Balloon

A few nights ago, we decided to put the girls to bed a bit early and have a "chicken on the grill" dinner..just Chad and I. It was still mostly light outside and we were sitting out back waiting for our chicken to cook..when all of a sudden, we looked up and there was a gorgeous hot air balloon flying over our backyard. It was SO close..it looked like it was going to land right on our house. I"m not sure if it was supposed to be flying so low, but nobody was sending a distress signal or anything. Anyway, I knew Hannah would still be awake so I went into her room and told her to look out her window. She was like, "Woah! A balloon!!" I let her come downstairs and wave the the people in the balloon..it was that close! She was amazed...but then afterward..when I was serious about her going to sleep, she continued to look out her window and watch us down on the deck.
....And so every night since the balloon spectacle, she's been out of her bed and lifting up the window blinds when she's supposed to be going to sleep. She asked me why she has to go to bed while it's still day time outside. ...and it doesn't really get too dark until after 9 now. I told her that just because the sun is staying up later doesn't mean she gets to. :) ....mean mommy.
We had a good weekend...we painted the dining room finally..it looks good. On Saturday, we went to the outlet shops in Hagerstown. That was fun..we found some great deals and the kids lasted a couple of hours. Worth the drive!

Splish Splash

I dragged our decrepit baby pool out from the shed this morning. It had a couple of holes that I had to patch, and was filthy...but with a little duck tape and dish detergent, it was as good as new. I thought for sure Sadie would have a field day, because every time I turn around she's splashing in the dog water bowl. But to my surprise, she wanted little to do with the whole pool thing. Maybe the water was a bit too chilly..but over time it warmed up. She didn't, though. I couldn't even get a good picture of both the girls in the pool together because Sadie kept climbing out. On the other hand, Hannah LOVED it! She stayed out there most of the morning...and again when Sadie took her afternoon nap. I just let her do her thing out there ...and every once in a while I'd hear a shrill scream, "MOOOMMMY, BUUUUUG!!! I'd have to go scoop out whatever little insect had jumped in the pool, and then she'd be fine again.

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Daddy's Day! I'm truly blessed to have some wonderful fathers in my life. My own stud-ly Dad, who is celebrating today on his Alaskan Cruise!!, is an amazing father & grandpa, great listener & problem solver, and one heck of an athlete! Though I'm sure I am probably responsible for at least 50% of his gray hair, he can rest assured that I turned out pretty normal and well adjusted. (twitch, twitch). lol
I couldn't ask for a better father-in-law, either. Whenever I hear people complain about their in-laws, I always thank my lucky stars for Joe & Charlotte. They are kind, genuine, and loving parents/grandparents!!..Not to mention...they spoil my kids rotten. What more could I ask for?
And of course, the Daddio of this house, my Chad. He is adored by both girls and that is evident by the way they both race to him when he walks in the door every evening. He is a really good Dad, but will be an adolescent boy's worst nightmare when Hannah and Sadie start dating! He's hardworking and completely dedicated to our family. I love you, babe! Happy Father's Day :)

yada, yada, yada....

1. Sadie's walking all over the place. I will post a video when I have more time.
2. I didn't realize that when the Paci Fairy took the pacifiers, she'd also be taking away nap time too. No Pacis = No Naps = No Break for the Mommy.
3. Joined the local Moms Club today...met another Mom who went to Longwood with me.....we talked forever about how much we miss it and how much the campus has changed since we graduated.
4. Made gorditas for dinner and Chad bribed Hannah with a Lifesaver Mint to eat hers. Didn't really work out because the mint was so strong, it burned her tongue and made her cry.
5. We discovered that Sadie LOVES chicken...she gobbles it up faster than I can cut it up and place the pieces on her tray.
6. The dogs got baths ( when I say bath, I mean Hannah soaped them up and sprayed them with the hose out back) and haircuts this weekend. Carter jumped suddenly while Chad had the clippers on and got buzzed. He now has a bald spot on his butt in the shape of a square.
7. Ever since we started planning our Disney World trip, Hannah nags at me every day to go to Mickey Mouse's house. I have tried telling her that we still have 5 months before we go...but when you're three, I guess you only live in the here and NOW! She says she's going to give Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, Pluto, and Cinderella all hugs and kisses when she finally sees them. We are excited ...plane tickets have been purchased!
8. My brain is fried....off to bed.
9 Oh yeah- and I mowed the grass all by myself!! Chad was very proud :) Yeah, I know...I've totally lost it!

Steps & Smiles

Here's just a short clip of Sadie walking about 3 steps. Before I got the camera out, she did 7 steps..not knowing I was watching. After she saw the camera, she just started diving for it instead. She's been walking ALL day today!! The new record is 11 steps without any assistance! What a big girl :)




Also, I'm so excited about Sadie's one year portraits. Becky did them for me at the Shenandoah Museum's gardens this week and they are just gorgeous!! Thank you, Becky--I'm lucky to have such a talented neighbor & friend!

A Visit From the Paci Fairy....

You'll never believe this--I'm still scratching my head. Yesterday Hannah woke up and told Chad she was ready for the Paci Fairy to come take her pacis to all the new babies of the world. So, throughout the day I talked to her about it and made sure she understood that once the paci fairy worked her magic on our house, there would be NO MORE pacis ...EVER. She agreed. !!!! So, Chad and I picked our jaws up off the floor and tried to act normal. I offered to buy a special, colorful gift bag for her leave all her pacis in for the fairy,..but she just wanted to stick them all in a ziplock baggie. She was concerned about her germs still being on the pacis, so we washed each one, then she said she needed to get them wet with her mouth one more time. I watched as she sucked each bink one last time, and then placed them (ever so gently) in the bag. Then she said "Mommy, I love my pacis SOOO much!!" That's when I started to cry....lol. I never thought I'd be emotional over this...I mean, I wanted those pacis gone more than anyone! But Hannah is not a baby anymore, and way too sweet for her own good....and that makes me a very mushy, teary Mommy.
So, I tried hard not to let her see me cry....while Chad laughed at me and said "Good riddance, pacis!!" She never asked for them last night after she went to bed, although it did take her a good while to fall asleep without them. She was probably up until 10 or so, but she never cried or begged for them. Thank goodness!!
I had fun playing Paci Fairy. I knew Hannah wanted this Dora House...which retails for over 100$....so I also knew she wouldn't be getting it. But for some reason the Gods were shining down on me because I found that Dora House at Walmart for 30$!!! It was the only one on the shelf and had been marked down because it had been returned and repackaged. I dumped it out right there in the aisle... it worked and had most of the pieces. Too cool!
Hannah slept all night without pacis and woke up a little before 6 this morning. She said "Is it morning time?..Did she bring the Dora House?" She was so happy to see it sitting right where she'd left her pacis for the Fairy. She's been playing with it all morning.
What fun!

Holah, Sadie

This is probably the closest it comes to the two girls actually "playing" together right now. Sadie likes it when we pretend to bite her fingers. You can tell Sadie desperately wanted to play with Hannah....but while Hannah was being nice, you can also tell she was getting annoyed because she wanted to read her book. Oh, and obviously she watches too much Dora.....hehe