Be-Bop-A-Bailey!

We survived Bailey turning 4!!!!!!

I cannot believe my little baby is four years old and, on top of that, going off to preschool. My mind simply can't handle it sometimes - I listen to her tell me long, complicated stories and my mind often wanders, thinking back to the days when all of her words came out like questions. She'd sing-song, "tabub"(taking approximately 3 seconds to say the word and ending with a higher pitch than she started, thus creating the question feel) for bathtub and say her A-B-C's with great skill, yet little clarity. Gosh, I have to stop thinking about it and just get on with the party stories.


We decided on a 50s theme this year. We always have a theme, and I've learned that there aren't that many that aren't cheesy, but that my young child really understands. While she loved dressing up and all the decorations, she clearly had no idea what any of it meant. For example, we went to Party Galaxy to get balloons and chose a theme-matching Mylar jukebox. Bailey thought it was really cool, but kept telling people how much she loved the "juicebox." Oh well!! Here's a couple of pictures of her when she first woke up and then waiting patiently for guests to arrive.

I was so impressed that lots of party goers dressed the part - Jason may have threatened people with not letting them into the party if they didn't dress up. I'll point out Jason's Elvis sideburns - he couldn't keep them on all the time because Nolan really didn't like them. He didn't cry, but he would look at Jason like he was petrified. He did the same with me and my glasses. I guess babies don't like change. Smile!!

This was our first party to invite friends. While Bailey always has a built-in friend with cousin Anna, we opted to select just a few church and/or school friends to join in the fun. I was a little worried about the whole, "two's company, three's a crowd (or four or five)" thing, but they did pretty well. Of course, being 3 or 4 brings some inevitable breakdowns - Bailey not at all excluded - but nothing too devastating. Here are the girls:

And, the only boy - Brody - who REALLY did not want me to take his picture!!

We had soda shop treats - hamburgers, hot dogs, old-style coke bottles and orange drink, floats, etc. We had a banana split-making contest for the kids and a sack race in the back yard. I wanted to have a dance contest, but there simply wasn't time....or space in my house or yard, for that matter!! I told Jason that, before we have another party, I really need a bigger house. Yeah....we'll see about that one.

Oh, I almost forgot the biggest excitement. OUR SMOKE ALARM WENT OFF DURING THE PARTY!! And, let me tell you that this alarm does not make a little "woo, woo" sound. No, it's deafening. Now, this may not seem like that big of a deal.....if we knew the code to turn it off. Yes, we've lived in the house for over 5 years and don't know the code. The alarm has gone off twice before - both times when something I was cooking in the oven started dripping - and we searched through all the manuals left for us by the builder and didn't have any information. Both times, we ended up pushing buttons for no less than 30 minutes before we finally hit something that worked. We called the alarm company and they said that only the builder would be able to help us. We never called the builder because, ya know, it's not like the alarm would ever go off again, right??!! Well, this time, the offense was just the grill outdoors and people going in and out of the house. And, fortunately, a group of 4 or 5 men were able to disarm it somehow fairly quickly. I was in the process of conducting sack races at the time, but my mind was madly thinking about what to do with 30 people if the alarm was to keep sounding for the remainder of the party.

Bailey got lots of neat stuff but, just like any little kid, was in "next present" mode and didn't really try to figure out what anything was until well after the party had ended. So, to everyone there, she loves everything and has littered our house with every piece of every toy she received. And, Nolan has tried to eat every piece of every toy she received!!

My only disappointment was that I didn't have her BIG present ready for her to enjoy on her birthday. Jason and I got her a playhouse for the backyard, with every intention of putting it together for a big reveal on her birthday. However, the big proposal for work consumed the majority of my time for the past few weeks, so I was unavailable to work with Jason on the assembly. So, instead, I wrapped a picture of the playhouse in a box for her to open. Three guesses how that went over....I think that's an abstract concept not yet understood by a child. She looked at it and said, "Mommy, this isn't anything that I love!!" You have to imagine a disappointed look on her face. So, I said, "What do you think it is?" She said, "Some picture." So, I had to explain to her that it was really a playhouse that daddy and I would build for her the next day. Ehhh....she wasn't going to appreciate it until it was assembled.

She also got a new big-girl bike, which she loves but is having to get used to since it is so much bigger than her other bike.

And, here's the aftermath....lots of stuff strewn everywhere (this is cleaned up significantly - didn't get one of the total destruction!) and Bailey trying to sneak another lick of cake frosting at about 10 p.m.

So, here's the segue into the playhouse-building section of this blog....

Jason and I knew this playhouse thing wasn't going to be an easy task. Despite the fact that the box said "Two-hour Assembly!!", we weren't naive. We don't have a strong track record for putting things together, or at least without yelling and tears involved. So, we got all ready on Sunday and settled in for a day-long assembly adventure.

Here's what we had done by the two-hour mark (or 3....it's all a blur now):

And, 527 hours later:

It may be slightly crooked and we may or may not have had to cut some pieces to make them fit, but it was made with love. And, she loves it!! As you can see, she has moved some of her bedroom toys into the new house. The side in this picture actually has the front door with the cute shutters and where I'm going to put a plaque that says, "Cox Clubhouse." I may get that done in 2011.

I don't want to leave out little Nolan! He has really been active lately. He is pulling up on furniture, crawling super fast, eating all kinds of new and exciting things, and learning to play simple games with Bailey, mommy and daddy. I love this time in a baby's development when they are really getting a personality and sense of humor. His favorite game right now is "Mommy needs the binky." He thinks it's heeelarious to shove his binky in my mouth and then try to get it back. Yes, I know - gross. But, it's my kid so it's not gross to me! He also goads Bailey into chasing him all the time. It's so cute. And, while we are not big fans of this activity, he loves it when Bailey picks him up and carries him around under his arm-pits. His little legs just swing back and forth and he has a big smile on his face. Once again, we try to discourage this behavior with Bailey, but she gets such a positive reaction from him that she just keeps going for it day after day.

Sorry for the wee wee shot. Oh, yeah...and he STILL has no teeth. Go figure.

Next time, you'll also get to hear about Bailey's adventures in preshool!

K

Chance and Meagan Got Married!!

I don't have much time to write because, in short, my life started getting crazy right after July 4th and will remain that way until Bailey's birthday on August 23rd. Here's a rambling summary and pictures are all below:

1. I went on a business trip that got me stuck in Chicago, which I always hate more than words can describe. It just so happened that it was the night before Chance and Meagan's wedding rehearsal. I had so much to do and wasn't able to get home until noon the day of the rehearsal. Then, as I drove out of the airport parking lot, I got a flat tire. Murphy, why oh why do you torment me??

2. Chance and Meagan had a beautiful wedding and Bailey was a wonderful flower girl. I, unfortunately, cried through the whole wedding. I simply can't handle life. Nothing like one of the bridesmaids crying more than either of the people getting married. But, I digress. The only thing that went wrong was that Bailey refused to wear her shoes so she went barefoot throughout the ceremony. Thankfully, her dress was long and I don't think anyone noticed. I did, of course. Darn it!! And, once again, my old friend Murphy ensured that I had already thrown away the packaging and the receipt for those shoes that she'll never wear again. Anyone need a sz. 10 toddler bone colored Mary Jane?? Smile. I've attached just a few pictures to whet your appetite. The rest won't be available for another several weeks.

3. Bailey went to her cousin's birthday party - a Princess party - and had a great time getting all dolled up! She also had Vacation Bible School this week, which is one of her favorite things. She now runs around with her "posse" at church and learned something in the process. She now knows that Jesus gives us the power to help others, to be brave, to live forever and some other things that I can't remember. Since I know you love you some Bailey stories, here's her summary of the story of Jesus walking on water: "Jesus makes miracles and walked on the water. His friend Peter was scared and kept sinking because he didn't look at Jesus. But then he would look at Jesus and wouldn't sink anymore. So, mom, you have to always look at Jesus because he makes you brave." Pretty good for a not-yet 4 year-old, huh?!

4. I am in the busiest season of work....writing a huge proposal and dreading the last-minute craziness that comes with that process. Jeanne and Phil have been out of town, so the kids have been ushered here and there, and everywhere! Nolan spent four days with my boss's assistant, err monkey nanny if you can handle the truth. He did great and responded really well to Barb. I'm glad that's behind us, though, as I'm always wary of the monkeys, especially around my little baby. So, if at this point you are really confused and have lots of questions, please just look away and think about something else. It's simply something to ask me about when you see me!!

The kids are now both at my parent's house in Clinton and I miss them immensely. It's such a horrible plight that parents have....wanting time alone from their kids but then not knowing how to enjoy that time because you feel like your arm is missing. Anyway, Jason and I are going to an adult dinner and an adult movie while they're gone (and no, get your mind out of the gutter, I just mean something that's not animated!) if I can make some good progress on my proposal this week.

5. Nolan is getting so big and his abilities grow by the day. He's crawling well, pulling up on everything, saying "mamamamamamamama" and "dadadadadadadadadadada" incessantly, and he recently learned to eat cheerios. We're doing alright!

I'll post more pics of the wedding and, of course, Bailey's birthday....if you don't hear from me before then....but I wouldn't place any bets on it.

K

On the Road Again....

Since I last blogged, I've hosted a bridal shower, partied all night at a bachelorette party, and took the kids on vacation to San Antonio and Houston. While I don't have any pictures of the first 2 events - I was way too busy during the shower to take any pictures and, well, I don't think I want to share any pictures of the bachelorette party!!! - you'll have to settle for some standard family pics around the house and on vacation.

However, before I get to any of that, I have to announce that little Nolan is crawling! What started out a week ago as rocking back and forth on his hands and knees has now progressed to full-fledged crawling and pulling up on furniture. Fortunately, we had JUST lowered the crib mattress before all this started. I just can't believe that he's mobile. I don't think Bailey crawled until she was about 8 months. Does anyone have any tips on how to keep Bailey's stuff out of his mouth?? Before, I could just move the marbles or whatever deathly element Bailey left out on the floor, but now it's a little more difficult.

While I don't have a shot of him crawling (which, in reality, would really just look like him sitting still on his hands and knees, right?), here is his favorite new pose. It's how he gets stuck when he's been crawling and can't quite get himself back to a regular seated position. I call it the herkie....



Why herkie, you ask? Because it looks just like this:


And, yes, the balloon is his new obsession. While it's not the best item for a 7 month-old to play with, it's the only item I could dangle in front of him that he cared enough to try to crawl FOR. So, after all that work learning to crawl, I hate to take away his pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

As I mentioned, we took a short trip down to San Antonio to see our friends. We stayed the first couple of nights in a hotel room and then with friends the last night. I don't think Bailey liked the "itty bitty bed" she slept in there. She was quite confused about why it was so little! We found her in the morning with the bed stripped of all the blankets and everything - I think she needed to stretch out as much as possible! She later said, "I miss my bed. It's big."

She did, however, love the hotel, as did little Nolan. Here are a few pics of both Nolan's first time in the big pool and some shots in the room.

He LOVES the water! Jason wore himself out juggling 2 kids who both wanted to swim around. I didn't know we were going to have any down time, so didn't bring my suit. I ended up throwing caution to the wind and going in a tank top and gym shorts. Lesson learned for the next trip - always bring a suit just in case.

Poor kid didn't really know the difference. I think this pic is funny because that was one of those big water bottles.

I guess you really can't tell but I was trying to capture Bailey's efforts to do her own hair. She doesn't like me to blow-dry it, so we always just let it air-dry. But, in this picture, she had put on both a head band, a rubber band (in the back) and a bow on top of the head band. She thought she looked pretty special. I somehow managed to convince her to choose just one accessory for the day.

Here are some pictures of all the kids. The clan is growing!! These are the children of Jason's childhood through h.s. friends Sergio, David, and Corey. His other friend Danny doesn't yet have any little ones, but we're all praying they have the success they desperately want soon!

I didn't get any pics of the fireworks display at Sea World, but here's a pic of the girls watching it. Truthfully, the one in good ole' Bethany, America is better!

This is Bailey trying to teach little Colin how to go potty like a big kid. She, for some reason, took it upon herself to try to potty train both Colin and Maddie, who are both about 2 1/2. What's funny about this (and probably not intentional on her part) is that this is exactly how Bailey became fully potty trained. Last year on our trip to SA, she was ALMOST there and we convinced Jackie (Maddie's older sister who is now 6) to take Bailey to the potty with her every time she went. Surprisingly, the day after our trip she said that pull-ups were no longer necessary.








Then we went over to Houston to spend a couple of days with Jason's brother's family. I don't have any good pictures from this leg of the trip. Bailey did get to pet a sting ray (gross) and we drove to the Boardwalk at Kemah. Next time, we'll actually make it to the beach.

And, here's an exhausted Bailey on the way home. This is preferable to the 150 "Are we there, yet?s" we heard on the way to S.A.

And, here's Nolan enjoying his big boy status at good ole' Cracker Barrel.

Well, that's all folks! We're looking forward to my brother's wedding on the 25th! Cross your fingers that Bailey's flower girl debut goes smoothly!