Birthday Celebration!

Happy #4 to Kendall!

We opted out of a traditional birthday party this year. After last year's 27 kids at our house and just the general craziness going on with the move, we decided to do a few special things with Kendall instead of giving her a full-blown shin-dig. I think it's always good to shake things up a little bit.

The Friday before Kendall's birthday, we met two of her best buds (and their moms) for breakfast at the double decker McDonalds down town. What a treat! With the exception of one guy sleeping in the corner, we had the whole upstairs to ourselves. Kendall, Brock, and Leah Mae had a blast running around. Of course, they LOVED riding the elevator most!

I love this next sequence of pictures. Brock was acting silly, not wanting his picture made, and the girls finally got some smiles out of him!

Somehow, I managed to have very few pictures of the rest of the birthday activities, but we celebrated all weekend! After the Mickie D's breakfast, Brock and Leah Mae came over to play. We had lunch and painted pumpkins in the basement. On Saturday, I took Kendall to an outreach event at our church, where we made several Christmas ornaments. We had a fun time together, just the two of us, and walked away with a several homemade Christmas ornaments. After Evan got off work, we met up for family pictures and then attended a cook-out with some friends. Sunday morning, Kendall woke up to a cupcake and chocolate milk for breakfast, and gifts from mommy and daddy. She also took mini cupcakes to her SS class for snack, and I'm sure whoever served second hour thanked us over and over for sending sugary treats. :)

What fun we had celebrating Kendall's big birthday. She's been walking around for two days constantly saying, "I'm four" and is loving all her new toys. We are so thankful for our friends and family who made birthday number four such a special one!

Four.

Dear Kendall-girl,

Tomorrow you turn four. FOUR!!! That's so BIG! You are growing into quite the young lady!

Let's see...things I want you to know about this stage of life...

You wake up every morning ready to go. You want to eat breakfast, get dressed, and know what's ahead for the day the moment your feet hit the floor. I have learned that I MUST get up earlier than you in the morning in order to be one step ahead!

I would say that you are definitely inquisitive. You ask "WHY?" about everything. I mean EVERYTHING. We started teaching you to say, "May I ask why?" because the whys became soooo draining, so thankfully Mommy and Daddy have an "out" now! You really are just a curious soul, wanting to know everything about everything, and then soak it all up like a sponge. We are always so amazed at the things you come up with and the things you remember! For example, you are still talking about that monkey that came at the glass when we went to the zoo one time, and that was like two years ago! Crazy!

Lately, you've become very interested in letters and writing. You can write your name and I LOVE YOU with minimal help. Thanks to daddy reading Sammy the Seal, you can recognize the words "cat" and "dog" by sight. Of course, the teacher in mommy is loving this! I have tons of fun working on school things with you and while I'm not pushing it, wouldn't be surprised if you start reading more words in the next year.

One of my favorite things about you lately is how you LOVE to listen to the radio in the car. Listening to you sing along is so much fun! Sometimes you get really loud and really into the song and it makes us laugh so much.

I love how growing up brings a sense of responsibility. Already, you have little chores around the house like unloading the silverware, folding towels, putting the trash bags in the garbage can, and helping with the groceries. I also think it's funny how you've already learned that chores are not always fun and grumble against doing them. We OFTEN have the conversation about what it means to be family and to do our part in taking care of our home. I'm thankful that conversation usually ends in a joyful and willing heart.

You still love Rapunzel, anything arts-and-craftish, playing dress-up and pretend. I am amazed at the stories and costumes you come up with sometimes! HILARIOUS! Another big love is socks. You LOVE funky socks and want to change them (and your clothes, but I nixed that one pretty fast!) about twenty times a day. I am constantly finding random socks all over our house.

Kendall, you are a ray of sunshine in our home and we are so blessed to have you as our big girl! We love you so much and look forward watching you grow even more this next year!

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

$2 and a whole lot of fun!

What started out as a sorting game with colored pom-poms, ended in a meal with salad and ice cream. That Kendall certainly isn't lacking for creativity in her play. I swear, she can turn anything into anything!

I can't remember where I saw it, but I ran across an idea to use colored pom-poms to teach sorting. I thought Kendall would have fun with it, so I picked up a couple of pom-pom packages at the Dollar Tree one day. I poured them in a dishpan, gave Kendall a set of Bamboo serving tongs, and named colors for her to pick out. Once she found all of the color I named, we counted them together. (FYI-most of this activity was done while I loaded the dishwasher.) We went through several colors before she tired of the sorting. The next thing I knew, though, Kendall had out plastic plates, bowls, spoons, our cookie scooper, and a mixing spoon! I then enjoyed a "meal" of salad (each color pom-pom representing a different veggie), and homemade ice cream.

