Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Monday, April 16, 2012

Yeah March!

What I'd like to be reading:
What I've actually been reading:
Ahhhh, motherhood! I'm determined to make the "terrible two's" not-so-terrible. It's working! I like these books, the Love and Logic method has been a tremendous help in disciplining Eli! The Parenting Breakthrough is so funny, I love what it's about, but not really applicable for young, young kids. Ulitmately, Merrilee Boyack said it best when she wrote something to the effect of: God played a trick on me, just when I thought I had parenting all figured out, He gave me a completely different child! This is SOOOO true! I can't believe how challenging it has been trying to figure Kyah out... until I read THIS and it finally dawned on me, she's not Eli! I spent a lot of time figuring out what works and what doesn't with Eli (when it comes to basically everything) and I have been very persistent in treating Kyah exactly the same. Yet, I am just dumbfounded when nothing I did with him works with her... duh! She's not him. I would have been better off approaching my second child just as if she was my first. Completely ignorant! I am so humbled, everything I think I know is going out the window with my next child!

On St. Patrick's Day, one of my dearest friends, Victoria, got married! I was so flattered that she chose me to be a bride's maid... except in reality, I declared myself one before she even had the chance to ask! It was so nice to get back to Colorado for the wedding, unfortunately, it was not nearly a long enough trip. Due to some flight issues (I went from Birmingham to New Orleans, to Houston, back to Birmingham, to Charlotte and finally, to Denver... in the course of 24 hours)... Let's just say, when the flight attendant in New Orleans says "those of you traveling thru to Houston or Denver, please stay on the flight..." maybe check your ticket to make sure you're supposed to be on THAT particular flight to Denver. Or they might just realize the error a bit too late (like, in Houston) and boot you off the flight... fly you back to Birmingham (because it's Spring Break and all flights to Denver are sold out) forcing you to purchase ANOTHER ticket to Denver (no, I was not reimbursed), 2 hours before it's departure... not cheap. BUT, a funny story to tell. Unfortunately I can't blame my stupidity on pregnancy anymore either! Darn. By the time I got to Denver, I didn't have much time to see anyone, leaving me anxious to go back, but my 2 days there were full of fun wedding festivities. Victoria did an AMAZING job with the wedding, she has a vintage style that made a St. Patty's Day-themed wedding VERY classy and beautiful. I mean, just look at her! She should be a wedding planner.
Isn't she so pretty?
Panorama girls! Erin's on the right. We all worked together before I had Eli.

Meanwhile back in Birmingham, the kids enjoyed some Daddy time!
Clearly, Eli's not quite capable of effectively spoon-feeding himself.
St. Patrick's Day parade.

Also last month, I aged another year. Booooo.
I would rather not be 26. On another note, that pie was good. I had eaten half the crust before the picture was taken.
Jason's decorations. I have a pretty nice husband : )
Opening presents. 
Will he ever get that thumb out of his mouth!?
We drove to Greensboro, AL to eat at a place called Pie Lab. It's kind of famous, everyone there had driven at least an hour or 2 to get there, including us! It was a really cute place, and amazing food!
Eli just loves when I try to hold him...
Isn't it a cute little place?
We had a the patio all to ourselves, Eli could run around and make as much noise as he wanted, making this dining experience... THE BEST!
Mmmmm, pie.

He's 1/2 smiling... which makes this a successful picture!
Full bellies made for a sleepy ride home!

After we got back from the Pie Lab, Jason and I splurged for a babysitter for the first time ever (It really was the first time we ever paid for a babysitter!), and we went to see Hunger Games. Neither of us have read the books or knew what to expect, which made for a disturbing experience. Children hunting and killing each other? Really? But it was still nice to go to the movies, I love the movies! Popcorn and giant soda are what really make it. YUM.

And as usual, a lot of pictures taken in the month of March:
Evil grimace he insists on doing whenever I ask him to smile.
Kyah-Lynn turned 5-months old. She's 12 pounds, 23 inches, and in the 5-10 percentile. She's gaining on Eli! This little girl is so funny, she's always happy and smiling, she's also quite the squealer! She squeals all the time, and so loud! It cracks me up. I love her, obviously! 
I wanted some pictures of me with the kids, but Jason's never home. So yes, I did set the camera on a timer to take these. I'm lame.
Pleeeeeeeeaaaaaaase smile, Eli!?!
The little miss.
Eli steals Kyah's binky THEN steals her play mat!

He enjoys her cradle, too.
Eli was cranky before church, I put him in his crib for a time out and when I went to get him he was sound asleep.
 
As usual, I can't take enough pictures of a sleeping baby.
If only I could merge these two pictures so they are both smiling in the same picture!
Kyah-Lynn tried some solid food.
She didn't like it.
Eli's a wierdo.
Nap time... for mommy, too!
My lovely family.