LOTS of LOVE!

I have been so blessed to have two children that absolutely LOVE each other so much! Since Harrison was born, Madeleine has loved him and been protective of him. And, he loves her so much in return! They play together and laugh together and rarely fuss. :) He can't wait for her to get up in the morning and he gets sooooo excited when we go pick her up from preschool. Today he lunged from my arms to get to her when he saw her at school -- and she runs straight for him too! I have enjoyed watching them together and love standing around the corner and listening to them giggle! We've worked hard at teaching both of them how blessed they are to have the other and how much the other one loves them and admires them. I guess it's working, too. I took some pics this morning of the two of them just after Madeleine got up (they're a little blurry from all the movement).

morning hugs

Fun Weekend

This weekend we went to Little Rock to celebrate my birthday with my parents. They kept the kids Friday night and Saturday, so Matt and I got some sleep before heading down there. It was so much fun! We got to go to church at PV, which is always a treat, and then my mom made a yummy brunch for us with all my favorites. I got some fabulous presents, including a Waterford vase, some new pieces to my dishes, some clothes, and some other great things! Thanks mom, dad and sharon! Matt gave me a new treadmill -- to be chosen by me! -- so I can workout at home! Hurray!

Here's Madeleine putting the candles on the cake

Harrison's new trick -- climbing in chairs.
Madeleine and her Mimi.

When it was time to come home, BOTH of my children were crying! Harrison has found his favorite person -- Grandad! He can even say it so clearly. When Matt and I got to Little Rock on Saturday night to see the kids, Harrison would not leave his Grandad's arms to see us. He just clung to him. I think my dad's going to need back surgery from holding him pretty much the entire weekend -- not by choice, but because Harrison wouldn't let go of him! Ha!

Here are some pictures I'm posting for Sugar -- these are the outfits you got them. Don't they look cute? :)

Happy Birthday To Me! :)

Yep, today's my birthday! I woke up this morning to find a beautiful vase full of stargazer lilies and one of my favorite candles waiting for me on the kitchen table. What a nice surprise and wonderful way to kick off my last year of being twenty-something! So, in honor of my 29th birthday, I thought I'd post 29 things about myself. Here goes:

1. I have two degrees from Harding -- a BBA in Accounting and a BA in French.
2. I wish I'd been a teacher.
3. I've never had a speeding ticket.
4. My first car was a brand new two door red Saturn with all the bells and whistles -- Thanks Dad!
5. I love to exercise.
6. I go to the gym 5 times a week.
7. I LOVE running and stink at any kind of team sports.
8. I'm what you'd call a healthy eater.
9. I don't like "mushy" foods (bananas, soft biscuits, etc.)
10.I'm a total neat freak!
11.I have to have my laundry folded a certain way.
12.I hate to empty the dishwasher.
13.I love cold weather!
14.I'm hooked on The Weather Channel.
15.I check the forecast at least 8 times a day.
16.Being a mom is the most fulfilling and yet hardest job I've ever had.
17.I can't survive without my diet cherry diet coke from Sonic every day.
18.I like to read.
19.I had the same roomate all 4 years of college.
20.I like to cook and try new recipes.
21.My favorite show of all time is Gilmore Girls.
22.I TiVo it every day in reruns.
23.I like to shop & LOVE a bargain.
24.Ann Taylor Loft is my favorite store.
25.My sister is my best girlfriend and we talk everyday.
26.I think I have the most amazing husband ever.
27.I drink a pot of coffee every day.
28.I think the best sounds in the world are hearing someone call you "mama" and the sound of my children laughing together.
29.I'm hoping for more sleep this year!

Bye-Bye Paci

I was really hoping that Madeleine would just give up her paci on her own, but I've decided there is absolutely no way this will EVER happen! Every time I've mentioned it, I get a very firm, "But I might need it." So, this week I decided to give her some incentive. First, matt cut a very small hole in it, so it won't suck as well. Then we made a chart, every day she goes without it she gets a sticker and every night she gets a sticker as well. The incentive is a trip to the zoo (in this freezing weather) and ice cream with mom & dad. She picked the reward, so we're going with it -- she LOVES the zoo. So far we've made it through 3 days and 2 nights paci-less and with very little crying. She hates the paci with the hole in it, so it's more about wanting her old paci. :( Yesterday, I took her to WalMart and let her get 2 new princess dolls that she loves as a reward for getting through the first day/night. She's very, very proud of herself, and I'm so proud of her too! She's really doing great & it's going much better than I'd expected! I'll post again when we fill up the chart -- I only made it for a week.

Here's my little princess, playing dress up!

Harrison is 13 Months Old!

Harrison has changed so much this month -- probably the most of any month so far! He's walking like a pro now and can run, too! He's keeping Madeleine on her toes. Since he's walking he's able to reach lots of higher stuff, so that's been a change, too.
He's having a really, really hard time getting off the bottle. :( He'll drink juice from a cup, but not milk. Right now he's got a bit of a cold, but once that's gone, I'm going cold turkey on getting off the bottle!
He's FINALLY gotten interested in reading books and will sit still long enough for me to read a few books to him -- we've been working on this for months while Madeleine is in school.
He's discovered chocolate -- he found a bowl of m&ms at mimi's house and we found him CRAMMING them in his mouth with a very proud look on his face! Ha!
He's really starting to talk more. He can say "light" and point to it, "uh-oh" when he drops something, bye-bye, and "eyes." He's started making a mmmmmm sound to Madeleine, so I think he's trying to say her name.
Finally, this morning, he got another tooth! It's a BIG one in the back of his mouth --- a molar, maybe? Hopefully, this will end the middle of the night crying he's been doing! :)
I found him in his room, looking at books yesterday.

This Boy is Always Hungry!

This afternoon we went for our weekly Walmart trip. I came home, unloaded the kids, unloaded the groceries, then went to put up some stuff. Then I started looking for Harrison and this is what I found......
He knows where I keep his new favorite snack and he was just helping himself! Ha! I stood around the corner and watched him get them out of the bag and begin stuffing his face! Guess my boy was hungry (after eating a cheeseburger & fries at McDonalds for lunch).

What a mouthful!

Happenings

This has been a busy few weeks for us! Matt's started back for another semester of grad school -- taking 6 hours! He's also busy trying to complete his national boards. This past weekend, I took the kids and headed to Little Rock to spend the weekend with my folks and let Matt get some work done.

Our first stop was a fun playdate with our friends Hannah & Lincoln. It's been awhile since we've been able to get together with them, but we had such a fun time! The girls played so nicely and the little boys were just everywhere!!!! It's such a change from our playdates this time last year. Ha!

Our next stop was Mimi and Grandads's house! This is Madeleine's absolute favorite place to go! It was great to get out and do some shopping -- with some help! :) Madeleine also got a new Backyardigans DVD that she loves and Harrison can now say "grandad" VERY clearly! We all hated to leave Saturday night, but I think Matt was starting to miss us.

So, this week we've just been playing at home. Yesterday I found Madeleine in Harrison's room, playing storytime with his animals. You can see she's got them set up and she was reading to them -- just like preschool.

Finally, I took this picture last night. Can you find the kids amongst all the toys? :)

Harrison Walking

Wow! It's amazing the difference a few days can make. Harrison took his first steps back in November, but it wasn't until last week that he just really took off and started walking. December was a tough month for the little guy -- he pretty much stayed sick. He was fussy and cranky all the time and wanted to be held a lot, which I did since he didn't feel good. So, this past week when he started feeling better, he just took off walking. Tuesday, he just suddenly started to walk EVERYWHERE. Matt and I just sit and stare at him -- you'd think we've never seen a baby walk before! It's soooooo cute! He's even able to stand without having anything to pull up on -- we'll just find him standing in the middle of the room. He's pretty proud of himself, too! This afternoon he walked to Madeleine and she was so proud for him -- she hugged him and knocked him down and they both just broke out in laughter! I love those times. So, here's a video of him walking -- Matt was holding out a can of peanuts to keep him going! Enjoy!

Madeleine's New Hobby

Over Christmas break, Matt taught Madeleine how to play on the computer (or me-computer, as she calls it) by herself. She's gotten SO GOOD at a matching game! This is great, since she can sit and play in the kitchen while I make dinner. If you have kids and you're looking for a good game, check out http://members.learningplanet.com/directory/index.asp?lev=1 . Scroll down and try Mr. Elephant's Matching Game -- it's our favorite!



Also, Harrison is walking everywhere! He walks more than he crawls now & it's so cute to see him toddling along! :)