Where we stand...

I know many of you are wanting to know, now that we have gone to Kinsleigh's Developmental Ped. appointment, where exactly we stand with things and what is going on. But before I go into any of that, I/we want to thank all of you for your prayers, encouraging words, generosity of ways to help out, etc. without even fully knowing what is going on. You all just lifted us up anyway and we cannot thank you enough for that. We are truly blessed. Sean and I were talking the other night about how 2011 has not been a good year for us (minus the part of Kyla being born). We have had so many ups and downs, we've lost count. I feel like much of the year has been full of worry, pain, sadness, confusion, tiredness, complaining, trial/error situations, blah blah blah. We're hoping that 2012 brings us a year of healing and getting back to "normal."

So here goes...now you can know what the heck we've been dealing with and talking about all this time with Kinsleigh...you ready...deep breath...ok

Ever since Kinsleigh was very young, like 18 mos. or so, we've thought she was a HIGHLY intelligent little one. It was/has been so cool to see her develop and impress us with all her insights and knowledge. She could sing the whole ABC's by 18 mo. ish. She knew the majority of her letters by age 2. Knew most of the letter sounds and could identify all numbers before she was 2 1/2. Awesome huh?!

Also starting shortly after 18 mos. we started noticing she had a lot of repetitive behaviors and craved routine (to an extreme amount) like crazy. But we thought, ok whatever, she's just really particular and picky.

As time went on, the obsessiveness and repetitive behaviors got more and more extreme. Still to this day, for a whole entire year, she has said the same exact sentence when we drive onto the circle on ramp from the BA to I44. And we drive this path often as it is our way to church, which is also daddy's work and Kins school. That's just one example.

Then as she got closer to three, I started noticing more and more that she still wasn't wanting to play much with her peers. Like, she was aware they were there, but she preferred to be alone. Still does. And she doesn't necessarily know how to relate to them. Can talk an adults ear off, but looks at kids like they are crazy sometimes.

Here recently, closer to age 3, her behavior has gotten out of control. To the point where Sean and I don't know how to handle it anymore. She's highly disobediant, highly sensitive, can throw a tantrum like no other, that kind of thing. Not just a typical 3 year old thing, but more. Now this is a complete 180 from where we used to be at age 2. Sweet, charming, always listens to what Mommy and Daddy say. Discipline tactics worked, manners were used so kindly...

I now know, ok, SOMETHING is not right here, but I have NO idea what. My first fear was possibly Aspergers, because she is clearly not autistic. Anybody can see that. Then as it went on more and more, I thought possibly anxiety/OCD, I don't really know (I'm sure no Dr. here). I shared all my concerns with our ped at Kinsleigh's 3year appt. and she saw concern enough to get her into a psychologist for an evaluation. We didnt rush into getting the referral at the time as it wasn't necessarily an emergency.

Then the extreme irrational fears started happening. About a week before Thanksgiving we had some friends come to town to visit. They have a baby boy so he borrowed our pack n play and slept in kinsleigh's room while she went and stayed with grandma overnight. We folded it back up when he was done, placed it in the bag, and left it setting on the floor of her room. When she got home, she said she was scared of her room and wouldn't go in it. Sometime later I was able to come to the conclusion that it was the pack n play. Something she has seen numerous times as we've had it since the day she was born and we travel with it all the time with Kyla now. Thanksgiving, she was terrified of certain decorations in my parents dining room and refused to eat in there with the rest of family. Fixed it and she was over it in a day.

Then Saturday, December 3rd happened. She woke up that morning, totally normal, just really early so she was kind of cranky. We went to the mall, picked out our angel from the angel tree, played in the play place, had lunch, then came home for nap. When she woke from her nap that afternoon she would not open her eyes and her behavior was very strange, but we had no clue as to why. After much observing, questioning, and all that, I discovered she was terrified of the air vents. She wanted nothing more than to get out of the house. Thought it was just our house, which it was at first, but now she does it lots of other places too if she happens to notice them. Grandmas house, library, doctors office. Her eyes close and there is nothing you can say or do to get her to open them. I finally decided to paint the one in her room the color of her walls to see if that made a difference. (I had noticed at night time she had been opening her eyes in the dark in her bed so I figured she would look up and check it out the and be able to notice) Sure enough, she did, and two days later, she was comfortable with opening her eyes in her room only. That is still where we stand, 12 days later. She still won't open them anywhere else, however she is beginning to open them a little when she takes a bath at night. (We brought Barbies into the tub and that was something new and exciting that she finally had to check out). Because of this fear being so extreme that it is controlling both her and our entire lifestyle, we needed help, quick! I have never felt so badly for my child. It's a feeling I cannot even describe because it is definitely not something you ever think you will be dealing with.

