6 month well visit.....2 months overdue!

Today we had Karsyn's 6 month well visit....even though she is 8 months old! I didn't mean to put it off for so long but November and December were such crazy months and I just kept forgetting....add that to the fact that we have been in between health insurance plans and here we are.....2 months late.

The visit went really well. Our pediatrician, Dr. Goebel, said that Karsyn was doing very well with meeting milestones and that she is very healthy. She is still very much on the petite side. Weighing in at 14lbs. 11.8oz. and she is 25 1/2 inches long. That is 5% for weight and 8% for height. I was concerned with these numbers when I first was given them because she has always been around 15% but after reassurance from both the nurse and dr. that she is growing perfectly on her own growth curve I am no longer worried. They said she is just going to be tiny. Not like Little People Big World tiny....just a little girl. I guess she will just stay petite like her Aunt Holly!

At 8 months she is a busy busy little girl. She loves playing with her toys and she tries to grab anything and everything within her reach! She crawls....but not forward completely.....she can go forward slightly but she mostly crawls backwards! She is starting to attempt pulling up. She is constantly trying to pull herself up on her crawl and cruise jungle! She waves and it is the funniest wave I have ever seen her whole hand and all her fingers move. It is very cute!! She mimicks kisses and will blow kisses.....which I just absolutely LOVE! Her vocab consists of DaDa, Bubba and Bye bye. No MaMa yet but I am working hard on that one every day!! She LOVES animals! Cats, dogs....and as we discovered this weekend....turtles too! She will now drink from a bottle! This is a major acomplishment considering a month ago she wouldn't even let a bottle touch her lips. She now gulps down juice (loves Pear juice!) or breast milk out of a bottle. I haven't tried formula yet, but I may soon just for a back-up just in case. Puffs are still her favorite snack. Although, lil crunchers (cheese flavor) come in a close second! After naptime when I go get her out of her bed she is either sitting up or is on all 4 rocking. (seriously cute!)

Her schedule is pretty set and like clockwork I know what she needs at each point during the day. She gets up between 7:30 and 8 every day. She plays for a little bit and then is ready for breakfast. Her favorite things to eat for breakfast are Gerber yogurt, mangos and pears. After breakfast she plays for a little bit longer and is ready to go down for a morning nap by 9:30. This nap generally lasts for about an hour....maybe longer if she didn't sleep well the night before. After her nap she is ready to nurse. She is a really quick eater....10 minutes TOPS! We usually run errands or just play during this time. And she eats a snack before we go get Kara from school at 2:50pm. After we pick up sister we come home and play for about 30 minutes, nurse and she is ready for another nap. This is her long nap of the day....usually 2 1/2 hours! I try to get things done during this time.....most of the time though I relax. :) After her nap she is ready to nurse again. I normally feed her dinner around 6:30 or 7 then she gets a bath, PJ's, plays with Daddy for a little bit, nurses again and goes down for bed around 8:30. She still gets up once each night to nurse. I am working on breaking this habit but for now I don't mind. I really do enjoy nursing her at night. It's quiet and she is so sleepy. I just rub her hair and stare at her pretty little face. It's nice quiet time with my little peanut that is growing way too quickly! I wish I could stop time.

Here are her 8 month pictures taken on Friday night. It is getting hard to get her to sit still while we take them and actually pay attention. She just wants to grab her sign, chew it or pet the lamb. We probably took 30 pictures hoping to get just 1 that would work!

"It's my sign....I'll crinkle it if I want to!"

"How could I possibly look at the camera with this bear sitting next to me!?"

"What....is this what you want?"

"Fine....take away my sign....but I'm still NOT smiling!"

Disney World-Day 1 (Morning)

Decemeber 26th was our first day in the parks. We woke up around 5am and took a bus to our Disney hotel, The Wilderness Lodge, to check in. Luckily they had a room available early so we were able to drop our stuff off and head to the park. We took a boat over and it was really chilly! But when we arrived at the Magic Kingdom we were in awe and it made the cold boat ride worth it! The girls just kept repeating "I can't believe we are really here!" And all that Jeromy could say was "WOW!" That's a pretty incredible feeling when you hear your 30 year old husband have the same wonder in his voice as your children!! (Disney will have that effect of you!)

We headed down Main Street USA and hauled it to Space Mountain to get our Fast Passes. We were all very excited to ride it! The park wasn't very busy so we decided to take our time and figure out what to ride first. Our first ride was The Haunted Mansion. I didn't take any pictures of the girls in line because we walked up and were immeadiately escorted into the "Parlor" to wait to board the ride. I have to say that I'm pretty sure that The Haunted Mansion is the coolest ride! I have never seen ghosts portrayed more realistic then on this ride! Pretty awesome.....but then again....it's Disney so I wouldn't expect any less! Feeling amped up from riding our first ride we went over to Fantasy Land, parked the stroller, and began riding more rides. Our second ride was Peter Pan's flight. It was awesome because we again walked right up with pretty much no wait. The line constantly moved. What was even more incredible about that was that every other time we passed the entrance there was a 30+ minute wait! So arriving at park opening was definitely worth it! We also rode Snow White's Scary Adventure, It's a Small World and Mad Hatter Teacups. Karsyn LOVED riding along....the whole time she would laugh and slap her hands. She was enamoured by the scenes in the different rides and she truely had fun. Before leaving Fantasy Land we had to stop by the Sword in the Stone for some classic pictures. My parents have pictures of my sister, brother and I trying to pull the sword so I had to carry on the tradition with the girls.

