A Man and Three Little Ladies

A recap of Christmas 2011

2012-01-19T00:13:00.002-06:00

This free picture slideshow generated with Smilebox

Hanna's 6th birthday party

2011-12-07T21:31:00.005-06:00

I took Hanna's birthday invitation to Publix and they printed it on the cake. Love.

Getting ready to paint ornaments.

Hanna picked a christmas tree.

This picture cracks me up! She is a really sweet friend from Hanna's class and I love her momma! But she will not smile!

Harry playing his guitar. Love this kid. He and Hanna are the "bestest" buds.

So proud of her tree!

Lucas with his cowboy boot ornament.

Our neighbor Megan.

Our sweet friend and neighbor Ella.

Haley and her gray-ish christmas tree.

Haley's "boyfriend" Coop.

Singing happy birthday to the birthday girl!

She is such a big girl!

Hanna and Haley had a great time with all their friends at the party. And I love that it was not at my house this year!!!

Down on the farm!

2011-11-07T08:50:00.003-06:00

Haley loved the tire swings.

This is as close as Haley got to riding a horse.

After riding with Kris, Hanna wanted to go again by herself. I was so proud of her!

We went to our neighbor Richie's birthday party over the weekend. It was on a farm just down the road. They have rodeos periodically and sell their own organic beef. It was a beautiful day to be outside. The girls had a lot of fun running around and playing with friends. After horseback riding and pizza we all went on a hay ride around the farm then back to have birthday cake. So glad we are getting some use out of these cowgirl boots!

More treats!

2011-10-31T21:49:00.003-05:00

Introducing Strawberry Shortcake and the roughest, toughest cowgirl in TN.....with her pink horse, aptly named, cotton candy.

Looking for our first candy fix.

I love Haley's wig!!!! And after tonight, it's mine!

After we finished plundering for candy we came home, jammed up and watched The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. It isn't Halloween without it! I loved it as a kid and still do. I think the girls had just as much fun handing out candy the rest of the evening as they did trick or treating. Whew! I am officially Halloween'ed out.

Chardonnay Halloween party

2011-10-31T21:30:00.004-05:00

Some special treats I made for the party.

Our white trash neighbors. ;-)

All of the ladies that dressed up for the occasion.

'Sup?

Cowgirl and cowboy costumes were all the rage this Halloween!

We had a couple pinatas.......like they wouldn't get plenty of candy trick or treating.

We also had a mummy wrapping contest and witch's brew scavenger hunt. Hanna and Haley had a blast! Our cul-de-sac was in charge of the Halloween party and it was so much fun to plan. I have to say though, I am soooooooo glad it's over! Halloween party......CHECK!

Dress-up day at ballet

2011-10-31T21:18:00.004-05:00

Haley was very serious and watched her instructor the whole time. I was quite proud.

Showing some of her dance moves.

Haley told me later that the pirate girl did not like her freckles.

Kind of a sad looking bunch aren't they? They look completely clueless. The pink/white girl on the far end cracked me up. Honest to goodness, she never moved but stared at her mom the entire time with her hand in her mouth. Her costume kept falling off which she never bothered to fix. It's always a relief when your child is the one participating the most!

Back-to-school bash

2011-09-25T22:42:00.010-05:00

The Clovercroft PTO had a little soiree of sorts at the school Friday evening in celebration of "Pony Up" week a.k.a. spirit week. Jason came home early from work with a migraine so we went sans Daddy. We went to our neighbor's house for pizza beforehand so we could load up on cotton candy later. All Haley really wanted was popcorn but when I went to get her some they were all out so she got a bag of Cheetos instead.

We bounced in the jumpy house, ate cotton candy, played with friends and got faces painted pretty much in that order. The first three activities took up about 30 minutes of our time while face painting was for the duration of our stay. I thought when we got in line that the estimated time might possibly be 20-30 min and while I know that even seems like a long time, it would have been welcomed. It ended up being more like 45 min to an hour.

I don't even know what took so long but after standing there for 20 min minutes it was out of sheer stubbornness that I wouldn't budge until we got our damn faces painted. And by "we" I mean Hanna & Haley; although, I did think about getting the word SUCKER painted on my forehead. By that time Haley said she would have some cotton candy as she didn't want any before. By the time we left, the metal bins of spun sugar were all emptied out.

We came home, watched Rio and ate popcorn and admired our painted faces for as long as we could before bedtime.

Hanna and Ella

Hanna was delighted to see Harry. I hear about this little guy more than anyone else from school. They sit together in class and in the lunchroom. She loves him! but says he's just a friend. Could he be any cuter??

After cotton candy but before face painting.

Hanna took a picture of us while in line. Note the half-full water bottle in my hand.....it was empty by the end and I was very uncomfortable.

I think it was totally worth the wait......the things we do for our kids.

Spirit week

2011-09-25T21:42:00.004-05:00

Last week was spirit week at Hanna's school and I am pretty sure it was as much fun for me (if not more) than it was for Hanna. I have fond memories from my school days of twin day, school spirit day, farmer day, etc. There will be many more spirit weeks over the next 12 years but I want to preserve these sweet memories of kindergarten for Hanna and for myself. Hopefully one day we can look back on these pictures together when senior year rolls around and we're arguing over what she's going to wear for Lady Gaga day.......and we'll have a good laugh together!

Wear all green day

Hat day

Crazy socks day....thought I struck gold when I found this top at Target to wear with her skirt!

Cowboy/girl day

Dress your best day & picture day

The last days of summer......

2011-09-24T13:08:00.002-05:00

are disappearing fast!!!

Haley's 1st day of pre-K

2011-09-07T23:40:00.005-05:00

Haley's first day of preschool FINALLY came. I think we were both ready! Our humid 99 degree weather has taken a turn.....to the gloomy, rainy and cold weather you see here. Our back to school outfit that was planned had to take a back seat to som'in a little bit warmer. We even had to break out the rain coat!

She really was excited contrary to the forlorn expressions on her face. FYI- of all the choices she could have made on her backpack/lunch box she chose this blue w/ green piping set. Not saying it isn't adorable and all; I just figured she would've gone for the pinkest and prettiest of all the backpacks. I am certain she only chose blue to prove me wrong.... ;~)

She said the most favorite part of her 1st day at school was getting to play on the playground.

Labor Day weekend in Knoxville

2011-09-07T23:19:00.005-05:00

Enjoying lunch on the dock.....having an intellectual conversation of sorts.

The mood quickly changed when they realized they were being photographed.

Haley jumped out of the pool most every 30 min to dance, so

eating a popsicle certainly didn't stop her.

Alex, Hanna and Blake hanging out with Miss Patty.

Blake sharing his silly bands with Haley.

Hanna posing with her cousin Alex.

We had high hopes of taking the boat to watch Boom's Day but Mother Nature said, "Nuh-uh." It steadily rained most all of Sunday afternoon. We stayed indoors, ordered pizzas and played games instead. Hanna was really sad that we didn't see the fireworks but fortunately they get over disappointment pretty quickly at this age. Maybe next year!

What H & H did while we were gone.....

2011-09-06T23:47:00.003-05:00

Baked heart shaped sugar cookies with Aunt Lisa.

Haley got a pedicure.......

and then went to Chick-fil-A for lunch! After playing in the play area she came out and told Lisa, "I made some friends."

Aunt Lisa took Haley to her open house at Preschool and met her teacher Mrs. Sally and her assistant Mrs. Allison.

Haley got to have lunch with Nunu on her birthday.

Jason's sister Lisa flew in from S.C. to stay with the girls. Lisa's BFF Beth lives in the area and was able to come stay a few nights with them as well as Nunu! I am so glad she had a little help and some adult conversation! You know the funny & peculiar things that kids will say....especially when not in your presence?? Well, fortunately Lisa wrote them down & here are a few of the funnier moments.....

Haley: "I'm whining and Mom told me not to whine."

Haley kept telling Beth, "I want the babysitter now."

After singing "Jesus Loves the Little Children" with Lisa she asked, "What color am I?" Lisa said "yellow". Haley responded with, "No, I'm black."

Beth was brushing Haley's hair and told her she would try to be gentle. Haley said, "And I will try and be brave."

Hanna liked playing art teacher with Lisa and made an "art bin" for her to keep her art in. She was full of encouragement and told her, "Even if you do it wrong, it's perfect."

Hanna: "I think I will sleep with Haley."

Lisa: "Why?"

Hanna: "Because it will be fun times."

(My favorite)

Lisa and Haley were watching a beauty pageant on a local channel and Haley commented that she could do that. The announcer would say, "She loves swimming, playing with Barbies and gymnastics."

Haley: "I like those things too.....they should call my name next."

Haley: "We haven't played on the playground yet."

Lisa: "We played on the playground at Chick-fil-A."

Haley: "That's not a playground."

Lisa: "Some people would say that it is a playground."

Haley: "We are not some people."

Thank you Lisa for taking care of my little pearls!

Vegas!!!

2011-09-06T23:34:00.006-05:00

Our first night at dinner.

View from our balcony.

In the Chandelier Bar in the Metropolitan. The COSMOpolitan, rather. Can't seem to get that in my head!

Hanging out at the pool....it was a cool 100 degrees:~)

After Heather and Marco tied the knot!

Having some lunch on our last day.

Best buds and now, officially brother's in law!

Anthony's 30th!!!

2011-08-26T23:07:00.006-05:00

the cake that just about killed me

assortment of cake pops

My red wine sangria.....very tasty!

Anthony's buddy's from the Guard

30?? I remember when you were 3.....

Anthony & Hillary

30 candles put off a bit of light

It was a great party & everyone had good times.

It was so nice being able to throw my brother a birthday party!

Water acrobatics

2011-08-26T22:13:00.008-05:00

I love the crazy expressions on their faces!

Daddy, Daddy throw me higher!!!!!!

101 ways to use a notepad

2011-08-10T22:01:00.002-05:00

Write M's on all of them!

Shipwrecked!

2011-07-25T21:02:00.003-05:00

We met up with some friends today at an indoor playground. There are so many of these places popping up everywhere! We have so many indoor places to play it really is hard to choose. They will be great this winter! We brought lunch with us and played some more after we ate. Haley was in heaven with all of the dress-up stuff! My favorite part was not having to clean up afterwards!!!

Make-up already???

2011-07-05T23:18:00.004-05:00

Today was gymnastics and grocery shopping and it rained most of the day so we took a break from swimming and stayed indoors. We had a major task of cleaning up the playroom and decided to play with make-up after that. Haley LOVES any and everything to do with make-up. I've decided that I'll have to set an age limit on when she can really wear it; otherwise, she would start her first day of pre-school wearing eyeshadow. Hanna isn't as interested but will go along with it. Daddy was very excited to come home and see his little girls wearing make-up;-)

July 4th weekend

2011-07-05T22:58:00.004-05:00

Heather left on the Monday before the 4th and drove back that Friday! She brought Marco with her this time. Thank you so much for driving to see us so much. We love ya!

Me and my crew.

Moms and Pops hanging in the shade.

Marco!!! Hanna made the comment the day before....."Marco might break our slide when he comes down it." Oh my. I'm glad Marco is a good sport. We love you too!

Getting ready to eat popcorn & watch fireworks.

All of our company left on the 4th so we were lazy and just watched fireworks from our backyard. It wasn't anything to write home about but better than not seeing any at all! We had a fabulous weekend grilling out, swimming, and playing WAY too much volleyball. We all had sore arms! Holidays are bittersweet for me because I always dread the end when everybody leaves. The house feels so quiet and empty. Always looking forward to the next one!

Just a swimmin'

2011-07-05T22:49:00.003-05:00

Our backyard is ALMOST finished. It's been a long road but we can finally enjoy it!

Love this pose.....talk about attitude.

Hanna and Haley practicing their kicks before swim lessons.

Hanna is really good with Haley in the pool and lets her jump to her a lot. After swim lessons Haley can swim pretty good and loves swimming under water using her "sandwich hands". So proud of her!

Hanna has turned into a little fish this summer!

They both love the slide. It is a great addition to the pool.

A week of visitors.....

2011-07-05T22:38:00.002-05:00

My friend Taryn came by for a night with her husband and three kids. Hanna & Haley both developed a little crush on Brody I think. He is pretty handsome! All three of them took care of Hanna & Haley like they were their little sisters. Brody even cleaned up the playroom and Courtney gave Haley a bath!

Heather came in for a week and got to visit with Taryn as well. So fun! We hadn't seen her in years!

Heather playing and loving on the girls while it rained outside.

Anthony and Hillary came over for the weekend as well as my Mom and Dad to visit with Heather. So glad Jason finally got to hold the little butter bean!

Introducing......

2011-06-16T20:59:00.003-05:00

Emma Joyce Reed

My brother and his wife just welcomed their first baby today! A healthy little girl and, I must say, she is oh so cute!!! It was sheer torture having to look at her thru the plexiglass of the nursery! I simply couldn't wait to get my hands on her. And I finally did. I see lots of snuggling and canoodling with this little angel.

A marshmallow thief

2011-06-15T20:58:00.006-05:00

My girls LOVE sugar and apparently I am not supplying enough to suffice their needs. Case in point; I was vacuuming in Hanna's room today and found a half eaten bag of mini marshmallows wedged between her

clothes hamper and the wall.

This sheds some light on why she hasn't been hungry at breakfast.

Some light summer reading

2011-06-14T22:11:00.004-05:00

We went to the library to beat the heat and left with WAY too many books. Hanna & Haley couldn't wait to get home to read them. Haley is actually "reading" books from home and Hanna is the one that loves to look thru all the library books. We've been checking out books related to the season so we could understand all these mosquitos & cicada's that have blessed us with their presence!

Hanna's pre-school graduation

2011-05-15T23:22:00.004-05:00

On Wednesday we went to First Presbyterian preschool for Hanna's "cap & gown" ceremony. Mrs. Lynne shared something about each child before handing them their diploma......."Hanna is my most loving and affectionate child. I often have to ask her to stop kissing the boys." Ha! What will kindergarten bring! Hopefully she's gotten all of that out of her system! Look out kindergarten boys!

On Friday was the school program of her class and the rest of the classes. They were all so adorable. I have to remember back when Hanna first started preschool and it seems forever ago!!! She is definitely ready for kindergarten and reminds me every time we pull into our subdivision as the new elementary school is being built right across from our neighborhood entrance! She is so excited at the thought of riding her scooter to school.

She has grown up so much in the last year! Physically and emotionally. She is trying to be a better big sister and is a great teacher and role model to Haley. Her patience only goes so far you know. I wonder how they will be next fall when Hanna is gone everyday! A much longer day than she has been accustomed. She is so worried that she will miss me (doubtful). I will definitely miss her more than she does me! I think the girls will miss each other the most.

We will miss Mrs. Lynne and our awesome group of friends. So sad that they all can't go to the same kindergarten! We are going to keep in touch this summer as much as possible. We've got summer camps scheduled, VBS, swimming, gymnastics, play dates, and whatever else we can fill up the summer with. Either way it is going to fly by and my little Hanna-banana will be starting KINDERGARTEN!!!!! I'm so excited for her!!!

Easter weekend 2011

2011-04-26T22:17:00.007-05:00

Blake and Alex both had baseball games. We got to see Blake pitch!

Alex hit his first ball. So exciting to be able to see it!

Blake had an awesome hit!

Sweet brothers after their games.

We colored Easter eggs. Aunt Cathy had a suitcase full of dress-up stuff......didn't take Haley long to ask for it!

Easter morning before church.

Sweet Haley.....Aunt Cathy let her pick a flower.

Blake, Alex, Hanna and Haley with Nunu.

Hunting Easter eggs......

and more eggs!

We had a FAB Easter weekend in Knoxville with Jason's family. We arrived Friday evening and grilled steaks and played until way too late! Saturday we went to Blake and Alex's baseball games. They were so much fun to watch! We came back and had lunch and got to swim the rest of the day!!! The weather so nice! We went to dinner by boat and came back and colored eggs and got baskets ready for the Easter bunny.

We went to church Sunday morning and came back for brunch with friends and hunted Easter eggs. The girls had such a great time that they cried and didn't want to leave! I usually do too!

Haley has something to say......

2011-04-19T22:46:00.002-05:00

and it's her very own fashion statement.

Nothing says spring like a bathing suit, cover-up, tights and rain boots.

Chardonnay Easter egg hunt

2011-04-19T22:16:00.006-05:00

Waiting with great anticipation for the neighborhood Easter egg hunt!

Listening to the rules and getting ready......

Haley was on a mission to find a golden egg.

We found lots of colorful eggs......

and picked a pretty pink flower but found no golden egg. Neither Jason nor myself put much (if any) emphasis on finding a golden egg but when both were captured she was profoundly upset that she didn't have one. I do remember as a child being quite stressed about hunting the "prize" egg, whatever it was. I never did find it.

Beauty and the Beast

2011-04-18T22:34:00.002-05:00

Belle stopped by..........I had to play the Beast.

Fancy Nancy & making pizzas

2011-04-12T22:13:00.010-05:00

We went to one of our favorite local toy stores this afternoon for a Fancy Nancy pajama party!

H & H couldn't wait to meet her. She was fancy alright, from her sunglasses all the way down to her shimmery shoes. She went around and met all the girls.....Hanna introduced herself; Haley introduced herself........as Kenny. Hanna piped up and said, "That's NOT her name. Her name is Haley." So Haley said, "I know! I am preTENding that my name is Kenny but my name is Haley."

They were mesmerized by her beauty and her fancy sunglasses.

Once she could break away from the hugs and lavish kisses being bestowed she was able to read a Fancy Nancy book. My girls sat intent and listened to every word. They love to be read to.

A very Fancy Nancy!

While the girls waited to get their fingernails polished they got a bag of popcorn. That will distract my kids any day!

Finally getting to test out some polish and answer some test questions on the products.

Hanna looks so sweet here. She was actually a bit of a toot that day.

Time for Haley's nails! She didn't care what color they painted.

