Hailey's First Steps

I went to pick up the girls from daycare yesterday and everyone was very excited when I got there. Hailey had just walked from the coffee table to the middle of the living room - about 5 steps in all. Juelle said all the girls saw it and were so excited for her!! Just another draw back of not being a stay at home mom. At the same time she only did it because she so badly wants to play with the girls - yes there are only girls at daycare. When we got home she had no interest to even try to walk. So I am happy she is wanting to play so badly she can walk - just sad I wasn't there to see it.....

Fun Weekend at the Park

This weekend was really nice! We decided to go to a couple of parks. Everything was good on Saturday - a little windy so we didn't stay long. Long enough to wear Hailey and Max out. Sunday we went to another park by our house and it was a perfect day. Hailey was able to sit on the blanket - she hates the feel of grass. Her and I sat on the swing for a very long time.

Our little daredevil - Ashley - had a scary moment. She has really become brave and will try most anything. She climbed the climbing wall all the way up - went on the tallest slide - everything. Earlier Larry had jumped off the swing and crashed - no big deal. Larry was pushing Ashley on the swing and she wants to go high - all of a sudden she just let go! Landed on her stomach. Luckily she was OK - the side of her face is very scratched up with her little knees just barely getting small scratches (they needed band aids though). Happy to say 10 min. later she did not want to go home and was up playing like nothing had happened. Scared Larry and I more then her!

Camp Out - Try #1

Larry and I used to go camping a lot before we had kids and it hasn't been something we have felt comfortable doing with the kids just yet. Now I know why. My girls have never slept well during the night as infants so that was out. Just when we thought Ashley could handle it (and Mom) our little Hailey came along. Hailey is all about her night feedings so the thought of me trying to get a bottle ready in a tent while not waking Ashley and Larry seems a little crazy. Larry and I are both really wanting to get back into it though (of course I would much rather have a luxury hotel room!).

Larry put the tent up in the back yard this weekend - went all out - air ma tress and everything. Had a handful of flashlights, sleeping blankets, etc.. Well of course the first time all year we actually had evening thunderstorms! Ashley is terrified of thunder. So we thought OK this will pass. Then we realized the sprinklers had gone off. So Larry switched out the wet sleeping bag for a bunch of comforters. Finally thought it was safe. I walked out with them, gave lots of reassuring kisses as the thunder started again.

It lasted 8 minutes - as Larry said "she did better then a bull rider on a bull"

We hope to try it again next weekend!

Spring/Summer

I LOVE Spring and Summer - ok, I love all seasons at some point. But I definitely love when I am able to go out and plant all of my flowers, trim my roses, and of course start my garden. I really have a true passion for growing my own garden and being able to go pull something out and set it on the dinner table! Of course when we moved into to our new house I have had to start completely over - I greatly missed my garden last year and was very sad not to see all of my tulips pop up - but on to bigger and better things. I am happy to report that my wonderful husband has made sure my spots for the garden in the retaining wall were all set up just in time. Yes the poor guy had to carry buckets of dirt up the hill - but he did a great job. I have planted tomatoes - all kinds - big, small, yellow, red - hopefully we will get some before Ashley picks all of them and eats them. I planted 6 of them so hopefully it will be enough. I have peppers, artichokes, eggplant, cucumber, cilantro, radish's, and lettuce - and of course lot's of strawberries. Yahoo!!

For Mother's Day this year I was very spoiled. We went to Lowe's and I got to pick all sorts of new flowers for all of my pots out front and back. It was great!! We also picked up 2 new rose bushes that are doing wonderful!! A really nice white rose with red edges - and a new purple rose bush! I have found a new favorite flower - unfortunately I don't know what the name of it is so I will have to do some research - picture attached for anyone who might know!

And I can't post without adding some pictures of the girls. It has been a rough couple of weeks again. Hailey had an ear infection, Ashley had a small case of croup. Then we had to take Ashley to the ER and she had a beginning case of pneumonia and Hailey caught a cold. I am happy to report that they both are doing better all though Hailey's front top tooth still hasn't popped thru!

Jump-O-Lene

For Ashley's Birthday we got her a Jump-o-lene - a smaller version of a trampoline. Sort of like a blow up pool but for jumping. It has been a big hit with Ashley - and Hailey. Ashley loves it when Larry bounces it and she flies up in the air. Hailey likes to be bounced too - and try to climb up the sides - yes she is our climber!

Ashley is 3 Years Old!!

Ashley has been talking about her birthday for months - not that she actually understood when it was coming - but she loves cake, and the singing and she knows it is a special day. Her special day is May 12th and she is a full 3 fingers!!

We had a party on Saturday for her - decorated while she was taking a nap. This is her seeing the decorations when she got up - she was very surprised!

We had a great time - the weather wasn't very nice so we stayed in side which was fine. Ashley wanted Little Einsteins for her party so we were full of Little Einsteins! She wasn't sure about everyone singing Happy Birthday but she blew out her candles all by herself. For the first time this year she even opened all of her gifts - it took awhile but she did it. Normally she opens one and has to play for awhile and then she will open another one, and on and on. She was stuck on a book and everyone kept having to tell her that she can read it later - let's open more. She is funny!

It's hard to believe that my little girl is 3 years old - I am so proud of her. She is a good person with such a big heart!

1 Binky down - 1 To Go

Both of my girls were comfort suckers from the minute they were born. So binky's are always in reach. We toyed with the idea of working Ashley away from them before Hailey was born - but it was that or potty training - we went with the potty training. I actually worked it out after Hailey was born that she could only have them at night - which was a hard transition but she did it.

Last week she went to bed one night and she was so worried about how many animals and Barbie's and books were in bed with her - that she totally forgot to ask for her binky - Score!!! I took this and ran with it. She has been proud that she can show she is 2 with her fingers so I used that and told her that when you are 2 you aren't supposed to have binkys.

A week later we are going strong - only a few nights of whimpering for her bink - and now she doesn't even ask. Yahoo!!

It's funny that I can feel so accomplished by this one thing - it is totally her accomplishment - but I feel like I was a co-pilot in it all.