* birthdays and a beach day. *

WHERE has the summer gone, i ask you?

it seems way more busy then summer's past.

or. is it just because i am 36 now, and can't keep up?

:))))

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karolina grace turned THREE this week.

WHAT?

can hardly believe it.

bare with me, i know i say that EVERY year...

[my labor with karolina started at midnight on july 23, 2011 and i was holding her in my arms

at 3:32 a.m. my fastest labor was two hours, which i was expecting, with my 5th delivery...

i thought 3.5 was too long. :)) i gave birth at birth care in Georgetown, in the water. my favorite.

no meds. just. plain. ol. water. that's how i roll. :)]

delighted to have karolina in our family.

i love her spunky character. her favorite lines right now are:

"just a minute mom"

"punchbuggy. no punchbacks"

"mom. MOMMY.mom."

she loves to ride bike. put together puzzles. play play dough.

DANCE. loves to dance. and SING.

she loves to pray outloud. (be still my heart. help me never forget her little prayers).

happy to say she was my easiest to potty train.

hallelujah for that. :)

our next job to tackle will be getting rid of her nuk...

:))))

Happy THIRD birthday karolina.

you are treasured and precious.

i hope you always know.

*****************************************************

now...to the next segment. ;)

the buckwalter family used to take a vacation together each year to the beach.

for a week.

chaos yes. fun. totally. still love each other in the end. yep.

but. we don't do it anymore.

BOO.

so this year i decided to plan a cousins beach day, DAY trip, once a month.

june. july. and august.

well. june's got cancelled. and well. july's got rescheduled three times.

but finally. we made it.

on karolina's third birthday.

relaxing. not really. a time to catch up. not really.

memory making for the kids. yep.

fun in the sun. yep.

time to read a good book. nope.

any kids get lost? nope. notta one.

with 18, that's pretty remarkable.

not even.one.meltdown.

whoo.hoo.

calli ann. age 5.

campbell meg. age 7.

kaden rockwell. age 11.

karolina grace. she's 3. ;)

kaycee agnes. age 9.

jaiden micah. he doesn't belong to me. but he loves me.
can you tell?
he is my sister's. ;)

the girls were trying to skim board here. :)

can you imagine the drama in a few years?

no wonder my parents put a stop to the beach trip now.

before.the.drama.  :)))

such a fun day.

here's to the next one on august 7th.

whoo.hoo. :)

*************************************************************

and finally...

kaden rockwell turned 11 a day after karolina turned 3.

i was so disappointed about that, when karolina was born.

2 weeks late again. as usual.

and really. she had to come so close to kaden's birthday?

it's really not THAT big of a deal.

i mean. here in America we can find anything to complain about.

SERIOUSLY. tell me to get a grip.

it's just a lot of partying and celebrating so close.

and i try to DO birthdays.

i really do.

so. part of that is my own fault.

if i would just simmer down a little bit,

i wouldn't be so exhausted after karolina and kaden's birthdays. :)))

[kaden weighed in at 8 lbs. 4 oz. he was only ONE day overdue. and then with the girls i got progressively later. ;/

he was my only hospital birth. i remember the nurses were so PROUD of me for not getting pain meds. they just kept saying, "are you sure you don't want anything?" "just a little something to take the edge off" they said, "you don't understand, we just never see this, and it's your first baby."

i should maybe have changed my mind after they gave me pitocin, towards the end. ;))

i went in "THINKING" i was in labor at 2 am the 23rd.

i chuckle as i look back.

my first baby. how do you know what to expect?

i CLEARLY did not know. :)))

i was 2 cm. they sent me home with some sleeping pills.

i was sad about that.

but i did sleep. :))

i went back at 2 am on the 24th, and was 6 cm,

and they let me stay. :))

kaden rockwell was born at 1:31 p.m. in the afternoon. ]

there is nothing like your first baby is there?

he is the one who made me a mama for the very first time.

i don't know how to be a mom...he is the one i get to "try" things out on.

those poor firstborns. :))

so thankful for kaden.

he is solid. he is a leader. he is a snuggler.

and emotional.

he loves sports. any. especially baseball.

he is getting to be chatty. about big people things.

he knows a lot. his life experiences are big.

he doesn't like to work.

but he can if you make him. or entice him with money. :))

he is determined.

and starting to challenge my authority.

eeeekkkkkk. :/

this year kaden went to a boy cousin sleepover at his cousins house.

it happened to be on his birthday.

kind of fun. he had a blast.

just strange for mommy not having him around on his birthday. :)))

i didn't get as many pictures of kaden as i usually do.

bummer.

he just wasn't here.

he was bummed about the picture part.

sorry.

stay home next year. ;)

oh kaden.

it is my hope and dream for you.

that you will always know your worth.

you will stand strong in what you believe in.

and lead others to the Lord...

you are loved. and treasured so.