Trying to Keep up

Can't keep up with every thing I am supposed to be updating.  So here it goes.  Hayden has completed all of her rainbow and rain drop words for the year.  She only had to complete the rainbow words but she was ready to learn them all, so I encouraged her and she did it.  She is now on her smarty words and if she gets them right, she gets candy!  She already knew the first set of Smarty words when she brought them home, what can I say she is so SMART just like her Mommy and Daddy, so we have already turned those in too.  She is reading so well, I am so proud of her and I love that she seems to enjoy reading and learning.  She plays school in her room every single day for at least an hour after getting home.  She sits on her stool and reads to her pretend class, shows them how to write letters, practice counting and she even makes them take a nap.  I used to love to play school when I was little, she reminds me so much of myself with her imagination. 

Hayden had another Softball game on Saturday and again it was a great game.  The Mudhens have finally figured out what is going on.  Hayden got some really good hits and she actually got an out at 3rd base!  Talk about a proud Mommy and Daddy, that was us.  I love watching these games.  Someone told me one time that baseball and softball were very boring sports to watch, well let me just say you should watch 5 and 6 year olds play it and it will be one of the most exciting things you have ever seen.  It was so hot and the game ended up lasting almost 2 hours, so needless to say they were some very tired Mudhens, but their coach surprised them all and bought snow cones for all of them!  Way to go Hayden!

I surprised Hayden and Gracie and bought all the stuff for them to make their own pizza for dinner one night, and we decided that last night was a great night to try it out.  They had lots of fun and Hayden says that she never wants to buy pizza again, she only wants to make them.  It was pretty good and very cheesy, thanks to Gracie Leigh...she loves cheese!

And since I posted recently about all the fighting in the car, it only seemed appropriate to post this from this morning.

Hayden "Gracie when you start K4 I will be in 2nd grade"

Gracie "no Hayden I go to a different school"  she was confused but she is 3!

Hayden "Gracie No you will be at my school"  getting frustrated

Gracie "No Hayden I go to Mrs. Monica's class"  still confused

Hayden "No Gracie you will be at my school when I am in the 2nd Grade"  getting more frustrated

Gracie "Hayden please calm down"

Hayden " You're not listening to me" even more frustrated

Gracie "Hayden please calm down"

Hayden "Quit telling me to calm down, I don't want to calm down, I want you to listen to me"  extremely frustrated

Gracie "Hayden you really need to calm down"  putting her fingers in her ears so she can no longer hear Hayden

Hayden "Really Gracie"  "you are really going to put your fingers in your ears"  aggravated and reaches over to pull Gracie fingers out of her ears!

Mommy "okay that is enough  Hayden she doesn't understand what you are trying to tell her that is 2 years away right now"

So I tried to explain it to Gracie but she is still a bit confused.  Finally I just told her okay you are right you will still be in Preschool next year!  She can only focus on one year at a time!

We have another busy week...Gracie has water day tomorrow and ballet.  Hayden has a Softball game tomorrow and ballet Wednesday and Field Day Friday!

Fights in the Car

For some reason the girls like to argue and pick at each other in the car.  Hayden loves to correct Gracie on every thing, which really ticks Gracie off! 

Wednesday on the way home from ballet the girls got into a pretty good little fight.  All I could hear was something like this...Gracie is learning to play her leapster and she likes to do it her way with no help. 


Hayden "Gracie you're doing it all wrong"


Gracie "No I am not"

Hayden "yes you are"   voice getting louder

Gracie "Hayden calm down and listen to me"  very calmly

Hayden "you are doing it wrong"  voice getting even louder

Gracie "Hayden calm down"  still calmly

Hayden "well you are doing it wrong"  even louder

Gracie "Hayden calm down"  still calmly

Hayden "Stop telling me to calm down, you are doing it wrong"  extremely loud and throwing her arms in the air!

Gracie "Mommy Hayden is being mean and won't calm down"

Mommy "Okay that is enough both of you stop and Hayden just let her do it the wrong way, how about we all just be quiet and enjoy the ride"  very frazzled!

Even though it gets me frazzled after a while, I can't help but laugh at them until they reach the point that I have to stop them.  Gracie is hiliarious right now and Hayden is just like me...gets aggravated so easily and always wants to be right!  Yes I admit it, I am the same way! 
So I told them that Colton was going to have to sit between them if they didn't stop fighting in the car, Hayden said "good" and Gracie said "why". 

Way to go Hayden

Last night Hayden had her group ballet recital picture.  All of the girls were beautiful and I am so excited to see all of them in the actual recital.  She also had a game at 7:15 and the picture was at 7:30, thank goodness the game before hers ran behind and that the pictures were exactly on time, she was able to do both.  Her coach was calling wanting to know where we were, she literally changed clothes around the seat belt in the car.  She went from princess to a Mudhen in exactly 2 minutes.  She was worried about having makeup on during her game, so I told that she was just going to be a very fancy Mudhen.  She played a great game, they all did.  It was an awesome game to watch and I am so glad that Mark got to go with us and a huge thank you to Aunt Linda and Grandmama for watching Colton and Gracie at our house!!!!!  The game was close the whole time.  Then it was 2 outs in the last inning and we were behind by 2 and our baby hits one to the fence and the Mudhens WIN the GAME!!!!  I am pretty sure it was the proudest moment ever for her Daddy, he was so excited,  she came in and I gave her two high fives and so did everybody else on the team...players and parents and coaches too!  Her Daddy waited patiently and got the huge smile and biggest hug from his #1 player!!!!   He was so proud of her that he talked about it all night!   She was pretty proud of herself too, like I say all the time, she is truly good at every thing she does!  The Coach usually gives out a game ball but because they all played so good last night, they got a team ball!  I thought it was a great idea.  Can't wait until her next game Saturday 12:45 in Loganville. 

Whew

Whew, we have been so busy!  Hayden had a softball game on Saturday and she played so good.   Then we came home and spent the day at home enjoying the day all together.  Then on Sunday morning she had her ballet pictures for the recital.  She looked simply gorgeous in her fancy outfit.  After that we went to some friends house to have some oysters and crawfish, Hayden loves crawfish as much or maybe even more than her Daddy.  She also tried a oyster and she takes after her Mommy in that area....can you say DISGUSTING!!!!!   She was spitting it out of her mouth as fast as it went in!  It was quite funny!   Then it was home to get ready for school, this is the first week since spring break that we have been some what back to normal.  It is actually kind of nice!   We had a busy morning yesterday,  we took Hayden to school, early which is very unusual for us!  Then we had to go to Mark's office to turn in some paperwork and be back at Hayden's school by 8:30 to be computer Mom.  Mrs. Baxter felt so sorry for me because I had Colton and Gracie too, but I told her that I was just used to it and that Hayden would be so disappointed if I didn't stay to do computer, but I also thought it was super nice of her to offer to help me out!  Then we took Gracie to school a little bit late but it was okay and then Colton and I went to the eye doctor.  If you want a fast eye appointment just take a 11 month screaming baby boy with you!  They get you in and out of there pretty fast.  I also got me some glasses and while picking them out, Colton was steadily throwing things out of his stroller and reaching for all the glasses on the shelf, he wasn't bad but he was tired and ready to go!  He fell asleep as soon as we got in the car, so when I got to Preschool, I waited for Madison's mommy to get there so that I didn't have to wake up Colton.  She is so nice to stay and watch my car when I need her to!  He ended up sleeping for 2 1/2 hrs, which he needed to!

Today my baby boy is 11 months old, where in the world is the time going?  He is getting so big and doing so many things.  He is almost ready to walk, he walks behind all of his toys but refuses to take that first step to Mommy or Daddy!  He is starting to talk more....he says....Mama, Da Da, More, Bye Bye, Hey, and really not sure what Huh means but he says it non stop!  He loves to play or maybe I should say aggravate his loving sisters!  He is such a little mess and he is definitely all BOY!  He climbs on everything and still eats anything he can find.  We sure do love you Little Man, and I can't believe that we are going to be celebrating your first birthday a month from today! 

Hayden had her cap and gown pictures this morning,  again where in the world has the time gone?  Is she really graduating Kindergarten?  Is she really already 6 years old?  Can it be so?  Guess what, it is so....she is really graduating Kindergarten, she is definitely 6 years old and it is finally setting in that she is will be a 1st grader next year!  As I type this I have tears running down my cheeks,   happy tears and very proud tears!  Oh, how I love all my babies and so proud of all of their accomplishments.   Her graduation is May 24th, yes it is on Colton's first birthday!  What a day for us Stancil family, a very happy day!  

Lots of Updates

I had a phone conference for Gracie Leigh on Monday morning.  Mrs. Monica says that she is one of the smartest, sweetest little girls she has ever met, which I already knew that!  She says that Gracie knows all of her shapes including the oval, she can count, she knows all of her colors and she recognizes her name. She said that she is ready for the next level of Preschool.  She also said that she has come so far this year, she started the year with Pooh Bear right by her side, but now Pooh stays in the car with Mommy and Colton.   She also said that Gracie has a great personality and knows when to leave a situation.  Mrs. Monica said the boys can be pretty rough and once they get loud and rough, Gracie walks away and starts to play with someone or something else.  She said that Gracie is nice to everyone and plays well with everyone.  Good Job Gracie Leigh, Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you and all of your accomplishments this year.  We love you to the moon and back Pootbox!


Mark and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary on Monday.  We actually didn't really get to celebrate it yet, because all 3 of our babies had  Hand, Foot and Mouth, let me just say that stuff is horrible!  It has been a long week, Hayden finally went back to school today!  Colton had it from head to toe, Gracie had it only in her mouth, but it was HORRIBLE and I do mean HORRIBLE, Hayden had a much milder dose of it, thank goodness but she was very ready for school this morning.  I was pretty sad on Monday too, even though it was my anniversary and I am so lucky to have married the man of my dreams, my best friend and my soul mate.  I wish that everyone could have a marriage as wonderful as ours and I really do mean that.  We are so lucky to have each other and to have all 3 of our precious babies.  They make us complete!  I was sad because my wedding day is pretty much the last time my Daddy was able to get around and walk.  I remember the day so vividly because I was so scared he was going to fall while walking me down the aisle or when we had our sweet father/daughter dance but he made through it all fine.  I felt like I was holding him up but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world right now.  I miss him so much and I have spent the past few days going through all of our family pictures.  There are so many where I am sitting in his lap, or he has his arms wrapped around me or teaching me to ride a bike.  We were such a happy little family at one time, but when my parents got divorced everything changed but I choose to only remember all of my happy thoughts and memories.  I am still laughing at some of the old stories Randy and I were telling everyone at Hospice.  I told Mark that I always remember thinking how strong his hands were all of my life, if I were needing comforted or protected I would always go to him, one time even in the middle of the night!   He was always there for me, but his hands weren't strong at Hospice they were so fragile and I hope that he felt my strong hands holding his on his last day.   Everyone keeps telling me how strong I am, but I do not feel strong at all, I had to deal with it.  Maybe he passed his strong hands on to me, I am probably just has determined and hard headed as he has always been!  I love you Daddy!

 Mark and I want to go out and celebrate our anniversary one day this weekend, and I want to thank my wonderful husband for everything he has done for me these past two weeks.  I love you more than words can ever describe.  You make me so happy and I love our live together and our beautiful children that have so many characteristics of both of us! 

Hayden took two of her baby chicks to school this morning for show and tell.  She was so excited that she reminded her Daddy to get them ready at 4am this morning.   I tried to tell her to let me bring them after lunch but she wasn't going to leave this yard this morning without those chicks in the car with us.  So I walked her into class and asked Mrs. McDaniel if it were okay and she said yes that they could stay all day.  Talk about a happy girl, I bet she has talked about them all day.   All of her friends were screaming her name as they came into the classroom, they were so excited that she was back, I guess they love her as much as we do....I mean what's not to love.right!  I can't wait to hear what she has to say this afternoon when I pick her up.

Yesterday, while waiting to pick up payroll for Mark, Gracie and Colton were sleeping and Hayden wanted to write on a piece of paper.  So I finally found a envelope for her to write on, in our mess of a car!   She was writing down our phone number and to my amazement she got it right, guess she has been practing.heehee.  She then wanted to know Mimi's phone number, so I gave it to her.  Later in the evening I was putting Colton in his bath and realized that Hayden was on the phone...I thought to myself...I didn't hear the phone ring, so I asked her who she was talking to and she said very confident "I am calling Mimi I need to tell her something important"  so I thought I wonder if she dialed the right number.  I then heard her say "Hey I am fine, I wanted to tell you I will be at school tomorrow"  I had to walk away so she didn't hear me laughing at her.  She then carried on a 15 minute conversation.  Then the phone rang again and she answered it and I heard her calling out another number....Mimi gave her Kim's number and she was now on the phone with Kim and when she got off the phone she told me "Well it is not a maybe anymore we are going to the beach for the weekend"  I said well you may need to check with your Daddy and she says "no Kim and Mimi said so" Then my big, silly girl said "Now I have to call Mimi back and tell her what me and Kim talked about"  all of this while sitting on the couch with her legs crossed like she is grown!  When Mark got home I was telling him about it and he wanted to hear her, so he gave her Pop's number, Grandmama's number, Linda's number and Heath's number.  Hayden talked to Linda while watching American Idol it was pretty funny and she was on the phone most of the night.  I can already tell she is going to be just like her Mommy was when she is a teenager........Always on the PHONE!  

Tough Week

I have had to do one of the hardest things ever this past week.  I had to plan a funeral and I wasn't sure that I was going to be able to deal with all of this but somehow I just did it.  The Pastor did a great job at the funeral.  I am missing my Daddy so much but I know that he is much better off and that he is free and happy and that makes me feel better.  He was always a happy, funny, outgoing, silly man.  He loved to have a good time.  I am so thankful for all of my friends, family and most importantly my wonderful husband.  He was there for me every step of the way supporting me and holding me.  It was a tough week but I am dealing with it and getting through it.  I find that I am okay and then all of the sudden something on TV or a song or anything reminds me of  Daddy but I am not crying anymore...I am laughing at all the great, funny stories that I will cherish always.  I always hated that he called me Boo Boo but right about now I would love to hear him say it.  I wish that he had known my kids better but he has been sick and in the nursing home, he would have really enjoyed playing ball with Hayden,  he probably would have called Gracie Little Boo Boo because she is my little mini me.  He would have loved to teach Colton how to climb hills in trucks and be a rough little boy.  I know that he is watching over all of us now and that he is so proud of all of us!


Unfortunately after all of this all 3 of my kids are sick, they are feeling better today but it hasn't been a whole lot of fun this weekend.  I am so glad that they are feeling better maybe things can get back to normal the rest of the week.  We need things to get back to normal!

I love you Daddy!

It has been a long three days, my dad went from being in ICU to the Pallative unit in the hospital on Sunday.  This is where they send you when they want to keep you comfortable until you pass.  Daddy had a do not resitate, so this was the procedure.  Monday, Mark and I got to the hospital and they told us that he was going to be moved to hospice.  Hospice is a horrible word because everyone knows what happens there.  I was at peace with him passing because he has been in so much pain and suffering for so many years and I was ready for him to be free and happy.  However I had no idea how hard it was going to be to watch him struggle for breaths for three long days.  You could hear all the mucus taking over his lungs and he couldn't talk or move.  The one thing I will always remember was that he tried to tell me that he loved me, I told him that I love him too and it was time for him to be a peace and go rest.  He started running a very high fever Monday morning and they told us at Hospice that it wouldn't be much longer but he made it through the night and when Mark and I got there on Tuesday they told us that he wouldn't make another 24hrs.  I laid my head on his chest, I sat on the side of his bed rubbing his hot hands, I held onto his hands, I kissed him on the forehead and absolutely made sure that he knew I was there and that I love him so very much.  Mark and I stayed until about 11pm last night and I was torn on whether to leave or not, but decided that he would want me to be home with my babies, so after making the decision we left.  At 3am my Aunt Beth called to tell me that he had passed and that she was so glad I didn't stay because it got pretty tough at the end.  I laid in bed crying and crying with my amazing husband holding me.  I took the kids to school as normal this morning and came home and started doing my regular cleaning, but even though I am staying busy the tears are just streaming down my cheeks.  I was prepared for this and thought is would be easier than this.  It is so sad I feel like my heart is breaking and I just want to sit and cry but I make myself keep doing what I do.  I am so glad I have such a great family, all of them have been so supportive and helpful.  As I write this I know that my Daddy is in a much better place than he was here.  I hope that he is laughing, talking, walking, running and being his hilarious self.  He always made people laugh and he was such an outgoing person.  I love you so much Daddy and I will forever be your little boo boo!

Mark's Birthday and Easter

We celebrated Mark's birthday last Saturday with Mimi and Pop and we had crab legs and strawberry pie! The girls and little man gave him all sorts of plants to plant in his garden and they intend on helping him too.  It was a fun night and the girls also colored eggs and the Easter bunny came and brought everything they wanted.  They were so excited Sunday morning when they saw their baskets. 

Easter morning, I received a call that my Dad had taken a turn for the worse and they were calling in the family.  So we went to Grandmama's to take the kids and ate a bite and then we left all of our precious babies with Mimi and Pop to have all the usual Easter fun.  Mark was an amazing husband and stood by my side through a very hard situation

I do have some pictures but for some reason it doesn't want to work today.