December 27, 2014

November Happenings

Grandpa & Grandma Come for a Visit

This was our longest break from seeing my parents since our move to Lubbock. We usually see each other every three months, but this time it was between four and five months. I kept telling begging them to come for a visit until they bought plane tickets. We love when they come. 

Henry & Maggie were so excited to see them.
Henry was thrilled that our movie rule of one a day went out the window with our grandparents around.
I enjoyed talking with my parents and the added help they provide of entertaining and cleaning.
We stayed at home a lot.




We did venture out to Jump n' Jungle, a favorite when they come.
We also found a new gem: a mini city with roads, stop lights, stop signs and pretend buildings.
The kids could have rode their bikes for hours but the adults got too hungry to stay past lunch time.




Happy Birthday Maggie
While my parents were here, we celebrated Maggie's third birthday. 
I wanted to make a princess cake. 
My grandma made one for me when I was little so I wanted to do the same and had so much fun making it.
But I think I'm done with homemade cakes.
The box cake tastes like the cake I want to eat when I eat cake.
We ended up throwing away the entire cake (minus a few bites).


Maggie's birthday was everything princess.
Grandma & Grandpa gave her everything Frozen they could find in the store:
microphone, candy, an Elsa dress, and more.
And they bought her a mattress.
Mom & Dad gave her bed sheets. Awesome, I know.
But one of the two sheet sets was Frozen, so she did think it was awesome.


The entire time Maggie got attention she was smiling but trying to hide it.
I remember feeling that way: excited and happy but there's too much attention.
She was so cute as she tried to hide her excitement.

Maggie is sweet with a hint of toddler.
She loves playing with her babies and her princesses.
She is constantly changing her clothes and we battle what she wears when going into public:
her ballerina "dress" is an absolute no and princess dresses and tutus are okay if all we're doing is picking up Henry from school. Okay, and an occasional Wal-Mart trip when I don't feel like arguing about it.
When I tell her to change her clothes she asks, "Where are we going?" and the battle ensues.
Along with her dress ups, she likes to wear her Sunday dresses, high heels, jammie dresses,
and jewelry.
But try to get a bow in her hair and, well, most of the time it doesn't happen.



Maggie's best friend is Henry.


If anyone cries while playing, it is Maggie.
Most of the time they play really well together.
Maggie goes along with everything Henry dictates and she is great at playing pretend with him.
She is so good about receiving Henry's bear hugs and squeezes and squishes.
It took her a couple years to realize he isn't trying to hurt her, he is expressing his love.
But her face says it all...

She also loves playing with and taking care of Hazel.
Hazel loves attention from Maggie.


When I say, "You're so cute, Maggie."
She often says, "No, Hazel's so tute."

I love the way Maggie talks right now. 
A lot of words start with "t" or "d."
She is very particular about what is said.
For example, if I ask her--while she's wearing a dress--if she peed her pants she says, "No, I'm not wearing pants."
If I ask her to put her milk in the kitchen she'll say, "It's chwalk-at (chocolate) milk."
She keeps me on my toes.

I especially love when she sings. 
She belts out her songs but not when she knows people are looking.
She has gotten more comfortable with me watching, but would never perform for a group.
So, for your viewing pleasure, here she is...



Maggie is our dare devil out of all the children.
She can be flipped, thrown, or swung and yells, "Again!!!"


If I had one word to describe Maggie, it would be independent.
She's been trying to do things by herself for a long time now and the benefit of letting her try is that
now she can do everything.
She is great at following through with my commands and can do everything by herself:
get dressed, find anything (shoes, toys, etc.), get buckled in the car seat,
put on a coat or backpack, and button up a jacket.
It's amazing how helpful independence can be with three little ones around.

She is potty trained and did a great job getting that way. 
I pushed her a little bit but her independence helped with that one, too.
She wears a pull-up at night but all things considered, she has been amazing.

Maggie has a really good memory,
prefers her left hand,
loves to dance (but didn't like her ballet class),
takes a nap about every other day,
loves playing with her Daddy,
still enjoys cuddling,
can almost pump in the swing by herself,
is shy around new people,
loves to talk to people she knows well,
and is usually obedient.


We love her and are grateful for her easy-going personality that helps her get along 
with everyone in our family.

October 31, 2014

Happy Halloween

Halloween lasted a whole week for us.
Monday was a pumpkin carving party.

Wednesday we had a ward trunk or treat. 

Friday we went to the National Ranching Heritage Museum to trick-or-treat
because they have their party from 4-7 PM. That's my kind of party.
We also visited Dad at the hospital while he was working on Halloween night.


Toothless, Rapunzel, and Tinkerbell.
Sure do love these kiddos.

October 22, 2014

Hazel is 6 Months Old


I blinked and Hazel is now six months old.
The last six months our family has changed for the better.

Hazel has bonded with every member of the family.
Maggie took the longest to warm up, but it's apparent that they will be good sisters 
and share a bond that only sisters share.
Maggie loves to take care of Hazel and feeds her, plays with her, and loves to make her laugh.
Henry adores her and loves hugging her.
Henry and Maggie--especially Maggie--are quick to help make Hazel happy when I ask for help.
Hazel has always had a special connection with Dad.
She lights up when she seems him.
And, as the individual who spends the most time with her, we have naturally bonded 
as we look and smile at each other throughout the day, all day, every day. 



Hazel is a social bug and is constantly laughing and smiling when someone is around.
And there is usually someone close by.
She cries when nobody is near her side.


Hazel is eating rice cereal once a day,
learning to crawl,
sleeping well at night,
lacking daytime sleep (as she tries to keep up with her siblings),
playing with toys in her hands,
kissing our faces at every opportunity,
and nursing with an occasional bottle.



It is fun to watch Hazel learn the crawl.
She can successfully position herself and scoot her back legs forward.
Then she lunges forward and lands flat on her face.
Sometimes her head bonks the couches, which doesn't make her happy.
Whenever she gets in her crib, Hazel immediately goes into crawling mode.
Never mind that she can be tired beyond tired:
crib = crawl.
It makes it difficult for her to put herself to sleep when she does this
and so she rarely puts herself to sleep these days.

She longs to play with her siblings as she lays on the floor.
Hazel will laugh and get excited when the other two are running and playing near her.
She will be a good addition to the established sibling relationship between the older kids.
Hazel seems to be in between Henry's energetic, social personality and Maggie's content, quiet demeanor.



My favorite physical features are her Holmes eyes and her dimple on her right cheek.
I love the sound of her cute laugh, how ticklish she is, and her happy spirit.


I've said it before and I'll say it again: babies bring a special spirit with them.
Hazel has done just that.
Our home is filled with more love, happiness, and joy.
It is a truly a piece of heaven on earth.
As cliche as it sounds, I am sincere in each written word.


Known as Hazel,
 "Haze-o" (as pronounced by Maggie), 
and Nugget (Dad's endearing name for her),
we all love her happy smiles, laughter, and excitement she displays when she greets us.
We love you Miss Hazel and are grateful that you love us, too.

October 5, 2014

Loving My Life

My cup runneth over lately.
It's a good phase of life.

Henry is sweet, kind, and helpful.
Maggie is in dress-up mode and throwing 3-year-old tantrums.
Hazel is practically perfect in every way.


I'm sleeping, exercising with friends (training for a half marathon),
enjoying a mostly unstructured life (aside from T/Th preschool), 
and have a little bit of time with Brendon.
My heart is so full lately.

This is why...

Everyone loves Hazel.
Hazel loves everyone.
She makes all of us feel special, funny, and so loved.
We often say, "Hazel loves you!" or, "Hazel loves me!" to each other.



Henry and Maggie couldn't be any cuter.
They play together most of the time and in the same vicinity the rest of the time.
My heart bursts as I watch them together.



Does it get any cuter than this?

And we celebrated seven years together.
I love him and am so grateful for his dedication to God, his family, and his work.

Life is beautiful.