Brush your teeth!

It broke through!!! Whit got his 3rd tooth today. It was his top left one and you can now see it poking out! 10 months old and now finally another tooth! My babies take a while to get teeth. This is actually much faster than Kennedy. She got her third at 14 months! To celebrate the kids brushed their teeth together this morning. I love how close in age they are. Who said 18 months apart is too close in age? I am beginning to love it!

The Beach!!

Finally...PICTURES! Here are some of my favorites from the weekend. It was Whit's first "real" trip to the beach. His first he really didn't get to get into the water it was WAY too cold. Kennedy is a beach bum at heart. It is one of her happiest places on earth. She gets is honest...MeMe and Mommy are the same way. Whit was a bit overwhelmed at first but he really enjoyed it. The water was freezing. Throw in the fact that the baby has no fat on him and it made for a little shivering baby. I had to change his suit twice just to warm him up. Then off he goes to get back in! We are going to have a fun, and very BUSY, summer!

Every baby needs a sweet little white hat, right? I knew this would happen but I bought it anyways... He is so cute with it on!

2 seconds later...

I love sandy toes..

Heaven!

Sick day turned wonderful!

Kennedy has had a virus this week. I had to break down and take a day off from work. Not a big deal to most people but, I don't get paid to do that! She woke up today with no fever and has been fine. We ate a late breakfast. The kids played. Whit took a nap. Kennedy watched a movie. We went out to swing with Drew. We ate lunch. The kids went down for a nap. I went out on the deck and got some sun for about an hour. I read a magazine, a WHOLE magazine! Hmmmm.....I love lazy days. And lazy days of summer are the best! If I could have thrown in the pool today it would have been perfect! :) I am SO looking forward to SUMMER!! Only one more week until the big Prosser/Olliff beach vacation! Yay!! The countdown is on!

Oh, and sorry for the lack of pictures. My pictures are still being held hostage in my camera. My USB cord should be on it's way from Darien tomorrow! :)

Potty Trained?

Kennedy: Mommy, SuSu told me I not potty trained. I tee teed in my big girl panties. She made me wear a diaper.
Me: Well, Kennedy maybe you should tee tee in the potty and you could wear big girl panties all the time.
Kennedy: Mommy, I not potty trained!

Ok, Kennedy, you will get a few more days until summer but really, my dear. If we can have this conversation you can be potty trained!! What am I going to do with her?

Changes...they happen so fast!

My babies are growing up so fast! We had a great weekend. I took tons of pictures and can't seem to find my USB cord right now so all you get is words. I need to document a few things.

Whit's weight at 9 1/2 months: (so forgot to do this one) was 17 lbs 14 ounces. He is currently on the bottom of the growth curve but still above it! :)

Kennedy: Oh, my sweet daughter...she is such a handful! She talks and talks and talks. Her vocabulary is so big I can't even begin to list the things she says. Greg was going through flash cards with her tonight and she didn't have one she didn't know! One thing she has had a lot of trouble saying is her own name. She knows all of our names. She will tell you her brother is Whitfield Daniel Olliff. Ask her my name and she will reply, "Katie Olliff!" If you ask her Greg's she says, "Greggy Olliff!" :) She knows she is Kennedy Olliff but she has always referred to herself as Kennely. All of the sudden this weekend she says, "I am Ken-ne-dy Olliff!" Well, finally she can say her own name correctly! Way to go Kennedy! I am going to miss that sweet Kennely...it sounded so sweet!

Whit: Where do I begin? Greg went out of town Thursday and we came back today. I told him he might not recognize his baby! He is pulling up on anything and everything these days. No coffee table is too tall for this boy! He loves a window, a dish washer, a small table, an ottoman....whatever he can find! He will stand for longer periods of time now. I think he likes this new position. He also started to cruise just a little bit. He only does this when he feels brave enough. He also started DANCING! I love when a baby dances. Turn on a little music and this little boy can dance! I will also give him credit for his first word, MaMa. He can also say bye bye, but you have to say it a million times to get him to say it. He started to wave a little. He will give you a high five if you ask! He learned his ga sounds this weekend as well. I will give him his second word as well, which is Dog. Now it does not sound like Dog at all, it sounds like GA but he directs it at Riley over and over. And really, if you say dog a lot we really do emphasize the ga part of it. It is his version of it. He has also really started thinking when he plays. This might sound silly but you can see him thinking while he is putting things together. He is very focused and intentional about his toys lately. Ok, that's all. All in one weekend, my baby grew up! He did all of this in THREE days! WHAT?!!

