Tuesday, November 3, 2009

My Little Pony can be frightening!

Jadyn has recently started playing with My Little Pony. She got one from her cousin, Rebekah, and enjoys playing with it, carrying it around, feeding it, etc. It is a toy that has brought her much enjoyment...that is until........we put batteries in it and now it TALKS AND MOVES!!! Ah!!!! THE HORROR!

All of the sudden, she was scared of it! LOL! We have no idea why, but being the kind and sensitive parents that we are....we just had to record her reaction! :)

Monday, November 2, 2009

Parenting top ten things...

No child has ever died from:

1. Screaming his lungs out (the lungs don't literally come out)

2. Not getting the latest handheld, GPS-encoded musical thingamabob that all the other kids have. (Even if all the other kids really, truly do have it)

3. Eating cheese sticks exclusively from age 2 to 3

4. Taking 30 seconds to think about what he's thankful for before lunging for the sweet potatoes

5.
The heartbreak of a hopelessly twisted Slinky

6.
Having to put her arm around her brother for five seconds for your family Christmas-card photo

7.
Being left with-gasp!-Dad while you go off for a much-deserved girls' weekend

8.
Seeing the Hannah Montana movie the day after it opens

9.
Having to wait till he's older before he gets to use the pocket-knife his clueless uncle got him for his birthday

10.
Too many hugs and kisses

(Taken from Parenting Magazine)

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Rolling, rolling, rolling...

We've been on a roll around here. Jadyn's on roll of repeating everything you say (and getting quite clearer in her annunciation). Today, she learned that the cats have actual names. Now, she can say their name as she's running after them to terrorize (I mean, love on) them.

Potty training is rolling along slowly but surely. She goes potty at least once a day, and this book is a MUST! She requests it EVERYTIME she sits down. In fact, I can recite "Big Girls Use the Potty" from memory now. It just rolls right off my tongue...

Jay and I are rolling into our 4th week of jogging training. We are almost half way through the program! We are officially registered for the Fort Worth Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day.

Eli's been hard at work at practicing his rolling. He can almost roll all the way over! In fact, by the time I finish this blog, he'll probably have mastered it! It seems like overnight he decided, "OK, I'm going to roll now." And BAM! He nearly has it!
Here is some footage of him practicing.




Kenya's 3rd birthday rolled around and we went to her birthday party at the Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch this past Saturday. Jadyn and Eli got to go on a hayride, and then Jadyn picked out pumpkins for Eli and herself.


We're getting excited for the holidays to roll in! Jay and I are also looking forward to getting away this weekend, kid-free. We're headed to Houston where Jay has an ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers) conference. Hotel room, here I come!!! :)

Well, that's pretty much what's been rolling around over here. How about you?

Monday, October 12, 2009

Autumn = changes

I love this time of year! The crisp cool air, the changing of leaves and falling to the ground, hot chocolate, and fires in the fireplace! It's also a great time to take up a new hobby....jogging! I have taken up this hobby in the past week. I did it once several years ago and even ran/walked in a 5k. It was one of the greatest sense of accomplishments I have ever felt. And then....I quit right after the 5k. Why? Who knows? But, I'm turning over a new 'leaf' (since it is Fall) and have begun again. I'm doing this program called C25K, which stands for from the Couch to (2) a 5K. It's designed for all of us who are couch potatoes and not used to any kind of excercise and get us running a 5k. It's a 9 week program and I am now on week 2. Week 1 felt great! I look forward to my walk/jog today as I start the 2nd week. To seal my commitment even more, I purchased a double jogging stroller off of Craigslist.com last week. I got a great deal on it for $70!!! It's practically brand new and hardly used!!! The kids love to go for a ride in it. In fact, the jogging stroller is sitting right next to the car in the garage, and whenever we leave to go somewhere, Jadyn runs to the stroller and climbs in rather than head to her carseat in the car. I have to pry her squealing body out of the stroller as I lift her into her carseat almost every time. AND, to go a step further in my commitment to live healthier, I am running in the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day. I'll be around week 7 of my training, so I'm not going to run as a competitor, but I will run nonetheless. My goal is to be a 5k competitor by April for Race for the Cure.

