little, big girl

We kind of missed Khloe's 15-month well-check appointment ... and by "miss", I mean that the doctor didn't schedule one with me.  If I hadn't had a kid already, I wouldn't have even known to schedule one.  So, I called in to the doctor's office, and I scheduled Khloe's 15-month appointment at 16 1/2 months!  Whoops!

She did really well.  No crying at all ... except for a few tears when the shots went in.  Two this time ... MMR and HIB.  All in all, her appointment was a success.  The doctor was out on family business, so we saw a fill-in doctor (who I really like!).  She was trying to push me a little bit to feed Khloe whole milk, but I assured her that we fill in the missing fats and proteins by adding beans, cheese, yogurt, avocados, and as many healthy fats as we can.  She finally let up on pushing the need for milk ... I guess she realized that since I had already done it once with my son, she wasn't going to budge me to move with my daughter.

Here are her growth stats:

Height--32 1/2 inches (90th percentile)
Weight--25 pounds 7 oz. (80th percentile)
Head Circumference--30 1/2 cm (>100 ... off the charts but curving nicely)

I had the doctor look at Colton today, too.  He woke up with some red bumps on his nose.  By the time we got to the doctor, it looked like it was around his mouth and in his ears ... but nowhere else.  She said that it seemed like it may be bug bites ... but to keep an eye on it.  I skipped playgroup this morning ... just in case.  I didn't want to infect anyone else in case it is something more serious.  I will keep an eye on the mysterious red marks to see if they fade or not.

The doc asked me a lot of questions about Khloe ... one was "how many words is she saying?"  It pleased me to tell her that I can't even count how many she knows.  She is growing to be such a big girl!  I'm a lucky Mom with two pretty awesome kiddos!

fun weekend, crazy day, another tooth!

We had a pretty busy weekend, as I'm sure most of you did.  We headed to Orlando on Sabbath for Ethan's 1st birthday party.  We got there in time for Sabbath School.  I love the SS at Markham Woods church!  I have missed it so much! It was, also, super fun to see some of my friends who live in Orlando.  I chatted with Mellie for a while ... I miss living around her so much!  Her little Jack is going to be one on Valentine's Day!  Can you believe it?  It all went by so quickly!

After church, we had a birthday lunch at Brenda's house for Ethan.  She invited family and a friend from church (and college).  The food was delish, and the cake she made for Ethan's birthday was very cute.  It was a lamb cake with little cupcakes.  Very cute!  Then the kids took a nap.  Colton went with Billy, Dad H, and Caleb to see a friend of ours who has a fish farm.  He had a blast running and playing around the farm.  The best part may have been the giant piles of sand that they had dug out on one of their properties.  The rest of us went for a walk to the park when the kids woke up.  After we all had dinner, Billy and I headed back home to Tampa.  We got the kids home and in bed by 9 p.m.  It was a fun trip!  Happy 1st birthday to Ethan!  We had a nice time at your party!

Sissy wearing some shades in Sabbath School!

Joking around with Cole ... we were making grumpy faces.

Ethan's cute birthday cake!

Singing Happy Birthday to Ethan!

He's enjoying his cake!

Playing at the park!

She was actually enjoying the swings!

Climbing up the slide.

Riding in the wagon with her cousin, Ethan.

An accident waiting to happen.  Ethan's Grandma has a hold of his jacket hood, because this kid isn't walking yet ... hmmm ... who will crash first?

Better situation ... at least she can control the walking and speed ... but will Ethan topple off ... still probably a bad idea!

Colton climbing the sand hill at the fish farm! 

Rolling down the sand ...

Koki had fun building towers ... and knocking them down!

Sunday, we had a birthday party to go to at 1:00 p.m. for a friend from church.  It was her 2nd birthday.  She had it at a place called Monkey Bizness.  Colton LOVES to play there!  He had a great time running around a playing with his friends.  Khloe had fun, too ... but she was ready for a nap much more quickly than Colton.

Koki eating at a big kid table!  She is growing so quickly!

Playing in Monkey Bizness with Carson.

Mason and Colton sing "Happy Birthday" to Sophia! 

My two cuties!

After the party, the kids took a nap, and I got some food ready for the Super Bowl party we were going to.  We headed out to Brian and Gwendy's house after the kids woke up.  There was a ton of great food there!  I made S'mores bars and jello salad ... at Brian's request.  He loves that jello salad!  The game was fun and the kids had a great time.  But I had to leave early, so I could put them to bed.  I left by 9:15 p.m.  Billy stayed for the whole game.  It turned out to be a much better match-up than it seemed at first.  It was a busy, but fun, day!

