What's New?

There have been many, many first's in the past few months and lots of things that are changing but aren't quite first's so I'm going to just document a few!

What's new with Hannah:In the past say, 6 months.

This was taken for Hannah's 2 year pics

This was taken right when Hannah was 2 1/2 years old

• peddling her tricycle
• communication (Hannah's communication skills have improved so much!)
• She now asks me where we are going?, what I'm doing, she's learning manners!!, she is asking for things instead of "demanding" them, she remembers what places are like church, school, store, who's house we are at, who's car is who's, she (pretends) to read her stories
• Hannah has trimmed down so much in the past 6 months, her jaw line is really starting to show and my sweet girl is looking less and less like the baby she "appeared" to be just 6 months ago! She looks closer to a little girl than even a toddler!  (If you're a mom then you probably understand what I mean by that)
• She still has her "terrible two's" moments but they are really coming less and less
• She is really maturing and her reasoning is really starting to develop 
• Hannah actually noticably stops in her tracks when she realizes she is about to do something she isn't supposed to be and then turns around after contemplating it for a few seconds and does something else!
• Hannah is in go-go-go mode constantly!  She is so busy and when I'm home with the girls and we don't have much planned I start racking my brain for activities we can get into so she isn't idle.  
• If she is idle for even 10 minutes she starts getting into trouble or messing around with things she knows she isn't supposed to and all reasoning (what we spoke about in previous bullet) goes out the door! 
• Hannah is an intelligent little booger!  I'm not just being bias... She really is!  She knows when I am indisposed at the moment (like if I'm feeding sissy, pumping, taking a shower) and can't immediately can't get to her, before she starts messing with things she KNOWS she's shouldn't be.  EX: I'll be in the shower and here walks in Hannah (so innocently) asking me what I am doing (isn't it obvious?) and then she starts digging through my "hair" drawer, grabs one of my hair products and starts to unscrew the lid.... The entire time I'm saying "Hannah, No!, Hannah, No!, Hannah Grace, I SAID NO!" Then I proceed to threaten her with time-out and spankings, and if that doesn't work then I tell her (a last resort lie) "if you mess with that it will make you very, very sick!"  Finally, something has worked... She looks up at me and repeats "It will make me berry berry sick?" Yes! It worked she puts it up and I rush to finish up my shower so she or Olivia don't completely tear the house apart!    
• Hannah and Olivia has recently started getting bath's together (It is SO much easier if I can bathe them at the same time!).  It keeps OK occupied for a little bit and Hannah busy being a (mommy) to OK.  
• I can now ask Hannah to run and get me something and she does it! Woo Hoo for a little extra help!! 
• For example I'll ask her to go grab me a diaper and a wipe for sissy.  Hannah may grab a diaper like she's asked but she'll probably grab about 10 wipes and one for herself.  I can hardly complain she's helping me out so much! 
• Hannah's love for music continues to grow and her love for books do as well! That personally makes my heart swell! I've always had a love for both and I'd be so happy if that carried on to her!
• Recently Hannah started horse ridding lessons!!! With that 10 second attention span she has I was a little worried that she'd get impatient and want off, but surprisingly she wanted off after 10 minutes not 10 seconds!  I refused to be there the 1st few lessons because it makes me so nervous, which is silly because I grew up around horses, I love them, and I had a connection with them that can't be explained.  I can only hope that my girls have that same love for animals especially horses that I do/did!  She was asleep before lunch time.  Her instructor a dear friend of my family was SO good with her and completely exhausted her! She rode, led, brushed, and just sat on the horse the entire hour.  Along with touring his yard which is full of horses, donkey's, and dogs!  
• Hannah's new favorite show is BARNEY!  We watch it so much that his annoying little laugh is driving me insane!! Hannah loves him so much that we I park the car she tells me that she'll stay in there so she can watch it.  Hannah will actually sit in the same spot for almost the entire movie because she is entranced by it! 

• Hannah's new favorite book is called Vera's Baby Sister.  It is totally a cute book and I may or may not change the names to Hannah and Olivia while I'm reading it.  She wants me (or daddy) to read it to her every night before bedtime. 

 What's new with Olivia!

