Holy Smokes!! KW is 19 Months!

Time just keeps going by faster and faster! November 1st we celebrated {on the beach} Kutler Wayne's 19 month birthday! The entire day was spent on the beach playing in the water and sand - we ended the evening  with an amazing fried shirmp dinner! Kutler's response was priceless....as he is holding a piece of fried shrimp that is almost as big as him he takes a huge bite - his eyes got wide and with his killer grin he said mmmmmm mmmmm mmmmm.   I couldn't agree more! :)

 Kutler has been trying to tell me for awhile now that he is ready to potty train - the other day I had literally just changed his diaper and put his clothes on for the day.  Like 5 min later I catch him trying to take his clothes off {keeping his clothes on, mainly his diaper, is a daily challenge}  so I just sit back and watch.  Off come the shorts and off come the diaper and then he proceeds to tell his diaper "no no"! I checked and sure enough his diaper was wet - so.....later that day we bought a Mickey Mouse potty chair.   He loves it!

He held his potty all the way home - last ;night I let him play with it and explore the potty chair! This morning he went to the potty like a champ.  Granted we really only worked on this morning for a couple of hours - but every time we went to the potty he performed well.  He was so excited to flush and tell it "bye bye" and he never let me forget to give him his 2 m&m's and sticker! 

I could brag on him forever - but nap time has come to an end! Hope everyone has a wonderful evening! 

{I'm not sure why my pictures are sideways today - hope you all still enjoy!}

Happy Birthday Gram!

Happy Birthday Gram!! We hope you have a wonderful day.  We wish more than anything we were there to celebrate with you.  

I hope you know how much we love you and are thankful to have you as the head Momma of the family! Most people dread the day they start doing and acting like their mother - but I'm happy to say if I turn out to be half the Mom and wife you are I will be pleased.  I would consider it an honor to take after you; after all, I think you kids turned (are turning) out great!! :) 

Kutler says Happy Birthday too!! He wishes he could come over and have a play date.  You know he will never say no to ice cream and the John Deer!! :) 

Love you so much!! 

19 Weeks

We find out what we are having on Monday - I'm going crazy, I'm just dying to know!! I can't imagine not having the option of finding out the gender.  It gives me peace of mind and helps with all the preparing.  I know Zack is ready to find out too - mainly so I will quit asking him everyday....so what do you think we are having?  :) 

So next week at this time, I will know whether we will be having a little boy or little girl.  Either way, I'm ecstatic! .Everyone keeps asking what I think we are having...honestly I really don't know, but the farther we get into this pregnancy it really reminds me of Kutler.  I feel like I'm carrying the same - high and straight out. And the heart burn has returned.  It didn't matter what I would eat or wouldn't eat for dinner with K, I had horrible heart burn every single night! I didn't have morning sickness with K and I didn't have morning sickness this time around.  However, I have lost my breakfast several times due to changing a dirty diaper - oh my word!! I'm not sure how someone so little and cute can stink so bad!! ha! 

So, with that being said, as of today I think we are having a boy!! Either way it will be great, but I think it would be so much fun to have two boys 22 months apart! I know they will probably fight and wrestle like crazy, but I think they would grow up being best friends!  And honestly, speaking from my relationship with my older brother - if this is a girl, then I'm sure they will fight and wrestle and grow up being best friends too! :) 

I've been blessed with another (so far) easy pregnancy - I just hope and pray the second half is just as easy! 

~K'Lyn 

2 Weeks!

We officially have two more weeks from right now (our appt is at 1:45) until we find out if we are having a little boy or little girl.  Last night while laying in bed watching football, I decided to take a gender test..
..It's a ?????! BOY! Or so, they say - whoever they is.....  Zack swears I didn't answer the questions correctly - for some reason he is really pulling for a girl.  Honestly, I think he is worried sick if we have another boy I'm going to push for a third.  He probably has legitimate reasons to be concerned! :)

I feel baby flurries quite often now - which makes it more real every time I feel a movement.  I love this part of being pregnant.  One of my most favorite parts of the day is right when Kutler gets out of bed...he has his blanket and buddy in tow.  We go to the kitchen get my ice water and him a cold cup of milk and rock.  Right now he loves to drink his milk and watch Sesame Street while I read yahoo news or catch up on facebook.  We usually sit through one episode of SS - I don't know how many times he reaches over and pats my tummy....it's like he is almost saying little brother/sister are you listening to this?! Isn't this show great?! I hope it's a sneak peak into our future of them loving to watch cartoons together....more importantly just be together.

Kutler is just growing like crazy - here are a couple of pictures from this weekend.  We had to go grocery shopping.  This is usually hit or miss how we do - since I ran a ton of other errands before going to the grocery store, we didn't make it, but I did have to stop at CVS and get a few mandatory items.  If every store we went to had a cart like this, shopping trips would never be an issue.

He was so funny - he would pretend to turn and even make the car noises......vroom vroom!! I think we honked the horn at every single person we saw - and of course they just talked and talked to him so he hammed it up even more! But, when he is done talking to you (whether you are finished or not) he will wave and say bye bye! Pretty hilarious!

So, since we were good he got a reward! I can't remember exactly when he started drinking through a straw...a while back....I was definitely still working. Anyways, he loved to take a drink out of my sonic cup - now Pak a Sack cup.  We love Pak-a-Sack!!  Anyways, now we usually race to see who gets to drink the most tea - I swear the child could drink 44 ounces if I would let him and then proceed to eat all the ice.  So anyways, all this background to say - he finally got his own cup!! And did he ever think he was a big boy!! At one point I look back at him and he has the lid popped off and is eating the ice - just as happy as can be! (and a little tired)

Well I hope everyone has a wonderful day!! Little man is down for a nap, so you know what that means - It's time for this exhausted Mamma to go rest too!!

3 Years~

I really can't believe yesterday we celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary! Three years have actually gone by pretty fast! I can't imagine how fast the next 10 years are going to fly by!

Two out of our three anniversaries I've been pregnant....I'm ready to celebrate an anniversary without being pregnant or having a little little one.  I'm so looking forward to the day we can go to dinner and it will taste great and I won't have heart burn all night! :) We've already decided come our five year and the Merrill's 10 year (just two more years) we will be somewhere vacationing without our kids! I'm sure you will find all four of us on a beach somewhere........probably thinking about our kids the entire time wishing they were with us! haha!

Our special day three years ago...it was our perfect day! 

Three years later...still as happy as can be and even more in love than when our journey began 6 years ago! 

17 Weeks

Well finally I'm back on the blog! I'm so far behind, I doubt that I will catch up.  As most of you know we are expecting our second baby in February 2013.  We are beyond excited!

(This is the note Papa left on the fridge, I'm guessing at the time he was thinking girl)

We found out in June that we were expecting - here are some pictures from our 8 week appointment.  At first, we thought girl....the heart rate was at 178 and Kutler's was never that high.  Well now we don't know what to think....at our last appointment the heart rate was 158.  I immediately thought boy....Kutler's heart rate was always around 156 or 158.

Regardless, we are just excited to have another baby.  We will find out on Sept. 24th what we are having. It has been pretty sweet watching Kutler figure out whats going on.  We talk about the baby on a daily basis.  I will ask him - "Kutler, where is the baby"? And he very gently rubs my tummy.  He can't quite say baby, but he does say baybay...sweetest thing ever!!

Not long after we found out we were expecting Gram and Aunt Macy came down for a visit.  They thought Kutler needed some books on becoming a big brother - I can't tell you how many times we've read theses - good thing a couple of the books talk about having a little brother and the other two talk about a baby sister...either way we should be good! :)

Other than having a stomach bug first trimester and being extremely tired - this pregnancy hasn't been that bad.  I do know, that with number 2 you start showing a lot sooner than with #1! Totally worth it! :)

Happy 6th Anniversary!

Our first summer dating - 2006

Today is one of my most favorite days for many reasons - one it's my birthday! :) But, the most important reason,  6 years ago I went on a first day with a guy I kind of knew (Thanks to Andrea Hershey) I never imagined that one date could so drastically change my life....forever!

 I honestly don't think I will ever forget that summer.  It was full of exploring a new city, spending time with great friends (the summer wouldn't have been complete without Andrea and Wil)  finding our favorite patio's, pool time, Saturday nights at 8.0's, The Spazmatics......The song Jessie's girl brings a flood of memories....It was a summer full of taking chances, having fun, and falling in love.  It's by far my most favorite summer ever! 

In honor of our 6 year anniversary I've posted some pictures.  I know, a ton, but once I started looking I had a hard time choosing!! 

 Spring 2012

Our sweet family of three....soon to be four! 

Happy Anniversary to the man of my dreams - thank you for always taking care of me and making our life together so interesting and fun! :)  I'm so blessed and thankful for you and our sweet family! 

Happy Mothers Day!

My Mom holds a very special place in my heart.  She is probably the happiest most giving person I've ever met.  She is always full of love and laughter and there is never a doubt in my mind that she prays for me and my sweet family on a daily basis.  She is beautiful on the inside and out - it is truly a blessing that I have such a wonderful example of how to be a Christian Mommy and wife.  I honestly don't know what I would do if I wasn't able to pick up the phone and call her to vent, get advice, or just to chat.  Rarely does a day go by that we don't talk.  Now that I'm a Mom too - I understand the unconditional love, always worrying - hoping and praying everday that you are doing everything right so you baby turns out to be a decent human being.  My love I have for this child is never ending, if anything I fall more and more in love with him everyday.

My first Mothers Day - May 2011 5ish weeks old

Mothers Day 2012 - 13 months old

I love being his Mom!

Since last year, I've learned to love more than I ever thought possible.  I have two of the most wonderful men in my life - I'm always thankful for them.  They make my heart complete.  I've learned the dishes can always wait until tomorrow, the laundry will always need washing, and toliets will always need to be scrubbed.  But, someday this little guy will grow up and leave home.  So for now, I love laying in the kitchen floor and playing cars, going on bike rides, pulling him in the wagon, reading the same books over and over and over, and sitting outside for hours so he can play in his sandbox, eat dirt and swing.  I just hope one day I've taught him that things don't matter, but spending time with someone/people you love is what truly matters. 

~K'Lyn

Feels Like Summer!

I am so far behind on my post! I still need to post pictures from Kutler's first birthday!  But, I couldn't resist posting pictures from this weekend first.  We had a wonderful weekend - we played outside and worked in the yard.  I guess I should say Zack did most of the work while Kutler and I played.

Saturday was a beautiful day! Kutler didn't know what to think of his pool - he would stick his hands in it and then go get in his sandbox and then go play in the water etc. - I'm not sure how many times he did that, but he had a blast!

 We also went on our first bike ride.  We had a wonderful time - however, half way through our ride he decided he did not like his helmet. (by the way, how cute does he look in his helmet!?) :) He started screaming and fussing so I stopped the bike and turned around and he is pulling down on the chin strap which was only pulling his helmet down harder on his head.  Needless to say, we turned around and went home.

 I adore this little guy!!

 Kutler is a very brave and determined little boy! He will try to climb anything! And usually will not stop until he gets what he is working towards or crashes! This weekend he got his first black eye! I know, 1 year old and 21 days and he has a black eye! And of all things he was playing in the front yard - in the grass with his wagon.  I'm still not sure how this happened, but he took it like a trooper! Scared me to death - but he is fine.

He was so brave while we cleaned  him up and put some medicine on his first real "owie" - In this picture it hasn't turned black yet, but yesterday morning he had a perfect little black ring under his eye - I love the looks other parents give me when we are out in public.  I mean seriously haven't you seen a one year old with a black eye!?!? :) 

As always he keeps our lives entertaining and full of surprises! I wouldn't trade one second of this crazy life for anything in the world! 

I hope everyone has a wonderful day ~ count your blessings! 

K'Lyn 

Happy 11 Months Kman!

Today my little guy is 11 months old! My Mom started reminiscing about my pregnancy and how it seemed like it took forever for Kutler to get here, but this past year has gone incredibly fast!! I can still remember how I felt this time last year....nothing short of miserable! I was huge and this baby couldn't come fast enough!! And now that he is here, I just wish I could put our time together in slow motion.  Everyday he discovers something new and becomes a little more independent. While I'm happy he is learning and discovering so much, there is part of me that's a little sad.  But, it's all part of being a Mom - I'm just grateful to be Kutler's Mom.

A few of Kutler's favorites:
-Playing with Dada - we look forward to Daddy coming home every day!
-Yo Gabba Gabba
-His Monkey
-Swinging
-Going for walks
-Bubble baths
-Reading books
-Climbing
-Pressing buttons
-Bible Class
-Play dates
-Talking (that includes talking on the phone)
-Helping Mommy cook (aka - opeining all the doors and drawers)
-Helping the plants grow (aka - pulling on the leaves)

His newest accomplishment-trying to walk! Yesterday he took one step and he has taken a couple more today.  He is very careful and makes sure I'm right there in case he starts to fall.  I love the look on his face when he tries something new or discovers something.  He looks at me with pure amazement - eyes wide open just staring at me in awe! He has the most beautiful smile, with 6 sparkling white teeth (almost 7) and the biggest blues eyes (Thank you Grammie).  I can almost hear him say "Look Mom! Isn't this awesome!!"
I wouldn't trade this time with him for anything in the world - being a Mom is hard....some days it's really really hard! But it is the most rewarding job ever - when he grabs my cheeks and plants a huge, slobbery kiss on my mouth - makes everything worth it!!!

Here are a couple pictures from the past month:

 He is always willing to try whatever we are having for dinner! And loves corn on the cob!!

 Headed out for a walk - looking cool!

 Playing on his slide!

This picture makes me laugh - looks like a little wanna be gangsta!

One month from today we will be celebrating the BIG FIRST BIRTHDAY!!! I guess I better start making plans!!

Count Your Blessing!

~K'Lyn

10 Months!

Well it's hard to believe that my baby is almost 11 months old! This month has been so much fun! Being able to spend more time with Kutler and truly give my attention to my boys has been a huge blessing!

As always, Kutler is changing like crazy and discovering new things everyday.  Here are just a few from this past month.

We love bath time in our house. As soon as I turn the water on Kutler makes a bee line into the bathroom - trying to take his shirt off for me and climb into the tub.  He doesn't bathe, he swims!! He isn't afraid to put his face in the water, he actually likes it! I think this summer I could have a little fish at the swimming pool!

 I guess I should have been prepared that Kman was going to be a big boy - when he arrived he weighted 9.5 - that still didn't prepare me that at 10 months old we would be wearing 18 month size pj's! And I can honestly say he is a healthy eater - has only had a couple of french fries EVER!! He prefers meat and veggies! I can't complain, some of his favorite food are turkey, green beans, peas, celery, hummus, avocado....hahah! Oh my goodness, I just missed the perfect picture! As I'm typing away bragging about what a wonderful little eater Kutler is, I look down and he has found some left over Halloween candy and is mowing down on some peanut M&M's.  :) The one thing I've learned in the past 10 months children will always make you eat your own words!

Okay, well I will finish this post tomorrow - Kutler is now trying to climb up the cabinets and has pulled out the pots and pans - thank goodness my husband should be home around 7! As for now, I'm off to cook dinner and play with my little monkey!

Today has been another blessing! Thankful again God has granted me to be Kutler's Mommy and Zack's wife!

Well it has been awhile since my last post.  As always, a lot has changed! Kutler is growing like crazy and discovering something new everyday! He has officially started climbing onto/into everything! He has always loved to "help" me do the dishes.  Trying to be a patient mom I grab the silverware out first so he can "help" me unload the remaining dishes.  I seriously turned my back for less than 2 seconds and this is what I found -

He was so proud and honestly I couldn't grab my phone quick enough! He keeps me on my toes and laughing constantly! He also tried climbing up the bathroom cabinets this morning - not sure I'm ready for that.  He pulled out the bottom drawer and was trying to step inside when I noticed.  Hopefully he won't figure that one out for awhile.

Today is my first day as a full time stay at home wife/mom.  Every time he looks up at me with those bright blue eyes, or looks at me and says Mama, or giggles, or discovers something new and looks at me so proud - I know we made the right decision.

I'm so thankful my husbands supports this decision and has encouraged me to stay at home for a little while. I'm truly blessed to have such a hard working, supportive husband.