These kids...

are my EVERYTHING :) I am so thankful every day that God let's me be their mommy. I am trying to enjoy EVERY moment and remember how fast it is going and soak it ALL in! I can't believe they just turned 4 and 2, eeeek! I love so much that I can stay at home with them and see it all. We are looking forward to spring JUST a little bit around here! Have a great day!!!

Happy New Year 2014

Yes, I know this is the first post in like an entire YEAR. I kept saying I will continue my blog for the new year! I want to document my wonderful days with these two little ones who are growing SO RATHER quickly! I can't even believe it :) I am looking forward to what 2014 has in store for our family! I am so very blessed to be living back in Iowa close to my sister and the rest of our families. We are truly happy to be surrounded by their love and support! HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!

February

February was a rough month. I don't even know what else to say...we have been through a lot and continue to have some tough days but knowing our parents are together again somehow puts "happy" thoughts into my head. My Dad was an AMAZING man. He was SO supportive, worked SO hard and loved us girls more than anything. He really was...just truly wonderful. I had gone up to Iowa and come back on February 5th. I kept going back and forth with when I was going to return (knowing it was SO hard traveling with the kids, taking them from their routine, etc). I just decided on Saturday, February 16th at 1:30pm I needed to be there with my sister and Dad. Ryan booked me a flight at 1:30, I flew out at 3:30 and got to the hospital at 6pm. My sweet Dad passed away at 8:15 that evening. It was meant to be...he was waiting. I am very glad I made that decision that day. This is how I am going to forever remember my Mom & Dad

 

Photos from our trip to Iowa...

 Sweet Kelsey, just like a sister to us, was with Kirby EVERY evening at the hospital visiting my Dad being her support. WE LOVE HER TO PIECES!

 family pic attempt #1000 before the visitation...

 my beautiful, amazing, sweet sister whom is the BEST friend & sister I could ever ask for!

 

 

 and then it SNOWED and Case loved it! He was out for over 2 hours and I could NOT get him to come in :)

 We are SO very lucky to have each other. My amazing husband has been SO helpful through all of this and is my ROCK. He is the most understanding, patient and SUPER husband/Dad in the WORLD! oh and BTW, he drove up that Sunday after ALL by himself with BOTH kids. He deserves Dad of the Year award!!!

3rd Birthday for a Prince!

What do you do when you can't have a birthday party as planned? Go to CHICK FIL-A! This kid LOVES Chick Fil-a. I mean, who doesn't. Even Kylynn had her first nuggets and possibly some ice cream at 10 months :) We invited a few friends and headed there for lunch and cupcakes! The staff at this particular location are SO nice! They set up the table prior to us coming and were SO helpful. I am continuously amazed at their impeccable service EACH time we go!

 YES, I realize he is too big for this but I got it for FREE with my Pampers diaper points and he LOVES it (plus sissy can get some use out of it)

 WHERE did the past 3 years go?! Love this sweet kiddo!

 Friends at Chick Fil-a

 Make a wish!

CASE MATHEW BISHOP

Well, where do I even start about this kid?! He is FUNNNNNNNNNYYYY. That's all there is to it, he is his Dad in a nutshell, but funnier :) He is a 12 year old in a 3 year old body (well, more like size of a 5 year old). 

*Case is a BOY. I don't even know if I have to go on... he is rough and tough and crazy and wild and has MORE energy than I have in an entire week. He pushes, he growls, back-talks me already and WHEW, wears me out. 

*but, I will follow that with, he has a HUGE heart, can be SO sweet and is a Mamma's boy. He says THE nicest things, has amazing manners and thinks the world of his Daddy! 

*Case weighs 38lbs and...well, I can't remember how tall but BIG. He seriously is the size of a kindergartner. He has never really been that chubby, just SOLID as a rock!

*He sleeps in a big boy bed and looks SO little in it :) I LOVE laying with him at night and reading books. He is now wanting me to tell him "stories" at night so we are telling him about our childhood.

*He LOVES to be outdoors. I think he would sleep in a tent out there if I let him. This is GREAT for mommy, he can play out back and I have also been letting him play out front with the door open so I can see him riding his bike.

*he CAN ride a bike, it's crazy how fast he gets going!

*he can THROW a baseball, kick a soccer ball, shoot a hoop (which, why am I surprised, his Daddy is just a natural at all sports). Let's hope "throw a football" doesn't come into the list!

 

I adore this kid, I really do. We definitely have our "rough" days, but at the END of the day, I thank God for this amazing blessing and know we will get through the "3s". I just need to learn to fight my battles and know he is only 3 and not going to be perfect EVERY minute of the day :)

1st Birthday for a Princess!

Kylynn spent her actual birthday at her Grandparents house. It was a little tough on this mommy, but she won't remember :) We had planned to have a birthday party for Case & Kylynn at Gymboree but it just didn't work out this year. I had also thought I would get pictures done for miss Kylynn, but we just did them at home.

 For ME?!

then she took it AWAY from me? I see this face a LOT. This sassy diva pants is quite the drama queen. She fusses when she doesn't get her way and lets EVERYONE know about it :) 

ONE YEAR OLD...

Holy moly where does the time go. Kylynn Sue Bishop is an absolute blessing from heaven. She is truly my Mom shining through in SO many ways. This precious angel is the best addition to our family. She is SOOOOOOOOOO sweet and has been the best baby. She sleeps 12-13 hours a night, 2-3 hours in the afternoon and LUNGES (yes, lunges) for her bed for naps and bedtime. She gets it from her mamma :) 

Some sweetness about Kylynn:

*she can walk 4-5 steps

*she says Dada and Hi

*she signs "more" but mostly just eh eh eh eh eh eh all day long until she gets what she wants

*she loves her mamma but she ADORES her brother Case and Daddy. When I get her up in the morning or nap time and she hears one of them, she goes CRAZY kicking and squealing

*the girl has MOVES, she can shake it and move her hips!

*she is quiet and mischievous, she can do tedious tasks forEVER

*she will NOT eat veggies, drink milk or eat hardly any meat, she is SO picky and meal time stresses this mamma out

*she is TEENY TINY...weighing JUST 20lbs at her one year check up (that was actually a 13 month check up). She is still in 6-12 and starting to move to 12-18 clothes. Hoping she is built like Grandma Cindy AND can eat whatever she wants like Grandma Cindy :)

*she tries to dress herself already, putting on socks, shoes and even her pants!

*she sucks her first two fingers...UGGGGHHHH. This is my fault because I took her paci away at night at 4 months because I was tired of going up and giving it to her. Hope I don't damage her future teeth some day

*speaking of, she FINALLY got her first two teeth at 12 and 13 months :) 

Well, that's all I can think of about this ANGEL. We adore her, can't imagine life without her and thank God daily for the blessing he has given us. She is truly a sweet sweet baby girl :)

January

Geesh, I KNOW, it has been a long time. We have had quite a bit going on, so I'll try not to create TOO many posts at once :) January wasn't too eventful. Here are some pics:

 She wanted to play outside SO badly :)

 Just chillin with my besties!

BIG BOY BED for Case! He is so big, I can't even believe it!

At the end of January we went back to Iowa. We left the day before Kylynn's 1st birthday and spent almost a week there. I stayed with my sister and went to the hospital to be with her and my Dad every day. The kids went to Mark & Donna's house and it was SOOOOOO hard for this mommy to leave them. I also quit nursing Kylynn the day before we left so it was quite an emotional time for me. Can't believe she turned ONE :)

Our "Christmas Morning"

We decided to have Christmas "morning" after naps when we got back from Iowa on a Sunday so we could start taking decorations down and have the rest of New Year's break to just relax. This is probably the last year that can happen. I go back and forth with going back to Iowa next year or waiting until maybe the day after Christmas so we can celebrate our own Christmas morning here in our house. Traditions are hard to break... Kids LOVED their presents but at the same time, they had just went a week getting showered with presents so ours and "Santa's" maybe didn't seem that special. Here they are anyway...