Thank you Lord for these gifts!

I have waited a very long time to celebrate a birthday with my child. I was so happy that I have finally gotten the chance with not just one but two of my babies. Today we had a great time at the park celebrating our little ones turning one.

I am going to have to tell the story in clips of their first birthday. I hope you enjoy pictures I have some good ones!

In the car getting ready to go to church. Boogie is ready to go.....................

Addison Marie is NOT!!

Side by side in their new stroller. "Thank you Great Granny!"

"This one is MINE, it is pink, it has my name on it, therefore NOBODY touches it!"

"Do I have to eat this whole thing, Grandma? I am not really that hungry."

Once he realized it was sweet he didn't have much trouble getting two fists full.

Once Addison realized it was edible she didn't have any trouble covering herself in it.
Addison opening presents, Anthony was busy taking advantage of the fact that people wanted to hold him. This was from Great Grandma Irene, it was a praying Teddy Bear, Addison played with in most of the evening.

We don't have many family shots, but I have to say that this one is my absolute favorite! I was doing well not breaking out in tears while looking at the pictures I uploaded until I got to this one.

The night ended with LOTS of assembly. The babies really enjoy their ball bouncer (Mommy and Daddy did too!!!) their push car to help them walk, rolling piano table, and first swing set that looks like a castle. James and I have carpel tunnel from our assembly line, but it was all worth it to see them scrambling to all of the toys on the floor. James and I finished up the night by switching the car seats in the car to face forward (Mommy again nearly needed a Kleenex) and waking them to show them their swing outside to let them try it out. So that is it my babies are one year old. James keeps throwing this "Toddler" word around telling me "Honey they are toddlers now! They are not 'months' old they are a 1 now that is toddler" I told him "Quit throwing that 'T' word around, give me one more month to call them my babies." Who am I kidding they will ALWAYS be my babies!

It is almost here!

Today in the mail I received the cutest card from my Aunt Kathy, my cousin Jill, and my Granny in California. It is a memory book card with pages to fill out about who was at our party and places to include pictures. I took their gift inside (gift card, and moolah) and headed out the door to spend spend spend! I have had my eye on a new stroller for them. I have put many many miles on the stroller that I got from my work friends but they have already outgrown it. They still fit but it is just so easy to kick Sissy in front of you!! It makes trip very aggravating for her when Bubby is pestering her the whole time. I got a double jogging stroller at Babies R Us. It is great! They are both going to be able to see and no more kicking. Maybe I will get off of my butt and go jogging....ya right!

Afterwards I took my Walmart gift card and bought Addison Marie a highchair. Pink, of course, and so adorable! Addison will be trying it out for the first time at her party. I just can't wait! Pics to be posted tomorrow!

Another trip to the dentist!

Victoria and I went to the dentist today to get our teeth cleaned. Victoria succeeded in the cleaning part but mommy spent the time again trying to come up with a plan to fix all of my problem areas and not break the bank. I liked this dentist a WHOLE lot better than the other one. I have another appointment for the 15th to get some root canals and crowns. Hooray!

When Victoria and I got home we sat on the swing outside and she told me of her experience at the dentist. Jump in and hang on she has musical turrets. Keep in mind this was all in one breath.....

"The dentist had me say AH and counted my teeths she said 'where did your teeth go?' I told her it was a long time ago, Why don't you come with me little girl on a magic carpet ride, I got a toothbrush, I wanted the pink one, it has sparkles, did you see it, Close your eyes girl look inside girl let the sun take you away, I liked Dr. Campbell, was it Dr. Campbell, yes Dr. Campbell, and she tickled my teeth, they painted them with this stuffs, did she count your teeth too, I saw her take the pictures, Were soaring and flying (high school musical) did she lift you all the way up in the chair, Momma's in the kitchen with the mac and cheese"

I was exhausted after that explanation from her so I decided it was nap time for both of us. Where does she get that energy, oh yes I remember she sucks it from my body! lol!

Where lost socks go.

First of all I want to thank my husband for having such a great sense of humor and letting me give others a chuckle at his expense. Being able to laugh at yourself is very important in life!

James works his tail off at his job and gets about 3 hours of sleep a day through the week. He comes home in the form of a zombie most weekends. This past Saturday he needed to make it home in time to go to the tuxedo shop to get fitted for the upcoming wedding. He flew in the door with enough time to get a kiss and a shower before he left us to go to get fitted.

