Welcome, Alivia Marie!

Babies, Babies, everywhere babies!!! As Tatum says, our house is full of babies! :) Auntie Liz had her baby on August 2nd, and we are finally adjusting to two babies in the house! Alivia is a little cutie with a head FULL of hair! Crazy hair as we refer to it around here! Welcome, sweet niece... Thank you, Liz for inviting me to be your 'birthing coach', it was definitely one of the most amazing experiences. Thank you for letting me 'cut the cord', as well.... wow.... simply amazing. No words can describe how it feels to witness the miracle of a new life coming into the world.

Eight Months and Movin'

What's going on with Kalina at eight months??? She is definitely getting around... not quite 'crawling', but whatever she sets her mind to, she will get! She is pulling herself around, and getting up on all fours... and today, she was up on her hands and feet... so who knows if she will ever 'crawl', she has found a way to move around, so she's happy! She has gotten herself to the sitting position a couple of times, and is jabbering away. Dadadadadadada is her new favorite... add a little gagaga and bababa and a few raspberries in between, and you have our conversations! Dinner time often sees quite a few raspberries, and I usually wish I had a raincoat! ;) K is definitely my little 'cuddle bug'... she doesn't always like to be held, but when she does... wow, is she a cuddler! I love it!

Looking up at Daddy

Sister Love :)

Laughing at Daddy

Stinker Face (mom's favorite)

Three Years of Love

The past three years have been so wonderful! Tatum has changed our lives and easily brings a smile to our faces, just thinking about her. She has such a sweet personality, and doesn't know how to be mean.

Tatum's Top Ten(not in any particular order):

1. Food: Peanut butter & honey smanich and a side of CHEESE!!!
2. Movie: Madagascar, favorite character Melman
3. Book: She loves every book that she reads, so currently her favorite is "Pete the Cat, I love my New White Shoes"
4. Color: Today is Pink(Changes Daily)
5. Toy(s): Books, Puzzles, Play-doh!, and blankets that Great Grandma Jane made, MELMAN!!!
6. Game: Hungry Hungry Hippos
7. Brushing her teeth
8. Animal: Giraffe (Melman)
9. Stickers
10.KALINA!!!!
Did I mention that she likes Melman??? (Melman refers to any giraffe!!!)

She can easily say and sing her ABC's, and recognizes most letters... 'S' is difficult, can count to 13... to 10 in Spanish (although we haven't done that in a while... I'll have to try this tomorrow), knows her shapes, loves to learn, loves to help- do anything, whatever I am doing, she wants to help, and is ALWAYS hungry... lol... doesn't matter what you are eating, she would like a bite. We are always 'helping' or 'saving' animals from our 'flyboat' (couch or climber outside), and loves to 'cuddle' at night before we leave her room. She is a very sensitive girl and does not like to disappoint anyone.

Loving Life Watching the Girls Grow

Sorry this is so late, but I had updated this last week and it 'vanished' when I went to publish it... so, here it goes...

Kalina at 7 months is laughing like crazy, rolling and pulling herself around to wherever she wants to go, eating like crazy, teething, makes fun sounds with her mouth, and loves Skype! Her favorite book is "I Love You Through and Through"... she smiles, laughs, and pats this book when I read it! She enjoys all books, but when I pull this one out, she just goes crazy! :) Her favorite food is, surprise!, sweet potatoes, although she does enjoy her applesauce and smashed bananas! She can't help but smile at you if you catch her watching you, and LOVES her Daddy and her sister! My favorite time is getting her from her crib either after naps or in the morning... she just smiiiles and laughs and kicks her feet! She just gets so excited! This past month has been so much fun watching her learn and become much more interested in her surroundings. I can sit her down on her blanket on the floor, go get her breakfast ready, and by the time I go get her, she is across the room checking something out. I just love watching her grow and learn.

Tatum is just, well, Tatum. She is such a joy and so sweet! She is such a great big sister and big cousin. It's so amazing to watch a (almost) three year old learn and put different ideas together. She makes great comparisons, and finds random similarities among different items. She loves riding her bike, and reading!!! She loves every book she reads, but right now, one of her favorites is 'Pete the Cat- I Love My White Shoes'. (if you haven't heard of it, google it and you can listen to it! it's fun!) She is always singing... whether she is taking care of 'business' in the bathroom, or sitting in the back of the car- she loves to sing. I can't believe that she is almost three years old... How fast the time has gone! I often find myself just watching her... loving every minute of it!

And... breathe... A Mom's Reflection

I wasn't going to post this, because it went in a different direction than I had planned, but it is a personal reflection, that I just let go in it's own direction. I haven't had 'time' to sit down in peace and quiet while able to 'relax' at the same time... tonight was my chance...


ahhhh, so the craziness has hopefully ended for a bit, and it is now time to breathe. Today was one of those days where I was able to just relax and enjoy being home with my girls. We did absolutely no running around- no errands, no grocery store... nada... it was wonderful! I bet the girls enjoyed it, too! It was nice to just breathe and enjoy life. It started out nice with a short rollerblade trip around on the Big Dry Creek Trail (behind our house)... then a nice story with the girls as I was getting ready to lay Kalina down for a nap. My favorite times during the day is when I have both girls in my lap for a story, or as Kalina is on the boppy, T just curls up on my legs and lays her head on the boppy and sometimes she just lays there, and others, like this morning, she brings a book and reads K and I a story. What else do I absolutely love about my girls? They adore each other and love each other so much. Once K hears T's voice, forget what we were just doing, and she just stretches and turns and wiggles around to find her sister. It's a good thing I don't EVER leave her on the changing table, because if I did, I'm sure she would roll right off, trying to find Tatum. Kalina is always smiling (the girl barely knows how to cry), and my favorite time to get her is right after she has been sleeping- she just gives that wonderful "OH, I'M SOOO HAPPY TO SEE YOU" smile that just lights up the room, but once she sees Tatum, somehow, it gets even bigger! I don't know how that is even possible. And Tatum, what a wonderful big sister! She loves her baby sister and just helps me out however she can. She loves to crawl into her crib with her, loves reading stories to her, shares her toys, lets her pull her hair (to an extent now), sings to her, wants to help feed her, helps change her diaper... the list goes on and on. It's amazing to me that she is just going to be 3 in a month... yet I can't believe she is already going to be three. Our little Tatum is becoming such a big girl. Tonight, I was just looking at her in awe... I had Kalina in my arms, putting her to sleep, when Tatum came to me and was telling me a story, and she is so descriptive about what she did and how and why she did it, I couldn't even respond. I just sat there looking at her, thinking, "oh my goodness, where has the time gone? She's such a big girl"... tears were welling up in my eyes, not sad tears, just tears... I am just amazed everyday at what she says, and the connections that she makes. Being Mom, definitely the best role I will ever have in life. To be able to watch my children grow and learn and become their own person, there is nothing better in life. Watching the girls grow, is just amazing. It's amazing watching a little baby learn to smile, laugh, sit, play, love, learn, talk, walk, think, and become a little girl with an imagination that goes on and on, a heart big enough to fit everyone she knows in, a genuine smile that will make your day brighter, hugs that feel so good, you don't want them to end... and those nights when T crawls into bed and curls up next to us... although we don't always get a good night's sleep... I absolutely cherish that time and am looking forward to having two little girls curling up in bed with us.

Happy Birthday, America!!!

Here are some pictures of the girls from the Fourth of July

We went to the Rockies game Saturday night to enjoy some baseball and fireworks... one of the best fireworks shows we have ever seen! WOW!!! Grandma Potts, Pops, Auntie Liz, Mister Jon, and Miss Kimberly joined us.

Kalina didn't sleep during the baseball game, but was out during the fireworks!

Tatum & Mister Jon

Hey! It's my half birthday!!!

Well, little miss Kalina is now 6 months old! Where has the time gone? It's definitely been crazy around here, but here is the fun stuff...



What is Kalina up to? Kalina is able to sit without support, says mom mom mom mom mom, and has been eating rice for a while. Her favorite toy- besides her sister, is her green frog, and she LOVES hair!!! She just grabs ahold of our hair (especially Tatum's) and pulls! OUCH! :) She is very ticklish and loves to laugh! She really doesn't cry, if she does, there is something really wrong. She's a pretty cuddly girl, and her smile just melts my heart!



Here are some pictures from June 28th...
Sister fun! :)