Must be a girl thing

Are babies just naturally a girl thing or what?!  It is hard to know whether Hailey loves babies as much as Hannah because she watches Hannah and is just copying her or if it is just natural for girls to adore their baby dolls.    Hailey got this baby for her birthday from Grandma Judy.  Hannah just happened to get the exact same baby from 'Grandma Joyce'.  Hailey carries this baby around with her...well, actually drags her, everywhere.

More mommy moments

I had another mommy moment this morning. 

I opened my purse and this time didn't find a dirty sock but instead

• A french fry
• 1/2 of a stick of gum
• A Nuk holder
• Gerber Puffs

Family

We were able to get a few good pictures at Hailey's party.

What I love about this picture:

1.  Brian is actually smiling.  Lately when I ask him to take pictures he is making a face or messing around so that we don't get a good shot.  Thanks honey for working with me today to get a good picture!

2.  All of us are looking in the same direction.  Even though it isn't the greatest picture, we are all looking in the same direction.  Anyone with two small children knows what a difficult task that can be.

3.  Hannah is smiling and not making a face (she takes after her daddy, you know)

4.  I am smiling and not talking.  Usually I have some goofy look on my face when pictures are taken.  I am trying to get the kids looking in one place or ordering out directions for everyone as to where to look, when to smile, getting their attention (how bossy~)

Too cute for words

Seriously?! 

Is she too cute for words or what??

I have a feeling we are going to be late for daycare tomorrow...

Daddy and me

Tonight I brought Hailey downstairs to get her ready for bed.

We played downstairs for about 20 minutes before we realized that Hannah and daddy never made it down.

We went upstairs looking for them and it was a ghost town.

We went outside and there they were...sitting on the edge of the truck, talking away, just hanging out.

Happy Birthday Hailey Monster!

Today was Hailey's Birthday Party

We had about 30 people at our house for the party.

The weatherman had been telling us for over a week that it was going to rain all day so we didn't plan to set up the party in the garage and didn't set up the 'outdoor' toys.

It turned out to be a beautiful afternoon!

Hailey had a good time opening her presents, watching to see what was inside of each one.
Presents included:

Hannah, Mom, and Dad:  A teaching turtle light up toy
Grandma Chris:  Little People Dollhouse
Grandma and Bob:  Dress, that matches the dress that Hannah got for her Birthday
Jennie, Kim, and Kristin:  My first tea set, adorable pink sweater dress, tights, and two pair of shoes
Grandma Judy and Grandpa Denny:  A baby doll, Hailey name puzzle and Minnie movie
Jennifer, Tom, and the kids:  a gift card to make an 8 x 8 photo book, Minnie shirt and black pants
Karri, Greta, Mike, and Courtney:  Owl outfit and Mickey Mouse book
Stacey, Shane, and kids:  Little People Dollhouse
Tammy, Josh, and kids:  Pink and Brown Plaid vest and Gap shirt
Grandma Joyce and Don:  My Pal Violet

(I hope I didn't forget anyone or anything...that was from my memory)

Hailey especially loved her cake!  So happy Jennifer took pictures for me so that I could enjoy this moment!



Deal of the year

Where:  JCPenney
What:  These Sketcher tennis shoes for Hannah purchased for only $4.99
How:  They were on sale for $19.99, I had a $10 off of a $10 purchase coupon, they were a little dirty on the inside of the heel and when I asked the checkout lady about it she said she would give me $5 off because they were dirty.  Grand total after sale, coupon, and dirty-off = $4.99

Spa Day

Hannah:  "Look mom, I am painting my toes!"

Yummy in my tummy

I love watching Hannah's imagination come to life.

We were outside playing with some of Hannah's new birthday presents.  She really wanted to use her new pots and pans from the 'Madagascars' (what she calls the Busta's...they both start with Maddie, I guess).  We didn't have any food to cook but never you mind about that! 

My personal choice would have been leaves or sticks or rocks....this little one got along just fine with the batteries.

The greatest surprise ever

I am having a hard time believing that Hailey is already one.
Today is her birthday and on this day as we celebrate her I can't help but think about how much our lives have changed because of her.

Happy Birthday to our little surprise.  To our little life changer.  To our little angel.

More signs of motherhood

Got to work today, opened my purse and found this...

Right there- by the Target receipt- do you see it?  A dirty sock.

Hannah! Where did you put that ______?

One thing about having an overly helpful toddler, oh sorry- I mean big girl, is that you often find things missing.
I was trying to clean up the house a little this weekend and walked into the bathroom.  The light was still on, there were bath toys littering the floor, the old toilet paper roll on the vanity, hand towel laying on the toilet and the toothpaste-open toothpaste- on the counter.
Went to go and put the toothpaste away, wait....where in the world is that cap?
*sigh*
"HANNAH!  What did you do with the cap for the toothpaste?!"
"It's right here mommy"  (said with a huge matter-of-fact-smile on her face)

Oh, of course....how could I have missed that?

Push-hand-to-talk-baby

Hannah not only likes to read books to her sister, Hailey, but also to push-the-hand-to-talk-baby.
Push-the-hand-to-talk-baby sits much more still than Hailey.
She listens better too.

Although, she doesn't help Hannah turn the page...

Scrapfest

Today Karri and I went to Scrapfest.
Here is a sampling of the items that we made.

Mom, I'm ready

Last night Hannah took a bath before gymnastics.
I left her alone for a few minutes so I could go into her room to get her leotard.
I came back to the happiest three-year-old who had found my lipstick.

Signs of progress

I worked on Hailey's birthday invitations tonight.  Can you tell by my ink-colored fingers?

I hadn't taken out my stamps in so long.  It took me a few minutes to get into it but after I started working on them, I ended up being pretty happy with the way they turned out.

I made a few different ones using different colors and pictures.

Fritched Fratched @$%^*!

Why after 9 1/2 years does this dog decide to start acting up?!

Nash never used to counter surf. 

He never used to get into things that were on the counters.

Not that we left things out but if we did, we didn't have to worry.

Now, he is out of control.

It is like having a puppy around again.

This day he got into a FULL bag of semolina flour.  It is like corn meal so it is grainy and super fine and makes a huge flippin' mess.

Not to mention how bad the house has been smelling as this stuff works it's way out...

Not always so happy together

The girls have just started to play together.  They have always 'played' together but now I mean that every so often they will actually play together in the same room.  Play in the same room, together, and don't need me by their sides.  (Not much but every so often...)  Yesterday morning the girls were doing puzzles in Hannah's room.  I heard Hailey squealing a little and then walked in to see this....

Hannah was laying on top of her saying "I love you woman!"

Baby Blues

I can not get enough of these eyes.

So happy together

Hailey can not get enough of her big sister.

We were outside tonight and Hailey walked over to this car. 

She opened the door and then yelled to Hannah.

Of course you couldn't tell what she was saying but Hannah must have known because she walked right over and hopped in.

Hailey then walked herself (holding on) around to the back of the car and started pushing Hannah around the driveway, both of them giggling the whole time.

It is moments like this that parents live for...

Baby, Baby, Baby

Meet the newest addition to our family.

She has been called baby, Soda, new talking baby, bouncer baby, and (most recently) push the hand to talk baby.

Hannah was getting her dressed the other day and while she was working Push-the-hand-to-talk-baby's hand into the shirt I heard her say "Oh Baby, you look like a princess!"

Happy Birthday Hannah!

Three years ago today, my life was changed forever.

Brian and I were given the opportunity to become parents. 

It took us three years and some intervention to become pregnant.

You were worth the wait.

You have taught us so much about what it means to love.

You have taught us about the important things in life.

I love the way your smile can light up a room. 

I love the way your laugh can bring me to tears.

I love the way your eyes sparkle when you are happy.

Happy Birthday Bean Machine!

Like sister, like sister

Hannah got a Tag Junior for Christmas.  To use the Tag Junior you use the special books and that white thing that Hannah is holding in the picture. When she holds it on the book multiple things happen.  Depending on where on the page you hold it, it will either play music, read the words on the page, ask her a question (Can you find the red fruit?), things like that.  Up until now she really wasn't too interested in it. 
She has been playing with it a lot lately and a lot of times Hailey will sit next to her soaking it all in.

I always wonder at those times what Hailey is thinking.  Then I walk into Hannah's room to see this.

Hailey on the floor with this book on her lap.  She found a purple piece from another toy adn was holding on the book.  Copying her sister.

I think she is soaking it all in.

The Event

For the last three weeks I have been getting emails from my dad inviting me to attend The Event.  These emails were always pretty vague....sometimes they would come with a picture attached.  The picture would look something like a puppet.
This morning I recieved my last reminder.  Tonight, 7:30 pm.  See you then.

We had a little trouble getting logged in.  First, I needed to download Skype on my new netbook.  My new netbook also came with a webcam attached to the lid but for some reason we could not get it to work.
We finally got logged in with our laptop and eventually were greeted by Jennie, welcoming us to 'The Grandpa Dan Show'!

Hannah's eyes lit up and she giggled.

Grandpa Dan put on a puppet show.  It included singing and dancing!

At the end of the show Kristin, Jennie, Kim, and Grandma Chris showed up!  Hannah could not stop talking about the show all night.  She loved it!

Her favorite was Stinky Sock.

P.S.  I caught her at the table later this evening, with her baby, waiting for the 'show' (notice the 'webcam' hanging from the screen)

Thanks guys for a special event!

Divas

We went to Tammy and Josh's with the Busta's tonight.  We decided to play Fantasy Football.  Well....Tammy, Josh, Stacey, and Shane decided to play Fantasy Football with the kids and Brian and I got invited to join them (Thank you!). 

  It is always a good time getting together with our families.  These three girls are just too much!  We caught them in front of the fireplace, checking themselves out in the reflection getting themselves 'ready' for their weddings.  They were doing their hair, putting on makeup, and every so often you could catch one of them doing a little dance.  Times like these I wish I would have carried along my real camera.

Celebrating with Chuck E Cheese

Today was Hannah's 3rd Birthday party!

We celebrated at Chuck E Cheese.  The party included 12 children and 19 adults.

The party package included tokens, pizzas, and drinks for the kids.  A reserved table, tableware, a balloon, a blow up candle crown, a Chuck E Cheese medallion necklace, the ticket blaster experience, and a surprise visit and special appearance from Chuck E Cheese himself!

We ordered pizza and drinks for the adults and had a very chocolate Chuck E Cheese birthday cake.

Hannah really enjoyed opening her presents and having a day celebrating her!

Grandpa Dan:  finger puppets and a book that has her picture in it, showing her as different professions

Grandma Chris:  Radio and lots of CDs of kids music and a puzzle

Jennie (& Tom), Kim (unable to join us), Kristin:  Bouncin' Baby (quickly named : Soda, the new talking baby), a Dora Guitar and package of baby accessories

Grandma and Bob:  Doggie shirt and jumper dress

Grandma Judy and Grandpa Denny:  My Click Start computer (with games) and a Dora movie

Jennifer, Tom, Courtney, Justin, Adam:  New Tag Junior books and a Dora movie

Stacey, Shane, Tyler, Carter, Maddie:  Pots and Pans and Uno barnyard game

Gretchen, Troy, Lindsay, Kiley:  doll clothes, outfit for Hannah, jacket for Hannah

Tammy, Josh, Riley, Noah, Chloe:  Minnie Baby (quickly named : Soda, with the Minnie ears) and a Mickey Tag game

Hailey: a Vikings shirt, Hello Kitty rainboots and Dora slippers

Mom and Dad:  Disney Princess Scooter

(hope I didn't forget anything)

The two most memorable moments of the day...

1.  Watching Hannah in the ticket blaster.  This pod was filled with tickets.  The lady turned the air on and it was like a tornado with the tickets flying everywhere.  Hannah asked Justin to go in there with her and it was a good thing she did.  She could not stop giggling the whole time she was in there!  She did happen to get a handfull of tickets and shoved them in her pockets :-) 

2.  Hearing 30 people that were in attendance sing Happy Birthday to her.  I started to cry during the Happy Birthday song....thinking of all of those people, there to celebrate her.   

Am I suppose to understand this??

I don't even know where to begin with this one.

You would think that with all of the inventions and technology that we have in this modern world....it floors me that we still don't have a way to keep the bolt cover on the toilet to cover that annoying bolt.

Nobody has thought of a way to lock that thing down?

It is annoying that it moves, comes off and 'hides' behind the toilet but it also makes the absolute WORST household task- cleaning the bottom of the toilet- even more frustrating!

Better yet....how often do you move a toilet?  Once you bolt it down, it is probably pretty permanent, right?!  So, if you install the toilet, then decide you need to move it, would you really care if you had to break off that cover to get to the bolt to remove the toilet?  Chances are that toilet is either being replaced or will just end up in your front yard with flowers in it anyways...

Listening to myself here, I should probably just invest in some super glue.

Glad we didn't go to Target

Tonight Brian is at the Busta's doing his Fantasy Football draft.  Hannah was really upset that she couldn't go with him.  When she first found out he was going, she kept asking him to get on his knees so she could whisper a secret to him.  He would bend over and she would cover her mouth and whisper "After dinner, we going to madagascar's (her voice trailing up as she approaches the end of the statement- referring to Maddie as madagscar's....why?  no clue)
Brian checked with Shane and found out that the kids were not going to be home tonight.  He broke the news to Hannah and she started to cry.  I asked her if she wanted to go and order her Birthday cake tonight.  She stopped crying.  We started packing up and were getting ready to go when all of sudden this happened...

Within 30 minutes, the rain stopped and we were able to go to Target.   Didn't end up ordering her cake...need to remember to do that tomorrow!

Backseat Conversations

Mom:  "Hannah, how was your day today?  What did you do at Jackie's?"

Hannah: "It was fire drill day."

Mom:  "That's right, September 1st.  Tell me about it."

Hannah:  "We had a fire drill.   If you have a fire, you call 9-1-1.  You stay in your room and wait if you see fire out your room.  You should yell "Help, I am in here".  And then call 1-1-1.  The police will answer and help you."

Mom:  "Wow, that is some good information, Sweetheart.  What should you do if your clothes catch fire?"

Hannah:  "I not Sweetie-Heart.  I Hannah Elizabeth Parmley.  If you clothes have the fire you stop, drop, and roll (said while pointing to me with her middle finger and head titled as if actually giving me instructions that I wasn't aware of).  And wiggle your booty back and forth like this (insert demonstration)."

Mom:  "Did you talk about what to do if there is a storm?"

Hannah:  "Yes.  If there is a storm, you will hear 'Wooo, wooo, wooo', then you go downstairs and cover your head like this (insert demonstration)."

Mom:  *smile*  (wiping tears from eyes while watching her in amazement)