Random

I am happy to report that sickness has left our household (knock on wood).  I am so over winter and the sickness it brings, but I am super thankful that my children are healthy and happy.  We took advantage of being healthy this week and got out of the house.  We were all going stir crazy.

Saturday was Caleb's very first basketball game.  He was sooo cute!! He is the number 2 (just like Auntie K), and seemed to have fun.  Of course he was timid and shy at first, but towards the end of the game he seemed to warm up.  He made two great assists.  The first he dribbled for a moment and then passed to a team mate who made a basket. The second he dribbled into a pile of people, looked around, found a free teammate and passed.  I was very proud of him.

After the game Saturday I was able to have a day to myself which was much needed.  I shopped all day, and blew through my Christmas money that had been stashed away.  It was a great day to rejuvenate and find some cute clothes.

Yesterday Caleb had school, and Kinlee and I went to library class.  We also had to pick up some more tulle for her birthday party decorations.  That's right...she is turning 2 next Wednesday, and we are having her party this Friday at Otterville.  Her 2-Tu fabulous party!!! (If I ever seen tulle again it will be too soon).We are knee deep in the few party decorations we are taking, and I am excited to celebrate my sweet baby, who is not so much a baby anymore.

Today the kids and I joined some friends at Jumpzone.  Caleb loves Jumpzone.  He is go go go from the moment we arrive until the moment we leave. Kinlee is still not to excited about it. She generally spends most of her time in the baby section playing with toys, or hanging off my hip.  After jumpzone we went to Chuy's (my new favorite restaurant , and now we are home resting.  We have "Big School" and Bible Study tonight. Ya'll this Beth Moore study is AMAZEBALLS!! I am learning so much, and it is really rekindling my desire to serve God.  I highly recommend that you ladies get your booty's in a Beth Moore study.  You will not be disappointed 

Every Day Joys Link-Up

Hey all I am Mama G.  I also blog over at Pin-Tivities, and Flawless Event Planning.  I hope you check out my other blogs as well.  I am so excited about the chance to find some new friends through this super simple, super cute link up.

Click on over to Link Up as Well (The button will not work on my post for some reason).  

1. What blogs do you visit daily? Please list 1-3 of your favorites.

1. The Smelly Life- Love!! Sarcastic, Hilarious, Real mama of one who takes wonderful pictures that make every other mom envious!! 

2. Tammy Fantasy Land- A mom that lives in my area, and could be a IRL (in real life) blog friend.  She has 2 under 2. I have been there so I relate, and I thank God every day that we are past that stage ;).  

3. The Francis Family-An Arkansas blogger (I feel like every blogger is from Arkansas), who has super cute kiddos, and great style!! 

****I read every blog on my side blog roll on My Life as Mama every day (or whenever the bloggers update). ****

2. Are you on Instagram? If so, what is your user name?

Yes! smgardella

3. Can we find you on Pinterest? What's your Pinterest address, and what can we expect to see you pinning most? (recipes, DIY projects, home decor, etc.)

Yes! Obviously this blog is devoted to my Pinterst addiction.  Kids activities, clothes that I wish I had, event ideas, food....basically everything Pinterest has to offer.  

Find me on Pinterest here 

4. What are your favorite blog link-ups to participate in? (weekly link-ups other bloggers have...any number will do...please link us to them!)

I have kind of taken a back seat to the whole link up thing lately, but I am wanting to get back into it.  One I am for sure linking up to this Friday is over at http://pinteresttoldmeto.blogspot.com/. New obsession! 

5. Why do you blog?

I started blogging as a way to record my pregnancy, and keep my family up to date on what new things the kids are doing. It is now their baby book, my outlet, and a way for me to remember my life with them.  

6. Tell us one random fact about yourself.

I once had super glue explode in my face and glue my eyes together.  A trip to the ER and a few days of basically being blind, and I was better.

We are Surviving

This week has been a doosie ?(I don't know if that is the correct spelling?). Sickness has hit us and hit us hard. It all started last Thursday when Caleb was diagnosed with pneumonia. Lucky for us we caught it early and after a day his fever stopped and he was back to normal.  Saturday night Kinlee woke up vomiting.  I don't know if I have mentioned this before, but Kinlee is a puker.  Anytime she is sick she pukes, and it is always the middle of the night. Any who, she puked 2 times Saturday night, and was running a fever all day Sunday.  I just knew it was the flu.  Monday I took her to the doctor (We couldn't get in with ours so we saw one of his partners), and explained that she was running a fever, had not vomited in 24 hours, and was not playing.  She also had a runny nose and cough. He tested her for the flu and it was negative but diagnosed her with pneumonia as well.  He prescribed amoxicillan and said to bring her back in if she got any worse.  Worse she got.

