Happy December

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. We had a great time down in Houston. The kids are so wore out today from playing with their Grandpas and Grandma, Uncles and Aunts and cousins. They are both going to stay in their Pjs and rest because we are tired and cranky. It's to cold and windy today so I decided to stay in. I haven't posted any pics lately so we have a variety. Some are from Halloween and Spenc got his first haircut, which he was sooooo good for. The girls at cookiecutters had so much fun with him. The picture on Dennis, Kaylee and Lauren is from Thanksgiving day, the kids played for hours outside running around. We are all getting ready for Christmas. Kaylee wants everything she sees so we are having a hard time picking out what she really wants. Spencer is going to get a toy box from Eric and I. Eric is working hard all the time as usual and I am just keeping things going around home. I am going to the Casting Crown Christmas concert tomorrow evening with my sisters, mom and my friend Sarah. It is Sarah's birthday on Wednesday so "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" my friend. We have put lights up outside this year and the kids love it and so do I. Thanks daddy! Hope everyone has a good week. God Bless

Its been a while.........

Sorry everyone I have been falling behind. Here's a few pics. We are all doing great, just having fun all the time. Kaylee loves gymnastics and Spencer is growing like a weed. Kaylee is really starting to like going to her parents day out and Spencer and I are starting the Christmas shopping while Kaylee is at school. We went to Nebraska to see Andy and Erin a couple of weeks ago and the kids were so good and we had a really good time. I don't know if we will be dressing up for Halloween. Kaylee is a little scared of the whole idea so we may just give out candy this year.

Whats been going on!!!

Kaylee turned 4!!!! Time flys. She had a wonderful birthday weekend. We visited everybody and had a couple of birthday cakes one of which was a Pet Shop cake. We had to clean out our room and make way for all the new toys. One thing she got was a Princess tent with a sleeping bag to match it. She slept in it for a whole week. Thanks Grammy I think that was a success. She guards her backpack with her life so Cindy did good there. Aunt Erin came to visit the next weekend and brought M&Ms with her picture on them, they are almost gone. Thanks to everyone, Kaylee had a good birthday. Nothing really going on around here. I am ready for fall and cooler weather so we can play outside during the day. Kaylee is playing with Spencer all the time or should I say bugging him. She dressed him up last week and thought it was really funny. Just wait till he sees these pictures in about 10 years. Spencer is getting ready for baby food so that will be exciting especially for big sister. He is rolling where he wants to go and touching everything which goes straight to the mouth. He is screaming I think he likes to hear himself. I am going to try Gymnastics this fall for Kaylee we shall see how that turns out. Her first class is next Wednesday. I am also on a waiting list for a parents day out program for Kaylee, she needs to be away from Mommy a couple of hours a week. Good bye for now!

Happy Sunday

Hi everyone!!! Spencer rolled over yesterday and we were all so excited. He just gets more and more handsome everyday. Kaylee is really getting excited for her Birthday. Eric is taking Tuesday off work and Kaylee's friend Dawson is coming for the day. We are going to play all day and that evening the kids are going to Jump Mania and going out for supper. Then over the weekend we are having a small party at my Mom and Dad's house and the theme is Pet Shop.

Something I have had on my mind all day is my Pastor and his Family. Most of you know we attend Hamlin Baptist Church and Jim Flora is the pastor. They have been at Hamlin for about 5 years now and their passion is Missions. They have applied to the International Mission board to go into the Mission field and they are interested in a little village is Africa. They don't know the exact time when they will go but when they do it will be happy and sad time. They have 3 adopted daughters, Gracie, Anna and Rebecca who is only 4. So pray for them because they also have 3 grown sons who are married and they also have 3 grandchildren. I can not imagine my parents leaving the country and me not knowing when I may see them again. When Jim and Teresa told the congregation today I was a real testimony to me because they just showed me today what its really all about. God should always be first in my life and I don't put him first, there is always so many things in the way. Lift them up because this is a new chapter in their life and the unknown is very scary. I hope everyone has a great week. We love you all, The Maxwells

Our little fisherwomen

We went to a Birthday party on Sunday afternoon and Kaylee went fishing for the 1st time and look what she caught. She was very proud and she was pretty good at fishing. Her new thing is to pretend to be fishing with her friends and she uses our bed as the rocks to sit on and the floor as the pond. Speaking of Birthdays Kaylee's is coming up on August 5th and she all excited about her party and she wants everything. If she sees something she really likes she will say " I want that for my birthday". If I don't answer she says it over and over until I do. But she is happy with my usual answer of "We'll see". Stay tuned because I will probably post the party pictures soon. Spencer is doing all sorts of fun things. He is getting ready to roll over. He is laughing out loud and he loves when people talk to him. He is teething and chewing on everything he can reach including his feet. He went for his first overnight for 3 nights without Mom and Dad a couple of weekends ago and he did so good. My Mom and Dad said he was just perfect and Aunt Alicia spent a lot of time holding him too. I think after the weekend everyone was in love with our baby boy. He is a very good baby and easy to take care of. I will post some pictures of him soon. Everyone have a good rest of the week.

Lots of Updates

It has been crazy around our house since Fathers Day. We had VBS and Kaylee had the best time that week with her pals at church. T-Ball is still going good our last game is Monday night and Kaylee is super excited because Gramma and Papa are coming to watch. Kaylee, Spencer and I have been really sick for the past 2 weeks and it put our little baby in the hospital for 4 days. He got really sick on Wednesday and when he wasn't responding to me when he woke up I called the doctor immediately and they told me to come right away. Thanks to Cousin Mary for taking Kaylee last minute. I spent 2 hours in the Peds office and they finally admitted him that afternoon. He was a very sick little boy and it really scared Eric and I. In the mean time Kaylee got a break from Mom and Dad and went to Houston to get spoiled by all the grandparents for a couple of days. Kaylee had the best time with everyone that helped. Thanks everybody for dropping everything to help us. Spencer got to home today with his medicine and breathing treatments and he is much better now. I went to the doctor and got me some meds and I am also feeling better. Kaylee is almost in the clear. Hopefully Eric never gets it. Spencer had to spend his first 4th in Cox, but that was OK because we new he was safe. So it you get this summertime respiratory stuff don't wait GO TO THE DOCTOR. It will last forever if you let it. Kaylee missed the big 4th of July parade we had in our neighborhood so this evening we decorated her bike and she loved it. My sister Amanda is on a mission trip with our church in Texas so please pray for her and the 60 member mission team this week. Amanda also went before our church and made public that after she graduates in May 09 she will be leaving for Japan for 6 months to serve in the mission field. This is something she has been struggling with for many years now and she has finally given in to what he was telling her to do. It was a hard decision to move forward with because she knows she will be away from our family for 6 months and we are very close. She will be safe and happy because our Lord will watch over her while she does his work. Some people only sit and wonder what it would be like and they never take that step, we our proud that Amanda is not sitting and waiting she is going to go. Hope everyone had a good 4th of July. In the next 2 weeks we are going to continue to get well and we are also getting new windows and flooring. So pray for my sanity! Kaylee is also starting swimming lessons on Tuesday and she seems to be excited. I am not so sure how she will do she has suddenly developed a fear of water being in her eyes so we will see. Hope everyone has a good week and God Bless.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there. Kaylee and Spencer have the best Dad in the whole world. Kaylee always says"I love Daddy soooo much!" She thinks he is pretty great. She wanted to give him her Father's Day gift early so I let her. When Eric opened it she grabbed the coffee mug that her and Spencer had made so proudly for her Daddy to see, then she gave Eric a hug and told him Happy Father's Day like she was 10 years old and she truly knew what it meant. Spencer is also crazy about Eric. He can cry for me all day but as soon as Eric walks through door he starts smiling at his Daddy. They learn so early who the fun one is! I am very lucky because my husband helps me all the time with our kids and he takes care of them for me when I need a break sometimes without me even asking. He loves them with his whole heart and teaches them lots of things I can not or that I forget is important. Happy Father's Day Eric. We love you!

Big Weekend

It was a big weekend at the Grandparents. Spencer got the see Great Grandma Edith for the first time and she thought he was wonderful. Everyone had a great time and we were wore out when we got home on Sunday. We had a picnic at Pappy and Grammy's Farm and Kaylee had a big time, but she wanted to know where the pigs were. She planted pumpkins with Papa Flowers and flowers with Gramma. Uncle Andy and Aunt Erin were in and everyone was glad to see them. Kaylee played with Cousin Maddie on Friday and both kids had a ball with each other. It will only be a matter of time before Spencer will be wanting to play with the girls and hopefully they will be nice and not gang up on him. Grandma Martin's friend, George, had a mini-stroke on Saturday and had to be put in the Intensive Care Unit at TCMH. He is very a very special friend to Nana so if everyone could remember them in their prayers this week.

I know this is short, but the kids are calling. Have a good week and God Bless. Enjoy the pics.

9 weeks old.....

Spencer has had some milestones in the last week. He has been to the doctor for 5 shots and he cried only while getting pricked. He weighed 10.14 pounds and was 22 3/4 inches tall. That is the 25% for weight and 50% for height. He is really looking us over so I know he can see us good because he just stares. He is smiling and doing some baby talk. He started sleeping in his own bed from 10:00 till 6:00 and that is really good for Eric and I. Big sister was having trouble sleeping in her own bed but she finally worked that out on her own. She is now going to bed on her own and staying there all night. Things are good in the Maxwell house at nighttime. Today was also baby dedication at church and Spencer was dedicated to our Lord by Brother Jim Flora. It was a special time for our whole family and he received his first little Bible with his name on it. Kaylee has her Bible and she now carries to church every Sunday. Pray for Eric and I that we can raise Spencer and Kaylee to love our God and to teach them what is really important in life. That is hard when sometimes we have trouble remembering what is important, because it is easy to get caught up in this world. Today I asked Kaylee if she knew what Jesus did for us and she said "died on the cross" it toke my breath away that my 3 year old little girl knew that. I know we are doing something right. Everyone have a wonderful week I know we will. This weekend coming up will be fun. The kids and I are heading to Houston on Thursday and Erin and Andy are picking Eric up on Friday night on their way through Springfield. We are going to have fun with all the grandparents and Uncles and Aunts for 4 days. Good night.

Tots Ball Schedule

Just in case anybody wanted to go cheer our little T-Ball player on!

Monday 6/2 - 6:15

Tuesday 6/10-5:30

Tuesday 6/17-7:45

Tuesday 6/24-6:15

Monday 6/30-7:00

Monday 7/7-6:15

All games are 45 minutes long. Bring a lawn chair or old blanket.

The games are in Repbulic at the field behind the Aquatic Center or you can go with us!

Catch Up

I had better catch everyone up from the last time I posted. First I want to give out the blog address of one of my good friends (http://www.mommyhook.blogspot.com/.) I want everyone to read her prayer requests and pray for the people in her life and for her family. I don't even want to imagine what those people are going through. I hope everyone had a good Mothers Day. Eric and the kids made a video card for me that is a slideshow from when Kaylee was born until now. It was a very special gift and Kaylee really likes it. She plays the DVD over and over. Kaylee is in T-ball for the summer and I hope she has fun with it. The only place I could find close to us that did tots ball for 3 yr olds was in Republic, so its pretty close to the house. She has a good time hitting the ball and playing with the other kids but hasn't quite got the hang of the outfield yet. I had a yard sale this weekend and did really good. I got rid of alot of stuff and the attic and garage are clear for another couple of years. My Mom came to help watch the kids and Kaylee went back with her to Houston. While she was there she developed a splotchy rash on her face and by Sunday she had a temp with more places on her body. We found out she has fifth disease and it is harmless but can cause fever and discomfort for up to 3 weeks. She looks kind of funny and heat can trigger an outbreak so some days she will look worse than others. Once the rash appears it is not contagious anymore. It was contagious 10-14 days prior and it is rare for adults to get it. Saturday night when the tornadoes went through we had a house about 4 doors down get struck by lightening and it was a total loss to the family. The lightening went through their front window so stay away from windows during storms. Eric and I were eating dinner and we had Spencer up on the table which is right by a big window in our dining room. We won't do that again when it is storming. The weird thing about that lightening hit is that it wasn't storming it just happened. Speaking of Spencer he is doing really good and growing so much. His 2 month checkup is next week and he will get 4 shots. He is starting to be more alert and his favorite thing is to look at is Eric. He just watches him and stared at him all the time. Today I think he almost cooed at Kaylee and me while we were talking to him. Its only a matter of time before he starts to smile at us when we talk to him. I can tell he wants to either smile or make a noise. Enjoy the pics and sleep tight.

1 month old today

Well we made it 4 weeks and things are slowly getting back to normal in the Maxwell house. Spencer is doing great he is changing everyday and getting really chubby. The picture of him was taken this morning. When he went to the doctor for his 3 week checkup he weighed in at 8 pounds 3 ounces and the doctor said all was well with him. Kaylee is doing good, the adjustment has been good for her. She seems to be a little more independent and she adores her little brother. Kaylee has been building me things out of her Lego's as you can see she is very proud of this masterpiece. We went to Houston over the weekend and Spencer saw a lot of people for the first time. I really enjoyed the visit because I got a break for taking care of the kids 24/7 so maybe I should go down more often. I am sure the grandparents would not mind. I am really feeling better and more normal again. Eric is working hard keeping up at work and home, I think we both forgot how demanding a newborn can be. Everybody take care and have a great weekend.

Finally.....

Well its been 10 days and life has been great. My surgery wasn't bad at all and the recovery has been OK.

Spencer is a really good baby. He is the typical eat, change diaper, and sleep newborn. He stays awake about 2-3 hours a day, but most of the time he just sleeps. I can't believe I am a mother of 2 wonderful kids and the wife of the best husband in the world to let me stay home with my children. Kaylee has adjusted so good, she wants to help all the time and has only acted out a little but nothing bad at all. When you watch Kaylee with Spencer you can see in her eyes how proud she is of him. Today when I went to change him she ran in his room before me jumped up on her stepstool and got out all the supplies exactly how I do it. I couldn't believe she had been watching me so close. Spencer is growing fast so I will post some more piscs very soon. Kaylee and Spencer are going to have the pictures made on Sunday, thanks to one of Eric's co-workers who is going to come to our house to take them. Thanks to all who haved helped us during this time. I could not have gotten along so good without you.

Love, The Maxwell Family

Easter Day

Easter was a good day! The Easter bunny came to see Kaylee and she was quite pleased with what he brought her. Church was so nice, the choir performed a musical and it was really good. We had Easter dinner just the 3 of us and then we took a nap, so it has been a good day. Tomorrow is it and are family goes from 3 to 4. Eric, Kaylee and I are really feeling like things are already changing and I am getting nervous about my surgery, but I faith that everything is going to work itself out the way it is supposed to. Thanks to family and friends (ahead of time) for everything they are helping with while we welcome a new baby boy in our wonderful growing family.

Birthday Fun with Dawson

Kaylee had the most wonderful day today. First Pappy and Grammy came and brought her a Easter present which contained some Sponge Bob shoes she really liked. After lunch they went with us to an Easter egg hunt and Kaylee picked up 24 eggs and got a little book. Then we went to Dawson's Birthday party and you would of thought she had not seen her friend in a year. She had the best time with him and they got to tour the fire station. All the kids thought that was pretty cool. Enjoy the pics. I will post more tomorrow after all the Easter festivities. Baby Brother also got a present today. Linda Troutman made him his first baby blanket. We are all really proud of it. Good Night!!!!