This morning, I woke up at 4:48 a.m. ... not because I wanted to ... I set my alarm for 5:10 a.m.  (Not really because I wanted to, either!)  I went to a 5:30 a.m. cycling class at the gym.  It was fun!  I think I may have to start going more often.  I came back to the house and took a little snooze ... emphasis on little ... because it wasn't long until Colton was up for the day.  It was fine, because I had to get the house ready for my MOMs Club.  I had the board meeting at my house this morning.  After board meeting, I fed the kids lunch.  Then we headed down to IKEA.  I have been wanting to get a rug to go underneath the kids' table.  While I was there, I picked up a few more treasures.  The kids and I got a little treat after we finished shopping.  Then we all headed home!  Colton is struggling to take a nap today ... which is driving me nuts.  But I guess as long as he stays in his room for a little quiet time ... that's okay, too.  He didn't get too much physical exercise today and that makes a lot of difference if I want him to nap.  Khloe, meanwhile, is out like a trout.  1 out of 2 isn't terrible ... I guess!

Shopping in IKEA!

Colton's special treat that we shared!  Chocolate covered marshmallows.

The table on the rug that Colton picked out.  I had chosen a different rug (a little bigger), but Colton picked this one.  He insisted that he wanted this exact one!  I'm glad he did.  The smaller size is much better for this area.

Looks good!

One more treasure that I wasn't expecting to buy ... an easel!  With a white board ... paper  roll ... and ...

a chalkboard!

One last thing to make the weekend as busy as possible ... Khloe got her second to last tooth to break through.  The bottom left canine finally popped in.  Now, we are just waiting on her very last tooth until her two-year molars ... her bottom right canine.  I will be happy when it's in!  Then I won't have that to think about any more!

She's growing up so much each day!  She can ride Colton's scooter already!!!!  I'm dying here!

Look at her go!

Weeeeee!  She did such a great job!

And look what came in the mail today!  Our tickets to the Thomas Train event at the FRM!  We are going to ride the train with Thomas!  Choo-choo!  Colton and Khloe are going to LOVE IT!

Have a great day!  Stay busy!

my big girl ...

This morning, I had to capture Khloe on video.  She was eating her Cheerios so nicely!  She has been using a spoon for over a month now, and she's been doing well.  But this morning, it was the first morning where ALL of the food got into her mouth.  There weren't Honey Nut Cheerios everywhere! I had to get a video of her eating, because I almost couldn't believe how big she is getting.  After she ate the Cheerios, she ate a whole container of yogurt without dropping it all over herself or the table or smearing it all over the table or her hair!  It was quite a nice breakfast, indeed.  Her usual calling card is to get food all over the place ... though she will REFUSE to eat, if I try to feed her! She wants to hold the spoon and eat all by herself.  Half of me is so happy that she wants to try to be a big girl ... the other half--really dislikes cleaning all of that mess every meal!  I was just happy to see her accomplish something that I know will still take some time to perfect but is a real milestone.

And ... as long as I had the video camera on, I decided to finally show you all her counting skills.  She has been doing this for about 3 weeks, but I just haven't had the time to get it on camera.  She was 15 months old the first time I heard her count to 5.  I was in the kitchen, and I said to Mom and Dad H, "But it was a different one."  So, Khloe said, "Twooooo, three, four, FIVE!" I about died laughing.  I didn't even know she could count!  Then a few days later.  I heard her playing in the toy room, and she was counting.  I heard her count to five (sometimes she skips 3).  Then I heard, "Six, seben ... eiiiight ... niiiine ... TEN!"  Again, I about died!  I didn't know she could count to ten already!  So, sometimes she will skip numbers, or she likes to count with me and will wait for me to say a number, too.  But I have heard her count from 1-10.  She blows me away every day!  My favorite number she says is "twooooo".  It's SO cute!  

My big girl ... she's so cute!

