Welcome Home Daddy!!!

Joey has been out of town for the past 6 days. He just got home this morning. This was the first time that the kids and I have been by ourselves while he has been gone. The past few times he has been gone, we have gone to Kansas and once, my wonderful friend Dara came and stayed with us. We managed to make it through his absence. We decided to make Daddy a welcome home sign since we were so excited to have him home. Here are a few pictures of the kids in their painting smocks (old t shirts of mine) and the finished product. Unfortunately, I did not get any pictures of the kids actually using the fingerpaints. I did not want a mess all over the apartment.

Welcome Home Daddy!!! We love you and missed you so much!!!

Fish and Turtles

Connor loves fish and turtles. He is always asking "where fish go?" or "where turtle go?" When he goes down for a nap or to bed, we have to pray for fish and turtles, aside from family. In my last post, I mentioned that my mom and I took the kids to Cabela's while we were in Kansas to see the fish they have there. Connor loved it. Some of Joey's co-workers told him about the Witt J. Stephens Nature Center just down the street from his office. Since we did not have to house hunt, we decided to take the kids and check it out. Connor loved it. Bailey was in the stroller.

After we finished at the nature center, we took a walk down by the river. Bailey even got out and walked.

We had a wonderful family outing. Praying everyone is doing well. God bless!!

Fall Fun

Once again, a couple of months has gone by. Where does the time go? I can't believe it is fall already. In September, Joey had to go out of town, so that meant road trip to Kansas for the kids and I. We had a great time. My mom and I took the kids to Cabela's to see the fish that they have in their aquariums. Connor absolutely loved it. He kept on asking "where did fish go?" and "where did turtle go?" I wish I had gotten some pictures of it. We also took the kids to the Kansas City Zoo. We did not have a great experience. We did not know the layout very well and did not see many animals. We kept trying to find the monkeys, but only found the gorillas. Oh well, maybe next time. Connor did enjoy walking around with his twin (aka Grandma). Bailey enjoyed walking around too and hated being in the stroller.We had a great time, but we were so glad to be back with Daddy.

Last Saturday, we joined a friend of Joey's from work and his wife at a chili fest in Little Rock. The kids enjoyed walking around and playing with balloons. We did not try any chili, too hard chasing after the kids. Bailey showed no fear and made friends with a couple of dogs that were walking around. She was also fascinated and horrified with a life size dancing Santa dressed as a Grateful Dead fan. She did not know what to think.

Since the weather has been so nice, I have started to brave taking the kids to the park by myself. I say brave because it is an adventure. Connor has started to get the hang of playing on a playground. He loves to go up and down the slide. Bailey has started climbing on the stairs of the playground equipment I have to watch out for the two of them. Really wish sometimes I had eyes in the back of my head. Oh well, we are getting the hang of it and enjoying ourselves. Of course, they both like to play in the dirt.

Connor has started learning about civic responsibility (taught by me). When he sees trash on the playground, he likes to throw it in the trash can. Bailey wants to try too, but I have to hold her. We pray you all are doing well!! God bless!!

Bailey's First Birthday

Yesterday, we celebrated Bailey's first birthday. It is hard to believe a year has gone by. I still remember the night she was born. She was born at 3:17 am, almost 3 weeks early. She has been such a joy since the day she was born. She loves to be around people and, once she gets to know you, smiles a lot. She does much better in the morning than the rest of us. She is walking all the time now and is trying to climb onto furniture. I think she wants to be like her big brother. We have had a few tantrums, especially when she wants something Connor has, but cannot have it. She loves her big brother. They are starting to play together more. Sometimes it just boils down to Connor trying to wrestle with her like he does with Daddy. I love to hear her laugh and say "mama." She says "dada" every once in a while.

We had a quiet celebration, just us, here at the apartment. She still did not quite grasp the concept of opening presents. Connor wanted to open them for her. He also wanted her new books and dvd.
She got some new clothes for the fall/winter. We will see how long she fits in them. She seems to get longer everyday. She really enjoyed all of her gifts.

We tried cupcakes with her. I don't think she really liked them. She did not really know what to do with them. She just played with the frosting.

I guess she thought she could use the frosting to style her hair. We are so blessed to have this little girl as our daughter. I thank God for her everyday and am honored to be her mother. We love you Bailey!! Happy Birthday!!

Our Birthday Boy

Last Saturday, the 23rd, we celebrated Connor's 2nd birthday. We just celebrated the four of us, but we had a great day!! It is so hard to believe that my baby boy is 2. I remember the day he was born as if it were yesterday. I can't wait until he is old enough so I can tell him about that day. It has been a crazy 2 years, but we would not trade it for anything. Connor is such a blessing and it is an honor to be his mother.

As you can see, the theme (sort of) for this year was Cars. He still has yet to watch the whole movie, but he still loves cars. He points out cars stuff when we go to Walmart. He still needed a little help opening his gifts, but he is starting to get the hang of it. Of course, he kind of got distracted from opening gifts when he found the Veggie Tales movie we got him in his gift bag. Getting that open was the first priority, of course. It was fun to watch him open his gifts. He loved the Cars tshirt he got from my parents, as well as the books they gave him.

We tried cupcakes again this year. He seemed to like them more this year than he did last year. I just ordered Cars cupcakes from the Walmart bakery. We tried to get him to blow out two candles, but he tried to grab them instead of blowing them out. Joey blew them out for him. He really enjoyed the icing on the cupcake. He didn't really seem to like the cake part of it. He certainly had fun making a mess.

