Go Mavs!

We finally get a win. I think I had about 37 heart attacks watching that game, but we managed to pull it out. Hopefully we can grab game 6 on Thursday!

2 little additions to our family

We are having twins! Haha. Just kidding. I'm pretty sure if that were the truth there would be a much different title to this blog. So, let me tell you about the REAL additions. Kaitlyn has wanted a pet SO bad for a really long time. She gets these magazines in the mail called Big Backyard - and loves looking at all of the animals in there. Her recent obsession is lizards, geckos, chameleons, etc. So, last week we told her that on Friday we would take her to the pet store to get a chameleon. Well, those cost over $100 so that was out of the picture. She got to pick out a gecko instead. She was so excited to get it home and put it in her room. James decided later that night that Tyrone (yes, that's what she named the first one) needed a friend. So, without further adieu, here are Tyrone and Pablo: The Mayos have gone multi-cultural.

Kaitlyn loves to hold them. We try to only let her take them out once per day. They are SO fast. It's only a matter of time before I write a blog about the day they are loose in our house. But, she takes good care of them. She feeds them live crickets every morning and even sprays the inside of their walls with water so they can "lick the walls if they get thirsty."

Here are a few other pictures from the past few days:

Weekend and Cora at 4 months..

Just got back from the doctor and here are Cora's 4 month stats:


Weight : 18.6 pounds (gained 4 pounds from 2 months)
Height: 27 1/2 inches (she hardly grew at all from 2 months)


99th percentile in both categories!! Yeah!


In June I take both girls on the same day for Cora's 6 month and Kaitlyns 4 year appointments. They both get shots. That should be a blast.


Well.. we enjoyed lots of fun time outside this weekend. Friday night we walked over and watched an ACU baseball game. It was like a huge playground for Kaitlyn. She made 3 little friends and they took over that place. James and I enjoyed sitting outside visiting with friends and watching the game. Saturday, James took Kaitlyn to a couple of the ACU girls soccer games, and then we went to another ACU baseball game! Kaitlyn met up with her friends she had met the day before and quickly become too cool to hang out with us! It was really fun watching her run around and play. She is just growing up way too fast.


Sunday James and I got to help teach in the 3 year old class at church. That was an adventure! All the kids tried to blow bubbles "all the way up to Mr. James' head!" That was a fun game. That afternoon I literally cleaned my house for 7 hours. I wish I was exaggerating. But I finally have a totally clean house with most of the laundry done! I took a break halfway through and the 4 of us went to the park for like 2 hours! Kaitlyn has mastered the handlebars and loves doing them so much she got little blisters on her hands. We played soccer and football and discovered that Cora's new favorite thing is ice. It's so funny to watch her eat it. She LOVES it!


We had a lot of fun together just hanging out as a family. I feel really blessed to be at this stage in my life right now. I love having James as my husband. I love having 2 hilarious girls. I love our friends in Abilene. I love my job at BBBS. I love our house. I'm just happy!

Cora's new favorite thing...

The rose bushes in our back yard

Enjoying hanging out in her stroller!

Gatorade

Please tell me I'm not the only one that didn't know this. James laughed at me forever last night when I saw this on TV:

Gatorade was formulated in 1965 by researchers at the University of Florida in an effort to help the then struggling Florida Gators football team. Dehydration was taking its toll on the players, who were fated to contest their home games in the heat and humidity of the Florida swamp. The new beverage helped counteract the debilitating dehydration far better than pure water had, turning the Gators into an effective second-half team. Fueled by Gatorade, in 1967 the Gators won their first Orange bowl.

More about our weekend to come...

My sweet Kaitlyn

Yesterday was just one of those days for me. One of those days where it felt like I could do nothing right. The dishes went undone, the laundry wasn't done - which meant James had to wear a dirty shirt to a softball game, I felt extremely tired - which meant Kaitlyn was easily frustrated when all she wanted was just a little bit of my time. I couldn't figure out our finances like I wanted to. I felt like I should have had more to say at our Huddle group. I packed Cora the wrong bottle for church and she spit over half of it out. It was just a really long day. So, last night when both girls were in bed and James was out playing softball (in his dirty shirt), I just sat on the couch and cried. Kind of like I'm doing now. STUPID NEW BIRTH CONTROL!!! Anyway, about 10 minutes later, Kaitlyn came out and in the sweetest voice asked me if I would come lay with her. Any other night I would have just told her no and sent her back to bed. But, for some reason, nothing sounded better to me than to go lay with her. For those 10 minutes that I was in there, I felt like I was the child and she was the mother. She grabbed my hand and held it tight. She squeezed it 3 times, which is our sign for "I love you." And then, out of the blue she just starts praying out loud. Just a short, simple prayer. She said, "Dear God, help mommy to have a good day tomorrow. Because I just love her and I want her to have a good day. Amen." I cried, pretty much until she fell asleep. She usually freaks out when I cry, but she didn't this time. She just kept on holding my hand and rubbing my arm.

