Mom and Grandma's visit re-cap

We had a great time with my mom and grandma here for thanksgiving week and Tyler's birthday. I made my infamous itinerary to make sure we had a plan for each day...a flexible itinerary that can be moved and adjusted as seems fit for 2 kids and 2 grandma and an aunt and uncle that work really crazy retail hours. Anyways, our week went a little like this:

Saturday after 1 wrong turn mom and grandma arrive around 11pm to our house. My mom decides to crash on our couch, however according to the itinerary she was supposed to stay at JJ's house.

Sunday morning mom and grandma forgot to feed Tyler breakfast and then met us for the 11am church service at SCC (with Tyler...they didn't forget him, but barely got him dressed :). After church we met Jenny at Pita Pit for a to go order before mom and Jenny headed to the Christmas in the South craft show. The rest of us stayed back and relaxed while Scott did some work. Mom cooked up some chipped beef gravy and Mom and Dad Shippy joined us for the gourmet cooking!

Monday's we found out is not a good day to go to Wormsloe (it's closed) so after some adjusting on Johne's day off we started and complete the 1st stage of a turkey pinata, had veg soup and corn bread for lunch and then took Myla to get her shots and headed to the grocery store for our meal plan for the week. When we got home we had to re-complete stage 1 of the pinata...the balloon popped out in the sun...oops. But we salvaged it! That night we had tacos at JJ's, I opted out for steak fajitas...every since Myla it's hard for me to eat ground beef ? And Tyler had a slumber party with Grandma A at JJ's...finally crashing after 11pm...Grandma exhausted!

Tuesday we let the pinata dry even more, we had a guest over for brunch and made pine cone bird feeders. What a blast that was, Tyler really enjoyed it and Greatma and Mrs. Wardlaw made their first pine cone bird feeder as well! Johne and Mom then went off to Wormsloe for the afternoon. With a babysitter resting at home I went out to do some shopping (the goal was to get all the IA gifts completed so mom and grandma could be FREE shipping!). Johne, Tyler, Scott, and Grandma A went to crab shack for dinner while Greatma, Myla, and I stayed home, had chili for dinner. Somewhere in there I finished a second coat of turkey pinata with a string wrapped around to hang it.

Wednesday Tyler played outside, Greatma took Myla for a walk while Tyler rode his bike, I finished step 2 of the pinata and baked a few cakes...tonight is decorating the pinata. We went to the mall and had lunch with Aunt Jenny at the food court, played at soft play and after naps we headed out to Bass Pro Shop for FREE pictures with Santa Clause. Both Tyler and Myla did really well and they let us take 3 pictures! We went back to our house for pizza and salad! My mom and I were up til 12 decorating the pinata and had a blast! It turned out so good...at 10pm we realized we didn't have any glue...but our handy neighbors were up and willing to share!

Thursday: Happy Thanksgiving! Happy Birthday Tyler! We started off the morning with donuts and Black Friday Ad shopping at JJ's. then headed to Rob and Amy's house for Thanksgiving dinner (I made the ham at Mom Shippy's) and had Tyler's Birthday Party(see previous post)! After a long day and a buzzing headache we headed home and did some Internet shopping, got our list together for my mom to get up at 4am to do early Black Friday shopping!

Friday: My mom headed out and killed 3-4 things off my list before 8am! We chilled out Friday, Grandma and I did a little shopping with Myla, had a nice spaghetti dinner before my grandma, jenny, and I headed off to our Girl's night out to the Savannah Theater to see A Christmas Tradition. It was really cool for me because I knew someone in the show!!! It was really a great way to start off the Christmas season! When we got back home there was a surprise waiting for me...new curtains in the living room and no more vertical falling down blinds! I love them....they are perfect and cozy and easy! It is an early Christmas present from my mom and dad :).
And finally Saturday...a day of wrapping...wrapping with other people's wrapping paper...organizing, packing...I sent a bunch of clothes and baby items with my mom so we don't have to pay extra and check bags for our flight for Christmas! Around 3 we headed downtown to check out Holly Jolly something or other...it was pretty lame...but then waited 2 hours to eat at Vinnie's with a table of 7.5...mistake...we should have split up. We made it down to River Street in time to see 3 boats with lights on them...a little late. Tyler liked them and then there were fireworks...and oh yeah a surprise under my seat at Vinnies...a $20 box of pralines!

