A Time of Thanksgiving!

What a busy past few days we have had. We started off the Thanksgiving holiday by going to Savannah for a few days and spending time with Wilkes/Lawson clan. The whole family came to Nonna and Da's for a Thanksgiving feast. There was much to be thankful for. The house was full of children, the grandparents were all there, and Kevin's cousin Brittany (I don't know that I ever spell her name right-sorry) was just accepted to OT school in Florida. It was great to be able to visit with everyone and the kids had a blast. That morning we took our kids and Jon and Ashley's to have their picture made together. Getting 6 kids to smile at the same time and to all be looking at the camera might be close to impossible. I think there was a good one or two out of the 20 she took though:)

Friday was a new experience for me-Black Friday shopping. It is the first year I had ever gone and might be the last. It wasn't terrible, but waking up at 4 am on my own and not due to the kids, isn't something I plan on doing often. Pam, Ashley, and I loaded up in the van and were at Walmart by 4:45. About $1300 between us and an hour later, we were back in the van. It was Crazy! We each got most of what we had come for, so that was definately a plus. I can't imagine doing it in Memphis though. I will be a proud new owner of a Cricut come my birthday:)

Friday afternoon we loaded up the kids and headed back home. We had another Thanksgiving Brunch on Saturday with my family. We were able to spend the morning with my parents, Megs, and David. Again, there was a lot to be thankful for. My dad, who had surgery a month ago, is alive and well, looking better every day. That is what I am most thankful for this year. We have found Karsey a new home, buried both of my grandmothers this year, and still we are so blessed. The sermon at church today was all about Heaven and we recognized those that have gone before us in the past year or so. It was a perfect ending to this Thanksgiving season, and it comforts me to know that we will see those that we love again one day. I pray that all of our family has accepted Christ as their saviour daily, so that they have the same reassurance that I do.

On a discovery note-Turner tried for the first time-real sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, and cheese grits. I will have to say-Boo Boo couldn't shovel the grits in his mouth fast enough. He would clench his fist and scream in between every bite. His face is pretty broken out today. So...that worries me as far as food allergies go, but we will see how the next few days go and stick to baby food.

Thank you family and friends for always loving and supporting us!! We are better because of you and we love you all more than words could ever express! I have posted some pics from the past few days!

Visit with Santa and good friends!

Well, Thanksgiving hasn't even come yet, but we have seen Santa!! Maddie-loved it, Turner-not so much:) Tonight we took the kids to Bass Pro Shop to have their picture made with Santa. We met our good friends Mary and Danny there with their son Trey. Maddie told Santa she wanted a bike and had no problem getting on his lap. Turner cried the whole time. He is very much a momma's boy and usually can be found riding my coat tail. I was afraid he wouldn't be too fond of sitting on Santa's lap. We got a picture anyway and enjoyed spending time with the Gaines. I am so looking forward to the month to come and all the festivities we have planned. Stay tuned for celebrating Christmas Wilke's style!

Maddie's First Haircut

I have kept putting off getting Maddie a haircut. It has gotten so long and I was worried she would lose her curl. I needed to get mine done and decided it was finally time to take her as well. She was very excited until we got there and then acted a little nervous. On the way, Maddie did say that she wanted to get her hair cut like her daddy's. Thank goodness I was along for the ride:) Margaret, my hairdresser, was very good with her and put her right at ease. She jumped right in the chair and smiled the whole time. We only got the ends shaped up and a few layers. You can't really tell, but Maddie was so proud and talked about it the rest of the night. Her hair is still curly and I took a ton of pictures to capture the event. I have a bag full of locks to treasure and remember the day by!

An Afternoon at the Zoo!

I love having Friday's off to be able to spend with the kids. My good friend Kim had taken off that day as well and we decided to take the kids to the zoo. We bought a membership this past April and have not used it as much as I would have liked. But on the plus side, it is still very exciting for Maddie to be able to go and see the animals and she was ready to go as soon as we woke up. Kim and Olivia came to our house around noon and we all rode together. We picked up Burger King on the way and had a picnic once we got there. Maddie and Olivia enjoyed each other's company and it was nice spending "mommy time" with Kim.

I think we looked at all the animals and the kids had a great time. Turner is content to sit in his stroller and just take it all in. The girls rode in their strollers some, but spent most of the time walking and running. Maddie had no problem falling asleep that night. I have posted some pictures from the day.

