Wordless Wednesday

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Friday Funny

It was around this time last year and I had lost my voice to sickness, so I kept having to whisper. Hannah was following suit, whispering back to me, when she stopped, looked at me confused and asked quietly "why are we whispering again?"

Getting In The Christmas Spirit

We have been pretty busy this last month or so, but yesterday, we finally found a free day to trim the tree and put up all the decorations. We put on the Christmas music and got to work!

Here are Hannah and Rob working on the tree:
Hailey is watching the festivities:

Here I am with the kids:

Putting ornaments on the tree:

More ornaments:

Hannah trying out the camera by taking a picture of Daddy:

Here I am hanging up our Butler ornament:

Hailey thinks the step stool is hilarious:

Our tree!

The final touch:

Rob even put lights on the outside and managed to get a beautiful picture of our house while the snow was falling:

Time to try the family picture in front of the tree. There were several outtakes:

Merry Christmas everyone!

Favorites

Hannah's blanket: I actually received this blanket from someone at one of my baby showers. I have no idea who. I was sorting through our blankets one day (Hannah was still a baby and we had way too many and I was giving some away) and I came across this blanket. It was a fleece blanket and it had a cat on it and some pink decorations. It was pretty cute but I still considered tossing it into the "donate" pile when something stopped me. I looked at it again and thought that it was a good size toddler blanket and that she didn't have many blankets for when she was a bit older. I folded it back up and stuck it in the bottom drawer. One night when Hannah was about Hailey's current age (18-24 months), Hannah was cold and wanted a pink baby blanket we had. I couldn't find that one, so I pulled this out and asked if Hannah wanted a "kitty blanket" instead. She nodded yes and it has been her favorite ever since (and has held that name ever since as well). She sleeps under it, no matter how hot it is, because she says it's soft. She's not so attached that she can't sleep without it or anything, she just prefers this blanket, although she recently asked me if I thought she was getting too big for her blanket. It makes me sad and proud at the same time to see her growing up.

Daddy and Hannah taking a little nap (Aug 2009):



Hailey's blanket: I had no idea where Hannah's blanket came from until I happened to be in Walmart one day and noticed that they were selling blankets that were similiar. Obviously it had been several years since Hannah's blanket had been bought, so it wasn't the exact same, but it was the same size and had mostly the same colors. I bought it, anticipating that a younger sister may want to be like her big sister. Hailey's blanket has a princess castle on it instead of a cat both are very cute. Hailey also prefers that blanket but will accept others without problem. She calls is "baaaaiiiiin" and we call it "castle blanket."

Hailey napping (Oct 2010):


Hannah's stuffed animal: Hannah has a unicorn that she used to called "ani-corn" before she could say it right. Hannah was around 2-2.5 and we were headed to our friend's house, Dustyn and Emily. It was a 4 hour drive and we stopped at a gas station because Hannah was getting restless. We thought buying some milk might help. I ran into the restroom and when I came out, Rob had been using a stuffed animal display to entertain Hannah. Hannah asked if she could have one and she grabbed a pink unicorn and hugged it. It was only like $5 so it seemed worth it if it entertained her for the rest of our trip. That has been her favorite stuffed animal ever since.

Hannah and Hailey cuddling in bed with unicorn (May 2009):



Hailey's stuffed animal(s): You have seen me blog about Hailey's favorite before. It used to be the elephant my mom gave her that was from when I was a kid, but we lost that one in a store, never to be seen again. Hopefully another baby somewhere is enjoying it. Her new favorite toy was from my grandparents on her 1st birthday. It's a bear with a pink flower on it's head. She loves to carry it around and squeeze it and call it "beeeee." She also puts it in the toy baby carrier, the toy stroller, and the toy crib.

