Little HIP Chicks

Officially a soccer mom

2012-02-27T18:29:00.000-08:00

Tonight, I officially became a soccer mom. Handley is playing her first season of soccer and is absolutely thrilled. She's on a team with several of her girlfriends and leading up to today's first practice she had been kicking the ball around in our yard and asked me a ton of questions about the actual rules of the game.

She was really excited about her pink cleats, pink shin guards, and pink soccer ball. She kept telling me how cute they all were and I wondered how she would actually do playing if all she cared about was her pink gear. She also changed outfits 3 times tonight before practice, because the first two just didn't look cute enough. :-)

However, when we got there, she did great! She tried her hardest to keep up with the more experienced kids on the team and loved being their with her friends. Her coach discovered about half-way through practice that she is left-handed (and left-footed), which is why she kept trying to kick with her left foot when he was showing them different things. The perfectionist in her showed through, too. She may have been just behind the other kids, but it was only because she wanted to get it just right.

Her team is co-ed, but I believe there are 8 girls and only 2-3 boys. I feel like it's a great mix for her first time though. I was so proud of her and can't wait for their first game on Saturday!

Harper had fun playing with the younger siblings and enjoyed kicking around the soccer ball and pushing her baby in the stroller. She kept telling me she wants to play soccer and I had to assure her that next year she will be old enough to play.

One other funny picture to share of Harper napping this afternoon. Poor thing was so worn out she fell asleep standing up!

Redneck Fun

2012-02-26T19:08:00.000-08:00

There's nothing like a little redneck fun on a Sunday afternoon. Leave it to Robby to come up with an even better way to do Turtle Toppin'. Those that have been reading my blog a while might remember when Turtle Toppin' began and if you don't just click here.

I was inside getting things together for a consignment sale and heard all kinds of laughter and squealing going on outside. I just had to peek out and see exactly what was going on.

Once again, we've managed to find a great use for the golf cart. :-) They were making laps around the house and then decided to head across the street to have more room.

The girls wanted to hold Hudson with them on their ride, but I had to draw the line somewhere.

Our friends from down the street saw what was going on and they came up to join in the fun, too. Annabelle loved riding with the girls and Hudson was happy to have his friend, Emerson, keeping him company.

The girls were completely covered in dead grass by the end of their fun. Keeping in our redneck afternoon, Robby decided the best way to get the grass off was to break out the blower. Seriously.

We ended our day grilling out a delicious salmon recipe I had pinned earlier this week and hanging out on the deck.

He's back!

2012-02-21T20:24:00.000-08:00

The happy Hudson is back!!! I don't see that any of his teeth have actually cut through yet, but he is much happier than he has been in a long time, is smiling more, is content again, and sleeping great, too. We are all happy that our sweet little Boo-Boo is back. (By the way, he's got lots of wacky nick-names: Boo-Boo, Bugga-Boo, Bubba, or really anything that rolls off our tongues.) He's also starting to experience separation anxiety and really loves it best when we are all very close to him and in his line of sight.

I just had to share this cute butterfly snack idea I found on Pinterest. We made it it for our playgroup today, and they worked great because we played outside and this way the kids could have their snacks and run around at the same time. The girls loved helping with this and it was really simple to do.

1. I clipped the clothes pins on a plastic bin and let the girls paint them. (I did this so they would stand up straight and could be painted on both sides quickly instead of letting one side dry, then painting the other side.)
2. After they dried I drew eyes and a smile on the part that grips.
3. Next, I cut a pipe cleaner in half and wrapped it around the back side of the part that grips and formed the antennae.
4. Clip a snack-size baggie in the center with clothes pin and then fill each side with snacks.

The circus and the zoo!

2012-02-20T20:59:00.000-08:00

We have had an exciting couple of days. Yesterday we got to go to the circus! The Atkinsons invited us to attend with them and we were all looking forward to seeing "The Greatest Show on Earth."

The second I told Handley about it she remembered from two years ago that they have cotton candy at the circus and asked if she could have some there. She also remembered that the perk of going with the Atkinsons is that the seats are in a suite and there are all sort of yummy snacks and drinks to go along with the show. She drew a picture of the things she wanted to get a the circus including a drink, popcorn, and cotton candy. As we were getting ready to leave the house she ran to get her picture, and kept it with her the entire car ride there and even folded it up nicely and put it in her coat pocket to bring in with us. She is so particular about certain things and once she had it in her mind that she needed that list, she wasn't about to leave it behind.

The best part of the circus was getting their early and going down on the floor for the pre-show. We were up close and personal with the clowns, horses, ponies, and an elephant that does painting. It was pretty impressive!

A BIG thanks to Tiara and Trevor for inviting us to attend with them!

Today the girls were off school for President's Day, so I had wanted to do something fun with them. We ended up at the zoo with our friends, Jen, Parker, Lisa and Leah.

It was a beautiful day and although the zoo was busy today, it never felt too crowded. We saw the animals, had a picnic lunch, played on the playground and rode the carousel.

Handley loved the petting zoo, but Harper was not too interested in touching any of the animals.

She did love the carousel though and was sad when that ride was over.

We spent about 3 hours at the zoo and it was a wonderful day. The girls were on their very best behavior and when Harper wasn't trying to wander off and take "a shortcut" (her words) or trying to make friends with random people, I felt great having all three of them on our little outing. Hudson was such a trooper and was happy in the stroller until the very end when he was just done. As expected, he fell asleep in the car before we even left the parking lot.

Hudson - 7 months

2012-02-17T19:27:00.000-08:00

I feel like this past month my sweet laid back baby boy has been acting like a different baby. His teeth have been bothering him so much and are taking FOREVER to come in. He's getting more on the bottom and his top ones are making their way in too. I'm praying for some relief for him soon. I want my happy baby back! Don't get me wrong...we can always get him to smile, but he has definitely been much more fussy and whiney than he has ever been.

A 7 months he:

takes 2 naps a day.
cuddles with anyone holding him and loves to give hugs and kisses.
lights up when he sees Handley and always has smiles for her.
eats breakfast, lunch and dinner.
is able to feed himself puffs and cheerios now.
LOVES graham crackers, but makes a total mess of them so I only give them to him at dinner before he's going to get a bath.
wears 6-12 month and 9 month clothing.
loves going to bed early.
is pretty attached to his blue lambie (lovie) and still covers his face with it when he is sleepy.
isn't too interested in drinking water from a sippy cup, but I keep offering and today he actually drank a little so maybe he will start liking it more.
sucks his paci when he's tired and when he is going to sleep.

I have one quick story to share. This afternoon I babysat Parker for a little while and all three of mine were excited to have him here. At one point we were all upstairs and I needed to change Hudson's diaper. Because we no longer have a gate at the top of our stairs, I put Parker in Handley's room with Handley and Harper and closed the door so he wouldn't be able to get near the stairs. The girls had instructions to keep him in there until I was done with Hudson and I would be right back. A few seconds later the door opened and right behind Harper came Parker shooting out the door. Handley instinctively ran in front of him and stretched her arms out reaching either side of the hallway and did the same thing with her legs. She screamed out to me, "I'm a gate! He can't get past me!" She then called for Harper to be a "gate" too. I was watching the whole thing and laughing out loud at Parker trying to climb under their legs and through their stretched arms trying to get past them. It was pretty funny.

One other cute thing was that Handley referred to all four of them as the "4-lets" (sort of like triplets). :-)

Lots to smile about

2012-02-15T20:03:00.000-08:00

We had lots to smile about today.

1) Last night Hudson slept 12 hours (with the exception of me going in his room to give him his paci around midnight). This is a major change from what he was doing!
2) It was sunny and in the mid 60's, which meant we got to spend the afternoon outdoors at the playground.
3) Tonight Handley read me several books from her easy readers and I was SO impressed with how well she is reading!
4) And, for the first time in a few weeks, this little guy seemed to be happy and feeling more like himself again.

I thought his teeth had finally cut through, but still not yet. His nose is still running like crazy and the drool soaks through multiple bibs and outfits each day. He's been incredibly fussy, but today was a different story. After his long nap this afternoon he sat happily in the stroller and watch the girls play at the playground for about an hour, he ate all of his dinner, without fussing and kept wanting more (he hadn't been too interested in eating due to his mouth hurting) and he was happy outside for about 30 minutes after dinner tonight while we took these pictures. All major things in my book and having a happy baby, means a happy mama.

As an added bonus I made my first Pinterest craft project...a new spring wreath for our front door. :-)

Happy Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T18:18:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! We started the day with Handley's party at school. Sheila watched Harper and Hudson for me so that I could really focus on Handley during the party and she was really excited that it was going to be a "just you and me thing." They ate lunch and then I had the same activities for her class that I had for Harper's party yesterday. The heart ring toss game was, by far, the crowd favorite.

Handley and her sweet friend, Grace, were by each other's side all day and I'm so happy that she has such a close friend in her class.

When we got home Handley loved looking through all of her valentines and checking out all of the candy. Oh my goodness, the candy is out of control in our house right now. We're going to enjoy it for a few days and then it's all going to be put away!

This afternoon we had our playgroup Valentine party. Carrie did a fantastic job as the hostess and didn't miss any details. There were crafts (including glitter, which all the kids were SO excited to use), cookies, cupcakes, goodie bags and balloons for everyone. The kids all had fun playing together and the moms enjoyed a glass of wine and good conversation. That was my kind of playgroup. :-)

This was possibly the best Valentine's Day I've ever had because my house is cleaner than it's ever been. As a thank you for dog sitting last week, my AMAZING mother-in-law sent over the lady who cleans her house to do mine, too!!! I can't even begin to thank her enough. Not having to do it myself is such a treat. THANK YOU HELEN!!!

Harper's Valentine Party

2012-02-13T19:06:00.000-08:00

Today was Harper's Valentine party at school. She didn't really know what to expect and didn't quite understand the whole passing out valentines thing, but she was excited to prepare her Mickey Mouse cards for her friends and teachers.

The kids ate lunch including Chick-fil-a nuggets, heart shaped cheese slices and heart shaped strawberries. Then they did a little painting craft and played a heart ring-toss game.

I loved getting to watch Harper interact with her classmates and especially with her best bud, Parker.

She's been talking about her birthday and her birthday party (which is still 2 months away) and I asked her which school friends she wanted to invite to her party. After naming everyone, she then told me that really she just played with Parker the most at school. I talked to Mrs. Deborah today and asked her the same question and she confirmed that those two are a pretty tight duo. In the beginning of the year Harper loved him and he didn't really seem to show much interest in playing with her. However, now he seems to feel the same way. Last week when she got to school I watched him run up to her and try to help her take her coat off. It was the cutest thing!

Early Bedtime and Hudson's Sleeping Habits

2012-02-10T19:53:00.000-08:00

Don't let this smile fool you. This was taken right before bedtime for Hudson. I'm all about early bedtimes, but he would go to bed at 6:15 if I let him. It doesn't matter if he's just gotten up from a 2 1/2 hour nap or not, he still starts acting tried around 5:30 and between 6-7 PM he is pretty fussy. It's not an easy time of night, especially when I'm trying to feed the girls and keep him happy. This is what he usually looks like:

However, between the girls being silly with him and bath time, which he usually enjoys, we can hold him off until 7 PM, when he usually does go to bed.

Thankfully, he is sleeping better at night. His teeth still haven't come in, but I started sleep training with him and it's going pretty well. He was in a bad habit of waking between 10 PM - 12 AM and it was taking him forever to get back to sleep. I finally decided enough was enough. The past few nights I've gone in and checked his diaper and then put him right back to bed. He isn't always thrilled with this idea and cries some, but after a few minutes I give him the paci again and he has been going back to sleep. He's still waking around 4:00 AM, too, but I figure I will deal with that waking after I break him of the earlier other one. This is way better than he was doing, so I will take it!

A Just Me and You Thing

2012-02-08T19:04:00.000-08:00

Handley has coined the term, "a just me and you thing." She will say it anytime that just the two of us are together. It could be something as simple as being alone in the bathroom together when I'm fixing her hair or something a little more significant, like when I come to her school parties alone.

Recently, I feel like she has been craving individual attention and I have a really hard time being able to give it to her. She's in school every day and with Harper and Hudson needing my attention as well, I often feel like I am putting Handley last because she is the oldest and because she is the most independent. I also feel like I unfairly expect perfection out of her. That and the fact that our similar personalities often have us butting heads, I sometimes go to bed feel extremely guilty about the way we have interacted during the day. She loves the role of "helper" and really does make things easier for me around the house when she helps Harper do things or keeps Hudson happy when no one else can. However, I don't want to expect too much out of her and certainly don't want to forget that she is only 4 and deserves me to be as understanding and patient with her as I am with Harper. I've really been making a conscious effort to reconnect with Handley and to do some special things with just her.

This afternoon we started working on the girls' valentines for school and between Harper ripping hers accidentally and Hudson starting to get fussy for dinner, it just wasn't happening. I promised Handley we could try a little later and it could be a just me and you thing. She LOVED that idea. Hudson and Harper both went to bed early so Handley and I got started on her cards. It was so simple, but because she had my undivided attention, she was so very happy. I'm going to continue making time for just me and you things so that she can have the attention and the one-on-one time I know she needs.

I was impressed that she was extremely focused and excited about writing each of her classmate's names on their cards (all 20 of them!) without complaining or even asking once how many more she had to do. Her handwriting skills have improved so much and she really loves writing.

I have one quick tip to share, that my friend, Chancey, shared with me. Most of the store bought valentines are small and the "TO/FROM" space is really, really small. With kids, who generally write big, that makes it tough. Chancey had the idea to glue the valentines to construction paper and let kids write their friends' names on the construction paper instead, giving them more space to write. After tossing out a few valentines because Handley ran out of room while writing someone's name, I decided to bust out the construction paper and do the same thing. We made little cards out of the construction paper and she wrote the "TO/FROM" party on the front. Then on the inside we are going to glue the store-bought princess valentines and the candy she picked out to give her friends. They turned out great and it's something I never would have thought to do. Hope that tip can help someone else, too. :-)

Better late than never

2012-02-05T18:46:00.000-08:00

My new online obsession is Pinterest. Most of you have probably heard about it and for those of you that haven't it's basically a website that acts as a virtual pinboard. You can save anything you you find while surfing the web to different boards you categorize or you can browse what others have pinned and "repin" the ideas to your boards. People pin basically anything, but some of the ones I am loving the most are recipes, craft projects to try, home decor ideas, kids activities, and party planning related things. I had heard people talking about it for sometime now and feel like the last one on the bandwagon, but it's better late than never. Let me just say for anyone wanting to check it out, it is OH SO ADDICTIVE. I should have stayed away, but I am totally hooked now! Every night I browse what others have pinned and I find myself pinning away. I'm loving all the ideas. Last week I tried a new recipe for dinner I'd found on Pinterest and the ideas I have for a new home continue to grow. This weekend I had the girls try a little art projected I'd pinned earlier this week.

It was so simple. You just take empty toilet paper rolls, bend them to look like a heart, dip in paint and use them as a stamp. The girls had so much fun doing this and loved that it made cute little hearts all over their paper. Today we turned them into Valentine cards for grandparents and teachers. They turned out super cute.