I kid you not, these $2 pom-poms and a dishpan have given Kendall all sorts of fun! She ASKS to play with them, and will sit for 20-30 minutes playing, creating all sorts of meals. (And if you know Kendall, sitting, doing anything for 20-30 minutes is a BIG deal!) Who knew $2 pom-poms would be such a big hit?!

Kendall Funnies

I promise, we haven't fallen off the face of the planet. We are just pretty boring lately, really. If I wrote about life right now, you would hear stories about painting trim in our bedroom, a spitting baby, cutting dairy from my diet, trying to find recipes to cook that don't require turning on the oven, and a lot of other things that are uninteresting. HA.

However, I do want to write for a minute about this sweet girl. Oh, how I love her! We had many rough days following Arden's arrival, but after about three days of detox from our Arkansas trip, she has been a JOY! I mean, super helpful, incredibly polite, and completely LOVING her sister. I'm so thankful. Thankful we were able to endure that rough season, thankful to see fruit from consistent discipline, thankful she has turned this corner. Please don't get me wrong, she still has her moments (which mainly include a sassy mouth,being very bossy, and whining) but lately the great moments outweigh the rough ones, and I think it's worth documenting.

Kendall has such quick wit, much like her Daddy. I'm always amazed at the things she (and Evan) come up with off the top of their heads. For example, Sunday evening was "inside out" night for Awanas, meaning the kids could wear their clothes turned inside out. (Duh. Self explanatory, right?!) We gave Kendall the option, and she chose to turn her dress inside out. When we get to church her friend Jane said, "Kendall, why do you have your dress on inside out?" Kendall replied, "Why do you not?"

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I took the girls in Hobby Lobby to browse around and price a few items. Upon looking at the fall decor, Kendall sees a scarecrow and says, "What is that?" I told her it was a scarecrow and she said, "Why don't they make nice crows?"

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I've been really pleased lately (and a little bit sad) that Kendall is finally getting to a point where she will and is okay with playing outside alone. This has been a gradual thing for me, as our yard is not completely fenced, nor is there a direct line from our house to the swing set area. In spite of those issues, I've gradually given her freedom to play outside alone and she has done an excellent job at staying within the boundaries.

Last night, Kendall played outside while I prepared dinner. When it was time to come inside, she asked me if she could go back out after she finished eating. She said she was playing in the dirt and it was fun. So, after we ate, she went back outside and said, "I'm going back to dig in the dirt. I like digging in the dirt. I'm doing farmer's work!" Making my family proud, right?

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Tonight before Kendall's bedtime, she went in the bathroom to brush her teeth. I went in to check on her because she usually needs some help with this task and I said, "Are you brushing your teeth? Here, let me help you." She said, "I don't need any help. I already did the back, the side, and the cheese!"  ("CHEESE"is what we ALWAYS say when brushing her teeth in the front!)

Swim, Fishy, Swim!

What fun we've had this summer spending the first part of our Saturdays each week at swimming lessons! Kendall LOVES the water and her skills have grown by leaps and bounds! We are so proud of her. She has learned how to "bob" (put her head under water and blow bubbles out her nose), jump in the water and go under without anyone catching her, keep her head above water with no floaties (although she hasn't mastered this yet...can only go for short lengths), kick with her legs, and push with her arms. I think by next summer she'll be done with the arm floaties all together! Way to go, Kendall!

For the most part, Kendall is an independent kid, and swimming lessons have been the perfect outlet for her this summer after Arden's arrival. I searched and searched for a class that wasn't "mommy-and-me" style, as I knew Kendall needed somewhere to just do her thing without me. It was truly a joy to watch her each week. And even better...she was in a class with two of her best buds, Emma and Kaelyn!

Budding Artist

What is this, you ask? 

It's sidewalk chalk paint! 

Kendall loves any and everything crafty, so when THIS came through my email last week, I  knew we would be trying it in the near future. I am all about anything fun that is cheap, and this cost us nothing, being that we have a TON of those worn out and broken pieces of chalk.

Kendall LOVED it. I LOVED it. It was easy to make, occupied her for the longest time, AND...NO CLEAN UP!!! She even painted herself a little for fun!

Moms, try it. Your kids will love you!

VBS

Last week was our church's Vacation Bible School. What fun we had on a Big Apple Adventure! Everything was NYC themed, and SUPER cute! Kendall participated in an actual class this year and experienced the full pre-school rotation complete with Bible story, crafts, recreation, music, and missions. She had a wonderful week! I "helped" in the oldest four year old class by telling the daily Bible story. (I use the term "help" very loosely because my team did most of the work this year!) We had 23 four year olds in our class, and I think Kendall's class averaged about 16. It was truly a wonderful week.

