Children are a blessing

My heart is so full right now. I just feel really blessed to have 3 wonderful, beautiful, healthy children. Sometimes I have to make myself stop whatever I am doing to admire them, cuddle with them, and love them. Those moments make me feel like a mommy, not a teacher, not a referee, and not a taxi driver.
I especially enjoy watching them interact with one another. I love to see Logan and Taylor kissing Kendall and stroking her cheeks. I wish I could freeze time in those sweet moments. I also love to see Logan and Taylor cracking each other up. They truly have a special bond during those times.
Logan is really sweet and independent. He loves to cuddle but also enjoys spending time on his own.
Taylor is loving and funny. He loves to sit on my lap and make people laugh.
Kendall is happy and mellow. She smiles and laughs a bunch, and nothing seems to get to her.
I couldn't imagine living a different life. This is the life I chose for myself and I wouldn't have it any other way. I love my children with all my heart and I hope the next 18 years will go by very slowly because I want to enjoy every minute.

The Zoo with Bon-Papa and Bonne-Maman

When we first moved out here, we were told that visiting the zoo was one of the best family activity in Columbus. Since we figured we would spend a lot of time out there, we decided to get a membership, and it has totally been worth it. We went quite a few times before this whole heat wave started. This zoo is so huge that we haven't even seen all the animals in it. Maybe it'll take us 1 or 2 more trips.

 That day, I think the polar bears were the coolest!

And that day, the snakes were the coolest!



Kendall is 3 months

Where has time gone? I'm afraid to blink because I feel like every time I do, Kendall has learned something new that makes her grow up right in front of my eyes. Soon she'll be rolling over, then crawling, then walking, then DATING, then GETTING MARRIED, then HAVING KIDS, and everything in-between!
I watched a movie the other day, Cyberbully. It was about teenagers bullying other teenagers over the Internet. In the movie, mean comments led to a girl's lack of confidence in herself, which led to her lack of love for herself, which eventually led to her suicide attempt. That's scary! I feel like parents have to work so much harder nowadays to boost up their kids' confidence in themselves, so that mean comments don't mean anything to them, so that they can stand up for themselves in difficult situations, so that they can make smart decisions that they and their parents can be proud of. That's what we're going to have to do in order for Kendall to be successful in life, in every aspect of her life.

Anyway...

This month, Kendall has been so smiley. I love it! It turns bad days into good ones. Her smile is so contagious and sweet. Just the other day, after I nursed her, I said "Well, Kendall, are you done?" and I swear she laughed. I said it again, and she laughed again. This happened a total of 4 times. Kendall is a very happy baby and I think she will become a very friendly kid.
She continues to grow every day, and she now has extra rolls on her thighs. Billy calls them her "labia majora majora." I think it's pretty funny!
She loves to spend time outdoors and check out the world around her. I love to watch her and can almost see the wheels spinning inside her head. She's taking it all in and learning as much as she can.
When she was in the NICU, Kendall loved her pacifier, but since she's been home, she hasn't been liking it a whole lot. In fact, this month she has started sucking on her fist. I've been trying to addict her to her binkie, because I think the habit will be easier to break than if she becomes a thumb-sucker, but she's pretty stubborn.
She's also kinda of sensitive - a typical girl, I guess. Billy isn't used to girls, so he often rough-houses with her, and she doesn't like it. So she purses her bottom lip, then her bottom lip starts to shiver, and finally she starts crying. I think she'll just have to tough it out, though, because I have a feeling Billy's not going to stop. And let's be honest, she has 2 brothers, so she has to be tough.
I prayed for a good eater and I got her. I prayed for a good sleeper and I got her. This last week, Kendall has been sleeping from 9:30 p.m. to about 6:30 a.m. Not every night, but most. I hope it lasts.
We don't really have a schedule for her during the day. She eats every 2-1/2 to 3 hours, but her sleep schedule varies. She still sleeps a bunch, so I just kinda let her sleep whenever she wants to.
Kendall is such an easy-going, laid-back, and sweet baby. I could have 10 just like her. She makes parenting so easy for me, which I'm sure will change once puberty hits, but for now I am enjoying every minute of it.

