Fantabulous

Signing Off...

2010-05-20T09:25:00.000-07:00

So, I'm going to end this blog for a while. My hunny had a run in with some not so pleasant circumstances and I just think it would be safer all the way around if I not write about our family life. I was made aware of the darkness in humanity and I have to say, I was not happy. My kiddos are gifts from God and if I don't protect them to the best of my ability, then what's my job? If you have questions for me, you can email me. But otherwise, adieu until a later time...

One Step Closer....

2010-04-21T11:41:00.000-07:00

We had our home inspection today for the adoption. We passed! So... Now, we will be licensed and the waiting begins in earnest. We're seventh on the waiting list, so who knows? Maybe we'll get a baby this year?!?! Well, that is... If we're still living in Reno. With Yeadon's job insecurity we are looking for positions outside of Nevada. If we leave the state, we will no longer qualify for the program of which we are a part. Please pray for God to give us peace about the future of our baby... He is, after all, the ultimate provider and His will be done!

Vacation time

2010-04-17T21:18:00.000-07:00

We were so lucky to be able to take almost two weeks of vacation in March. Kayden was off of school for the month of March and Yeadon was able to take vaction time at the same time... sooooo, we headed over to visit our friends the Schreiners. I was optimistic about the 15 hour drive until it turned into an 18 hour drive.... Suffice it to say, I was very done with driving by the time we reached Aurora at 3 in the morning! The girls were pretty amazing, expect for the fact that Kaelin chose not to sleep for almost the whole car trip... Yead had also worked the night before so he was pretty tired and I did a lot more driving than I expected to! Overall, we had a fabulous time. We went to the botanic gardens, visited the aquarium, and just hung out with some pretty great friends. Yeadon was able to go skiing with Casey, and Nikki and I were able to sew together, which is something that I LOVE to do! Nikki's the one who taught me how to sew in the first place, so spending time with her in this way was such a joy for me. I would love to show you pictures of our vacation, but, alas, my husband downloaded them somewhere and I can't find them! If the picts show up, I will post them... But, I wouldn't count on it being any time soon. :)

Easter goodness and a little confession...

2010-04-09T10:07:00.001-07:00

Sooo... I know I'm behind on the Easter pics, but as we all know, I'm just about late for everything I do. So without further ado... Easter!

We had a great day Easter Sunday. Yeadon was able to get the day off so, we met at church then went over to Yeadon's dad's house for brunch and an Easter egg hunt. We then went home, rested, and went over to my Dad's and Grandpa's house for dinner. Overall, it was a busy, but lovely day... Inspite of the coldness and the snow that fell that night!

I made the girls' dresses this year... I finished Kaelin's the night before Easter! Oh well... I tried to be on time this year, I really did! I'll try and post close up's of the dresses next. It was hard to capture them when they were hunting for eggs :)

As for my confession... I'm a TERRIBLE blogger! I have been feeling SO tired lately and I haven't wanted to do anything at all but sit under a blanket and read. Not such a good activity for an active household! Thank you, Jesus, for my fabulous husband who has been so good with the girls lately and for putting up with my sluggishness. I hope the Easter pictures make up for my blog tardiness...

Here we goooooooooooo!

2010-02-19T10:20:00.000-08:00

So, we've done it. It's official. We've turned in the paperwork. The check's in the mail. And the waiting begins...

To be pursued...

2010-02-16T22:35:00.000-08:00

What does it mean to be pursued?

I just finished a book (yes, ficiton..., but one that inspired some deep spiritual thoughts for me). It was set in the time of the Puritans. I could not have lived that life! I would have felt hopeless and insufficient... On top of living a life void of any God-given pleasures. Plus I'm WAY too outspoken to have kept silent over certain things! Anyway... This book was about being pursued by God and our worthiness to be pursued...

How could the God of the universe want to pursue me on a daily, hourly, minute-ly basis? Why would He? What do I have to offer to the One who is pure and loving and good? I remember feeling so inadequate and unworthy when my husband and I were first dating. I had been in bad relationships, ungodly relationships... relationships that left scars on my heart. I just couldn't accept his love at first. I couldn't accept that he would want me, baggage and all. But he did, and still does. And isn't that what our loving Father does? He accepts us, ugliness and all, and wants to love us in a way that completes us and covers the stains of the past. And why? Why me? I fail on a daily, hourly, minute-ly basis.

I am human. I make choices: sometimes right, sometimes wrong. I cannot do everything right all day long. I barely do things right even part of the time. I fail. I cringe at the mistakes I've made... and yet He is still there. Waiting. Longing for me. Aching for me to see Him as He deserves to be seen. He still pursues me even when I don't take the time to be pursued. How would my relationship with my husband have survived if I had not let him pursue me? If I had not allowed my desires for him overcome my insecurities, my past hurts?

Why is it that we seek to make our physical relationships with spouses, children, family, and friends as good as they can be, but we neglect the most important relationship of our lives? We don't pursue the only One that can love us unconditionally, the only One who sees us for who and what we are, and STILL desires us with a holy love. Why can't we let go of the world's standards and look with all of our being to Him who deserves to be adored, cherished, and yes, pursued?

What would our relationship look like if we took the time every day to just pursue our Lord? And not the way everyone says we should. I will never say that reading the Bible, singing praises, spending time in prayer, or just having quiet time with Jesus is in ANY way an unacceptable form or pursuit! But what if we changed our thoughts? What if we go about our quiet time with an attitude of pursuit? What if we seek after Him with the same intensity that goes into choosing our mates? Or caring for our children? What if we pursue Him with the same longing and desire that our hearts have when we are first being courted by the one who will be our partner in life?

So what now...? What does this have to do with me?

I don't know.

But, I do know this: My God is big, and good, and loving. And he DESIRES me with a holy love. He sees me for who I am, faults and all, and is not scared by what He sees. He will never stop pursuing me, and when I am able to give up my selfishness, my weaknesses, my inadequacies, then I can begin pursuing Him with all that I am in the manner He deserves.

Maybe, just maybe, this is the beginning of that pursuit.

When words become actions.

When actions become habits.

When habits become a holy fire that inflame everything and everyone that I touch...

And in turn, maybe I can finally seek after... no, pursue, the only One who truly deserves my holy adoration and esteem.

Prima Ballerina and a Guppie

2010-02-03T09:54:00.000-08:00

My girlies are so stinkin' cute, if I do say so myself! We decided to get them into some sort of physical activity, so we chose ballet for Kayden and swimming for Kaelin. Perfect! Here's some videos of the rising stars in action:

Isn't she SO beautiful?!?

She just dove right on in, no fear, and took off! It was SOOO much fun to watch her. I'm pretty sure she's the youngest in the class as well.

this is what happens...

2010-01-21T10:33:00.000-08:00

When I have five home studies and classes for my license... This is only TWO of the piles of laundry that have to be done... It's going to be a LONG road back to the land of the clean clothes!

And this is a what happens when a two and half year old has a room full of toys all to herself... Pure concentration and utter enjoyment!

and so it begins again...

2010-01-13T09:29:00.000-08:00

Another year under our belts... Another birthday gone by... Life just doesn't slow down does it? We think that maybe this will be the year that we feel like we will accomplish all that we set out to do. I guess what's really important is that we do all that GOD sets out for us without whining and complaining along the way. If I've learned nothing else from the past year is that God's ways are not mine, and if I don't fight Him along the way, then the journey, whether good or bad, will somehow turn out ok. I've learned alot about myself, my hunny, and my kiddos this past year. I've learned things that work and things that I won't ever do again. I've learned that perfection only worked for Jesus and the rest of us can only hope to be the best we can be and we should accept our faults when they happen. I've come to the conclusion that sometimes our expectations about ourselves do not fit with God's expectations for us, and that makes for some deep soul searching to figure out what we need to do to come into alignement with the perfect will of a perfect God. The beginning of a new year brought some new resolutions... I'm not one to make New Year's resolutions, but this year feels different somehow... I feel I need to make some life changes in order to be prepared for whatever the Lord has planned...

So, here are my goals:

-Lose 30 pounds in a healthy manner

-Excercise with my husband on a daily basis

-Get in shape enough to run a half-marathon

-Cook through a cookbook with my hunny in order to eat healthy and spend time together

-Make quilts for the homeless

If any of these appeal to you, I would welcome the company on the journey. I feel that these are attainable goals and God inspired desires.

Just in case my thoughts and processes were not entertaining enough... Here's my girl, getting all grown up!

count your blessings, one by one

2009-11-18T07:27:00.000-08:00

Here are my blessings. God gave me the greatest gifts! He's given me my salvation, my husband, and these great kids! My family is pretty awesome, too! Oh, yeah! And my friends... Gotta lova all of them! God is so good.

Pretty Fairy Princess Kaydence.
Rah, Rah, Rah! Go Kayden Grace!

Beautiful Bride, Kailey... Ummmmm, how bout we slow down, she's growing up so fast!

All of our girlies. Aren't they gorgeous?

And we wouldn't be complete without a runaway fairy bride... That's my girl, Kaelin!

Picnic, Anyone?

2009-10-30T22:14:00.000-07:00

I made this quilt with the intent of using it as our picnic blanket. Yeah... The weather's changed, so it didn't make it outside this year. But... We have had two picnics inside, which have been worth it! Last weekend Nana was in town so we had Chinese food on the picnic blanket while watching Olivia. Tonight we had Mac and Cheese (or as Kaelin likes to call it, Monkey Cheese) and watched the new Tinkerbell movie. Love it! My girls get so excited when they see the quilt. They know what's coming when I put it on the floor. I love the little joys in life, don't you?

Sidenote: I don't know what the little smug is, sorry!

The Miscellaneousness of Life

2009-10-28T21:13:00.000-07:00

I don't know how a month has gone by with nothing on the blog front. Oh well. Life I suppose has had other plans. Well, here are many pictures of very random events over the past month. I hope you enjoy!

This is Kayden reading her new AWANA book. She's doing so well with her verses. Her teachers are aware of her speech delay and they are willing to work with her. It's been great!

Remember Kayden's birthday dress? I had this pattern for pants, but I just didn't get them done for her birthday. I made these with the left over fabric from her dress. She LOVES them! They are super cute on her, too. I thought they were going to look a bit clownish, but they don't. They look very chic and boutique-ish! She gets lots of comments on this outfit whenever she wears it.

I decided I needed to find something to do with the girls that would keep them occupied for a few minutes at least. I dyed some pasta with food coloring then let the pasta air dry. I figured the girls could make necklaces that they could wear (but couldn't eat!). They loved the idea. For some reason, though, Kaelin is much more coordinated putting the "beads" on the string than Kayden is. Don't you love Kaelin's outfit?? She is very into dressing up as a princess, as you can see. She was making this necklace for Nana Susan when she was in town this past weekend. She got very focused on making this necklace. Don't you love her concentration?

And lastly, this is Kaelin helping her sister put beads on the string. Kayden was much more interested in getting her picture taken.

Up, Up, and Away!

2009-09-17T07:10:00.000-07:00

We braved the Balloon Races again this year. I made muffins, got all the blankets ready, had sippy cups filled and ready to go, and the girls warm clothes laid out so we could leave bright and early. As much as I wanted to go, a little part of me craved the warmth of my bed and the comfort of home....And 4:00am is REALLY early in the morning to get up and get the girlies ready! However, life decided to make the decision for me. Kayden woke up at 3:50am with a nightmare which in turn woke Kaelin up. I figured it was meant to be that we go to the races this year. We were ready and out of the house by 4:20am. Fun stuff, huh? Kayden was fascinated by the balloons... Kaelin on the other hand was, well, not so happy to be there. We found out the night before that she was teething, two fat molars! Not fun, I tell ya! So, suffice it to say, when the sun finally decided to grace us with it's presence, Kaelin was done. Ready to go home. Finis! We had some "quality time" with cousins, Auntie, and Uncle and then we called it quits. I had to attend a CPR class right after we left the races, so suffice it to say, it was a REALLY long day for us. To top it off, we almost went to the Camel Races in Virgina City, but, well, that would have been a crazy thing to do, so we all came home and took naps. Much better than smelly ol' camels!

You can see more of the balloon races here.

One Last Hoorah

2009-09-16T08:39:00.000-07:00

Yeadon took this past weekend off and it's been great! He needed the break and we all needed some family fun. Yead and I decided to go to Tahoe for our one and only visit of the season. The girls were soooo excited. We stopped at a local corner market store where all the summer accoutrements were 90% off... Yep, I got sand toys, water noodles, and squirt guns for just pennies. The snacks cost more than the toys! Anyway, we made the trip up the mountain and within an hour were looking at the beautiful scene of Lake Tahoe. We drove to the beach where we needed to pay for parking. I was smart. Got cash at the market.... However, the money taker person was not available to break our $20 in order for us to have change for the $8 fee... so we had to "donate" the extra $12 to "Keep Tahoe Blue." Yep, not so smart on my part. Whatever. We loaded up all of our gear and got to the beach. Kaelin, my oh-so-fearless child, ran right to the water without taking off her clothes. Luckily, we reached her in time before she dove head first in the water. The water was not nearly as cold as I thought it would be, which I was very thankful for. We decided to walk out as far as the girls could go, just to see how deep the water was. Not too deep, but deep enough that we made sure that our daredevil wouldn't go walking out by herself. We played in the sand, tried to catch the little fish that were everywhere, and tried to chase the squirrels whom Kealin named "Tika" (for those of you who don't watch Dora the Explorer, this is the name of one of the characters on the show.) Overall, it was a FABULOUS time and we loved every second of it. Maybe next year we won't wait until the end of the season to enjoy the wonderfulness of Tahoe!

You may be wondering why Yead's wearing his shirt while in the water?? Because he's a VERY WHITE man and he would not have been happy with the burn he probably would have gotten.

FYI: If you would like to see a video of our time at the beach, check out this link.

Woven and Spun

2009-09-09T08:52:00.000-07:00

We love all things homemade and handmade in our home. I have been SO very productive in that capacity since having my surgery a month and a half ago. Quilt tops, clothes for the girls, gifts for other little girls... It's been a sewing extravaganza in this home. I've loved it! That's one of the reasons the blog side of things has been so quiet... I've been creating!
Auntie Nikki made this pillowcase dress for Kaelin's birthday. She loves it! Whenever she puts it on she says "Aunti Nikki dress." :) I made this dress for Kayden out of a vintage looking skirt of mine. It never fit me the right way, so I thought I'd repurpose it and this is the result. Love it. I used a pattern and had the lining material on hand so it didn't cost a penny to make. Love it when THAT happens.
This is one of my new favorite hairstyles for Kaden. It's a ponytail, turned inside itself, then seperated into three parts. These parts are then braided into three braids and the three braids are then braided together. Soooooo pretty!

Good Morning World!

2009-09-08T12:19:00.001-07:00

This was the view at the kitchen table this morning... Fun times, fun times!

Yep, that's Kaelin's elephant towel draped on the back of the chair and on her head. Have a great day!

Riding the Rails

2009-07-31T16:15:00.000-07:00

Yeadon and I took the girls up the road to Virginia City a few weeks ago. Virginia City is our local piece of history. It was originally the capital of Nevada during the gold rush years. It is now a quaint little town, resplendent with one of the oldest schools still standing in the US and the "Bucket of Blood Saloon." Fun stuff, fun stuff! Anyway, we decided to ride the steam train on it's 30 minute tour of Virginia City. The girls had fun and so did Mama and Daddy. We just found out that the train will now run from Virginia City to Carson City... Won't that be a fun day trip for the fam??

My Loves

2009-07-25T13:04:00.001-07:00

God has so richly blessed my life and I just had to share some picts of my loves...

Changes are Coming...

2009-07-13T11:09:00.000-07:00

This is a month of changes for our family. I can just feel it! I had to get another epidural last week and I'm just praying that this one lasts forever. If not, one a year isn't too bad, right? Yeadon had Lasik done last week, too. The running joke between us is "Hey, you can see now, huh?" to which Yeadon replies, "I can see! I can see!" Mind you, he always wore glasses or contacts, but without either he was truly vision impaired. And lastly, I will be having a surgery at the end of the month that will hopefully change my life forever. It's pretty personal for details on the web, and if I haven't already explained it to you, well, give me a call and then I'll give you the details. But suffice it to say... Our God is big and His plans for our lives are always amazing.

As for the new do... Well, I got my hair cut a few weeks ago and I just wasn't pleased with the way it was growing out. So, I made an impulse call to my stylist and this is what came of the visit. I LOVE it! So much fun and I feel sexy.... Hey, a mom of a three year old and a two year needs to get her perks somewhere, right??

She's only two, but....

2009-07-12T08:35:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I wonder about God's sense of humor. Kaelin turned two last month (pictures coming.) How is it that my sweet little girl has turned into a terror? I love her, I really do, but GOODNIGHT! She was energetic, yes. Smart, no doubt. Headstrong, I'll give you that. But... A total transformation has come over this child and I don't know what to do. Example: Yeadon and I were going to go out to eat the other night to a new restaurant. We had to LEAVE the establishment because of embarassament over our child! She was literally climbing on EVERYTHING! ::Sigh:: Such is life with a two year old AND a three year old... This too shall pass, yes??

On to happier things... Belated 2nd birthday pictures!

Since we were unable to give Kaelin a birthday party last year due to my back, we kinda splurged this year. We went to pizza at our favorite pizza place and I got Kaelin a very fancy birthday cake from a VERY yummy bakery. We had friends and family join us, and it was a delightful time.

Yeadon made Kaelin this birthday hat. He felt that since I made Kayden a birthday crown, he needed to make Kaelin something. I think it is just fabulous.

We also decided to convert Kaelin's crib into a "big girl" bed. She loved climbing in it and playing in it; however, the sleeping part didn't come so easily. We still have to lay with her until she gets close to falling asleep. The first few nights she would play in the girls' room until she crashed somewhere on the floor. One night I found her curled up in the corner of the room with her blanket and pillow, and she was sleeping on the feet of the rocking chair. My poor girl. We're getting there, we're getting there...

Belated First Day of School

2009-06-10T09:01:00.000-07:00

Sorry about not getting pictures up earlier of Kayden's first day of school. I didn't think that once a kiddo started school life would be even MORE hectic than it already was... Now I know! Kayden goes to school from 12:40pm to 3:15pm Monday thru Thursday. Honestly, this is a REALLY inconvenient time for us! We usually do nap time around 12:00pm, so you can see how this school schedule makes it a little difficult. The first day we picked Kayden up she was out like a light the moment she got into the car. Thankfully next year she is in the morning class so she will still be able to have a "rest time" after lunch.

For the princess...

2009-06-07T19:12:00.000-07:00

Here's something just for the princess! I have been eyeing this fabric for months, but it just wasn't cheap enough for me. When it went on sale for $1.99 a yard, I couldn't pass it up! I am so pleased with this nightgown! The moment Kayden saw it she called it her "princess night night." Perfect, wouldn't you say??

For me...

2009-06-07T17:20:00.001-07:00

Here's something just for me! I have been wanting to make myself something since I've been making something for everyone else. I LOVE this dress! It is sooooo comfortable and fun. I also changed my hair... I had to compromise with Yead though... I went blonde (for him) and short (for me).

Sacramento Zoo

2009-05-22T07:01:00.000-07:00

We decided to take the girls to the Sacramento Zoo the day after Kayden's birthday. Yeadon's sister and her family couldn't make it up to Reno for the party, so they wanted to meet us at the zoo to celebrate with Kayden. Yeadon's dad came with us, so it was a pretty packed truck with me sitting in the backseat between the two carseats!!! Yeah... don't think I'll be doing that again anytime soon!

I know there aren't many pictures of the day... sorry! The animals weren't very cooperative, and neither were the girls! Such is life! We also went to a place right next door to the zoo called Fairytale Land... no pictures from there either! The girls were DONE by that point, so we called it a day. Overall, it was a good day spent with family... but, by the time we got home I was glad it was over!

THE LOOT

Here's an upclose pic of Kayden's crown... Now I just get to make three more! One for each girl in our family who has a birthday coming up...

Here are the dollies that I made Kayden and the carrying case they go in... Yes... I did make the clothes too!

And here is our princess! She wore this dress to school this week... The first thing one of the little boys said when she walked in: "Wow! She looks just like a princess!" You can bet Kayden was on cloud nine after that!

Birthday Celebrations!

2009-05-20T07:29:00.000-07:00

My girlie turned 3 a couple of weeks ago! Can you believe it?? I sure can't. We started the day at IHOP where she got to open a couple of presents. We were going to meet Yeadon for breakfast but he was unable to meet due to work... Oh, well. We had fun anyway! Then we went to CDI, the company where Yead and I used to work. It's right by IHOP, so I figured I could show off my two cuties. Everyone there thought the girls were adorable and couldn't stop saying how big they were getting. I know, I KNOW!! Can't they just stop growing for a little bit?? After our normal day, we then went to pizza, because that's what Kayden wanted. My dad, grandpa, Yeadon's dad, and our little family were there to celebrate this special day. Kayden was SOOOO excited for days before her birthday and then when it came, she just didn't know what to do with herself. When she saw all the presents and her birthday cake, she was giddy! It was a fun day.

This was an ice cream cupcake cake. They did a great job of decorating it as "princess-y" as possible! It was pretty good too.
I made Kayden a lot this year. This is her birthday dress... LOVE IT! She loved it too! I also made the dolls and carrying case below. She likes changing the clothes on the dolls... or just letting them hang out in the buff... :) I also made the crown above. She wanted a birthday hat (don't know where she got that idea!), so I made her the crown. It's not quite what she wanted so she had a hard time at first liking it... but it grew on her!

Done and Done!

2009-04-28T09:24:00.000-07:00

I have been working like a mad woman to finish up projects. I've come to the conclusion... it's so much more fun to start something than it is to do the tedious little things to finish something... I know, that's not something new to you, but I just never thought of myself as a "non-completer" of projects. But alas, I am! So, I've tried to finish things so I can move on to another project without having the feeling that something is hanging over my shoulder, waiting to be completed. So, in light of these new thoughts, I finished my house quilt and I made a baby quilt for my friend Jamie who is due any day now (or quite possibly has already had the baby!!). I love how both of them turned out. The stripey back on the house quilt is actually a thrifted duvet cover that I found at a hole in the wall thrift store. It's a Tommy Hillfiger or Ralph Lauren product... can't remember which, but MAN it sure was difficult to hand sew the binding on because of the high thread content. My fingers were bruised by the end of it! But, I LOVE IT! And Jamie didn't know that I was making the quilt for her... when I gave it to her, she LOVED it. That made my day... You know.. when you make something for someone you just never know how it will be appreciated and when it IS appreciated, all the work and love that went into making it is even more fabulous.

I'm now working on Kayden's birthday present, her birthday dress, and her birthday hat. I don't know where she got the idea about a birthday hat, but that's all she talks about. "Burfday ha, Mama, burfday ha!" Can't wait to show you the picutures of all this fun stuff!! Hopefully soon...

Easter Blessings and Crafty Goodness!

2009-04-13T10:57:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter to you all! We had a crazy day, but it was beautiful and wonderful. My sister in law and her family and my mother in law came up on Friday night. All the cousins had so much fun playing together! Dress up was the most fun I would have to say... We all decorated eggs and just had an overall fabulous time. Kaelin... oh, Kaelin... She had one egg the whole night and by the time we were done she had cracked the egg so many times that the dye got inside... and a neon yellow egg was the result! Gross! Easter Sunday was a blessing. We took the girls to church and then over to Papa Paul's house to hunt for eggs. We had a great brunch and lots of fun.

I made the little chick to put in Kaelin's Easter basket. I was going to make one for each girl, but of course, my time management skills were not the best. Oh, Well! Maybe next year... I also finished a quilt that I have been working on since, um... Georgia! Yep, that's right... 6 years in the making! But... at least it's done, right?? And... last but not least... I made the girls their Easter dresses this year! Kaelin's was a breeze compared to Kayden's! Even with the zipper on Kaelin's it didn't compare to the ruffles and all the gathering on Kayden's. But... it was worth it to see them all dressed-up and beautiful for Easter!

Our day ended with Kaelin, Kayden, Susan (Yeadon's mom) and I sitting on the couch watching the Vegetales movie about Easter. It brought tears to my eyes as I realized just how amazing it is to be a mom and to be able to share the true meaning of Easter with my girls. To be able to freely talk about Jesus and His love for us. It truly made the whole day for me!

Auntie Pam

2009-03-18T10:51:00.001-07:00

My fabulous Aunt Pam was in town a couple of weeks ago. She is a nun at Mount Saint Mary's Abbey in Massachusetts. We don't get to see her often so it was a real treat to have her here. She and the girls hit it off almost immediately. Of course, it took them some time to be 100% comfortable with her... but as you can see in the pictures, she soon became a fast friend.

I bet you never thought you'd be on the ground playing horsey with my girls, huh Aunt Pam?? We loved having you here and can't wait to see you again!

Swirly, Twirly, Girlies

2009-03-04T20:44:00.000-08:00

So I finally made Kaelin her swirly skirt... She loved it! I was able to get this sweet picture of Kayden twirling aroung and Kaelin... Trying to twirl! Hope your week is going as well as ours!

Stress Relief

2009-02-25T15:30:00.000-08:00

One of the things I do for stress relief is sew. You all probably know that, but I thought I just reiterate the fact... I love to sew! I have only been sewing for about 6 years, but I can't imagine not doing it... It relaxes me, almost like reading a book. So, since the beginning of the year, I've tried to get some sewing done here and there. I made the skirt for Kayden, my pin cushion, and here are some other things...

This is my notetaker... I made 7 of these babies for Christmas gifts this year and I never got around to making myself one. I needed something to hold my work calendar and business cards, so I made myself this beauty. I love it! The colors and prints are SO me!

I have also been working on this quilt top for a YEAR! I finally finished the top yesterday and had to show you. It's great, huh?? The girls just HAD to sit on it before I could snap some more photos... Their so cute, aren't they?!?

Already?!?

2009-02-24T13:39:00.000-08:00

This cannot be my baby!! How did she grow up so fast?? She has gotten in the habit of taking her diaper off AFTER she's already done her business and then she goes to the potty... Geez! Kayden was so easy to potty train. She doesn't like to be dirty so going potty was just an easy thing for her. Kaelin, on the other hand... She's just a goofball and when she's ready, she'll get it. As for the pacifer... I know, I KNOW! I'm done with it too! Hopefully by her second birthday she'll be weaned and life can go on without the paci.... One can only hope...

FINALLY!!! Back, Again!

2009-02-19T16:18:00.000-08:00

Can I just say that the last few months of our lives have been nuts? The holidays threw us for a loop, especially with Yeadon's crazy schedule. On top of making almost all the gifts this year, making Christmas dinner, singing for Christmas Eve, and just the general hubbub of the holiday season, all of us seemed to be sick at some point. I have known my husband for almost 13 years and he has NEVER been as sick as he has been in the last few months. Some say it's because we now have kiddos, but he's pretty sure it's because of the choas that has been his work schedule for the last 4 months. He is currently getting over some nasty crud that seems to be lingering... Such is life, right? So without further ado... I give you a variety of pictures taken over the last few months. We have a little bit of Christmas, some projects that I completed, and a couple of recent pics of my beautiful girlies (taken today!). I hope you enjoy!

Yeadon and I celebrated our family Christmas with just the girls before the Christmas Eve service at church, hence the dressy clothes of the girls.

I made both of the girls special PJ's for Christmas. When I was a little girl, my mom would always get me new PJ's and I would get to open them Christmas Eve. I made Kayden a nightgown, which she LOVES, and Kaelin a matching top and bottom set. I LOVE this flannel print. The yellow is just perfect for Kayden, and Kaelin's is a red with pink apples.

I just made this pin cushion... and I love it! It's huge and fabulous.

I made this stripwork skirt for Kayden. She picked out the black print with yellow butterflies and I picked out the rest. The moment she saw it done she wanted to wear it... so I let her. Didn't get a picture of her in it though... she wouldn't stop twirling around and dancing like a princess. Suffice it to say, she loves it and I love that she loves it.

And these last pictures were taken today. It feels like I just haven't had the time to get down on the ground and play with my girls, so today I canceled everything and spent one on one time with two of the most important people in my life. It was great! We played blocks, we made houses, we knocked houses down... When Yeadon got up we all loaded up in the car, got a pockeful of quarters and headed to the mall to ride the kiddy rides. It was fun. It felt like an eternity had passed us by since the last time we just stopped all the busyness and spent time together. It's not for a lack of love or want, it's just life. Yeadon's schedule is crazy nuts until he is done with his training. I have four home studies on my plate (which is WAY too many with two kiddos), I hosted my BUNCO group last night (11 other women whom I fed and entertained), and to top it off, I have a nasty case of hives (I know, too much info!) I wanted today to be mine, with my girls and my hunny, and that's what I got. We needed it desperately! I have recently been told (not for the first time, mind you) that I take on too much and I never ask for help. It's true, and I know it. I just don't want to burden others with things that I feel I should be able to take care of and do for myself. But, alas, my body has said otherwise... Hives! Goodness! Even though the doc at the Urgent care said they were probably not caused by stress, there's nothing else in my life that I think could have caused them. I don't really know what to do about the stress, but I do know that I have to take time for my family and put all the other stuff on the sidelines for a time. Once my four home studies are done, I'm taking a little break. Thank goodness I only have to host my BUNCO group once a year... it would probably kill me to do it more often! Ok... I know... Enough about the inner thoughts of Jenn's head... I hope you guys like the update, and I really do want to try and keep this blog a little more updated!

Winter Wonders

2008-12-19T10:43:00.001-08:00

Just some cute pics of my girlies! Hope you're all having a fantabulous day!

Holiday Cheer

2008-12-15T22:45:00.000-08:00

So... I sing. Didya all know that?? Probably, since 99.9% of the people who read this blog are my family and friends. Anywho... I was in a Christmas production this past weekend and I was given the privilege of singing two songs, one a duet and the other a trio. My fabulous dad watched the girls Saturday night so Yeadon could come to the performance. He was the one who took the video. It's not the greatest (not because of my husband, but just because...), but at least you can hear some of the song I sang with one of our local celebrities, Mike Alger, who is a local weatherman and our music leader at our church. After the performance on Saturday, my amazing husband took me out on a date! First one in a really long time... it was great! It was a great weekend, but I'm glad it's over (for some reason the songs I sang really stressed me out... oh well!) So here's one of my songs... Hope you like it!

Here's a funny story...

2008-12-09T10:43:00.000-08:00

So, did you notice that I didn't post any Halloween pictures of the girlies? Well... Our church didn't have a Harvest Party this year and Yeadon was working, so I decided to dress the girls up and take them to some relatives' homes... Didn't quite work out that way (of course!) I'm not big into the Halloween scene. I just dont' like it, period. I struggled with allowing the girls to dress up, even if the costumes were not scary. But, I caved... My friend Nikki made this ADORABLE cow costume for her daughter a couple of years ago, so I asked if I could borrow it. Then I went to Savers and found a very cute cowboy dress and checkered shirt... Walmart and found the boots... Borrowed Daddy's cowboy hat... And I had an incredibly cute cow and cow-girl! However... when we arrived at Papa's house, no decent pictures could be had! We didn't make it to Yeadon's Dad's house (he was working), so the girls got to wear their "costumes" as we ran errands.... Still, no cute pictures! Suffice it to say, today I decided to get them dressed up again and here's what we got... Kayden is just too cute for words... but Kaelin... my little imp... Didn't want to cooperate, so you just get bits and pieces of what she wore.. Such is our life!

My little Dress-Up Diva

2008-12-02T12:15:00.000-08:00

We have a small box of dress up clothes and accessories. The girls dug it out of their toy box this past weekend and this is one of the results... Great, huh?? Hope your week is as full of smiles as ours!

Look what I did!!!

2008-11-20T09:46:00.000-08:00

So, I'm a crafter (when I have the time!) and I decided when we moved into this house almost three years ago that I would have a craft room. I was so excited... I had my own iron for my sewing projects, a room to house all my goodies, my own work space... Life was good! Then Yeadon started starching clothes again for the Academy... there went my iron because his didn't get hot enough... and the ironing board! What a disaster! Let's just say it could stand on it's own because of the amount of starch in it. And the burn stains... We're not even going there... So, a couple of weekends ago, I decided Yeadon needed his own ironing board and I needed a new cover for the old ironing board. So, I found this tutorial and went for it. It took about an hour and I'm thrilled with the results.

BEFORE

AFTER

The fabric for my new cover came from Nikki, the sewing guru in my life. We did a fabric swap and this was some that I got. Cool, huh?

Trip to Apple Hill

2008-10-27T07:30:00.000-07:00

We had a full house this past weekend! Yeadon's mom came up from California and brought our two nieces, Kailey and Kaydence. They came for Yead's graduation. It was crazy with four girls under 5 running around and all who have names that start with "K"! Anyway, I have been wanting to go to Apple Hill for years after having only gone one time in the past, so I planned a trip this past Saturday. We all piled into two cars and headed up to the mountains. Stacia, Yeadon's sister, met us there. It was great! The girls got their arms painted (instead of their faces because really, who LIKES having cracking paint on their face??), we picked pumpkins in a huge pumpkin patch, walked through a corn maze, and rode on a little train. We were going to pick apples, but MAN!! It was HOT up there! We all thought it would have been much cooler than it was, especially being in the mountains, but alas it was not! Suffice it to say, we had fun, the girls were exhausted by the end of the day, and we will be painting (or something) on our pumpkins this evening. Happy day to you!

Day at the Park

2008-10-22T14:55:00.000-07:00

Life has been so crazy around here (as usual) and it seems that we are non-stop-go yet have little to show for it. So I took the girlies out the other day just to have fun. We went and got the truck washed (the girls were fascinated by the car wash!) and then we went to the park to play and feed the ducks. It seems like life has just been in a choatice holding pattern for us (with Yeadon in the Academy, the girls being sick, appointments all the time, etc.) and I wanted the girls to experience something fun and new. So off to Virgina Lake we went. Kayden and Kaelin loved it! Although Kaelin enjoyed eating the bread herself instead of throwing it to the ducks, overall, we all had fun... Until a group of four geese decided to bully the other 30 or so fowl that were contentedly eating our leftover hot dog buns... These bullying geese were so mean to all the others and then they tried to get at the girls! Kayden had to jump up on the bench I was sitting on and I kept swinging my empty plastic bag at them to make them go away... Suffice it to say, we left quickly and went to play at the playground. It was a great day spent with my favorite girls and I hope we can have a few more days like it before the weather turns too cold.

2008 Air Races

2008-09-15T16:32:00.000-07:00

Can I just say that when you have kids you do things that never before interested you?? Air Races?? Does that sound fun to anyone else? When Yeadon told me that he wanted to take the girls to the Air Races, I was a bit skeptical. Not only did it not sound fun to me, but really... two kids under 3 watching airplanes fly around in a circle on a hot day?? Well, suffice it to say... It was a great day and we had a blast. (On a side note, Yeadon's mom moved out on Saturday and taking the girls to the races seemed to have helped the transition.) So in spite of my earlier thoughts on the Air Races, it turned out to be something I'd be willing to do again in the future (with different shoes, a comfortable chair to sit in, lots of water, something to eat...)

Reno Hot Air Balloon Races

2008-09-10T07:09:00.000-07:00

So we decided to brave the dawn and get up at 4:30am to see the dawn patrol of the balloon races. FOUR THIRTY IN THE MORNING!!! Were we crazy??? At times, I wonder if we are... But, on to the balloon races. We got some decent pictures of the dawn patrol, and then... the batteries died on the camera. Such is life, right? So we didn't get any pictures of the kiddos all dressed in their snuggly clothes, but here are some pictures of some big balloons!

Labor Day Leisures

2008-09-09T06:39:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know that it's a week after the fact. I know that I've been pretty remiss in my blogging. But... at least I do it when I can, right? So, here's some pictures of the girlies at the park. Yeadon knew of this great little park and after completing the work he needed to do for the week, we took the girls to go play. It was great! I love when we are able to spend time together as a family. Right now it seems those times are few and far between, but it's only for a season...

Oh, Yes, I did!

2008-09-08T07:25:00.000-07:00

Can you believe how big my little girl is getting?? I was able to put her hair in french braids the other day... She looked like a big girl! We had some, um, well 2-year old moments trying to get her to sit still... But it was worth it! I'm growing her bangs out, cuz I just don't do bangs and I was getting a little tired of the same ol' hairdos... So I tried the braids and was thrilled.

Bike Ridin' Beauties

2008-08-21T07:24:00.000-07:00

So we decided to get Kayden a bike. Yep, that's right. However... I tried her on a "big girl" bike, the ones with training wheels and all the bells and whistles... It just didn't work for her. So, I got her this mock-BigWheels type bike.. She LOVES it! Her feet can't quite make it to the pedals, but she doesn't mind. She just pushes herself around and goes "off roading" in the dirt of our backyard. I thought about getting Kaelin a bike as well, but we have this Pooh car that was Kayden's so we just took it outside and let her at it. She loved it, too. It was fun watching them experience something new.

Sandy Fun...

2008-08-13T10:13:00.001-07:00

Grandpa Roy and Grandma LeeAnn got this sandbox and all the toys for the girls' birthdays. They LOVE IT! They haven't played in it much because I've been worried that without a backyard they would get into trouble playing outside. But ya know what? It's OK if they play outside in the dirt of our backyard. They need to have fun outside and at least I know they are contained. So here's to dirty fun! Play on girls, play on.

First Pool Day!

2008-08-11T07:17:00.000-07:00

My Dad and Grandparents live in an apartment complex that has a couple of pools. So we decided to load the girls up with some floating devices and see how they liked swimming in a pool. It was a blast! Both girls were fearless of the water. I got Kayden a suit that you insert floaties into the sides and she just walked right in to the water with Daddy when we got there. Kaelin had a large floatie that she loved and she was content just floating around by herself. It was pretty cold, so after a while Kayden decided she was done and she got out and splashed us from the steps. Kaelin, on the other hand, couldn't seem to get enough of the water. Daddy was a swimmer in high school, so he tried swimming with both girls. Kayden did pretty well going under the water, but was done when it got too cold and she got water up her nose. Kaelin loved swimming with Daddy. She just took off! She also tried her hand at jumping from the pool steps to Daddy. My Dad took pictures while my Grandma sat in the shade watching our little family have our first swim day! It was a day we'll cherish, let's for sure.

It's Official!!!

2008-07-24T07:26:00.000-07:00

Yay! It's 100%, certified, tied up with a little bow, OFFICIAL!!! We are now, legally, Kayden Grace and Kaelin's parents. We had the court date on Monday. Phew! So glad it's over. I couldn't sleep the night before and had nightmares of something happening. And something did happen... We were given the privilege to become the parents to two amazing, beautiful, sweet, little girls. We invited as many people as we could to come to the hearing. Of course, our families were there as well as some other special people. The judge was AWESOME! She allowed everyone present to stand up after all the "officail business" was taken care of and say a few words. It was emotional and heartwarming to hear what everyone had to say about Yeadon and I and the girls. So, here are some picts of one of the most amazing days of my life!

These were all the people present for the hearing. And, yes... I made Kayden's dress! She looked so beautiful in it, if I do say so myself.
This is judge Schumacher, the best adoption judge ever!

Sweetness Personified

2008-07-15T12:18:00.000-07:00

My girlies are so SWEET! Yes, I have a two-year old who everyday decides she needs to be more and more independent. And, yes, I have a one-year old who has decided that sleep at night time is overrated, so she's not sleeping (AGAIN!!) (But, c'mon!! Aren't they beautiful?? Not that beauty and sweetness are related, but I just had to throw that in there... they're both so beautiful!) Anyway... back to the sweetness factor... I love being Mama to my two girls. I still can't believe that a year and a half ago kiddos were not even in the picture... Our God is amazing, is He not??

So there are these funny stories...

2008-07-11T07:13:00.001-07:00

Yep... that's Kayden wearing daddy's socks! Her shoe fascination has now spread to Daddy's nasty socks... Oh well, she had a blast wearing them and my floor got clean!

Uh, huh. That's right. Toilet paper. All over the bedroom. She had fun playing with it... I didn't have so much fun picking it up! Oh, well. Such is life, right?

Here's to the 4th...

2008-07-07T15:28:00.000-07:00

Yeadon had the day off so we spent the 4th of July together, as a family, just the four of us. It was great!! After being on my back for weeks, it was nice to just be a family with no worries of appointments or anything being broken. My friend Hope sang at a local event called Reno Idol (a take-off of American Idol). She did GREAT! However, the judges had to have been paid off or something cuz she didn't win and the two women that tied for first couldn't sing...Anyway... The event was at the Sparks Marina. For those of you who don't know what the marina is, let me just fill you in. We used to have thus HUGE pit in Sparks where mining had occurred. It was right off the freeway and was a large eyesore. Then, about 12 years ago, we had a ginormous flood that overflowed the river on the other side of the freeway across from the pit. Suffice it to say, the pit was completely filled in with nasty water. So, the lovely people of Sparks decided that instead of draining the pit with it's nasty water, they would "purify" the water and create this new, stylish marina where children can frolic in the water, and people can enjoy their time outside. Needless to say, I would NEVER let my children in that water! When we were at the event on Friday, we passed by it and it looked GROSS. Murky, dirty, and with who knows how many unidentifiable floaty things in it. So instead of lounging around the "beach" with countless people who should never have left their house in the clothes they were wearing, we took the girls for a drive. We looked at houses in Sparks (just in case we were ever able to sell our current house) and even walked through a couple of model homes. We then went to the part of Sparks where they generally set of the fireworks. There were many bounce houses for the kiddos, but one look at their faces and we could tell that they were done for the day. So, we bid Sparks farewell, and went home. No sparklers, no fireworks... Just an early bedtime for the kiddos, and a nice, quiet movie (which Yeadon fell asleep during!) for Mama and Daddy!

Belated Birthday

2008-07-02T07:31:00.000-07:00

So... As you have all seen, I have not posted anything for Kaelin's 1st birthday. Sad, I know. We were able to go out on the actual day of her birthday, but we were unable to have a birthday party for her due to my back. I was crushed. I cried and said that I would be able to do it, but Yeadon (in all his husbandly wisdom), vetoed the idea and had me stay in bed the whole day. Hindsight: I would NEVER have been able to make it through the day! So here are some pictures of our little adventure to the pizza parlor and later to the mall where riding trains and merry-go-rounds was the highlight of my one-year old's birthday!

We decided on pizza for Kaelin's first "official" taste of non-baby food. It was so much fun watching her face as she tried out the textures of the food. On a side note: This is the restaurant where Yeadon and I had our first date. Kinda cool that we were able to take our baby to the restaurant where we first got to know one another.

75 cents for a ride on a big, metal train, plane, or automobile. Crazy!!! I couldn't believe the price, but it was worth the money just to see the girls having SO much fun!

And of course, what's a 1 year olds birthday without her first taste of ice cream? We went to Dairy Queen in the food court at the mall and let me tell you... everyone around us was entertained by the antics of the kiddos. Both girls enjoyed their ice cream... until we had to put a stop to it because they were going to make themselves sick!

Blessings and Thank You's!

2008-07-01T07:45:00.000-07:00

Well, I know that all of you who haven't heard what's been going on in my life are wondering where I've been. Here's the skinny: I have an advanced herniated disk and my girly doc thought I might have a tumor on one of my ovaries... Fun stuff, huh? Not so much. I was floor-ridden (I couldn't even sleep in my own bed!) for over two weeks, I couldn't lift my kids, I couldn't drive, and I had a horrendously sharp pain going from my lower back, down my leg, to my foot. After an ultrasound trying to determine what was going on with my back, I found out that I might have a tumor on my left ovary. Really, God?? Well, yes, really. So, what have I done about it all? Asked my prayer warriors to be on their knees before the throne of God for my family, asked every friend that I can to help with my kiddos and to take me to appointments, and got to know my dad and grandparents even better because of all their help taking care of my kiddos during the days. What are the results? I've had two MRI's in the last two weeks, had blood drawn by an overworked nurse, and had an IV put in which STILL hurts! To top it all off... I had an epidural last Friday and it took the tech 6 tries to get my BP because I was so scared of the needle!! Suffice it to say, the epidural is working great (so far!) and I have more movement than I've had in the last two weeks. I went to my girly doc yesterday and... there's nothing! Whatever showed up on the ultrasound was decreased in size by the time I had my MRI. The doc said I have nothing to worry about and life is good for me! So, here's to the blessings of Almighty God and the blessings of friendship and family. And a big, huge THANK YOU to all of you for your prayers and support during this fabulously enlightening time in my life. Enlightening, you say? Yes, enlightening. When you are unable to do anything but lay on the ground and watch the world around you keep going while you are stuck stationary, you tend to think on the important things in life. My marriage, my kids, my faith, and my family are all things God had me take a look at. I love my husband more than I ever thought possible, my kids are FANTABULOUS, my faith is sucure and firmly established on the ONE who holds my life in HIS hands, and my family is amazing. So again, THANK YOU! Thanks for the love and true demonstrations of what being a Christian are all about.

P.S. I will hopefully be blogging more often... it's just that sitting and a herniated disk to work well together. But... I will be trying, don't worry!

What I've been doing

2008-05-29T07:20:00.000-07:00

Goodness!! Since Kayden and I have gotten back from Colorado life has been non-stop GO!!! Homestudies, birthdays, sicknesses, dinner guests, catching up with friends who have been neglected by my busy schedule... Anything we can have happen or do has happened or been done! Not that I'm complaining, mind you... I'm just saying a little break in the action would be great. However, I don't see that happening ANY time soon! Such is life, right? So, to make life a bit more grounded for myself, I've been crafting away in my free time (HA HA... free time?) I've made bags to sell, purses and bags for gifts, I've started a new quilt, and made Kaelin a birthday outfit for her 1 year birthday party coming up. I also bought this stool and re-covered the seat... LOVE IT!!!

Nikki has a chair like this for Natalie and while we were visiting, I noticed Kayden eyeing the stool with interest. So I decided that when we got home I would look for one. I was so confident that I would find a chair that I liked that I bought the oilcloth in CO with the intent of re-covering the seat. Kayden, Yeadon's mom, and I spent an afternoon cruising a lot of the local antique stores and couldn't find a single stool! We finally went to one store and they had two! Thank goodness for us cuz I don't know if I would keep looking. Anyway, I liked the other stool a bit better (it had a padded back) but the construction of it was shoddy. So... I purchased this one and took it home! After re-covering the seat, it has become a new favorite in my kitchen. Kayden loves to sit on it and feed her baby dolls while they're sitting in Kaelin's high chair and Kaelin likes to push it around like it's some sort of walker! My kids are creative, I'll give them that!

A Birthday Story...

2008-05-23T09:14:00.001-07:00

Once upon a time there was a little butterfly princess...

Who had a 2nd Birthday party and invited all her princess pals...
Where she received fun and exciting new toys...

And beautiful new frocks...

And ate a yummy, homemade butterfly cake which was decorated by her fabulous Daddy...

But after all the fun and excitement was done... all she wanted to be was....

A ROCKSTAR!!!!!

Sweet Scenes

2008-05-13T09:55:00.001-07:00

I decided to try and organize the girls' toy box... Yeah... That was fun!! I got all these plastic storage boxes to make getting toys out of the box easier. Good concept... until the storage boxes become toys themselves!! Kaelin is so proud of herself when she can accomplish something new on her own, like getting into this box! She's also been getting on Kayden's toddler bed and thinking she's the coolest thing since sliced bread.
I love how Kayden is warming up to Yeadon!! This past Saturday she climbed onto the couch with Yeadon after she got up in the morning and watched t.v. with him. It was such a sweet sight to see!

Kayden's 2!

2008-05-08T19:47:00.000-07:00

Today was Kayden Grace's second birthday. It started with Daddy and I getting Kayden up and dressed. Then Daddy made Kayden "birthday pancakes" and put a jar candle in front of her so she could blow something out (we didn't have any birthday candles!). After sister took her morning nap, we went and picked up Daddy at work then went to the mall for lunch. During the girls' afternoon nap, Kayden got flowers and balloons from Grandpa Roy and Grandma LeeAnn (Thanks so much!!!) The balloons were the first thing Kayden noticed when she woke up. As you can see in the picture she has had a blast playing with them. We took her to Red Robin for dinner and then to Carvel for ice cream. She ate the ice cream so fast she almost acted drunk by the time it was done. Hillarious!!! When we got home, Kayden opened a gift from Nanna (a princess tea set and a baby bottle) and had so much fun playing with them before bedtime. She also got to play with Nanna's camera, which was a big treat for her. Before bedtime I checked my email and found one from Grandpa (my dad). He sent Kayden an e-card and she got to watch it on the computer. Overall, I would say it was a good birthday for Kayden Grace. We will be having a big party next weekend so there will be more pictures to come...

On a side note: Kayden went poopy and pee-pee in the potty all day long! She told me all day when she had to go. Wouldn't it be great to have a potty trained child and a child no longer drinking formula?? I think so!

Mow!! Mow!!

2008-05-02T07:17:00.000-07:00

"Mow!!, Mow!!"... That's what Kayden calls snow. Yes, that's right.. it snowed yesterday. It was beautiful! Colorado has weather just like Reno. Who woulda thunk it, right? Anyway, we had fun looking at the mow and Kayden couldn't stop talking about it.
We decided to go to a really nice mall close to downtown Denver so the kids could get out of the house. This is the play place inside the mall... Yep, that is a big waffle!! The whole play area had structures fashioned after breakfast foods. It was fun! There were kids swarming everywhere, so Kayden was a bit overwhelmed in the beginning. She didn't venture more than a few steps from Nikki and I. However, as she watched Natalie and Layla travel around the play area, she became more adventurous and started enjoying herself.

All tuckered out was the best way to describe the kiddos on the way home from the play place. It got quiet all of a sudden and when Nikki and I looked back at the kids, this is what we saw. All three were wiped out and sleeping with their heads turned the same way. Suffice it to say... we've had a great time on vacation!

Fun Times!

2008-04-29T20:13:00.000-07:00

Kayden Grace and I have been in Colorado visiting my friend Nikki and her family. We have had a blast so far! We arrived last Friday and spent the day getting adjusted. Kayden kept asking for Daddy and sister... I kept telling her that Daddy and sister were at home and we would see them in a couple of days. She seemed to be O.K. with that and proceeded to have fun with Nikki's eldest daughter, Natalie. On Saturday, we drove to Nikki's brother-in-law's home for a birthday party for Jilli, Nikki's niece. The girls had so much fun! There were balloons and sparkley jewelry to wear... the fun never stopped! Kayden has been talking more and using more words (which was one of my goals for the trip!) and has been doing an overall good job with playing with Natalie (who is a little over 3 years old).

This is Natalie, Nikki's eldest daughter. She confiscated all the jewelry that the other girls didn't want to wear... She was so cute with all the rings on her fingers!
This is Layla, Nikki's youngest daughter. She is such a sweet girl! She had so much fun playing and trying things on at the party. She reminds me a lot of Kaelin (who I miss terribly!!) and I've enjoyed being around her. This is the first time I've met Layla and I've been having a great time getting to know her. I met Natalie when she was three months old, so she's definitely grown up since the last time I was here. She is so creative and it's been fun seeing how her mind works...

Kayden had so much fun playing with the balloons! She would chase them around the room and throw them in the air. She belly-laughed whenever she could catch them. It's been fun sharing this time with her and seeing her be a little girl around other little girls her age.

I forgot to mention our plane ride to CO... We were able to get a whole row of seats to ourselves and Kayden did great. The only hiccup we had was somehow Kayden peed through her diaper and I didn't have an extra set of clothes with me, so I had to hold her pants up to the air vents that are above the seats... Surprisingly, it worked! They dried and we were set to get off the plane. She did well on the take-off and landing and was excited to walk through the airport. She is definitely a people watcher. She couldn't take her eyes off of all the people walking in the airport.

On a side note: I have to say that sleeping with her is a challenge, though. She is a mover in her sleep and likes to sleep right next to me. Oh well. We're bonding so I don't really care that I'm not sleeping well!

Night and Day

2008-04-24T09:52:00.001-07:00

My girls have few similarities... Kayden Grace is fair skinned, fair haired, with strikingly blue eyes. Kaelin has olive skin, dark hair, and bluish-brown eyes. Their personalities are different too. Kayden is a helper: she loves to throw things in the garbage, put dirty clothes in the laundry basket, and pick up toys at Sunday school (but not at home!). Kaelin loves getting into things: the plants, the toys, the toilet paper. Kayden will snuggle for a couple of seconds, maybe a minute or two at the most, while Kaelin likes to be held and loved on. It's amazing to watch the two of them. Kayden has a difficult time playing by herself while Kaelin will sit by herself and find entertainment in the smallest thing. Kayden does not like to rough-house; Kaelin belly laughs when she gets tossed. Kayden LOVES to dress in dresses; Kaelin, doesn't care what she's wearing and would probably prefer to be in the nude! I love my girls! I love to see how they interact with one another. Kayden Grace is very protective of Kaelin. She does not like to go anywhere without Kaelin and if she hears Kaelin crying in her crib, she wants to go get her. I don't know what the future holds for my girls, but I can tell you this: I have a feeling they will do it all together, each with their own uniqueness, and they will enjoy their time together.

Doing Big Girl Things...

2008-04-23T08:06:00.000-07:00

Kayden Grace LOVES shoes! We think this must have been one of her first words because she loves wearing them, playing with them, looking at them... She loves to go in my closet and organize my shoes. She also loves to wear my shoes... It's funny!

I also started potty training Kayden, but I had to put that adventure aside while other things took priority. However... something must have stuck because she was taking her teddy to go poopy on the potty... Kids are so cool!

My Baby's Growing Up!

2008-04-22T11:13:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that Kaelin is almost 1!! I can still remember the day I held her for the first time. She seemed so little and helpless... Now, she's almost walking, has two teeth, and a fiery determination when she wants something. I don't know how God designs these things, but I am so in love with this kid! There are times when I look at her and I just want to cry because of the depth of my love for her. I would never have believed that my life could be so richly blessed.

I know this is sideways, sorry. I can't seem to figure out how to turn it. Anyway, this is Kaelin walking under our dining room table amongst all the chairs.

This is Kaelin using Kayden Grace's Pooh car as a walker. Can you see how frustrated she gets when things don't go her way??

I know... I KNOW!!!

2008-04-21T09:52:00.001-07:00

Where have I been, you may be asking yourselves... Well, living life, to be honest. Since Easter, life has changed for us. The new discipline techniques are working (Thank you, Jesus!), we're finally all well (Thank you, Lord!), and Yeadon is well on his way to becoming a Police Officer... (Uh, Lord?!?) Just kidding. We are all very excited that this is happening. He needs to be doing something where he feels needed and used and this opportunity literally came out of the blue. After doing the physical test for the Sparks Police Department and passing with flying colors, Yeadon took the written and scored well, but not well enough. So, we thought that was that. Not so! About a month ago he received a call from the SPD asking him for an interview and since then everything has been going along at mach speed. He's pretty much been told he will be getting a letter or call offering him a job in the next few weeks. WOW! We know that life will be even harder while he is in the Police Academy, but if this is the path the Lord wants us to take, so be it, and He will give us the tools we need to make it work. I've also been preparing for my trip to Colorado!!! YAY!!! I turned 30 this year... yes, I know... over the hill, right?? I don't feel old so that must be good, right? And I asked Yeadon for money to go to CO. Well, when we found out about our tax return, I was finally able to book my flight. Kayden Grace and I will be leaving this Friday at 6:00am and will be gone for 10 days. I know.. Seems like a long time, right? Well, after a fabulous conversation with my friend Dayna (who is also an adoptive mom) she made many insightful comments about why we may be having the difficulties with Kayden Grace that we have been experiencing. I was planning on taking Kaelin so Kayden Grace and Yeadon could bond, but after praying over what Dayna said, I believe this trip is going to be great for us. I think it will bond Kayden and I and show her that leaving and coming back is not a bad thing. I think it will also show her that I am Mama and I won't leave her. So, I will try to post while I'm gone and try to post every day before I leave so you all can get filled up with pictures of my kiddos and our life! Thanks for the patience, prayers, and love!

Easter Blessings and New Insights

2008-03-27T07:06:00.001-07:00

After a long day on Saturday looking for an Easter dress for myself, I finally found one that matched the girls' dresses. And you know what? We were all in polka dots! Yep, that's right. Even Yeadon had dots on his tie. We had a big family dinner and an Easter egg hunt. Overall it was a fabulous day. Sadly, though, the next few days with Kayden Grace have been difficult. I don't know if it's because she was overstimulated by all the people or what, but she had a mean-spiritedness towards her sister that we haven't seen before now. She has pushed Kaelin on several occasions for no reason, she's glared at us with an ugly little scowl just because we've said "no" to her, and she's shoved leaves (that were in the slider door track) into her sister's mouth. Tuesday night I had to leave the house to get some air and a new perspective on parenting. I drove down to the nearest Starbuck's, got my favorite non-coffee drink, and sat in the parking lot, crying. I cried out to God for help because I just didn't know what to do. I called my bestest friend in Colorado, even though it was late, and cried. I knew that she would understand and be able to give me some advice on difficult children. I was right. She did give me helpful, insightful, and Godly advice and after our conversation I felt better. Thanks, Nikki! I determined in my heart that God gave me my children for a reason and I needed to change my approach to parenting. He didn't have to give them to me, but He did, and I better live up to His expectations, not my own. And if I'm to be the parent my kids need, then I'm going to have to constantly be in His Word (no matter how tired I am) and I'm going to have to be on my knees in prayer (literally!) in order to hear what the Lord would have me do or say or think in concerns to my children. So that's what I've done. The past two days have found me awake an hour before my children (which is HARD!!), reading my Bible and laying my concerns and fears and frustrations about my children before the Lord. I have decided to take a more serious approach to discipline because the time out chair is not working. I do not believe in beating my children, but I do believe in spanking. And when you have a child who is about to be 2 and has not been consistently disciplined, you have to do what works. I know that God wants the best for my children and for me and I want to be the best for Him. So, here's to a new mom. Here's to constant-on-my-knees prayer and daily "meals" in God's Word. Please, pray for my kids, my husband, and me as we try to live our lives according to God's plan, not our own.

Dying Eggs

2008-03-25T22:07:00.000-07:00

Can I just say that dying Easter eggs was definitely an adventure?? We had a VERY long day on Saturday looking for Easter dresses and the girls did amazingly well. Suffice it to say after running to the grocery store twice for food for Easter Sunday, it was after 8:00pm when I got home to help with the eggs, which is a half an hour after Kayden Grace's bedtime. Kaelin is teething (AGAIN!!) so she was cranky and fussy and Kayden Grace was just ready for bed. Oh well. You learn, right? We'll get the timing down one of these days and life will be grand. So here's to a valiant effort and a learning experience. Enjoy! (And yes, I do know that my kids look like raggamuffins, but hey! They're dying eggs for crying out loud! Hee hee hee)

Kaelin would have much rather dumped the entire contents of the coloring cups all over herself and the table, but luckily we were always one step ahead of her!

Not a very happy camper, was she? Oh, well! Life goes on even in the midst of a breakdown.

It's all about Kayden Grace

2008-03-21T11:15:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's taken so long to post anything. We just haven't done anything, not many pictures have been taken, and life has just kinda been pittering along. Not that I'm complaining, mind you! We started potty training Kayden Grace this week... let's just say... I don't have the patience of Job! I'm already done with it. I figure, if she stays in diapers until she's 80, what's the harm?? Just kidding.. sort of... Anyway... We're gearing up for Easter this weekend, which is going to be pretty cool. I didn't realize how much I've wanted children with whom to celebrate the holidays! We are going to dye Easter eggs tomorrow and then we'll have an egg hunt after church on Sunday (minus any mention of the Easter bunny!) We're not so keen on giving our kids candy or toys that they really won't play with after an hour, so we're just doing the egg hunt and we got Kayden some bubbles. We're having a big family dinner which will be fun and well, we're just going to enjoy being together and having the blessings of our girls. Isn't God amazing?? Who would have thought that after almost 9 years of infertility we would have two amazing children in less than a year? And, siblings at that! What a great way to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord! In remembrance of all He did for us so long ago and what He continues to do for us on a daily basis.

Can you tell that Kayden doesn't like getting her picture taken? She is constantly on the move and won't sit still for anything. The jean dress pictures were taken before church a couple of weekends ago... did you see the look she gave Yeadon because he was asking her to sit down for a minute so he could take her picture. She was not a happy camper! In spite of her two-year old dislike of anything calm, she is still a cutie patootie!

Alive Again!!!

2008-03-09T18:49:00.001-07:00

Yes... I am alive! Can I just say the last 5 days of my life have been MISERABLE!!! It started last Tuesday night.. I went to a home study and as I was leaving I realized my throat was sore. I thought maybe I was allergic to their long haired cat... Not so! I ended up sick the next day. So sick, in fact, that I thought I was going to die and I started planning my funeral. Sad to say, but, yes, I felt THAT sick! The T.V. was on all day and I could barely keep my eyes open to watch the girls. I was literally counting the minutes until Yeadon would be home because I was sure I was not going to make it. I thought I was getting better by Thursday, but on Friday I went to the Urgent Care because I was so sick, AGAIN! Yes, I went to Urgent Care because my physician was not available and all the other 7 doctors in the same group were out of the office as well. Can I say I was a bit peaved?!?! Anyway, the Urgent Care Dr. prescribed an antibiotic and cough medicine. He couldn't narrow down all the things I could have, so he figured he would just cover all the bases and give me medication that may or may not work. Let's just say that yesterday I wanted to curse all medical professionals and their lack of... well, whatever they lack I wanted to curse! Not only did I hurt all over, but I had one of the worst migraines of my life and I wanted to die (AGAIN!) And it didn't help that Yead had a final this weekend that he had to study for and I felt awful for having to depend on his help because I could barely breathe let alone take care of the girls. Suffice it to say, I woke up this morning SO MUCH BETTER! Praise God! I have not been that sick for years and having kids on top of it makes it even worse. So, although I've been living on death's doorstep for the past few days, I do have these cutie patootie pictures to share with you. Hope this finds you happy and germ free!

I was unable to attend my MOPS (Mother's of Preschoolers) group this week because I was sick. However, my friend, Petrina, was able to go and she brought me all sorts of goodies, one of which was this crown. There are actually two crowns, but I took this picture of Kaelin when Kayden Grace was taking her nap so I couldn't capture both girls with their crowns. (Can you believe she's almost 9 months old?!?)

I decided to buy some of the mega big blocks for Kayden Grace to see if she would play with something on her own. She always wants me to play with her, which is fine, but once I stop playing with her she stops playing. So I wanted something that would encourage her to play on her own. She loves these blocks! I've gotten to the point where I have to limit the amount of time she plays with them or else they lay scattered all over the living room while she's playing with something else. In spite of the mess they make, I'm so glad we have found something she can do on her own and which she truly enjoys doing on her own.

A little progress...

2008-03-04T15:55:00.000-08:00

For those of you that I talk to on a regular basis, you know that I've been struggling with what to do with Kayden Grace. She has her moments of love for Yeadon and I, but most of the time we both feel that she hasn't bonded with us. She's constantly testing us to see what we'll do in the way of discipling her, and when told "no" she will often throw a fit. This isn't to say that she's a bad girl or that we don't completely adore her. It's just to say, this is harder than we thought. Kaelin was able to bond with us because we've had her since birth; Kayden is still trying to figure out if we are going to stick around long enough for her to care about us. I've talked to friends, family, even our old case worker just trying to figure what we should be doing to let her know we love her and that we aren't going anywhere. Here's some of the advice that's been given to us:

- It's only been 2 months, give it time.

- Be consistent. Consistency will in time win her over.

- Give her one on one time with just Yeadon and I.

- Give her a specific object to get mad at (a pillow, a blow-up punching doll, etc.) so she will have a "safe way" to let out her anger.

- At specific times, feed her and give her a drink like she's a baby, letting her feel that special bond that you get when you feed a baby.

- Think of her as a mini teenager who just can't verbalize what she's feeling or what she wants

All of these suggestions (and many more) have been given in love and with the attitude of helping. I'm so grateful for all of you who have been a loving, listening ear to my frustrations and concerns.

Well.... this morning something was different, not just in Kayden's attitude toward me, but in my attitude towards her. I don't know if it's all the prayers that have been sent heavenward for our family, or if we both just realized that we're not going to give up on each other... but something was definitely different. Kayden didn't hover around the kitchen waiting to eat breakfast. She came out of her room and started playing with Kaelin and their toys, without being asked to do so. She ate her breakfast slowly (instead of inhaling everything) and was content to be let down from the table once she was done without throwing a fit that there was no more food to eat. After showering, she was calm and let me dress her without fuss and then let me do her hair. She even let me put a headband in her hair (which didn't last much longer than the picture!). Plain and simple, she has been the delight of my heart today (in most things) in a way that hasn't been experienced since she came to be part of our family. It was almost like she realized it's not worth fighting us on everything and she is content to let us love her. What a change! I was able to be her mom today without feeling like I was being the bad guy over and over. Praise God! I've felt like I was failing her in so many ways and today Jesus' love for both of us was so evident in the way we behaved toward each other. So here's to all your prayers and advice... See my Beautiful, God-given daughter and love her as I love her.

Little Miss Independence

2008-02-27T09:00:00.000-08:00

So... Kaelin has decided that she wants to be a big girl (like her sister) and do everything on her own. When we stand her up to try walking, she thinks she doesn't need to hold our hands. She sits and rolls and pretty much crawls on her own and she's mighty proud of herself. About a week ago, Yeadon's mom was feeding her dinner and she thought she could do it all on her own. As you can see, she doesn't quite have the cleanest technique in self-feeding. However, she was having a blast and thoroughly enjoying the mess she was making!

Studying with Daddy

2008-02-22T09:27:00.000-08:00

Yeadon got these ear phones that block out sound so when he is studying he doesn't get distracted. Well... I usually bring Kaelin into our room (where the computer is) when I put Kayden Grace down for bed at night. When I came back into our bedroom, this is what I saw! Yeadon had put the headphones on Kaelin and he had turned on music for her to listen to. He also had a program running on the computer which had shapes moving to the music he was playing. Kaelin was fascinated! She is SUCH a Daddy's girl!

What Fun!!

2008-02-20T07:13:00.000-08:00

Nanna had one box left from moving in and she gave it to Kayden Grace to play with. Yesterday I went to the church to practice my song for Kayden's dedication this coming Sunday and while I was away... Daddy had fun with the girls and the box! I couldn't tell who was having more fun... Kayden, Kaelin, or Daddy! Even though Kaelin looks like she's not having fun, trust me, she was. She was giggling and laughing and totally enjoying herself. When it was Kayden's turn, she was belly laughing and having a blast. At one point the box broke and Kayden was devastated... But Daddy fixed it and all was well with the world once again.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

2008-02-14T11:14:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wanted that one special, perfect, amazing picture?? And you wait and you click away on your camera, hoping against hope that you'll finally get it? You've dressed your children so "cutely" and they're being so, well, you know... Well, try having an 8 month old and a 21 month sit still long enough to get a sweet picture on Valentine's day. Ain't gonna happen, and it surely didn't happen. But here's to good efforts and adorable children. I hope everyone is having a fabulous V-Day full of lots of love, laughter, and enjoyment of life!

I did not prompt Kayden Grace to kiss Kaelin. She did that all on her own... After kissing Kaelin, she decided that my knee needed a kiss as well... and the floor...and the bed...and the cabinets in the bathroom... Aren't kiddos the best??

The creative juices have been flowing!

2008-02-14T10:42:00.000-08:00

I don't know where the energy or time has come from... but, man! I've been creative the last few days. I've had multiple projects cut out and waiting for me to put them together, but I just couldn't find the umph to go. Then, all of a sudden, I got the creative bug and off I went! There are two bags I didn't take pictures of because they were gifts for people... Silly me, I know. I should start a portfolio of all the things I make... Yeah. Like THAT'S really going to happen! Anyway... I made this purse for myself (much to the dismay of my husband who said... "Another purse?? You don't need another purse!) And the doll... Well, that is for Kayden Grace who absolutely LOVES her dolly. Here's to the creative juice continuing in my household... Oh, wait! I'm sick, Kaelin's sick, Yeadon's sick... Maybe the juice won't be flowing soon, but it'll come... it'll come...

Sink Time??

2008-02-08T10:14:00.000-08:00

I've had to move Kaelin out of the baby bathtub she's been using to the kitchen sink. She is just too squirmy to sit still in the bathtub with Kayden Grace. And honestly... It's soooo much easier to give her a bath this way! Our kitchen sink is really deep and it fits her perfectly. I thought y'all would like to see some cutie pictures of my sweet baby girl, so here ya go! (Yeah... I don't know where the y'all and ya are coming from, but to each his own, right?)

For Nikki...

2008-02-08T09:44:00.000-08:00

O.K. So I've been meaning to post a few things for my friend Nikki, but as always, time gets away from me. So while my youngest is sleeping, and my oldest is being a goofball, I figured I could squeeze in some time to show off some of the things I've done in the last few months. First, here are some cookies I made out of The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. They were FABULOUS, in my personal opinion. They're Molasses Spice Cookies and I highly recommend making them, if you like molasses and spice, that is!Here's the recipe:

1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons ginger

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 light or dark molasses

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Spread 1/2 cup of sugar in a shallow dish for coating and set aside. Whisk flour, baking soda, spices, pepper, and salt together in a larg bowl and set aside. Beat the butter, brown sugar, and remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar together in a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3-6 minutes. Beat in the egg yolk and vanilla until combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl and beaters as needed. REduce the mixer speed to low and slowly mix in the flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds (the dough will be soft). Give the dough a final stir w/ a rubber spatula to make sure it's combined. Using wet hands (it really does help!), roll 2 tablespoons of dough at a time into balls, then roll in the sugar to coat and aly on two parchment-lined baking sheets, spaced about 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, until the edges are set and the tops are cracked but the centers are still soft and underdone (peek through the cracks to check the centers), 10-12 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking (I forgot to do this, but it didn't seem to make a difference). Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then serve warm or transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Hope you enjoy them!!!

This is a "taggie" blanket I made for Kaelin for Christmas. It was inspired by something Nikki made her daughter, Layla. Kaelin LOVES this! I'm constantly having to wash it cuz she gets it so icky.

Last, but certainly not least, are some scrapbook pages I did for Kaelin's scrapbook. Yeadon's mom and I went to a crop night at a local scrapbook store and we scrapbooked for almost 6 hours! I got 4 pages done and these were two of them. I'm might proud of them... Just wish I had time to work on BOTH girls' albums... One of these days... I know... Life will slow done, someday...

Sweet Girl... Sometimes!

2008-01-31T09:42:00.000-08:00

So... Having a toddler is HARD!! Just thought I'd share that with all you experienced, know-it-all people out there who think kids are easy... Like I used to think! I love my daughter, I do... However, there are times when I think, "Lord, really?? You wanted this change right now in our lives?" Then I remember, He is God, I am not and I move on with my day and love my daughter no matter what. One of my favorite times with Kayden Grace is when she lets me do her hair after a bath. It's one of the rare moments that she sits still (almost!) long enough for me to enjoy just being with her. Today, I was going to put her hair in pigtails cuz she looks sooooo cute with them! But.. I ended up putting her hair in "panda ears" (a ponytail only pulled half way through the rubber band). She is so stinkin' cute!!! I have my moments, I'll be honest, when I want to throttle her for doing something over and over again that she shouldn't do. Then I have moments of pure love for her and who she is. I pray on a daily basis that I can be the mom she needs and love her they way she deserves. So here are some pics of my cutie girl.

Walking in Mama's Shoes!

2008-01-23T07:41:00.001-08:00

So... I have some really big feet. I can wear a 9.5 or a 10 size shoe. I never got the height that should accompany such big feet. Anyway... I usually take my shoes off by the couch and then leave them there for an indefinite amount of time. The other day, Kayden decided to try on my shoes... It was hillarious! She could walk in my shoes with little difficulty and at one point, she ran in them! I can't even run in them sometimes! My beautiful girls are looking like they will be taller than Yeadon and I which means... They'll probably have big feet too!! Yay for me! Finally someone to share my shoes with!

Changes

2008-01-22T15:27:00.000-08:00

BEFORE

Life is always throwing changes at us... Whether it be life or death, good weather or bad weather, or just something as insignificant as a flower growing somewhere unexpected, changes occur even if we aren't always ready for them. Our home as undergone MANY new things in the last 7 months and I haven't always felt prepared. We've been blessed with two amazing daughters, Yeadon's gone from working one job to working two jobs and going to Seminary, I've become a stay-at-home mom and a licensed Social Worker... All changes that have required us to change as well. In order for me to accept change and not be overwhelmed when changes occur, I've decided to try to change something or create something new so I can feel like I have a little control over what happens. Today, I re-covered our nook chairs with this GREAT red courderoy that I've had for a few years. It felt like such an accomplishment! The girls played well by themselves and I took about a half an hour to just... change something. If I am in charge of a small change, then maybe the big changes won't seem so huge in the future. I've also had to move my house around in anticipation of Yeadon's mom moving in. Our computer desk is now in our room and all my sewing stuff is in the living room/dining room. My scrapbooking extravaganza will be moved to the garage in small storage containers so I can still get to it all. Suffice it to say... I hope that once the changes of this month are done, we can breathe a little easier for a while. So... In light of my new outlook on change, I thought I'd show you a before and after picture of my nook chairs and also a picture of our living room last night when I was moving all my fabric around...

AFTER

Yes... That is Kaelin in her saucer in the middle of my chaos! And she doesn't look too happy with her circumstances either...

Church Girls

2008-01-21T08:23:00.000-08:00

Well... Can I say getting two babies and myself ready for church is a lot more difficult than you think?? Yeadon had to stay home to finish some school work (for those of you that don't know, Yead's gone back to seminary, but this time it's all online which is great!) and I wanted to go to church. So, I gave the girl's baths, got them dressed, fed them breakfast, laid Kaelin down for a quick nap, did Kayden Grace's hair, and got myself ready. Right before leaving, I wanted Yeadon to get a few pictures of my girls and me, all dressed up and pretty for church. Of course... Nothing went quite the right way for the picture... Kaelin was squirmy and Kayden Grace decided she wanted to bite me... Not so much fun! But after a few mishaps, we got this somewhat decent picture of all of us. Kayden Grace is wearing a dress that's a favorite of her Grandma Leann's and Kaelin is wearing an outfit her Nana got her for Christmas.

Baking with Mama

2008-01-14T21:44:00.001-08:00

So... I got this great idea to make chocolate chip cookies tonight. Dinner was done, the girls were happy... Why would I want to make a mess and disturb this nice evening? Because I'm Jenn and that's what I do! (Here's a side note: We've put up baby gates in the house just so I don't have to worry where Kayden Grace may be.. and one of them just happens to be across the entrance to the kitchen. It's a safety thing for me. I just don't want Kayden Grace out of my sight in an area she's still not completely familiar with...) Well... Yeadon came into the kitchen, asked what I was doing, and was incredulous that I wasn't including my daughter in my cookie making adventure. So, me being the Mom I am, I set up a chair at the island and let my daughter "help" me. In the midst of her helping me, I was talking to Yeadon's mom on the phone and Kayden Grace takes a HUGE tumble off her chair!!! So much for a "nice, calm evening"! I picked her up and we finished the cookies side by side. It really was a pretty cool thing to do even if there were some tears in the process.

This is a totally random picture, but it's one of my favorites that Yeadon took of Kaelin on Christmas morning. She blesses my heart with her smile!

New Duckies

2008-01-08T16:32:00.000-08:00

So... I decided to take both girls on our first excursion to Walmart on Sunday... Let's just say, it was an adventure! Yeadon's mom met us there and we walked all over for about an hour. I had to get some things in the kids' section and I saw these adorable duck slippers! Kayden loves to wear her shoes, but she doesn't need them in the house, so I thought these would be perfect for her. She was so excited when she saw them. When we got home, I took the tags off and she immediately wanted to put them on.

Kayden Grace

2008-01-03T17:51:00.001-08:00

Well... Can I just say the last week of our lives has literally been a rollercoaster?? I can't even begin to describe the round of emotions and thoughts that have entered my body and head. Yeadon and I have wanted children our whole marriage (and even before that!) and to go through 7 1/2 years of infertility was just horrific. For those of you who have known us for a while, you know that I was not the most pleasant of people during those years. God finally broke through my pride and allowed me to realize that I had been given such a gift in my marriage and in my life that I was O.K. even if I didn't have children. Then.. He asked me to stop even thinking of or pursuing adoption. How could He ask that?!?! Because He is God, and I am not. He knew His perfect, amazing plan long before I had my own plan for my life. He gave us Kaelin, and I couldn't believe how much He loved me. And then... here comes the most unexpected thing... Another child within 7 months of getting my first! How much does He adore me and want the best for my life?? I love this life! Yes... I have already had an emotional break-down or two... Yes, I know that one of my many faults is my inability to handle change well, especially quick changes. Yes, I know that I am not SUPERMOM and I cannot do this all on my own... Yes, I even realize the fact that my expectations need to be thrown out the window and all my plans and ideas of the perfect mom and prestine motherhood should be erased from my memory. But I also know without a doubt that I am LOVED! I am loved by Almighty God who has given me this life and these new adventures, I am loved by an amazing family, and I have the most fabulous friends who, in spite of all my failures and faults, still love me and want to be the support I need in this time of my life. Thank you! Thank you all for who you have allowed God to mold you into being! Thank you for sharing your amazing gifts and talents with me because whether I have said so or not, you inspire me! All of you can be assured that I will be calling, emailing, texting a lot! Because I need you and I can't do this alone and you are the people God has loaned to me for this time in my life. So, get prepared! Put on your prayer hats, make your shoulders nice and comfy (for my breakdowns and my joys), and open up your arms because Kayden Grace has made her appearance into our lives and you will never be the same having met her!

Christmas blessings!

2007-12-31T07:53:00.001-08:00

We have been so blessed this past year, and Christmas was no exception! Our families really outdid themselves on the gift-giving this year. Of the great gifts we got, none compared to the gift we received the day after Christmas. I was getting Kaelin dressed, when my phone rang. It was Leann, the foster mom of the birth mom of Kaelin. I figured she was just calling to wish us a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Not so... Instead she called to tell us that the birth mom was "done being a mom" and had decided to give up Kaelin's sister for adoption. Yeadon and I were speechless! Could God really be giving us TWO children in a year after so many years of wishing for and wanting a child? Apparently so... It looks like we will be getting Kayden (yes, that's right. Her name is that similar to her sister's!) sometime this week. We were told it would be today the 31st and if that's the case, well, here goes the newest adventure of the Sturtevant family. Please, lift us up in your prayers as we begin this newest journey. Now... I know you all want to see Christmas pix of my beautiful baby... So, I won't disappoint!

This was taken at Jeremey and Stacia's. We went there before Christmas to celebrate with Yeadon's side of the family. Yeadon's dad and step-mom got Kaelin this rocking duck... It's soooo cute! Funny thing is.. when Kayden came over for a visit, she loved it too!

For those of you who don't know my dad, this is him! He absolutely adores Kaelin and she him. I'm so grateful that God brought us our daughter; I never thought that children could bring so much joy to everyone's lives!

My Rollie Pollie

2007-12-19T07:52:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Kaelin discovered how amazing it is to roll from her back to her tummy and back again. As you can see in the videos, she gets SO excited and kicks her feet back and forth. Yeadon and I were cheering her on and clapping for her everytime she did her new "trick". She would get a huge smile on her face and do it again and again and again. I went to bed early so Yeadon was up with her until bedtime and apparently Kaelin rolled and knocked her head a couple of times on the chair... She learned that she didn't care for the chair even after she had such a great time chatting with it!

For Sale...

2007-12-17T08:52:00.000-08:00

Here are two purses that I made for a salesperson that Yeadon works with for his job. The charcoal one is made out of gray and black corduroy and has a red with white check lining. There is a buckle-closed pocket on the front, a zipper inclosure, and an adjustable buckle handle. The peach floral one is made out of cotton and has a green lining. There are two magnetic snap pockets on the front of the purse, a pocket on the inside, as well as a zipper inclosure. I promised I would start posting my "creations" on my blog (for Nikki!), so here's my first batch! If anyone wants a purse or a bag... just let me know!

Sweet Baby Face

2007-12-14T07:55:00.000-08:00

Kaelin is such a sweet baby! We had a rough go at it for a few months, but she is just so fabulous that the hardships seem distant now. Yeadon took this picture right before I was about to feed Kaelin her morning fruits... I usually give her a spoon to play with or she especially loves her maraca that she shakes and shakes. I thank the Lord every day for this amazing gift He gave us in our daughter!

Where's Kaelin??

2007-12-12T16:50:00.000-08:00

I put Kaelin down on her activity mat the other day, and I went to take a shower, or something like that. When I came back into the living room, I heard her, but I couldn't see her from where I was standing behind the couch. As I moved around the corner of the couch, there she was... UNDER THE CHAIR! She is such a squirmy-wormy that she scooted herself off her mat till she was under the chair. She was having a blast... talking to the bottom of the chair and just chatting away. I called Yeadon into the room and asked him to find his daughter... when he did, he just laughed. Silly girl!

Daddy's Snowman

2007-12-07T09:39:00.001-08:00

"Jenn, get up!!"

"I don't want to get up!"

"Yes, you do!!"

"Fine..."

This was the conversation at 6:45am this morning. Yeadon had been the one to get up with Kaelin when she woke up early for her bottle and I was blissfully trying to get some extra sleep... Until Yeadon called to me to get up. As I looked out the window in our bedroom, the inconvenience of getting up quickly evaporated. It snowed!! I love the snow (have I already mentioned that?!?). Yeadon told me to get Kaelin up and get shoes on... My wonderfully clever husband made a snowman after feeding Kaelin her bottle. What a guy! He was so proud of himself and he couldn't wait to share it with Kaelin (and me..) As you can tell, I'm still in my P.J.'s and so is Kaelin... but at least I got a hat on her!

First ornament on the tree!

2007-12-06T16:21:00.000-08:00

Yeadon and I decided to buy an artificial tree this year... I know, I know. Before anyone gives me any grief, let me explain why we went the artificial route. Every year it's a fight to get Yeadon to go pick out a tree, trim it down to fit in the house, set it up, and decorate it. It got to the point where getting in the Christmas spirit just wasn't any fun. Plus, the first week of having a real tree, Yeadon is allergic to it and he sneezes which just torques him off even more. On top of that... We live in a VERY dry state, so our trees always dry out quickly which means more mess to clean up. So, I relented and said that as long as the tree looked as real as it could, I'd be O.K. with an artificial one. And this one does! It's beautiful! While we were out looking for our tree, we found Kaelin's first Christmas ornament. It's a little stuffed duck and sooooo cute. She is fascinated when we turn the Christmas tree lights on, which I do frequently, and she loves to just look at the tree. When Yeadon got home from work one day he decided to help Kaelin with her ornament... It's one of those memories I'll cherish. Daddy and baby together during my favorite season of the year... LOVE IT!

Beautiful Snow

2007-12-01T06:38:00.000-08:00

We had our first real snowfall yesterday. It was fabulous! I absolutely love winter and I am probably one of the few people in the world who loves it when it snows. If it snowed 365 days a year, I would be fine with it! Someone gave me this outfit for Kaelin and I thought it was appropriate for her first experience of snow. As you can see, she really like the fur around the collar... she was always trying to eat it!

Sleeping Death Grip

2007-11-30T08:08:00.000-08:00

Kaelin likes to fall asleep while holding on to something. Usually it's her blanket or my shirt. I put her in her swing because she was having a hard time falling asleep and when I went to check on her, this is what I saw. She cracks me up!

On the road again...

2007-11-29T18:58:00.000-08:00

This was taken on the way to Jeremy and Stacia's for Thanksgiving. We stopped so we could feed and change Kaelin... but of course, we had the camera on hand just in case we needed it... I went to throw Kaelin's diaper away and when I got back, this is what I saw! She was having so much fun (well, so was Yeadon!). I love my two clowns!

Giving Thanks

2007-11-25T14:52:00.000-08:00

This year was our first Thanksgiving with Kaelin. Can I just say, WOW? I've always been thankful in the past, for life, for family, for health, etc. However, this year everything seemed a little brighter, a little better, more right, even. It took a long journey, but I was O.K. with God's plan not to allow us to have children. Then came Kaelin. I could never in my wildest dreams imagine what holidays would be like with a child. She made it even more special just because she was there to share it with us. We spent the night before Thanksgiving with my family in Reno (sorry no picts!!) and then we drove to CA to spend Thanksgiving day with Yeadon's sister and her family, Yeadon's mom, and Yeadon's dad. Both days were wonderful! Above is a picture of me and Kaelin with my two nieces, Kailey (older one) and Kaydence (younger one). I am so blessed!

So, I bet you're wondering what this is all about, huh? Every time Jeremy and Stacia come and visit with the girls or we go visit them at their house, I bring Kaelin's bouncing chair. Kaydence is always fascinated by it, sooooo.... I decided to let her try it. It was HILARIOUS! She would bounce, then lift her legs and swing, then bounce again. The chair was as high as it would go and she stood her full height in it, yet she still wanted to bounce. She was out of breath when I finally pulled her out. It almost seems that the older children get, the more they want to play with baby toys...

Fancy Feet

2007-11-19T12:59:00.001-08:00

So, my very fabulous friend, Nikki, made these amazing little shoes for Kaelin. I've been waiting and waiting until her feet got big enough to wear them. I LOVE THEM! They match so many of Kaelin's clothes and they just look so darn cute! She wore them to church yesterday (pink and purple outfit) and again today (jean outfit.) I think she will wear them everyday until she outgrows them, that's how much I love them. O.K. So on a side note: My 5 month old daughter is wearing 6-9 month clothing. The jeans she's wearing are 6-9 months and she looks like she's busting out the top with her belly... Oh the joys of a very healthy baby girl!

It's Bath Time!!

2007-11-14T09:01:00.000-08:00

So Kaelin has been sick for a few days and I was told to give her baths everyday to help her clear out her lungs. This is the second bath I've given her in the last two days... so, I decided to spice things up a bit. I've never played with her hair much because she hasn't had much to play with... until now! Isn't she soooooo CUTE?!? She's going to kill me some day for these pictures, but for right now I'm going to show the world how stinkin' adorable she is!

Messy Face

2007-11-08T07:09:00.000-08:00

We decided to give Kaelin her first taste of rice cereal the other night... It was hilarious! She got it everywhere and even places I didn't know she could get dirty. Of course her first taste wasn't what she expected and it took her by surprise, as you can see in the video. All that aside, eventually she LOVED it! She giggled and smiled the rest of the time we fed her. She acted as though we never fed her, that's how fast she ate.

First Harvest Party

2007-11-07T14:43:00.000-08:00

Ok... So she doesn't look all that happy to be at our church's harvest party, but she WAS the cutest baby there! Within minutes of walking into the church, Kaelin started crying this terrified cry that worried her grandma and I. After 20 minutes of crying in the quiet nursery, a diaper change, a bottle, and some Tylenol, she was ready to begin the slow trek back through the church to the costume contest in the sanctuary. She didn't win, but there's always next year...