Happy Birthday

Happy 30th birthday Kimberly!! This past weekend we headed to Tomball to meet up with my sweet girlfriends to celebrate Kimberly's birthday. This seems so cliche, but really, it seems like we just graduated from high school and we're trying to figure out which dress to wear to prom. Since then, we've been college roommates, had our own short-lived "breakup" (it's never a good idea to live with your best friend - it's better in theory) shared college graduations, were maid of honor in each other's wedding, and we both welcomed our first born and 2nd born just 6 weeks short of each other. It was a sweet season to share as we were both pregnant at the same time, although I had to go first both times. Not fair. Afterwards, I've so enjoyed sharing stories and milestones our babies are going through since both sets are just about the same age. Who could've planned it that way? What a gift she is to me and I am so thankful that I can call her my friend. Happy birthday sweet friend. I look forward to sharing another 30 years with you and raising our babies together.

To celebrate her birthday, we met up for a rare opportunity with Keri, Abby and Jamie at SaltLick Steakhouse. I can't remember how long it's been since we've all been together. Super sad, but Keri jetted out of there before we pulled out the camera. Luckily, we've got a girls' weekend planned in March, just us girls, to celebrate all of our birthdays together.





Toby and Abby











Me and Corey

The girls minus one

All about me

Rules
1. You can only use one word.
2. Pass this along to six of your favorite bloggers.
3. Alert them that you have given them this award.
4. Have fun!

The Survey:
1. Where is your cell phone? kitchen
2. Your hair? curly
3. Your mother? gift
4. Your father? balding
5. Your favorite food? cereal
6. Your dream last night? eventful
7. Your favorite drink? tea
8. Your dream/goal? servitude
9. What room are you in? living
10. Your hobby? crafts
11. Your fear? loss
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Selma
13. Where were you last night? home
14. Something that you aren't? tall
15. Muffins? blueberry
16. Wish List Item? cricut
17. Where did you grow up? Tomball
18. Last thing you did? sat
19. What are you wearing? jammies
20. Your TV? football
21. Your pets? obsolete
22. Friends? treasure
23. Your life? abundant
24. Your mood? anxious
25. Missing someone? yes
26. Vehicle: soccer
27. Something you're not wearing: contacts
28. Your favorite store? Lobby
29. Your favorite color? black
30. When was the last time you laughed? Cayden
31. Last time you cried? Thursday
32. Your best friend? Brown
33. One place that I go over and over? refrigerator
34. One person who emails me regularly? FB
35. Favorite place to eat? Olive

So there it is...me in 35 words. Copy and fill in if you dare.

I created this post several weeks ago, but never posted it. That's how I roll sometimes, you know, getting distracted by my sweet babies and sometimes things just don't get all the way done. Well, here you are. We didn't get to dress the kids up for Holloween since they were both sick. Cayden was going to be Thomas the Train and Mckinley, well, I had a shirt and socks to match. I know, not very exciting. So, we hung around the house and therefore, there are no cute pictures this year. But, we did visit the pumpkin patch in town, so we did get to celebrate October in this way. We picked out a beautiful, big pumpkin that I didn't carve this year because it seemed a crime to destroy it prematurely. Just a few days ago though, Corey and I cut it open to retrieve the seeds. With a little help from my sweet friend, Amy, they turned out great. You can only eat a few at a time though....

Everyday Moments

Just a few everyday moments around the Wheeler home. Like most homes, there's never a quiet moment and we stay super busy. Mckinley is almost sitting now, but otherwise, she's a rolie polie olie and can be found rolling all over the floor. I may put her down in one spot, and within minutes, she's across the room. Up till now, she's been stationary, so Cayden will have to adjust even more to his little sister.


"Hold ju"



Playing with animals



Daddy, you are so funny.



So beautiful as she sleeps...milk dreams




Just got her 6 month shots. She weighed 18 lbs 8 oz.



Reading a book with Uncle Marcus





On our way to James and Keely's wedding.

On the road again...