Second birthday party!

Well, Logan and Taylor are 2! I wanted to make this birthday very special for them. So I was super happy when my parents told me they would make the trip to spend this birthday weekend with us. I was also super happy that so many people RSVP to the party. We're still getting to know people out here, so I really appreciated their attendance and friendship.

Presents from the family

Discovering the presents in the morning

Logan opening up the presents (but not letting go of his cars)

Logan playing with the train track

Taylor playing with the cash register

Taylor opening up presents

Drinks and candy

Party favors

FOOD FOOD FOOD!

The new table, which we quickly put to use once the kiddos got to the party

Playing with Bon-papa and Bonne-maman

Bon-papa is so fun!

Bonne-maman is super cool

PARTY TIME!!!

It's crazy how a house that seems so BIG can appear so SMALL with so many people in it. 10 adults and 11 kids.

Taylor hitting the pinata. Can you tell he's enjoying this?

Logan hitting the pinata.

This thing was sturdy, so I had to give it a good wack!

Happy birthday, Logan!

Happy birthday, Taylor!

Little sister enjoyed being held by so many people at the party.



Logan and Taylor playing (not fighting) with their new toys!



Logan & Taylor are 2 years!!!

Logan and Taylor have changed SO MUCH over the past year. Exactly ONE year ago, they were still crawling and babbling. Now they are walking, running, jumping, climbing, dancing, singing, and talking. I love that I can actually communicate with them now. I can ask them what they want or need, and they can answer me using words. It takes away a lot of frustrations.
They definitely have an opinion about certain things now. If I give them water, they tell me they want milk. If I give them milk, they want juice. If I give them juice, they want coke (yes, coke). Etc. It's not that bad, though. I actually like that they have an opinion and can make decisions on their own. Now when I give them options about what to eat,drink, play or wear, they can actually make a choice and I can give them what they want. It's a win-win situation.

At 2 years old, Logan:
- loves to sit on his special football couch and spin until he gets dizzy
- loves to play Ring Around the Rosies
- loves to play with cars, trucks, and blocks
- loves to race Taylor around the house
- loves being outdoors, especially when water is involved
- tells me when he has a booboo and wants a kiss to make it feel better
- cannot stand to have food stuck in his teeth
- tells me when Kendall cries
- sings (loudly in church) and dances
- enjoys copying Taylor, especially when he whines
- enjoys reading books
- enjoys snuggling up with his stuffed animals
- enjoys eating just about anything, but ice cream, lollipops, and chocolate are his favorite
- favorite colors: blue and green
- favorite songs: The ABC Song, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, If You're Happy and You Know It, The Itsy Bitsy Spider
- favorite movies: Toy Story, The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Handy Manny, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Chuggington, The Emperor's New Groove, etc.

I think that Logan might be ready to be potty trained. He usually tells me when he has pooped. Of course that is after the fact, but he has also told me before. Now it's all a matter of whether or not I am ready for the task. Oh boy!
Logan is such a sweet boy. He always expresses concern when Taylor cries. He often sits beside Taylor in time-out. He also expresses concern when Kendall cries. He sometimes even grabs my hand to take me to her.

At 2 years old, Taylor:
- loves to sit on his special basketball couch and spin until he gets dizzy
- loves to play Ring Around the Rosies
- loves to play with cars, trucks, blocks, puzzles, computers, and balls
- loves to race Logan around the house
- loves being outdoors, especially when water is involved
- tells me when he has a booboo and wants a kiss to make it feel better
- cannot stand to have food stuck in his teeth
- sings and dances (hip-hop moves)
- enjoys reading books
- enjoys eating meat and junk food, but still refuses to eat vegetables
- favorite colors: blue and green
- favorite songs: The ABC Song, The Itsy Bitsy Spider, Once There Was A Snowman, Head Shoulders Knees and Toes
- favorite movies: Toy Story, The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Handy Manny, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Chuggington, The Emperor's New Groove, etc.