Today, we went to Lettuce Lake Park.  It was a great place to play, but there was a HUGE Homeschool group there.  It was crazy busy!  The kids were all different ages, and sometimes, that was very intimidating to Koki.  Plus, they were super friendly (which isn't bad), but they wanted to "help" the baby around the playground.  And this baby does not like help.  Not to mention, 9 year-old helpers usually just end up accidentally hurting your kid ... well-meaning, but they don't realize that they are squeezing the life out of your kid or pushing them down the slide isn't helping! Too funny.  Anyway, Colton had a great time!  He ran and ran and played and played ... so much so that he had his first potty accident in 7 months!  I think it's partially because he was having so much fun playing that he didn't realize that he was about to pee ... and partially because now he thinks every time he has to pee that I'll make him try to poo on the potty.  Whoops!  I want him to get used to sitting on the potty, so he'll be comfortable enough to poo on there, too.  (He's kind of scared of pooping in it right now.  He's been potty trained for nearly a year, but he just hates to poop in there!)  I think he avoids telling me he has to pee, because he thinks, "Oh, no!  Mommy is going to make me sit and try to poop again!"  Maybe my bright idea to get him comfy with sitting on the potty is backfiring!  I hope not.  I guess we'll just have to see how it all goes.  This poop training thing is for the birds!

Sometimes, trying to get these two to smile is like pulling teeth!  I think Colton is sick of seeing my camera, and Koki never really has been a super great smiley girl.  Ugh!  Oh, well ... this is my kiddos in the sandbox.  I promise they are having fun! 

Lunchtime!

a SUPER compliment

I just had to blog today about something someone said to me that really meant a lot.  It was a SUPER compliment ... it really made my day.

First of all, it was from a stranger which, for me, sometimes makes me feel even better, because I know they aren't "just saying it" because they are related me to (like all of the kind things my Mom always tells me) ... or they aren't "just saying it" because they are my friends and they want to be nice. They don't have to say anything to me, and I would never be the wiser.  

But today, I was out to lunch with one of my bests, Gwendy, at Red Robin.  I took Colton to the bathroom before we left.  We went in and did our thing, but I suppose (like usual), we were chatting it up a bit.  He mentioned that there were colors all over the wall.  (The tiles are all colored.)  He started to tell me which colors he saw ... "Brown, blue, yellow ..."  I said, "That one isn't brown.  It looks like it, but it's actually Maroon."  And I pointed to another one and said, "This one is tan."  He repeated me.  Then I said, "Look there's a different blue." He said, "Yeah, it's Dark Blue.  And this one is Light Blue!"  As he pointed to another tile.  I said, "Very good, Colton!"  Then he asked me if I wanted toilet paper from the top roll or the bottom roll.  Anyway, the conversation is usually like that in the bathroom.  We can't go anywhere and just be quiet ... which is fine.  Then we stepped out of the stall, and I asked him to come over to wash his hands.  While we were washing, a lady comes out of the other stall, and says to me, "Are you a teacher?"  I said, "Yes, I am."  She said, "I can tell.  What grade do you teach?"  I told her that I hadn't been working in the school system since my son was born, but I had taught 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th & 8th, and high school history.  She said, "What did you like best?"  I told her I preferred middle school ... 5-8th grades.  She said that she currently teaches 5th grade math and science.  But it's what she said next that really made me feel good.  She said, "I could tell you were a teacher by the way you were talking to your son.  You speak to him and explain to him and expect him to understand ... and he does! You obviously expect a lot of out him, and his vocabulary and speaking skills are excellent!  He really carries on a conversation with you."  I said, "Thank you."  She said, "Keep it up!  I just knew you had to be a teacher!"  

I really felt good about that.  Partially, because I like that a teacher can recognize one of her/his own, and partially, because I love that Colton is such a good boy and is growing and learning so well.  It really makes being a Mom so fun for me!  He's pretty special, and it warms my heart to see others think that about him, as well.  

Colton with his "Sunshine" cookie (he called it that).  He got to eat half of it for a special treat, and he saved the other half for later.

Colton asked the balloon guy for "A BIG, TALL GIRAFFE!"

And a butterfly for baby sissy.  She was actually thrilled with it, but she didn't want to stop playing with it to take a picture for me!

cock-a-doodle-doo! ... and a tooth, too!

I have been thinking, lately, about how I really need to get Cole a haircut.  He has had a mop all winter.  Billy likes to let it grow, and I think that it's fine.  A little Bieber-ish but cute none-the-less.  So, I decided it was time to pull out the shears.  While I was thinking about it, I figured ... let's do something fun!  I bought some hair wax, and I shaved down the sides of Colton's hair.  Now, he has a mohawk, and it seems everybody (but my Dad) likes it!  Ha, ha!  He does look pretty cute, and he runs around the house yelling, "cock-a-doodle-do!"  (Yeah, because that doesn't get annoying.)

