We were gone for 5 days over Christmas and this is why I don't like to travel with 2 toddlers....
...it took me 5 days just to pack for the trip
...45 min to pack the car
...8 hours of entertaining 2 kids, one who likes to drop everything off to the side just out of Mommy's reach which results in a crying fit in return causes the othe child 8 times out of 10 to start crying as well
...5 stops to pee, and let the girls run around
...the very first day I got the stomach flu and have been sick for a week
...daddy got the stomach flu and has been sick for 4 days
...the kids didn't get normal naps for 5 days straight, aka: cranky toddlers
...the kids didn't eat a decent meal for 5 days straight, it's hard to push them to eat their food when your either surrounded by family or in a restaurant
...Caylee poops a lot! There are not a lot of changing tables on the road. Tricky with poopy.
...it's hard to plan the day around nap schedules
...the girls wake up scared because they are in a new place
...forget about sleeping in, once they open their eyes they can see you and want you to be awake NOW
...it's hard to get ready and have to make sure the kids don't get into any thing that is not kid proofe
...packing and re-packing lots of snacks every day and knowing what to expect
...Courtney was so thrown off by all the Choas that she peed her pants 3 times in one da
...Caylee got diarrhea and leaked thru onto her carseat in the last 2 hours of the trip resulting in a cranky toddler for the last 2 hours
...it takes a few days for the girls to get back into their sleeping/eating routines
...it takes 5 days to unload, unpack, do laundry and re-organize from the trip
I've got to get this down better if we ever want to travel more
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Thursday, December 8, 2011
There is only one Mommy
On Monday night Caylee woke in the middle of the night coughing and started to cry, not normal for her. So I went in there to comfort her. She calmed down but then it happened again, and again and a fourth time. After that, I decided to just sleep on the floor in front of the humidifier with her. Each cough seemed difficult and was painful. I felt so bad for her. I laid with her a few minutes and it seemed to be working. Courtney want me to lay with her, so I asked her to lay with us. Within minutes Courtney said she had to poop. She went into the bathroom and instead of pooping she started throwing up all over herself. Oh my goodness! I put Caylee down, and proceeded to clean Courtney up. By that time, Caylee got her second wind and was ready to play. She was being crazy and getting into everything, including the puke on the floor. I got Caylee some warm apple juice and honey and we headed back up to hopefully get both girls down. Caylee continued to ransack the room while Courtney wasn't feeling too good. Coco didn't want me to hold Caylee and Caylee didn't want me to hold Coco. But neither felt good. I held Caylee and laid down and then Coco puked again all over all the blankets. So back up to clean her and the floor up. Now I felt like I needed to hold Coco and not Caylee. Ugh! There is only one Mommy, what do I do? I eventually had to put Caylee in the crib and let her cry. I held Coco until she was ready to go to sleep. I ended up sleeping in Coco's bed, so I was nearby the girls if anything else should come up.
Then today, Romo threw up on the floor. I cleaned that up. Romo wanted to go potty but I couldn't take him out. I smelled this horrible smell and looked over at Caylee and she had diarhea filling her highchair. I put Romo on the patio and he proceeded to have diahrea all over the patio. Meanwhile, I pulled Caylee out of the highchair and put her in the kitchen sink. Oh man, she was disgusting. Poop everywhere, in her hair, and every wrinkle. I finally got her cleaned and then had to clean the highchair, start a load of laundry, and clean the patio. I need a clone with all this sickness stuff.
Oh and did I mention we have a new puppy? Thank goodness for her crate.
Then today, Romo threw up on the floor. I cleaned that up. Romo wanted to go potty but I couldn't take him out. I smelled this horrible smell and looked over at Caylee and she had diarhea filling her highchair. I put Romo on the patio and he proceeded to have diahrea all over the patio. Meanwhile, I pulled Caylee out of the highchair and put her in the kitchen sink. Oh man, she was disgusting. Poop everywhere, in her hair, and every wrinkle. I finally got her cleaned and then had to clean the highchair, start a load of laundry, and clean the patio. I need a clone with all this sickness stuff.
Oh and did I mention we have a new puppy? Thank goodness for her crate.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Our new puppy "Belle"
Ever since we gave Wrigley our dog away, Daddy has been wanting to get a new "Romo" dog. Romo is the best dog we have ever owned. He is perfect in every way. He doesn't need exercise, doesn't eat much, doesn't need exercise, holds his pee for a very long time, and we can leave him all day and he doesn't care.
So after 11 months of asking, begging, asking more, beggging more, prayer, more prayer, and talking, Daddy got me to agree to a new puppy. He found a puppy immediately and we went to see if the next day. Courtney and Daddy fell in love with her. She slept in Coco's arms for 10 min, she was super mellow and very sweet.
We had to wait 2 weeks and today was the day. Mommy had a hair appointment while we were supposed to pick up the puppy, so Daddy took the girls to go pick her up. Courtney has been asking for this puppy every day and so she was very, or should I say overly excited to have the puppy at our home.
The poor puppy was a little overwhelmed it's first few hours. Between Courtney trying to carry her by the neck and Caylee banging and shaking her cage, she didn't have a quiet moment to adjust. But she handled herself well and by the end of the night she was snuggling with us, eating her food, making her way around the house, going potty outside (no accidents so far!) and going in and out of her cage.
It's going to be interesting tomorrow and the next days when Mommy has to take care of her while the girls are awake. I fear for her little life.
So after 11 months of asking, begging, asking more, beggging more, prayer, more prayer, and talking, Daddy got me to agree to a new puppy. He found a puppy immediately and we went to see if the next day. Courtney and Daddy fell in love with her. She slept in Coco's arms for 10 min, she was super mellow and very sweet.
We had to wait 2 weeks and today was the day. Mommy had a hair appointment while we were supposed to pick up the puppy, so Daddy took the girls to go pick her up. Courtney has been asking for this puppy every day and so she was very, or should I say overly excited to have the puppy at our home.
The poor puppy was a little overwhelmed it's first few hours. Between Courtney trying to carry her by the neck and Caylee banging and shaking her cage, she didn't have a quiet moment to adjust. But she handled herself well and by the end of the night she was snuggling with us, eating her food, making her way around the house, going potty outside (no accidents so far!) and going in and out of her cage.
It's going to be interesting tomorrow and the next days when Mommy has to take care of her while the girls are awake. I fear for her little life.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Photo Book
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Sunday, November 27, 2011
Sunday Baseball
The Coffey family came to Chino Hills (30 min) away for Isaac's baseball tournament yesterday and I wanted to make a point to see them. Whenever they are close, I try to always see them. They are the greatest family ever. We love them, respect them, enjoy lt being with them so much that a few years ago we chose them as the girls's Godparents.
We got there early this morning. Isaac pitched a lot the first game, he did great and the team won. The girls were really good, so we decided to stay for the next game. The girls got to play at the park and daddy got to hit some baseballs, then we sat in the snack bar are to watch the next game. That was perfect because the girls could walk around and play and it was easier to watch them and the game. Caylee even got to nap. The game was exciting and ended in another win! We had to stay for the next game, which involved a bit of a wait. So Amy cut Courtney's hair and then Amy and I took the girls's to Starbucks while the boys stayed back and watched football and baseball.
Game number 3 was against the best team in the nation and it didnt seem like the boys had a chance. Courtney found some little girls to play with and was pretty content. The game had some great plays, Isaac had a perfect catch and they ended up winning the game which meant they won the tournament. It was fun to part of the excitement.
I was proud of the girls for being so good despite not really having naps. I did not plan to be there all day so I didn't bring a bunch of supplies, but we managed, they were entertained and we all had a blast.
We got there early this morning. Isaac pitched a lot the first game, he did great and the team won. The girls were really good, so we decided to stay for the next game. The girls got to play at the park and daddy got to hit some baseballs, then we sat in the snack bar are to watch the next game. That was perfect because the girls could walk around and play and it was easier to watch them and the game. Caylee even got to nap. The game was exciting and ended in another win! We had to stay for the next game, which involved a bit of a wait. So Amy cut Courtney's hair and then Amy and I took the girls's to Starbucks while the boys stayed back and watched football and baseball.
Game number 3 was against the best team in the nation and it didnt seem like the boys had a chance. Courtney found some little girls to play with and was pretty content. The game had some great plays, Isaac had a perfect catch and they ended up winning the game which meant they won the tournament. It was fun to part of the excitement.
I was proud of the girls for being so good despite not really having naps. I did not plan to be there all day so I didn't bring a bunch of supplies, but we managed, they were entertained and we all had a blast.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Courtney' 1st Dance Class
"what do you want your new teacher to call you? Coco or Courtney?"... "Courtney!" .... Courtney's Gamma got her dance lessons, dance shoes and out fits for her 3 rd birthday. There was a waiting list, so finally 1 month later she got in. She was nervous going, but within 1 minute she was having a blast. She did so good! She listened really well to the teacher but definitely was off a bit. But who wouldn't be the first day. She had so much fun, but when you ask what her favorite part was, she says "When the teacher said I was smelly!". She holds her nose. I'm not sure what happened because all the parents were outside, but she thought it was really funny.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Stationery card
Family Stories Christmas Card
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Thursday, November 3, 2011
Courtney Sue: 3 Years
Courtney turned 3 about 10 days ago and she has definitely been challenging me lately, but she is more silly and fun than ever.
She still loves music. She always makes up songs. She has a similar tune she uses and some words make sense and others don't. Several people have said that she has a good voice and stays in tune. Obviously she doesn't get that trait from mommy. She also loves to dance. As soon as music is on she is moving. She has no shame dance on her chair in a restaurant, in the middle of a store or at home on our coffee table. She has recently been into "Princess songs". She has cute versions to "Part of your world", and "A Whole New World".
She also loves to play with strollers and grocery carts. If she can push it around you've got her sold. She puts Romo in her stroller and pushes him everywhere. Romo is one of her favorite toys. She just loves him and doesn't like to do much without him. Her other favorite toys are her little plastic princesses, stuffed animals, doctor kit and our iPhones.
She is so good on the iPhone. She knows how to take pictures, play games, put on music and scroll thru YouTube. She is so smart! Her memory amazes me. She has numerous songs memorized, she remembers places and people from so long ago. We are practices the ABCs and numbers during our "school" time. She loves school time and asks me all the time if we can do it. We sit at the kitchen table for about 30 min and do some learning.
Courtney has so many friends, I couldn't even begin to mention them all. She has her own little "fan club" at church, as some have called it. The older girls around ages 7-10, just love her. She follows them around and plays with them, holds their hands and does whatever the older girls want. She has a few other friends at church that are closer to her age; Naomi, Ciera Newman, Marin. Her best friend is Haley Marshall. She still plays with her at least once a week. Her mom and I chat and the girls play. They love it. They have a sweet little bond, but have started to fight more a bit. But they still love each other. Her other friends are in my Mom's group: Rebecca, Abby Reen, Abby Noon.
One of Courtney's favorite places to go is Disneyland. We have season passes, so we go a lot. She asks to go often. Her favorite rides/activities are: Small World, Carousel, parade, meeting the characters, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Dumbo, and the tea cups. She also loves going to church and cries when we leave each Sunday. She loves the park as well. Every morning when she wakes up, the first thing she asks me, "Are we going bye bye?". The girl hates to stay home.
Courtney still gets so much attention when we are out in public. Whether its saying "Hi" to everyone she sees, singing and dancing in public, opening doors for people or just being Coco. When people ask her what her name is she says, "Coco Sue Inkinsey!".
Courtney is not much of an eater these days. She eats pretty well for breakfast with toast being her all time favorite food. She loves snacks and would just snack all day if I let her. She rarely eats dinner. I don't know if she's not hungry or if she just doesn't like to eat. She went 4 meals in a row without eating and wasn't sick. Her other favorite foods are: chips, chocolate milk, crackers, cookies, chicken.
Courtney is still a great sleeper. She wakes about 7:30 and takes a 3 hr nap from 1:45-4:45 and goes to bed at 8:20. She is great about staying in her bed at night and naptime and is greatly affected when she doesn't get enough sleep.
She still loves music. She always makes up songs. She has a similar tune she uses and some words make sense and others don't. Several people have said that she has a good voice and stays in tune. Obviously she doesn't get that trait from mommy. She also loves to dance. As soon as music is on she is moving. She has no shame dance on her chair in a restaurant, in the middle of a store or at home on our coffee table. She has recently been into "Princess songs". She has cute versions to "Part of your world", and "A Whole New World".
She also loves to play with strollers and grocery carts. If she can push it around you've got her sold. She puts Romo in her stroller and pushes him everywhere. Romo is one of her favorite toys. She just loves him and doesn't like to do much without him. Her other favorite toys are her little plastic princesses, stuffed animals, doctor kit and our iPhones.
She is so good on the iPhone. She knows how to take pictures, play games, put on music and scroll thru YouTube. She is so smart! Her memory amazes me. She has numerous songs memorized, she remembers places and people from so long ago. We are practices the ABCs and numbers during our "school" time. She loves school time and asks me all the time if we can do it. We sit at the kitchen table for about 30 min and do some learning.
Courtney has so many friends, I couldn't even begin to mention them all. She has her own little "fan club" at church, as some have called it. The older girls around ages 7-10, just love her. She follows them around and plays with them, holds their hands and does whatever the older girls want. She has a few other friends at church that are closer to her age; Naomi, Ciera Newman, Marin. Her best friend is Haley Marshall. She still plays with her at least once a week. Her mom and I chat and the girls play. They love it. They have a sweet little bond, but have started to fight more a bit. But they still love each other. Her other friends are in my Mom's group: Rebecca, Abby Reen, Abby Noon.
One of Courtney's favorite places to go is Disneyland. We have season passes, so we go a lot. She asks to go often. Her favorite rides/activities are: Small World, Carousel, parade, meeting the characters, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Dumbo, and the tea cups. She also loves going to church and cries when we leave each Sunday. She loves the park as well. Every morning when she wakes up, the first thing she asks me, "Are we going bye bye?". The girl hates to stay home.
Courtney still gets so much attention when we are out in public. Whether its saying "Hi" to everyone she sees, singing and dancing in public, opening doors for people or just being Coco. When people ask her what her name is she says, "Coco Sue Inkinsey!".
Courtney is not much of an eater these days. She eats pretty well for breakfast with toast being her all time favorite food. She loves snacks and would just snack all day if I let her. She rarely eats dinner. I don't know if she's not hungry or if she just doesn't like to eat. She went 4 meals in a row without eating and wasn't sick. Her other favorite foods are: chips, chocolate milk, crackers, cookies, chicken.
Courtney is still a great sleeper. She wakes about 7:30 and takes a 3 hr nap from 1:45-4:45 and goes to bed at 8:20. She is great about staying in her bed at night and naptime and is greatly affected when she doesn't get enough sleep.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Caylee Love 13 Months
Caylee is 13 months now. She is a busy little one. We need to always check the toilet before we flush because you never know what Caylee has put in there. She has put lots of toys, binkies, clothing tags, diapers, clothes, etc. It is a daily battle.
Caylee is a good eater, she is not a fan of veggies unless they are pured. She loves most fruit especially if it is pured. Her favorite food is cherrios. The smile on her face when I bring out the box is priceless. She also likes gold fish and loves ice cream. You can't spooon it in fast enough.
I just love her goofy smile. She has 8 teeth now, including the 2 on top that are coming in now. She does this goofy smile where she scrunches up her nose and shows off her teeth. I love it. She gets very jealous if Courtney gets other food or extra attention. If Im holding Courtney in the "purple chair", she comes right up and starts torturing Courtney. She hits her, pulls her hair and shows us her goofy smile. She just wants to be a part of everything. Also, if Im holding another baby she cries and wants me to hold her. She loves her daddy. When daddy gets home from work, she gets a big smile and says "Dada, Dada!". She wants him to kiss her when he gets home and when he leaves. Her favorite game with Daddy is when he chases her.
I have started to separate her at naptime sometimes. She is a little instigator with Courtney. Courtney will be sleeping either in the morning or at nap and Caylee wakes up and tries her hardest to wake Coco so that she can play. She is usually successful. So I put her in the pack n play, at her afternoon nap, in our closet (thank goodness for walk in closets) and she sleeps great.
Caylee is still not walking, but she is standing on her own. Each day she is braver and stands longer. Today she was clapping for Courtney and standing on her own. She walks great holding onto a hand and barely has to hold onto me to walk. One of my favorite things she does is she crawls up to me, uses my pants to stand up and covers her face to try and get me to play peek a boo. She loves that independent attention. When Courtney goes down for her nap in the afternoon, I get 1 1/2 hours of just Caylee. She loves it, I try to spend time with her and we play and read books. She does play pen time and independent play time.
I took her to her 12 month appointment and she is on track (well except for walking) and ahead in her verbal. She talks a lot. I think she hears Courtney all day and trys to keep up. Her favorite word is definitely "snack". She asks for snacks all the time and if someone has food and isn't sharing, she lets them know that it is not acceptable. She can say; Mama, Dada, more (signs it too), all done (signs it too), ball, nana (banana and Nana), mine, Romo, Bop Bop, Minnie, and I know there is more, I just can't think of them. She also loves Romo. She puts her face into him and hugs him, she says "Mine, Mine" when he is around. She also loves all kinds of dogs. When we see them on walks, she wants to see them and pet them as well. When she hears a dog bark, she tries to immitate it.
She is sleeping great. Her naps are at 9:30-11 and at 3-5. She goes to bed at 7 and sleeps til 7. She is a great sleeper and sleeps thru the night. Since the girls share a room, she does great staying a sleep when we put Courtney to bed at night.
Caylee loves music just like Courtney does. As soon as she hears it she starts clapping for dancing. She especially likes Barney, she hears that theme song and immediately starts moving. She likes to watch TV, a lot more than Courtney at this age, probably because we have kid stuff on a lot. She also tries to steal my IPhone all the time. She already knows how to use part of it. She like to hold and look at the pictures and scroll on the screen.
She hates to be changed. It is the time of day that you will hear Caylee scream when she gets a diaper change or an outfit change. I don't know why but she doesn't want to lay down and she fights and screams. As soon as she is done she is happy and acts as though it never happened.
That's my Caylee Love. I just love to snuggle with her and hug her. I miss breast feeding her. That was our special time and I feel like we don't get that as much.
Caylee is a good eater, she is not a fan of veggies unless they are pured. She loves most fruit especially if it is pured. Her favorite food is cherrios. The smile on her face when I bring out the box is priceless. She also likes gold fish and loves ice cream. You can't spooon it in fast enough.
I just love her goofy smile. She has 8 teeth now, including the 2 on top that are coming in now. She does this goofy smile where she scrunches up her nose and shows off her teeth. I love it. She gets very jealous if Courtney gets other food or extra attention. If Im holding Courtney in the "purple chair", she comes right up and starts torturing Courtney. She hits her, pulls her hair and shows us her goofy smile. She just wants to be a part of everything. Also, if Im holding another baby she cries and wants me to hold her. She loves her daddy. When daddy gets home from work, she gets a big smile and says "Dada, Dada!". She wants him to kiss her when he gets home and when he leaves. Her favorite game with Daddy is when he chases her.
I have started to separate her at naptime sometimes. She is a little instigator with Courtney. Courtney will be sleeping either in the morning or at nap and Caylee wakes up and tries her hardest to wake Coco so that she can play. She is usually successful. So I put her in the pack n play, at her afternoon nap, in our closet (thank goodness for walk in closets) and she sleeps great.
Caylee is still not walking, but she is standing on her own. Each day she is braver and stands longer. Today she was clapping for Courtney and standing on her own. She walks great holding onto a hand and barely has to hold onto me to walk. One of my favorite things she does is she crawls up to me, uses my pants to stand up and covers her face to try and get me to play peek a boo. She loves that independent attention. When Courtney goes down for her nap in the afternoon, I get 1 1/2 hours of just Caylee. She loves it, I try to spend time with her and we play and read books. She does play pen time and independent play time.
I took her to her 12 month appointment and she is on track (well except for walking) and ahead in her verbal. She talks a lot. I think she hears Courtney all day and trys to keep up. Her favorite word is definitely "snack". She asks for snacks all the time and if someone has food and isn't sharing, she lets them know that it is not acceptable. She can say; Mama, Dada, more (signs it too), all done (signs it too), ball, nana (banana and Nana), mine, Romo, Bop Bop, Minnie, and I know there is more, I just can't think of them. She also loves Romo. She puts her face into him and hugs him, she says "Mine, Mine" when he is around. She also loves all kinds of dogs. When we see them on walks, she wants to see them and pet them as well. When she hears a dog bark, she tries to immitate it.
She is sleeping great. Her naps are at 9:30-11 and at 3-5. She goes to bed at 7 and sleeps til 7. She is a great sleeper and sleeps thru the night. Since the girls share a room, she does great staying a sleep when we put Courtney to bed at night.
Caylee loves music just like Courtney does. As soon as she hears it she starts clapping for dancing. She especially likes Barney, she hears that theme song and immediately starts moving. She likes to watch TV, a lot more than Courtney at this age, probably because we have kid stuff on a lot. She also tries to steal my IPhone all the time. She already knows how to use part of it. She like to hold and look at the pictures and scroll on the screen.
She hates to be changed. It is the time of day that you will hear Caylee scream when she gets a diaper change or an outfit change. I don't know why but she doesn't want to lay down and she fights and screams. As soon as she is done she is happy and acts as though it never happened.
That's my Caylee Love. I just love to snuggle with her and hug her. I miss breast feeding her. That was our special time and I feel like we don't get that as much.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
The Girl's Princess Birthday Party
We did a combo birthday party for both the girls. Today is actually Courtney's birthday, but to make it easier on family far away we combined the girls' celebration together. We invited lots of family and friends and we even invited Princess Belle. We hired a princess to come and she did the whole party. It was perfect! The girls were all so entertained and enthralled.
We started the day by singing to Coco as she woke up. Then we brought her down stairs and she got to open all her presents from Mommy and Daddy and Nana and BopBop. She was definitely overwhelmed by all the presents. Soon Grandma came with "Uncle" Paul, and she and Caylee opened more presents. We all hung out and I made Coco a special birthday breakfast. Meanwhile she wanted to sit in her high chair and eat Cocoa Crispies. Since its her birthday I let it slide. After a while GakGak and Mimi came over. Courtney was so excited to have so many people over all for her. She played with her new toys all morning long.
Daddy invited everyone to go down the street to Chili's for lunch so I could get the girls down for naps, get ready and clean up the house.
Our friend's the Mier family offered to host the party, because we had too many people and not enough room. So we headed over and dressed Courtney and Caylee in their princess dresses. They were so cute! I worked on setting things up and guests started arriving. Courtney just loved all the attention. Caylee was a little more shy about all the chaos.
Daddy hired a "Princess Belle" to come to the party. She was so great. She did the whole party, magic show, face painting, balloon animals, dancing, singing, pictures. So when she walked in Courtney and her friend Haley screamed in excitement! Courtney kept looking at her and saying, "Belle!". She couldn't believe she was actually there. At one point during the party, my friend told me she overheard her say to Belle, "I'm so glad your here!".
It was so much fun to watch the girls with her. They all had a blast. Courtne was nervous about getting her face painted, so she got tatoos like Daddy. Then all the kids wanted tatoos. Auntie Laura made Courtney a pretty Princess cake. Leaing up to the party if you asked Courntey what she wanted for her birthday, she'd say, "Cake". Then she gave Laura more details; Chocolate and pink. That's what Laura made for her, a pink chocolate cake.
We had a great turnout of family and friends, about 50 people filled the house. It was so fun for the girls to have everyone they love around them. Everyone stayed late after the party and the "after party" began.
We ended the weekend with Daddy leading worship at church. A fun fun day for the girls and definite memories were made.
We started the day by singing to Coco as she woke up. Then we brought her down stairs and she got to open all her presents from Mommy and Daddy and Nana and BopBop. She was definitely overwhelmed by all the presents. Soon Grandma came with "Uncle" Paul, and she and Caylee opened more presents. We all hung out and I made Coco a special birthday breakfast. Meanwhile she wanted to sit in her high chair and eat Cocoa Crispies. Since its her birthday I let it slide. After a while GakGak and Mimi came over. Courtney was so excited to have so many people over all for her. She played with her new toys all morning long.
Daddy invited everyone to go down the street to Chili's for lunch so I could get the girls down for naps, get ready and clean up the house.
Our friend's the Mier family offered to host the party, because we had too many people and not enough room. So we headed over and dressed Courtney and Caylee in their princess dresses. They were so cute! I worked on setting things up and guests started arriving. Courtney just loved all the attention. Caylee was a little more shy about all the chaos.
Daddy hired a "Princess Belle" to come to the party. She was so great. She did the whole party, magic show, face painting, balloon animals, dancing, singing, pictures. So when she walked in Courtney and her friend Haley screamed in excitement! Courtney kept looking at her and saying, "Belle!". She couldn't believe she was actually there. At one point during the party, my friend told me she overheard her say to Belle, "I'm so glad your here!".
It was so much fun to watch the girls with her. They all had a blast. Courtne was nervous about getting her face painted, so she got tatoos like Daddy. Then all the kids wanted tatoos. Auntie Laura made Courtney a pretty Princess cake. Leaing up to the party if you asked Courntey what she wanted for her birthday, she'd say, "Cake". Then she gave Laura more details; Chocolate and pink. That's what Laura made for her, a pink chocolate cake.
We had a great turnout of family and friends, about 50 people filled the house. It was so fun for the girls to have everyone they love around them. Everyone stayed late after the party and the "after party" began.
We ended the weekend with Daddy leading worship at church. A fun fun day for the girls and definite memories were made.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Finally an ordinary day!
We have had a series of events (not fun ones) that have kept us out of the house all day then we had the weekend mixed in there which is never normal. So the today was the first in a while that we have had at home. We also, last week started school back up again. Courtney was so excited. She kept asking to do it again. So today we were able to do school again and she begged me all morning to start. We are going thru all the letters. When she focuses she can recognize alot of them. Just the uppercase ones. I'm doing zoo phonics with her, she likes that because it is motions and letter sounds too and it almost is like a song.
Once Caylee woke up, I worked on putting stuff in away in the girl's room while the girls played. It's so hard getting anything done in there.They make a mess as Im trying to clean up. Then I have to clean up their mess afterwards. I hate that their room is messy, but it always seems like Im transitioning clothes in and out.
We did lunch and Caylee did really well eating table foods. She has not done well with fruits and veggies in the past and today has done so well. It's like she changed over night. She also started saying "wa wa" for water.
We did storytime for Coco before naptime and Caylee was crazy. She kept torturing Romo and attacking Coco and I. It was funny, but I was trying to calm the mood down for Coco's nap. Caylee is now on a new nap schedule so she is up for almost 2 hours while Coco naps. This make doing errands difficult. Our window between naps is pretty narrow. Oh and now I have 2 hours of just Caylee and I, which makes getting housework done a little difficult while she is awake. I think I'm going to have her do playpen time in the afternoon also. She can get around the house really fast now which means she is into everything. Oh and Coco taught her about the Tupperware cabinet today. Huge mess!
After naps, i had to do some vacuuming and so Coco got out her vacuume and she vacuumed right along side me. Then I made dinner while
the Caylee ate and Coco played. We have been invaded by ants lately so I wasn't able to play with the girls like usual. I cleaned up dinner and then I gave the girls baths.
A pretty typical day.
Once Caylee woke up, I worked on putting stuff in away in the girl's room while the girls played. It's so hard getting anything done in there.They make a mess as Im trying to clean up. Then I have to clean up their mess afterwards. I hate that their room is messy, but it always seems like Im transitioning clothes in and out.
We did lunch and Caylee did really well eating table foods. She has not done well with fruits and veggies in the past and today has done so well. It's like she changed over night. She also started saying "wa wa" for water.
We did storytime for Coco before naptime and Caylee was crazy. She kept torturing Romo and attacking Coco and I. It was funny, but I was trying to calm the mood down for Coco's nap. Caylee is now on a new nap schedule so she is up for almost 2 hours while Coco naps. This make doing errands difficult. Our window between naps is pretty narrow. Oh and now I have 2 hours of just Caylee and I, which makes getting housework done a little difficult while she is awake. I think I'm going to have her do playpen time in the afternoon also. She can get around the house really fast now which means she is into everything. Oh and Coco taught her about the Tupperware cabinet today. Huge mess!
After naps, i had to do some vacuuming and so Coco got out her vacuume and she vacuumed right along side me. Then I made dinner while
the Caylee ate and Coco played. We have been invaded by ants lately so I wasn't able to play with the girls like usual. I cleaned up dinner and then I gave the girls baths.
A pretty typical day.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Caylee is 1!
I can't believe it has already been a year since that stressful night followed by a joyous morning. What a fun year we have had raising our Caylee thru the baby months. She is such a sweet baby, just like Courtney was. She has the best smiles and loves waving at people. She gets a lot of attention when we are out in public. I think it's her big blue eyes and her smile that attracts them. I think we are in trouble when she is 12. Caylee started crawling about 3 weeks ago and is all over the place. She is no longer my easy baby. She is into everything, exploring, pulling stuff out, opening drawers and I caught her sticking her little fingers in the electrical outlet. Ugh!! I can no longer just leave her down. This is the part I was dreading. I was enjoying it too much letting her just sit in a blanket with a few toys and being content. She is also becoming more opionioned about what she eats, she was eating everything and now Ll of a sudden she is saying "No" to almost everything.
Daddy's dad "Gak Gak" came to visit Uncle Chris for a few days and so we threw a last minute birthday celebration together and I made dinner and Courtney and I made cupcakes. We invited Uncle Chris, Auntie Beth, Gak Gak and the Mier Family over for some celebrating. Daddy worked late but he got here just in time for her birthday cupcake. She loved it and ate on it for about 45 min. She had cake and frosting everywhere. It was fun to watch her enjoy it. We are doing a joint birthday party with her and Courtney in a few week so, that's when the real party will be.
On Saturday, the day of her birthday, we took her to dinner at Outback and then out for ice cream. This girl loves her sweets! All in all she had a good birthday.
But I'm a little worried about the next few months. I remember all too well how it was with Courtney and I think I'm in for some major baby proofing and some discipline.
Daddy's dad "Gak Gak" came to visit Uncle Chris for a few days and so we threw a last minute birthday celebration together and I made dinner and Courtney and I made cupcakes. We invited Uncle Chris, Auntie Beth, Gak Gak and the Mier Family over for some celebrating. Daddy worked late but he got here just in time for her birthday cupcake. She loved it and ate on it for about 45 min. She had cake and frosting everywhere. It was fun to watch her enjoy it. We are doing a joint birthday party with her and Courtney in a few week so, that's when the real party will be.
On Saturday, the day of her birthday, we took her to dinner at Outback and then out for ice cream. This girl loves her sweets! All in all she had a good birthday.
But I'm a little worried about the next few months. I remember all too well how it was with Courtney and I think I'm in for some major baby proofing and some discipline.
Cowboys Game
Daddy is teaching his girls young to not only like watching sports but to like the Cowboys. So last night we had some friend's over for the game, we all wore our jerseys and I made everyone dinner. The girls both look so cute in their pink "Romo" jerseys.The girls both had a blast entertaining everyone between plays and Courtney ended the night by dancing on our coffee table to daddy's music. Caylee knocked our wine rack over and got a big goose egg on her head. That girl is everywhere with her crawling. I can't keep up with her.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
I Love Nights Like These
On Friday night Daddy got off a little early, so once the girls were up from their naps we walked them to, Boomers (a local mini gold/arcade place). Daddy needed to work on his batting practice, so the girls and I walked around a bit and watched him. Daddy took Coco on the carousel and then we played some games in the arcade. Coco, once again, had fun collecting tickets and redeeming them for candy. She loves to get the boxes of nerds. We got her a few prizes. Then we walked back toward the house but stopped to get pizza. The girls were really good and we just enjoyed a fun family meal. We talked and laughed and enjoyed good company. Caylee is starting to talk a little more. Just this week she has started saying "Hi" and "ball". She is learning so much. Daddy and Mommy stopped to get a tea before walking home. I love nights like these where we get to walk, spend time together, eat, drink and have well behaved little girls.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
7 Years of Marriage
7 years of Marriage
(We made it past the make or break it year, the 7 year itch)
-2,555 Days spent together
-2 beautiful little girls
-3 babies already in Heaven
-2 new cars
-3 meals dining at “Gooky’s” kitchen
-25 trips to Disneyland
-6880 diapers changed
-1 kitty, 3 dogs, 2 birds (Romo is the only surviving dog)
-4 iphones bought
-1,689 Venti Non Fat White Mochas from Starbucks
-22,158 Glances at facebook
-352 renditions of “Happy Day” by Courtney Sue
-25 pairs of designer jeans (8 for Heather and 17 for Ben)
-4 Times each as a Bridesmaid or Groomsmen
-4 Nephews added and 2 Nieces (Total 6 Nephews and 3 Nieces)
-6 New Jobs started
-6 Trips to the Emergency Room
-3 Stays in the hospital
-1,550 Status updates on Facebook
-5 Blood Transfusions
-14 new pairs of Running Shoes
-2,555 Hours spent walking, running or at the gym
-7 Camping Trips (2 Daddy/Coco Trips)
-4 Trips to Palm Springs
-3545 Times one of us sang “I Love You Lord” to put the girls to sleep
-5 Times Ben led worship at church
-85 Softball Games played
-688Friends of Facebook (140 friends in common)
-4 Times snowboarding
-42 Hikes
-6 Tattoos
-43 Episodes of Jersey Shore watched
-334 Sunday mornings spent at church
-Millions of smiles and giggles shared with our two little girls
(We made it past the make or break it year, the 7 year itch)
-2,555 Days spent together
-2 beautiful little girls
-3 babies already in Heaven
-2 new cars
-3 meals dining at “Gooky’s” kitchen
-25 trips to Disneyland
-6880 diapers changed
-1 kitty, 3 dogs, 2 birds (Romo is the only surviving dog)
-4 iphones bought
-1,689 Venti Non Fat White Mochas from Starbucks
-22,158 Glances at facebook
-352 renditions of “Happy Day” by Courtney Sue
-25 pairs of designer jeans (8 for Heather and 17 for Ben)
-4 Times each as a Bridesmaid or Groomsmen
-4 Nephews added and 2 Nieces (Total 6 Nephews and 3 Nieces)
-6 New Jobs started
-6 Trips to the Emergency Room
-3 Stays in the hospital
-1,550 Status updates on Facebook
-5 Blood Transfusions
-14 new pairs of Running Shoes
-2,555 Hours spent walking, running or at the gym
-7 Camping Trips (2 Daddy/Coco Trips)
-4 Trips to Palm Springs
-3545 Times one of us sang “I Love You Lord” to put the girls to sleep
-5 Times Ben led worship at church
-85 Softball Games played
-688Friends of Facebook (140 friends in common)
-4 Times snowboarding
-42 Hikes
-6 Tattoos
-43 Episodes of Jersey Shore watched
-334 Sunday mornings spent at church
-Millions of smiles and giggles shared with our two little girls
I did it all by myself! No Mommy.
"I did it all by myself! No Mommy." This is Courtney's claim to fame right now. She loves doing everything herself without Mommy's help. It is kind of nice because I don't have to do everything for her.
Our local bowling alley has free bowling for kids during the summer. We have yet to go. Since we had a pretty slow week, I decided this would be a good morning activity for Friday. I had an errand to do and it's close by, so we let Caylee sleep in the stroller and we walked. I was so happy that Caylee slept and Courtney was good and didn't wake her.
The bowling alley set up the bumpers and a ramp for her. I let Courtney pick out her ball and showed her one time what to do. The rest was history, she wanted to do it all by herself. After every frame she jumped and screamed with delight. It was so fun to see bowling thru the eyes of a two year old. She did really well, listened and had a blast.
We went next door and ate our lunch while watching kids ride the rides at Boomers. Courtney went inside and played every single game in the arcade, yet I didn't spend a dime. All she wants to do it push the buttons and sit on the cars. She had a ton of fun and was sad to go home.
Our local bowling alley has free bowling for kids during the summer. We have yet to go. Since we had a pretty slow week, I decided this would be a good morning activity for Friday. I had an errand to do and it's close by, so we let Caylee sleep in the stroller and we walked. I was so happy that Caylee slept and Courtney was good and didn't wake her.
The bowling alley set up the bumpers and a ramp for her. I let Courtney pick out her ball and showed her one time what to do. The rest was history, she wanted to do it all by herself. After every frame she jumped and screamed with delight. It was so fun to see bowling thru the eyes of a two year old. She did really well, listened and had a blast.
We went next door and ate our lunch while watching kids ride the rides at Boomers. Courtney went inside and played every single game in the arcade, yet I didn't spend a dime. All she wants to do it push the buttons and sit on the cars. She had a ton of fun and was sad to go home.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Always the Life of the Party
On Saturday Daddy's supervisor invited us to her birthday party at Dave and Busters. We love going there. If we can get the girls asleep in he stroller then Daddy and I play games and act like kids again. If the girls are awake then Courtney plays the games or so she thinks. Most games we can get away with not paying for or we play and let her collect the tickets. So we were excited to go.
We woke the girls early from their naps and headed over. I was expecting a little party, but this was no little party it looked like a wedding reception. Food, DJ, dance floor and lots of people. We introduced Courtney to Alex, the birthday girl, and Courtney just tagged along with her the entire party. I had to keep asking Courtney to leave her alone. She knew it was her party and wanted to be a part of everything. She even sang her "Happy Birthday" into the microphone in front of the whole party. Though she called her Allison instead of Alex.
We took a break and went to play games for a bit. Daddy was determined to get as many tickets as he could and he did. On one game he got a jack pot and got 100 tickets! Courtney loved pulling out all the tickets. We played lots of games and got over 3000 tickets. We took her to the little store and let her pick anything she wanted. She picked a box of nerds. We grabbed a few more things for her and headed back to the party.
The dancing began and Courtney didn't miss a step joining in. They created a circle and she danced right in the middle of it all. She got the party going and loved all the attention.
A combination of sugar, fun, tired, and late night we had a delirious girl on the way home. She kept screaming "Daddy is so funny and the scream. She kept repeating this over and over. It was pretty fun. My little Courtney always keeps us on our toes, not a shy bone in that little girl.
We woke the girls early from their naps and headed over. I was expecting a little party, but this was no little party it looked like a wedding reception. Food, DJ, dance floor and lots of people. We introduced Courtney to Alex, the birthday girl, and Courtney just tagged along with her the entire party. I had to keep asking Courtney to leave her alone. She knew it was her party and wanted to be a part of everything. She even sang her "Happy Birthday" into the microphone in front of the whole party. Though she called her Allison instead of Alex.
We took a break and went to play games for a bit. Daddy was determined to get as many tickets as he could and he did. On one game he got a jack pot and got 100 tickets! Courtney loved pulling out all the tickets. We played lots of games and got over 3000 tickets. We took her to the little store and let her pick anything she wanted. She picked a box of nerds. We grabbed a few more things for her and headed back to the party.
The dancing began and Courtney didn't miss a step joining in. They created a circle and she danced right in the middle of it all. She got the party going and loved all the attention.
A combination of sugar, fun, tired, and late night we had a delirious girl on the way home. She kept screaming "Daddy is so funny and the scream. She kept repeating this over and over. It was pretty fun. My little Courtney always keeps us on our toes, not a shy bone in that little girl.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
I go Pee Pee on the Floor
"I go pee pee on the floor. And wash my pants. I wash my pants in the sink. Sink wa wa. And wash it. And mommy frustrated I go pee pee on the floor.". This was Courtney's explanation to me after the below events occured.
Courtney hasn't had a single accident in months, then yesterday she had one and today she had another. This one was mostly my fault and could have had a much worse outcome.
She told me she had to go to the bathroom, I had just started to feed Caylee Love and did t want to take her because Caylee would have started screaming. So I told her to go up to her room and use that bathroom. She uses this one all the time by herself. She was gone for a while and I didn't hear many noises thru the monitor, then she came down and told me that she had peed in her pants and had washed them in the sink. I thought, oh no, this could be bad. I run upstairs to find her shorts and underwear in the sink, water on full blast and draining over the top of the sink onto the bathroom floor.
Fortunately, I got there fast enough to prevent too much clean up. At least she was trying to help!
Courtney hasn't had a single accident in months, then yesterday she had one and today she had another. This one was mostly my fault and could have had a much worse outcome.
She told me she had to go to the bathroom, I had just started to feed Caylee Love and did t want to take her because Caylee would have started screaming. So I told her to go up to her room and use that bathroom. She uses this one all the time by herself. She was gone for a while and I didn't hear many noises thru the monitor, then she came down and told me that she had peed in her pants and had washed them in the sink. I thought, oh no, this could be bad. I run upstairs to find her shorts and underwear in the sink, water on full blast and draining over the top of the sink onto the bathroom floor.
Fortunately, I got there fast enough to prevent too much clean up. At least she was trying to help!
Monday, July 25, 2011
Caylee is growing too fast
It's a love/hate about my baby girls growing up. I love each new stage but I miss that they aren't going to be babies. Caylee is 10 months now. She still isn't crawling, which is fine with me. According to the pediatrician and all the books, they should be crawling by now. I take the blame, though. One, I don't want her to crawl yet, once she starts crawling it's going to be so much difficult around here. Two, I don't put her on her tummy enough. She doesn't like it much, and so the only time she gets the practice is if I lay down with her or if I listen to her scream, both don't happen enough.
Well, yesterday she got up on her hands and knees for the first time and stayearthere for a while. Today she stood holding onto a toy for a super long time. She was playing with one of those standing toys. I think she is going to be crawling in the next few weeks.
She is so much more interactive as well. She hates when Courtney takes toys away, she screams "Mama!!". In the stroller she tortures Courtney by pulling on her clothes, grabbing her legs, grabbing her snacks and anything her chubby little hands can grasp. She wants to be a part of everything going on.
One of my favorite things right now is listening to the two girls giggle. This happens a lot in the car. Coco will get Caylee laughing and then Coco starts laughing, and then both are doing things to make the other giggle. It's so cute to see and hear them interact. I love it.
It's fun to see her become such a big girl.
Well, yesterday she got up on her hands and knees for the first time and stayearthere for a while. Today she stood holding onto a toy for a super long time. She was playing with one of those standing toys. I think she is going to be crawling in the next few weeks.
She is so much more interactive as well. She hates when Courtney takes toys away, she screams "Mama!!". In the stroller she tortures Courtney by pulling on her clothes, grabbing her legs, grabbing her snacks and anything her chubby little hands can grasp. She wants to be a part of everything going on.
One of my favorite things right now is listening to the two girls giggle. This happens a lot in the car. Coco will get Caylee laughing and then Coco starts laughing, and then both are doing things to make the other giggle. It's so cute to see and hear them interact. I love it.
It's fun to see her become such a big girl.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
You swallowed a penny!!
"Mommy! Look! My monies are all gone". Oh the dreadful words a mommy hears as her toddler points to her wide open mouth. "What?!!!"
I had the two girls in the car with me and we were getting back from a playdate. Our van was looking messy and I wanted to clean it out a bit. I let Courtney roam thru the van as I cleaned up a bit. I found a penny in the back and said to Courtney, "Coco, look I found a penny! Do you want it for your piggy bank?". She immediately came over with a smile on her face and said, "Yeah!". She has played with "monies" for over a year now and knows that we don't put it in our mouth.
About a minute later she tells me that she ate her penny. I didn't believe her and kept asking her over and over. I told her she would get in trouble if she did swallow it, so if she didn't we needed to find it. We searched that whole car and couldn't find it. She kept telling me she ate it and it was in her tummy.
I immediately looked on my phone to see if it was something I should take her in for (gotta love the iphone) or should i just see if it passes. Everything said take her in, so I made some calls and planned to just take her to the pediatrician which opened in an hour. Then daddy called and said to bring her into his work.
Daddy was working in Irvine, so it was super convienient. We went in and got the red carpet treatment. They were so great with Courtney, she was a little nervous, but they kept her at ease. Daddy was able to come down several times and see us and help out. Caylee ended up sleeping in the ergo, so it freed me up to concentrate on Courtney.
They took her in and took an xray of her. Daddy was able to hold her down and be right there. As they checked out her xray, Daddy went in with them. All of a sudden we heard a roar of laughter as the entire radiology department sees the penny in her tummy on the xray. So she wasn't lying! We showed Courtney, she broke the ice even more by saying "Poop!" to the whole group.
They sent us back with instructions that it should pass, but Mommy gets to search her poo for the penny to make sure. Courtney did great the whole time. She was a good listener and handled it well. Ben promised her ice cream, so I took her to the cafeteria and we got her an ice cream. She ate every last drop to the point that I threw the ice cream away and a few drops few on the trash can and before I could stop her she licked it off! Oh my Courtney.
To complete the craziness of the day, I thought we lost blankie. We could not find it anywhere and for the first time Courtney went to sleep without it. I ended up finding it in the car under Courtney's seat. Whew!! That could have been a really bad ending to an already crazy day.
I had the two girls in the car with me and we were getting back from a playdate. Our van was looking messy and I wanted to clean it out a bit. I let Courtney roam thru the van as I cleaned up a bit. I found a penny in the back and said to Courtney, "Coco, look I found a penny! Do you want it for your piggy bank?". She immediately came over with a smile on her face and said, "Yeah!". She has played with "monies" for over a year now and knows that we don't put it in our mouth.
About a minute later she tells me that she ate her penny. I didn't believe her and kept asking her over and over. I told her she would get in trouble if she did swallow it, so if she didn't we needed to find it. We searched that whole car and couldn't find it. She kept telling me she ate it and it was in her tummy.
I immediately looked on my phone to see if it was something I should take her in for (gotta love the iphone) or should i just see if it passes. Everything said take her in, so I made some calls and planned to just take her to the pediatrician which opened in an hour. Then daddy called and said to bring her into his work.
Daddy was working in Irvine, so it was super convienient. We went in and got the red carpet treatment. They were so great with Courtney, she was a little nervous, but they kept her at ease. Daddy was able to come down several times and see us and help out. Caylee ended up sleeping in the ergo, so it freed me up to concentrate on Courtney.
They took her in and took an xray of her. Daddy was able to hold her down and be right there. As they checked out her xray, Daddy went in with them. All of a sudden we heard a roar of laughter as the entire radiology department sees the penny in her tummy on the xray. So she wasn't lying! We showed Courtney, she broke the ice even more by saying "Poop!" to the whole group.
They sent us back with instructions that it should pass, but Mommy gets to search her poo for the penny to make sure. Courtney did great the whole time. She was a good listener and handled it well. Ben promised her ice cream, so I took her to the cafeteria and we got her an ice cream. She ate every last drop to the point that I threw the ice cream away and a few drops few on the trash can and before I could stop her she licked it off! Oh my Courtney.
To complete the craziness of the day, I thought we lost blankie. We could not find it anywhere and for the first time Courtney went to sleep without it. I ended up finding it in the car under Courtney's seat. Whew!! That could have been a really bad ending to an already crazy day.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Summer Lagoon Days Have Begun
Yesterday was the first of the Lagoon Days. Our church has a membership to the Woodbridge Lake Lagoon and on Wednesdays during the summer they invite all the Mom's and kids to come and play. We went last year almost every week, and had so much fun.
I ran with the girls in the stroller for exercise and got there right when it opened. Immediately Courtney took to Emma Conaster and was with her for a few hours. It was nice for me because she entertained her, but I still had to watch her constantly. She loved being with all the big girls. Caylee had fun in the water too. It's a beach entry, so it is really shallow. Caylee was able to just sit and play.
The second week we went and Courtney by passed going to the park first because she wanted to get to the lagoon sooner. Again, she played with all the big girls, but not as long. My friend Karly's daughter Emily got Courtney to go down the water slide. By the end she was going up and down by herself. My little girl is growing up! I couldn't believe how well she scaled up herself.
The third week, we invited Courtney's friend Abby from our mom's club. So she and her mom and baby sister came. We had fun showing them the lagoon and Abby even went down the slide like Courtney. The girls had a blast. Courtney did really well introducing Abby and including her in with the kids. Hopefully they come again.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Courtney's 1st Sleepover
On Saturday, we went to our friend's Ariel and Jana's engagement party. Our friend's The Mier's hosted it. So we helped bring some of the food. We spent most of the morning getting ready for the party and then the entire afternoon at the party. The girls had fun. Courtney played with all the kids and Caylee was passed around from kid to kid. They all love holding her. She is still so easy right now. Ben and I go the chance to visit with friend's and as the guest began to leave we were able to talk more in depth and Karly and I were able to get to know Jana so much better. She is such a sweet person and I think is just perfect for Ariel. The Lord couldn't have picked anyone better.
We ended up staying thru dinner. We were all having such a good time chatting that we didn't want to leave. Then daddy had the great idea to invite the three girls over for a sleepover (Bella, Maya and Maddy). The girls were stoked and so was Courtney. Courtney was so excited for the girls to come over. She showed them her room and her new "punk" bed. We made some yummy snacks and laid out a bunch of blankets on the living room floor. Daddy rented them a movie and we all laid down to relax. Daddy was out in 20 minutes and I was up with the girls. Fortunately, these girls are all so well behaved. We were up late and it took us awhile to settle down. Between Daddy snoring and Coco with some mini night terrors, I didn't get to sleep til 3:15 when I came upstairs.
The look on Coco's face when she woke up this morning was priceless. She woke up and looked around and her eyes got wide and she got a huge smile on her face. She ran to each of the girls and gave them hugs. We got ready for church and then set out to walk to church ( because I still don't have my car), we stopped at Starbucks along the way and I got each girl a drink. Then off to church we went.
We ended up staying thru dinner. We were all having such a good time chatting that we didn't want to leave. Then daddy had the great idea to invite the three girls over for a sleepover (Bella, Maya and Maddy). The girls were stoked and so was Courtney. Courtney was so excited for the girls to come over. She showed them her room and her new "punk" bed. We made some yummy snacks and laid out a bunch of blankets on the living room floor. Daddy rented them a movie and we all laid down to relax. Daddy was out in 20 minutes and I was up with the girls. Fortunately, these girls are all so well behaved. We were up late and it took us awhile to settle down. Between Daddy snoring and Coco with some mini night terrors, I didn't get to sleep til 3:15 when I came upstairs.
The look on Coco's face when she woke up this morning was priceless. She woke up and looked around and her eyes got wide and she got a huge smile on her face. She ran to each of the girls and gave them hugs. We got ready for church and then set out to walk to church ( because I still don't have my car), we stopped at Starbucks along the way and I got each girl a drink. Then off to church we went.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Coco's New Bed
We have been talking about getting Courtney and Caylee a bunk bed for along time. We have been looking at all types. I kept putting it off because Caylee is no where near ready for it and Courtney has a great bed for now. However, Courtney only will sleep in her toddler bed if her "gate" is up. We "Jimmy Rigged" a baby gate propped up by two storage boxes. It is ugly and she pushes it over weekly in her sleep and it makes a loud crash and she often falls out. It is just now super practical and looks bad.
So we were out shopping last week and found a good deal on a bunk bed. We thought about it for a few hours and decided to go back and bargain with the guys. It was $485. We were able to get it out the door with bed, tax and delivery for $500. I was proud of getting it down so low.
In the meantime we had a lot of work to do to get ready for the bed. We found a comforter set, bought a bed rail, bought and had a mattress delivered, moved all the furniture out of the room, cleaned the room, redecorated, had the mattress delivered, put the bed rail on and then put all the sheets and bedding on. Whew!! It was exhausting.
But it looks good, she loves it, and we have a lot more storage. I still have to work on it, but we are going to put her stuffed animals on the top bunk for now and then I put storage boxes of clothes and toys underneath the bed. It hold a lot!
So we were out shopping last week and found a good deal on a bunk bed. We thought about it for a few hours and decided to go back and bargain with the guys. It was $485. We were able to get it out the door with bed, tax and delivery for $500. I was proud of getting it down so low.
In the meantime we had a lot of work to do to get ready for the bed. We found a comforter set, bought a bed rail, bought and had a mattress delivered, moved all the furniture out of the room, cleaned the room, redecorated, had the mattress delivered, put the bed rail on and then put all the sheets and bedding on. Whew!! It was exhausting.
But it looks good, she loves it, and we have a lot more storage. I still have to work on it, but we are going to put her stuffed animals on the top bunk for now and then I put storage boxes of clothes and toys underneath the bed. It hold a lot!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Long time no see!
I'm not sure why, but it has been so long since I last posted. We have been busy, preoccupied and stressed. A few things that have happened: I joined the Mom's club board, crashed our car (whole story of it's own), my parents visited for 4 days, date night, Romo was sick, and doctor appointments. So too much to cover in one blog.
I'll start with the crashed car. I was just parking our van in our complex. I pulled into the covered parking and parked next to the trash area surrounded by a wall. Courtney said something and I glanced back and then pulled forward not realizing how very close I was to the wall. I barely hit the wall and I got out and saw my car just torn to pieces and unable to drive. My heart pounded as I tried to pull the fender off the front wheel. I was devastated and knew I had caused significant damage. How was I to tell Ben? He was going to be so mad. I just wasted so much of his hard earned money.
Daddy actually handled it really well. He was disappointed but reassured me that these things happen, we were lucky no one was hurt and that we have insurance.
The next day I had to claim it with insurance and get it towed to the repair shop. Three weeks til its done and it's $3085! What a bummer! Good thing we are only responsible for $1000 of it. I went 2 years without a car, I can make it 3 weeks. I'm going to get a lot of exercise and more time to be in our routine at home. Not so bad.
I'll start with the crashed car. I was just parking our van in our complex. I pulled into the covered parking and parked next to the trash area surrounded by a wall. Courtney said something and I glanced back and then pulled forward not realizing how very close I was to the wall. I barely hit the wall and I got out and saw my car just torn to pieces and unable to drive. My heart pounded as I tried to pull the fender off the front wheel. I was devastated and knew I had caused significant damage. How was I to tell Ben? He was going to be so mad. I just wasted so much of his hard earned money.
Daddy actually handled it really well. He was disappointed but reassured me that these things happen, we were lucky no one was hurt and that we have insurance.
The next day I had to claim it with insurance and get it towed to the repair shop. Three weeks til its done and it's $3085! What a bummer! Good thing we are only responsible for $1000 of it. I went 2 years without a car, I can make it 3 weeks. I'm going to get a lot of exercise and more time to be in our routine at home. Not so bad.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Camping with Daddy
Every summer our church does the dad and kid Campout. Daddy took Coco last year for the first time and it was a rough night. So this year a year older and a little more prepared, Coco did great according to Daddy. She had a blast. It was Friday night to Saturday morning. They got there and set up camp, and Coco got to play with all her friend's. They had a campfire where Daddy led worship and he let her stay up til 10:30. She fell asleep pretty good for him. Daddy didn't get much sleep because he said Coco took over the whole tent and rolled everywhere. She even hit him in the face. They stayed till about 10:30 and came home. She loves spending quality time with just Daddy.
She came bursting thru the door telling me all about it. Daddy gave her a bath and then put her down for a nap. As soon as she woke up it was off to her best friend Haley's birthday party. It's nice that she is a little older and able to handle stuff better.
She came bursting thru the door telling me all about it. Daddy gave her a bath and then put her down for a nap. As soon as she woke up it was off to her best friend Haley's birthday party. It's nice that she is a little older and able to handle stuff better.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Summer Night Walk
It was one of those nights that Daddy was gone and the girls and I needed to get out for a walk. Courtney is getting bigger and a better listener, so she can handle walking on her own a little more. 
I carried Caylee and Courtney pushed her stroller. We walked to one of the nearby parks. We swung on the swings, played in the sand and went on the slides.
Then we walked back home for bedtime. I can't wait to do this more over the summer since it will stay light longer.
I carried Caylee and Courtney pushed her stroller. We walked to one of the nearby parks. We swung on the swings, played in the sand and went on the slides.
Then we walked back home for bedtime. I can't wait to do this more over the summer since it will stay light longer.
Courtney's First Hair Cut
I took Courtney to get her first hair cut. We talked about it all week. I decided to run there since it was fairly close. As soon as we arrived Courtney started to get scared. She wouldn't even let me get her out of the stroller. There was a lot of coaxing and I finally just pulled her out. She hid her face into my body and cried. I prayed for her to be brave. The she asked the stylist for a red cushion. She still didn't want anything to do with it. Then the stylist offered for her to sit on my lap. Perfect! She did great. I kept telling her how brave she was. I had bought her an "ICarly" episode on her phone. So she was able to watch that and be pre-occupied. We just got bangs and a trim on the back. It looks cute. 
Since she did so good I took her to the candy store next door and let her pick a few out. There was also a little playground, so Courtney ate her snack and I fed Caylee Love. They gave her a balloon to have. She was having a blast with it on our way home, until it flew away. Just a little melt down, but she handled it well.
I was so proud of her. That night before bed, she prayed, "thank your for helping me to be brave for my haircut ...". It was really sweet.
Since she did so good I took her to the candy store next door and let her pick a few out. There was also a little playground, so Courtney ate her snack and I fed Caylee Love. They gave her a balloon to have. She was having a blast with it on our way home, until it flew away. Just a little melt down, but she handled it well.
I was so proud of her. That night before bed, she prayed, "thank your for helping me to be brave for my haircut ...". It was really sweet.
Summer Photo Session
I took the girls today to get their photos taken. They both did so well. There were so many to choose from, I had such a tough time. But these were the ones I chose. Oh and these are pictures of the pictures.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Movie Night at the Great Park
Another fun filled Saturday. Our friend's the Mier Family invited us to lunch at their house. We walked over as a family, this challenge is getting us walking much more. We hung out for a while and the kids played. Ben was going to a Yankee game with Gaddiel and his son, so I took off to get the girls down for naps.
After naps we went and bought some beach chairs, pizza and then we headed to the Great Park in Irvine. They had a free movie on the lawn. I got there early to save our spot. Karly and her daughters met us there. We set up a blanket and our chairs and ate pizza, popcorn and candy. The movie started after Courtney's bedtime, so it was a little tough keeping her interest. She definitely didn't watch much of the movie. Oh well she still had fun.
After naps we went and bought some beach chairs, pizza and then we headed to the Great Park in Irvine. They had a free movie on the lawn. I got there early to save our spot. Karly and her daughters met us there. We set up a blanket and our chairs and ate pizza, popcorn and candy. The movie started after Courtney's bedtime, so it was a little tough keeping her interest. She definitely didn't watch much of the movie. Oh well she still had fun.
Friday, June 3, 2011
2011 Summer Run/Walk Challenge
A few friend's and I have the same app on out phones that tracks your mileage you run or walk. I have been using mine since last No ember and have logged over 200 miles. I was telling a friend and he was determined to pass me up. I took on the challenge. Then Ben decided to try and then my friend Karly suggested challenging the guys to a summer run/walk. So we set it up. Erica wanted to join so we recruited Gaddiel and formed two teams. We are going from Memorial Day to Labor Day and the team with the least miles owes the other team dinner and watching the kids.
Everyone has been super motivated and logging a ton of miles. It has definitely gotten me out a lot more than usual. In 5 days I have done almost 20 miles. My goal is to do about 3 a day and 300 miles by Labor Day.
Even Coco is helping me out. We have been walking a little bit in the evening. I let her walk. Tonight we walked to Sprouts. I got her an ice cream bar for being so good. She was so happy, eating her ice cream and walking home. She walked about halfway back until I made her get in the stroller. It was getting too late. She did at least a mile.
Everyone has been super motivated and logging a ton of miles. It has definitely gotten me out a lot more than usual. In 5 days I have done almost 20 miles. My goal is to do about 3 a day and 300 miles by Labor Day.
Even Coco is helping me out. We have been walking a little bit in the evening. I let her walk. Tonight we walked to Sprouts. I got her an ice cream bar for being so good. She was so happy, eating her ice cream and walking home. She walked about halfway back until I made her get in the stroller. It was getting too late. She did at least a mile.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Journey Church Picnic
On Saturday the girls and I headed off to our church picnic. They have it annually at Irvine Rgional Park. We have never been to it in the past. Daddy couldn't go because he was working. But fortunately our church family is so helpful with both the girls that there were lots of hands to help. I just love our church family! Courtney was too young to play any of the games, but she had fun watching and Ariel's girls took good care of her. She followed them around and they were sweet to include her. They treat her like a sister. She had two popsicles and a chocolate chip cookie. What a sticky mess she was. Caylee got to play with her friend Sadie. It will be fun with Sadie and Caylee are old enough to really play with each other. It scares me the day that Caylee starts running around. What am I going to do?
