Monday, December 30, 2013

A 2014 Goal

During 2013, I didn't blog as much as I liked, let Facebook do a lot of my talking for me. I am placing a goal in for 2014 to try to blog 2 to 4 times a week. I know I post the same pictures I do on facebook, but I want to start storytelling again. Telling of what the girls are doing, what they are saying, and why that picture was taken. We have big things coming in 2014, we have 2 big girls, we want to take vacations, we want to remodel our house, we would love to sell and build a new house, we are looking at other vehicles --so I can carry around my nieces and nephews comfortably, we are growing together as a family, we are growing in our faith, we are learning, Ava will be busy with her activities, and I am hoping Hailey begins a few of her own.

To finish out 2013, the girls are doing great, Ava is learning starting to become interested in the days of the week, her letters/numbers, and learning different things. She is becoming more interested in trying to read and being read to. She is finding her faith at church with her little friends and loves reading her bible. Her kindle is full of sight letters/words, connect the dots, memory games and other learning games. Hailey is speaking!!! She barely said 6 or so words before November, she is now saying 'almost' sentences and more phrases. She is now saying more and trying to pronounce and copy cat Ava's words. I am happy about this. I didn't know why she wasn't speaking yet but she is now. She is still my silent little booger, only speaking when she feels she needs to but she has her moments of chatter. She is almost potty trained, which is great for the pocketbook.

I turned 30!! It wasn't scary, it didn't hurt, but its official now. I am in my 30s. It came and went fairly easy, Kenny worked through it and I was home with the girls. Kenny and I have a night out courtesy of my sister taking the girls after he turns 30.

I found out that not everyone in your circle of family and friends deserves to stay there, I can do without those that shouldn't be there. 2013 made me jump back and look first before trusting someone that should automatically be trusted in my opinion. Family should be able to take care of each other forever and any time its needed.  I have distanced myself from those that I know will do no good for me and my family. I have formed friendships with people that I think will be in my life for a long time and I don't need a lot of people in my circle, just those that I know I can trust, love, and rely on. I have reconnected with family that I once lost touch with. I have lost touch with family that I don't connect with anymore. As always I am in connection with my sisters at least a handful of times during week, without them sometimes I don't know what I would do.

In 2013, Kenny and I celebrated 9 years together and 5 years of marriage. I feels like I have been with him forever. I had a long term relationship before Kenny and honestly that doesn't hold a light to what I have with Kenny. I believe our marriage has grown, we are friends, we hang out, watch sports, work on projects together, we have our moments but they don't last too long, we talk them out get our differences out of the way accept each other for who we are and move on to the next thing. I have seen so many young marriages just fall apart and I am thankful we work on ours instead of giving up. I am thankful that we don't sit in silence wishing we could talk....I don't think he would have a choice...I would talk whether he wanted to listen or not. I get a feeling that I will explode if I can't tell him something.

In 2013, we finally got to the point of no morning naps, no bottles, and 2 little girls that understand rules so we returned to church. With Hailey over a year old and Ava almost 4, I was confident I could do it on my own. So instead of waiting on Sunday morning if Kenny had a good night at work and could go to help me with the girls, or not going when he was at work we began going together no matter what. Ava began children's church and Hailey began going to the nursery. Kenny and I have been able to sit and enjoy the Sunday sermons and I have learned more about my faith in the last year than I have in my lifetime and it has really helped shape the way I do a lot of things and think about a lot of things now. I take the time to think of what I should be doing and watch what comes out of my mouth, especially with parenting my 2 little girls.

So I think blogging more and sharing the stories of our family will be a good thing for us all to look back and look at all of our memories. I know the girls know how much we love them and how much we love each other but they will one day get to read our family story.

Playroom

So after a month of working slowly on this room, when we are home we have finally moved all the toys to the new playroom. I took the week of Christmas off and we were given enough in gift cards to get them rugs and finished the painting.

      

It is so nice to have our living room back after 4 years of toys everywhere. They are allowed to bring toys down but have to take them back up at the end of the day. So far so good.

Now I have an empty foyer that desperately needs repainted and a small table and some decorations. I believe the next few months I am going to have a lot of time spent in painting and decorating. I have been pining decorating ideas like crazy. I am so excited though over all the possibilities that are coming. I believe in no time we will finally have it the way we want it...minus the 2 story part...still waiting on my rancher. My knees have really been feeling the stairs these past few days, moving items up and going up to play with the girls.


Saturday, December 14, 2013

And we have snow

It's not even officially winter yet and this has been one of the coldest December's I can remember in a long time. The past few December's it has been 60's almost the whole way through. No jackets on Christmas day and easy travel. This year hasn't started off too well if you don't like snow. We are working on our 3rd snow storm and the girls are loving it. 

