Princess Camp

We decided not to do swimming lessons this summer for Braelyn so when I saw that the local theater was putting on a Disney Princess Camp, I knew that would be the thing for her. The problem was that it was for ages 5-7. I didn't think she would get much out of the camp for 3-5 yrs olds and I felt like she would be able to keep up with the older girls and not be disruptive so I decided to sign her up anyway. I told her when we went to register that she should not tell them she was actually 4. This started a month long conversation about truth and lies, which I still feel guilty about, and I found myself worrying when she would tell everyone that, "I'm going to Princess Camp, and I can't tell them I am 4." She even began to ask in her prayers that she would not tell anyone she wasn't 5. She didn't like that I wouldn't be staying with her (even though she asks me to drop her off at random places all the time) but we talked about how much she loves making new friends and that there would be lots of fun activities for her to do. The first morning came and we each said good-bye feeling a little nervous. Berkley was so confused and kept looking at Braelyn's car seat and asking, "Where Baelyn? Where sister?" She did not like being by herself, but grocery shopping was so much easier with just one. I picked Braelyn up expecting her to have had the best time ever but she was a little quiet and probably a little overwhelmed. She told me a girl had pushed her when she didn't go the right way, and again I tried to find the right thing to say to make her feel better without calling the little girl a brat (I am not ready to handle her going to school yet, and not being able to keep her safe) but as soon as she told me about it she seemed to feel better and began to tell me all about her day. They had saved a unicorn from the mean guy and had started to learn the princess dance and made crowns and wands. The next morning I worried she wasn't wanting to be there but when we got to the lobby she saw a little girl on the stairs who seemed very upset and she walked right up to her, told her her name and sat down by her. She makes me so proud when she sees someone elses' need and tries to be a nice person. We had also seen another little girl at the pool, so Braelyn found she had more friends to see when she got there. She seemed to be more comfortable that day and was excited to go for the rest of the week. We had a great time picking which princess outfit she would wear every day and she practiced her dance all over the house. Berkley began to feel a little left out when we would have to leave in the morning and one day before we left she went and got a Cinderella outfit on. She marched to the front of the line and cried when I had to take her out with me. I think she thought if she got dressed up then she would be able to stay. Some ladies from an accounting office on the street saw how sad she was and came out to tell her she looked so adorable in her costume. During the week we were invited to a tea party with our little girls. I had a friend watch Berkley, so I got to go and have a fun date with Braelyn. We had cookies that the girls had frosted themselves and then they had some princesses' come in for a visit and pictures with the girls. The last day the girls put on a little show for all of the families. Kevin was able to come over from work and I felt very "parently" as we got out the camera and proudly watched each little twirl and step she took on the stage. They let each girl use the microphone and tell everyone her name and her favorite princess. Braelyn was the 2nd to last and after all the worry and discussion about not letting them know she was too young she grabbed the mike and announced, "I'm Braelyn Allred. My favorite princess is Tiana. And I'm 4 years old." I guess the guilt was too much for her to handle and she had to confess! She was adorable doing her dance and added a few steps for flair. We each gave her a rose after she was finished and I think she felt like royalty. She waved and blew kisses to everyone we passed on the street. I'm glad she didn't give up when she was a little scared because she would have missed out on so much fun. She is definitely our little princess!

Father's Day Weekend

I got the best present this Father's Day when my Dad was able to come visit for the weekend! We are so lucky that our parent's travel which has afforded us many visits while we have lived far away. He was able to drive up Friday from Florida in between 2 weeks of work. As soon we told Braelyn he was coming for a visit she began to pray each night and morning that he would know how to find our house and could travel safely to see us. I definitely got a little tired of telling her which day it was and trying to explain how many more days would pass until he got here and they were bouncing off the walls waiting on Friday. There were lots of hugs once he got here but he made the mistake of saying Munga so the first hour Berkley kept asking him "Where Munga?" I think she must believe they are a package deal. He brought the girls a bubble machine so we pumped up the air mattress and let the girls bounce around and get the bubbles until Berkley took a nose dive off the edge and bumped her head, then we decided we better put them on the floor. Braelyn was so excited to have Papa stay in her room with her and insisted he do everything for her, read her story, help her with her pajamas, he had to do it all. After he read her story she snuck over and climbed onto his air mattress so each night we had to carry her back into her bed.

We took him to Splash, our waterpark, the next day. It was a very hot and crowded day, so I was thrilled to have someone else to help chase the girls around. Braelyn loved showing him all the new swimming things she has learned and jumped to him over and over again. Berkley didn't want him to take her into the water but as soon as he would get too far away she would insist that I followed him and stayed close. He was tireless in playing with them and I worried we were going to wear him totally out. After we swam we showed him the bridge where we feed the turtles then headed home for naps and cooling off. Braelyn told him she would take a nap so he read her some stories but as soon as he would quiet down she would yell, "Wake up!" He definitely didn't get any rest. He treated us to dinner that night and we even stopped at the park, where we could barely stand the heat if we stayed in the shade. That night the men had to fix a huge hole I had put in our garage ceiling when I stepped through the drywall. I was so glad someone was there to help Kevin because that meant I didn't have too! It was so hot I think they had both lost 20 lbs from sweating so much by the time they were finished, but they were able to get it finished. It just wouldn't be a visit from Dad if we didn't have a project we needed help with.


Sunday was a busy day as usual, but we were able to give both Dads their gifts before church. We did the more sentimental route this year and I took Braelyn to a pottery shop where she picked a piece for each of them and we painted them together. She was excited to show them what she had made. At church Braelyn sang the Father's Day song with the primary and I can't get over how much I love seeing her up there. After the meeting she told the song leader she was nervous to go up there but when she her she helped her to not be afraid. When she came back to the bench she hugged Daddy then loudly exclaimed, "I love you Papa!" We did a big southern dinner that afternoon, as chicken fried steak in Kevin's favorite, and before we knew it was time for Papa to leave. Braelyn gave him a guilt trip and said "It is Father's Day, dad's shouldn't leave, they should stay with their families always." Ohhh, nothing like a child to pull at your heart strings. It was such a wonderful weekend, it is amazing how great just being with your family can do for your psyche, it does so much too pep us up. I love having someone else around who thinks my kids are as neat as I do and takes so much joy from being with them. And it never hurts to have someone else to hear, "Watch me, look here, play this..." I wish the visit could last longer, and the downside is that they always have to leave, but now the countdown is on until we go home for our long vacation. Thank you so much for visiting Dad, you are welcome anytime you get the chance, thank you for your love and support, I couldn't ask for a better father!

Boing, Boing, Boing!

Our friends had a trampoline that their kids had outgrown and we were lucky enough to snag. The girls have had a great time being able to go outside and jump around. Before Berkley could say trampoline she would run up to me and ask, "Boing, boing?" Which meant she wanted to go out and jump. One afternoon I took the camera to try and get some pictures of them doing tricks so this is what I got:

Braelyn jumping around like crazy.

Berkley joined her, and the games begin.

"Let's play a game. I will jump over you!" This is when my Mom radar started with a little beep, but I outweighed the possibility of maybe getting hurt with the sure screams that would ensue if I stopped the game, and decided to stay quiet and hope for the best.

"Berkley, jump over me." First she ran to one side,
then to the other, and then it was back to "Fine, I will jump over you."

But at the last second Berkley decided she didn't want to do that either. Too bad the leg was already flying over and she got a knee to the noggin.

And I wished I had listened to the beep in my head, as this game ended as most do, with my 2 and 4 year old, in tears.

But the memories are short-term and we have been jumping happily since!

Playin' in the rain

One of the things we have learned to love here in Georgia is the rain storms. They come in quickly and since it's warm and humid they are fun to be outside in. It is really beautiful to see the rain drops coming down through the trees, and our yard looks so much better after a storm. On this evening we watched the storm roll in and after it really started coming down (and I decided to take cover in the garage) Kevin got the girls to play in it with him and they had a ball. It was like a second bath after they got entirely soaked. Kevin has such energy that the girls love when he is around to chase them, and swing them, and play with them!

Double Dose Gymnastics

Braelyn and a friend were able to do gymnastics this spring. We chose gymnastics because we were looking for a way to burn a lot of energy and work a little on coordination. Braelyn was very excited, especially after we found some leotards on clearance at Wal-mart.
I think one of the most magical and rewarding parts of being a parent is watching your child experience and learn something new and the amazing growth that comes with that. The first week was spent introducing the children to the warm-up stretches and different gym apparatus. Braelyn couldn't pull herself up on the bar and didn't dare let go of her teacher's hand on the balance beam. At this age even difficult things are still fun and she had a blast jumping into the foam-filled "pit" and bouncing crazily down the trampoline. She couldn't wait until the next class, and I found myself also anticipating watching the class, both for the amusing antics of 4-year olds, and also to see how quickly they became better and better at the things they were learning. I believe I learned a lot about how important it is too have optimism in trying new things, even if the chance of failure is high, these brave little ones loved getting back up to do it again, and never stopped giggling through it all. By the end of the 8 week class Braelyn was able to pull herself up on the bar, pull her feet up in a straddle, flip over the bar, walk across the balance beam, bounce in a straight line on the trampoline, and do an array of somersaults and tricks on the mat. I am so proud of each new thing she does, and most importantly that she was respectful to the teacher, kind to the other girls, and had a great attitude the whole way through! ( I will really miss their cute little backsides wiggling around in their leotards, they sure crack me up!)

Berk's Bday

Since I am home from church with a sick child and all the endless tasks like cleaning toilets or grocery shopping, get to be ignored today, I think this is the perfect chance to get caught up on this blogging!

Because of Berkley's dislike of, well most people, we usually opt for a family only party, so to make it extra special we headed into Savannah for her day. I feel very small town when we make a big special trip of going to Target, but that is how we started the morning. We let Berkley leisurely stroll down the aisles to pick out her gift. She fell in love with a baby doll that actually sucked from a bottle and made noises, but she ended up picking one of those toys with the crazy twisty metal that you push the beads around on. After shopping we went to Chuck E Cheese! Kind of a parent's nightmare but the girls really love it. We were able to go on a morning Kevin didn't have work, so with us each taking a child it was very easy to just follow them around and let them do whatever they pleased. They had a small school bus with a slide and Berkley spent most of her time going up and down that. She also enjoyed playing air hockey with me. The girls liked putting the coins into the games but didn't have much interest in finishing them, and I think their most favorite activity was putting the tickets into the ticket counter. They were spell-bound with it and would giggle hysterically every time it would suck the tickets in.



On the day of her actual birthday Kevin had to work so I didn't make too big of a deal out of it until he got home. Braelyn and I did blow up some balloons and put up streamers while she took her nap and she was excited to see something different when she woke up. She must not be able to say birthday, but she kept telling everyone, "Happy to me! Happy to me!" We got the presents out before dinner and Berkley was meticulous in opening them. It took her forever to get anything open, and Braelyn did well at staying patient even though I could tell it was driving her crazy. She had fun with her new toys but of course Berkley was most happy when we got the cake out. She had picked an Ariel cake Braelyn's excitement got the best of her and she blew out the candles before we got done singing to Berkley, so we had to light them twice and pull Braelyn away. It was a fun and low key birthday which is just like Berkley (maybe not low key)!

Berkley Kate

I cannot believe my baby turned 2 this month! How it is that we lived without this sweet little girl I cannot remember. She has been such a blessing in our family and we wouldn't feel complete without her distinct little personality.
I always think back to their births on this day, so I guess I will share the obligatory story, if only to have it written down as I know even these momentous days can sometimes fade in my hazy mommy mind a little with time. Berkley wasn't due until May 31st but because my first baby was so big I was terrified of going the full 40 weeks. My parents also had a reunion they were in charge of that weekend so when the nurse scheduled my induction for the Friday before they left I went home very, very grumpy. But I always seem to find something to complain about when I'm pregnant and I had been having back pain from pressure on my sciatic nerve so at my next appointment my doctor scheduled me for the next day May 14th. I was ready to be done but also nervous about having 2 kids to take care of. We dropped Braelyn off for the night at my parent's house then Kevin went and played basketball, and I just sat on Braelyn's bed and cried. Pregnancy hormones make things seem pretty dramatic and I felt so bad that Braelyn wouldn't be the baby and that she would have to share and on and on. I composed myself then started the checklist of things that all pregnant women have to get done like wash and style our hair, throw in one more load of laundry, clean the baseboards and floors even though my Mom and sister had cleaned my house top to bottom that week (again hormones make things seem like a big deal) and finally laid down for a restless night. We got to the hospital bright and early and things got under way as usual. I always have to get an IV antibiotic and they have to give it 4 hours apart so they don't turn my pitocin up which means the first few hours are very mellow. We watched TV and Kevin rubbed my feet then the doctor broke my water and things started moving. They gave me my epidural because they were going into a surgery and didn't want me to have to wait. I remember getting it and telling Kevin I felt weird, then I woke up to people swarming around me and I began throwing up. I seemed to have a drop in my blood pressure that made me pass out, Kevin said I looked like a ghost I got so white so fast. After I felt better Kevin laid down for a little nap and my pain got worse and worse. I get really nervous about bothering anyone so I just laid on my side and kept pushing the epidural button. My nurse told I could push it every 15 minutes and I think my eyes were glued to the clock as I waited to push it again. I finally started whimpering in hopes of waking up Kevin, and told him to go get the nurse. She checked me and quickly left the room. I don't think she had planned on things being done so quickly after they turned up the pitocin and nothing in the room was ready so people got hustling pretty quick. My doctor's office was just across the parking lot and Kevin stepped to the window in time to see the doctor sprinting across the pavement. He got there in time and thankfully it was only a few pushes and we had our second little one here. Whenever someone would ask Braelyn about her mom having a baby she would tell them that I was going to have a purple care bear. That must have been more appealing to her than an actual baby, but when Berkley came out they put her on my chest and she didn't cry, and didn't cry and I started getting more nervous until the nurse saw that she was being too quiet and tried to get her crying. After Berkley had become more alert the nurse joked that she really was her purple care bear at first. She only weighed 7 lbs 11 ozs which to me was a perfect size, not the 10 lb baby I was worried about. We had a wonderful afternoon visiting with family and Braelyn came to visit, but was more interested in putting my bed up and down than in the new baby. Later in that day we had the pediatrician come visit us and told us that they were worried that Berkley's intestines were not connected to her bowels and that if she wasn't able to have a bowel movement sometime that night that she would have to go in for surgery the next day. I was terrified and felt that it was something I had done to ruin my brand new little baby, but Kevin helped me calm down and convinced me we wouldn't worry about it until the time came. I have never been so anxious to see poop, but thankfully she was connected and though we had to spend some time at Primary Children's with a pediatric surgeon and do some not fun therapies, nothing that needed surgery every came out.
Berkley has been such a blessing to me personally. The days before she was born I couldn't seem to get a name to stick, I even packed the baby name book in my hospital bag and I kept going back and forth unable to decide, and the indecision was making me crazy. But the morning before I had her I had a strong feeling that it was Berkley who was going to come to our family and that perhaps the decision hadn't been made until then, but knowing what would come in the near future God knew that it would be Berkley who would help me handle it. Anyone who has seen her knows her strong preference for Momma but I don't mind because she is such a joy to me. She has a similar sense of humor and she is so aware of other people and their feelings, and on many occasions has been the one to help me smile. She has a strong enough personality to stand up to her sister but they are different enough that they aren't conflicting. Daddy loves all the tricks he can teach her, and likes when she runs up to greet him at the door.
We love you little purple care bear! Happy 2nd Birthday!