Cali Gurl--part deuce

First of all, I apologize that she is jumping around like a monkey...Aaaannnd, for my 'sangin' voice. =)



she's just about got the whole first half of the chorus. I think the best thing is when we are driving and this song comes on! Her face lights up like Christmas morning. HA!!

the face of an angel

Back to the Wonder Place

Today we had another WONDERFUL trip to the Wonder Place with our friends Mandy & her son, Hayden.

Just a few of the pics I took while they were running around from activity to activity. There is just so much to do and play with there--Pax could probably stay there all day!!

Gender Reveal

Our sweet friends, Mike and Whitney, are expecting their FIRST miracle baby this December. After MUCH waiting and GUESSING and PRAYING, Whit finally reached TWENTY WEEKS!! And the big gender ultrasound happened July 19th. Now, I am NOT one who can keep a secret. Ever. How Whitney and Mike made it through a whole day without telling anyone the sex of their baby is Herculean to me. But that's just what they did. :)

Whitney decided to have a Gender Reveal Party. This was a new concept to me, never had even HEARD of such a fiesta! But, I am not one to turn down a party. ; ) And this was going to be a party with an awesome surprise...

Everyone wore the color they thought the baby would be. Of course, we were team PINK!!



The cake gave NO hints...nor the decor. It was cute though.



Pax particularly liked the food.




Then, we took a few pictures with our "team"...or our color coordinating friends. :)


"Team Blue"

and..."Team Pink"



And we guessed right!! It was a girl. A sweet angel, Emily Ann, will join the Wilkins this December. I know Mike and Whitney are so excited. We couldn't be anymore happy for them. A true miracle. =)

snug as a bug in a rug

Pax is currently obsessed with the little aero bed we sleep on, while we are working on our other house. It's bouncy, low to the ground, and perfect for a little nugget like Pax. HA!





We used to never let her in our room in our old house, except on a random weekend, when she would lay in bed with us. That (and the aero bed) will be the closest we ever come to the 'family bed'!! I do like snuggling with her in the bed, but she is SUCH a wiggler. I can't imagine sleeping with her. EVER.

Pax hearts Popsicles

Nothing better on a HOT summer day than a pink Popsicle!! She was a sticky disaster after eating this, but what can you do...kids will be kids. =)

Donut Date

This morning, my friend Amy and I decided to take our kiddos to the marina and look at the big fish tanks and turtles. Before that, we wanted to grab some breakfast...the perfect time for DONUTS!! I love an excuse for some sweets. :) Pax hasn't had one in a month or so, try to space out the overly sugary foods--but, we were overdue for some yummy donut goodness. The kids ate their donuts, got all sticky, and we chatted for awhile.

Then we headed over to the marina at the State Park. Pax has been there many times and she loves it. This was Nolan's first time to go and he was pretty excited, too! He's a hard little guy to photograph...he's always on the move...I remember when Pax was just starting to walk and she was into everything, too. She wanted to be everywhere I WASN'T. HAHA!




He and Pax get along really well. They crack each other up and it is so cute. I am glad that Amy & I have become better friends and have the babies in common. Even if Nolan is younger, he keeps right up with P. I always love having other mommy's to chat with, too.





Unfortunately, there are very limited activities in this town for our children. She & I were walking each morning, but with the heat, it's just not an option. I am so ready for Fall I could scream. The weather and all the fun stuff we do. I'm beyond ready. =)

wordless wednesday: monkey jammies

Tiny Performer

just a little snippet of what I hear 24 hours a day. ; )

Silly Girls

Just a little photo shoot to pass the time on a very HOT summer afternoon. =)

Let us Pray

I finally got this on video the other day...it is Paxtin's prayer they say at school before lunch. And OMG, I think I cried when I first heard her say it. Sometimes, she folds her hands and sometimes puts them over her eyes. It's just precious. Makes me feel awesome about her Mother's Day Out program and her teachers. She seems to be learning something new/singing a new song every day. =)

25 Months Old

WOW. She's officially TWO!! No signs of the TERRIBLE Two's just yet, but I don't want to jinx us...HA!







Paxtin at 25 months:

Right now, imaginary play is HUGE. Baby dolls, her Little People playhouse, dishes, etc...she loves everything along those lines. It's so funny to watch her take care of her babies and play mommy. She is a very good one...even putting her babies in time-out if necessary. ; ) She also really likes to prepare them lunch and feed them in her chair at the table. Heaven forbid you move anything she is working on...

Paxtin is still working on mastering the potty. It isn't something I am pushing her to do. She sits when she wants. Luckily, she almost always wants to sit on it...she's only GONE a few times, but the idea is there. I figure within the next month or so, I will be buying some panties and trying those out with her. I have been hearing that makes them a little more uncomfortable than the wet diaper. Not that I want her to be miserable, but it might get the idea across better.


We are happy to announce that Paxtin is PASSY FREE!!! As of Wed, the passy has been thrown away. FOREVER. It was actually a little harder on her that I thought it would be, but she cried for a good 10 min and then was over it. Her naps without it have been a little harder, but she is getting to sleep, so its not a total loss. Bedtime last night was a tough one, but I am praying each night will get easier and easier. I should have done this back when I cut her off of the bottle. I have already decided my next baby will get NO passy. Ever. This broken heart business (over a piece of plastic) is for the birds. ; )

Paxi is growing so incredibly fast. She weighs 31 lbs...maybe more...wears 2T/3T clothes and size 7 1/2 shoe. She seems to have leveled off in the height, compared to most of the kids in her Mother's day Out class, but she is still taller than some. Every time I pack away another set of clothes, I can not believe how big she is. With all my friends having new babies this past week, and the others pregnant, I am getting the baby fever like crazy. Cody and I talked about taking the leap early next year...hoping for a Fall/Winter baby. You will just have to wait and see what happens there...

HAPPY 25 MONTHS LAMBIE!! WE LOVE YOU!!!

Potty Training Tips

There are a few blogs I read everyday and Spearmint Baby is one of my favs. Paxtin is currently potty training and while it is still in the early phases, I am always on the look-out for new ideas/tips. I stumbled upon this post today and I thought I would share!

Spearmint Baby:Potty Training Tips

Hope some of these tips/tricks help you, too.

=)

Wordless Wednesday : New Doll Bed

Let Freedom RING!!

The 4th of July is always a little hectic for us. Our usual plan is a visit to Cody's family reunion in Oklahoma and then we drive to his dad's for the night's festivities in NW Arkansas. I am still sometimes amazed that we did all that with a little-er one last year. But, Pax is WAAAY easier these days-she can run around, entertain herself to an extent, and we are able to visit and enjoy the holiday more and more each year. Usually.

Saturday we had a birthday party to go to...Paxi friend Nolan turned one. And then we went for an evening swim with Mike and Whitney. Poor Pax was just as clingy as the last time we swam, if not worse. It breaks my heart that she isn't a water baby--I guess we should have introduced her to it a little younger. She did, however, get to see what the life vest does when she tumbled off the side of the pool! My heart stopped beating FOR SURE and her little face was priceless. Not one tear from her though...I know she would LOVE swimming if she just gave it a try. :/

Well, as usual, our plans had to change for the 4th due to Cody's work schedule--he had to work on Monday, which made going out of town impossible. We didn't even get to go to his family's big party. =( So, even though we stayed in town, I wanted to do something fun! Our friends, Mike and Whitney invited us to a cookout at their parents on Sunday...lots of food, swimming, and people!

She was borderline crabby before we left....(the only thing that cheered her up was her new bubble gun from Nannie & Poppy.)


And in a rare pissy mood by the time we got there. She is hardly ever whiny or clingy and she was both and then some Sunday afternoon and night. We loaded her up anyways...and since the party was just a few blocks from my parents house, we walked down with Pax. She made it about 30 min (if that) and then MELTED DOWN. I, luckily, was indoors, so I missed the big blow-up, but she came in with a tear in her eye and a big Popsicle in her hand. :/ We called up Nannie and Pax exited shortly after that...it was for the best. She was in NO mood for a party and I didn't want her getting anymore angry than she already was. I got a few cute pics of her in her 4th of July dress. I never seem to be able to get a family photo. I am terrible about that and need to try harder to make that a priority. Sometimes, I am lucky if I remember my camera at all. Paxi does love her 'Whitty', though. =)

I also threw in some of P's previous 4th of July pics. It's crazy to think back to her being so little...and can you tell, I love a good theme!!?? I think the 4th and Christmas are my favorites as far as outfits go. Girls are just SOO much fun to dress up. =)

Pax @1

Pax @ 2 months

hmmm...maybe she's always been grouchy on the 4th!?!? HA!

Hope you all had a safe and fun weekend.

Happy 4th of July!!

Happy 4th of July!!

I will post tomorrow with all our pics from today. =)

Cali Gurl

I know....I know. It's not the most APPROPRIATE song for a two year old, but what can I do. She loves, loves, loves to dance & sing. And her song of the moment?? 'California Gurls' by Katy Perry. She's actually learned a few more words to the chorus since I recorded this. She may have the whole song down by the end of the summer! She squeals when it comes on the radio. And where else to really get your groove on than in the tub. PUH-LEASE excuse my singing voice (or lack thereof)...I finally just downloaded the song the other day because I got tired of her screaming, "MOMMY, POPSICLE??" 100 times a day. =)

Miss Independence

So, really the BIG news of this post is happening here:

NO PASSY! (that one pictured has the end cut off it) I had been toying with the idea of cutting Pax off her passy, I just wasn't sure how to go about it. She was starting to really get attached to it, so today I jumped ship. I just cut the ends off her passies in her bed (that's the only time she gets them anyways) and waited for the fall-out. BUT, there was no fight...no tears...no nothing. She just laid right down and went to sleep. I am a little concerned about bedtime, but so far-so good! I guess she really wasn't needing them anymore. Cody seemed to be the most sad about it! He said how much he liked to see her with her passy-so funny!

We will be busy, busy this holiday weekend-a birthday party and the family gathering on Sunday. Have a SAFE and fun 4th of July weekend!!