I've always thought VBS was a good thing. It's fun and a great way to reach out to the community. However, this year, VBS took on a whole different meaning for me. It became seeds that were planted in my sweet daughter's mind. She came home every day telling us about the Bible stories, singing songs (I'm sure we'll be singing VBS songs for a while!), and grasping new truths. Evan and I pray continually for the girls to come to know Christ and I'm most certain this week of VBS made a difference in Kendall. Looking forward to seeing those seeds continue to grow!

Pinkalicious!

Surely most of the moms with girls recognize this character, right?

Well, yesterday, Kendall and I enjoyed some very much needed mommy-Kendall time, seeing Pinkalicious the Musical at a local dinner play house.

I was so thankful for our little outing yesterday. A sweet mom (of two girls) from our church was unable to use the tickets, so she gave them to us to enjoy. What perfect timing, as my relationship with Kendall has struggled quite a bit since Arden's arrival. I knew she would act out in some form or fashion, but the fact that Kendall has not loved me very much lately has made me a little sad! Things are definitely getting better, thank goodness, and I know we ALL soon be adjusted to being a family of four.

Kendall and I really had so much fun yesterday. I wouldn't say the food was the best I've ever eaten, but those chicken nuggets and waffle fries sure put a smile on the face of the big sister, as did getting to see a real, live play for the very first time. The actual show was just as cute as it could be--very fast-paced and fun.

Oh, and what's a trip to see Pinkalicious without a ginormous pink cupcake? (Sad times for this mama...it was most certainly NOT strawberry cake...only a white cake with pink food coloring!)

After the show was over, Kendall and I made a quick Target run before heading home to Daddy and Arden. We talked a lot about the show and our favorite parts, and Kendall was full of questions. At one point in our conversations, I was going on and on about how much I enjoyed the day with her. I asked her, "Did you have so much fun, too?" Her reply was, "Yes, but it would have been a lot more fun if Daddy could have gone with us." Thanks for bursting my bubble, sister! :)

Who's Who?

I think it's fun to compare pictures of Kendall and Arden. These pictures were taken when both girls were about 7 1/2 weeks old, in the same dress.


Can you tell who's who?

Does the hair bow give it away? Or what about the crazy cowlick? Or the  double chin and chubby cheeks? Or showing so much personality already?

Did you guess correctly?

THIS is big sister...

and this one is LITTLE sister...

Oh, this girl!

EVERYONE says the transition from one to two is the worst, and I believe it! We knew after all our help left, we would be in detox mode with the above child, and it's been tough. She is a smart little cookie and knows how to work things for sure. I am very thankful that she looovveees Arden, but I'm sad because she pretty much hates me right now. I know this will pass; I just hope it's sooner than later because this mama is TIRED!!

Most of the behaviors we are seeing from her are things we've already seen out of her, but are just escalated a bit. LOTS of whining and crying, LOTS of grumbling and complaining, and LOTS of struggles with first time obedience. She's also in this phase I like to call badgering, where she will ask a question, and even if we give her the answer, she keeps asking (even if it is a yes answer) over and over again. And then there is the constant talking....Oh, my!

However, the Lord has a way of helping us continue to love our children, even when they are acting in ways that we don't like and completely exhaust us. Kendall has said some GREAT things lately worth remembering....

During family worship Monday night, we were going over the catechism questions. One says, "Can you see God?" and the answer is "No, but He always sees me." Kendall replied with, "No, but Mamaw can."

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Tuesday was a rough day. Long story and too much to blog, but I had to follow through on something that Evan and I told Kendall we were going to do if she complained about not liking her room or her toys again. (We packed them up and put them all in the basement and she is in the process SLOWLY earning them back.) Anyway, at the end of the day, this conversation went down:

Me: "Do you miss playing with any of your toys?"

Kendall: "Yes, my dress up clothes." 

Me: "Anything else?"

Kendall: "Yes. PawPaw."

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I am a fan of Dr. Rosemond's articles. I don't read them enough, but went to his website earlier this week as we were struggling with what to do with Kendall. He uses a "tell them that the doctor said" approach a lot, and I thought I'd give it a try. It has actually worked for a couple of things so far. However, yesterday, when I was fixing Kendall's snack she said, "Hey, didn't the doctor tell you I needed to drink more chocolate milk?"

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We were taking a walk yesterday and I had to stop and get something out of my shoe. The conversation went like this:

Kendall: "What's the matter, mommy?"

Me: "Oh, something is sticking me in my sock."

Kendall: "It's probably just glue."

Room for Sisters

It always seems like a room is never finished. Am I right? I still have a few little things I would like to do in the girls' room, but I am pleased with the way it's coming along. I also love that I've spent little to nothing making changes. It's amazing how re-arranging furniture and adding little things here and there can make such a big difference.

The dresser is actually a dresser from my childhood that I sanded and stained a deep walnut (it almost looked painted) for the guest room in our first house. We were actually using it in our bedroom, but it didn't fit very well in the space, so I decided to paint it black and move it in the girls' room for drawer space/changing table.

The window above the dresser came from the one-room school house my dad attended as a child. It hung, with the glass panes still in-tact, in our kitchen in our first house. When we moved to Louisville, the ONLY thing that broke in the move were a couple of panes out of the window. I couldn't bear throwing the window away, so it sat all broken-down (for three years) in our garage. As I thought about what I could do for cheap wall decor, I decided to sledge hammer the glass out and fill the panes decorative items. My sweet friend Amber (who also helped me with a lot of the decorating for this room) gifted me with the purple and green frames, as well as the painted letters. At some point, I will fill the frames with "sister" pictures and figure out what to put in the empty pane. Maybe a sister quote?

Above are close-up pictures of wall-art near Kendall's bed. I made that fabric boa about three years ago, and it sat at the top of Kendall's closet waiting for the perfect spot. The scripture canvas was a baby gift from my friend/accountability partner, Miranda, when I was pregnant with Kendall. It was a special verse from that season of my life that we memorized together. At some point, I'm going to move the canvas to the opposite wall and make a couple of THESE for that space. Kendall LOVES to take books to bed with her and I think she will love having easy access!

I found the above wall hanger at Hobby Lobby on the cheap. Like less than $2 on the clearance aisle. One of the hooks was broken, but something that could fix easily. It was also brown and ugly. Amber took it home, painted it and added the owl and flowers. Turned out super cute! Perfect for tutus!

The below pictures are the opposite wall. Evan's mom made the crib bedding for Kendall. I always loved it, and I felt as if it would be wasteful not to use it again. I still need something for above the crib, but I'm planning on using Arden's name banner from her shower. If I do that, I will make a matching one for Kendall's side of the room, because I am symmetrical like that! :)

I wanted to throw in a close-up of these awesome flowers. My girlfriends here made these as part of the decor for Arden's shower and let me bring some home. SO cute!

Of course, Arden hasn't made her way into the sister room just yet. She is sleeping (quite well, might I add!) in a pack-and-play in our room. We didn't have a pack and play with Kendall, but decided on the Travel-Lite version for Arden. It's a little bit smaller than a regular pack and play, but still grows with the child. It's perfect for our room!

And there you have it...a room for sisters. I hope they love sharing it as much as I loved decorating it!

Sisters

In case you were wondering how Kendall feels about being a big sister...

She is ELATED!

Kendall has had a great week. I love the way the Lord cares for even the smallest of concerns. I was somewhat worried about what we would do with Kendall if/when I went into labor and while we were in the hospital. I knew it would work out, but I was really hoping and praying Kendall would have some sense of normalcy during such a huge time of transition. The details all worked out! My sweet friend Amber came over and stayed with Kendall Tuesday night, Wednesday night, and Thursday night. Thanks to Amber, Kendall was still able to attend a birthday party for a friend on Wednesday and other normal, weekly activities. Kendall LOVES Amber, so being with her has been a treat! Kendall will stay with Philip, Chanda and Leah tonight and I'm pretty sure both girls were super pumped about their sleepover.

Kendall LOVES Arden and does exactly what I thought she would do with her...ask to hold her. ALL.THE.TIME. Today, Kendall was holding Arden, and Arden started crying. Kendall said,  "She's crying. But don't take her away!" Arden kept crying, and Evan was trying to console her. Kendall said, "Shhh, Daddy. She can't even hear you." (Not sure about that one...but it was funny!) Then, Arden kept crying and Evan said, "Kendall, can you let daddy get her?" Kendall said, "When the little hand gets to the five, you can hold her." Little mama, much?!?!

Girly Girl

Kendall's first experience with her own make-up. So fun! Brought back all kinds of childhood memories of my mom playing in make-up with my sister and me. I'm pretty sure this kit was used up after two uses, but it was totally worth it. No mess, occupied her for a long time, and very little even showed up on her face! Thanks, Jilly, for such a fun (belated) Christmas gift! :)

Our Little Monkey

I love that all four of my grandparents are still living. Even though we are far away and do not get to see them often, watching Kendall interact with them brings such great joy to my heart. Last week, we were so blessed to spend time with both sets of my grandparents. We stayed at the farm with my Mamaw and Papaw for a few days (not sure how I didn't end up with any pictures!) AND spent some time with my Mimi and Gran in Little Rock. What a tremendous blessing!

While at Mimi and Gran's house, Kendall came up with a new use for Mimi's walker...A JUNGLE GYM!!!  I'm pretty sure this activity occupied Kendall for a good 45 minutes, while we just sat and let her entertain us. She was too funny!

 

Yep, I'm pretty sure my child is part monkey. She will climb on anything and everything! I'm thinking broken bones might be part of our future.... :)