The Kurowski Kids

Potty Time Chart~Day 1

2012-02-12T20:30:00.000-06:00

We made a chart to use at home and it seems to be working so far!! TJ earned 5 purple stars for using the potty during the day and he didn't lose ANY since he didn't have any accidents ALL day! =)

TJ's Valentines Day cards

2012-02-12T08:02:00.000-06:00

Mommy made the cards for him and he got to sign his name on each of them & boy was he proud!! =)

Taylor & Daddy Talking

2012-02-11T09:10:00.000-06:00

Taylor Tot & TJ

2012-02-11T07:25:00.000-06:00

Sorry it's so dark! It didn't look nearly as dark on my phone as it does on the computer!!

Potty Time Chart

2012-02-10T22:00:00.000-06:00

We've been talking about incorporating Purple Stars at home since TJ likes it so much at school & my mom found this Potty Time Chart. He already has the app on his iTouch so we thought it was perfect! She started using it with him while he stayed the night & he earned 4 Purple Stars and had ZERO accidents!! (He still occasionally has poop accidents) We're going to make one for home and maybe even make a regular chart for good behavior as well. We will also make it eraseable so the stars can be taken away if necessary as well!

TJ's Dance Moves

2012-02-10T21:00:00.000-06:00

Dancing to a stuffed animal that plays music at YaYa's house

Always Smiling

2012-02-10T18:00:00.000-06:00

Taylor Tot always has a smile on her face lately! =)

Love for YaYa

2012-02-10T17:00:00.000-06:00

After TJ's nap today, he got himself dressed and wanted me to put on his shoes. He then got his backpack on, went to the front door and was asking for YaYa while looking out the window. Not sure where he got this idea but somehow he thought he was going to see YaYa. I told her about it and of course she had to have him go spend the night because of it!! What a spoiled little boy but he sure loves his YaYa! =)

Trampoline

2012-02-10T16:56:00.001-06:00

TJ is FINALLY getting to enjoy his Christmas present from Santa!! It took us awhile before we actually put it together and then the weather was nasty but he seems to LOVE it when he does get to play on it!!

Colors

2012-02-09T23:18:00.002-06:00

I can't believe I forgot to post about it when it happened and just realized that I didn't but a few weeks ago while playing in the bath, we realized that TJ was able to consistently identify at least 10 different colors!! We knew he learned about colors and has a different color to focus on each week at school but just never realized he could distinguish between them and pick them out when asked! Thomas was giving him a bath and started playing with his foam letters that are all different colors. He decided to start playing and having TJ identify colors starting with just 2 at a time. He did GREAT right away and Thomas gradually started adding 1 new color at a time, getting all the way up to about 10 different colors and TJ had NO problem at all!! They came straight to the livingroom afterwards to show me too and he did it again!!! Definitely a proud moment as parents for sure! =) This also made us realize that he's learned quite a bit at school and some things we don't even realize he knows when he does, mainly because of his speech delay but we definitely need to remember not to underestimate him by any means!!

Big Brother LOVES to help!!

2012-02-09T23:14:00.002-06:00

TJ is such a GREAT Big Brother!! He has nothing but love for Taylor, is always interested in what she's doing and wants to soothe her anytime she cries. He will help with anything that has to do with her and he LOVES showing her off to people too! Sometimes TJ likes to help a little too much though and doesn't completely understand that he's not quite big enough to pick up or carry Taylor. We've had instances already where I nearly had a stroke because he has either picked her up or even carried her after picking her up!! He's fast when he does it too because I make sure to keep him with me as I go through the house doing things but as soon as I notice he's not right by me anymore, I find him already holding Taylor or carrying her! For example, he was helping me gather dirty clothes for laundry one day...I bent down to pick up the load to wash, noticed he wasn't there anymore and I ran to the livingroom. TJ met me right as I got into the livingroom with Taylor in his hands which means he picked her up and took atleast 10 steps with her and she was just as happy as could be!! I of course went straight into panic mode but tried to hide it from him so he didn't get scared while holding her but also didn't want him to think he was in trouble. I do want him to understand he's not big enough to do this and only holds Taylor if he's sitting down and one of us hands her to him but I don't want him to think he's in trouble and get upset about it because I know he's just being loving to her and trying to help us! Hopefully he gets it soon and will stop trying to pick her up!!

More Chuck E Cheese Fun

2012-02-07T22:45:00.000-06:00

We had another birthday party to go to at Chuck E Cheese and TJ had a BLAST again!! Taylor even had a good time as well! =)

Air Hockey Pro

2012-02-06T17:00:00.000-06:00

The whole family went to YaYa's work today for haircuts so Daddy & TJ played some air hockey after finishing their haircuts & were waiting for Mommy to finish

TJ & Taylor hanging out

2012-02-06T11:00:00.000-06:00

TJ LOVES laying with Taylor when she does tummy time or plays with her toys!