3 year and 9 month check ups!

Last week I had well check's scheduled for both kids. Maddie was due for her 3 year check and Turner for his 9 month. Naturally, the day before their "well check", both kids became sick. So, we canceled the one appt. and took them in that day. Maddie had the croup for the 5000th time and Turner was actually ok. He pulls on his ears ALL the time, and since he has had several ear infections, we always assume they are bothering him. Maddie was given a steroid and they were both given the H1N1 and flu vaccinations. Turner handled them like a man, and Maddie handled them....well, 15 minutes later she was still crying about it:)

Maddie weighed in at 28 lbs and is 36 1/2 inches tall. Turner weighed 20 lbs 3 oz and is 28 inches long. I didn't get the percentiles they were in, but they are growing. Maddie has gained 3 pounds in the past year and gotten 3 inches taller. That is fitting since she just turned 3 years old!! They are both doing great and it never ceases to amaze me how quickly time flies!

Happy Birthday Taylor!

Saturday we went to a birthday party for Taylor Brady. He turned 3 three days after Maddie and they have grown up together in Church. We became friends with his parents, Trey and Leslie, when we both became pregnant at the same time. Trey's parents are also good friends with mine. They also have an adorable daughter, Caroline.

The party was truck themed and held outside at our church. The kids played several fun games and had a truck cake to help celebrate Taylor turning 3. It was a beautiful day and everyone had so much fun. Turner tried ice cream for the first time and really liked it:) Thanks so much to the Brady's for letting us help celebrate Taylor's special day!

Maddie's 2nd Dentist Visit

Maddie went for her 2nd teeth cleaning yesterday afternoon. Being the week after Halloween, I was so nervous. My child has been eating a lot of candy!! I always tell her when we are brushing her teeth that the first bad dentist visit she has, the candy will stop. Fortunately for her, everything went well yesterday:) We go to Dr. Josh Brink in Bartlett, and I am very impressed with that office. When Maddie first went back, they made a balloon into a giraffe for her. They gave her a glass of water because she said she was thirsty. They had a great way of explaining things to her in a way that she could understand and she didn't seem to be nervous once they got started. They also took pictures of her teeth for the first time. When they were done, she was able to pick a toy of the wall-she picked TRICK GUM. Imagine that-I am sure she thought it was the real thing:)

Dr. Josh said we were doing a good job of brushing her teeth. She does have deep grooves in her back teeth, which make it easier to get cavities. We need to make sure that we are brushing back there well. We were also told to do juice at mealtimes, but water throughout the day. That way sugar won't just be sitting on her teeth. They said chewy candy is the worst, that we should give her kinds that dissolve easily. Starburst's-you wouldn't consider those chewy would you?:)
All in all, it was a good visit and I was very proud of Maddie. She acted like such a big girl!

Turner Time!

I just wanted to post a few things about our precious little boy. He will be 9 months on the 9th and it has absolutely flown by! He is getting so big and is into everything, all the time. He has changed so much just in this past month-he is a VERY fast crawler, and loves to scream and chase Maddie and Daddy around. He can say-Ma Ma, Da Da (his favorite word), Bye Bye, Ney Ney, and a bunch of other baby babble. He can wave and clap his hands. His newest trick is making a fish face which he does well and often:) He loves to eat puffs and has even been given some french fries, which he thoroughly enjoys. He rarely spits up anymore (praise the Lord), and doesn't have Karo syrup put in his bottle anymore!! He is a regular little pooper and just a very content baby!!

He still enjoys his paci, but mostly just uses it while he is sleeping. He STILL doesn't sleep through the night though, which is a little exhausting. He just about always has a bottle in the middle of the night and often is up at 4:30 for the day. He still takes 2 naps a day for the most part and goes to bed between 7 and 8. He has about 4 jars of baby food a day and 4-5 bottles at 7 oz's each. We just gave him a sippee cup the other day with water and he seems to enjoy that. He is definately a growing boy! He loves bathtime, taking Maddie's toys, and walking across things. We don't think it will be long before he walks on his own. Turner loves his sister and can usually be found by her side. It is so much fun having a little boy and watching his personality start to come out. He is a big ham, who loves to laugh and has lots of energy!!! We are so blessed with our two children and couldn't love them more!!! He also goes next week for his 9 month well check, so I will update then on just how big he has gotten!

Maddie's Family Birthday Celebration!

It's official-Maddie is now 3 years and is allowed to chew gum!! Months ago she wanted to chew some gum and I told her no, that she had to wait until she was three! I just said without thinking and that is all I have heard for the past 6 months. Whenever someone is chewing gum, she wouldn't ask for some, just simply say that when was three she would get some. Well, the day has come, and she probably chewed 20 pieces of gum yesterday-for 10 seconds each:)

The day started with the kid's going to Ney Ney's, where she took a box of Mickey Mouse gummies to share with her friends. That night, we went for a pizza party at Mimi and Boo Boo's. Megs and David came and we enjoyed spending some time together. After the pizza, Maddie was able to open her gifts and there was paper everywhere in no time. I can't wait to see how Christmas is this year with two kids:) Maddie received a fishing game, a jewelry making kit, princess roller skates, play food, and.......a BUBBLE GUM MACHINE! I have to say, the bubble gum machine was a hit, and it was from mommy and daddy, so we earned some big points!! She did a great job of throwing her gum away when she was done and had a great night!!

I can't believe my baby has already turned 3!!! She acts like such a big girl and amazes us every day. She loves her little brother more than I had ever imagined she would, and we are so proud of her! She goes next week for her 3 year well check and I can't wait to see how much she has grown. Our life would be so dull without our little Maddie Mo!!!!

Happy Halloween!

This year, Halloween was a fun-filled day. As I wrote earlier, we had Maddie's birthday that morning. When we were through cleaning up from that, we took the kids home and tried to lay them down. Turner slept for about 45 minutes and Maddie stayed awake. We had Trunk or Treat at church that started at three, so we headed over there around 3:30. Turner was strapped in the stroller and was good as gold. Maddie was able to go from car to car and say "trick or treat". She would thank them after she got candy and wanted to go again when we were through. I was steadily grabbing the chocolate and items with peanuts from her bag and giving them to someone else. She had so much fun!



After getting candy, we went in the gym for some games. It was very crowded and hot, so we didn't stay long. Maddie and Daddy were able to play a few games and then we headed out. We stopped by Mimi and Boo Boo's house so Boo Boo could see the kids in their costumes. They were able to to get some candy from them and then we decided to head home. It had been a very long, busy day and we had both kids in bed by 7:30. I was very disappointed that my camera's battery ran out as soon as we got to church. So, I didn't get any pictures but the kids looked the same as they did for Mo's party. I have to be better prepared, because I absolutely hated not being able to take their pics at church.



NOTE about Boo Boo: I have written in the past two posts about Boo Boo being at home and wanted to explain here, so I will have it in the years to come. Boo Boo was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer about six weeks ago and just had surgery last Tuesday to have it removed. He is doing very well, but has been on the road to recovery this past week. This is why he wasn't at Maddie's B-day party or Church for Trunk or Treat. We hated for him to have to miss these events, but want him to get well as soon as possible and am glad he has already had the surgery! There will be plenty more birthday's and Halloween's in the years to come:)

Maddie's 3rd Birthday Party-Max and Ruby style!!

I can not believe that Maddie is turning 3!! We decided this year to have a costume party, and had it on Halloween morning!! What a fun and exhausting morning we all had!! Maddie is all about some Max and Ruby, so that was the theme and we had it at the fellowship hall of our church. We had a great Max and Ruby cake (compliments of Mimi and Boo Boo), played a great game of Pin the tail on Max or Ruby (compliments of Nonna), and decorated cupcakes (compliments of me:) The kids came all decked out in their costumes and looked so cute. Maddie was Spider Girl and Turner was our "Little Stinker". We had lots of pink and green balloons, tablecloths, plates and napkins. The kids enjoyed some pigs in a blanket, bagel bites, apples, chips, juice boxes, and lots of sugar-cupcakes, cake, and ice cream!

Maddie enjoyed being able to celebrate her birthday with all of her friends. We are so glad that so many were able be a part of her special day! For take home treats, we had Max and Ruby cookie suckers, crayons, and a personalized Max and Ruby coloring book. We saved some money by doing the party ourselves, but sure did have to do a lot more work:) Thanks Mimi and Nonna for all the help you gave us-it was very appreciated and added to Maddie's day. We are sad that Boo Boo and Da weren't able to attend, but Boo Boo is busy recovering and Da was at work on the boat. We and Maddie love you all!! Hard to believe she is turning 3!!