MY blog is baaaack!

Word to the wise...never delete an account associated with Google because anything tied to it, including your blog, will disappear!!  I deleted an old gmail account that I never used and my blog was removed from blogger and I thought it was gone forever!  I found help online from some friends and was able to get in touch with someone from Blogger that reinstated my blog.  You just don't know how horrible it felt to think that all of my feelings, emotions, and memories through the pregnancies and births of my children were possibly gone forever.  This scrapbooking blog evolved into my diary of being a mom and there simply was no way to reproduce it.  There was info on this blog that had never made it into the baby books, too.  I am soooo thankful that it has been restored!

Progress on several counts

Well, it's official!  I called the therapist myself!  Since Tobin was the one to go to the last visit, I didn't feel like I had enough information as to what Tanner's final evaluation consisted of and whether or not his file was closed.  Jean said that when she first met Tanner, he walked on the balls of his feet over 90% of the time and quite high on the tippy toes, I might add.  She said that after the altered-shoe intervention, she saw him walk on his tippy toes less than 50% of the time.  Since Grandpa Tucker and Frances bought him brand new Justin cowboy boots for Christmas, he will be able to be up at the angle he prefers, yet have the weight of his body still on his heel! Therefore, we hope he improves even more.  I have never seen my son walk so normally, as he does when wearing the cowboy boots.  Now, don't get me wrong, you will still see him up on the balls of his feet, but the progress is that he is stretching the muscles in his calves enough that he is also comfortable flat-footed.  Now it is a matter of breaking a habit, rather than a physical development issue or comfort factor.  The more often he walks flat-footed, the more stretched out his calf muscles become.  So, in summary, Jean does not need to see Tanner again!  She said he was one of the sweetest little boys and always hugged her and she truly enjoyed working with him!  Likewise, Jean!!

Both of my kids are talking more and more.  Tanner said several sentences last night, not just sketchy phrases that only I would know (that's important to point out).   He said, with an old purse on his shoulder, "Come on Sis Sis, we go to Wal-Mart.  We need gas.  You go potty there?  OK.  Come on. We go to church on Sunday."   hahahahahaha  Cute, cute, cute.

Kinsey is in a phase where she likes to label everything she sees from the moment she awakes.  She will stand up in her crib, by only the light in the closet, and point and declare "blanket", "shoes", "jacket", or "dada?"  At that point, I carry her into our bedroom, where Daddy is soundly sleeping, and drop her off so I can get ready.  They snuggle and play for a bit prior to getting dressed and ready to go.  She names things all day long while at Amy's as well.  She has also started telling me when she has pooped or tooted.  haha

Christmas season has begun for 2010

This season is going to be different than last year! I'm soooo excited! Last year, Tanner kinda knew what was going on, but not really. I had to start the present opening by tearing a page, and he really didn't recognize the symbols of the season, and certainly didn't have any religious connection to the holiday. I ended up just opening most of his presents for him.  Now, that he has been going to church, he says funny things like "Obey the Lord." and "Jesus made the trees and the wind." So, my hopes of his understanding what the real meaning improves with each year! Having said that, Kinsey is such an observant little girl, that she watches every move big brother makes. I have no fear that she will rip into her presents just fine, especially if Tanner is in that mode!

We started off the seasonal festivities with the Christmas parade in a nearby town, followed by a drive through the park which was all lit up with Christmas lights and even hot air balloons. Tanner sort of liked the parade, mostly the candy and lights, but Kinsey cried a lot and really shouldn't have been out in the cold. A big thanks goes to my mom and Dave for helping me watch both kids during the parade!  The kids were cooperative with the lights afterwards, but it was past their bedtime and I'm not sure how much they really saw.

