Taylor turns THREE!!!!

Taylor turned 3 on August 19, 2011! She had a wonderful birthday... my parents were in town from GA (they stayed through the weekend so they could be here for her party!) and Scott took her birthday off so we could all spend the day together. We gave her several options that she could do on her birthday... and she chose to get a manicure / pedicure and to have lunch at Moe's :) So that morning we gave her our gift from us (a new Barbie Jeep), went to the nail salon to get her mani/pedi, had lunch at her favorite restaurant-MOE'S! And then that night we grilled hamburgers & hotdogs and had Scott's parents come over as well. They also had Carlie with them (Tay's cousin) so her and Taylor enjoyed driving the Jeep all evening :)

It is so hard to believe that she is already 3 years old!!! It seems like just yesterday that I was in the hospital having her. She starts preschool next week.... and her 3 yr check-up is next week as well!!!!~ :)

Her birthday present from Mommy & Daddy!! ~ a Barbie Jeep! (:

Just waking up and finding her birthday present!

Reading her bday card and discovering her stickers!

Skylar wanted to try out the Jeep too ;)

Chilling in the Jeep with her favorite Baby Doll

In her "Birthday Girl" shirt & hairbow Mommy made Her and Carlie driving the Jeep!

Birthday Pedicure

Getting her Mani / Pedi!!

Blowing out the candles on her "pink cake" Mommy made for her :)

Rolly Polly Skylar :-)

Yesterday was an exciting day for miss Skylar!! She started napping in her crib (instead of her swing!) and learned to fall asleep all on her own :) Plus she started rolling from her tummy to her back!!!! And then she swang on the swingset when we went outside to play last night. She LOVED the swing.... she was so relaxed... I think she would have fallen asleep in it :)

Here are some pics from her momentous day (:

BTW, the transition from swing to crib was SO EASY with her..... she falls asleep after about 5 minutes of crying and gives me NO problems!!! I am so pleased with how EASY it was! I was so worried about making her "cry it out" but it really was easy! Thank goodness!!!!

Ready, Set......

ROLL!!!!

Swinging on the swingset for the first time!!

Bedtime & Naptime Battles. OH WHAT FUN!!!

I have to admit....up until now things have been pretty easy for me as a Mommy. As a baby, Taylor began sleeping 12+ hours straight through at night at only 6 weeks old and never woke in the night unless she was really sick. We've never had any problems with her sleeping until just recently. She has begun waking at all hours of the night crying & screaming for no apparent reason. And she will NOT go back to sleep until we finally let her sleep with us. (which until now we have not done at ALL except for when we are traveling) We have tried EVERYTHING imaginable to stop the night wakings and nothing is helping. I am really hoping it is "just a phase" and that this phase passes quickly. Skylar still wakes one time a night to eat and then goes right back to sleep until 7 or 8. So that isn't too bad. But the main problem I am having with her is the fact that she fights sleep SO bad that it is nearly impossible to get her to sleep. Up until now she has taken most of her naps in her swing b/c she falls asleep easily in that and if she wakes up after a short nap the swing lulls her back to sleep. But the beloved swing stopped working the other day so ever since then my days have been quite hectic trying to get her to sleep for naps!! She also seems so much more ALERT these days like she's just so interested in her surroundings to be bothered with naps ;) So, since the swing stopped working I guess it is time to start teaching her how to fall asleep on her own. This is going to be incredibly hard for ME b/c i just hate to hear babies cry. But I know this is a very important lesson for them to learn and the earlier they learn it the better it will be. I tried to make her "cry it out" last night but only lasted about 7 minutes before I gave in and rocked her to sleep. Usually she won't really even fall asleep with you rocking her but she was so exhausted from not napping well that she went to sleep with no problems as I rocked her. Then this morning I decided to let her "cry it out" again..... After several attempts she FINALLY went to sleep ON HER OWN and in her crib for the very first time. :) :) Hopefully I can do this for all of her naps and then at night as well. Now..... if I could only figure out how to fix Taylor's night-time troubles maybe I could be back on the path of being well-rested!!! This mommy is so TIRED of the sleepless nights!!! :)

Birthday Planning~ :)

I've been so busy planning & getting ready for Taylor's birthday that I haven't posted in awhile! Her 3rd birthday is this Friday (August 19th) and we are having her party on Sunday. I asked her what she wanted to do on her birthday and gave her some choices (which included things like: going to the Disney store, Chuck-E-Cheese, etc..) but she chose to get a pedicure. LOL!! I don't know many 3 year olds that would choose to get her nails done over those other choices ;) But that is typical Taylor.... always girly!!! So we are planning on taking her to get a pedi, going to Moes for lunch since that is her FAV! Then having some fam over to grill out that night and have cake & ice cream. She also requested a "pink cake" and "pink ice cream" LOL!

For her party, it is going to be a cowgirl theme! We are renting a pony, bunny, and baby chicks, and it is a pink western theme! I am hoping and praying that it does not rain that day b/c then our plans will be ruined for sure!!! I cant believe she is going to be 3 already!!!!

