Kaden wants to turn 4!

When do you stop counting the 1/2 birthdays? Keith and I were just talking about how when we were kids we were always obsessed w/ turning a year older. As we have celebrated Saige, my niece, and Maddie, Kaden's friend, 4th bdays this past week he has become more and more interested in turning a year older. Before we know it our little man will be 4, then 5, then 16, then 21, then 30 and so on. As we looked through albums of the last 4 years last night it is crazy to us that so much time has passed before our eyes. I now totally get the saying that 'they grow up overnight.' I just want to keep my boy a baby just a little longer...I dread the day he stops asking to play w/ my hair and to hold him even though I seem to busy for it at times lately.

Kendall @ 12 weeks

Our girl is now 12 weeks old! She is quite the squirmy worm. She can now roll over to each side from her back and has really started to swat her arms in an effort to touch or grab at an object. Her obsession is to get her hand to her mouth. She has also discovered her feet, which keeps her entertained in her carseat. We have also started to use more of her toys as she is able to hold her head up. Her bumpo seat, pictured, is great and the baby einstein exersaucer offers much needed entertainment so I'm able to check email finally!

Tourists in Atlanta

Kaden has been begging us to go to the aquarium so we decided to go to downtown Atlanta at the last minute yesterday and we all of the sudden became tourists in our own city. We went to the Georgia Aquarium, the World of Coke, played soccer in Centennial Park and met my friend Shay for dinner at Maggianos in the Vinings. We all had a great day! Kendall was wide eyed as she was surrounded by the fish and she wiggled in delight, but it wasn't to long that it was all too much and she nodded off to sleep for awhile. The best part of the day was trying all the different Cokes from around the world. We all got a bit of a caffeine rush, but it was well worth it. Dinner was not to bad either. We topped it all off w/ three desserts: Creme Brulee, Tiramusu, and vanilla ice cream!

A long weekend comes to a close....

Keith has been out of town since Thursday morning and it is weekends like this that I can truly sympathize with single moms. Having two kids w/ 3 1/2 years in b/w them has its pros and cons, but I would say the biggest negative is the inability to nap w/ the baby. Kaden no longer takes naps during the day so there is no real time for me to unwind when Kendall goes down for her brief naps. However, I do take this time to go on turbo mode and get laundry done, clean, check emails, or play w/ Kaden & tend to his needs. There is just no real down time for me to just turn off as Mommy or even enjoy a nice hot shower. We did accomplish a few musts this weekend like finalizing plans for Kendalls upcoming baptism and reception. I booked the restaurant, ordered the invites and confirmed the church w/ the Deacon. We also made it to church this morning and Kendall stayed in the nursery for the first time. It took every ounce of me to sit through that hour w/out going to check on her. She was fine though & they said she slept for about 30 mins and showed her 'gums' a lot while smiling and wiggling in delight.
Keith will be home in about 2 hours and I will welcome him back w/ open arms and a kid or two to watch as I take part in my Sunday evening shows...Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters!

Let them eat Cake!

Keith loves to bake sweets w/ Kaden. However, he tends to do this as he is about to go out of town leaving all the goodies w/ a woman on a diet w/ no will power when it comes to warm, chewy brownies!

My Favorite Photo

This pic was taken after our day on the town in Louisville KY. After all that activity they both still had smiles on their faces. It is my favorite photo of them to date.

Kendalls first mini vacation

We took our first trip out of town this past weekend. We started off the trip a little later than we hoped on Friday, but Kaden & Keith made pancakes for breakfast so it was a good trade off. It took a while to get on the road as we stopped at 4 different gas stations to fill up on gas b/c of the current shortage and rationing of fuel. We actually took a picture of Kendall in the car as we were waiting in line to get gas at our final stop. The lines were so long that we would let the kids out of the car seats while we waited!!! The trip there was perfect. We stopped for lunch and the kids and I slept for almost two hours. When we arrived at the hotel, the Hilton Seelbach, Kendall woke up and was crying as we checked in as she was starving, but that was the worst of it.

After Keith set up at his show we went to an area of town called Fourth Street Live and ate at Hard Rock. Kaden had a great time and was dancing in the streets to the hum of the music from all the surrounding clubs. We went back to the hotel where we enjoyed dessert in the concierge lounge.

Keith had work on Saturday so the kids and I dropped him off at his show and we were off to explore the town of Louisville. There was a hot air balloon festival in town so we stopped there first. Kaden had a great time participating in games and going on all the big inflatable slides and mazes. Kendall fell asleep as we walked around in her baby bjorn. It was a chilly morning, but it was neat to see all the hot air balloons floating up above.

Our next stop was the the Science Center and Museum. They had a kid zone w/ great interactive play and it was like pulling teeth to get Kaden to leave. Kendall slept almost the whole time only waking up to eat. I lucked out as the Kid Zone actually had a quiet reading room w/ a rocker for nursing moms!

Kaden and I were starving so we then visited a local pizzeria and enjoyed lunch on the sidewalks of downtown. After a stop at a coffee shop for chocolate chip cookies we went into the Louisville Slugger Baseball museum where Kaden was thrilled to buy a baseball and bat. We went back to the room for some down time before we picked Keith up that evening. For dinner we went to Joes Crab Shack at the wharf on the Ohio River. Both kids slept through dinner so Keith and I were able to feel like we were on a date and enjoyed a couple of drinks. After dinner we crossed the Ohio River and took the kids to Indiana for dessert at a local bakery. At this point both kids were getting cranky and I must admit I was exhausted so we headed back to the hotel. Keith stayed up to watch the LSU game w/ Kaden and Kendall and I fell fast asleep. At about 2:45 am we were all woken up by an irate drunk girl in the hallway....the downfall of an historic hotel downtown w/ very thin walls!

On Sunday I took the kids to the zoo!! I had my work cut out for me pushing Kendall around and carrying Kaden on my back or shoulders part of the time. Kaden loves to visit the zoos at each town we visit so it has become a tradition that I hope Kendall will love too. She of course slept the majority of the time and payed no attention to the few animals that I showed her. I again found another low key spot w/ a rocker to feed her during our 3 hour visit to the zoo so it worked out good.

The trip home was not as smooth as the way there. The last two hours included quite a few stops for feeding and diaper changes, but all in all it was a successful trip and I'm looking forward to our next destination!