Spaghetti face

Lauren: Summer 2010

Lauren: Summer 2011

"Allow children to be happy in their own way, for what better way will they find?"

I can't believe how much a year has changed Lauren Grace.  She is now 22 months old! Just 2 short months until she is 2years old.  It doesn't seem possible.  She is so intelligent and witty.  She always has me laughing (sometimes yelling).  She is talking up a storm. So much so, there is no need to even type what new words she is saying because she can repeat anything that is said to her.  She of course still says things with a toddler/baby way of saying them but articulation of her words will just take practice. She's lucky to have me as a mom..I LOVE to talk :)  
She has started to put together short sentences as well, which is a lot of fun.  I love our conversations!  

Lauren isn't too keen on sharing with her little sister.  I know it will get better as they both get a little older.  I am just tired of hearing "No Kaelin, mine Kaelin, Mom!!!" ...oh wait...that's not gonna stop for another 18 years is it?  :) 

Lauren loves being outside.  She enjoys playing with sidewalk chalk and going to the park.  
Lauren is great about naps and is slowly but surely getting rid of her morning nap.  Just depends on the day and how she feels. I honestly could care less if she continued to take a morning nap.  It gives me a little free time too!! :) 

She is just way too much fun.  Minus the occasional meltdowns, this has been my favorite state so far.  I love watching her learn and grow.  It truly is amazing!!

 

 

Father's Day

Any man can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a DADDY!! 

Flag Day

Happy Flag Day, and Happy 236th Birthday to the United States Army.

Visit this site via Taste of home.  For every person that views the recipe, Taste of Home will donate 10 cents to the USO up to $100,000 !!! 


10 cents may not seem like a lot but 10 cents allows a deployed soldier to call home and speak to their loved one for free.  Those 2 minutes are a little slice of heaven for the soldier and their families.  So click away please and pass it on!!

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Flag-Cake?keycode=ZUSOFB

Kaelin 9 months

9 months old already! This can't be?!  I cannot believe that my sweet baby girl will be 1 year old in just a few short months.  Kaelin develops her own little personality more and more everyday.  She is my loud child.  She doesn't hesitate to let you know when she wants something or if something is not right.  She and Lauren are starting to play together *sometimes*.  Most of the time, it is Kaelin who wants to play and Lauren who wants nothing to do with her.  One of these days I think Lauren will figure out she is fun to play with and not just the monster who steals her toys and pukes on them.
Yes, I said pukes.  Still at 9 months old, my daughter still spits up.  We've switched to soy and it has improved greatly, however she still spits up almost after every bottle.  I really think  she has some sort of reflux.  This issue has been mentioned to her pediatrician before as well and he just keeps saying that she will grow out of it.  Arghh.. I think it's time for a new pediatrician, but it's not worth the insurance hassle if the girls only have one more well check before we move back to Kansas this fall. 

Kaelin has started pulling herself up on furniture and walking around it. She is a pro.  Sometimes she forgets that she can't walk yet and will let go for a split second and the plop down on her bottom.

She LOVES bathtime.  She hates sleeping in her crib.  She will wake up every hour crying (even during naps) in her crib.  If she is in my comfy bed though, she sleeps all night long.  I know this is a habit I will have to eventually break, but right now I need my sleep.

Kaelin says "mama, dadda and hey/hi" .. It's so cute.

I wish she was walking. It'd make it a lot easier to play outside.  I don't have an issue with letting her play on the ground except she puts EVERYTHING in her mouth.  Makes it hard to be outside when I have to have her in a bouncer or sitting in the wagon.  I know she just wants to play with Lauren.  One of these days it will all work out.
She is just a sweet sweet blessing to our family.  A year and half ago, I was crying and frantic.  How was I going to have another baby when my other baby was only 4 months old at the time. Now, I can't imagine our lives without Kaelin Deborah.  What a beautiful blessing God gave to our family.

We love you Kaelin Deborah Erickson

"Rest your assurance on God’s love in your heart—
not on the fear in your mind."

-Something that I've been telling myself over and over and over in the last few days. It has been a very stressful and emotionally draining week for me. I have so much fear and anxiety that will just creep up and paralyze me.  There have been days that I am just so full of emotion that all I want to do is sleep away the day. Sleeping will make it go by faster.  Unfortunately with two little girls, I don't actually get to do that. 
I don't want to sound like "oh woe is me" .  But I am mentally so over this deployment. 
So I'll end on the same way that I began this post.....
Rest your assurance on God’s love in your heart—
not on the fear in your mind.

The Coupon Trainer

All of my friends in Central IL should check out The Coupon Trainer .  She is a great resource for local ad matchups and coupon deals.  I know I saved nearly $25 last weekend being aware of what deals were out there and what coupons to match up with them.  I personally do not have the time to go to the stores and match up the ads to my coupons. It's so convenient to have someone to follow.  You should head on over to her blog, check it out and follow her on Facebook too!
I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Girls

Kaelin is getting more and more of a personality these days. It's so fun to watch her change into more and more of a big girl.  She is recognizing when people call her name and starting to understand "no, no"

                        Kaelin is also teething. Her hands are constantly in her mouth!

 Unlike Kaelin, Lauren seems to have forgot how to smile when taking pictures. It is like pulling teeth to get her to smile anymore.  She is either making a weird face or running away from me. 

 Kaelin has been doing great since we made the switch to soy formula. No joke, the girl has gained about 2-3 lbs in the last month because she isn't throwing up half the bottle.  AND...we are slowly eliminating the number of bottles that she takes each day.  She has been going as long as 5-6 hours between bottles!  

Kaelin has also been dealing with seasonal allergies.  They aren't terrible, but enough that even a few minutes outside makes her sneeze, her nose run and for her breathing to become raspy and wheezy. 

 A rare, semi smiling picture of Lauren

Feeding her dolly.  She loves to play pretend and feed her baby dolls.  She is so cute. The other day she brought me a toy tea cup and said "Mommy, coffee" I said "mmmm" and she said "dishes"..which meant Delcicous!! This age is so fun!