March 2012

Here goes what I can remember of March.  At the end of February and the beginning of March, the girls and I took a quick trip down to Augusta.  We had a blast hanging out at Uncle Travis and Aunt Carrie's house.  Grandma even came to join the fun.  My girls are loving getting to know my Grandma.  I want them to have every opportunity to send time with her because she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's a little over a year ago.  I want to her have as many positive memories of my girls as possible.  

Uncle T enjoyed soaking up some Corah time.  You can see in this picture that she's an equal opportunity employer.  If her binky is not readily available, she will make use of her thumb or fingers.

Corah love grinning at Uncle Travis, but who wouldn't...he's a fun guy.

Kenly loves to visit Uncle T and Aunt C because their house and land are full of amazing fun. There is a pond for fishing. There's a garden that needs picking. There's a golf cart for driving.

Papa control the pedals, but he says we might have some work on our hands when it comes time to teach her to drive. Apparently she like to cut it close when turning around obstacles.

What's not to love about this beautiful piece of God's creation.

Nana loves "the farm" as much as Kenly.

Corah is not always smiley. When she fusses, it is "full throttle." She's 8 months old at this point (not in this picture), and she has entered a very whiny phase. So much so that we've started calling her Skeeter.

We also had an amazing bonfire at the farm. Kenly and Travis played guitar around the fire, and everybody enjoyed a S'more.

Kenly started getting to know Corah a little better.  Jealousy still had a stronghold at this point in time, but Kenly started to notice that Corah was developing a personality. 

Last year's St. Patrick's Day was ruined by a stomach virus, so I was determined to make this one a bit more fun.  I looked everywhere for a shamrock cookie cutter, but I couldn't find one.  We made our own shamrocks using a small heart cookie cutter.  More salt dough creations....

See our beautiful salt dough ornaments cooking?  Who needs a shamrock cookie cutter?  Not the Brand girls.

Getting big...

The cooling shamrock ornaments.  Can you see the joining of three hearts and a stem?  When these babies got a coat of paint, the joints were not visible. 

We got some bad news in February.  Our good friends, the Yoders, announced that they were moving back to Michigan.  To say we were devastated would be the understatement of the year.  We made the most of the time we had left together, but the packing and "new baby" fatigue kept getting in the way. 

Meghan is clever.  She let the girls paint their nails by drawing their hands on the back of paper plates.  Then she turned them loose with nail polish. 

Ava demonstrated how a wig can instantly turn a little girl into Rapunzel.  

Meghan was able to get to know Corah a bit before they moved.

Ava enjoyed holding Corah more than Kenly ever has, but then again, Ava gets to send Corah home with us.

I love those rounded cheeks and those beautiful blue eyes.  The light in Meghan's old house was amazing for taking picture.

I miss play dates with Meghan and Ava.  Even though we often had to be the "sharing police," I miss watching the girls become friends.  I miss sharing motherhood with Meghan.

One day in March, Adam came home and was blessed with an extended snuggle session that involved every member of the family.  Kenly got in on the snuggles first.

When Corah woke up from her nap, she wanted some snuggle time with Daddy too.

Chance decided that if everyone else was getting a "piece" of Daddy, he was not going to be shorted.

Kenly and I spent a day of two decorating the salt dough ornaments with acrylic paints while Corah took her morning nap.  We made leprechaun hats, shamrocks, gold coins, and rainbows.  I painted my rainbows according to ROYGBIV.  So did Kenly, but her rainbows were far more beautiful than mine. 

Look at the concentration as she painted her masterpiece.

The finished St. Patrick's Day masterpiece from a distance.  I loved how it turned out, and I'm convinced that everything Kenly paints is far more beautiful than the ornaments that I paint.

Just a typical Saturday morning with everyone hanging out on the king size bed in our room.

