Naming our kids {Allyson}

After we had Aubrey we had begun to discuss having more kids and began throwing more names around. Perhaps we learned the first time around we didn't agree as much a we thought we would.

In March 2010 we found out I was pregnant. We had it narrowed down to Allyson for our girl name and Aiden for a boy. On June 21st, 2010 we found out that we were going to be welcoming Miss Allyson into our family. I *swear* that Conrad and I had talked about middle names because I had in my head her name was going to be Allyson Kate. I called her that forever!

It wasn't until a week or so before my due date. Conrad was at work and texted me that he didn't really like the middle name Kate. Whoa?? What? I was so mad. He let me call this baby Allyson Kate for MONTHS. I told everyone that was her name. Now he wanted me to change it? I was so mad at him. So I googled some middle names that went with Allyson and text him that list. I was hoping that he would text back that none of those really sounded right and we would stick with Kate. Within seconds, he texted me back that Grace was absolutely perfect. At that point, I didn't think he was serious so I  continued to think it would be Kate.

D-day had arrived and once our little girl made her appearance, we went with Grace. I did tease him that I sign the birth certifiate and he better double check to make sure I write the correct name.

Two and half year later, Grace fits her. I am glad that we went with it.

Austin is 15 months

Oh Austin, you are 15 months old now. This month you seem so much older. You aren't much of a baby, your more of a little boy. I love watching you grow and get bigger but it seems like it's happening at lighting speed lately. I don't like that!

So a little about you this month ...

You don't like sitting still for pictures

You like to cuddle.

Daddy rocks you to sleep like 98% of the time. I know this is Daddy's favorite part of the day and I'm pretty certain, it's yours too.

You still love your paci. You take it out to give kisses and then shove it in your mouth.

You can climb on the couch. Yea, I had a heart attack when I walked in to see you on the couch.

You make silly faces

You run around the house trying to keep up with your sisters. Or trying to stay away from them :)

You LOVE bath time. When I say anything about taking a bath or bath time you take off down the hallway pointing at the door.

A few days after climbing on the couch you figured out how to climb off

You wave and blow kisses to daddy every morning

You still take a bottle at bedtime

You like watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with sister. You will point at the screen and then look at me and push my head so I can see what you are seeing. It's so cute!!

You like to figure stuff out. New toys, pushing a straw through the hole in the lid, stacking toys. You are a smart little guy!

You drink from a sippy, you prefer a cup with a straw

You have the best smile

You sign yes but shake your head for no

You are very ticklish & the belly laughs you give are simply amazing!

You love your sisters. You and Ally play so nicely together. I know you two will be great friends in life

You have 11 teeth

You LOVE to brush your teeth, you cry when it's time to stop

You love being outside

You like getting dirty

You love playing with basketballs and bouncing balls. You entertain yourself for quite awhile. You throw the ball and laugh as you run to get it.

You are in 18 month clothes

You sleep about 10 hours at night and take one big nap.

Oh boy, you love to eat! You aren't too picky. You know when you don't want something. You eat every veggie under the sun and I love that!

Daddy and I love you so very much, Austin!!

Nothing is safe anymore

Allyson has finally figured out how to open doors. I used to be able to just close the doors and forget about whatever was behind the door.

Not the case anymore...

This is my sister's makeup..



The house was a quiet ... a bit too quiet. I walked down the hall and heard water running. The last thing I was expecting was seeing this little girl covered in lip gloss.



She was just having some fun painting. The bathroom and herself. Golly!


After washing this little beauty up it was time to break out the child proof door knob things. Here's hoping she does figure out how to bust those bad boys open!

10 things I live for - Blogging with a Purpose

It's week two of blogging with a purpose. This week's topic is 10 thing I live for or can't live without.

First, I live for Jesus! The hope that there is in Him. The promise of Heaven. He's my strength when I don't think I can handle one more crazy moment at the house.


















My husband - this man. I don't know what to say. He has loved me through so much, when I was feeling unlovable and didn't deserve love.

