Hi there. It's nice to be here in front of my computer again. In my domain. Getting ready to share all of the recent goings on. But first before I delve into sharing an enormous amount of photos that depict our busy weekend I've just got to share a few things that are hanging out on the top of my head. Hello bullet point list! Most of these are random tid bits, happenings and thoughts that I probably won't be able to find a way to weave into my weekend story but I definitely don't want to forget them! So here goes....time to spill my brain!
*First off I must say that I'm writing this tonight with a much, much, much improved mood when compared to my failed attempt at writing last night. Rewind to Saturday evening around 8:00. I sat in front of my computer for nearly 90 minutes lazily staring at the screen in between laying my head on the arm of the couch considering going to bed way early and grumbling random complaints and worries to my handsome sidekick across the room. Bless his heart for having to deal with me this past week. I was am a tired, frustrated, worn out, burnt out lady. Honestly I felt a little crazy. Ask my family and they'd just tell you that's normal though. But for real....after this week....I. WAS. DONE. Done with work, done with being busy, done with ever-changing work responsibilities, done with being away from Hallie, done with things going wrong. Just done. On top of work frustrations I've been crawling my way out of a major FUNK. It may have been little miss diva's funk that put me in my very own funk. You could say that the house was just all funked up with week. I've been eating sweets as if my life has depended on it....this combined with having no desire to workout or train for this pending half-marathon monster staring me in the face has left me feeling very EEEEK. Eeeeek = bleh. While I ponder on my feelings quite often I usually end up at the same conclusions each time I get in one of my "can we please move back to Mustang" moods....
1)It's LIFE.
2)It's crazy.
3)God never fails us.
4)Give me a couple of days and I'll be loving it again.
*Our mini Einstein has been on overdrive. Every time I turn around she's wowing me with something brand new. Take for example her knowledge about a certain former president. Let me explain.....this past week I found her walking around the house shrugging her shoulders repeatedly. For no apparent reason either. It made us giggle and she soon realized that her shoulder shrugging ways were humorous to her parental audience. I began referring to this as "the George Bush" because of his famous shoulder shrugging chuckle that "W" used to do. This weekend while at my dad's house I mentioned her latest little silly thing she'd been doing. I had her sitting on my lap while I told my dad about her "doing the George Bush" and the little toot proceeded to shrug her little shoulders with a big ol' grin on her face. We of course began rolling with laughter which made her want to do it even more....that is until I started videoing her on my phone. I have yet to get her George move on video but I'll keep trying. I'm picturing her in grade school history class moving her shoulders up and down while learning about our 43rd president. Silly goose.
*She's hip...she's cool....she's ready to fist bump. The girl is so over her high-fiving days. High fives and double high fives are child's play. She's now able to fist bump when we say "pound it." She holds out her fist with a smile. Next I've taught her to "blow it up." She's not quite proficient with this one yet. Ya see, instead of opening her fist like I did she instead "blew it up" by literally blowing on her hand. Ha ha ha ha ha!!!! I seriously can't get enough. She's a riot. We will keep working on her cool hand gestures.
*"Beep beep!!!" Get out the way! Hallie is coming through. She can now be seen shouting "go! go! go!" and hollering out horn noises at any moment.
*My dear husband tried to pull a fast one on me. This evening Hallie and I walked out to the garage to catch a peek at what he was up to. While standing there chatting and watching our crazed young lady turn in circles I happened to notice something missing. Something rather large. "Ahem, where is my refrigerator?" A huge mischievous smile appeared on his face and he said "oh yeah, about that...." I don't blame him for trying to slide it past me...I'm not the most observant person and had it not been for my water bottles sitting on the garage floor I probably wouldn't have even noticed. It took me two days to figure it out after all. I guess our garage fridge is now taking up residence at one of the new clinics he is opening. My first question was "are there going to be any fecal, blood or urine samples being stored in it????" I've been assured that this is not the case. ;)
And that concludes my neurotic list of bullet points. I'm ready to jump right into the weekend.........
WARNING: This post contains an insane amount of photos. Consider yourself adequately warned. If you make it all the way through then KUDOS to you for putting up with my wordy ways. ;)
Friday. Finally a much needed day off. I was elated to have a day of anything but work. The whole working mommy thing had kicked my hind end and I was ready to devote my time to my little sweetie. We were up with Riley's alarm and I got a jump start on baking the Amish friendship bread I'd been given the week before. While I baked Hallie watched cartoons and spent some time sitting up on the counter snacking on grapes and watching me like a hawk. My kitchen apprentice is very astute let me tell you. ;) We did some major packing of the car which took quite a lot of thought and planning considering we had a LOT to pack. You would've thought we were going on a week long excursion instead of a one day trip to Enid. Gman had requested that we bring the red wagon along, I had a couple large gifts to pack carefully, Hallie's pack'n'play, not to mention our bags and other miscellaneous items that needed to make the trip with us. Baking and packing her not quite at the top of Hallie's list of desired activities for the day. Among some of hers were Mickey Mouse, apple juice, baton twirling and last but certainly not least...playing in the rocks.....
"I'm adding this one to my collection for sure"
Her rock collection ;)
I almost didn't have the heart to load her up in the car for the drive....we all know just how much she loves the car!!! Ha! We made a stop by work and dropped off one of the two loaves of fresh bread to Nanny. She said that Papa would be thrilled...apparently he is a friend of friendship bread. ;) (so am I...YUM!!!)
Our trip to Enid involved a few small pit stops along the way. Two of the stops were binky related. Our last stop however was diaper related. But it turned into a little bit more than we'd expected......
"Ahhhh, fresh air"
Our pit stop at the Gloss Mountain rest area was a bit comical for me. After giving her some dry pants I decided to let her down to explore a bit. By explore I mean get some of her wiggles out of her system. She'd been especially wonderful this car ride and I was hoping for a strong finish on our last leg of the drive.
"Great idea mom"
So why was our stop comical to me? Well ya see....my mom and I always had a running joke about the "famous" Gloss Mountains. While during my first semester of college at OSU (yes, I just admitted that I started my college career at the rival school) we took a "field trip" to some areas in Western Oklahoma for a geography class I was taking. The Gloss Mountains happened to be one of our stops along the way. I remember recounting to my mom the events of the day in typical dramatic Ashley fashion. When I told her that they made us walk to the top of the Gloss Mountains she couldn't stop laughing. We'd driven by there a thousand times before on our way to visit the grandparents but had never considered it a site for a field trip. Ever since that day she and I got a big laugh everytime we passed this place. I couldn't help it....I just couldn't help but make Hallie do this----->
After taking a look back through the pictures I snapped of my lady I'm actually quite a big fan of them. Let me guess....you are wondering what kind of kooky mom stops to change her daugther's diaper and ends up having a photo shoot in the grass of a road side rest area. The crazy kind!
She didn't seem to mind. Once back in the car all she needed was a pair of sunglasses, Veggie Tales DVD and some Fruit Loops to munch on.....
"Are we there yet?!"
Yes we were. At Aunt B's house to be exact.
My girls
We surprised Aunt B at her doorstep and played in her backyard for approximately two minutes. I was busy admiring her enormously huge backyard while Hallie began wandering off to the right toward the fence. We looked up and both asked Hal where she was headed...then it hit us both at the same time. Duh. There the little lady stood right beside a big playtoy. The only thing separating her from pure joy was the neighbor's fence. We both gave her a pouty-lipped "awwww" and immediately loaded up to show her a place that she could frolic. Gman's backyard.....
Sweet sweet smile
She swung and slid and ran and played. Oh yeah, and hollered at the unsuspecting and very innocent dogs. If a dog is in her path then chances are they will be getting scolded by the little mini with a finger shake and a stern "no,no,no!"
After getting some use out of the swingset us girls set out on a walk. The weather was gorgeous and Hal wasn't complainin' one bit....
Right before she figured out how to set my car alarm off. Sneaky lil devil.
So what brought me to Enid besides seeing my family??? A long-awaited baby shower for my best friend Ashley. Her baby Adalyn is due at the beginning of May and we are all just waiting, waiting, waiting! Auntie Heather came by to see Hallie before the shower began and once Gman walked through the door we said adios. After all, Hal and Gman had some serious playing to do.....
The cutest little car swing
Aunt B spent the evening with the Gman and Hall-ster. They all had quite the good time I hear....
