Pulling Up

Colton pulled up on the fireplace for the first time yesterday!  He is growing up and getting into everything and I do mean everything.  He is on the GO for sure now, he takes off crawling and checks out all rooms, looks like a baby gate is in our very near future for Hayden and Gracie's room.  He loves to aggravate them when they are doing anything in the living room floor, especially coloring.  He has tried to eat a few crayons and he picks up anything and everything off the floor.  It is so funny to watch him get around!  He pulled up a whole bunch of times on the fireplace last night, but even though it has a protective thing around it, I try to keep him away from the fireplace.  He is SO strong that he knocks over his table he is supposed to pull up on!  It is so crazy because it is almost like he pulls it over on top of him.  That never happened with Hayden or Gracie!  He loves to dance to any kind of music and he also started pat a cake this weekend.  He thinks that is some pretty funny stuff!  I love him so very much! 

AMERICAN GIRL LUNCH AND STORE

Oh my goodness, The American Girl Bistro and Store are more amazing than words can describe.  It was totally worth the drive.  Mimi, Kim, Hayden, Gracie and myself thoroughly enjoyed every part of it.  First we stopped by Play to see Katelyn for her 3rd birthday.  The girls had tons of fun but we had our reservations for lunch so we had to leave the party early.  I am sure that Katelyn still had fun without us!  We got to American Girl just in time for our reservations, the wait was 3 hours long for people that didn't plan ahead!  The food was absolutely delicious and Hayden was so excited to get a birthday girl hat for herself, Summer and Sleeping Baby.  After our wonderful meal, our waitress came out with a bunch of other people and a HUGE banana split with candles to sing Happy Birthday to Hayden.  Hayden was so excited, it was priceless!  I  was way to full to eat any but Aunt Kim and Gracie really enjoyed it!  Then it was on to some SHOPPING! First on the list was to get Summer's ears pierced,  yes the doll,  I told you this place is amazing, she was so excited!   They took her in the back and pierced her ears and then brought her back to Hayden.  Hayden had already told me that she wanted a new doll McKenna from Mommy and Daddy for her birthday, but I wasn't sure if she would change her mind so we let her walk around the store and she still wanted McKenna.  She also picked out an outfit for McKenna and of course we couldn't leave Gracie out so she got a diaper bag for sleeping baby!  Aunt Kim and Mimi also bought a few things for both girls and their babies.  Everything is so cute and they have played with their dolls and new stuff all night.  Lets just say we spent some money today but it was something they will never forget.  I had so much fun with everybody today!  It was something that all girls should experience!!!!  Here are lots of pictures from our exciting day!!!  Happy Early Birthday Hayden Christine, We love more than you will ever know!!!!  

Hayden and her Little Conversations in the Car

So we are on our way home from the bank, we are on Church Street in Monroe and stopped at a 4 way stop and there is a white house to her right and Hayden says "Mommy our car is bigger than that house....I mean really Mommy that is just ridiculous"  I laughed until I cried, she even made sure that Gracie looked at it too.  Our car is not bigger than the house,  the house just isn't very wide, so in her eyes that is how it looked.  I tried to explain it to her but I'm not sure she understood!  She always puts a smile on my face!!!!

First Conference about Gracie Leigh

I have two post for today because I felt that they needed to be done separately!  Hope you Enjoy!

This morning I had my conference with Mrs. Monica about how Gracie has been doing at Preschool.  Keep in mind that I was a little worried about her going to school this year, but she totally proved me WRONG.  She loves it and enjoys it.  Mrs. Monica had nothing but wonderful things to say about Gracie.  It is always such and proud and wonderful feeling when the Conference starts with "Gracie is sweet and a pleasure to have, I love having her in my class"  Yes, for those of you that know how emotional I can be...I did tear up a little.  Mrs. Monica says that Gracie is very smart and very mature for her age and that she is going to do great next year in 3 year old classes.  She went on to say that Gracie never gets upset, okay for all of you that are thinking yeah right...she really doesn't at school.  Evidently she only shows out a little at home, In fact when I called to tell Mark about the Conference he even asked me if I went for Gracie or Hayden.  I told him Gracie and that he wasn't funny but at least she knows when not to show out. Right?   Mrs. Monica also said that Gracie always pays attention, very independent, follows instructions and listens very well.  The only time that she may have to be reminded to listen is when her friends distract her.  The only thing we have to start doing is helping Gracie recognize her name, Mrs. Monica wants them to be prepared for next year.  Overall it was a great conference and I left there feeling very much proud of my baby girl!  I get a lot of compliments from school and out in public about how well behaved my children are and it makes me feel so good! 

Dear Gracie,

Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you!  You are a beautiful, intelligent, smiling angel.  You keep up the good work baby!  We love you more than you will ever know!!!!!

CRAWLING

So Colton has been trying to figure out the crawling thing for awhile now, and yesterday he put it all together.  Guess what he was after....give up....the cord to the vacuum cleaner!  He loves cords or maybe I should say anything that isn't one of his loud, colorful toys!   I think I was way more excited than he was, in fact I might have scared him a little with all the squealing and clapping.  I was so proud, I couldn't help myself.  Then Hayden and Gracie came to watch and they were squealing and clapping with me!!!  He knew he had done something great so he gave us that oh so sweet smile.  He recently started squinching his nose and eyes when he smiles real big and it is hilarious.   He crawled around a good bit, he even surprised us by showing up in the bathroom while I was getting the girls ready for bed.  Hayden couldn't believe it!  They also teased him a little bit too by showing him the good food they were eating and getting him to come after it.  I had to tell them it wasn't funny, but they sure thought it was!   I guess he better get used to it, and they better get ready for him to show them a few things too.  He now has 4 teeth, he can sit himself up, crawl, wave, say Mama and Da Da, not all the time yet but he does do it and I think he may even be trying to figure out how to pull himself up...not sure but maybe.   He loves the Valentine Little Debbie cakes, he only gets a little pinch to taste.  He thinks pat a cake and peek a boo are very funny, I love it when he gets tickled.  He has the most precious laugh in the world.  I know I am one bragging Mommy, but I love my little man and I am so proud of his accomplishments. 

More Teethies

Colton now has his two top teeth and he likes to show them off.  He is such a silly little boy!  He has almost figured out the crawling thing and when he does he is going to be everywhere.  He loves to play with his sisters, they are so funny.  Here he is showing off his new teethies!!!!

Gracie is a BIG GIRL

I got a copy of Gracie's progress report from school yesterday.  My conference with Mrs. Monica isn't until next Wednesday but I guess they wanted to go ahead and send them out.  She is doing fantastic, and seems to already know lots of things.  She knows all of her colors, except she gets a little confused between black and brown.  She knows how to count to ten, recognizes her name, knows all of her shapes, matches, knows parts of her body, uses pronouns, shows affection, occupies herself, climbs, walk backwards, kicks ball, throws a ball, runs, stacks blocks, and most importantly shares, is considerate of others, and takes turns.  I must say I was a very proud Mommy.  I also have to admit that I was a little worried about Gracie and Preschool, but she is doing great and loving it.  Even though most people see her temper, she doesn't show it at school at all.  Her teachers say she is one of the sweetest and well behaved in the class.  The only thing that she needs to work on is.....Not letting her friends distract her during rug time.  Hey, if that is all we need to work on I am HAPPY!  I can't wait to talk to her teachers in person, but all I can say is...Keep up the good work Gracie Leigh.  Mommy and Daddy are so very proud of you and can't believe how fast you are growing up.  We love you!!!


Today Gracie proved to be a big girl again.  She had to go to the Dentist for the first time today.  Hayden had an appointment too, but she has been going for 2 years now.  We let Hayden do everything first, in hopes that it would make things better for Gracie... So this is how it went....  Hayden did X-rays first, she really dislikes that part but she sucked it up and acted so big so that Gracie wouldn't be scared.  Well, when it was Gracie's turn...she refused to put on the jacket they make you wear for X-rays and get on the stool.   With a little persuasion I finally got her ready, but she had huge tears streaming down her face the whole time.   Of course it doesn't help that her mouth is so small, it was making her gag or choke as she says.  Then Hayden got her teeth cleaned while Gracie watched.  Well, once again when it was Gracie's turn she was a little hesitant but she got up there and I sat beside her on the chair and she held Pooh Bear VERY tightly.  She did great even though she was so scared!   After they were done with their cleaning, they got a treasure out of the treasure box, a goody bag and balloon.  Wish I could go to their dentist!!!   Then it was time for Dr. Proctor to check their teeth, I was so afraid of how Gracie would react but she surprised me and did fine.  Hayden's teeth were perfect and she had no cavities,  she is getting her 6 year molars, they should be in soon.  He did say that even though she sucks her thumb, she hasn't messed up her bite yet, but encouraged her to try to stop, so that she doesn't since she is getting her permanent teeth!  Gracie has a little issue with her bite, she has to move her jaw a little to close her mouth good.  He wants to put a spring in her little mouth to widen the top to correct the issue, but he says that he doesn't like to do it until they are 4 years old, basically because they are older and not so afraid.  He says that it doesn't take long to fix maybe 6 months, so I guess we will see in a year!!!  Now they are good for 6 more months!!!

Can you tell she was scared???



Not a big fan of the Fluoride Treatment!!!

Sitting Up

Mark and I finally got to witness Colton sitting up on his own.  He did all by himself Saturday morning.  As I have said before he has been doing it for a couple of weeks but never in front of us.  He is trying so hard to crawl.  He gets up on his knees and rocks back and forth but when he gets ready to take off...he goes backwards instead of forwards.  It won't be much longer though!  He is saying Da Da some now, he still only says Mama when he is good a ticked off!  He has his two top teeth now and I am thinking it is time to go have some professional pictures done of my little man.  He is the most handsome little boy ever, and I need to update my picture frames. 

Gracie had Pajama Day at school today.  She was so pretty!  Aunt Kim and Uncle Artie gave her some new PJ's on Sunday so she had some brand new pretty ones to wear today.  Mimi bought her some new shoes yesterday and they matched the pajamas perfectly!  She thought it was pretty silly to wear pajamas to school but she was very happy about it.  Her teachers were all dressed up today too, they all looked mighty comfy!!!!



My little Beauty!  Showing off her million dollar smile!!!!



For those of you who don't know, Hayden informed me this morning that there are 19 more days until her birthday.  She is so excited this year!  I  love her enthusiasm about everything, it is priceless!  

Princess

Last night my loving husband brought home a puppy.  This puppy has been living in the drain pipe on his job for about a week and yesterday he just couldn't leave it again.  He already knew what my answer would be about getting ANOTHER puppy so he didn't tell me.  He knocks on the door and there she is!  I guess you already know that the girls were ecstatic and jumping all over the kitchen.  Mommy, not so much!  They named this puppy Princess and she slept in their room in a crate.  Now keep in mind that my little man still gets me up in the middle of the night around 4am, well now Princess is getting up at all hours of the night.  I was not impressed, so I made Mark get up at 4am and take Princess out and I fed our little man.  Hayden was so excited about Princess that I think it was around 7am this morning she was up and playing with her.  All 3 kids are sick, and Gracie seems to have the worst of it so she slept till about 9am.  They have enjoyed playing with Princess and so far she seems to be a really sweet puppy and that means a lot coming from me, but I am still sticking to my guns...WE ARE NOT KEEPING HER IN THE HOUSE!!!  They are still trying to change my mind and on our first day Princess has been really good...basically what it boils down to is whatever my babies love I do too, what makes them excited...makes me excited too!  Princess is pretty cute with her pink collar with hearts on it!



Colton didn't like all the kisses Princess gave him!



Princesses!  Gracie got a few kisses too!

Princess really likes Colton!  He can't get away from her yet!

Silly Silly Silly



Silly Boy...He has more hair at 7 months than the girls did at 1!



Strawberry Shortcake...Mimi and Pop gave her real Makeup for Christmas and her Daddy told her she is way too young for Makeup



Gracie having fun!



Hayden took this one!

Tough Little Boy

My little man is so tough, he had to get his flu shot this morning and he didn't even cry!!!  I couldn't believe it, it was like it didn't even phase him.   He has got to be the sweetest thing ever!  His two top teeth are visable but haven't broke through, should be through by the weekend, I bet.  He can go from laying down to sitting up now, even though he refuses to do it in front of me...I know that he does it because the other morning he was sitting up in his bed when I went to get him up!  He is still trying to figure out how to crawl.  Last night Hayden left her toys in the floor in front of him and he immediately went from sitting up to his stomach and up on those knees.  He tried so very hard to get her stuff and if he had gone forward instead of backwards he would have made it.  It won't be much longer at all, the girls are not going to know what to do when he is after them and all of their stuff.  I betting there will be lots of squealing.  He is now getting some yogurt for breakfast, puffs for snacks and we are trying to start the sippy cup.  He doesn't really know what to do with anything that has texture to it, he makes an awful face at first but then seems to enjoy some of it.  He mainly likes to chew on the sippy cup just like he does his pacifier, he will not take a pacifier but he has to have it in his hand when he goes down for naps and bedtime to chew on and play with.  I guess it feels oh so good on the teethies!!!  The one thing I will say is that my little man is one of the happiest babies ever.  If he is crying he is either tired or hungry.  I love his smile, it makes my day.  The other thing that I absolutely can't get enough of is his little laugh...and it is even better when he is laughing at the girls, especially Hayden...he thinks she is hilarious. 

Gracie had to go see Aunt Kim this morning too, she has some sinus issues going on...it was even coming out of her little eye!  She was a very good patient this morning, she let Aunt Kim check her out good and then she was ready to pick out her stickers.  Let me just say that it is such a hard choice too!  She ended up with two stickers and we were off to the grocery store.  First we stopped by Mimi's office and she had a surprise for Gracie...new pajamas and matching ones for her new sleeping baby.  You see Gracie actually named her American Girl Doll "Sleeping Baby".  I figured it wasn't worth arguing over, she will eventually change it as she gets older.  She loves this doll, she plays with her all day and takes her almost everywhere we go.  She really loves to use my real baby stuff for her Sleeping Baby, like Colton's walker, baby bed, toys and wipes!!!  Although it is cute, I had to ask her to please stop using all of my wipes!!!  I mean how dirty can her Sleeping Baby be? 

Well I can't leave out Hayden in this post, so my update for her is that she is growing up way to fast!!!  She loves her American Girl Doll too and she named her "Summer" , she might have had a little help from Mommy with the perfect name. She is such a big help with Colton, she helps feeding him and plays with him.  She is so excited about her birthday and I can't wait for her to see all of her many surprises that she will be getting.  She loves spending time with Mommy lately, which makes me feel good.  She wants to sit with me at night and read, she wants to wear my makeup, which isn't happening right now, and she wants to fix her hair the way I fix mine.  She has also been "helping me" around the house, she knows what Mommy likes.  I love my time with all of them but I am thinking that we may need a Mommy and Hayden day soon.  She is the one that never really has me all to herself. 

Softball

Well I signed Hayden up for Softball today.  This year she is old enough for Softball instead of T Ball.  I hope she enjoys it, at first she didn't want to do it again, it was kind of boring last year, and she only wanted to play Soccer.  Then somehow she was convinced, by her Daddy to give in one more try.  He thinks she is going to really like it and be very good at it.  We shall see!  She is going to have a very busy day on Feb. 4th, because she has to be at the gym at 9am for tryouts that morning and then be at her birthday party by 12.  She will love every minute of it.  She is so grown up lately, she talks to me using the word "like" a lot and all sorts of facial expressions.  Last night Mark got to witness some of our conversations.  He just stood shaking his head, especially when she is talking about getting kissed by boys and how some of the little girls at her school are already....well lets just say not very nice!  Her birthday party is at the skating rink and we took her last Saturday to try it out and she LOVED it and so did Mommy, yeah that's right, Mommy skated too!!!!  Gracie enjoyed it too, Mark didn't try it out, instead he took care of Colton so that I could have fun.   We are going to the American Girl Doll Cafe on Jan 28th for lunch and since she has decided that she wants another doll for her birthday...I am going to let her pick it out while we are there she is going to be so excited. 

Gracie started back Ballet yesterday and she was so glad.  She has really missed it being that the place she used to do it at closed.  She made some more new friends yesterday and she has the same teacher, just a different place!  She was shy at first but then she showed them how to do it!  She wanted to play Soccer but she still isn't old enough yet.  I don't know how I am going to keep up with everything when her and Colton start sports too!!!

We are Proud

Well as always Mark and I are very proud parents.  Today Hayden got her report card, and it was awesome!  No surprise, I know but it still makes us VERY proud.  She is doing great and learning so much.  She also passed her Raindrop 1 words today and is now on Raindrop 2 words and she passed a Challenge, she had to recite the days of the week in order.  It is so cute because she kind of sings them like a song.  She got in the car today and squealed...."Mommy you are going to be so proud of me"  I knew then she passed everything.  Of course Silly Mommy started clapping, dancing and acting crazy.  Hey, it works and it was the reaction she was waiting on!  

Gracie went back to Preschool this week, and I wasn't sure if she would cry or not.  Well, she didn't...she went right in her class and couldn't wait to go back.  She is really enjoying her school and she is so proud of all of her songs, drawings and papers.  She loves to talk about her day when I pick her up and I ALWAYS get a huge hug when she I get there.  She is making us so proud, growing into a very sweet little girl.  Don't get me wrong though, if you get on her bad side, you are on your own!  She is also learning so much and I go for my conference with her teachers the end of January.  She knows all of her colors, how to count to 10, all of her shapes and many more things.  She is also the best drawer in her class and she makes sure to tell me that she says "Mommy all my friend scribble scrabble but I don't"  It is cute and she really does do a great job coloring for a 3 year old.

Colton can sit up all by himself, he is still figuring it out.  He gets up on his knees and rocks, so I don't think it will much longer before he takes off.  He loves his walker, gives him a little freedom.  He loves to play with all his new toys in the floor, and he rolls all over the living room, can't take your eyes off of him.  He is so sweet and loves it when his sisters play with him. 

See we have so much to be proud of!  We have 3 amazing children!!!!

Happy New Year

So on New Years Eve, Mimi and Pop came to babysit at our house!  We went to a small party at Cy and Nichole's.  It was a lot of fun and I must admit it was nice to go out just the two of us.  Mimi and Pop had lots of fun and Mimi is such a good Mama, she even came and picked us up right before the New Year, so that we could both have a good time.  Thanks again Mimi!  We made it back home at 11:51 and were able to bring the New Year in with Mimi, Pop, Hayden and Colton...Gracie was the only one still asleep!  I can't think of any better way to ring in the New Year than that!!!  It is going to be a great 2012, we have so much to be thankful for and so much to look forward to this year.  This year is a new beginning for a lot of things!  Hayden will graduate Kindergarten, which is going to bring lots of tears, Colton will be turn 1 and we have to plan an amazing birthday party for a boy, may need a little help from Daddy on this one.  Gracie will still be in Preschool instead of GWA because of her birthday but that is okay we are hoping that in 2012 school year she will get Mrs. Christie and Mrs. Sue.  They are all growing up so fast. 

After a really long decision process, it's official that Hayden's 6th Birthday Party will be at 78 Skate in Loganville on Feb. 4th 12 - 2:30.  She is so excited they have skating, arcade and a velcro wall, I can't wait to see how the wall works.  She can hardly wait, she keeps telling me "Mommy January only has 8 days"  I don't know where she got that from but trying to explain it to her is harder than you would think!  Invitations will be mailed. 

Hayden also lost another tooth yesterday.  She pulled it herself, just like the first one!  Tooth Fairy came and left another $2 for her.  She is saving her money so that she can buy something big, silly girl!