Valentine's Day ~ What a difference a year makes!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

Kam's first Valentine's Day ~ February 14, 2009

A year later :)

It's almost Valentine's Day! I'll admit, I'd never been a big fan of the holiday. I didn't dislike Valentine's Day, but I certainly didn't get excited about it. But over the last few years this holiday has come to grow on me. I mean, really, how can you not like a day that's devoted to love and hearts and pink froufy stuff? {And let's not forget cookies and chocolate! Mmmm cookies. And chocolate.}

So, we've been baking.

And decorating.

And yay me! I found something to do with the {many} pounds of M&Ms left over from Kameryn's birthday! {You know, besides eating them myself, one by one.}

And since I will eat each and every cookie in the house all by myself, it was necessary to gift some of the cookies we baked. {You're welcome, Dad.}

We've been busy making Valentine's cards too. You know, I think this is the first year we've made our own. And it was fun. I found the most adorable idea on The Maternal Lens for super cute Valentine's cards. We sent them off yesterday ;)

Cute, right? The girls loved decorating them and choosing who to send them off to. Such fun! I'm beginning to LOVE this holiday!

What kinds of pink fluffery heart activities have y'all been up to?

And, is time totally getting away from you too? Ugh, I don't know where the days go!

{Almost} Wordless Wednesday ~ Valentine Outtakes

We have been playing around with pictures to use for our Valentine cards. As you can see, the girls got a little . . . giggly. And Kenners was a goof-ball! Here are just a few of our outtakes.

i heart faces ~ We ♥ Kisses

This week's theme at i heart faces is We ♥ Kisses.

Well, we love kisses around here too! You may remember this photo from a little while back. {I actually "kissed Kam to sleep". Yes, that's right. Little Kameryn loves kisses so much that if you kiss her lightly, and she's already pretty sleepy, she'll drift right off to dreamland!} I had to share it again for this photo challenge ~ it's one of my favorites!

Want to take a gander at more smoochie smooches? Check out iheartfaces, whydon'tcha!

Real Life

Real life has been kinda busy lately, which has left little time for blogging.

I had great plans for fun Valentine's activities and crafting with the girls, but life has definitely gotten in the way. Stomach bugs, teething issues, appointments, school, have all kept us hopping.

We did manage to make these cute foam and tissue paper hearts last week. If you're looking for an easy project to do with your sugarplums, this is great. {Though if they are real little, they may need a lot of help}.

You'll need some craft foam {or construction paper}, tissue paper {cut into small squares}, a pencil {for shaping the tissue paper}, glue, a hole punch, and ribbon.

Cut the foam or construction paper into the shape of a heart. Slather with glue ;) Wrap each piece of tissue paper around the end of a pencil and place close together on the heart until it is covered. Punch two holes for ribbon, and hang.

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Kam has been pretty happy to be using utensils at meals. She keeps a spoon in one hand while using the other hand to feed herself, ha! It is the cutest. And messiest.

I keep her in her jammies until after breakfast. Otherwise we'd be changing clothes about 10 times per day.

This is where we wind up after meals. It's a must after smearing apple sauce and oatmeal throughout our hair.

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We've been busy with school. I'm so proud of Sierra. She's mastered carrying and borrowing, and we've just started on multiplication. And she doesn't think she's good at math!

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Today we made a trip to Target to birthday shop for my Mother-in-law. Is it just me or does Makenna look so grown up in this picture???

All my girls are growing so fast! Kenners will be 5 in just a couple of weeks. Sigh.

Sierra helped me pick out birthday cards. Choices, choices.

And she found a pot holder for our aunt. {She just sent the girls Valentine's packages, and Sierra wants to send something to her in return}. Sierra is one of the most giving people I know. Usually when we're at Target {or Joann's or anywhere else that has $1 bins} the girls get to choose one or two things. Sierra always chooses a gift for someone else. Always.

And Kenners chose this must-have. A neck pillow.

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It's been busy, I tell ya. What have y'all been up to?

Wordful Wednesday

Kam's 1st birthday party didn't go exactly as planned. With Kenners being sick we cancelled the big plans, and just had the grandparents come over to celebrate with cake and pictures. It worked out great, and Kam didn't mind at all. She's much happier with smaller crowds ;)

A small taste

Mmm, this is good. Maybe I'll go in for more.

I'm getting a little sticky here . . .

Get me outta this high chair!!!

Kenners actually felt much better by the time the party started.

Ooooh, what's this?

One happy, {nakey} birthday girl!