We took the kids to Bass Pro this past Monday night for some family fun with the cousins and a Santa photo opportunity. The kids had a great time and would readily go back again! Tobin had gone early to get the Santa Passes, so that allowed us to move up in line and basically fast track. Grandma met us there as well and she helped a bunch by watching the stroller which ended up holding all the coats and diaper bag stuff!  We experienced the ice slide, the train track, the remote control cars, climbing into several boats and sitting on 4-wheelers! Tanner would be happy behind any steering wheel as he always wants to "drive" anything possible. The kids did really well with Santa and no one cried. Kinsey did not want me to let go of her, and had absolutely NO interest in sitting on Santa's lap! The Santa was wonderful to work with and allowed me to sit on his throne, and he stood next to us! How nice! I need to get a few more pics of Kinsey by herself and all dressed up for the holidays. It was too much to handle with both kids. I found myself chasing Tanner and just letting Tobin hold Kinsey; therefore, I got fewer pictures of her!  After we left Bass Pro, we stopped by Donnie and Mimi's (Tobin's parents) and Tobin was able to catch a precious moment on his cell phone!  Kinsey has not been around Tobin's father, Don, to much and has never really warmed up to him.  However, Monday night, Tobin placed her on his lap and she snuggled right in and was just happy as could be for a good while.  Therefore, this picture means a lot!

Cooler weather is here!

We had one good month of no a/c and no heater!  That rarely happens.  We now have space heaters in each bedroom and keep the heat around 68 degrees at night.  Hopefully we can save some money because it has become real, real obvious just how expensive kids can be!  I don't think I have ever watched the pocketbook and the balance at the bank quite so closely in my entire life!!  Gone are the days when I can spend what I want., when I want, and don't have to worry about it. 

This blog has become more of a way to update some friends and family, but also a sort of diary as to what our daily life is like with two young kids.  I wish I could keep up with it more often.   I know I will enjoy looking back and reading it someday.  Right now, both of my kids are at an age where I can reflect on pictures taken just two months ago and see such changes in their appearance!  Tobin and I both watch their development change weekly.  Kinsey is definitely picking up on things at a more rapid pace since she has so many role models to learn from.  The relationship forming between my sweet kids is a precious one on most days.  Tanner is generally concerned about her and tries to help her out by bringing her a blanket or helping her up on the couch.  Today they were even holding hands on the way to school!!!  How sweet is that???  He does have his jealous moments where he feels threatened by her presence or still wants me to himself.  However, she is the first thing he asks about upon waking each morning and the last thing he wants to know about prior to saying goodnight.  Very sweet.  On that note, during the last few weeks, I have heard my first "I love you, toooo!" at bedtime!  It doesn't get much better than hearing your child sincerely tell you they love you!!!   Kinsey follows Tanner around the house like a lil' puppy dog.  They will actually play their own version of hide n seek and it is soooo cute to hear Tanner say, "Sis-Sis, come get me!!!"   She giggles and runs toward his voice.  She has her own games too though.  She likes to remove all pillows from the couch and then walk along the couch and try to climb up on the arms!  Geesh!  Now, I have TWO daredevils.  I sure hope the ER isn't a a frequent stop of ours in the future.  I just don't know if my heart can take that!

Well, our house has been OFF the market for a month now.  It is very difficult not to keep looking at homes.  Our contract with our realtor expired and Tobin thought we needed to take a break from the madness of keeping the house clean.  He would rather not move in winter either.  So to help out on our lack of space, Tobin took a week-long vacation recently and built a barn-shaped storage building in our backyard.  I am excited at the prospect of getting some of our stuff out of the garage and attic and into the shed.  I simply cannot wait to feel organized again.  That is the most frustrating part of having your house for sale!  That and the idea of keeping everything picked up and clean so at any given moment, when you get that phone call, you can get our of the house within the hour with two young kids!  You can't even walk through the garage right now.  Recently, I found a plastic tub of clothes that Kinsey should currently be wearing and part of them she actually already grew out of before she ever got to wear them!  I guess they were in the storage unit all summer and I didn't have access to them.  Major bummer.  I am very sad at the idea that we are not going to get a bigger house.  We so desperately need more space.  It is such a buyer's market, but certainly NOT a seller's market.  I have no idea where our computer is going to go...we had to get rid of the desk to make our house seem less cluttered while it was on the market.  The computer has been in the floor or the closet for six months now.  That has NOT been good for my back when I have to lie in the floor to use the computer!!

Tobin is an immense help around the house.  I don't know what I'd do if he weren't a "hands-on" dad.  He even bathes them!  Tobin has enjoyed several hunts this fall and already has two deer in the freezer!  He is a very good aim with his bow and very much likes the challenge of a "stick and string."    Gun season began this past weekend as well.  I think at this point, he is just trophy hunting, as he calls it.  He was excited to go wtih Hunter on his very first hunting trip now that he is eight years old.

As for me, I suppose I'm doing well.  My hairstyle is straight now, but I can still go curly if I am rushed.  I am still working on losing the baby weight.  There is never any "ME time," but that will come again someday.  And at that time, I will probably miss the days when I had no life and no hobbies, and spent all of my time running after two toddlers and tending to diaper bags, washing the highchair tray, changing diapers, reading books, and picking up toys!  Not to mention the laughing and crying!  I would love to say I am caught up on their baby books or their scrapbooks, but that would be wishful thinking.  I did have a scrapbook function on  November 6th!  That was very nice and I even got to go with my sister!  I need to schedule time for working out, but I have no clue when that would be...or how I would do that. 

Both kids are over their stomach issues and we haven't had any really bad diapers in several weeks.  THAT was a very long week for everyone.  We assume it was viral.  Kinsey had developed a cough and had started breathing treatments with the nebulizer.  She cried and cried at first, but gave into the idea that this is what had to happen.  At her bedtime treatment, she literally fell asleep with the mist, and that allowed me to give her a back to back treatment.  They are both still on their meds for allergies.

As for now, Tanner has avoided any leg braces (serial casts) for the tippy toe walking!!  Tobin took him to his most recent appointment and surprisingly, Jean never mentioned the casts.  She said that Tanner had made great improvements in walking more flat-footed.  He had not improved as much as she would like in his resistance while she manually stretched his calf muscles, but she thought that a good pair of cowboy boots might be in order!  GREAT!  That's right up his alley since he likes being a cowboy and was one for Halloween!  Sounds like a Christmas present to me!!  We go  back to the physical therapist in one month as per her request. 

We are gearing up for Thanksgiving Break and then Christmas!  Tanner has been attending Sunday School for about six weeks in a row now.  He doesn't cry anymore and seems to enjoy it.  He sings most of the words to "Jesus Loves Me" and "Jesus Loves the Little Children" and even does arts and crafts there.  Sissy saw Santa at the mall and waved!  Good things to come!!!

Halloween festivities

I always love Halloween decorations and activities.  I love fall in general!!   However, my son does not like anything remotely scary looking or scary sounding.  I hoping that is just normal for a two-year old!   Overall, we didn't get to do as many fun activities as I would have liked, but next year will be different with two that understand the holiday.  We went to a Halloween party at a daycare, Jones Farm, and Trick-or-Treating in my sister's neighborhood. I know Tanner had a good time and Kinsey always seems happy.

We were lucky enough to get some of the cousins together for a group shot, as seen above.  Tristin was a dinosaur creature and Koen and Griffin were Bob and Larry from the Veggie-Tales.  Tanner was a cowboy and Kinsey was a ladybug.  Early October, when it was warmer, she was a little cheerleader, but it was too chilly for that on Halloween night. Tanner had been acting like a cowboy around the house , so the costume choice was fitting.  He even got to wear his altered shoes in order to make the chaps fit better. 

We were soooo proud of Tanner and how he handled his first Trick-or-Treating experience.  He did a great job saying "Trick-or-Treat" and "thank you" when asked and seemed pleased about the activity.  Then, about the 4th house, he was trying to run to catch up to his cousins when the door opened and two loud, scary dogs started barking.  Tanner is dreadfully scared of all dogs no matter what size.  You would honestly think he has experienced something terrible or had been attacked as a baby.  He cries and even shakes.  So, it took us several houses to get over that.  The lady came out and apologized, but it bothered me that it didn't occur to her to put the dogs up during such an event.  From then on, Tanner was a little leery of any strange noises or scary scenes, but I'm hoping that is partly the age too.

Kinsey rode on Papa's shoulders for the first 5-6 houses.  As her timing would have it, she soiled her diaper as we were really getting in to the trick or treating.  Daddy had to decide whether he should carry on, or take her back home to change.  He decided to take care of her diaper and miss the rest of Tanner's trick or treating.  Tough decision and I hate that for him.  Kinsey was content as could be at home reading books and playing with Papa and Grandma.

