Last week, the kids and I took a little road trip to visit one of my dearest friends, Tara, and her two girls, Emma & Kate. I cannot believe it has been almost 8 months since we've seen each other! Not cool! But, life has a way of sneaking up on you. And with the birth of Kinley, followed by Kate a few months later, this was the best/quickest we could do! We had a great time, and even though our adult time was very (as in pretty much non-existant) limited, it was still fun and soooo good to catch up! We spent a lot of time outside (it was the most beautiful winter-warm weather ever!), took the kids to the park, ate pizza till we were sick, went shopping at Target, and stayed up late (ok, late for old, tired mommies) chatting. I can't wait till we get to do this again (next time hopefully with the husbands around to give us a night out)! And, yes, it's sad we don't have a single picture of us!

I know it's sounds so cliché' to say it but the time is passing much too quickly...you're growing up too fast. I wish I could press pause and keep you this way just a bit longer. This is my absolute favorite age and yet I feel it slipping away as each days passes and you do something new. In fact just today, I heard a comment about how with young kids it seems that we experience the longest days, yet the shortest years. It's so true! I swear I blinked and you've turned into a bubbly, chunky, smiley little 7 month old...and a very cute one at that! I am loving every minute with you. I am so lucky that I get to spend my days being your Mommy and watching you grow. You are an amazing little girl and I love you so...

Some things I want to remember about you at this time:

-You are a chunk! You were relatively small (at least compared to your brother) a few months ago but boy you are catching up. You weighed in at 20 pounds today! And you are super long too. You wear 9 month clothes, and even on those, some of the pants are short. -You are a cuddler. You love to be held, nuzzled, rocked, have your hand rubbed, etc.

-You are a Momma's girl. You keep an eye on me at all times, and you don't like when I leave the room. You'd ride around all day in my carrier, attached to me if I'd let you. You're happiest when you're with me...and who can blame you, I'm a pretty cool chick ;}
-You love to watch your big brother and notice everything he does too. He loves you. Even though he's a busy body, and often wrapped up in his own toys, when he does stop to focus on you, hold you, or talk to you, you grin from ear to ear. Jackson is very protective over you. In fact just today at your check-up, he got very upset when the Dr. looked in your ears because he's afraid of that, and he thought they were hurting you...so sweet. When your Mammy or Neena babysit you, you are a bit fussy but seem to be more calm in the presence of your Bubba.
-You light up for your Daddy and give him the BEST smiles. I think someday you will have him wrapped around your little finger. And he loves you dearly!
-You look like a Carrejo to me. You have my little pug nose (I think) but everything else seems to resemble your Daddy's side. We shall see...
-Your hair is crazy. It always has been. Sticks up in many different directions, can't tell which way to part it, etc. And it's getting more straight the longer it gets. We have to have a headband or a clip in, or it's in your eyes (and that's not just because your Mommy is obsessed with bows and having you be as girly as possible. Okay well maybe a little ;-) And it's many different colors...brown, auburn, and blonde underneath. I'll be curious to see how it looks in a few years.
-You're NOT a great sleeper, but I am SO hoping you will be someday. You slept through the night early on, and did so for several months. Then around Thanksgiving time, you got your first ear infection and then got two more after that. Ever since then, your sleeping has gone downhill. Most nights you wake up at least once and have trouble going back to sleep....sorry honey but baby boot camp is coming soon!
- You eat three times a day (fruit & cereal for breakfast, a yogurt for lunch, and a veggie & cereal for dinner, as well as four 8 oz. bottles a day). You hate green beans and make the most awful faces. It's hilarious actually.

-You can say Momma and Baba, and I'm pretty sure it's intentional.
-You love to play with your feet and I call you "hurkey girl" because you always pull your leg to the side like a hurkey while drinking your bottle...Maybe you'll follow in my footsteps and be a cheerleader.
-You are my little Kin Kin, Cupcake, K-Love, Angel Baby, Sissy, Sister Bear.

I love you more than anything in the world and thank God every day for you...You have brought so much joy to our lives and I am blessed to be your Momma.

Worry

I hate worrying. Especially about my kids. Other stuff is fine, but when it comes to your kids, it just sucks. I hate seeing my sweet babies hurting...So Jackson developed this strage rash. It started on Tuesday. I noticed it when I picked him up from Mother's Day Out. It looked like he got bit by tons of mosquitos...then when I bathed him that night, I noticed they were all over his trunk and legs, but still thought maybe with all the rain we got Monday night it was bug bites. Then on Tuesday when I picked him up, I noticed it had spread to his arms. Big, whelps/hive looking splotches all over his body, many of the areas swollen and warm to the touch. So then today (Thursday) he wakes up and it has moved to his face/behind his ears, around his mouth, etc. I took him to the Dr., which wasn't much fun because he is going through this weird phase where he's scared of everything (haircuts/scissors, cleaning his ears (probably because he's had 3 ear infections in the past 2 months and they hurt), clipping his nails, etc.) It took one nurse to hold Kinley, then another nurse, the Dr. and me to hold him down while they checked his ears and did a strep culture. No ear infection, no strep, a long list of things it's NOT, but not a clear answer as to what it IS. Great! It's most likely a viral infection and not contagious, but they also said it could be HSP, which makes me worry. Then after his nap today I noticed his hands and feet were even more swollen. They look like fluid-filled, puffed up sausages. I'm continuing the Benedryl and Ibuprofin, and praying that things are better in the morning...my mind starts wandering and telling me it could be all these horrible things, which I'm sure it's not, but I just don't like it. And he's such a sport....as I write this, I am listening to him singing Jingle Bells on the monitor. I thought Benedryl was supposed to knock you out???

Goals for 2012

I love making lists, I love setting goals, and I love having things to look forward to. Every January, I vow to come up with a new years resolution. This has 99% of the time always involved weight loss. And it has 99% of the time NOT happened. So this year, my plan is a little different. I'm not setting one goal, but rather a list of several, broken down by category...A friend on facebook posted an article on things that successful people do differently, and I really, really liked it. It got me thinking... It talked about how succesful people set S.M.A.R.T. goals (that stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant & Timely.) And here were some key points that stuck with me:
"The acquisition of knowledge doesn't mean you're growing. Growing happens when what you know changes how you live." Powerful stuff! I love this...
*And my favorite tips were:
~ Focus on being PRODUCTIVE, not busy. There's a BIG difference, and let's be honest, I can tend to always be busy, but not really productive.
~ Focus on making small, continuous improvements.
~ Maintaining a positive outlook as you learn from your mistakes.
~ Spend time with the RIGHT people (So true...you tend to become like those you spend most of your time with...which reminds me of one of my mother's constant reminders growing up: "Birds of a feather flock together." I hated always hearing that as a teenager, but how true she was =}
~ Maintain balance in your life.

So here goes, my personal list of goals for 2012:
PERSONAL:
-Become the most positive person I know
-Spend more quality time with my husband (this is hard with kids, but a must!)
-Read at least 1 book per month
-Run a 10K
-Lose another 20-25 lbs/continue eating healther through the week
-Make at least 1 craft/idea from Pinterest per month (not because I have to but because I WANT to)
-Do something significantly nice for someone else every month
-Plan at least 2-3 outings/fun time with friends per month (this is healthy for ME!)

PARENTAL:
-Kids in bed by 7:45-8:00 every night so we have more time for each other
-Jackson: Recognize AND recite all letters and sounds in random order, Learn 10 sight words, Count to 20 as well as recognize numbers to 10 (big difference just reciting vs. actually identifying, and not in order)
-Continue reading daily to both kids
-One activity per week for each kid that is one-on-one with me
-Have FUN making memories with my kids =}

SPIRITUAL:
- 30 minutes per day set aside for reading the bible/and or other literature that will strengthen my relationship with GOD
-Mealtime prayer/bedtime prayer for kids
-Continue Biblical Wowmanhood and small group

Now lets put this plan into action, and please, friends, hold me accountable!!!

My Baby Girl

So anyone that really knows me knows 2 things:

1. My biggest dream was to be a mom. After dealing with heartache, loss and a lot of ups and downs prior to becomming a mom, the day I finally held my baby boy in my arms was THE best day of my life. I vowed to be the best mom ever, or MY persoanl best anyway, whatever that might be. And what a joy it has been!

2. I needed a baby girl at some point in my life. I think God just knew this, and He gave me the desire of my heart in my sweet Kinley Morgan. My little princess....born on her own will on the 4th of July; my little firecracker. I was supposed to induce early but at the last minute decided that didn't feel right, and I'm so glad I didn't. I think she knew she was supposed to come on the 4th, with a bang. She is (along with her adorable big brother) the light of my life. And what fun it has been having a GIRL! I couldn't believe for the longest time that I was actually having a girl. The tutus, bows, the frills, ruffles, sparkles, jewelry and PINK! Oh I am in heaven. Now let's just hope she isn't a tom-boy. Of course that would be okay - I want her to be 'her' whatever that entails, but I seriously doubt I'll give her any chance of hating girly things =} Anyway, I love you Kinley Morgan...

Better Late Than Never

Wow! It has been a LOOOONG time since I've blogged. I won't spare you all the wonderful details that life has delt us in the past year and a half since I've posted. Let's just say things are wonderful...life is good....we are blessed beyond measure. We are happliy married, we have two beautiful children who mean everything to us, and we have a pretty awesome extended family. A few biggies that happened in the past year: We sold our house in Driftwood and moved to Round Rock. Patrick took a new job with Samsung that he loves. Our precious Kinley was born on the fourth of July, and Jackson turned 2 in August....never a dull moment around our house, and I wouldn't want it any other way =} I promise this time I will stick around. I want to document all the sweet moments of our life, well mostly our childrens lives, so the memories are forever in print.

Father's Dday 2010

Yesterday we celebrated Father's Day with both our dads. We had such a great time! We went to the Blanco River in Wimberley with our family, plus Pappy G and Grandpa Eric. Jackson loved the water as usual and had so much fun splashing, swimming, and his favorite thing, chewing on empty bottles! We came home hot, tired, and hungry. We had a huge feast, stuffed ourselves silly, and were ready for bed at 8:30. Such a fun weekend, and I hope a memorable one for Patrick's 1st Father's Day. He is such a good Daddy to Jackson. We are really blessed to have him. Jack loves him so much and I love to just sit back and watch them. If you ask me, there is nothing sexier than a man who is good with children, and I'm so happy my husband is so good with our son. Love the boys in my life! I'm so glad I got to spend it with my Dad and Father-in-law too!