To my two year old.

Dear Kevin,

  Mommy loves you very much. I can't believe that 2 years ago Daddy and I were heading to the hospital to start your arrival into this world. Little did we know it would take 23 hours before you would finally arrive.

 We were so happy to finally have you with us! We loved looking into your blue, newborn eyes. Playing with your super soft baby hair, often guiding it into a Mohawk that stayed with you for months. We would make out pictures with your stork bites on your forehead, often thinking they looked like hearts, or Mickey Mouse.

As you grew you stayed such a happy baby. You loved to be held but didn't mind when you were put down either. 

You have been a great sleeper since day 1. I remember the first night you slept for 5 hours straight. You were about 3 weeks old and I remember it was the weekend. Daddy and I woke up around the same time (about 7:30) and realized you weren't awake. We both jumped out of bed to check on you and you were still sleeping peacefully. You still have an amazing sleep schedule. You sleep from around 8 pm-7am and still usually have a 3 hour nap. Mommy enjoys your nap time because she can get stuff done but I also miss you while you are sleeping. I still go into your room at night, cover you with a blanket, and thank God that Daddy and I have been so blessed.


Today we celebrated your second birthday. We had a Cars theme because as of right now that's your favorite movie (or as you say "vroom".) Mommy made cupcakes and we invited over your two best friends.

 You woke up from nap excited to see all of your decorations. The look on your face was priceless. You pointed at all of the cars on the decorations, balloons and cupcakes and over and over again said "vroom."

You had fun playing with your friends but when it came down to opening presents you took it as very serious business. 

 You spent your time opening and inspecting each gift.

 Along with Cars one of you other favorite things are school buses. You get so excited whenever you see one and you were even more excited when you received one to play with.

 

 However, as excited as you were opening Cars gifts and your school bus, you were even more excited when you opened one of your gifts from Mom and Dad containing new stories. Mommy was so proud to see you spend the most time inspecting your new stories. (I hope you are a reader just like me).

 When all the presents were opened we prepared your cupcake. Funfetti vanilla with vanilla frosting. Since you were having a much smaller party this year we decided to go with cupcakes instead of cake. You were ecstatic anyway. Daddy lit the 2 candle on your cupcake and before we started singing you put your hand up and said, "hot". We told you it was alright and you patiently waited for further instructions. Once we all started singing Happy Birthday and you realized we were singing to you, you were extremely happy. When we told you to blow out your candle you knew exactly what to do and blew it out in one puff.

 MMmmmm... cupcake. I love how you hold your cupcakes with both hands, trying carefully not to make a mess.

 Your friends stayed and played for a little bit longer and we played with some of your toys. You loved the bubble blower you received and had so much fun trying to pop them with your face. After your friends left and you ate dinner, you played on the floor with Daddy. Mommy laid down on the couch and watched you. Mommy's favorite part of the day was when she dozed off on the couch only to be awoken by you saying, "Momma". You then noticed I was resting and stopped playing with all of your new toys, grabbed your blanket and climbed up on the couch with me. We snuggled for a good ten minutes then decided it was time to get you ready for bed. Although your schedule had been a little messed up you still went to bed like a champ. I only hope you will someday have the same feelings of pride, love and happiness that mommy and daddy experience on a daily basis being your parents. We love you so much Kevin Riley and are so blessed to be your mom and dad. Happy second birthday baby!

A little about me

I saw this on a few blogs and since I hardly ever blog, I figured what better way to get to know a little bit more about me. The rules are simple; post a picture of yourself, 10 random facts, answer the questions from the post you originally saw it on, and then post 10 questions for your followers to post on theirs.

(Commencement Dance 2006)

10 Random Facts:

1) I'm an emotional hoarder. I keep everything that has a back story. Senior sweatshirts, the shirt I made for homecoming, my commencement dress, letters, cards, etc.

2) Unless it's by a little kid I don't like being called "Shell". I actually prefer it when people use my full name Meshelle.

3) I use my pinky finger to snap. I don't know how to snap my fingers using any other fingers but my pinky.

4) I only know how to tie my shoes using the "two bunny ears" method. My Aunt Sherise taught me how to tie my shoes this way and I just never learned how to do it the other way.

5) I thought I would be a Mom a lot earlier in life but not necessarily married first. The way I was rebelling as a teenager I always thought I would end up being a teen mom. 

6) I wanted to be a nurse. I even started school and took a Certified Nursing Assistant course, but I found out it wasn't for me. I had more fun working with little kids so I decided to turn my career focus to working with children.

7) I have a very close relationship with my Grandparents.  There have been periods in my life where I haven't had a strong relationship with my Mom or Dad but my grandparents have always been there.

8) I was a naughty teenager. No seriously. When I was only 14-15 I started to rebel due to a traumatic event. I smoked pot, I would sneak alcohol to school, have anger issues and was very promiscuous. This lead my Mom to the decision to send me to Washington when I was 15 to live with my Dad.

9) I can drink. Unlike my sisters I can handle my alcohol (might have built up a tolerance in those teen days or maybe it's the Irish blood in me). I don't get hung over and I don't black out, I can remember everything.

10) I don't regret anything. I don't think I would be the person I am without having gone through what I have.

Questions to answer: Borrowed from Roxanne.

1) What is you and your significant other's song and why?

      "God Bless the Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts. This was our wedding song. We found out after dating that we had a lot of the same friends and his best friend's older brother was my sister's best friend but we had never met. Due to my rocky teens I never expected to settle down and hold a healthy relationship.

2) What is your most valued possession?

       My scrapbooks and blanket. I know that's two but it's hard to pick. I still have my baby blanket my Mom quilted herself. My scrapbooks because they hold a lot of great memories and I have put a lot of hard work into them.

3) What personality traits and/or hobby did you inherit from your father?

       This is easy. My Dad and I are both extremely stubborn. It's not that we believe we're never wrong we just know when we're right. Another one would have to be our natural extinct to help people. I never think twice about holding the door open for someone or stopping to see if they need help. 

4) Do you keep your birthday cards?

       YES!! I started when I was 16 (wish I would have sooner). This goes along with my being an emotional hoarder.

5) What style is your home decorated in? (Traditional, country, modern, etc.)

      A little bit of everything. I would say more country and traditional though. I like wood furniture and things that remind me of home.

6) Describe your dream vacation.

      I like exploring cities and would love to take a trip to NYC but I also want to take a cruise to some exotic island where Ken and I have our own private cabin where we can just dive into the ocean. Maybe hike up some waterfalls and swim with dolphins. 

 7) If you were an animal, what you would you be and why?

      I think either a Wolf or a French Angelfish. The wolf because it's a family name and has always been a symbol of my Mom's side of the family and they also mate for life. The angelfish because they also mate for life and I love the water.

8) Do you have any tattoos? Do you want any?

      I don't have any tattoos and I don't know that I really want any. I tried out a henna tattoo and I think that's probably all I'll ever do.

9) Do you have a statement piece of jewelry that you wear every day?

     Besides my wedding ring, no. And even that I don't wear everyday since my fingers became to swollen.

10) What is one goal you have set out for yourself right now?

       School. One continuous goal I have is to be the best wife and mother I can be but besides that I really want to get a degree. 

My questions:

Whats your favorite color?

 Favorite childhood memory?

Who do you get along with better, your mom or dad?

Whats an interesting story about your family or a relative?

Favorite candy?

How did you meet your significant other?

Is there anything you would change about your life?

Favorite type of candle?

Do you enjoy baths or showers?

If you could have dinner with anyone living or dead who would it be?

Busily growing

 (Taken at Great Wolf Lodge)

I can not believe there are only about 5 weeks left of my pregnancy. After much discussion with our Doctors we have decided to schedule a Cesarean birth for Jasper. He will be born on April 30th. It seems like it has flown by. Not only will Jasper be born soon, but Kevin is turning 2 next week. We went to Party City yesterday and let him pick out birthday supplies. We are planning on having just a few people over; a couple who Ken and I are friends with and have a little boy just 4 months younger than Kevin, the woman I work for and her little boy (who is definitely Kevin's best friend) and then a woman Ken works with who occasionally watches Kevin and absolutely adores him. He is into Cars lately. I knew it would be a toss up between Cars and Mickey Mouse and Cars won. We are planning on just having cupcakes and ice cream and letting the kids play for his birthday party. His vocabulary is starting to take off and he is trying to repeat more of what he hears. He still has problems with communications and his lack of, which results in frustration and screams but we try to be patient and get him to use words. He has a hard time with words that end in a consonant sound (p & t being the hardest). We are still constantly on alert for food allergies and have learned what things he can try and what things he can't. We've also learned what restaurants are safe and which ones to avoid. It's almost second nature now to read labels and we are a lot more comfortable with it then when he was first diagnosed. I am getting really excited to see how he is going to adapt to being a new brother. He loves babies (or Naynays as he says) so maybe that mixed with the fact that since he was born he has constantly been around other little people he will adapt really well.

( Helping clean up after making pudding) This is is "Smile" face.

We have really been  enjoying the weather. We are lucky enough to have Spring weather (high 60's, low 70's) but not have the horrendous humidity yet. We have outside play time on the little hill by our apartment, complete with balls, bubbles, and the occasional Popsicle.  Oh and plenty of kisses for Mom and Dad.

I feel a lot bigger and more uncomfortable at this point in my pregnancy than I ever did with Kevin. My hips, back and pelvis hurt more than ever. It's hard to find a comfortable positions either sitting, laying or standing. I am carrying very low which is nice for breathing and heartburn relief but does nothing for the pelvis and lower back pain.

(All taken with my phone camera so they are a little blurry)

I'm getting excited to meet this new little addition, see how our family will adapt and continue to grow. My Mom is coming up on the 21st to be with us for a few weeks and my little sister Bre will be coming up the Friday before and staying for a week to help us with Kevin. It is important to me to have someone here that will be able to devout all the time and attention towards Kevin as possible. He absolutely loves his Auntie Bre so it will be wonderful to know he has a great playmate at home while I'm in the hospital. Ken is able to take 10 days off for convalescent leave (doesn't count against his leave days) when the baby is born and then because he has almost 30 days built up he plans on taking an additional 10-15 days. I'm excited for our time alone as a new growing family. Trying to figure things out together, work together, and grow together.

Jasper De'Allan

On December 9th Ken and I found out we are adding another boy to our growing family. I originally had an appointment scheduled on December 12th but on the 8th at Ken's command Christmas party we found out he had been capped. Basically the captain of his whole command decided that he deserved to be promoted. It was such a huge honor and Ken and I were both so excited. The only negative was that the ceremony was going to be held on Monday, the day of our appointment. So we decided to schedule a 3D ultrasound that weekend and find out the sex together; Kevin was even able to attend. The ultrasound tech was so nice and patient, and when it came time to finding out the sex she asked if we wanted to know, I looked at the screen and at the same time the tech and I both said "it's a boy". Both of my boys have made it pretty obvious. Here are the ultrasound pictures of our new little guy.

 Yep, it's definitely a boy!! Introducing Jasper De'Allan.

 I was surprised at how skinny he looked compared to Kevin's 3D ultrasound but that's the difference 12 weeks make.

 Sucking his thumb like his big brother does occasionally.

I really enjoy the sneak peek that 3D ultrasounds provide and I think that as we get closer (maybe 35 or 36 weeks) we might have another one done to see how much he has changed. I also love how Kevin can be with us and we can show him his baby brother that he knows is in mommy's tummy.

A Fabulous day

Today was a good Fabulous (the capitol F is needed) day!! I thought it would be one of "those" days, other mom's know what I'm talking about. The ones that leave you wanting a glass of wine (sparkling cider in my case), a warm bubble bath, and a nap. But, no today turned out to be a Fabulous day, one that I will remember forever. Kevin woke up an hour early at 6. I was not ready to wake up but seeing how he is very into saying "momma" these days it's very hard to resist going into his room and just giving him a huge "good morning" hug. So hug I did. First of all the smile I received this morning when I opened his bedroom door was enough to brighten even the most hard core Scrooges day, but it gets better. We lay on the couch snuggling with milk and "nana" (banana) as we do every morning. An hour goes by just snuggling with my little boy and daddy joins us, but instead of just joining us he offers me a little piece of heaven, a chance to go back to bed. Of course being pregnant and tired I take the opportunity to catch a little extra sleep when I can. I fall asleep to the noises of Ken and Kevin laughing. I wake up to Kevin climbing in bed with me, giving me kisses as prompted by daddy, and Ken standing by the bed holding a cup and saying it's time for breakfast. I put my glasses on and realize it's not only time for breakfast it's time for OUR breakfast. Sundays are Waffle house days. But instead of foregoing it, Ken took Kevin and ordered, waited and brought it back to the house, all with Kevin in tow. Not only did the incredible man I married remember my order he remembered EXACTLY how I order it (dry wheat toast, extra crispy bacon...yum). As we were finishing eating Ken mentioned a park trip. I thought it was a fabulous idea since the weather was supposed to be great today (sunny and 60's). We cleaned up slightly, got dressed and went to the park. We took turns going down the double slide holding Kevin's hand, something we do more for us now than anything. Kevin is getting so independent he wants to do slides by himself, walk down stairs by himself, try to sit in the big people swings by himself. But he also still let's us help occasionally. Forty-five minutes later I was worn out, Ken was worn out and Kevin was getting tired. We waved goodbye to the park, and headed on a drive. We drove a while, not caring when we got lost, we ended up at a car dealership peeking in windows playing the "wouldn't it be nice game". One nice man even gave Kevin a balloon. When it was time to finally head home I tied the string very short so he could play with it in the car. I heard giggles all the way home from him pushing the balloon then catching it again. When we got home I told him it was time to send the balloon away, we were going to send it to Grandma Lori (Ken's mom) so she could play with it. He smiled at me and looked up when we stepped out of the car. My heart melted. We let him wave goodbye to the balloon and I handed it to him so he could decide when it was time to let it go. It didn't take him long and we watched as the balloon flew away. No cries, no fussing, just smiles. Today was a Fabulous day!

"Hopefully it's a girl this time"

My pregnancy is going great so far. I had some morning (evening) sickness in the beginning and was tired but it wasn't anything horrendous. We had our first ultrasound on Halloween and although Ken had originally taken the day off to come with me, he ended up getting the flu, which meant not attending the ultrasound or participating in Halloween activities. The ultrasound went great, everything looks good. The baby is measuring 2 days younger than originally thought so my due date has been moved from May 6th to May 8th. The woman I work for is due May 10th! We are going to have our hands full.

 We also recently scheduled the appointment to find out the sex on December 12th. We have tried to come up with a lot of cute ideas on how to announce the gender. Something we thought of doing was not finding out and scheduling a 3D ultrasound when we go home for Christmas, that we our family can attend and find out with us. However, we weren't able to find any inexpensive ultrasound places that cater to our budget. So now it's back to the drawing board.

One thing that has really been a pet peeve of mine during this pregnancy is when people make remarks like, "Hopefully it's a girl this time." This comment was made by someone who was an old acquaintance of mine and is a facebook friend. Although there have been other similar comments made by other family and friends. One reason it bugs me is because I really have no preference as to the sex of the baby. It would be nice to have a little girl but by insinuating that "hopefully it is one", makes it seem like it will be a disappointment if it's not.  I love the relationship I have with my little man and although the relationship with this baby will be different because, well, it's a different person I think there is something special about a Mommy and Son relationship. I know Ken would love to have a girl, and don't get me wrong I would to, but I won't be disappointed if it's another boy. A) we have a ton of clothes left over from Kevin. B) they will eventually share a room so it will be nice to not worry about having to incorporate both sexes into the decorating and not making it seem to girly or boyish. C) having already had a boy it will be familiar territory.

Another thing people say is well if it's a girl you can be done. Again, kind of another ignorant statement. This is again said by acquaintances or strangers. You don't know my husband and I enough to be forming your judgement on how many kids we will or should have. Sorry for the venting but I needed to get that out.

Now on to the picture of our little one.

 Finger pointing to baby #2's head.

*If you have any suggestions on how to announce the gender please feel free to leave it in a comment!!

All his Children

I was having a hard time trying to figure out what to do for my Dad's birthday present this year. I didn't think I could top last year, flying Kevin and I back to Washington. So, I decided to do it again this year. I was able to book a flight on Southwest for pretty cheap and with only telling two people in Washington, was able to pull off a big surprise. Last year when I tried to surprise him he found out, people slipped accidentally which is fine, but this year I caught him completely off guard. My sister picked us up around 10:00 p.m Saturday night and we stopped at my Step-moms work where they were having drinks. I was able to sneak up behind him, put my arms around his eyes and say, "happy birthday Daddy." He turned around and had to take a triple take, he could not believe I was there. It turned out to be awesome. The next day we all celebrated his birthday and my Step-mom took this picture. My dad with ALL of his kids! (From top-left-to-right: Breanna, Tara, Me, Kindra, Dad, Kaleb, Danielle, Ashley, and Amanda.)