Keeping up with the K-Bashes

Sunday, December 22, 2013

Joy

What a difference a year makes!

2012

2013

Merry Christmas!

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

I seriously cannot believe Christmas is a week from tomorrow!! Although I'm basically ready for it, I don't quite feel like Christmas should be this close. Not yet. Maybe it's because my brain is focused on getting through this week with those crazy kids. I think it'll start hitting me Friday around 4:30 PM. ;)

A couple of weeks ago, Stephen and I attempted a backyard photo shoot. I wanted to see what the chances were of us getting a Christmas card shot with all three smiling/looking. Here are some of the ones we got!

I loved these two, but Parker's little hand was in his sleeve, so I didn't use them.

Random Pics

I just uploaded hundreds of pics from my phone... here are some recent ones!

Taylor @ 3

I can't believe my Taylor is 3!

When I think of Taylor, the first word that comes to mind is hilarious. She is SO funny, just by being herself and showing her little personality off. She's the main person that can make Parker cackle! But, not many people see this side of Taylor. Away from her comfort zone, she is very shy and afraid to talk to/go with someone besides me or Stephen. Here are some interesting facts about Taylor at 3:

When she gets put into a situation where she is scared/not comfortable, she will often cry. She will sometimes cry when we leave her (at school, church, babysitter, etc.) and when she's doing something she is scared of (dentist, hair cut, etc.). Poor thing will be so scared sometimes, like at the doctor (or seeing Santa!) that she will shake!
She absolutely refuses to smile when someone outside the family is trying to take her picture. But, this girl has the best smile!
Taylor gets up early and is ready to go! She normally comes running full-speed into our bedroom around 5:30 every morning. (she definitely doesn't get this from me!)
Taylor knows a lot more than she shows/tells. I think Sydney speaks for Taylor a lot, so I never know what all she knows. She can (almost) count to 20... she messes up some with fifteen/sixteen. She knows all of her shapes and colors. She knows a bunch of uppercase letters and even reads some words, like "star", "boy", "ball", "girl".
Taylor is solid. She weighs almost as much as Sydney does! Her height and weight have always been high, sometimes over 100th%! She wears 4T clothing, but can fit into a lot of Sydney's 5T clothing as well. If you pick her up, you don't realize how heavy she is going to be. Most people think she looks older than she is. Poor girl takes after her mommy... I was always off the charts as well. Most people didn't catch up with me until the 8th/9th grade.
Whenever she sees a lawnmower, she calls it a "Walmart".
This girl likes to sneak food. She will always hide in the same spot- between a filing cabinet and a dresser in our office. One time, she had a whole batch of bananas in her lap. More often it's a lollipop that she randomly found and wanted to eat.
Taylor tries so hard to be like Sydney. She's now starting to say phrases that come out of Sydney's mouth. She also loves music and tries her best to sing along. It's adorable.
As sweet as Taylor is, she is also demanding when she wants something. Her willpower to not give up on something she wants is incredible. I find myself giving into her more than I should.
She is the best cuddler.

Thief!

Her BFFs from school, Samantha and Hallie.

Monday, December 9, 2013

Gender Reveal Party

Before you raise your eyebrows, NO, I'm not pregnant. ;)

I went to a neighbor's gender reveal party this past weekend. I've seen/heard about these, especially on Pinterest, but I've never actually been to one. To be honest, I thought the whole idea was a little silly. Our neighbors could have found out 2 weeks ago- the gender answer has been resting in an envelope in their house all this time. (Hello! I totally would have peeked!) But, I did look forward to going, regardless.

Man, it was FUN! We had all picked certain ribbons to wear, based on what we thought the sex was. There was a huge assortment of food and drink. Lots of mingling. And, it was SO exciting when they cut off the corner of the cake, only to see the color of the interior. We all screamed and cheered once we found out- what a rush! My neighbors, Allison and Josh, are expecting their first child, so it was fun to share in the moment.

So, now, my opinion has changed. I think anyone who is expecting should have one of these!!!

The crowd waits...

What's it going to be??

...I think I see pink...

It's a girl!!! The crowd goes (went very) wild!

so much fun. :)

And for the record, I am batting at 100% at picking the wrong sex. If you want to know the sex, ask me and then go for the opposite!

Cookies with Santa

This past Saturday, we went to Stephen's work for the annual "Cookies with Santa". This is the only planned visit to see Santa that we have, and as much as I was wanting to get a decent pic of the three with Saint Nick, I wasn't holding out much hope. It went pretty much as I predicted it would. ;)

Besides traumatizing 2/3 of my children with Santa, the kiddos had a great time coloring, making crafts, decorating cookies, playing corn hole, and eating breakfast. It was fun!