My Baby is TWO!!!

My little girl is now a big girl. I feel like she has graduated from baby to toddler in just one day. Two years old now! Wow! The time truly has flown. I know that is so cliche' (hmm, is that how you spell that?), but it truly seems like she was just born. She is such an amazing little girl. She is very funny and loves to laugh. She likes bows (finally!) and getting dressed up, almost as much as she likes playing outside in the mud and dirt. She is prone for disaster, and is constantly hurting herself. Her knees are always scraped up and she even currently has a black eye (that's what happens when Daddy takes the kids to chick-fil-a). She is rough and tumble and loving and caring. She loves her baby dolls and likes sharing her food, with anyone and anything. She is friendly and outgoing and afraid of NOTHING!!! She likes bugs and worms and lizards, and is always ready to pull the tail of the many dogs our family members all own. That is my baby girl Rylan Grace in a nut shell. TWO!!!
Remember, scroll down to see the pictures of birthday and to see what the kids have been up to!

Presidents Day

Monday was a holiday for our school. Usually I work and the kids are at school on Monday so we had a whole day to hang out and do nothing just me and the kids. We had a great day full of watching tv, playing, singing, and POTTY TRAINING! We are beginning to potty train Rylan and she is doing great!!! She is hardly having any accidents and really can tell when she has to go. I am so proud of her, and so excited to be a diaper free house in the not so distant future!!! Hooray for underpants!!!! (That is a quote from "Elmo Potty"...the movie)
Scroll down to check out the pictures of our day.

Valentine's Day

We had so much fun yesterday at school. There were parties with cookies and candy and all kinds of yummy things. The kids had a blast! I did too! I still got to see all the regular classes of the day along with spending a little extra time with my kids and their classes during party time. It was fun and I am posting a few pictures that show the fun that we all had.
I hope that everyone had a happy valentine's day!!!

Also, on a more serious note. Our friends Drew and Jill had their babies this morning. Jill was pregnant with twin girls, Elizabeth Grace and Olivia Faith. They were both over 5 lbs but being born at about 34 weeks, I don't believe their lungs are quite mature yet. We are excited for them that their babies are here, but please keep them in your prayers that these babies stay safe and healthy as they grow stronger and get ready to go home.

The Worst Blogger EVER!!!

Ok everybody, I realize that it has been a loooooong time since I have written anything. I am going to update quickly due to time, and I will come back and fill in and add details later. So we had a great Christmas and New Year. The kids made out like bandits. Aaron had a great birthday. He turned 28 on New Year's Eve. January was good. We got back into the swing of things with school and I am back at the gym 4 or 5 times a week (I had taken some time off to get fat over the holidays). We kicked of February with surgery. That's right. Aaron thought that it was a good idea to get a hernia, so February 1 we got up super early and went to the hospital to have his guts sewn back together. (He is recovering well and is back at work today.) This past weekend my baby sister got married. We were gone Thursday Feb 7 - Sunday Feb 10. The weekend was super busy and fun and wild and crazy. The wedding was beautiful and romantic and entertaining (thanks to my kids, but more on that later). Now we are home and the kids and I are home sick, and I am taking them to the doctor. So, I gotta go!
I promise to fill in details and pictures later.

Medical Science Experiment

I recieved this in an e-mail from my dad, and I thought I would share.

Subject: Coughing
To stop nighttime coughing in a child, put Vicks Vaporub generously on the bottom of the feet at bedtime, then cover with socks.
Even persistent, heavy, deep coughing will stop in about 5 minutes and stay stopped for many, many hours of relief.
Works 100% of the time and is more effective in children than even very strong prescription cough medicines. In addition it is extremely soothing and comforting and they will sleep soundly.
I heard the head of the Canada Research Council describe these findings on the part of their scientists when they were investigating the effectiveness and usage of prescription cough medicines in children as compared to alternative therapies like accupressure. Just happened to tune in A.M. Radio and picked up this guy talking about why cough medicines in kids often do more harm than good due to the chemical makeup of these strong drugs so, I listened.
It was a surprising finding and found to be more effective than prescribed medicines for children at bedtime, in addition to have a soothing and calming effect on sick children who then went on to sleep soundly.

So I took the challenge. Both of my kids have coughs, so last night was a perfect night to try. I lathered the bottoms of all 4 feet (2 kids, and 2 feet per kid) and put socks on Aaden and a footied pajamas on Rylan and waited. The rest of the evening I probably heard 2 or 3 coughs out of each child, and they both slept through the night. No coughing, and no snoring. Aaden is a major snorer and I didn't hear a peep out of him.
I give this treatment an A+. If you or your child gets a cough this is a wonderful way to get a good nights sleep, for everyone in the house.