What a wonderful Christmas!! This year, we decided to do something a bit different for Christmas…visit three states in two weeks. Sure it doesn’t sound too hard…unless the states are Texas, Oklahoma and Kentucky…and oh yeah, you are driving! Despite having to be on the road a fair bit, we had a simply beautiful Christmas.
Our first stop was Texas to stay with Tony’s Uncle Kevin and Aunt Jeannie. Also, we met up with his mom and brother Scott here, too. It was a bittersweet visit. Tony’s Uncle Kevin is battling Cancer and despite his struggle it was amazing to see him. He is a man Tony and I both look up to with the utmost respect and love…a man we are very lucky and proud to call our Uncle. Being able to visit and just be with him was a true blessing. We had a wonderful time talking and just enjoying each others company. Kailyn made a new friend in Topanga and had a blast spending time with her beloved Gemaw. Now this whole trip wouldn’t have been possible without you, so thank you Charlene…for everything and all you did. We stayed in Texas for a few days and were sad to have to say our goodbyes to all the family there.
Now it was off to our next stop, Oklahoma to visit Baba, Grandma, Jaq, and Jasmine! We arrived the day before Christmas Eve and were so happy to be there! We had such a nice Christmas filled with yummy food, great family and of course Guitar Hero! I will have to say one of Kailyn and my favorite things was the duck pond. On Christmas we brought a loaf of bread to the duck pond and had the best time feeding the ducks and running around acting crazy! It reminded me how much I love being a kid! Of course we were completely spoiled and loved every minute of it…especially Kailyn! Again, it was sad to leave family we love so much and made us realize we do really need to visit more often!
So, next we headed to Kentucky to visit Tony’s grandparents and aunt. As with each place we were welcomed with immense love. We spent the next day relaxing and just enjoying being with Tony’s grandparents. It was a wonderful end to our marathon of visiting.
As we were heading home, we realized again, just how very blessed we are to have such a wonderful family to love and be loved by. Each of you is such an important part of our lives and even though we don’t see you as much as we would like…know you are always in our prayers and we love you dearly. Thank you for a wonderful traveling Christmas!
Each year at Kailyn’s pre-school, they have a Christmas pageant, and each year the “graduating” class of that year gets to have all the lead roles. Since Kailyn fell into that category, she was chosen to be the head Angel and the star of Bethlehem. Now, as with most things, Kailyn took this responsibility very seriously. She practiced her lines intently and even asked the teacher if she could have more lines to recite! In no time at all, she had her lines memorized. Her teacher even asked if I wouldn’t mind reading the story this year…I felt honored and a little nervous at the same time…I don’t like getting up in front of crowds…not matter how small! So, the day came for the dress rehearsal and like the previous year, it went really well. The difference between last year and this year was that the day of the pageant, it went better than rehearsed! The children did great and Kailyn was perfect! She felt so very important standing up there saying her lines and hold her star! She was without a doubt our little shining star!
Lately, Kailyn has been rather upset at the fact that she is growing bigger everyday. She’s not too happy when we say how much she is growing or how big she is getting. I started to get a little worried when she started not wanting to eat her food. At first I thought maybe she just wasn’t hungry and so I didn’t bother, but then after a few meals of her not really eating that much I thought there has got to be more to this. I decided we would make a batch of one of her favorite treats and talk it over. As we began to gather the ingredients for our delicious rice crispy treats, I told how much of a helper she was and that she was getting so big. She looked at me and simply said, “Mom I don’t want to get big, I want to stay small forever!” I explained to her that would be silly and that someday she would grow big like me. She didn’t seem to like this very much, so I asked her what was wrong. She was quiet for a few minutes and then gave me a sweet hug, looked at me and said, “Mom, I don’t want to grow big. I want to be your daughter forever!” Immediately tears filled my eyes! I picked her up, gave her the biggest hug and kiss and replied. “Kailyn, no matter how big you get…you will ALWAYS be my daughter!” She seemed a bit surprised by this and only answered with, “Really?!?” I reassured her that no matter how big she got she would always be my daughter…no matter how big or how old she got! It was amazing to see the relief in her eyes…she seemed so happy now. Needless to say she is eating just as good as ever and quiet often will remind me, “ Mom, no matter how big I get I will always be your daughter…right?”
This fall, Kailyn’s school had a fall costume party (they don’t celebrate Halloween). Kailyn was so very excited about the party, as she is every year. Her new found love for Narnia and of course the name Lucy inspired her to be none other than Lucy herself from Narnia. She had a wonderful time, playing games and eating loads of sweets!
Not only does Kailyn have her fall costume party, but also the All Saint’s Party we attend every year. At this party all the children and some adults dress up as christian men and women. This year in line with the whole Narnia obbesssion, she convinced her cousins to go as Peter and Edmund and her friend Carrie as Susan. Even little Gidieon was involved…he was the great and majestic Aslan! For days leading up to it, this is all they talked about.
This year, Tony and I were in charge of setting up the party. We had a wonderful team help us and despite a few set backs proceeded to get it up and running on time! When the party finally came the kids had a blast! When they first arrived, they announced who they were on a microphone and then proceeded to decorate their goody bags with tons of sticker, markers and crayons. They also each got a glow bracelet, which when dark looked really neat to see all the kids running around with them. After that , we headed to games and candy hunting! Amid all the fun, we still were able to jump on the moonwalk and eat plenty of the cotton candy and popcorn! Toward the end, we decided to jump on the hayride, cotton candy in hand. We ended up riding four times in a row! It was such a wonderful time! We asked Kailyn if she had fun at the party and her classic response was, “Of course! I got a lot of candy and stickers! Can we do it again?” Since then on numerous occasions, she will pull out some sticker a bag and set up her own party…games and all!
