We squeezed in a trip to the pumpkin patch on Saturday morning before we went to Tuscaloosa for Baker's bday party. It was Nathan's idea to go that morning and I'm so glad we went. We haven't had many free weekends, or days when everybody is well! Plus I missed out on a trip there on Thursday w/some girls b/c I didn't think Hayes was up to par. It was a great place and I took way too many pictures. I will try not to share too many! I think Hayes was the dirtiest child there! Her favorite thing was kicking up the dirt w/her boots and playing in it. She loved it and was a big mess. She had a nice baby wipe bath in the car before we headed to the b'day party! When I saw her in this pose pretending to be a chicken, I knew I needed to switch over to the video camera.
This video is for the grandparents!
Jack the donkey
I have another little video of her pulling this goat's tail
I think she would have been just as happy playing in the dirt at home!!
She loved the wagon ride, but didn't care a thing about the pumpkin picking. Climbing the hay bales was her next favorite thing to the dirt and farm animals.
We ate lunch and played a bit more and then hit the road. It only took a few minutes before Hayes was asleep. It was so fun and we'll definitely be back next year, but next time w/our TWO little pumpkins!
It's finally naptime-yea!! Our mornings have been starting really early around here. Miss Hayes has decided that she likes waking up for the day between 5-6. Sometimes that's a long stretch until 1 in the afternoon. Yesterday she had different plans than me and decided she would not have naptime at all so I'm hoping she'll make up for it today with an extra long one-hahaha we will see. Therefore, we have plenty of time in the morning for some yummy breafasts so sometimes waking up early can be good!!
We had these little pumpkin muffins for breakfast this morning, and they were so simple and delicious. So if you don't already have a recipe for some yummy fall pumpkin muffins, here you go:
1 box spice cake mix 1 can pure pumpkin 2/3 cup water 1 egg
Mix all ingredients until well blended. Grease and flour muffin pans (this recipe made 12 large muffins and then I still had batter left over for about 10 mini-muffins.) Fill each cup 2/3 or almost full. Bake at 325 for about 20-25 minutes. I cooked my muffin pans separately, so I'm not sure how long it would take putting both pans in together. Just watch the muffins. Once cooled sprinkle with confectioners sugar. They were moist and delicious, and I'm just about to have another one for my afternoon snack!
Also, our cousin Bake Bake had his 1st birthday party on Saturday. It was a really cute party and he thoroughly enjoyed himself!! I have lots of fun pictures to share, but I'll let Lindsey share hers first! I found these little ghost cookies on a website a few months ago and made them Friday night for the party. They turned out really cute and were really easy to make, just a little messy. Just an idea in case you need something for Halloween this weekend.
1 package nutter butters 1 lb. almost bark mini chocolate chips
Melt candy coating in microwave, keep stirring and watching for it to melt, it took mine longer than the package said. Dip cookies into melted bark and then lay on parchment paper. Put chocolate eyes on the ghost while they are still wet-might need another person to do this part-like an hungry husand who likes sweets- b/c you're hands are so messy. Let cool and then enjoy! This recipe made 32 cookies.
*HELP!! Anyone have any good tips for getting back on a normal wake-up schedule for an almost 2 year old? Getting up an extra hour or more earlier for her is definitely contributing to the whininess factor during the day. It's been about 3 weeks so I'm afraid it's becoming a habit.
I need to update the blog so I can get the last story out of my mind about Hayes falling! She is doing much better, her mouth and gums are continually healing (as far as I can tell) and as of this morning she only has her really bad cough, which is why I am up at 4:30 am! We had a great time this past weekend, only it went by way too fast. I love the weekends when we can all be together. Having Nathan with us on Saturday and Sundays makes it 100 times better.
We celebrated Nathan's birthday on Saturday with his family in Tuscaloosa. Brent and Nathan's dad are big bama fans. We are NOT. But we went to tailgate in the sea of red anyway and we had a really fun time! We were able to see some friends we never see and Hayes had a ball running around and enjoying all her freedom. Brent's family had a bouncy house and pop up tent at their tailgate so Hayes was in heaven. She jumped for about 4 solid hours. We might need one of these at our house one day.
Sunday we went to church, rested, and then had a birthday party for Hayes' friend Maggie. She is 2. It was a sweet party at the park. I'm envious of these cute outdoor b'day parties that people can have in spring, summer, and fall. What about the winter birthdays?! I am in need of some ideas for my little January baby!
Doing some rocking before church(Brandi do you recognize this dress? We love it and it just fits!)
What a cool girl. She loved these sunglasses from the treat bag and broke them within 1 minute of getting in the car. So sad!
