SAK'S 4TH AVE

Kyler's Kyte

2012-02-12T16:23:00.002-05:00

Today Chris and I took Kyler to the park to fly his new "kyte" (get it ~ HA!) and to play some T-ball.
He wanted to do the "kyte" all on his own!

First time flying:

He did an Awesome job with it. He watched for trees and knew to keep them out of the trees. There was one that didn't make it from several years ago still stuck and after us showing that to him, he was determined to keep it out!

"Brett Favre" was there for the "kyte" flying occasion!:

Just for a few quick hits, he played T-ball.. he really was into the kite today. Do you see my lefty?:

Then he wanted to go play on the playground area for a few. He made a b-line for the motorcycle:

We didn't stay long as I had to go get ready for work. But we played for an hour and a half which was perfect timing since it was cold and windy.

Future Baller

2012-02-11T17:36:00.002-05:00

This morning we got up and got breakfast going. Kyler decided he wanted some coffee (yes moms it's decaf and Splenda... better than soda in my opinion) and he's one happy boy:

My Future Baller! He has been talking about baseball for a while now. Chris and I decided that we would get him a T-ball set and see what he would do. Sadly I was at work today and missed the action; however, Daddy said that he whacked the mess out of the ball for nearly an hour and Chris had to chase after it every time. He said he really did him proud hitting the ball.

Kolton's Dr Appt Checkup

2012-02-10T11:34:00.002-05:00

Wednesday, I had my follow up appt for Kolton. I was nervous about my visit, however, everything turned out GREAT!

Mr. Kolton is pictured here doing what everyone is either calling ... "The Thinker pose" or "The Tim Tebow". I personally think he looks like his "big brudder" here!

As far as the doctor's appointment; I am STILL under my pre-preggo weight!! (as I'm entering the 3rd trimester.. go me!!) My Dr. was concerned at one point, but now has decided to no longer be concerned with the weight loss; as it is me losing it and Kolton gaining weight (I tried telling her this months ago!!.. and we all know I could stand to lose some). But regardless the visit went very well... no signs of preeclampsia (YEAH!!); no protein in the urine (YEAH); no signs of showing that "I'm starving us both.. which would be super funny since I feel like all I do is eat! and just some swelling on the days that I work 12-16 hour shifts (and yes, I am propping my feet up). Oh and blood pressure is perfect!! So with all that said, I'm pretty stoked!

Here is "big brudder" showing off his new talent ... doing "spits" as he calls "splits":

Right after I took this picture, he said "I stuck Mommy, need help!" Too cute.. LOVE THIS KID!!!

Week 27 Update

2012-02-09T20:00:00.000-05:00

This is the last week of the 2nd Trimester! We're closing in!! Week 27 = 12 weeks left till C-Section day.. just 87 days left!! Ok, the 12 weeks sounds like JUST around the corner.. the 87 days sounds like, we've got time.

Fetal Development:
During this week, the brain continues its rapid growth, and the lungs continue to grow. Eyelids begin to open, and the retinas begin to form. The baby will grow over 1/2 inch this week and will be about 1 1/3 feet long (from crown of head to the toes or 9.6 inches from crown to rump)!

Maternal Changes:
Congratulations! At the end of this week, you will have finished the second trimester already! You may be experiencing some shortness of breath. Your uterus is close to your rib cage now, and your lungs may not be able to fully expand. Don't worry though. Your baby isn't lacking oxygen and your circulatory system is actually working more efficiently thanks to those pregnancy hormones that have caused you so much discomfort.

Food Week

2012-02-06T19:03:00.003-05:00

This week is Food Week at Kyler's school. Each child was asked to bring in something and then they were going to make different foods with the items.

This was a cookie and rainbow sprinkles (supposed to be chocolate sprinkles but they were not brought in) ...

and now you have ANTS IN DIRT! :

Just to follow up from School Spirit week last week. Each child got to make something pertaining to that specific day.

Here is Kyler's tie:

Kyler's hat for Hat Day:

Kyler's sunglasses (the ones that didn't get stolen):

And his PJs :

Guns vs Hoses Charity Hockey Game 2012

2012-02-06T11:37:00.023-05:00

Saturday night, we went to the Guns vs. Hoses Charity Hockey Game. The game was to honor For The Kids Foundation. We enjoy going every year to support our local officers and firefighters (some of whom I work with).

We got there a little late for the Face Off on the charity game. But it was ok since there was nobody to fight in traffic, parking or coming in the gates. The boys immediately found the fire trucks and made a b-line for them.

Once we got inside the game, we could sit anywhere since there wasn't a lot of people there for the charity game. So we selected the front row and Kyler was SO into it!

Look at the smile on his face:

A few minutes later, he wanted to sit with me:

He and Nicholas got to stand at the glass and watch all the action:

He was screaming HOCKEY!!! here:

One of the officer's I work with (and who I scored our tickets from):

Hoses aka Firefighters in purple ; Guns aka Officers in White:

The goalie ~ what HORRIBLE seats we had:

Sherry, Zachary and Nicholas:

Not sure what Chris is looking at; but it's not at me!:

The Sheri / Sherry duo. I'm wearing a red shirt with pink fire hat ; she's wearing a pink shirt with red fire hat.. aren't we cute?!:

Kyler wanted in with us:

I'm so proud of my lil fireman... Kyler LOVES firetrucks but has been scared to be around or get in them...until today. He thought he was all that climbing up and 'driving' the big rig:

He even had his fire truck horn sounding:

He got to climb through the back and check things out:

Look at his smile:

My boys and me:

Another first for Kyler.. the bounce house. He has not been found of them in the past. But here he is standing in line with his big cousins:

He LOVED it!!! He bounced until they called time and then he cried cause he didn't want to get out.. until he learned he had to get back in the line:

Zachary and Nicholas wanted to go in the gift shop and get a hockey stick. So we wondered in there and next thing we know, Aunt Sherry is buying one for Kyler too.

Here he is giving her a Thank you kiss:

Kyler showing off his new hockey stick:

One happy boy!:

Nicholas, Zachary and Kyler "playing" hockey:

Kyler working on his hockey skills:

Aunt Sherry, Zachary, Nicholas and Kyler:

The "vacuum" as Kyler calls it:

He was SO excited and screaming GO BLADES!:

Kyler got caught kissing an older woman.. Morgan, I'm telling Joey!!!:

This is TOO sweet... Kyler reached over and grabbed my hand and wanted to hold my hand. So I just HAD to snap a picture cause time will fly and he will want nothing to do with holding my hand:

During intermission; they had the police and fire fighters come back out (in their plain clothes and one guy even in flip flops) to do a game of tug-o-war on the ice. It was funny!:

Everblades vs Reading Royals:

The next day, Kyler wanted to ride his bike so bad! YES!!! 3 things he's learning to accomplish now! He rode it for a bit and was so proud of himself. We were very proud of him too. He's learning to pedal.

Spirit Week Day 4:

2012-02-02T11:50:00.003-05:00

Today was PJ day at Kyler's daycare for Spirit Week. Although I'm now having reservations about him participating due to his super cool Camo sun glasses being "5 finger discounted" by a classmate yesterday. I still couldn't make him miss out on PJ day.. who wouldn't want to wear their PJs to work / school?!

Besides look at how happy he is that he gets to wear his Favorite Firetruck PJs:

As far as the sun glasses.. yes, they had his name on the inside of them and since this is a Christian school / daycare that he goes to, I can only hope the parent(s) of this child will be honest ones and will return them today.

Kolton... 6 Months (26 weeks) and Cooking! :

2012-02-02T08:00:00.000-05:00

6 Months... 26 Weeks! :

Fetal Development:
Your baby could weigh about two pounds now and be around 9 inches long (crown of the head to the rump). As the blood vessels in the lungs began last week, the air sacs in the lungs begin this week. The lungs begin to secrete surfactant which covers the inner lining of the air sacs which then allows the lungs to expand normally during breathing. (this is AWESOME news!!)

Maternal Changes:
Your uterus is about 2 1/2 inches above your belly button. If you feel your uterus suddenly tighten and then relax, don't panic. You're experiencing "Braxton Hicks" Contractions. These are normal, usually painless or feel similar to menstrual cramps and happen at irregular intervals. They are your body's way of practicing for the real thing and help to tone up your uterus for the tough job of labor. (these are SO fun!!)

School Spirit Day 3

2012-02-01T12:23:00.002-05:00

Day 3 of School Spirit Week is Sunglasses Day.

Here is Sport Model showing he can rock his sun glasses:

He has that.. 'yeah I know I'm sexy grin here":

Spirit Week Days 1 and 2

2012-02-01T12:16:00.002-05:00

Kyler's daycare / school is doing Spirit Week this week.

Monday was Tie Day. Well we don't have a tie for him and I couldn't see me spending the money on one for him to wear not even a whole day. So his school made them for all of the kids. His is yellow.

Day 2 was Hat Day and My boy LOVES his hats (he gets that from his Mommy). Here he is showing his spirit:

Kyler and Mommy Fun Days....

2012-01-27T11:37:00.013-05:00

~~There is another blog about Kolton's updates just below this one.

I'm not sure why...but this blog is leaving HUGE gaps again and will not let me take them out. I'm sorry and you'll just have to keep scrolling down.... hope you enjoy!!

Here are a few "catch ups" from over the past two weeks / weekends. I've "kidnapped" him from daycare; keeping him home a few days during the week on my days off and going to the park or something else fun before Kolton arrives. Just some Mommy and Me time with my lil man.

This was at our new favorite park (Thanks Nicole and Ethan). My lil monkey in the tree:

There was a boat on the water and he wanted to sit and watch them fish:

The next morning, we did a walk-a-thon for Special Populations. It was held by Guardian Angeles. Kyler and I raised $160 for the cause.

Kyler, Me (and Kolton) after just checking in and turning our funds in. Kyler is eating pears:

Ready to get the move on, this standing around was b-o-r-i-n-g:

Meem and Ian walked with us... ok Ian cheated and rode a scooter:

Meem and Maddy (one of the other girl's dog who walked with us):

Kyler meeting Maddy:

Ian and Kyler running off some energy and passing time:

Then the fun began!! They had a Zumba instructor attend to give us a warm up. Kyler was into it now! (sorry no front shots, he kept turning on me):

That night we went to the Super Target to get some things for Kolton's room and happened to run up on Chick Fil A doing a kids night fun thing. Kyler spotted the action first and went to yelling for Daddy to go see the helicopter.

As we were getting to the helicopter, Kyler found the cow and HAD to have his picture taken with him. And for those who know.... yes; this has been named "Papa Pat's Cow":

For someone SO excited about the helicopter, he would NOT go anywhere near it unless I was holding him. The pilot was even going to let us in the cockpit.. HA! Kyler was having NOTHING to do with that and that would have been comical seeing me climb up into it.

I'm holding my shirt down as Chris kept telling me that Kolton was peeking through!!:

Kyler "stalked" the cow and next we found him sitting for photo ops in the Bomb Squad Truck.

He wouldn't let me get any pictures of him near the firetrucks; motorcycles; police cars; or even the police boat that was there. But we "visited" every station and even got to meet the K-9 dogs that I work with. He was one very happy boy!

His new bed sheets Finally made it in. I got them washed and made his bed and had it ready for him when he got home from daycare. He was not as excited about it as I thought he'd be... until later when Daddy came home and then he was WILD and EXCITED about it!

It's a little dark, but the curtains match:

Later that night, Mister Big Boy wanted to help do the dishes. Where has my baby gone?!!:

Yesterday morning I kept him home again from school. He was having an English muffin with jelly. Can't you tell?! HA!:

He was so proud of himself... he LOVES this "Papa Pat Tractor" and he's been trying to find something to pull behind it since Christmas. Well he took the trailer from one of his trucks and he was SO excited telling me "Mommy it fits!":

My son (thanks to his Daddy - LOL) has found a new love for Monster Trucks. When he comes home from school he and Daddy just chill and hang out together and watch the Monster Truck show on TV. Well while he was sitting there he happened to look up and found a Monster Truck that belongs to Daddy still in the package on one of my curio cabinets.

