Tayrien ran away with the spoon

When Ben was 5 months I tried to feed him rice cereal. He could have cared less. He might have swallowed some accidentally. So he kind of skipped that step and went strait for the veggies.

Tayrien has reached that same age, so I decided to give it a try. I thought I would get the same reaction as Ben gave. I Prepared a very little bit. I hate wasting. I had Daniel film and take pictures and Ben sat by looking on. He was kind of fussy since it was near bed time. As soon as I placed the spoonful of cereal in his mouth there was this wave of emotion. It was as if he was saying "Where have you been all my life! I love food!!!" It was very cute. He would get fussy when the food was swallowed and you didn't get him more soon enough. As soon as the spoon entered his mouth he would giggle. The change of emotions was hilarious! Because I only prepared a very little bit, as soon as it was gone I knew I had to hurry and make more. Tayrien screamed until he had more food in his mouth! Then it was all giggles. He would follow the spoon from the bowl to his mouth and back. He was a hawk! I probably fed him a 1/2 cup of cereal. The box recommends 1 Tbsp for the first time. 4 Tbsp is a full serving.

That night he slept like a bug in a rug. He only woke once. Every time I feed him it is the same reaction. Crying until the food is in his mouth then all giggles.

This one is out of focus, but look at Tayrien's expression!

Vacation to Arizona - Part 2

Two days during the first week we met my cousins on the Tayrien side of the family at the park. The first day was my cousin Erin, her little girl Charlotte (Ben's age), and her twins Abigail and Oliver. They are the cutest kids ever and Having twins is not an easy task especially with a two year old! Erin's sister Kori and her two little boys Spencer and Tanner met us there as well. The kids played while we visited and ate lunch. The little boys all got sunburned. It was so sad! Poor Christian got the worst of it. The second day we went to the park Erin and her kids came again as well as My cousin Allison with her kids Preston, Brigham + Caleb (twins) and her new baby Jacob, Her sister Stephanie and her twin girls Holland and Grace, Their sister Natalie, and their mom Donnie. So if you count right, there were three sets of twins! My Grandma Tayrien came both days as well. I found her feeding Ben a diet Dr. Pepper at one point and giving him sugary snacks! If grandma's spoil then great-grandma's really spoil!





The Friday we were there we went to the Phoenix Zoo. I have always loved this Zoo. The boys had a lot of fun. Ben dropped his shoe in the Giraffe pen, but we found someone to retrieve it for us. Ben and I rode a camel. I talked it up and he was really excited, until we climbed on. He cried and kept saying "Done!" and "Down!" We ate lunch at this Little People park and it was so cute! My dad bought us some churros. He is crazy about them! They are this long skinny cinnamon pastry thing. My dad grew up right by the Zoo so he took us on a little tour. We saw his old elementary school and the place his house used to be. It is now an apartment complex, but the last remaining piece from when he lived there is this little section of a wall.


Another reason for going to Arizona other than visiting family was to attend my friends sealing in the Mesa Temple. They are the Horvath family and I am really good friends with Amanda. Ben and their son Lucas are the same age and were in nursery together until they split the wards. It was so special to see a family being sealed. It was very emotional and so spiritual. Thank you guys for letting me be apart of it! You have such a beautiful Eternal family! Also that night I had the priviledge to help my dad clean the top floor of the Temple which included the Celestial room. It was such a special experience. We were able to be all alone in God's house and I will cherish it forever.

My parents have taken in a few stray cats - teenagers - and friends of my little brother Justin. I was fortunate to spend a lot of time with them and am glad they are now my friends too! This is Nichelle and Tayrien. She combed his hair and I thought it looked like an old mans comb over!I love Tayrien's face in this picture!

I forgot to include a photo of Ben's contraption for the airport, I included it here!

Vacation to Arizona - part 1

About once a year I visit family in Arizona. When Ben was under two it was easy, because he was a lap child and there was just him. Now there is two of them and one of me. Daniel was not able to come with us this time, so I had to really prepare to make it through this trip.

We had two carry-on rolling suitcases, a backpack, a diaper bag, and a car-seat. I had seen these attachments where you place your car-seat on a little contraption and it would roll. You then would place your child in it and it functioned as a stroller. They retail for $80 and I am cheap, so I looked on amazon for something that was comparable. They were still expensive. Then I started to read the comments and this person came up with their own contraption using hooks, straps, and the built in clips of the car seat. I looked at what I had on hand and made my own as well. It worked so well! Everyone stared and said "That is smart!" So how it works is I made a "T" strap with three hooks. You use a single rolling luggage as the base. You place the carseat in front of it and take the hooks you would use in the car and clamp onto the "T" strap hooks. Tighten and then you have a stroller! This way I don't have two suit cases and a rolling car-seat, but one for each hand!Tayrien was in a moby wrap around my middle.


I was also nervous of Ben running away from me on this trip, so I made a cuff for him to wear that had fun fabric on the outside and his name, my name, and my phone number on it. Then we practiced saying "Where is your mommy" and he would point to his cuff. Ben loved it!