As for Tobin, he is still in his hunting mode and has maybe three more trips for the season.  He is still hoping for a buck with his bow before gun season starts.  I, of course, have no hobbies, but I am looking forward to hanging out with Mel at a scrap-booking function this coming Saturday!

 I will try to get a new slideshow going with many more pics from this fall and Halloween in particular.

Some progress, but not enough so far

I was able to take Tanner to his most recent physical therapy visit.  Tobin stayed home with Kinsey which allowed me to ask questions.  She said that Tanner's "1st resist" was not improved, but his "2nd resist" was much better.   She presses on his heel in a certain way that allows her to feel and measure his resistance to pressure and she feels for a catch which is his zone of uncomfortableness due to tightness in his calves.  She recommended that he wear the altered shoes through two more visits and then we will evaluate the need for serial casting.  I looked it up online and it seems that he will still be able to run, jump, and play for the most part.  The soft casts, or braces, are from foot to knee and stay on all the time.  He will have to have sponge baths, which will suit him just fine here lately.  Normally, he and Kinsey bathe together, but he hasn't been too into it lately.  Anyway, I'm not too thrilled with the idea of serial casts, but if it helps him and prevents developmental problems down the road, then I'm all for intervention now when he isn't in school yet.

Tanner Tippy-Toe Update

Most of Tanner's physical therapy appointments have been at 11:30 am, so Tobin has been scheduling himself off on those days so he can take him.  This means that he is only at daycare for a half-day and spends the rest of the afternoon with Daddy or he takes his nap.  The appointments have gone well and Tanner is building a relationship with Jean, his therapist; they both seem to really like one another.  Last week, Tanner was fitted for his "altered shoes" which ended up being black Converse.  When she first put them on Tanner, he continued to try walking on the balls of his feet, so she added another half inch to the heel to prevent him from doing that.  He is being forced to put his body weight on his heel, rather than the balls of his feet.  He was to wear them for two hours the first day, and then add an

hour each day for one week.   Well, he didn't seem to mind the shoes at all, so he wore them four hours the first day and then closer to 9 hours each day after that!  The problem is that as soon as the shoes come off, he immediately goes up on the balls of his feet because that feels good to him.

(If you look closely, you can see the altered shoes in the picture of T and K)

Tanner wore the shoes for one week and then met with Jean to check his progress. That appointment was September 30th. She observed him in the shoes and then took the shoes off to see how he walked. Unfortunately, he walked on his tippy-toes more than ever! She measured his calves to see if they were still different lengths and to see if they have been developing correctly. Her diagnosis was to continue to wear the shoes for TWO MORE MONTHS and then see how he is doing. Apparently, some kids show progress in one week, but Tanner did not. This is going to be a process and she is still optimistic that this might work. He is to wear them as often as possible and still be checked every two weeks. If this does not get him to walk flat on his feet, our next step is that Tanner will have to be fitted for LEG BRACES!! The braces will have to be worn 24/7, meaning he can't shower for one week. He will even have to sleep in them so the braces can manually stretch his calf muscles. At the end of the first week, he will be able to bathe right before his appointment with Jean, then do the same thing all over again the next week . Three weeks total with the braces on for one week at a time, then a bath. This breaks my heart, but maybe we won't have to go there. If we do, it is only because we want the best for him and his development. I'd much rather him go through this kind of therapy when he is young and not during a tough, transitional time like middle school. Luckily, he doesn't understand and just thinks he has some cool black Chuck Taylor shoes, as Daddy calls them!

Will I ever get caught up?

This blog title sums up how I feel daily.  I am easily stressed out, and usually about 6 p.m. it hits hard.  I wish I wasn't like that, but it affects my mood when I realize I have so much to do and won't get to bed at a decent hour yet again.  I start to think about diaper bags, lunches for the next day, dinner (luckily Tobin takes care of this primarily), outfits for three, rooms picked up in case the house shows, baths, books to read....so, needless to say, Tanner's therapy easily gets overlooked.

