wedding weekend

Since our computer has bit the dust, I find that I don't blog quite as often. I have access to a computer every day ... well, every evening, but I just don't use Billy's computer like I used our home computer. So, I find that my blogs are few and far between. I will try to be better at keeping up with this while we wait to buy another home computer.

This past weekend, we were in Kansas City for my sister's wedding. It was pretty tricky flying to KC only two weeks after having a c-section with our second baby. Plus, not sure it was really very smart to fly with a newborn ... airplanes breed sickness, and newborns have the worst immune system ... nothing built up, yet. I was worried about her ears, too, but all seemed to go well on each flight. It was tough having two kids to contain. Billy basically took care of Colton, and I was in charge of Khloe. It was a lot to handle, but Khloe did really well. She slept for most of the flights up to KC. The first one, she fought around with me a little bit, but it was a short flight. The second flight from Atlanta to Kansas City, she slept almost the whole way up. The worst part was getting to KC and realizing that our bags were left behind in Tampa and wouldn't arrive until late the next day! That kept us stuck in the house all day on Sabbath. We did get a nice visit from my Aunt Gina and Uncle Kenny. They had never even met Colton, so it was a nice treat to meet Cole and Khloe. It was a super birthday weekend for us.

The day we arrived, it was my Dad's 59th birthday. And the day we left, it was my 31st birthday. We celebrated with pizza and my Dad made chocolate chip cookies (which really is the best gift of all). It was nice to spend our birthdays together.

On Saturday night, we went to rehearsal. Colton was plumb tuckered out! It took about two to three hours at the church, and Cole was exhausted and overtired. He threw a huge fit at the end of the night and crashed into bed when we got back to my Dad's house. Everyone enjoyed seeing Khloe, and it was nice to have some people hold her for a while.

On Sunday, Billy and I took the kids to see my Mom and Michael at my sister's house in the morning. It was good to see them for a little bit. My Mom was watching Madison, so it was fun for Colton and Madison to play a little bit ... even if they didn't want to share with each other.

By Sunday evening at 5:30 pm, we were all at Powell Gardens in MO to start taking pictures for the wedding. It was a fabulous location, and we had amazing weather! My sister looked so beautiful! The wedding went really well. Colton ended up walking down the isle with me, and Maddie came flying down the isle yelling for "Daddy!". It was too cute! The wedding ceremony was lovely, and the reception was great, too! The food was delicious, and the decor was so tasteful. It was late into the night, but it was really a very wonderful wedding to be a part of. We are happy to have Dan and Zion in our family (officially) now.

All in all, it was a great weekend. The only downfall ... I was so busy, I didn't take ANY pictures at the wedding! How terrible am I!?! I hope to get pictures from other people, and of course, Dana will get all of the professional pictures, so I can steal some of those! Ha, ha! I am so mad at myself, but it's rather hard to think about taking pictures while dealing with a newborn every few hours. Anyway, I'll post some wedding pictures as soon as I get some off of other people's websites, emails, etc. Well, I did get one or two pictures at the very, very end of the night. Colton was dancing with his second cousin, Paityn.
Aren't they so cute? I love it. Colton was really gettin' down!Billy even caught it on video! Take a look. He's having a great time ... WAY past his bedtime! We couldn't believe he was up this late and had this much energy.


Also, I got a few photos of the bride with her new niece, and my cousin, Traci with Paityn and Khloe. Other than that ... I did a terrible job at the wedding!
Khloe with Aunt Dana--the beautiful bride!
Traci, Paityn, and Khloe

I, also, got a few pictures during the weekend of Grandpa and Grandma Reynolds with Khloe (and Colton, of course).
Grandma Reynolds with Khloe and Colton
Grandpa Reynolds with his granddaughter, Khloe ... for the first time

My Mom got some on her camera of Khloe with Grandpa and Grandma Bourland. I'm going to have to get copies of those! I'll post them when I do.

Yesterday, I watched Mason for Gwendy. She had to go to a doctor's appointment--the 1 hour glucose test appointment. So, we had a fun time with Mason at the house. Colton and Mason pushed and pushed the stroller and push cart around the back porch. They had a lot of fun together!

Last night after supper, Billy let Colton watch a little bit of the Lion King. I found the DVD at Goodwill for $3. It's pretty scratched up, and it won't play some of the time. But you can watch some of the movie. Colton LOVES it! He just lays down and watches it. It's so cute to see him lounging!
Isn't he cute ... just hanging out?

Right before we left for KC, I put up some more fall decor. I added the wreaths my Mom bought me for my birthday to the front doors of the house. I think they look great! I want to replace the flowers in the pots on the porch with mums. I think those are more "fall-type" flowers.

Today, I realized that I haven't been taking nearly enough photos of Khloe. I am going to try to take more of her with Colton, too. Here are a few of her from today. She was doing a great job with tummy time today. She held her head up several times for several minutes at a time. She moves it back and forth--side to side. I'm very proud of her!

