Santa Video

Even though Momma-Elf has been terribly busy with work, two kids and getting ready for a house full of company for the holiday, Santa hasn't been too busy to take a moment and send Kailer a message!  He's watched this video over and over - I love that it's available for children.  How magical!!

http://www.portablenorthpole.com/watch/gRt1LQhFZyB6HlfjxzEWPYQ

1st Snow Day!

We had our first "real" snow day yesterday ... though today with 12"+ of snow (and still falling), I feel like I should stay home now as well! Despite the snow and cold, Kailer made it out two different times to frolic in the backyard and let Mesa chase him around! He kept asking if he could go out and jump in the snow. Why not?! But when his little cheeks were as red as a tomato, I insisted that he call it a day. Needless to say, he was pretty sure that going out at 7:30 p.m. (in the dark) would be okay too. I convinced him otherwise, telling him that we needed his snow gear to dry by the morning so he could take it to school today. In between his playing outside, we made a little Thanksgiving decoration. I told Dan, that I now realize why the crafts that kids make fall apart so easily - Elmer's glue isn't very good. I got out the BIG GUNS and used hot glue; much easier, though not so kid friendly!


Our Thanksgiving creation - pumpkins are the kids' from school.



My two turkeys!

It's pretty cool to have a little sister, but EVEN BETTER when she's a super hero, Batman Girl!!  (Thanks Uncle Wade)

Leaf Leaps!

An afternoon of raking up the yard undoubtedly led to some Fall pictures. If you recall, I did the same thing with Kailer when he was Aylah's age - might as well keep tradition going! :)

It was definitely easier to take his picture 3 years ago - now he has no time to stay still!

As always - Happy Girl!

Getting a good running start before he hits my pile of leaves!!

"A leaf?  Don't mind if I do!"

Aaawww

Kailer and his Halloween goodies!  For those of you who don't know, he also got an opened, half-empty package of teriyaki sticks (as seen by his hand) ... honestly, who does that??

All smiles, our little pumpkin!

Halloween 2012

Halloween seemed to come and go quickly this year! We enjoyed BEAUTIFUL weather and of course lots of candy!  Kailer insisted that he was going to be a "Rescue Man" after he saw this costume.  Both Dan and I tried to tell him that there were other stores and other costumes, but he knew what he wanted .... so he was happy, which made us happy!   I had a hard time finding a costume small enough for Aylah, so she was Little Miss Monkey and Me...well, I just through together a costume with a bat mask and headband that I purchased.
Happy (Belated) Halloween!!

The three of us, prior to heading to a party on the 27th.

Miss Monkey

Rescue Man/Hero

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Cleaning out his 33lb. pumpkin!!  He knew it was going to take him awhile and he said to us, "It's going to take me a long time. I wont be able to go to school tomorrow!"  GREAT, he's already making up excused!!  :)

Jumperoo!!

Little Miss got herself a Jumperoo and really enjoy it ... the first night! LOL.  Now she's not quite sure what she thinks of it, but when Kailer's around to make the toys 'work' she does seem to enjoy it more.  I'm confident that she'll like it more as time goes on - she's such a wiggle worm and this provides her the perfect opportunity to move around!

 

Sesame Street!!

Last Wednesday night the kids and I went to see Sesame Street - a 1st for all of us! I honestly wasn't quite sure what Kailer would think, but he had a blast and seeing his reaction throughout the entire 2 hours we were there was totally worth every penny and being tired the next day!! It certainly is the little things in life that keep a smile on my face as I get to be the mother to these two awesome children!

Happily waving to the characters as they came out on stage!!

Enjoying the show AND his popcorn!

Super Hero Grover

This, "I"m having so much fun mom" smile melted my heart.

The Sesame Street Gang

Little Miss Aylah also watched the ENTIRE show!  She sat on my lap and just took it all in.

Watching the confetti fall at the end!
What a great time had by all!

All Smiles!

Aylah being her usual happy-self as we get ready to head out to do some shopping.

A big part of my life, especially during the holidays, has been to make sugar cookies and this year Kailer was all about helping me and I was very excited to have a sidekick!!  He did a great job of rolling out the dough and cutting out the cookies!!  He also thought it was great fun to get to stick his hand in the flour container and spread more flour onto the dough.  I cherish these moment with him, as I never know when he'll no longer want to be "mama's boy."

Cutting out a pumpkin

Rolling fun!

My other sidekick - she's such a hoot - just chillin' in the highchair where she can see all the action!
Putting Aylah in her little bouncy chair on the floor is NOT an option any longer, she needs to SEE what's going on when we're busy doing things.

Baby Stats

Who does Alyah look like? I get this question a lot - there are times when she seems to look like Kailer, times when she definitely looks like me (when compared to my baby pictures) and of course there are ALL those times when she just looks like AYLAH!! So I thought I'd pull out Kailer's 4-month picture to compare to Aylah's ... which really makes me say, "She looks like Aylah."

Kailer on 9/22/09: 24.5", 12 lbs. 13.4 oz.

