Daddy Daughter Dance

Hayden finaly got to go to a ball.  She was beyond excited as she had visions of a Royal Ball, like on Cinderella. She was excited that Daddy would go with her and that she would get a new fancy dress, those are the important things of course!  

We took the opportunity to stay in the hotel and of course you've gotta bounce on the beds when you check-in! Abbie's getting to be pretty good at it. 

Hayden loved to get all dressed up.  She decided on curls in her hair and loved getting to wear some of mommy's makeup.  Isn't she just precious.?!

 Ethan even got her a corsage, her very first one! pink flowers with yellow ribbons - perfect match for her dress. 

Abbie and I got to hang out with Heather while Ethan and Hay danced the night away.  She actually fell asleep within 1.5hrs of being there but she still said it was the best!    The next morning we hopped in the hotel pool and got to spend more time with Heather and Talyn.

It's a Birthday Day! ((VIDEO))

This post is for the man that's quietly in the background, the parent that is the fun one, the rough housing one, and the one that always has time to play.  This  post is for the best dad I could have wished for and the greatest "other have" I could have ever imagined. 

Happy 30 Something Birthday, Ethan!  

Every day (okay, almost every day) I am reminded how blessed I am to have you in our lives.  

As a daddy to our 2 sweet girls they absolutely love you and I love seeing you be silly with them.  

You've taught the girls so many inappropriate things...not sure I know any other girls that have the humor of 7th grade boys the way that our girls do.  

You're content to always play the part of the Prince, the Ken barbie, the one with stickers on your face and always the one to "fix" anything that's broken.  

And as a husband, I couldn't ask for more...you put up with my whims, my constant desires to change things up at the house, my crazy emotions, as well as being the calm when I need it most.  

God blessed us when he chose you for our family and i couldn't be happier.   

So for your birthday, we're gonna do our best (amidst Abbie's fits) to celebrate you all day!  

Hayden was excited for your breakfast cake and especially to put on the candle for you.  She keeps wanting to go out and buy you another present but with the freezing rain, I'm not sure we'll be getting out today.  But don't worry, we'll make something spectacular for you! 

                     

Happy Birthday babe...we love you. 

Pre-K Update

Wow. It's hard to believe that Hayden's PreK year is almost 3/4 over already! She has grown and changed so much since that first day back in August last year.  I am so thankful that she enjoys school, looks forward to it, and is bummed on the days that she doesn't get to go.

August 2014

First Day of School

The beginning of the year started off rough.  Drop offs were hard as she cried each day for nearly 2 months.  Yes, there were days that were easier than others but they were never easy.  Ethan had the hard job of dropping her off and picking her up each day. I doubted our decision nearly every day in the beginning...the decision to just have her go 2 days a week. Would it have been easier if it was every day? I'll never know but when the day finally came to where she would give him a kiss and head on in to the room, what a relief it was for everyone!

Day 1

She's made friends, although most days in the first half she only talked about playing with Tessa.  We always talk about who she played with, what activities Mrs Michelle had them do, what was her favorite thing at recess, and what they did in Art or Library that day. And just like any other kid, she never had much to say.  Some times it would be days later when she would remember something (like an assembly) and tell us about it.  She almost always tells us the out-of-the-ordinary things she did that day, like walk to the high school or a fire drill.

She's gotten to experience a Halloween costume parade, Christmas party, PJ day, ice cream party and Valentine's day as well as a few assemblies and several snow days, so far. Ethan has been able to go to the holiday parties thankfully. It's been good for Hayden and Ethan. And of course Abbie got to tag along.


Thankfully though she loves school now and drop offs are never a problem.  She has mastered writing her name, knows her letters, social/emotionally has matured enough to be okay in unfamiliar situations (HUGE achievement), better at following directions, and is a math wiz.  We still can't get her interested in reading - the mommy in me worries but the early childhood educator in me knows that she will be just fine. I truly have no worries about her and school at this point. She's a sponge with what she's interested in and I am amazed with what all she retains.  Lately she's been in a non-fiction kick with books...learning about the human body and animals.
 

 I'm excited to see where the rest of this year takes her!

February Photo Drop - Part 1

Here is part 1 of what's been going on in our little world during February 2014! 

• Valentines: This is the first year that Hayden got to create and build a Valentine's box.  Granted, she had no idea what exactly a Valentine's box was but she was all excited to build a princess castle. With Ethan's precision and my craftiness and Hayden's vision and direction...this is what we came up with! She was very excited once it started coming together. Ethan was in charge of following her directions and she was in charge of decorations. 

        

• CHEESE! The girls both love being silly and love the camera. This is nothing new but I love seeing how they've changed. 

 

Paintings from the kiddos.  My heart is full.

• Piggy Bank Busted: We decided it was time for Hayden to spend some of her own saved money. To say she was excited might be an understatement.  We cashed in her piggy bank, I believe she had been collecting random coins for about year.  We spent about one hour with her in Toys R Us. Hayden really knows how to shop and make decisions. She would ask how much something was and if she had enough monies for it. Then she would evaluate it against another toy she was debating on.  Sometimes she would have 2 or 3 choices in the cart while she was perusing the aisles.  You could really see the wheels turning as she was making internal decisions, rationalizing which item would be more valuable to her.   In the end she ended up with a plush Ariel doll (to go with her collection of plush princesses) and was thoughtful enough to also include a small mermaid for Abbie.  

• Meet Puffin: Hayden had been talking a LOT about wishing she had a kitten.  We eventually gave in and ended up with this crazy one.  Ethan took Hay on a surprise trip to Joplin Humane Society in search of a kitten. She called me when she got there and was BEYOND ecstatic once she realized what they were doing. It took her the entire day to come up with a fitting name, Puffin.  Where that came from, we have no idea but it is perfect.   She was about 3 months old and is so feisty. She's a perfect addition to our family. Hayden has fully accepted her "mommy" responsibility with the kitten and takes great care of her. 

That sure didn't seem like much for a post but that's all I've got for tonight :)  Part 2 will be up this weekend.