TJ LOVES his bouncy ball hopper!!

2012-02-05T13:00:00.003-06:00

We brought this back home for him when we went to the Cowboys game but just now opened it up for him and we should have done it sooner because he LOVES it!! He's pretty good at it too so we're thinking he plays on one at school maybe!

Saturday Fun

2012-02-04T17:30:00.000-06:00

TJ was SO excited when we told him we were going to see Grandpa James and Debbie today!! He kept asking about it all morning and the whole way to their house! We ate lunch with them and TJ got to play a little before we had to leave so Mommy could nap before work. Afterwards, we ended up meeting our friend Ken at the mall so Daddy & TJ could get fitted for their tux for Ken's wedding! Our boy is going to look so handsome for the wedding!! =)

Fun at Chuck E Cheese

2012-02-03T21:00:00.000-06:00

TJ had a BLAST at Chuck E Cheese for a birthday party, although he still isn't too fond of Chuck E Cheese himself!! He really enjoyed getting to see his friends that he doesn't see that often too! He would only walk out with Bianca when it was time to go & even wanted to leave with her and spend the night! He didn't get to leave with her but maybe we'll give it a try sometime soon!

Taylor Tot really is starting to enjoy her exersaucer!

2012-02-02T17:44:00.001-06:00

Back to work

2012-02-02T07:00:00.000-06:00

Last night was my 1st night back at work from maternity leave and I must say it wasn't as near as bad as I thought it would be. I just remember crying over & over when I went back to work after having TJ but I think it was because I was working during the day and hated to drop him off (even with YaYa) because I felt like I was missing out on stuff and I missed being with him since I was with him all day while on maternity leave. This time I didn't feel like I was missing anything since I was working at night & the kids were sleeping and it was nice to start a new routine of being with the kids & going to work. I was worried about being tired since I didn't sleep much during the day but surprisingly I wasn't that tired and the night went by pretty fast! It was nice having such a warm welcome back from everyone and it never got old being told that I didn't look like I just had a baby either! =) I think I have even more motivation to lose the little bit of weight I have left to lose!

Passy Time

2012-02-01T13:30:00.000-06:00

Taylor NEVER uses a passy but today at TJ's dr appt she decided to get fussy from being tired and hungry right when the dr came in so I gave it a try...

And it WORKED!!! =)

TJ didn't use a passy either but I've always tried with Taylor just to see. First we thought it was just a matter of finding the right kind, thought we did and she took to it a little at first but she still doesn't really suck on it long before she loses interest and doesn't care for it anymore. The only time I even try giving it to her now is times like today and thank goodness it worked when I needed it to! I'm also kind of glad she's not hooked on them and needs it all the time just because she's used to it and can't calm herself or just be without it!

Taylor Tot is 3 months old

2012-01-31T07:00:00.000-06:00

It's hard to believe our baby girl is already 3 months old but she is getting to a fun stage and we look forward to watching her grow even more than she already has!! She seems to be doing quite a bit already for being so young too!

Progress at school

2012-01-30T20:00:00.000-06:00

We had our meeting with Ms. Christi today to discuss TJ's progress at school and go over his goals for the year. She is VERY pleased with his progress and says he has come a LONG way since he started in her class last year. It's also nice to know he's completely different at school than he is at home and doesn't give them a hard time like he sometimes does with us!! He's right on track to meeting the goals we have set and even though his speech is still delayed, he's making GREAT progress with it and is showing alot more interest in trying!! We also talked a little bit about options for next year and what his school day might be like. We have alot to think about and decisions to make for next year. Not only the goals we want for him, but whether or not he'll stay in Ms. Christi's class one more year or go ahead and move on to a different class that will be Kindergarten but more designed for him and what he needs. His birthday also makes it harder because he technically meets the deadline (by ONE day) to go to Kindergarten but even for typically developing children it can be hard being so young & usually works better to have them wait another year!! (especially for boys) We still have a few months before we really sit down and go over all of that stuff but we just wanted a heads up and idea of what to expect for next year! We'll see what happens over the next few months and where TJ is with his goals because we also have to think about what's expected of kids in Kindergarten because those same things will be expected of TJ, which is GREAT because we want him to always follow the same curriculum and learn the same things. If he did go to Kindergarten, he would do that but would just have it designed a little differently to help him learn it! Can't wait to see what we end up deciding and how he does. Once again we're so PROUD of our boy and how well he's done with school so far!! We also found out this was the 1st year Ms. Christi started the Purple Star deal with the kids, so that means TJ is doing GREAT with it because he's been a Purple Star Superstar a few times now! We were trying to figure out why he never was one last year, but now we know!!

Memories

2012-01-30T19:00:00.000-06:00

Thomas ended up making it back home from Chicago today and brough back some pictures and a few little things of his dad's that his grandparents held onto. I had a good time looking through all of the pictures & belongings that Thomas brought back from Chicago!! He doesn't have much of anything from his parents since they died at such a young age so it was neat to see things from their younger years, especially the pictures! It's even more obvious that our kids look like me after FINALLY seeing a baby picture of him! I thought Taylor was my little clone and that her & TJ looked alike too but after seeing more pictures of Tom's dad and younger pictures of his grandpa, it's amazing how much the 3 of them look alike!!! It's sad to think that our kids won't meet this part of his family but atleast we have the pictures & a few of their belongings to hold on to!

Curls

2012-01-30T17:48:00.000-06:00

I've been wanting to do something different with my hair since Taylor was born but can't figure out what it is I want to do. We added layers just before Christmas and I'm happy with the look but it hasn't quite satisfied the need for change but since then & the fact that my hair is getting longer, I've been interested in curls. I saw an easy way to make curls on Pinterest and thought I'd give it a try. After seeing that it did actually work, I think I'll give it a try from time to time and see if that helps satisfy the need for change!

2012-01-30T17:23:00.000-06:00

So, I've been on Pinterest for awhile now and am still just as ADDICTED as ever and I think it gets worse as I complete more things I've seen on the site! So far, all of the recipes I've tried from the site have been delish and I'm happy with the way my projects have come out so far as well!! It's also opened up my eyes and expanded my love for my new Cricut machine I got for Christmas!!! Thomas mentioned getting one when they 1st came out but I never thought I would use it because I'm not a big scrapbooker and thought that's all they were for. Pinterest has shown me MANY different things it can be used for and I'm thinking the combination of the 2 things will keep me busy for quite some time!!! It took a little bit of time to figure out different things on the machine but I already LOVE having it & wish I would have gotten one sooner!! Here are a few pics of projects I completed:

Baby channel

2012-01-29T17:12:00.000-06:00

We discovered a baby channel through Directv and Taylor Tot is HOOKED!!! I put it on while doing some crafting and to give her a little stimulation and she will NOT take her eyes off of the tv while watching this channel. It has lots of different little shows that come on with music, colors and different activities. She even coos & giggles back at it, so cute!!

Some pics from Chicago

2012-01-28T17:20:00.000-06:00

Daddy sent us pics of all the snow in Chicago while he was there. He also got to see the house he lived in while living there and went to the cemetary to visit his dad & grandpa.

Mommy's Little Angel

2012-01-28T08:42:00.001-06:00

Daddy's road trip

2012-01-26T17:06:00.000-06:00

We got awful news that Grandma Kurowski in Chicago passed away on Monday so Thomas got on the road with Walter early this morning to drive there for the services. I ended up staying home with the kids to make things easier all the way around. He won't be back until sometime next week so it will be interesting to see how being home 24x7 alone with the kids turns out to be!

Taylor Tot is doing alot more "talking"

2012-01-25T08:29:00.001-06:00

Ok, so it's really just cooing and making baby noises but it's still cute and she seems like she has ALOT to say! =)

Trying out the exersaucer

2012-01-23T21:04:00.001-06:00

She's still a little small for it but seems to like it already and as long as she has a little extra padding to help her out, she's fine!

Back to work

2012-01-22T08:34:00.000-06:00

I will be returning back to work in exactly one week from today and am NOT happy about it!!! It's been so nice being home everyday with the kids and just enjoying our time so it's going to be hard to get out of that routine. The good thing is that I'll be working nights again so in a way I'll still get to keep our routine and do the same things during the day except I'll also go to work at night. It's a little tougher working nights and taking care of the kids during the day but I like it because it feels like I'm still staying home with them and when I do go to work I don't miss anything but them sleeping! I'm also curious to see how well I manage because I did have times where I would be tired but also think alot of it was from being pregnant. I've always managed to get by on little sleep so we'll see if that still works or not!

Date Night

2012-01-21T21:01:00.000-06:00

YaYa offered to let both kids spend the night so Mommy & Daddy could have another date night! We soaked it up with dinner & 2 back to back movies at the theater and nice conversation inbetween! The kids had a great time at YaYa's house as well! TJ helped YaYa wash her towels for work and even though it was in YaYa's bed, Taylor even went to bed alot earlier than usual and slept through the whole night but also got up alot earlier than usual too! She will NOT sleep in the pack n play we have at YaYa's house!!