Aylah on 10/16/12: 25", 12 lbs. 10 oz.

Just A Little Poke

I'm not sure if there's ever a way to truly prepare your children for a shot ... especially when they are at an age where they understand what is going on. This year, Kailer is fully aware of what a shot is and repeatedly has said to me, "Mommy, I don't like needles!" To which I've replied many times, "Most people don't like needles (Including his father), but we have to get shots to keep us healthy." So last week it was time for Kailer to get his flu shot - an event that neither one of us really wanted to take part in, but knew it was going to happen. I had promised Kailer that after he got his flu shot I would take him out to lunch, followed by an ice cream cone. I'm pretty sure it was the thought of an ice cream cone that finally tipped the scale and gave him the courage to get his vaccination. I was actually going to wait until Aylah's 4 month check up, this week, to have Kailer get his shot, but last Tuesday he asked, "Are we going to get my flu shot today?" He totally caught me off guard, but I rolled with the punches and said,"Um, I'm not sure, I'll have to call the clinic and see if we can get you in." Needless to say he asked several more times before I realized I needed to seize this opportunity and do it while he was willing. So after a visit to the library, I pulled into Urgent Care in Belgrade where the sign in the front read "Walk in Flu Clinic." Well, I guess it was our 'lucky' day ... ha, ha! While I'm filling out the paperwork Kailer is repeatedly saying to me, "Mommy, I don't like needles." As any parent can imagine, this comment ripped away at my heart with each passing beat. I took a deep breath and smiled at him to try and reassure him that it's going to be okay!! The nurse called us in and this momma beamed with pride as Kailer let me pull down his pant leg and hold him on my lap. Kailer did so well!! Yes there were some tears shed, but he did it and I was Over.The.Top. Proud Of Him!! I told him how proud I was and that he was a big boy -- with tear-streaked cheeks he said to me, "No, I wasn't, I cried." I couldn't even begin to express to him how courageous he was and that even though he cried a few tears, he was still the bravest 3 year old I know! We went to Burger King where Kailer got a Kid's Meal and a vanilla ice cream cone..and now, every now and again he will say to me, "Mom, after I get my flu shot next year, we can get another ice cream cone, right?!" LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. That Boy!!

Enjoying his special treat!

Kailer: 3 years 4 months            Aylah: 4 months
 

Fall Fun

Fall is officially here! As the crisp, golden colors of Fall have settled into our life, we've been busy with our own activities. Though I'm not a fan of cold weather, the Fall colors are beautiful and the activities are abundant! We've attended two Homecoming parades (MSU and our local high school), picked pumpkins, created a cowboy (more about that below) went to a birthday party and enjoyed a visit this last weekend with G'ma and Papa Mike. Kailer is over-the-top excited for Halloween and keeps asking when we're going to put up our decorations! We are also excited that we will be enjoying some normalcy in our life after nearly four years .... Dan's schedule for the next six months is going to be a DAY SHIFT ... with Wednesday-Friday off! This announcement might be just as exciting as the announcement of our pregnancies. Okay, maybe not, but still it is exciting for us! We're looking forward to not having to be church mice during the day and feeling more like a connected family! **As a side note, please pray for our marriage - Dan and I have joked about how we are not sure if we can withstand that much togetherness! LOL

Kailer the troll .... hat from the MSU homecoming parade!

Kailer with his 33 lb. pumpkin (the one he's sitting on)!!  After talking to him about how he's going to have to clean it out and it may take awhile, he looked at me and said, "Actually, I bought that pumpkin for Daddy!"  We all laughed.

Tree Swing!

G'ma bought Kailer two pair of shoes, which he was not happy with, so we took them back for an exchange ... cowboy boots it is!! **This is Kailer in his PJ pants and a sweatshirt ... he was NOT allowed to wear them outside.

Kailer enjoying the sunshine while in Big Sky!

Miss Aylah - 4 months old (to the day), sitting in the highchair with a teething toy.

 



So in a nutshell, that's what we have been doing - enjoying Fall. I wish I had more time to blog, but quite honestly I barely have time to sleep anymore!

First Baby Doll!

Every girl needs a Baby Doll and last weekend Aylah got hers! Baby doesn't have a name, yet, but she sits snuggly next to Aylah in her chair daily!

Pretty in pink!

The K-man playing hide-n-seek in Aylah's room!

Baby has tasty hands!!

3 Months Old

Today is Aylah's 3-month birthday and she decided to kick it off in style by rolling from her tummy to her back for the first time!! I was actually getting ready for the day when Dan came in and told me she had done it. I wasn't sure that I believed it, or at least that she had done it fully on her own. But she did it again this evening ... she'll be well on her way to moving soon, I'm afraid! Every time Kailer was around today her little face lit up, she smiled at him, tracked his movements and watched him intently! I think she's intrigued by her big brother and I'm guessing will be motivated to get moving so she can keep up with him!

Seriously - what an angel!

Daddy's little camo girl!!

Happiest little baby!