Doing Disney in 100 degree heat...

So we had the brilliant idea to bring our 21 month old and 7 week old to Orlando to go to Animal Kingdom. Well...let me back up... Really the discussion started because for Jeff's 40th birthday I got him a 30 minute ride-along in a 1941 Stearman PT-17 open cockpit plane (go see Peggy and Tim at Preston Aviation, Inc. in Leesburg - they were GREAT!!! Their website is http://www.flytailwheel.com/). Jeff has always wanted to get his pilots license...and although I'm not ready for that big of a leap - I figured that this would be something fun for him to do and give him a taste of what he has dreamed of. So - we finally found a free weekend (which is tough for us it seems...) and got it scheduled for Friday morning. Here are some pictures of Jeff's adventure. :)

Oops...I guess that last one isn't of Jeff is it? haha

So since Leesburg is basically just over half way to Orlando, we decided to meet one of Jeff's best friends, Scott (who lives in Tampa - and is single, cute and successful ladies!!!) there and go to a park on Saturday. We opted to go to Animal Kingdom, guessing that since Kendall really couldn't ride any rides being so little, it would at least be fun for her since she could see some animals.

When we got there about 10am - and I swear it was already 90 degrees. The first thing we did, is stand in line for 10 minutes so that Kendall could meet Minnie Mouse. Let me tell you - it is probably the best thing we did the whole day! I could hardly hold Kendall back once we got close enough for her to see Minnie Mouse hugging other people. Once we got to the front of the line and she was able to go up and see her - she literally RAN to Minnie and gave her a hug!

We were so surprised that she wasn't scared of her...it was great. As we were walking away - Kendall turned around three times and said "Dye dye. I you." (which means "Bye bye. I love you." in 21-month old).

Next - we walked into the "Africa" section of Animal Kingdom, and came upon some musicians. They invited several people, including myself and Kendall, to come up in front of everyone and dance. And boy did we!!! It was so much fun - and Kendall wasn't nervous or scared at all. In fact - at one point I had to bring her back over to me because she was dancing away from me... Here are some pictures. :)

Overall - we were pleasantly surprised at how well Kendall did in the heat. She actually lasted until about 3pm when she fell asleep in the stroller. We were already on the way back to the car - so we were thrilled that she lasted that long. Carson even did good. Normally if he is warm, he sleeps the whole time. He actually didn't sleep the whole time and was even a very happy boy a little later that day. And FINALLY - I was able to get some pictures of Carson smiling!!!

Although we aren't ready to get season passes - we will probably head down again next year. And most likely the year after that (2009) we will get passes.

Until then - Gator football season officially starts tomorrow - so I'm sure I'll have a story or two to come about that. And as if taking care of two in diapers didn't keep me busy enough - Jeff convinced me to take a Creative Writers Workshop at the Sante Fe Community College. So - now I have no excuse for not sitting down when I get a chance and hammering out a few pages of a book I've been thinking about. So far...I've got 18 pages written...LONG way away from finishing it...but at least I've gotten it started. I'll let you all know if it actually goes somewhere...doubtful anytime soon...so I wouldn't hold my breaths if I was you...

Well - it is now 10:30 at night and time for my little one's last feeding before my bedtime... Have a great Labor Day weekend and GO GATORS!!!

Things I've learned being a mother of 2 (Part 1)

As I stood in my kitchen stirring hot water into my instant oatmeal this morning (that is item #1 on my list - you can't eat anything that takes more than 2 minutes to make), I started thinking about all the things that I've learned in the short 7 weeks that I've been a mother of two. And of course, I felt that my blog was the best place to share this information...:)

1) Everything you eat must either be made in less than 2 minutes, be identical to what your child is eating (yum yum grilled cheese sandwiches and hot dogs), or you go hungry. Why? you ask... My husband doesn't seem to understand this either...but every mom I've ever talked to "gets" it. So - for you men out there - here you go. On the rare day that your toddler does decide to eat their food, if you are up slicing vegetables to put on a salad for lunch, or frying an egg for breakfast, then they will be done eating before you can even sit down to begin eating your creation. Which means that shortly after they are done eating (VERY shortly) they want to get down from their chair and run around. "So why is that a problem?" a) because you can't trust a toddler alone for more than 5 seconds and b) they normally either want up in your lap as you are trying to eat your food and share what you are eating even though they are probably full or c) they want you to go with them to play or read or give them attention.

