Kelsey's Cookies

Sunday, Kelsey and I made some sugar cookies and decorated them. Mine were plain, just red and green sugar on them. Kelsey's on the other hand were not plain. She wanted to put everything she had on hers.
























And the "piece de resistance"....

Circus Fun!

On Saturday we all went to the circus. It was a Ringling Brothers, so it was a pretty good one. We got there a little early because they have a pre-show thing where they let you on the floor and participate a little. Kelsey wanted to do the trapeze. She had no fear and loved it.








Harrison really liked the first act. He had is drink and his popcorn and was loving life. During the second act we ran out of popcorn and it was way past nap time so he and I walked around a lot. But I was really surprised at how well he paid attention and liked it. Kelsey liked the elephants and the jugglers the best.

Kelsey vs. Harrison

The biggest difference between Kelsey and Harrison is that Kelsey is cautious:




And Harrison is FEARLESS:


He does this almost every time he is on the bed. Kelsey actually learned how to do it from watching Harrison. He just loves to test the limits and Kelsey treads very lightly.....usually!

What a week (or two)

The past several weeks everyone on our family has been sick at least once. Shawn and I have had this crud that you just can't seem to get rid of and the kids have had colds (Harrison had had several bouts of croup in the last month). So I think we are all finally on the mend!!! But now our computer is sick! Shawn has worked many many hours trying to figure this thing out. It still is not completely normal. We may need a new one....

We had a great Thanksgiving with our generous friends The Fellers'. All their family was there and us. They were all very good to us and fed us well.

We are now getting ready for Christmas. The kids and I are going to West Texas on the 18th and coming back the 31st. Shawn will meet us out there on Christmas Eve and come back the following Sunday. We are all excited about the trip, but Kelsey is soooo ready to see everyone.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!!!

Things Kelsey is Thankful For

I asked Kelsey what she was thankful for and this is what she said.
In case you missed it she said she was thankful for "Mommy and Daddy and Kelsey and Harrison. And for food and counters and everything I like". The cute mind of a three year old.

Oh No!!!!

Harrison started opening the pantry door today! This terrifies me because we close doors to keep him out of a lot of places. If anyone has any advice please let me know.........

Answered Prayer!!

Last week, I put Kelsey to bed and we said our prayers as usual. Except, for two nights we asks for help with potty training. I kid you not, the day after the second prayer she didn't have any accidents and even told me when she needed to go!! This has gone on now for about three or four days. This may seem like a silly prayer, but if you have ever tried to potty train a hard to potty train child, you know that it wasn't silly (more desperation). Anyway, so far so good!!!

Weekend with the Heisel's

This weekend Jason and Melissa Heisel came to visit us. They got here around 11:30pm on Friday. We talked and caught up for a while then headed for bed. The next morning Shawn had to get up and open his new office!! Yes folks, the day has finally come that he is in his own cemetery park. We thought that it would never get here. When he got home around noon we all went to eat in downtown Little Rock on the river. When the kids (aka Harrison) had had enough of that we headed home where the boys watched football, the kids napped, and the girls shopped. We all had fun catching up and hanging out. Jason and Melissa left Sunday after a big Sunday lunch. Kelsey hasn't stopped asking for them and praying that they get home safe! Kelsey has always loved Jason and has always taken to him, but now she is just as in love with Melissa. And she is (well, we all are) sooo ready for Melissa to have the baby so she can have another cousin. We were so blessed to have them come see us....the invitation is open to everyone!

Kelsey Can Write!!!

Last week Kelsey and I started working on writing her letters. Apparently I started a little late because she picked it up sooooo fast. She can write her name and almost all the other letters in the alphabet. I am so proud of my little writer. Now if we can only get potty training down!

Halloween 2008!

This was Kelsey's first Halloween to really enjoy it. She kind of got it last year, but not really, especially compared to this year. We started the day with a picnic with Ronni and her friends (some of with are acquaintances of mine). All the kids were in their costumes so we could get some cute pictures. The trees are all turning here. It's soooo pretty. The road I drive down everyday to get to my house is just picturesque with all the different colors of leaves. Then, Shawn got off work a little early, so we all headed together to another Halloween carnival. This one was at a church and was huge. Kelsey had fun playing the games and getting candy. We (of course) went with our neighbors/friends Chad and Ronni and their two kids Jenna and the famous Owen. That was fun and we will definitely hit that next year. Then, we all went trick or treating. Harrison and Jenna were in the wagon most of the time, while Kelsey and Owen took turns ringing doorbells. It started to sprinkle on us, so we decided it was time to pack it in. Both kids had a bucket full of candy to last them 6 months, although I keep finding candy wrappers in the weirdest places so I'm not sure how long it will last! It was a really good Halloween.

Ronni was my photographer for all of these events, so there will be pictures on the shutterfly site as soon as she uploads them. So check back soon! But if you are just in need of a really cute
picture......

Tagged!

My friend, Julie, tagged me to put my fourth picture in my fourth album. This picture was taken April of 2006 (and was not in any kind of order in my files). Kelsey was about seven months old. It was a really cute stage for her. She had more rolls than you could count and she was usually always happy and content.....then she learned to talk! Haha, just kidding. I remember taking a picture of Harrison in this same spot in our old house with a Baylor outfit on too.


















Don't they look like brother and sister? Two little chunks!!!


















Anyway, thanks Julie for tagging me. It's always fun going back and looking at pictures you haven't seen in a while.

Halloween Carnival

Our community had a Halloween carnival Sunday afternoon. The kids dressed up as a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader and a Dallas Cowboy football player (#9 Tony Romo to be exact). They had fun. Kelsey played some of the games, decorated a little pumpkin, ate a cupcake, and went on a hay ride. Harrison ate everything he could and bounced in the bounce house for a little while. We had fun and it was a BEAUTIFUL day. After the carnival our neighbors (Ronni, Chad, Owen, and Jenna) came over for some pizza and wings. It was a good day!

Hard Time at the Neighbors

The kids and I were over at the neighbors (Ronnie and Chad's) house Tuesday afternoon. Ronni and I were sitting in the living room talking when we heard their dog, Bogie, bark and Harrison start crying. Harrison must have fallen over Bogie (like he does with Matty all the time) thinking he was going to playfully crawl over her. If you have ever seen Harrison do this, you know he is NOT gentle. Bogie must have gotten scared and bit Harrison. He has three marks on his face. He got over it rather quickly and was ready to play with Bogie some more! I did call the doctor and they told me to wash it a couple times a day and put an antibiotic cream on it and watch it for infection. He is feeling better, but the cuts look worse when they are healing. He should be good as new in a week!














Then yesterday, Shawn and the kids and I went to the same neighbors house for dinner and as we were getting ready to leave I hear Kelsey crying in the master bedroom. Ronni was playing with the kids on their bed when Kelsey and Jenna (their daughter) somehow bumped heads. This was a major bump though. It immediately swelled up and had weird dots on it. It looks much better today and she says it doesn't hurt anymore. She will also be good as new in about a week!
















We are truly blessed to have these neighbors. Our children LOVE each other and play really well together. They have just been such a gift to us. We just hit a little rough patch the last two days !! :)

Trip to W.T. (West Texas) :-)

Well, our trip to West Texas went really well. I am just now catching up from being gone for 10 days, though. I flew with the kids into Lubbock on Thursday the 9th. (The kids were perfect on those flights by the way.) The three of us stayed at Mimi's (Shawn's mom) house that night, then Harrison and I went to stay with Emmy (my mom)the next day. Kelsey had fun playing with Kenzie and everyone during the weekend at Mimi's house. While Misty (thank you!) kept Harrison, my mom and I did a trade show on Saturday and Sunday in the great big town of Stanton, Texas (about 3,000 people). It went really well, but we were worn out after that crazy weekend. On Sunday, Kelsey came to Seminole with the rest of us and spend the week with Emmy. Both the kids had a great time playing with Tessa and loving on Emmy. Then, Mimi decided she could take both of the kids the next weekend so my mom and I could do another show in Seminole Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It was another really good show, but exhausted us again. Sunday, after the show was over, I hitched a ride with my good buddy, Michelle to Lubbock. Mimi was ready for me to relieve her when I got there (I don't blame her)! The kids and I headed out Monday afternoon to fly home. This flight was not so perfect. Harrison decide he would scream the whole way to Dallas (oh, except the last 5 minutes when he fell asleep on my shoulder). The next flight to Little Rock was better though, he slept the whole way!!! All in all we had a great time with everyone and can't wait to go back in December.

I got it...

