What a day...

What a day it has been. Kaitlyn's last day of camp and swim lessons. Man I am worn out, but... I had to write about one story and post some pics.



So last night I was putting Kaitlyn to bed and before I get to that... We are working hard for her to go to sleep on her own without crying out or needing several different things. Bedtime has always been a bit of a struggle, but her sleep habits have been changing a bit lately. So I left her to go to sleep on her own and she was upset, so I went in and said it is your job to go to sleep and mommy and daddy have their jobs too. And I repeated the rules - must be still, quiet and close your eyes.

Kaitlyn then said that I like to water the plants and asked if that was going to be what I was doing. Also, that I like to water the plants. And that the plants need water. Not that this is any big thing, but I thought it was neat how she had a logical sequence of events or stayed on one topic. Of course, I didn't linger and left. She went to bed and is continuing to improve.

So Jackson has been cracking himself up lately. He loves to climb into Kaitlyn's big chair and sit in it. It is like he is getting cozy in it. He loves to climb in and then climb out. It just makes him so happy and giggles too.

Can't Let it Go

For the record - We are finally all better from some kind of stomach virus. It hit Kaitlyn last week and took her a couple of days. Then Jackson on Friday. Then us over the weekend. Man, what a killer, but we are all better now. If it tells you anything, we didn't even get in the pool last week, except maybe once.

I just can't let the moment go by... Before I delve into any details about the weekend, I have to stop and appreciate the little thing that happened last night.

Now it used to not be a big deal, but now... Wow, I could not believe how it felt. For the first time, we went out to dinner with Kaitlyn and Jackson without any stress, any craziness. We had a coupon for Scotty P's hamburgers and didn't feel like anything too big, just something simple, and we had a great time. Man, I can't remember the last time we went out to dinner without Kaitlyn getting up to go run around or needing the bathroom every five seconds. I also can't remember the last time I could eat at the same time as everyone or didn't have to take care of Jackson by changing diapers, getting his food first or entertaining the kids. I will say it again - WOW.

We walked up and ordered our food - pretty simple. Brandon held Jackson. I went to fill drinks with Kaitlyn. She was so helpful, and we grabbed a booth. Kaitlyn sat on one side in a booster seat (first time without problems sitting for her) and two booster seats - one for each of her babies that she brought. Then Jackson sat in the high chair. He was so happy just looking around at the new surroundings. Brandon and I sat on the other side. Our food came and we all sat and ate. Kaitlyn sat quietly eating. Jackson sat and ate. Brandon ate, and I got to actually take a bite of my food at the same time as everyone else!!!!

What a treat! Now if this doesn't happen again in a really long time, at least I was able to savor every minute of this dinner. The only thing I missed was taking a picture to remember - to say that it can be done!

In other news, we went to Noah's first birthday party. For pictures, you can click on the Zafereo Family's blog. Kaitlyn found a friend and jumped in the play pool in her underwear. Jackson crawled around and checked out all of the toys.

Also, today I think I saw Jackson do his first baby sign. We move our hands back and forth to say all done and he did that with his hands after his lunch when I asked him if he was all done. We have been taking a baby signs class on Saturday just for fun and there are a few signs I have been doing a little more of. How fun!

Sickie-Poo

Ah man, our house is sickie-poo! I think Kaitlyn has a stomach bug cause she was throwing up this morning and has totally had no energy. Jackson has all sorts of stuff coming out of his nose and if he has what I have, poor guy.

In more immediate future news, Kaitlyn is going to have surgery on September 4 to have her tonsils removed. We went to an ENT yesterday because of her snoring and sleep apnea. Her tonsils are pretty big, especially one looks bigger than the other. It looks like it is chronically inflamed from what the doctor saw. Surgery isn't something we take lightly, however, we talked for a little while and from our description of the symptoms over the last year, the doctor does recommend.

I am hoping we will get over our colds and all of these big events this week - tires, scheduling surgery to maybe have a relaxing weekend.

A Flat Tuesday

Well, it has been a "Flat" Tuesday. We all got ready this morning preparing to take Kaitlyn to her Mother's Day Out "Camp," and my back tire was completely flat. Needless to say, we didn't go anywhere, and I have been on the phone and computer for an hour and a half after Jackson was put down for a nap and Kaitlyn started watching Curious George.