We've gotten into this routine that when Corey gets home, we eat (almost immediately), clean up and get dressed to head out for a walk. Cayden talks about a walk nearly all day long. Are you ready for lunch? "Walk." Let's go change that diaper. "Walk." He's relentless about it, so it's hard for us to say otherwise. Besides, by this time of the day, we could all use some time out doors. Brent and Candice let us borrow their double stroller, and besides it being heavy, we love it. The kiddos fit perfectly and it works out great for us. Although, Cayden has learned to outsmart the straps, so that occasionally becomes a struggle. I hate to think of what it'll be like when the time changes. Can we walk in the dark? Wish we had street lamps at least....



Takin' a stroll!



"Hi sister"

Suburban Farmers

Thank you Lord for the rain. I know that it's not real convenient getting out and around when it's raining, but I am truly rejoicing. Our water restrictions are easing up and of course, our grass is growing, or rather our weeds are flourishing. One of Corey's favorite things to do is "play" in the yard. He seems to always find things to do or mess with outside. I appreciate that he enjoys doing those things because I'm not about it. For the most part, our yard has been a big dirt pile of a mess. Looking at our neighbor's yards, ours is in really bad shape. How come we have so much dirt? In addition to dirt, we've got stickers and patches of weeds. I'm not so sure Cayden even knows what grass is. Anywho, I'm grateful for the rain and that our yard is now green. With that, comes mowing. One of Cayden's favorite things is a tractor. We had a lot of construction on our road, and for a while, he would look for them and get terribly excited to see them. For whatever reason, this day was the first time he was on the tractor. Oh yeah, we didn't do much mowing all summer, so this was one of the few days Corey mowed. Corey took Cayden up and down our street. Somewhat uneventful, but for him, totally thrilling. Hopefully he'll have many more times to ride the tractor. Bring on the rain!!!

Go Longhorns!!

When Cayden was born, my brother Michael got him this jersey; it's a 2T. He's just recently been able to wear it and the day we remember to put it on him, UT doesn't even play that Saturday. Go figure! Nonetheless, we were decked out and looking cute. I know, we should be wearing maroon, for Texas State that is, but really, we go for UT every time. He's stocky enough to be a ball player, but I say, "no way, no football for him."






Matthew got this one for Mckinley when she was born; it's size is 6 months and clearly, she's busting out. She won't be able to wear it much longer, but I can always count on my brothers to keep them in the right gear!










I don't know how many pictures I took to get just the right one when they'd both be looking at the camera. Getting them to smile is just too much to ask, at least at the same time!











What most of my pictures look like...

Cayden does his nails

Cayden can't help but go through everything ...nothing is off limits, even my nail bag. The poor guy spends most of his day watching me, which obviously includes jewelry, makeup, lotion, lipstick (which I do share my chapstick and blush brush), and now my nail stuff. I sat on the floor that evening and filed and painted my nails and toes. Of course, much to Corey's dismay, he mimicked everything I did. I, on the other hand, thought it was super cute. I didn't however paint his toes, but I did allow him to play with my tools in the bag. It was all very new, so he took the whole experience seriously. Corey thinks that
he'll never be able to be the president with
these pictures in circulation. I'm Ok with that -
these pictures are totally worth it!


Notice the intensity on his face. Car goes down, nail polish in hand. Get to work!












What else is in here? Any snacks?

Mckinley

Mckinley is nearly 5 months old. I'm pretty sure I was just 5 months pregnant. Sometimes I think back and wonder if I missed anything during these past few months. Now that I have two kiddos, juggling could quite possibly be my new occupation. Cayden is such high maintenance that I sometimes feel bad that I'm not spending enough time with her. It's as though I nurse her and then have to put her down to tend to her brother. Luckily, Cayden is patient enough, enough for a two year old, to "allow" me to nurse easily. She's so easy going and seems content just about anywhere. Cayden entertains her without him even knowing it. She just giggles and laughs at nearly anything he does. Starting next Tuesday, Cayden will begin Mother's Day Out, so Mckinley and I will have some time together. Although it's super hard sometimes, I'm thoroughly enjoying this season with my babies for I know that it'll be over before I know it. I just need to learn to slow down and give even more hugs and kisses. You should too!!