Kenly made this adorable leprechaun mask at story time at the library.  I wanted to send out St. Patrick's Day card with her cute mug, but I never made it happen.  I'm giving myself some grace...this parenting two kids takes a lot of time.  It's why I'm just now blogging about March.

Mops and Pops came up for Adam's birthday weekend.  It was nice to have them here.  The weather was amazing, so we spent a great deal of time out on the screened porch. 

Pops brought some of Adam's favorite rib from Johnny's.  But, the Brunswick stew made the meal absolutely perfect.

He's not excited at all.

We were able to put together a St. Patrick's Day breakfast this year.  The only think that wasn't green was the bacon.  Green eggs, green pancakes, and green milk.  It looked like we were eating moldy old food.

Doesn't that look good?  Okay...maybe not, but it was a fun holiday memory for my family, and that is all that matter. 

Kenly continues to look more like a girl and less like a baby.  I swear she looks like she's going on 13 in this halter top.

Corah started enjoying tummy time a little more, and some of her hair started growing back.  She looks slightly like she's sporting a comb over in this picture.  She's beautiful with a comb over. 

Kenly had another dance open house.  Mops and Pops went with us to watch her tap/ballet class.  We got a glimpse of what she would be doing for the recital in May.  I'm a proud Mama, but I was blown away by how well she knew both of her routines. 

Miss Merle know how to teach toddlers.  I was amazed by how far they had come since November.

She loves her leotard/tutu.  I love watching her spin.

She loves dance class.

We spent a few last day with Ava and Meghan.  I was able to capture a few more "recent" pictures for a photo book that I put together for Meghan.  I made me tear to look through photos of them growing up side by side.  It was cool to see how much they have both grown and changed.

 

I keep trying to capture Corah's beautiful blue eyes in a photo, but nothing I take does them justice.  Just take my word for it...they are beautiful.  Not icy, but a rich, deep blue.

Chance enjoyed hanging out on the porch in the nice spring weather, especially since he has his own couch.

Corah tends to like one toy for awhile.  In March she had a fondness for the giraffe. 

I finally got a foot picture that makes me proud.  I love those Daddy hands too.

When did she turn into a girl?  I'm not liking this at all.  Adam was holding Kenly in his lap the other day.   He reached down to rub her leg, and he looked shocked.  I asked him was wrong.  He spoke in Spanish so that Kenly wouldn't feel self conscious. Ella tiene pelo on sus piernas.  (She has hair on her legs.)  Indeed, it seems that overnight Kenly has grown hair on her legs.  No more baby smooth skin.  Sigh.   

Kenly bought some morning glory seeds with her Valentine's Day money from Mops.  We spent an afternoon planing them.  I hope to plant a small container garden with Kenly next year.  She loves to plant things.  And pick fruits and veggies too.

I hope she gets Nana's green thumb...or Grandma's green thumb.  I love flowers and plants, but they don't fair well in my care.

Aren't morning glory seeds beautiful?

So proud to be planting something of her very own.  I'm sad to say that these seeds were harvested by some pesky squirrels, but we planted a second round of the same seeds and they are happily thriving and climbing a trellis at the end of the driveway. 

Will I keep her?  FOREVER!

Kenly love to jump in rain puddles or mud puddles or rivers....or water in general.  She made good use of the puddle she created while watering her seeds.

Later that evening, we went to her hip hop open house at Releve.  It's my blog, and I can brag because I'm her mama, so I'm just going to say that she "stole the show."  The hip hop class allows her to shine.  She had everyone laughing, clapping, and cheering.  At one point every parent there was saying, "Go Kenly!"  She ate up the attention. 

We decided to let Corah try out the high chair.  She started spending dinner time with us at the table even though she wasn't ready for solids yet.  She was really into licking and chewing on the straps of the high chair.

I even let her start playing with a spoon so she'd be ready for rice cereal when the time came.  She knew what to do right away.

Daddy now has 3 people and a dog who all clamor for his attention as soon as he walks in for work.  We are learning to share with each other.

Corah snuggled Daddy for a little bit during a "Family Movie Night."  She rarely gets to see the television, but we make an exception when FMN rolls around.  She's family, and (to quote Lilo and Stitch) family means no one gets left behind or forgotten.

It looks like she's picking popcorn out of her teeth, but I swear we didn't give her any.  Plus...at this point she didn't have any teeth.

The biggest news of March 2012 is that we welcomed a new member of the family.  We adopted/bought at 2004 Toyota Sienna.  We are now rocking a Swagger Wagon, and I love it!  I don't know how I lived without a van before now.  We named our baby blue beauty....Cielo.  We felt like the perfect van fell from heaven, so we gave it the Spanish name for sky/heaven.  We acquired the van just before spring break.  Perfect timing.  We rented a house at Edisto Beach, SC.  If Cielo had not come into our lives, we would have been forced to drive two vehicles to the beach.  Thanks to the van, we were all able to ride together.  The house we rented at the beach was named Sea for Eva, and it was PERFECT.  Mops and Pops came up the first part of the week, and then Nana, Papa, and Grandma came up for the second half of the week.  It was an ideal vacation.  

Kenly loves the beach.  She loves the waves as long as she has a "wing man" to keep her steady.  One of our favorite things to do at Edisto is to look for sharks' teeth.  I got really good at finding them this trip.  I found the most, but Adam found the best tooth of all.  All of the teeth are beautifully fossilized.  Adam found a tooth from a Great White.  It is nearly three inches long and probably close to an inch wide.  It's amazing!

I love Kenly's shadow in this picture.   

You can't tell me that she doesn't look 13 in this one.  I'm really not a huge fan of the bikini, but these were free.  I didn't have to buy a swimsuit all season, so I'm not complaining.  I just don't want her to grow up too quick.

Corah slept through her first trip to the beach, but we have photographic evidence that she was there.  I'm not sure what my shorts are doing in this picture, but oh well.

Adam took this picture, and I am SO in love with it.  I want to make it an 8x10 canvas for our beach home.  Wait a minute...we don't have a beach home.

Chance loves the beach as much as we do.  When he was a puppy he could chase sea gulls for hours.  There is a leash law on Edisto Island, but if you get up at sunrise, you're pretty much guaranteed to have the beach to yourself for awhile.  He is beautiful and wicked fast on the beach.

I was slightly limited in my sand play while holding Corah.  

I love sandy toes...as long as they are not leaving a sandbox in my bed.

Is there anything more precious that a Daddy playing with his daughter in the wave?  I love that this picture captures how much Kenly trusts Adam.

If I had to live at the beach, I think I would pick Edisto. 

Kenly and Adam always bury each other in the sand while we are at the beach.

This is one of the few times she can be still.  Otherwise she's perpetual motion.

She loved soaking up some quality time with Mops and Pops.

Corah got to try rice cereal for the first time at the beach.  She loved it.  This is her getting settled into the Bumbo for her first experience with solids. 

YUMMY!  Rice cereal face. 

Can I have some more of that, please?

I finally get to have real people food.  They actually put something on the spoon this time.
Introducing solids of every sort soon lead to some gastrointestinal issues for Corah.  I finally had to take her to the doctor in June and July.  She was severely constipated.  We are finally resolving some of those issues, but Corah is now on a daily laxative.  The doctor wants her to take 2 teaspoons of Miralax a day.  To give you some perspective, the average dose for a child her age and weight is 1/4 teaspoon.  The problem is getting her to take it.  She's on a bottle strike right now, and for awhile we couldn't get her to take juice or water out of a sippy.  But, we've finally found a few cups that she will use.  Since the Miralax has to be dissolved in a liquid, we are relieve that she is finally taking fluid from some other source than my breast.  We are not out of the woods yet, but we are so much better.

There are more beach pictures to come in April...if I ever get to posting them.