The Whiteside's

Sweet Little Mia Attacks Innocent Brayers

2011-02-21T19:34:00.000-06:00

Father's Day 6-20-10

2010-07-20T22:32:00.003-05:00

Well, here is the photo of the finished product! I think the platter turned out soooo cute! It's hard to tell in the picture, but Josh put his hand prints on there first, and then we put Bray's on top of his. LOVE IT! And so did Karl! We BBQ a TON in the summer and that BBQ platter has already been used more times than my oven (HAHA)! Father's Day fell on Josh's birthday this year, so we had a lot to celebrate! These boys sure do love their daddy!

Painted Pot

2010-07-20T22:12:00.002-05:00

The boys and I met up with a few friends at the "Painted Pot" to make our Father's Day gifts. The Painted Pot is a little art studio full of different types of pottery. You can pick what you want and then you get to pick your paint colors and design and decorate your little heart out! Betsy, Brooke, and Laura all brought their little ones and we all had a great time making our keepsakes. For Karl, we picked a large platter. We painted it first and then I put the boys hand prints on it. It turned out really cute! I will post the final pic of it on the Father's Day Blog.

Let the Games Begin!

2010-07-20T21:36:00.003-05:00

This is Josh's 2nd year in T-Ball. He was begging me to sign him up (of course I was already going to), so I did. Karl also signed up to be the coach again because he loved it so much last year. This was really exciting for Josh because his buddy Cole and his cousin Mason are both on his team. Cole's dad, Dan, is the Assistant Coach and my cousin Steve (Mason's dad) always helps out where ever he is needed on the field. There are definitely a few kiddos who enjoy kicking the dirt around but not Josh! He is always ready! He can really hit that ball too! I can't wait for coach-pitch ball next year!

Disney World

2010-07-18T21:10:00.006-05:00

Well, we did it! We actually took the boys on a Disney vacation! What a wonderful week it was. Words can't even describe. They were SO GOOD and had such a great time! We went to Hollywood Studios, Epcot, Sea World, Animal Kingdom, Blizzard Beach, and of course Magical Kingdom. Right away Josh was super excited to meet all of the characters. Bray, on the other hand, took a few days. Handy Manny was the one who changed his views. After he met him he liked ALL of the characters! I obviously have a ton more pictures, but I tried to pick out our favorites to put on the blog. There are so many little stories that I can tell you. Every day was an adventure and seeing the happiness on the boys faces was worth every penny that was spent. Disney World is a magical place. It truly is.

Josh's Preschool Graduation

2010-07-17T21:01:00.004-05:00

It is hard to believe that Josh has already completed 2 years of preschool. I remember his first day so clearly. We had only come home from the hospital 2 days earlier with Bradyn. Josh was so excited to go to school, but as soon as we got to his classroom he shut down and wouldn't let go of my leg. Wow, it was so hard to leave him when he didn't want me to go. BUT, as a kindergarten teacher I knew it was best if I just yanked off the band-aid because lingering only makes it worse.

He LOVED his 2 years at Cornerstone. He loved his friends, learning new things, and most of all... Miss Susan. And boy did Miss Susan love him! She loved him so much that when he moved up to the 4 year old class...so did she! She also requested that he be in her class again.

Time is escaping me as my children grow. I just want to hit the pause button so I don't miss anything. Everything happens so fast and moments don't last forever. Speaking of moments, graduating from preschool is followed by entering Kindergarten. Oh my goodness! I'm not so sure that I'm ready for this.

