Check out the Give Away!

I have a seriously talented, DIY, beautiful friend, Andi. We've been friends since our BYU college days. She has an amazing Apron Shop and her equally amazing sisters make handmade items for their company TwinkleBee. Andi's doing some giveaways on her blog. Andi sent me one of her aprons and I'm so in LOvE! I pretty much wear it all the time when I'm at home and sometimes when I'm not. :) Go check out her blog. You won't be sorry!

5 months

Kylene rolled from her back to her stomach for the first time today. She's been rolling to her side for a while now and reaching for toys behind her and today she made the flip. Now she can go both ways. I bet it won't be long before I find her in a different place from where I laid her down. :) Our nickname for Kylene is "Missy Moo". Don't ask me why, it's just our endearing term for her. Even Connor uses it sometimes.

I've been surprised at the relationship Connor and Kylene have formed already. They really enjoy each other and Connor can get belly laughs from Kylene. It's so fun to watch them interact.

Kylene LOVES baths.

She also LOVES going on walks in the umbrella stroller.

She also LOVES attention and being talked and sung too. Trust me, she leads a great life. :)

She also LOVES sitting in her highchair with us at dinner time. Most of the time she'll knock whatever toys we gave her to play with onto the floor, but she doesn't care. She's just interested in seeing what we're doing and being a part of it all.

She's started pulling herself up to a sitting position more and more, especially when she's trying to get to something.

We know she's still little, but she seems to be changing and growing so fast also.

We're all still in love with our little Missy Moo.

Potty Training

One Bob the Builder Potty Training Seat: $13 Three pairs of Lightning McQueen Underwear: $8
A little boy going to the bathroom by himself: PRICELESS

We are so proud of Connor. It took Byron and I a little while to commit to potty training Connor, but once we did, he did great. Ahh, one less poopy diaper o change is a beautiful, beautiful thing. Way to go buddy!

milestone

For about a month now Kylene has shown interest in solid foods. And the interest has been increasing. How has she shown interest you may ask? She wants to sit at the table with us when we're eating instead of being on the floor. She immediately reaches for the plate and I've had to pry some food out of her hands that she snuck by me before they got to her mouth. She watches my fork go from my plate to my mouth licking her lips. She reaches out for my cup whenever I'm drinking. I can hardly hold her anymore when I'm trying to drink or eat because she's so insistent in trying to get at whatever I have. But it really wasn't until other people, some complete strangers, started commenting on the same things I saw, I knew I wasn't seeing things. This girl wanted her some solid food! So tonight I mixed up some rice cereal, you know, the good stuff. Got her in her highchair, brought the spoon to her mouth, held my breath, and...the verdicts in. She's a fan. A big one. I had to mix up some more.

Doesn't the first picture below spell complete satisfaction? She doesn't even know what's in store. Don't worry little lady, there's more than just rice cereal. Wait until you get the mixed fruit. It'll knock your socks off.

And look, at 5 mths she's feeding herself. What a good little girl. :)

This might bring back memories of another little girl about 29 years ago for my parents. I guess she loved her rice cereal too.

Easter

Our Easter weekend started with a ward breakfast and Easter Egg Hunt at the Institute Building. All the kids were keyed up and excited for the hunt while the parents ate breakfast. Why do we as adults always bait our kids and then make them behave and wait while the prize is hanging in front of them? The kids could see the eggs from where we sat and we couldn't let them go until breakfast was over, all the rules were explained and they were broken into groups. Byron whispered to me that he was contemplating yelling "GO!" while the lengthy explanations were taking place. :)
Connor and his good buddy Jaxton were never far from one anther while collecting their loot. And believe me, they got some loot.
After the ward party, we took Connor to his "surprise" which was a visit from Byron's parents. They were in town visiting some long-time friends and we got to be with them that day also. Connor's Mimi brought Easter eggs and some prizes and they did a egg hunt together in our apartment. Connor was thrilled and he and Theresa hid and found the eggs over, and over, and over, and over....
Easter morning, Connor woke up to his Easter basket hanging on his door and a trail of jelly bean filled eggs leading to his Easter basket. The Easter Bunny did good this year.

My Easter gift was getting to dress my kids in coordinating outfits. Ahh, the joy of a mother. We couldn't coax Connor into a picture, and I wasn't really into forcing a crying kid to pose for a crying picture, so we just took some of our lovely Kylene. Most people loved her flower, but one man saw her and said, "The things parents to do their children." Whatever, we think it's cute.

The program in Sacrament meeting was wonderful and filled with special, beautiful music. That night we attended the baptism of a young man who has been attending the ward for a few years now. He's even given two talks since we've lived here. His mother had yet to give permission for him to be baptized, and we still don't know what transpired to make the event happen, but Sam was baptized on Easter Sunday and it was wonderful. What a special way to celebrate Easter and the Life, Atonement, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I love Easter.

Unsure

As I mentioned previously, Kylene is such a happy girl. She rarely cries. However, she does get this slightly distressed, nervous/unsure face. This is her signal for, "Um, I've had enough."; "I don't know what's going on."; "Please stop this."; and, "I'd like to be picked up and saved from this current situation please.".
Slight whimpering accompanies this face. Don't worry, we always scoop her up into cozy security. How could we not with a face like this?

Happy Girl

Kylene is so happy.

She is such a thrill to have around.

Apparently she gives all she meets a big cheesy grin while she's facing out in the Baby Bjorn. People are always very nice to me when I have Kylene with me.

Kylene smiling at her Mommy.
She likes to lay in Connor's bed and be part of the "action" while I'm putting him down for a nap, getting him dressed for the day, reading stories, etc.
Love this little lady.

Happy Feet

The weather has just turned GORGEOUS and Connor has discovered the joy of playing outside on our little porch area with his cars. He uses the shadows as "roads".

19 Weeks

This is so cool! My sister Ashley has an article published in this month's New Era. They bought it from her back in 2003, she had forgotten about it, and now here it is! Check is out here. Go Ash!