Before I Forget

I know I've mentioned before that this is the only form of journal keeping I can seem to keep up with. So, before I forget, I want to jot down some of the thoughts and feelings I've had bouncing around in my head lately. Anybody reading my blog might not care about what I have to say in this post, but like I said, this is to help me remember.

These two kids mean the world to me:

I love them more than I ever thought I could. They are growing up so fast and changing so much. I wish I could stop time and just enjoy them the way they are now forever, but I know I can't. I know it's good for them to grow, and I love watching the new things they discover and can do each day, but it also makes me a little sad to see them changing so quickly before my eyes. So, before I forget, here's a little about what they are like today.

I really think Baylee is the Energizer Bunny reincarnated. I haven't seen that bunny in years, and this kid just keeps going and going... Nothing can outlast her (especially her mommy) and there's no such thing as wearing her out. She exhausts me sometimes, but I love her sense of adventure and playful personality. You never know what she's going to think up next, and has a big collection of characters she likes to pretend to be. She also assigns anyone else in view a coordinating character. She is very smart and has the greatest memory. She can remember song lyrics or lines from shows or movies after only hearing them once or twice. She loves music and to sing. Ben even talked her into making a music video with him (it's on youtube under Skulls of One, I think). She still loves gymnastics class, swimming, and loves when we get together to play with friends. She's already talking about marrying her friend Trey, and I heard her telling Ben about her dream last night where her and Trey got married and had 15 kids. Slow down, Baylee! She's also loving to play mommy. She's a great big sister, and Payton just loves to be around her. She loves her daddy and is sad when she sleeps in to late to go downstairs with him before he leaves for work (something Payton is starting to like to do as well). I love the rare moments where I get to just snuggle up with her and tell her how much I love her. There are times when I look at her and just wonder where my little baby/toddler has gone and how she's gotten to be so big. There's not enough I could say about this girl. She keeps us laughing and loving life.

This little man is growing too fast! Although, according to his 9 month appointment last week, he might not be growing enough. His thunder thighs are slowly disappearing. I can't believe how fast time is going by with this little guy. It seems like just a couple months ago Payton joined our family- it's hard to believe that couple is actually 9. He is the happiest baby I know, and has a smile that just makes me melt, along with the cutest laugh. He is walking along furniture, climbing stairs, and the doctor said he can now eat anything which is great because he loves food! He knows that the best place to be when Baylee is eating is right under her at the counter so he can play human vacuum and eat all her crumbs. He loves electronics (especially the computer and our phones), water, our ride-on toy Rocket that makes sounds, chocolate, playing with toys and things he's not supposed to, and toilet paper. He loves to be outside or staring out the window when we are at home. He loves to be down and moving, but not for too long before he decides he wants to be with his mommy. He's a definite mommy's boy, but that's okay with me. I love how he snuggles up to me to sleep and will be sad the day he grows out of that.

Like I said, I love these kids so much and can't imagine my life without them. I feel so blessed to be their mom. Some days are hard, some days I feel like I'm in over my head, but I wouldn't change it for the world.

A Knight's Tale

We had a great time at the Renaissance Festival with my aunt, uncle, and cousin on Saturday! I didn't do a great job at getting to many pictures, but we had a great time watching shows, eating lots of food, and peeking in some shops. I was so happy the weather was nice this year. Last year it was a little hot (plus I was pregnant), so we didn't stay too long. I'm glad we had the great company we did this year too!

The group (minus Ben who was taking the picture) before the jousting show. Baylee was so excited to watch the knights fight. We didn't make it to last year's show, so she didn't quite know what to expect. It was the first thing that we did when we got there this year.

Here's the knights getting ready to start the fun. Our knight won!

Baylee didn't do well watching the comedy show or the balancing act, so I walked around with her to help keep her happy. One of the things we did (which she loved last year) was this butterfly ride just for little kids. She was so excited for the yellow butterfly. I just think this little ride is so cute!

Baylee is definitely my daughter. Out of all the things there, including all princess and fairy things, all she wanted was a knight's helmet. These look cool, but we weren't ready to shell out $30 for a thin plastic helmet, so she settled for a wooden knight's sword that she is so excited to paint. The front seat of our stroller had the perfect hole in the frame (it's supposed to be there) for holding her sword. The whole day she wanted to make sure we knew that she wasn't Baylee, she was a boy knight named Knight.

We had a great time, and I'm surprised at how fast time went by and how long we ended up being there! And, we love our little knight! (And our little prince, as Baylee titled him)

Contagious

It's official- I've caught it. My friend Heather gave me Craft Fever, which, for those of you who know me well, I definitely am not creative or crafty. It probably has a lot to do with my perfectionist tendencies that turn a quick project into hours of work for me. I'm trying though, and it's been pretty fun. We made diaper cases a little bit ago, which I still need to finish (I ran out of ribbon). Our latest project was these Easter egg wreaths I found on a craft blog that I have been dying to make. They actually turned out really cute:

Heather, and Ashley (and Kadyn) with their wreaths. Ashley finished hers, and Heathers was almost done. My screaming baby boy kept me from finishing mine at Heather's. It took me over an hour at home to finish while Ben took the kids to Baylee's gymnastics class. Like I said, too much of a perfectionist.

Mine finally finished and hung! I used pink and blue easter grass, so in the picture it looks a little purple. I love my wreath and am excited to actually have a holiday decoration in my house! Hopefully I can fill my house with more decorations, and can't wait to make more from the list of things I found.

I don't know if this counts as being crafty, but it's more of that housewife stuff I'm not too good at- I made another batch of cupcakes in February. This time I used the oranges from my grandparents to make orange cupcakes with chocolate cream cheese frosting (made from Ikea chocolate bars). They must have been decent since they got eaten a lot faster this time. Next time I think more orange juice and more chocolate. The best part, though, was passing them out to friends and family. I think I have an idea for March's cupcake- who wants to be a taste tester?

This time I had the pleasure of having Buzz Lightyear as my model, complete with shooting laser. Don't try to call her anything else- she won't respond. This model only eats frosting.