59/365

somehow i already have army men stationed in my kitchen.  karsyn got these for valentine's day from a boy in her class.  i must admit ... i LOVE them.  i love having signs of boys.  even if they aren't jaxtons.  yet.  but soon i'm sure he'll have them everywhere too.

58/365

57/365

i am trying to capture as many moments as i can where the girls are actually being nice to each other.  you see, those moments are few and far between these days.  oh, the joys of having sisters.

56/365

my sassy girls have somehow changed gears and actually let me take their pictures.  and they pose.  i'm not sure what the change has been, but let's not complain, right? 

we learned that monday nights at a local soccer complex, there are free soccer trainings where kids can go do drills and scrimmage with other kids in their age group with soccer coaches who actually know what they're doing.  it's a short 45 minute practice, but the girls have loved it.  mykah went for the first time tonight.  we're still undecided if she actually likes soccer, but she wanted to go, so we went with it. 

and, yes, i let them pick out what they wore.  whatever.

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yep, i'm the coach

here's how it started.  we signed her up.  we waited.  we never heard from her coach.  then we got word ... there is no coach for her team.  they needed someone to volunteer so that the team wouldn't have to be split up and they would end up on a team with more kids, meaning less playing time. 

we signed up with CSSC so that she would actually LEARN soccer.  and now there's no coach.  it came to the night before the first game and if no one volunteered by noon that day, they would have to combine teams.  i thought and prayed about it all day.  and i volunteered.

so she may not really learn much.  but she has a coach.  and a team.  and gets to play. 

today was our first game.  our first time to even see our team.  and meet our players.  needless to say, it's going to be a HUGE learning experience for all of us.  i made the other parents fully aware that i had no clue what i was doing, but i wanted our children to be able to get playing time.  so here i was.  there are also several families from other countries on our team.  yep.  big language barrier.  we have spanish speakers. indian. and korean.  most speak english to some extent, but i have to make sure my ears are listening good!  today was a lot of fun!!!  i cannot wait to see how the season turns out.

54/365

first soccer game of the season.  first game with college station soccer club.  we're excited!

53/365

5 months old

time keeps ticking.  and this sweet boy keeps growing.  and i think i love him more and more every day, if that's possible.  i have realized this month that he does seem to be a little behind from where he should be, which the neonatologist at the hospital said he would be.  since he was born 5 weeks early, there was a possibility that he'd be approximately 5 weeks "behind".  i don't like to compare babies because they all do things at their own rates, but for the most part, they all seem to do things within a few weeks of each other.  i have the girls calendars that i look at occasionally and i have noticed that he's done things about a month behind what the girls have done so far. 

that being said ... i still try to do things with him that he should be able to do at his gestational age.  so technically, he should only be 4 months, but he's really 5 months, so i do things with him that any 5 month old could do.  we work on sitting up.  rolling over from tummy to back.  eating baby food.  grabbing things.  he may not do them as well as other 5 month olds, but he's working hard every day! 

so at 5 months ...
*not sleeping that great right now because of recurring ear infections. 
*eating like a mad man.  he loves fruit!
*trying to grab everything he sees.  mainly my water bottle.  he likes to chew on the straw.
*rolls over tummy to back in bed and cries b/c he can't get back over to sleep.
*likes his schedule.  still lets us know when it's bedtime.
*is getting better about being in the car.  i'm not sure what changed, but i'm not questioning it.
*has really taken to his "gankie".  it's a sure fire way to get him calm in the car.  he likes to hold it and suck his thumb.
*another big change ... he can get his thumb to his mouth and keep it there longer without it yanking out.
*still can't sit up well.  i now feed him in the bouncy seat so he can lay back and the food will stay in his mouth.
*LOVES to swing.  loves. loves. loves.

5 month photo shoot

52/365

i'm loving flowers in my window sill these days.  NEVER thought i'd say that.  i've never really been a fan of fresh flowers.  they always seemed like a waste of money.  now, i realize that it's about more than money. 

daily crazy

{side note : i am HORRIBLE at subject lines here.  and how to type them.  period.  sometimes they have periods at the beginning and end.  sometimes other grammatically incorrect symbols as well.  oh well.  as much as my mind changes, so does my blog.}

i just came across this picture and had to hold in the hysterical laughter.  this picture epitomizes the level of crazy i am working with daily.  mykah, hyped up on some type of sugar (don't worry, we're working on our diet, but who can pass up little debbie cakes that are present for every holiday it seems?!?!), jaxton staring at her in awe.  or maybe he's watching his back?  whatever his intentions, his stares are constant.  he seems in love.  hopefully that's the case.  and a messy kitchen.  it's a must in a house of children.  where the activities never cease, the laundry is never done, but the memories are always being made.  crazy or not, i love it.

