Just for Maggie

My dear friend, Maggie, told me that I should at least blog to tell people I am not blogging anymore. I promised her an update this weekend. Here it is, Maggie, just for you!

I cannot believe that the holidays are already here. We have a very busy schedule ahead of us. We decided to take advantage of Brady travelling to Orlando for work and are making a mini-vacation out of it. I am going to fly down with the kids and meet Brady in Orlando at the end of his conference and we will be spending a long weekend there. Kennedy loved Disney when we went in January, so I know she'll have a grand time. We are planning on going to Disney one day and Animal Kingdom another. Of course, it will be different this time with a little baby tagging along. I have heard that Disney is beautiful this time of year with all of the decorations. Hoping maybe we can get a good picture for the Christmas card.

Next week is Thanksgiving and we will be staying in Tennessee for the holiday. My parents are flying out to Cali to spend the holiday with my sister. We will eat lunch at Brady's parents house and spend the day with family.

Speaking of Thanksgiving, there are many things I am thankful for this year. Although I could never list everything I am thankful for, I figured I would share with you some of my things I am most thankful for. I am thankful for:

• Everyday God blesses me with. I am thankful for His grace, His love, and His mercy. My life belongs to Him. I am thankful for the opportunity and freedom to worship Him and enter into a personal relationship with Him.
• My husband. I do not deserve Brady. He is incredible. He puts up with all of my shortcomings and loves me despite them. He is the best father. Watching him with Kennedy and Leyton makes me fall in love with him all over again. He has patience when I've lost mine. He does fun things with Kennedy (they are currently outside washing the cars, one of her favorite activities). He gets up with Leyton so I can sneak in a few extra hours of sleep. He works hard everyday, giving me the gift of staying home with my children. He puts his family first. He is a blessing beyond measure.
• My children. I have two beautiful, healthy, children. Kennedy is full of energy and does not stop from the time she gets up to the time we force her to go to bed. She loves to talk. And dance. And run. I am not going to lie, she tries my patience over and over and over again. But she is so sweet. I love watching her grow and mature. I love it when she thanks me for the smallest things as if they made her whole life. I love putting her to bed and listening to her prayers. I love that she asks questions about God. I love that she is already learning scripture. I love when she wants to sit in my lap and read books. And, I love to watch her dance. That girl has some great moves! Leyton is my laid back boy. It is amazing how different he is from Kennedy, even at this age. He is calm. Not much bothers him. He lets me know when he is hungry or if he needs his diaper changed. He loves his big sister and smiles when she is around. He puts up with her hugging him, kissing him, holding him. I love when he looks up at me and gives me the biggest, toothless, smile. It warms my heart!
• My family. I am blessed to have such an extended support system and family that loves and cares for me and my family. My parents are the best parents ever. I don't see them often enough. I would love for them to live closer to me. The best thing about my parents is watching them with Kennedy and Leyton. We have been blessed to travel to Michigan and spend weeks at a time with them. I am looking forward to Christmas time when we will take over their house! I love the time we spend with them and am always very sad when I have to say goodbye. They raised me to be the person I am and for that I am thankful. I am thankful for the morals and values that they instilled in me. Without that, I would not be the mom and wife that I am. I am thankful for my in-laws. They take care of me, love me, support me, and treat me as if I was their daughter by birth. They love Leyton and Kennedy. They volunteer to watch both kids so I can get a break. They make sure I have someone to eat dinner with when Brady is out of town. They would do anything for me. I am thankful for my two sisters, one by birth, one by marriage. They are my best friends and I love being around them. I love that one is the Cool Aunt Kelley and one is the Hot Aunt Kelly (that is really how Kennedy refers to them). They are fun, loving, caring aunts. Now, we are just waiting for some cousins (no pressure or anything girls)!
• I am thankful for my friends. They pick me up when I am down. They love me. They hold me accountable. They keep me sane. They make me get out of the house. They give me advice. They let me know I am not alone in life.
• I am thankful for my church. Those friends I just talked about-most come from my church family. I am thankful for the children's department at our church. I am thankful for Mom2Mom. I am thankful for the support provided for these ministries. I am thankful for the Sunday school class I teach and that I get to see Jesus through the eyes of 4 and 5 year olds.
• Of course I am thankful for good health, a home to live in, food on the table, clothes to wear. I am thankful for our military and their families. I am thankful for the sacrifices they make for our country. I am thankful for answered prayers.

Although this list is long, it is not complete. I could go on and on about what I am thankful for. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and take time, not only on Thanksgiving, but every day, to give thanks and remember how incredibly blessed you are. We are blessed here. And for that I give thanks!

Much love,

Terrible Blogger

Yes, I realize that I am possibly the world's worst blogger. I am pretty decent about posting pictures on facebook, but I never seem to take the time to sit down and put things on here.

As most of you already know, Leyton Tyler was born on August 18th. I was induced that morning and it was the easiest labor and delivery ever. I progressed slowly, but then all of a sudden we were ready to have a baby. He basically flew out. Because he came so fast, all of the fluid in his lungs didn't clear and he was making what we thought were adorable little noises. However, I guess that is something they don't like to hear coming from babies. They did some chest percussion and suction to remove the fluid and then just kept on eye on him for a little bit. It wasn't anything serious and he got a perfect report from the pediatrician the next morning. He weighed 7 lbs and was 21 inches long.

