Thoroughly enjoyed this incredibly lazy Sunday! It was so nice to have Justin home ALL day, which doesn't happen often with his crazy work schedule - so I really soaked up all the time I could get with the big guy.
Haha - but first, needed his help with some stuff! :)
How wonderful it was to go to the grocery store with just ONE child! Henley and I were able to stroll aisle by aisle and casually shop for our food for the week....unlike most weeks when I drag both girls, and have to be fully prepared to entertain Hudsen the entire time. Luckily, if she is hungry, she will eat a few snacks....but if that snacksize bag of pretzels goes dry - I could be in for a major meltdown!
Justin had dropped Henley and I off at the door to the grocery store - LOVED THAT! Then he took Hudsen to the Bread Co for some coffee and conversation. Hudsen of course just had water, but they enjoyed some quality time together. I texted Justin when I was in the check out line, and within minutes was picked up again at the door, and he loaded up the car while I got warm inside.
Its the little things like, not having to put the carseat back in, then run around to the other side to get Hudsen strapped in, then loading the groceries into the back only to realize that you had left the large stroller in the back so now, groceries need to be stacked on top of each other....OH! but watch out for the eggs....better find a safe place for those....then scramble to put the cart away (and I probably didn't park close to one of the racks), all while keeping an eye on your kids, and making sure no one breaks in and steals them....and then race back to the car and I am now covered in snow....only to start the car, and then hear that Henley's paci has fallen out, which I better get out and go put back in before I pull off the parking lot which will help reduce the risk of hysterical crying on the 5min drive home.
By 10am...our day was now complete! :)
Time to relax, so we watched some football, took naps, and made some videos...(of the kids, of course) :)
Here is Henley talking today!....its a solid 3minutes so you may have to clear your schedule :) hahaha!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KCUG59SiU8
And Hudsen then wanted in on the action, and earned some camera time by singing (and recalling) some of her favorite songs!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7zdV51mnxw
I wish EVERY Sunday was this much fun!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Just a Lazy Sunday
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Tiny Dancer
I am literally still laughing out loud about our morning.
It started out normal, Justin's in the shower, I am getting myself ready, and then on cue at 7am, both girls start crying...Luckily, Henley just needed her swaddle a little tighter, and Hudsen was doing her standard hollering from her big girl bed making her routine morning announcement: "I'm up Mommy! Get up and Play!"
Hudsen has always obeyed the strict rule of 'staying in bed' - as we didn't want her wandering around her room at night, so in the morning, she patiently stays in her bed until given further instruction to get off :) I believe that she thinks she is on a boat...she has a select few 'friends' (stuffed animals), and a couple of books that she can take to bed with her, but if something falls off, its gone. There is no getting it back (until the next day). So she is pretty careful not to knock anything off...for fear it will 'float away'.....
I head into her room to get her out of her pj's and into her clothes for the day. At night, I am usually putting some laundry away, so have always made it a habit to lay both girls clothes out the night before (mainly so here is no confusion in the AM and I don't have to stress about tights matching bows, etc) :)
Hudsen loves all of her clothes, and always gets excited to put on anything I pull out. But this morning, I found her to be a bit more demanding. I helped her get into her tights, and then was pulling on a cute, cotton, navy skirt....when suddenly, she shouted:'No skirt Mommy, TUTU! TUTU! I'm a ballerina!'
I laughed, because yes, she does think she is a ballerina sometimes, but I continued on with the navy skirt, thinking she must just want to talk about ballerina's wearing Tutus...but NO, she meant it! She was a ballerina, and was going to dress as ballerina TODAY!
I may do all the bows, tights, girly accessories, etc.....but I haven't really thrown her into the Tutu world just yet. I think because they are just so delicate and cute, and seem so fragile, and just figured it would be destroyed at some point during the day. I always felt that I was saving them for something other than a random Wednesday.
This all changed today...
Justin was having breakfast when I 'presented' his Tutu-clad daughter to him this morning....and he looked so proud! Hudsen twirled, and bowed for him, and then hopped up onto her booster seat for some yogurt and some good conversation.
Justin may have seen a little glimpse into his future with his Tiny Dancer this morning....recitals here we come! :)
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Happy New Year!
Hmmmmmm.......what to do with an 2 month old, and a 2 year old on New Years Eve..... it's slim pickin's but we think we found a fun way to ring in 2011.
New Years Eve Day: Justin is OFF work!! So the day starts with breakfast and then we grab some coffee, and run some errands with the girls. I have to take advantage of having Justin's help, as shopping has been tricky alone, since we are still waiting for our back ordered double stroller to arrive. Miss Henley is tiny, but she gets pretty heavy lugging her around in her car seat, meanwhile, chasing after Hudsen who has become wishy-washy on whether she will cooperate and ride in the cart....however, if I remember to bring pretzels, I can usually keep her strapped in and distracted long enough to get what I need.
We exit Wildwood, listening to the radio talking about the tornado that may be rolling in our way. We continue on...knowing that it would be unlikely for a tornado to really come into our neck of the woods. Sky gets a bit darker, rain a little harder, and we hear more sirens and alarms going off so we end up turning around, and head home. Didn't get much done on that family outing, but at least we are all safe and sound and made it home!
The house was very calm this afternoon...literally, the whole family napped (except me)....at one point, I heard Henley starting to stir, but I knew I had to press on with the blog entry :)
Tonight we went out to dinner with the kids, and then back home for some quality TV time. We tried to find something to rent at Blockbuster, but there wasn't much to choose from. So we decided to stick with 24 (for after the kids go to bed of course), as we are trying to finish up the last season...and are anxious to find out how Jack Bauer will save the world this time.
As 2010 comes to an end, I can't help but reflect on what an amazing year it has been for myself and our family. I could go into a detailed, photographed, chronological list of every enjoyable moment, but I wont...for 2 reasons:
1. Emotionally, I don't think, rather, I KNOW I wouldn't be able to get through it, and would be crying my way into the New Year
AND
2. My devoted 9 followers would be bored to tears (again, don't want myself or anyone crying their way into 2011) :)
But I do want to mention of few things about the year.Watching Hudsen grow from an infant into the busiest, funniest, cutest, sweetest, smartest and most caring toddler has been incredibly fun. She surprises Justin and I everyday, and is always making us so proud.
This year I was also so lucky to have enjoyed another wonderful pregnancy that lead to birth of our daughter, Henley. We are so blessed to have her in our lives, and it was very exciting to have 2 little girls during the Holidays. Hudsen was what we thought, a perfect baby....good eater, great sleeper, and really only cried when she was hungry or tired....Henley, if possible, has been just as perfect. She smiles at us all the time, and one little smile from her keeps me smiling all day long :)
I am lucky to have had this year dedicated to raising Hudsen, enjoying a healthy pregnancy, and now taking time to be with both girls. Everyday is different, and I am always learning something new. Our oldest sees the world in an unique way and I love seeing her look at it with such amazement. I look at the world in a different way, everyday, because of her.
I have high hopes for 2011. It will be tough to beat this past year, but since meeting and marrying my best friend 5 years ago, somehow he continues to bring on a better year....every year. I wonder what he has in store for our family this year? :)
Unfortunately, I did not make it till midnight...Justin did wake me and the girls up for a New Years kiss though :) Next year I will make it to Midnight...that is my New Years Resolution! :)
Friday, November 19, 2010
The Arrival of Baby Henley
Henley Pierce is the sweetest little girl in the whole world and we are truly enjoying every single moment with her! And just so I don't forget, I feel I need to get my labor and delivery experience down on paper so I will have Henley's beautiful story to share with her in a few years. My experience with Hudsen was such a blur, that I really wanted to do my best to remember each moment this time.
As our family and friends know, we had a scheduled date that our 2nd baby would be born...mainly to avoid going into labor before hand and messing with the planned c-section. So knowing the date ahead of time was great....sort of...and in a previous blog, I noted it was also not so great :) My anxiety leading up to this BIG day was out of control! But somehow now, just 3 weeks later and looking back, it doesn't seem that it was all that bad...my husband may recall things a bit differently though :)
The night before, I kissed my big girl goodnight....for the last time....as the next night, I knew I would always have 2 girls to kiss goodnight....and I knew these thoughts would continue and keep me up so I popped an Ambien and hit the sheets in order to avoid any more tears.
The morning of the 26th....I woke up refreshed, and ready to do this. We got ready, and took Hudsen to my parents around 7am, and then headed to the hospital. I had much been dreading the 'good-bye' to Hudsen as I just couldn't wrap my head around the fact that I would see her for the last time as our only child....and it was just as hard as I had imagined it would be. But we got the goodbyes over quickly to avoid any major meltdowns on my part.
