No Tricks or Treats, But Something Sweet

Earlier I posted something silly, now sweet...

People frequently ask how our children get along, and the answer has always been that they get along phenomenally and so far without jealousy. Kyleigh's giving, loving, sharing, gentle, and very protective toward her brother (see blog on JoJo's 4 mo. checkup!). KyKy's usually quicker than Mom or Dad at getting him a pacifier when he cries. She'll even run from room to room gathering toys or books or socks or whatever else she thinks might help him feel better! And she doesn't get jealous if he gets a gift or toy...in fact, she'll help open it, place it in his hand or lay it on him, then help us put it away in his nursery. It brings her such joy to do nice things for her baby brother and I hope they both grow up rejoicing in each other's gains and successes,
for that brings tremendous joy to my heart.

Today as I began to record Josiah's eating skills for far-away relatives & friends, Kyleigh showed interest in helping feed her brother. Of course I let her because we always want to encourage a servant's heart!
So this video clip is of Kyleigh helping to feed Josiah cereal:

Mmmm, Cereal!

Yesterday was not only Kyleigh's 1st pony ride, but also Josiah's 1st cereal feeding!
Yay for food!

I make small babies, I just simply do, and regardless of my lactogenic food intake (i.e. foods that are lactation-inducing) I think my breast milk must be the equivalent of skim milk! Hopefully the start of cereals and other foods will help the lil' man begin to beef up!

We started Josiah on cereal yesterday because he had his 4-month immunizations last week and we waited until he felt better so we could accurately gauge his opinion on cereal! Also, his daddy was home, which allowed us to both partake in his first food feeding...and Kyleigh tried to help, too!

(P.S. Special thanks go to Daniel V for JoJo's bib gift...
if not for this gift, Josiah would be wearing pink!
Apparently it's time to get some manly eating gear!)

We took our pumpkins to the pumpkin patch!

We haven't been getting out much due to Chris and I both being sick recently, but today we finally got ourselves out and about for a fun family activity!




We had such a great time at a local attraction called Jackson's Orchard, which provided families hayrides to the pumpkin patch, a petting zoo, a cornfield maze, a straw castle, face-painting, a bouncy house, and pony rides.

In just 2 short hours we thoroughly enjoyed many of the festivities!



Kyleigh couldn't get over all the freshly picked apples from the orchard! "Apple" is her favorite word, so she must have thought this was heaven! She also recognized yummy "tay-toes" (that's "potatoes" to the rest of us!)









Fun slide in the straw castle...wish Josiah could join in!









Kyleigh got to feed/pet cows, pigs, ducks...









...a marsupial resembling a "roo" (that's a "Kangaroo")...









...a Jerusalem mule, a goat, a baby llama and more!









Kyleigh's 1st pony ride: KyKy proudly handed over her admission ticket, was lifted up onto the pony, grabbed the saddle with one hand and held my hand with her other--
without any instruction! As the pony began to move, my little girl exclaimed in delight, "Weeeee!"
The ride was two laps, so Chris & I took turns walking alongside and appreciating her joy!











Pumpkin picking: At first KyKy had her eye on some that were much too big, but finally found one that was just right!









What a great day!

Jealousy

I recently filled out a MySpace bulletin survey in which one of the questions asked if I'm jealous of anyone. My honest answer was "yes", and I suggested readers could msg me to ask if they were interested. Well, due to the amount of questions I received, I'm now blogging about my jealousy.

Who am I jealous of? My children.
Kyleigh and Josiah have an innocence I envy.

When asked about her belly button, my daughter doesn't hesitate to lift her shirt and point out its exact location!
To her, the world is a place girls can do that...


When placed in bed, my son sleeps soundly
without a care in the world!
To him, the world is a secure place...

Couldn't we all go for a little more of this in our lives?

Josiah's 4 Month Checkup (10/22/08)

Josiah's over 4 months old now, can you believe it?! I can't, I truly can't. His infancy seems to be passing by more quickly than Kyleigh's. Maybe that's because I use to just have one child's sounds and expressions to dwell on but now my days are a bit more chaotic with both an infant and a toddler! Also, while Kyleigh was a bit advanced in reaching her milestones, Josiah's blown my mind with some of his abilities. He's doing some things so early that I wonder what will be left to look forward to in the remainder of his first year! At Wednesday's pediatric appointment, Dr. C asked us if Josiah shows any interest in rolling over. LOL Josiah's already rolling front to back and back to front! He enjoys sitting up (supported still, of course) for small spurts of time, and is using his great head/neck support to enjoy being so keenly aware of what's around him.
My favorite thing about Josiah is his laugh, for sure! My heart melts when his giggle gets on a roll-- seriously, there's no greater sound than the pure joy of a child!

Here's what our appointment looked like:

*Kyleigh coloring a pumpkin in the waiting room

*KyKy babbled a whole conversation w/
the big girl next to her!

*Sweet Josiah, he has no idea what's coming :(

*How big is JoJo? Soooo big!

*"Peek-A-Boo" blankie keeping Siah cozy

*Getting a head measurement

*Marking Josiah's length

*Weight check

*Allowing my baby to be stabbed by a stranger...
OOPS, I mean "immunizations"

(So thankful Daddy was here!)

*Kyleigh serving a Time-Out

(Such a tender heart! Scared of medical staff
due to the amount of times she's been poked & prodded plus protective of her baby brother, KyKy was understandably upset... at first she chose an inappropriate attitude for expression, but she worked it out, apologized, and displayed better behavior!)

*Kyleigh, reassured that Josiah's ok, feels better
& is excited to take her pumpkin-coloring home!

*I don't know what Josiah's thinking,
but he's likely relieved to be leaving the dr's office!

Sweet Home Alabama

Last Wednesday (10/15/08) Chris had an appointment that took him to Huntsville, AL. Since that's where my parents live, we made another family road trip of the event!

While Chris was dealing with job stuff, the kids and I got to hang out with my dad and my nearly 1 & 1/2 year old baby sister, Moriah.

Mom came home on her lunch break just as we arrived, so we all got to visit for a short bit while we crammed in as many pics and baby kisses as possible!

Moriah and JoJo napped during much of our visit, but eventually all the kids got to play a little bit.

Before we left, Kyleigh & Josiah's grandparents blessed them with presents! Kyleigh got a new sign language DVD & a new outdoor bubble machine just like her Auntie MoMo shared! Plus she received multiple sizes of clothes passed down to her! Yup, it's true, even though my sis is younger, she's bigger & lovingly passes some cute outfits to her neice Kyleigh!

Josiah got Auntie MoMo's bouncer and walker passed down to him, and Grandma & Grandpa also generously gifted our little man with a wooden toy and some sweet clothes they found at a sweet deal...including a cute football jersey!

Fortunately we all got a few minutes together again since Chris and my mom each got back to the house close to our departure time. It was such a nice visit, as we hadn't been together since they first met newborn Josiah back in June. Wish we could've stayed a while longer--especially for dinner!--but maybe we'll do it again soon.