It has begun...for real this time

Those of you who are avid readers of our blog may remember my woes about potty training in the past. Let's just say, not a great experience for any of us. Well, thanks to some experienced mothers (namely my grandma and aunt, who came to visit us this last week), we have re-started the whole adventure. The first day-Wednesday-was fabulous. Will went in the potty twice and we all got so excited. Unfortunately, since then, there hasn't been anything. BUT, I am committed this time, Will is now wearing pull-ups during the day, and we will conquer!!

Cutie Pie Kayla

I am so excited to have a daughter, I can't even tell you. It is so much fun to dress her up in pink, purple, red, lace, frills, you name it. And she is just the cutest little girl I have ever seen. I don't remember just sitting and staring at Will like I do with Kayla. Obviously I love Will just as much as I love Kayla, but there's just something different. Here are some of my recent favorite pictures of our little cutie pie.


Fresh from the bathtub. This picture is from just a couple of days ago when my aunt Jill and Grandma Phyllis came and visited for a few days. They loved Kayla just as much as we do.


I love that you can see the big burp-up stain on the front of her shirt. We have affectionately named her "The Camel" because she eats A TON and then spits up about 3 seconds later.


People are always commenting on her big beautiful eyes. So far they have stayed blue, but we'll see what happens in the next few months. Personally, I'm hoping they will continue to be blue. Will's did, and for some reason I just love blue eyes.



I love Kayla's lips in this picture. Ever since she was born she has done that and I think it's absolutely adorable.

There are way more pictures that we have taken of her, but that will have to be another day. But needless to say, we love having Kayla in our family. She is such a sweet, calm, happy little girl, and we love her.

Fathers and Sons

Ok, so technically Bill should be posting about this, but since he's a little busy these days, I've taken the liberty of posting for him. He and Will went to the Fathers and Sons camping trip a few weeks ago and, according to Bill, had a great time.








Sorry for the dark picture. This is Will and Bill in their tent.

Touch a Truck

Some of you may remember a similar post last year about Touch A Truck Day. We decided to make it an annual thing, so here are some pictures from that experience. Luckily Bill was able to come with us again, otherwise, for one thing, we may not have even gone, and we would definitely not have gotten so many great pictures. Most of these pictures are from Bill taking Will around while Kayla and I hung out in the shade and had some girl time.


If I remember correctly, the motorcycle was Will's favorite thing.








I was hoping that we would be able to convince Will to be a fireman for Halloween, but just days after Touch a Truck Day his free fire hat was in pieces. Was I asking too much of a 3-year-old boy to keep something like that in one piece for 5-6 months? I didn't think so, but apparently Will had other ideas.


As unflattering as this picture is, here is proof that I was actually there.

Back For Good

Finally!! After 5 long months of being without Internet (or a working computer in general, for that matter) at home, we have gotten things hooked up and working. So this post is mostly to say that we're back in business and that we'll be posting more regularly again. I'm excited to get back into blogging, and to catch up on the hundreds (literally) of posts that I haven't looked at. As soon as I find all the pictures that we've taken over the last few months, I'll find them and post them so you can all admire our beautiful children :-) For now, have a great day!

A Tribute

No, we don't have our computer back yet. It's going to take a little longer than we thought. So I'm writing this from a local library. And even though Mother's Day isn't for another couple of days, I am writing this now because I won't be able to do it on Sunday. I wanted to pay a special tribute to two of the wonderful mothers in my life - my mother-in-law Loretta and my mom Melodie. This two women are very special to me. I've only known Loretta for about 5-6 years, but she has definitely made an impact on my life. She is a loving mom who cares very much about her children, their spouses, and her grandchildren. Since joining Bill's family, I feel like one of her own daughters. She often goes above and beyond the call of duty. For example, when she came out to visit us right after Kayla was born, she was such a blessing and a help to me. She was able to take care of Will and help around the house, and allow me to recuperate and relax a little, which is a huge luxury to a mom with multiple children! She is an amazing person, and I am grateful to have her as another mother figure in my life. My own mom is also amazing in her own ways. Even though she had to work when my sister and I were growing up, she was always there for the important and special events in our lives. She was the one who took us to piano recitals, doctor's appointments, school shopping, and everything else. She showed us, through her own life, the meaning of hard work, responsibility, and perseverance, as well as unconditional love, service, and many other important qualities that a woman and a mother should have. She and I haven't always seen eye-to-eye, but now that I am a mother myself, I am eternally grateful for her example and her love.

And even though I can't take the time to pay tribute to the rest of the mothers that I know and love (sisters-in-law, cousins, aunts, grandmothers, etc), you are all wonderful and special to me as well. Thank you for your examples, your advice, and your love. Happy Mother's Day!