It's done, I ordered the Parkway for Kaeden

After much debating I have ordered the Britax Parkway for Kaeden. I have had him in his Cosco Alpha Omega booster seat for a few weeks now and he does excellent. he is always sitting correctly and asking me to tighten his belt when it is too loose because he leaned forward (those boosters SUCK) I had to move him to the booster because I feared for Kai's safety in the Alpha Omega because the seatbelt was next to impossible to tighten or loosen, even more impossible to buckle and there were a few times I didn't know if I was going to be able to get him out because the button was stuck and wouldn't UNbuckle. I decided to turn his seat into a booster for Kaeden and give him a trial run with it before ordering the Parkway or going with the Apex 65. I ended ordering the Parkway on Amazon and after applying for their credit card (which I'll pay off as soon as I get the firs tbill since I planned on spending approx 100 on the seat anyway) I only will pay 58 bucks for it! YIPPEEEE!!!!!!! Our first long distance trip will be next weekend to go to my family's for Easter and the seat should be here next week. I figure if I find that Kaeden does not do well in his booster I can test out my nephew's apex and see how he fits in it and run up to Tri Cities and buy him the 5pt if it's a big issue. I have a feeling it's not going to be an issue at all. He is very excited to receive his new seat and it's even in "racecar, nascar" ( speedway ) pattern so he's pretty stoked about that Thank you to everyone who helped me with this decision. I know that he should be in a 5pt as long as possible and I feel I have stretched it out longer then I would have had I not been on this board. He weighs 47lbs and has almost outgrown his marathon in height so as long as he behaves we're good to go in the Parkway!

Our First Walk

So today I bit the bullet and decided it was time to start walking. I will try to do it daily but if the weather is icky I am not going to take 2 kids and 2 dogs out in it LOL I was nervous about walking up our hill since we live in such a hilly area that I've dreaded and put off walking for 8mo because I didn't want to go up the dang thing. Come to find out it was not so bad~! You go uphill for a bit but then you get all kinds of downhill going around the block and then finish up the walk with a bit more uphill. I only went the smallest block possible, but am hoping within a week or so to push it to the big block and then maybe a walk to the park. The reason I've dreaded walking to the park is it's all downhill going, and all uphill coming home and it's got some serious steep spots. Who wants to walk home uphill after playing at the park? lol The boys just loved it and the dogs were a bit unsure about it. This is the first time Tiegra and Sally have been taken on a walk and were confused by the leashes. Kaeden did a great job keeping up with me, but is going to have to work on controlling the little weiner dog Sally LOL She was dragging him everywhere and just bouncing off the walls. Tiegra kept getting startled by Kaeden running around after Sally and yelling, but all in all they did great and I think they enjoyed the walk as much as we did. It's amazing how much more enjoyable a walk is with 2 puppies ;) Something to entertain you while you walk.

This morning we went to Story Time at the library and Kai was a terror! He did NOT want to sit still or be quiet and kept playing the game of the great escape artist. Was making me batty and I was so relieved when the hour was over LOL Tomorrow is MOPS, thank goodness it's MOMMY time tomorrow morning and Kai and Kaeden will be taken care of with no worries from Mommy. I absolutely love MOPS and am dreading the spring session ending :( What will I do with myself for the summer?!?!??!! Last year I only went 2 times and after Kaeden didn't want to let me leave the room and I didn't want to leave Kailer in the infant room we quit going. This year we've not missed one session and I've come to crave my bi-weekly Mommy time!

I've really been making an effort to eat veggies at least once a day and to get my boys to try new veggies. Today for lunch I had 1/2 a tuna sandwich that Kai didn't finish (he had 1 1/2!!!) and a zuccini steamed with some I can't believe it's nto butter spray and a few dashes of salt. I was stunned how delicious it was! Healthy and delicious are a great combo! I'm also trying to get more involved with my boys and spend time with them. I want to be a better mom and a better person in general. I want to go places with them and not be a bump on a log at home all day long. I find that once we're out of the house it usually goes pretty smoothly, but getting motivated to leave can be a challenge sometimes. I'm tired of kaeden watching so much TV, I'm ready for him to be more active and feel like it's my job as MOM to see to it that he doesn't become a couch potato.

Can you believe next weekend is Easter? And my best friend is getting married. Crazy how quickly time flies. It was just Christmas for cryin out loud! My mom picked up a wagon for the boys and I think that'll be fun for walks as we build up to longer more intense walks and Kaeden has trouble keeping up. at least I hope that's what happens ;) We shall see......... I want to get some outdoor toys to put into the wagon as it is going to be their Easter Basket this year. All of the kids just love digging in the backyard so I think we will get some shovels and maybe rakes, bug catchers, bubbles or something along those lines. Who knows until I actually go shopping. Been awhile since I hit the dollar store, so maybe they'll have some good stuff :)

Well I should end this blog, check on baby and either take a break (been cleaning since we got home from Library time) or take a shower, depending on if he's awake or asleep. Shower if he's sleeping, read my book and enjoy my bad habit if he's still awake in hopes that when I'm done he'll be out and I can go shower. I sure need it!!!

My LIfe Dilemna as posted on the Aug 02 playgroup

So I'm at that point in my life that felt SO far away a couple yrs ago when I was pg with Kai and now it is looming over me and quickly coming at me.... If we are going to have another child I want to do it within the next year (get pg, not have the kid LOL) Steven doesnt' really want anymore, but I am still on the fence if I want one more or not. I've always wanted lots of kids and for some reason I don't quite feel complete at 2, but the thought of 3 is very overwhelming and stressful to me. Many people say going from 1 to 2 is the hardest, but for me going from 2 to 3 seems harder! with 2 we both can take one and control it, with 3 there will always be the "odd man out". Our other problem is although we have a minivan and can fit our kids into it easily, when we have the girls every other weekend, adding another baby to the mix means really making a squish in the back seat with the 3 older kids. Also only have a lapbelt in the middle and not sure what we'd do to put them all in there? Buying a new vehicle is not an option at this time or in the near future so we'd have to make our van work. I have an appt on the 5th and am going to talk to the Dr about removing my IUD and what is involved etc. part of me wants it out and then let nature take it's course, the other part says I should wait and NOT get it out until Kai is at least 2yrs old which gives me another 5mo to debate. Going to the store with 2 is difficult, 3 seems impossible! I know once the baby was here we would just figure it all out, but I'm such a planner and so terrified that 3 will disrupt our family and routine...... yet the thought of not having that 3rd child makes me so sad and almost sick to my stomach (then again I get sick to my stomach thinking about having a 3rd lol) My boys both LOVE babies and I have no doubt that they would welcome another child without jealousy issues etc which would be awesome... But I don't want my children to ever feel "cheated" because I chose to have too many kids... And when we have the girls every other weekend WOW it's gonna be a housefull and a half! sigh I know this has been asked before, and I know ultimately it's a personal decision that only Steven and I can make. I just wish I KNEW like Steven seems to know that I don't want anymore.... But I don't know that. I know I WANT one more, but I don't know if having one more would be a good move for our family. Anyway just want some thoughts and advice and support from all of you wonderful ladies. Thanks!

Chunky Monkey

Ok yea that would be everyone in my family ;) Excluding Steven, he's pretty fit. I'm having one of those days where I just wanna crawl into my bed and sleep and sleep and sleep. I'm having a depressed month actually on how I look etc. So last week I went out and bought $40 of veggies and am trying so hard to incorporate them into our lifestyle but this is proving to be DIFFICULT! The good thing I found is Kaeden and I both seem to like raw cucumber dipped in a little bit of ranch :) The bad thing is every other veggie I offer Kaeden or Kai gets thrown back at me. I want to lose weight. I want us to be healthy. I am TIRED of looking in the mirror in disbelief that I am the image staring back at me. Have you ever had a photo taken of yourself and when you look at it you think " that cannot be me, I look nothing like that "? I swear it is always happening to me! I picture myself in my mind looking much like I looked 5yrs ago, and then I really SEE myself and it is like being slapped upside the face.

