Before you read the next post…..

Can you guess which one is Miranda and which is Timberlyn?

They must be related!!

3 months

My dad has a picture of him as a baby and when I look at this picture, I see that one!  She definitely has Fuller in her!

Timberlyn is three months old!  This is always the saddest milestone for me because it means that I am headed back to work!  We are blessed that I am only working a little bit though!  Just enough to keep my foot in the door.  I work once or twice a week and I usually have a good time while I am there.  It’s a time for me to converse with other adults and, because I am just a “fill-in” person, they are always glad I am there!  Yesterday was my first day back to work.  Leonard had the day off so he was home with Miranda and Timberlyn.  I was home about the same time that the older kids get off the bus, worked out great.  It wasn’t the best day of work that I have ever had…If you want to know about it, call me…It would take too long to explain here!  It was one of those days where everything just seemed to go wrong!  But I made it through and so did Timberlyn!  Leonard said she took to the bottle just fine – which was good because we hadn’t practiced much! 

Timberlyn is growing fast!  She is such a good baby.  She is very even tempered and calms easily when she is upset.   She is starting to be interested in the world around her.  She has discovered her hands and they are constantly in her mouth.  She hasn’t quite figured out how they work…yesterday she cried because she was pinching her leg with one of them!  She smiles all the time and has almost laughed…she’s really close!  She is losing her hair a little bit at a time.  It comes out every time I give her a bath and if you pull on it just a little bit.  It’s very dark and her bald spot on the back of her head is VERY prominent.  We have started really liking hats! 

Courtney made a few and every time she wears them she gets LOTS of compliments!

The other thing that I have resisted posting about because I am afraid I’ll jinx it is that Timberlyn almost always sleeps through the night!!!  She is usually ready for bed about 8:30 and she wakes up around 5:30 or 6.  I have never had a baby do that this soon!  If she does wake up, I usually give her her pacifier and she is back to sleep.  It’s awesome!!  I did have to invest in a pump though so I could pump before I go to bed so I can sleep!!  Plus it has helped build up a supply of milk for her now that I am back to work!  I have regularly been getting 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep from 10 to 6 – it’s heavenly!!

She does cry when she’s not happy or when she is bored,  tired, or hungry.  Usually if I pick her up she quiets right away.  She gets mad when I pick her up to feed her but then realize her diaper is very wet so I lay her down to change her instead.  It’s funny how mad she gets!

The older kids still adore her and want to hold her all the time.  She talks and coos to them and Kanyon has come the closest to getting her to laugh of anyone in the family. She loves her baths and she likes to sit on the counter in a baby seat and watch me make dinner.  She likes to snuggle and will still fall asleep in my arms.  BUT she will also fall asleep on her own in the bassinet.  She is a really good baby!

 

It is such a blessing to have a baby in our home again!

Love you Timber!

Time Out

Kanyon is loving second grade.  He has a great group of friends and he has become a leader in his class.  I have had several people tell me that the other kids’ attitude can be easily swayed by Kanyon.  As a baby, Kanyon was blessed “to be inquisitive and to want to know things.”  I distinctly remember that part of his baby blessing given to him by his dad.  Kanyon is definitely blessed with an inquisitive mind.  SO MANY QUESTIONS!!!  He wants to know details about everything…even if it has nothing to do with him at all.  I love it about him….and it drives me crazy!!

Because of his questioning mind and his social life, Kanyon tends to talk a lot in class.  His teacher let the kids pick where they wanted to sit on the first day of school and Kanyon was at a table with two of his best friends – Trevor and Nickolas.  We all wondered how long it would last. 

About two weeks ago, we were eating dinner and I asked how school was going.  Kanyon mentioned very quickly that he had been in trouble for talking too much in class.  It had happened the day before:

“What happened?”

“Mrs. G. said that she thought I should probably go sit in the time-out chair.  I didn’t HAVE to but she thought it would be a good idea.”

“So did you?”

“Yep.  And then today when I went into class there was a paper at the time-out desk so I just sat there.”

“You sat in the time-out desk because you wanted to?”

“Yeah, I like it there…I’m still kinda close to people.”

