courtney's baby shower

My brother Derek and his wife (Court...as we call her) are soon to be parents...very soon...maybe tomorrow the way things are looking!! :) We all celebrated with her at her baby shower a couple weeks ago. So fun!!! I love babies!

 Court with her sisters...Meredith and Whitney. Meredith is pregnant too...due in June. :)

 Goodies!

 Can't wait to see you sweet Cora!

Baby Shower games...forget what this one was. :)

 

Payton was pooped!

payton ~ 4 months

Payton Joy...

 

 

 

at 4 months...

• You smile ALL THE TIME...you are the happiest baby. We can't look at you without you grinning ear to ear!
• You are reaching for anything and everything. You are really playing...or should I say chewing on anything you can get your hands on.
• You are rolling over...yay!! You are a pro at it...only takes you a few seconds and over you go...from belly to back or back to belly. We had to really "torture" you to do this because you are not a fan of being on your belly at all.
• You are being introduced to cereal...on a spoon that is! Will have to get some pics of that!
• You are LOUD! You have found your voice and you know how to use it. You are always making some kind of baby sounds for us to hear. :)
• You completely LOVE watching your brother and sister play...they are your entertainment. You watch them run around and just smile and giggle.
• You giggle most at Addison. Mommy and Daddy try to make you laugh, but we just can't do it like your sis. I don't know what it is, but you just crack up when she talks to you.
• You still love your Bumbo and are now taking a liking to the Johnny Jumper because you can jump up down.
• You are kicking....a lot!! You are really serious and intense about too. You get this funny look on your face and kick, kick, kick. Giving you a bath...is comical!
• You still love your pacifier. It's amazing how that little thing calms you down. :)
• You are still a complete joy to our family!! We love you more than words can express!

SNOW ice cream

We decided to have some fun with this season of hibernation and snow. When life gives you 'snow'....make snow ice cream! :) I wanted to make this with the last snow we had, but was busy with work and other stuff...just didn't make time. But--we were sure we did with the big snow this time. Addison was super excited and Kaden was lovin' him some sugar!!

 snow.....

 mixed with other ingredients = yummy!

 

If you can't tell. :)

big stuff!?!

Kaden thinks he is big stuff these days. He can climb up onto our bar stools and even get in his own high chair...he loves to eat! Now he has found that if he climbs just a little bit more, he can make it onto the counter and into the cabinets for a snack. This has become a very common occurance in our home these days. This is what I walk into the kitchen and find multiple times a day.

Discipline isn't working...I guess the food is just too much of a temptation for the little guy. He even smiled for the camera! :)

READING!!!

I'm a proud Mama of my little Addison! This is just the beginning stages of reading but it is still reading. Addison is just taking off with it. I didn't want to push her, but she has just taken to it really easily. She has known all of her letters and sounds for quite a long time now so I just thought I would start introducing words and blending to her...it worked.

My friend Amy told me about the "BOB books" so I bought them and that is what we are using right now. 'Mat,' 'Sam,' and 'Dot' are part of the family now. :)

 There are a lot of books in each set...we are just working our way through in VERY small time increments. I want to keep it fun and not frustrate her.

 Here she is working hard to sound out those letters...(still in her pajamas at noon!!) :)

You go sweet girl!

life & multi-tasking

These days I find myself...busy. I am amazed at how quickly my laundry can pile up, how often my floors need vacuumed or mopped, dishes need put away, furniture needs dusted,..........and then there is Addison's school, figuring out what we are having for dinner, going to work, running errands, changing diapers, trying to complete some house projects that have been on my "to-do" list for a couple years now...the list only goes on and on. The kiddos need my time and attention as well...so I often feel pulled in many different directions these days! :) But I totally love being a mommy...really love it. I grew up always wanting this and here I am.

 I am far from perfect, but I do my best to love them, teach and train them, instill Godly character into them and be everything I can to them right now. It gets pretty comical around here, but you must just smile and go on. Some {silly} but great things I am grateful for right now are...

1. The keyboard and guitar we got the kids for Christmas...they LOVE THEM! They put on a concert together on a daily basis, and occupy themselves and even little Payton with their tunes!

 

 

2. The Bumbo! Let's just take a moment of silence and thank the Lord for that thing! Payton is the only baby that I have ever tried with this. It is wonderful! I carry it (and her) all over the house. She doesn't necessarily want to be held, but she doesn't like to be left alone either. She just sits in it and looks around at all the action going on around her. Keith says she has "separation anxiety!" Ha! Soooo, we just carry that wonderful, little seat all over the house. Whatever works! A few snapshots...

 on the counter while I was cooking dinner

in the bathroom while I gave Addison and Kaden a bath. :)

3. That Kaden can get his own diaper. He has been doing this for a long time now, but I just love saying, "Go get me a diaper!" He takes off running to his room and runs right back {all smiles} with a diaper in hand! Praise Him! Call it laziness! I choose to call it "one less trip I have to make." :)

4. Educational TV. Just keeping it real! I really love some of those shows on KET in the morning. Sid the Science Kid just happens to be one of my favs...as well as The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That, and Word World. Doesn't make me feel bad for letting Adders or Kaden watch for a bit...it really has some great teaching. This is not an every day occurance, but some mornings I just need to get a few things done before I can assist them. :)

5. Laundry Baskets. I have found that they are multi-purpose. My washer and dryer are in the basement...not a great thing for me. I take Payton with me when I go down there to change a load over so Kaden does not harm her (smile), but did not know how to get her and the basket back up at the same time...until now.

 Just lay her on top of the clothes and carry them both! She doesn't mind!

Oh, the joys!

baby doll???

Addison has about 3 strollers for her babies that she pushes around. Kaden also uses these strollers to cart his dishes and spoons around as well. :) But the other night, the stroller was used for something else instead...

 

Don't worry...she was closely monitored for this. But Payton LOVES IT! If we strap her in...Addison will just push her around and they both have a blast. Too cute!

hats!!

I have always had this love for hats on kids...especially little boys. I think they look so cute in a little baseball cap. Keith loves it too and had bought a couple for Kaden in hopes that he would wear them. That has not ever happened...he leaves it on for a minute (or second) and then tears it off his head.

 Addison has some cute ones too we have tried to get her to wear.

Yesterday we were in for a surprise. Without any prompting from mommy or daddy they both came out of their room looking like this...

 

 

I am sure it was Addison's doing...that she put them on both of them and wanted to come show us. Guess Kaden listens to her better than us! :) I just love how they look. Now...hopefully we can get them to wear them OUT of the house.

adventures of the magna doodle

My Mom and Dad gave Addison a Magna Doodle a couple years ago and it is still in use around here. Addison writes her letters and draws on it a lot. This peeked Kaden's interest despite his disinterest in toys of any sort. He has loved being able to scribble around on it and make designs with the shaped magnets...flowers, squares, circles. He loves just having something to write with in his hand...which we have found to be a bad thing if he is not closely supervised. :) Here he is...drawing away.

 Evidently, Daddy got some enjoyment out of it too. I found this one morning last week...after Keith and Addison had been playing with it the night before.

I want her to remember little things like this...sweet.

i tried!

Payton has this cute little Christmas sleeper that has "Baby's First Christmas" inscribed on the front. In mid December I thought I would try to get a good picture of her...thought it would be a fun thing...that I could sit her in front of the tree, etc. Well...my thoughts and ideas quickly went down the drain! She was having a bad day and wouldn't snap out of it. I can normally just make her laugh and smile...but not this day. Here is some documentation of her little Christmas session that did not go so well. :)

 

 

 

 Trying to smile here...but still not very happy.

This is the most "pleasant" one I could snap!

So much for a great idea. :)

cheez-it disaster

Somehow Kaden got into the Cheez-Its the other day. He normally does fine with feeding himself a little snack out of a small bowl I give him. Evidently the bowl was not sufficient for him this time. He somehow got into the box. I walked into the family room to find this....

Cheez-Its everywhere and smashed into the carpet. I think he just wants to make sure I get my excercie in each day. He definitley keeps me on my toes!

broady christmas 2010

The day after Christmas, we celebrated with the Broady side of the family....more food, gifts, and fun.

 

 Loving the paci

 Leslie and Erika

Exchanging of the gifts...

 Terry and Sue

 Catrissa

 Aunt Alice

ABC Tower

 

 

 

Grandpa helping Tyler open some gifts

Good times and good to see everyone and catch up.

richmer christmas 2010

We got to my parents house and were greeted with lots of smiles. There is always a lot going on at this house...and always loads of fun!

 Chels and Dyli...holding little Pay-Pay

Gathering around the food!! :) 

 Daniel and Danielle playing an intense game of 'Guess Who.'

 This was Keith returning from the store with some formula and a bottle for Payton. Her horrible parents did not bring any food for her on Christmas! We had a minor freak out moment...he thought I packed it...I thought he did. Praise the Lord for Walgreens being open. :)

 Me with my baby.

All of us kids...except for Allie and Kylie at this point...draw names and buy for each other. So these are a few pics of what some people got.

Ashley...looking good! 

 Nat with a new hat!

 Stephen...gotta love the hoodies.

 Austin...lovin the new shoes.

 Dylan with ANOTHER Holister shirt...seriously???? His closet is a mini Holister store. I have no idea how he didn't already have that shirt! :)

Chels

 Derek...a little story behind that one...but he still does love those sno-cones!

 Eric

 Courtney

 Gram

Then it was on to the little kids opening some gifts...some from Gram, Mom and Dad, and Aunt Tracy.

 
 MORE princess dresses...can anyone sense a theme for her birthday coming up?!?

 And...shoes to match.

 Kaden was totally enjoying this new toy...and Daddy was just as happy with it. He is soooooo excited about his kids and sports!

 Derek, Me, and Chels

 Derek and Court (and Cora...due in less than two months!!)

Aunt Tracy...opening some goodies

We ended the festivities with a game of 'Funglish.'

 

 Mom was very focused on finding the right word here. :) 

A great day...but we were all quite tired...maybe exhausted by the end. I even squeezed in a short nap. :)
A Very Merry Christmas it was!