Way Back When-esday: 11 months old

I can't do it. I can't pick just one. They all warm my heart and make me smile so big that it consumes my entire body. Ahhh ..... what I would give for one more day with them at this age. Just to kiss their bellies or smell there slobbery little necks. I want to hold them and rock them to sleep on more time when they were this age. Just one more time I swear:)

11 months old - May 2011

First time trying out sippy cups. Huge hit!

They still play on this Kangaroo Climber! Q on top, HC on the bottom.

Hassie Clare Bear loved the sound of her hands clapping. She still sits on her feet like this and it drives me crazy!

Man I love those chunky thighs! Jamie bolted 2 swings together so we could push them at the same time without them crashing into eachother.

Quinnie Ray teething on the Kangaroo Climber (FYI -best toddler contraption ever.)

Hassie Clare and Daddy taking a siesta.

Quinn

Hey Elvis .... uncross your eyes!

HC on left, Q on right

Quinnie in baby-jail .... or is she under a bar stool???

4th Birthday Party - The Little Gym

Last night the girls and I were looking at pics on my blog and one of them asked “where are our birthday party pictures?” Sure enough …. I forgot. 20 years from know when they are reading this they might not think they had a 4th birthday party. I can’t let that happen! So here ya go Quinnie Ray and Hassie Clare …. here are pictures from that day that Hassie Clare said “this is the best day I ever had.”

The Little Gym

Sat. 6/12/10 from 4:30 – 6pm

HC picked a Barbie cake and Quinn picked a Princess Tiana cake

Amanda & Quinnie (a good friend from Mother's Day Out and church)

The girls with Katie (a very sweet little girl in our neighborhood - AKA prime babysitter in a few years:)

HC and cousin Jo Jo with crazy teeth

Afterwards, a bunch of folks from the party headed down the street (literally less then a quarter mile away) to our house for a hoe down! I had pizza and all kinds of party food. Not to mention peach daiquiri’s and spiked lemonade for the grown-ups. The evening was full of laughter, stories and sweaty kids. During one fierce game of hide-n-go seek, I realized that I could not ask for a better way to celebrate their birthday. We have the best friends and family EVER. I don't have many pics from the festivites at our house cause Jamie got called out to work ..... so I was running the show solo. Besides that, it was a great day!!!!

Uncle Brent pushing Quinnie and Ella Grace

Fashion Show Diva's - Josie, Katie, Hassie Clare & Olivia (seeing that beaming smile on Hassie Clare just melts my heart.) They did a parade and fashion show with multiple wardrobe changes!

Kiddo Attendees: Josie, Jack, Corbin and friend, Kayden, Olivia, Isabella, Katie, Ella Grace, Amanda, Macy Kate, Munro, Maggie, Grant, Mary Ellen

First boat ride

#1st hurdle - getting Quinn in a life jacket.
#2nd hurdle - getting Quinn to swim in lake water.
#3rd hurdle - keeping Hassie Clare from jumping out of the boat.
#4th hurdle - convincing Hassie Clare that she can't swim by herself without a flotation device in the middle of the lake.

All minor hurdles that proved not to be challenging. Well, except the first hurdle. I worked on that one for about a week straight with Hassie Clare's help, several times a day. And I couldn't be more proud of her.

We drove about an hour south to Lake Enid to meet some friends (thank you Angela and Starsky) that invited us down for the day to swim, boat, tube, eat and hang out in an air-conditioned camper (or maybe it was a 5th wheel ... not sure). Despite a little rain, lots of clouds and 100 degree heat, it was a great day to be in the water. The girls had a blast. It convinced Jamie and I that we have 2 little outdoor girls after all and we might consider buying a little pop-up camper and a little boat (despite Jamie's begs and pleas for super nice boat with a sleeper cabin).

For obvious reasons we didn't take a camera but here are a few shots from Jamie's phone:

Quinnie with her nervous smile sitting in Daddy's lap.

