Qunnie and I are cleaning our spare bedroom, just dusting and getting it ready for our out of town guests tomorrow. Hassie Clare and Jamie are at the grocery store getting goodies for the weekend. He let HC wear her favorite princess dress, glass slippers and a snow white crown. She was so excited.
Quinn is asking for more dusting spray every 10 seconds and when I don't answer her she asks me over and over and over "mommy, can I hab more spray" "Mommy can I hab more spray" Mommy can I hab more spray." So I sweetly put my index finger to my mouth and said "ssshhhhhh." Quinn answered back with "why did you say sshhhhhhh." I said "becuase you are talking A LOT." And she said "you don't want me to talk mommy." I squatted down to her level and said that I loved hearing her talk but maybe we could have some quiet time. She quickly replied "if I shhhhh then you can't hear what I need to tell you."
This conversation went on and on and on. So I just gave up. As I type this she is telling me all about the clip on earrings and necklace Daddy brought home for her today. They have only been talking for a year yet I find myself tuning them out ALL THE TIME. I hate that I do it but I can't help it especially when I'm busy doing something else.
Since I was dusting my desk I thought I'd do a quick blog entry.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Our Nanny Diaries
When Jamie and I were expecting our twins, we both felt strongly about one of us staying home with them the first few years. Unfortunately, both of our jobs are of the utmost importance to our family, for one reason or another, and our check book did not allow either of us to take a 3 year sabbatical. The next best scenario was for me to work full time from home and hire a nanny. Easier said then done but we made it happen ..... 3 years and going strong.
Our first nanny was the perfect "first nanny" for us. She helped me take care of our preemie newborn twins from the time they were 8 weeks old until they were 5.5 months old. She was a college senior and the daughter of one of my friends. She was loving, dependable and such a joy to be around. She feel in love with the girls and it showed in the way she cared for them. She jumped right in on washing bottles and clothes. She helped me manage my breast feeding and pumping schedule by washing all the supplies multiple times a day. She worked part time around her class schedule and I began working from home. It was a great fit but she graduated from college and had to move on into the "real world." We hated to lose her but I knew she would always be in touch and a part of the girls life in one way or another.
I found our second nanny by placing an online ad. She was my age and a Yankee - but I didn't hold this against her:) Her husband played hockey for our professional hockey team. He could get transferred at any time so she took the position knowing it would only be temporary. She was highly qualified, in fact, over qualified! She was great with the girls and jumped right in on Hassie Clare's physical therapy and stretching. She was perfect for us during this time. I was working more hours and her schedule allowed this. We would take the girls to hockey games on occasion and they loved all the noise and excitement. After 6 months, her husband got traded at the end of the hockey season. She was with us from age 5.5 months to 11 months. She loved the girls very much and still tells me how much she misses them to this day.
Which led me to our current nanny, Taylor (AKA Tay Tay). She started working for us about a month after the girls first birthday. She was barely 19 and had just moved here from Georgia to live with her boyfriend and go to college. She was young, seemed to bounce from job to job and I had many doubts. Boy did she prove me wrong!
She quickly proved how mature and responsible she was, which gained my trust. After the first few months, I knew she was the perfect fit for our family. She is trustworthy, dependable (NEVER misses work) and most of all, full of love. I trust her unconditionally with the most precious things in my life. I know that she loves Hassie Clare and Quinn with all her heart and that she would do anything for them. Her mother also loves my girls and is so sweet to them...they call her Mrs. Beth. Taylor takes them on outings as often as possible (they are at the zoo as I type this). She teaches them things every chance she gets. She helps me a great deal around the house and will do anything she can to make my life easier. Her and her fiance participate in our family events. The girls love her dearly and they miss her when she is not around. She has worked full time (30-40 hours per week) for us for 2 years now. She is very much a part of our family and always will be. She is 21 years old now and I know she will soon have to venture off into the world. I dread that day. I just hope she can hold off until Hassie Clare and Quinn go off to college:)
Behind them is a cake she made for the girl's 2nd birthday party.