 Monday night she just sat there with a blank stare, high fever, and was pitiful.  After her Motrin kicked in she did play a little in the bath which was a plus.  That night she did not sleep well, and the next morning she was still very pitiful.  I decided to take her back in and thank God we got to see our doctor.  I love him so much because he checks anything and everything that could be wrong before diagnosing her. He took one look at her and said I think she has RSV.  The RSV test confirmed his theory, and he said that her test literally turned positive as soon as they took it.  So Kinlee was diagnosed with viral pneumonia and viral RSV.  Key word being VIRAL. I hate that word.  It is so frustrating as a parent to know your kids are sick, but not have any medicine that will kill the Virus.  He did a pulse ox, and breathing test, and said that she was right on the borderline range of being hospitalized.  He wanted me to go home that night, give her as much fluids as she would take and then come back tomorrow.  He informed me that if she got any worse to take her straight to Children's Hospital where they would give her IV fluid, and oxygen.  Talk about scary.  So, we went home, and I watched her breathing like a hawk.  She slept well that night, but I didn't because I was constantly checking on her.  She woke up around 5 am and continued to wake every 30 minutes until we got up for the day.  That morning she was still blah so we went back to the doctor that afternoon.  He did all the tests from the previous day again, and said that she wasn't better but not worse.  He said the crackle in her chest sounded a tiny bit better than the day before.  We were still on the ledge of being hospitalized, but since she did not get worse he sent me home with the same orders.

Fast forward to today...she is a brand new child.  She ran a fever last night and I gave her some motrin, today she is playing, is not running a fever, and is eating!! HALLELUJAH!! We checked in with the doctor today, and he said that she is on the mend!!! He told me to check in on Saturday with him unless she gets bad again. The cough she has will linger for a few weeks he said, but as long as she doesn't have a fever to go with it there is nothing to worry about.  He said the cough will eventually break down and disappear it just takes a while with RSV.

I have to brag a little on my doctor. I have always loved him.  He is one who KNOWS his patients.  He always remembers what is going on with them, and will sit and talk to you for as long as you need.  He never  medicates unless he knows for sure what is wrong, and will run every test under the moon until he can give you a definitive answer.  I love that.  I love that he cares.  My friend took her son into the office today and he was diagnosed with an ear infection.  Our Doctor said "Poor boy has had a rough January. 2 ear infections and the flu." My friend said "Yes, but not as bad as Mckinlee".  The doctor then stated "No no one has had as bad of a week as poor Mckinlee".  I absolutely love that he has compassion for his patients, and remembers what is going on with them.  I swear I will not know what to do when he retires.  He is one in a million. If you are in my area and need a good doctor referral message me.   

I am so thankful for all who prayed and showed support during this awful week.  Even though my child was sick, I am so thankful that she had a sickness that she recovered from, and that we did not end up in the hospital.

Pics from this week spent AT HOME!! I am going a little stir crazy....

My sick girl.  I said that you know your baby is sick when you take them to the doctor looking like this.  Christmas jammies stained with Gatorade, messy face, and unbrushed, crazy hair from winter hat. 

  We did a lot of cuddling

Caleb is fine in all of this.  This is how he decided to fall asleep last night.  Notice that he does not have his binky......yea we are working on that one, and I will share a post soon.

I pulled in the water table today, and filled it with red rice, cars, cups, and spoons.  1 hour and counting of entertainment.  

Friday Blah Day

So, Kinlee and I were out and about yesterday when we got a call from Caleb's preschool telling us that he was running a fever, and saying that he felt like he needed to throw up.  (insert mama sigh).  I just knew it was the flu.  We had actually kept Caleb out of school on Tuesday because he had a runny nose and cough, and I wanted to make sure it didn't turn into anything.  He never ran a fever so I thought it was just sinuses.  I was wrong.  When I went to pick him up he was sitting on a stool in the pre school bathroom, hugging the toilet and his teacher was reading him books.  Can I just take a moment and brag on his teachers.  How sweet and thoughtful was that.  They were sure to tell me exactly what his temp was, when he started feeling bad, and even proceeded to tell me that his stomach was hotter than his head. I could tell they had really checked him out, and I appreciated that.  I took Kinlee to my mother in law and then Caleb and I headed to the doctor.  He was so out of it and tired at the doctor, and did not protest anything except the nose swab to check for the flu.  Flu test was negative, but he has pneumonia AGAIN!! ugh.  Just in the left lung and the doctors think we caught it early.  Today he woke up fever free, and his energy was back, so I think the antibiotics are helping.

