The Kindler Family

2011-12-25T15:06:00.000-06:00

2011-11-05T22:46:00.000-05:00

2011-11-05T22:42:00.001-05:00

2011-11-05T22:39:00.001-05:00

2011-11-05T22:04:00.003-05:00

Lost her 1st tooth! Yes at the age of 4!

2011-08-14T09:36:00.001-05:00

Onery but Cute and almost potty trained!

2011-08-14T09:35:00.000-05:00

2011-08-14T09:31:00.000-05:00

Tessa 3 months old

2011-08-14T09:24:00.003-05:00

Introducing Tessa Marie

2011-05-13T12:14:00.002-05:00

Tessa Marie is finally here! She is one week old already too! She was born May 5th and weighed 7lb 14oz and 19in long. she is the runt of our litter. She is doing wonderfully! The kids just adore her as do Zach and I of course. So far it has been easier for me adjusting to 3 kids than it was 2. Everyone is doing great and just enjoying Tessa!

My Sweet boy is almost 2 years old!

2011-04-29T12:53:00.002-05:00

My sweet, loving, onery little boy is going to turn 2 years old on May 8th! It always amazes me how fast time flies when you have kids. Carter is a sweet little guy with a very curious mind. He reminds me of Curious George. He is always wondering how things work and trying to figure it out, he is so smart even though he can't always communicate himself. He just adores his big sister, he always wants to be where she is and almost every night cries before bed because he wants her to be with him. He is my little boy who takes balls to bed with him to sleep instead of baby dolls or puppies. He runs up to me and gives me big hugs, best feeling in the world. I am thinking with little sister coming around his birthday its going to be a busy time so I wanted to write about him early. God has blessed us with a wonderful little boy who we love so much and have enjoyed every day of his little 2 year life.

Words from Carter

2011-04-09T20:18:00.002-05:00

As most of our family and friends know, Carter has been behind in his speech and language. They think it is contributed to how many ear infections he had when he was a baby and that he did not hear during that time. We had him evaluated several times by a speech therapist and because of his age he was denied however this last time when he was 18months old they rated him at a 7month old level. This was heartbreaking for us. We couldn't figure out what caused it, what we did wrong, how we could help, etc. So he started speech therapy twice a week. This is challenging sometimes when you are extremely prego and have a 4 year old to take with you, but she does great and even helps him. When he started speech therapy I started doing a lot of research, reaching out to friends for advice, and taking him to other Drs to make sure he wasn't behind in other ways. So after a lot of worry--more on my part--we had his ears checked again, started vitamins/supplements, changed his diet, took him to the chiropractor, and really started working with him with advice from the therapists. And I am happy and proud to say he is saying words now!! His favorite word is "NO" or "no no no no" but he is now saying "ma ma" "da da" and even "Taylor". I almost want to cry every time he comes to me and says "ma ma" I have waited so long to hear those words. He can also say bye, hi, book, teeth, juice, eat, different animal sounds, and he will repeat most words you ask him to. We are just so excited for him, his life is so much easier now that he can communicate without being so frustrated. And even though he tells me "No" ALL the time, its ok because I love hearing his sweet voice. I have a video of him saying "no" but I couldn't get it to upload.

Pictures

2011-04-03T15:19:00.002-05:00

Here are some random pictures of the kids. We got a new camera so we are trying to get used to it but it takes great pictures. Here are a few pictures before church one day and at the park. Soon we'll be taking pictures of another little one too!

Disney On Ice - Toy Story 3

2011-03-30T07:21:00.000-05:00

Snow Day

2011-02-01T20:30:00.002-06:00

So what do you do all day in the house on a snow/blizzard day!? Well today we played play-doh, made cookies, watched a lot of movies, danced a lot, and ate fun dip. The fun dip then turned into a big mess and required bath time. The kids were a little stir crazy and so was mommy and daddy! And tomorrow we have another snow day! So more dancing and movies and play-doh. We can't possibly eat more cookies and fun dip though.

ITS A...

2010-12-29T20:31:00.002-06:00

GIRL!!! YES WE ARE HAVING ANOTHER GIRL!! TAYLOR IS VERY EXCITED, ZACH AND CARTER ARE NOW OUT NUMBERED.

COOKIES

2010-12-15T15:07:00.003-06:00

We made some Christmas cookies yesterday and the kids loved it--especially Carter. He ate so many cookies I thought his tummy would explode. We baked them and then as soon as I put them on the table to decorate he was stealing them and running over to the living room to hurry and eat them. I gave them each a bowl of icing to decorate their own cookies and he was eating it like it was soup. Taylor made very pretty cookies with the whole bottle of sprinkles. She wanted them to be very sparkly, which they are. And we all have enjoyed eating them!!!

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!