I truly believe that God speaks to us through our kids. I'm already having a much better day today.

Kaitlyn's first trip to the Dentist and more...

Well - I'm an idiot. Seriously. On Friday Kaitlyn fell out of the car at Walmart. I thought she hurt her face really bad, but she was more worried about a little cut on her finger than the blood pouring from her head. Everything turned out fine - she is totally okay. Well, on Saturday I noticed a chip in between her two front teeth. I just figured that when she fell, she bumped her teeth as well. So I called the dentist this morning to get Kaitlyn in. We went in, they took an x-ray and found..... a HUGE CAVITY!! What? I felt like the biggest idiot. Especially since I did work for a dentist for a year and did not realize this is what it could be. But the main reason I feel like a bad mom is because I am NOT very strict on her brushing her teeth every night, and *gasp* sometimes I let her have a sippy cup in her bed. I know... I know. That stops tonight!!!! So, here is how rest of the appointment played out. The doctor immediatly gets a little nervous telling me what all is involved in filling a cavity on a 3 year old. He said they would give her laughing gas, then a shot, and then fill it. I wasn't too worried about it - Kaitlyn is pretty tough. But, she has never been in this situation before so I was curious to know how she would handle it. Well, too bad I wouldn't get that chance because the dentist wouldn't let me stay back there with her. I argued with him at first, but then agreed thinking he probably knew what he was doing. I called James almost in tears. I have no idea why I was crying, I guess I just wanted to witness this "first" moment in Kaitlyn's life. So, not more than 10 minutes later Kaitlyn comes literally bouncing out saying, "That was great! I love my "feeling!" (filling)." The dentist said he did give her the laughing gas, but decided not to numb it with a shot and see how far he could get. Kaitlyn was so brave - he made it all the way through with no shot! Kaitlyn had like 3 bracelets on each wrist and about 7 stickers on her shirt. She just continues to surprise me each and every day.

The rest in pictures....

We had a sleepover with our Freshman huddle girls on Saturday night. It's been awhile since I've stayed up the entire night. I'm still recovering. I had some of my friends come bang on the windows and scare them, it was pretty great. Here's the crowd:

Jody jamming out to Guitar Hero. She was awesome!


We went to Walmart at 1:00 AM to get face masks and cucumbers. Yes - 1:00 in the AM.

A Daddy and his girls. They both just love him. As cheesy as it sounds, my heart overflows with love everytime I see these girls smile at their Daddy. They both have such a sweet connection with him.

Anyone remember the red hat?

It's back!!!

Happy CRAZY Easter!!

Did it really just snow this weekend? How crazy is that? We still managed to have a good time. I still put the girls in their short sleeved dresses with sandals. We just hurried in and out of church! We did have an indoor easter egg hunt, however. Kaitlyn had a blast decorating and finding all of her eggs.

My parents came down on Thursday night so that James and I could go to Arlington for the home opener of the Texas Rangers. We had a really fun time - and the Rangers won! It was great to just get away, even if it was just for one night. This was my first night away from Cora, and I think I did surprisingly well. Maybe it's a second child thing. It was fun having my parents and my brother in town for the weekend.

One funny Kaitlyn story - another thing she learned from her Dad. Yesterday I was following her to her room and I just gave her a little tap on the bottom. She turned around and goes, "Good game Mom."

I can't sleep... so here's a long post! You're welcome.

James has been begging me for a week to update my blog. I guess he is just as sick as I am of looking at that awesome "Miss USA" picture. So.. here are some things we have been up to lately:

...... Last Saturday we went to a Sacred Marriage seminar by Gary Thomas. We both really enjoyed it. It was great to just know "Okay.. we're okay." He said a lot of good things that spured on some great conversations between me and James. Many of our couple friends went as well, and it was neat to just look around at so many people who are in the same stage of life and have the same struggles as we do.

..... I'm still really enjoying my job at Big Brothers Big Sisters. Kaitlyn and Cora really love their sweet babysitter too. She only has to come for an hour each day - until James gets off work. But Kaitlyn always tells me about the fun games Rebecca plays with her, or cool ways that she can fix her hair. And more times than once I have come home to the greatest side walk art ever. I'm thankful that it was so easy for me to find someone that I completely trust with my girls.

..... James is coaching his last season with the Butterflies soccer team. He has really enjoyed doing this, and I know those sweet girls just love him. I appreciate his loyalty to something like this. But, Kaitlyn will start playing this Fall, and James wants to be able to devote himself fully to her. I can't wait to start watching her play sports. She's pretty athletic and has plenty of energy!

..... I did a spin class at the gym yesterday for the first time in like a year. To say that my butt hurts is a HUGE understatement.

