Halloween

Well we have celebrated Halloween and Trick or Treating several times this year. I have already posted about the Church Trunk or Treat that we took the girls to on Wednesday night, but Friday night we went to visit Aunt Sheri and Uncle Richard, Mema and Pop, Nana and Steve, Pop and Mimi, Kim, and Heath and Alisha. We left our house about 6pm and got back home at 11pm. Hayden and Gracie had lots of fun and it was great to visit with everyone. We stopped at Richard and Sheri's first and they gave the girls several little toys and books. It was so cute, they even had them in a little pumpkin bag, Sheri always thinks of the cutest things. Jessica was there feeding the cows and Hayden wanted to help, so we promised her that we would take her back over there one evening to help take care of all the cows. After we left there we went to Mema and Pop's, they always have lots of good candy and Mema gave Hayden a Dora Christmas nightgown and Gracie a little set of princess books. I think Hayden has taken over the books, but that's okay Gracie will enjoy them one day too!

Mema and Pop:
Don't tell Mema I took this she would say she looks awful...

We went to Nana and Steve's house next. Steve's birthday is on Halloween, so Hayden made her special cupcakes. Steve wanted chocolate cupcakes, but Hayden said he really needed strawberry ones(that is her favorite) so we ended up making both. I figured everyone would be happy that way. We also took him a funny card and a Georgia Bulldog mug. He was very excited about his cupcakes and gift and of course Hayden and Gracie both gave him special hugs. Nana had bought all kinds of different candy at the store, stuff I forgot they even make, but Hayden has tried it all now and says it is all delicious.

Nana and the girls:

We stopped at Kim's house next. Pop and Mimi came to Kim's to see the princesses! Mimi and Pop gave Hayden a HUGE apple (the biggest one ever), band aids(which Hayden will use in one day), and candy. Gracie got lots of suckers, that is about all we trust her with so far. She still doesn't have a lot of teeth, but I did let her try the mini M&M's(she liked those)! Hayden loves to play with Aunt Kim and Gracie just kind of tags along right now, but it won't be much longer and she will be right in the middle of everything. Gracie decided to show Pop that she can walk last night, she stood up and took several steps and Pop told Mimi that when she would fall back down it was the cutest thing ever because her Tinkerbell dress just fell perfectly around her( I thought it was very sweet too). Maybe today will be the day she takes off across the living room!!!

Heath and Alisha were are final stop. Alisha always gives Hayden lots of candy on Halloween, but she also got a cupcake, play doh, and books this year. Alisha decided the play doh would stay at their house, since I am not such a big fan of that stuff, but she played with Hayden in her kitchen floor for a long time and Gracie was so tired by this point she was just crawling around checking everything out. When Gracie is being still, you know she is really tired! When we got home the girls went right to sleep.

We got up this morning and met Kim, Pop and Mimi at the Monroe Country Club for breakfast and to watch a magic show. We were lucky, our table was right in the front so we could see everything. The breakfast was delicious. Hayden had almost two waffles, strawberries, and hot chocolate. She is going to want that everyday now! Gracie had lots of gravy, eggs, and hash browns. Hayden really enjoyed the Magician, it was a very good show and perfect for kids. At the end of the show he made a bunny appear underneath a little house, and of course that is all she has talked about this morning. She says that was her favorite part!

Hayden watching the Magician:

Gracie enjoying her breakfast:

Thanks to everyone for all the gifts and candy for our girls! They are so blessed and loved by everyone!

Now we are going to enjoy our evening at home watching the Georgia/Florida game with Kim, Pop and Mimi, eating yummy hot wings!

Trunk or Treat

Mark and I took Hayden and Gracie to Trunk or Treat at Hayden's Preschool. The church had a few games set up in the Fellowship Hall for the kids, they also had dinner if you wanted to sit down and eat. Hayden was Cinderella, I must say she was beautiful and Gracie was Tinkerbell and she was beautiful also. Mark and I have the most beautiful girls ever! Hayden played all the games, but she was the best at bowling, she hit the one pin that she was supposed to and almost knocked them all over. She was so excited that Kierstin and Mark Brantley were there. Kierstin was a Pig, she was adorable in all her pink and Mark Brantley was a Horse, I don't think he was to sure about his costume, but it was very cute. They also had a game that was walking around to music and when the music stopped, you had to stop and if they called out the number you were standing on you would win a cupcake. When Hayden and Kierstin found out about the cupcake, they had to play. Stephanie and I helped them, Kierstin won a cupcake first, but I wasn't going to give up, so Hayden and I kept playing until she won one too!

Absolutely Gorgeous:

Gracie is very excited:

I love this one:

I love this one too:

Holding her dress up to run from Daddy:

Gracie's Sucker, Yummy:

Winning Cupcakes, Umm good:

Hayden's Bowling, she almost got them all!

Then Hayden got a even bigger surprise when Mimi, Kim and Artie all showed up. You should have seen her eyes when she noticed they were there! We all went back outside to Trunk or Treat, which is where everyone sets up candy in the back of the vehicles and the kids walk from car to car. I thought it was pretty neat, some of these people really go all out with decorations. Gracie wasn't to sure about Trunk or Treat, she just wanted her Mommy to hold her, so I finally told Mark to give her a sucker and she was as happy as a bug in a rug. She LOVED that sucker, she made a huge mess, but it was very sweet and she didn't cry the whole time. Hayden was very shy walking around. Everyone kept telling her she could have more than one piece and she would shake her head NO and move on to the next car. We even had one man say "wow she isn't anything like these other kids!" Once we got done trunk or treating, we set up in the back of our car and passed out candy too! That is when Hayden found out that they had cotton candy, and she had to have some. She was standing there with cotton candy in one hand, her candy bucket in the other and a sucker in her mouth (what more could a kid ask for?) Hayden and Kierstin sat in the back or our car with me and ate about 20 suckers. I am sure Stephanie was pleased with me last night! Finally about 7pm we decided it was time to head back home and get some dinner. Hayden told us that she sure was tired but she had lots of fun. We noticed as we were turning in Good Hope that she was almost asleep, so we had to promise her that when we got to our driveway she could DRIVE. She was so excited and she does a pretty good job (with a little help).

Cinderella, Tinkerbell, Pig and Horse!

Best Friends:

Hayden got us home safe and sound:

It was a fun evening and I am so glad everyone got to come by and see the girls all dressed up! I took lots of pictures for everyone to enjoy!

Decorated Punkins

This year we bought a pumpkin to carve and some smaller pumkins for Hayden to decorate with paint. She painted her pumpkins the way she wanted them to look. I figured that she would paint smiley faces on them, but she wanted to paint them all different colors (they turned out very good). Gracie wasn't allowed anywhere near the paint, so she ate snacks in the high chair and watched Hayden decorate. Hayden painted one yellow just for Gracie. Mark, Hayden and Gracie carved the bigger pumpkin last night. They did a great job, Hayden wanted to help do everything and Gracie just screamed loudly to get a little attention. Mark took all the pumpkin seeds and baked them in the oven to eat later. This is something he used to do every year when he was growing up. I had never had it before, but they were pretty good and crunchy. Hayden wasn't impressed with the pumpkin seeds at all, she put one in her mouth, made a face and spit it all over the kitchen counter and said "this is not very good". Mark took them to work with him this morning to snack on.

Good Job:

Finished:

Carved Pumpkin:

Gracie wasn't to excited about it:

Ready to go buy another pumpkin:

Yesterday Mark got to go to ballet with us. He was very impressed with our little dancer. He says it isn't really ballet that they are doing. I told him they have come a long way since the first class. They call their ballet class creative movement, and that is exactly what it is. Yesterday Hayden really opened up, I guess she wanted to show off for her Daddy. She is usually very quiet and just watches, but yesterday every time they started something new, she would say I want to go first (it was good to see her excited about it). You could tell Mark was a proud Daddy, he watched her the whole time with a big smile on his face.

Punkin Patch

Mark and I took the girls to the Punkin Patch today. Hayden and Gracie had a great time. Hayden enjoyed looking at the goats, bunnies, pigs and chickens. She liked the bunnies the best, we didn't let Gracie get to close...she isn't very nice sometimes. Hayden also rode the cow ride, she really liked it last year, but this year it went a little too fast and she said it was too bumpy. Gracie wasn't to sure about everything but she enjoyed watching all the people. She was very good in her stroller, I keep telling her if she would just walk, she would be able to keep up with Hayden. She has been taking several steps at a time, so I don't think it will be to much longer before she just takes off. She has excellent balance and she knows how to do, I think she is still just a little scared. We let Hayden and Gracie pick out the pumpkin this year. They did an excellent job, it is a very pretty pumpkin. Then we let Hayden pick out a smaller pumpkin, so that she can draw on it or do whatever she wants to do to it. Gracie got a small pumpkin to, but I don't think we will trust her with markers, paint, or crayons...last week she ate a green crayon while I was at the grocery store. When I got home her teeth and everything were green. I left Mark and Hayden in charge, I think they thought it was funny, Hayden couldn't wait to tell me when I got back home.

Here are some pictures of our fun morning. I will post more pictures after we carve and decorate the pumpkins tomorrow afternoon.

Such a Pretty Pony...

Artie and Kim gave Hayden a Rocking Horse for her 1st Christmas, we heard the pretty pony song over and over again, now Gracie likes the pretty pony song so here we go again. It has been one of the more popular toys at our house. Gracie still doesn't really know how it works, she just thinks it is funny to hear the song and let Hayden help her rock. She is all smiles when she is playing on the Pony, and of course Hayden still likes to play on it too! Hayden told Mark and I last night that she has had that Pony for a LONG time, but she will share with Gracie now. She has to be the most thoughtful and smartest 3 year old I know!!!

Fall Festival at Preschool

Today Gracie and I went to Fall Festival at the Preschool with Hayden. We got there about 11:30, Hayden came walking in with her class, she didn't even notice we were there until Stephanie said something to her. When she realized we were there her little eyes brightened up. She is very,very shy I don't guess I have ever really noticed it before. The teachers have to encourage her to do things, instead of her just running around like the other kids. She stands back and watches everyone else. I really don't think we have to worry about her getting into to much trouble at school, unless she acts differently in the classroom. I was always very shy when I was little too! I was always scared everywhere we went that they would make me do something in front of everyone, looking back now it was really silly, but I am not that shy anymore. I guess Hayden will grow out of it too! The festival included some fun little games for them to walk around and play. Hayden got her face painted, she wanted a white flower. Then they played the bean bag toss and took pictures with the scarecrow. Hayden's favorite game was the parachute. All the kids liked to run underneath it and scream. I would have to say it was the best game there. Hayden played it several times!

After playing the games, one of the Room Mothers had sugar cookies with orange icing and sprinkles, candy corn and sour worms. Great combination for no napping children this afternoon!!! They all got to decorate their cookies the way they wanted it, believe it or not Hayden didn't even really like the cookie. I don't think she is really crazy about sugar cookies, but she LOVES chocolate chip cookies! It was fun to watch her in her class and with the other kids.

Gracie had fun too! She was actually the loudest kid there, and no I am not kidding. She did good in her stroller for a little while and then she wanted down. I told her if she would start walking she would be able to play with the other kids, she didn't really care and proceeded to scream until I let her down! I told Mrs. Christie that Hayden might be shy but Gracie is definitely going to be a handful! Mark and I joke about when she starts school, we think she might stay on the yellow and red light. Hopefully she will be good like her big sister!

On a different note: Gracie went on her first ride with Hayden last weekend, she was holding on very tight:

Beautiful:

Decorating her cookie:

Parachute Game:

Getting her Face Painted:

Disney on Ice

Last night we went to see Disney on Ice with Pop, Mimi and Kim. It was a long ride there, Hayden kept asking "Are we there yet", so Aunt Kim tried to keep her occupied by letting her play with her phone. Gracie would be fine one minute and screaming very loudly the next. She goes from happy to mad in one second. We finally got there about 20 minutes before the show started, but we had to get something to eat fast. Gracie had to eat something for dinner, I didn't feed her before we left because I knew she would really want whatever we ate. She loves chicken nuggets and french fries. She can eat more chicken nuggets at one time than Hayden. Of course Hayden was to excited to eat any dinner, but I figured one night just on junk food wouldn't hurt her. After we ate really fast, we went to find our seats, and would you believe that there was a couple sitting in our seats! Once we got settled, Hayden decided she wanted to sit beside Kim. She was so excited and couldn't wait to see the Princesses. She really wanted to see Sleeping Beauty, and you would know that she was the only princess that wasn't there. She still enjoyed everything else though. I don't think she was to sure about the Halloween part, it was kind of scary looking for young children. Gracie enjoyed the show too. At first she just sat in my lap taking in all in. She really liked standing up and holding on to the chairs in front of us, but I was scared she would slip and fall. She was very good, she only screamed out and got mad a couple of times, but it was so loud in there no one ever knew. It sounded like she was cheering the characters on like everyone else.

Of course because Hayden didn't have any dinner she had to have cotton candy and a snow cone. Every time they came through with something, Hayden would tell Mimi she wanted one. She knows who to go to when she wants something. Aunt Kim bought the cotton candy and Mimi and Pop bought the snow cone. Then she spotted the blinking toys and had to have one of those too! Mimi has a hard time saying No, but that is okay that what Mimi's are for! The girls had so much fun and were so tired they were both sound asleep before we ever got back on the interstate. I think everyone had a great time, I know I did! I love Disney, I guess that is where the girls get it from. We really appreciate everything Pop, Mimi and Kim do for us!!! Hayden is already wanting to go back again tonight! I told her to call Mimi(HaHa)!

Oh, I almost forgot... Gracie loves cotton candy and snow cones too!!! It was the first time she has had those kinds of treats!!!

Turning 30

I turned 30 last Sunday on Oct. 4th. It has taken me a while to post about it because Hayden got sick Saturday night and Mark and I ended up at the doctor with her on Monday morning. She was so pitiful and tired, she couldn't sleep because her throat hurt so bad. Her little eyes were so swollen when we got to Dr. Beeber's office and she had a fever of 102.6, and that is enough to freak Mark and I out completely. Dr. Beeber said she had the croup and ended up given her 2 shots on Monday and wanted to see her back on Tuesday morning. Hayden says the shots are magic, she felt so much better Monday afternoon. We were hoping that she wouldn't have to have anymore shots on Tuesday, but Dr. Beeber still heard a little rattle in her upper chest, so she had to have 2 more shots (poor baby). She has to be the bravest little girl I have ever seen, she is never scared at the Doctor no matter what they have to do and believe me I would be screaming if it was me. Gracie started running a fever on Monday afternoon, Dr. Beeber and Aunt Kim both think she was trying to fight off a virus. As of today they have both had a normal temperature for 24hrs (YAY)!

On Saturday Oct 3rd I went to visit my Daddy with Uncle Randy. Mark got up early and took the girls birthday shopping in Madison for me. After they got done shopping, they came to visit Papa Malcom too. They don't really know my daddy, but the strange thing is that I don't really know him anymore either. I have always been a Daddy's girl, but when my parents got divorced I got older things changed. My daddy is completely confined to a wheelchair now and doesn't talk a whole lot. It is hard for me to see him that way, he is supposed to be the man that can do anything! We had a nice visit and then we came home to see Nana and Steve.

Nana wanted to give me my birthday present early, and see the girls. She gave me a very pretty ring, pink purse, and pink billfold. It was a very nice birthday present, she knows my birthday is very hard for me because I had a miscarriage on my birthday two years ago and even though I have moved on and am as happy as can be, I will always think about it on my birthday.

After Nana gave me her present, Hayden decided that her and Gracie needed to give me my present too. Hayden came walking out on the porch with a dozen of pink roses (I LOVE FLOWERS) and a bag full of stuff. Mark, Hayden and Gracie had picked me out a Georgia Bulldog watch, pin and diaper bag (I think Mark was tired of carrying around a pink one). It was perfect, they did a great job. Mark also planned a small party inviting some friends over to celebrate me getting OLD. I always make cupcakes for every one's birthday, so Mark and Hayden made me some chocolate cupcakes to eat with our family on Sunday. It was interesting watching them do it, and Mark even made me a very small personal cake with Hershey Kisses on the top. We bought pizza and wings for dinner so I wouldn't have to cook and clean. It was fun getting together with everyone! Thank you to my wonderful Husband for making my birthday such a special day!!!

Sunday Mimi, Pop, Kim and Artie came over to celebrate and eat the cupcakes. They brought dinner (steaks, potatoes, bread and salad). It was all delicious!!! They also brought presents. Kim and Artie gave me a $50 Visa card(YAY). Mimi and Pop gave me a beautiful Vera Bradley purse, that I really wanted. It was a great day, except that Hayden didn't feel good at all as I said before.

Thanks to everyone for a wonderful 30th Birthday!

Bye Bye Bottles

Gracie is a big girl now! No more baby bottles for her, she is only drinking out of a cup now. I finally found the perfect cups for her, she actually liked the same cups Hayden did when she stopped taking the bottle. I guess they are more alike than I thought. She is so cute sitting in the middle of the living room with her head leaned back drinking out of her cups. She hasn't had a bottle all week, so yesterday I cleaned all the bottles really good and packed them up. It felt good to put them away. Now if we could get her to start walking she would officially be a toddler instead of an infant, kind of sad when you think of it like that. My baby is growing up too fast, but she gets more and more entertaining every day.

Gracie now loves to give love (big hugs and kisses). She gets so excited when her Daddy gets home, she crawls right to him and waits on him to pick her up and she gives him a big big hug and sometimes he even gets a kiss. She usually saves all her kisses for Mommy and Hayden. Hayden now gets upset when she tells Gracie to give her love and Gracie won't do it. I have to explain to Hayden that she only does it when she wants to! She follows Hayden everywhere and they play everything together from playing in the kitchen, dress up, blocks, and baby dolls. I am so glad Hayden enjoys playing with her little sister. They will play in their bedrooms forever and just when you think that they are the sweetest kids ever, Gracie starts screaming. When I ask Hayden what happened, she always says "I didn't do it", which definitely mean she did do it. I told Hayden the other day when Gracie starts talking she is going to be able to tell on her, so she better be nice to her sister.

I love listening to them play and watch them when they don't know I am, they are in their own little world. Hayden tries to keep Gracie in line, when Gracie is doing something she isn't supposed to be Hayden will say "No, No Gracie we don't do that". When they are playing with the baby dolls, Hayden tries to explain to Gracie how to feed the baby and change diapers. Gracie just sits there and laughs, she thinks Hayden is the funniest person ever. One of my favorite things is when we are driving down the road, Hayden will do something silly and Gracie just laughs and laughs. Of course, once Hayden realizes how funny Gracie thinks she is, she keeps doing over and over again. Sometimes I call Mark so he can hear the beautiful sound of laughter that surrounds us. It is the best sound in the world, the sweet innocent laughs our precious girls.

Trying to catch Hayden:

Sweet and Innocent:

Big Hugs:

Big Kisses: