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...