Sunday the plan was for mom and grandma to load up and head home. They didn't make it very far on Sunday...but I'm glad they didn't kill each other in 5mph traffic through ATL. The next day they tried to make up time...we won't go into that sad but funny story. Let's just say I called once and got hung up on and then again 20 minutes later and they were in laughing hysterics and Bert and Ernie were removed from their spot around the rear view mirror.

Tyler's Birthday!

Happy Turkey Birthday Tyler!

The crazy turkey cake that totally fell apart!

Playing "Hot Pumpkin" Tyler needed LOTS of help understanding how to pass it to the next person really fast. They all had fun though!

We played pin the tail on the Turkey...Tyler went first!

The "made with love" Turkey Pinata. My mom and I made over the course of 4 days! It was a blast and tons of great memories. Tyler didn't want to "bam" it...but did want the candy inside. He had one of his, "It's too loud and crazy" moments and retreated and wanted to go home! But I helped him rip open the "slightly re-inforced" pinata so him and the other kids could gather up the candy.

Blowing out all of his candles...he did it all by himself. The sure sign of a 3 year old!

And then opening presents!

Myla is half a year old already!

She weighed in at 21 lbs 9 oz

28.8 inches long

Still growing more and more off the charts.

Hopefully my NON-danty little girl will start to thin out over the next 6 months. She is wearing size 12-18 month sleepers and most 12 month clothes/outfits/dresses. She can still squeeze into some 9 month clothes.

She is still just so sweet. She is sitting up on her own now, playing and grabbing at everything. She is really interested in what we are eating...but doesn't really like to swallow the cereal and food that I can give her. We are still working on eating better...she has a funny tongue...it's very strong and pushes out all the time! Oh, and that tooth I spoke of months ago...still non-existent. I don't know where it went...but it's not coming up!
A fun fall day out on the swingset! Tyler is in a phase where he doesn't like his picture taken. This was a cool day on Nov 6, 2010.

Myla is 5 months!!!Tyler is Potty Trained!!!

Tyler's first prize for peeing 6 times in the potty and pooping once...fish...they didn't last long. Who knew they can't live in brackish water? The next prize was popcorn and a slushy at Target. Then a Big Ball...but no one is selling them anymore??? and tonight he gets a new small adult fishing pole...like mommy's. He is very excited. The next chart is going to be a little longer and tougher to get these prizes....then I have to figure out how to wean him from the reward system!

Tyler likes peeing on his potty best....but has gone both pee and poop in Big Lots! He was trained in 5 days...and has had only 1 accident since then! He said he watered the trees outside but didn't pull down his pants! Anyways, Scott and I are beside ourselves! We are so proud of him. However, now we are encountering the never ending excuses as to why he won't go to sleep at night. And he is getting out of his bed and sneaking around the house to find us. The other night he didn't finally go to bed until 11pm...after the 3 poops in the potty! Hopefully this will get better because Scott and I are getting rather frustrated...but at the same time he's so cute.....ugh!

Myla is growing so fast. She is such a sweet baby. Her sleeping habits are the greatest anymore. I guess I had it too good for those 2 months. Her teeth haven't poked through yet...but I can still see them. She has started eating rice cereal and today she had oatmeal for the first time. She is eating that better each day. She is so sweet for everyone in the church and MOPS nursery...such a change from our experience with Tyler. But now Tyler is so excited to go to his class at church! Speaking of...he's about to get a spanking...because he keeps yelling from his nap...he's been in there an hour and no nap yet....he will sleep!!!!! I think I will ignore him.

