Things I Love #3

I love that moment you have as a mother when you realize that you finally know what your baby needs. You know by his actions that he's thirsty, tired, just needs to be cuddled, etc. I love that when Donny gets tired, he will rest his head on my shoulder, put his arms at his side, and just lean into me with all he's got. I know at that exact moment that my little guy will be OUT within minutes.
I love that Braelyn LOVES to be silly. You can't be upset with this little girl for too long before she's putting on some kind of show for you because she wants you to be proud of her. (I also love that she loves chocolate and sharing with Mommy.)

Yearly Photos

How did this happen? Donny is a year old already, and Braelyn will be 4 years old in just 3 short days. I took them for their yearly photos this morning. Here are a couple of my favorites.

Vroom! Vroooom!

Aren't they cute? :o)

Things I LOVE #2

I love that as soon as any song comes on, Donny starts dancing. It almost never fails! During his dancing, he'll turn around to make sure you're looking at him. I think I may have another entertainer on my hands. :o)

I love that Braelyn LOVES to cuddle. Some of my favorite words from her are, "Mommy, will you come cuddle with me on the couch?" Of course, I will!!! One day, the cuddle time will be over, but for now I'm going to enjoy it.

Contemplating writing a book...

Have you read the book "Sh*t My Dad Says"? Personally, I think it's hilarious. It's got awful language in it, but it has had me rolling with laughter several times! The guy says what many of us want to when our filters get the better of us.

I'm thinking I should write a book called, "Crap My Daughter Says".

Here are a couple of quotes from her today:

#1 - "Mommy, you better put that canteloupe away before daddy gets home because if he sees you eating, you're gonna be fat."

#2 - After being asked if she was good for Mommy today, "Mmm-Hmmm, for 15 minutes."

The girl is hilarious. I really think there is a comedian trapped in that little body.

Obsessions

Two of Donny's obsessions are playing in the trashcan and playing in the water in the toilet bowl. EWWW...Yes, I know. Both of these are almost equally disgusting. I would take a picture to show you proof if I wasn't rushing to keep him away from these things. We try to keep both bathroom doors closed, and we empty the trash before it gets all the way to the top (in order to keep Donny from actually pulling the trash out and eating it!).

I'm hoping these obsessions mean that Donny will one day want to help me by taking out the trash and cleaning the bathrooms. Ha!!! Once again I find myself living in a dream world. :o)

What are your kids' obsessions?

Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired!

Lately, I've been very frustrated with parenting. It seems that Braelyn has given up on listening and will do her own thing regardless of my requests. I've tried various sorts of consequences, but nothing seems to work consistently. I spend so much of my time on the negative things that I'm completely DRAINED by the end of the day.

I think (okay...I hope!) that things will get better once school starts, and we're all back on our normal schedules.

In order to keep my sanity, it's time for ME to change the way I do things! I need to focus more on the positive and realize that my kids are still learning how to be a part of this world.

I'd like to try to list one thing each week that I LOVE about my kids.

I love that Braelyn has the most contagious laugh I've ever heard! Once her giggle switch is turned on, she can get a room full of adults laughing and not even know why they're laughing. (I've seen it happen!)

I love that Donny is still at that that baby/innocent stage. Every new thing he learns is wonderful and fun! Things we take for granted on a daily basis are brand new experiments for this little guy.

Over the next week, I'm challenging myself to look for the positive things and focus on those.

Donny is ONE!

Donny's birthday was July 2nd, and since it comes so close to the 4th he gets to celebrate ALL weekend. :o)

I can't believe he's already a year old. This has been the fastest year of my life, and I imagine they'll only go by faster. I am so blessed to have this little boy in our life. He adds so much balance to our family.

Donny's 1 year stats:

Height - 31 inches - 80th percentile

Weight - 24 pounds - 75th percentile