I heard him moving a chair but had no idea until I rounded the corner and saw this:

Heart attack city!! He was determined he was going to get that monster truck no matter what it took. He never even asked me for it. I'm proud that he thought to do this but also scared!

(yes, that is a chair on top of a Tupperware container that houses dog food)

For lunch, we loaded up and met up with some friends at Chick Fil A so the boys could play inside their playground area. I had to make one stop after we left at BJS. He got into the cart that has the car in the front and played for a few minutes and then he stopped. I didn't realize it until someone told me he was O-U-T..out! He then started slumping over. Thankfully we were done and already on our way out to the car by then.

This was him on the way home:

I LOVE Mommy and Me days with him! He is SO fun and awesome to be around.

Kolton: 25 Weeks Down

2012-01-27T11:21:00.002-05:00

We have reached 25 Weeks!! Just 98 days to go!!!

Fetal Development:
The structures of the spine - 33 rings, 150 joints and 1000 ligaments - begin to form. The blood vessels of the lungs are developing and the nostrils begin to open. Busy week!

~~ We have our next ultrasound scheduled for Feb 8th! Can't wait to see how big my lil man is and what his measurements are! Just this morning he and his brother had the hiccups which gave big brother the giggles. It was funny!

Maternal Changes:
You may be feeling like a "Soccer Mom" now that your uterus is the size of a soccer ball. (and because Kolton is kicking up a storm like he's playing soccer!) Your growing uterus places pressure on your back and pelvis and may cause periodic shooting pains in your lower back and legs. (yes, LOVE the sciatica ~NOT!) When you experience this, rest, change your position, take a warm bath or apply ice to the sore area. (you see there.. "DRs" orders..a bath!)

Preterm Labor Warning Signs: (eek!! don't want to know of these right now)
Do you know the warning signs of preterm labor? The March of Dimes advises that you never ignore any of these symptoms:
Menstrual-like cramps (constant or occasional) (check)
Low, dull backache (constant or occasional) (check) ~ also with back spasms
Pelvic pressure (feels like the baby is pushing down)
Abdominal cramping (with or without diarrhea) (check)
Increase or change in mucous vaginal discharge
Uterine contractions every 10 minutes or more often (may be painless) Be sure to discuss with your caregiver what you should do in the event you experience these warning signs before the 37th week of pregnancy.

Well, that was enough to scare me a little.. 3 out of 5. Good thing I'm headed to the Dr in a few days. I hope this time, he will behave and we can get some non-blurry pictures of him.

24 Weeks Down (15 to go!!!)

2012-01-19T07:00:00.000-05:00

WhooHooo!!!! We made it to 6 months!!

Just 15 weeks to go till our scheduled C-Section Date! Man it's closing in quick. I'm excited, not nervous. Ready to see my boys in action together. I LOVE how Kyler kisses my belly, or talks to "Tolton" and he just now started running race cars and Mater across my belly telling me that he's playing with "Tolton". I just hope this sweetness continues between these two. I know there will be moments and days of the "Mooooommmmmm, Kolton did this or Kyler isn't sharing"; but I will take the good over the bad any day.

Fetal Development: (and mom's comments)
The baby gains about 6 ounces this week as the body begins to fill out (perfect, cause I'm not sure where I am going to put him.HA!) . This weight is in muscle, bone mass and the growing organs and tissues. The weight could top 1 1/3 pounds by the end of the week.

Maternal Changes: (and mom's comments)
Between weeks 24 and 28, your care provider may order a glucose tolerance test to determine if you have gestational diabetes (already done and yeah for me... I have it). Your uterus is 1 1/2 to 2 inches above the navel.

Your doctor may want to do a check of your cervix sometime soon so that if you develop preterm labor symptoms, s/he will have a baseline for comparison (ohhh goody, that feels SO fun!!! ~ if you've never had your cervix checked, poking your eyes out with hot pokers would be less painful). The things us mothers do for you loved ones (ohh I sounded like my mom then ;-D)

Ideas for Dad:
Take lots of pictures of Mom (yes, we need to get on this or Mr. Kolton is going to think that he wasn't loved). Even though she may not like it at the time, she will treasure the photos later. They will make a wonderful keepsake, and maybe she'll pose for you a la Demi Moore in Vanity Fair! (hahahahah.. NOOO BODY wants to see me that way!)

2 1/2 Years

2012-01-18T11:24:00.004-05:00

Yesterday Kyler hit his official 2 1/2 year mark! Ugh, time sure does fly. He had a well check up at the doctor's office. For the first time since his ear troubles a year ago, he didn't fret going. He played in the waiting room and went down the slide with 2 pretty girls (a blond and a brunette) chasing after him. When the nurse called his name, he said "Come on Momma" and went to the door looking back at me. He stood on the scale (32 lbs 3/4 oz) and then stood still to get his height (37"). He is in the 95%ile for his age (yes, big boy). The doctor had a hard time believing he was just 2.

She said his motor skills sounded great and said that his speech will start improving by the time he turns 3. She checked his ears and he kept digging in the one...which turns out, the tube in that ear is in the canal and ready to come out. She said it's probably tickling the hair in his ears and bothering him that way, but there is no infection. Knock on wood that we will not have to repeat this procedure.

As we left the doctor's office, we were sitting at a red light when I heard coming from the back seat.. "woooow..look! Momma's work!". Yup, we were sitting right next to the police department and that surprised me and made me proud that he remembered. Then I got a giggle when I said, "Momma's not going there today, I'm spending the day with you"! And off to McDonald's for a special lunch we went.

Mr. Happy Boy here helped me bake some cookies for Daddy (and him). We put them in the oven to bake while we started on dinner. He was saying "cooookies!!!" here:

Chef Kyler helping brown the meat for Sloppy Joe's. Daddy isn't a fan of Sloppy Joe's.. hence the cookies being made to make up for it.

And just because we can't leave lil brother out.. I went through some boxes of clothes that were given to us and started separating them by sizes. I went ahead and washed some newborn; 0-3 items and Yes (call me crazy) but even started putting a few things into Kolton's suitcase that I will like to have with us at the hospital.

Kolton's Room Update

2012-01-15T15:24:00.008-05:00

Today Kolton's room came together! I am SOOOOO excited! Now that all of the heavy stuff is done, I can get in there and start adding my little touches to make it more welcoming for him (and playing with the baby clothes; blankets; toys and things we do have to figure out what we need).

This is a view standing at the closet looking towards the opposite corner. Moms don't fret...all the shelves are "bolted" to the wall and Nothing is moving them... and there is only stuffed animals on the shelves directly above his crib:

The swing will move into the living room when Kolton is closer to arriving, cause for now big brother wants to climb in it and we don't want him to break it. Also the computer (need a wireless router ~ ours died) will relocate to another room.

This is a view of standing at the crib wall (pix above) looking at the closet area:

The small wall as soon as you enter the room. There will be a few added arts and pictures to the wall for decoration. Hopefully Daddy will get to do it this weekend:

The crib.. we need a mattress so I can start putting the cribbing together and making it closer to being done. Gramma made curtains when it was Kyler's cribbing to match and since the windows are the same size (thankfully), we will just move that over to Kolton's room this week when big brother's new bedding comes in. And since this room is already blue, we wont need to paint!:

The nursing chair and some books to read to him. The box on the top shelf is a lullaby neat thingy that he got from Gramma for Christmas. It shines imagines on the ceiling and plays lullabies and does a few neat things like that.

The other dresser that we'll be using for a little added storage that we need (shhhh ~ don't tell our secret) HA! The 3 pictures on the dresser (police car; ambulance; fire truck) will be hung about the mirror. Thank you Zachary for the donations.. the boys will LOVE them!:

This was Daddy putting the crib together:

Up against the wall before I said Nope, needs to face the other way ;-D:

And just because I can't leave big brother out... He's been at Momma's (aka Gramma's) with his cousin Buddy Roe having a Great time! Here they are getting ready to "roast" hot dogs on the fire pit. We used to do this as kids and LOVED it! You take a palm fran and put a hot dog or marshmallow on the end and stick it in the fire. I'm so glad these boys are getting to experience the fond memories we got to make and are now making their own memories with "Momma":

The boys toting their table to the fire pit. Look how big they are and all grown up and working together like good big boys:

This morning they made a sling and Gramma sent this picture to me. It's too cute. I LOVE how they get along so well together:

The boys and their Papa Pat (Gramma too.. she was opening the gate and taking a picture) going for a ride to feed his cows:

Looks like the boys were playing musical chairs:

I miss Kyler so much and can't wait to get my hands on him tomorrow for my hugs and kisses; but glad to see him having a Blast!!

John Deere Green

2012-01-13T14:23:00.005-05:00

As you all are aware; my son LOVES "Papa Pat Tractors" as he calls them. To the rest of us, they are John Deere Tractors.

Since we have upgraded his room recently; I just ordered him new bed sheets; comforter; pillow shams and curtains. I can't wait to get them in and to see the look on his face. He will also be able to use these sheets for some time which is Awesome!

Here is what the sheet set looks like that we've ordered!:

23 Weeks

2012-01-12T08:00:00.001-05:00

We are 23 weeks cooking along now. Time is flying!

Fetal Development:
Your baby weighs about a pound now! The body is becoming better proportioned each day, and the bones of the middle ear begin to harden.
If born now, your baby has a chance for survival. Let's hope, however, that the baby stays put for several more weeks (UMM Kolton, this is your Mommy and you have NO choice but to stay in there and cook longer)!

Maternal Changes:
Your baby still has room to move around so you're probably feeling kicks, jabs, flips and flops. You may even see your abdomen move (looks like a disformed punching / kicking bag). Your uterus is about 1 1/2 inches above your belly button.
If you're having some wild mood swings, don't fret. They're normal even if they don't feel normal. Try to be good to yourself when you're feeling blue (got it.. massages and pedicures every day!).

Ideas for Dad:
Do something nice and totally unexpected like doing the laundry without being asked or bringing home dinner after work. Let mom know how special she is and show her how special you are. (for those reading this...call Dad and give him the hints.. HA!)

Big Brudders Room

2012-01-09T13:07:00.010-05:00

We had a busy but fun weekend. It started with me running some errands on Friday...which lead to ....

Yes, me chopping my hair off and I LOVE it!! I always wore it up and I figured if I'm going to do that, why not chop it off and make it cute. So that's what I did and I love it! I can make it messy and full or like this where it's straight. Better yet, the hubs loves it too!

Side view.. no double chin comments ..HA!:

The next day we woke up fresh and ready to tackle the boys' rooms. Chris and Kyler both helped me clean out the closet in Kolton's room and put only baby related items / clothes back in it and then we moved all of the furniture out of his room and Kyler's room and everything piled up in my living room. I was beside myself since I just cleaned and organized my living room.

Kyler was a huge help getting his toys and stuff out of his room. He didn't know it yet.. but he was getting upgraded from his Twin Bedroom set to a Queen Bedroom Set. We chose this route as we had to move one of them out and well it made more sense to upgrade him this way if / when family members come to visit they will have a nice comfy queen bed to lay in rather than trying to cram up in a twin bed...and the dresser is bigger which will hold big "brudders" clothes better.

So after a much needed nap; Kyler and I went in my bed to lay down while Daddy cleaned the carpets ~ since his room was furniture free. When we woke up.. we had learned that Uncle Kevin came over and helped Daddy transform his room too:

The view standing at the closet looking towards his door:

The Big Boy Bed! (it will soon have John Deere Tractor sheets instead of planes, trains and automobiles):

The big dresser (yes, we are relocating the shelf above the dresser):

A view of his bed from his door..and yes, he still has a "parking garage" underneath the bed (since we're limited on space):

Looking at his closet door and that side of the room:

Silly boy with his camera taking a picture of me taking one of him:

And we were extremely exhausted of the moving of everything.. so this is Little Brudders room for the time being. I plan on attacking it on my days off this week. Daddy will have to move the big items, but for the rest of it, I plan on getting my hands on. At least the closet (which we can't get to now) is cleaned out and organized:

We took a break and met up with my nephews; SIL and BIL for my nephews birthday dinner. These 3 monkeys had an Awesome night! They were all silly and we had a good night of laughter. Zachary (red shirt) just turned 10.. I'm still in denial.

