Happy Birthday Keely!

Keely turned 4 today. I have no idea where the time has gone! It feels like just yesterday that we were holding that little 5 pound baby in our arms and now she’s saying things like “I can’t get that freaking book out of my mind (her comment about a book with a cartoon picture of a skeleton that she really didn’t like)!”

Keely had her birthday party on Friday at Jump City, this really fun place with big bouncy toys that you can jump on, slide down, etc. The party got a little out of hand and there ended up being about 35 kids there and that doesn’t even include the parents and babies that came. Even Keely was like, “This party is a little too big mom.” She actually spent about 20 minutes locked in the food room with me blowing up balloons – quality time! In the end though everyone had fun, everyone had food and no one got hurt so I’m going to proclaim it a success but definitely cut back on guests next year (or at least throw 2 separate parties)!

Tonight before Keely went to bed I started telling her about seeing her for the first time at the hospital and bringing her home with us. She just curled up in my lap and listened to me and as I held her in my arms I was once again reminded how lucky I am. So much has changed since Keely came into our lives but one thing stays the same – I am forever grateful to be her mom. She’s really is such a sweet, amazing little girl who surprises me everyday – I love her with all my heart and today is truly a day I celebrate!

Ben's 6 Month

Weight: 19 lbs 14 oz, 85th percentile

Height: 28 ½ in, 96th percentile

Head Circumference: 17 ¼ in, 50th percentile

Started sitting last week

Got first two bottom teeth last week

He literally sweats ALL the time. That combined with the fact that his saliva never stops, we don’t know how he stays hydrated!

What Ben loves:
Keely (he thinks she’s soooo funny)
Playing peak-a-boo
When I act like I’m eating his hands
Daddy’s whiskers
Anyone’s hands (he thinks hands are toys)
Sitting up and playing with his toys
His brightly colored toy butterfly that sounds like a plastic bag and squeaks
His Aunt Shauri’s silly faces
Talking (some would call it babbling, but I totally understand him) : )
Making sounds with his constant river of saliva
Baths

What I love:
His constant smile
Making him laugh
His cuddles when he’s real tired
Dancing with him before bedtime
Reading books to him while he tries to grab every picture and every page
When he reaches for me
His chubs
When he stares into my eyes
When he “wrestles” with his papa

Back to School

Keely went back to preschool on Wednesday and was so excited. She has been talking about going back for at least a month now and on the morning of she started asking if we could go at least 2 hours earlier than we were supposed to. I was excited too (of course) but tried to explain that along with having a few new faces in her class she would have a new teacher because her teacher from last year teaches the younger class. When we got there Keely ran into the school; I introduced her to her new teacher and just like that her exuberance was gone and she started looking anxiously around the room. Then, as if by magic it was back! A little light appeared in her eyes and she ran and threw her arms around Miss Beth, her assistant teacher from last year who had moved up to assist with the older class. Keely ended up having a great time, liked her new teacher too and can’t wait to get back on Monday. Thank goodness for good teachers and the comfort of familiarity on the first day!

Benji's Sitting!

That’s right! He’s sitting up all by himself. I love milestones! We were “picnicking” out on the grass today on a blanket. Ben has been balancing pretty well lately so I decided to let him sit by himself since he had such soft padding for the falls. All it took was falling back twice and he was not falling again! Now he’s sitting everywhere and (for the most part) not losing his balance. Babies are so much fun!

My Walkers

Here’s a picture of Keely with her primary teachers Katie and Cory. She loves them and calls them “my Walkers,” which is their last name. She’ll say “mom, can I draw a picture for my Walkers?” or “I want to call my Walkers!” Keely wants to share everything good and exciting in her life with them. The other day I didn’t want Keely watching a TV show because I felt the content was too adult for her and a little while later she came up to me and said, “Mom, I forgive you for not wanting me to watch TV with you. My Walkers taught me about forgiveness and it’s okay that you didn’t want me to watch that boring show; I forgive you because it’s the right thing to do.” Thank goodness for her Walkers, otherwise I might never have been forgiven!

On a very serious note, we feel like Katie and Cory have been heaven sent. Shawn and I have thanked God for them time and time again and Keely remembers them in every prayer she utters. The kids (Sunbeams) that Katie and Cory teach are just forming their impressions of church and we are so grateful that their class has so much good to look forward to every Sunday. As parents who worry about and pray for our kids there is no greater comfort than being able to drop your child off in class and know without a doubt that she’ll be as loved and cared for as she would be at home. So my Walkers - thank you, thank you, and thank you for all that you are and all that you do!

