Happy 2nd Birthday Kylie!

Kylie is 2 today!! We celebrated her birthday last weekend, so I will blog about it later. We sure love this girl so much and thank God for her everyday. She is such a JOY and blessing!!! Here she is enjoying her Elmo cupcake that her Daddy and I made. She really did not care for his eyes made of marshmellows!! We love you Kylie!

Happy 7th Birthday Cole!

On August 20Th, 2002, James Cole Greene was born @ 1:09 P.M. It was a wonderful day in that God picked Rob and I to be Cole's parents. I feel truly blessed to have such an amazing, smart and kind-hearted little boy...oops BIG boy! He keeps us laughing and there is never a dull moment when he is around. I can't believe I am about to have a 2ND grader. That just doesn't sound right!

When Cole was born he had a little bump in the road by developing a fever. He was put in the NI CU and had a spinal tap and other tests performed to figure out the problem. After giving him antibiotics he was released 4 days later. Never really knew what the problem was and you would never know there had been one. He had some trouble with ear infections and asthma as an infant/toddler but by the time he hit around 3 he left all of that in the wind and hasn't stopped running yet. He has had amazing health!! He only missed 1/2 day in Kindergarten due to pink eye and 1 day last year with a stomach virus that his sister gave him. He is a strong boy...he must have gotten that from his Father because I catch everything!!

Cole loves to be around people (kind of like his Dad) and really really loves his sister. He always prayed for a brother or sister and when we told him he was going to have a sister, he would pray for her to hurry up and get here.

He likes to "collect" (like most boys), rocks (he calls them magic crystals), sticks and bugs. He can turn just about any stick into a machine gun and I am constantly finding magic crystals all over the house! He has tried to bring the bugs in the house but they have to stay in the bug catcher outside!!

He loves to perform magic tricks for us and even went door to door trying to sell his magic tricks for $5! (No...I did not know he even left the yard). When that didn't work he set up a magic stand in the front yard, but sadly had no customers.

Cole is a very strong reader and has been reading "above average" since he started school. Funny thing is he hates to do it. He also is great at Math, again something that I do not do well in. Again from his Dad!

He got a lot of traits from his Dad but the one thing besides my eyes that I think he got from me is his SOFT HEART!! He feels so much for people and animals! One time our dog got after some baby possums and I had to restrain Cole from "defending" the babys. He was so distraught and could not stop crying. He cares for homeless people and worries about them out in the weather as well as animals during storms. Don't even get me started on sad movies. We should video his emotions while watching.

Cole is the best kid any parent could ask for!! We love him so much and love the big boy he is turning into. Thank you God for our Son! Happy 7Th Birthday Cole!

Bluebonnets 2009-Part 2

Bluebonnets 2009-Part 1

This year we visited Ms. Winnie's yard again for our Bluebonnet pictures and I can't just post these so I'll be back later with some more. I love be able to just walk down the street and not worry about traffic anywhere. Ms. Winnie has the most beautiful flowers and the kids love going to her house exploring! Here are some of my favorite even if the sun is super bright....can't wait too long to take them or we get too close to bedtime!!

Wordless Wednesday

17 Months

Kylie 17 Months Old

Kylie is 17 Months old today. I can't believe how much she has changed and how much she is learning each day. My little baby is turning into a little girl before my eyes. While it brings me joy to see her growing up, I am a bit sad that I don't have a "itty bitty" anymore! She changes each day and warms my heart with her sweet smile and constant hugs and repeating of "I yuh you"!! Thank you God for my beautiful little Angel! The latest happenings with Kylie.......

1. She is still a squirt...as of 15 months she hadn't made it to 20 lbs yet and falls in the 5%.

2. Loves loves loves Carbs...bread, crackers, tortillas, pancakes, bagels, etc...

3. Loves her brother BUT has learned to whine, squeak, squeal and hit him when she sees fit.

4. Still gets excited to see him when we pick him up from school...that only lasts a few minutes.

5. Has learned "No"...uses it over and over and over....it gets old!

6. Has learned to HIT...anything...walls, table, Mommy, Daddy, Cole, the floor....

7. From the previous two....I think we have hit the "Terrible Twos"!!

8. She loves music...any kind....when listening in the car she will whine until the next song comes on.

9. Loves to Dance to any "music" even if it is just you snapping your fingers. If it has a beat, she moves her body!!

10. Has started to "sing"..."la ta to eeh ooh ma wee woh me ba".....it is really cute!

11. Kisses with her mouth closed and makes the "smooch" sound. I love it..spit and all!

12. She is addicted to milk. She begs for it all day long by signing it and saying "Ma Ma Ma".

13. Signs more and more now....Milk, Water, Bread, Cracker, Apple, Mommy, Daddy, Cole, Bye-Bye, Choo Choo, night night, Bird, Bath, Cold, Hot, Coffee (yes I taught her coffee), Doggy, eat/food, cookie, and many more.

14. Is talking more and more each day. I so love the sound of "Mama".

15. Will repeat almost any word you ask her to say!! It may not be exact but it sure is close and so cute that she tries so hard to say it.

