Puppy balloon

Matney got a puppy ballon animal at the fall festival we went to for Halloween and that darn thing still isn't flat! She loves it. Not long ago she messed with it so much that untwisted and was just one long balloon. She cried and cried until Jared got it fixed. Now, every time she sees it she says "thank you, daddy" over and over. So cute! And Jared just pulled up so no more pictures tonight!

Waiting and Playing

I am waiting on Jared and my friend to get into town and I refuse to go back into the dining room and mess with that paint one more time today so I thought I'd take a second and add some pictures. Last week our friends Allison and Mylee came over to play. Mylee is about 6 weeks older than Matney and talks just as much as Matney, if not more. I guess it was the level of communication that they had because for the first time I saw Matney "play" with another child close to her age. They had the best time. They cooked in the kitchen, read books, sang songs, ate lunch...it was a fun day. They must have gotten tired (well, Mylee, not Matney. She never took a nap that day.) because they played pretend sleep. Mylee would tell Matney to go to sleep, Matney put her head on the bed and "honk-shoo'd" and then Mylee would say "wake up" and they'd laugh. It was so so cute and so much fun to watch. It amazes me every day just how much children learn/grow/change each day.


Mylee teaching Matney to stand on her head!

Regularly Scheduled Programming

These are two random pictures because I know pictures are what you came for!


Just wanted to jump on really quick and let you know that we're still here and all doing well. Jared is travelling this month so I thought I'd try and accomplish a few extra things that are easier to do when he's out of town. Up first? Paint the dining room. I'll spare you the details but what I thought would be a fairly simple project has turned into a NIGHTMARE. Starting Monday I was up for 22 hours, slept 3, stayed awake another 18 yesterday...most of those awake hours painting...and it still isn't done. Or pretty. Note to self pay someone to paint red and be thankful for great friends who will come over and help all night and day!

Anyway, one of my best friends from high school is flying in tonight to hang out for a couple days so I'm in a mad rush to get this place put back together (and to make it look like my dining room walls aren't bleeding. I'm telling you, this red is horrible). Just wanted to share a funny story from yesterday. It was 9pm, the girls were in bed and I was downstairs vacuuming. When I turned the vacuum off I heard Matney SCREAMING from her room. Once she's in her bed at night we never have to go back in her room, she is always happy in her bed. I flew up the stairs feeling horrible that she could be hurt and I didn't hear her cry. I threw open her door and she stood up, held up her puppy dog and a kitty sock (he wears kitty socks when she can't wear them. don't ask) screaming "kitty sock, kitty sock!". Yep, the kitty sock had come off of puppy dog's foot and she was HYSTERICAL. I put the sock back on and immediately her crying stopped, she laid down and said "night night mommy". I wanted to scream "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?" but I just closed the door and walked back downstairs shaking my head. Good grief! Night Night Matney.

So, as soon as I sew the kitty socks onto Dog's feet, climb back on a ladder to finish painting my dining room ceiling red, clean the house and find something to feed my sweet friend I'll be back to our regularly scheduled programming and post new pictures. These girls get cuter everyday! And please learn from me. Leave dark red to the professionals.

Alike? Similar? Totally different?

Here is a picture of Matney sitting and eating food in her high chair for the first time. She was almost exactly the same age that HK is today.





Now look at Halle Kate from today. What do we think? HK obvoiusly has a skinny face but other than that do they look similar or not? Looking at them now they look much more alike than I realized. They eyes and nose are the same...hummmm.....

Time for the high chair

I remember now that the "high chair phase" is when I finally got Matney still enough to get some really cute pictures. I think Halle Kate is going to be the same way. Just look at these pictures I snapped in the last 24 hours. I cannot even begin to explain how crazy I am about this baby girl!

Smile!

Just look at this happy girl! If Halle Kate could talk she would say "Thank you, MoMo!!! (what Matney calls my mom). I'd tried feeding that sweet little peanut solid food before but she hadn't seemed interested. When mom was here she thought HK acted like she wanted to eat...and she was so right. That baby LOVES her food. Loves.It.
Thanks MoMo for making her dumb old mama try again.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Happy Birthday to me! I am not normally much of a birthday girl but this year was wonderful. My mom was up here because she turned 60 the day before I turned 30. Neat huh? We had a wonderful weekend and I have to brag on my sweet husband. He went so far above and beyond anything I ever imagined he would do. In the middle of an INSANE work month he listened to his wife act like a girl. Impressive, huh? That has to be a pain, right? That poor man took what he learned (when I really didn't think he was paying attention) and went to the mall...gasp! He shopped for clothes for me at more than one store...Gasp! And booked a trip for us over Valentine's Day weekend...GASP! I cannot explain my shock when I woke up to boxes of clothes from my favorite store, Ann Taylor. Bless him, the only place he has gone with me in three years was a maternity store. I know that wasn't fun for him to do but he obviously cares that I feel good about myself. How sweet is that? And I CANNOT WAIT to go on vacation with him. We really haven't taken a vacation since we got married. Whoo hooo!



As I reflected on turning 30 I wished that my 30 year old self could go back to my 20 year old self and give her a talking to! And I wonder what I would have to learn now if my 40 year old self could come visit from the future?!?! Probably to love my family and count my blessings every single second. Look at these girls! Could I be more blessed?!?! I think not. It is only day 3 but so far I LOVE 30!!!

There are so many of you who made my day special. Thank you all for making me feel so loved...and spoiling me rotten!

Isn't she lovely

Old Ladies, I mean Girls Night...

All the playgroup moms came over last week for a Girls Night. Boy have those nights changed since we had kids. We met after our kids were in bed, drank water and crystal light and snacked while we made magnetic letters. Living the wild life, huh? I'd seen these letters online somewhere and talked the girls into doing them with me. Any excuse for girl time, adult girl time that is, works for me right now!


wildest part of the evening? One girl (who I'm not naming to protect her husband!)made ghosts...and her husband said they looked like boobs. HA! That's us. Staying up late making letters with a plate full of boobs!

Matney playing with her letters. She loves them!

Halloween

I am just jumping on for a second because I know some of you are waiting on Halloween pictures. Today is my 30th birthday and yesterday was my mom's 60th birthday (sorry mom if you didn't want the world to know how old you are!) so we are hanging out today...and I am enjoying all the surprises my husband had up his sleeve but more on that later. Here are pictures for you to enjoy. We took the girls to a fall festival at a friend's church. Matney loved playing games and she went on a hayride. Poor Halle Kate was tired and just wanted a nap!

I am bummed that all our family shots turned out really blurry. This is the best one.


Matney and Daddy on the hayride with our friends Allison and Mylee

Here is the back side of M's tutu. I think tutus are like bows...the bigger the better. That said, they are a PAIN to make and I shall be purchasing any other ones we own!




Another attempt at a family picture. One day we'll just give up!