Today:

Well, let's back up just a little bit... Last night after bath time I put Skylee's hair in curlers for the first time and this is the result:

Here is my sweet little boy after church. Happy as can be :)

I gave a dreaded talk today in sacrament meeting on President Hinckley's 6 Be's.

1.Be Grateful
2.Be Smart
3.Be Clean
4.Be True
5.Be Humble
6.Be Prayerful

It went pretty well, got lots of good feedback, but who would tell me otherwise? haha... I'm just so happy it's OVER!!! Safe for a while now :) I'll challenge you the same as my ward: Look up the 3 other "Be's" and do a Family Home Evening lesson tomorrow!

7.Be Positive
8.Be Involved
9.Be Still

From "Way To Be" by President Gordon B. Hinckley, he added these be's in the book...check them out!
Although it was a message for the youth at the time it was given, it can apply to all of us, to BE better! For FHE, teach how it applies to your family =)

What do you think?

Along with the diaper cake I just posted, I had a little "Time for Baby" basket: bathtime: baby wash and washcloths, Bed time: blanket, Play time: toy rattle, and Eating time: bottle and a bib...but the basket wasn't coming together so well, so I tried putting them IN the cake instead...What do you think? Do you like it just cake, previously posted, or with the stuff included? Let me know!!!!

"Baby P" doin the C-walk

This is how we roll... old skool


*Can you tell I need a new camera? ;)

Diaper Cake...sounds strange???

For some reason the flowers look red, but they're hot pink?

This is today's creation. I am going to a baby shower tomorrow for a first time mother :) I've seen these for sale online, but figured I could make one myself for a much better price! I thought it would be a great gift: no doubt it will be used, ribbon/flowers can be made into bows or headbands for the little girl, and the presentation is pretty cute. This was super easy to make and affordable! I used size 1 diapers, so she won't have to destroy it right away (assuming she'll like it) And... hopefully she doesn't look at mt blog ;)

She thinks she's so clever...

These days Skylee is becoming quite the con artist, ever changing her strategy. I've learned with her to never give her a drink with her food. If she had things her way she would be a on liquid only diet for life. She would rather drink milk, water, or juice all day, than eat food...maybe with an occasional fruit snack or chocolate treat mixed in there somewhere! She has been able to fool me a few times, only on her first attempt with a new way of getting her beverage. I catch on to 2 year old tricks pretty quick I guess? Recently her technique has changed again. "Can I have a snack and a drink?" is what I hear all day long, even 2 minutes after she has "a snack and a drink". So now she'll ask for a snack and a drink, but only to get the drink and not eat her snack. Tonight for dinner, she asked for a drink too, I told her when she finished her dinner THEN she could get a drink. So, I go in to my room to get Parker, and Skylee fed her food to the dog and tried to tell me that her food was "all gone, now I can have my drink!"...She thinks she's so sneaky! I just hope as a teenager she'll be just as obvious about her "sneaky" ways :)

A couple weeks ago, Skylee got into the office and made a mess with all my craft stuff, she knew she shouldn't have done that. She came out to the family room, acting as if she did nothing wrong. I had no idea what she had done, but needed to use the computer in there. On my way to the office, she starts running up to me yelling "Don't go in the office, don't go in the office!" as she pulled me away. Naturally, I go into the office and there was a disaster! She's always been a smart little cookie, but this time...not so much. I'm sure she'll learn to at least clean up the evidence later in life!

Parker's Tricks

Here are just a couple videos of Parker, I'm sure you're all just dying to see ;) He had been in the ducky bouncer for a while, so by the time I got him on camera he was just about done. And the second one was fun because it captured a "first" for him! He's getting so big, he'll be 5 months old next week and already 17 or 18 lbs! He's my little tank :)

*Don't mind how lame I sound! It's kinda embarrassing to hear yourself "baby talk"! lol

My latest project... Skylee's Quiet Book!

Last Sunday was Stake Conference at our church and that means, 2 HOURS with 2 KIDS ALL BY MYSELF, trying to keep them quiet and happy, AND for me get something out of it? HA! It was a disaster. Anyhow, this is when I realized I needed something like this...(shown below). When I got home from church I started looking for inspiration so I could make one myself for Skylee. I found some great ideas, and this is what I've made so far. I'm not at all finished, by any means, but I thought I'd share what I have so far. I know that now I'll have to make one for each of my kids ;) I already have great ideas for Parker's! Hopefully this will help break up the monotony of the usual crayons, snacks, and books while we're in a meeting, those aren't very exciting to her anymore. I constantly hear "What can I do now?"...ugh! Here is my solution!

Tic-Tac-Toe page: (bejewled) pretty self explanatory, with a little pocket to store the pieces for safe keeping. Sorry the pic is kinda messed up.

Dress Up Closet: just for fun.

Flower pot: flowers come off to practice learning how to button and unbutton ;)
Purse: just for fun, mirror, lipstick and beaded necklaces inside.
Hair page: To play with, comb, braid, and tie. The little shirt/pocket holds hair ties/clips
Bead page: Practice counting and learn patterns.

