Pics from Miley's visit

Hayden's Dedication & Miley's Here!

I am quite possibly the happiest girl in the world.  My sister drove with her two kiddos to stay with us this week!  Not just any kiddos, mind you.  A potty-training two-year-old and a nursing 10-week-old.  For 9 hours.  She left Monday at 8:45 a.m. and got here around 7:30 p.m.  I told her if she changed her mind and chickened out halfway that I would totally understand.  She is the MAN!  Eric is at YFC camp this week, and I'm really glad she decided to come see us instead of staying home. 

I've been going paparazzi on all of the beautiful children running around my house, so I'll share a few in the next few days.

On Sunday, we had Baby Hane dedicated at our church.  It was such a sweet occasion, and tonight as I'm looking through the pictures, I'm realizing it's a little bittersweet because she's my baby.  God may decide to bless us with another child at some point, but I'm pretty darn sure it would be via adoption and not via my reproductive system.  So I'm beginning to make note of some of our 'lasts' as she grows. 

Emerson took great delight in being on stage and basically thought everyone was there to see her.  She told Pastor Jeff that Jax's name was Lightning McQueen, and she made laps around Jeff as he prayed for Hayden.  (This was all unbeknownst to me... I was deep in the moment and might have spanked her then and there had I seen it.  Just kidding.  But you better believe I'd have given her THE LOOK.) 

Jax was not a fan of being on stage.  He scowled and clung to me until I picked him up, and that's where he stayed through the rest of the dedication.  My sensitive boy.

Hayden had a great time being held by Daddy, and Pastor Jeff thought it was so cute that she was sucking her toes.  I was just really glad that her teeth weren't bothering her and that she stayed happy.  It was such a wonderful morning!

Hayden's 4-month session

Kelly outdid herself again!  We went to her mom's house in Owasso to take these pictures.  I love them as always.

Go to http://kellystocksenphotography.com/  (And yes, that's my baby girl on the main page... I'm not proud or anything).

Click on 'Enter-the-Site,' then go to Proofing. Enter 071211vanvalkenburg in the box and enjoy! 

Peoria on my mind

Hayden and I had a fun weekend in Peoria!!!  Well, let me rephrase that.  Hayden, truth be told, had quite a miserable weekend, but I didn't let that dampen the time spent with my sister and her family.  Our flights to Dallas and then to Peoria went well.  She slept and nursed on both flights, so she was really good and quiet. 

We arrived at the airport and were greeted by Aunt Miley, looking cute with her new short haircut and already a skinny minny after giving birth a little over 2 months ago.  When we got to their house, Avery immediately gave out some sweet kisses.

And here's Hudson Allen, the sweetest, most laid-back boy in the world! 

He and Hayden got to know each other a little bit better.  Miley and I were laughing about the differences in their skin color... Hudson's got this gorgeous olive coloring.  Hayden's about as white as they come! 

Eric's twin brother and his wife and little girl were in town from Florida, so it was great hanging out with them.  About four hours after we arrived, Hayden threw up during her nap, and immediately I thought of Jax's vomiting two days earlier.  That's the only vom session she had, but then that night her eye matted up, and the next morning her other eye was horribly swollen.  Lovely... pink eye! 

I quarantined her as best I could from Avery and Hudson and disinfected everything she came in contact with.  It was so hard telling Avery not to touch her baby cousin on the face or hands.  She looked at me like, 'But why? I love her!' Avery was quite the helper around their house.  She is such a good big sister, is potty-training like a champ, and has a forced, open-mouthed belly laugh that's to die for.  Since I didn't have Emerson and Jax to take care of, I felt like I got to know her better on this trip and really see who she is as a little person. 

We spent some time in the swimming pool, walked around the neighborhood, shopped at the mall, I cut Miley's hair a little shorter, and for the most part we just relaxed and caught up.  Eric grilled some mean shish-kabobs, and I chowed on PW's pig cake that Miley made.  Yummy! 

Here are a few more pics from the weekend.

I miss my sister terribly!  It's wonderful vacations like this that make me so sad that we live 9 hours from each other.  Jason and I have presented them with all manner of scenarios to get them to move to Tulsa.  I might have to resort to kidnapping soon.  

Puke, Puke Everywhere

Poor Jaxey threw up twice today.  It was so unexpected.  He was a little whinier and clingier than normal this morning, so I went upstairs with him and Emerson after I put Hayden down for her morning nap.  All he wanted to do was sit on my lap and let me love on him.  That should've been clue #1 because he's usually waaaay too busy to let me snuggle him. 

At lunch, he looked like he couldn't keep his eyes open, and all of a sudden he started saying, "More food, more FOOOOD!"  Up came his lunch.  All over his plate, on the table, on his chair, on the floor.  The precious boy just sat there and cried while I tried to clean him up.  Emerson started giggling which I quickly and sternly put a stop to.  When I had stripped him down to his undies, I asked him if he wanted to go to his nap, and he said yes.  That should've been clue #2 that this wasn't going to be a one-and-done.

After they got up from their nap, they were upstairs playing.  I was nursing Hayden on the couch when I heard Jax yelling my name.  Then I heard a strange sound... almost like the pitter-patter of raindrops.  What I, in fact, was hearing was the pitter-pat of barf falling to the wood floor from the top of the stairs.  I had to lay Hayden down, she's screaming, and I run to the stairway.  Jaxeypoo was standing on the 2nd step from the top, holding his bwoo bwankie (now covered in vomitus), crying his eyes out.

I ran to him, and Emerson quickly pointed out that this was the second time that Jax had 'throwed up' today.  Thank you, Emerson.  I spent the next 10 minutes vacuuming puke out of the carpet, spot-treating the stains, and mopping the wood floor below.  Luckily Emerson was requesting to practice her letter sounds, so I got her set up on my laptop and tried my best to comfort Jax while nursing Hayden who was HACKED that I had made her wait 10 minutes. 

I've got my fingers crossed that he's through throwing up.  There's almost nothing worse than waking from REM to change barfy sheets in the middle of the night.  Am I right or am I right???

Weekend Recap

On Friday night our friends the Leyvas came over for dinner. It had been way too long since we had all hung out.  Because their three girls are basically the exact same ages as our three, they completely understand how insane life is right now!  We treasure the time we get to spend with them.  Here is a pic of the babies and babydaddies.

On the potty-training front, Jax is doing really well.  He's not to the point of telling me he needs to go yet, but every hour-and-a-half or so, I take him and he goes.  He finally started relaxing last week and going #2 on a regular basis. 

Tonight Jason is doing his annual fireworks show for Tulsa FBC.  He's been doing it for a good five or six years now, on the property of a family friend in Broken Arrow.  He and his friend Randy (aka Bull) and Uncle Trav are lighting some high-powered fireworks, and every year I pray he comes home with all his fingers intact.  As he was leaving, I told him I didn't want him coming home wearing an eyepatch, either.  Thankfully they wear safety goggles and gloves, but it still makes me nervous. 

I took the kids to CiCi's Pizza tonight just to get out of the house and to keep it cheap.  Each of them ate 3 pieces of pizza and were asking for more.  Unbelievable!  I think they're both going through some serious growth spurts right now... it's like I can't fill their bellies fast enough.  Hayden has been spitting up more than usual the last two days.  I'm wondering if her teeth are finally about to spring forth, since I haven't been eating any dairy or anything unusual that would've triggered it.  

On Thursday Hayden and I are flying to Peoria to see Miley, Eric, Avery and baby Hudson!  I can't wait!  Hayden & Hudson... doesn't that just sound so cute?!  Hayden has become quite the little jet-setter, travelling once a month for the last three months.  I have my fingers crossed that her teething won't be a major issue on the plane.  

Below are pictures of one of Emerson and Jax's favorite things in the whole world.  Sometimes we wait in the front yard for Daddy to come home, and occasionally he'll ask them if they'd like to go for a ride.  He takes each of them for a spin around the block on his lap, and they get to hold the steering wheel.  It is a BIG DEAL.  I caught each of them in a picture, and the last one makes me smile.  Jaxeypoo is waiting his turn for his ride, wearing his training underpants.   

Happy Fourth of July!