The kids had a very fun and busy Halloween this year. We started on Saturday by going to the JDRF Walk where they had ponies, bounce houses, games, food and all sorts of activities. The kids loved the bounce house. Hadley wasn't too sure about the ponies, but Hayden pet one. After their afternoon naps, the kids and Drew carved our pumpkin. After dinner we dressed up--actually Drew dressed up in his (Phillip's) full body Winnie the Pooh suit, Hadley wore her (Katie's) adorable little flower costume, and Hayden wore the same football jersey he'd been wearing all day and also wore last Halloween. Hadley was terrified of Drew in the Pooh suit. She screamed when he tried to come near her and wouldn't have anything to do with him until he took it off. Both kids LOVED going to the houses to trick or treat for candy. Hadley even would run up to the doors. She didn't really understand the candy part but she loved being in the middle of the action. Hayden was definitely into the candy aspect. They each got one piece to eat and that was the end of that.
Hayden and Hadley are big into markers these days. Hadley gets sort of crazy about the markers--she'll say "MAR-CARES MAR-CARES" sort of like you'd say "MY PRECIOUS" and cackles to herself with wild eyes. They get marker all over everything so I make them sit in their highchairs and wear smocks. White walls and markers don't mix with kids under 3.
Hadley says I would guess at least 150 words now, but she JUST started saying No. And what she actually says is "No-no". Kind of irritating at times but also funny. She has been going potty on her new Elmo potty seat that goes on the big potty and she likes that. Hayden is possessive of his little potty that sits on the floor so we now have separate potty situations for each kid. Potty training 2 kids at the same time is not ideal but you get what you get and you don't get upset!
Hayden and Hadley are best friends. They hug each other and kiss each other. They fight over everything. They bite. On Monday three people asked me if they were twins, which is odd/funny since Hadley is smaller and kinda baldy on her little head. Hadley is tall-ish and Hayden is average, so I can see the twins thing maybe. They both seem to have almost made the transition from blue eyes to green eyes, which of course makes me very happy! Maybe they got ONE gene from me after all. My parents and my sister Ashley and I have green eyes too. Last night they were in their PJs and Hadley was sitting in Hay's lap on the couch while they watched Mickey Mouse--they were hugging and laughing and Drew got a picture. They love each other very much!
Hadley is now doing most of her pee-pees in the potty, yay! She loves getting the M&Ms. Hayden will always pee in the potty if he sees her get M&Ms. Hayden and I went to see his first real movie in a movie theater last Friday! We saw a double feature (we only stayed for one though) in 3D of Toy Story. The next movie that we skipped was Toy Story 2. He loved it and was so funny wearing his 3D glasses. Hayden has a little girlfriend at the gym named Reagan. He asks for her everytime we go there and he says "Reagan makes me happy." Very funny boy. Hayden also learned at school how to flap his arms and say "gobble gobble" and he and Hadley crack each other up gobble-gobbling around and flapping.
My mom has been here for a few days helping me with the kids while I have been really very sick. Thank goodness for her and for Drew who have totally picked up the slack for me. I rarely ever get coughs or colds (the last one I had like this was the week of our wedding), and this one knocked me out. Next week will be better!
And now the snake....we got back late Monday from the Urgent Care and I saw a snake flailing around at the door of the garage. I saw him last year but it has been almost a year since he has appeared. I screamed at him so loud that he snaked away back to his hiding place in the bushes. Then my mom and I saw him again the next day when he slipped into the garage when we returned from somewhere. The kids talked about the snake all of the time at this point. Then today, I was bringing the kids home from the grocery and lifted the garage door and there he was again, snaking around the garage door, so I pushed the button and shut the door back down on top of him. He was too dumb to slither away apparently. I went next door to borrow the neighbor's shovel (mine was trapped in the garage) and Todd the wonderful man who mows the neighbor's yard drove up. Todd came up and grabbed the snake (I was just about to decapitate snake with the shovel) and put him in a bag to take home to his kids. Bye bye snake and good riddance.
Hadley has had 3 pees in the potty now. I don't push her to do it but when she says she wants to I do not stop her! She is very proud of herself. Hayden still uses the potty when and if he feels like it!
Hayden started T-ball last night. He loved it and behaved well during practice. He liked running the bases, throwing and catching the beanbag, hitting the whiffle ball with the bat off of the traffic cone "tee", and doing the obstacle course at the end.
Hadley is 17 months old, which is how old Hayden was when Hadley was born. She is still our "baby" and she always will be--Hayden still calls her "bb" of course, and we do too. She had her first ever dentist appointment this morning, and I was prepared for the drama and the hysteria that goes along with Hayden's dentist visits. But surprise, surprise, Miss Priss let them brush, floss, and flouride her teeth without one cry or fuss. I was stunned. She got two Dora sticker which she loved even though she doesn't know who Dora is yet. Hayden and Hadley are into Mickey Mouse Clubhouse this week. Hayden loves to watch Mickey, and Hadley will watch for a few minutes too.
I'm trying to do special things with the kids individually since they do virtually everything together all the time. I don't want them to feel like they have to constantly compete for attention from mommy. So Hadley and I went to Build A Bear last Saturday and she made a little polar bear that she loves. She didn't really "get it"--she didn't want to get any clothes or anything for the bear but whatever. Hayden and I are taking our first Mommy/son weekend trip to Dallas by ourselves this weekend--just us! Hadley is going to have her first weekend at home with just Daddy. I'm sure they'll have a wonderful time watching football, etc. Hayden and I are going to Parker White's first birthday party!
Someone (Ebes) asked me how much my kids weighed the other day and I drew a blank..I really had no idea but I guessed Hadley was 20 and Hayden was 30. So I came home and weighed them on the bathroom scale and came up with Hadley at 22.5 and Hayden at 28.5. Over 50 collective pounds. I can carry them both at the same time but it makes Hayden really mad if I do and he'll kick her until I put her down. Then she'll cry until I pick her back up. No win! 50 pounds isn't that heavy unless it is 50 kicking and screaming pounds.
She really did pee on her little pink potty, and we know it was a fluke, but still funny. Then she poured the pee out on the floor. Oh well!
Hayden has been singing his songs alot this week. He likes one of the Wee Sing CDs in my car and will sing "picking up paw-paws put em in her pocket" over and over and he and Hadley get to laughing and kicking their feet really fast. The kids and I went to Sam's on Tuesday. Sam's is a labor intensive errand if you are a mom with two kids with you in the cart. But we did it!
Hayden has a new little kid-sized broom and dustpan. He loves it and will sweep for a long time without stopping. Then he says "It's REAL hippie bb, REAL hippie!" to Hadley, which means that it is really slippery.
Hadley and Hayden have been hoarding lovies this week. We have a million lovies that we received mostly as gifts when Hayden was born. They fight over one that is a bear head with a little blankie attached and has a jingle bell in the bear head. Whenever Hadley is upset she starts crying and says "Bear! bear!" until Hayden gives it up. She kisses the bear a bunch of times and then rubs her little face on him. She also has a monkey head and a bunny head, plus her beautiful little brown blankie that Tiffany gave Hayden when he was born but has become Hadley's. That one is her favorite!
You know that basketball drill where you sort of squat and put your hands out and then the coach bleats his whistle and points and you have to shuffle to the left, then the right, then back, front? That is the position I spend the majority of my day in....squat, hands out between my kids to keep them from killing each other fighting over toys! They did play for 4 minutes straight yesterday without me having to referee and pull them apart, which is a record. I sat on my rear on the couch for 4 full minutes--victory! It gives me hope for the future!
