playing at the park

I have a really hard time getting outside now that it is cold out. Parker really needs to be outside and get some energy out! But...Delainey hates it when it is cold and windy. Now that it has headed into winter weather, it is both cold and windy almost everyday. This is Oklahoma after all! It just wouldn't be the same if it wasn't windy. Delainey makes this gasping sound every time a breeze kicks up...like the wind takes her breath away, then she starts to cry. I feel horrible. Today we decided to brave it anyway and hoped the our little lady would "cowgirl up" as Trav's family would put it! She did alright. Parker had a blast!

{take one: the sun was in our eyes}

{take two: much better this time}

{all bundled up}

{me and my princess}

{delainey has started blowing bubbles all the time...bring on the drool phase!}

Things are going well here in our family. I am finding new recipes all the time that do not contain dairy/soy/whey/nuts. It is making meal time much easier and I have lost all but 2 lbs. of my baby-weight! Go me! I am concerned though that I have made all the changes that the G.I. doctor asked of me...and the bleeding for our little gal has not stopped or slowed. I know that so many people have been adding Delainey to their prayers...please keep them coming. We would really love to know something concrete...neither Travis or myself are convinced that she really has a protein allergy...I still feel in my heart that it is something else. We have one more month left after this month is done in the "it takes 3 months for her insides to heal from the protein exposure." SO, we will give it another month of trusting in the G.I. doctor's notion before I really start to get pushy. There isn't really anything that can be done to check into anything else until she is 6 months old anyway. That is when the G.I. doctors will actually do a scope to take a look at her insides (but they have to put her under and we would like to avoid that)...so hopefully this all gets figured out before it comes to that. Please keep up the prayers. I am extremely thankful that she is not in any pain and is so so so happy. Thank the Lord for that!

my cup runneth over

I love the times when you take a second to step back and look at your life and realize you have it made. As sickly-sweet as that is...it is true. Now, don't get me wrong, I am not saying that I don't have days when I feel like ripping my hair out...or feel like I am on the verge of some sort of stay-at-home Mommy mental break. But...in the grand scheme of things, I know I have an amazing life.

I am married to a man who can make me laugh so hard I feel like I might pee my pants (let's face it...I've had 2 kids...and all other Mommies out there TOTALLY GET IT). He makes me feel like I can do anything I set my mind to and has total faith in me. I couldn't imagine spending my life with anyone else.

I have this amazing 3 year old son. Parker melts my heart (and sometimes makes me feel like I am going to lose my mind). I am still not sure why people are still using the phase "terrible twos"...I will never understand it. Any parent of a toddler KNOWS that 3 is so much worse than 2! He can be so sweet one second and so loving...then he flips a switch and ignores everything I say. Some days he acts like a caged animal who has just been set free! My sister and I always talk about how all toddlers are bipolar. He is such a boy and I love that about him! But at the heart of it all, he is a Momma's Boy...and I love that too! I sure am lucky.

Parker Loves:

• helping Mommy in the kitchen
• cuddles on the couch after sissy goes to bed
• playing with boxes more than the things that come in the boxes
• truck/cars/trains/and anything else with wheels
• plain noodles or any kind
• white rice
• cereal
• muffins...he actually prefers them to cupcakes
• helping feed sister a bottle

My daughter is such a blessing and I still feel like it is a dream that I actually have a baby girl. I was so sure that I was destined to only have boys and I had come to terms with it during my pregnancy with Delainey. I was so surprised when the ultrasound tech told us it was a girl. I still look at her and can't help but squeeze her so tight, kiss her sweet little forehead, and thank God for such an amazing blessing. I can't help but think about my relationship with my own mother and wish that Delainey and I can share the same bond. I so look forward to all the things we will get to do together in the future. She is growing up much to quickly and I wish she would just slow down a little. (Especially since we know she is our last kiddo)

Delainey Loves:

• chewing on her fingers
• chewing on bibs
• chewing on burp cloths
• being snuggled
• sitting on Daddy and Mommy's laps
• her bumbo seat
• playing on her activity mat and her bouncer
• when you make her same noises back at her
• her lovie...she snuggles her face right into it at naptime
• pulling Mommy's hair
• staring at her brother
• making little crooked "Elvis grins" at us
• ATTENTION

As we continue on through the holiday season I hope that you can take some time to reflect on the little things and the people that make your life amazing too. I have been so blessed with so many people that I get to call mine and I would just like that say thank you to our family for being so wonderful. We miss you all so much and wish that we could have come home for Christmas to see you all this year...God bless!

The Holiday Season is HERE!

I know that I have not been as good about doing updates as I should be...which means a lot of family has been checking the blog and wondering where new pictures/info is!!! So sorry to all of you. I will try to be better...but with 2 kiddos at home now it makes it a bit more challenging to find time when one of them doesn't need me for something! I have been trying to spend my time that Delainey doesn't need me playing with Parker...plus trying to throw in cooking, cleaning, laundry, and any other household chores is proving to be more difficult that I would have thought! I am determined to keep on top of things though, so blogging has been knocked down a peg or two!

(Parker at the National Cowboy Museum)

(Parker playing at the Science Museum)

In my last post I had mentioned that Delainey was having a bit of blood in her stool...that is still an issue, but the pediatrician consulted with a G.I. doctor who said that she feels Delainey has a severe protein allergy. That means that I (because I am nursing her and the only formula she can have is expensive and tastes terrible) cannot eat/drink anything that contains any milk, dairy, soy, whey, or nuts until Delainey has either grown out of this protein allergy or she turns 1! Not so easy since everything in our house had some form of something on that list! It has taken a while to find forms of things that I can eat. That meant a VERY long trip to the grocery store looking at all labels and trying to find things I could actually consume. Most of the things I can have are organic (aka more expensive!) or found near the gluten-free section of the grocery store. On a positive spin...I have lost all but 5 pounds of my baby weight which I'm sure is in part to my new crazy diet I have to be on! Cue "silver lining." Delainey is still feeling good and doing great. She was measuring in the 50th percentile for weight and 90th percentile for height at her 2 month check-up! Dr. D still says she is growing great and looking wonderful. The kids were so good at the appointment, too!


Our little lady is getting so big and is doing new things all the time. She is currently teething and we can see the little white tip of her first tooth trying to peek through the surface. We noticed it at about 12 weeks. At 11 weeks she started rolling over from her tummy to her back...no more tummy time for our little gal (who REALLY hated it anyway, so it is probably for the best for all involved!) She holds her head up really well and loves to play on her activity mat and in her swing. She is putting everything in her mouth and will probably start eating rice cereal by the end of the month...we will see what Dr. D says at her 4 month check at the end of the month! She is so smiley and has her Mommy's face with her Daddy's dimples! Needless to say we find her so adorable and couldn't imagine our lives without our new addition.

Parker is an amazing big brother and is always trying to help...a little too much usually, but we hate to deter him from trying to do sweet things for and with his sister. He loves to come with me when I put her down for naps, always hanging over the edge of the crib to tell her "goodnight sissy" and give her kisses on the forehead! He loves her so much and always hands her things when she drops them and chats with her/soothes her when she cries!

We celebrated our big guy's 3rd birthday on October 18th! He helped me make and decorate cupcakes during the day and we took him bowling for the first time that night. He loved it and had so much fun. Plus, the little guy bowling shoes were adorable! He was so excited and can't wait to go again! He had fun opening his presents, too...thanks to all who sent him things, he loved all of the presents!



We had a fabulous Halloween as well. Parker was a bum and Delainey was an adorable little duck! We went to the Oklahoma City Zoo's "Haunt the Zoo" where you trick or treat throughout the zoo. Parker had so much fun! We also handed out candy at home and Travis took Parker around the base neighborhood to trick or treat. I think Parker almost enjoys handing out candy more than he enjoys getting it. His costume was hilarious and everyone seemed to love it and think it was so funny!


We are still enjoying Oklahoma! As strange as that sounds, even to me! Thanksgiving was wonderful, but it would have been nice to see family! I made my first turkey and made homemade stuffing (because all box stuffings contain milk or soy) and it turned out so well that Travis said we need to make it that way every year. I am officially turkeyed-out and we will be having ham for Christmas!


We hope everyone is enjoying the start of the holiday season...know that we are thinking of all of you and wish we were home to spend the holidays with everyone!