Crashing Aunt B's room for some cartoon watching
The baby shower was just darling. I am near obsessed with the excitement that comes along with baby and bridal showers. From the cake....
To the decorations.....
To the gifts.....
I just can't get enough. Add in that it's one my very dearest, oldest, and bestest friends of all time and my excitement for her was busting at the seams. She was absolutely radiant and glowing...not to mention incredibly slim for being less than two months away from her due date. Check her out!
We had a great time, played some fun games and just spent some much-needed time catching up....
Around 8:00 I was beginning to miss my little one. Gman had assured me that they were having a mighty fine time and that she hadn't let out so much as a whine....but I wanted to go snatch her up so that the girls could hang out with her a little bit. It turns out that she didn't spend much time in the room with the grown-ups. No way! There were way too many fun little people to play with. These little people were also great for hand feeding my Fruit-Loop snackin' munchkin.....
I jokingly said "Step right up! Take your turn feeding the baby that is never full!"
What happened next can only be described as a side effect of the sugary Fruit Loops so late in the evening (I never said I was aiming for any mom awards, ha!). She turned into a circle turning, lap running, squealing with glee, floor spinning maniac. A maniac is the only way to describe it....
I loved every minute of the time we all got to spend together Friday night. Adalyn and Ashley came away with a slew of wonderful things to welcome her to the world. I'm ready to don the title of honorary "Auntie Ashley" very soon. It won't be long!
Did I mention that the baby shower was a mere two blocks away from my dad's house? It made it easy to get Hallie back home quickly to put her sleepy head to bed. She was uncharacteristically more than happy to shut her little eyes. Of course it may have been her two familiar nighttime buds, Lamby and Leila, that I had brought along for the trip and put in the corner of her crib. She melted my heart Friday night. But what's new? ;)
Saturday morning was a special treat. Not only did Hallie spare the house an early morning rooster crow but the girl slept until 9:05. Oh yeah!!!! I had had a long discussion with Gman the night before about the importance of not waking her up in the morning. He had insisted on getting up early and having breakfast ready for my impatient child who wakes up with an empty belly and has issues waiting for food to be placed in front of her. I assured him that she would be okay waiting for breakfast to be made after she woke up on her own. The late wake up call was just what I needed to start the day off on the right foot. Oh yeah, and this too.....here are just three of the reasons I LOVE my daddio....
#1
#2
#3
We all enjoyed a quiet breakfast while Hallie sat atop the table and inhaled her food. She wasn't done yet though. We drove over to Lisa and David's for a visit where she polished off the fruit smoothies they'd just made. She was a bit picky about the method delivery for these smoothies. As you can see below it was a bit tricky trying to please her....
"I told you!!! I want it in the cup with a straw!"
It turns out she just wanted to be sassy. Good thing Lisa and David love then some Hallie because they ended up feeding her smoothie out of three different cups and two different spoons. The little turdette ended up watching cartoons in David's man cave while Lisa and I did some bridal shower planning for Aunt B's big day. Cousin Doodoo showed up too!! They played on the swingset, spun in circles, picked a few weeds in the front yard...ya know, typical baby activities....
Us three girls did some bachelorette party brainstorming and by that point I was pooped....she was pooped.....we were pooped. And it was only noon. I took her back to Gman's house for some shuteye. For her, not me. I had a list of errands to run. Hobby Lobby was at the top of the list of course. I also had to stop by the furniture store and pick up a side table we had ordered that had finally come in. Hallie woke up shortly after I returned with lunch for Gman and I. So much for my promise to make a lunch for us...the days always fly by when I'm at "home"...sometimes I wish time would slow down when I get there. The rest of the afternoon was just perfection. I sat back and watched my dad and my girl play their hearts out. Nothin' better....
So graciously smashing in Gman's firepit cover with a piece of metal
I'm not really sure what's going on here
I taught her how to step along the stones...she may or may not have looked a little intoxicated while doing this
"Weeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!"
Loungin' on the hammock
One last wagon ride
See what I mean?? They both finally crashed on the couch after all of that...
They watched cartoons while Gman prompted me to do a quick search through the front coat closet to see if anything belonged to me. I assured him that nothing in there belonged to me but low and behold I found this upon taking a quick peek inside the closet.....
Stylin' Jr. High style
Hallie had to check her Facebook status one last time before we left....
Her poker face
We said a gratitude-filled goodbye to Gman and Aunt B and made our way home to this....
Holy responsibilities
Did I mention that I like being spoiled by my Dad?? Because I do.
But I also really like having these two under the same roof with me....
She was being extra motherly to her babydolls last night and giving them sweet kisses and "singing" to them....
She even took it upon herself to put one of them to bed.....
"It's a soft landing I promise"
" Night night!"
Yes to the frog boots....hey it was a little soggy outside...very appropriate ;)
She even wanted to take her babydoll along but it turns out that it was much too cold outside to get her newborn out in the elements.....
Underneath this monstrosity is a stroller and a baby
Mama bear, Baby bear and Papa bear all headed to the grocery store for some shopping after church. This was a huge treat for me as I had an extra pair of hands. It's usually my two hands trying to occupy a food-obsessed maniac trying to reach for everything we pass in the aisles. Riley found just the way to keep her busy......
"Beep! Beep!"
Hot stuff comin' through!
We made our way down the road to meet the fam for Kylie's belated birthday lunch. Hal sat sandwiched between Nanny and I while she chowed down on anything she could get her hands on. I'd give her an A for behavior in public during usual naptime. High fives for Hal! And high fives to Aunt Ky on turning the big 2-1!!
Happy Birthday Aunt Ky!
Still getting the hang of crayons. Who knew colored wax looked so tasty?
Looks like a thumbs up to me!!!!
The hubs and I took turns going for afternoon runs which also ended up being the perfect stress reliever. I'll remember that next time....shopping and running. We had a fun girl's afternoon when Katie, Carmen and Kylie all came over for a stroll around the neighborhood and a trip to the park. We tried to talk Hallie into taking her baby cousin for a walk in this......
"I can't laugh with you until I know what it is that you're all laughing at...."
Hallie pushed her for a few feet and then realized we wanted her to do it so she stopped....already acting like a teenager. Carmen was a great sport but seemed much more cozy in her big girl stroller.....
"That's more like it!"
The five of us had a nice walk and introduced Carmen to the park around the corner. The weather was just perfect and actually seemed to get warmer as the afternoon passed. I was sure to get a pic of the convoy of pink before we left the house......
We saw some turkeys along our walk and Hallie broke her neck trying to get a good look at them. We made around to the park and found out that Carmen is quite the big fan of swinging....
Hal, on the other hand, was being somewhat of a toot. It turns out that she isn't so much for sharing the baby swing with others. Swinging in the big girl swing sufficed for about ten seconds and she was off to go visit Aunt Ky's dog who was just across the park grounds at Kylie's boyfriend's house.
Meanwhile Carmen and Katie were sliding....
And Riley had driven by and stopped in to play for a bit.....
And little miss set-in-her-ways decided that she was ready to go home so she loaded up and "drove" on her dad's lap the one whole block back to our house (Aunt Katie was hollering out "you're pulling a Britney Spears!")
She's got dinnertime on her mind I'm almost sure of it
The girls headed home after hanging out in the house for a bit. We had a relaxing evening at home reveling in the fact that it was so light outside. Hallie's bedtime came and went....no problem at all because we had no idea it was getting late. We were pretty busy after all.....
So busy...
And even more busy rearranging the barstools
It was too beautiful outdoors to waste the rest of the evening so Hallie and I took a wagon ride/dog walk until I felt that my arm was going to fall off. We parked the wagon, dropped off the dog and hopped on the bike. Oh how I love that bike. It's an incredibly tough workout with an ever-growing child on the back and non to mention uphill half of the way. She lasted quite a while being content on the back simply watching the trees fly by and humming to herself behind me. It wasn't until we approached the neighborhood that she decided I was crowding her out so she started her "get off the bike mom" kicking and pushing. It just makes me laugh....but I did have to stop a couple of times and turn around to tell her that it was not okay to push and kick people....especially the lady operating the bike she was riding on. My legs were jello and she was needing some breathing room for her chubby legs so I took too pushing the bike. She wasn't heartbroken in the least.....
Look at miss sassy pants propping her feet up
I need to take a chill pill.
For real real.
Everything's gonna be alright. ;)
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