4th of July

Kylie finally got to celebrate the 4th of July the way a kid should! With Fireworks! It seems like every 4th, we're out doing something and so this is the first year Kylie was old enough and we weren't too busy to go! We went with our friends Aaron and Stephanie and their two girls, and aside from my daughter thinking the June bugs were personally attacking her, and a short stint where I thought I might have to take her to the car and watch the show from there because of said bugs, she had a blast! Just being able to watch her giggle as the show started was worth being out there. I would post pics, if it wasn't for my hubby who somehow managed to delete the entire date from the camera while loading onto the computer (very angry....!) But here are a couple pics from her July 4th parade at school. This is always one of my fave. things her school does

Shots of Beck

I've been trying for quite a while to snap a good picture of Beck. With all of the eye problems he has been having, none of the pictures I'm taking have turned out all that nice. However, now that for some strange reason (praise GOD!) his eye has cleared up, I have been back at it again, but with very little luck. He seems to be WAY more interested in checking out everything around him than he is looking at me, or the camera. Here are a couple attempts on two different occasions. None really getting the job done.

Summer time...

Summer has been flying by so quickly that I just recently realized that Beck's 8 mo. came and went and I never noticed. Without the milestone of a doctor's visit (he doesn't go until he hits 9 mo) I totally forgot about it. So, let me take this opportunity to update on what he's been up to. He's still not crawling, although I'm still not complaining. At the rate that this boy shovels things into his mouth, I'm dreading the day he becomes mobile. Just last week I intervened as he was trying to put a barbie bracelet (tiny little thing) into his mouth to investigate. FUN! He has started clapping, which he does non-stop, and has totally LOST the ability to say mama, which has been replaced with a never ending slew of dada's (not gonna lie, a little frustrating for me =)). I believe he has finally started to grow again, as evidenced by his clothes not fitting (yeah, the ones he's been wearing for the last 4 months).

We had his eye probed in an attempt to fix his tear duct. It was a standard procedure which took all of a minute and was done in the office. Turns out, Beck is one of those rare cases they see every couple yrs where his anatomy (some darn bone in his nose) makes it impossible to probe. With that in mind, the next move is surgery...BOO! But I tell you (and I don't want to get my hopes up) but the strangest thing happened. His eye has been completely clear for the last seven days (previously, he's never gone longer than MAYBE a day) and I'm not putting any drops or anything in it. The chance that it magically opened and fixed itself is slim to none, but something in me is holding out hope that this is the case. For now, we'll wait...as long as the eye is clear, no need to put him under and pay thousands (we'll postpone that as long as possible). And everyday I say a prayer that God heard my prayers and fixed this beautiful baby boy w/out giving his mommy and daddy MANY gray hairs during surgery.

With that in mind, enter a new eye problem. Part of me is excited that Beck's eye is doing so well, but that fear and worry has only been transfered from one child to the other. Lately we've been seeing Ky's eyes do this strange thing every once in a while where they won't completely line up. Welcome...strabismus, more commonly known as lazy eye. It doesn't happen often (i've seen it maybe 10 times ever) But its still enough to freak you out. If the problem isn't severe, they'll usually just patch the good eye for a while and let the weaker eye strengthen the muscles behind it. If severe, or gone undealt with, it can lead to surgery, glasses, and/or eventually blindness. We're hoping to get in a doc. apt. next week sometime. So like I said, one worry being replaced by another for the time being. You know what they say, when it rains, it pours. And Jason and I both feel like we're being tested right now, but that's alright, we gotchya Lord, and we're with ya all the way.

Other than the recent eye issue, Kylie has been having a wonderful summer full of swimming, playing with her cousin, and enjoying her two days a week at school. She loves entertaining Beck when she's home and practicing her writing. She's writing her first book this summer! (Its how I'm going to get her to practice her letters when she's not at school everyday) and so far she's LOVING it! She comes up with the ideas and I just spell it all out for her. She's also practicing her numbers by writing page numbers, and she really enjoys doing the illustration part. So far she has 10 pages! I'm sure I'll snap some shots when she does her cover page and finishes.

This week I celebrated my 29th birthday with my family who came over w/ pizza and a cake. I've heard of women (and sometimes men) having a problem with growing old. I'm not one of them. I don't in the least feel like I'm wasting my time away, quite the opposite in fact since I've started staying home. Wrinkles mean past smiles so I welcome them with open arms. You're only as old as you let yourself feel, and sometimes I get just as much enjoyment playing w/ the kids as they get themselves.

Here are a couple random pics...

Green Thumb...

I have slowly been mastering the art of gardening. I guess you can say I get it from my mom, whose house looks like something out of a magazine. I have a WAY to go, but really enjoy the challenge of it all. I love getting out there, 100 degrees and all! For me, its a way to relieve stress and take pride in our house! I love planting perennials in the back beds, but prefer annuals in the front just because of the color you get from them throughout the summer. This year, we put out geraniums and begonias, and so far, so good. EXCEPT for those stinkin' bunnies that have been riping stuff up left and right EVERY night. I have tried everything, and I do mean everything, from human hair (ky's after a trim) to used kitty litter, and nothing seems to deter them. They may be cute, but to be honest w/ you, I don't think I'd even flinched if I 'accidentally' hit one w/ my car. =) Enjoy the pics!

Happy Father's Day...

I wish I could say we celebrated big, seeing as Jason is the best dad out there! But, who am I kidding, of course he wouldn't let us. Instead we watched some world cup games, he made himself wings, and we played w/ the kiddos. But in all seriousness, I am so fortunate to have a wonderful husband who takes time to enjoy and interact with his children. I can always count on him to be there when needed, and many times, when he's not and just wants to be! So here's to you, dear, I love you, and your kids adore you!

Its time for PEYTON!!!

This summer I have the HONOR of watching my six year old niece Peyton three days a week, every other week. It has been quite an adventure! Kylie LOVES having her cousin around to hang with. But by the end of the day, between the two of them and Beck, I am EXHAUSTED!!!! Still worth it though! Peyton is teaching Kylie all about bugs and Kylie is teaching Peyton all about every Barbie movie ever filmed (reenacting while playing barbies of course). Sure, we have our daily battles, competition is fierce and everything HAS to be equal, but Peyton sets a pretty good example and I think Kylie enjoys having the more advanced playmate to keep her entertained. Here are a couple pics of the kids, one in their makeshift boat, one playing in the baby pool, and another one when they were wrapping the blanket around them as if it were a dress for two people.

Spray Park...

This week, I was able to take Kylie and her friend Makenzie to the spray park in Allen, while Stephanie stayed home and played with Beck and Ashlyn. I was so excited to have a big girl trip, I might have been more pumped than the kiddos. Listening to two four year olds conversations are HILARIOUS! I loved all the entertainment and watching both girls run around the playground and spray area. Makenzie was glad to pose for any shots, whereas my lil' one was running away any time I tried to pull out the camera. When I did happen to get a shot, Kylie of course tended to give me her cheesiest smile.

It has been amazing to watch them grow up together. I remember when they started hanging out (or rather Stephanie and I started hanging out) and they would be in the same room, but not even aknowledge one another, choosing different toys to play with, etc. They both have VERY different personalities. Makenzie is much more coordinated, active, daring, curious. Kylie is passionate, patient, calm, observant. But....over the years I think they have both given the other one a little bit of themselves, and they have become quite the playmates! I love these two girlies to death!!!!