    

4 years and 2 years

Well they may think that they are 16 and 14 but they are really on 4 and 2. Our babies had a great birthday party and lots of fun with all their friends. The attitude of a 4 year old and the terrible 2's....wow...but we are getting through it. My babies are not babies anymore and trust me it hurts, knowing that no more little ones will be in the house, but we are enjoying our 'big girls' and all the new things that can happen because of no babies in the house. We are doing more activities, going to new places, and able to travel.


 







Swim Lessons....

Our little fish got to enjoy swim lessons this fall and will continue this spring, hoping by summer she is a swimmer. She loves the water and has scared her daddy and I on more than one occasion trying to swim on her own. The swim lessons are indoors and not too far from the house which is great. She loves them, but 4 weeks was not enough just a taste of it. I cannot wait for her to begin again.

    


Update: Potty Trained, kinda

Well you got to love the 2 year old but we are getting there. She has been in pull ups but peeing on the potty. She will go a week do nothing, and then for days will use it. She really loves using public restrooms and using the potty at everyone else's house but our own. So I am just rolling with it. I was hoping by Christmas we are about 80% there but I dont want to pressure her and have her bulk on the idea of it. She treats her pull ups like panties, so that isn't an issue. We are just waiting on her.

Disney Junior Live

We got the girls a big birthday present this year. Disney Junior was doing a tour for Sofia and Jake and we got tickets to watch it. They loved it and I cannot wait to take them to other events. The performance was good, they did a good job lip syncing and dancing. Ava was amazed. Hailey danced.

Before the show we visited the chocolate factory, which we plan to make another trip in the spring there to enjoy a few more moments with our girls. We were watching time before the play so didn't stay too long.

 





Our House

So the house didn't sell, although it got more showings than we could have expected. Not a lot of feedback, so we aren't sure why it didn't sell. We got a lot of 'lovely home, just not for us'

This winter though we are giving it a little bit of a makeover so that we can make it home for us, in case it doesn't sell and we are here for more years than we really want to be. We are in the process of making one of our unused upstairs bedrooms into a playroom for the girls, this will get their toys out of our living room and give them their own space.

       

I think the yellow really brightens it up and they have their own chalkboard. I have pinned so many ideas on how to decorate it, but first I have to get Christmas out of the way. Funds will be easier once I stop spending it on them and all my nieces and nephews, buying for kids is addicting.....

Once the painting is finished, I want to add a few rugs and then move their toys up there, hopefully in time for all the new stuff Santa will be bringing. I can finish decorating once the New Year begins but the most important step is to get all their toys up there and get them into the rhythm of playing mostly in that room.

Next we would like to work on our kitchen, my husband has big plans and I think if we keep having these snow days, they will be worked on soon. We would love to put down tile floor, a nice backsplash behind our stove and new countertops. I think this may help with selling but it will also help us, our kitchen is so outdated, 20 years, and we are looking to bring it up to date and brighten the cabinets.

I am also going to be working on some painting and our master bathroom. Its so plain, white walls and no decor, so I have been pinning some great ideas and hope to put them to play soon.

The girls will be moving upstairs to their own room in the spring acrossed from their playroom so I cannot wait to decorate that for them. It has taken years for us to get to this point. Working hard pays off but it can take so long. I am so thankful we are finally at this point. Now for all these projects to actually happen.


Monday, September 9, 2013

Our house

So at the beginning of the year I stated that we would like to put our house on the market. Well March we looked into it and the comps and business were not good so we didnt do it. August we took the plung and the house is on the market. And I have found out that I am not good at this. The waiting, the cleaning to sparkle, but mainly the waiting. We have had a showing and I really just dont like that they didnt buy the house. I know it may not be the house they want but I want out and I really want to continue with our plans. It hasnt even been that long, not even a month and I am over it. We havent had much interest, not but one showing however everyone is looking at it online. So here I am thinking why can they look at it online but dont want to see it. It is a nice house, it has a nice flat back yard, and a basement. So I am cleaning, rearranging, and trying to pick up after the girls as best as I can. Every day waiting on the phone to ring to let me know someone would like to see it in person. Like I said I am not good at this. I am patient in so many areas of my life, but this is for the birds. If I could I would pack up, leave it empty and do our plans while we waited on those special people that want to live out in the country and buy our home. Ava is really excited about this because she is hearing our plans, what we want to build, color schemes, and how we want the lay out to be. She wants her room to be built because she wants to choose her room color. She keeps asking when is someone going to buy this house so I can get my new room? I dont know the answer to that but I do know that when someone does buy it, it will be the house for them. It will be just as it is meant to be. I may be at my wits end by then between all the dog hair and toys but the people that choose our house wont mind that because they will be thinking about their own items in the place of that toy box.
I will say that I have the house decked out in 31, so if anyone does look at the house and needs a consultant they will be able to figure out that I am one and maybe get my information. I have the toy box and organizing items through out the house looking cute and stylish.
So we will continue to wait and I am excited we are able to even put the house on the market. I am hoping we sell before it gets too cold, and we are focused on the holidays and Kenny on hunting. If not we are closing up shop until the spring.

