resolutions are, the more likely I will stick with them!

1. Get our life and home organized! I have found so many great ideas on pinterest and ikea and I cannot wait to simplify our life. I found this great site with amazing tips for organizaition: orgjunkie. There is even a yearly calendar with easy organization tasks every day. She even breaks down the 52 weeks into specific weekly tasks as well. AWESOME!

2. Journal/blog daily. I have a TERRIBLE memory! I hate when I have forgotten some of the most precious moments with Maylene and I'm sure I've already forgotten some things with Carys- and she is only 10 weeks old. If it wasn't for the pictures and videos we have, I would have forgotten so much more I know. This way, I can at least look back sometime and laugh about the things I found memorable at the time (and see how many I even remember!)

3. Learn to sew. I have been LOVING all the crocheting I have been doing. There is something incredibly satisfying about creating something, being productive and seeing the results. Most of the things I do are undone quickly, i.e. dishes, laundry, etc. While I'm getting something done, the end results very rarely stays that way for long. I have wanted to sew for a while, but never had a sewing machine. My dad bought me an amazing one for my birthday :) I'm super excited to get cracking on that. I found what I feel will be my first attempts at sewing clothes here: MADE. She doesn't use patterns, but uses other clothing to create her own patterns. This is so me. I'm too detail oriented to rely on patterns (from what I have found) because I will get stuck on something so small and relatively insignificant I'll just give up. This way, if I make a mistake it's not like I have a pattern looking me in the eye laughing at me. I have a separate blog dedicated to my new found craftiness Crafting FTW!

4. Switch us to a more plant-based diet. This is something I NEED to do for myself, but it will only help the whole family if we all switch. The cancer I had as a teen was directly related to animal meats (mainly red meat) and as a result I was on the Hallelujah Diet and then a vegan for a time.(My parents can both attest to the Hallelujah diet and all that carrot juice....blech!) I have never felt better in my life than when my diet had no animal products in it. For my own health and to be the best I can be for my family, I need to stick to this lifestyle. It was really difficult after Colin and I were married to stick to it because really we had to grocery shop for two different lifestyles and that was expensive. After watching the documentary Forks Over Knives I think Colin saw some of where I was coming from. I'm not trying to join into some other food culture, promote PETA, advocate for animal cruelty or join a fad. My reasons are purely that I firmly believe this is the healthiest lifestyle out there and I am determined to get back on it and stay on it. There has been proven evidence in an increase in cancer and cancerous growth with casein- animal protein. The documentary is available on instaque with Netflix and is about an hour and a half long. Just watch it and I would love to hear your thoughts. I doubt we'll ever be completely without animal products, but my hope is that we are 90% without on a regular basis. It's really not as hard as it sounds. As long as it tastes good and is satisfying, my family will be content. (Also along with this, I intend to make all my own baby food when Carys is older. I never even know about doing this until Maylene was right at table foods so I did that for a short while with her before she was over the baby food in general). I'll post a lot of recipes for both the baby food and the plant-based diet as well.

Here's to the New Year!!

Easter 2011

For Easter we were able to visit family and it was so nice to see everyone. We stayed with Aunt Mindy and Uncle Don Thursday night and most of the day Friday. Maylene had a wonderful time playing with Bryn and Riley. We also found out that Mindy is also due on October 22nd as well and it just blew my mind! Not only were we both due in October, but now the same day! It's so exciting and I feel so blessed to have so many people I love around me who are sharing this experience with me. There are two other friends who are also pregnant and both are due in December, but until there's a clear announcement you'll just have to wonder who they are :)

We got to Grandma and Grandpa's Friday night and we had an awesome time. Maylene doesn't typicall warm up to people right away, so I was so thankful that she bonded with Grandma and stuck to her like glue. She kept running around looking for her anytime she was out of sight. We did a lot of cooking and baking as usual and made a cute Easter cake. It was coconut and Grandma made a little "green nest" to put on top with a peep in it- we had no jellybeans! We had some issues with the frosting, but it tasted DELICIOUS. Just like marshmallow and I think I might need to make some myself here soon...Maylene went crazy wanting to eat that cake.

We went to Uncle Joel's new house and I am so happy for them! It is a really nice house, and I know they are so thankful for all the room. Gabe and Xander were riding their bikes up and down the sidewalk and Maylene   wanted to join in. Tavia went after Maylene at one point and we could not figure out what was going on! She just kept grabbing and pinching May and May was crying and hiding behind me. LOL! Poor thing, she knew Tavia was little so she had no idea how to react! It was really funny.

We dyed Easter eggs and hunted some after church on Sunday! Here's some pictures of the day:

She was not very happy during my picture taking! Needless to say, these were the best I got. I hate pantyhose, so I always put cute leggings on under her dresses :) 

Daddy

Dying eggs with Grandma, Gabe (and Xander is around there somewhere lol) she LOVED the colors!

Theres Xander :)

Grandma got this cute kit that even let you sponge paint on the eggs! They were so pretty!

Grandma getting her "tattoo"- Gabe was handing those out left and right

My Grandpa :)

Maylene's tattoos. We actually had a HORRID time with them. This kind had glitter in them and stuck to her so bad. She woke up from a nap with her sleeve's stuck to her arms! We eventually got them off and the next day, her eczema broke out right where the tattoos were. She kept saying, "No like tattoos Mommy, just stickers." Let's hope she sticks with that!

Eating and sort of snuggling? her chocolate bunny lol. She LOVED that thing

After all the rain we've had since being home, we finally got outside Thursday. She had a blast and ran everywhere. She kept picking flowers for me too. She's so sweet :)

Well, that was a few weeks ago, and since then we've sold our living room furniture and used that money to buy a new couch and recliner. It was just time for new furniture and a change of decor for us. Our living room was far too small for all that furniture too, so now we have a better set up. I'll post some pictures later this week when it's finally set up with other matching decor. 

First haircut...and a flood

Maylene had her first haircut yesterday! She was so excited and talked about it nonstop. All the way to the salon she kept saying, "So excited Mommy! Get a haircut, so excited!" I eventually had to tune her out... lol. She didn't have much taken off, just her baby hairs at the bottom (about an inch). She did awesome too. She sat on the little booster seat like a big girl. She definitely was a wiggle worm and eventually got up "to go potty," which really, she had just gone. She just wanted to get down for a bit haha. Abby was great too, she was so quick and made Maylene feel like a big girl. She even gave her a cute french braid on top when we were done, and Maylene has made sure I don't forget the french braid today, and I'm sure many days to come! Unfortunately, I didn't snap any pictures as I spent most of my time distracting Maylene and keeping her still :) I do have her little curls to put into her baby book, so at least that's there.

All the rain we got yesterday completely flooded our yard! It was incredible how much water there was. It went over our top step and almost to the top of the porch. There was a river in the front yard and one in the back. Nothing was ruined thankfully, but it was definitely nerve-wracking waiting to see how high the water would rise. I do not wish that on anyone at all. 

It's hard to see, but you can see the water is just rushing over Wilmington Rd right to our house.Our car is parked nearest to Miller St as possible..normally we park closer to the house but there was just too much water.

I'm standing on our porch and that is the bottom step completely covered. I had to carry Maylene from the car to the house and the water was half way to my knee!

This is the backyard. Clearly there is water coming all the way from the road and through again.

Maylene's slide and our grill!! (the slide got pushed over by the water, it's usually at least 15 feet to the left)

The water was rushing for the two hours I was home and finally stopped around 4:00. I have never seen that much water before in this area. My landlords had stopped by to check on things and they both said they have never seen that much water ever. My neighbor came by today and has lived there for 30+ years and she said the same thing. It was just incredible. 

Here we go

Well, I have wanted to start a blog of our family for a while now. I feel like I end up missing someone important with valuable information and I feel so guilty when I finally tell them. I'm just shocked at how busy life can be and I hate that I fail to find the time to keep everyone informed. So, this is my attempt to keep family and friends updated on anything noteworthy (or not, I mean we can't always be interesting right?).

Today is exciting for us because we have officially entered the second trimester!! Whoo hoo little baby, you are sticking around to continue to bless us :) It's been a rough few months as I had a dear friend recently endure a miscarriage and another close friend has had two. It has always been a fear of mine because the moment that little stick says "pregnant" or has two lines, I am immediately in love. I think most women feel this way, and that's one of the reasons it's so scary. To think, you love someone so tiny, who relies on you to keep them safe in your body until they can meet the world and you can possibly lose them regardless of what you do?! It's beyond terrifying and I thank God every day that we have kept our baby. Now that we are in the clear, I have such a sense of relief and joy. Another exciting thing is that I swear I have felt this little one move all ready. They say you can notice it sooner with subsequent pregnancies, but I still have my doubts. I may be hopeful and wrong, but let me :) It's not hurting anyone for me to believe I feel this little one at times. It's usually once or twice and it's always when I sit down for a minute- after I lay Maylene down for her nap, or right before I fall asleep in bed. Amazing the miracles God brings into our lives every day :)

Maylene is potty trained! She has been without diapers since Monday, so today makes six days without any diapers. She loves to say she is a big girl and that she wears big girl underwear, is too big for diapers, and uses the big girl potty. She is so proud of herself for what she has accomplished. I choke up every day when I see her smile when she pees on the potty. Maybe it's the pregnancy hormones, maybe not, but I am a big sissy now! Who gets choked up because their kid pees?! :) It's just yet another sign that she is a big girl and growing up far too fast for her mommy's taste. I love her more every day and I can't wait for her to meet her little brother or sister :) She is so excited for the baby. She yells at me if I pick her up and says, "No Mommy! No pick up May-May, baby in your belly!" She is so stinking cute. She keeps saying "sister", but I feel like it's a boy :)

Colin is doing really well too. The band has some exciting things going on and they have a few big shows coming up. Today, they play at Hopefest in Circleville, OH with House of Heroes. I am so proud of him. He works full time, works once a week at another job, has the band to be apart of and still manages to make us feel like we are the only thing he cares about. I couldn't be more blessed :)

Maylene in her wagon on a walk. The first nice day we had for months! She was so excited. As you can see, she likes to lounge around in the wagon haha. She either has to walk the whole way, or she likes to relax like a princess :)