We have done a poor job of consistently doing his exercises.  He isn't overly cooperative and apparently he is soooo ticklish on his feet that he can hardly stand me holding his foot to do the stretches at all.  Washing his feet in the bathtub is a challenge as well.  We met with his therapist yesterday to discuss the alteration of his high-top Converse shoes.  The alteration costs will be $54.  She is adding a two-inch heel to his shoe.  We have both observed him walking flat-footed for up to 30 minutes recently; however, he is primarily walking on tip toes still.  Funny thing was, Tanner walked on flat feet all the way into his therapy visit and while she observed him.  He only walked on tippy-toes once during the whole visit!  He was also on very good behavior:  made eyes at the older women in the waiting room, gave knuckles to every man that walked by, and he even gave a hug to his therapist all on his own! 
Kinsey is growing like a weed!  She is moving right along on her vocabulary and does a real good job of repeating words, especially when Daddy says them.  She loves bathtime so much that we have to be sneaky when running the water, or she wants in before the bath is ready, clothes and all!  She has been a good eater and mostly eats what we eat, with some baby foods mixed in.  I still nurse her to bed at night.  I know that seems odd, but she has a 6-8 oz bottle and then the breastfeeding puts her to sleep.  I know it is just as much me, but I don't want that closeness and bonding to end.  I don't even know if my body is still making much milk, but it's not the nourishment she needs at this point.  She still loves playing with her big brother and will follow him from room to room, but will also play quietly in any room if she has something she is interested in.  That is usually a bag of books.  She is showing signs of a temper, my fault genetically, and can throw a really good fit!  We are phasing out the bottle for her; she only gets one before bed now.  We are doing this much earlier with her since we learned our lesson with Tanner!
At their babysitter's, they are beginning a curriculum.  Each week, they focus on an alphabet letter, a number, a shape, a song, and a concept (such as big/little or in/out).  Tanner seems to be picking up some of this, but he is the middle child in age amongst the five kids at the daycare.  So, his priorities are still playing and eating while at Amy's.
Other updates:

• No word on any lookers with the house.  The one we had focused on sold last week finally.  We have emptied our storage unit and plan to buy a storage building within the next two weeks.
• Prayers requested for my father who has an abdominal aneurysm and will be undergoing surgery soon.
• School is going well for me and I am enjoying the current group of kids this year.
• Our whole household is affected by the mold, mushroom, and ragweed right now.

Happy Birthday my darling baby girl

Goodness! My life is so hectic at times! Thank you mom for reminding me that I hadn't gotten around to posting about baby girl's 1st birthday! How horrible of me!

Well, Miss Kinsey turned one and had a successful party with a Hello Kitty birthday theme. I started decorating the house a few days before so the kids would get used to it and not be so "deer in the headlights" about it. I started singing Happy Birthday to Kinsey and trying to get Tanner to sing along about two weeks prior to the big day as well. That helped and he is still singing it three weeks later! I wasn't sure what theme to go with since she doesn't have any favorite cartoon characters, but she does love animals. The dog line of decorations seemed boyish, so I decided upon cats. Sam's Club had a cupcake cake with the baby's 5 inch cake in the middle for only $9.95. I asked them to package them separately so the cupcakes wouldn't mess up the icing on her little cake. On top of that, Aunt Melody made Kinsey a special Hello Kitty cake using a mold of the head!!! That was awesome because she able to make it gluten-free so that Koen was able to enjoy cake along with everyone else! It turned out very cute!! Kinsey wore her special birthday dress, but absolutely hated the adorable little birthday hat I bought her. She has never liked anything on her head, so I should have known better.

The process of opening presents for the baby always make me uncomfortable. I would much rather all eyes be on the kids. Kinsey received many wonderful presents, mostly clothes for her new size! As we change seasons, she is growing like crazy and we have ran out of hand-me-down clothes. I had bought some cute gingham dresses and everyday clothes at a garage sale, but those are getting tighter and tighter, too. So, most of her gifts were wearable! Thank you to everyone that came to her party and/or brought Kinsey a present. It was a fun party and good to see everyone in the same place.

Unfortunately, our house is still on the market with no offers. We have dropped the price 23K and had eight open houses. Now that it is fall, and especially since I am back in school, it is too chaotic to make sure the house is presentable prior to leaving at 6:30 a.m. Plus, this is Tobin's favorite time of year and he is geared toward hunting in his free time. We don't want to move when it is cold and I don't want to get used to a new house in the winter. I sure don't want to stay there without Tobin if he is gone on a hunting trip overnight. I don't think I'd get much sleep. We have several situations that seemed promising, but they have vanished like the wind. We are considering putting it on appointment only until the contract runs out. The market isn't supposed to recover for several years and no matter how badly we need the space, we just cannot give our house away. We refuse to just keep dropping the price until it sells. Luckily, we are not upside down on it and don't have to move. It would just be awfully nice if we could!