2010-12-11T15:14:00.002-06:00

Taylor had her first Christmas program at her preschool last night. It took every bribe I could think of to get her to participate but finally she took her teachers hand and stayed with her class. She did not want to sing or leave my side. She did good though and sang the last verse of the last song. Carter however jumped right in with her class and thought he was part of them. Hope everyone is having a fun time getting ready for Christmas!!!

Pumpkins

2010-10-12T14:26:00.002-05:00

Taylor's preschool took a field trip to the pumpkin patch so all of us joined her. She picked out a pumpkin for her baby sister--even though we are not sure its a girl yet but she insists. Then we each painted a pumpkin like we do every year. They turned out pretty cute! Happy Fall!

Surprise!!

2010-09-01T08:42:00.002-05:00

1st day of preschool!!

2010-08-17T09:42:00.002-05:00

Today Taylor started preschool!! I just can't believe it. She was excited to go though. We got ready and had a special outfit and then when we put the book bag on we couldn't get in the car fast enough. We went into her class and she put her bag away and sat down for puzzles. She didn't even budge when Zach and I left either. I had lots of tears but she didn't see that. I think she will have fun and learn a lot, I am sad though my baby is in school!

Happy 5th Anniversary!!

2010-08-10T21:15:00.002-05:00

Happy 5th Anniversary to the love of my life! Zach and I just celebrated 5 years of marriage together. It has gone by so fast! 5 years of marriage and 7 years of being together--wonderful years. To celebrate Zach took me to Branson. We spent a few days there without kids even. We laughed and had so much fun. He also surprised me with a big picture frame of pictures of each year of marriage and pink diamond earrings. We have had so much fun together, made lots of memories, grown as a couple, and have 2 precious babies. I can't imagine my life without Zach and feel God truely chose him for me and me for him. Our life is wonderful and our love is unbelievable! I love you honey, thank you for these great years and I look forward to where God will lead us in the future.

Lake of the Ozarks

2010-07-27T21:10:00.002-05:00

We recently went with Zach's family to the Lake of the Ozarks. They kindly take us there every other year and we always have so much fun! This year Taylor had no fear! She was jumping in the pool all over the place and went tubing off the boat with daddy. She even told him to make the boat go faster. We mainly just relaxed but also played at the pool, rode on the boat and went tubing, played at the park, went shopping, went on jet ski's, and rode go carts. Taylor liked that too. Carter had fun as well. He loved playing with all his cousins and trying to keep up with them. Here are some pics of the go carts, tubing, and Zach and I on the jet ski. It was a very fun trip with lots of memories--thanks Grandma Kris and PaPa Gary!!

Summer Fun

2010-07-02T20:03:00.002-05:00

We have been having such a fun summer so far! We have been going to the pool, parks, library, Deanna Rose petting farm, and recently we went to Crown Center. Here are a few pics from our adventures. We went to see Clifford the big red dog at Crown Center and then ate at the train station restaurant Fritz's, and then we played in the fountains. The kids Loved it! It was a fun day! We have so many more plans for the rest of the summer including more pool time, seeing Toy Story 3, and going to the Lake of the Ozarks with Zach's family. So much fun but the summer is going so fast! Taylor starts preschool in about 6 weeks and Zach starts back in about 3. Then our adventures will be only fun memories! Hope everyone else is having a fun summer!

When mommy is at work...

2010-06-08T14:42:00.002-05:00

New Family Pictures

2010-05-31T14:52:00.001-05:00

He's Walking!

2010-05-23T16:00:00.002-05:00

1st Birthday!!

2010-05-10T08:54:00.002-05:00

Somehow Carter turned one year old! We can't believe that happened already. We had a train theme birthday party at the park for him. It was fun with all our family. He had fun with the pinata and eating cake. He knew exactly what to do with the bat and hit the pinata. Maybe he saw me putting the candy in it. It was a fun celebration and we are so happy and blessed to have such a great fun loving son! Happy 1st Birthday Carter! We love you!

New pictures of Carter---almost 1 year old!!

2010-04-21T19:40:00.002-05:00

Here are a few new pictures of Carter. He is almost one year old! I can't believe it! My second baby almost a toddler now. Here is him on the deck, his new hobby now--playing on the deck and opening and closing the screen door. Then him pushing his walker, he is getting close to going on his own. And then eating a sucker. He grabbed it from Taylor and she agreed to sharing. He loved it and didn't want to share it again!

Girls day out!

2010-04-07T20:42:00.002-05:00

My sweet thoughtful husband surprised Taylor and I today with our 1st girls day out! He arranged for us to have pedicures together and then dinner. Isn't that so sweet! We went and each had our toes painted pretty. She chose blue and orange--so one foot is blue and one foot is orange and each big toe has a flower on it. Then she chose purple for me complete with a flower. We had fun and she was a very good girl. Then we went to eat dinner at Applebee's. And to top off the girls day we went to Target--which was her idea--however I don't think any girls day is complete without a trip to Target. We found some good deals on clearance Easter stuff and other things we really didn't need. But we had fun! Thanks daddy!!! We love you!

HAPPY EASTER!!

2010-04-04T14:00:00.001-05:00

Some new things for Carter

2010-03-30T21:08:00.002-05:00

Carter has had some new things going on too. First he got ear tubes after having 6 ear infections from Thanksgiving to February. Poor guy! So far he is doing better and hasn't been sick, yea! He also is into climbing now. He is such a boy! He climbs on anything he can. One day he started climbing the stairs out of no where. There is a little stool by our toy box and window he likes to climb on so he can look out the window and get to his toys. He always has a little grin on his face when he does this. He also is pointing to things he wants now. Today I opened the fridge and closed it before he got the chance to get in there. (you know how he loves the fridge) He looked at me in shock that I didn't let him in there. So he pointed to the door and gave me a sweet little look so I opened the door of course. He is almost 11 months and I can't believe it! Then we got a swing set too!!! We are so excited and the kids LOVE it!!! We plan on adding more to it right now its just swings and a slide, but they don't care.

Some new things for Taylor

2010-03-24T17:43:00.002-05:00

Taylor has been able to do some new things lately. First Zach surprised us with Disney on Ice tickets. We went last year too but this year was so much better. The characters were better and with Taylor being a year older that helped. She wore her Tinkerbell dress and fit right in with the other 1000 little girls dressed like princesses. There was the Lion King, Cars, The Little Mermaid, and Tinkerbell there along with Mickey and Minnie Mouse. It was fun and she was so fun to watch. Then a few days later she went to the dentist for the first time. She did great! A friend recommended a dentist in KC so we went there. First they cleaned her teeth with her choice of strawberry toothpaste, flossed them, and took xrays. The Dr counted her teeth and sparkles with her princess mirror and magic wand of course. Then at the end she got a token to pick out a new toy and got ice cream from their ice cream machine. Yes--the dentist has an ice cream machine! So needless to say she did great and had a good experience at the dentist. And also I chopped her hair! It is about ear length but looks cute on her, only she looks older now.

A few new things for Taylor

2010-03-24T17:26:00.001-05:00

It happened

2010-03-07T20:19:00.002-06:00

It happened--Carter discovered that he is able to grab things out of the fridge, I was thinking this day was coming. And what does he try to do...take a bite out of an apple. He was pretty proud of himself when he took this stuff out and found the apple, he had a cute smile on his face.

Taylor talk

2010-02-28T20:33:00.003-06:00

Today Taylor has said some funny things I wanted to share...

This morning after church Zach and I found her in our bedroom and she was opening a piece of candy...
Us: "Taylor--who told you it was ok to eat candy before lunch?"
Taylor: "Jesus told me it was ok. He said I could eat it."
So then we had to have the talk that Jesus doesn't like it when we lie.

Then tonight she was stalling to go to bed and was hungry. So I gave her some cheese and crackers...
Taylor: "These crackers are a yummy snack mommy."
Me: "I'm glad you like them."
Taylor: "Yeah the Dr says I should have more!"

And when she will mean to say "No I'm not" she says "No I am it" instead.

I love to hear her talk and learn new things!

Carter and the Fridge

2010-02-20T14:45:00.002-06:00

Carter loves the fridge. Every time he hears the door opening he race crawls to it so he can get his little hands in there. He doesn't really grab at the food yet but we do find random objects he leaves in there especially the magnets. I love this picture and I think in about 15 years we'll be going through this same experience except he'll be about 5 feet taller.

New Pictures ---1 of 3 post

2010-02-12T13:53:00.000-06:00

More Pics

2010-02-12T13:47:00.001-06:00

More Pics

2010-02-12T13:42:00.001-06:00

3rd Birthday Party!!!

2010-02-09T14:37:00.002-06:00

My baby girl is turning 3 years old! I can't understand this or how it happened so fast! We had her birthday party at Build a Bear this past weekend. She had a blast! Her cousins came and everyone made a puppy. Of course it was a princess party since right now everyone is a princess and everyone has a prince. Her prince is her daddy though, so cute, I hope she always thinks that. Here are some pictures of the fun we had.

Playing Catch!

2010-02-03T13:17:00.003-06:00

Carter is growing up too fast! He is already throwing balls and him and Taylor play catch--it is so cute when they play together. Here is a video of them playing. He is almost 9 months old already and I just don't know where the time has gone, my little baby boy.

Please Help!

2010-01-27T09:23:00.003-06:00

Please help!! Carter is almost 9 months old and still not sleeping through the night. I am so tired! Its now affecting our whole family. Zach isn't sleeping, Taylor isn't sleeping. We have tried it all...feeding him, feeding him more, feeding him less, burping him, letting him sleep in our room, letting him cry it out, holding him, Tylenol, Motrin, Gas drops, etc. If we hold him he will eventually fall asleep and then the second we lay him down he wakes up and cries. Sometimes he wants to play and other times he just cries. He was waking only once a night and now it is several times a night. Our Dr told us it could be seperation anxiety and to let him cry it out. But after an hour of crying it out he is so pissed and upset he just keeps crying and I feel horrible. There have been a few nights where we have let him cry for 2 hours and he still won't fall asleep! I am not a cry it out type person either so that is very hard for me to do. I don't know what else to do but its getting to the point where I am finding myself getting mad at him. I don't want to be like that---but I need sleep! Any suggestions out there???!!!