16. Loves to go Bye Bye and gets so excited when she knows we are going somewhere.

17. Kylie is the cutest, sweetest, most loving little girl God could have ever blessed us with!

Just For Fun....Sorry Cole!!

Attack of the Birds

I had to add this photo from our vacation. It is too funny...the birds really weren't attacking Cole but it sure looks like it so I wanted to share!! I'm not really sure what he was doing but knowing him.....complaining!!

Catching Up-Part 1

Summer Vacation 2008-Aransas Pass

I am going to have to play "catch up" for a while since the computer went down so I am going all the way back to the Summer time to post some of our pics. These are pictures of our trip to my Aunt's house in Aransas Pass. It was Cole's second time to go to the beach and Kylie's first time. As you can tell from the picture below she enjoyed the sand the most!! What is it with babies and sand?? We couldn't keep her from eating it. I guess it bulks up her immune system! She however did NOT like the water and wanted no part of it and let us all know about it. Cole on the other hand was even more brave this year which scared Mommy a little bit. We also hit the really cool water park just down the street from my Aunt's house but I didn't include those pics.

The kids really loved the birds and of course the birds REALLY loved the kids. Can't you tell? I had a hard time getting Kylie to stop eating the bread long enough to share with the birds. That girl and her carbs. All in all it was a fun trip and always good to visit with some family that I never really knew growing up. We hope to be able to visit every Summer.

A New Start with a Derby Race

Life has been really crazy lately so blogging has taken a back seat. First my computer crashed and then I started working part time. Once I got the computer back up I just felt so overwhelmed with how much I had not blog that I just let it all go.

I guess a good Pinewood Derby race is as good of a start as any. Cole's Cub Scout Pack had their annual Derby race this past Sunday. It is funny how a little car develops from just a block of wood. This is a picture of Cole's car and trophy. Rob made the car so it could sit on top of the trophy but still be able to take it off so Cole could play with it.






Cole with his trophy and car after the race. He was a very proud little Cub Scout.

Cole's car is in the red lane and was neck and neck with the yellow lane car. He actually "won" first place in this race. Everyone got a trophy though ;) !!

Happy 1st Birthday Kylie!

Today is our baby girl's 1st Birthday! I can't believe she has grown so fast and not a baby anymore. She has changed so much in just a year....we can't wait to see the little girl she will become. God has blessed us with first our beautiful son and now with a sweet little girl!! I am thanking God everyday for these perfect angels!!

I will post more later....our computer crashed and I am borrowing a computer to just be able to document this. We have missed sooo much on our blog...summer vacation, Cole's 6Th birthday and first day of 1st grade and now Kylie's birthday. As soon as we are up and running I will have a TON of pictures to post.

No More Formula....I Hope!!!

Well we have run out of formula so I called Kylie's Dr. to find out if we could give her the real stuff yet. We got the okay so today I went to the store and bought the "liquid gold"!! She just had some and seems to like it.....yea another pay raise! We'll see how the day goes and pray for no signs of allergies.

Just a thought....wouldn't it be cool if cars could run on milk seeing how it cost more than a gallon of gas now!!!!!

Kylie 11 Months

Kylie turned 11 months old on September 4th. I can't believe she is almost a year old! Time has flown by and she has changed so much before our eyes. Here is her list of new tricks and fun things.

1. She is now signing...all finished (w/one hand), cookie, milk, more, & please.
2. Is now cruising....so it shouldn't much longer on the crawling.
3. Has 4 teeth including a huge gap between her two front teeth (so did Cole).
4. Loves all food but especially loves BEANS....great!!
5. Waves at almost everyone and has been very friendly until....
6. Last weekend I think she started seperation anxiety!!
7. Is terrified of men dressed up like shepards...that's another story.
8. She loves music and will dance and stomp her foot or shake her leg.
9. She is already practicing her karate chops on her big brother...he loves it!
10.Loves going for rides in her little car & likes to pretend to steer.
11.She really loves books and will sit forever and just flip through them.

That's it for now for our sweet baby girl....until next month at One Year Old!



I had to throw in this hilarious picture of Kylie. She gets this look from her Dad!!

Recipe Swap Again

It is recipe swap time again over at Grocery Cart Challenge.


No Cook Banana Pudding

1 Large Box Instant Vanilla Pudding
1 Can Eagle Brand Milk (Not Evap)
1 Large Cool Whip (I use 8 oz. either works)
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 Box Vanilla Wafers (I use cheap brand)
1 Bunch Bananas

Follow directions on pudding box. Beat in Eagle Brand Milk and then fold in whip cream and vanilla. Layer your pudding mix, bananas and cookies in the order you like. This makes a ton of pudding so it is perfect for taking to a party or potluck.

Recipe Swap Friday

It's that time again....Recipe Swap Friday over at Grocery Cart Challenge. The recipe I came up with is from the Kraft Magazine. This recipe is super easy and really yummy!!


