3-day Weekend

We had a wonderful 3-day weekend.  On Saturday we spent some time at the pool and then met Gigi and Papa for dinner at one of my favorites, Sweet Tomatoes. 

On Sunday we took a walk and Handley ran back in the house to get a few things to bring with us.  She came out with Baby Kaitlyn (we have two of them).  She had one for her and one for Harper. Harper has recently become interested in baby dolls.  She'll push them around in the stroller, hug and kiss them, and I just thought it was so cute that they were both hanging on to their babies during our walk. 

On Sunday evening Robby and I got to go our friends Bryce and Sarah's wedding.  It was an outdoor wedding and the weather was not cooperating.  However, the bride and groom were laid back about the rain and so were all the guests.  Most were under umbrellas and a few used the fans that were provided to try to stay dry.  

It was such a fun evening and because so many of our friends were there we had a GREAT time. 

Tonight we had a cookout at our house with a few neighbors that live on our street.  It was the perfect ending to a great weekend.  

Water wings are the way to go

Handley has always enjoyed being in the water at the pool or at the lake, but has always been very cautious and not very brave about swimming.  She was happy to be in with someone holding on to her, but trust her life-jacket or other floats.  Earlier this week she gave water wings a try and it was like all of the sudden something clicked.  She finally realized they would help her stay afloat so she could swim all by herself.  Water wings are the way to go.  She is just tickled with herself and her new skill.  I'm so proud of her and she is very proud of herself.  Today she and her friends Addyson and Avery were like little ducks swimming around together.  They literally swam from one side of the pool to the other.  Handley starts swim lessons next week so I'm happy that they seem to be timed just right with her new found love for swimming.  

Here is a video of Handley swimming.  I'm not sure what she is singing or talking about, but she is having fun.

Harper is loving it too and when she see Handley jump in she wants to do it too.  She'll walk to the edge of the pool, squint her eyes closed and wait for me to help her "jump" in.  It's hilarious.  

"I gonna not pitch a fit"

By far the best comment to come out of Handley's mouth today was on our way to the pool.  She stated, "Mommy, I gonna not pitch a fit today."

Monday and Tuesday she really threw fits.  I can count on about 2 fingers the times she's really behaved this way before this week.  The first one this week was because at the pool I said she needed to share a toy or we would be going home.  After giving her multiple chances she continued to ignore my requests, so we went home.  It wasn't pretty, but I didn't really care and wasn't embarrassed because I knew most of the people at the pool, all of them had pre-schoolers, and I knew they would understand.  The second fit was in the middle of CVS.  It really was over nothing, but again, I had asked her to do something, she wouldn't do it and because she was so upset with me she was screaming at the top of her lungs.  I was SO embarrassed.  We were there to get batteries for a new game she received as a birthday gift so it was the perfect teachable moment.  I could have completely given in to her and saved me from the embarrassment, but I feel like that would just teach her that pitching a fit that way gets her want she wants.  Something I definitely don't want to teach her.  After multiple attempts to reason with her and get her to "make the right choice" I ended up carried her out of the store kicking and screaming.  I still don't know how I got her out of the store and into her car seat all while holding Harper.  She finally calmed down and kept begging me to go back to get the batteries for her game.  We did eventually go back, but it was several hours later after she had calmed down, apologized, and proven that she was going to be "a sweet girl."  I once read that during situations like these somebody has got to win, and it better be the mama.  Let's just say that after both of these instances she got a good talkin' to and I guess it really hit home.  Hence her comment to me this afternoon.  "I gonna not pitch a fit." I'm tempted to make that our new motto! Ha!

Thankfully today we had a wonderful day and she was super sweet all day long.  That's the girl I am used to! 

On another note, Harper has reached the get-into-everything-and-make-a-complete-mess phase.  She quickly sneaks away and starts pulling out whatever she can find.  Two that I snapped pics of tonight during the few minutes I was trying to get her into her room for bed was a spool of ribbon and Handley's shoes (which she LOVES to get into and drag out of the closet).  

What a Wonderful Weekend!

What a wonderful weekend!  Great friends, great weather, and tons of fun on the lake.  The Atkinson's made the trip up to the lake with us this weekend and we had a blast.  From the minute they arrived Handley and Avery were connected at the hip.  Handley had been talking about Avery coming to the lake for about a month now and was beside her self with excitement.  Harper and Dylan were pretty inseparable too.   Harper just loves Dylan and can't wait for him to really start crawling around and playing with her. 

As soon as they arrived we loaded up the coolers and beach bags and headed out on the water.  We spent ALL day out there. 6 hours to be exact.  Some might think that would just be asking for trouble with 4 kids all under the age of 3, but it was absolutely perfect.  We started the day off with a little tubing for the big girls.

After that we headed to our favorite "beach" for some playtime.  There was some great people watching and it was a great place to relax.  The kids had fun playing in the water and building sand castles.  

Dylan's first time on the boat was a success.  He napped like a pro, enjoyed the sights and sounds, and loved the water.  

After playing at the beach it was time for some more sunscreen and then we headed off to another fun spot...the jumping rock. Both Daddies jumped while the kids and Mommies stayed in the boat and counted down for them.  

Finally it was time to head back to the house for dinner.   On the boat ride back all 4 kiddos were so tired they all took naps.  Back at the house we enjoyed appetizers and dinner on the deck and that was immediately followed by a fun bath. Then, the real fun began.  Handley and Avery had their first sleepover party! They dressed alike in their princess nightgowns and were giggling about being able to sleep in the same room together.   I promised them if they went to bed they could have cinnamon buns in the morning.  It only took one time of us going back in the room before they were fast asleep.  

Sunday was another fun day.  Harper fell asleep out on the water and was out like a light for a solid hour while we swam and played on the beach.  I couldn't believe she was sleeping through it all, but she did.  All that playing made us hungry so we headed over to the Tiki Hut for lunch.  It took FOREVER to get our food, but again, the kids were so patient. Handley and Avery got to test out the tractor, have ice cream, and feed the ducks.  

All in all it was a fabulous weekend.  The kids were perfect all weekend and that made it so much fun for the parents too.  We can't wait to do it again soon! 

A much needed day at home

We are always on the go.  I get bored sitting around the house and I think the girls do too, so I usually cram our days full of play-dates, pool time, running errands, and other special outings. This week alone we had pool time, two water-fun play groups, tumbling class, a trip to Southern Prep for fun, and a few lunches out with friends.  I had something fun planned for us today, but after a mild breakdown by both girls yesterday evening I had to back out of our plans and declare a day at home.  Besides a quick trip to the grocery store this morning we've done nothing and it has been just what we needed. 

I mention this a lot, but I love watching Handley and Harper play together.  Of course they have their moments of sibling rivalry, but for the most part they entertain each other so well and keep each other great company. Today while I was cleaning up the dishes from lunch I overheard them giggling together and just smiled to myself as they played.  I'll probably jinx myself by saying this but life feels so easy right now.  Easy and wonderful.  Two kids is definitely busy.  Two kids means no breaks for Mommy.  Two kids also means life-long playmates, friends, and love.   They are at such adorable ages and with Harper walking now the two of them are the best of friends.  Harper squeals with excitement each morning when I tell her it's time to go get Handley up.  Handley is so loving and says the most adorable things to Harper.  Today when Harper fell and bumped her head she sweetly kissed it and asked, "Are you OK baby girl?"  How did I get to be so lucky to be the mom of these two adorable little girls???  

The start of our summer

The start of our summer has been fantastic.  Both Monday and Tuesday we started the morning with a nice long walk/run around the neighborhood, ran a quick errand, and then spent about 3 hours at the pool.  I didn't intend for us to stay so long but both girls are loving the water and all of the time outdoors and it's just so hard to leave.  The sun and swimming is wearing us out because both days Harper has fallen asleep on the short 2 minute ride home from the pool to our house.  She is so tired that I'm able to get her into the crib without waking her and she's taken really long naps each day.  Handley has really "rested" while watching a movie and I get a little quiet time to myself.  If we don't have other plans I think this is how we will probably be spending EVERY day over the summer that is just fine by me. 

I don't have any pictures from the pool because I'm constantly hanging on to one of them in the water.  Both are pretty brave and today just before we left to head home Handley was "swimming" alone (with her life jacket on) so I was really proud of her.  She takes swim lessons in a few weeks and is really excited about that.  

The one picture I do have is of them eating a snack with their friend Addyson.  There is something about swimming that makes us so hungry! 

In other news...Trey and Stefanie moved into their new house over the weekend so we stopped by on Sunday to see their home.  I was impressed by how much they had already gotten unpacked.  Handley kept saying "this looks so nice" and didn't want to leave.  I told her since they are so close now we'll be seeing lots of them! 

And I just had to include this picture of Handley.  She is really into playing dress-up right now.  On this particular day we were at a friends for play group and she just couldn't stop with one outfit, she had to put on everything she could find. :-)

Harper is WALKING!!!

I feel like I've been neglecting to share a very big piece of information about Harper - she is finally WALKING!!!!!  The past few weeks she has gotten a little braver and began to take a few steps here and there.  However, this week she has really taken an interest to being on her feet and has really taken off.  On Thursday she surprised me by standing up in the middle of the floor without pulling up on anything.  She still falls (a lot) but she almost always just stands right back up and keeps going instead of resorting to crawling.  Yesterday and today she definitely walked more than she crawled so I'm going to just go ahead and call it. I finally caught her on video this morning.  You'll get to see her falls and all in this one. :-) 

(If you listen closely in the background Handley asks if we can do a video of dancing.  Then she says, "shake your booty, shake your boo-oo-ty!"  She's too funny!)

More Birthday Party pictures

If you want to see some of the adorable pictures my best friend, Jen, took at Harper's birthday party, check out her blog.  CLICK HERE 

Pre-school Family Fun Day

Yesterday was the Family Fun Day at pre-school.  There were jumpy houses, face painting, games, a hot dog lunch, juice boxes galore and probably the highlight of the event for both Handley and Harper were the snow cones.  They each had two!

 She was SO excited to wear the hand-print shirt that her class had made for the big event.

She was a little unsure of the face painting, but I think she was happy I talked her into it. 

I love Handley's pre-school and how involved they make the parents feel.  There have been so many wonderful events throughout the year and I've enjoyed feeling like a part of the school community.  We definitely found the perfect fit for us and I couldn't be happier seeing my little girl so happy! 

End of Year Reception

Tonight was Handley's year-end program at pre-school.  Each age group walked in the sanctuary with their class and performed 3 songs.  I was so proud of Handley and she did a great job.  She was hidden in the back part of the time and because of where we were sitting I didn't get great pictures. Next year I'll know and get there really early for a front row spot. After they were done singing parents were allowed to come up and take pictures before the next age group performed so I did get at least one close-up.  

Robby recorded the performance, but she looks like a tiny ant and it's hard to even hear what is going on.  I'll save that for the grandparents!  

Water Fun Playgroup

Today our playgroup was full of water fun!  Samantha had planned the perfect afternoon.  There were pools, water tables, popsicles and FUN!   

Harper had lots of friends to play with and loved the water. 

I loved seeing her belly!

Handley was so busy running around the yard playing with her pals that the only time I heard from her was when she was asking for another popsicle. 

Last Day of School

Today was Handey's last day of school.  I can hardly believe that an entire school year has passed. As she started school I was nervous and not sure how the year would go. However, it was the BEST thing I could have done for her and I've loved watching her blossom this year.  Last night when I was talking to her about it being her last day she asked what we were going to do when school was over???  Good question!  It will be an adjustment, but we have lots of fun things planned for this summer so I'm sure we'll keep ourselves busy.  

To celebrate the last day we had an ice cream party for her class.  They kids got to load up their ice cream with as many sprinkles and toppings that they wanted! 

Harper had fun climbing around at the party and I could just tell she thought school was a lot of fun too! 

Handley's teacher, Mrs. Deborah, was amazing.  I'm so thankful that Handley was in her class. Each day I sent her to school I knew she was loved and cared for.  I know that she was the reason Handley has learned to love school. I can't wait for Harper to be in her class in a few years! 

The End of the Year reception is later this week and Friday they have a carnival so we'll have a few more fun things to do with her pre-school before summer really begins!