Well, it happened. I got whatever Kelsey and Harrison had. It was horrible! The good thing is that it only lasted about 24 hours. Also, Shawn stayed home from work and took care of the kids. What a relief!! I don't think there was anyway I could have done any of the normal things...like make it upstairs to get Harrison. Shawn was wonderful. He cooked, cleaned, and made sure the kids didn't get to close to me.
Kelsey, Harrison, and I are leaving tomorrow to go to Lubbock and Seminole. We are all very excited. We will be there until the 20th, so I probably won't blog about anything during that time. (Unless something really great happens) Have a great 10 days and I hope to talk to you all soon!

Sad Sunday :(

I woke up Sunday morning at 5 am to Kelsey crying. I went up to see what the problem was. She said she coughed and a lot of stuff was in her mouth. Okay, at 5 in the morning I couldn't really comprehend just what that meant. So I got her a drink and tucked her back in. I got back downstairs, got in bed and heard her cough and start to cry again, so I went back up stairs. When I asked her what was wrong this time she said she had made a mess on her bed and food came out of her mouth! It didn't take me long this time to realize what had happened. So I got her out of bed and cleaned her up then took her sheets off and brought her downstairs with me in the guest room. I knew she probably wasn't going to go back to sleep so she watched cartoons while I tried to grab a couple more minutes of sleep. She ended up throwing up 2 more times that morning and she stayed in bed all day watching cartoons. Her good friend, Owen, came over that afternoon and brought her a princess coloring book with crayons. (Owen is the blonde boy in the pictures on our shutterfly website.) This morning she woke up and felt great!! Thank goodness. Unfortunately, Harrison has had 3 runny diapers and threw up once in his bed. The good thing about Harrison is that he never really acts sick, he just wants to keep playing. It will be a miracle if Shawn or I don't get this gross virus.

Kelsey's 3 Year Well Visit

Kelsey had her 3 year check up today. She did really good although she informed me that she did not want the doctor to check her mouth or her nose. I told her that if she doesn't fuss or cry she will get a milk shake after her visit. She was really good with the nurse and the doctor. I knew she wasn't going to have to have any shots, so I thought it was pretty safe that she would get her milk shake. The doctor informed me today is the first day to get a flu vaccine and asked if I wanted to get Kelsey's done today. I told him that I had already told her she wasn't going to get any shots today. He said that they have a nasal spray for her age and it was pretty easy. Well, it was obvious that he had never given this to a 3 year old before (the nurses do). Kelsey really didn't like the spray up her nose. Especially after telling me she didn't want her nose to be checked. She asked the nurse to do it slowly. She had to do two sprays. I wasn't sure the nurse was going to get the second spray in there. She finally did, but Kelsey pulled away and the nurse stuck her in the nose. Kesley recovered fairly quickly, but I have a feeling she won't want to go back to the doctor next time! We went for a chocolate milk shake after and all was good. Kelsey weighed 30.8 pounds and is 3' 1".

New pictures!!

My neighbor, Ronni, took some awesome pictures of Kelsey at her birthday party. She is now going to be the photographer of my kids!!! You simply must go to our shutterfly website and see all of the amazing pictures. You can click on the link to the right of this post or go to www.brower.shutterfly.com. Hope you enjoy!!

Kelsey's 3rd Birthday Extravaganza

Kelsey started out her birthday with a birthday pancake. She got to blow out candles and listen to mommy "sing".















Then, that night we went to Chuck E Cheese's (FYI- I would NOT recommend the food.) to celebrate as a family. She had a lot of fun watching the Chuch E Cheese band, playing the games, and picking a prize.
















The next day, we started her official 3rd Birthday Party at about 9:30 am with a Dora bounce house. Our neighbors were nice enough to let us use their yard and their house for the cake and presents. It was just easier to do everything in one spot. The neighborhood kids came and jumped for a couple of hours.






























Then, we did cake and gifts. Then, the kids jumped a little more and some people came to our house for hot dogs and cheese dip.

















I just wanted everyone to see my "masterpiece". I think it is definitely better than the Mickey Mouse cake I bought for Harrison's birthday. At least you can tell it's Dora! I actually had a lot of fun making it and think it will be a tradition to make my kids cakes from now on.






















Kelsey loved all her birthday presents. Thank you to everyone who contributed to her birthday. She absolutely loves her doll house and all the rooms to go with it. Shawn and I got her a Leapster ClickStart which is like a computer you connect to your TV. She wants to play it every minute of everyday! Her 3rd birthday was a good one even though we missed seeing all our friends and family there.

Haircut Day!

Yesterday was haircut day for the kids. Harrison's hair was soooo cute long and curly, but it was hard to style, so we had it cut shorter which looks really cute, too. Kelsey's hair just needed a trim and we also gave her a couple of layers. It looks really cute when it's down. Here are a couple of pictures to show off their new haircuts.

Just to get out of the door........

This morning I had Mom-N-More ( a moms bible study group at our church) and I thought I was doing really good on time. I had everyone packed up and out of the door at 8:40 to be at the church and put each kid in their class by 9:00. But when I got to the car the car seats weren't in the car because Shawn had used my car yesterday to get some landscaping. So I put the kids back inside while I got the car seats back in the car. When I went back inside to get the kids Harrison was soaking wet from head to toe! He had poured a glass of water on himself trying to get a drink AND stood in the dog's water with both feet in his socks. So I had to run upstairs and get him another outfit and put it on. We finally got out of the garage at 8:53. Needless to say, we were a little late, but had great intentions. The funny part was that when I told this story to my group, a few other moms had similar stories from that morning. Ahhh, the life of mom........

My Big Boy

This morning Harrison ate TWO waffles and a little banana and his milk for breakfast. I think he would have eaten more waffle, but I was out! Another growth spurt I guess. Also, here is some video of Harrison walking a little. He is getting much better!

Power Outage

Sunday morning at about 1:15am our power went out because of the storms from the hurricane. Kelsey woke up not much later because her noise was off and her room was pitch dark, so she got to come downstairs with us. We finally decide about an hour later that we couldn't do anything about it and went back to bed (Kelsey in our bed). All day Sunday Kelsey kept asking to watch cartoons or to play her computer game. You don't really realize how many of your everyday things take electricity until you don't have it. So most of the day we played outside and did yard work. Thankfully, it was a beautiful day. We had our windows open and a breeze came through. We did end up putting some of our food on ice because the electric company was saying that some people may not get power back for a few days, so we didn't want to take any chances. That night we had the neighbors over to cook out and play some cards by candle light, but just as we put the steaks on the grill, the power came back on! We still played cards and ate together, but we had lights and air-conditioning. I was kind of looking forward to eating by candle light, but we used just used the regular old lights. Monday, Kelsey kept asking if the TV worked so she could watch her cartoons and if the light in her room worked so she wouldn't be scared anymore. I had to keep assuring her that they did work.

While Shawn was getting the grill ready to cook the steaks, he opened up the umbrella to the table and chairs on the patio. You will never believe what was in there....a BAT!!

Last Week

Last week my mom came down to sell some stuff at the farmer's market with me. We had a lot of fun doing it, but the visit was better than the business. My dad came through here and stayed a couple of days, too. Harrison has taken a liking to his Pappy. He is the only one other than Shawn that Harrison will reach for when I am holding him. Harrison also started to walk a little this last week. He will take a couple of steps and laugh and fall down. It's really cute. I will try to put a video up soon of it. Kelsey loves her Emmy and had lots of fun going on walks and cooking with her. When she is here Emmy is the only one that can take Kelsey to potty (which is getting better). We all had lots of fun and ate well last week!

Here are some of the crosses we made and sold at the farmer's market.

Harrison's One Year Checkup

Harrison had his one year well visit today. We, of course, went to a new pediatrician. He was very nice and seemed to be a lot like Dr. Nail, our old pedi in Frisco. He said Harrison looked perfect and was doing great. Harrison was 22.2 lbs and was 30 inches long. He is still wearing 18 month clothes, but is starting to go into 24 month stuff. Hopefully, he will wear 24 month for a while. He is really starting to slow down in the growing department. He got three shots and did great. As soon as I picked him up he was over it. I think he just didn't like being held down. He is starting to stand up by himself, so I don't think walking is very far away. Also, yesterday he was saying "E-I-E-I-----O". The O was very low. It was really cute. My little one year old is doing great and is just growing up right before my eyes! I hope this inspires everyone to come to Little Rock and see for yourself!!!

Shawn's Company Cookout

Saturday afternoon we all went to Shawn's bosses house to the company cookout. It was fun. I got to meet most of the people he works with and put some names to faces. Shawn and his boss spent most of the time playing horseshoes and I spent most the the time watching Harrison and talking to the people. Kelsey had a good time playing with the other kids there.

Dentist Day

Today was the first day that either of the kids had gone to the dentist! Both of them did great. Harrison did not like the x-rays, but they were quick and he recovered fast. Since he only has four teeth he didn't have to have them cleaned. The dentist just came in and looked at them.

