Little comedienne

Katie always says the funniest things. No lie, sometimes the things she says border on inappropriate, but I love that she is hilarious. (She probably gets that from me.) The other night we were eating Tyson's Tequila and Lime chicken wings, Katie's favorite. She calls them "chicken and bones." It's pretty quiet at the table. Kenzie is sitting in her bumbo on the table as the centerpiece. All of a sudden, Katie looks at Dave with a dead serious look and says, "You're just like your mother." He says, "How so?" She replies with, "You always lick your fingers when you eat." I almost lost it.

Chrismas Day

Christmas Day is pretty hectic for us. We start the day at our house opening the gifts under the tree. After everything settles down, I make a light breakfast. Then, we get ready to go to Dave's Grandparent's house. We usually get there between 12 and 1. We eat there around 1:30 or 2. Then, we open gifts there. After that, we head to my parent's house around 4:30 or 5 and open gifts there. Then we eat dinner at my parent's around 7....I know it's crazy. But, it's a time with family. Plus, I always have plenty of time to recover (like a week), Dave isn't always so lucky. As the girls get older, it will get easier. It's always difficult with a baby.

Kenzie and her great-grandpa

This picture baffles me. Grandpa Bob didn't used to be a baby hog. He was almost afraid to hold Katie, but he won't let anyone touch Kenzie if has anything to say about it. Check out her hair. :)

Once again, the sis pic

annual family pic

Kenzie spends most of her time at my parent's house in the swing. Katie used to stockpile Cheerios in that little toucan's head.

"Are there any Cheerios in there?"
The annual family photo

Twas the Night Before

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care in hopes that Saint Nicholas soon would be there.

All the presents were wrapped under the tree.

Santa's cookies and chocolate milk were ready...I mean gone.

Christmas #1 (at Pat's)

Sis pic
Kenzie and Grandma (love the hair)

I personally am beginning to wonder why there is always crappy weather on Christmas Eve. Last year was the torrential snowstorm, and I thought we were going to get stranded in Weatherford. This year, it was like 20 degrees warmer, but it rained most of the day. Katie loves going to Grandma's to play with the kids. Of course, the presents were a bonus. She's at the age where it's all about the presents. Last year, she loved the thought, but she still didn't really understand. This year, she felt like she truly understood the meaning of Christmas for kids, gifts. Katie was a little disappointed that not everyone was there ready to play with her when we arrived. We ate delicious tacos around 3:30, and then it was time for presents around 4:30...Katie's favorite part. It's kinda crazy at Pat's. All 11 grandkids find a spot near the tree and wait while 2 kids pass out all of the presents. Then, mass hysteria ensues while all the kids rip into their gifts simultaneously as tissue paper and gift wrap flutter to the floor so much faster than it should. I was watching Katie like a hawk and had my camera ready. Then, the moment approached. She had a giant present in front of her, I knew this was the one. I heard a high-pitched scream and, "Aaaah, my walking puppy." Here is what I got.
Kenzie wasn't much into Christmas, as I expected. Katie enjoyed opening Kenzie's gifts almost as much as she enjoyed opening her own. She also enjoyed playing with Kenzie's as much as playing with her own, as shown here.
All good times come to an end. Katie started to get cranky, and we had to head home and get ready for Santa. We really did have a great time though.

Cookies for Santa

Last year, Katie and I made cookies for Santa. I've decided that I want to make this a tradition. I'm pretty sure that Santa probably gets tired of sugar cookies, so we made cake cookies. You use cake mix and you make cookies. You can frost them, and they are a bit more "fluffy" than regular cookies. Decorating, of course, is Katie's favorite part. She eventually gets bossy and tells me how to decorate them. We decorated about a dozen, and then it was time to go to Grandma's for Christmas with her.

All of the masterpieces

Rice Cereal

Kenzie is now almost 4 months. I figured that since I'm home, I might as well try rice cereal. I have lots of time. So, we did. No lie, she looks pretty happy in the picture, but she wasn't a huge fan. I can't really blame her. This was day 2 with a spoon. Day 1 was in a bottle. Day 3 was a huge disaster. That stuff got everywhere. We'll keep trying. In a few days, I'm going to the doc for a check-up for Kenzie. I'll talk to him about it.

Not another one

Everyone knows that lots of bbies are self-soothers. Both of my daughters hated "pacies." They both eventually found their thumbs, and that's how they fall asleep. However, Kenzie prefers her right thumb, and Katie favors her left. I know each kid is an individual, but I thought that fact was interesting. The one downside to thumbsucking is that you can take "pacies" away, but you can't take a thumb away.

Rollover Beethoven...or Kenzie

I put Kenzie right by the Christmas tree so that she could look at the lights. She is always mesmerized by lights. So, I put her there. Not to long after that, she fell asleep. She fell asleep for about an hour. When I came back because she was making sounds, she had rolled over and was on her tummy.

Dec.1st photo

We always take the baby's pictures on the first of the month. Usually I post the girl's photos side-by-side so that you can see how much they look alike. I know, I know, Kenzie looks like Dave. I got it. Katie did at birth too. Around her 5th or 6th month, Katie started to create her own look. Now, she resembles me more, but she still looks like Katie to me. I thought it would only be fair to post this picture of Kenzie as Kenzie. That's who she is even if she does look like a Dave mini-me.

Christmas Lights

Our tradition is to always put the tree, decorations, and the outside lights up on Black Friday. All of the other crazy people are out shopping, spending hundreds, and we are holed up inside in our pajamas for the majority of the day decorating for Christmas. Katie is really starting to get into this tradition. She just runs around asking where the decorations go. Dave did a fantastic job decorating the outside (with a fabulous assistant.) I love getting ready for Christmas...it always puts me in the spirit.

The Hair

I'm a big fan of Kenzie's hair. I know it's not the unusual strawberry blonde that Katie has. It is, however, naturally curly. I love how it stands up on end at the back by her crown. I know most moms would try and cover it up, not me. I absolutely love that it is crazy.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving kind of crept up on me this year. This was our year to go to Pat's for Thanksgiving. She always fries 2 turkeys and there's always an abundance of carbs (my kind of meal.) This was Kenzie's first Thanksgiving, but her diet is still limited to formula. Grandma Jennie got to hold her and feed her a bottle. Katie loves going to the country for holidays because she gets to play with all of the kids.

Must be a turkey coma
Katie being herself. She was really excited for turkey and 3-layer pie.

All the girls

Katie and I were getting Kenzie ready for bed. We gave her a bath. Then, Katie loves to help put lotion on Kenzie. Then, Katie put her in her pajamas. I saw this as a perfect opportunity for a photo. I am always thinking of a photo for a scrapbook page...I know it's crazy. I love that my girls get along so well right now. I know this isn't going to last forever...so I'll enjoy it while I can.

Twins Part 3

Katie 10-1-06
Kenzie 11-1-10

Happy Halloween from the ladybug and Ariel!

The Ladybug, happy here....but not later

Ariel, with the awful wig that I hate

We had grandparents over to celebrate Halloween and see the girls in their costume. Katie had been talking about Halloween ever since my mom's occupational therapist gave her this costume in May. She knew she would be Ariel forever. I worried that as much as she grew this summer this wouldn't fit. It was a little snug, but it worked.
Katie went trick-or-treating at the church offices at the school on Friday. On Saturday, I took her to Trunk or Treat at my school on Saturday. She didn't NEED any more candy. We ended up taking her trick-or-treating on our cul-de-sac to maybe 5 or 6 houses. She was content. I was glad. Kenzie had just about had her fill as well. My mom let me borrow a rockin' witch's hat.

2 month check-up

Well, I took Kenzie in for her 2 month check up. I had been freaking out for a week that I would get in trouble with the doctor about her weight. She looks so much bigger than the other babies we know. She is 3-7 weeks older than all of them but still. She ended up being 12lbs. 5 oz. (3 oz lighter than Katie at her 2 month check up.) Both girls were exactly 22 inches at their 2 month check up. Kenzie's head was in the 75th percentile. After the doc factored in her height, weight, and head measurement, we found out she is in the 97th percentile. She grew almost 2 inches in 1 month. CRAZY! Minus her umbilical hernia, she is "perfectly healthy." Her hernia is 2 cm and should disappear by her 5th birthday. (Fingers crossed, here's to hoping.)
The hardest part is when they get the shots. She got one shot in each thigh plus an oral injection. She screamed like a real trooper. We couldn't get her to calm down until I got her in the car, and it started to move.

Sisterly Love

Katie has always loved her sister. Well, lately, it's been, "I'm her favorite." I joked with Kenzie once that since I fed her for so long that I must be her favorite. Well, Katie got pretty offended. So, every day she tells Kenzie, "I'm your favorite, right?" Well, I am pretty sure that is true. Katie takes the best care of Kenzie. She is super helpful around the house. It's times like these that I'm glad we waited 4 years to have another baby. I just pray that they are always this close.

It's Pumpkin Time

Every year we try to remember to take Katie to Calloway's to pick her pumpkin, and take her picture in their mini patch. This year, Katie was more concerned with her pumpkin than with the picture. I got lots of photos of her with "scary smile." If you've been around when I take photos, you know what I'm talking about. This pic turned out the best of the girls. Poor Kenzie was too tired.
Katie finally got to pick her pumpkin out. Then, we headed home.

Maddie is here!

Christie and I pretty much went through our pregnancies together. It was kind of fun. I didn't really get to share that experience with anyone when I was pregnant with Katie. Christie and I are pretty similar, so it was a great experience. Maddie was born Tuesday. We decided to head to the Fitzy's house last night and take them dinner. Katie was so excited to meet Maddie. She came running in my room yesterday at 7:10 screaming, "I'm so excited. I get to see Chris and Christie today, and I get to meet MADDIE." Poor Chris and Christie had visitors all day and were beat.It was still fun to meet Maddie (and remember what it was like to have a tiny baby.) These newborns add weight quickly. I'm pretty sure Kenzie is already a good 4-5 pounds heavier than Maddie.

The boys decided to celebrate with cigars.
Congratulations, Chris and Christie. We can't wait to see what kind of memories are ahead for us.

Recovering Pug

I took Pugsley back to the vet today. We were super excited. The corneal ulcer is finally healed. Now, he just has to take a eyedrop with a steroid in it 3 times a day to heal the rest of the eye. Every time I take him to the animal hospital he gets absolutely pooped. Katie left Pig and her blanket on the couch while we ate dinner. When we were done, this is what we saw when we came in the living room.

Twins Part 2

After looking through some paperwork, I found that both girls were 9 pounds 13 ounces at their first month appointment. It may be a coincidence, but I think it's cool. Plus, I thought I would post their 1 month photos so you can compare.

Katie 9-1-06
10-1-10 Kenzie

Katie's 4 Year Check-Up

I took Katie for her flu shot last Thursday. I got a little bit of a talking to because I was supposed to bring her in for a check-up and some shots. Apparently, there was a miscommunication. I tried to make light of it with the nurse, but she didn't seem to find my jokes funny. So, Katie and I headed to Dr. Harmon's office. She weighed 43 lbs. 8 oz, which is the 90th percentile. She is 40.75 inches tall, which is the 95th percentile. So, she is tall for her age. The doc said according to the computer she is 7 pounds over weight. I told him that I needed him to find it. I don't see one pound of fat on that kid anywhere. I already knew she was tall for her age. She's wearing size 6 clothes. That's the size for most kindergarteners. We discussed her asthma. We are trying a new approach to avoid trips to the ER and many sleepless nights. We got a rescue inhaler, and Katie will receive a stimulant called Pulmicort from her nebulizer daily to prevent major issues. She probably needs to take an allergy med daily also. We'll try this and see if it works. To top things off, Katie got 6 shots. I know, crazy huh? She stayed calm for the first 4, and then she lost it. I have no real pics because I was trying to concentrate on all the information.

Storytime

Every night I read books to Katie before bedtime. Last night, we took Mackenzie with us, and I think she really enjoyed it. We had just put her in her new pajamas, and she was super smiley. I, of course, used that opportunity to run and get the camera. I've been troubled by a family that had a tragedy lately, and I guess you could say that I hug my kids a little tighter, and thank God every day for my blessings. I love my girls!

Proud Big Sis

People warned us that Katie would be so jealous when Kenzie got here. I told them that I didn't really think it would happen. It's been 5 weeks, and Katie couldn't love her sister any more than she does. We are so blessed that Katie is such an understanding child. On nights when Dave and I got little to no sleep, Katie let us sleep in. She just wanted cartoons and chocolate Cheerios, and she was good to go. She helps change diapers and pick out her outfits. She loves holding her on the couch. She kisses her every chance she gets, and she thanks Jesus every day for her little sister. I am so thankful every day for my 2 girls.

Twins? Part 1

Well, as time has passed everyone says that Mackenzie looks like Dave and Katie looks like me. So, I thought I would show people just how similar the girls looked shortly after birth. Most people also didn't believe me when I said that Katie looked like Dave at birth. So, here it goes.

Katie 7-27-06, moments after birth
Mackenzie 8-24-10, moments after birth

We took lots of photos at the hospital, but my next favorite is when we took the girl's growth photos. Both girls were born at the end of the month. So, we take their photo on the first of each month with a stuffed animal to show growth. Katie's photo was taken with a giraffe, and her first photo was taken at 4 days old.

Katie 8-1-06

Kenzie's photo was taken at 8 days old.

Kenzie 9-1-10

Time will only tell what Kenzie will look like. I would love if she looked like Katie. I'm biased. I think my daughters are cute.

Hysterical Musings of a 4-year-old

I've enjoyed Katie's company during my maternity leave. Most of the time, she keeps me calm and entertained. She is full of hysterical stories and theories. I'm going to post some of our latest conversations that I've found the most funny.
Conversation #1:
(Scene: I am trying to feed Mackenzie her bottle. Kenzie keeps shaking her head getting milk all over her face and spitting it out at me.)
Katie: Mommy, she doesn't want that.
Me: Oh really, how do you know?
Katie: I just know. Give her your boob.

Conversation #2:
Scene: Driving past the Ft Worth drying beds right after it rained
Katie: Hey, do you smell that?
Me: Yeah, what do you smell? ( I expect her to say poop.)
Katie: Um, it smells like breastmilk. (I have no idea where this answer came from.)

Conversation #3:
Scene: In the kitchen making dinner. Dave comes home, and I'm trying to get him to notice that I'm finally wearing regular clothes (not maternity)
Me: Hey Dave, do you notice anything different?
Dave: Umm...(thinking)
Katie: Yeah, Papa has boobs.

Conversation #4:
Scene: Family is sitting at dinner table and we are discussing show-and-tell this week. Katie has to bring something for the letter E.
Katie: What could I bring?
Me: You could bring your favorite princess' husband.
Katie: I could bring Prince Eric.
Me: Yup.
Katie: Prince Eric (the imaginary one) is in my room taking a nap. He's sleeping in my bed. He's sick.
Dave: Oh really? Where will he sleep when it's time for you to go to bed?
Katie: He's going to sleep with me. Don't worry, he won't cough on me.

1 month

I took Kenzie for her 1 month check-up. Evidently I make and maintain big babies. Kenzie was 9 lbs 13 oz, which was 2 pounds up from her birth weight. It didn't help that her weight was in the 75 percentile but her height was in the 25 percentile. Evidently, she's short and fat...who knew? I love the fat rolls. I got the checklist of do's and don'ts, which was a quick review. Then, she got a shot...she was not happy. In fact, it seems she enjoys shots about as much as she enjoys baths.