Tanner and Kinsey are doing well back in their routine of going to Amy's while Daddy and I are at work. She made a few changes in the direction of making her in-home babysitting more like a daycare. Some of the changes are quite wonderful (incorporating curriculum), and some things are a financial challenge (increase in price and paying half price when the kids aren't there). My kids are happy and comfortable there, plus it's awfully convenient, so that is worth a lot.

It looks like this will be a good school year for me. I have a very interesting group of kids that have been fun and entertaining so far. There are a few that I may nail for behavior, but overall, I like this group! I have close to 40 signed up for Science Club so that is a good turn out. I am not getting enough sleep, but I haven't mastered getting everything done in the evenings plus enjoy my kids within the four hours I get to see them before bedtime. Hopefully that gets easier!

Tippy-Toe-Tanner evaluation

Well, today (Kinsey's birthday) was Tanner's physical therapy evaluation as set up by his pediatrician. At his 2 year visit, she and I both were concerned about the tippy-toe walking now that he is still doing it past two years old. The texture, nor temperature of the surface have ever mattered, so this was a concern. He walks this way 90% of the time, and anything over 50% it a problem in their eyes.

Overall, it could have been worse. He does not have any cerebral palsy indicators, as we all knew, nor autistic signs. Both are associated in some way with premature birth and tippy-toe walking. She does not foresee and serial stretching, overnight braces, or surgeries at this point. He was asked to do several tasks, such as squat, jump, run, walk slowly, and then generally play with different toys of the therapist's choice. He had a difficult time with squatting...infact had to manually be forced to do it with heels on the floor. As I think about it, Tanner usually just sits down or sits in a W-position rather than squatting. This was a negative. Then, he was asked to jump, which he didn't really display well during the visit, but I have seen him do off the couch at home! Since he was unable to jump and keep his balance after jumping, this was also a negative. He then had to lie on the floor, on his belly, and she measured his calf muscles and their attachment to the Achilles tendon. She literally wrote on his legs with a ball point pen and then then did some calculations. She also did some reflex testing and pressing on his feet. He was really good for all of the manipulations, only requesting the BIG ball that was out of his reach about 20 times. haha

Ultimately, with insurance covering 90% since we haven't met our deductible, we came out of the appointment with some strategies, and the directive to purchase high top shoes that will be altered with taller heels. The alteration is at a $47 value! Since he has not learned to put his body weight on his heels for over a year now, his calf muscles have developed incorrectly. His left calf muscle is even shorter than the right. She said his calves were "mildly tight" and that she shouldn't feel the 1st resist of his foot until 10 degrees with his toe up and ankle bent. Well, she felt it at 0 degrees with the left and at 5 degrees with the right foot. His muscles will continue to develop incorrectly if nothing is done about it. So, we have three strategies for home therapy.

1. calf stretches as per the handout received 2x per day for up to 30 seconds each time, with knee bent and knee straight.
2. hold him in a squatting position in order to stretch the tendon and muscle with a 3-4inch object under him once per day
3. rub the bottom of his feet with a washcloth after bath 10x each foot once per day with pretty strong pressure to desensitize his feet (he doesn't care for having his feet touched)

We went to Sears after his appointment and purchased some Chuck Taylor's, or Converse high tops. He wore them around at Mimi's some today. Those are the shoes that we will pay to have altered. Afterwards, it is my understanding that it will look like a wedge-type shoe or high heel. He is to wear these shoes for a minimum of six hours per day, preferably a couple hours in the morning, afternoon, and evening. Every week, he will have to go back in and be re-evaluated and hopefully get a section of the heel chopped off. This will bring his heel closer to the floor each week and force him to put his own body weight on his heel for balance. It should also stretch his plantarflexor, or heel cord, which will allow his calf muscles to extend properly.

He didn't realize anything was wrong and seemed to enjoy his appointment, and especially liked his therapist, Jean. On the way there, we told him he was going to the doctor's office, but he would get to play a lot. He looked very serious, and then in quite the sad voice he said, "I don't want doctor...I don't want shots." hahaha cute....boy, he's a thinker! What a memory!