51/365

karsyn was "jaguar of the week" this week and got to do this project.  it's all about her.  it was fun to hear her answers.  it's definitely a keeper.

50/365

i absolutely love having a chalkboard on our front porch.  hello.

49/365

i could take pictures of baby toes all day long.  chubby fingers. chubby toes. LOVE them.  and i love that they found each other finally.

48/365

we even swing on cold days.  and windy days.  nothing a blanket and hat can't take care of, right?

47/365

this girl is a tough one.  a tough one to teach.  a tough one to help.  a tough one in general.  she likes to do things herself.  and if it isn't her way, life. is. over.  i've tried hard to teach her how to write her letters and her being left-handed has made it challenging for sure, but she prefers to do it all on her own.  she knows better than me.  and her way is always better.  so i let her.  i refuse to fight over learning with my child.  so i lead by example and encourage.  that's how we make it through.  i make sure she sees letters or sees me write letters myself.  i give her games to play with letters, but gone are the days of me sitting down with her to show her how to write.  

she gets pretty serious and proud when she writes.  and i want her to be like that. 
at least she holds her pencil right.

the perfect outfit

for riding bikes ...

this girl always knows what to wear.  and i never know what that will be each day.  today it was her weird cowgirl hat, shirt, and booty shorts that she's only supposed to wear under skirts.  plus the brown boots that apparently go with any outfit and are multipurpose.

she was actually pretty cute.

i learned a long time ago, probably when karsyn was 2, not to argue with a girl and her wardrobe.  it wasn't worth it.  now i let them both pick out their clothes.

46/365

there are no words to describe how i feel about this sweet boy. 

my little valentine's

yes. i. did.

45/365

we love you.

sweet friend party

i stepped out of my comfort zone and decided to host a valentine's party for karsyn and her sweet friends from school.  the four of them have become best buds and are pretty much inseparable i think.  it was FUN.  i really enjoyed preparing and setting it all up, then, while they were all here, they ate and played and us mamas talked and talked. 

i had a lot of fun setting up the snack table.  i wanted a decent after school snack for the girls, but also something festive and easy.  if it's not easy, i don't do it!  so i thought of doing a "make your own trail mix" bar.  they filled their little heart cups and ate and ate.  it was perfect.

we also used this time to celebrate our sweet friend samantha, who is moving away in a few days.  we are so so so sad to see her go.  she is hilarious and super sweet at the same time.  the weather was nice enough for the girls to all play outside after we snacked and i'm pretty sure they had tons of fun. 

overall, it was a fun party and i cannot wait to host another.

44/365

nothing beats a game of hungry hungry hippo, right?  even jaxton got in on the fun.  playing games is definitely daddy's thing.  i'm not a game player.  i'm way too competitive and so are my kids.  i have seriously played mykah in candy land 10 times in one day just so i could beat her once.  just once.

43/365

how are we here already?

the days are passing way to quickly.

42/365

i LOVE seeing artwork all over the house.  karsyn drew this heart on a chalkboard in preparation for our valentine party tomorrow. 

she needs entertainment

i have so many days where i wish i had signed mykah up for preschool.  without karsyn here, she gets bored so easily, so i'm constantly searching for new things to keep her entertained.  usually the activity that i take hours to search for and just as long putting together, takes her 5 minutes to destroy and move on.  but this one?  this one has lasted DAYS.

8 cups flour.  1 cup baby oil.  and a sand table.  she played for hours.  jaxton watched.  then when karsyn came home, THEY played for hours.  and again the next day.  and the next day.  and the next day.  seriously the best idea ever.  it was well worth it to see this sweet face ...

41/365

40/365

this girl likes to sleep.  and when someone that she shares a room with keeps waking her up early in the morning, she drops like a fly by late afternoon. 

20 weeks

39/365

i cannot get enough of this little guy.  i squeeze him and kiss him all day long.  today i took advantage of him being little and still wanting mama.  i rocked him to sleep for every nap and bedtime and even held him the entire time he slept once.  i've always been so big on routine and my babies sleeping, but it's nice to just hold them.  lately, i just hold them a lot.  time flies way too fast.

38/365

i absolutely LOVE when our fridge looks like this.  i've been buying tons more fresh fruits and veggies lately and it looks so pretty all cleaned and organized in the fridge.  and easily accessible is always a plus.