(Getting ready to board Peter Pan's Flight)

(Our 1st Family picture in the park....riding "It's a Small World")

I need to add that there is just something about Disney World that makes you feel like a kid again! You have no worries or concerns....just living in the moment! I certainly took that opportunity and enjoyed every minute!

By this time our Fast Passes were ready to use at Space Mountain so we headed back to Tomorrow Land for our 1st Roller Coaster of our trip! Jeromy and I had to take turns riding with the girls because Karsyn could not go on Space Mountain. So Jeromy and Karlee went first and then Kara and I took our turn. Kara was such a brave little girl....she chose to ride in the front cart....her first time!! I usually close my eyes while riding roller coaster but this time I decided that I wanted to see everything so I kept them open. It is an awesome ride and probably the most fun I've ever had on a roller coaster! As we left the ride Kara and I stopped by the photo booth to check out our picture and I couldn't help but laugh....Kara's hands were up and she was smiling and there I was behind her with a nervous grin on my face! LOL! I guess she really is braver then I am!

We had all decided to meet back at the Baby Care Center so Kara and I headed down Main Street to meet Jeromy, Karlee and Karsyn. We were stopped by an afternoon parade. If you haven't ever experienced a Disney parade you are seriously missing out! I don't think that any other parade will ever compare! I don't have any pictures from this particular parade. And while I'm on the subject of bragging about Disney's features I'm going to take a minute to brag about their Baby Care Centers......AMAZING! They are so incredibly nice! Spacious rooms with areas to nurse, feed, change and play with your baby. Karsyn and I spent quite a bit of time in them relaxing while Jeromy took the girls to do different things. There is one in all of the theme parks and they are all very nice! Much nicer then having to change a diaper in a bathroom and nurse on a park bench! (Although I had to do that a couple times too!) We had time for just one more ride so we chose Pirates of the Caribbean! One of my family's all time favorite rides. And with the additions to make it go along with the movie it has added that much more realism to the ride! There were several points during the ride that Kara would say..."How did they get the real Captain Jack Sparrow to come work here?!?" It really is THAT realistic!

By this point it was lunch time and time for us to head to Epcot for the remainder of the day. So....we hopped on the monorail and headed to Epcot!

I was going to do each day in it's own post but due to the incredible amount of memories and pictures I am going to have to do 2 posts for each day.....maybe more! :)

A wonderful Christmas!

This year we had an absolutely amazing Christmas! We always have a fabulous Christmas but this year seemed to be extra magical....for many reasons. Seeing Christmas through the eyes of your children is like nothing else and with this being Karsyn's 1st Christmas it made it extra special. She loved looking at her toys and she esspecially loved ripping up the tiny pieces of paper!

Christmas morning we woke up at our house with just Jeromy, Kara, Karsyn and I. Santa had left lots of presents for the kids and they were extremely happy with what they were given! Karsyn recieved a Crawl and Cruise Musical Jungle and some some small toys in her stocking and Kara and Karlee recieved shirt decorators.

After we had drank some coffee and got dressed we headed over to my Mom and Dad's house to open presents with the rest of the family. We loaded up all of our presents....yes....all of them! We normally have them over to spend the night on Christmas Eve but with the snow we had we decided to just wait until the morning and go there instead.

We had a great time with the family and Holly and John loved helping Karsyn open her presents. I think it is safe to say that Karsyn now has more toys that Toys R Us. :)

After we opened gifts with my family we enjoyed a wonderful breakfast and rushed home to meet Karlee. She spent the morning with her mom this year and came over around 2. Kara had been dying for her to get there all day so that they could finally open their big box. Karlee opened all of her gifts first and then it was time.........

The kids were so excited opening the box! They could hardly contain themselves......

After opening they were shocked to find a tiny box inside.....but still excited to find out their surprise!

They were showing us that the small box wanted to be opened.......the anticipation was growing and they then found a DVD to be played. Which drove them even crazier.......so.....after days of excitment and an afternoon of anticipation the DVD was played.......

It was in that last 15 seconds of the DVD that we finally announced that for Christmas we would be taking a family trip to DISNEY WORLD!!!! This picture shows the exact second the words came out of my mouth.

What this photo doesn't show is that immeadiately after Kara screamed so loud she could have shattered glass....and Karlee cried because she was so very happy. For months we have been planning this vacation. I spent countless hours reading planning books.....deciding and ordering outfits.....making dining reservations......searching for the cheapest airfare and dreaming about the moment that we would finally be able to share the surprise with the girls and I have to say that their reactions made it all worth wild. This would be their first visit to Disney World as well as Jeromy's 1st visit. We were looking forward to leaving!! Now....it was off to pack our bags to leave for the airport just 3 short hours later. :)

As you see......our Christmas was magical for many reasons.

