Kennedy's Room

On my mission to organize the house and save money I decided as I finish each room I would write a post about it. My first room is Kennedy's Room. Her room get the most use since she sleeps,naps gets changed and gets feed a evening bottle in there.

This is her room from the doorway.

When Riley was little she chewed on her crib like a dog! So I used the bumpers that came with her bedding set and tied them on the rails. I stopped using the ones with the set once she started rolling over and got the mesh ones.

Changing table.

Today I took boxes that we have from having stuff shipped to the house for Ebay and printed labels on the mailing labels we have. Cost free! See my homemade baby wipes on the dresser!

Bookcase!

That pretty little box hold all of Kennedy's keepsakes. My friend Rena made it for her and I just love it!

Saving Money

In lou of paying the hefty tuition fee for Riley to go to kindergarten I have started to think of ways to save money. While I do little things that save money like shopping at Super Walmart there are other things I have been reading in blogs. One of my favorite blogs is http://wantingwhatyouhave.com/ has some good tips that I have been using for years! Anything from organization, recipes to saving money.

I have finally made my own baby wipes from her recipes and I must say they are pretty neat! I never bothered before because I thought opening the container would be a pain and I thought I was getting a good price buying the Equate brand. Using one roll of the Bounty Paper towel cut in half gives me as much if not more then one package of Equate that costs about 6 bucks now. And I use them to wipe Kennedy down after eating. I had everything but the containers on hand and those were about 3 bucks for 2 and I use those paper towels anyways so really these wipes will cost me next to nothing!

Then after that I was looking at my bottle of Clorox Anywhere spray that I use to wipe the kitchen down, the table and High Chair. It costs 3.29 a bottle. When i can make it at home for nothing because I have water and bleach on hand!

My next thing is going to be making our own Laundry Soap and I'm thinking and looking for more money saving ideas!

Growing Bebe!

Kennedy is now 8 months old! She got big way to fast! She is sitting up with no wobble now has been for a few weeks. And also just started being able to sit herself up when laying down. She is doing the army crawl but keeps getting up on all 4's and trying to go. She does this baby yoga pose. She stands on her hands and her feet. It's too cute and i'm trying to get a picture of it. But she's a ham and when she see's the camamra she stops and smiles for you!

Yesterday she had real bananas and scrambled eggs. She really enjoyed them! Going to use up the rest of the baby food and she will be on big girl food! Sniff my little baby is growing up! Looks like she might be getting her 2 top teeth. She won't let me see too good and with those bottom 2 I'm not sticking my finger in there! LOL

She has been doing the baby signs and says a few words. Mmmm (More), Mama and Mommy! Dada, Gggga(Gan)and seems like she's trying to say kitty. She got upset at fireworks but after a little bit she seems to understand the loud noise made the prettys in the sky.

We have signed up for Kindergarten. She will be going to Scribes and Scribblers. I'm really hoping it will be good for her and she will make some friends and learn! She's getting bored at home and needs to be challenged more. .

I'm so excited I have started writing my book again! I have 208 pages so far and I'm pretty sure I can make it 3 books! Two for sure! I also found a way to download it on my nook to read drafts! It's very cool! Hope to at least finish the first book by August. I'd be done if I didn't have to edit it! Have 74 pages done so far! And I just started this last weekend I know if will have to be edited again but at least it's readable now! Wish me luck!

Refreshing The Playroom!

Seems like every few months we need to do a good playroom cleanup. With 2 of them now there are just so many toys! Since I have the nice bin system in place that we did last May it is very easy to take a few bins out of the room and replace them every so often with new ones.

This should have been done for Riley when she was very little but it never happened but at least it's happening now. When I start to notice they are bored with the toys we will switch them this will also help too see which toys are never played with and should be gotten rid of.

With us planning on putting the house up for sale in February we are going though the house slowly and purging things. I really can't believe how fast we filled up this house with in 3 years! And these are big pieces too! I'm not much of a nick nack person I have one thing out my Mom got me and some candle holders my sister Hollie made me years and years ago and that's it besides pictures of the girls. So I don't know how we have so much stuff!

But at least the playroom is looking fresh and clean! Owen is enjoying himself sleeping on the little table since it's been so long since you could even see the top of it and it's his favorite place to lay. The Little Tikes plastic must be soothing.

PLayroom!

Kennedy's Corner

Old Toys like new!

Craft and Learning Center

My Ebay Corner

Playing so nice together!

Summer is Here!

So many things have been happening like always. Zach just got done traveling for 2 weeks back to back. He was gone for 2 nights and then the next week gone for 3 nights. I made for a very tiring 2 weeks for me.

So Riley finished all her tests and even though she has a IQ of 134 and she tested in the 99th percent tile for Math( 1st grade math) she didn't get into kindergarten. I don't need to go into details because I'm sure this is something I will always remember! So now we have to decide what we are going to do. She cannot go into Kindergarten next year when she is already passed that level. Moving to another city that has a later cut off date isn't going to work this year because of selling the house. So it's either home-school or pay 5,500 to send her to a private Kindergarten for 1 year and then move to a better school system for the fall of 2013. I'm so tired of thinking about this and I don't know what to do and it's been a month now!

In other news Kennedy is doing the army crawl she has started to eat the snack baby food but isn't that great at it yet to be giving her more food meals hopefully soon. She is still a VERY happy baby out little Sweet Bebe. Or Sweets as I like to call her. She has also been stand while holding on to stuff and after spending an evening with Sammy found her balance and could sit up on her own with out falling over.

The girls have been enjoying the summer. Riley LOVES playing in her pool or slip n slide. She loves her little sister SO much and wonderful with her. Kennedy just adores Riley they are just super cute together! in the mornings Riley will go in read Kennedy a story (Yes she has been reading for a few months) and they will just sit in there and giggle at each other!

Sweets is 6 Months Old!

I can't believe my Sweet Bebe is 6 months already! She had her 6 month check with the new Dr today. she's doing great weighted 16 lbs 9 oz 27 inches long. She has 2 teeth is rolling both ways for a few weeks now. Is doing her best to sit up and has said Mama but only when she's really mad! She's holding her own bottles and has tried all the fruits and veggies and had her first taste of the baby food meats tonight. Just like Riley she doesn't want to nap when Daddy is home but is a good sleeper at night time although she has been waking up at 6:40am but she plays in her bed till 8am! She's such a happy baby!

Waiting for Kennedy Rose!

36 weeks!




37 Weeks

32 weeks & 3 days

32 weeks and 3 days!

Summer's on the way out!

Oh my the summer is almost over! We are a little more the half way though August now and it's just moving a long very quickly!

I had my 5th Pre-Natal visit last Thursday and I measured 37cm! I was 26 weeks at the time. She did not seem worried AT all about it and said it's normal for a second baby and my body type. That however does not stop people from asking me if I'm due any day and if I'm sure there is only one in there! I think I might start wearing a sign!

I had to go in for a ultra sound of my right leg since that foot and ankle have been swollen pretty bad but the left one isn't. There is no blood clot or anything bad or they wouldn't have let me leave the hospital when i had the ultra sound done. I have not heard from the back from the DR yet and I had the test on Monday. I'm going to call tomorrow. It's really not bothering me since my appointment it's been WAY less swollen and isn't hurting as bad.

Today Riley and I went out to Carter's and got her new clothes for the fall and winter. She was busy playing at the Lego table and didn't want to help me pick out clothes for her like she normally does.

I'm waiting for her pre-school to call me back to set up a time for me to take her in to meet with the teacher. I want her moved from the older 3/ young 4 class to the pre-k class but they have to access her first. I know she is ready academically it's socially they want to make sure about. I called them last week so I will have to make that call tomorrow also and make sure they didn't forget. I'd like to know because she will be going different days of the week and an extra day.

So they baby does have a name now she has had one for a few weeks. Kennedy Rose! I think it's fits her just right! Some fun facts about the name is...

* All our names end in Y! Amy, Zachary, Riley & Kennedy
* Kennedy is unisex name just like Riley
*It is a surname (Last Name) just like Riley

Kennedy sure is a active little girl! Riley never kicked as HARD as she does. She is even more of a stinker with Zach though. I will just tell him to look at my belly when she is going nuts in there and I can see it moving and she will stop as soon as I say it! He hasn't gotten to feel her kick more then 3 times.

Riley loves her very much and loves to hug, kiss and rub my belly. She always asks where she is in there so she makes sure she kisses the right spot. If I say oww because she kicked to hard or somthing Riley will rush over " Are you okay!" I hope we are not home alone if and when I go into labor!

I doubt very much I will get to have a VBAC as big as I am right now I can't see if happening. If Riley didn't fit I can't see Kennedy when I'm 3 times bigger then with Riley. But we won't know for sure till it get closer.

25 weeks 5 Days



24 weeks

4th Visit

Yesterday I had my 4th prenatal appointment. Everything is looking great I measured 23 weeks (I'm 21) and baby is very active in there.

Poor baby still doesn't have a name yet! Zach is really set on Madison and I have tried and still am trying my hardest to like it but I just don't see her being a Madison. The other names we are thinking about are Faith, Rose, Haliey and Lilah. None of the names feel right to me. With Riley it was like yes Riley Jo is a prefect fit! I told Zach I see this baby being more of a dainty girl name and Madison doesn't fit that.