Later that day James came home with glazed over eyes and fell into bed to fall into a coma. Poor baby he was exhausted! I let him sleep and continued to take care of the house and kiddos. When it was time for me to go to bed I crawled into bed beside him and gave his "bum" a rub to try to wake him up to move to his side of the bed (there is always a debate on where the line marking the middle of the bed is in our house). When I did I noticed something strange. I woke him up in hysterical laughter. Upon further inspection I found one of Addison's socks in his underwear complete with a pink bow! James laughed at it too and swears that he must of rolled over somehow on it while sleeping in bed and swears it hasn't been there all day. I choose to picture my husband hanging out with the guys with their shaved heads, tattoos, piercings, and goatees at the tuxedo store with a tiny sock with a pink bow in his drawers. Just close you eyes and imagine that. Bet ya can't do that without laughing!

Oh Memories

Today I was reminded of one of my favorite Christmas presents. My New Kids on the Block VHS tape of their concert. I remember opening it and feeling as if I were holding a gold bar. I mention this because I am in the living room right now while Victoria is behind me with full reign of the open area behind me. Hannah Montana apparently has a DVD out of her concert along with the Jonas brothers and it is in 3D. Victoria hasn't stopped jumping in the past 20 minutes. Just non stop straight up and down jumping, while singing at the top of her lungs every word to every song. She has her 3D glasses on that are plastic and resemble typical "geek glasses" with the black frame. We got them when we saw Journey to the center of the earth and they are made to fit an adult. So picture my little jumping bean Victoria behind me singing as loud as she can while wearing black framed, plastic 3D glasses that take up her entire face. She has to keep pushing them back up on her nose with every jump. I wish my camera was charged up, this image is priceless. Thank you Redbox!

A little giggle to start my day.

If you have been reading my blog you are aware of the fact that Friday is my least favorite day of the week. I despise paying bills and making sure that things get in the mail. It is very depressing to see money immediately leave the account as soon it hit the bank. Well today I decided to do something to make me smile. I know that politics are a controversial subject. That was one thing that cosmetology school touched on. "Don't offend your client" was the salon conduct that they taught. Let's just say that, I no longer work in a salon, and if you read my blog regularly you are wanting a little insight into exactly who Kelly is. I am not what you would call a political person but some things I just can't stand for.

When I got the mail yesterday I saw that the "lovely" Obama campaign had sent me a letter asking for some financial aid to there campaign. I opened it, read it, and responded. not with a signed check (I had sent enough of those out this morning) but a few copied pages from my bible. Exodus 20 to be exact! I highlighted "You should have no other gods before me". I know that some mail room will open it and probably shred it, but I had to share my beliefs that this country needs to be ran by a man that follows the same God that I do, the same God the forefathers of this country followed, and someone that is aware of how many states are in the USA. Maybe I should of included a map too. :)

"That was a fan adventure!"

Those were the last words that I heard from Victoria tonight before she headed to bed. Grandma decided she needed some baby time and took Anthony and Addison for the night. Victoria and I had a day long date. We started with her counseling, then lunch at Applebee's. I was in need of shoes for my bridesmaid's dress and that took a majority of the day. My feet were already killing me in my flip flops so it was the perfect time to find some shoes that could handle for a night. We met Marlina at the David's bridal and got our alterations taken care of. By that time we were hungry. I decided to go all out and go to IHOP for dinner. Victoria couldn't believe that we were having pancakes for dinner. She really enjoyed the silly face pancake. We didn't make it home until 10:45 tonight and we sat and watched Big Brother 10. Thank goodness April is voted off. Did not like her. Victoria leaned over and gave me a hug goodnight and told me "That was a fun adventure." I would have to agree. I do miss my little ones though.

My own little island

Last night was a rough one. I was up all night sick. Stomach cramps and everything that comes with it. When I woke up this morning I had a horrible headache and a low grade fever. Me getting up and getting sick in the middle of the night isn't an unusual thing, but with the fever I believe that I am sick. Not fun! I have created my own sick island on the couch and laid out a sleeping bag on the living room floor for Victoria to hang out and we have watched movies and taken naps. Thank goodness the babies have really been good today. I think that they know that mommy doesn't feel so well. I am sure that Big Brother will help me feel better tonight...GO DAN!

Best fair day ever!

You just can't go wrong with the fair. Junk food, mullets, shows, Freddie the KSF mascot, and music at the Bud tent, you gotta love it. As Mom and I was getting the kids ready. I looked through Victoria's closet trying to find something for her to wear that she would be easily found in. Mom suggested, teasingly, that she should wear her sequined shirt in her dress up clothes. Mom got this obnoxious shirt that is covered in sequins at a yard sale for I believe 50 cents. We decided why not?! It IS the fair and people will be dressed in worse. It was hard to look directly at her when we got outside in the sun though. Here are some pics of our day.

Vicotria adored her pink elephant named Nikki after her cousin. Grandma threw the ball that landed in her color square. How special is that?

Anthony checking out the rabbits.

Addison checking out the back of her eyelids.

My favorite! watching the chickens hatching.

Me with the kids standing next to Freddie. He has been a fair exhibit for over 50 years.
Addison is still thrilled as you can tell.

Victoria got excited and talked about her friend Davis when she saw Curious George.

Great opportunity to have a positive experience with a cop at the fair. I was so proud of her to take a picture with one.

The puppet show was Vicotria's favorite part of the fair. The puppet called her out of the crowd to help with the show. You think it had anything to do with the shirt?

Victoria riding her bike with the kids in through the little town that was set up to teach safety. They even made her a driver's license.

Checking out the fish tanks. This one was really cool filled with huge chunks of glass.

What a beautiful day for the Kentucky State Fair! The weather was perfect, not too hot. Victoria got some money from Mamaw and we used it for a bracelet for her to ride rides. She rode to her hearts content. We got there at 11 and left at 9:30. We could barely walk to the car but laughed and had a ball all day long. The kids were incredible especially the babies that were in the stroller for 10 hours. I couldn't of asked for better kids.

More prayers for Papaw

Today Papaw (James's Dad) had surgery to have a fix the blockage in 3 different areas of his heart. After going through stress tests to make sure that his body can handle being under as long as it is going to take to rid his liver of the Cancer that was found and to reverse his colonoscopy (sp?) they found some blockage that needed to be taken care of before they could do anything else. He was in surgery for quite a while. They told Vicki (James's mom) that they tried several times and sizes of stints to open him up but had no success. They said that he isn't a candidate for open heart surgery again. From what I understand the back two chambers of his heart are complete dead. They explained that they are going to put him on some more medicine to see if that will rid him of some of the blockage to see if they can try again. We are, needless to say, disappointed. They told him to take it even easier than he has been and not do any strenuous activity. Would you please send some prayers up for Papaw to rid him of the blockage and heal him of the Cancer that they have found in his liver.

"You mean I can get money for that?!?!?"

I forgot to mention something really funny about yesterday. James and I have been having a struggle with getting Victoria to keep her fingers out of her mouth. Poor thing only has 8 teeth in her mouth that are hers as it is. She is constantly sticking her fingers in her mouth and pulling on her teeth. James and I have talked till we are blue in the face saying that if she doesn't quit she is going to pull what teeth she has left out of her mouth.

About 2-3 weeks ago I noticed one of her teeth was starting to wiggle quite a bit. So I have been on her ALOT to leave it alone. Yesterday morning she was caught with her fingers in her mouth. I repeated the same line "Victoria keep you fingers out of your mouth or you are going to pull your teeth out!" Her face immediately changed. I knew. I asked her to open her mouth and sure enough she was missing a tooth.

After finding out when she finally succeeded in getting it out I asked her what she did with it. She told me that she threw it away. Victoria has a very sneaky when she does something that she isn't suppose to like any child. I can't count the toys that I have found under her bed broken. I would have to say "She can't find it I can't get in trouble would be her official motto" I knew I had the perfect plan to stop the throwing away of the teeth.....THE TOOTH FAIRY!

I explained the idea of the tooth fairy to her and when I got to the part about putting your tooth under your pillow and the tooth fairy leaving you money her jaw dropped to the floor and tears started rolling. She was devastated! I do believe instead of hiding the fact that she lost a tooth from dad and me and throwing the tooth away that she will come clean immediately just to make sure that the tooth fairy gives her some "Jesus Money".

P.S. I found the tooth in a napkin on top of all of the trash. I had to save her first lost tooth, regardless of the situation.

I am here for the party

Tonight was Marlina's bridal shower. It went really well. Kroger did an excellent job on the party trays and there was plenty to eat. Everyone loved the games and I laughed hysterically while everyone played "Pass the Teddy" I explained to everyone that inside the box was a teddy. We were going to pass it around the circle until the time was up and whoever was stuck with the teddy had to wear it for the rest of the night. I have never seen so many people launch that tin (the box) around the room in my life. The bride's Grandma ended up with the tin and was relieved to find out that it wasn't a sexy teddy but a teddy bear.

I am glad that the shower is over and that it was a success. Now onto my little ones first birthday. (sniff sniff)

Wonderful Weekend!