Friday, July 5, 2013

Potty Trained?!? Really?!? No! Yes!!!

So about 2 months ago, Hailey began hitting her diaper and pointing after she had peed or pooped. It became more of a habit the longer she did it. She wasn't about to sit long with a dirty diaper which I love because Ava could have really cared less at this age. 

As the time went on she would come up and hit my arm point to the bathroom and go running but by this time she had already went. My little girl doesn't say much at this age, the norm daddy,  mommy, sissy, kathie, bye bye, little stuff like that she doesn't say pee pee yet so we are going by a little sign language. 

Two weeks ago when my vacation began she was helping me do laundry, which is in our half bath and grabbed my hand, pointed to the potty. So I took off her diaper and she peed. So proud of herself, just smiled ear to ear. Over vacation week, we kept encouraging her and doing the clap cheering stuff and she just kept on. We went to visit my sister and she grabbed her hand and took my sister to the bathroom. We went down dads and she did the same. 


I kept her in diapers for the sitter, still not sure if she was going to continue or quit. Ava would do it for a few days then bam pee right on the floor and demand a pull up on. I just want her to do it at her own time, I don't want to pressure her. But she keeps wanting too. She wants to be a 'big' girl like her sister. 

This week while off work for the holiday, she was sitting on the potty when her daddy came back and asked 'why don't you start pooping on the potty? we need to get rid of these diapers', he walked away and she did it. Grinned as wide as she could saying 'see'. 

So its been almost 2 weeks since the time she started all this and I think its safe to say she wants to be out of diapers and with this heat I can't blame her. So I have been doing either nothing at all on her or panties while she is away and a diaper for naptime and bedtime. 

She still isn't waking up with a dry diaper. She wakes up for a drink every night still at 20 months!! So I am going to keep encouraging her, keep going days without diapers and fingers crossed I will only be buying nighttime diapers until she starts waking up to use the potty in the middle of the night.

Family Vacation



The last week of June we got to enjoy a little family time. Kenny and I both took that week off and we enjoyed a lot of time at home with our girls, swimming, playing and we planned a trip to the Virginia Safari Zoo. We have been going round and round on selling the house, working on projects, so a short but fun vacation is what we were looking for.

My favorite picture, this deer made his way in the truck and just took the bucket and wiped it clean!
Ava was not impressed!
The girls had so much fun and were begging to go back. We will definately have to make our way there again, maybe next time we will take my mom a huge animal lover. Ava kept asking if Nanny could come but my mom was actually on her own vacation the same week. So I told her maybe next time.
She was ready to feed the animals and get a really need experience
He took the whole bucket
Hailey was NOT about these animals being so close to her!

Yes these HUGE animals welcomed themselves right in our truck lol


Saturday, June 8, 2013

Another Little One! We are a blessed family

So on May 21st I got the pleasure of having my niece over while mommy and daddy left for the hospital. Erika being induced certainly did make it a little easier on everyone knowing when I would have Brooklyn and when she would need me. I easily took some vacation time and spent a few days at home while poor Erika went through a stubborn baby that would not descend into the birth canal and had to be taken out by c-section. It was all worth it though. And on May 22nd at 9:04 pm we had another precious little baby in the family.

 

Owen Michael 9 lbs 8 oz 21.5 inches long...yes my short little sister had that BIG baby in her little belly! I am sure she is happy this is her last.

Photo: Owen Michael bowers

Mothers day


My mothers day was celebrated a day early because Kenny had to work Mothers Day. My gifts were wonderful, I loved my cards, and I couldn't have asked for anything more. I wear my beautiful necklace everyday and treasure it so much.


 



31 still going strong

So after a year and a half I am still working with 31 and still trying to keep up with the number of parties I would love to do. So far I am averaging 2 a month, not bad but to make good money and pay some stuff I would like to have 4 to 6 parties. I hate bugging those around me but you gotta start with your circle. I love all my support and cant wait to see what the future holds for me and this business.

 

Monday, June 3, 2013

June 2013 Thirty One Customer Special!!




Join my Mystery Hostess party by going to www.mythirtyone.com/kmbowers and ordering!!!

This months special is AWESOME!! For every $35 ordered you can purchase a Large Utility Tote for ONLY $10!!!!

Thats an opportunity to get 2 Large Utility Totes for only $45!!!!

contact me now for more details!

Friday, May 17, 2013

A little girl and her Pap

Ava has always loved the outside and helping with yard work. When we visited mom and Robbie (the girls pap) said he was going to do some work, Ava jumped on the chance to help him. She loves him so much and loves that he always lets her help with stuff. Mom and Robbie were together while I was pregnant with her and when she was born, he took to her. He helped watch her when Mom or Ashley had her and always bragged about his grandbaby so when mom asked if he could be called 'pap' there was no way I could say NO.




Ava and Hailey both adore him and I love their relationship with him. He always gets lots of love when they are around.



Friday, May 3, 2013

Church....

So after a little break with teething, sickness, tiredness, and overall just don't want to get off the couch on Sunday mornings, we have gotten back into a good routine. Hailey is old enough now to go to the nursery and she actually likes going to the nursery, unlike Ava who would not step a foot in there as a toddler. Hailey plays with others and sometimes naps. Ava is old enough for Children's church. She is in a class with other 2/3/4 year olds and learning a lesson while we are learning our lesson with Pastor Greg. Ava loves the dressing up part also. She has been wearing all her pretty dresses. I have felt really good since getting back into the swing of things and listening to our Pastor.

The lessons he teaches during the sermon are down to earth, funny, and relatable. I like what it is doing for our family. I love that Ava is learning and enjoying going. I think it helps that our family is so involved. My in laws are all doing their part, its been their church forever and now they are sharing that with our family. Ava is encouraged to learn the bible and learn how much Jesus loves her. Hailey will soon be in class this time next year, learning and doing her own lessons also.

With our lessons during the sermon, we have a handout that has fill in the blanks to help us follow along with his lesson, we arent just sitting there staring into space we are working on following along, looking for the next answer, and listening to his stories of his childhood, adult life, and his family life. Pastor Greg is very real, down to earth and just tells it how it is. He brings it down to a level that no matter what age you are, you are able to relate to what he is trying to teach us. Our faith is growing, as a family and individually.

Friday, April 26, 2013

Outside

These girls have been loving it outside. We are outside just about everyday unless its really cold or raining. Other than that they are all over their swing and the in the back yard.

 








Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Growing so fast

Do you SEE this?!?!?!? They are both growing just so fast. So fast I sometimes tear up, where did my babies go? Ava is learning so much, understanding so much and able to put things together quickly. Hailey is slowly saying more and more words but knows exactly what you are saying and what you mean and what you want her to do. It just amazes me at these ages and it just keeps going faster.

We are enrolling Ava into preschool this year. A year early but I think it will do her good. She understands so much and has so much to do with it. I want her to get a head start and run with it. I want to give her all the opportunities I can to succeed and I believe that begins now.

 

They will soon be learning to live without each other, when Ava leaves Hailey for 3 days a week for preschool but I think this will be a good thing. She is so dependent on Ava speaking her and doing stuff for her. She will be out of her comfort zone only a few days, she will still be at Vickie's so that wont change, she will now just now have Ava there to play with.




Thursday, April 18, 2013

Love



Their love for each other is amazing, watching it grow everyday is something I treasure.

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Moved BACK downstairs!

So a year after our project of remodeling the upstairs and moving our rooms up there, we have moved back downstairs. My knees kept going out. Carrying kids, laundry and myself upstairs a thousand times a day, my poor knees were having so much trouble. I am truly meant for a rancher not a 2 story home. So after the last episode, which had my knee swollen where I couldn't walk and OF COURSE on a night that Kenny was at work, we decided we would move downstairs and help me out a little bit.

 

We haven't stopped remodeling upstairs, I have big plans to get it ready for a 'show off' type for those rooms and one bath. I have been using what used to be Ava's room as a storage room for all the handmedowns and totes of clothes.



So we are a little happier and I think sleeping better being downstairs. The girls are in their beds for the most part and I am able to work on the laundry and carry the girls to bed without my knee going out. Its been a nice change. We honestly probably never have moved upstairs, it was a nice idea, a thought to get Ava in her own bed and us into a better routine but all it did was have Ava not liking her 'own' room and my knees hurting. She is now in her own bed most nights and happy to be close to mommy and daddy when she needs us.

Sunday, March 31, 2013

Easter

We had a wonderful Easter. We were lucky that Kenny was off. We got to spend the morning at church then had dinner with my dad. It was a great day and the girls looked great!