Sweet Baby Girl

My Hailey.  Such a sweet little girl.  

I am always surprised by what I find when I come in to wake her up.

She always has something in her bed or under her pillow.  Her room never looks the same in the morning.  Toys have been moved or her clothes have been changed.
I think when I put her to bed that she is actually laying down and trying to sleep however, I know that it's all a trick. She lays there and waits until I walk away and then she does her thing.
I wonder if she has a plan ahead of time or if she just gets up and sees where the night takes her.  At what point is she actually tired and then decides that she probably should lay down and try to sleep?

Quick Wedding Trip

Today we are headed to Des Moines, Iowa for Brian's cousin Jessica's wedding.

I have done this drive many times so the car ride went pretty quick.  The girls actually did really good.

After we got checked into our hotel, we freshened up and then headed out.

The ceremony and reception were at the same Nature Center Site.

The wedding was set up outside in the yard and it could not have been more adorable.

It was a small wedding and although we don't talk to Jessica much, it was sweet of her to invite us and I was glad that we were able to make it and be a part of their special day.

As always, the kids enjoyed their time together and grandma got plenty of attention :-)

It must be exhausting for her, being in demand like that, but I am sure that she wouldn't have it any other way. 

The wedding was short and sweet.  Their dog was the ring bearer, they took a selfie with the crowd, Charlie fist bumped the officiant and instead of your typical unity candle they made a time capsule.  

The kids loved being able to roam through the Nature Center and towards the end of the night they had the dance floor to themselves.

Welcome to the Neighborhood

The trees are starting to change.

I am looking forward to being able to hang out in our yard and on our patio.  It's hard to imagine that someday this tree will be full grown.

Takin' one for the Team

We have had a rough few weeks.
Hailey will NOT get up in the morning.  We have had to fight and wrestle to get her up and dressed.  She lays there with her dead weight and as I try to lift her she starts kicking and screaming.  It's been horrible.
I have been close to tears everyday and Hailey always ends up in tears.  My throat hurt from yelling, my shoulders hurt from tensing and my head aches from the stress.  This is not how mornings should go.

Last night I gave her a lecture as I put her to sleep.
"Now tomorrow, I am NOT having another bad morning.  You need to wake up and get dressed and not give me ANY trouble!  Do you hear me?!"  Not really sure what was going to happen when we had another rough morning but at least I warned her so when the punishment flew out of my mouth she wouldn't be completely surprised.

I woke up this morning and got ready like normal.  Once I had finished, I reached for the door handle to enter the hallway and took a deep breath.  Here we go...
To my surprise when I opened the door I could see that there was a light on down the hallway.  As I got closer to their rooms I could see that Hannah was actually in Hailey's room getting her dressed.
Hailey was sitting on the edge of her bed and Hannah was coaching her "Now buddy, we are not going to have a rough morning.  We are going to get dressed for mommy and not throw a fit.  You are doing a great job this morning."  Made my heart absolutely melt.
It also hurt my feelings a bit.  As happy as I was to not have a rough morning, it made me feel like a pile of you know what.  What kind of mom has a breakdown that actually effects a 7 year old enough to get up and help me.  What have I done?!

 

   And then it hit me.....maybe I should be focusing on the fact that I have done something right.  I have raised a little girl who made an effort to help me.  I have raised a little girl who didn't do her usual routine in the morning but instead decided to take one for the team and walk into her sisters room and face the beast.
We had a MUCH better morning today and there wasn't any yelling, fighting or wrestling.

Tonight after work I met my sister Jennie for dinner and we made our way to see her childhood idol, Jordan Knight, from New Kids on the Block.  He was here with Nick Carter, from The BackStreet Boys, for their Nick and Knight tour.  The concert was at Mill City Nights and it was obvious while we were waiting in line that these two do not have any new fans.  Moms everywhere!  Occasionally we'd see a candidate for boyfriend/husband of the year although none of them looked too happy to be up for nomination.

 I originally offered to go with Jennie because there was no way she should miss this.  I was taking one for the team.  I was pleasantly surprised.  They were actually pretty good.  Nick Carter was totally dreamy. And his dancing......wow.

Ish.

I was walking out to my car today and saw something on the ground by the door.  I looked closer and saw this poor little guy.  Ish.  Gives me the willies.

Happy Birthday Hailey Monster!

5 years old?!
How could this be.

Hailey is our 'keep us on our toes' kid.  She's a night owl.  She prefers regular milk and loves Lucky Charms.  She likes to look pretty and often does her own hair- many times this includes more than three barrettes and a ponyholder.  She loves writing notes and 'pretend play'.  Hailey snuggles with her blankie but usually leaves it in her bed throughout the day.  She is a daddy's girl.  She doesn't like to shop and likes alone time.  She will watch TV or her iPad all day if we would let her and likes to chew gum.  She prefers baths over showers and she loves to skip.  She is mischievous and innocent, however can get herself into lots of trouble if left alone for too long. She is a hotbox.  Many mornings she wakes up naked because clothes and blankets are just too much!  She's the kid who will write on walls and kiss clean mirrors.  She loves to dance and could entertain herself for an hour just twirling.  She is absolutely adorable and has the sweetest voice you ever did hear.  

Happy Birthday Hailey Monster!

Party Time

Today we celebrated the girl's Birthdays.  They requested a Pump It Up Party this year.

They invited neighbor friends, daycare friends, friends from school, and family friends.  

I love parties that make it easy to entertain the kids.

 

 

Pump it Up did a great job getting the kids organized, setting up the party room, cutting the cake, opening and recording gifts and cleaning up (BEST part)!

After the jumping party, we headed home where we were joined by more family and friends.

As always, the girls were shown tons of love today and I was left speechless realizing just how lucky we are to have so many great people in our lives.

Puppy Sleepover

Look who I found in Hailey's bed with her this morning!

The Pooping Pup

Jennie stopped over to give the girls their Birthday presents since she won't be around for their party.
Hailey got a Barbie potty training puppy and boy does she love that thing.
It comes with dog dishes, tiny bones, a garbage can, pooper-scooper and poop (yes, poop).

Hailey loves this Barbie.  She played with it all night until she had to go to bed, then when I went into her room this morning, she was in her jammies playing again.  She even brought them down to breakfast.

Surprise Lunch Date

I surprised Hannah and came to her school for lunch today.
They have outdoor recess before their lunch time so as I was waiting in the hallway I got to watch them playing outside.
I could see the kids running around and see Hannah and her friends playing together out on the playground.
When the outdoor helper blew the whistle all of the kids starting running over to the door and lined up.
Everyone heard the whistle and stopped what they were doing.  It was pretty impressive :-)

Hannah was pretty thrilled to see me.  She was very surprised and excited.
Her friends at school love visitors.  It's so cute how they all get so excited and want to gather around to talk and tell me stories about their day.  The lunch room is much more tame then you would expect and may of the kids actually eat their lunch.  There are a few little ones that just sit and stare at their food or are too busy goofing around but the majority of the kids just sit, eat and talk.

MOA DAY!

Before Kari and Andy left, they gave us free wristbands for unlimited rides.  The MOA was having a deal this summer that for every $250 spent you received a wristband.  Lucky for us, they had too many they could actually get use.  It was super nice and super thoughtful of them! 

We called Maddie today to invite her to go to the mall with us- we do not get to see her enough these days.  It makes me really sad considering how much time we spent with her and her family when she was first born and for the first few years of her life.  

I was a little nervous that it was going to be super busy but since our wristbands were free, we really had nothing to lose.  We ate lunch right when we got there.

We were pleasantly surprised to see that it wasn't busy at all.  None of the rides had long lines.

Many times the kids were able to go on a ride and then immediately get right back in line to go again.

Hannah and Maddie wanted to go on the Log Chute ride, Hailey however did not.

We walked in line with them and then when we got up front we just dropped them off and then went to the end of the ride to wait for them.  We watched group after group turn the corner and make their way down the chute- screaming at the top of their lungs.

It was fun to see Hannah and Maddie come down that chute!  They looked terrified but I knew that they were having such a great time and that was confirmed by the sound of the giggles.

It was hard to let go and let Hannah and Maddie go on those bigger rides alone but they LOVED them.

The Fairly Odd Parents ride is a huge roller coaster that spins as it goes along the track.  They could not get enough of this ride!  There is no way you could get me on that thing!
Look all the way up there.....my little girl is on that ride getting spun and tossed around!

Towards the end of the day we were able to talk Hailey into trying out the Pepsi roller coaster.  Her and I sat together and Hannah and Maddie sat together.  All of us loved it.  It was the first time that I had ever been on a roller coaster at the mall- finally I can mark that off the list!

Happy 7th Birthday Hannah!

 This morning Hannah woke to a room filled with balloons.  

Soda and friends were decked out with their birthday hats :-)

Downstairs on the counter was a birthday donut waiting for her.  So far seven is looking pretty good!

I got home early from work today so that I could get her present set up.

When I had gotten home from work I noticed a card, balloon and some candy sitting on one of the front chairs.  How sweet!  I am even feeling excited to see who the birthday elf is.

 

They pulled into the driveway and Hannah came running and screaming from the truck.  She could not hold in her excitement!  She was super excited and within a few minutes had already hopped on and was riding down the driveway. It seemed a little big at first and she will need to get used to the hand only breaks.  

Before the night was over she was starting to get more comfortable- we knew it wouldn't take long :-)

A Bicycle Built for One

I swear we have the most gorgeous skies around here!

It's breathtaking!

Tomorrow is Hannah's birthday.  I went to Target to get her gift and pick up a few things.

I guess I never really thought about how tricky it would be to buy her a bike when I was alone.

Hiding this until we give it to her.....this outta be good.

Hannah's Day

Kimmy called and wanted to know if she could come and pick up Hannah to take her out for a special day.

She wants to do the same for Hailey in a few weeks too.

My girls LOVE their aunts and look forward to any minute that they get to spend with them.  Hannah about lost her mind when she found out that she was going to be spending a whole day with her. And BY HERSELF?!  This is like Christmas!

Kimmy came to pick her up and although Hailey was pretty upset, she understood that she would get her own special day too.

Kimmy and Hannah started their day getting pedicures, they had lunch, went shopping, ate frozen yogurt and then headed to the park.  Hailey and I had made a special trip to Cherry Berry and then met Kim and Hannah at the park to end the day.

Hannah's school playground has a Buddy Bench.  Hannah told us all about how it works.  If a kid wants to play with someone or is feeling lonely, they can sit on the bench and then kids will come over and play with them.  When we asked her if she ever sees kids here she said "Of course!"  then we asked what she does when she sees kids here and she responded so matter of factly with "I come to get them to play of course".

Hannah had such a special day with Kim.  I know she will never forget these times and I know that my girls will ALWAYS have close relationships with their aunts.  It's so comforting to know that.

Hailey the Ice Princess

Hailey:  "Hey Mom, can you tie this on me?"
Me:  "Sure Hails, come here"
Hailey: "No, I'm not Hailey. I'm Elsa."