Other exciting news, we bought a dresser and mirror for the little boy's room this weekend! It was a spur of the moment purchase, but I think it will work great for his room once it's painted. Thanks to the DeRieux's, we were able to pick it up and pack it safely away in our messy storage unit, until he has a room of his own, which hopefully will not be too far away. I'm winding up my excitement of being in our "beach condo!" haha (aka apartment living.) I will say it has been very easy and I truly have no complaints about the no-stress life of maintenance free living. I'm not sure we'll ever be in this situtation again where we need short term housing, so I'm making the most of these days where I don't have much to clean or take care of. It's been nice!
It's naptime! I look so forward to this little bit of downtime every day. Hayes' Nana and Papa recently sent her a fun surprise package and inside was a little electric puppy. This little dog is so cute, it barks and jumps and it's perfect for her right now since she's currently obsessed with dogs (unless they are little and bark loudly!!)Sadly, it is probably the closest thing she will have to a real dog for a while! She loves for it to be turned on all the time, even when she's not playing with it, and will get so mad if you turn it off. She gets more opinionated and fiesty with each second that passes these days. I'm told by everyone that it's just her age. We will see!
This is about the only picture/video I have taken in 2 weeks. So sad I know. Hayes has really been through an array of sicknesses lately. Allergies, cold and horrendous night time cough which keeps us all awake, stomach issues (which I think is from all the medicine the poor baby has taken), and her latest and worst ailment happened on Sunday at church. She fell out of a rocking chair in her Sunday school classroom FACE FIRST onto the tile floor and was bleeding EVERYWHERE-hands, arms, dress, bow. They came and got us out of our class and told us she had an accident and there was blood-talk about a nightmare. This was my 2nd worst experience so far as a parent!! The first was at 13 mos when she fell off her rocking horse onto the hardwood floor and we had to go to Children's-that's another post but I really don't want to recall all that-it was a total nightmare too.
We couldn't tell what happened for a while because of her hysterical crying and all of the blood. We got her home and cleaned her up and gave her motrin, and we are still giving her motrin! and it's Thursday! She had her 1st trip to the dentist on Monday morning, and thankfully all those little baby teeth are still intact SOMEHOW-not really somehow, I KNOW the Lord must have had his hand around her mouth protecting her. She tore part of her gums above her teeth and that's where all the bleeding came from. She has been extremely fussy all week, and has woken up really early every day, but I think she is on the mend now and will hopefully start napping better and getting back to her normal sleep schedule.
I have never prayed so hard, repeatedly, over the same specific issue for her as I have these past 4 days. Her safety and wanting to constantly be with her to protect her have totally consumed me and I can't get the sight of her bleeding, hurt, and crying out of my head. Wednesday was a hard day for me at school because I did not want to leave her, even for 4 hours. I know God is teaching me through this that I am totally not in control of her but that He is. Something I of course already knew. He plans out her day, second by second. I can't be with her all the time but I know that He is and whatever happens each day for her is filtered right through his hands. I can't take care of her like He can. That same thing could have happened with me sitting right beside her, and then I would have really felt terrible and helpless. Trust, trust, trust in Jesus is all I can do! I do trust that He is going to take care of her always, but I just want to help. Isn't that terrible? Now I am a doubter! It's all a vicious cycle and I think as a parent this control issue probably never ends, or at least for me but I am working on it!
On a happy note, we had some sweet pictures made this morning (while she still has all her teeth-haha!) in hopes of getting a good one for our Christmas card. I can't wait to see how they turn out!! I'll post a few when I get them back!!
My sweet, precious, selfless, smart, handsome, gem of a husband had a birthday this past weekend on October 10. We have not celebrated properly yet AT ALL due to crazy events in our household! But we plan to celebrate his 33 years soon, hopefully all weekend this coming weekend.
I have never in my life seen someone who puts others before himself constantly, and by others I mean myself and Hayes (and this soon to be baby boy.) I truly think all he cares about in this whole world is taking care of us. He shows that to us on a daily basis. I do believe his mind is costantly consumed with how he can make the best decisions for our family. He knows so many things I don't know, but I know a few things too to help him out (sometimes) so we balance each other out pretty well. I still can't believe God made him just for me. He loves our family. He's the best.
And I truly don't believe that LOVE is a big enough word for how he feels about his daughter. I am quite sure that is how every daddy feels about his little girl! I know he is so thrilled too about having a son, a little boy to play golf and play baseball with and go to Lowe's with and help him in the yard! Now we'll both have a little playmate!
It's a BOY!! We are both thrilled and surprised and beyond thankful for this healthy baby. Everything looked great in the ultrasound this morning. What a relief and answer to prayer!! Thank you LORD!!
He's already a thumbsucker just like his sister. I have almost the same picture of Hayes at her 18 wk. ultrasound sucking her thumb. I have totally been living in a pink world the past 20 months. I ran by a cute shop at lunch today and the blue section was totally foreign to me- I have lots to learn about baby boy clothes but now I cannot wait! Now we just need a name for this sweet little baby boy Kennedy!
