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?

Top Ten List

10. I loved watching the Oscars. A lot of it was boring, but I love seeing what people wear, listening to acceptance speeches - and especially this year, Ellen. She's one of my favorites! I also loved listening to Jennifer Hudson sing, and the sound effects choir was pretty cool too.

9. Oprah's special on her Leadership Academy in South Africa. Awesome. That woman has so much money - and she does lots of good things with it. I love her too.

8. Kaitlyn and Cora. This is one of Kaitlyn's favorite things to do in the morning. She says "it's just what sisters do." Okay...

7. Dieting stinks. I miss really good food and sweets. I miss real Dr. Pepper. I miss eating late at night... but I don't miss the 9 pounds that I've lost. Only 15 more to go. Yikes.

6. Kaitlyn and I enjoyed a "summer like" day on Friday. It was so pretty and warm! She got to wear shorts and eat a popsicle outside. She was in heaven.

5. While we were outside that day, some electricians came to replace some wires in the alley behind our house. 2 of them were up there actually working. The other two decided to hang out on Kaitlyn's swing set. Both of these "manly" men started whistling the tune to The Carpenters - Close to You. I only wish I was kidding. Yes, I took their picture.

4. My parents got to come for a visit this weekend. It's always so much fun having them here. Besides the incredibly disgusting dust storm that rolled in on Saturday, we still managed to have a good time!

3. On Sunday, some good friends gave us tickets to go see Cinderella at the Paramount. The Abilene Performing Arts center was putting in on, and we had seats on the 2nd row! Kaitlyn LOVED everything about it. Except when the Prince came out into the audience to try the glass slipper on a few little girls. She was terrified of this and held on to me so tight!!

This Step-sister was her favorite character.
Leighton, Kaitlyn and Emma - such sweet friends!

2. It's official... I'm not going back to work at ACU. Though I am so sad that I won't see those fun people everyday, I know this is what's best for our family! The Lord has just worked things out for me to be able to stay home during the day. I will start teaching next fall at Young Childrens World - where Kaitlyn goes now. I also started a new job yesterday with Big Brothers Big Sisters that will allow me to work some in the evenings and some from home. I am so thankful and excited for this opportunity! I just want to really enjoy these last 2 years before Kaitlyn goes to Kindergarden.

1. I have two beautiful girls that totally crack me up every single day. Kaitlyns personality is absolutely hilarious and Cora's smile just lights up the room. I am so very blessed!!!

Oh my goodness...

We just got back from Cora's 2 month appointment. I think she will be bigger than Kaitlyn. She weighed 14 pounds 6 ounces and was....are you ready..... 27 inches long. Yikes. Kaitlyn weighed 13 lbs 2 oz, and was 25 inches long. I'm just curious - does anyone else have a baby that came remotely close to this?

By the way - the rest of her appointment went really well. Kaitlyn was very concerned about her having to get shots. She held her hand and kept whispering, "It will be okay, it will be okay..." So sweet that girl. Cora stopped crying before I even picked her up. She did great!

Daddy Daughter Dance and the weekend....

Last Thursday James and Kaitlyn went to a Valentines Daddy Daughter dance. How cute it that. They both got all dressed up and enjoyed an evening filled with yummy food, getting their picture taken, and lots of dancing. They had a blast. Here are some pictures of Kaitlyn getting ready for their big night...


Oh my goodness, I better hurry!!

Brushing her teeth - one of her favorite things to do now.

Waiting for Daddy to get home...

All dressed up and ready to go!


They had such a fun time. Kaitlyn came home in such a silly mood. She couldn't wait to show me all of "her moves." She was proud of her daddy twirling and throwing her around. It was so sweet to see how happy she was when she came home. She wanted to take some funny pictures with me:

This weekend was Sing Song at ACU. I'm proud to say that Siggies won for the 6th year in a row. They were french fries and had a really cute show. Unfortunately, James' poor Moonies got 3rd. Too bad, so sad.... It's my cousin Brenna's senior year - so this was her last show. It was fun seeing her and all of her friends so excited. I will be so sad when she is gone and all of her fun friends don't come over anymore! They make me laugh so much.

So... today starts a new week. Cora has her 2 month appointment on Tuesday. I'm so anxious to see how much she weighs. I feel like she is HUGE!!!

Happy Valentines Day!!!!

Well, what a fun day so far! First of all, it snowed this morning - so that was fun to see. Although, I am getting ready for some spring weather so we can go on more walks and take more trips to the park. Second, Cora slept for awhile this morning, and I really enjoyed my time with Kaitlyn. We made a few Valentine pictures, did some activities in her new workbook, and watched Curious George. She's not usually snuggly, but she really snuggled with me on the couch for a little bit. I really miss that with her and was thankful to have that time this morning.