I'll have to make sure to get some more pictures of my sister's wedding. I feel terrible about that! And I will try to get more pictures of Khloe. I think Brenda and Gerson are coming out on Sabbath, so it will be nice to visit with them a little bit. And on Sunday, we are going to our neighborhood block party. That will be nice for us. We'll get to meet more of our neighbors! We have a full weekend, but it will be nice.

Keep posted for more pictures ... possibly this weekend. And pray that the newborn continues to improve on her sleep schedule--as all moms of newborns pray and hope for!

accomplished

Today, I made my first outing with the two kids. It wasn't that big of a deal to most, but to me, it was my FIRST outing ... and it was a huge deal! Khloe and Colton both had a doctor's appointment. Khloe had her two week check-up. It went really well. She's gained more than her birth weight back. She's up to 9lbs. 7 oz. The doctor was pleased with that amount of weight gain. She said that Khloe looked great, and she wouldn't need to see her again until her 2 month well-check. Colton had his flu shot. He was such a good boy! He didn't even cry. He whined a bit, but overall, he really was a great boy at the doctor's office. I was so proud of him! Both kids will go back for well-checks on December 7th ... the 2-month and 2-year well-checks. I can't believe I'll have a two-year old in just 2 months! Wow! He's getting to be so big. Because Colton did such a great job today, I took him through the Starbucks drive-through and got him a cake pop as a treat. He really enjoyed it, and it was well deserved.

This past week has been pretty good. Khloe is getting on to a good schedule. And for the most part, only wakes up two times during the night ... until last night ... when she hit her first growth spurt! I had to wake up every two hours (really one and half once feeding ended) to feed her from 2 to 9 am. Yuck! (Well, actually 2 am then 5 am ... then every two hours all morning long!) It was long, and I assume it will be the same this morning. It will probably be a couple of days of this before she gets over the brunt of her growth spurt. I've forgotton about how much I hate these growth spurts! I told Billy that the things I disliked the most about having a newborn are the things I have totally forgotton about until I run into them with Khloe. I guess you put the bad memories out of your mind!

Last weekend, we just hung out here at the house. We have been pretty exhausted, and with me still healing from the surgery, it was nice to relax. We did go over to our friends' house on Saturday night to watch a little baseball and have dinner. It's nice having the Adams' so close to us in the neighborhood. We did get to some garage sales, and I got a few items for the house. All in all, we spent about $30, and we got some great things. I love garage sales!

This weekend, we are flying out of town to Kansas City to go to my sister's wedding. It will be a hectic weekend ... and a lot for a lady who just had a baby--via c-section--just two weeks ago, but I think it will all be okay. We fly to KC on my Dad's birthday, and we fly back on my birthday! A weekend of weddings and birthdays. Sounds like fun! Colton has a cute little suit for the wedding--since he's the Bible Boy.Isn't he so cute!?! I love how he looks like such a big boy.

Khloe had a little photo shoot this week. I feel like I've been so busy that I haven't taken very many pictures. Well ... maybe because I took 100 pictures of Colton each day when he was first born! I guess the second kid gets a bit gyped that way. I just love to look at this kid, and I hope you guys enjoy her pictures, too. I love the picture of her with Colton ... because this is how he looks at her all of the time. He loves to tickle her feet and gaze at her. I love it!Big brother love.This picture cracks me up! She can make the strangest faces. A face only a mother could love. Ha, ha!

one week down ...

It's been a little while since my last post. Partly, because I have a newborn in the house again--with a toddler this time. But mostly, because our computer is down for the count, and I have to use Billy's work computer to blog, upload pictures, etc.

Here's Khloe's first week/month picture ... she seems so tiny ... but everyone keeps telling me she's so big for one week! I guess when you've had Colton around for nearly two years, it's hard to imagine 9lbs 4 oz as big! First month photo--one week!

This past week has been very different from our lives these past 21 months. With just Colton, we had routine ... we had familiarity ... we had schedules. Now, I can't even pick my boy up! I think that's what I dislike the most. Right now, we are using a step-ladder for me to assist Colton in and out of the crib and onto the changing table, as well as, up and down into his high chair. I think we may return the step-ladder and use a chair. We'll see how it goes tomorrow when I test that theory out. Colton has been a fabulous big brother. He always asks about Khloe, and he wants to know where she is at all times. He plays peek-a-boo with her, and he always wants to give her a hug and a kiss. Tonight, when we were putting Cole to bed, I had Khloe in my arms. She sneezed, and he said, "Bless you, Khloe." For whatever reason, it warms my heart. He will share his toys with her and say, "This is for Khloe. I sharing." Or he will bring her blanket to her and say, "Here Khloe, this is your pink blanket." I know he is anxious for her to be at an age where they can play, but for now, he's been a model big brother. I am so proud of him for that.Colton wants to hold her hand and say 'hi'.He decided that he wanted to give her tickles!This is the toy that he wanted to share with her. Isn't it so cute?!

