Another year older.

My little Mermaid and Pirate!

Wow. That is all I can say. It amazes me when I think back to all that we, as a family have done and seen and learned in this short year. 

It is so hard to say goodbye. I really don’t want to leave Easton's First Year, but today will be my official last day.

Did I mention how much I hate goodbyes?

I woke up this morning and immediately smiled as I started reminiscing on how God decided to surprise us and send us our rough and tough lil blessing 3 weeks early on his big sister's birthday! It was a Sunday night and we had just gone into Destin to let Madileigh make a build-a-bear to wake up with on her birthday! We stopped to eat at Chile's and I did not feel a single thing.. I just knew because I wasn't feeling anything that my lil man was ready! (I still don't know what a contraction feels like after 2 pregnancies!) But just like his sister, he was not kicking or moving at all. So I went in to make sure everything was ok and they admitted me at 4cm. 12 hours later this healthy and beautiful little pirate sprung forth from my belly to make our family complete and has been a shining light in our lives since the day he joined us. 

And so, weighing in at a healthy 22.3 lbs and a very lengthy 30 1/2 inches, Easton is now a whole finger big. Everyday he cracks me up with his goofy faces and new found dancing abilities!  

And now, because this day is double special, I have to elaborate on my cuddly and kind-hearted, feisty, competitive, bossy, extremely vocal, sassy, and beautiful little mermaid princess who is topping the scales at a whopping 29.8 lbs and stands a towering 39 inches. My little Madileigh is over half of a hand big. Geez! Wearing her size 3T shorts, cinched at the waist so they'll stay up, and her favorite new Ariel shirt she is certainly one of a kind! She makes everyday in our house a roller coster ride with her sense of humor and her new found 'joke telling'! I know “they” sure weren’t lying about the time flying by.

Making some Pasketti! 

Of course, she had to have chocolate! =)

I hate it so much but I had to work today because I would love nothing more than to wake up singing loud to my sweet angels and spend the whole day catering to them! So this morning I settled with singing softly and all day yesterday we celebrated!! For their special day, Madileigh chose Minnie Mouse pancakes for breakfast, Peanut butter and jelly shapes for lunch, Pasgetti (spaghetti) for supper and then of course she had some chocolate! We danced a lot and played many imaginary scenarios involving light up mermaids, sea turtles, ariel, spiderman (as the DAD obviously), making tents for la la loopsy to camp, had all her babies riding in a parade on Easton's construction trucks and made some pretty bracelets!  

Silly lil man!

Making tents for our la la loopsy!

Stealing the book so Easton cant play! =(

Making our princess parade! 

Movie time! Watching Ice Age 3!

We had a Mermaid gal and Pirate Pal birthday party last weekend where they played on a water slide with their friends and ate tons of sugar! We will have another one this weekend at home so they can share their birthday with their Florida friends! Im sure it will involve more sugar and be just as perfect!! 

(Pics from both parties to follow shortly!)

Melts my heart! 

So here is my Happy Birthday to my angels.

Madileigh-3.

Easton-1. 

My babies have grown so much and are such amazing blessings every day. They make me laugh, scream, smile, cry, love and are the reason for my existence. God has given me an awesome life by throwing in these two little curve balls. They keep me on my toes and I love every single second of being called "Mommy" by the two of them!


This is the list of Birthday questions I started with Madileigh this year. Easton is still too young. =( 
I tried to write the responses just like she gave them! 

1. What is your favorite color? “Ummm….. Blue.”

2. What is your favorite toy? “My mermaid. Yes.”

3. What is your favorite fruit? “Walemelon!”  (Watermelon)

4. What is your favorite movie? “Ice age.. With da dinosaurs, not the baby. "

5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? “Ummm… cheese!“

6. What is your favorite outfit? “My flower dress.”

7. What is your favorite game? (Had to change it to what is your favorite thing to do? “Umm… paint!!“

8. What is your favorite snack? “Teddy bears.”

9. What is your favorite animal? “It’s a moo cow. Here it is!” (And she showed me one of Easton’s farm animals!)

10. What is your favorite song? (kid you not, she busted out with...) “Up where dey walk, up where dey run, up where dey stay all day in the suuuuuuuuuun! Wonferdin free, wish I tould be, part of dat woooooooooooooooorlld!” So Ariel is her favorite and it is just beautiful!

11. What is your favorite book? “My princess songs.”

12. Who is your best friend? “Olivia. Yes.“

13. What is your favorite cereal? “Fruit Loops. Mommy, Easton wants some!!“

14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? “Um… I pick up sticks like daddy!” (Ha really??)

15. What is your favorite drink? “Milk”

16. What is your favorite holiday? “Mommy, I goin to show you….” (And walked to the craft board and pointed to some glitter hearts she made) “I made this for yoooouuuu!” So this year it is Valentine’s Day! <3

17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? “This is my Melody…” (And she showed me the taggie on her favorite green blanket, which is named ‘Melody’!)