Appreciated

2012-01-21T08:30:00.000-06:00

Thomas has never once made it seem like its no big deal or hard task for me to be home all day with both kids or run errands and do things with both kids but it sure was nice to hear him tell a friend how hard he thinks it is!! Today at a wedding shower, he was talking to a friend and I heard him actually say that he didn't know how I've been doing it for the past 3 months and he knows there's no way he'd be able to do it!! He also said he doesn't know how I'll be able to do it when I go back to work and continue to stay home all day with the kids and work at night. Like I said, he's never once made it seem like it was a breeze, but it just gave me a nice feeling inside hear him say that on his own without me asking or anything else along those lines! It is tough at times but it's just something a Mother does without thinking twice about it! I'm sure it will be tough when I do return back to work but I'm also looking forward to doing it! =)

Purple Star Superstar

2012-01-19T12:00:00.000-06:00

TJ's bus driver told me she had a message to give me about his behavior at school today...he was GREAT all day and had a really good day!!! He was even a Purple Star Superstar today, which has only happend 2 or 3 times before (and this year was the 1st time it ever happened)!! I could tell he had a good day by the way he jumped off the bus & wanted to show me his note right away too! =)

TJ's Progress Report

2012-01-18T12:00:00.000-06:00

We received TJ's progress report today, which updates us on the progress he's made since we set his goals at the beginning of the year! Just from reading where he's at and the teacher's comments, it seems like he's right on track to meeting all of his goals by the end of the school year! We'll have a meeting with the teacher soon to discuss them all & see what she has to say about them! We sure are proud of our boy! =)

Memaw's cooking

2012-01-17T17:13:00.000-06:00

We all LOVE Memaw's good cooking & look forward to it every time we visit!! Each day we were there, she cooked a HUGE breakfast consisting of eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, biscuits & gravy. For dinners we had the yummy mini-cheeseburger sliders, an AWESOME roast, and our last night we had chicken fried steaks, mashed potatoes, green beans and of course you can't forget the cheesecake for dessert each night!!! Every bit of it was DELICIOUS and I'm sure we all gained some weight just from the few days we were there, but it sure was worth it!! Can you tell we LOVE Memaw's cooking???

Football at Memaw's

2012-01-16T16:59:00.000-06:00

TJ LOVED the Dallas Cowboys football that Aunt Belinda brought over for him to have!! So, of course we had to head outside and play some football while we were there! Mommy even taught TJ how to catch a football while we were there!!

Cheesecake for breakfast

2012-01-16T10:00:00.000-06:00

As we're all sitting at the table enjoying our breakfast, TJ gets down from the table, goes to the fridge & grabs his plate of leftover cheesecake from the night before, comes back to the table to sit down, pushes his breakfast plate out of the way and starts eating his cheesecake! It was too cute & funny...guess he had other plans for breakfast that day because he sure did eat EVERY bit of it! =)

Playtime with Memaw

2012-01-15T19:00:00.000-06:00

TJ wore Memaw out but they both enjoyed playing with each other!!

Day 2 of our visit

2012-01-15T16:54:00.000-06:00

We couldn't go all the way to San Augustine without also making a stop in Nacogdoches to visit my great-aunt Marian & great-uncle Otto. So, after finishing a HUGE breakfast we did just that!! We had fun looking at old pics and talking about my Grandpa on the anniversary of his birthday & death. They enjoyed seeing TJ again and getting to meet Taylor as well. We forgot to take pics of course but will definitely get some next time! We decided to have lunch & do a little shopping while we were there too! Once we got back to San Augustine, Memaw had a roast ready to eat that was DELICIOUS!!!

Just thought I would share a few pics of happy girl Taylor Tot while we were shopping! )

Taylor's 1st road trip

2012-01-14T14:55:00.000-06:00

Mommy, YaYa & the kids left today to visit Memaw in San Augustine, Tx. This was Taylor's 1st road trip ever and the 1st time for us to travel a long distance with TJ since potty training. The total drive is about 5 hours and we left right after lunch so both kids were fed & sleepy when we got on the road! We drove about 2 1/2 hours before stopping and then drove the rest of the way without stopping until we got there. Both kids did GREAT for the car ride, sleeping most of the way and TJ stayed dry the WHOLE trip, only going potty when we made our one stop!! Our total trip took about 6 hours because we were stopped for awhile doing potty breaks, feeding Taylor & changing her and eating a little ourselves too. One part of our last stretch was interesting because Mommy was pumping milk while YaYa was driving & let's just say it's not easy to do while the car is going 80 mph, plus having to rinse out the parts, but this multi-tasking Momma got it done!! TJ knew exactly when we turned on Memaw's street and I'm not sure who was more excited to see who when we got there!! Of course Memaw had a huge spread of mini cheeseburger sliders with all the fixings waiting for us when we got there too! We were worried the kids would be up all night after sleeping so long in the car but luckily they went to sleep just a little later than usual and both slept through the night with no problems!

We had to take a pic of our BIG boy making the long trip without ANY potty accidents & without having to make extra stops for potty! Of course, we had to send pics to Daddy during our trip too since he didn't get to go with us!

Super Excited!!

2012-01-13T11:04:00.000-06:00

TJ unexpectedly got to spend the night at YaYa's and boy was he EXCITED!!

Taylor's 2 month check up

2012-01-12T17:12:00.001-06:00

Taylor Tot had her 2 week check up today & boy is she growing!! She's now 11 lbs 8 oz and 22 1/2" (exactly 2lbs heavier & 1/2" longer than TJ) and Dr. Spencer was quite impressed with her weight considering she's been sleeping atleast 8 hours if not more through the night since she was 3 weeks old!!! She didn't like getting her shots but was fine right after they finished! Taylor seems to be right on track with her milestones and Dr. Spencer kept mentioning how strong she is! =) He also noticed a little fluid in one of her ears, so we'll have to watch her and see if she gets fever or seems fussy to make sure she doesn't start getting ear infections like her big brother. On the other hand though, Dr. Spencer checked TJ's ears while we were there & said they look good which is a big relief since he doesn't have tubes anymore, this time of year was always bad for him without tubes!

So cute

2012-01-12T12:40:00.004-06:00

Our little Taylor Tot is always so cute & happy in the mornings!

Taylor Tot rides the TJ Horsey

2012-01-11T14:47:00.002-06:00

I love these kids like you wouldn't believe!!

2012-01-11T11:43:00.000-06:00

I thought it was super cute that Taylor started randomly smiling but now that she is doing so purposefully & even giggling is AMAZING!! I LOVE seeing her smile just because she sees me & REALLY love seeing TJ be able to make her smile & get just as excited as she does!! I sure LOVE these kids and can't wait for the years ahead of them growing up together!! =)

Good Day

2012-01-10T12:52:00.001-06:00

TJ always comes in to see Taylor right away after school and of course he'll talk to her and try to play with her too but today he decided he need to read his note from school about his day. He happened to have another good day as well! Maybe he was just excited about his good day & the fun things they did?

Taylor Tot plays with her carseat toys

2012-01-09T08:57:00.000-06:00

TJ's date night with YaYa

2012-01-07T21:00:00.000-06:00

YaYa picked up TJ after work for a date night of pizza & games at CiCi's Pizza. She wanted some one on one time alone with him and boy did he LOVE it!! They had pizza & dessert first and then played some games. Afterwards, they went shopping at Target, where TJ was spoiled with a new fishing game, 2 sets of flash cards and 3 books!!! TJ got to pick out his books himself and 1 of the books he picked was a book of children's Bible stories! (makes me so proud) All in all they both had a GREAT time and were worn out by the end of the night!!

New Shoes

2012-01-07T09:14:00.000-06:00

We got a package in the mail today from Aunt Susie & Uncle Ildefonso and it was TJ's new pair of Vans shoes...he absolutely LOVED them!! We opened the package right away & tried them on, then of course he didn't want to take them off! They're a little loose on him since they're slide on shoes but he'll be able to wear them in no time & will still LOVE them just as much!!

And, yes of course, TJ IS the Worlds Best Brother!! =)

Grocery Shopping

2012-01-07T08:55:00.000-06:00

Mommy decided to brave going to HEB for the 1st time with both kiddos and on a Saturday at that!!! Our trip actually ended up being lots of fun because we found this cart that has a little bench seat attached to it so TJ was able to sit on that & Taylor on top of the cart! He LOVED feeling like he was getting to push and actually kept Taylor entertained when she woke up!

Taylor Tot LOVES her pink & zebra!

2012-01-06T15:34:00.002-06:00

A customized blanket, cute bib & onesie wasn't enough either...we had to take it all the way to her feet with her pink & zebra J's too! =)

More Rudolph

2012-01-06T12:58:00.004-06:00

TJ had to let Taylor in on some Rudolph today!!

Shaving like Daddy

2012-01-05T21:00:00.000-06:00

TJ got a Spiderman grooming set for Christmas that came with a razor, shaving cream, shaving brush & comb and he absolutely LOVES it!! He is always copying our routines of getting ready and really likes being able to shave like Daddy now instead of just going through the motions with his hands!

A few of Taylor's smiles

2012-01-05T13:32:00.003-06:00

Taylor has been EXTREMELY happy today & smiling pretty much all day at just about anything!! I couldn't help but share a few of her cute little face & different smiles! =)

Christmas music

2012-01-04T15:13:00.000-06:00

Yes TJ is still choosing to listen to Christmas music on his ipod and as you can see, he's just as excited about it as he was before and during the Christmas holiday! =)

Sibling Love

2012-01-04T12:00:00.000-06:00

I just LOVE the fact that the first thing TJ has to do when he gets in from school is say hi to Taylor & she just smiles back at him!! As soon as he gets off the bus, he asks for her and when he comes inside & sees her in her swing or bouncy seat, he bends down to her to tell her hi & give her a kiss and then she smiles back at him!! He used to come straight in and want to show me what was in his backpack but now this happens after his time with Taylor EVERY day!! I can only hope they keep a close bond as they grow up and that their love for each other grows with them! =)

Mommy's Little Mini-Me

2012-01-04T08:42:00.000-06:00

I created a few collages of pics of myself and Taylor for everyone to see just how much we look alike! Some people didn't really believe it & it was hard for me to see at first too but once I saw pictures of myself, there was NO denying it!!! I also think her & TJ look alot alike as well and need to do a comparison of their baby pictures also!

Back to school

2012-01-02T12:00:00.000-06:00

Today was TJ's 1st day back at school after being off for Christmas break. I must admit it's a little weird not having him home everyday like he was for a few weeks but atleast Daddy is still off this last day and got a little time with just Mommy & Taylor! TJ was so excited to have Daddy put him on & off the bus as well. All in all I think it's nice getting back to our normal routines with school back in session!

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T22:21:00.000-06:00

Taylor spent most of the 1st day of 2012 sleeping like a pretty little baby girl! Mommy got a little bit of a nap in herself but we spent the day hanging out around the house with YaYa & Papa after a late night of playing cards! We had our traditional New Years Day lunch & watched football too!

Sleeping

2011-12-31T10:47:00.000-06:00

Taylor had her 1st night of sleeping 11 hours last night & even went to bed 1 hour earlier than usual! I sure hope this is a trend that's here to stay! She's been sleeping at least 8 hours pretty regularly but still goes to bed later than I would like but I'm definitely not complaining since she's only 2 months old! Hopefully I can keep getting her to bed a little earlier each night and she'll continue to sleep around 11 hours!

Potty Training Breakthrough

2011-12-29T10:49:00.000-06:00

We have FINALLY hit a HUGE milestone with TJ's potty training!! For the past few days, TJ has run to the potty & gone all by himself when he needs to go instead of me reminding him or making him go! =) We've also remained accident free during this time as well! I just hope it's something that continues to happen so we can FINALLY be fully potty trained and eventually get to the point to where we aren't constantly worrying about making him go!

Taylor Tot's BIG smiles

2011-12-28T23:57:00.001-06:00

Taylor is cooing

2011-12-28T22:55:00.000-06:00

It seems like Taylor is trying to talk to us over the last few days! Of course she isn't necessarily trying to say words just yet but she lets out little coos here & there and really lets them out when she gets excited about things or watching/playing with toys! Bring on the baby talk, I love the sound of her little voice!!

New shoes

2011-12-27T23:32:00.000-06:00

One of the things Thomas wanted for Christmas was new shoes..I knew there was NO way I could pick shoes out for him so I told him just to get the ones he wanted himself but he never did until now, which was good because they were on sale. He also mentioned wanting to get shoes for TJ and showed me the pair he liked. I ordered Thomas some hoodies and saw the shoes for TJ on sale so I added them to the order as a surprise!! Only bad thing was they shipped everything in 3 seperate pieces so he only got 1 hoodie on Christmas and the other hoodie and TJ's shoes came today.

Bathroom project is COMPLETE!!

2011-12-26T23:24:00.000-06:00

Only things not done are the 2 picture frames that go above the towels hanging next to the shower. I originally had 2 pics of TJ in a bubble bath and wrapped up in a towel but now I want to do 1 of each of the kids, just have to wait until Taylor is old enough for it and I'll probably get new frames too! I must also say...Thomas does GREAT work! =)

TJ's room gets a makeover

2011-12-26T23:12:00.000-06:00

We had to re-arrange everything to make room for his new car table so we decided to go through all of his toys & clothes while we were at it. His old table is now in Taylor's room and the new Hot Wheels table gives alot more storage space too!

Future Dallas Cowboy

2011-12-26T13:00:00.000-06:00

YaYa kept TJ busy while Mommy & Daddy worked on getting the house back together after Christmas. They both really enjoyed playing football outside & of course TJ had to wear his new football jersey while playing!

Christmas Day

2011-12-25T13:26:00.000-06:00

Christmas was ALOT of fun this year since TJ was really into opening presents!!! He insisted on helping sort the gifts for everyone and even wanted to help everyone open their gifts! He opened Taylor's gifts for her & even tried showing her what each of them were! We loved seeing the expression on his face as he opened each gift & he was very meticulous with making sure each piece of paper was completely off the box!! All in all I think EVERYONE had a good Christmas & got EVERYTHING they wanted! =)

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T16:00:00.000-06:00

A few pics of the kids hanging out at YaYa's while Mommy & Daddy were away. They were back at our house by the time we got home from the game so we could still continue on with our regular Christmas routine!

Cowboys vs Eagles

2011-12-24T08:57:00.000-06:00

Thomas scored some GREAT tickets for the Cowboys game against the Eagles & YaYa was available to babysit the kids so we jumped on the opportunity to see them play in the new stadium!! The game was on Christmas Eve & the Boys didn't play so well but it was still a WONDERFUL opportunity and we're so glad we went & got to experience it all!!! Thomas decided to dress up in a Santa suit and of course we had to make a sign, which were both HUGE hits with everyone but it actually got to the point where it was more of a hassle because so many people stopped us to take pics as we were walking around to see things & shop!

As you can see, we had GREAT seats!!! =)

Home Sweet Home

2011-12-22T22:25:00.000-06:00

We are so blessed that my mom lives close enough & allowed us to stay with her so long while our house was under construction! The kids and I had a GREAT time being over there & appreciate her helping me with them while we were there but we also missed being home with Daddy every night! He worked very hard each night to have it finished before Christmas & to hurry up and get us back home and even though it's still not 100% done, all of the painting & hard stuff is done! (pics will be posted once it's finished) Come to find out Daddy was busy doing a little more than bathroom remodeling while we were gone...he was busy being sneaky trying to surprise me with an early Christmas gift!!!

I had no idea he bought this while we were gone, much less that he moved our old table out & set this one up!! I've been wanting a black counter-height table FOREVER but haven't ever been able to find one big enough for a decent price! I absolutely LOVE the way it looks in the dining area and can't wait to use it!

Traditions continue!!

2011-12-21T11:36:00.004-06:00

I've been bummed that we were going to miss out on doing the things we normally do around this time of year because of the bathroom construction going on but it seems like we still managed to do the norm and it feels like Christmas after all! I've made an ornament every year using TJ's pic with Santa but this year Taylor was included! I decided to try the handprint ornament after seeing it on Pinterest but added my own touch and put Taylor's footprints on the other side so it would be an ornament keepsake of both kids together!

Baking Christmas cookies

2011-12-20T23:00:00.000-06:00

We decided at the last minute tonight to bake cookies & of course once we got started, we realized he had NOTHING to use for decorating but they ended up still being cute for what we did have to work with!

Silly Clothes

2011-12-20T10:43:00.000-06:00

This is what happens when TJ dresses himself while PaPa is watching! =)

Mighty Fine Babysitter

2011-12-19T20:00:00.000-06:00

The people on my shift at work had a gathering at Mighty Fine Burgers so I decided to take Taylor so they could meet her. Leti held Taylor the whole time & kept her quiet too! =)

TJ's very 1st gingerbread house

2011-12-19T18:00:00.000-06:00

TJ had TONS of fun making his 1st gingerbread house & did almost all of it all by himself!

YaYa's Shopping Buddy

2011-12-19T12:18:00.000-06:00

More from our stay at YaYa's

2011-12-18T02:36:00.000-06:00

(Sorry I can't rotate the pic)

Meet Mr. Jingles

2011-12-17T22:00:00.000-06:00

I was going to wait until next year to start the Elf on the Shelf tradition with the kids because I didn't think TJ would really understand but then I decided I couldn't wait! Luckily YaYa was able to find one & we decided to go ahead and start! TJ really enjoyed the book & seems to like their new friend! Can't wait for Taylor to join in the fun with us! What a GREAT tradition for the family! =)

Bathroom Progress

2011-12-17T14:56:00.000-06:00

Daddy finished the tile in the kid's bathroom! Just have to paint, put it back together, get the drywall done around the house & put on baseboards!

TJ's Christmas Party

2011-12-16T15:08:00.004-06:00

Mommy made Santa hat & wreath cupcakes

CHEESE!! TJ really LOVED having Taylor come to his class so all of his friends & teachers could see her!

Hanging out at YaYa's

2011-12-15T15:27:00.000-06:00

It's been weird not seeing Daddy everyday & we all miss him but the kids are enjoying their stay at YaYa's house! By the looks of the pictures you would think Taylor sleeps so good over here but only during the daytime for some reason!! She went from sleeping soundly through the night at home to staying up until early hours of the morning before falling asleep after lots of crying & not sleeping in her portable crib!!

Kid's bathroom leak

2011-12-12T15:51:00.000-06:00

For awhile now, we've noticed a spot on our entryway baseboards where we caught Vienna chewing but now it seems to have gotten worse. Thomas went to get on her again for it but noticed the baseboard was soaked with water and did some more investigating to find out the entire hall, entryway, and part of the living room baseboards were soaked with water!! Since all of these surround the kid's bathroom, it led us to believe there was a leak in the bathroom, probably the toilet or bathtub. After tearing apart all of the baseboards & the bathroom, we found out it was actually a slab leak! I decided to pack up the kids & head to my mom's to make it easier for Thomas to work on the area and to get away from the smell of the mildew. (We thought the smell was mold at the time) Luckily the plumber was out there the same day we called & fixed the leak, the insurance company sent someone out the next day for an estimate, and we got a check within 2 days for it all. Looks like their bathroom is getting a whole remodel along with new baseboards for the rest of the house!

Sleepover at YaYa's

2011-12-10T19:00:00.000-06:00

Tonight was the first night YaYa had BOTH kids spend the night with her! I was curious how it would work out but they ended up all being fine even though it was a rough night with sleeping. This was also Taylor's 1st outing without Mommy or Daddy, much less sleeping over somewhere without us! She won't even be 6 weeks until Monday but TJ's 1st night away with YaYa was right around 6 weeks old too! =)

Family Photos 2011

2011-12-10T18:00:00.000-06:00

Didn't quite work the way we hoped but we all had a ROUGH day & it was late in the evening but still not too bad for our 1st time doing the pics ourselves! We'll do more in the Spring too!

Our kids are SPOILED!!

2011-12-08T14:00:00.000-06:00

Thanks to Jessica, Debbie & Sue!! It's not even Christmas yet and they already got a TON of loot! =)

Smiles

2011-12-08T13:34:00.001-06:00

Sleeping Beauty

2011-12-06T16:10:00.001-06:00

Such a sweetie...from the ruffles on her butt to her cute little hand by her face!

Merry Christmas to Mommy!!

2011-12-05T16:06:00.000-06:00

My mother's ring~open hearts collection, big green stone for me, little one for TJ and both pink stones for Thomas and Taylor. It's also engraved with "Kurowski" on one side & "Family" on the other and I LOVE it!! =)

Advent Calendar

2011-12-04T15:58:00.000-06:00

Mommy completed another Pinterest project & the kids now have an advent calendar, although TJ will be the only one to use it for awhile! =) Better late than never & instead of putting a little treat or candy under each day, we'll put some kind of Christmas related activity to do for the day! Fun traditions in the making!

Cookies with Santa 2011

2011-12-02T23:57:00.001-06:00

TJ still didn't want to have anything to do with Santa this year even though he was all hyped up about it & talked about it...once the time actually came, he wouldn't do it until we talked him into it! Taylor didn't mind her 1st visit at all though! We didn't hang around too long & play games this year since Taylor is so young but it was still lots of fun!! This was also our first outing as a family of FOUR!!

And now our fireplace is complete!

2011-12-01T15:00:00.000-06:00

I had a 4th stocking so I would be prepared but didn't prepare enough because I only had 3 snowflake stocking holders! I ended up finding the 2 snowman stocking holders to go with it and just took 1 snowflake stocking holder down. Now we have the 2 snowman stocking holders for Mommy & Daddy and 2 snowflake stocking holders for TJ & Taylor. I still haven't decided about getting the stockings embroidered yet either.

2011-12-01T08:30:00.000-06:00

I got lucky with this pic & caught her moving at the right time so it looks like she's holding up her index finger to show 1. It's hard to believe how fast time is going by with her and that she's already a month old! Looks like she's looking more & more like Mommy each day but there is alot of resemblance between her & TJ too. Daddy thinks she's going to look just like Mommy but have his beautiful blue eyes and dimples (2 of Mommy's favorite features) but we'll see!

Holding her own

2011-11-29T20:00:00.000-06:00

Looks like Taylor is already trying to her own bottle while eating!

Hanging out around the house

2011-11-28T09:24:00.000-06:00

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas!

2011-11-27T09:27:00.000-06:00

All of these containers were full of ornaments for the tree!!

And the tree is up!! Inside decorations are done too besides the fireplace (need an extra stocking holder) and Daddy got a good start on the outside lights too!

TJ LOVES having his own tree in his room that he gets to decorate!

Sleeping through the night

2011-11-27T08:52:00.000-06:00

I think it's safe to say Taylor is officially sleeping through the night and has been for about a week now! We still need to work on getting her down for the night a little earlier and even sleeping longer but I'll take 7-8 hours for now!! I think we got lucky having 2 babies who slept through the night pretty quickly since TJ did it at 2 weeks and Taylor picked it up at 3 weeks! =)

Thanksgiving Day

2011-11-24T20:30:00.001-06:00

TJ helping prepare our feast!

John came by to spend Thanksgiving with us & soak up some Taylor!

Playing outside while the food cooks

This is how Taylor spent most of the day! So glad I kept some of TJ's things for her (this was his bib on his 1st Thanksgiving)