Crimson: 5 Months & counting

. 13 lbs 9.5oz . 25.5 in .

you heard that right .... she's my lil' runt
25% in weight . 70% in height

. milestones .
almost sitting up on her own
sleeping 11-12 hours at night {praise God!}
better arm control, bringing things to her mouth
scooting/rolling around to get somewhere else
laughing
she is such a joy now
it started out rocky, with her crying all the time, and now she is the happiest little thing always shooting everyone a smile
she falls asleep on her own without being held
she'll lay on the floor playing with her toys forever
I love her so munch!
she loves clover, who can always make her smile
she hates naps, but she goes to sleep pretty quickly

and get this...

she actually likes the car!!!
what?!
she will ride a whole car ride to Brian's parents without making a peep
and she's awake!
amazing
she interacts with my mom through skype, which is neat
and my mom is coming in just a couple days!!!
I can't even tell you how excited this makes me
I am so homesick!
and then we are flying to California for Christmas
whoo hoooooo!
I wish we could get snowed in, but I don't think that's likely
but I know a few friends back home who would be willing to make that happen, with some fake snow maybe ;)

can't wait can't wait can't wait can't wait ...
ok I'll stop now :)

{how come both of my children have the ability to escape the bumbo! }
{she's maneuvering into the escape position}
{doesn't she look JUST like me?}
{that would be sarcasm people}
{Clover is always trying to steal the baby's pacifier, and then she hides and sucks on it as much as she can before we take it away. This is where I found her the last time}

Thanksgiving 2011

here at the Turner/Gilde/Irby household
{and soon to be Davenport}

Thanksgiving is full of

drinking {not really}
asbestos {not really}
cute little girls {really}
{this one with a cold :( }
and most importantly, a growing family!
with 2 weddings coming up!

hope everyone had a happy thanksgiving!
missed my west coast fam + friends a lot this year!
but I'll see you all at Christmas!

Crimson Learns to Read

hmm.....cows

a baby cow is called a calf ... ok sure, whatever you say

ohhh the cow says moooooo ... I got it I got it

what?! ... a hamburger is a cow?!?!
MOM we need to talk!

Only in the South pt.7

only in the South....

can you go to a friends house
and visit a petting zoo
AT THE SAME TIME!


their neighbor has goats!
for no other reason than to own goats!

oh well, free petting zoo

there's another house on the way to church that has sheep
and when we drive by on Sunday mornings, they have a sheep dog herding them around
pretty cool.
you definitely don't see that in Burbank!

Goodbye Fall

the Fall is so beautiful and I'm going to miss it

but before it's completely gone here are some of the reasons why I love it

the weather is perfect
especially be in Georgia, the Fall here is like perfect California weather
the bugs leave
the humidity is gone
and its not cold yet
wait did you catch that .... no bugs!
just perfect

to play outside
go to pumpkin patches
also we get a variety of colors here too
I mean, we have fall in the west, but here it really is FALL
this is our tree outside, it started out green/yellow
then yellow/orange
then yellow/orange/red
and then finally red
and when they all fell off....
leaf piles!!
starbucks of course
pumpkin spice or white mocha
{this is a pic I would take of myself, but Clover is way cuter than me}

but now the leaves are almost all gone ... and it'll start getting cold soon
the trees blocking the view of our living room from our neighbors are bare
{so we either need to invest in some curtains pronto, or allow the neighbors to see what kind of freaks live next to them}
and I have absolutely zero idea how to dress children {or myself} for cold weather!
have a nice trip? see ya next fall!
<3

Only in the South pt.6

only in the South...

do you break your teeth on a deliciously soft waffle fry from Chikfila
I mean come on!!
I've only been here 2 months and Im losing my teeth already!

now for those of you that think Im stereotyping southern people
I have full rights to this hillbilliness

my grandpa has dentures, and most of the time doesn't where them
so there!

Crimson: 4 Months & counting

. 13.5 lb . 25 in .

. milestones .

puts everything in her mouth
rolls all over the place
first laugh
reaches for & plays with toys
found her feet
started going into the nursery at the very beginning of this month and has survived! no colds {yet}

lets see, crimson, crimson, crimson
where do I even start??
I do not understand this child
I love her to pieces, but she likes to keep us guessing with what she'll do next
I'll tell you this, she hates schedules!
Clover thrived on a nap and eating schedule
Crimson wants to do what she wants, when she wants and when I try to put her on a schedule it just stresses everyone out {i.e. lots of crying}

but on the other hand
she is completely content with being set down
she'll just roll around on the floor, chewing on things and talking away
whereas Clover was always wanting to be held

different different
{a mini dr. pepper? don't mind if I do}
{drunk on the deliciousness of dr. pepper}right now I don't care
the only goal I'm working toward is getting her to sleep through the night!
please please please!!!
{maybe she's been drinking too many dr. peppers}

we had a fun little visit with our cousin Shiloh, who is 6 weeks younger than Crimson
Shiloh {unlike Crimson} is a GREAT eater
she is already bigger than Crimson!
we were hoping she would show her some techniques .... but nope

oh well
just learning to love my children for their different personalities
:)

by the way....Crimson did not drink any dr. pepper!
it was just a photo op!

little girls

{bear with me, this is a long post}

having little girls was something I never wanted
I grew up with a bunch of girls and there was so much emotion and drama!
{especially the high school years}
and those closest to me know that my mom used to call me "the stoic" because I refused to show emotion

now having kids I cry all the time, and I think what is this????

but since having little girls I love it
but it is hard
....like yesterday....
I have a sick little Clover at home, and she is just plain emotional for no reason
{besides not feeling good}
my first reaction is "buck up, don't act like that"
well that doesn't get us anywhere
and then I become frustrated .... then angry .... then she cries because Im upset

I was just having this conversation with my husband last night asking
"how do I deal with this"
"do I discipline for whining? Knowing that she's whining because she's sick"
when I'm sick I don't feel good either, and I wouldn't want someone disciplining me while I'm truly not feeling good

and then low and behold I read a chapter today in the book I'm reading, that specifically addresses this trial
{isn't it neat how God always seems to be answering your questions through books or sermons on Sunday just when you need to hear them}

the book is
Loving the Little Years
by Rachel Jankovic
a lot of my close friends are reading this right now
two of them being bloggers: Jess + Julie
{and I would recommend this book to all moms! especially while your right in the middle of raising your kids, the chapters are short and meant to encourage}

Chapter 5
{I wish I could write the whole chapter but I'll refrain and try to sum it up the best I can}

it reminds you that emotions are not bad
little girls just don't know how to handle them yet
they are not disobeying out of malice {most of the time}
and so often when they fuss, we tell them "stop, don't act like that, don't do that" and they get frustrated because they think they are failing just because they are feeling that emotion

**instead we need to teach them self control so that when they feel that emotion, they learn to control themselves from just acting on impulse**

there is nothing wrong with emotion!
the same goes for older women too {aka me}
"a passionate personality that is unbridled can cause a world of damage"
but
"a well controlled passionate personality is a powerful thing"

hormones and emotions are real and are not sin, it is when we choose not to control ourselves that it becomes sin
off that note
I have been so convicted about being an example for my daughters
to be a proverbs 31 woman
a titus 2 woman
teaching and {more importantly} encouraging them in truth
and the only way to do this is if I'm reading the Bible and living it out
so I've started memorizing Provers 31:10-31
keep me accountable, if you see me, ask me to recite it for you!
it is never too early to start
kids are smart, even though they can't talk doesn't mean they don't understand things
they are watching and soaking up everything
ever since Clover was big enough to get into things we have recited Ephesians 6:1 to her
and I didn't realize she knew it until recently when she started talking more
{for those who don't understand her English I'll bold the words she's saying}
Ephesians 6:1
"Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right"

I don't put this up here to brag about my kid, just as an example that they know more than we think they do, so start now! {and to brag a little bit ;) }

references:
{these are my favorite parenting books}
Don't Make Me Count to Three
by Ginger Plowman

Loving the Little Years
by Rachel Jankovic

Shepherding a Child's Heart
by Tedd Tripp

Teach Them Diligently
by Lou Priolo

{and then some of my favorite godly woman books}
Feminine Appeal
by Carolyn Mahaney

Becoming a Titus 2 Woman
by Martha Peace

Damsels in Distress
by Martha Peace

The Excellent Wife
by Martha Peace {of course}

by the way this is what Clover was doing while I'm writing this
the stickers were for keeping her preoccupied so she would stay on the potty, aww well, time to go clean up
:)

Halloween 2011

this year I was way to preoccupied to even think about costumes

thankfully my MIL went and bought some

it was way more fun this year because Clover actually had an idea of what was going on
although she was fighting a cold, she still had fun

so here is a very Irby Halloween story
first Clover picked out a pumpkin for her and for Crimson
then we {I} drew her characters on them
{little did I know we should have just left them like this}
after much frustration we {Brian and I} finally got them carved
things I've learned:
1. you use those little pumpkin knives for a reason
2. toothpicks are great to have on hand for keeping things in place
3. never again will we try to do carvings that will require lots of thin lines
now we are ready for trick or treating with BBbut wait .... I feel like we're being watchedoh no ... it can't be!
Shoney Bear!{making his annual appearance} He must have followed us here from California!but I thought the Sheriff put him away 2 years ago!
so we called animal controlbut he tried to convince us he's changedfirst by hugging the children
but Clover saw past his ruse so he tried again by hugging someone else's child
{and pushing the stroller}well that worked
so he finished trick or treating with usand then MawMaw took off his head!!!!!
{it wouldn't be Halloween without a horror story ending :) }
.......................

Clover's favorite part besides the candy was handing out candy {who knew?}
she made some friends {and maybe baby-sitters}

what was my costume you ask?
{oh, you didn't ask? well I'll tell you anyway}
I went as a mommy who is too tired to even go shopping for normal clothes, nevermind a Halloween costume .... or you could say I went as a photographer ;)