James and I took the babies and Victoria to see Uncle Frank and his wife Shae while they were camping. They were at Ceraland up by Columbus In. It was so nice! They had all kinds of stuff to do there, Putt Putt, shooting range, golf course, driving range, 3 pools, paddle boats and even an on site gym. We had a ball.

Anthony getting swallowed in Uncle Franks camping chair.


Victoria, Mamaw, Shae and I took advantage of the paddle boats. Victoria was really excited about going until we got into the boat and she noticed a spiderweb on her seat. That freaked her out. She just spent the whole time staring at the water as if a shark was going to get her. I had to hold her hand from the front seat of the boat to help her feel safe, so not only was my legs tired from all of the paddling but my hand was asleep too.

Addison not losing sight of that spoon!

After the boat ride we headed back to have a hot dog. Is there anything better than a campfire hot dog? The babies enjoyed all of the attention while we ate. We had them set up in their baby fence with a sheet over half of it to protect them from the sun. They enjoyed the fresh air.

Victoria and I headed off after lunch to the pool. She was very excited it was just her and I and I even let her sit in the front seat on the way (a VERY big girl thing to do). They had a separate area for the little ones that only had a foot of water in it complete with a jungle gym. She went down the slide at least 50 times and pulled on the ropes that released buckets of water on top of her head. I enjoyed watching her and having her come up to me every 5 minutes to say "OK mommy you just stay here and rest I am going to be in the water 'por' the rest of the day!"

The night came to a close with grilled pork chops and corn on the cob. YUMMY! We watched Big Brother 10 in the motor home and called it a night around 10:30. It was nice to get away from home, pretend camp with the kids and not have to pay for the campsite. Thanks Uncle Frank!

Is it obvious that corn on the cob is one of my other favorite foods on the grill?

Where is my floor?

Today is cleaning day. I have let the house go since I have been home from the retreat. Dust bunnies have taken over.

Victoria was picked up by Leslie, Jodi, and Janae today to go to their father's company picnic. She is going to have a ball. Apparently they are having face painting there.

James is on his way to pick up my new dryer. I have about 6 loads of laundry waiting on it. (Yes I have clothes to be folded on my bed Felecia you know how I am) I am going to stop stalling and get back to cleaning so that James has a pathway to get to the "Laundry Hallway".

Make it stop!! Make it stop!!!

Life is busy busy busy. I am trying to stay on top of stuff these days. It seems like life is taking over my brain. Today I took a whirlwind trip to Best Buy with James to buy a new dryer. Very frustrating when things go kapooy in your life and when you finally get some stuff caught up you need to purchase something major. We found one and hopefully will have it in our home soon. It has taken 2-3 cycles for our current dryer to dry a load of clothes. Laundry is my least favorite thing to do and when the appliances don't do what they are suppose to do it becomes even more tedious. Thank you honey for the new dryer.

Coming up I have the bridal shower that I have been trying to plan. It is on Wednesday. Please pray that everything goes smoothly without a hitch. Planning a party is never a stress free thing. I hope that it is enjoyable for everyone.

Mom came today and rescued me from my home to help me go to the grocery store. We took a detour to the Community park on Grant line Rd. and took a lap around the pedway that allowed Victoria to get some of the energy out that she has had today. She loved it! We decided to have the babies upcoming 1st Birthday there. We figure it will be a central location for everyone and plenty of stuff to keep everyone occupied while the festivities are going on.

That leads me to my "Make it stop Make it stop" . My babies are growing up way to fast!! Addison is now clapping and THANK GOD saying Ma Ma now. I have been waiting for that one for a while. Da Da has been everything and everyone but now she knows that there is someone else in the room other than Da Da. James always tells me that she has no clue what she is saying but it has tugged at my heart that she hadn't said Ma Ma yet. I have been working on it with her for only 11 months.

Anthony is now starting to stand on his own. I have been watching him in his play yard letting go of the sides and standing on his own for about 2-3 seconds and just watched in amazement. Tonight when mom and I got home from Walmart, Anthony was standing on the edge of his play yard without holding on waving his arms in the air and dancing to "So you think you can dance". Of course the Mommy waterworks started. I cry at everything that they do new. I just can't stand it. I am so proud of them but I want them to stay babies forever! This parenting stuff isn't for whimps!

They are becoming independent and Anthony has mastered the art of throwing a fit here lately. When he starts to get tired boy you better watch out! He fights his naps and starts to pick on sissy. Although I caught "Little Miss Innocent Pants" chomping down on Bubby's head the other day. I have been getting onto Anthony for biting her lately but I believe that he has just been returning the favor. When she realized that she was caught she just looked up at me with those huge blue eyes and tried so hard to melt my heart. It worked.

Victoria has been growing like a weed too. She has been very funny here lately. Tonight she was giving me a show in the driveway. She was dancing for me like the people on so you think you can dance. For some reason it comes off more like Elaine on Seinfeld rather than Joshua who won the competition. She looked down at her bare feet after dancing like a crazy person for the past 30 minutes and she showed me the bottom of her feet. They have started to peel from the concrete. She looked over at me with her foot turned upside down and said "How did I get all of these crumbs on my feet?" I almost fell out of the swing.

A much needed surprise!

Victoria got a wonderful surprise today. Her Mommy Tina sent her an early birthday present. She made her a folder with plastic canvas. I called for Victoria to come out into the living room to open it up. I knew it was coming and was told in an email from Tina to keep an eye out for it. It is really cute. As you can see it has Cinderella on the front along with her name and Love you mom on the back. The spine says Craig. Tina even had the inside decorated with a cross for her. It was so sweet and much needed. Victoria has been having a hard time and thing seem to be surfacing emotion wise with the whole situation with her mom being gone. She woke up in the middle of the night Saturday night crying hysterically for me saying that she didn't' want me to go to the hotel anymore (retreat) When I was at the retreat, She had a really hard time coming into the room to see me. I never thought about but mom made a good point that it could of brought up visitation at jail with her mom. She was able to come and stay for a bit but she had to leave and I couldn't go with her. I never thought that would make things surface but apparently it did. Poor thing my heart goes out to her. I have been using the lots of hugs and kisses approach to help things. It seems to be helping. I was really glad to see the package in the mailbox today. I thought that would cheer her up, and boy it did.

Big kid at play

I got the opportunity to do some art for a old co-worker of mine, Mandy. She has 2 adorable boys Landon and Luke. I painted their playroom for them with a tiki hut and some other beach themed items. I really liked the way it turned out. I have to say I enjoyed the quiet and solitude of just myself and my paintbrush, it has been a long time. Grandma watched the kiddos for me and I met them at Moe's for lunch when I was done. I just love that place!

Addison got to sit in her first big girl high chair at Moe's. She just sat there ever so patiently and banged her plastic condiment cup on the table. She took such good care of it. She just held it like it was made of gold. Anthony on the other hand destroyed his within the first 5 minutes. He is such a boy.

Vanity

Today we are celebrating my sister's 40th Birthday! Happy Birthday Sis! I had the babies, Victoria, and Brooklyn by myself until Daddy got home so I decided once I had everyone ready to go that we would head to Home Depot, you know it is the first Saturday of the month. Brooklyn got a kick out of making a flag pole stand for the Olympics with Victoria. Anthony studied his sisters as they hammered away.

We still had an hour before my sister's party and Brooklyn needed to go school supply shopping and I jumped all over it. I have ALWAYS loved getting school supplies. We headed to Meijers and loaded up. Brooklyn was pushing the "stuff" cart and I was pushing the babies. It is quite different now that Anthony is in his big boy car seat (the other is on the way for Addison) because he likes to play with sissy's toes sticking up out of her infant seat in the bottom of the cart. Victoria was in the need of some panties so we headed to the little girl department. Victoria was showing me all of the panties that she wanted then all of a sudden she saw High School Musical panties. She got so excited the she yanked them off of the hook and whipped her head around to show me and poked her eyeball, that is right I said eyeball, on the hook and scratched her eye. Not as bad as it could have been but enough to make me cringe a little when I saw it.
She ,of course, was upset and once I calmed her down we headed to the check out. I grabbed her a bottled water from the cooler at the front and had her hold it on her eye. I was proud of her considering what happened if it had been me I would have been freaking out and a total mess. Once she calmed down she was fine.
We paid for our stuff and my whole crew headed out towards the door to leave. Picture this.....Brooklyn behind me with a cart full of school supplies, me pushing a cart with Mr. Serious Anthony sitting in the seat of the cart, Addison chilling in her infant seat in "cargo area" of my cart and Victoria holding onto my cart with one hand and a water bottle with the other holding it to her eye. I was worried about her eye and risk of infection and what not when Victoria turned to me and expressed to me what she was most worried about..."(Sigh) Well Aunt Punkin can't see me like THIS!" Vanity oh vanity, I just don't know where she get's it. (wink)

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