Hello it's been a long while"

Wow it has been a crazy long time since I have been on here life of two has taken over and I don't have a lot of free time like I use to! Now where to begin I am now a mommy of a FOUR and TWO year old! It is so crazy how much time flies and how big they are getting! Ayden is loving going to school full time and he is also loving playing baseball and mimicking movies that he watches, his speech is getting a lot better and he is really starting to hit his milestones and he LOVES picking on his little brother and wrestling with him!

Clayton is really starting to talk and that is music to my ears with all the issues with speech with Ayden and I am so glad that he is thriving with this it was such a very hard hurdle to go through with Ayden. Clayton loves coloring and playing games on the iPad and loves singing his AbC's. and pointing out shapes and different type animals he sees while driving in the car. He is also my very full of energy RED head! Ayden is hyper but Clayton has him trumped on hyper ness! Lol didn't think that was possible but with these two I am Always surprised!! Hahaha two boys will keep you on your toes constantly!

We have also had some major changes in our family as well Brent got offered a Job at the beginning of February 13' and we accepted the job offer and we then packed up our house in Fort Worth in two weeks then moved to Terre Haute Indiana. I honestly don't remember a whole lot of February it was such a whirl wind. I was coaching at Image still and leaving the girls was by.far the hardest thing I have ever had to do. Especially when at my last practice they threw me a surprise going away party and got me a sweatshirt that they all signed. One of the most sweetest things that someone has ever done for me.  Settling here in Terre Haute was hard at first especially with the weather! I am from Texas with 80 degree weather during the winter with some freezing days but not really and some rainy days. Well it snowed and rained snowed and rain and we have just had a handful of days of 70 degrees weather but now we are back to the 40-50's and its APRIL! Lol we have bought a home here and we are so in love with it we are loving the huge yard the boys have to play in and really making this new house our home. We are till in the process of trying to sell our house in Texas hopefully we will sell it soon! Ayden has started school here and it's been an adjustment it's not the KELC where he went but he seems to be thriving and that's all that matters! We have also had to say goodbye to our dog Boomer. He attacked our niece the day before Good Friday and we had to put him to sleep. That by far was the worse day of my life the day he attacked her. I still feel so responsible for what happened and how I should have prevented but in the grand scheme of things I know I did everything I could. I never in a million years thought he would do something like that!  Our niece is okay she is healing nicely. She ended up with 8 stitches in her cheek, 7 staples in her head and a puncture wound just above the tear duct on the other eye. I thank god everyday that boomer didn't get her eye or attack the boys or our other niece who was also outside when this all happened. I am also thankful that I found the strength to pull him off of her and get between them so I could get her out of harms way! Easter was nice and quiet we went to see Brent's parents and see how our niece was doing which was so good to see her smiling and in good spirits!

Brent is also settling in at his new job very nicely and is enjoying learning all the new things and meeting his new colleagues. I think that he is really enjoying hanging out with his best friend! He also is starting his new project with his new company and its in Arkansas so he is traveling a little bit which is hard but it will only make me stronger!

I am going to stop rambling and I promise I will try and write more often! Til next time

Elizabeth

Brotherly love.....

Well it's been a while since the last time I have been able to get on and blog but with 2 small kiddos that are constantly on the go it gets a little challenging to do somethings :). Well these past few weeks have been hectic and interesting it seems that sibling
Rivalry is hitting our house full force sometimes i feel that I should get my whistle out of my coaching bag and play referee :) the boys are fighting over toys places to sit you name it we have probably had an argument over it. I have had a hard time teaching them to share cause they both think everything is there's and their theory of of Sharing is taking the toy away from the other and saying share :) only of it were that easy. Lots to work on in that department but with them both being so young we have a while before we finally grasp that concept. There are times though when you can tell that the boys truly love each other cause they give each other hugs all the time an sometimes it turns into who can throw who down to the ground first like a surprise attack it's quite cute but sadly Clayton always looses he are does try but he isn't quite that strong yet. One thing that I love is the fact that Ayden's nickname for Clayton is baby and he NEVER says Clayton it's always lets go get the baby, no baby, he is my baby, love you baby, have a good day baby! It's quite humorously keep telling Brent that Clayton will be in high school being a line man and Ayden will be yelling from the stands go baby! Hahaha!!! Both of them are finding each of their individual personalities and this is how I see them right now Ayden is very loud always on the go I call him my little live wire :) Clayton is ver quiet and sweet but don't let him fool you he is just as lively like his brother just quieter both of them put together is a massive ball of chaos!!! Hahaha they try and pull me in two directions but I usually do pretty well of managing the mayhem! well I am going to get off here and spend some quality time with the family Til next time :)
Elizabeth

School Days!

Well we are in the middle of our second week of Ayden going to school for 3 hours a day at Keller Early Learning Center and I have to say the transition of him going to school and being separated from me when I drop him off is going quite nicely the first few days were rough but that's to be expected. He loves going to school! When ever we try to go anywhere now he is set to take his backpack and will get very upset if we dont take it. One thing that he ABSOLUTELY enjoys is riding the bus home every day! At first I was hesitant and it was because I am in trusting a stranger to take care of my child and drop him off to me safe and sound. I am having him ride home the bus cause he gets out of school at 3 o'clock and that is right smack dab in the middle of Clayton's nap and if
You know me that nap schedule I DO NOT mess with! So he rides the bus home and then comes in we talk about his day then he takes a nap for an hour hour in a half! I am sad that spring break is next week cause I don't want to regress any in our new routine but I have faith that we will get back into it in no time! I am so thankful that we live in a district that has such will power to help those kids who need a little bit more guidance and assistance before they go to kindergarten! I am already seeing a little bit of a difference and I know we are doing exactly what Ayden needs and that makes me feel good! I was struggling with this at first, but now that we have started I am at peace with this and I am okay with whatever this journey might bring us! I will love this child no matter what he is such a light in my life no matter how crazy he makes my life seem its such a blessing that god made me his mommy! Well I've got to get to Cooking dinner next post I promise will be about Clayton! Til next time!
Elizabeth

Here are some pics of Ayden's first homework assignment! It was a family project of decorating a dinosaur!