We are adjusting very well to being a family of four. There have been days when I was exhausted, but luckily have had family visiting or who would come over so I was able to get a few hour nap to make up some of that sleep. Other than that, things have been great. Leyton is so different from Kennedy. It is crazy how you can tell a difference in their personalities at such a young age. Leyton tends to be more laid back and not nearly as loud. And he is a momma's boy!

Kennedy is in love with Leyton. At the same time, he doesn't really interfere with her life too much. He is there when she wants to love on him, but then she moves on and is busy playing. She is an incredible helper too. She loves to give Leyton his pacifier when he is crying. And tonight, she washed his feet during his bath. She loves being a big sister and is already asking for a baby sister.

Kennedy started back to school last week. She attends a mother's day out program that is Tuesday and Thursday from 9:30-2. She loves school. She is so social (doesn't get that from me). As we were driving to school the first day, she asked if Leyton and I were going to come in with her. I thought she was getting a little apprehensive (what was I thinking?) and started to explain to her that we would come in and walk her to her room. She responded by telling me that she didn't want us to walk her in that I could just drop her off (they don't even have that option, you have to bring your child in). Yep, she is growing up too fast.

We moved into our new house and love it here. We love our house. We love our big yard. We love the neighborhood. We are so blessed to have sold our house and found this one. Nothing is on the walls, but I can say that every box is officially unpacked. We are slowly getting there and it is really starting to feel like home.

I think that is all the major things going on here. I will try to remember to get on here and post more often. If you look below, I posted pictures for all to see.

Pictures, pictures, and more pictures

Holding Leyton for the first time

Daddy and Leyton

Baby Leyton

One of my favorite pictures. Papa and Pops watching Leyton through the nursery window.

Meeting Big Sister for the first time

First family picture

Leyton with Gigi and Papa

I am the Big Sister

Love this picture. Kennedy was bored and had enough of being at the hospital.

Prayer request

I realize a lot of time has passed since my last entry. I promise to update all that is going on in our life and get some pictures on here real soon (for my one reader: hi mom!). In the meantime, while you wait for that to happen, I beg you to visit this blog. Dr. Sam Green is our worship Pastor. He recently found out that he has leukemia and started chemo yesterday. Sam and Keli have three beautiful daughters. They are an incredible family. Sam started a blog for all to follow his journey. I am asking for everyone to bookmark his page. Pray for Sam. Pray for the medical community treating him. Pray for Keli. Pray for Anna-Laura, Sophie, and Bella. The next days, weeks, month, years will be trying at times.

So much to report on...

Well, it has been way too long since I've updated the blog (thanks for the reminder Rachel!). So much has been going on here. I'll try to give you an update, but am positive I will be leaving something out! Here are some details of the Plummer fam over the last few months (in no particular order):

• I am just about2 months away from delivering baby #2. Kennedy is so excited to be a big sister and loves talking to "baby brother." We are still working on a name. Actually, I am working on a name. Brady has one name he wants and probably won't be budging! I have been feeling pretty well. This pregnancy is so different from Kennedy's! My biggest complaint right now is that my lower back is killing me. Other than that, all is going well and we are excited to meet our healthy, little boy!
• We took a family vacation to Mexico in March. It was so fun! We wanted to take advantage of Kennedy flying free for one last time. She loved every minute of it! She would wake up and run to the porch all excited that the beach and pool were still there. Seeing the excitement on her face throughout the week was the greatest part. It is one vacation I will always remember!
• Kennedy turned 2 in April! I cannot believe that she is so big already. Where has the time gone? We had her birthday party at a park close to the house. The weather was cold, but I don't think Kennedy minded one bit. My parents came down for the party and Easter and it was wonderful to have them here.
• We decided to put our house on the market to see if we could sell it. We want to get into a bigger house with a little more room to spread out. I honestly didn't think we would be able to see the house with this market, but we didn't have anything to lose, so we went for it. As of this past Sunday, we have a contract on our house and our beginning our search for a new house. We are actually going out tonight to look at some houses! I am excited to look and find our next house. Everyone will get their own room, plus we won't be losing our guest room. And hoping for an office for Brady as well!
• Brady and I took a weekend trip to New Orleans for a wedding. Brady's friend from work was getting married and a bunch of friends were going. We had a great time. I wasn't sure what I would think of New Orleans, but I enjoyed our visit. The weekend was so much fun! It was great to get away just the two of us for the weekend!
• The next weekend, we travelled to Michigan for my cousin Katie's high school graduation. As always, I love coming back home. It is so much fun to watch Kennedy play with her Gigi, Papa, and Aunt Kelley and get spoiled by them (we get a little spoiled too). The weather was fantastic and we were able to spend a lot of time outside playing. Kennedy figured out how to pedal her bike and was doing so well. Katie's party and graduation were perfect. I miss my extended family so much and enjoyed getitng to spend time with them. Kennedy loved playing with her cousins too! Congrats Katie! We love you and are so proud of you!
• Kennedy finally decided that she would crawl out of her crib. I have been certain for months that she could do it, but she was always too lazy to do it when she would wake up. Well, she did it. When Brady was out of town. We had a couple long nights. I was waiting for Brady to get back into town so we could go get her a big girl bed. A couple in our church happened to have a twin bed, mattress, and boxsprings that is in perfect condition that they were wanting to get rid of, so we got her a great bed for free! It was perfect timing. We went to Target on Sunday to get some new bedding for it and happened to find the perfect set in the clearance section! Kennedy loved it and was so excited! She has done so well in her bed and we have had very little problems with the adjustment. She has come into our room around 4 or 5 in the morning, but other than that, she stays put. She didn't get out of bed until 7:30 this morning!
• Kennedy had surgery yesterday to remove her adenoids. She has had one sinus infection after another for the last year. It was a simple procedure and went great. No complications at all. She doesn't seem to be in pain and is back to her normal self. They told us that she would probably be lethargic yesterday, but she perked right up and was ready to go. The hardest part is trying to keep her calm (you know, not climbing on counters, jumping off couches) for a few days so everything can heal properly.

I am sure there is a lot more to update on, but that is what comes to mind right now. I will try to pull together some pictures of the above events to show you! Hopefully, I will update more frequently (just keep reminding me Rachel)!

National Champions 2009

The Plummer household is celebrating!

Kennedy would like a doo doo cake

Kennedy refers to Dora the Explorer as Doo doo. If you sing the theme song, you might get where she gets that from. Here is a little video of her explaining that she would like a doo doo cake for her birthday. And she does her Dora dance too!

Daddy-Daughter Date Night

Our church hosted a daddy and daughter date night on Friday night. Brady took Kennedy to dinner. They looked so great I just had to share a few pictures. I think this is going to become a special event for Brady and Kennedy (and any future daughters we may have). I had been talking to Kennedy all week about how she was going on a special date with daddy on Friday night. Brady said she was giving him all kinds of attention before they left the house and just loving on him. I think she was excited to be with him for a special date night too!

Arriving at the church:

Pictures in the Parlor at church:

Funniest video of all times!

"I love Jesus, but I drink a little."

Just a little to thin the blood.

Fun with friends

We had a great time with friends today. Our MOPS group planned a morning out at Monkey Joe's. A new one opened up in the area, so we had to go and try it out. It isn't very expensive either, it cost $5 for Kennedy and you can find half-off coupons in sales ads and fliers. I have never been to one before, but it was a ton of fun! If you have one near you (they are a chain), I would strongly recommend checking it out. It was so nice. Kids of all ages will enjoy it. Kennedy did not want to leave. When I told her five more minutes, she kept saying "jumpy, jumpy, jumpy." After jumping and sliding around (Kennedy, not me), we headed to Chick Fil A for lunch. We had a lot of fun and Kennedy got to burn some energy in the freezing cold weather. Here are some pictures of the fun times had. A big thank you to Anna, Sara, and Becca who helped Kennedy climb to the top of everything and chased her around all morning!

General Jackson

Back in November, when my parents were visiting for Thanksgiving, we went on the General Jackson one evening. I have a video of Kennedy dancing to the music during the show. Sorry the video is dark, it was dark inside the hall. She had a great time and loved seeing Paul up on stage. Here is the video:

Christmas

Better late then never. I just got the pictures uploaded on my computer, so thought I would put some on here to share. We had a great Christmas. Kennedy really enjoyed opening presents this year, although I am not sure she completely understood the whole concept. It was fun to have her come downstairs on Christmas morning and see all of the gifts under the tree. She started opening gifts, even if they weren't hers! She got lots of new toys to play with. I think her favorite is the kitchen with the pots, pans, and food. She loves playing with it!

The day after Christmas we left for Michigan. After a travel nightmare we made it there (minus our luggage). We celebrated Christmas with my family. Had a yummy ham dinner and opened gifts. Kennedy enjoyed opening presents all over again. Her Aunt Kelley got her a Michigan tricycle and she loved being pushed around on it (still a little too short to pedal herself). We spent 9 days with my family and celebrated New Year's with them. It was great to have so much time there. Kennedy loves to see her Papa, Gigi, and Aunt Kelley.

Here is a slideshow with some of our pictures from the holidays. Hope you had a wonderful holiday season and that 2009 is a good year for everyone! We are looking forward to a wonderful year!

Flying is for the birds

Round trip tickets from Nashville to South Bend: $525
Hotel room when flight gets cancelled in Cincinnatti: $60
Gas for my parents to pick us up at a completetly different airport the next morning: $30
Finally gettting to Michigan to visit with family: Priceless

Again, the price of round trip tickets: $525
Rental car to drive from South Bend to Nashville after flights are delayed, causing missed connections and no flight options: $100
DVD player to keep Kennedy occupied during 8+ hour drive: $90
Arriving home to our own beds: Priceless

Despite all of the travel problems, we had a fun trip. The holidays were great. More details and pictures to come...