 HC flying a Buzz Light Year kite (well worth the .25 cents even though he is swimming with the fishies now)

Something about floating on water makes Quinn instantly sleepy. Always has.

Jamie & HC tubein' (that's how we say it in these parts:) 

 Me & Quinnie tubein' - she shocked us all and asked to go first. We couldn't believe how brave she was being at the lake.)

We got home, I put everyone to bed, unpacked all our stuff from the day and I headed down the street to my neighbor / BFF / friend of 20+ years. Between kids, jobs, families, etc., we never get time to just hang out by ourselves and talk. Well .... we spent 4.5 hours just sitting and talking and drinking and laughing and crying. It was fabulous. We decided that professional counseling is overrated and that we both NEEDED this desperately. With good intentions, we made plans to do this once a month. But the next time we vowed to have a midnight cut-off instead of a 3am cutoff.

Adventures in Union, MO

Once again we packed up the extra large grocery getter and headed about an hour west of St. Louis to Union, MO. We arrived about 1:30am Sat morning. The last hour of the ride was spent with Quinn screaming from pure exhaustion and me with car sickness (I was turned around in my seat trying to comfort Quinn) from the curvy back roads Jamie decided to take. Thankfully this was the worst part of our weekend.

Hassie Clare felt 4 hours of sleep was plenty. As soon as the sun came up she whispered to me "It's a bright, bright sunny day Mommy." I'm not sure what I hollered politely said back to her but she went back to sleep for few minutes. This went on every 30 minutes until 8:30 when we finally agreed to let the girls get up. They absolutely love being at Maema's house. I'm not exaggerating when I say that she has just as many toys at her house then we do at our house. She had already told they girls about a few of the new toys (Buzz Light Year Costume, Annie wig, movies, all the characters of The Wizard of Oz) so their excitement was at an all time high. On top of all that they were super pumped to spend time with their Aunt Jodie.

Events of the weekend in order:

• swimming at Paige's mom's house with all the kids
• smelled Crystal Meth cooking for the first time (and hopefully the last time) - see story below
• 40th birthday party for Jamie's childhood friend Dale Gerding at the city park
• Maema's retirement party at Haggie's - see pics
• Dinner and drinks (adults only) with the Hammer's, Alsops, Worth's
• Water park with the Hammer's and Alsops (Chan and Cam)
• Ice Cream & Junk food with the Hammer's at Dairy Queen - see pic
• tour of Union High School where Jamie's Dad works

Story - We had a few hours to kill so I thought I would get some exercise in and take Ruby for a walk. It was high noon and we headed up a small country road near Maema's house. This road leads up to a church at the top of a big hill with a cemetery in the front. In route, I walked by a small, dilapidated trailer park. At first I thought to myself that someone was baking something. Then the smell hit me and I knew exactly what it was. It smelled like chemicals and someone getting a perm mixed together and being microwaved. Needless to say, Ruby and I picked up our pace and got the heck away from there:)

We didn't get home until 3am Tues morning. We squeezed a few too many things into 3 short days. But I don't think we would have done anything differently. It was a great weekend. My mother in law always makes our trips up there so easy. I've promised everyone that we will come back more often. Our next trip up there is already planned in October!

Qunnie AKA "Super Girl"

Buzz Light Year striking a pose

Maema with her little boy and granddaughters at her retirement party.

Hassie Clare playing with 3 turtles at the retirement party .... long story behind the turtles.

Maema opening up presents. This is thong panties holding adult diapers with money stashed in the panties. The funny thing about this story is the gift giver called after the party and asked for her panties back!

This picture cracks me up.

Best Friend's Forever - Morgan, Quinn, Jenna, Hassie Clare

The girls swimming in Maema's ginormous bathtub.

We made it! Another fun filled, family weekend with lots of new memories made.

