and just like that...

No more nuk, and no more diapers! Last week, I lost Josie's blanket with her nuk attached (for real!) She did fine during nap without it, so when I found it, I quickly lost it again. She has not missed it nearly as much as I thought she would!

Then, two days ago, Josie decided that it was time to put on her big girl undies and say goodbye to diapers. It's the third day of potty training today, and she is doing awesome. Very few accidents anymore! She's so proud of herself:)

To me, it seems as if she is growing up overnight. At 2 and a half...I couldn't be more proud of my little girl! (and relieved to be done with diapers!)

and then there were two...

Yesterday Brett brought home a playmate for Maggie, a Tortie Point Siamese kitten. She is so friendly and is happy to have found a home! Josie insisted on calling her Bella, so we named her Isabella (Josie already has a cousin named Bella). As you can see, the kitties are getting along great, as you can see:)

our new addition...

Yes, we now have 5 kids AND a kitten:) She doesn't have a name yet, but she does have a home...we are all very excited to welcome her!

And check out the picture below...it's me when I was 2 with my kitty! I vaguely remembered pictures of me with a kitten when I was little and was inspired to find them. But I had no idea that the kitty looked almost EXACTLY the same as the one I had just picked out! Freaked me out a little!

bye bye, crib...

...hello, big girl bed! Well, it's just a toddler bed for now, but so far Josie is loving it and doing GREAT staying in it! I'm so proud of her!

splish splash

One night a couple of weeks ago, someone else was in the bathroom and Josie was desperately in need of getting cleaned up from head to toe, so we improvised. She loved it so much, that now she asks all the time to take a bath in the sink!

backyard bunnies

They're back! We have baby bunnies in the backyard again this year. Thankfully, there are only 6 of them, not 15 like last year! The kids love to hold them...poor little things.

after bath shenanigans

Josie just doesn't want to stay inside, especially since we got the play house from Grandma and Grandpa! We have it right on our deck. The other night, after her bath, Josie disappeared right out the door before I could even get her pajamas on. Here is where I found her...peeking out of the door:)

May birthdays!

Brendyn turned 10 on the 10th of May, and Kaden turned 9 on the 31st. Brendyn's cake was a 'dirt' cake, and Kaden's is a Nintendo DS. They were both surprised with new DS Lites:) Happy birthday, kiddos!

a day at the zoo

Here's a slideshow from our trip to the zoo yesterday...

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

two years ago...

Two years ago, our little Josie was born...two very short years ago. The time has gone by so fast, but I've enjoyed it so much, every minute of it! As we've gone from teething rings and bottles, to dollies and slides, I've soaked it all up realizing how precious this time was. While a tiny part of me is a little sad that my baby isn't a baby anymore, a very big part of me is so happy and proud of the little girl she is becoming. She is a loving, curious, talkative, energetic, cheerful, and sweet little soul. She is our daily reminder that miracles do happen and we thank God every day for her. I don't know what we ever did without our little Josie! We look forward to many years of watching her grow, learn, and live...

Here are a few pictures of her birthday...

booga

So I went into the bathroom this morning and here's what I found! When I said, "Josie, why did you do that?" She gave me a one word reply..."booga". Well, that answers that!

catching up

Here's what we've been up to...

• Kaden continues to do well in Tae Kwon Do! He just got his "high yellow" belt (yellow with a white stripe) at the end of January...and he's still loving it. Go Kaden!
• I brought Kaden to a Valentine's Day dance at his school. Wow, was that a busy place to be, but he had a lot of fun dancing with his friends.
• I am still doing child care at home and it's going very well. The kids are definitely growing closer to each other, and to me as well. They get so excited to see each other, and I love the little "I love you Julie"s that I hear on occasion. They really are all sweethearts. Oh, and the parents are wonderful to work with, too. Really, it couldn't be going better!
• I've been watching a lot of Joyce Meyer lately...I find her very inspirational!
• Josie is adding new words on to her vocabulary every day. She's now 21 months and growing up so fast. Her hair is getting long, too and every day she looks more like a little girl than a baby. Although I asked her yesterday if she was a big girl or if she was still my baby. She pointed to herself and said, "baby Josie". Good answer:)
• Jordan is doing his 30 hour famine at church this weekend. Yes, they go 30 full hours without any food! The kids don't have to do this, but it is an option and can fill a requirement for confirmation. They have an overnight lock in with lots of fun activities planned...and all the juice they want. Then, of course, they have a feast planned to break the fast after the time is up. It makes me nervous, but I know they take precautions and have food there if needed...I'm thinking of doing it with him from home.

Well, that's about all I can come up with for now...I'll try to be a little more consistent with updates!

my son, the teenager

So somehow, it happened! My first baby turned 13 on the 20th! Does that make me feel old? You bet it does, but most of all I feel very proud. Jordan is a very good kid. He has not given me a reason to fear the teenage years at all. He has straight A's in school (he's in 7th grade), he is a very considerate friend, he's happy and outgoing, he's respectful, kind, and responsible. I am very lucky to be able to say that he has made being his mother very easy! I have enjoyed every day with him and I look forward to many more. I love you, Jordan!

valentine's day

We had a Valentine's Day party on Friday (the 13th) with all the day care kids, and Jordan and Kaden (they had the day off of school) We made pink heart pancakes for breakfast, danced, exchanged Valentines, and ate some candy and junk food. Here are a couple of pictures...can you say "excited!"

And this was a special message for me from Kaden...my sweet boy:)