Loving on the elephant (Jan 2010):



Laughing with the bear (Nov 2010):

Stylin' (Or Something)

Hannah and Hailey were running around playing while I was getting ready to make dinner. Hannah had been playing dress-up, and when I realized that I had the wrong type of chicken for my meal, I told her to run upstairs and put on some real clothes so we could quickly pop over to the store. This is what she came downstairs wearing:


Yes, that is a gray shirt with multi-colored hearts (on backwards, by the way), a pink/purple/brown plaid dress, pink Belle socks, and red glitter shoes. I told her that was an interesting look and of course she replied "I know, I'm beautiful!" She was so proud of her outfit that I figured letting her wear it was worth the weird looks I'd get during the 2 minutes we were in the store. She is quite confident in her style, that's for sure!

In My Daughter's Eyes

I love this song and I think of my girls every time I hear it:



In My Daughter's Eyes

By: Martina McBride



In my daughter's eyes I am a hero

I am strong and wise and I know no fear

But the truth is plain to see

She was sent to rescue me

I see who I wanna be

In my daughter's eyes



In my daughter's eyes everyone is equal

Darkness turns to light and the world is at peace

This miracle God gave to me

Gives me strength when I am weak

I find reason to believe

In my daughter's eyes



And when she wraps her hand around my finger

Oh it puts a smile in my heart

Everything becomes a little clearer

I realize what life is all about



It's hangin' on when your heart has had enough

It's giving more when you feel like giving up

I've seen the light

It's in my daughter's eyes



In my daughter's eyes I can see the future

A reflection of who I am and what will be

Though she'll grow and someday leave

Maybe raise a family

When I'm gone I hope you see how happy she made me

For I'll be there

In my daughter's eyes

Look At My New Favorite Past Time!

Mommy is not nearly as happy about my new favorite past time as I am!

Daddy You're Silly!

Hailey has probably 60 words or so and has been speaking in two word phrases for a few months now. Last night, she said her first three word phrase: Daddy you're silly!

We had lunch with a college friend and her adorable brand new baby at Chick Fil A. Of course as part of the Chick Fil A experience, we brought home balloons, which, as per usual, ended up on the 20 foot ceiling in our family room. This time it was Hailey's balloon and Hannah's commentary during the entire ordeal was priceless (Daddy, I think you missed; Daddy, are you sure you know what you are doing; Daddy, I don't think you're doing it right; etc). When Hailey's balloon was finally retrieved (through my suggestion of using two brooms to "grab" the string), I immediately grabbed a toy and tied the balloon to it. Then Rob decided it would be funny to put the toy on his head while Hailey wasn't looking. When Hailey turned around, she said "Daddy you're silly" (which of course was more like "dada yo siii"). I'm sure that phrase will be used a lot in this house over the years (actually, it already is), so it's fitting that it was Hailey's first!

A New Favorite Friend

We never did find Mr. Elephant, but luckily Hailey has picked out a new favorite friend. This is a bear that Great Grandma and Great Grandpa bought her for her 1st birthday. When she opened it, she immediately hugged it and now that the elephant is no longer an option, she has given all her love to this new bear. She carries it around, just like she did with the elephant, and she even seems to have named it. She says the exact same thing each time she points to it, but I still have yet to decipher exactly what she is saying. It sounds a little like "cand" or "band" - maybe she is trying to say "bear" but it doesn't exactly sound like that so who knows. Anyway, she loves her bear, sleeps with it every night, carries it around on and off throughout the day, and even tries to take it with us when we go out (although we aren't making that mistake again). So cute!

Swinging and School

I have noticed that my posts are tending to be about Hailey these days, probably because Hailey is at that age where they grow and change every single day. However, Hannah is also constantly doing things that show how big she is getting. Her new thing is swinging. Sure, she has always loved to swing but she can finally do it all by herself. We spent a lot of the summer trying to show her how to pump her legs so she could swing alone. She was making the motions but she wasn't putting her body into it and as a result, she wasn't going anywhere. About a month ago, we were outside and I gave Hannah a start push as usual and then began pushing Hailey. After pushing Hailey for a few minutes, I suddenly realize that I haven't given Hannah another push at all and she is still going high. On her own! Yep, it just clicked and now she has spent the last month proudly showing anyone who is over on our playset her newest accomplishment.

Thinking of this reminded me of another big thing that happened almost a month ago but I forgot to post about: parent-teacher conferences at preschool. We LOVE Hannah's preschool and she has had wonderful teachers both years. The teacher ran down the list of all the things they are "graded" on and Hannah is doing so well. She received the highest marks on almost everything and her teacher is very impressed with her. She said she's a fun, loving, eager-to-please child who is a delight to be around. She also said that Hannah shares well, plays well, cleans without having to be asked, and whenever she is looking for someone who is doing the right thing, she always looks to Hannah first because Hannah is always doing the right thing. We could not be more proud of our little girl!

Even More Shoes

Hailey has found the plastic Belle shoes that Hannah got in her stocking last year. She jams her feet in to the front of them and walks around, often pushing a doll or stuffed animal in a stroller. Those shoes really have to hurt but she is not deterred and continues to push her feet into those shoes day after day. I'm beginning to wonder if she is trying to get her feet good and numb now so that later she can wear real heels without pain some day...

Halloween Fun (A Few Times Over!)

Halloween was a few weeks ago but hey, better late than never. Our Halloween fun began with visiting the Children's Musuem with some friends the week before Halloween. The girls wore their matching Halloween shirts, which say "Scaredy" and then have a picture of a black cat. Hannah picked them out and even insisted that she and Hailey have matching shirts so they were "twins." The kids are also sporting their Halloween socks and got candy while exploring the "scary" haunted house:

Sisterly love:

Our Halloween fun continued with Hannah at preschool on the Thursday before Halloween. She had a fall party and they were allowed to dress up like scarecrows. Hannah didn't have a flannel shirt and I couldn't bring myself to buy her one (because I think she'll never wear it again) but I did find a plaid thermal shirt and thought if nothing else, she can wear it under other things to keep warm while playing outside in the winter. She also had a straw hat, but they took off the hats because apparently all the kids kept losing them. Anyway, here is Hannah showing the cookie she made:

And Hailey enjoying her cookie:

Next up on Friday was Hailey's playgroup. Everyone was dressed in their costumes and it was so cute. Here is Hannah as Dorothy (with Toto, of course):

And Hailey as the witch. I debated if it was mean to make her a witch but seriously she is the cutest little witch you've ever seen:

And here she is posing:

On Saturday, we visited the grandparents and great grandparents. Here is mom modeling Hailey's hat, which Hailey thought was funny:

Hailey at Great Grandma and Great Grandpa's:

Getting a Halloween treat for her bag:

Getting more treats from Gigi and Great Grandpa:

And a hug:

Saturday evening, we ventured to Zoo Boo with friends:

And somehow even managed to get all the kids smiling:

And then on Sunday we went trick-or-treating with some friends:

I'd say we definitely had a very happy...

...and sometimes spooky...

...Halloween! Hope you had a good one too!

Adult Predicted Height

I have read that in order to get an "adult predicted height" you should double a girl's height at 19 months and a boy's height at age 2. Of course there will always be exceptions but it's supposed to be fairly accurate, within an inch on either side. I even looked at my height as a toddler (thanks mom for my baby book!) and found it to be almost right on. Anyway, since Hailey is 19 months old today, I thought I would take her height for fun. By my measurement, she was 34.5 inches, which should put her around 5'9 as an adult. As a comparison, Hannah was around 35.5 inches at this age, which should put her around 5'11 as an adult. The pediatrician did actually randomly mention at Hannah's 4 year appointment that she should be around 5'10 as an adult based on her growth curve.

Those predictions sound fairly reasonable to me since I am 5'8 and Rob is 6'2, but I guess we'll know for sure in about 16.5 and 13.5 years. LOL Oh and it sounds like there's a good chance that I'll end up as the shortest person in our family! ;)

...But Not Socks

My last post focused on Hailey's love for shoes. That has not diminished in the least since I posted and in fact as I write this, Hailey is walking around in some rather uncomfortable-looking plastic high heels that came with a Belle costume a few years ago. However, I failed to mention in my last blog how much Hailey hates socks. Personally, I think it's an unnatural hatred. How can you hate something that is warm and fuzzy and sometimes cute colors? But she does. I discovered this in the car a few weeks ago. We were driving to a store and when we got there, I noticed that Hailey was wearing shoes but not socks. Weird - did I seriously forget to put socks on my toddler? But then it happened again. And again. And again. Now I know I might not be getting as much sleep since having kids, but I couldn't possibly be continually forgetting to put socks on her. The whole thing just seemed so strange because nothing looked out of place except the missing socks. It took several times but I finally caught her red-handed - yep, the second we get in the car, she reaches down, removes her shoes and her socks and then puts her shoes back on. The truly impressive part is that she puts the shoes back on the right feet and even pulls the straps back across. I found a pile of socks stuffed down by her seat, which at least explained the missing socks.

I guess maybe she just wants to be closer to her beloved shoes...

For The Love Of Shoes

Hailey's love for shoes started off small. It started around 7-8 months old, when she would occasionally crawl over and take some shoes from our shoe area. As she started walking around 10 months, she began to enjoy handing me shoes, although they often didn't match and sometimes weren't even hers. However, she did put her feet up for me and it was nice not to battle trying to get shoes on her since many babies and toddlers hate their shoes. Soon, she was bringing me her own shoes and by 15-16 months, she was bringing matching pairs and would put her shoes in the correct place once she took them off. Now at 18 months, when I pull out a pair of shoes for her, she often shakes her head "no" at me, takes the shoes I suggested, puts them back in the shoe area, picks out her own shoes, brings them over, and tries to put them on herself. Wow! However, I think we have recently hit a new level of obsession. She has began carrying her shoes and cuddling them. I think this just shows that women were made to love shoes. At least when her future husband asks some day, I can say her obsession began when she was literally still in diapers.

Proof: here she is cuddling her shoes (forgive the tired-looking mama - it was a long weekend!):

And yes, that is her cuddling her shoes while sleeping:

I have one daughter who loves dresses and the other who loves shoes - I must be doing something right! ;)

18 Month Appointment

Hailey had her 18 month appointment today. She did really well. She was 24lbs 4oz (50th percentile), 34 inches (95th percentile), and her head was 19 inches (90th percentile). Her weight actually dropped a tiny bit from her 15 month appointment but we figure it's her desire to run everywhere, her sudden lack of interest in food, or genetics. Or maybe all three. Anyway, the doc was not concerned about the weight thing since she was still growing just fine and was very impressed by all the hair she has. Obviously this is just in relation to Hannah's hair (or lack thereof) at this age but it was still funny. Hailey says about 40 words now and a few two word combos. She passed all the other questions without concern and the doctor deemed her a smart, healthy, and cute little girl. I concur! :)

Besides the two crying kids from shots at the end (Hannah got the flu shot too), it was a great appointment!

Wordless Wednesday

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Hello Teeth!

Hailey has been having sleeping issues on and off for a few weeks now and I've been blaming it on other things: change in weather, being out of town, toddlerhood, etc. Turns out, I should have been blaming it on more teeth. It's about time - she only has 6 and hasn't had a new tooth in 7 months - but I was still a little surprised to see those two new teeth. She got one probably about 2 weeks and one within the last few days. You would think since she currently has the top 4 front teeth and the bottom 2 front teeth that she would be due for the other 2 front teeth on the bottom, but no - the ones coming in are her one year molars on the top. Go figure. She is pretty late in teething (as Hannah was too) but I have always read that babies who get hair late also get teeth late. I think we're living proof of that. I have also heard that late teeth signify stronger and straighter teeth. I'm not sure about that one, but I never had braces, so fingers crossed!

Either way, I'm still loving that 6 tooth grin right now, but I know she'll be just as cute with a mouth full of teeth very soon!

Baby Versus Box

The box starts out strong...

But it's baby for the win! :)