THEN.... (a little background) yesterday, my friend Amber called to see if Kaitlyn wanted to go over and play with Emma today. So at 11:00, I took her over there, and found that James had left a card for me. Inside, it said that I had an appointment for a massage at 11:30 and lunch plans to follow. It also said, "Don't worry about tipping Natasha, I already took care of it." I just thought that was funny - like I go see Natasha often or something. Anyway, James had called Amber last week about all of this, so she was prepared to watch both girls. Thank you!! I had to run home and change clothes real quick - seeing as I was still in my pajamas at 11:15 in the afternoon. I went and got a FABULOUS massage, and then got to eat lunch at Fujis - one of my favorites. On the way there, he told me to look in the glove box (because it's way more dramatic than just handing it to me), and I found a diamond necklace that I have had my eye on for a long time! James Mayo - you are totally out of control. It was so fun to be surprised, and to get an awesome relaxing morning!

Thanks for the best Valentines Day ever. You made me feel very special today. Love you!

A Day in the Life.....

This post may be totally boring, but I wanted to record what one day looks like at our house. Unfortunately, yesterday started WAY too early...

4:30AM - Cora wakes up starving
4:45 AM - Kaitlyn decides to join us
5:10 - Get back in bed, but I can't go back to sleep, so I head to the gym
5:45-6:45 - Body Pump
6:45- 7:15 - ran on the treadmill. Almost died.
7:30 - home to find Kaitlyn has not been back to sleep since 4:45. Should make for an interesting morning.
8:00 - James leaves for work - 12 pounds lighter. Whatever. Why do guys lose weight so much faster than girls? I read a few blogs while eating my Kashi cereal.
8:30 - Cora wakes up starving again. Kaitlyn watches TV for an hour until I make her turn it off.
9:30 - Send Kaitlyn to bed to take a nap. If she's been up since 4:45 it feels like the afternoon to her right?
9:45-10:45 - I thought I could take a nap, but Cora decided to be wide awake and talkative, so I hung out with her.
11:00 - Kaitlyn finally falls asleep (She had been up playing until now)
11:00-11:30 - I lay on the couch with Cora and try to sleep - didn't happen.
11:30 - Feed Cora. Again. This child eats too much.
12:00 - James comes home for lunch and Kaitlyn wakes up. Man - that sure was a long nap.
12-1:00 - Get everyone fed for lunch
1:15-3:00 - Take girls fora walk around campus, followed by a trip to Sonic for a drink and an ice cream cone for Kaitlyn
3:00 - feed Cora - wow! She made it 3 and A HALF hours this time! Kaitlyn watches The Backyardigans
3:30 - Kaitlyns attitude gets a little out of control, so she goes to her room for awhile. I start hearing her "play the blues" on her harmonica. After laughing to myself, I go talk to her about why she is in there, etc. and let her out. Then I cleaned the living room, washed dishes, washed out bottles, swept the kitchen floor, put on a load of clothes, and straighted up our bedroom
4:45 - Leave to go pick up James for a family trip to Hobby Lobby! I had to get stuff for Kaitlyn's Valentines box. She needs it for school on Tuesday. Nothing like waiting until the last minute.
6:00 - Home. Get dinner ready and eat.
6:30 - Help Kaitlyn do "her homework" as she calls it. We decorate her box while James feeds Cora.
7:15 - Start the bath for Kaitlyn
7:30 - Switch with James. I take Cora who usually gets fussy about this time. He makes sure Kaitlyn is clean, dries her hair, puts PJs on her, reads, prays, goodnight...
8:15 - James and Kaitlyn are both asleep in her bed. Nice. Anyone remember that I've been up since 4:45?!?!?!?!?!?!? Just wondering.
8:45 - Start making a CD for a sweet girl in our huddle group. I love iTunes.
9:00 - Katie comes over for a quick visit so I can burn a couple of her CD's. I love Katie Hooper!
9:30 - Feed Cora her last bottle for the night.
10:45 - She finally goes to sleep and I pass out in bed.

Well, there you have it. One long day. BUT - Cora slept all night! She didn't wake up until a little after 6:00 this morning. She's getting better!!!

I should be sleeping, but I'm blogging.

I had to change the template of this blog. I was getting so sick of the other one! I would LOVE a custom template - Kristen, how did you get yours??? Anyway, this will do for now.



Today has been a relaxing day. Me and the girls stayed in our pajamas until 3:00 this afternoon. If it would not have been for my friend Kat coming over, we probably would have stayed in them all day. It was great! I even got a 2 hour nap!


On Wednesday Kaitlyns good friend Emma came over to play. They have become such sweet friends and play really well together. It's fun to watch and listen to them.







We had some friends over to watch the Super Bowl last Sunday - and may I just add that I love the Colts. I love Tony Dungy, and Peyton Manning. It was a fun game to watch - but more fun to hang out with fun people!

Michael, Holly and Cora's future husband Riley

Our new friends Clint and Kat! Kaitlyn LOVES them...

Shout out to Lindsay, Brenna, and Katie who were also here - but the picture of all of the girls came out blurry! Bummer. We had fun though!

My cousin, Brenna is a Siggie and has been teaching Kaitlyn all of the Siggie songs. It's hilarious to listen to her sing them. Brenna babysat for us the other night and took Kaitlyn to Sing Song practice where they were decorating their costumes. I'm sure Brenna didn't get much done on hers, but Kaitlyn came home thinking she was 18 years old. I was changing Cora's diaper the other day, and Kaitlyn goes, "Mom - do you know that Cora is a Siggie?" Hilarious.

