Thursday, March 28, 2013

It only happens once ...

The first birthday is something that only happens once, a special day that you can't ever get back.  We celebrated Levi's birthday last weekend even though our little guy doesn't actually turn one until Wednesday.  I had intentions to throw a small, sock monkey themed party ... it seemed fitting since Levi had become attached to his little sock monkey lovie.  


Then I did something dangerous.  I typed in sock monkey party in the search bar of Pinterest.  All kinds of ideas came up and my head started to spin with things to do.  A small party turned into a big party ... with lots of crafting and coordinating all things monkey.  


Sock monkey cupcakes, cookies, banana pudding, banana chips.  Red and white flowers.  Red, white, brown, and black polka dot balloons.  


There were sock monkey party hats (which we forgot to even use), polka dot banners, sock monkey stuffies, and a red Radio Flyer wagon.  The favor table consisted of banana runts, red and brown tootsie pops, tootsie rolls, monkey vines, and chocolate malt balls.  Yummy!


I put together a mini "photo booth" area for the kids to get pictures as monkeys and was quite upset when I realized I didn't even get the birthday boy in a pic!  At least Abby was photogenic for once. :) We had a bounce house, which all the kids enjoyed... for hours.  Seriously the best invention.  Ever.  


We sang happy birthday to our sweet boy, then let him dive into his smash cake.  At first he wasn't so sure about the sugary, sweet taste, but he quickly became curious as to what this cake thing was all about.  We made quite a mess and went straight to tubby time!


The party may have been bigger than planned and required more crafting than I thought, but birthdays ... first birthdays ... only happen once.  So why not celebrate big?  And as much as you can?  Maryland here we come ... let's party some more! :)


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Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Sleepy girl ...

Night terrors.  I don't like them, they scare me, and I hate feeling so helpless when they happen.  Abby started having nightmares (or so I thought) a month or so ago.  After talking with some girlfriends and doing some research on my own, I came to realize that these nightmares may be actual night terrors.

Abby would wake around around the same time each night in a sudden panic.  Often shivering and shaking, truly scared about something, wide eyes, yet still in a sleepy state.  The hubs and I would rush in her room to reassure her it was just a bad dream, that we were here, and she was safe.  I would try to hug her but she didn't want us to touch her.  It was almost like we weren't even there.  Kinda creepy?  Yes.  She would finally snap out of it, get a hug and kiss, and fall back to sleep. 

It was later brought to our attention that sometimes night terrors can be triggered by inadequate sleep and being overtired.  Those of you that know Abby, know that she is always on the go.  This child is nonstop, all day long if you let her!  And quite honestly during nap time, I often chose to have some one on one Abby time while Levi sleeps.  

Once the night terrors started, I have been trying to enforce "quiet time" more often.  Some days it's quite the fight, but most of the time she will give in and fall asleep.  It's not always in her bed, but hey, a nap is a nap ... and her night terrors have decreased!  Thank the Lord!  
And some of these "quiet times" have turned into Abby/Mommy snuggle time.  Every now and again, this Mama deserves a nap with her sweet little girl! :)

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Friday, March 8, 2013

Makes my heart happy.

About a month ago, Abby's Sunday school teacher mentioned that the kids would be learning the Lord's Prayer.  I thought to myself that maybe Ms. Nora had forgot just how long the prayer is.  I mean, really? Abby, at age 3, reciting such an important prayer, one with so many big words?

But ... nonetheless, I wanted to do what I could to help Abby learn it.  And much to my surprise, she did.  She of course has her own twist to it and some of the words aren't said correctly, but she knows it.  Abby has made her mama (and Ms. Nora) SO PROUD!!



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Thursday, March 7, 2013

One month away ...



Dear Levi,

We are less than a month away from celebrating your first birthday.  It's hard for me to grasp that eleven months have come and gone and to be honest, part of me doesn't want to believe it.  You're changing and growing up so fast, so I'm holding on to your baby snuggles as much as I can.

You are such a sweet boy, although you are starting to show frustration, independence, and the want to get your way.  I forgot that eleven month old babies could have temper tantrums and boy are you starting to show that side!  You arch your back, lay on your belly flat on the ground kicking, or you smack your head on the floor.  It's just not pretty and I don't like it!

Something tells me you will be just like your sister.  Strong willed and independent, yet so caring and lovable.  Add always on the move to that list and you'll be twins.  You are a mover and are starting to gain confidence on your feet.  You are standing more on flat feet now instead of those tippy toes.  You'll reach out for my hand to get from one place to another.  It won't be long and you'll get brave enough to take that first step... and when you do, I'm sure you will begin to run circles around me. :)

With an appetite like your Daddy, you are eating most table foods and less baby food.  You like to feed yourself and Max too.  We are making the transition to whole milk, but are taking it slow.  You seem to like it, we just want to make sure your belly does too.

It's amazing how babies learn things so quick.  You're signing words (a few), doing hand motions to "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and "Itsy Bitsy Spider."  And the babbling.  You are a talker and love to make noise!  Recently we've heard you say "Bye Bye" and you are starting to say "Hi" whenever prompted.  You recognize several words ... bottle, milk, crackers, dog, no, ball, block, hi, kiss.... The last word may be my favorite because we are working on giving kisses.  It's the sweetest thing!

I'm excited to celebrate my big boy's special day, but sad to see the baby days slip away.  I'll keep smothering you with hugs, kisses, and snuggles as long as you let me.  I'm looking forward to seeing you grow and continue to learn.  We love you!

Love,
Mommy

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Friday, March 1, 2013

Friday Photo Dump


Happy Friday!

I have been slacking (once again) on the blog.  It's just so hard to find the time to catch up and when I have down time at night, I just want to sit and relax.  I want to get back into it though because I feel like I'm missing out on writing about the kids ... how much they are learning, what they are up to, and the memories we are making.  We'll see how it goes. :)
Random Tidbits about the pics:

1. Levi is loving bath time, just like his big sis.  It's always a good way to end a long day.

2. Last Friday night, the hubs and I went to the Zac Brown Band concert with a group of friends.  It was such a fun time and is always good to have some adult time with our crew.

3. Then on Saturday, I braved taking both kids to the Spring Training home opener.  We got there early, had a picnic lunch, then watched about two innings of baseball before heading home.  Levi does not want to be held or confined in any way, so it was hard to watch from the stands.  This season ought to be interesting!!

4. Abby has such a fun time playing with the sweet girls across the street.  They aren't here full time, but when they are Abby wants to play with them all. the. time.

5.  Abby was a helper this week at Levi's physical therapy appointment.  Levi had to push Abby back and forth across the room.

6. We had a date at the library this week with Beckett.  Looking forward to playdates during the baseball season with this cutie!

7. The firefighters and firetruck visited the library and Abby was able to sit in the truck and help squirt water out of the big hose!

8. Levi loves making a mess at the library.  We go every week and every week it's the same.  He empties the shelves and then we put them back.  :)

9.  Cart fun ... who knew?

10.  Levi loves the Oriole Bird ... and Abby still waves from a distance.

11.  Levi swinging... a guaranteed smile and laugh every time!

Have a great weekend everyone! :)

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