Presley @ 7 1/2 months June

OOh   Presley....my little PJ!   Presley is one busy little girls.  She is 'scooching'...not technically crawling, but she is quick and gets into everything!  I pull so much random stuff out of this girls mouth. (Polly Pocket things/Barbie shoes/ marker caps/hair clips....etc)   She finds all sorts of treasures under beds and couches.

She is mommys girl For SURE....this little cherub is so attached to me.  I thought all my girls were 'mommys girls' but this little one takes it to a whole new level.  She can not stand it if she can see me or hear me and I am not holding her.  She squirms and yells and fights to get to me.  There really is not anyone that she will stay with or even let hold her briefly if she can see me.....and she can throw an impressive little tantrum when she wants her mommy!

LOVE HER!!  I love her bright smiling face and her perfect pale porcelain skin.  I love the way she absolutely lights up when she sees or hears me.  I love the delight in her face when she watches her big sisters play.  I love that her favorite thing in the world is to snuggle and sleep on my chest.  I love that she talks ALOT, she acts and talks like she is totally 'in' on our conversation at  the dinner table.  She wakes up so very happy every morning and just talks and talks very seriously  "mama/ nana/ dada/ nono"  over and over again.

We started solid foods at 6 months old.....she is not a fan at all of any sort of 'baby food'   wont even open her mouth for anything that is coming out of a jar.  She liked homemade baby food for a couple days and then got a taste of real food----no looking back.  This girl loves to eat----she will eat anything as long as she gets to feed herself.  So cute, she will hold a spoon in her right hand and hold it straight up in the air while picking the food up off of the tray and feeding herself with her left hand.  Like she is holding the spoon hostage---so I can't feed her or something.   She also 'crawls' like that ---she pushes off her right foot and pulls with her left elbow/forearm while holding her pacifier up in the air with her right hand.

She is an awfully adorable and lovable little stinker!!! LOVE HER to pieces!

Happy Birthday to YOU...Kenzie Lou!! May 27

On Kenzie's birthday, Avery was gone at school.  We invited cousin Mickie over to spend the day with Kenzie (so  she wouldn't have to just be at home with boring old mom and baby)  It was kind of rainy and chilly out so we skipped the pre planned picnic in the park for lunch at Burger King. 

Kenzie decided since she is now 4 that she shouldn't be afraid of the covered slide anymore......it took a lot of coaxing from mom and Mickie but Kenzie finally braved the slide.  Got to the bottom and said "that is it!! I was scared of that short slide....I must have got taller last sleep because the slide is so short!"   after that her and Mickie just raced around in circles....sliding_climbing_sliding_climbing.

After lunch the sun decided to come out and we still had an hour before Avery would get out of school so we headed to Million Smiles Park.  Kenzie and Mickie headed right to the water of course.

an older couple at Burger King told me ..."you have a perfect little family...twin girls and then a handsome boy"   I didn't correct her, just said thank you and moved on......then at the park a lady said "oh you got your hands full, twin girls and then a little boy"   I did correct her and she just said "interesting...that is a little girl? In jeans"   Huh?  Little girls aren't allowed to wear jeans at all now?  ( the lady who said it to me was wearing jeans also BTW)

 

my "handsome little guy"  =)

That evening we really spoiled the girls and took them out to Billy Mchales ( ate out 2 times in one day, yes I know----bad parents)   Avery wanted to make sure we told them that it was Kenzies birthday so she would get ice cream and have them sing.  Kenzie said " no-no-no, I dont want them to sing" and started panicking. So I said I would not tell them...but by chance the guy in the booth next to us was also having a birthday.....they started singing behind Kenzie and she FREAKED out....shaking and crying and looking at me like 'fix this now,mom'   When she realized that it wasn't for her she calmed down and felt a little silly =)   The waitress felt terrible when I explained the 'situation' and she assured Kenzie that she could get the treat without the song.  I think Kenzie was a little worried for the rest of the time though...she had her eye on every employee that walked bye.

All in all, I would say Kenzie had a great 4th Birthday. 

Build a Bunny May 26

The day before Kenzies '4th' birthday my mom and sister and I took Kenzie to Build a Bear.  Immediately she picked out a wild tye-dyed brightly colored bear with peace signs all over it.  I know, I probably should have just let her have that one....but I couldn't do it.  I just have this thing with peace signs, I don't know why it is just not very 'girly' or something.   I pushed for a cute little light brown bunny, but she settled on Daisy.  Pink bunny with yellow daisys on it... I can live with that.

tough choices.....so many outfits and accessories for these animals.  Of course we had to buy Daisy a pair of Twinkle Toes.

 Nana and Presley and Aunt Bucky waiting for Kenzie to pick out some clothes

the finished product___  Kenzie picked out a mariners outfit for the bunny.  That was kind of shocking....beings that I don't think she has any idea who the mariners are.  Aunt Bucky(Lyza) and Nana both liked that outfit though and that is reason enough for Avery and Kenzie to do anything =)

After the "Build a Bear" experience we headed to the Olive Garden for lunch.(Kenzies choice)  Kenzie ordered salad with extra olives and spaghetti.   I can hardly even believe that we are already celebrating her 4th birthday.  Love this little girl so much.  She is such a light in our life, funny girl with a heart of gold.   I could listen to her little growly-raspy voice for hours on end.  She has a very active imagination and loves to tell stories and play pretend.  Kenzie gives the best hugs ever, it will make you melt when this kid wraps her arms around you and gives you a big ol "huggle" followed by a " I love you mommy as old as God is and back" ( we were doing the whole 'I love you more, no I love you more' bit one night and I say "oh keni lou, I love you all the way to the moon and back" and she looks at me very seriously and holds my face in her warm little hands and says "mommy. I love you as many years as God is old and back!!!)   Yikes, what is a mommy to say to that .....except  Wow!! I love you!!  Kenzie Louise!! 

Babys first bubble bath May 23

 7 months old and Presley was not about to wait any longer to join the 'big girls' in the bath tub....she absolutely loved it!!  Natural water baby just like big sisters (and mommy)

 rub a dub-dub.....everybody in the tub!!

Presley was a little overwhelmed by all the bubbles and was really not a fan of the jets, but she loved the water....especially because that is where mommy and big sis's were.  She ate her fair share of bubbles( gross, I know)  She is a very slippery- wiggley little thing in that bathtub and I did let her slip under the water once...oops!  She didn't seem to mind at all, Presley thought it was quite funny actually.

Tennis anyone? May 20th

Avery and Kenzie found my tennis rackets and asked me if I could teach them how to play.   They actually did pretty well hitting the ball back to me when I bounced it to them.  They were really interested in it and trying hard to learn how to hit the ball for about 15 minutes and then discovered that tennis rackets make great guitars....

Avery thought that if she hit the ball onto the roof or over the garden then she got a home run and that was 3 points or if she hit it right back at me it was a 'jackpot' and if it went over the truck it was a touchdown.......little mixed up on her sports but at least she is showing some interest in sports in general.  Up until now, Avery was very adamant that only boys could play most sports and girls could only do swimming, ballet and cheer leading.

      totally amazing tennis outfit....of course Kenzie was all about the 'look'.....nailed it Loulou =)

love these crazy girls!!

T-ball time

 This season was hard for the girls...at least once a week the game was cancelled due to rain.  We did get a few nice days to play though and then it was a lot more fun for kids and parents.  It is so cute watching these little kids learn how to play sports....there was definitely several levels of athleticism on the field...Avery was not all that coordinated or knowledgeable about t-ball, but she ran hard and looked adorable trying!

 Kenzie missed most of her season due to being sick....when she did play, she was really not that interested in the game but she could actually hit the ball really well.  She still can't decide if she wants to be right or left handed.  So funny when she would stop a ball in the field, she would take off her glove and pass the ball from right to left hand back and forth until one felt comfortable...sometimes right hand sometimes left.

 Kenzie looked so adorable in her little uniform and cleats that were too big! She was not that interested in playing usually but she would so she could get her treat after the game and then go to the playground and have daddy push her on the swing =)

and then there was Presley.....scooching and rolling all over the grass, having a great time watching all the kids in bright color uniforms running bye.

I don't want medicine!

Every time Dean or I mentioned that medicine time was nearing....this was the reaction....a screaming tantrum.  I look tired and un impressed =) 

Fancy and Fabulous Fashion Show May 7



  Avery decided that what Kenzie needed was to "get out of bed...get her hair do'd and be in a fancy fashion show"  so Avery set up the runway and decorations and picked out an outfit for Kenzie and then narrated a fashion show for a very captive audience.(Presley and mommy)

Ta-Da!!  here comes Kenzie down the runway....strike a fierce pose girl!

after 2 times down the runway, the Mono caught up with Kenzie....and she is out again.

Presley waiting for the show to start

Avery, the narrator and director

 Job well done Avery!  Fabulous

May 4th.....Mononucleosis, Dehydration and a urinary tract infection..Oh My!!

I know, I know...I am 2 months behind on blogging!  Life has been so busy (mostly really fun stuff) and I just haven't taken the time to write things down but so much has happened so I am going to try to go back and 'catch up'
May 2nd...Dean and I noticed that Kenzie was definitely not herself ...tired, not hungry and we couldn't understand really anything she said. Sounded like she had a bag of marbles in her mouth.  May 3rd she developed a high fever and 'screamed' every time she had to go to the bathroom.   So May 4, I took Kenzie to the doctor..actually quite afraid that they were going to tell me that she had mumps, because her neck and jawline were sooo swollen- huge-.  after a couple hours, several tests and vials of blood later we found out that she was very dehydrated, had a bladder infection and Mono... I didn't even know that 3 yr olds could get mono?   At least I had a diagnosis for her illness, but I knew it was going to be a rocky road to recovery beings that there is no medicine for Mono, well at least we could fix the bladder infection quickly.  Kenzie was such a trooper with all her blood draws and tests...honestly it was really sad to watch, I think she was so weak and miserable that she couldn't fight if she wanted to.

this girl is terrible at taking medicine....I tried every trick and every bribe under the sun....but each dose of medicine took at minimum 30minutes to get in her. 

for the next couple of weeks....we spent a lot of time on the couch snuggling and watching movies.  Kenzie slept a lot and complained of a lot of aches all over her body.  Poor Avery and Presley had a very tired mommy.  Well we all survived and Kenzie bounced back fairly quickly...but fatigued easily in the afternoons and got a lot of headaches when she tried to do to  much.  Avery was an incredible big sister through the whole thing.  She had her kindergarten class praying for her and Avery made Kenzie many get well cards and read several books with her.

after about a week of going 'head to head' with Kenzie about taking medicine and keeping up liquids , I bribed her with allowing her to open up a birthday present early.....she loved her Fancy Nancy doll and the bribe worked for about one day.

at this point (about one week)  we started to see a little bit of twinkle back in her eyes.