Brenna and Cora
Cora had her baby blessing at church last Sunday. It was so sweet - I love the way they do it at Highland. I will write about that tomorrow - it's 11:30pm and I better get some sleep while I can.

One more thing real quick - Kaitlyn knows pretty much all of the words to Beyonce's song Irreplaceable. I have got to post a video of that. To the left, to the left.......

Happy Birthday Mr. Progress 2007!!!

Today is James' 29th birthday! One more year until the big 3-0. Crazy!! His company had an awards dinner last night where he won "Mr. Progress 2007." I was so proud of him! Though I'm not completely sure what "Progress" is, I think it's a publication the newspaper puts out once a year that highlights what's going on in Abilene. It's supposedly a pretty big deal - one advertisers look forward to all year. James was the only one on his team to exceed the goal. And he's only been there 90 days! I really enjoyed meeting the people he works with every day. He is enjoying this job so much and is doing really great at it.

So, thank you James for working so hard to support our family! We are all very proud of you. Thank you for being such a wonderful daddy to your two girls, and a wonderful husband to me. Though I may not show it or tel you enough, I am so blessed to have you in my life every day.

Happy Birthday!!!

Here are a few more pictures that I've taken the past couple of days. Cora is such a little smiler! We enjoyed the beautiful weather yesterday and went to the zoo.

A Better Update

Okay, now I have a little bit more time. Here's how things are going.


Cora

She is a great baby for the most part. She has had a few days of crying her head off every time she is awake though. We have found that she loves for us to swing her in her car seat, and she likes sitting in her bouncy seat on top of a running dryer. Those two things calm her down with out fail. She sleeps really good, and if we can stay up and feed her the last bottle around 10 or 11, we only have to get up once with her, and then up in the morning. That's not too bad! She does have really sweet dimples on both cheeks, and so far her eyes are still bright blue. She had an abstructed tear duct, but that has cleared up - thank goodness. She is definitely putting on the weight! We find new rolls every day. We are so blessed to have another happy, healthy baby girl!


Kaitlyn

She seems to be adjusting well to being a big sister. She always wants to help, and will go get anything we need her to. We kind of feel lazy asking her to go get a diaper, go get a paci, a burp rag, etc. But she loves being in that role I think. Everytime she wakes up or comes home from school, she has to know where Cora is. The first time we put Cora on top of the dryer, Kaitlyn freaked out and yelled, "No! Don't wash Cora!!!"

We are really trying to figure out an approach to discipline that works. She is so strong willed and defiant sometimes. She is into talking back, and making really mean faces. We've tried sending her to her room - put she'll just play in there. Spankings work sometimes, but not consistently. There is nothing she is super attatched to that we could take away. So, I've ordered two books in hopes of finding some other alternatives. The Strong Willed Child by James Dobson, and another book called Shepherding a Childs Heart.


James

He is really loving his new job at the Abilene Reporter News. He has done really well so far! He is such a great daddy to both of these girls. He is always up for a sleepover in Kaitlyn's princess tent, a game of hide and seek, or letting Cora take long naps with him on the couch. I know it's hard for him to be at work all day long, but working so close to home he usually spends his lunch hour with us. Another thing I love about Abilene!


Me

Well, I'm trying to get used to staying home with two girls. Housework is never done, and dinner is rarely ready when I plan for it to be. Laundry is hard to keep under control, and I rarely get out of my pajamas. But I love every minute of it. I love the special time I get with Cora when Kaitlyn is at school, and I love when Kaitlyn is home and we can all hang out.

I'm finally back into the swing of things at the gym. It feels so good to exercise again. I'm in a little six week weight loss contest with some girls. Wish me luck! I have lots to lose that's for sure.

I guess that's about all for now - here are a few more pictures.

Happy Girl....

Sisters

Kaitlyn singing her High School Musical songs. She's quite the performer.

Cora chillin' out on top of the dryer. Whatever works!

Quick Update

I just have a second, I'll write more later - but here is a quick update. Cora is a little over 5 weeks old! Crazy! She is really starting to fill out. She is a good baby for the most part. She is not awake that much at all. I don't remember Kaitlyn sleeping this much! Here is a picture that I just snapped of her. Not the greatest, but it's her! We are hoping her eyes stay blue!

A couple of weeks ago, me and some of my girlfriends took Kaitlyn to see Abilene's rendition of High School Musical. It was more like Elementary School Musical - the kids were so young! It was hilarious, but Kaitlyn loved it and enjoyed singing along to all of the songs. We have since bought her the CD, and she listens to it non stop. She will even try to do all the dance moves. She's quite the performer, letting everyone know when "her part" is coming up.

We have been traveling the past week and a half. I took the girls to Lubbock for a couple of days during the week. We enjoyed hanging out with Mamaw and Pappy! Then this past weekend we spent in Dallas seeing James' family. I'll have to write more about that later - time to go pick up the big sister.