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Our "Minnie" Vacation
Daddy has been working long hours and has been really busy lately. So as a surprise for the girls and I he planned a trip for all of us to stay at the Disneyland Hotel for a few days and a day at Disneyland. Daddy made the mistake of telling Courtney a few days before and all I heard for 3 days was, "Disneyland mama?". I explained to her the plans, "we have breakfast, nap time, dinner, night night time, ..... Sadie's birthday, Disneyland Hotel, Goofy's Kitchen and then Disneyland.
"Ok, so we have Sadie's birthday and then the Disneyland Hotel ..." So on Saturday, we went to Caylee's best friend's (Sadie) 1st birthday party. We had fun watching all the kids play and seeing Sadie so happy on her special day. She loved her cake and having all the attention. Too bad Caylee slept through most of it. But Courtney trailed along with all the older girls. I have never seen her so ok to leave The Mier's house before.
"Then the Disneyland Hotel and Gooky's Kitchen ....". As soon as we got to the hotel, Courtney's eyes were so wide. The short cat nap she got on the drive over was going to have to do, because their was no getting these girls to rest with all the excitement around. We made our reservations and had a few hours to kill. We settled into our room, I fed Caylee and then we explored around. Daddy spoiled Courtney as usual and bought her a few special things.
"Then Gooky's kitchen, then Disneyland, ok?" The time finally arrived and when it was Courtney's turn she sprinted for Goofy and gave him a big hug. The restaurant was perfect for Courtney. Lots of food, variety, loud, and characters coming around every few minutes. Courtney was in Heaven! The look on her face each time a character came up was precious. They all spent so much time with her. Even Princess Belle kept chatting with her and Pluto barked.
Each character even got Caylee's attention. Caylee had huge smiles on her face. We finished dinner late and I took the girls back to the room to get them ready for bed. Then I loaded them back in the stroller and headed back out. I never do
this, but it was a special
trip and I didnt want to miss out on the fun. Daddy's friend Eric, whom Courtney just adores, came out with us to ESPN Zone. Courtney stayed up for a long time, not wanting to miss a moment. Caylee on the other hand was fast alseep. We played some
games and stayed out way too late.
Sunday morning Daddy was doing worship for church, so he took off early and I got the girls ready and we went and grabbed a quick
breakfast, walked around a bit and headed for church. I was hoping that Caylee would fall asleep and get a nap in, but she didn't. That was
the set up for a frustrating afternoon. Both girls were fast asleep on the ride back to the hotel but neither made the transfer into the stroller then into bed. Back in our room, both fed off of each other and screamed and screamed. I was getting frustrated. We had it all planned that the girls would nap and I could go and get a massage. I just knew that if this was going on I wouldn't get to go. I tried taking Caylee out to calm her down, I fed her, nothing worked.
Courtney wasn't any different. So we packed up some food for the girls, loaded them in the stroller and Daddy had to walk them around Disney Walk for 2 1/2 hours while I got pampered. I felt really bad that the girls were being so bad. But the massage and pedicure was really nice and it was so relaxing to get away and be pampered. I wish I could do that every week.
Once I was done we attempted Goofy's Kitchen again even though Courtney was being a Monster. She continued to be a monster all thru dinner, but was fortunately very preoccupied by the all the characters and it was so loud in the restaurant we were able to get by without too much trouble. The characters once again spent so much time talking to the girls. "Gheppeto" whom Courtney thought was Santa was really sweet to both. He must have spent over 5 minutes with them. As soon as we were done we went straight to the room and put both girls to sleep. It was much needed for both.
Our last day was spent at Disneyland. Courtney was so excited she could barely contain herself. We did everything she wanted to do at Disneyland. Daddy suggested we go to Ariel's Grotto and eat lunch with the princesses. It was a great experience. The food was super good, Courtney loved meeting all the princesses, eating the food, and the atmosphere was so fun.
Definitely worth it. Our friend Laura met us at Disneyland in the afternoon. We went on several rides and let her experience Disneyland with Courtney. We were all pretty tired by 5 and ready to go.
It was a really great trip. Everyone had fun and it was so great to see Courtney's eye's light up so much.
"Ok, so we have Sadie's birthday and then the Disneyland Hotel ..." So on Saturday, we went to Caylee's best friend's (Sadie) 1st birthday party. We had fun watching all the kids play and seeing Sadie so happy on her special day. She loved her cake and having all the attention. Too bad Caylee slept through most of it. But Courtney trailed along with all the older girls. I have never seen her so ok to leave The Mier's house before.
"Then the Disneyland Hotel and Gooky's Kitchen ....". As soon as we got to the hotel, Courtney's eyes were so wide. The short cat nap she got on the drive over was going to have to do, because their was no getting these girls to rest with all the excitement around. We made our reservations and had a few hours to kill. We settled into our room, I fed Caylee and then we explored around. Daddy spoiled Courtney as usual and bought her a few special things.
"Then Gooky's kitchen, then Disneyland, ok?" The time finally arrived and when it was Courtney's turn she sprinted for Goofy and gave him a big hug. The restaurant was perfect for Courtney. Lots of food, variety, loud, and characters coming around every few minutes. Courtney was in Heaven! The look on her face each time a character came up was precious. They all spent so much time with her. Even Princess Belle kept chatting with her and Pluto barked.
Each character even got Caylee's attention. Caylee had huge smiles on her face. We finished dinner late and I took the girls back to the room to get them ready for bed. Then I loaded them back in the stroller and headed back out. I never do
this, but it was a special
trip and I didnt want to miss out on the fun. Daddy's friend Eric, whom Courtney just adores, came out with us to ESPN Zone. Courtney stayed up for a long time, not wanting to miss a moment. Caylee on the other hand was fast alseep. We played some
games and stayed out way too late.
Sunday morning Daddy was doing worship for church, so he took off early and I got the girls ready and we went and grabbed a quick
breakfast, walked around a bit and headed for church. I was hoping that Caylee would fall asleep and get a nap in, but she didn't. That was
the set up for a frustrating afternoon. Both girls were fast asleep on the ride back to the hotel but neither made the transfer into the stroller then into bed. Back in our room, both fed off of each other and screamed and screamed. I was getting frustrated. We had it all planned that the girls would nap and I could go and get a massage. I just knew that if this was going on I wouldn't get to go. I tried taking Caylee out to calm her down, I fed her, nothing worked.
Courtney wasn't any different. So we packed up some food for the girls, loaded them in the stroller and Daddy had to walk them around Disney Walk for 2 1/2 hours while I got pampered. I felt really bad that the girls were being so bad. But the massage and pedicure was really nice and it was so relaxing to get away and be pampered. I wish I could do that every week. Once I was done we attempted Goofy's Kitchen again even though Courtney was being a Monster. She continued to be a monster all thru dinner, but was fortunately very preoccupied by the all the characters and it was so loud in the restaurant we were able to get by without too much trouble. The characters once again spent so much time talking to the girls. "Gheppeto" whom Courtney thought was Santa was really sweet to both. He must have spent over 5 minutes with them. As soon as we were done we went straight to the room and put both girls to sleep. It was much needed for both.
Our last day was spent at Disneyland. Courtney was so excited she could barely contain herself. We did everything she wanted to do at Disneyland. Daddy suggested we go to Ariel's Grotto and eat lunch with the princesses. It was a great experience. The food was super good, Courtney loved meeting all the princesses, eating the food, and the atmosphere was so fun.
Definitely worth it. Our friend Laura met us at Disneyland in the afternoon. We went on several rides and let her experience Disneyland with Courtney. We were all pretty tired by 5 and ready to go. It was a really great trip. Everyone had fun and it was so great to see Courtney's eye's light up so much.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
The Great Park
We had such a busy, and fun day today. We started off with Starbucks with our friends then a walk to the park. The girls play and us moms talked.
A little boy bit Coco several times. She handled it well and didn't bite or hit back. Parents watch your kids and don't let them bite, oh and his nose was running all over! 
Then we met our Mom's group at The Great Park for a balloon ride. They have a huge orange balloon that is tethered and goes up 400 feet. It's pretty cool. I've been wanting to try it. We also took 2 rides on the carrousel. Courtney ate snacks and played with her little friends.
We headed home for naps. Everyone napped including a very tired mama.
When Ben got home we went to dinner at Chilis and then to watch Daddy's softball game. Courtney loved watching the game. She cheered and grabbed 2 foul balls for the ump. She was so proud of herself for helping.
Courtney has been really sweet and good for me this week. I've been incorporating some concepts from the book "the Five Love Languages of Children". I have a ways to go to finish, but I have been trying to spend more quality time with her. It has been super helpful. Just spending 10 minutes with her before making dinner allowed me to make dinner with very little interruptions. I love when stuff works immediately.
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