Negativity

So I know I haven't been blogging much lately.  I was thinking about it today, because I have a long list of posts I have been meaning to write, but I just haven't been concerned with sitting down and doing it. I think the reason why is because I really haven't been feeling very positive about much lately.  I pride myself on telling things like they are, but I don't want my blog to be all about the bad stuff.

House hunting is frustrating.
Brody refuses to sleep, like it feels hardly at all.
My job is kinda blah right now.
Kayla is sometimes really trying my patience and tolerance.

I described it this morning to Justin as "just feeling like the worst version of myself."  I'm trying very hard to get out of my funk so I'm listing some great things on my blog today.

Kayla is back to her normal sleeping self for the most part.  Sleeping great at night and taking pretty good naps for the most part.

Brody is still a pretty happy baby learning new things every second it seems.  Today I felt his first tooth which I'm blaming the poor sleep on.  I keep having to remind myself with kids that if it's not one thing it's another (hungry, wet/dirty, teeth, growth spurt, milestone, sickness...)  I am keeping at the back of my mind possibly calling in a sleep expert's opinion as he is worse than Kayla.  Guess I just got unlucky.  I've also thought about infant chiropractic care...any have any experience with this?

Both kids and Justin are healthy as far as I know.

I have lost 20 pounds by changing my eating habits and I'm actually loving learning to cook for my family.

I'm ready to get back to working out and signed up for a groupon for spin classes which I'm hoping to start doing soon.

My kids seem happy despite my frustrations and my annoyance with always having to pick up a million effing toys a million times a day.  No, I'm not exaggerating.

Trying to take a shower and make myself somewhat presentable every day makes me feel a little bit better.

I have the best husband in the world.

My family is close by and are almost always more than willing to help me out with my kids if I need a break.

See, so much more good than bad.  It's hard to see that 4 times between 7 pm and 7 am.

Kayla normally acts like I'm the freakin' paparazzi yelling "no pictures" when I pull out my camera...unless I'm taking a picture of Brody.  Then she wants in. :)

Re-doing a 101 item

Pretty sure I'm giving up everything but work and being a mommy this week.  Sorry I've been missing for anyone that reads.  I do have a list of post ideas ready in the wings, but we've been house hunting and it's beyond frustrating and exhausting, so I'm done for a few days.  but enjoy a picture or two...

Tutu 2s

Last Friday was Kayla's first ballet/dance class.  We signed her up at the park district for this class in December.  It is for 2-3 year olds, and I'm not gonna lie, I was totally nervous that Kayla would just sit in my lap and not want to dance at all, or she would scream for 30 minutes when I left the room.

We went to her first class with her grandparents who were in town for her birthday party.  My fears were pretty much confirmed.  She was glued to my lap for the majority of the class.  As the teacher was pulling out props, I kept trying to convince her to get up and dance with the other little girls.  In the last 10 minutes she started inching toward the group a little more, so I felt like she would really enjoy the class eventually.

Oh my other fear, was that she would be the only girl in our pretty high end suburban park district who wasn't in ballet clothes the first class.  I was right.

So yesterday was week 2 of class.  She had her new ballet outfit from Aunt Meme from her birthday and Mommy bought her ballet shoes from Payless.  I went really early in hopes talking about class/waiting for class would get her more excited about it.  And she met another little girl so that helped too. When we got into the studio, she went right over to the stars with the other little girls.  She danced for a large portion of the class.

I have never been so proud.

Sure, she is VERY possessive and stubborn and didn't want to give back any of the props they were dancing with.  She ran over to me a couple of times.  It took some convincing to get her to keep her ballet shoes on.  And she is the only little girl that can't ACTUALLY jump (i.e. feet leaving the floor.)  But for the most part, she was awesome.  She is the youngest girl in the class and I think one of the few that are potty trained.  I loved every second of watching her.

Like the true observer she is, I sat and watched her stare at the teacher and the other girls and really take in what they were doing.  Studying the correlation of the movement to the music.  I watched as she would get excited for the next thing and look over at me with so much excitement and wonder and shake her head, "Yeah!"  At one point, they were using magic wands to "make castles," Kayla looked over at me across the room and said, "Castles!  Yeah!" Then turned back to the teacher.  I literally almost cried.  My little girl is growing up so fast.

And the tutus....they slay me.  (Kayla's is of course the cutest one.)  Here are the photos I snapped with my phone.  I took a couple with my camera the first week, but next week, parents aren't going to be in the studio with them so I don't think I'll get many more pictures...

Look Whoo's Two!

Hi!  I'm Kayla.  I just turned 2 years old yesterday and Mommy and Daddy can't believe how much I've grown in the past year.  Here's a look into my life in 2012.

January 2012

• Had my very first birthday :)
• Mommy must have been too tired from her first trimester to take too many pictures this month. 

February 2012

• I got to spend my second Valentine's Day with Mommy while Daddy was at work.
• Clearly, Mommy was still tired this month. 

March & April 2012

• Took a trip out to Glen Ellyn to see my great grandparents and other family
• Learned that kissing frogs doesn't always get you a prince, but kissing duckies will most likely.
• Learned how to brush my teeth
• Learned that I'm not supposed to stand on the couch (but I'm still doing it 10 months later.)
• Found out that Easter egg hunts are only fun when you dump all the treats on the floor for the dogs.
• Learned the push carts are really fun.

May & June 2012

• Celebrated my Mommy
• Went to Virginia Beach to visit Nini and Pampy
• Had some fun in the sun
• Learned that I love going down slides a million times in a row
• Celebrated Memorial Day with Mommy...
• And Lambie
• Celebrated my Daddy with my first trip to a museum
• Found out how fun splash pads are!
• Learned how important it is to spend time with friends, and how fun.
• Started my first swimming lessons with Daddy.

 
  July/August 2012:

• Celebrated the Fourth of July with lots of family and tried to stay cool.
• Learned I still love the water
• Found out I still fit in the laundry basket and it's a great place to play with my iPad.
• Learned how much I love berries
• Stayed cool in the record hot summer with Mommy and frozen yogurt
• Had my 18 month check up and passed with flying colors
• Celebrated my Auntie and my new cousin
• Had some fun and pictures taken with Mommy and Daddy at a park
• Welcomed my new cousin Liam!

September 2012:

• Went to Milwaukee to meet Liam and had some fun spinning and with a big Frisbee
• Welcomed my new baby brother, Brody! 
• Started talking a lot more and I can easily say "Brody"

October 2012:

• Picked out my first pumpkin and Brody's too
• Helped Mommy and Daddy clean out the pumpkins (sort of)
• Learned how much I love cleaning/dusting
• Went trick or treating with new friends as Minnie Mouse (Brody was a bag of popcorn)

November 2012:

• Took lots of pictures with my brother
• Gave Brody lots of kisses
• Got family photos taken
• Celebrated Thanksgiving
• Said bye bye to my pacifier
• Learned how to go to the potty and started wearing big girl underwear
• Figured out that Brody isn't going anywhere so decided to start vying for Mommy and Daddy's attention

December 2012:

• Spent lots of time playing with Brody
• Got a double ear infection, followed by my first stomach virus and another ear infection
• Helped Mommy and Daddy pick out our first tree
• Helped make ornaments for the tree
• Took pictures of pretty Christmas lights
• Went to Michigan to meet more family from Daddy's side
• Played in the snow for the first time (only for a short time)

It was a really fun year!  Here's a note from Mommy:

I literally cannot believe how much Kayla has grown in the past year.  Looking back at these pictures makes me nostalgic for my little girl as a baby again.  It has been so amazing watching her learn and grow.  I can't believe she is already two.

Kayla, you are one feisty, stubborn, bossy and spirited little girl.  I love you more every minute of every day.  I love how you give "kisses" so freely.  I love how you love repeating everything we say.  I love how you put together the funniest sentences.  I love how you learn things so quickly, but pretend you have no idea when I'm trying to teach you. (She can count to 10 now, and I'm 99.9% sure she knows the colors, she just likes to see me frazzled that she says everything is purple.)  I love how excited you get to go see your friends at day care, and how excited you are to see me when I come pick you up.  I love how you love your family.  My favorite though is how much you love your little brother.  You are going to be such a great big sister and teach him so much, especially how to love with everything you have and to smile/laugh at the simple things.  I can't wait to see what this year brings!