My beautiful babies.

Brother and Sister...AWWWW. Tyler still asks to hold Myla, but now he says too BIG!

Myla was having trouble sleeping for her nap...so I put her under this play gym and continued working on my computer...next thing I look over and she is OUT!

Gotta love the Bumbo. Not too much longer will those chubby legs fit. It's quite a hassle getting her out!

Tyler sometimes reverts back and wants to play with his old toys.

And look who found her toes? I think it is so cute to see babies do this. Look how flexible they are. Here is Tyler in the same pose....awww...
You can't tell they are brother and sister can you?

Tyler Rides a REAL bike

Cousin Andrew grew too big for his bike and let Tyler have it. He LOVES it and wants to go on a bike ride about as often as he wants to go to the dock! Thanks so much Uncle Rob and Aunt Amy for being so generous with all of the hand me downs. We are so grateful! Scott has a video that is so cute of him riding around our little island...just can't get it off his phone...

Can you guess why Tyler is eating Green Eggs and Ham?

Myla is still toothless....but she LOVES chewing on ice cubes and is still having restless sleep. Mommy is tired and my baby girl is in pain. I think both bottom ones are trying to come up at the same time. Hopefully they will break through soon and give her some rest.

Family boat ride to Hunter Park for Tyler to play. We caught this sunset on the way back. Myla seems to enjoy the boat rides.

Tyler has been having fun with Daddy on the dock and on the boat. First mate Tyler. and Captain Scott.

We got back from our family boat ride and they had something on their pole...ewww a gar!

Exersaucer

Tyler dressed Myla up in Beiber Fever bracelets. He thought it was really funny.

We got down the exersaucer for Myla to play in...I was surprised at how well she stood up in it. She doesn't like standing much.

Big brother Tyler teaching her all the toys.

Tyler when he was 4 months old in it! (you can definitely see the difference in skin tone between Myla and Tyler!)

Myla is probably teething. She is congested with clear fluid, a little more fussy, and restless sleep last night...up every 2 hours. It seems early to me...Tyler didn't break his first tooth until 10 months. But I do remember thinking he was teething for quite some time. We'll see.

The weather is turning beautiful here in Savannah, which means the sand gnats will be out again :(. But the outdoors is pleasant. Tyler still loves going to the dock, riding his bike, and we are working on the whining bit. He learned to use the cheese cutter today...watch out. It was precious watching him carve me pieces of cheese to put on my crackers.

Yesterday was a lazy Sunday and during naptime I let Myla sleep on the couch with me while I read a book. In the last week I finished 2 N. Sparks books, Dear John and The Choice. I love escaping into the life of these characters and usually need a few days to mourn the end of the book. Anyways, Myla was awake lying in between my legs on the couch just watching the trees sway back and forth outside. She slowly closed her eyes and drifted off to a peaceful sleep. It was the sweetest thing I've seen in awhile. Another unforgettable moment in motherhood.

Happy 4 Month Myla

Look at her point those toes and stretch that leg out! You can also see she's grabbing at things now, as she pulls up her lovey to her...you know what...and into her MOUTH. Everything is going into her mouth these days and I'm having to change her outfit 3-4 times a day because of all that drool!

I know...I can't believe it...it's been 1 month since I posted! Myla is 4 months old already...I didn't even have a September folder opened yet before I put these growth lovey pictures in it today! Time is really flying by...I wonder when I'll stop saying that...I don't think ever because I still here our parents saying it!

Routine is good here...except the fact that Myla only take 30-45 minute cat naps during the day...but hey...she sleeps ALL night regularly. 9pm-7, 8, sometimes 9am! That is a good feeling!

She is really smiling and talking a lot! She has giggled a few times and actually Tyler got her to giggle for the first time! And Tyler witnessed her first roll over all by herself from her back to her stomach. (Tyler's first roll over was from stomach to back at exactly 4 months old). Her 4 month check up will be Tuesday so I will have to update the weight/length percentiles, but I'm pretty sure she has surpassed Tyler by this age. You think a girl would be nice a dainty...not ours :). She is really beautiful though and her features remind me so much of Tyler...except the skin tone. We are still breastfeeding and are waiting to start cereal a little longer than we started with Tyler...why not..she is getting plenty...we will see what the Dr. says Tuesday.

She's had a few accidents...or maybe I should say we have :(. She did roll off the couch while I was in the kitchen...poor baby. She cried for 11 seconds and then was fine...I mainly feel bad because she was swaddled so nothing to break the fall. And then just yesterday Scott ejected her out of the car seat on accident when the lift handle got stuck in all her hang down toys. She fell smack on her face...luckily on the rug over the tile entry way. Scott felt so bad....but really there wasn't even a mark by the time I got home. And of course Tyler has wapped her a few times but all out of hyperness. He really loves her. We here him talking to her like we talk to her..."Myla just go to sleep" and "Good burp Myla!"

We spend every morning out on the dock with Tyler, so he can get his "fix" for the day. It is quite entertaining watching Tyler copy all of Scott's mannerisms out on the dock. He casts out, puts his pole against the side and says, "wait for it". He always says, "gonna catch a BIG fish." He tells me "good cast mom." Whenever he catches anything...usually seaweed or a stick...he gets very excited and wants me to pull it off for him. Today he actually caught an EEL...which he called a BIG WOM.

Other news, we are starting to get a good church/small group routine. We go to service Sat nights and then HomeBuilders small group Sunday morning at the church to utilize the child care...and then the kids and I are going to Wednesday night service while Scott works late or does whatever for his time. It's been really great and Tyler seems to be enjoying his new 2 year old class called Caboose. Otherwise I am just enjoying my time home with the kids even though it is quite exhausting, no more naps for me with Myla staying awake more, but I get some down time without Tyler running around from about 2-4ish.

Here are some of Myla's 3 month pictures taken by Aunt Jenny.

Time for sleep now.

Love to all!

Carrie

Happy 3 months Myla

3 Month picture with her lovey. I had to wait until she was asleep because this happy girl wouldn't keep her feet down!

Their first bath together...probably first of many once she starts sitting up. I can't believe how much she has grown in the last few months. She is one big breast milk fed baby! I think she has passed up Tyler's records...we will see at her 4 month check up.

Myla Quick Facts:

*She has been sleeping ~9 hours every night straight for the last 3 weeks or so!!! 9pm-6am. It has been amazing. I remember I used to say that it's impossible for a breastfed baby to sleep that long so early...I was wrong. Every baby is different and God blessed me with a sleeper this time! She is doing so great in her crib. I wished we moved Tyler in his crib as early as we did her. I guess you learn with your second!

*She is quite the flirt and smiles all the time. Last week in Key West people said that when she smiles, she smiles with her whole body...even her toes! She is really pretty too. At first I wasn't so sure about the strange pale gray baby that came out of me...but every day she gets more and more beautiful! She had a lot to live up to with Tyler though! I am so blessed to have gorgeous babies! I'm not biased or anything :).

* She is really easy to tell whats wrong. Her gas is starting to subside...maybe it's because I haven't been eating as much fiber as I needed to in the beginning! I can tell if it's been a few hours and she is fussy that she just wants to go to sleep. I put her in the Vulcan sleep hold (we learned with Tyler) and she falls asleep.

* She is wearing 6 month clothes and almost needs 9 month sleepers with footie's...because she is so long. I'm still squeezing her into a few though :).

* She is really making me eat a lot of sweets :). If I wasn't breast feeding her I think I'd be 50 pounds overweight by now!

*She still only poops once a day. (compared to Tyler who pooped every time I fed him!)

*NO giggles yet...but a happy baby!

*Tyler really loves her and talks to her and says the things he hears us say to her. Tonight he made me turn towards the TV so he could talk to her. He asked her if she was ready to go to the store. When she cries he comes and gets me and says she needs to burp.