My kids - Do I really need to say anything about them? I don't know where I would be without these three little people.






















Lazy days - hanging out in jammies not rushing to get some where or do something. Just doing whatever we please, those are my kind of days!!
































Caffeine - Yes, I'm including caffeine in the things I can't live without. How on earth do you think I survive? Whether it's a frappuccino from Starbucks or an ice cold glass of coke, this tired mama can't wait to get her hands on it.

"Me" Time - Time to read without being interrupted. Going to Hobby Lobby alone. Sewing or playing with my Cricut. Time to blog and read blogs. Time to recharge! Lord, know I need it.





















Pictures - I love filling up my iPhone and camera full of pictures. Silly selfies with a tired 2 year old & a silly 5 year old or pictures with Austin asleep in my arms. I'm cherishing these moments because I know this stage isn't going to last forever. I love going to front yard and snappin away while Aubrey shows off her crazy hair, or award from school or just because! I love looking back and reliving that moment.































Watching these kids grow and learn - I am so blessed to be at home with these little ones. This year has been amazing, watching Aubrey go from a 5 year old who knew her letters and could write to this little girl who could read stories to hear little sister! Allyson has been embracing her role as big sister. Talking more and more. Attempting to potty train, depends on the day. Watching Austin go from crawling to walking. Learning about the world around him. I'm seriously so lucky.


















Holidays (Family Time) - Holidays now so different than just 5 years ago. We were able to play board games as late as we wanted. Dinner and dessert were running late... no problem. We enjoyed each others company. Holidays are crazy now! Our family has gotten bigger. Candice has 2 little ones. My mom and sisters join in the fun. It's circus now. A whirlwind of a day. It's a different kind of fun. Seeing the fun and excitement on the kids faces makes every bump worth it!

Iphone - I can't live without that darn thing. It's my calendar, clock, and my sanity {when we are out and about it keeps those kids quiet} It's my connection to the world. Yes, that's lame but true. When that silly thing isn't by my side, I feel like a piece of me is missing.


What are some things that you can't live without?

linking up with Becky 

We survived the first week

We've survived a week of swim lessons. I'm patting myself on the back.

We headed to Farmer's Market again this morning. Aubrey was a little bit happier about going because I told her she could have some kettle corn. All three kids went to town on the popcorn. Allyson calls it "hot corn" it's so funny.  If you help her by saying POP - CORN. She says it clear as day.



Aubrey was the only kid for like the first 10 minutes of class. It's usually just a class of three so she's getting plenty of time. As much as her little attention span can take. She's not swimming on her yet, she's lacking that confidence. She's still so scared she's going to sink. She's learning more and more to not be afraid. I feel like she's come so far in the last 4 days. I cannot wait to see what next week brings.

We played at the park for a bit afterwards.

Austin decided today that everything needed to go into his mouth, gross, I know! If it wasn't going into his mouth, it was in his hair or he was throwing it. Oh and yea, he really enjoyed the playground equipment. How awful am I, that I took pictures? To be fair, I did try multiple times to get him to stop. Moved him. Distracted him. He had his heart set on this.




Showing Mommy some love!



I'm thankful tomorrow is Friday and we get a break from swim and playing at the park. Who am I kidding? I think we might head to the mall and play inside. These crazies need to get out and I'll be needing some caffeine to survive the morning.

Allyson's daybed

My kids seem to be growing up at warp speed. Allyson has been wanting to sleep in Aubrey's bed. She's been waking up, screaming in the middle of the night and asking to sleep in Aubrey's bed or in Mommy's bed. She refused to be put down back in her crib.She's climbed out of her crib a couple times and I swore I was going to keep her in the crib as long as I could. I guess that day is here. We took the front railing off of her bed.

She was the happiest little girl.

She did great the first night. No 4am wake ups {from Allyson} she stayed in her bed the whole time. I must say that I'm impressed. It's been over a week and she's still doing great.

Little girl does love to bounce on her bed though.



A few days later, we picked out some cute Minnie Mouse bedding. She was in love. She had a big girl pillow now. She has her stuffed animals to keep her company.




She did a great job ignoring me while I tried to take her picture. I even tried bribing her with the iphone, that back fired and I got tears and screams. Not a good thing while little man sleeps. As long as she's happy in her bed and continues to sleep through the night, this momma is happy!

Swim - Day 2

So I wasn't really planning on posting pictures every day but there are too many cute ones not to share.

Enjoy the cuteness!









Aubrey did so well today. I can tell she's more comfortable in the water! She's dunking her head under water like a pro. When she's finished with her task she looks over with the biggest smile and a thumbs up. It's so funny! I don't know how I haven't snapped a picture of it. She's liking it so much I'm going to sign her up for another session.

It hit me today how big Allyson is getting. Today she was following Aubrey and Cianna around the playground. She was one of the big girls. Climbing up ladders and sliding down the slides. Just weeks ago, she would have wanted my help or been afraid once she realized how high up she was. Not the case today. 

She's talking like crazy. She understands so much. It's been over night. It's crazy! The only thing that keeps her a "baby" is her diapers. Other than that, she's a kid. 

and this boy. Oh, he loved the playing in the wood chips. Throwing them, eating them and trying to hand them to mommy. Such a little boy!

 He enjoyed some time in the swing. Look at his hair. I just love it. I don't think I'm ever going to be able to cut those locks!



He enjoyed it so much that he fell asleep.

Aubrey's 6th birthday

Why does six years old seem so old to me? This girl always has something to say. She is sassy. She's got attitude. She is smart little cookie too. She just makes my heart melt. She's so kind. So loving.

We celebrated her birthday on the 8th. She told me that morning that she would be taking the day off today too. You know since I had my birthday and Mother's Day off. She would be taking today off too. Psh, yea right little girl!




We celebrated Hello Kitty style! I made Hello Kitty ears for the girls, and some of us adults, to wear. They were so cute and easy peasy to make.



We played pin the bow on Hello Kitty. I was too busy spinning and laughing at the little kids that I didn't take any pictures of them


We also played musical chairs. Instead of chairs, I painted paw prints on card board circles. My sweet little niece didn't quite get it. She was so upset that she was losing. We let her win the last game :)




Present time!

Aubrey's facial expressions this year were great! Pure excitement with every present she unwrapped.


Cupcake time!


Oh sweet Aubrey,
I can't believe you are six years old. I feel like I've blinked and you've grown so much. You are interested in makeup (lip sticks and nail polish), you love to bring your wallet and purse any where we go. You are becoming such a little lady. My baby is growing up. I treasure the times that you want me to cuddle with you in bed. You seem to be asking less often. I love those moments when you ask me for help because you need me less now. I remember wanting you to get bigger and be more independent and here I am wishing it didn't happen so quickly. Slow down a bit, baby girl.


Happy 6th birthday Aubrey!!

First day of swim

Aubrey has been looking forward to today. She's been so excited about swim, not swim lessons but swim, like Auntie Tess went to. Get it right, Mom!



The kids were driving me bonkers this morning. So we headed to the park early to play.



Austin banged on those chime like thing for the longest time!

30 minutes late we ready for swim.


She took to the water like a pro. Her instructor asked her to go underwater and this girl plugged her nose like she's been doing it forever. She hasn't. She hates water in face. If we convince her, she barely sticks her face in the water. She dunked her head the water not only once but  multiple times!! And to think I was worried about her not wanting to do anything, she sure showed me!

The park had a water feature but it wasn't working and I promised the kids we would play in the water, we packed up and headed to one close by. Aubrey is so good at the "BUT MOM!! You said!!!" Ugh and Allyson has started chiming in.."Promise Mom" in her sweet little voice. These girls are going to be trouble in their teen years.

All three had a great time in the water. Austin had more fun playing the drums. We headed home for lunch and I could tell the kids were exhausted. I was hoping that meant good naps for all, including me. Not the case, only Austin napped.


Hopefully they will all sleep well tonight and sleep in tomorrow. Geez, now I'm really dreaming!