Random Updates

We have soooo much going on these days that I thought I'd do a quick catch-up post about all that's happening in our little world.

Kyndall is doing WONDERFUL with her physical therapy and has made HUGE improvements in her walking since we started working with Mrs. Ingrid about two weeks ago.  Mrs. Ingrid is so good with Kyndall and we both look forward to her visits.  She comes to our house twice a week for an hour and does exercises with Kyndall that help strengthen her legs and her core, and also works with her on walking behind her push toys.  Kyndall loves it and usually cries when she leaves. Not only has she started pulling up and standing (something she has never done), but she's also started taking a few steps on her own while holding onto our hands!  I realize this is no big deal for most kids her age, but for Kyndall, these are huge milestones in her journey to walking!  I'm so proud of her and I think she's pretty proud of herself too!  She LOVES for us to clap and cheer and make a big deal when she does one of these things.  We've even been known to "reward" her for her efforts with a jelly bean or an M&M here and there!  In the next couple of weeks, I'm going to sign her up for a Tumble Bugs class at the YMCA that we'll go to every Saturday at 10:00.  I think the more [safe] climbing, bouncing, rolling, and pulling opportunities we offer her, the sooner she'll gain the strength she needs to start walking on her own.  I'm looking forward to it and I think she'll really enjoy the stimulation!

Speaking of Kyndall, we had her 18 month appointment last week and she now weighs 21 pounds and is 31.5 inches tall.  Aside from walking, she's hitting all of her developmental milestones right on target and is doing great! 

Let's see......what else have we been up to?  Oh!  I was recently nominated and elected as the Community Outreach Chair for our Moms group.  I'll be in charge of organizing and coordinating our service projects, such as food drives, adopting families at Christmas, etc.  I'm nervous but excited at the same time! 

I've recently vowed to give up my beloved Cokes and drink nothing but water.  I want to lose about 10 pounds before swimsuit season officially starts and since I don't generally have a big appetite, I figure most of my calories come from my Cokes.  My sweet friend Morgan Mims back in Tallahassee is keeping tabs on me via Facebook and making sure I'm sticking to my promise!  So far I've done pretty good.  I only gave in once, and that was last night when I went to see the Hunger Games.  How can you possibly eat movie popcorn and drink WATER?!  Sorry, but I just HAD to have my Coke!  I saw it as a small reward for all of my hard work! =)  If you see me, ask me how I'm doing!  The more people I have holding me accountable, the better I'll do!

We have lots of things coming up that we're excited about and looking forward to! 

~Easter!  Easter is probably my favorite holiday of the entire year, possibly even topping Christmas!  I'm looking forward to new pretty dresses and shoes, yummy Easter candy, family time, and our annual Easter egg hunt at my Grandparents' house in Two Egg.  And most importantly, reflecting on and celebrating the resurrection of our Savior!

~Family pictures!  My friend Allison is getting ready to graduate from photography school and she's agreed to take some updated family portraits of us in a couple of weeks.  I'm excited to finally be in front of the camera, rather than behind it!  It's been a year since we had family portraits made, so I'm looking forward to getting some new ones.  You'll definitely see them on the blog as soon as I get my hands on them!

 

~My cousin Carrie will be graduating from Dental Hygiene school in a few weeks and I'm excited about attending her pinning ceremony.  I'm so proud of her and I like to *think* I inspired her to follow in my career footsteps!  =)  I'm looking forward to seeing the familiar faces of my dental hygiene instructors at the ceremony and introducing them to Kyndall.  It's been 7 years since I graduated, but it seems like just yesterday.

 

 

 

~Carrie has also graciously asked me to be a bridesmaid in her upcoming wedding, so I'm looking forward to that as well.  I love weddings and was happy to realize that my bridesmaid days are not yet over!  Her wedding isn't until January, but it will be here before we know it!

 

 

 

~Our family has officially booked our summer vacation and I couldn't be more excited for it!!!  We'll be spending an entire week on the beautiful Gulf at St. George Island with my parents, Matthew's parents, and Michael and Kelly.  This place is called "Almost Paradise", but I'd say it IS Paradise, wouldn't you??

 

 

 



Our Spring and Summer are going to be very busy, but very fun!  I have plans of visiting our local water park, the beach and the strawberry patch, and of course making frequent trips to Tallahassee! 

Last time I shared a post that had no pictures, I got some disappointed comments.  (You know who you are!!)  I don't have any exciting pictures to share, so here's what I came up with from this past weekend.  It's not much, but it's all I've got for now!

If you follow my blog, you'll remember how much Kyndall loves her jelly shoes.  Take a look at her NEW favorite pair.......

I made a new Spring wreath over the weekend.  I'm LOVING all the pink, but I'm not so sure Matthew appreciates it as much as I do!  =)

That's all for now.  I'm hoping to get some video of Miss Priss showing off her new walking tricks soon, so maybe my next post will be a little more exciting.  Hope everyone has a great week!

"Picture Perfect" Weekend!

And by "picture perfect", I mean I have lots of pictures to share!  So, here's a detailed look at the past few days.....

On Friday, our Moms group had another St. Patrick's Day party play date at the park.  This one was advertised and open to the public, in hopes of attracting more Moms to join our group.  We had a good time, but it was quite warm!  It definitely didn't feel like March--more like June!

Again, I used the "do you want to go SWING?!" trick in order to make her cooperate!

And again, she is fascinated with the jelly shoes......

"I thought we were goin' to swing?!"

Admiring her St. Patrick's Day craft........

When we got home, I figured she'd be totally wiped out and give me no problem going down for a nap.  After about half an hour, I was still hearing her stir on the monitor.  So, I went into her room and found this.....

Miss Priss had decided to throw everything out of her crib!

Not a single blanket, paci or stuffed animal was left.......

While I was busy cleaning up the mess, I turned around to see her doing THIS!!!!.....

This may seem like no big deal to most people, but for Kyndall, this is HUGE!  She's never been able to completely pull herself to a standing position.  If you help her, she can stand---but I've never seen her go from kneeling to standing all on her own!  Her physical therapist is going to be so excited!!!

So proud of herself!!

So, as you can probably guess, we spent that evening doing this......

While Matthew and I were lowering the crib, I turned around and saw.......

Who is this child and what have you done with Kyndall?!  So exciting!

Although she's making great strides in her mobility, here lies our problem.  As you can see, her little ankles aren't very strong and they tend to fold inward.  Her physical therapist has recommended that we get her two small ankle braces to help correct the problem, and ultimately speed up her learning to walk.  She promises they're small and discrete and they even come in fun colors like PINK! =)  We'll be going to get fitted for them in the next week or so.

A few months ago, my friend Leigh sent me these hand-me-down cowgirl boots that Ava had outgrown.  Kyndall loves them almost as much as she loves the jelly shoes!!

Cowgirl boots and a nightgown......classy!

Saturday was a gorgeous day, so we spent as much time outdoors as we could.  Kyndall's current favorite toy is her red firetruck that the Fravels gave her for her birthday.  She may not be walking yet, but she can sure navigate that truck!!!  She can back it up, turn it around and drive it like a pro!  I decided to let her try driving it around outside to see how she liked it.....

After a few minutes, she realized the grass was slowing her down a bit and she could probably scoot faster than she could drive----so she bailed........

             

However, I don't think she was prepared for the tiny amount of dirt she would encounter while scooting in the grass......

Yes, she is my child and I made her this way!

She would take one scoot, then immediately wipe her hands.....then another scoot and wipe her hands.....I had to laugh in realizing she truly is a mini-me!

Kyndall and dirt do not mix, just as Ashleigh-Anne and dirt do no mix!

Being that Saturday was St. Patrick's Day, we had dinner at the only place we could think of with an Irish name---McAlister's.  I realized I don't own a single piece of green clothing, so I didn't make it into the pictures.

Goofball Kyndall

Here we go again with the jelly shoes.....

"Mommy's Lady Luck"

This little leprechaun ate an ENTIRE grilled cheese sandwich for dinner!  Again, who is this child and where did she come from?!

This is totally random, but I thought it was cute and wanted to share.  When we got home, Matthew decided to drop some spare change into Kyndall's piggy bank.  He noticed that it sounded full, so he dumped it out and much to our surprise.......

Where did all this come from?!  Seriously, NOT from us!  I have a sneaky suspicion that the Grandparents have been making "donations" when we weren't looking!  Thanks--it's going straight to her savings account at the bank!

Today we went to church and then to our usual Sunday lunch hang out, Atlanta Bread.  Thanks to the Barfields for Kyndall's adorable dress!  She got lots of compliments on it today!

No, you cannot wear the jellies to church!  I'm starting to think this may be an obsession.

It was another gorgeous, warm afternoon, so I decided to break out the kiddie pool for the first time this year.  The water was icy cold, but prissy didn't seem to mind!!

Silly girl.......

We had a great weekend and made lots of fun memories!  I'm so so sooo proud of my girl for making such strides this weekend with her standing and pulling up!  My goal was to have her walking by Easter, and we just may meet it afterall (or come really close!)!! 

And now, a quick comparison picture, because you know I love 'em!!

St. Patrick's Day 2011......

St. Patrick's Day 2012.......