Funnies (from the past few days)

1) Quinnie "Hey Mommy. Did you know ...."
Hassie Clare butts in "the shunshine is shiny."
Quinnie "Hey Mommy, I was thinking ....."
Hassie Clare butts in again "I'm going to take my umbrella today like Mary Poppins."
Quinnie "Hey Mommy, the early day I was ...."
Hassie Clare butts in yet again "Sometimes when I hold my head like this I ...."
Quinnie screams bloody murder "HAS ... STOP RENTERRUPTING ME!!!"
**I think this might be the largest word in Quinnie's vocabulary, even though she doesn't say it quite right. And I love the way HC says sunshine ... I never correct her.**

2) Hassie Clare "My poo poo's look like acorns. I think that means I'm a squirrel."
**for some reason we have always looked in the potty afterwards and picked out animal shapes (for the record I don't do it personally - only with the girls). Weird none the less... I know (sorry Penney ... I know this topic grosses you out:)!

3) Quinnie "Hey. You know what Sayyyra (she means Sarah but she says it with her best Mississippi southern drawl). I had boogers in my eyes this morning."
Sarah "Did the Sand Man come visit you last night?"
Quinnie "No. He was the Booger Man."
**I overheard this conversation as they were walking out the door to go to Kroger to get supplies to make letter cookies today. Quinnie Ray is so literal ... ALL THE TIME.**

4) As I was walking out of the girls room after our nightly ritual, Hassie Clare said, "I love you Mommy. You're my best friend." Quinnie said "You're my best friend too Mommy."
**Boy do they know how to warm my heart up. Sniff. Sniff. I'm blogging about this so in 12 years I have proof and can show them that at one point in their life they DID like me:)**

My Mommy is my best friend too. Even though I like to call her Billy Bob sometimes:)

Woo Hoo

Hassie Clare and Quinn had their very first weekend trip away from Mommy and Daddy. Granted it was only 5 miles down the road to Nana and Paw Paw's house but .... it was still two nights away from the comforts of their own home and their parents.  Of course my mom always makes it special with different presents and treats. They played outside in the little kiddie pool, watched movies and played with all of Nana's toys until their little hearts were content. I'm sure they ate way too much sugar and ate anything they wanted. Hassie Clare probably convinced them that I feed them ice cream for breakfast:) They are so lucky to have such wonderful grandparents that cater to their every need and love them unconditionally.

As for Jamie and I, we headed down south to spend the weekend at the lake. A good friend of mine invited us to stay on their boat at Pickwick Lake. I can't provide too many details because A) my kids will read this someday and there are just some things your kids should not have to read about you and B) what happens at Pickwick stays at Pickwick. No cameras were allowed because as Penney says, "The memories you make will forever be embedded in your mind... you don't need pictures for that."  Boy was she right. Jamie and I will remember this weekend for many years to come. It was the first time in 5 years that we have had a totally "worry-free" weekend. It cleansed our souls and rejuvenated our minds. I felt smitten about my husband again and I think he felt the same. I'm so thankful to our good friends Penney and Tim for sharing their lovely boat, cooking our delicious meals (everything taste better on a boat in the middle of a lake), but most of all I'm thankful for the time we had with our friends and the laughs we shared. We could have fun with those crazy kats anywhere!

PS - Their boat's name is Woo Hoo. The waves of the lake made me sleep like a baby.
PSS - My body is burnt to a crisp. Evidently SPF15 is not strong enough for this big, white body of mine.
PSSS - We missed our little girls like crazy but Jamie and I are already thinking about our next "grown up only" getaway. I wonder where we will go? I'm 100% convinced that these little trips make us better parents. At least I keep telling myself this:)
PSSSS - The only possible picture I have to share is of Jamie and I on the jet ski, hauling butt down the river next to the Woo Hoo after trying to see goats on Goat Island. I think I saw Penney trying to take a picture but I'll have to confirm that with her!

Gym Rat

So .... I'm waiting to hear back from the doctor on some of Hassie Clare's blood work. Frustrating, especially since I called the lab and they sent the results on Friday to her pediatrician. I'm sticking with the philosophy that no news is good news. My hopes are that the lab results come back with just a small minor problem that we can fix by altering something in her diet. That way we know what is causing her wrinkly burns (aka foot cramps) but it will be nothing serious. FINGERS CROSSED.

I finally got my closet cleaned out. HALLELUJAH. AMEN. 2 large garbage bags for Goodwill and 2 extra large plastic bins for re-sale. Of course my closet looks naked. But I've decided that I will not buy anymore clothes until I drop another size. Okay ... maybe just not anymore clothes this summer. Cause it might be a long while until I go down another size:)

Speaking of diet ... I'm still at a standstill on weight loss. I'm working my hiney off in the gym. Jamie called me a "gym rat" the other day. Best compliment ever. My body is getting strong and I'm in the best shape I've been in since college volleyball. But I'm not losing any weight. Here is the problem - I'm eating and drinking whatever I want on the weekends. During the week .... I follow a low calorie diet perfectly. I work out 4 or 5 times a week. Working out has been great for me ... physically and mentally. Sure I have aches and pains that I never had before but the overall benefits have been great. In fact, I have an ice pack on my knee as I'm typing this. My total weight loss to date is 52 pounds. My goal was to lose 80 pounds. So ... I need to decide if I want to reach my goal and lose another 30 pounds or just maintain the comfortable weight I am right now. Ahhh what the heck  ... I'll just go for it. What do I have to lose (no pun intended)?

My mom officially saved my butt last week. Our nanny Sarah went on a (much deserved) vacation. Of course this left me without child care. So my wonderful mother took my kids in for the week. Each day I would drop them off after breakfast and pick them up in the late afternoon after I left the gym. It actually made my week very easy. She fed them special snacks and healthy meals (except one day they ordered pizza for lunch and ate waffles and doughnuts for breakfast:). They did fun projects some days and were lazy on other days. I wonder what they will remember about spending time at their Grandparent's house? I'm not sure what I would do without her. She helps me in so many ways. I've relied on her mentally for years but I'm starting to rely on her physical help now and I must admit ... it feels pretty darn good. I had no idea how comforting it would be to have them live so close and be such a big part of my family. It is almost like she carries some of my life "weight" around for me. Priceless.

Jamie and I are hoping for a little (much needed) get-a-way to the lake with friends this weekend. It will be so nice to have some adult time with no worries. If it doesn't work out then I'm going to plan a weekend trip for us sometime in the near future. I feel it all the way to my bones that we need to step away from our lovely, crazy life and be selfish for a day or two.

Sometimes I wish I could follow Hassie Clare and Quinn around with a microphone. They are freakishly hilarious. The stuff they come up with is seriously funny stuff. I need to keep a notebook out to write down some of this stuff.  Hassie Clare drops one liners constantly - mostly quotes from movies. She is starting to use them appropriately. Quinn is so gullible and naive so her humor is usually at her own expense. I love how they tickle me to my core on a daily basis.

That is all I got for right now. Life is good.

Way back When-esday: HC & Nana

DATE:  first week of July 2006

LOCATION:  changing table in the nursery

I think this is when my mom and Hassie Clare's special bond first started.  For the record, it is still going strong. Hassie Clare is 3.5 weeks old and weighed 4.9 pounds. The straps with the cords are the sleep apnea monitor that both the girls wore for 6 months. Something about his picture just warms my heart and makes me feel all fuzzy.

Independence Day 2010 - Cape

For the third year in a row, we went to Cape Girardeau, MO for a family gathering at Aunt Caryn's and cousin's Debbie & John. They are incredible gracious hosts and they go out of their way to make sure fun is had by all.
We stayed in our bathing suits all weekend, ate LOTS and LOTS of good food, played poker every night, drank just enough not to feel bad the next day, kicked some booty at water volleyball and swam until our hearts were content.
I think we brought the camera but it never made it out of the suitcase. Luckily, Maema took some pics with her phone and emailed them to me.

Quinnie Ray is serious about water safety. She stays cautious all times.

Not surprisingly, Hassie Clare is not afraid of ANYTHING and has to be watched at all times in the water. Thankfully she can swim just enough to get herself out of trouble.

Way Back When-esday: First Rodeo - BFF Cowgirls

Sept. 2009 - 2.3 years old

This picture was taken right after we got home from our first rodeo. It was really late and way past our bedtime but we were all having such a good time. The girls LOVED every part of the rodeo and afterwards we went and ate their favorite (still their favorite to this day) - Messkigen food.

I love how happy they both look in this picture. Quinn carried her BB (still would if I let her) everywhere she went and that little yellow Volkswagon car. And Hassie Clare with her little banged up knees. I just want to reach into this picture and pinch their little chubby, toddler cheeks!

Wrinkly Burns

Hassie Clare has been having massive foot cramps for about 6 months. They come on quick and fierce. Her calf muscle turns into a giant know and her foot twists in ways that I didn't think are possible. When she first starting having them she would scream so loud you would have thought we were pulling her toenails out with tweezers and dipping her toes in rubbing alcohol. When they first started my mom asked her if it felt like wiggly worms under her skin in her foot. She said "Yes. It feels like wrinkly burns." So we call them wrinkly burns.

Some other weird things that have gone on with her is constant thirst, gets tired very easily - especially in the heat (she can handle about 30 mins and then she just lays down), little appetite, craves fruit (watermelon, oranges, grapes - anything that is juicy) and sleeps VERY hard. A few months ago, her pediatrician was convinced she had a magnesium deficiency. He told me to keep her hydrated (give her as much to drink as she wants), don't let her get over heated, etc. She shows all the signs of being slightly dehydrated so ..... keep her hydrated.

Let me back up a bit ... have you ever let a 3 or 4 your old drink as much as they want at night? Needless to say, she has to wear a pull up at night and sometimes even that can't stop all the peepee. But her wetting the bed isn't a concern for us. As our doctor said, "you won't be sending her off to college with a suit case of pull-ups."  Her cramps first started when I started limiting her fluid intake to keep her from having to go potty so much at night.

As soon as we let her start drinking as much H20 as she wanted we noticed a big difference. Her wrinkly burns only happened once or twice a week and I could usually predict when she would have them (if I didn't keep her hydrated well that day or if we were out and about).

Fast forward 5 months and it has become a HUGE problem again recently. Keeping her hydrated no longer works. The past few days she has been getting them all day and night. She is miserable and so am I.

So ... we go see her doctor in the morning and I'm a little nervous. For the first time ever, she is scared about going to the doctor. For some reason, she thinks they are going to cut her wrinkly burns out of her. I probably should stop letting her watch Gray's Anatomy re-runs with me:) I assured her that they aren't going to cut her open. Now if someone could assure me that she is okay then we will all be happy:)

Happy Monday - and all things unrelated

Hassie Clare is swimming. No doggie paddling but full on "under the water" swimming. She is a fish. Every time we go swimming she swims further and further without assistance.
Quinn doesn't mind getting her face wet once of twice when we go swimming but she doesn't want the top of her head to get wet. Shocker.

The girls are falling in love with their lovely new nanny Sarah. She is so patient and loving. They still use and abuse her but she is learning their tricks and handles the challenge well. On Fridays she always brings something special for them to make. One week it was gummy worms and dirt (Oreos) pudding. Last week they made a fish tank (blue jello with gummy fish). I can't believe the summer is almost half over and we will be losing her:(

My "get healthy challenge" is still going well...kind of. I've been at a standstill for about 5 weeks. My workouts are going great but my diet is slacking. I eat perfectly all week, drink tons of water, etc. On the weekends, I splurge. I don't eat bad all weekend but we have started eating out again and I pretty much order whatever I want. So I'm balancing everything out. I gain 2-5 pounds every weekend and lose it during the week. One of these weekends I'm going to stick to my diet and hopefully drop some more weight. I can't imagine not working out. I still hit the gym 4 to 5 times a week. I love it. I feel so strong. I weigh what I weighed in my mid 20's and that is a comfortable weight for me - even though I have plenty more weight to lose. I think that is why I've been living it up on the weekends. I'm content. Hopefully I'll get sick of being content and want to start working toward my goal again:)

Speaking of splurging on the weekends - We went to dinner Saturday night with my mom and Fred to this fabulous "hole in the wall" steak house down in Mississippi. It was one of the best steaks I've ever eaten and the best Bloody Mary's I ever drank. The football size baked potatoes probably had more real butter in them then actual potato. My jaws are watering as I type this!

On Father's Day, Jamie wanted to take the girls to a movie (he originally wanted to go to The Pink Palace Museum but they are closed on Sundays). So we loaded up and met mom and Fred at the movies to watch Toy Story III in 3d. It was a great movie. And boy oh boy do I love to hear Fred laugh. It tickles my soul. I took on potty duty so I missed a bunch of the movie. Quinn is in love with Jessie and has asked that we call her Jessie. Hassie Clare loves Woody but she still wants us to call her Alice with a bleeding boo boo ... but we can just call her Alice for short (she is referring to the part in the spooky Alice in Wonderland when Alice cuts her arm. I think HC likes the dress Alice was wearing during that part of the movie:).  We rewarded Jamie with an air conditioner for his garage and some ice cream for being such a good Daddy:) All and all ... a great family day.

I'm getting a new iphone 4 and Jamie is reaaalllllyyy excited:) I'm excited about having a decent camera on my phone and being able to pull up work info while I'm on the go. I'm sure by the time my girls read this they will laugh at how "old school" the iphone 4 was back in the day.

Here are a few recent pics from Jamie's old, ratty iphone (hehehehe) -

HC in the Alice dress Maema got her.

Maema, Kevin and some crazy lady:)

Jessie and Alice with a bleeding boo boo (wearing Woody PJ's)

8 years of bliss

June 22, 2010

A love letter for my love.


Eight years is a long time but not long enough. I’ve realized in the past few years that you are the person I was meant to be with for all of time. The first few years were consumed with love, lust and all the good things that come from early relationships. The middle few years were a little more complicated spent routing out our future together as a family. The last few years have been extremely comfortable. I’ve settled into my role as your wife and a mother to our children. It all feels exactly right and I realize now that this is EXACTLY where I’m supposed to be. In your arms … forever and always.

Our love is unique in so many ways. It is unyielding, trusting, unquestioning, fairly original and so very, very sweet. And I know you feel the same way because you show me in special ways all the time.

I’m grateful that I’m your wife. You chose me and that makes me the luckiest woman in the world. At the time of our wedding, I didn’t think it would be possible to love you anymore then I did on that day. Boy was I wrong. I love you just as I did 8 years ago today but I love you so much more in so many different ways.

You are my everything. Without you, I could exist but my life would be unfilled. Without your touch, my heart would ache. Without your laugh, my soul would be bare. Without your love, I would be empty.

Your wife of 8 years,
Kristi

Fashion Divas

The #1 most popular activity in our house is playing dress up. My kids clothes come off the second they walk in the door or wake up. They have a trunk full of princess dresses, ballet outfits, gymnastics gear - courtesy of Maema. They are most fond of their shoes. They have an extra large bin full of every shoe you can imagine. Tap shoes are popular and bright, sparkly shoes are also a hit. Also courtesy of Maema.

I have a deal with the girls. I pick their outfits, shoes and hair accessories when we leave the house and they pick their clothes, shoes and hair accessories when we are at the house.

Here is why:

Please note that Quinn is wearing a fur lined coat and it is 100 degrees outside.

Leotard, Cooking apron, black tap shoes with some Hello Kitty undies poking out:)

Kimono, head band and something lacy

This is a hot mess. I'm not sure what is going on here. I think they were having a fashion show with some friends.

This look isn't that bad but something tells me she had on some wild shoes!