Eli will be 4 months old on the 16th. I know I always say this, but, man! Time flies! He's a bald baby now since I shaved his quickly-falling-out hair about a week ago. The new hair is already getting longer and it looks like he's going to be fairly blonde! :) I can't shower enough kisses on his adorable head! I figure the day is going to come when he'll squirm out of my arms, not wanting all of mommy's kisses and hugs, so I have to do it while he's too young to get away! ;)

Jadyn is about to turn 2 in a month. She is interested in potty training, but not yet serious about it. And quite honestly, I am not sure how much of it she understands. She doesn't seem to make a connection with the whole reward system, and I sure don't want to FORCE her to go potty, since she's not even TWO yet! So, I keep telling myself that we'll continue to sit on the potty at her own pace for a while longer. Most of the time, she'll sit on the potty, but GOING potty is another story! Even though she's 'pee-peed' twice out of the 50 million times we've gone, I don't think she still comprehends that when you sit on the potty, that's when you 'go'. You don't 'go' after we sit on the potty and pull the training pants back up. Sigh.

On another Jadyn note, she has changed from a toddler of any play toy, to a little girl who likes girly things. These days, she can be found carrying around her doll or My Little Pony. She likes to feed her doll and pat her, then put her in the Bumbo. Then, she'll pick up her doll, feed her, then put her in the Bumbo. And, repeat. :) I love seeing her carrying around her 'purse' or looking at herself in the mirror, or 'fixing' her hair after mommy already has. I love having a girly girl. She's starting to sit for longer periods of time too. She enjoys coloring and reading books. Her still all time favorite are BALLOONS! This child will spot a balloon from a mile away! She'll play with balloons for hours! (when you add up all the increments of minutes she plays with balloons, it really will equal hours!) She's even started calling me "momma" sometimes. A couple of times, she yelled "Mom!" from her crib, as she was ready to get out. When I went in there, I reminded her that I am still Mommy and that she was too young to be referring to me as "Mom" already! :)

Work has been kind of slow for Jay these days, but we're praying it picks up soon. He has an engineering conference coming up at the end of this month in Houston, and he and I are looking forward to the getaway time with no children. While he's at workshops, I'll be enjoying the quietness of the hotel room...sleeping in, reading books, watching movies all kid free! And of course, I'm still going to miss my kiddos! I don't think I'll ever get used to being away from them. Originally, we were going to take them with us, but I decided it was time for a little just 'us' time. :) Jay was really excited when I told him the kids were going to Grandma's. Haha! :) I'm looking forward to just 'us' time too. :)

Well, the chili is simmering and the family is ready to head out for a family 'jog' before dinner. Week 2 Day 1 of C25K, here I come! :)
Catch ya later!

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Potty?

Time sure flies these days! Here I thought I'd be having more time to blog once I was a stay at home mommy, but time has yet to prove that I do. I think part of my problem is that I take pictures with the thought that they'll make good blogs, then I get overwhelmed with all the pictures I haven't blogged about!!! I have to remind myself that not EVERY blog needs pictures, right? :)

So, we have been busy around here. Busy with what? Well, with cleaning, playdates, shopping, naps, and good books, time gets away from us before we know it. I know, I know...hard life, huh?
I love going to the public library and picking out books for Jadyn and for me. Now that I'm home, I love that I finally have some time to READ! Jadyn loves to 'read' too. :) Our current book of interest is an ABC book about 'gogs' (aka dogs). Little Ms. Jadyn is nearing her 2nd birthday and is growing so much these days. I can't help but smile at how she says some of her words. Here are just a few for entertainment:
beghky - vitamin (why it comes out beghky, I have no idea, but it's cute!)
reesins - raisins
gog - dog
Micky - Mandy
Intrew - Andrew
Dagdy - Daddy
pock - park

Jadyn's also taking an interest in potty training. Over the past several weeks, I've been casually asking her, "Want to go potty?" "Potty!" So, we 'go', but until recently, nothing 'came'. The other night, when I once again sat her on the potty and sang the little "Pee pee in the potty....pee pee in the potty.....pee pee in the potty....pssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss", SHE DID IT!!!! I was so excited that I had to contain myself from screaming out in excitement (less I frighten my little apprentice balanced on the toilet seat). We did the happy dance afterwards and celebrated with high-fives and 'good job'! That's the only time she's gone so far, but I figure that with my next trip to the store, I'll be buying pull-ups. :) Who thought potty-training could be so exciting! LOL

Jadyn's also in to feeding her doll now. She'll carry it around, feed it, rock it, and put it in the chair. It's very cute to watch her in action being a mommy. :)


She's also now understanding the concept that towers are not only fun to knock down, but you can build them again! She's finally stacking blocks. It used to be that she would just knock down what I built, but now she's self-sufficient at building and tearing down all on her own! :)



Mmmmm, chocolate ice cream!
This past weekend, we had fun going to the Rangers game....






and the Cowgirl Museum. Giddy up, horsey! Hold on, Eli!!! Jadyn's got the reigns!
So long! My man and I are headed for the sunset!


