Lately

Happy belated Thanksgiving, friends!  I didn't mean to disappear for so long, things just got so busy with the holidays, ya know?  They aren't showing any signs of slowing down anytime soon so I figured I better go ahead and upload some pictures and play catch up before I get really, REALLY behind.  

We stayed in town for Thanksgiving this year and enjoyed a big feast at my parents' house with my Dad's side of the family.  I did a horrible job of taking pictures - in fact, I barely took any at all.  I did take a picture of my food contribution, though - one dozen turkey cupcakes that all I had to do was pay for.  That's my kind of cooking.  :)

Holidays are always so hard for kids and their eating and nap schedules, aren't they?  We gathered at 2:00 in the afternoon which is right smack dab in the middle of Katie Wynn's nap time.  Needless to say, we were an hour late getting there and then tried to feed her a meal during her normal snack time.  I'm sure she was confused.  So when she asked for a cupcake after barely eating any lunch (dinner?), I said to heck with it.  Why not?  It was a holiday after all.

Since I had my camera in my hand, I snapped a picture of her eating it (above).  Then I kept snapping as I noticed Thomas in the background hanging out in his Mimi's arms.

And then Mimi turned her head and my sweet, innocent baby boy went in for the cupcake kill!

I, of course, kept taking pictures instead of stopping him.  But in my defense, I was at least yelling, "Mom!  Cupcake!  Cupcake!  He's getting the cupcake!"  She didn't tune in until after he'd gotten a big scoop of icing in his little hand.

Fellow moms of two-year-olds can probably imagine the meltdown that followed when Katie Wynn saw that Thomas had stolen some of her icing.  I had to stop taking pictures to wipe tears and clean chocolate icing off of Thomas's hands, shirt, and all over Mimi where he'd just smeared it.

After the icing fiasco, Katie Wynn managed to get my Memaw (her great grandmother) to color with her.  

I loved watching the two of them sit together.  One was much bossier about colors but the other one was much better at staying in the lines.

So that was the gist of our Thanksgiving.  Like I said, not a whole lot of picture-taking that day.  Oh, gotta share this one, though, from the day before Thanksgiving.  How sweet are my little turkeys sitting together?  

Ok, just because I didn't take many pics on Thanksgiving doesn't mean I don't have a billion other ones on my phone.  Let's keep the party going!

Here are some recent favorite snapshots of my Katie bug.  The first ones are how she greeted me one day when I got home.  Gotta love those rain boots on the wrong feet.  And look at Lolli trying to snatch her snack bag!

How adorable is this little pink sweater?!  Matt's mom, Patricia, made it for her.  Isn't it amazing?!  The ribbon has little cupcakes on it so it was perfect to wear to a recent birthday party.

I put her in this cute sweater vest one morning and Matt asked if it was business casual day at daycare.  I thought it was cute!  Plus, we had an appointment with a new doctor that afternoon that I wanted her to look sharp for.  :)

That evening we had fun surprising Mimi, Poppy, and her daddy when I packaged her up in a box and let her pop out of it.  She thought it was the funniest thing ever!  Then she lost her sweater and pants and played with our spools of thread.  Yea, I don't know.

My favorite little McAlister's date.

One night when Matt was out of town, Katie Wynn woke up around 4 in the morning and was wide awake.  Since he was gone, I decided she could get in bed with me until my 6 o'clock alarm went off.  This is the picture I took when we woke up.  No kidding - that's exactly where she woke up.  Can you guess which side of her I got to sleep on?  The perfectly straight covers on her left might give it away...

When I have early Saturday morning kid duty, we build tents on the couch.  I love how something as simple as draping a blanket over the back of the couch can delight them so much!

This is the excited face of a little girl who survived her first night with NO PACI!!  As a reward, her daddy took her to get donuts before school.  We are so proud of her!

This past weekend I snuck in on these two reading a book before nap time.  Aren't they so cute laying on the floor together?

