Game Ranch

Friday we went to the Game Ranch with Pop and Mimi.  Hayden was excited she has been to the Game Ranch several times with Pop and Mimi.  I couldn't wait to see Gracie's reaction being that this would be her first time...I knew it would be really good or really bad.  It turns out that Gracie is a big fan of the Game Ranch too!  Hayden has decided as she gets older that she only likes the baby animals...baby deer, baby goats, baby sheep, baby chicks and baby bunnies.  Mimi was very prepared for all of the starving animals.  She packed celery, carrots, apples, peanuts and even cereal.  As I said before Hayden was very attached to the baby animals so she only wanted to feed the babies.  She was trying to feed the baby deer when the big deer took her carrot from her and boy was she upset.  I actually think she was a little scared of the bigger animals, which I have to say I am not to sure about sticking my hand in their mouths either.  Mimi, Pop and Gracie were nice enough to feed the bigger animals that Hayden kept ignoring.

Now on to our adventure...We made sure to get there right at 10am when it opened.  We wanted to get there before it got so HOT!  It wasn't too hot, a lot of the trail was in the shade!!!  We only had to wait in line for a few minutes and as soon as I opened the door to start on the trail there was a big deer standing there to greet us.  I wasn't sure what Gracie would do, but she loved it, she immediately started petting the deer.  Hayden knew exactly what to do and turned to Mimi for some food to feed the deer.  This is when Hayden decided that she prefers the baby animals.  The deer actually bonked her with his horns a few times and yes that is the exact words that she used.  Hello Mr. Deer...Are you hungry??? 

Why yes Hayden and Gracie I am hungry!  What does Mimi have in the bag?  How about I just look and see for myself...

Gracie decided that Mr. Deer would like an apple.  I was pretty surprised when she fed him all by herself.  She was so excited...

While we were all still feeding Mr. Deer, Hayden found the baby deer.  Gracie thought the baby deer were very cute and sweet too!

The word got out that we had lots of food to share, so all the other deer came for some too.  Pop helped Gracie take care of these two...

As we were moving down the trail, Mr.  Deer caught up with Mimi for some more of her yummy apples....

Next were the bunnies.  Hayden always loves the bunnies, but there were not as many this year and there usually are...

There's some more deer, they just loved Gracie...

Pop, I need two pieces of celery...One for me and one for the baby sheep...

Gracie was very sweet with all the animals...

Mr. Bear was also hungry, he just sat patiently as Hayden and Gracie literally threw carrots and celery at him...

Mimi held Gracie up high, where she could get a good look at the bears.  I love this profile picture of them...

Mimi also brought a few snacks for Hayden and Gracie.  Gracie kept telling all the animals that would walk up to her NO.  She wasn't sharing her snack with them.  Pop was making sure the donkey didn't get her snack...

Pop helped Hayden and Gracie feed all the animals.  In this picture Hayden was literally pulling away from the donkey because she was scared of his lips and teeth.  Pop ended up having to take the celery and feed the donkey himself...

"Umm, Pop what is that right there?"

Pop "It is a water buffalo"

Hayden  "It sure is big and ugly"

By the end of the trail, the girls were getting tired even though they would never admit it.  They sat down for a break and fed the squirrels...

Here little animals, we have a few peanuts left so you can have some...

That was the end of our adventure.  We had a great time and left right before it got too HOT.  Now it is time to go get some lunch and go swimming...

We went to eat at the Steak and Shake, the girls both had a banana milkshake and chicken tenders.  They loved their milkshakes but didn't really eat a whole lot of lunch.  They were too excited about going back to Mimi and Pop's house to go swimming.   Mimi and Pop's pool felt great on such a hot afternoon.  We all relaxed and enjoyed the rest of the day in the sun. 

Thanks Mimi and Pop for taking us to the Game Ranch, lunch and letting us hang out at your house the rest of the afternoon swimming.  We had so much fun and love you both very much!!!

Strike

I think I may have found something fun for Hayden to do inside, being that it has been almost 100 degrees
everyday for the past three weeks.  Stephanie called this morning and wanted to know if Hayden and Gracie would be interested in going bowling with Kierstin.  I asked Hayden if she wanted to go and she just squealed very loudly, I assumed that was a yes and called to tell Stephanie that we would be there! 