Eli is growing by leaps and bounds. He's only 3 months old but is now wearing 6 MONTH outfits!!! He's long in the torso, but short in the legs. Poor guy...he might be short like his daddy and mommy. :) But, good things come in small packages. He's cooing, gurgling, giggling, and smiling these days. He's also rapidly losing his hair. Unlike his sister who never lost ANY of hers, Eli will soon be bald. I foresee many hats in his future....I love my little man!
My cool friend, Michelle Monk, recently took Eli's 3 month pictures. These are just a sample of what's to come.


I am blessed... God is so good to our family. I thank Him that I am able to stay home with my children. I am thankful for the husband He has given me. May I never take a day with them for granted...
The love of my life...
"I have found the one my heart loves." Song of Solomon 3:4

Love Never Fails
1 Corinthians 13:8


Thursday, August 27, 2009

Jadyn's 1st Slumber Party/Cousins' Birthday Party

Jadyn experienced her first slumber party last weekend. Her cousin, Rebekah (4th from the left), had one to celebrate her 5th birthday! Jadyn had a lot of fun getting her nails painted, jumping in a bounce house, taking a bubble bath....
watching a barbie movie while eating popcorn and grapes....

and of course doing what girls do best...chatting at bedtime!

The next day was the birthday party and girls came dressed as their favorite Barbie and boys as their favorite Justice League Superhero.
Jadyn dressed as Ballerina Barbie.

Aunt Sara said she was Barbie and the Rockers, so mommy decided to be...
Fashion Girl Barbie! :-D

Every princess loves to look pretty! This was one of Jadyn's favorite areas of the party...getting to put on jewelry! She'll always be my princess...

Eli came dressed as Superman.
Great minds think alike.
Eli and his cousin, Josh, were the same superhero. Josh turned 7 and it was his party we were at. I can't believe that he's now 7!!! O, how time flies...

Happy 5th Birthday, Rebekah. We love you, little Princess!

Happy 7th Birthday, Joshua! You are our Big Superhero!

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Sibling Resemblance

Some people have asked how similar Jadyn and Eli looked at birth. I personally think they both look different from each other. I see the resemblance of siblings but Eli is definetely a "Little Jay". Looking at him reminds me of the baby pictures of Jay I've seen. :-D

Here are some pictures I dug up of my two little blessings to see how they compared around the same age. Doing so sure brought back memories of when Jadyn was soooo little. My, how time flies! But, don't we all seem to say that these days? I'm really trying to enjoy Eli's tiny-ness for as long as I can, because it won't last long. Before I know it, he'll be turning the corner of his 2nd birthday just like his sister is!
Jadyn - 3 days old

Eli - 3 days old

Both of them definetely have BIG cheeks! That is one resemblance they share. Eli tops the cake though on the size of his chubby cheeks, though! He has since 'slimmed down' and his chubby cheeks aren't quite as chubby. :-)

Jadyn - 2 weeks old


Eli - 2 weeks


Jadyn - 1 month


Eli - 1 month

It's amazing to me how similar they are in some ways, yet so different....each with their own personalities. They bring me joy unspeakable and bless me beyond measure. I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for each of them.

I love being mommy to both of them...




Friday, August 7, 2009

Busy Summer Days...in reverse

It's been really busy around here these days! I've made a few attempts to sit down and update the blog, but haven't been successful! And, boy, do I have several blogs waiting to be done! :)
But, here's a quick picture update to catch you up on our summer so far. And to make it a little different, we're going to go in reverse order!

Our little man is now 8 weeks old in this picture! By the time this blog posts, he'll be 9 weeks. This was his first time in the Bebe pod chair. He did pretty good and lasted several minutes in it before getting worn out from trying to keep his head up. He's getting stronger everyday, holding his head up longer, kicking his feet to move his body, and he's also cooing and smiling all the time! It melts my heart when he smiles and coos at me. I'd give him the world if I could every time he does that!