Kelsey also did awesome, but did not like the x-rays that were on the side of her mouth. I can sympathize because I know those bite wings hurt. After that was over, she got her teeth cleaned. She thought it tickled. Then the dentist came in and saw her, too. We learned that she doesn't have the two teeth beside the top middle two (Sponge Bob teeth). She also has an under bite that we may have to do something about in the next year or two. Needless to say, she will be at the dentist a lot in her life. By the way, Harrison may have the same problem with his top two teeth. Thank goodness for dental insurance!!! When we were finished they each got a toy and we headed home.

**By the way, Kelsey's 2 year molars are finally coming through!!!

Harrison's New Toy

Thanks to everyone for their contributions to Harrison's birthday. He just loves all of his toys. I thought I would show everyone how he can ride his dump truck toy. He loves it! He can get on and off by himself, too!! Enjoy!

Labor Day at the Zoo

On Labor Day, we got up and went to the Little Rock Zoo. Kelsey was really excited to see all the animals. I have to say we were really impressed with the zoo here. It's definitely not the Fort Worth Zoo, but it's pretty big and has lots of neat animals. We were there for three hours and didn't get through it all. It was hot and crowded, but we still had fun. Kelsey got to feed some goats and sheep. I think the monkeys were her favorite, though. They had a big ape exhibit and she kept saying, "they need to go back with their family" if one would run off. At the end of our time at the zoo, Kelsey and Shawn road a carousel that was kind of like a roller coaster. She absolutely loved it. It was a good time and we will definitely be back!

Later on that afternoon (after well-needed naps) we went to our neighbors house for dinner and a movie. It was really nice to be around adults and for the kids to go off and play. All in all, it was a good day!

Happy 1st Birthday Harrison!!!

Harrison had a good 1st birthday. The four of us were the only ones at the party!He had a Mickey Mouse cake and balloon, well it was an Arkansas Mickey Mouse cake! We had dinner then ate some cake and opened presents. The kids played for a little while then it was time for bed. Harrison loves all his trucks. He got one ride on/push toy that he can already make it go by himself when he is riding on it! He loves pushing the shopping cart and playing with all the toys inside. I think Kelsey was just as excited about all his toys as he was. It was a fun little party. I can't believe he is one! It went by so fast....



Harrison also had his final birthday bottle! He is still on lactose-free formula just to make sure all the tummy issues are taken care of. He should be moving to milk very soon. He has been doing really well with just the cup. Way to go Big Boy!!!

Sick House

We have had a sick house the past couple of days. Harrison is finally over ANOTHER bad bout of diarrhea and horrible diaper rash. Kelsey and I have had a cold since Monday and are going through the disgusting drainage part right now. And Shawn came home yesterday not feeling good. Hopefully, we are all turning the corner and getting over all our illnesses!

This Weekend

Shawn's dad was in town this weekend. Kelsey and Harrison had a lot of fun with him. We all went to a place called Party Time Pizza (it's a lot like Gatti Town) on Saturday. Kelsey had a lot of fun playing all the games and getting a prize. Sunday, Shawn and Bill played golf for a little while (I think they only got through about 3 or 4 holes...it's been super humid here). We also spent a lot of time watching the Olympics....GO USA!!!

Build-A-Bear with Papa

Kelsey, Papa, Harrison, and I all went to Build-A-Bear. This was one of Kelsey's early birthday presents from Papa. She had so much fun. She liked ALL the animals to pick from, so it took her a while to choose which one she "really wanted to take home." She finally chose a black bear. Then, she did the thing with the heart where she hugs it and kisses it and some more things that I didn't catch while I was cleaning up Harrison's Cheerio's all over the floor. She got to step on the thing that makes the stuffing go in ( I think that was her favorite part). Then, she brushed and fluffed her bear. Next, she picked out some clothes....a pink dress with little purse to match. She finally got to name her bear. It took a minute for her to understand how to chose a name, but finally she came up with Three. Now we will never forget what birthday she got Three on.....her third!!! When we were driving home she kept saying, "Isn't she so beautiful!"

First Time Blogger!!!

Well, this is my first blog and is totally not me, but I figured I'd give it a try. Now that we are in the big state of Arkansas I hope this will be a good way to keep in touch with all our friends and family. Hopefully, I'll have more than one or two posts a month!!!