Slow Cooker Baked Beans

Prep Time:
15 min
Total Time:
6 hr 15 min
Makes:
10 servings, 1/2 cup each

3 cans (15 oz. each) pinto beans, drained, rinsed
1 cup KRAFT Original Barbecue Sauce
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 slices OSCAR MAYER Bacon, chopped

PLACE all ingredients in slow cooker; mix well. Cover with lid.
COOK on LOW for 4 to 6 hours (or on HIGH for 3 hours).
Kraft Kitchens Tips
Substitute
Prepare as directed, using your favorite flavor of KRAFT Barbecue Sauce.

Fireproof

Tuesday Rob and I went to a movie preview and were blown away by this movie!! The movie is called Fireproof. It is by the same creator of Facing the Giants which was a great movie as well. It was done by the Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia and Kirk Cameron is the main character. What is really neat is that this movie had a $500,000 budget and was made in 31 days. Every piece of equipment was donated and everyone volunteered for the movie including Kirk Cameron. I can't say enough about what this movie stands for. It is a love story that every marriage could use. Even if you are not married or if you have been married for 50 years it would be such a gift to both you and your partner. Finally a movie that has a purpose. I hope that everyone can be blessed from this movie! Go see it...you'll be glad you did.

I did It!

I decided to take the Grocery Cart Challenge and I did it and was under budget. Thanks to Gayle I am looking forward to saving my family money and hopefully cooking some yummy meals. If you think you can't do just head over to Gayle's website and think again!! The most important thing for me to remember is PLAN and DON'T TAKE THE KIDS! I only spent $42 and have a plan for 7 dinners (and we always have leftovers), several breakfasts (I don't cook breakfast everyday) and two healthy desserts...we will be eating those as snacks as well. I don't have time this week to do the Menu Plan Monday and list what I bought but I will try next time and if anyone wants some of the recipes let me know. I got several of the recipes from the Friday Swap and can't wait to try them!

Recipe Swap

Gayle at The Grocery Cart Challenge is having a recipe swap today so I thought I would participate because I am running out of ideas for feeding my family. I am tired of making the same thing over and over. The recipe I chose is not really a recipe I found anywhere but something my Mom use to make and I starting making using what ingredients I have on hand so hopefully it is not confusing for you.

Cowboy Packets

1 lb. Ground Meat (use amt. that fits your family size)
Marinade (we use Allegro)
We use the following veggies or whatever is on hand:
Green Beans
Onion
Tomatoes
Whole Kernel Corn
Sliced Potatoes

After seasoning your meat with marinade, make patties out of the meat and put on piece of heavy duty tin foil. Use a piece of foil that will make a packet that can hold meat and all your veggies. Put veggies on top of meat and add a couple more drops of marinade to veggies and fold up packet. We put ours on the grill but you can put them in the oven. I usually serve some type of rice, salad or homemade bread along with it. The options are endless of what you can put in your packets!

Happy 10 Months on the 4th!!

Our sweet Kylie turned 10 months old on the 4th of July. She has changed so much and definitely has developed her own little personality. She is completely different from the way Cole was as a baby! The only thing they have in common is that they both love to sleep. Here are a few things about Kylie, some new and some that haven't changed.

1. She still loves to sleep and is still taking 3 naps a day.
2. She really enjoys being in the water...just not fond of the ocean.
3. Has her third tooth coming in...Cole had 7 teeth at this age.
4. Loves Loves Loves animals and the minute she sees one she starts "cooing".
5. Is pulling up on everything....just not brave enough to cruise.
6. Has signed "all finished" and just tonight signed "more". Not really interested
in signing...she would rather grunt and whine, however she says "Ma" for more.
7. Crawls everywhere and has bumps and bruises to prove it.
8. Says "Mama", "Dada","Dade", "Baba" (bottle and Bye-Bye), "Ma" (more).
9. Eats everything!! She is refusing most baby food but still enjoys her oatmeal and
fruit. Has eaten Roast, sweet potato, Lima beans, re fried beans, cantaloupe, rice,
Asian noodles, garlic toast, watermelon, tortillas, and list goes on!!!
10.Gives sweet slimy kisses...those are the best!!!

A Supper Wish

Another Funny Brought to you by Cole

Cole: My wish did not come true Mom.
Me: What was your wish?
Cole: To have something else for Supper!


And to think we were just having leftover Tacos. I usually get the whole "You're better than Rachel Ray Mom!!"

9 Months Old

Kylie turned 9 months old on June 4th and decided it was time to CRAWL, CUT TWO TEETH AND PULL UP all in about a weeks time! Where did my little baby go? She had her 9 month Dr. visit yesterday and she is slowly moving up the charts. She now weighs 16 lbs.-%25, stands 27 1/2 inches-%25 and her little noggin is in the %50! The Dr. seemed pleased with her growth and the Acid Reflux doesn't seem to be coming back!! She she has come a long way from the poor little baby girl that use to just cry and cry in pain!! Well, I guess I need to go baby proof the house...my little munchkin is started to make her way through out the house! We love you Kylie!!