From sun up to sun down

Oh hey, hi there. Zombie mommy here.  

Whew. 

That was just me letting out a sigh. It's 10:50 on a Friday night and I'm in bed listening to the sounds of protest coming from Hallie's room. Did I mention that it's 10:50 and I just left her room for the fifth time? I guess while we're talking about awfully late bedtimes I ought to mention that last night was even later. And one night last week she didn't close her little eyes until midnight. What all of this translates to roughly is approximately zero minutes of rest during the evening. Z.E.R.O. 

Whew.

I'm saving up for a sleep therapist. Anyone know of a good one? Benadryl is becoming a much too frequently used "sleep aid" in our house and I'm convinced that all it does is make it a bazillion times harder to round her up come morning time. We have been in a cycle of grumpiness from lack of sleep for a little over three months now. Still trying to find the right piece to this mommy puzzle. So far this is the toughest one we've had to solve. Again I say...

Whew. 

But here's the deal. Being Hal's mommy is so much better than sleeping in and going to bed when I choose. Those things are lovely and good and all....ok, they are wonderful and perfect and splendid....but I sure do love kissing her goodnight no matter what time it may be and I certainly love seeing her sleepy/smiley face in the morning banging on the end of my bed telling me to get up. This topic of sleeps helps me transition into a series of photos that could very well be a year old. I'm really not even sure when these events happened....but I must've been there....here's a barrage of photos to prove that we are still alive and well. Here goes nothin'......

We had a park day with Carmen and Katie on a windy Saturday morning......

That same day Hallie helped Riley do some car washing and in the process washed herself. Big shocker.....

Soaking wet!

She quickly transitioned from tomboy to cowgirl in her boots, sundress and rope that she found at the neighborhood park. This rope people....I can't stress enough how engaged she was with this silly rope...

She had to cowgirl it up for Mason's birthday party out in the country that afternoon....

It was windy but the temps were wonderful and warm for some outdoor play time....

Hal skipped her nap that day and almost fell asleep in the swing....

We went out to look at the baby chicks and Mason's puppy, ate some party food and had a hard time putting our hats on....

Here's the birthday boy running around in his party hats....

I was so glad Michelle had us out. Hallie loved every minute of being out on the farm and I must say it had me itching for living in the country....

We've been logging some serious tricycle riding time lately. She's tearing up the driveway in her sweet little red ride. Oh and I can't forget the helmet! Safety first, people!!!

Life has been a bit too much to handle at times recently which naturally means that my camera has been a lot less active lately. I'm sure it appreciates the nice little break from all of the snapping it usually has to do. Although Hallie has stepped in my shoes and filled part of the picture-taking void....

That girl of mine has kept me laughing, smiling, shaking my head. This was one of the shaking my head moments....

People have always said "wow, she's got a big personality!" or "that's a diva right there!" Both are correct.

Our bond seems to grow exponentially by the day. I dare not leave her sight. She is growing into the cuddler I always hoped she would be. Oh and I guess I'll throw in just how much of an entertainment junky she is. On this particular evening she was quite busy playing on my phone, watching her LeapPad and "listening" as I read a book.....

A very random array of photos here folks. Here is one of my favorite photos of the hubs while at the optometrist picking out glasses. He said he needed "moral support"....

Here's one of my little helper taking some trash out to the curb all the while snacking on some goodies....

Hal recently had the pleasure of sharing an afternoon with her BFF Marleigh. I was tickled to see the two silly gooses play together. My friend Lauren had made the girls some yummy cookies to snack on before they played. You can't tell by the look on Hal's face but she was super excited to be there.....

Marleigh has an affinity for dinosaurs which led to us mommies chasing the giggly girls through the house with a big T-Rex. They ran and squealed and made my heart happy....

Lil bro Tucker joined in for some storytime....

We took a stroll over to the school park nearby where the girls took turns flying across the monkey bars....

The pictures capture smiles...however....sassy pants wanted on every toy that Marleigh was on and she wasn't happy about sharing.

Well, maybe a bit of sharing....

Despite some tears shed over a caterpillar, the girls had a blast together while Tucker watched quietly from his stroller. Before we left they spotted a bug that Hallie took care of.....

"Hey Hal, do ya see that?"

"No worries, I got this."

We've been whipping up goodies in the kitchen. She is my reliable kitchen aide who never fails to show up with her enthusiasm and a chair to stand on. Her favorite cooking activities....stirring and cracking eggs.

Practice makes perfect!

The same thing goes for teeth brushing. We sing a little diddy while brushing to the tune of a song from Yo Gabba Gabba...."let's get the yuckies off, let's get the yuckies off."

So what are these yuckies we speak of?

cupcakes

donuts

ice cream

Please don't turn me in. I swear I feed her veggies and fruits. In fact, I'm surprised the girl hasn't turned into a banana, grape or strawberry by this point. 

"I could've sworn I hid a cupcake in here....."

We still live for our Fridays together.

My baby got her first pedicure a few weeks ago. It. Was. Darling. 

So here I sit.....two weeks after I started this post.....finishing it up now. Still remarkably tired. But still incredibly blessed. And still with a mound of pictures to share in order to catchup. 

ON TO THE NEXT POST..........