After scheduling someone to come change it, I finally got a hold of Brandon and he said he would come home to fix it. And now, I have put off the inevitable, getting new tires. They were almost bald anyway, so now it is off and running to find a good price on good tires.

So we have been busy, we had a little pool shindig with some Baylor friends on Sunday to try the wine we made in April. I also had a great recipe for a summer salad to go with the wine. I knew it was difficult to host something at our house with two little ones, but we gave it a great try. I think everyone had fun seeing one another and that is what counts. We played Rock Band and played in the pool a little bit. I can see how Rock Band is very addicting.

It made for a hectic time for us hosts because the food came out later. I had grand plans of everyone being outside, but everyone came inside to eat. Then for the babies, I think that was tough because it was loud. So that is how it goes when it is 50 million degrees outside, even the pool was warm.

Jackson is cutting three teeth at once. They are all almost showing. He is crawling like crazy and loves to chase Kaitlyn around. We are working on sharing with Kaitlyn. She loves to take everything Jackson gets interested in.

I think we have all caught a little cold because both kiddos have had a hard time breathing at night and last night I felt my throat getting really sore. I have no idea where it came from, but I wish I didn't catch everything they get. I think I have been sick at least 5 or 6 times a year for the past three years! They tell you to expect to not get any sleep after having kids, but they don't tell you that you will be more sick after having kids, catching all their stuff!

Here are some photos from July so far.

Pool Time

We were able to have some pool time with Kim and her baby, Emilyn, and her sister in law and two little boys, Miles and Mason. Tiffany came too and she is due in October. She is still so tiny! I went to high school with Tiffany and Kim. It was so nice to have them over. We may have to make this an annual summer thing. We hung out all afternoon and Kaitlyn jumped into the pool with Mason. They are the same age.

Five Year Anniversary

First off, hope you had a happy Fourth of July. It is always a fun time of year. This year was our five year anniversary. It hardly seems like five years has passed. It is like we have had one big long year with so many events. To name a few, and not in any particular order... We have traveled around the world to California, Italy, Hawaii, Disney World and even Jackson Hole. We have been there for each other when grandparents have passed away. We have had the joy of bringing two beautiful children into this world. We have shared our faith. We have bought a house and made a home. We have had ups and downs and all arounds. We have learned what makes us tick and what makes us laugh. We have learned how we can think of the very same thing at the same time and laugh at how we can do that. We are learning to be parents together. We have watched countless movies together and jumped in the pool a million times, but I think the best thing is that we have no idea what tomorrow brings. We will always keep each other guessing. I love you, Bran.

To celebrate, I made the plans this weekend, and surprised Brandon with dinner at Sambuca Cafe in Addison. He didn't know where we were going and he kept trying to guess. He usually figures out every surprise or tries to guess, and then gets it right just by seeing me smile. But this time, he had no idea. He had many ideas like a comedy club, or studio movie grill, or even bowling because they were all in Addison as well. However, when we pull up, he was perplexed. He had no idea, and I was excited!

We got a nice booth right in front, and the Creole King Band started playing around 8:30. Sambuca was not packed at all. I guess it was the holiday weekend. But we definitely want to go back. We had lobster enchiladas and salmon. We even had a glass of wine and a specialty mint drink and creme brulee. We also had more than just the band for entertainment. We had a couple in their 70s dancing like they were on dancing with the stars. They were even dipping. It was fun.

Out of Pocket

So Brandon is in Miami for a sales conference and we have been trying to keep ourselves busy. Gigi and Big Daddy came and played on Saturday.














Oma and Papa came over Sunday to Monday. We also celebrated Oma's birthday. I hate being at home at night without Brandon.














Kaitlyn slept with me so grandparents could be comfy. Last night Kaitlyn kept me up all night with her snoring. She also stopped breathing twice that I could hear. She gasped for breath after it was quiet. She has been a big-time snorer for a while. In the winter, I thought it was because of a cold. Lately, I have been wondering if something else was going .

I called the doc yesterday and she may have sleep apnea. We have an appointment with an ENT and hopefully, we will be able to figure this thing out. She may have to have to go through a sleep test with a machine. That will definitely be interesting. We go on the 16th. We have always had problems and a lot of the symptoms I have seen online are what Kaitlyn has. I hope we will be able get some answers from the doc.