Mother's Day and this week so far

On Mother's Day this year I was woken up by the kids running in and giving me a precious hand-made card and a hand-made bracelet.  I've worn it every day since!  They were so very proud of themselves for what they had secretively done. 

All three kids helped Robby wash my car and then we made our way to Gigi and Papa's house.  They since Papa is still recovering and in no shape to do yard work, Robby had plans to do it for him.  We made a quick pit-stop at a sporting good store on the way to get me new running shoes (my other gift from everyone).  

The weather was so nice on Sunday and we all enjoyed being outside the majority of the day.  Hudson was soaked head-to-toe from playing with the water table and the biggest fun the kids had was taking turns having rides in Papa's wheel chair.  

I wish I could have seen my mom on Mother's Day, but we can't wait for them to visit here next month! 

And, here are some other random things/pictures to share: 

Hudson is all about his sisters, but when he just wakes up from his nap he usually loves to cuddle for a little while.  He was in a sleepy mood, but as soon as I pulled out my phone he perked up and wanted to say "cheese." I just love this baby boy of mine and although he is quickly becoming much bigger than a baby, I still love the little moments when he acts like one.  

Yesterday, Harper came home from school with all sorts of shapes she had colored and cut out.  When I got them out of her folder she said, "DO NOT throw those away!  I made them so I could teach Hudson his shapes." This morning she took her job very seriously and Hudson surprised me by paying such close attention to her. 

The beloved "Food Truck Tuesdays" started back so we met some friends at the park this evening for this awesome event.  Basically the food trucks  are these huge catering trucks that are set up to take orders/cook/serve food as if it was a restaurant on wheels.  Each truck has a different theme/type of food and everything is SO good.  The most fun thing about it though is literally EVERYONE in our town shows up so we run into tons of people we know.  The kids all love running around, playing on the playground, eating picnic-style and being with their friends.

Part of our group from tonight.  You can see the trucks behind us.  

Here I am with 3 popsicles from the popsicle cart.  I got them for the kids after dinner and my crazy kids said they didn't like them.  More for me!  Haha!  My friend Carrie took this picture of me. :-)  I caved and let the girls go pick a different flavor to buy.

Handley's Gym Show

I love seeing my kids do things they love and also the things they have worked so hard for.  All year long Handley has been talking about being in the gymnastics show and how she was going to practice to do her best.  Today was the day of the show and she did such a great job!  I thought I might just burst from the amount of pride I had for her up there performing.  We were all proud and even Hudson who was sitting on my lap kept pointing and saying her name over and over when her group was out on the floor.

All the classes paraded around at the beginning of the show!

 Below you can see Handley doing her cartwheel and then doing her "cast" on the bar.

Yesterday while Handley was at school I let Harper pick out some flowers to give Handley after the show.  She was really happy and surprised when Harper gave them to her!

Handley's friend, Annabelle, was also in the show!  Both of the girls did such a great job!

Handley was thrilled that Gigi was able to attend.  On our way home we stopped by RT for frozen yogurt and slushies to celebrate and Handley did not want to let those flowers out of her sight.  As soon as we got home she picked out a vase to put them in and then wanted to find a spot in her room for them.

To watch the video of Handley's routine, click HERE! 

iPhone pictures from our day

The Kindergarten classes were supposed to have water fun as part of their field day last week, but because of the really cold weather they rescheduled that part for today.  When Handley was picking out her swimsuit and cover-up for today she told me she knew exactly how she wanted to wear her hair.  Just like her friend, Annabelle, did the day before with pig-tails and ribbons tied in big bows!  So that is what we did this morning. :-)  She sure did look cute and from the reports I got, Water Day was tons of fun.  

Harper and Hudson were super jealous that I was taking a picture of Handley without them so they both ran over to pose for a picture before heading to school.  It is kind of blurry, but it made me laugh seeing Harper's pose and I can just hear Hudson saying "cheeeeeeese!!!" like he does every time I want to take his picture.

The girls made the mistake of telling Hudson that he would be going to his gymnastics class today.  I usually wait and tell when we are on our way, because otherwise he just asks non-stop and doesn't understand that it isn't time to go yet.  He was thrilled when it was finally time to go and even more happy when he saw all of his friends. 

Besides me rearranging my morning to get the house ready for a last minute showing and the people just NOT showing up, Hudson having a melt-down in the Post Office this afternoon and me seriously threatening the girls to NOT come out of their beds after I tell them goodnight, we had a great rest of the day.  The girls and I did some crafts while Hudson napped and then we had a play date with some of the neighbors on our street.  And, tomorrow is FRIDAY so we are all excited about the weekend!

Handley's "pretend" birthday

At the school the teachers go above and beyond to make everyone feel special.  That's one thing I have just always loved about this pre-school.  Summer birthdays are no exception.  It doesn't matter if your birthday falls during the summer, the teachers arrange for those students to have a "pretend birthday" celebration in their classes.

Today was Handley's day for her pretend birthday and she was really excited to get to help make treats, wear a birthday crown and stand in a chair while everyone sang Happy Birthday to her.

Hudson and I joined the class after lunch for the singing and short celebration. Hudson adores Handley's teachers and walks into the classroom like he owns the place.  The other students really love Hudson, too and are always trying to get him to give them high-fives.  He sat right at the table with the big kids and ate his treat with them.

I just had to include a picture of Harper because she just looked so cute today.  Like my BFF Jen and I keep saying, we are going to WILL IT WARM with our fashion.  Enough of the cold - bring on SUMMER! :-)

***Edited to Add***
Tonight Handley came out of her bed crying and said she was just so sad because our house isn't selling and because we can't get a dog.  A little history - Since saying goodbye to Sydney (our 14 year old Golden Retriever) a year and 1/2 ago we have all be talking about and wanting another dog.  However, all along I have said that two things needed to happen before we would seriously search for one. 1) We must be moved and settled in our new house and 2) Hudson had to be at least 2 years old.  After talking to her I thought she had calmed back down and gone to bed, but then as I was walking near her room a little while later she was sobbing in her bed.  Robby and I talked to her and she said she was just really sad and really missed Sydney and really wanted another dog.  She hasn't brought up Sydney in a while so it just broke my heart.  Of course I had to do a search for a picture of Handley with Sydney to post tonight and I ended up taking a walk down memory lane and becoming quite emotional myself about missing our old girl.  Handley is sleeping with one of her stuffed animals that is a dog tonight and I'm praying this house gets sold quick so I can make good on my promise!

Gymnastics Show Rehearsal

This evening Handley had her gymnastics show dress rehearsal. She was so excited to get to wear her new show leotard and head off to the practice.  I thought waiting during her class was pretty chaotic with 6-8 classes going on at one time and parents in and out, but tonight was an absolute mad-house.  Not only were they doing the dress rehearsal, but they were also having photos taken.  In one word, it was CRAZY.

However, I would put up with all that craziness to see how well my sweet girl did tonight.  We had to watch from afar, but as soon as it was time for her class to begin Hudson and Harper both decided they wanted to be held up so they could see over the ledge - so that is exactly what I did.  With one of them on each of my hips we all were beaming with pride as she did the routine.  She has worked so hard this year and I could not be more proud of her.  She really has been trying to get her cartwheel down pat and tonight during her rehearsal she nailed it!

 Harper has been quite upset/confused as to why she didn't get a brand new sparkly leotard and get to learn a routine to perform at the show.  Her age group does not perform in the show, but I so wish they did.  Today at the rehearsal she stood on the edge of the gym floor, her chin resting on the ledge and watched non-stop as all of the classes had their pictures made and took turns doing their routines.  I just love having two girls so close in age, but a lot of times it is really hard too.  Because Harper and Handley are so close and play together so well I know Harper feels like she can do everything Handley does.  A lot of times she can, but sometimes she doesn't understand when she isn't able to attend a special birthday party or participate in an event because she isn't quite old enough yet.  I know this is just the beginning of having to try to explain to her "life isn't fair" and "your time will come" but that still doesn't make it any easier on her.

Hudson and his buddy, Emerson, stayed pretty entertained amongst the madness this evening when they found a little spot on the floor and shared a snack and a movie.  Thank goodness for the iPad!

Handley's Field Day

Yesterday was Handley's field day!  She was so excited and I was happy to get to volunteer.  Because of the wind, possible rain and cold temperatures they moved all of the activities inside.  They were supposed to do some water stuff too, but they are going to reschedule that for next week.

I was busy working the hula-hoop station, but I did get to see her do a few of the activities.  She and her sweet friend, Grace, got to do the three legged race together and won!

While we were busy at field day Harper and Hudson were having tons of fun of their own.  Gigi was originally going to watch them for me, but Papa was in a really bad bicycle accident involving a car over the weekend and now has broke ribs and a bruised lung as a result.  Needless to say he is in bad shape and will be recovering for a while so Gigi needed to be taking care of him. Jen was able to fill in at the last minute.  I got everyone up at the crack of dawn to drop the youngest two at Jen's house before I took Handley to school.  We made a quick pit-stop to get donuts on the way to get us all going.  She took them to an indoor play place and said they loved it and the three of them were hilarious together.

That afternoon we kept some of our neighbors for a few hours and the girls had fun, but Hudson was even more excited than they were.  Stefanie came over with Sophia to drop something off and all 5 of the big kids were all over her.  Hudson kept pointing and saying "baby" and was fascinated when he saw her getting her diaper changed.

Sophia is getting SO big and was so cute on Friday.  She was smiling a lot and is such a sweetie.

He ate a VEGETABLE!!!

We had a great day, but the most exciting thing of the day happened this evening at dinner.  For anyone who knows Hudson he is by far the pickiest eater of all three of my kids at this toddler phase and he is stubborn as all get out.  There are so many things that I know he would enjoy eating, but he just flat out refuses to even take a tiny taste.  So, you can imagine my surprise and excitement tonight when he not only tasted and ate an entire carrot stick dipped in ranch dip, but then asked for MORE!!!  You should have seen the girls and I hooting and hollering for him. :-)  I grabbed my camera and Handley said, "This is going on the blog!" In true Hudson form he will probably go back to not eating them tomorrow, but maybe he will surprise me and stay on this trend for a while.

The rest of our day was our regular Thursday routine (and my favorite day of the school week).  We started with the girls last chapel of the year, then Hudson and I made a quick run to Target before meeting all of his friends at his tumbling class.  He just adores his friends and I know I've said it before, but I love to see him starting to develop friendships.

As we were leaving the class they were all walking out together holding hands and when we separated to go to our own cars he was not happy and I had to reassure him that we would be seeing them in less than 5 minutes when we got to our lunch spot.

After we got the girls from school we had Handley's gymnastics class and then finally made our way home for the rest of the day.  Thursdays are busy, but we only have two more weeks of this schedule and then school is out for summer (and so are all of our extra curricular activities)!

Harper was supposed to have Water Day at school today, but because of the unusually cold weather we have been having they moved a few of the activities indoors so the kids could still have some fun.  She said they still had fun even they her bathing suit she wore to school "didn't even get one drop of wet on it."

Tonight at bedtime Harper informed me that I didn't need to read her any books tonight because she and Handley had worked out a plan and Handley would be reading to her tonight instead. I just LOVED that!