Mom's Night

2010-05-03T21:46:00.002-05:00

On Monday, May 19th I was invited to Josh's preschool for "Mom's Night". Josh had literally been talking about this upcoming even since early April. He was so excited, which in turn got me excited! When I walked into his classroom he pulled out a chair for me and said "Please have a seat, Mom. May I get you some juice?" So precious! We were able to make a picture frame together and his class performed a few songs for the moms. I LOVED the bulletin board! Each child drew a picture of their mommy and on the back were answers to questions about their moms. As the teacher read the questions and answers, the mom's had to figure out which picture was theirs. Well I knew Josh's right away! First of all because he always draws HUGE belly buttons and secondly one of the questions was "What do you like the most about your mom?" and his said, "Because she likes to snuggle". We ate ice cream with sprinkles together on a place mat that he made. About a month ago the teacher sent home paint and paper and told me to put my hand prints on the paper and send it back to school. Well, what an AWESOME surprise to find my hand prints on a place mat with Josh's sweet little hand prints! It is such a wonderful keepsake! On May 26 Josh will graduate from preschool. These 2 years have flown by and it is so hard to believe that my baby will be going to Kindergarten in August already. Thank you Josh for giving me such a memorable "Mom's Night". I love you!

Apple Picking 10-11-09

2009-11-16T15:31:00.006-06:00

For the first time ever, we took the boys apple picking. It wasn't only their first time, but mine too! We went with the Bertino's and Hudson's. It was soooooo cold that day. I hadn't gotten a chance to get Josh a new winter coat for the year so he had to wear last years coat. Haha! It was so small on him, poor kid. We picked so many apples! Definitely more than we could eat because I threw away about half of them because they went bad before we could eat them. Josh had a great time running through the orchard with Cole and Isaak.

Josh's Field Trip to Daniels Pumpkin Farm 10-7-09

2009-11-08T13:04:00.003-06:00

Josh's preschool class went on a field trip to Daniel's Pumpkin farm again this year. he absolutely loves it there. They get to go on a train (really tractor) ride, play on the playground, go into the petting zoo, play in the huge hay maze, and on the way out they get to pick out a pumpkin to take home. It took a lot of bribing to get him out of that maze! That child would have stayed in there all day if I let him!

Walk in the Park 10-3-09

2009-11-08T12:48:00.002-06:00

Every year the Down Syndrome Association has what they call "A Walk in the Park" at the stadium. My little cousin was born with Down's Syndrome and they have been attending this every year since he was born in 200. We haven't been able to make it to every one, but we go when we can. The first game Josh ever went to was for the Walk in the Park when he was only 4 months old and hasn't been back until this time....4 years later! He had so much fun! My parents didn't go with us, but my dad happened to win tickets at work the day before. They were right behind home plate. It was FREEZING way up high where we were sitting because of the wind so after they stopped checking tickets we went down and sat with them.

Before Pictures of my Scrapbook Studio

2009-11-08T12:26:00.002-06:00

Well, here it is. It's the room I have been waiting for since about 2003! My scrapbook studio!!! One thing I have missed the most from my life before I was married was having my very own room...a girly room that is. I have been scrapbooking since 2000 and over the years I have collected so many items that the bags and tubs don't hold it all anymore, so it was time to designate the extra bedroom into the room of my dreams. I have the furniture and all of my stuff loaded int my room at this point. However, for a birthday present I asked if Karl would paint mt room for me and very soon the walls will be "Cotton Candy" pink! I have a lot of ideas for my room, but the most important thing to me is organization and having everything easily accessible so that I can utilize everything. I am very excited to have my very own room. I'm so excited in fact that I got a vinyl saying from Uppercase Living to put on the outside of my door that says "No Boys Allowed". I will post more pics as soon as the room gets painted.

Bradyn's 1st Birthday 8-28-09

2009-11-08T12:14:00.003-06:00

Well, who would believe that Bradyn is already a year old. It's hard to believe that he has been here for a whole year already. I feel like I just brought him home from the hospital and just watched him roll over for the first time. It is so amazing to watch him grow and learn new things. He is so funny. He LOVES his big brother and actually likes to beat up on him. haha! It is also amazing for me to see how much Josh has grown since we brought Bray home. When I look at pictures Josh looks like he is still a baby and now looking at him it feels as if he is school-age. Time goes by so fast and I cherish EVERY moment with my boys. Happy birthday sweetheart!

Over the River and Through Illinois...

2009-09-26T19:19:00.004-05:00

...to Great Grandparents house we go! On July 18 we packed up the car and headed north to visit my Mamma and Pappa. This was Bradyn's first road trip and was also Josh's first road trip as a baby! The actual driving part went okay. Bradyn didn't really sleep at all. He didn't fuss much either, but he refused to fall asleep. The boys had such a wonderful time visiting their great grandparents and I know Mamma and Pappa had a blast as well. They probably slept for a solid week after we left. Haha!

