she's a big girl now?!

It's time for another yard sale, and with that goes cleaning out my sweat pea's closet. It makes me so sad when I clean out Halle's things b/c then I know she's growing, growing, growing! I can't believe that she is 15 (almost 16) months old now. She has grown into such a beautiful little diva. She is extremely mischevious and spoiled rotten to the core! She is definitely a little monkey, climbing on everything. She continues to climb on the couches and stairs, with supervision of course :) The other morning as I was hearing her wake up, I thought I heard her "talking" more from in the hallway than I did over the monitor. I thought, "hmm, there's no way she's climbed out of her crib". That's impossible for a 15 month old right?! So as I got up to go get her, there she was meeting me halfway down the stairs! She had indeed climbed out of her bed, opened her bedroom door, and was making her way down the stairs like she's a big girl, which let's face it, she is! She continues to amaze me everyday.... taking on new tasks herself, wanting no help from mommy. She is so precious and I thank God everyday for the angel he has given me!

All aboard the Hogwarts Express!

Imagine you're awaiting to hop on a huge red train, surrounded by tons of people whose characteristics you have formed through mere thought/imagination, white smoke is coming out of the engine, *choo choo*, we're off!

That's were I have been over the past few days.... the world of Harry Potter!! I have been obssessing over the plots of the stories, the characters, and the anticipation of what happens in the final chapter. I finished the Harry Potter series around 4 a.m. this morning. No I didn't just stay up to read, I was working, and took full advantage of an extremely rare night of peace at work :) From the first book, I have not been able to put them down (although it was hard to read with an active toddler wanting to do anything other than let me sit and read). I mostly had to read during Halle's naps or before I went to bed, and still I found myself staying up til' all hours of the morning. I can finally say that I have finished, sadly, but true. I was really sad to reach the end. You get so invested in the character's and their lives. It's almost like they become real people. There are so many important things that are not mentioned in the movies. The movies would be 100 times better by the mention of details described in the book. I have been wanting to go rent all the movies now that I am finished with all the books. I know the movie for the 7th book doesn't come out until November (can't wait!), but I know that it is being split into 2 different parts b/c there is so much that they can not leave out or it would not make sense. I must say, I was skeptical about reading these books, but I proved myself wrong yet again, just like I did with the True Blood series. I truly enjoyed the Harry Potter books! I wish that the author would come out with another one, telling us how they became to be where they were at the very end of the book (I won't spoil it for those who haven't read it yet by saying anything about the ending)

stack around silly town

I'm sure most of you have seen the Stack Around Silly Town toy made by FisherPrice. Yesterday, Halle was getting jealous of the little block people you put on it that get to go up and down with the music. With that being said, she decided that she would give it a go! She sat her butt down where the little people go and thought it would push her up and down along with the music. I started laughing, saying how silly she was being in her "silly town". She then started to laugh after she noticed I was laughing at her. She is such a little ball of energy!


laughing at mommy and herself



noticing mommy is laughing at her



turning to get the music going



plopping her tush down on her silly town




putting the little people to safety while she experiments



I love her little grin :)



sitting down for round 2



giggling girl!

her first shiner

The other night, Halle fell into our coffee table in the living room and hit her eye HARD! I know she was hurting, and I cried with her. I felt so bad, I just wanted to take the pain she was feeling away. It immediately turned red and began to swell. I rushed to put some ice on it, but come on what toddler is going to let you hold ice on their eye? I tried anyway, but no luck. She was not letting me put ice on her eye. I started to panic, thinking, "what if her sight is damaged now?" or "what if she fractured a bone around her eye socket?" Rusty had to tell me to calm down. He said we will wait and see what it looks like in a few hours. Well, it didn't change that much over the next few hours. Rusty and I knew that she would probably wake up the next morning with a black eye. We pampered her and babied her for the rest of the evening/night. Our little girl was hurt :( She was running around playing with her toys in no time. You would never know she had gotten hurt by the way she was acting. It was me and Rusty who kept saying "awwww our poor girl!" or "Come here baby and let mommy/daddy make it feel better!", smothering her in kisses upon kisses upon kisses. We were the ones that were not letting it go! Our girl had a rough evening and we intended to make her feel better as much as we could!

She woke up the next morning with a little bit of a shiner... I feel so bad for my girl! I hate that this happened to her. People say to get used to your kids getting hurt and having accidents b/c its happens, but I don't think I will ever get used to Halle getting hurt. I try to keep her from getting hurt, but I know that I can't protect her from everything. I sure can try though :)


My poor baby's eye! (not to mention she got bit by a mosquito on her forehead!)



She's such a sweet and tough girl



All she wanted was her milk to make her feel better along with a million kisses!

she'll have what everyone else is having

Hungry?

Don't count on getting to eat much of your food if Halle is around. Even though I fix her her own little plate of food she always wants what is on someone elses plate. In the mornings, I fix her a pancake and banana, which she used to always eat like it was going out of style, BUT if I sit down with my bowl of Special K or Cheerios she all of a sudden doesn't want her food... she wants mine. This happens over lunch and supper and even with snacks. I will eat an apple and she will follow me around getting bites of my apple (she makes such an awful face everytime she bites into it). It doesn't matter if it doesn't taste good to her, she wants it because someone else has it. Oh, and don't go near her if you plan on eating yogurt! This is one of her favorite snacks. She will literally whine and whimper until you give her atleast, what she believes, is 90% of the cup. I offered her a piece of a miniature Hersey bar the other day at a friend's house and she almost took my finger off! She ate the whole thing in one bite :) She loves her some chocolate! When we go out to eat now I just tell the waiter/waitress, "she'll have what everyone else is having" (we always order her a kids meal just in case though).

I love my little piglet :) I am glad that she is healthy and plump... I love her little chubby legs too. One thing is for sure, my girl never goes hungry!

Sisterly love

I feel like I am raising two children (three if you count Rusty *hehe*). Abbagail and Halle are constantly after each other. I have to tell them to stop bothering the other all the time. If Halle's not pulling Abby's ears, poking her in the eye, or trying to ride her like a pony, she's trying to run Abby out of her own bed! Abbagail tries to get back at Halle by pulling her bed and shaking it to try and get Halle out of it. Of course, Halle thinks, "this is fun whoo hoo!". But it's not just Halle that is doing the damage to the dog, Abby is guilty of chasing Halle around the house, biting (not hard just playfully) at Halle's feet as she runs, eating Halle's snacks right out of her hand, etc. These girls truly act like sisters!


I can remember me and my sisters yelling, hitting, punching, body slamming, scratching, pulling hair, and constantly arguing. My mom and dad were always getting on to us for it. Now, you wouldn't even think that we were like that. We are so close! It makes me want Halle to have a sibling that is close to her like my sister's were to me. I'm thinking IN THE FAR FAR future, that may just happen :)



I posted this video of Abbagail trying to get Halle out of her bed...

Curly-Q

We all know I have been awaiting the day that my girl would "sprout" some hair! She has finally got hair coming in! She has the sweetest little curls :) She is going to have that naturally curly hair like her dad and I do (she will probably be hating us for it when she's old enough to try to fix it herself). I have TONS of bows I have been waiting to clip in her hair and now I can!


You can see it's starting to come in!



Precious little curly-q :)

Naptime Routine

One of my most cherished moments as a mommy is my sweet pea's naptime routine. I know it sounds crazy that a cherished moment could be naptime right? I don't cherish it because I get a break when she's napping, although it is nice to have a little "me" time :) It's the way she goes to sleep that makes it so memorable. I can usually tell when she is getting tired and ready to be put down for a nap. Her eyelids get really red and she wallows on a pillow or the couch. I ask her, "Do you want to rock with mommy?" She runs to the rocking chair and waits for me to sit down in it so she can climb into my arms. She then snuggles so close to me, inching her way to get just a little bit closer. As I rock her, she positions my hand on her back, tucks her hand under my arm and rubs my arm until she falls asleep. If I move my hand off of her back, she repositions it to where it was. I love being that comfort she needs to fall asleep.

There's a place called Kokomo... Indiana

This past weekend we went to visit my dad and Annette (a.k.a. my future step-mom) up in Kokomo, IN. Halle had to get "warmed-up" to Papa and Annette first before she would branch out and have fun. She is so shy when she first see's someone she hasn't seen in a while. It didn't take her long to realize who they were. Friday night, after Papa and Annette got home from work, we went to eat at Chili's and to Target to get Halle some toys to play with outside. She picked out what she wanted (with a little help from mommy)and ended up getting bubbles and a new ball. We spent the rest of the evening relaxing, watching Halle play outside with bubbles and her ball. We were all pooped so we turned in kind of early.

On Saturday, we got up, had some coffee, and relaxed! After Halle woke up from her afternoon nap, we went out for lunch at the Olive Garden and my dad and Annette showed us around Kokomo. Halle was beginning to get ill after being in the car... what can I say, she's an active and fiesty toddler and she needed to get out of the car asap! We decided to head back to Papa's house for Halle's sake and our sanity! When we got back, we went to go feed the fish and Halle got to enjoy being pushed around Papa's subdivision in her pink car. Yes of course we had to bring her car, she doesn't like to go anywhere without means of her own transportation :) We grilled out hamburgers later that evening, and I can honestly say that we didn't go hungry this weekend! We sat around and talked until it was time to go to bed.

I was sad to see Sunday morning come. The weekends always go by so fast when you go visit family and friends! It's sad to say goodbye, especially when you don't get to see family as often as you would like. I know we will see them again, hopefully soon! We love them and we are grateful for getting the chance to go and visit! I posted some pictures below of our fun trip!





More interested in what's in Papa's cup rather than taking a picture



Posing in her car with Papa



standing up in the chair with the help of Annette



Reaching high for the bubbles!



Having SO much fun!



Watching Abbagail chase all the bubbles



Cheese!



Bubbles are her favorite!



There's that sweet smile I love so much :)



She always does this now when she's being silly... it cracks me up!



Picking up Abbagail's dog toy to throw




Running wild outside with the dog




She says "stop! abbagail don't eat the bubbles!"



Following Papa and Dada into the corn field



This is her poop face.. and yes, she was pooping :)



Loving her new ball

Enjoying time with Papa and 'Net'

We arrived in Kokomo, IN, yesterday around 2:45 p.m. safely! Last night, we went to eat at Chili's and then ventured over to Target to get Halle some bubbles and a new ball (since we forgot hers at home) so she could have something to play outside with. We spent most of the evening watching Halle laugh at Abbagail attack the bubbles, while trying to "attack" some herself. I took many pictures with Papa's camera that I intend to post as soon as he shows me how to download them from his camera :) Just wanted to give a quick update!

P.S. I wanted to wish my neice Madison a Happy Birthday again since today is the big day of her party!!

Madison turns 6!

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday dear Madison,
Happy Birthday to you... and many more!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MADISON!! Today was my niece's 6th birthday :) Her and Halle spent the whole day playing together. I even got in a few games of Old Maid, Bingo, and Memory while Halle napped. I can't believe she is already 6 years old. It seems like yesterday when I was standing beside my sister telling her to ppuussshhh! Ha! She has grown into such a wonderful, spunky, energetic, and funny little girl who lights up the world! She really loves Halle too. She thinks Halle is the greatest thing ever. She gives her books and toys that she says she is to big for now. She gave her a Dora toy bin tonight before we left because she knows how much Halle loves Dora. I was really sad to leave them and when Madison cried it made things that much harder. I promised her that me and Halle would come down when school is out and spend 3 whole nights with her (that cheered her up for about 10 seconds until we got in the car to leave). I really am proud of the little lady that she has become and I look forward to see her grow up throughout the years to come. I am so proud of my sister too for being such a great mommy, and I want to say that my new brother-in-law really has gain the best two girls anybody could ask for! I love them all so much!

P.S. I forgot my camera at home so no pics... bummer!!! AND my phone was dead :(

Proud to be a mommy

I woke up yesterday morning knowing I was the luckiest mommy in the world. I have such a wonderful daughter who I know loves me dearly. She always puts a smile on my face and in my heart. Her giggles make my heart flutter with joy. She is my everything! I am so proud to be called Mommy!

I hope that everyone had a fantastic Mother's Day! I know that even though I spent my mother's day with paint up to my elbows, I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend my day :) Rusty and Halle took me out to dinner and bought me the stuff to re-do Halle's room. They both know about my little check list I have going, and they knew how much I wanted to paint the bottom half of her wall and put chair rail up. Rusty had to be in charge of the chair rail and cutting it to size (me and power tools don't work well together, other than your typical cordless drill ha!) He did such a wonderful job! Halle supervised but spent most of the time napping while we worked. When we took her in her new room, she had this "what's going on in here" look on her face. She really didn't notice too much, but I could tell that she could tell something was different. I want to thank both Rusty and Halle for the best Mother's Day ever and for the presents. I am blessed to have them in my life. I don't know what I would do without them! Spending time with my two loves makes for a very special day, no matter what!

Check!

Continuing on the check list of projects completed around the house, we can now check off painting and putting chair rail up in Halle's room. My mother's day was consumed with painting and helping measure out chair rail. I'm so excited about the finished product! I think it looks SOOO cute!


Getting ready to start the process



Testing the color we picked out



Corner shot of before



Before the project started



After the painting/chair rail



It looks so good!



It was all for my one and only princess :)

Toy box fun!

Playing with her toys in her toy box. That's my little piglet's new obstacle that she has overcome. She has been trying for a couple of days to actually get in her toy box, but each time she would try it would tip over. She finally got in it this morning without it tipping over and her falling out. The first time she did it, she looked up at me and smiled and let out a big sigh of relief. I then sang the Dora "We Did It" song, except I changed the "we" to "she" and made up a few lines about her climbing into the box. It was quite entertaining for her :)


This was about the 3rd successful time for her to climb in her toy box



Looking at Abbagail (she looks much different from inside the toy box lol)



Enjoying playing in her toy box



Screaming at the end of my "She Did It" song




My most precious angel, my pride and joy, my love! :)

Mommy's special little helper

Mommy's special little helper likes to help swiffer sweep the hardwood floors ;) She knows exactly where the cleaning closet is. Everytime I say, "Let's clean up!" she runs and opens the closet and pulls out the swiffer and the broom. She's the best helper ever, she beats daddy by a long shot :)


She's dragging everything she needs our of the cleaning closet



Here she comes with the swiffer!




Let's get started mommy!



Such a good helper!




Riding on her magic swiffer, silly girl!



Don't forget to swiffer the door :)

Da daa doh?!

Just wanted to share this:

I was walking through Target yesterday buying diapers and just browsing through Halle's clothes section when a little miss priss started yelling da da over and over again! (Caution: it's hard not to spend $100 when you walk by their kids clothes section b/c you pick up eveything b/c it is so cute!) Getting back to the point, I have no idea what brought on her sudden urge to yell for her daddy. I loved it though :) She is getting more chatty these days which is awesome! I can't make out a thing she is saying except for dada.. that part is really clear. You should have seen the look on Rusty's face this morning when he was sitting in the bed with her and she said "da daaaa doh". He was so proud, smiling, kissing her, and just overcome with happiness. She has said dada before, but only a select few times and Rusty was only around for one of those times. So, to him this was like the first time she had said it.

I am really looking forward to trying to decipher words and what they mean. Plus I am really looking forward to many embarrassments from her yelling things in public and shouting at random people she doesn't know... bring it on! :)

The Great Flood of 2010

Flood Warnings. Road Closings. School Closings. Curfews. All of these things have happened in the past couple of days. We have gotten TONS and TONS of rain this past weekend. The river walk downtown Clarksville where we take Halle to play has risen well above the playground area. It was high enough to cover restuarants and all shops and businesses in that part of the downtown area. It is truly amazing how high the water has actually gotten. People say that haven't seen it this bad in 30 years. We are lucky that our house has remained dry and safe for us to stay in. There are alot of people who can't get out of their house b/c of road closings and several people who were rescued have had to spend the last couple of days at churches for shelter. Nashville got around 13 inches or more and Clarksville got close to that.


Our backyard... It got higher than this, but luckily it didn't reach the house

Singin' in the Rain

Rainy days make me lazy, sleepy, and all together worthless. Today was definitely suppose to be one of those days. To my surprise, I was awaken this morning by a sweet poke in the eye from none other than my twinkle toes little scooter pooter :) She was wide awake and raring to go at 6:15! I had to look 3 times at the clock to make sure I had it right. Everytime she sleeps with us, none of us get a good nights sleep. I should have known to put her in her pack-n-play in our room instead of letting her sleep in our bed. She rolls, tosses and turns, kicks, pinches, pokes, and even bites in her sleep. She used to be quite the little snuggle bug, but these days she's dreaming and apparently really getting into her dreams.


Let ramble off course with a quick question that just popped in my head: Don't you wonder what they could be dreaming about at their age? I sit and try to think of what she knows well enough to dream about... mommy? daddy? abbagail? candy? cookies? milk? dora? her toys? special agent oso? Who knows! I'm sure her imagination runs wild though!


Anywho, instead of being lazy today, I'm thinking we may go out and play in the rain for a bit... sounds like fun to me :) Plus, I don't think Halle will like being couped up in the house all day, she loves her outside time! I remember this little singing in the rain song I learned at cheerleading camp when I was in like 8th grade. When it comes to the part telling you what to do with your head, etc., you have to do them and sway back and forth as you sing....

I'm singing in the rain,
Just singing in the rain,
What a glorious feeling,
I'm happy again!

Head Up
Thumbs Up
Elbows In
Knees Together
Toes Together
Butt Out
Chest Out
Tongue Out

Singing in the rain,
I'm singing in the rain,
What a glorious feeling,
I'm happy again!

Now that may not be exact, but it's close enough and you get the gist :)