How sweet it is to be "2"

My sweet little 6 lb 15 oz bundle of love

Two years ago she arrived into our world and she betters us each and every day. Our beautiful, smart, entertaining little girl. Obsessed with horses, being naked, jumpy jumpy on the trampoline, barney, snuggling, chicken, marshmallows, singing, her doggies Ammo/ Drakey & you can't forget Grandpa Simpson's dog Annie.

The last time I checked weight/height was at 22 months and she was 35"/24 lbs. We go for 2 year check up at the dr's office Friday so I am looking forward to seeing if those stats change at all. She has all her teeth except 2 year molars. I honestly haven't checked in her mouth recently so those could be in there too and I just have no clue.

We are so thankful to have my Mom watch Lainey while Rhett & I go to work. It doesn't get any better than that. We can never say thank you enough for all that she does. Lainey is a seasoned sports attendee with Grandma Phegley. I look forward to the day when she is the one out there running around. Who knows if it will be volleyball, softball, tumbling....hopefully cheerleading! She loves going to Grandma Simpson's and visiting the horses. This summer we threw many apples to them. Her favorite is the white horse. I am so happy she is getting raised in the country. The future holds so much fun and adventure.

I am loving this stage of all the talking and singing. You never know what is going to come out of her little mouth. If she wants something she says to Rhett, "Please Daddy Please". It is just the sweetest. How can you say NO to that??? We are so blessed and thankful for our little Lainey Nicole. Happy 2nd Birthday and to many more!!!!!



Frozen in October

 Be prepared for picture overload!!!

This past weekend we held Lainey's 2nd birthday party. It was a wonderful day with yummy food, great company, and lots of presents! Rhett & I both have large families and I don't want the mess at our house so renting the Ruma Hall has worked out great. It is nice and close and when the party is over we go home and everything is all intact. Several months ago when Lainey was obsessed with Frozen I decided to go with the theme. She would want to watch the movie every single day. We honestly haven't watched it in weeks but she still loves Anna & Elsa. Lately she wants to watch piggie aka Charlotte's Web. My wonderful sister helped me with decorations as always. I am so thankful for her and all the help she gives me when it comes to this stuff. I knew immediately that I wanted to get the lifesize cutouts. They were a big hit!!!! I also put together a little basket of wigs, wands, necklaces, and dresses for the kids everyone to play dress up!!! Lots of fun for all!

 So happy Avrie could spend the day with us!!

I ordered the cake from Gordon's Cakes in Sparta and never ever dissapointed. She also did my baby shower cake and Lainey's birthday cake from last year. It was delicous. Chocolate/chocolate and white with strawberry filling. The whole party process seemed less stress free than year one. I ordered fried chicken from Lisa's which was so good. Chicken is Lainey's absolute favorite food other than butter noodles & marshmallows. At the end of the party she was walking around with a huge breast just gnawing away. Grease stains galore on her outfit. Thank goodness for Grandma she got them out. Also huge thanks to my Mom for helping me decorate on Saturday. Pretty well everything was ready a day ahead of time so that was nice. We would be lost without Grandma!!! I completely forgot to take a single candle along. We improvised and used two wooden matches. Thanks Aunt Nancy! Thank you to everyone that brought a side dish of food.  That helps out sooo much.

I made the invites myself and it was super easy. A pinterest win!

 COUSIN LOVE

Lainey had quite a time opening her presents. The very first gift she opened she was in love with. A baby giraffe from Darla. As she continued to open she would say green one green one. She wanted that big green bag back. She was a pro at unwrapping and pulling presents out of the bags. Thanks to all for the gifts!!! It will be weeks before we get to play with everything.

Loves the neigh neighs from Grandma & Grandpa Simpson

Overall we had a fantastic day and I think it is safe to say Lainey enjoyed it as well. During clean up she was having quite a time playing outside showing off her tumbling skills. (she just got her first leotard!) She had no nap that day and at 9:30 pm that night was still going strong jumping on trampoline like a crazy lady. The leotard fits perfect.