A few years back, we visited a pumpkin patch with my sister and her family in Virginia. Last year we found a wonderful pumpkin patch about 40 minutes from where we live. Now, I know that seems a bit long to drive just to get some pumpkins and play some corny games, but it is really an amazing place. Last year is was just Tony, Kailyn and myself and we had a blast, as we do anytime we are together. Since my sister and her husband just moved home last summer, we invited them to come along.As usual Kailyn was ecstatic her cousins would be coming too! Needless to say we had a blast! We rode the infamous cow train numerous times and by I mean “we” I mean all the parents too! Yes, this ride intended for the younger ones was also braved by a few parents who squeezed and stuffed themselves inside. We all know now why it is a children’s ride. We also spent time on this enourmous pillow thing. At one point Caleb flew about four feet in the air…it was really awesome!!!! They also had this big field of flowers and an area with a tall slide, toys and a corn box. In between the crazy jumping, cow train riding, animal feeding, corn playing we managed to squeeze in a relaxing hayride and a not so relaxing race though the corn maze. Now, let me preface this by saying a few years back when we were first introduced to the idea of a pumpkin patch (by my sister and her family), we also raced through this massive corn maze. A race doesn’t sound too bad right? No, not if it’s all the adults and it’s fair! This race however wasn’t fair. It would be girls against boys…basically Mike and Tony vs Sarah and myself.If you haven’t figured out by now that we are all VERY competitive you must not really know us! So, the teams weren’t exactly fair because we ended up with the little ones and the boys eventually shot off into the corn alone and childless. So my sister and I were left carrying and literally dragging the little ones though something that was supposed to be fun but ended up stressful and hot! Long story short we lost. So, in light of our less than wonderful first corn maze, we decided this year we would go through together and maybe try and enjoy it. But alas, we all have very short attention spans and soon were chucking rotten corn throughout the maze at each other, hiding and scarying the mess out of one antother and running through to see who could finish first. I guess corn mazes just aren’t any fun unless you are running through them! We finally decided to get out pumpkins and head home…the kids were ready to leave! But no, we need to have a photo opt at the pumpkin patch! After tons of picture, tears and a few smiles we ended up calling it quits. Needless to say, we had a wonderful time and left with countless memories and pumpkins anxious to be carved!
This month, we went up to Kentucky to see Tony’s family and celebrate his Papaw’s 80th birthday. All his relatives came in from all over the states; it was a wonderful family reunion. We were only able to stay for a short visit, but it was such a great weekend. Over the weekend, Kailyn had a new “first” happen. We were visiting Uncle Kevin, Aunt Jeannie, and Anna (Dee’s daughter) at Dee’s house and the girls were playing wonderfully together (especially seeing as they had only met one time before). Now, Kailyn doesn’t really have a hard time making friends…as long as you are between the ages of three and ten and if you’re a girl that is even better! Anyhoo, after a good couple hours of playing I informed Kailyn it would be time to leave in just a few minutes and she just said, “I don’t want to go. You and Daddy go and I’ll see you tomorrow.” What?!? “Yeah, can she spend the night,” asked Anna. After a few minutes of debating, we decided it would be okay and that we’d see Kailyn tomorrow. Her first spend the night!!! I know, I know…I am ridiculous! But come on, she’s our only child and as previously stated I am REALLY attached! The few minute drive to Tony’s grandparent’s house (where we were staying) seemed so long and I did shed just a few tears. As we were getting ready to go to sleep Tony asked, “You gonna be okay?” Of course I would be okay…right? Actually it wasn’t like I didn’t trust who she was with (by the way they are the best!), but I just miss her when she is gone. Looking back I am really glad she was able to spend the night, and there is no one else I would have rather had her have her first spend the night with! So thank you Uncle Kevin, Aunt Jeannie and Anna…according to Kailyn (and us), “You are sooo awesome!”
Now that the school year is in full swing, I have started to watch Carrie, one of Kailyn’s little friends. Since Carrie’s mom had a baby this past June, we have a new addition to our house on Wednesday and Friday mornings. This darling sweet baby is a little girl whose name is Casey Ann. I was a little worried how Kailyn would do having a younger child around, and was pleasantly surprised by how sweet and gentle she has been with her. (I have to inject here, that I am SO happy Casey Ann is a girl!) Kailyn, too, loves the fact that Casey Ann is a girl and that mostly everything she wears is pink. Therefore Kailyn has become very fond of playing with her and even making sure I am taking very good care of her. Since this is the first baby Kailyn has been around for an extended period of time, she was very curious at first. She would ask me about everything from why she couldn’t go on the potty by herself to why she sucked on that weird thing I kept calling “the passy” and even why Casey Ann couldn’t eat anything besides her bottle. One particular incident that was extraordinarily cute happened about a week after I started watching Carrie and Casey Ann. We were driving home from the store and Carrie said something to Kailyn about how Casey Ann was her sister and she loved her so much. Kailyn’s innocent little response was, “Yeah, we are going to get a Lucy one.” I did all I could do from laughing and crying at the same time. She then proceeded to look at me and say, “Right, Mommy?” I explained to her that it was up to God if we were able to have a little “Lucy one” someday, but for now we would just have to pray and see what happens. So, now especially when Carrie and Casey Ann are here Kailyn makes sure to remind God she would like a “Lucy” someday.
