Kylie's first day of pre-school

Here are a few pics from Kylie's first day of pre-school. Maya ofcourse trying to steal the day:) She packed her own lunch, a henutbutter sandwich, apple sauce, crackers, slice of cheese and lemonade. She had a good time but aparently isn't such a good listener:( I guess we will be working on that...

Kylie's hair cut

Seeing as it has been a year since her last haircut (it was shortly before Maya was born)it was probably time. She also starts pre-school next week:) Here is a pic of her new look. She is also showing off her new 'glasses purse'!

Going to work with the fishies..

Kylie went to work with Daddy this past saturday morning. She got to put on her chef coat and work with the fishies, although according to Daddy she needed to go to the potty every 10 minutes (I am sure it was a really neat potty!) Then she got to watch mashed potatoes being made and then ate a whole bowl of them!! By the time she did all that it was time for me to come pick her up so Daddy could get some real work done:)

Wednesday..

We went for a play date today to the park. We took a picnic lunch and took some pictures.
Kylie playing with Preston..



Then tonight danced with Daddy before bed:) Sorry about Maya having no clothes on!!

Party!

Maya J's party was this evening, we went to a local Texas BBQ joint and had brisket, ribs, chicken, beans, etc.. We were joined by MawMaw, Papa, Uncle Eric, Aunt Shara, Uncle Michael, Aunt Kristi, Scott, Julie, Nick and Alex! We had a nice time and finished off with a Chocolate Cake (Gluten Free ofcourse :))
Here are some pics..

She is 1!!

It is so hard to believe that Maya is a year old already!!

Maya birth

I have just been reflecting on last year and wanted to post a few pics from her birth..

Maya can stand!

Today she stood by herself for the first time! She let go of the table, held onto her sippy with both hands and just stood there. She has been trying to take steps all week, but her balance is not quite there yet. She'll be walking soon!

Busy Busy

Well here we are in another HOT august in Texas! Hard to believe it has already been a year since Maya was born! Her birthday is next week and Kylie is excited to blow out her candles for her:) We are adjusting here to be a gluten/wheat free house. I have been diagnosed with Celiacs disease. It is genentic so both of the girls have a chance they carry the gene for it also however they can carry the gene but not have the active disease. Please pray for me as I adjust to this new lifestyle, and my body begins to heal and become healthy again.

Brag on Todd!

So I should have named this site family not girls:) I just want to brag on Todd really quick. He was promoted last week to Chef Manager!! I am so happy for him, he has worked really hard and deserves it.

Pic of Todd in front of his new restaurant with the girls:)

Maya's first hamburger

Here is a picture of her holding her first hamburger. I did make it healthy with cheese and avocado on it:)

What a morning!

I want to cry and smile at the same time. This morning we were going to go to Willow Bend to a kids activity where she would get to make her own pretzel at Auntie Anne's. Kylie absolutely loves soft pretzels. So we get everything together, get in the car, and Nothing.. It won't start the battery is so dead I cannot even get it in neutral to push out of the garage to have my neighbor jump me. So I get the battery out of the car, call my neighbor, no answer So I put the girls in the sit and stand stroller, bungee cord the battery to it, and we walk the mile + down to the AutoZone. Get home, get the battery in the car and put back together go and try and start it, Nothing!! Aurg.. well apparently it works better when you take the little black plastic caps off the battery before installing it :) Kylie is so bummed about the pretzels, but oh well. It was still a neat experience with her because when I told her the car was broken she replied "I know, I idea, need a screwdriver!" If life was that simple. I ended up having some really nice time with the girls this morning..

Milestones..

It is barely 8am and both the girls have milestoned this morning :)
Kylie has been potty trained for some time but we still wear pullups most nights. She is also to short to open her bedroom door so at night she knocks on the door to have us open it. Last night she asked me to leave the door open, which I did. This morning I hear her knocking on her door, I thought she had probably accidentally pushed it shut. Her door was still open like I left it but there she is knocking, in a pair of panties. I look over to the bathroom where her pajamas and pullup lay on the floor. She got up went to the potty, went back in her room put on a pair of panties and then decided to knock on the door to tell me she wanted up:) Too cute and such a big girl!
Now Maya J... she was up twice last night, argh, she is teething. But she woke up and has been doing the "O" sound all morning. She has figured out how to purse her lips and make the noise, I tried to take a picture but my battery died. She has also mastered the drop game. I just thought I'd throw that in there.
Big girls!!

Noodle and a peck!

When Kylie was just a baby I realized that mom's are supposed to sing they're kids songs. Well, I didn't know any. One night I found myself singing her the jingle from the Diasy sourcream commercial and realized how silly that might seem in years to come. Well my mother in law, Linda, otherwise know as grama, me maw, ma ma, however Kylie pronounces it depending on the day, would say to her " a bushel and a peck". Next thing I know it is the middle of the night, Kylie is fussy and I start singing to her...
I love you a bussel and a peck, yes I do, yes I do
I love you a bussel and a peck, yes I do, yes I do
I love you a bussel and a peck, yes I do, yes I do..
As you can tell it is a very deep and well thought out lyrics:)

This little song has become part of our night time routine. It has been named "Au Jus", yes like the sauce:) Kylie would say Au Jus instead of Love you.
She now sings it to Maya but this is Kylie's version...
I wub you a noodle and a peck yes I do yes I do :)

I love my girls:)!!!

Kylie's 3rd birthday April 2007

Our gift to her was a swingset Todd spent the last month building so we had a swingset party! We invited a bunch of family and friends, cooked ribs and brisket, yum! I even ventured in making the cake which amazingly turned out pretty well. Kylie played hard and crashed hard.

Maya 9 month stats May 2007

Weight- 16lbs 5 oz
Height- 26.3 inches

She has officially graduated from the pulmonologist. The doc said she has outgrown the apnea and only have to go back if we have problems. No more monitor alarms!!

Marci 11/16/01-02/20/07

I can hardly believe I am typing this. It is so unreal to me, our dear shih tzu Marci passed away, it just happened so fast. Friday she was a little 'off', being a little distant, but she still ate and played. Saturday she was very quiet, did not meet Todd at the door, and would not eat, all very unlike her. I tried to get her to eat a few times on sunday and told Todd on the phone I thought she was sick. Late sunday afternoon I noticed some brown urine spots, and as it got later it turned into red blood. I called the vet tech who said to come in in the morning. The night went very badly and she was much worse by morning. I took her in and they kept her all day running tests. They were unable to really figure out what was wrong, but they were concerned if she would make it through the night. We decided to bring her home where she was comfortable. We talked to her, loved on her, cried for her and took pictures with her. They are fairly sure she had cancer and everything was just shutting down. Bleeding internally, no immune system to fight anything.
Todd and I adopted her shortly before we got married and named her for the first bottle of wine we ever drank together, Marcelina Cabernet. We named her Marcelina and called her Marci. She was our 'first born' and my first pet. We are going to miss her so much! I just can't believe this happened!
We are still in shock. As I sit here typing this I look over to the kitchen and her bowls of water and food are still sitting there. I just can't bring myself to pick them up. Over the last few days we have realized how many of our habits and routines include her. I have been crying all week and I know it will become less painful with time but I really miss her and love her so much.

Marci-
I miss your spunk, your love for life. I miss your bark and one of a kind howl. I miss you sitting beside me on the couch and sleeping below me at night. I will miss talking to you and telling you my secrets. My dear Marcelina, I love you and miss you so much!
Mommy-

New routine

A few nights ago Todd called about bed time to talk to Kylie and tell her goodnight. The next night I debated on calling him to talk to her but was worried to start the routine and him not be available, but she kept asking for 'daddy au jus'. Well tonight we decided to give it a try and see what happens, so I got her all ready, tucked in, and then called him and they talked. She went to sleep with no objections and so proud of herself for getting to talk to her daddy and the fishies. They are so close, he is such a good dad. He really misses being able to spend time with her. I know his relationship with Maya will grow over time too, but the connection between Todd and Kylie makes me want to cry. It hurt me last night when he called too late and didn't get to talk to her, the disappointment in his voice made my heart break. I am just being sentimental I know, but just so proud of him.

My sweet Maya Jane...

So many days I have been frustrated by you. When talking to people I refer to you as my difficult child. Today I began reflecting on this after a friend of mine reminded me to think about what I will remember about this time in 5 years. I decided I didn’t like what I thought, it made me sad to think of you growing up, even though you will. Even though I am tired, I want to hold on to this time. Savor it, experience it, enjoy it. Every child is different, they say, and oh how true.Tonight after along day of fussing, crying and feeding, I held you asleep on my shoulder, completely relaxed, deep breathing, completely dependent. I became teary eyed and talked to you about how much you mean to me, how much I love you. I am sorry if I have blamed you for the way I feel. It is not you, it is my attitude. Having a baby isn’t about me, but about you. For months while pregnant with you last year I wanted you to kick, I wanted you to get my attention. It was such a tough time for us and we went through so much, I wanted to know that you were alright. You are doing today exactly what I wanted then. You just want to get my attention, let me know that you are alright. You just want to be close to me. Well I am glad, so glad you are alright, that we are alright. I love holding you and will try harder not to be selfish. You make me so happy, your smile, your chunky thighs, your bald head. That is what I want to remember, that is what I am going to remember. One day you are going to ask me what you were like as a baby, I will tell you how sweet you were and how you wanted to be close to me.

Drama

Its that time of year again! Had to take Kylie to the doctor today and she has a sinus infection that is affecting her left ear. Talk about drama! Todd and I picked her up from school early because they called us to tell us she was complaining about her ear. When we picked her up she was all smiles until Todd asked her about her ear. Then she laid it on thick! Pouting and whining, telling us she needed medicine! She continued with this for the next few hours. I took her into the pediatrician, she cried the whole time, until we left and she got a sucker and has been fine since. She is definitely not well, but man she laid it on thick!
Maya had a long night last night or rather I had a long night with Maya. She has her first little cold and is having a hard time breathing through her nose so she is waking up frequently. Hopefully tonight will be a better night.
This evening I went to answer the phone, talked for just a minute, turned around and Kylie has unsnapped Maya's sleeper! She decided Maya had a "gucky" diaper and it needed to be changed. She is such a little mommy! She wanted to feed Maya a bottle last night, I convinced her to feed her baby doll instead:)