Outside fun

Thanks to our neighbors, we have two great outdoor toys. The boy LOVES to be outside. He tries to follow the dog out there, and often cries when it is time to come inside. We had a great time playing Monday morning while the girl slept. It hasn't gotten too hot yet so outdoor play is still enjoyable. I caught some great pictures of the fun. He spent the first minutes walking around the deck singing and then ventured out into the backyard. It is such a joy to watch him enjoying God's creation - like any good boy, he found a stick to play with! I also find myself doing double-takes as he continue to be less and less of a baby. He is gaining confidence to venture out on his own, and his imagination is expanding too. Again, this is the best job.

Funny faces

I pulled out the camera over a week ago to catch some fun faces. Trying to get some pictures of Clay and his girl, the boy kept jumping in front of the camera! We finally caught one of the three of them together... and all these other fun funny faces!

Baby dedication

Sunday was special not only because we celebrated Mother's Day, but our girl was dedicated. I love our church's baby dedication. It is really more a parent dedication. They have a nice dinner on Friday night (this time it was steak and potatoes!) where they spend time talking about what our responsibilities as parents are. They remind us that we can't leave it up to the church to disciple our children - it is our job. What an awesome responsibility. They print out the commitment we are making for us to sign making it more than just words. This dedication was also special because 4 of the other 5 babies (and that wasn't everyone - we are quite a fertile church!) are daughters of gals in my accountability group. It was a special treat to worship with my parents and sister, dedicate ourselves to raising this little girl to know and love God, and to celebrate mothers (being one and having them).

Such a sweet sound

The boy melted my heart today (as he so often does, but I think this takes the cake so far)...he said MOMMMY!!! Well, at least his version which sounds a bit more like money, but whatever is fine - HE CALLED ME SOMETHING!!!! We were simply playing the "name this" game and for the first time he repeated "mommy". Fortunately my mom was here to witness the event so it really is real! She worked with him on it Friday night and he said "money" a couple of times, but failed to show it off. I tell you I didn't think I could love the little man any more than I already did, but somehow I do.

And before he said my name, he said the closest thing to Elizabeth he has said to this point. Usually it comes out "o-beth", but today it sure sounded like "Lizbeth".

And the girl continues to amaze me as she rolls over and tries to sit up. I could just eat her up! Such sweet moments, smiles and coos after some very trying weeks.

Have I told you how much I LOVE being a mom? I can't imagine a better job.

News

There are many things I need to blog about, but the time keeps slipping by these days. It has been a busy May so far, but for good reason - lots of things to celebrate! I'll get pictures of the kids up soon and share about the girl's baby dedication.

I thought I would take a moment and make sure I had told you that the girl has rolled over multiple times! It only happens when she is really upset while on her tummy, but it has happened at least a handful of times. I have yet to catch it on camera, but when you know she was on her tummy and you then find her on her back there is no other explanation!

The boy learned a new song yesterday. I just love the praise of children, and watching him move along as he sings just melts my heart. Praise Him, praise Him, all ye little children. God is love. God is love. Praise Him, praise Him, all ye little children. God is love. God is love. I love that our boy is learning these things early.

He gave me a wonderful Mother's Day present - he said "wuv you"!!! I just stopped in my tracks. More to come...

A night away

This is where I spent last night...well, actually in a little cottage on the side of the property. Clay surprised me with a night away to celebrate my birthday and our 8th anniversary (this Tuesday). Mom and Dad came and kept the kids so we could slip away for a night of rest, relaxation, reconnection, and rejuvenation.
Lockheart Gables created the perfect atmosphere for just such a celebration. Nestled along the interstate, it is a perfect getaway across town. Close enough to the little ones, but secluded enough to feel like we were a hundred miles away. Amazing hospitality, personalized ginger cookies, and amazing fresh lemonade welcomed us to our cozy "Beloved Cottage." Adorned with Victorian decor, the romantic feeling of the three-room cottage enveloped us from the moment we stepped through the door. A king-size bed, covered porch with swing, remote-controlled fireplace, and heart-shaped tub made the evening and morning full of movie moments as I like to call them. I couldn't have asked for more. I will spare you all the details, but what a blessed time to recall where God has brought us, to look ahead to where He is taking us, and to recommit to the promise we made 8 years ago. My best friend and partner in life hit this one out of the park!

Finally caught a smile

I just love this picture! But I finally caught her smiling on camera along with a few other adorable faces. It just melts our hearts.

Yes, Jesus Loves Me

Before we get to the music portion of this post, I caught the boy in action...do you see the number in the top right corner of the TV? We were watching Millionaire, and he counted down with the numbers! He has a tendency to count along with any numbers he sees - the counter on the TV if we pause it, the numbers on his toys, etc. He is counting almost to twenty now...what a smart boy!






Now to the music portion -
If only you could hear him "sing" Yes, Jesus Loves Me...I missed the first part, but here he is in route to pointing to himself.











He has just opened his Bible. This is a word he says with quite a bit of clarity. Makes my heart swell - he still won't say Mommy, but as long as he knows about Jesus, I don't care!











And here is his "so" - he gets quite excited! Clapping and "yeah" commence each song. Ah, the praise of children.

A few new links

I've added/changed a couple of links, and I wanted you to know.

Mckelveymaghshoud.com now links directly to the journal side of the website which is what I read to catch up on my friend, her family and her website business.

Until Next Time...is a new blog of a dear friend and her family.

The LPM Blog is a blog for Living Proof Ministries led by Beth Moore. It is amazing to read Beth's entries...it's almost like she's sitting in my living room.

And there's Encouragement for today (from crosswalk.com)...a daily devotional that has really reached out to me.

Hope you enjoy these...and the two new posts below.

A birthday bash

The boy celebrated being 22-months old today by going to a friend's 2nd birthday bash. Bailey got a great sand and water table along with a swing set...and man the boy had some fun! He loves water so he was pretty partial to that part of the table...the pictures don't capture it all and I'm not sure exactly how the saga began. When I stepped inside to feed a hungry little girl, the boy was happy and dry. When I returned, he was completely soaked with bits of sand all over him and crying. Bailey's dad got us a towel, we removed his t-shirt, put on a borrowed shirt from Bailey, and tried to settle him. He was gladly distracted by cake and ice cream. He ate both with his hands while waving his spoon around and ended up with it on his head, face, replacement shirt and towel. We ended up with him in their bathtub and left in a second replacement shirt and a diaper. He had a blast at the party!!! I must say it was quite comical...and fortunately the birthday girl was none the wiser!








Here's a shot of dads and their daughters. These girls are both the second children in their families with older brothers and were born only 5 weeks apart. This just melts my heart...just like these dads' hearts melted when they held their daughters for the first time.

New pictures

I know, I know...I haven't posted pictures in over a week! I took some of the girl in a cute dress her Mimi gave her.


I was trying to capture a smile, but the smirk is the closest I got. She can be a bit stingy with her toothless grin, but that makes them all the more special.


We're already getting her ready for acrobatics. Her brother loves to be flipped and tossed around so we thought we would gently ease her into the fun as well. She has such a curious look as Clay and the boy wrestle at night, and we assure her she'll be able to join the fun before too long.
I also caught a quick pic of the boy looking more like a boy than a baby - at least to me. He loves being on the sofa (like any good man), and it's one of the few places he'll be still for more than a second these days. Ah, the joys of parenting... can I tell you how much joy these two bring to our lives? Much laughter. Much excitement. Much joy.

3 - 0

That is what I will have to write now when asked my age: 3 - 0. Hard to believe...where has the time gone? I remember the condo by Percy Priest Lake, blue baby who didn't make it home from NC, jelly shoes, alternating sock colors, tight-rolling our blue jeans, rolling our shirt sleeves, t-shirt ties, using half a can of hairspray to make sure your hair stood out 3 inches from your head and your bangs moved as a solid unit, summers at Glorieta and Ridgecrest, getting contacts, learning to ski in my hot pink snow suit, hating high school, getting my first car, love found and loves lost, my first job, bad haircuts (can anyone say Dorothy Hamil?), my first speeding ticket, mission trips, youth musicals, falling on the metal balance beam at church splitting my chin open, swim lessons (that I quit), piano lessons (that I quit), gymnastics (that I quit), playing various instruments in the band, being a wrestling cheerleader, being a track manager, having one of the lead roles in the school play, proms, graduation, watching my folks drive away from MSU, busting many blood vessels around my eyes from laughing too much while hanging upside down (call it silly freshman fun), being a Roadrunner, BSU retreats, being robbed at gunpoint with the rest of our BSU, trips to Tuscaloosa for Dreamland and Krispy Kreme, Eckie's Pond, hitch-hiking home (I know, not smart), living in "the Ghetto", Adaton...and then there are the names and faces that come to mind - Paul Plummer and his animals, Mrs. Gayle, Bro. Bill, Bro. Jeff, Mike Glenn, Saralu Lunn, Doug and Jeanie Haley, Scott Callahan, Todd Warren, Brad Warren, Sarah, Elizabeth, Callie, Holly, Mandy, Brooks, Kim, Justin, Ben, Brad, Jay, Denny, Jan, Leslie, Kevin, Ricky and Randy, Hillary, Russ and Shelly, Jason, Andy, Betsy, Alex, the Carters, the Connors, the Moores, the Watts, Chris and Jeff, Coop, the Moenches, Diana and Debra, Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. Fox, Mrs. Parrish, Mrs. Maher, Mrs. Cross, Mrs. Pinder, Mr. Rucker, Mrs. Baird, Coach King, Mrs. McDaniel, Valerie, Corrie, Joylyn, Amy, Laurie, Cheryl, Leslie, Greg, Sterling, Cory, Will,...man, there are so many flooding my mind I can't keep up! Emily, Brittany, Tom, Kevin, Mason, Karen, Alicia, Justin, Mrs. Trout, Mr. Fox...I could go on and on...and this doesn't even touch our time in Texas!!!

Thirty years of amazing stories, experiences, people, and blessings. As I ponder the last 30 years, I am so thankful for God's faithfulness through it all - especially at the times I wasn't faithful to Him. I couldn't ask to be in a better place right now - I am married to the most amazing man, have two beautiful children with whom I get to stay home, live in the same town with my family, have a gaggle of gals who cheer me on, and a great church where I am led to throne of God each week. I am so blessed...who am I that You would think of me?

Most of you reading this have played a part in my life in some form or fashion...thank you for helping me navigate the waters of life. Thank you for the laughs, memories, challenges, and love. It's been a great 30 years...and I look forward to the next...

Generations

Four generations of Klines (well the bloodline at least)...what a treat!












Here are a couple of other pictures I took last week along with Grand Mom and two of her 6 (soon to be 7) great-grandchildren.

Outing fun

So, I decided I was brave enough to attempt getting J's hair cut (I know, after the pictures, right!) with E in tow. I'm sure we would have made a great sitcom moment. All was going well upon our arrival. J played happily with the colored squares and E slept in her car seat. I thought we might have an uneventful time - and then the dam broke. Another boy buzzed past J scaring him into loud wailing. This woke E up and sent her into tears as well. E was pacified with the wonderful invention of the pacifier, but it took more coaxing for J. He wasn't completely settled down when it came our turn in the fire engine chair. His wailing returned upon donning the cape, and only intensified as the trimmer came near. E decided to join her brother in his song...so there I am going back and forth between the two trying to console them. I finally had to help hold J's hands away from his hair so E was left to fend for herself. A nice mom came to rock her car seat trying to calm her, but it didn't work. Miss Katie, the lady cutting J's hair, decided to do the edging before trimming the top so that all the loud noise and vibration would be done. I took a moment to swing E's carrier trying to calm her while Miss Katie got the edger. E piped back up as soon as her carrier hit the floor, but again I needed to help hold J's hands (can you hear his wailing continuing?). Another wonderful mom offered to swing E's carrier while we finished the haircut - of which I gladly welcomed her help. The haircut was finally done...hair all over me and J...and everyone was quiet AFTER she finished! J was intrigued with the hairdryer she used to clean up the seat and had a hard time leaving Blue's Clues playing on the TV (although it had been no solace to him during the haircut). The whole place was suddenly much quieter, and I got many smirks and smiles of sympathy. I'm sure we were quite a sight to see...especially leaving as I had E's carrier on one arm and J in the other! While I am getting good arms muscles, I'm not sure I'll attempt this one again for while!

Family pictures

We decided to attempt family pictures this past Friday. I wasn't expecting much with a 21-month-old and a colicky 2-month-old - just one shot was my goal. We got more than that, and some funny shots for memories. I really thought our daughter would be the issue, but containing our son proved to be the biggest challenge. I'm glad we got the great spread of him back in December - I'm not sure we'll have that much luck over the next few years. We hope you enjoy!




The family



Together and both happy!







Two shots of our girl...we've got to make sure she doesn't feel left out after all the shots of J in his first year!

Now on to the "fun" photos...
the kids are actually looking at each other and then J had enough!

Here J is singing one of his favorites...hopping like a bunny then swimming like a fish...









"This is my head," says J. "Aren't we done yet?" says E.

Let me brag for a moment...

Okay, so this isn't what J's puzzle looks like, but you get the idea...and he can identify ALL 26 letters and put them in their place (and he isn't two yet!). He also identifies his numbers up to 10. He is counting things in books and his cups. His favorite is to say, "x, y, z, yeah!" - just like he likes "8, 9, 10, yeah!" He loves to celebrate...


He also enjoys singing - Yes, Jesus loves me (with some of the sign language), humming along with his Thomas song book, and Hop like a bunny (his motions are too cute for swim like fish, fly like a bird, gig like this).

He is just so smart...of course, I am biased.

Stinkin' technology

Okay, so for some reason it won't let me load the pictures I was talking about in my previous post. So, for some of the farm pics, please visit the link to the right called One Day at a Time. I'll let you know when the pictures of the babies are up on another blog. Sorry!

Trying to post

So, I've been trying to post pictures from J's trip to the farm this past weekend along with pictures of E and her two friends born within 3 weeks of her, but something isn't working right.

J got to go to a farm with Kadyn, Aunt Kristi, and Grannylou on Saturday. It was a bit cold so they didn't stay long, but J was fine with that - he wasn't too into the animals anyway (picture funny pictures of him pulling away from goats and such). They headed up to a mall with a great play area, and they all had fun. It was just the first of many fun adventures I am sure.

On Sunday, we caught E, Reese and Abby all sleeping the same way in their carriers. Reese is one week younger than E, and Abby is three. E was quite particular on Sunday fussing any time the burp rag was removed from her face...so with her head covered, she looks a lot like her brother!

Hopefully I'll be able to share some pictures soon. On another note, E had her 2-month check up today. She weighs 10 lbs. 2 oz. and measures 22 inches long. This puts her in the 45th percentile on height and weight. We are thankful she is growing and healthy. What a blessing!

A first - PRAISE GOD

Do you see this? She is ASLEEP in the swing!!! She hasn't been a big fan of the swing up to this point - her max has been about 7 minutes - but yesterday she stayed for over an hour. I AM SO PUMPED!

We've had some good days thanks to our friend Paul, a pediatric nurse practitioner to be, who gave us some wonderful tips. I'm not sure which one of them worked since I am doing everything he suggested, but I don't care. The crying has been minimal and manageable. We've needed this change.


I just wanted to share our joy with you...hard to believe she's already 8 weeks old!