His new hair do!

So cute!

Anyway, who knows how long I will have him keep this cut, but for now, I really like it.  So, it stays.

Today, Koki cut the first of her last four teeth!  She has been teething these canines for over a month, and finally, the top, left canine broke through.  I am so happy, because she hasn't been herself.  Her top,  right canine is about to bust through any minute, so I expect it any day now.  The bottom two are bulgy, but not nearly as close to breaking through.  I know this seems so boring and dull, but in our house, it's a big deal!  When those suckers are moving, I have one unhappy kiddo.  I will be so thankful when the last three are in, and I won't have to blame teething for her naughtiness anymore! Ha, ha!

Koki loves Cole's new toddler bed!  She is always climbing up on it and jumping around.  I don't look forward to her getting her own toddler bed.  Here comes trouble!

So, it's that time again!  Time for festivals around Florida.  We have the Florida State Fair coming up, the Strawberry Festival, and we just went to the Kumquat Festival last week!  I didn't even know they had festivals for kumquats.  If you're not sure what that is ... it's a small fruit that looks like a mini-orange, but doesn't taste like one at all.  It's a lot tastier as a cupcake, ice cream, and pie ... as we figured out at the festival.  Colton had a lot of fun playing a fishing game.  He got to get a fish on his line and then get a prize.  He was very happy about that!  He, also, played in a bouncy house maze.  We had a great time!

Playing the fishing game at the Kumquat Festival.

His prize!

Yesterday, I took the kids to the zoo with MOMs Club.  Colton loved riding all of the rides at the zoo.  I hadn't taken him on them before, because I was afraid he wouldn't like them.  But after all of his fun at Busch Gardens, I knew he would really love the rides.  So, he rode the roller coaster, train (which we've ridden a lot before), bumper boats, and flying bananas.  He had a great time!  He still loves rides, and he still dislikes the swings at the park.  I don't get that crazy kid!

Riding the train.

Colton's friend, Evy, was nervous to ride the train, so she asked him if he would hold her hand.  He said, "yes." :)  So cute!

Staring down his look-alike chicken at the the zoo.

Bumper Boats!

Riding in the flying banana.  He loved that he could control when it moved up and down all by himself!

This week, we have a lot of MOMs Club activities.  I went to Zumba today. I've really been enjoying Zumba.  It's great fun, and it's a great way to lose weight.  I'm hoping for a lot here.  I've been going every Tuesday and Thursday.  On Wednesday last week, I went to Pilates.  It was pretty difficult, but it was good!  I'm hoping to go to BodyPump soon ... a good weight lifting class, I've heard.

Life's been pretty busy, but we're having fun ... so that makes it easier! :)

i love the smell of orange blossoms!

Today, we headed out to Hancock Orange Grove for MOMs Club.  As soon as I stepped out of the car, the sweet aroma hit me ... mmmmmm .... orange blossoms!  The smell was intoxicating.  I wish my house could smell like that ... so fresh and sweet without being too perfumy.  Lovely!

We went into the store, and I saw just what I was looking for ... orange blossom honey ... key lime juice ... and jams, jams, jams!  I bought some honey and key lime juice ... then we went picking!  We picked a quarter of a pound of oranges/grapefruit/tangerines.  We, also, ate a few strawberries that were growing nearby!  Delish!  Koki LOVES strawberries, and I could barely get her away from the rows.  She finds as many as she can reach and she eats them ... greenery and all!  It's pretty funny to see her spitting out a leaf or two here and there.

Colton trying to pick oranges. 

Sweet baby girl ...

Mmmmmm ... tasty!

"CHEESE!" she says. 

Two fister ...

Cole with his bounty of oranges.

Colton had a blast using the orange picking pole to grab oranges out of the trees!  He would pick them and then put them in the bag.  He thought that was pretty awesome!  After running around the orchards for a few hours, we bought our goods and headed to lunch with some of our favorite friends, the Adams.

We finally tried out the new Panera Bread they built at Wiregrass Mall.  I'm so happy they put one close to our house.  Then we headed over to Wiregrass to check out some stores and, of course, to let the kiddos ride the train!  Koki is so cute!  She loves to ride things so much now ... or at least she is really good at vocalizing it now.  She said, "Choo-choo! Choo-choo!" Then she said, "RIDE! RIDE!"  She loves to ride the train.  She didn't want to get off of it.  I guess we'll have to make sure to ride it more often.