It's a bird...it's a plane...

No....wait....it's the greatest Christmas present 2 little girls could ask for!

Can you imagine having to stare at this box as a little kid? I would have gone crazy! We actually just finally wrapped it and set it out last night so it has only been tantalizing them since then. They are going to LOVE this gift! I couldn't think of a more amazing present then this. Truth be told...I think I may be more excited then they are. :) They haven't opened it yet obviously but when they do they are going to freak out!!! I can't share the secret yet though because Kara and Karlee both read this blog on occasion and I don't want the surprise ruined. But...tomorrow after they open it I will share with all and hopefully have some pictures of their reactions!

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas! I know this year we have so much to be thankful for. I feel so blessed and lucky this year. I am looking forward to seeing how Miss Karsyn acts tomorrow. She is obsessed already with rolling and scooting over to the tree and chewing on the presents. One last picture before I go.....

Doesn't that just look perfect?!? I am so happy with my family and Thank the good Lord for everything that I have. Again, Merry Christmas....enjoy your blessings. :)

6 years ago today...my life changed

Yes...6 years ago today I went on a date with the most handsome man I had ever met....little did I know that one day he would be the man I was married to. We met a few days before Christmas at the mall. I had taken a part time seasonal job at The Children's Place and he was one of those last minute shoppers. I helped him while he was shopping and he asked me out while I was ringing him up. :) I remember when he walked in I was smitten and blushed. I guess you could call it love at first sight.

We went to TGI Friday's for dinner....while not the most romantic choice it was very casual and we had an opportunity to talk and get to know each other. Afterwards we went back to his apartment and watched a movie. I remember being nervous the whole time but I remember how shy he was at first too. He actually asked me if it was okay to sit next to me during the movie....such a gentlemen. :) Now....the first kiss is a major deal when you start dating someone....seriously....you think about it....you make sure you are chewing gum for the freshest breath and then you wonder when it is going to happen. Well....I can actually say that our first kiss was magical! He was...and still is...a great kisser. :) Anyway.....that's the beginning of our story and I can't believe that that was 6 years ago! 6 years ago today....my life changed....and definitely for the better! I love you Jeromy! :)

Here are some pictures from our dating years. Note....I was a lot younger and skinnier then....I hate the old me. :)

This picture is actually only 2 weeks after our first date. I was 18 and Jeromy was 24.

This is at one of the 7 concerts that we went to while we were dating....at The Green Day concert.

This was taken at the State Capitol in Austin.

This was on our way to Sherlocks for St. Patty's Day in 2005.

And check out these 2 cuties! Kara and Karlee were 2 and 3 when we started dating! So sweet!

Family Pictures

Today we had our Christmas pictures made. In the past years I have always thought about doing Christmas pictures but never actually did because I always got busy and side tracked. This year I had been talking about getting pictures done with our whole family since it is Karsyn's first Christmas and I also said I was going to send out Christmas cards. Well....as of last week it seemed as it that wasn't going to happen. I really wanted to do them so I made an appointment in the middle of the week during the day. I pulled Kara and Karlee out of school around noon and Jeromy took a long lunch. They turned out really well and I am happy to say that I will actually get around to sending out Christmas cards this year! WOHOO!! In fact.....as soon as I get done blogging I am going to address and stamp them.....NO EXCUSES! I'm hoping that this will be a trend we can keep up with every year. I always enjoy receiving Christmas cards so I am happy that I will actually get to send them out. :) Here are the 2 family poses that we chose. They are scanned so the quality is grainy but oh well.......

I love the kids in this one! Karsyn's big ole grin just melted my heart so this one was our first pick!
And I love how relaxed yet awesome this one is! I never would have guessed that I would have liked it so much but this one is my favorite of the whole family.

Aren't the girl's outfits ADORABLE?!?!?!? I just love them and we received SO MANY compliments on them. My friend April made them. She is so incredibly talented. It's nice to have friends in talented places. :)

I'm a winner and a loser.....

Seriously! This statement is so true! I will explain.......

I am extremely lucky to have been the winner of the $25 gift certificate from my friend Tina's blog giveaway that she was hosting. I am so excited....the gift certificate to Uniquely Monogrammed. She has some really amazing things but I am going to be good and save it to use on a custom outfit for Karsyn's 1st birthday in May. I seriously never win anything so I was suprised and excited when I found out that I had won. Tina will be hosting several giveaways in the next few months so make sure you check out her blog and watch for them!

And now for the loser part........My name is Lauren and I am a pacifier loser. Seriously.....before Karsyn was born I probably had about 30 pacifiers (no joke!) and today I gathered them all up...from under beds.....in the car.....out of the diaper bag......the nursery......you name.....I looked there. And all that I could find was 10.....yes.....you read that correctly.....10! I don't know how I could lose them so easily. I try to stay fairly organized with them. I always keep 1 in the crib.....1 in the car seat....and 1 in the diaper bag. I try to only use them in their places and if I take them out of their place I make sure they get put back. But somehow I have managed to lose 20 or possibly even more pacifiers in 7 months. I guess I better buy stock in Mam. :)

Well....there you have it.......today I have been both a winner and a loser. :)