Soooo I tried to jump rope. Can you believe it took me 10 minutes to get more then 5 jumps in a row without messing up and when I was trying to get past those 5 consecutive jumps I also was feeling so much burn in my legs I wanted to give up?!? Can we say COW? MOO? Momma needs some slimfast?!?!?! Kaeden enjoyed counting my jumps but unfortunately for him he didn't get to excersize much of his skills as I kept messing up around 8-9ish jumps LOL I did eventually hit 20 jumps (my goal for that day) and I had to do them quickly for fear of missing and not making it to 20 like I had done multiple times before hitting that magic number LOL Amazing how I used to love jumping rope and now it's such a JOB for me !!! Did you know that I jumped rope in elementary school with the best of them?!?! Wouldn't know that by looking at me now! Oh yea and another crappy thing was everytime I made it past 5 or 6 jumps my bra would come unclipped and those things bouncing around smacking my face was not much fun LOL Talk about painful! Dang boobs anyway. Who am I kidding on wanting to join a gym when I can't even jump rope for longer then 5-10min without sitting down??? Why waste the money? I think Iw ill continue my "secret" rope jumping (by secret I mean no one but Kaeden and Kai see me or really know about my new goals of hitting *gasp* 30 jumps in a row ;)) and try to get myself in a bit better shape before spending money on a gym. The weather is getting nicer and I'm hoping to go on walks soon.. when my calves stop aching from jumping lol Did you know that jumping rope seems to work some side/stomach type muscles??? yea neither did I! lol But I feel some soreness in there also.

I want to walk past a mirror, see a picture, and SMILE or feel comfortable with what I see looking back at me. I don't want to be a supermodel, I don't want to be ripped and buff, I want to be healthy and in shape. I want to be able to buy clothes that stay where they are supposed to be, not falling off my butt cause my belly roll is pushing them down or squishing and pinching my gut cause my fat belly is in the way. Steven even admits that after having my 2 boys I've gone downhill. not in so many words, but he says that "The boys really fucked you up". I dont' take it in a mean way, I appreciate his honesty, I appreciate that he can still find himself attracted to me, although I certainly question how in the heck he can do that! I find myself repulsive. I'm thinking if I lost some weight then I might be able to give him more S-E-X. it is truly the ONE thing that is lacking and not healthy in our relationship and I know we need to fix it before it causes serious problems a few years down the road. I just never feel in the mood because I hate me and I expect him to hate me too.

Wow this post certainly turned into a woe is me post rather then a post about my boys! Sorry about that!

Kai had his 18mo checkup with shots today. He weighs 26lbs fully clothed with jacket and shoes and is 30 1/2 " according to the Dr. I say he's 30", they never ever weigh him correctly LOL He got 2 shots and was a trooper. He didn't cry at all for the first shot, but the 2nd one got him and made him cry :( He quickly dried his tears and was ready to leave much to my surprise so we stopped and got some cookies out of the vending machine for him and his brother ;) Kaeden was actually well behaved in the Dr Office today YAY!!!!!!!!!!! I had the Dr check his eyes real quickly and now I need to get him an appt with a vision clinic. Seems his left eye might be a bit weak when trying to see things in the distance. He named the letters off the chart like a champ and the Doc was impressed with how well he knew his letters :) I felt proud... until he started acting like a goof and not wanting to read the letters towards the end of the "exam". Doc also asked how Kai's speech was and I said he was doing ok. Didn't talk as much as his brother but was saying things and I started listing them off. He said that as long as he had 7 words or more (which he does) he was great. Then I told him that he says Hi Puppy, Hi Baby, Good Girl, and he said that is really good as it puts him ahead in speech. Apparently stringing 2 words together is in the 2yr old level not the 1yr old... So that's kinda cool to know since I have had concerns about his slower speech. All in all the appt was great, kids are great and I'm fat ;) lol Gotta run, time to feed the puppies~!

Our Weekend Work !!