It reminds me of the other day when she wanted to ride Colton's tricycle.  Colton put it away, and she was having a fit over it!  "RIDE! RIDE!" she yelled.  So, Mom H put her in their car while they were packing it up.  She had a blast sitting in the front seat.  When it was time to get out, she cried and yelled, "RIDE! RIDE! RIDE!" all while she was pointing to the car and trying desperately to get back in.  She was so funny!  However, she pretty much hates the rides at Busch Gardens ... and don't even get me started at the swings in the park!  She will cry and doesn't want to ride those ... she seems to dislike the up and down, but the car ... the train ... the bike ... she loves those!  Maybe because they go straight and smoothly.

Koki loves this thing!

Riding the train at Wiregrass! By this time, they were both pretty tuckered out and ready for a nap!

Speaking of Busch Gardens, we went again this week.  We went on Sunday for Brenda's birthday, but then we bought a year pass (pay for a day, play all year for Florida residents).  So, we went again with Mom and Dad H on Wednesday.  Cole LOVES it!  He rode every kid ride all by himself!  (Except for one he rode with Khloe and me).  He loves to ride the rides ... which is so funny, because he dislikes the swing at the park, too!  But he even rode the swing ride at Busch Gardens.  I don't know about that kid! Ha, ha!  Khloe, on the other hand, rode one ride ... this egg ferris wheel type ride.  She rode it with me and Colton, but she disliked every minute of it!  I think she prefers smooth straight rides and doesn't want to go up and down quite yet.  She's still pretty little ... I think that will change over the next year.  Especially since she yelled, "Ride, ride!" at the car ride and only started crying once she sat down in the ride.  When I got her back out of the car, she pointed to it again and yelled, "Ride, ride!"  So, it seems like she wants to like it ... maybe next time.

Dad H with Colton looking at the Cheetahs.

Riding the Hang Glider ride. 

Riding the "egg ride" with Mom and Koki (it was like a ferris wheel).

Riding the Swing ride ... nut! He won't go on the swings at the park, but this ... he rode with a HUGE smile! 

Carousel!

Koki riding the carousel with me ... the only ride she liked!

Carousel! 

Hippo water ride! 

Flying elephant ride ... he learned to pull that lever that his hand is on ... and the ride moves up and down!  Pretty cool!

It was great to have Mom and Dad H here all week.  After Brenda's birthday weekend (which I have yet to blog about), they stayed all week at our house.  It was fun to play games at night.  Dad H completed some projects for me, and Mom helped watch the kids.  It was great!  We will miss them, but they will be back in a week and a half for one more visit, so we have that to look forward to!

Colton asked Grandma if she would read him this story.  "Grandma, would you read this story to me?  It's my VERY FAVORITE!" (It's My Bible Friends: Noah)  I don't know how many times she read it!  A lot, that's for sure!

My new spice cabinet courtesy of Dad H!  I love it!

Sissy enjoying one of her many "rides".

Grandpa H reads Sissy her bedtime story.

So, in big boy news ... we moved Colton into his big boy bed on Monday.  I changed his crib over to a to a toddler bed before nap time, and he did pretty well.  He got up 3 times ... but ultimately slept for 3 hours ... so that was good.  He has been napping and sleeping well at night.  The only issue I have is morning.  So far ... and it's only been a week, in the morning, he wakes up and comes into our room to tell me that he's poopy (because this kid is too scared to poop on the toilet! He doesn't want to fall in ... we're working on that!  The hazards of teaching him to pee standing up! UGH!) ... then he's ready for the day.  That's usually sometime between 7:00 a.m. and 7:30 a.m.--TOO EARLY for me!  I've had 3 years of 8:30 p.m. to 8:30 a.m. sleep time ... now, he wants to change that!  I would like to insert a "dislike" button here.  Seriously.  I guess things will still change as he learns to poop in the toilet and can go to the bathroom without feeling the need to tell me about it.  But right now, there's a change in our house--and although I know it's a change for the better, sometimes it feels like a change for the worse (even though I know that's not true).  I guess being a Mom is like being a teacher, flexibility is a must ... and you can never rely on the way things are going at the moment, because in a drop of a hat, things will change!

Cole in his big boy bed! 

I am so ready for this weekend!  We are going to have a relaxing weekend.  I can't wait!  We've been so busy lately with family in town (which we LOVE), but it will be nice to not think about entertaining others for a few days.  REST sounds lovely.

Happy Sabbath!