Lala (Matt's mom) made cupcakes during nap time and then Anna and Katie Wynn got to add the Christmas tree toppers.  (Yes, this post started with Thanksgiving and now we've moved on to Christmas.  Keep up.)  Anna is such a good big sister and helped Katie Wynn poke a few of the sticks in and didn't even get made when they were wonky and off center.  :)

My mom bought Thomas some new pants that I tried on him to see if they fit.  They were way too long for my little munchkin.  He looks like he's on stilts!

The matching Christmas jammies are out and in rotation as fast as I can get them clean.  We only have about 23 more days left to try to get a good picture in front of the tree! :)

Well, that's assuming Thomas can fit in his jammies all the way 'til Christmas.  His little gut looks like it's ready to pop right out of 'em!

That's all for now.  I'm off to pack...Matt and I leave bright and early in the morning for Palm Springs, CA!  Woohoo!

Diaper Duty

I think I've mentioned on here before how much of a little mama Katie Wynn is.  One of her favorite things is to help with diaper changes.  Probably because she loves baby wipes so much.  Not kidding - she needs about five wipes at every diaper change and carries them with her afterwards.  She uses them to wipe her nose, dust the coffee table, clean Thomas.  Often they're used as blankets for her babies.  

We go through a lot of wipes, is what I'm saying.

Anyway, the other morning while I was getting ready in the bathroom, I heard Katie Wynn run in and out of the bathroom a handful of times but didn't really clue in to what she was doing until she'd already gathered most of her supplies.  It was obviously diaper duty time for two of her babies.  (This happens often at our house, this is just the first time I've  photographed it.)

The scale made a perfect changing table.  See the two piles of baby wipes that she'd stolen from her nursery?  The ones shoved into the corner by the bathtub were the "used" ones. 

After the first baby had gotten a good wipe-down, she had to get more wipes for the second one.  "Shoo wee!"  I heard her say.  Must've been a doozy - see how many more wipes there are?  And that poor baby doll had to stand on her head to get her bottom wiped.

After cleaning her up, Katie Wynn ran out of the room.  I assumed she had gotten bored of this game and moved on to something else.  Nope, she went to go get two diapers.

This is about when I got busted taking pictures of her.  I was trying to be sly...

Little Mama worked so hard getting that diaper on just right!

Like me, she has two babies in diapers, so it's double the work.  Next baby's turn!

Oh yeah, looks like this one is gonna have really good coverage.

And done.  Ta daaa!

I feel certain this baby will not be having a blowout onto her clothes.

My little mama was very proud of herself.  And I was proud of her too.  I will be more proud of her, though, when she learns to change diapers using fewer wipes.  :)

Lots O' Pictures

I'm curious - how many pictures do you have in your phone camera roll right now?  I seem to always have a ton and I wonder if that's normal or do I take way too many photos?  

That being said, here's another installment of all the pictures from my phone.  I just left them in chronological order, so they're kinda all over the place!

First up, wouldn't it be nice to have this big of a cheering section every time you rolled over?  Poor Thomas was working so hard while we all just watched.  

Katie Wynn is obsessed with this old Elmo doll of mine.  He lives at my parents' house and it's the first thing she goes to get when we get there.  I have to convince her to put Elmo down for a nap when it's time for us to leave so that he can stay there.  

Thomas is starting to legitimately play with the toys on his play mat.  He grabs for them and tries to put them chew on them if they're close enough.

I don't know how I made it this long, but I finally had my first trip to the grocery store with both kids in tow.  Thank goodness I was just there to get a few things since they filled up my basket!  Thomas kept grinning at me through the handle of his car seat.  

One of my friends passed down some "days of the week" socks for Katie Wynn.  They saved us from an after-bath meltdown one night.  I know she can't read them, but my type-A brain has to make sure she has on the right day of the week.  :)

Playing ball one afternoon in her BOO! shirt.  I tried to teach her to shout "boo!" that day but she would only whisper it.  Not as effective that way.