Last night the girls attended a pajama party and had so much fun.

While they were there Robby and I took Hudson and went to dinner. Hudson was cracking me up because he had so much to look at and was constantly turning his head in different directions trying to take it all in.

This afternoon we spent several hours outside. It was nearly 70 degrees, but with the sun shining it felt like summer!!! It was so beautiful and made me forget that its only February. Thankfully being outdoors was a nice distraction to Hudson who, if kept indoors, is one big cry-baby right now. He's getting more teeth and they are taking just about forever to finally come in. Nothing seems to give him any relief. This evening I was trying to get dinner ready and finally caved and gave him a graham cracker to see if it would keep him happy. It was his first time trying one, but it was the happiest I had seen him all weekend. He loved it, to say the least.

And I couldn't blog about this weekend with out mentioning Handley's new interest. Gigi came over on Friday and brought her a Justen Bieber singing toothbrush.

I think she mentioned it was given to her as a joke and she was passing it along to Handley.

I don't think Handley knew anything about him before the new toothbrush, but that has all changed and "Bieber fever" has hit our house now. Better late than never, right?!? Ha! Really, the girls just like the song, Baby, and they've both been singing and dancing around with the toothbrush all weekend.

I finally downloaded the song to my phone so Handley would leave the toothbrush in the bathroom. The funniest thing to me is listening to Harper sing the song. Instead of the lyrics, "Baby, baby, baby, oh" she sings "Baby, baby, baby doll" and sings it with such conviction that it has us cracking up.

Days at home vs. Days at school for Harper

2012-02-01T18:36:00.000-08:00

It's no secret that Harper loves school and wants to be there all the time. With the pre-school registration approaching I've been debating between the 3-day or 5-day class for her. I think part of me feels guilty about her going 5 days a week knowing that she will be in school 5 days a week for the rest of her schooling life. Also, I know that by the fall, she and Hudson will really have fun as playmates. Hudson won't be napping in the morning and he will be running around by that point. I'm pretty sure I've made up my mind to do the 3-day class for her. I have come to the realization, though, that I need to have some fun stuff planned to make the days at home just as much fun as the days she is at school. Yesterday we came home after dropping Handley at school and Harper helped me clean the bathrooms while Hudson napped. It's definitely a chore I don't enjoy, but Harper sure did think it was fun. :-) When Hudson woke up we made our way to the neighborhood playground. The weather has been SO nice the past week and with temperatures in the mid-60's, it was the perfect day to play outdoors and have a picnic with our friends, Jake and Reece.

Hudson also got to try swinging for the first time. In true Hudson form, he remained pretty emotionless while swinging and wasn't quite sure what to think of it.

We were looking forward to heading back to the playground this afternoon, but it started raining so we played indoors instead.

After dinner Robby got home from work early enough to play with the kids and all three of them were thrilled to get to see him before bedtime!

Happy Birthday Parker!!!

2012-01-29T18:14:00.000-08:00

Today we helped celebrate Parker's first birthday. His party was at Gymboree and it was lots of fun for all the little ones.

The girls had fun climbing, running around, dancing and singing along to all the music and games. Hudson had fun taking it all in. I think it was the first time he really noticed bubbles, and it was pretty in awe of them.

Handley didn't stray far from Hudson and made sure that he had a big selection of colored balls around him to play with at all times.

Parker thought they were pretty fun too and at one point decided to climb in with Hudson.

Of course, Handley was right there with the two boys and we can always count on her to make them smile and laugh.

I didn't get any pictures of the adorable decorations or food that Jen put together, but every detail was perfect and I still can't believe that Parker is one! Time is flying and before I know it, we'll be celebrating Hudson's first birthday.

Besides the party we didn't really do much the rest of the weekend. It was sunny and fairly warm so we went on a nice long walk and spent lots of time outdoors playing and visiting with neighbors. It was such a nice change to our usually fast paced and packed weekends.

Harper's turn

2012-01-27T18:45:00.000-08:00

Handley continued to feel like her normal self yesterday and while she was bouncing around with tons of energy, Harper started to to fade. She woke up during the night not feeling well and today she was dragging. Thankfully she didn't have a high fever like Handley did, but she does have a bad cold and just looking at her I could tell she wasn't her normal happy-go-lucky self. She took two naps today and I'm hoping after sleeping well tonight she will wake up feeling much better.

This afternoon Jen and Parker stopped by for a quick visit and we gave him his birthday gift. That's right, he turned one this week and I can't even believe a year has passed since he was born! We're excited to celebrate at his party this weekend, but Handley decided she would rather go ahead and let him open his gift today.

We ended up meeting the guys for dinner at a nearby Mexican restaurant. It was slammed and every other family with kids showed up tonight, too. It was loud, crazy, and perfect for our wild bunch. We left little hard of hearing and feeling a little frazzled, but it was fun to get out and fun for me not to have to cook.

This picture was taken yesterday after Jen and I did our weekly walking at the mall. We probably cancelled out all the calories we walked off when we ate our Chick-fil-a, but it was still fun and the little boys seemed to pay a lot more attention to each other than they normally do. It was cute to see them interacting together.

Handley's short-lived fever

2012-01-25T20:22:00.000-08:00

Yesterday afternoon during rest time, Handley fell asleep on the couch (which never happens) and when she woke up she was burning up and seemed really groggy. I took her temperature and it was really high, but after some Tylenol, two popsicles and a juice box, it came down and she perked up a little bit. Her fever kept creeping up during the night, but this morning she woke up fever-free. She stayed home from school today, and was excited to have a day alone with me since Harper was at school.

After Hudson's nap we made a quick stop by the grand opening of a brand new grocery store. It was SLAMMED! There were people everywhere, cars were parking on the curb because their were no spots left and I saw two old ladies getting into it over a handicap parking spot. I should have just kept on driving, but I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. It was a gorgeous store and it's really close to the pre-school, so I will definitely be making frequent trips there. While we were there we came across several characters, which made Handley really excited.

When we left the store we got a quick lunch and then picked up Harper from school. She's always excited to show me what she makes at school and today she was wearing it! She came home wearing a police hat she made and she was pretty proud of it.

This afternoon we spent a little time playing outside. After what felt like days and days of clouds and rain, it was nice to see the sun shining.

Me trying to get Hudson to smile

He always has smiles for Handley

Handley seemed a little off today and not totally herself, but this evening she was bouncing off the walls, singing, and dancing around. She is definitely back to the happy and healthy little girl we love and I am thankful that it was really short-lived!

Heart candy appetizer and Hudson's 6 month stats

2012-01-20T18:41:00.000-08:00

On the days Harper isn't at school, she wishes she was. Today she was under my feet the entire time Handley was at school and nothing I suggested for us to do seemed to interest her. She helped me clean up a little around the house, did a little painting and had lunch, but the entire time she kept asking me why she couldn't be at school. She missed her big sister and couldn't wait to go pick her up. Harper was excited when Hudson finally woke up because it meant she had a playmate.

She was also thrilled to check the mail and find something addressed just to her. Her excitement continued when she learned that Mimi had sent her some cute socks and her very own pack of conversation hearts (or heart candy as she calls it). That girl can put down some heart candy. I remember that last Valentine's she liked them a lot, too. This morning when I was cooking her breakfast she asked me if she could have an appetizer before her waffle. I suggested she munch on some cereal while she was waiting on her waffle, but she had something else in mind. She tilted her head, smiled real sweetly, and asked if she could have some heart candy for her appetizer. For the record, I let her have just one. :-)

This afternoon the girls loaded up for a sleepover with Gigi and Papa. They couldn't wait for Gigi to arrive and I know they are having a blast with them.

It sure was quiet around here this afternoon and I realized just how much Handley and Harper entertain Hudson when they are here. Hudson took a long nap though, so I spent time cleaning out closets and organizing around the house. When he woke up the two of us had some fun one-on-one playtime. Robby picked up Stoney River take-out on his way home so we had a nice dinner date at home after Hudson went to bed. It was the perfect way to end the day!

For my memory, I wanted to blog about Hudson's 6 month appointment on Wednesday. He was such a flirt and showed off all his tricks for the doctor. He had to get a few shots, but cried for just a second until I could pick him up. Then, he was totally fine. After his 4 month shots he was pretty pitiful for the rest of the day, but this time he was totally fine. She did mention that his gums were really swollen, meaning that he will probably be getting more teeth soon. He hasn't been eating much the past few days and I think that, and his night waking, is a result of him teething.

Here are his 6 month stats:

weight- 17 lb. 13 oz. (60th percentile)

length- 27 inches (70th percentile)

head- 17.25 inches (50th percentile)

Hudson - 6 months

2012-01-16T20:24:00.000-08:00

Hudson is 6 months old today! I've always said that 6-12 months is my favorite age and it is definitely proving to be true with Hudson. I could just tell we were approaching the 6 month mark when he started becoming increasingly social and expressive. Don't get me wrong, I love that I can now have detailed conversations with Handley and I think it's a hoot to watch Harper at her age, but there is just something about a sweet baby learning and discovering all sorts of new things each day that has me enamored. The girls love chatting with him, singing to him, making him laugh, and loving on him every chance they get.

I take him for his 6 month check-up in a couple of days, so I'll post about his height and weight then, but I'm thinking he is still going to be on the bigger side. He is solid and has some awesome chunky thighs.

At 6 months Hudson:

takes 3 naps a day. The first two are usually on the go and the third is a good long one in the crib. However, on days I can be home for his morning nap, that one is usually a long, 2 hour nap.
totally stinks at his nighttime sleep. * see note below
takes a paci when he is tired.
nurses 5 times a day (and some at night)
is eating baby food (fruits and veggies) 3 times a day and seems to like everything I feed him.
eats Cheerios and can pick them up by himself, but most of them end up on the floor. We still help him to actually get one in his mouth.
loves his feet and trying to get his toes into his mouth.
can give big slobbery kisses and likes to give them to all of us, all the time.
is a snuggler.
can sit unassisted for 30 seconds to a minute at a time, but still falls over to the side or back, so when he is on the floor playing I still put a boppy around him to cushion his fall or help him get back on balance.
is still really laid back and happy most of the time.
laughs, babbles, coos and makes all sorts of fun faces and expressions now.
has 2 bottom teeth and thinks is funny when I brush them.
discovered tags and now finds them on every toy or blanket he has. He likes grabbing on to them and trying to put them in his mouth.

He found the tag

*Nighttime sleep - So my good little sleeper is not doing so good any more. I think part of it was when he was teething he was absolutely miserable and waking several times a night because of that so now he is just used to waking. I know if I did some sleep training with him he would sleep better, but I just haven't had it in me, yet. I have had success with two different methods for the girls, but with Hudson, there always seems to be something waking him up (leaked through his diaper, frequent gas pains, he poops sometimes at night, etc.) so I've been trying to work through those things first. I'm sure when I decide to take action I'll do a whole post about it, so stay tuned for that... Until then, I'm going to just soak up those middle of the night snuggle times because I know that this too shall pass and I'll be wishing for these days back again.

Giving me big kisses - photo courtesy of Handley

Handley's turn for a kiss

Two "firsts" for Hudson

2012-01-15T19:07:00.000-08:00

We spent the weekend at the lake and although it was really cold, we had a great time and it was nice to have a change of scenery for a few days. The main reason we went up there was so the guys could build a new walkway. While they were working away outside, the girls were indoors keeping the kids entertained. I can't believe I didn't get one picture of Handley and Harper with sweet little Leah, but they loved playing with her. They also loved sticking close to Sarah's side. Bryce and Sarah came up with us so that Bryce could help the guys with their project. The first thing Handley and Harper would ask for in the morning was Sarah. They wanted to sit with her, fix her hair, play tea party with her and basically bug her to death. Sarah is SO sweet with all the kids though and she is surely meant to be a mama someday. She was incredibly helpful to me all weekend and always seemed to step right in, right on cue, without me even asking for help. Thank you, Sarah!

We also had a few firsts this weekend. Saturday night was the first time all three kids took a bath together and they all loved it.

We tried it again tonight and I'm thinking this will become our new normal. I used to bathe Hudson, put him to bed, and then give the girls baths and go through their bedtime routine. With all three in there together though, it saves me time and helps get the girls to bed earlier.

Another first for Hudson today was sitting in a restaurant high chair. I've been wanting to put him in one, but since he is still a little wobbly I wasn't sure how he'd do. At lunch on our way home I decided to give it whirl and I'm not sure why I was waiting. He sat there like such a big boy!

I love when we do something new with him because the girls get SO excited. Also, all weekend long Handley kept saying, "I just wish Hudson knew how much I love him." I explained to her that he definitely knows that she loves him because she tells him and shows him with hugs and kisses every chance she gets. I know I've said it before, but she is so good with him and such a little mommy. I don't know what I'd do without her sweet help.

Walking Buddies

2012-01-12T21:28:00.000-08:00

For several months now Jen and I have been meeting once a week to walk and try to get a little exercise. Since neither of us like to be cold during these winter months and we don't want our boys to turn into popsicles outside, we walk the mall....with all of the old people...and, we love it. :-) Today we walked for an hour and it really only felt like 10 minutes. It's fun to window shop, people watch, and of course, chat with my best friend. Our husbands don't really believe that we can spend that much time in the mall and not do any real shopping, but it's true. It's funny because the kiosk people who try to sell you hair extensions or other random goods or services eventually stop asking when they see us come by about the third time.

Cute little walking buddies

I look forward to our Thursday walking dates each week and I'm sure when Hudson isn't sleeping through part of the time, he will love it too. Today, he and Parker were eyeing each other as we headed to our cars and I am just so excited to watch these two grow up together and see how their friendship develops. As soon as the warmer weather comes along this spring we'll definitely take our weekly date outdoors. I'm sure by then the boys will be able to enjoy some playtime at a park after we get our exercise. (Can you tell I'm already over the cold weather - I am not a fan.) Until then though, we will continue to log miles at the mall each week.

Back at it

2012-01-10T18:29:00.000-08:00

After about 2 1/2 weeks off, school started back today. I'm usually ready for us to be back at it and in our regular routine, but I was not looking forward to today. I had loved staying around home while the kids played nonstop all day. It was so nice to not have to be anywhere at any certain time. All good things must come to an end. The girls missed school and are really excited about starting back so that makes it easier for me (but it doesn't stop me from wishing it was summer break already.) Handley started today and talked a mile a minute on the way home about all of the fun she had. Harper wished that she was able to go today, but is thrilled she starts back tomorrow. She's also asking me several times a day now when it will be her birthday. Let the countdown to April begin! Ha! I can only imagine how many times she will ask me that same question over the next 3 months. :-)

Eating Cheerios like a Champ

2012-01-09T18:43:00.000-08:00

We had a pretty awesome weekend. Highlights included a birthday party at the kids' favorite location (Happy Birthday Jake and Reece!), checking out the brand new fancy Racetrac (can't wait till one opens close to us), an impromptu gathering of all the kiddos on our street riding their "vehicles" (as Handley likes to say) and an almost sleepover with Avery.