2) Coffee has become my best friend. There was a time in college I tried to drink coffee on a regular basis in the morning. It lasted for a while, but pretty much evaporated into an every-once in a while habit. I still loved to have coffee with a good ooey gooey chocolate creation after dinner, or on a cold morning when I was still living up north. However, if I don't have my two cups of coffee (which by the size of my cups, is really like 3 or 4 cups) every morning, I don't have the energy to chase after my 21 month old. I'll find myself falling asleep as we are reading Mr. Brown Can Moo Can You? for the hundredth time. The fun part...coffee is a diuretic...which means I've now become pretty regular... :)

3) When one child cries, they both cry. I don't know why this is. But it never seems to fail that the moment my 21 month old is crying, whether it be from falling down or having a poopy diaper, my 7 week old chooses that exact moment to start squalling as well. Then...I am left with this mother's guilt... As much as I want to be there for my daughter and make sure she knows that if she is hurt or upset she can come to me and I'll be there...I am not fully there for her - as my mind is aching for my son wanting to pick him up and comfort him...so that he knows that if he is hurt or upset he can come to me and I'll be there... Which...in turn...makes me less patient with my daughter than I normally would be.

4) The television has become my 2nd best friend. As a brand new mom with Kendall, I tried to tell myself (and anyone that would listen at the time) that I wasn't going to let her watch tv until she was 2 years old. Then I got pregnant with Carson. And the fatigue set in. Now...the television has become an almost constant in our home. I do try to limit it - only an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening. But...I know that even that is a lot. But, now that I have Carson, Kendall needs to be distracted by something as I'm feeding him, otherwise she is trying to crawl up in my lap along with him the whole time. Mother's guilt is hitting me very hard even now as I type this...because I know as I think about it that she probably watches much more than 2 hours a day. We have days that she doesn't watch any...and then other days where I can't seem to turn it off. Noggin and Disney channels are our favorite... And she has learned from watching tv - she learned from Dora the Explorer that a train says Choo Choo. She learned from Backyardigans that a pirate says Argh and a caveman says Ugg. I tell myself that when it isn't so hot outside - we'll spend more time playing outside...but right now going out into 98 degree weather for 2 hours is not very realistic - especially with a 7 week old...

5) The love I feel for my children is constantly growing. Ok, ok...ending today's list with a sappy thing probably isn't very fair. However, it amazes me each day how much I love each of my kids. Sometimes, the love I feel comes over me so hard I feel like crying. Just watching my daughter run around and be silly makes me laugh and makes my heart swell. Looking at my son and imagining what he will be like at Kendall's age makes me so happy that I get to be the person that watches him grow on a daily basis. I say a prayer every night as I go to sleep - I thank God for trusting me with such beautiful souls as my children. Why He decided that I was the best mommy for them, I can't imagine - because I know I've never done anything remotely good enough to deserve the Grace He has shown me in my two beautiful children. I only hope I can make Him proud in how I raise them...

Ok...that is it for now. As this blog goes along, I'm sure I will have even more things I've learned (hence the Part 1 part). In the meantime - here is a picture of my two precious ones.

Little affirmations...

As a mom of two very little ones - getting affirmation from them that you are doing a good job is next to impossible. Well - tonight - I got two...

Part of Kendall's bedtime routine is saying prayers just before we lay her down. Normally Jeff or I say the prayers (typical "please bless Mommy and Daddy and Carson..."). Tonight we asked her who she wanted to say the prayers - me, Daddy or herself. She indicated that she wanted to say prayers tonight by placing both hands on her chest and saying "endall." What a blessing! Although what she says is very basic (just names at this point) - she is getting the idea. We are setting a positive example for her early on. That she isn't nervous or scared of saying prayers herself, that she knows that we say the names of the ones we love in our prayers, and that we say "Amen" when we are done - this tells me that as Christian parents trying to raise our children in a Christian home...something is starting to "stick" in what we are teaching her.

The other little affirmation I got happened at the dinner table tonight. We are constantly asking Kendall what different animals say. Tonight, Jeff asked her what Carson says. She said "waaa" with her mouth wide open and her face puckered like she was crying. Jeff and I both started to laugh it was so cute! Then Jeff asked her "What does Daddy say?" She said "I you" - which in 20-month-old means "I love you". He asked her "What does Mommy say?" Again - "I you" was her response. How wonderful that we express our love, not only to one another but to her as well, that she thinks that what "we say" is "I love you", much as a cat says "meow" or a cow says "moo."

I think we are doing something right...

Letters and Blocks and Books oh my!

I really hate to brag (well...actually no I don't...), but my daughter has to be the smartest 20 month old on this planet!!! Not long ago we got her the Fridge Phonics Magnetic Letter Set by Leap Frog. The box says it is intended for ages 2 and up...but we figured she was close enough - so we got it anyway. Lets just say that we are THRILLED that we got it for her. This morning before he left for work, my husband stood by the fridge and pointed at the letters, asking Kendall to tell him what each letter was. With the exception of about 6, she knew ALL of them. Now - I can't guarantee that she will be able to do it again if asked...but the fact that she did it once just amazed me! We are already sending out applications to Harvard and Yale...haha

Anyway - between reading book after book after book to her each day, playing with her letters, helping her identify colors (she has black and white down pat...occasionally it seems she knows blue and green, but not consistently), and playing with her shaped blocks and putting them in their appropriate shaped holes - Kendall has been such a sponge lately! It is amazing to me watching her learn...you can actually see the wheels turning in her head when she looks at something or asks me a question. It is fantastic!!! Last night as we were getting her ready for bed, Jeff showed her the difference between up and down by pointing at the ceiling and floor. Now - she has already been saying the words for a long time...but last night was the first time we got her to actually point to indicate she knew what "up" was and what "down" was. I saw an article that said that a child her age is learning 10 words a day. She may not be able to use the word yet...but she is absorbing it (lets just say we are being SOOO careful now with any expletives that might slip out now and then...) to be able to repeat back later. It is fantastic to watch and know that is some way I contributing to her learning. I told Jeff this morning that I am actually a little scared of it all as well - because although I consider myself to be intelligent - I don't think that I am as intelligent as Kendall is...and there will be a point in time that she will be smarter than me and I won't be able to challenge her intellectually anymore. That terrifies me...

My "little" guy, Carson, is doing great! Eat, sleep, poop, repeat. That is our day. However - he is a little more alert each day. He is also smiling at Jeff and I when we talk to him. I just love that little smile!!! Someday I hope to actually catch it on film...but I haven't been able to yet. It is so hard to believe that it was 5 weeks ago that he was born. In some ways it seems like eons ago...and in others - it was just yesterday! But seeing where his big sister is now...I just know that I'm going to blink and they are both going to be in high school...

Oh - I almost forgot - Kendall will most likely be moving to a toddler bed here in the very near future...as she climbed out of her crib for the first time on Monday. She hasn't done it again yet...but I'm just waiting... That brings its own set of worries to this already worry-wart mother! haha

I've attached a few pictures that were taken this weekend. One is of Kendall in a little "Chinese" outfit my sister, Dee, picked up for her in Los Angeles when she was on vacation. Goodness she is adorable!!! The others are of my mom with both of her Grand kids and Dee with her niece. I just LOVE my family!!!! I don't think there is a luckier person out there than me!