Easter with the Turners

I know Easter was over a week ago, but things happen with two kids (and I'm sure with more than two lots of things happen). Anyway, here's our Easter recap.

Before we left we had to practice hunting eggs.

We also had to get sick before we left.

NEVER falls asleep anywhere but his bed. I knew he was sick.

Always the helper. Taking his temp for me.

Reed was better just in time to venture East to see the family. Each car ride seems to get easier as we know what to expect. Melanie will ride great until she wakes and is hungry. Reed will ride very well until it's nap time or he wants to get out of the car and run. Not too terrible though.

Reed loves the park. This one is down the street from BB and Grandpa Chuck's house.

My mom found this little gem. My first grade Easter egg hunt.
I happened to get my picture in the paper.

Sadly, we couldn't go to church because the kids were under the weather (as well as Daddy). We went to Nana and Grandpa's for Easter. The whole family came including the cousins. Reed has so much fun with Cam and Carlie. They run him ragged!!



Drawing with chalk with Cam's help.

Ready for my egg hunt!!



Cousins hid the eggs and then helped Reed find them.

 

 

My grandma and all my aunts came down to visit, so we got a 4 generation picture.

 

 

We got one like this with Reed-man too. But it was a little while ago.

Our family pic wasn't so successful.

Mel showing off her pretty Easter dress. I was so glad it fit since I bought it last summer right after we found out she was a girl.

 

 

Love my BB!!

BB kept an outfit of Wes' and we had to get it on Reed before it would be too small.
SUPER CUTE!!

Reed 2014



Daddy circa 1984

And just when it was time to leave, Melanie got sick. Poor dear. She got over it soon enough.

When we came home the kids got their Easter baskets. Inside were an Easter book and Frozen. But we didn't forget to be thankful for Jesus and his sacrifice. We are free indeed from sin and will get to live in Heaven with God forever!! Praise the Lord!!



 

Enjoy!

The Turners

First Road Trip!!

A few weeks ago we had the opportunity to take our first road trip. Our godson, Nate, turned 1! So hard to believe it's been a year since that sweet boy blessed his parents.

The idea of a road trip with two under 2 is more that a little daunting, but we hadn't seen the Diems since Reed turned 1, and they had yet to meet Melanie as well, so we just had to go. If you're thinking about a road trip with little ones, here are a few things I learned:

1. Chill out!! A long road trip is a lot easier if you're not stressing about every little thing.

2. It WILL take you longer to get there: go into it knowing you'll have to stop about every 2 hours for at LEAST 30 minutes. I had to feed Mel and Reed had to get out and run around, so that took at least that long. We planned to stop for lunch and that was an hour. It was nice taking our time.

3. Know your route: You need to know your options on the road, just in case. Know the towns and how far they are from the next stop. It's also good to know what accommodations they have. Nothing worse than thinking "We can just stop at the next place, it's not that far", but it's small enough to not even have a gas station! When in doubt, stop where you know you'll have resources (aka, a bathroom/food/grocery store) because you never know!

4. Make sure your supplies are easily accessible: Have diapers, extra clothes, snack cups, etc. within reach. You don't want to unpack the whole car to find something. And it's a lot easier to hand our child something from the front seat when you can reach it as opposed to letting them scream because the pacifier is packed in the back of the car.

5. Take towels: This was a tip I got from a friend reminiscing about a diaper explosion. Being a new Mom I asked "What did you wish you had at that moment" she said "A TOWEL!" So now I always keep a few towels in the car wherever I go. That being said, on a long road trip you want to have something to put down in the carseat if some sort of accident should occur (food, diaper, etc.). Thanks Mikala!!

6. For toddlers and older, have activities/toys for them: Reed was much happier with a book or toy than just staring out the window. And don't underestimate the power of a paci!

7. Snacks: good for hunger or a distraction.

I know some parents wouldn't dream of going on a long road trip without DVD players, but we don't have one. That's probably alright for now. I'm sure we will reevaluate in several years when we are tired of hearing "are we there yet?" "I'm bored!" "He's touching me!!"


The way out there was pretty easy. We left at lunch time to allow extra time to get there. Without kids it should have been about 5 hours. About an hour and a half into it Reed was pretty hungry, so we stopped in Sweetwater for a bite to eat.

Reed had fun "driving" the car

 An hour later we were ready to rock and roll. Mel had been fed and Reed got to run around a bunch so not too long after, they were both asleep. That makes for a very pleasant ride.

Reed was out for maybe an hour, and rode quietly the rest of the way. Mel slept until we got to Killeen (right next to Harker Heights) and was rather hungry. All-in-all a great ride out there.

Saturday was the party and Reed had a great time swinging and eating cupcakes!

The rest of the time was spent relaxing and having fun with the Diems.

Reed found a puppy that barked and moved and wouldn't let go of it until we had to leave Sunday.

Sweet god-brother time!

 

Sunday we left as early as you can with 2 kids, 10:00. We made it to Brownwood to eat lunch.

 

Reed needed to move, so while Mel was eating Wes found a ramp and Reed LOVED going up and down. 

Yummy pizza!

Mel just chilled while we ate.

Again, both kids were full and promptly fell asleep. It was a very nice hour (until Reed woke up).

Reed out

Mel out

We knew we were getting close when we could see hundreds of wind turbines.

We stopped again in Colorado City for gasoline and to let Reed run and Mel eat. Then it was in for the last leg home. Took about 6 and a half hours. No too bad.

It was a quick trip, but a successful trip. Really good to know that we can do long trips like this because we will be heading to Fort Worth and back pretty frequently to visit all the grandparents.


Enjoy!

The Turners

Melanie - 5 Months

Height: 28 inches

 

Weight:  18.5 lbs

Hair: Blonde

 

Eyes: Blue

Food: Exclusively breastfed. We have started practicing using a spoon. She sits up really great in the high chair and is relatively interested in what we're eating, so we thought we'd get a head start on figuring out the spoon thing. It took Reed a few weeks to get it down, too.

Sleep: Shortly after her 4 month post Mel went through a growth spurt (HOW can she need to grow any more?! I mean, she's greater than the 97th percentile!!) Anyway, she was up a LOT at night and eating every 2 hours a day. Tired Mommy! But I think we're settling back down. She's not back to sleeping all night, but she's only up once. A very welcome change from 3 times a night! We have stretched our awake time to 2 hours now with 3 naps a day.



 

Temperament: The most chill little baby. She'll play by herself for a long time and doesn't mind Reed crawling all over her and smacking her on the head (lovingly). She is just starting to get to the point where she will fuss a little when I leave the room.

Recognize this onesie?

 





Melanie loves:

-Eating

-Sleeping

-Mommy's funny faces

 

 

-Playing with Brother

-Smiling

-Daddy! 

-"Talking"

She's telling a long story here

-Riding in the car

-Ceiling fans

-Getting her legs massaged

-Her pacifier

-Sitting up

-Chewing on EVERYTHING

-Play mat

-TV (the flashing colors are a thing of wonder)
-Standing up with help
-"Flying" in the air
-When Daddy gets home from work

 

 





 



Mel dislikes:

-Being burped

 

-Waiting to eat

-When Mommy leaves the room
-The spoon: Just like Reed she makes the more disgusted faces when we try to feed her with the spoon

 

 

New adventures:
-Second long road trip: Again, Melanie did so good. She was sleeping while we were moving and only got fussy when she was hungry. Reed would scream in the car when he was little, so having a baby that goes right to sleep is so nice.

-Putting things in her mouth: Last month started the grasping, this month she figured out how to get all that stuff in her mouth. She is chewing on things ALL THE TIME!

Here is the side-by-side monthly chair pic:



Enjoy!

The Turners

Reed update - 21 Months

 

Height:  34.5 inches 

Weight:  26 lb

Hair: Blonde

Eyes: Blue

Food: Reed is awesome at feeding himself with a spoon now. He particularly loves yogurt, but will also do cottage cheese, rice, etc. One of the new favorites is squeezable applesauce. I think he'd eat 10 of them at a time if I let him. Once he finishes one he makes a b-line for the fridge to try and get another.

He sure LOVES cookies!

 

Sleep: Sleeps a consistent 10-11 hours a night. Naptime is at least 2 hours in the afternoon. The time change really messed with naptime and bedtime, but I hope we can get back to normal soon.

 

Temperament: Generally happy. There were a few weeks in March that he was a bear, but moving and getting sick will do that to you.




Happy with some crazy nap hair!

Reed loves:
-Doing what adults do

-Outside: we have a great sized backyard at our new house AND a cool play climber he can have fun on. He also loves going on walks around the neighborhood.



 -Bubble Guppies (always)

-His stuffed animals: I recently went through some old animals of mine and put them up on the shelves in the kids rooms. He loves pointing at them and asking to play with them.
-Books: Still loves them. Our current favorite books:

1. How I Became a Pirate: Not sure why he loves this one, but he knows pirates say "Arrr!" Proud Mama!

2. No, David! (Reed pronounces this "Naaah")

3. Parade: complete with marching band!

4. How do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon? (Reed can tell you that a dinosaur says "Raah!!"

5. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom: A fairly new addition to the bunch

6. Yes Day!: A sweet present from one of my kindergarteners a few years ago. Thanks, Hannah! Reed LOVES this one. It's called "Sssss"

7. His Bible from his awesome Godparents: I frequently find him sitting in his room "reading" it. 

He LOVES it Diem family!

 

-Airplanes: We now live very close to a regional airport and have small planes flying over our house a bit. He loves them.
-Vehicles: Everything now is "Cah"

-Squeezable applesauce
-Church! We have never had a problem dropping Reed off at church. In fact, he fights to get in the door! I hope he is always so excited about playing with friends.
-Helping with Melanie: He loves wiping her face, giving her a paci, sharing toys, giving her friends to play with, and buckling her into her seat! A very loving big brother.
 

Sister needs to be safe!

Showing her how to play

New adventures:

=We finally have all our teeth (minus the two year molars)

=Exploring the new house

One of his favorite places

=Saying please
=Counting
=Saying "Da-da"
=Helping: Reed LOVES to be a helper. Whether it's carrying things from the car or throwing away wet diapers for Mommy, he is all about it.

=Size 2T clothes are coming VERY soon (sad, sad times!) My little 6 pound baby is getting so big!
=First road trip since moving! And we SURVIVED!! We went to Harker Heights, TX for Reed's god-brother Nate's first birthday. What a great reason to visit!
 

Enjoy!

The Turners