Nobody Said It Was Easy

Being a Mommy is hard and some days are harder than others.  Some days you just feel like you can't do anything right.  Sunday was one of those frustrating days. It was filled with toddler tantrums and lots of tears.  I felt like I was a repeating record of "no, no, no".  There was time-out (multiple times) and even a spanking.  Kate is such a strong-willed child.  I know we have got our work cut out for us.  She has definitely hit the terrible two's a bit earlier than we had expected.

Some days you are just glad for bedtime to come. Some days you are just ready for the next day to be here. Some days you just want your happy, easy-going child to come back.

Being a mom of a toddler is not easy.  The smallest things can set them off.  They're learning.  They know what they WANT to do, they just don't know how to do it.  They know what they WANT to say, they just don't know how to communicate that.

So I get that a lot of times, her tantrums are just frustration-related.  She will be building with blocks and accidentally knock them over and then completely freak-out.  Or she'll be pushing her cozy coupe car around the house, hit the wall, and not be able to turn it the way she wants so she'll flip out. She's frustrated and doesn't know how to express herself. I get it.

But, a lot of times she has tantrums just from not getting her way.  She is testing her limits, and pushing buttons.  I'll tell her "don't put that in your mouth" and she'll take it out.  Then she'll wait five seconds before she slowly tries to put the object back in her mouth, just to test my reaction. And the cycle continues until she ends up getting the object taken away from her.  And then tears ensue.

But I can't give in.  And that's the hard part.  Giving in would be SO much easier.  Just letting her "do what she wants" would be so much easier.  But what would that teach her?

Don't we do the same thing with God?  We keep on pushing.  We keep on testing.  We try to get "our" way.  We get frustrated when we don't get what we want.  We want to be the ones in control.  We're just like little toddlers.

So as I parent Kate, I have to remember the ways that God teaches us.  I must be strong and know that He will give me strength.  I have to not get discouraged and remember that Kate will be a better person because of discipline.  And as she learns to submit to the authority of her parents who love her, I pray that one day she will submit to Jesus Christ who loves her so much more.

Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.
Proverbs 22:6

Over the River, and Through the Woods

...and hopefully now we are OUT of the woods.  Last week was a rough one in our household.  Kate got the flu and we pretty much just tried to survive the week.  Battling her 104+ fever was just about all we could handle, and on top of that was the fact that Kevin had not had the flu shot so he had to keep his distance from Kate (ie- Mommy was on her own).

Kate was pitiful. She's been relatively healthy in her first 17 months of life, minus a few colds here and there. We've been counting our blessings on that one.  Needless to say, this is the sickest she has ever been.  All day Tuesday and Wednesday she just wanted to be held and had no desire to play.

My mom was awesome and came up to help with Kate on Thursday and Friday so I could go in to work, and my dad sent a big pot of the best chicken and dumplings.  By Saturday, Kate was feeling MUCH better.  After being cooped up for 6 days straight, she was itching to get out.  She kept going to the door, pointing and saying "go, go".  I decided to let her "go" somewhere-. Sacrifice, you know? (We just went through the drive-through.)

I still kept her at home on Sunday just in case she was still contagious, but she's back to her normal self today.  I hope this was her last encounter with the flu for MANY years to come.

** Don't forget my online Kelly's Kids party.  Today was the first day to place orders, and you can place them anytime between now and February 14th!

It's A Party- Kelly's Kids!

So, I don't normally do this.  In fact, I've NEVER done this. I've never hosted any kind of party- not Pampered Chef, Thirty One, or Tupperware... nothing!  But of course I will do it for Kate.  That's what I keep telling myself anyway.  It has nothing to do with my love of cute children's clothing. :) Anyway, I am hosting a party- a Kelly's Kids party!  It's an online party, so you can join in too!

Kelly's Kids has some SUPER cute children's clothing for both boys and girls, and their Spring/Summer line is adorable. Here are a few of my favorites...

They even have some cute outfits that would be perfect for Easter. 

Do you want to join in? It's so easy.  You can place orders anytime between January 14 and February 14th.  Here's how you do it...

1) Visit www.kellyskids.com/jenniferlarkins
2) Pick out your favorites
3) Enter Party #10345 at checkout!

That's it!  See? So easy. Feel free to share this information with your friends, and let me know if you have any questions by emailing me at kelleyandkevin@yahoo.com 

PS- if you're one of those people who likes looking through a catalog instead of online, let me know and I can get one sent to you.  

InstaLife Update

Well my baby is sick with the flu so this is the only kind of update I have time for. She woke up Tuesday morning with a fever of 104.3. Pretty scary.  We were at the doctor's office when they opened and confirmed that she did, in fact, have the flu.  She'd gotten the flu shot at her 15 month appointment but as we know, those things aren't 100% effective.  Anyway, her fever has been hard to control- it even got as high as 104.9 and pretty much stayed around 103 for a while, even with tylenol.  We're switching between Tylenol and Ibuprofen and hopefully that will help, although it has not been "normal" since she got sick.  Please pray she recovers quickly and doesn't have any other complications. 

 

 

Can you believe how much she has changed in one year?  I sure can't! I'm pretty sure I won't be able to hold her next Christmas.

 

Kate has discovered this corner in our house and it's become her new favorite place to hang out.  Guess she doesn't know what corners are really for yet.

 

 

Playing around with hats in The Children's Place. 

 

 

We took her with us to the beach for our youth retreat and she discovered the telephone. This was the first time she'd really seen a phone that had a cord. :) 

 

 

Sweet sleeping baby.  This doesn't happen much.

 

 

We should have just gotten her boxes for Christmas.  She LOVED playing with this one.

 

 

She loves her Daddy and her dogs (and just being outside in general).

 

 

She just had to help me put together her Christmas present... a table and chairs from Gigi and Papa Rick!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mommy Moments

Some things as a mom, you just want to remember forever. It may not be anything big, or particularly special for anybody else, but for some reason you just want to hold onto that moment. This is one of them for me...

Last weekend we took Kate with us to the beach on her first overnight youth trip. One night we took the youth shopping at the Tanger Outlets. We got back to the hotel pretty late so while Kevin and the youth went to do a bible study session, I headed to our room to put Kate to bed. It was about 9:30 so it was way past her bedtime but since she'd taken a LONG nap from about 3:00-6pm, I was sure that she probably wasn't all that tired. I let her play while I cleaned up the room and packed our stuff to go home the next day. When I finished packing I took her into the other room to put her to bed. All the lights were off so I sat down in a chair to hold her for a few minutes before bed.

Mind you, Kate is NOT a cuddler. I don't think she's sat still for 2 minutes since she started walking, so I really didn't think that me holding her would last very long at all. Boy was I mistaken. Kate laid her head on my shoulder and just stared up at me for about 15 minutes while I hummed every single song I could think of.

I finally got to the hymn "I Love You, Lord", and as I hummed the song while holding my sweet girl who was staring up at my face and who even leaned up to kiss me on my cheek, unprovoked, I couldn't help but think how special these lyrics really are. . .

I love you, Lord,

and I lift my voice

to worship you.

Oh, my soul rejoice!

Take joy, my King,
in what you hear.

May it be a sweet, sweet song

in your ear.

I know that God's joy in us when we choose to love him is so much more than the joy we as parents feel about our own children. As much as I love Kate, I know that His love for me is SO much greater.

And as I finished up the song Kate sat up, pointed over at her crib, and said "bed". I knew that was the end of our cuddle time so I laid her down and quietly slipped out the door, thanking God for the opportunity to be her Mommy.

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Best of 2012

Last year I did a similar post summarizing just some of the things we did in 2011.  I think it's so much fun to go back and remember the things that we've done and it's SHOCKING how much Kate has changed in a year.  Last January doesn't seem like it was all that long ago, but Kate wasn't even crawling at that point! So here is just some of the "best" of 2012.

January Highlights

• Mom, Kristi and I visited my Grandmother in Charleston, SC
• Kate graduated from the baby carrier to a big-girl car seat (still rear facing) 
• She got her first taste of sweet potatoes
• Kate turned 5 months old!
• Her adoption was finalized!

February Highlights

• Kate started standing on her own when leaning against something (wall, couch, etc).
• We celebrated her FIRST Valentines day. 
• She turned 6 months old. 
• Her personality started coming out. :) 

March Highlights

• Kate graduated to the bath ring and it made bath time SO much easier. 
• My parents came up for a visit and gave Kate an Easter basket.
• We started reading Kate bedtime stories more regularly and she LOVES it. 
• She got her first taste of Chocolate Chip Pizza and was not happy when she ate the last bite. 
• Kate turned 7 months old! 
• She started CRAWLING.
• We had GREAT March weather (short sleeves!) and got to take lots of walks outside.

April Highlights

• We celebrated Kate's first Easter. 
• Kate got sick for the first time (a cold) and slept in her car seat for a few days. 
• We took our first family vacation to Savannah, Georgia. 
• I finished my first busy season as a Mommy.
• Kate turned 8 months!
• Kate got in the pool for the first time. 
• She rode on my parents pontoon boat for the first time!
• She tried spaghetti for the first time, and LOVED it!

May Highlights

• My first Mother's Day as a Mommy!
• My parents, Kristi, Kevin and I took Kate to our zoo. She loved everything, except for the Gibbon monkeys!
• Kate got IN the lake for the first time. 
• She has enough teeth that we started brushing them- another thing she loved (and still loves).
• We hung a swing from a tree in our yard and have gotten TONS of use out of it. 
• Kevin installed borders around the beds in our front and back yard. 
• Kate turns 9 months!

June Highlights

• First beach trip- Outer Banks of NC. 
• First Vacation Bible School. 
• Lots of time spent outdoors. 
• Kate turns 10 months!
• She started walking, a few steps at a time.

July Highlights

• First 4th of July.
• We celebrated the first anniversary of finding-out-about-Kate and meeting her birth parents. 
• Kate starts sleeping on her tummy with her rear end WAY in the air- too cute. 
• She loves green beans and spaghetti. 
• We had temperatures of over 100 degrees so our dogs came inside for a few days. They officially became Kate's best friends. 
• Kate discovered where her food/snacks are kept.  We installed child locks. 
• Mama got a new car! :) 
• Kate turned 11 months old and started walking 100% of the time.
• Lots of lake visits to Gigi and Papa Rick. 

August Highlights

• Kate turns ONE. 
• We had a big party at our house with lots of family (our family and Kate's birth family).
• Kate starts trying to feed herself (yogurt) and makes a big mess. 
• Mom, Kristi, Kate and I take a trip to Charleston to visit my Grandmother. 
• Kate tries out the splash park at the James Island Park and has a blast!
• We celebrate Kevin's birthday on August 31st with a Giordano's Pizza.

September Highlights

• Kate started Mother's Day Out one day a week at a local church. 
• Football season officially started for both Clemson and Georgia.  Kevin worked on getting Kate to say "Go Dawgs" while I worked on "Go Tigers". Kevin won.
• Kevin, Kristi and I visited Boston for a long weekend to go to the Clemson/Boston College game.
• Kate went to the eye doctor for the first time. We will have to go back in March to follow up on her astigmatism/strabismus. We are praying for this to correct itself so she wouldn't have to wear glasses or a patch.
• We had lots of fun outdoors.

October Highlights

• We watched tons of football and Kate perfected the phrase "Go, Go, Go", as well as raising her arms to say "touchdown" every time she sees football on TV. 
• We visited a pumpkin patch for the very first time. 
• Kate attended her 2nd Clemson game, and actually went into the game for the first time. 
• We celebrated Halloween- Kate was Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. So cute!

November Highlights

• We visited Fripp Island for a long weekend with Ken and Angela. Lots of fun, including an ice cream cone for Kate. 
• Kevin, Kristi and I went to Auburn, Alabama for the Auburn/Georgia game. Georgia won, but it was also fun being in Auburn as Alabama LOST. 
• Kate's hair got long enough for pig tails!
• We celebrated Thanksgiving with family. 
• We decorated our Christmas tree... with non-breakable ornaments on the bottom 1/3 of the tree!

December Highlights

• We participated in our church's float for our local Christmas parade. 
• Mom, Kristi and I took a girl's trip to New York City. We saw Wicked on Broadway, the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall, visited FAO Schwartz, saw the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center, and so much more.  It was my first visit there and I LOVED it.  Yes, Kevin, I will be back!
• We took a trip to Myrtle Beach with our youth group.
• And the best part of December- we celebrated the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

Christmas Day- Afternoon/Evening

So I have a "2012 Recap" kind of post that I wanted to share since it is January 1st, but I've decided to keep all of the Christmas posts together. So this is the last of our Christmas posts and tomorrow I'll share my 2012 post. :)

After leaving my parent's house, we drove straight to Kevin's Dad's house. Kevin's Grandma was over there so we spent a little time visiting with them before finally getting home.  We ate a quick dinner and then sat down to open our gifts to one another. 

Here is Kate modeling her new outfit and new sparkly shoes. 

Playing with her new Leap Frog Learning Bus.

One thing that I really wanted to get her for Christmas this year was a big bag of letters for our refrigerator. So far, I think it's been a good choice, although I'm not sure I will say the same thing in another month when they turn up all over the house.

Kevin and I usually do stockings for each other.  This year, instead of a stocking, I did the 12 Days of Christmas for him. On each of the 12 days leading up to Christmas, I gave him a gift.  On the 1st day of Christmas, he got 1 gift, on the 2nd day of Christmas he got 2 gifts, and so on.  I bought some of the gifts, but not every gift cost money.  For example, on the 10th Day of Christmas he got a card from Kate that had her hand prints on it (10 fingers). He was pretty surprised because he didn't know it was coming and I have to admit that it was pretty fun for me too.

Anyway, he had put some good things in my stocking and Kate was watching me pull things out.  When I pulled out a couple of Milky Ways, Kate immediately yelled "SNACK" and ran to pick them up. Despite being the funniest thing to happen all day, she did not get a Milky Way. :) 

While Kevin and I unpacked and tried to get things back into some kind of order around our house, Kate played with some of her new things. 

She is such a girly-girl with her purse and stroller... I love it!