After a lot of work and phone calls, our pediatrician got us into a developmental ped. which is who we went and saw this morning. First off, I want to say that man was amazing and so helpful and understanding. We spent nearly 2 hours talking with him about Kinsleigh's various behaviors and he was able to observe her "in action" for some of them. By the end, he came to the conclusion that it most likely was all related to anxiety. Other things could be possible in there that we may discover over time, but for now she needs serious counseling. She will be receiving that through a psychologist, whom we are already set up to see on Jan. 11th. From there, she will be able to see what needs to be done further and where we go from here. Basically, it's probably just going to take a long time to get her behavior back on track and make her feel comfortable. Who knew, when I brought this sweet baby girl into the world a little over 3 years ago, that this would be what I would be dealing with for her. We are going a non medication route for now, we'll see what the future holds, but we don't feel (neither does the Dr.) that we should put a child this young on medication. Not knowing the exact diagnosis, the side effects, or whether of not it would even work. Time, conversations, and prayer is what is going to heal this little girl. WE HOPE. But we also BELIEVE. That also being said, he DOES NOT believe she has anything on the autism spectrum. He did say that in some cases as children get older, Aspergers (high functioning autism), becomes more apparent when it didn't seem noticeable in the beginning, but he still highly doubted it. Oh and he gave us some tactics to try to get her to feel better about the vents. We will give them a try and see if anything works and keep you updated there.

So for now, this is what I'm going to ask of each and every one of you. First and foremost, keep the prayers coming. Because we need them more than you could ever know. But also, love our girlie no matter the circumstances. Know that we are trying our hardest as parents and doing whatever we can in our power to help her and make her better. Know that many times the behavior she displays, she may or may not be able to control. In public I am so tired of the stares and what not because she's totally ignoring me or the fact that her eyes are closed everywhere she goes. I know I shouldn't care what other people think, but lets face it, as humans and parents, when it comes to our kids, we just do. (I know I'll never again be passing judgement that it's all the parents fault when their child is misbehaving because I now know, it's NOT). To know we have a big team on our side and understands helps. She is still sweet Kinsleigh. She still loves to play, give hugs and kisses, be silly, and say her sweet prayers. She's just struggling right now in ways that we can't understand. Please don't treat her any differently than any other child. Those are my only requests. Thank you again for everything and in advance for all I know you are all going to continue to do. We have a great group of friends on our side but more importantly CHRIST who will heal all. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

9 Months

Kyla, you are officially three quarters of your way to a one year old! Hard to believe. At 9 months you are still attached to Mommy like nobody's business. As in, you still spew all over everybody if Mommy leaves you for an extended amount of time. Extended sometimes only meaning 5-10 minutes. You come and go with your daysof just blabbering away. You're still not pulling yourself up or crawling but you are walking around EVERYWHERE with the help of others. Definitely not a fan of sitting still on your bo-bo anymore. I can tell you are going to be my one that gets into everything. You already stop at the sight of any and everything on the floor and try to pick it up so you can put it straight in your mouth. Still no toothers. LOVE Mickey Mouse just like your sissy. Love to cuddle and play with Mommy's hair. And you really enjoy talking to Mr. Snowman that sits next to our front door.

Just look at you go on this thing...

And you are already my fashion diva...=)

Love you bunches sweetie pie!

My occupation is Mommy

Many days, like yesterday, I feel being a stay at home mom is not exactly my cup of tea if you know what I mean. But then there are days, like today, that I find joy in the little things of being a stay at home mommy and wouldn't trade it for the world. Today I am thankful to be with my girls and glad my day went as follows...

1) My three year old giving me big hugs and telling me she loves me "bunches and bunches" over and over again.

2) As I prepare my littlest for morning nap, she lays her head on my shoulder and starts playing with my hair (love this about her!) while she cuddles her blankie.

3) I played pixiehollow.com for a half hour with Kins playing fairy games just to try and earn her enough points so we could buy stuff.

