Six Months and Some Change

Babies just grow up so fast.  Leighton seems to be growing up even faster than Paige.  I don't mean more advanced or baby genius or anything, it is just going by even faster than it seemed to with Paige.  Maybe its because we are watching two little girls grow and change before our eyes!  

Leighton is really blossoming into her personality!  She is such a happy, snuggly, playful baby!!  She is so ticklish, loves to cuddle, is enthralled with her sister and is "talking" nonstop!!!  

TONS of people told me our second born would be more docile and different than the first child.  All signs point to this child being equally as outgoing as Paige!  She even gets frustrated when Paige and I carry on a conversation and don't include her.  She will start "yelling" at us to include her!  She loves me to sing and dance with her, probably her favorite thing.  

She has been sitting up for several weeks, going from laying to sitting, doing lots of crawling type activities but hasn't quite mastered the traditional crawl just yet.  She is plenty strong enough--she does a pretty awesome Downward Dog (yoga pose) several times a day!  I can't believe how strong her arms are and she has been pulling up in her pack and play and on anything she can get to since last friday!!! 

She loves her family so much too!  Not just us but all her grandparents and Aunt Tiff and Uncle Bubby....and her puppy dog Oscar! She loves petting him now...and posing on his back side! Found this pic on the camera last night, daddy must have taken these:)  

She has been sleeping on her tummy for quite awhile now and has turned out to be a great napper!  She occasionally will wake up in the night but hopefully now that she is starting solids she will stay full in the night and be a champ sleeper!  

She has been eyeing our food since she was 4 months old!!  Its obvious she wants to know what its all about!  I follow the recommendation of our pediatrician and the majority of nutritionists and wait until 6 months of age to introduce solids.  Well last night she got to have cereal for the first time!!  She LOVED it!!  She did kind of practice the pushing the food back out like babies do but she actually ate the whole bowl of cereal!!  Paige and I kept telling her it only gets better from here!  I can't wait to start making baby food again! 

Disclaimer: I just finished hot yoga and look a mess and Paige just finished a battle with ketchup so is only half dressed...we may or may not usually look like this but I'd like you all to think otherwise:)

 I like how both of us have the same expression here! HA!

 I Love my daddy so I have to stop and smile at him!

 Look daddy, I FINALLY got REAL food!!

 And here's my tongue daddy!  I sure love my tongue these days too!  

Just when I think it couldn't be possible to love her more I do!  I was looking at the girls yesterday and I could literally feel my heart grow and swell!  Its amazing how much they love each other and each day get closer.  We love you so very much Leighton Kennedy and are so blessed to have you in our family!  I can't even imagine life without my girls and its had to even remember life without them!!  

Flowers Bring Butterflies

"Creating and maintaining a garden can be one of the most enjoyable things you'll ever do.  It's satisfying partially because of the results and partially because of the process itself.  Gardening calls on and develops skills that might otherwise lie dormant.  For example, designing a garden brings out the artist in almost everyone." -excerpt from Complete Home Gardening

I completely agree with this quote!  Each year I get a little better at picking things, placing them, buying enough, keeping alive, maintaining and working around my perennials.  It actually takes a WHOLE lot of brain power to work gardens, not to mention the physical power!  Its so amazing to see things come back in the spring and watch your garden fill up over the course of the spring/summer!  There isn't anything fancy about our flowerbeds but we sure love them and get lots of enjoyment out of them!  Paige spends tons of time digging, planting and learning about all of the creatures that take part in our gardens.  She loves chasing butterflies and hearing about them, bees, rolly pollys, worms, etc.  She has her own gloves, shovel, sun hat, watering can and flowers to tend to. She never picks our flowers and despises weeds!!

Why not use a dust pan in your gardening?!

 Flip flops are really comfy worn on the wrong feet, she promises! 

Hope you are enjoying the beautiful outdoors!!

Every Day is Mother's Day...

The greatest gifts of my life was my husband and children!  The day I found out we were pregnant with Paige was indescribable.  That feeling you have when you are 5 years old and its Christmas morning...that's nothing compared to the feeling you get when you realize you have God's greatest gift...a new life.  I would do anything in this world for them, to protect them, to teach them, prepare them, show them, lead them, guide them, but most importantly--love them.  The day I found out we were pregnant with Leighton was equally amazing.  We prayed for these children and the Lord gave them to us.  I will never be grateful enough.  

 But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me." Ruth 1 16-18 

Happy Mother's Day to all of the wonderful mother's out there, today, tomorrow and every day.  For those that yearn to be mother's, we fervently pray that you receive your request.  We pray for healing for those that have lost children.