She is such a wonderful blessing to our family. I love her so much I can't stand it!

Keys Family Vacation

Our first REAL vacation with two kids. And actually I would consider our first vacation as a family. Usually our trips consist of going to Iowa, which if fun to see everyone but it's not a true vacation. I was excited for Scott to get away and have a little bit of an excuse not to be working ALL the time. He did pretty good at relaxing but in a job of sales the phone always has to be close. We drove down to Miami on Saturday Aug 7th after we attended Scott's parents 40th wedding anniversary party (and Scott's mom's birthday celebration) We left around 5pm drove home to get something we left, which was on the way...and by 5:45pm both kids were fast asleep. Myla woke once at 7:30 for a bottle and then back to sleep. Tyler woke a few times briefly just for some water and to complain of being uncomfortable. Poor baby, we all know that feeling of sleeping in a car. So one stop, slight detour and 8 hours later we get to Scott's cousins at 1:30am. We were exhausted...Tyler excited and WIDE awake! Finally he went to sleep 2 hours later. Sunday we hung out in Miami and had breakfast at IHOP with cousin Laurie and later that night dinner with the whole gang before we took off for the condo in Islamorada...both kids sleeping again :).

Monday: Tyler woke up to docks and boats galore and was so exciting to go fishing he couldn't stand it,,,the bad part it was raining! So we hit the grocery store for the 3 days we would be at the condo, had lunch, nap time, and the rain stopped so we thought the pool would be fun. While we were at the grocery store Scott took Myla out to the car to get her a blanket and when he came back in he spotted Tyler and texted me a note saying, Please pull Tyler's pants up!" Oops...Tyler had been counting the meats in the store as I gathered stuff for dinners...he was in my sight but I didn't notice his pants fell to his ankles. He just kept on counting shuffling his legs...people were pointing and laughing.

Tuesday: The weather was nicer on Tuesday than expected and so Scott and Tyler hit the docks early...and Tyler caught his FIRST fish! He just really loves fishing and spending time with his daddy. I hope this is something they will enjoy together for a lifetime. Next we headed to The Theater of the Sea in Islamorada. I wanted to check out the cost of swimming with dolphins. It has been a dream of mine and we were supposed to do it for our honeymoon, but sea world was too expensive and too long of a wait. There was a whole 2.5 hour show of Sea Lion's, marine life of HUGE sea turtles that have been injured at sea, nurse sharks, a parrot show, and awesome dolphin show. We got a glass bottom boat tour...that ended up being a mini dolphin show in the middle of the boat...jumping out of the water and everything! Tyler was a little frightened...but got used to it.

BIG TURTLE!

And I got to swim with dolphins...finally. It was exhilarating! I swam 2 laps with a dolphin and dove down and he followed me while I watched him with goggles on. I got a dorsal fin ride, a kiss, a hug, and hold one like a baby! It was truly a dream come true. That night we headed over to some friends of ours that moved down there last summer. It was great seeing them and imagine life living in The Keys.

Wednesday: We just hung around the condo all day fishing and swimming...I got a lot of sun! We met some nice people staying at the condo so we had good conversation from some fellow mid-westeners. Wednesday night we went to check out Robbie's...where you feed these HUGE tarpon...and there are hundreds of them just waiting for you to throw in these bait fish. It was quite awesome to watch. And there was a web cam so I called Scott's parents to check us out and they saw us! After that we headed to mile marker 88 and ordered a pina colada and watched the sun go down while Tyler played in the water. That night we packed up the car so we could head to Key West early. I was excited to see my family...and have some reinforcements/help with the kids!

Family picture in front of the aquarium at the hotel!