4) Sat on the couch and read some good books together

5) After lunch we headed to the library where they had all sorts of fun

6) After we got home and watched a sort DVD that kinsleigh had picked out, she went down so peacefully for a nap while Kyla entertained herself in the living room (this rarely happens).

7) I played with beads hanging from a lamp with Kyla (who knew?) and thoroughly enjoyed it!

8) Sang some songs and rocked her while I tickled her little head. She just stared at me with those big blue eyes until she trailed right off to sleep.

9) Now they are both sleeping soundly as I am able to sit and type this blog.

When I'm having a bad day, these sweet, precious days are what keep me going. Only 8 1/2 more months and this will no longer be my full time occupation. So I may complain at times, but I'm going to soak it all in while I can.

Nigh Night Prayers

I never get tired of hearing my dear little Kinsleigh say "Thank you Jesus for dying on the cross for me" at bedtime every night. This is her #1 prayer of thanks! How cool is that? Granted, she has no clue what she's saying or can even begin to fathom what that means right now. But I pray that one day she will. I pray that Sean and I will be good examples as parents and guide her in the way she should go in helping her know this. I honestly cannot wait for the day that she comes to me and says "Mommy, I want to ask Jesus into my heart." Maybe not those words exactly, especially if she's (sigh) not choosing to call me Mommy anymore. But I'm so thankful that she's already been introduced to the fact that someone else loves her deeply far better than Mommy and Daddy ever could. I have a feeling this strong willed, "little miss attitude" girl we have right now is going to make her Mommy and Daddy very proud someday. I mean...hello!, she already does! But I mean I can see her being a beaming light for HIS kingdom.

28 Years

Who knew at 28 years of age I would still be getting asked if my parents are home by salesmen at my door. But on a more serious note...

Who knew?

I'd have been married for almost 5 years, let alone been married at all, to a man that I dated for a short 4 months before getting engaged to him?

I'd already have two beautiful daughters?

I'd be creating a home for my family in Tulsa, Oklahoma surrounded by the most loving people I've ever known?

I'd have 5 years behind me of battling an auto immune disease that has drastically changed my life?

I'd lose dear friendships?

I'd make so many amazing new ones?

I'd still be obsessed with Facebook after 8 years? (ok, that's maybe not so serious),

It just goes to show that I am not the writer of my life. Someone of much greater importance is and has something far better planned for me. Can't wait to see what he's got cooked up for the years to come. I just pray everything I do can be a testimony to HIM.

The BIG 3!

I will always remember every detail of the day you were born, even down to the sound of your cry when you entered this world...

How you you would always make this face when you turned 1...

The way you always had a smile on your face and hardly ever got in trouble when you turned 2...

How you were crazy silly and extremely sweet but yet very stubborn, ahem, strong willed when you turned 3...

You make my days brighter Kinsleigh Grace and I love you to pieces!

Our Goal

The Kirk is doing something for our 50th Anniversary that I would love to ask your help in. We are trying, no wait...we will, fill a semi by Nov. 13th with items for those in need. Each week we have different items listed to bring so that we can get a variety of things and not just a bunch of canned beans and corn. This week, it was on my heart to really ask specifically because it is something that my own family struggles in getting for ourselves. FORMULA. Ugh! So not an easy thing to buy. The formula we feed Kyla (hypoallergenic aka super expensive liquid gold) , we would be spending approx $230 a month on if we were buying it for full retail all the time at a store like Wal Mart. Thankfully, I have been able to find many great deals on craigslist to get it much cheaper in bulk. But even then, my family still wouldn't have been able to afford it if we hadn't sold some of our own things on craigslist. We have sold an ipod, Garmin, Nook, all of Sean's disc's for disc golf, baby cradle as soon as we were done with it, nerf stuff (you know Sean is obsessed), queen bedroom set with the mattress and box springs, PS2 with all the games, Oakley backpack...let's just say we made many sacrifices. It just doesn't fit in our budget. And to think, we aren't even that bad off! What in the world are the people who don't even have jobs going to do? Got any formula laying around because you are done with it and just not sure what to do with it? Maybe you were given samples and don't need it? Or maybe you know someone in the medical field that would be willing to get you some? PLEASE DO! Here is a list of what can be brought each week until then. And obviously, if you have other things that you would like to donate, they are welcome as well.