The last weekend in September, I went on a women’s retreat and left my wonderful family at home. Despite missing them dearly, I knew they would have a blast! Tony had actually been looking forward to this weekend for awhile and honestly so had Kailyn…she does LOVE her daddy time! If I simply said they had a good weekend I think it would be an understatement…they had a blast! Movies, pizza, ice cream, staying up late…all the fun stuff! Oh, and don’t forget the trip to the store with daddy! When I called Saturday night to talk to them, Kailyn was so excited! Not only did she have a ball, but she had been spoiled! Her favorite toys at the moment are littlest pet shop. So of course they took a “quick” trip to the store and guess what they found…pet shops! When I came home on Sunday, I asked Kailyn if she had fun and as she played happily with the enormous pet shop toy daddy got her she said, “I had lots of fun. You can go again mommy.” Now, even though I was a little sad to hear that, it made me really happy to know that she had so much fun with here daddy…I mean who wouldn’t he is the best daddy ever!!!!!!!
I do believe that kids and good wine have something in common. I know it sounds kind of strange to compare the two, but the more I think about it the more I believe it! Wine as most anyone knows grows better with age; I believe the same is true of children. As Kailyn has grown from so little to rather a big girl, I realize she too is growing “better” as the days, weeks, months and years have passed. Just as I begin to think she is about as much fun as she can be, she changes and totally surprises me! I can still remember when she first started going shopping with me, when she started playing board games, when she learnt how to play hide and seek, when all these little enjoyments were brand new. Now, they seem so common place and new accomplishments have taken their place. One particular instance that will inevitably stay with me forever happened about a week ago. Kailyn and I have always enjoyed our little lunches and short, but fun shopping trips. However, on this particular day I decided to schedule a little “Kailyn and mommy time,” because I had been rather busy lately and felt I had neglected to just spend time with my darling daughter. I decided to let Kailyn sleep in and then after a good bit of snuggling asked her what she would like to do. Her reply was no surprise to me...go to the coffee shop. So, after getting dressed we headed to Starbucks to have breakfast together.After this I decided we would do a bit of shopping, because I needed a dress for a wedding that I was going to that weekend. Well, needless to say my “little bit” of shopping ended up spanning almost 3 hours. Kailyn hung in there like a real trooper! Actually, she is the one that found my dress! We used the thumbs up or thumbs down system to decide if we liked each dress and I don’t think she gave not even one dress a thumbs down! She was such an uplifting audience to have! I felt like I was hanging out with one of my girl friends! To me, this is what motherhood was all about! After our shopping excursion, we headed home for lunch and an afternoon of Lego Star Wars…Kailyn’s favorite video game!!! She’s actually not that bad at it! This day reminded me of something…not to take our little coffee trips or mornings of snuggling for granted…they will be gone far too soon!
As I sit here and review all of the many journal entries I’ve written and am totally overwhelmed by all those that have yet to be written, I can’ t help but get teary eyed. Looking down the page so many memories flash back and as I get to one of the very first entries I realize so much time has passed! Where did all those months, years, go? Who said time could go by so quickly! Kailyn is a far different child now than she was when I first started writing. She is no longer our little darling baby…she is a big girl…getting ready to start kindergarten next year! (Which, something I have way too much anxiety about!)It’s funny, I remember the first time I dropped her off at her Mother’s Day Out program and cried for almost ten minutes, because I felt like I had just lost my dearest friend! It actually isn’t getting any easier to drop her off either! Take today for example, she woke up and said,” Mommy, do I have to go. Can’t I stay with you?” “Of course you can!” Was all that I wanted to say to her, but then I was quickly reminded that next year I can’t keep her home merely because I want to! I just had to reassure her she would have so much fun today and that yes I would miss her…little did she know how much! So, off we went and here I am writing about her, because I miss her…so much! Yes I know I am pathetic! I honestly think that my doctor forgot to cut the cord when she was born! Is this how I am going to feel when she is 18 and heading off to college! I guess I better start praying for grace from God now!
Sorry to get off track, but the point of writing this article was to apologize for dropping the ball and not writing and for not posting the ones I did write…I am very sorry and hope to stay up-to-date from now on!
I have to say that Kailyn has said some of the cutest things lately!The other day, we were driving down the road and she said, “Hey Mom. Do you know how much I love you?” I looked at her through the rearview mirror and said, “How much?” Her response of was simple and amazing, “To the moon and back!” My eyes filled with tears and all I could say was, “I love you too, baby.” Since that she will just randomly come up to Tony or myself and say either, “You know I love you” or “Love you to the moon and back.” What a sweetheart she is!!!
Another really cute thing Kailyn has started saying is “My B, yo,” something she picked up from Tony and I. In English that translates to, “Opps, my fault.”The other day I accidentally dropped something and she said, “Opps, mommy. You have to say, My B.O.” To me all I could think of was B.O. standing for body odor. So, I was a bit baffled by her saying, “Mom my body odor.” I soon put it together and she was really trying to say, “My B yo.” Too cute! These are just two of the funny things Kailyn as said… and as she keeps growing, I am realizing that she is cuter than ever!
