I am Mom

I wake up to either the sound of Kinley whimpering because she wants out of her bed or the sound of Emily trying to be quiet as she exits their bedroom in the morning (either will happen between 5:30-6:30 am)

I am able to decipher what Kinley's pointing finger means when aimed at the refrigerator or pantry

I frequently sit on the floor playing with Strawberry Shortcake, puzzles or reading books

If I sit on the floor, chances are Kinley's little rear end will start backing up toward my lap

I know the different sounds of cries---the fake ones for consoling to the loud ones needing immediate attention

I have tiny little holes in the mid-section of just about every shirt I own from holding one or both of my girls

I will either have chalk, food, snot or dirt on me at some point of the day

I tear up when Emily breaks out of her shell and does something she fears

They crack me up when I hear things like, "Oh Kinley, you look so pretty today" (My best guess is because I dressed Kinley in a skirt rather than jeans, although, I admit, she did look quite pretty.)

My heart has two sets of legs and currently rest on a 3 yr old and 17 month old...they are getting so big.

I am content. I am Mom.

It's going to be a good summer

Mother's Day

I'm still surprised every day how much I fall in love with my girls. They each fill a place in my heart that I didn't know was empty. We have a lot of laughs and of course some tears too, but I feel so complete with them.

Being a mother is the most exhausting yet rewarding responsibility. I hope that they know just how much I love them and cherish our relationship. I didn't get a picture of the three of us together on Mother's day. We had a lot of fun running around an outdoor shopping area, eating at Cheesecake Factory, shopping, taking naps, getting a pedicure and having dinner with my parents.

My mom and I took Emily to get our nails done (sorry Kinley....you weren't old enough yet) and we had a nice relaxing time. I look forward to doing that with both girls in the future!

Easter

I am a sucker for making memories with the girls. When Emily was a little over a year old, we learned about a fantastic spring event complete with egg hunts, bounce houses, food etc...We've made it become our family tradition. This year, Brian had the day off of work and I had to take it as furlough, but it was so worth it. Emily had a GREAT time on the big slide and in the bounce houses. To our excitement she even LOVED the egg hunt. She has had major cry fests out there before and I was expecting that this year too, but I guess as she grows the crowds may be a little less scary....I don't know, but whatever the case she was so much fun to watch out there.

I've been struggling with the whole Easter Bunny thing....I couldn't decide if I wanted to make the Easter Bunny this mysterious character who drops off baskets of goodies on Easter morning or what. Looking back on my childhood, some of my favorite memories are when my sister and I would run down the stairs to see what was in our baskets. So, I decided to stick with the same traditions in our home. We had a talk about Jesus' death and resurrection....although the description of death was more like sleep and the resurrection was more like waking up. Emily learns a new scripture each week in Sunday school and this past week was "Jesus is King." She will say it whenever asked about her memory verse. I can't wait to see her relationship with this King she's learning about blossom.

and Kinley....well, we can't exactly go theological with her right now, but we certainly pray and share lots of love and giggles with her too. She had a great time with all of the Easter fun. I just love her sense of adventure. She takes it all in. She's so fun.

The Comforter

Okay, so Kinley has NEVER been good with sleep. As the second child, I had a lot of assumptions as to what she would be like. I was ignorant to think she would be a lot like her sister. Emily was great with naps (aside from the first six weeks). She was in her own room at approximately 8 weeks. Well, Kinley, wanted her own identity. She would sleep for about 15 minutes at a time. People always told me to sleep when the baby slept---GOOD LUCK. The first six months were AWFUL when it came to sleep not only for Kinley but for us too.

She finally started sleeping through the night and it was amazing. I didn't think I would ever know what more than two-three hours at a time would feel like. I felt refreshed and kept telling myself that I wouldn't be exhausted. However, my little sweetheart does not like to sleep in. This morning for instance....she was up at 4:00. 4:00....oh my word.

Okay, Jennifer, where does the title of "The Comforter" come into play? When we put Kinley to bed, she often has pacifiers and "lovies" thrown about in her crib. Well, this morning she had her giant frog from build a bear in her crib. Neither Brian or myself placed it in the crib, so we asked Emily how it got in there. "I put it in Kinley's bed when she was crying, I think she wanted a lovey." So stinkin' cute.

Funny Moments

Kinley desperately wants to keep up with Emily. Sometimes it's adorable and sometimes it's scary. Emily climbs everywhere and Kinley is quick to follow. Tonight she watched how Emily climbs into a chair and does a fancy landing onto the couch, guess who wanted to try? Yes, Brian. Just kidding. Kinley copied exactly what she did and I can't fight it anymore. I have to let her play into her adventurous side, so I just sit close in case I need to do some catching.

The girls take their baths together. Kinley was ready to get out so Brian started getting her ready for bed. He got her dressed in a diaper and she walked straight back to the bathroom and I hear lots of giggling and next thing I heard was a splash followed with Emily screaming MOMMY!!! I was right there (thankfully) because Kinley leeped into the tub because she wanted to be with her sister.

They are going to be the best of friends...

Lovin' my girls

I don't think I have the words to describe the incredible amount of love that I have for my children. They crack me up. We recycle just about anything we can around here and Emily has apparently witnessed this. Sometimes we put the items in the recycling container in our house and for the bigger items we place them by the stairs to take on our next run down. Tonight, I was in the other room and when I came out and put Emily to bed, I noticed that she had taken the milk carton off of the counter and carried it to the stair drop. The only problem was that although, yes, that was the goal I had in mind, I needed to empty out the tiny bit of milk left over.

Kinley gives high fives and will mimic washing her hands on command. When I arrive at daycare to pick the girls up, Kinley kinda "flaps" her arms to her side in excitement. She walks REALLY fast toward me and surrounds her small, sweet arms around me and gives me a hug. Melts my heart every time.