I feel like Taylor's communication has progressed very slowly... until this month. I feel like he has made more progress this month than he has this whole year. He can count, although most numbers sound like "9." It must be his favorite/lucky number =) He can name colors, although most of them look "white" to him. Maybe he's just guessing =) He says "Night night" and "I love you" at bedtime, which I love. He tells me when he wants a "drink" or a "snack." I feel like he gets a lot less frustrated now that he can tell me what he wants and needs. Of course he still gets frustrated and throws tantrums when he doesn't get it his way, but that's typical, right?
Taylor is such a lovey boy. I love that he still enjoys snuggling up with me when he wakes up before Logan. It totally makes my day to have him, and just him, all to myself. It doesn't happen a ton, so when it does happen, it is very precious to me. I feel like these one-on-one times make me a better mom because I can actually be a mom and not a referee. It's a good change.

I love my baby boys so much!

Happy birthday, Logan and Taylor!

You are the best thing that ever happened to me!

A day in the life of 2 almost-2-year-olds

8:30  Logan and Taylor wake up, eat breakfast, and read scriptures. On the menu that morning were chocolate Cheerios. Logan ate really well but Taylor only had a few spoonfuls. Oh well, he'll make up for it later.

9:00  Logan and Taylor get dressed and play a little while I get ready for the day. Today they enjoyed some tummy-time with Kendall.

10:00  Playgroup. We went to a friend's house and played with cars, trucks, and in the pool. New toys are always so fun!

12:00 Lunch. Everyone brought something, so we had peanutbutter and jelly sandwiches, strawberries, cheese, pickles, olives, Jell-O, apples, plums, and cupcakes.

12:30  We head back home. Logan and Taylor are tired. And Kendall is hungry.

1:00  Logan and Taylor play basketcar (basketball with cars) then head upstairs for a nap. During that time, I clean up around the house, decide what to make for dinner, have some one-on-one time with Kendall, and decide to sunbathe for 30 minutes because I look so white it is sickening.

3:30  Logan and Taylor wake upfrom their nap. They're in a good mood. Looks like the rest of the day will be good. Yay!

3:45  Snack time. Today they had peaches, cheese, and yogurt.

4:00  It's cooled down some but it's still hot. During the boys' nap, I filled up the swimming pool so that the water would have time to get warm. The water felt sooooo nice. Gotta love those pool days. Ours was cut short due to a poop incident. I usually put the boys in their swimwear to go swimming so that we can save on swim diapers. Today I paid the price! But cuddling in the towel after we got out was all worth it.

4:45  Logan and Taylor play with cars. Did I mention they LOVE cars? We also read some books and played with the Ball Popper.

5:30  Time to get dinner ready. While I'm cooking, Logan and Taylor are trying on bibs and  deciding which to wear at dinner time. They also play with bowls and anything else they can find.

6:00  Today I made Creamy Italian Chicken with Orzo Skillet. It was yummy! All the boys had seconds.

6:30  Logan and Taylor enjoy some time alone with daddy while I clean up the kitchen area. I also took advantage of that time to vacuum because I hadn't done so in 3 days.

7:30  Bath time. Logan and Taylor love playing with their foam letters and numbers. Today they also decided that it would be fun to stand in the tub, jump up, fall on their bottoms, and splash me.

8:00  We watch a little tv. Today Taylor requested Mou (Mickey Mouse). During that time, I get to snuggle up with my 3 men.

8:30  Before heading to bed, we brush our teeth, read a book, sing songs, say a prayer, and lately we have also been taking down numbers from their birthday countdown boards. 2 days left!

Good night, my little angels!