Toes!

.....

LilliAnn found her toes about a month ago and her new favorite thing is to play with her little feetsies! 

.....

She even tries to eat them - I think she's figured out that toe jam doesn't taste too good, LOL!

Little Joys

Dad to Kass about dating in college: "So you're going to be a player?"
Reid: "I'm gonna be a player!

......

Reid and LilliAnn laying in my bed together, LilliAnn scooting towards Reid and reaching for him...
Reid: "No sissy! I'm tryin' to take a nap!"
.....
Reid: "Let's go to the mall and buy a cowboy hat!"
.....
Reid reaches over and touches my hair. "I wike your hair mommy."
Me: "I like your hair too Reid."
Reid: "I wub you mommy!"
.....
Reid: "Inna draw R.D. Nana!" (what he says when he wants to write because you spell his name R.e.i.d.)
Mom hands him a pink highlighter.
Reid: "No Nana! That's for girls!

.....

-- Kell
Posted from my iPhone

4 Months of Lil: Bathing Beauty

.....

I can't believe it's already been 4 months since we brought LilliAnn home on that cool, stormy night in April. Rain usually symbolizes rebirth, or a new beginning, and that's exactly what it was for our family...a new beginning. It was as if our family was really complete and that now we could really  begin - the four of us. So...what can I say about LilliAnn in her 4 months of being on this earth? The first word that comes to my mind is angel...she's my little angel baby - so easy going, such a sweetheart, so beautiful. She just goes with the flow - never puts up a fight unless she's very hungry or very sleepy. And yes, she DOES have a little temper like her daddy. It takes a lot to make her mad, but when she gets mad...boy does she ever get MAD! She's been sleeping through the night on most nights for over a month now and I can't even begin to tell how how wonderful it is to have a child that sleeps! Reid still wakes up one or two times in the night (even though he is finally in his bed...most nights). It's crazy how two children can come from the same parents and be so incredible different! My mom always talked about this related to Kassidy and I - both great kids, but just so different. LilliAnn and Reid seem to be like this - both unbelievably wonderful, but very different. Reid has more of my personality while LilliAnn has more of Jeb's. 

.....

.....

I know, I'm a little biased...but I think she's the most gorgeous girl I've ever seen. She has the most beautiful blue eyes with a hint of gray and sometimes a hint of green, depending on what she's wearing, just like her daddy's. I never imagined that God would bless me with a little girl this adorable. One of my favorite things is how she smiles with her whole body and when she giggles it makes my heart happy. She's growing like a weed! She weighs almost 15 pounds and is 24 1/2 inches long! 

.....

.....

.....

.....

I just couldn't be more proud of this baby girl. Last night she was laying in the middle of Jeb and I and he looked at me and said, "She's the most perfect baby. I've never seen a baby more beautiful than her. That's why everyone always wants to hold her." He's crazy about LilliAnn - and very protective of her too! Just wait until she starts dating...he may go to jail :) But Jeb is right...she is beautiful, even with this little strip of newborn hair along her neckline that's a lot longer than the rest of her hair - kind of like a little old man who's went bald everywhere but on the back of his head. Jeb wants to cut it because it looks like a mullet but I just LOVE it! I think because it's all she has left of her newborn days and I'm trying so hard to hold on to her newborn days...just a little bit longer. 

.....

.....

More about the sleeping...Lil is such a GREAT sleeper! When we're at home and not at the lake she'll sleep from about 10 o'clock until about 8 o'clock in her  own bed on most nights. She takes about 2 or 3 cat naps during the day and usually about 1 really long nap in the late afternoon. Reid was born a month early so he seemed to do most everything just right on time. LilliAnn, however, seems to be doing everything early! Maybe it's because she has an older brother that she watches constantly and tries to keep up with. She absolutely LOVES Reid...even though he tries to ride her like a bull when she's on her tummy! She fusses when she's not by him where all the action is! 

.....

For the past few weeks she's been reaching for things and people and using her hands a lot! She has a little organic cloth doll called a Seedling that she reaches for and loves to chew on. She has this doll with her most of the time and when she's fussing in her car seat this doll always soothes her. The first time she reached for me was last week and I just couldn't get over it! I was like, "oh, she wants her mommy!" She rolls both ways, sits up for very brief periods of time by herself (propped on her arms), and has even been army crawling a little when a toy is put in front of her! 

.....

.....

LilliAnn Loves:

-watching Reid

-playing Peek-a-Boo

-singing songs

-bouncing on your knee

-playing in the Baby Einstein exersaucer

-her Seedling doll

-naps in her crib

-swimming

-looking at herself in the mirror

.....

All done mommy! No more pictures!

.....

My baby girl is growing up TOO FAST! Although Jeb and I are pretty sure our family is complete, there are times that I think I may one day want another one - like all of this baby stuff is going to be over with way too soon! It's crazy and chaotic at times, but there's nothing like rocking a newborn baby, nursing her as she snuggles close to me, and hearing her little giggles and goos for the first time. Lord, please help me to relax, ignore the messes for now, and savor my moments with these precious babies.

Busy Boy

Our baby Reid just doesn't seem like that much of a baby these days. He's two years and three months and is really starting to grow into such a wonderful little boy. The terrible twos seem to be something of the past...for the most part, and diapers are long gone. All of this makes me kind of sad, except that I'm having so much fun watching him transform from a toddler to a preschooler. He's such a BUSY BOY these days! It's a miracle if I can get him to stop and say cheese for the camera because he's just always too busy - wait, he's pretty much always been a little busy body - he's just a lot more mobile than he once was! He can steer his gator now - very well as a matter of fact! He knows when to put it from high to low gear, backs up like a pro, and likes to jump out while he's driving full speed! The other day we were at the lake and he had left his gator up by Grandma Lucy & Papa Glenn's house. He wanted to go get it so I told him I'd walk up the hill with him to their house and we'd drive it back down. He looked at me and said, "No mommy, I get it myself." So I let him. I watched him walk up the hill to their house and about a minute later here he came - full speed ahead - in his bright green gator. 

.....

.....

.....

.....

There are times as a parent when you feel proud and you feel like you're doing a pretty good job. Every time Reid says, "thank you so much mommy," or "yes please nana," I feel like this. He almost always says please and thank you and that makes me very proud. I always wanted my children to have good manners and I'm so pleased that Reid uses "please" and "thank you" so often. And man, is his vocabulary ever growing! He talks and talks and talks...and I love it! Now he can tell me when his TV in the car isn't on (one time right after he turned one, just the volume was on and he was trying to tell me but I didn't understand what he was trying to say - poor thing!), and when he needs to go to the bathroom, and when he's hungry, and what he wants to eat, and when he wants to lay down. He told me the other day, when I put on his hat, that I looked pretty and I didn't even know that he understood the concept of "pretty" yet. He still has a some problems pronouncing a few things. For example, he says  "done" for phone (not done rhyming with bun, but done rhyming with phone), "mon" for more (rhymes with on), and when he says "milk" it sounds like "mulk". And for some reason tonight he was calling chicken nuggets - "chicken boys!" He even tells stories now - usually about how he got his boo boos - a horse bit him, or a snake, or a big bug. He loves for me, Jeb, or my dad to make up stories to tell him at bedtime - usually about horses, going swimming, playing baseball or basketball, riding the gator/ranger, or riding the waverunner. His current favorite books are the Tickle Monster, Hop on Pop, and the Big Book of Animals (he likes to point to each animal and ask "will that bite me?"). Favorite movies are still Barney, Ice Age - The Meltdown, Wee Sing Train, and A Bug's Life. 

.....

.....

.....

.....

.....

.....

I'm not just saying this because he's my child, but Reid is REALLY good at sports - especially baseball and basketball. He always has some type of ball in his hands. Playing baseball is probably the one thing that Reid has spent the most time playing this summer.  He doesn't like hitting off of a tee...he wants you to throw him the ball so he can hit it - and he does, most of the time. 

.....

He's such a good big brother and he just "wuvs" his sissy. He likes to hold her and kiss her...and occasionally he tries to play catch with her, not understanding that she can't quite catch the ball yet. She's had a few Hot Wheels cars thrown towards her head, as well as some blocks and some balls. Fortunately we haven't had any serious injuries! Last week he got out of the bath tub and went over to LilliAnn, who was sitting quietly in her swing. He started rubbing on her head and said to me, "I wuv her mommy." Then he stood up on his tip toes and said, "I pee pee on her mommy!" Luckily, I stopped him just in time! And yesterday I was getting ready and Reid was laying next to LilliAnn on the bed. He kept saying to her, "scoot over sissy baby! scoot over sis!" Then he yelled at me and said, "Mommy, she's touching my butt!"

.....

.....

.....

.....

I will miss him saying "hold you mommy," when he finally figures out that it's more correct to say, "hold me mommy." And I'll miss singing Barney's "I love you," "Take me out to the Ballgame," "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," "Old Gray Mare," and "Boom Boom Ain't it Great to be Crazy," at night when we get ready for bed. So for now I'll try and savor every moment...every "mommy want a bite?" every "wum-meeee! (yummy), I wike it mommy!" every "lay down with me mommy," and every "I wuv you mommy.

Princess LilliAnn

.....

Our sweet princess laying on her new towel.

.....

Look at that funny little bit of newborn hair that's left on the back of her head!

.....

.....

Hot and tired after the swim party.

.....

I still have a few things that I want to do to her room, but here are a few nursery pics.

.....

Custom bedding

.....

sorry about the glare

.....

.....

The piece that was made for me when I was born that was painted for Reid's room. Re-painted now for LilliAnn!

.....

Pool Party!

Yesterday we went to a pool party for Jett's 3rd birthday at the Seminole Municipal Pool. All the guys used to go to "the big pool" growing up and they were all super excited to have a "daddy high dive contest" at Jett's party. The same group of us that hung out in high school still hang out...except now most of us have kids that play together too! This makes it extra fun when we all get together! 

.....

Miss Priss LOVES the water!

.....

.....

.....

.....

She just can't keep that hand out of her mouth! The past few weeks she has been sucking on her hands constantly - and she does this even when she's not hungry. Everyone says she's teething, but I know she's still a little too young for that!

.....

.....

Lucy & Lil

.....

Trying to get to those hands!

.....

The dive judges :) Aunt Tammy says she NEVER misses anyone in the family's birthday party - yes Tammy, you get the award for GREATEST AUNT!

.....

PAR-TAY! (well...kind of!)

.....

Uncle Tommy & Emma - I had two cousins have babies on the same day...Emma & Jett were born only a few hours apart!

.....

Checking out the competition for the diving board contest

.....

ummm, who does that sexy daddy belong to?

.....

Yes, Jeb...You've still got it :)

.....

My little swimmer!

.....

~ Father of the BiRthdAy BoY ~

.....

~ Mother of the BirThDaY BOy ~

Baby Sister Josslynn will be here soon!

.....

The Birthday Boy with his signature jump!

.....

.....

.....

Three-Years-Old and going off the high dive!

.....

From Uncle's arms to Daddy's arms

.....

There's a whole lotta jumpin' goin' on!

.....

Reid was hilarious! He would start at the very end of the diving board and run as fast as he could into the water - he never even would jump!

.....

After he got to the ladder he's say, "Ina do dat adin!" (He says, "I wanna do that again" really fast and that's what it sounds like)

.....

There's a little jump!

.....

.....

.....

Will & Eli - Eli is such a good little swimmer!

.....

And yes, mommy's big booty jumped off the high dive! Actually, I dove - and it kinda hurt!

.....

HERE WE GO...DADDY DIVING BOARD DERBY!

Matt Lozier with the ummmm...1 1/2??!?! (Yes, he gets to be in the competition because he's a soon-to-be-daddy!)

.....

Tyler Morgan with the gainer (I think!)

.....

Matt Lozier with the double!

.....

Jeb Rollins with the 1 1/2 - Let's work on the form babe!

.....

Tyler Morgan with the...stiffy?!?!?

.....

Chase Yott with the...well, I don't really know what this is called - but LOOK AT THAT FORM - Toes pointed and everything!

.....

.....

And the winner is......(drum roll, bda bda bda bda bda).... MATT LOZIER!

He can still do the most difficult diving board tricks! Okay - so we just gave it to him to be nice and so he'd feel welcomed into the daddy club! ;)

.....

And the award for hottest dad goes to...(drum roll, bda bda bda bda bda)...JEB ROLLINS!

Because he's still got it!!! Okay, so we just gave it to him so he would feel cool ;)

.....

I'd say the party was a HUGE success - well, for the dads anyway! And yes, the kids all had a blast too! Lacee made the most AMAZING spiderman cookie cakes (yes, she made them - she's super creative!) and they were absolutely delicious! No Reid, don't even think about asking...your mommy will probably never make you a birthday cake - I'm not that creative - unless you ask for a confetti cake with icing out of a can, then I maybe could pull it off! 

.....

It was a great day to beat the heat and hang out by the water with some pretty great friends. So "big pool" we shall see you again soon (because I'm feeling another high dive competition next year!)

.....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY 3rd JETT TAYLOR! 

Reid and LilliAnn couldn't ask for a better cousin!