“I got it!!”

“I did it”

“Holy holy holy {{gibberish}} almighty”

“Bless you!” (appropriately after sneezing)

“I tin-lee” (I’m kenlee)

“D-ere it is!”

Kenlee is like the little dog that doesn’t realize she’s little. She has no clue that she is younger or smaller or incapable of doing anything that Kai and Cade are doing. It’s so funny to watch her.

She is still one of the easiest children I have ever put to bed. Whereas Kai was still crying when I’d put him down at two. Kenlee looks up at me and says “Bye!” She also is in no rush to et up in the morning. She’ll lay there and sing and talk to her baby for almost an hour!

Her favorite thing right now is Nemo and particularly when they talk about the “butt” (boat). Why she had to pick that out of the entire movie I’ll never know.

I spent an hour yesterday just putting sand in buckets and showing her how to flip them to make towers. She LOVES to color…I’ve made quite an investment in COLOR WONDER!

She is a horrible eater at the present time. For so long I bragged about how well she ate but suddenly its awful. I think it has more to do with slowing down to eat than actually eating. She’ll still eat anything off my plate. I can’t seem to keep this child at the table. I vaugly remember this with Kai…I def remember it with Cade and they both turned out fine so I know it will pass.

She is still sucking her thumb, but still only when she has her blanket in her hand. It’s allowed in that car but not out of the car and only into church on wednesday nights.

This next year holds many things for her: talking more clearly, potty training, spankings with the spoon are now in effect. It’s an exciting and challenging time as a mom. I’m so thankful for a good Guide when it comes to all things.

This guy has good taste in watches….

Kai explaining the babies to Kenlee (have I mentioned that Kai recently MILKED a goat??)

I have to admit, my kids are normally VERY timid when it comes to feeding/touching animals but they were both super excited to feed these guys!

Just look at that smile. Seriously, child!

These three bless my socks off.

I’m so blessed to have my parents close by. I can’t imagine raising my kids far away from them. I was chopped liver all afternoon – POPPY was the star!!!

On the third Roanoke held their annual celebration/fireworks. Lyndee and I decided we didn’t want to do much. We frequently go to her mom’s and let the kids play outside for hours. We don’t have to entertain….all we do is make sure everyone is fed and happy and we get to sit back and relax. We had talked and both wanted to be able to chill on the 3rd. So, we made and easy menu, blew up the pool and sat back to relax. Of course, we also got drenched in a sudden storm but it was all fun. Our great friends the Miles’ joined us.

After playing at my in-laws, we went up and parked in front of the church, perfectly positioned across the road from the fireworks. I wasn’t sure how the night would go, honestly. First of all, Kenlee is in bed between 6:30 and 7 every night. The fireworks didn’t even START until 9:35. Yikes. I went totally prepared to leave early, but somehow girlfriend pushed through. My other concern was Kai. Kai has never mad it through a fireworks show. We usually end up in the car. The sound really bothers him. But, by the end of it, he didn’t have his hands over his ears….PTL!

By the time is was all over and I was driving home Kai said, “mom, i’m so tired can i just change and get in bed?” ha! I have never heard that from him.

All and all a GREAT day.

Then, on the actual fourth, after church, we headed over to my parents. I love their new backyard. We really cut our night short on the fourth. I think the kids were still so sleep deprived. Kai was asleep by 7:30 and Kenlee 7. Not going to lie, those are great nights!

Not gonna lie, it was SUPER last minute. It was just family. And it was just the right length….babies just can’t take all that stimulation!

Okay, okay, her birthday was really Sunday but that was a busy day for us as it was EPs only day off.

What a roller coaster year, really. I remember in the weeks before Starlet was born I would randomly cry thinking of how I was changing all of our lives and would SB ever forgive me. I would brag about how I wasn’t too worried about this one because I had done it all once before. Seriously, I ATE MY WORDS!

It was a matter of minutes after delivering that child that I realized I had just entered the unknown. Girlfriend came out SCREAMING and screaming she did for a long time.

(me shhhhh-ing Starlet)

I remember kinda feeling like a bad mom those first few minutes because I could not stop her…the midwives are all staring at me (not really, but my hormones told me they were)…the photographer….EP…my parents. Once we got home that day (at 9am) i remember trying to take my midwives advice and sleep but I was way too pumped, so I wrote out my birth story instead. I regretted that decision at about 11p.m. when Starlet woke up crying…and crying…and crying… I told EP at one point, “send her back we got a broken model.” At 6 am, after being up over 24 hrs, we finally ALL slept.

(still not sleeping @ her newborn shoot with Keri)

I remember the first month being such an adjustment (duh). Trying to figure out how to get everyone to bed…sleep deprivation…nursing issues…Starlets projectile vomit issue… What had I done?? I kept telling myself, 12 weeks…. but in the back of my head I was looking forward to November (6 months). Then, EP left for Kentucky and I understood fully the terms of man-to-man defense versus zone coverage. I seriously can hardly remember anything about last summer at all. They aren’t lying when they call the first three months the “black hole.” Because one day, around 12 weeks, you wake up and go, OOOOOhhhh, I’m human again.

But there were so many fun things you to look back on…. (Trust me you really don’t recognize them when you are in the hole). Ummm….and as I sit here trying to remember them all I can come up with is her first smile?? Geesh…bad mommy….I guess they also aren’t lying about that second kid syndrome. maybe these…. (i can’t resize them??)

Starlet took her first flight in June at 6 weeks to Kentucky. (funny, i don’t remember her ever sleeping that much!)

In October, we relocated to Charlotte, NC for three weeks.

January she had her first “road trip” up to Tulsa to see daddy….and another one in February. The first trip it snowed HUGE so we couldn’t do much. The second trip we contracted pink eye. Yay!

In May, um now, we are in Pigeon Forge, TN. I have to say she is one adaptable baby. Though it is getting a bit harder the more mobile she is….crawling on hotel floors = yuck!

Other fun things….

And the other day my girl Mae (who was the receptionist at my Chiropractors office all while I was pregnant and she was pregnant and we bonded. She’s also the first none family member to be introduced to Kenlee) ANYWAY – Mae asked if she could come take some pics of Startlet…uh, yeah. So here are some cuties!

And this one from this weekend of her on set (everyone has awesome cameras on set—major lens-envy)

I had never even heard of such a thing. People drink milk that isn’t of cows and bought in the store?? NO WAY!

My mother-in-law has a friend that owns her own goats for milking purposes. (she also owns a health food store and is pretty much my first call in most situations) Merrilee milks the goats when this lady has to be away for a milking time or when she is on vacation. My mother-in-law LOVES this job. It’s therapy for her. Seriously.

Not long before I got pregnant I joined her to milk. This was a new experience for me. I was very unsuccessful.

Once SB was born my MIL filled my head with why it was better that babies be on goats milk rather than formula. I listened but i wasn’t quite ready to make the jump. When SB was 10 months I went out with her to milk. (for the life of me i cannot find the pictures!!!) This time I was very successful (guess you have to nurse to really understand milking –okay that’s kinda gross, sorry). I took home some of the milk and started giving it to SB and he loved it!!

I got some questions from my pedi about feeding my child something raw, unpasturized and from a goat….but it worked. SB was on goats milk until the goats stopped producing that year.

With Starlet, I’ve been waiting for these goats to produce. Yes, I realize there are places in the area you can get milk, but I was okay with formula. (I’m only semi-crunchy remember — oh and I’m super frugal and that stuff is PRICY!).

Last week we went out, as we do almost every year, and played with the baby goats. SB & The Negotiator had SO much fun. TN is fearless and will pick up any goat. SB on the other hand prefers to see them from afar. Starlet enjoyed some goat love too….maybe a little too much goat love.

You can really tell how much SB isn’t really into this. He quickly left to play in the barn. (LOOK at TN’s face!!! CUTE!!)

Momma Merrilee in her element!!!

The Negotiator picking up more goats….

Starlet eating a goat. (poor baby. this was 20 min before her dr visit for strep i had no idea she was so sick!!)

Why is goats milk better?? Well truly I’m not 100% sure. I know that it is easier to digest. I know that it is the closest to breast milk and that anything in its raw state is better. But for the rest google it! Here is the frist link from when i googled. LINK

And then……

This one was in November (?) . Yes, she is VERY loud! (No clue where that comes from?)

Starlet is an amazing baby. She has a super laid back temperment compared to SB. Even our doctor asked me if she was always so calm. I’m so glad. I attribute that calm nature God’s way of confirming EP and I are doing the right thing. Without it, there is probably no way I could handle being alone so often…or travel for that matter. This child can travel! Kentucky, North Carolina, Tulsa (twice in a CAR!), and you now it isn’t slowing down. Every trip amazes me.

She’s a good sleeper. In bed nightly between 6:30 and 7 and up between 7 and 7:30. Bed time is determine by naps. Bad afternoon nap = early bedtime. Late nap = late bedtime. Its a double edge sword, great to have her up and well rested later in the day, but later means less “me” time at night. (Yup, I’m kind selfish about that as its my only time since I have no help).

Presently, we are trying lots of foods. Pretty much whatever I’m eating, she gets. We do some jarred food for ease of use while out (church, MOPS, etc), it just makes life easier. Restaurants, I’m doing my best to give her stuff. It’s a horrible time to start solids as we’ve been eating so weird without EP. I’ve done lots of research/reading on feeding your baby lots of variety in the first year, but we seem to eat the same old stuff. (I really need to get out of the rut.)

Speech. Okay, this is an obvious place to see difference. I haven’t transfered my old blog yet, but Stunt Boy was severely language delayed (I could go on but I’ll just move the old post). As a first time mom, you really don’t know what to listen for. SB made noises that I assumed was babbling (well at first). Having Starlet NOW I know what I wasn’t hearing. Girlfriend talks all.the.time. Mama, baba, dada, gak, gahgah, oh oh….mixed it was a ton of other random noises. I also know that second children tend to talk earlier hearing the older child speak, but still, SB didn’t do anything like this. Ever. Not even after therapy. Not only does she babble, she does it very LOUD!!!

She claps her hands and waves bye-bye. Also “praises the Lord” by raising her hands in the touchdown position. Often, she’ll wave in that position which reminds me of Lane Frost’s wave in 8 Seconds after getting off the bulls. Okay, that’s random. (But, I looooved that movie and had it on cassette!! Loved me some rodeos in high school!)

Mannerisms. Starlet knows how to work a crowd and especially her daddy. If you say “oooooh” Starlet cocks that head to the side like, “who me?” She also does it randomly looking at strangers they think its awesome and I glow as the proud mommy.

Starlet loves SB. That sums up a ton. She follows him around the house. She wants what ever he has, wants to do what he is doing, stares at him in a daze like, “wow. you. are. cool.” She almost never plays with her toys. She’ll take a car over her purse any day. SB is amazing with her. Sure he tries to take things, keep stuff away from her, but so often he’ll open his bedroom door and say, “Starlet can come play now.”

Life is good.