Soccer

We went to Kierstin's birthday party today and it was at the soccer place in Loganville. Hayden has been very excited about it all week, but when we got there today she started playing for about 2 minutes and then ran over to me crying. I asked her what was wrong and she said "I just don't like it, there are too many people". Finally after lots of people trying to play with her, her Daddy took her down to the other end by themselves and she opened up just fine. She told her Daddy that she didn't like being around all of those people she didn't know. She really enjoyed it and so did Mark, yeah I know every one is surprised because he is not a fan of soccer. He was the goalie for Hayden and then all the other kids started playing with them too! I must say he isn't a very good goalie because Hayden scored every time. I am sure he was just letting her win, that is what makes him a great Daddy. He always makes Hayden try something even when she isn't too sure about it. Gracie on the other hand wasn't shy, but she wasn't really running around into everything either. She was content just standing right beside Mommy. She did start picking up the Soccer balls and throwing them. Then she she decided she was going to try to kick the ball like the other kids, she fell several times but ended up getting pretty good at it.

Everyone played soccer for about an hour and then it was time for pizza, cake and presents. Hayden made sure she got to sit right beside Kierstin for the party. Kierstin was very excited about her cake, but she was so tired she almost fell asleep at the table while her party was happening. Hayden ate all of her pizza so she didn't even want a piece of cake, I know I couldn't believe it either. Kierstin got lots of great presents, Hayden says that she is really going to like the barbie doll we gave her. They are such good friends and have so much fun together, in fact when Hayden told Kierstin that we had to leave because Mimi and Pop were coming over...Kierstin actually started crying because she wanted to come to Hayden's house to see Mimi and Pop.

Hayden had lots of fun until her legs started bothering her, the shots from yesterday are still very sore today, hopefully tomorrow they will be much better. It was a fun birthday party and I think all the kids and adults had a very good time.

Getting Ready:

She was very shy at first but she ended up having a great time:

In action:

Gracie liked it too:

Playing:

Best Friends:

4 Year Old Check Up

Today I took Hayden for her 4 year check up with Dr. Beeber. She was such a big girl about it, all the way there I kept telling her that she was going to have to get some shots. I was trying to get her ready. She doesn't like shots these days but she said she was going to be big girl so she could go to Mimi's school next year. When we got there they were really busy, so we had to wait for what seemed like forever. The nurse came in to take care of the routine stuff. She weighed 39lbs and was 41inches tall, which means that she was 75th percentile for weight and height. He says she is perfect, but as I always say we already knew that! This visit was a little different because she had to have a hearing test and vision test. She did excellent on the hearing test, in fact she was telling Ms. Amy that she could hear it before she really did, so we decided she has really excellent hearing. Her vision was 20/20 which was great news, being that I am pretty much blind without my contacts. Hopefully she will continue to have 20/20 vision.

Dr. Beeber came in after we got done with all this to check her himself and confirmed that she truly is "perfect", he even said that she is one of the best 4 year olds ever. She always does everything he tells her to and doesn't act like she is scared at all. I thought it was a great compliment, well that is until he brought the shots in the room. She had to have 3 different shots today and the nurse that usually does the shots wasn't there, so he decided he would give them. She was TERRIFIED when she seen them, and I was really surprised because I had been trying to get her ready all morning in hopes that she wouldn't be scared this time. It took Me and Dr. Beeber to hold her down and Dr. Beeber says that she has very strong legs for a 4 year old....Long story short she ended up actually kicking one of the shots across the room and he had to go get another one. After everything was said and done she told him she was sorry for being scared and he told her that she didn't have anything to be sorry for.

He also asked her a couple of safety questions...Like
What do you do when you get in the car...Hayden said "put on my seat beat"
What do you do when you ride a bike...Hayden said "put on my helmet"
What do you do if there is a fire in the house...Hayden said "clean up" okay so that was the only one she got wrong, which he said it is usually a 5 year question so he wasn't concerned.

So of course after that visit I had to reward her for getting shots. She wanted new pink tennis shoes and a barbie doll, so we went to buy some new shoes and Hayden and Mommy got matching shoes, yes my feet are small enough for little girl shoes, which does save a good bit of money. I couldn't leave out my little Gracie so I bought her a new pair of pink tennis shoes too! Hayden no longer wears the toddler shoes, and as silly as this sounds it was kind of sad, we had to buy the shoes out of the big girl section. It is just so hard to believe how big she is getting, she is truly a big girl now!!! After the shoe store we went to Wal-Mart and bought a barbie doll and a new puzzle. She is fascinated with puzzles these days, well as long as there isn't a lot of pieces and she can do it herself. Mark and I only help when she asks for it and she is very good at it and she enjoys it, I like it because it is good problem solving skills.

Once we were done getting all of her surprises, we went back to Nana and Steve's to pick up Gracie. Gracie had lots of fun while Hayden and I were at the doctor. Hayden was very excited to see Nana, she followed her everywhere she went just talking the whole time. It was really sweet, I don't realize how grown up she sounds until I hear her talking to someone other than me. We also went to see Mema and Pop for a few minutes while we were in town, but by the time we got there both the girls were very tired. In fact Gracie fell asleep in the chair and Hayden almost fell asleep on the couch, so I decided it was time for us to call it a day!

Hayden's legs are a little sore from the shots this afternoon, but she seems to be feeling okay and having fun playing with her new puzzle, I bet she has put it together about 50 times today!

Too Funny

Mark and I gave Gracie one of those loud ball popper things for Christmas. We thought it would be good walking toy for her, since she had just started walking. Yeah, I don't know what we were thinking, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. She hasn't really had anything to do with it, even though Hayden would show her what to do with it. Well today she has figured out what it does and she loves it. I guess I block out noise a little better than Hayden does because she was watching her shows on TV and I heard her tell Gracie nicely a couple of times "Gracie please go somewhere else and do that"...I don't know where she could have learned that sentence(haha). Gracie didn't pay her any attention, so the next thing I know...Hayden has taken the ball popper away from Gracie and is taking it back to Gracie's room to put it on the changing table so that Gracie can't reach it. Gracie is running behind her as fast as she can screaming "NO". I had to explain to Hayden that even though it was very aggravating for her that Gracie didn't really know any better, she was just having fun with a new toy and Hayden says "Well she can do it in her room then". So I compromised and told Hayden to watch her shows in Mommy's room and we would close the door so Gracie wouldn't come in there being loud, seemed like a good idea, but instead of Gracie playing with the ball popper, she started crying and beating on the closed door wanting in to play with Hayden.



Oh and also Gracie now plays with my shoes, she walks around the house in them and apparently Gracie likes to eat chapstick. Hayden has lots of flavors and they must be pretty good, I have had to put them all up where Gracie can't reach them. The best part was that she took a few bites of Hayden's favortite flavor and it upset Hayden so much that I had to promise her we would buy a new one tomorrow at Wal-Mart.



As you can see the girls are having an interesting day today!



Here is a picture from the weekend just for you Artie, it is actually the only one that I took all weekend!

They are the prettiest little girls in the WORLD!

Beautiful Weekend

This weekend was so much fun, it was sunny and warm outside so the girls got to play outside lots. Hayden has always loved being outside and Gracie loves it too! In fact Gracie will bring me her coat all through the day and point at the door wanting me to take her out. They got to play on the swing set, jump on the trampoline, ride in the buggy, and ride on Hayden's gator. I wish the weather would stay that way but unfortunately it has been rainy and nasty all day today!!!

Saturday, Mark and I played with the girls outside most of the day and then Mimi and Pop, Kim and Artie and Mrs. Pat and Mr. Lee(Artie's Mom and Dad as Hayden calls them) came over to eat crab legs and fried shrimp. The first thing Hayden did was ask Aunt Kim if she would jump on the trampoline with her, and being such a great aunt she said YES. Gracie got to jump with Kim and Hayden, she thought it was funny when Kim would hold her and jump a little bit, of course she also liked it when she got bounced over! The rest of us just stood around the trampoline watching Kim, Hayden and Gracie have fun, Mommy usually has to jump and be silly, so I enjoyed just sitting back and watching. Hayden was very excited that Mimi and Pop bought her crab legs, the crab legs were for her birthday dinner. We had to put it off for a couple of weeks because every one has been so busy. I think it is so funny that she wanted crab legs, how many four year olds really ask for crab legs for their birthday dinner. Gracie even ate a little bit of crab legs and seemed to like it okay, which is very unusual being that she can be very picky sometimes, although she has gotten a lot better in the last couple of weeks. Hayden wouldn't let Kim out of her sight fo the most part of the night, but when she wanted a piggy back ride she knew exactly who to go to, Uncle Artie. Hayden and Gracie both enjoyed Pat and Lee being here too, Hayden spent some time sitting in Pat's lap reading books and Gracie enjoyed Pat's cheesecake, apparently Gracie LOVES cheesecake, Kim made a homemade cheesecake and it was really good! We had a nice evening with everybody and the girls got spoiled rotten!

Sunday, Mark and Pop went bird hunting, so Grandmama, Linda and Mimi came to play with us. Yes, we spent the whole day outside! It was way to pretty to be inside and who knows when the weather will be that nice again. Hayden showed Grandmama and Linda everything that Kim had taught her on the trampoline Saturday, and Gracie showed them what a big girl she is now by trying to jump on the trampoline and swinging in the big girl swing. Grandmama says that she is not supposed to be this big yet, but she is growing up way too fast just like Hayden. Once Mark and Pop got back from hunting the girls wanted to go for a sled ride, yes they are still riding the sled with no SNOW, Mark pulls them around the yard very slowly. They love it, every time I try to put the sled up they both pitch a little fit, so I decided oh well I guess it must be that much fun! Pop played Frisbee with Hayden and she was pretty good at it, she caught it several times and kind of learned how to throw it. She thought it was very funny to throw really high in the air and almost let it hit Mommy in the head.

Later on Sunday Kierstin and Mark Brantley came over to play, we had a very busy, fun weekend. Kierstin and Hayden played in the playhouse and they were very nice and let Gracie tag along too! Gracie also learned a very important lesson...You don't walk in front of someone swinging or you might get knocked over. Fortunately it wasn't too hard and she didn't even really cry, I think it scared her more than anything....Hayden was pushing Kierstin on the swings and she stepped right in front of them and I just wasn't fast enough! Hayden had already had a busy day, so by about 4pm she was ready for a nap, she wasn't really even playing anymore, it was like she was in her own little world, so we decided to come in since the sun was going down and it was getting a little cool for Mark Brantley. Once the girls got inside they watched a Barbie movie and played their favorite thing...Dress Up! Kierstin even got to take a bath with Hayden and Gracie, they all love to play in the water. They really wanted to spend the night together, but being that today was school day and Monday it really wasn't a good night! The first thing Hayden said this morning was "I had so much fun playing with Kierstin, maybe she can spend the night tonight" and my reply is always the same "we will just have to wait and see".

Hopefully next weekend will be nice too!

Fun Play Date

Today I took Hayden and Gracie to have a play date with Kierstin and Mark Brantley...Well actually I took Hayden to have a play date with Kierstin, but Gracie and Mark Brantley had fun too! Hayden was so excited this morning when she woke up and I told her we were going to Kierstin's house. I bet if she asked me one time if it were time to go, she asked me a million times. All the way to Kierstin's house she kept telling me all the things they were going to do, she had it all planned out. The funny thing was that when we got to Kierstin's house, Stephanie told me that Kierstin had been sitting at the window asking her why we weren't there yet. I guess you can see how excited they were to see each other today, they haven't seen each other all week because Preschool is out this week.

First thing first, Stephanie packed Hayden and Kierstin a picnic lunch, I packed one for Gracie to take along because she can be very picky. They had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, yes both peanut butter and jelly, usually Hayden ONLY eats jelly. Of course they were so excited about playing they all picked at their lunches, well actually Gracie ate all of her lunch! They played on Kierstin's new swing set, jumped on the trampoline, pulled each other in the wagon and even played Soccer, yeah I know Mark is going to love that...For some reason he is not a big fan of Soccer. They saved the best for last...Dress Up, you should have seen some of the outfits Hayden put on, Kierstin would only wear one outfit. Hayden changed clothes several times and some of these outfits Mark would not have approved of ( like the see through skirt...HaHa) but they had so MUCH fun!

Hayden and Kierstin both let Gracie tag along today too, which I thought was very nice of them. I think Gracie enjoyed playing with the big girls, but she got tired of it after awhile and just played with all of Mark Brantley's toys or pushed the baby stroller around the house. She was very sweet and content today. It was a very fun play date and Hayden says that we are going back next week or maybe even tomorrow. The cute thing was that they were planning to spend the night with each other tomorrow night when we left today. Looks like we have lots of slumber parties in our near future.

The girls are now very tired, they have had their dinner and are getting ready for baths, but I don't think either one of them will be staying up too late tonight!!!

Picnic Lunch:

Jumping, Poor Gracie never did make it up:

Mark Brantley was a Happy Boy Today:

Playing Soccer:

Uh-oh Daddy, Gracie likes Soccer too:

Kierstin told Hayden, Well, you aren't too heavy after all:

The best for last, this is one of the dress up outfits Hayden picked, Stephanie and I agree that the socks make the outfit perfect:

Gracie Getting Big

In the last couple of weeks Gracie seems to have turned into a big girl instead of my little baby. She now swings on the swing set like a big girl and jumps on the trampoline all by herself...well Hayden still likes to help her. She has also figured out how to use the stool to get up on my bed and play, which she REALLY loves, it is always so funny the things they enjoy the most. I am not to sure about her playing on the bed, so I am constantly making her get down!!! I try to explain to her that if she falls off it is going to HURT very bad. She also knows the word NO very well. Every question you ask her she tells you NO, even when she really means YES. However today while I was taking some pictures outside...I told her it was time to go in because it was too cold and she says "NO" and took off running. I guess she does know what the word NO mean!!! Oh, and she also likes to tell every one to be quiet by saying "SHHH", it is really cute right now, but unfortunately I have to explain to her it isn't very nice! She was dressed so cute today, she likes Hayden's cowgirl boots, so today I found some that were Hayden's when she was little and put them on her. She thought she was hot stuff as she strutted all around the house. The only problem is they are a little big, she walks okay in them, but she really needs a smaller size, but I figured for today they would be fine. I also had the girls dressed alike today, so the boots were a necessity. I even fixed Gracie hair, Hayden thought that was so funny. I had to wet it and put a little gel in it to calm down those crazy curls that she gets from Mommy. I even stuck a little hair barrette in it. She really did look like a big girl today. It just seems like in the last month she has grown up and changed so much, but she is having lots of FUN!

We met Mimi and Aunt Kim for lunch at Hayden's favorite place, I bet you can't guess...Yes, Chinese. I decided to pack Gracie a lunch today because she doesn't really care for Chinese and I always feel sorry for the waiter because she makes a HUGE mess every week, so today I took her a jelly sandwich and chips and she seemed to enjoy that better. The best part was when we got ready to leave the girls walked across the parking lot holding hands, it was so SWEET! Mark and I have two very sweet, pretty little girls that LOVE each other so much.

Strike a Pose Gracie, Hayden helped her button her sweater, I thought it was too cute to fix and look at those cowgirl boots:

Jumping all by herself:

She really likes the big girl swings:

She wanted to know why I wasn't taking pictures of her, I guess she is so used to it because usually everything she does, I am saying look at Mommy and smile:

Watch this Mommy... I am getting better at this:

I love this picture, it is so sweet and innocent:

Gracie got caught on the bed AGAIN, as you can see she really didn't care that she was in trouble:

This is after eating some of her Valentine candy from Preschool and when I asked her why she was making faces...She said because Uncle Artie showed her how to:

Snow Day 2

Hayden and Gracie woke up very excited to see a winter wonderland this morning. They were ready to go out in their pajamas, but we finally convinced them to eat a little breakfast and get dressed first.

We have had so much fun playing in the snow. We have spent most of the whole day outside all bundled up. Gracie wasn't to sure about it this morning, mainly because she had a hard time walking in it, but she adjusted quickly and had lots of fun. Gracie really liked it when her and Hayden got on the trampoline and tried to jump in the snow. I love listening to Gracie laugh at herself and Hayden. It is always wonderful to hear them laughing and playing and being so excited!!!

We finally got them off the trampoline and on the sled. It is a small blue sled(that is what Hayden tells everybody). I wasn't sure if Gracie would like it or not, but she LOVED it. In fact Hayden wanted to ride by herself one time (so she could go fast ) and Gracie cried and tried to chase them. It was so much fun, I took lots of pictures to share.

We also took the girls to Cy's house, to play with Cy and Nichole. Nichole took Hayden on a nice four wheeler ride around the farm and she really liked it. She hasn't really rode on a four wheeler since she was little, so I figured she would be scared, but she was fine. Hayden and Gracie both love Ms. Nichole...they follow her around everywhere she goes.

Mimi and Pop came over to play later this afternoon. The girls showed them how much they enjoy the sled and then everybody helped make a snowman. Gracie really wanted to go for a ride in Hayden's gator but Hayden said that she would take her maybe tomorrow because today she had to play in the snow! Unfortunately most of our snow has melted but it was so much fun while it lasted!

Gracie on the trampoline:

Making beautiful snow angels:


Trying to jump, it was a little hard in the snow:


The sure did enjoy the sled:


Gracie liked the sled so much she cried when it was time to get off:


Gracie got her way and ended up getting another sled ride:


Hayden and Nichole riding the 4-wheeler



Snow fight with Mimi and Pop:

Hayden made the biggest snow ball:



Snowman...this is right before Rowdy knocked it over:



Gracie waiting for her ride that didn't happen:

Can't you tell how much they loved it!!!!

Snow

Hayden was so excited this morning because it was going to SNOW today. Me and the girls got up early and went to the grocery store, we go every Friday but I knew it would be crazy today with the snow coming and Valentine's Day this weekend. Wal-Mart was packed, so we stuck to our list and got out of there as fast as possible. Hayden kept asking "Mommy when is the snow coming?" and I kept saying it will be here soon. Finally about 2pm it started snowing at our house and at first it wasn't real heavy so Hayden wasn't to excited yet, but within 30 minutes it was coming down fast and she was jumping up and down and begging to go outside.

I finally gave in and bundle them both up and we went out. I was trying to wait on Mark to get home but Hayden was a little impatient. Gracie didn't know what to think, she just stood there looking up in the sky and laughing. We didn't stay out too long it is very cold and we wanted Daddy to be able to play too. We came back in and warmed up, Hayden had to have some hot chocolate, she says that really warms her up. I put all their wet clothes in the dryer and by the time they were dry, Daddy was home from work. He had to get a big fire going and stack up lots of wood to keep a nice warm fire all night before we could go back out. It is always nice to come in from the snow and sit in front of the fire to warm up!

We took the girls back out after Mark got the fire going good, and it had accumulated a lot since the first time we went out. We were able to have snow ball fight. Hayden thought it was hilarious to hit Mommy with snow balls, but I got her a few times too. Gracie didn't like the snow ball fight too much, Mark hit her with one and she cried. I think it probably scared her a little, I'm sure after tomorrow she will be throwing some herself. This is actually the first time she has really got to play in the snow.

I can't wait to go back out tomorrow and play some more. Hopefully we will get to try out the sled too, it will be so much fun!

Beautiful Girls:

Trying to figure out what to do first:

She likes it:

Pretty Girl:


Trying to get Mommy:


First taste of snow:


Picture Perfect

Just listen to how much fun they were having!!!!

Valentine's Day Party

Today was the Jesus Loves Me / Valentine's Day party at Preschool. Gracie is always excited to go to Preschool, in fact Mrs. Christie told me today that she thought Gracie might be ready for school. As always Hayden was very excited to see us and then she was surprised when Mimi showed up too! Mimi got a huge hug and a big smile! Gracie likes to walk around the classroom and check out everything and try to find something to get into. Today was a little different, usually they have all of their parties in the Fellowship Hall but today was open registration for next year so we had to party in their classroom. We got to see them paint, eat lunch and have some Valentine cookies. Mimi wasn't able to stay the whole time, so she actually missed the good parts. After they all got finished with their cookies, they sat down for rug time. Mrs. Christie put 10 hearts on the floor, each heart had a different thing for the kids to do on the other side...for example Hayden's heart said to bark like a dog, and it was a very quiet little bark today. Kierstin's heart said to meow like a cat, and it was a very loud meow. Some of the hearts were a little harder, like to sing the alphabet song, do 10 jumping jacks and say all the days of the week! All of the kids did great, it is amazing how much they have all learned. The first thing I did when we got in the car was ask Hayden if she knew all the days of the week and she does.

Hayden painting:

Gracie wanted to paint too:

Hayden barking like a dog:

This is right before they ate their lunch, watch as Hayden sneaks a peek to make sure I'm watching her, and Gracie has her eyes on Mrs. Sue the whole time...

The Big Birthday Party

We celebrated Hayden's 4th birthday yesterday with all of our wonderful family and friends. It turned out to be a great party(it usually is), but this year Hayden was so excited about it and she invited some of her classmates too. Kierstin was the first person to call Hayden yesterday morning to wish her a happy birthday, after the conversation(which was pretty interesting) Hayden asked a million times what time was Kierstin coming to her party. Kierstin, Addie and Ally are all in the same class with Hayden, they seem to have lots of fun together. There were lots of other kids too...Gunner, Kylee, Jacob, Chase and Dalton. We had a great turn out and they all played very well together, no major fights or anything. The boys were glad to see each other, I guess they weren't to excited about a Little Mermaid Party, but they did have fun picking on all the little girls. The boys played in Gracie's room the majority of the time, which is quite interesting being that there is nothing in there but baby toys. The girls played in the pretend kitchen and in the snow white tent until it was time for the cake and ice cream.

Hayden had told me that she wasn't going to be scared this time when everyone sang Happy Birthday, but I could tell by watching her face she was a little embarrassed. At least she didn't try to hide this time. She informed me right before I started this post that she was only a little scared but she was glad she could hold my hand(made me feel very special). The cake and ice cream was delicious and I am pretty sure all the kids loved it, I know Gracie definitely enjoyed hers! Then came the presents, which ended up being VERY exciting. Hayden, Kierstin, Addie, and Ally all helped open the presents. I didn't even know who the gifts were from most of the time, they were opening them so fast and moving right on to the next thing. It was nice to see Hayden having so much fun and enjoying herself so much. As always she got lots of REALLY great gifts. When I asked her what was the best present she got...She said Ariel and Eric and the Barbie Preschool Teacher, I was very excited because both of those were from us(Mommy, Daddy and Gracie). I had a really hard time this year because she pretty much already has everything. Kim and Artie gave her another inch of pearls, it is so hard to believe she has four inches now(she is growing up way to fast). She also remembers exactly which gifts came from Kierstin, Addie and Ally and she tells me each time that they were all so nice for coming to her party, she is such a sweet little girl! Clay and Katelyn came in while Hayden was opening gifts, and she immediately stopped and got up from her presents to go over to give Katelyn a big hug and kiss, and she had to hold her for a minute too with help from Mimi. She really loves Katelyn, she talks about her all the time, and Katelyn was adorable as always and showed everybody how well she crawls.

After the craziness with the presents, Hayden wanted to know if all the girls could play dress up, she had been asking since the beginning of the party...So I finally told her YES, they could, it turned out to be a great Princess Party, they all had on beautiful dresses and dress up shoes, it was so adorable. They all got in Hayden's bed and pretended to be sleeping. Then Ally and Addie had to leave, Addie didn't want to leave, she cried the whole time she changed her clothes. She even told her Mommy that she just wanted to spend the night at Hayden's house. Kierstin never wants to leave so we knew when it was time to make her change her clothes it was going to very interesting. I think it is so sweet that Hayden and Kierstin love each other so much! It always seems like when one person makes the decision to leave, everyone else starts to leave too, but the party wasn't over for Hayden. Mimi, Pop, Kim, Artie, Grandmama and Linda were staying for dinner, so she still had plenty of people to play with for the night and Heath and Alisha and Cy and Nichole came over after the kid party to give Hayden more birthday presents.

Hayden says that it was the best birthday party ever! I agree, I think it was a pretty great party too.

Thanks to everybody for the gifts, she is a very loved little girl!!!

The Little Mermaid:

This was when everyone was singing Happy Birthday!

Hayden, Kierstin and Addie:


Grandmama and Katelyn:


Beautiful Princesses:


Snow White's House:



Tired Princesses:



Katelyn being a Big Girl:



Gracie feeding her Monkey, she didn't even try to keep up with the Princesses:



My size puzzle from Heath and Alisha: