Sydney is 3 years and 9 months

Sydney is growing up so fast! We are currently in the process of finding a preschool for her. It's so hard because I have super high expectations because of working in daycare's. Sydney is so smart and amazes me with the things that she knows. She picks things up without being taught. She is currently into Power Rangers (which Keith loves to watch with her). Some of her old loves have gone by the wayside...such as Yo Gabba Gabba (which is Mason's fave) and Dora. We don't watch much of those anymore. She is always asking for Power Rangers! Sydney loves playing outside and reading. She is becoming such a girly girl. She always way but since I started selling Mary Kay she is so into make-up. She wants to sell it with me (MK class of 2025!) and wear it all the time. I let her wear some blush, a light eyeshadow and some lip gloss and she thinks she is hot stuff! Syd has also become such a helper. She loves to help with cooking and picking up if I make it fun for her. She is also starting to mimic me as a mommy and talk to Mason like I would. Syd is becoming such a beautiful girl inside and out and I am so proud of her!

Sydney's self portrait

One of my favorite pictures...just shows her true spirit

Look how long her hair was!

Having fun at the wedding!

Sydney and her new feather! Growing up so fast!

Mason is 16 months!

My big boy is 16 months already! It's hard to believe! He has really been enjoying exploring this summer. He went from being totally opposed to walking on grass (even with shoes) to running around with bare feet all the time! You can not keep shoes on this kid. He is eating a lot more table food than he was but he still prefers the toddler meals or 3rd foods. I am slowly getting rid of those because they cost so much! Mason now has 12 teeth with another coming through! All four molars have popped. He has such a personality and is such a happy boy. But recently he has begun temper tantrums. He stomps his feet, yells and screams! Screaming is his new thing, when he's mad or doesn't get his way he SCREAMS! That's how I know he has all those teeth! He is talking a lot but we don't understand most of it. He says hi, bye, mama, dada, Lola, yes, no, baby, more, book and many more. Most of the time it's just gibberish though! He is a walking fool and is running around everywhere. He loves music and dancing! He is also climbing! You can't leave him alone for a minute! He is constantly into something and being an explorer. He has recently taken an interest in books, just like his sister! I am very happy with that. He looks at them on his own and doesn't like to sit still to be read to. He has never been a cuddle baby like Sydney was. Mason is such a joy and always smiling! He gives his sister a run for her money and I know I will have my hands full!

Finally big enough to get on and off himself!

Exploring at Stephen's graduation party

Still needs his Mommy!

My happy boy!

Wedding fun

We recently went to a wedding of one of Keith's co-workers and the kids had an amazing time! They didn't stop dancing the whole night! Mason was a dancing fool! He was getting adventurous and getting further and further away from us. So Keith went to get him and people booed Keith! They were loving watching Mason! Syd loved dancing and blowing bubbles! Thanks to Kevin and Jessica for helping us with the kids too! Here are some pictures from that night! I apologize because they go from the end of the night to the beginning!

Syd blowing bubbles

Mason was tired! He fell asleep amidst the loud music and all!

Keith and I...we never get pictures together!

Mason and Mommy

Daddy and Sydney

The four of us! Mason wanted no part of this picture!

Mason and Daddy!

Mommy and Sydney

Update

Wow...it's been a long time! Lots has happened since my last post. Keith has gotten a promotion at work and is now the Lead Tech in his department. I am so proud of him and all that he does to make this family successful! Keith and I have started playing softball on a coed team and we are having so much fun...but we are SOOOO out of shape! We have had many pulled muscles and sore body parts but it has been so worth it! Mason is a walking fool and into everything. He is talking alot and some I can even understand. He is now 14 months and growing and changing everyday. I think we can also officially report no more breastfeeding! He has been sick with strep, again, and hasn't nursed the past two nights so there is no going back from here! I feel as though I did my job and got this far but now he doesn't really need me. He is exclusively on whole milk in a sippy. No more bottles or pumping in this house! YAY! Sydney finished up her tumbling class, which she loved! She took 12 weeks and will be starting again in September when classes start up again. She came so far and it was awesome to see her grow and see where she was day 1 to where she ended! She recently asked me to get her hair cut (for the fiftieth time) so I finally relented and let her do it. It looks so cute and she is now sporting a short bob and a new sassy attitude to go with it! I am also taking on a new adventure by signing up to sell Mary Kay! I am really excited about this new venture and I can't wait to get out there and start doing this skin care classes. I have my first class on Saturday and I can't wait! We are all ready for summer and fun outside! There are so many things I want to do this summer but who knows if we will have time for any of it! I think that is a pretty sufficient update for now!

Day 30

Day 30- A photo of you today, and 3 good things that have happened during this blog challenge

This is a recent picture of my...not from today. But I look the same...I promise!

Three good things that have happened to me during this blog challenge

• Mason turned 1! This was sad for Mommy but also exciting that my baby is growing up.


• Mason started walking! He turned one and bam...he decided to be a grown up haha!


• We have spent some great times with some awesome friends! One night we had friends over for games, another day we met the Hamlin's at the Hands on Museum, and yet another day we met Joe, Sarah and the kids at McD's to play! We have awesome friends!

This has been a fun blog challenge and my first actually. I would do another one if I came across one again. I have learned things about myself and I have reflected on things from my past. Thanks for the fun 30 days!

Day 29

Day 29- Something you could never get tired of doing?

• I could never get tired of spending time with my family


• I could never get tired of Facebook


• I could never get tired of sleeping! :)


• I could never get tired of waking up next to my husband


• I could never get tired of kisses from my babies!


• I could never get tired of taking baths

Day 28

Day 28- What is something you need to stop blaming yourself for? When Keith and I were dating we went through a rough patch and broke up. Mistakes were made and I always blame myself for things that were done. In the long run, the things that happened only made us stronger and I believe we wouldn't be where we are today without those things happening. But it was a really tough time and a long process to get through. Feelings were hurt and it was very painful. I wish we didn't have to go through what we went through to be here but what is done is done and we are better for it now.

Day 27

Day 27- What is something you need to forgive yourself for? This is going to sound super horrible but I can not think of anything I have to forgive myself for. I don't really have regrets because I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason and the things that happen to me in my life and the choices I make have made me who I am today.

Day 26

Day 26- How have you changed in the last two years? Wow, two years ago I had a one year old and I could cart her anywhere I want to go. Cut to now, with a 3 year old and a 1 year old...I can't go anywhere without some serious planning! We were also just moving from our little apartment to the house we live in now. Actually, we moved in April 1 so we had been here a week or so. This house seemed so perfect and actually we had an extra room we could use for storage and a playroom. Now, we are or have outgrown this house since the addition of Mason. My house is a toybox! But, I really wouldn't have it any other way! Two years ago I didn't have many friends in this area, probably just my friend Sarah. Now, we have a couple sets of couple friends that we love spending time with. I used to spend my days alone with Sydney and just go shopping to get out of the house. Now I make playdates and game night plans. The thought of not having these people in my life brings tears to my eyes as I remember how lonely I was before we met them. FYI...I am talking about you Becky/Joe and Kevin/Jessica! I am so thankful for the changes that have been made in the past two years. My family is complete and we have great friends to share our lives with. I can't wait to see what the next two years bring...but can my kids stay little?!

Day 25

Day 25- Someone who impacts your life regularly

These two women are my siser and my mom. They impact my life pretty much daily. Without these two women I don't know where I would be in my life. My sister is younger than me but very wise and mature for her age and I find myself going to her for advice all the time. My mom is very important to me. I am closer to her and my sister than anyone else outside of my husband. We all talk to eachother probably atleast 3 times a day if not more. I love these two so much and appreciate them for all that they do for me!

Day 24

Day 24- A photo of something that means a lot to you These are photos of my family (minus Mason, but he obviously means a lot to me too!). The first photo is a picture of a picture of my mom's family. The second is my husbands immediate family. These people and my family mean more to me than anything. Being a part of a close family makes me feel very lucky. Without these people I have no idea how I would function.

Day 23

Day 23- Tell us something you think no one really knows about you. This one was pretty hard for me because I live my life pretty much as an open book. That is why I am posting this so late. I couldn't think of anything all day! Maybe people don't know how insecure I really am. Maybe people don't know how much I worry constantly. Maybe people don't know how sensitive I really am. I get my feelings hurt pretty easily. I hold grudges, sometimes forever. This post seems to be all over the place but I just wrote what came to my head.

Day 22

Day 22- A letter to someone who has hurt you recently. I know this sounds kind of crazy but I have been thinking all day and I could not think of one instance of someone who has hurt me recently. Maybe little things but nothing worth writing a letter over! I guess that's a good thing but it makes for a boring blog post!

Day 19, 20 and 21

Day 19- What is something you hope never changes about yourself?

Something that I hope never changes about myself is my relationship with my family. I am very close to my mom and sister as well as my dad, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. We all get along very well and always have so much fun together.

Day 20- The meaning behind your blog name

My blog name is the Stephens Family which is pretty self explanatory. I am so creative I know! The web address is jksmstephens which is the first initials of me, my husband, and my kids. I actually created this before we had told anyone what Mason's name would be but some of my family members guessed Mason just by the web address. I am not so sneaky I guess!

Day 21- A photo of something that consistently makes you happy

My family is something that always makes me happy! This picture is a year old and we have to get a new one stat...but these are the three most important in my life and they make me the happiest!

Day 18

Day 18- What is something that you wish you could change about yourself? There are tons of things I wish I could change about myself, which is probably bad. I wish I could have clearer skin. I used to have amazing skin but as I got older and after I had kids my skin has become a problem area for me. It makes me insecure and holds me back a bit. I also wish my body would go back to what is was like before I had babies, but I still want to have my kids! My tummy sags and my chest is never going to be the same since I have collectively nursed my kids for 28 months. I guess my saggy tummy and stretch marks are just badges of honor! I also wish I had more patience, especially with my kids. I get upset too easily sometimes and overreact. Then I feel bad about how I reacted which then doesn't make any punishment effective.

Day 17

Day 17- Something you crave a lot

I crave Snickers flurries made with chocolate ice cream! Is that weird? haha! When I was pregnant with my son all I could think about was a snickers flurry! Day and night I would think about it and want it. I still think about it weekly! I don't indulge in one weekly, well ok, maybe in the summer I do. Just looking at this picture is making my mouth water!

Mason is 1!

Happy Birthday Mason!

Then...March 29, 2010

Now...March 2011

Where or where has the time gone? Mason's birthday party is this weekend so I will have a longer post next week with pictures but I had to acknoledge his birthday. He goes for his 1 year check tomorrow but he is around 23 lbs. He has started to take some steps but he is way more content to just drop down and crawl. He now has 8 teeth and according to the dr he is working on his molars. My poor baby has been sick with strep but has been on meds since Friday so he is feeling much better. Just a little cranky with his teeth. We are still working on getting him ready for "real" people food instead of baby/toddler food by Gerber. Those are so expensive and I am so ready to be done with those! He has also been doing the sign language that I taught him. He can do the sign for "more", "all done" and I am working on getting him to make the "eat" sign and "thank you". Those are probably the only four I will do. He can say baba, dada, mama, hello (sounds like hewwoo) and bye (which sounds like baah). He is starting to play with his toys more and explore new toys. He has taken an interest in his sister's kitchen set and also her old Little People barn. She is reluctently letting him play with them. For his birthday we got him the Little People Ark with the two extra sets of animals. Sydney picked out a present for him too. She decided he needed a pillow pet like her and picked out the penguin for him. I am sure he will love it! We don't go crazy on presents for the kids because our families do it for us! If there is one larger thing we want to get them we usually do that.

I can not believe that this year has come and gone. I am very emotional about Mason turning one. He's (probably) my last baby and I want to savor every moment. It's not fair how fast time goes once you have kids. It should go slower! I have to say this has been the best year of my life thus far. Adding Mason to our family was the best thing we could have ever done. Sydney loves her baby brother and most of the time plays well with him. I personally can't get enough of him! Mason, Mama loves you so much and can't believe you are 1! Happy Birthday Baby boy! We all love you with everything we have!

Day 16

Day 16- What do you miss most about your childhood? The thing I miss most about childhood is being carefree and unafraid of anything. Life was so much simplier back then. I didn't have to worry about bills or money. I could play outside all day and come home for dinner. I didn't have an responsibilities and I didn't have to worry about anything or anyone else. Now, don't get me wrong, I love my life now and I am so grateful to be able to have my children to worry about and my husband. I just miss being carefree without a care in the world!

Day 15 (halfway!)

Day 15- Something you don't leave the house without. Why?

The one thing I never leave the house without is my cell phone. I always want to have it in an emergency and if my kids aren't with me I need a life line to them through my phone. I always have it not because I am always on it but because it's there incase. We also don't have a home phone line anymore so this is the only way (other than my hubby's phone) for people to get ahold of us. I am not a person who needs needs the newest, most hightech phone, I just need a phone to call people, text and take pictures! That's it! I love my phone and never leave home without it!

Day 14

Day 14- If you had unlimited resources, what would your life look like? I would love to say I don't think our life would look much different. I don't know how realistic that is but I would like to think we wouldn't be too crazy or extravagent. If we won the lottery today I would pay off all our debt, buy a house, get new cars, help out our family, establish a good savings for us and each of the kids and then donate to our church and charities. Of course, the things we would have would be nicer and probably cost more money but I still would't spoil the kids. I think the mistake that some people make is going crazy with their money and spending, spending, spending! I think because we live paycheck to paycheck it makes us appreciate what we have and would in turn help us to be more level headed when it comes to money. I would want a bigger house and a nicer car but I don't need a Range Rover or a Lexus...I know it's silly but I would love a van with TV's in the headrests for the kids. That is my dream car...I know I know, I am such a mom! I would also like to be able to travel more, so if we have unlimited money we would do more of that. There are so many places I want to visit, in this country or abroad, so being able to share those things with my kids would be amazing! Having money would make life a little easier but it sure wouldn't change the love I already have for my kids and husband!