Good Morning Coffee..

Good morning to my coffee cup! I have to admit that I have never been a coffee drinker, well that is until Anderson was born. My little early bird has led me to be friends with coffee. Every morning I must have a cup of coffee as I sit here and watch my handsome son play. While I watch him go around and around in his toy I find myself thinking 'Please go back to sleep soon'. With every sip of my coffee I try to convince myself that it is helping and I'm becoming more awake. But the truth is I"m not sure that it really helps because as soon as Anderson is ready to go back to sleep, I am too. I love being able to get up with him every morning but I have a confession....I do miss sleeping in and cuddling with my husband. Now I have learned that the only real good time that I can cuddle up to Ray is early at night before Anderson starts waking up for night time feedings and Callie starts talking in her sleep, which always wakes me up. It's funny how you have to change everything in your life when you have kids.

TGIF!

I just now realized that it was Friday! This week has just flown by. I was really hoping my parents, including my little brother and sister, was coming here this weekend to tell me all about the Alaska trip. But I guess they are need some 'Stay at Home' time. As of right now we have no plans on going into Pikeville, but you never know.

Well I started trying to get my house clean and organized again, so it can last that way for a day or two. I did accomplish getting Anderson's and Callie's room's picked up (well I'm still waiting on Callie's sheets to dry so I can make her bed.). Mine and Ray's room is a different story though. I have dirty laundry all over my floor, because I haven't taken the time to bring them down stairs to the laundry room to be washed. All though I did get my bed made up today. I also got my kitchen cleaned, at least until I cook dinner. I organized our coat closet for the hundredth time and cleaned and organized my laundry room, again. Let's hope that I get everything finished before the weekend is up. So in other words-I'm going to have such a fun weekend!

The rooms downstairs I STILL have to clean.

Poor little Anderson fell off my bed this morning....I let him lay we us because he was in one of his moods where he wanted me to hold him and while Ray and I were still asleep, Anderson woke up and I assume crawled to the foot of our bed where he fell. To say the least it scared Ray and I to death because Anderson was screaming (the thump when he hit was so loud) and on top of that his nose started bleeding. I'm not sure exactly how he fell because when I found him he was on his back. It broke my heart!!! I told him from now on he sleeps in his bed or I will rock him.

In two months our rent contract is up and I can't wait! I want to find a place with hardwood floors, kids and carpet don't go together, and a place where I can paint the walls. To be honest we never planned on being here this long. I can't wait to paint Callie's room pink and Anderson's Texas orange. There is so much that needs to be hung up in both of their rooms, and the living room, just didn't want to hang everything up then take everything back down to move. After loosing our house to a fire last March we have lived everywhere...my parents house/hotel/very small apartment/our current townhouse. That's a lot of places in such a short time. My two favorite rooms in this place is Callie's and Anderson's rooms because I have tried to make them as home feeling as I can.

As much as I would love to keep writting, it's bath time for the kiddos.

Potty Training Update

I have to admit, I don't really put in the time that is needed to potty train Callie. Between taking care of her, Anderson and the house, I don't take time out to really work with her. There for a little while she did start using the BIG potty. But then I stopped taking the time, yet again, to sit her on it everyday. I know I really want to get her out of diapers because between her and Anderson they are going through 352 diapers in about 2 1/2 weeks. Crazy I know! So if I could just get her potty trained for the day time that would save on so many diapers. I have even tried the BIG GIRL PANTIES but she'll just pee in those too. And if she runs around naked....well that doesn't stop her either. One thing I can say is, it is so much easier to house break a dog than it is to train Callie to pee and poop in the potty. I had Frosty house broke in less than two weeks and Sadie in three weeks and then Tinker Bell was in between two and four weeks. So why am I having trouble taking time out for Callie? Oh yeah, when I was house breaking dogs I didn't have kids to take care of and a lot less house work.

Here is Callie when she went to the potty on her own and peed...this was in May.

Here is when she pooped for the first time, and the only time, in her potty. Again she went and sat on her potty without us telling her too. (I figured you didn't want to see the picture of the poop so I choose this picture.) This was in June.

Here is my BIG Girl on the BIG Potty. There for a week, after she peed the first time in it, I couldn't keep her out of the bathroom and off the potty. Now, I can't seem to get her in there. This was in July.















As you can see there is a little pattern going here, once a month! Well I guess that's better than nothing. I plan on trying my hardest to work with her all month and see if we can't get more than one time out of her. Wish me luck!

Hello, It' been awhile

Wow, it has been such a long time since I have taken the time to write on this blog. To be honest, I have never in my life kept any type of journal, so this whole thing is really new to me. When I do have time to get on here I find it difficult to figure out what to write about. I feel like my life is a little boring, so there's not much to write about and on top of that I'm not a very good writer. Even though my little ones do something everyday to make me laugh or they just overwhelm me with how amazing they are, I never really know what to write. I could sit here all day and write about every little thing they do to make me smile, but like I said, that would take all day. A lot of things have happened since the last time I blogged, so now to figure out where to start....



Callie Mae has now been with us for two wonderful years. It's so crazy because it feels like only yesterday I was in the OR, scared to death, waiting to hear that little cry. But it also seems like she has always been here. I can't imagine my life without her. It has been the best two years of my life getting to wake up every morning and knowing that she is mine. God truly blessed Ray and I! Sometimes I find myself wondering what I did so right to have God give me such a precious gift. The doctors had told Ray for years that he couldn't have kids and then on January 10, 2007 we discovered that God had blessed us with a miracle. Even though it was a very rough pregnancy, I was diagnosed with HELLP syndrome, Callie Mae arrived 6 weeks early but as healthy as could be. The doctors and the nurses at UK were so impressed with her, she weighed only 4lbs and 5oz but she was healthier than more full term babies. So yet again God blessed us. I find my self thanking God everyday not only for Callie but Anderson Colt as well. It's even hard for me think it has already been 7months since he was born. I was able to go full term with him without getting sick at all, thank God. I think if I didn't have a repeat c-section he would still be in there...haha. Anderson weighed 8lbs and 15oz, a BIG BOY!