This was taken 6 months ago

• Olivia started sitting up around 5 1/2 to 6 months old.
• She is now 8 1/2 months old and crawling ALL over the place!
• About a week after she started crawling she started pulling up.  Now she's making an attempt to pull up on everything she can get her fingers around.  
• She is now eating 2 jars of baby food a day (sometimes they are not the entire jar but at least half)
• She's drinking (chewing) out of a sippy cup.
• She is not as independent as Hannah was/is.  She has to be in the same room as you are 24/7.  She will not have it if you set her down and walk out for even 2 seconds.  
• OK is constantly intrigued by things that she's also not supposed to be intrigued by.  Meaning, whatever Hannah is playing with OK wants to play with it too.  Thousands of toys can be scattered all over the floor and she finds the nearest cord and messes with it.  

• She is straight up momma's girl!! I.LOVE.IT! Right now anyway ;) 

Olivia Kate at 8 1/2 months

• I give her snacks to keep her busy while I'm cooking or cleaning or just need a break.  I give her snacks like: Baby Mum Mums, those little Gerber pin wheel thingy's (I can't think of their real name), Puffs, and tiny pieces of these organic bars called Grammy Sammy's.  Textures still get to her a bit.  It's usually a losing battle for me when I feed her jar food.  And you can forget the textured jar food.  She flat out refuses that.  I just keep telling myself consistency will win out in the end but the girl is already PICKY!!!!   

•  Olivia's personality is really evolving and she is becoming more and more her own person. 
• Olivia will make sure you know when she is hungry and she'll make sure you know when she's done or doesn't like something.  
• She already pouts! What?! Does this happen this early? Or is it something she's picked up from Hannah?  I'll never know but she sure is good at it!  
• She like Hannah has the pouty lip perfected!
• Olivia loves other kids/babies she just goes into freak mode when she is confronted with another baby!  She just starts kicking her legs, making all kinds of noises, grabbing, laughing and wants the other child.  It's the funniest thing ever!  She gets so excited and it tickles me to death!  

These are just a few of the things that are new in my girls lives and it would seriously take ALL day to list out everything.  I am enjoying every phase of their lives and take each melt down with a grain of salt because really my girls are good girls and they are sweetie pies!! Maybe I am a bit bias but I LOVE BEING MOM!! Specifically their mommy!!! That's all for now! 

The Fast Lane

Hey y'all!!! YES I'm still here but I learned a whole new definition for the word busy!  I am non-stop these days and I can barely sit down to type a paper due for class, so sadly I've put my blogging on the back burner. 

I tell ya life in the fast lane is NO fun!!! Everything is changing and happening so quickly I feel like just by blinking my eyes something new happens or some sort of change occurs.  I enjoy seeing my girls grow, spending all day with them, loving on them whenever I feel like it, but nowadays I can't (not as much as I'd like to anyway!).  I've just got 9,434,242,256 things going on!! I do get to spend a few hours at a time with them but definitely not as much as I'd like. 

I have less than 6 months until by baby girl Hannah is 3!!! THREE!! And less 4 month until Olivia turns one!! ONE!!! I mean when did that happen?!? 

I have a new editing program and I was playing around (before class started) with this one!! LOVE IT!

I just ADORE these bloomers!

My handsome baby daddy!

So much has changed with both of their personalities and I can't wait to one day get back on here and update you on what's new with them.  But for now you will just have to enjoy a couple pictures of them!  I hope to return soon and not months from now! Much love to you all!!!!

The Reality Is....

It's been about a month since my last post and well I like so many of you have been very busy. Bare with me on this post.....  

This post is something I don't like really doing.  Baring it all.  Laying out my feelings.  Expressing to "strangers" how I feel, not that any of you are truly strangers, but you get my point...  It makes me feel vulnerable and exposed, but I need this.  I needed to write down my feelings because that is the only way I feel like I can get the weight lifted off my shoulders.  And I actually do feel better since typing this out.  But please be kind because I'm not a huge fan of exposing myself this way....

Reality /rēˈalətē/

Noun               1.  The world or the state of things as they actually exist, as opposed to an idealistic or notional idea of them: "he refuses to face reality".

Reality, it's such a small word but it means so much.  It shows you exactly the things you don't want to see and then the things you don't actually believe you are seeing or are happening to you.  Good or bad.  They say life is reality.  I tend to agree with that on some level, however I tend to disagree.  Why exactly is it when something bad occurs there is always someone there to say, "that's life, that's reality"?  And when something great happens you, you never hear "that's life, that's reality".  Is it because sometimes when good things happen you feel like it was a dream?  But then why?  Do you feel you aren't lucky enough to have good things happen to you all the time? Or are we just so used to bad things happening that we feel like good things are almost not real? 

I've been thinking about death a lot lately.  But I've also been thinking a lot about life too.  Death, death, death.... It's so easy to say but it's so hard to accept.  Life, life, life.... It too is an easy little word to say but it's colorful definition(s) are so hard to actually do.  To live your life you must accept death.  But why?  Why must we accept that there is an ending to such a beautiful thing? Even if there is a lot of ugly mixed in it.  

The reality is, my reality is, is over the past 7 almost 8 months I have experienced so much life and too much death and heartache.  I have experienced happiness but so much sadness.  Sometimes I wonder why we (as in people) focus on the bad, ugly, sad parts of our lives? Why does the dark seem to cloud up the light? Why does sadness or death seem to stick out in my life like a sore thumb?  Is it the devil?  I think it is.  But I'm scared.  I'm scared of what my family's future holds.  

My reality is my grandpa.  My grandpa was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia a few weeks ago, I can't even remember how long its been.  Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow — the spongy tissue inside bones where blood cells are made.  He started chemo last week, we were told that this was his only chance.  They said without the chemo there was no chance of survival.  But with the chemo there is less than 24% of a chance he'll make it through it.  And not forgetting to mention there is the five years after the chemo that he has to have continuous check ups and if the chemo works there is still a high possibility that he may need a bone marrow transplant.  My grandpa is 84 years old.  He just started his chemo which is actually a less aggressive treatment.  He only goes once a month for four days.  His "last" first treatment was last Thursday.  He was sick by Sunday and in the hospital on Monday.  The doctor told us that he would have an even higher risk of getting infections because AML attacks your blood cells (white and red).  When they got him to the hospital he looked deathly (from what my mom told me) the doctors/nurses were very concerned.  They ran tests and more tests and found out that he's actually has an infection in the blood.  Some sort of fungal infection.  I have no idea what in the hell this means.  I do know that it could be Sepsis.  This is not good.  This is not good in a young person but it's much worse in an elderly person. 

If the cancer doesn't kill him, then the infections may take care of the job for it.  That was what I read up on here.  He is very sick and I can't stand the thought of him suffering like this.  I just can't stand it! This is my grandpa.  The one who my sister and I would spend an entire week with once a year when we were growing up.  The very one who when were were kids bought us a dozen doughnuts because we begged for them and then made us eat one doughnut every hour until they were gone.  That is the reason why I'm not a huge fan of doughnuts to this day.  It just seems so unfair.  I know that's selfish because there are tons of people out there who are suffering.  But this is my grandpa.  And I hate cancer.  I hate the infections AML causes.  I HATE ACUTE MYELOID LEUKEMIA! 

Right now my grandpa is still in the hospital.  I don't know when he will get to go home or if he... I don't want to say it, think it, or even type it.  Right now I'm sitting here typing this and my eyes are burning with unshed tears and heart is breaking, breaking for the pain my grandpa is having to endure and for the pain that will come.  My heart is breaking and I am so sad, so angry, and I guess I'm in denial.  I'm not ready to let go.  I'm not ready to experience the one thing I've not really thought about... Letting go.  I'm not ready... I'm not ready to start letting go of anyone, much less my grandpa.  I'm not ready to see my own father and uncles cry from losing their daddy.  I'm not ready to see the look of heartache and loss on my dads face.  I'm not ready... Yet everything inside me is screaming "You better get READY!!!".  I hate this.  

My other grandfather, my moms father passed away in March of this year.  He found out he had lung cancer on a Wednesday or Thursday and he passed away less than 2 weeks later.  He actually never suffered.  He passed away peacefully.  It was a quick but painless way to heaven.  Very much different than my dad's father.  We as kids never really spent much time with my mom's dad.  They worked in a very progressive industry where they opened and business from the ground up and now that business is extremely successful.  So we spent more time with my dad's parents.  That's why we are so much closer with them.  That's why my heart is breaking so badly. 

The reality is, my reality is, is over the past 7 almost 8 months I've experienced so much life but too much death and heartache.  This is just my reality.  I'm not saying that what is going on in my life supersedes your problems.  But right now in this very moment I feel like a piece of my heart is breaking off and it can never be mended.  There will forever be a chunk missing from it.  Do scars really make you tougher?

2nd Annual Cousins Cookout

Last year we started up a tradition that we will hopefully continue as the years pass! 

2011 at the 1st Annual Cousins Cookout!

Since we (Harper side aka Moms side of the family) no longer get together for Thanksgiving or Christmas we cousins decided that doing a cookout mid year would be the best way to see each other and have a good time! 

2012 2nd Annual Cousins Cookout!

Last year was the start of it and it was just a regular cookout (hot dogs and hamburgers) with all the cousins and our kids!! Talk about a large ginormous group!  This year we did a Hawaiian theme and decided to enjoy ourselves without the kids and it was so much fun an a nice change. 

There was a lot of corn hole, football, limbo, and pool played, as well as, food eaten!! I'm pretty sure I grazed the entire evening!  We had drum sticks marinated in some kind of Hawaiian jerk sauce, pulled pork, chips and dip, fruit kabobs, deviled eggs, nuts, cookie cake, orange and pineapple cake!  Oh and we had pinacoladas and margaritas!!!



Such a fun evening and many memories to look back on! Can't wait until next year!!!!!

Please notice Kyle's face in this picture..... LOL

Totally oblivious!

The guys!

Never a dull moment... of course they couldn't take a serious picture!

Baby Food Edition!

This post is going to be strictly on how I make Olivia's baby food.  It may not be how you do it or how you would have done it but it is simply my way! :)  I am just learning as I go and that in itself is a task.  If it is not a romance novel then usually I am not interested in reading it.... Just kidding! 

So it's pretty simple and really doesn't take much time to make 1st foods (I have no clue about 2nd foods FYI).  You just  have to take a little extra time to actually buy, peel, cook, blend, freeze, bag, and then date! 

First things first!
Step # 1
Go to your local farmers market (besides it being organic it's a great way to support local farmers!) and buy the goodies!! Best first foods are usually apples, avocados, bananas, squash, sweet potatoes, pears, green beans, peas, peaches, prunes etc.

 I started with things I thought would be tastiest... Apples, bananas, pears, sweet potatoes, and then squash.  So far Olivia has tasted all but the squash and I've tasted them too, yes I have.  If you can think past the texture you will taste the difference and wow! the difference!!! I tasted the apples and since it was puree apples you can't help but let it touch every inch of your mouth and it was like a apple explosion went off!!! SERIOUSLY!!!  Delicious doesn't even describe the flavor although I can't say the same about the texture (it takes some serious mind control to block out the mushy puree texture).  So with that being said I was ready to start cooking baby food seriously. 


Step # 2
Wash the vegetable or fruit very well don't hesitate to scrub that sucker! You may not keep the peeling but I just sit and think about all the different hands that touch and squeezed my goodie before I picked it out.... Eeeewwww!  So scrub a dub, dub!

Step # 3
Peel away.... I always end up cutting too much fruit or veggie away when I use a knife so I used a hand held peeler and once I got the hang of it I could peel a sweet potato in record time!  Don't fret if you didn't get all the peeling off because that is where a lot of the nutrients are (take note though in first foods taking most of the peeling off isn't a bad thing because it's harder to swallow and those little ones are just learning to do that so too much peeling = bad)

Step # 4
Cut up into cubed pieces or however the shape or size and throw them into a pot!  Pour water on them just enough to cover them and then cook them until they are soft.  However, be sure you do not cook them too long because if you over cook them more than likely the nutrients will have cooked out. 

Step # 5
Throw them into a blender or food processor.  Sometimes the water they were cooked in will be enough to puree them.  Plus by using the water they were cooked in will replace some of the nutrients that were cooked out. PRESS BLEND!

Step # 6
Pour into ice cub trays or you can buy the breast milk storage bags and measure out in ounces you want to serve your baby at each feeding and freeze!!! What I did was pour the sweet potato into ice trays and froze them.  I will admit that it was a aggravation once they were frozen because the veggie/fruit doesn't just pop out of the trays like ice... They kind of stick so it was a pain in the bum to get them out.  After they were out I bagged them into the breast milk storage bags because they are freezer safe and stored them back in the freezer!

Step # 7
Prepare and serve... I know you're thinking PREPARE??? But once they are frozen they have to be thawed!  So just run the bag of food under hot or warm water or you can just let it thaw in the fridge a few hours before (I've done both btw) and serve at a warm or room temperature.  I will sometimes add infant oatmeal if the fruit or veggie was too juicy; the oatmeal just thickened it up a bit. 

Side Note:::  Frozen baby food only last about 6 weeks in a freezer so don't go over achiever on yourself or you will end up making too much and having to throw it out at the end of 6 weeks!  Good luck and I hope you've found this post.... enlightening some how! :)) Have a great day folks!