“What does Mrs. G. think?”

“She doesn’t say anything.”

“What happens now if kids need a time-out?”

“She made a new time-out chair by the door.”

The entire time he is telling me this story he is smiling and happy like he thinks it is so funny that he now “owns” the time-out chair!!  He starts telling me how it’s a much better desk and it can hold all his things – unlike the table where the other kids sit.  I am still a little dismayed, but he seems to enjoy his new desk – Crazy kid!

Even though the questions sometimes make us all insane, I hope he keeps questioning life.  It’s people like that who make a difference in this world! 

Love you, buddy!

Kaydra Marie

It’s been awhile since I have updated on my oldest daughter.  She is growing so fast into such a beautiful young lady.  I remember so well the day I brought her home for the first time.  She has started fifth grade this year and is trying to squeeze in as many activities as possible.  She is continuing with Marimbas every Wednesday morning and Activity Days with church every other Wednesday night.  She has now started “Strings” where she is learning to play the violin every Tuesday after school.  She was very excited for this opportunity and she is really enjoying it.

Kaydra and Kanyon are both on the Winton Cross Country Team, which thankfully, practices during recess.  She also is applying to be on the yearbook team – they meet on Tuesdays during lunch.  We are starting to see what our lives will be as our kids become more and more involved.

Kaydra turned 10 this summer and was able to get her hunting license.  I never imagined that I would have a daughter that liked to hunt but Kaydra is starting to prove me wrong.  I have been wanting to blog about this story for a little while but I wasn’t sure how to do it…so as best as I can, I will tell it as it was told to me…..

One morning I came into the kitchen to a bright-eyed Kaydra.  She said, calmly, “Mom, I shot a coyote.” 

“You what?!!!”

“I really did!  We were going with dad in the truck and I spotted a coyote in the field.  Dad asked if he should shoot it and we all said yes, then he asked if I wanted to shoot it instead, and I said yes.  He took me up on the deck (of our house) and I sat on his lap.  He told me to wait until it turned so I could shoot it in the shoulder but it never turned. It started walking away but then dad called it with his coyote call (predator call).  It started coming back to our house, I told him that I couldn’t shoot it’s shoulder because it was facing me.  He said to take the shot….so I shot it RIGHT IN THE NECK!! MY FIRST TIME!!! And it just fell over right there!  I SHOT IT, MY FIRST TIME!!!”

As I looked at my green-eyed daughter, I said, “Really? Wow!”  Inside, I have to admit that I wondered if the tale was true… and if it was, what did I really think about it?!!  As a back story, I had been at mutual the night before and Leonard had put the kids to bed before I came home so I didn’t get a chance to talk to them…Len hadn’t said a word to me so the story took me completely by surprise!  He later said, “Kaydra wanted to tell you herself.”

Miranda added her part by acting out for me exactly what the coyote did after it was shot!  “Yeah, it put its hands up like this and just fell over on its back, like this!”  As she falls over backwards with her tongue hanging out.  I’m sure you can imagine!

Later, Leonard confirmed Kaydra’s story with just as much excitement as she had.  He was obviously VERY proud of his daughter and that she could take down her first animal with one shot!  “She didn’t seem even a bit nervous!  I was impressed!”  He says, as he tells the story.   “Miranda was freaking out because she thought the coyote was going to get into our house but Kaydra was calm and shot it – first time!”

Honestly, I’m still not sure what to think but I have decided on a couple things.  First, I love that Kaydra was so excited about it and second, I love that my husband was so proud of his daughter!  I love them both and I wish Kaydra success in anything that she tries.  You’d never guess that my pretty girl had a hunting fascination deep within ..… Just goes to show, we all wear many hats!  Happy Hunting!!

Birth Announcement

I sent out announcements (finally!) for Timberlyn’s birth.  If you didn’t get one, then I don’t have your address!  For those that didn’t get one, here is your virtual one!

I took these pictures when she was just a week old … Here’s a few more that were in the running.  I love newborn baby pictures!

Both quilts were made by different coworkers of Leonard’s, they are both beautiful!!

And a picture to remember her monstrous feet!