37/365

it's about life, right?  yep, this is a pile of our trash.  BUT .. it's a pile of our trash that's going to recycling.  i NEVER thought i'd be the recycling type.  yes, it's a type.  trust me.  trash isn't something i ever put thought into.  it goes into the can and gets hauled away.  until i tried recycling for the first time and could tell the HUGE difference in our trash.

i totally miss curbside recycling that we had before.  now we have to actually take it to a recycle center.  i went a week or so without recycling at all and you'd think we were THE trashiest of all trashy people.  white trash, right here.  our outside trashcan was overflowing by trash day.  some weeks we had to sneak over and use the neighbors trashcans just to get it all in.  back to recycling we went.  this is our reycling pile after just 1 week.  the plastic bag is full of plastics.  water bottles.  grocery bags.  and our outside can is half full.  and why does that even make me happy?!?!?!?

36/365

35/365

my kids MUST have the bumbo-in-the-sink pictures.  MUST.  too bad this one was after his first blowout.  on daddy's arm.  bahahahaha.

he's gonna be an eater

this boy.  he likes to eat.

at his 4 month well check, he weighed 13 lbs 14 oz.  a week and a half later ... 14 lbs 7 oz.  he can put it away.  and gets mad when it's gone.  i need to start saving extra now just to pay for him to eat later!

we started him on a few tablespoons of rice cereal, mixed with some applesauce.  he is now eating rice cereal with half a container of baby applesauce in the mornings, about an hour after he has his first bottle.  then he just started eating rice cereal with sweet potatoes in the evenings.

big. boy.

and he eats without ANY problems at all.  he smiles a lot when i'm feeding him, hence the cereal running down his chin in this picture. 

spring?

is that you?

every year i hate the cold-in-the-mornings, but hot-in-the-afternoons weather.  it. makes. me. crazy.  and that's how it's been.  we have to wear coats when we take karsyn to school and by lunch time we are able to be in shorts and flip flops.  thank you, texas.

the last few days, however, have been uh-mazing.  windows open.  breeze blowing.  allergies flaring because of said windows open.  the girls play outside for hours.  little man swings for hours.  we eat meals outside.  all of the above.  it's been perfect.

34/365

the weather has been SO very nice lately.  and we've taken full advantage because here in texas, you never know what the weather will do.  my heart absolutely loves looking on the back porch to see this.  this mama's cup is running over.  plus, i still can't believe i have three kids. 

words to remember

the girls were coloring on the same sheet together and mykah got mad.  karsyn said "she's not letting me color."  and mykah said "YOU AREN'T COLORING IN THE LINES!"

karsyn is a scribbler.  mykah is a perfectionist.  obviously the two don't need to be coloring the same sheet together again.

life lately

1.  baby toy on the couch
2.  box-o-crayons on the table
3.  earrings & hello kitty toy on end table
4.  basket-o-laundry on the high chair (where else do you put laundry?)
5.  dining table.  where are we supposed to eat?

life lately.  you may recall in posts past that i was focus on perfection.  that hasn't really gone away, but i've eased up these last few days.  really trying to soak in the moments with the littles.  really trying to make memories.  really trying to teach.  really trying to laugh.  and snuggle.  and read.  and tickle.  and play candy land.  and barbies.  and construction.  and glue.  and make tshirts.

and when i do those things, the house does get a little crazy.  and tonight, i'm ok with crazy.  because crazy means we had a fun day. 

yep, i bought him that shirt

perfect saturday

is it spring 'round here?  summer?  winter?  oh, yeah.  it's texas.  today was THE perfect day.  the weather was absolutely beautiful.  we opened windows ... which has now lead to itchy eyes, but it was well worth it.  the girls played outside ALL day.  seriously.  all day.  they ate lunch out there.  played more.  we ate dinner by the fire in our new fire pit (thanks mom & dad!).  jaxton swang and sat in his bumbo while he watched the girls.  they colored out on the deck.  they played and played and played.  we even went to the playground at karsyn's school twice.  THE perfect day.  i didn't want it to end.

33/365

we had the best winter spring winter spring day.

friday treat day

the girls ask every single day, without fail, if we can go get an icee, milkshake, or any other kind of treat they can think of at the moment.  it's been a rule since karsyn started kindergarten that we would only do treats on fridays if they had a good week.  there have been some days where i've been able to bypass friday treat days.  most days we skip icees because i have to go inside a gas station.  and who wants to lug 3 kids inside a gas station for 5 minutes.  not worth toting screaming baby along.

mykah remembered that when she was sick with strep earlier in the week, that i got her a milkshake from chick-fil-a.  she has asked every day since then for another one, so i promised that a milkshake could be our friday treat.  they don't forget things!!

this was a well deserved treat for this girl.  she had a great week and is working so hard in school.