somebody pray for me!

I'm warning those of you who don't really know me, you are about to learn about the dark side of Jennifer.

Kathryn has hit the terrible twos... rebellion, hitting, telling us no, pushing other children at church, flat out just looking at us tell her not to do something and doing it with that mischievous grin. I colored my hair a couple of weeks ago to wash out the grays and it doesn't look like I touched it. I am getting so frustrated that as I sit here typing my hands are shaking and my heart is racing. I yell. If you know me well, you know that I yell and I have a temper. I like to hit. I really need to find a racquetball court... preferably one without glass walls because I can't really play but I love to hit that little blue ball has hard as possible.

Kathryn has Mommy's temper and stubbornness. After the fifth, sixth, I don't know because I lost track, time of trying to get her to go down for a nap and her crawling out trying to be cute, I shut the door... for real. I've never put her in a room and completely shut the door. She can't get out. She's crying. Which makes me even more on edge. And the stupid cat will NOT get out of my face! He's next. Yes, it is early for her usual nap time (2:30). But I have what will likely turn out to be a waste of time doctor's appointment at 3:45 and I'm taking Kathryn to a friend's house to play. She needs to nap or she will be a larger pill than normal. We got home from MOPS and she was tired. I told her after lunch was nap time. She finished her mac & cheese asked "Kathryn get out please please please Mommy". I mean, three pleases, I had to let her out. She tells me it is nap time and she heads to her room. I'm thinking this is easy. Oh my I could so beat her butt. But she would just tell me "no mommy don't do that" and proceed to hit me back. I'm being taught by my child that isn't even two. I get frustrated and mad and I spank. We've tried time outs, but do you seriously think that works? Ha!

I need help and prayer. I know part of her problem is me. I know that I have anger problems and expect her to be this wonderful little angel. I mean she looks that way when she is sleeping so why the big jump to bully when she is awake. me. I need an attitude and heart adjustment. I need a clear and level head. I need that peace that Jesus so clearly offers but I can't seem to hold on to. I need to figure this out soon before I say things to her that I regret for years. I know I am capable of saying such things as thoughts of things I said to my brother years and years ago haunt me still. I need and desire for an embrace of wisdom and love that I can share with Kathryn and be ready to share with Andrew. I want my children to know that Jesus is even more caring than Mommy but want them to be awed by that because of the love that I show them.

I am asking for help. I am asking my prayer warrior gals out there to stand beside me as try to cling onto the heels of Jesus and break my anger and temper and be able to discipline my children with love and correction.

look!!! videos!!

Kathryn's version of twinkle twinkle little star....

One happy little Andrew...

pictures and more pictures

Here are a few pictures from the past week.

Great Grandpa & Grandma Waugh came to visit since they were visiting Grandma, Grandpa, Caleb & Esther in Atlanta. We took them to the Airborne & Special Ops Museum while they were here. We hadn't been yet (well.... Eric still hasn't been. He was at work.)

From April

I try to get a few pictures of the kiddos together when they are playing on the floor. It usually is a good time since Kathryn won't let Andrew be by himself when he his reachable. Tummy time is hard because Kathryn is always in his face... or on top of him trying to give him a hug. See...

From April

Oh my children... what faces you make!

From April

From April

(Thanks to Jim & Diane for Andrew's outfit!)

Kathryn likes candles. Kathryn likes fire. Mommy didn't get to the firestick quickly enough and Kathryn wanted the candle to be on fire. Don't worry. She didn't actually do anything besides get in trouble for having the firestick and for standing on her activity table.

From April

Sunday morning I gave Andrew his first tub bath. So it is a whale tub, it is still a tub and not a washcloth bath. Thankfully I had not taken a shower yet. I took this picture before I started cleaning him. I took the washcloth off of him to start his bath and he gave me a shower. I'm sure it won't be the last one.

From April

Kathryn & I went to check the mail this afternoon. I didn't even see the box sitting by the front door. Kathryn says "Look! A box for Kathryn!". It is only the second box Nana has sent recently, but I guess if there is a pretty box on the front porch it must be for her! Nana sent Kathryn a new pair of shoes and three new tutus. I went to cut the tags off the shoes and she decided the white tutu was a good one to start with. Isn't she just adorable! Yes she is wearing pigtails and yes that is the race on the tv... she may be wearing tutus but she's going to be a little redneck!

From April

silly Kathryn

I was trying to see if I could get a video to post and it did!!! Yay!!!

So this was Kathryn this afternoon after opening a goodie box from Nana. Thanks Nana!!

I can't seem to get any other ones to post... maybe my size is too big. I'll keep trying.

Andrew is 2...

months, that is. Andrew went for his 2-month well check this morning. He is 13 lbs 10 oz (90%) and 24 & 1/2" long (95%). I can't find anything, yet, to compare that to Kathryn. I know she had a 2-month check up before we left Delaware, but not sure completely since her baby book goes from one month to four months. Hmmm.... interesting

Andrew still isn't completely sleeping through the night yet. Most nights I get a 4-5 hour block and then a 2-3 hour block. It doesn't seem to matter how long the first block is, his second block ends around 5 to 5:30... just in time for me to lay him back down, lie back down myself, and Eric's alarm to go off. Even if he sleeps until 3:30 or 4. I shoot for his bed time to be around 10. This gives me a little time after Kathryn goes to bed to have him awake for Eric and to get the three of us ready for bed. He is still sleeping in our room, but that is mainly because his room still isn't set up. We're working on it.

I'll post some new pictures soon.

lots of reading

There are three posts to read today, not including this one to tell you what to read. Have fun reading!!

it has been busy!

Last week was supposed to be my easy week. Nothing really on the calendar. That quickly changed. I ended up with a doctor's visit that in turn is leading to an ultrasound of my legs and blood work. Nothing to be worried about, more of let's just make sure that there isn't anything that is going to be wrong. If you really want to know, I'll tell you later.

Monday was a clean the house and grocery shopping day. Tuesday was spent with an afternoon of having a friend's little boy over so they could move. Wednesday we went to the park with friends and then to the mall for a while. Thursday I had my doc appointment and Kathryn got to go play at a different friend's house for a couple of hours. Friday was the zoo. Saturday Eric went to Raleigh to help teenagers fight robots and the kids & I went shopping and colored all afternoon. Sunday was Easter. Monday was our 7th Anniversary and fish shopping (see the previous post... or the next one down). Whew!

Here are a few pictures from the past week or so...

From March

Kathryn loves these shoes! I got them for like $3 at Toys-r-us a while back. Most of the time they are on the wrong feet. She will even take off her regular shoes & socks so she can walk around in her heels. So not my daughter! And of course, we have to have our "princess hat".

From March

Kathryn loves to be on the play mat with Andrew. I can't get him on it without her there also. Actually, this morning she was playing on it without him. She loves to be close to him and make sure that he is okay.

From April

The first of many artistry from Kathryn I'm guessing. I wasn't paying attention to her and heard "Mommy! That's a C!". Only to find a red "C" on the wall. She was just too cute about it to get really mad.

From April

Our happy little boy was all excited last night. It was about 10 PM, but he was being so cute. I have a video, but I am having problems getting it to upload. Hopefully I'll get it up here soon.

From April

It was a nice morning today so I took Kathryn outside. She loves to be outside. I daily get "Kathryn need the key" the key is to the back door. But this morning we went out front to play. I got Kathryn sidewalk chalk after the afternoon she spent at a friend's. She looked like she was having so much fun with it then and she loves to color that I thought it would be a good investment for us to play with outside. She even tried to color the grass pink this morning.

From April

This is our porch this morning. No, that's not chalk, it is pollen. Can you see why we don't go out much? Kathryn has allergies as it is. I did make sure she had her Zyrtec before we headed out. She seemed to be okay but being outside gave me such a headache. I'm guessing it was being outside. If it was, I think it was more of the sunshine with no sunglasses than it was the pollen.

I'll try to get some videos up soon. Not sure if the problem is with blogspot or if it doesn't like mp4 movies. Maybe I'll get Eric to try.

Easter

What a difference a year makes. We did not go to church last Easter as I was suffering from strep. Yippee. This year we got to go as a family! All four of us! Kathryn was so cute in her little pink plaid dress... as so was the other little girl in her class wearing the same dress. Guess I know her mom shops at Walmart too! Andrew wore a little blue frog outfit that Nana had given him. He had worn it before with the long sleeve shirt, but it was so warm that the short sleeve shirt was perfect. After church we enjoyed a traditional Easter lunch at Quizno's... with friends!

Nana & Granddad had sent the kids a box full of goodies. I was lazy, or not really sure how to approach Easter this year, so they only got a couple of little books from us. Kathryn did get a box of sidewalk chalk, but that's for a different post.

Here are a few pictures from Easter afternoon:

From Easter

From Easter

From Easter

From Easter

From Easter

Kathryn likes chocolate, can you tell? She had, and continues to, fun with the plastic eggs. Every once in a while, one goes flying and usually hits me. She seems to be drawn to the orange ones. I think that is her new favorite color. It is usually the orange crayon she uses also.

We also got a fish tank... partly for the kids for Easter and partly for our anniversary. Eric really, really wants a dog. I would like to have a dog too at some point, but not with two cats. If we had gotten all them at the same time, okay, but I really don't want to find a dead cat. We had discussed a fish tank in passing before. We got a five gallon tank and are letting it do its thing before we get the fish.

Here is the fishless tank:

a zoo trip

Eric had Good Friday off so we took a trip to the zoo. We had planned on going a couple of times earlier but never could seem to actually go. This time we said no matter what, we were going. Our day started with a breakfast at Mac's, a NC area breakfast anytime place. So yummy and filling! The plates are big enough that we let Kathryn share off of ours. I usually order a bowl of grits for us to split also. She loves grits when she remembers that she does.

We picked the hottest day so far in the year, as of then... it has since it over 90. And I didn't think about the schools having Good Friday off also (I never remember getting it off). It was packed. I was glad that we are zoo members and didn't have to wait in the regular line.

From April

Daddy! That's an elephant!

From April

Hi Mommy!

From April

Kathryn loves giraffes

From April

had to see the kitties

From April

Andrew's excitement of the zoo

Andrew mainly slept while we walked around the zoo. I thought what a great idea having a double stroller at the zoo would be. It was for the first 20 minutes until we actually got to the animals. Then Kathryn couldn't really see anything so out she came and didn't go back in. I'm sure once Andrew is out of the car seat and can sit in the front seat, Kathryn will ride on the back sit-n-stand part that Andrew is now occupying.

It was so hot and Kathryn got tired after a couple of hours so we kept our trip this time just to the Africa side of the zoo. There is also a North America side but it is a hike to get there or you had to wait in the ridiculously long lines to ride the shuttle over. No thanks. We'll go back at some point later. Maybe a week day... and maybe before school is out.

Kathryn was such a good sport that we let her get a stuffed giraffe at the gift shop. She loves that thing. It is sitting on the couch next to me as I type.

Did you notice Andrew's shirt? I thought I was cute and put him in a shirt with an elephant and a giraffe. How clever, right?