Happy birthday!!

Ayden has officially turned 3 today! I can't believe how fast these last 3 years have gone by!!
Here is a pic of the birthday boy!

Ayden is turning 3!

Wow I cant believe I just put that as a title! Yes my baby is no longer a baby but turning out to be the sweetest most loving little boy! Monday is going to be a big day for Ayden! He is going to be celebrating his 3rd birthday, going to Chuck E Cheese to celebrate and going to be starting his first day of school at Keller Early Learning Center in their PLCD program and speech program! This makes me a little sad cause he is growing up so fast and is truly such an amazing little guy to be around and I am going to miss him while he is at school!
We have also already done his 3 year check up and I have to say it was an appointment that has really stuck in my mind lately and I am having to have faith that everything will be okay and that we are just facing an obstical of him just being immature with some mild behavior issues and not autism which If it turns out to be autism it's a very very mild form of it. I am so incredibly grateful that we are able to get Ayden the help he needs within the school district And also find him a behavioral pediatrician that can also guide us on this little unknown journey we are currently taking. As of right now Ayden's doctor is calling it PDD which means Persuasive Developmental Disorder which is an umbrella to ASD Autistic Spectrum Disorder. So we will find out more when we get him evaluated with the behavior doctor and also see what the school is saying. We also got Aydens stats while there he is 34 lbs and is 40 in and is in the 75% for weight and 93% for height! He has hit a major growth spurt we were in 24 month clothes the day he turned 2 and now we are in 4t crazy huh! I sure think so! But some good news that we got from the doctor is he sees a major difference in his speech he is still delayed but improvement has been made!!!

Ayden is also going to be starting baseball here probably within the next week and I am so excited and nervous all at the same time! Nervous in the aspect of I hope he will be able to focus and follow some direction while out there :) I do know and try to relax that god doesn't give us anything that we can't handle and that no matter the out come Ayden is and will always be my child who I love and cherish with everything I got that will NEVER change! And I also got to remember that none of this is my fault I struggle with this in the fact that I am an at home mom and maybe it's Something that I did or that I didn't do and should have done. I just keep telling myself to breathe take it day by day and everything will be okay no matter the outcome!

Ayden is a very active and vibrant 3 year old and sees the world as a fun and exciting place full of adventure! I can't wait to see what this next year brings and to seer how much he will grow! I can't wait to see the progress he will make at school and in his speech! I can't wait to see what kind of role model he will be to Clayton and the new tricks he will show him! Ayden makes my heart smile and feel whole and has been doing that for the last 3 years I am truly honored and blessed to be his mom! Happy 3rd birthday sweet heart! I love you with all my heart!!

Elizabeth

Happy New Year and Whats Happening In Our Corner :)

            Well the holiday's are behind us and life is settling down quite a bit! I love the hustle and bustle of the holiday season and getting to spend some quality time with family but by the new year I am pretty much worn out! Hahaha! We had a wonderful Christmas holiday it wasn't exactly the way we wanted to spend it but we made it work. Ayden and Clayton had a wonderful Christmas and got some really cool and amazing toys from Santa it was so fun to see there faces on Christmas morning to see the new toys Santa had left underneath the tree! They loved there new toys and they are still enjoying them to this day so I guess Santa did a great job! We still have 2 more Christmases to do at the end of January in Indiana and Chicago we were slated to go for a week over Christmas and come back after the New year but there was a huge change in plans with Barents project that he is on and we had to reschedule. Our schedules are CRAZY busy lately during the weekend with Brent either having to work or me coaching volleyball at a tournament. I started my volleyball season this year a whole month earlier than when we usually start since the team I am assistant  coaching is a national team. I am super excited to see what this season will bring but with coaching a national team I am traveling a little bit more as well during the weekend. We thankfully aren't traveling too far away and its only 2 tournaments that are in Austin and in Houston. Brent and I sat down tonight and looked at our schedule coming up and we were both shocked when we realized that EVERY weekend is booked for us after this weekend until MARCH.... you read it right MARCH! So I am going to take full advantage this weekend and relax cause this will be the last weekend for a while where I can just sit down and relax. I just wish Brent would be able to sit and relax with me and the kids as well but he is working all weekend long since the project he is on has to be completed on Monday for the Stock show. As you can tell we have lots and lots going on but I honestly wouldn't have it any other way cause no matter what I am still getting to spend quality time with the boys and also do the one thing that I love to do which is coach a sport I absolutely love playing as a teenager and getting to share my passion with teenagers that have the same passion that I had for the game. I look at it as a win win cause with my love for coaching I also love staying home with the boys and getting to witness on watching them grow I truly am blessed that I have the opportunity to do that. We are also going to be adding baseball to our busy schedule.... Ayden is fixing to be turning 3 on the 27th of February and he is old enough to play baseball this season at RYA I am super excited to be able to watch him play the game! My dad is super excited to be able to come watch him play as well cause baseball is his all time favorite sport! This makes me super excited but it also makes me kinda sad I can remember like it was yesterday that I was ginormous pregnant with my first child and was so excited to become a mom and also a little scared since I am going to be a parent and provider for a small child. That small child that I was so anxiously awaiting for almost 3 years ago has been the biggest blessing and light in my life. He is the sweetest little boy and has so much love and joy that just radiates off of him. I am so proud to be his mommy and there isn't a day that goes by where I thank god for blessing me with him and also Clayton. Speaking of Clayton he is still growing like a weed. We have hit the 14 month mark I don't have any stats since we don't go back to the doctor for a checkup and shots til he is 15 months old but he is growing by leaps and bounds! He has found his personality and it is just too cute. He is very laid back and goes with the flow, but when he has had it he has HAD IT and watch out! He has mastered the art of throwing him self down and screaming yes it does get quite loud at times in my house especially if both boys are throwing a fit.... So around meal times you can guarantee that someone is ready to eat right then and there and isn't having it by having to wait. BOYS and FOOD! He is still an amazing eater and has found a love for grilled cheese sandwiches and bananas he starts grinning and getting very excited if he sees any of these items. He is also still mastering by the day the art of climbing I have two monkeys and I am ALWAYS on my toes. Like I have said before there is NEVER  a dull moment in our house.

Well I am going to leave you with some pictures to look at in closing this little book out. So until next time!
Elizabeth

Santa came MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The boys playing with Daddy's new toy!

my little cheeser!



getting ready for Grampy's house!



It's my favorite time of year!

This is by far my most favorite time of the year! Family has always been extremely important to me and I always love getting to spend time with as many family members as possible during this time of year and through out the year. And now the holidays have even more meaning to me cause I have an amazing husband, and 2 handsome boys to make many new memories and traditions with! We have started one tradition of always going up to Chicago to see Brent's aunts, Uncles and Grandma the day before Christmas and Christmas Eve. Then we hop into the car Christmas Day, and then drive to Ferdinand Indiana to see the rest of Brent's family. Then spend the remaining time with his mom, dad, sister, and the boys get to play with there cousins!!! I cherish this time with family cause this is the time that Brent gets to take off an extended amount of time off of work, and the boys and I get quality time with him and get to see family that we don't get to see on a regular basis! Another tradition that we enjoy doing is going to Ice at the Gaylord it's is so much fun! We tried to go last year, but it just didn't work out. We are going to try again this year. I have to say I am pretty excited to see Ayden's face since one of his favorite movies is Shrek! The other thing that I enjoy doing is reflecting on the past year. There have been some amazing moments this past year, with Clayton learning how to roll over, crawl, walk, run, climb, and say his first words. Ayden has learned how to talk better, use better self control, show empathy towards others, jump, and being able to start understanding cause and effect, and using the potty! Brent and I have grown more and more closer together, we enjoy our time alone and date nights! We have had some ups and downs with loss of family members and having to say goodbye. We have also gained some new Members of our family as well! Looking at everything that we have been through this past year makes me so grateful and blessed with what the lord has provided us this year! We are happy, healthy, and we have two very happy children who bring us so much joy into our lives. Our lives right now seem complete and just right and it's a really good feeling! Not to say that within the next year or two we will possibly start trying again to add to our family but right now Brent and I are exactly where we want our family to be! I can't wait to see what the next year brings will Ayden be 100% potty trained? Will Clayton be potty trained? Will Ayden be in school for speech therapy? Will Clayton be talking? How big will both boys be? Will Brent and I decide we want to start trying for baby #3? I can't wait to see what the next year brings and where our 2012 chapter will take us but I know that with my husband by my side and Ayden and Clayton long for the ride the chapter will be amazing!

Elizabeth

My little monkeys!

Well the saying boys will be boys is starting to definitely stand true in this house! We are always wrestling, eating, making messes, getting dirty, and climbing on anything and everything that can be climbed on! Ayden was a late climber and just recently has really gotten good at the art of climbing he can pretty much climb to get anything that he wants and yes that means things on top of the refrigerator and cabinets in the kitchen! He will grab a bar stool and push it to where he wants to go climb up that the climb onto the counter and he then feels like the king of the world literally! He is literally another curious george! It's cute and all but it's also very exhausting due to we are having to re baby proof the kitchen cause our wonderful gate that is up you guessed right he can climb and jump over that as well! Ayden has also been a VERY good teacher to Clayton and showing him the art of climbing! Clayton can climb up on to any of the couches and he can climb up on the coffee table and then he will "jump" down which means jump on mommy! This stage is making me real nervous I know kids will climb and to things and it's all part of growing up but Clayton wants to be like his older brother sooo bad I just know he is going to hurt himself one day! Like he did on thursday night but technically it wasn't his fault it was his brothers but regardless he still ended up in the emergency room with a possible head injury! Thankfully everything with Clayton is fine and playing king of the coffee table is no longer permitted in this house but it was never permitted to begin with! I am just in shock in how fast clayton is growing up! I just hope thy I will be able to have a little bit longer before he figures out how to climb out of his crib! :) I am going to get off here but leave you with a few pictures of my monkeys who I love so much!

Clayton is one

Well we have hit the one year mark! Clayton turned one on thursday! We celebrated his birthday by going out to dinner with my dad, brother and sister in law! It was a small intimate outing that was a lot of fun! I love getting to see my brother And his wife and the boys love seeing them as well!
We had his one year check up on Friday and the poor thing got 4 shots! We also had a little hiccup that we came across at the doctor that sent us for some xrays to see what was up. Clayton while getting his legs checked the doctor noticed that his left leg is half a centimeter to a centimeter shorter than his right leg. This drew some concern since we hadn't ever noticed it before during any of his well child exams. The doctor gave me a little bit of explanation on what it could be like a dislocated hip, or developmental hip displasia, and sent us to imaging to see what the X-ray would say. The x ray came out fine so we are going to look and see what he thinks at his 15 month check up and go from there. Here are his 1 year stats:
Weight 24 lbs 69 percentile
Height 31 1/2 in 93 percentile

Saturday we celebrated Clayton's first birthday party and the theme was a Very Hungry Caterpillar! It turned out sooo cute Clayton got lots of neat toys and some pretty cute outfits as well!

All and all we had a very good weekend it was nice to get to celebrate a very special birthday I am so glad that god blessed me with such an amazing son! Til next time!
Elizabeth

11 months and now a working mommy!

I can hardly believe it Clayton is 11 months old and we will be celebrating his first birthday on October 27th! I am in shock how fast this year has flown by! He isn't a baby anymore he is a toddler! We are finally in the process of winging him off formula and this was the last week of three bottles a day! We are now dropping down to two bottles a day this week and next week to one bottle at night then after that we are done!! I can't wait either hahaha formula is sooo expensive! He is already taking a sippy cup great as well he loves throwing it down! Haha We had a dr's apptointment this past week cause I thought Clayton was getting sick I dont know his length but he weighed in at a whopping 26 pounds! Yes you read that right 26 pounds! We are wearing 18-24 month clothes and still in a size 6 shoe! We are walking and running now! It's crazy to think that this time last year I was so ready to meet this little guy and begin our adventures as a family of four! I was excited for Ayden becoming a big brother and ready for the challenges of becoming a mommy of two! A year later my heart is full of love and laughter and amazed what amazing boys god has blessed me with! I cannot wait Til we can expand our family more but right now I am content with the two I have! One day we will be a family of five maybe six we shall See!

Ayden has been showing a lot of interest of going potty and being a big boy I am so excited for this stage I cannot wait Til he is potty trained! We are slowly getting there but definitely not forcing it by no means! His speech is coming along great he is really starting to talk and say things that we can actually understand! And also starting to Use 3-4 word sentences this makes me a very proud mommy!I was very worried about him for a while there but he is now progressing and doing very well!

Now for the news.... I am now a full time mommy and a full time employee! Yes you read that right I have started working again! I am a lead two year old teacher at a preschool in Saginaw I have been there 2 weeks and fixing to start my 3rd week this coming week! I am enjoying so far but I have to admit I miss staying home with my babies especially Clayton! Ayden joins me every day at work and is enrolled in there 3 year old program and he is doing fabulous! W our first day was full of tears but after that he hasn't shed one tear since I can see him and he comes and goes says love you mommy blows kisses and leaves it's really cute when he does that! Clayton is at a in home child care with a friend of mine I went to school with and absolutely loves it there she is truly doing an amazing job with him and I know she cares for him and loves on him all the time! I am so glad that she is able to watch him for me! She will also take on ayden once she gets an opening!! I am still learning my kiddos In my class and it's still really hard since I am still learning about them and they are learning me still but everyday is gettin easier!
Well this post has turned into a novel and ayden has finally fallen asleep I have been laying with him since he hates lightning and thunder and we are habit a few storms blow through nothin major but so thankful for the rain!
Elizabeth

Long time and so much is happening!

Well it has been forever ago since I have updated this thing its been really hard to do so lately since our computer crashed and our other lap top insists that blogging isnt for it! Haha! Well lots and lots has been going on lately! Ayeden and Clayton are growing by leaps and bounds everyday and have really taken a liking to wrestling with each other! It's really quite funny Clayton will run full force and just land on Ayden and not move a muscle then ayden will flip over and sit on Clayton. They will roll around for a few minutes then be done cause someone will start crying and get upset... Oh boys will be boys! We have also found a new fascination with bugs yes gross bugs! Ayden found a water bug the other day and was carrying it around by it's antenna and came up and tried to throw it on me I jumped up and started screaming and he thought that was hilarious and chased me around the house with it laughing up a storm! I just wanted to have a heart attack! We have also moved up from a toddler bed to a big boy bed we were going to wait but ayden broke his toddler bed by jumping on it and yeah it broke thankfully we had my old full size bed in storage so he is now the proud owner of it! It was pretty bitter sweet cause I remember like if was yesterday putting his crib together and awaiting his arrival and yesterday we took it apart and converted it into a full size bed :( I have to admit a few tears were dropped over this it's just amazing to me how this baby of mine is going to be three in 5 short months! Well lots have been going on with Clayton as well he is growing and thriving more and more everyday! He has also started to run! Yes you read that right run guess that's what happens when u start walking at 8 months old.... Clayton has also found his voice he loves to scream and laugh and say mama and dada all the time! My favorite thing is him squealing in excitement and clapping his hands!! We r busy planning his 1st birthday party at the end of next month!! I am still in shock how fast this year has flown by it makes me happy but it also makes me sad! Brent is doing well we r finishing up his latest project at the will Rogers memorial center I am not going to lie though I am ready for this project to be over with I miss our weekends spent together as a family but I am just thankful that he has a job and does well at his job! Well the kiddos have decided to fight so it's back to mommy duty! Til next time.
Elizabeth

It's been a while......

Wow it has been forever since I have updated but life has been extremely busy and go go go to say the least! I am now a mommy to 2 walking kiddos and i thought ayden was the handful when it came to being busy and mobile I was wrong Clayton has taken his new found freedom and ran with it! An 8 month old walking is an adventure all within it's self and ayden trying to protect his toys from his little brother the fights are starting already! Clayton just wants to be just like his big brother and do everything that he does!! It's so cute but poor Ayden just gets sooo frustrated with him! We are still ironing out jealousy issues with ayden which they are getting better but he still isn't quite okay with the concept that Clayton is here to stay and not going anywhere else! Here are some of Clayton's stats since I haven't done one yet on him since my last post:
Wears 12-18 month clothes
Size 5 diapers
Weighs 24lbs
Walking all the time
Standing by himself with out having anything to pull up on
Has 5 teeth
Loves giggling all the time
He is my baby Goliath lol that's what I have been calling him lately and I really think the name fits him!
Ayden has been doing well in school we are finally getting lots of words out and starting to understand him more and more each passing day! That makes me feel sooo good cause I have been super worried about that! He also knows how to count to 3 and also say some of his abc's I am one proud mama Only now if he can master listening and minding we would be set! Hahaha we just recently got back from vacation from Branson Missouri and we spent quite a bit of time at silver dollar city I will admit I was pretty skeptical on how the boys would do since I didn't think they would be able to ride rides there and with the heat and by my surprise they did really well! Clayton of course couldn't ride anything but ayden was able to ride quite a bit and he had a blast he got to go on his first roller coaster and got to ride the swings, fly with dumbo, ride the rocking ship, log ride, the river rapids and he loved alll of it! I was so proud how brave he was he is Turing out to be a pretty amazing little boy!
Well I am going to get off here I will post again sometime soon since Clayton will be 9 months on the 27th so until next time!
Elizabeth

7 months old and soooo much more!

              Wow it has been a REALLY long time since I have had a chance to get on here and update life has been CRAZY busy with planning a bridal shower to getting ready for a wedding and most of all taking care of TWO little ones I really don't have a whole lot of time for myself :)! So I guess I should update you on what is going in the MacDonald house I will start off with Clayton first! 

            Well on Friday Clayton turned 7 months old! He is growing and thriving very nicely we have had some ups and downs with him this last month with ear infections and teething and a severe diaper rash I have to admit it was testing to this mommas patients! We found out at his 6 month appointment that he had an ear infection (first one for Clayton and first time for me taking care of one) and honestly I was like okay we will do the antibiotics and go on with our life little did I know that this ear infection would literally at times feel like it was going to kill me instead! I have now a pure HATRED for ear infections cause this was hopefully the first and LAST ear infection I hope to deal with as a mother! IT LASTED A MONTH......you read it right a MONTH! We went nights with only getting minimal amounts of sleep and by minimal I mean like maybe 2-3 hours tops and went to the doctor countless of times we went through 2 different kinds of antibiotics and when we got through that we went back for a check up and guess what he STILL had a double ear infection so the doctor thought it would be best to pull out the big guns and do a 3 day dose of an antibiotic shot and on the 3rd day we went in to see if the ears were clearing and to my surprise BOTH ears STILL infected! So we were referred to an ENT to see what they had to say about his ears! Thankfully they were able to get him in the next week and we went in and I am thinking hopefully by now this ear infection will be gone but to my surprise the doctor looked into his ears and he said "THEY ARE STILL INFECTED" how long has he had this and of course I said a month! he just shook his head in amazement cause he thought I was joking with him and then couldn't believe that this was the first and only ear infection he has had in his 6 months of life! So he then said we need to look into getting tubes in his ears so this Friday June 3rd Clayton is getting tubes in his ears and Hopefully this will be the last ear infection he will ever have! That took up most of his 6th month of life in dealing with this but he did hit a few milestones along the way! 

• he can sit up unsupported 
• he can pull up on anything and everything 
• stand and not hold on to anything 
• crawls all over the place
• has 4 teeth now two on top and two on bottom 
• loves eating puffies
• has figured out the TV has a on and off button and loves playing with it
• says "dada" all the time 
• has moved to his big boy car seat and LOVES it! 
• weighs in at 22 lbs and still in the 97th percentile for weight and height! looks to be around 6'5'' or 6'7'' 
• standing up comes up to Ayden's shoulders 
• eats and loves all veggies fruits and cereals 
• eats 6-8 oz bottles 
• cuddle bug!
• wears 12-18 month clothes

Clayton 7 months

           I can't believe how big he is getting it makes me really sad but soooooo excited to see the boys finally starting to interact with each other! Brent and I think it is sooo funny how Clayton is going to be bigger than Ayden and will probably be taller than him and can kick his bootie when he gets older! 

           Ayden is doing well he is all over the place and constantly moving and talking its exhausting just watching him let alone keeping up with him I WISH I had some of his energy! We started AydenAyden that is hot..... he also love to say BARNEY but sadly it comes out MARNEY! LOL we are working with him on that!  in a preschool twice a week and I have to say just in the 5 days that he has gone I have seen so much improvement in him I know that he absolutely loves going even though he screams his head off when I drop him off in the morning! But his speech is coming along and I am finally able understand some of what he is saying his favorite word right now is hot he will put his hand up to something and say hot hot hot hot and will keep saying it till I look at him and say yes

Ayden 28 months

 Being a mom to two small children is very rewarding and I love every moment of it the good and the bad and even the sleepless nights. Cause when I look at my kids faces and see the joy and love that they have it just melts me I love being their mommy! and I am soooo blessed I get to stay home and see them grow and thrive right before my eyes! My life is sooo full and sooo blessed to be around these two and getting to be home when my wonderful husband comes home from work is amazing as well I love our family time together! 

My amazing hubby and best friend!

Til next time and hopefully it wont be as long of a wait as before!

Elizabeth

HOLY COW! CLAYTON IS 6 MONTHS OLD!

              Well as hard as it maybe 6 months ago I welcomed the most handsome little boy into this world! Clayton Randall came in weighing 9lbs even and was 21 inches long, and today he has more than doubled his birth weight and at last measurement he was a whopping 27in long! I am positive he has grown by leaps and bounds and cant wait for his doctor appointment tomorrow morning to know how much he has grown and record it in his baby book! I am still in shock that he is 6 months old and the milestones that he has been hitting lately are amazing and  I am one proud mama of him thriving so well, but it makes me sad that he is already doing some things that I was sure I had a couple more months before he hit those milestones! Everyone keeps telling me he is just trying to get to that point so he can keep up with his big brother Ayden! So as most of y'all are wondering  here is what Clayton has been up to lately!

• Can crawl forwards and backwards can go anywhere in the house now 
• puts anything and everything in his mouth
• can pull up in his crib by either standing on his knees or all the way up on his feet! 
• takes 2 naps a day one in the morning for about 30 minutes or so and then a long one in the afternoon for about 3-4 hours
• sleeps all night long for about 12 hours from about 8:30-8:30
• starting to babble all the time 
• says "dada" 
• loves playing with his feet
• has 2 teeth 
• can go from a crawling position and sit up unsupported by his self 
• has tried all veggies and loved all of them 
• started the fruit trial and loves his pears, and bananas next to try is apples and peaches
• loves to laugh
• fascinated with Barney just like his big brother good for the boys not so good for mommy :(
• loves bath time and rolling over and fighting me to get his diaper on him 
• loves being naked :)
• big time mama's boy  
• Wears 12 month clothes 
• wears size 3 diapers but it wont be long til he is in size 4's probably in the next couple of weeks we will be upping his size!

 I am so excited to see what the next few months will bring a part of me thinks that he will be walking soon which in all  honesty I am not ready for I am not ready for both of my children to be mobile Ayden is a handful by himself and to add Clayton to the mix I am going to be one BUSY mama! and its also just sad to think that my baby could be toddling around soon! I will be getting on tomorrow and update with the stats from the doctor so look back! and I will also post some pics! but now the bed is calling my name so I am going to crash! 

Elizabeth

CLAYTON HAS 2 TEETH!

          Well my baby boy is growing up! He officially has TWO teeth! They made their grand appearance on April 8th! I cannot believe how fast he is growing up! It feels like just yesterday that I was laying on the OR table and hearing his cry for the first time a cry that I longed for during my hard pregnancy! Now he is going to be 6 months old on the 27th! I was joking with Brent the other day saying how SLOW last year seemed to go while I was pregnant with Clayton and that this year is SPEEDING by and since it is FLYING by we should so totally try for another! HAHAHA his face was PRICELESS! (I by no means am wanting to have another child right now!!) of course we are wanting more kids but right now I am perfectly content with the 2 amazing boys I have right now. But to see his face and him knowing I am perfectly content with the boys we have right now was just hilarious I so wish I had a camera to share that face with y'all! I am also saddened that Clayton is CRAWLING most of the time it is backwards but he is definitely getting to the point of figuring out how to crawl frontwards and also going from crawling to the sitting up position I really don't remember Ayden doing anything this fast like his little brother is. I just know that Clayton is just trying to catch up and do the things that his big brother is doing!! I am so proud of him but just not ready to have 2 MOBILE children!!!!  Ayden is like 5 kids mobile cause he is into anything and EVERYTHING the boy has no fear!

        Ayden brought me a present today while we were playing in the backyard and that was a dead possum head! I FREAKED OUT! and of course we came right in washed his hands and didn't go back outside today Brent had to go on a body hunt today when he got home from work and didn't find a thing so I am guessing Boomer had possum stew a few nights ago! Ayden is getting so big he LOVES singing songs with Barney on TV and it is sooooo cute! especially the mad song he loves to say breathe and of course his favorite word NO and then march around the room with his hands on his hips like he is mad! It is soooo funny! I cannot wait til the fall when I can enroll him into school for Mothers Day Out he needs it so bad I know that he is just getting bored at home and that's why he is acting out sooo much. I try to do activities with him but he just gets frustrated with me and shuts down and gets mad when I try and do activities with him. Some exciting things that Ayden is showing signs of is POTTY TRAINING!!!!  He isn't quite there yet but he will be soon I CANNOT WAIT he definitely knows when he is wet or dirty and loves taking his diaper off and bringing it to me and letting me know what kind of present is in there! I don't know about any of y'all who have kids and if they do this but he is FASCINATED with POOP! yes it is incredibly gross and unsanitary and just plain disgusting but the kid thinks it makes great paint. I have had many run ins with cleaning his walls, dresser, jungle gym, and TV, and giving him a nice afternoon bath after nap since he thinks its the COOLEST thing ever! I know when he gets older It will be a great way to break the ice with any girlfriends that come over to the house! haha! "you think he is cute now did you know he liked playing with his poop as a toddler" lol 

Well i feel that I am just rambling on so I am going to go but next time I blog I will be sure to post pics of the boys and give y'all Clayton's 6 month stats!! 
Elizabeth 