...... Yesterday was a fun treat! My friend Ann Reese and I drove to Ft. Worth for the day to visit our friend Julie and Ann's sister Amy. We had such a blast! It was great to just step out of the normal daily routine and do something different. I laughed so much, it was great.

..... We are having our first garage sale ever this weekend. We aren't actually having our own, we are just adding some of our stuff to some friends garage sale. I had no idea how much stuff we had that we don't need. My theory is, if it's been in the storage shed for 2 years and we haven't missed it, it's gone. Hopefully we'll make some extra spending money for our little trip next weekend. My parents are coming down to watch the girls while James and I go to opening day of the Rangers. We're excited to just have a night away!

..... Cora is just as sweet as ever, and Kaitlyn is so fun to watch as a big Sister. I am so incredibly proud of how she has been around her. She has not shown one ounce of jealousy. She wants to be with her all of the time, does NOT like it when she sleeps, has a hard time leaving her when she goes to school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, says the sweetest prayers for her, and is such a big helper! I know that they will grow up and have arguments, but I pray every day that they will grow up to be really close friends.

..... A couple of weekends ago, we got to go to Ft. Worth to spend some time with my Dad's side of the family. My aunt was in Texas from Washington State, and they went and picked up my Papa from the assisted living facility that he is currently in. We all hung out at my uncles house. I remember as a little girl laughing so hard at my Papa. And I don't see my aunt Vicki very much at all, but she too can make me laugh so hard. We had a really great time. Since we don't see them to much, it's easy to forget how much fun I have when I am around them. I would really love to make more time for that side of my family.

..... The girls that I used to work with in Admissions at ACU decided to play intramural volleyball. You can play intramurals if you are on staff. We just entered in the rec league and thought it would be fun to make fun of ourselves for a couple of weeks. Who knew we would end up winning the championship?!?!?!!? We were so excited! Unfortunately, I was only able to play one of the games - which happened to be the championship. I'll take that! Kaitlyn was a huge supporter. She helped my cousin coach, and even made signs to hold up during games.

Here are a few pictures from the past few days:

I played in the last game and didn't have the same t-shirt as everyone else. Yes, my shirt says "Mom's on the Move." Don't judge me.

Cora after a bath. I just love her bright blue eyes and her smile so much!

Where Kaitlyn hid when she got tired of helping me price things for the garage sale. She wasn't too happy that I found her.

"Do I have something on my head?" If Cora is awake, this is what she is doing. She sucks on her hands constantly. It's also really loud when she does it. One time Kaitlyn goes, "Mom, can you please tell Cora to stop sucking herself? I can't hear the TV." Awesome.

My little poser. She is NOT laying on her stomach while doing this. Just standing straight up with her chin in her hands. Cheese.

The girls with my Grandmama. I am so thankful that they are able to grow up knowing their Great-Grandmother.

My awesome Papa. His hats are classic. He was so excited to meet Cora - and I was pretty excited for her to meet him as well. I promise I don't normally pull Cora's pants up so high.

My dad's sister - Aunt Vicki. It was so great to get to see her. Her nickname for me is Hamburger Bone. I have no idea where she got it, but I think it's the coolest nick name ever.

What you do in Abilene on a Friday night....

You have your very own Miss USA pagent!! That's right. Miss USA was on TV and my friend Kat had the greatest idea ever to throw a party and all wear formal dresses. We had our own Miss Photogenic and Miss Congeniality contest, and even had a talent competition (which I won by the way). It was absolutely hilarious. And while I couldn't wait to get out of my dress, we had a blast. I felt like I was in college again. That happens quite a bit around here and I love it. Here is one of the pictures from last night: (Yes, we even made our own sashes out of toilet paper)

One of my all time favorites of Kaitlyn....

I found this when I was trying to post a video of Cora. I just love it. We took this video last summer - it's funny how much even her voice has changed since then. Sweet girl...


Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos

Way too many pictures.... I know.....

I promise my next post will be something different than pictures of Cora, but I had to put a few more up. My friend Hannah came over to take a few on Saturday. I really didn't think we got many good ones - but I was sure wrong.


I will say that Kaitlyn enjoyed a fun-filled weekend in Dallas with James' mom. She got to go to the Aquarium, to get ice cream, to pick out a new toy, and get her nails done at a real salon. She had a blast - before she got sick. She seemed to get a touch of the stomach flu while she was there. When she got home, she thought Cora needed it to. So, Cora got sick last night. Today, James and I are not quite up to par - so I've been Clorox wiping the entire house today. Hopefully we'll all be better soon!

Cora at 10 weeks!

I just LOVE this girl so much.

What??

I love that James wears black dress socks with everything. Even bowling shoes. I act like it bothers me - but I love it. It's just him.

Three of our Freshman guys playing some video game. Intense I'm telling you. I just love our huddle group.

Remember the time Cora was as long as a 2 year old?

This is what happens when I let Kaitlyn dress herself. How does she know how to pose like that?