This past July, Sarah and Mike (my sister and brother-in-law) along with their three boys moved backed to Augusta! About four years ago, they moved to Virginia for Mike’s job and have moved every year since! As you can guess, all this moving has taken quite a toll on not only Sarah and Mike, but the kids as well. When Mike was offered a job in Augusta, he and Sarah decided this would hopefully be there final move. Needless to say, we were overjoyed! We have missed them so much! When I told Kailyn about the move she didn’t understand at first. She just thought they were coming for a visit. However, within about two weeks she understood and thus began the endless requests to go visit her cousins. These requests started out maybe a few times a week and have progresses to something she asks me everyday! I have to say that I am so happy she loves her cousins as much as she does…I mean who wouldn’t they are absolutely perfect! But it’s not just her cousins she loves…its Aunt Sarah and Uncle Mikey, too! Since she is the only girl, she is treated like a princess! I know I spoil my nephews every chance I get…I love those little boys so much, and it appears that now it is my sister’s turn to do the same with our daughter. In fact, lately Kailyn doesn’t ask to see her cousins, she asks if she can go to “Aunt Sarah’s house.” I have to close by saying I am ecstatic to be able to have Kailyn grow up with her cousins, it is something I have always wanted and now have. Thank you Jesus for answering prayers!
This summer I watched my aunt’s children for a few days each week, while she worked. There are three of them, two boys, Joseph and Andrew and their sister Beatrice, Kailyn’s favorite cousin. Since Beatrice was going to start kindergarten that year, my aunt asked that I work with her on her letters and sounds. Little did I know what I was getting into! That first week, we started slow with just some simple flashcards of capital letters. Beatrice wasn’t too excited, but for some reason Kailyn was. I totally did not expect Kailyn to pay attention, much less participate. However, after only a few minutes I had the two of them facing off to try and guess all the letters. I was amazed…when did Kailyn become so intrigued by learning? Throughout the previous school year, I had been working with the girls just a bit on letter recognition, but nothing to serious. We usually just played a bit of game to try and find the capital letters. Anyway, I went home that night and decided that if Kailyn was willing to learn, then I was ready to take full advantage of that! The next few days I went to the store and bought little apples and busses to make upper and lower case flashcards as well as numbers. I also found several workbooks for pre-k children. After making the flashcards, I laminated them so that they could withstand bending and anything else that might try and destroy them. I also bought some stickers, for a bit of motivation if Kailyn ever got tired of learning. So that next week, I pulled out the flashcards and the girls went crazy! I have never seen two little girls so excited to start learning! At the beginning, Kailyn knew almost all of her uppercase letters, but really struggled with the lowercase letters, simply because she didn’t see them much. To my complete amazement, within less than a month she knew all her uppercase letters and almost all the lowercase. She could pair the uppercase and lowercase together and had begun the workbooks and was doing fabulous! Well, needless to say summer ended and Beatrice went off to school. One morning shortly after the school year had started, Kailyn came up and asked me if she could do her work. I looked at her a bit baffled and asked her if she meant her letters. Sure enough, she did and since then, at least three times a week (the days that she doesn’t go to her mother’s day out program) we have “school.”We go through both the letter and number flashcards and then do a page or two in her workbook and then if she still wants to do more, we practice her name and writing numbers. One of our latest and funniest endeavors is to get shaving cream and smear it all over the kitchen table and write letters in it, she absolutely loves this! Now, I know that this sounds like kind of a lot of work for a four year old to do almost everyday, but it is something Kailyn takes very seriously! One morning, I had a lot to do and we were running around a bit. Suddenly, Kailyn stopped me and said very earnestly, “Mom, I have to do my work. I haven’t done it today!!” I was so taken aback. Here our darling girl was asking to learn her letters and how to write them and do things I certainly looked at as work, but not fun work. It was clear, to Kailyn this was fun. She loved being able to show Tony what she did or point out letters and know what words started with what letters and what sound each letter makes. She was and still is thirsty for knowledge! So I have decided, as long as she is willing to learn I am willing to teach her! Maybe by the time she starts kindergarten next year, we can have her reading War and Peace…ha-ha!
As our children grow up I begin we start to see little glimpses of ourselves developing in them. Certain quirks or habits that they pick up from us…some good and some not so great. One of these little quirks that I have begun to notice in Kailyn is her organization. A few weeks ago, she was cleaning up her room and Tony, being the great dad that he is, asked if she wanted some help. They began putting all the toys away and suddenly, Kailyn looked at Tony and very seriously said, “Ummm…Daddy. That is not where that toy belongs.” Tony looked at her a bit shocked and simply said, “Well, excuse me. Where does it go.” She picked the toy up and put it in its proper place. Tony looked up at me and all he said was, “What have you done to our daughter!” Meanwhile I was whelling with pride and almost to tears because of how excited I was that she liked things organized! Needless to say, Kailyn does like order. Everything in its place!
Another thing that Kailyn has started to love is Starbucks. Like I said earlier, some of the things our children pick up are wonderful and some of them aren’t so great…like addictions to coffee! I am by no means saying Kailyn is “addicted” she just loves her Starbucks! Our special visits to the bookstore to get a “pink coffee” as Kailyn calls her Strawberry Frappicino (which actually has no coffee in it at all) have now become less and less and when we do go, she often asks if we can go the coffee shop and sit and have a drink. So grown up!
So, as Kailyn continues to grow at record speed, I realize that I am continually amazed. Amazed by her ability to do all that she does and amazed at how much fun and joy it is to watch her grow into something so wonderful and beautiful.
Last week, I asked three of my younger cousins (Kathryn, Hannah and Katrina) to come over and play with Kailyn for a bit. They have been asking for months to come over and play. Often Kailyn will look up at Hannah (who is only 9) and say, “Hi, second mommy.” She loves them all, but especially Hannah…she will do whatever she says!
As I stated in the title, it wasn’t until I had just girls at my house that I realized the difference! In recent visits from my three nephews I was used to the opening and the dumping of essentially every toy of Kailyn’s onto the floor making it inevitably invisible. However, when I went in to check on the girls, all I found was a beautifully set pony village and peace and quiet! They were all off in pony world peacefully playing…no arguing! Bizarre!
Finally it’s here, thank God!!! The day Kailyn has been waiting for over six months to get here…her birthday!! As I previously wrote, it has been really hard for Kailyn to go to parties and it seems like she is the last of all her friends to have a birthday! So on this fateful morning I awoke, excitement overflowing, ready to finally say, “Yes sweetheart, today is your birthday…I told you July would come!” Now on this particular day, we had planned to spend it doing exactly what Kailyn wanted, we wanted today to feel like her day. We had planned to let her open her presents whenever she wanted, go to the movie theatre and see Wall-E, a movie she has been wanting to see for quite some time now, and then finish up with a party at my parents (for both Tony and Kailyn, seeing as Tony’s birthday was the day before).So in we traipsed to relay the glorious news that her birthday had finally come and she was now a big four year old! Her reaction was priceless! Her eyes lit up with so much joy and across her face was the biggest smile I do believe I have ever seen! “It’s July twenty, my birthday!!! Yippee!” Needless to say the day was a big hit. She loved the movie and had a blast at her party! She was showered with endless gifts and treated like a princess! She loved it! As she was drifting off to sleep that night, gently snuggling the Wall-E she got from Tony she smiled and said, “I like July.”
Now, you may think that was it…but no. That next morning we woke up and imagine her surprise when I reminded her that she had yet another party! Today she would have a party at her favorite place, besides Baba’s house, Chuck-E-Cheese with all her little friends! This was actually Kailyn’s very first “friend” party! Let me tell you it was wonderful! They actually had a little show put on for Kailyn and gave her balloons, extra tokens and tickets, cake and a giant lollipop! It was worth every penny we spent to see how excited she was and how happy she was to finally be able to say, “This is my party. It’s July! I like July!”
This summer, Tony decided that he wanted to build a tree fort for Kailyn…something he has wanted to do for a very long time! We had been trying to explain what it was to Kailyn and that it would be her very own little space. She took this to mean it would be her very own house! A few days before we were going to start, Tony and I went to Lowe’s and bought all the wood, nail, screws, and everything else we would need for Tony’s little creation. After two trips to and from Lowe’s, because there was so much wood, we were done. We brought Kailyn out into the back yard to show her what her tree fort started out as. Now I have to say, we did get a bit of lumber and supplies, so the corner of our back yard resembled that of a lumber yard! She ran around the wood, climbed over and it and decided it was good. So the groundbreaking took place in mid June. Kailyn’s godfather, Larry, came over to help Tony with the framing. By lunchtime, they had completed almost all of the framing! They made great progress and over the next few weeks, Tony continued to work on the fort and finish it up. Kailyn even helped quite a bit! As work progressed, it was amazing to see her face and how excited she was! Finally it was all finished and we all climbed up in it. As Kailyn surveyed her very own space, she said very satisfied, “I like my house daddy, it is cool! Thank you!!” Since then, she has had numerous picnic lunches and dinners inside her happy little “house.” I have to also say that I know Kailyn was blown away by all that Tony did, but so was I! It’s amazing! So Tony, I have to say thank you…for all you do and for how happy you make your girls!! We love you!!!
This particular little story came about from a simple misunderstanding Kailyn had about her Uncle…it is rather cute and really showed how much kids pick up on the little things!
Alright, so this May my not so little brother Billy headed to Chile to teach English in a small city called. Despite the fact that I was very sad to see Billy go, I was excited for the experience he had ahead of him.Now, Billy had been spending a bit of time at our house lately and by doing such has formed a rather beautiful bond with Kailyn. She truly loves and looks up to her dear Uncle Billy. When he left, we wanted to make sure we explained to her why he wouldn’t be coming over for a bit…well six months to be exact. We told Kailyn that Uncle Billy was going to Chile to be a teacher. She seemed to kind of get it…I think. About a month later, we decided to go to Chili’s, the restaurant, to pick up so food. Before I left, I asked Kailyn if she wanted to stay home with Daddy or come with Mommy to Chili’s. Instantly, she dropped the toy she had been playing with and said rather exuberantly, “I can go with you Mommy!!”I was a little shocked about how excited she was to go, but I just figured she wanted to spend time with me…ha-ha! The whole way there she kept saying, “We are going to Chili…yeah!” Like I said, I just thought she was happy to be coming with me…I was wrong. As soon as we pulled up she said, “We are here! We can see Uncle Billy now!!!” I turned around a bit astonished and tried to explain that Uncle Billy was in Chile, not at Chili’s…a bit too much for her I think! So, we headed inside and I placed our order. As soon as I was done, Kailyn said, “Come on we have to find him. Where is he?” At this moment I wanted so bad to make Billy appear.There was Kailyn, simply heartbroken that she couldn’t find her Uncle and totally confused! We sat down, and again I tried to explain it to her. Her simple response was, “But you said he was at Chili’s!”I told her that he was in the country of Chili and attempted once more to explain the difference, but in the end, I just held her in my lap and told her that today we would not be able to see him. With a little tear in her eye, she said, “We can see him later…right?” I reassured her that yes in a while we would see him again. This simple errand to run and pick up food showed me so much about our darling girl. She really does love her dear Uncle and that whatever we say she will remember! Until Billy returns in December, I do believe she still thinks he is there!
Thank God…summer is here!! Now, summer is not only my favorite time of year because of beaches and suntans, but also because Tony is usually off! So for three glorious months, we get Tony all to ourselves, something Kailyn and I love!!! However, this year Tony decided to do summer school for half the summer to help with a few expenses we had. I know I was a bit sad, but it was heartbreaking to see Kailyn wake up each morning asking where Tony was…it was like she totally knew it was summer and he was supposed to be home with us! But as I stated before, thank God he only is doing summer school for about a month. Anyway, so yes summer is here! Welcome back bathing suits, beach towels and endless bottles of sunscreen…we missed you!
Parties, parties, parties!! It seems like all we do lately is go from one party to the next!! For me, it is something I don’t really mind. I love the fellowship and good food. However, for Kailyn each party starts out a little disappointing.Since the beginning of the year, I have been explaining to Kailyn that her birthday is in July. She does not like this one bit! She doesn’t like it simply for the fact that July is taking its good old time getting here…according to her!In January, a friend from school had a birthday party. Thinking it would be a great idea for Kailyn to pick out the present we went shopping together.She was very excited and even helped me wrap the present; however, when it came time for her friend to open her glorious gift Kailyn literally had an emotional breakdown! Somehow she got dreadfully confused and thought we wrapped the present for her to open at some else’s party! Once that happened, we had a big talk about when her birthday was and that we will not be getting presents at every party we go to!Apparently this is a really hard concept for a three year old to grasp! Each time we have a party she asks, “Is it my party? Is it Kailyn’s birthday?” Each time I have to say no and then I ask her when her birthday is. She usually replies in a sulky and highly disappointed voice, “July…I don’t like July.” Then if she is really disappointed, she will say, “It can be my birthday today and they can have their birthday in July!” She is forever trying to change her birthday and even went up to her friend the other day and was trying to convince her to “switch” birthdays by saying, “It can be my birthday now…you like July. You can have a birthday in July!”Again, I had to explain to her that a birthday is something that cannot be traded or swapped. She wasn’t too happy with that! Needless to say, we are anxiously awaiting July…so I can finally say, “Yes, Kailyn it is your birthday…finally!”
Looking back on this past year, I realized Kailyn has turned A LOT of corners! She sprung from diapers to panties…in fact, on this very day one year ago!!! She actually “ran” in the road race this year, rather than saunter across the finish line. She no longer takes her daily nap, although on occasion she does take a bit of a rest. She upgraded from baby toothpaste to Daddy and Mommy toothpaste…very fun! But, the most recent and, honestly next to potty training my very favorite, is her new found love for the doctor! When Kailyn was young, she had numerous ear infections and we were constantly at the doctors…it is my belief that this is why she developed a deep hatred for the dreaded doctor’s office. I took Kailyn to the doctor this month and instead of screaming, fussing and fidgeting, she was happy, peaceful and obedient! She did so well, I didn’t know what to do! A big turn in our life!!! I could probably go on for the next hour or so and list the many changes that have taken place in just this last year; however, I have come to the realization that Kailyn is a completely different child! She is no longer solely dependent on Tony and me; in fact she is highly independent and tries to do all she can on her own. Gone are the days of our little darling baby girl…here are the days of, “I can do it. I don’t need help. I am big enough!” She is officially our darling big girl now! I didn’t think this would come so soon! So, despite the constant turning of corners in our sweet “big” girl’s life, I find myself a bit melancholy! Yes, these achievement and “upgrades” are marvelous, wonderful and truthfully helpful…but is it terrible that I wish I could make them stop for a bit and we could just keep her as she is…just for awhile! She is our ever changing flower, blossoming into something quit beautiful and magnificent!
Since it is getting close to Kailyn’s birthday, I decided we would try and get her picture taken once more.Despite the fact I knew it would be a grueling and hard endeavor, it needed to be done.
Let me first give you some background info on Kailyn and her history of getting her picture professionally taken. Around our house it wouldn’t be anything out the ordinary for me to be taking random pictures of Kailyn or having her pose in some funny outfit she picked out…she honestly loves to have Mommy take her picture (probably due to the fact that for the first two years of her life that is the only way she saw me…behind a camera, happily snapping away).However, put her in a room with plenty of props, beautiful backgrounds, beaming lights, and high-tech camera equipment and the tears will begin to flow! Kailyn has dreaded getting her picture taken ever since she was one! So, in all the lovely portraits we or our relatives have she may seem happy…but that is far from the truth! Usually, I schedule her appointments so that both Tony and I will be there…yes it requires two of us to get just one smile! So let me play it out for you. We walk in, Kailyn clinching Tony and/or my hand for dear life. She looks around, and then it begins, “Hold me, please! I don’t like this place!” Usually we get her to sit down with Tony and I mere inches away from her and inevitably she has at least two massive meltdowns and her face turns bright red. By the end not only are Tony and I exhausted but the poor camera person who had to deal with us for the past hour or so is ready to kick us to the curb!I am sure every professional photographer that has taken Kailyn’s picture, watches us as we leave and wonders why in the world pictures mean so much to us and why on earth it is so hard to get our little girl to crack a smile! One time we had not only the photographer but two other people who worked there trying to make Kailyn smile just once! It is always a patient trying, totally exhausting, emotion filled visit!
Having said all that, I wasn’t really looking forward to getting her picture taken today…by myself! So, Tonyless and a bit worried we headed to our appointment. As soon as we walked in, Kailyn remembered where we were. “Oh, I don’t like to get my picture taken here! It’s not fun.” As she said this, all I could do was take a deep breath and continue to pray for a miracle…I wasn’t really in the mood for a physically and emotionally exhausting morning. So, I signed us in and we waited for about five minutes. I must insert here that this particular photographer was excellent, we have gone to her before but this time she did awesome! Anyway, she came out and introduced herself to Kailyn and asked if she was ready. A bit hesitant Kailyn followed, not holding my hand, but the photographers instead. She walked into the room and followed every direction the photographer gave her, looking at me after each picture and saying, “Look…cheese!” In a mere twenty minutes we were done! Not one tear, one bit of hesitation, or one insecurity…she loved it! Not only did she enjoy it, but her pictures were truly precious! So, we have turned a corner! No longer is she deathly afraid of her photographer, but she actually likes getting her picture taken…at least for the time being:)
Kailyn’s Godmother is a very good friend of mine, Lisa. Lisa’s birthday is at the beginning of May and this year, we took her out for lunch on her birthday. Before I go on, I want to give just a little background here about how Kailyn slightly believes Lisa is not only her Godmother…but her fairy Godmother!
Recently, I was talking to Kailyn about her Godmother and explaining to her that Aunt Lisa’s birthday was coming up. While I was telling her that we were going to take her out to lunch, Kailyn’s eyes got unusually large and a big smile appeared on her face. I asked her what she was so excited about and she replied, “I have a Godmother?” I stated that of course she had a Godmother and reminded her that it was Lisa. I think the misunderstanding here lied in the fact that Kailyn usually called Lisa Godmom. Anyhow, I didn’t think it was that big of a deal that she was so excited. I guess that I should have put two and two together and realized that with this newfound name for Lisa, Kailyn thought she had become something greater…her fairy Godmother! You know, Cinderella really is to blame for my child’s simple misconception! The idea of a fairy godmother showing up and giving you all sorts of cool things like a sweet pumpkin to ride in and a really beautiful gown is amazing and at Kailyn’s age totally believable! So as I walked off as apparently visions of mice, pumpkins and gowns began filling Kailyn’s head!
All throughout lunch, Kailyn seemed to be engrossed in Lisa…she wanted to sit by her and every once in a while she would look at me with abig smile and then look back at Lisa. Honestly, I thought she was just really happy to see her. It wasn’t until I was buckling Kailyn in her car seat that she said, “That was my Godmother…like Cinderella!” “Yes,” I replied, “she is your Godmother…just like Cinderella.” My mistake! On our way home I thought about it and when we arrived home I told her that despite the fact Lisa is her Godmother, she doesn’t have a magicwond. “But she is my fairly Godmother!” Like so many things at this age I tried to explain the difference to her, but I felt as if she didn’t grasp a word of what I said! So to this day, when Kailyn see her dear Godmother at any time she gets rather excited and reminds me with a big smile, “That is MY Godmother!”
I think when a baby is born you can tell within the first year if they prefer men to women or women to men. For example, we often used to call my nephew a ladies man…because he simply preferred women to hold him. For Kailyn, that seemed to be the case for her. She would always drift into the arms of a loving and nurturing woman…or just back to mommy. She honestly was a Mama’s girl! As the years have past, I am a bit sad to say I think that is all changing. Gone are the days of, “Mommy will you hold me. Mommy will you read me my bedtime story. Mommy, mommy, mommy.” No, we are experiencing a new stage; I like to call this stage the “Daddy Rock’s” stage! I am a bit sad to say, I think the “Mommy” days are over…at least for a bit. So, yes Kailyn has truly become the epitome of a “Daddy’s girl.” She wakes up each morning and asks where Daddy is, and throughout the day will say, “You know…I really need my Dad.” She is usually on the steps waiting for Tony to come home and on the weekends RARELY ever leaves his side! She thinks her Daddy not only hung the moon, but the stars as well! With this ever growing love for her father came another change. Kailyn now loves men…not just men actually, baby boys, toddler boys, elementary school boys, middle school boys, high school guys and even older men! If we go to a playground, Kailyn immediately finds some random boy playing in the dirt or trying some daring acrobatic move on the monkey bars and follows him around for the duration of our time there. She has three cousins who are all boys and she thinks they are simply awesome…I do believe sometimes she wishes she could be a boy just like them. My sister, her husband and there boys recently visited Georgia. It was on this visit that Kailyn told me, “I like my Uncle Mikey…he can take care of me!” Mike is my sister’s husband and the father of Kailyn’s three crazy cousins. Not only that, but at a party we had last weekend Kailyn found herself another gentleman. We were getting ready and Kailyn was playing in the living room and an older gentleman, who is like a grandpa to me. He sat down and started playing Zoo with Kailyn. After a bit of playing it was time for her to go to sleep and she said, “He is my friend.” Whether it be the fact that guys don’t mind sitting on the floor and playing with animals or the fact that they actually don’t mind getting dirty (something Kailyn LOVES to do), Kailyn is fascinated with the men and boys of all ages! I don’t think this newfound love of the male species is anything to be too worried about…well at least not until she’s a bit older!
As previously stated, each April I am part of a committee that put on a run. This event is known as the Glory Run. There is a 5k run/walk, a 1mile fun run, and a tot-trot. Last year, Kailyn and I both participated in the runs. I ran the 5k and she well sort of ran the tot-trot. Actually, last year she more like sauntered along the course holding Tony and my hand. She was also the last person to cross the finish line! Determined that this year would be different, I decided to take her and a few of her little girl friends to the course to “practice” running it. Now, let me first say that the distance they run for the tot-trot is not that long at all. It is probably about four house lengths long. Apparently to Kailyn this is too long! The first time I just wanted to have them walk it, so that they would know where they were going. They all did this fairly well. On our second attempt, I decided it would be fun to have them race a bit and try and run as fast as they could. Kailyn ran about two house lengths and stopped. I asked her what was wrong and all she said was, “This is too much work. It’s too hard. I don’t like running!” I stood there for a minute amazed, my daughter not like running! Whose child was this!! Meanwhile, the other two little girls had passed the finish line and were trying to cheer Kailyn on to keep going. Upset that I wouldn’t carry her the remaining two house lengths to the end, she just walked begrudgingly to the finish line.Rather discouraged by this, I attempted one other time to get her to run the course, but again she stopped even further from the end and said, “It’s too long!”So, when race day finally did arrive, I figured again she would probably finish up the race last…if she finished at all! To my shocking amazement, she actually was really excited and did fairly well! Now, she didn’t win first by any means, but she did finish!!! Yeah!! And she got a medal for finishing the race…so to her that was an enormous win!!
Instead of having a spring break earlier in the year, we in the Augusta area have ours the second week of April. This time is known as Master’s Week. This is often a time when native Augustans either flee the crowds, craziness, and horrid traffic that surround Master’s Week or succumb to all the hub-bub and seek employment at one of the many catering, driving or golfing venues. This year since Tony was off for Master’s Week, he decided he would take a job working as a driver for an event’s company. I wasn’t too happy to see him work his week off, but God really blessed his sacrifice. Tony was given a really laid back group and he was able to go into the Master’s several times. In fact, I was even able to spend one afternoon inside the Master’s with Tony. In addition to that, Kailyn and I were also able to meet Tony for lunch several times…something we never get to do during the school year. On one of Tony’s visits inside the golf course, he decided to purchase a pink golf shirt with the Master’s logo in the corner for Kailyn. The night he gave her the shirt she wasn’t too excited, however, the next morning she awoke and immediately asked, “Mom can I wear my master shirt today?” I told her of course, Daddy would love to see her in it. That day her friend Carrie came over, and as I walked by Kailyn’s room I heard her telling Carrie all about her shirt. “Carrie, my daddy gave this to me. He said I am a master. Are you a master? Do you have a master shirt?” Apparently, Kailyn believes, and still does to this day, that she is a master of something and that her shirt proudly tells people this! Needless to say she now loves the shirt and asks to wear it all the time. And on the off chance that Daddy is wearing the shirt too, you will find her beaming with pride…because of course Daddy and her are the “masters.”
Now, I know that I have previously stated that Kailyn had developed a deep love for princesses and was being trained by princess master Yoda (aka my cousin Beatrice)…but those days have ended. I think it would be safe to say Kailyn is no longer a mere patawan, she is definitely Jedi material! Now that Kailyn has mastered princesses she has moved on to bigger and better things…ponies to be exact! Around Christmas time of this past year, Tony brought a pony home for Kailyn one day. I must insert here that I am not just talking about random ponies…no these are the ones that come with clothes, houses, scooters, refrigerators, food and ANY accessory that you can think of…they are the infamous “My Little Ponies!” Anyway, this single pony started something I was in no way prepared for! It triggered something we call the “Pony Wars!”First of all, let me say that just because the word “pony” is in this title it doesn’t lesson the blow of the dreaded wars!
So, Kailyn was given some ponies for Christmas, Epiphany, Valentine’s Day and any other reason Daddy could think of to give her one! With each of these new toys came wisdom! Kailyn began to master the names and colors of each pony and what exactly there task was! She became a pony master! It was around this time that my previously mention cousin came to play. When Kailyn pulled out the ponies and began instructing her dear friend on the ways of the pony, Beatrice realized she was no longer the master, but the student! She wasn’t too happy about this! Intrigued by all that Kailyn had shown her she went home and began to gather her armada of ponies. It had begun!
On consequent visits to our house, Beatrice would bring her bag of ponies proudly bearing the letter “B” on their front right hoof and set them up facing off against Kailyn’s. The real trouble came when a new pony was introduced into the mix…or even worse, a new set of ponies! This newly acquired commodity became the envy and desire of the opposing side.
Now, let me state her that we thought this was all in good fun…just two little girls playing…not true! It began with just one little spat about how her pony was being mean to my pony and escaladed into what we comically refer to as “Pony Wars.” These delicate pink and purple ponies had transformed into vicious, territorial nightmares! These so called wars slowly eked their way into Beatrice and Kailyn’s pre-school and had gotten so bad, that the ponies have now and forever will be banned from said school! It was clear an intervention was needed! We decided to have a meeting so as to come to some mutual agreement between the two foes. After much talking and a bit of arguing, an arrangement was reached and for now the ponies have signed a peace treaty- we can only hope it lasts!
My husband Tony and I are blessed with an amazing, inspiring, enthusiastic daughter whom we love dearly. Since I thoroughly enjoy writing...what better thing to do than write about our little ever-changing wonder God has given us!
