Construction

One simple paint job has turned into a month long project! Two weeks ago we picked a paint color for our living room and instead of waiting for our time off at Christmas, Dave wanted to get right on it. The problem is that as he began to paint we realized the crazy wood trim has got to go...DRAMA...and then as we continued to deliberate he realized one wall was peeling, so we had to peel the paint off one wall...note picture above...after lots of back and forth, Dave bought a spray paint gun, plasticed off the whole room and went to town...one problem...the gun didn't work well. So he took it back and began to do it by hand (did I mention the top trim is dental molding?). OK. In the mean time he decided to take down the dry wall on two of the walls because he could feel a breeze coming through the outlets. Fortunately he has decided to wait to tear down the dry wall...well he is going to wait a couple weeks. In the mean time he is finishing up priming the trim and the wall of the other two walls in our living room. So, for the time being we are living in a construction zone. It could be worse, at this point we don't use the living room, but Dave is hoping for that to change once we finish this construction.

Cooking...

We have been busy! One of these days I will post about all our happenings over the last 6 weeks, but until then I thought I would post about my cooking spree.

Last week Annelise and I made a trek to the Farmer's Market to pick up some yummy fruit and veggies. We bought so much stuff that it took me a couple days to get it all in the fridge, I had to cook a bunch of it first! Here is a list (I am sure you are SO interested):

onions

potatos

tomatoes

avocados

serrano peppers

poblano peppers

red bell peppers

garlic

sweet potatoes

green beans

spinach

carrots

broccoli

cilantro

basil

green onions

leeks

celery
butternut squash
zucchini
rosemary
shitake mushrooms

I spent $70. After we shopped I started too cook, yea! Zucchini rosemary soup, red pepper soup, pumpkin soup, spinach mascarpone soup. I made some beans (in the crock pot which worked great-cooked on high for 3 hours and they were ready) and then made some chicken chili, turkey chili, turkey meatballs (which didn't turn out that well).

I love cooking and Hadleigh has been a great little helper. She loves to smell everything!

Here is the new kick...over the weekend I met a dietician who told me all about high fructose corn syrup, just what a mama wants to hear about! Upon hearing about it I did what any relatively psycho mama would, run home and check the lables on every piece of food in the house! I knew that the yogurt I had been feeding HC had the syrup in it, but wasn't sure about the other things in my cabinet. Fortunately I did not have a lot with the syrup in it, only a couple granola bars which have been sitting in the cabinet for several months (since I have been making my own granola bars...yummy), and maple syrup (shocker) and then the yogurt. The dietician gave me a couple ideas about how to incorporate yogurt without the syrup...unless someone knows a kind that doesn't have it...she suggested buying plain yogurt and adding jelly (that doesn't have high fructose corn syrup). I did that yesterday and the girls LOVED it. I used to make my own yogurt, but it is so easy to just buy the little containers...ah well...this is almost as easy and a bit more healthy.

I have also been a little lazy about cooking, and have been using a little more red meat than I usually like to eat. It is hard because there are just some things that are better with beef (meatballs), etc. So if anyone has a yummy recipe for meatballs without beef feel free to pass them along.

OK, Annelise is up and needs some attention...happy thanksgiving!

Star Wars

Erica sent this to me and it was just too good not to post! If you are a Star Wars fan, you will enjoy this.

Chairs

Before:

After:

Dave bought these lovely chairs and the matching table from a pub in Memphis (I think that is the story). At some point after he bought them 8 years ago he recovered them and you can see what they have looked like for the last 8 years. I decided it was time for a change, so I picked out this fabric and recovered them on Sunday. It was a fun project, one of many that are on my list in the upcoming months.

We are currently picking out paint colors for the living room, hallway/entry, and our two downstairs bathroom. Dave won't let me touch the man-room...he just wants me out and says he is going to make it his secret project (like Ty on Extreme Home Make-over). I reminded him that if he locked me out of that room for a week I would not be able to do the laundry (since the laundry room is off the man-room). He insists that he will take care of the laundry that week. We will see, though I think that room is not as close to being done as some of the others.

We are anticipating a tax return this year, so we are hoping to get another couch (so that we can watch TV on a couch, as opposed to sitting on the floor), and a couple other small pieces of furniture. I am also looking into making a couple shades for our windows, etc. It should be fun times beginning in December.

Miss Hadleigh Claire is 32 Months

I am starting to wonder what I am going to do once Hadleigh turns 3. Maybe the posts will begin to read "Miss Hadleigh Claire is 3.1...3.2..." It just doesn't seem right to say a 3 year old is 37 months. It actually doesn't really seem right to call a 2 year old 32 months. Ah well, that is for another time. So Hadleigh...

One thing I have noticed in the last month is her ability to run. The little miss did not walk until 17 months, which was totally fine. However I always felt like she has been a bit behind in her coordination (hey, who said we all have to be Flo-Jo). Her running used to be a fast waddle/walk until this last month when I have really seen her run. It still looks a little funny, but it is definitely a run. I love it! She might just be athletic afterall!

Even though she has been slow to run, she has a fabulous arm. She throws very well, straight and far and always impresses everyone. They will usually start off close to her asking her to throw the ball, and after the first throw they always back up and comment on her arm.

Hadleigh definitely has music in her future. She has almost perfect pitch which is absolutely amazing to listen to! She loves to sing, and sings all day long. Yesterday she was playing her xylophone (which she calls her violin), and she managed to pick out the notes to "Twinkle, Twinkle" and played it perfectly, AMAZING! Her favorite song this month is "Rainbow Connection". We sing it almost every night before bed, along with "Our God is so Great" which she learned in Sunday School.

After we sing at night we always talk about God and his greatness. One thing I have really enjoyed this month is her increased awareness of God. I feel like I am able to talk to her about God and she understands. It has been fun to come up with little ways to teach her scripture, or to teach her about his character. She knows the answers to the first three catechism questions..."Who made you? What else did God make? and Why did God make you and all things?" We also talk about obedience and how it is "right" to obey your parents. Another thing we have been talking about is his majesty, "Do you not KNOW? Have you not HEARD? THe lord is the everlasting God, creator of the heavens and earth." We talk about all he has made. It is fun and intense to be in this kind of discipleship relationship. Can I teach her about God, while allowing her to say fart, crap and hell? We will see.

There are a couple other things that I have been talking to HC about, kindness and truth. We are always talking about telling the truth, and reminding her what the truth is...the truth is you have to go potty (as she jumps arounds)...the truth is the bunny belongs to Annelise...the truth is youu got out of bed (as she is covered from head to toe in lotion). I am also always asking her to be kind to Annelise. Sometimes this comes very naturally to HC. She will jump into the car after preschool and immediately go over to Annelise, say hi and stroke her face. So KIND! But sometimes she has to be reminded that it is kind to share, it is kind to not hit, etc. Oh, HC knows what kind means, and we continue to pray that she will learn to love to be kind to Annelise (and that Annelise will be kind to her in return).

One more thing I have noticed about HC this month is that is incredibly social. She LOVES her friends, which is nothing new to me, but what I have realized is that she really likes to play with kids. If we go to a playground she will try to get other kids to play with her. She doesn't just want to play around other children, she wants to play with them. This month I have had the opportunity to see her play a lot with her good bud Brennan. Hadleigh loves Brennan, I mean LOVES, and it is so fun to see them squeal each others names and run after one another. It is the sweetest thing in the world.

I just love my little girl, she is the sweetest in the world.

The Elf Is One!

This post is about 8 days overdue, but I decided to wait until we had some fun pics from Annelise's first birthday party, which was this past Saturday. We had a fun time celebrating with our community group, and Hadleigh's friends Brennan and Jacob. Poor Annelise needs some friends of her own, as most of my friends decided to wait an extra year before embarking on two children...smart idea!
As usual Dave came through with a BEAUTIFUL cake, Pumpkin Spice with caramel icing...yummy! I think this might become a tradition. Annelise wore the dress Hadleigh wore on her first birthday, which surprisingly was the dress I wore on my first birthday...or maybe I wore it sometime around my first birthday. In any case, the dress is 30+ years old.
Enough about the birthday festivities, let's get to talking about Annelise! What a sweet girl she is! She is a little cuddle bug, and I LOVE it. She will be sitting on my lap and I can ask for cuddles and she will lean into me and make a little sighing noise. So sweet! When I ask for kisses she opens her mouth wide and leans in for a big smack...I try to aim her at my cheek!

She is still a bit particular. She isn't as tough as big sis, Hadleigh, and gets a little flustered when she gets bonked around. She still struggles a bit with her naps, and with eating, but we are doing our best. She seems to be a picky eater, but I am refusing to give in too much...she will learn to eat what we put in front of her.
She is a major cruiser, and will walk around the house with a little walker. I am SO excited about the prospect of having a baby that walks before 17 months! She is starting to climb which is interesting, and since we live in a split level I am going to have figure out how to handle that one. Yikes!
She is an oral baby, and everything goes into her mouth. For real? It is so gross, but not much I can do. As my friend Sar says about her Jill, I guess she is developing her immune system.

She is very persistent, and will sit at the outlet trying to take the covers off for at least 10 minutes at a time. It is so different to have a baby who is interested in those things. I know Annelise is going to be into EVERYTHING. If she is crawling and something is in her path she will pick it up and throw it behind her as she continues to crawl. This always makes us laugh, and she leaves a wake as she passes through.

She has become very social, always offering smiles and giggles which makes all our buds so happy. On her birthday she was passed from one person to another, and just enjoyed being played with and tickled.
She LOVES her big sis, Hadleigh and always squeals when HC is around. She also loves her Dada. The other day she spotted him through the window as he was walking into the house, and squealed and clapped so excitedly that I knew Dave must be home.

She loves to clap and wave hello and goodbye. She loves to babble, and loves to play with her new ball machine that Papa and Nana sent.
She loves bath time. Dave know has the girls help each other wash, so HC scrubs Annelise and Annelise scrubs Hadleigh. It is super sweet.

I love my little, particular, cuddly, social, persistent little girl, who is now 20 pounds and 28 inches (gotta love the formula to fatten them up).

My Day

My friend Jess, posted a blog last week about her day. It is always interesting to see what days look like for different people, so I thought I would post about my day Thursday...here you go.

5.45a Annelise was up. Dave fed her while I took a shower. Dave and I eat breakfast and chit-chat while Annelise "runs" around.

6.25 Dave leaves for work. I check email, strip my bed, blow dry my hair, throw the wash in the washer, make oatmeal and get Annelise's breakfast ready.

7.15 feed Annelise breakfast. Change her diaper, put her down for a nap.

7.30 get Hadleigh up for the day. Go potty, downstairs for breakfast. Make Hadleigh's breakfast.

8.00 Work on my Bible study- Romans 6, while Hadleigh plays and reads.

8.30 Pack Hadleigh's lunch, and snacks for Annelise. Stock diaper bags with changes of clothes, extra diapers/wipes. Get Hadleigh dressed.

9.00 Get Annelise up from nap, change diaper, dressed...out the door.

9.15 Get the girls in the car, remember a few things I forgot in the house, and get in the car again. Off to preschool!

9.45 Drop Annelise off at nursery and run up to Bible study.

11.30 Pick up Annelise, out to the car. We stopped by a bank (because we are looking for a new one), and asked about all their different accounts. Back in the car, and off to Wal-mart. Run in, buy diapers (using my cell phone to calculate which buy is a better deal...). Back in the car to pick up Hadleigh.

1.00 this is where it gets interesting. Pick up HC. As we get back on the road, HC begins to scream in pain, and as I look back I realize she probably has to go potty. I ask her if she has to poop. She exclaims, YES (while arching back and squeezing bootie cheeks together). We are at a light, so as son as possible I quickly pull into a parking lot, jump out of car and around to her side, but realize that since I smell something I am prob too late. I grab her potty, pull her out of the car seat, put her on the potty, and begin the clean up. Pull out the extra wipes, thank goodness for spare trash bags! I wipe everything down, put on new panties, and we are off again. As soon as we get back on the road we repeat the same process with Hadleigh. At this point we are almost home, and there really isn't anywhere to stop so I rush home. Pull Hadleigh out of the car and run her into the house and onto the potty. She begins to scream because she doesn't like to poop on the potty. I hold her down and she manages to poop while I promise her some ice cream if she goes in the potty. All is well, victory! We do the poop in the potty dance, and I tell her to jump into her booster while I grab Annelise (who is still sitting in her carseat screaming). I run Annelise up to her room and put her in bed...only to hear Hadleigh downstairs yelling again. Hadleigh has now pooped in her booster seat (to give her credit, she would have run to the potty, but she had strapped herself in so was stuck). I took her to the potty again and cleaned everything up. NOW it is time for ice cream. We also called Dave so Hadleigh could tell him that she pooped in the potty.

1.45 Everything is cleaned up and Hadleigh is finally in bed. I make myself lunch...FINALLY, and sit down (think I have earned it). Fold laundry...check email...fold laundry...check email...file papers, pay bills.

3.30 Annelise wakes up. Change diaper, feed bottle, play.

4.00 Hadleigh wakes up, immediately gets a consquence because she has gotten out of bed and is covered from head to toe in lotion. Clean her up, and try not to gag from the overwhelming smell of lavender.

4.30 THANK GOD, Dave is home!

5.00 Dinner for the girls. Baths, Annelise goes to bed.

6.00 Dave leaves again to go to hockey game, I put Hadleigh down, we sing, talk about how great God is, and I give her kisses and hugs.

6.30 I think REALLY hard about ordering chinese, but decide to save my money and make tomato soup...comfort food.

7.30 Do massive amounts of dishes left over from day, and community group the night before.

8.00 Survivor...thank goodness my pick-Sugar- is still in the game AND has the immunity idol.

9.00 check email, make bed, clean kitchen, find recipe for Annelise's birthday cake, make list for grocery store run for Annelise's birthday party and for another party I am having on Monday for a friend.

10.00 Dave gets home, and off to do a Sudoku puzzle and go to bed. (I do usually go to bed earlier, but...)

Happy Halloween

We had a fun time celebrating Halloween with the girls last week. We like giraffes! Hadleigh was a giraffe her first Halloween, and since Annelise is on the small side (no we are not worried about her size), she was able to fit into the size 6 month giraffe outfit this year. Last year I bought Hadleigh a new giraffe costume in a size 24 months. Amazingly, she was able to fit into the same costume this year! Wonderful! So, three years in a row, HC has been a giraffe. Maybe next year we will branch out, but it was super cute to have 2 giraffes this year. And maybe, just maybe we can stay far away from princesses...not trying to offend anyone here, we just aren't really the princess type (at least so far we aren't).

Last Wednesday we had our Playgroup Halloween Party here. It is always a little chaotic, but we all made it out alive, which is a positive. Hadleigh and Annelise like to be surrounded by boys, as you can see.

Here is HC with two of her fav buddies...I mean who wouldn't like hanging out with Superman and a real, live Cowboy?

Hadleigh had her first trick or treat experience on Friday. Dave took her up a couple houses on each side...she is really excited about the whole idea of candy.

Here are a couple pics from Halloweens gone by...above Hadleigh on Halloween 2006...below Hadleigh on Halloween 2007.

We Voted

Wow, my arm looks HUGE! Today I did my civil duty. I voted! It was SO much fun. I actually haven't voted in person in 4 years (because I used absentee ballots while in Germany and until we got a permanent residence here in Atl).

In GA there has been this push for folks to vote early...I am not really sure why. Someone said they were expecting 90% of GAs to vote...unlikely. Anyway, it seemed to make sense for folks who might be out of town or things like that...but never seemed to make sense for me to do it. Especially since I knew some folks who waited for several hours! It had never taken me longer than 30 minutes to vote in the past, even when I was going with the crowds before work, so I decided to stick to voting day.

I loaded the girls up in the stroller and marched down to our precinct. They had to open both dorrs to get me and my wide load in. Hadleigh was SO excited, and continued to talk about how she was going to vote...and she anxiously watched the screen as I voted...she agreed with all my choices. The dude at the end let HC have a sticker, so later today we are going to make a Bruesters Ice Cream run...$.50 off a cone when you wear your sticker!