The anesthesiologist, Austin, we had met the day before to discuss the procedure was there waiting for us, and no time was put to waste getting the epidural going. Austin was amazing, and really helped me get through this as my nerves were out of control. I have been told and like to think I have a fairly high pain tolerance, which is great...but I had zero control over my nerves...and got through it by crying randomly. It took awhile to completely numb my lower body...as Austin checked on it often with the prickly needle....'can you feel this?' 'can you feel that?' etc. I think my whole right side went numb, but I could still feel my left side for awhile, so he kept the meds pumping until I had no feeling at all. When I would say 'yes, I can feel that' - I was always worried, like 'oh my gosh! don't wheel me into surgery yet! I can still feel it!' - and he just kept calm and kept repeating 'we wont do anything until you don't feel a thing!' God bless you Austin! I owe him a thank you note! (as I know I also owe some of you who may be reading this one! - sorry, I am so behind! :) )
I was rolled into the operating room at 9:20am...and at 9:35am, Henley made her grand entrance! We were immediately in love! I remember saying that she had such a 'cute cry'...here we are at week 3, I can definitely say its not so cute anymore :)
A few other special pictures from the hospital..
*Probably the proudest father ever!*
*I was left alone while Justin ran home to take a shower, and I was stuck in bed so Henley and I had a staring contest :)*
I want to say a Big Thank You to Justin. Without him I don't think I would have gotten through this. He talked me through so many emotional breakdowns leading up to this important day. The last month my mind was taking me to crazy places, and he always brought me back to Earth...Wildwood, Mo that is :) I am so lucky to have such a great supporter, and I love him more today than I did when I married him 5 years ago.
October 26, 2010
Saturday, October 23, 2010
This is the LAST time...
So as I sit here, days away from welcoming our 2nd daughter into the world, I cannot help but think about all the changes that are going to take place. Obviously, I have had the last 9months to think about all of the major changes that will occur....but over the last few weeks, its all the little things that have been hitting me hard. I am pretty sure I start most sentences with 'This is the last time...." and it typically followed by a ridiculous moment or mini-event and then maybe a tear or two. Examples are "This is the last time we will go to the Pumpkin Patch with just one child"....
Sunday, October 10, 2010
NESTING
So I remember it like it was yesterday....when I was about 8 months pregnant with Hudsen, a lady at work was asking me about my pregnancy, and all of the fun things that we were doing to prepare for our first child's arrival. I wasn't stressed, or nervous, or concerned....and she said, "Well, have you started 'nesting' yet?" I told her I didn't know, and she laughed, and said 'oh you will!" and she literally walked away laughing.
I kind of forgot about the conversation....until recently!
Now, to be clear... Webster's Dictionary defines nesting as 'to form compactly together'......pregnant people apparently define nesting as 'the uncontrollable urge to clean your house, and generally go crazy doing all sorts of things that will prepare the 'nest' for the new member of the family.'
I don't know why this didn't happen to me during my 1st pregnancy...but I think it has hit me double this time.
Once I feel I have completed the never ending, handwritten, To-Do List that sits on our kitchen counter....I manage to find a why to add 25 more things that I insist must get done BEFORE the new baby gets here. Many of these items are 'honey-do' chores intended for Justin....so you can imagine his excitement each night when he arrives home from a 10hour work day and I present these fun activities and alert him to the importance of the upcoming weekend to get them ALL done! I can't lie, many times he has come home to me either crying because I am overwhelmed with what I have decided needs to get done, or simply whining and bothered by the fact that he would go to work all day and leave me at home with this never ending list. He can settle me down awfully fast in most cases, and usually after dinner I am too tired to even think about the list and go to bed without a care in the world. But like clockwork, when Hudsen goes down for her nap after lunch, I begin to panic....thinking about all of the things I 'should' be doing with the 3hours I have free.
My latest and possibly, most ridiculous, nesting project went a little like this.
Hudsen and I were at target....shocker - as you can find us there pretty much everyday. I don't know how we end up there, but literally, I cannot pass a target without going in. As soon as I see the Red Bulls eye I immediately think of something I need right then and there and pull over. So, there Hudsen and I were, strolling through the store....aisle by aisle, aimlessly searching for something that I was sure I could not live without, when I came across the most beautiful, non-adhesive, contact paper I had ever seen! It was kelly green, rubberized, and just looked great on the shelf it was displayed on. I had found my next naptime project! Did our kitchen cabinets, shelves, pantry...and okay, bathroom vanities necessarily NEED new contact paper??? ABSOLUTELY! There is a baby coming, and if it doesn't get done now, it NEVER will....and this is exactly how I rationalized it to myself, and later to Justin when he was confused about the randomness of my latest home assignment. So I stocked up and pretty much bought out the stores supply of the exquisite contact paper that I felt so lucky to have found.
We headed home for lunch and I quickly shuffled Hudsen up to her room for naptime. It was as if I couldn't get to this new project fast enough. I wanted to clean, organize, and then later that evening literally present the kitchen to my husband when he came home. So I got to work as soon as Hudsen's head hit the sheets. Again, I cannot lie...this activity was a bit more challenging than I had envisioned. Taking everything out of of every shelf as I went along was quite time consuming. Especially when I was on the floor maneuvering around the pots and pans and larger pieces that at 8+ months pregnant felt like bricks. Measuring every space, and then cutting the liner to fit, and I was always off by a little, so then more time was taken up to trim it to fit perfectly. I had been wearing a long, cotton, green, maxi-dress this day, and I must admit, it was probably one of the few things in my closet that still fit. About 1/2 way through I was sitting, Indian - style, in the kitchen, cutting the paper, maybe a little too quickly, to fit under the sink, I felt something weird. I stopped cutting, and lifted up the contact paper, only to find that I had cut directly into my dress....a straight line about 8inches long. Classic. Now what was I going to wear?! Perhaps I can patch it up with my matching green contact paper?! :)
I did finish this project before Justin came home. I wouldn't say that his excitement level went through the roof when he saw that I had lined every drawer, cabinet, and shelf possible in our house but I do think that he appreciated the effort. An organized house is a happy house.
Now that I have nestled into nesting, I find myself nested...my only worry now is how quickly I can get my hands on a Nestle Crunch!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Friday Night Lights
I have always been a football fan. More NFL than college in large part because I did not attend college. I suppose if I would have, I would spend my Saturdays in front of the TV or making weekend trips to the ‘ole’ alma mater for a little tailgating and debauchery. Over the last couple years, 7 to be exact I have been working on Saturdays and Sundays during football season. So suffice it to say I have not followed football as much as I would like.
Go back to my high School days, it was all about Friday Nights! My love for Friday Nights began when my brother played football for Parkway South as attending games would be the highlight of my week. It of course continued as I would attend Friday night games at my high school, DeSmet however, at the time…. DeSmet football was a lack luster team. A friend of mine would refer to it as a Mickey Mouse operation! I wouldn’t go that far, but it was still exciting to go to the game watch your boys play hoping for a school victory as you socialize with friends and make plans for post game activities. Good times!!
ision. We have never been big into following television dramas, which is why it's so surprising how fast we got addicted to this show. Between the hard nosed head coach, Coach Taylor and their all star team that consist of Jason Street, All-American quarterback and All-State running back Brian ‘Smash’ Williams it is easy to get excited about what is going on in Dillon! They also take you on the journey of a number of relationships that transpire through-out the show….Tim Riggins (my personal favorite character) and Tyra Collette….Jason Street and Lila Garrity and finally the best story line back up quarterback, soon to be QB-1 Matt Saracen who ends up dating Coach Taylor’s daughter. This show covers everything from being a wholesome family to using steroids and your usual teenage temptations.
We are now reaching the end of Season 4 waiting for Season 5. The anticipation is killing us! Until then, I suppose it is our equivalent to the off-season waiting for the the town of Dillon to come alive!!
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Hudsen's 2nd Birthday(s)
On her birthday she and I hit the park for a little while during the day and later our families got together at my parents house for some presents, dinner and cake. Hudsen had blast opening a few gifts and showing off everything she can do in front of both sets of grandparents, and my brother. It was pretty funny to see how she thrived on all of the attention!
Checking out her Birthday Cake (she may look excited, but she actually would not be eating any due to her pickyness....and her egg allergy) :)
1. We knew we were either going to have just moved into a new house, our house would still be on the market, or we would have just taken it off the market and would be getting it ready for Baby #2. Well, it ended up not selling, and was in such chaos that it was a good choice booking it at the gym.
Here are some pictures of the birthday girl and all of the cute kids.
Sweet Abigail stayed VERY busy!
Cute Caden and Mike
Ashley and little Mack
DOLPHIN SWING!
(this is her FAVORITE!)
Daddy lending a helping
hand to his little princess.
1/2 way through the party, Hudsen was snuck back into the secret storage area and dressed up in a boa and and birthday hat, and then made a GRAND re-entrance back to her Party. They put her on a sled, and swung her around the circle for what felt like days....as she had the most terrified and uncomfortable look on her face the entire time. It was so funny and we captured it on video too. Luckily, this was the only traumatic experience of the day :)
All of the cuties participating in circle time :)
**Amazing birthday celebrating an Amazing 2 years!**