Handley has been talking about a sleepover for quite some time and I'd promised her we would do it over Christmas break. My time was running out so we invited Avery over and the girls had so much fun. They made cookies in the Easy Bake Oven, colored, played with their new dolls, and giggled like only little girls can do. They were so sweet to include Harper all night, and she thought she was one of the big girls, for sure! It ended around 9:30 PM when Avery decided she'd rather sleep at home, but it was tons of fun while it lasted.

The dolls having a sleepover, too.

Over the weekend I also discovered that Hudson can eat Cheerios like a champ. I had been giving him a few Mum-Mums or Puffs here and there over the past week, and he loved them, but the main ingredient in them is rice four and, like the rice cereal, they gave him bad gas and I guess he is just not quite ready for rice yet. Cheerios, on the other hand, have no rice and he absolutely loves them. I'm kind of surprised by how quickly he's taken to "chewing" them. He tries to pick them up and does a pretty good job, but can't qutie get them in his mouth yet. He's lucky that he has two big sisters and a mama who are happy to help him though.

Notice Hudson's reward sticker the girls gave him for doing a good job eating his Cheerios.

And one more little thing that I don't want to forget is what happens each night before bathtime. Hudson sits in the boppy and the girls put on a show for him, including music, props, and all kinds of dancing. He loves watching them, and they love having an audience for their show. I usually take advantage of this time to try to thrown in some laundry or straighten up a bit, but tonight I sat right down there with him and enjoyed the show so much that it was Hudson's bedtime before we even made our way to the bath.

Watching the show

Harper's First Ballet Class

2012-01-05T19:35:00.000-08:00

Today was Harper's first ballet/tap class and she could not have been more excited. For about a month now I have been telling her that she is going to get to take ballet and she could not wait for the day to arrive. All week Handley had been giving her mini lessons and telling her all about the things she would get to do in the class. The class she is taking is a 3 year old class, but the director allowed Harper to try it this month because she said Harper seemed, "outgoing" and she thought she would be OK without me. I had been reminding Harper of this all day and telling her that she needed to act like a big girl 3 year old and that she had to follow directions. As she was getting dressed she kept saying, "they don't know I'm not three" and as soon as she had her leotard and tights on she looked down and said, "I look so cute!" And, she did.

She waited patiently while Handley had her class and then when it was time for her to line up and go in she grabbed her bag and ran to her place. She gave me a huge smile and a big wave as she entered the room. Handley was exiting at the same time and couldn't have been more excited for her baby sister to get to go in. Seeing their interaction at that moment was so very sweet.

Waiting in line to go into the class

There are no windows in the room and we aren't allowed in so I was curious as to how she was doing. During the class the director had been in and out a few times and she told me that Harper was doing a great job. When the class ended, she came running out with a big smile on her face and the first thing she excitedly told me was, "I followed directions!"

All night she wanted to show off what she'd learned and she and Handley compared notes about their classes. She didn't want to take of her dance clothes and I know she will be so excited about going back next week!

Today I am feeling so much better and we were able to get out and do a few things. One of our stops was Target and I decided to let Hudson try sitting in the cart for the first time. Being the laid back baby he is, it didn't seem to phase him. I was making a big fuss about what a big boy he was and trying to get him excited, but he just kind of stared at me like it was no big deal. The girls loved having him right in front of them. And, in other big news, Hudson officially has his first tooth!

Easy Bake Oven

2012-01-04T19:48:00.000-08:00

The start of this week didn't go quite as I had planned. I had hoped to get some errands run, do some stuff around the house, and I had a few fun things planned to do with the kids. I ended up having a severe allergic reaction to the amoxicillin I was taking for my strep last week and it left me with an awful rash and hives covering my body and face. I had planned to go to the doctor this morning, but last night during dinner when it was getting worse instead of better, I made a split second decision to load everyone up and head to the urgent care down the street. The receptionist rushed me through the check-in process because she felt so bad for me (and probably because I had 3 young kids with me nearing bedtime). The kids were great and actually Robby was able to come meet me there. I got a few "bless your heart"'s from nurses and workers there, so I knew it must have been bad. The doctor confirmed what I had already discovered from my online research. This morning I woke up miserable and didn't feel like the medicine I was prescribed was doing anything, but tonight I feel like a new person. My face and chest just look like I have a sunburn and while I do still have the rash and hives, it no longer itches so I can totally deal with it.

The girls have been so sweet and have played together so well the past two days we've been at home. It's like they knew I couldn't handle one more thing. People say that misery love company and Hudson has been pretty pitiful himself the past two days. He has a tooth right on the verge of cutting through and he is not digging it. I'm hoping that by tomorrow he will get some relief.

The girls and I did manage to squeeze in a little fun this afternoon. Handley got an Easy Bake Oven for Christmas from Gigi and Papa and had been asking for the past week to try it out. Today was the day.

She decided to make cinnamon twist pretzel sticks with chocolate dipping sauce. Sounds yummy, huh? Well this was the final product.

Looks delicious, doesn't it? :-) We might just try cookies next time.

The girls gobbled them up and I guess with enough chocolate on it, anything will taste good. :-)

One other quick funny story that happened tonight. When Handley wants to, she knows just what to say to push Harper's buttons and make her upset. Handley likes to be in control and is happiest when things are going her way. Tonight they got into some sort of disagreement and when I got to them to talk about what had happened Handley had a grin on her face. I told her she needed to wipe that smirk off her face and she had no clue what I was talking about because she looked at me innocently and said, "OK, with a wipe or a washcloth or what?" Ha! I couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T18:35:00.000-08:00

2012 is here! We had a pretty amazing 2011 and I can't wait to see what this new year has in store for our family. My resolution for this year is to simplify. My goal is to be less stressed about my to-do list, to not over schedule our days, and to really focus on enjoying and playing with my kids. I once heard that during the years with young children the days are long, but the years are short. I totally agree with that statement and the fact that Handley is going to be in Kindergarten next year just blows my mind. I want to make sure I am soaking up every last second of my kids during this season of our lives and I often feel like I let other things get in the way of that. So, that is the reason for my resolution this year.

I spent the last few days of the year working like crazy to get all of our things unpacked from traveling, all of the toys and new presents put away, and took down all the Christmas decorations. I'm pretty exhausted, but I can't stand to have things hanging over my head so I was glad to have it all done. When I wasn't slaving away we were spending time outside testing out the new ride. The girls are loving it and I'm actually pretty surprised by how well Handley can steer, drive, and take directions to help her maneuver. Harper, obviously, needs more assistance, but she's loving it just as much and makes a great passenger too.

Yesterday we spent New Years Eve with our friends celebrating Justen's birthday. Usually the girls spend the night with Gigi and Papa, but this year they came with us too (because Gigi and Papa were watching the ball drop in NYC!!!). Handley and Harper were super excited about the party and getting to have a sleepover at Jen and Justen's house. They dressed to match their new dolls and even packed their dolls' sleeping bags so they could have a sleepover, too.

The kids all had fun playing with Parker's new toys and after they were in bed the adults had some serious fun playing Wii Just Dance. It was SO MUCH FUN and we were all cracking up.

My sweet boy is getting his first teeth so he's been a little off the past few days. He was up a lot the past two nights, and last night he woke up before Midnight and was not seeming to interested in going back to sleep. I gave up, brought him down to the basement to join in the fun and ring in the new year with the rest of us. He was all smiles and loving being up at that hour. Seeing as how he joined and completed our family during 2011 I was happy that he was there with us to bring the year to a close.

Today we enjoyed being around the house, a long walk and then a hibachi dinner with our friends to celebrate the New Year. The girls were fascinated by the whole experience and when we got home they immediately got the play food and cookware out of their kitchen and started tossing things around like the chef did for us.

Final Christmas Celebration

2011-12-27T19:58:00.000-08:00

Today was rainy, but it was so nice to just hang around my mom and dad's house. The girls enjoyed playing with all their new toys and Harper loved wearing her new jeans. This evening was the last Christmas celebration for us with my mom's side of the family. It's always a big crew with lots of chaos, but tons of fun.

Thankfully the rain cleared up so the kids had fun playing corn hole and roasting marshmallows outside while the adults had fun catching up and reminiscing about old times. The kids got spoiled with more gifts and I swear its going to take me at least a week to unpack and organize all their stuff when we get home. Everyone is always so generous though and I'm so happy that my extended family is still as close as ever.

Today is also mine and Robby's anniversary. We've been married 8 years. We are talking about it in the car earlier and discussing how we were going to celebrate by going out to a nice lunch tomorrow while we have babysitters here. Handley perked up and asked if it was my anniversary. When I told her it was, she then asked Robby if it was his anniversary too. :-) It was kind of hard to explain to her, but she was happy to try to understand.

Christmas at Mimi and Dadaw's

2011-12-27T09:06:00.000-08:00

We decided that leaving around bedtime on Christmas night would make the drive to my parents much quicker and easier since the kids would sleep the whole way. Thankfully, it worked out just as planned. We rolled in about 2 AM and the kids went right back to sleep till morning. It was nice to be able to wake up and spend the day visiting with my family instead of in the car.

After having a very sore throat all week I finally gave in and went to an urgent care location yesterday morning. As I was texting with Jen I told her I knew it was bad when I couldn't even enjoy my wine! Turns out I do have strep, but I hoping the antibiotics will knock it out soon.

Last night my Dad's family came over for dinner. It was fun celebrating Christmas with them and getting to catch up. It was also their first time meeting Hudson.

After they left I put Hudson to bed and the girls got into their PJ's. It was a special treat for them to get to stay up late and open their gifts. They got doll carriers and tons of clothes and accessories for their new dolls from my parents.

Stefanie has recently taken up crocheting and made all the kids the most adorable hats!

Harper had us all laughing when she opened her FAVORITE gift. She tossed aside the toy when she saw what was in the bottom of the gift bag...jeans! She was jumping up and down and was so excited. She tried them right on and told us it was her favorite gift of the whole night. I bet we are in trouble for her teenage years when she discovers designer jeans. :-)

Christmas Morning

2011-12-27T07:52:00.000-08:00

I'm thinking that each Christmas is just going to get better and better as the kids get older and even more excited about what's going on. This year was tons of fun. I thought for sure they would be up at the crack of dawn, but Harper was the first one up at 7 and I was able to hold her off until 7:30 when Handley woke up.

Handley excited to see her American Girl Doll

Harper was so happy to see her "big" chair

Harper got right to work on her doll's hair

After checking out their first stash from Santa, Harper happened to look over and saw the really big thing they had asked for. They keep calling it a "Jeep" because that was what they had asked for, but because Santa didn't want Hudson to have to drive a pink Barbie Jeep as he got older, so he went with something that would make everyone happy for years to come.

Unfortunately it rained most of the day so they couldn't take a drive right away, but later on Robby set them up so they could at least test it out. And they LOVED it.

After enjoying their Santa gifts we enjoyed a delicious breakfast prepared by Gigi and Papa and then it was time to open gifts from each other. Robby gave Handley her very own pink wake-board and she was definitely thrilled about it. Robby bought himself one, too, so now they are really ready for summer.

Handley thoroughly enjoyed watching everyone open the gifts she had given them and would run over and hug each person with a huge smile on her face.

After spending the afternoon around the house we made our way to Gigi and Papa's for more gifts and a Christmas dinner. It was a fantastic ending to a fantastic day.

"We sure are lucky"

2011-12-27T07:05:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas Eve was spent relaxing at home. We did make one quick run to get frozen yogurt (Harper filled up her marble jar), but other than that we were at home making final preparations for Christmas. Gigi and Papa came over for dinner and spent the night with us so they could be around for all of the excitement on Christmas morning.

The girls had fun spreading out their reindeer food, getting cookies and milk ready for Santa, singing Christmas songs for us, and hearing a few Christmas stories read by Gigi before heading off to bed. They both went to sleep right away because they were worried about Santa skipping our house.

As I was putting Handley to bed I told her the plans for the next few days that included seeing what Santa brought for them, opening gifts at our house, going to Gigi and Papa's house to open gifts and then on to Mimi and Dadaw's and more gifts there. She responded with, "we sure are lucky" and I was so happy that she sees it that way. We are all very lucky and I was so happy to be able to celebrate Christmas with my little ones and make this holiday a very special time for them.

Christmas Eve Eve

2011-12-23T19:37:00.000-08:00

I have really enjoyed having the girls home the past two days and, with the exception of a little party last night, we have not gone anywhere or done anything out of the house. It's been wonderful. Handley and Harper have been playing so well together and have also loved being home together with no real agenda. Yesterday we wrapped gifts, today we made cookies for Santa and in between that fun I've done loads and loads and loads of laundry. I've also answered at least 100 times, when Christmas will be here. The kids are SO excited and we are too.

Tonight after dinner we bundled up and took a ride on the golf cart to check out all the Christmas lights.

The class parties on Wednesday were lots of fun. Both were at the exact same time and I had planned to just split my time between the two classes. When I let Handley know about that idea she wasn't thrilled. I called Gigi and thankfully she was free for the afternoon so she came too. That way, no one had to be without someone at their party and everyone was happy. I know I've said this before, but I just love the pre-school the girls attend and their teachers are fantastic. The girls absolutely love them and I do too!

Last night my neighbor planned a party and invited Santa! We all knew he was really busy, but he and Mrs. Claus were able to get away from their Christmas duties for a quick stop by the party. He read the kids a story and gave them each a little gift.

Handley got a Strawberry Shortcake movie and Harper got a Dora watch.

Harper showing her watch to Mrs. Claus

Ready for Christmas Break

2011-12-20T19:38:00.000-08:00

I am so ready for Christmas break! The girls have still been in school this week and I just want them to be done and be at home! I want to be able to make Christmas cookies, wrap gifts together, and do all the fun things that make it feel like Christmas. Tomorrow is their last day, and their class Christmas parties, and I couldn't be more ready.

Today I let the girls wrap gifts to give each other. I gave them each a few choices of things I had already bought and they were so cute picking out the gift, choosing the wrapping paper, putting on the bow and placing their gifts under the Christmas tree. They are both eyeing what's under there (our first wrapped gifts under the tree) and have been so sweet to each other. I love seeing how excited they are about giving their gifts to one another. They are in the spirit of giving because this afternoon they made some pictures or something in the playroom and "wrapped" them up for Robby and I and stuck those under the tree too.

This afternoon we had our playgroup Christmas party. The kids made reindeer food, at snacks, did a craft and had a secret Santa gift exchange. Harper loved her new dress up clothes and Handley was over the moon about the jewelry box she received.

We were too busy having fun for me to take many pictures, but I did manage to get one of my three before we went out the door. My mom always makes the kids Christmas outfits each year, and I just love these in non-traditional Christmas colors. Cute little Christmas trees on a pink dress couldn't make Handley any happier. Harper wasn't thrilled to change out of her jeans, but gladly did knowing that she got to wear the dress Mimi made for her.

The Nutcracker

2011-12-20T18:57:00.000-08:00

This weekend, Gigi took the girls and I to see the Nutcracker! Gigi had been wanting to take Handley to see the Nutcracker at the Fox since she was born and was thinking about it this year. However, after checking into tickets we decided that a smaller scale production might be best for this year. We saw a performance put on by a local ballet studio at a new, state-of-the-art high school theater. It was absolutely perfect!

