My Picture

Well, I still don't have a digital photo of my "new" self, but I promise to have one by the end of the weekend. I actually had one that I really wanted to post. (Blogger won't cooperate...) It's not because I love a picture of myself that much. It's because Kendyll drew it today at school!

On our way home, we were talking about school and what all she did, and she said "Oh, yeah. Mommy, I drew you with your new braces on!" I said, "Really? How did you draw them?" She said "I put your smile on there, and then right above that I drew little tiny squares with a line down the middle." I got it out when I got home and it is just precious. The braces look more like a mustache, really. But, it's just priceless to me. It might even be a framer. She wrote my name above the picture in rainbow colors and gave me a red shirt. She made my braces blue and made my hair REALLY long. (She said that's how she wants my hair to be....ummm, no. I don't need any more help looking FOURTEEN right now!)

Anyway, it was cute. And, I have tried to post it eight times with no luck. So, maybe later.

Well, I am off to pack for the weekend. The girls and I leave tomorrow for the "ranch" in Mineola. Saturday's plan is a day trip to Canton with the sisters & my mom, in springtime-80-degree weather! YES! I can't wait! I'm sure I'll find all kinds of "unnecessary purchases", as Mark calls them. Oh well. He is going to be busy spending TWO DAYS drafting random baseball players for his fantasy team, who he thinks he really owns and manages. Fantasy sports still amaze me. But, that's a post for another day. And, that day will probably come soon enough.

He will be joining us on the "ranch" Saturday afternoon and we are going to hang out having fun outdoors the whole weekend. A hamburger and hot dog cook-out with the family is planned for Saturday evening and Kendyll can not think about anything else than roasting her wienie and a marshmallow or two. (Oh man, it just hit me...I guess I'm done with s'mores now with these new teeth of mine. Too bad.)

Anyway, we'll be back with fun reports from the farm and some pictures to show too, I'm sure. Happy Weekend to everyone!

It's Official...

It's official. I'm a brace face.

It's the weirdest thing I've ever experienced in my life! I feel like my mouth is the size of my entire face. And, it pretty much looks like it too. I'm trying hard not to whine too much, so I won't go into all the negatives about today. But, so far, I'm making it...with alot of mouth wax.

I made the mistake of trying to eat a very soft french fry earlier and realized in that moment that it's not WHAT you are trying to eat. It's the actual motion of eating itself that KILLS! So, I gave up that idea and went for a milkshake instead. Man, I love food TOO much to not be able to eat! That has been the hardest part. Or, maybe the hardest part is the mouth sores I already have after only four hours. Or, maybe the fact that my lips are now twice the size they should be. Or, maybe that I have completely forgotten how to talk with those oversized lips.

Okay, there goes the whining that I wasn't going to do.

Anyway, I promised an update. So, here it is! The braces are on and it's not going to be that bad...right?!

I did get to go on a "last night to eat normal food" date with Mark last night, which was so fun. Grandma Cheri came over and kept the girls and we went to dinner, Starbucks, and Barnes & Noble for as long as we wanted. It was great! So, I will just continue to remember our Italian feast on the patio of Patrizio's when I can't open my mouth to eat tonight.

The best part about today was coming home and showing Kendyll. I was worried that she would freak out---since she does not like change of any kind and has a hard time when I change my hair at all! I walked in and she ran to me and said "Let me see your braces, Mommy!" I showed her and she said "Oh, Mommy, they are so beautiful! I wish you had put color on them, like pink or green." (This is because of Aunt Cailee, who is fifteen and just got finished with her cool colored braces!) Then, later on in the day, she was sitting next to me on the couch. And, she just looked over at me and said "Mommy, I really love your braces." It was so sweet and it was what she truly thought, which meant alot. She doesn't usually "hide" what she thinks about anything, so I was afraid I would hear the tough, ugly truth about what I looked like with this new change. But, she knew just what I needed to hear instead....

Catching-Up!

WARNING, WARNING! This may be one of those out-of-control long posts. I have been sick with some kind of throat thing for the last few days...a virus that was spread throughout the preschool. Those seem to come our way quite a bit, and take over our household. But, this time, it was only me that go sick (as I knock on wood!). I will take that any day over sick kids and husband.

But, since I've been out cold on the couch in a sleep-induced Nyquil state, I haven't blogged about quite a few things. So, here goes another random post with lots of catching up on our last few days.

*Last Thursday and Friday, we got to have very special friends over to play and they had a great time. Emma B. and Lauren O. came over Thursday and had fun playing everything from dress-up to dinosaurs and wore themselves out jumping on the trampoline and playing hopscotch together. Friday, Lauren came back for more fun and we had such a great day. Playdough, popcorn, ballet class, and lots more trampoline time (Lauren's new favorite at our house!)

It is always fun for me to imagine what these friendships will be like as these girls get older. And, Lauren, Camryn, Kendyll, and Carlie will be a special friendship to watch grow. Alyssa, Lauren's mommy, and I were friends at the toddler stage of life, and renewed our friendship in the college years. Since then, we have seen each other through every stage of life, and continue to be close friends who can call on each other for anything. I pray that all of these sweet friends of Kendyll and Carlie's will be lifelong relationships they can someday depend on. I really feel like so many of them will be!

*Saturday was a sweet baby shower for little Mia and Mommy Amy. We had such a fun time celebrating her and showering their family. Baby showers are always such a happy time...and such a great time of catching up with lots of friends who I never get to sit and talk with (we're all chasing our kids on most occasions!) Note: This is when I started feeling sick, so I'm sorry if I passed anything to any of these nice friends I talked with....I really thought it was allergies, honest!

I also got to see my sweet niece Sophie on Saturday while we helped Grandma Cheri decide on the details for her NEW HOUSE!! Yes, Mark's parents have bought a house and will officially have a residence here by November of this year. We are very excited for them, and it's so fun to get to help with the building and decorating for someone else's house! We visited the design center, model homes, and their actual homesite on Saturday. What a fun adventure is beginning!
By the time I got home, I was really feeling the sickness coming. So, I hurriedly made a dinner for a family at church with a new baby, returned some phone calls, and crawled into bed. It really hit hard by Sunday morning, and I've been "resting" ever since ("resting" with two children, that is...). Mark did take the girls to church with him on Sunday, and I slept until 11:00 am!! I haven't done that since my college years! It was great.

*Sunday afternoon, Kendyll got a special birthday treat and went on an outing with Grandad and Grankay to the mall. They did build-a-bear (see above pic) and she decided on a Sleeping Beauty who is completely decked out...wig and all. I'm not sure how I feel about a bear with a wig....but Kendyll loves her, and that's what matters. Sleeping Beauty has eaten dinner with us, played outside with Kendyll, and is now sitting in bed next to her while she watches TV. She had such a great time at the mall eating ice cream, riding the carousel, and feeling special because little sister didn't get to join her! What a fun time for a four year old. It made her WEEK!

*Monday, was a stay-home-in-pajamas kind of day. We didn't go to school (thank you Alyssa for keeping my class!) and mommy stayed in lay-around mode most of the day. At one point, Kendyll stopped dead in her tracks and said "Wait! Today is Monday, Mommy!" I said "Yes you're right" She said "Oh no! (with hand on her head) We are supposed to be at SCHOOL!" I then explained why we couldn't go. She had a minute or two of drama at how much she would be missed by Mrs. Marla and then was okay with movie watching with mommy after that.

*Monday night, we got to have baby Braden at our house! (although I was not allowed to touch him!) Mark did a great job of taking care of the three kiddos, except that Braden seemed to prefer me over Mark (I secretly loved that!). So, I did get to give him a bottle from a distance and put him in bed. (I had to get a LITTLE Braden time, without breathing on him!) Daddy also decided to grill out hot dogs and eat outside with the girls, since it was such a nice night. It was beautiful out there, and we love our patio outside, so it was a very nice family night. Especially since we had not seen the light of day for a while! But, then, the darn mosquitos showed up to join us. So, inside we went. (That is a question I'm going to ask God some day. Why'd He have to make those little pests anyway???)