I sure hope all of this works and allows him to develop appropriately with no discomfort! It may be hard on us somewhat, and Amy (his babysitter), but it's the best thing for Tanner and that's what matters!

Summer coming to an end soon-

Bummer. I have enjoyed being home with the kids. I know I will definitely be sad to not see them as much. It makes me thankful for having a job that allows me the pleasure of staying home with them in the summer, as many moms do not get that opportunity. There have been stressful times, and some very trying times, but that is my job and we all made it through! haha The main stressor has been the fact that our house went on the market right when summer was beginning. We were very hopeful, and even optimistic, that our house would sell quickly. We had replaced all windows, the roof, the a/c and furnace, guttering and downspouts, kitchen cabinets, tile floors in kitchen and both bathrooms, the water heater, and a new shower surround...all within the last four years! We did much of that for ourselves, but then thought it would help the house sell. Unfortunately, we found out that the main thing that people look for is square footage and a minimum of two full bathrooms. Soooo, our house is still up for sell with not one single offer. It has been very hectic keeping the house clean, and getting the kids ready to get out for showings at least every other day. I get up everyday and have to clean immediately in case I get a call that someone wants to see the house in an hour. Two little ones go from room to room distributing fake food, Lego's, books, stuffed animals, and magnetic letters and numbers constantly! In some regards, I feel like the relaxation of summer was robbed from me, all in the hopes of getting a bigger house for my kids.

On a brighter note, Tanner is talking so much more now. If he doesn't have the words, he shows you what he wants or what he is asking about. He is full of character and has such a silly personality. He makes us laugh quite often and surprises us all the time. He is still racking up the frequent flyer miles in time-out, but for the most part, he is a very good boy. He is showing a little interest in the alphabet and numbers 1-10, but would rather have books read to him or play on the couch most of the time. Tanner and Kinsey are almost always in the same room when playing, but I have to watch Tanner and make sure he isn't too rowdy. He loves his sister dearly, but can be a little rough at times. It's funny, after he spends the night at Mimi's, when I pick him up, his first words are usually "Sissy, Ma?" I'm assuming he is happy to see me, but he is concerned about Kinsey and wants to see her. Cute!

My sister and nephews have moved back from Alabama. We are all enjoying being back around one another for more than one week at a time. The cousins are getting to know one another better and having some good interactions. We have spent a lot of time at Grandma and Papa's and had a few outings as well. They have spent time in the local city fountains (see pic of Kinsey below) and even went to the butterfly festival here in town recently!

The summer has been good health-wise, except for this last week. Tanner came down with some bright red rash on his face that we attributed to an overload of fresh tomatoes (too much acid) or a reaction to some Nivea face cream that he smeared on his face one night. He ended up in Family Medical Walk-In when the rash moved to his privates, read end, and lower back and was accompanied by a low-grade temperature. However, the migrated rash was different in appearance...it was more of a red pin-prick sized dot rash. They were basically no help in identifying the cause and ultimately just told us what it wasn't. Within 24 hours, Kinsey developed the same pin-prick red dots all over her body from head to toe. We have been told by several that this is a virus and should run it's course in 5-7 days. Kinsey's temperature was elevated beyond Tanner's as well. Her temp got up to 101.7, but she sure felt hotter than that. Even her feet were burning hot in the middle of the night. She slept in diaper only as she was so warm I was scared for her. She has shown no signs of itching, so that is good. She also doesn't get the luxury of just taking Zyrtec and making it go away, like her brother, so we are all hoping it is gone by the weekend.

That is because, my sweet baby girl turns ONE this coming Monday!!!!!!!!!!! We are celebrating her first year of life this Sunday with a Hello Kitty themed birthday party. I can't wait!! She doesn't have any little friends that she is close to yet, so I am expecting just family in attendance. I sure hope she feels better and is ready for some cake and presents!

Enjoying our Summer

So far this summer, we have gotten to go swimming several times. Tanner and Kinsey both enjoy the water. Luckily, our neighborhood has a pool and we paid the association fees this year. The picture to the left was taken at grandma's though. Mr. Cool Dude had already played in the water and was just chillin'. His favorite trick is to stand on the side of the pool and jump in. You can tell him to jump on 3, but he will jump whenever he wants to so you just better be ready!

