The Reynolds' Wrap

Record Breaker

2012-02-07T14:11:00.001-05:00

Kyle may be the last one born into this family but he is not going to be last in the teething department! Brice and Anna both had teeth at six months but if I recall correctly it was just one and then the second one lagged by a couple of weeks. Not Kyle. Right before he turned six months, I noticed two little buds in his gums where his lower teeth have now poked through. Three days before he turned six months, the first one broke through and then three days later the second one. He was just not himself all last week and Justin said, "I bet he is cutting four or five teeth and we just don't know it.". Well, sure enough, after one of his naps, I put my finger in his mouth to massage his gums and there were two top teeth about to poke through!! I couldn't believe it. My last baby getting all these teeth and at the same time. We had two days last week that were not fun because we could tell he was hurting. Justin cleaned out Babies R Us of teething rings and bought him a fresh bottle of Ibuprofen which Kyle can now take that he is six months old. Thank goodness! Kyle seems in a much better mood now that all four teeth have actually broken through. One nice thing about having such a good baby is that you know for sure when something is going on with them. Little man was NOT himself, he was just trying to be a Record Breaker. Four teeth in six days and at six months old. You have your siblings beat, Mr. Kyle! Now, you may stop growing up so fast because it is breaking your momma's heart!

Bottoms, front and center.

Tops, left center, left incisor. Sorry for the boogie.

Where he wants to be for the past week, held, with fingers in his mouth. I'm actually surprised he has fingers still or that he hasn't sucked a blister on one of them. Also, if you run into me on the street, my shoulders will be soaked with drool.

Six Months

2012-01-31T17:04:00.001-05:00

Wow, Six Months already...it is so hard to believe. Like Justin's mom says, "It seems like we just got him." And, it's so true, especially the word "got" because he has been such a gift. This baby boy is so darn sweet, smiley and continues to be so laid back. God has completed our family with all the right puzzle pieces. We all fit together so nicely. So, at 6 months, what is our youngest up to??

Sleeping- 3 naps a day, 11-12 hours at night
Eating-four bottles a day (4-6 oz.) and rice/oatmeal with fruit or veggie twice a day
Playing-all the time!
Has cut one bottom tooth and the other one will most likely be through tomorrow. This means LOTS of drool
Prefers to suck his left middle finger over a pacifier, especially when sleepy
Rubs his eyes when he is sleepy which the other two never did, very cute
Wears 9-12 months clothes (even though he and Brice were born in complete opposite seasons, I have been able to use a lot of Brice's things!)
Rolls and scoots where he wants to go.
Will get up on hands and knees and rock back and forth
Can sit unassisted for about 30 seconds- 1minute
Will lay his head on your shoulder if sleepy and just snuggle up, melts me every time!

Nice hair, huh? Gets that from his Daddy!

Brice and Anna at 6 months.

Five Months, in review

2012-01-27T14:43:00.000-05:00

In four days, Kyle will be six months. I seriously don't like thinking about this at all because that means half of his first year has passed. Anyway, here are some pictures of him during his Fifth Month, in review. These were actually not taken on the same day even though he is wearing the same outfit. He is growing so fast that if something fits, I have to dress him in it multiple times to get the most use out of it. Aunt Blaire actually gave him this outfit for Christmas.

And, yes the boy is teething like mad. The bottom left tooth is probably three days from poking through. I can see the little opening in his gums where it will pop out. He has handled it as if nothing is going on. Seriously. Best. Baby. Ever!

He was lying on his back and grabbed onto the blanket and pulled it over his head when he rolled over.

This weekend holds a basketball game, and a play date, so far... Also, changed the blog background to Valentine's Day themed. I am not a huge celebrator of Valentine's Day. I think it's a lot of Hallmark bologna. Justin will tell you I am not the romantic one! But, I do think it's important to tell those you love that you do love them. And, we LOVE our almost Valentine's Day boy, Brice. :) Birthday fun to come in February!

Cast and Crew

2012-01-21T09:40:00.000-05:00

Can't believe my last post was almost two weeks ago, eek! There are always post ideas floating around in my head but then when I sit down to type them out, they have either left my head or I'm too tired to put forth the effort. Sad, but true. I seem to be tired all the time. All three kids can't sleep all night long or past 7 on the same morning. We just bought Anna a clock so I'm going to work on getting her to recognize the numbers on the clock and hopefully that will help keep her in her room longer. Although, I am skeptical because she just likes to be reassured that the whole family hasn't up and left her. She is the lightest sleeper and will wake with just the slightest noise. I have tried using a sound machine in her room but she doesn't like it on so...

Anyway, Anna's sleep habits could be a post on their own. I was thinking the other day that I always post on the events of our life but not the day to day goings on here at the house. I know I am going to remember the big events, the Christmas mornings, the baptisms but what I will WANT to remember and might not are the little things that the kids do and say on an everyday basis. Such as right this second, Brice is throwing a ball against the fridge giving me five million reasons that he can't go do something productive and that I haven't "played" with him in three days. He is also asking for hot chocolate and Anna is asking for more "pink chocolate milk" as if I haven't fed them breakfast. It's ten til nine, they've had their breakfast. I will do a post on our day to day activities soon I hope.

What I wanted to write about today was Anna and her fascination with "being" different characters. She loves to pretend and Brice did too at this age. Right now she loves any female character and like Brice said the other day, "Of course, you are always the MAIN character."!! Not only is she the main character of the family but she assigns us supporting roles. So, without further ado, here is the Cast and Crew of the Reynolds family in different stories...

Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins-Anna
Bert-Daddy
Michael-Brice
The mom-Mommy
one of the penguins-Kyle

Here she is dressed as Mary Poppins in the white and red dress when they ride the horses. She has informed me that she wants to be Mary Poppins for Halloween. Yes, it's January.

Beauty and the Beast
Belle-Anna
Beast-Daddy
Lumiere (the candlestick)-Brice
Wardrobe-Mommy
Cogsworth (the clock)-Kyle

Alice in Wonderland
Alice-Anna
Mad Hatter-Daddy
Rabbit-Brice
Queen of Hearts-Mommy
Caterpillar-Kyle (pretty sure that Kyle fits this description as he is very mellow as if he had been eating shrooms! Praying this never happens in real life.)

Her Christmas dress is her Alice in Wonderland dress with the black shoes.

Doodlebops (our least favorite, if you have ever seen this show, you know why)
Deedee-Anna
Rooney-Daddy (poor Justin)
Moe-Brice
Maz-Mommy
Moose-Kyle

She LOVES this outfit and being Deedee Doodle. It is sort of like her ballerina shirts last year...need I say more??

She also like to be Minnie Mouse, Cinderella, Rapunzel, etc, etc. When she is pretending to be these characters, she likes us to call her by the name. Every so often I will refer to her as whomever and she will say, "No, I'm just Anna." Thank goodness she knows the difference between reality and fantasy. Sometimes, I wonder!

God Bless Kyle

2012-01-09T16:52:00.002-05:00

This past weekend was very busy starting with Kyle's baptism. We had quite the crowd there at the church but it was so nice because it ended up being a private baptism. My sister and cousin are the godparents and both of them traveled in to be with us for this special time. After Kyle's baptism, my mom gave a bridal shower for Jonathan's fiance, Mollie. So, the tally of family was let's see...the five of us+both sets of our parents (4)+ both of our sisters (2)+my cousins and their significant others (4)+ my aunt and uncle(2)=17!!! Mom and I purposely planned both on the same weekend since my family would be traveling in from Charlotte, St. Louis and Chicago. It was such a busy but fun weekend. Kyle was a sweet boy and did great throughout the little ceremony. He still smells like the oils the deacon blessed him with despite having a bath. Every time I get him up from a nap, I feel like I'm back in Italy walking into a church.

Here are some pictures from the day and then today I dressed him back up in order to take some more pictures. I've done this with the other two as well.

Anna's 3 year Stats

2012-01-04T10:56:00.000-05:00

Our little Anna is not so little anymore! I took her on the 27th for her check-up. She was not very chatty but Dr. J knows her from Kyle's appointments so she knows that she does talk quite a bit when it's not her in the spotlight. Everything checked out great and I'm not sure if I had mentioned it before but she also had a cardiology check up on the 5th of December. It was her best appointment yet and they don't want to see her until Summer of 2013. Wahoo! Makes my heart feel good. So, she is healthy, healthy and the only thing we have to work on is her sassy-ness and middle of the night visits.

Her weight was 32 lbs, 8oz (67%) and her height was 38.25 inches (70%). She is turning into a square! Kidding of course, but this is the highest percentile her weight has ever been. I looked up Brice's stats and he was a square, 39 lbs and 39 inches! This was also his highest percentage as far as weight, must be a three year old thing. Anyway, that is all for now, just wanted to let inquiring minds know. We are getting ready for Kyle's baptism tomorrow and will have lots of family here for it. Below are the daily shananigans of Anna. Typical outfit, holding a wand and Brice putting a pencil in front of the lens while I take the picture...

Goals of 2012

2012-01-02T21:36:00.000-05:00

Are you wondering where I have been? I am alive and have Christmas pictures, but I feel like it was ages ago now because we have been putting decorations away and cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. I have packed up so much and reorganized rooms and closets. I think I worked 12 hours straight on New Year's Eve so that meant I did NOT stay up to see the ball drop. I am kind of sad to see 2011 go. It was such an awesome year for our family.
We completed it and in the best way possible. Kyle. He has completed our family and at the same time filled up my heart all over again. He turned five months old on the 31st and his little personality is just emerging and he is still the happiest, calmest baby I have ever been around. There are nights when I put him in the crib and tear up knowing that he is my last and for sure my last. Side story real quick: Went to the mall with my mom the day after Christmas and saw a lady who was very pregnant and I did not envy her one. little. bit. When you know, you know, right? I know. Anyway, that doesn't make it any easier that this sweet baby is making it hard to watch him grow so fast!

I also haven't blogged because the last time I did, I tried to change one of the sidebar pictures of Kyle and it told me I was at my limit. I am going to try and post pictures on this post and see if it will allow me to do that. I have contacted a couple of people about this issue and also about turning what I have blogged into a book. So, my near future posts may be few and far between. One of my goals this year is to: Stay off the computer and be in my life more. Sometimes I feel as though I am too caught up in preserving all these memories instead of just enjoying them. I love taking pictures and being able to look back at them and also all the scrapbooks I do. Goal #2: complete some (3) scrapbooks. Goal #3: Sit back and enjoy-this kind of goes hand in hand with Goal #1 but I don't feel like I have to concentrate all of my energy on growing another human being and all the concerns that go with that. I just want to let my body be. Not that I am just going be a blob, I do plan to work out more. Goal #4: Do for others and involve the kids in this. (I am open for suggestions on this such as what has worked for you, what your kids have enjoyed doing, etc.) I am trying to be realistic about these goals so we will see what happens.

Kyle in the exersaucer..he loves it and jabbers the whole time he is in it!

At Justin's Nana's house. Did realize how grumpy Anna looks. Oops.

Jack stopped bouncing like Tigger long enough to get in a picture!

At my parents' for Christmas Eve dinner.

Not only did she get a Sleeping Beauty dress, she also got a Belle dress=lots of costume changes going on. The girl is a fashionista!

Brice's favorite gift of the night...Harry Potter legos of Hogwarts. He did awesome building the first two of three parts. Then he tried to connect the two and they fell apart. Guess who finished it yesterday??

None of my pictures of Christmas morning were post-worthy so here we are at the Reynolds on Christmas morning.

Pa got Brice tickets to a Georgia basketball game where the Dawgs went to OT and won! What a lucky kid.

And since Christmas has been over, I have been trying to keep the kids busy but I'm just going to say that we are all over being around each other. We need to resume normal life! School. Work. Sleep. What have you...18 days of freedom is too dang long! Here is a picture of Anna from New Years Day...talk about pent up energy!

Meaningful Memory

2011-12-27T20:36:00.000-05:00

I've been wanting to do this post since my last bah-humbug post and have been afraid that I won't do it justice. I will try tonight and see how it all comes out. First, I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. We sure did!! On that last post, I referenced that article from a blog that I don't know, Jen Hatmaker. I had never read her before but that doesn't mean that I won't check in from now on to see what she has to say. There are several blogs I read of people that I don't know. At times, this feels really weird to me and sometimes I find myself questioning whether or not I should keep reading it. Most of them are very public blogs that millions of people read so I don't feel like too much of a stalker. One of them is Enjoying the Small Things by Kelle Hampton. She is a beautiful writer and her blog really took off in the public eye when she had her second baby that came with an "extra magic chromosome" as she calls it; Downs Syndrome. Anyway, she wrote a post at the beginning of the month and at the end of it she asked what your most magical, meaningful childhood memory of Christmas is. For me that is a tough question. There are quite a few because I've always had a very blessed Christmas experience. But, when I truly sat and thought about it, all those Christmases growing up I came down to one person in my life.

Grandma.
When I think back on my Christmas memories she is the person that I see. She always truly enjoyed her time with us at Christmas time. I loved going to the airport or to the MARTA station to pick her and Grandpa up for the week. There was always so much anticipation. And, I was always so excited to show her my new Christmas outfit on Christmas Eve when we would all get dressed up to go to church and then have a nice dinner. And, she always came with us to church then even though throughout the year she didn't go to church, not having been raised Catholic. On Christmas morning, she just loved watching us open our gifts and I know she has so many memories of all her grandkids and our excitement on those mornings after Santa had come. I still remember the year that I found out the truth about Santa and she sat down on my bed with me and asked me about how I was feeling and if I was okay. I will always remember watching the movie "White Christmas" with her and how she loved singing the songs with us and seeing the girls dance in the movie.

She is my most Meaningful Memory. Since she has had her stroke (6 years ago) and I have been married and had at least Brice, Christmas has been different. We used to always be together ON Christmas Day but now we (Reynolds) usually travel to Charlotte, NC to see her before the actual day. My Aunt Deb has been gracious enough to go pick Grandma and Grandpa up in St. Louis and fly them down to Charlotte so that we could all see each other for the holidays. This year we did it differently again and my grandparents stayed in St. Louis and my aunt's family went there to see them while my parents stayed here to spend the actual Eve and Day with us. My cousin Jonathan and fiance are now up in St. Louis and my cousin Kristen is in Chicago so we (they) made it all work. I, of course, hated not getting to see my grandparents at Christmas time this year, especially since they have never met Kyle. While I know things must change (with new spouses, and babies) and new memories have to be made, it still stung a little, or maybe a lot, when Jonathan sent me this picture with the caption, "Merry Christmas from Grandma".