Ayden's ABR results

         Well first and foremost I want to be able to say after lots of prayers Ayden's hearing test or ABR came back COMPLETELY NORMAL! The first test was definitely not right! I am so glad that I trusted my motherly instincts and went ahead and let them do the sedated hearing test! I didn't want them to do it at first cause NO ONE ever wants to have to put their child asleep for something so minor if it could be prevented. I was hesitant but as a lot of you might know I suffer from hearing loss and recently it has gotten worse after I had Ayden I could tell my hearing got worse and same thing after Clayton it got worse. I started showing signs of hearing loss after I failed my 9th grade hearing test. I went to an audiologist at that point and I was diagnosed with "cookie bite" hearing loss which really means I cannot hear DEEP toned voices or things ESPECIALLY if I am in a restaurant or if there is a lot of noise around me it makes it VERY difficult to hear. So after finding out that hearing loss is a genetic thing of course I wanted to make sure that Ayden got the proper testing to make sure he hadn't gotten the gene from me and if he had we would start taking steps towards that direction like speech therapy and so fourth. I have still been advised by the audiologist that he should be seen every year to make sure that his hearing is still on track and ESPECIALLY if he hasn't started talking and getting away from his AYDENEESE :) and consult with a speech therapist. Which after a lot of thought and discussion between Brent and myself we have decided to hold off on speech therapy til Ayden is almost 3 and if he is still at the same point he is now on his speech we will go and seek professional help to get him on track with his speech for when he starts school. I am soooo incredibly thankful for all the thoughts and prayers that were given during this unknown time they were definitely felt and granted! OUR GOD IS SOOO GOOD!

       We are also in the midst of possibly making some pretty BIG decisions regarding our family here in the next couple of weeks or month. I am praying that god will show us what we need to do and with whatever happens and praying that he will show us the paths that we need to take. I would love for the prayers as well right now about this  I am not going to say what it is right now I will when I know more. Well it is late and I am extremely tired and have a lot of projects around the house to do tomorrow.
Til NEXT TIME :)
Elizabeth 

Clayton is 5 months and soooooo much more!

            Well its been a while since I have updated our blog and its not that I haven't wanted to do update its just I have been INCREDIBLY busy! My volleyball season is in full swing and I have gotten so much wonderful experience this volleyball season as a coach! I had to sit in and head coach our Houston tournament a couple of weeks ago and it was by far the most stressful and most rewarding experience I have had as a coach thus far and I am so forever thankful for that experience! We did a wonderful job that weekend we came in 1st place on Saturday in our pool and then on Sunday we won the silver bracket and came in 9th place over all! We were slated to come in 11th out of 54 teams! I was a very proud coach that tournament and I just wish our head coach Hayley could have been there with us as well it was such a FUN tournament! 

16 Elite Houston Cross Court Classic Silver Bracket Champs!

        We have also been busy helping my brother and future sister in law with renovations to there house in Nocona. They had a pipe bust in their kitchen when that real bad winter storm blew threw and caused havoc on the roads but it also caused major water damage to their house and we have been helping them gut their kitchen to get it ready for all new tile and cabinets I have to admit I am a little jealous of what how nice their kitchen is going to look once they get everything done!

       Now on to the kiddos update I am going to start off with Ayden first. 

            This past month we have finally caved on getting to the root problem of skin issues he has been having and looking at possible allergies he might have. We also have investigated into what the Doctor wanted us to look into regaurding his speech and hearing. Ayden had his first dermatology appointment the other day and it went well we have gotten some new ideas to help keep his eczema under control which has been VERY helpful!  We go back in two weeks for a quick check up! 

         Now for the hearing test results...... I took Ayden to get his hearing tested a couple weeks ago just to see how he is hearing since the doctor is concerned with some of the things that he is doing and also because he isnt putting two words together and cant really understand him yet and to rule out hearing loss and possibly do speech therapy. Well the hearing test didnt go the way I thought it would go :/ for one they put us in this sound proof room and Ayden lost it I am pretty sure he had a panic attack I could understand why cause this room we were put in was sooo tiny and more box like than any thing. we had to get him to calm down before we could start the test this lasted for a few minutes but once we got him calmed down we were able to start. This is how the test worked basically sounds would come out of the speakers that were in all four corners and if he turned and looked at the speaker it counted that he could hear that sound. That lasted a whole 3 minutes  after his melt down of him cooaperating and then he decided he wanted to have nothing of it. So the test came back inconclusive but with what they had gotten it did show some hearing loss and that was concerning to them since I have had hearing problems since I was a child and my hearing loss has gotten worse here recently. So we are scheduled for a sedated hearing test this coming Tuesday to see how signifacant his hearing loss is or if he really does have hearing loss. I am praying that he doesn't have hearing loss but if he does we will manage cause I know he can hear.

        Clayton's 5 month update! 

             Well we have embarked on Clayton's 5 months of life and I have to say its been the most rewarding 5 months ever! I had to take Clayton to the Doctor the other day since he has had a cough for about a week and I was SHOCKED when we took him to the scale and weighed him! Clayton at 5 months weighs in at 19 lbs 10oz! I am not sure how long he is because it wasnt that kind of appointment but I was and still am SHOCKED on how big he is! To put it this way Clayton weighs a little less than 9lbs from what Ayden weighs! We have started table foods with Clayton and thankfully as of right now we have had no signs of food allergies! This is what we have tried right now

• Rice cereal 
• Oatmeal cereal 
• Sweet Potatoes 
• Squash

We will be starting Carrots tomorrow! So far he has liked EVERYTHING I have given him! Now on to the thing with Clayton that is really BLOWING my mind away.... He is CRAWLING......yes you read that right Clayton is crawling at 5 months old! He hasn't grasped the concept of crawling forward but he is crawling backwards! On all fours pushing up and going I keep telling him that I am NOT ready for him to be mobile having one child into everything right now as it is I was hoping I would at LEAST have a couple more months of Clayton being a NON mobile child but it looks like this is not going to be the case as much as I want it to be that way its just not! But I am still extremely proud of him!