18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? “Um… Cookies!” (She is her mother’s child!)

19. What do you want for supper on your birthday? “Um… I want ice cream.”

20. What do you want to be when you grow up? (Her first response was “I didn’t throw up on the floor…” so I had to re-ask her and clarify ha!) “I can be Ariel!! Mommy, you can be Melody! (I laughed) Mommy, I goin to be MERMAID!!!!” (Then she flopped down on the floor and said) “Mommy I can’t walk anymore, cuz I got mermaid…” (And she started holding her legs out like a tail!!)

This was hilarious to do with her!! I didn’t expect her to have some of these answers but it will be so much fun to compare her lists over the years! I can’t wait until I can start doing this with both my babies!!! 

I Believe In KARMA.

I miss blogging. Really bad.

I have so much I want to catch up on that I don't even know where to begin. My lil monsters have gotten really big... 

See... Geez! Well, I guess I can just write about what is on my mind today.

I believe in Karma. I have to. I honestly just don’t think that I would survive as a mom if I didn’t.

That being said here is a little story of how Karma has reminded me of my losing battle with her yet again.

My kids stay at home for now and I love it! However, because someone is there when the kids wake up (or in the evenings if I’m on swings) I never have to get them out of the house. We just get dressed, play outside with the dog, hang out at the house and go about our business without having to pack them up and endure meltdowns in public! (I’ll admit that is probably the best part!)

Anyway, before I went to work today I decided to load the babes up and go for a target run to get some crap much needed items! Well, after we were done shopping, we walked outside to get back into our car seats and head straight home! I misjudged nap time and reminded myself why I love not having to load the kids up daily! I could feel the tantrum bearing down on us. I put Easton in the carseat first leaving Madileigh in the cart. The minute I walked toward Easton’s side of the car Madileigh began to whine. Not loud, but you could hear her. I told her to stop and decided to ignore the rest of the whining, as engaging her has made it worse lately. I started putting the crap items we purchased in the back.

As I scurried to do all this all on my own (while an 80 year old man who doesn’t understand this part of a shopping trip waits impatiently for my park), one of the ladies in the space next to me said something to the effect of “Just wait so-and-so that will be your family next year.” The woman she was talking to just laughed and continued to put her items in the car. Now, I was just about to lift Madileigh out of the cart when the woman finished loading her items and was taking her cart to the cart coral on the other side of our vehicle. As she walked behind us she said, “No, we don’t tolerate children like that in our family.” (blood boiling) Oh really. Good luck with that. (Stupid resolution to not be judgmental, opinionated, and compulsive. Ugh)

As much as I wanted to rudely and possible physically tell her exactly what I thought of her, I couldn’t do it. You see, I used to sort of be like her. I wasn’t particularly understanding when kids were crying, screaming, whining, or having a tantrum, especially in public… And I certainly didn’t understand the women who beat their children in the grocery store (still don’t on that one, but believe me Madileigh knows when she’s got it coming at home!) I always thought that if you disciplined your child, they wouldn’t display that type of behavior. Ever. Oh, how I’ve learned! After years of judging others, karma got me and blessed me with a very challenging 2 (almost 3) year old with her little brother in tow!

Now I don’t know if that woman was pregnant, or if it was someone else in her family that was expecting, but I just love how everyone thinks it’s going to be different for them/their family. I think that’s something people have to think in order to jump into parenthood! The human race might cease to exist otherwise. I mean, it’s easier to think that your child will always be well behaved, perfectly groomed, and wouldn’t dare eat anything off the floor, as opposed to the reality of parenthood.

What people sometimes fail to realize is that kids come with their own personalities and agendas. As parents, we are supposed to guide and discipline our kids, but it is a process. A grueling process. There will be good days and bad days. Sometimes your bad days will be put on display in the middle of a grocery store isle for all to see, or in a parking lot around nap time. That woman witnessed what I would consider being a mildly bad day, but didn’t see Madileigh the day before when she played angelically with her little brother and sang him “You Are My Sunshine” melting my heart as we rocked him to sleep piled 3 deep in the rocking chair.

Just to be clear, I don’t believe karma to be vengeful or hateful, but I know that karma will find her, just like it found me! I know that she genuinely believes her child will be different, but even the best behaved children I know have tantrums in inopportune places. I pray that one day that woman will learn the sympathetic stare that parents give other parents when they see a child acting up in public, as opposed to the judgment she had for me on this bright sunny day.

Perhaps I should have warned her that karma is a witch… with a capitol “B”… but instead I smiled and told her “Have a good day and God bless.” I meant it too. I didn’t say it sarcastically. And then I sat in my driver’s seat, smiled at my lil hoodlums in the rear view, thought about our sweet angel Karson, prayed for her and thanked my amzing God for another day with the beauty of hearing my children whine.