We all met Gigi and Papa for brunch and after that Robby and Papa took Hudson home while the girls headed on to the show. Handley and Harper had both been talking about going to see the Nutcracker all week and Gigi had even given them a storybook we'd been reading together so they would understand the ballet. The first half of the show ran 30 minutes, followed by a short intermission, and then another 30 minutes. It was a Harper loved seeing the actually nutcracker and applauded when everyone else did, but her attention span wasn't quite ready for a theatrical production. Handley, on the other hand, LOVED it and stayed interested the entire time. When the show was over she told us she wanted to be the Sugar Plum Fairy because she had the prettiest costume.

After the show we met up with one of Gigi's friends who was part of the production team and she gave us a back stage tour. She showed them how they make it snow, all of the props, and even took them into the control room and let them check out the spotlights and turn on the mirror ball. It was fascinating for all of us.

checking out some of the props

Handley turning on some of the lights

Back at Gigi and Papa's house Gigi had special nutcrackers for each of the girls and they promptly put on a show for us, dancing around with them. A big thank you to Gigi for such a special day!

Hudson - 5 months

2011-12-16T19:08:00.000-08:00

Hudson turned five months old today. We all love him so much and can't get enough of his sweet, flirty smiles. He continues to be laid back and easy going, which is just fine by me. I constantly have people commenting on what a good baby he is. Mostly because he rarely cries and when I'm out running errands he is content to sit in the stroller or his carseat and just take in his surroundings. He has learned his preferences of being held or being close to me. I used to be able to put him on the floor with some toys and walk away to do some things with no problem. Not anymore! Now the second I put him down on the floor he starts whining and wanting me to pick him up, which I usually do, because he is the baby and I do love that fact that he wants to be close to his mommy. However, when I do need to get some things done I can usually count on Handley to sit with him and she does a great job filling in for me.

At five months he:

loves to eat baby food and has had sweet potatoes, squash, pears, and applesauce.
takes 3 naps a day and occasionally a 4th little cat nap in the evenings.
likes putting toys in his mouth and chewing on his fingers
has become increasingly interactive and smiles at us all the time.
laughs when ticked, but he hasn't found anything else funny enough to laugh at...yet.
enjoys his bath and prefers to sit up in the bath now instead of reclining back.
discovered his feet and thinks they are loads of fun to grab.
rolls around on his back from side to side, but still hasn't flipped all the way over.
can roll from his stomach to his back.
loves playing in the exersaucer and is happy to hang out in there for a really long time.
starts fussing every time I put him in the car seat, but calms down as soon as he has his paci.
loves the paci when he is tired.
falls asleep on his own for naps at at bedtime each night, generally with absolutely no crying at all!
calms down if he is upset as soon as I give him his blue lovey. He loves covering his face with it.
sleeps with the lovey covering his face and while I used to go in and move it off, now I just leave it. In fact, if he is upset or wakes at night, sometimes all it takes is putting it back on his chest so he can pull it over his face.
can sleep all night, but usually wakes once a night. Often it's due to a leaky diaper. I've tried going up a size and using overnight diapers, but for some reason he still wets through and wakes with wet pajamas.

He was more interested in his feet than he was looking at me for a picture. :-)

How he sleeps

Jeans and some Elf drama

2011-12-15T19:03:00.000-08:00

I love watching how my kids' personalities and preferences develop. Most of the time, they are pretty opposite. For example, Handley loves wearing dresses. She always tells me she wants to look fancy or cute and generally that means a dress or skirt. Harper used to have no preference in regards to what she wore, but that has changed. That girls LOVES her jeans. Every night when we pick out her clothes she asks me if it's going to be cold tomorrow and when I say, yes, she then tells me, "Then I gonna wear jeans tomorrow!" I don't care if she wears jeans, but I also like for her to wear all the cute dresses she has. If she finds out her jeans are dirty, she starts pouting and tells me, "I like to wear jeans every, every, every day." I think part of the reason she likes jeans so much is because she sees me wearing the most days. When she wears a dress and I'm in jeans she asks why she can't wear them. I tell that when she is a mommy, she can wear jeans everyday too. Then she asks me when she's going to be a mommy. :-)

Even today at the playground, Handley was still dressed up from school, but that didn't slow her down one bit. She and Avery had a blast riding their bikes together and I'm so impressed with how skilled both of them are becoming on their bikes.

One more quick little story about our Elf on the Shelf, Elfie. The girls have LOVED him this year and each morning the run around the house together looking for him. He's been some pretty funny places doing some fun things (riding in the Barbie Jeep, playing a board game with some stuffed snowmen, in each of the kids stockings, etc.) Yesterday he was sitting on their bathroom counter holding some floss and they were certain that he'd been flossing while they were asleep. As I was giving Hudson a bath the girls were in there playing with some makeup. Next thing I know I turn around to see Harper touching Elfie. For anyone who has an Elf, you know that is a big no-no. I asked her if she touched him and she immediately started sobbing, which means she did, but she was saying over and over that she didn't. Handley and I reassured her that we wouldn't be mad if she had, but that she needed to tell us. She stuck to her story and said no, so I let it go. As soon as Robby got home the girls ran down to greet him and I heard Handley telling him that we thought Harper maybe touched him. Robby asked Harper if she touched him by accident and she boo-hoo-ed a big YES. That made Handley start melting down because now Elfie had lost his magic (what happens if you touch an elf) and wouldn't be able to fly to the North Pole to tell Santa she'd been good. Robby reassured her that if it was an accident he wouldn't loose his magic and I even found something online that tells how to restore his magic if he was touched by accident (apologize and sing him your favorite Christmas song). We did that and they went to bed hoping that tomorrow he'd be sitting in a new spot.

This morning he was perched on our foyer light (wonder how in the world he got there?!?!) right outside the girls rooms. Harper was actually the one to notice him first and started jumping up and down with excitement. Robby came over and told her that he was right, Elfie wouldn't loose his magic if he was touched by accident. Then Harper turned to us, lifted her arms and exclaimed, "I not gonna touch him today!" We all started laughing and I think from now on Elfie might just choose to sit in places out of reach.

Pink Pig and Santa 2011

2011-12-13T19:01:00.000-08:00

Today we made our annual trip to ride the pink pig (an annual Atlanta tradition at Christmas) and to visit Santa. My girls had fun riding the pink pig with their friends, but really today they were all about seeing Santa. This weekend Handley worked really hard writing her list for Santa and even helped Harper with her list too.

We met up with our friends and rode the pink pig first before the line got too long.

They also got to see Pricilla - the official mascot of the pink pig - and have their picture made with her. I thought Harper might be OK with the pig since she did so well with the cow last weekend, but that wasn't the case. She wanted nothing to do with Pricilla.

As always, they had fun riding through the pink storybook scenes.

Hudson will have to have his first ride next year. He and I watched and took pictures, but Jen came and brought Parker for his first ride on the pink pig!

Next it was off to see Santa! Harper has been SO excited about this trip. She seemed a little nervous while we were waiting in line, but after watching the other children sit on his lap she ran right up to him with Handley and started showing him her 3 lists (complete with pictures, stickers and random numbers Handley was helping her write).

We even stuck Hudson on Santa's lap for a quick picture and he seemed more interested in the people in line, but I got a shot with all three of the kids, so I was happy.

After giving Santa hugs and high fives we were off to eat lunch at Chick-fil-a and then home to get ready for playgroup at our house.

Loved Hudson's giant smile in this picture.

I am officially exhausted this evening, but seeing how happy and excited the kids were, makes it totally worth it.

Chick-fil-a Cow

2011-12-10T11:35:00.000-08:00

Since Harper was born she has had a fear of characters in costumes, including the Chick-fil-a cow. For the most part we've been able to bypass the cow or see him from afar. One time we were there eating dinner and the cow happened to be there, too. As soon as we walked in the door she was hysterical and clinging to me and it didn't stop until the manager finally had the cow go out to the street and wave to passing cars. Every single time we went to Chick-fil-a she would ask, "Mommy, the cow be there?" because she hoped he wouldn't be.

Well about 2 months ago we were pulling in the parking lot for lunch one afternoon and she'd just asked me if he would be there and I had reassured her that no, he wouldn't so she didn't need to worry. As luck would have it, as we were getting out of the car the cow was walking out of the restaurant and headed to the street to wave at cars. I was hoping to distract Harper, but she spotted him and literally jumped into my arms and started crying. Meanwhile, Handley is asking if she can run across the parking lot and give the cow a hug. Talk about opposite ends of the spectrum. We made our way inside and while we were waiting to order Handley asked Harper why she didn't like the cow. Harper replied, "Because he is big." Handley promptly said, "Well Daddy is big and you aren't afraid of him." Harper looked at her, thought for a minute, and then turned to me and said, "Mommy, I want to give the cow a hug." WHAT?!?!? Just like that she changed her tune. So, for several months now every time we go to Chick-fil-a she asks if the cow will be there, not because she is scared of him, but because she tells me she wants to give the cow a hug. Wouldn't you know that since her new-found love of the cow happened, we NEVER saw the cow during any of our visits. She'd always tell me to "ask the lady" if the cow would be there.

I had promised her I would check into an event where the cow would be in attendance so when I got the email about today's Christmas celebration at Chick-fil-a there was no way we could pass up the chance for her to see him. She talked about it all week and was so excited for lunch today. As soon as we walked in she saw him and although she was sort of hesitant about getting to close, she did give him a quick hug, a very quick high-five, and posed for a picture. While we ate lunch she kept turning around to make sure he was still in sight. :-)

After lunch they also got to make a Christmas tree necklace, play cow bean bag toss and get their faces painted. It was a fun event and Harper was sad to have to leave, but she can now say she hugged the cow and that she isn't afraid of him anymore!

Parent Observation Day

2011-12-08T18:19:00.000-08:00

Today was parent observation day at Handley's ballet and tap class. She was excited to have us there watching and we couldn't wait to see what she'd been learning all year. We were supposed to observe what a "regular" class is like, but with all of the extra parents and siblings in the room, I think it threw some of the girls off a bit. Handley, for one, was distracted, but excited about all of the people. She seemed most happy to have Hudson in there watching because every time she danced by she was only looking at him.

Harper got in on the action too. She was just itching to get down out of the seats where we were so I told her she could stand up right in front of us dance along. Let me just say that girl is going to L-O-V-E ballet and tap when she starts her class after the holidays.

We came home and I had a little gingerbread house craft activity for the girls to complete while I was getting dinner ready. That didn't go over so well. Handley, the perfectionist, was getting rather irritated with Harper, who was haphazardly placing stickers and decorations in random spots. I kept trying to tell Handley that it really didn't matter and that she could fix it later. I also might have mentioned that Harper is only two so she doesn't quite understand how to do these projects as well as a four year old. The next time Handley said something to Harper about the way she was placing the stickers Harper looked at her and said, "Hawey (what she calls Handley right now), I two, not four so this is how I do it." That sent Handley over the edge so she just decided to walk away from the project and re-visit it another day. Between the two of them fighting and Hudson being extra tired/fussy tonight I was about to loose it. Handley must have seen me looking frazzled and sweetly asked, "Mommy, what can I do to help you out." Love that sweet girl of mine and the big helper that she is on a daily basis.

One last little note about Hudson, he is totally back on track with sleep and tummy issues. So much so that I decided he was ready to give food a try again. Tonight was day 3 of sweet potatoes and he really loves them. After the first few bites he was leaning forward with his mouth wide open ready for more.

The girls excited about Hudson trying sweet potatoes for the first time on Tuesday!

Why I shop alone

2011-12-06T19:09:00.000-08:00

I usually try to run most of my errands on days that both girls are in school, but with Christmas quickly approaching I have a long to-do list so I decided to do a few things this morning with both Hudson and Harper. At our first stop, Hobby Lobby, I was reminded why it is best to shop alone. I was looking at a few items and Harper spotted a tote bag. I let her get it off the shelf and start carrying it around on the aisle we were on. I kept hearing her say, "this one, and this one..." but she was being quiet and I could see her out of the corner of my eye so I stayed glued to the items I was looking at and trying to decide between. When I was done I asked if she was ready to go and I discovered this:

She had put about 50 bottles of paint in her bag! I couldn't believe it and she seemed shocked when I told her we had to put it all back. She just kept telling me that she needed to pay for her things.

That little incident goes right along with her new favorite game: Lady and Ma'am. We play ALL day long. The Lady is the shopper and the Ma'am is the "payer" (cashier). I'm usually the Ma'am. Harper will collect random objects, bring them to me along with her wallet, and tell me she is ready to pay. I have to take each item, add up her total, and then she pays me with her pretend credit cards and play money. If I happen to call her Harper, even 10 minutes later, she promptly reminds me, "No Mommy, I still the Lady and you still the Ma'am."

Christmas is in full swing

2011-12-04T21:14:00.000-08:00

Christmas is in full swing at our house...including the imaginary/pretend play. The girls have created this new game just cracks me up. Today they had Gigi and Papa playing with them. Gigi was instructed to go to sleep on the couch. Meanwhile, Handley plays the role of Santa, Harper is a reindeer pulling the sleigh, and Hudson is an elf. While the person on the couch is "sleeping" Harper will pull Handley around (although Handley ends up in front so Santa is actually pulling the reindeer) and then they sneak over the basket of toys, collect as much as their arms can carry, and line them all up behind the couch.

Handley (Santa) pulling Harper (a reindeer)

Then they change roles and become the Mommy and Daddy as they say, "Honey, wake up! Come see what Santa has left you." Then they lead the person around the couch to see the pile of toys.

If they can't get anyone else to play, the two of them switch roles and still make the game work. It's so fun to watch and they haven't gotten tired of it yet. It's these little things that I hope to always remember because their imaginations are so vivid and so sweet right now.

We had a pretty low-key day that ended with Gigi and Papa coming over for dinner. Robby grilled steaks, Gigi and Papa brought the sides and all I had to do was run the dishwasher. I could get used to that kind of dinner. :-) Before they left we had a dancing performance in the garage. Gigi asked Handley to show her some of her tap moves. I don't let Handley tap on the hardwoods because it scratches the floor so she has to do it in the garage if she wants to tap at home. Harper, not to be left out, grabbed her ballet shoes and also put on a little performance of her own. She is just going to love Ballet/Tap when she starts after Christmas. All that dancing led to Hudson, Papa, and Robby joining in, too. And that, is what I wish I had a video of. Ha! We were all laughing by that point and needless to say, the girls were trying to hold Gigi and Papa hostage so they couldn't leave the fun. It was bedtime for everyone though, so we'll have to pick up where that dance party left off next time.

We still love the Dawgs

2011-12-03T20:51:00.000-08:00

Our original plans for today included having friends over to watch the SEC game with us. However, Robby ended up getting some tickets from work so the guys went to the game and the girls came over with the kids. It was a fun and busy evening. We had the game on in the background, but chasing after all the little ones kept us pretty busy. The stairs (without a gate) and the Christmas tree ornaments were the main attraction for the toddlers in attendance. I forgot how busy they can be! After the outcome of the game though, we were pretty glad that we didn't spend too much time glued to the TV. Even though we didn't win, we still love our Dawgs and are happy about our great season!

Parker was cracking us up as we tried to get a pic of the boys together. Hudson was so tired tonight that he didn't seem to mind though.

Taken by Handley

Speaking of our Christmas tree, we met Robby after work last night at the local Home Depot to pick the perfect tree. Because it was so dark the girls thought it was really late and loved our little adventure.

We decorated the tree this morning and it really feels (and smells) like Christmas in our house now. All day Handley has been examining the ornaments and pointing out her favorites. I had promised her last night that she could be the one to put the star on the top. I meant to have Robby hold her up there before he left for the game, but we all forgot about it so I was left to do that myself. As I was standing on the step-stool and trying to hold her high enough she said, "Maybe we should just wait for Daddy." Ha! Thankfully we didn't knock the whole thing over.

Harper's First Haircut

2011-11-30T19:02:00.000-08:00

Handley has had a lot of little trims in her life. Her hair has always grown really unevenly. The back grows faster and is longer while the sides are shorter and still playing catch-up with the rest of her hair.

Harper on the other hand has never had a haircut, until today. Hers has always grown pretty evenly and because it is curly, any imperfections were easily hidden. However, now that it's cooler and the air is drier her hair isn't curling as much as it usually does and the ends were looking really ragged and uneven to me. I decided it was time for her first little trim. When I told her the news she was ecstatic!

I just took a little off the ends to help even it out and hopefully help it curl up better, too.

Before

After

Last Day in Charleston

2011-11-29T21:47:00.000-08:00

Our last day in Charleston was a great one. Saturday morning we went to Battery Park right on the water in downtown Charleston. I remember going there as a kid and my brothers and I climbing on the old cannons they have there. What I remember about it now having visited as an adult are the big, beautiful oak trees that fill the entire park. It was a gorgeous day and a great way to spend the morning.

Only a father would pretend to shoot their baby from a cannon! Hudson does love "flying" though so he was amused.

The girls had so much fun checking out the water, climbing on the cannons, and running around playing green-light/red-light. The other thing they loved seeing were the horse drawn carriages touring around downtown.

When I could get everyone herded in one location I had us all posing for a potential Christmas card photo. Easier said than done, even with my candy bribes. :-) I think we got some good ones, but I'll save the winner for a little later.

After the park we went home to watch UGA beat GA TECH (How 'bout them Dawgs?!?!) and then got ready for the wedding and the real reason we were spending the week in Charleston. My dad's best friend's daughter was the one getting married and they had such a neat wedding. Their reception was laid back and casual which was fine by me, especially since we had all 3 kids in tow. Handley found a flower earlier in the day that she held onto until she could give it to the bride. She was very curious about the entire ceremony and loved watching it. Perhaps the favorite part of the evening was the s'mores station they had set up by a big fire pit. It was the neatest idea and so many people hung around the fire all night!

Before departing to get the kids to bed the girls graced the dance floor with my dad (who loves to dance) and had a ball. They thought they were big stuff out there twirling around.

Now we are back home and trying to get things in order for Christmas! Our elf showed up this morning, the kids have been wearing Christmas clothes and pj's since Monday, and we are constantly singing Christmas carols. I just LOVE this time of year and the kids seem to be loving it too!

One quick update on Hudson with the cereal. Although he seems to really love eating the cereal, it did not love him back. He's always had issues with gas, but since starting the cereal it has been OUT OF CONTROL. He was waking up to 5 times a night in pain because of the gas and couldn't nap well either. I decided to hold off for a while and let his poor little digestive system have a break and then I might start back up with something other than cereal. I've been doing a lot of reading that supports introducing certain fruits and veggies as a babies first food, so I'll probably try that instead in a few weeks.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T18:27:00.000-08:00

We had a relaxing Thanksgiving day and enjoying hanging out with the family. Handley and Harper have been attached to Stefanie's hip since she arrived. They want her to read their books, sit beside them at meals, and this morning she even tried to teach Handley how to crochet.

We spent part of the morning at the beach letting the kids run around and collect shells. It was much cooler today then when we went earlier this week though so we didn't last there very long. This afternoon we had a little photo session outside so that we could get some pictures of the whole family and it had us all laughing. Nothing like trying to pose 7 adults, 3 kids, and 3 dogs.

This evening we filled up on appetizers and followed that with the traditional turkey feast. Safe to say we were all very full and very happy this evening. Now, part of our gang is debating whether or not to brave the crowds at Wal-Mart for some good deals.

I'm feeling very blessed and extremely thankful for all of my family and friends. Now that Thanksgiving is over though, I am SO excited about the Christmas season and all the fun that it brings!

Hudson's Pre-Thanksgiving Feast

2011-11-23T18:19:00.000-08:00

We had a pretty low-key day around here. Hudson and I spent part of the morning at an urgent care location getting his eyes checked out. Yesterday I started having a suspicion that he had pink eye and when he woke up this morning I was certain of it. He's now on an antibiotic eye ointment and his eyes are already clearing up.

The rest of the day consisted of outdoor play time, celebrating Stefanie's birthday with cupcakes, and Robby's arrival. The biggest event of the day was Hudson trying rice cereal for the first time. I had all intentions of waiting just a little longer before trying it with him, but over the past week he's gone from sleeping all night to being up all night. He's also seemed less satisfied during the day so I decided he would probably enjoy a pre-Thanksgiving Feast of his own.

I made a last minute trip to Target to get all the essentials and Handley was just beside herself. She's been waiting 4 months to help feed Hudson baby food. In fact, we were all pretty excited and took turns spooning it in. He did great, kept opening up for more and really seemed to enjoy it so I'm thinking he was definitely ready.

Bar Soap

2011-11-22T18:57:00.000-08:00

The girls have been absolutely fascinated by the bar soap at each sink here at the rental house. Yesterday when Handley was trying to wash her hands she asked me where the soap was and I pointed out the bar soap to her and told her this was the soap people used before there was soap in bottles. This morning as the girls were washing their hands together I overheard her telling Harper in a very matter-of-fact way, "This is the kind of soap people used long, long ago before there were even bottles...but we don't know anyone who lived that long ago."

She made another comment today worth noting. We were riding in the car and I had changed the radio station. She wasn't happy because apparently she liked the song we were listening too. She told me, "Mommy, one day when I can drive and I pick you up in my car, you are going to just listen to the songs that I like." I didn't appreciate her sassiness quite as much as my mom who was cracking up at her comment.

We had a fantastic day. My friend and neighbor, Carrie, had told me about the children's museum in Charleston so I wanted to make a point to take the kids there. We went downtown to check it out this morning and it was AMAZING!!!

The girls had so much fun. There were 5 separate rooms with a different theme in each room. We started off in the art room where the girls did some painting and made a basket weave place mat.

Next up was the castle room with a medieval theme and a water-play room. Neither of them wanted to stop playing, but I had to convince them to keep moving to check out the other exhibits.

Their favorite room by far was the "shopping" room. They both tore through the market as if they were on Supermarket Sweep (remember that game show?!?) and filled their carts before making their way to the life-like checkout complete with a real scanner, computer, play money and real receipt for each shopper. They had every detail of a real grocery story and it was just about the cutest thing I ever saw. Harper was so sad when I told her it was time to leave and she just kept telling me she wanted to do more shopping.

After a quick lunch at Chick-fil-a and a rest at home, we made the one block walk to the beach. The girls had so much fun and kept asking me why I didn't pack their bathing suits. Although it was unseasonably warm here today, the ocean water was still FREEZING. That didn't stop them from wading in and getting pretty soaked by the time we walked back to the house though.

Blogging from Charleston!

2011-11-21T18:56:00.000-08:00

Today the kids and I made the drive to Charleston to meet up with my parents and my brother, Cameron. A family friend is getting married here this weekend so we're spending the week at a beach house and celebrating Thanksgiving here. The rest of the family will join us in a few days and I am so looking forward to a big family Thanksgiving together.

The drive was surprisingly quick and easy with all three kids. Hudson slept most of the way and besides being asked every 10 minutes how much longer, the girls stayed entertained with games and movies.

They were SO excited when we arrived. The house we're renting is just perfect. There is a huge backyard complete with a slide and a giant sandbox. We spent the rest of the afternoon outside enjoying the great weather and all the fun. The girls also had a blast helping Cameron walk his dog and soaking up all the Mimi and Dadaw time.

Also had to post about Hudson's first time in the exersauser this past weekend. He seemed a little overwhelmed by all of the toys at first, but then warmed up to the idea and had fun standing in it.

The girls were excited to see him trying it out and Handley exclaimed, "I have to go get my camera and take a picture of this for Facebook." HA! It cracked me up because I never say that and although I do enjoy Facebook, I rarely post pictures on there. I do, however, say that I need to take a picture for the blog. Just funny the technology age our kids are growing up in.

Pre-School Thanksgiving Program

2011-11-17T18:40:00.000-08:00

This morning we had the pleasure of attending the pre-school Thanksgiving program. First up was a visit to Harper's classroom. When we arrived they were all set and ready to sing. Harper had been trying to sing her songs for me at home earlier this week, but could never remember the words or how to get started. That all changed today when she was with her class though because she sang loudly and with a big smile on her face.

Next we made our way to the chapel to watch the 4 year old classes perform their Thanksgiving play complete with props, a backdrop, and costumes. The kids were dressed up as Pilgrims and Indians and sang 5 or 6 songs. They all did a great job and looked really cute too.

After the performances were complete, everyone enjoyed a Thanksgiving Feast with turkey and all the trimmings. It was such a fun morning and I loved seeing the girls so proud of themselves. Gigi was able to attend with me and as a surprise, Robby was able to join us for a little while too.

Hudson hung out in the stroller during the entire program and ended up falling asleep half-way through. Not to worry though, he still got in on the Thanksgiving fun. When we got home I ran upstairs to throw some laundry in the dryer and when I came back down I found him dressed up in Handley's Indian costume. Ha!

Hudson - 4 months

2011-11-16T19:08:00.000-08:00

Hudson is 4 months old today. Last month I remember writing about how he had an adorable smile, but that we really had to work for it. That has all changed though because now he is ALL smiles (unless I put the camera in his face) and he is such a happy little boy. Today I took him for his 4 month check-up and learned that not only is he a happy boy, but also a big boy.

Here are his stats:
Weight - 15 lbs. 9 oz. (75th percentile)
Length - 26 inches (85-90th percentile)
Head - 16.5 inches (50th percentile)

That might explain why I recently had to pull out his 6 month clothing. The doctor told me he was perfect and I'd have to agree. He still isn't rolling over, although he has done it one or two times as a fluke. I really think that part of the reason is that he is just happy and content when I put him on the floor so he doesn't have too much motivation to roll anywhere. That, and the fact that the girls are constantly right on top of him and giving him every toy or bit of attention he could ever want. However, he is definitely a squirmer and can wiggle around like crazy on the floor.

At 4 months he:

has found his fingers and keeps them in his mouth most of the day
takes 3 naps a day (the first two are usually on the go and he gets a good afternoon nap in the crib)
is sleeping 11-12 hours most nights
still takes his paci when he is sleepy
is now sleeping with his arms unswaddled
is becoming attached to his little lovey blanket when he sleeps
lights up when Handley or Harper come near him and will arch his back and almost flip upside down to get a good look at them if he hears them behind him
enjoys sitting in his Bebe Pod/Bumbo seats
can grasp toys and bring them to his mouth
still isn't interested in a bottle***

***I dealt with this with Handley when she was a baby and she stopped taking a bottle at almost the exact same age. It might sound awful to some, but it really wasn't that big of a deal. I could get her to take a little milk from a sippy cup as she got older and obviously when she started eating food it was much easier for me to be away from her for longer periods of time, if needed. However, those times are pretty rare for me. Four months have already flown by with Hudson and I feel like knowing he is my last baby, I'm fine with having to be tied to him for feedings for this first year.

Playgroup Thanksgiving Party

2011-11-15T18:43:00.000-08:00

This afternoon our playgroup had a Thanksgiving party. Sophie, Owen, and their mom, Deanna, hosted the party and did a FANTASTIC job. All the kids looked super cute in their fall attire and had a blast playing together.

In addition to the regular playtime, the kids completed a few crafts and then sat down for a feast.

Deanna went all out and in addition to the kids cute meal she also had dinner for the moms. There was also quite an array of desserts to choose from so the kids were all sugared up by the time the party was over. Now we are looking forward to the Pre-school Thanksgiving program on Thursday! I've been getting bits and pieces of the songs they are going to preform so I can't wait to see the whole production.

Surprise!!!

2011-11-13T19:22:00.000-08:00

This weekend we had a BIG surprise planned for Gigi. She had a very monumental birthday on a very monumental date. She turned 60 on 11-11-11!!! How cool is that?!?!?

For about a month we have been working with Papa to plan her surprise birthday party. She didn't suspect a thing and was totally surprised. The fun began on Saturday morning. Robby told her he wouldn't be able to get away from work early enough to celebrate her birthday on Friday, so he had made reservations for us to all have brunch together on Saturday morning. That part wasn't a surprise. What she didn't realize was that Ryan, Heather, and Rylan (Robby's brother's family) had secretly flown in all the way from Colorado to be here for the celebration and the big surprise.

We were all waiting at brunch when she walked in and saw them sitting at the table with us. She could NOT believe they were here!!! It was such a fun morning and the kids all loved seeing Gigi so surprised and so happy to have everyone there with her.

First sight of Rylan!

During brunch we let her know that there was another party planned for that evening at their house with all of her friends. That was a huge surprise too! We spent the rest of the day at their house getting ready for the party and enjoying watching the kids play together. The girls just LOVED getting to play with Rylan.

Around 6 PM all of Gigi's friends, neighbors and co-workers began arriving and although she knew the party was taking place she had no idea who would be there so each time she opened the door she was surprised to see who it was.

It was a wonderful evening and a great way to celebrate Gigi's birthday. Happy Birthday Gigi! We love you!

One note- I really loved getting to visit with a lot of Gigi's co-workers and friends. They were all such sweet women and it was obvious that they knew a lot about our family and the kids from pictures and stories they had heard. Hudson was quite the ladies man for the evening. They were all fussing over him and passing him around until I put him to bed, but he didn't mind one bit. I was a little worried how he would do with all of the people during his fussiest time of the day (right before bed) but I should have known that my cool, calm, and collected little guy would have just gone with the flow and taken it all in.

What a week!

2011-11-10T18:51:00.000-08:00

Another week has flown by and I can't believe we are nearing the middle of November. I really wish I could just slow time for a little while. The beginning of our week started off pretty rough. Sunday night, both girls woke up with a stomach bug and were up most of the night. It was quite an adventure for all of us. Robby made them a bed on the floor in our room with a bucket on either side for each of them. Despite the fact that they couldn't even keep down water, they were both happy to sleep like they were camping. Around 4 AM everyone finally was feeling better and drifted into a good sleep. They woke up chipper and feeling back to themselves, just tired from being up all night. We relaxed around the house all day so they could rest and get better while I scrubbed and cleaned and did laundry ALL day long. Monday evening I started feeling off and texted Robby to come home as soon as he could. Somehow I got Hudson to bed and as soon as Robby showed up I went off to bed myself. The stomach bug ended up hitting me later that night and I was not so lucky to bounce back as quick as the kids did. I felt weak most of the day Tuesday, but by afternoon I was finally feeling more like myself. On top of all that, Handley's pink eye showed up again on Tuesday morning so she is back on the eye drops again. Thankfully the girls were out of school on Tuesday because of election day so we had another restful day at home.

We were all excited for Wednesday to arrive because it meant that everyone was feeling 100% again and it also meant that Great-Grandma was arriving. She is here visiting this week so after school we made our way to Gigi and Papa's house. The girls created turkey projects and made cookies with Grandma and Gigi while Hudson and I did a little Christmas shopping and then we all had dinner. Grandma couldn't get over how much the girls had changed since last year when we were in Florida visiting and she also LOVED getting to finally meet our sweet little Hudson.

This morning Handley and I had a dentist appointment so Gigi and Grandma were sweet enough to come babysit Hudson for me (Harper was a school). All was going great until I got the text from Gigi saying Hudson would not take the bottle. At all. Not even a tiny sip. My heart sank. He's been doing so great taking a bottle (usually once a week) and him having a bottle means a little freedom for me. Handley was this exact age when she started refusing a bottle and, despite my efforts, she never got back on track. I'm really hoping that I can keep trying with Hudson and get him used to it again. Besides that little hic-up, it was a fantastic day. Handley had a great time at the dentist and was excited to show everyone her "goodie bag" with the new toothbrush, flosser, toothpaste and the squishy ball prize she picked out for being a good patient. I was so proud of her!

My Birthday Weekend

2011-11-06T20:39:00.000-08:00

My birthday was last Friday and we celebrated by heading up to the lake for the weekend with some friends. We stopped on the way into town for Mexican (mine and the girls' favorite) and after everyone arrived Friday night and put all the kids to bed, we laughed by the campfire into the wee hours of the morning.

On Saturday we made our way to a nearby park with a waterfall and a place called the Stumphouse Tunnel. This project was started in 1852 and was originally going to be a tunnel through a mountain for a railroad, but due to lack of funds the project was never completed. It's an interesting place to visit though and we had fun walking into the dark, cave-like tunnel using our iPhone flashlight apps to help us see.

Getting ready to head into the tunnel

The waterfall overlook area was gorgeous to see with all of the fall leaves.

The girls loved collecting rocks and leaves during our adventure. In fact, I just found some remnants of the leaves stuck in the washing machine that were stuffed in Harper's pockets and while hanging up Handley's jackets I discovered several big rocks. After exploring around a bit we had a picnic lunch and then headed back to the house for naps and to watch football.

Hudson and Parker...can't wait for these two to really start playing together.

Today we made a detour on our way home to stop by Gigi and Papa's house for one last birthday dinner celebration. A big thanks to everyone for helping me celebrate my birthday.

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T18:58:00.000-07:00

After having two school parties, a play group party, and the neighborhood fall festival, Handley was excited for the real trick-or-treating day to finally arrive. She kept telling Harper all about the candy they would get and just what they needed to do at each door.

When I picked Handley up from school I noticed her eye looked a little red so we made a stop by the minute clinic to have it checked out. Turns out she has pink eye in both eyes...just in time for Halloween. I'm glad it was just that and very easily treated with some eye drops. With the exception of a little eye irritation, she feels totally fine. We had to cancel our plans of dinner and trick-or-treating with friends, but she took that news better than I expected. (She's actually doing great with remembering not to touch Hudson or Harper, washing her hands anytime she touches her face, etc.) 24 hours on eye drops and she won't be contagious anymore, but I'm actually kind of glad to have a day at home with all 3 kids tomorrow since Handley won't be at school.

That little bump in the road didn't stop us from having fun though. After an early dinner we waited outside for Robby to get home and then we were off to trick-or-treat. At each house the girls would walk back to us in amazement that they just got more candy.

We made it down our street and their bags were full. It was good timing because Hudson was ready for bed. While I was putting him to bed the girls helped pass out candy to the trick-or-treaters at our house and I think they had just as much fun doing that as they did trick-or-treating themselves. Both were exhausted by the time they got in bed tonight and not even all the candy they ate could keep them awake.

Neighborhood Fall Festival

2011-10-30T18:48:00.000-07:00

Today was our neighborhood fall festival and costume parade. The kids were excited about dressing up again and getting to see all of their friends in their costumes too. The morning started out really chilly, but thankfully it warmed up and everyone had a great time!

Parading around the playground

After parading around we enjoyed lots of sweets and got ready to watch the dad's potato sack race. As usual, it was lots of entertainment as we watched them battle it out for first place. There was actually some talk about whether or not Robby won because he was the first to cross the finish line standing up (others took a fall/leap towards the end) but I encouraged them to give it to the others because the prize was a GIANT teddy bear (as big as me) and we honestly just don't have anywhere to put it.

Next up was a train ride and both girls thought that was tons of fun. Handley rode alone with her friends and Harper was happy to ride with Jake, Reece, and their mommy, Christy. The train took them out of the parking lot and down one of the neighborhood streets. As they came back down in the parking lot Harper's train car got so excited to wave to someone they knew. It was so cute.

Lastly we enjoyed hamburgers and hotdogs for lunch before heading home for naps. It was a great event and so much fun for the kids. They were excited that Gigi and Papa were able to come and that Mimi was able to be there with us for just a little bit before heading off to catch her flight home.

Costume Party

2011-10-30T18:27:00.000-07:00

Last night Trey and Stefanie hosted a costume party and since my mom was in town Robby and were able to go. I put Hudson to bed and then we were ready to go. Robby had been scheming about his costume for a few days. When he told me he was headed to Wal-Mart to get giant trash bags I was a little curious, but his "Tool Bag" idea made everyone crack up. HA! Mine was a last minute thing, but I decided that I'd go as a construction girl to sort of go along with his.

Brian and Lisa were clowns and Bryce and Sarah went as a flapper and gangster.

Trey and Stef were so cute as the Jeannie and Captain from I dream of Jeannie. Jen and Justen looked AWESOME in their Snookie/Jersey Shore costumes.

There were also a lot of Trey and Stefanie's neighbor's there and a lot of creative costumes. It was fun seeing everyone dressed up and how all out they went. Stefanie did a great job with all of the decorations and yummy food and it was really fun for us to hang out with everyone. A big thanks to Mimi for keeping the kids so we could have a night out.

Our New Boat!!!

2011-10-29T14:38:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows us, knows that we love being out on the water, boating, and water sports. We recently sold our old and too small boat hoping to be able to upgrade to something a little newer, a little bigger, and a little nicer. After Robby spent countless hours looking online and test driving a few different ones we settled on one that we bought last weekend. While Mimi and I took the kids to Northpoint Mall for a little fun, Robby picked it up this morning.

We all arrived back home about the same time and had fun sitting on the new boat and checking out all of the SPACE!!! I know we are going to enjoy this boat for many years and now that we so much more seating we can't wait to have lots of friends out on the lake with us without feeling so crowded.

A day full of parties

2011-10-29T14:19:00.000-07:00

Today was a day full of parties. This morning was Handley's fall party at school. She was thrilled to wear her Little Red Riding Hood costume and I couldn't wait to see her dressed up in her class with all of her friends.

Her teachers also dressed up, which all the kids loved. They were Peace and Quiet! So creative and I thought it was such a great idea.

Her party had a pizza lunch, fruit, cupcakes and lots of fun. After lunch they all made orange and black bead bracelets and then played pin-the-nose on the jack-o-lantern.

Alex and Handley - Alex lives in our neighborhood and he and Handley are in the same Pre-K class

While I was at Handley's party, Mimi took Harper and Hudson to Harper's gymnastics class. She has recently moved up to the big kid class (previously she did the mommy and me class). She is SO proud and excited to be doing the class by herself and following along with the teachers. I'm impressed by how well she follows directions and does exactly what she is supposed to be doing.

Later that day we hosted our playgroup's Halloween party. We did many of the same activities I had planned for their school parties and enjoyed lots of yummy snacks too.

These two BFF's were excited to be dressed like twins.

Our attempt at a group picture

My friend, Christy, made these awesome pumpkin cookies for all of the kids at the party!

After the party Trey and Stefanie came over for dinner and to visit for a little while. Uncle Trey did is usual job of getting the girls totally wound up right before bed, but I have a hard time stopping him because they just have SO much fun with him.

Harper's Fall Party

2011-10-27T18:20:00.000-07:00

Today was Harper's Fall Party at school and she was excited to wear her costume. This year she is going to dress up as Goldilocks. I found the costume on clearance at Party City and figured she had the perfect hair so we'd go with it. This morning as she was getting dressed I said, "Harper, get your shoes on." She then told me, "Me not Harper, me Goldilocks." She continued to correct me all morning long, so she was definitely taking her role seriously. :-)

Harper had a great time with all of her friends at the party, especially her favorite guy, Parker (the lion next to her). As the room mom, I helped organized and plan her class party. They had a pizza and fruit lunch followed by pumpkin and bat cookies for dessert.

Next up was a sticker craft and then they played pin-the-nose on the jack-o-lantern.

My mom is in town this week and we are really enjoying her being here! The weather has been so beautiful this week and we've been taking advantage of it and playing outside a lot. Harper is really into looking through the mail and in the picture below she was examining a catalog that came. Hudson is checking out a Halloween card he received from Gigi and Papa in the mail.

Today Mimi was able to watch Hudson for me while I went to Harper's party, so I didn't have to worry about keeping him happy and could just focus on Harper. I know she enjoyed all the attention. Tomorrow is Handley's party and she can't wait to dress up too!

Saying Goodbye to Sydney

2011-10-25T18:56:00.000-07:00

Today we said goodbye to our beloved dog, Sydney. She was just over 14 years old and the sweetest, most loyal dog anyone could ever ask for. Over the past month her health had continued to decline and she started having multiple seizures a day that caused her to collapse. She'd stopped eating her food a few weeks ago and was growing weaker and more arthritic every day. After consulting with our vet last week, we made the decision that her quality of life was not as it should be. We felt that we owed it to her to give her the peace and dignity she deserved at the end of her very awesome life. It was the most difficult decision I have ever had to make and although I know it was the right thing to do, I still feel absolutely crushed.

I knew saying goodbye would be hard on all of us, but I thought because I had known this day was coming that it would make it a little easier. It didn't. Also, we had been talking to Handley about Sydney going to live in Dog Heaven soon and the fact that she would not be with us forever. I thought that would help her cope a little more when the time came. It didn't. When I told her this morning she started sobbing. All day long she would look at Sydney and start crying. Tonight I went in to check on her after she went to bed and she was crying. She just keeps saying she misses Sydney. She's asked a lot of questions trying to make sense of everything and has a lot to say about our sweet old girl.

Who will take Sydney on walks and play with her?
Where will she go potty in Heaven?
Now who will I be able to take on walks and play with?
I don't want another dog, I just want Sydney to be our dog.
Can she live for just 2 more days?
Who decided it was time for her to go to Heaven?
What do you think she is doing there right now?
How did she get there?
Who is she going to live with?
What are we going to do with all of the treats and dog food we have left?
She's never going to come back to our house again and I'm just going to miss her too much.

Our vet let us borrow a children's book called, Dog Heaven, by Cynthia Rylant. We read it together several times tonight and I think it helped with some of her questioning, but still doesn't make it any easier on her.

Robby and I adopted Sydney from another family just after we got married. She was 7 years old then and we were hesitant to get an older dog, but it turned out to be the best decision. Before we had kids, Sydney went EVERYWHERE with us. She rode on the boat, swam in our pool in Florida, slept in our bed and rode in the car when we ran errands. When we first moved to Florida and Robby was working a bunch she was my saving grace. Before I had met any friends there she and I would hang out constantly and she was my walking buddy.

When Handley was born, she took it in stride as if she knew her changing role. Sydney NEVER left Handley's side. Where ever Handley was, Sydney could be found a few feet away. She was Handley's first friend and taught her to love dogs. We could not have asked for a better dog for our family. Sydney was SO wonderful with kids and would tolerate anything from being climbed on to having her tail pulled. I still remember the first time Handley laughed as a baby was when she was watching Sydney play with a toy.

After Harper was born, the amount of time and attention we were able to give Sydney lessened, but our love for her never changed. Harper also learned to love dogs and Sydney loved having someone else to drop food down for her. Up until today, Harper was still the one that would sneak to the pantry to get treats for Sydney.

I'm very sad that Hudson is just getting to the age that he would have taken notice to Sydney and that he won't get a chance to really know her.

What I do know for sure is that we will never forget Syndey and all of the wonderful memories we had with her. A few things we'll always remember:

She smiled at people when she was excited, could balance a treat on her nose and then flip it into the air before catching it with her mouth, LOVED to swim and would do it any chance she got, liked chewing on pine cones and sticks, and loved each and every one of us just as we loved her.

I wanted one picture of all three kids with Sydney because I had none of her with Hudson. Last night I helped her get outside to lay with us while the kids played after dinner. Seeing her laying there and how the happiness from her eyes had faded away, I knew we were making the best decision, even if it was the most difficult one.

We will miss you Sydney. Thank you for being the BEST dog our family could have ever asked for.

Burt's Pumpkin Farm

2011-10-23T21:04:00.000-07:00

Today we made our annual trip to Burt's Pumpkin Farm. This is our 5th year going and I think every year gets better. We started taking Handley when she was just a few months old and because she had so much fun, our October tradition continued.

I look forward to this outing all year long and this year Jen, Justen and Parker were able to join us, too! We started off with a hayride. We've learned our lesson and know the line can get pretty long pretty quickly. Although it was chilly during our ride, it was better than having to wait.

Talking pumpkins on the hayride

Harper wanted to hang out with Parker the whole time and love on him during the hayride.

After the hayride it was time for a little snack and then we started roaming around to check out all the different types of pumpkins. They have every variety possible at Burt's and the girls had fun comparing the tall ones, small ones, bumpy ones, and colored ones.

Hudson seemed to enjoy his first trip to Burt's. He fell asleep for just a few minutes on the hayride, but I woke him up as soon as we got off so we could take pictures. You'd think he would have started fussing and acting tried, but I think he was in awe of all the people and bright colors, so he just went a long with it and stayed his happy little self.

All the kids had fun playing in the wheelbarrow and Harper was thrilled to get to "hold" Parker in her lap.

Just before heading home the girls each picked out a pumpkin to add to our growing collection at home.

On the way home, we stopped at a local BBQ place for lunch and wrapped up our outing until next year.

***You'd think the pumpkin patch would have been the big event for the weekend, but in fact, it was just one of the big events we had going on this weekend. Saturday Handley had her last cheerleading game (I hope to post a video of them sometime later this week) and while I took her and Hudson to that, Robby and Harper went to test-drive a boat. It ended up being the perfect one, so we bought it! More on that later, too. :-) Saturday afternoon we had Dylan's 2nd birthday party and then another Halloween get-together at our friends Brad and Ceylese's house. Today after Burt's we made a quick stop by Gigi and Papa's and then it was onto our friend Charlie's 4th birthday party. Needless to say all 3 of the kids were exhausted and in bed early tonight. It was a very busy weekend, but SO much fun!

