Gabriel's first birthday and all his accomplishments

My how time sure flies. This time last year I was healing from a c-section and my husband was preparing to deploy but we did survive and now have celebrated with family and friends our little Gabriel turning one year old. It is amazing all he has done and how much he has grown.  Starting as our little peanut at 7 pounds 4 ounces at birth now weighs 22 pounds and 8.3 ounces. The funniest part is that he has a good chance of catching Makenzi in the coming months for weight.

Gabriel has accomplished so much in a year he can crawl regularly and pull himself up effortlessly as well as use furniture to walk across the room. He eats normal food and drinks milk with out issues. He is fascinated by Disney's Cars and we are slowly turning his room into a Cars room. He can say "Mama", "Dada", "baba", "no", and "hi".  He waves and claps his hand. He loves banging on hard surfaces to make noise. He has the funniest laugh and make fun expressions depending on the environment. He's very opinionated already and if he doesn't like something, he let's you know big time.  However with making that comment he also is very receptive to new experiences and will try any food we put in front of him.

The relationship between Gabriel and Makenzi is also growing and blooming into a wonderful friendship.  They don't always get along but Makenzi is very loving and helpful with her little brother. She stays on top of his sippie cup staying full and will set it on the counter when empty or if he leaves it for long enough sitting in the toys. She also helps him with play time and teaches him how to play with his self propelling cars among other toys.  Makenzi will also let me know if Gabriel is doing something he isn't suppose to or if he is running his eyes. Its so cute.

The last little update I wanted to share was that I'm super excited about a trip to California in the making for this May. Not only will it be Gabe's first plane trip and California trip but we will be taking the kids to Disneyland, Sea World, the San Diego Zoo, as well as visiting the mountains for a few days and Santa Barbara for a few days so put aside some time to come visit with us or join us for one of the parks. I'll let y'all know dates once we get them.

Thank you all for the love and support. This year is promising to be very entertaining and I'll be sharing everything I can along the way.

Christmas with lil ones

This Christmas I was stumped as to what to get for the kids. So I went off what they responded to while we were out which was Cinderella, lalaloopsy, and books for my 2 year old girl and cars and things that lit up and made music for my almost 1 year old baby boy. Watching them play with their new toys was exactly what I needed to see I chose right for them. With every gift they opened they were happy even the clothing got big smiles from them. They loved their Santa gifts which were given to them at my husbands work party they got tpy drums,books, dolls, coloring books and crayons, play dough, and so much more. The last bit they get tonight is family gifts and a special gift from the marine corps. All in all this morning has been a happy and wonderful event and a great prelude to the day. Merry Christmas to all of you.

life has been a little crazy but were still here

Well hello my friends sorry I have not been blogging since our mini vacation to merytle beach life has been a little crazy with a very serious note but I'm back now and can't wait to get back to sharing some fun crafts and reviews in just a little so please stay tuned and later today I'll be sharing some of the crafts I've been up to and some delicious cookies too.

Hubby home and getting back into the swing of things

So after a wonderful homecoming, we took a great vacation down to Myrtle Beach.  We were able to stay ocean front with a private balcony and though it wasn't "high end" it was still very comfortable and perfect for a family of 4. We spent most of the evening at Broadway at the Beach, an out door shopping center that also has rides and attractions.  We ate dinner a few times at a seafood buffet called Hooks, super fresh and yummy and best of all no wait for dinner.  We spent a little time at the pool with the kids and they absolutely love water and swimming, its crazy. I took tons of pictures of the kids and just had a ball watching my little family come back together and really build bonds back up.  After the beach we went to My hubby's parents house where we went to the NC Zoo and saw the dinosaur exhibit.  We didn't think our little girl would be afraid of the dinos but she would point and name them but didn't want to get close it was cute and she wouldn't walk up to the dinos alone she had to be in Daddy's arms. It was a wonderful vacation and I was just so happy to have family time.

2 under 2 no more :)

Well, this has been in my cards the whole times I have been a mom of 2.  That one day I could no longer claim I am a mom of 2 under 2 as my oldest is now 2.  I wouldn't be taking this that hard if my husband was home to celebrate this amazing thing with us, but we have decided to wait until he gets home to celebrate our little girl's birthday it was still hard to deal with alone.  Luckily we were able to go and share the day with others dealing with this deployment at the squadron and learn some new things about ourselves in the process.  I learned that as long as my daughter is playing with toys I can leave her with a sitter with out her realizing I left and not have her freak out when I get back. I also learned that my son does not know what to do when a man is holding him and kind of freaks out.  Our commanding officer picked him up while they were trying to get him a bottle and I guess he was not sure if he liked being held by a guy, this should make homecoming interesting. 

So with everything going on I am trying to finish getting the house organized and finally have made some head way with pulling things out of the attic and going through them.  I have 3 big boxes to donate to homeless shelters or thrift stores depending on what I find in the area and I am sure I have more to add to that.  I decided that enough was enough and that we did not need to be carrying things around with us for no reason.  I still have about 5 boxes in the attic left to pull out but I decided that the 5 I pulled today would need to be dealt with first and put away properly.  It really feels great to get things organized and I am amazed at the things I have found.  I have a million pads of paper, a bunch of unused flash cards, binders with dividers, a ton of pens, and so much more so I think I am set to go back to school. Yes I am going to be going back to school and getting my Masters of Arts in History with a concentration on European History, hopefully.  I will be figuring everything out once my husband gets home and I can get into the education office on base.

Anyway, so life has been on the go go go here with play dates, beach trips, shopping trips, and plenty of birthday parties to go around.  I know that life isn't going to slow down this month with finishing the house organization and getting my projects finished but shopping trips will not be happening any further until the hubby gets home with one exception to go pick up a free toy my daughter got from Toys R Us, yay for birthday clubs. Well, that is what is going on here. I am continuing to keep busy and keep the kids busy as well and just hope I can really get this house organized finally (clean too).

Well, stay tuned to check out what happens next in our crazy on the go life. 

Quick tip, when facing deployments and you have children who enjoy coloring or making art projects, the best way to keep dad or mom involved with the kids is to send those projects in a care package to show progression or just the creative side of your child.  We had tons of fun coloring and the using the pages to decorate the care packages with the pictures and inspirational notes. 

The wonderful crayon case to go

So one afternoon I was looking at different shops and found this little crayon case and thought what a great idea but what if it would hold more? so I cam home and started looking at the material I had a came across a nice size piece of material I had already cut and sewed into one large piece of stripped material.  I made a pillow of sorts without the stuffing then ironed it flat and folded it into thirds then unfolded one part of the third so that I was left with a nice size pocket then measured out 3/4 of an inch spots to fit the crayons which I double checked a few slots before I sewed them in place and decided that 24 slots was just the right amount and left larger pockets open to either side to hold other things as they grow.  The slots can also hold small colored pencils and thing markers ( which you could modify the design to hold thicker markers or make the whole thing wider to hold full size markers and colored pencils.) I think put in the crayons and affixed snaps to the case where the edge meets the main body, the snaps came from one of my daughters old onesies that I am using for her memory quilt.  Then I put her initials on it as I had them left over from a bag I made for her a while ago.  She is 2 years old and loves to color and can actually put them in and take them out on her own though right now I am still assisting her with this to avoid a giant mess of crayons. This case has already come in hand with her first sleep over she brought the case and I grabbed 2 pictures and her and her friend had fun coloring as a way to wind down before bed. 

So this case is fun for the kids and I found them fun to make and after running some numbers found that I can make and ship these for a flat $20 and a turn around of a week. So for those not interested in making them but would like to get one for your child or a child you know shot me an email at a.reynolds0809@yahoo.com

Oh yeah, if you order more than 3 you get a 20% discount on your total purchase.  Just mention my blog and the code casex320. Can't wait to work with you.

Gabriel and Makenzi big update

The kids are growing like weeds. Gabe Turned 6 months at the beginning of July and weighs 16 pounds and is 28 1/4 inches tall which is the same height at Makenzi at 18 months.  He is tall and skinny just like his daddy.  He is already wearing 6/9 month pjs though his regular clothing range from 0/3 month stuff to 6/9 month stuff.  It is amazing to say he is finally growing out of some of the 0/3 and 3/6 month stuff but most of it still fits besides the pjs.  He took his 6 month shots like a pro and only cried for a minute his doctor said he is very healthy and though weight is in the 60% his height and head have him in the 90% so they said he was good to go.  Gabe these days enjoys rolling around on the floor, attempting to sit on his own, holding his chest off the ground, eating pureed foods, holding his own bottle, and attempting to feed himself Gerber Puffs.  He has had very little interest in crawling but loves to jump in the jumper and watch Makenzi run around. He just loves when she stops to talk to him or plays with him.  She also likes to give him toys he cant really play with but at least she is sharing.

Makenzi is also growing up so fast.  She is now 2 years old and just like me.  she is 28 pounds and 35 inches tall.  She also took her shot like a champ and had also did pretty good with getting her picture done for her 2nd birthday.  Though we didn't have a party on her birthday we are planning to have one when Tyler gets home, we did get to sing to her at a homecoming banner making party which she loved all the attention and had a blast running around with the other kids.  She has so much fun playing with kids right around her age as well as playing with kids that are a quite a bit older than her as well.  She is also adding words and actually saying sentences now. We will soon be starting her potty training and I have gotten some great tips from everyone so if one tip doesn't work we will try another and I have a few that I plan to use together so thank you everyone for your success tips.  I am also happy to say she likes getting her hair done up daily and likes wearing "shoes and socks" as she likes to say.  I cannot believe all the words she has picked up now and she sings along to twinkle twinkle little star and is starting to sing the ABCs along with a handful of songs from her favorite shows.

Well, lately we have just been keeping super busy with play dates and going thru different stuff in the house trying to get rid of things we do not need to be storing. I have also been working hard on getting projects completed because I know when Tyler gets home I will have even less time and energy to do them, so, I have been trying to get them further along if not completed.  I know Makenzi is benefiting big time from getting to play with other kids and have gotten to see a completely different side of her with sharing, which she is pretty good at.  Just today she was being a brat and not sharing when I told her she better share or I am letting the other child have both toys she promptly handed one of the toys over then when she saw how happy the other child was she handed the other toy over and found something else to play with. Gabe also loves being around other kids and I think loves the kids attention than adult attention.  He is all smiles most of the time and Makenzi is too.  I try to keep them occupied and on schedule for the most part though I take them off their schedule from time to time to keep things interesting for all of us.  We have also been able to get thru a full day of running errands with little to no break downs.  I know Makenzi misses her daddy and I cannot wait to have my family whole again.

I am doing well with everything as well. I have managed to lose most of the weight I have been wanting to just a little to go and I will get to my ideal weight.  I have kept myself busy with projects and currently have 1 painting left to do, 3 quilts to finish, and 2 blankets to finish. Plus getting the house fully cleaned up and ready for the hubby to come home to and relax.  Still have a little time to go and so wish I could tell everyone when he will be back but security is our main concern and am unable to pass that information along.  I guess its time to really go thru each room one at a time and clean and organize each room.  Well, that is all that is going on out here.

Stay tuned for the next post I have some great new projects finished and some reviews coming your way.  Take care and thanks for reading.