So We flew out of Arkansas because it was cheaper. When we were about to go through security there was this nice lady and her young son who asked if they could help. I said "Yes!" So she helped get us through with less stress. Then we went to the gate and another couple asked to help us through to the plane. We found a row of three seats and no one sat by us! Ben was cooperative with the seat belt and taking off. He loved flying like Buzz Lightyear. He watched movies and colored with color wonder stuff and was a great boy! Tayrien fell asleep for half the trip and I put him on the extra seat.

When we landed someone helped us get off, When I rolled through the doors I was greeted by chuckles from Dad and Kathy. I am sure I looked funny!

The first thing we did was go to a thrift store. I found so many wonderful things. I love thrift stores! We also went out to eat at Matta's. It is a Mexican food restaurant that my family has been going to for years. My Grandma Tayrien goes every Monday with her siblings. It was so yummy! Ben loved the chips and salsa and dad and Kathy couldn't believe that he was eating something so hot! We also met Christian, My sister Samantha's little boy for the first time. He is so cute! He is between Ben and Tayrien's age. Ben and Boo had so much fun while we were there.


The next day was church. Ben had a little trouble sitting still during sacrament meeting, so my dad took him outside to see the horses just over the fence. He loved this! He went to nursery just fine and was good they said. The rest of Sunday was a lazy day.

Monday I went over to my Aunt Racheel's house (a few blocks away) to visit her family and Granny. We went in to their backyard and played with their dog Bruser and watched their chickens. Ben loved the dog and Granny had a ball with us. Ben also picked lemons of their tree and Granny made us lemonade. It was so good!!! When it was lunch time we walked home and ate In and Out Burger.Then we walked back to see my cousins Brookie, her little one Rhett, Brucie, his wife Chanteal, and their week old baby girl Bristyn. Tayrien looked so tiny next to Rhett and so big next to Bristyn!Dad took us out to Chillies for Valentines day. When I got home I found a vase of beautiful flowers from my wonderful husband! They were the prettiest I had seen! I sure do love him!

Two big milestones and a super something

Tayrien turned four months! time has flown by even faster it seems than when Ben was a baby. Tayrien has hit two very huge milestones in his life in the past week.

One was getting his first hair cut, He was stating to look like a clown, because the hair on top and the sides was growing longer and faster than the back. I just trimmed the sides and it looks tons better.

The second was he got his first tooth! I didn't know four month old babies could get teeth! He woke up this morning crying (unusual), nursed and went back to sleep for three hours! When he woke he was non stop fussy (unheard of), and super drooly. He also had a temp of 101.4 degrees. I tried to find a tooth, but couldn't. I gave him Tylenol and a warm bath for the temp. I talked to our nurse and she couldn't come up with a reason for the temp either. I thought that there had to be a ooth in there, I must not be looking hard enough. Sure enough I found the hidden tooth and it already poked through the gums! Poor baby! He is really miserable! I heard that the longer it takes for a child's teeth to appear, the healthier and straighter the teeth. I hope that is just a myth!

Four month stats:
-Height: 24
-Weight: 14
-Head circumference: 16
Accomplishments:
-Push up chest when on tummy
-Takes a bottle beautifully
-Can sit in bumbo (has for a month now)
-Only wakes up once a night
-He is very strong and sits up all the time
- Follows people with eyes and head
-Laughs a lot
-Lactose intolerant
-Takes a binky (I love)

Daniel built a brand new super computer. When I mean super, I mean super huge! The case hits the middle of my thigh when it it flat on the ground! He loves it and I can say I do to! More picture space!

Watching horse movies on youtube with daddy

Snow! Snow!

Last night we had a snow storm. We got about 2 inches. THis was not Ben's first snow, but it was the first time he could go out and play in it. When he woke up this morning I said "Lets look outside!" We ran to the front door and when opened, Ben jumped out, pointed and yelled "SNOW! SNOW!" HE was so excited and I told him we could go out and play later. We waited till Tayrien took his morning nap and then suited up. I put mittens on Ben's hands. They are black so after I put them on he looked at them for a minute and then exclaimed "Mickey Mouse?" So adorable!
Ok so we go outside and I try to take a photo before he gets to snowy but he is just so interested in the stuff. He walks around observing and playing with it. He tries to wipe it off the car and then doesn't want his mitten on anymore so he throws them. Ok whatever, you will learn soon enough what mittens are for. I took a spray bottle and filled it with paint and water and gave it to Ben to paint the snow with. He LOVED this idea. After a while of that he looked at me and said "Cold!" Meaning his hands were too cold. I asked him if he wanted me to take the spray bottle and we could go inside and he said no. He kept painting till he lost interest and then started to roll around in the snow. All of a sudden he realized that the snow isn't fun on your skin, but rather really cold. His face got this shocked look and then started screaming! He wouldn't move. He just sat in the snow and cried. I had to carry him inside and he kept saying, "Warm, mom, warm!"
I guess his first experience was eye opening and we will try it again later!

Two little men

It seems like the time is flying way faster with Tayrien being little as opposed to when Ben was a baby. I don't find it hard to have Tayrien around, most of my stress comes from Ben and the terrible two's.

Tayrien 3 months

Tayrien weighs 14.5 lbs. He is already in 6 month clothing. Ben stayed in the range of six months clothing for 9 months! He is small for his age. I think Tayrien will pass through this size much faster. He loves to be talked to and has the best smile. He has one dimple in his right cheek and I LOVE it. His cheeks are also HUGE. He has a ton of hair still and can already pull up to the sitting position. He gets called a girl about once a week, even when dressed in blue. People have to say something about his hair the second they see him.

He has had gas and digestive issues since 1 month old and the doctor just thought it was colic. I am allergic to milk and have been trying different alternatives. One week I tried lactose free milk and Tayrien's digestive issues stopped. He started having a BM every day again, no gas, and I started to notice that he wasn't as greasy or stinky- like in his neck where babies collect junk. I used to have to bathe him every day due to the greasy-ness, but since I haven't had lactose milk, I haven't had to do it daily. Hi hair is two inches long on the top and is thick!

Tayrien and Ben both caught a cold over the Holiday's and Tayrien's progressed to a double ear infection and bronchitis. I couldn't even tell the difference in his behavior. He is such a great baby.

Daniel and I spent the night in St. Louis to attend a Temple sealing of the Holloways. They were a part member family and the dad was our Realtor. He joined about a year ago and we love their family! The boys stayed with my mom overnight and they were awesome. Tayrien was sick, but he did relatively well. It was so fun for Daniel and I. We ate at a Brazilian restaurant and loved the Temple like always!

They are both on pretty much on the same schedule for nap time and bed time. It is really nice to not have two different schedules. That way I get some mommy time.

He is such a momma's boy!

Benny 2 years old

Benny is going through a hard phase. Not hard for him, but hard for me. He likes to throw more tantrums and especially in public. He gets to go to his room a lot more for bad behavior. He really is such a sweet little boy. I love the cute things he does or says. He likes to say a phrase and then add mom or dad to the end. ("Uh oh! Me fall down mom!", "Me jump dad!") He loves the movie "Spirit" about a horse and wants to watch it 20 times a day. Some days I wish he could, but I only allow once. We bought him a little horse figurine on our trip and he carries it around everywhere. He feeds it and sleeps with. I found him on top of it the other night.

He loves his baby brother and sometimes is a little too rough. I found him IN Tayrien's crib the other day! He loves playing with his dogs and runs through the house chasing them or they chase him. He loves to read scriptures and go to church. He has moved into a big boy bed and Tayrien has moved into the crib!

He loves to eat cheese and fruit. The second he hears a wrapper he yells "Candy me mom!" When you ask him what is his name he sassy "2" and when you ask him how old he is he says"Ben". He loves football and yells "touchdown!" sporadically throughout the game or when he sees a football.

He is my little sweetheart!

I found this banana on the counter...I guess he can reach them now...and peel them.

I am so blessed to have such sweet little men to call mine.

New years goals

Update

Thanks for all the advice everyone. I actually have the book the Fly Lady and started it in college, but got to busy to implement anything and forgot about it. I started reading it again last night. I realize today that I don't need to finish everything in one day, and to just let some of it go until tomorrow. I can do Baby steps. I already got rid of a box of things for the thrift store! I also had time to make muffins today! Instead of wearing myself ragged trying to do everything today, I did about half and gave more time to my kids and myself! If momma ain't happy ain't nobody happy, and today I was HAPPY!



I feel like I have struggled for a long time now trying to find a balance between kids, chores, hubby, me time, and church. The kids are number 1 everyday so I can't change that-nor would I want to. Some days are better then others and depending on those days I feel lucky if I can get one more of those categories. Yesterday was a total kids day. As soon as Ben fell asleep for nap time Tayrien woke up and wanted to be held the rest of the day. I did not get anything done. Does anyone else have days like this?
I have always grown up thinking women did certain things in the household like dishes, laundry, cleaning and taking care of kids. I feel totally overwhelmed with this without adding kids to the mix. I don't know know how women did things 30+ years ago. I think I would have to be drunk or on happy pills to have lived back then. I just can't do it all. I feel guilty about not getting things done and that the house looks like the same mess when Daniel comes home from when he left. I also feel guilty wanting him to help me with chores and the kids when he gets home from work. He is sooo busy with work, school and church that I don't want to overwhelm him more than he already is.
I HATE messes and clutter, but no matter how much determination I have my house is always out of order. The toys are more under control now that I have a toy box, but somehow there is more mess. Maybe it comes from having two little ones under the age of 3. I sure hope so. I can at least get through this if there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Well, that's my venting for the morning. Sorry to unload. What do you guys do to balance your chaos?
Ok so the reason I mention this is that it is number 1 on my New Years goals list. Here it the rest:

1. Get a system down for kids, housework, etc.
2. get my young women's recognition again
3. attend the Temple monthly
4. read 2 new books
5. read scriptures daily
6. support and uplift my husband
7. school time for Ben at least weekly
8. FHE every week

What is on your list?