Paisley Pineapple

We just found out a few days ago that my little sister is having a baby girl. As much as I wanted a little boy in the family, I'm ecstatic with the outcome (I have secretly wished for 17 weeks that they were having a girl). Little girls hold a very special place in my heart. I've been surrounded by them my entire life. I was raised with a house full of girls, lived with lots of girls all throughout college, had girl roommates after college and now I'm raising little girls.

The relationship I have with my mother is priceless. She is my best friend. She is my sister's best friend.  And I'm almost positive that my mom and her mother (our grandmother) were best friends. So you see, the mother / daughter relationships in our family are special and unique. And I have no doubt that me and my sister will have that with our daughters one day. And that makes me all warm and fuzzy inside knowing we will be able to experience that together.

This is one of my all time favorite pics of my Mom and Grandma that I came across about a year ago.

Ohh ...  her name is Paisley Breann. And my favorite boutique is the Paisley Pineapple and one of my favorite singer/song writers last name is Paisley. She is already perfect to me and probably always will be.  My little Paisley Pineapple will be loved and spoiled by her Aunt Kissie....no doubt about that! 



1st Day of Pre-school

After little preparation, buying tons of school supplies (I had no idea how much money parents spend on school supplies) and lots of discussion with the girls about their new teacher and new classroom ... their first day of pre-school went smoothly. They only go 2 days a week for 6 hours to the same mother's day out program they have been going to for the past 2 years but this year they go up stairs to pre-school. We felt this program will help us decide if the girls will start full time 4 year old kindergarten next year or go straight to kindergarten. Their teacher, Ms. Martha, is lovely. She is a certified kindergarten teacher and a mother of a 4 year old little girl .... perfect credentials to help us make the decision about next year.

The story of the lunch boxes -

The girls and I spent **way too long** one evening shopping for lunch boxes online. HC was adamant about wanting a Wizard of Oz lunch box. We found several cute ones but at the last minute she fell in love with a Little Mermaid one with a tail hanging off the box. Quinn decided on an adorable "old fashion" W of O lunch box. Fast forward to the first morning of school - I had their lunches made, in their new lunch boxes and sitting on the counter when they woke up. Hassie Clare immediately started negotiations with Quinn about switching lunch boxes for the day.... of course Quinn said no. Long story short, HC worked on Quinn for over an hour and somehow got her to switch. I'm telling you, the girl has some serious negotiating skills! 



Daddy took the morning off work to take the girls to their first day of pre-school.



"I'm a little nervous about all this pre-school stuff."





Hassie Clare's crayon box was at one table and Quinn's was at another. Hassie Clare noticed this as soon as we got into the classroom and went over to get her box and put it next to her sister. It was so sweet! Ms. Martha said that it would be fine for a few weeks and then she might slowly start separating them.

 Nana and Amy joined us that morning. Nana is in complete and utter denial that the girls are old enough to go to pre-school. I think she had a harder time with it then I did! The girls did great. They required about 27 hugs and kisses from me, daddy, Nana and Amy but there were no tears. I was a little bit emotional on the inside ... mainly just that uneasy feeling in my tummy that I get every time I leave them. For me it wasn't much different then it has been the past 2 years. But holy cow, next year when they start school full time it will be a whole new ball game and just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes.

PS - Is pre-school a hyphenated word or is it preschool?

Oh how I love Missouri wineries

Another trip to Crown Valley Winery in St. Genevieve, MO. Same trip we take every fall, however this time we celebrated one of our single ladies getting hitched!

Beautiful bride-to-be

I had "sweaty face" cause I had just stepped off the dance floor. I love dancing outdoors at 2 in the afternoon!   

As you can tell, I had ZERO fun!

**pics taken by Mendi  .... man I love that beautiful chica with a Mick Jagger / Steven Tyler smile and I head FULL of curly hair!**

Labor Day Weekend 2010

I greatly appreciate weekends with no plans. Especially 3 day weekends. The anticipation is my favorite part. 3 whole days with no work, no phone ringing, no work responsibility. This Labor Day weekend was the perfect "no plans" weekend - according to my standards.

Friday night I cleaned the house, did laundry, etc. while the girls played in their playroom and watched a movie. Sounds weird but my comfort level is at an all time high when my house is clean, laundry done and everything in order - known in our house as "party ready" (what your house looks like right before a party or gathering.) Love, love, love that feeling. Jamie got a "much deserved" night off from family duty to work in his garage. I sat out back after I put the girls to bed, sipping on some bubbly and admired my clean house through the windows. I hate that I enjoy that feeling so much (the clean, organized house ... not the bubbly).

Sat. morning I got up early and went to the gym. I have found so much comfort and joy in a good, hard workout.  It was the killer kind of work out that left me wondering if I could walk out to my car. Let alone go to the feed store and grocery shopping. Somehow I managed to get it all done and made it home by 11:30. The girls were just finishing up a big pancake breakfast with Daddy. We headed straight outside to enjoy to gorgeous day by piddling out in the yard, in the flower beds, cleaning porches and decks, draining the hot tub (oooooo I can't wait for hot tub weather). We got a lot of little things done that have been neglected lately .... well really for 4 years:) The great part about it was the girls were with us and able to play in the yard without us watching over their every move. Times are a changing!

The girls love riding with Jamie in Cliffy (AKA Clifford .... the big red farm truck). He drives them around the yard and neighborhood. Quinnie waves to everyone in the neighborhood like she is in a parade. Ruby got majorly jealous .... that is her truck and she usually rides with Daddy!

My deal with the girls is that they can dress themselves when we are at home or playing in the yard but I get to dress them when we leave the house. So far that arrangement is working well.

Draining the hot tub ... evidently it is very entertaining to a 4 year old to watch water drain. I try and take pics as often as possible with the phone to send to Maema. I can't imagine how much she misses them and hopefully seeing random pics of our daily activities helps her miss them a little less:)  

Sat. night Jamie's friend from IL was in town and staying down at the Peabody. It was one of those nights that we both just wanted to stay at home, throw some beef on the grill and chill out. But we only get to see his friend from college and his wife every few years so we headed downtown to meet them at the Rendezvous (again ...second time in 7 days. Truth be told, I could eat there every night). I was going to stay home with the girls but my mom graciously encouraged me to bring the girls over to her house for the evening. Reluctantly, I gave in and joined Jamie.  It was one of those nights that you could not possibly have planned. We had an awesome meal and headed to Alfred's on Beale St. Got a great table up on the patio and then near the dance floor once the band started. I think I danced for 4 hours straight. Does not happen often but when I get the dance bug ... look out. Jamie joined me off and on and we had such a good time. We laughed and danced and laughed and danced and laughed and danced. I think I fell in love with him just a little bit more.

Again ... parents of the year here rolled in around 2:30am. No late night is complete without stopping at Krystals for a sack full of Krystal burgers! Decided it was best to wait until the morning to get the girls even though we told them we would come pick them up before they went to sleep:( 

Sunday morning I rolled out of bed in pretty rough shape. I cooked brunch for a girlfriend (Rebecca Copeland) that was in town from St. Louis. As much as I battled through the preparation that morning, it was all worth it. We had an enjoyable time catching up, eating and letting the kids play. We walked around the yard and let the kids explore, jumped on the moon bounce, rode little Jeeps and played on the play ground.  She has a sweet, little 15 month old named Conner. I wanted to keep him but she would not let me:(

After our guests left I prepared some more grub and we headed over to the Hagel's for dinner and to say our goodbyes to Jasmine. It was a sad night but she was surrounded by love. I cried and cried but only when no one was looking (except Jamie ... he always sniffs me out). My mom made some fantastic ribs and we ate way too much as always.

Monday was rest day. Jamie got the entire day off from family duty to work in his garage. The girls and I read books, played pretend for about 10 hours (seemed like it anyway), slept, had a fashion show, watched movies and slept some more. I never take the time or make the time to spend that much quality time with them. It usually comes in short spurts of time, like after dinner or first thing in the morning. It was wonderful and I felt so "caught up" and "in tune" with them .... if that makes any sense.

I heart Labor Day Weekend 2010.

1st Concert - SUGARLAND

We live about 1 full city block away from a great park with an awesome outdoor amphitheater. At times we can hear concerts from our backyard. First of all, we are huge Sugarland fans. The girls know the words to almost every one of their songs. When Jamie heard they were coming to our little park, he HAD to get 4 tickets so that we could take the girls to their first concert. This was in April. The concert was in August.

So .... for 4 months we talked about the concert, watched the DVD of their concert (over and over and over), walked over to the amphitheater several times and played around on the stage and picked out our seats. Hassie Clare memorized Jennifer Nettles dance moves off the DVD and would imitate her at the right spot in the song even when we heard it on the radio.

So the big day finally rolls around and it was 103 degrees outside. The heat index was 114. Not sure what the humidity was but I'm sure it was at an all time high. Plus add 5,000 people in a small area and I'm sure that makes the temp raise a few degrees. No wind or air circulation.

Taking our kids to this concert, in these conditions, might have taken us out of the running for parents of the year.  It was dangerous for anyone to be outside in the heat, let alone two 4 year olds. BUT ... we had a blast. I packed a survival backpack with lots of water, juice, baggies of washcloths soaked in ice cubes, snacks, misting spray, etc. We opted to stay at the house until we thought it was time for the headliners to get on stage. Which worked out great cause we had a blast watching Sugarland DVD and dancing around the house in the air-conditioning! One of the bands we missed out on would have been great to see (Little Big Town). We arrived just in time to see their last few songs ... which happened to be my favorite two Little Big Town songs.

We bought snow cones before finding out seats - huge hit with the girls! After being outside for about 10 minutes we were all soaked from head to toe. I had planned on taking pictures with my phone but I was too wet and I was afraid I would ruin my phone. I took these photos when we first got to our seats - along with some cute video.

Hassie Clare was in heaven. She LOVED every bit of the night. Do you see that tiny dry spot underneath Jamie's arm on his maroon shirt? It was not there long.

Quinn dropped some of her snow cone so HC did what every good sister would do and scooped out some of hers with her nasty, sweaty hand and put it in her sister's cup.

Hassie Clare cutting a rug.

With about 3 songs left, the girls needed a potty break. We found a great open spot by the bathrooms where the girls could dance and run around. We could hear the music perfectly and even see a little bit of the stage. They rocked the end of the show with "Walking In Memphis" which was awesome!

Glad we did it. Don't regret it. Made great memories. But we vowed to not go to anymore outdoor concerts in August with the girls ... EVER:)  Unless, of course, we are somewhere north of the Mason Dixon line and we won't melt!

Randoms

** See previous post .... I just inserted pictures that I downloaded off my iphone.**

Speaking of my new iphone ... I love her. I say "her" because she multi-tasks like only a woman can. I haven't taken a real picture with a real camera since I brought her home. She takes pretty good videos and decent pics. She is always with me and rarely lets me down. But I need to get back in the habit of taking  pictures with a real camera ... if not, I will regret it someday.

This morning we lost a family member. Sure .... she had 4 legs and was furry all over. But she was just a part of our family as anyone. My brother and sister-in-law picked Jasmine out of a litter of puppies that our family dog "Sasha" had 16 years ago. I will miss her dearly.  I feel so sad for my brother, sister-in-law, niece and nephew and I pray they find comfort soon.  This is Hassie Clare and Quinn's first brush of death. Experiencing death through their eyes is such a beautiful thing. They are so innocent and believe everything we tell them, which is everything we hope happens but doubt. But when I see the belief in their eyes and through their expressions, I know it is real. 

  

How is it possible that they have the same fake smile?

BUTTERFLY'S

Sarah bought the girls .... well, I'm not sure what it is called. A butterfly farm maybe???? Reminded me of the old ant farms back in the day. She bought the net and they mailed the caterpillars in a cup of food. A week later they turned into cocoons and we hung them in the net. A week after that they turned into butterfly's. It was pretty dang cool to watch and the girls were totally into the whole process. I love to hear them tell the story of the cycle of life of a butterfly. Instead of cocoon they say "caaa coon" in the sweetest, most southern voice you can imagine. It was sweet, educational and thoughtful for Sarah to leave us with 3 more mouths to feed:)  I have great video but still can't figure out an easy way to upload videos to my blog. AND I still have no space on my picture/video/music hard drive... thus all the iphone pics.

3 out of 4 cocoons produced a butterfly. They named them Flower, Princess and Ariel.

We set Ariel, Flower and Princess free after Mom forgot to feed them a couple days in a row. We all agreed that it was time for them to go meet other butterflies to play with. Hassie Clare dressed up as Dorofee (shocker) and Quinn dressed up as poor Cinderella (shocker) for the occasion. The girls were so excited about setting them free ... which shocked the heck out of me. We look in the yard for them all the time. We always see a yellow butterfly and Quinn swears up and down that it is Flower's best friend.

Excuses, excuses, excuses

 Dear Blog,
Once again I've let you down. My posts have been few and far in between. I have several good excuses that I would like to share with you ... if you don't mind. We have been super busy around here. This is a list of my lame "top 10" excuses and a brief run down of the past few weeks in the Thurman household:

1. My picture and music hard drive is full and I haven't had time to make space for more pics. Which means I have no where to download pics. Which means I don't have new pics to post on my blog. And we all know everyone likes new pics when I post something. Hardly anyone reads what I write ... they are only interested in the pics! **pics added to post the following day**
2. New Nannies - 2 of them to be exact. Both part-time and both exceptionally lovely. Meredith and Ashley are nice additions to our family. We still miss Sarah. As Hassie Clare reminded me the other day, "I love Sayraa and Tay Tay the bestest forever." Compliments don't get much better then that!
3. Sugarland - details will require it's own post.
4. Tay Tay's visit. Short and sweet. We went swimming, ate Mexican and the girls went shopping to their favorite store ... Target. Taylor treated them to ice cream and a slumber party in her bed. I could not believe the girls slept with her in the guest bed all night long! She is a brave girl.

5.  Baby Madysen's baby shower (Angela and Starsky's baby). Dana's house warming party.

6.  Hosted Bunko at my house and all my rowdy friends came over:) Loads of fun but took me a few days to recover.

7.  Grandpa Hagel and Glenda came to town. Always nice spending time with them. We ate lots of BBQ all weekend and went to a Redbirds game. I can still taste the Rendezvous ribs we ate before heading over to the stadium.

8. Picked out shingles for a new roof - hard decision for us for some reason.  Usually we are both so decisive when it comes to things like that.  We stepped outside the box a little on this one (it doesn't match the roof of Jamie's detached garage.) Went with the 30 year architectural shingles made by Tamco in Black Walnut color (something tells me I'll need this info some day).

9.  Had dinner (kid-free) with a Missouri girlfriend that was in town working. Always nice to visit with a friend, over dinner and drinks without kids. It was 2 hours of peace and quiet and a whole plate of food to myself.

10.  Found out the under-belly of part of our house (under master bath) has been getting wet for 8 years and insurance isn't going to cover the cost of replacing the shower, 100 square feet of rotten wood and floors and a potentially dangerous mold problem. I'm not positive about the insurance but I'm waiting to hear back from the adjuster.  They already told me that rotten wood is not covered under homeowners insurance. Thank God we have not scheduled a Disney trip or beach trip for this fall, like we had hoped for.

I think that about wraps it up. So you see Blog, I've been slightly preoccupied. To complicate matters slightly, Jamie has been working a ton of overtime which makes me a single parent (not complaining cause we need it for excuse #9). As always, I'm ubber thankful to my Mom and Fred for saving my sanity. They watch the girls for me anytime I need help or when I need a break to go to the gym. Without them you would find me at our local mental health facility.

I promise to get better Blog. No more excuses. Because I truly want my daughters to have documentation of what their childhood was like through my eyes. Ohh how I love saying "my daughters." Ohh how I love being a Mommy.

Sincerely,
Hassie Clare and Quinnie Ray's Mom