Fun, Fun, and More Fun

Sunday we went to Cy and Nichole's house to swim all day.  Hayden literally stayed in the pool pretty much underwater for about 5 hours.  She was jumping in, swimming across the pool, swimming down to the bottom to get all the rings, letting her Daddy throw her in, and even letting Gracie push her in sometimes.  She had so much FUN! 

Gracie is still getting used to the water wings, she did much better this time, hopefully after a couple more times she will have it down.  She loves the water and really likes it when her Daddy is holding and playing with her.  She was such a good little girl, she didn't stay in the water the whole time, but she played very well around the pool.  She was completely worn out but refused to take a nap for the fear of missing out on something really fun. 

Cy cooked ribs for dinner, and they were by far the best ribs I have ever eaten.  Even Mark said they were the best that he had ever had too!  The girls enjoyed them also, but they enjoyed their popsicles even more.  Yeah, Cy had gone to the grocery store and bought popsicles because he knows how much Gracie LOVES them and Hayden too for that matter.  Cy bought the good kind, the ones with tons of sugar so you can imagine how much they liked his popsicles.  I usually buy the kind that are juice, it makes me feel better when Gracie eats 2 or 3 at a time!!!

After we had dinner, Mrs. Nancy brought Bella, Cy's niece to come play for a little while.  Hayden being the oldest had to show Bella all her tricks on how to swim.  It was cute!  Bella is still getting used to the big pool, like Gracie.  They had lots of fun and we pretty much had to make Hayden go home.  Gracie didn't put up much of a fight, she was exhausted.  I bet we were in the car for all of about 2 minutes before they were both sound asleep! 

We had so much fun and it is only the beginning of a fun filled Summer...

Hayden's Recital

Hayden's 1st Ballet Recital was one of the cutest things I have ever watched.  Hayden did an excellent job showing all of her friends and family that she is a great ballerina.  I was so relieved that she wasn't scared of the big stage and everybody staring at her.  It didn't seem to bother her one bit, she gracefully danced around the stage and smiled the whole time.  She was also the most beautiful ballerina there, and yes I am a little biased.  Her outfit was precious, her hair was perfect and she topped all that off with that priceless smile that she has...The one that makes you smile too! 

Mark and I sat in the audience as proud as we could possibly be.  I even cried a good bit of the time, but that is no surprise to anyone I'm sure.  I don't even know why I get so emotional but I do.  At the end of the Recital, Ms. Jordan gave Hayden a teddy bear that had on the exact same outfit that Hayden had on and then she came down off the stage and straight into my arms for a big hug and kiss.  I started crying watching her walk of that stage so proud of herself.  She did it and she was very confident about it! That is one of the moments that Mark and I will never forget and always treasure.  It was so great to see how far she has come since that first lesson, when I wasn't so sure she was really going to like ballet.  I truly was amazed at how wonderful she did and Addie and Sara too for that matter. 

Mark recorded the whole recital for her to watch later, I think she will enjoy watching herself and the other two little girls.  I tried to take lots of pictures, but would you believe that my batteries died after the first 5 minutes of the recital.  Thank goodness Aunt Kim was there with her camera, she saved the day and got some really great pictures of the princess ballerina. 

Hayden,

We are so proud of you.  You were amazing on that stage and you proved to yourself and us that you can do anything you put your mind to!  Great Job and We love you Princess!!!

Mommy, Daddy and Gracie Leigh

Here are the pictures of the Princess Ballerina...

Look at that smile...getting ready for her big performance...

Gracie saying Cheese, she wanted in on some of the action too...

Look at that angel in the middle...

She looks so graceful and beautiful, almost like she is floating across the stage...

Here is the matching teddy bear, it is so cute...

This is Ms. Jordan, Ms. Julia, Addie, Sara, and Hayden...After the performance...

Hayden and all of her beautiful flowers, Thanks Uncle Artie! 

Gracie turning flips, I think she thought that everyone was watching her instead of Hayden...

Proud Mommy and Daddy...

This is probably my personal favorite...