So excited to not take a nap

2011-10-20T18:07:00.000-07:00

Thursday afternoons are really hectic for us. Handley has Ballet/Tap at 3:45, meaning we need to leave around 3:15 to get there in time to get everyone inside and get her changed into her ballet shoes. That means waking Harper up by no later than 3:00 from her nap...an hour earlier than she usually gets up. That results in her being cranky and whiny, which results in me getting frustrated and feeling like I'm running around like a chicken with it's head cut-off, rushing to get everyone ready and out the door. A few weeks ago I decided it just wasn't worth having Harper nap on Thursdays. It would be easier on all of us if she'd just rest on the couch with Handley on those days and get to bed a little earlier in the evening. Since we started doing this last week, each Thursday Handley will ask Harper in the morning, "Are you excited about resting with me today?!?!" Harper always responds with a little song and dance, "Me no nap today, me no nap today!"

This afternoon when we got home from school I put a show on for Harper and she climbed onto the couch to start her "rest" while I took Handley upstairs to help her change into her dance attire. I thought it was awfully quiet downstairs and we when returned, we found out why.

Poor thing was so tired and was so excited about not taking a nap. :-) She'd also shed a bow somewhere by this point, but both pigtails are still in tact. Pretty good for a full day at school.

Bryce to the Rescue

2011-10-19T18:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday it was sunny and in the mid-80's. Today was quite the opposite as far as weather goes. It was barely 50 degrees, cloudy, rainy, and cold. This morning I remembered looking at the umbrella on our deck and thinking I needed to close it sometime today since tomorrow's forecast called for a lot of wind. Well I should have gone out and done it when I had that thought because the wind came sooner than expected and when we got home from school this afternoon, this is what we found.

Handley and Harper saw it first. I was busy getting everything inside and rushing to try to get Hudson out of his carseat since he was crying. Handley was at the window saying, "Oh wow!" I assumed she was talking about all of the leaves blowing around. She told me to come look and I said, "Yes, I see all the leaves." Then she said, "No, not the leaves...look at our table!"

When I came over to look I could NOT believe my eyes. I seriously just stood there staring at it wondering how in the world it was balanced there. I don't think anyone could have done that if they tried. I was too nervous to try to do anything by myself because I knew the table was really heavy and I was sure it would just go crashing down.

I called our friend, Bryce, who lives very nearby and hoped that he would be home. Thankfully he was and he came to the rescue. The girls were excited to have him over for a quick visit and I was happy to have some help to get our table back on the deck.

THANK YOU BRYCE!!!

This little guy stayed cool, calm and collected and was totally unfazed by all of the excitement today.

Scarecrows in the Gardens

2011-10-18T18:31:00.000-07:00

There was a big event going on at the church today, so the pre-school cancelled classes for everyone leaving us with a free day at home. Last night I made some very last minute plans to tag along with some of our neighbors that were going to The Atlanta Botanical Gardens for the Scarecrows in the Gardens event.

Groups, schools, business, and organizations from all over Atlanta create themed scarecrows and they are displayed all over the gardens. I've been wanting to visit the gardens for this event for several years and I'm so happy we got to go.

The girls were really excited about this fun outing and I was too! I hadn't been to the Botanical Gardens since Handley was barely one, but I remembered there was a large children's garden area for them to play in and explore. The kids loved running around together and if it weren't for lunch and naps, we could have spent all day there.

We had such a great time and Handley kept asking on the car ride home if we could go back again. We'll definitely add this to our yearly traditions and also make it back this spring so they can play in the fountains too!

I took a million pictures today (as did Carrie, Sheila and Christy) and at one point someone asked us if we were part of a photography group. Ha! We just explained to them that we love "capturing" all these fun memories with our kiddos. :-)

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

2011-10-17T18:39:00.000-07:00

Today the 3 year old, Pre-K, and Kindergarten classes at the pre-school went on a walking field trip to a pumpkin patch at the church next door to their school. I got to walk with her class and was so happy to attend.

Each student got to pick a small pumpkin to bring home with them. It was funny to watch them try to pick one out. Most took their time and examined several before making the final selection.

They also got to observe all the different kinds of pumpkins. There were every shape, size, and shade!

Handley also choose a pumpkin for Harper and Harper was so excited to get it this afternoon at pick-up! She held it the entire ride and found a special place for it on our table when we got home.

These two are in for a treat because this weekend we will make our annual trip to the big pumpkin patch and we can't wait!

Hudson - 3 months

2011-10-16T19:14:00.000-07:00

Hudson is 3 months old today! He is one very loved little boy. The girls continue to smoother him with hugs and kisses and are constantly in his face. He's growing like crazy and getting so big. I feel like I'm starting to get a good idea of his personality and it's fun to see how opposite he is from both of the girls. He is very laid back and although you really have to work for a smile from him, when he does flash one we all get giddy (and Handley usually runs to get her camera).

At 3 months he:
-is pretty strong with great head/neck control
-has a very flexible schedule throughout the day, but has a very predictable routine
-isn't a fan of riding the car when he is sleepy, but can fall asleep most anywhere with a little help
-still sleeps swaddled at night
-has been going to bed around 7:30-8:00 PM, wakes between 3-4 AM, and then goes back to sleep until 7:30/8:00 AM***
-is only interested in the paci when he is tired
-tries to get his fingers/thumb in his mouth, but isn't quite able to get them and keep them there yet
-is happy to sit in the stroller or bouncy seat and observe what's going on around him
-has started cooing and "talking" a lot to us
-usually has a very serious look on his face
-seems to react and smile at his big sister, Handley, more than anyone

***Last night he slept 7:30 PM - 7:30 AM!!! 12 hours!!!

Notice the Halloween stickers on Hudson's outfit below. Every time he does something the girls deem worthy, they give him what they call a "reward sticker" for doing a good job. He "earns" stickers for everything from smiling, cooing and holding head up high during tummy time.

First time sitting in the Bebe Pod seat.

Concentrating hard on the toy in front of him.

Two "firsts" for Hudson

2011-10-13T19:31:00.000-07:00

Hudson had two firsts today. He went to bed last night at 8:00 PM and didn't wake up until 6:15 AM this morning - 10 HOURS!!! He's been sleeping great at night all week and I'm hoping this is a trend that will continue. This was his first time doing what I consider sleeping through the night. I was very thankful since I stayed up into the wee hours of the morning working on making his cute little pumpkin themed outfit...for the second time. That's right, the first one turned out absolutely adorable, but when I went to try it on him, it was too small!

The other first for day was that he joined us at the dinner table tonight. My friend, Carrie, told me about her son doing this and I hadn't really thought to have Hudson sit with us yet. If he isn't napping in the swing at dinner time, I usually put him in the bouncy seat right beside the table. He seemed to enjoy being on our level though and the girls loved having him there with us. They were actually arguing about who he should sit beside, so I have a feeling we'll be playing musical chairs until the newness wears off.

A Day in the Life - Tuesday

2011-10-11T19:27:00.000-07:00

4:45 AM - Hudson woke up and I fed him. He went back to sleep and so did I.

6:45 AM - Both girls woke up and within minutes of each other and climbed in bed with us. Harper is always happy to just lay there, but Handley begs to watch cartoons. Today I made a new rule that she isn't allowed to come in my room before 7 AM. We'll see if that works tomorrow.

7:00 AM - I got dressed in running clothes and then got the girls dressed and ready.

7:30 AM - Hudson woke up so I got him dressed and then fed him while the girls finally got to watch cartoons then we all headed down stairs.

8:00 AM - The girls came downstairs and found a special surprise on our front porch. Our good friends, Bryce and Sarah, delivered some pumpkins for each of the kids last night. They were from Bryce's mom (who the girls have met a few times) who lives in Ohio. The pumpkins were from a farm up there. Since we aren't planning to go to the pumpkin patch for a few more weeks, we are happy to finally have some on our porch! A BIG thank you to Bryce, Sarah, and Mrs. G!

8:15 AM - Breakfast time for everyone while Hudson played on the floor and in his bouncy seat a little. Today Handley and Harper were extra hungry. After fixing Harper one waffle and Handley her normal two, both wanted another that's what they got. I got Handley's lunch and school bag ready while they were eating.

8:40 AM - We loaded up and headed off to school to drop Handley. Tuesdays is one of the days that Harper stays home with me. She's usually not very happy about not being able to go to school because she just loves it so much.

9:15 AM - It started raining on our way home, so instead of going on our usual run/walk around the neighborhood I put Hudson down for his nap in the crib. Harper wanted to help. :-)

While he was sleeping I got working on Harper's closet. On days Handley is at school Harper sticks by my side. She read books and fixed her Barbie's hair while I worked.

10:30 AM - Hudson woke up and I fed him then we heard a delivery truck and I just knew it had to be my new vacuum. Ours was not working very well and the past week or so it had totally stopped working. With a big dog that sheds a lot, I was about to go crazy with the dog hair! I got a Hoover that Consumer Reports rated as the top bag-less. I put it together and gave it a whirl. So farm I love it! And the best news was that it was only $99 from Wal-Mart.

11:15 AM - The rain finally stopped for a little bit so we decided to brave it and go for a quick run around the neighborhood. Wouldn't you know that as soon as I got the furthest distance from the house it started raining. Thankfully it was just a light drizzle and Harper and Hudson didn't know any different because they were under cover. Hudson fell asleep during the run and ended up having a short nap.

12:00 PM - Harper and I had lunch and Hudson woke up so he joined us at the table.

12:40 PM - We left to pick up Handley at school and Hudson ended up staying away until we got back home, although he was fussing because he was tired. Handley sits right beside him in the car and it's so nice when she is with us because she is SO good with him. She'll talk to him, give him the paci, hold his hand, and keep him as calm as possible. She's such a little mommy. Hudson ended up falling asleep on the ride home.

1:15 PM - When we got home the girls noticed all of the leaves that had started falling in the front yard. They were so excited to play in them a little bit and love throwing them in the air! Next we came inside and Handley showed me all of her school things. This week they are studying community helpers and they had a real police man come to their school today so she was excited to tell me all about that.

1:30 PM - I put Harper down for her nap and then quickly came down to feed Hudson who had woken up, then he was ready for his nap.

2:00 PM - While Handley had her rest and the other two were napping, I got showered and dressed. Then I put away laundry, unloaded the dishwasher, and packed dinners (to take with us to cheerleading practice).

3:00 PM - Hudson woke up so I fed him and then we woke up Harper around 3:30 to get ready for playgroup. We love Tuesdays because it's playgroup day and the girls are always happy to go play with their neighborhood friends and I'm always happy to visit with my friends too.

4:00 PM - We went to playgroup at Sheila and Addyson's house and it was extra fun today because the girls got their faces painted. Sheila did the face painting and it turned out so cute!

We usually have to leave playgroup around 5:15 to head to cheerleading practice (from 6-7 PM) but this evening we got word that practice was cancelled due to the rain so we got to stick around a little longer. I was glad we didn't have to go tonight. It was cold, wet, and just easier to be able to come home to have dinner and get everyone to bed on time.

6:00 PM - We ate leftovers and when I was done I fixed their lunches for school tomorrow.

6:30 PM - I clean up the kitchen and dishes while the girls play and then Hudson wakes up.

6:45 PM - I help Handley finish practicing her letters and number of the week. She does this every week at school and brings it home to finish. Harper practiced writing her "H" while I was helping Handley.

7:00 PM - We head up to get the girls ready for their baths and Robby gets home just in time to help. He kept Hudson happy while I got the girls ready for bed and then they went off to play with Robby while I bathed Hudson and got him ready for bed.

7:30 PM - All 5 of us sat in Handley's bed to read some books and hang out before bed. It was a great way to end our night.

7:45 PM - Both girls were in bed and I fed Hudson and got him to bed.

8:15 PM - Hudson was asleep so I did a quick alteration to one of Hudson's outfits.

8:30 PM - Time to relax! I'm able to watch TV, check emails, and blog. :-)

***Just a quick note about my days. I usually try to run errands and get stuff done away from the house on the days the girls are both in school so I don't have to drag everyone with me. Right now Hudson is easy to take along. Also, I like to get all of my errands and chores out of the way while they are at school or napping so that when I have them home we can do fun stuff like go to the playground, play with friends, etc. I feel like Handley is never home since she is in school 5 days a week, so I really value the time she is at home with us!

Videos of Harper at 2 1/2

2011-10-10T20:19:00.000-07:00

Look at me...posting twice in one day! I wanted to note that today Harper is officially 2 1/2. She is SO much fun right now and just radiates happiness. She always has a smile on her face and loves everyone. I always call her a tornado, because she doesn't walk anywhere...she is constantly running, falling down, bumping into things, and causing destruction... just like a tornado. It's all because she is so happy though and bouncing around with excitement. She also loves to sing and does it non-stop. I wish I could just freeze time right now because I love her at this age. :-)

Below are a few links to some videos I took of her tonight. For some reason I can't get my videos to show up here anymore, but the links should work.

Harper singing Jesus Loves Me

Harper doing Hokey Pokey

Harper doing some of Handley's cheers (you may not be able to understand her, so the words are below)
*Blue and White let's W-I-N
*Bang-Bang Choo-Choo train. Come on Upward do your thing. Get it, get it, got it, got it. Whoo, and let it roll.
*Big Blue is here to rock this house, score six more

A Day in the Life - Monday

2011-10-10T19:14:00.000-07:00

As promised, here is the first of my "a day in the life" posts. Today was busy, but productive. Reading this makes me laugh though because Monday is usually our low-key day. It will be interesting to see what the rest of the week holds. :-)

3:45 AM - Hudson woke up and I fed him. During the night he usually goes right back down after I feed him so I was back in bed by 4:15 AM.

5:30 AM - Harper woke up and needed to go potty. I took her and then just had her climb in bed with us to go back to sleep.

6:30 AM - Handley woke up and needed to go potty. She went and then climbed in bed with us, but never went back to sleep. I finally turned on cartoons for she and Harper.

6:45 AM - Hudson woke up for the day. Thankfully Robby was just on his way out to work so he went to get Hudson from his room and brought him to join the early morning party going on in my bed. :-) After he was awake I couldn't stay in bed any longer so I got up and got dressed quickly while the girls "babysat" and continued watching cartoons.

7:15 AM - I feed Hudson.

7:30 AM - I got Handley and Harper dressed and fixed their hair while Hudson did some tummy time then I got Hudson dressed and ready for the day.

8:00 AM - We all came downstairs and Hudson started fussing because he was getting tired again so I put him in the swing while I fixed the girls breakfast (chicken biscuit for Harper and Lucky Charms/waffles for Handley).

While they ate I got their lunches and school bags ready and grabbed a quick bite myself. To save time I have an extra set of toothbrushes in the downstairs bathroom for the girls before school.

8:30 AM - I transferred Hudson to his car seat and he stayed asleep (Hallelujah!) and we loaded up to head to school. I made a quick detour to a neighbors house to drop off the flier I created for our neighborhood Fall Festival.

9:00 AM - Dropped the girls off at school and headed to the grocery store. Mondays are my grocery store and cleaning day. Loads of fun. :-) Hudson usually sleeps through the store, but today he woke up and thankfully was happy to look around and I stashed turkey and strawberries beside him in the cart.

10:00 AM - Got home and fed Hudson again. Then he played on his play mat while I put away the groceries. He started getting fussy again so I put him down for a nap in his crib around 10:45. While he slept I got to work cleaning the house and putting away laundry.

12:00 PM - I ate a quick lunch and then woke Hudson up so I could feed him before leaving to get the girls. It was a little earlier than he needed to eat, but if I didn't go ahead and feed him he would have probably woken up and wanted to eat right at the time I needed to get the girls, so I've learned it's easier this way.

12:40 PM - Leave to pick up the girls from pre-school (they get out at 1:00).

1:20 PM - We got home and both Handley and Harper were eager to show me the things in their folders (various artwork, notes from teachers, etc.) Then I took Harper up for her nap while Handley "babysat" Hudson as he played on his playmat again.

1:45 PM - I put Hudson down for his nap and then started to help Handley with her homework. Their letter of the week is "G" so she had to find an object to bring to share (she picked grapes from their play kitchen) and she also has to cut out pictures from a magazine that starts with the letter (she cut out gingerbread men and a picture of a grilled cheese).

2:15 PM - I turn on a show for Handley to rest. Hudson's schedule was a little off today, but it worked out nice because all 3 kids were napping/resting at the same time. This usually doesn't happen though. I took advantage of the time and put away the girls bags from school, ironed a few things, and then did a few alterations on Handley's Halloween costume.

3:00 PM - Hudson woke up and I fed him. Then he played in the bouncy seat while I finished the ironing.

3:30 PM - Handley's "rest time" was over so she came upstairs with us and played with Hudson on the floor in his room while I put away his laundry and also got out some of his fall clothes in his closet.

3:45 PM - Harper woke up and we all went downstairs for snacks.

4:15 PM - We all went back up stairs and the girls played in the playroom while I started working on getting out Handley's fall/winter clothes. Hudson was happy to lay on her bed and talk to me while I worked. I left out some warm weather stuff too though because the weather is still so back and forth and I know we will still have some warm days ahead. Her room is kind of a mess right now, but it's just a transition phase as far as her closet and clothes go, so I'll just have to deal with it.

5:00 PM - Hudson was ready for his evening cat-nap so I fed him real quick and then put him in the swing downstairs while I got dinner started. Thankfully we still have some meals frozen from when people were bringing us dinners so I didn't really have to do much tonight. While that was cooking I went back up to finish up in Handley's room and found her admiring all of her new clothes. She has become SO picky about what she wears so I was happy that she liked everything she was seeing in her closet. Then I helped the girls clean up the playroom.

6:00 PM - The girls and I came downstairs to check on dinner. It was taking longer than expected to cook so I got out some play-dough for the girls to do while we waited for it to finish. Hudson woke up so he hung out with the girls. I took advantage of that time to pack Handley's lunch for school tomorrow.

6:30 PM - Dinner was finally ready so we ate and I held Hudson during dinner because he was starting to get tired/fussy. For the girls' dinner I always give them what we are having, plus a few extras that I know they like and will eat. (Tonight was apples with peanut butter and yogurt - with sprinkles.)

6:45 PM - We had an impromptu Hokey Pokey and also did some of Handley's cheers. I would normally have cleaned up the kitchen at this time and done the dishes, but Hudson was not about to let me put him down so I had to leave it all until after I got the kids in bed (something I can't stand doing...I like cleaning as I go, but sometimes you just do what you have to do). We did have fun though and shared lots of laughs. Much better than doing dishes. :-)

7:00 PM - The girls helped me give Hudson a bath and get him ready for bed. Then it was their turn to get baths while Hudson was swinging in the little swing we have upstairs. It kept him happy long enough for me to get Handley and Harper in PJ's, brush their teeth and then he was ready for bed.

7:45 PM - I told the girls to read books in their rooms while I put Hudson to bed, but just after I started to feed him I heard the garage door open (meaning Robby was home) and the girls went running down to see and play with him.

8:15 PM - I read Harper's books while Robby read Handley's and then both girls were tucked in and ready for bed.

8:20 PM - Harper needs to go potty again.

8:22 PM - Handley needs a drink of water.

8:30 PM - Everyone is finally in bed for the night so I put on my pj's and come downstairs to clean the kitchen, do the dishes and then around 9:00 PM sit down at the computer for the first time all day. I'm so thankful that I have an iphone and I'm able to see emails, etc. during the day because getting to the computer just doesn't happen until later. Robby and I finally have a chance to sit down together on the couch, talk about our days and watch TV.

It's now 10:00 and I'm trying to upload some videos so I'll be up a while longer before heading to bed. I'm a night owl and feel really productive at night when everyone is in bed so I tend to stay up late trying to get stuff done. That's all for today!

Another week with no blogging...

2011-10-08T19:00:00.000-07:00

Well another week goes by with no blogging. I'm not quite sure exactly where the days and weeks go. I feel like we stay really busy, but I don't like not documenting what we have been up to. I really enjoy blogging and I love sharing with our friends and family. On Friday morning I realized it was the end of the week and I couldn't believe I hadn't taken any pictures (except a few I snapped with my phone). A few blogs I follow have recently done "a day in the life" posts and I really enjoyed reading them. As a fellow mom of young kids I loved reading about their daily schedules and being able to relate the similarities with my days. I think I'm going to do something similar next week. Not only will it help me to see how my days are filled, but I know I will enjoy looking back at it years from now and seeing how these days with very young children were spent. Definitely some of the busiest, as a mom, but also some of the best. :-)

This past week Handley's class was studying the Wild Wild West. On Friday they got to dress up like cowboys and cowgirls, enjoy a special outdoor cowboy lunch and play cowboy games. She was excited to dress up and Harper wanted to match her.

Last night Gigi and Papa came over to babysit all three kids for us. We went out to dinner to help my brother celebrate his birthday with some friends. I was really looking forward to an evening out and it was so nice to be able to dress up, eat a good meal and have some adult conversation.

However, I'll admit that after we got home I was looking forward to Hudson waking up during the night so I could see him. The girls had SO much fun with Gigi and Papa. They brought over pumpkin sugar cookies to bake, a new book and Halloween goodies, too. I shouldn't be surprised that Handley and Harper were very disappointed when they woke up this morning. They were both pretty upset when they realized Gigi and Papa weren't here this morning.

One other thing to note is that car rides used to put Hudson right to sleep. Well that is not the case now. It takes a lot to get him from this (happy in his seat before we leave to take the girls to school)

To this (sleeping soundly after getting home from dropping the girls off).

What I don't have pictures of is him screaming and crying his little head off until he finally calms down and goes to sleep. Makes for really fun rides. Ha! I feel so helpless when he is like that and this may sound harsh, but he's going to have to learn to get over it because we have places to go and he has to come with us. :-) Over all he is still really good and laid back though...it's just the car rides when he is sleepy that he's not a fan of.

And one last picture to share, although it looks kind of weird because I took it with my phone...this afternoon we went over to our friends Jen and Justen's house to "tailgate" before the UGA game. They had a lot of friends over and it was so much fun to visit with friends and watch all the kids play. Since it was a late game we came home after dinner time so we could put the kids to bed on time and watch it at home, but it was still fun to be there for a few hours.

The kids with Aunt Stefanie and Uncle Trey

Boy crazy

2011-10-02T20:30:00.000-07:00

Our weekend started off playing in our backyard with some of our neighborhood friends on Friday afternoon. I feel so lucky to have great friends for the kids and myself in our neighborhood. It was a very last minute thing, but I treasure these friendships so much and every chance we have to get together. While the big kids were playing together, Hudson and his buddy, Emerson got to hang out too. They are just over a month apart and I know they will be fast friends as they get a little older.

Saturday after Handley's cheerleading (where she appropriately earned the spirit star award) we came home for a quick lunch, outfit changes, and then headed out for back-to-back birthday parties. The girls were so funny getting dressed. Since we had cooler temperatures this weekend we had to bust out some of our fall clothes. Harper looked at what Handley had chosen and told her, "ooooh, that's cute!" Then she asked her, "You like my outfit?" And of course, Handley responded with, "Yes! Harper that is darling." Ha! I can just see them as teenagers helping each other pick out clothes.

I took the kids to the first one while Robby got some stuff done and then I took Harper and Hudson to the second one. It was for one of the little girls in her class and she just loved getting to go to a party by herself. I loved watching her buzz around the party and interact with her friends. Most of the kids in her class were there, including her crush, Parker. She followed him around most of the party and he honestly hardly pays any attention to her, but she doesn't let that stop her. They hugged goodbye when the party was over and he even kissed her. It was too cute and she was so happy. That girl is going to be boy crazy when she is a teenager. :-) Handley was excited to have some one-on-one time with Robby and she informed me that the ice cream truck made another stop by our house.

Today we met up with Jen and (baby) Parker at a new park we'd never visited before. We all had SO much fun. Both our husbands were busy with work stuff so we made a day of it...we had a picnic and let the kids play. The girls loved all of the new playground equipment.

Before that we made a quick run to Party City to try to get a little inspiration for Halloween costumes. It was all fun and games until Harper spotted someone trying on a scary mask. She started crying hysterically and backing away as she told me, "Me no like that mean mans. That's too scary!!! That's too scary!!!" I had to carry her the rest of the time we were in there and of course she then spotted every "scary" thing in the store. Needless to say, we will not be going back to Party City anytime soon.

We spent the rest of the afternoon/evening at home playing. Hudson has been super fussy all day and I'm not quite sure what's going on with him. The girls tried to cheer him up by putting on a little concert for us as I was getting him ready for bed.

The girls were off to bed right after Hudson and were worn out from our busy weekend. When I reminded Harper that she would be going to school tomorrow and seeing all of her friends, she reminded me, "Parker kiss me." Oh my word! Told you she was going to be boy crazy...

Muffins with Mom

2011-09-29T18:36:00.000-07:00

This morning was Muffins with Mom at the girls' pre-school. Unfortunately, this year both of the girls' classes had this event on the same day, at the same time. I wasn't looking forward to having to split my time, but it ended up working out just fine.

We went to Harper's classroom first, and Handley joined us in there. She made a sweet card for me and showed me some of the books she liked to read.

After eating only one bite of her cinnamon roll, Harper announced she was done. This isn't like her, but I noticed that her crush, Parker, had arrived. Mrs. Deborah has been telling me that Harper just LOVES him and it was obvious to me today. As soon as she spotted him she waltzed right over and practically sat in his lap. Poor kid couldn't have cared less that she was there and trying to give him a hug. Ha! I kept trying to get her to come sit with me, but she kept saying she just wanted to sit beside Parker. When I told her it was time for me to go to Handley's classroom, she questioned why, but then was totally fine with the idea of sitting with Parker and his mom while I left.

Making her move :-)

Handley's classroom was a different scene with 20 kids and their moms buzzing around. Handley had also made few things for me and was eager to show me stuff around her room she has been telling me about for several weeks now (her own special art box, her mailbox where all her papers go before coming home, the home-living center, the computers, etc.).

I also got to meet Handley's new friend, Grace. I hear a lot about her each day and I'm so thankful that Handley has met a sweet friend in her class.

Hudson did his job, and slept the entire time we were there. After we left the school, I made a quick stop to pick up some pictures I'd ordered. It only took me 2 1/2 months to get some photos of Hudson up in our house to prove we actually do have a 3rd child. I love seeing the new pictures though and these smiling faces each time I walk in the front door. :-)

After ballet we came home to a wonderful treat...Robby had gotten home from a long 4 day trip. We were all very happy to have him home. After an early dinner he took the girls outside to play while I was cleaning up the kitchen. After a few minutes Handley came running in to tell me that an ice cream truck was coming down our street. You would have thought Santa himself had just landed his sleigh in front of our house the way she was acting. We have lived in this house going on 4 years and I don't ever remember seeing an ice cream truck on our street. I grabbed Hudson, some money, and my phone (for the photo op) and ran outside to wait with them at the street, just like I remember doing with my brothers when we were kids and the ice cream truck would come down our street. After choosing their treats we waved goodbye and the rest of the night Handley kept telling me how "amazing" it was that the ice cream truck came by our house. It was pretty amazing and made for the perfect ending to our day. :-)

Happy Birthday Annabelle!!!

2011-09-25T19:20:00.000-07:00

Today we got to celebrate our good friend Annabelle's 4th birthday! We've known Annabelle since she was about 1 month old and her family live right down the street from us. Handley had been looking forward to this party as soon as we found out it was going to be at the American Girl Cafe.

A few months ago we got an American Girl doll catalog in the mail and Handley carried it with her everywhere. She slept with it in her bed, took it in the car with us, and got really upset when one of the pages ripped. About a month later we got another catalog and she was so happy. She immediately ran to get the old one and told Harper she could have it since she had a new one now. She loves looking at all the dolls and their different outfits. I remember when I was a little girl I would do the exact same thing with the catalogs that would come to my house. One day when we were out to eat she saw an older girl with one of the American Girl dolls and she couldn't stop staring. When she learned that for Annabelle's party the girls would get to borrow a real American Girl doll and have a fancy mommy/daughter lunch she was over the moon.

Today could not have been more fun for the girls and for all the moms. As soon as we pulled up Handley was shaking with excitement. All of the girls were dressed up and we enjoyed a delicious lunch in the most adorable pink cafe. All of the girls got to have their dolls sit with them in special seats that attached to the tables and it was just the cutest thing ever.

A little background about these next pictures. Harper LOVES to fix people's hair. She is constantly asking if she can fix my hair in a ponytail or pig tails. She usually makes a tangled mess out of it, but I don't care because she thinks it's so much fun. I've been thinking that for Christmas I would love for Harper to get a doll with real hair she can style. The very first thing she did when she sat down beside her doll was pull out the rubber bands holding the dolls pigtails and starting "fixing" her hair.

She then proceeded to turn the doll's hair into a big tangled mess. While all the other little girls' dolls still had perfect pigtails at the end of the party, Harper's looked like this:

And that is why Santa might just bring Handley the real deal American Girl doll for Christmas, but Harper will be getting the Wal-Mart knock-off. :-)

After lunch we were headed too the carousel located in the mall. It was the perfect way to end a wonderful party!

After the party we went to pick up Hudson from Gigi and Papa's house. They were sweet enough to babysit him during the party and Handley happily told him that this would be his first time staying at Gigi's house all by himself. I wasn't surprised that he was perfect for them. Gigi and Papa had quite a full weekend with all three kids, three days in a row! We are so grateful that they enjoy our children as much as we do.

We got home just in time for a quick nap/rest time and then we were headed off to our dinner club. As usual, we ended the night there with corn hole and lots of laughs. We had such a great weekend, but I am exhausted from being so busy and I'm looking forward to settling back into our normal weekly routine this week.