My baby girl is 5!

My baby girl turned 5 yesterday. I can't get over how fast these years are flying by. One day, I'm holding her in my arms for the first time and the next I'm getting ready to send her off to kindergarten.

Braelyn is a fun, smart, outgoing, outspoken, spunky, and a loving little girl. She still has that contagious little laugh of hers, and I hope she always has it! She can make just about anyone laugh...no matter what their mood.

This year we celebrated Braelyn's 5th birthday Justin Bieber style. As you can see in the pictures, Justin himself made an appearance...ha! We played games such as "Plant the kiss on Bieber" (similar to pin the tail on the donkey) and "Pass the Microphone" (similar to Hot Potato). The girls had a blast getting dressed up in B's dress-up clothes and dancing all over the place.

Don took the day off yesterday, so we could celebrate B's birthday as a family. We started the day off at a local splash park. We had lunch at Purple Cow -- yum! Afterwards, we came home to put Donny (and Don) down for a nap. Braelyn and I headed out to see The Smurfs movie and did some school clothes shopping. We had a GREAT day!

This morning I took B for her 5 year check-up. She's STILL afraid of the doctor even though I assured her that no shots would be given. She did okay with everything until the doctor wanted her to lay down so he could check her belly. She did NOT want him touching her. I'm not sure what's up with her fear of the doctor, but I do hope she gets over it at some point.

B weights 39.6 lb. (50th percentile) and is 42 in. (3 1/2 feet) tall (40th percentile). She's a petite little thing, but don't let that fool you. She's got a BIG personality!!

Braelyn, although you sometimes have too much energy for Mommy & Daddy, we LOVE you very much! You are such a blessing to this family. We look forward to watching you grow into an incredible young woman. You are sure to do big things with your life!

First Kisses turn into 2nd and 3rd Kisses :)

How often do you get to witness your baby's 1st kiss? :)

This picture was taken in May 2009 (I think). Donny had his first "in the belly" kiss with Miss AB.
More than 2 years later, he's still trying to get kisses from her. This was his first attempt at getting a kiss from AB. He did this without any prompting what-so-ever! He must have just felt the urge to get a kiss from that cutie. Of course, his first attempt FAILED miserably because he had chocolate all over his face. Apparently, this was a major turnoff for Miss AB. She was not interested in getting that mess on her face. I don't blame her! Ha!! :) Once we wiped the chocolate off his face, AB had no problem leaning in for that kiss. I LOVE how Donny's eyes are closed and AB has hers wide open.

This is probably one of the sweetest things I've ever witnessed!

I wonder if they'll still be kissing in 10-15 years? :)

Oh, I wish I was an Oscar Mayer wiener!

Jennifer and I took the kids to see the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile today. How often do you get the chance to take pictures with a giant hotdog car? :)

Wylie was one of 75 cities picked to be visited by the Wienermobile. We were excited to go visit. The kids were even given wienermobile whistles -- which will hopefully be lost soon. Ha!

Memories made!

It's a big deal to me!

I ran my first ever 5K yesterday, July 10, 2011.

Overall, I came in 723rd out of 939 runners. My time was 39:59. In my age group, I was 78th out of 103.

I'm pretty excited about the results mostly because I wasn't last. There were more than 200 people behind me, so for a first time 5Ker I consider that a huge accomplishment!

I'm already looking forward to the next time just to see if I can beat my time. I don't really care about place...just want to get a better pace!

A big THANKS to Kristin for pushing me farther every week. And another big THANKS to Tiffany for running to the finish line with me! :)

My "BABY" is 2!!!

My sweet baby boy turned 2 on July 2. How did these 2 years go by so fast?!

We are so blessed to have Donny in our family! He definitely completed our family and helped to balance us out. Braelyn, who will be 5 in a few weeks, is beautiful, crazy, and hyper. Donny is handsome and usually sweet natured. He ADORES his big sister, so his crazy side only comes out when he's chasing his big sis around.

Donny is definitely a momma's boy...even though he LOVES giving his daddy kisses at night and not me. It's okay, though, because I usually get all the cuddle time. :)

Check out this sweet, grown boy.

Today, 9 days past his 2nd birthday, I took Donny for his 2 year check up.

The nurse said he was 35 1/2 inches tall. I think he might be just a tad taller. He was squirming like crazy (He's not a fan of the doctor.), so it could be a little off.

He weighed in at 31.75 lb.

He was in the 75-80th percentile for each. I have a feeling he'll be passing up his sister in height in the next few years.

We love you, Donny, and we're looking forward to watching you grow into an amazing young man!

A Moment to Remember

Sometimes, I forget how literal children can be!

Today, during lunch I told Donny I wanted him to fill his belly so he would take a nice, long nap.

I look over and see that he had his shirt lifted. He was trying to stick a french fry in his belly. OMG...so funny!

I wish I would have had the camera. :)

Gum vs. Peanut Butter ... Who will win?

Yesterday, Braelyn came out of her room pouting. I figured it was just one of the hundred times she gets up trying to avoid her nap. Nope...THIS is what I saw when she made it out to me:

Braelyn managed to get gum in her hair. She said she was going to throw the gum away and her hair got in her mouth. In my mind, I was thinking, "What? Your hair just jumped in your mouth?!"

My first thought was that I was going to have to cut her hair. I've secretly been wanting to do that anyway. It's long...it's tangly...and she eats her hair. Ugh!

But, I didn't cut it. My baby girl wants to be like Rapunzel, so I had to find a way to get the gum out. I went to the pantry and pulled out the ol' trusty jar of peanut butter. Braelyn thought it was crazy that I was massaging peanut butter into her hair, but after a few minutes the gum came loose and we were able to wash it all out.

Her hair has been restored to its original beauty. Peanut butter wins! All is right with the world again. :)