After the recital we all went to Applebees to eat some lunch and then everyone came to our house to celebrate Aunt Linda's birthday. Mimi and Pop were the first to show up with a BIG surprise for the girls.  When they got here, they came in the house and Hayden immediately went and looked out the window to see what was on the back of the truck and then she took off out the door.  I bet you are wondering what in the world it could have been... Well here it is, yes that is an airplane !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mommy and Daddy can play on it too.  Sorry Mimi and Pop had to stay up until 2am putting it together, but I bet it was worth it to see how much Hayden and Gracie loved it!!!  Thanks Mimi and Pop and Happy Birthday Aunt Linda, hope you enjoyed your dinner and cupcakes, We Love You!

And Later in the Evening....

The big kids had to play on it too, except as soon as we all got on it all the cameras started coming out...

Dinner and Swimming

Last night we went to Cy and Nichole's house to have dinner and swim, yes swim, I bet you can't even imagine how excited Hayden was...Gracie wasn't really sure what was in store for her.  The water was still a little cool but these two little girls didn't care a bit.  This was Gracie first time in the big pool with water wings and she wasn't too sure about them, she kept wanting to hold her arms up and then her face would go in the water, hopefully after a couple more times she will get used to them and be a great swimmer like her sister. 

At first we thought Hayden had forgotten how to swim, but with a little encouragement for her Daddy she picked up right where she left off last year.  She even showed off by jumping in the pool and swimming from one side of the pool to the other.  She is going to be a great teacher for Gracie, I bet by the end of the Summer we will have two little fish! 

We sure did enjoy spending time with friends, the food was delicious and the girls as always got spoiled rotten.  Cy and Nichole even had dessert for the girls after dinner...Ice Cream with Hershey's syrup!  Hayden is already planning to back this weekend and next week too! 

Here are a few pictures, the first set of pool pictures for the Summer, I'm sure there will be lots more...

Last Day of Preschool 2010

I have been so emotional today, almost as emotional as I was the first day of school.  I know it sounds crazy.  I really can't even expain it!  Hayden was so excited this morning, she had gifts for Mrs. Christie and Mrs. Sue that she took with her.  She wouldn't even let me wrap them up, she wanted to hand deliver them herself.  I tried to convince her otherwise, but then I thought that it will probably be more memorable for Mrs. Christie and Mrs. Sue when she hides the gift behind her little back and tells them she has a surprise for them.  When I dropped her off this morning she jumped right out of the car and never looked back as she was walking up the sidewalk.  I just watched her and thought to myself how precious she is.  She has learned so much this year, I mean it is really amazing how much and she has enjoyed every minute of it.

She is a little confused about today being the last day of school.  She keeps asking me "When will I be coming back" and I tell her...Well you won't be coming back to this school, you will be going to Mimi's school next year.  I figured that would make her a happy girl, she loves going to Mimi's school, but yesterday she told us that she didn't want to go to big girl school and that she just wants to stay with Mrs. Christie.  I told her that I bet her teacher next year will be a lot like Mrs. Christie and she will have maybe even more fun than she did this year.  I know she will be fine, and I am glad that Mrs. Christie was such a wonderful, caring teacher that my little girl doesn't even want to leave! 


Hayden...

You have no idea how proud of you we are and this is only the beginning.  You are truly an amazing, beautiful, caring, intelligent, and loving little girl...and that is only a few of the words I could use to decribe just how perfect you really are.  You just remember one thing FOREVER...Mommy and Daddy love more than anything in the world and we will always be there for you!!!

We Love You!
Mommy and Daddy

Gracie also wanted me to say that you are the best big sister in the world and that she loves you very much.  She is looking forward to spending lots of time with you this Summer.

Water Day

Today was Water Day at school.  Hayden enjoyed herself very much.  The only thing was that water day was pretty much in the shade, so it was a little chilly for the kids.   Mrs. Christie and Mrs. Sue had water tables, a kiddie pool, buckets and paintbrushes...which was actually the most popular, they all pretended to be painting the building, squirt toys, sprinkler, and bubbles,which ended up mixed in with the water and then they painted the building with lots of soap.  There were lots of screaming 4 year olds, but everyone had a great time. 

I even took Gracie in her swimsuit because I figured she would be right in the middle of it, but she wasn't, she was actually kind of shy and hung on to my leg when we first got there.  She finally opened up when Hayden came and asked her if she wanted to go get in the pool.  Gracie decided that the water was way too cold for her, but she did run through the sprinkler a one time.  She mainly enjoyed the painting the building, she had a little yellow sponge that she used.  She would walk back and forth wetting that one little sponge and paint a little bit at a time on the wall.  I guess she may turn out to be more shy than everyone thought...who knows!?!

Hayden chose to wear this gorgeous pink Princess swimsuit today, this is one of 5, yes that is correct 5 swimsuits that Mimi and Pop bought for her this past weekend.  She now has a swimsuit for everyday of the week, well actually I think she has enough from this year and last year that she could wear a different one for a good two weeks.  Oh well, she is always beautiful in them and we do know lots of people with swimming pools!

Here is the Princess running through the sprinkler, I have seen this sprinkler at Wal-Mart for the past couple of years and I think I decided today that we will be buying one.  It was really cute and Hayden had fun!

This is the building that they painted with water and bubbles.  This is when Hayden was trying to convince Gracie to get in the pool. Gracie told her "K" that is how she says "Okay", it really is sweet.  She is always willing to try anything with her big sister.  Doesn't Gracie look adorable in that hot pink and orange swimsuit?

There they go...Gracie wasn't to sure about walking through all of the other people without holding Hayden's hand.  They are just so CUTE!

And here they are making a lap through the sprinkler, this was the ONLY lap Gracie made, but I think it was because they weren't in the sun, so it did feel very cool.  Look at those smiles though.

Hayden and Kierstin were very excited that they had matching towels.  They were so cold they could hardly wait to get inside and change their clothes!

This last picture is proof that Paxton does grab Hayden's clothes on the playground.  Sometimes I don't know if she is telling stories or if it really did happen.  I also know that she has really come out and learned how to take up for herself.  When Paxton grabbed her she looked at him very seriously and said "let go of me now...You are going to mess up my new shirt" and he let go, and even though she took care of it herself, when she realized I was watching the whole thing, she came over to tell on Paxton and I told her that I thought she did an excellent job of handling the situation!  I am so glad that she doesn't let everyone run all over her...at the first of the school year she was too scared to say anything and she would just cry! 

Tomorrow is the last day of Preschool.  Until Tomorrow...

Field Day

Today was Field Day at Preschool...I decided that Gracie was going to go visit Nana and Steve, so that Hayden could have me all to herself today.  I also know that Gracie would have been right in the middle of Hayden's field day, trying to keep up with her big sister.  Hayden was excited as always when she saw me waiting to go play all the games with her.  It was a pretty neat little field day and thank goodness it was inside.  They had a jumping thing(that is Hayden's description of it), the parachute, sack races, ring toss, and some kind of baseball game...the kids used the noodles that you use in swimming pools and tried to hit balls with them.  They set it up very organized, each group had approximately 5 minutes at each station, so I am guessing that you know by now that 5 minutes in the jumping thing was definitely not enough for Hayden.  After every station she wanted to know why she couldn't go jump again. 

Once our time was up at Field Day it was time to have the End of the Year Party.  Mrs. Christie and Mrs. Sue took all the boys and girls back to the classroom for about 30 minutes while some of the Mommies went to get pizza for lunch...The rest of us Mommies went on to the Fellowship Hall, the kids seem to not listen to Mrs. Christie as well when us parents are in there...And that is when Hayden got the BIGGEST SURPRISE ever, her Daddy showed up, he figured I wouldn't have my phone, so he just went straight to her classroom.  He said that her face was totally priceless when he opened the door, she got up off the floor and ran as fast as she could to him, screaming DADDY you made it!!!  He said that he actually almost cried she made him feel so special and loved.  Then he surprised me as well because I had no idea that he was at the school and I was scared to call him, thinking that he was just going to tell me that he couldn't make it.  When he walked  it pretty much made my day as well because I knew just how much it meant to our little girl. 

After the pizza party, Mrs. Christie decided that we could all go play on the playground, so Hayden wanted Mark to help her across the monkey bars and once he helped her, he had to help about 10 other little ones across, it's a good thing he such a good sport!  Hayden also got captured by Luke and Paxton a couple of times, apparently Hayden and Kierstin are on a team and the boys are on a team and they try to capture each other.  It was quite entertaining watching them run around the playground screaming as loud as they could.

As if our day wasn't full of fun already, we also had ballet, so Mark got to watch his little ballerina at her best today.  There is something about someone new going with me, she just can't help herself from showing off a little.  I hope that she has that same feeling on Saturday when she is up on the big stage in front of all of her family...and shows them just what she has learned!  I guess we will just have to see what happens, either way I will be the proudest Mommy ever!

Next on the list was to go pick up our other little girl, and she was very pleased to see us.  She was standing at the door looking out when we pulled into Nana's driveway, we could hear screaming Daddy when we opened the car doors.  We have two little girls that love their Daddy very much!   Gracie had a great time at Nana's house and Hayden played for a little while, and then I told her that we had to go home and get ready for another busy day tomorrow!  Tomorrow is WATER DAY at school.  I asked Hayden if I needed to take Gracie back to Nana's tomorrow and she said NO that she wanted Gracie to come to her school.  She truly is a thoughtful big sister. 

Until tomorrow....

This is from this weekend...I thought Pop would like this one:

Jumping thing:

One, Two, Three....GO!

Trying to WIN:

Trying not to get captured:

He really is the best Daddy:

This is one of the other teachers squirting water on the kids, I guess that is one way to cool them off:

Painting

Tonight after I fed the girls dinner, Hayden wanted to paint while I cleaned Gracie up...Yes, Gracie makes the biggest mess you have ever seen when she eats, so it takes me awhile.  The whole time I was cleaning Gracie off, she kept calling Hayden, she obviously thought Hayden was going to help her get away from Mommy.  Once I let her down out of the highchair, she immediately climbed up on the stool and started painting with Hayden's paint.  It was so cute, she looked like such a big girl,  she really is growing up too fast, I can hardly believe that in just a little over 3 months she will be 2! 

I always buy the crayola wonder stuff, it is absolutely the best thing they have ever come out with.  It only works on special paper and doesn't color on the kids or any of my furniture, which makes Mommy very happy.  I guess now I can start buying lots of painting and coloring books for little Gracie too!  She had so much fun, she really thought she was doing something.  In fact, when I said I needed to get the camera to take a picture...She started saying CHEESE before I even got back with the camera. 

While Gracie was painting, Hayden decided that she was going to paint too, well Gracie wasn't going to allow that, so Hayden then decided she would put together puzzles.  Hayden is usually pretty good about sharing with her little sister, now we just have to teach Gracie what sharing is all about.  It all worked out, they really do play very well together.

Look at me Mommy:

Okay Mommy I will just put this puzzle together:

Very Proud of her work:

Mother's Day

I woke up this morning to a beautiful sound...Hayden was telling me Happy Mother's Day and that she loves me and Gracie was giving me lots of kisses.  What more could any Mommy ask for?  I love being a Mommy, it is the best feeling in the world.  I have truly been blessed with a wonderful husband and the two most adorable, beautiful, precious and sweet little girls!  I love waking up every morning and knowing that my job is just to enjoy my girls and I thank Mark for that and we try to make him feel special too since he provides us with everything.

After I got the girls dressed they left to go shopping with their Daddy...Yes he waits until the last minute to do any kind of shopping, but he always comes home with the best gifts.  They did a great job even though I told them not to do too much for me...they came back home with a dozen of red roses(which always makes me happy, I love flowers), a ipod speaker that I can use in the kitchen, a Dora the Explorer puzzle and a Tractor Supply hat and the most special Mother's Day card....When I opened it, it was Hayden's voice saying I Love You Mama and Gracie was saying Mama.  Of course I cried, they always seem to get tears out of me on Mother's Day.  They really make me feel like the best Mommy in the world, I hope that I am, I do try to be!
 
We also had Grandmama, Linda, Mimi and Pop, and Kim and Artie over today to celebrate Mother's Day for Mimi and Grandmama. Thanks to Kim and Artie for bringing all the food and cooking it.  The hamburgers were delicious, Artie always cooks the best hamburgers.  It was a great afternoon, the weather was perfect and it was fun just sitting back and watching the girls play outside. 

I think Mimi really liked her gift from us, it was a necklace with Hayden and Gracie's picture in it.  I thought she would like it, in fact I think I am going to order another one for me.  Hayden was very excited about it, she could hardly wait to give it to Mimi. 

Nana spent Mother's Day with Uncle Randy who has been out of town for the last three weeks.  We went to visit Nana and gave her some gifts on Friday.  The girls always have fun at Nana's house, mainly because they get whatever they want whenever they want, but I guess that is how it is supposed to be. 

Happy Mother's Day to Nana, Mimi, Grandmama and Mema today, You are all so special to us and We Love You So Much!!!

Me and Hayden, tried to take a picture of us myself, Gracie was napping...

Grandmama giving Hayden some kisses:

Mimi and Hayden, I really like this picture:

Grandmama, Mimi, Kim and Hayden:

 

This is what Gracie was doing while everyone else was taking pictures, she loves the water table and playing with Aunt Linda

It was a the best Mother's Day ever!!!

Pool Party

It has been so HOT that I decided it was time to break out the kiddy pool for the girls.  Gracie got in it for the first time Tuesday when Hayden and Mark were hunting.  She enjoyed it but she likes it a lot better when she has Hayden to play with.  They LOVE the slide on the swimming pool and even though it makes Mommy a little nervous because Gracie isn't very careful, it is fun watching them get so excited about something.
I can't wait to see them in Kim's pool in a couple more weeks or as soon as the water is warm enough to get in anyway.  I hope Gracie likes it and doesn't mind wearing the famous water wings.  Hayden always liked the water wings, it gives them more freedom to learn to swim.  I wouldn't be surprised if Gracie jumps in right behind Hayden, she is a little braver than I would like her to be!  Then again she may be a little scared, I guess we will just have to see!

See how much fun they had...I love the sound of excited little girls...

Mother's Day Tea

I went to a Mother's  Day Tea Party yesterday at Hayden's Preschool.  I must say it was the sweetest and most perfect tea party I have ever been to.  There was also going to be a photographer there to take pictures of everyone, so that meant that my little girls had to be the cutest ever.  They wore their matching pink and green dresses and of course I had to match too, so I wore my pink sweater...I sure do hope the picture turned out good.  Just look how sweet they are!

After we got our picture taken, it was time to eat our lunch and have some sweet tea, they had sandwiches, fruit and of course cookies and brownies.  Hayden and Gracie both ate a ham and cheese sandwich, which was funny because at home they will not eat them no matter how hard I try.  Hayden also drew a picture of me and wrote a sweet letter and made me a picture holder and the "S" on it is made out of her little fingerprints!  Honestly it was the the best letter ever, she has such a way with words!  Who knew that the smallest little thing could make a Mommy cry(happy and proud cry).

The letter says:

My Mom is 3 year old.

My Mom weighs 5 pounds.

My Mom is 4 feet tall.

My Mom's favorite color is purple. 

My Mom's favorite food is vegetables.

My Mom likes to lay in the bed the most.

My Mom gets mad when I play a joke on her.

I know my Mom loves me because she gives me big hugs.

See what I mean is that not the sweetest letter ever.  Although not sure when I really get to lay in the bed, but it is funny to see what she tells her teachers!  I personally think this is the best picture of me!

After we all got done with our lunch and tea, the class sang a song to all the Mommies.  It was so cute, I did video it, but it is too long to put on the blog.

It was a great Mother's Day Tea.  I love being a Mommy and I love my girls more than anything! 

Here are a couple more pictures of the girls...

Gracie wanted lots of hugs:

What an angel....

I love you two little girls more than you will ever know!!!!