Myrte Beach Trip (7.26.11 - 7.31.11)

Our latest trip to Myrtle Beach, SC was July 26-31. We had a lot of fun and it was nice to be able to stay longer than just the weekend like our last trip! The beginning of the week we stayed in a condo at a Golf Resort.... it was really nice, 2 bedroom/2 bath, and over-looked the golf course (which Scott LOVED!) The first day it rained so we took Taylor to 'Wee Jump', an indoor inflatable jump center. Then that evening went to the mall. The next day we went to the pool, Scott played golf, and then went to the beach that evening after eating dinner at a restaurant on the beach. We checked out of that place on Friday, spent the day at the mall, and then checked into a hotel on the beach, Cabana Shores, where some friends of our's were staying with us at! Our neighbors (Amanda & Jeff) have a daughter that is 6 weeks younger than Taylor and a son that is 6 weeks younger than Skylar. Scott & Jeff played golf while Amanda and I hung out on the beach with the kids :) We ended the weekend at Broadway at the Beach before heading home on Sunday. It was a fun trip and we were glad to be able to enjoy it with some friends!! :)

Skylar's 4 Month Appt!

Skylar had her 4 month well-check on July 27th. Her appt went great and she is growing right on track!

Weight: 14.5 lbs (70%)

Length: 24.25 in (50%)

And her head circumference was 50% as well.

She had 3 immunizations, and she did really well... only cried for about 2 seconds :)

I cannot believe she is already 4 months old!!! She is growing way too fast!

I also started her on baby oatmeal a few days ago.... she still isn't too sure what to think about it!! Hopefully she will get the hang of eating off of the spoon soon! I plan on starting her on veggies & fruits when she is 5 months old :)

Skylar is 4 Months Old!! :)

Miss Skylar is 4 months old today! She is growing so fast... it seems like just yesterday I was in the hospital having her!!! She has been such a wonderful baby so far.... she naps great, eats well, and sleeps well at night for the most part! She still wakes up around 4am to eat, but then goes back to sleep until around 8. I am HOPING she drops that 4am feeding soon :) She usually takes about 3 or 4 naps during the day, and they usually are 1-2 hours long. She has a bottle about every 3 hours and usually takes 3-5 oz. She smiles ALL the time, coos, she can hold her toys now, and she can grab her toes. She also laughed for the first time last week! Her 4 month well-check is tomorrow.... I am excited to see how much she weighs now and once we get back from our beach trip I am excited to start trying some baby food! So exciting :-)

Gatlinburg, TN trip

We had a great time in Gatlinburg last week. Scott had to go there for work so this time the girls and I decided to go with him. We've been able to do that several times and we always have a blast when we are there. Scott worked during the days, so the girls and I just had fun exploring Gatlinburg & Pigeon Forge, going to petting zoos, shopping, and enjoying the hotel pool. And then in the evenings while Scott was off we enjoyed the MANY restaurants there, went to tons of archades, rode go-carts, let Tay ride ponies, and feed yet MORE animals (her absolute FAVORITE thing to do!) If you have a trip to Gatlinburg in the future I highly recommend these places: Deer Farm Exotic Petting Zoo, Wild Woody (has lots of kiddie rides, carousel, train, go-carts, bumper boats, archade, etc.), the Hard Rock Cafe in downtown Gatlinburg, Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant in Pigeon Forge, Old Mill Restaurant in the Old Mill District, and of course the Gatlinburg Aquarium of the Smokies. :) Scott has to travel back there this weekend, so I am trying to decide if the girls and I will be joining him again??? :)
Here are some pics from our trip last week:

Riding go-carts with Daddy (we FINALLY talked him into it!!!)

Feeding Goats :-)

Riding Ponies (:

swimming @ hotel pool

riding go-carts with mommy :)

riding the swings

Riding the carousel

Feeding apples to the Reindeer!

Feeding the huge camel!

Petting the deer!

Feeding the zebra!

Taylor picking up baby goats at the Petting Zoo

Scott & Skylar in downtown Gatlinburg

Scott & Taylor @ Hard Rock in Gatlinburg

4th of July Weekend!~

We had a very busy and FUN 4th of July Weekend!! Scott had been in TN that week working and came home on Saturday afternoon. So the girls and I went to the park Saturday morning to play and have a picnic lunch. Then that evening we had some friends & family over to grill & do fireworks. On Sunday, Scott and his friend Jeff went to play golf and when they got home the plan was that they were going to watch the kids while my friend Amanda and I went to get pedicures.... but of course when I told Taylor where I was going that afternoon she asked if she could go too. I've been wanting to take her to get a pedi anyways, so I told her if she was on her very best behavior she could come with us. She did SO well the entire time and absolutely LOVED getting her first manicure AND pedicure :) She is already ready to go back and have it done again. LOL! Then that night we went to Lake Benson Park in Garner for their annual fireworks show. Some friends of our's -Josh & Holly- and their 3 girls came with us and so did Scott's sister April, her boyfriend Paul, and our neice Carlie. It was a lot of fun just hanging out in the Park waiting for the fireworks show. On Monday, the 4th, we went to the pool for several hours..... then that night we grilled steaks with Scott's parents, & grandparents.... it was a relaxing end to a VERY BUSY weekend! :) Here are some pics from the weekend :


Some pictures from the Park:

She looked like a little Sailor Baby ;-)

Happy Baby

my SWEET girls

Taylor's FIRST Mani / Pedi :-)

@ the Garner Fireworks!

Mommy & Skylar :)

Scott & Skylar at Garner Fireworks

All of the girls at the Garner Fireworks

Whitney, Emersyn, Taylor, & Kyndall

Napping in Mommy's arms at the pool

Scott & Skylar relaxing by the pool

Scott & I at the pool

Having fun at the pool on the 4th!

Taylor @ the Pool, ready to swim :)

The girls @ Nana & Papa's on the 4th

Skylar @ Nana & Papa's House for a july 4th cook-out