I love you, Grandma! Merry Christmas to you!

Next Christmas

2011-12-22T20:09:00.001-05:00

I have been in a bah-humbug mood today. The rain, the rain, the rain. Having the kids home with so much excitement. Not having all the shopping and wrapping done yet. I think I'm just kind of ready. Ready to celebrate. All day today, I just kept thinking things such as, "Next Christmas...I won't wait until the last minute to do this or that or whatever". "Next Christmas, I will plan things for the kids to do." "Next Christmas, it will be easier..." Then, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror while Kyle was up on my shoulder. I wanted to cry. "Next Christmas...I won't have a baby." And, then I looked down at Anna who was playing with her princesses on the steps, "Next Christmas, I won't have a three year old little girl...or a six year old little boy." I am realizing that this year is probably our last year for Brice to think there is a Santa. And, frankly, I am totally okay with that. I was reading Moments With My Miracles (see sidebar) yesterday and she had a link to another blog post and it hit home. Moments With My Miracles' post title was "This Christmas". I will enjoy this Christmas and everything that it is worth but Next Christmas will focus more on what this blog post has to say.

Santa Claus

2011-12-20T17:53:00.000-05:00

I admit it, I think seeing Santa is kind of a pain in the butt. Justin has all these great videos of himself when he was a kid going to see Santa and I can only remember having one picture of myself on his knee, screaming. Part of that is probably due to the fact that I was told the truth when I was only 7 years old. I then promptly ruined it for my the four year old sister. Mean. Awful. Pretty sure she might still hold that against me. I realized just how mean this was on our trip to Disney when I heard Brice say to Anna, "You know, Anna, that is not the real Mickey Mouse, it's just a guy with a head on." I tried to shush him quickly hoping that maybe she hadn't heard or understood completely. He has questioned Santa a couple of times this season until yesterday when a letter arrived from the big guy himself. Brice was sold. Only for a minute did he ask, Did Mrs. Grimes write this because this is the same lettering she uses (font)? I totally lied, "No, Santa probably just knows that you know how to easily read that font.". Ugh. I hate lying to him because he is so smart. I want him to always "hear the bells" (Polar Express) and believe in the magic and the love of what Christmas is. I tried to soak up this visit with Santa for those very reasons.

We took the kids last Friday afternoon and walked. right. up. No line. Spoiled kids don't even get it! I didn't even have Kyle fully dressed! Brice jumped right up on his seat and talked (would like a magic set, Georgia watch, and surprise) and even gave a "Go Dawgs!" and barked. Yes, he barked with Santa Claus. Anna was still apprehensive but she told herself and us that she wasn't going to cry this year and she didn't. She didn't want to sit next to him, just stand but she told him herself what she would like for Christmas this year (bike, Cinderella DVD, Cinderella doll). Brice then told Santa that Kyle might need some new baby toys and some diapers. It was the easiest Santa trip ever. If it was always like that, I might not dread it or think of it as pointless.

The official pose that we bought. I just thought they all looked sweet in this one. No fake smiles and no tears.

Anna's Birthday(s)

2011-12-19T07:38:00.000-05:00

We had family over early in December so that we could celebrate Anna's birthday with them. Then, of course we headed to Disney but were back home for her actual birthday on the 13th. That same day she had her Christmas Program at school and I fear this will be the story of her life. Somehow though, I know Anna will not let her birthday be overlooked. After her program and school party, I had cupcakes and we sang to her and she soaked that up.

First, pictures from the family celebration. I'm sure you can guess what the theme was...

Eyeing those presents.

Grandad asking her which one she was going to open first.

Cinderella and Prince Charming play set.

She received a puppet that you can change the face on...Brice wanted to try it out first.

She had a bad cold so we made her pick out a piece of cake to put the candle on and that way she would only be blowing on her piece.

Three years old!

Had to document Pa eating cake!

Anna and Nana playing with her new tea set.

And, then here are the pictures from school...

Favorites From Disney

2011-12-17T17:44:00.001-05:00

On our 3rd day at Disney World, we went back to Magic Kingdom. It was so fun because there was no pressure to get everything in, we were just able to do our favorite things. Although, I'm pretty sure Brice's favorite was in Hollywood Studios when he learned how to draw Tigger from Winnie the Pooh. He went to the attraction that showed how the cartoon artists do it and then sat down to do his own. Here are a couple of pictures from Justin's phone.

And then there was my favorite memory from the whole trip. We knew they lighted the castle at 6:15 every night so the last night after dinner, Anna and I headed over to get "seats". I walked right up and we were in the third "row"!!! The whole lighting was awesome and just puts you in he Christmas spirit. Combine that with the wonder of a 3 year old Cinderella obsessed little girl and you have true magic!

(sorry for the sideways video at first, Justin didn't realize he couldn't edit the video and was trying to capture the whole castle.)
But, in all seriousness, this was my favorite mother-daughter moment to date. I had tears in my eyes the whole time thinking about my sweet girl and her actual birthday and how close we came to losing her and I just couldn't soak up the moment enough. In case you can't understand her, she says, "Say Bippity-Boppity Boo, Fairy Godmudder" and then wants to know where she is going and then "I want to get in that castle." Feel free to watch it over and over again like we have. :)

So, after all that magic, we just sat and looked at the beautiful castle and then had a nice man take our picture as a family. These turned out so well, I would have used them for Christmas cards except Kyle wasn't with us. :(

And, those are our Favorites From Disney!!! Posts to come, Anna's birthday celebrations, (as if Disney wasn't enough!), and seeing Santa.

Hollywood Studios in Pictures

2011-12-14T17:24:00.000-05:00

A Day in the Life of Cinderella

2011-12-13T21:35:00.000-05:00

Go ahead and get yourself a drink and maybe a snack because this is going to be a long post. I am going to try and combine Anna's birthday with our second day of Disney. I wanted to remember what she is like on a day to day basis so I will be interjecting little tid bits throughout the post of A Day in the Life of Cinderella ("Cindergrella"). And, first let me say, Happy Birthday to my Dad!!! I know Anna was one of the best gifts I ever got, but I'm pretty sure me having Anna on his birthday was by far the best gift he has ever received!

Our second day at Disney World was the big day. As in, we got to meet not only Cinderella but Snow White, Belle, Sleeping Beauty, and Little Mermaid. We were able to book a lunch in the "country" of Norway of Epcot and it was delicious. Anna knew we were going to be going and had her dress all ready to go. I took Anna over to the area early so that we could get her all ready for her princess lunch. Then, I just let her be in her own little world, which Anna does very well. Hanging around the house, she often will just walk around, singing her songs, pretending she is either one of the princesses or Deedee Doodle from the Doodlebops. I love watching her pretend and will sneak up on her sometimes just to observe. She also loves to read to her baby dolls or pretend that she is a teacher with her students. She loves music and always has a song request when riding in the car.

So, here she is in her own little world just before the lunch.

When we arrived at the lunch, we were immediately taken to meet Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Anna was so excited and brought her coloring book that she wanted to show all the princesses. She had me fix her hair just so and put earrings on her so that all the princesses could see. This is also so Anna, must be "together" every day. She had her picture made with Belle and then had Belle sign her sticker book. She was shy but very smitten as well.

After we met Belle, we sat down and had lunch and then the princesses came out and it was just so sweet watching her meet them.

Trying to pose like a princess with her hands.

She finally got to meet Cindegrella!!

My favorite part of the lunch was when Snow White came over to see Anna and she said, "Well, hello there, what is your name?" Anna threw her hands up in the air and said, "Cindegrella!!" very loudly. She was so proud to be dressed like Cinderella and Snow White just laughed and said, "Well, of course you are!".

Other cute things Anna says are, "fanks" for thanks, "ho-tale"=hotel, she pronounces her l's very well and we love when she says words like "jelly", "silly". She also says, "Daw-de" when saying "Daddy" and one of my favorite things is when she is crying and upset and we say Anna, calm down, stop crying, she responds with "But my tears still make me cry" and a fresh set of tears roll down her face. Other cute phrases, "I want to be holded", "I felled over", "It's okay, Kyle, don't cry", "Bwice, whachoo doin'?", "Was that me or you Bwice?" that was said after a toot at the dinner table! If only I could bottle up her little voice, I would!

So, after all the princesses made their rounds, they had a parade with all the little girls in the restaurant. Anna didn't want to go at first but did line up and followed all the other girls around. She did well until the little girl behind her wanted her to line up straighter and tried to gently direct Anna. Anna wanted no part of someone touching her back and was a little upset after that. It was really such an awesome day for her and for me just watching her meet her favorite ladies. Little did I know that the most precious memory was about a day away.

I will post tomorrow about the rest of our 2nd day at Hollywood Studios and leave you with a typical Anna day.
-Usually wakes up around 6am
-Pancakes and pink chocolate milk for breakfast
-Loves to watch the Doodlebops
-picks out her own clothes and accessories to match
-plays very well by herself and/or leaves for school easily
-still naps about every 3rd day for about 1-2 hours
-rubs her Carly-bunny's ears to go to sleep
-rubs her own ear when Carly isn't around
-can take herself potty
-still not going through the night dry (will be bringing this up at her check-up)
-is a fairly good eater
-goes to bed between 7 and 8 each night depending on naps
-loves books and to be read to
-still loves for me to sing "You Are My Sunshine" and knows all the words
-such a sweet girl and will spontaneously say, "I love you."
-gives the best hugs...when she wants to
-still is feisty and spunky as the day she was born

Happy Birthday, Anna! We love you!

Disney-Dreams Come True

2011-12-12T21:45:00.000-05:00

I wanted to do a post tonight about Anna's birthday, or really just about Anna. I will do it soon and since Disney was really HER trip, then I guess I am killing two birds with one stone on this post. People... ahem, Kelly, are dying to see pictures so I will blog about our first day there.

Honestly, it started out a little rough. It was much colder than we anticipated on the first day there and our little Cinderella was frozen. We also learned a few things about Anna on this trip, the first being that she DOES NOT LIKE THE DARK. As soon as any of the rides would go dark or loud or both, the waterworks turned on. After the first half of the day though, she calmed down and started to get the hang of everything. We figured out what would be good to take her on and what would not be so good. Even Brice would get all nervous if a ride started out in the light and then progress to dark. As we all know, the girl has got a set of lungs and the whole dang park could probably hear her scream. Anyway, all in all the trip was amazing. While Anna has watched all those princesses' dreams come true, little does she know that she made all my Dreams Come True three years ago the morning she was born.

Walking up to the castle for the first time.

It's A Small World the first time...not so happy. After the ride though, she did ask to go back and we did.

On Dumbo! She loved this, in the daylight, nothing too loud, just her speed!

Wasn't so sure about the teacups the first time either but we did ride again on our third day there.

Meeting Alice in Wonderland. This really broke the ice for Anna. The first picture Alice was telling her that Anna looked like her with blonde hair and blue eyes. Anna thought this was awesome that she got to actually meet Alice, which she wasn't expecting to get to do. Later in the parade, as Alice was approaching, Anna turned to us and said, "She's waving to me!".

Had to get one of Brice and a sword. Even though this isn't from Harry Potter, he thought it was cool.

I saw on the map that they had "Meet Tinkerbell and her Fairy Friends". I didn't think Anna would care about doing this but, I was wrong! She wanted to meet as many characters as possible. Another thing we learned about Anna was that when she gets nervous, she puts her tongue up against her top lip and then looks to the side, very Princess Diana-like. Not sure of the fairy's name in the top photo but below is Tinkerbell.

A true smile, below, from my birthday girl.

And the point. She did this through every parade. We watched three parades while we were there. Two of which were the same parade but she loved it! As soon as she recognized someone coming, she would point and tell us who she saw. During the the daytime parade was the first time she saw Cinderella before actually meeting her.

I loved seeing all the Christmas decorations there. All of the flower beds were covered in poinsettias which to me are so pretty at Christmas time. Brice offered up this picture of himself so, here he stands in front of a huge Christmas tree and poinsettias all around the base.

Waiting for the Electrical Parade. Another one of my favorites and this one didn't disappoint! Anna loved the lights and again seeing "people" she recognized.

The wave was so cute. One of the top things I will remember from this trip. She would wave at anyone who waved at her.

Brice requested a picture of Smee, so here he is!

Here is Anna, anticipating the next float and scraping her nail polish off with her teeth. I couldn't figure out why a couple of her fingers had NO nail polish on them and the rest were still painted. This is why!

So, the first day at Magic Kingdom was a success. The kids were asleep in about two minutes flat after Anna bossed Brice around a little bit about the covers.

4 Month Stats and Comparisons

2011-12-06T21:02:00.000-05:00

We took Kyle to the doctor today for his 4 month check-up. He checked out very healthy but was unable to get his shots due to an increased temperature, from his little cold, no doubt. The doctor wanted his temperature to be below 100 and it was 100.1. So, I have to take him back next week for the yucky shots. Otherwise, he is very healthy and weighed in at 15 lbs, 12 ounces (63%) and 26.5 inches (90%). Big boy!! Here are some pictures of all three kids at four months of age.

Brice who was 14 lbs, 3 oz

Anna Claire, 11lbs, 5 oz

And, another picture of our big boy! He remains our easiest baby by far!
Very, very laid back and has such a sweet smile and voice when he coos.

Can roll from his back to his front and front to his back but won't do a complete roll at one time.

He is really pushing up on his arms this past week and looking around when he is on his belly.

He is wearing some 9 month clothes! What in the world?

He seems very ready to eat as when he sees us eat, you can tell he is taking notes. We will start rice cereal when we get back from Disney World, which I should be packing for right now but had to update all of you! Takes a six ounce bottle about five times a day. I stopped all nursing/pumping about two weeks ago. It was very hard and I was very sad about it. Of course, after today's visit to the doctor and finding out how much he weighs, I am pretty sure there is no way I could have kept up with this chow-hound! I just enjoyed the nursing the most with him and it went very, very well. It was definitely a bonding experience this time but I do feel as though I have more of my freedom back now as well as an improved mental state.

Can't wait to watch this little guy grow up but don't want it to happen too fast. He is quite a little joy to have around.

Four Faces for Four Months Old

2011-12-01T19:33:00.000-05:00

We don't take Kyle to the pediatrician for his four month check-up until next Tuesday but here are Four Faces for Four Months Old...say that four times fast!

Playing.

