4 Months Old

Yep, already, Hailey is growing like a weed. She now can hold her head up most of the day, without getting too tired. She has begun more tummy time even though she still hates it. She has begun to play with more toys, grab things, and recognize that it is actually 'playing' time. She smiles at you all on her own, she looks at you wanting attention, and she wants to make eye contact. It still amazes me, even though we have done this once, how fast they grow and learn.



She is laughing, yelling, and cooing. She just talks and talks. She wants to play so badly. She will swing herself while propped up on a knee. She chews on her fingers, not a big BINK baby. Her big blue eyes will follow you across the room. She loves her sister. She will try to jump forward to try to get to Ava. She knows her daddy, that's for sure. As soon as Kenny begins talking, her little head turns to his direction and she smiles so big. She is eating baby food, 4-6 ounces a bottle, and sleeping better. Not sleeping through the night yet but sleeping better.



She is 14 lbs and probably 24/25 inches long. I havent measured her, but we weighed her last night, so that is accurate. She has rolls in her arms and legs. She is starting to get interested in trying to roll over but only when a toy with noise and lights is out of her range and she trys to grab at it. Watching her learning to play is a joy, her smile is contagious, and her laugh is delightful.



Her love for Ava is amazing. In the mornings, she wakes up looking for Ava. Once they spot each other, there is a big smile by both. I always tell Ava to tell her "Good Morning, Hailey" with a kiss. Ava is always happy to do it. My heart melts watching them together.

Baby Food

Yes, don’t shoot me, Hailey isn’t 4 months old yet but YES I have begun to give her some baby food.  My little chunky monkey is hungry! She is doing great with it also. I started about the 10^th of February, at 3 ½ months.

I did it one evening, just to see, giving her some oatmeal, she isn’t a big fan of it so the next evening I put a little applesauce in it to flavor, and she gobbled it up. So I bit the bullet and decided she should start some solids. My wonderful Mamaw had given me some for Christmas as a present to Hailey. So we started with the basics: apples, bananas, sweet potatoes, pears. I am going to keep her on the yellow/orange baby food for a while and move her to others at a different time. I want to take it slowly since I have begun so early with her.

Yes, I know people will criticize but she’s mine. And I believe she was ready, she does great with the spoon and when she sees me getting everything ready while sitting in her highchair, she starts kicking her feet. I cannot believe how big she is getting.

She’s eating between a half a jar and a full jar depending on when she signals to me that she is done. I can tell when she doesn’t want anymore; she will begin to just let it drain out of her mouth.

My only big obstacle with feeding her has been her big sister, Ava. Ava is old enough to ‘help’. Most of the time she is good help with chores around the house but when it comes to feeding Hailey, she is in the way. She doesn’t always pay attention, she puts way to much on the spoon, and she will have baby food all over Hailey’s face and highchair. But despite all these things, I still let her help. She loves it and I love trying to keep Ava involved. It’s really hard sometimes because she is young but I love that she wants to try. Some nights are worse than others and I have to kick her out of the feeding process but most nights I try to roll with it, while holding my breath.

As Hailey grows I know it will get easier, one of the best things of already been there and done that. Cannot wait to watch her grow and become more coordinate with her hands to mouth movement. I know it’s all coming in due time, as sad as that is.

A Girls Day...

Today I did something that I rarely do, I left my babies at home with their daddy and went to lunch with the girls. It was really nice. I seriously need to do it more often. It feels like I do it once a year or so. It takes a lot to get me to do it. We all have our families now so we begin planning about a month or two out. It's the way it has to be. It's amazing how much work it takes just to get together for lunch.

I had a wonderful time. I got to talk to adults, get other views of other mothers, and eat a meal without sharing. I love the girls I went out with, one being my sister in law and the others being my cousins. We had a great time and there was lots of laughter and lots of story telling.

Once the girls get a little older, I hope its easier for me to leave them. I feel guilty even though I know I shouldnt but after working 40 hours during the week, to leave them is hard. They are my world. My husband is always telling me to plan something and to go. I think I might take him on it eventually but right now I dont want to miss anything. I miss too much as it is.