My Mom left on Thursday. I have been mourning her departure. It is really hard not having her around. She basically took complete care of Colton, and she made all of the meals. Just having her here for questions and support was wonderful, too. I find myself feeling at a loss sometimes, and I wish my Mom was here to make that feeling go away. I know that with each passing day and week, it will get easier and easier. I remember how tough it was with Colton, at first. Until I got that schedule down, and he was ready to make a general schedule on his own, it was pretty tough. I think we nailed down a decent schedule around 5 weeks. I have been trying to get Khloe on her own schedule. Of course, since she's still a newborn, she sleeps so much that it makes it difficult to stick to a real schedule. We do E.A.S.Y. (eat, activity, sleep, you--or me time). So far, it's going well ... it's just that she takes 5 naps a day! I guess I should be thankful, but I am such a schedule person, that I can't wait until she's at 3 naps with regular feeding times and a bed time ... and of course, sleeping through the night! Last night, she slept 8:30 pm to 1:00 am ... fed and slept again from 1:30 am to 7:00 am. I can do that! I wanted to get her to bed again at 8:30, but we went to our friends house for dinner. We didn't get back until after 9:00 pm ... so she didn't get to bed until 10:00 pm after she ate her late night meal. I hope she'll still sleep for 5 hours and get up only once! I know she's only a week old, but I am hoping for the best right away ... and I am doing my best to groom her that way. She eats every 2 1/2 to 3 hours during the day--no matter what--so she doesn't confuse her days and nights.

We have really been enjoying having Khloe. Billy can't wait for her to get to an age where she can play. I like this age ... it's so snuggly! Colton only snuggles with me when he's sick. I miss the hugs and cuddles. This little girl is a snuggle bear, so I am getting my fill of love. Snuggling with Mommy. Sunggling with Daddy.She had her 1 week doctor's appointment on Wednesday this week. She gained her birth weight back ... she's 9lbs. 3 oz. (1 oz. shy of her birth weight). I am taking her to get checked one more time next week, and if all goes well, she won't go back to the doctor until her 2 month check-up. She's only going in again next week, because they hadn't recieved her information from the hospital, yet. So, they wanted to see her after they got all of that info. Plus, Colton will get his flu shot that same day. I'm sure he'll hate it. I'll have to get him a sucker ... that was always the best part about going to the doctor when I was little.

Khloe didn't really enjoy her first bath, but she did much better getting ready for her second bath. She pretty much screamed through the first one but was very photogenic for the second one. I love her little bathrobe! So sweet!Her first bath.A little more relaxed.

Colton's pink eye went away about 4 days after we came home last week. Poor guy ... he couldn't officially meet Khloe until he wasn't contagious anymore. All is well now ... and he's just as funny and clever as ever. We found some Disney books at a garage sale, and he is loving them! I love to see him growing and learning. He's such a smarty pants! Right now, he is in LOVE with Jungle Book. He walks around the house singing, "Oh, we march-a-dairy-dare ... 1, 2 pick it up ..." Which translates into, "Ho, the aim of our patrol is a question rather droll, for to march and drill over field and hill is a military goal! Is a military goal! Hup 2, 3, 4 ... Keep it up 2, 3, 4!" But it's rather cute to hear Colton's version ... especially because lately he has been singing it all day long. Also, since Grandma Bourland bought him some animals at Target, he sings it while he plays with the elephant. It's VERY cute!He's, also, been enjoying The Lion King. We found a scratched DVD at Goodwill that works pretty well. Colton still enjoys it even though I have to fast forward through the scratched parts.He has, also, been very interested in the baby gear that has come out this week. I have moved a lot of Colton's old toys and gear out of storage this week for Khloe. I think he's more interested in it now than he was when he was her age! He really loves the bouncy chair. This is how I found him one morning.Such a funny guy sitting in the baby's chair. He likes the fish!

On Wednesday this past week, it was Khloe's 1 week birthday. We celebrated by having a picnic and by having blueberry pie with a candle in it. We did this with Colton, too ... but I think we had mixed berry pie, instead. Khloe seemed to like it! (Well, not that she had any!) Colton did, too ... he blew out the candle for Khloe.Brother and sister on her special 1 week birthday!Our picnic food.Colton is enjoying the corn on the cob we had for our picnic meal.This is Khloe's pie. She seems enthused about it.Colton is blowing out the candle for Sissy.

It's weird to think that we are a family of 4 now, but I am so thankful for what God has blessed us with. It's going to be difficult getting used to all of this, but I wouldn't have it any other way. And from what I remember, the difficult stages (and the not-so-difficult stages) don't last that long, anyway.
I already can't imagine life without her.

While my Mom was here, we put up my fall decorations. We, also, got some more decor at Michael's that I didn't get a chance to put up until now. I got the fall garland put on top of my kitchen cabinets. I need to get one more strand, but I think it still looks good even without the extra needed strand. I didn't get a picture of all of my fall decor, so I'll have to post the rest later this week ... hopefully, after I get the house cleaned up. It's been a bit neglected over this past week! I guess I've been distracted.I, also, got a plant at a garage sale for 75 cents! I think it looks great there.

Well, catching up sure takes a long time. Before I know it, Khloe will be up for her middle of the night feeding. I better get going! I hope I can keep up more often now that I can use Billy's work computer. This week, we have a lot going on ... kids' doctor's appointments, my doctor's appointment, flying to Kansas City for my sister's wedding this Friday ... lots to do ... I feel a little overwhelmed.