Memorial Day Weekend

We had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend at the lake.  We met my parents and the girls there on Friday afternoon.  I was so excited to see them and they were so excited to see us, too.  I really think they were most excited to see Hudson though.  He sure did miss them.

Jen, Justen and Parker also spent the long weekend with us and we had so much fun.  We made it our goal to be some of the first ones on the water and stayed out ALL day long.  We all lived in our bathing suits the entire weekend, but that meant lots of time for swimming, tubing, playing at the beach, naps on the boat, fun music, ice cream at the marina and lots of laughs.  I was so bad about taking pictures this weekend, but did manage to snap a few with my phone.

Harper loves swimming in the lake, but no sort of bribe was enough to get her on the tube.  She wanted no part of it.  Handley, on the other hand, went on it every chance she could get and with anyone that would ride with her.  She  is fearless and loved not only being slung around on it with the guys, but also doing her "tricks" on the tube.

Another wonderful thing I discovered this weekend was that Hudson loves the water, too.  I was starting to get nervous about our summer because the last time I tried putting him in the lake he cried and he was even crying during his baths.  This weekend was the turning point, thank goodness. I was starting to think it would be a long summer for him as part of this water-loving family.

The biggest thing that happened this weekend was Handley getting up on her wake-board.  She had help, but we are still super proud of her.  Robby rested her board on top of his and the both got pulled up out of the water.  Then he eased her board in the water and let her hold on to the rope.  He was still behind her to help her balance, but we're excited that she is getting the hang of it and at least getting the feel of being pulled behind the boat.  Fingers crossed she'll be able to get up on her own by the end of the summer.

Hudson's first word

Hudson started saying his first word a few weeks ago, but I wasn't sure if he really meant what he was saying.  I'm going to go ahead and call it.  He says "MAMA" and certainly means it for me.  It only took me having 3 kids to finally have one of them say Mama first.  Handley's first word was dog which is appropriate since she absolutely loved our dog.  Harper's first word was snack which doesn't really need any explanation.  The girl loves her snacks...always has. 

Not only has Hudson started saying mama but he has also become SO attached to me this week and is definitely going through major separation anxiety.  The second I put him down he starts fussing and if I don't pick him back up the fussing turns into full blown crying. 

 If I happen to walk across the room from him, he comes to find me and grabs onto my leg.

Coming to find me

What I saw all day

I'm hoping that part of this is because he is bored without the girls and that when he is reunited with them tomorrow he will be a little more entertained by them and not needing me by his side every second.  Today I vacuumed, pushed the cart at Target, and did just about everything in between while holding him.  While I enjoy the extra arm workout, I appreciate his happy smiles and laid back personality even more.  

The good news is that he wasn't crying all day.  He got so tickled when I put the sunglasses on him.  Of course he kept taking them off, but then wanted them back on.  

The girls are having a blast with my mom and dad.  They've gone to get their nails done, had frozen yogurt, visited my cousin that has baby ducks, and been to the beach.  I've been missing them and our house seems so quiet and weird without them here, but I'm glad they are having so much fun! 

Going to need a long bath

Besides getting up with Hudson at 5:30 this morning, today was a great day.  I always love visiting my parents and love the kids getting to spend time with them and with my extended family.

This morning I asked the girls what they wanted to do today and they told me they wanted to go to the store and use the kid carts.  I needed to go pick up a few things, so that is exactly what we did.  The local grocery store here has the carts and they are absolutely precious.

This evening we went back to my grandmother's house for a visit and the girls got to collect hickory nuts from the yard to throw in the water.  My brothers and I did this as kids and I remember thinking it was so much fun.  I love that my girls are able to enjoy this simple fun, too.

After that we went to Capt'n Bills for dinner (my aunt and uncle's restaurant/volley ball complex).  We got to see my brother, Cameron, some of my cousins and some of my aunts and uncles there.  It was tons of fun and the girls loved getting to play on the sand courts.  What started as putting their feet in the sand some how turned into rolling around in it.  Right after these pictures were taken Harper looked up at me and said, "We're going to need a long bath tonight."  She was right.  They were all filthy, but had the best time.

Tomorrow morning Hudson and I are going to make our way back home and the girls are going to stay the rest of the week with Mimi and Dadaw.  They are so excited and asked me several times today if I could go ahead and leave.  I know they'll have a blast here and I'm happy they will get to spend some special time with my parents.

Officially on Summer Break

We are officially on summer break!  Friday the girls had their pre-school "fun day" and although there were bounce houses and all sorts of games set up, they preferred to move from one food station to the next.  We started with snow cones, moved over to cotton candy, and topped that off with chips and cookies.  I'm not even kidding.

After that we made our way to the lake and had a fun afternoon hanging out on the deck waiting for Gigi, Papa and Robby to arrive.  The girls devised all sorts of funny games, most of which included pouring water on each other in some fashion.

Saturday we spent a solid 7+ hours on the boat and it was absolutely wonderful.  The weather was beautiful, Hudson took two naps on the boat, both girls wake-boarded with Robby, and we had lots of relaxing time, too.  The highlights of that day would have to be Hudson eating his first fist-full of sand, Handley learning to snorkel (an early b-day gift from Gigi and Papa) and Harper wake-boarding with Robby for the first time.  She kept talking big about doing it, but I knew when it came down to it she wouldn't be so eager to go.  She jumped in the water all ready, but then was sobbing as she clung to Robby before they got up.  She managed to hold on and make it up, gave us a quick wave, and then was done.  When she got back on the boat she told us she'd try it again when she was 5.

This morning I made the drive from the lake to my parents' house to visit for a few days.  It was a long drive, but the kids were so great the entire time and were thrilled to be here. We spent the evening at my grandmother's house and unwinding from our day in the car.

End of the year ceremony

Our third big event of the day was the pre-school's end of the year ceremony.  After ballet we went over to our friends new house to have pizza and change the kids before heading back to the school.

The girls had been singing bits and pieces of their songs for me the past couple of weeks and I knew we were in for a treat tonight.  They both seemed to get a little distracted up there at times, but would quickly jump back into the song and keep on going.

Tomorrow is their family fun day at pre-school (including bounce houses, games, face painting, snow cones and much more) and then we are officially done with this school year!

Harper's dance class

We had hardly gotten home and settled from the last day of school celebrations when it was time to turn around and make our way to the last dance classes of the year.  Harper's class had a parent observation day since they didn't get to do a recital dance.  She was so excited that we were going to be able to watch her today and loved that Robby was able to make it there to see her dance.  Robby and I were cracking up half the class because she was just so funny.  At home she has a nick-name of Tornado because she is full speed ahead all the time and often leaves a path of destruction everywhere she goes.  Well, the same held true in ballet today, too.  She slipped and fell a few times, but it didn't seem to phase her because she'd hop right back up and get back into whatever she was supposed to be doing.  I think her motto there is "go big or go home" because she certainly went all out with all her moves.

After watching her today I think tap might be more her speed.  She's got rhythm and did really well during that part of the class.

Since Handley recently got two trophies, it's all Harper has talked about.  She wants to hold Handley's and have one of her own so I ordered her a ballet trophy and let Handley give it to her after the class today.  She was beside herself with excitement and it is now proudly displayed in her room.

To see a few videos of her dancing click the links below:

Tap
Ballet

Last Day of School

Today was the last day of school!!!  Not only did both the girls have ice cream parties in their classes to celebrate, but Handley also got to celebrate her "pretend" birthday today.  She'd been talking about it for a really long time because they do the cutest thing.  Instead of having real candles to blow out, the birthday boy/girl gets to choose 5 friends to represent their 5 candles.  The friends put their arms up like candles and then the birthday boy/girl gets to blow them out and they each fall to the ground.

The end of this school year is bitter sweet.  I'm really excited about summer and having the girls home with me every day, but they have both had such amazing school years that I hate to see it come to an end. We could not have asked for more perfect teachers this year.  I loved them all and I know the girls did too.   Harper told me the other day that when she moves to a new 3 year old class that she was going to miss Deborah and Jennifer.  Handley and Harper have both made really excellent friends in their classes this year.  I love seeing them practically run into their classrooms each day with confidence to greet their teachers and friends.

Here's the first day of school and last day of school comparison shots.

Harper's morning was a little rough today as you can tell from the picture above and her fake/forced smile.  She was much happier when I arrived for her party and was excited to get to go to Handley's class for the celebration down there, too.

After school we came home to get ready for ballet and the end of the year ceremony.  I'll post about them separately, because I have way too many pictures for one post.