Kinsey has been walking for about three weeks now. She took a few steps before school dismissed for summer, but is walking 100% now. I doubt we see our baby crawl again. :( It is bittersweet because I am so happy to see the milestones and progress, but I also know that she is growing up way too fast!

She seems to be my little shadow. Daddy calls her my "lil' cub" because she is always under foot. She frequently stands between my legs even when I do dishes. No more privacy or being alone! They both follow me from room to room, and unfortunately, both seem to need to be held at the same time. I say unfortunately because they don't like to share me. It's sweet, cute, and stressful all at once! I love their closeness though. Tanner just lights up when he sees her and likewise for her. He hugs her by when he goes to Mimi's to visit, and even tries to give her knuckles, but she has no clue what he is doing! It's still sweet to watch.

We had some 4th of July pics taken recently. Neither one wanted to smile much, which is out of character for both of them. The pic is beautiful nonetheless. Tanner looks like such a BIG boy! He had just gotten a "big boy" haircut the day before. Sissy looks a tad scared or unsure, but every time I look at the picture, I smile. That is worth the trouble of getting them ready and all that goes with having professional pictures taken(naturally a bad diaper occurred at the studio, plus Kinsey decided she needed to nurse while there!) They shot about 100 pics, but I settled on this one of the two of them, which was my goal, and one of Kinsey in her cheer-leading outfit! As you can see, she had come out of her shell and hammed it up a bit for that pose! I love it!!!

Tanner's 2 year check up

I typed much of this back on June 2nd, but forgot to finish it, and post it. Then, when I did, I hit something and half of the post disappeared, and I don't know all the details of what I had typed anymore!!!!!!! As if I have time to go back and figure it out!!! UGH!

Well, the 2 year old check up went well. He was average on everything except height and he was considered tall for his age. He has a skin condition which looks like little bumps on his thighs and the backs of his arms. It should look better as he gets older. I have the same thing I think! Other than that, he is a very healthy little man! He does walk on his tip-toes, and I hope he grows out of that soon.

He has started doing some funny things around the house. He has been pretend playing here lately which I think is fabulous developmentally. He will "cook" food with he and Sissy's play kitchen and even tell me what he is serving. Tonight it was berries and cereal!! haha He uses his little broom and mop and "cleans" a lot, too. We have also been working on manners and requiring him to say "please" and "thank you." Sometimes I even get a "thank you, Mama" after wiping his nose!! For whatever reason, he has been shortening my name to "Ma" and I have no idea why. Tonight, he said, "I want more hot dog, Ma." He still isn't fond of bath time, until he gets in there. It can be a crying fit just to get him to get in the tub, then he doesn't want to get out! He is also in the phase where he announces every little bump and bruise and says "Boo boo, Mama." Then, he walks the injured part over to me for a kiss. I think that's cute; Daddy thinks it's silly. Daddy got him a bow for his birthday on May 23 and now he says, "Dada, I shoot bow."

Tanner looks out for Kinsey in many ways. For example, she is drawn to shoes and wants to put them in her mouth! Tanner will get to them before she does and yank them out of her hand. Then, he tells her "No, Sissy...yucky." Most of the time, he wants Sissy to follow him around the house, and hollers to her, "Sweet Sweet, hurry!!!!!" If Tanner wakes up crying or I can tell he is going to be in a bad mood, my best line-of-defense is to let Kinsey open his door of a morning, and allow HER to be the first thing he sees. It always turns his frown upside down! He still gets a little jealous of her, especially if she is getting a lot of attention. He will point to the ground and show me where I am supposed to put her!! haha He says, "Sissy, down."
He has, however, been in time out many times here lately. Tobin puts him in the corner like shown in the pic. I started out putting him in his room, which worked because he very much disliked being separated from us. I am having to change my game plan because his room is full of toys and he has learned to fake whine and then just sit down and play. We both learned from that approach.

Well, summer is here and my job just got easier and harder all at once. I don't have to get up early and I don't have to necessarily get ready, but I don't get any rest all day and don't accomplish much either. Just playing with my kids which is fine by me!