We are 8 days into July now so summer is moving along at a pretty good pace. Not fast enough if you ask me! But there's lots to do to get ready for baby first. Riley is excited about the baby coming and asks daily when it will be time. I need to make her a count down chart.

We ordered the baby's room set on the 30th and it should be coming into the store sometime next week. I can't wait to watch Zach put it all together and see how nice it looks in her empty room right now!

Can I help?

Riley's big thing lately is she wants to help. She wants to do everything herself. When I clean the house she wants to help. Yesterday she followed me around asking if she could clean the bathroom. I told her that only grown ups use the cleaning products. She replied with I can't wait till I can clean the bathroom. I think I'm going to have to record her saying that so when she's a teenager I can play it back to her!

She wants to learn how to do everything Mommy does like folding laundry and loading the dish washer and cleaning the floors. Every time I bring the vacuum out she drops what she's doing and runs and to get hers. Yesterday I gave her a damp rag and she cleaned all the baseboard in the house and the chair rails in the dining room and in her playroom. Then she filled the fridge with water and pop and took out all the boxes from that too the trash. Then she swifered the kitchen floor. She also picked up all the carpet fibers in the babies room that Ella had clawed up but were still stuck enough that the vacuum wont pick them up.

She then tells me "Thank you Mommy for letting me help!" She was so proud to tell Zach everything she helped with. And while we are cleaning she likes to say how happy Daddy will be to come home to a clean house. She is just too cute! I hope she continues to WANT to help for quite a while yet!

It's a....

Monday I had my ultra sound appointment and we found out that we are having another GIRL!! Riley is very excited and I'm so glad because she was really stuck on wanting a baby brother. But in the room she said "It's a girl" that's just what I wanted and then went on to tell the Tec all the ways she's going to help take care of her new baby sister.

Zach and I are both excited too of course. We have been talking about name but of course the name we both really like the other one doesn't! Well not really because I'm still considering Madison Rose! He won't even think about Lola Rose. Rose is also a contender but we can't come up with a middle name. And Ruby is still being throw out there although I'm 80 percent sure I don't really like that name.

Summer is finally here well in the sense of the summer solstice. Last week was chilly it was like fall! And yesterday was HOT! We are in the last 10 days of June already and even though it seems to be going fast it's going slow for me 19 weeks doesn't seem like I've gotten every far! My belly is huge already and I fear Riley will ahve to roll me out of bed in the morning very soon here! I'm already having some trouble getting up from sitting or laying down.

World's Best Dad!

This started out as a Happy Father's Day post but time got the better of me but I still wanted to share what a wonder father and husband Zach is!

Since we were 15 years old I always new Zach would be a good father some day but I have to say he really surprised me after I got pregnant with Riley.

He asked me many times when he would be able to feel the baby kick, he went to EVERY one of my doctor visits with me, he read to my belly every night. And in the weeks leading up to her birth ever time I had a pain he would jump up and say "IS It Riley Time?" He was wonderful in the labor room and was there during my c-section after laboring for 15 hours. He even cut the cord when he told me time and time again he was not going too. That kind of stuff grosses him out.

After she was born he struggled to change her diaper and clothes all by himself worried that he would hurt her. (We planned on me showing him but I wasn't able to get up after my c-section)

When we got home he was the one to get up with her at night time. He would move the bassinet to his side of the bed so he could make sure she was still breathing several times a night. He was the one up at 4 am in the morning for hours when she wouldn't go back to sleep those first few days. And he continued to get up every night for 2 weeks then we took turns.

He was always excited to come home in the evenings and give her a bottle and sit and hold her. As she got older it was all about the playing. He comes straight home from work every night and is home every weekend. He doesn't care about going to the bar or playing golf for hours on end he would rather be at home playing with Riley and reading her a bedtime story.

This pregnancy Zach really has helped SO much! This is not an easy pregnancy for me although it's better then what it was in the beginning. Zach took over basically everything in the house hold on top of working at his day job and the 2 other jobs he does to make extra money.

He did the laundry, cleaned the cat boxes, cleaned the kitchen, picked up the house, made Riley dinner, got me what ever I felt like eating, gave Riley a bath and put
her to bed pretty much every night for those first 13 weeks! When I felt so horrible. He even gave up his Sunday sleep in day so I could sleep in both days on the weekend.

I'm so luckily and blessed to have found a man like him to spend my life with.

Riley's Toy Story Room!

First let me say I hate painting that being said let me say I hate painting things green! I've never had so much trouble getting another color to cover like I have with green! But I will say the end result is very nice!!



The Doorway!



We picked out fabric and Gan is going to be making curtains!



I just love how the dresser turned out!




We got most of the stuff at the party store like the poster. Was 4.50 vs 10 at Walmart!







And we put up a ceiling fan!!


Riley loves the room and I must say it looks pretty great!

Playroom Clean Up!

Getting Riley to clean up her playroom had been a consist daily battle. She doesn't understand the concept of take one toy out and put it away before you get another out. In her defence she has TOO MANY TOYS I know people always say that but this child really does! She is one child and she has a 18 X 14 playroom that is filled to the brim!

It got to the point were you couldn't find a empty space on the floor anymore. The room was just too messy for her to be able to clean it up on her own. Day after day I would fight with her about cleaning up things got messed up on the shelves and she couldn't find a place for them. Usually about once a week I go in there and straighten everything up so it's organized better but since I hadn't been feeling well do to being pregnant it wasn't on my high list of priorities.

So finally enough was enough. I closed down the play room. Riley wasn't allowed in there for a few days till I could go in there and do a major clean up. We put some toys that are too young are haven't been played with in a box and one of her big items then workbench down to the basement.

I went out and got bins and toys were organized in bins and I printed out labels with pictures and words on them. It took about 2 days to get the room clean and the new rule is only one bin out at a time. If she wants another bin out she has to put the one she's playing with away. If she asks she may get 2 bins out if it's something that she will play with together like say her food bin and her baby doll bin.

She has done wonderfully with this system for the past few weeks. There are no more fights about cleaning up her toys daily. Hopefully it will stay that way.

Still Waiting Spring!

I can't believe it's the end of April and we are still waiting for Spring! This is not making for a happy pregnant woman! I still have not been feeling well at all and I am just counting down the days till the second trimester! Let me tell you being pregnant with IBS is no picnic! I have had 2 very bad IBS attacks and the cramping that comes with them! If I didn't know what an IBS attack felt like I would think something was horrible wrong with the baby.

I'm starting to get very nervous about after the baby comes. What if I start having flare ups again what am I going to do? When Riley was a baby is was bad enough having to rush off to the bathroom while in the middle of feeding her and here her cry because she was hungry. Or she needed a diaper change and I couldn't get out of the bathroom. Now I will have to worry that the baby will cry and Riley will try to help the baby. What if she tries to pick the baby up or give it a toy that is too small. I just worry and worry about these things and it makes me more stressed out which never helps.

I'm hoping it will be better since I'm not going back on any type of hormone birth control which I think didn't help the matters. I will have too look back in old blogs too see when my flare ups started after having Riley.

Right now I want to feel better so I can clean and organize the house. I wanted to do spring cleaning and wash all the curtains and everything but that hasn't happened yet. Guess it doesn't matter since I always thing spring cleaning needs to be done with the windows open and that has only happened like 2 days so far!

I had my first Pre-Natual appointment last Tuesday. Kappus said everything looks great I get a A +. The heartbeat was 170 faster then Riley's was so I'm starting to think it might be another girl. My uterus is measuring bigger she said it was more like 10 weeks and I was 9 at the time. It did that with Riley too. Riley is very excited to go tot he next appointment with us so she can hear the heartbeat. I can't wait either because that means I'm out of my first trimester!

Come on Spring!

If you saw my house you would be shocked at the disarray it has fallen into! I cannot stand how messy the house is but I just haven't felt well enough to do anything about it! Zach is doing a pretty good job at trying to keep up with the laundry and loading and emptying the dishwasher but he just doesn't break out the vacuum or clean the bathrooms. He has been very busy with tutoring and the ebay work that I have been letting go too. I just cannot wait to be out of this first trimester and stop feeling so icky all the time!

Yesterday I had an ultra sound. I was having some light bleeding and cramping on Wednesday so the Doctor wanted me to go in. They couldn't find anything wrong. We saw the baby and hear the heart beat(167)it is measuring right on with my due date. It's very reassuring knowing that there really is baby in there!

I can not take this weather anymore I'm so ready to just pack up and move! Come on spring lets go here! It needs to get warm to it can get cold again so they baby will be here! Not looking forward to a long winter stuck in the house with a 4 year old and a new born! But at this point I just want spring to come so i can open windows and go outside and get some fresh air!

Been a While

Well it's been a very long time since I wrote a post! So much for keeping track of the day to day on goings! We have had a lot of fun and exciting things happen and some not so great things! This year started off very badly for me! I had 5 teeth pulled and massive amount of dental work done that cost quite a pretty penny! It was a very difficult pain fill couple of months for me!

But like everything I got though it and I think with all I was going though Zach felt bad for me a decided that it was time to take a family vacation! So off to Disney World we went for 10 days in the end of February to early March. It was a fabulous trip we had so much fun! Riley might not remember it any of it but it is something Zach and I will always remember doing with her!

When we got home we got some excited news! I'm pregnant and we will be expecting baby number 2 in the middle of November. We had planned on having another baby and had been trying since the fall but then all the dentist stuff happened and we had to put it on hold. Then we where not sure what was going to happen since the dentist had cost so much money so we took the lets just see what happens approach and sure enough the first month of that I got pregnant.

Riley is so excited all though I don't think she full understand that the baby is not going to come out talking and playing with her. But she is very excited about getting things for the baby and talking about names. Well telling us what we should name the baby! LOL

My pregnancy started off very well I was only tired for the first few weeks then in the middle of the 6th week I started not feeling well. Some days are worse then others but I'm looking forward to being out of the first trimester as quickly as possible! If this weather would ever warm up I we could open the windows for fresh air and get outside that might help some too! Especially when Zach cooks these pizza that make me want to gag! I think we will ave to have a new rule that he can no longer cook those! I didn't like them when i was pregnant with Riley either!

Riley has done very well with home preschool even though we have not done any in the past month. Coming home from Disney and being pregnant at the same time took a lot out of me and the house has never been the same since because I just can't keep up with it! She can now write her name and almost every letter in the alphabet she is doing very well and knowing what sound the different letters makes as well. I'm very impressed with all she can do and I know not sending her to preschool this year was the right choice because she learned so much more with me.

We will be sending her this fall and I need to start looking into schools. it's going to be a pain dragging her and the baby out of the house 3 days week in the middle of winter but what else can I do. I do worry about her getting sick and bringing it home to the baby seeing in how she will be in preschool before the baby is born and will continue when its a newborn.

I'm hoping to keep up this a little more because it sure is nice to look back and see what went on when I was pregnant with Riley and that's were I wrote all her firsts at as well!

Busy, Busy!

Things have been so busy around here and I just don't see it slowing down with the holidays coming about!

Halloween was just awesome! We had SO much fun this year going to Boo at the Zoo and having the cousins go trick or treating together. Riley loved the "Halloween Party" I made for her as she says it. I made a Beef Stew for dinner and everyone came over and ate and we went out. I had tons of goodies set out too. It wasn't really a party but I'm glad she enjoyed it so much! She was the cutest little Buzz Lightyear there ever was!



Today we had a baby shower for one of my friends. Really if it wasn't for her I would have never met Zach and Riley would have never been born! Riley just adores her so she was pumped about getting the baby gifts. She was SO good at the shower she put all the wrapping paper in the trash and behaved so well! Riley was excited that Rena's mother in law gave her a little gift for helping and she got 2 balloons. She talked about it all the way home.

Next weekend we are going to Kalahari with my parents and my sister Jennifer the twins and Brian. It's going to be so much fun! Riley is excited and she doesn't even really know what it is! I'm going to show her the website on Friday and she will just be so pumped!

And then Thanksgiving which we are having here again and then all the December Birthday party's and Christmas! Once summer ended this past few months really ave just flown by!

Anniversary Weekend

We decided not to go to Niagara Falls for our anniversary. We couldn't find a hotel near Clifton hill that wasn't going to cost a arm and leg. So we had a staycation instead! Riley still went to Papa and Gan's on Thursday night. We slept in every morning went to nice dinner's took a nice drive and walk. We went to check out the Ryan Homes which was a mistake because they were so nice that we want to build new! Although I don't want to be in one of those communities because they are not private enough for our taste. I like the Verona with the all the extras of course so it will be a LONG time before that ever happens!

I ended up returning the Shark Pocket Steamer. It worked ok I think it would be better if you have larger counters to clean. They did clean the doors nice but it's extra work in some places because you still have to dust and you have to pull it out plug it in fill it up and can do my normal cleaning way faster then that! I didn't get the mop because I'm afraid it will deactivate the glue on the peel and stick tiles and pull them up I read that on a few reviews. So now I'm not sure what I'm going to get. For our wedding anniversary Zach got me the Panda Pillow Pet and i got him a belt and new pillow which we ended up switching pillows last night because his wasn't squishy enough and mine was better then his new one. It take time to break a new pillow in I told him but a switched anyways. Although i didn't sleep well last night but I don't think it was from the pillow but we will see tonight.

I cannot believe the end of October is already here just a week until Halloween! Riley and I have a busy week planned I just hope we get more done tomorrow then what we did today!