What a fun time! If you are ages 6 and under I mean.

We came home and made pizzas! The girls love to paint marinara sauce on their pizzas and apparently on their nightgowns as well.

Sweet little hands at work.

Last toppings of ham, peppers, and cheese!

We ate our pizzas watching KungFu Panda and finished it up with a big bubble bath!

What a fun day!

Spring Break!

2011-03-30T22:33:00.014-05:00

This is an oak wine barrel appetizer platter that Christy brought me. It is so unique.....I plan on using it for piles of grapes and cheeses, crusty breads, sushi would look great.....the possibilities are endless. I love it!

The Rosen's drove in Saturday evening early enough to hang out and visit and leave the kids along with a couple more neighbor kids while we went to JJ's Wine Bar.

LOVE this place. You get a wine card and the only thing you have to do is chose which wine and if you want a Taste, 1/2 Glass, or Full Glass........dip your wine glass under the spout and voila! We decided that 2 tastes was better than a full.

On Sunday we got up and packed up a yummy picnic of sliced ham, sliced rotisserie chicken, crusty french bread w/oil & vinegar, tomatoes, grapes, strawberries, brie, kalamata olives and went to the Arrington Vineyards for a lovely picnic.

Weather was gorgeous! The wine was amazing! We had so much fun relaxing on the hillside for several hours.

Zach introduced the girls to sunflowers seeds......the kind that's still in the shell. It kept them entertained for some time.

We brought along a frisbee and a football which everyone seemed to enjoy.....excluding myself. I sat and watched and sipped on my wine with Mrs. Christy!

We didn't want to leave!

On Monday we went to the famous Loveless Cafe for lunch. I've seen them on FoodNetwork bragging about their famous biscuits and such. Mmmmmmm, everything was so yummy!

We drove on into Nashville and did a backstage tour of the Ryman, where the used to film the Grand Ole Opry. They still perform shows here from Adam Lambert to Taylor Swift to Smashing Pumpkins. I hadn't been here since I was probably a teenager.

We had a great tour guide that was very knowledgable on everything Ryman. We went into Minnie Pearl's dressing room and the guide asked the question, "I guess all of you know who Minnie Pearl is?" Haley looked up from her iTouch for a second and said, "Ummmmmm, no."

On Tuesday we took them to The Factory in downtown Franklin and had lunch at Saffire and browsed around for awhile. The guys had tickets to a Nashville Predators game so the girls stayed home and snacked and watched movies.

We had such a wonderful time!!!! The weather was perfect the whole time and we loved getting to spend time with the Rosen's! Thank you for coming to see us! We miss you all!

Free up-do's by Haley

2011-03-17T21:45:00.002-05:00

Like my groovy new hairstyle???

I can totally do yours too........pleeeeeeeeeease. Free of charge, my treat.

Just think about it.

Playing outside!!!

2011-03-06T23:58:00.005-06:00

Ting-around-the-dosies...

a rocket-full-of-tosies.....

dashes-sashes-we-all-fall-down!

They were making up funny words as they went.

While they played around the tree Haley seized the moment to sample all the ride-on toys that weren't being occupied. She will try anything and actually rides Hanna's bicycle more often and better than Hanna does!

Don't let the skirt fool you......it was still a little chilly out but she insists on wearing this skirt to bed, underneath clothing, to play outside in chilly temps, etc. Pick your battles I always say.

I think by summer we might actually say that this is Haley's bike.

Adventure Science Center

2011-03-06T23:38:00.004-06:00

Hanna has been BEGGING to go to a museum, mainly to look at dinosaur bones. I have found one somewhat close but not ready to make the trek quite yet. I did find a Science museum closer so we decided to try that first. It was really cool with an area devoted to our solar system, how our heart works to different parts of the brain to the body's digestion process (even with the appropriate sound effects) and lots of stuff to climb on and explore. It was perfect for Hanna since we are talking about planets and how our body works. She asks A LOT of questions these days.

Haley said her favorite part was getting to slide down the slide in the digestion area. Hanna said her favorite part was getting to see the fake dinosaurs. We've gotta get this girl to a dinosaur museum!!!!

Haley started gymnastics

2011-03-06T21:51:00.003-06:00

My girls have always been challenged when it comes to sitting "Indian style" due to their short little stumps.

To say that Haley loves gymnastics is putting it mildly. We started out doing a trial class with a "Mommy and Me" class. When I told her we were doing a class together she exclaimed, "But Mommy. I don't want you to be in there with me!" We only did one of those because truthfully it was way too baby for her and since she turned 3 anyway she could be bumped up into the next

level. I let her pick out a new leotard and she went for this one strictly because it was "soft".

I get to go up to the observation area and watch her. She is still working on listening and waiting her turn. When I walked down to get her last week she was pouting and I asked her what was wrong. She said, "That teacher hurt my feelings cause she told me I had to stay in line." How dare her!!!

Every week she picks out something new to wear to gymnastics and usually a hair bow or head band to match. The girl loves her accessories. I think gymnastics will be in our future for a long time!

Haley, 3 going on 23

2011-03-06T21:44:00.001-06:00

Haley cannot wait to be an adult. I don't think truer words have ever been spoken.

Finished project part I

2011-03-06T21:37:00.003-06:00

Look what Jason built for me to put in my laundry room! I am in love with it.......it's the little things.

Now the girls actually put their shoes up and I don't have to trip over them!

Plenty more projects to go!!!

Haley is 3!

2011-02-15T22:36:00.002-06:00

After I picked Haley up from school we went to our fave lunch spot for salads and smoothies

and Haley wouldn't pose for me but Hanna would. Loved this pic of her!

I asked Haley a few weeks before her birthday what she wanted to do on her birthday. What a task......throwing a birthday party NOT on her birthday and still having to celebrate for the actual BIRTHday. Sheesh. She responded with, "Watch Rapunzel, Rapunzel let down your hair" (Tanlged). I figured it wasn't still at the movies by this point but checked anyway and it was still showing a week before her actual birthday. I decided to take her a week early since I didn't want to chance it being gone the next week.

I still wanted to do something fun for her on her birthday and asked again what she wanted to do and this time she said, "Paint a number 3!!!" So we painted pottery! Haley picked out a princess and painted her like something reminiscent of Phantom of the Opera and Hanna picked out a crown, why I do not know. After spotting the T-Rex I assumed she would do a nose dive for it but you just never know with Hanna, she is sometimes unpredictable.

After "painting" we had some ice cream. I think Haley had a great 3rd birthday!

Happy 3rd birthday sweet Haley!

Princess in training......the evolution

2011-02-15T01:45:00.005-06:00

A pig of a party!

2011-02-13T12:01:00.000-06:00

Personalize your own scrapbook

Pajamas & pancakes!

2011-02-11T22:01:00.001-06:00

At Hanna's preschool they were supposed to have pajama, pizza,

popsicle, picnic day on Friday (wonder what letter they were working on).

We still had enough snow that school was cancelled. I did not know this until after Hanna went to bed.....dreaming of going to school in her jammies and having pizza and watching a movie!!! She would be devastated!

All the other mom's agreed that we didn't want to face mass hysteria in the morning and one brave mom, Heather, opened up her house to pajama and pancake day instead! Complete devastation averted! While Hanna was still a little disappointed about not wearing jammies to school she gladly welcomed the chance to see Luisa's house and to have breakfast with her friends! Haley was beside herself!

We all had a great time; kids running and playing together while we mom's sat and drank coffee without a worry in the world..........wait a minute, maybe we had a few worries. Still, it was a great excuse to get out of the house for a couple hours and recharge with a few adults!

Dress-up dance party & snow day

2011-02-08T23:55:00.004-06:00

Dress-up Dance Party

Sorry you have to see this pic of me but I just love Hanna & Haley's attitude.

The pink in the corner of Haley's mouth is lipgloss. I can't keep her out of my purse it seems.

Hanna wanted to teach Haley how to dance the right way.

So funny. I'm not sure where she saw this technique but Jason and

I were quite impressed on her knowledge of where to put her hands.

Snow Day

We were out of school for a whole week due to snow

and we loved it!!!

We found a Hanna & Haley sized hill to sled down.

Oopsies!

We loved spending the next few days in our pj's working puzzles

and playing. It's just too hard to pick up the pieces and get back into

a routine after the snow melts!

The new year

2011-02-08T23:29:00.005-06:00

2011

The new year has brought tons of birthday parties, play dates, trips to the library, a trip to Pittsburgh, snow days, dress-up days....whew! And it's just the beginning of February! We are having lots of fun in the new house and settling in with new bedrooms and new friends. We are getting ready for Haley's 3rd birthday party this weekend so there are lots more pictures to follow! Stay tuned!

A Tennessee Christmas Part II

2011-01-23T17:40:00.007-06:00

Christmas Eve

Opening presents with Papa Bear and Diane on Christmas Eve.

We do love Dinosaur Train!!!

Haley always loves new dress-up gloves and jewelry.

Christmas Eve night

Putting out cookies and milk for Santa.

H & H doing their best antlers.

We all huddled in Haley's room to listen to Uncle read "Twas the Night Before Christmas".

We might not have many traditions yet but we ALWAYS do this on Christmas Eve.

Zzzzzzzzzz

Peering over the banister to see what Santa left.

Haley wasn't interested in anything else but her iTouch.

Hanna loved her Tiana jammies.

Hanna loves her stocking as much as I used to when I was a kid.

One of Hanna's favorite gifts from us was a new Cd player/radio.

She and Haley love to dance in her room!

Ice cream Playdough set from Uncle and Hillary.

Aunt Heather

Heather drove down the day after Christmas and spent the week with us.

Hanna got dinosaur magnets!

Haley loved her new Princess and the Frog panties.

And the Princess Movie Theather book. They also got the game 5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed.

We love playing it!

Hanna named her new T-Rex "Tom"

Aunt Heather opening some gifts from Hanna & Haley.

A Tennessee Christmas Part I

2010-12-19T09:54:00.001-06:00

Watching a movie & eating popcorn.....it's their favorite thing to do!

I don't care what age you are......you gotta love pillow pets!

Haley giving come Christmas sugar to Aunt Lisa.

We love our cousins!

Haley's favorite present was Hanna's Rapunzel Barbie!

Hanna snuggling with Jenny and her new cheetah.

Aunt Lisa read Llama Llama Holiday Drama....such a cute story. We love all the Llama books.

We finally got to spend Christmas in Knoxville! A short 3 hour drive sure beats the usual 11 hour drive we've been used to for the last 5 years. Now that we live closer we can spend more time in Knoxville and not have to share time with both families. We were able to celebrate Christmas with Jason's family for the first time since 2008. We had such a great time and love that we are closer to family!

Christmas singing to get you in the holiday spirit........or just make you laugh

2010-12-09T07:44:00.003-06:00

Christmas songs from Heidi Kaiser on Vimeo.

I love to video Hanna and Haley singing Christmas music or any music for that matter! They love the attention and love to perform. While Haley didn't sing a lot, she was entertaining in her own special Hay way! I love how Hanna makes up words in songs when she doesn't really know what to say. For example, in a very popular Christmas song have you ever heard the line "porkbutt night"? Tears of laughter ensued........did she just say "pork (hysterical laughter) butt (more laughter) night (tears streaming)?????" I'll let you listen for it.

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah from H & H!

Hanna turned 5 today!

2010-12-09T00:23:00.005-06:00

After school we picked Hanna up and went to the mall for some birthday fun!

We saw Santa.......Hanna asked for Tiana pajammies for Christmas.

Haley asked for her very own colorful iTouch and fruit snacks. She was quite upset when we walked away and she still didn't have those fruit snacks.

Then we took birthday money and went to Build-A-Bear. For the holidays they have all the characters from Rudolph that are so cute! Haley chose Frosty but Hanna wanted to stick with a bunny.

Stuffed and ready to be dressed! Hanna picked out a Rapunzel dress for her bunny and named her Sally. I bet you're really surprised.

Haley loved on her Frosty and picked him out a cute winter vest and named him Hindy. She said she loved Hindy best of all. Okay. With new friends in tow we headed to the movies to watch Tangled. We loved it! Hanna said at the end of the day, "Mommy, this was the best birthday ever! Thank you!" It is all worth it when you hear that!

Hanna's 5th birthday party!

2010-12-04T17:43:00.010-06:00

Hanna woke up way before 7 o'clock this morning & crawled into bed w/us. Things were going great; quiet and all until I decided to mention her birthday present; restlessness ensued. She kept saying, "If I don't open it now I won't know what it is and I might not like it". What???? That doesn't even make sense especially at 6:45am! We genteelly offered her another alternative to go read books in her room which she did for about 20 minutes. Enter Hanna back into our room (just as I've fallen back into pre-bday-hysteria-induced sleep. "Can I open my birthday present now????" Why oh why do I even open my mouth. In the next hour or so while Jason picked up the cake I somehow deferred her from solely thinking of her birthday present with a bowl full of marshmallow fruit loops. Trust me it works!

As soon as Jason got home she asked if she could open her present. She was quite surprised with her new bicycle but kept saying, "I thought it would be a game that Haley and I could play together."

When the doorbell rang Hanna & Haley both were very excited to see who it was.

I didn't feel like making a banner this time around and found the cutest one on etsy!

I did make the water bottle labels myself though!

Dinosaur party treats!!!

I found dinosaur egg bubblegum and dinosaur activity books at the party store.

I ordered these dinosaur charm sucker covers from etsy and found the same paper at Hobby Lobby to go with the decor.

Another etsy purchase......dinosaur shaped crayons! Adorable!!!!

I ordered the cake from Publix since we had a Publix cake a few weekends before that was scrumptious. I obviously tweaked their dinosaur cakes a bit and I think it turned out great!

I made dinosaur shaped cookies for the kids to decorate as well as dinosaur shaped magnets.

Some hungry little dinosaurs!

Haley loved being at the party and has asked Hanna for the last 2 months......."Hanna, can I come to your birthday party"? Hanna replies with, "Yes Haley. You live there!!!!"

Ben and Jack decorating their dinosaur cookies. Ben has a twin brother in the class, Christian, that has darker hair.

Richie on the left (our sweet little neighbor) and Gavin from Hanna's class.

Cooper and Lucas, our other cutie patootie neighbors!

Richie again......is he just the cutest?????

Birthday girl showing her dinosaur creation.

The kids also painted dinosaur shaped magnets. Thank you Hobby Lobby!!!!

Time to open presents!!!

Hanna got a lot of fun things for her birthday! Thinking we need to ask Santa for new vessels now instead of new toys!

Our little Hannasaurus! Another purchase from etsy. Hanna loved it and will wear it all year long!

Sweet Brinly eating some pizza.

It's time to blow out the candles!!!!!

Brinly doing some painting. She is really good!

Everybody wanted to play duck-duck goose.

They were so cute! Hanna and Meredith even included their little sisters!

Hanna got some lip glosses and fingernail polishes that Haley loved trying out!

Family picture attempt; I actually like this one a lot.

Jason with his Mom (NuNu) and Hanna & Haley.

It is so nice being closer to family!!!!

Does Hanna look 9 yrs old or what???

They loved trying out Hanna's new make-up products!

A Thanksgiving proposal

2010-12-03T20:01:00.003-06:00

We had a lot to celebrate this Thanksgiving! I got a text from Marco (my sister's boyfriend) earlier in the week that read, "I am sending you a pic. Let me know what you think." So, I was thinking it might be something funny or a pic of Heather doing something funny but when I opened the text and saw a beautiful shiny ring sitting in a little box, I was absolutely giddy with delight!!! I walked around on a cloud all day in fact. My immediate response was, "When are going to do it???" I was going to be miffed if he didn't bring that thing with him and propose at my house!

He did bring it and ended up telling the rest of the family the night before Thanksgiving. It was kind of fun being the only one that knew for awhile (I did tell Jason though). We sat down to dinner and even I was getting nervous.....when he is going to do it??? Mom said a prayer, Jason said a few things and the rest of us put in our two cents, Hanna & Haley said at least 3 prayers each. Finally Marco had the floor and BAM. I was expecting this long mushy gushy proposal but it was over in 3 seconds! I'm not complaining because I was really hungry by that time. There were some tears and some laugher.......good times.

Oh, and she said yes!

Congratulations Heather and Marco! We love you both dearly and feel blessed to have shared in your special moment. Thank you for letting us be a part of it!

Haley's birthday party, sans big sis!

2010-11-22T22:13:00.011-06:00

Haley had her very own birthday party to attend this weekend! She has been to plenty of birthday parties but they have always involved big sister. Here she is putting her gift in the wheelbarrow. Her friend Isaac from Mommy's Day Out had a Bob the Builder party.

They had Home Depot-ish aprons for everybody and had different sections of the house designated for decorate it, design it, imagine it, paint it, construct it, hammer it etc.

Here she is posing with the birthday boy Isaac. He refused to pose with her and she wasn't about to throw herself onto him. Poor little guy, he had a rough day and cried a lot. Isaac, birthday parties do the exact same thing to me!

Haley got to decorate her own yellow hard hat with an endless array of construction site/work hazard stickers. You can't see because her hat is turned sideways but she managed to find the few "handicapped" stickers in the bunch. She did not want any part of the get-up but I somehow convinced her to keep the apron on because, "Everybody else is wearing one." I decided the hat wasn't worth causing a scene over even though she was so cute in it.

She loved coloring the cardboard house the best. I couldn't coax her on outside where they had work benches and hammers and nails with all the supplies to build your very own small toolbox. I crept outside feeling a little intimidated but I was determined to build that damn toolbox and thru trial and error and a little help from a friend, it was completed!

The boy and girl on Haley's right were neighbors but the cutie on her left is Jackson. He is also in her Mommy's Day Out program. I asked Haley what her favorite part of the bday party was and she said, "Eating the ice cream and cake"! I will admit it was scrumptious but I would be lying if I said that was my favorite part. My parting gift was a 6ft measuring tape w/keychain. I think it is the cutest darn thing and it will reside in my purse so sticky little fingers won't grab it.

Hanna's Thanksgiving celebration

2010-11-22T19:18:00.006-06:00

I just recently learned from Hanna that she is betrothed to a little boy in her class, unbeknownst to me. Apparently he asks her every day, "Hanna, do you promise you will marry me?" She told me that her answer is always yes. I guess she decided to return the enthusiasm because now she asks him right back, "Do you promise you'll marry me?" We are going to invite him over one night for milk and cookies and find out what his intentions are. Btw, hubby to be is sitting right next to her.

This picture cracks me up at how serious they are singing the Hokey Pokey, the turkey version. While I loved watching the kiddo's hokey and pokey their little hearts out, when they said, "You put your right claw in", I had to gulp. Just the image of a turkey claw......anyway, you get the picture.

Here they are singing my favorite Thanksgiving song, "1 little, 2 little, 3 little Indians.....".

Miss Lynne talked to them about different Indian names and gave them examples so they could come up with their own. Everybody yelled out what their Indian name was; there was a "Sun", "Lizard Buffalo", and Hanna's was "Buffalo". My favorite though was "Teletubby Playhouse".

After the "show" they sat down for a Thanksgiving feast. Hanna's future MIL and myself signed up to do this party so we brought Chick-fil-a nuggets (I am positive the pilgrims would have LOVED them), along with fruit, corn on the cob, rolls, and my terrific idea of sweet potato fries. As we were dishing out the feast my sweet potato fries seemed to be snubbed by all. Not surprising, by the time they made it to the school and waited for about 10 minutes they were less than appetizing and a bit on the mushy side.

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised at how they gobbled up the food, minus the fries of course, and even had decent table manners to boot. I'd say the big moment of the day was getting to finally meet the boy Hanna plans on marrying.

Happy Thanksgiving!

My little brother got married!!!

2010-11-05T14:02:00.006-05:00

Hanna was a flower girl and did wonderful! She took the job very seriously. Unfortunately, her cute dress shoes weren't very comfy so we switched to crocs right after the ceremony. Well, at her age she can get by with this!

Haley was a big fan of the dance floor and spent most of the night running in circles.

I loved all the fall colors of the wedding!

Mom and Dad with the groom to be.

Haley grew quite attached to Aubrey, the jr. bridesmaid. When she wasn't dancing she was being carried around by her. Quite cute.

Heather and Marco. Marco and Jason were groomsmen in the wedding.

Two tired little girls dancing with Mimi and Papa.

I wanted a pic of me and Jason since we don't have many pics of the two of us dressed up and without kids hanging on us. Marco decided to grace us with his lovely smile. I didn't know until well after the picture was taken. Thanks Marco!

Hillary, my new sister-in-law!

I just can't believe that my little brother is married! It makes me feel very old! The wedding was on Saturday, October 30th, the eve of Halloween. Everyone had a great time being together but I'm sure the bride and groom are relieved it's all over! So much preparation goes into the planning that by the big day you are so exhausted! I know I was. The happy couple left right after the reception for their honeymoon aboard a cruise ship. I hope they are having a relaxing vacation and I wish them many more to come. Congratulations Anthony and Hillary!!!

Trick or Treat!

2010-11-01T21:48:00.004-05:00

This is what we had for dinner

Hanna wanted to be a dinosaur early on and when we found Tiny the Pteranodon from Dinosaur Train she knew for sure that's what she wanted to be.

Since summer Haley has said she wanted to be a witch, a green witch to be exact. This is the closest I could find. She is the cutest little witch I've ever seen!

Doing their best impersonations.

They were a little hesitant to get their pic with Esmerelda, until I told Haley she should take a pic with her mommy witch. She thought that would be pretty cool and Hanna couldn't be outdone by her baby sister. As always, we are sad to see Halloween come to an end but we have enough candy to last a life time!

Happy Halloween!!!

2010-10-31T14:25:00.003-05:00

Wishing everyone a safe and happy Halloween! What are we going to be for Halloween??

Two hints, one says "Hee hee heeeeee" and the other says "Raaaaaa raaaaa".

Cupcakes and new neighbors

2010-10-26T19:59:00.003-05:00

We invited our new neighbors over for Halloween snacks and to decorate alien cupcakes. It is perfect since both boys are the same age as Hanna & Haley. Lucas is Hanna's age and even shares a December birthday with her and Cooper is just 2 months younger than Haley. They love the "boys" as they call them. They are so cute and such sweet little boys. AND they even go to the same two schools! We are going to start carpooling since I am all about making my life easier right now!

They ran and chased and danced.......it was good for H & H to have friends over as they miss their AR friends so much!

Magic Kingdom

2010-10-26T00:13:00.006-05:00

Hanna & Haley at Disney World for the first time!!!

I love this family pic in front of the castle.......too bad

Jason is pointing.

We saw an amazing street parade after being there

only 30 minutes. It's pretty overwhelming at first as you

want to make sure you get to everything! But first things first,

stop hunger pangs.

Woody and Jessie got off the float and danced in the street.

Even though it was October it was still in the high 80's......

I certainly felt pity on the poor folks dressed up in costume.

We got our picture with pirate Goofy. Not a particular

favorite but he was there none the less.

Goofy thought it would be funny to grab my head and plant a

"kiss". I didn't think it was very funny and it didn't feel the greatest.

Hanna with Daddy on Dumbo! I guess the sun was in her eyes??

Hanna's 1st roller coaster! Jason and I got to ride on the Barnstormer with Hanna

while Mimi sat with Haley. Luckily, we didn't have to wait in any long lines all day!

I got so tickled at Hanna as she really started screaming as the coaster took off.

I guess for a 4 1/2 yr old it would seem pretty scary. She probably won't step foot on another

coaster for several years to come.

What a magical place!!! Around every corner there is something new and exciting.

I think our first trip to Disney with the girls was a huge success! We left with lots of

fun treats and ate lots of yumminess! We can't wait to come back in a few years

for a totally different experience!

Sea World

2010-10-25T23:50:00.004-05:00

We're off to see Shamu!

Hanna & Haley LOVED the dolphin show.

Shamu just had a new baby a few weeks prior

so we got to see her swimming around with the new

baby. It was sooooooo cute! I didn't take a picture of that.

We rode the ocean carousel.

There were some pretty scary ocean creatures on this carousel.

It's amazing to me what kids will sit on to go round and round

in a circle.

They had the park decorated for Halloween and we loved

these pumpkins!

We rode the spinning squids. Nothing too exciting but

the girls seemed to like it. I didn't realize what all Sea World had to offer. It has

been so long since I was last there and I'm sure it has changed a ton!

We saw penguins, turtles, manatees, polar bears, dolphins, whales, sea lions & otters,

a walrus, any kind of fish you can think of, sharks, sting rays..........

The girls had a blast and both said their favorite part was the dolphin show.

I have to agree.

At the beach!

2010-10-17T22:14:00.007-05:00

Looking for sea shells the first day.

Haley didn't quite know what to think about the ocean. She wasn't very trusting.

Hanna loved walking up and down the beach to look for treasures.

At this point Haley wanted to be carried mostly.

She started warming up a bit after getting into her

bathing suit and digging in the sand.

I love Haley's stance here! She thought she was a goner for sure.

Sweet little piggy tales!

The "H" triplets.

Haley loved asking us to fill her bucket with water.

By the end of the week she would at least attempt it on her own.

Hanna LOVED the beach this time around.

The last time she was at the beach she was only 22 months and

didn't care for it much.

Testing the waters. Still a little unsure.

I think this wave took Haley by surprise and knocked her down.

We had so much fun and desperately needed a vacay!!! It was great having my Mom

with us as Jason and I were able to get a little alone time on the beach. She

was a great help and the girls loved having her there. We couldn't have asked for better weather!

Hopefully we'll see you again real soon beach!

Alone time with my Hanna-Banana

2010-09-30T23:33:00.007-05:00

Awwwwwwe, the joys of having one child at a time to lavish all of your precious time on. It was only a few weeks ago that I was grumbling over such a rare treat. I have since punished myself for being so selfish and now relishing this time with each of my precious children ;-). You see, I have been accustomed to at least one day of complete alone time to do with whatever I may choose with no judgement at all.

My current predicament leaves me with at least one child Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. While having only one does make my everyday life exponentially easier it does not make it ideal. Since I have only myself to blame I can no longer begrudge my fellow SAHM of their child-free outings but instead ask for their patience and understanding when my child is the one throwing a tantrum in the middle of Victoria's Secret. Not this child.....pictures to follow of the "trouble maker".

Welcome home Anthony!

2010-09-30T22:47:00.004-05:00

Anthony and his fiance Hillary

Anthony's friend Kermit (yes, Kermit) and his wife Amanda. Such a sweet couple!

Hillary feeding Haley. This is Haley's favorite new look......her mean look. I think she looks like the Incredible Hulk.

Me and my baby Bro!

Hillary with her parents, Lori and Nelson. I am so mad that I didn't get even one picture of my Mom and Dad!!! Or Jason for that matter. I'm sure he slid under the radar on purpose.

And this would be Mr. Turtle Ice Cream Cake.

My brother.........what else can I say other than I am SOOOOO proud of him! He has been a flight engineer with the Guard at the Nashville Air Force base for the last few years or more and recently enrolled in special engineer training that kept him from home for almost a year. He first spent time in Florida (I think) jumping out of planes and into the ocean and inflating rafts and who knows what else (sorry I can't even remember what I had for breakfast the day before), then he spent time back in San Antonio where he went thru boot camp (I'm sure that was a fun place to revisit), and from there finished up his training at the Little Rock Air Force Base.

We LOVED having him so close while we still lived in AR and he drove the 3 hrs to see us whenever he could. We planned to spend a weekend or two with him in LR but we moved so quickly! Luckily, we are only 30 min away from each other now!!!! I never thought I would be able say to that! So thankful that we are back in TN for the big wedding (not sure if we would've been able to make it otherwise ;-) Congratulations Anthony, on everything you've accomplished. I love you and wish you and Hillary all the best!

Go Vols!!!

2010-09-30T22:27:00.003-05:00

Enjoying some bloody mary's on the way to the football game! Yay!

Approaching the stadium. It was so great seeing orange everywhere again!

Now, I know my AR friends are going to scoff at my Volunteers post and while I KNOW I did

not attend the University my better half put in plenty of $$$, blood, sweat and tears and

afterall, I was born and raised in TN and proud of it!

What a great opportunity to go to a TN Vols game with my sis!!! Everybody split up

and Heather I and got to sit together. Man, did we have fun. I think we laughed the entire game.

We did watch 95% of the game while the other 5% was spent people watching. No, we did not win but

I never really expect to win, especially when the opponent is FL. I just loved being back

in the stadium again. It was a wonderful weekend! Thank you Mark and Cathy!

Fun in Franklin

2010-09-21T22:16:00.004-05:00

Having lunch at one of my favorite new lunch spots, Tossed. The girls love their yogurt "smoovies" and I love their homemade crepes, salads, sandwiches..........

We went to The Factory in downtown Franklin. Such a neat place! We love going there for lots of reasons but mainly for homemade ice cream and all the neat shops; very eclectic and original.

We had lunch and browsed the shops and took some pics.

We had to make time for some ICE CREAM!

Hanna wouldn't look at the camera for some reason. Go figure.

My Mom came out Friday so we could celebrate her birthday

and so she could babysit for the weekend!

Having lunch with my favorite peeps!

So sad Aunt Heather has to leave!

These girls love their Aunt "Hedder"! Thank you so much for spending the week with us!!!

We had so much fun!

A little fish story

2010-08-29T22:03:00.000-05:00

Jason and his dad took Hanna fishing all her by herself. I've never seen her more excited about anything EVER! We got her backpack and clothes ready the night before and told her they would be leaving early in the morning. Around 6 0'clock she comes down to our bedroom completely dressed, hat on, and backpack in place. She was coming to hug me and tell me bye. Meanwhile, Jason is still in bed sleeping. Just precious!

Jason told her they would be catching catfish and she was definitely a little concerned about that. She kept asking if the catfish would bite her. She caught two at one time on her pole and was so proud! Jason, on the other hand, caught what looks to be the smallest catfish in Kentucky Lake.

Hillary's bridal tea

2010-08-15T09:39:00.002-05:00

The bride-to-be with her mom Lori and future mother-in-law.
Hanna with Hillary's cousins Aubrey and Olivia. Olivia will be a flower girl with Hanna in the wedding. They were so cute together! That morning we left for the shower Hanna wanted to know where her flowers were. She thought we were going to the actual wedding.

Me and my future sister-in-law Hillary.

Me and Mom.

Hillary with her Nana and Grandma Gracie. It was so fun getting to finally meet Hillary's family! We had a great time and look forward to the big day!

Fun in Knoxville

2010-08-14T14:56:00.001-05:00

We spent the weekend with Jason's sister and brother-in-law at their house on the lake. The girls had so much fun playing with their big cousins, swimming, and riding the jet ski. It was nice to take a break and not think about all the work ahead of us with the move.

What have I been up to......

2010-07-30T19:05:00.002-05:00

Well, let's see.......

packed up and drove to Nashville, TN with my little homeys
had a lovely, uneventful trip.....after a 30 min stop to clean up Hanna after she threw up all over herself, her blanket, her carseat, and my shoes resting on the floor in front of her
went house hunting for 7 hours, very disappointing
bought a house.....the one Jason liked/wanted all along. I love it!!!
wasted a day looking at undesirable houses. At least I know what's out there and that I'm not missing out
found a few preschools/daycares but will probably be wait-listed due to our late summer arrival. Bummer!
got lost a few times while trying to learn my glorious new surroundings
missed my NW Ark friends a lot!!!

Independence Day

2010-07-05T00:14:00.004-05:00

Having burgers, fries and corn on the cob after swimming!

We got some after dinner dancing from the girls.

We headed out front to have ice cream cones and watch fireworks.

Our neighbors all around have the most amazing fireworks display!

Why would be want to pile in the car and drive somewhere when we can watch it in our front driveway???

Eating popcorn while watching the fireworks=total happiness!!!!

Cimma-wodes

2010-07-05T00:02:00.003-05:00

Haley loves her "cimma-wodes" (cinnamon rolls) and when she knows that is for breakfast

she is CRAZY until she gets one on her plate.

She was so cute with her little bottom and house shoes sticking out behind her.

It is official!

2010-07-02T23:12:00.003-05:00

are

moving

Nashville!!!!!!!

Brentwood to be exact, just a short 11 miles south of Nashville. It all seems to be more like a dream really. We've wanted to be closer to family for along time but especially after having Hanna & Haley we've longed for them to be near grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles. We thought maybe even close to TN would be awesome but to actually be in TN seemed unattainable.

A few months ago Jason got a call from a headhunter for Mars, their pet food division, and they just happened to be headquartered in TN! I hate to toot Jason's horn but he is very good at what he does and they scooped him up in a second! Needless to say, our moving day will be a very sad one as we've made so many wonderful friends here in NW Arkansas and consider it our home. Hanna knows that we are moving and is very excited to be near family but she is very concerned that we won't see our friends near as much. That just means that we will make a HUGE effort in coming "home" as much as we can!

Sprinkler fun.......or maybe not so much

2010-07-02T23:00:00.002-05:00

H & H closely examining the situation from afar.

As you can tell, Hanna is mostly, completely dry and her friend Delaney is soaked from head to toe.

I love this picture of Haley standing in the background. That is about as close as she got.

She stayed surprisingly dry as well.

Does the look of sheer agony on Haley's face answer the question, "Will we ever go back to the splash pad?"

Probably not as I ended up getting wetter than either of them and I didn't even get near

the sprinklers.

Swim lessons

2010-07-02T22:52:00.003-05:00

We started swim lessons this summer! Like the big bruise in the middle of her forehead?? She was getting herself dressed one day and bent forward fast and whacked it on her bed.

Here she is on the last day. She has come along way.

Jumping in......yay!!!

Nick had lessons right after Hanna so I snapped a pic of them together. We will definitely need more swim lessons in the future but I am so proud of her and how well she did.

Mimi

2010-06-22T15:33:00.004-05:00

At Hanna's dance/gymnastics class

Eating pizza after gymnastics

We had a busy week.......Jason has been out of town, my Mom came to visit, Hanna started swim lessons and my brother came in for the weekend as well. Whew! We sure had a lot of fun!!! Mom got to come along for Hanna's swim lessons and her dance class. We had fun eating out, shopping and going to Krispy Kreme for breakfast one morning! With Jason back in town and my brother here, we went to Abuelo's for dinner Friday night and then on to the movies to see the new Toy Story. We grilled out and went to the pool the rest of the weekend. Unfortunately, the weekend comes to an end way too fast and it's back to reality!

Mmmmm, blueberries!

2010-06-12T14:02:00.006-05:00

We took the girls to The Blueberry Barn this morning to pick blueberries. I've never seen them more excited

about something. Haley kept saying, "We're goin to the blueberry store!" They had so much fun

looking for clusters of blueberries and they picked a TON. They really were troopers; I was quite impressed

with their blueberry picking skills.

Let me just say, they are the sweetest, plumpest, most delicious morsels you've ever put in

your mouth!!! I know because after we got home I foundered on them. The girls couldn't stop

eating them either. We stopped and picked up vanilla ice cream on the way home for the blueberry

cobbler Hanna and I are going to make!

Haley's 1st movie

2010-06-10T15:11:00.004-05:00

Manned with all the necessities for a successful movie experience.

I decided to brave it and take the girls to see the new Shrek movie by myself. It was Haley's first time in a movie theater so I had no idea if we would be watching half or all of the movie. She was so excited and did awesome! She certainly didn't like the volume; I don't know why they have to turn it up so loud. She didn't even attempt to get up until about 3/4 of the way thru and then she went back and forth between my lap and her chair. Overall I would say it was a great success. I think we'll be doing this a lot this summer to beat the heat!

Some of my favorite things this summer!

2010-06-03T10:23:00.007-05:00

This peppermint lotion is to my feet as the Vivid Crest is to my mouth.

I don't think I could ever be without it. It is the mintiest!

My girls are CRAZY for popsicles; winter, summer, or fall they ask for them all the time! They are soooooo messy especially in the summer time and I refuse to let them eat one in the house cause it drips everywhere. I found these in the $1 bins at Target. One side holds an ice cream cone and the other a popsicle. They definitely serve their purpose. No more sticky hands!

I am trying to cut out diet sodas as I feel like they aren't that great for you. I don't drink carbonated beverages that often but I do crave a coke from time to time. I was shopping in Target one day and found these cute little mini cans of Coke. I couldn't resist! They are only 90 calories vs. 140 calories you get from a 12 oz Coke. Hey, I can justify eating a big bowl of ice cream but not a Coke.

I had seen this toothpaste advertise and decided to give it a try. While I don't have a before/after picture of my teeth I do feel like they are a brighter color but besides that, I LOVE the minty-ness of it. It's like no other toothpaste I've tried and I love that hours later my mouth still tastes so fresh.

Bath and Body Works came out with their summer vanilla line and I love all of them but my favorite is the lemon vanilla. It smells so good that you seriously want to pour it into a graham cracker crust, top w/fresh whipped cream and dig in! This is the cooling mist which feels awesome on your skin giving it a cool tingly feeling. Great for the summer heat!

Two of my favorite things have collided and I couldn't be happier. Vanilla ice cream w/ chunks of crispy cone, swirled w/ chocolate fudge.....need I say more.

I've been trying to take better care of my face and needed to find a good daily moisturizer w/ SPF. I started using a few products from the Murad line and I LOVE all of it. Two new products I've tried is from their Essential-C line. This moisturizer has an SPF of 30 and has a light citrus scent. It is a little heavy since it provides sun protection but it doesn't leave my face feeling greasy at all.

I love spritzing the toner on my face right after washing it. It smells so good like I just squeezed fresh oranges on my face. I like to spray it on my neck and chest as well. It is so refreshing!

Fun times in Pittsburgh

2010-06-02T22:55:00.008-05:00

Jason offered to watch the girls and let me go visit Heather in Pittsburgh so we decided upon Memorial Day weekend. We had WAY too much fun! I haven't taken a trip by myself since the girls were born. Needless to say, I was ecstatic! My trip up there was uneventful.....I just relished in being alone and not taking care of someone for a change so I rather enjoyed my flights. I got there pretty late so we didn't have time to do much.

On Friday Heather drove us to SouthSide Works, a neat little shopping/restaurant area on the south side of the city. We sat outside and sipped on wine and munched on calamari and seared ahi tuna. It was perfect!

We walked around and did a little shopping afterwards & then headed back home.

We went to Tamari for dinner that night and tried their signature martini that had plum wine in it. It was, as Hanna says, YUMMO-RIFIC!! As was this delectable plate of various sashimi, sushi, and nagiri. My mouth waters just thinking about it!

It was melt in your mouth heaven!

After we filled up on sushi we went to Olive-Or-Twist and tried some more martinis and listened to a one-man band. First up was a pomegranate version. It was ok but I like my martinis a little lighter in color. So we tried a grape one. Wow. It was made w/ grape vodka & white grape juice and it was quite tasty and refreshing. I finished up the night w/ a chocolate martini. I know that sounds like a lot but you really don't get much in a martini glass AND I am on vacation! ;-)

Heather and Marco at Olive-Or-Twist.

A really good picture of Marco. He sometimes grimaces in pictures. I know we drove him crazy with snapping pics the whole weekend.

We hung out at their YMCA pool on Saturday. The weather was so nice and wasn't any humidity. We ate an early dinner at home and met up with some friends at Cabana Bar. It is a huge outdoor bar with sand everywhere and fire pits. Really cool. We tried out the swinging hammock chairs but Heather started crying about sand getting in her shoes.

The two love birds at Cabana Bar.

On Sunday the weather was even more perfect and not a cloud in the sky so we went back to the pool. I got some really cool burn marks that day. It looked like I was just splattered w/ sunscreen. Not sure how that happened but you won't be seeing any pics of that!

After getting enough of the pool they took me to Rita's. They serve authentic Italian ice and gelato. The gelato was the creamiest, dreamiest gelato I've ever tasted! They layer it with whatever flavor of Italian ice you want, so you get a bite of creamy and icy at the same time. I chose vanilla gelato and banana ice and it was like a party in my mouth. I've probably already gained 5 lbs by this point so I might as well go all the way, I think to myself. Remember, I am on vacation and I don't do diets on vacation.

We came back to their house and cleaned up a little and enjoyed the weather on their back deck while sipping on some wine.

On Sunday night Heather and Marco made the best dinner: grilled salmon, yummy potatoes w/ caramelized onions & blue cheese, Parmesan & bread crumb mushrooms and an asparagus tomato salad.

It was SOOOOOO good. We were full up to our eyeballs!

Monday was my last day but I had a later flight so were able to squeeze in a Pirates/Cubs baseball game. I think PNC Park is so pretty because you can see the city right behind it. We had great seats and really appreciated being under an awning when it started pouring rain about an hour into the game. The Pirates aren't doing too hot this season but they scored a run to tie it up. Unfortunately we had to leave in overtime to get to the airport. They did end up winning 2-1. I guess you could say I'm a good-luck charm.

We took one more picture before heading to the airport. We don't look very enthused in this picture I know; we were tired and hit with the realization that our fun-filled weekend was over. We got to the airport early and unfortunately I sat there for the next 3 1/2 hours going nowhere. It was misery. My flight kept getting pushed back for what reason I was never really sure. Early on I knew I wouldn't make my connection in Cincinnati so Jason got on the phone w/ the airlines and tried to devise a plan on how to get me home the next day. The outcome looked bleak AND to add insult to injury my cell was on the brink of going dead and my charger was in my suitcase. I ran to the only shop left open in the airport and bought an On The Go phone charger only to realize that you have to charge the damn thing before you are able to use it. Can't I catch a break!!!

So, short story long I FINALLY made it to Cinci only to be shipped off to the worst Comfort Inn in America. I slept with one eye open all night. I didn't know what fun the next day would bring but I wanted to be home in the worst way. My luck started to change by daybreak; I charged my charger in the public hotel computer and woke the next morning to find it still there and charged! My phone is now charging, a great way to start off the morning! I get to the airport to check in thinking it's going to be a very long day. I am already completely exhausted w/ a head full of frizzy hair (no hair products or a comb to accompany the hairdryer), not to mention stinky clothes since I wore the same shirt to the b-ball game and dropped two huge globs of mustard on it and had to sleep in it as well. I crossed my fingers and toes and asked the nice Delta lady if there were any changes in the morning flight straight into NW Ark and to my surprise there was a seat available!!! Otherwise, I would have to fly to Minneapolis and sit around there and not get home until around 4 that evening. I sure as heck didn't want to get stuck anywhere else. It is quite peculiar how Jason spent hours on the phone with several people trying to get me on that flight but "No sir that flight is completely full." There were TONS of empty seats on that plane.

No doubt my luggage went on to Minneapolis without me but I didn't even care at that point. I was just glad to be home and loving on my sweet little girls! And I gave Jason a hug as well. ;-)

To Jason, Heather, and Marco......THANK YOU for a terrific, awesome, wonderful weekend, from the bottom of my heart.

The pergola

2010-05-25T12:01:00.005-05:00

Jason finished the pergola on our back deck!!! I love it! It is just the right amount of shade. Otherwise, it gets soooooo hot in the afternoon sun that you don't dare go out there.

Weekend fun

2010-05-23T11:46:00.000-05:00

Anthony came back for a visit this weekend. We stayed on the back deck most of the weekend grilling, drinking, and enjoying the weather.

Hanna and Haley ganging up on Uncle.

Hanna loved the slide, Haley not so much.

Loving on Uncle one last time before he leaves!

Haley got her purse and dolly and kept saying to Anthony, "Uncle, I go wish you." We had so much fun! Thank you for coming to see us Uncle!

Pre-school graduation & picnic

2010-05-19T08:21:00.005-05:00

Hanna had her preschool graduation on Tuesday from the 3's class into the 4's. She was so excited about her "gradulation" and the song she got to sing by herself. Our video camera decided to be persnickety so Jason had to record her song with his iPhone, so the picture quality isn't the greatest. Afterwards, we picnicked at the park with her teacher and classmates. This is the first of many "graduations" to come!

This free slideshow created with Smilebox

Trip to TN

2010-05-18T21:27:00.005-05:00

My girls and I on Mother's Day after church. It proved to be difficult to get a decent picture of the three of us.

Love that Haley decided to stick out her tongue.

Heather was supposed to fly into Arkansas and ride to TN with us but Mother Nature had other plans for her and left her stranded in the Detroit airport all night. We re-routed her flight the next morning to Memphis and we just picked her up on the way. I don't know who was happier to see whom. With Auntie Heather in tow we made great time the rest of the way.

Hanna and Haley doing what they love best.......reading.

Being silly!

We helped Mom & Dad box up a lot of stuff and cleaned out the attic to prepare them for a move in the near future.

Hanna is highly allergic to mosquito bites and has swollen up from them in the past. This time one got her on the forehead as you can see from the slight horn above her left eyebrow. Now, I am not one to laugh at my children's boo-boo's but Heather and I had to bite tongues to keep from snickering as she looked like something from Avatar.

By the next day the swelling above her eye went down and by down I mean it traveled down her face and between & around her eyes. Afraid of an eye infection setting in I phoned her pediatrician's office and they suggested Zyrtec (I had been giving her Benadryl).

I had never given her Zyrtec, never had a need for it. Can you judge from the pictures how it affected her?? I gave her some right before dinner and YOWZA! Needless to say she had trouble staying seated throughout dinner.

Isn't she pitiful?? I had trouble telling her no during this transformation of the mosquito bite. Heather, the girls and I headed back to Arkansas that next morning so thankfully the swelling had mostly vanished and she wasn't rubbing her eyes anymore. The trip back was pretty uneventful, just Hanna and Haley keeping Aunt Heather on her toes. I swear they asked for something about every 4 minutes. She was a trooper and proved to be a huge asset. I think every time I drive to TN I am going to ask her to fly in and go with me!

Uncle!

2010-05-18T17:32:00.002-05:00

My brother is in Little Rock doing special training with the Air National Guard until OCTOBER!!! Yay! He drove in to spend the weekend and surprised the girls. They were jumping up and down and wouldn't leave him alone for two seconds. If memory serves me right, he read to and put both girls to bed that night. Hopefully he can come visit more often. ;-)

Have Bible, will travel

2010-05-18T17:11:00.004-05:00

Haley can't leave the house without her Bible. I often find her closed up in a room "reading" it. She cries for it when she goes to bed at night. It is the funniest, sweetest thing. This day in particular, on our way to gymnastics, she insisted on bringing her Bible, mousie, chicken (or kitchen as she sometimes calls it), and her purse that is filled to the brim w/ treasures. Can you guess where all this stuff ends up............

car!

Happy Birthday Baby!

2010-05-06T09:51:00.004-05:00

Thirty s........ well, thirty "some" years ago today this blue-eyed, blonde baby boy was born! What a cutie! Your girls want to wish you a FABULOUS birthday!!!

Baby Ella

2010-04-29T21:33:00.003-05:00

Jason and I were hanging out downstairs after dinner tonight while the girls were off playing. I thought Hanna was upstairs with Haley but soon realized she was in our bedroom watching tv. I kept hearing little footsteps from upstairs and they were coming from Hanna's bathroom and heard cabinet doors and drawers being closed (that is never a good thing when Haley is involved). She loves to get into Hanna's toothpaste. So I hesitantly made my way upstairs to check out the scene and this is what I saw.

Apparently baby Ella (she names her babies and stuffed animals using her friends' names from school) needed her teeth brushed and I must say she did a pretty good job getting a good amount of toothpaste in her little mouth. Hanna was quite upset that her toothbrush was now covered in baby doll germs.

The zoo

2010-04-26T21:26:00.005-05:00

We took the girls to the Tulsa Zoo on Sunday. Woo-hoo! First stop, the "trunks".

We saw some guinea hogs(?). The much bigger version of the "pig."

One had a tag stapled to it's ear and Hanna saw it and said, "He must be brand new because he still has a tag on."

What's a zoo trip without posing as monkeys. I realize I messed up the shot by positioning my head wrong. My focus was on getting that cotton candy.

The 5-minute round-trip train ride was by far the highlight of the trip. And a bag of pretty pink cotton candy. Luckily, to my surprise, I am the only one that enjoys sugary, colored fluffs of sugar. I saved a little for the long drive home.

Haley waved at Jason every single time we rode by him. She loves to wave at strangers even.

We took a couple of furry animals home with us and a few new stuffed ones.

Nothing like the zoo to tucker a girl out!

Sleeping girls=happiness.

I have the strangest girls....but I love 'em!

2010-04-16T22:04:00.017-05:00

Of all the animals Hanna portrays I would have to say that without a doubt we encounter T-Rex the most. If she comes up to me with an angry roar (the girl has a gift, seriously) and I'm not really sure what animal she is, without uttering a word she flashes her two-fingered claw in my face and I immediately know to throw some meat her way.

As much as she loves dinosaurs I do not know for the life of me why she's never possessed a dinosaur puppet!!! We found one at our favorite lunch spot the other day, The Crumpet Tea Room. She named her T-Rex Sally as most of her animals are either Sally, Cally or Fa-lally (not sure how she spells that one). I am most intrigued by how this sweet little girl could be afraid of her own shadow yet willingly and happily share her bed with a yellow-eyed, sharp toothed dinosaur......

And then show up downstairs wearing a fancy tutu, tie-dye leggings, clappy shoes and a Dora tin purse. I just never know about this one.

I asked her wear she was going all dressed up......."Oh, I am going to lunch," she said. It's kind of like having a little girl AND a little boy at the same time. I love how she embraces her femininity but is also a snake loving (sorry Jason), frog loving (sorry Tran), dinosaur roaring, dirt digging, Cars fan, and lover of all creatures great and small, with the exception of spiders and I GLADLY take full credit for that one!

Haley is always on the hunt for sunglasses, jewelry, lipstick, lotion, purses, wipes, etc. Finding a tub of wipes or Wet Ones is like finding gold. She will take one in her chubby hand (I have yet to see a container that she cannot manipulate) and clean like there is no tomorrow; her face, her baby dolls & their "baw-baw's" (bottles), or any surface that needs cleaning.....or not.

She is very nurturing and reads to her babies all the time or makes them "baw-baw's." She says so many funny things in one day that I can't possibly write them all down. One thing she is doing lately that is so amusing.......she makes this "tcha" sound after completing a sentence or a word. I think that she feels like a big girl making that sound because I realize that I do that when I am reading to her.

I promise you that she did not wear a pretty peter-pan collared onsie all day with nothing on her bottom (I would never do that!). She had on the cutest little jean skirt and leggings to match earlier in the day. She kept pulling them off saying she was hot.

While I finished up on dinner Jason took them outside (they are glued to him after being gone for a week and a half!). Hanna wanted to put on rain boots and splash in puddles since it had rained and her little shadow wanted to do the same. Doesn't her fat little thigh evoke some nibbling?

Santa Claus brought this baby doll-sized pack & play for Haley's baby dolls but they seem to keep getting dumped on the floor for a much bigger baby. Even Hanna gets in there! I give it a couple more weeks before it buckles from the pressure!

She prefers to watch tv in this cramped up space while there is a perfectly comfy, empty couch right behind her. Like Hanna, she loves to pretend she is somebody she's not.......a baby. What would childhood be without any imagination?? I think my girls have plenty!

Some light painting

2010-04-12T21:03:00.004-05:00

Funny how all those vibrant colors turn to mud when mixed together.

How stinking cute is this little table and benches! My sweet hubby made it for the girls!

Hard at work creating.........something.

No surprise, Haley was covered with paint from head to toe=the reason why we paint outside.

My new puppies!

2010-04-12T21:02:00.003-05:00

Aren't they cute!!! We're not quite sure what the breed is yet but they were very cheap.

A great day with my two favorite girls!

2010-04-11T09:27:00.005-05:00

We headed to the Bentonville Square for a Saturday lunch outside.

The weather was perfect!

After lunch we walked across the street to the new cupcake store.

Hanna wanted a purple one and Haley exclaimed she wanted a blue one.

They settled for a pink one.

Haley thoroughly enjoyed her cupcake!

We played at the water fountain for awhile.

They love getting their little hands wet and making handprints on the concrete.

We walked to the park after we'd had enough water play.

What a great day we had!!! Hanna kept saying, "This is the best day I've ever had!"

I love how they are so appreciative and easily entertained at this age.

I'm going to take full advantage!

Lil' Abbers

2010-04-10T22:11:00.013-05:00

Is that about the cutest, sweetest little face you've ever seen?? Hanna and I got to watch baby Abby the other day and it was so much fun having a little pea pod in the house again! We watched her once before but she was just a seedling then. She napped for about the first hour but then realized she must be missing out on some big fun in the Kaiser house.

Hanna was a big help (goo-gooing and gaa-gaaing and entertaining Abby). She kept bringing her baby toys to play with. It was so cute. Hanna thought her idea of putting Abby in her bean bag was brilliant. She also got very excited and said, "I know Mommy! I can read her a book!" Abby quite enjoyed Hanna's reading of "The Biggest Christmas Tree Ever."

iPod

2010-04-06T22:38:00.002-05:00

Haley loves to listen to my iPod whenever she gets the chance. She will stand in one spot and sway back and forth. She will see my iPod and ask for "Muge-ic." She looked so cute with it clipped to her pants that I had to get a couple shots of her. She loves getting her picture taken and says "cheese" every time. As soon as the picture is taken she says, "Mommy, I can see?"