When we first walked into the bowling alley, it was very loud and Hayden wasn't too sure what was going on.  She kept saying "Mommy why is it so loud?" I told her it was because everyone was having such a good time.  Hayden has been bowling one other time but it was about two years ago, so of course she didn't remember what to do.  Kierstin went first...She has been bowling several times, so she was a little more experienced!  Hayden paid very close attention and then she threw and I do mean threw her ball down the lane and on her first time she got a STRIKE!  I knew her Daddy would be proud and yes he is competitive! She had no idea why we were all excited until I told her that is point of the game...to knock down all the pins!  I guess I should also add, that we did have the bumpers up but it does still count for a 4 year old.  She also had a gutter ball, which I have no idea how that happened, except for she just hurled the ball as hard as she could and it went right over the bumpers and right in the gutter!  She was a little confused as she watched her ball so I had to explain to her that she had to be a little more careful and make sure to throw it down her lane.  The best part was that after every turn they had, it didn't matter if it were only one pin down, they did a celebration dance.  In fact at one point we had to tell them not to celebrate so much because they were interfering with the people beside us....Because you see the celebration dance consisted of them holding hands and going around and around in circles and telling each other "good job".   It was really cute, but I don't think the people beside us thought so, my theory is oh well, we will probably never see them again anyway, Right?!  They bowled two games, the score was very interesting both times, but I was pretty impressed  with their skills and boy did they have a great time.  At the end of the second game, they were both holding one ball and slinging it down the lane together, not really sure if it were safe or not, but no one got hurt.  This might be another reason the people beside were looking at us funny because yes after they would throw the ball together, still no matter how many pins were knocked over they did the celebration dance!!!

Go Baby Go!!!

SRIKE, I took the picture before all the pins fell down(sorry)!

I was really surprised she didn't tell me those shoes were UGLY!  She is very picky about her shoes:

THE CELEBRATION DANCE:

The first game totals, I only took this to prove to her Daddy that she really did get a STRIKE!

After we left the bowling alley, we had to make a quick stop at Wal-Mart(aka grocery store) for a few necessities and I do mean necessities(toilet paper, trash bags and dishwasher detergent, can't survive without these things at our house).  As soon as we get in the car now the first thing Hayden says is "Can I listen to my songs?"  I have to clarify by saying her songs are things like If you're happy and you know it and Little bunny foo foo, and I bet since you read those titles you are singing the rest of the song...Right?  So in other words don't ask me if I have heard any of the new songs out because chances are I have not heard them unless they are on our children's CD.  I would also like to add that it really doesn't bother me because at least I don't have to worry about my girls running around singing inappropriate things and if you could hear them singing along it would make your day.  Yes, we usually look like ridiculous people going down the road singing and dancing.    Oh yeah and by the way there are no quick stops when I have the girls.  I even explained to them on the way in...We are only getting a few things that we have to have, we ARE NOT buying a bunch of things today.  Unfortunately they do not ever listen, the good news is that the things that distracted us today were bananas and chewing gum...At least it wasn't a toy!!!  Also, every time I buy bananas, they have to have one right then( Sorry Wal-Mart, but a Mommy's got do what a Mommy's got to do to keep those children from pitching a fit)!  We made it out in a record time of 15 minutes, I was very excited, I guess they are improving on Mommy's idea of a quick stop!  I am really just kidding, my girls are always angels and would never pitch a fit or have to have anything in the grocery store!!!

Storytelling

While we were on vacation, Hayden got a letter from the church she went to preschool at inviting her to come listen to a storyteller, unfortunately I don't remember the storytellers name!  The letter also informed us that we could come early and bring our own picnic lunch, well our picnic lunch consisted of Mickey D's.  The kids liked it and it saved me from having to pack a variety of lunch items, being that Gracie Leigh is so picky! 

