. happy 2011 .

 

. words to remember .

we were driving in the car today and drove past the hospital here in town where both girls were born.  karsyn started talking about the day mykah was born and our conversation went from there.

i explained to her that the doctors checked mykah out to make sure she was healthy, breathing, and had 10 fingers and 10 toes.  she said "did they have to take her shoes off to count her toes?"

we then went to her explaining that she wants a baby brother and a baby sister.  she said "so we can just keep mykah and then have a baby brother." 

i love her thinking.

. o holy night .

 
{ here's my chalkboard this morning. }

merry christmas. 

. to my sweet girl .

oh sweet karsyn,

 
tonight we put you to bed for the last time as a 3 year old.  tomorrow, at exactly 10:42am, you'll be four years old.  and my heart almost stops just thinking about it.  i simply do not know where the last four years have gone. 

you have obviously grown bigger, but oh how you have grown as a person.  you have an amazing personality, a laugh that lights up the room, an attitude that lights it up even more, and a smile that melts my heart.  you are very smart and impress me daily with the things you can remember from the past.  you are, and have always been, very independent, but i love that you still need me. 

you are an amazing big sister.  becoming that sweet sissy has been the most remarkable thing.  you have loved mykah from the very beginning and i love watching you with her.  i'm so very thankful that God made you the big sister.  you fill that role completely and beautifully. 

thank you for being you.  thank you for reminding me to be silly.  reminding me to take time to do the little things.  reminding me that being your mommy is the most important job in the world and the best blessing God could ever give me.

i love you, sweet girl.

xoxo mommy

. from our house to yours .

 

. seasons .

i really like that there are seasons of life.  i most definitely don't always like the season that i am in at the time, but sometimes i love it and don't want it to change.  right now i'm in a season that i cannot wait to get out of.  this past week i've been stuck in a rut and am trying to peel myself out and doing so in whatever way i possibly can.  i've missed some sleep.  i've missed some meals.  but life goes on. 

i'm typing this because i am a real person.  i didn't want to.  i didn't want the parents of the children i take care of in my home to think that i'm a crazy person.  i'm not crazy.  i'm human.  just like all humans make mistakes, all humans have struggles.  all humans deal with life in their own ways.  so, yes, i struggle.  but in the same note, i try my hardest to not let my struggles, my grumpiness, or whatever it may be to interfere with the lives of my children, whether they be my own or the 4 others that i get to love on every day.  sometimes i fight the frown through the smile.  ever heard the saying "fake it till you feel it"?  that's what i've lived by the last week.  i'm just in a fog.  just in a pit that i know i'll get out of in a matter of time. 

my ruts typically come about because i stay home.  i stay home all day, every day.  every single day, monday through friday.  if you don't know what that's like, try it and see how you feel by friday.  if i don't take care of myself, take one night a week to just go out with a friend, or have "me" time, satan uses that to drag me down.  and he drags me down fast.  this rut that i am in is a little different, but i know that the same changes will effect my mood, my patience, and my overall health just the same.  tomorrow i have a day off.  and i'm looking forward to it.  i do absolutely love my job.  absolutely.  i have been so extremely blessed to have this opportunity to take care of other babies in my home.  but everyone needs a break at some point.  and the "me" time comes when i make time for it.  having friends has been key for me.  just finding someone who will pray with me, laugh with me, talk to me, and know what i need. 

if you are a stay-at-home mom, you know about ruts.  and we all get out of our ruts in our own ways.  but i take one day at a time.  one hour at a time sometimes.  and with prayer and the right words, it'll happen.  the next seasons of my life is sure to be great.

. Christmas artwork .

since i have other children in my home, we do crafts pretty regularly.  this is one of my new favorites though. 

 
  
as soon as they dry, i'm going to put them in black frames and have them on display.  such a sweet remind of how precious these times are when they are small.  this is definitely a piece of their artwork i will hold onto.

speaking of artwork ... i still have not figured out how i am going to store all of their artwork that i do keep.  i have one big tub in my closet that has everything in it, but it's running out of room.  i've thought about just taking pictures of each piece and keeping the picture.  that would definitely save room.  i can't keep everything and i'm not the most sentimental person either.  but one day, i just may want to be able to look back on these things.  

so, how do you save artwork?  how do you choose what you save and what you don't?  you just may start seeing more artwork pop up on my blog from now on.  just a warning!   

handprint ornaments

we made these handprint ornaments today and i absolutely LOVE them. 

i mixed 2 cups flour, 1 cup salt, and 1 cup water.  mixed it well until it formed a dough, then rolled the dough into balls.  this amount made 4 baby sized handprints.  i flattened out the dough into circles and pressed their hands into it. 

they baked for 3 hours on 200*.  before i baked them, i used a pencil to make 2 holes in the top for ribbon.  take a look ...

when i had everyone's handprints done, i still had some extra dough, so i made this..

i love them!  and now they are all 3 front and center on my tree ...

 
 
 

 
 
 

. ballerina birthday party .

saturday we had karsyn's 4th birthday party.  well, actually it was the first of 3 she is having.  what a spoiled girl.  she's big into dancing and ballerinas right now, so we had her party at the local dance studio where she attends classes. 

 


sweet baby had a blast.  she loves dancing like sissy does.  i'm pretty sure everyone had a great time except the birthday girl.  she insisted on practicing her attitude for her tween years.  i'm just glad the party went on. 

 
 

it was a great party and we are so thankful for the friends that came.  karsyn got lots of barbie stuff which is her favorite thing right now.  

december 2.

so much changes here from day to day.  i really like change.  i like rearranging things and the excitement that comes with change.  HOWEVER.  one thing has not changed around here and i don't see it changing anytime soon.

sweet baby and her thumb and "ganky" (as it's called around here).   i'm surprised that thumb hasn't fallen off yet or rotted.  if that's even possible.  she keeps it in her mouth.  i know, i know.  i'm going to have fun breaking her when the time comes.  but for now, i kind of think it's cute.  for now.  when she's 10, not so much.

december 1.

we have never done any kind of advent activities and i'm not sure why.  i think we're always too busy to sit back and enjoy the season.  so this year i wanted to implement more and start new traditions. 

we always put the tree up and decorate it together.  that was important to me growing up and i wanted to carry on that tradition with my own family. 

we keep our tree simple for many reason.  the main one is because of the little fingers that linger around it each day.  our ornaments are shatter-proof and we have no tinsel.  simple.  but i really like it that way. 

other than our tree, i wanted to always have a box of Christmas books close by our tree.  we had a few, but i wanted more.  snow books.  snowman books.  Christmas books.  night before Christmas books.  books about the birth of Jesus.  i want a good variety of them all to keep out every year.  this is how i implemented that into our traditions ...

 

this is our "advent" calendar for this year.  our countdown to Christmas.  my sweet mom found a bookstore going out of business and snatched up 24 Christmas books.  i wrapped them, numbered them, and sat them on our mantel.  the girls didn't notice it all day, so we waited until we normally read books at night to even show them and explain to the girls what we were doing.  tonight we opened our first book.  of course they wanted to open all of them, but i think they finally got the point. 

i absolutely love this idea.  next year, we'll do more Christmas activities to countdown to the birth of Jesus.   
 
 

. two of a kind .

these girls are so different, it's truly amazing, however, the one thing that is the same is their hair.  who knew?!?  karsyn has always had blonde hair.  mykah's was always brown.  they are exactly the same color now.  karsyn still has her baby blues though and i love that. 

they are becoming such good friends, but obviously have their sister moments.  i'm very thankful for being blessed with two sweet girls!  i cannot wait to see how their relationship grows and changes as they get older.  right now, it's simply precious. 

. time flies .

i have always believed that time flies when you're having fun, but whether we are having fun in the hill house all the time or not, time is still flying by so fast.  the girls are growing and learning new things daily and hitting "developmental milestones" so quickly.  karsyn is about to be 4 years old.  when did that happen?!?  mykah is going to be 2 shortly after.  i'm learning to sit back and enjoy.  to soak in every second of their little lives.  to try to memorize their every move as if i could always see them as babies. 



karsyn is (as "those" parents would say ... 47 months old) or almost 4.  i prefer to say "she'll be 4 in december".  here are some of my favorite things and some not so favorite things about her right now ...



*she absolutely loves preschool and amazes me at the things she remembers.  yesterday she said "authors are the people who write words."  i asked her where she learned that from and she said "from ms. jamee". 

*she wants me to fix her hair every single day.  and those little stray hairs that pop out of the side of the pony tail drive her crazy.  reminds me a little of me.

*she has an opinion about everything and is not afraid to express it.  at. all.

*she loves anything physical. riding bikes.  jumping on the trampoline.  swinging.  she's even said she wants to run with me, which i would love.

*she loves being a big sister.  the other day she said she never wants me to have another baby.  mykah cannot ever be a big sister b/c she is the big sister.

*she's quite the bossy little thing.

*she is and has always been very independent. 

*she is very strong willed.  very.  and i'm not so sure where she gets that from.

*today she told me that "emma starts with E, brenna starts with B, and ally starts with A".  those are her little friends in her preschool class.  i was amazed that she knew this!



Mykah is definitely developing an awesome personality.  She is hilarious.  She is 2 1/2 (or 22 months old now) and a complete riot!  Here are some new things about her ...



*she is learning to put sentences/partial sentences together.  all day long she says "mommy's car.  daddy's car.  mimi's car."  that's her favorite phrase right now i guess.  she gets a kick out of her words too.  each time she says something she just laughs and laughs.

*she is doing everything sissy does.  everything. 

*she has her thumb in her mouth more times than not.  i think the only time its not in her mouth is when she's eating, but even then she's tried to eat with it in there.  that's going to be a hard one to break!

*she's not sleeping as much as she used to, which i miss.  but she still sleeps pretty well.  typically she'll go to bed at 7:30 and sleep until 7:00 or 7:30.  her naps are down to an average of an hour and a half.  i'm missing the 2-3 hour naps though.  occasionally she breaks them out. 

*she knows how to call papa on my phone.  every. time.

*she now sleeps with a pillow and a blanket to cover her (b/c sissy does), but is still in her crib.  i have no intentions of moving her out of her crib.  karsyn was in hers until she was 2 1/2. 

*she is still lactose intolerant and actually just ended up with a double ear infection b/c we let her have cake and ice cream.  usually i give her a lacaid chewable and she's fine, but that day we forgot and paid the price.



i am absolutely amazed at my girls each day.  they are always learning something new that blows my mind.  i love being home with them and can't imagine it any other way.  i just can't believe how fast they are growing though!

. halloween 2010 .

we typically don't do a whole lot for halloween.  obviously we have small children still, so it has not at all become anything for us, which i'm ok with.  i can do without it.  what i can't do without is the candy at the end.  my back side could do without the candy, but not without all the walking we did to get the candy.  let's not go there. 



the fun part this year was letting karsyn pick what she wanted to be.  she has said for months now that she wanted to be a cat.  easy enough.  and since i like things to be all matchy-matchy, we made mykah a mouse. 

i don't think i'm biased at all, but i'd say they were the cutest cat and mouse you'd ever seen.  now, the mouse?  she was definitely the slowest mouse i'd ever seen.  there was no scurrying, even though she was saying "run. run."  as we approached the houses while trick or treating.  she must have heard the other kiddos.

friday night we had a birthday party for one of karsyn's favorite friends.  they got to dress up for that and had a blast.  here she is with her besties ...

the party was so much fun.  neither cat nor mouse wanted to leave.  then sunday came.  karsyn couldn't wait for halloween.  i think she asked about every 2 seconds if it was "halloween yet?!?"  and where the "festibal" was that we were going to.  we had a very lazy sunday. that's what you do on holidays right?  then we got all gussied up again and headed to our church for the fall festival (which is always insane) and then we met some friends to go trick or treating.  we didn't get home until 9:00 and the girls passed out.  they had a blast though.  i'm waiting for them to wake up and ask for candy for breakfast!  such is life, right?

p.s.  no i didn't eat all the candy, but i must say i did steal the one and only almond joy out of the bucket.

. my family tree .

i am a slow decorator.  very.  s. l. o. w. 

as in .. we have lived here for 2 months and there is nothing on the walls.  i definitely want this house to feel and looked lived in.  at our old house, we lived there for 4 years and never hung anything up.  that's how horrible i am at decision making and decorating.  i change my mind so often that i have a hard time finding things i absolutely love and want to keep around forever.  



i saw this online and re-created it to fit my family.  and i'm in love.

i actually just finished it and haven't printed it, but i KNOW without a doubt that tonight i am going to find a frame and sit it on my mantle.  i {big puffy heart} my little family tree.  forever and ever.  and it will always be present in my home.

. thankful thursday .

today i am thankful for ..



1. sweet baby kisses ...

2. for rainy weather.

3. for mr. hill who understands when i need a night off.

4. for my sweet, curly headed girl who talks so gently to her sister (sometimes).

5. for moments of quiet in the afternoons when all 6 kiddos are sleeping.

6. really big sonic drinks, of course. 

7. but my current addiction is chicken express half-and-half sweet tea.

8. juice plus supplements.  they keep me going.

9. a garage to park my car that doesn't work.

10. cleaning supplies.  although if i used them more often i may be more thankful. 

11. washable markers.  and magic erasers.  i think my dining table may be more thankful for those two.

12. because i have to have an even number.  i'm so very thankful for a God who loves me for me and continues to bless me daily and provide prospective in my sometimes cloudy world.

. miss attitude .

you know.  sweet baby?  that girl has attitude.  whew.  we only THOUGHT she was going to be the good. quiet. go with the flow. child.  boy were we wrong.  she is sweet, but packs a punch in those cute little cheeks of her.  speaking of cheeks ...

this seems to be sweet baby's game of choice this week.  she very much enjoys playing with the potty chair and putting on and taking off panties.  all day.  she knows the phrase "pee pee in the potty" and knows where to go.  somehow it gets mixed up and she pees on the floor under the dining table, but whatever.  we're working on it. 

no, it was not my idea.  this is all on her own.  she's 19 months old and has a stronger will than i've ever seen.  she knows what she wants and will get it, one way or another.  so this is her attempt to put on the panties by herself ...

looks like a mini-skirt to me.  and a rear-view.

yep.  that's how we roll here. 



ok, so i do teach my children how to properly put on their clothing, but apparently sweet baby missed that class.  and she refuses the help.  and i refuse to fight that fight.  so this is how she wears them.

. another first .

today was the biggest first so far for my sweet girl.  in the past 2 weeks we have gone to the dentist, gotten her ears pierced, and started dance class.  today?!?  preschool.  just saying it sends my heart fluttering.  maybe that's a small heart attack just at the thought of my baby going to preschool?  could be.



so we started a new tradition today too.  the famous first-day-of-school-picture-at-the-front-door-holding-a-sign ...

how big does she look?!?!?  no, i didn't cry, but now i might.  her little nobby knees and all send me into a tizzy.  AND ... i always knew my children were beautiful, but check this out ...

be still my beating heart.  my sweet girl was super excited about her first day of school.  we got her a new backpack (the day before, but that doesn't matter) and a special new outfit to wear to support her love of all things heart shaped (the night before, but that doesn't matter either).

and we were good to go.  all set.  she was ready to show her friends her earrings and her backpack.

and she did great.  someone else, on the other hand ...

nah.  i was fist bumping the teacher and raising the roof all the way home.  ok, not to that extreme, but i was excited for my sweet girl and the opportunity she has to be going to preschool.  she was so big going in.  walked right on in.  hugged her teacher, who by the way is a-mazing, if i do say so myself.

and then she went to coloring.  kissed me good-bye.  she did mention to me "daddy told me to tell you that you couldn't go back to your car."  after a quick explanation that i'd be right back, she went right on doing her thing.

and, actually, when i when to pick her up, she was apparently having a blast with her little friend.  she saw me and said "MOMMY?!?!" along with a rather ugly look.  i was obviously not wanted, but she changed her tone real quick and ran to me.  i'm so thankful that she is in this preschool and has my sweet friend, Jamee, as her teacher.  what a blessed year it is going to be.

. she dances .

when i first told karsyn that she was going to be doing dance classes her very first comment was "that teacher cannot teach me how to dance.  i already know how."  so when today rolled around, i was very curious to see how it would go.  once again, to my surprise, the little turkey let me take her pictures.  she's finally coming around.

she did great, of course.  surprisingly, the teacher assistant was a sweet friend of ours who karsyn adores, so that helped the situation.  and ... she followed the directions given to her.  turns out, she didn't really know ALL there is to know about being a ballerina. 

she did great and i'm so proud of her.  tomorrow is her first day of preschool.  she's just growing up way too fast.  next week, i think we'll do piano lessons, choir, soccer, and sign her up for college classes.  when does the madness end?

. let the games begin .

i actually did decorate my dining room chalkboard for the aggie game saturday.  believe it or not.  and we had "gig 'em aggies" lessons at dinner that night.  seriously.

. she can't be big .

i'm trying to refuse the fact that karsyn is getting big.  i know she's still 3, but 4 is in our near future.  i have been very very excited about 4.  like pumping my fist excited that i can see 4 coming soon.  at the same time, i'm still trying to hold on to 3.  especially when she decides she wants to do this ...

look closely.  yep.  that's an earring.  she actually does have another on the other ear.  we're not that weird.  today, was girl time.  just me and my big girl.  we went to the mall to find her some new shoes for preschool that starts wednesday.  we passed a few stores that do piercings and actually had people sitting in the chairs ready to be pierced themselves.  she said, quite confidently, "i wanna do that today."  so we did. 



i know sometimes people make a big deal about getting their ears pierced, but its never been a big deal for us.  i did call Mr. Hill to let him know what we were doing first and then we proceeded.  she was SO big.  she didn't cry at all.  didn't even flinch.  she picked out her very first pair.  of course, i tried to coherse her to pick the diamonds.  apparently a 3 year old doesn't know that "diamonds are a girls best friend".  this is what she picked ...

hello kitty.  HELLO?!?!?  yes, i've always been anti-character-supporters, but i caved and let her pick out what she wanted.  and she stands proud showing them to everyone she sees.  after that, we headed to get matching tattoos.  kidding. 

. meet the teacher photo shoot.

although i already know her, and love her, we got to "meet" karsyn's preschool teacher tonight.  what's just as exciting for me is that my sweet girl actually let me take pictures of her before we left.

i'm so thankful that she already knows her teacher and that her teacher is the sweetest friend.  i cannot believe that my sweet girl is even old enough for preschool, but i know that she'll have tons of fun and the time away from mommy will probably be great for her.  and me.  just sayin'

preschool officially starts next wednesday.  we shall see if i get a "1st day of preschool" photo shoot.