T Ball for Gracie

Gracie had a good T Ball practice last night.  She hit the ball off the T much better than last week.  She also practiced getting the ball and throwing it back to her coaches.  She did very well!  I was so proud of my shy little girl.  The best part was at the end of practice when I told her how proud of her I was her whole face lit up and she gave me that million dollar smile.  It totally helped her confidence and she talked about practice all the way home.  Her only complaint was that it was a little bit cold.  It was cold but the wind was the worst part of it.  Hopefully, Spring will be here soon with some warmer temperatures.  Hayden and Colton played ball, played on the playground and played in the dirt.  Hayden has a really hard time waiting on Gracie to do something.  She isn't used to being the one waiting.  Colton wanted to show all of Gracie's team how to hit off the T and by the way he does know how to.  It can be interesting but for the most part they are always very well behaved. 

Gracie is the cute little girl playing pitcher position.  The coach was trying to show them how they will look on the field and talk about the positions a little bit.  With that being said most 4 year olds really just want to hit the ball!

Every time I told Colton to sit down, he would lay down instead.  Hayden decided she wanted to play his game too!  Look at that snaggle tooth little girl and handsome little man!

Smart Girl

Well this week hasn't been as busy but only because it rained so much that the recreation department had to cancel practices.  Hayden went to ballet on Monday with Mimi.  Mimi also helped her do some of her homework after school.  Thanks so much Mimi, it helps this Mommy so much!  Since Hayden didn't have practice yesterday and Mark got off work a little early...we went to get our taxes done.  Well, Mark went to get our taxes done and he dropped us off at Mema and Pop's house.  They were so glad to see the babies and it only took about 30 minutes to get the taxes done.  So we decided to stop by Uncle Randy's house and his girlfriend and her kids were there too.  There were 5 kids running around the house in circles chasing each other....2 boys and 3 girls.  The boys were the bad guys of course and Colton managed to keep up with them.  He was having a good time.  When we got ready to leave, they all hugged each other and told each other that we should come by every day.  Silly kids, it was nice to see them all having so much fun. 

The book fair is at GWA and yesterday Hayden got to go preview the book fair.  She came home with a list of books she wants and at the bottom it had the price.  Her total was $67.  I told her that we just couldn't spend that kind of money on the book fair.  So I wrote her a check for $20 to get two sets of the books she had on her list and told her that would be plenty.  Well, she didn't like it but she put it in her book bag and didn't say anything else about it.  Well, that is until this morning.  We get to the red light and she says "Mommy take me to Mimi's office"  I asked her why and she says "I need to get some more money for the book fair, you didn't give me enough"  So I took her by there and when I told Mimi how much she wanted to spend she told Hayden that was too much also.  We will see what she comes home with today!  That girl knows how to get what she wants!!!   When I talked to Mark, he couldn't stop laughing, he said well she is a smart girl!

Colton sits in the car seat a lot but he is happy, happy, happy!

My Handsome Little Boy

Today when I ask Colton if he was ready to go get Gracie, he answerd Yes.  Then he went to get his hat!  He said "my hat" and put it on and tried to open the door.  I love this little boy so much.  So I told him I needed a picture and he started posing and saying "cheese".

Fernbank Field Trip

Hayden had her first field trip in 1st grade today.  We went to Fernbank and watched the IMAX about the butterflies and explored the museum.  I rode with Stephanie and when the bus got there we got our girls and they were so excited.   Hayden, Kierstin and Kendall spent the whole day together.  Hayden and Kendall are in the same class and have gotten to be best friends this year, and Kierstin is her best friend too so Hayden was a very happy girl.  Kendall's Mom is really nice and it was fun for us Mommies to talk and get to know each other too.  The movie kind of made all of us a little bit dizzy but it was a good movie with lots of learning involved.  Of course, our girls learned that the fire ants ate and killed the caterpillar.  Go figure, Right!  They also learned other things but that is what stuck out the most.  The thing they loved the most in the museum was the bubbles.  Again, Go figure, but they were really neat and very big.  They were so cute together and could be pretty silly at times.  After hours of exploring we decided to go have lunch at the Varsity and Kendall and her Mom joined us too.  They were so excited!  It was a good lunch and we all had fun.  It was a very fun field trip!

Thank you so much Aunt Linda for being at my house at 7:45 this morning and keeping Gracie and Colton all day.  You have no idea how much I appreciate it.  Of course they had the best time ever...they made cookies, jewelry, played outside and cleaned out the sand box.  They are so lucky to have such a wonderful Aunt Linda. 

Also thanks to Aunt Kim for watching Colton this afternoon while Hayden had Softball practice.  Again, no one will ever know how much it helps out and how much I appreciate it.  Also, thanks to Mimi for making sure Gracie didn't miss ballet tonight, since it was at the same time as Softball.  We are one blessed family to have so many Aunts and Mimi helping us out.  See I told you I need 3 of me to go around!!!

Hayden did great at Softball practice.  She will be playing 3rd base and because she is the only one that he puts in that position, she also has to hit last.  She hit pretty good last night, but not as good as she does at home.  She had one really good hit at the end.  Coach wouldn't even let her use the T, he just gave her pitches.  The one thing that made me so proud was how fast she ran last night.  Last season we had to keep telling her and all the other girls to RUN faster, she really did last night.   Her team is the DUCKS and it will be green and yellow shirts with black pants for their uniform. 

Gracie is playing T Ball

Gracie had her first T Ball practice last night.  She was extremely shy, and there are only two girls on the team...the rest are boys.  She was very nervous but she did what the coach told her to do.  It was cute.  She is going to have to learn to swing the bat a little bit harder and she will be set.  She said that she really liked it but that it was very cold.  It was cold, we were all cold and now that ball season is in full effect, we are going to be cold a lot unless Spring decides to come on now!  I am so proud of her for trying and giving it her best.  I love her so much and sometimes I think that she doesn't get the same attention that Hayden does but now that she is involved in things maybe she will come out of shell and show us what she is good at! She has practice on Wednesdays and Fridays at 6pm.  Her first game should also be sometime on March 9th, hopefully not at the same time as Hayden's.   I really need 3 of me so that I will be able to keep up with all 3 of my babies!!! 

Good Job Pootie Pooh!  We are so proud of you and love you to the moon and back! 

Holiday and Softball Practice

Yesterday was a holiday it was President's Day so that meant no school!  We went to Mimi and Pop's house and picked Mimi up and did a little bit or maybe I should say Hayden and Gracie did a lot of shopping.   Those little girls like to look fashionable and they each have their own taste and preference.  Hayden is all into peace signs, so she picked out a jacket and shirt with peace signs on them.  She got her pink and gray Nike's she wanted for school shoes.  She was excited.  Gracie likes purple, so she picked out several purple things and then all of the sudden she wanted a yellow skirt and shirt, who knows where that come from!  They both got some really nice things and both of them got pink, sparkle shoes...now that is very important to all little girls.  Colton went along with us and lets just say he is definitely a boy.  He doesn't enjoy shopping at all.  He just wanted to run around and throw all the stuff off of the shelves and racks.  It was quite interesting.  He ended up getting several pairs of shorts and shirts.  We couldn't find any shoes for the little man though.  I guess we will keep looking.  Thanks Mimi and Pop for all the clothes and shoes for all of our babies! 

Then we all met Grandmama and Linda for lunch at Chili's.  They were very busy but it was still a fun and good lunch.  Aunt Linda kept Colton outside for the most part, trying to keep him entertained.  They also got some Valentine candy and coloring books from Aunt Linda when we got ready to go.  They are so lucky to have so many people that care and love them so much.  After that it was back to Mimi and Pop's house and the girls had fun building with lincoln logs.  Hayden was really into it, Gracie couldn't really figure out how they all worked.  Colton just destroyed every thing they built. 

They all 3 fell asleep on the way home, which was good because we only had about an hour and half before Hayden had to be at Softball practice.  She was so excited.  I got in the yard with her before we left and practiced some throwing and she was ready to go.  She played 3rd base last night and it made me so proud when other parents kept saying "wow that girl has an arm".  I love it!  I am so very proud of her and how hard she tries.  She did really well, she did let one ball by her, but that was it.  They are going to have a good team this year.  The Ducks are going to be fired up and ready to go by March 9th.  She didn't get a chance to practice hitting last night until the very end and she was pretty much frozen.  She did hit 3 out of the 10 pitches but she could have done better if her hands weren't red and frozen.  Oh well, she still did an excellent job and I can't wait to watch her play at games. 

Hayden's house with a chicken coop.  Notice the chicken sitting on the it! Silly girl!  Also notice that Colton was ready and waiting to knock it over.

Love, Love, Love this little boy! Hayden took this picture but I love his smile.

Valentine's Day and Crazy Morning

Valentine's Day was wonderful.  I had all my Valentine's with me.  They each got a stuffed animal and candy from Mommy and Daddy.  They also got goody bags and balloons from Mimi and Pop.  We had ballet last night, so we got home only minutes before Mark did.  He came in with 3 beautiful roses...2 pink ones and a red one.  It was PERFECT.  You should have seen the faces on those little girls.  One day they will tell everyone that their Daddy was their first Valentine.  He does this every year which makes me happy, this is the first year that they both had to have their on vase and choose where to put it in their room.  I love it and so did he.  He had a huge smile on his face as he watched them.  The red rose was mine and it was beautiful.  He makes me so happy....I love all my Valentines!!!! 

My Daddy used to send me 6 roses to school every Valentine's Day and I always felt so very special when they called my name over the intercom to come get my flowers.  He did this from 6th grade to 12th grade every year.  He told me to remember that he was my first Valentine!!!  See why I love what Mark does now and he didn't even know this story.  I would call my Daddy as soon as I got home to thank him and he would always say "I love you Boo Boo, happy Valentine's Day".  He hasn't sent me roses in a long time but for some reason this year I couldn't stop thinking about it. 

I was told that my day today was blog material so here it goes.   First this morning after spending what seemed like forever in the grocery store and getting gas...we came home to unload everything and that is when.....I realized that I had lost my house key.  I couldn't figure out how to get in and I was running around to every door and window trying desperately to get.  Gracie is saying "Mommy I need to go potty"  and I said "well honey, I can't get in the house so you are going to have to hold it or pee pee outside".  You should have seen the look on her prissy face.  Like Mommy are you crazy.   Then she says "Mommy I have to get into my room and get Crystal dressed(her doll) right now she is still in her pajamas"  So I said "Gracie we have much bigger problems right now besides what Crystal is wearing."  Then I called Mimi to see if she had a house key for our house. She said she had one that she didn't know what it went to and she would leave school and bring it out to us.  So I waited in the car for a few minutes. Then I went to get the golf cart to see if I could park it next to the porch and climb up.  I realized that this probably wasn't a very good idea and didn't do it.  So then I went back to the basement door, the one that someone recently broke into and I couldn't get in, until I found some tools and guess what I was in.  I came up the steps and Gracie was so relieved to get to Crystal.  Mimi got here and laughed at us and then we tried the key she had and it didn't work.  So I guess it is a good thing I got in.  Next our Satellite TV is out and they sent a new power box by Fed Ex, well it came and I installed it and guess what still doesn't work.  So after an hour and half on the phone with some woman she says there will be a technician at your house between 12 and 4 tomorrow.  I said "What".  No TV again tonight.  I mean I have kids and I kind of like TV too!  I was a little aggravated by this point but decided to go ahead and hook up the DVD player and watch movies, better than looking at a black screen.  So then Gracie and Colton wanted to go outside.  So we did and I came back in to get something and was standing in the kitchen with the door wide open...when I see the golf cart go by like a BLUR.  It was full speed.  Then I hear Gracie screaming COLTON!  My heart sank and panic set in.  In all my mess of things this morning. I left the key in the golf cart!  He was full speed as I fell right down the steps and never even noticed that I did. He went full speed over the cross ties and ran into the side steps on my car!  It looked like Dukes of Hazard driving. Thank goodness,  he hit the cross ties otherwise I don't know if I could have caught him.  He started crying and by this point I was so scared that he had hurt himself.  When I got to him I checked him over and over again and he was fine.  He was scared but at least not hurt.  I just held him and loved him and thanked god for watching over us.  So at this time of the day I am hoping for a less eventful afternoon and night. 

Spend the night party

Last night was the last part of Hayden's birthday celebration.  Kierstin spent the night with her and well Gracie too.  Kind of hard to leave out Gracie Pooh!  Colton tried to aggravate them a little bit but overall he was a good boy!  They played in the playhouse until it was getting dark and cold. Then they were ready for their dinner.  Hayden wanted ribs and pork tenderloin, corn on the cob and macaroni and cheese. And for those of you that are wondering if you can eat corn on the cob without any front teeth,  the answer is yes.  Hayden ate 2 pieces of corn!  They all ate really good.  For the rest of her dinner she wanted my strawberry pie.  I have never seen 3 little girls enjoy a pie so much!  Then they also had cupcakes and ice cream.  After that I cut them off.  Hayden got a new Barbie with a horse from Kierstin and they played with it for a long time.  She also finally got some new jewelry from Mommy and Daddy. She got a new necklace with a cross and a bracelet. She was very pleased and surprised.  Gracie also got a necklace and bracelet because she has been asking for those for months too.  It was a fun night.

Strawberry Pie is yummy!

Gracie's New School

Gracie had her testing at GWA last Friday and she was so excited about it.  She had so much fun meeting all the new teachers.  Well, she will be starting GWA in August in the K4 program.  She is so excited about going Mimi's school with Hayden.  I am excited that I don't have to sit in the car all the time next year!  Yay for Mommy!!!  Gracie is going to be such a big girl.  Hayden is already telling her all about what she is going to do at school.

While going to pick Hayden up today, Gracie and I had an interesting conversation.

Gracie - Mommy where will I live when I am growned up?

Me - I don't know baby.

Gracie - Where will Hayden live when she is all growned up?

Me -  I don't know baby. Hopefully you will both live close to Mommy and Daddy.

Gracie - Hayden wants to be a doctor when she is big.

Me - oh yeah, what do you want to be?

Gracie - I want to be a Mommy like you. So I can have babies.  I want a girl and a boy.

Me - oh okay.  Sounds good.

Gracie - I wonder who will be the daddy that goes to work?

Me - I'm not sure but I think you have lots of time to figure it out.

Silly little Pootie pooh.  I love her conversations. You never know what she is going to say.

Cookie Cake at School

I think Hayden had an amazing 7th birthday!  Mimi and I took a cookie cake to her for lunch yesterday...so she could share it with all of her class.  Aunt Linda decorated the PERFECT cookie cake.  It was just the way Hayden wanted it to look.  Thank you so much Aunt Linda for all your hard work!  Well after I started cutting the cookie cake the other 2 first grade classes wanted some too.  So I cut enough pieces for the whole 1st Grade to have a piece of my sweet girls cookie cake.  It is better to celebrate with everyone. Right?  Hayden was such a sweetheart as always.  She sat beside one of her best friends, Kendall.  Sara is also one of her good friends.  They all look out for each other. They are so cute together and boy do they have some interesting conversations.  However, they are all growing up way to fast!  Kierstin is coming to spend the night with Hayden on Saturday night and that will conclude the celebration for her 7th birthday.  We love you sweet girl!

Happy 7th Birthday Hayden!

Hayden,

Wow, 7 years ago today at 2:01pm my life changed in the most perfect way in the world.  I became a Mommy!  I was so excited to finally meet the little girl that kept kicking me, turning flips, and punching me.  Everything was going to be different but in an awesome way.  I will admit I was a little bit scared but once they placed you in my arms and I finally got to kiss your sweet face, I wasn't scared at all.  I knew exactly what to do...love you, protect you, kiss you, hold you, teach you, and always take care of you.  Your Daddy was so excited to meet you too.  He couldn't take his eyes off of you and he never left your side, even when they took you to the nursery.  You have had him wrapped around your little finger ever since.  You were the most beautiful baby in the world.  You were perfect, 6lbs 9oz and 19 inches long.  You were my little punkin!  I don't know why I picked that name but it seemed to fit and before long every body in the family was calling you that.   I would sing you a song about how you were my little punkin and you would just look at me and smile. 

You are growing up so fast.  It seems that every time I blink you are another year older.  Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you and all of your accomplishments and boy do you have a lot of them.  You are truly one amazing little girl.  You are a strong, determined, intelligent, caring, considerate, loving, shy, happy, athletic, beautiful, sweet and angelic little girl.  I always tell you to aim high and reach for those stars and you always do,  you are the brightest, shiniest star of all.  I can't even really put into words how proud we are or how much we love you. 

We are so lucky that we got to be your Mommy and Daddy.  We are so blessed in every way. WE LOVE YOU TO THE MOON AND BACK SWEET GIRL! 

Happy 7th Birthday Hayden Christine Stancil!

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

I heard this lullaby and thought it was perfect for the way I felt about you sweet girl!

Midnight moonlight shining through the curtain lace

Paints a perfect picture on your perfect face

One sweet angel sleeping in my arms

You are the promise I knew God would keep

You are the gift that makes my world complete

And you'll never know how much I love you

But I'll keep on telling you my whole life through

Now I believe in miracles, and you're the reason why

So dream on while I sing you my angel's lullaby

Hayden's Birthday!

Well, we spent all weekend celebrating Hayden's birthday.  It was so much fun and I am pretty sure she is one happy little girl.  Saturday morning she went for her Softball tryouts.  She did good considering it was 29 degrees and she was frozen.  She is going to be on Coach Matt's team again this year, which she was excited about.  Their team name is the Ducks this year.  He wants to try her at 3rd base this year, so we are going to start getting her ready!  After that we went to Athens so that she could pick out her bicycle that she wanted for her birthday.  She found the perfect one and Mimi and Pop were also in Athens, so we put the bike on the back of their truck to bring home.  Well, when we got here they had a little something else for her on the back of the truck....a new trampoline.  Ours was falling apart and she loves the trampoline.  She was a very happy girl!  It was a big surprise because even Mark and myself didn't know anything about it. 

Then we cooked fish, french fries and crab legs for dinner and Mimi and Pop, Kim and Artie, Grandmama and Linda all came to help celebrating a wonderful birthday.  She had so much fun and got all the presents that she wanted.  She got some fancy boots from Aunt Kim and Uncle Artie and her inch of pearls.  I can't believe that she now has 7 inches of pearls.  Seems like just yesterday she got her first inch!  She got a radio for her playhouse from Aunt Linda and Grandmama gave her lots of stuff to make bracelets with.  She is so very lucky to have so many people that love her so much. 

Sunday, we did our usual birthday celebration at American Girl.  My girls love it and so do I.  I feel like a little girl in that place.  When we got there she begged and pleaded for the new doll, Saige.  I didn't plan on buying a new doll, but she has some serious pitiful eyes.  She finally got to Mimi.  Mimi told her that it was okay to get the doll as part of her birthday.  So then Gracie pulled out the pitiful face and got to Aunt Kim.  Needless to say both of my girls were very pleased with their new dolls.  They sure are lucky to have Mimi and Kim!  Hayden was so excited when they brought out the huge banana split for her birthday party.  She loves it and so did the rest of us!  It was such a fun day and many memories were made!

Thanks so much to everyone for every thing that you do for us and our babies.  We love you all very much!  We are so blessed to have such a wonderful family!

Happy Birthday Hayden!!!  We love you to the moon and back!