No Sweets, No Sweetness

So Shawn and I had this crazy idea to go off sugar. I have to admit that Shawn has actually done this several times, but I have never managed to join him – just doesn’t sound fun to me. I have to clarify that I am knowingly a chocolate addict and that’s why I decided to finally go a few weeks without sugar. You know how people say that when they stop drinking caffeine they get caffeine headaches? Well, that’s what happens to me. If I go a day without chocolate I get a horrible chocolate headache – not my imagination! Anyway, you’re probably thinking that I’m a few days into my commitment and I’m having a really hard time. Well I’m not, I’m 2 days into this and I’m having a really hard time. That’s right, day 2! I found this picture and although it’s not the most flattering picture of me, it really reflects how I’m feeling inside.

Here’s a story to illustrate me without sugar. Last time we all flew to Utah, in June, I had a really busy day packing and getting everything ready for the trip and we didn’t have any sweets in the house because I was trying to eat more healthfully. I was a little stressed and on top of that fact I hadn’t had any chocolate for about 24 hours. Well, when we got through security and to our gate I went searching for some food for the trip. After I stocked up on some “healthy” food I ended up running into this delicious little chocolate store, I don’t even know what it was called, but I purchased a chocolate almond bar. When we finally boarded the plane and sat down I opened the bar right up – not even worrying about that healthy junk – and took a bite. Turns out that it was seriously the best little piece of chocolate I’ve ever had! The almonds were salted and combined with the perfectly creamy milk chocolate it was HEAVEN. I turned to Shawn and said, “This is the best thing I’ve ever tasted!” and then he turned to me and said, “That’s the nicest thing you’ve said all day.” Oops!

So….right now I am focusing on being nice to my family and not eating sugar! I’ll keep you all posted. Aaargh!

Travel Log - Sorry!

I know it has been a super long time, but there are two reasons for that: 1. We have been in California on vacation, 2. I have been reading “Eclipse,” but the kicker is that I’m reading it out loud with Shawn ‘cause it was kind of our travel book. Anyway, anytime either of us has a spare moment we hole ourselves up and read (Lame!) The reading process is a little more slow going than I like, but it’s fun reading it together.

So we had a great time in California, we stayed with my Aunt Lisa whom I am named after and who treated us very well, except when her husband Tim met us at the door he said (in a really bored voice) “Oh hey, you’re here. You’re supposed to put your stuff in the blue room.” Good to see you too Tim! : ) Thank goodness he wasn’t such a party pooper the whole time! We also got to see Uncle Rick and Aunt Robyn for a barbecue. Keely has fallen in love with Robyn, especially since she gave her a bag of seashells to bring home, priceless treasure!

Of course we got in some good “grandma time” with Grandma Gibby. It was so cute, when we got to her house she had cookies baking (which I’ve never seen her do before) and when I mentioned it she said she had just read an article that said a grandma’s house should always smell like cookies when her grandkids come over. I don’t know what magazines she’s reading or what decade they come from, but we all appreciated the suggestion. Considering the fact that she’s the sweetest grandma in the world, however, we would have been happy even without the cookies.

Another bonus to our trip is that the Atwoods joined us. Keely was so happy to have Gavin to play with, Shawn was so happy to have Steve to play with, and I was so happy to have Debbie to play with. Poor Benji was the only one without a play companion, but I’m pretty sure he doesn’t know the difference yet. Speaking of Benjamin, he is one sweaty baby! Between the heat and the humidity he was sticky all the time. We kept hearing, “Wow, does he always sweat like this?!” from everyone who picked him up. The great thing about Benji though is that he’s all smiles all the time, he just sat there and grinned every time someone talked about his sweat.

Of course we made the trip to Lego Land and Disney Land and the kids were in heaven (when they weren’t throwing tantrums). Keely got to meet three Disney princesses in person, which I figured would be her highlight (and she did love) but it turns out that the “Small World” ride was the winner. I think that the fact that the ride consists of about fifteen minutes of singing, dancing dolls dressed up like people around the world really put the ride over the edge. How could three princesses top 2,000 dressed up dolls?

The final highlight of our trip (for me) was a little reunion with a couple of my college roomies. I loved seeing them and being able to catch up. Stephanie has an adorable home and an even more adorable baby, and Chelsie and Matt have one little cutie on the way (yay!), not to mention they were amazing volunteer babysitters at Disney Land. Anyway, all in all the trip was short but fantastic! Can’t wait to get back!