We have just been playing at the house today since he is sick. Tonight Kinlee starts dance class, and I am excited to take her to that, but other than that it is a chill day. We enjoyed playing with some play dough, and the kids had a morning bath followed by a snack of strawberries, cheese, and frozen peas.  My kids love some frozen peas.  They are blissfully napping now, and I am trying to organize my ever expanding to do list.

This week Kinlee also sported her first pony tail for nursery time at church.  I have joined a Beth Moore study while Caleb attends Awana and I love it.  Kinlee did great and only cried for 5 minutes. Hallelujah!

Sweet Landon also had his first open heart surgery.  He did great, and they are slowly weaning him from the ventilators and machines.  They are going to start waking him up tomorrow, so say some prayers for this sweet boy.

Basketball Hell

So, Caleb started basketball practice yesterday, and I have to admit that it was not what I dreamed it would be.  Let me preface this post by stating that I literally hate anything and everything sports.  I don't understand most sports, and I am noncompetitive, so the whole sports thing is a little beyond my interest level.  My husband on the other hand is a sports fanatic.  He lives and breathes all things sports, and Caleb seems to be following in his footsteps. I knew that was more than likely inevitable having a son, but I have to admit that I would have been thrilled if he was only interested in theater ;).  Any who, his preschool is hosting a basketball league and Caleb wanted to join, so yesterday he, Kinlee, and I ventured to his very first practice....

I have to preface the description of his practice by telling you how I dreamed it would be. I was so excited when I signed onto his team webpage. I quickly added photos of him, and memorized all the practice/game days.  The Jumping Bugs was his team, and I knew that he would be great! I literally visioned that he would walk right up to his team, join in the fun, all the kids would be beginners, and that Kinlee and I would sit happily on the sidelines at practice.  I planned to take loads of pictures, and to truly take in his first practice....take it in I did.

First of all when we arrived at practice I did not know where to go.  On the right side of the gym there was a team of kids that looked to be 7 or 8 playing like hardcore basketball.  On the left side there was a team of kids that all looked to be 4/5.  I wasn't sure if that was Caleb's team but it was.  So I sent my little three year old out to meet his team, and he immediately freaked.  Anyone who knows Caleb knows that he is a person who has to warm up to situations.  He will not just run into anything, so I had to sit with him while the coach did introductions.  The coach then threw a curve ball at us and asked for a mom or dad to come out to accompany their child for drills.  Guess who was the only mom on the court?  Yep...this girl.  Nick had to work late and couldn't make it, and we both had no idea that it would be parent involved.  So instead of a dad who loves sports Caleb got a sport illiterate mama, with a baby on her hip....yea that was me. 

So, I tried to internally give myself a pep talk "You can do this Sarah, it won't be that hard, I mean it is preschool basketball after all".  Yea...preschool basketball.....about that. I swear every other kid on his team knew how to dribble, run while dribbling, and shoot the basketball.  My kid.....well he decided the basketball was a soccer ball and decided that he was going to kick it instead.  He literally refused to pick up the basketball the first 20 minutes of practice.  So I was the mom that was trying everything I could think of to encourage him to pick it up, all while he kicked it and called it a soccer ball.  The dads next to me were saying things like, "Dribble while you turn, set up your shot etc".  I felt so out of place....

Finally Caleb decided that the ball was indeed a basketball and started "dribbling".  I am sorry, I may be sports illiterate but I didn't know that dribbling skills were common among preschool kids.  I literally thought that he would walk into practice, and that all the kids would be learning to dribble.  I was wrong.  Like I stated before all the other kids could dribble.  My son, can dribble once or twice, and then the ball falls and rolls away from him. He runs, falls on the ground to catch it, does and couple rolls, runs back only to repeat the process again.  If you remember back to the beginning of this post, there was another large team playing on the other side of the court.  Caleb's ball kept rolling into their game, and Mckinlee would then throw her ball into their side as well because she saw Caleb do it.  Yea, I gave Kinlee a ball to keep her happy.  So, picture me. I'm the mom in ugg boots, skinny jeans, and dress coat running from one side of the court to another wrangling my children, because I did not know that practice was parent involved.  I was literally a show I am sure for the other moms blissfully talking in the stands......

So, if that was not enough the coach decided that since the team was so skilled he was going to up the practice.  He made a square out of four cones, and told the kids that they were going to work on "controlling the ball".  His rule

***Dribble inside the 4 cones, and work on controlling the ball.  If the ball starts rolling or goes outside the 4 cones you are out*****

Aca-scuseme?  I thought this was a PRESCHOOL team.  Made up of PRESCHOOL kids.  So needless to say within 2 seconds my sons ball was out of bounds and rolling to the other side of the court, followed by my daughters ball.  Fortunately for us the coach did not enforce the out rule.  Maybe he saw the dirty look I gave him, or maybe he had pity on the poor oblivious mother trying to wrangle 2 children, and pretend that she knew something about basketball.

The kids then practiced shooting.  Caleb was fine with Kinlee and I going to the stands for this part THANK GOD.  However, Kinlee then decided she wanted a snack, and proceeded to drop it all over the gym floor, and scream when I would not give it back to her because it was dirty.  Caleb then proceeded to not take a turn shooting. He was super sweet and told every one they could go before him, but the truth is he needed to practice.  Every other kid on his team made at least one shot, all while their dads called instructions from the sidelines. Me, I sat there and wanted to cry.

So far preschool basketball has been an interesting experience. Nick is now being forced by me to instruct Caleb daily on dribbling, shooting, running etc, and will be present for EVERY basketball practice from here on out. I was so unaware that before attending basketball practice, a toddler was required to actually have a knowledge of how to play.....I so was not made to have boys........

The smallest and youngest on the team 

Blessed Day

Today two very special couples that I know welcomed long awaited babies into the world!! Such a blessed day.

The Harke's welcomed their twin boys today, Landon and Logan.  These babies have been prayed for throughout countless years, and we are so happy they are finally here.  Please keep sweet Landon in your prayers. He has a heart issue that will require open heart surgery.  Pray for his parents to have peace, and for  everything to go well with his surgery.

My sweet friends Amelia and Dan also welcomed their sweet baby girl, Rosabella, into the world today.  She has been long awaited....10 days past her due date.  He mama is superwoman and so patient.  I am so excited for them.

I love both these families so much and I am so excited for them...and I can not wait to get my hands on those babies!

Wednesday

So a creative title escapes me...Wednesday it is.  Today was a fun day.  The kids and I met up with Brit and her kids at Otterville and played all day.  I some how did not get a single good picture out of the entire day so this will just be a non picture post (I know boring)!  We stayed until way past nap, and then headed home to rest before "Big School" aka Awana.  Caleb did not nap once again.  We are currently in the process of breaking the binky, and it is affecting his sleep hard core.  It is currently cut almost all the way off, and he still attempts to suck it.  The little stinker snuck up stairs during nap while I was eating, and MeeMaw let him play on her Kindle.  I did not even know he had gone up there....sneaky sneaky.  Needless to say he was exhausted by the time we left for Awana.  He fell asleep on the way there, and then cried when I dropped him off.  His teachers said he only fussed for a couple of minutes but I hated that he was upset.

I joined a Beth Moore study tonight, Believing God.  It was the meet and greet night so it was fun to get to know some new people. I met a girl who actually just moved from my hometown.  She went to my old church and everything. It was so fun to talk about my old church and the people who truly helped build me into the person I am today.  I am super excited to begin the study.

We are home now, Kinlee is in bed, and Nick is giving Caleb a late bath.  I finally got all his school stuff together and I am trying to prepare myself for the crazy day ahead.  Good night friends.

Getting Back to the Grind

I am truly making an attempt to start blogging daily/every other day.  I prefer to not play catch up and I really want to document our lives.

Today was a busy day.  Last night Nick went to his grandpa's to watch the game so I had the kids to myself.  They both decided they were going to fight sleeping last night! Caleb came up with every excuse in the world to get out of bed, and finally I had to lay down the law.  I spent most of my evening trying to get some work done for my upcoming Bridal shows, and then once I laid down to go to bed I could not sleep.  Ugh. I hate that.  I am always so tired but for some reason my mind will not shut off before 1 am most nights.  I read a lot of Bloom, by Kelle Hampton, until I was tired.  Love that book FYI!  Of course, as soon as I fell asleep Kinlee woke up crying....repeat that process for the next five hours. I do not know what was up with her last night.  Needless to say I skipped my morning BNI meeting.  I was to tired and 7:15 was way to early.

We woke up at 8:45 and I had to have Caleb ready to leave for school by 9.  Talk about rushing.  He was in a mood because he stayed up so late, so my morning consisted of a lot of crying, snuggling, and rushing combined.  Once Nick took him, I had to get myself and Kinlee fed and ready because I had a 10:30 meeting to design flyers for the upcoming bridal shows.

Kinlee actually did great at the meeting. She colored on some paper, and pushed some rolling chairs around. Lucky for us the company is family, so they didn't seem to mind her running around too much.  Immediately after the meeting it was time to pick up Caleb from school, so I did not have time to feed Kinlee.  I decided to take the kids to Big Boy for an after school lunch, and the lunch date was actually very relaxing.  Caleb told me lots of stories about school, and demonstrated how he would walk when he got old.  He told me that is how Grammy walks :).  Kinlee spent most of the lunch date stuffing her face as if she was starved to death., and would randomly throw in her favorite words "daddy, Bella, Pa, work, Brother, School".  I love one year old babble.

The kids are now napping away, and I am stressing about all the things I did not check off my to do list today.  I have so much to do to get ready for February business wise, and I am trying to find the balance.  I know I will get there I just hate the process.  I have no idea what we are going to have for dinner, and a trip to the grocery needs to be in my immediate future....yuck! All in all it has been a happy Tuesday though.

Pictures from the past few days.  I do not have a post to go with them, but I want them for my record!

Date day with mommy.  I caved and paid for the train at the mall.   

 My silly tink playing dress up.  Have I mentioned she is all girl? 

 How I spent 2 hours of my life the other day.  Loved it!! 

 My first baby looked like a puppy again after being groomed. 

Christmas

I am almost done catching up from last year!!! Thank goodness. Blogging is not as much fun when you are playing catch up.

Christmas morning the kids awoke to find goodies from Santa.  Caleb received tons of cars, an army tank, and the items below.  Santa scored almost all of his goodies at a consignment sale.  3 dollars for skateboard, 10 dollars for the bike and helmet!! Unfortunately, leading up to Christmas he told us he wanted 5 bikes. A blue, green, orange, yellow and white one.  Santa had to tell him that he only brought one bike.  We thought about having Santa spray paint his Spiderman bike, but we decided to take the chance.  He mentioned a few times that he didn't want a Spiderman one, and that Santa should take it back and give it to another kid.....however, now he loves it.

Kinlee was handed down my old dollhouse, received some dolls and accessories, and we also bought both kids a kitchen.

christmas presents by sarah-white-gardella on Polyvore

Playskool Doll House Pink and White by Daysgonebytreasures on Etsy
etsy.com

KidKraft 2 Piece Blue Retro Play Kitchen - Play Kitchens & Grills at...
hayneedle.com

Cars Lightning McQueen Skateboard - 28" : Target
target.com

Licensed Kids Bikes Spiderman 12 in 614SM00078TR Bicycle
zoostores.com

After we played downstairs we headed up to celebrate with my inlaws.  The kids were sure to check Santa's plate at the fireplace.  They were then super excited to open their "Big One" present.  It was a trampoline, and the kids are loving it.  They were also gifted lots of other great gifts.

After presents we took the annual photo infront of the tree, ate breakfast, and relaxed.  I had to do some organizing on Christmas Day because the clutter was out of control.  However, we spent a lot of time just enjoying each other as a family.  Nick took Caleb outside to ride his car for a while, and Kinlee and I played kitchen inside. It was a great Christmas.

Christmas Eve

After we finished celebrating with my family we drove 3 1/2 hours back home to celebrate with Nick's family.  We always celebrate with his moms side on Christmas Eve, and this year was extra special because Santa was making an appearance.  Doodles Entertainment, graced us with their presence, and it was so sweet.  Mrs. Claus even joined.  They read The Night Before Christmas, and Santa told the Nativity story. The kids were then allowed to sit on Santa's lap to tell him what they wanted, and to pose for a picture. He was the sweetest Santa, and he told every kid that sat on his lap "You know God loves you right? He sent his Son Jesus because he loves you, and that is why we have Christmas".  So sweet.  I loved the way he connected Santa and Jesus.  I had no idea that was part of his services, but I was so thrilled with it.  My kids refused to go near him, so I have no picture of them with him.  I thought after their last experience that it might be best not to push it.

The rest of the evening was spent hanging out with family, eating, and the kids exchanged their gifts.  After it was all said and done, we came home, and put Kinlee to bed.  It was super late but we let Caleb put cookies and milk out for Santa on the plates and cups he had decorated. We also scattered reindeer food on the lawn for the reindeer to enjoy.  We then snuggled with Caleb, read the Night Before Christmas, and the Nativity story.  He loves acting out the Nativity Story with his manger set that Meemaw bought him, so we did that about 4 times as well.  We finally got him to bed, and Nick and I were up until after 2 am setting up everything.

The only picture I have of the evening

Fun Winter Days

We had a lot of snow shortly after Christmas.  Nick and I took the kids out on the first snow day to play, and they loved it.  Sledding was a huge hit.  Caleb was so sweet and held onto Kinlee so tight.  Kinlee rocked Caleb's old snowsuit, and was so funny. She could barely move in it.  Caleb loved being outside, and played outside with daddy for hours on end.