Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Stats

I took Mak to the Dr today for her 2 year check up! Here are her latest stats:

  • Weight: 31.4 pounds (92%)
  • Height-36.10 inches (97%)
  • Head Circ.-19.10 (77%)
This child has grown a ton in the last year. Last year, at her 12 month check up (which was really in November), she weighed 22.7 pounds and was in the 50%. Her height was 31 inches, which was the 75%. So, in 10 months, she has gained almost 10 pounds and grown 5.10 inches. That is a ton! I knew she was getting heavy. She's only lacking her brother by about 7 pounds. I love being able to blog about it because then when I forget her stats, I'm able to come back on here and remind myself!

Sunday, September 13, 2009

The Best Surprise


On September 13, 2007, I was able to meet face-to-face the biggest surprise God has ever given me. When we first found out we were pregnant with Makinley, I was not exactly happy. At the time, I was the mother of a VERY difficult nine month old, and was seriously contemplating only having one child. I couldn't imagine dealing with another one and Tripp. I can remember how terrified I was and how stressed I was and every other emotion I could possibly have....except happiness. I can honestly say that I wasn't happy about the fact that I was pregnant. Until, I found out that I was "losing" the baby. When I was told I was having a miscarriage it put everything into perspective. I quickly realized that this was MY child too. Just like Tripp was/is my child. I realized that, without even knowing it, I had already bonded with that little one growing inside my belly. I was devestated that I was losing the baby. I spent a week of my life in fear over what was going to happen and sadness and guilt over the emotions I had previously been having. God is so good. When I went back for a follow up ultrasound and saw my sweet baby alive and well, I knew He had answered the prayers of my heart. I sometimes wonder if He allowed me to go through that just to completly see that HIS timing is perfect, even when I think it's not. Of course it was the right time for me to be pregnant again. Of course, I was going to be fine with two children 18 monts apart. Of course, He would be with me every step of the way. Now, every time I celebrate a birthday with Makinley, I am reminded of the first few weeks of my pregnancy with her. This sweet girl has brought nothing but joy to our family. As a baby, she was SO laid back we weren't even sure she was really there. She never cried and she slept a lot (except during the night!). Now, I can say, the older she gets, the fiestier she gets. She's no pushover and she will defend herself. Some facts about Makinley at 2:

She has grown about 8-9 inches in the last year (at her one year birthday, she was in a 6-9 month outfit. Now she is fully in 2T clothes)

  • She is not much of an eater.
  • She loves her brother.
  • She is a snuggly little girl and loves to give hugs and kisses.
  • She talks up a storm.
  • She loves to pretend to talk to Poppa on the phone.
  • She loves her baby dolls. She'll hug them and say, "They hold me"
  • I love to hear her say: "Yuv You, Mommy, Yuv You"

    She's a girly girl that also loves to play Power Rangers with her brother
  • She's still a climber.
  • She HATES to have her teeth brushed.
  • She's tough and can bounce back from a boo-boo super quick.

I know I am biased, but when I look at her, sometimes I am just overcome by how beautiful I think she is. My prayer is that as she grows older, she remains as beautiful inside as she is on the outside. She is God's greatest surprise for me. I will forever be grateful that He knew what was best for me at a time when I wasn't so sure! Happy 2nd Birthday, Makinley. I love you!


Thursday, September 10, 2009

Oh, the things he says!

The older Tripp gets, the funnier he gets. He says some of the funniest things on a daily basis. Plus, he's all in to being "silly" right now. He likes to make silly faces, make up silly words, sing silly songs. To him, the sillier, the funnier. It's quite entertaining. However, he is also extremely smart. I'm sure all parents feel this way about their child, but he really is. Last night, we had a really long conversation about what sounds different letters make. He consistently knows the letter's B, P, M, O and F. He can count to 10 (and higher a lot of times, we just usually stop at 10). He knows all of his colors (gray is "grain"). He can write his name (which I have taken a picture of and will post soon; I'm amazed he can write it so well at 3 years old).

Some funny things he has said in the last 24 hours (actually, they were both this morning)
First, he brought me a paper from school where he had traced over a capital B and a lowercase B.
Tripp:"Mommy, that's a B" (pointing to the capital one). What is that letter? (pointing to the lowercase b).
Me: "That's a big B and that's a little B"
Tripp: "Oh, so this B says "BUH" (in a loud voice) and this B says "buh" (in a really soft voice).
:-)

Later, I was standing in the kitchen getting breakfast together:
Tripp: "Mommy, do you have big boobies?"
Me: Laughing "Not by most standards"
Tripp: "Standards? I not know that word."
Upon inspection, he was holding one of my bras in his hand. I guess that's what spurred the question. That, or maybe his teachers told him to go home and figure out different words that make the "b" sound!!!

Never a dull moment with Tripp around!

