Saturday brought nothing but peace to me. Thankful for many things I was.....one of those things being the fact that Hallie and Riley had both escaped the grips of the stomach bug that I could've easily passed to them. All three of us were feeling great and chipper come Saturday morning. We were ready to take on the day and got going early. Riley was in "game mode" from the get-go...he had his first church league basketball game that night and was spouting off nonsense about them "taking state" trying to get a laugh out of me. Well, it worked. While he dreamed of basketball glory, Hallie and I made an early morning trip to Walmart to shop for our guests that would be in town soon. The most peaceful time to hit up that dreaded store is Saturday morning. But the peacefulness didn't last too long. Hallie started bouncing up and down and messing around in the shopping cart and hit her head. As we stood there waiting for the tears to stop a very sweet lady pointed us in the direction of some free cookies at the bakery. Instant booboo fixer. Instant mess maker.....
"Maybe this place ain't so bad after all..."
Once we got back home I got busy unloading groceries, planning for meals, straightening up the house and watching Hallie mimmick me in her own little kitchen.....
I specifically requested for my mini pastry chef to whip me up a pink cupcake. As I milled around the kitchen I happened to look over as she was so carefully lifting up two plates with cupcakes on them. I wanted to squeal after seeing the cuteness of what she'd prepared but I just watched as she tried to carry them to me but then dropped them before she could even start walking. She looked down at them as if she was thinking "great! so much for all my hard work." She just warms my heart so much.
"One pink cupcake comin' up mom"
Nap time was creeping up on us but there is always time for a nice wagon ride with baby doll and Cookie....
"Is there any chance of skipping nap time today. Just thought I'd check."
Before long she was snoozin'....Riley was cleanin'.....I was bakin'......
After baking up a yummy pan of calories I laced up my dusty running shoes, took a few deep breaths to mentally prepare, and took off on my "long run" for the week. I've started training for a half marathon so I should probably be thankful that my long run is only at five miles at this point. It felt great to get out by myself with no stroller or music...I wasn't rushed to get back home....it was peaceful. I returned to the house and was greeted by the smell of my favorite cookies. So much for the calories I'd burned. Instantly replaced with chocolaty goodness. ;)
Our first sleepover guest arrived around 3:00 and it's safe to say everyone was excited to see her.....
See, I mean everyone
And so begins her Nike addiction
We just couldn't get enough of how adorable she looked in her workout gear....
"Does this mean I have to run too?"
She thought she'd give this whole "working out" thing a try....
"Let's stretch first"
"Do you think it's okay to have a tummy full of milk before a run?"
"What the heck, I'm goin' for it!"
Dara shot a short video of my little sprinter that I just can't get enough of.....
We just about collapsed laughing at her literally running down the driveway. And the girl kept running. If any of our neighbors were watching then they got quite the show as she "jogged" down the street. It was as if she knew exactly what we had been asking her to do. Those little stubby legs got quite the workout. It's the shorts I tell ya...special powers. Thanks Dara! The gifts for Hal gal didn't stop there. Auntie Heather had arrived and she brought an early Valentine's Day surprise.....
"Eat lunch or open present.....this is a tough decision..."
After showing Heather around the new house Hallie wanted to give her a chance to see her favorite place. Off to the park we went.....
"You need to have your arms and legs in the blue shuttle at all times."
Needless to say, the rule follower kicked Heather out of her wagon (or maybe Dara the driver tossed her out). Either way, we made it to her play haven.
Notice her must-have purse at the park
I'm just gonna go out on a limb and say that this was her best trip to the park ever.....
Three play partners = a rockin' good time for a one-year-old. Two people to walk her up the slide and one to slide down with her.
"Ok, I think I've got this..."
"Maybe a lil help would do...."
Hallie would've stayed at the park all day and honestly I think I could've too (whatever makes her happy) but I figured we ought to spare them our all day play sessions. Luckily she was a great sport and came along with us to do what we do best. Shop. She and Dara were our critics while Heather and I tried on dresses. Hallie took it a step further and decided to critique this strangers outfit too.....
"That top goes well with your eyes...definitely buy that!"
Once she was done terrorizing the dressing room and shocking shoppers with her head poking underneath their doors we made it back home and spent the next few hours hanging out in the kitchen. On the menu was spaghetti. It was my first attempt at homemade spaghetti sauce. My first mistake was not reading the recipe ahead of time and noticing that it was supposed to simmer for three hours. Oops!
We cooked. And we snacked. And we cooked some more. And we snacked. It was nice to have a couple of my best friends in the kitchen with me.....
I happened to snap a pic that describes Hal and Heather's relationship perfectly. Red-headed kindred spirits...
Little chef had a hand in the prep of the spaghetti sauce....
Riley was on his way out the door for his game. Here he is practicing some moves...
Hallie had no idea what kind of fun was in store for her after bathtime.....
All good things must come to an end. And so ended her reign as princess for the evening. It was grown-up time which meant bedtime for Hal. Dinner was ready and Heather and I's friend, Amy, had arrived. We ate dinner, had some drinks and entertained this little munchkin who had "escaped" from bed for yet another night. The fun wasn't over yet.....
"....wrapped around my finger. Hahaha"
Us girls got comfy on the couch and settled in to watch the Miss America Pageant. We cheered on Miss Oklahoma as she came close to winning the crown. It was the perfect girls night catching up with Amy!!! Riley the bbal champ returned home and was greeted with a round of applause for his 7 point performance. ;) It wasn't long before everyone was ready for bed. Man we're old!! I set the girls up with only the best for our guests....a nice bed on the couch. Lol. We haven't yet gotten around to preparing guest quarters at the house. They didn't seem to mind at all. Neither did Emmi.....
Sweet dreams!
Sunday morning. I was so thankful that Heather and Dara were both early risers because Hal was up and at em around 7:30. I was excited to whip up some pancakes since it had been so long since I'm made our Sunday morning favorite. In fact, I think it's been a year since I've made pancakes. Unacceptable. Riley was a good boy and got dressed and ready for church while we filled our veins with syrup and sugar. And Mickey Mouse pancakes!!!
"I'll give you an A for effort mom, but this isn't my cup of tea."
She watched as we inhaled our breakfast while eating her regular breakfast of Cheerios. She knows what she likes and I guess pancakes do not make the list.
"You know me too well mom. I can't start out the day right without my Cheerios"
Us girls spent the morning watching cartoons and taking one last trip to the park.....
Dara headed back to Enid, Heather and I went to go pick up some lunch and Hal went down for a nap. Riley and us girls at lunch and that's when I turned into a zombie. I hadn't slept well the night before and knew I was tired but not that tired. I almost fell asleep on the couch while talking to Heather. She said goodbye and headed home as well. Riley and I spent the next two hours catching up on sleep and woke up much too soon when Hallie began babbling from her room. The zombie status wouldn't budge so we decided it was time to get some fresh air and force ourselves to wake up. Nothing like a run uphill against a 30 mph wind to wake a person up. Riley took off while we followed behind with the stroller. The rest of the day was filled with cleaning, organizing and a surprise visit from Papa, Nanny and Aunt Kylie.
It's no secret that Woodward doesn't have a whole lot of exciting options for entertainment....especially with a one-year-old. In this case I'm even more thankful for people like Dara and Heather in my life. We made our own fun just hanging out around the house. They were able to fit right into our everyday routine of cartoons, park trips and playtime. Hallie felt deprived of all the extra attention and love after the girls left on Sunday.....and so did I. Come back soon girls! We miss you already!
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