Our big girl is now sitting at the table instead using a booster tray. She's also pacie free! The day she turned 21 months old, we said bye bye to the pacie. Jay and I had decided it was time since she was starting to chew through them. Not wanting her to choke on them, we said goodbye. I let her put it in her mouth one last time as she and I walked to the trashcan that night at bedtime. I opened the trash lid and said for her to throw it in. Normally, she's really good at putting the pacie back in her crib or on the shelf (so she can't get it when it's not naptime) when mommy or daddy picks her up after naptime. But, there was no way she was going to throw it in the trashcan! She knew she wasn't getting it back once it went in there! So, mommy had to do it. And although, Jadyn complained a little bit that night, she did really good and fell asleep pacie free. The next morning, she even woke up with a smile! It's been 3-4 days now without the pacie. She's asked for it a couple of times, but all I have to do is remind her that pacie's all gone and she's fine. Now, she asks for her 'bwankie'. :-D It's funny that she's always had the blankie and the pacie, and it was always the pacie she asked for. She didn't skip a beat in now asking for the blankie since there's no more pacie.

Here's the pacie collection the night we said goodbye to them. (Can you say A LOT! LOL) Not pictured are the 2 I had already thrown away since they had been chewed through. I didn't have the heart to throw these away and have safely hidden them in a drawer high out of reach of Jadyn. They are one of my several reminders of my once baby girl....
The Sappington Family enjoyed a night at Six Flags on Aug. 7th. It was Jadyn's and Eli's first trip there. It was a very HOT and HUMID evening, but it was a fun one spent with family and friends!

Relatives come a calling!


Aunt Kim and cousin Heidi came for a whirlwind visit a couple of weeks ago. The picture above shows siblings (Eric, Stephanie (my mom), and Kim. Uncle Eric lives in Dallas and my mom lives in Mansfied. The picture below shows Aunt Kim getting to meet Eli for the first time. She had lots of smooches for him! We loved getting to see her and Heidi and look forward to our visit with them when we go to Phoenix in January!!!
We have had many playdates with our buddies this summer. One of Jadyn's best buds is Andrew. One day, we went to the mall to stay out of the heat and to play in their playplace and ride the carousel.


Going to the mall is fun for everyone and it's great at wearing out little bodies before naptime. :-D


Jadyn LOVES shoes! She likes to 'walk' around in daddy's and mommy's shoes. See the big smile on her face? Yup, my girl's a shoe lover! I can already tell she's going to also a lover of shoe shopping!!

I got to join my sister, Sara, and buddy Liz on a girls' weekend getaway. It was great to take a break and get away (Eli went along with us). We drove to Avinger, TX and stayed in a cottage where Liz's in-laws own property. We enjoyed the shops and sites in Jefferson, TX while there. Lots of laughs and smiles happened that weekend!


Jadyn also LOVES to dance! :)


She's quite the girly girl! She likes, shoes, dancing, hats, and...


jewelry!

My little Pigtail Pie is also a cleaner! Here, she's having 'fun' cleaning the floor! I wonder if that'll continue as she gets older....? hmmmm?

Eli's getting bigger all the time. He's more alert now...cooing and smiling. I love to just hold him and 'talk' to him. One of my favorite things to do is to lay in bed and cuddle with him.
Jadyn has become quite the copycat these days. She's such an observer and quick to learn. I 'caught' her one day (and several times after that) trying to pump just like mommy does. LOL!!! I had never even shown her how to do that. She learned just by watching mommy! I thought it was the funniest thing!
Chunky man snoozes while his Aunt Jenn graduates from culinary school.
He's our little pea pod...in more ways than one! This kid sure goes through his diapers! :-D
Here, he's chilling in the backyard while his big sister plays. Our times outside are short as it gets hot FAST!
Jadyn loves to play on her playground. Thank you to cousins, Josh and Rebekah, for passing it on to her after they outgrew it!!!


So, that's a quick update on some of what we've been up to! We've had many more playdates and friends come to visit us. Go to our Picasa web page to see who we've seen and what else we've been up to!

I hope to have more time to blog soon. One blog to come soon...how much Jadyn's baby pictures compare to Eli's... :)

Love you all! Goodnight