But if I could do it like today, I think I would do it more. We ate lunch, ate, shopped a little (formula for the babies), and then I came home and played with my girls. Ava and I built with blocks, Hailey cooed and yelled at me. Once the evening came, we cuddled up in bed and watched a movie.

A perfect day.

If you agree all mommies need a day, vote for me!

So many Kids....

This past weekend we had 2 birthday parties. A cousin on my side and a cousin on Kenny's side. When talking with Kenny this weekend we realized how much our little circle has grown since beginning our journey together 7 years ago. When we first started only my sister had a baby, Emily was born in 2007, we had been together for 3 years.

Now it looks like we have a birthday party or two or three every month this year including our two little angels. It is so different now. A good different.

Here are some pictures for our first weekend of birthday parties!

We have a couple in March and so on...its going to be alot of fun. I cannot believe how fast all these little ones are growing.



A Special Connection

When changing babysitters, the girls were moving from one cousin’s household to another cousin’s household. It was scary, exciting, and I was an anxious momma until I picked them up on their first day. They have been there for a month now. It seems like they have always been there. Ava fits right in with the other kids and has a great time there. My little chunky monkey, Hailey, is being taken care of and loved very much when I cannot be with her.

Vickie is my mom’s first cousin, my second cousin, Ava and Hailey’s third cousin. She is on the Raines side; her mother and my grandfather were brother and sister. My pap pap Rawhide has been gone for about 15 years now.  Aunt Kathleen, Vickie’s mother, is 86 and battling Alzheimer’s disease, but still moving and able to interact with the kids.  

For whatever reason, Ava just gravitated to Aunt Kathleen. The kids call her ‘grandma’, so does Ava. Aunt Kathleen has a stuff dog toy that she holds onto and treats as if it alive, she cuddles with it, takes care of it, and usually has it right under the blanket with her. Ava has began to carry around a dog toy of her own, (a gift from her Aunt Gail), and has ‘grandma’ take care of it during the day while Ava is playing.

When we walk in the house, she must know where ‘grandma’ is and when she will be up. Vickie has told me that Ava will follow ‘grandma’ around the house and makes sure she stays out of trouble. When Vickie has to take care of grandma and bathe her, Ava has been going in with her and helping. Keeping ‘grandma’ company and talking to her during her bath. I absolutely am amazed about my kind hearted little girl. A 2 year old is being gentle and making sure that this older generation is being taken care of.

One day when we picked them up, Ava and ‘Grandma’ were at the door looking outside, Ava had the biggest grin on her face. To watch Ava interact with her is nice.

My mom thinks that Ava only being 2 and a child of pureness and innocence can sense that something is wrong with Aunt Kathleen and she needs attention. Ava has taken to Aunt Kathleen quick and wants to make sure she is okay. Aunt Kathleen spends her day in the recliner or on the couch; Ava usually has her cup and dog or baby doll next to Aunt Kathleen. She will tell me that ‘Grandma’ is watching it all for her so she can play. I am tickled that Ava is able to be with a generation.

I am proud as a mother that Ava does not pick on her, does not take advantage of Aunt Kathleen’s condition, that she isn’t mean to her, and that she is helping her during the day.

Couponing

So I have been couponing for about 4 months now. I am not really good at it, sometimes we get a super deal, most of the time we don't. I have the binder, a place at the desk for everything, but not a lot of time to really get into it. I see these people get these awesome deals weekly, some that as soon as they get their paper and sales ads are on the road to get whatever product for a couple pennies. I sit here thinking, 'how in the world are they doing it?' How do they find the time to match everything up and go?



After working 40 hours, having the girls in the evenings, and trying to spend some quality time with my husband, who has time to be online all evening checking for coupons and match ups. Well one thing is for sure, I would like to find the time. I would like to save more. As a family of 4 now, we are going to be going through certains items faster the older the girls get.



I'm hoping it will come in due time. Hailey is only 3 months, still getting up at night, I am still exhausted most of the day then getting up with her. Ava is going to bed later and waking up early still. There really is no "ME" time to work on this. But I am still working at it. I still clip. I still organize in my binder. I don't even DO the grocery shopping. Kenny does. So I clip, organize, and hand off to him. Sometimes he uses them, sometimes he doesn't.

Any websites or tips for couponing are always appreciated as I am still learning. I am on a few websites and I see what others are doing. Maybe one day I will be really good at it. But I think with 2 little ones, life will always be just a little busy where when it comes right down to it, I will choose sleep over couponing!

Counting

Ava has started counting. She will be talking to you and start counting. It's so darn cute. Kenny and I just look at each other. She is doing great in the learning department. She is figuring out colors, ABCs, and counting of course. She can now count to 12/13 by herself and I try to chime in as fast as I can to coach her along to at least 20. Sometimes she will repeat, sometimes I get a devilish smile and "Noooo Mommy."

So Ava will call my name "Mooooommmy" or "Daaaaadddy" then say 3,4,5,6 right afterwards. She will be talking on her phone to whomever and start "7,8,9,10". To just listen to her is amazing to me. This little girl who at one day and time couldnt even hold her head up on her own is growing so fast, putting complete sentences together, expressing her opinions, and mouthy as ever.

Now she is counting. I just love watching her develop.

Hold On..

I hear myself saying this phrase more than once during the day. Over and over I am telling Ava to 'hold on' or 'hang on a minute' or 'give me a minute'. Clingy doesnt even describe the phase we are dealing with right now. For almost 2 weeks now, I can not even go to the bathroom without her either by my side or banging on the door. She has always went through these moments, mommy must do everything, no one can do anything for her but me. Yes its flattering, she only wants ME to change her clothes, give her a bath, and help her with whatever she needs, but on the other hand there are 2 parents in this house. She hasnt let her daddy help with much. In fact, even when she begs to go with him to the store and they come back, he is NOT allowed to get her out of her carseat. I must go out in the cold, wind, or rain and get her out or we have to deal with a major meltdown.

You might be thinking, SPOILED right?! Well yes a little but we are also picking our battles. Ava is a very strong willed and stubborn 2 year old. She has a strong blood line of it. She tells you what she thinks. So for the moment, Mommy is doing everything, Daddy tries to help as much as possible.

This time I believe the clingy is a little stronger, maybe its because Hailey is around, maybe its because of my work schedule, or maybe its just her being her. Whatever it is, for 2 weeks now I have been carrying her around, holding her, doing her baths, and everything else. It isn't bad when Kenny is home, he can help with Hailey or at least help with Ava crying while I am trying to do something. She hasnt been too awful when he isnt home, but I am consistantly asking her to 'hold on a minute' or 'hang on' so that I can feed, change, or hold Hailey for 2 seconds while she needs something.

Most nights she has been sitting on my lap with Hailey, or right beside me. I havent discouraged it any since I know one day she will not be like this at all. She will only cling on me when she wants something or is sick. Now I am taking it all in, as exhausting as it all is and reminding myself everyday that she will only be 2 once and then she wont. One day she will leave me to be on her own and I might get a phone call. So I am just going to keep repeating to her to 'hold on' so that I can have a minute then come back and put her on my lap as I have been.

Please vote!!

Who has time for Post Partum?!?!

The other evening, when I was sick and thinking how as a mom I don't have time to be sick and that it needed to leave my body very quickly, I also began thinking, where is this post partum stuff that should have happened. Granted yes I am 3 months post partum and maybe it has passed. After I had Ava, I wasn't depressed I would say, I was just lonely, Kenny was very busy and not home a lot while I tried to figure out the stuff called parenting. I got lucky, I had my crying and fits and after about a month it was done.

During my pregnancy with Hailey, I cried all the time, way more than I ever did any time before that. I am not a crier, things don't make me sad, and I am more aggressive. However during those 9 months, I would cry at a commercial that wasn't even sad! So I thought, 'okay I have been a cry baby for 9 months, post partum is going to suck because I will have 2 people to take care on top of recovery.'

Life has been so busy that I just realized this week, that I haven't really had a bad post partum moment. Not that I am asking for it to show up and turn me into a crazy lady or a weeping woman but just surprised. I thought for sure as strong as my hormones have been that I would be worse this time than last. I am very thankful that I haven't. Kenny hasn't been as busy as he was with Ava, yet he still has his schedule and isn't home when he isn't home. I have had my moments, but they have been more 'I am going to lose my mind if I don't get 10 minutes to myself' instead of crying and feeling overwhelmed. I am chalking it up to being busy. Life with 2 and working full time I don't have time to be sad. Sad over nothing. I don't sit up at night after they have gone to bed, I am sleeping too. I don't have a break in the day to ponder this or that, thinking too much can cause a lot of issues. I have been lucky. Some women have a really bad time with post partum, some need medication, and some need time by themselves.

My time to myself, my bath, yes I can take a bath again! My time! My 20 minutes in the tub, at that time, I go through a to-do list, what I didn't do that should have been done; things I would like to do, and listen to the noises outside of the bathroom. Sometimes there is just the TV, sometimes Ava is screaming at the door for me to come out, sometimes Ava is laughing, running through the house being chased by her daddy, Hailey can now be heard cooing or crying. It's amazing how calming just sitting in the tub can be sometimes.

I don't know what I would have done if my post partum would have been worse, just a few crying spells, mainly when both girls were upset and I was just exhausted. Now we are in a good spot. I know the post partum phase can last a while after delivery, it can affect you at any time, but I am keeping my fingers crossed that my time is over and my hormones are shifting back.

Hormones are weird, I wish husbands could just have one week of the ups and downs and they would never want them back. I felt out of control sometimes while pregnant, angry for no reason, or snapping at someone for a something that they didn't even mean to be put into that context, and like I said, crying for absolutely no reason at all other that the feeling was there and it made me feel better.

I hope life continues to balance itself out and my hormones adjust as challenges come my way. Life can get pretty crazy and unpredictable at times but I hope to keep it under control (or at least try to).

I also dont get SICK days

So a horrible thing has made its way into our home. A nasty stomach bug that has been going around. Yesterday it hit me, I started late morning just not feeling well. By the afternoon I felt like I could get sick, but couldnt make myself. Last night was horrible, belly cramps, hot flashes, sweats, aches in my joints, just felt bad. On top of not feeling well, Ava has decided this past weekend she was going to be super clingy. Daddy couldnt do anything for her, mommy had to do everything including "Hold me please". So while I felt like crap, here I am holding her, when wishing she wouldn't want to be held so maybe she wont get this bug. Thankfully Hailey was in a good mood and went to bed right on schedule, no fighting, no screaming, Kenny laid her down and she simply went to sleep. After Ava's bath, which I did while still feeling like I could puke at any moment, she settled down and we got ready for bed. I went to sleep early while Kenny stayed up with her.

Around 11, I woke up in a sweat, with a lump in my throat, figured might as well do it. So I went and made myself get sick. I did sleep ok after that, still hot, still not feeling well. About the only thing running through my mind was that I hadnt felt this sick since my morning sickness with Hailey and since she is my last one, I dont want to feel like that ever again!

This morning I felt a little better but still having hot flashes and sick to the stomach. What a wonderful way to feel when you have 2 kids to take care of. I hate to say it but I am glad it was their scheduled day at the sitters, I hate being home when they arent but I need a little time to rest. And Ava was super excited to be going, after 4 days at home, I couldnt tell her that she wasnt going to play with 'the kids'. So I will get them this afternoon, let her play and socialize a little bit. Hoping I feel better by then, the pepto is near, been taking shots of it, so that I can take care of them and not drag my feet. So even though I am lucky to get a little break, its no sick day at all, at least I could take a day from work and not be sick there. Which I am sure everyone is happy about anyways, no one wants you there when you are sick and to spread those germs.

So now just counting down until I feel better and praying the girls dont get it.

"Good Job Mommy!"

So for the past month or so we have been unofficially potty training. Ava has been in her pull ups and diapers sometimes. She goes potty basically when she feels like it. I really dont want to push her right now then her push against me. She does really well when she wants to. She'll come and tell me she has to go.

Lately, she hasn't been going as much. She just wants to wear the pull ups. NO DIAPERS. But there is that occassion that when I go, she will join me. Yesterday I said, "Let me up, I gotta go pee." She let me up then followed me yelling "I pee too, I pee too.". So I helped her pee then got her redressed. (the girl goes down to no clothes everytime she goes).

She told me it was my turn. When we were all finished and washing our hands Ava looked at me, patted my head and said "Good Job Mommy!" I got a kiss for going to the potty like a big girl.

Gotta love her!

Pinterest.com

My New Addition....seriously!!! I have been a member for a couple months but that was at the end of my exhausting pregnancy, taking care of an overhyper 2 year old then I delivered. I didnt know how to find the time with recovery, newborn, and Ava. So now here I am with a 12 week old that has a pretty steady schedule, is sleeping pretty well at night (FINALLY), and still my hyper 2 year old, but I am finding time to browse.

I love it. I have found lots of projects, lots of different food, and now am trying to find time to when I can put this all into play here at the house. I cannot wait until the warm weather returns and some of the projects can begin. I love that there are so many crafts and projects that I can do with Ava.

Also I am working on a few different projects for this year and I think this site is really going to help with the creative people on there. I cannot wait to begin planning the girls birthday party so that I can use some of the ideas I have come acrossed already.

If you haven't checked it out, I highly recommend it. I am SO NOT a DIY person but I think this site might help me begin. I want to thank my cousin, Jess, for the invite.

I Want VIIIICKKKIIIIEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!

Ava has been going to a private sitter for over 2 years. For these two years, I have dropped her off and picked her up with almost no issues. When the weather is nice, she will get distracted and walk off or what to continue to play. That is all easy compared to what I dealt with today. Hailey had her 2 month check up, when I picked her up, Vickie said that Ava told her she wanted to stay with Ms. Vick, so I didnt even tell her I was there. I just got Hailey and out the door we went.

After the appointment, I ran to target really quick then went back to Vickie's to pick Ava up. She had been there most of the day but was the first to leave. I dont know if that made a difference or if she was just having way too much fun. Either way, when I put her in her carseat, the meltdown began. She screamed and cried "I want to play", "I want go back", "I want go Vick's" "I go NO home", over and over again. She finally cried herself to sleep.

An hour later, she woke up from her nap and immediately began crying again. "I want go Vick's!!!!" So another half hour of crying and she finally calmed down, asking for 'fries'. Luckily we had a bag of french fries in the freezer, so fries and nuggets it was for dinner.

Now she is happy, loving on Hailey, telling her she loves her and playing like usual. I'm grateful that we found another child care provider that loves her and she loves going to. She is really looking forward to Thursday and going back to play with the boys.

A Different Bottle, A Different Baby

Two weeks ago, we switched Hailey from the Playtex drop in liner bottles to Similacs new 'no air no gas issues' bottle. I can honestly say the switch was a great one. I began using the Playtex drop in because they worked so well with Ava. She had no gas issues and was always a happy baby. So when I got pregnant with Hailey, I decided we would use them again. But within weeks, Hailey was always having gas pains and screamed in the evenings for hours on in. The gas issues were horrible.
So my evenings after working all day were jam packed with a screaming newborn and a toddler wanting some attention too. I felt so bad because I couldn't really give Ava the attention I wanted to because Hailey would be screaming.

Similac sent an email out letting their fans know of a new advanced bottle they had developed. I wanted to switch then but they are expensive bottles and you could only get them online. So I would be paying for the bottle, shipping, and still may not work. So I held off, hoping that her screaming was just part of this 'witching hour' that everything I had read had diagnosed it as. Kenny went to Wal-Mart for groceries one day and called saying that the tubs of formula we buy had a free bottle on them and he got one. I was super excited. All I wanted to do was enjoy the evening with Hailey and Ava. I knew it wouldn't be scream free, someone was going to be upset at some point, but to have an evening with them that wasn't consumed with screaming.


So after a week of using this one bottle we went back to Wal-Mart and bought a few more of the formula tubs to get the bottle for free. Can you say AMAZED at how different my child's attitude is now? Hailey does still have her moments and I believe now teething is becoming an issue HOWEVER there are no more 2 hours of screaming in pain, and I can't fix it. Now she smiles and coos, she watches cartoons with Ava.  I highly recommend this bottle for any mom dealing with gas issues with her little one. I would also still recommend the Playtex bottle liners, they really helped Ava. And now that we are using the new bottles, I have boxes of the liners available for anyone who is using them.

2012 Changes

So a few things will be changing in 2012. Our routine will be different. Our schedule will be a little off. I thought earlier today I should write the things I would like to see change, maybe this will hold me accountable. Maybe it wont. Maybe this time in 2013, I will be thinking that I was crazy for even thinking I could do some of things that I write on here, but hey lets give it a shot.

1. My schedule at work is changing due to the change of babysitters. Instead of getting there between 730 and 800, I will now arrive between 830 and 900. Since I will be leaving the house a full hour later, I want to continue getting up at 530 as usual and getting myself ready.
              a. I want to clean up some of the clutter off the floor
              b. I want to start laundry so I can finish in the evening (tired of spending my entire weekend doing laundry instead of playing with the girls)
              c. I want to straighten up the kitchen, maybe even get the dishwasher running
              d. I want to take another glance of myself before walking out the door (so many mornings we are rushing)
              e. I want to eat breakfast instead of leaving the house hungry
              f. I want to sit on the couch with my girls and watch cartoons

2. Working 40 hours a week doesnt leave a lot of time, but I would like to visit more with my friends and give Ava some playdates. She will be home with Kenny a little more and I think playdates will help the transition of being only with Hailey (11 weeks old) alot. Everyone is busy, but I think I can make time to see my little girl happy playing with her friends. She needs to be social.

3. Girl time: I need to make time for ME and my friends. Its really hard to do anything and I hate leaving the girls sometimes but I need to make a habit of maybe once every 6 months going out with a friend or two and getting out of the house. Work is not a fun time out of the house. This one will probably be hard to do but it may happen.

4. Couponing and Saving-I got into couponing a little bit before Hailey was born and completely quit after she was born. I continued to clip just not shop. So I need to make a better habit of shopping to save and not just buying whatever. I want to make a big effort to stock up when the sale is good so maybe that item wont have to cut into the budget next time. I have my binder all cleaned out and ready for the new year. I need to watch the sales, work on checking the websites to help me, and try to get as many match ups as I can.

5. Potty Training-Ava has tried potty training, but we havent become anywhere near serious about it yet. She'll be 2 1/2 here soon then 3 in September, this spring, I want to work on that hard with her and see where we get. She does well when she wants to but when she is stubborn and decides she isnt going to, she refuses. So far I am not pushing the issues, she's still young, but I know she can do it, she has done it, and soon enough I hope its a done deal.

6. Patience-(enough said right?)

7. I want to continue working on my training at work and getting better at my job. It can only help my chances in the future and the more I know, the more I can help someone else. Gotta take my time and make sure I am covering all my bases and helping the mariners out the best I can.

8. Housework-we are pretty good at keeping the kitchen clean, however the rest of the house lacks. If I can keep up with #1 then maybe I will have more time on the weekends to tackle the big areas I always put off. Its just going to get harder with 2 little ones, eventually Hailey will be rolling, crawling, then running through the house with Ava. But it needs to get done.

These are just a few things on my mind right now. I would really like to stick to them. We shall see. I would love to not get lazy in the mornings and sleep in when I am given the opportunity. Even if the girls adjust to the new schedule and begin sleeping longer, I would love to get up and get the easy things done in the middle of the week. The weekends should be for relaxing, family, and friends, not laundry, cleaning, laundry, organizing, laundry, and more laundry.

New Years Day

Well first of all I want to say how different our New Years celebrations are now from when we began dating in 2004. Now we dont even try to make it to midnight. One thing that hasnt changed though is we celebrate the New Year with our friends. I first met Jamie and Katy on New Years 2004-2005, it was Kenny and I's first New Years together. Jamie and Kenny worked together at Southern States and they had invited us over.

I didnt know anyone there, a house full of people, but Katy made me feel welcomed and we became friends. Now 7 years later here we sat at their house, except now we are married to the men that we were just dating and we have kids running around. She had to work on New Years Day, so we arranged to have dinner at their house and let the kids (men included) play for a while.

It may sound boring to some, but to us it was a good time. The kids watched cartoons and played. Katy and I got the opportunity to catch up with each other and the guys got to hang out in the basement away from the women. It was a nice evening. We were home by 10, asleep by 1030 and wake for New Years day by 6am.

My youngest, Hailey was up at 5:45 moving around, about ready to yell for a bottle, when I took her out to the living room so she wouldnt wake up Kenny or Ava. We watched some sportscenter and Hailey ate her breakfast (formula, yuck, just the smell). Ava wasnt too long after us, asking for chocolate milk and cartoons. So our day began.

Kenny's family has a reunion every year on New Years Day. Its a hit or miss event for us. We had originally decided we werent going to attend. Kenny was working and I didnt want to try to go and keep up with 2 by myself. It would just be easier to stay home. However, Kenny was able to get off, so we decided to go. Its always a nice time, good food, and lots of company. Ava had a ball, she and her cousins ran around and screamed and played the whole time.

After the reunion, Ava's cousin said she wasnt ready to quit playing with Ava. We laughed and invited them over. We were having a great time catching up and the kids wanted to play. So that evening we had a great time with our cousins, extended the family reunion to our living room and watched football while the girls played.

I can say that in a previous post I had said that for this year of 2012 I wanted to become closer to friends and enjoy their company. I was really happy to see that on the first day of the year we were doing that. There is nothing like taking time out, stopping the grown up responsibilities, and just hanging out. We dont get to do that anymore. I hope that we continue doing it and growing closer with our family and friends.

December 31st

The last day of the year! Last post of the year! We are enjoying the day as a family! We are all off, and still trying to clean up from Christmas.

Tonight we are going to a friends house, let Ava run wild with their daughter, hopefully wear herself out and then will be home before 9. Yes we are an old married couple with 2 small kids, midnight has not been seen in a few years in this household.

I wish for everyone to have a happy New Year. Cannot wait to see what 2012 has in store for us.

Holding back emotions

Today was a hard day. It was the girls final day at Becky's. Hailey of course only being 2 months old will not remember her short time at Beckys, but Ava is 2 years old with a very good memory. So this morning I dropped them off, didn't say too much, I really didnt know what to say. Ava was so excited to be there. She had been home all week with her daddy and as much as she loves her daddy, I know she was tired of being home. So off to work I went.

The pick up was harder! I had asked Becky to pack up all the baby stuff that she had allowed me to keep at her house. So I took the box of diapers and formula out to the car. I havent explained much to Ava, I know she wont understand much. She gave Becky a kiss goodbye and it hit me. This is the last time for a while that I would be picking her up at that house. I think there will be a time or maybe more times that Ava will go visit with them. She loves the whole family so much. At least I hope so. They are our cousins and will see them again.

So now I am preparing myself for the drop off at the new sitter. So they will start going to my cousins next week. We have visited, Ava did really well, she played, she didnt have a fit. However I did NOT leave. So I am prepared for crying, screaming, and 'I want my mommy'. Everyone keeps telling me they think Ava will do well and I believe she might. She adapts well to different situations. And just as my mother in law told me, "She'll probably be playing within an hour after you leave." All I can say is I really hope so.

So I am scared, nervous, and excited all at one time.

2011 in Review

This year has been one of the hardest on me. Well maybe hard on the whole family. It certainly was like riding a rollercoaster and I HATE roller coasters. So you can imagine that I haven't been at my best this past year. I don't handle some things really well. I am mouthy and tell people what I think when I think it. I am emotional. I am one of those 'emotions on the sleeves' people!

The year began with a kick in the stomach. The US Government posted 34 billets for the job I was doing under a contractor. My workplace was like a madhouse, everyone was talking about how the application process went, when we would find out, and pondering over whether we would all be hired or not.

So in February, we found out that I was pregnant. We couldn't have been happier. But by the time I found out, I was already sick to the stomach and knew I was in for it. So the next 9 months were spent sick, tired, and taking care of Ava.

March, the US Coast Guard began sending out the 'Your HIRED' Tentative offers to the 8/9. By April half of the floor was hired and a few of us were waiting. They were hiring groups at a time within their pay period that falls every 2 weeks. The process was slow and frustrating.

On April 29th, I started out on cloud 9, I woke up at 430AM to watch Prince William marry Kate. Tired from my pregnancy and working full time, I still managed to get up, watch all the coverage and then began my way into work. It was a great day. By 11AM all the billets were full. My name wasn't on the list. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO by June 30th I would be unemployed. I cannot describe what I felt. I went home and just cried on Kenny's shoulder.

I worked May as usual, dealing with anxiety attacks, the stress of looking for another job, trying to eat enough for my growing baby, and going home playing with Ava. By the middle of May, there were lots of rumors that there were people offered positions that were declining. Why would you take the time to apply to a job that you know is LESS money and thousands of miles away from your home?!?! I don't have the answer. But being on the alternate list, I was praying that someone would decline the position and my name would be up. I really like my job and I need to work to help take care of my family. I do not want my children to suffer and not have what they need because I am not working. I don't want my family to have to give up the "extras" because we are tight. One income will just not do it. I have never been one that wants to be the family 'that can't afford it', I want to find a way to do what I want and get what I want. I got my wish. By the middle of May, I got my offer letter. Thank the LORD. He is good and he really watches over us. He just made me sweat for a while.

June, I began my career as a Civilian Government employee. Still half sick most of the time but financially secure. My 2nd niece was also born.

By August, we were getting suspicious that our sitter was job hunting. And we started thinking about our options of child care, especially with two. Just when we thought the stress was gone, here comes another brick wall holding things up. We chose the sitter we did because of family and the environment that our kids would be in. So trying to find another home as welcoming and trusting is hard in this day.

In September, we celebrated Ava's 2nd Birthday!! We also received a new payment agreement from our sitter, we thought all this job hunting stuff was behind us and our girls would be taken care of. Everything was good at this point. After Ava's birthday we just were waiting for Hailey to come. Work as usual was busy, so I was occupied with that. Kenny's schedule was becoming crazy, he was helping a friend work on a house, had classes, overtime, and then his normal schedule.

On October 19th, we welcomed Hailey and began our 4 family household. Life was crazy but awesome. I enjoyed my six weeks off and returned to work in December. I was preparing for Christmas and the holidays with family. Then the bomb hit, our sitter finally gave notice. So with the stress of shopping, travelling, a 2 month old, and a mouthy 2 year old we began looking for a new sitter. Low and behold, we found someone. Another family member. Can you say BLESSED?!?!

So here we are the last week of the year. I am working; Kenny is home with the girls. We have a happy family. At least most of the time. We all have our moments. We've done pretty well sticking together through the thick and the thin. Kenny has been right by my side through all the stress and sickness.

I am looking forward to seeing what 2012 has in store for us. No more little babies. We are done in that department. Sad I know. But Hailey will be learning to crawl, walk, talk, eating food, and hopefully getting on a better schedule. Ava is potty training; hopefully in 2012 she will be in panties and no more diapers or pull ups. The girls will be joining a new family with their sitter, they will meet my mom's side of the family and grow up in the same neighborhood my mom did. I will be changing my schedule to accommodate a new sitter and Kenny will be watching them more when he isn't working.

I don't have any resolutions. I don't keep them anyways. I do hope to continue to grow closer to my husband and my kids. I hope to have more patience for the trying times. I hope to have more time with friends (and their little ones). I want to continue to thrive at my job.

So come on 2012, I think the Bowers are ready for you.

I want Money!

So over our busy weekend, we made a stop at McDonalds on our way down to my dad's house. This stop was made because it was lunch time, we had been on the road since 1030 and we were hungry. As soon as we pulled up Ava said she wanted 'Fries, please'. This kid loves French fries. As we were waiting on our food, Kenny looked over at me and said, "We eat out too much, but it's so convenient when we are on the road"

Well who knew that our convenient stops would filter into Ava's pretend play time? So 2 days later at my sister in laws house, Ava is playing with her cousin's little kitchen. Aunt Erika asks Ava to make her fries. Ava proceeds to put out her hand and stated "I want money". So she went from playing kitchen and making food to the drive thru line at McDonalds.

What else could we do but laugh!!