2 Years 10 Months

Macyn is another month older! She continues to talk non stop and even tell some tall tales to the gals at daycare: "My Mom got hit by a bus, but she only hurt her knee."

She also likes to tell it how it is:

Me: What is Daddy doing?

Macyn: "Daddy laying in my room playing Angry Birds"

Me: (lugging her around a store) "Macyn, can you please walk like a big girl?"

Macyn: "I will walk when I'm 3."

She also likes to thank us for making her supper, and will often say, "Good job, Mommy!" She is obsessed with Tony's Macaroni and Cheese Pizza, and Mac n Cheese in general.

She is completely potty trained during the day, and was even dry for a week straight at night time! We even had to buy her some new underwear (Cinderella ones, of course) since the first ones we bought her were getting too tight.

The BIG milestone this past month was getting rid of her paci! It actually wasn't too bad, but we did bribe her a little bit. We said she could get a power wheels electric car if she got rid of it. (side note: DH & I always wanted one as a kid, and we never got one. We promised to get our kid one someday). She asked about this daily, and the night we told her she couldn't have her paci, she whined, "I dont want my power wheels, I want my mimi!" We also made her throw it in the trash and convinced her the trash man took it. She will also bring this up in conversation to random people. She likes to drive her car and will often put her baby, in the car seat next to her, or tell everyone that "Cousin Caden ride with me."

She is really proud of herself being a "big girl." Macyn: "I'm a big girl don't need my mimi. Trash man take it."  then the other night she said, "I no need high chair anymore, me a big girl."  Same goes for her little potty, "No need little potty, I use the big girl one." She for some reason calls the main bathroom the "girl" bathroom and our back one the "boy" one.

She is definitely growing up fast, but we have been having trouble disciplining her. I am 99% we have a strong-willed child on our hands. This past weekend we tried some tough love tactics and it has seemed to work so far. The times I am at a loss is when she will call me a name, like "dummy" and continue to do it even with a trip to time out or a spanking (last resort). If I verbally discipline her, she says, "Dont talk like that to me Mommy." or "You stop it!" Her tantrums usually involves kicking, hitting, punching, and pinching. So, if anyone has any tips let me know because some days it can be extremely difficult!

Other than "being a two year old," we have some great times with her and enjoy watching her grow up! Here are some pictures of the past month:

Playing in the rain!

Her new car

Emotional Roller Coaster

I am sure many of you have noticed I have been absent again. Let me tell you, with all the ups and downs the last couple of months, it has been hard to keep updated with what is going on. I have good intentions of sharing things that have happened in our lives, such as parades, fairs, playing outside, new milestones, monthly updates, new recipes, DIY stuff, etc. But some things in life are bigger than the small updates here and there. We lost Grandma after being diagnosed with cancer on June 23. We found out today that my Grandpa is no longer in remission with his leukemia. Grandma died Monday, and Grandpa's AML is back on Tuesday. This is scary for all of us. The only chemo that seemed to work for him is the strongest they make. He will have 4 more days of this chemo, with a 1 out of 5 chance of being in remission again.

I don't think all these events have quite "hit" me yet. I still think I am in denial. I keep on praying, but I dont know what to pray for - comfort, healing, peace, praises? It has always been praises for Grandpa being in remission, and comfort and healing for Grandma. I still have prayers of comfort for all of us mourning the loss of Grandma, but now with Grandpa - praying for healing, peace, comfort. I don't know what the outcome will be, but knowing the stats are scary. I feel like I could shut down at any given time....and have a little bit today.

Its been a really rough couple of days, and the thought of the possibility of losing another Grandparent, I just cannot comprehend. Praying for miracles, that is for sure. 

I do plan on keeping this blog up as much as I can, but I am emotionally drained. You might just end up with pictures only posts. I still have pictures on my camera from 2 months ago....

Anyways, prayers for comfort, healing, and everything turning out for the best. God is in control, and we just need to trust in his plans. Here are the lyrics of one of my favorite songs. It seems pretty fitting at this time.

Everybody falls sometimes
Gotta find the strength to rise
From the ashes
And make a new beginning

Anyone can feel the ache
You think it's more than you can take
But you're stronger
Stronger than you know

Don't you give up now
The sun will soon be shining
You gotta face the clouds
To find the silver lining

I've seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn't ever end
Even when the sky is falling
I've seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That's what faith can do

One More Angel in Heaven

After a short battle with stage 4 Glioblastoma (brain cancer), Grandma VA passed away early this morning. There are so many things we will miss about her, but we are cherishing the moments we had with her the past few weeks. She was an amazing grandparent who always made me feel like I was one of her own grand kids, and I loved her as such. Here is a little tribute through pictures.

We love you sooo much, Grandma. You will be missed and never forgotten.

We little knew that day,
God was going to call your name.
In life we loved you dearly,
In death, we do the same.

It broke our hearts to lose you.
You did not go alone.
For part of us went with you,
The day God called you home.

You left us beautiful memories,
Your love is still our guide.
And although we cannot see you,
You are always at our side.

Our family chain is broken,
And nothing seems the same,
But as God calls us one by one,
The chain will link again.

2 Years, 9 Months

38" (i think), 32 lbs.

This month hasn't brought much new things for Macyn. She still loves to play house and she has quite the imagination. She memorizes entire books and will read them to you. We have also had to find new ways to discipline her because she isn't listening to us really well. We have been doing the "tough love" approach, and letting her throw her tantrums. We will not negotiate or give her what she wants until she quits crying and screaming. This happens at bedtime and nap time too. I usually give her 3 chances (1...2....3) and then take something away. It seems to be working pretty well, but it adds a lot more tears and a little more stress to the day.

Another issue is trying to get her to pick up her toys. A daycare lady told me she wasn't doing it, and now whenever I ask her, she changes the subject. Completely ignores you if you tell her to pick up her toys. She still hasn't picked them up, and I'm not sure how to make her do it. She is very strong-willed when it comes to this activity.

Besides her being strong willed, she still has some great one liners (Watching Beauty and Beast, she announces: "Belle's father is a genious.") Or, when she is in the swimming pool she pretends shes a mermaid and will sing like Ariel. She also likes to help in the kitchen, dressing herself, wearing my shoes, and painting her fingernails. Most of all, she LOVES her little people and barbies. She can sometimes play with those for hours. She also likes to play, where she is the mommy and I am the baby. Its funny seeing her respond when I am a difficult baby :) We have good days with her and bad ones too. The bad ones seem to go on forever, but the good ones we enjoy her so much. It is all part of growing up....and its definitely fun to see her do that!

Kitchen Makeover Part 1

We decided to go ahead and start on our kitchen. This will be a long, drawn out process, but hopefully it will be done by the holidays this fall. DH had to use a day of vacation, so he decided to begin to paint the upper cabinets. I think they look pretty good so far - now we just need doors! They are being refaced and will also have to be painted. The next step should be painting the lower cabinets. This way, all the inside painting would be pretty much completed.

We have also picked out our color pallet. It consists of Olive Gray, Chilled Wine, and Submarine. The colors aren't super accurate on the screen, but it gives you a good idea. The Gray will the the paint behind the back splash, Chilled Wine the accent wall, and Submarine the trim around the window.

Here is our tile - its an image off the internet so it isn't super great, but you get the idea.

Next is our countertop - Butterum Granite by formica.

We are still deciding on cabinet hardware. The ones we like are double the price of the other, so we are still debating on those. We hope to have our kitchen done by the fall and we can't wait to see how it turns out!

Fishing Fan

Ever since Macyn got a fishing pole for Easter, she has been eager to use it. Usually when we go fishing I usually just cast hers outs with only a bobber, so we don't have to worry about the hook. Since the fish were biting, we decided to let her actually catch a fish with her pink princess fishing pole.

Now since she has caught a few fish, she always says, "Mom, catch one!" ...like its super easy. Or, I will reel in her line and say, "I got some sea weed" and she responds, "Don't catch seaweed, mom, catch a fish!"

...why didn't I think of that? :)

Updates

I know I have been absent for a while, but we have been pretty busy. I have mostly been busy working on a freelance project that has to get done, and some other events have kept us occupied.

• My grandpa is officially in remission! His bone marrow scan came back clear. However, he had to be brought to the hospital this past Friday for low blood pressure and sepsis (blood infection from his port). He is on antibiotics and will have cultures back in the next couple of days. He might have to be in the hospital for a week or so.

• DH's Grandma was confused a couple of weeks ago on a Saturday morning. Long story short, they found out that she has a cancerous brain tumor that was causing confusion and eyesight problems. She had brain surgery this past Friday, which went well. Pathology should come back this week to decide what kinds of treatment they need to do. The bad part is, they gave her between 9-14 months. We are really sad about this, but are trying to enjoy our time with her, making it as cheerful as possible. Prayers would be appreciated.

• Cancer SUCKS!

• I had to get two cavities filled on Friday. My first cavities in 20 years. My first cavities in my mouth at this time. I had quite a streak going, and was sad to hear it it was coming to an end. Not having dental insurance was not so fun.

• We have decided to get rid of our dog. We have always played around with the idea since we never have much time for him and he sits in his kennel about 18 hours a day. The opportunity came up to find him a good home, and we took it. I am kinda sad, because he was a good, smart, kind, intelligent dog. But, we know he has a better life now - one where he gets played with and gets exercise. It has been two weeks now without him. Its definitely more quiet and takes some time to get used to.

• We have been swimming and fishing a lot, too.

• We are redoing our kitchen. We are painting the cabinets white, and have counter top and backsplash picked out. The only thing we need is a paint color. Seriously can't decide on anything. I may be putting up a poll soon to see what you guys think for a color. The upper cabinets are painted, and we will be doing the rest in pieces.

• We refinanced our house. We had enough equity that we only had to pay a little bit for mortgage insurance, so we are currently saving $200/month on our mortgage. Nice!

Hopefully I can get back to blogging again. We have just been busy all the time it seems!