Hadlea's Spring Program

Hadlea's daycare does a spring program. They mainly sing a couple songs per class and then a couple together with the entire daycare. No matter how those kids act or sound, they are just too darn cute!

I don't think I have been to one of her programs yet that I haven't teared up just a little. I think last year I almost burst our crying while her class was standing there starring into space singing. I am so grateful for her daycare, but most of all, I am so proud to be Hadlea's momma. I don't know what it is about those programs but it definitely makes me realize just how lucky and blessed I am to have a happy and healthy baby girl!

The first time Hadlea did a program, she ran straight to me as they walked into the room. She didn't even get on stage. The next time, she stayed on stage, but cried most of the time! Ha! This year... she seen me... even though I was trying to hide behind my video camera, but she atleast stayed on stage... she may not have sung or participated, but she stayed on stage. And that is a successful program in my book! :-) {and no, I did not send her to daycare with pigtails and one bow. I guess she asked for pigtails earlier in the day and I had only sent her in one bow. it drove me crazy to watch her like this!}

This is her class on stage... spread out from one end to the other! Hilarious little babies! I would take anyone of those kids home with me in an instant. They are ornery as can be, but great kids! And little J (far left), he is a favorite at our house. He is the one that Hadlea is always fighting with, but they love each other! I would take him home in a heartbeat!

Hadlea's class sang 'Jesus Loves Me'.

{if singing is what you call this! Ha! and don't you love Ms E pulling her dress up through the entire song! that girl is too funny!}

Can you find Hadlea? This is the entire daycare! {I don't know all of those kiddos so hated to show all of their faces!} Hadlea hid in the back with her back turned against the crowed the entire time they sang. But again... she is on stage and not crying! Perfection!

Nana was able to make the program with us! Hadlea was so glad to see her and her new pink cast! :-)

I tried to get a picture of H when we got home in her cute dress from Nana, but this is all I got! Busy girl!

'operation get rid of paci' - nights 2 and 3

When I wrote THIS post on Friday, I was obviously emotional and very sleep deprived! I definitely require more than 2 hours of sleep a night! Ha!

I was completely stressed out on Friday. I just KNEW Friday night was going to go the exact same way Thursday night did... but man was I wrong! We talked about her paci several times after work and daycare... we discussed that it was broke and that she would soon have to throw it away. Once she went to bed on Friday night, she did around 2-3 minutes of whining. No major crying. No tantrums. No hitting or biting! I mean... almost a complete 180! We let her keep her paci and take it to bed with her. She just held it in her hand.

On Saturday, we made a last minute trip to the zoo (more on that in another post). After the zoo, I asked her if she wanted to go get a sandbox for her backyard. She loves to play in the dirt and dig around with sticks, so I knew this could possibly act as a trade.

Just so you know... I HATE sandboxes. I have told Justin time and time again that we will NEVER own a sandbox. I think they are gross and that sand sticks to EVERYTHING! But like all of my other 'awesome' parenting skills, I pretty much eat my 'before becoming a parent' words on a daily basis! Ha! So... off Hadlea and I went to Walmart for a sandbox... and of course, she chooses colored sand, Pink AND Purple...

Before she was allowed to get in the sand, she had to go inside, get her paci and throw it away in the trash outside. I decided on the outdoor trashcan because I was afraid she would think of her paci every time she passed the kitchen trash... seems dramatic, but hey, I was trying to remove every possibility!

And obviously since she is playing in the sand, she had no issues throwing her paci in the BIG trashcan! See for yourself... {and please do not mind my super mommy voice. sigh. why do i talk like that when i know i am filming?! ha!}

And want to know how night #3 (Saturday night) went?! Perfect! We again talked about why she threw her paci away and off she went to bed! And I do not consider all of my stressing a waste in the least! I will stress for 3 days anytime, if making a major life changing transition goes that easily!

My only other issue... she might have sucked her thumb to go to bed tonight (Saturday). I was watching on the monitor, but I couldn't see her face that well... so here's to prayers that we will not be breaking a thumb sucker in a few days! :-)

Thanks to all of your for your comments, thoughts and prayers! You all are the best!