Sincerely tired and hopeless

1st Haircut

2010-01-26T15:57:00.001-06:00

Carter got his 1st haircut today!! Funny with Taylor I never cut her hair until she turned 2 years old. Poor Carter's hair was growing over his ears and I had to keep tucking it behind his ears. So finally today I got out the scissors. You can't tell too much but it looks good. Here is a before, during, and after picture.

2010-01-22T21:34:00.002-06:00

Carter started crawling last week really well. He has been doing more scooting and a jump like motion on his knees--sort of like a frog. But last week he took off. He is all over the place now and into everything! Taylor is always letting me know what he is into if he isn't suppose to be. He laughs when he crawls fast, I think he is conspiring against me already!!

Winter & Christmas Pictures Part 1

2010-01-05T15:18:00.002-06:00

Here are 3 parts of pictures of the kids. Some xmas and others just fun. Some of Taylor playing in the snow, which she loves but eats more than plays. And Carter who discovered Taylor's cheetos one day and ate half her bowl. He really liked them. We had a great xmas and of course the kids were spoiled!

Winter & Christmas Pictures Part 2

2010-01-05T15:10:00.002-06:00

Winter & Christmas Pictures Part 3

2010-01-05T15:02:00.001-06:00

Christmas Pictures

2009-11-12T21:00:00.002-06:00

Today we had Christmas pictures taken. The kids did pretty well. I told Taylor on our way there to make sure she smiled pretty like a good girl so most of the pictures have her smiling really cheesy. But she was just doing what I asked like a good girl. Carter kept putting the xmas decorations in his mouth but he smiled like his happy self for all the pictures.

We finally made it!

2009-10-18T15:26:00.002-05:00

We finally made it to the pumpkin patch! It was a somewhat nice day and we had lots of fun! Here are a few pics of both the kids. Carter slept the entire time we were there. Taylor played on everything they had! She picked out pumpkins, rode the trains and tractors, hay ride, and jumped on their jumping pillow--trampoline. It was fun and we are glad we got to finally go!

Pumpkins

2009-10-14T21:05:00.002-05:00

We have had 2 planned days to go to the pumpkin patch here but the weather has not allowed it both times :( So we bought pumpkins at the store and painted them. Taylor of course loved to paint hers and Carter watch with a close eye, next year I'm sure he'll be in the paint as well. Hopefully our next planned pumpkin patch day will work out. Happy Fall!!!

2 year old imagination

2009-10-14T21:02:00.002-05:00

Today we were driving in the car to take Carter to get his immunizations and Taylor and I had a very interesting conversation so I thought I would share...
Taylor: Mommy I have a puppy for you

Me: Oh ok thanks (so I reach in the back seat to get the imaginary puppy)

Taylor: What color is it?

Me: I don't know, what color is it?

Taylor: PINK! Mine is pink too!

Taylor: Don't eat the puppy mommy, you can't eat puppies, they don't like it.

Me: Ok I won't eat the puppy I promise.

Taylor: Yeah puppies only like hugs and kisses and licks.

Learning Rasberries

2009-10-01T15:51:00.003-05:00

Carter started to try to blow raspberries I caught him in action.

Ponies and Pears

2009-09-25T14:36:00.004-05:00

Taylor has become obsessed with ponies. Any time we are anywhere at the store or outside and she sees animals she gets very excited and has to talk to them. She loves animals anyways and would pick a puppy or pony over any baby doll. Here is a picture of her with all her ponies including her big stuffed pony who she named Glitter.

Carter has started baby food. I make my own baby food and started him on sweet potatoes which he loves. I decided to make pears the 2nd food which he hates. I am not sure if I made it too lumpy or the consistency isn't what he likes but his faces are pretty funny.

Laugh!!!

2009-09-15T21:23:00.002-05:00

What I love about Sundays

2009-09-06T15:13:00.002-05:00

What I love about Sundays...

When Taylor tip toes into our room in the early morning and climbs up into our bed and lays her head on Zach's pillow and her feet on my pillow and falls asleep. Then when I lean over to check on Carter next to our bed and I can hear his little breath as he sleeps so peacefully. Then when we all wake up at 9am and eat a yummy breakfast that Zach has made for all of us. Go to church and then out to eat lunch and then come home to nap time. Sundays are the best!

Feel good mommy moments

2009-08-24T10:18:00.002-05:00

My friend posted some "mommy moments" on her blog and I thought it was a great idea, I have mommy moments every day where I want to remember them forever.

Here are a few from Taylor:

*She was going to sleep and saw the shadow on her wall and told me her wall said "boo" to her and then asked me to stay with her.

*When we hug she pats my back

*When we are snuggling she rubs my arms like she is petting me

*When we snuggle after nap time, she loves to cuddle at that time and that is about the only time I get to keep her in one place

Here are a few from Carter:

*When I walk into his room in the middle of the night and he smiles so big and kicks his legs like he is so happy to see me

*When I feed him and he holds my hand

*When I burp him and he lays his head on my shoulder

*When I tickle him or talk to him and he lets out a big laugh with a big gummy smile

I love being a mommy!!

New pictures Taylor 2 and 1/2 years Carter 3 months

2009-08-10T21:44:00.001-05:00

More of Crown Center (See below for others)

2009-07-24T21:39:00.000-05:00

Crown Center

2009-07-24T21:17:00.002-05:00

Today we went to Crown Center for a fun day. We went to see the Legos, ate at a restaurant called Fritz's where they have a choo-choo train deliver your food, and we played at Kaliedoscope. There the kids could make different crafts and explore. Then after that we went to the water fountains to cool off. As you can see this is a nice water play place, there were lots of kids having a good time...and our daughter, well she is playing in the mud puddle. She played most of the time in the mud and sand. We finally made her get in the water to wash off. And Carter... he was all smiles, laughs, and sleeps the whole time.

Kids and the Bathroom

2009-06-24T20:28:00.003-05:00

Before I had kids everyone would tell me that many things would change after they came along. One thing I always heard was you will never go to the bathroom again by yourself. This is a true statement. As you can see Taylor was trying to come into the bathroom and she was talking to me through the crack of the door telling me to let her in.

Swim lessons

2009-06-16T15:01:00.003-05:00

Today was Taylor's first day of swimming lessons. I thought maybe she would be scared of the water since she really hasn't been in a big pool and because of the rain I thought it would be so cold she wouldn't like it. I was wrong. She was the last kid out of the pool! She loved it and can't wait to go tomorrow. She swam for a ball, sang songs, floated around, and played on the noodle. Her and daddy found another use for the noodle as well--a microphone. Carter slept soundly in his car seat. We go again every day for 2 weeks, it should be fun!

Kiss!!

2009-06-04T14:47:00.003-05:00

More new pictures

2009-05-30T16:00:00.003-05:00

We went to the strawberry patch to pick our own strawberries. Taylor loved it and ate about 20 while she was picking. Carter enjoyed it too!

New Pictures

2009-05-30T15:36:00.002-05:00

Pictures of Taylor with her new pool and Carter enjoying it as well ;)

Something funny

2009-05-24T13:51:00.002-05:00

Taylor has been adjusting to her new little brother pretty well so far. We are very glad about this and surprised. She is always wanting to help take care of him and hold him. One of her favorite things is to help burp him. I guess because this is a less scary thing for me to say "yes" to her to help with. So the other day I was patting Carter's bottom and she said "mommy will you burp my bottom next" I died laughing, such a cute little mind.

Carter

2009-05-20T15:22:00.000-05:00

Here at last!!

2009-05-12T13:42:00.003-05:00

Carter Tauno Kindler came into the world on May 8th! He was 9lbs and 20.5in long. He is adorable and such a cuddle bunny. Taylor loves him and wants to help with everything and hold him all the time. Hopefully it stays that way!! Here are a few pictures. Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers!!!

1 day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-05-06T21:51:00.002-05:00

Wow only 1 more day until our baby boy will be here. I can't believe it! As much as I have been counting down and complaining, I am getting very nervous now! Nervous for the surgery, nervous on loving a baby as much as I love Taylor, nervous for Taylor, and nervous that we still don't have a name. What kind of parents are we anyways! But in 1 day we will be holding the newest family member in our arms and loving every second of it!! Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers!

10 DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-04-28T14:54:00.003-05:00

Only 10 days left until I get this baby out!! We are so excited to meet him and hold him, just can't wait!!! We are counting down the days! I of course am hoping it takes less than 10 days. I can't understand how I can be this miserable and have this many contractions and nothing be happening!! And why exactly did I pick a male Dr?? Wouldn't a female Dr be more understanding and say that since I am "close enough" we could take the baby out a few days early???? We want him to be healthy and of course come when it is time, but I am just ready!!!! Anyways only 10 days until our beautiful son arrives (or less).

Cake

2009-04-26T14:34:00.001-05:00

God's cake....

This is about the best thing I've ever read as an explanation.

We all wonder many times over WHY?

Sometimes we wonder, 'What did I do to deserve this?' or 'Why did God have to do this to me?'

Here is a wonderful explanation!

A daughter is telling her Mother how everything is going wrong, she's failing algebra, her boyfriend broke up with her and her best friend is moving away.

Meanwhile, her Mother is baking a cake and asks her daughter if she would like a snack, and the daughter says, 'Absolutely Mom, I love your cake.

'Here, have some cooking oil,' her Mother offers.

'Yuck' says her daughter

'How about a couple raw eggs?' 'Gross, Mom!'

'Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?'

'Mom, those are all yucky!'

To which the mother replies: 'Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves.. But when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake!'

God works the same way.. Many times we wonder why He would let us go through such bad and difficult times. But God knows that when He puts these things all in His order, they always work for good! We just have to trust Him and, eventually, they will all make something wonderful!

God is crazy about you. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning. Whenever you want to talk, He'll listen. He can live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart.

I got this as a forward via email and thought it was neat.

Chocolate!!!

2009-04-21T14:51:00.003-05:00

Today I made brownies for our bible study tonight and Taylor of course wanted a bite when she saw me licking the spoon from the batter. Needless to say she LOVED it, I think she would have ate the whole bowl of brownie mix if I would have let her. Her daddy is not a fan of chocolate and I think was hoping maybe she wouldn't be either, but I think as of now she is.

Easter Eggs!!!

2009-03-28T21:18:00.004-05:00

Tonight we dyed Easter eggs. Taylor had fun watching the eggs turn colors. She kept thinking that a chicken was going to "hatch" out of them, especially when she would drop them and they would crack. She was very concerned about the chickens. It was fun to watch her. The video shows her worried about the baby chickens "hatching."

He still has it!!

2009-03-24T14:21:00.002-05:00

Those of you who don't know my husband Zach has a God given talent of throwing the javelin. He had some days in college that he threw that people just wish they could come close to. He has many many awards and national wins. When we met he hurt his elbow and this hindered his throwing ability. He still would compete at meets and I loved watching him, but still wishing I was a part of his life when he felt like he was competing at his best. Well last week he took his team to a track and field meet in California. He decided to try to throw there and see what he could do just for fun. It has been a few years since he has actually tried to throw. So he went out there with no true training just pure ambition and threw 207 feet. Now for an almost 30 year old who hasn't thrown in years and has not trained either, this is wonderful!! He even came in first place!!! And if he was competing at Baker he would hold the school record. So this was an exciting day! Once again though I wish I could have seen it!! We are proud of you honey and I knew you still had it in you!!

Conversations with a 2 year old

2009-02-25T21:43:00.003-06:00

Taylor is always talking, she always has something to say. Lately she has been making me laugh with some of the things she says. Here are a few examples...

Taylor: "Come on mommy, slide down on tummy."
Me: "Honey, mommy's tummy is too big to slide on the slide because of the baby."
Taylor: "yeah, I know." (Gee thanks honey)

Taylor:"Look mommy lots of puppy dogs!!"
Sure enough we were driving down the street and there was a lady walking 3 dogs.

We put Taylor's twin bed and a new dresser in her room. When she came in to look at it she said "Wow, cool!"

The other day we were outside playing...
Taylor: "chirp, chirp"
Me: "Are you pretending to be a bird?"
Taylor: "No talking to birds mommy."

Lately for some reason she also keeps looking at me and saying "don't worry mommy."

One of her favorite foods is hot dogs. So today when she asked for her 3rd hot dog for lunch, I doubled check with her said "another hot dog?" She said "yeah, I lick it up!" ??????

"Silly daddy"

She follows every "thank you" with a "welcome" behind it. Guess we are glad she is learning good manners.

Every where she goes or everything she does she wants me to go with her or do the exact same thing. And I mean everything! Everything is "come on mommy"

And her new favorite game is Simon Says. It is so cute to hear and watch her learn new things to have us do. I think she likes telling us what to do ;)

These days are long, but the years short.

2009-02-15T16:51:00.004-06:00

These days are long, but the years short. I hear this at my MOPS group and it is so true!! Every day is so precious that you have with your children and sometimes it is hard to remember that. But they grow so fast and time flies bye, it is important for me to always remember this quote. Taylor had her 2nd birthday this weekend. I just can't believe our little sleeping sweet baby is 2 years old!! Here are a few pictures from her birthday tea party this weekend. She was excited to have a "tea party" and kept asking me when it was going to be. Finally it was here and she had a blast. She got lots of wonderful gifts, had fun playing with her cousins, and it was a very special day. She has been a wonderful gift from God to Zach and I. As we prepare for her baby brother to arrive I will remember this quote as he grows too. Because someday I'll turn around, he'll be 2 years old and I'll think about when I was pregnant with him and wonder... where did the time go???

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

2009-02-07T20:02:00.003-06:00

Taylor has started singing the song "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" She sings it all the time. We finally got her to do it on video. Of course its cute too :)

2009-01-31T13:25:00.002-06:00

Last night I heard Taylor telling Zach to go to "time out." She told him to "stay, he was in trouble." By the time I grabbed the camera she was already done scolding him. We tried to have her reinact it and she kind of did. But the first time was so funny. Anyways this is a video of the second "time out" for daddy.

Pee Pee Diaries

2009-01-26T12:31:00.002-06:00

Today Taylor and I went to the library and there we were playing with puzzles and reading books and she looked up at me with her big eyes and said "mommy pee pee." So of course this caught me of guard and I repeated what she said and she said "yes." So we rushed to the bathroom and she sat on the big potty and went pee pee!!!! She has been going every night on her potty chair for almost 2 months now. But during the day when we ask her or suggest for her to try during the day she throws a fit. So we have been letting her do it on her own time so we don't push it on her. But today she told me she had to go AND she went on a big potty. Anyways this was very exciting for mommy and daddy and we wanted to share :)

First Hair Cut

2009-01-19T13:41:00.002-06:00

Today I took Taylor for her first hair cut. I have been debating for a few months now and finally decided to do it. It was sad though because the hair they cut off was actually her "baby" hair. But it had to be done, the ends were not looking healthy. So we trimmed it up and cut bangs. Her hair was always hanging in her eyes so I thought this might be a good solution. She looks cute of course! But it is a little adjustment to me. Maybe its just that my baby isn't a baby anymore and that is the adjustment not the hair cut. She sat there very well and let the lady cut it, she barely moved or said a word. I think she might have been a little scared. But afterwards she was all smiles for the camera.

Baby brother

2009-01-06T20:03:00.003-06:00

Its a BOY

2009-01-06T13:35:00.002-06:00

Its a BOY!! We had our sonogram today and everything looked great. It is for sure a boy!! I think God thought Taylor is too spoiled to compete with another girl so he decided to give us a boy. He should be here early in May sometime, we can't wait to meet him!!

Christmas

2008-12-25T21:41:00.002-06:00

Another blessed Christmas for us and we still have another one! We are very spoiled! Here is a picture of Taylor before church. One of her with a few of her presents from mommy, daddy, and Santa. Then one with her Elmo apron on from Grandma with her "Dora dress up back pack" complete with sunglasses, phone, and a little attitude. Hope everyone had a great Christmas!

Baby Sister

2008-12-20T16:46:00.003-06:00

Taylor has recently started to let us know that she would like a baby sister. When we ask her if she wants a baby sister or a baby brother she says "sister." And if we ask her if she wants a baby boy or baby girl she says "girl." So the pressure is on to give her a baby sister. Its no secret that I would like it to be a girl too, but of course would be just as happy with a boy. Here is a video of her telling us about her baby sister.

Dance!

2008-12-19T14:40:00.003-06:00

Taylor loves Dora and Diego right now. Any time they come on TV this is the dance she does. She is very excited!

A Big Girl

2008-12-16T21:37:00.002-06:00

We converted Taylor's crib to a "big girl bed." This is a sad day for mommy and daddy. She is growing up too fast, but we are trying to prepare for the baby. Hopefully she won't fall out of bed. Next step...potty training.

A little funny--Part II

2008-12-05T19:49:00.001-06:00

Tonight Zach asked Taylor "what is in mommy's tummy?" She replied "baby." Then he asked her where her baby was. So she lifted her shirt up and pointed to her tummy and said "here."

Boy or Girl?????

2008-12-03T13:44:00.002-06:00

I had a Dr appointment the other day and it went well. Note to self though...don't schedule a Dr appointment where they will be weighing you after a major holiday! The Dr said the baby seems to be growing well and the heartbeat was in the 150-160s. It has stayed in that range. I can't remember what it was with Taylor. I think it was always high. Some people say that a high heart rate is a girl and a lower is a boy? My Dr said that isn't always true. Darn--no insight on boy or girl!! We can't decide if we want to find out what the sex is. The eliment of surprise would be fun, but it would also be nice to know and plan. Either way at either time it is a surprise, right???

Will she stay this sweet always?

2008-11-20T14:08:00.002-06:00

Last night I got home from work and felt horrible (I'm having all day sickness, not morning sickness). I had felt sick all day and it was a VERY long day because of it. So when I came home, Zach being the wonderful husband he is, made me something to eat, gave Taylor a bath, cleaned up, and let me lay on the couch complaining. Well after Taylor's bath she came over to me on the couch and said "Mommy sleep?" Then she gave me a kiss and with her small little hand started rubbing my back and saying sweet Taylor talk. I wasn't sure what she was saying at that point, but her tone of voice was very sweet and I think she knew I didn't feel well and was trying to make me feel better. I hope she is always that sweet to her mommy, even when she is sixteen.

A little funny

2008-11-09T19:21:00.001-06:00

So I'm not sure if I should "post" this or not, but here it goes. Lately Taylor has been saying "baby in mommy's tummy." She will point to my tummy and everything like she is understanding. However tonight Zach and I got out the video camera to catch a few growing and fun moments of her. So I thought it would be cute to ask her what is in mommy's tummy. Her reply was "poo poo." Totally caught us off guard!

Seseme Street Live!!

2008-11-05T19:12:00.002-06:00

Today we took Taylor to see Elmo Makes Music. She danced and waved to Elmo the whole time. It was so cute! She was like a 16 year old seeing her favorite boy band. Hopefully the videos aren't too dark to see.

2008-11-05T16:56:00.003-06:00

2008-11-05T15:46:00.002-06:00

C'mon Boy!

2008-10-29T14:01:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I took Taylor to the mall to look at some winter coats for her. At the mall they have a play area that she loves to play at, which comes in handy for cold days. So of course when she saw it she wanted to play. I didn't go to the mall prepared because I forgot the stroller and trying to carry a 30lb child around through a mall by a play area is not easy. So I put her down and let her play. It was so funny because she met a little boy there, who I am guessing was about the same age as her. They kept copying eachother in what the other one would do. So Taylor would run around and then he would follow her and do what she would do and vice versa. Then if he wasn't right behind her she would yell out "C'mon Boy" It was so funny. Then when I asked her what his name was she looked at me like I was dumb and said "boy."

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-21T16:29:00.003-05:00

We went to the pumpkin patch this past weekend and had so much fun. Taylor loved it and played all day there. She kept looking at all the pumpkins or "pumpkicks" as she calls them. She would try to either pick them up or climb on them. Then she would pick at the dirt on them and say "dirty mommy." When we got home we all painted a pumpkin and Taylor even painted one for her baby sibling. She thinks she got 2 pumpkicks though. Happy Fall!!!

Talking

2008-10-20T16:03:00.002-05:00

Taylor is talking so much now. She is always saying something new and cute. I can't believe she is 20 months old! Before we know it, it will be her 2nd birthday. She discovered "Dora" the other day. So now she always wants to watch Elmo or Dora on TV. She is just growing up so fast! She now says "where is baby at" or whatever she is referring to at that time and then will pick it up and say "right here mommy." She also like pumpkins right now--being fall and everything. She pronounces it "pumpkick" though, so cute right!? She is saying new words every day and her mommy is just a little sad about how big she is getting ;)

Baby Kindler #2

2008-10-13T21:51:00.002-05:00

Well we are expecting baby #2. I am about 10 weeks pregnant now and we are due in May. The actual date is May 15th but the Dr said it will be at least a week before that. We had a sonogram today and everything looks fine they said. The heart rate was 176. We are excited to give Taylor and sister or brother and it will be fun/interesting to see what she thinks of the baby when it gets here.

2008-10-07T12:53:00.002-05:00

I recently joined a group at our church called MOPS. It stands for mothers of preschoolers. It is a group that meets every other week for a few hours and we have guest speakers or do crafts, talk about our kids and husbands in positive ways, pray, and just learn how to be better wives and mothers. It has been a great experience for me and I look forward to it each time. Today we had a speaker from Parents as Teachers come. Our MOPS leaders and the speaker focused on how to be better moms and how and what to teach our kids, etc.

It is so bittersweet for me at this time with Taylor. I love to watch her learn and grow and see her develop into a little person, but at the same time my first little baby is gone. I will never forget the way I felt when I held her for the first time, or when she first said mommy, or when she gave me a kiss for the first time. Now she is doing different exciting stuff which touch me just as much, but somehow it is different. She still needs her mommy but it is in a different way. She has her own opinions now and ideas--which are different every day.

Today at MOPS they focused on how as moms we need to keep our childs "love tank" filled. So when we are busy in our day and household chores, etc and our kids are always at our feet or needing our attention to take the time and focus on them. They are at our feet because they need our attention in a special way. I have experienced this with Taylor and I do try to stop and see what I can do to help her, but maybe not always the way I should. They also said to be their biggest fan and cheerleader no matter what. If they are involved in a sport or something and are the worst player on the team to always keep cheering them on so they have the confidence to keep trying and will always know how much you as a mom support them. They said several different things today but a few that stuck out in my mind is to just take the time to make them feel special and loved no matter what you might have going on at the time.

Our MOPS group this semester focuses on the different "hats" we wear as moms such as nurse, teacher, chef, maid, taxi driver, policeman, etc. It is so true how many things you can do as a mom. I can complain about some things sometimes that go along with these "hats" but really I enjoy them, I enjoy being a mother and love every day I have with Taylor. They said a quote that I think is so true too. "These days are long but the years are short." How important is that to remember. I just wanted to share with all the other moms that might read this because I was touched today at the things they told us and it made me think just how much I do love being a mommy, no matter what "hat" I have that day. :)

2008-09-23T21:02:00.002-05:00

"You talkin to me"

Taylor learned how to say a new phrase along with a complete facial expression. Its pretty funny the things she comes up with. Just thought we would share.

2008-09-17T05:24:00.001-05:00