Poor Pug!

Every one that knows me knows that I call Pugsley my oldest child. We adopted Pugsley on the one-month anniversary after we got married. He was a total spaz of a puppy, but we fell instantly in love. The family we adopted him from didn't want him anymore. Last Saturday, I noticed a tiny red mark on his eyeball. It only got worse. Wednesday I took him to the vet. They said that it looked like an ulcer, but I needed to go see a veterinary opthamologist (I didn't even know those existed.) I took him the next day, and yes, he has a corneal ulcer. The ulcer has penetrated his entire cornea. We are treating it with 6 antibiotics. If they don't cure it, they will do surgery, which I really don't want. Here is an up-close shot of his eye.
The red outer circle is his eye's way of protecting the ulcer. The ulcer is the tiny mark to the left of the giant red mark in the circle. I need to take another pic. His eyes are looking better, but the ulcer isn't gone. We go back in a week for a re-check.

Katie's first rollerskating adventure

We headed to the Arlington Skatium for Juli's birthday party. Katie was so excited about skating. We got there, and she put the skates on immediately. We got all the way to the rink. The minute she set the skates on the rink, she fell down. She panicked, started getting hysterical, and told me to take the skates off. Thankfully, her friend, Keira was there. Both girls ran around the outer part of the private rink for almost 2 hours. Five minutes before the party ended, everyone went in the middle of the rink for the Hokey Pokey. Katie and Keira both wanted to put their skates back on and return to the rink. We barely made it onto the rink as they said it was time to go. I had just enough time to snap this shot. It all went downhill from there because Katie didn't want to leave.

Mackenzie is here

Dr. Wiegman scheduled an induction for 5 AM on Tuesday, Aug. 24, which was 10 days early. He had a vacation to Colorado that he would be enjoying on my actual due date, and he wanted to avoid another 8 pound baby. We arrived at the hospital about 10 minutes early, and the nurses immediately put me in a room. We hung out for about an hour waiting for IVs and fluids to get set up. At about 8:30 Dr. Wiegman showed up to break my water. He told me that I could have an epidural at any time. At about 9:15, I asked Tara, my labor and delivery nurse for an epidural. By 9:30, the anesthesiologist had shown up and administered the best drugs ever. Labor progressed slowly, but since I was under drugs...I drifted in and out of sleep. By 3:30 PM, Tara said that Dr. Wiegman was on his way, and everything should go pretty fast from there. If I remember correctly, Dr. Wiegman showed up at 3:50. I pushed like 3 times, and she was here. Mackenzie was born at 3:55 PM. She was 7 pounds 14 ounces and was 19.5 inches long. She had jet black hair and a tiny cry. She is one of a kind. She does look a lot like Katie did except with black hair.

Is it time?

It seemed like a normal Sunday. Dave and I headed to the car wash to get our cars cleaned before the baby got here. While we were there, I started having contractions. They finished our cars when my contractions had been 4 minutes apart for 45 minutes. We dropped Katie off at my parent's house, and we headed to the hospital. They took me into triage at about 12:40 and checked me. They hooked me up to the monitors, and started checking my vitals. The nurse informed me that I was at 2 centimeters, but I had a good contraction pattern. She also told me that Dr. Wiegman was unavailable, and if I delivered, Dr. Peppler would deliver the baby. I told her that I needed Dr. Wiegman there, and she said he wouldn't be available until 7 AM the next day. So, at that moment, I prayed that we could wait until he could deliver. We walked, we sat, we read, we texted...after 3 hours, we were released. The nurse said that she wouldn't be surprised if we returned later that day.

Happy Birthday Jaxson

Katie has really missed one of her best friends since they moved away. She had been waiting for Jaxson's birthday party for about a week and a half. She couldn't have been any more excited when it finally arrived. His party was at a public pool in Arlington geared toward kids 4-7. It was perfect. Katie had a blast and enjoyed being reunited with her best bud from next door.