Thursday: We arrived in Key West around 11am and headed straight to the pool. Tyler was jumping off the wall excited! Aunt Debbie took Tyler down and Myla and I soon joined her. We sat under these cool cabana's with ceiling fans and ordered lunch from a waitress that walked around. It was the best turkey club sandwich and sweet potato fries I've had in a long time. We put Tyler down for a nap and we connected with Jim and Ginny and Johne and Jenny. Scott went with JJ and Deb, Jim's grandma, the kids and I took the shuttle to eat at Two Friends...for some fish and chips...they weren't the same as I remembered them 5 years ago though :(. Then walked down to Mallory Square for sunset celebration.

We even saw Spiderman....the later years...Tyler didn't know what to think about him. Then it was off to get the shuttle and get the kids back in bed. Myla did great and went to bed easy...Tyler and Aunt Jenny and Aunt Debbie went down to the pool for a little while before bedtime.

Friday: We headed over to one of Jimmy's friends hotel where we played some 2 on 3 and 2 on 2 volleyball. Joe and I whooped up on them! We are the champions! It was so much fun and it was the most exercise that I have done in 12 months...I was a little sore the next day! It was a blast. Then we swam for a bit...Tyler loved playing with Aunt Jenny and Daddy in the pool. We tried to get Tyler to take an early nap...it didn't work...I can't remember if he napped at all. Anyways, we headed downtown for the rehearsal dinner. I was excited because my parents were in route from Miami. It was happy hour and the whole left side of the menu was 1/2 off! After we ate we headed to what was supposed to be a glass bottom boat tour, which turned out to be a booze cruise sunset sail...GREAT...nursing a baby and champagne...huh? I only had one glass... It was a gorgeous sunset and good time to be with family. We headed back and getting the 9:20 shuttle back was scary because it was packed full and I needed to get my kids in bed (it was a little different being in Key West, party town, with two small children) It was a good excuse to be good and go to bed! Anyways, we are on the shuttle and Scott is being obnoxious...looks down at Tyler who is sitting in between my mom and I peacefully with his eyes closed...and Scott yells, TYLER, ARE YOU SLEEPING? and with no hesitation Tyler responds, YES! It had the whole back of the shuttle laughing! Even Tyler was giggling..then fell fast asleep again. He did so good...especially for not having a nap that day!

Earlier pool fun!

Cool Dude with his sun glassed and McD's Cinnamon rolls!

Saturday..Wedding Day: My Aunt and I decided to go Para sailing. She had done it before and wanted to do it again...so I volunteered to do it with her. It was GREAT! The guy on the boat made it quite entertaining as well. We didn't see any sharks or anything, but the others said they saw a sea turtle. It was good memories to have with my Aunt Debbie!

Finally...the wedding...and 2 minutes later the ceremony is over! AWESOME...just like our wedding! It was really beautiful and I am so happy for my cousin Jimmy...he found a good girl and I can't wait to see their life together...we are hoping for a family trip in 5 years back to Key West for a reunion/anniversary! It will be our 10 year and their 5 year anniversary!

Here is Tyler with the newlyweds! Blowing the bubbles...he blew them throughout the ceremony...hey it kept him quiet! The reception was wonderful on the dock, we had piano music in the back ground, and 4-5 course meal with appetizer, salad, and I ordered the Filet Mignon. hmmmm. And then of course the Wedding Cake for desert. It was a great way to celebrate Jim and Ginny...until we waited for over an hour for the shuttle to get home, both kids had poopy diapers and were exhausted...oh wait...that's the story of my life these days with 2 small kids...and I LOVE it! Hopefully that's what Jim and Ginny get to look forward to in the next 5 years :).

Sunday: We went to a nice brunch to see Jim and Ginny and then headed out of town...in hopes of making it all the way to Savannah. Before we left we stopped by the Duval Beach Club (where we got married) and snapped a family shot looking back at our wedding spot on the beach. Such wonderful memories came back...and now look at my beautiful kids...5 years later!

We stopped in Miami for a few hours...got Tyler nice and wore out. We made it home about 12am! We survived our first road trip...I hope there will be many more to come!