The Naylor Family

My "Big Guy"!

2011-03-22T22:53:00.001-04:00

I just love this kid! Can he get any cuter?? He is a man of many words these days but when he is done he is done...and will say bye! :)

Matthew- 15 months

2010-10-16T21:34:00.003-04:00

Finally!!! I got the video to work with sound! :)

Took this video last night after we got home from a friend's house. It was 10:00pm and WAAAY past the kids bedtimes. I was feeding Matthew 1 last snack before bed and he was cracking me up. This just shows a fraction of it but it shows some of his new words and some of his signing that he is really enjoying. It is great knowing what is going on that kid's mind.

All was going well until he saw his pacifier and said "Mama"...that means "I want something." Then he signed 'help' but it is so far off from the actual sign for help- it really makes us laugh! He is such a ham and really makes us smile!

Matthew's Man Cave

2010-10-08T19:05:00.002-04:00

I love this video! Matthew just figured out where he likes to hide...mainly just to poop...but I guess you could call it his Man Cave- a place to get away from it all!

Hopefully this will help me remember how small he really is. Someday when he is taller than me and bigger than me that will be hard to do. But for now he is my little boy...and still my baby!

Bird calling

2010-10-06T13:07:00.005-04:00

It is absolutely hilarious watching my son and daughter trying to call birds.

My parents came up 2 weekends ago to watch the kids while Mark and I went to Iowa for a football game. This was one of the many funny moments!

What is new...

2010-10-02T22:33:00.007-04:00

Not much....and I'm thrilled about that! :)

Of course with kids their is always something 'new' they are doing and saying. For instance Matthew is learning new things and saying new things almost daily. This week he has learned how to say 'cracker' and 'balloon'! He is still signing since he really enjoys that and big sister loves to teach him signs. He is quiet a cold/allergy mess right now but it really doesn't slow him down or keep him fromhaving fun!

Macy is 3 1/2 now and I think we are getting closer to that beautiful age of 4 where I hear their is less attitude and less power struggles! I SURE HOPE SO! The first 6 months of 3's have been very interesting. She has her sweet and precious moments though out the day but lots of power struggles. Lately though she has been such a helper and so loving to us all!!!

We had some wind damage in May and are FINALLY getting our new roof next weekend! So excited!! Also, Mark and I will be attempting some tile work in the spare bathroom in the next few moths so that should be nice and interesting! :) Still don't know why someone would put carpet in a bathroom!!! So between that and the 2 surgeries the kids have needed this year will totally through our budget off for the year but that is just life right? Just very grateful we have a healthy family that will be able to enjoy it! :)

Here are some recent pics and videos of the kids.

Matthew sporting his new car that I got at a garge sale for only $5!! One of my MANY great garage sale finds this year!
Macy picking out pumpkins at Jacob's Orchard.

Macy ready for fall.

How Matthew fell asleep tonight. So precious! I just want to bottle his sweetness up so I can remember these precious days with my baby boy!!! They go by WAY to fast!

Macy

2010-09-01T23:10:00.002-04:00

It seems like most of my latest blog posts are videos about my kidos so I thought I would take a second to record some funny moments in Macy's life in the last few months.

* Most funny saying EVER: "I'm wearing pink because I'm a princes pink kind of girl!" Where did that come from?

* Coming into bed the other night saying " It was kinda raining a little bit....so I just came into bed with you". We tell her to only get into our bed if she is scared and the rain scares her...so she thought she could pull one on us at 3am. And she DID! It wasn't raining outside!

* She calls her little brother and anyone else she is mothering (aka smothering) sweetie

* Loves to watch princess movies and play dress up (Fancy Nancy parties)

* Always has a baby of hers sleeping and won't let me talk very loud b/c it might 'wake the baby'!

* Cooks me lunch in her play kitchen consisting of hot dogs and potato chips- daily

*LOVES her little brother, playing outside, watering flowers, and Popsicles

*Refuses to acknowledge that her Nana and Papa's dogs have died and keeps telling me that when they are done being dead they are coming back to their house. :(

* Can't get over that her Uncle Jason is in college and isn't living with her Papa and Nana anymore...again :(

*Wants a cat SO BAD that she already has its name picked out and colors that she wants it in. And says that when Katie isn't around anymore (our dog) she can have a cat...not sure about that one! Ha!

* Absolutely LOVES her daddy right now. She will do anything for her dad. So precious!!!

I keep thinking, "Oh, I won't forget this stuff" but of course I do....so I'm hoping to make this more of a tradition. To record my kidos cute sayings or funny things they do. Because let's be honest -I will forget some of the 'little' things that take up the 'big' part of my life, and honestly that makes me a little sad. I love the age of my kidos right now and even though it is TONS of work I just wish I could freeze frame this moment in life and be in in forever!

Fancy Nancy dinner at our house

2010-08-26T15:09:00.006-04:00

Last night was our first family dinner since July 24th (yes I've been counting the days)....so we decided we would make it special for Mark...and I'm pretty sure we surprised him!

We had a Fancy Nancy themed dinner. Fancy Nancy is a great children's book series that we have fallen in love with at the library. Macy received one of her books for her birthday and has loved them ever since. Nancy is a girl who loves, loves, loves to be fancy and loves to use big words to show off her fanciness (or gaudiness)! We had tons of fun dressing up with high heels, jewelry, dresses, tu tu's, and makeup (us girls anyway).

Here are some pictures...and yes we even let Macy drink out of a fancy cup. She loved it too.

After our fancy dinner we had parfaits (which Nancy makes quiet frequently) and I'm pretty sure that was Matthew's favorite part. Just watch this video..."Want a bite".

Walking around and more

2010-08-14T10:17:00.002-04:00

Matthew has this walking thing down! He is all over the house and is just loving his freedom to go where ever he wants. It is wearing me out but it is so exciting to watch his face when he figures out something new.

We went to football practice on Thursday night and I realized that I won't be sitting in the stands at all this year. All he wanted to do was go up and down on the stairs. Looks like we might be sitting on the grass hill this year....I mean walking in the grass hill....we don't sit anywhere these days! :) He loved the football field though...and of course as soon as he saw Mark he wouldn't let him put him down. Not sure who had more fun- Mark or Matthew- walking around the field after practice.

New words for Matthew are ball, Daddy and Papaw. He is working on saying lots of letter sounds so I know new words will be coming soon. He is constantly 'jabbering' using the same inflection and pausing that we do when talking...we have no clue what he is saying but I guess he does! He looks us straight in the eye (and if we aren't looking at him he turns our heads toward him) and jabbers away.

Seems like forever ago that Macy was doing this stuff- I just love this stage!

I'm falling down!

2010-07-15T15:10:00.002-04:00

What we do around here for fun! This at least helped me procrastinate from putting the laundry away!

Matthew using his 'walker'

2010-06-17T13:06:00.002-04:00

We are getting closer to having a walking baby boy!!! Hard to believe I only have 1 more week until my baby turns 1! I was a little emotional when Macy turned 1 but I think it will be harder with Matthew. Good thing I have a party to plan to distract myself!

My new favorite website

2010-06-14T21:24:00.002-04:00

http://www.crafthope.com/

So I feel like most of my posts have been about my kids....and that is a good thing I guess but I also feel like I'm sort of merging out of the 'baby fog' and feeling like I can again claim a small portion of my week (or part of my day) to do something fun- just for me!!!

Some of my friends and I get together on Wednesday nights to catch up with out kids (we meet at 8:30 pm after bedtimes and leave the kids home with our hubbys). Most of us bring some sort of craft (which is usually for our kids), or baby book (again for our kids), or some other random thing we are working on. We really get a lot accomplished, have great food, sometimes a little wine, and great laughs!!! I usually get home before 11 but have been out past midnight a few times! It is just a great time and well worth the lost sleep.

Well, my friend Erin (who I just adore and is super crafty) found this site and has helped start a 'working bee' group in her home. Once a month (on our Wednesday night craft night) we work on the current project. This month we are cutting up old cotton sheets/t-shirts/clothing/etc. to make rags to send to FL to be used on animals affected by the oil spill. Such a great idea! Last month we made bean bags to be used by childen in Africa to learn English in their portable schools. We got the sweetest thank you note from the head of that charity- it literally brought tears to my eyes.

I love being a part of something that is beyond just me and my family...especially when it can be used to make a child smile or an animal breathand really enjoy the laughs it brings.

"So Big!" and more

2010-05-26T14:12:00.002-04:00

It's been a busy week so far. Monday Matthew got his ear tubes put in (post to come later in the week with pictures). Yesterday he finally figured out "So big!" and I can honestly say that since Monday he is babbling so much more. Maybe everyone was right when they said we will notice an immediate 'difference' from the tubes! :)

Matthew's latest accomplishments- "So big!", clapping, and working on 4 new teeth (2 of which are now in). Still working on getting a good picture or video of the teeth.

New things

2010-05-21T14:18:00.002-04:00

I feel like my little man is doing new things every day....I guess that probably means he really is! So far this week he has learned to wave 'bye-bye', knows when he has done something good and will clap for himself, make a tractor sound, and say 'Katie' (our dog's name)!! All in 1 week! Oh and I'm not just saying he can say Katie b/c it kinda sounds like it....no, he really says it....and he pronounces it exactly like he should. Man, he loves that dog...her cage....her food...her water....and her leash. I just wish she liked him that much in return....someday! LOL!

Macy's favorite song

2010-05-08T11:27:00.002-04:00

Macy loves to sing her latest favorite song from church. She came home singing it and I found a clip online. Click Here to listen to what she is singing.

Playing with the kids

2010-05-08T11:14:00.002-04:00

Don't know what was so funny about this but we all couldn't stop laughing.

Caged

2010-05-08T11:05:00.002-04:00

My little man loves to sit and play in the dog cage. Although it is tempting we have never locked him in! :) Katie tolerates a lot but welcoming a kid into her cage is ranked right up there at the top of her list of things she can't stand. She really is a good dog!

The Big Guy

2010-04-18T23:12:00.000-04:00

Seriously don't know where the time has gone but my little 'big guy' is almost 10 months old! He is just changing every day. Saturday was our Spring football game so I took the kids to go out and support their daddy and the entire BSU team. The weather was great and we all really enjoyed it. Matthew learned how to clap which was pretty great too! We have been working on it for a while now so it was great to see it finally 'click'.....and at a football game at that! :) So I'm also hoping the baby signs I've been teaching will begin to show themselves too.

It also seems that with crawling Matthew feels more like a true 'big guy'! He is crawling all around the house and knows he can get into everything whenever he wants. The latest is the dog food (so we switched to a smaller size piece of food- sorry Katie!) and my kitchen cabinets. Anyone who has ever had a baby/toddler before knows the 'fun' in playing with pots and pans. I know I can get safety locks on them but he isn't doing any harm and it makes me keep my kitchen floors so much cleaner too! Lately I can't get him to even eat baby food- just food from our plate....and still no teeth!! I don't know how he does it! Even though it is a little sad for me he is now taking a bottle much better these days. It has given me much more freedom too! Letting go has to start somewhere....:(

I just feel so blessed to have my happy and healthy kids!

Sometimes it's the simple things...

2010-04-06T14:56:00.000-04:00

Grandpa Naylor sent a cute and entertaining birthday card. It is providing hours of entertainment! :)

The tonsils are out!

2010-03-27T21:08:00.000-04:00

Well, we have made it through day 4 after having Macy's tonsils out on Wednesday. I'm so glad it is over- I think we all are.

I had never heard of anyone needing their tonsils out for any reason other than strep throat. Macy never once had strep (that we know of anyway) but had such large tonsils (and later we found out her adenoids were huge as well) that it was causing her airway to become blocked when she would sleep at night. We have been noticing her snoring over the past 4 months or so and noticed she drooled a lot at night. But until a few months ago when I noticed her tonsils were HUGE I never thought of the the two being related. Of course I was thinking she had some sort of rare infection that was going to be way more serious than a tonsillectomy (I think that is a mom thing!). So I was relieved that the pediatrician and the ENT thought that they needed to just come out.

That was over a month ago and it just took a few weeks to schedule the surgery. I honestly can't find one negative thing to say about the entire process. Although, it was a horrible feeling having someone carry your baby girl down a hallway when she was screaming "I want my mommy!" but I kept telling myself that I was doing this for the best. It helped fight the tears off a little. After she was out of surgery I got a call in the waiting room saying she wanted her mommy. That was the best feeling to hear those words and that I got to go into the recovery room -which they rarely allow family in! They even let Mark come in a little later. I got to hold her in a rocking chair while the nurses monitored her and I tried to just keep her calm and from crying. We spent the day trying to get her to drink/eat and to go potty. She ate lots of ice cream and even ate some pizza! Who would have thought pizza! But that is what she wanted and the Dr didn't give her any limitations. Thankfully we got to come home by 8pm and she was running around the house that evening playing with all her new toys and balloons.

The hardest day was yesterday- day 3 after surgery. We were told this would be a tough day and we were prepared to just watch movies and hold and cuddle Macy all day. And that is what we did....and it was nice. :) I think we both enjoyed it!

Here are a few pictures of Macy in the hospital and a few taken today. What a difference!!

Matthew army crawling

2010-03-20T13:03:00.000-04:00

Wild Man Matthew

2010-03-15T22:39:00.000-04:00

I knew from the moment that I first felt Matthew move in my belly that he was going to love to move around!!! He never stopped when I was pregnant so this doesn't surprise me one bit! I'm getting my rest now b/c I know once he starts crawling and walking I'm not going to get any down time. :) What a great kid!

A new game around our house

2010-03-01T15:49:00.000-05:00

This was hysterical the first few times....now it is well....let's just say I'm just grateful for happy and healthy kids- with good lungs!!!

Latest pictures

2010-02-20T15:17:00.000-05:00

Macy and I next to our baby snowman!

Both kids enjoying the Johnny Jumper.

What happens when Mommy feeds Matthew without a bib- what was she thinking!

Matthew pulling up on toys!

Macy and her boa she got for Valentine's Day.

My happy baby boy!!

What happens on long snowy days while baby brother naps- mom looses

her mind and brings the snow inside!

Macy showing off her V-Day outfit.

The latest on my two kids

2010-02-20T14:57:00.000-05:00

So far this year I'm not doing as good of a job as I had hoped on

updating our friends and family on our family...

My goal is to get better at this for two reasons- so that in between visits home to see family everyone can see what is going on with our kids (and us too I guess!) and to keep a journal of cute and funny moments in our life. As much as I think I will remember all of the funny things Macy says or the cute things Matthew is now doing...reality is that I won't! How do I know this? Because I can barely remember what I ate for breakfast and couldn't tell ya the last movie I watched. *Sigh* I CAN however tell you the last time my kids pooped (and describe it in detail), what THEY ate for lunch yesterday, how much they currently weigh and the latest milestones they have achieved....sorry probably too much information...but that is where I'm at in life! :)

So latest milestones for Macy:

* We are 100% done with potty training!!!! Never thought I would ever get to say that but the big 'poop in the potty' moment happened about a month ago- I've never felt more proud! Ha!!
* Macy LOVES to ask questions and they are getting more detailed like "Mom, do we have any milk or do we need to go to the store and buy some?" or "Is Annie and Liam coming over on Friday or on Tuesday (she has no clue what days of the week are but she at least has the words figured out!)
* We have started a sticker reward chart giving her stickers for doing certain daily things - brush teeth, make bed (her choosing not mine), getting dressed ("All by myself"), sharing toys with her brother or friends, picking up, etc. This has really worked with her attitude on doing certain things. It is amazing what stickers can do. Mark wants to continue doing this until she is 18....but I really doubt bribing with stickers is going to keep her from staying out late with friends...maybe! :)
*We are reading LOTS of books and she is acting more like a big kid every day. When people say "kids grow up fast" man....they really mean it. She is just so sweet and so caring- and a great big sister.
*Macy will be 3 in almost a month- hard to imagine but she is! So we are working on a birthday party idea too.

The latest with Matthew:

*Matthew is almost 8 months old - and is finally ear infection free (for now anyway)!! He had an ear infection (right, then both, then left, then both) for almost 2 months. During that time I had some of the hardest 'Mommy moments' I've ever had. I really don't know how families with very, very sick kids can go through Dr appointments and medicine like that for months. Thank God we are done with all of that. Praying that they don't return or we could be looking at tubes. :( It has been so nice having a 'happy and healthy' Matthew to love and enjoy playing with!
* Pulling up on almost anything has become one of his greatest daily accomplishments. He looks so proud of himself. It is scaring me to death because I know crawling and walking are not too far away- yikes!
* We all have been getting so much sleep lately which has been great! Matthew is sleeping 11-13 hours at night only waking once to eat around midnight. It has been so nice for both of us. Although I do miss the little guy by morning and I'm itching to hug him when he wakes up. He really enjoys playing in his bed when he wakes up so that has been fun to listen and watch him do too. Such a great kid!

That's about all for now. Will try and post some pictures later...but must go check on my sleeping kids.

And one more

2010-01-21T17:39:00.001-05:00

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/carrot_banana_muffins.html

These muffins make a great breakfast for just about anyone. I even subt. the banana with some applesauce and flax meal for the eggs!

Unique combinations, but so YUMMY!

2010-01-21T17:26:00.000-05:00

Here are some links to some new favorite recipes that we have enjoyed over the last month.

Don't judge too quickly...just try it!! I used pureed pumpkin leftover from last fall and it was just so yummy! Your kids will think so too!
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/sweet_potato_peanut_bisque.html

A New Year

2010-01-11T12:44:00.000-05:00

So we are now 11 days into 2010 and for some reason (like most beginnings) I have this renewed and refreshed view on just about everything - motherhood, life, church, relationships, etc. Maybe it's the beautiful snow outside or the beginning of a new year, or it might just be because my sick baby is feeling some what better and I'm getting more sleep- Who knows?! Either way it's been a good year so far.

View of our backyard after our big snow.

For Christmas and New Year's we went to Texas to spend time with Mark's family. We had a wonderful time visiting with everyone and seeing our old friends. We drove...yes...drove to Dallas which meant a long time in the car for both of the kids and us. For some reason I was dreading the drive (well, to be honest, for two reasons...a 6 month old and a 2 1/2 yr old who were just starting antibiotics b/c of sinus and ear infections) but once we were in the car it really went by fast...and we had a GREAT time! I guess you really can make the driving hours part of the fun. Another perk (besides saving tons of money on airfare) is that we got to spend some time with my side of the family in Missouri and stop and see some friends of ours in the Tulsa area. Plus with my brother's wedding after New Year's Day it just seemed like the easiest route.

