Mother's Day

Even though this post is extremely late, I didn't want to forget my first Mother's Day as a mother of two! We had a fantastic day being together as a family and I don't honestly think I could ever feel as blessed as I do now! My children and my husband make me complete...and it's the best feeling in the world! I love you three!

It Won't Be Like This For Long...

"He didn't have to wake up,

he'd been up all night
Layin’ there in bed listenin’

to his new born baby cry
He makes a pot of coffee,

he splashes water on his face
His wife gives him a kiss

and says it's gonna be OK

It won’t be like this for long,

one day we'll look back laughin’
At the week we brought her home

this phase is gonna fly by
So baby just hold on,

‘cause it won't be like this for long

Four years later ‘bout 4:30

she's crawling in their bed
And when he drops her off at preschool

she's clinging to his leg
The teacher peels her off of him,

he says what can I do
She says now don't you worry,

this’ll only last a week or two

It won’t be like this for long,

one day soon you'll drop her off
And she won’t even know you're gone,

this phase is gonna fly by
If you can just hold on

it won’t be like this for long

Some day soon she'll be a teenager

and at times he'll think she hates him
Then he'll walk her down the aisle

and he'll raise her veil
But right now she's up and cryin’

and the truth is that he don't mind
As he kisses her good night

and she says her prayers

He lays down there beside her

‘til her eyes are finally closed
And just watchin’ her it breaks his heart

cause he already knows

It won’t be like this for long,

one day soon that little girl is gonna be
All grown up and gone yeah,

this phase is gonna fly by
So, he's tryin’ to hold on,

‘cause it won’t be like this for long." - Darius Rucker

As a mother of two wonderful gifts from God, I am realizing now more than ever just how fast time flies right before your very eyes. I cannot believe that I already have to go back to work this Friday and as the day draws near, I am struggling with it more and more. Just as I did with Maddux, I have formed an unbreakable bond with my daughter. Every morning after her first bottle of the day we lay on the floor and just talk....just the two of us all alone and it is one of the best parts of my day! With every passing day she smiles bigger and babbles more. The feeling that I get in my heart every day when she gazes in my eyes and smiles is irreplaceable! For her, in this moment, I am her world and I want it to last forever! I know that these moments race by, but while they last I am going to treasure each and every one. I know that we only have wonderful memories ahead of us, but for right now, in this very moment, I am going to embrace each second with my children and hold it close to my heart because "it won't be like this for long".

Happy Easter!

It's that time of year again...Easter...so we had to have an Easter egg hunt...Maddux's first one! He did fantastic. To be honest, we expected him to grab one egg and then either fixate on that one egg or get distracted and start playing with his toys! But that was not the case. He hunted for every single egg and he found all of them! Most were hidden in plain sight, but he still had to look for them and he got so excited every time he found one. Afterwards, he enjoyed the treats inside! Maddux enjoyed the hunt so much, that we have actually had several egg hunts inside because he just loves looking for them...what a cutie! Addison enjoyed her first Easter as well. She is really starting to smile a lot and it melts my heart every time! And her outfit puts it very well....."somebunny does love her"...in fact there are lots of "somebunnies"! Thanks Great Grandpa and Grandma for the outfit...it was perfect!

"You May Kiss Your Bride!"

As a daughter, there is nothing that would make me happier than to see each of my parents happy...truly happy. This past weekend, on Friday, April 22, that came true for my mom...she got married to an amazing man that loves her unconditionally and can't wait to spend the rest of his life with her. I was so thrilled and honored to have the opportunity to take my kids up to Goshen and share in this special day with them! I love you both and wish you both a lifetime a happiness! Congratulations!

My mom's brother, Rick, came to give her away...very special!

The happy couple with Craig's parents

Our Little Monkey is Two Months!

9 lbs. 13 oz and 21 1/2 inches long and she keeps on growing! According to her 2 month check up, Addie is doing very well and I think we can officially say that she is no longer a preemie...she can eat with the best of them! Her doctor is extremely pleased with her growth and is amazed at how strong and alert she is...she said you would have never known she was born 4 weeks early!

Addie did very well with her first round of shots, or so I thought while we were at the doctors office. However, as the day progressed, it became very clear that our little monkey was in a lot of pain and she definitely let us know. Matt and I both felt absolutely helpless...we couldn't even brush her thighs without her screaming and it was the kind of screaming where their voice just shakes and they can hardly catch their breath....heartbreaking! So we both spent the evening just cuddling and making her as comfortable as possible. I feared that she and I might be have a long night ahead of us, but to my surprise she slept from 10 - 5! My little rock star! By the next day she was doing great!

She is still eating every 3 hours during the day and is doing fairly well at putting herself to sleep for every nap...some days are better than others! However she is awesome at night...we are literally only up for 15 minutes to eat, change diaper, and she is back to bed and puts herself to sleep! Makes her Momma proud! She has only been getting up once in the night for the last couple of weeks so starting tonight, we are going to attempt to drop the middle of the night feeding. Lets just say we could have some serious tears shed during these next few nights...but after seeing how successful it was with Maddux, I know it will be worth it...he's the best little sleeper!

Addison is starting to smile when we smile at her and has started "talking" to us more and more just over these last few days...some of the best noises in the world come out of the mouth of a 2 month old! Addison's personality continues to remain true to her behavior in the womb...FEISTY! No doubt about it! She is a fighter and does NOT give up easy! She will definitely give her big brother a run for his money in a few years, maybe even months! Once again, I am in awe at how amazing it is to be a mother and I feel so blessed to have this incredible family and often wonder..."how did I get so lucky?"

And if you're wondering, she got the nickname "monkey" from her daddy because she was so hairy when she was born...I'm sure some day she won't find that nickname very funny, but we like it for now!

Maddux Turns Two!

Happy Birthday Maddux! Hard to believe he is already two, but last weekend we celebrated his second birthday in style....Sesame Street style! We started the celebration Friday afternoon with his class at school. We brought cookies and balloons for the kids to play with...the balloons were a huge hit! Who knew punching balloons could be so fun! Then Saturday we continued the celebration with a birthday party with grandparents! We had a great time and Maddux received some terrific presents! We are trying to soak up every moment with this little man, because time is flying way too fast!

Punching time

It's so entertaining to watch these two year olds sit at a table and interact...as adults would! Hilarious!

Breakfast before the party...looking pretty good considering he had a terrible sinus infection and fever

Our greeter

Wouldn't be a complete day if it wasn't started with an Elmo movie while he sat on his thrown...or lion chair!

Presents anyone?

Playing with is new football that was signed by a Colts player and given to him by his Grandpa Craig

Pizza time

Oh the birthday cards...who needs gifts if you have cards!

Eating his Cookie book like Cookie eats his cookies

Feeling pretty cool in his new "bench" as he kept calling it

If he can't open it, he'll crawl on it!

His new Sesame Street blanket from Grandpa and Grandma Kettlebar - huge hit! His face just lit up when he saw this and has slept with it every night since!

Someone is getting sleepy

Maddux didn't get too messy this year, but he was extremely tired by this point and quite frankly I just think he didn't know where to begin on this huge piece of cake! And if truth were told, he's much more an Oreo man than a cake man!

Happy 2nd Birthday Maddux Dean...Mommy and Daddy love you more than words can say!