Sunday morning we got up and got ready to try out a new church that we were invited to by one of the officers that I work with. (please excuse my messy bed..it was made shortly after the boys were done playing). Kyler was being launched like a rocket and was loving it!:

Sunday afternoon we got a surprise visit by Zachary and "Nikisus" (as Kyler calls Nicholas) and the boys were off to an awesome afternoon of fun. They didn't want to sit long enough for a picture pose. humpf.. HA:

Even the nephews dogs got to come and "ruff" up our dogs! The 4 of them had a blast playing and Kasey and Kady were PASSED OUT all night afterwards. Not sure where Chloe was in this picture:

Kyler was stealing "Nikisus" shoes and running with them. It was a huge game for him. He even tried his hardest to throw them over the fence.. poor guy didn't make it,, thankfully,, but he sure did give it his all several times:

Hopefully I'll be able to post more pictures very soon of Little Brudders room coming to an order if not completely finished! I have a vision of what I want it to look like and hope it will soon hit that mark.

22 Weeks

2012-01-05T15:14:00.002-05:00

Today marks me being 22 weeks... wow it's going fast!

Fetal Development:
The baby is probably close to a pound and very thin but very developed. The eyelids and eyebrows are now formed, and the brain begins rapid growth. If your baby is a boy, his testes have begun their descent from the pelvis to the scrotum.

Maternal Changes:
Your uterus is nearly an inch above your navel. You'll probably be gaining weight more steadily now as your baby continues to fill out (wow~ that scares me). The extra weight may begin to take its toll on your back (perfect cause I'm already trying to find a massage therapist). Wear low heeled shoes (flat shoes can strain your back as much as high heeled shoes) and avoid sitting or standing for long periods of time. When you sit, use a footstool to raise your knees higher than your hips.

Let the Nesting Begin....

2012-01-04T11:05:00.006-05:00

I have hit a Nesting Phase ... and let me tell you.. if it isn't bolted down it more than likely has found a new home or living in the trash can. I have been a busy busy busy bee these past two days. Rearranged / decorated our kitchen and living room (with hubby and son's help) on Monday. Tuesday, Mr. Kyler went to school and I took on the laundry room (and found a little storage room - yeah) and Kyler's room. Who knew Kyler had a walk-in closet?! HA! I took out all of his little boy clothes and kept the big boy clothes and now it looks like he doesn't have any clothes. LOL. I also found lots of toys that "big brudder" doesn't know but ever so graciously donated to "lil brudder".

We sold our entertainment center as it was too big and we need the room for the boys and their toys and the price was just right. So Chris loaded the van with some of it and Kyler and I went along for the ride. Mr. Kyler kidnapped some of the pigs I was going to donate to another family and is hoarding them. But after the look on his face here and look how sweetly he's taking care of them, I couldn't make him part from them.. just yet. The bigger one that he is holding every so sweetly has made it to his bed amongst his other favorite bedtime critters. Thankfully he is being upgraded to a queen sized bed this weekend so he'll have enough room for himself to sleep in. HA!

We went to Old Navy as we heard they were having a huge sale. Man were they. We got him this hat that he LOVES for $2; plus 3 pairs of PJS that were normally $12-21 for only $4.88 plus 2 shirts for $8 and another jacket for $6. There wasn't that much left in the kids section but we found what we were looking for.. PJS! And this picture is him on his way to school this morning. I LOVE that he is so happy and gets so excited when he sees his "stool" (school) as we're rounding the corner. He loves it there and it helps that he has a crush on his teacher! ;-D

When I was rearranging the living room; I moved his bench that his grandpa made for him (it matches our table that he made us). And that triggered him to want to sit at it. I think he likes the new spot. (moms don't fret.. the electrical socket that is behind him has covers on it..he can't get hurt although he was messing around back there and did get in trouble for it - but he's safe):

Another new favorite hat of his.. his camo beanie. My Grandma makes these for the soldiers and sends them overseas to keep their heads nice and toasty while serving our country. Well, she made one for my niece and I saw it over Christmas so I asked for one for Kamo Kyler. She had it made and ready to go the next day. Now she's made one for lil brudder, Daddy and me too. Ours are coming via mail this week.. Mine is like my niece's and is pink and purple camo.

Other than nesting and cleaning out everything and working.. nothing much else is going on. That's keeping me busy enough. I'm looking forward to getting Kolton's room done this weekend so I can see what we have and what we need to register for. We plan on having a "sprinkle" in March. That's what one of my girlfriends called it cause she said we wont need a full on Baby Shower since we have a lot of things from Kyler but we will need to have a sprinkle. LOL And any excuse for the girls and kiddos to get together is a good enough reason for me!

Spirit Has Left the Building

2012-01-01T21:17:00.002-05:00

Well... I have NO spirit today. I'm not sure if it's because I'm tired from last night (no I didn't ring in the New Year). I got off of work at 2230 hrs (that's 10:30 pm) after working a 12 hour shift; was tired and wanted to go to bed but my neighbor was SO generous with his band and their music that my bed was even vibrating. The other neighbors were generous with the fireworks which freaked my dogs out and woke my son up. So we had a rough night. I don't want to complain as I know that if I didn't have to be at work; we would have enjoyed watching the firework display from our front yard. However being tired; 5 months pregnant and having to get up early for the next shift really took a toll on me today.

Not to mention that I had to miss out on a family gathering for my nephew who turned 10 today. Happy Birthday Zachary. Sorry that I once again had to miss out on a function but hope you enjoyed your special day.

So as I sit here with one more LONG and boring hour to go before I am off; I'm just not really in the spirit for anything. I'm feeling tired; lonely; left out; and just plain blah tonight. I am really missing my son and hate that I feel like a part-time Mom to him. Hopefully this is not how my 2012 will be and that it's just a blah night and will soon pass and brighter days are in the future. I know there will be because Kolton will be joining our family.. but I just don't want to be in this funk the whole year.

Well now that I got you down.... please go find something fun to do.

Christmas 2011

2011-12-26T11:13:00.021-05:00

Kyler's Christmas present....Kasey sure is going to miss this tree:

Kyler is just like his Mommy..LOVES Christmas. He is wearing a Snowman Santa hat that he found and has had a hard time taking off:

My Very Special Christmas Present:

Our Christmas weekend started by Kyler and I headed to the Toyota Dealership to have a "boo-boo" replaced on my car. We were there an hour and then headed north to Gramma's to help get things ready for Saturday's events.

We first went to visit Gramma at work to let her know were were there!:

It was a busy excellent weekend. Here are some pictures of Gramma's Christmas Tree with all the goodies underneath and beside it. Every year we say that we don't have money and then.... this happens:

Needless to say, we all had a great Christmas:

We went to Grandma Great's for lunch and the Grand kids did a pile up on Gramma's lap:

Kolton received some gifts as well (very exciting).. including this burp cloth:

These two boys LOVE some tractors!!

This beauty LOVES to be dressed up and pretty:

I got this from my Mommy and it's SO true:

Rub-a-dub-dub...two handsome boys in the tub. They got bubbles for Christmas and just HAD to put them to use!:

Shortly after bath time, we loaded up and headed home as we didn't want to miss Santa stopping by our house the next morning. We had to make sure the dogs were put away and we were in bed so he could come in.

This is our Christmas tree after Santa arrived:

Our Mini Tree and Santa took out Kyler's tractors and trucks he received from family members and placed them all around this table:

Santa even put 3 small gifts under Kyler's personal tree in his room:

When Kyler woke up, he was SO excited and of coarse made a b-line right to the tractor table! I love his look here.. he's saying "wooooow!!":

He immediately wanted to sit at the table and play with his tractors. Didn't care there was anything under the tree to unwrap. HA!:

Daddy helped me convince him to come over and look in his stocking:

And what do you know..another WOOOOOW!! There was Cars 2 DVD in there!:

With Daddy saying there might be more tractors or Cars or Mater to unwrap, that got a little interest in someone (poor Daddy having to lay on the floor):

As if Daddy knew,, there IS Lightening McQueen.. or as Kyler calls him.. Race Car:

How'd you guess???..another WOOOOOOW! I love hearing him say this:

This was one of the smaller presents under his personal tree in his room. He got "Race Car"; Mater and some flash cards:

Once all the presents were unwrapped; we headed back into the living room to see what was up with that blanket. Here Kyler is helping Daddy figure out what is under it:

It's a CARS bike!!!:

Oh how he couldn't wait to get on it.. until it moved and then he bolted off and hasn't been on it since. Sigh.. But on my days off, we will be going to the park to work on it. Wish us luck:

Now this tent was a HUGE hit (thank you Adopt A Family):

He was having a BLAST in it for the longest time. He took all of his new goodies in with him. Look at that smile!:

Here I was being told "NO Mommy; get out!". I asked him if Daddy could come in and he said Yes! Guess that's what I get for being Queen of our Castle. HA!:

A little after playing for a while, we got ready and headed over to Aunt Sherry and Uncle Kevin's to have Christmas with them; Zak and "Nikus". He was making race car sounds here cause he got a lot of race cars:

Oh and he even got his Very Own Camera.. Now Mommy can keep hers! Here he is taking a picture of me taking one of him:

And a BIG Smooch to Aunt Sherry for it:

Later that night we all gathered back up at our house to have Christmas Dinner hosted by yours truly for her first time ever! We had a great turn out and fit 9 people at our new table!

Nikus brought over a new DVD that he got and while I was preparing dinner the kiddos watched it. I caught Kyler having snuggle time with Aunt Sherry. See Aunt Sherry, evidence he DOES love you!:

And since we haven't taken many pictures of this pregnancy, Daddy snapped this one of me before we hit the hay. Yes, I'm HUGE for only 5 months:

Half Baked!

2011-12-22T11:01:00.004-05:00

That's right.. today marks Kolton as being "Half Baked" 134 days to go!:

Mother (and mother's comments):
You are half way through your pregnancy! Congratulations! Your belly button may pop out and stay that way as your uterus presses upwards (oh goodie, cause right now my belly looks like a kidney bean). Some people will have trouble breathing as their lungs become cramped (and what am I supposed to do for the 4 additional months?). This will usually continue until the baby "drops." (if he drops anymore, he's going to fall out!) In a first pregnancy this can occur as early as 4-6 weeks before or not until labor. Once the baby drops you will have to urinate more frequently (because every 5-10 minutes now isn't good enough?), hard to believe? Remembering to do your pelvic tilts prior to laying down will hopefully allow you a few more minutes before the next bathroom break.

Baby (no Mommy comments on this one):
Lanugo forms from sebum and skin cells to create vernix. This creamy white substance is believed to help protect the baby. It will cling to the lanugo and in the creases. This is also something that can be seen sometimes after the birth. It is known for its smooth, protective quality.
You may be aware of sleep wake cycles in your little one. The weight is now up to 10 ounces (283 grams) and the baby measures about 25 cms total length, about 9.8 inches. Many moms have an ultrasound at week 20. It may be your first peek at baby.

Dad (and Mommy's comments):
Take mom out to dinner to celebrate the half-way point in pregnancy (boy..too bad Daddy doesn't read my blog!). My husband adds that a gift for the baby is also a nice touch. This is particularly true if you're just finding out if your baby is a girl or a boy.

Adopt A Family

2011-12-17T20:11:00.010-05:00

Today our family was blessed by Adopt A Family. A few blogs back I wrote about this wonderful organization who help families out who have fallen on hard times. Someone that I work with referred my name to one of our Sergeants who is in contact with this group and long story short...we were blessed by them today.

We sadly missed the police escort on camera. We got to see them as they were rounding the corner to make way for the 200+ motorcyclist coming. Kyler was SO excited and overwhelmed. He wanted Momma to hold him during all this commotion. This is the beginning of the group which wraps around the corner bend of the road:

The middle group:

Some of the end..but as you can see..still cars coming. The silver car is a police escort:

The first gentleman who approached us had a pillow case he was carrying and inside he told Kyler he had a present for him...it was a toy motorcycle. Kyler light up like a Christmas Tree. He told he man thank you and even shook his hand. He then turned to Daddy and said "here open". Daddy had to open the box so Kyler could physically have his hands on his very own motorcycle.