Taking a bottle, Brice took that picture.

Snugglin' on Pa during the UGA vs. Tech game

Watching the ornaments being hung on the tree.

The meaning of the Christmas Tree

2011-11-28T21:12:00.002-05:00

Thank goodness Georgia beat Georgia Tech because that meant Justin was in a good mood to go get our Christmas tree on Sunday! I put up most of the decorations on Friday and then Brice was chomping at the bit to get the tree up. I put up all the lights and then Brice usually helps with the ornaments. This year he had to learn that Anna is part of the family and can actually participate with the tree as well! A few years ago, in preschool, Brice made a craft into a Christmas tree and attached to it was

The meaning of the Christmas Tree

The Christmas Tree is an Evergreen tree

which symbolizes Everlasting Life.

The lights on the tree symbolize the tiny stars

that lit the sky the night Jesus was born.

The gifts under the tree symbolize

the "Gift" God gave us-eternal life and

forgiveness of our sins.

The ornaments symbolize the

strength and substance Jesus brought to us.

The Angel and the Star on top of the tree

symbolize the Angel who told the shepherds

of the birth of Jesus.

The Star symbolizes the North Star,

the star of Bethlehem, that led the wisemen

to baby Jesus.

The candles we light represent the light that Jesus brought to earth; Christ is the "Light of the World". By placing our gifts under the Christmas Tree we represent the wisemen and the gifts they brought to baby Jesus. We also represent the disciples because we are followers of Jesus Christ as we live our life for Him and we go out and spread The Word to those who don't know the story of Jesus.

This year when you put your tree up and enjoy it's beauty remember the meaning behind the tree and the meaning of Christmas!!

We Give Thanks

2011-11-24T20:46:00.000-05:00

This year we spent Thanksgiving with the Reynolds family at Justin's parents' house. My parents headed to Charlotte to see Blaire and Josh and we missed them. We did however continue with one of our traditions with my parents. On Thanksgiving they give the kids their annual Christmas ornaments and their outfits for Christmas. I love this tradition and have decided that you just can't force traditions, they just have to kind of happen. So, they came up on Wednesday to give them their gifts.

We headed down to the Reynolds' early this year and it was nice being able to spend the majority of the day there. We Give Thanks every year but Justin and I agreed that this year was special. Our family is complete and we have so very much to be thankful for. Robin's meal was delicious and the kids had a great time.

I think we all use the phrase, "Thank you" everyday, at least I hope we do but do we really mean it? Do we just use it loosely because we were taught to say it? I challenge you to really show God your gratitude during this season of Advent and maybe even say "thank you" to someone you wouldn't normally. Those two little words can mean so much..."Thank You."...and I want to say thank you to all of you who follow this little blog and leave your comments. I started it in order to keep friends and family update as well as to document all that goes on in this blessed life I am leading but wouldn't continue it if I knew no one was keeping up with us. So, thank you and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Pa and two of his grandsons

Anna entertaining us with her blankets

Aunt Kerry (Robin's sister) and Nanny (Robin's mom)

Nana and Brice having some one on one time, over a bottle of wine...kidding of course!

Pa and sweet Anna

Aunt Kelly entertaining Kyle. She is so animated and had him laughing so hard! It was so cute!

Precious Boy

2011-11-21T20:20:00.000-05:00

Our Precious Boy has found his thumb and isn't afraid to use it! He also loves all of his fingers when he is awake and always has them in his mouth. So much so, that he will gag himself! This is something new for my children as Brice and Anna were pacifier kids. Kyle will take a pacifier as well but when I go in to get him up in the mornings, he has some combination of fingers in his mouth or his thumb. This is great because it means I am not getting up in the night to replace his pacifier but it also means trouble down the road. I was able to take away a pacifier, but you can't take away his thumb off! I was a thumb sucker for too long! We will see what Mr. Kyle decides to do. As for now though, it is super cute and sweet just like he is.

Georgia BEE and Cousin Jack

2011-11-16T15:02:00.001-05:00

Addendum to Post: I realized this the other day when I watched Jack and wanted to post about it but then it slipped my mind when I posted. Jack could be mine, as in I could have had time to birth a child in between Anna and Kyle. Anna and Jack are 15 months apart and Jack and Kyle are 17 months apart. Can you imagine?? This makes me think about my great grandmother who had six children. The third, fourth and fifth were all born about a year apart. My Uncle Bud was born in May of 1920, my Aunt Norma was born in July of 1921 and my Grandpa was born in August of 1922!!! Do that math real quick. Holy Moly! No wonder she prayed the Rosary every day, the woman needed an escape!

Yesterday was Brice's play at school that he has been working on in music class. Not sure if you are familiar with the Frog and Toad series but that is what the play was taken from. I, myself do not know these books but may have to search them out and read the stories. It sounds really cute. Brice one of the BEES, Leader of the Bees in fact. This didn't mean he did anything extra but I guess the other kids were able to look to him if they forgot the words or the hand motions. I capitalize BEE because there are no yellow jackets in this household!! When he was told he had to wear a yellow or black shirt, he made the most disgusted face and said, "I don't wear yellow." I had bought him a yellow shirt which I promptly returned and let him wear his UGA shirt with black pants! He did a great job in the play...Brice is not the type to perform in front of a crowd so I was very proud of him for being as demonstrative as he was.

Our Georgia BEE

Below is a picture of the soldier that Brice made for their Veteran's Day celebrations. I was quite impressed with the school and all they did to honor our military. Brice came home from school knowing all four divisions of the military, they had breakfast for parents who were serving or had served and then a parade. They decorated the front lawn of the school using colored tissue paper made into the American flag. The kids in 1st grade then made their soldiers with the acronym for Veteran next to them. Brice's words for Veteran were V-very important, E-energetic, T-tidy, E-excellent, R-remember, A-Afghanistan, N-navy. Although, not all spelled correctly, they were all very close and a great description of our Veterans.

Next week the kids are out of school ALL. WEEK. LONG. Yes, all week. When I was a kid, I only got three days off for Thanksgiving. To me, this is just crazy but I guess it allows families to travel which is nice. That being said, both Anna and Brice have their school celebrations this week. Brice's "feast" was today at school and Nana had the honor of being invited. As many of you know, Nana kept Brice during his first four years of life when I would work and now she has been keeping Cousin Jack for almost two years. I knew that it would not be easy to keep up with Jack in an elementary school because he is a busy little dude and well, he's 21 months old, tomorrow. So, I offered to keep Jack, Anna and Kyle here at the house and let Nana and Brice have a little date at the feast. Anna's feast is tomorrow at her school so I'll post some pictures then. I am not around Jack as much as I would like to be so today I learned the following about him: he loves trains, and Mickey Mouse, he is a lover (liked jumping on Anna to hug her!), likes Ritz crackers and mandarin oranges, and has lots of energy!

Checking out the Percy and Thomas the Train DVD's. He looked at them multiple times!

Anna wanted a picture of her and Jack on the beanbag chairs. This was as close as I could get of the two of them while holding Kyle.

So, I now have ideas for Christmas for Jack due to what he liked here! Yay!

Funny Guy

2011-11-12T09:40:00.000-05:00

Please excuse my singing voice!!

Busy-ness of the Season

2011-11-08T21:38:00.000-05:00

The house is quiet right now. All three babies in their beds dreaming of basketball, Cinderella, and his next meal no doubt. I know these are the days that I will want to remember one day and the days that I won't be able to remember because I was so busy going from one mindless task to the next only to have the first task undone by one of the ones I was cleaning up after. First and foremost, I am feeling much better which is a must when there are three kids to take care of. My mom saved the day for me, of course, because that's what moms are for!!! She came up last Thursday when I was feeling so rotten and helped me to not drown in dishes, picked Anna up from school and then took Brice for a haircut. Thank you Mom from both Justin and I.

I have changed Kyle's evening schedule a little bit in hopes of having a little bit of each evening to myself or to spend with Justin and then of course, I am hoping that he starts sleeping longer each night. I am not going to lie, I miss nursing him. I am just pumping during the day in hopes of avoiding another bout of mastitis. I won't go into detail of how it all came about but I think I had been narrowly avoiding it for about four weeks! I am still nursing him in the middle of the night because it is much more convenient and am so thankful that he will still do it for his mommy and not just himself. I was so sad last Friday and Saturday realizing that this was it, it was over and he is my last. I couldn't believe I was so bummed about it because with Brice and Anna, I just got over it and moved on. I guess because it went so well with Kyle for so long that I was very proud of myself for not only sustaining him but giving the child some man-boobs!! He also has a couple rolls on his thighs that I am going to take credit for. And, for all I know, once I get some actual solid sleep, I may not be emotional about it at all... I have been trying to remind myself of all the things I can do once nursing is over.
These include and are not limited to...
-having an adult beverage
-wearing a regular bra
-wearing any shirt/top I want because I don't have to have access
-having my body back, completely
-not worrying about what I'm eating
-not worrying about not eating or drinking enough fluids (that is for me, a full time job!)
Anna and Brice were totally confused last week when I started giving Kyle a bottle. It was like it was all wrong and they had to look out for him! Anna has since started "pumping" which is so hilarious because, boy, she has been taking notes! Last night, her babydoll, Polly, was well taken care of including diaper change, and being fed a bottle of pumped milk! Anna was truly disappointed when I turned my pump on for her and nothing came out into the bottles, "Where is my milk, Mommy?"!!

And, with the Busy-ness of the Season upon us, I know it will be nice to be able to leave Kyle at home to go do things with the other two. Both Brice and Anna have feasts, plays, programs coming up. Not to mention a trip to Disney World with the older two and of course, Anna's birthday and Christmas! Many of my Facebook friends are posting what they are thankful for each day and I have so much to be thankful for as well. I am trying to remind myself that even though I am so tired I want to cry most days, I have three beautiful healthy, happy children who love each other. I have an awesome husband who does so much for me around the house, including getting up for bootcamp every morning and then coming home to get Brice ready for school and dealing with Anna's shenanigans! I have so very much to be thankful for and just need to remind myself of this. I am off to make lunch for Brice tomorrow, get myself ready for bed, and feed Kyle one more time in hopes that this meal will sustain him until 6am!!!

Totally random picture unrelated to the post.

3 Months Old

2011-11-03T15:41:00.001-04:00

Our little Kyle turned 3 Months Old on Halloween Day. He has been such an easy baby and my only complaint as of right now is that he is not sleeping through the night. We had a four night stretch of him going all night and then I guess the hunger pains came back and wake him every night around 3am. I am still nursing him, however, woke up this morning with what I think is mastitis. Both the advice nurse and my friend/neighbor, the lactation consultant agree that my symptoms were that of mastitis. The doctor's office was able to call in something for me so hopefully I can get it under control and start the weaning process as well. I made it to my original goal of Halloween and then would like for him to receive some breastmilk until four months. While Kyle has been my most exclusive breastfeeder I also don't want him to get shortchanged. I also like to keep nursing until they are sleeping through the night, just easier and always ready in the wee hours! We don't take him for a check-up this month, it will be next month right before we leave for Disney World. So, here is what he is up to...

-Eats usually 6 times a day
-Goes down extremely easily for naps, compared to other two
-Bedtime is usually around 8:30pm, wakes around 3am and then sleeps til 7 or 8am
-Has started laughing when tickled or finds something amusing
-LOVES to be sung to, especially "Pat-A-Cake" and "I'm a Little Teapot" (I'm sure you can guess who sings that one to him!)
-Still adores Brice and always has a smile for him, as well as Justin
-Has started smiling more at Anna and not just staring at her
-Has adjusted to the car seat and will actually give in and go to sleep now, Praise the Lord!
-If left on his back, he will rotate himself around
-Wears size 2 diapers but is quickly outgrowing them
-Wears mostly 6 month clothes, he is long, just like the other two
-Super sweet and extremely laid back, yet at the same time will let us know when something is up and is usually easily comforted

So, I will leave you with some more pictures from Halloween...

Anna decided that putting stickers on her pumpkins would be just as fun as carving it.

A funny skeleton face!

Sorry for all the Cinderella pictures but she just looked so sweet I couldn't get over it and you could tell she felt so special!

A little blurry but so sweet that they held hands, even if Brice was dragging her a little bit!

One of our neighbors gave her the wand and she has slept with it every night since and took it to school today. We think she likes it.

Didn't you know, Harry Potter is a Dawgs fan?!

Spooktacular!

2011-10-31T21:10:00.000-04:00

It was a very successful Halloween. I will upload more pictures over the next few days but here are a few. Also to come, a post on Kyle...he turned three months old today!

Phillies Win Championship

2011-10-28T16:30:00.000-04:00

Brice's baseball team played a great season, winning 14 games straight! They ended their season this past Tuesday night by beating the Reds to Win the Championship!!! It was very exciting to watch the boys' own excitement. Although, the coach promised them a trip to Dairy Queen if they did win, so I'm pretty sure they might have been more excited about eating ice cream at 8:00 at night. Justin was able to live vicariously through Brice that night as he had never won a championship game growing up. Kind of hard to believe with all of the sports he played! So, needless to say I had two pumped up boys on Tuesday night. Pictures from our evening...

Warming up for the big game.

Kyle and Nana, above. Kyle and Grandma, below.

On deck.

At bat.

A little attitude from a little sister. She was a trooper at all of his games and didn't lack for playground buddies with all the grandparents there. Aunt Kelly and Aunt Tamie also shared some play time with Anna. So thankful for all of their help throughout the season!

This is how Kyle spent every game except one. All the fresh air would knock him out most of the time.

Although it's hard to tell, the Phillies won 8-6. There are a couple bulbs out on the scoreboard.

The champs!

Kyle's first and I'm sure not last time on the field.

Holding his trophy!

Now, hopefully, the St.Louis Cardinals can do the same tonight in Game 7 of the World Series!!!

No Denying

2011-10-24T19:34:00.000-04:00

Justin cannot deny his children...especially this one...

In Other News

2011-10-18T20:06:00.000-04:00

I think about things to write almost daily and then never get around to it, mainly because I am so sleepy and would rather just stare into oblivion at the TV. Plus, now that our basement is finished, I find myself down there most nights so that I can actually see Justin on a daily basis!

Things are going very well here. Breastfeeding is going better than I could have imagined and I am thankful for that. We are headed to Disney World the beginning of December so I will probably stop at that point which I feel like I will be more than ready to stop. There are days when I'm about to call it quits just because I feel like I am tethered to a couch or chair. Although, I have become quite efficient at pouring milk or making a snack while feeding Kyle! And, then there are moments when I sit in Kyle's room feeding him and think about this precious gift God has given me and that I am able to keep him alive with my own body. Crazy, really, when you think about it. I have a handful of friends from different walks of life who delivered their babies right around the time I had Kyle and they have all been such a wonderful support. It's been nice to be able to bounce my thoughts off of them, even though I am running up the texting bill like there is no tomorrow. Sorry, Justin! Sometimes, I feel as though Kyle is my first baby and I don't know what I'm doing. I think that is mainly because I am so tired and all I want is for him to sleep more than an 8 hour stretch. I am constantly trying to figure out in my mind how I should work the logistics of the day so that maybe he will sleep all through the night. I know he is still so young though and he is growing rapidly so that only adds up to mean that he is not ready to sleep all night! Like Justin keeps telling me, "It's our 3rd, we know it gets better and easier." to which I usually respond, "I know, but I'm just ready.".

In other news, I resigned from Northside yesterday. Totally weird for me to "quit" something. Everything else in my life has just ended and I've gone on to the next stage of my life. This was me ending it. I will say though that I am at peace with my decision as of right now and the only part I feel bad about is that I won't be contributing to the family financially anymore. I am so blessed to have the option to stay home and know that many women would love to have the choice. In fact, the more people I tell, the more are happy for me and tell me "good for you" or "that's great". Even the manager at work said she was happy for me when I called her to let her know I would be staying home. I guess I thought I would be met with "What about your degree?" and "What if something happened?" but, I will keep my license current and feel as though I did not burn any bridges by leaving when I did.

Brice and Anna have been out of school on Fall Break and it was kind of nice having them home until this afternoon when I felt like Brice was my shadow all day. I finally called one of his classmates to come over and play for about an hour and a half and I am so glad I did! We didn't do much over the break, just a few things. We went to see my mom at work and then the kids stayed with my parents on Saturday night which is always so nice to have a mini-break. I actually got to watch the Georgia/Vanderbilt game! And, Brice and I have started reading the 3rd Harry Potter book. Not sure how we are going to get through it now that he goes back to school tomorrow but we shall see! We are enjoying the weather around here, nice and cool in the mornings and then pleasantly warm by afternoon. So welcomed after the scorcher of a summer we had.

That is what has been going on around here. Kyle gets cuter everyday and is smiling all the time. He adores Brice and is always staring at Anna as if he were thinking, "why is she so loud?". I have found him flipped onto his back a couple times now so the rolling is coming. Can't wait to watch him grow!

Belated Birthday Post

2011-10-10T20:10:00.000-04:00

Thursday was Justin's birthday and I wanted to do a post then but let's face it, I am busy! Cleaning the kitchen alone is quite a job with all of the dishes that we go through. And, Kyle isn't even using bottles yet! I am trying to stay on top of things so that the house doesn't become a total bomb but most of the time it looks like that anyway. I have also spent quite a bit of time at the doctor's office lately with sick kids and then took Kyle last week for his two month check up. I take Anna this Wednesday to get her ears checked and make sure all is clear there, so that will be three weeks in a row that they get to see our smiling faces! Kyle is healthy by the way, weighing 11lbs 15 ounces (48%) and is 23.75 inches long (70%). He got his vaccines and pouted for a moment and then we were on our way. He cries harder when in his car seat than when he got two shots so I don't know what to think about that. If you are wanting to see him or anyone in this family, you are going to have to come to us because the crying in the car is ridiculous! Anyway, we celebrated Justin's birthday with his usual cake that he loves. I make it for him every year and it is gone within two days, seriously. I think by the time Kyle gets bigger I will have to make two of them just for the boys in this house. The kids helped me make it and Anna was so cute wishing Justin "Happy Birthday" all day.

And to think, the sugar hadn't even been eaten yet and he is already jazzed up about it!

Kyle taking notes!

This cake is devil's food cake with sweetened condensed milk and caramel poured over, chocolate icing and then Reese's pieces sprinkled on top. Sugar overload!!!

I finished his cake on Wednesday night even though his birthday was Thursday. I wanted him to have the whole day to enjoy the cake and didn't even have a chance to take a picture of it whole! Justin dove in on Wednesday night! Happy Belated, Justin. We love you!!!

Update

2011-10-03T14:25:00.000-04:00

We are all on the mend, thank goodness!! Brice and Anna were back to themselves within two days of antibiotics and Kyle and I are also feeling much better. Kyle did end up with an ear infection so he has been on antibiotics since Friday afternoon. (Side note: I survived the grocery store with all three kiddos by myself including a stop at the pharmacy and Brice driving the cart (this is the most nerve wracking part!)) So, yes, Kyle still has a stuffy nose and it frustrates him and then he has a cough which I don't like hearing but...all in all we were able to enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend at Brice's baseball game. Hoping the weather sticks around because he has three games this week. We were also able to catch up on some sleep even though I do not look like it in these pictures...

Kyle's favorite place to be...up on my shoulder all wrapped up.

I didn't realize he was smiling until I uploaded this picture...little cutie! And, here is a comparison of our three kids that I put on Facebook (so most of you have seen it)!

Brice at 8 weeks

Anna at 12 weeks (different picture from Facebook but from same album)

Kyle at 8 weeks.

Now, Justin has been claiming that Kyle doesn't look like him like the other two do...I am making my case now that he looks MORE like Justin than the other two! What the heck? I put a lot of work into these three and they all came out looking like him! Although, I think I added the "cute". :) Pretty sure Kyle is going to be the blondest like....JUSTIN! Oh well, I wouldn't trade any of them for the world.

The Post I Don't Have Time For

2011-09-28T19:15:00.000-04:00

This is going to be short and sweet or maybe not, I may need to vent. I shouldn't be blogging, I should be cleaning the house up or making lunches or something more productive but I don't want to do those things and here I am on the computer composing a Post I Don't Have Time For. Kyle turned 8 weeks this past Sunday and I took a bunch of pictures and haven't even posted them. But, I have good reason. Anna came down with a nasty cold this past Saturday and then that turned into double ear infections. Brice came home Monday from school with a fever which turned out to be strep throat. And, now, Kyle has a stuffy nose and Justin and I are about to implode with the stress of having a sick infant in the house. The memories keep rising up and the tensions have been a little high around here today. I did take Kyle to the doctor today and right now he does just have a cold. We tested him for RSV and also drew blood for a white count. All looked good. I am taking him back on Friday to make sure he is still well before the weekend arrives. Anyway, I hate to wish time away but I want him to be bigger and older so I know that he can handle a cold. So, if you can squeeze us all in in your nightly prayers that would be awesome. I think it's been harder on Justin and I than it has the kids. As they always say, kids are resilient. Although, I do think Brice senses why Justin and I are stressed and constantly saying, "Get out of Kyle's face!".

So, here are some pictures of our sweet laid back third child. By the way, he has gained a pound in three weeks and was 11pounds, 9ounces today! I take him back next week as well for his two month check-up.

He has become quite the little talker just like his siblings. He and Justin can really get a conversation going!

I once read you should take pictures of your child upset just like when they are smiling because you will forget what their sweet little face looked like. I have a few of the other two being fussy and I do like having them. He was over the tummy time in the above picture, but that afternoon returned for more fun!

And, yes he is sleeping on his tummy. The American Academy of Pediatrics can come after me if they would like! Sweet Dreams.

Our Ballplayer

2011-09-26T10:19:00.000-04:00

Wondering where my firstborn baby went and who this big baseball player is! So proud of Brice and the season he has had with the Phillies. He has done so well in school and on the ball field this year so far. It's so hard for me to believe he is almost 7!!

Last Names

2011-09-21T10:22:00.000-04:00

Anna always wants to know what someone's Last Name is. I'm not sure why this is but I am usually asked once a day about somebody. The other day after Brice's baseball game, Anna stumped me, but only for a minute.

"Mom, what's Jesus's last name?"
"He doesn't have a last name."
"Yes he does, what is it?"
"Okay, well....Christ, Jesus Christ."

And, I'm sure you can guess what the next question was.

"What is God's last name?"
"Hmmm...Almighty, God Almighty."

So, if you are around Anna in the near future and she asks, that is what we are going with!

Seven Weeks

2011-09-18T15:10:00.000-04:00

A little clip of what Kyle is up to. He is Seven Weeks today!!

Itsy Bitsy Spider

2011-09-16T11:17:00.001-04:00

Found this friend in our yard yesterday. Of course, much to my dismay, Brice found it great fun to destroy the web after I took these pictures. He obviously hasn't read "Charlotte's Web". Anyway, I told him that wasn't very nice and was kind of surprised that he would do that being the animal lover that he is, but I guess the destructive boy side came out!
I haven't posted many pictures of him lately so here are some from playing outside yesterday when we discovered the not so Itsy Bitsy Spider...

Anna's First Day and Other Funnies

2011-09-12T13:36:00.000-04:00

Last Tuesday was Anna's First Day of school. She did very very well considering the life change we've had here. She of course wanted to wear her "Cindegrella" shirt to show Miss Mary. I don't know why she calls her "Cindergrella" but it is so cute and I don't care if she calls her that always! Anyway, I was so proud of what a big girl she was and how she just hopped out of the car and walked right in after a wave and smile goodbye. On Thursday, she was a little hesitant about leaving me but by the time we got to carpool, she was asking where the teachers were and when they were going to come get her. Here's to a fabulous year of preschool.

Anna is very witty and says some very funny things. On Saturday, Justin took Brice to the Georgia game and Anna and Kyle cheered on the Dawgs here at home with me. I told Anna we had to watch the football game and that it was where Daddy and Brice were going. She was interested after she knew that they were there. Every time the crowd was scanned by the camera, she would say to me, "I just saw Bwice!" which I knew wasn't true because Justin scored some awesome seats on the club level. Throughout the game, she had me laughing with her comments.

Upon seeing the cheerleaders, she commented, "Are they going swimming because those look like their swimsuits!". Maybe they need to rethink the uniforms!

Then, Russ (Uga's sub) was on TV, sleeping as usual and Anna says, "Why isn't he woofin'?".

And, my favorite was when they showed the Gamecocks mascot, and she looks at the TV and says, "Hey, mom, look at that chicken!". Very good, Anna, they are chickens!!! She rooted on her Bulldawgs with several "Go Dawgs!" and asking if the team was "going". I think her blood is turning red and black!

So, then Sunday night we are at dinner and someone (who will not be named but let's be serious we all know who it was) lets one slip. Anna looks up from her plate and says, "Was that you or me, Brice?". I just died laughing. It was like being in a nursing home with an old couple who can't even hear themselves fart anymore!

And the last funny out of her mouth for the weekend was Sunday evening. She always waits to do her business until AFTER I've put her in the bed. It's a great excuse to get out of bed and come see what the rest of us are doing. Anyway, true to form, she comes down the steps and says she needs to go potty so I help her get situated and leave her be. A few minutes later I hear, "I need help." So, I go in there to see what she needs and she tells me she needs help getting her poop out. I told her I couldn't really help her and she would just need to sit a bit longer and maybe things would happen. I leave. A few more minutes go by and then I walk by the bathroom door and hear her say, "I can't get this poop out, I need a policeman to come and help me." Okay, I'm sorry this is all about the bathroom but this was so funny I could hardly stand up. Where does my dainty little girl come up with this stuff!? And, if you know a police officer, tell him he needs to add this to his job description!

One Month Check-Up

2011-09-06T11:59:00.001-04:00

Kyle had his One Month Check-Up today and the boy has grown! He weighed in at 10lbs 8oz (57%) and measured 23 inches long (82%). I can't believe he weighs that much but it would explain why my back hurts after pacing the halls with him to get him to fall asleep! He only had his Hepatitis B shot and handled it very well. He was very alert for the Dr. and everything looks great. So happy and thankful for a healthy baby boy.

And, just for kicks, and you will get a kick out of this:

Brice-one month- 9lbs 1oz, 22in. (30%, 60%) Brice weighed what Kyle weighs now at two months!

Anna-one month-7lbs, 10oz, 21in. (15%, 47%) Not even comparable!!

Anna Tells a Story...Sort Of

2011-09-05T17:39:00.000-04:00

Here is Anna telling a story but she gets a little distracted by Brice...go figure.

little Momma, BIG Talker

2011-09-02T11:52:00.000-04:00

Anna has fallen into the role of big sister quite nicely. She lets me know EVERY time Kyle is crying, she loves to baby-talk to him, and then also likes to know what is in his diaper (not sure why she needs to know this but...). She is quite the little Momma and will say so as well, "I Maggie's momma and you my momma and Kyle's momma and Brice's momma". And then she will go on to ask who is my mom and Justin's mom and etc, etc. The girl talks non-stop, asking questions and telling stories and thinking she is ten years old. She is quite bossy at times but for some reason there are moments when even that is cute. For instance, "You come over here and read this book to me and then I will read this other book to you. And, you have to sit right here." (while she points to a specific spot on the couch. Don't even try to sit 1 INCH away from that spot or you will be instructed otherwise) Where she gets this from, I have no idea?!!! Yeah, right. I was the exact same way, even instructing my parents which direction to cut my sandwiches! So, she comes by it naturally, but there are moments when I want to scream! Of course, screaming at Anna only brings tears as she is very sensitive to raised voices. I love her but I am ready for preschool to start on Tuesday!

Here are some pictures of her being a mommy. She has only pulled her shirt up once and "nursed" her babies. I am kind of surprised with as much of it as she sees!

Talking to Kyle.

This is her doll, Maggie.

Rocking Maggie.

Wrapping her up in her pink blanket.

I could lie and say these were taken early in the morning but they weren't. She stayed in her pajamas all day this day. Some days are like that around here! And, I apologize for the blur. Not only is she a BIG Talker but she also never stops moving.

1 Month Old!!

2011-08-31T14:01:00.000-04:00

Kyle is One Month today and just the best little baby. He really has been so easy and so laid back so far. He has even gifted us with a couple of nights of good sleep going about 6-7 hours between feedings two nights in a row. He is breastfeeding very well and I'm anxious to go to the pediatrician next Tuesday and see how much he weighs. The kids both adore him and can't stay out of his face! He has started smiling back at us which is just the sweetest but we have yet to capture it on camera. I will definitely post a picture when I capture it.

Reasons I am Spoiled-#3 The New Car

2011-08-30T18:03:00.000-04:00

Reasons I am Spoiled-#2 Push Present

2011-08-27T18:48:00.000-04:00

After the birth of each of our children, Justin has done very well with Push Presents (whether I pushed 3 hours, 3 times or 30 minutes!). I have received a necklace for each baby a diamond cross for Brice, a tourlamine stone for Anna (her birthstone), and now this necklace for Kyle. Justin wasn't quite sure if he should buy something ruby (which is Kyle's birthstone) or the birthstone for August since he was scheduled to arrive on August 1st. I just love this necklace. Not sure if you can tell from the picture but it is gold with pink stones. Very summery for our summer baby. The plan is for the boys to give their necklace to their wife, if she wants it, and then for Anna to wear hers. I did not ask for any of these and was totally shocked when Justin gave me Brice's. I was also surprised to receive one after Anna because she was born so close to Christmas and Justin always does well with Christmas gifts. He does well with all jewelry I must say. I have never picked something specific out with him. I can give two or three hints if there is something I want and then he delivers, spectacularly! So, again, I am spoiled.

Reasons I am Spoiled-#1 The Basement

2011-08-23T19:38:00.000-04:00

I'll admit it. I am spoiled rotten. Justin works so very hard for our family and I reap most of the benefits. We just had our basement finished and it looks amazing. Justin designed the layout and picked out most of the "accessories" as well. I did help with the granite, tile, and fixtures but he has done most of the leg work. I am so excited to enjoy the football season this year from our new couch and TV. I will post the other reasons I am spoiled soon. Seriously, though, sometimes I don't think I deserve this life I live. It kind of makes me feel guilty sometimes. Very, very blessed.

Faking It

2011-08-19T20:02:00.000-04:00

Here is Kyle in the bassinet I have used for all three of my babies. Except, I've hardly used it for Kyle. The truth is, I cannot sleep with my babies in the same room as me. And, I don't think they sleep as well in the same room either. So, for these pictures, we are Faking It! That's right. I have pictures of Brice and Anna in this same bassinet that my parents gave to us when I was pregnant with Brice and I couldn't not have pictures of Kyle in it as well. After all, there is something so sweet and innocent and fresh and new about a little bitty thing in a white bassinet. During my nesting phase with all three of them, this was one of my favorite things to set up and dream about. A sweet little babe snoozing away all snug and cozy. Of course, Anna was brought back into our room after her stay at CHOA and slept in the bassinet again. In fact, when she was the age that Kyle is now, we were still in the ICU. I thought about this the other night while rocking Kyle and teared up immediately at the thought of how tiny she was when she was so sick. It is still amazing to me what her body went through and came out so strong.

Back to this baby though! Kyle is doing really well. He means business when he is hungry and has a nice loud cry to let us all know. At the same time though when he has a tummy ache or is refluxing, his cry is just pitiful. He has gone a couple of long stretches for me at night and I wake up at 2am feeling like I just got 8 hours sleep when all it's been is 4 hours but hey, I'll take it. There are also nights when he is up like clockwork every 2-3 hours. Ugh. I have fallen asleep in the glider a few times and woken up to him fast asleep in my arms as well! He loves to be snuggled or swaddled when he's ready to go to sleep. I am learning his cues as to when he's ready for a nap and I wrap him up and rock him and try to cherish these moments with him.

The other night I laid down in bed and started to say my prayers and I usually start my prayer with a "Thank you for this day and everything it taught me..." so I did the same this night and then I prayed that I would remember these days because they are so fleeting. As much as I want Kyle to be sleeping through the night and for me not to be so grumpy, I know I will wish I could remember each of these days when my babies were tiny and the weight of them on my chest as they slept was the best feeling in the world. I try to enjoy Kyle in the middle of the night when it's just the two of us and I don't have one of the other two asking me questions or singing me songs or...

So, the bassinet days are over already and Kyle is a big boy sleeping in his crib. Like this...

Since We've Been Home

2011-08-14T18:11:00.000-04:00

For the most part, things are as to be expected around here. I am half naked every three to four hours, the kids are running around wild, pulling every toy out of the cabinets and only needing something to eat or drink when I sit down to feed Kyle! Anna has learned how to take herself potty for which I am very thankful. I feel really good physically but have had a few of my pre-pregnancy headaches which are real doozies. I can't tell if they are hormonal or from the weather or just general stress as Justin has had a few headaches as well. He is super stressed to say the least trying to finish up the basement details which should be completed in a couple of weeks and trying to find me a car that will fit all three kiddos. He has been busting his rear since May really with house stuff not to mention he has a full time job and is trying to keep me sane with the kids.

Monday was a huge relief when Brice RAN to the bus for the first day of school. I was so glad there were no tears or anxiety. Brice is also playing fall ball and had his first practice this past Saturday. Anna is really sweet until Brice comes along and gets her going and she then becomes a crazy woman. She and I have watched movies, read books, played tea, cleaned the bathrooms, gone to Publix-at 7:45am one morning, and napped together. She is enjoying her time without Brice around and I am thankful to have it before she returns to preschool Sept. 6th.

Tonight is the first night Since We've Been Home that we haven't had a meal delivered. All I can say is that we have some seriously awesome neighbors who know how to cook! I have written down all the meals that have been delivered and will try to duplicate some for some new menu options. So, I think that just about sums up what's been going on around here. Here are some pictures...

Every Step of the Way, I Prayed

2011-08-09T20:35:00.001-04:00

Saturday, July 30th, two days until my scheduled C-section, I woke up in a good mood for the first time in a long time! I showered, got the kids dressed and off we went to collect the rest of Brice's school supplies and to Publix to fill the fridge. Justin, on the other hand was grumpy, so we left him on the couch to himself. The next day my aunt would be arriving to help with the kids while I went in for Kyle's delivery and I was so excited to have her there to distract me from Monday's events.

That night, Justin made us tacos for dinner. We put the kids to bed and he went out for some adult beverages for himself and a Cherry Coke for me. I had been having my usual contractions all day but they were the ones I'd been having for weeks. Not painful. Not regular. Just a little annoying. I sat on the couch and watched "Catch Me if You Can".

Saturday, July 30th 8:45pm- a real contraction, I thought. I glanced at the clock just in case another one came. This one was lower in my abdomen, the kind only ladies know about. Sure enough about 11 minutes later I had another one. And, so they continued sometimes six minutes apart, some times up to 11 minutes apart. At about 9:20pm, I said something to Justin. He'd had a drink and was enjoying his "buzz". Since he hadn't been in the best of moods, I wanted him to enjoy it, plus, I wasn't sure if the contractions would continue or not. So, his "buzz" had worn off and I told him I'd had about six or seven contractions that were timeable. I asked him if he wanted to have his parents just come up and spend the night in case it turned into something real and we needed to get to the hospital fast. I knew Robin would be in the car in one hot second! I was afraid they would get all the way up here and then everything would stop. Justin was calm but at the same time wouldn't allow me to get up off the couch! So, I just laid there watching the movie and timing the contractions. They weren't bad enough that I had to breath through them, just a little uncomfortable. Justin asked what I would need for the hospital and we both agreed that we should at least head to the hospital just to see if it was for real or not.

I called my parents to give them a heads up and let them know what was going on. They agreed I was doing the right thing and that even if I got sent back home, no big deal. At one of my last appointments, I told the doctor I was very anxious about having another delivery like Anna's. She told me to not be shy and just come on in if I suspected something. The entire pregnancy, especially at the end, I prayed that I would know if the labor was real or not. With my other two, labor began with my water breaking. I needed a clear sign like that again and luckily I did realize when something was different.

The Reynolds arrived around 10:15pm. We woke Brice (his request) to let him know what was going on. I was fine and calm the whole way down except I was shaking. Justin said I did this with Anna but I don't remember half of the 1.5 hours with her so...We were on our way and I called the hospital to let them know I was coming. When we arrived, they were having to clean a room for me. I sat in the waiting area contracting and chatting with my parents for a good 30/40 minutes. I prayed little Kyle was okay in there and that no harm was being done.

They got me to a room and checked me. 2-3cm, completely effaced and contracting every two minutes. So, guess what? I was staying. The same doctor that I had seen about feeling anxious was on and came in to see me. We told her that we would love to try and have a regular delivery but if at any point she felt uncomfortable to take me to the OR. The nurse started my IV and got blood work so I could get an epidural whenever I was ready. About 1:30am, I decided to go ahead and get the epidural. I was only 4cm and not in a whole lot of pain but I wanted to have the epidural in, in case problems arose and we needed to make a run to the OR for a C-section. There was no way I was missing out by being knocked out for my last baby.

The epidural was so strong. I got an immediate headache, felt nauseous, and couldn't feel ANYTHING below my waist. I tried to sleep, but instead prayed. I kept a close eye on Kyle's heart rate. I couldn't help myself. I prayed he would tolerate all of this, I prayed that the epidural would quit having so many side effects, and that it wouldn't slow my progression down. I prayed that he wouldn't poop before delivery ( not good), I prayed that his cord wasn't around his neck.

At 5am the doctor came in to check me again...4cm. What?! You've got to be kidding me. I felt a little deflated. Did I do myself a disservice by getting the epidural when I did? I couldn't think like that though. I was trying to make the best decisions to have the best delivery possible.

The sun rose and the day shift staff arrived, including one awesome labor and delivery nurse. I would not have had the experience I did without her. I truly believe she helped make it all happen for us. She was awesome. Turning me every hour, propping my legs up so that Kyle could make his way down, getting me ice chips. By the way, I was ravenous the entire labor. My ice chip diet hardly did the trick.

Sunday, July 31st 10am. Doctor arrives again and decides to break my water. A big step in my book. We now enter a new phase. Will Kyle tolerate not having a nice cushy area when I have these contractions? Will I deliver before a fever sets in and then we have infection risks? I am STILL 4-5cm.

11:30am- I call the nurse in because I'm feeling more pressure. She checks me and I pray that something has happened because if I'm still 4-5, there might be some words said. 8cm!!! Yahoo, progress!

12pm-Please come back awesome nurse, something is going on...10cm!! We did it. (I'm not sure at what point this occurred but I was in major pain having to really breath through each contraction. They were coming every two minutes with so much pressure and Justin was awesome helping me breath through them and relax on my "down time".) So now, Kyle is still very high and I feel as though I'm in labor with Brice again. I pray that he makes his way down. The doctor and I have decided that we are not going to push for 3 hours like I did with Brice because it does no one any good. I push a few times and the nurse says, he is still high, you need to let him come down on his own. But what if he isn't going to fit? She puts me straight up in the bed with my legs almost underneath me Indian style. Justin describes it as very zen-like.

I sleep a little and pray a little because I'm reaching my breaking point. How much longer will this go on? How much longer can Kyle tolerate this? Or me for that matter?

1:30pm-I call the nurse back in. I need to know the plan, how much longer they are going to let me do this. How much time do we give him to drop? The nurse walks in and without two words out of my mouth, she says, you're done, aren't you? She knew. Another reason she was so awesome. She said, Okay, let's try pushing again. I pushed through maybe three contractions and then she said, please don't push anymore, I need to get the doctor. The doctor was called, twice, much to Justin's annoyance, and I pushed twice. The doctor then told me to stop pushing so she could get her "garb" on. At this point, she was having to hold Kyle in! I pushed one more time to get his shoulders out and out he came at 1:58pm.

He cried immediately and they put him up on my chest. I suctioned him myself and then they took him to the table to check him out. It was worth every minute of those 17/18 hours. I did it. I had a regular delivery with pain medication! It was stressful no doubt, a mental game at times. But, Every Step of the Way, I Prayed. And, I got just what I prayed for...

Above, right before pushing...I told myself I'd look good for this delivery and so I put on make-up just before! Below, suctioning his mouth and nose.

Kyle's Arrival

2011-08-06T17:38:00.001-04:00

As you all know, Kyle is here!! He is now almost a week old and I can't believe it. He has been such a little blessing to our family. I will eventually write the chain of events for all of you who don't know the story. It was my longest labor yet but at the same time, the delivery I have always dreamed of. That probably sounds crazy to some of you but it's true. Right now we are adjusting to having three kiddos, getting ready for school to start for Brice on Monday and enjoying our last newborn. For now and for those of you who don't follow me on Facebook, here are a few pictures and his stats.

Kyle Patrick Reynolds

July 31st 1:58 pm

7lbs 12 oz (yes, I guessed right!) 21 inches

Take Your Guess

2011-07-30T08:03:00.000-04:00

We, are of course, highly anticipating the arrival of Kyle around here! And, one of the burning questions for the kids is what color hair will he have. Justin and Anna had a discussion about this the other morning. Justin told Anna that when she was born she had dark hair like mine and then it all fell out and grew back in blonde. Anna responded with, "I wanted pink and purple hair but Mommy's tummy messed up."! Oh well. I did my best, what can I say?! Brice really thinks he is going to have very blonde hair, as in white. I did have a dream that he was very blonde so we will see.

And, as much as I want to see what color hair he has, I am more interested to find out how much the little guy is going to weigh. The ultrasound this past Tuesday predicted 7lbs. 6oz as of that point so...Take Your Guess and let's see who should be playing the lottery! Our guesses around here are as follows:

Justin- 8lbs even
Jennifer- 7lbs. 12oz
Brice-7lbs. 8oz.

Also, the ultrasound technician said the measurements could be off up to a pound. So, I said, he could be 6 lbs, 6oz and she said, this baby isn't 6,6!

Even Though I'm a Pepsi Girl...

2011-07-28T16:34:00.000-04:00

...Justin dropped us off at the World of Coca~Cola yesterday in an attempt to keep us cool, entertained and close by in case Kyle decided he wanted to make his entrance. Justin had a meeting downtown that he needed to go to and figured this was the best way to handle all involved. It was nice to have the day planned for me! All Brice cared about really was getting to the taste-test part and really would have been happy had I gone straight to a Coke machine, put a dollar in and pulled out a good old-fashioned Coca~Cola. He did try about seven or eight different drinks from around the world and decided he just liked Coke from Atlanta the best. Anna took part as well trying only the "pink cokes", one that was acai berry and then another that was "more red". And Even Though I'm a Pepsi Girl and would prefer plain Pepsi over a Coke any day of the year, I do enjoy Cherry Coke. Although, due to a large bump on the front of me, I have not been able to eat or drink a lot (especially carbonation) the past few days without feeling very sick to my stomach. So, I tried a few drinks from around the world as well and then called it quits. We were there for about two hours and I think Anna had the most fun and she got in free! Her favorite parts were seeing the polar bear and then seeing all the pictures of Santa with his Cokes! Brice's favorites were trying the Coke, bringing home his own bottle of it to drink today, and seeing the Braves' display.

Clearly, Anna wanted to sit on this couch by herself. This couch was used on the set of American Idol during the 2005 season.

With his souvenir Coke!

It's Baby Time

2011-07-26T20:10:00.000-04:00

Today I had my last "baby appointment", ever. And, I do mean ever. Justin and I do not plan on having any more children. If I got pregnant again, there would be some serious issues in this house! Mainly because you would have to lock me up! I am very ready for this kiddo to come. While I do try to savor the kicks and rolls inside of me, I am very uncomfortable and emotional. I had a total breakdown this morning after waking up at 3:30am and not being able to go back to sleep. I am feeling overwhelmed at the thought of having three kids to take care of but I'm also feeling guilty that I can't "do things" with the kids now. I think Justin was actually encouraged by my little breakdown this morning (I cried for the length of my shower mainly because I was just so tired but also because I can't make Kyle come). He told me he thought I had been doing so well and that maybe I would just be pregnant forever. Not so much.

My C-section is scheduled for August 1st at 10am and I do hope to have a baby by 10:30am on that day. I have been asked if I would just want to wait it out and see if he comes on his own but I would like to be home and recovered some by the time Brice goes back to school on the 8th. Selfish??, Perhaps. But, as I told the doctor last week, I am looking forward to maybe having the controlled situation of a planned C-section. I will have child care. I will have pain medication. No, I am not looking forward to having major surgery and may need to be knocked out on Sunday night in order to get any sleep but what I went through with Anna was very scary for me and Justin and I do not wish to repeat that situation. Now, having said all of that, God will put me through what He knows I can handle and if he has planned for me to go into labor on my own, then so be it. Today, Kyle was measuring 7 lbs. 6 oz (give or take, they can be off up to a pound either way) so I am willing to try and deliver naturally if he is ready between now and Monday. And, when I say naturally, I mean Mother Nature's natural route but with some pain medication!

I feel as though I have kept everyone on pins and needles long enough and we are all just looking forward to meeting our newest addition. Everything around here is as ready as it's going to be. We have diapers, wipes, bottles, blankets, burp cloths, clothes, the car seat and one ready momma. All in all, I would say, It's Baby Time. I thought I would feel a little sad by today's appointment, but I honestly didn't. Maybe, I was just too tired to even feel emotions about it. I am sincerely looking forward to having this baby and raising my family, as well as having my body back! As of right now, I can't breathe, I pee every hour if not more than that, and a flight of stairs leaves me out of breath. I am hoping the next time I post, it will be of pictures of our new little man! My first-born is now calling for me to rub his legs, growing pains.

Kyle's Room

2011-07-22T14:31:00.001-04:00

Here it is-Kyle's room!!! Enjoy. Aubrey's pictures will probably go on the back wall where the crib and glider are.

View from doorway walking in.

Bedding made by my Mom for Brice, a long time ago...and now we get to use it again!

With Brice's room, I had used a lot of sailboat accents. Kyle got a new whale lamp shade and crib sheet, which the pictures Aubrey is doing will match.

Curtain also made by my Mom.

A Photo Shoot- "Do 'Dis"

2011-07-18T17:26:00.001-04:00

The other day when I was taking pictures of Brice's room, Anna saw the camera and said, "take my picture.". So, I did since she is still willing to have hers taken whereas Brice is NOT! She kept saying "do 'dis (this)" and then would make her next face while striking a pose.

Jack and Jill

2011-07-14T13:36:00.000-04:00

In our house, we have a Jack and Jill set-up on one end of the hallway. And, even though we have a "Jack" and a "Jill", the two "Jacks" will end up together sharing a bathroom. And, a dirty bathroom it will be in a couple of years! It did make it easy that Kyle was a boy since Brice already had one of the Jack and Jill rooms and the other was the playroom. All that was needed was to move the toys out in order to make Kyle's room, a bedroom. Otherwise, we would have had some major rearranging going on at some point in our lives.

I wanted to post pictures of Kyle's room but it is not quite complete. My sweet friend, Aubrey, who I went to college with, painted some pictures for Anna's room and I had some ordered for Kyle as well. Well, Aubrey, who was due August 1st with her second baby, up and decided that she needed to deliver a few weeks early! How dare she, right?! Obviously, nothing can be done about this and I will just have to wait for those pictures. So, in the meantime I am going to hold you over with some pictures of Brice's room. He is always rearranging his "things" on his dresser and the shelves on his bed. I will post pictures soon of Kyle's room without the "Aubrey pictures". You didn't think you were going to get to see all of it at once did you? This will keep you all coming back for more!

Brice is an animal lover as you can tell from all the animals placed high and low in his room, along with the pictures on the walls. And, yes, he still sleeps with Pi the panda bear every night. Shhh, don't tell him I told you.

"Whoa", "Holy Cow!". "Look at You."

2011-07-11T13:59:00.000-04:00

These are all phrases I am hearing a lot these days. People can't believe their eyes when they see me and my stomach. And, here is the thing, I still technically have four weeks to grow! But, I will be cheating a little and shortchanging Kyle a week inside of me. Yesterday marked 36 weeks, and I usually get really miserable at 37 weeks. I worked all day yesterday and while it wasn't horrible, it was just hard to move. Most people at work haven't seen me in quite sometime and here is what they got to see...

This last one is what I get to see...:) And it doesn't include my feet! Speaking of my feet, they are not swollen yet and I am still wearing my wedding rings. I am hoping to continue this as I did with my other pregnancies. Really, I have to say, I am feeling pretty good with the occasional shortness of breath. I am having more contractions this time around which I didn't have with Brice at all and very few with Anna. There are moments when I think there is just no more room for anything and then I guess I must stretch and magically, there is room!

I no longer can bend over very easily and find myself picking up most things with my feet. My meals are small and frequent most of the time unless I let myself get too hungry. I always regret eating a lot at one sitting though. So excited to meet little Kyle and trying to savor these last few weeks of being pregnant, despite the comments!

God Bless America

2011-07-07T20:18:00.001-04:00

While a lot of Georgia folk did not get to see fireworks on the Fourth this year due to bad weather, our neighborhood had their display on my birthday and we got to see them! I love fireworks and that my birthday is so close to the Fourth to make it feel like part of the celebration. My cousin Jonathan and his fiance, Mollie, came up to watch with us. They are now in St.Louis where they will be starting their lives together and wanted to say good-bye to the kids. We had such a fun time even though the fireworks didn't start til 10! That is one disadvantage to living in the Eastern Time Zone. Anyway, here are some pictures from our evening.

Pyros...

Yes, she is wearing a Valentine's shirt. I had a Hello Kitty red,white, and blue shirt on her but she needed to put this on after being asked to be in Jonathan's and Mollie's wedding!!

The line across his forehead? He did that on the water slide bouncy the neighbors rented for the party we went to beforehand.

Fireworks can be loud, but oh so pretty! For those of you who didn't get to see any, I'm sorry. So thankful to live in a country where we are free to celebrate our country and those who have fought for our lives. God Bless America!!

So Far Today

2011-07-02T14:56:00.000-04:00

Thirty-two years ago today, my poor mom endured the same type of labor I did with Anna. Fast and furious with no warning. She did not even make it to the hospital she was supposed to deliver at. That was in St. Louis at 11:44pm. So, officially, I am not yet 32 but So Far Today I've been treated really well as I always am on my special day. I've had Starbucks and presents and cake and flowers and it's not even 3pm yet! I've even had a nap.

These two were of course all about some cake. They could hardly finish their lunches they were so anxious. And, later today we are going to a Fourth of July party followed by our neighborhood's fireworks display. I am looking forward to the rest of the day and weekend.

Delivery Unknown-One Month and Counting

2011-06-30T20:05:00.000-04:00

I knew when I got pregnant again that it was risky as far as the delivery would go. I have had two fairly eventful deliveries and this one is yet to be determined. To say I am a little anxious might be an understatement. Every night before falling asleep, I just pray to God to take care of me and make the decision easy. Today, I heard from the scheduler that if Kyle does not show up on his own time, we are evicting him on August 1st via C-section. I will not be able to be induced due to risk of uterine rupture so that leaves one way to make sure he gets out! I think this will help me prepare mentally as well. I know I will no longer be pregnant after August 1st. Knowing this will help me out tremendously when the last two weeks of July come around and I want to cry every time I move because there will be no more room anywhere in this body of mine.

As most of you know, Anna came in a big rush and on her own time leaving very little decision to be made but at the same time plenty of room for worry in my mind. All I could think about was if she was alright inside me while my body did it's own thing ready to force her out with some pretty strong contractions. While I do want to have another regular delivery, I know all too well the risks posed to Kyle and myself should one little thing go wrong. I have heard the stories, and taken care of the babies this has happened to. My chances of having a regular delivery are higher due to the fact that I did it with Anna but I am having a boy and it is my third which makes his chances of being my biggest baby high. Brice was almost a full pound bigger than Anna and two inches longer. If Kyle follows suit, I am guessing he may be near eight pounds. We shall see.

So, I have already laid out clothes for the kids and contacted neighbors to be ready for our Delivery Unknown. I guess in my heart I do not feel that Kyle is going to come in the same manner that Anna did but also feel like he may want out before August 1st. FYI, I will be 39 and 1 weeks on that day. Brice came at 39 and 3, Anna at 38 and 3. She also came on the full moon which falls July 15th and 16th. I don't forsee him showing up that weekend. I just see myself going into labor and being able to make a timely decision once child care is secure for the other two and we have time at the hospital to make a good decision with no harm done to either of us. Ideal world, right? And, while I'm dreaming, I'm going to have time to put on a little makeup after a shower, be wheeled to a REGULAR L&D (not the OR) room where he will actually be born and then all the family will get to come in right after to see him. Oh, and don't forget that lovely thing called the epidural because I will for sure be getting one of those! Also, this time, I will make tons of breastmilk that will fatten him up and we won't have to worry about a skinny baby who needs to be supplemented. Oh dear, I do hope I haven't set myself up for major disappointment...

I say all of this half-joking because I know this is it. The last round, the last time for everything to go according to plan. In reality, however, what I want most, is a healthy baby who completes our family. One Month and Counting!!!

Last Time

2011-06-22T15:11:00.000-04:00

Riding the waves...so fun!

Digging another hole

In the condo before dinner at Captain Anderson's.

Brice in front of the boat he went on and caught all his fish. He was so proud to show all of us the boat and how big it was.

The girl finally got the hang of walking in the sand about two days before we left. Notice the posturing of her hand, so dainty.

Pa and Brice out on the banana boat.

After dinner at Schooner's Anna asked to go in the sand! We weren't about to say no.

There were tons of pretty shells washing ashore.

I love these pictures of Justin and the kids as they capture him in his most relaxed state doing his favorite job, being Daddy. I feel bad that he didn't get a Father's Day post as he is such an awesome dad and would do anything for his kids. Both Anna and Brice adore him and want to be like him. They run to the door when they hear the garage open, an obvious sign that he is missed when not home. I am so thankful for the father that he is and that he is able to bond with his children on a daily basis.

Bringing me a shell...

And, Jack adores Brice, this is one of many hugs that Jack laid on him. Brice told Robin and Larry that he could be like Jonathan is to him...(Jonathan, are you tearing up?) Lots of love in this family!

This will be the Last Time, promise. I took 171 pictures so consider yourselves lucky! :)

I Told You...

2011-06-21T13:36:00.000-04:00

I Told You to be ready for some pictures... here are some more...

Blowing bubbles with Nana

With her new kickboard and below telling someone what to do, no doubt

Being silly in the condo

Brice's catch...he, Justin, and Larry went fishing and caught 15 fish. The swells got a little high at one point so Brice had to take a break inside.

Stinky red snapper! But, Justin fileted it and we cooked it that night, the boys said it was good. I took their word for it.

Stylin' and Profilin'...it's more about the fashion for Anna.

Fun at the pool.

Get Ready For Some Pictures

2011-06-20T21:09:00.001-04:00

We made it home safely from the beach yesterday afternoon and had a wonderful, wonderful trip. Brice did not stop moving the entire time we were there whether he was swimming, digging, or some where in between. He is quite bored today actually. We wore ourselves out to say the least. Poor Justin didn't have the best of Father's Days driving us home and then dealing with all of our exhausted states. But, I will say, he handled it well and that is one of the reasons we love him so! Anna went in the sand one of the first days we were there and then decided that it wasn't really for her until the last two days. She would get to the edge and stop dead in her tracks and say, "Pick me up!". For me, this was not easy but I must say I did better than I thought I would as far as my back. We have been on beach time for the past nine days and it is now Kyle-time! I have several things I need to get done for him after we get settled back in...which I've been trying to accomplish today. But for now, Get Ready for Some Pictures here, Facebook and on Kodak Gallery. I apologize if you have to look at the pictures twice or three times. I will upload a few each day until you can't take it any more!

The first day down on the beach...she let me do her hair and everything!

Let the digging begin...

Anna didn't feel like she was "in" the sand if we sat her on a blanket.

Don't let these pictures fool you...the next day she wanted nothing to do with getting sand anywhere on her body.

Jack, however, walked anywhere and everywhere, usually with a shovel in hand!

Ready for dinner

Waving like a princess..

"Wanna race?"

Brice accidentally got sand on her arm and you can see the reaction. I love the way he is looking at her like "What is your problem?"!

We ate a lot of ice cream!

Anna likes "pink" ice cream, just like everything else in her world.

The kids thought these phones were cool..go figure. We asked Brice to hang it up and he said, "How? There is no red button.". We had to explain where the expression, "hang it up" came from.

She called lots of people on these phones.

A Memory

2011-06-09T20:02:00.000-04:00

There are so many things that I want to remember my kids doing at the ages they are now. The things they say and do are just priceless and that is one of the reasons I hope I will continue to blog. It is such an easy way to document the cute things they are up to and for me will quickly become A Memory because they will be off too soon doing bigger and better things. Acting more and more like adults everyday which is of course the definition of successful parenting but at the same time, it happens so fast. I think with Kyle on the way and Anna being much younger than Brice was when she arrived, I am a little afraid that I won't remember the little things she says and does on a daily basis.

Every morning for breakfast, Anna requests "pancakes and chocyate mellllk" unless of course we have "bissets" (biscuits). She eats her five or six mini pancakes and then I get out my breakfast...

"What you havin'?", she asks. I point to my cereal and say, "What is this?" because I know she knows since I eat it everyday. "You havin' pink cereal?".

And, anyone who is a parent knows what's next out of her mouth..."I can have some?"

The answer is always yes and then we share my cereal. I spoon it into her mouth like a baby bird and she climbs up on my lap and hugs on me. I love it even if we are sharing germs!

Summertime Spoiled

2011-06-06T14:04:00.000-04:00

Over the weekend I took this funny video of Anna interviewing her about her love of Cinderella. The video will not load much to my frustration. Justin then forwarded me this article about drowning and I thought I would share it with all of you since I know a lot of you are moms. And it is much more important than "Cindergrella"!

Drowning is so scary. This story is based on my memory of being a girl so it may not be completely accurate. At the same time, I have never forgotten it. When I was about seven and my sister was about four, we almost drowned at Stone Mountain. I think there used to be a lake or some body of water that you could swim in. Anyway, we had just moved to Georgia and so my parents took us there for a day of fun and of course it was hot. We were playing in the "shallow end" or at least the part where we could touch. I would say the water came up to my waist and probably her chest. I told her to get on my shoulders or back and we could swim around. I walked about two more feet out and hit a drop-off. We both went under. Blaire was still not a strong swimmer and began to struggle and while doing so was pushing me further and further under the water. I can still see the image in my mind of her being on top of me and the water over my head. I had on a blue and white striped swim suit with red trim and the words Coca-Cola scrawled down the left side. Blaire had on a red suit with Snoopy on the top across the chest. With the water over my head, and the bright sunshine shining down, I could see the reflection of my suit at the top of the water. After trying to push her off of me to get my own breath and clearly realizing what was happening, my dad was there, pulling us out of the water. He had had to run down the beach area. We weren't playing right in front of him and my mom as it was so crowded and they were sitting down a little ways. If my memory serves me correctly, I was probably only under the water 30-60 seconds, if that. But, according to this article, that is all it takes for your Summertime to be Spoiled.

http://blogs.ajc.com/momania/2011/06/06/drowning-doesnt-look-like-tv-drowning-signs-you-need-to-know/

As most of you know, Anna took Infant Survival Courses last year for the water. She loves and adores playing in the pool, but I still wouldn't trust her. If you are interested in classes for your little one go to www.infantswim.com. It does teach them to respect the water and how to float at a young age. While I don't trust her completely, I still know that she would have a little extra time to get on her back if she fell in a body of water. Sorry this is kind of a downer of a post but I thought it was an important subject. Have a safe summer! This week I am getting ready for our beach trip, can't wait!! Here are some pictures of Anna making funny faces...

30 Weeks...Things I am Looking Forward To

2011-05-31T14:53:00.000-04:00

With my other two pregnancies, making it to 30 Weeks was such a relief. Out of the 20's and into the 30's brought me piece of mind. But, I am greedy! Now I want to be 34 weeks, because I know all too well what goes on if a baby comes too early. While this was my easiest pregnancy in the beginning, I must say it is becoming my hardest the bigger I get. We are now into our second week of summer and I feel like I did well last week planning things to do with the kids but boy, my back is screaming at me every night. I think I planned out the summer well, having Brice in a camp one in June and one in July. I still do feel huge although Justin has assured me that I don't look it. People have continued to make comments on my stomach and I just try to let it roll off my back and not worry about it. Here is what I look like...

And here are some Things I am Looking Forward To:

-the beach
-getting Kyle's room ready
-laying on my stomach again
-laying flat on my back again
-adult beverages
-seeing sweet Kyle's face
-showing Brice and Anna Kyle for the first time
-having my body back (although this will be a while depending on how long nursing lasts)
-getting the basement finished
-running around with the kids again because I can I won't fear going into labor
-adult beverages, did I already say that?!
-my birthday

You get it, while I am not miserable (yet, usually around 37 weeks) I am feeling the weight more and more each day.

Zoo Atlanta

2011-05-24T20:56:00.000-04:00

My friend Whitney and I planned a zoo trip for today with the four kiddos. This makes one six year old, two two year olds and an infant. We had a great time! The kids loved it and were so excited to see the animals. The zoo is not close in distance for us so once we finally arrived I said, "We're here!" and Anna squealed and then yelled "Elephants!". She and Brice enjoyed all of the animals and all of the kiddos were well behaved with no meltdowns. Even sweet baby Brady did awesome (when I say infant, I mean he was born April 2!). So, here are some pictures of our day. The other hit of the day was getting a panda stamp on their hands which they all wore proudly throughout the zoo. You will see the picture below of Brice and Tate showing off their stamps.

The mama lion is hiding in the trees below. She actually got up and repositioned herself. Of course all Anna could say was, "I can't see her face." I was just impressed that the lion actually moved in this heat!

The gorillas gave us a good show with this mama and her baby, then two "teenage-looking" ones were playing with a toy passing it back and forth. The mama and baby were then playing with another gorilla who seemed to be tickling the baby while the mama held on to baby's leg. After that, we saw two of the silverbacks and one beat his chest. Brice was so excited to have seen this and was then trying to get the gorillas attention by beating his own chest. Boys...

My two gorillas...

what you have to look forward to on next year's Christmas card!

Brice thinks he is an animal, climbing the trees. He then got in trouble for doing this by one of the zookeepers.

Brice's favorite!!! Panda bears. Below is another mom and baby duo, although you can't see the baby in this picture. The baby just put it's head down and fell asleep I guess because you could barely see it in the hammock.

Then the daddy came out and decided to have some bamboo. Brice was in h-e-a-v-e-n! He told me he wanted to stay all day in the Panda Exhibit.

Panda Stamps!!

Riding the train with our new "camera smile".

Two kids asleep on the way home, need I say more? My new goal for summer, wear these kiddos slap wore out!

Brice swore he didn't fall asleep...I'll let you be the judge...

Kindergarten Graduation

2011-05-23T20:53:00.000-04:00

Last Friday was the last day of school and with it came Brice's Kindergarten Graduation. He then talked us into checking him out of school and hanging out the rest of the day. Since then, he has been to a Gwinnett Braves game, and gone to the pool twice. Today we went like gangbusters all day long. Both kids were up at 6:15am and didn't stop much (well, Anna did nap). Let's see, we got up, did some laundry, worked on Brice's chore list (oh, yes, he has one), took Anna to swim lessons then went immediately to our pool for a couple of hours, came home and "rested" (I use this term loosely when it comes to Brice), read a chapter of Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone, went to Fed Ex to ship someone's forgotten sport coat, and then went to swim team practice for Brice. For those of you counting, that is three pools in one day. Now do you get my blog background?! Tomorrow we are headed to the zoo to sweat it out with the animals.

But, here are the decent pictures from graduation. All the other ones are pretty hazy with red eyes. We weren't terribly close despite Robin and Larry getting there thirty minutes early to save seats. I heard from another mom that someone came in two hours before and saved the first two rows...umm, rude!

Walked across the stage to get his "diploma" and then dropped it right back in the basket! He then asked where his actual diploma was before we were about to leave and his parapro said, "Oh, they were just rolled up sheets of paper."! He did get a certificate which is hanging in his room right now!

Brice with his teacher, Mrs. Blaylock. She was wonderful and we will miss her!!

All About Brice

2011-05-18T14:15:00.000-04:00

First let me say thank you to all of those with encouraging words about the pregnancy from the last post. I truly appreciate it. I was not fishing for compliments, I was just venting a little bit. As all of us ladies know sometimes it doesn't matter how you look but how you feel. I know that there is nothing I can do about what number is on the scale and that I am going to have to continue to eat during this pregnancy. In fact, I am eating right now because, well, I'm starving. I remember being 28 weeks with Brice and Anna and being very hungry as well. Babies must pack on something extra during this time and I am truly blessed to have such healthy pregnancies. Anyway, thank you, thank you.

That being said, I wanted this post to be All About Brice. He has two days left of kindergarten and then I will have a first grader in the house. This feels very old to me. He has done so well this year and I'm so proud of him, taking on new challenges, managing the growing pains (which are about twice a week at night :(), and losing teeth. As the school year comes to a close this Friday, I thought I would post some pictures of his baseball trophy and completed art work. These are two things that Brice loves. He walks around the house swinging an imaginary baseball bat and when he isn't doing that, he is drawing something. He told me this past weekend he couldn't decide if he wanted to be a zookeeper or an artist when he grows up. This is so Brice. He loves animals as well and they are usually the subjects of his drawings. Justin and I have talked about that fact that we can see him doing something he absolutely loves when he grows up but that being something that doesn't necessarily make a lot of money. Artist? Teacher? Or maybe a Zookeeper?! He has a strong, gentle soul and is so very mature about so many things.

His baseball coach described him as "intense" and this is such a good word for Brice. He has been this way since Day 1 of his life. We have pictures of him with a furrowed brow as an infant even, as though he was already concentrating on what needed to be done. Brice had an awesome season and did improve on all areas with help mainly from Justin. I can't say we had the best coaching staff this year as far as working on the fundamentals but they are only 5 and 6. We went to a pool party for the boys on Sunday, it was so windy and chilly. Luckily, the pool was heated but when it came time for trophies and cake, none of them wanted to get out and I don't blame them!

Shivering and waiting...

The head coach reading his stats.

The trophy is now in his room and he put one of his game balls in the glove. He is trying to receive as many trophies as Aunt Blaire. I think the number to beat is 33.

And, the artwork. He has loved art this year at school. They didn't bring any of their projects home until yesterday. He was so excited to pull it all out and show us. There was more but I only took pictures of a couple.

This one below he was especially proud of and I will be getting a frame for it.

Kindergarten Graduation is Friday so I will have pictures soon of that. Hopefully, he will smile for me!

28 weeks...No Picture but a Name!

2011-05-17T16:03:00.001-04:00

On Sunday I hit the 28 week mark! My last trimester of my last pregnancy, bittersweet, I must say. I am feeling good for the most part with still the occasional lower back/sciatic nerve pain. Emotionally, today has been a tough day as the scales were tipping and not in the direction I wanted them to go. Add on top of that my neighbor that hasn't seen me in awhile and his face said it all. So, there have been some tears today and therefore, I will not be including a picture. Sorry to all you curious fans. Today at my appointment, we got another peek at our sweet boy (who looks like Brice) because my placenta was low at our 20 week appointment. Today, all is measuring well so for that I am thankful. In a nutshell, if the placenta is too low, it can cause risks with a regular delivery which would guarantee a C-section. Since I have been planning on that anyway, it would not have been a big deal for me if it was still low but now if I do go into the labor in the same fashion as I did with Anna I won't have that to worry about as well. Pretty sure that was a run-on sentence. Sorry.

Anyway, he was measuring 2 pounds 11 ounces which puts him in the 50%tile. A quick reference to babycenter.com when I got home said that most babies are 2 and a 1/4 pound at this point. Hmmm, not sure what to think except that this boy is going to take after his father. After speaking with the doctor (same one who delivered Brice, that I love, respect and really want to deliver this one), we will do yet another ultrasound at 38 weeks and if he is measuring bigger than 7lbs, 8oz, we will make sure the C-section happens. So, after that conversation I felt better and worse. Better knowing that we may have a definite plan, worse that I may definitely be having major surgery. This may or may not have added to the tears today in addition to the fact that Anna is done with school and Brice has three more days. Yikes.

On to the fun part... the name! As soon as we found out he was a boy, Justin and I mentioned the same name to each other. I thought this was going to be so easy. Then Justin became wishy-washy about it and mentioned other names. Names I liked but I still liked the first name best. I thought of him as that name and the other names we talked about weren't measuring up in my mind. Justin would act set on a name so I would try to get used to it over the next couple of days and just when I thought maybe I could call him that, Justin would say, "No, how about this?"! Finally, I told him I was sticking to my guns. Justin ran the scoreboard or kept the books at Brice's games depending on whether we were home or away and Mother's Day weekend noticed the name on the roster for the other team. I guess seeing it in print was enough for him and knowing how much I liked it. He sent me a text after the game (we rode in separate cars) on the way to dinner....

"Kyle Patrick Reynolds it is. Final answer."
So that was it. Our little man will be called Kyle. And we can't wait to meet him come early August! If I get over myself soon, I will take another belly picture. Until then, I'm big, I feel big, I look big so you don't have to say anything if I run into you on the street. My mind set will be "It's all for Kyle." until he shows up!

Field Day

2011-05-15T09:22:00.000-04:00

Tell me you remember your Field Day. How much fun it was to have a day playing at school for half the day. Brice had his last Wednesday on the hottest day here so far in the hottest part of the day. But, I was so excited for him, despite the awful color his class had to wear! He raced in four events individually and then they had a couple class events.

My friend said he was trying to not let the orange touch his body too much in the picture above!

He took 1st place in the sack race! So proud.

A hug from his buddy Jarrett.

Anna loves going to see Brice at school whether it's for lunch or any event. She did well withstanding the heat. We did however leave a little early before he did the 50-yard dash (2nd place) and the 50-yard relay to get out of the heat.

Getting ready for the hula hoop race.

Passing the hula hoop to his friend Ella. Apparently, these two get along fabulously. His teacher told me they are always talking and giggling together. I asked him later about it and he told me "Mom, Ella is really funny."

Blaylock's class takes 2nd place, Hooray! (And that is a big hunk of sunscreen hanging from his eyebrow!)

This was the last event I stayed for, the Ostrich Egg Race. I think he now knows how fun Field Day is and will look forward to it next year. Hopefully, then we will have real May weather and not July weather for it since I'll have two other kids to sweat it out with!

Another quick story, mainly for my own memory. The four of us were hanging out doing puzzles and Justin and I were telling Brice how smart he was. Justin said, "Does your brain ever hurt because you think so much, Brice?", just trying to be funny. Brice responded, "No, but it does get really hot sometimes."!!

Mother's Day Weekend

2011-05-11T14:00:00.000-04:00

I know it's already Wednesday and I haven't even blogged about the weekend. We have been going full steam ahead with after school activities overlapping. We are riding out the end of baseball season and Brice has decided to do swim team this year so we've started indoor practice. Combine that with holidays, graduation, teacher appreciation week and what not and this month is crazy. I have until May 22nd off of work so that is nice to not have to worry about. I am calling it my May-cation. I was a bad mom and didn't take my camera to either of my kids' Muffins with Moms. Needless to say, we are all very tired around here when 7pm rolls around. I didn't ask for anything for Mother's Day. I just enjoy seeing the kids faces when they bring me the card they made or the flowers they picked out at the store. Justin got up with the kids Sunday and cleaned the downstairs. I laid in bed awake just listening to Anna's little voice and Brice telling her a million times to "be quiet, Mom's sleeping" and her responding "No, I want to be loudy.". Justin then intervened and she decided to yell at him which caused a time-out for Ms. Thang! I decided to go ahead and get up at that point and then Justin took the kids to Starbucks for my favorite white chocolate mocha. Yum.

We ended the day by going to my mom and dad's for a short visit and then to the Reynolds's to celebrate with Justin's mom, Larry's mom and Robin's mom. Poor Kelly was and still is under the weather and didn't want to spread her germs. I did bring my camera but didn't take one picture. Sorry!

I have been trying to think of something really meaningful and tear-jerking to blog about but I'm just not coming up with anything profound. I am proud to be a mommy. It is exhausting from Day 1, physically, emotionally, and mentally. I look at other moms and wonder how they do it and do it well. Everybody's "mom situation" is different and we all do what we can and take what God gives us.

I was reminded again just how very blessed I am on Saturday. As most of you know I volunteer for the foundation that was started in honor of a little girl I took care of in the NICU. Zoe Rose Memorial Foundation. On Saturday, they held their third annual golf tournament in order to raise money for the foundation. This year, Keira, Zoe's mom, wanted to have an isolette there with a doll inside in order to show the golfers just what it is like to live the life of a NICU parent. She asked me to see what I could do in order to have the real life experience in the golf club. With lots of emails and phone calls, this is what the result was:

How did I do? Minus a few other huge machines that seem to dwarf a premature baby even more, this is what those families look at for sometimes months at a time. A few of the other volunteers there are moms to preemie graduates and they all said they had chills looking at this again and re-living the NICU experience. The golf tournament was a success this year and we hope to have even more come out and play next year. You can visit the link on the left to read more about Zoe Rose.

When I arrived home from the tournament I went upstairs to rest for a few minutes before Brice's baseball game. Anna woke up shortly after I laid down and was talking to Brice and Justin. That little girl ran into my room with her arms above her ahead and a big smile on her face, "Mommy's home now!". She quickly climbed up onto the bed and into my arms. She took my face in her hands and said, "We got you fwowers. I got you pink ones and Bwice got you wed ones!". That was the best memory right there!!! Justin and Brice were both a little bummed that she had spilled the beans but Brice quickly ran to where he had hid them and brought them in. They both picked out the flowers by themselves and both so perfectly reflect each child. Three red roses from Brice-neat, fresh, simple. And a bouqet of pink wild flowers from Anna-colorful, bright, and slightly wild!

Hope your Mother's Day Weekend was as blessed as mine!!

Buying Time

2011-05-08T22:18:00.000-04:00

Here is a video of Anna "reading". I am just buying some time until I can blog about this past weekend which was so wonderful! Enjoy.

Baseball 2011

2011-05-01T15:38:00.000-04:00

We have plenty of baseball seasons ahead of us with another little guy coming along. I realized last week that I didn't have many pictures of Brice playing this season so I tried to catch up a little during the past two games. It hit me that one day I will be going through these pictures for his senior page in the yearbook, trying to pick which one I like the best. I also like to capture Anna during these games because she will be spending a good portion of her life at the ball fields as well. I am pretty sure she equates baseball with "sliding and swinging", both things done IN a baseball game (sliding into home and swinging the bat) but she would prefer doing those things on the playground with all the additional fans that make it to Brice's games. Here are some pictures from the past couple of games...

our fashion girl ready for the game with boots on the wrong feet and a runny nose. We've had some rough weather during a lot of Brice's games so I've had to pack the whole coat closet!

The following pictures are from Saturday. It was so beautiful out and we were so thankful for "baseball weather". Here is Anna in the scorer's box with the men, something I have a feeling is not going to change!

In the last inning, Brice lead the team off with a great hit and then batted in the winning run!!! So proud. :)

checking out his snack. This boy devoured his dinner after the game and then ate this snack! Below, Anna runs off more energy with Grandad.

Brice with his game ball. He is so proud of these as he should be. All the game balls he has received are sitting on his dresser and he counts them as "trophies".

We only have a few games left for this season including the tournament. Looking forward to many more fun memories on the ball field!

Easter 2011

2011-04-25T13:47:00.000-04:00

We had a busy Easter day! Going through our baskets, church, lunch with the Reynolds' and then dinner with the Ruffin's. Justin and I went to bed at 8:30 last night and Justin was asleep before both kids! The only reason I stayed awake was to turn off lights and close doors after everyone fell asleep. I did not get a family picture which I wanted but, Anna was not in the mood for us to tell her to do anything. We barely got her Easter dress on her and I wasn't going to push it!

Silly String from the Easter bunny.

Anna's favorite goody was the Mickey Mouse bubbles.

Collecting eggs. Brice was such a sweetheart the whole morning, sharing the hunt and letting Anna get the pink eggs. He was also the reason we finally got her dress on her. This kid is a better parent than some of the ones I see in the NICU!

"Egggggsss!"

Chocolate Marshmellow egg for breakfast. Nice.

Beach balls from Nana and Pa. Mickey again was a hit! Not a good picture at all but wanted to capture what she did most of the time at their house, including not sharing with cousin Jack (see below).

Larry wanted a picture of all his grandkids for his desk. This is probably the best one I got!

And then this one with Nana. Someone was also taking some with their camera so they may have managed a better one!

So long to my favorite holiday! I might have to leave my blog background for a while. I love it. I love Easter, and all that comes with it. The best line of the weekend was when Justin asked Brice what Easter meant and he responded, "JESUS IS ALIVE!". He didn't yell it but he gets it!

Big Girl Bed Love

2011-04-23T20:08:00.000-04:00

Friday morning was the last morning I will ever see this...

Late Friday afternoon my parents met Justin at Sam's to pick up some new mattresses and then put together Anna's new room. We have been talking it up and she has been wanting to sleep in a big bed so I, especially, was very excited to receive the furniture. The delivery is a story in and of itself. (In short, I arranged for it to be delivered Friday between 10 and 12 and it arrived Thursday between 10 and 12. They didn't knock or anything. Just dropped it off on the driveway. I wasn't home. Justin was but again had no idea that they had delivered it!) Back to Friday..."the boys" (Justin, my dad and Brice) began working around 3:30pm and didn't stop until probably 8pm that night. To say Anna was excited is an understatement. She wanted to be right there in the action watching it all happen. See?

While they brought the box springs and mattress up, she stood on the catwalk and watched them bring it in the front door and then sneaked by them into her room so she could "supervise"! As soon as the box springs were in the frame, she wanted up. I let her stand on it for a minute and then told her we had to get out of the way for the mattress. After the bed was made, oh man, the Big Girl Bed Love abounded...

jumping

kicking

pretending to sleep.

My mom stayed home with her while Justin and I took Brice to his baseball game so my mom put her to bed. She did great, same routine as the crib and we didn't see her until we went in this morning. She was just laying in her bed relaxing with her dolls and books. She played in her new room most of the day and we are all in love with it.

Yes, Thursday night I cried when putting her to bed. The glider is no longer in the room and I knew that would be the toughest part. Rocking her for the last time in the same spot where I rocked her the night she stopped breathing. I looked around the room and took it all in one last time. I am so happy that she feels settled in her new room. It settles my heart. We have accomplished a lot this weekend thanks to Justin and my parents and I feel like a big part of my nesting is complete. Hoping she continues to flourish in this room...

My Girl in Pink

2011-04-21T15:12:00.000-04:00

Talking.

Smiling.

Thinking.

Frowning.

Daydreaming.

Relaxing.

Disagreeing.

All pictures of My Girl in Pink. The many faces of Anna. We got her big girl furniture today. Should be ready to be slept in by tomorrow. Pictures and emotions to come...

One Minute and Eleven Seconds

2011-04-20T13:36:00.001-04:00

What To Blog About?

2011-04-19T14:41:00.000-04:00

24 weeks and 2 days

I am not sure What to Blog About today...the baby, the house, Anna, Brice, our anniversary, work. My mind is going so fast everyday that I can hardly keep up. I have one thought and by the time I can execute it, I have already thought of five other things to do. This week is jammed packed with appointments, baseball, Easter parties, etc. Sometimes, as awful as this may sound, I totally "get" Kate Gosselin. How she managed to run such a tight ship is beyond me with all eight of those kids running around. I feel as though maybe I should have taken a management class in college. There are of course the things that I NEED to do, the things I WANT to do and then the things that just pop up in between. I am definitely a Type A personality but at the same time I do not want to live my life on such a strict schedule that I might have a melt down if I don't complete a chore on the same day every month. Do you see what I'm saying?

I am feeling pretty good with my pregnancy. My back does hurt everyday at some point, some days are much worse and then others are tolerable. Mainly my sciatic nerve that bothers me. Otherwise, I have no complaints. This little boy is riding so high right now and I feel like I am enormous. I do remember Brice being in the same position and towards the end feeling his heels next to my armpits! Not really but close enough. Today, I had to drink the sugar drink to test my blood for gestational diabetes. I don't know if I "passed" or not but everything else looks good. I will find out my results next week some time. I am measuring right on track so I was glad to hear that. When your husband came out the size of a three month old, it can kind of make you nervous when you are carrying his child! Especially since it's another boy. We still don't have a name for him. We discussed it quite a bit at our traditional anniversary dinner Saturday night but didn't really get anywhere. We aren't disagreeing on the names, we just aren't ranking them in the same place. Hopefully, we will get there before delivery!

Poor Brice has been suffering from the pollen and I just feel so bad that he can't go out and enjoy the weather without sneezing and coughing. I called the pediatrician yesterday to find out what to put him on so we started some Zyrtec yesterday. We'll see if it helps. He had a baseball game last night and played so well. He really seems to enjoy it which is the main goal right now. Sometimes Justin and I have to remind ourselves that those boys are only six and can't throw, catch and hit like a major leaguer. They are at an age when so many things are being taught to them between school, church, sports, and everyday life, it must be hard to soak it all in.

Anna has had an excellent week. We have her in some refresher swim lessons from the intense lessons we did last year. She is a fish and LOVES to go "see Ms. Cindy". She can't get in that water fast enough and climbs in all by herself. As we are walking out after each lesson she is already asking, "Go swimming again?". She is highly anticipating the arrival of her furniture which has been shipped so I can't wait to see her in that girly bed.

The house is in a constant state of disaster. I feel bad for those without children who walk in here and must think, "Jennifer Reynolds keeps her house looking like this?". Believe me, if I had the time and energy and a little more Kate in me, it wouldn't look like this. But at the same time, I can't let the kids run around outside by themselves just yet in order to clean and I know it's just a part of having kids. I know it sounds crazy but I do think that one day I will miss their "stuff". Last week I had to take the car seats out of my car for the sitter and on my way to work, I looked in my rear view and had a totally weird feeling without their car seats being back there. I guess it's a good thing I didn't have triplets and that they won't all leave the house at the same time!

So, I know I cannot do it all. Nobody can, nor should they need to. But maybe, if I can't DO it all, I can BLOG about it.

Camp H2O and Easter Egg Hunt

2011-04-12T14:08:00.000-04:00

Here is Brice after his last day of Camp H2O at the Georgia Aquarium. He had an AWESOME week there and he came home with some pretty neat projects. The last day a diver talked to them while underwater so Brice pretended to be a diver as soon as he got home.

On Saturday, our neighborhood had the annual Easter Egg Hunt which is so fun for the kids and they really do a nice job of having lots to do there. This year Justin had to do it alone since I had to work. :( He did a great job taking pictures and if you're "friends" with me on Facebook, then you've seen these but, here goes again...

Apparently, Brice coached Anna on how to gather up those eggs just as fast as you can. Either way, they are only allowed 12. I think after age 7, it should be every man for himself if you ask me but...hey, I don't make the rules I just try to enforce them on my kids!

Brice was in such a hurry that he didn't even count his and ended up with only 10. Anna was able to snag 13 so added together, we didn't even get our two dozen back!

I love the way she is looking at him in the above picture. "What are you grinning about? You can't even count right!".

Two little faces I miss so much when I work but appreciate so much more when I get home!

Ramble

2011-04-07T20:22:00.002-04:00

Found this dress in her closet and requested to wear it. Yay for dresses in the spring!

Here she is "driving Wii MarioKart". She found this little toy and then asked to play Wii with me. She was Baby Peach.

Anna took her bean bag chair out on the deck this afternoon to each lunch in and then Brice followed suit after he got home.

I realize it has been over a week since I've blogged. I guess I haven't had anything significant to write. I am in major nesting mode trying to plan everyone's room. I just ordered Anna's new furniture the other day and I'm excited for it to come in. She is too and asks about her big girl bed. I'm nervous about the transition of crib to bed with her and how many night time visits we will get but we'll see...It is also going to be weird to have her out of the crib. My baby girl. The baby's room will be fairly easy once I get all the toys out of that room and paint on the walls. I am using the same crib bedding that my mom made for Brice's room. I ordered a new crib sheet and lamp shade for it but for the most part will still use the nautical theme here and there. This past week has been Spring Break for Brice and he has spent it down at the Georgia Aquarium everyday from 8:30-3:30. He has loved every minute of it and is full of all kinds of marine facts everyday when he gets in the car. Justin has done all of the driving so I can't take credit for that because it is a haul down there from our house. It has been totally worth the cost and driving though. That was his birthday present. So, Anna and I have spent the days running errands and just hanging out in the beautiful yellow weather. Yes, Atlanta is gorgeous this time of year and if you can stand the pollen, it is quite a treat. I have been trying to get the kids to at least rinse off every night if they've been outside a lot. Brice seems more affected by it than Anna right now and is ready to scratch his eyes out in the evenings along with at least five sneezes first thing in the mornings.

So, like I said, nothing too big going on here, just trying to enjoy my days with Anna while Brice is still in school/camp. While I know she is going to LOVE having this new baby around, it is also going to rock her world! She is such a good mommy to her babies but at the same time will climb up in my lap and let me rub her head and back for a good ten minutes. If you were a fly on the wall around here you would hear her saying things like,

"I do it by myself, okay?"
"Let's read books together, Mommy. We can read this one first and then this one after."
"Are we going bye-bye? Okay, let's go guys."
She talks non-stop throughout the day so come nap time and bed time, I enjoy the quiet!

That is about it around here. Sorry if this post seemed to Ramble but that is an update for you!