THANK GOODNESS FOR FRIENDS

"Friends are the most important ingredient in this recipe of life." 
I found this friendship quote on the internet and I started thinking about how much friendship means to the Mosley family.  

Being only children, Keith and I were always surrounded by friends growing up. For me, my friends and my cousins were close to me like sisters. Even now I view friendship as an extension of sisterhood. Keith and I both have our core group of friends that we can count on for any and everything. They are the crew that listens when you cry, laugh with, and heaven forbid if I'm wrong (which hardly ever happens for the record) they'll tell me I'm out of order. hahaha

Living in Georgia away from our family forces us - in a good way - to rely a lot on friends for support, laughter, airport runs, furniture pick up, holiday meals, and now babysitting :-) We are really thankful for the wonderful group of people that we have surrounded ourselves with. I was talking with my friend Danena during one of our "mommy's gotta get rid of this baby weight walks" about how great my friends are and how lucky Keith and I are to have great support here and she said "You guys have great friends because you are great friends" *CHEESE* We really do put a lot of time and effort into cultivating and maintaining friendships, so I gotta admit - its nice to hear that comment and know our friendship to others is appreciated.

Here's my motto: Once a friend, always a friend. My "big sister" from Tufts tried to get rid of me (graduate schmaduate...hmph), but I didn't let her go and we are still tight as ever. My "Smyrna sister's" father was my father's best friend in college. We've literally known each other all of our lives. My "2-time pregnancy pal" has been my friend since middle school. My "I don't deal with foolishness and I don't succumb to peer pressure" high school homie always has my back and gives me great advice. And then there are my exciting new friendships: My "Maid of Honor road dog", Khyri's "#1 Auntie", My "stay at home mom sidekick", and  My "follow your dream inspiration" are just a few good friends that I have been blessed to meet while here in Georgia.

I look at Khyri and Kielle and I think about the great friendships that they will have. As they go to school, join teams, and go to summer camp they will meet a lot of people and make a lot of friends. Just like mine, some of those friendships will last a lifetime.  I'm excited to see these little people develop - its going to be a great ride...

Master Khyri and Little Miss Cadence

3 months

8 months

Master Khyri with Master Alex and Little Miss Syndey

Master Khyri and Master Aziz

Master Khyri and Little Miss Gabi

Khyri 2 yrs old and Kielle 2 months old

And of course... 
The best friendship of all.

MASTER KHYRI TURNS 2!

 

Khyri is 2 years old! I can't believe it!

Time is going toooo fast. I still remember the first time Keith and I held him, the first time he smiled, the first laugh, the first step... all his firsts... and now we're on his second year! Where did the time go? How can I slow it down!??!? hahaha



THURSDAY 3.3.11
We started off the celebration with a Happy Birthday dance session at home. I don't think he understood what was going on until maybe the 3rd of 4th time I played the happy birthday song :-) Then he got this sly look on his face like "I think something special is going to happen today" hahahahah.

Keith took him to daycare as usual and at 4:00pm we were allowed to have a mini celebration at snack time. Khyri was completely surprised when I walked into the daycare bearing cupcakes and gifts.

Now mind you, I had a whole nice birthday planned. I was gonna have cup cakes, we'd sing  a few songs, he'd have a birthday hat - all the birthday hoopla. Not so much.

Lesson #1
Make sure your munchkin understands that you will be having the party AT the daycare
Normally if Keith or I show up at the daycare in the afternoon, its to take Khyri home. No chit chatting... Just grab his coat and diaper bag and head on out. Khyri usually grabs our hand and leads us to the door. So clearly Khyri was NOT feeling staying at the table to celebrate. He didn't even want to sit down so we could sing happy birthday.

The kids wait for Khyri to sit down to eat their cupcakes

Then he started crying and he had THE NERVE to throw his yellow cupcake on the floor! All Bad. It wasn't until we all started singing Happy Birthday that he decided to sit for awhile and join in the fun.

Lesson #2
Do not offer choices
For the goody gift I had an assortment of bath books. They all were Sesame Street - Cookie Monster, Elmo, and Big Bird. After we sang to Khryi and finished our cupcakes, I handed out the goodies. All was well until one little boy asked to switch his Big Bird book for a Cookie Monster book. Well... all types of chaos ensued. "I want Cookie Monster" "Can I have Cookie Monster?" " Do you have a Cookie Monster book for me too?" All of a sudden everyone in the room wants Cookie Monster. Really!?!? I thought for sure Big Bird would be the big draw. nope. I swear though had that boy asked for Elmo they all would have wanted Elmo... sheep I tell you.. sheep. hahahah But I learned - next time same book for everybody.

 
 

Lesson #3
Allow plenty of time for Happy Birthday hugs
Normally, Khyri runs quickly towards the door when we leave the daycare. Usually the kids will all say together "Bye bye Khyri". Well since it was a special day, everyone wanted to give Khyri a hug. So I had to stand there with Kielle in the sling, camera in hand, holding onto a leftover cupcakes, and a diaper bag slung over my shoulder waiting as all 9 kids came and gave Khyri a hug. hahahahha I looked like a psycho bag lady but we had a good time and it was nice to see them showing Khyri some love.

After daycare, we went to one of Khyri's favorite parks. We played 'catch Khyri' by the fountain, relaxed on the bench swing and went down the slide.

Just hanging out with the family

FRIDAY 3.4.11
We had grand plans to go to the Atlanta Children's Museum, but Khyri's allergies were really acting up. Oops I guess we should have skipped the playground on Thursday. So we stayed inside and Khyri played his favorite game of hide and seek with Kielle (who has now moved out of the bassinet into the pack n play)

SATURDAY 3.5.11
We continued our tradition of taking Khyri to make his annual birthday bank deposit. We're regulars in the bank and when we walked in, everyone said hello and happy birthday. Throughout the year Keith and I put our loose change into Khyri's piggy bank for him. Soon we will start giving him the coins to put into the piggy bank. You're never too young to start saving!

We thought that Khyri would have maybe $30 or $40 dollars. We would never have guessed...

Khyri needs to start his own bank. Mom needs a loan!

SUNDAY 3.6.11
We really wanted to have an outdoor party, but since the weather was horrible we opted to have a small birthday playdate at the house instead. Three of Khyri's friends came over to join in on the fun. Shout out to Timothy, Cadence, and Aziz!

Khyri was decked out in his custom Happy Birthday Khyri Elmo shirt (Thanks Auntie Netta) and new Levis jeans (One time for the Macy's one day sale). It was the perfect outfit for continuing the Sesame Street themed celebration.

 

Who needs a structured party!?!? The kiddos will make their own fun. Take a kitty cat tike, an Elmo camera, and a Thomas the Train bath toy add a long hallway and presto - loads of fun!

There were a couple of bumps and a few falls, but there was also a boat load of laughs, giggles and wiggles.  Its great to see the kiddos having fun. Finally they're starting to actually play with each other. Funny thing - every other word you heard was "Share". hahahaha

March 3, 2009 was a day that changed Keith and I forever. Our 'kingly' Khyri was born! We continue to enjoy watching him grown and develop. Two years have passed and everyday we still can't believe how lucky we are to be his parents!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KHYRI!

DR. SEUSS DAY

Today is Dr. Seuss' birthday! This is huge in the life of Khyri... hahahah it runs a close second to Elmo's birthday!


Dr. Seuss  wrote 44 books. To celebrate his birthday, here are some great "Seussisms.


 Thank you Dr. Seuss for making reading fun.



 From "Oh, the Places You'll Go!"

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go..."

From "Horton Hears a Who"

"A person's a person, no matter how small."

From "I Can Read with My Eyes Shut"

"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."

From "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"

"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas. . . perhaps. . . means a little bit more!"

From "Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories"

"And the turtles, of course ... all the turtles are free, as turtles and, maybe, all creatures should be."

From "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish"

"From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere!"

From "Happy Birthday to You!"

"Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You."

GIVE IT SOME THOUGHT

A few weeks ago I participated in a consumer study for stroller research. Normally these studies are mundane and don't really go into too much detail, but for this study I was asked a poignant question. At first the question seemed so simple, but when I began to craft my answer I found myself thinking long about how I would answer the question. What type of mother are you?

Simple right?! Doesn't seem to difficult. As I wrote I began to really hone in on my definition of motherhood. I was limited to 10 minutes to finish the question so I didn't get to answer it fully. Looking at my two children - one in the swing and one playing with toys, I want to revisit this question and really flush out what motherhood means to me. So here goes...


What type of mother am I?
For me its easier to start with what type of mother I am not and then work backwards. I don't believe that children are meant to be seen and not heard. Childhood happens only once and is short lived so I want my children to enjoy every moment. I support getting asked tons of questions, reading the book 'Brown Bear' 20 times and running full speed in the park. I am a mother who will manage to manage to muster that last bit of energy to play one last game of 'where's mommy? where's daddy?' right before bedtime. I'm definitely a clown! Now this is not to say that I don't believe in discipline or structure, I'm just not in a a rush to implement it - until necessary. For instance, a few months ago Khyri learned how to turn the living room light on and off. Literally we could be sitting there and it would flick on off on off on off 10 to 15 times in a row. I let him do it. It was annoying yes, but to me he was learning cause and effect. "If I push this switch up, the light comes on hmmm". Once he 'got it'  3 weeks later, I started telling him not to turn it on. To me, the 3 weeks of flickering was ok because he learned about on and off and now he knows that he doesn't need to do it all willy nilly.

I'm not the mom that buys matching outfits for me and the children, mainly because I'm not fashionable hahahah. I do however like wearing complementary colors just in case there is an opportunity for a photo! I'm not the mom that will dress my children in up in expensive clothes, because I know as children they are going to run, jump, spill, rip, and probably ruin their clothes - and they should at this age. Khyri and I go puddle jumping all the time. He hasn't found mud just yet - but when he does... Yahtzee! So I choose to shop a lot at consignment stores or buy things only on clearance. I'm a supporter of  Use-Send-Sell. We use the clothes, then either send them to someone else who can use them or sell them at consignment sales.

I tend to listen to the pediatrician and adhere to recommendations from the American Association of Pediatricians. After all, these people are professionals! I do however, recognize that motherly instinct is real and often times can be a loud indicator of something being wrong. I believe in vaccinations and some old school homegrown remedies. I love breastfeeding! I keep my children rear facing in the car seat until at least 14 months even though the law is 1 year and 20lbs. The best baby invention ever is my baby sling - shout out to mayawrap.com. I believe in soft soled shoes for first steps and no solid foods until 6 months (its hard making sure you provide each food group - boob milk is so much easier for me).

Of course all of this is how I feel today. Who knows how my parenting style or preferences are going to change over time. I guess the key is to be patient and flexible. All Keith and I can do is parent to the best of our abilities - hopefully it'll all work out :-)

Here's some pictures of Keith and I in parent mode:

A rested baby is a happy baby

The word for today - Multitasking!

Really Khyri?!? You're just gonna chill and read a book while getting your diaper changed? Must be nice!

Bath time for Kielle

Khyri leaving with Daddy to go to school

Good hygiene is a must!

#1 Mosley parenting tip : You can never give too many hugs and kisses!

KHYRI IS IN LOVE!

Khyri has fallen in love!

This is a very short post. Keith and I have been enjoying our two munchkins! Khyri is big brother extraordinaire. He is very protective of Kielle and truly likes being around her. The first thing he does in the morning is go to her bassinet and see if she is awake - I love it.

Let's see how long this lasts... I have a feeling once she can start grabbing his toys there may be some tension in here, but for right now I'll enjoy the peace.

For the record - I think Kielle just might be in love with Khyri too!

WE SURVIVED MONTH 1

Well, the first month has flown by. The house is beginning to settle into a semi-routine. My body has finally given in to feedings every 3 hours and a constant regimen of diaper changes. Kielle is beginning to stay up a little more during the day, so everyone is pitching in to entertain her. Thank goodness for the bouncer.

Nursing has been good. We've gotten over the 2 week hump so now she is latching well and we are good to go. Daddy has been GREAT with the diaper changes, but every now and again accidents happen! LOL

Khyri is really loving his little sister and it makes me UBER happy!

Though he loves his sister, Khyri still needs his own special time. We've come up with new ways to keep him entertained. We ventured to the library and got some books on tape and every now and again I get in the crib with Khyri and surprise him when he wakes up from his nap. His favorite toy though this month has been his big box of legos. He can dig in there all day!

Mommy's big butt in the crib with Khyri

Now we're ready for a road trip!

I have been searching for a toddler robe so my little man can relax and stay warm at the same time. I finally found one at the Disney store. I love looking at him in his robe - looks so comfy!

Gotta post some updated pics of Kielle:

Sleeping Beauty