On house arrest

I'm on house arrest this week for potty training boot camp. He's more than ready to do this and I'm tired of dragging it out. It's 1 pm and so far we've had 2 success and 1 failure, but I think those are great odd is you ask me.

Please pray for Jackson, he's not a fan of change and the first try was a little scary for him. He can hold his peepee for long periods and I could tell he was doing that because of the fear. We prayed together, then he got the courage up and went like a big boy! Nap time I'm sure will be hard as well but I'm going to see this thru. I'm not above bribery but I'm holding out on it just in case I don't need to pull out the big guns. ha! ha!

Thanks for praying for him....oh and for patience and discernment for mommy. I think I'm more scared of potty training than he is, but I will never let him see me sweat. :-)

Note it!

This little smiling angel slept 7 1/2 hours last night! I know it won't be like that every night in the near future, but the Lord sure knew what He was doing when He made Calvin James Kinley.....mommy needed that rest for sure because I didn't wake up once till he woke up.

Showing our Dallas Cowboys support

Wait, I do exist and there's a picture of me to prove it! I'm usually the one armed with the camera so there's not too many pics of me. Sometimes I like to sit next to him and hear him coo

Whoa! Mommy.....see da big lizard!? Yep buddy that IS a big lizard!

Helping daddy build horseshoe pits out back

We went to a friend's house that Travis works with on Saturday and his wife was so kind to hold Calvin most of the day for me. I got to get some cute ones of the boys...Love this one of his strawberry blonde hair

Finishing the pits by spreading the sand around.....T-rav says he's really a big help

We had a swim/BBQ party on Sunday evening. There were a ton of toddlers here and after all the swim parties we've had over the years we had our 1st jumper! Here's Haden and mommy Amber after she had to jump in the pool fully clothed to save Haden from drowning. She doesn't look it but she was frazzled. It scarred her to death and I don't blame her

One happy kid! Mr Jeff kept tossing him in the air and I'm sure by the end of the night Mr Jeff's arms were sore....Jackson kept saying "a-den"

Being tossed.....HUGE smile!

The kids, both big and little

The horseshoe party....I think at one point the whole party moved from the pool to the pits way out back

Sweet Becky. She's due with her 1st miracle baby around Thanksgiving. She was wonderful with my little fussy Calvin, he was having a rumbly tummy at our swim party.

Jackson taking Haden for a ride on his tractor. Haden is the only other toddler besides the infamous BFF, Benjamin, that will ride with JT on that thing

My handsome hero....T-rav! He is most happy when he is home and outside

Calvin laughing for mommy this morning. He even had a little chuckle

I love his hair!

This is where JT sleeps now....inside the tent! Hey whatever it takes to get the sleep-hater-don't-want-to-miss-a-minute-of-fun-by to sleep. He's been sleeping on the floor for the past few weeks on his own, but today T-rav took the tent in there. Now maybe the blankets won't be all over the floor

Sneaking a pic of the sleeping angel

Working with daddy. T-rav has a well drilling and was talking to a mud logger on the phone. JT climbed up next to him and was repeating everything T-rav was saying but into his little phone. He absolutely adores his daddy!

Calvin a few weeks ago with sweet Maria. He was smiling at her and I don't blame him. Maria is one of the high school girls in a group that I co-lead a bible study with. These girls amaze me with their faith and devotion, I'm suppose to be discipeling them but I feel like it's the opposite a lot. I'm so sad that they will be seniors next year and that I only have one more year with them....they grow up so fast..ha! ha!

Because pictures are the best!

Eating pancakes...every morning he loves his pancakes and Wonder Pets. Such a creature of habit, but what 2 year old isn't?

This face cracks me up

It seemed like it was rainy the entire time my mom was here visiting so indoor play started to get a little tricky. Good thing our floors allow for fast scooter riding. I thought he was a little young for a scooter, but I think my grandparents thought better of it....who knew! He loves this thing

I would've missed this cute pic with my other camera

Grandma will do anything to keep him entertained and help work out all that boy energy while it's raining outside. She used to let me do this when I was little.....holding her hands while I walk up the front of her and then stand on her shoulders. I can't believe she's letting him do this 25 years later!

Enjoying his new swing. Our old faithful swings motor went caput so we had to purchase the new version which plugs in...what a bonus!

Strike a pose!

Ah, ha! He will cuddle, but only with baby brother....I like that he loves Calvin more than mommy, that way we don't struggle with jealously issues. They have the same nose and maybe mouth shape, but other than that they don't really look a like to me

As close to giving brother a kiss as it gets. 2 sweet boys with opposite personalities. Jackson likes air kisses and never really liked them as a baby where as Calvin grins HUGE when I smooch him

The Kinley boys!

Yee Haw!

Calvin at 6 weeks!

Picture update

Calvin at his one month birthday! This dude is l-o-o-n-g!

Big brother cheering little brother on during tummy time. Jackson best characteristic is that he LOVES and cares for his brother. I'm praying it stays that way always...between the both of them

Sweet boy moment captured by mommy's new camera! Daddy made me get it, I swear, but mostly because I got tired missing the good shots because my old camera is too slow. With 2 active boys I need a camera that's going to keep up

Sweet sleeper

Playing with his new boat....kids love when grandma comes to town!

Awwww, sweet smile. Well the makins of one, he's only 1 month old in this pic

He tries to fill the bath tub with every toy in the house....good thing the tub is so big

Awwwwww, this is why I love our new camera

Grandma got him Hungry Hippos...He loves the game and it brings back some great memories for mommy

This is how Calvin plays with Hungry Hippos. As T-rav says "he doesn't have a lot to offer right now" ha! ha!

We have been super busy. Crissy's mom (Grandma) came to town all last week and having the extra arms to love and play with the boys not to mention clean the house was awesome! We don't have anymore help scheduled to come now, but at 5 1/2 weeks I think I can handle it now. My recovery was still at a stand still with lots of pain and yesterday I found out at my check up that I have a low grade infection. This explains the swelling in my stomach and the tenderness. It's also very curable with antibiotics, so I should start to feel better in about a week. I was never so happy about an infection in my life...I was really starting to think I was just a whiner. i have more pics but my internet connection is spotty at best so I'll just be happy with what did get uploaded.

2 weeks at 3 weeks

We had Calvin's 2 week check up at 3 weeks because that's how I roll...well not really, the Dr was out of town the last week and they wouldn't see Calvin before he turned 2 weeks...silly? yes, but I don't make the rules, just trying to set a good example and follow them.....ah, ha! Crissy is trying something new too! :-)

So his stats are quite impressive, well they were to Dr Worsley. Calvin weighed in at 10 lbs (that's up 2 1/2 pounds from 2 weeks ago) and he's now 23 inches long (he was 21 when he was born). The whole concept is for them to continue to grow, but as I see the newborn diapers becoming way to small for him it saddens my heart a little to know that I will never have another in Newborn diapers again :-(. Guess all moms go thru this.

Meanwhile, my little blue-eyed tasmanian Angel is impressing me at home, he's up to his usual little boy ways at school. When I picked him up today I was informed by his 2 teachers (who by the way will get an awesome gift from me at the end of the year. Despite Jackson's shenanigans they still love him, or so they tell me) that he and 2 of his buddies* ambushed the cutest girl* in the class and soaked her with their cups of paint water while they were outside painting. Does that really start happening at 2? Boys teasing and torturing the little girls they have a crush on? His wife is going to have to have a great sense of humor, but I guess most of us wives do.

*all names will remain a mystery to protect the innocent and guilty :-)*

Random

Jackson was a huge help for me today. I'm so thankful that he loves to be a big helper...definelty his love language, Acts of Service. I would ask him to get me things if I was feeding Calvin or just in pain from getting up and down, and he would do it immediately with a huge smile on his face...I could learn a thing or two from my 2 yr old.

He's stil in love with ketchup and insists in dipping everything in it...makes me sick thinking about it.

Calvin is so sweet and patient. He's hungry, but will wait an extra 15 mins till I get to him. My boys are teaching me alot this week. I'm so grateful that God uses their sweet innosence to show me His love.

I took the surgical tape off my incision tonight and am hoping that it will start to feel better with out the pulling it was causing...ouch!

I went to get dressed...ya right, who am I kidding? Getting dressed is only for when I HAVE to at this point. So I was changing my shirt this am and came back to the living room to observe the most precious sight I've ever seen. Jackson sitting on the floor next to Calvin in the bouncy seat and as he sat there he was singing "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" to Calvin. I seriously stood there frozen in disbelief that something so precious could be happening in my house. Travis sings it every night to Jackson at bedtime and it clearly has been written on his heart now. I can see now why God gave us Jackson first.

I found this today and it made my heart at rest....
"The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song" (Psalm 28:7, NIV).

I may have a plethora of deficiencies and aches and pains, but I can still sing for joy in His strength.

I will always have some hurt because God created me that way. Why? So that I would learn to depend on Him  "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'"

I found more strength today than in the past 30 years...thank you for praying for us!