'Tis the season

What I love most about the Holidays is getting to spend so much time with family.  We have been busy lately which is why I have been a little MIA on the blog here.  Last weekend we went to Charleston to celebrate Henry's 3rd birthday!  Brady and Henry are literally best buddies (and cousins) from birth.  I was so excited for Brady to have cousins his exact same age.  We had so much fun at his party!

Katelyn and her cousin, Belle.

The birthday boy

Katelyn gets doted on by all her big cousins, and she eats it up.

The diva ready to roll.

After the birthday party, Nanna and Papa took the kids back to Columbia, and we went to my mom's to her wedding reception.  They just bought a beautiful house on James Island.  The weather was perfect, and my brother and his girlfriend came in town which was a bonus.  I am obsessed with her outdoor area on her deck.  It is so perfect.

Uncle Dustin!

One of my besties, Cady Nell

My brother came back to Columbia to spend a few more days with us.  We were so happy to have him here.  Brady and Katelyn both love him so much.  I have never seen Katelyn warm up to someone so quickly.  I think FaceTime really helps them to have such a special relationship with Uncle Dustin.  Even though we only get to see him a few times a year, we try to make sure we have FaceTime dates often.  He is such a fun playmate, and even babysat for us on Monday night.

Can you tell they love him a little bit?

And of course, yesterday was Thanksgiving.  Paul's parents had everyone over at their house and invited my mom and grandparents.  I thought that was so nice, and it was so nice for us to just have 1 Thanksgiving dinner to attend.  I loved getting to be together with everyone.  Brady and Katelyn had a great time as well.  They were pretty pooped at the end of the day.  I am so thankful to have such a wonderful family.

So thankful for these 2! 

The kids table.

Playing babies with cousin, Amelia. (Or more like Katelyn is eating the baby)

They were pretty worn out...

What do you know- Elvin, our Elf, showed back up last night from the North Pole!  He brought the kids some gifts and left them a note.  Brady was so excited to see him.  To say that he is excited about Christmas this year is an understatement.  I love being able to see the excitement of Christmas through my children's eyes.  It makes it all so much fun.  I hope we can get our tree later today.  We already have a "baby tree" as Brady calls it, in the playroom.

Christmas will be here before we know it!

5 on Friday

1. Sleep, as in I.NEED.MORE.SLEEP.  I am not sure what is going on with this previous angel sleeper these days.  It all started on Sunday with a nap that she tried to fight off.  This was a first for us. Typically after lunch we head upstairs, I change her diaper, put her in her crib, and within minutes she is asleep.  This time she immediately stood up and put on the waterworks.  Paul picked her up and rocked her for a bit and then tried to put her down and she woke up screaming immediately.  Then I went in her room and rocked her until she was fast asleep and managed to slip her back into her crib.  She has now been doing this at night too.  

To add to it, she wakes up at 5:30 screaming, throws her bunny out of the crib and screams until I come get her.  Then, I pick her up (after trying to get her to lay back down with no such luck), and we rock in her chair.  As soon as we sit down she immediately lays on my chest and will fall asleep.  Don't get me wrong, I love the cuddles, and this is new for me, because neither of my children were rocked to sleep (I tried sometimes, but they would just rather be put down), but I don't really want to cuddle at 5am.  I have no idea what switch clicked that made her start acting this way. I know she feels fine, because she immediately perks up when I get her.  Any suggestions on how to get her back to the girl who loved her sleep and would just sit in her crib and talk to herself for as long as we let her?  I would really like that child back right about now.

(Update: I prayed last night before bed for a good nights sleep for all of us, and what do you know- she was her usual self this morning.  She did cry at 5:30, but it was literally for 1 minute and then she went back to sleep.  Let's hope this was just a short phase.)

Some early morning coffee

2. Both of our kids need a good pair of boots.  I love the pink ones for Katelyn (and the price!), but I am kinda thinking I should go with a more neutral pair that will go with everything.  As for Brady, I am thinking some fun cowboy boots, but something that still looks suitable for everyday wear. Which ones do you like best?

For her: one | two | three For him: one | two | three

3. I don't know how this happened so fast, but Katelyn turned 18 months old yesterday!  An update on all her latest to come soon.

18 months!

4. If there is one thing that cheers up my winter blues, it is a crackling fire and a warm cup of hot chocolate.  We couldn't decide when building our house whether to have a gas fireplace or a real wood burning fireplace.  I personally love a wood burning fire.  I love the smell, the sound, the extra warmth, but what I don't like is the hassle.  Aka, buying the wood, cleaning out the soot.  I just knew we wouldn't use it as much because of this, so we opted for gas logs.  I am happy we did, because with the flip of a switch I have a cozy fire in my great room.

5. This Saturday we are heading back down to Charleston to celebrate Henry's 3rd birthday, and my mom's wedding.  My brother is flying in from San Francisco, and I can't wait to see him!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Linking up with April,  Darci, Christina, and Natasha!

KVD 18 Months old

A year and a half- that is hard to believe!  When I think about it in terms of Brady at 18 months, she still seems like such a baby.  It is hard to believe that I was only 2 months away from having Katelyn when Brady was this age.  I am thankful that their are no babies on the way right now- ha!  We definitely stay busy enough with these 2.  She is growing by leaps and bounds!  Here is what she is up to at this age:

1. She loves school now and usually just walks right into her class and doesn't look back.

2.  She loves Brady, but sometimes he can be a little overwhelming (wanting to hold her hand, hug her, etc.), and she will let us know that she is not interested in that right now!

3.  She is still obsessed with her Bunny lovey which she started calling her "Ma".  She also sleeps with a monkey that she refers to as "monk".

4.  She is back on track with her great sleeping habits.  She goes to bed around 7 and wakes up around 7-7:30, but she will just lay quietly in her crib until we come get her.  A lot of times at night, she will just walk to her room and tell us she is ready for bed.  Lately she doesn't even want me to read her a book, she just wants to be put in her crib.  She also naps once a day anywhere from 2-3 hours at home and usually just 1 hour or so at school.

5.  She has turned into a bit of a picky eater.  My rule on toddler eating is that they get what we are having for dinner, and if they eat it great, if not, oh well.  Granted, Katelyn is definitely not deprived, so I don't worry much about her missing a meal.  When I put something in front of her that she is not familiar with, or if it is not what she desired for the evening, she will start crying and yelling, No! No! while pushing her plate away. It is quite dramatic, but I want her to learn that she has to eat what we are having.  The other night she threw this fit over a meal we gave her, and I just ignored her for a while, and what do you know she started eating it!

6.  Her favorite foods are: FRUIT!, broccoli, chicken nuggets (only a specific kind though), french fries (dipped in ketchup thanks to Waldo getting her started on that), graham crackers, pretzels, gold fish, yogurt, cereal, vanilla wafers, pizza, spaghetti, milk, and pancakes.

7. She is a little bit afraid of animals which is quite the opposite of Brady.  She loves dogs (specifically Riley), but when we go to the zoo she gets kind of timid.  She HATED when we tried to put her on a horse at the fair.

8. She is learning new words everyday.  Some of the things she can say now are: hi, bye-bye, night night, mama, dada, Nanna, Papa, Waldo (Walwo), shoes, nose, mouth, ear, milk, uh oh, I don't know, no, thank you, please, mouse, airplane, ball, see you (as in "see you later"), that's hot (pointing to oven and stove), bow, cheese, all done, boo (peek-a-boo)

9.  Her favorite toys are her pots and pans in the play kitchen.  She also loves Brady's cozy coupe, and we constantly have fights over the car.  She also loves to be chased and to play peek-a-boo.

10.  She only wants to read a hand ful of books that are her favorites (kind of like food- she doesn't like to try new things).  Her favorites are: Where is Baby's Belly Button, Goodnight Moon, From Head to Toe, and Pat the Bunny.

11.  She gives the sweetest kisses.

12.  She loves to be held by mommy.  She has started wrapping her arms around me and patting my back which is the sweetest thing ever.

13. She cannot sit still to save her life.  I wish she would enjoy watching TV sometimes, but her limit is about 2 minutes and she is on to the next thing.

14.  She can be sweet when she wants to be, but she has a little fiesty side too.  We have gotten a couple notes home from school about hitting and pinching her teachers and friends at school.

15.  Her hair gets lighter and lighter.  She has turned into a blonde.

16.  Her eyes are the same color as Brady's.  They are a mix of brown and green.  I guess you would call them Hazel.

17.  She is a girly girl and loves to help me do my make up.  She will often ask for a bow in her hair, and she gets excited when I ask her if she wants to wear a pretty dress.  I just love it!

18.  She still does her signature sucking her tongue when she is tired, and it is the sweetest thing.  I wonder if/when she will ever stop doing this?

19.  She has already gone poopoo and peepee on the potty!  She started wanting to sit on the potty after seeing Brady do it, so I figured why not?  As soon as we put her on it she would go.  I am not sure that we are ready for full blown potty training, but I would say that is a good sign!

20.  She can pretty much point to all of her body parts.

21.  She wears size 18-24 month clothes and size 5 diapers.

We love you to the moon and back sweet Katey Boo.  Your other nicknames from your Daddy who is infamous for the nicknames include peachy and peachy ann.

Blonde!

Prime example of "don't touch me!" 

A few of my favorite things

1. Foyer table 2.Kendra Scott Earrings 3.PJs 4.Gigi New York Teddy Tote 5. Puffer Jacket

1. I have been dying to have this console table in my foyer.  Right now there is nothing there, and it is something that bothers me daily.  I picked this one out with our decorator probably a year ago, and I am hoping that maybe it will show up for Christmas (please Santa?)

 

2. I love these earings.  They are so classy looking and the perfect size.  I love the black, but wouldnt mind having them in a couple other colors as well.

 

3. I love these PJs.  I prefer mine a tight fit, because I hate when I turn over and the loose ones get all caught up in the covers.  These are so cute and look so cozy.

 

4. I love the Gigi New York Tote.  I was torn on the color, but again,  you cant really go wrong with black. I would definitely want the monogram option on it as it makes the bag.

 

5. I am in need of a new semi-lightweight jacket. I really loved the ivory one, but it is sold out :(. Black goes with everything and would be the perfect weight for fall in the south.

 

 

While I would love any of these items, what I am mostly looking forward to at Christmas is spending time with my family and seeing the joy on my kids' faces come Christmas morning.  That right there folks is priceless!

 

Linking up with April, Elise, Katie, Zelle

Our weekend

The highlight of our weekend was taking family pictures on Saturday morning.  The only downfall was it was FREEZING outside.  I felt so bad, because Katelyn was literally shivering.  We only stayed out there for maybe 30 minutes, and fingers crossed we got at least a few good ones.  The kids were troopers though, and even though they were cold, they were super cute and well behaved.  We also brought Riley along.  I was feeling guilty that he used to be such an important part of our lives and now he is always just in the background.  I still love my fur baby even if he doesn't get quite as much attention these days.  Brady was not feeling too well all weekend, so we did a lot of lounging around.  This was kind of our last "boring" weekend until the holidays are in full swing, so although I got a little cabin fever on Sunday, it was nice to just hang at home.

Friday night cuddles

RED LIGHT! They were so cute holding hands during our photo shoot, but they were moving so fast it was hard to get a cute picture!

This is my heart right here.

They decided they didn't need naps on Saturday, so they immediately fell asleep in the car.

Baby girl only wanted to nap in my arms on Sunday, and I just soaked it up.

I hope everyone has a great week!

5 on Friday

1. I had Tuesday off of work for Veterans' Day, and we decided last minute to take a trip to the zoo.  It was such a beautiful day, and hardly anyone was there.  Brady had an upclose encounter with the gorilla which was pretty awesome, and Katelyn let us know that she clearly still hates the carousel.

This picture cracks me up every time I look at it.  Poor child.

2. The polar vortex is heading our way, and I am not happy about it.  I guess we better bust out the winter coats and scarves for the weekend.

Name that movie...

3. Speaking of the polar vortex, of course it would make it's appearance on the weekend that we are taking our family Christmas card pictures.  I hope it isn't too miserable out, and that we are able to get atleast a few cute ones.  I think I am going to wear this blouse with white skinny cords and knee high boots.

4. Santa has informed me that he is pretty much done with the toy preparation for our household.  I am pretty excited about this as our "Santa" is usually pretty last minute around here.  I think we are going to have two pretty excited little children come Christmas morning.  I will give you one clue:

5. Last and most importantly there is a family I want you to keep in your prayers.  There is a little girl named Eliza who lives in my town.  She was diagnosed with a rare, terminal genetic disease called Sanfilippo Syndrome.  However, there is a treatment that can save her life- the only problem is the cost.  Her family has been on a mission to raise the money to save their daughter.  They have decided to end their efforts on her 5th birthday THIS Sunday 11/16 in order to focus more time on enjoying their daughter.  Their hope is to raise the remaining money needed by Sunday to fund her treatment.  I cannot even begin to imagine how I would feel if this was one of my children.  I donated, and I hope you will find it in your heart to give too.  You can donate at www.savingeliza.com.  I feel the least I can do is spread the word and hope that I play a small role in saving this beautiful little girl's life.