Hadley's 2nd Birthday!

Where has the time gone. Two years ago, I was a clueless new mom with a brand new baby. On Wednesday, Matt and I were chasing that same little one only in toddler form around the zoo making animal noises. I had to bring in Kacey and Connelly as reinforcements to make sure Had didn't become one with the lions. The child can run and she can run fast. At 2 Had's a typical toddler. She is extremely impatient but understanding. She will definitely test the limits. Grandsparents are the best because "no" is nonexistent. She isn't a fan of vegetables but that's what Bolthouse Farms great tasting veggie smoothies are for. :) Love parenting.  Had keeps to herself and doesn't mind spending time by herself. She loves nothing more than to chill at the house with her toys and mom and dad. Or play outside alone. She likes to play outside alone because then Matt can't tell her not to play in his tomato garden, kick the flowers, or pull up the herbs. Right now she prefers Meredith over Madeline because Meredith giveth and Madeline taketh away. But poor Madeline just wants a friend to love on and play with and that is all very strange to Hadley. Had just isn't into hugging or cuddling or snuggling or.....and she just doesn't seem to be a team player right now. You see Had likes to set her own rules and go at her own pace.  It's hard to do that in the company of others. The other 99% of the time Had's the sweetest thing in the world and could do no wrong. She can tell you "i wuv you" in response to you saying you love her and she says "goodness" when you sneeze. Her eyes light up and her mouth opens when she sees something that makes her happy. Currently it is big trucks, tractors and buses. Don't ask me. Hadley has a strong bond to her dad even though she tells people his truck is pink. She only wants Matt to put her to bed and he is the first person she asks about in the morning. Monday-Thursday she says "daddy at work". Friday, "daddy at work" and then I come in with "guess what?  It's Friday wooo!" and we do the Friday dance. On Saturdays if he isn't the one to get her out of bed, she runs to our room to make sure he isn't at work. Matt tells me I don't put her to bed right so when I try and fail he has to take over. :) Love parenting. It didn't take her long to figure out that mom's a sucker and dad doesn't put up with anything. It's sad that she is growing up so fast but she is fun and full of personality. She makes a bad day good and a good day better for sure! I can't imagine life without our Hadley.

Today was her birthday party. We had a playground and picnic themed party since one of her favs is to go down the "yide". We are having trouble with our S. It was 90 degrees on Wednesday and 58 this morning at her party with winds out of the north blowing 90 miles an hour. Although most grown ups were shivering and mildly miserable, Had most importantly had a blast. She played, ate the icing off 4 cupcakes, opened presents, then crashed when we got home. Successful! So thank you to those that survived the winds, held down the food, and chased after blown away presents...and Hadley.

Pictures to come. Failure of a mom #456- forget to charge your camera for your child's birthday party. God put Kate Lareau in my life for many reasons.

Almost 2 and Easter 2011

This and That and a 22 month old!!

Aunt Kacey and Hadley helped me make cupcakes one night. Needless to say Hadley agreed with the "only fill cupcake pans half full of batter so there's more to eat from the bowl" concept.



We painted our bathroom and you know who was such a big help. Good thing she liked the tape and not the paint.

I still laugh EVERYTIME I see this picture.  We were packing for vacation and Had wore my sunglasses for a while either on her face or on top of her head. Hand gestures/gang signes are a bonus! Love it!

This picture and the remaining pictures are from Branson, MO. The Lareau's graciously invited us to tag along. We swam, hiked, skipped rocks, played outside, ate delicious food, toured and shopped. It was nice to be away from Memphis and in the company of Kate, Chris, Meredith, Madeline, Keddie and Papa. Thank you Chris and Kate!

Friday Nights

Hadley repeat after me... (while I'm on the phone with Kacey)

Me: I
Hadley: IIAAHH
Me: Spend
Hadley: Spaaiiend
Me: the night
Hadley: night
Me: with
Hadley: wit
Me: aunt Kaceyyyy!!!
Hadley: Kaheeee!!!
Me: YESSSSS

God bless sunshine!

Just so everyone knows.....this is our garage, not our house.

Although the snowfall the year has beautifully coated sidewalks and rooftops, the relentlessly cold temperatures have put me in a winter depression. The Lord above heard the sincerity in the request that my nose not fall off on my walk to work. He went big time this weekend. It was 67 degrees yesterday. WOO HOO! We spent some much needed time under that big beautiful ball of vitamin D. We took Had to the zoo and let her run loose for a few hours. Have I expressed how nice it was to be outside.

The ducks are worth mentioning because they are one of the few animals Hadley can recognize and tell you the correct sound they make. Sometimes, though, the ducks ROAR! like a tiger. :)

The Hippos here remind me of myself and Matt since the beginning of January. Sitting around not doing a thing worth mentioning. Just read, eat, and watch tv. Eating is really the only reason to leave the couch when it's so dang cold.

The End! Thank you, dear sunny Saturday. I just don't think I would have made it to February without you.

Christmas 2010

Pictures with santa only happened if mom and dad sat with Hadley and she still held on to us for dear life! Maybe next year. Below is one of the greatest gifts Had got this year. It's a pop up tree house big enough for her to run around in.

Did I say treehouse? I meant teepee.

The picture is a little dark. I wish it wasn't because the Christmas tutu and tights were a sight to see. Hadley's Christmas eve outfit was an adorable green, red, and white tutu with matching tights and a t-shirt with a christmas tree. Needless to say, it was par for the course for her party outfits.  As the night went on, we lost the tutu and gained purple princess heels. I'm willing to bet Had would have slept in the heels if given the opportunity.

Ahh, the tricycle. Another Christmas favorite. Poor Kinleigh almost got a left hook to the eye for trying to take her turn.

Toys! Toys! Wrapping paper and more toys!

Not really sure what's going on here. I just had to post a picture of the elf shoes. The things we do to our poor kids.
All in all, we had a fabulous Christmas! We were lucky enough to be able to see both sides of the fam on Christmas day. A little exhausting but none the less delightful! Hope everyone had a merry Christmas and  happy new year!

Spreading Christmas cheer!

http://www.wmctv.com/global/story.asp?s=137024

We love you mom!