Chris and I hugged / kissed / shook hands / spoke to / wished Merry Christmas and Thanked with 400-ish people. Each motorcycle was double riders. Not to mention a few car fulls. It was AWESOME and I cried like a mashed cat through a majority of it. I was good in the beginning and then seeing so many people who care just over took me.

As they were finished stocking our house up with food; household goods/products; and presents for Kyler; they all came out to join Chris, Kyler and I to sing We Wish You A Merry Christmas. Here is "Santa" and his "Elf" leading the song (these guys were characters):

Mr. Ray....THE MAN! He's the one who contacted us and met with us and sat everything up for us. Just talking with this man makes me want to be a better person. I SO hope that Chris and I are in the financial state to be able to assist him next year in helping a family out. If not next year..we WILL pay it forward one way or another!:

Just a small batch of the group singing:

A few more singers:

And some more:

When we said our good-byes and Thanked everyone again. We came in and were met with a table and counter tops full of food and a turkey in the sink....

Presents for Kyler under the tree...

Another look at the tree with presents; paper towels; and Chris' Christmas gift a HUGE box of Trix Cereal. He was SO excited about that:

Kyler found "Rudolph" first and has not let him down:

He immediately took his new motorcycle (also seen in his hand in the above picture) and Rudolph and went to the couch to play. ~~Readers, be ware; this picture will Melt your hearts!!:

Chris and I then started assessing everything and wondering where to start first when we had moved the household items from under the tree when Kyler found hidden... an unwrapped present and just HAD to have it now.. "Dadda pweeeaaaase!!!" Daddy (and I ) couldn't resist so he took them out of the box for him:

He was having such a fun time playing he did not want to stop and pose for a picture:

Shortly after, we told him he needed to go lay down for a nap. He was starting to get cranky and it was past his nap time. He had NOT a problem going.. but his new motorcycle and trucks were going with him..along with his blankey (carried by Mommy) and his Rudolph (carried by Daddy):

This is him... "napping" (if you can't tell, he's playing with his motorcycle) HA:

While he was in his room; Chris and I started to tackle the counter tops and table. I now wish that I would have taken a before picture of our 3 cans of veggies in the pantry:

4 double cabinets FULL of food goods and we started stacking just to try to make room for it all. Yes our counter tops still have juices and boxed goodies that we couldn't find room for:

We are so Grateful for everyone involved .. those who were there and those who donated. I will honestly look at the Salvation Army and other organizations not to mention "bikers" differently. I am truly touched by them all.

Kolton at 18 and 19 Weeks of Cooking:

2011-12-13T13:47:00.007-05:00

Ok, I've been slacking again. Sorry. Since we are almost at 19 weeks I will include both the 18 and 19 weeks development of Kolton on this blog. Can you believe we're almost half way there?! As tired as I am (yes still) and with the wonderful "morning sickness" (yes still).. I'm ready for May! ;-D

Week 18:
Mother (and Mother's comments italicized):
Sleeping may be increasingly difficult now (to say the least), as your body grows (it's HUGE just how much bigger can one person get?). Try propping yourself with pillows to help you find a more comfortable sleeping position (Daddy is NOT happy with the gazillion pillows we have now). You might also try doing pelvic tilts before bed (so much easier said than done), and always urinate before laying down (and then again every 5-10 minutes after you lay down).
If you haven't started yet, try playing around with baby names! (Yep, that is checked off the list) Look through your family history, read books, look at combinations for girls and boys. Remember to ensure that the initials don't spell something rude (awe, where's the fun in humiliating your kid in that?), and never give your kids the same initials! (oops....we didn't read that...too late, both boys are KCK- will the same initial gods come swoop down on us and spank us now?!)

Baby (and Mother's comments italicized):
At 20.5 cms or 8.1 inches total length (there's NO way..have you seen how big I am?), your baby is growing rapidly (now that's more like it). He weighs about 7 ounces (198 grams) - (not buying it). The bones are continuing the ossification process. The pads of the fingers and toes are formed and the fingerprints are developing as well (well that makes sense because he's already left fingerprints on my heart...and footprints in my belly!).

*** I haven't been adding the Dad/Partner portion cause they've been really silly.. BUT this one needed my intake.
Dad (and Mother's comments italicized):
When I asked my husband what a good tip for dads would be at week eighteen (really, she had to ask for input here? I could come up with ALL sorts of "advise" for Dads right now!), he said "Don't tell your wife she's starting to look fat, because that's about when you really start poofing out." Take that for what it's worth, from the father of seven. (Oh, it's a very good thing I haven't heard that comment! Instead, I hear, look at my lil man growing! He's going to be tall like Daddy and big brudder. That is taken oh so much better and well accepted)
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Week 19
Mother (and Mother's comments italicized):
If you have not looked into childbirth classes, now is the time to do so (we're skipping those, although I remember the instructor made the Dad's give us massages...maybe I'll rethink that even though we know this will be a c-section and schedule us! ;-D).

Baby (and Mother's comments italicized):
This is an impressive week for growth (oh goody..where do you expect me to put the belly again?)! The baby will increase in weight to 8 ounces (227 grams)! If you are having a girl (sorry Daddy and Gramma, it's a BOY (ah-hem, I mean Brudder)), her ovaries now contain primitive egg cells. Lanugo appears all over the baby's body (and apparently Mommy's too. I'm getting hair and itching all over myself). This fine hair will remain until birth draws nearer. Sometimes you can still see some on the baby's face and ears after birth (with big brudder, we called these "feathers" cause he was covered in them and squawked like a little bird).
Permanent teeth buds are forming behind the already formed milk teeth buds (oh yeah, as if kicking and punching me wasn't enough, now Kolton will be able to bite me HA!).

~~~Mother's comments are all in fun (no complaints -even with the never ending morning sickness). It's all worth it and exciting stuff!

Christmas Boat Parade

2011-12-13T12:27:00.010-05:00

Kowboy Kyler got some boots the other day and that is all he wants to wear. Whew ~ money well spent! He thinks he is ALL that now that he matches his Papa Pat. Chris and I had the hardest time getting them off his feet. The second night of having them on.. right after bath time, he came running out of the bedroom in his PJs carrying his boots wanting them on. So I was able to coax him into standing in front of the Christmas tree for a picture... yes, PJs; blankey, sippy cup, bear and.. boots!

True boy.. Elmo hat; John Deere Tractor Shirt and his "Papa Pat boots":

Chris, Kyler and I met up with my Mom and Grandma Sunday night to watch the Punta Gorda's Christmas Boat Parade. I have to miss out on our family get together next week due to working and wanted to have some Christmas spirit. So we found out about this and decided to meet in the middle.

Chris and I first went to Fisherman's Village to check things out there. It was PACKED. This is where the beginning of the boat parade was to launch. Mom and Grandma were going to look at a end of the parade and there was plenty of room, so on our way out to meet up with them, we found Santa's Sleigh and stopped for a photo op. This group wanted their picture taken so we agreed to take each other's pictures. I think it would have been better had it been a tad bit darker out.

A close up:

We met up and our first stop was for a little bite to eat.

Somebody had to sit next to his "Momma" and watch the fire (they had tall heaters going) and the boats on the water:

"Great", Mommy (with Kolton) and Daddy:

As we were walking downstairs, we decided to stop for some more photo ops by the Christmas.

(Can you believe that big belly is only 4 months?!...man he's gonna be huge!):

Our group: Mommy (with Kolton); "Momma" (as Kyler is now calling her); "Great"; Kyler and Daddy:

After our bite, we made our way down to the water where we thought we had the perfect view.. HA! The boats didn't even make it down as far as we were so we hurried up and went to the dock. This was the group waiting on the parade to start. Kyler got a Lightsaver and loves it...(that's what he's playing with in the background - it has many different settings):

When we learned the boats weren't coming to where we were, he moved to the wall overlooking the water where the boat slips are. There was a band playing right behind us and the breeze was nice. It was a good time.

We got a hand carved specially made for us kitchen table for Christmas. And Kyler has taken up claim to this table. He can move the chairs and the benches with no problem and he loves that. He can climb right into them and now every time I turn around, he is playing with some type of truck, car or train at the table. He loves this seat without his highchair boosted in it and he seems to fit in it just fine without it. So sadly, Mommy just might let him grow up a tad bit and remove the highchair and save it for little brudder.

I love his little pursed lips saying "choo-choo":

My added touch of Christmas decorations to the table:

A bigger view of the full table:

I love this table too! Not only did the carpenter do a great job...but it holds more than 4 people and really looks nice in our house.

Blessings Answered

2011-12-07T21:25:00.003-05:00

Today our blessings were answered. Chris received a call last night by his old company asking if he was looking for a job still. They offered him to come in for an interview at 3 today and when he left he was offered his job back. He just has to pass his drug test tomorrow, which there is no problem there and wait for the company to get the results back usually 24-48 hours and then he can start. So we're looking at possibly Monday!

90000 lbs lifted off my shoulders.

No More Baby "K"....

2011-12-05T23:51:00.005-05:00

This morning we had our 18 week check up and learned that Kyler is going to be a big brother to......

A Baby "Bruddur" (as he says)!!

Introducing.... Kolton Chase.... or as Kyler calls him "Tolton":

The picture is blurry but that is because Mr. Kolton is a Very Active lil one already! Uh-oh, yes, I have my work cut out for me!

Both my boys will have KC as their initials!!

This one is a little tough to see, but to the bottom left of the picture you'll see feet, then going up towards the middle you'll see a LONG leg bone and off to the right his thigh. Yes, both my boys will have Daddy's long legs (whew, thankfully):

Wowza what a foot!:

I said no wonder I'm so big now... I have to have enough room to put all those legs and arms in. HA!

And just because we had to add his own special touch to our house. We picked up Kolton's first Christmas stocking:

Kyler's is blue on the right and Kolton's is green on the left. Kyler already had his or I would have gotten him a red one since he is a Ruby Birthstone and Kolton will be an Emerald. If all goes as planned my boys will be Christmas colors!

Per our doctor, Kolton is perfect with all aspects at this time. Please let that continue!

A Busch Gardens Birthday

2011-11-27T11:10:00.050-05:00

~~~~ ok, sorry, there is a HUGE gap from the first paragraph to the rest of the story and no matter how many times I've tried to correct it, I can't .. so please just keep scrolling down ~~

This past week I had a birthday! Yeah, 21.. again. HA! OK OK I really hit 34. Instead of spending my birthday fighting crowds for Black Friday and spending money we don't have...we loaded up and headed north.

Now.. before I go any further .. due to the last post and yes us not having any extra money....let me start by saying.... we didn't pay for it. A HUGE Thanks to my mom who purchased Chris and me along with my brother and sister-in-law tickets for Christmas last year. It was a combo pack for Sea World and Busch Gardens. We all went to Sea World in April earlier this year.. and well since our tickets were to expire the beginning of December this year and the fact that Chris and I needed to get out of the house for some fun time; we loaded up and headed to Busch Gardens. We stopped by my Mom's and picked her and my Grandma up and then met up with my brother and his family there.

It started off a little crazy with taking us over an hour to get in due the lady who was checking our bags and stroller in telling us we needed to go get our "paper tickets" exchanged for real tickets and directed us to a kiosk where it would not read our ticket number. So we ended up in the ticket information line with 100 other people experiencing the same problem. We had a manager walk us through and once scanned we were in and off to a go!

Our first stop...to EAT (and we had the all day dinning arm bands to eat / drink free all day), we were all famished by the time we made it through the ticket issues and then we were on the go and non-stop. My brother and his family left earlier than us but the remaining 5 of us pretty much closed the park down. It was an Awesome birthday and just an over all great day! The weather was beautiful and the company was great!! (Thank you guys)

Just outside of the eatery. Gramma has been trying to get all 3 kiddos to take a picture with her and leave it to mine to want to be engrossed in the boats rather than taking the picture. Can you imagine how it will be in a few months with kiddo #4? HA!:

After lunch, our next stop was at the Kanagroo exhibit. The boys weren't permitted to go into the petting portion as they were too small and could fit in the slots of the cage; so we waited for the "grown ups" on the bridge and watched them from a distance. Or as the conversation that took place went like this: Cagen: "Mom, why can't we go in there?" ; Tamara : "Because I'm not big enough"; Cagen: "But I am!" it was too cute!!:

One of the kangaroos:

The handsome boys waiting for the gang to catch up to us on the bridge:

Our next stop was to see the Animal Show! It is amazing to watch how these animals were trained and they mostly were all adopted from a shelter. They had cats / dogs / birds galore of all sorts / mice / pigs / kangaroos. Mine and Chris' favorite was the guy would toss up the Parrot and played with him like he was a football and the bird tucked himself down and everything. It was pretty neat.

Part of the gang:

The whole gang minus me taking the picture:

Gramma and Ky waiting on the show to start:

Gramma and Kyler into the show:

Mr. Cool Cagen with some handsome shades:

After the show we got to pet the animals. Charleigh wanted her picture with the owl:

Aunt Tamara's arms is in the way.. (lol) but you can see Kyler's hand petting the owl:

The kiddos (and the bigger kiddos) wanted to ride the rollercoaster:

The group of "permitted" kiddos allowed to go in:

I was SO proud of Kyler. He was going to ride the rollercoaster and was even excited to stand in line with Gramma, Uncle Tim, Aunt Tamara and Charleigh. On the outside line, he was measured and passed the height requirement, however they came over and told them he was still too short to go on. He was seated and ready to go ;-( But he was good and got off (still wanting to ride) and then watched his cousin ride it.

I think the "saving grace" from the rollercoaster was that Big Bird was at the exit and Kyler took off to a run! He didn't want to leave from Big Bird then.

We found a ride that Kyler was able to go on! Daddy and Kyler waiting in line for the ride:

Daddy and Kyler on the ride!:

Charleigh trying to get her airplane to go up. It was giving her a hard time:
Aunt Tamara and Cagen on their plane:

Three little monkeys sitting on an elephant:

Shortly after this my brother and his family left and we continued exploring. Our next stop was to see the gorillas.

This one we named Kyler cause it sleeps just like Kyler does:

After walking down a little further we found a .......

And one VERY EXCITED little boy SO badly wanted to ride it!

Kyler, Gramma and Daddy:

Daddy, "Great" and Mommy:

He sat on the outside so he could get a great view of the critters.

We saw:

Giraffes (and they were so close to us)

A gaggle of Gazelles:

Did you know you can always spot the Momma Rhino very easily? She's the one with the sharpest horn..as she does this to protect her while pregnant or her baby just after birth:

One of three of the new baby zebras:

Kyler dubbed these as Papa Pat's cows:

Our first "Christmas" picture in the sleigh. However Mr. Kyler was SO into the Choo-Choo train he wouldn't look at the camera:

Look Mom.. elephants!:

We cruised around some more and found the Hippo tank. Kyler loved the large amount of FISH!:

So Kyler was watching the Hippos and was engrossed in them when one of them came right up to the window face to face with him. He was standing on the rock ledge looking in and my mom was standing right behind him. He was bailing off that ledge practically climbing her legs to get away from that monster getting him.

We went and grabbed some dinner and on our way back to ride the train again, we found Mr. Big Kitty who was not there earlier. He was foul at something and kept pacing back and forth.

Waiting for the Choo-Choo to return to pick us up:

All Aboard!!! Gramma, Kyler and Great loading up for a night ride:

I love this picture of the three of them:

And off we go.. wind blowing:

Mr. Big Stuff was SO Excited!!:

We couldn't see any animals this time, but he didn't care.

Daddy and Mommy:

Mr. Big Stuff didn't make it very far into the 2nd ride and he was OUT! Which was good as we thought it was going to take an army just to get him off the train. He went right into the stroller and kept sleeping even as we moved him from stroller to shoulder during the tram ride to our car. He woke up once at the car as we had to change him, but once in his car seat he was out for the long haul.

The next morning Kyler and Gramma took off on a bicycle ride. The next thing I knew they were calling me to come join them at the park.

Race you... my van vs your bike!:

Later that afternoon, we headed to my SIL's and BIL's house to collect our critters. We ended up staying for dinner and letting all the kids play. The older kids were climbing the tree and Mr. Monkey See Monkey Do had to join in. He was crying cause he couldn't do it so Daddy was off to the rescue.

The older kids left the tree and Kyler still wanted his turn:

Here he was in the dark --the only light was from my flash on the camera -- trying to climb the tree by himself. Oh be still my heart.

Then Uncle Kevin put on a fire and my Pyromaniac was off to catch front row seat:

We shortly later loaded up and headed home. We had ONE VERY HAPPY BOY to have his puppy back with him. He would NOT let Daddy put Kasey in the kennel. He HAD to hold him the ride home. I love the smirk on his face here:

And just in case you couldn't tell he was a happy boy.. check out those cheeks:

Once home, the critters crashed! Kady and Kasey had SO much fun playing with Chloe, Cody and the kids, there zonked out and didn't even care to eat dinner when we got home.

Look Kyler, here's this years Christmas present to you.. oh wait, you've already opened it. HA!:

We decided it was time to take Kyler to see Santa. He was checking out Frosty while waiting in line, but would NOT go near him!:

Here he is checking out Santa and Santa's Elfs:

But DO NOT!! I REPEAT DO NOT PUT ME IN THE MAN'S LAP!!!!:

So if that wasn't funny enough. I tried to come to the rescue and we ended up with this shot. I'm thinking of making this our Christmas card for this year.....

...I know, I'm a bad Mommy for laughing.

Adopt A Family

2011-11-27T09:56:00.003-05:00

Most of our friends and family know that Chris has once again been laid off due to no work in his industry. UGH! Yes, this is taking a toll on us and I'm vouching for him to find a new line of work.

Anyhow, with him being out of work and unable to find anything thus far; a "little birdie" from my work (as I was told) turned my name into one of the Sergeant's that I work with who in turn contacted an organization called Adopt A Family. We have met with one of the coordinators and talked to them and we have been accepted. The police department that I work for will be sponsoring my family for Christmas this year. We at first were (and still are) very humbled and then thought of declining it as there are families worse off than us. Yes, we are hurting, but still making it through. After speaking with the coordinator, we wanted to ensure to him that we are doing whatever we can to find Chris work and I am picking up over time when offered. We promised him that if Chris found work in the meantime, we would be sure to let them know.

After our meeting we were informed that this organization will be getting with us between now and early next month to get a list of items needed (diapers / wipes / clothes / food / etc) and they will have 200+ motorcyclist deliver the items to us on December 17th..(hence in previous post as to why we had to have the Christmas Tree put up).

I am very Grateful that this "little birdie" or as I've been calling them 'Santa's Helper' has done this for my family. And since they are refusing to let me know who they are, I can only hope that they are reading my blogs and facebook status' and learning just how much they mean to me and my family. Since I don't know who they (you) are; I promise that I will pay this forward.

Just a little side note: my family and I will only be accepting the help that we need. We are not taking advantage of this group or anyone else and are actually looking forward to working with them once we are on our feet to assist another family in need of assistance.

Baby K - 16 weeks

2011-11-24T22:44:00.002-05:00

Baby K's 16 weeks development:

Your Baby - 16 Weeks Pregnant
Your baby's nails are well formed and some babies are even in need of having their nails trimmed at birth. Your baby is emptying his or her bladder every 40-45 minutes. The limb movements are becoming more coordinated and vigorous. The head is erect and the legs are developed. Both the gender and muscle movements are easily detectable with ultrasound. Your baby is approximately 4 inches long and weighs about 80-85 grams (3 ounces).

Your Body - 16 Weeks Pregnant
You may begin to feel your baby's movements as his bones begin to harden. These first feelings have been said to feel more like butterflies in the stomach, rather than actual fetal movement - and is called fluttering. Another common name for these movements is quickening. However, if you have a thick or anterior uterus, are overweight, or this is your first pregnancy, you may not feel these first movements yet. Don't worry. As your baby moves his muscles more frequently you will be more aware of your baby's presence.
Your heart continues to increase the blood volume output to supply the baby with oxygen. Your enlarged heart is pumping about 20 percent more blood than it did before you were pregnant. This volume will actually continue to increase throughout your pregnancy and will result in an increased heart output of 30-50 percent by the time of delivery. However, this increase in blood volume may lead to a stuffy nose or even nose bleeds on occasion. As your blood volume increases it affects your estrogen level, and that leads to swelling of the nasal membranes, resulting in the stuffy nose or nosebleeds.

O Christmas Tree 2011

2011-11-23T15:23:00.003-05:00

The other night I was making a touchdown taco dip for work. My Head Chef had to do some taste testing to make sure I had the ingredients just right. I'm not sure, but looking at him covered in it and with that smile on his face.. I might be moving in the right direction and leaving title as Sou Chef to Head Chef soon!

(yes, he went head first in the bowl -- (hence the goodies in his hair)-- after I had gotten my portions out of it):

Yup, still thinking it was yummy with the double fisted action going on:

I have another post coming soon to explain, but we had to put our tree up by December 17th and since I have a lot going on between now and then, I put it up before Thanksgiving... (just a few days early).

Here is Kyler's tree. He was SO EXCITED because it had Mater and Lightening McQueen on it:

Here is Baby K's tree. I did a red star as red can be for boy or girl. The ornaments came from Big Brothers tree last year. They are tiny snowmen (my fav decoration) and I bought them matching "Ks":

Both trees together with some of my snowmen decorations:

Since Kyler's first Christmas, we started a tradition that Chris and I will put up the tree with the lights; garland and beads. From there Kyler has to put the first ornament on.

Here he is putting one on that he did at his old daycare. I LOVE this ornament. She took mini puzzle pieces, spray painted green and organized them in the shape of a wreath and took a picture of Kyler and placed in the center. It is one of THE CUTEST pictures of him too, he is all smiles in the picture.

Gym Space with Gramma

2011-11-15T16:50:00.006-05:00

~~~ This is one of three post that I'm writing about from our weekend... so be sure to check the others out as well ~~~

Sunday mid-morning, Kyler and Gramma wanted a Popsicle. So we all headed outside for one.. yes, my son has on socks with his sandals..it was a little chili out:

It warmed up and we took off to the park. Kyler was having a blast on the tires and he would even count them. I'm so proud of him.

Me and my two lil ones (well one big boy and a big peanut):

Gramma and Kyler playing peek-a-boo in the castle:

Gramma and Kyler were two kids playing. Having a blast:

They just crossed the swinging bridge:

Ok Gramma, ready (or not); set; Jump (lundge)!:

Mr. Daredevil running on the beams by himself.

(did I mention I LOVE him in this hat?!):

Kyler got a new step stool as the single stool we had he wasn't quite tall enough to reach the sink. Now he LOVES going in and washing his hands (and playing with the water). He's even starting to brush his teeth at the sink too:

He was "grunting" at me because he couldn't get the sink on.

Kowboy Kyler

2011-11-15T16:48:00.004-05:00

~~~~ Please note, this is one of the three post I am writing from our weekend events, please be sure to check the other two out. If they aren't posted..they will be soon.. stay tuned ~~~~

Saturday, we went to Papa Pat's house and rode around in his pasture. Kyler thought he was Big Stuff getting to ride in the front.. until he got to ride the tailgate, then he REALLY thought he was Big Stuff:

Like I said in another post from this weekend, these two were joined at the hip this weekend. I used to think he was a Momma's boy.. but I don't exist when Mam-maw is around (HA!):

I'm sitting a little further back and not letting my feet hang since I'm preggers and didn't want to take any special chances of me falling off:

Papa Pat pulled over and let Kyler feed the cows. That was such a big highlight. He was tickeled doing it. He watched Papa Pat do it first and then his hand was in the bag getting little hand fulls throwing out the pellets:

We drove down some more to another pasture and feed another bunch of cows:

Petting the cows:

Helping Gramma get the gates:

We were watching the tractor cut up and bundle the hay in the hay field. He thought it was neat to pick it up and throw it:

"I'll take you for a ride on my big green tractor". Kyler LOVES to talk about Papa Pat's tractors.. but has NEVER wanted anything to do with getting near them. Well, he saw Gramma climb in and he wanted in after her, but he didn't want to stay too long in there:

Veterans Day Parade

2011-11-15T16:43:00.006-05:00

~~~~ I am posting a few blogs from this weekend.. This is 1 of 3 so keep tuned in ~~~~

Mr. Handsome getting ready to go to school:

Mr. Cool Dude and I started off the weekend by going to Gramma's to watch their Veterans' Day Parade:

Mr. Kyler LOVES the American Flag. He has several and will tell you that there are stars and stripes on them. He will also tell you that it is red and blue.

Mommy and her big ol' pregger belly (HA); Mr. Handsome and "Great" before the parade got started:

Gramma; Kyler and "Great":

These two were tied at the hip this weekend. He sure does Love his Mam-maw:

One was taken via my cell phone and the other by my camera (not sure which):

My uncle's step granddaughters were in the parade. This is Emily and Abby:

After the parade, they had a ceremony honoring the Veterans and we walked down to join in. This is a good picture of me and my lil man:

He was clapping with every Veteran name they called. He thought he was big stuff:

After the ceremony, we walked down to grab a bite to eat. Kyler even got to write his name on the wall. He was tired and was falling asleep while waiting on us:

Baby K at Week 15

2011-11-15T16:42:00.001-05:00

Mother:
Your heart is increasing its output to supply the baby with oxygen. Your enlarged heart is pumping about 20% more blood than prepregnancy. (no wonder I've been so out of breath - HA!)This volume will actually increase throughout your pregnancy for an ending increased heart output of 30-50%. If your clothes are getting tight, do not try to cram yourself into clothes try maternity clothes. (ummm, I've been in maternity clothes since week 3) The maternal blood screening for neural tube defects, often called the Alpha-fetoprotein Test (AFP) (Quad or Triple Screen) may be offered at this point. It is a screening that is most accurate during the 15 - 17th weeks of gestation.

Baby:
Your baby may have developed the habit of sucking his or her thumb! The skin is very thin and you can see the blood vessels clearly underneath.
Your baby is about 70 grams. The scalp hair pattern is developing. And the heart is pumping about 25 quarts of blood a day. This will increase to about 300 at term.

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T14:05:00.022-04:00

We started off our Halloween Weekend by going to a Friendly Forest on Saturday. We went with my SIL Sherry and my nephews Zachary and Nicholas.

Icewolf Ninja (ZAK) ; Mater (Kyler) ; Stealth Ninja (NIK):

Mater:

Mater showing off his "muscles":

On our way there, Mister Mater decided to flip his hat around backwards and be silly. This is him cracking us up:

When we got to the friendly forest they had some activities for us to do. This was testing your arm span to see which bird you were closest too.

Zak's turn:

Nik's turn:

Kyler's turn:

Zak and Nik were too quick for me, but I did catch Kyler spinning the wheel. On this game, you'd spin the wheel and whatever number you landed on, the girl would ask you a question and you would have to reply with what type of bird it was:

Kyler's question was what type of bird do you see on the beach.. and he answered Seagull (with help from Mommy, but he did say it ;-D ):

Mommy was none too thrilled about these snakes "walking" about freely; but thankfully Aunt Sherry took Kyler over a little closer and thankfully my camera has zoom!

He really liked them and was even into "Bananas". I didn't mind this one so much as it was in a glass home:

He really like him climbing up the wall (ewww):

Our first stop downstairs was at the duck tank:

The first booth we hit was an ECO way of making Turkey Calls. It's a pretty neat idea, but noisy:

The boys got to dig for them a "pumpkin shell" ... (a sea shell painted orange) and they got to paint it. It has a magnet on it too. Once again, Zachary and Nicholas were too fast for me. The picture I have of them is a complete blurr.

The boys painting their shells:

Kyler doing his (with help from Aunt Sherry):

Zachary showing his off:

And Nicholas SO thrilled I'm taking his picture: HA!

Kyler and Mommy planting a Teddy Bear Sunflower:

Kyler was petting this gator:

Kyler making his Mam-maw a Butterfly (he was so excited about the butterfly):

Photo op for the boys:

As we were taking the picture a guy walks up and hands Zachary a gator to hold for the picture. Kyler and Nicholas both were taken:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Then on Sunday, we met up with Gramma and Great for another Halloween Fun Day:

Yes, the boy loves the ducks:

He got some candy and a SNAKE! This kind I can handle!!

We went on a hayride through downtown:

It started out nice.. then the rain hit us.. thankfully we had umbrellas:

The rain got us good, so we waited it out in the tent with everyone else for a while:

Kyler getting the snake after Mam-maw:

My handsome Mater:

We then went over to the Crab House to get some soup to warm us up. While we were there my Aunt Sandy called and was talking to my Mom. Kyler got to tell her hello and told her about the boats he was seeing from our window. "Great" then got on the phone and was talking to her and Kyler took my phone and was pretending to still be talking to her.. He's a mess!

We took a walk down the pier and got caught in another rain storm. We got underneath the bridge to wait it out:

My lil pumpkin getting ready for school this morning. They were not allowed to wear costumes as the school didn't want them messing them up before Trick-or-Treating tonight.

He wouldn't stand still for me, so this is as good as I got without movement:

Back pack in tow headed out for school:

Week 12 Update:

2011-10-26T14:45:00.001-04:00

Your Baby in Week 12 of Pregnancy:
By now, your baby weighs a full half-ounce and is about the size of a large plum. Most of his systems are in place, though there's still plenty of maturing to do. For one thing, his fetal digestive system is beginning to practice contraction movements necessary for eating, and his bone marrow is busy making white blood cells — weapons against germs once he's out of your safe haven. The pituitary gland (at the base of the brain) has started producing the hormones that'll enable him (or her) to make babies of his (or her) own in a couple of decades or so.
Learn more about your baby in week 12 and fetal organs and systems.

Your Body in Week 12 of Pregnancy:
If all those changes in your baby sound dizzying, that may just be you dealing with yet another problematic pregnancy symptom: Lots of women experience occasional dizziness and/or feel faint due to progesterone, which causes increased blood flow to your baby by relaxing your own blood vessels. The decrease in blood flow to your body and brain, along with typically lower blood-sugar levels during pregnancy, can set your world a-spinning. Do your part to keep your equilibrium by eating regularly, getting adequate rest, and standing up slowly.
Learn more about your body in week 12 and dizzy spells during pregnancy.

Big Boy School

2011-10-25T10:12:00.010-04:00

Yesterday Kyler started his very first day of "big boy school". We found a daycare that will also accept infants and he will learn so much.

So his first day went.....

Checking in...got into the room and he was so taken with everything, he didn't even notice Daddy or I leaving. When we came to pick him up; he cried...he did NOT want to leave.

His second day went.....

He already knew the checking in process and 'helped Mommy' and as we rounded the corner into the hallway, he was off to a Run to his class...book bag in tow.

This convinced me that we made the right decision.

Last night the weather was so nice, we couldn't help but be out in it. (not that Kyler nor I really needed it with our cold) But he finally overcame his fear of the slide and went down it about 15 times. And played in the sandbox. And chased Kady and Kasey around the backyard.

How do you wear a toddler and two dogs out?!.... let the three of them play tug-o-war:

Ride 'em cowboy!:

He was climbing all over her and she didn't care.

And just because we can't leave out the HUGE belly:

Hunsader Farms 2011

2011-10-23T16:01:00.011-04:00

This weekend my mom kidnapped Kyler and she and my Grandma (AKA- Great) took Kyler to Hunsader Farms. We usually all go as a family, unfortunately I had to work.

But I got to enjoy every bit of it through their pictures!

I was told that my son now wants a ....

Let's just say it's a good thing he has a dog!

If you know my son.. you NEED to have him tell you what a Rooster says. It is TOO CUTE! Here they are feeding the rooster:

And the peacock:

They went to see a circus and of coarse, found another BIG ....

And did some dancing...my kid loves him some music. He hears it and his body gets to moving:

Not sure if I have any of this in order...but we'll pretend I do ;-D

Here he and "Great" are taking a bite... Mam-Maw taking pictures. Ah-hem Mam-maw, I want a lemonade:

What is a boy if he doesn't find some dirt to get into?:

They went back for more horse riding and he got onto a bigger horse this time. And Look Mom..NO hands! I've got this mastered!:

He went for a cool train ride:

Punt-tin Patch 2011

2011-10-21T15:18:00.009-04:00

Every year my family gets together and we go to Hunsader Farms to the Pumpkin Patch. Sadly this year, I am working when the fam is going but the important part is Kyler will get to go and enjoy it with Mam-maw and Great. So to get into the spirits, we went this past weekend to the local "pumpkin patch". Sadly, it was a big disappointment for what we're used to but it was nice to get out and get fresh air.

Two ghostly boys:

I put Kyler in there but he was ALL about the choo-choo train behind him:

We found some more picture ops and got this one of the boys:

Scarecrows Zachary and Nicholas:

Scarecrows Aunt Sherry and Zachary:

Scarecrows Aunt Sherry and Nicholas:

Scarecrows Mommy and Kyler:

Scarecrows Daddy and Kyler:

We took a little hayride around the park. Kyler was a little scared at first but then really enjoyed looking around at everything.

Kyler and Mommy on the hayride:

He even walked from me to Daddy while the ride was moving (dare devil) HA!

Daddy and Kyler on the hayride:

Aunt Sherry, Zachary and Nicholas on the hayride:

Kyler finding his "punt-tin" out of the pumpkin patch:
"Myyy punt-tin":

Daddy and Kyler in the pumpkin patch. It looks like he was crying, but he was saying "cheese" and squinting from the sun. LOL

The "4" of us:

The boys:

Aunt Sherry, Zachary and Nicholas:

As we were leaving, Kyler held Aunt Sherry's hand:

We were hungry but there wasn't much of a choice there and the prices were outrageous. So we left and went to Denny's next door.

Check out that serious look.. he's trying to figure out what he wants to eat:

Love how serious he is:

Cagen's 3rd Bday Party

2011-10-21T14:25:00.009-04:00

OK so you're all aware that I've been having some computer issues.. Fingers crossed that we have them fixed cause I have been LOST without it. So to play a little catch up (once again)... here are some pictures that my Mom took of my nephew's 3rd birthday party. Sadly I didn't get to go as I had to work but they had a blast and thankfully Kyler was able to join them.

~~please bare with me if I get anything wrong, I'm trying to go off memory from my mom telling me what each picture was about~~

This was a neat little contraption (and looks like fun)... there were tubes cut to make barrels to hold water. At the end of each one is a water pump and the kids would pump the water (colored with tablets) to make a duck move to the other end... a race:

Kyler's turn:

~And he won.. a duck! ha

This was a wagon ride (which I was informed my son wanted Nothing to do with it):

The pumpkin patch - (Kyler wasn't happy his big cousin was trying to pick him up):

Picking out a "punt-tin":

Going for a hayride with Mammaw:

Snuggle time:

Kyler and Grandma Great:

Gramma with all her kiddos (well, minus the one that's still cooking):

Corn Pool (now that's a lot of kids in a pool ;-) ):

Gramma said that Kyler really enjoyed this corn pool:

This was some sort of bouncy / trampoline thing (I think):

Birthday boy opening his gifts (this is the Gator shirt we got him):

Cake Time! His mommy did an awesome job on making a tractor cake. Kyler has already put in a request for Mater and / or Cars for his birthday!

After the birthday party, the family loaded up and headed back to the house to have dinner.. cousin chow down time:

Once Again

2011-10-12T13:10:00.002-04:00

Sorry...once again, my home computer has crashed. This time, it took the home phone and cable with it...since they're all connected. I called in and placed a service call with them, so hopefully once and for all they will fix it.

In the meantime, I have some really neat pictures of my nephew's 3rd birthday party that I sadly wasn't able to attend, but my Mom, Grandma and son had a blast at. As soon as I get my computer issue fixed (and hopefully permanently this time) I will post them.

As far as the pregnancy, I am now able to enjoy it!!! My awesome doctor was able to prescribe me a medicine (yes safe for the baby) to stop the nausea. YEAHHHHH. Now I'm able to enjoy and be excited about my lil one.

Big brother is getting excited and now he runs over to me lifts up my shirt and kisses his "sistwer" as he calls it. He'll also say baby but he thinks it's a "sistwer". I've asked him if he's sure he doesn't want a brother and he says NO! Sounds like he and Daddy have been having little chat!

9 weeks

2011-10-07T12:24:00.004-04:00

Sorry that I haven't been a good girl keeping up lately. If I didn't know better, I'd think this baby doesn't like me much. I have had severe ALL DAY LONG nauseous / sea sickness / dizziness / motion sickness / morning sickness.. all of the above. So I haven't felt like doing much of anything but stopping the room from spinning (haven't mastered that one yet). I have my check up on Monday and I am hoping the doctor will love me and be able to prescribe if not recommend a home remedy or something that I haven't already tried.

Fetal Development: Cartilage and bones begin to form. The basic structure of the eye is well underway and the tongue begins to develop. The intestines start to move out of the umbilical cord and into the abdomen as the body grows and makes room. The fingers and thumb have appeared but are short and webbed.

Big Brother Development: Kyler is starting to kiss the baby (my belly) and he knows now that he has to be careful with Mommy. He is also working on potty training... All this week he has gone to Ms. Donna's wearing big boy pants. He's had a couple of accidents, but that's to be expected. He'll get it, hopefully.

He also picked out his Halloween costume last night. He is going to be Mater from Cars. He had to put it on and wear it around last night. It was cute.

Mommy Development: Well, you already know about the sickness and other than that I'm really super tired. Working 12 hour long days is taking a toll on me too. Other than that, I'm doing good and looking forward to hearing the heart beat again on Monday.

Baby "K's" Debut

2011-09-26T20:30:00.007-04:00

We had Baby K's debut today. Dr. said that baby looks Great and so does Mommy. I'm even off blood pressure meds!!

Getting ready to head out to our first doctor appointment for Baby K-2011:

Baby's first picture:

We are 7 weeks to the day. Our "due date" is May 14th per the ultrasound and May 10th per my last cycle. But since this baby will be a C-Section it will be born at least the first week of May. The Dr. said that they usually schedule C-Sections on Friday, so we're roughly looking at May 4th 2012!

My Mom kept telling me that she thought I was having twins (messing with me). So when we were in the ultrasound and only heard one heartbeat and saw one fetus, I told the technician about it. She said here, give this to your Mom. So I did...but Ms. Smartypants didn't fall for it.

Twins?:

Kyler is now learning after seeing the pictures he's starting to understand more. We have the pictures in an album and he already says "baby".

On our way home from getting Kyler at daycare, we saw...

A bus (Kyler saying bus):

And a truck:

Once we got home, I had to have a pickle. Remind me again who's pregnant?!:

The term 'ankle bitter' comes to mind... or as one of my friend's said, it reminds her of the old Coppertone commercial:

On a separate note.... I am thinking of making these for Kyler's daycare.

Mummy pizzas:

And Frankencups (they are filled with Chex Mix):

Highlights: Week 8

2011-09-20T11:46:00.002-04:00

Ok, so I'm only going off our Estimated Preggers Time right now..until next week when the ultrasound confirms exactly how far we are.

Highlights of Week 8 for Fetal Development:
An ultrasound done at this stage should show a fluttering heartbeat. Elbows begin to form in the arms and fingers start to develop. The leg buds begin to show feet with tiny notches for the toes. The face continues to change as the ears, eyes and the tip of the nose appear. The intestines start to form in the umbilical cord. Teeth develop under the gums.

Maternal Changes:
Your uterus is the size of an orange now, (OR WATERMELON for me..HA!!) and you may find your waistline expanding (oh..not much at all.. Yeah Right!). If this is your first pregnancy, you're probably not showing (good thing this is my 2nd or I'd think I was having an elephant). If it's not your first, you may have a "pooch" already ("pooch" umm nice way to put it). You will tend to show earlier in subsequent pregnancies since your muscles and ligaments aren't so tight.

You may be feeling like a teenager if you find yourself with pimples (just slightly, not like I was with Kyler thus far) and other skin problems (severely dry skin). Don't fret ~ pregnancy causes an increase in oil secretions not to mention those rampant hormones (oh Chris LOVES these hormones) HA! Your break-outs will go away either after the first trimester as your hormones level off or after delivery.

Multiples: (excuse me?!) Your breasts are probably very tender and swollen,and your tummy is probably starting to "pooch out," particularly if you've been pregnant before. (uh-oh got both of these...please don't be multiples)

Big Brother's Development:
Well.. funny you should ask. Mr. Kyler has "developed" morning sickness. He first makes sure that Mommy is "o-tay" and rubs my back while I'm sick. He is there to watch every move and comfort me. It's really sweet. But as soon as I am "better"; he becomes "sick". He has the noise down pat and spits into the toilet. Once he is done being "sick" he takes the toilet paper and wipes the seat (just like Mommy) and flushes. Then he turns and says "I o-tay Momma".

What a HOT MESS!!

Sorry ...still no pictures ;-( I'm working on it. I will schedule the cable guy to come fix my computer at home tomorrow.

Big News!!

2011-09-18T17:31:00.002-04:00

Ok, so I'm a little late posting the BIG NEWS on my blog and haven't been on here in a few weeks as my computer is having some "technical difficulties" at home and I can no longer download pictures from my work (go figure).

So.... the Big News is...

We're expecting Baby # 2! Total shocker to us all at first but we're excited nonetheless. Even Kyler has been saying "baby sister".. we'll see if he's right.

My ultrasound is on Monday, the 26th and we'll get a more accurate due date, but right now we're looking at end of May beginning of June.

Stay tuned

Malti...who?

2011-09-01T20:11:00.003-04:00

So as you are now aware..we have added to our family. We recently welcomed Kasey Kiesling.. aka Kyler's puppy.

His mom is a MaltiPoo (which is a mixed breed or now a new "designer breed" of a Maltese and Poodle... his dad is a Chihuahua.

Here's what I need help with.... what would you call Kasey (besides Kyler's?)...
(a) MaltiPooHuahua (which is what we initially were calling him) OR
(b) MaltiPooChi (my recent name, cause of Poochie..another name for dog)...get it

And Kasey's picture of the day... compliments of Kyler taking Kasey for a ride:

Future Footballer

2011-09-01T09:47:00.007-04:00

It was raining out (as it has been doing a lot of lately) and Kyler and I wanted out. He grabbed his football and he and I made a run for the door. There wasn't any lightening or thunder so we decided, what the heck, Football in the rain!!

I know they are blurry, but look how my boy already knows how to properly hold a football! I don't know why I'm surprised...after all his Daddy "is" Bret Favre..(look-a-like):

We had to take a break from football..as one of our neighbors had a bunny in their yard....my son has such a HUGE heart for animals! ;-D

And on that note.....

Welcome our newest member...Kasey Kiesling. This is Kyler kissing his new puppy that he is completely smitten with (well Kasey is very fond of Kyler too):

(YES, I realize that my son has crazy socks on in this picture and no, he doesn't match. Rest assured he did not go out in public like this, but rather his feet FREEZE at night so we put these funky crazy socks (and he has a slew of them) on him at night to keep those toes warm)

Look how tiny he is... not as tall as my hairspray bottle and just over Chris' deodorant:

Kasey is what we call a MultiPooHuahua HA! His mom is a Multipoo (a new breed of a Maltese and Poodle) and his dad is a Chihuahua. He is currently not quiet a pound and full grown will be under 10 pounds.

Kyler named him.... we were trying to come up with something with the initials K.C. to match Kyler's and he heard Kasey and kept calling him that. So Kasey stuck. These two are a riot together. Kasey (not even a pound) and Kyler picks him up and grunts and blows like he is 400 pounds... such a mess.

Smurfin' Cars

2011-08-23T17:31:00.024-04:00

This past weekend, our nephews Zachary and Nicholas had a sleep over at our house. We first had a play date all day on Saturday and ended up staying the night. They've been asking for sometime for one, so we let them. Then on Sunday we (Chris and my SIL Sherry) took the boys and met up with a buddy of Kyler's and his parents for some Sonic lunch and Smurfs - the movie!

The other day, we were out shopping and Kyler ran across this car that he just HAD TO HAVE!:

Kyler waiving his flag:

This would be our CatDog Kady...(that being a dog who thinks she's a cat):

Zachary, Nicholas and Kyler playing. I have some really cute video of Kyler chasing the boys and taking down both a 7 and 9 year old ;-) :

A little cousin cuddle time:

The Kiesling boys snuggled up in Kyler's bed watching Thomas the Train:

The next morning we started making plans to go see Smurfs. Since it was playing right around lunch time, we decided to hit Sonic which was across the street from the theater. While the boys were reading the menu trying to decide what they wanted so they would be ready when our friends arrived, they made a detour to 'drive' my car instead.

Kyler and Nicholas being silly while at Sonic..."driving" my Mom-mobile:

All 3 boys together "driving":

This was Kyler this morning ready to go to 'school'. He wanted to wear his Cars shirt and shoes and carrying his Cars lunchbox. Of coarse he also had to include his Cars sippy cup. I think the only thing missing was a Cars diaper and hat.. HA!

Kyler's Cars lunchbox:

Why YES! Inside the lunchbox was a Cars sandwich container...which held Apple Jacks cereal:

Cars shirt..and shoes..from the front:

And the back view. I had a huge flash forward in time travel.. as when I took this picture, Kyler looked all grown up and like he was ready to take off to school and I wish the picture would have shown it, but he was actually starring at the bus that was stopped just down the road from our house. UGH!! No More Thoughts Like That!!:

I know one day he's going to kill me for this...but nothing is showing. Mr. I Want To Run Naked Thru The House Before My Shower Everynight Now...got caught in a photo op..I Love The HUGE smile on his face:

Beach Day...post 2

2011-08-17T14:46:00.004-04:00

OK, so a little more than just "tomorrow" but here are the pictures from my cell phone as promised in the last post from our beach trip. (sorry, the croup caught our house)

Kyler catching waves with his Mam-maw:

The group shot:

Here's the turtle we found on the beach.. moseying along:

They had a bunch of spots roped off for turtle nesting so he / she was probably headed to check on the lil ones:

The Beautiful Sunset we were fortunate enough to see the last night there:

My Beach Babe soaking up the sun and playing in the sand... what a life:

The first day we were there, he took off to a run to demolish a sand castle.. (for the record, someone else had already beat him to it ;-D ):

This was that afternoon.. he was ZONKED out from all the fun we had:

Pulling his wagon finding seashells:

This was him on the way home.. he was OUT and snoring something fierce, but he held onto that flag the whole 2 + hours home!:

Anna Maria Island

2011-08-12T20:59:00.031-04:00

This week my aunt her husband and their son flew in from Texas for some R & R. They rented a condo and myself, Kyler, my Mom and Grandma headed over to visit.

The day we got there it rained the whole day and was really choppy. But we didn't let that stop us from having fun!

Mam-maw, Kyler and Aunt Sandy:

The waves getting Kyler:

Family group shot (minus me taking the pix):

Family group shot (minus my mom taking the pix):

Kyler and his Mam-maw chasing the birds and having a Blast!:

He almost got close to a few....we have feathers too (no, he didn't pluck them, but found them on the beach):

Kyler and his Mommy:

Kyler being the boy he is.. knocking over someone elses sandcastle:

Digging in the sand:

Kyler burying himself in the sand:

My Little Beach Man:

On our last night there, we took off on stroll to watch the sunset. We were also looking for shells for a wreath I want to make:

Mam-maw and Kyler finding shells:

Look at his cute little crooked smile!:

Grandma, Mom and Aunt Sandy:

Back of Mom and Grandma ( I LOVE this picture):

Family Shot:

Here are some random sunset shots I captured (sorry they aren't in order):

Kyler had to be sure to point out the moon... I really think he's going to be an astronaut: HA!

On our stroll back to the room, we could see the storm rolling in from the distance, it was pretty:

We had a great time and are looking forward to going back next year.

~~I do have a few pictures on my phone that I will be adding tomorrow~~

POTTY UPDATE:

2011-07-26T17:39:00.002-04:00

So as you know, Kyler has been really steadily into the potty training since watching his older cousin Cagen go while at our house this weekend.

Well yesterday, he had a couple of accidents while at daycare...to be expected.

This morning when he woke up, I took him into the bathroom and his diaper was completely dry! I know, right?! When I asked him if he had to go potty, he said no, but I put him down on it and his face light up the second I did and he started going. He was SO excited! So he got to pick out a sticker (which he put on his right knee and wore it there ALL day long).

A little later we were getting him dressed for daycare and he jumped up and ran to hide behind me. At first I wasn't sure what he was doing and then it hit me. He was pooping. We ran to the bathroom where he finished on the potty where he was again Very Excited! He got another sticker and we put it on a place mat that I taped to the wall for the meantime.

Then I just received an update from Daddy. NO ACCIDENTS ALL DAY LONG AT DAYCARE!!! Mrs. Donna put a diaper on him during nap time but right back in big boy pants as soon as he woke up and NO ACCIDENTS!! WOW! I'm impressed and happy for him.

Tomorrow (my day off), I will be taking him to pick out some more big boy underwear. Right now we have a sleeve of Sesame Street ones ..that his Gramma bought him for his birthday (cause he's ALL about "Melmo" and "Took-tea" and "Big Burd" and Oscar (with a growl). So I'm curious to know which ones he'll pick out tomorrow.

I am also taking him to the dollar store and buying a poster board and he and I will decorate it out for him. Then I will buy a different assortment of stickers and each time he goes he can pick which sticker he wants and place it anywhere on HIS SPECIAL BOARD. I might even have to make some incentive for him.. like if he gets "x" amount of stickers then he can pick out a small toy or something like that.

Very Proud Mommy (as I always am because of him)!

Big News Weekend!

2011-07-25T13:57:00.005-04:00

This weekend started off by my niece, nephew and Mom coming for a slumber party weekend! We took the kids to SunSplash (a local water park). All 3 kids went down the water slide over and over again! That was a BIG step for my niece and nephew as their Daddy said they wouldn't go down it. Although, my niece has been down it before.

Before going to SunSplash, we stopped for a little lunch:

3 peas in a pod:

Here are the boys wresteling:

The baby birds that were hatched on my lanai started to try and fly on Saturday. It was fun watching the kids get so Excited over seeing them flap their wings and their Mommy and Daddy trying to get them to come out of the nest. The kids would scream with excitment and it was just a neat experience.

Then this morning, I went to let the dog out (after checking to see if they were there and didn't see them in the nest or on the lanai)... and just as she was exiting the lanai, I saw movement out of the corner of my right eye and had to rush her out of the lanai before she saw them. There they were, the baby birds out of the nest. I watched them for a while and since they were sitting in the sun, I brought them a bowl of water. (I know, call me crazy, but I was looking out for them). I went in to take a shower and get ready for work and when I came back out, they were gone. Flew the coup. I wish I would have seen it. But Mommy finally got them out.

~~AND THE BIGGEST NEWS~~

That's right!! Mr. Kyler is potty training!! He watched my nephew all this weekend and wanted to wear his big boy underware and NO diapers! This morning, he did his first poop on the potty too!! I was SO excited. So off to daycare he went...in his big boy underware. He was so proud. He was trying to take his shorts down to show Mrs. Donna the Oscar the Grouch underware he was wearing! I took him two extras and some change of clothes just in case (as accidents are expected). I had called to check on him and see how his progress was on my way into work. He'd been at daycare for about an hour and a half and she said, "no accidents thus far!"... she said that she asked him if he needed to go and he'd say No.. then a little while later she asked him again and he'd say "jess" (which is Yes) and he'd take off running to the bathroom. I'm such a proud Mommy... (even though this is my last "official" stage of "baby").

SHHH Momma, Don't

2011-07-22T21:12:00.003-04:00

Ok, so I don't have a picture to go along with this post, but how funny would that be.. the look on my face:

Last night while I was rocking Kyler to sleep, I started humming a lullaby. I didn't sing because Chris was watching TV and didn't want to disturb him. So Kyler busts out with "SHHH Momma, don't"!

Really?! Is my humming THAT bad? I wasn't even singing.. just humming.. WOW.. HA!

~it was TOO cute and of coarse I had to giggle afterwards (along with him and Chris); but definitely a moment to remember~

Let Us Pray...

2011-07-22T14:24:00.004-04:00

I know that I haven't posted in a while regarding Julian. Things were looking up, as he was released and sent home..still connected to machines and tubes.. but at least he was getting to go home. The next day he was back in the ER at St. Pete's All Children's Hospital.

Since then, Julian has had four surgeries including one last night done via bed side. He is extremely weak and swollen. Parts of his intestines had to be removed, his lung has even collapsed, his heart, his blood is not flowing correctly and he has broken blood vessels all over. Things just are not looking good.

I am currently at work with his Grandma and we are asking for any and all prayers for Julian to become stronger and fight this. Please keep him and all of his family members in your thoughts and prayers. Prayers are needed and do get answered!

Thank you in advance.

Big Girl Pants....

2011-07-22T13:05:00.008-04:00

Yes, that's right. It's time for me to put on my Big Girl Pants (panties)... as today Kyler is having his FIRST play date ALL day long without a family member or Mrs. Donna.

Kyler and I met up with a friend of his from daycare and his mom yesterday at a park. The boys had a play date at the park and then his Mommy had an appointment to be at. So I offered to take Ethan back to our house so the boys could continue to play. They had a blast and then later that night we met up for dinner with his parents and returned him to them.

This was the two of them yesterday as soon as we got to our house from the park:

I have to add two things about this picture. Ethan was not clothed as while the boys were at the park they discovered the water (drinking) fountain and decided to splash (soak) one another (and us). We striped the boys down to a fresh diaper and Kyler was still awake when we got home (and was awake in this picture) so he got clothes put on. I gave Ethan a blanket which he did the same thing Kyler does and tucked it under him. I didn't want to wake him and put clothes on him, so he got dressed later. The other thing I just HAD to mention is this is the very first time that Ethan has slept in a "big boy bed" Whoo hoo!!

While at dinner we made plans for another play date for today. Nicole was so sweet and wanted to return the favor of me keeping Ethan. So today we met up at Southern Starz, the gymnastics place we introduced her to at Kyler's party, and after a few minutes of playing with Kyler, I told him to be good and that I was leaving as I had to go to work and he was going to be with Mrs. Nicole and Ethan. He said ok and gave me a quick kiss and took off running. When I looked back before escaping through the doors, he was all smiles and had a green hula hoop playing with it.

Yes, the tears burned my eyes in the parking lot... not because I didn't trust Nicole... because had I not trusted her, she wouldn't be taking off with my most cherished gift. But I guess just because my "baby" has turned 2 and all grown up.

Next will come sleep overs and sports and girls and college.. UGH! Why is the time flying? HA!

Just for the record, Nicole sent me a message a little while ago saying they went out to lunch right after leaving the gym. They went to Chick-Fil-A where the boys played some more and they were crashed in her back seat. They were headed to her house where she had filled up the kiddie pool with water and said that if the boys decide to wake up, they will be outside playing in the water. Now I'm jealous. HA!

Nicole just sent this picture to me.. what do you think.. can you tell if he's content or not?:

Seems to be a pattern here.. they are either really bored of each others company (HA ~ not likely) or they are playing SO hard they are wearing themselves out (Very Likely)!

Play Time

2011-07-20T14:13:00.012-04:00

Kyler received a bouncy ball (called a Hopper) for his Birthday. I initially had a mild heart attack, as Kyler doesn't necessarily get along with my tile now..and I had envisions of a busted open head..until I realized, he can't climb up on it by himself...YET! HA!

So Mommy helped him out a little (sorry it's a little blurry, he was in action jumping):

Grandma and Grandpa Kiesling sent Kyler a check for his birthday. So we went and bought some really neat items for his gym set. As soon as Daddy got home the next night (last night) he put them up while Kyler and I played inside (so it would be a surprise to him).

Kyler just reached the top of the steps and was checking out the new handles:

Follow me Daddy:

He first saw the steering wheel:

Then saw the binoculars:

Oh what decisions to chose between to play with:

Thank you Daddy:

Kyler going for a slide:

And again:

Now it's Daddy's turn:

Peek-A-Boo!:

Peek-A-Boo I see you!:

After playing on the swing set for a while, Kyler rode his bikes (the fire truck; the John Deere tractor; the bike; and the motorcycle). Until the gnats and mosquitos tried taking us over.

Then we decided to go on a bike ride. We haven't been on one since it's been raining in the afternoon, so the three of us loaded up.

Kyler getting his helmet adjusted:

Ready to rock and roll (we had to stop at the end of the driveway for Daddy to fix my chain, it locked up on me):

We then road down the baseball fields near the church by our house. There wasn't a game going on or anyone (other than a police officer) out there, so we let Kyler stretch his legs.

He took off running the bases and wanted Daddy and I to chase him:

Hitting Home Plate for the Touchdown (all while running with the sippy cup):

Hanging in the doug out (routing for his home team) HA!:

Then we took the super long route home and Kyler LOVED it!

Birthday Boy's Bubble Bash

2011-07-18T09:55:00.023-04:00

So because my computer was acting up yesterday, I didn't get to download a lot of the pictures. Also as a result of that, I can't figure out why all of my information and pictures that were in the right hand column are now showing all the way at the bottom of the page. ;-(

Kyler "talking" to Daddy on his Cars phone:

Nicholas and Kyler swinging:

This one... "Can I jump from this high?"...umm Negative..NO broken bones:

Bet you can't tell who was NOT happy about being up there:

We came home took a nap, I had to go in for work for just 3 hours and then Chris marinated and cooked Ribs for Kyler's birthday dinner. He and Kyler went over to Kevin and Sherry's house and I met up with them once I got off work. The Ribs (or chicken as Kyler called them) were YUMMMM-OLA! Very tender, fall off the bone, delicious!

After dinner and Kyler had "chicken" all up on his face, Aunt Sherry gave him a bath in their super cool Jacuzzi tub which made Lots of Bubbles!

Before adding the bubbles...they had a splash fest:

Not sure if you can tell by the look on his face....but he was having a Blast!:

I love the look he's giving her here:

Wow..now that's a bubble bath! Kyler..are you in there?:

I'm going to go with Kyler winning the splash fest!:

Yes..her pants were just as wet as her (when dry - light blue shirt). Hahaha

Too cute!:

Mr. Bubble Butt:

Uh-Oh:

Oh yeah, just sucked in a bunch of bubbles:

Washing the soap out of his mouth:

Zachary rinsing Kyler off:

Someone pleeeaaassse wipe my eyes!:

I was doing the "pretend cry" saying boo-hoo-hoo my baby is two ... and Kyler shhh'd me. This is him telling me "shhhh":

Shhh'ing again:

And again.. Love it!:

Loving on Chloe:

Watching a movie;

~~I didn't neglect taking pictures of Zachary and Nicholas on purpose. Nicholas was asleep and Zachary was in his underware, so I didn't think he'd want his picture taken ~~

Birthday Boy's Big Day

2011-07-17T17:10:00.015-04:00

This morning Chris and Kyler cooked eggs and bacon for the birthday boy.

He was being silly and gave me this smirk:

Right after breakfast, we put Kyler's big boy underware on him for a little bit:

Soon after playtime, we loaded up and went over to my SIL and BIL's house and kidnapped our nephews then took all 3 boys to the park.

When we first got there, Zachary and Nicholas took off on their bikes, Kyler tried his hardest to keep up in his fire truck:

He was having a hard time with it, so he wanted his voom-voom (as he calls it) and he flew chaing after them:

Kyler followed Zachary EVERYWHERE, it was too cute:

Again, my Rules were NO BROKEN BONES!

Nicholas (the climber) saw perfect opportunity and went for it:

He tried going higher but backed down:

Nicholas swinging:

That's right, one arm dangling:

Kyler FINALLY looked at me and smiled ALL on his own too!: