Kelsey's Giggles

Five ways a mommy knows she has a toddler and a baby in the house . . .

#1 Your nursing pads become frisbees and you don't even blink because your toddler is safely entertained so you can spoon feed the baby in peace.
#2 You are so deseperate to go on a walk that if the biggest obstacle you have from one of your children is that they refuse to take a bag off of their head (pretending to be a "big scarey monster" of course), then you just let it go and proceed on your stroll, ignoring the odd looks from neighbors who probably think you are quite ashamed of your child.
#3 Pictures of your baby dressed for winter are taken on a sunny day because who knows if you'll remember to snap a photo when it really is cold outside.

#4 Your toddler gives you this "you are just going to sit there, Mom?" look when you bring him to a great big playground and try to sit down to relax on a bench. I guess it wasn't a "watch me play" day, huh?
#5 Your baby's favorite toy is her spoon simply because it is the only object not taken out of her hands by her older brother.




More Pictures to Share:

Kelsey is still "anti bottle" yet she is pretty sure about the sippy cup of milk that her brother is drinking.





Happy Kelsey!

Peeling an orange with Aunt Kathryn and Mommy on the deck.

Happy Birthday to Mommy - dinner plans made by Daddy with her two best friends, Molly and Kathryn. A FUN girls night!
Playing with Cousin Sam. We are loving getting to spend more time with Sam these days since his mommy is at home with him now and we go to the same preschool!

The Little Things We Love These Days

Since kids' favorite things are always changing, I thought I'd post some current things that make Carter and Kelsey happy these days:

Carter Loves:
1. Air Bud (we watch this old movie atleast once a day and now he has to role play this movie in real life, whereas he gets to be the kid, Josh, and I have to be the dog, Buddy. Phill was very entertained last night as he watched Carter talk to me like a dog and me try to hit the basketball with my head into the fisher price goal . . . like "Buddy" of course)
2. Sweet Tea (only if he's eaten well), Cashews before nap and "squeeze beans" at every meal (aka Edamame)
3. To sit on the front steps and peel an orange with me.
4. To jump on the bed with Daddy when he gets home from work.
5. To sing his heart out - currently the song of choice is either Home on the Range or God Our Father.


Kelsey Loves:
1. Carter! anything and everything he does.
2. Table food - eating mystery solved - Kelsey does not like baby food but loves 'real' food. I can sneak in bites of oatmeal while she is sucking on a Wheat Thin. Otherwise she is digging her some cheese, bread, peas, and cheerios.
3. Bath time! She is such a quiet baby until she gets in the water - then its squeal time : )
4. Praise Baby. Or as Phill commonly refers to it, "baby crack" ... both of our children have loved these dvds as a nightly addiction. (Kelsey specifically loves the African American children on the video : ) )
5. To play with her few wisps of hair on the back of her head when she is putting herself to sleep.

That's all for now. I will post some pictures soon.

Successful New Adventures

Kelsey has mastered sitting up in the past week. It's her favorite way to be . . . unless Carter whizzes by and knocks her over (on purpose or accident). Nonetheless, she goes with the flow and will actually let Carter do just about anything to her.
She had her check up at the doctor this week. We are happy to report a climb to the 15th percentile for weight and 25th for height. We are still having major problems with her refusing baby food - any suggestions out there?
We took an evening family hike up Kennesaw Mountain this week. It was absolutely perfect! Both kids were almost silent the entire time taking it all in - and the best part was that Phill and I actually got to have an hour long conversation as adults with the kids awake!

** Carter Preschool Update: He officially LOVES school. He can hardly wait for the 2 days he goes (I'm thinking I should have enrolled him in 3 days). Every morning he's gone, he practically runs down the hall to his classroom and stops atleast once to glance up at me and say "Mommy, I am so excited!" Now, there IS a downfall to loving school as much as he does. And it comes at the end of the day when I go to pick him up. I walk in the church (kelsey on my hip) with excitement to see my son and imagining how his face will light up when he sees me and that "Mooommee!!" run to me to cling my leg (filling my "Yes I must be the best mom ever!" cup full). Well, my dreams are shattered because as I turn the corner to meet Carter at school today, he looks up at me with eyes that say "YOU'RE here already??!!" Then promptly, RUNS (with all his might like I am a big scarey monster) down the halls of the church (yes, in front of everyone) saying "noooo, I don't wanna go!!" Now, let me remind you I have Kelsey on my hip and I am desperately trying to compose myself in this somewhat embarrassing moment with my child. I mean, is his homelife really that bad?? What are these teachers thinking? Now I can't even control or "catch" my kid. I chase Carter for what seems like forever. All the while, I try to get close enough to him to quietly threat a spanking to him (I mean can I even spank him in a church though?) My attempts got as desperate as to bribe him wtih his apple juice waiting in the car. At this point, I just want to get out of here! (Side note: Kelsey thinks this is hystercial chasing her brother and she is giggling out loud as we do our run/walk) I finally corner him in a gym and we have a nice little talk and he decides to go home. We walk very fast out the door, mainly because I am afraid he'll change his mind again and we'll start the whole process over.

The car ride home consisted of Carter repeating to me that he would NOT be running from mommy again and that he was sorry. Thank God for carpool starting next week - in which the teacher will kindly place his hiney in my car for me when I drive up. Needless to say, Carter DOES love school!