*Okay, my final catchup and then I'll stop this boring post. This morning, we went to the ENT for both girls. As of nextThursday, April 6th, Kendyll will no longer have tonsils. The ENT agreed that she is having every single one of the symptoms required for a tonsilectomy to happen. She also had severe hearing loss from the high amount of fluid in the ear without a tube, so we're getting a new set of tubes for this girl too. Man, she could not be more closely copying my childhood! This is exactly what I experienced.

It was such mixed emotions for me this morning. I have been quietly fighting for a tonsillectomy for a year now for her. So, I was thrilled to hear him finally say, "Yeah, we need to schedule this tonsillectomy pretty quickly", but then as I was booking the date, I got scared and sad for Kendyll at the same time. I know the results will make her feel like a new child. But, I just dread having to make her recuperate from the pain of that surgery. I know it will be tough, and I will have to be in full Mommy mode to help her through, but I am also confident that she will be so much healthier when we're done. I just know we'll both shed some tears on this one. It's a much bigger deal than her short, easy tube & adenoid surgeries.

So, if you think about it, say a little prayer for Kendyll's surgery and healing process next Thursday, April 6th. (And, yes, Kristen M., if you read this, I will have to get a sub next week. I'm already on it, don't worry! I also need your wisdom since you've been through this with Blake!)

Whew! That was a long one, even for me. I'll be back tomorrow to let you know how the braces go. Prepare yourself for a whiny blog.....

Brace-Face

Well, there I am. No, not the front female with perfectly straight pearly-whites. The one further back in the picture. With the braces on! Yes, it is true. Chelsea is about to be a brace-face. And, I'm dreading it every minute of the day right now. I've even had dreams about how ugly I am going to become as of next Wednesday. In a few more days, I will be showing off my new smile. Or, should I say hiding it. I'm a little worried about what I'm going to look like with this new addition of metal and elastic on my face! I did opt for the "clear" braces...whatever that really means. Too bad they're not SO clear that you can't see them at all. Unfortunately, I wasn't a candidate for Invisalign or any other "easy" treatment, since the entire reason for my braces is my jaw. I guess it's a more difficult problem to fix, so the full braces option is my ONLY option.

And, I had no idea that this was gonna hurt so bad! I just went in a couple of days ago to get my "spacers", the pre-braces treatment. Okay. No one in the dentist office warned me of soon-to-come discomfort or told me that I would want to rip my teeth out by day 3 of "spacers". But, I do. It has hurt to bite into anything today, and my braces aren't even ON yet! This has been shocking for me, and a little traumatic, seeing that I had no idea that I should be expecting pain. I knew next week would be tough, but I think I underestimated this whole thing a little.

So, there it is. My feeling-sorry-for-myself blog. I'm sure this won't be the last one, as my mouth grows more uncomfortable over the coming days. And, you will all know how I'm feeling about the "look" of them by the next day, I'm sure. Oh, poor Mark. He better be ready for some whining. I know it's coming. I mean, I'm a grown-up mother of two experiencing the teen years all over again! No thank you! Sigh.

I saw this sign on the internet. It might become my new blog logo for the next year and a half of my life.....

Playtime Fun

Today was a fun surprise. We got to play with our sweet friend, Mia! The girls had such a good time with her and we got the most precious pictures of Min-Min (Mia's nickname from her "China days" :). She turned a year old on Sunday and it's hard to believe how much she's changed since November, when Chad and Amy brought her home from China. She has learned so much and it is so fun to watch her throw, talk, crawl backwards, and giggle with excitement. It's amazing how a parent's love can make a child grow and change in such a short time. Thank you, Chad & Amy, for letting us borrow her for the day!

Kendyll loves Mia so much, and was very excited to hear that she was coming this morning. She talks to her like she is a grown-up. It makes me smile to picture her as a babysitter someday taking care of children. I can already tell she will always love them. As she was supplying a neverending pile of toys for Mia today, I told her she was a great babysitter. She said, "No Mommy, I'm a great big cousin. Mia is my cousin!" I thought this was so sweet because she calls Chad and Amy "aunt & uncle", so I guess she assumed from that, that Mia was related too. In our book, she most certainly is.

Just like Ashley N. wrote in her blog, I hope our family is Mia's "bonus family" as she gets older. She is just too precious!! Carlie even called her "Mi-Mi" today and keeps asking where "Mi-Mi" is tonight by holding her hands up and looking around for her.

And, what's even better---we get to have fun like this all week! Lauren (another Kendyll FAVORITE!) is coming Thursday afternoon and Friday while her mommy attends a conference nearby! We are so blessed to have such fun friends for our girls to play with. I love every minute of it.

Rainy Days

As of this afternoon, it's finally sunny outside! I was really starting to wonder if it would ever clear up around here, but I know the rain was much needed. I think in the end, the total was close to 10 inches for our neck-of-the-woods! CRAZY!!!

But, there are so many great things about rainy weather, especially when it's really bad like this weekend was. It's such a good excuse to stay indoors and save the errands for another day. (Now, it's sunny and the grocery store awaits me....bummer.)

But, back to the rain...We had a good weekend and it actually seemed pretty long! We ended up visiting my grandmother AT HOME on Friday and Saturday. She got released from the hospital and we are so thankful for that! So, Mark, the girls, and I drove to Mineola to visit them, and were able to have dinner there, bring her paintings,a balloon, and flowers from Kendyll, and just spend time talking and visiting with the family. It was a completely unplanned visit, and it ended up being one of the best! Since there was nothing on the agenda, and it was raining outside, we relaxed the entire time and were in no rush to get home on Saturday. It was such lousy weather that Mark and I decided not to do our date night on Saturday and rented movies and got take-out instead. (those are my favorite date-nights anyway!)

Overall, the weekend was great catch-up on family time, as well as organizing, working on Sunshine School and VBS, and a great day at church followed by LONG rainy naps. Now, it's back to the grind, I guess!

Here are a couple of new stories about the girls from the top of my head.

Kendyll has started a new phrase that I really don't care for. If she likes something alot, she will say "I want to (insert following phrases: eat this/do this/stay here/go there) every day until the end!!!" in a very excited voice. I don't know why it bothers me that she says "until the end". I know it's her way of saying she loves whatever it is she's talking about SO much that she wants to do it/have it forever. But, I don't like it! I also have a hard time when she says she can't wait to go to heaven and that she is going there when she's five or twelve or sixteen. (she says that alot too.) I have definitely realized that one of my biggest fears is her "end" coming before my own and don't like it when she refers to it in any way. What's my deal? I obviously need to turn that over to God, because it's obviously tough for me if a simple phrase from a four year old can turn on those feelings so fast. I haven't really addressed anything about this phrase with her because I know she doesn't mean it the way I'm taking it. But, I think I'll change her phrasing next time to "I love this so much, I wish I could do it forever!" :)

Carlie is now 19 months and has started naming her colors and talking alot more. Of course, I understand some of her "verbage" a little better than others do. (or, I want to think what she's saying is clear, when it's really not!) Her favorite color to name is "black" (bak). What is that supposed to tell me that black was first? Kendyll's first color to name was "pink"...go figure. So, Carlie's is "black". Oh, my--I hope this isn't some foreshadowing to her punk-stage in highschool. She also loves yellow (wu-whoa) and orange (nge) and purple (puh-pull). So, those are kind of sweet, right?!

Anyway, we're really trying to work on her using words instead of screaming. She is doing better for sure, although we still have a road ahead. My favorite is when she says "mo, I dro" (this means "more, I throw"...which means she's thrown whatever she was eating or playing with and wants it back.) See, what I mean? She speaks so clearly, I don't know why anyone could misunderstand that!

Sophie & Maw-Maw

This was written yesterday but blogspot has been a major pain and had all kinds of errors...very frustrating!

It's been a while since I've had time to post, so this might be as scatter-brained as I feel right now! The last time I blogged, I said that we were waiting for the arrival of Sophie Lynn. Well, she finally arrived last Wednesday evening after a long day of labor for Jodi (Mark's sister). After attempts were made to meet Sophie all day through contractions and drugs, the moment finally came by c-section. Sophie was 8 pounds, 4 ounces and absolutely beautiful! She is now home with mommy and daddy and doing great. Kendyll is once again obsessed with a baby cousin of her own, and tells everyone she sees about her. It really is the most precious thing to watch your own child love a baby that much. I can only imagine what she will be like with her next sibling. (Carlie, on the other hand, doesn't care much either way, although she has been rocking and loving Braden more lately, so there is hope!)

The day Sophie was born was a day of rejoicing for the Jacobs family, and also a very hard day for my side of the family. We got the phone call you always dread getting....my grandmother (Maw-Maw), who was going in for a routine "stint" surgery had suffered a heart attack and was not expected to live through the night.

It was amazing to feel all of the emotions related to the beginning and the end of life in the same few hours. Rejoicing over life He gives, and mourning over life that might end. As my sister so eloquently wrote in her blog, He is the Author of Life, the Beginning and the End, and we are comforted by that and praise Him for that regardless of the outcome. But, we are thankful that my sweet grandmother is now doing remarkably well and has been named a "miracle" by the doctors who worked to give her life again. It's always amazing to watch the Lord work and to witness His miracles here on earth!

So, our week has been filled with two-hour car trips to visit my grandmother, my grandfather, and my mom, as she cares for them both. We have had the blessing of lots of family time because of this, though, which is always so wonderful. And, as Cassie (my other sister) said in her blog, it is in times like these that you truly appreciate who you have in your life. I have all of my grandparents living, and not only living, but healthy, happy, and busy people! They are such a big part of our lives, but I am now vowing to make them an even bigger part. It was interesting that when we got the phone call that night, that I couldn't remember specifically the last day I had talked with my grandmother. That means it had been too long....

But, since she's been better, we have been able to do other fun things around home, especially with my sisters and their husbands, who were off of school this week. We visited the Arboretum and attempted tulip pictures for the fourth year. I'll post some soon, if they turn out at all! We've also had family fun shopping at the outlets, eating together (our favorite thing to do), bowling, and just hanging out. Nothing's better than time with your family (and especially with your new niece and nephew!!). We were able to visit Sophie and Brad & Jodi a couple of times over the week and steal some sweet newborn hugs and kisses. There really is nothing better than that sweet soft skin of a newborn's cheek (either kind of cheek!)

So, we are now entering a catch-up weekend, we hope! After one last trip to the hospital tomorrow morning, we are planning time to relax, clean, reorganize, and have some downtime. Mark's mom is taking a break from Sophie-watching to come Kendyll-and-Carlie-sit on Saturday so Mark and I can have a date day/night and just be together. Those are the best little surprises and the greatest thing about grandparents!!

I'm sure there are other updates to make, but I am so tired I can't think of anything else! I will be back soon with tulip pictures, as well as some family pictures we had made this week too! (By the way, that was quite an accomplishment to get any of the four of us---Carlie was in a crying mood and Kendyll was in the mood to dance all over the place.....so, we'll see what we end up with!)

Fun weekend wishes for you all!

Keep Out!

Kendyll was having a tea party for her dolls in her room this morning, and apparently little sister was annoying her. Carlie was taking the birthday hats off the dolls and making them all fall out of their chairs. Oh, the nerve!

So, out comes Kendyll to the playroom (where I was) and said "Mommy, I need to make a Keep Out sign for Carlie." I wasn't sure I heard her right so I asked "What do you need?"

"I need a keep out sign for Carlie for my door. It needs to say KEEP OUT OF MY TEA PARTY (said with loud emphasis)."

"I said, well, Kendyll we don't need signs like that in our house. That's not how we share with her, and really, she can't read anyway, so she won't even know what it says."

"Well, it doesn't have to have words. We can just draw a picture of Carlie's face and put a big red circle around it with a line down the middle" (at this point she drew a circle in the air with the diagonal "keep out" kind of a line)

I started dying laughing. I mean, literally. I was cackling. First because I was picturing this sign with a line across Carlie's sweet face hanging on her door. And, second, because I have NO IDEA where she gets this stuff!! She said "This isn't funny, Mommy! I need a sign right now!" Then, I made the whole "she's your sister" speech and "we don't treat her that way" and "play something she can play with you" and all of those other things. So, she eventually did, only after a little more debating of why she needs this sign.

Where do these things come from?
(actually, I asked that, and she told me "Max & Ruby"...nice. Such a great influence.)

On another note, I need wise advice. For a few months now, Carlie has had many bouts of car sickness. It's always random and we haven't figured out what exactly triggers it, but she had another one last night. It's horrible! Not just a little spit up, I"ll put it that way. Any suggestions from moms who have dealt with this? Is there anything we can do?

Whew!

What a fun but busy weekend....and week to come! I don't feel like there's a lot of "bloggable" moments from the last couple of days, but we have definitely had some fun! Pops and Grandma came in early Saturday morning and Kendyll and I made them breakfast. Then, it was off to run shopping errands bright and early! We found lots of great things for ALL the grandkids (my kids included, which is always nice!), and a very sweet coming home outfit for little miss Sophie. (By the way, I accidentally called her "Sophie Lynn Jacobs" in my last blog...it's NOT Jacobs! It's Hoke....I got busted on that one. ooops! Mark's sister has not been a Jacobs for a while now, and I still do that all the time.) We had lunch and even found time for some much-needed naps. The day ended with Uncle Julio's mexican food....yummy.

We got to shop a little for Braden too, although Cortni didn't find much that she was impressed with. I guess boy shopping is a little harder than girls. I can pretty much find plenty at any store, which is also a problem of a different kind, I guess. :) She did get the cutest boy sandals I've ever seen. They were miniature Berkinstocks (how in the world do you spell that?) with straps on the back. Oh, I can't even tell you how cute those pudgy feet look in those!

Other than that, we have had great dinners out with family over the weekend, and lots of fun playtime with the girls. As far as I can tell, that will probably continue the rest of the week!

I went house-hunting with Cheri on Sunday and it made me have "the wants"! Not really because I want to move, because I REALLY don't. Not at all. I love our house and our location, but going in all of those model homes made me want the newness (and prettiness) of those homes. It was fun to look at possible places that will be home for Pops and Grandma eventually. And, it was also fun to get good decorating ideas for future use!

So, like I said, nothing really that bloggable. But, tonight might be my only opportunity to blog for the rest of the week! We have lots of doctor appointments with everyone from the eye doctor to the ENT, family pictures later in the week, a niece to meet and squeeze and love and hold, and a trip to the Arboretum to see the beautiful tulips and welcome springtime!

So, I'll probably be back at the end of the week, hopefully with some cute pictures of new family additions and girls in flowers....

Random Facts...

This might be my most random post ever. I have been thinking of all different "tidbits" that I want to have documented, so I'm just doing it all at once.

Today was my actual due date for Kendyll. I'm so glad that she had her birthday two weeks ago...and that she came 14 days early in 2002! I don't know why the "due dates" still stick in my head, but I had a little celebration for myself this morning that this WASN'T my child's birthday....

Tomorrow begins an exciting time for the Jacobs family. Mark's parents arrive from Hawaii at 7 a.m. (which means EXCITEMENT for two little girls I know!) to prepare for Jodi (Mark's sister) to have her baby this week! Right now, the induction is scheduled for Wednesday morning, unless the hospital switches anything on her...many of us know how that goes sometimes! I am so excited to be an aunt to Miss Sophie Lynn Jacobs and we are all praying hard for an easy and healthy delivery of this precious girl. The reason I say the excitement starts tomorrow is because we already have many "baby" errands to run to get ready! My favorite one of all is going with Cheri to find Sophie a coming-home outfit. Those are always so fun to search for, and I'm addicted to sweet little baby stores anyway. So, that should be very fun.

Cortni is also coming up to Dallas with sweet little Braden for some playtime tomorrow and to shop a little for him too! He is SO fat and squeezable that he is outgrowing all of his clothes so fast! So, another fun shopping trip for me, the aunt!

Carlie's latest interests have expanded to include crafts of any kind. She mainly likes painting...and yes, this is VERY messy with her. She also loves coloring and now is obsessed with stickers. She covers her hands, arms, and shirt with stickers from a big box that I have, and she also shares many with Kendyll, mommy, daddy, Annie (dog), and every piece of furniture in our house. As cute as it is when she says "stituh", I am a little worn out on finding My Little Ponies, halloween bears, music notes, and smiley faces on everything in my house.

Her other new thing that makes us die laughing is her addiction to Veggie Tales. She LOVES the Silly Songs the best and can sing a few of them by tune (the words are pretty much unrecognizable). Her favorite is "Say Boo". She goes around singing it at the top of her lungs, and it is exactly the right tune! It is pretty adorable. I hope she's going to be interested in music, since she loves it so much. I'm hoping, anyway....

Kendyll has had many funny comments lately that I at least wanted to get down before I forget them....

She got very frustrated with Daddy the other day and came out of the bathroom huffing his name. Daddy said, "What is wrong with you?" Kendyll said "Daddy! You have GOT to remember to fix the potty seat when you finish! I can't SIT DOWN when the seat is up!" It was hysterical! And, this really isn't something she learned from me! (I'm not really a toilet seat nazi...it doesn't bother me to put the seat down myself...but it obviously bothers her!)

She is getting bigger by the day and it is so evident in the way she talks about things and the way she helps Carlie learn things. It's so cute to watch her teach Carlie how to say something or what something is used for. She is so helpful and sweet to her even though "Crazy Girl Carlie" isn't always that nice back.

The other day we were swinging at the park and she was going pretty high. She kept saying "I'm almost there, I'm almost there!" I said "What are you trying to reach?" She said "My feet are almost in heaven! I just have to go a little higher and we'll be there!" Then, she started yelling "Hi, God! Hi, Jesus!" It was pretty funny....and we looked a little weird to the other neighborhood families, I'm afraid.

Daddy now has a new nickname---"Big D"(thanks to "Katie's Daddy", aka Jimmy). Jimmy called Kendyll, "Big K" the other night and she wasn't too sure about having this nickname. But, then when she used it on Daddy, it has now become pretty cool.

We went shopping at Target for some spring clothes for the girls and shoes for Carlie. Kendyll has never been so into the shopping part of it. She kept picking out clothes with a "4" on the hanger and saying "Won't this be adorable on me? It's a 4...can I get it?" And, she actually picked really cute things! Then, she would find the right size for Carlie too. She found all kinds of cute shoes for the whole family (although only Carlie scored in that area). And, swimsuits for each of them too. It was a busy morning at Target for us! And, the bill was bigger than it would have been if I didn't have a shopper helping me pick cute stuff! Man, I'm in trouble....

With all the warm weather, she decided the other morning "felt like we were in Hawaii". I asked her why it felt like that. She said "The birds are so happy singing and the wind is hot. The grass is a little bit green too." So, I guess she was right in some ways. We were just missing a few key things that represent Hawaii to me! Anyway, the rest of the day we had to pretend like we were there. It was pretty funny to listen to her "imagine" the Ko'Olau mountains (yes, she can say "Ko'olau"...can you?) as we drove down 635.

Last Kendyll comment and then I'm done. The other night on our way home from church the moon was just a sliver in the sky. I was telling her about how the moon changes each night, although I left out a lot of the science stuff that was over her head. I said that each one has a name but that I didn't know them all. She said "Mommy, I learned those already! This night is pretty easy. It's the smily moon!" Then, that night in her prayer she thanked God for all the moons he gave us, especially the silly smily one.

I just love these two girls and all the story material they give us as parents. I feel like I could just go on and on about every little thing and bore you all to tears. Oh wait, I already did, didn't I?!

Now I'm off to clean house to get ready for Pops and Grandma's arrival! Yippee! Let baby fun begin!