Our 1st T-Ball Experience

2009-09-05T17:33:00.002-05:00

Well, In wanted to attempt this last year, but Karl said we should wait one more year. Josh joined the YMCA T-Ball league and had a blast! Karl was one of the coaches and was really patient with all of the wee-ones. They had some trouble at first with the whole "I got it" concept. They ALL thought they had it so before you knew it there was a massive pile-up on the field. Hysterical does not even come close to describing that. Haha! Josh had a really great time playing ball and did a great job as well. i wonder what sport he will want to try next.

Neighborhood Friends

2009-09-05T17:25:00.002-05:00

When we lived at our old house there was no other kids for Josh to play with...NONE. So, when we began our search for a new home we made sure to check out all of the neighborhoods to make sure there were lots of little ones for our kids to grow up with. Well, we struck gold because there are so many friends for Josh and Bray to play with. They all get along so well. I hope that this is the start of some life-long friendships.

Building a Swingset

2009-09-03T22:03:00.003-05:00

Well, Josh has been wanting a swingset for at least 2 years. So, for his birthday we hooked him up with a nice one. It was quite a bit of work. But, with help from family, neighbors, AND the neighbors kids....it went up without any problems. Josh LOVES it and Karl had to mow a path from our house to the Matusofsky's house so Sara can come over and play without having to walk through the empty lot.

Water Fun with Cousins 7-2-09

2009-09-03T21:43:00.003-05:00

The kids have been DYING to get together and play. So, Lisa brought Ashley and Kyle over to have some water fun.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK

2009-08-26T20:51:00.003-05:00

Yes, that's right! We got the pricey seats! However, look at these pics! It was totally worth it! We were so close you could see the sweat dripping off their faces...not really...but we were really close! After the concert we totally stalked one of their bus drivers and found out through eavesdropping that Donnie was planning a late-night stop at the Waffle House 40 miles south from where we were. Well, we googled Waffle House and found the one that was at that exact location and went there. However, no Donnie. So, we proceeded to drive to every Waffle House between 270 and Festus to find that tour bus. after about 3 hours of driving we got wind that he was going to the on on Lindbergh...THE ONLY ONE WE HADN"T BEEN TO! AGH! So, we FLOORED it and made it there before he left. We pretty much got there and cut in front of a bunch of people and got our pic taken with him within 5 minutes of getting there. He was very nice and it was a lot of fun. I'm glad i have my girls who love NKOTB or else I would have done this ALONE...which I WOULD DO trust me!

We Have a Swimmer!

2009-08-25T21:21:00.002-05:00

We were at Karl's dads for Father's Day and decided to take a swim. We had taken Bailey with us that day because she was still so little and would feel bad leaving her at home all day in a cage. When we were outside she kept walking up to the pool as if she was curious. I tried to get her to put her feet in but she wasn't havin' it. Well, all of the sudden she got a spark in her butt and tore off around the perimeter of the pool and then took a running jump right into the center of the pool. I immediately freaked (mother's instinct I guess) because I thought she was going to drown but there she went....she swam all the way across the pool. It was so adorable! After she got out she jumped up onto my chair (and on MY towel) and instantly fell asleep. I guess that one lap in the pool wore her out!

Josh Turns 4!!!

2009-08-22T12:27:00.002-05:00

I can't believe that my baby is 4. I feel like I just brought him home from the hospital. I'm not sure where the time goes, but it goes WAY TOO FAST! It's killing me to know that he will be going to Kindergarten this time next year. We are so blessed to have such a warm-hearted and loving son. He's got such a happy spirit and he touches everyone he meets. Happy Birthday my sweet boy!

The Newest Member of Our Family

2009-08-22T12:12:00.002-05:00

The day before Easter we lost our best friend Abby to due to Kidney Failure. She was only 5 and our hearts were broken and empty. We knew we were a "dog" family and needed a new friend to love. So, I began a very thorough search on the internet for a new pup. At first I found a Shih Tzu and we actually drove to Farmington to pick her up and Josh didn't want ANYTHING to do with her. As soon as he saw her he started to cry and say, "She doesn't look like Abby!". Karl wasn't really showing a whole lot of enthusiasm either. I seemed to be the only one that wanted her. So, I knew that this was not an issue to be selfish about so we left without her. I originally didn't want another Golden Retriever because I was worried that being around her would make me sad that Abby wasn't here anymore. But, Josh was very stubborn about the fact that he got one that "looked" like Abby. So, I searched some more and came across a BEAUTIFUL litter from the Lake of the Ozarks. We all fell in love with her picture and video that the breeder sent us. So, the day after we got home from Florida we drove to Rolla to meet the breeder in a Steak 'n Shake parking lot (they drove from the Lake) and as soon as we all saw her we knew she had to be ours! So, Bailey has now been with us for a little over 2 months and she is a great dog! Josh still doesn't want to play with her that much because she's still a little too hyper for him....but he still says he loves her. Bradyn loves her too and she is super gentle with him. I wish we would have had her here when Abby was here. They would have been great sisters!

Florida Vacation

2009-08-22T11:56:00.002-05:00

Karl's dad and mom invited us to go to Destin this summer to Grandma Robert's condo. It was like pulling teeth but I finally got Karl to agree to take a week off work. This is our 1st vacation ever as a family of 4 and our first vacation in nearly 5 years as a married couple! When we got there around 7pm that night we walked Josh to the steps so he could see the beach. He immediately started jumping up and down and screaming 'THE BEACH! THE BEACH!". He LOVED playing in the ocean and so did Bradyn. It was hard with a baby at a beach though. It was too hot for him and he still needed 2 naps a day. So, Karl and I took turns staying inside with him. Mama and Papa each stayed in once to help out too. We had a lot of fun and as all vacations do...it went by too QUICK!

Bradyn's First Haircut 6-4-09

2009-08-22T11:53:00.000-05:00

Ok, so as I said I am a tad behind on the blogging. I believe I left off at the end of May. So, here I go with June. These are pictures from Bray's 1st haircut. As you can see, it did not go so well. He absolutely flipped out! I'm not sure what went wrong. We took him to Jeanette who has cut Josh's hair for 2 years. She does a great Job with Josh's blonde hair so we assumed it would go the same for Brayers. Well, I am guessing she doesn't have a lot of experience with babies. Haha! I just scheduled his 2nd appointment for this coming Wednesday, Aug, 26th at the Hairy Elephant. Let's hope this goes a bit better this time.

I'm Baaaaack!

2009-08-11T11:22:00.002-05:00

So, I have been informed by several people that it has been way too long since I have blogged. I am here to tell you that I have not dropped off the face of the earth. Let's just say that I took a hiatus for the summer. I plan on blogging about all of our summer adventures. Let me get through the first few days of school and then I will try to get back on track with my blogs. I hope you all had a wonderful and safe summer. Much love!
Kristy

Last Day of School

2009-05-30T23:02:00.002-05:00

So, yesterday was the last day of a VERY LONG school year. We decided to go celebrate with cheap food and beer. Well, I didn't drink beer. I chose the $7 drinks. Haha! Anyways, this is a picture of only a small amount of the WONDERFUL friends I have at work. These gals are 'good people" as Betsy would say. I smile every day at work knowing that I have people there that are supportive and nurturing. It's not easy teaching at our school, but we help each other through it. Now, DOT DOT DOT let's all have an AWESOME SUMMER!!!

'How Big Are You?"

2009-05-30T22:13:00.001-05:00

SOOOO BIG!

One Size DOESN'T Fit All

2009-05-22T20:57:00.003-05:00

In the morning I typically get Bradyn dressed and Karl gets Josh dressed. While I was changing Bray's diaper Karl was helping Josh get dressed. I heard Josh say, "Daddy, this shirt is too little." Karl said "That's because you're little." I thought that was cute. A few minutes later I then heard Josh say, "Daddy, my shorts are too tight". I thought that it was weird that he was complaining about his clothes because they are all brand new and I knew they should fit him okay. So, I looked up and happened to notice that Karl had put Bradyn's outfit on Josh! Josh is a 4T and Bray's outfit was a 12-18 month!!!! I was laughing hysterically! Josh thought it was hilarious that he had his baby brother's clothes on. I said "Karl! How did you NOT know you were putting Bradyn's clothes on Josh?!". He said "I hope this isn't a preview of the rest of my day". Hahaha!

Growing by Leaps and Bounds

2009-05-19T21:29:00.004-05:00

It's hard to believe that Bradyn will be 9 months old in just a week. He is growing so quickly and his personality is so amazing! The best thing about Bradyn is how much he loves his brother. They play together constantly and they just adore one another.

Josh Kisses the Pavement

2009-05-19T20:42:00.003-05:00

After Josh's program at school today I took him to "celebrate" at Red Robin. Lisa and Kyle met us there and they had a GREAT time. He was having such a fun day and when we got home he really wanted to play out back with Jonah next door. They were playing on the Little Tykes gym and Josh headed for the slide. I looked over and saw that he tried to go down the slide on his belly (head first) and somehow he rolled off the side of the slide and went mouth-first into the patio. Anyone who knows me knows that I immediately panic in these types of situations. My first thought was, "Oh my God! He just busted his front teeth out of his head!" He wouldn't let me look OR touch anything, but from what I can tell his teeth seem to be in tact. Good thing we have another set on it's way in a few years!

Josh's Last Day of Preschool

2009-05-19T20:24:00.004-05:00

Today was Josh's last day of his first year of preschool. Karl and I are so proud of him. His first day of school was 6 days after Bradyn was born. So, needless to say he had a little bit of a rough start with not wanting to work ("No thanks Miss Susan. I will just watch".) and only wanting to go to recess. As the weeks went on he became such a good student and his teacher fell in love with him. He has learned so much and I can't believe how fast this year went by. It's hard to think that we will be signing him up for Kindergarten this time next year.

Cousin's Kids

2009-05-18T20:46:00.003-05:00

These pictures were taken last month at Ashtyn's 1st birthday party (my cousin's little girl). Bradyn had a great time playing with his cousins Dean and Ashtyn. Dean was born just about a week and a half after Bradyn. I LOVE that my cousins and I have kids the same ages. I think it brings us even closer as the years go on. Now....if Karl and I could get our siblings to have some kids!

Page Background

2009-05-18T18:54:00.002-05:00

So, I have already gotten a few comments about how my background is "girly" and I have a picture of two boys on there. That is just something everyone is going to have to deal with. Everything around my house is blue and green. I need to express my "girly"side somewhere! If ever given an option i ALWAYS will choose PINK! ;o)

Life as We Know It

2009-05-18T15:18:00.002-05:00

Things are going well for us these days. I am trying to get a good balance of life and make sure that I don't lose my mind in the meantime. I only have 2 more weeks left of work until summer break. I am REALLY looking forward to this because there is a TON of things I would like to get done around the house. I don't know about you, but I always have a list of things that I would like to accomplish when I get home every night or maybe on the weekends. It seems that by the time these evenings and weekends roll around I am just so exhausted that they don't get done. I really have to get ORGANIZED! I am actually very excited about cleaning and organizing this summer.

We are leaving for Destin, FL in 3 weeks. Ahhhhhh! Our 1st vacation in 5 years! Guess I better hit the tanning beds because it's been awhile since my skin has seen the tropical sun. I don't know what Karl is going to do because he wears SPF50 and STILL looks like a lobster. If you think I am kidding just wait...I will have pictures to prove it. Haha!

Well, I am Going to Give this a Try

2009-05-18T14:16:00.002-05:00

I started a blog a few years ago, however, I think I only posted a few notes on it and then I forgot all about it. A friend of mine started a blog yesterday and it really made me realize that I should get back into the whole "blogging" experience. I think it is a wonderful way to share family stories/happenings with family and friends. So, keep nagging me about posting things onto my blog to make sure I stick with it. I know Karl has been trying to get me to do this for years.