Mckinley had a blowout and ruined her clothes. Enough said...she's still in a diaper. :)
So instead of changing her into new clothes, knowing a bath was just beyond the horizon, she joined us on the kitchen table as we ate dinner. It's practically tradition for her to sit with us on the table while we eat and she entertains us with giggles. I see three rolls just in her tummy and several on each arms. I love it!!






This is Mckinley once we got home from the doctor's office for her 4 month shots. She weighed 17lbs and 7 oz. I forget her length, but seriously, we're all wondering about her weight, so there it is. At this age, she looks just like Cayden did, especially the matching chin. Thanks daddy!

Cayden's new playground!!

For Cayden's 2nd birthday, his grandma got him a playground for the back yard. Since we live out of town, he didn't have anything really to play on. Although it's super hot, we have been able to head out back to play a few times. I'm looking forward to the Fall when we can truly appreciate his gift. I'm even a little excited about it. It won't be too long before both Cayden and Mckinley will be playing on it together. Thanks to Uncle Matt, the project went smoothly and was completed within the weekend!!


Goofing off on the job!!!

Just a swingin'!!!

Cayden's 2nd Birthday!!!

Cayden turned 2 on July 11th. We headed to Tomball to celebrate with family and a few friends. I can't even begin to put into words how quickly time flies. We all know it, but really, it's sad how quickly your babies grow up. Although the main reason we all came together was to celebrate Cayden, it was also sweet for everyone to get to spend some time together. Michael and his girlfriend, now fiance, Katie, recently got engaged, so seeing them was a real treat. We're all super thrilled for them and look forward to her being our new sister.


My aunt Irene and uncle Michael have the perfect home for a birthday party. We swam, ate, and played games all day. I personally really enjoyed the whole day with my family and friends. Here Cayden is on top of their rockwall that later turned into a fabulous jumping spot.


Cayden in his swimming "getup"


Cody and Lizzie Riedel and Corey and Cayden


Grandma and Mckinley



I'm pretty happy with the way our cake turned out. It was a group effort, mainly run by Emily, but input was gathered from Matthew, Michael, Mom and Katie. Mom had the 'great idea' to make a cupcake cake ourselves. "It'll be fun," she said. Well, after 4 trips to the store and waiting until 9pm the night before, we set out to make this cake. We wanted it to be a dump truck, and I think we succeeded. Emily did a great job making the cake and managing all the "bakers" in the kitchen. Yes mom, it was a great idea.





Happy Birthday Cayden!!!





Tickle torture Cayden!! Somehow Michael is able to play and hold Mckinley at the same time!




Ok, Cayden is almost 3...or so it seems. It'll be here soon.

July 4th weekend!!

So, it's still sinking in that Corey is off for such holidays as July 4th and what timing too. Before we had kids, he was always working miserable hours and consequently left me alone on such fun holidays. This year Corey's dad headed our way and we spent the weekend with him and the other Wheelers, aka Brent, Candice, Noah and Haley. Although there were no actual fireworks involved, I appreciated the extra day off, time with family and celebrating with lots of eating.


Noah in the background with Corey and Cayden.



Friday we headed to the YMCA pool for some swimming. Mckinley didn't make it in, but she came dressed to impress. The rest of the day included lunch at Bill Millers, naptime and then we went over to Brent's house for dinner.


Grandpa, Brent, Noah and Haley during swim break.



Boys...enough said!!



When the Wheeler boys get together, there always seems to be horseplay involved. It's just a matter of time before Haley and Mckinley are in there too!!



Not sure if that's fair!!!


Sweet cousins... Noah and Cayden. Cayden just loves Noah and he almost daily asks for "Wowa." Noah brings out the fun, silly side of him and I'm so grateful that his cousin plays such a big role in his life.