Focus on the Family ~ February Goals

So, the Super Fabulous Connie from The Young and the Relentless started this wonderful monthly plan, Focus on the Family. It's a way to be deliberate in our actions as Mamas, and to ensure that a whole month doesn't fly right by us without so much as a memory to jot down. I don't know about y'all, but I need a plan!

*For February 2010*

February is going to a busy month for us, but we are definitely looking forward to it all. My mother-in-law's birthday is next weekend, and we love any reason to get together with family. Valentine's Day is right around the corner, and the girls couldn't be more excited. We've been decorating, making cards, and we just finished putting together our mailboxes. Kenners birthday is toward the end of the month, and we're planning a special trip.

Family Time

♥ We are making another trip to Great Wolf Lodge at the end of the month for Kenners birthday. All five of us will be going, plus we're dragging both sets of grandparents along. We don't get out much all together, and we can't wait!

Girl Time

♥ I want to plan more trips to our local library. We used to go on a regular basis, and haven't been for a few months.

♥ We have many crafts and activities planned for Valentine's Day

♥ My sister coaches dance team and her team will be competing locally on the 13th. We LOVE dance team competitions, and can't wait to attend!

Me Time

♥ I am enjoying my third Beth Moore bible study.

♥ I hope to start reading again. I love a good book, and it's been WAY too long since I've gotten through one ;)

Couple Time

♥ Jeremy and I are making a point to get the girls in bed earlier at night so that we can spend time together, alone, in the evenings. I love it! We enjoy watching Big Love and Dexter, and being able to chat without interruptions ;)

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I'm starting off small, goal-wise. How about you? What do you have planned for February? Head on over to Connie's to link up!

It's Party Time! {Maybe}

We've had a busy week. Oh, who am I kidding, we've had a busy MONTH! {Isn't it supposed to slow down a bit after the holidays?} Anyway, this last week, in particular, was especially busy. My aunt and uncle came up for a visit, and we had so much fun catching up. We had our regular homeschool routine, plus dance lessons on Tuesday night. Kam's 12 month Well-Child Check, and preparations for little Sweet Pea's birthday including shopping trips, and decorating.

The girls and I have spent a LOT of time making decorations for the party that is planned for tomorrow afternoon. So isn't it fitting that Kenners has been throwing up all day? Yeah, I thought so too. Ah well, that's life ;)

So, you want to see what kinds of crafty goodness we've been up to?

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First on our list was to make these tissue paper flower decorations. Aren't they the sweetest? I saw that Kelly made these for her daughter's first birthday, and I fell in love with them. You can find the tutorial on Design Dazzle {quite possibly my new favorite site!}

These little cuties will be gracing the tops of the cupcakes. So easy-peasy. I just used a circle punch, the girls put the stickers on, I punched two small holes to insert the toothpicks, and voila!

Kam's Happy Birthday Sign ;) Another fun and easy project that Sierra and Makenna had a blast helping with.

And finally, our Candy Bar. The funniest part about this is that I am the one who is constantly complaining about having too much candy in the house. So, what do I do? Go out and buy a bunch of candy as favors, of course.

I found these adorable take-out boxes to fill with said candy. And in a hilarious twist of fate, because of sickness and such, quite possibly half of the {already small} guest list won't be attending. That's right, I'll be stuck with all this candy. Isn't that the way?

What kinds of craftiness have y'all been up to?

Flashback Friday, Pregnancy Journal ~ Birth Story

Ack! I'm a little late. Sorry, but it's been a busy day. We're getting ready for a big first birthday party around here, don'tchaknow! {More on that to come!} Anyway, here it is. The last journal I kept for Storknet.com a year ago during my pregnancy with Kameryn. Her birth story. The very, very condensed version ;) I'll be back soon with some party pictures to post. Stay tuned!

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{originally submitted January 31, 2009}

Birth Story ~ Meet Kameryn Faith

Wow, it is hard to believe that I’m writing our birth story already! Our precious little Kameryn Faith is now a part of our family, and we feel so very blessed.

After my last journal entry we continued to play the waiting game. I got through the rest of the week without too much drama, and was told by my team of doctors that as long as she remained stable with no changes, they would continue to postpone delivery. As soon as an ultrasound or a non-stress test came back with changes, we would be induced.

On Monday, January 26th I was wheeled to the Perinatologist clinic in the next building, for my daily Level 2 Ultasound, and it showed that things had, indeed, changed. I was then sent to Labor and Delivery for a non-stress test. It was then that I was told I would be induced. I called Jeremy, and he and the girls made it to the hospital in time to visit for a bit before they started the pitocin. At that point I was only dilated 1cm, so I definitely had a ways to go.

The pitocin was started at 2pm, and by Monday night I still wasn’t progressing. Mild, regular contractions were about the extent of it. Jeremy’s parents took the girls home that night. It was the first time they had left the hospital excited, as they knew they would meet their baby sister soon. Jeremy and my parents decided to stick around in case labor progressed. Around midnight the doctors checked my cervix again, and found no change, so I got to have my cervix manually dilated (I’ll spare the yucky details!). At 5am on Tuesday, I finally dilated to 3cm, but still wasn’t experiencing painful contractions. Jeremy’s parents brought the girls back in on Tuesday morning, and we continued to wait.

By 2pm on Tuesday afternoon I had been in labor for 24 hours, and was exhausted. The doctors decided it was time to break my water. Once that happened, things took off rather quickly. Within about a half hour my contractions became painful, and I was re-considering the epidural! However, there was no time for one. By 3:30 I was having a hard time breathing through the contractions, and thought I might need to push soon. Doctors rushed in ~ 2 specialists, 2 residents, a nurse, and 2 pediatricians from NICU (as we were informed that Kameryn would be immediately whisked away for observation). Three pushes later, and our little one made her appearance!

Kameryn Faith was born at 4:12 pm on January 27th , at 34 weeks, 6 days, weighing 6 pounds even, and measuring 19 ¾ inches. Not too terribly tiny, considering. She was whisked away, but was able to come back so I could take a peek at her. They ran some tests, and found that she wouldn’t need to have a blood transfusion (yay!), but her blood sugar level was a little low, so she did have a short stay in NICU. By midnight she was rooming with me. We felt so blessed that she had no other complications. No breathing problems, no temperature-control issues, nothing!

She was a little jaundice, so Wednesday night was spent under bilirubin lights, but praise the Lord, she was able to come home with us on Thursday morning.

We are now settling in at home, though we are far from any sort of schedule. After being in the hospital for two weeks, there is a lot of catching up to do. Though all of that will have to be put on hold for awhile. Kameryn lost quite a little bit of weight, and is now down to 5 lbs. 6 ozs, so we have to go to the doctor for daily weigh-ins. She seems to be having a hard time putting weight on, but I’m trying not to get discouraged. My main job these days is making sure she is getting enough to eat, which includes trying to supplement in between feedings, and tracking all feedings and wet diapers. I really took for granted the fact that Sierra and Makenna gained weight so quickly after the were born. It’s hard to truly enjoy this time when I am feeling like I’m not doing a good job growing my little baby. With prayer and a little time, I have faith that it will all work out.

A great big thank you to all who have followed my journal, especially those of you who have taken the time to write. Best wishes to all of you for happy, healthy pregnancies.

Blessings,

Liz

One.Whole.Year.

Alternately Titled: Get ready for a whole lotta pictures, people!

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Oh my goodness, I cannot believe my baby, my littlest baby is one year old today. Have I mentioned {242 million times} that I don't know where this year has gone? Yeah, well, I don't. The only thing I can figure is that when you have other children at home who are constantly on the go, time zooms by even faster. Anyway.

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Kameryn, you are ONE YEAR OLD! On this day, one year ago, you blessed our lives more than we could ever have imagined by arriving to meet us. You came into the world putting up quite a bit of fuss {I know, I know, you weren't ready}, at 4:12 pm.

It's not a pretty picture, but it's REAL, and I kinda like it because my face says it all. This was me in PAIN about a half hour before you arrived.

Minutes after you arrived. Right before being taken to NICU.

Tiny little thing.

I was so happy to be holding you.

Your sissies were pretty happy too.

The eye mask that you had to wear under the bili lights. I have to admit, it was kind of cute :)

On our way HOME!!! {I seriously don't have gigantic hands. That's how little you were that Mama's hands look enormous. What, 3 times the size of your little head}

Precious little bundle only a few days old.

Yay, you started growing. Look at the little bit of chub.

Sleepy girl. My first big outing with my three girls. Alone.

So peaceful. 4/09

Smiles!

5/09

First trip to the beach! 6/09

Happy 4th sleepyhead.

Family Camp 7/09

Probably my absolute favorite picture of you.

You've got the cutest little tootsies!

My three most favorite girls! 9/09

Halloween ;)

Loves from a Sis

Woohoo! Your first Christmas!!

I can't believe you are one!!! 7 1/2 teeth later, 18 pounds heavier than on the day you were born, we've been through a lot this year, girl. I love you to pieces!

Happy Birthday my darling.