Our weekend started with the idea of getting this stinking stump out of my backyard. Before we knew it we had the whole yard done and planted~!!! Talk about a LONG Saturday and Sore muscles Sun and today LOL


Kailer giving me a "Cheese" smile



Kaeden's "cheese" smile


After we dug around lots of the roots, Kaeden took his 4 wheeler 4x4'ing through the backyard. Had had a blast, but some of the holes were just too deep for him lol here is one of his wrecks.


Investigating the stump and enjoying the dirt.


Gotta Love Child Labour lol (shirtless and all)




Kai just bein cute



Kai checking out what big brother is up to


Little Boys love to climb!




Here's my big boy being manhandled by the rotatiller as he says.. LOL It was a big commercial size machine and it really jerked him around LOL


My tilled yard! STUMP FREE!!!


Daddy and Kaeden cleaning up to return the tiller.



And here is my freshly seeded yard. Now I cannot wait FOR it to grow! Oh yes, and there is our stepping stones we went and bought so that the kids can make it over to their play areas in the gravel without running across the center of the freshly growing yard.

A few new things in Kai's vocabulary :)

So it amazes me daily how different and how similar my two little men are. Kaeden is my hot tempered smart quick thinking lil man and Kailer is my snugglebug who also has a temper but it takes a bit longer to set it off. It also amazes me how they are quickly becoming not only "brothers" but Friends. It's great to watch the two of them together. kailer looks up to his big brother so much. If Kaeden is doing it Kai tries to imitate it. Kaeden has taught Kailer to say "Got It" when he finally succeeds in grabbing whatever he was trying to get. Kaeden has also taught Kailer to say ready set GO and take off. Kaeden counts and now Kai says wa wa teeee (one two three) lol He also loves to count while holding up fingers to get all five fingers counted and turn his hand into the tickle hand. HIs counting consists of teee, fiii, tickle tickle LOL He squats down and slaps his knees while calling Sally and Tiegra... Hi Puppy, Hi Sally, Salllllyyyyy, Teeeeeeee, Goo Girl (good girl), He is starting to say Baba but not often. Usually if he wants something he'll grab your hand or get your attention and point the way lol. I try to make him say the words but the temper usually wins and we know what he wants and he gets it.

Kai LOVES to ride on the 4 wheeler with Kaeden and squeals with delight when they go fast. He's not too interested in his little quad and I suspect it has to do with the fact that it just doesn't go fast enough for my lil guy.

This weekend was spent mostly outside digging and playing in the dirt. We had the girls this weekend and all 4 kids played outside so nicely. It was so cute to watch the 4 of them get along and play. Kai helped the big kids dig a giant hole while Daddy and I worked on some backyard work that we've been wanting to get done. We trimmed up the tree that was scratching the roof of our garage (ok I say WE but I just supervised, Daddy did all the trimming lol) We also moved the bricks out to make the gravel area around the swingset bigger and more even looking. Our next goal back there is to get some seed thrown down and to get a yard growing so the munchkins don't end up looking like swamp monsters or pigpen everytime they play out back LOL.

I had a "photo shoot" with the boys last week and as unhappy as I am with my camera a friend from my photo board and playgroup did some editing and playing and now I'm just in love with some of the pics! I will include the storyboard she made me on here so you all can see how great it looks!

I cannot believe my baby is officially 18mo old now~!!!!!! WHERE DID THE LAST YEAR AND 1/2 GO?!?!?!??!!? *sob* lol bittersweet ........

Took the boys to a WIC appt this morning and their stats are
Kaeden: 47lbs and 42"

Kailer: 25lbs and 30"

I am still stuck as I do not know whether I am ready to put Kaeden into a booster seat or purchase him a new seat to keep him in a 5pt harness. I'm really leaning towards Parkway Booster. I figure if I get it and he does not sit well in it we can always purchase another carseat and use the parkway in Daddy's car or for jumping into cars with other people without uninstalling a carseat for him. I dunno...... still debating.........

Well my 15min challenge in flybaby chat is almost up so I should wrap this up. Just wanted to get a few thoughts out on "paper" before months go by with no updates!!!

I will try to post again soon!