10/30 baby food/formula and baby wipes

11/6 cake/brownie/muffin mixes and diapers

11/13 Canned fruit/veggies and toilet paper

We've already brought cereal, canned soup, peanut butter, shampoo, toothpaste, laundry soap, just to name a few but I am sure we could use more! We already have the semi 1/2 full so PLEASE help The Kirk reach it's goal! We've got 3 more weeks!!!

My #1 Prayer

Health for my children. It's of the upmost importance of what I NEED right now. I can't beg for it enough. My brain is emotionally drained from the stress and worry of things constantly wrong. Just so you can know where I am coming from, here is what we are battling.

Kyla- we all know she started off her little life in this world with a UTI and a milk allergy that was making her extremely sick. Fixed that problem only to take a little more time to fix her severe reflux problem with just the right medication. Happier baby then, but still has always just been a fussy baby which in itself is annoying enough. Around 4 mos. old, her eye started getting icky, icky. I assumed it was a clogged tear duct so did nothing about it, hoping it was just going to go away like it is supposed to. NOPE, still there. Had to get her into an eye dr. and it is in fact a clogged tear duct and she has been put on medication for it now. BUT if it has not cleared up in 6-8 weeks, which he says it most likely won't since it hasn't so far, we will have to consider putting her asleep so they can go in and flush it out themselves. In 5% of cases, they don't clear on their own. Of course, we are the 5%.

At 6 months, she started having SEVERE constipation. Just like Kinsleigh did/has. It literally started at the same time hers did, as soon as she started having baby food. Tried everything in the book. Nothing worked. Now have her on Miralax, which is not preferred for a baby this age, but it the ONLY way we can get her to go every once in a while. Now waiting on her referral to GI specialist. As of this past week, she has turned into the whine and cry all day long self again for what seems to be no reason. Went to the dr. today, because she had to get a flu shot anyway, and we are checking again for UTI just to be safe since AGAIN nothing else seems to be wrong. REALLY?!

Kinsleigh- Still working on figuring out her constipation problems. Went to GI specialist recently. Tried her suggestions. Still nothing. STILL on Miralax after 2 years. This will all eventually come to a close I hope, as a GI specialist gets to see that they have both displayed the same symptoms now. May have some kind of genetic thing going on. And I just can't wait to go to her 3 year appointment next week to discuss all the behavior problems we have been having with her and her somewhat peculiar quirks.

I need a break. And I need prayer. Because my heart hurts and I don't want to lose hope. I'm tired of crying every day because the burden is too large. I feel like I'm doing this all on my own. And I know I don't have to nor am I supposed to, but so many days it just feels that way.

Thanks for listening to my ramblings and know that I am going beyond my comfort zone to release all these feelings. I don't like to feel like a person in need. Knowing I have good friends that love and care and are in deep prayer for me gets me by. So thank you!

Boredom Busters

I'm always coming up with things for Kinsleigh to do that are a little out of the ordinary just to keep her busy. And they are always fun to share. So here you go, just to get your imagination going...

Buy a bag of Beans (I chose Cajun because they have more colors) and just let them play in them with spoons, cups, whatever.

Build with pipe cleaners in a strainer. Stole this idea from Pintrest. Sounds strange, but you will be amazed how long this can keep them entertained.

Bring a bucket of water outside and some sponges and let them "paint" the concrete with the sponges. We ended up doing this several days in a row. However, this one may be hard to do now that the weather is getting a bit chilly so take advantage of it when we do have a few of the nice days left!

Go fishing for letters in a bucket of water. I used the net from the Elefun game and we had these foam floating letters from the tub. Fun and they learn their letters at the same time!

Krafty Kid

Me being a preschool teacher and all, you know I love to whip out the crafts and art projects often. So as simple as they may be, I'd like to share some with you each month that we do. Kinsleigh is ALWAYS thrilled to try new activities and projects no matter what they are! So spend a little extra time and get creative. Your child will thank you for it and be a very happy camper! Promise!

For October so far, we have made these projects...

Go on a scavenger hunt for leaves in the yard then do leaf rubbings with them!

spooky spider made out of an old egg carton

handprint pumpkin (we were going to add seeds to glue on, but we haven't carved a pumpkin yet so we don't have any!)

you have to paint a pumpkin of course!