With all that said, I have been extremely lucky with the nanny's we have hired to help us raise the girls while we work. I had some super scary interviews along the way which make for great stories. Like the Hispanic lady that said she could not sit in the floor or pick up the girls cause of a bad back. The girls were 12 months old. And throughout the very short interview she kept asking me "when I start" while the girls were trying to climb up her legs.
PS - It is just a coincidence that all our nanny's have been blonde andhot pretty. I swear Jamie had nothing to do with the hiring process!!!!
Our first nanny was the perfect "first nanny" for us. She helped me take care of our preemie newborn twins from the time they were 8 weeks old until they were 5.5 months old. She was a college senior and the daughter of one of my friends. She was loving, dependable and such a joy to be around. She feel in love with the girls and it showed in the way she cared for them. She jumped right in on washing bottles and clothes. She helped me manage my breast feeding and pumping schedule by washing all the supplies multiple times a day. She worked part time around her class schedule and I began working from home. It was a great fit but she graduated from college and had to move on into the "real world." We hated to lose her but I knew she would always be in touch and a part of the girls life in one way or another.
I found our second nanny by placing an online ad. She was my age and a Yankee - but I didn't hold this against her:) Her husband played hockey for our professional hockey team. He could get transferred at any time so she took the position knowing it would only be temporary. She was highly qualified, in fact, over qualified! She was great with the girls and jumped right in on Hassie Clare's physical therapy and stretching. She was perfect for us during this time. I was working more hours and her schedule allowed this. We would take the girls to hockey games on occasion and they loved all the noise and excitement. After 6 months, her husband got traded at the end of the hockey season. She was with us from age 5.5 months to 11 months. She loved the girls very much and still tells me how much she misses them to this day.
The third nanny ..... well, she really isn't worth mentioning. She was with us about 4 weeks. 3 weeks and 6 days too long! Evidently we paid her to talk on her cell phone, ignore the babies and not do a dang thing to help me out.
Which led me to our current nanny, Taylor (AKA Tay Tay). She started working for us about a month after the girls first birthday. She was barely 19 and had just moved here from Georgia to live with her boyfriend and go to college. She was young, seemed to bounce from job to job and I had many doubts. Boy did she prove me wrong!
She quickly proved how mature and responsible she was, which gained my trust. After the first few months, I knew she was the perfect fit for our family. She is trustworthy, dependable (NEVER misses work) and most of all, full of love. I trust her unconditionally with the most precious things in my life. I know that she loves Hassie Clare and Quinn with all her heart and that she would do anything for them. Her mother also loves my girls and is so sweet to them...they call her Mrs. Beth. Taylor takes them on outings as often as possible (they are at the zoo as I type this). She teaches them things every chance she gets. She helps me a great deal around the house and will do anything she can to make my life easier. Her and her fiance participate in our family events. The girls love her dearly and they miss her when she is not around. She has worked full time (30-40 hours per week) for us for 2 years now. She is very much a part of our family and always will be. She is 21 years old now and I know she will soon have to venture off into the world. I dread that day. I just hope she can hold off until Hassie Clare and Quinn go off to college:)
Behind them is a cake she made for the girl's 2nd birthday party.With all that said, I have been extremely lucky with the nanny's we have hired to help us raise the girls while we work. I had some super scary interviews along the way which make for great stories. Like the Hispanic lady that said she could not sit in the floor or pick up the girls cause of a bad back. The girls were 12 months old. And throughout the very short interview she kept asking me "when I start" while the girls were trying to climb up her legs.
I like to think that Hassie Clare and Quinn bring the goodness out in people. I like to think that each person in their life is a little bit better off or more at peace within themselves because of the love they feel from my kids. Maybe I only think this because I feel this way. Regardless, I truly am thankful to the wonderful nanny's that have helped us along the way. I have the best of both worlds. I get to work, from home, only a few closed doors away from my kids. Because of our nanny, I am as close as it gets to being a stay at home mom.
PS - It is just a coincidence that all our nanny's have been blonde and
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Hyper toddlers
The girls went to the zoo today. Beautiful weather. High of 90 degrees with little to no humidity. Unimaginable in Memphis this time of year. Taylor (our nanny) loves taking them to the zoo and I love that we get the most out of our membership.
After returning from the zoo, Taylor put the girls down for a nap and left early to run some errands ... thinking they would sleep good from getting worn down at the zoo. WRONG. They are bouncing off the walls, especially Hassie Clare.
I decided to ignore it and just continue working in my office, while listening to the giggles, conversation and thumps against their bedroom walls. Finally I decided to go in because Quinn was laughing uncontrollably.
Not surprisingly, I found Hassie Clare doing a head-stand in the corner of her room ... naked.
Once I stop laughing I'm going to strangle her. For obvious reasons, I didn't take a picture:)
After returning from the zoo, Taylor put the girls down for a nap and left early to run some errands ... thinking they would sleep good from getting worn down at the zoo. WRONG. They are bouncing off the walls, especially Hassie Clare.
I decided to ignore it and just continue working in my office, while listening to the giggles, conversation and thumps against their bedroom walls. Finally I decided to go in because Quinn was laughing uncontrollably.
Not surprisingly, I found Hassie Clare doing a head-stand in the corner of her room ... naked.
Once I stop laughing I'm going to strangle her. For obvious reasons, I didn't take a picture:)
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Populating the world, five kittens at a time.
The family hussy (AKA our cat Onyx) birthed 5 flippin kittens today. In 6 weeks from today, I promise we will get her fixed!
She had them under our big deck in the backyard. Thankfully, our nanny Taylor rescued them. There is one black one, one gray one and 3 orange tabby kittens. One of the orange ones has a backwards back leg.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Road Trip Warriors
On our way home last night from Missouri, just before midnight, I realized we have been traveling by vehicle A LOT lately. Here is a breakdown of our travels over the past 45 days:
Union, MO - 1 day (12 hours round trip)
Conway, AR - 1 day (6 hours round trip)
Cape Girardeau, MS - 3 days (6 hours round trip)
Orange Beach, AL - 8 days (18 hours round trip)
Union, MO (again) - 2 days (12 hours round trip)
Throughout these travels, our kids have been amazing. They take turns picking out movies to watch - Cinderella and the Hello Kitty Movie is ALWAYS in the selection), they sleep, eat snacks and bother Ruby as much as possible if she is with us. Speaking of which .... Ruby! The dog is an awesome traveler. She sleeps the entire way, only poking her nose up front occasionally for some love. We stop more often then Jamie and I would like, mostly at Uncle Donalds (AKA Mcdonalds) for the $1 sundea.
The rest of the month, we are home, sleeping in our own beds.
Union, MO - 1 day (12 hours round trip)
Conway, AR - 1 day (6 hours round trip)
Cape Girardeau, MS - 3 days (6 hours round trip)
Orange Beach, AL - 8 days (18 hours round trip)
Union, MO (again) - 2 days (12 hours round trip)
Throughout these travels, our kids have been amazing. They take turns picking out movies to watch - Cinderella and the Hello Kitty Movie is ALWAYS in the selection), they sleep, eat snacks and bother Ruby as much as possible if she is with us. Speaking of which .... Ruby! The dog is an awesome traveler. She sleeps the entire way, only poking her nose up front occasionally for some love. We stop more often then Jamie and I would like, mostly at Uncle Donalds (AKA Mcdonalds) for the $1 sundea.
The rest of the month, we are home, sleeping in our own beds.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Pig wrap
Yesterday I made the girls turkey dogs wrapped in cheese and croissant dough and baked them. I told them they were giant pigs in a blanket. Of course this prompted a 28 min discussion about pigs needing blankets, is the dough the pigs BB (what the girls call their favorite blanket), is the pig cold and if so where is it's mommy, why did I call the hot dog a pig, how it is not nice to call people or animals names, etc. After we got done eating Quinn said "Yum mommy that was good. I want another BB pig wrap."
It totally amazes me how information is processed in their little brains. They are so much smarter then I give them credit for. They retain EVERYTHING and are starting to question EVERYTHING. Cute, amazing, annoying .... all at the same time.
I need to start writing down all the stuff they say that makes me laugh so hard it hurts. Ohhh and for the record, I'm not positive but I think they are starting to talk back and develop attitudes.
It totally amazes me how information is processed in their little brains. They are so much smarter then I give them credit for. They retain EVERYTHING and are starting to question EVERYTHING. Cute, amazing, annoying .... all at the same time.
I need to start writing down all the stuff they say that makes me laugh so hard it hurts. Ohhh and for the record, I'm not positive but I think they are starting to talk back and develop attitudes.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Stuff
Adjusting to life / reality after vacation is a difficult task. I feel we need to quickly plan our next adventure so that we have something to talk about, plan for and get all excited about.
I think my body was reacting to shock after being pampered with a week at the beach by blessing me with a nice little head and chest cold. I spent all day Sun in bed thanks to my sweet and loving husband taking the girls out to lunch and shopping. They headed out for Chickalay. Forgot it was Sunday and Chickaly is closed on Sundays. So he took them to Buffalo Wild Wings (AKA Flullalo Wild Wings). They loved it and have asked every night to go back. Then they ventured off to Lowes and the grocery store. They love spending time with their daddy. I think their little shopping outings are so cute. He loves to shop (unlike me) and the girls LOVE to shop. Last night he took them to his other favorite store Best Buy and Hassie Clare confirmed that Best Buy was her favorite store because of all the movies and Quinn declared Target her favorite store because of all the babies and Walgreens coming in a close second.
On Friday afternoon Jamie's Uncle Kevin called and said he was pulled over (he is a truck driver) for 10 hours in our neighboring town. As always, I enjoyed his stories and take on life. He is one of those guys that explains things exceptionally well. He is a great story and joke teller and he can also teach anyone a poker game. A talent not many have. Yes, he is loud and vulgar but I think that is part of his genetic makeup ... and part of the reason I love him!
Also on Friday night I got the pleasure of spending it with my step sister VB. Her and her daughter Maddy came down for a visit. We spent a lot of time together as kids but only see each other occasionally as adults. I'm crazy about her kids. We took the girls out to dinner and then for ice cream. Jamie and Uncle Kevin opted for a boys dinner at a pizza joint. Afterwards we sat a talked, and talked, and talked. We talked about the past. We talked about the present. It felt really good to reconnect with her. We both promised to make more of an effort to stay in touch. We might even meet at the wineries in the fall for an adult weekend.
Yesterday I had a long standing appointment with an allergy doctor. He was my childhood allergist and my mom worked at the clinic for years. It was so nice to see everyone. They loved my mom and were so excited to hear about everyone in our family. After some allergy testing it was confirmed that I'm still allergic to EVERYTHING outside. My arm is still whelped up and itcy ... both of them. I got 7 prescriptions and a large bag of samples. Hopefully this will nip all this snot and sneezing in the bud.
This weekend we are going up to Missourri for baby Ben Randell's baptism. Jamie was asked to be his Godfather ... such an honor. I can't wait to meet the little guy and see our best buds Benji and Paige.
I've been a reading fool lately. Nothing too educational, mostly just for pleasure. I shop for books at a local used book store. Anyway, last night we went in after my 5 hour doctor appointment and I got a few books I've been wanting to read (The Shack and My Sister's Keeper). Even though I'm in the middle of a serial killer book, I decided to start The Shack. Needless to say, I've finished it in one night. Great, quick read and really makes you stop and think about life, faith and how quickly your life can change.
I think my body was reacting to shock after being pampered with a week at the beach by blessing me with a nice little head and chest cold. I spent all day Sun in bed thanks to my sweet and loving husband taking the girls out to lunch and shopping. They headed out for Chickalay. Forgot it was Sunday and Chickaly is closed on Sundays. So he took them to Buffalo Wild Wings (AKA Flullalo Wild Wings). They loved it and have asked every night to go back. Then they ventured off to Lowes and the grocery store. They love spending time with their daddy. I think their little shopping outings are so cute. He loves to shop (unlike me) and the girls LOVE to shop. Last night he took them to his other favorite store Best Buy and Hassie Clare confirmed that Best Buy was her favorite store because of all the movies and Quinn declared Target her favorite store because of all the babies and Walgreens coming in a close second.
On Friday afternoon Jamie's Uncle Kevin called and said he was pulled over (he is a truck driver) for 10 hours in our neighboring town. As always, I enjoyed his stories and take on life. He is one of those guys that explains things exceptionally well. He is a great story and joke teller and he can also teach anyone a poker game. A talent not many have. Yes, he is loud and vulgar but I think that is part of his genetic makeup ... and part of the reason I love him!
Also on Friday night I got the pleasure of spending it with my step sister VB. Her and her daughter Maddy came down for a visit. We spent a lot of time together as kids but only see each other occasionally as adults. I'm crazy about her kids. We took the girls out to dinner and then for ice cream. Jamie and Uncle Kevin opted for a boys dinner at a pizza joint. Afterwards we sat a talked, and talked, and talked. We talked about the past. We talked about the present. It felt really good to reconnect with her. We both promised to make more of an effort to stay in touch. We might even meet at the wineries in the fall for an adult weekend.
Yesterday I had a long standing appointment with an allergy doctor. He was my childhood allergist and my mom worked at the clinic for years. It was so nice to see everyone. They loved my mom and were so excited to hear about everyone in our family. After some allergy testing it was confirmed that I'm still allergic to EVERYTHING outside. My arm is still whelped up and itcy ... both of them. I got 7 prescriptions and a large bag of samples. Hopefully this will nip all this snot and sneezing in the bud.
This weekend we are going up to Missourri for baby Ben Randell's baptism. Jamie was asked to be his Godfather ... such an honor. I can't wait to meet the little guy and see our best buds Benji and Paige.
I've been a reading fool lately. Nothing too educational, mostly just for pleasure. I shop for books at a local used book store. Anyway, last night we went in after my 5 hour doctor appointment and I got a few books I've been wanting to read (The Shack and My Sister's Keeper). Even though I'm in the middle of a serial killer book, I decided to start The Shack. Needless to say, I've finished it in one night. Great, quick read and really makes you stop and think about life, faith and how quickly your life can change.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Beach Vacation 2009
She takes my breathe away. 
She makes me smile, inside and out.
My blog entry about our trip to Orange Beach with family and friends could go on and on and on. So, I thought I would sum it up with my Top 10 Favorite things about our vacation and tons of photos.
- The Hagel's (David, Jennifer, Jack, Josie), The Ofenhuesle's (Will, Stephanie, Noah, Anna) & The Usery's (Richard, Janet). What a great group of folks. I loved spending my vacation with each and every one of them.
- The condo. This place was SAAAWWEEETTT. 4 bedrooms, 4.5 baths. A massive balcony overlooking the ocean. Open floor plan. Plenty of space for all of us.
- The pool. Our building had the best pool set up, especially if you have little ones. It had a nice walk in pool with a couple of little waterfalls. It had a decent size lazy river, which I enjoyed thoroughly. Off the lazy river it had another pool area with a pretty big sized twisty slide (for the record - Quinn loved going down this slide with her cousin Josie. HC said she would go down it when she got a little bit bigger).
- The ocean and sand. Watching Hassie Clare and Quinn's face and their expression when they saw and touched the ocean for the first time was priceless for me. One of my favorite things about being a parent is getting to watch these 2 precious souls experience things for the first time. It fills my heart up every time. Jamie worked with Quinn for 2 days before she starting enjoying the sand and water. It only took Hassie Clare about 15 mins. I'm not mentioning any names (NANA) but someone told them that little sharks would nibble on their toes. So every sea shell they stepped on they thought it was shark teeth. Once they calmed down, I loved taking them out in the ocean to "jump" waves and just enjoying the serenity of it all.
- The food. We each took turns cooking dinner and every night the food was fabulous. Of course it was all seafood or steak!
- The entertainment. The girls had such a good time playing with Noah (also 3), his sister Anna (1) and their cousins Jack and Josie. We had dance parties on the balcony (video evidence), lots of story telling and just hanging out enjoying each other's company. I don't care who ya are, this group of folks are fun people. We spent every day at the ocean and pool and every night on the balcony.
- Time with my husband. Getting away from our normal routine and the every day stresses of life was fantastic. We even enjoyed the long road trip. Just being in the car without a care in the world. We talked and laughed about silly things. I truly enjoyed my time with him and I can't wait to get away with him again...hopefully soon (wink wink Maema and Nana).
- My float trips with Quinnie. On the lazy river they had tubes that were perfect for floating on. On more then one occasion, Quinn curled up on my chest and feel asleep. One day I floated for over an hour and a half with her asleep on my chest. I loved it!
- Watching Hassie Clare find sea shells (or as she says "SHE SHELLS). Most of you already know that she is obsessed with rocks. You can imagine how nuts she went when she discovered sea shells. It would take her FOREVER to walk on the beach because she would stop and collect every piece of shell she could find. I thought I narrowed her collection down to 2 baggies full but I keep finding them everywhere. In her car seat, wash machine, under her pillow, etc.
- I know I've already listed this but one of my favorite parts of this vacation was hanging out with everyone. I loved getting to know Noah and Anna. I enjoyed all the mommy / wife conversations with the girls. I loved spending quality time with my niece Josie. I laughed like never before on our party nights on the balcony. I can't wait to go on vacation again with this group!
I now fully understand why people "do whatever they have to do" to take vacations with their family. This was only the second full week of vacation I have taken in 11 years (since graduate school). The quality time you get with your family while on vacation is unforgettable. It was, in a nutshell ..... fun!
Sisterly love ... or is it the sleeper hold?
Hassie Clare and I enjoying a stroll in the lazy river.
Me and my good lookin' bro David.
The girls WORSHIP their cousin Josie. She is such a sweet and loving little girl. I'm kind of crazy about her myself.
Stealing smooches from Hassie Clare in the pool.
Kids night with Kristi. I think we were doing yoga or stretching it out for a mean game of Duck, Duck, Goose.
Jamie just stuck the camera in this tub slide at the Oyster House and captured this picture.
Umple Dave, Cousin Jack (or Jack-A-Poo as HC says) and Hassie Clare feeding fish.
Sitting at a "kids" table for the first time by herself. Noah took care of her. When she ran out of Goldfish he came over to our table to tell me she was out and asked if she could have more. Such a gentleman!
Quinnie in her"kini."
99.9% sure that she is hauling "she shells."
Love at first sight. Noah and Quinn stayed by each other as much as they could. We found them on more then one occasion playing in the closet (aka the girl's bedroom). Needless to say, they will need to be monitored closer when we vacation together in 12 years:)
Quinnie's favorite part of vacation - snow cones at the pool.
Hassie Clare rinsing her feet off. 
The girls trying to avoid fish guts on a pier.
Bathing beauty.
The kids and I made a sign with all their hand prints one evening (minus Jack ... but he's not really a kid anymore, at least he doesn't think so).
The closet in our bedroom was HUGE. The girls put their new Princess blow up beds in there and called it their room. All the kids loved playing in this closet!
My original thoughts were to upload a video of the rock stars that made an appearence on our balcony at the beach. Can you believe Beyonce and her 2 sidekicks showed up to put on a performance for us?????? After reviewing the video, I felt it was in the entertainers best interest not to share this video with the public.
Ahhhhh ... the memories.
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