Lauren Can Spell Her Name!

Yes, I'm totally bragging on my 2 year old. Yes, I'm super proud. Yes, I'm also annoying. :) Sorry!

 

Happy Birthday, Bre!!!

Sometimes you meet someone who you just KNOW was meant to be in your life. It's almost as though you've known each other forever...like your souls were friends in heaven and finally found each other on earth. That person understands you better than anyone you've ever met and accepts you for all of your faults and loves you anyway.

I was so blessed to meet Bre over 2 years ago. I'm glad our souls found each other.

Happy Birthday, Bre! I LOVE YOU!!!

We ALL love you! :)

One Wish Granted

The last day of school, Brenden wasn't feeling so great. By dinner time he was lying on the floor, lethargic, and burning up. I packed him into the car, which he was extremely upset about, and headed over to the after hours clinic.

Thankfully it had just opened and was completely empty. We only waited a few minutes before we were walked back into an exam room. I was not at all surprised that his temperature was 103.3 and they immediately gave him some ibuprofen. However, I was definitely surprised they sent in a nurse that had obviously not had much experience in swabbing children's throats for strep. Not 5 seconds after he finished, and conveniently right after he left, Brenden started throwing up all over the room. The poor guy couldn't stop. I felt so bad for him!

It wasn't long before the results were back...positive for strep. Poor guy! Unfortunately for him (and fortunately for me) his doctor recommended a S-H-O-T (yep...she's smart and spelled it out) and I completely agreed. Ten days of oral medication to stop him from throwing up and then for the strep or one shot? He was not at all happy with my decision.

And now you're wondering why I titled this post "One Wish Granted". Don't worry...I'm getting there. :)

We decided a long time ago to never lie to Brenden when it came to what was going on at the doctor's office. I want him to trust me, even if it means he's going to be upset with me. And believe me, he was very upset with me. I decided that this rough day deserved a big reward so I pulled out the big guns. "Brenden if you can be brave and get this shot, not only will you feel better but I will order you a Hydro Bow."

The change in his attitude was immediate. "Really, mommy??? My very own? Um...okay."

He was still upset about getting the shot, but not quite as much as he had been. I think I was more upset that the not-so-experienced nurse was the one they sent in holding the syringe. (With someone to explain how to administer the shot...seriously?!)

I'm pretty sure I don't have to tell you just how awful that shot was...for everyone involved.

Five minutes later he was a different kid. He wasn't quite as feverish, he was smiling, and high-fived the nurses when they came back into the room. Somehow I even got him to agree that the shot was a good idea! He also wanted me to show them the Hydro Bow on my phone and made sure they knew he was getting it because he was "so brave!"

This weekend, he got his reward. :)

Worth it...

 

Number 10, Brenden Kelly!!!

A small taste of things to come?? :)

Bragging on Brenden

I realized that I've typed a lot of words about the wonderful things Lauren is doing, but haven't said much about Brenden and his recent accomplishments. He loves learning and relishes in new information, just like Lauren, although he does get upset when he doesn't understand something immediately. (Which is just like me. Poor guy.) It just took us a little longer to figure out how to explain things so that they make sense.

He knows all of his letters, upper and lower case, and the sounds that they make. He loves to have us read to him and is starting to read as well. He's also doing great with his handwriting and has figured out how to spell small words, his favorites being my name and his dad's name. He likes to draw, especially happy things (anything with a smiley face) and is starting to recognize shapes in objects, which is making it a lot easier for him. 

Brenden drew us all as "happy trees".
Clockwise from top left: Brenden, Lauren, Tim, me. :)

It's starting to get easier to calm him down, which is a huge relief. He's also become extremely protective of his sister and plays really well with her, at least when she's doing something he wants to do. Ha!

He's also learning a lot of new skills, like riding his bike (with training wheels, which was scary for him for some reason) and how to swing. He's also become a fantastic batter at t-ball, correct hitting stance and everything, although he still isn't a fan of not getting the ball every time its hit. We're working on it!

I am so very very proud of him and how far he has come in just this past year! I cannot believe he'll actually start pre-K in September. Where did my little butter ball baby go?!

Bragging...sorry!

Our Lauren...quite possibly the most stubborn, strong willed, crazy, funny, bright little girl I've ever met. She soaks everything in, from letter sounds, to how to correctly hold a crayon, to shapes, to complete songs (Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" is one of her favorites). Hopefully we can encourage her to love learning, work hard, and set her sights high. For now, I'll just sit here, enjoying the amazing little girl who I am blessed to have call me mommy.

Harmonica!

Ninja Fighting!

My new goal in life: To one day be in my eighties and still ninja fight with my great grandchildren. :)

Why yes, there IS video proof!

Lauren-ism

I've called Brenden our performer for a long time, but Lauren has started to surpass him. She's not quite the comedienne he is (yet) but she is most definitely a singer.

She sings in the car. She sings in the bathtub. She sings while she wanders around the house. I think I've even heard her singing in her sleep. Sometimes you can recognize the tune, like the ABCs, the Wheels On The Bus, or Row Row Row Your Boat. A lot of times it's a completely made up song with words like, "I love daddy. I love Brenden." She even does hand motions now.

This isn't the best video, but you can hear her mixing a few songs together and laughing at herself. She absolutely loves singing, and we love listening to her.

Soccer Progress!

I was afraid this morning. After last weekend's cryfest, I just knew today was going to be awful.

I was completely, totally wrong. YAY!

Brenden very happily ran onto the field, tear free, telling everyone that he was going to get blue soccer socks. (His reward for an entire game without crying.) The only thing he even started to whine about was not getting to use his own ball, but that lasted maybe 2 seconds.

Did our team score a single goal? No. We have the most timid team ever. Did Brenden pay attention to where the ball was? No. He was more concerned with running with his "new best friend" Billy or watching his shadow. Did Lauren sit and watch the game? Heck no. She played in the car, which we learned was the easiest thing to do with her. We could still watch because we parked close to the field and we switched off so one of us was out there for Brenden.

Did we have fun? You better believe it! Little kid soccer is one of the funniest things ever.

Just watch:

Bunch Ball!

Love it!

Brenden's Annual Birthday Video for Tim

Happy Birthday Daddy!

(FYI: It gets a little loud. He is very much a 4 year old boy.)

You can find last year's video here. :)

Happy Anniversary, Tim!!! (This is your $5 gift)

Hey honey...this is your crazy, $5.00 gift. I think it's awesome. :)

Listen closely. You may remember a few things. I love you!

If you can't see the video, click here.

(I think he did a great job! We were on a very limited budget, hence the $5.00 price tag. He does have a tip page, which I plan on contributing to. If you'd like to contribute to this awesome guy, here's the link!)

Brenden's House Song

Translation: There's a new house, we going to get a new house. (Lauren: Ah, ah, ah, ah) And Brenden was a very nice boy. And Brenden got to be my home, in here. (Lauren: Ba, ba, ba, ba)

Not the most amazing song, but not too bad for a 3 year old! :)

Break it Down!

We were trying to get Lauren to dance and in comes Brenden to steal the show! We had no idea he could do this. :)

For GiGi

On Saturday night we were able to celebrate Ginny's (AKA GiGi) birthday with her! We went to a restaurant in a beautiful old hotel. I had some fanstastic lobster ravioli and the kids, even with no naps, were totally fine.

We asked Brenden to sing to GiGi for her birthday and this was the song he chose.

Happy Birthday Ginny!!!

It's a Hit!

Brenden is doing so well at t-ball! He loves playing, loves seeing his friend Kendyl (his favorite girl) and is actually learning how to play.

Here he is hitting the ball. He may not get it right the first time, but he tries again! So proud of him.

Lauren Trying to Walk!

She waddles for a few steps. After this she actually let go of the crib and walked a bit to me. So excited!

Riding His Bike!

He's getting so big!

Uh oh!

She's almost on the move!

Happy Birthday Grandpa Rick!

We hope you have a fabulous day!

Happy Birthday to Daddy from Brenden

Brenden wanted to sing for his daddy. He loves him!