Pictures of the kids opening toys.

Macy really got into Christmas this year- I think she opened up each and every present that was given to our family. It was so much fun seeing her eyes light up when we talked about Santa, leaving him cookies, and a carrot for the reindeer. Even more fun when she would open each present and look at if as if it was the best gift ever! Probably one of the sweetest things she did this year was wanting to take baby Jesus with her to bed each night. She got a Little People nativity scene and she just loved that baby Jesus in a 'hay box'. How could this mom tell her no? So baby Jesus spent most nights in her room right next to her in bed. Aww! Macy was also in Brian and Sarah's wedding. It was beautiful and Macy did a great job being a flower girl. It was her second time around and she did pretty good considering she was low on sleep and high on sugar!

Walking down the isle.

Matthew is now 6 months old. Poor kid has a double ear infection now and has had one since before we left for Christmas break. I sure hope this isn't a sign of what is to come this winter. I'm just not very good at diagnosing him and his ear infections. He is still a happy kid even when sick. Sleeps less...but is still a happy kid. We did celebrate his 1/2 birthday (just this time :0) when we got back with 1/2 of a cake. Something we did with Macy....can you see their resemblance? Too funny!

Matthew (top) and Macy (bottom) each at 6 months.

Mark starts in with Spring training next week- and the long hours and stressful days will be here until Spring Break. My how we live for breaks!!! He enjoys it and absolutely loves his job-- so it is all worth it. It's been great having him home these past few weeks. I think Macy and Matthew have really enjoyed their daddy home too. Who wouldn't? He is a great dad!

That's about all that is going on here. Hopefully now with the holidays behind us and the new year upon us I will be able to post more often. HOPEFULLY!! :)

Goodbye Halloween...Hello Baby Food!

2009-11-04T21:32:00.001-05:00

Through out the month of October we accumulated 4 pumpkins through field trips, Sunday school and Halloween parties. I told myself when we got them that this year we weren't going to let them rot on the front porch until Christmas like we usually do. Nope! This year I (Well, I had my little helper too) actually turned them into something useful- Pumpkin puree! I love to cook with pumpkin and since it is in the squash family I know Matthew will be able to eat it soon too.

Why eat Pumpkin? Here is what I found...

"The bright orange color of pumpkin is a dead giveaway that pumpkin is loaded with an important antioxidant, beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is one of the plant carotenoids converted to vitamin A in the body. In the conversion to vitamin A, beta carotene performs many important functions in overall health. Current research indicates that a diet rich in foods containing beta-carotene may reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancer and offers protect against heart disease. Beta-carotene offers protection against other diseases as well as some degenerative aspects of aging. " Gotta love the last part! :)

"First and foremost, the main healthful qualities of pumpkin nutrition are the large amounts of antioxidants and beta-carotene present within the pumpkin. Antioxidants, as most of us know by know due to increased awareness of the importance of healthy living, help strengthen our immune system. (With all this flu stuff going around this is a major reason why the entire family should enjoy pumpkin!) Beta-carotene converts to Vitamin A and helps reduce the risk of cancer and other dangerous diseases.Pumpkins by themselves are also very low in fat and calories, and high in potassium. They also possess a fair amount of Vitamin C and other nutrients, such as Niacin, Vitamin E, Calcium and Iron."

Why make baby food?

I really enjoyed making Macy's food- it was so simple, cheap, and I guess I figured it was healthier since it was fresh and no preservatives are used. It made me feel good anyway. Plus every time Macy would eat the store bought kind (if she would eat it) she would have major stomach issues (or lack of...IF you know what I mean) for days. So that is why we did it! I was even working full time then and found that it only took a few hours a month to make it. My daughter to this day will still choose to eat a banana,broccoli or apple over anything else. So very worth the time.

How to make baby food....

First check to find out when your baby can eat which foods. Their are some foods you should not try and make at home too. Plus each food is different and has different methods of cooking/pureeing and storage life. I will post more as I'm going through this journey again, but I thought I would start out today with pumpkin and how we made it.

Simple and easy steps to making pumpkin puree:

1. Cook the pumpkin (Wash before cooking) Remove stem, cut in half, use spoon to take out all seeds and other stuff, then put upside down on cookie sheet and cook in oven for 1 1/2 hours at 35o. I placed some water in the bottom of the sheet with foil on top to make a steam tent for the pumpkins.

2. Peel off skin of pumpkin and toss. Then puree the pumpkin with blender (No need to add water b/c pumpkins are full of it anyway)

3. Place in ice cube container and freeze for a 2-3 hours or until firm.

4. Pop out of container and place in ziplock bag (will keep for up to 6 months)

I had lots of extra puree so I measured it out and placed in ziplock bags in 1-2 cup servings for other recipes.

What to do with the puree...

One of the best things we have tried is peanut butter pumpkin spread (Thank you Erica for the idea!!!) It is great! Just mix the 1 Tbs Peanut Butter with 2 Tbs Pumpkin and you can add a dash of pumpkin pie spice if you want. It is awesome on toast or even as a snack with apples or graham crackers- Macy LOVES it!! You can't even taste the pumpkin and it is super creamy and smooth.

Here are a few links to some other great sites: http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Pumpkin-Recipes/Detail.aspx

http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/pumpkin-babyfood-recipes.htm

http://www.eatingwell.com/ - By far my most FAVORITE website of all time. Just search by pumpkin and get tons of great recipes that are healthy too!

Hope you can enjoy your pumpkins more than just on your doorstep this year!

Where has this month gone?

2009-10-29T20:08:00.000-04:00

So I just realized that this month is almost over and I've only posted 2 other entries. To be honest I started this with the intentions of updating my family on the kidos. Well, since both sets of grandparents have made visits this month I guess their was less 'updating' to be done. I still send about 50 pictures/week to them but just less journaling.

I'm not sure what has kept me away from the computer...never mind....I totally know what has kept me from the computer! MY KIDS!!! And I mean that in a wonderful way. We have had a great month- very busy with activities, walks, playtime and even making some crafts.

During a recent MOPS meeting our leader talked about purposely enjoying every minute of our life right now....b/c let's be honest sometimes it is really, really hard to do that. But I found that if I purposly just try and enjoy every minute of even the most stressful of days I ALWAYS find something that I try to imprint on my mind forever. I know someday my kids will go to school and leave me for several hours in a day and eventually go off to school and leave for several days (even weeks) at at time...and I'm okay with that...but these few years are all I'm going to have with JUST me. And I guess selfishly I'm trying to make the best of every minute of it. Then again, I don't know if it is the hormones (I can still use that for a few more months right? :>) or the sad death of a friend of mine's little nephew who died from complications from the flu. (He was perfectly healthy one day and then a few days later a mom had to say good bye to her little boy forever. Something that no mom should ever have to do.) But it has really got me thinking...you just never know what each day is going to bring...good or bad. So I guess you could say I've been busy trying to purposely enjoy each day- a very easy thing to do with 2 little ones around always making me smile!

Now I encourage you to purposely try and enjoy each day...no matter what stage in life you are in. It is amazing at what you will see!

Rollin, Rollin, Rollin

2009-10-08T20:15:00.000-04:00

Check this out! Our baby Matthew is mobile!!!

Healthy and Yummy Breakfast for the family

2009-10-08T16:44:00.000-04:00

Mornings can be so crazy! No matter your kids ages, and who stays home or who goes out the door...everyone needs a healthy breakfast. Try these muffins!!! They are great--I added about 1/2 tsp of baking soda for an extra fluff. Macy even ate 3 of them at a time!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Roxies-Bran-Muffins/Detail.aspx?src=etaf

Splashing in the puddles

2009-09-28T07:44:00.001-04:00

By the looks of this you would think it was Spring! What kid doesn't like to splash in the puddles?? MINE! :)

Macy really got into it the other day but apparently she didn't want to get dirty the day I took this video- it is still cute though!

The latest on our little family

2009-09-25T21:49:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow is game 4 of our 12 week football season. So far we have yet to bring home a win but we are having a great end of summer/ beginning of fall around the Naylor house.

My babies are just growing!!! Matthew is 13 weeks now and over 15lbs! He is wearing 6-9 month clothing and is just huge! I just love that little man and his chubby thighs!! Macy wasn't this size until she was almost 6 months old. I have a feeling he is going to pass her up before his first birthday (she is only 27lbs at 2 1/2)!!!

The days just seem to fly by! I really don't know what happens to them. We seem to have such a busy schedule with MOPS, Mommy and Me, and play groups that I can't believe it is almost October already! Wow! We really do have a great group of moms and their children to spend some of our days with- I feel really blessed to belong to such great groups!

Here are a few pictures from the last few weeks. Will have more pics soon because we have some special outings planned with our little friends!

Macy in an airplane at the Muncie airport with Mommy and Me.

Baby Matthew-he is just so fragile looking don't you think?

Macy drawing on her new easel- if you would like a painting just let me know. She loves to paint half dressed as you can see!

Macy was in a friend's wedding last weekend- she was a beautiful flower girl!

My two guys!

This is by far one of my most favorite pictures taken so far of these two!

Cracks me up each time I see it!

Getting your vitamins

2009-09-25T21:22:00.000-04:00

We all know we need to eat vegtables and up until a few days ago I felt that I was doing a good job at eating them and getting them in my family. However, now it seems that getting vegtables down my 2 yr old and hubby seems to be getting harder. I don't know what the change is and instead of bribing them into eating them (Macy not Mark :>) I just hide them!

So I'm not as scared about this swine flu but still doesn't hurt to take some precautions. I'm trying to beef up the amount of healthy things in our diet starting with fruits and veggies- the first is cauliflower- packed with tons of Vitamin C.

I bought some cauliflower the other day- but once I got it home I couldn't come up with something to make that I thought they would eat and would be healthy. Thought about smothering them with cheese but that would just make it harder to fit back into my pre pregnancy pants!!

I remembered a recipe that I had made when I was doing the low carb thing for a wedding I was in a few years ago. Cauliflower mashed potatoes! Talk about a hit! I added a few herbs from my 'herb garden' in my window and a little butter. They were great!

However by the next day I was tired of them as 'mashed potatoes'....they were now leftovers and doomed to stay in the refrigerator until something started growing on them and I had to toss them. Then another brainy idea....Shepard's Pie.

Side note: We would have Shepard's Pie all the time in our college cafeteria but I never tried it. Those of you that know me know that I never like my food to touch (neither did my husband- aren't we a perfect match!) so I never ate it. I don't know if it was the fact that I see my daughter's food all thrown together by the time meal time is over or the fact that I had everything in the refrigerator right there and I knew I could have a homemade meal in 15 minutes??? Who knows?

So here is what I did....

Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes
Steam a head of cauliflower (cut up in pieces) and then put in blender. Add herbs, salt and pepper and a few tablespoons of milk (or water). I then added a small amount of butter. They will look and taste like the real thing! Promise!

Shepard's Pie
Brown hamburger meat (use lean meat or even turkey), add corn and peas (I actually had both of these as leftovers already in the refrigerator so check there first) either from canned or frozen and place in a baking pan. Season with salt and pepper, garlic salt, or I even used a seasoning salt that I used on chicken or steak. Spread your 'mashed potatoes' on top of the beef/veggie mixture and then put some cheese on top. Bake at 350 for 20 min. Super Yummy, healthy, and great for a nice fall day! The family loved them too!

I strongly believe that every fruit and vegetable has its purpose on this earth and that the more variety you have in your diet the better. Still not sure why I even bought cauliflower but I think sometimes your body just craves certain foods b/c they need something from them! Very glad I bought it b/c it opened my eyes to trying new and creative things.

The faith of a child

2009-09-09T13:28:00.001-04:00

On our way home from Bible Study today Macy asked me..."Mom, where is Jesus?"

Humm...how am I going to answer this one? Where is her daddy...he always comes up with something quick and clever when she asks this sort of stuff.

So I said "He is in heaven"...it was really quiet back there...so then I added...."Waay up in the sky".

That seemed to help for a moment but then she asked as she was looking out the window "But I don't seem him...where is him (still working on grammar here)...where is Jesus Mommy?"

I should have gone into all the ways Jesus is around us...like how he made the flowers and the sun and the clouds and how he made us...but I wasn't thinking at the time and I wasn't sure if that would confuse her or not. So I just said it again..."He is up there....really high in the sky...really he is!"

And that was it....she didn't ask any more questions about Jesus. Sometimes I wish I had that precious faith of a child...so innocent and sweet and trusting.

Some day she will be like me- all grown up and have experienced just enough of life to question certain things. But I hope that she will be strong enough in her faith that she will again be able to just accept things and trust that Jesus is always there (even when you can't see Him).

Maybe it will take her daughter to remind her of that too!

My Weekly Must Do's

2009-09-09T12:59:00.000-04:00

I really love to cook...or I used to before I had children. Not that I still don't love to try new recipies or cook a great meal- don't get me wrong. The thing that I don't like now that I have two little ones is that I never have enough time to either 1) shop for the items to cook a detailed menu or 2) stay in the kitchen longer than 15 min!!! You moms know this! I'm always getting interrupted by someone needing something- food, drink, fed, changed, answer the phone, etc. Not that I'm complaining....it is just where I'm at in life...and I know I'm not alone.

I've noticed that when I'm hungry I really don't care what it is...I will eat it. If it is easy and quick I will eat it. Not always good or healthy but that is the truth of it. Now that I'm back to my healthy eating ways (no more pregnancy hormones to blame for junk) I have incorporated a few things on my shopping list that I always, always get and a few things that I always, always make on Sunday (sometimes Monday) nights.

For starters...I always buy fresh carrots (already washed and cut up - either the baby carrots or the sliced carrot chips) and brocolli heads. Then once a week I steam the entire back of carrots and at least 2-3 heads of brocolli (we love it). Once it is done I add a little olive oil and some seasoning salt for flavor and put them into bowls and shake until covered. There! Vegtables for a week!!!

Second thing I do is buy fresh fruit- mainly grapes, apples, bananas, nectarines, strawberries, and blueberries. Usually 2-3 of these for variety and whatever is on sale is what I usually buy. Then once a week I cut them up, chop off the stems, get out the seeds, take off the vine, etc. That way they are immediately ready to eat. Sometimes it is fun to throw them all in a container for a fruit salad. This way at each meal all I have to do is take out my container of fruit (along with my veggies) and serve!

So that takes care of the fruits and veggies for my family. Next, I usually make 12-18 hard boiled eggs. I peel them, rise, and throw into a plastic tub in the frige. I love eggs for a quick breakfast (with some w. wheat toast) cut and warmed up with a little bit of salt and pepper. Great way to sneak in a fast breakfast with lots of protein. Or my new favorite summer thing (and Mark's favorite snack at work) is egg salad. I made it by cutting up several eggs and tossing in a few tablespoons of mayo (I use the kind made from olive oil) and a dash of salt. Again, tons of protien and you can make several days of it and have it ready in the frige for a quick meal or snack.

My favorite is to put egg salad in a whole wheat pita with some spinach and a sliced pickle. It is sooo easy and incredibly yummy and healthy. You can also make up chicken salad or just use leftovers from the night before (chicken, roast, steak, even hamberger) and put it on a pita with some spinach (a little ranch or salad dressing won't hurt). All very easy and healthy ways to reuse leftovers.

One more thing...I always keep a bag of ground flax seed in the frige. So if I make pancakes, pizza dough, home made chickn cord on blue, chicken parmesan (did I mention I have great friends who give me lots of yummy recipies?? :>) or anything that requires bread crumbs or dough I always throw some in. That at least adds something good into a meal that could not be so great for you. Of course when I make these I always substitute applesauce when it calls for oil and olive oil when it calls for butter or oil and the low fat cheese isn't that bad either. Plus our favorite pizza is cheese and green peppers...it is a veggie too you know! :)

So if you haven't noticed I don't mind leftovers...I used to hate them as a kid (don't we all) but now if I don't have to cook a meal and I can get a healthy quick meal on the table- I'm all about it! Maybe some day I will wake up and realize what I'm eating and think 'gross'...sure it was quick and healthy but what were you thinking!!! But I doubt it b/c to me if it is quick and easy I just don't care...and to be healthy makes it even better!

Matthew Talking

2009-09-02T15:24:00.000-04:00

This was the day Matthew got his shots- and he was still as happy as can be! What a great kid!

A Smile

2009-08-29T13:02:00.000-04:00

Finally caught on camera...a smile from Mr. Matthew!!!

Something new

2009-08-26T16:06:00.000-04:00

When I first started this blog it was to help me share pictures, videos and memories of my kidos with family and friends. None of that is changing but I am also going to start sharing something new.

Now 2 months after having Matthew I am still stuck with some extra (normal but still unwanted) baby weight. I know it will come off in time but it wasn't super easy with Macy and so far seems to be much harder with Matthew (2 years closer to 30 so I'm guessing something with my wonderful metabolism...great...). Anyway I really do enjoy eating healthy, not only because I (well, really WE...married to a strength coach really helps too) believe that it also instills healthy eating habits in our kids and helps us stay healthy and happy. I know with exercising and eating right it will come off...just not over night. Sometimes I think we all know what to eat and the things that are good for us and the things we should avoid...but I am one of those people who if I start studying nutrition and seriously thinking about what I'm fueling my body with I don't even want the unhealthy stuff.

Don't get me wrong I am not saying that I don't love my body b/c after having kids what woman can't say that their body is a miraculous thing! It is just I don't like not fitting into my clothes...and I'm too cheap to go out and buy a new wardrobe! So for now, until I can loose this extra 20lbs I'm just squeezing into whatever I can and using the wonderful Belly Band that I had with I first got pregnant with Macy! Gotta love that thing!

So in addition to updates on the kids I thought I would start sharing some yummy and healthy recipes as well as some interesting nutrition tips that I find along the way.

To start off here are two great recipes that I've found.

The first is for Mac n Cheese with yellow squash in it. I copied it off another website and that link is: http://www.oprah.com/recipe/food/recipespasta/pkgjessicaseinfeldsdeceptivelydelicious. It is WONDERFUL...and if you make it with low fat cheese and whole grain pasta it is a great meal all in one! Super easy! I have even heard of making the sauce ahead of time and freezing it so all you have to do when you want it is thaw and make the pasta. Macy really loves this too!

The second is for hummus...I know what your thinking...hummus??? YES hummus!! I copied this from another blog:

http://lichtyfamilyblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/recipe-for-cilantro-lime-hummus.html

It is great with wheat thins as an appetizer or served on whole wheat tortillas as a meal! It is low fat and packed with tons of protein and super easy to make in a hurry heading out the door! We have even taken it for lunch to the park b/c it doesn't need refrigeration and is a great alternative to PB and Jelly sandwiches. I can't wait for Matthew's belly to develop a little more b/c last time I tried this it didn't agree with him.

I think Sally Fields says it best in her Osteoporosis TV ad...she says something like "We are only given this one body and I'm going to take care of it the best I can." Great words to remember!

So there it is...hopefully the first of many postings on healthy living!

Old McPapaw had a farm...

2009-08-20T14:16:00.000-04:00

Spaghetti with a twist

2009-08-20T13:08:00.000-04:00

When Matthew was born we were so blessed by friends from our play group, MOPS, and from church with about 3 weeks worth of food---It was so nice to not have to worry about cooking or shopping for food (or cleaning up for that matter)!

One of our favorites was a baked spaghetti that a neighbor and friend from church made. She posted the recipe on our MOPS blog so I thought I would share it too. I made it this week for Macy and I to eat on for the next several days (it is amazing how little of food we go through when Mark isn't eating here)! You can use canned sauce but I actually found a recipe of allrecipes.com for homemade tomato sauce and since I had about 20 tomatoes from our garden I thought I would give it a try. It was so tasty and worth the 4 hours of cooking time. The smell of it even woke Macy up from her nap...she asked "Mommy, what are you cooking? It smells GOOOOD!!!" So cute!

My friend, Lori, said that you can make these up ahead of time and freeze them and they turn out great. I made extra sauce and froze it so next time all I have to do is cook the noodles and combine the stuff. Also, if you use whole wheat pasta, lean beef or turkey and low fat cottage cheese it is a pretty healthy dinner. I also make my sauce with diced up carrots and celery so it even had veggies - super easy way to sneak them into husbands and kids! ha!

ENJOY!

Spaghetti Pie

16 oz spaghetti, cooked al dente
1/4 c margarine
1 egg slightly beaten
1/2-3/4 c parmesan cheese
16 oz cottage cheese
1/2 pound ground beef, browned with 1/2 onion and drained
1 jar spaghetti sauce
Shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook spaghetti and drain, melt in the margarine, add egg and parmesan cheese and mix well. Press this mixture into a greased, 9x13 pan. Spoon cottage cheese over top evenly. Crumble ground beef over top. Season with salt and pepper. Spread sauce over evenly. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes until center is hot. Remove foil, top with mozzarella cheese and return to oven until melted.

Variations: For a vegetarian dish, omit gr beef and add a layer of spinach (be sure to squeeze out as much water as possible) thinly sliced zucchini are good and so are black olives.

If you have a small family, make two 8x8 casseroles and freeze one. Be sure to put saran wrap over the pie before the aluminum foil or the sauce will eat the foil. Allow a frozen pie to sit in the fridge overnight to thaw and it might take a few more minutes to bake.

My other baby

2009-08-17T09:56:00.000-04:00

Not sure if Macy is having second thoughts about this big sister thing or not.

She did tell me last week that it was time for Matthew to go back in mommy's belly! I told her that he was to big to go in my belly and he has to stay out and play with us! I guess she thought that was alright b/c she hasn't said anything since then. She sure likes to love on him and play with his toys!

Matthew kicking and moving

2009-08-17T09:23:00.000-04:00

Feeding the Ducks

2009-08-15T16:06:00.000-04:00

Today we went to BSU's pond to have a picnic and feed the ducks.

Matthew - 6 weeks old

2009-08-07T13:38:00.000-04:00

Family Pictures

2009-08-03T18:19:00.000-04:00

We had our friend Jeanell take these pictures while we were at the farm. Didn't she do a great job???

http://www.flickr.com/photos/41042076@N03/sets/
Click slideshow at the top right hand corner to view in full screen

Macy singing "1-2-3-4-5...I caught a fish alive"

2009-07-31T12:01:00.000-04:00

Macy can sing the entire song by herself but of course as soon as the camera is out she forgets the words! WARNING: Watching this video more than a few times may cause you to sing this song all day!!!

Here are the words:

1-2-3-4-5

I caught a fish alive

6-7-8-9-10

I let him go again

Why did you let him go?

Because he bit my finger so

Which finger did he bite?

The little finger on the right!

I will apologize now if this song gets stuck in your head for the rest of the day!!! But it always makes my day to hear her sing-Have a great weekend!!!

Matthew - 1 Month

2009-07-31T07:53:00.000-04:00

Matthew is officially 5 weeks old now and since it has been almost that long since my last post and the kids are both sleeping (wonder how long that will last?) it is about time that I get on here and update everyone on the last month of our lives!

Overall life with 2 kids has been amazing! Sure their have been the sleepless nights, birth announcements and thank yous to write, and the mounds of laundry and dishes waiting in the sink...but as hard as it has been for me I have kept telling myself that those things can wait! And it isn't like they have a choice either b/c little Matthew has really developed a love of wanting to being held all the time. Thank goodness for the lovely sling that my mom and I made- it sure has come in handy...I really need to post some pictures of that on here too.

Matthew has his 1 month check up later today but I'm guessing he is almost 12lbs now. Little man LOVES to eat and I can't believe how big he has gotten in the past week alone. I am nursing and I can't believe how easy it has been this time around....but I find myself saying that a lot lately. Maybe it is because Matthew is more laid back, or maybe it is because Mark and I are more relaxed- who knows?

All I know is that life is really good right now and that God has really blessed our little family!

Just Matthew

2009-07-04T16:44:00.000-04:00

I'm having a problem....

Matthew is 9 days old today and I am finding that it is so hard to just take pictures of JUST him! One reason is because I am finding less time these days to take the pictures and second I feel like I am leaving Macy out.

Now I'm sure this is normal and anyone out there that has more than one child knows what I'm talking about but I feel so guilty. I just know some day he is going to grow up and look back at his baby pictures and realize that he has less than his sister...or maybe he won't care as much because boys are not into pictures as much as girls.

Either way, I am trying to make sure that I start taking pictures of just Matthew and push the guilt out of the way!

Having Fun!

2009-07-04T12:40:00.000-04:00

Macy and Matthew

2009-07-04T12:37:00.001-04:00

Matthew - 1 week old

2009-07-04T12:35:00.001-04:00

Baby Matthew is here!

2009-07-04T12:25:00.000-04:00

Matthew Isaac Naylor was born June 25, 2009 at 1:29pm

weighing 8lbs 9oz and measuring 21 in long (and that was 3 weeks early)!!

He is the perfect baby- eats and sleeps well and is just very content.

We really hope it stays that way! :)

Less and less time to update the blog lately but here are a few pics:

The latest on baby Matthew

2009-06-22T12:06:00.000-04:00

Went in for my 37 week check up today. All along Mark and I had talked with the Dr about babies in our family always being big and the possibility of delivering early. Well, in order for the Dr. to induce me at 37 weeks he said he would have to do an amnio to detect lung maturity in little Matthew. Sounded good to me, even though I was a little nervous about a huge needle going in my tummy I knew that it might help my chances of Matthew being in my arms sooner than later.

Yesterday I wasn't feeling well, just nauseous and crampy all day. When I told the Dr that he said he wanted to go ahead and do another exam. He found that I was now 4cm dilated and that the baby was in -1 station (last week I as 3 cm and at -3 station). So far he is doing everything to make the Dr and his momma happy! :)

So lots of good came out of this appointment:

* I will be induced on Thursday (6/25) at 6am!!!

* The think Matthew only weighs 8lbs 3oz (I say ONLY b/c he still should have 3 more weeks to 'cook' which would make him 10 lbs)!!! His growth and weight have sort of stalled out and are now more in the 90th percentile instead of over the 100th percentile!!

* He has LOTS of long hair!

* Dr seemed very confident that I should be able to deliver him on my own!

* And most of all Matthew looks very happy and healthy!

We will keep everyone posted and promise to post new pictures of Matthew and his big sister as soon as we can!

It's like a fish...

2009-06-16T13:11:00.000-04:00

I wonder what goes through this little girls' head? I know one thing....we will be counting the fish in the pond every night just to make sure someone isn't sneaking out and getting a snack! :)

Let's go swimming...

2009-06-16T12:50:00.000-04:00

I finally have a chance to upload some of our swimming pictures from last week. Macy really likes the water this year but I think she would enjoy the pool a lot more if she had some actual toys to play with instead of just cups. Maybe I should put that on my shopping list! :)

I was able to take Macy to the pool in Yorktown (thanks to a good friend of ours that brought us as her guests). Macy played with the other kids in the little kid pool while the mommy's talked and played with them. After the 100th time we played Ring Around The Rosey we eventually went into the big pool - Macy had a blast!!! She loved the pool last year but this year she laughed the entire time she was 'swimming'. It felt good for this 9 month pregnant lady too! :)

It was during this time we spent in the big kid pool that I realized two things:

1. Macy will NEVER EVER come to a pool with a boy and

2. Macy will always wear a one piece...or at least something that covers more than just the essentials- it was shocking to see what these girls were wearing...or shall I say...NOT wearing...Geez!

I know I may lighten up by the time she is a teenager but I seriously doubt it!

Couldn't have set this up if I had tried...

2009-06-15T22:04:00.000-04:00

While I was getting us ready to go to the pool today I realized that Macy had been very quiet for a few minutes...usually not a bad thing but you just never know. Sometimes I find her reading books, sometimes I find her sitting on her potty reading books, sometimes she really is into something making a big mess. But I was never expecting to see this!

When I first asked Macy what she was looking at she replied "Chipmunks, Squirrels, Rabbits, and Birds!" Of course she didn't say that all on camera but I always wonder what goes through her head when I find her doing such grown up things! :) And no, we do not have raccoons in our yard...but the other creatures are always running around...gives us something to watch during the day.

My latest Dr appointment

2009-06-12T05:36:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I had my 35 week appointment. Dr. wanted to go ahead and check me to see how things were moving along. I knew with all the contractions I have been having and the pain and pressure that something was going on- I'm already 3cm dilated and 75% effaced! He was shocked and mentioned that I may not make it until the scheduled amnio on the 22nd! Yikes! They really want to keep the baby in until at least 36 weeks so I have a few more days of just taking it easy (darn!).

So of course I go home and sit on the couch for 1.5 seconds and Macy is wanting something in the kitchen, then she wants to go outside, then it is supposed to be nap time (and mine too!), but I have to make her sit still some how some where to take a nap (which didn't work by the way), then she pooped her pants....and I wonder why I'm already dilated so much!

We have put the whole potty training thing on hold for now. Macy is wearing pull ups b/c she has been having lots of accidents during the day...that is also the day we got out the baby swing, carseat,bouncy seat, and all of Matthew's clothes, blankets and diapers. I think it is just all to much right now (for her and myself) so if she wants to go I take her but if she has an accident I'm not going to have to wonder where the puddle is and how I'm going to get down on all 4's to clean it up!

Right now we are just enjoying life in these last few days of being a family of 3, trying to make sure Macy knows how much she is loved and how special a big sister can be. I sure hope for a smooth transition into this family of 4 thing! I just can't wait to meet Matthew and finally get to hold him in my arms and introduce him to his wonderful family.

5 Years ago today Mark and I got married- it is amazing how 'time really does fly'! I would never have believed anyone if they would have told me that 5 years from the day I was wearing my wedding dress that I would be preparing for the birth of my second child! It has been 5 wonderful years with my best friend and I can't wait to see what will happen in the next 5 years (and beyond)...although I can guarantee it won't be 2 more children! :)

Baby Matthew's Nursery

2009-06-04T09:32:00.001-04:00

After yesterday's appointment I thought I better get the final touches added to Matthew's nursery!!!

Ultrasound pictures

2009-06-03T15:38:00.000-04:00

Baby Update

2009-06-03T14:25:00.001-04:00

Well, it turns out that I am having a small toddler rather than a baby!

I had my 34 week Dr's appointment today with an ultrasound to check on this little guy's growth....they were shocked to see that he is already weighing in at 7lbs 12 oz!!! His size is off the charts and I am also carrying a lots and lots of amnionic fluid- which now explains why I get asked if I'm having twins about once a week! :) He also has a large head and with the trouble I had delivering Macy at 8lbs 9oz they are giving me two options:

1. Have a scheduled C-Section close to 39/40 weeks or
2. Have an amniocentesis done at 37 weeks, and if it shows that the lungs are developed then they will induce me a few days later. It still may lead to a C-Section but at least we tried

My next appointment is the 11th (one day before Mark and I's 5th wedding anniversary!) and they will check to see if I have started dilating then. I will have another appointment the 18th and then my amniocentesis done on the 22nd. If the lungs show that they are developed then we will be induced sometime that week!

Dr also mentioned to me that with the size of the baby and the amount of amnionic fluid that I may go into labor on my own in the next few weeks. Lots and lots to take away from this appointment and although it answered (or at least confirmed) some of my fears and questions it still leaves so much up in the air.

Please keep us all in your prayers that no matter what happens that we have a healthy baby boy to hold when this is all over with! He sure is a cutie- I will try and video some of the pictures and post them on here later! He looks nothing like Macy did in my 3D ultrasounds I had with her- so maybe he will look more like his mommy....I know with his size he sure is taking after the Obermann side!

We have a name...

2009-05-28T10:33:00.000-04:00

Well, I think we finally have a name...

A few weeks ago Mark and I were talking in the car and I just said what I had been feeling for a few days...."I think I finally feel that their is a name I can call this baby boy!"

Mark said he too had been feeling more settled at the same name...

So here it is- Matthew Naylor

We are still unsure of the middle name but it will either be Aaron or Isaac (which is Mark's middle name).

My next Dr's appointment is June 3rd, so we will know more about a possible scheduled induction later in June at that time. The Dr just wants to check his size and make sure that he is not going to be a toddler size baby! Will keep everyone posted!

Having a Tea Party....in our PJ's

2009-05-28T09:58:00.000-04:00

After breakfast Macy thought it would be a good idea to have a tea party with her babies....make sure and check out the background in the picture. Looks like we already have a newborn in this house huh? Macy has decided that the baby Moses basket, swing, and baby bed are hers...not her brother's! Hopefully by the time he is born she will be over them and will let him sleep in them. :)

Belly Pics- 32 weeks

2009-05-17T16:02:00.000-04:00

My pregnant belly with Macy on our way to the hospital (40 weeks)

My pregnant belly with Baby Boy (32 weeks)

My pregnant belly with Macy (35 weeks)

My pregnant belly with Baby Boy (32 weeks)

I have been meaning to take pictures of this belly of mine for a week or so now but something always kept preventing me from taking them...I wouldn't have any make up on, I needed to shower, I was to tired, or I couldn't find anything that was clean that still fit!! Not that I am that vain or think that I was having a model photo shoot or anything but after all these pictures would be in my baby's baby book forever!

So I just decided that I am a mom of a 2 year old and soon to be newborn. I should look a little tired, and it was okay if my hair was a mess or my clothes were dirty....that is just going to be the new normal around here! So last night around 11pm (We were only up that late b/c Mark and I had both taken naps) I finally just said "It is time"!

Today as I was uploading them to my computer I realized how big my belly really was. Just to prove it I got out some pictures of my pregnancy with Macy at around the same times- "WOW" is all I have to say!!! And I still have a few weeks to go!

Major Accomplishments

2009-05-13T15:19:00.000-04:00

So the day before we left to make a fast trip back to Missouri Macy decided that she wanted to start wearing big girl panties and not diapers! I was thrilled, shocked, and worried how all of this was going to fit into our travel plans. But it went very well- we just brought her potty chair with us, lots of little girl panties, and made sure she had on a diaper in the car (we weren't that crazy)!! She did great at my parent's house and even went potty in a public bathroom! Now that we have been home she is doing even better, I think only 1 accident in the last week and that was a #2!

Macy seems to do better when we let her do things "All by myself"...don't know where she learned that phrase but it is now a daily reminder we have a 2 year old! She does the whole potty process literally all by herself...which is much easier on this pregnant mamma since Macy seems to think she has to be 1/2 dressed while going potty...every single time!

So I have 2 questions for other mommy's out there who are going through this or who have been down this road before....

1. How do you get them to go #2 in the potty?

2. When do you start letting them go diaper free at bedtime and nap time?

I am totally puzzled by all of this and honestly it is a lot more work than diapers! But I can say that the thought of the diaper savings (at least for a few months) is really exciting me!!!

What's in a name?

2009-04-25T06:10:00.000-04:00

Apparently a lot! Here we are just a few weeks away from having this little boy and still have yet to find a name that just sounds like something we want to say....and yell...forever. With Macy it just felt right. From the moment we found out it was a girl we had it narrowed down between 2 names- Madison and Macy. But Macy Leigh just fit and sounded like it should follow Mark and Melissa when saying our family names. It is somewhat stressful because we have never been able to come up with a boy name that started with an 'M' that we both just said "that's it". And you would be amazed (well, you other moms maybe not) at how MANY people have their opinions (and comments and accusations said- of course behind my back) on the names you do have it narrowed down to, the names you haven't chosen, the way you are picking your name, etc. Why do people do this??? I mean seriously.....eventually we ARE going to pick a name and it might be the name that they so boldly came right out and said they didn't' like!!!

So we are doing something we have always said that we would never, ever do. Our child will not have a name until we see and hold it! If we do decide on a name before then well....then we will be lucky but don't count on it!

Maybe it is because I a little hormonal today or it is because of the lack of sleep I seem to already be getting but I felt the huge need to vent at 5:30am on a Saturday. Thanks for listening! And I highly suggest that if anyone else is pregnant out there to NOT share the name until it is 100% decided or the kid is born! I had never understood this until now!!!

Bedtime

2009-04-19T22:25:00.000-04:00

Okay, Before I go to bed I have to share this funny Macy story…

She has been going to bed very easily lately- we read books, talk about what we did today and what we are going to do tomorrow, say our prayers and that is it. I leave keep the door open and the hall light on and she goes to bed! She now knows the routine and goes to bed on her own with out throwing a fit- finally!

Well, the other night I went in to cover her up and ALL of her stuffed animals in her room (we are talking like 10) and ALL of her baby dolls (maybe another 3) plus 3 different books were in bed with her- I could barely find her! Then last week I laid her down for her nap and an hour later heard a noise in the babies room. I went down the hall to check on it and there she was-in his room reading books and playing with her toys! All that time I thought she had been asleep – but instead she was in his room with the door shut playing very quietly!

Okay, so tonight we did the same bedtime routine and she went to bed very easily like normal. I just went in to cover her up and there she was with all of her toys again in her bed plus she had gotten into her closet and put on a pair of black shoes (ones that she will NEVER wear for me) and had fallen asleep in them! We have the monitor on and never heard a peep out of her! She had even closed the closet door after she had gotten the shoes out!

Mark and I are still laughing about our little girl- she is getting so grown up!

More Easter Fun

2009-04-14T20:40:00.000-04:00

Macy and I decorated cookies today with Easter frosting and sprinkles. We made them partly b/c baby brother was wanting them (I can only use that for so long and I am taking full advanatage of this pregnancy thing) and b/c I thought Macy would enjoy them too....I think we all did!

Okay...so these are a few days late but every Sunday night we hard boil 18 eggs for Mark to take to work with him for the week. So we waited and dyed our eggs a day late- still lots of fun! And the best part is Mark is actually taking them to work WITH the shells on!! I think it is pretty cute!

My how things have changed!

2009-04-14T12:09:00.000-04:00

I was just looking through old pictures of Macy (sometimes that is how we pass time around here) and saw some pictures of Macy in her prior Easter dresses....wow, has she ever changed!

Macy's first Easter- 10 days old

Macy's second Easter- 1 year old almost to the date

Macy's third Easter- 2 years and 2 weeks old (better picture coming soon!)

Who knew?

2009-04-13T11:23:00.000-04:00

In high school and college I would teach at our church's Vacation Bible School in the summer. Those days are finally paying off. We have had TONS of rain lately and the days get pretty long with not being able to play outside. I remembered a great thing we used to do with the little ones in VBS- let them play with shaving cream!!! I stocked up on this stuff at the store and we have played with it several times. And surprisingly my little girl who hates to get dirty LOVES it! It is cheap, easy to clean up and can't hurt them if they eat it either...well, I am sure it might make them not feel good if they eat a ton of it but you know a little taste can't hurt! :)

Easter Weekend

2009-04-13T10:01:00.000-04:00

Mark, Macy and I had a wonderful Easter weekend. It would have been perfect if we would have been able to spend it with our families but since Ball State scheduled their football Spring game on Easter weekend going home wasn't even an option. Saturday was the game and I ventured out with Macy at nap time (kick off was at 1pm) to watch the game. She did great, the team looked great, and we got to spend extra time with Mark after the game and meet some of the players and other coaches and their families. Macy fell asleep on the way home around 3 and took a good nap while Mark and I enjoyed some peace and quiet!

That night all of the coaches and their wives went out to a local restaurant to play in the annual shuffle boarding contest. We got a baby sitter and had a great date night- our first in many months! Mark and I made it to the 2nd round of the tournament. For those of you who think shuffle boarding is for old folks home entertainment- you are wrong! We have always had a blast at this tournament and look forward to next year.

Sunday we went to church and then over to the Carr's house. They are such wonderful people- we knew them from the last time we lived in Muncie. They had a fantastic lunch and even an egg hunt for Macy and some of the other kids that were there. Macy ate about a pound of M&M's and didn't go down for a nap until 6pm! She was up until 10 and then slept until 9am this morning! That little girl had never had so much candy in her life! It was pretty cute watching her eat it- and besides not every day is Easter! She learned the meaning of having a Sugar High!!!

Some pictures of Macy at one of her egg hunts:

Some day I will get a picture of her actually looking at the camera and I am going to retake some without her coat on too.

Gotta love markers

2009-04-06T21:17:00.000-04:00

Macy with Mommy and Daddy

2009-04-06T21:08:00.001-04:00

I wanted this picture taken b/c Macy just still seems so little...well, she isn't even 25 lbs yet so I guess she is but she still fits just perfect in my lap...even with this big belly!

Macy and her daddy!!

More pics

2009-04-06T21:06:00.000-04:00

Indiana weather

2009-04-06T20:14:00.000-04:00

We are still getting used to this Indiana weather. We knew coming here that it wasn't going to be the same as Texas. We had lived here before....only last time we lived in a small apartment with only a few windows and worked inside almost all day. Even though we have more windows in our living room than our entire apartment had we have decided that Texas had absolutely spoiled us- most days were sunny and warm and the sunshine always made the day easier. If we were going to the store it meant we could just throw on a light jacket or even if we were staying inside all day the sun would just radiate the house....not so in Indiana. We have had rain almost every day (all day) for almost a week straight. So needless to say the 12 hour days with out Mark home get pretty long. Since we are finally feeling better I decided that we needed to explore the finger paints and markers that Grandma and Grandpa Naylor got Macy for her birthday. I got brave and got everything ready knowing that my little princess wouldn't enjoy the 'dirty' parts and was afraid it would be a huge waste of time. But eventually (after getting out several wet washcloths and paint brushes) Macy really enjoyed the coloring and really got into it. Almost 2 hours and 6 portraits of random animals and flowers later we called it quits....but I got several cute shots and videos along the way!

Flu bug, Flu bug, Go Away!!!

2009-03-31T22:09:00.000-04:00

That is our new family motto! Of all times the night before Macy's big 2nd birthday, Macy and I both spent the night puking- taking turns every 3o minutes. Poor thing- I just felt so bad for her....I hate throwing up but I would have traded her for it in a heartbeat! I am just glad we didn't have a big party planned that we would have to cancel and disappoint many other kids as well as our own. We spent her big day just laying around having Mark wait on us...looking back that part was nice but was so miserable at the moment. Just as we were getting the smell of vomit out of the house Mark started getting the flu last night....even the dog was throwing up this morning!!! (Seriously, can dogs get human flu?) Some day we keep saying we will look back and laugh at this....but that is going to be a while. As of now I still have a little girl who is much better but still not her normal self, a husband who is almost better, 2 more loads of laundry that need to be done, and carpets that now need to be cleaned. Good thing my flu bug only lasted 24 hours! I think God knows someone has to take care of these sick ones....and even with the puke (and the absolutely gross stuff that I have found in diapers today that I will not mention) I wouldn't trade it for the world!

Belly Pictures

2009-03-28T06:54:00.001-04:00

Macy kissing "baby's brothers"...that is what she calls the baby...We keep telling her their is just one baby coming....but she keeps saying 'brothers'...maybe their is another one in there! ha!

Belly shots aren't the same with out a 2 year old in them...can you tell she has a lot of pics taken of her?

I can't believe how big I am....I was looking through old pictures of my pregnancy with Macy....and seriously I wasn't this big with her until 7 months! I am only 24 weeks now and already beginning the uncomfortable stage- just barely but it is still there at night. So I wonder if I am going to keep getting bigger or if I will just start to slow down some day...soon? :)

Macy playing mommy

2009-03-24T20:52:00.000-04:00

In case you can't hear her this is what Macy is saying...."Go to sleep rabbit....stay right there...don't get up!" Sound familiar? :)

(As you can see we are still unpacking and the living room is still very bare)

Mama's Going to Bite You!!!

2009-03-24T20:23:00.001-04:00

Macy's version of the song "Hush little baby"...guess she thought I was going to say 'bite' instead of 'buy' all this time!!! Pretty cute...but seriously I have never bitten her...I have thought about it....but never done it! Ha!

New Curtains

2009-03-19T22:03:00.000-04:00

I haven't used my sewing machine since the last time I made curtains in our Texas house so it was time to get it back out again. I am very proud of my super easy project! It just took a little over an hour to sew them- it almost took me that long to pick out the fabric!

Macy's First Trip to the Children's Museum

2009-03-19T21:58:00.000-04:00

Macy and I met a super sweet mom and her little boy at the library on Tuesday and they invited us to join them at the children's museum here in Muncie this morning. We had a blast! It completely wore Macy (and me too!) out! I am sure we will be back often- lots of stuff to see and do! Here are just a few pictures.

New Cross Wall

2009-03-18T16:37:00.000-04:00

Picture of cross wall in Denton, TX house:

Pictures of cross wall in Muncie, IN house:

As some of you know I have this cross wall in my house- no matter where I have lived I have always had a wall of different crosses. It is always different and has always been on a different part of the house and different paint colors. This time it is in our entry way and on yellow (not my favorite but has to work for now) walls! I still have a few more to hang up but this is how it looks for now! I am very excited because I did this all by myself with Macy awake- I know...I am such a risk taker!

Happy St. Patty's Day!!!

2009-03-17T13:37:00.001-04:00

Katie had to get in there too! Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!!!

One of those days...

2009-03-17T13:10:00.000-04:00

Well, yesterday was one of those days that I wish we could do over! It started out fine...everyone was in good moods and nap time came early and lasted about an hour and a half. Just enough time for me to make my daily phone calls to Realtors, inspectors, and other moving related calls and to hop in the shower. As soon as I was drying off I hear 'Hi Mommy' and realized Macy had gotten out of her big girl bed (yep, on top of getting rid of paci and moving across country we made the move out of the crib too) and standing there looking at me and my ever expanding belly. No big deal, I can get ready with her awake...it will just take longer. And that is where all the chaos began. After an hour of getting her snacks, drinks, chasing the dog away from her snacks and drinks, finding the right TV show for her to watch, putting on her clothes, socks and shoes...then putting them back on after she decided she didn't want to wear them, and finally getting myself decent enough to leave we were finally out the door. I had to run several moving related errands across town and that didn't go to bad. Only one tantrum at each of the 4 stops- nothing unusual. We get home and decide that since it is almost 70 degrees outside we needed to take a nice walk around the neighborhood and we should bring Katie- BIG MISTAKE!!! This used to work real nice in our old neighborhood but for some reason this was a disaster. Macy kept taking breaks and sitting in people's yards, Katie did too but did other things in people's yards, and Macy refused to hold my hand while in the street with cars coming. We didn't make it a block until I decided to turn around and called it quits. After several arguments with Macy we finally get inside and I start to make dinner. I got the rice and veggies cooking on the stove and went out to put the pork chops on the grill. Macy was outside playing on her toys, Katie was in the house. I opened the door to get a plate for the pork chops and out bolted Katie- she saw another dog a block away. She was just gone!!! Since we do not have a fence (YET!)and neither do our neighbors I could still see her and took off chasing her. I didn't make it 5 feet and realized I still have a toddler in the yard, pork chops on the grill and the rest of dinner on the stove. Long story short I grabbed Macy and we took off running and got Katie inside where we both scolded Katie- Macy does as good of a job as I do at this believe it or not!

I really hope my neighbors don't think I am crazy b/c I know I sure would if I saw a pregnant woman out in her flip flops with a toddler on her hip chasing a dog all around the neighborhood!! Next time I think I will just let her run and hope she finds herself back home...or another home!! The bad thing is that their were a lot of neighbors outside who I would have loved to meet but instead they saw my ugly side and I doubt they will want to meet me now! Maybe I will wait a few weeks and they will have forgotten!

I sure hope these two give me a break when this little boy comes- Ha!

Finally in Indiana!!!

2009-03-12T22:21:00.000-04:00

Well, we are finally all reunited in Indiana!!! It feels so nice to be back together as a family even if it means living in chaos and out of boxes! We arrived last Friday but it has taken us a few days to get things in some what of an order and to get our Phone/TV/Internet hooked up....boy I am sure glad that it is- I hate being out of the loop!

Our house has felt like our home since the day we moved in....maybe it is because we bought it from friends of ours....or maybe it is just because we are meant to be here!! Either way we are loving it, we close on our Texas home on the 27th...hoping things go smoothly with their lender/realtor, and then we close on ours 4 days later! Yea!!! It will be 12 (long) weeks of chaos...but in reality I need to be grateful because most people haven't been as fortunate as us...I mean selling a house in less than 2 1/2 weeks is pretty good. We are so close to Spring here which means I will get to experience 2 Springs this year- the first one in Texas and then Indiana Spring weather. That is what is getting me through these cold days...we got so spoiled in Texas!!

Meeting lots of nice people, going to the library tomorrow to get to know it and their story times, and even have met a few neighbors. Plus my baby girl has her daddy back and I have my hubby! What more could a girl ask for??

All Grown up

2009-02-22T14:19:00.000-05:00

Well, my little girl is finally getting rid of her paci. I just started not giving it to her one day when she asked and gave her a piece (a small sugar-free piece) of gum. That is all it took. Pretty soon when she would ask for her paci she would change her mind and ask for gum instead. Now she has stopped asking for gum too! For the last week and a half she has only had her paci at nap time and bedtime...but now she is falling asleep with out her paci as well! It was much easier than any other time we have ever tried to make her quit. Although I am excited and happy to be done with that thing- it was the last thing that reminded me of her baby days. So I guess I will get 4 1/2 months break before I will look forward to introducing our little boy to his paci and starting this whole cycle over again! Now for the potty training...

Benefits of being small

2009-02-20T13:28:00.000-05:00

While I was cooking lunch I heard laughter coming from a cabinet on the other side of the kitchen. I guess to a little girl it looked like a fun hiding place!

"Wanna Take A Picture?"

2009-02-17T21:45:00.001-05:00

After getting Macy ready for the day in her new shoes and new jeans and admiring ourselves (remind you I am still in my PJ's with morning/coffee breath and wet hair) in the mirror Macy asks ever so sweetly - "Wanna take a picture?" How could I resist???

She has just grown up so much this last week- really she has grown out of most of her clothes and shoes and her entire attitude and vocabulary and coordination has changed! I must have a 2 year old?!

That's so cute

2009-02-15T22:17:00.000-05:00

My little girl playing with little boy clothes...we have a lot to learn but are so excited!!!

Macy reading

2009-02-12T10:34:00.000-05:00

It's a BOY!!!

2009-02-10T22:31:00.000-05:00

Well, we are having a little boy!!! I never thought I would be able to say that- we just knew for sure we were only going to have girls. However, I have had this feeling that maybe this one could be a boy....this entire pregnancy has been so different than with Macy.

I will try and post some pictures later- just wanted to share the exciting news!!!!

Sunday with Macy

2009-02-08T22:52:00.000-05:00

Today at church Macy made a sheep puppet...I am guessing by the looks of it she didn't have much to do with making it but she loves to put it on her hand and say "Hello, Macy!" It cracks me up every time! Honestly I think the only reason she likes to go to church is for the play time with kids and the doughnuts....that girl can down a whole doughnut is less than 2 minutes. Shocking since she hardly eats much at all! After her nap today we colored Valentine's Day pictures she got from Old Navy this afternoon. It kept her busy and entertained for almost 15 minutes...which is an eternity to this mom!!!

$7.77

2009-01-27T15:14:00.001-05:00

Our church is a big supporter of Sower of Seeds International Ministries and has asked the church members to take part in offering clean water to people in India. Most of these people are Hindu or Muslim and live in very poor areas with no clean drinking water. The way this ministry is preaching God's Word over there is by providing wells for these villages. Showing that only Jesus has answered their prayers for help!

Mark and I are signing up to do this for only $7.77 a month- it will provide safe water for 1 child for 30 years!!! Our new years resolution is to do more for others and this is a way we have decided to start. If you want to learn more you can go to the first website and if you want to sign up go to the second website below:

http://sowerofseeds.org (no www's)
http://giving.sowerofseeds.org (to set up automatic payment plans)

“When the poor and needy search for water and there is none, and their tongues are parched from thirst, then I, the Lord, will answer them. I, the God of Israel, will never forsake them.” Isaiah 41:17

16 Week Belly Pics

2009-01-27T15:10:00.001-05:00

Well- here they are! I think my belly is slowing down a bit but I still look huge compared to this time of my pregnancy with Macy! I am feeling good so that is all that matters!

Doing a little dance...

2009-01-26T21:57:00.000-05:00

The sweetest words I have ever heard!

2009-01-26T21:44:00.000-05:00

Macy has been on this kick of waking up early - like 5 and 6 am early. I have no clue why except maybe she has kicked her covers off and had gotten cold? She sometimes goes right down but others she is up for good. Well this morning she woke up at 5:15 and since Mark is gone I just slept walked to her room picked her, her baby, her blankie and her cup of water (yes, I did manage to carry all of that) PLUS a 23 lb Macy to my room, laid her in bed and shut my eyes hoping she would do the same. About a minute later I hear her singing " Jesus, loves me this I know....for the Bible tell me so....little ones to him belong....they are week but he is STRONG!" She even went into the Yes, Jesus loves me chorus...it was just precious and yes I did start to cry. I know most parents sing that song to their kid but I sing that song to Macy every night before she goes to sleep. I guess she was just trying to put herself to sleep- but I had no clue she knew the words or had been paying attention to me all this time!

I started singing that song to Macy a few months ago after our pastor told a story of a grown man singing that song to comfort himself as he was going to bed on a sad, lonely, Christmas night. This guy was actually a pastor, his wife had just left him and he was spending Christmas alone and scared of where his life was going to lead him. The story still brings tears to my eyes too b/c really when you feel like you have no one else - you really do have a friend in Jesus. I hope that song is something she sings for the rest of her life- it is such a simple yet sweet song!

If I am ever lucky enough to get a clip of that I will post it. For now, I have that precious memory forever in my head and I can replay it over and over again. Sometimes not having a camera around is nice!

Bringing the outdoors inside

2009-01-26T08:25:00.000-05:00

Baby it's cold outside!

Someday My Prince Will Come...

2009-01-19T19:45:00.000-05:00

This was just precious and I had to take a picture!!!

What's new with Macy

2009-01-19T09:49:00.000-05:00

Macy is now almost 22 months old - I can't believe we almost have a 2 year old!!! However, she acts like she is more like 12 years old. She amazes us every day with things she learns and what comes out of her mouth! Macy is just catching on to the fact that she is going to be a big sissy and is talking more and more about the baby. Some of my favorite things she has said are: "Yikes! That looks very dangerous!", "Wanna listen to the baby?", "That's cool!", "Wanna have a tea party?", "No, No Katie!" (when the dog tries to eat her food), and "That's breakable!" (when she sees something glass). Macy knows several colors and a few shapes, letters and numbers. She is our little sponge and absorbs everything!