'operation get rid of paci'

So we started it... 'Operation Get Rid of Paci'.

Remember this picture from our Arkansas trip? {And do not mention the red skinny jeans with pink rain boots and a pink hat! those were her choices. :-)}

See... after being on the road and constantly 'going', Hadlea was smooth worn out! By Sunday, she didn't know if she was coming or going, and frankly, I was tired of listening to her whine. {and yes, I am just keeping it real here!} So I let her keep her paci ALL. DAY. LONG.

I got asked 5 times how old she was on that Sunday. Not once had anyone asked how old she was the two previous days... so I know it was because of the paci. No one really cared, they were just judging because she had a paci. And frankly, I don't blame them. I have judged LOTS of parents that are carrying around older 'looking' kids with pacis. I guess it was just my turn! Ha!

So on the way home from Arkansas, Justin and I decided that we would make no plans for Hadlea this weekend and start our hardest parenting operation to date.

I have been really excited to start this all week. I know it is time. She is SUPER attached, but it just needs to happen. And... I guess I was just thinking I needed a true emotional beating! And as bad as 'I' think this sounds, this is the TOUGHEST thing I have done as a parent. There are so many parents out there facing real life issues, and I am complaining about taking a pacifier away... It kind of seems minor when looking at it like that, however, I knew this was going to be a major life change for us!

Come Thursday morning, I new we were going to start it. I had read many reviews and talked to many of my friends that had paci babies. I decided to go with the whole 'cutting' of the paci... and just tell her it broke. 

After dropping Hadlea off at daycare that morning, I started thinking about Thursday night and future nights to come... would she stop sleeping her 12-14 hours at night and become a total bear? will she hate me? will she start waking up several times during the night crying for her paci? will she hate me?  ... obviously I was more concerned that she would totally resent me by doing this, but I just felt like it was our time to do it... and after all, I didn't want to be 'judged' anymore at future fishing tournaments! Ha!

I walked right into my house after dropping her off and seconding guessing myself and cut the paci! I wasn't giving myself any time to back out!

I might have also thought several times during the day that I was going to vomit. It was our last paci. I knew once I started that I couldn't back out... but what if?! What if she really hated me?

Thursday afternoon, Hadlea had a school play (another post to come on that). Nana went with us and then came back to the house to stay with Hadlea while I went to get my hair cut. I was nervous the entire time I was gone. I knew the outcome wasn't going to be pretty.

I got home, we played a bit. She had already seen her paci and told me it was broke. I told her she could sleep with it or throw it in the trash. If she threw it in the trash, she could have candy. So... off she went to throw it in the trash!

I gave her the candy and thought, "no way, it cannot really be this easy!". And then she started crying. Hysterically. She can to the trash can, got out her paci and threw away the candy.  She kept telling at Justin and I to "fix it" or "get a new one". My heart was breaking with every single word that came out of her mouth!

I then loaded her up and took her to her room. I started our nightly routine of kissing, hugging, talking, laughing. And it wasn't until I started singing her songs that she freaked again... and this time it would last 30 MINUTES! She was crying, I was crying. She was arching her back. (Side note: since I cut the paci, it was like sucking through a straw so she couldn't keep it in her mouth. she tried no less than 100 times to get it to stay in her mouth with no success. and with each try the crying got worse!) She was hitting. She was trying to bite. I mean... IT WAS AWFUL! We spend so much time as parents trying to make our babies happy, and this one time there was nothing I could do. I SO wanted to drive 5 miles down the road to Wal-Mart and buy her a new one. But I know I couldn't.

I told her if she tried to bite or hit one more time, she was going to bed alone. And of course, she did. So I put her in her crib and walked out. Walked straight to my husband and cried right along with her. I gave her a couple of minutes to cry and went back in. I rocked her maybe 2 minutes and she was sound asleep...

I was still up at 5AM... just watching her monitor and waiting... knowing that any second she was going to wake up and FREAK out that she didn't have a paci to sooth her back to sleep. I really think I just wanted her to wake up so I could hold her because I still felt SO bad! She woke up a couple of times, looked around and laid back down, putting herself back to sleep... not even looking around her bed for the paci.

I went in at 830AM to wake her up. She was in a great mood the first 30 minutes until she asked for her paci. Once she seen it, she whined a little, we talked about the night before and she was done. We got dressed, had breakfast and went off to school....

Sooo.... will night #2 be the same?! If the 30 minute crying sessions get shorter every night, I think I can handle it. This too shall pass, right?! We shall see...

{and sorry for the SUPER long story, but I am sure I will be doing this again with baby #2 that is NOT on the way (just to clear that up) so I wanted everything documented! hope it wasn't too boring! :)}

bull shoals bassmaster tournament

Last Friday morning, J, H and I headed East to Arkansas to the Bassmaster Elite Series Tournament on Bull Shoals. It was a 4 hour drive and I was seriously dreading it! Since we were leaving early, we had to wake H up and put her straight in the car. I wasn't sure how she would do. She is not the best travel buddy! She gets bored after 30 minutes! I packed TONS of stuff to do and bought her a bunch of new Barney movies. We read books, played iPhone games and did puzzles in between each new movie. It ended up being a great ride there. She was perfect!

 

When we got into town, we headed straight to our bed and breakfast. This was my first one to ever stay in. I guess I always assumed that they were super expensive. But after finding out what some of the cabins/motels went for around there, I started calling around. This place ended up being the cheapest place I found. And it was gorgeous!

It is called Cedar Springs Country Inn. I honestly still cannot get over how beautiful it was. The owners were the sweetest people ever. They make huge breakfasts every morning and they just catered to Hadlea's every need! Even when she didn't wake up until 10AM one morning, they cooked for her after she woke up! Now that is customer service!

Our room was so big and gave Hadlea plenty of room to roam. That is one thing I do not like about having to stay in hotels with her. She is just too busy!

 

 

After getting checked in, we headed to the Day 2 weigh-in. We had been telling Hadlea about going on "cacation" (as she called it) to watch Fred fish. She was a little confused as to why he wasn't fishing when we got there, but he was only weighing fish in?! But she thought it was super funny to see him on stage!

After the weigh-in, we went to Fred and Julie's rental house. (some of the anglers travel together and rent out vacation homes for the week. it is always cheaper than getting a motel room) We built a fire and cooked out. It was nice to sit around the fire and relax!

Saturday morning, I woke up to this! I mean really... adding in a furry little boy that was at doggy daycare would be the only thing to improve that moment!

After we all got up, ate breakfast and got ready, we headed to Gaston's. This place is known for Trout Fishing. It has its own landing strip. People fly in for fishing and dinner and then leave. It was crazy!

Gaston's also has this bird exhibit. It is mostly peacocks... or pea-pocks as H called them!

This was my favorite. I have never seen a white one, not even in a picture I don't think. It was beautiful! They also had one out of the cage that would follow you around. Hadlea was scared of it at first, but by the second day, she was bossing it around and telling it where to go!

We then walked down to the White River that runs right by Gaston's. Probably the most beautiful part of the trip. I joked with Justin that this was part of the reason as to why Arkansas people are deemed as rednecks... they have no reason to leave. They have some of the most beautiful land in the country! I wouldn't want to leave either!

 

 

After touring the area, we met the Roumbanis Fam for lunch at Gaston's. The restaurant overlooks the White River. The kids loved watching the guys fish!

Hadlea & Jackson

Next, we went to one of the local fishing docks to feed the carp. These things are UGLY! ...and GROSS! They just weird me out looking at them! You could buy huge baggies of dog food to feed them. I think we went through 6 or more! Jackson and Had were having a great time!

 

 

Fred didn't make the cut to fish Saturday.... which always sucks for him, but atleast we get to see him more! Hadlea has started calling him Uncle Boom Boom and pretty much follows him wherever he goes! (and by this time, it is after 5PM and she was melting!)

We went back to Fred and Julie's rental to cook out. The guys made another fire. Hadlea and Jackson gathered up sticks to throw in the fire.

Sitting with daddy by the fire & roasting marshmallows with Fred

 

Sunday morning, we got up and had breakfast. Hadlea requested to see the 'pea-pocks' again so we went back to Gaston's to roam around until lunch. We went back to Gaston's for lunch.

She loved to watch the guys catch the trout!

We went to the Sunday weigh-in. It got really cold and someone was beyond melting... meaning... she got her paci for the entire day because I didn't care to listen to her whine all day! Nice, huh?! Definitely not a proud mommy moment... especially seeing how I got asked about 5 times how old she was... and yes, I know you are asking because she looks older than 2! {so guess what that means this weekend.... we are starting 'operation get rid of paci'. A post coming tomorrow on that! but please leave ideas if you have them!}

Brandon Palaniuk won the tournament. He is only 24 years old. We got to spend some time with him when we were in LA in February for the Classic. He is a great kid! Fun to see someone you know win!

We had such a great 'mini' vacation! Never in my life did I ever plan to take vacation days to spend at fishing tournaments, but it really is a great time! Those anglers are a bunch of 21 year old boys who will never grow up... meaning, you never know what they will say or do! And for guys fishing once or twice a month for $100,000+, they really do not act like it! :-)

Happy Birthdays & Kimye

My SILs birthday was on Monday. I had some posts pre-scheduled, so I didn't get a chance to wish her a happy birthday on here. This has to be one of my all time favorite pics with Leslie. I think we all went to a Kenny Chesney concert, but no matter where we went, something ALWAYS happened that made for hilarious memories! And incase you aren't sure which ones we are... I am in the AWESOME cowboy hat {why would anyone let me wear that?!} and she is in the striped shirt.

Hope you had a great day Aunt Leslie! We Love You!

Tuesday was my sweet KK's 8th birthday! It is still so hard for me to believe that KK is 8 YEARS OLD?! I think she was around 2 when we moved in next door to her family, and I am ever so thankful that we did! Still not sure where I would be sometimes without her momma's friendship!! Kennedy and Brynlee mean as much to me as my niece, nephew and Goddaughter. I am just so thankful they are in my life... as does Hadlea. She thinks they are the greatest!

We sent KK a birthday message before bed. This girl is just hilarious!

I am sure I have raved about my love for Kanye West many times on this blog. If not, now you know. I completely agree that his attitude is crap, however, he is one of the most creative people I have ever followed. The guy can turn a small idea into a gold mine. I followed his ‘glow in the dark’ tour a few years ago. He built the entire concept of it from ground up. It was so amazing. I also went to the concert… and I may or may not have had to lie to get my husband to go with me. And guess what?! He bought his CD the day after the concert. And that is saying a lot coming from my husband!

With following Kanye, I have followed his relationships. He has LOVED Kim K for a LONG time. I am so glad to see them together. And I am probably the only person in America to say that… which I am completely fine with! Ha! I hope it lasts. If it doesn’t, it will be because of her. They have been close friends for years, so I think he knows what he is getting in to. Or I hope he does…

and wow... talk about a VERY random post! happy wednesday! :-)



2012 family spring pictures

We use NiCole of Sullivan Photo to do most of our pictures. Mainly because she is super fast, and once I have my mind made up that I want pictures, I cannot stand to wait a couple of months to take them... or get them back... very patient of me, huh?!

I had this vision of some fishing pictures for Hadlea that I wanted to take before Father's Day so could have something made for Justin. Although he is in our family pictures, he left before the rest...

{i mean... if this doesn't say i love my daddy, i am not sure what does!}

 my very best friend. and why does she look so old?!

{my babies}

{i have these moments where i just cannot believe that she is really my baby. she may look just like her daddy and i both, but it is so hard to believe sometimes that i really have a baby. this picture just makes my heart swell with LOTS of pride. it just doesn't get much cuter! and she is mine. WOW! i am one proud momma.} 

{there happened to be an issue with the spot we were going to take these pictures so we had to compromise. the lighting is very bright, however, they are totally what i wanted. daddy will be so proud of his fishing baby girl!}

and because we had to go mooch off of our friends neighborhood pond for the fishing pics, NiCole was sweet enough to grab a couple snaps of my 'other' babies... Avery and Jackson! Handsome little fellows!