Dancing in the Rain

We got a nice summer rain shower Saturday evening. While we were eating dinner, we kept hearing thunder. I thought it was strange, as the sun was shining brightly and there didn't seem to be a rain cloud in sight. Then the sprinkles began...and I knew that meant a rainbow had to be somewhere!

So we ran outside to go on a rainbow hunt. (this goes back to when I was a little girl, my Nana would always call when she saw a rainbow and tell me to go look outside. To this day I still love to go outside and look if I know there is a possibility of one being around.) I was a little disappointed that this one was so faint, but it still made me smile.



Hailey enjoyed playing in the raindrops, but I knew she wouldn't stay on the porch for long...


She seemed so happy and carefree running around out there, so I decided to join her and we danced in the rain.


Then, the monsoon hit! As Forrest Gump said: there was sideways rain, big ol fat rain.... It was wild, but Hailey was squealing and having a blast!


I'll admit, it was pretty refreshing. I haven't played out in the rain like that in many, many years.


After all that playing, it was time for a nice hot bubble bath in the big tub! Hailey loves her bubbles.

Something about seeing the joy the simple things in life bring to a child makes me realize how caught up I get in the craziness of the day. So what if the housework doesn't get done, warm rain showers only come once in a while.

18months and 5 days Update

That's right - our little girl is one and a half years old! She's growing so quickly. No longer is she a baby, she is a little girl. While we're excited to see her learn and grow, it really makes us sad too. We went for her 18 month checkup this morning.

At 18 months and 5 days, Hailey is:

33 1/4 inches tall (she is taller than 90% of kids her age)

24lbs 14 oz (which is right about average for her age)

Dr. Chris said she looks good and seems to be right on track for growth and development. On the downside- Hailey has had a bit of a cold since last weekend, she now has fluid behind both ears. Again!! Looks like we caught it just in time. Poor girl got her momma's ear troubles. Every time she gets a bad cold, you can almost guarantee the ears are next.

Here's some things that our girl is up to these days:

Jabbers ALOT! Some days she talks morning to night. She has a pretty big vocabulary and is beginning to put words together. Her favorites are what's that?? and where it go??

Can use a fork and spoon. She's still a little messy, but is doing a really good job.

She still eats just about anything we put in front of her. She really likes bananas, applesauce, peas, green beans, and yogurt. She also likes salsa! We were recently at a mexican restaurant and gave her a few chips with salsa on them. Next thing we knew she had her spoon and was eating it by the spoonful!

She loves to brush her teeth! She often disappears into the bathroom to tell us it's time to brush.

Elmo - she loves anything with Elmo. She will watch the same movie over and over again if we would let her, but after 2 times in a row I'm about to pull my hair out! She has also recently taken a liking to Blues Clues (which she pronounces as boooze cooz).

She is a little copycat. She will try to repeat anything we say. Guess I really need to start watching my mouth - don't want to be getting a phone call from daycare.

Wow, I'm sure there are so many other things I haven't mentioned. Hailey is growing and changing so fast. We have so much fun just watching her figure things out. She really does learn something new everyday. Can't wait to see what she does next!

Sweet Little Curl

Hailey's hair is finally starting to grow. Unless I brush it just right, it hangs on her ears and starts to curl up. When she had little curls on both sides of her head when she got out of bed this morning, I just couldn't bring myself to brush them away.

Memorial Day Weekend

We stayed pretty busy over the long weekend. On Saturday we tried to do a little shopping, but Hailey wouldn't have any part of it. She screamed wanting out of her stroller - so I gave in and let her out, then she wanted to run around everywhere. When we tried to keep her under control, the screaming began - I'm talking top of her lungs, red face, alligator tears rolling fit. I remember saying to Kevin at one point, "Oh my God, we've become THOSE parents with the screaming kid that everyone else wishes would shut up!" We were pretty embarrassed and quickly made the long trek from the back of Target to the exit. As soon as we got to the car, Hailey was fine of course, but my nerves were shot! On the way home we stopped at Sonic for some happy juice and Hailey got her first taste of heaven in a cup - orange cream slush. Every time I gave her a sip (more like guzzle) she would get this great big smile and beg for more.





Saturday evening it was time for Hailey to test out her new pool. I think she spent more time climbing in and out of the thing than actually swimming, but we had a good time.


On Sunday we traveled to Spur Lake for a family reunion of all my mom's dad's side of the family. Many of these relatives, I had not seen since our wedding nearly 5 years ago. This was also Hailey's first time to meet them. I was a little worried how she would be out in the heat all day with nearly 100 new people around her, but she was great! (guess she got all her fussies out in Target the day before -hehe). We had a lot of great food and enjoyed visiting and being outside.

Just because...

There is nothing sweeter than a sleeping baby.

Springtime Fun

Hailey has been a busy little bee. Now that the weather is warming up, this girl wants to be OUTSIDE! I really think she would stay out all day if we would let her. When she stands by the door and asks outside??? in that sweet little voice, it's really hard to say no.

She loves her wagon

And Oliver does too!





Bubbles!

Peek A Boo...

I Love You!

Cookies with momma

I have been craving homemade cookies for some time now, Sunday morning I even told Kevin I was thinking about baking some if I could get my lazy bones into the kitchen. Then I turned on Food Network - and there it was, a whole episode about cookies! So while Kevin was out working in the yard, Hailey and I made cookies (and a big mess too!)

Don't worry, she was using a cheese spreader

Just add sprinkles!

MMM Cookies!!!

Spring Snow

Today is the second day of spring and we woke up to several inches of snow this morning! It was 70 degrees two days ago and it is forecasted to be near 70 again in a couple of days - crazy Arkansas weather! We went out this morning to take advantage of what will hopefully be the last snow of the season.



Hailey wasn't too wild about the snow. She was okay until I put her down and she fell in it face first (wish I would have taken a pic of that). Of course the snow was nearly up to her knees, so it was hard for her to get around. Maybe she will enjoy it more next year. I was able to convince her to throw some snowballs at the dog.



And of course, the wagon rides with daddy were a hit! Look at that smile!



We're hoping for some warm weather soon. Hailey's got a closet full of cute summer clothes and mommy is ready for tank tops and flip flops. Bring on the sunshine!

Time Out!

Looks like we have trouble on our hands! Miss Hailey just turned one, but seems to be quickly moving towards her terrible twos.

The last couple weeks she has been throwing fits when she doesn't get her way. I'm talking lay in the floor and kick and scream fits. We try to ignore them, but there's only so much we can take. I hate to be too harsh with her, but I think if she's smart enough to act like that, then she's smart enough to know what punishment is. Anyone have any suggestions?

Friday morning as we were headed out the door, Kevin made her mad so she slapped him several times! I mentioned this when I dropped her off at school, but the lady told me she had not noticed it before. Sure enough when Kevin picked her up Friday afternoon, he was told that Hailey was sent to timeout!

Story goes....Hailey and a little boy were fighting over a toy. Hailey got mad and threw a toy at the little boy, but she missed (she's gonna throw just like her momma, poor girl!) So what does she do? She gets up, walks over and slaps the little boy in the face!

When Kevin told me this story I busted up laughing! I wish they had video of this - I play the scenario over and over in my head and it just gets funnier every time! I know I shouldn't laugh at this but it is a cute story. Looks like we need to get a handle on our wild child!

Things I've learned...

While reflecting on the past year of mommyhood, I've decided to share with you some of the things I have learned since becoming a mother - the good, the bad, and the ugly! Enjoy!

The bond between mother and child is instant. Even while she was still in the womb, Hailey and I had a connection. It was like I already knew her the moment she was born. And just when I think I can't possibly love her any more than I do in that instant, my love for her continues to grow with every passing moment.

Father-daughter bonds are a big thing too! Growing up a daddy's girl, I always hoped that one day my daughter would have a great relationship with her father. Let's face it, no need to worry about this one. Kevin and Hailey are gaga for each other! Her first word was DaDa.

Being shy and self-conscious goes right out the window when you have a baby. The moment you put that hospital gown on, its like you put out a welcome sign to any Tom, Dick, and Harry with a medical badge to come check you out. (This was probably one of my biggest fears prior to arriving at the hosptial.)

Speaking of the body, your body is never the same after having a baby. Sure, I weigh the same as I did pre-baby and wear the same clothes, but they do not fit the same! It just seems like everything is a little droopier. My sweet husband tries to convince me otherwise, maybe I should listen a little more.

Midnight feedings (and 2:00, and 4:00 feedings) are real pain in the neck, but just when you think you can't take it anymore, they figure out how to sleep through the night. Crazy as it sounds, I occasionally miss those middle of the night feedings of just me and my baby sitting in the recliner watching the same infomercial over and over.

Without fail, a baby will puke on your fresh, clean shirt just as you are getting ready to go out the door!

Dawn dish soap and a tootbrush are awesome at removing, puke, poop, or any other baby stain.

Yes, I'll admit I have picked my childs nose with my bare finger and used my own spit to clean her face! Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do!

When they are first born, you just can't wait until they can lift their heads, support themselves, sit up, rollover, crawl, walk, etc...... Those days come WAY too FAST! Don't wish your days away.

We literally have thousands of pictures just from Hailey's first year of life. Ridiculous I know, but whenever I sit down to weed them out, I just can't bring myself to delete even the bad, goofy face ones. But, does overloading my computer memory really hurt anyone?

My priorities have totally changed since having a baby. Long gone are the days of spontaneous wardrobe shopping trips and late nights playing nintendo. Now I'm (usually) happy wearing the same old clothes I had last year, just window shopping, and staying up past 11 is unheard of.

The greatest lesson I've learned this past year is patience! It has taken me 28 years and a child to learn this virtue, but I think I've come a long way!

And probably the best of all...No matter how crappy my day was or how many tantrums Hailey threw, holding my baby while she falls asleep in my arms melts all my troubles away-and my heart too!

Happy 1st Birthday Haileybug!

Wow! We can not believe our little girl is One!

For those of you who weren't readers from the very beginning or for those who were and are just looking for a short trip down memory lane, click here to see how it all began.


I had decided months ago that Hailey's birthday theme colors should be pink and green, just like her room. A few weeks ago I happened to get a party supply catalog in the mail, coincidence? There on the first page was a theme done in pink and green ladybugs. It was perfect! So of course, I ordered it and Kevin and I started on the Happy Birthday banner and treat jars. I found this cute idea online for party favors - you take empty baby food jars and fill them with m&m's or other colored candies to match your theme. Kevin got really crafty and made labels using the ladybug design from the plates, and I tied matching ribbon around the lid. These also served the great purpose of anchoring all those helium balloons!

Here's a few pics of the decorations. Wish I would have taken more of just the decor, but we kept pretty busy...






She really liked her cake. It took her a few minutes to figure out what to do with it, but then again I think she was confused all afternoon as to who all these people were and why did they keep looking at her?





The party was a success! We had a great time and enjoyed visiting with everyone that came out to celebrate with Hailey!