Happy Birthday letter to Kynlee

She might not be able to read this, but one day I hope that I will be able to show all my kids there birthday letters I have written them.

Kynlee Elaine,

I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am to have you in our lives. You have been a breath of fresh air,  a burst of color and joy that I can't even explain. When I was pregnant with you I was so in love with you and I hadn't even met you... when you came into this world my world was filled with so much love for you it was crazy. Yes the first couple months were tricking trying to figure out your issues with reflux, but once we figured it out everything since then has been AMAZING.


You are one of the happiest babies in the world. I know you have your moments... but your human and I wouldn't expect anything else. You have been so different from your brother and sister that at times I am feel like I am a new parent all over again.


Now that you are 1 it is amazing to see how far you have come. You are walking and enjoying your brother and sister so much. I hope that the love I see you have for them will always be there. I hope that the 3 of you will always stick up and hang on to each other. Remember that through everything family will always be your constant.


I am so glad that God allowed your dad and I to parent you. I am so glad that he brought you into our lives. Life without Kynlee would not be the same.

Kynlee,
I pray that as you grow you find your dreams. I pray that you find how much God loves you. I pray that you don't let anyone tell you who you are or who you aren't. I pray that you stand up for who you are and what you believe. I pray that you become a woman who goes for what she wants and doesn't hold back on life. I pray that you know that your Dad and I will always be for you. We will be with you always. Know that we love you with all our hearts.

 

Vacations vacations

This year we had the privilege of taking two vacations... And they were within two weeks of each other. Which isn't a bad thing at all... But if you have kids then you might understand the problem. By the time we got home and got everything unpacked and back to "normal" it was time to start thinking about the next vacations. But really we were blessed to be able to spend time with both of our families.

Vacation #1

Our first vacations was to Gatlinburg which I have to say was a great trip. We got to spend 4 days with my family and it was great. We also got to surprise my mom. She didn't know that we were all coming. And my dad also surprised her for their anniversary by renewing their wedding vows. It was great to see my parents renew their vows after 28 years. And my sister got some great photos of us all! (She is a WONDERFUL and the BEST photographer EVER!) My sister likes to call this "our disfunctional family" :).

We also got to see the mountains in Gatlinburg which were spectacular.We don't get to see such beauty in the flat land of Illinois. :) It was actually very chilly in Gatlinburg while we were there which was very strange since at home was pretty warm, so we didn't get to enjoy it as much as we wanted to but there is always next time.

We did get a chance to go to Ripleys Aquarium which was very awesome . It was just a really cool place and for a good price (I thought) too. And the kids had a blast... Okay I'll admit I had a good time too!       

       

             

Vacation #2
We try every year to go up to Wisconsin for a week with Chris' parents to go fishing. His family has been going there for over 25 years. It really is a great time... sometimes! :) Other than he fact that there is minimal cell service and no internet... But I survive. I don't know how my kids do but I do... barely! :)

I always say that every year will get better for the kids and it does... if only we would stop adding to our family. :) The kids (minus Kynlee) did great. They don't like to fish too much but really I was really proud of them. They found way to entertain themselves and behave. Plus our niece and cousin got to go with so the kids enjoyed that too!

This was Kynlee's first time on the boat and it was a complete fail! She didn't like anything about it... Maybe thats because she doesn't get to do anything either... plus I know they have to wear the life jackets but for infants they are just way to bulky...

We also got to celebrate Chris' parents 37th anniversary. We went out to a local pizza place and it was a great night.

This year I was pretty impressed with myself. The previous years Chris does most of the fixing the fishing poles and get the fish off the hook that are stuck on (or have swallowed the hook) but this year I managed that all! I also took out the boat several times and caught fish all on my own... I think he is making me into a fishing girl after all! :)

And this my friends is truly the best part of it all! Forget the fishing and the family... 

this picture just makes the week all worth it. 

Frustrating.

Its so frustrating to want to do everything and not be able to do everything. There is so much in my head that I want to do. And then I never know where to start. Sometimes I feel that we (Chris and I) are very good at half ass things. :) Like:

The living room which was painted over a year ago still needs one wall done- it needs to get painted white and some boards put up for a shelf.

The bathroom needs to be finished- its needs finished painting and it needs trim.

The kitchen needs to be reorganized and stuff moved around. The dishwasher (that has never been used since we have moved in which is only being used to hold our microwave) needs to be gone...

The basement... don't even get me started on the basement.

See I could go on and on and on......

And then I feel like if I just sit and don't do anything that at least I won't feel frustrated! (yeah probably not the best idea!) And then lets add in the day to day things that need to get done.


AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I should really take up boxing you think it would help with my frustration?????? :)

Purex Ultrapacks Review

Last month I got a nice package in the mail. Purex sent me their new UltraPacks laundry detergent. I have to say they are very convenient. No measuring, no scooping, no pouring no rinsing and no getting anything on your hands. Its very very simple...

These are what these little packets look like. Kind of like the packets that you might use for the dishwasher... I am sure you could get confused because they do look a like.

I really like the simpleness of the Ultrapacks. For those times that I am running late and really needed to throw in a load. Directions say to make sure hands are dry but honestly I have held them with wet hands and they don't leave any residue on your hands. (And when it says to use with dry hands I really had to test it because well I am just curious like that. :)) The come in a package of 18. Kind of small in my opinion. I'm not sure what the price is but it would have to be $2-$3 for me to buy these. I honestly really like Purex laundry detergent. I think they do an excellent job of trying to always try and invent new ways for laundry detergent. I honestly can't say weather I would buy these on a regular occasion or not. I am guessing not. 

Although they are convenient 18 loads of laundry would be gone in a week. And I am not sure I want to be buying them every week. Maybe if I was a single person they would be really nice.

All in all I like the product. Purex does a good job with staying on top of what others are doing. 

And you also get a chance to try these babies out. Purex has given me 3 FREE coupons to give away to you guys. So the first three people to comment will get a coupon. 

You can also go to FREESAMPLEPUREX.com and get a free sample. 

***I am a Purex Insider and was given Ultrapacks to review. These are my opinions and my opinions only.

Comforts for Baby Product Review

I had the great privilege to be accepted into the Comfort for Baby Bzz Campaign. (if you want more info on BzzAgent follow the link.... great great opportunities to try new products.)

The sent me a coupon for a free box up to 92 ct diapers, 2 sippy cups and a pack of wipes. The closest Kroger or Kroger store for me is about 30 minutes away (not ideal but for a free pack of diapers? Who cares!) So the kids and I headed out to Kroger and got a package of diapers. While there I looked at there other products which are fairly reasonably priced compared to Target or Walmart brand. The box of diapers were priced at 13.99 (not too bad if you ask me). Wipes were 1.99 (I can't really remember). And formula was 12.99-14.99.

Since buying the diapers (its been about a week) I have used them every day. They are diapers. They do what the need to do. My complaint right now is they leak at night. She wakes up in the morning damp (not soaked) but damp. She also sleeps through the night so she is in them from 8pm -7am. During the day I don't have a problem with her being damp from them only at night. I also think that the diapers look very cheap to me. To me Kroger is a big name store so I would consider there stuff to look better. When I look at the box it looks like there is a well made "stylish" diaper. But when I opened the box I was very disappointed on what they looked like. (maybe that shouldn't be a big deal but I think the look of something matters a lot to people and people judge things by the way things look).

I have used the wipes and really enjoy them. I have found a lot of off brand wipes to be a lot like Pampers (which is totally fine) but I am Huggies girl when it comes to wipes. And I was very very excited to see that the Comfort for Baby wipes were thicker and strong.

We have not had a chance to use the sippy cups as I don't need any more in my house at the moment. But I am sure that they will come in handy one day! :)

All in all I would say that there products on average are okay. I am not to impressed with there diapers to drive all that way for them. And I am not even sure if I was in walking distance from a store I would buy them.

**I am a Bzzagent and received these products to try and give my honest opinion.