milestones

After being a slow learner and becoming completely happy with just sittin' there like a bump on a log, Molly finally started rolling at about 10 months old...and as of today, we can now add walking to her list of really neat tricks.

I'm watching Molly walk along the blurry edge of baby and toddler.  The milestones of her life are so awesome to see but in a quick second, like sand falling from between my fingers...I feel her growing up.

Oh the ways I love this little girl...

colt's prayer

"In the jungle the lion sleeps tonight...

wake me with the morning light...Amen"

Every once in a while he short circuits.

lion eyes

I took this picture!

We love the zoo. Colt especially loves seeing the "Dinosaurs"...aka. The alligator.

We love that we can call up my parents and do an impromptu zoo day.

It's so awesome having family close.

little foot

We <3 our camera. We <3 our chucks. We <3 the zoo.

faces

We go through every one of these emotions almost hourly...everyday. single. day.

molly turned one.

I'm blogging!  I almost don't believe it myself.  I'd like to apologize to my avid followers [grandma and mom] for the blogging hiatus.  I promise to do better.

Where to start, where to start...Well since I'm recommitting to blogging I won't try to cover it all at once.  We'll take baby steps here...

I'm starting with Molly. My dear sweet Molly.  I've done everything I said I wouldn't do with the second child.  There were minimal pictures taken of you until we bought a working camera.  I've talked about you on this blog, like, 5 times.  Which my blog is supposed to be a modern day, cheap, virtual scrapbook...so in translation to a real scrapbook this would mean that I have 5 completed scrapbook pages of your life and I started 6 more but ran out of those cute stickers.  Let's just say your life has been really great.  That's all you need to know.

She never gets held.

We had a TuTu party with some friends and then had a few family parties too.  I thought this year that instead of doing one gigantic birthday party, I'd do a few smaller parties.  Let me tell you that I didn't save on time/money/party panic by having the smaller parties...so I might hop back on the huge-shin-dig train because there isn't much difference. 

Vivi changed Molly's diaper and the powder was in reach therefore the "CasperMolly" in the top right.

Tutu Party with some pals.

Molly and her G.Grandma Breden celebrated their birthdays together which explains the matching tiaras.

I love this video.  It was taken on her the morning of her big day.  She's such a little rug rat first thing in the morning.  I don't think she expected the paparazzi at such an early hour and Colt turned every light on within seconds giving her poor eyes a jolt.  I shall name this video...'Hey Molly, Mornin'...Hey Molly, Mornin'...Hey Molly, Mornin'...Colt would be a good Walmart greeter.

 It was a special day for my baby girl.  She's growing so fast!

Scotty...er...Andy?

Two random people in the last week have told Andy that he looks like Scotty McCreery from American Idol.  What do you think?  I think it might just be the baby face. 

Baby lock dem doors and turn the liiiights down looow...

why leave your bedroom?!

 After 4.5 years I decided our bedroom needed some updating.  When I told Andy I wanted to prime, paint & hang all my new decor in one day he gave me this look...



And this was even after I told him I love him 78 times in a row. 
He doesn't like to paint. 



Before:



Middle:

 After:

I never wanna leave my room.  I keep finding reasons to just go in there and sit.  It's amazing what some paint and a trip to Ikea will do.

lately...

1. We're gearing up for Molly's 1st birthday.  I cannot believe it's almost that time.  She's beautiful and happy and everything I love.

2. I signed up for a 1/2 marathon.  It's paid for and everything. GULP!  I've been running 4x's a week with my running partner Sarah.  I CANNOT believe that I'm doing this but I'm pretty proud of myself.  Yesterday I ran 5 miles for the first time ever and it didn't even suck that bad.  I just keep moving my feet and eventually it's over with...that's how I get through it. ha!  Andy is registered to run the marathon that same race.  He's never ran a full marathon before. I'm so excited for him.  Yesterday he ran a 1/2 marathon around town and he said it felt great.  Look at us! We're runners!

3. Colt is almost potty trained.  This makes me realllllllllly happy.  After going cold turkey on the diapers and just making him be in underwear he's catching on really well.  We have accidents still here and there but in general he goes in the potty.  I'm so proud of my little man!  He gets 1 jellybean when he goes peepee and 2 jellybeans when he goes #2.  He always reminds me 'Mom, poo potty...2 beans. 2 beans.'  Just making sure I don't jip him of those jellybeans.  I love my little boy.  He's growing up and I'm really proud of him.

4. After 4 years...we've decided, Copper's getting knocked up.  NO MORE DOGGIE PERIODS!  Andy has always wanted to breed her and so we're going for it.  I'll tell ya what though, someones gonna be crying when that last puppy get sold and that somebody is me!

5. We're healthy, happy and blessed.

Two years ago this week my Dad was in the ICU recovering from brain surgery.  Today he babysat Colt and Molly while I went for a jog.  Just re-reading those two sentences bring tears to my eyes. 

Here's what I've learned over the last two years...

1.  Listen to your body.  Trust your instincts. 

2.  If you get hurt on the job, don't expect Workers Comp to take care of you. LOL.

3.  Never lose your sense of humor...even on the crappiest of days.

4.  Don't pay your lawyer upfront...he'll get lazy. True story.

5.  When you don't have the money for the doctors bills, God will work it out.

6.  Silly putty is skin tone and is good for filling in drill holes in your skull.

7.  When you're down and out, look up.

8.  Accept charity when hands are extended.

9.  When you can't remember something, blame it on your subdural hematoma.

10.  Never hang up the phone without saying, 'I love you'.

11.  Make sure you actually LOVE the person you're saying 'I love you' to in #10. Ha!

12.  Be thankful for all the things you do have instead of the things you don't.

13.  Slow down.

14.  Money will not change things that really matter.

Dad is doing great and I'm so thankful to God. 

Every single day we talk about the injury because my parents are in the middle of a lawsuit again workers comp.  Two years later and we're still fighting for him to get paid for the year he was off work because of his on the job injury.  It's a confusing mess but what it comes down to is we have hope that justice will be served.  We're not promised that life will be easy.  It's not easy, by any means, but it is always good.

We're still thankful Lord!

forced giggles

bubbles

flip

yogurt covered raisins

Colt could surely live on yogurt covered raisins.

he knows me

This morning I started looking at baby pictures of Colt.  Every time I do that I just can't believe how fast it's gone and how hard sometimes it is to remember the curves of his plump newborn face.  He was so small! 

I tried really hard to breath in every moment of when he was a newborn.  It seems so long ago.  I'd like to relive on of those days again.

I'm reminiscing, getting teary and then I hear Colt saying my name from his room.  He had just woken up.  I go in there and he's so happy to see me, as always.  Typically I pick him up and he runs off to the kitchen for food or to go find Copper but today the first thing he said was, Mama, Hold me? 

I picked him up and he sat on my hip just staring me in the face with a sweet smile on.  Then he wiggled his little body around so that I could cradle him in my arms.  And with his head tucked in close to my elbow, resting on my chest and his legs dangling down to my knees...he rested there while I rocked him and for a second I saw my newborn baby boy in his toddler face.

I can't relive September 08 but today God created a moment for me that was the next best thing.  

He knows me.

hey, howdy, hey!

We had a good start to 2011, here's what's been happenin'...in a nut shell:

1. Andy and I did another weight lose competition which we both sucked at. I ended up gaining 1 lb I think. Ha! Not really the goal I had in mind. I need to seriously dig deep here! I wanna loose 20 more by June. We're thinking about trying the Paleo diet together. Not that I WANT to but I've been at a standstill since Thanksgiving. Blah. I would miss cheese. I'm also on the slow track to training for a 1/2 marathon June 6th too. I'm scared! Shizz!
2. We celebrated our 4th Anniversary at home on the 27th. Good times. :)

3. Copper wore one of Molly's skirts.

4. We planned a ski trip for our Anniversary and just before getting to our destination I realized that I forgot my wallet and we had to drive the long road home...skiless and wordless because Andy wasn't talking to me. Ha! He really wanted to go skiing I guess : /
5. Molly got on all fours and with all four limbs trembling from the weight of her chunky torso, she stayed up for a few seconds. We all clapped and cheered like a bunch of idiots.

6. Colt fell in love with Buzz & Woody. One night Colt ran over with his bottom lip out yelling, 'Wood, ARM OFF!!' What he meant to say was...Woodys head fell off. I laughed. We tossed Woodys head in the trash, then Colt wanted to keep the headless Woody to keep playing with. I laughed some more. Eventually he tossed Woody that night and the next day Andy upgraded Woody. Colt was so happy. Colt IS so happy. I've never seen the kid play with a toy like he plays with Woody. Unfortunately, little Buzz got the boot and is typically found at the bottom of the toy box or under the couch :/ Just like in the movie. Someday we'll upgrade little Buzz too. Someday.

she gets prettier everyday.

9er

Today my favorite little girl is 9 months old.  It's so hard to believe that in 3 short months we'll be celebrating her 1st birthday! Until then I'm going to push pause and cherish these baby days before she gets toddlerized.



Molly and Grandma 'Grape' aka. Pat.  One day Grandma said it would be easier if my kids just called her and my Grandpa by their first names since they had to many people to call Grandma already. 
So this is Molly and Pat.  ha! 'Tom' is not featured in this picture.

 

 Here she is taking a 'bubble' in the sink.  Colt is jealous and always asks if he can take a bath in the sink too, then I remind him how large his butt is and he just watches instead.

 Here she is just waking up from a nap.  Upside down and backwards from where I first laid her down at the start of nap time.  She was slow to start rolling but now she's all over the place.

This picture was taken right before church.  She was looking extraordinarily pretty in this dress she got from Vivi and Papa for Christmas.  I sent a pix message to my friend Laurie who has two 5 month old twin boys and it said, "Hey FeLLLLAS!".  She already knows how to work it.

To say that I love being Molly's mom would be an understatement.  I more than love it.  She has my heart and everyday is more wonderful than the next watching her grow.