Picture of Anderson when he was born

Speaking of "BIG", Callie now has a "Big Girl Bed". I told my mom and dad not to buy her anymore toys for her birthday but if they wanted they could buy her a full size mattress. The mattress arrived last Tuesday and we can't keep the child downstairs anymore. It's "Mommy, big girl bed. night night. Lion King", translation, she wants to go to her room and lay in her new big girl bed and watch Lion King. That's all she does now is to stay in her room playing and watching The Lion King or Beauty and the Beast.

Saturday morning Callie woke up at 6am and ran into Anderson's room, where I was trying to rock him back to sleep, and said "mommy animals". She had remembered me telling her the night before that we were going to take her to the zoo so she could see some animals. So she spent her birthday at the Cincinnati Zoo, which was very crowded and 98 degrees. She didn't mind the heat though because she absolutely loved seeing all of the animals. I think it's so funny how monkey's and snakes was her favorite things at the zoo. Now don't get me wrong she LOVED every animal there and wanted to kiss all of them but for some reason she got so excited about the snakes and watching the monkey swing and flip all over the place. I started trying to film some of them that way she could watch them here at home but it seems like every time I try to video or take a picture of an animal they start using the bathroom. So yes, I have a video of a monkey doing one and two...Callie will love that one I'm sure. We are already planning to take her and Anderson back this fall when it's cooler and not so crowded.

Well as much as I would love to do into detail about everything that has happened since the last post, which would take way too long, I have to take care of two very cute and sweet little kids and try to clean house downstairs until Ray can watch them so I can clean upstairs. God Bless everyone and God Bless America!

Early to Rise

Anderson is my little morning bird. He wakes up EVERY morning between 6:30 and 7:00 Am. When he wakes I, not a morning person, take him down stairs to let him play, hoping he will not wake Callie. He plays until about 8:30 then I feed him some wonderful baby food breakfast, but I'm sure he would rather Ray feed him breakfast because dad feeds him eggs. And now that he is such a big boy and drinking out of a sippy cup, I give him a couple of ounces of cow milk, which he LOVES! Then after breakfast I breastfeed him then he's ready to go back to sleep. Finally, I get him back to sleep and in his bed when Callie decides it's time for her to wake up. But this morning was different since I'm in Pikeville, yes he still woke up at the break of dawn but since we sleep down stairs on an air mattress I have no where to let Anderson play. Now this is a problem because I'm trying to keep him occupied and quiet, so he doesn't wake up everyone, when I don't have any quiet toys for him to play with. So this morning has been a challenge. And just now Anderson dropped his sippy cup and up popped Callie. Looks like I have to stop typing and take care of my beautiful little girl :-)

Where does the time go?

It's funny how before I was a wife and mother, I had all the time in the world. As I was looking through all of my old pictures of when Callie was born, I started to wonder where does time go? And why does it go by so fast? Not only do I miss Callie being so tiny and having to do everything for her, but I feel like I can never find the time to get everything done in a day. Between taking care of a six month old and a very independent 23 month old, it's so hard for me to find time to accomplish all the house work and spending time with my husband. At the end of the day, after bath time and putting the kids to bed, I try to stay up just so Ray and I can spend some one on one time together. It's tough not having any family close to watch the little ones so that Ray and I can actually go out on a date to remember why we fell in love. Anybody who is a parent understands that it doesn't matter how much you love your kid/kids, mom and dad need couple time alone. But even when my family comes to town it's hard for me to leave them, one main reason is that I have been breastfeeding Anderson and he will NOT take a bottle. But now that he is on a solid food schedule, I'm hoping that Ray and I can take full advantage of my parents coming to town. The bad thing is, Callie and Anderson are so attached to Ray and I, that as soon as we walk out the door they start crying for us. And of course, being a mom, I feel like no one else can take care of them like I do. Now don't get me wrong, I know they would be well taken care of for the couple hours we would be gone, but I just worry about them the whole time I'm away from them. This is coming from a person who goes to the grocery store without the kids and calls home about three times asking Ray if everything is okay. God has blessed me with two wonderful kids and a husband who I love very much, but is it wrong to wish that I could just go back in time and enjoy not having to worry about so much? But then I stop and think about the fact, if I was able to go back I wouldn't have my kids there with me and that makes me sad. So in the long run I will take the time that God gives me and enjoy every second with my family and try not to complain too much about how I never have enough time or that I just want some time to myself or just with Ray because at least I have time.

Big Girl

This week has been such a "Big Girl" week for Callie. She is using the big toilet to pee pee in, at least twice a day and yesterday she told me she wanted to take a nap in her "Big Girl" bed. I was in shock! I usually have to let her sleep in my bed at nap time because it's hard to move her during a nap from my bed to hers. And I always have to get her to sleep in my bed at night, then wait a few hours before I can pack her to her bed. Which she always ends up back in bed with me and Ray before daylight. So when she did actually go to sleep in her own bed at nap time and stayed asleep for an hour and a half, I figured I would try to get her to do the same thing at bed time. Lucky me she wanted to sleep in her own bed and she stayed there ALL night! I think what made her want to sleep in her bed is due to the fact when I was cleaning yesterday I took off the bed rail, which is too big and traps her in the bed just like a crib. She is so excited that she is such a "Big Girl" now the first thing she did when she came down stairs this morning was to tell Anderson "Big Girl Bed"! How sweet :-)