I am looking forward to spending time with my kids all day everyday over the next two months. They grow so fast. I am so, so, thankful to have a job that I get time off like this. Only 4 more days with students and they summer begins next week! WOO HOO!!!

Pictures are in!!!

I have not followed the traditional 3, 6, 9, 12 month pics for for Whit. I got his newborn ones taken after a series of mishaps with two photographers. They are ok. We'll just say ok for those. So, I searched around this time. I came across Erin Gonzales and went through all of her pictures and found they were just what I wanted! She came to us, wherever we wanted to go. We chose MeMa's yard. It is just beautiful and I think it is special to have them there as well. I also wanted to find someone that would take just as many of Kennedy as Whit. I wanted to capture them together. She met us and instantly played with Kennedy. I will advertise for her a little here....she did such a good job! I am linking her blog to my blog list just in case you are in the market. I hate posed pictures. I hate props. I really HATE props. She did just what I asked and captured my beautiful family just as we are right now. These moments are priceless. Oh, and I now own all copyrights so I can do WHATEVER I want with these! Want one? :)

It was hard to choose but here are some of my favorites!

This is one of my absolute favorites! I love how happy they are! This one made me cry when I first saw it.

My sweet baby boy!

My hip baby

Let me set up the situation for you. You have 2 small children and need to run an errand. You are past the days of the carrier where you can get the smallest one out of the car and put the carrier on the ground while you get the older on out. Not to mention the fact that your "older" one cannot get in and out of a car by herself.

Ok, now picture me. I have worked out quite a system of going places with my two babies. I usually get Whit first and he becomes a permanent fixture on my hip. Then I go around to get Kennedy who I drag out of the car seat with one hand. (bless her heart) I then inform her of the dangers around, mainly cars. She is pretty good about holding my hand. Then we go in whatever store I need to go in that day. I am holding Kennedy's hand, with Whit on my hip. Of course, if you have been in a store with a toddler you know this alone is not an easy task. So somehow I shop for what I need and chase my precious K around. Got the idea of my life now?

I was in this very situation yesterday. We were walking around a store trying to find a gift. I have Kennedy flying around the store while I am trying my best to find something to purchase when I start talking to someone. They all of the sudden talk to Whit and tell him how cute he is. He of course grins from ear to ear. I, in shock at the realization that I am holding him, look down at my baby and realize I forgot he was even on my hip! Poor, poor Whit....Mommy is sorry she overlooks you sometimes even we you are attached to me. I feel so bad!! And bless your heart, you just love when people ooh and aaa over you. I am glad you are such a happy baby!

10 Months...such a little boy!

Today Whit is 10 months old! He is still my sweet little boy. I wish he would snuggle me more but I take what I can get. Those few seconds of snuggling and he is off! And he is off and crawling as usual. He has been doing that for about 3 months now. Has he learned to crawl the right way you might ask. Well, no! He is still dragging himself around the room. It is so funny! He has perfected the sitting up from crawling this month and will crawl for a second like that and then he is off dragging again. :) He has also starting pulling up. It always amazes me to see my baby pull up on something. It is like they are stepping away from their babyhood and I am hating it! He looks so big when he does that!

He is such a happy little baby. You would think he is the star of the show and gets all the attention around here! Don't get me wrong, he gets plenty of attention he just has to share it with that crazy sister of his! It was like he was meant to be a second child. I think he might get bored with just us around here. If Kennedy is not in the room he leaves and goes looking for her.

He still just has 2 teeth. He is now tied with his sister at this age on that one. Her next ones came in at 14 months. Maybe he will get more soon! :)

He can say all kinds of syllables. I will not credit him with a first word yet though. (It is so MaMa....but he hasn't done it enough to give him that credit.) I'll keep you updated on that one. :)

He loves food. He eats all kinds of veggies. He is really loving table food (minus the salt of course). I am hoping he keeps this up!

He loves his mommy. Ok, ok, he does love everyone else too but he really loves his Mommy! He cackles with excitement when I pick him up after school. I love that face when he sees me. I want it in my mind forever!!

He can pull up on short things. He likes to pull up to his knees and stop there. Sometimes he will get brave and really stand up. His legs are so wobbly though! He falls down fairly fast and then decides sitting is better. That is until he sees that there are fun things that he wants and of course he tries again! Here a few pics of his new skill!

I am so proud of you my Whitty Whit. I love the little boy you are becoming. I love how you make our family more complete. We would not know what to do without you! Thanks for bringing your sweet baby smiles to our lives everyday. We love you so much sweet boy!!

My Kennedy

This child of mine...where do I begin to describe her? She is such a fun little girl. 2 has been challenging yet so rewarding. Her days are spent talking, and talking, and a little more talking. She will talk your ear off. Her conversations amaze me. She knows more than you would think and she won't hesitate to tell you what is on her mind! For example, if I am talking to Greg while we are driving somewhere she says, "What are you talking about guys?" She needs to know EVERYTHING that is going on! Greg and I have now officially become one according to Kennedy because we often hear, "Look Mommy Daddy!" No and here....we are just Mommy Daddy. She is obsessed with ballerinas. Every dress is a beautiful ballerina dress according to her. She is going to love dance when she gets old enough! We took her swimming for our first big swim of the season. It was a test run to see how I will do by myself with both kids. I am glad Greg came because I was not prepared. She was everywhere! She jumped in, went under, popped back up and was ready to go again. She had no fear at all! She would stop off the stop and not care if I was there or not. My child will not be the one in lessons crying for Mommy. She is going to be pushing past the others for her turn to swim! I have always loved the water. I got that honest I guess. So it is fitting that my daughter is a little fish. I just have to work on keeping my little fish safe while I watch my other fish. Swimmies here we come! :)

My precious Kennedy,
You may challenge me at times but I love your spirit. You are a determined little girl. You are a little "mommy" at times. I love to see you take care of your brother and your friends. I am enjoying watching you grow into a little girl. You make us laugh everyday. I am so thankful that I am your mommy! You are my heart. I love you!

Senior Superlatives

We were taking pics of the kids tonight playing on the playground. I aked Greg to take one of Sarah and me. It then turned into this huge joke about us looking like senior superlatives. :) So...I decided we should take a few that really looked like them! We were voted...

Most Likely to Succeed: Sarah and Katie

I just can't decide on this one. Cutest Couple? Or maybe Most School Spirited since J is in the picture. Where are your pom poms J?

Another conversation with Kennedy

We are driving home today and this is the conversation.

K: Mommy, I want to go to Mary's house.
Me: You want to go to Mary Banks's house? (her friend from Michelle's)
K: No, Mommy, Mary's house!
Me: Who is Mary?
K: I wanna go to Mary and Joseph's house. I want to play with her toys.
Me: Oh, you want to go there. Well, we can't go to her house. She lives too far away.
K: I WANT TO GO TO MARY'S HOUSE!
ME: Well, Kennedy, Mary lives in Heaven.
K: Oh, Heaven? I like Heaven. I like baby Jesus.

She never ceases to amaze me.

Oh, and Whit said Bye Bye tonight. I swear he did. I said it, he said it, I said it, he said it. Sweet baby! Although he likes to say MaMa better. :) You know I love that!

Look at Whit!!

My little baby is growing so fast! It is amazing how much they change the first year. He is just a fun little boy to be around. He smiles with his whole heart. He is into EVERYTHING! And when I say everything I mean everything. You turn around and he is eating the tiniest piece of nothing off the floor. Today he went for the cords plugged into the wall. I covered those up really quickly! He has started to pull up on everything he can find that is short enough. He now knows there is another level to the world. There are tables with things on them and his heart's desire is to get to them. I still laugh at myself for worrying that I didn't have enough love in my heart for 2 kids. I look at him now and wonder what my heart would do without him here. It would be so empty! I love you, love you, love you, more than words can say, my Whitty Whit!

Forever

You have those friends that mean the world to you. You know the ones I am talking about. You would move mountains for them if you could. You cry when they are sad. You rejoice when they are happy. When something happens to them it is almost the same as if it were happening to you. Anna and Cindy are those kinds of friends to me. I only have two really good friends from my childhood that have carried over into my adulthood. We don't talk everyday, but when we do it is like we were never apart. We traveled to my hometown to be in Anna's wedding. I did not realize how much I miss them until I got there. They know me in a way that not many people do. It was so good to spend a few days with them. I told Anna there are not many people in the world I would travel like that for. It was totally worth it!! I am thankful to have my forever friends. They truly will be in my life forever. I have no doubt about that. Here are a few pictures from the weekend. I took so many it was hard to narrow down!

The three of us: Cindy, Anna, and Me!

Anna and Chris at the rehearsal....we all got caught in the rain!

Me and Cindy


Greg....this was what he was surrounded with for the weekend! he...he.....

Lexie and Kennedy......they became the best of friends. I LOVE that!! I really, really, LOVE that!!

Lexie and Kennedy practicing for the wedding.

My little flower girl...so beautiful!

Anna and Kennedy

US!!

And my love...we are still cute aren't we?

Thanks so much Anna for letting me be a part of your day! And thanks to Cindy and her family for taking such good care of us for the weekend! We love you!!

For my MaMa

My MaMa (my grandmother) passed away when I was 9 months pregnant with Kennedy. I did not get to go to the funeral because I was too pregnant to travel that far. I think for that reason I have had a hard time dealing with her death. Funerals are for you to say goodbye and I didn't get to do that. She was the leader of our extended family and it has been really hard to keep up with everyone. When you lose that person it is so hard to fill her absence. I loved her. I loved so much about her. All this to say, we made the HUGE trek to Dyersburg (my old hometown) this weekend. I haven't seen my grandfather in a long time. Whit got to meet him and it was sweet. It's empty in that house. It is hard and strange and ok all at the same time. So I took pictures of my kids crawling all over my MaMa's house. I laughed as Kennedy made laps around it giggling. I showed her all my favorite childhood things about that house. She ran through my MaMa's kitchen and cackled and I knew that our long hours in the car were worth it. Papa just smiled at my precious children and it was worth it. I made my MaMa happy. She would have loved my children. She would also say that I need to come visit more often....I know, I know!! Here are a few pics of us with PaPa!

Lots to talk about...

First, I am embarrassed i have not blogged in May. What is wrong with me? :) To catch you up...Whit has learned a new skill. He can now sit up from a crawling position. This is quite a cute skill for me because now when I go in his room to get him up I find him sitting in his crib staring at me. I do love that! He is also currently on a nursing strike. I refuse to accept it is his way of self-weaning. If you have any suggestions on this please comment...I am up for help. I did finally feel like something was really wrong with him today and Greg took him to the dr. He had an ear infection, poor baby! So maybe...maybe...he is going to nurse again! I'll just keep praying for that. I am a crazy nursing mother you know! :) It hurts my heart to think I am done nursing. I will not be able to handle letting my children go...this is only the beginning I fear!

And Kennedy got her cast off today!!!! Well, it was just a brace but YAY!!! She is super happy about it. At least I would assume she is. She is still playing and happy as usual. I also got called my mother today by my friend Anna. I was talking to Kennedy and Anna said, "You sound like your mom talking to Patrick!" What?!!! I'll take that as a compliment mom! :) So happy mother's day in advance to you. I have apparently turned into you! ha!

We are off to Dyersburg on Thursday. This is an emotional trip for me. It is a place that brings up so much for me so please pray for us as we go. I get to stand beside one of my best friends in the world as she marries her love, see family and friends that I haven't seen in years, and somehow drive the 10 + hours without my family killing each other! :) I am excited!! :) Really, I am actually excited!

Signing off....it will be a while before I blog again! BUSY WEEK!