Stay tuned tomorrow for some of our "boredom busters" we have tried this month!

Mini Milestones

It's just a typical day at the Kahlich household. Nothing out of the ordinary. Just enjoying playing and watching Kinsleigh's imagination soar as Kyla stares at her in complete amazement. But today, I'm taking the time to enjoy every minute of it. Just soaking it all in knowing they will not stay this way forever. This all came about when I was reading an article out of this month's "Parents" magazine about milestones. It was talking about how we acknowledge the "BIG" milestones in life but never really think twice about the "tiny" things. Like their last night in their crib, or the last time they nurse, or when they take their last bite of baby food. For me a biggie was the last night I got to put Kinsleigh to bed as our only daughter. After I told her goodnight, I went into the living room and balled my eyes out. Literally. Because I knew that from then on, bedtime would be a little more rushed as I wouldn'tbe only worrying about her little eyes shutting but another set of little eyes closing for the night. Another biggie was when Kinsleigh told all her binkies bye bye for good. As much as I wanted her to break the habit, I hated to see them go because it meant she was growing up and I would never see her walk out in the morning with that little grin forming behind it ever again. I never want to miss documentation of a special moment. (Which explains why I am such a crazy picture takin mama)! At the exact moment in time, we don't always realize that it is such a special moment until much later when we are looking back at the pictures. So today, cherish every moment with your little ones. And take lots of pictures! Even if it is just of them showing you their new favorite stuffed animal they discovered in sister's room t

hat day, or Kinsleigh showing off her masterpiece of coloring all over her hand.

What I've Learned

There are many things I have learned since becoming a Mommy of 2 but these are just a few that would be at the top of my list...

The 2nd is NOT always easier than the first.

I thought having one child was difficult. What was I even t

hinking?!

The 2nd is just as cute as the first =)

It is VERY hard to split my time evenly between them

Naps are no longer existent for me

My house stays a lot messier

The oldest only likes the new baby for a little while, then she's not so "cool" anymore

I spend 15-20 min each week getting stains out of clothes

I straighten my hair a lot less often

Preschool for the older one is a life saver

I cherish every moment of silence =) (coordinating sleep times is a must. However, succeeding at it every day doesn't always happen).

I get double the slobbery kisses and two kids to cuddle

Creating activities to do with the older one while the little one takes her morning "nap" is a great bonding time.

Movies get pulled out a lot more than they used to for the older one (Kinsleigh had never even seen a whole movie before Kyla was born. They are now a weekly ritual).

The toy clutter becomes ENORMOUS.

Playing outside is definitely the best activity to kee

p them both entertained

No two children are alike, and most likely your own children are going to be completely different

And at the end of each day, I feel like I just ran a marathon.

Despite the fact that the tough stuff outweighs the easy right now, I love my girls and they are my world.

Reason # 1,214

You know those moments and conversations you don't particularly look forward to having with your children? I got to have one of those the other day...

Of the gazillion reasons you should not smoke, here is now reason # 1,214. Because of someone's bad habit of doing this, I had to give my 2 year old a lesson about what smoking is while sitting in the car in a QT parking lot. Not that she shouldn't get the lesson, I just didn't expect that it would be this early. But we did get two lessons in one. As the lady kept placing the cigarette in her mouth and then blowing smoke out, we got to talk about how it was bad for her and burning her insides. Then when she finished it all off and dropped the butt on the ground, we got to have a lesson on littering. Kinsleigh HATES when things get thrown on the ground and so she started yelling at the woman that she needed to pick it up. Good thing the windows were up...I guess. Maybe if she would of heard her, it would have placed a feeling of doubt inside her and we could be one more person closer to stopping the nasty habit. Oh well, what can you do? At least my kids will ALWAYS know how yucky it is.

Pintrest Project #1

Yes, that's right. I did the unbelievable. I made my first thing that I saw on Pintrest. Ok, so not totally unbelievable but I was proud of myself that I actually beat the odds and took the time to make one of my inspirations I saw. I started with what seemed to be the easiest one I found and turns out, it was! AND the best part is, SUPER CHEAP to make. Got everything half off at Hobby Lobby of coure. Think it added up to a total of approximately $4.50 to make. I love my little OSU wreath. (Wreaths are my new obsession by the way). Oh and might I add, I also painted the front door this week simply because I wanted to. It was time to get rid of that icky light blue and go for the dark! Still has a few touch ups needed as you can probably see but I'm sure I'll get there...eventually.

Autumn, I love you

My favorite time of year is approaching. No more extreme temperatures of heat. No more sweating on the way to my mailbox. No more having to show off my pasty legs. No more high electric bills. No more being stuck inside daily. Ahhhhh

Just the sweet, sweet smell of the crisp autumn air approaching. Bring on the colored leaves, the hoodies, the socks, the hot cocoa, football weekends, and three months straight of holidays (I know Halloweens not that special but it's super fun so it counts).

I go crazy with excitement in the fall. I'm literally counting down the days until I can put out fall decorations. Wouldn't you say October 1st is a good day? I have to resist and not jump to it too early. I'm just dying to go buy myself a pumpkin and put out the pumpkin spice candles. Mmmm...happiness is in my heart today as I see a high of 63 degrees in the forecast in two days!!! Just gotta get past the 100 today...

You're how old?!

Munchkin has reached her half year birthday today. Half a year!!! Please tell me how this is possible. With the first, it seemed to take quite some time to reach this milestone. With the second, it got here before I could even count to six. It's been a rough past 6 mos. but Kyla has been such a blessing in our lives. She is the biggest Mommies girl I know, but second to me, she highly prefers Daddy!

Currently, she still wakes once at night for a feeding. I know, I know, I should stop, but it's not until 4:30 or 5am and her little tummy is growling! We will make it farther one day! She also still can't nap on her own more than 30 min without Mommy having to go in and pat her tummy to keep her asleep. I'm not a big fan of that one.

She loves peas, green beans, carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, pears, peaches, avocados and sometimes applesauce. Only thing she truly hates is baby cereal. I'm glad she's 6 mos. now so we can give a shot at mixing it with juice to make it slightly more tasty. We're also going to bring on the apricots and prunes starting today. We all know what those foods do and let's just say this girl needs it!

We're working on sitting up, but haven't gotten it down quite yet. She prefers to stiffen her legs and stand of course. She hates being away from Mommy and Daddy so much that she literal

ly pukes everywhere from screaming anytime someone else has her. Lovely right? Needless to say, she rides around on my hip EVERYWHERE! We will outgrow this too so I'm not too worried. I can't carry her on my hip when she's 12. She's growing like a weed and we'll do the weigh in next week! Can't wait to see how much she's grown on those big girl foods!

Love this precious gift in our lives...

Summer's Over...

Kinsleigh's first day of school was today. Back to the old routine of things. She's an older two year old so she got to move over with the "big" kids in the west wing of the preschool. The girl LOVES school and was so excited to go and see her new class and new friends. And she really wanted to see the "giraffe, elephant, horse, horse, and horse" the most. (She saw these animals on her meet the teacher day and has been talking about them ever since. And that's just her creative way of describing them instead of saying there are 3 horses!) I think I'm going to enjoy my "quiet" days with one child but it sure will be different.

Isn't it funny how when you are with your toddler all day for too long they can sometimes drive you crazy, but once they are not here you miss them like crazy? That girl means the world to me and she's growing up so fast!

Now get home already Kinsaroo so I can hear all about your day!

Isaiah 41:10

¹⁰ So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

This verse got me yesterday. As many of youknow, I've been struggling a lot lately with sleep deprivation. If it's not because of Kyla, it's because of Kinsleigh. She's gotten terrible and Sean and I literally feel helpless and at a loss for what to do. I think we've tried almost everything in the book. Or at least that I can think of. So at the end of the day, scratch that, at the beginning of the day I feel weak and completely drained of my energy. Sometimes I don't even know if I can make it to lunchtime.

But then I read this verse. Our God, the creater of thiswhole entire universe is going to give ME strength and help ME. ME!!! Why? I don't know besides that's just who He is. "MY" plan is to make a reward chart for if she stays in her bed at night and doesn't through fits, she works herself to a prize...a Tangled dream castle tower. Don't worry, it's going to take her some effort to get there. I'm not giving it to her too easy. But I'm pretty sure God comes up with a lot better plans than me wouldn't you say? So from now on I'm going to try and remind myself when I'm down that he's got me in his "righteous right hand" helping me all along the way.

How awesome is that?!

Clever Cookie!

True Delights...what our child believes to be the best dessert in the world.

I've always tried to do fairly well with keeping the kiddo away from sweets from day one. So much so that many times when someone is eating some kind of candy she asks, "what is that Mommy?"

It pays off because when those times come that she does get a special "treat," it's really REALLY special. Kid never misses it when Daddy or I are eating a cookie. We try to sneak them and think we are doing a good job, but it never fails, she figures it out. I realized how obsessed she is with a cookie just the other day when this happened...

I made some yummy homemade chocolate chip cookies and she saw me eating one but of course it was almost time for lunch so I told her she had to wait. She kept begging so I told her, "If you ask me one more time, you don't get one." She's a 2 year old, so of course she asked again.

After we got over our tantrum of not getting a cookie we went back to playing and everything she did had to do with a cookie. It was quite clever I must say.

She'd stand upside down and say "Look, I'm standing on my head, just like a cookie does." or while playing with her Little People dollhouse say "look, they're eating cookies at the table," or "look, I'm dancing like a cookie." It was hilarious and I couldn't help but laugh. How in the world does a 2 year old learn to be so clever? Not to mention turn my frustration into a smile. Gosh I love that kid.

And yes, she did get the cookie. After dinner.

Binkies Back! Alright!

Look what kiddo decided to start using today! I know some parents prefer their child not to get attached to the binky ("pacifier") but I like them to be my saving grace at times. Kinsleigh LOVED her binky from day one. She slept with it, played with it, chewed on it when teething, blah blah blah. Kyla has HATED it from day one. Never could get her to take it. She would thrust it back out at you and scream even more. And if she didn't do that, then she would gag on it. I continued to try and give it to her every once in a while, but would get the same result so finally just gave up.

Well today, she literally WOULD NOT stop whining. And she's gnawing away at her fist like you would not believe. I thought, "What the heck?! I'm going to give this one more shot and just see what she does." Went and dug it out of the drawer, plopped it in her mouth and TADA! She loved it and went to town. The fussing stopped and she even went down for nap with it. Honestly I don't care if it's a sleep prop. I'll use it anyway. I did with Kinsleigh too and she turned out fine. She's not going to go to kindergarten sucking her binky (at least I hope not).

Promises

Holding true to a promise is a big deal. Especially when it's for your little one! Here's our adorable Kinsleigh Grace sporting her oversized (youth XS) Miller Swim School T-Shirt. Cute right?

But here's the story of why she is wearing it. The other week at swim lessons, I promised Kinsleigh if she did really well and was brave, she would get a cookie after lessons. (They sell them at the front desk). We've been bribing a lot lately as she has recently become terrified of going to lessons because they make her go under water. So during her lesson, she still cried and was scared the whole time, but she went ahead and tried everything nonetheless. So we get all ready to go, ready to go get our sugar cookie, and then I realize "oh wait I left my wallet in the car." We walk all the way out to the car to get it and come back in. Then I see the sign that says "We don't accept credit card purchases under $10. Sorry for the inconvenience." Ugh, yes this is a HUGE inconvenience. Those who know me know that I rarely carry any cash. I put any and EVERYTHING on the credit card! Alright, 2 cookies (one for her and one for me of course) is only $1. How in the world am I going to accomplish this? I promised this girl she's getting a cookie so dog gone it, she's getting a cookie. I'm a Mommy who keeps her word no matter the circumstances. So I'm looking around in their little store thinking what we would get use out of the most and wasn't going to cost me a fortune. Definitely don't need anymore swimsuits or swim toys so I see the shelf of t-shirts. Cute and $12! What the heck. Needless to say, our cookies cost me $13. But it was all worth it to not break a promise to my child...

Just a short little reminder that when you make a promise to someone, don't ever break it. If there's a possibility you might not be able to keep it, don't make it in the first place. Following through with what you say speaks a lot of who you are.

Craftiness

I was feeling somewhat crafty these past couple weeks, being stuck inside for the summer to beat the heat. Here's the latest project I decided to take on. I made me a fun and fancy calendar for my wall in the kitchen. I'm very visual and we are very busy so I needed everything to be "BAM!" Right in my face! That way, I wouldn't miss a thing of what was going on each day.

First we painted with magnetic paint, covered by chalkboard paint...

Then after waiting 5 days before I could even write on it, we painted a little design in the corners to jazz it up (by we I mean Sean. I am crafty but not an artist). And in the meantime I was making all the magnetic letters and numbers. Letters were just printed off the computer then put on magnetic backing and cut out. Numbers I also printed off computer but then covered them with rocks and placed heavier magnetic backing on. Finished it off with chalk lines and tada! Here it is...

Likeness

Could they be any more alike?

Finger sucking is a favorite in our house. With Kyla, it's an obsession that can be quite cute. With Kinsleigh, it's a new habit that I'm dying to break. Either way, they are both still adorable and no doubt sisters even in the strangest of ways.

Happy 4th!

Happy 4th of July from the Kahlich's! Hope you're having fun and staying safe. But honestly, who needs a fireworks show with these two cuties around?!

Grace=Obedience

Our small group study on The Prodigal God inspired me to write this post. One of the questions we were asked was,

"If God's grace is absolutely free and we cannot earn it or merit it in any way, what motivation is there to live an obedient life?"

I didn't have an immediate response for this one, definitely was a thinker. But on the way home, Sean and I always discuss our conversations further and this is the one we stuck with last night.

Basically what it all boils down to is this. No, we cannot earn it. There is not one thing we can do that would be good enough to even deserve his grace. But yet, he does give it to us, and we choose to receive it. And once we receive something that remarkable, how could you not be overflowing with gratefulness and want to obey his every bit of guidance? It's all in our response. He is the one who watches over us. He is the one who takes care of us. Who else are you going to want to obey? Just think of something in your life that God has shown grace towards you. How does that make you feel?

When I found out I was pregnant with Kinsleigh and the pregnancy continued to go perfectly, I knew it was by God's grace that he had given her to us. We hadn't even planned for her at all. But what a gift of grace she was! Not once did I think, "oh it's because I did all the right things and my health issues must not have been a factor in getting and STAYING pregnant after all." No, I became overwhelmingly more aware of his love and grace he shows towards his children. And I praise him even more for that and in return want to do more to advance his kingdom. How dare I take that for granted and think he should show it towards me again.

He is my Father and therefore I will be obedient as his child.

Happy Daddy Day!

This Daddy is one special guy. One that would fight for his family. One who puts 100% into everything he does. One who loves without fail. One who tries to understand. One who gets down on the floor and plays with his kids.One who I'm proud of in more ways than I can name.

Happy Fathers Day Sean! We love you! Love, April,Kinsleigh and Kyla!

Tough Love

Today we had to take discipline a step further. Kinsleigh has had a hard time lately being "nice"to others and has especially loved to take charge and tell others what to do. She has also become afraid of pretty much anything and everything. Not cool. But the "mean-ness" is the main problem. This is partially due to her age I'm sure but most likely due to having a little sister and not being around many other kids lately. Let's just say she's gotten a little out of control.

Me as a mother is wondering, "Is this because of something I've done wrong in my parenting approach? This is a totally different kid! What is going on?"

Today, she flipped out in her bed while refusing to take a nap and starting throwing herself all over the place and screaming. That was it. I knew we had to take a bigger consequence approach that would really affect her and literally make her sad.

Once we let her out of her room, she had to come sit on the couch with no T.V., no toys, no books for 5 min until she calmed down. Then she had to go in her room with Mommy and Daddy and pick out ALL her most favorite toys and place them in a box to be taken away. She placed all of them in herself one by one. The box is quite full, yes, so I may seem evil but I was at a loss of what else to do. She can start earning them back when she decides to be nice to others. For now they rest in the garage under a huge blanket.

It broke my heart to see that little pout lip come out and tell the toys bye bye but I think it may have a good result when she starts seeing how exciting it is to get them back. I never knew that I would HATE disciplining my children so much. It's called tough love for a reason.

It's a big deal!

I'm going to keep this short and simple. Because I'm going to cherish every moment for what it is worth. This may not seem like a big deal to you, but to me, it's a life changing event. Today, June 6, 2011, I placed both of my girlies in their bed and put them down for nap at the exact same time. And this is what I'm looking at...

I hope to see this again soon. Like tomorrow, and every other day after that. As a Mommy, we love our children to pieces and spending time with them. But we need our quiet time every now and then. So long, while I go enjoy my last half hour or so of peace.