Fun Bags...

I've been wanting to try this for a while now and have just never gotten around to it. Well, the other day, I decided to go for it. I made this cute bag and it took mmm... half an hour. It was a lot of fun. I'll be making more.. that's for sure.

They are GREAT for scripture bags.

ahhh.. the Dentist.

I hate going to the dentist.. but i'm not sure of anyone who loves it.

Today was Hailey's first trip to the dentist. Yikes! Man, was I nervous. We took her to a pediatric dentist who was great. We were pleasantly surprised at how well she did. The headphones and the TV mounted on the ceiling DID help distract her, but she was amazing. She did just what they asked and thought the vacuum was pretty cool.



At one point, I look over at Nate and he is just laughing at the simple fact that she's doing so well when we both thought FOR SURE she would NOT let any of this happen.

I can't believe my little monkey is big enough to go to the dentist.

Happy Birthday Monkey!!

This past Saturday was Hailey's 3rd birthday. You heard me, 3rd! Is anyone else weirded out by this? I can't believe she's 3! Time Flies!


This year, Hailey wanted a Dinosaur Party. So, that's what she got. I know, I know...she's a girl and is in love with Dinosaurs. It's a little strange that she loves dinosaurs and trains and tractors, but for those of you who might be a little worried, she is definitely a princess at heart.



We had a great day spoiling her and preparing for her party which turned out to be so much fun. Her reaction to her cake was the best part of the day and it made all the hard work of making it SO WORTH IT! My parents were here which was a fun treat for her and my mom pretty much took over the kitchen for me so that I could enjoy my little girls exciting day. It was fabulous.




As I look back on this past year, I can't help but see how much joy she has brought to me and my life. Tonight, for example: Addy was walking around aimlessly in the livingroom when she found herself wandering toward Hailey. Hailey said "come here Addy" with her arms outstretched. The two of them stood there hugging for at least 3 minutes. Hugging, then looking at eachother and letting out a little giggle, then hugging more. Hailey helps me cook, helps me with Addy, helps me clean, makes me laugh, makes me cry, keeps my spirits up and so much more. Here's to another great year with my little monkey, Miss H.

And here's to lookin' at this next year to come: Bring it on! I can't wait!

Love you Baby Girl!

Happy Halloween!!!

This was such a fun year for Halloween. Hailey was So excited to go trick-or-treating. Addy didn't really know what was going on, but she just knew that she wanted to wear her bumblebee outfit every day.
We usually go to Nate's Parent's neighborhood every year. It's more family-friendly than ours. Of course, Nate was excited to hear from another trick-or-treater that there was a house handing out FULL SIZED candy bars! So we went in search of that house! :-) After doing a little trick-or-treating with our girls, we went back to Nate's parent's to pick up Avery and do more candy hunting. Hailey was so funny. At one house, the door opened and she just said "thank you" instead of trick-or-treat. She was getting the hang of it. Addy was asking for more candy all night and when we would say no, she would get so angry and throw a fit.
After we were done with trick-or-treating, we went back to Nate's Parents where Valerie had made yummy taco salads for us. Great way to end the night.

Animals Anyone??

Meet The Animals.

These are Hailey's friends that she MUST sleep with every night. They have to all be lined up on her bed and she chooses one each night to snuggle with while falling asleep. Let me share a little more detail. They ALL must be present. If one is missing, Nate and I end up tearing up the house looking for it before she will calm down enough to close her little eyes.



There are a couple missing in this picture because you can't see them. They are hidden behind the plethora of others. These include Buzz, Woody, Tiger and Bear. Last night, particularly, I had to make 4 different trips throughout the house looking for particular "sad" animals that were left out. Hailey insists that they are sad until they are safe in bed with her. Some would think this is a hazard, and it probably is.
I think she has a little of her dad's OCD... don't tell him I said that!

Baby Shower Time!!!

Last Saturday I threw a baby shower for my good friend Amber. She has lived in my basement for 2 1/2 years and is expecting their first baby. So exciting. So, those of you who didn't make it, you missed out. We had some super yummy food. And lots of good laughs.








She is now 22 weeks pregnant and we wish her the best!!

sister fun

These girls make me laugh... a lot!


At times, they are so sweet to eachother.


They love to help me cook.


And enjoy making crazy faces.


Every day is filled with laughter, love, hugs, kisses, "I love you's", messes, silly faces, dirty faces, sticky fingers and made up silly songs... and I owe it all to them!

No Sweeter Sound...

than the sound of children laughing...



especially when it's with their daddy.

Darn Parks...

Not to overshadow my previous post that has only been on for about 24 hours, but I have a new event that happened today that's blog worthy.

Today, like any other day, our friend came over to see us when she got home from work. As usual, Hailey wanted to go play at her house so she did. I get a text from Lezlee saying that they were going to go to the park. Sounds fun, huh?!

Well, 20 minutes later, I hear them come walking in the house. Usually, it goes something like this... (a LOUD door opening) then Hailey screaming "MOM! I'm HOME!"

today was a little different. It went more like this... "um, Tiff? We're back a little early cuz we had a slight accident."

I come out of my room to see Lezlee holding a very scared little Hailey. Hailey reaches for me, begins to cry and as the hand-off is taking place, we see blood all down the back of Hailey's shirt.

Yes, I said blood. So we CUT her shirt off of her, not knowing where the blood is coming from. Her back was scraped up and we noticed that her hair was completely saturated in the back with blood.

What happened was, she was at the park, reached for the monkey bars, her hands slipped and she hit the back of her head on a metal landing before then proceeding to fall and hit the ground. OUCH! it makes my stomach cringe just thinking about it. I'm glad I didn't see it.. I would have nightmares. However, I feel horrible that Lezlee DID see it.

So, her back is scraped up and her head is split open. We take her to the instacare after having a good friend who is a nurse check her out at home. By this time, she's feeling better after having a little medicine to help with the pain.

At the instacare, we find out she will definitely need staples! DOUBLE OUCH!
So, they put some numbing cream on a gauze pad and ask me to hold it on her head for 15 minutes. YEAH RIGHT! We all know Hailey won't let anyone TOUCH her for 15 minutes let alone with a huge gash in her head! So the smart lady at the front desk asked the nurse to come wrap her head so that it would stay. Genious!



Then, they had to clean it. Yes, this was brutal. She had to lay on her stomach on a chair with her head in her hands while they covered her with towels to keep the blood from running all over everything and then they shot streams of water onto it to clean it out with water pressure. Poor thing. She did NOT like that.

Then came the staples. Enough said.

Now, she's sound asleep. At least for now. I'm praying that it doesn't cause her too much irritation while she sleeps. After the last few days and nights she and I have had, she needs all the sleep she can get.



As for Lezlee.. she was a mess. She felt horrible and was shaking a good part of the afternoon over the unfortunate event, but i'm just so glad to have such good friends that care so much about my sweet girls.

so now, at the close of this CRAZY day, I bid farewell and plead... sleep tight little H.. you'll feel better tomorrow!

Confession

I have a confession. I have favorites. I know in life you should try to not play favorites, but I can't help it. I have my favorite people.

Let me introduce you to them.



Don't be jealous... I'm justified in having these three as my favorite people. I'll explain.

Nate: he's my best friend. has been for a long time. There is nobody I can imagine spending the rest of my life and eternity with. He's smart. He's funny... well, he thinks he is, anyways! He's genuine. He's dedicated. He's extremely good looking. He's loving. He's the best dad. He's talented. He's happy. He's thoughtful. He's nice. Best of all: he's mine. And I will love him forever!

Hailey: she's a monkey. She's beautiful. she's funny. She's happy. she's super smart. she's busy. she's loud. she's goofy. she's antagonistic. she's persistant. she's got great hair. she has such a sweet sprit. she is my friend. she's a great big sister. she teaches. she's active. she makes me laugh-A LOT. Best of all: she's mine. and I will love her forever!

Addy: she's sweet. she's got gorgeous eyes. she's trusting. she's happy. she's loving. she's cuddly. she's playful. she's into everything. she's picked on. she's in love with her big sister. she wants to do everything she does. she makes me smile a lot. she is a daddy's girl. she's blonde (seriously?) she's got such pretty skin. she's warm. she's kind. Best of all: she's mine. and I will love her forever!

The other night, I walked in to see this:



It made me smile.
It almost made me cry.
It happens all the time yet, I never seem to get enough of it, and it never seems less important than the millions of times it happened before.

They are my life.

How blessed I am...

Best of all: They're Mine.

And I will love them forever.