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

31

Today is Joey's birthday. To say that I am blessed to have him as my husband would be a major understatement. He is truly God's gift to me. In honor of his birthday, I wanted to do something special and creative. I decided to make him a frame with 31 reasons why I love him (which I completely stole from another blog). Here is the final product:

I could have come up with many more reasons than just 31. But that was a good place to start! I love you, baby! I hope to celebrate 60 more birthdays with you!

Love 'Em


Monday, September 7, 2009

Mak-Mak's Birthday Party

It's hard to believe another year has passed, but it has. Yesterday, we celebrated our girl turning two. Each birthday with her is so hard since I know she's my last. (Well, I say that. I constantly try to convince Joey to have one more. Maybe one day I'll win the battle.) We were able to have everyone over and hang out in our backyard. It's the first time we've been able to use our backyard to use like that since we had it done over the summer and it was so much fun. It was so nice for me not to have everyone trying to crowd in the house. The kids had a blast playing together. The cake was AWESOME and she got some terrific presents. Her room has been transformed into a true little girl's room with all of her dress up clothes, vanity, make up, hair supplies, etc. Her and Tripp have had a blast playing together in there. Here it is in pictures (in case you couldn't tell, my only real theme was pink and yellow!)
Just up from her nap and ready for everyone to start arriving!
A quick picture with Mommy
Daddy's turn
Tripp and Drew putting the vanity to the test.
Tripp and Karli trying things out.
Her cake!
Loving everyone singing to her.
Her sign
Trying to open presents. She would only open one or two and then run off and play.
Playing on the swingset.
Talking on the phone (with water on her shirt)...wonder where she sees holding the phone like that?
Trying presents again.
Mak finally discovered the vanity.
The Lancasters
The Lancasters with Grammie
My aunt and uncle came into town from Wilmington and it was wonderful to have them here. My parents and Trey and Jenn were at the party too. But, it was so hot, that my family hung out inside most of the time so I didn't get any pictures of them during the festivities. We love you, Makie, and can't wait to see what the next year holds.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Drowning

Well, it only took 5 weeks, and I already feel like I need a life jacket. Seriously. There are times during the day that I feel like I am drowning. My weeks are full to the point of popping. This post is just for some stress relief. It will feel good just to put all my "responsibilities" down. Maybe if I type about them, they won't run through my head 1,000 times tonight and keep me up!

Have I ever mentioned that I think the school I teach at is the most intense school in the state? I really do. The things they want us to do are unbelievable. We are working towards becoming "standards based" in our grading. Which means it is ALL about our kids portfolios. We have to have an example on every student that demonstrates they have mastered every standard we have to teach. Then we score those as 1, 2, or 3. If they are a 1 or 2, I have to reteach them that standard until they become a 3 (or until I lose all my hair). We have benchmarks, rubrics, keys to understanding, etc. Can I say that my 1st 9 weeks rubric (of things I have to cover this 9 weeks) is 3 pages long? That is a heck of a lot of standards to cover in 9 weeks. I'm halfway through the first nine weeks and I have only been able to check off 5 standards. It just takes that long to cover one and make sure every child "gets it". My work days are spent pouring over portfolios, trying to find good assessments, creating engaging lessons, and dealing with some of the toughest situations as far as my kids are concerned that I've ever faced. Don't get me wrong. I have those students that I would take home with me in a heartbeat. They are my saving grace this year. But I also have some that academics and proper behavior are the furthest things from their minds.

Graduate school. I'm taking 2 classes this semester. The classes themselves are not HARD. They are just time consuming. I was counting on being able to do some of my grad work during my planning time and that has NOT happened. For one class I have to read 3 books, take 3 exams, do 2 presentations, and write one 2 page paper. My other class is an on-line class and it's not as consuming. None of this would be hard to accomplish if I wasn't working full time and being a mommy. But I am. Therefore, it's all I can do to get the assignments done the day they are due.

My kids. Oh, how I love my kids. And, oh, how my kids just drain me. Wipe me out. Makinley is entering into the "Terrible Twos" and she is all girl and all drama. It's all really coming out. But, I'll dedicate an entire post to her in the very near future, so I'll get into that then. Both of my kids still wake up during the night. How is it that I am 3 1/2 years into not getting consistent sleep?

As I read back over my previous post, I'm ashamed to say that I haven't followed through. That really upsets me. But, the honest truth? I don't know when to do it. I don't know when to find the time to sit down and spend uninterrupted time just studying God's word. I talk to Him constantly throughout the day, and I mean constantly. But, sit down and read the Bible? Not so much. Every second of every day is full to overflowing. I know these are just excuses. I tried getting up early in the mornings, but Tripp wakes up at 6 most mornings. I would wake up earlier than that, but considering I haven't slept through the night, 6 is more difficult than you can imagine. I would do it after they have gone to bed. But, Tripp wants me to lay with him until he's asleep. Most of the time, mommy falls asleep then too! I'm open for suggestions here. I wish I could add 30 minutes of silence into my day. That would be heavenly. This is what I wish my house was like.

If your still reading this, I'm impressed. It's been nothing but ramblings. Actually...probably should have spent this 10 minutes reading but I needed to just get it out.