2010 where have you gone?

Well, I can safely say that I did not post once in the year 2010.  Not that I am proud of this fact or the fact that we are 7 months into 2011 and I am just now making a post.  But I am however very excited to start back up again.  Looking back at past posts I almost get teary eyed thinking about how much has changed.  Some good... some bad, but through it all I truly have grown.  I have made decisions this year that were very hard for me, but with prayer and discernment I truly feel I am heading in a direction where the Lord wants me to be right now.  I'm learning so much about myself and what I am capable of.  I have learned some of my strengths, but God has also shown me some of my weaknesses.  Its these weaknesses where my focus is right now.  I'm sure I will open up with some of that in time.  My hope is that I can regularly keep up with this thing this go round. 

So much has happened since my last post I cant even begin to start "updating" so I will just start with what is current.  Kevin and I are kid free!  We took the grandparents up on their offer to have the kids for a couple of weeks this summer.  Although I am counting down the days (I miss them so much!) I know they are having a blast!  We have gotten to talk to them just about every night and the calls are filled with what they have done that day.  Today they went to a drive through safari.  This I'm sure was perfect due to the fact my kids are slightly obsessed with animals.  It was so funny listening to them describe the experience.  Kaitlyn's favorite was the Zebras and Brayden was scared of the "E-MOOS!"  Tomorrow they are going to see Cars 2.  I cant wait to hear what they thought of the movie.  While they have been gone Kevin and I have been very productive around the house and have gotten to enjoy some time just us.  We have tried several new restaurants and even picked another one of my favorites here in Chuck Town.  Locklears Beach City Grill, it is down on the Folly Beach pier.  Casual dining, food was great and you can eat outside on the pier.  If you visit you must try it!  When the kids get back Kaitlyn will only have about 4 wks of summer left until school starts back so we are going to try and make the best of it.

Well, I will end with a BIG good luck to myself in keeping up with this blog.  If for nothing else than a note keeper of all the little life moments I don't want to forget one day.  

Good Night!

Pictures, pictures and more pictures!

As promised..........

The kids painting in the backyard



The next day at church Bray still had paint in his ear lol, I didn't do too well at bath time making sure I got it all :)



Kaitlyn loves anything and everything art



Kay's first soccer game

Before the game (Bray had to be in the picture)

After the game we went for milkshakes and Brayden and I shared one can you guess by the look on his face how much of it I actually got :)

The kids with their "Blankies"

The pillow case dress and bow I made for Kaitlyn (again Brayden had to be in the picture)

The are so cute when they pose together though

Look at those cheeks



Peek a boo

Bath time




Brayden is such a copy cat he has to do EVERYTHING Kay does even get a band aid :)

One more: Brayden with the football pillow he has to sleep with (makes his Daddy so happy)

So here it goes again......I know that I haven't used this blog in a while and then to start it back up again with a post without pictures is almost a sin, but I am on the laptop and all of our pictures are on the desktop. So I promise the next post with be nothing but lots of pics!!! :) As most of you know Kevin will be getting deployed again come Nov so I thought I would start to write on here again to help keep us all updated and to help me pass the time and keep me sane (lol). I'm a little nervous about this deployment more so than any of the others bc the kids are soooo attached to him now a days. And Kaitlyn is understanding more about length of time and so on. I'm trying to look at the positives though and trying to remind myself that it could always be worse. I know whole heartily that God is with us and that he will not give me more than I can handle. All of that aside we have been one busy family in the Mooney house! School has started back and with it so has dance and Kaitlyn's first season of soccer and THE TERRIBLE TWOS!!! Brayden loves his new class it is small with only 3 others kids, but he loves to play with them maybe a little too rough at times. I don't think he has had one day thus far without a time out for being a little too rough. Everyone keeps telling me "oh don't worry he is all boy" but none the less he keeps me on my toes and some days I think everyone within a 30 mile radius knows his name from me saying "No No Brayden No hitting!" I have never understood how someone so incredibly rotten can be so incredibly sweet! He has stolen Mama's heart, it is so true what they say about mothers and their sons. He is talking so much these days and will try to repeat anything you tell him to say including "roll tide" :) Kaitlyn has shot up about 3 inches since the beginning of summer she is so tall and loves to dance and sing to Taylor swift. She can be such a girly girl but can also be a tom boy, she is the best of both and plays really well with Bray. She had her first soccer game this morning and scored 2 goals! They don't keep score at this age and it is probably better that way. Our team scored the most goals, but half of them where on the wrong side lol.....it was so cute to watch! I will include some soccer pics in the next post. Which by the way will have to be later.......I am going to get ready for our date night tonight! I cant wait.....I will have no kids, dinner and Kevin all to myself Yea! So check back often because at least for the next several months I will be using this to keep track of the kids, updates from Kevin and my many thoughts :)

~Randi

Time for an update contd.

I went ahead and started a new post to finish the pictures because for some reason the pictures in the last post were all scrambled and I'm too tired to figure it all out. So here are the rest for tonight.

Kevin's Dad and step Mom came for a visit and to be here for Brayden's surgery we were able to go down town one of the days and do some site seeing. We started off with lunch at one of my favorite places California Dreaming and then took a carriage ride because I thought Kaitlyn would really LOVE it and it would give Terry and Mary a really good view of the beautiful downtown Charleston well although I think the adults really enjoyed the ride both kids conked out. Go figure!


Kate at California Dreaming


The family



Me and my baby!

Kevin and his Dad

Terry and Mary


Kaitlyn and Nanny


One of the historical homes downtown


cobblestone street


There is so much history in Charleston








Brayden out

Kaitlyn out






Some recent pictures




I love the way Brayden is looking at his Daddy in this one




Brayden still sleeping all balled up





Brayden helping Kevin put the swing set together





The kids enjoying the swing set

Time for an update....

Lots and lots and lots of things to update on. And watch out because I am in a rambling mood tonight :) There are also a ton of pictures to post so let me start with the updates......

Kaitlyn is finishing up with her first year of preschool and dance class and has also started tball. She has absolutely loved her preschool and her class! It has been such a blessing to get to take her to the school we have her in we love everyone there and she has learned so much! It has also been so fun to listen to her talk about her "friends" and all the things they do. Dance class has also been fun and getting ready for recital has been an experience. Not being a dancer myself I had no idea how much went into a recital. May 22nd is the big day, they will be doing a tap number and yes I will post lots of pictures! Then to tball needless to say it is just hilarious! They had their first practice tonight and watching about 6 3yr old little girls and 1 boy (I have no idea how he ended up on an all girls team) run around was just funny! It was actually really cold tonight and one of the little girls wouldn't even go out there she said "its too cold and I don't feel like it" and forget about who is getting the most home runs they are more interested in well 3 yr old things....one girl ran to 2nd base which is where Kevin was and said "my name is Jessica and I am 3 and can brush my teeth all by myself" LOL Kevin said he told her "good now run to 3rd!" Kaitlyn is actually pretty good. I am thankful so far it looks like she got her athletic jean from her Daddy. She batted very well, but when she threw the bat and ran she ran straight to 2nd! After practice when we asked her her favorite part of tball so far she said "snack time". At least we know she is having fun with it which is the most important part right now and it sure is fun to watch her learn. Oh yeah and I almost forgot we cut Kaitlyn's hair a good 8 inches off! It turned out sooo cute and makes her look so grown up. I don't really have a picture of just her hair but you can see it in one of the pictures below. She is too funny about it, the first day back to school after her cut one of the boys told her "your not Kaitlyn" and she came back with "I cut 8 inches off my hair but I'm STILL Kaitlyn!" I could write a whole blog just about the things she says sometimes. :) I cant believe she is about to be 4 already!!

Brayden bless his heart has had a time these last couple of months. March 6th we had his surgery and everything with that went very well and he is all clear now. Then after having one ear infection after another with no antibiotic seeming to help we went to see an ear, nose and throat Dr which said he is the perfect candidate for tubes which is what we are going in for in the morning. They told me it is a very simple procedure about 10-15 min tops and that if he made it through the last one okay then this one will be a breeze. If it will help I am all for it! Beyond the medical things we have gone through he is just perfect and is so funny. It is honestly something new everyday! He now can say Mamma, Dadda, ball, bye bye, babi (paci), bite bite and nite-nite with lots of babbling in there also. He can also put words together like bye bye Dadda. Brayden is an incredible eater also. We are in so much trouble when he hits 13! I now have to order 2 kids meals b/c he can eat a full one by himself!! Anytime someone is in the kitchen he is right under foot saying "bite bite!!" And when it gets about supper time he now runs to his booster and pats the seat and looks at me and says "bite bite bite bite". I love that he is putting things together like that now. He is such a good baby, I really believe Kevin and I lucked out with our kids when it comes to bed times. They are so easy Kaitlyn has always been very good about going to bed and not really getting up in the middle of the night other than when she needs to go potty and for what ever reason she comes and tells me and then she goes potty and goes back to bed. She will also come get in bed with me when there is a thunder storm and honestly I really like that about her because most of the time Kevin is either deployed or working nights so I like having someone to snuggle with during thunder storms. :) And Brayden seems to be just as easy so far he started sleeping through the night very early (except waking up when teething or with an ear infection) he also tells me when he is ready to go to bed. Around 8:30 most nights he will walk down the hall towards his room stop, look at me and point at his door and say night night and when I say do you want to go night night he will giggle and run to his crib so I will pick him up and put him in bed and cover him up! He is such a sweet boy!

And lastly an update with Kevin and I. February marked 6 years of marriage for us and how amazing it has been!! I am such a lucky woman to have found someone who loves me so much! I think back over the last 6 years and what all we have overcome so far. We have moved 6 states away from where we began, I completed an Associates degree and Kevin is now working towards his Bachelors. We have bought and sold a house, been out of the country together, made it through about 6 deployments and numerous TDYs some harder than others, and most importantly had two wonderfully amazing kids! Each step along the way has only made us stronger and I am blessed to have meet such a wonderful man. I can not wait to see what is to come! Kevin will be leaving Easter Sunday for a TDY. He is going to an Air Force conference where they are discussing the future of the Air Force. I am excited for him they only picked about 4 people from Charleston to represent this base and he was picked. I will be staying here and enjoying the last few days of spring break and then the kids and I will be going to a friend of ours house to have Easter dinner and they are having an egg hunt for the kids.

Well as much a I would love to keep rambling I better get to bed I have to be at the hospital with Bray at 6:30 in the morning. So I will leave you with a few pictures and as soon as my camera is finished charging I will post some more.

Love you guys!!

Here is Brayden before and then after his 1st surgery. Him coming out of anesthesia was the hardest part. It seemed like it took forever to calm him down.

My wonderful friend Jeanette came down from the freezing cold Ohio to visit and Kevin being the brave man that he is agreed to watch all four (yes 4!) kids for us so we could go to dinner. He did awesome and even had both boys in bed and the girls watching a movie when we got home. Thanks Hun!

Dylan (too cute!)

Kay and little Kay

Time out to watch the movie

This last Saturday was Brayden's big birthday party. Because of his little surgery coming up on the 6th we went ahead and had his party a week early. My Granny was here so it worked out perfect. We just had a few friends over for pizza and cake and boy did Brayden enjoy the cake!