I praise God everyday for our curious and constantly in motion little boy. It is a joy to watch him grow and I love seeing him learn new things everyday. I love that he likes to pray, read Bible stories, and play with his sister. We love you Connor!!!

What a summer so far

Once again, I have let a couple of months pass between posts. I am trying to better about updating our blog, but the summer has been crazy so far. At the end of May, the kids and I took a trip up to Kansas to spend some time with my family. We had a blast, but missed Joey and wished he could have been with us. Connor really enjoyed getting to see his cousins, Reagan and Zane. He really loved Zane and would just randomly hug him. Connor has never done this with someone who is a virtual stranger. It usually takes him a while to warm up to people. He would gently bang his head on the bannister and then go to Zane for comfort. It was hilarious to watch. Connor also tried my Dad's homemade spaghetti and meatballs, well the meatballs really, and loved them. Guess I need to make them more often. Mom and Dad came back with us and spent Memorial Day weekend with us in Maumelle. We had a good time showing them around.



June was also a busy month. The second of June, Joey's older brother and his family came down from Kohler, WI. We all met at Joey's parents's cabin in Mississippi (near Pickwick Lake). We had a great time. Joey loved spending time with his brother and Connor and Bailey got to meet their cousins. The youngest of their children is 5 days younger than Connor. Connor enjoyed playing in the pool and playing in the rocks and dirt that surrounded the cabin. Every little boy's dream.
Bailey enjoyed the cabin and staying cool inside. She also found a cool new "toy" to play with. We had a great time with the family and were able to get pictures of all the grandkids together as well as all the kids and their families. It was quite a group. Taking all the pictures was hard work.The end of June saw the kids and I back in Kansas. Joey had to go to Maryland for some training for two weeks, so the kids and I decided another visit up there was in order. Thankfully, my wonderful mother was able to fly down and drive with us up there. I did not attempt either trip to Kansas on my own. We had a blast again. Connor and Bailey got to hang out more with their cousins, Reagan, Zane, and Brynn. We took the kids to a farmstead up in Kansas City. Connor enjoyed walking around with Reagan and Zane.

Bailey had a good time hanging out with Brynn in the dirt. We were glad to get back to Maumelle and have Daddy back home with us.

July has been a little bit slower. Joey was gone for a few days for training so one of my good friends, Dara, came and stayed with kids and I. We had a great time. We have started house hunting here in Maumelle. We are so ready to have our own space. The apartment is getting cozier and cozier by the day.

The kids have also changed a lot in the past couple of months. Connor is talking more. He loves saying the number 2. We are working on trying to get him to say how old he is when asked. He has to be in the mood. He also loves pointing out cars and colors. Bailey is standing up and walking around holding on to furniture. It won't be long before she is walking on her own. She is saying "mama" and sometimes "dada."
They both love to dance. Connor mostly spins around and Bailey just bounces, but it is so much fun to watch them. They are starting to interact more. I love to hear them laughing together.

We are having a great summer so far. We can't wait to see what the rest of the summer brings for us. Hope everyone is having a great summer too. God Bless!!

Happy Mother's Day

As I prepare to celebrate my 2nd Mother's Day as a mom, I can't help thinking about our wonderful mothers. So, I would like to take a few minutes and this post to honor them.

My mom has been an amazing mother. She has been a wonderful example of a godly wife and mother for me. She raised my 2 brothers and me while being a great Army wife. Aside from being my mother, she is one of my best friends. When my dad was stationed in Germany, my mom decided to home school my older brother and me. That lasted only one year. She told me years later that the reason why she chose not to home school us any longer was because she wanted to have a good relationship with me when I got older. Apparently, I fought with her a lot during that year. Hard to believe, I know, but it is true. I am so grateful that she made that decision. I can talk to her about anything and I value her opinion and advice. Last year, my mom (and dad of course) were a huge help and support while Joey was away at training. Connor and I lived with my parents for several months over the summer and mom took excellent care of Connor as I neared the end of my pregnancy and had Bailey. Connor was so attached to her. I praise God for my wonderful mother.

My wonderful mother-in-law, Joey's mom. Joey's mom is an amazing woman also. She has raised 9 children. Joey has 5 sisters and 3 brothers. She still has 4 living at home. The first time I met her, I was so nervous. She has welcomed me into her family as a daughter. She raised an amazing son that I am so blessed to married to. Her patience knows no bounds. She is a wonderful example of a wife and mother for me. I appreciate all the advice she has given me over the past few years we have been married. I know Joey thinks the world of his mother. She would do anything for her children and defends them like a mother lion. Last year, she was also a huge help and support while Joey was gone. I was so glad to have her and dad just a few minutes away in case I needed anything. She watched Connor for me while I finished out the school year teaching. I think she got the better end of that deal. Connor loved spending time with her and going to see the cabin they were building. She helped clean the house, paint some trim, and so many other things to get the house ready to sell. While we were in Kansas, she and dad faithfully went to check the pool and the house. They did so much for us and were instrumental in getting the house sold.

As I reflect on these two amazing mothers the Lord has blessed me with, I pray I can follow their examples. I pray that years from now, Connor and Bailey can look back and say they were blessed to have me for their mother. Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there and to our two mothers. We love you. God bless!!!