Twinkle twinkle

Anslee just loves to sing these days! Here is the sweetest rendition of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star that I ever did hear. Music to my ears!

Please excuse her messy hair. We played this morning!

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5 months old!

9 days ago, Kensington turned 5 months old. 5 months! That means next month my baby Kensington will be half of a year old! Unbelievable. Thats what I think of that.

When I think back to 5 months ago, the picture that I have of Kensington in my head is so different than the one I have of her today. In just 5 months so many changes have taken place. Physically, of course, she looks NOTHING like she did as a newborn.

Here she is, 1 week old.




and here we are, exactly 5 months later.



But its mostly in personality where the big changes have taken place. Seriously.

My colic stricken Kensington is now the happiest and most smiley child I have ever seen. Its so much easier to get a picture of her sweet grin than her sisters. Crying now only happens when she needs something or when she is fighting sleep. Boy oh boy is she a fighter.

This little stinker is the queen of rolling around. You would think that she was never content in one position because just like in the womb, she moves her little body non stop!

Crawling is in our near future. Ugh. I wish I could say we were slow on this one, because I am busy enough chasing sister around. I will REALLY have to be on my toes when this one takes off, and I know its just around the corner.

Food is her favorite. I have been sure of this since her first time to nurse, which was 1 hour post delivery. We have just recently added a little more than breast milk to her diet, which she has NOT protested in any way. Sweet girl, can pack away the food. Just another obvious difference from the big sister girl, who could care less if she had a meal all day.



Anslee, of course, is a part of all of Kensington's firsts. Kensington would not have it any other way!





Yum!



5 month favorites:

The way she stares in amazement at Anslee
The open mouth, gummy, extra slobbery kisses
The wild hair (this has been a favorite every month)
How easy it is to feed her
The non stop smiles
The rolls that go on and on. and on.
The belly laugh




So proud of how far this monkey girl has come. She is a new baby from 2 months ago and so easy to love. What an answer to prayer. I love you my little stinker, Kensington Kay!



Can't wait to what tricks she will pull out of her sleeve next!

I Love You!

I just love this!



Isn't it precious? I saw it on Pinterest (my latest obession/addiction). Don't worry it took all of 2 seconds before I Re-Pinned.

Pray for Callie!

Ok. Posts like this are never easy, but I think if I could use my blog for any kind of good, I will with this post ask for your prayers.
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Below is a post from a sweet friend of mine, Amanda. She is a mother, just like me, and so stories like this one {below} touch too close to home. They tug at the heart strings because every mama wants to protect their baby from all the bad that is out there, and we know how powerful that instinct to protect and guard your baby is.
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I do not personally know this family, but I am certain they would not be bothered in the least that I am asking for YOUR prayers on their behalf.



Here is their story from Amandas blog.

Callie Cochran is a 22 month old little girl.

her parents are friends who attend church with us. after experiencing symptoms for 3 weeks, the doctors called for a CT scan yesterday and found a tumor in her cerebellum the size of a peach. last night Callie and her parents Phil and Courtney headed to Cooks. today after more tests the doctors confirmed her tumor and are almost certian that her tumor is malignant. they are not sure if the tumor is wrapper around her brainstem or not.

this is an update from Callie's mom, posted on facebook earlier this evening:

"Talked to the drs and she has peach size tumor in the back of her brain that is consuming most of the back portion of her brain. He informed us that almost always these tumors are malignant. He also feels that it is certain that she will have some type of side effects. Our prayers are for a benign tumor that doesn't involve the brain stem, no complications during and after surgery and that she would be the same Callie!!! Please pray for wisdom and skill for Dr Donahue and all staff that will come in contact with her. Our hearts r hurting but not broken. We serve a MIGHTY GOD!! If you would please join us in endless PRAYER And FASTING for our SWEET CALLIE!!"

please stop and pray for Callie. pray for her doctors. pray for her nurses and the staff at Cooks.

pray for Phil and Courtney. pray for her brother Carson who is 4 years old. pray for her family.

cry out to The Lord for peace, comfort, and understanding. You are Mighty O' Lord. You are our ultimate healer and comforter. You are the most high!



most of all, please send this post out to your friends, your Sunday School class, your Life Groups, everyone you know and ask them to stop and pray for Callie tomorrow at 7am as her surgery starts.

pray for Callie.


Please please please pray for the sweet family who is enduring such a difficult situation at this time.

5:30 pm.

Friends. This is what 5:30 pm looks like when you refuse the beloved afternoon nap.



The only logical thing to do is catch a short snooze in the car of all places, right?



If that doesn't work, the living room floor is always a good choice. Must have blanket and Brown Bear. Uh oh. Where is Brown Bear.

Mad dash to find him. He was still sleeping in the car.



If your tiny, its 5:30 pm, and you have been refusing sleep since 2:00 pm, you just cry. Cry is not the right word. Scream fits better, but still not good enough.



and throw in the pout, just because its cute.


*disclaimer* I do have happy children, though my recent posts have captured their less than flattering moments. Will make a point to focus more on the positive. Like when we nap.

do you people now see why I believe that naps are good for the mind, body, and soul? I am a proud nap nazi and I have the other 99.9% of their (happier) moments that keep us in right nap alignment.

Now you know.

Sittin' Pretty!

My Kensington is growing so fast. The baby stage does not last long at all!

She is 11 days away from turning 5 months old and working so very hard on those meaner than anything teeth. This nursing mama thinks the teeth should hold off as long as possible...but it's clear that is not going to happen. Thank goodness for Sophie. Every teething infant must have her!

Then the sweet girl gave me the surprise of my life of my life today when she decided to sit up all in her own. She didn't fall over, but I almost did!




She looks scared to death. I don't think she knows what to do with this new special trick!




Of course found some toys to reach for.





A quick peek at what Dr. Oz was up to this morning.

Next thing I'll know, she will be asking for the keys to the car and wanting to fill out college applications.

Ok. Maybe we will start those processes right after we kick the pacifier. None the less, it's all going to happen too fast! Her sister have proven this true already in so many ways!


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BBQ

Isn't the start of summer just the best? Clearly, all seasons come with their flairs of exciting things to look forward too, but I especially like summer. Its so nice to just have to slip sandals on the girls and go. Love it.

We started to start off this season celebrating simple with having friends over for burgers. Would you believe we had nearly 20 kiddos running around here? All ranging in age from 4 months to 5 years. What a crew!

No one left hungry, thats for sure!







Everything was good to go except for the enormous amount of flies that crashed the party...

oh, and my unfortunate flower arranging skills. They turned out nothing like what I had dreamed up in this little head of mine. The poor roses' just could not hang on to dear life.



Nothing is more fun that getting together with friends!

Kensington was so thrilled to see Addi, that she handed over her thumb for Addi to suck on. I think this seals the deal on friendship!







God bless my sweet friends who had to deal with the crazy camera lady who insisted every family get a picture before the night was over!

The Blong family. A newly potty trained Caleb included! There may not be anyone wiser in the ways if mommyhood thank Lori. Not to mention her craftiness. Wish I could steal some of her skills. Doesn't the city of Abilene bring a bond to all who have lived there? Jared and I both grew up there, so naturally our families had to be fast friends!



The Roberts Family. Thanks to Jill I am getting back in shape. Thanks to Steve for any future bone surgeries we might need. OK, hopefully not, but just in case...we are glad to know him!



The Marshall Family. Could be some of the sweetest 4 people I know. Love having our kids at basically the exact same age. So much to share!



The Thompson Family. 3 kids! How does Andrea look like a fitness instructor after 3? Oh, thats because she is one.



We just think the Oplotniks are fantastic. Jon made some awesome stuffed peppers and Shantel just looks like a rock star. 2 cute boys later, and you have one precious family!



The Wolf Family. Love these guys. Wyatt and Anslee are buds from school and Loren keeps our necks and spine all in good alignment. Kaylee is super mom and somehow gets both her kids to love food items like parsnips and kale. Or something like that.



I remember when I heard the McCormicks were moving from Abilene to Brownwood I jumped for joy. We sure love these two, and were so glad to share our Wednesday night college group with them!



Here is the crazy Moses Family. They are complete mess, nothing like all these other precious families. At least we all made it into the same photograph this time though!

The exercise of Motherhood

Did you know that motherhood and exercise have A LOT in common? People, motherhood could be exercise for the soul.

Both are challenging and rewarding.

Both take patience and persistence.

You get better as you go. You build on what you have.

The more you put in, the more you get out.

Sometimes you want to give up.

Some days you are stronger than others.

Discipline is key.

Its a mental and physical game.

Both take a lot of time and endurance.

Both stretch you in so many ways that make you better.

You love how you feel at the end of the day.

In the end, the harder you work the better off you are for it.



I started noticing this recently, as I thought back about the journey I have been on with having two babies to tend to. When Kensington came into the picture, it was like I had to learn motherhood all over again. Yes, I had been a mom for 2 years prior to her joining us, but everything was different.

It was like I had gotten out of shape. I needed to re-train those mommy muscles. Motherhood was requiring something different out of me. I had to start all over to build up to where I had been. I had to relearn how to plan out my day. It took me literally 4 months solid to really get a handle on a typical day with two at home. Things are starting to fall back into place now. I am finally building back up to a pace of life that is comfortable for me. I can endure my days with a little less stress and I am more confident with how far I can be stretched.

It feels so good to know that things are settling into a new normal around here. Its such a relief to know full well that I can take care of two kids at home by myself (well, until Tyler comes home of course) and that I have a plan to do so that works nicely.

Now, if I can just get my body back into shape...sigh. One step at a time.