Doesn't look like much YET, but hopefully when it's all done you'll be amazed ;) Skylee at least thinks it's pretty special, and that's all that matters...so there! lol

Other pages to come:
- Peek-a-boo
-Puzzles
-Gumball matching
-Shoe (for tying laces)
-Oven with cupcakes to bake!
-Shapes

Two kids are crazier than one...

It seems like life with one kid wasn't so crazy or busy. Maybe I just don't remember what life was like with just Skylee, or without Parker? I can't keep our lives straight without a calendar these days! Everyday we start by going to the gym, it's the one thing I do for myself each day, without the kids, I highly recommend it (didn't really feel I needed a break with just one, but two...I'll take it!) Monday's and Wednesday's Skylee gets to go to preschool for a couple hours. I started a preschool group with a few other friends that switch off at each others home's, it's working out really well! This last week it was my turn so for the next couple weeks I get a bit of a break ;) Thursday's are Story Time at our library, Friday is grocery shopping day, and then we usually try to do something fun on the weekend when Ryan is home...well, that's IF he's home! In between it's trying to fit in a shower, feeding the kids, working on my calling at church, other random errands. Heaven knows that I don't only make one trip to the store a week! Cleaning up the house and doing the laundry are my activities while the kids take a nap, then dinner prep, eat and clean up, baths and bedtime routines. By the end of the day I'm exhausted, not to mention Parker still wants to eat every 3 hours at night! I can only imagine what it will be like with more children SOME day...waaaaaay far away!
I remember my Mom always saying that as she looked back on the years that she had lots of small children, she really enjoyed that time in her life. As tired as I am most days, I really love what I do. May sound kinda strange, but I feel more like an official mother with two kids now. The craziness has begun :)
Last night Ryan was away for work and I had already put Skylee and Parker down for bed, I went into my room and Parker was wide awake @ 9:30pm and just wanted to talk. So I pulled him in bed with me and we stayed up for a while just playing. It just made me reflect on what a special thing it is to be a mother. I am so blessed, I have two healthy, happy, beautiful children and a great husband with a job I shouldn't ever complain about (shhhhh, sometimes I do!) So although this season in my life is nowhere close to being complete, I like my mother really enjoy it. I know these years will go by so fast, I feel it everyday.

Sweet Skylee

I wasn't in the room when Parker started fussing, but Skylee was. She decided to get a few books and read to him. I had to sneak up to take a few pictures. He was entertained and happy about the attention and calmed right down. As you can tell by the other toys on the floor, she was brushing his hair, and pretending to wash his body with the soap. She always does these kinds of things to make him happy. She is such a good big sister =)

My attempt at a craft...

I'm not a crafty/creative person...really wish I was, but I figure it's just like any other talent, it can be developed! I had to start somewhere, so I picked this simple, simple, simple little wall art/decor for my kid's room to make. Their room has been a work in progress for me for a while now, in fact, my entire house is... I am pleased with the way this little project came out considering I can't remember the last time I tried a craft!

Videos Skylee at CG Day...

Upon our request, "Single Ladies" by Beyonce was played, Skylee LOVES that song. She made a friend while dancing, and had lots of fun, but you can tell on her face,it's serious business to her! The two girls shared some awesome dance moves :)

Coast Guard Day!

Today instead of going into work, Ryan got to bring the whole family along to a celebration in Mayport, FL for Coast Guard Day. We had a hard time finding it, but when we did, we had tons of fun! It started off with a BBQ, music and lots of different inflatable slides, jumpers,and obstacle courses.It was right on the beach, so we headed that way for a while before going back home. Here are some pictures from today! (pictures not in order, and for some reason, blogspot won't let me move them around?)

^Making a sand castle

^...He finished!

^Making his way through...

^Going in the obstacle course

^Skylee playing at the beach

^Ryan trying to teach Skylee how to swing the bat

^Parker showing off his new tatt.

^Ryan thought getting Parker a tattoo was hilarious

^Skylee wanted a tattoo on her ankle, this is her in the jolly jump.

Happy 219th Birthday Coast Guard!

Halo?

This is our monster of a two year old, we call Skylee. She wanted to dance to this song (she loves Beyonce) but when I turned it on, she changed her mind and wanted to play with her dress up clothes. When she realized that I was recording, she wanted to get behind the camera to see herself. I couldn't help but laugh :) I find it ironic that she's throwing a little fit while "halo" is playing...


Post Braids:




P.S. Sorry about the random "booty" at the end there, Skylee has been going through this phase that she'll say that out of nowhere, for attention I'm sure!

Parker is 4 months old!

Today it's official, he's 4 months! He wishes he could do more than he's actually capable of, but growing up so fast!

Parker:
*smiles at everything/one
*loves "pat-a-cake" and the "itsy bitsy spider"
*can hold his bottle
*tries to sit up and roll over
*laughing more all the time
*doesn't like eating anything besides his bottles
*pretty good sleeper
*really good eater-I think it shows :)
*brings so much happiness and love into our family!
*is very entertained by Skylee
*Mama's boy
*increasing good hand/eye coordination
*always like to be standing