Parker, my nephew, was hanging out at my parents' house one day and he begged and begged and begged to hold Thomas.  He got his wish!  He loved holding him, which is a good thing since he's about to get a new brother or sister of his own.  

Hanging out one Saturday morning.  She looks so old to me in the second picture with her little leg popped while looking at my phone!  I think she was taking pictures of Thomas.  

We went to her friend Steele's birthday party where there was a real tractor she could climb on!  She and her best buddy Addi Clare loved playing on it.  

My cute little boy after a sink bath and then both babies cuddling with daddy, probably trying to delay bedtime.  

The next morning I walked by Thomas in his swing and noticed that Katie Wynn had put one of her bow headbands on him all by herself.  At least she's sharing!  Well, she WAS sharing anyway.  She didn't share a single bite of that hot pink cupcake!

These pictures were taken on another afternoon after school.  I just loved the sun rays beaming down.  Maybe Katie Wynn will be a football player?  She loves to throw the ball!

This was the day of the time change.  Need I say more?  My mom made these precious pumpkin outfits for them!  

One night after dinner, Thomas was sitting down in his bumbo and I knew Katie Wynn was down there talking to him.  It wasn't until I looked closer that I noticed she was wiping him with a baby wipe.  And then, after even closer inspection, I could tell that she was wiping the eczema spot that he has on his shoulder.  I guess she wants it gone just as bad as I do!  (The too-small hot pink sandals over socks were her doing, not mine.)

We don't have games on our phones for Katie Wynn so the only thing she knows how to do when she gets a hold of one is take pictures.  Most are blurry shots of the floor, but I found these of Thomas that were actually in focus!

Last Friday I had to take Katie bug to get her flu shot.  I decided to treat her to donut holes and chocolate milk while we sat in the waiting room so that it wouldn't be too awful of a morning.  I was surprised at how well she behaved!  She cried just a tad during the shot but was really a trooper and loved the Turkey sticker she got to take home with her.  

We had family pictures this past weekend (Katie Wynn did not cooperate; hopefully there's at least one decent one) and afterwards the girls and I stopped by the playground to play.  

It sounded like a good idea to slide down together until the big sister went down much faster than the little sister!  Hee hee.  No worries, the little sister is just fine.  

Katie Wynn took an epic nap that afternoon.  After three and a half hours, I put Thomas in her bed to wake her up.  :)

Matt snuck this picture of Wyatt holding Thomas for me.  He has just recently really gotten into holding him.  I knew he'd eventually come around!  The next picture is of Katie Wynn wearing my boots.  I just never know what she's going to come out of my closet wearing.  

Sunday we actually had time to take pictures before church for the first time ever.  We're usually rushing out the door and five minutes late!  I love these kiddos in their matching outfits, even if Katie Wynn did push Thomas over...

Addi Clare and her family joined us for lunch afterwards and there was lots of hugging when the girls had to say goodbye!

We've gotten into a routine of hanging out on the floor of Katie Wynn's room after baths and reading books.  She plays favorites and decides each night who gets to do the reading.  This night it was Daddy's turn! 

Lately she also has to take a book to bed with her so she can read to herself.  Or, in the case of the picture below, she can read to Thomas (she's trying to show him the pictures but he doesn't seem too interested).  

Last two pictures of my little turkeys.  I will not apologize for all of their matching outfits.  The fun is just beginning!  Expect more matching for the next...five?...years!  

Bubbles and Puppies

We played outside for awhile Sunday evening and I actually had my camera outside to take some "real" non-iphone photos.  Katie Wynn had her Minnie Mouse bubbles out and was determined to use up the whole bottle in one evening.  You would think she would want to run after the bubbles and pop them but no, she would much rather be the one blowing them.  "I do it," she tells me every single time.

There is really no point to these pictures except that I thought she looked so cute with those puffed out cheeks and pursed lips.  