My PRK Journey

In the past few years I had contemplated having lasik eye surgery done. When I went to my regular check up with Dr. Toal in Waterloo I got a brochure. The next time I asked for information again. One evening when randomly discussing it with Rhett he said I think you should just do it. He was saying Go For It!! Have I ever mentioned how much I love my husband...I set up a free consultation with TLC in Chesterfield, Missouri. My appointment was for April 13th. On the phone they mentioned it would be a good idea to only wear my glasses two weeks prior to appt. This would ensure my testing would all be as accurate as possible since contacts can alter things. I typically only would wear my glasses every other weekend when working and some evenings right before bed. I was nervous this would be the worst part of the whole ordeal. Honestly though it wasn't too bad. My Mom drove me to the consult because I absolutely hate driving in St. Louis/interstate. I know I'm a big baby but I'm good with our rural roads. I'm so lucky  that she helps me out with things like this and as a plus she took Lainey to a park during the appt. This is how awesome I looked while shopping at the outlet malls.

I had all kinds of testing done to my eyes. They also dilated my eyes which I had never had done. Don't ever try to go shopping after having it done. Sucks big time. After all the tests Dr. Polk came in to speak with me about the surgery. The first thing he says is you are not a good candidate for lasik because of a thinness in my corneas. PRK is the better option in your case. He showed me the pictures of my corneas. He also said if I were to have LASIK in the long run my eyes could get worse. All I was thinking was what in the world is prk.....My surgery would be similar to lasik but just a longer recovery time.

 

This is how awesome I looked while shopping at the outlet malls. Never again!!!!

 

Last Pic in Glasses!!!!!!

 

Here is best way to explain difference in two types!



The main difference between PRK and LASIK is that in LASIK they make a flap and lift layer of cornea and perform surgery. For PRK they do not make the flap they go straight through outer layer cornea. This is a more traumatizing to the eye hence the longer recovery time. PRK was the original procedure using a laser to fix vision. Since I'm kind of a freak about googling everything I had to look up the stats. The FDA approved PRK in 1995 and lasik in 1999.

My lovely 4th grade picture. Frizzy hair, glasses, and I hit puberty at some point that year. Awesome combo!

 



 I was given my folder with payment options, eye drop prescriptions, pre op instructions, and set up my appointment for surgery. The BIG day was June 5th!!!! I was allowed to wear my contacts again until one week before surgery. I have had glasses since 3rd grade and contacts since 6th so getting all this set up was so surreal. I had to have 6 days off work and every other weekend I am already off for 4. It was wonderful that I only had to use two vacation days.



The days flew by and before I knew it the big day had arrived. I've only ever had my wisdom teeth out and no broken bones (well maybe a finger) so I was jut a bit nervous about my eyeballs being lasered. My Mom drove me because obviously afterwards I would be in no condition to drive. A young man went through a little pre-op speal with me. I got a surgery hat and took a pill of some sort to help relax me. He said it would basically just make me feel kinda drunk. I was thinking oh dear I haven't honestly drank since before I was pregnant. I work in the medical field and myself being the patient felt so odd. Their was the option for my Mom to watch the procedure on a tv screen but she chose not to. After laying down and surgery started it prob took approx 20 minutes. That's a guess because as I'm writing this 3 months later it is hard to remember every single detail. I don't even know how to describe the whole experience. It was a little scary but so exciting just thinking of the outcome. Once I was finished and sat up I asked will I be able to see immediately? The Dr said you tell me there is a clock to your right. I never would've been able to read it before and sure enough I could see the time. I got some awesome eye shields taped to my face and walked on out to the car. Now the hard part absolutely no cell phone for 24 hours. I could not even text anyone to tell them how it all went. My Mom took a picture, sent a few messages for me, and we were homebound. She planned to keep Lainey the next few night so I could rest and Rhett was busy with work.

My prescription in both eyes was -5.75 before the surgery. I asked what that was in terms of 20/20 lingo and the lady said like 20/800. Saturday 1 day post op I had to return back to TLC early am for follow up appointment. They checked out my eyes and said everything was looking great. I was at 20/80 right eye & 20/50 left eye. Woo hoo!!! The Dr. told me it would take days and possibly weeks to get to my best possible vision. My sister came over during the day and we tackled a fun project of sorting all of Lainey's clothes. It kept us busy since I couldn't really go anywhere and stuck in house all day. I can't just lay in bed all day that would drive me crazy and no tv, computer, or phone still. It was fun looking at all the tiny baby clothes and we would randomly put something on Lainey to see if it still fit. I could see but I definately could tell things were not as clear as should be. I had a schedule of 4 different drops to use multiple times through out day. I know I had an extra one since I work in the medical field. My eyes felt pretty dry so I was using a lot of refresh drops. I've never really had eye dryness so this was a new feeling for me. The only time I had ever slept in my contacts was in h.s ages ago and if I fell asleep napping. Which lets be honest I never nap even if the opportunity presents itself. Sunday morning I woke up and my eyes felt completely different. They were itchy and it felt like sand was in them. Ughhh It sucked big time. I was told this would happen but they said 3 days post op and I was only at day 2. My eyes were healing quicker so that was a good thing. The only time I had relief was sleeping which I wasn't even that tired but kept trying to rest to pass the day. I didn't fill my prescription of course because I figured would not need. Even though I was told this was normal it was still freaking me out a bit so I made a call to the # I was given if any questions arose. The Dr was super nice and he suggested getting the prescription filled bc it would help relieve the pain and discomfort. Rhett was able to run to Waterloo and get that taken care of. On this day the light really affected me so I was wearing sunglasses in the house. That evening we visited Lainey at my Mom & Dad's for a bit because I missed her. My brother was there and he was probably thinking oh man I'm never getting this done from the way I was acting. Monday 3 days post op I woke up and the horrible pain was gone but everything was blurry as all heck. It was so strange having such different symptoms than day before. I had a follow-up appointment in Waterloo with Dr. Toal. (my regular eye Dr.) It was great that I could follow up with him and not have to travel back to St. Louis multiple times. He said everything was healing well. The blurriness was normal because the outer layer of cornea that was lasered through is healing and growing back. My vision was 20/80 Rt eye and 20/200 in left eye. By Tuesday post op day 4 the bluriness was pretty well gone. Wednesday post op day 5 my vison was 20/50 right eye and 20/30 left eye. This was my last follow-up before going back to work. Dr. Toal said I was good to go and would return at 1 month post op. I felt like I could see well but still not 100% and a bit uneasy about driving to work. My mom volunteered to drive me. She is the best. Always there when I need her and willing to help with absolutely anything. I would truly be lost without her. It was fun though because she & Lainey walked me in and then got to see my co-workers for a few minutes. It's always nice when your work friends get to actually see your child rather than just pictures and hear about her. I did have to work that weekend so I drove and it was just fine. For a while I was still putting refresh drops in every morning once I woke up. I am happy to say that now I don't even have to do that. I just wake up (no dryness at all) am able to see the alarm clock and all is well. At my 1 month and 3 month post op appointments my vision was 20/15 in both eyes. It is amazing not having to wear contacts/glasses. If you are considering eye surgery to correct your vision I say go for it and you won't regret it!!! Plus I have been told if you actually have LASIK (not PRK) most people go back to work the next day. No craziness days after like I dealt with.





Glasses Free & Loving It!!!!!!!!

Horse Lovin Girl

I just went back and re read my last post about Lainey and her non finger sucking. That really feels like a lifetime ago. Currently the hot topic in our house is horses/apples & she is officially potty trained. Every single day she says neigh, neigh, apples, Annie (Grandpa Simpson's dog). This kid is in love with picking apples and feeding them to the horses. She launches those things like a pro softball player. Rhett said one evening she was talking in her sleep about them. We have been taking family stealth rides in the evening and also visit the cows but now she has little interest in them. As soon as we pulled up one night she immediately says hi moo moos-bye moo moos. Her little heart is set on the horses. It is just the sweetest and a phase that will eventually pass as they always do. For now though it sure is a fun one to enjoy. Recently my Mom, Lainey, and I enjoyed apple picking at Eckart's in Belleville. A hot hot afternoon but we all had fun and then we got to go home and make  Daddy an apple pie! Then we took him a (still warm) piece out to the field while he was combining his corn. It's safe to say that he thought it was awesome.

 

Speaking of the combine Lainey had her first official ride (outside the womb) in it. While I was pregnant and I mean big pregnant I rode with Rhett to combine beans. I can remember just riding along and talking on the phone to our photographer about maternity pictures. Trying to set up a time that Rhett could make it in between his busy farm schedule. I actually had two sets of maternity pictures taken. I went alone and had some done just in case he couldn't get away. I was scared we would run out of time and then I wouldn't have any. The second time Rhett was able to go and that actually ended up being the day before my contractions started!!!! Ohhh the memories. Back to the combine ride though...little miss was not impressed. I think it scared her more than anything. Maybe a few more trips up/down the field and it will grow on her.

My *almost* 2 year old is now a talking machine. She repeats everything and at moments it's
interesting trying to decipher what she is saying. With the talking has brought opinions &
independence. I tried giving her cheerios in a zip lock bag for in the car and she insisted on a bowl.
(Because duh Mom I always get a bowl at the kitchen counter) When I try to help her on to the toilet in public places she wants to do it herself. She is also very specific about what shoes she wants to wear.  Crocs crocs crocs. Not sure why I have even bought her anything else recently. The funniest one though is yesterday I tried putting jean shorts on her and she kept saying white white. She wanted to wear her white short. Her latest phrase is "I did it." It could seriously not be any cuter. Another really cute word to hear her say is awesome. I love asking her in the morning, "What would you like for breakfast today?" Her response is not always the same but she often says EGGS. Girl loves her eggs. She is a wonderful eater and I am thankful for that. (Not picky like her Momma.) She is getting pretty good at her A,B,C's and it is fun hearing her version of it. One evening while I tried to catch her counting on video she was totally mutilating my rose bush but it was well worth it. I had been trying to tape her to share with some family members but as soon as she noticed me videoing she would stop. Mommy had to be sneaky. Overall I am really enjoying this stage.

Just a few random things!!

One day she wore a pair of 6 month shorts and pair of 3T pants in the same day. Her little skinny butt and long legs make quite a combo when it comes to clothes. This summer Lainey became a seasoned zoo visitor going three times. Once with Grandma Phegley, Aunt Jaimee, & Mommy and then with family from Shinabargar & Phegley sides. Thankful that even while I am at work she gets to go to family functions and have fun days. One day while I was making salsa I needed cornstarch at the very end of recipe to thicken it up. I knew that it had recently been bought. For the life of me I could not find the stinkin cornstarch. I looked and looked like ten times through pantry and lazy susan. I ended up running to my mother in laws to get some. About a week later as I am picking up toys in our dining room I look down at Lainey's shopping cart. Aha!! There sits the cornstarch in plain sight. These little moments just make you laugh and laugh and appreciate having a young child. Such a silly thing but I hope I never forget it. Lainey had her first hair cut with our stylist Patty. Just a trim to the bangs not even hardly enough to save for the baby book. She did so good though and didn't even have to bribe her with anything.

Our Potty Adventures 

(may be tmi for some people)

Last post I mentioned Lainey was showing signs of interest in the potty and I am happy to say she is now diaper free!!!! Woo hoo less laundry for this Momma. It was a happy yet sad day when the diaper pail and tote of cloth diapers got carried downstairs. I also recently took the high chair down too. She is still wearing pull ups at night time for bed but always wakes up dry in morning. Since she sleeps with us haven't been brave enough for undies through the night yet. I'm not planning to buy any more pull ups so after this pack it's game on. She officially went pee on potty for the first time August 1st!! I went crazy and cheered her on. About 3 weeks later she peed 5 times in one day & pooped on potty. That was super exciting too!!! In the beginning she would potty outside in grass. ALOT!!  Perks of living in the country. Rhett about died the first time she popped a squat right next to his deer target. I was clapping like a lunatic. Now the other day at the high school football game when she pulled her britches down and squatted I about died. I tried explaining to her only at home not in public. LOL It has been interesting when we are out and about and she says potty. We hope their is a restroom very close. I may have to put an extra potty chair in the car for emergencies. In the beginning I would reward her with doc mcstuffin band aids but that really only lasted a few days. She would just take them and put on my hand anyways. Grandma bought Lainey a variety of undies but she always wants Anna/Elsa. She is now to the point where she will go in bathroom alone and go without an adult. She was literally pushing me out the one day. Oh boy not even two and she wants her privacy. She also finally conquered the flushing of the handle. She refused to do but recently (as I showered) figured out that flushing the toilet 6 times in a row is fun. She loves cheering herself & others on shouting out "Yay Lainey" "Hooray" "Yay Gina". Yes she calls her MA by her first name sometimes. She also loves to call her daddy by his first name. She had her share of accidents in beginning but for last several weeks has done so well. This is an exciting chapter for our family and we are so excited that Lainey is an undie wearing girl.  

 

 Ms. Independent dressed herself. 2 swimsuits and a pair of underwear

 

Big News!!

I know what your all probably thinking "BIG NEWS"....drum roll please...No I am NOT pregnant. It saddens me to say this and I really honestly could cry but Lainey is no longer a finger sucker. In reality this is a great thing but she is just growing up so fast. It started 1 week ago when she accidentally burned her two (the 2 important ones) fingers on her left hand. We were outside in the garden and she somehow touched the muffler on the rotor tiller. All of a sudden I heard a cry and quickly Rhett & I realized what had happened. My poor baby. It was seriously so sad. It was just the tips of the 2 fingers but just enough to blister. Now this girl has been sucking those fingers from the moment she arrived on earth.

 (Ignore the bloody looking cone head.)

 

I don't really remember a ton of finger sucking going on in the beginning but proof right there! I do remember at her 4 month photo session she was doing it often.

 

 

 

More often in the last several months I feel that she mainly would do this when sleepy and bed time especially. That evening after eating supper when bed time came was when it got bad. Every single time Lainey would attempt to put her little fingers in her mouth she would cry and cry. It took forever for her to fall asleep. I think she was really just lost at first. She didn't know how to go to sleep without them. In the last week the blister has now popped and I haven't seen her even attempt to suck them since the day after it happened. Bed time is still a bit rough as it takes her forever to fall asleep but it will get better in time. We never really used a pacifier when she was a baby for the simple fact that she liked her fingers. I wasn't getting real worked up about her still finger sucking bc she's still young. Recently though the thought did cross my mind as to how we would break her of it if it continued on too long. A pacifier you can just hide and throw away now fingers......I figured if she didn't stop on her own would have to get creative. A little burn turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

 

-In other news-

Current Favorites in our household 

Singing the ABC's-She will repeat almost the whole alphabet but knows A B C D on her own.

 

Frozen-I just started planning #2 Birthday party Frozen themed!!! So excited about this.

 

 Being Naked-Literally 24/7 this kid loves removing her clothes and diapers.

If her clothes get wet even just a smidgen she has to remove them.

 

Interest in the Potty-She removes her diaper as soon as wet, grabs herself when she has pooped, sits on big & little potty, pretend wipes with toilet paper, squats in the grass, but has never actually gone on the potty. I'm not pushing her but I'd say this is all good so my goal is underwear in the near future...say hopefully by 2nd birthday!!!! We will see what happens.

 

Repeating not everything but most words. The one day she even said "Rhett".

Soon she will be such a jabberbox.

 

Becoming a little swiming bug. In last month we have swam 3 times at 3 different places. She keeps getting braver and seems to really enjoy the water.

 

Asked to wash her hands!!! So Grown up!

 

-Recently-

We took a girls trip to Branson, MO. Overall it was great. We rode the ducks, visited the Titanic museum, shopped at the outlets, & swam a couple times. I wanted to visit Thorn Crown where Rhett & I got married but we just didn't have enough time. We will definitely go back though so next time! 

 

We have had a few family get togethers recently with my Uncle Steve being home. Lainey and her cousin Kolten have been able to play together. Fun to see them growing up!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Memory is the diary that we all carry about with us.

In my head I have debated back and forth multiple times whether to write this post. Then after I wrote it I couldn't decide whether to post it. I decided to go ahead because for me writing stuff down is just what I do. It's therapeutic in a way. I like to make list upon list of things. Lainey has a filled baby book of information plus the only thing I've blogged about since the wedding is her. I save almost all greeting cards. I'm pretty much a hoarder when it comes to anything sentimental. I have the homeade card my sister made me when I made the high school cheerleading squad my freshman year. Anyways the purpose of this particular post is to honor a lovely lady who has left this earth far too soon.

As many of you probably have heard recently their was the passing of a young girl by the name of Devon Wood. I was lucky enough to know Devon. If you didn't know her I'm sure by know you have seen a picture of that beautiful girl with the long red hair. Sure to stand out in a crowd. She also went to xray school and that is how I came to first meet her. I work at Sparta Hospital and have now been there since 2005. Holy crap the same job for 10 years-that makes me feel old. I used to say all the time I would eventually find a different job....I'm still there. I will probably be there forever unless Allie leaves me and then I am going to have to leave too. ( I know eventually you will read this Ms. Allie!) That was sure to make you smile. In these 10 years many students have come and gone. Some you never even think of again, others become friends, and many you randomly cross paths with after they have moved on. I don't even remember what year Devon was our student but I do remember she was a good one. The sweetest and nicest girl.

Fast forward several years and little Lainey arrived into our lives. Allie & Devon both cloth diapered their babies. I had never even entertained the idea until getting all the details from Allie. She of course got info from Devon. When Lainey was 8 weeks old after borrowing some cloth diapers for a few days...I decided to take the plunge. Devon's daughter Darcie was now potty trained and she was
looking to sell her whole stash of diapers. I made the trip to Chester to her house to check them out. She had everything laid out for me diapers, pail, pail liner, wet bag, homeade cloth wipes, leftover detergent, and wipe solutions . All the diapers were of course adorable. She gave me a great deal on price so I couldn't resist. As I was packing everything together to go Devon said, "Do you mind if I keep one?" My response was oh gosh no keep as many as you like. She was sentimental about seeing them go. She kept a bum genius patterned diaper. I just assumed she had a hope chest like many mother's do for their child. I hope one day when her daughter is older she will find that diaper and know that her Mom loved cloth diapering her. You could tell just by the way she spoke that she really enjoyed the whole deal. Once Devon said when she saw pictures of Lainey online wearing the diapers it made her sad and she missed them. I enjoy it as well. Their are days I get tired of spraying out poopy diapers, the extra load of laundry, and the sometimes annoying smell of ammonia returning. Its all worth it though. Soon Lainey will be potty trained and my cloth diapers will be put away. (Until the next kiddo comes along) But for now Devon comes to my mind often as I change my daughter's diaper every day multiple times. I'm sure I drove her and Allie both crazy with my constant questions.  Neither one ever complaining and always willing to help me out with information. You can google anything but I trusted their experience more. One cloth diaper mama helping another out!

 

 

Last year at Easter time Devon did pictures with bunnies at her home in her kitchen. (Sort of like a mini session). I'm always up for fun pictures so we decided to do them. I had ordered a romper online and had just gotten the shipping email saying it was coming that day. I made a quick stop at the Evansville post office before heading to her house. Lainey was pretty small still prob like 6 months. Devon did a great job taking the pictures. They turned out adorable. It was a fun day! She did them this year as well but by the time she contacted me I had already set up a session with Forever Young Photography. For our wedding, maternity, and newborn-1 year we had pictures done with Creative Bent. They always turn out great and I'm pleased but I just wanted to do something different for the 18 month session. For those pictures I had contacted Devon to do them. She was always posting great photos on her photography facebook page. Devon didn't have a studio so shoots were done pretty much on location. I thought it would be perfect to do the pictures here at our home. On April 27th a Monday we had a fun and exhausting morning of pictures. I always have so many ideas so we tried to get as many as possible in. Before we started we spent a bit of time in the house just chatting about whatever..mainly house building. She and her husband recently sold their house and were going to build eventually. She of course did a great job with Lainey and posted sneak peeks the same day on facebook. I loved all the images she took but now I will truly treasure them even more.

 I can probably count on my hand the number of times I seen her after she was no longer our student. I wish she would've been someone I saw on a more regular basis. I purchased some of Darcie's clothes a couple times from her and I always enjoyed our visits. She was so easy to talk to. One of the more recent times we visited she was asking questions about starting a blog. It's amazing how losing one single person affects so many. Today at my eye dr appt in Waterloo one of the girls working knew her from church. Such a small world. It is evident she was loved by many and will be missed each and every day. I know that each person whose life she touched has a story and I just wanted to be able to share mine. Rest in peace sweet Devon. We said goodbye today but you will always be in our memories.

 

 

"Live Life and love every day"

 New Year's Eve 2011

Pre kids for Allie & I

Devon pregnant with Darcie.