first friends

While looking for Presley's "chin hair" picture I found these ones of Grace and Presley. Their first pictures together. So sweet that they can grow up together and be such good friends. (Of course what should've taken about 5 minutes to find the chin hair picture took much longer because I had to look at ALL of the pictures on that DVD. Hard to believe how fast time goes. Please, please SLOW DOWN.) This picture is when they were probably about 2 1/2 months old. 3 years (almost) later sure changes things. Grace now has a new baby brother and Presley is about to have 2 younger sisters!

chin hair

Tonight while we were eating dinner Presley noticed Chad's hair on his chin and asked him why he had that hair. It was like it was the first time she had noticed it. Then tonight when I was putting her down we had just said our prayers and I was laying with her and she started rubbing my face and got to my chin and said, "Mommy, you don't have any hair on your chin. I don't have any hair either, but I REALLY want some." Made me laugh. It also reminded me of when we gave her some "hair on her chin" when she was just a couple of months old. She sure looks like Daddy in these pictures. Don't you think?

visitors

Had some visitors over today. Bob, Nikki, Grace and new baby Ryne came over for a couple of hours this afternoon. Bob and Chad worked a little on their Master's while the girls played and Nikki and I talked. Presley and Addy had lots of fun showing Grace all of their toys. Presley and Addison both got to hold baby Ryne for a little bit. Presley was so gentle with him and got a little worried when he started to squirm. Addison had a fit while Presley was holding him. She really wanted a turn. I let her sit on my lap and let her help me hold him. I had to watch her so she wouldn't squeeze too hard. :) She just kept laughing. She loved him. Gave me a glimpse of what the girls will be like in just a few weeks with their own baby at home. Ryne is sure a cutie. He's a big boy too. After we played awhile we ordered some pizza and salad. Thanks for coming over for such a fun afternoon.

egg hunt

Didn't know if you had a chance to check out the girls' Easter Egg Hunt last week at daycare. Some cute pictures here.

whoops

Think I added our Easter pictures now. Sorry. That's what you get for trying to blog and watch tv at the same time. ;)

Happy Easter!

We had a very nice Easter weekend. Started with a 1/2 day on Thursday. Chad and I got lots of running around done during the girls' naps at daycare. We started with lunch here and then went and picked up my new phone. We got it for a lot cheaper. We waited until my contract was up, so we got a discount for that and then also found out that we get another discount on our phone and our monthly plan for being school employees. Yea, can't beat that. After that we ordered Addison's new big girl bed and a new dresser for the girls room. Her things should be in Tuesday, although I'm not sure when we will switch her over. I can't imagine her staying in a bed right now. We also stopped and picked up a few items for Easter baskets. Then we picked up the girls and headed home to clean up the house. Friday we spent around the house. And then a birthday party at night for our cousin Ryan. Saturday we skipped the Easter Egg hunts because it was just too cold out. Plus the girls gave us early Easter presents by sleeping in (actually they slept in until at least 9 Friday, Saturday, and Sunday). Mom D., Jenny and Hilary came over Saturday afternoon to work on freezer meals. My two sisters and my mom decided that we would get together and each prepare 8 meals and then divide them between all of us. So we worked on them Saturday afternoon. We ended up with some great meals: barbecue pork, calzones, lasagna, ham and potato casserole (2), chicken enchiladas, Thai chicken marinade, parsley Parmesan chicken, and meatloaf. Plus we got chocolate chip cookie dough. All of this for $55 dollars a person. Basically we got our 9 meals for just about $6 a piece. This will surely come in handy after our new baby is here. Saturday evening Matt and the girls came over. We ordered some pizza and salad, and then just hung out played and watched some of the NCAA tournament. Sunday morning we got up and had breakfast and then had the girls go find their baskets. They got lots of wonderful things. Had me wondering if it was Easter or Christmas again? Presley got some fun ponies, books, new p.j.'s, crocs and a new game. Addison got some matching p.j.'s and crocs to Presley and then also got books, a new bubble mower and also a few ponies of her own. After baskets we went to church and then lunch at Mom and Dad B.'s with Cindy and family. They also got more baskets full of goodies there. Here are pictures.

coming home

My Grandma P. has asked to buy all three of my babies coming home outfits. It's her thing to do. Presley and Addison both had very similar sleeveless dresses with matching sweaters. They didn't get to wear them a whole bunch, but they are hanging up in their rooms. I love looking at them seeing how tiny they once were. Grandma asked again if she could buy this baby girls coming home outfit and I finally picked it up the other weekend. This time I went with a short sleeved dress since this baby girl will be born a little earlier in spring than Presley and Addison. I went with this dress and matching sweater. I also got a super soft blanket (both of my girls are blankie girls) and little pink socks. Since Grandma P. doesn't get to see the girls in person in their outfits (she's in Florida), I thought I'd put some pictures of what I have so far here so she can see what she has bought for this baby girl. Thanks Grandma, we sure appreciate it. We'll be sure to get some pictures of the outfit on our baby once she is here and mail them to you.Now I just need to get them washed and maybe start thinking about getting a bag packed. It feels good to have this outfit taken care of. I also picked up a couple of cute new onesies and sleepers and just need to pick which one I will have her wear for her hospital pictures. I have 6 weeks left if I go until my due date. I haven't even started getting ready yet. In fact, just yesterday I was telling Chad that over our spring break we really need to get some things ready. We need to get Addison a new bed and move her into Presley's room. We need to get a new dresser and move Addison's closet clothes and dresser stuff into her new room. Get out all of our baby clothes and toys and get everything washed up and ready for a baby. I went to the Dr.'s today and he said that her head was still pretty high so I think I have a little while yet. Hope I have enough time to get everything ready. :)

Happy Birthday!

Wanted to wish Mom B./Mawmaw a very Happy Birthday today. We got to take her out to eat at Pasqualli's and get some yummy pizza, breadsticks and salad. Then went back to her house for some yummy dessert.

We hope you had a very good day and have a wonderful year ahead. We are so thankful for who you are and all you do. The girls are lucky to spend their days with you. We love you lots!

(again, not so recent of picture. i need to do a better job so i have pictures to post when i do birthday wishes.)

Unanswered Questions

My principal included this in our weekly bulletin today. I actually laughed out loud at a couple of them. Heard some of them before, but thought maybe you would get a kick out of them too.

1. Why isn't the number 11 pronounced onety-one?
2. If 4 out of 5 people SUFFER from diarrhea...does it mean that one out of five enjoys it?
3. Why do croutons come in airtight packages? Aren't they just stale bread to begin with?
4. If people from Poland are called Poles, then why aren't people from Holland called Holes?
5. If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled?
6. Why is a person who plays the piano called a pianist, but a person who drives a race car is not called a racist?
7. If it's true that we are here to help others, then what exactly are the others here for?
8. If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, then doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked, and dry cleaners depressed?
9. If Fed Ex and UPS were to merge, would they call it Fed UPS?
10. Do Lipton Tea employees take a 'coffee break'?
11. What hair color do they put on the driver's licenses of bald men?
12. I thought about how mothers feed their babies with tiny little spoons and forks, so I wondered what Chinese mothers use. Toothpicks?
13. Why do they put pictures of criminals up in the Post Office? What are we supposed to do, write to them? Why don't they just put their pictures on the postage stamps so the mailmen can look for them while they deliver the mail?
14. If a cow laughed, would milk come out of her nose?
15. What happened to Preparation A through G?
16. As income tax time approaches, did you ever notice: When you put the two words "The" and "IRS" together, it spells "THEIRS"?

HAPPY FRIDAY!

(think spring, think spring)

lost and found

Chad has now lost a total of 17 pounds in our schools "Biggest Loser" competition! I'm very proud of well he has stuck to his plan. He isn't necessarily on a diet per say, but he is definitely eating less, snacking less, and watching what he does eat. Lots of whole grains, not much pop (and only diet then), and making sure he eats breakfast every morning are what is helping him. He's also working out when he can. So far it seems to be working. There are only 2 weeks left of this competition but it's something that Chad is hoping to continue and so do I after this baby is born.

On the other hand, all 17 of those pounds Chad has lost I have found! Those 17 plus 1. I'm up 18 pounds. It's kind of frustrating when he is losing and I'm gaining at the same time. I know it's for a good thing, but it's still hard. I told him that he better still be doing this when I'm ready to lose this baby weight. I know it will help me when I have him doing the same thing alongside of me.

One more Chad tidbit....I want to congratulate him and let everyone know that he is the Big 11 Champion. Tonight was his last game for his girls season. They won their first game of the tournament on Monday and played in the finals tonight. They won again tonight to make them the champs. They actually had a really good season. I think they ended up 9 and 2. I know it was good to end on a good note, but I'm actually just glad it's ended. We are all looking forward to having him around more.

The girls have been having their own game of lost and found this week. They are playing tag with this little "bug". It started with Addy on Saturday when she "spit". Seemed fine after that and then even Sunday both of the girls seemed ok. I started getting a little sick (either sinuses or head cold) on Sunday. Monday during the day both girls were fine, by night Addison had gotten a temperature. Tuesday morning Addy was fine and Presley started laying around acting a little sick. Chad stayed home Tuesday morning with both kids. He took them to his moms in the afternoon for naps and Presley apparently was great, running around with the other kids acting fine. When I got her after school she crashed on the couch. Started running a temp again. Wednesday she was fine and it was back to Addison and her temp came back. At night though it switched again. Presley was back on the couch. At least they aren't sick at the same time, but still it sure is making this week drag by s-l-o-w-l-y. Chad stayed home again today with Presley. I really think both girls are getting over this bug, but now they both have coughs along with me. I'm just glad they haven't gotten sick to their stomachs, just little temps and laying around I can deal with. Hoping with all this nice weather we will get the house aired out and all the yuckies out of here.

My Little Pony

Had a great time this morning with Presley, cousins Reagan and Reilly, and Aunt Jenny and Aunt Hildy at My Little Pony's The World's Biggest Tea Party. We had pretty good seats and were able to really see the show well. Presley loved it, and from the looks of it, Reagan and Reilly did too. I think the disco lights going around the theatre may have ranked right up there with the actual show itself in Presley's book. She loved the lights. :) We came home with a few goodies from the show... a pony light-up wand and a 2 pack pony tea party set. She said she picked that out for Addy, but I think it is more for her. ;) We debated back and forth on whether or not we should've gotten a ticket for Addy, but decided in the end it probably wouldn't work out. The show was 90 minutes long and we just didn't think Addison would last that long and I think we were right. It was even a bit long for Presley. After our intermission an hour into the show, she was pretty much done. Didn't have any big fits or anything, just wasn't that into the show anymore. Wanted to walk around and look at the lights. She did get into the singing of I'm a Little Teapot and also raised her little tea cup with the ponies when they were teaching the kids about pinky's up when drinking tea. So cute. After the show and a few more pictures we went out for lunch and then headed back home for a little rest. Pictures here.

Sounds like we came home just in time. Chad had called and said Addy wasn't acting herself. Fussier than normal and acting extremely tired, almost lethargic. He had put her down for a nap by the time we got home, but she woke up soon after and "spit". That was her first time ever. :( Felt so bad for her. She hasn't had any temp, but hasn't really acted like herself the rest of the day. No more "spitting", so I guess that's a good sign. We did stay home and miss out on Gabi and Trenton's birthday parties tonight. Chad took Presley to get her out of the house away from Addison in hopes that she won't get sick. Hoping she has a good night sleep and wakes up feeling much better tomorrow.

can't wait

for this! Taking Presley tomorrow with my sisters and my two nieces. We've been talking it up for a few weeks now. So excited. Should have some cute pictures.

late 18m

So we had a late 18 month well-baby check-up for Addison today. I mentioned before, but our pediatrician moved south so we had to decide on a new one. We decided to stay with the same practice and are very happy with our new Dr. We just need to teach Presley her name, because she still talks about our old Dr. She loved her. Actually Addison had already seen this new one once before when she was sick and this Dr. was on call at night. So even though Addy is almost 19 months she went today for her 18 month appointment. Chad took the afternoon off and took her. I hear she did pretty good. Didn't like the shot much, but who does? At least she only got 1. Dr. said all looked good. She now weighs 26 pounds (95%) and is 33 1/2 inches tall (75%). I have been wondering if she was going to be short like me lately, but so far so good. I knew she was a healthy eater so I wasn't surprised to hear she was in the 95% for weight. She has started to slow down a bit on the eating part, but I think it's because she doesn't want to sit too long. She wants to constantly be on the go.

Addy at almost 19 months:

• loves to be on the go - no time to sit still for little things like diaper changes, getting her hair done, or getting dressed
• wants to do everything Presley can do (and more)
• is very opinionated
• has the best giggle
• likes to eat (grapes, pizza, tacos, corn, pancakes, french toast, and mac & cheese are the favorites of the moment)
• loves her blankie
• sleeps great at night 7 pm (or earlier) until I wake her up in the morning to go to daycare or around 8 or so on the weekends
• is starting to be a "lover"; giving kisses and hugs to Mommy and Daddy (pretty much anyone) and especially loves to love on Presley - but she also loves on her toys, food, even her vitamins too giving them all hugs :)
• is a climber - stairs, chairs, tables, couches, pretty much anything
• is talking all the time - can't always understand her, but most of the time we know what she is talking about
• loves Mickey Mouse - squeals when he comes on the tv
• loves bath time
• can be a stinker and a daredevil at times
• is looking like her Mommy (according to other people)
• knows how to tire her Mommy out quickly
• is so much FUN! (and sometimes a lot of work too. :)

a boy?

Ever since Gracie welcomed home a new little brother Presley is sure she is going to have a little brother. She has been informing me that she likes brothers now. Hope she's not disappointed when her sister joins our family. Or maybe we will all be surprised and she will be right. Come to think of it, most of the names she has been throwing out have been boy names. Here are some of her suggestions: Baby Max (daycare), Baby Carson (daycare), Baby Handy Manny and of course, Baby Queenie.

congrats

To our good friends, Bob and Nikki on the birth of their son, Ryne Thomas. (pronounced Ryan. named after him. Big Cubs fans.) We were supposed to go out to dinner with them Saturday night but got a call from Bob Saturday morning saying they were in the hospital and wouldn't be able to make it. ;) I guess we can forgive them for standing us up this time. I hear big sister Gracie (named after this guy) is absolutely thrilled. We hear everyone is doing good. We can't wait to meet the little guy. Congratulations Bob, Nikki, and Grace. We are so happy for you and your new family of 4.

stay in bed

forever. Seriously, I think I could. Well, maybe not forever, but for sure a long time. Chad and I have been talking about getting about getting a king sized bed for several years but haven't gotten one until now. We have gone out looking several times, but just didn't go through with it. We finally decided to go ahead and get one this past weekend. Wow. It's amazing. We got a wonderful mattress from here and it's amazing. We ended up going with this one. We have it set up on the floor for now as we are debating what to do about a bed. Should we get a frame? a headboard? a headboard and footboard? We just don't know yet what we want to do. We want to get something that goes with our dressers that we currently have so we don't have to start over completely. After we got out bed, of course we had to get new bedding too. That's the hard part. The mattress is so thick it's hard to find sheets that will fit. In fact so far we have only found a total of 3 sheet sets that will fit. Ended up getting this comforter set. Minus the sheets and bed skirt. So basically we are just using the comforter and the shams. Both just plain brown. We got plain sheets (remember only 3 options to choose from) to go with it and then got a couple of these shams for accents. Now we just need to decide on a bed and also what color to paint the walls. Our bedroom is the only room in the house that we haven't painted, so it's due. Not sure when we'll get to it. But I'll tell you I am definitely resting easy in the meantime.

Wicked

Wow, what a weekend. Sunday morning my two sisters and my mom picked me up and we headed to the airport to catch the train. My sister Hilary bought us all tickets to see the Musical Wicked in Chicago for our birthdays. What a great birthday present. After a little delay (two train cars weren't working properly and we had to wait an hour for them to detach them) we made it to Chicago just in time to go to the on-call window to pick up our tickets. Having to wait on the train wasn't too bad, we did get a voucher for a free ticket to use when we want. After we had out tickets we set out for lunch. We walked a few blocks to get find this place. Yum. We had a great salad and yummy stuffed pizza. We finished just in time to make it back to the theatre to find out seats. The show was sold-out, definitely packed. Our seats were kind of high, but we still had a great view of the stage. Unfortunately cameras were not allowed inside the theatre, but you'll have to trust me the place was beautiful. The show was GREAT! I hadn't put much thought into the show at all and really didn't have a clue what it would be about, but it wasn't anything like I imagined. I was surprised at how funny the show was. Great, is the only word I can think of. Great. After the show was over we walked to the park. We got to see this cool little guy. What a neat thing. We also watched some of the figure skating for awhile. After the park we walked back to the train station and picked up some dinner to take along with us on the train. The train was more packed coming home than it was going there. I didn't think about how everyone would be leaving the city at the same time. Got home around 10 and pretty much jumped right in bed. I was happily exhausted. Enjoy some pictures here. I had such a great time and want to thank Hilary for the wonderful idea and birthday gift. What a great memory. Thanks also to Mom and Dad B. for hanging out with Chad and the girls while I was gone pretty much all day. I know Chad really appreciated your help too.