The Ross Family Journey

My Valentines-

2012-02-14T13:41:00.004-06:00

Today has been a fun day! It is so neat to celebrate holidays with kids when they finally start to get it a little bit. She has loved taking the time to write her name on her valentines for her friends and she loves getting mail!!!
Flowers from Daddy for his little Valentine!!! She was SOOO excited they were for her!
These are what we worked hard on yesterday...gummy bears and teddy grahams. She wrote her name on the valentine inside the bag.
So excited for preschool this morning in her new outfit.
Trying to get these two to work together for a picture makes me sweat...
but they are worth it.

I love you both!!!!

9 months old...

2012-02-11T13:31:00.000-06:00

Laekan Harper- Are you really 9 months old?!? Mommy and Daddy are head over heels in love with you and we have loved watching you change this month into a little boy...almost not a baby anymore! We are so excited to see you grow and become that ornery little guy that we will love to share with everyone. You are so much like Daddy that we just have to laugh each day about it. You look JUST like him, act laid back like him, can get worked up at times but calm easily, and the best is that you are SOOO happy!!! You have been fighting a nasty cold and bronchitis this past month and there were a few nights that you spent in my arms getting back to sleep since you didn't feel good. Those nights were long-but I just held you and soaked you up knowing I won't always have those nights. You are finally feeling better-thank goodness. Here is what you are up to right now:

*You are wearing 9 month-12 month clothes, 12 month jammies
*You weigh 22 lbs, 1 oz and 30 inches long
*You are wearing size 3 diapers during the day and size 3 at night
*Same eating and sleeping schedule
*You continue to eat oatmeal with a fruit for breakfast and a veggie at dinner. Still no food at lunch, but we will start that up again soon.
*We have moved you from eating your bottle in your rock n play to eating at your high chair. That is going well and you are starting to eat much better there. Still takes you about 20-30 minutes to drink your bottle.
*You are still rocking the morning and afternoon naps-Mommy loves that!
*You are eating puffs much better-doing great with the pincer grasp.
*You have also had pasta, bread, mac and cheese, small bite of ice cream
*I have tried some 3rd foods with you and you actually gagged so much that you threw it up. You just don't expect the chunk of food in there. You do much better with chunks of table food.
*You decided 4 days before turning 9 months that you would crawl!!! Taegan and I were in your room with you when all of a sudden you crawled over to her. Taegan got so excited she saw you do it first!
*Now you are everywhere-the gate is back up at the stairs!
*You are no longer saying mama, but you will say dada-not knowing what it means. You are making lots of noises and will do anything to get our attention.
*We have started teaching you the sign for "more" and are hoping you catch on soon!
*Taegan is loving that you are moving and playing with more toys-although she is having a tough tough time leaving your toys alone and actually letting you play.
*You are still SO happy...
Such a happy, fun guy-but you are moving all the time!!!!
Our little heart breaker...
9 month Dr visit...sat still for a flash!

We love you so much Laekan!!!!

My days...

2012-01-24T13:12:00.003-06:00

If I stop and think for a few minutes back to what I thought my life would be like when I was 31-I would have to say that this isn't how I pictured my life! Thankfully, it isn't close to what I envisioned, it is ten times BETTER! I can remember back to when I wasn't going to have any kids at all-it was just going to be me, my husband, some dogs, and one spoiled life for me!
A few years after that I had conceded in my mind to having ONE kid, me, my husband, some dogs, and still a pretty spoiled life for me. In this vision I was working as a teacher and my child would attend a daycare until they ended up coming to school with me wherever I was at. My husband would be working an office job 8-4 Monday through Friday.
My reality: two amazing kids, a husband that works any and all hours on any given day-not in an office, I work part-time from home and get to stay home with my kids and raise them just how we want, two dogs, tight on money, and trying to lose weight!!! I wouldn't trade any of this for something I had envisioned before I actually got to where I am at today. What a blessing it is that someone else makes the big decisions for us and we just live out what HE wants.
Even just a year ago I was so stressed about what our new normal would be with two kids, me trying to work from home and juggle everything. It really was more then I could stand to think about at the time. Now looking back this is JUST what I wanted! I had no idea until I had kids that I wanted to be at home with them and raise them. I had no idea that I would be such an advocate for kids and what they need from their parents. I LOVE my job working with families of little ones and can't believe I am so lucky to be where I am at right now.
Now the losing weight and being tight with our money is also something else I never had on my plan as well. You live and learn, give and take. I never had to watch my weight until I had kids-and now...WOW! I am struggling day to day with this. Watching money was also something I never had to worry about, but we are trying to stay on top of things and get ourselves in a better position to move out of this house and get somewhere for the long haul!
All this to say...I LOVE my days here at home with these two precious little kiddos! They make me so proud everyday and I love watching them grow and change. I can't wait to see what the future holds for all of us!

A fun day together...

2012-01-16T15:33:00.002-06:00

Last Friday we had a day with absolutely nothing planned and I was very excited about that. I couldn't decide if we should stay in our jammies all day or get dressed and head somewhere fun to play for a little bit. I talked to Taegan and she decided she wanted to go play...so off we went to the ArtLab here at the local university. It is a free lab that has AWESOME stuff for the kids to do. There are tons of different stations and things for them to do. I was hoping that Laekan would take his nap while we were there-but he decided he wanted to play too! So I gave in and let him play and we all had fun.
How cute is she in this hat-I love it on her!!!
Little man found something that was just his height and he could play with...
...or chew on:) Either way he was happy!!!
Taegan was all over the place-but here she is playing at the lighted Lego table!

We enjoyed our morning together doing something FREE and then went and met my Mom at her work and got some lunch. After lunch we headed to my Mom's, put the kids down for a nap, and started purging our scrapbook area and getting it organized! We are ready to roll now and we each have our own work space. Now all I need to do is google all this cool stuff we have to see how to use it...gotta start somewhere!!!

Happy Monday!

8 months old...

2012-01-11T19:49:00.005-06:00

Laekan Harper-I wish you knew how much your Daddy and I love you and enjoy watching you change everyday. Just tonight we took Taegan to Cubbies and we just sat in your room and played with you. It really did my heart good to not have anything else taking my attention away from you and I just soaked you in. You are growing up so fast and I look back tonight as I write this and wonder where the last 8 months have gone. At this time 8 months ago I was holding you for one of the first times and sharing you with your sister-what a night that was! Somedays I want to rewind to that moment and take you all in again-but then I remember that I like my sleep so I will stay where we are:) Here is what you are up to as of today:

*You are wearing 6-9 month clothes, 9 or 12 month jammies
*You just had a Dr. apt yesterday and you weighed 21 pounds 6 oz-BIG BOY!
*You are on your last pack of size 2 diapers then onto 3's! Still in size 3 at night.
*Same schedule for eating and sleeping
*You are eating oatmeal with fruit for breakfast and some mixed stuff at dinner. We tried eating at lunch too, but you weren't drinking your bottles as well so we stopped doing that.
*I think we are onto something good though-we have made the holes in your bottle nipple bigger and you are liking that a lot! This could be the key to get you to eat faster and to eat your lunch bottle with food as well. We will see.
*Naps are going well in the morning and afternoon-keep it up!!!
*You have started waking up some mornings around 6 or so, but as long as I leave you alone you will put yourself back to sleep!!! Good boy.
*You are doing better about actually getting 28 ounces in everyday.
*You are eating puffs much better and are able to get them to your mouth all alone.
*You had a great Christmas and really weren't interested in it at all.
*You have also tried pasta noodles-which you love, corn-which you weren't excited about, and some bread.
*You are on stage 2 foods and I have some 3 foods here that we will try soon. You are a great eater.
*You love sitting with your drawer of toys and playing. You will play and play and then get your sisters attention so she will play with you.
*You have started "talking" to us. We all eat dinner together at the table and you will just yell out and then Taegan will yell back and you both will go back and forth. So funny!
*Just tonight you went from rocking on all fours to sitting up...we cheered and cheered for you!
*Sophie and your blankie are still your go to things that we need to take everywhere with us.
*Taegan is so over the moon for you and is so excited for you to become mobile-she has no idea what she is in for.
*You will say "mama" when you are mad or crying. I'm not sure you know exactly what it means, but Daddy thinks it is a good reason for me to take care of you:)
*You are SO happy all the time-we love it.

Rocking on all fours-determined to crawl soon.

Happy, happy little man in a cute workout outfit and Nike's!

We are working on getting you to stand on your flat feet-you like to only use your tippy toes.

Thank you Daddy for helping with the pictures this month!!!

We adore you Laekan and love you to pieces!!! We are so excited to share this month with you.

All about my little(big) girl!

2012-01-09T19:39:00.001-06:00

I'm not sure if you all know, but I have a 3 and a half year old in my house and there are days I am sure she is at least 8! WOW-we are going to have our hands full with her. Who am I kidding? We already have our hands full and I have no clue how we will make it through the teen years. But today, I am not going to even think about those days..I am going to get so excited about what she is up to right now!

We continue to do preschool time everyday. Somedays look different then what I had in mind for preschool time, but she is still working on learning and doing things. She shocks Justin and I on what she picks up even when we aren't paying attention and just how well she is progressing in her knowledge. She continues to memorize her weekly verse for Cubbies at church, does great following rules at preschool, can color inside the lines of all pictures, is doing well at seek and find, has started playing board games with us in the evenings, and can even....

Write her own name-all by herself!!! I was amazed when she asked me one day how to make a "g" and then she whipped out her name alone. I was SO proud of her...I was at a loss of words I was so excited.

She is turning into a young little girl and I really can't even imagine what I will say when she is 8 or older. Justin and I are so lucky to call her ours...even when she is SO stubborn that we both want to pull our hair out! Yes, we have quite a few days like that around here!!

She has started to want to pose for me and the camera-so this was her photo session:)

Really-can you see her attitude here?!

And her silliness?! I ADORE her and everything she does and says. Even on the trying days when I'm not sure I can handle another minute. There is nothing I wouldn't do for her...not one thing! She is our world along with her brother and we will never take her for granted!

She kills me...notice the mismatch socks?? That is thanks to her Aunt Kendra!!!

We love you Taegan McKenna!!!!

Reality.

2012-01-08T15:49:00.000-06:00

Sometimes taking a step back and looking at things like they really are is hard, really hard. You have to do it though if you want to get ahead. So, on New Year's Day, Justin and I sat down and picked apart everything we were unhappy/wanted to improve about in our current situation. Here is a list of what we are going to tackle:

*Spend more time as a family without things getting in the middle of our time. The kids are growing way too fast and we want to enjoy all the stages and steps that we have with them. You have no idea when that time will be gone.
*Eat healthy and at home. We got into a terrible routine of eating out and grabbing something quick. This hurt us in many ways-we have put on weight, we have spent money we don't have on food, and we have given up that time around the table as a family. I love cooking, meal planning, and providing dinner for the family. We have enjoyed doing this for the last two weeks.
*Exercise and lose weight. Justin rocked out losing weight towards the end of the year and I did nothing to lose weight. In fact it appears as though I was doing everything to gain weight. For our Christmas present to each other we bought an elliptical machine and will work out on this here at home. My goal is 5 days a week, Justin does it just about everyday! I'm going to do my best to make small weight loss goals to reach instead of the big goal at the end...I will update as I go.
*Pay off our debt. We would like to build/buy a house and be settled in the school district that we want the kids to go to by the time Taegan starts school. She will start September of 13. That gives us this entire year to pay off all the debt we can and start saving. Justin is very into wanting to build and although I think that would be great I'm just not sure we can afford that? We will see. But right now our goal is to pay off debt.
*Not use credit cards. With the goal of paying everything off in mind we are going to be using only cash. We have sat down and looked at stuff and have divided up where money will go. It is very similar to Dave Ramsey and we have money envelopes for each month and for different areas in that month. This will be SO hard, but I know it will be for the best.
*Get involved more in church. We attend every Sunday at 9:30 and for a while we were going to an adult class after service. This was a great class and we liked the people, but we need to find our place in a lot of things before committing to other things. Sunday is our only day for family time and that was taking away time with the kids that right now we are wanting. Our goal is to join back up with the class, when we feel the time is right.

So right now our reality is...being home! We are eager to see what changes happen for us this year and what goals we can reach by being strong and pushing each other. Here is to a great 2012!!!

Merry Christmas 2011

2011-12-25T21:09:00.002-06:00

What an awesome year we have had and the last three days have been icing on the cake for us. We have enjoyed every moment we have had with family since our holiday started Friday evening! To say that we are lucky to have what we have would be an understatement.

As I sat in church last night all I could think about was how blessed we are to have Jesus in our lives and to have the family we have in our lives. As I got the presents ready for the kids last night and ate a cookie for Santa I was giddy with excitement to see Taegan's face in the morning. Walking downstairs with her this morning I could hardly wait to see her smile and watch her mind process it all. Rocking Laekan to sleep for his morning nap today while at my parents with them all opening presents was priceless. Enjoying Taegan as she danced and sang for us today with her new Barbie microphone was fantastic. Coming home and unloading our gifts into our living room was overwhelming. Putting the kids to bed and having them both cry tonight was frustrating, but humbling at the same time. Holding Laekan as he calmed down and just breathing him in was breathtaking. Tucking Taegan in for the fourth time and having her say "Mom I sure do love you a lot" after I had got short with her, stole my heart. Watching the Cats play tonight with Justin as we wind down from a very great Christmas-relaxing!!!

We hope you all had a great Christmas this year and had a chance to take in the day! Love you all.

Surgery Day...

2011-12-14T08:42:00.000-06:00

On Thursday of last week we headed to Children's Mercy in Kansas City to have a pre-op appointment for Laekan's minor surgery the next day. We decided since he would be having the surgery early Friday morning we would just stay the night at Sheraton Suites at Crown Center and make a weekend of it!!:) Lucky me! Laekan did great for the ride up there, the appointment, and then napped while we headed to an early dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. Once we got done there we headed to the mall to make him a build a bear Dr. for his surgery and then back to the hotel to relax and watch the Cats play basketball.

I was a bit worried about how it would go with him not being able to eat after midnight and having to wait until the surgery. Laekan eats at 8 at night and sleeps all night and eats at 8 the next morning. I was NOT about to wake him up in the middle of the night to feed him and start that awful schedule to try and break that when we got back home. So I took the chance, fed him at 8 Thursday night and knew that the morning before surgery might be awful! Boy was I wrong-he was an angel!!! He flirted with all the nurses, laughed, played, and then fell asleep in my arms until they came to get him at 9:15 for surgery!!!

Got him in his gown and he is waiting with Daddy.

His cute socks...

Sound asleep with Mommy until surgery.

We loved Children's Mercy-everything was organized and run so well. We waited in the waiting room and it had plenty of space, drinks, tvs, and wifi so I could work some! We weren't there long because surgery didn't take long. I had hopes of getting a picture of him when we rejoined him in the hallway-he was a mess. That was the worst part of all of this, watching him wake up from the meds. He was so out of it and crying and coughing and mad. Broke my heart. They put him right in my arms and he seemed to calm down some. It took about 20 minutes or so and then he started eating and we were able to leave. We headed back to the hospital and spent the rest of the morning and afternoon relaxing waiting on my parents and Taegan to get there to have some fun playing and shopping at Crown Center. Laekan only needed 2 rounds of pain meds that day and he hasn't had any since! Such a strong boy.

Playing the next morning on the hotel bed before we headed home!

Although this surgery was minor, it made me realize that I am lucky God has blessed me with two healthy kiddos that don't need surgeries. Handing him off was tough, the worry was tough, the watching him wake up was tough, I'm just not cut out to watch my kids in pain. I will say that there were NO tears from any of us before the surgery and only tears from Laekan after the surgery-although I was close a few times. Thankful to be back home and done with this!!!

7 months old...

2011-12-11T19:31:00.000-06:00

Laekan Harper-You are one busy little man lately and we are doing our best to keep up with you! Each month that I sit down to write this I think it is the best month yet and it just keeps getting better. I remember with you sister that we absolutely loved it when she started getting her personality and interacting with us more. Now we are loving that you are interacting with her as well-our hearts are so full watching you both and we are eager to see what you two are like when you are a bit older and can talk back to her!!! Oh what a ride we are in for....but we can't wait. You continue to steal our hearts and your sisters heart-she LOVES you to pieces and more. Your last month was busy and your one up ahead will be so fun with Christmas. We are so blessed God chose us to be your Mommy and Daddy. Here is what you are up to as of today:

*You are wearing 6-9 and 9 month clothes. You are SO long!
*You just had a minor surgery at Children's Mercy...you weighed 20lbs and were 29 inches!!!
*You are still in size 2 diapers and size 3 at night.
*Same schedule for eating and sleeping.
*You are eating oatmeal mixed with fruit for breakfast and a veggie at dinner. We will start this week eating food at lunch too.
*You are napping great in the morning and in the afternoon-we love it!
*You are sleeping better in the morning, waking around 7:30-7:45 and I just let you talk and jabber in bed until Taegan and I come get you.
*You do have a bit of a cold right now, although it hasn't stopped you from anything!
*I would like to say you are still eating 28 ounces a day, but that wouldn't be accurate. You are starting to drink less with the onset of more baby food. You are around 26-28.
*You tried puffs a week or so ago and made a funny face, but then wanted more. We are putting them on your tray and letting work on getting them to your mouth. You do okay with this!
*You are a rolling machine-all over the place when you are playing!
*You are sitting up all alone and will do so for very long periods of time. We just put you on a blanket with lots of toys and you will play and laugh.
*You are loving your exersaucer as well. You will bounce and bounce in there.
*We put you in the jumperoo between Taegan's door frame and you had a great time with that. You bounced and were entertained with her.
*You aren't really into your thumb much anymore, sometimes but not nearly as much as you were.
*You are however, very into your little blankie. It goes everywhere with us and you need it to drink your bottle. You will rub it and rub it on your face. So sweet.
*Sophie is still your main toy-although just about anything you can chew on will work.
*You have two teeth, your bottom middle two and you show them off everytime with your smile.
*Your smile and laugh are fantastic and they can change our mood very fast!
*You are up and rocking on all fours...Mommy isn't quite ready for that yet.
*We have tried giving you a sippy cup with water in it and you know how to hold it, but only chew on the spout part.
*You tried some mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving and liked them.
*Pictures this month were nearly impossible...
What a neat sign-this was right before he headed to his mouth with it.
Showing off his friend Sophie...and his First Christmas shirt!
I could never get him to look at me with the sign there!

We love you Laekan and are so excited to share the holidays with you!!!

Trying something new...

2011-12-04T22:03:00.001-06:00

Tonight while we ate dinner we decided to let Laekan try some puffs while we were all at the table. I wasn't sure if he was ready for this, but thought it was worth a try. He actually did great with his fingers and grabbing the puffs. He would use his whole hand to pick them up and then get them to his mouth. The puffs, however, are made to dissolve when wet so his slobber would cause them to stick to his hands and he couldn't get it into his mouth because it would stick! Once I could get it to his mouth he chewed and loved them...I think they were a hit!
Concentrating very hard on picking them up.
Getting them to his mouth...kind of!!!
Loving them:)

He is doing what????

2011-11-30T16:42:00.003-06:00

On Monday Laekan decided that he was a "big boy" now and was going to try out rocking on all fours-Mommy on the other hand wasn't quite ready for that!!! Where is time going and why is it going so fast. I do not remember this happening with Taegan so quickly and I am trying to enjoy every second of all of this. He is SO much fun right now and we are all having a great time watching him explore and learn new things. Even though we aren't quite ready for it...
Check it out-I am big time!
This smile melts my heart and my soul-ugh he is so sweet!
and the eyes! If you look real close you can see his 2 bottom teeth!!!

Cousin play...

2011-11-30T16:32:00.003-06:00

For Thanksgiving Kyle and Melissa came to town and we spent the whole day on Saturday out at Becky and Greg's so that we could all hang out and let the girls play! Taegan was super excited to see Kinsley and play with her. It is a bit hard for her to not be bossy-we are working on that. This seems to be our main issue right now. And it isn't a mean bossy, it is just Taegan is such a rules follower(not that the other kids aren't) and she is so particular on where things go and how they should be that it bothers her if things aren't that way! We are not sure what to do about this...but either way she had a ball with Kinsley and can't wait to play with her at Christmas.
Building blocks together...and laughing!
A quick smile for Mom!

A Hodge Podge

2011-11-30T15:44:00.004-06:00

I am playing catch up with some pictures and things that have happened in November...enjoy!
Being silly with Daddy's hat. We actually have some pictures of Taegan around this age with his hat on as well!!!
We drug out the jumperoo and he LOVES it. This boy will jump and bounce on anything and anywhere! He just laughs and laughs.
Miss Thing-she is hard to get pictures of lately because she wants to be taking the pictures!
My precious family-I can't believe how lucky and blessed I am.
Trying to get a picture-but we both ended up laughing at Justin.
My heart belongs to this man-I love you Justin!

Laekan can do what?!

2011-11-30T15:29:00.003-06:00

Laekan decided a week after turning 6 months old he would try to sit on his own...and he hasn't looked back!!! I intentionally waited to schedule his 6 month pictures a little later in the month in hopes that he would be sitting and now I am so glad I did!!!
His first try at it completely alone...you can see he is a bit off balance.

Trying to gain his balance...with the help of Sophie nearby:)

This was taken two days ago-he is a pro now!!! Just put him down with toys all around and he is fine.

He will even talk to you while sitting up!!!

As excited as we were about him being able to sit-we are realizing our house is about to be destroyed because he is getting closer and closer to being mobile!!!! Love the milestones though.

A thing called a bath...

2011-11-14T15:22:00.000-06:00

Right about when Laekan turned six months I decided that bath time could be shortened a bit if we put them both in there together! I realize this doesn't seem like a genius idea and that a lot of people do this, but up until this point we had being doing them separate because he was so small. He had really been starting to like the bath and sitting in his chair in it so I thought if Taegan was in there he would have something to pay attention to that would help him last even longer in the bath! So we tried it...

and they LOVED it!!! He just laughs and laughs at her and she thinks she is a big help when she gets to rinse Laekan off. A win win for all of us:)

6 months old:)

2011-11-11T20:30:00.002-06:00

Yes-I am VERY behind on the blog and plan to update the important events very soon, but today I had to do little man's month update!!

Laekan Harper-The fun is just beginning with you...and we LOVE it! Daddy and I were talking the other day and we forgot how much fun each month is as you change so much the first year. We could eat you up with a spoon everyday all day. You continue to be a very laid back guy like your Daddy-thank goodness! This month was another full one between Halloween and Mommy having sinus surgery and being down for a few weeks. I can't believe how much my heart grows more and more for you(and your sister) everyday! Here is what you are up to as of today:

*You are wearing 6 month, 6-9 month, and 9 month clothes. 9 month jammies.
*You are still wearing size 2 diapers with a size 3 at night. You continue to stay dry at night so I think we have it all figured out finally.
*Same schedule all day and night long:)
*You are starting to nap better in the morning-because we are home now more in the mornings.
*You have started to wake up around 7 some mornings and I will either go pat your bottom back to sleep or just rock with you in the chair and sleep with you there!!! It is our special time that I will miss so much when you outgrow this.
*Eating 28 ounces a day.
*We have started mixing a fruit with your cereal for breakfast, and you eat a veggie before your 4 o'clock bottle. You really do love to eat!!! We haven't found anything you don't like.
*You just recently(5 days ago) decided you could roll from your back to your tummy. However, you aren't showing this skill off too much right now. We look forward to you getting better at this so you can roll yourself back over at night.
*Since discovering your thumb you continue to suck on it-although not really to put yourself to sleep or even for soothing. Just for something to do-see picture below!
*You scooted off your sister's bed this month and she tried to catch you. You pretty much slid down the bed with her arms below you because she couldn't quite stop you. She was the one that was the most upset-we are talking very upset because she wanted to protect you. Ever since this episode she is very careful of you if you are on furniture and we walk away. She wants you safe!
*You continue to adore Taegan. Just tonight before bed she was singing you songs to keep you happy while I was doing something and you just smiled and laughed at her!
*You have discovered people's faces and this is your new fascination. You want to put your hands all over our face and feel it all. Taegan loves this-and then you pull her hair:)
*You found your toes, and can't get enough of them. They go straight to your mouth.
*You continue to love Sophie-she is your go to toy if you are upset.
*You are playing for quite a while in your exersaucer and figuring out all the noisemakers on it.
*You will now sit up with the boppy behind you and play with toys-although you need to have pretty good support with the boppy.
*Daddy can get great laughs out of you when blowing on your tummy before bath!!
*Speaking of baths-we figured out to give you a chew letter or number(bath toy) and you love the bath now.
*You are taking a bath with your sister most nights and you think that is pretty fun(so does she)!
*You are still spitting up, most times with no warning at all and it doesn't bother you.
*This month pictures were a bit of a challenge, you are almost mobile and wanted the sign!

Trying to show off your sitting skills...and that handsome smile!

Can't decide what you want in your mouth-Sophie or your thumb.

There's that sign, Mom!! I'm not letting go of Sophie though.

Melt my heart..

Happy Six Month Birthday Laekan!!! We love you more then words can say and can't wait for the holidays with you.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-02T22:10:00.000-05:00

This Halloween was a bit different then most because I had sinus surgery on the Wednesday before Halloween. This meant that I couldn't hold, pick up, or move anything. I did manage to make a new Taco Stew for everyone and everyone came over around 5 to eat and then head out trick or treating. Taegan was beyond excited and was even more excited that she got to show cousin Ayla just how to trick or treat. We carved our pumpkins the night before and this year she actually scooped stuff out, while Laekan worked on his rolling skills beside us!
Dressed up and ready to go to the Halloween playgroup-Tinkerbell and Tigger.
Scooping out the pumpkin and not being grossed out this year!
Helping Daddy "cut out" a piece of the carving.
"Hey Mom, I found my feet" he was very busy playing with these and could care less about the pumpkins.
Dressed up on Halloween night-a giraffe.
Miss Tinkerbell and her pumpkins.
A family shot, with me holding Laekan very quickly since I wasn't supposed to be!
Taegan helping Ayla get her shoes back on so we could go trick or treating.
Showing Uncle Garret and Ayla how to do it:)

Taegan had a ton of fun that night and thought the next night she was going to go trick or treating as well! We had to explain it will be another year before you get to do that again. She will be a pro next year to show Laekan.

Preschool Halloween 2011

2011-10-16T21:42:00.000-05:00

At the beginning of October Taegan went to the pumpkin patch with her preschool class. It was her first field trip and if I am being honest I was wondering where the time had gone and how we got to her first field trip already:( With all that being said-she had a ball. I love that her class is so small(7 kids) and that she knows and likes them all. She does have two girls in class that she plays with most of the time, but she likes them all!!! Such a blessing. I ended up driving for the trip and we just met the class out at the patch. Brother got to come too, but he was strapped on me and slept the whole time.
Here she is with her Miss Beth(her teacher) picking out her special pumpkin.
Taegan and Josie(they play together most days at school.)
Taegan's class-they have since gained one more friend.
She was a posing fool that day-she wanted her picture taken all over the place!

She also had a Halloween party, parade, and program on the last day of October. It was actually supposed to be my helper day to work in her room with her, but I was still recovering from sinus surgery so Grandma Tina(my mom) went in my place. Poor Mom didn't realize what all she signed up for-but she had fun that day seeing Taegan at school! Taegan loved having her there and showing her around.
Walking at the parade-with help from Grandma Tina.

Once the parade was over everyone went inside and the kids performed some songs they had been learning. Taegan was right in front in the middle-and sung her heart out!!! She had so much fun and was so proud of herself for knowing the songs.

Disney Part 2

2011-10-15T20:50:00.007-05:00

Our daily schedule while we were there was to get up early each morning and either do a character breakfast or to get to the park that was open early for us since we stayed on grounds. We would be out of the hotel by 7:15 usually and then most days made it back to hotel by about 12:30 or 1 for nap for both kids. This was a must if we wanted them to be worth anything the rest of the day. And if I am being honest the adults also liked the down time to reenergize ourselves! We woke the kids up and were back out the door by 5. One night we had a dinner and another night we did a Halloween party at Magic Kingdom. The other nights were usually made it back to the room by 8 or so, put the kids down and then a few of us would go back to the park that was open late. As much as we LOVED this trip and have so many fun memories from it-it was alwasy go go go! We wanted to see it all and share it all with Taegan. She was really into all of it this time and was more vocal about what she wanted to ride and do. She was just tall enough to ride Splash Mountain-the ride that has the big fall at the end. This was her favorite ride and she rode it 4 times!!!

Here is another picture overload...
Watching fireworks at Epcot.
Sleeping at fireworks at Epcot:) Yes he can breathe!
Chip and Dale-she was very into seeing the characters and getting their signatures.
Pluto-she had fun with him.
She needed me with her with Donald!
Hanging with Grandma.

This is what Taegan came back to on her bed the second day-she thought it was very cool.

Gameday at Disney World!

Building Legos with Daddy from the Lego store that she picked out.

Belle at the Princess breakfast.

Ariel, we also saw Mary Poppins, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White that morning at breakfast.

We will remember this trip forever and can't wait to go back-tomorrow:) Okay seriously though we LOVED living this trip through her eyes. Obviously Laekan won't remember it at all, but we had so much with him there as well. The double stroller(that Dad was VERY against taking) turned out to be great and was really the only way we made it through somedays.

Thanks Mom and Dad for taking us and sharing this trip with us-we had a blast and love you both!!!

5 months old...

2011-10-11T20:28:00.003-05:00

Laekan Harper-What a fun month it has been!!! I think I have come to grips with you growing up-but I would prefer if you slow down a tad please. I am so excited to see what you can do next and how fun you will be the next day that I am really enjoying it all right now. I have to step back some nights and take it all in because it is crazy how far you have come! It was a busy month with our trip to Disney World and I can't believe how great you did-such a good boy:) Here is what you are up to as of today:

*You are wearing some 3-6 month clothes, some 6 month clothes, and 6-9 month jammies(too long for the 3-6 month ones).
*You are in size 2 diapers and wearing size 3 at night-with NO leaking!!
*Same eating and sleeping schedule-which I really do think you will be on until you are 1 at least. I LOVE it.
*Eating 28 ounces a day.
*Eating cereal at lunch, and starting other food at dinner.
*You are sleeping 11-12 hours at night, but waking up a bit early some mornings. If you wake up early(6-7 am) then I will go in and get you and bring you to cuddle with me. You will then fall back asleep and wake at 8.
*You are really rolling from your tummy to your back and this is usually what wakes you up.
*You rolled off the ottoman this month when Daddy thought you were asleep:(
*You still continue to have NO interest in a pacifier, still use your hand to soothe you, and just recently found your thumb...hmm???
*You absolutely adore Taegan-she is the funniest thing you have ever seen! We are working on personal space with her so that you can have some breathing room!!!
*You can't get enough of Sophie-she is always in your hands or mouth. You tell her lots of stories.
*You love to smile and laugh-no belly laugh though.
*You have seen your feet-but you aren't grabbing them yet.
*You are playing for 10-15 minutes at a time in your exersaucer.
*The spitting up has slowed quite a bit, not sure why?
*You love to be in my sling and the carrier-it makes you very happy!
I just smile looking at this picture-you are SUCH a happy guy.
Talking to me while I was taking his picture.
Sweet little man.
Big boy feeding himself-although you like to be lazy sometimes!

We love you and adore you so much Laekan!!! Happy 5 months little man.

Disney Part 1

2011-10-10T21:35:00.004-05:00

I am so excited to share with you all our trip to Disney World that we took a few weeks ago! Taegan had been once to Disney when she was 18 months and we were SOO excited to take her again and see how she would act. We counted down the days and it was so fun living that excitement through her. I will let the pictures do the talking for the trip-it was such a memorable trip and we LOVED watching her throughout the entire trip.
Doing our toes the night before we left...her first time ever doing this!!!

Minnie Mouse toes...

We have arrived in Disney-our first night there!

Our first morning at Chef Mickeys...she loved seeing the characters.

Even Laekan got love from Minnie!

The pool at our hotel-see the Mickey head?!

Laekan's first time in a pool-he seemed to really like it.

And of course she LOVED it.

Relaxing at the pool while everyone is still swimming.

To be continued....

Laekan Dedication

2011-10-10T21:10:00.002-05:00

On September 18th at church we had Laekan dedicated. I found him a very handsome outfit and got him all dressed up for his day. He looked so cute and I was eager to dedicate him to the Lord.

All dressed and ready for his day!

Taegan and Laekan had stayed the night before this at my Mom and Dad's because we were at the KSU game. We got a call at 7:30 the morning of dedication that Taegan had just thrown up everywhere! WOW-we were having family over after the service and leaving for Disney World in 2 days. There really wasn't time for the flu:( We ran over, picked up Laekan, left Taegan with Mom and Dad and they stayed home with her while we went to the service. We decided that if she hadn't gotten sick again by 10:30 she was okay to come home for the family gathering. She was fine after that and never got sick again! Thank goodness!!!

Smiley little man that did great at the service!! So stinkin cute!

Check out the shoes-oh I die from the cuteness!!!

The day turned out great even after the rocky start and we are so glad that we got to dedicate Laekan and share him with our church family.

Pumpkin Patch 2011

2011-10-09T21:54:00.000-05:00

Once Taegan had been to the pumpkin patch with her preschool class she wanted to go back and pick out "big pumpkins". It was actually a beautiful weekend following the week she went with her class so we decided to head there and see what we could find. It was also KSU gameday-so we were all dressed in our game outfits!
I really love this picture of them together-he has a funny look on his face, but I love them together!
She picked out her pumpkins fast and then it was off to ride the train and do the bouncy houses!
We just hung out while she went riding on the train-Laekan is so laid back all the time.
Check out Justin in this picture-he has lost over 40 pounds and is looking great!!!! Way to go babe.
Her favorite part of the day-she went over and over and over again!
Trying not to get lost in the corn maze!
Getting a little help from Daddy and Laekan.
A nice lady offered to take our picture-this is the best we got with the sun in our eyes!

We had a lot of fun at the patch and I look forward to making this an annual trip with both kids-it is so fun to know that we get to do all of this with both of them!!!

A new toy??

2011-10-01T20:59:00.003-05:00

I am VERY behind in updating-so some of these are a few weeks old, but I want them on here so I have a record of it! I will be catching up over the next few days and then back at it again!!! Two weeks ago we decided to break out the exersaucer for Laekan to try out. I was a bit nervous that he was still too unstable to enjoy it, but he proved me wrong.
I put him in it and Taegan started showing him what all the stuff did and what made noise! He was so amused by her and so she kept playing with him for a little bit. He finally got a chance to play with it alone(once Taegan got bored) and he seemed to like it. Although, I think we need to raise it up because he is SO tall! He has figured out which things make noise, and although he isn't sure how to move himself in the thing he can get it to make noise if you put him in front of it. I haven't used this a ton yet because I think he still needs to be a bit more stable and able to move his arms and legs around. He will only last about 5-10 minutes in it right now.
I love this look on his face-looks like he is thinking I am one crazy Mommy for taking his picture all the time:)

4 months old!!!

2011-09-12T22:32:00.002-05:00

Laekan Harper you are another month older and I am in shock that my newborn is now a "big boy". I really have no idea where the days and months are going and I know I say that all the time, but it is blowing my mind how fast this is going the second time around. I feel like there are days that fly by and I want to push rewind. To say that we are happy having you in our lives is an understatement-we ADORE you!! We love you to the moon and back and can't wait to watch how much you change the dynamic of our family. Here is what you are up to at 4 months:

*You are wearing 3-6 month clothes, some 3 month clothes, and 6 month jammies!
*You have about 15 size 1 diapers left and then we will move to size 2, and size 2 at night.
*You are still on the same eating and sleeping schedule...and LOVE it.
*You are eating 28 ounces everyday.
*We have started you on cereal every night before your 7:30 bottle.
*You are still sleeping 12 hours at night, some mornings you are waking up earlier but will wait until 8 to eat.
*You are still sleeping on your tummy, but today during nap you ROLLED OVER for the first time!!! And it made you MAD:(
*You are rolling from your tummy to your back-sometimes.
*We have given up on a pacifier because you have decided to use your fingers to soothe yourself to sleep. You use your 4 fingers to put you to sleep.
*You are getting so much better with your bath-thank goodness!
*Taegan has been reading books to you-and you will listen to her for as long as she will read.
*You have been bringing your hands together in the middle and you now will hold a toy when we give it to you.
*When holding a toy it goes straight to your mouth.
*Sophie the giraffe is your new favorite thing.
*Daddy thinks you are SUPER strong...we all agree.
*Still drooling tons and NO teeth.
*We tried Zantac for spitting up-it didn't help. Looks like you are just going to be a spitter???
*We have gotten a few giggles...but are patiently waiting for a belly laugh!

You weren't too smiley today...

Of course she wanted to be with you and have your picture together.

Serious little man...I love how expressive his eyes are!

Right to his mouth.

We love you Laekan!

The flower girl.

2011-09-11T22:17:00.000-05:00

On Saturday my very good friend/sister got married to her best friend!!! She asked me to be a bridesmaid and Taegan to be the flower girl! I was SOOO nervous for Taegan to get down the aisle all day. Jess and I, along with the other girls spent the day getting pampered and enjoying our time together. We did our hair, make-up, lunch, and got dressed. She was absolutely gorgeous and the groom cleaned up nice:) Taegan wasn't hip on the pictures, but she did smile for a few. This didn't make me feel very comfortable for the walk down the aisle...but she did GREAT!!! The wedding was great, we got a limo to take us to the reception(that was a BLAST), and then the reception was a ball. Taegan danced her heart out and didn't want to leave at all. She had so much fun and slept like a rock that night. Laekan was a very good boy during the wedding and reception. I was very lucky to have Justin take care of the kids all day and most of the night. He really stepped up and I was very grateful for that!!!

Getting her hair did!!!

All dressed up and pretty. Watching her iPod and playing with her doll she got as a gift.

The Bride and Groom-what a fun day!!!

First Day of Preschool

2011-09-06T21:49:00.001-05:00

Justin and I were going to hold off for another year before we started Taegan in preschool, but then Laekan came! We decided that although she doesn't really need it for the knowledge, learning aspect(I can teach her that stuff at home), she does need it for the social aspect of life. We want her to learn how to share and be nice to her friends. So we decided to bite the bullet and enroll her!!! As excited as I am to allow her this chance to grow and learn, it was hard for this Mommy to let her go. Taegan on the other hand was READY to go!!! We packed her bag, picked out her outfit, and read a book the night before about going to school. She had a hard time falling asleep and was so ready to just GO!!!

She was eager to wear her new dress and smile pretty for me this morning-I was so impressed with "how big" he was.

Mommy with her little girl.

In the car and grinning ear to ear!!! She wouldn't stop talking...the entire car ride.

Standing in front of school ready to go in!!!

Hands washed, ready to go! Mommy made it out of there without tears...

When I went to pick her up she came running to the car and was SO eager to share everything they did that day. She really does melt my heart and I am so proud to say she is my daughter. I won't tell you about the day we went to meet the teacher and show her around-that day wasn't a proud day. Justin and I really have to step back and realize that she is such a special, special girl and one that we are blessed to call our own!!! I think she is going to do great at preschool and this will be great for her this year!!!

First KSU Game...

2011-09-04T21:36:00.002-05:00

We bleed purple around here...all the way! Justin and I are very blessed that my parents are willing to stay home on football gamedays to watch the kids while we go enjoy a "date day" with Justin's parents. We have a passion for anything K-State Wildcats and being able to enjoy the games together without the kids is such a joy for us! Even though the kiddos don't go with us-they still get all decked out for the game. Here we are ready for the first game September 3rd...

Getting two kids to smile together is a workout!

Love her!!!!

Look at those thighs:)

Although the game wasn't anything to write home about-we did pull off a win!!!! GO STATE!

Just for fun...

2011-08-25T12:39:00.002-05:00

This week has kind of been a blur-we have been busy! Taegan started a new gymnastics class on Tuesday night, Awana at church started for her last night, and I am still trying to figure out how this working at home thing works!!! But we have had a few things that have been fun this week-for starters Laekan is getting super good at sitting in his Bumbo. So we decided he can start joining us for dinner....

Taegan loves having him at the table...she talks to him the whole meal!

This morning I was doing my hair and put Laekan in Taegan's room to watch her play and watch Cat in the Hat on TV...this is what I walked into find!

This poor boy better be strong willed like her or he is DOOMED:) Have a good Thursday!

Just another morning...

2011-08-18T21:08:00.002-05:00

eating breakfast on her stool watching music videos on her iPod touch! Oh the life!!!

Let's give it a try!

2011-08-14T21:40:00.002-05:00

I couldn't remember when we started Taegan on cereal so I was looking back at her calendar and saw that we started trying it when she was three months old. So-I thought we would give it a try last night and see how he did!!! I was surprised at how well he did with it. He didn't gag at all and actually I think most of it went in his mouth. He ate most of the bowl as well-big boy! As excited as I am about this next step for little man, I am a bit sad that it is already time for this. Where the heck has all that time gone???

First try at it(notice Taegan's hand on his bib-she wiped everything away each bite)

I love how he is looking at me in this one:)

The one thing that I wasn't anticipating(although I'm not sure why) was how much Taegan wanted to help. She was SOOO eager to be able to hold the spoon with me and feed him his bites. She wanted to do it on her own, but I just wasn't ready/sure about that! So it looks like feeding him might be a battle of who will feed him!!!

Big Sister holding the spoon and helping Mom!!

Have a good week!!!

3 months old...

2011-08-11T21:07:00.002-05:00

Can you believe that our little guy is 3 months old today?!?!?! Laekan Harper we are falling in love with you more everyday-but I think Taegan has fallen pretty hard for you this month. She can't get enough of you and adores hugging, kissing, talking to, and smothering you!!! We love watching her with you and there are times when she is the only one who can calm you:) Here is what you are up to right now:

*You are wearing some 0-3 month clothes and some 3 month clothes.
*You are wearing size 1 diapers during the day, and size 2 at night.
*You eat 4 times a day: at 8 am and 7:15 pm you eat 8 oz, and at noon and 4 you eat 6 oz.
*Your schedule has changed this month: Up and eat at 8, nap from 10-11:30ish, eat at noon, nap 1-4, bath at 7, then eat right after, in bed and asleep from 8-8!!!! What a great schedule for everyone.
*You started that new schedule at 11 weeks old and have been rocking the 12 hour sleep schedule.
*You continue to HATE to sleep on your back, so we still let you sleep on your tummy with our monitor that alerts us.
*We put you to bed and nap when you are awake and you now put yourself to sleep on your own most times. If not, we just have to pat your bottom and you fall asleep.
*You still continue to not be too interested in your pacifier:(, but have started to suck on your hand to put yourself to sleep.
*You are becoming very vocal and love "talking" to us. Taegan talks back to you and thinks it is great.
*With your new schedule we have avoided any fussy time at night:)
*You still love to cuddle, but when it is nap and bed time unless you are super tired you would rather us lay you down so you can put yourself to sleep. I know this is better for you, but sure makes me sad to think about it!!!
*On your back you can track a complete 180 with an object I hold.
*On your tummy you can track almost a complete 180-sometimes you get lazy!
*You scoot all over your bed.
*We all adore your smile and laugh and you are great at delivering them when we need them.
*There have been a few times that you haven't cried through your entire bath-maybe we are turning a corner.
*Your drooling seems to have increased...teeth???
*You can sit in your bumbo for at least 10 minutes at a time.
*You are pushing against things with your feet.

This is your serious face mixed with a smile!

Making a silly face at your sister.

Big boy sitting in your bumbo.

She ADORES you:)

Just a peek at preschool time...

2011-08-10T10:42:00.002-05:00

This is what Taegan and I do during Laekan's morning nap everyday(well everyday that we are home!) If we aren't home in the morning we will do preschool time in the afternoon after nap.

Drawing circles, squares, and today she decided to show me her new skill of drawing a person!!!

This is our preschool/calendar door!

Here is where we do the days of the week and the weather.

And here are her lesson plans for the month-I only do plans for the weekdays.

Hard at work on her "desk" circling items in a row that are the same!!!

A morning pick me up...

2011-08-10T07:38:00.003-05:00

I haven't been feeling very well lately and it is hard to get through the day with two kiddos at home on my own. I am thankful that Taegan is a SUPER help and that little man has such a great schedule that allows me to nap when they both do. It also helps that I get to see these:

Big boy sitting in his bumbo for this first time:)

Look at that sleeping baby-please no lectures on him being on his tummy! I have a monitor that detects breathing and he sleeps through the night this way!!!

Have a good Wednesday-the week is half over.

CoCo Key...

2011-08-07T22:28:00.004-05:00

The weekend of my birthday Justin, Taegan, and I headed north to Omaha!! We decided to leave Laekan here with my parents and spoil Taegan for the weekend with just us. It was such a good weekend for all three of us-we needed that time together! She was so excited to have time with just us and have us all to herself!!! I got a great deal for a weekend package at the CoCo Key Water Park there that I just couldn't pass up:) So Friday around lunch we packed up and headed that way. Taegan was SOO excited to get there and go down the water slides-she only slept 30 minutes on the drive there because she was so excited.

All suited up and ready to hit the water slides~

She became a pro at these very quickly!!!

She quickly decided we didn't need to catch her at the bottom:(

Being silly with Daddy the first night! She got to sleep on the floor in her sleeping bag.

Attempt at a family picture!

Saturday we decided to hit up the zoo with some friends-she really enjoyed it, but wanted to get back to the slides!!!

The kiddos.

Taegan was SUPER excited to go to the Butterfly exhibit at the zoo-and one landed on Daddy's hat!

Even the pool at our hotel was great-we spent time here on Saturday when the water park was super busy!!!

Overall, we had a GREAT time together!!! Although we were ready to get back to Laekan:)

Getting so big so fast!

2011-08-02T08:49:00.003-05:00

Little man is growing up right before our eyes! He continues to rock out his schedule and is starting to get more interactive during his awake time. I love it when he smiles and "talks" back to me:) The other night Justin was laying on the bed reading with Taegan and had Laekan laying on his legs when he thought he would see if he could pull him up. He pulled Laekan up and Laekan stayed there-working his strong neck muscles!! I know this is probably a silly post, but it is my scrapbook and I want to remember all the little steps he takes.

Such a big boy...my heart melts:)

The Big Girl Bed...

2011-08-02T08:40:00.002-05:00

Last week after I got back in town from training we headed to get Taegan a full size bed. She has been sleeping in one of these at both of her grandparents house's and she kept saying that her bed here at home was too small!!! In all honesty she was hanging off her bed a lot on the side and I was just trying to hold onto my little girl:) I happened to hear an ad on the radio that mattresses were on sale and so Justin and I decided it was time. We knew that getting a big bed would shrink her room a lot, but she was SOOOO excited! The crib that we had for her changed into a toddler bed, and then the two sides of the crib become the headboard and footboard. So all we had to buy was the mattress and box springs. Then my mom took her to Target and let her pick out new bedding!!! She has been over the moon since we got it:)

All put together and ready for her to try!

Letting Laekan try out her new pillow with her.

Grandma Tina reading them a book-she loves that we can all get on her bed now:)

I'm back...

2011-07-27T13:00:00.004-05:00

I was out of town all last week for training for my new job and got back home Friday night! I was lucky to have Laekan with me and my mom and best friend took turns staying with him and I so we could be together!! It was nice to have someone there at the hotel with me for the week, although Thursday night I ended up sending Laekan home with my mom and Justin so I could have the night to try to process all the new information...wow it was a lot! I missed being home and doing my daily things for the house and family, but I LOVED learning and getting ready for my new job. I actually went on my first home visit last night with a family and it was great. I think I am really going to enjoy this new career path.

Two cuties this morning...

Mr. Smiley-love it!

We are back on our daily schedule and routine and I must say that I love being home with my kiddos. It takes a special person to be able to stay home with their kids and I am glad God blessed me with that passion. I can't imagine being anywhere else. We tried a new schedule for Laekan on Saturday and so far it is going great!!! We now give him his last bottle between 7:30 and 8 and he is sleeping until 8 in the morning-YES!! Now Justin and I get a few hours in the evening with both kiddos in bed(Taegan goes to be at 8 too) and we can focus on us. It is much needed and I am much more energized in the morning for both of them again.

Taegan thought he needed friends.

We are also keeping up with our preschool time in the morning for Taegan and she loves that time with me. Today we went to the art museum here in town and she got a chance to do whatever she wanted there while Laekan slept in the stroller. This was her preschool time today!!!

Painting circles...

So far things are going well this week! I am back to working out everyday and feeling good about things. Fingers crossed it stays that way. On Friday we are leaving around lunch and heading up to the Coco Key Water Park Resort in Omaha to stay for 2 nights...and we are only taking Taegan! She has asked everyday if we are going that day:)

2 months old...

2011-07-12T19:58:00.004-05:00

Laekan Harper you are 2 months old!!!! We have LOVED watching you change over the last month and think you are for sure a keeper:) Here is what you are up to at 2 months:

*You are wearing 0-3 month size clothes.
*You are wearing size 1 diaper.
*You are eating 5 times a day and 5 oz each time.
*Your schedule is like clockwork everyday. Up and eat at 8am, nap from 10-11:30, eat at noon, sleep 1-4, eat at 4, 7, and 9:15 and go to bed for the night at 10!
*You have been sleeping through the night since you were 6 weeks old.
*You HATE to sleep on your back, so much so that we broke down and bought a sensor to go under your mattress so you can sleep on your tummy.
*You have started cooing and laughing at people when they talk to you.
*You know your Mommy, Daddy, and Sister by our voice.
*You are such a happy little guy when you are awake.
*Every night between 8-9 you are fussy-and nothing makes you happy but going outside.
*You love to cuddle and will sleep on anyone's chest that lets you.
*You now sleep in your crib for nap and bedtime, but you are on your tummy. We say prayers every night to keep you safe.
*You have started "talking" to your friends on your playmat.
*You respond to our voices and track very well.
*You can scoot on your tummy.
*You drool all the time and snort when you are crying and super mad. We love your snort-so cute!
*You weigh 12lbs, 13oz and are 23.5 inches long.

Laughing on his mat.

Smiling at his friends.

Loves to smile.

Cutie!!!

We love you so much and really can't remember what it was like without you. I love the way Taegan is with you and I can't wait to see how you two grow together!

4th of July

2011-07-06T09:01:00.003-05:00

On th 3rd we did our big celebration for the 4th at Justin's parents house. Taegan has loved the fireworks this year and was VERY excited to get to do more with Papa Greg and Daddy. So we got all dressed and ready...

Did our nails

Got all cute

Then we headed out to the party. She talked all day about going over there and getting to see the big fireworks at night. But before the big show she had other fun things to keep her busy-

Like a wagon ride from the tractor.

And her first sparkler

Had to get Papa Greg in on the action.

Then we ate some delicious food, hung out with friends and family, talked and played until it was time for the big show! Justin, Garret, and his Dad did the lighting of the fireworks for the show and it turned out great. Taegan jumped and cheered through the whole thing!!!! I didn't get any pictures of the firework show because I was busy holding Laekan and covering his ears. I also noticed as I was going through pictures I didn't get any pictures of Laekan that night and he had on a super cute outfit. So it looks like I will be dressing him in that outfit again and taking pictures:) We had a great 4th of July!

A huge Thank You!!!

2011-07-04T22:10:00.002-05:00

I am interrupting my 4th of July posts to write a very important message...to our parents! Today Justin and I got a chance to go to Kansas City and spend the day together at Worlds of Fun just the two of us. It was such a fun day and one that we really needed. We have been working on getting things on a great schedule around here at home and we haven't had much time to spend together. We are pretty focused on the kids and tend to forget to focus on each other. It is not anyone's fault, it is just life and that is what we are getting used to. I did however really want to try to get away for a date and our parents stepped up for us. We took Taegan and Laekan to Becky and Greg this morning and headed out. They played with the kids and took great care of them. Then my Mom and Dad went over and picked them up after lunch and kept them until we got back to town.

We are so lucky to have such great parents that want to spend the day with our kids and do it willingly so that Justin and I can have a day together. I have been having a hard time leaving Laekan and it seems to be getting a bit easier each time I leave him. Taegan adores both sets of grandparents and I am so glad about this. I look forward to all of them being very active in her life and with Laekan. They are super lucky kiddos that have such supportive family.

So, THANK YOU Mom, Dad, Becky, and Greg! We love you all and are so blessed that you love our kids so much and are eager to spend time with them. They will always know how much you love them.

The start of our 4th...

2011-07-02T21:33:00.004-05:00

Tonight we had a 4th of July party with my Mom's side of the family. It was at my Aunt and Uncle's that has a very nice in ground pool and lots of land. I didn't get any pictures while we were out there because I was in the pool with Taegan the whole time so no time for pictures:) She had a ball playing in the pool and we had to pull her out! It was a lot of fun being with my cousins and hanging out. Laekan was just passed from Aunt to Aunt and was a very good boy! We are still on a great schedule with him and I can't believe how lucky we are with him. He still gets very fussy every night from about 8-9:15 until we give in and feed him. Just can't figure that time frame for him out yet. I'm sure once we figure it out though-he will change!

Our first 4th outfit-with a sweet smile!

The serious face!

The update on the goals for the week are pretty good. I weighed in this Friday and lost .2 pounds. Now before I get discouraged I have to remember that I dropped 4 pounds the first week and I was exercising pretty hard this week that my body is NOT used to at all. I also think I am close to that time of the month when I retain water-so think week I am going to take the .2 lose. It wasn't a gain:) I ended up working out 4 days as of today and did preschool time with Taegan 4 days-and one day we did 2 sessions. So that is following the plan. Overall-this week is a success for me. My mom did bring it to my attention that we have 80 days until we leave for Disney World and this Momma wants to look good!! Gotta keep with it. Not sure tonights party helped or tomorrow at Justin's side will help. Ugh, the self control is brutal. Here is Taegan at preschool time Friday...she rocked coloring in the lines.

I hope you can see just how well she colored this!

So proud of her hard work.

So far, so good!!!

2011-06-29T19:42:00.008-05:00

We are rolling on our goals here at the Ross house!!! I know it is only day 3, but each day is one day closer to forming a habit out of it for us. Monday I didn't end up working out because things were crazy and so I just watched what I ate and didn't focus on the one thing I couldn't do. I walked 2 miles yesterday morning and ran a mile in the afternoon. There was no preschool time yesterday per say because we were busy. This morning we walked 2 miles, had preschool time, I made dinner, and then I ran another mile tonight! Overall, today was a great day! We actually had two preschool times to make up for what we missed yesterday-she is already looking forward to this time everyday.

Today was playdoh...she did great.
Her end result...

Tummy time for little man!

And this is whatI had to do with Laekan this morning while I did my hair and playdoh with Taegan because he was a bit fussy.

Looking forward to our morning walk tomorrow:)

Here's to a new US!!!

2011-06-27T11:18:00.005-05:00

As most of you know I am a teacher-and will always be a teacher in my heart. This also comes with an organization trait and a bit of OCD. So last week I decided that today was the DAY!! The day where I become a better mommy, a better me, a healthier me, and a better wife. I printed off 3 calendars: 1 for Taegan lesson plans everyday, 1 for my workout schedule, and 1 for a monthly menu!! I am determined to be all around better for my family. I hate the way I look(yes I know he is ony 7 weeks old) and I hate that I eat SOO bad. Justin and I purchased new running shoes with the Nike+ chip in them. We are competing to see who can walk/run more miles in a month! I am also going to add the 30 day Shred to my workout routine. I have started searching the internet for healthy dinner recipes for the family that way we can all eat better. Justin and I are counting calories and using an app on our phones to keep track. I am so glad we are doing the dieting/getting fit thing together. It will make it easier for us both because we have formed some very bad eating habits.

As far as Taegan goes-I plan to spend at least 30 minutes every week day with her working on preschool skills. I have tons of resources and supplies here at home that I can use. She is at the age where she is starting to learn so many things that I want to keep building on those and make her a better person. I plan to do this during Laekan's morning naps and if that doesn't work out we will do it later in the evening when Justin gets home so he can take care of Laekan. Today we started with patterning. I have found some great games/activities at Lakeshore Stores to use with her. This is her hard at work this morning...

Telling me the shapes and colors of the pattern...
Picking out the gem that matched the picture...

Completing the pattern and getting them all right!!!!

I plan to do my walk tonight after Justin gets home from work. I am going to start with walking and slowly add in running. So far today, I will be meeting two of my goals...the eating is going to take LOTS of dedication and work. I just have to keep my eye on the prize-which is getting healthy for my kids...they deserve the best me they can get!!!!

Cool dude in his tie and new glasses:)

Oh melt my heart...

Just a Saturday morning...

2011-06-25T08:28:00.003-05:00

Laying in the hall drinking my milk and playing my iPod.
Hanging out in my Wildcat outfit playing with a mirror.

Life is pretty good around here:)

A fun morning...6 weeks old

2011-06-22T10:27:00.005-05:00

This morning Taegan, Laekan, and I had a great time being silly and just playing at home! Taegan and I were trying to get Laekan to smile since he has decided this is his new talent for us all:) We had a lot of laughs and it did my heart good to have a morning like this with them both. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in taking care of the house and making sure everything is where it should be that I forget to slow down and take these two in!!! Laekan is six weeks old today and we are loving him more and more with each day. It also helps that he has added to his list of tricks...sleeping through the night:) That makes this Mommy super happy!!!

Doesn't this melt your heart?!!
Silly boy!

My precious, precious girl:)

Sunday in Pictures

2011-06-21T14:52:00.006-05:00

Justin had to work Sunday morning for a little bit and I was sick so the day didn't start out the best! I did my best to take care of the kiddos while he was gone and then he was home to help. When he got home the kids had on their Father's Day shirts and were so excited to see him and be with him. Taegan was a Daddy's girl that day and it melted Justin's heart. He had a really good day with her!!

Cuddling with Daddy while he fed Laekan.
One of Laekan's first smiles:)

She LOVES giving kisses!

Then she got in the pool after dinner with Daddy and Papa Steve...

I hope you had a great day Justin!!! We love you so much.

Happy Father's Day...

2011-06-19T09:32:00.005-05:00

Our attempt at a family picture:)

Justin,

Thank you for being a great Dad to Taegan and Laekan!! I love watching you with each of them and how you are so great with them. I will never forget the first time you got to hold each of your little bundles and the emotions I felt as I watched you with them. They are so lucky that you work so hard to provide for us. I can't wait to watch you with them as they each get older and start enjoying different things with you. It is so special to have two amazing children and know that you will always be the one to hold there hand when they need their Daddy!!!

We love you.

Happy Father's Day!!!

To my Dad-

Thank you for always being there for me and putting up with me. I know that along the way we have had bumps-but you were always the one I looked to for approval and acceptance. I now get to enjoy watching you with my children and it really is so neat to watch you with them!! They love you so much and I look forward to them growing up getting to know you more! Thank you for all you have done for me and for us!!! We love you.

One Month Old...

2011-06-11T10:47:00.002-05:00

Laekan Harper you are ONE month old today!!! Slow down the clock please:( Here is what you are up to at one month old:

*You are still wearing newborn clothes. Some 0-3 fit you, but not many!
*You are wearing newborn diapers, but we only have a few left and then are moving you to 1's.
*You are eating 6 times a day and a 4 ounce bottle at each.
*You sleep a 5-6 hour stretch at night and then a 4 hour stretch after you eat.
*You move your head side to side very well on your tummy.
*You love your tummy time and will fall fast asleep if you are tired and I put you on your tummy.
*You wake up for the day around 8, nap from about 10:30-noon, eat, nap from about 1-4, then you are awake until you eat again at 7, awake/nap until 10 when you eat again and are down for the night.
*You have started tracking an object held in front of you.
*You will turn your head when I ring bells on one side of you or the other.
*You sleep best at night when you are swaddled.
*You are still sleeping in the little crib thing-but we might move you to your actual crib soon.
*You LOVE when we kiss your face.
*You have a fussy time at night from about 9-10 every night.

We love you so much and can't wait to see what you do the next month!!!!

Hectic...

2011-06-08T19:44:00.002-05:00

To say I am overwhelmed, tired, stressed, and ready for a break might be an understatement! Justin has been gone since Monday morning at 4 am for school in Wichita. It has just been us three around here and I am getting a bit stressed. It also happens to be VBS week at church, we had gymnastics, I had work, and there have been other things thrown in there that are causing this week to pile up on me. I LOVE having two kids and really don't think that the jump from one to two has been that hard, but I just wasn't prepared to do this alone when he was 3-4 weeks old. That was a bit of a stretch.

Taegan has also taken it upon herself to start throwing out of this world fits. I mean they are so out of control I'm not sure who she is at times. She is throwing herself against her bedroom door, throwing toys around, and screaming at the top of her lungs. This momma is doing all she can not to completely lose her mind. I am hoping that some of it is stemming from Daddy being gone, but Lord help us when he gets back and she keeps this up!!! WOW!! I really hope it is a quick phase, because being out in public is not gonna work with these fits. She cried going to gymnastics tonight-she didn't last week. And tonight she wouldn't go to her classroom for VBS-oh can it be Thursday night and Justin can be home??? One more night, I can do this! I think...

Some cute pictures!!

2011-06-05T19:30:00.000-05:00

Here are a few pictures of life lately...

Working on our tummy time more...
All dressed up for church:)

First time in the pool for the summer...it was cold but she couldn't wait.

Being cute for the camera!

Gymnastics...

2011-06-02T18:36:00.000-05:00

On Wednesday Taegan started a gymnastics class for the summer. She will take two sessions this summer and if she seems to like it and does well I think we will keep it up in the fall. One of her friends from church will take a class in the fall and I am hoping that she will like it well enough to take it with her!! She LOVED it and did great. We need to work on front rolls, but otherwise she did a great job listening and doing the steps. She was so proud to come home and tell daddy about it and show him what she can do. I hope she continues to enjoy it and do as well as she did Wednesday~

In her new outfit ready to go...
Stretches.

Flipping over the bar.

Jumping off the springboard into the hula hoop.

Walking the tressle.

The facts...

2011-06-01T15:06:00.005-05:00

*The truth is I am NOT a strong person when it comes to what I can and can't eat-at. all. I will be working on that in the near future-like tonight! Justin and I have started our diet/exercise program and although I am terrible at it, we are doing pretty good. We started walking last week and I have been walking at least a mile everyday, sometimes more. I will increase this once I get clearance to actually exercise! Justin has been walking with me and also jogging. We are determined to get healthly for these kiddos-they need us!!!

*Taegan is one amazing little sister-I am just shocked everyday with how she is acting. She has her moments, but for the most part she is kicking some butt on this new role!!!!

For example...she is even feeding her babies just like we do Laekan:)

*Laekan is one laid back little man...that is 3 weeks old today!!!!

*He however HATES his bath right now. His cord fell off last Friday and we gave him his first bath on Saturday. To say he hated it might be an understatement. He screamed through it all-hoping it gets a bit better!!

Looks like he is trying to kiss me-please ignore my pale face:(

*Justin is one AMAZING Daddy!!! He has been working so hard for us and putting in long days at work. He then comes home and spends all his time with us. We are so lucky to have him in our lives. He is loving his role as a Daddy of two, but finding it a bit exhausting to meet both their needs...welcome to my day!!!!

Melt my heart.

*Taegan is becoming a little mini me...and I love it! Most days that is. She talks like me, acts like me, and is starting to do things for Laekan just like I do-

She's got the holding the pacifier in the mouth down to an art!!!

Today I am thanking the good Lord for all of my blessings. And also asking him for some serious strength in the diet department:)

The sling...

2011-05-28T14:43:00.002-05:00

When I had Taegan I didn't get a sling to carry her around in, we did get a front carrier for her-but didn't use it a lot. I used it when we went on a trip, but that was really about it. This time I wanted to get a sling and be able to use it around the house so I could have my hands free, still be taking care of him, and be able to play with Taegan as well. The first one we bought was the Moby-and after trying and trying it I gave up. We returned it because I was pretty overwhelmed with it. There was so much fabric and I had a really hard time getting it to do what it was supposed to. I researched online and found the Baby K'Tan and decided I would try that one.

He LOVES it.

This wrap/sling is SOOO easy!!! It is just two loops of fabric and I had it figured out the first time. All I have to do is put Laekan in it and he is out for good. I actually went to a training for work yesterday and they let me take him with me(thank goodness) and I just put him in this and he slept the whole training. We went out to dinner last night and he was starting to get fussy, I put him in this and he crashed. I was able to eat dinner, hold him, and have no fussy baby. What a blessing!!!

I would highly suggest looking into a sling/wrap if you are pregnant or are a new mom. I plan on using this for as long as I can with him:)

Laekan Two Weeks Old...

2011-05-25T19:48:00.003-05:00

Yes Laekan-you are now two weeks old!!! Mommy, Daddy, and Taegan are falling more in love with you everyday. We are in awe of how much you have changed since the day you entered our lives and we can't wait for the next day to see what you do.

Here is what you are up to at 2 weeks:
* You are eating 3.5-4 oz every 3-4 hours during the day.
* You are eating 3.5-4 oz every 4-5 hours at night-even one night you went 6 hours:)
* You are turning your head from side to side when on your belly-you did this at one week.
* You love tummy time and will sleep like a rock on it when we leave you there.
* You sleep in your own room every night in this little bed thing.
* You are back to your birth weight.
* You had your first "sick" visit to the Dr. for a terrible diaper rash-got meds.
* You continue to be laid back and love cuddling while you sleep.
* We swaddle you at night, but not during the day.
* You have a fussy time every night between 5:30-6:00
* You spend about 1.5-2 hours of awake time in the morning and in the evening with us.
* Taegan loves to help with everything with you...she is a GREAT sister.

We LOVE you Laekan Harper!!!

The iPad...

2011-05-24T12:37:00.002-05:00

As I have mentioned Taegan has been doing a great job since Laekan entered our lives and she continues to amaze us with how grown up she can be. With that being said she has had her days where she wants more attention and will act out until one of us realizes that is what she is wanting. She loves for all of us to be together and do things. She also really likes it to just be about her sometimes and not have to worry about little brother being in the way. This is easier when Justin gets home in the evenings then it is for me during the day. I do my best to be with her when he doesn't need my attention, but somedays are hard! She is doing great with finding things to play with on her own and likes to show us what she can do by herself. Her new love right now is the iPad. My Dad bought one a year ago and I had been bugging him to give it to me and he could get the new one. Well, about 3 weeks before Laekan was born he finally gave in, and I don't think he has regretted it. He is shocked at what Taegan can do on it and that she can do it all alone. She gets to play with it when she has been good and she knows how to turn it on, find her games, and play away. She also really likes watching music videos on it as well that we have downloaded-she is a cutie!!!

Here she is getting some play time before nap while I fed Laekan!!!

Dr visit and sister time

2011-05-20T08:30:00.002-05:00

Taegan is doing such an amazing job of being a big sister. She continues to care about what Laekan is doing and what is going on. She is doing a great job of helping me with him and if she could carry him around she would be all over it. Taegan is doing great playing by herself when I am feeding him or needing to take care of him. We are so blessed to have two great kiddos!!!

Hanging out giving him hugs.

Working on some tummy time...together.

On Tuesday, I took Laekan in for his one week check-up. He had gained weight and was looking good. The Dr. was pleased with how his color was and how much/often he was eating. I felt better with the reassurance from him and will just keep doing what we have been doing!

All done at the Dr. and pretty mad about being awake!

Reading books with Daddy.

Can't give him enough kisses!

Hanging out at home...

2011-05-17T21:37:00.002-05:00

We have had a great first week with Laekan! We love being home and just being a family. It is so surreal to me that I am now a Mommy of 2 and they depend on me for everything. There are moments that I have to just step back and take it all in. What a blessing Taegan and Laekan are to Justin and I. Taegan ADORES him and loves on him every chance she can. I am shocked at how well(knock on wood) she is doing with all of this. She continues to nap and sleep at night well, helps me get things for Laekan, loves on him whenever she thinks about him, is very concerned and worried when he cries, and is overall just doing great. I have had a few times where I just break down crying about how lucky I am and how awesome things are going so far. The love I have for both of them just can't be put into words...just tears!

Cutie.
Daddy and Laekan taking a nap.

Tummy time-he loves it!

Oh the love in this picture...melts my heart.

Going home...

2011-05-17T21:24:00.002-05:00

Friday morning we got up and we eager to get things wrapped up and head home with Laekan. We were so excited that this time we actually were getting to take him home with us-this was so good for my soul!!! The Dr came in to see me and discharge me. We got everything else done, then it was hurry up and wait for KU Med to call with the heart echo results. We waited, and waited. Finally we heard from them and then we had to wait on a call back to set up an appointment to get him back in. By this point we are all packed up, Laekan is ready, and we are getting impatient. It was 5:15 before I asked them to just call us with the appointment time! And we were out the door-YES!!!

Waiting and cuddling.
Mr. Handsome ready to go.

We made it home-he looks so small!

Big Sister showed him his room. (Geez I look tired!)

Our Time in the Hospital

2011-05-16T15:58:00.002-05:00

While we were in the hospital we had lots of visitors and lots of events that happened! It was nice to have someone to take care of me and of Laekan. We sent him to the nursery at night so that we could get a good nights sleep for the two nights we were there! The first night I was in quite a bit of pain so I didn't sleep much. I was also worried about Laekan. About 2 hours after birth I was trying to feed him a bottle and he turned blue all up and down his arms and legs. This caused him to be taken to the nursery and be monitored closely. He continued to be very lethargic and never really cried that night. I checked on him throughout the night and he wasn't really changing-not getting worse or better. By morning they said he had started to get a bit more active and they brought him to our room.

I was getting a bit worried though because he was spitting up a lot-or it seemed to me. He still wasn't really crying and his color did seem to be improving a bit. I fed him throughout the day and then at 1 he threw up his whole feeding. I sent him to the nursery so they could feed him and see what I was talking about. I wanted someone else to see the spitting and gagging. The attending doctor returned an hour later saying he had another blue episode and had spit up again. They ordered blood work and a heart echo. I was drained!!! He was gone from us the rest of the day and into the evening for all his work and to be monitored more. This was hard because we had visitors and all they could do was look through the window. This wasn't what I had envisioned.

The blood came back fine and the echo showed no immediate concern. We would have to wait until Friday morning for it to be read. Friday morning came and went and we didn't hear anything. I was done with my paperwork for discharge and we were waiting on Laekan. He was in the room with us though and seemed to be doing MUCH better to us. His color was better and he was eating with very little spit up. We finally got the results around 2 that there is a small PFO(hole) in his top chambers of his heart. This wasn't something life threatening, but it is something we go back for on June 16 to have repeated and results again. I was relieved that I would in fact be going home with a baby that day:)

Big Sister holding Laekan with Grandma Tina.
Getting his heart echo done.

Resting with Dad on our last day there.

Too cute for words!!!

Taegan meeting Laekan

2011-05-13T13:07:00.004-05:00

Once Laekan was cleaned and things were calming down, my Dad brought Taegan up to the hospital to meet him. We had Justin go to the waiting room and get her and Laekan was laying in his crib. Taegan was VERY shy and wouldn't have much to do with him at all. Just clung to Justin and was apprehensive about it all.

Walking in.
Hiding in Justin.
Kind of scared to see Mommy like this.
Opening her big sister gift.
Getting her first real look with Daddy.
Deciding two hours later that he might be okay.
SO Sweet!!! I love my kiddos.
Taegan taking a picture of Laekan.

He's Here...

2011-05-13T12:23:00.004-05:00

Laekan Harper was born at 4:36 pm on Wednesday, May 11!!! He weighed 8lbs, 7oz and was 21 and 3/4 inch long. I was scheduled to be there at 7:15 and they got stuff going at 11. Things were pretty boring until about 3. I got my epidural at noon and didn't feel a thing until 3 when part of it stopped working!!! I started feeling contractions and that seemed to slow things down. I could only feel it on half, but I was tensing quite a bit. At about 3:50 I was pretty miserable and then at 4 was complete. They got everything setup and ready and I started pushing at 4:15. I didn't feel anything once I started pushing and he was out very fast. He did get stuck coming out and his nosed bruised some.

Right as we were leaving home.
He is here!

Welcome Laekan.

8lbs, 7 oz

Waiting to hold my SON!

And we meet:)

Happy tears...we love you.

Happy Parents.

Nurse Heather giving him his first bath.

Cleaned up and awake.

Meeting Big Sister coming up next!

Baby update...

2011-05-10T08:56:00.002-05:00

I know I didn't do a weekly update last week-but I was miserable and busy and had my fingers crossed he was gonna come anyday so I didn't need to do one:( Well, Laekan hasn't graced our home yet!!! I am headed to the Dr this morning and am hoping to convince the Dr. to let me go on in and have him. I guess we will see. Last Thursday we did head up to the hospital because I was having contractions, but were sent home bc I wasn't having them close enough together and wasn't progressing after walking for an hour. As of Thursday I was at a 4 plus and 90% effaced...SO CLOSE! Fingers crossed I have progressed a bit more as of today and can meet this boy soon.

I will update when I know more!!

Birthday part-take 2

2011-05-06T06:42:00.003-05:00

We had Taegan's family birthday party on Sunday afternoon! She was so excited for it all day and kept talking about everyone that was coming. We worked all day outside to get the yard and house ready. (It was also a way to try and put myself into labor...no go!) Her menu of choice for the party was: Mac and Cheese, Cheese Dip, Little Smokies, and Fruit. Gotta love letting a 3 year old pick it out!!! She ate well though, and no one seemed to complain.

Here is our princess ready for her party.
And not wanting to take pictures for Mom.

Maybe Daddy is okay!!

So is Mom.

The princess cake.

Shocked to find a whole box of chalk for her!

Being silly.

Mom finally had to get down and help because she had a breakdown. Look at that belly.

Taegan had such a fun birthday and enjoyed being around the whole family. Her big present from her grandparents was a trampoline(not a full sized one) and I will have another post all about that!!! Thanks to all of our family for making the birthday a success!!!

3rd Birthday party-take 1

2011-05-04T11:30:00.004-05:00

Taegan's birthday was last Thursday and Justin had been gone all week. She had a pretty good week, but was super ready for him to get home that night. He usually gets home around 7:30 on Thursday and then Taegan is headed to bed shortly after that. This time we decided to do her presents and cupcake with us that night when he got home. She was beside herself with excitement waiting on him to get home!!!

Posing with her presents.
Modeling her new jammies for us.

Cheese!!!!

Opening a present with Daddy-she couldn't get enough of him that night.

Cupcake time-and she wanted to share with Daddy.

A lick for you...

And a lick for me!!!

She loved all her presents and had such a great time with Justin that night. It melted my heart how much she wanted to be with him and do everything with him! Her real party was on Sunday...and I will do that post soon!!

Happy 3rd Birthday Taegan!!!

2011-04-28T16:10:00.002-05:00

My 3 year old Princess!!!

Taegan-

I can't believe that 3 years ago today(at about this time) I was at the hospital in labor with you having no idea what the future would hold. Daddy and I were so eager to meet you and finally have you here with us...good thing labor was short! However, that day didn't quite go like we planned and you were a sick little girl for about 8 days. Then we got to take you home and we haven't looked back yet. What a joy it has been watching you change, grow, learn, and become your own person over the last three years. I honestly can't believe it has been that long and I am wondering where the rewind/pause button is for you?!?!

You are so independent and love to do things on your own terms. If Daddy or I suggest something for you to do you won't do it-until you come up with the idea. As much as this drives us crazy we are so glad you can do it on your own. We are amazed at your intelligence and knowledge that you have everyday. We are in awe of some of the stuff you just know and can do without us showing or helping you. I will admit there are days that I want to cry because you don't need my help-although I would never hold you back from doing things just for my own sake.

We are eager to watch you become a BIG SISTER here very soon!!! We are glad however that so far he has decided that he doesn't want to share the day with you and will wait to have his own day. I know that life is going to change and turn your world upside down, but please always remember that we love you SOOO MUCH and you will always be our princess. I know you will love Laekan and take such great care of him whenever he gets here.

Mommy and Daddy are so proud of the little girl you have already become, we can't wait to watch you grow more this next year. We love you forever and ever!!!

37 weeks...

2011-04-26T20:35:00.002-05:00

How far along: 37 weeks

Size of the baby: He is about 6.5 pounds.

Gender: Boy-Laekan Harper

Movement: For the most part he is still active. He is starting to slow down and run out of room I think. He still likes night time to get active!

Sleep: Awful!!! I am not sleeping much at all...so I supposed I am getting ready for him. Justin has moved to the couch to see if that will help me sleep. Some nights it does, others it doesn't matter.

What I miss: Playing with my little girl and doing normal stuff around here and everywhere. This rest stuff is hard and I will be ready to feel like a team player versus a person watching:(

Cravings: Nothing-I am actually not eating a lot right now.

Symptoms: I hate to complain-but I am pretty miserable right now. I was up from 1:30-6:30 last night and was for sure I was headed to the hospital to have a baby. The contractions are picking up. I am glad to be full term and ready for little man to join us. I'm really not sure I can make it another 3 weeks!!!!!!!!!!!! But I will if that is what is best for Laekan.

Easter Day

2011-04-25T08:36:00.003-05:00

Easter morning we headed to church!!! I was so excited because since I have been on rest we haven't gone because it is so much to get us all ready and get there. We decided that we were going on Easter no matter what. I will say about halfway through standing up and singing I was starting to hurt and worry what if my water broke:) Oh that would have been a story to tell!!! It didn't and we were just fine. After church on Easter we usually head to St. Joseph to do Easter with Justin's family. This year I couldn't travel so we did it with my parents that day(usually we do it the day before). Mom was excited to be able to see Taegan all dressed up...

What a pretty girl.

She gave her an Easter basket filled with goodies and a new movie "Tangled". Taegan was over the moon to get this movie. As I am typing she is watching the movie, but having a hard time with the "bad guy" in the movie so she leaves for parts of it.

Her new movie.

After opening her basket we headed out back to do our Easter egg hunt. She found all 10 super fast and headed in to open them and see what was in them!!! We then had lunch and spent some time with Great Papa and Velva as well. She just loves Velva and had a great time doing a seek and find with her while the rest of us just relaxed.

We headed home for nap and Justin and my dad worked on finishing the patio. They put up new ceiling fans, lights, and it looks great!!! I am excited to be out there this summer and fall-the patio is one of my favorite places of this house. So relaxing and a great place to hang out with friends and family.

We had a great Easter and missed Justin's family...

Our Easter...

2011-04-25T08:23:00.003-05:00

We did our Easter egg hunt on Saturday here at our house with us three and then let her open her basket on Sunday morning. We had a busy day planned for Sunday so we knew that getting the egg hunt in early might be a challenge. It was also supposed to rain all day Sunday so we went ahead and did it Saturday!

Here is her basket of goodies!
Here are all the eggs we hid outside for her!!! 22 to be exact. She found them all:)

Running to find the next egg.

She was so good at finding them all over the yard.

Opening all the eggs and dividing out what she got.

One happy girl after opening all her eggs.

We love the egg hunt tradition we have started with her and can't wait to share it with Laekan...who will be here before we know it:)

Coloring Easter Eggs

2011-04-25T08:12:00.002-05:00

On Friday we decided to give coloring eggs a try for the first time with Taegan. She was very excited to help and really wanted to decorate them with the stickers. I wasn't the smartest mom and didn't put down paper under the food coloring bowls. Luckily it came off the counter with some scrubbing!! She had such a fun time and I can't wait for her to get even more into it next year. I will be a little more prepared for it next year and let her help more. She has since eaten all the eggs that we made as well:)

Dropping an egg into the color.
Helping get it all covered.

Smiling like a big girl.

Our finished eggs:)

Kelly Easter Egg Hunt

2011-04-17T21:04:00.003-05:00

Today we had a family get together on my Mom's side. I rested for the day and then we headed over around 3 for the egg hunt and some family time. Taegan was super excited to find eggs and did an awesome job. She had 5 to find and was the first one done finding her 5. She was set to find more, but got sidetracked(thank goodness) with the candy inside the eggs. Once the hunt was over we all sat around and hung out for a while.

Found one on the deck. Making sure she got all 5 of them.

Checking out what was inside.

Sitting down to dig into the candy!!!

After the egg hunt we met up with Garret, Kendra, Ayla, Becky, and Greg to eat dinner together at KiKu!!! Oh my wow-it was SOOOO yummy! I think I could eat there everyday right now, that is the most and best I have eaten since I got pregnant. Super good and we were so appreciative that Garret took us there! I miss watching Ayla during the week, but I have to keep getting my rest....

35 weeks

2011-04-17T21:02:00.002-05:00

How far along: 35 weeks...I am so thankful I made it through another week.

Size of the baby:Laekan is the size of a honeydew.

Gender: BOY-Laekan Harper

Movement: He is still very active at night. His moves now are causing some pain because he is getting so big! Kicks are more like shoves and pushes that can cause me to lose my breath!!! I can't wait to hold this little guy.

Sleep: I am having awful pain and pressure still that seem to get much more awful as I try to sleep. Justin has had to sleep on the basement couch the last couple of nights just so I can get comfortable and get some rest. I feel awful, but at least we are both getting sleep(he LOVES the couch!).

What I miss: Since I am on modified rest, I am really missing doing the everyday tasks that I took for granted before. I feel lazy and worthless-although it is what i need to do to keep him safe for right now. I miss playing with Taegan and holding her...she will always be my little girl.

Cravings: Nothing-haven't had much of an appetite lately.

Symptoms: The pains and pressure have gotten better and I just finished my meds for the bladder infection-which I believe is much better. I still get very uncomfortable and start having contractions if I do too much. I am having back labor off and on...this little guy needs to stay put for another week!!!

A trip to labor and delivery

2011-04-12T07:48:00.002-05:00

NO I haven't had Laekan yet-but he is being a stinker! I have been doing my best to be on house rest and take it easy. Even with my parents over here working on my yard and to do list last weekend, I still didn't do much. Saturday I woke up feeling a bit strange and it kept getting worse throughout the day. I was having some serious back pain and contractions were starting later in the day. I couldn't get a good time on them, but I knew that the back pain could be back labor and I was getting worried. Mom and Dad left and we decided to go meet Di for some dinner right here close to home. I was having a hard time during dinner with the pain and discomfort...so after dinner we decided to just drop off Taegan with my parents and head up to the hospital to get it all checked out. I wanted to be sure he was still doing okay and see what they could do for my pain. After checking in and changing into a gown I gave a urine sample and it all went downhill from there. I had a bladder infection, was dehydrated, and it had glucose in it! So 3 pitchers of water later and another sample I still was showing a bladder infection, but they wanted to wait to give me meds until the culture came back on Monday. I was told to keep on rest, drink tons of water, and call the Dr. Monday. She called me out some meds yesterday and I am hoping they kick in soon. The back pains have lessened some, but not a ton and the contractions have slowed. I am still taking it easy as best I can and we will hope this helps some of the pain. I am so glad we went and I could get peace of mind that Laekan is doing okay and I am doing what is best for him!!!

34 weeks...

2011-04-08T07:44:00.004-05:00

How far along: 34 weeks

Size of the baby: Laekan is about 4.5 pounds

Weight Gain: 26 pounds

Gender: BOY-Laekan Harper

Movement: He is still moving a ton and in the last couple of weeks has turned head down!! What a relief that he is head down and ready-no c-section because of that:)

Sleep: I am sleeping off and on. Not long runs of sleep, but sleep nonetheless. Just getting me ready for when he comes I suppose. My worst complaint with sleep is the uncomfort on my sides and the pressure on my pelvis-WOW!

What I miss: Everything this week. I went to the Dr. on Wednesday and we talked more about these pains I am having. She decided to check me and found me dilated to a 3 and believes the pains are high contractions. I am now on very strict limitations. No lifting, no exercise, pretty much stay at home with your feet up. WOW-that was a shock. I have a ton left to do before he gets here:(

Cravings: Nothing.

Symptoms: Lots of pains, contractions, and pressure. I am trying to take it easy, but this is VERY hard for me. I do so much throughout the day that sitting and doing nothing is one of the hardest things for me. I never think about all that I do, but now I am being forced to. I know that he is much safer with me and that is the part I am focusing on. Justin on the other hand is busy with this list!!! Please if you think about it pray that we can make it to 37 weeks with little man with me...he will then be welcome whenever he chooses!!!

Laekan's shower

2011-04-07T15:18:00.003-05:00

On Saturday one of my best friends threw Laekan a "sprinkle". I was so honored that she wanted to throw this for him because from whatI know people usually don't get a shower for a second kiddo. I was super excited because we had nothing for a boy!!! Justin and I registered at Babies R Us and were blown away by what everyone got us. The shower was perfect in every detail and we had a lot of fun just hanging out and enjoying everyone's company.

The cake and cookie table:) The best cookies ever...Aunt T's cookies.

These napkins were perfect-monkeys!!!

The food table-she totally overdid herself!

The punch that Di and I just created as we went.

A super fun frame that has baby pictures of Justin, Taegan, and myself in with a spot for Laekan.

I stopped taking pictures once the shower started because my camera died. Di took more so when I get them I will put them on here. We are so blessed to have great family and friends that treated us so good. Laekan is one lucky little guy!!!

Busted lip

2011-04-07T15:05:00.002-05:00

Last week while we were cleaning the salon on Thursday Taegan was running across the room to me and fell. This was the classic fast first all out sprawl on the ground fall. She immediately started screaming and sat up with blood on her face. At first glance I thought her tooth had gone through her lip, but luckily that was not the case. She has just smashed her lip on the ground. Took her a bit to settle down and she wanted nothing to do with holding ice/wash cloth on her lip. We had to finish cleaning and get her home. Once home she decided a popsicle would help and then wanted to read with Daddy in the chair to help it feel better!!! The lip got HUGE and she had trouble figuring out how to talk with this thing on her lip-it was actually quite funny!

Reading with Daddy all smiles. A close-up of the damage.

Side view as she was reading.

It is now back to normal and looks fine, but it was pretty black and blue for a few days. This is the first of many bumps and bruises we will have in this house!!! Especially with a boy on the way:)

Beauty Salon

2011-04-07T14:47:00.002-05:00

A couple weeks ago Mom and I went to a consignment sale in KC and we found a vanity for Taegan to play with. I felt like I couldn't walk away from it because it was only 10 bucks and it was in great condition!!! I knew she would love it and I was right about that. We then headed to Walmart to find a set of hair things that she could play with on it with her dolls. Little did I know that this would turn into a nightly thing that she loves to do with Justin and I:) She adores doing our hair and telling us all about what she is doing. It really is pretty cute and I love how her mind works.

Trying it out for the first time with her baby. Grandma's turn.

Now Daddy.

Tip your head back Daddy!!!

The set we bought has a blow dryer, curling iron, flat iron, hair spray, perfume, lipstick, and a brush in it. When she does your hair she uses every piece!!!! Love it.

Disney on Ice...Toy Story Style

2011-04-07T14:26:00.003-05:00

In late March Mom, Taegan, and I headed to KC Sprint Center to see Disney on Ice. We had taken her last year and she really loved it so I was super excited to take her again. This year the theme was Toy Story 3 and I knew she would know the characters so I felt okay going to it even though she wouldn't understand the whole story line. She was SUPER pumped and talked about it the whole way there.

This was her face to me when I asked her to smile:( Has her popcorn and is ready to go!

Major cheese with Grandma.

And with Mommy.

Hamm, one of her favorites.

Her new Buzz toy from the show.

The show lasted over 2 hours and at about the hour and 45 minute mark she looked at me and said she was ready to go. We left early and headed home. She did enjoy the show, but there was a lot of story line that went along with it that she had a hard time following. It was just above her. She also was hoping to see more of Minnie and Mickey and they weren't there. Overall, we had fun, but when she was done she was done!!!

32/33 weeks...

2011-03-31T08:41:00.003-05:00

Well, I am a bit behind and will do all my catching up this week!! I have a ton to share. Let's start with week 32 and 33.

32 week belly 33 week belly

How far along: 33 weeks

Size of the baby: a pineapple...almost 4 pounds

Weight Gain: 25 pounds

Gender: BOY Laekan Harper

Movement: Laekan is still very active and loves to play with us. He will punch or kick back when we nudge him! I love it. I have also loved watching him get bigger and the moves take over my whole belly. Such a sweet thing I can't wait to see!!!!

Sleep: Bad, Bad week for this. I am having so much pressure and pain that I can't find a position that will work for longer than 15 minutes or so. I also woke up a 2:30 on Wednesday morning to excruiating back pain. Went to the chiropractor and he did what he could. He doesn't think I will go to my due date and also told me no heavy lifting. Oh Laekan is giving me a run for my money!!!

What I miss: Walking normal, bending over without something in my way, and sleeping. Cravings: Nothing much this week.

Symptoms: I have been having very sharp pains up at the top of my belly for over a week now. I was finally brought in on Friday to have an ultrasound of my gallbladder and a huge lab check. That all came back normal-so they have put me on Prilosec to see if that will help. I am headed to the Dr on Wednesday to talk more about it. The pains come and go, but last at least 10-15 minutes at a time. We aren't sure what is going on...and I just hope it is over when I have him!!! Have a good Monday-I will be back tomorrow with more updates!!!

My girl and I

2011-03-23T07:50:00.003-05:00

Taegan and I have been having some days just hanging out at home playing and we were playing with the camera!!! She is big into taking the pictures so the only way I can get here to take a picture is to let her take one after I take one!!! She wanted to pose with me in one yesterday and I thought it turned out real cute.

Such a sweet little girl.

I am trying to soak up all these days with her because I know when Laekan gets here I won't get that one on one time with her I have right now. Although, somedays she is making that quality time a bit challenging with her attitude:) She is in this phase of getting out of her bed for nap and bedtime and Justin and I are racking our brain to come up with a different approach. Last night, we gave her a bath, brushed her teeth, got dressed, read 2 books, and then put her straight to bed. We tried to keep it very calm and gave her lots of love before getting in bed. What she has been doing is getting out and making excuses and we had resorted to spankins or loud voices with her. That wasn't working-so now we are trying something different. Last night after reading books and heading to bed she didn't get out. I'm not keeping my hopes up that it is over, but last night was a nice break!!!

Yesterday morning we went to visit one of my best friends and she has horses, goats, lots of land, and lots of places for Taegan to play!!! To say she loved it would be an understatement. She loved running with the big kids and feeding the animals. We can't wait to go back in a couple weeks for our shower.

These are 3 of their 4 horses.

Taegan finally got brave enough to put her hand on mine to help feed Peanut.

Have a great Wednesday!!!

Spring....

2011-03-20T20:55:00.002-05:00

is HERE!!! I was so excited to wake up this morning to 60 degree weather at 7 am!! I immediately opened the windows and doors. I then proceeded to make muffins and serve Justin and Taegan breakfast in bed:) They were very happy with this. I will have to say that with this awesome weather it is really causing me to start nesting and want so much done...fast. My list that I have for stuff to do before Laekan gets here is a full sheet long and growing. Justin is a tad overwhelmed to say the least! Although, there is a lot on there that he wants done as well.

Today was also the start of my fingers and feet swelling some. It isn't bad and will go away when it cools down at night, but it isn't fun during the day. I didn't have any swelling with Taegan and I had to sit down and let my feet rest today. I tell ya-Mr. Laekan is giving me a run with everything already. We are getting our back fence replaced this week and I can't wait until that is done to get started on everything else outside. I love Spring and getting our yard to look pretty. We have Taegan's birthday party planned for May 1st and I have high hopes of everything on my list being done!!!

I am off to do some work here at home for my new job-that I am loving!!!!

31 weeks...

2011-03-17T09:16:00.002-05:00

How far along: 31 weeks

Size of the baby: Laekan is about 3.3 pounds

Weight Gain: 24.5 pounds

Gender: BOY-Laekan Harper

Movement: He continues to love night time to be the most active!! The other night I had Justin feel him kicking and then Laekan started to play a game with Justin. He would kick and Justin would tap back and Laekan would move and kick again-it was pretty funny:)

Sleep: Not doing well this week. There is a lot of hip pressure when I lay too long and back pain. I have to sit all the way up to roll over and I just can't get comfortable. Only 8 more weeks!!!

What I miss: My normal body-I am getting to the point where moving is exhausting and bending over is almost out of the question...ready to have my tummy back and get to exercising. Not that I am wishing away this pregnancy-just being honest.

Cravings: Back to the peanut butter this week!

Symptoms: Out of breath fast, hip and back pain, can't bend over without pain, not sleeping well, and overall just uncomfortable. With all that said-I am SUPER happy that Mr. Laekan is growing well and taking his time to join us!!!

Challenging week...

2011-03-14T07:45:00.003-05:00

It's over...we made it through the week with Daddy being gone and I was so happy to see him Thursday night. I know that it was a tougher week because I am 8 months pregnant, but there were days I was really feeling like a terrible Mom. I had no patience at times, lost my cool with her, didn't play with her as much, and overall was real short with her. Looking back I feel awful that the week went like that and I hope to be able to change it for the future. I can sit back now and see where she was pushing my buttons and why-now I need to come up with a plan to react differently next time.

Parenting can be so hard and there is NO guidebook for it. UGH. All I know is that I was so glad to see Justin and get a little help from him!!! She has been awesome since he has been home and that is what makes me feel so bad that I had such a short fuse most of the week. I can't hold onto it I know, so I will work through it for next time.

I spent all Saturday night and Sunday sick with the stomach flu, hoping that I am on the mend and that no one else in the house gets it:( And I woke up this morning to NO satellite in the house...with 2 inches of snow on the ground outside. Come on Spring.

30 weeks...

2011-03-09T21:44:00.002-06:00

How far along: 30 weeks

Size of the baby: Laekan is the size of a head of cabbage.

Weight gain: 23 pounds...I might stop posting this:(

Gender: BOY-Laekan Harper

Movement: He is still moving a ton and continues to be active at night. I wish I could tell if he had turned or not, but right now he is just so active I can't tell. I love watching my belly move and Taegan is really liking feeling him. It is the little things right now that make us smile.

Sleep: This week has been pretty good for sleep. I still have to rotate a lot to keep things from falling asleep, but I am still getting a pretty good nights sleep. I am starting to get up more to pee, but I'm sure that won't change til he gets here.

What I miss: I miss painting my toes...no really it is getting harder and harder to reach them:) I just told my mom tonight that I would love a pedicure as a "pre-baby" gift!!! I want them to look cute for the delivery-as strange as that is:)

Cravings: Anything sweet or chocolate. My body is going to go into shock after Laekan gets here when I go into diet mode. Trying to take advantage now!

Symptoms: Things are pretty good this week. I am hoping to call tomorrow and schedule my prenatal massage. I could use one after this week. I am really starting to lose my mind-I can't remember anything for the life of me. It is crazy how much I just forget...and it isn't fun either. Just tonight I lost some Easter presents I had bought for Taegan and I told Becky a birthday idea for Taegan that I had already bought her. Geez!!!!

I can't believe that I am less than 10 weeks away from meeting our new little man. How crazy it seems that it will be here so fast. There are days when this pregnancy has flown by, and others when I'm not sure if it will ever end. I went to the Dr. today and everything looks great and the heartbeat was super. I have one more two week appointment then I go every week!!!! WOW!!!

Day 2...

2011-03-08T20:01:00.002-06:00

Well, we made it through Day 2 of Daddy being at school this time. To say I am exhausted really only touches the surface of it today. I am really starting to nest and I have more to do lists than I can even find! Yesterday, I got tons done and felt really good about all I had done. Today, we had Ayla with us all day and it was a MOPS day. I was super excited. Taegan and Ayla did great at MOPS and I enjoyed my time with the other girls. Really, that is about where the good part of the day ended!!!

We made it home and ate lunch and then it was supposed to be nap time for all of us. Let me tell you that getting 2 kiddos, me, and this prego belly ready and into MOPS was a challenge, let alone getting home:) I rocked Ayla to sleep and Taegan decided to take advantage of that by getting out of her bed and room 4 times. I was about to lose it. She has started getting very bad about this, and I'm not sure how to break it yet??? I think it will only get worse when Laekan gets here and I am a bit worried how to handle it. They both finally fell asleep-only for Ayla to wake an hour later and not be a happy girl. Poor thing was SOOO tired and she just wouldn't give in again today. She was just not digging anything but me holding her:) Which was fine with me, but I felt so helpless that I couldn't make it better for her. Taegan woke up after about an hour and a half and I knew the rest of the day/night was downhill from there!!! She requires over two hour nap and that was not happening.

Taegan ended up peeing her pants twice today, throwing HUGE fits, dumping a glass of water out of the bathtub all over the floor during her bath, and not eating dinner. To say I was at my wits end would be putting it lightly. I knew I had to have some intervention for us both or the night was going to take an even worse turn. We headed to my parents for a 30 minute break and so that I could fax some papers that I needed to. She was a pistol there and we left with her throwing another fit. We came straight home and I can say with great pride that she fell asleep within 10 minutes of being in there!!!! Now-if only I could have a drink:)

To say I miss Justin is an understatement. I LOVE my job of being home with Taegan and with Ayla, but I need that adult time when he gets home. It is hard when he is gone and I don't get that. Makes a huge difference in my attitude and evening. I take for granted just how much he means to me and it is days/weeks like this that wake me back up! I know it is just as hard for him to be away from us and I can't forget that either. Just 2 more days...we can make it!!!

While we were at mom and dads tonight she wanted her nails painted and then decided she was going to paint my moms toes and my nails...see for yourself how great she is:) I love that little girl-even when she gives me a run for my money!!!

I head to the Dr. tomorrow for my 30 week checkup-WOW only 10 weeks left. I will have an update tomorrow.

A great visit...

2011-03-02T21:57:00.002-06:00

Tonight was such a fun night out to dinner! Kenda, a friend I went to high school with and haven't seen in 14 years(WOW), came to town and wanted to get together. So my other friend Colette and our husbands met up with Kenda and her husband. I was so excited to see her and catch up with her. I just can't believe it had been that long-and it seemed like just yesterday! It was just what I needed tonight and I felt so rejuvenated after being with them. The guys all got along and it was such a great night. I am hoping that we can get together again before she leaves town again. She is headed back home to Texas next Wednesday...wish she lived closer!!!

Here we are after dinner...and I swear it is the WORST angle of my belly. Dang it is HUGE!!!!

29 weeks...

2011-03-02T16:11:00.003-06:00

How far along: 29 weeks

Size of the baby: Laekan is the size of a squash-almost 2.5 pounds

Weight gain: 20 pounds

Gender: BOY-Laekan Harper!

Movement: Laekan is showing off this week. He is moving and shaking all around and I love it. Some of the moves have been a bit painful as he is really pushing hard, but still neat to watch. I keep hoping he is doing so much in there that he is turning around!!!

Sleep: I am starting to sleep a bit worse this week. On Monday night I had my first charlie horse in my calf and I about died. I am waking up more to go to the bathroom and I just can't get overly comfortable.

What I miss: I miss moving and doing normal things without getting winded. Laekan is taking up so much of my diaphragm that I can't get a good deep breath. I feel like I am always running a marathon because I can't breath well.

Cravings: Nothing in particular. I am just super hungry this week!!!

Symptoms: This week I have had the pleasure of finding out what acid reflux is...BOO!! It is brutual and I don't wish it on anyone. I even had to make Justin go to the store Sunday night at 9:30 to get me some Tums. I had no idea what was going on, but was miserable so I took it to my friends at Facebook. They all immediately told me Tums...they seemed to help some that night. I have had to take them everyday since then. They taste gross!

A great Friday!!!

2011-02-25T11:31:00.000-06:00

Today was a good day....

1. I found out I passed my glucose test!
2. We got our federal tax refund.
3. No snow today:)

Here's to a fun weekend for us!

24 hours...

2011-02-24T20:41:00.002-06:00

Living in Kansas always brings a surprise with it!!! We have been having some great weather and Taegan and I have had the chance to get outside and play. I have raked the leaves, worked in the yard some, we went to the zoo, and she just eats up the time outside. Yesterday when she woke up from nap I told her it was nice and she headed outside-not to be back in until dinner at 5!

Here she is last night at 5 playing away in her sandbox.

This morning we woke up to a thunder storm complete with lightening and heavy rain. As the morning went on it changed over to sleet and by 4 this afternoon it was a complete blizzard...with heavy accumulation!

This is the same sandbox 24 hours later:(

And this is how we feel about it!!!!

To make matters worse, I called the Dr. today for my glucose test results at 1 and they didn't have the results yet. They said I should hear something by the end of the day...do you think I heard anything??? NOPE-so I made myself a batch of cookies and ate 3!!!!

28 weeks...

2011-02-23T08:45:00.002-06:00

How far along: 28 weeks

Size of the baby: Laekan weighs about 2 and a quarter pounds

Weight gain: 19 pounds

Gender: Boy-Laekan Harper

Movement: I just can't get over how much he makes my tummy move around all day long!! I don't remember this much movement with Taegan and I love to see him so active.

Sleep: Doing great with this-still have to switch sides quite often, but doing well otherwise.

What I miss: I miss bending over all the way and it not being uncomfortable...although this morning I was still able to paint my toes!!! Otherwise, things are pretty good right now.

Cravings: Nothing this week.

Symptoms: I hate to jinx myself, but my lower pain seems to be gone for the most part!!! I have replaced it with very sharp pains in my upper tummy-not braxton hicks. I'm not sure what they are and will ask the Dr.

I am headed to the Dr. in about an hour for my 28 week check-up and my glucose test! I had this scheduled for Friday, but became impatient so I called to reschedule for today. I just want this test over so I can quit worrying about it. Not that I feel I have any concern to worry, but it just gives me something else to think about that I need to cross off my list!!! Wish me luck...I should have the results tomorrow.

Laekan's Nursery

2011-02-21T20:01:00.002-06:00

It has been one productive weekend for us around here!!! I made a list...a very long list and got started yesterday. Most of it was Laekan's room and I am so excited that is turned out SO great. I absolutely love it and can't stop myself from walking in there and looking around. I hope he loves it as much as we do. I talked my Mom into coming over yesterday and helping with the decorating part and we got it all done! I was Modge Podging the letters while she was putting up the stickers and then we had Justin help us hang the letters. I also washed all his sheets and things and got it all set up. I only have a few things left to do around the room and then start working on his clothes, closet, and dresser!!! Oh I can't wait!!!! Here is what his room looks like...

As you are walking in the door...
Looking from the closet...

Standing at the window looking at the door.

I LOVE it!! Thanks Mom for all your hard work and help. I am going to try and get a close up of his letters sometime this week so you can see my hard work:)

27 weeks...

2011-02-18T08:08:00.002-06:00

How far along: 27 weeks

Size of the baby: Laekan is the size of a head of cauliflower.

Weight gain: 17 pounds...no gain this week!

Gender: BOY-Laekan Harper!

Movement: This kid is all over the place and I love it. It is so fun to watch my tummy move and Taegan got to feel him this week:)

Sleep: Still doing pretty good with this so far. I can only sleep on a certain side for so long before it is asleep then I roll over.

What I miss: Nothing this week!!! It has been a good week for me.

Cravings: Coke Icee and peanut butter.

Symptoms: Still lots of low pressure and hips are painful quite a bit.

Overall, it has been a good week!!! I am headed for a second interview for a Parent Educator position this morning that I would LOVE to get. If you get a chance say a quick prayer for me!!!

Happy Valentine's Day 2011

2011-02-14T19:23:00.002-06:00

I woke up this morning to a wonderful card from Justin with a certificate in it for an hour prenatal massage!!! I was so excited to get this...and I am even more excited to set up the appointment for when I can go get it done. This girl needs some relax time and will let you know how it goes! Last night before bed Justin and I got Taegan's gift ready and she discovered it first thing this morning. We got her a Strawberry Shortcake purse with a few of her favorite candy's in it. She was super excited about it as well!!!

This is her "Love Bug" and her new purse!

We then got ready for the day and headed out to shop for some stuff for Justin. We got him a new cell phone case, a puzzle, some jelly beans, and Taegan picked out a card for him. She also wrote in it for him and Justin loved it. Overall, we had a great day and are now getting ready for the KU v KSU game that is happening at 8. Justin is at the game, Taegan will be in bed, and I will be watching under my warm blankets on my bed!!! Go Cats!!!

Here is our Valentine:)

Craft Show Trip...

2011-02-14T19:05:00.002-06:00

We had so much fun on our little trip to Oklahoma City this past weekend! Even though Taegan was under the weather and really not herself she did great. We headed out on Thursday afternoon and although she didn't sleep in the car she was very well behaved. She is getting so great in the car. We got to the hotel, settled in a bit, and then headed out for dinner and some shopping. The mall we went to had a Build-a-Bear and she got to make the "Love Bug". This was the first time she has actually helped push the foot pedal and help...and was also interested in giving it a "bath'! It was fun watching her!!

Busy washing up "Love Bug"

She slept great that night and the next morning we got up and around and headed to the craft shows. She did great while we shopped from 9-2:30!!! She played in her stroller, walked some, ate some, and slept for 2 hours in her stroller!!! This was a record and we were so glad to have some time to just browse the stuff.

Here she is ready for the day...purse and "Love Bug".

That night we headed out to do more shopping and eat some dinner. We got back to the hotel around 8, got ready for bed, and all of us were in bed asleep by 9:30!! We were exhausted. This pregnant mommy was beat. I had found a cute diaper bag that I really liked, but didn't get it and then decided I might want to go back the next morning before leaving town to get it!! So we woke up, packed, and headed back to the craft show for the diaper bag(wish I had a picture, but I will get one). That morning while getting ready Taegan was putting on her new ring and realized it was pink(we had bought it the day before) and said it didn't match her outfit. She insisited on finding a purple ring while we were back at the craft show so that it would match her outfit for the day:) Gotta love that girl!!!

Here she is showing off both rings!!!

We had a really fun time together and were excited to get home and show Daddy all our new finds! Taegan did well on the ride home and we made it back in time for me to bake some dessert for our couples Bunko that night!!!

26 weeks

2011-02-10T07:54:00.004-06:00

How far along: 26 weeks

Size of the baby: Laekan is the size of a hothouse cucumber

Weight gain: 17...yikes that was a jump!

Gender: BOY-Laekan Harper

Movement: Laekan continues to keep me on my toes with his movements. He has started just pushing his hand/leg out and it hurts every now and then! He is very active most of the day now and is really starting to make my tummy move! It is fun to watch-Taegan has yet to be patient enough to feel him move.

Sleep: I am sleeping pretty well still as long as Taegan is...although this week she has come down with a cold/fever thing and isn't sleeping well! Last night we were up 8 times:(

What I miss: I miss walking normal and bending over all the way! My hip and back haven't hurt much this week, I am just starting to get overall uncomfortable. Trying to do my best to just continue doing what I can.

Cravings: Pepsi....bad, bad, bad!

Symptoms: Just a bit achy and lots of low pressure still! Laekan has been moving so much that I hope he moves himself to the right position instead of breech...we will see!

We are in Oklahoma City tonight(I said Tulsa last week for some reason). The roads were fine after all the snow storms between home and here and we made it without a hitch. Taegan is for sure under the weather, but she is being a trooper so she can go to a hotel!!! This girl loves to travel. We made a build a bear tonight and now she is sound asleep...fingers crossed she sleeps all night tonight for our big day tomorrow at the craft show!!

A fun day...

2011-02-06T22:08:00.003-06:00

On Thursday we got to spend the day with Miss Ayla! Taegan loves when Ayla spends the day with us and can't get enough of her. She kisses her, brings her toys, lays on the floor with her, and even helps feed her!! She wanted to hold her in her lap this time and feed the bottle to Ayla. Ayla wasn't quite sure about this, but managed to take a bit from the bottle before getting mad and wanting me to hold her. Taegan was so proud of herself.

Hanging out in the chair together while I got the bottle ready.
Taking a chance at feeding her!!!

We have a busy week this week-and I hope the snow stays away so we can do all that we are supposed to! Monday Taegan has a dentist appointment, then we are having a playdate with a little boy we met at MOPS. Tuesday we have MOPS. Wednesday is open right now and then we head out of town on Thursday for a craft show in Tulsa. Mom, Taegan, and I are going while Justin stays home and does stuff around the house for us!!! We can't wait to break out of this town and have some fun.

Go Packers and Jordy Nelson:)

A snowy day...

2011-02-03T09:02:00.002-06:00

Yesterday we were stuck inside again because of the snow storm we had on Tuesday. So I decided Tuesday night to get Laekan's room taped and ready to paint. Justin helped me pick things up, get the tape on, and do the line in the middle of the room(we are putting a chair rail up). I had everything all set and ready and yesterday I made a go at it!!! I was a moving machine and got the green(the top) done. And then it hit me-contractions. I had done too much. Darn it. So I proceeded to sit for the next 3 hours while Taegan napped and I felt much better. When Justin got home he shoveled(thanks Babe!) and then he helped me finish the brown! I did the baseboards and he rolled it and another coat on the green. We had it all painted by 5 yesterday...and I LOVE it! I can't wait to put up the monkeys and trees on the wall. Oh yeah-and the chair rail!!

Today we get to watch my niece while her Mommy goes to work for a little bit! Taegan and I are super excited to get our hands on her and love on her!!! Here they are playing during the KU/KSU game that was on Saturday-these two were the highlight of the night since the game was a bummer!!!

Happy Thursday!!!

25 weeks...

2011-02-03T08:53:00.003-06:00

How far along: 25 weeks

Size of the baby: weighs about a pound and a half

Weight gain: 14.5 pounds...not bad, but I need to keep it in check.

Gender: Boy-Mr. Laekan Harper

Movement: He is a moving machine...I love it!!! There are times during the day when I think I haven't felt him move for a bit, so I slow down and wait for him. It is like he knows I am waiting for him to move because he will start moving all around.

Sleep: I am still doing pretty great with this. I am sleeping on only my sides now, and if I am there for a long time my side will fall asleep until I switch. And rolling over is a bit of a challenge just because of my hip and lower pain.

What I miss: Feeling normal without new ailments everyday:(

Cravings: This week I have been eating Berry, Berry, Kix cereal like it is going out of style. Also I have developed a love for fruit snacks...neither of which are helping the weight gain!

Symptoms: Just the hip and lower pain. Yesterday I tried painting Laekan's nursery and realized that was too much. Led me to some contractions and I had to rest for the afternoon. I just hate feeling like I can't do much around here. But the nursery is painted!!!

Done with it...

2011-02-01T06:56:00.003-06:00

I am over the snow...OVER IT!!! The town has pretty much shut down because of the upcoming snow/ice storm and that is gonna make for a very long week! I was supposed to sub today and tomorrow and it isn't looking like I will get either day. I can't believe this storm-it is gonna be brutual and really it is best if Taegan and I stay inside!!! I tried to walk down the driveway to get the trashcan yesterday and about fell-headed back inside and haven't gone back out. Justin is still working today and I am hoping and praying that he can get there and back in one piece...yikes.

On a more positive note-there was an ad in the paper this past weekend for a Parents as Teachers Educator for a local school district. I applied on Sunday and heard back later that morning that they will be calling me to setup an interview for next week. This is a position that is 20 hours a week and a lot of it I can do with Taegan with me. Some of it is home visits with families, but the prep work and paperwork I can do from home!!! This would be ideal for us and I hope something good comes from it.

For now, I am going to go snuggle in bed and watch movies with Taegan!!! Happy Snow Day!