      Well that is pretty much everything that has been going on I am so sorry this blog is so long and more like a book but I guess this is what happens when you dont update frequently! As I get off here are some pics of Brent and I and the boys :) Hope yall enjoy! :)

Brent and I in Houston

Confused on why Ayden had a panic attack at his hearing test cause that room was definitely not as small as this box!

My sweet baby munchkin @ 5 months

Elizabeth

Clayton is 4 months old!

    Well as hard as it may seem Clayton has hit the 4 month mark! I keep thinking where oh where is the time going didn't I have him yesterday? LOL! I also think the exact same thing about Ayden as well didn't he just get here! I guess the saying is true when time will fly when you are having fun! Having fun is exactly what happens every day in our house hold good or bad, happy or sad, there is never a dull moment in our house and something is always happening here and we are always on the go! We are more on the go when Brent and I are both home then when we are home alone with the two boys! Being out numbered in a public place= NO FUN what so ever! Well on Sunday Clayton turned 4 months and we introduced rice cereal to him and he LOVES it! Tomorrow we are going to start on oatmeal and see how he does so far sooooo good! We had a busy Monday with Doctor visits for both boys and we were very suprised at where both boys where at percentile wise for weight and height! Ayden came in at 28lbs and is 35in long and in the 75 percentile in weight and height! Clayton on the other hand came in at a whopping 18lbs 4oz and is 27in and is in the 97th percentile for weight and height! CRAZY I know I still find it hard to believe that! But the scale doesnt lie we are just going to have a linebacker on our hands! We keep telling Ayden to watch out cause Clayton will probably be able to kick his bootie when he gets a little bit bigger! Clayton this month has also hit a few milestones and is thriving nicely! While we were at the doctor's office we were talked to about how Ayden is talking but isnt quite talking the way he should be so we where referred to an audiologist and a speech therapist. I am not worried but we need to make sure that Ayden hasnt gotten my hearing genes cause I have a cookie bite hearing loss that they have said that I had since I was born, and as I have gotten older has gotten worse I need hearing aids but I just cant bring myself to get them. I also think that Ayden is a lazy talker as well I am optimistic that he is fine and just developing a little bit later than normal! 

   Brent has started his new project at the Will Rogers Memorial Center in downtown Fort Worth and I have to say its nice for him to call me and tell me he is on his way home and not be here an hour later! The project is just kicking off and he should be on site here in the next week or so. 

     My volleyball season has been absolutely full of fun! Our team is absolutely amazing they make my job as a coach fun and definitely rewarding! We are playing in a tournament next weekend in Houston and we are super excited to see how we do! We also got on to the NTR website and found out we are ranked #42 in the region! YAY GIRLS! 

   Well its getting late and I am having to get up SUPER early to be at a tournament so I am going to close this blog with some milestones that clayton has hit! 

• we have started eating cereal
•  he is sleeping almost 13 hrs at night and takes about a 2hr nap during the day and a couple of cat naps in between! 
• he is in a size 3 diaper 
• he is wearing size 6-9 month clothes and some 12 months (yes you read that right!)
• he is giggling all the time 
• loves "talking"
• has started playing in his exasaucer
• can sit supported for a few minutes 
• rolling over from tummy to back and back to tummy 
• has found his feet 
• loves chewing on his hands

Elizabeth

Offically a mommy of a TWO year old!

We have enjoyed a wonderful weekend celebrating Ayden's 2nd birthday! We had a wonderful time partying yesterday with all of our family and friends! Ayden loves all his presents that were given to him and mommy is excited for all the wonderful new clothes that he has gotten! We are extremely excited to announce that Ayden is going to start school here soon! My dad has agreed to pay for him to go to a mother's day out program two days a week! I am going to be going by tomorrow to see if I can register him in it! All in all yesterday was a wonderful day! Ayden also loved his Elmo themed party! Brent also made his cake again this year and I have to say it was a HUGE hit! I also have to add he is pretty talented when it comes to decorating cakes just like his sister Leah! Here is Ayden's Elmo cake......

 
                               Ayden blowing out his candles

       Ayden thought that this morning the thing to do to ring in his actual birthday was a trip to the emergency room! Ayden has a very bad fascination with tobacco products we were rushed at 13 months by ambulance to Cook's down town for a nicotine overdose and at 13 months got his stomach pumped! Well today thankfully he didn't have to get his stomach pumped, and we didn't have to call an ambulance to come get him we were just observed for 3 hours since he didn't get a whole lot of nicotine in his system since it was chewing tobacco that he got into! and thankfully we got there when no one else was there so we didn't have to wait to be seen! Here is a picture of Ayden while being observed!

        While we were in the Emergency room we got a phone call from my dad and he informed us that my grandfather passed away this morning in his sleep. We are truly sadden by his passing but also knowing that he is with my grandmother the love of his life and has his mind back since Alzheimer's took it from him a few years ago! Tomorrow we are heading to the doctor for Ayden's two year checkup and also Clayton's 4 month check up I am soooo interested to see how much Clayton weighs and also how long he is all and all he is a BIG boy! The thing that is going to stink about tomorrow is that both boys are going to get shots i hate that but that's what keeps them healthy and safe! Here is a picture of Clayton at 4 months old he finally got a chance to try some cereal tonight he is growing up sooooo fast! 

                                         Clayton 4 months old!

I will post more tomorrow about Clayton's stats and some milestones that he is hitting right now! But right now I think its time to call it a night its been a very long and emotional day here in our house! 
Elizabeth