Things that make me smile

I have been waiting for the day when Kellen would come out of Makenna's room and she would have dressed him up in all her princess wardrobe. Today was a small step towards that. And it was actually Kellen's idea, not Kenna's. She had been wearing her fairy wings and the minute she took them off Kellen was right there wanting to try them on himself. So with a little help from Mama and lots of applause from his Sissy, Kellen proudly ran around like a fairy. It was so cute!

Kellen also LOVES headbands. This one is his favorite. Silly little boy.

....he actually looks quite cute!

Kellen looks a little crazy here but I still thought it was an adorable picture of them together. They are learning to be such good friends.

And why do we spend money on toys??

Ring around the Rosie with Grammy...Grammy lets the kids do the "we all fall down" part :)

And of course a little dancing of the princess. The girl could be danced around for hours!

Little Stinker

The last two days have just been "those" kind of days for me. The kind of days when you feel like you child does not even register Anything you say. When no matter what tactic you try (talking kind and sweet and being as patient as possible, using time-outs, taking away privilages, being serious and stern, sitting them down and having one on one talks), NOTHING seems to be working and getting through to them.

Since the day Makenna was born (seriously, I could tell that early on) she has been the type of girl that loves to push the boundaries. Needs to push the boundaries. She is always testing the limit, finding the breaking point, seeing Just how much she can get away with. It is something that was born within her and I believe will be there forever. With this trait of hers comes tremendous strength. Strength that I look up to and strive to have for myself. She is such a strong girl. Has such a bold personality. She is really a very loving girl as well. She has such a good heart and so much love in her. She is girl that I know will grow to be a woman who will always stand on her own two feet, not be intimidated or persuaded by others and will always follow her heart and her own desires. There is nothing that will get in her way. Nothing that will stop her.

But I tell you, dealing with a BIG personality like that all crammed into a little 3 year old girl can be exhausting. When she is not in the mood to behave, she can make my life miserable. She really can. And she has just worn me out the last two days. Mind you, her Daddy is away in DC, she has been waking up way too early for her own good and leaving herself very over tired. But still, it has been a tough couple of days for me.

Thankfully it ended on a very good note tonight. A night ended with sweet bedtime songs, big hugs, lots of kisses and more I love you's than I can remember. It is always good to go to bed happy with each other....a very important thing to do. I just had to take my moment to vent for a few minutes. But to also remind myself that even though she can really test my mothering capabilities, she is all I could ever ask for in a daughter. The traits that drive me crazy right now while she is a toddler will make her a very strong, brave, independent adult. She is a force to recconned with. She makes me so proud. She brings so much love and laughter to our lives. There is nothing about her that I would ever change. I am forever grateful to be blessed with such an amazing little girl. Exhausting, but amazing all the same.

Fam Pics

At the very end of December we were able to put together a really quick photo session of most of our family. We wanted to try and get some pics taken before David went off to school, especially since he will be at school for awhile and then leaving on a mission some time this summer. Crazy how fast my little bro has grown up...but he has grown into a man to be proud of!
Anyway, here are the pics we had taken. The Knoops were awesome and got together very last minute for us and took some great pictures. Thank you guys again!

Grammy and Pa and their next generation babies

Kellen and Brooke are just trying to figure out what the heck is wrong with their parents.

We didn't torture him as much as we should have growing up so we are trying are best to make up for it now!

This picture makes me smile. I Love Kellen's grumpy face and Makenna's weird, big eyes and dorky smile!

Such a Robinson picture!

I told you he has turned into a total stud! We miss you Dave!

12 Weeks

I am amazed, absolutely amazed that I am already 12 weeks along. 3 months. It is crazy. This pregnancy is flying by. In a way I don't mind if it slows down just a bit. I am thrilled to be pregnant and being having a third child join our family. I just don't mind the fact that it will still be another 7 or so months until she/he is here :)

This pregnancy has definitely been much different (more difficult) than the previous two. There have been similarities to Makenna's pregnancy and similarities to Kellen's. And then there have been things that have been totally different. I have been much more tired and Much, much more sick than before. I know I still can't complain too much because I have it a lot easier than many people I know. It has just surprised me to be so much more nauseous since I have never had to deal with that before. I have almost been entirely unable to cook anything besides sandwiches, hamburger helper, mac n cheese, things of that nature. I have been throwing up this time around which has not happened before. And I have just been wiped out all day long....no matter how much sleep or napping I get in. Still exhausted. Maybe that's just from chasing two highly energetic children everywhere. I don't know. But I a pooped.

However, in the last couple of weeks things have improved dramatically. I am not nearly as tired. I am much less nauseous and throwing up much less than before. And I have even cooked a few "real" meals. It is nice to see improvement and to know that at some point soon this should all have passed. I am eagerly awaiting that day.

The other new thing with this pregnancy is the rate that my belly is growing. My doctors had warned me when I was prego with Kellen that I would start changing and showing much sooner than I had before. But honestly that didn't really happen. If anything I started showing a little bit later the second time around. But pregnancy #3 has proved the doctors warning right. I am already much more comfortable in maternity clothes than my own clothes. It is sad, but it is reality. Oh well, what can you do. I swear it is not because I am eating too much... I can barely eat anything at all :)

Anyways, there you have it. I am grateful to be out of those first scary 12 weeks. I am grateful to know that my baby is healthy thus far and that everything is going smoothly. I am beyond grateful to be being blessed with another baby. I feel honored to be a mommy for the third time. I can't wait to find out if this will be another daughter or son (my gut is saying this is a girl!). We will find out in about a month!

Makenna was wanting to stand by me while I modeled my tummy. She is really able to appreciate this pregnancy and knowing she is going to be a big sissy again so much more this time around now that she is older and can really understand it. It is so fun!

We do exist

I try to do a post a week, but some weeks just get away from me. Not that we have been THAT busy, I have just had a hard time finding computer time....not always at the top of my priority list.

But we are doing good. More than good, we are doing great. The weather has been amazing for January....warm and sunny almost every day. Last week we even took a trip down to the beach (which was very spur of the moment and I did not have my camera with). The kids loved playing in the sand, trying to eat sandwiches while fighting off pesky (and very aggressive) seagulls, and we even splashed in the waves a tiny bit. The water was quite cold, but we did get wet enough to need to take the kids pants off so they wouldn't get their car seats soaked. So we are having fun and staying busy. The kids seem to be growing up right before my eyes...both of them. Always so bitter sweet to see them get older and change.

Well, here's a small look into our every day lives right now.

My favorite pic of the week. So nice to actually see them having a real relationship!

Makenna loves nothing better than being able to get a reaction out of Kellen. Sometimes that may be making him scream and cry, but these days I hear more and more laughter. So here is a "good reaction" moment!

Kellen continues to assert himself as a "big boy" and recently he has taken to using his own spoon and fork. He is actually pretty good at it already too!

That's my boy! He LOVES balls so I figures we might as well get him going with the hoop...he loves it already. Making mama proud!

Still obsessed with dress-up. I'm still enjoying it too :)

Kenna loves to tell people that they are the prince and make them "dance the princess". Daddy is a great sport and is always happy to get up and twirl and dip his little princess. I know he enjoys the attention :)

What else could a mama ask for?

Kenna not only enjoys dressing herself up, but I guess Kellen's truck looked like he wanted to be a princess as well. I was pretty impressed with this and she was Very proud. She still hasn't tried to dress Kellen up...I have warned Todd that it will happen some day and that he is not allowed to freak out when he sees his boy in a princess dress and crown :)

The Sound of Laughter Fills the Air

I feel like we are suddenly entering a new stage with Kellen and Makenna. In the past week something between them has suddenly changed. I don't know exactly when or how it happened, but it seems like one day I stepped back and realized, wow, they are actually playing and having fun together More than they are fighting. The two of them have always loved each other. Kenna has always been a good big sister and Kellen has always adored his "sissy" (I LOVE the way he says Sissy...it is too cute!) But, being siblings, the two of them have had their arguments. Even at 1 and 3 years old, those kids know how to fight. They get a total kick out of teasing and tormenting each other (yes, even Kellen will go and harass Makenna, which is actually quite comical most of the time).

With time and with Kellen getting older and being able to do more their relationship has been getting better and I have noticed them playing more and seeming to enjoy one another in ways they hadn't before. But really, in the last week or so that have grown Soooo much closer. Yes, they still argue and yes, I still have to play referee throughout the day. But suddenly my house is filled with laughter more than yelling. They are constantly chasing each other around and having so much fun. They are running around in the back yard together, teasing the dog together, Kenna pulling Kellen in the wagon. Suddenly Makenna is eager to help Kellen out, share with Kellen, teach Kellen how to climb up the play set and go down the slide. Today she was laying on the couch with her blanky and Kellen was getting tired and cranky before his nap. She suddenly got up, went over to him and gave him her blanky. I told her that was such a sweet thing to do and asked her why she did it and she said "because he is my best friend mama!" It almost made me cry.

I am sure that, being siblings, they will go through stages where they get along amazingly and other times they will constantly be at each others throats. But for now I am loving them loving each other. There is no sound in this world that makes me happier than hearing my children laughing together. It really is the greatest thing their is. I hope so much that they are always close and can always be there for one another. Their personalities balance each other out very well. They both know how to stand up for themselves, but also know how to share and when to give in. I love my kids with all my heart and love to see how much they love each other!

This pic was taken the other day after coming out of the bedroom and finding Makenna in the nude. She was sitting down assisting Kellen out of the last of his PJ's and then proceeded to take of his diaper. She then noticed me and said "Look mama, we're nudie babies!" So they spent most of the morning running around naked. I thought they looked so cute sitting at the table eating breakfast together in the buff. Love it!