On the Downlow

Sorry for the delay in blogging lately. I've been under the weather the past week. Yesterday I was able to start taking anti-nausea medicine, but it only sometimes help relieve my symptoms. Hopefully the next month will fly by and the nausea will go away.

Landon has been expressing his loud voice lately. He is so loud, he always wakes Taylor from her nap. And Taylor has learned two words that no parent wants to hear: "No, mine!". She's been a bit sassy lately so she has also been practicing the word "sorry". It is quite cute to hear her apologize. Like today when she hit Landon in the head with a bag of wipes, or when she thought she was funny by sticking her feet in his face and made Landon cry, she was able to practice the word "sorry".

Here is a video clip of puzzle time tonight. Taylor definitely knows most of the animals. Daddy is such a good teacher....

The Surprise Gift

Before I talk about the surprise gift I received this year, I want to mention three things about God that I have been reminded of lately.

1. God has a sense of humor.
2. God knows the desires of our hearts.
3. God won't give us more than we can handle.

OK, so on to the great gift that I received news of recently but won't be receiving until late summer due to manufacturing conditions. The gift is precious, sweet and small. The gift smells good and is silky to the touch. The gift is priceless yet will cost a lot in the long run. The gift is God-given.

Yep, you guessed it. We are pregnant with baby #3! We are in 100% total SHOCK. I've known for over a week, and I'm still coping with the news. It's not that I didn't want another child, it's just NOW was not my time. Or so I thought. Hank and I have peace knowing that this child is part of God's plan. This baby beat the odds (including birth control) and has been given to us to raise. I debated whether to share this news so early because I'm only 7 weeks into it, but I've had severe nausea since Monday so I would say that means the baby is alive and well. (Hey Michael, is this enough Schepemaker drama for you? haha)

So although we had a wonderful Christmas with family, I am still exhausted from the news, what's happening to my body, and keeping up with two little ones. You know, I've been really lackadaisical about reading my Bible lately, so maybe this is God's way of getting me back to the basics so that I am encouraged and ready to be the Mommy He intended me to be.

She Did It!

She did it! Taylor can ride the scooter all by herself. In fact, she loves the scooter so much that it's hard for her to go to bed at night knowing she has to take a break from playing. The other night, Hank caught Taylor waking up in the middle of the night and walking down the stairs in an attempt for some middle-of-the-night action. She cracks us up with her love for that thing. Oh to be a kid again.

Another funny story from last night...Taylor was wired for some reason and she had a very hard time going to sleep. So I laid down with her hoping to get her to fall asleep sooner than later. For two minutes straight, she laid on top of me giving me eskimo kisses. I tried to pretend like I was sleeping, and I really tried hard not to smile or laugh. In the end, she got me. I just had to give her a kiss for being so sweet.

Arts & Crafts

I'm so excited because so far, Taylor is showing signs of loving arts and crafts. Today while Landon was taking his morning nap and Hank was off feeding the homeless with neighbors from church, I let Taylor experiement with my stamps. She did great except for when she kept on trying to stamp her skin or her shirt. Gymboree taught her that stamps on her body were ok, so I think I was confusing her when I told her not to do that.

Scooter Surprise

Friday night we headed over to Hank's parents house for a chili dinner and to celebrate Christmas before they headed off to Memphis, TN to visit Hank's sister and her husband for the holidays. Anyday now, Kendrie and Josh should have their baby girl.

Grammie and Papa gave Taylor a princess scooter for Christmas. I knew she was going to love it because she's like a magnet to those things. Anytime we see one, she's trying to get on it and ride it. She's still too young and too small but very soon she'll get the hang of it.

So last night was a great reminder of what not to do when opening Christmas gifts or participating in anything fun and memorable for that matter. Because Taylor was so exhausted and we opened the gifts right around her bed time, she had a fit when she kept falling off the scooter. Taylor is very strong-willed and wants/needs to do everything on her own. Hank and I kept on trying to show her how to ride the scooter, but she couldn't quite do it. Possibly because her legs were still a little short.

We haven't pulled out the scooter again yet. I know we will need to do it after naptime or something. She loves it though so much! It was fun to see her get excited when she was opening the present. Can't wait to see more big smiles from her and Landon this coming week.

Masterpiece

Today Taylor created her first masterpiece. Taylor spent the morning with her Grammie (Hank's mom), and they did many fun things together. Taylor actually painted for the first time. She did a great job. We have her artwork taped up on our pantry door. I can't wait for the day when we have both Taylor and Landon's latest masterpieces on display.

Landon was with Mommy while Taylor had her one-on-one time with Grammie. The lucky boy got to watch me work out and then we spent a good long hour at the grocery store while dodging rain drops on the way. I love this weather! Just transporting two little ones in the wet cold is a little hard to do alone.

Landon is definitely a mommy's boy. He's always looking around for me and saves me the best, biggest smiles. I love to cuddle him and make sure we have at least an hour together each day. As I was pushing him in the shopping cart, he kept on leaning forward and grabbing for me and gave me long hugs. A few ladies in the store even commented how loving he was to me. I'm in heaven when my children show me love.

Pink Princess Tree

My parents came over yesterday with lots of goodies. But the most special gift was a pink princess tree. The beautiful 3-foot tree was decorated with princess stuff that I took off and put away with the many princess costumes that accompanied the tree. Now Taylor has lots of dress-up costumes, jewelry, shoes, tiaras, etc. when she is old enough. She likes to take off her clothes, but she's not quite at the level where she likes to dress herself.

So my mom and I tried to set up the tree in Taylor's room so she could enjoy it for the next few weeks. Every time we left her alone, she pulled them off and collected the "balls" (Taylor's name for ornaments). She even was gutsy enough to throw one over the staircase railing which instantly shattered upon impact.

So then we moved the tree downstairs into the living room up high on an end table. Sure enough, she pulled off the "balls" again. So later today I will be packaging up the beautiful tree and storing it away until next year. It was a great afternoon though to hang out with my parents and let the kids play with Oma and Opa.

Snow

We just got back a little while ago from taking the kids to a park in our community for a "snow" day. This was Taylor and Landon's first experience with snow. Taylor enjoyed sledding down the hills and pushing other people's strollers. She's so predictable. We were laughing with our neighbors about what type of jobs Taylor might enjoy when she's an adult. My suggestion was a grocery cart collector, and our neighbors suggested a lawn mower pusher aka a landscaper. If you know Taylor well, you know she LOVES to push anything she can get her little hands on. She has even taken away a walker from an elderly lady at the mall. She's quite crazy but so much fun!

Landon liked running his little fingers through the snow. It was a little too cold for his liking, but as always, he pushed the snow straight into his mouth. It must have felt good as his 5th tooth is coming in. I let him stand on the snow a little bit, but he had a hard time with the slippery snow that was quickly melting in the warm Arizona sun.

A Visit from Professor Taylor

Some pre-bedtime fun....

Santa Spotting

Well, they weren't overjoyed to see Santa. But they weren't scared either. For the most part, they both just stared up at him in awe. Landon was going for his glasses, and Taylor was, well, peaceful. Hank's mom and Oma came with me to the mall. I don't think I could have done it on my own. Taylor brought her doll stroller with her, and we let her walk up and down the mall...taking out a few pedestrians on the way. She would also enter into the stores that had eye-catching window displays and join the visual merchandising props. She came home though and took a great nap.

And tonight we headed over to some neighbors for a Christmas gathering. It was good to see some neighbors who we haven't seen in awhile. Landon has learned to sit up from a laying down position. Soon we'll have to lower his crib mattress as he can already bear some weight on his legs and stand a little. Christmas, life for that matter, is so much better with children.

For the Birds

Well, both kids have runny noses and the signs of a cold. We spent all day yesterday in our home so today we needed some fresh air. Little errands in the morning always make our days go by faster and are better for the kids. They love to get out and about. So after Landon's morning nap, we met up with Daddy at Hot Bagel for a yummy lunch.

The ladies at Hot Bagel always enjoy when we bring the kids in. And they always give Taylor a chocolate chip bagel which she never eats. So instead of throwing it away, I took the kids to a nearby park and we fed the ducks. Taylor squealed with delight until about 80 birds flocked to us and then she just hung tight to my legs. At one point, I had Landon in a front pack on my chest and I was holding Taylor on one hip and trying to feed the birds at the same time. It was really fun though. We'll have to go more often and bring a stroller for the kids to sit in.

After feeding the birds, we went to the park across the street which was perfect for toddlers to play on. It's so fun to see what Taylor likes and dislikes. For instance, she hates the swing, but enjoys climbing on monkey bars. She'll be fun to figure out. And Landon is still my happy boy who prefers to be held and cuddled by Mommy as much as possible. I'm so in love!

In Sickness & In Health

Two words to sum up our night away: kidney stone. Around 9:30 last night, Hank starting showing signs of passing a kidney stone. This will be stone #5. The poor guy was in so much pain, he threw up most of the evening. Finally around 1:00 am, we decided to go home and leave our beautiful hotel room. I knew we had some good pain medicine at home left over from my hernia repair surgery several months ago.

It was a good decision that we headed home. After several hot showers and lots of throwing up, Hank finally settled into bed around 2:30 am. We could not have made it this morning with the kids at home. Hank and I slept in real late and then headed to brunch before getting the kids. Even though we didn't have the "ideal" night away, we still had a good time and I was able to take care of my best friend.

Hyatt, Here We Come

Tomorrow Hank and I are taking off for 24 hours of wedded bliss. Ha! Guess what we'll be doing...sleeping through the night with no interuptions, getting up at the last minute to enjoy the free breakfast, and then back to sleep for another morning nap. We can't wait! Hank's parents gave us a certificate for a one-night stay and we are super excited. So our little honeymoon starts tomorrow.

Here's my wish list for the 24 hours away:
1. Sleeping in
2. Enjoy a dinner together where we can actually focus
3. Taking in a couple of movies

Here is Hank's wish list for the 24 hours away:
1. Sleeping in
2. Catching up with each other
3. Taking in a couple of movies

Well, it looks like we are in total agreement. This will be Landon's first sleepover at grandma and grandpa's house. It's very hard for me to let go of them even for a day, but Hank and I really need a break. We'll come back to them on Sunday refueled and ready to take on another week.

Let There Be Christmas Lights

First, I just have to say thanks to Hank for stringing the Christmas lights this year. It was his first time ever, and he did a fantastic job. Every year since we have been married and living in a house, I've asked him to decorate with lights. He always said no. Well last year he said no too, but he couldn't get out of it so easily this year. It is so important, to me, to decorate for Christmas. I knew once we had children, Hank would be all over it. And indeed he was!

The poor guy had to run several times to various stores as everyone seemed to be sold out of clips or docking stations or cords. He even had to restring the lights today because he realized after he stapled them up there the first time, some of the strands were backwards and we need the power plugs to be on specific sides of the house. Anyway, Hank easily spent over 10 hours preparing and stringing the lights. So honey, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

We had our own lighting ceremony tonight. We invited Hank's parents over and a few neighbors stopped by. We pulled out the good ol' fire pit and made several cups of hot chocolate. Although I can't say it was relaxing due to chasing Taylor around, it was definitely fun and festive.

Here are a few pics. Sorry they are a little blury.

Celebration of Lights

Tonight we took the kids to the Community Church of Joy light parade. Although the line was long and slow (since it was a free event), it took us an hour from beginning to end, it was a great way to spend the evening as a family. I let Taylor and Landon sit on my lap so they could have a good view. Of course Taylor wanted to climb out the window and reach toward the "lights", a word she kept on repeating over and over and over. But I had a good hold on her so she didn't get away. And Landon was mesmerized by the whole thing. We just snuggled with a blanket and made the most of it. All we were missing was hot chocolate.