Small Moments

There are many days I want to pull my hair out during the "Terrible Two's". Then there are small moments I see a glimpse of my precious baby girl!! In those small moments I am reminded at what an amazing little person she is. Our tantrums and fits only come when I limit her chance to be independent and carefree. 

There is no doubt my daughter dances to the beat of her own drum. She loves the piano, cooks with her daddy and pretends to read to her baby. She has feelings like no other two year old I've seen, her baby is "sad" sometimes and just needs a hug, and when Kinsey is angry she finally has the words (thank you Daniel Tiger) to say "I'm mad... GRRR". Although not the most functional way to express her emotions, she is more than on her way. 

Today has been one of the most rough days of toddlerhood. Little miss came home from our trip to Maryland with a stomach bug. Something about her need to go potty after I told her the rule was to stay seated (we literally were landing in Dallas) that made me pay extra attention to her potty needs. After multiple Yucky Pull-ups and a middle of night wake up (thanks rain!) I realized my sweet girl was not feeling so well. 

While on our weekly trip to Walmart (seriously the best prices), she had a sudden need to "mama hold chooo!" I grabbed her knowing she wasn't herself and she threw up everywhere... I'm talking Pitch Perfect style throw up; in the "audience", all over the floor and me and her. It was terrible. I couldn't decide if I was worried about her, or me, or my phone, or the floor, or the buggy. I was moving fast through fear for my daughter, concern about her MJ (like a true MJ mom), embarrassment as I am covered my in my daughter's vomit, and apathy for the man who ran to my rescue. 

I then went to check out as fast as I could (a whole week's worth of meals in my cart) and then she "has to potty" which I know is code for "mom I just pooped my pants". I'm in panic mode when the lady behind me says "take your time, I've been there". 

I write this not for sympathy or understanding, but to remind myself later on that there is more to toddlerhood than tantrums and fits (something that mom behind me and learned before). There are those small moments I realize she's not a baby anymore and although she really needed me today while throwing up in Walmart, there are many times she doesn't need me as much. AND THAT'S OKAY! Sometimes I need to step back and let her learn to be her own person, and maybe (just maybe) there will be less tantrums and fights. 

Until Next time,

Brittany

Sweet Innocence

While completely enjoying our vacation, I am able to sit back and observe how pure and innocent Kinsey is. She sees life with no bias or prejudice. Her biggest worry in life is losing her baby doll or not getting a popsicle after dinner. I am enjoying this age so much! Although we have our moments of two year old tantrums, I love seeing the world through her eyes. Everything is so new and wonderful to her. Every day is a new adventure and I can't thank God enough for picking me to be her mom!!

 Enjoying watching the waves come in with Papa.

Out cold after a few hours of playing arcade games. 

Until next time! 

Brittany

Soaking up the Sun!

WAHOOO!!!

It's Vacation time!! If you ask me, no man deserves a vacation more than my husband does!!! He spends his time traveling the world and working hard to provide Kinsey and I the best life possible!!!

It's tradition for his family to spend a week or so in Ocean City, Maryland. He did it every summer when he was young, his mom did it when she was young, her mom too. So naturally when Kinsey was big enough, we knew we were going to start the tradition with her too!!! So thankful to see how much has been cleaned and tidied up after the Superstorm Sandy came through and tore up the boardwalk. I remember the heartbreak on my husband's face when he saw his beloved boardwalk torn apart. Thankfully it's back to looking good as new!! 

 Just a girl and her sand toys!! She's been bugging me to use these toys for about a week!!

 Then we get to the sand and she didn't like it..... not one to love dirt!!!

 Getting a little smile :)

Love my little family!!! 

We went on the Boardwalk the first night to walk around and get some jackets, and the girl couldn't help but play "sosser" with her dad and uncles!!! 

 

Our First day was spent traveling but we were still able to get her in the sand. Yesterday we spent moving over to our condo and resting because it was kinda chilly!! Today however.....

She had a BLAST!!!!

 She played football with her dad and uncles (think she's gonna like sports!?)

The water was freezing!!! But she didn't care! She loved the waves and saying "here it comes!!!" and jumping!!

She loved crawling and climbing in this little whole her daddy made her! Gone is her dislike of sand!!

Until Tomorrow! :) 

Brittany

Back to Teaching! :)

I decided to try back at blogging, only because I have so much to say about life right now!!! :) 

Hopefully you've noticed the change in blog name! I'm not just talking about my life as a new mom anymore, but my life as a new teacher and a young wife! I am so blessed at where my life is right now!! :) 

With that being said... I LOVE TEACHING KINDERGARTEN!!! 

They are so sweet and interested in what they are learning! They keep me on my toes and know how to turn my bad mood around! It's taken some time to get up at 5am and I'm exhausted by the time Kinsey goes to bed, but I couldn't imagine doing anything else in my life! It's been a while since I've been in the actual classroom, and I had almost forgotten about my passion for teaching. Thankfully the Lord's plan put me back in just in time and I couldn't be more grateful! I was paired with an amazing Mentor teacher who not only teaches me how to be the best teacher I can be, but also how to balance my love for my 20 Kinder babies and the love I have for my own husband and daughter! I'm 3 weeks into my 7 week rotation with my Kinders. As I begin to take over the classroom more and more, I get so excited to touch the lives of these children! 

I am beyond thankful for my husband and my family as they support me during my last semester of college. Just last week Kinsey missed 3.5 of the 5 days of school due to illness. They all stepped up and helped me take care of her and made sure I didn't have to miss teaching my babies! I love all of my fellow interns and can't wait to see what the rest of this semester has in store for us!! :)

Until Next Time,

I'm a Mrs.

I'm a Teacher and 

I'm a Mommy!!

Brittany

Best Friends and Sisters

I am a firm believer that God puts people in our lives for a reason. Two people don't cross paths on accident, God has a plan for those people. After rushing Kappa Alpha Theta, I instantly connected with Katie. She was such a passionate person and was always putting others before her self. We spent all of our time together and practically lived together. We lost touch a bit while she finished her Senior year and I was swamped with my student teaching, but God had a plan. Not only did we get married 1 week apart, but we were pregnant at the same time. We were scheduled to have our babies at opposite ends of the month of January in 2012. They decided to come almost 12 hours apart from each other, Annie was 1 week late on January 16, 2012 @ 10:19pm and Kinsey was 1 week early on January 17, 2012 @ 10:17am. Katie and I spent the following year texting at 3am, sharing our daughters milestones and giving each other advice. I knew then why God brought Katie and I together; to Survive Motherhood!! :) We live about 4 hours apart and are both super busy, but try and take turns visiting the other with our tiny tots in tow. 

This time it was my turn to house our friends and we had a blast! The girls are so active and talkative that they wore each other out! Katie and I attended a huge consignment event and were able to have a little one-on-one time thanks to my awesome hubby! We both walked out with great deals and are already planning on going next time. It's amazing how months can go by with quick texts to check in and when we are together again, it's like no time has passed. I am forever thankful for the friendship I have with Katie Gaston, and even more thankful that our daughters are best friends and one day may be sisters like Katie and I. 

The only day I was really able to get pictures of them was the morning we went to the park. We have a park right across the street from our house, so we were able to walk there and burn some energy before eating lunch and laying down for nap!! The girls had so much fun!

 Sweet Friends holding hands

 Two Toddlers and open space... what could be better?

 Annie Lin

 Kinsey Brynn

Best Friends

Kinsey still asks for Annie when she gets up in the morning or when she's home from school. We can't wait until we see our friends again :)

Kinsey's love and mine,

Brittany

Her Half-Birthday!!

Kinsey is 18 months today!! She is half-way to 2 and is acting like it more and more each day! We went to the Doctor for a little check up and she is growing growing!!

19.6 pounds 32 inches 18.5cm head circumference  

Her doctor was not surprised to hear she is out of her crib and into a toddler bed and was impressed with all of the words she can say! We talked about ways to foster independence without causing multiple tantrums throughout the day! 

 When she was first born we took this picture and it is currently hanging on the wall outside the hospital nursery where she was born. We had to chance to swing by and see it and I had her stand by it to get a picture. This is something I am going to try and do every 6 months from now on!

Sleep: Kinsey sleeps in her toddler bed in her new room upstairs. She loves to watch a little Curious George before bed and always has her Bear, Blanket, and her Pass (Paci). She sleeps about 12 hours at night and is napping for 2 hours at school.

Food: Still won't drink milk. She will only drink Stoneyfield Drinkable yogurt, which can get pricey. Hardly a meat eater unless it's a hot dog or chicken nuggets. She loves bananas, oranges, peas, corn, and "dip dip" (ketchup). 

Clothes: Still teeny tiny!! Depending on the store she wears anywhere from 3-6m to 18m. Mostly small bottoms and longer tops. 

Favorites: She loves Curious George and Doc McStuffins, as well as Minnie Mouse and Sofia the First. Her bear and blanket are with her all the time and she would live with a Pass if I let her. She loves to color (even on my walls!!) and read books. She has grown really fond of her Papa (Michael's dad), but still loves her Nana (his mom) and her Aunt Ashley (my sister). 

Words: She loves to talk and is learning a new word every day. Most times she at least tries to repeat words I say to her and just recently said her own version of her name (Sinsee).

As of now these are the words she can say:

-hot                    -out                        -up (up, up)
-down                -help (elp)              -dog
-yeyo (Yellow)  -Purpuh (purple)    -no no
-uh oh                -more                     -done
-gen (again)       -book                     -outside
-bubbles             -shoes                    -socks
-ya                      -hi                         -bye bye
-off                     -on                        -op (open)
-wa wa (water)   -juice                    -cack (cracker)
-moo                  -duck                     -cack cack (quack quack)
-fench fies (french fries)                  -dip dip (Ketchup)

People she can name:

• Mama
• Daddy
• Nana
• Papa
• Ach (Aunt Ashley)
• Dew (Uncle Drew)
• Ama (Gama)
• George (Curious George)
• MeeMee (Minnie)
• Doc (Doc McStuffins)
• Sha (Ms. Shaela)

 She just has the sweetest face! :)

 Never without them!

While unpacking she found all of her bears and blankets (I swap them out every so often so they get equal wear and tear. That way if she loses one, she has others that aren't "new").

Amongst all of the moving chaos I am so thankful to sit down and reflect on these past 18 months with my Sweet Mackenzie Brynn!! She is such a blessing and lights up my life every day! She is continuing to grow and becoming increasingly independent. I look forward to what these next 6 months brings. 

Kinsey's love and mine,

Brittany

Cleaning bath toys!

Now that life has started to slow down (more like I'm getting used to the craziness) I thought I would take a whack at this again! I think it's so cool to see my blog friends who are able to stay up to date with their blogs!! Kinsey is almost 18 months old, talks my ear off, and is certainly trying to be independent. She has 11 teeth and is growing like a weed (more about that later!)

While beginning to pack my little family for our big move this weekend, I decided it was about time I cleaned Kinsey's bath toys! So after perusing Pintrest and my favorite DIY blogs, I came across a formula for a vinegar mixture. I've learned a lot about white distilled vinegar these past couple weeks. One is that it's a natural disinfectant and keeps harsh chemicals from harming by sweet girl! I have started making many mixtures using white distilled vinegar and it has made cleaning my house so much easier and cheaper too! I came across Heather's blog that gave a few ways to clean bath toys and it was a total success! 

 http://welovebeingmoms.blogspot.com/2012/07/how-why-to-clean-bath-toys.html

Since my tub needed a good cleaning too I just put her toys in my tub with hot water and 1/2 cup of vinegar. I let the toys soak, scrubbed the foam letters/numbers, and was sure to suck some of the mixture into the squirt toys to be sure the insides got clean.

It worked like a charm and I didn't have to worry about bleach getting soaked up and Kinsey accidentally ingesting it!



 For more ideas of how to use vinegar check out this website!!

http://www.vinegartips.com/scripts/pageViewSec.asp?id=7

Kinsey's love and mine,

Brittany

Kinsey's First Day of School!

With the semester starting back and me taking a heavy load of 18 hours (ya I'm crazy), the hubby and I decided to enroll Kinsey into "school" 3 days a week. This was a very hard decision for me to make, but in the end I reminded myself that I am doing a good thing for her finishing my degree! Although I would love to stay home with her 24/7, I promised both my parents and Michael's parents that I would finish school. We spent a few days checking out the local day cares in the area and then I sat down and compared them all and prayed about it. Michael and I decided on the Xplor childcare down the street from our house. Friday February 11th was her trial day and it went pretty well.

 First day of school! :)

She was all smiles before we left the house!!

They made her this sign and it was hanging up when we walked into the toddlers room

Isn't this the saddest face!? :( (this is shortly after I left)

 Playing with her friends!

She found the books!!

Taking a nap, on her nap mat! (no crib!!)

A lot of these pictures her school sent me throughout the day and I was free to call in and check on her whenever I wanted. They were so welcoming and accommodating to her separation. I dropped her off this morning and she didn't even cry!! She just went right over to her teacher and her friends and jumped right into circle time. They said she was amazing today! You never would have been able to tell it was her second day. I am so thankful that God helped me and guided me while I made this decision. She loves going to school and it makes it much easier for me to finish up at UNT.

Kinsey's love and mine,

Brittany

Happy New Year!

I got a little lax on my blogging towards the end of the year. Kinsey is so mobile now, it's hard to keep up! Here is a little update on my sweet girl.

• She has a new found love for her Daddy! She only wants to be around him when he's home. He was just recently home for 10 days (Paid Vacation and sick) So she got pretty used to him being home. Today he left for work and she sat at the gate saying "dada" for at least a minute or two

• She is so close to walking it is insane!! Today alone I counted 3 times she took a step or two from the coffee table to the couch or to one of her push toys. It's coming soon I know it!

 

•  The girl loves to dance! Any song that comes on the radio or the TV she is shakin her booty to it.

• She had a blast at Christmas! Surprisingly she was really good at unwrapping presents! The good thing is we can still open boxes for days on end and it's like getting a new toy every day! 

•  She only has 2 teeth, but she's been working hard on some more. It's kept her up for some nights but she is slowly getting back into good sleeping (thank goodness).

• Her first Christmas had SNOW!! We were able to "play" in it for a little, until she sat in it and got her butt wet!

 Christmas Morning!

 Passed out after Christmas at Gama's house... driving to Nana and Papa's house

 Playing in the snow!

 

The death grip she has when he holds her now... there is no putting her down!

It is my hope to get some what caught up before her first birthday... that's in 17 days!! :( This time last year, I was a beached whale so miserable having contractions all the time!! So thankful for my precious little girl and all the joy and laughter (and tears) she brings!

Kinsey's love and mine,

Brittany

Our Second Tooth!

Kinsey Brynn officially has two teeth!! After what feels like forever, Kinsey's Second tooth has broken through!! She has gone back to sleeping 10-12 hours with the occasional nurse in the middle of the night (which is way better then getting up every 2 hours screaming like she was!) I have a feeling her top 2 are coming in soon because I can see the bulges on the top. 

If you look close you can see it! :)

Kinsey's love and mine,

Brittany

NO NO NO Santa

Today Michael and I took Kinsey to see Santa after eating lunch with Cousin Kenna. Let's just say she doesn't like him one bit! She cried so hard her body was shaking and her heart was racing. Michael ended up sitting with her and she still cried. At least we got her first picture with Santa. I can't wait until next year when she somewhat understands whats going on and who he is. 

 Standing by herself (she does this a lot now)

 Ready to see Santa!! (Standing on her walker... she does this a lot too)

 Eating lunch with Cousin Kenna, Aunt Ah, Mommy, and Daddy

Hating Santa. But that dress was PERFECT for today!! :)

Tomorrow we are going grocery shopping, to hobby lobby to finish birthday crafts, and hanging out because mommy has NO SCHOOL!! :)

Kinsey's love and mine,

Brittany

December days 4 & 5

We are getting another tooth (only our second) so these past couple days have been crazy! I say we because I feel like I am also getting the tooth with the advil, the waking up in the middle of the night, and the constant rocking/cuddling her. I am very excited because I can see the top of it, so hopefully we are done soon!! 

 Dec. 4

Dec. 5 

Hopefully I can snatch a picture of her new tooth!! 

Kinsey's love and mine,

Brittany

Third Day of December!!

Today it was 80 degrees outside... yes in December. I was nervous because most of her outfits for this month (she typically wears an outfit way more then once) are long sleeved! Then I came across this Mudpie jumper I bought from a mommy on Facebook! (Which is the best way to shop in my opinion). 

There was no taking out the Boppy this morning!

We decided to make some holiday crafts this evening after her afternoon nap. It was so much fun to craft with her! 

 The makings of a Menorah

 The beginning of her Christmas tree

 Lights and Ornaments added to the Menorah and Tree!! 

I am adding her name and the year and making more trees (hopefully) tomorrow!

Kinsey's love and mine,

Brittany

December Days 1 & 2

December is a magical time of year! I am so excited to share our month with you!! I aspired to do the 25 days of Christmas outfits in August because it's her first Christmas and both mine and Michael's family love this time of year! 

 December 1- Santa's Little Helper

 December 2- On Auntie's Nice List

Cheesin' in her Converse! :) 

This is going to be a great month! :)

Kinsey's love and mine,

Brittany

Kinsey's First Thanksgiving!

Last week was a crazy week in the Grayson household! I had the week off from school and had all of these things planned with my extra time, but little Miss Kinsey had other plans. She picked up a stomach bug over the weekend and I came home to her in the tub after a major blow out. She ended up running her first fever that night as well at 101.9. She gave me the virus so I was out of commission on Tuesday. We had our first Thanksgiving at our house and included both of our families. There was a total of 22 people and although it was crazy, it was such a great evening!

My sick girl

 Her first outfit on Turkey Day! Her daddy got it for her at the game he went to :)

Only picture I got of her in this outfit. It was too long and she had trouble crawling.

 Kinsey with her Gama and Nana

Kinsey with her favorite person, her Aunt Ah! She loves her almost as much as her mommy and daddy!

I am hoping to post her 10 month update tomorrow! Let's see if it happens.

Kinsey's love and mine,

Brittany