Thomas enjoyed getting to watch the bubbles and help Daddy pop them.  (P.S.  Look at that peach fuzz hair that's starting to come in!  Blonde?)

My sweet girl...

We were having fun with the bubbles when all of a sudden she threw them down and started running for the back door.  I had no idea what had happened until I turned and saw two of our neighbors, Sunshine and Charlie Brown, making their way down the street.  Sunshine and Charlie Brown are two dogs that get walked past our house almost every evening and since their owner, Mrs. Linda, is always so kind to stop and let us pet them, we bought them a box of treats.  Now, anytime we're outside (or at the dinner table and see them through the window...) and see them coming, Katie Wynn runs inside to get two dog bones for them.  

Katie Wynn loves the idea of giving the dogs treats, but always ends up getting scared as they get close and throws them down on the ground.  I don't blame her, Charlie Brown is pretty aggressive when it comes to getting those treats!

Truth be told, Charlie Brown always ends up eating both treats.  Sunshine is more interested in getting to say hi to Lolli.  It is always crazy and chaotic when they stop and Mrs. Linda always ends up wrapped up in leashes, but we love it when we get to see them!

And then, every single time as the puppies continue on with their walk, Katie Wynn asks, "Puppies go nigh-night?"

I want to be sure to remember these nights of getting to feed treats to our neighbor puppy dogs.  So much joy for this little girl!

Four Months Photos

I think I mentioned in the post about Thomas's newborn photos that we purchased a First Year Package from our photographer, Lisa Mac.  The First Year Package includes 4 sessions worth of photos to see how he grows over the year.  Lisa takes pictures during the first two weeks, at 4 months, 8 months, and at one year.  Since Thomas is 5 months now, we've already been to see her for our second photo shoot.  I've just gotten the edited photos back and once again, I love them all!

Thomas was a complete ham for pictures!  It's like he knew exactly what he was doing - he smiled and grinned and cooed for Lisa right on cue.  I think she had a full roll of perfect pictures of him within the first 15 minutes!

She had some great pictures of him grinning on this blue blanket, but we chose this closeup below instead.  His hands in his mouth is just so representative of how he is right now.  We have to fight him to get him to put his hands down!

But that doesn't mean we didn't choose any with big grins...how sweet is this one of him on the green blanket?!  I love that it shows off his gummy smile and his bright blue eyes.

As great as Thomas was for the camera, his big sister was the exact opposite.  She was running around and laughing when we first arrived, but as soon as it was her time to be in front of the camera, it was meltdown city!  She wouldn't stay in front of the backdrops and cried and cried.  I took her new yellow rainboots, rain coat, and umbrella because I thought they would make a cute picture, but she wasn't very cooperative with keeping her boots on.  She also wouldn't touch her umbrella, so this was about the best Lisa was able to get.

Finally got the boots on, but definitely not smiling!

The only picture that I knew for sure that I wanted going into the shoot was one of Thomas in the baptismal gown that my mom made for him.  I plan to have his gown framed like I did Katie Wynn's, and I wanted to have some pictures of him wearing it to hang with it.  Since he was so sick when he got baptized, I didn't even bother trying to get good pictures of him in it.  Plus, I knew Lisa would do much better.  Look at this happy face she got!

I chose the one below to have a full shot of the gown, even though you can't really see the details.  Like always, my mom outdid herself with all her detailed handwork.  

Lisa had to work her editing magic for the picture below.  I really, really wanted one of Katie Wynn wearing this heirloom dress with Thomas in his gown.  Lisa took Thomas's face from one photo and hers from another and put them together.  She also removed the bright red sucker that Katie Wynn was holding in her hair.  I hate that her hair is a mess and her bow got cut off, but if you knew how horrible she was being, you'd know how lucky we are just to have this!

We are supposed to get 10 finalized pictures from each of the four photoshoots, but I only chose 8 from this round.  I'm hoping Katie Wynn will behave better at the 8-month or 1-year sessions and we'll have more options to choose from.  Here's hoping anyway!