It was so funny because even though Hayden knew a lot of the people, she converted back to being very shy and not wanting to talk to anyone.  While we were eating our healthy lunch, Mrs. Christie came walking in and that put a big smile on Hayden's face!  Although, Hayden was very pleased to see Mrs. Christie, she was even a little shy with her.  Mrs. Christie told Hayden that she was so glad that her little face was the first one she saw when she came in.  I thought that was very sweet!  After we got done with our lunch we moved to the center of the room, the kids were supposed to sit in the floor and the adults had chairs.  I found a chair on the end so that I could either sit in a chair or on the floor with my girls.  When I first sat down, Hayden decided that she did not want to sit on the floor with all the other kids, she wanted to sit right beside me.  Then when Luke, one of her classmates came over, he also wanted to sit in the chairs right beside Hayden.  I kept asking them if they were sure they wanted to sit in the chairs instead of on the floor and they kept on telling me YES!  I didn't argue with Hayden, I figured when she realized what was going on she would move, and that is exactly what happened.

They storyteller came out as "Queen Glitter" dressed in a pink princess gown with a tiara.  Of course at that moment she had Hayden's full attention.  She told 3 amazing stories and also had all the children participate with her.  It was really neat, and all of the kids were so excited to be able to also tell parts of the stories.  I have to admit that I really enjoyed it too!  Gracie did very well, she listened to about the first story and after that she decided to try to do flips in the floor.  I figured as long as she wasn't bothering anyone or pitching a fit, it would be perfectly fine! 

At the end of the story "Queen Glitter" had a thing of glitter that she would rub on each kid's nose, if they wanted it.  I think Hayden was the first in line.  Then there was even more excitement when they noticed that there was Popsicles and Ice Cream afterwards.  We actually got two pops to go because we were headed to Nana and Steve's house to go swimming with Lyla and Katie for the afternoon.

Lyla and Hayden played great together, they swam for about an hour and then they ended up going inside and spending the remaining of the time playing in Lyla's room.  Gracie and Katie spent a lot of time in the playhouse and then they too ended up inside playing in Katie's room, or maybe just aggravating their big sisters, who knows? 

It was a great day, and we had lots of fun!!!

Paying very close attention:

Queen Glitter, the storyteller:

Gracie has lost interest, decided to do flips instead:

Hard to see in this picture, but she has a little bit of the glitter on her nose:

Operation Gracie Room

Well yesterday was Operation Hayden Room and today was Operation Gracie Room.  After organizing Hayden's room it motivated me to go ahead and go through all of Gracie's stuff too!  Gracie still had all of her baby stuff in her closet...for example...Baby swing, bumbo seat, bottles, playmats, and all of her baby toys, which were taking up a lot of space.  I also loved the idea of putting their toy boxes in their closets(thanks Mimi for the suggestion). It really makes a world of difference.  Gracie's room is not a big girl room just yet,  as long as she likes her baby bed I am going to let her stay in it!  She still goes right to sleep when you lay her down for naps and night night and she hasn't tried to get out either.  Now that I say that she will climb out tonight(haha).  I also had thought that I would make her changing table more like a stuffed animal area, but I couldn't part with it just yet.  After all she is still my baby, she isn't 2 yet!  It was very different with Hayden at this age, we were already expecting Gracie and I was so ready to make Hayden's room a big girl room so that Gracie could have all the baby stuff!  It is a little different this time, and we haven't decided yet whether there will be a baby Stancil #3.  However, for the time being, we are perfectly happy with our two sweet little girls and are packing all of our baby stuff and even all of the baby toys up nice and neat to store in the basement, just in case we may need all of it again! 

Gracie and Hayden both love playing with baby dolls, so I made a corner in Gracie's room that is all baby doll stuff.  I also put all of Gracie's favorite stuffed animals in a basket for her to still play with.  When she was a baby she loved her stuffed dragon and bumble bee!  Today is the first time she has seen them in a very long time, being that they were in the bottom of her toy box and she was very happy to see them!

I still have to find pictures that I want to hang in her room and buy more picture frames.  I have a few in mind that I think will be just perfect!   Watching them play in their rooms today has been so interesting, it is like brand new rooms and toys!  I guess we should organize a little more often.

Full view of Gracie's room, really hasn't changed that much, just a lot less clutter:

No More Clutter

For the last couple of months, Hayden's room has just looked so cluttered instead of adorable like it usually does!  It mainly needed to be organized, and believe me I feel like that is all I do, but now she has so many things with different little pieces, it makes it hard to keep up with everything.  Mimi came to help us with Operation Hayden Room today and brought lots of storage containers.  I was so glad that she did too, she was a huge help!  Hayden kept trying to keep all of her toys even though she doesn't play with them anymore and she kept moving the furniture the way she thought it should go. She was a big help today too!  We ended up with a whole garbage bag full of toys to give to children who need them! 

I absolutely LOVE her room now, it is so cute and after I got done with dinner...I started trying to find things to hang on her wall!  I never realized how bare her walls were, but not anymore, I fixed that problem. 
,
Then I realized the only way to decorate a Princess' room is with pictures of a Princess....

Full view... I love it and so does our little princess...Mimi took the rest of her letters of her name home with her to have Pop repair:

Gracie really likes Hayden's room:

Picture of a  beautiful Princess with Mommy and Daddy, this has always been one of my favorites:

Hayden enjoying playing in her new room, that is what she calls it anyway:

I think these are just perfect!

Thanks again Mimi for coming out to help us get this all together!  We love You!

Toy Story 3 (3D)

Yesterday Mark and I took Hayden to see Toy Story 3 at the movies!  We dropped Gracie off at Mimi and Pop's house to play while we went, didn't figure she would stay still long enough to watch a movie!  I had planned on watching the 2D movie but when we got there Mark decided we needed to see the 3D version.  I am 30 years old and this was my first 3D movie, I thought it was amazing and so did Hayden.  She got a little tired of the glasses but there were a couple of times she actually tried to reach out a grab something!  The movie was great but I personally think all of the Toy Story movies are great!  It was about 2 hours long, so by the time it was over Hayden was ready to go, that is a long time for a 4 year old to be completely still. She also loves that she gets a coke and popcorn at the movies.  This is the third time she has been to the movies and she really enjoys it.  It is a treat just for Hayden! 

Check her out in her 3D Glasses, Who else but Hayden could be this beautiful in those silly glasses?

While we were at the movies,  Gracie was having lots of fun with Mimi and Pop.  From what I understand she might have had a little to much fun with Tiger(Mimi's kitty)  because Tiger wouldn't even come in the house to see Hayden when we got back!  Gracie also had fun with Jesse, but I think Jesse was a little tired of Gracie too by the end of the visit!  She doesn't get to play with little animals much, I guess she thought they were like her stuffed animals and baby dolls, although I would like to say she isn't mean to the animals...She just likes to love on them!  I think Gracie really did enjoy getting Mimi and Pop all to herself for a little while today!

I bet you can't guess what the first thing Hayden wanted to do when we got back to Mimi and Pop's house.  She wanted to go SWIMMING!  Mimi and Pop had bought a blow up slide for their pool this year and Hayden got to try it out a couple of weeks ago, but she couldn't wait to get out there and show Mommy and Daddy how it worked.  Yes, I will admit that Mommy went down the slide too, it looked like too much fun to just let the kids do and I guarantee that if it hadn't been a little low on air, Daddy would have tried it out too!  However, the one of us that absolutely LOVED the slide and enjoyed it the most was Gracie Leigh!  I bet if she did it one time she did it a hundred times.  Both of the girls had a blast and really enjoyed it!  Pop didn't believe that Hayden could go all the way down to the bottom of their pool because it is almost 10 feet deep, so Hayden had to show off a little bit and proof that she could do it.  I must admit I was pretty surprised too that is a long ways down for a 4 year old!  I really think I am going to find a swim team somewhere for her to join, I think she would be great at it!!! 

Hayden also ALWAYS has to get in Mimi and Pop's hot tub, which we tried to tell her it was way to HOT for the hot tub but she insisted on getting in.  It was Gracie's first time in a real hot tub, we had one at our house at the beach, but the water wasn't hot it was the same temperature as the pool.  I think Gracie might enjoy the hot tub as much or maybe even more than Hayden does.  They had fun playing in the bubbles and swimming around in what I guess they consider to be a warm kiddie pool! 

Gracie going down the slide and Pop was always at the bottom to make sure everything was good...

Gracie and Hayden enjoying the hot tub...

Now that is RELAXED...

Mimi, We love these bubbles...

Two...Two...Two  

She doesn't know how to do One...Two...Three, so that is her version of it!

After lots of fun at the movies and Mimi and Pop's house, we were off to have dinner at Cy and Nichole's house.  The girls were a little worn out and ended up relaxing on Cy and Nichole's couch and watching their TV shows instead of swimming.   They were very good little girls yesterday and I think they enjoyed their fun filled day!!!

Lazy Days

Hayden and Gracie take it easy on Mondays and Tuesdays!  We always have something else fun to do for the rest of the week including the weekend, so Monday and Tuesday is actually their weekend for resting!  They enjoy it too because they play so hard the rest of the week they need these two days to chill.  We usually spend Wednesdays with Aunt Kim and Mimi, Thursdays with Mema and Pop and Nana and Steve,  Friday is officially grocery shopping and running errands day, Saturday and Sunday we spend time with friends and family swimming and cooking out!  Anyway back to my point, they need these two days to rest and Mommy uses these two days to clean and wash clothes.   They love watching TV in the living room and Gracie is starting to get into certain shows too especially Mickey Mouse, which I have decided that she is going have a Mickey and Minnie Mouse birthday party!  They love to play pretend and wear every single pair of Mommy's shoes. They play with their baby dolls and Hayden even pretends that she is the Mommy and Gracie is her baby, which sometimes takes a bad turn and they end up fighting because Gracie isn't listening.  They both have great imaginations and it is hilarious!  I love watching them play together.  In fact sometimes I just sit and listen to them and I can't help myself but to laugh at the things they say to each other.  Hayden definitely listens to everything I say to her because I hear her saying the same things to Gracie! 

Oh and I also tried to start potty training Gracie yesterday and let me just say that she is not ready yet!  She would say "pee pee" as it was dribbling down her legs instead of trying to go sit on the potty!  I only tried it because Hayden was so excited when I pulled out the training panties for Gracie and I was kind of hoping by some miracle that Gracie would just pick up on it, but oh well!  Hayden didn't potty train until she was about 2 1/2 years old and Gracie will be 2 in September so there is still plenty of time to work on it.  I also tried to potty train Hayden at about this same age and it didn't work either, so I feel confident that in another 6 months Gracie will be ready to be a big girl!  Once Hayden decided she was ready to be a big girl and wear princess panties it only took about 3 or 4 days to completely potty train her, I certainly hope to report the same thing about Gracie in approximately 6 months but I know that every child is different!  Hayden never even wore pull ups to bed at night, and she has only had a couple of accidents!  The funniest part of yesterday was Hayden, she was very disappointed in Gracie for pee peeing on the floor, she kept saying "Gracie, you have to tell me when you need to go potty", see how much help and support I have!  Although this morning as soon as Gracie had a "poo poo" diaper(I know that everyone is enjoying my choice of words) she came and told me and wanted her diaper changed and at that point Hayden was excited that she told us! I truly believe that there is no reason to push the issue until she is ready herself!!!

I was also looking at some old pictures this morning and realized that on July 12, 2004 we got our Certificate of Occupancy on our house!  It is so hard to believe that we have been living in our dream house for 6 years now!  It is amazing how much stuff is in this house now!!!  It also made me remember when Mark proposed to me in September of 2004(no sorry I don't remember the exact date, I think it was the 22nd) it was our house warming party, and his exact words were "Thank you to all of our family and friends for helping us build this house, but right now it is just a house and I am ready to make it a home"  and then he got down on one knee.  I just remember being so surprised and happy!  Now six years later we have two amazing little girls and the happiest marriage ever in our wonderful HOME!!! 

Playing Pretend - The story that I got is...Hayden is the Mommy and Gracie is the baby(which is why she is  in the baby doll bed) they had the blinds closed and the door closed because it was night night time:

Helping Mommy fold towels, for some reason Hayden loves to help fold clothes.  I am thinking in the future maybe that can be one of her chores:

Taking it easy watching TV:I don't know why but I thought this was so cute and sweet when I got finished making up all the beds they were just chillin watching TV with Tired and Pooh and sucking their thumbs:

So cute and comfortable:

Trying to Talk

It seems like since we have gotten back from vacation, Gracie is really trying to put two or more words together.  I asked Mark on the way home from the beach if it were just me or was she really started to turn into a big girl.  He agreed and he said he thought it was because she is trying so hard to talk!  She is saying things like "Mommy's shoes", Daddy's hat, Talk to him(which her daddy taught her), Hayden pinch(which I guess means that she is going to start telling on Hayden), Mommy moan(which means come on in baby talk and yes she even uses her hand), Daddy go(which means Daddy I know you are having a good time but it is time to GO),  Watch( she actually told her Daddy to watch her slide last night, which is the first time I have heard that one), NO NO, and I am hoping that it is a phase she is going through because she can really throw a fit, and she has learned how to get whatever she wants with one magic word PLEASE, but she says it in the sweetest little voice ever, it is almost impossible to say no when she uses it! 

Gracie also thinks she is as big as Hayden, she tries to climb up the big swing set and go down the big slide by herself, which she actually does pretty well, but my Mommy instincts tell me not to trust her just yet.  She is so cute on the trampoline trying to copy everything Hayden does!  She has gotten to where she loves to wear dress up clothes and the high heel shoes, which she does exceptionally well with, but IF she falls down she gets mad and throws the shoes across the room.  Her favorite thing to do is play with her baby dolls and strollers, she is such a good little Mommy.  Hayden is such a great big sister, she always tries to show Gracie what to do and always includes her in whatever she is playing with!  It is even better when I hear Hayden telling Gracie " Gracie you did such a good job".  I am so happy that they get along so well, don't get me wrong though they do have their moments and fights.  Unfortunately in the past couple of days they have started hitting, pulling hair and pinching each other, it is mainly Gracie and I think it is her way of trying to figure out what she can get away with and bless her heart she is figuring out that all of these things just get her in more trouble with Mommy.

It is so hard to believe that Gracie is going to be 2 years old in less than two months.  Where does the time go?  Both of my babies are growing up way too fast!

Back Home

Well we are back home from our amazing vacation with wonderful family!   

Hayden and Gracie absolutely loved the beach.  I was a little worried that Gracie might not like the ocean, but she loved it.  In fact, I think Gracie enjoyed being on the beach more than Hayden did!  Gracie enjoyed the freedom of being able to walk around and explore.  Hayden enjoyed building sand castles and riding the waves with Mark, Pop and Aunt Kim.  We also had a swimming pool at the house we stayed at this year and it was a big hit with Hayden.  Hayden enjoyed being able to get in the swimming pool whenever she wanted to!  Pop taught her how to do a front flip from the side of the pool and Mark taught her how to do the perfect cannon ball!  Gracie also did her first front flip in the hot tub with Mimi!

The girls also loved waking up every morning and running upstairs to be greeted by Pop and Mimi, Kim and Artie, and for the first few days Grandmama and Linda too!  Mimi and Linda brought lots of toys with them to go along with the things I had packed, so needless to say our car was really full on the way back home. 


Aunt Kim also took some family pictures!  I think she got some really good ones! 

This is my favorite of the girls together:

Daddy's Girls:

This is our Family Photo this Year, I think it is perfect, especially Gracie's face because that is just Gracie:

I love the way the background looks in this one and Hayden's sweet little face:

Thanks Mimi and Pop for a wonderful vacation!  WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!!

More and More Pictures

 Here are some more updated beach photos!   Esta had sent two beautiful outfits for the girls and I tried to get a few pictures of them on the beach!  I think I got some pretty cute stuff, but then again with these two little beauties it's hard not to!

Daddy got kisses on the beach:

 

Hayden got a ride down to the beach, Mark loves that he can drive on the beach:

 

Strutting her stuff with her bucket:

 

This is the sand castle that Mark, Kim, Hayden, Pop and Gracie built today!

 

Playing in the ocean:

 

These are the really cute outfits that Esta sent for the girls and they are also monogrammed too, I love this one even though they aren't looking directly at the camera:

 

This is also one of my favorites in another outfit, the dress that Gracie has on is the one we took pictures of Hayden in when she was the same age:

Look at that beautiful smile:

 

I love these: 

 

Making silly faces in their beautiful outfits: