Excited

Soooooo excited for our company this weekend! We can hardly stand it!

Before his sister got sick on him...

Hayes was a happy little man in his little red wagon. Heck, even after she got sick on his itty bitty feet, he was still a happy little man. (This is his serious..."I'm watching my brave and talented big sister slide down the monstrous slides" look.)

My Birthday

I faced my 32nd birthday with much less dread than the two before it. I've decided to not ignore the fact that I am getting older, but instead "grow old gracefully". I'm right where I have always wanted to be when I turned this age, so there is no reason to feel regretful or fearful of gaining another year. This particular birthday fell on a Saturday. I got to spend the whole day with Tim and the kids...all of us together. We had a nice lunch out and then headed to a small, little make-shift pumpkin patch to find our pumpkins since Addie seemed to be a little under the weather.

I was shocked that she went down this slide by herself. She was very brave, and she loved having us watch her do it over and over again.

They both enjoyed the bouncey things they have there for the kids. Hayes even had one just his size. He is just the cutest little guy. Do we have a little linebacker on our hands or what?

He just enjoys playing with Addie so much, so when I put him in the big bounce house with her, he was all grins!

This was taken just before Addie decided to throw up in the wagon as we walked around the little pumpkin patch in search of the perfect pumpkin. Hayes was in the wagon too. You know...one of those little red ones where they face each other. Yep...it was quite lovely. You all know my fear of bodily fluids....well, my fear of vomit. I must say... I handled it better than in the past. Tim was with me and that makes a world of difference when it comes to my panic level. We pulled them out of there and to the car as fast as possible, where Tim proceeded to undress Addie and clean up the mess. I returned to the patch to find our pumpkin. Thank you Tim! Hey...it was my birthday. And despite our little "episode" at the pumpkin patch, I soaked up the day with my little family and enjoyed every minute of it. We took Miss Addie to the doctor after that, and she tested positive for strep, so perhaps the bouncing and a spike in her fever helped create an upset tummy that day. She is almost finished with her antibiotics now and is feeling much better. After our bout with whooping cough....strep is a breeze!

Popcorn with Friends

It's the best.

Life is Good

I'm well fed. I get a bath every night. I have lots of cool football gear to wear.

My crib is extra cozy.

Elmo likes to take naps with me every morning and every afternoon.

And when I wake up...

It's time to eat! Life is good.

Our little Ghost Tree

I have become a fan of a few decorating/cooking blogs here lately, and just happened to come across the cutest little craft the other day. (Thanks Gail!) Addie and I made our very own little ghost tree, and boy was she a proud little girl!

It looks so cute there beside our front door. Addie just smiles each time she passes by it on her way into the house. You should have seen her with that paint brush this morning. She really had a blast, and since she hasn't been feeling well lately, it was nice to see her actually enjoying herself.

Isn't it just the cutest little tree? And the little girl in the rocking chair is pretty cute too!

I am having a blast getting our home ready for the holiday. Perhaps I'll take some pictures and show off some of our halloween spirit in a future post.

Just let me try Mama...

I love to feed myself some prunes!

By this age, Addie was handling a spoon far better than I do myself. She is so stubborn she stopped letting me feed her around 10 months old and never looked back. Hayes on the otherhand, likes to take his time with things. He has, however, decided here recently that he would like to give it a shot. And even though it can get pretty messy, it helps with keeping him occupied while I finish eating and cleaning up the kitchen. I'll take it! Bath time immediately following his efforts is a must every night now. You gotta love him!

Feeling better...

The warm weather is slowly starting to fade away, and we are preparing for a long, cold winter around here. I am anxious for my favorite holidays and time with precious family members I rarely get to see.

Addie is such a big help these days. She is a little momma. Momma to Hayes...Momma to Jayma...to Aga...to Minnow...to Blue Hair (Olivia #1)...to Green Hair (Olivia #2)...to Jame...to Pooh...to Strawberry Shortcake...and to Dora. She loves to name her babies. And do not think for a second that she does not remember each and every one of these names. They never change. She expects for you to remember them as well.

Snack time with cartoons! They love to eat and watch TV!

Addie is slowly starting to look like herself again. Her little "dots" are fading, and I will even be sending her back to school tomorrow. She is excited to see her "special friends". Although I think she is just tired of hanging out with me every day for the last week. She has mastered the forward roll as of last night and cannot get enough of it. What she doesn't understand is exactly how much space she needs to accomplish said roll. She has been rolling and bumping into things all morning! What a cutie!

You are not welcome!

Just two days ago she was happy and healthy and ready for a fun-filled weekend of sleepovers and birthday parties and play time with Hayes!

On this particular morning, although you wouldn't know it from the size of her cheesy grin, Addie woke up with a few "spots" on her little legs. I could have sworn it was a heat rash, or even just a skin irritation from her little tu tu she wore the day before. However, as the day went on, it seemed to spread right before our eyes.

And this is what it looked like only 10 hours later....

WHAT? I, of course, freaked out when I saw how much it had spread and how bad it looked. After our horrible battle this summer with strange illnesses, I just knew we had some wierd infectious disease....something else I had vaccinated her for had made its way into our home!! That was not the case, however. After a quick morning trip to the pediatrician, we were informed Addie has a virus. A harmless, fairly normal reaction to a simple virus. It cannot be treated with medication. It does not seem to bother her, and it should make its way OUT in a few days or so.

Addie calls the spots on her body her "boo boos" and is taking the whole thing in stride. She was a little dissappointed that she didn't get to go to school and see Miss Kathy, her music teacher, yeterday, but otherwise she was just as happy to stay home and play with Hayes and I. I'm pretty sure this is just the beginning of the mystery viruses she will pick up while attending preschool this year. I'm just glad it doesn't make her uncomfortable or seem to bother her at all. She has a strong spirit and that sassy attitude of her's is still going strong!

Happy Birthday Ga Ga!

Recently we had a big night out to celebrate Mrs. Hewitt's birthday with the family. A limo and fancy dinner was even involved. The kids were pretty good, considering we rarely attempt a nice dinner out. It ends up being a lot of work and just easier to do take-out or fix something at home. It was a special occasion though, so we loaded up the carseats and headed out to surprise the birthday girl. Addie and Hayes loved the "bus", and of course, Addie enjoyed every second with her cousins.

Ken thought this would make a funny picture....don't worry, he only got a nice whiff of it.....I know better!

Dinner was very good, and everyone ejoyed themselves. There were lots of hands to help with Hayes and I was even able to relax for a little while and chew my food slowly!!! My favorite were the hush puppies, which Addie insisted on shoving in my bag to take back to the limo driver she seemed to take a liking to after he put her Barney Movie in his DVD player!

She looked like a sweet little angel that night....

Ga Ga had a nice time too, and really seemed to like having the whole family together for a good meal. She had a busy, fun weekend ahead of her and didn't even know it at this point in the night!

The limo whisked her and Aunt Net, Sharolyn, and Kristina to an oceanfront room for more birthday celebrations! The rest of us returned home to take care of doggies, and babies...and attend bridal showers and little birthday parties! Whew....this was one busy weekend! Hope GaGa had a great one!

The Boys

Daddy and Hayes head out for a nice morning run. Hayes doesn't care what he is doing, as long as he is doing it with his best pal. Hasn't he grown so much? He looks HUGE in this stroller!

Hayes is changing so much these days it seems like. Looking back through some pictures, it is so hard to believe that in June he was this scooting, bald, smiley little baby. He is speed crawling now and soon to be taking a few little steps. He has a head full of hair, and I mean so much hair, it almost looks like he is wearing a little helmet. And the smiling...well, he still smiles, but he sure knows how to scream these days too. I think it is his way of being heard. He can't really talk and yet, he still has so much to say, especially when Addie takes one of his toys, or when he wants to be held, or when he wants his bottle. He lets it be known that he is not a happy little guy.

We are slowly dropping bottles. Just 3 weeks ago, he was still drinking 6 5 oz bottles a day. He now has only 4, and I will probably be working on dropping another here in a few days. He still refuses to drink his milk out of the sippy cup, and I just don't have the energy to fight it. I can hide a bottle from the pediatrician just like I did the paci. It doesn't bother me one bit, if he wants to have a bottle. I want him happy. And if a bottle makes him smiley again, well a bottle he gets.