Harris Heart-to-Hearts

First Day of School

2015-10-09T08:00:00.000-04:00

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve seen the girls’ first day of school pictures, but if not – no fear! – I have them right here for you! We made sure to pack lunches and pick out outfits the night before, just in case we were feeling a little rushed. That morning was great – everyone got up fairly easy, got dressed, and headed out the door without some bribing (which is what goes on some mornings.)

Hadleigh started Kindergarten and was very adamant about riding the bus. She did amazing – no tears were shed at all. We let her ride the bus, but Daniel and I met her up at the school to see her walk in. If she wanted us to walk her to her class we would have, but she caught up with a friend from preschool and was 100% fine. I walked away proud, but still shed a few tears.

Hayden started her 3 year old preschool class. She will be in there for the next 6 months before they move her to her next class. She has amazing teachers and it is a familiar place to us, so I wasn’t worried too much. It was a little bit of an adjustment being in a new class and now going to school every day versus three. Hayden still gets upset in the morning when I drop her off, but she has great days. I’m sure she forgets about me 2 minutes after I walk out of the door!

We started Harper in the 18 month classroom 3 days a week. I was so worried about Hadleighs transition, that it didn’t really give me time to think about Harpers. Plus, Harper is a social butterfly so I knew she would adjust well. I was right. I sat her breakfast down at the table and she immediately walked over to sit at the “big girl” table to eat. I gave kisses and told her bye and she looked at me and waved!! Totally different than Hadleigh & Hayden! She loves it which makes for a happy mama!

Linking up here today!

Fall Bucket List

2015-10-07T21:12:00.000-04:00

You know I have a Fall bucket list! This is the time of year when I want to do ALL.THE.THINGS! My husband is going to love all of my ideas, I’m sure of it ;)

Check out past Bucket Lists here

Virginia State Fair // We’ve actually crossed this off our list already, but I still need to include it! Anyone else have to write it, just so they have the joy of crossing it off?!

Pumpkin Fun // We have to go get some pumpkins for decorating and for outside décor. It’s a must when you have kids and need a fun activity to do! We’ve done stickers, paint, and making them into witches – who knows what we will end up doing this year! Any ideas?

Apple Festival // I’m not sure this will happen, but I love going apple picking. We’ve been to Carter Mountain & Graves Mountain in the past, but I personally like Graves much better. Picking apples, hay mazes, great food, and just walking around make for a great day.

Weekend Getaway // I’ve been struggling for some balance in my life. As much as I love my kids, Daniel and I need to get away! I’m sure the weekend will go by quick, but hopefully it recharges us (at least until the next weekend away or date night ;)

Halloween // I’ve already bought the girls’ Halloween costumes, so they are ready to go! We will have an Anna, Elsa, and Ariel this year.

Fall Festivals // Our neighborhood has a Fall Festival this coming weekend and the girls’ school also has a Fall Festival at the end of the month. The girls always enjoy themselves and the activities each festival has.

Fall CookOut // We’ve been getting our deck re-built, so I cannot wait for it to be completed to have a cookout! Our entire vision for the area will not be finished, but the deck part will be. More to come on that another day. I love hosting parties and events, so I’m excited to get things planned!

Christmas Mini Session // I’ve signed us up for another mini session with the great Nikki Santerre again this year and I cannot wait! She is amazing, so go check her out!

What's on your list to do this Fall?

I think I’m back?

2015-09-22T13:08:00.001-04:00

I think I’m back. I want to be back in the space and writing. Even though I don’t really write about anything earth shattering, but I love writing about our girls and their adventures. And I have this grand idea of making them into blog books for them one day. One Day.

Things have been busy around here lately, and I really want to blame it on Hadleigh starting school. Who knew the pressure of getting her to the end of the road for the bus on time would be so stressful? No, but really. These past few weeks have been crazy for whatever reason and I really need to get back to doing some things I love doing.

I have a few things I want to back track and blog about, so you know, when I do those said blog books, those events were documented ;) Things like our summer shenanigans all wrapped into one post, Hayden’s birthday, Hadleigh’s birthday, and first day of school pictures. Then I’ll be all caught up and can blog real time.

Stay tuned!

The end of the "School Year"

2015-06-22T12:56:00.001-04:00

I have a pre-school graduate. A pre-school graduate who will be starting Kindergarten in September!

In bloggy mom fashion, I have first & last day side-by-side pictures. Hadleigh’s graduation pictures are so cute, although I hate those darn caps!

With Hadleigh's favorite teacher - Ms. Casey!

I can’t forget about Hayden who was a Flamingo (2-2.5) & a Lion (2.5-3) this year. Hayden was not having any part of pictures when I was taking them on their last day. I was going to take them another day and pretend she smiled, but I decided to use the ones I had on the actual last day of school. Real life people!

Lately

2015-06-19T15:41:00.000-04:00

Things have been crazy lately – I know everyone says that. Life happens!

We had a busy May – with Harper’s party, Harper’s actual 1^st birthday, 2 weddings, 1 long weekend away at the beach, and then celebrating Memorial weekend at the river. So far in June we’ve had the last day of school for the 2 older girls, Hadleigh’s pre-school graduation, and a week at the Outer Banks for vacation.

Hopefully I’ll get caught up and blog about all these things, so stay tuned!

Since Orange is the New Black Released Season 3, it’s gotten my butt in gear to finish Season 2. It still has me a bit shocked when certain things or scenes are shown. Anyone else too? Oh and while I’m writing about watching TV. We just cancelled our DirecTv service. It’s something we’ve talked about for MONTHS. I finally pulled the plug on them. We were paying $150 a month for internet & TV and we didn’t get hardly any channels. Honestly, the only channels we watched were PBS, Disney Jr., ESPN, Comedy Central, TBS, and HGTV. We are buying 2 Roku sticks and just going to subscribe to a few more app-type services. Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime…just have to research which ones will be best for those channels we are used to watching.

I fell off the wagon from working out and cooking dinners around here. This past week I’ve done pretty well with getting back to planning meals and actually cooking them in the evening after work. Still haven’t started back with my workouts. I set my alarm for 5am with intentions of going for a run or doing one of my 21 Day Fix workouts…but I just hit snooze. I’m so mad at myself yet I keep doing it. Funny how that happens!

Here’s to getting my shit together and working out, eating better, and maybe blogging on the regular again?! CHEERS!

· Do you watch OITNB?

· Have you gotten rid of cable? What do you use if you have?

Harper's 1st Birthday

2015-05-11T11:48:00.000-04:00

Harper Madden, I cannot believe you are already ONE! You definitely complete our family and you are such a joy! Our social baby for sure, she lights up the room with her smile, red hair, and laughs.

I still mourn that you are the last baby in this family when I really sit down and think about it. Physically, I know my body can’t handle another pregnancy, but you and you sisters are so amazing, that I think about another often. Then there are days, when you are crawling around crazy, getting into everything, and your older sisters aren't listening and I think, “yep. I’m good with three!” Your sisters absolutely adore you and you adore them. You already stand up for yourself when they take things from you. That red hair stands true to that feisty personality you have!

You’re sleeping better at night, but still wake up once. You take 2 naps during the day, although only one of them I would consider a good nap. When you are awake – you are 100% full force. Crawling, climbing, throwing, laughing, pulling…anything and everything you can get your hands on.

You love food – any food at that really. Yogurt is your favorite, but there isn't much you don’t like. If someone is eating, you think you should be eating too. I’ve pretty much started giving you anything and everything – peanut butter, jelly, olives, pickles, chicken, rice…anything!

1 year stats

Weight: 21 pounds 11 ounces (78 percentile)

Height: 30.25” (86 percentile)

Head: 18.75” (98 percentile)

Your birthday party was so fun to plan and everyone had a great time. You loved swinging, playing with your gifts, eating, and diving into your cupcake.

Birthday Party details:

On your actual birthday, our family went to a local diner and had dinner & ice cream to celebrate.

You are so loved!!

1/2 bathroom is FINISHED!

2015-04-09T11:21:00.002-04:00

The ½ bathroom is officially DONE! This is a tiny space, but it took the longest to complete. We got used to using our other bathrooms and since it’s away from everything else, we left it alone for a while.

I’m so happy with how it turned out though – I’m in love with it!!

Mirror - Home Depot
Vanity Light - Shades of Light
Pedestal Sink - Home Depot
faucet - Amazon
Tile - Lowe's

Cow Art - Hobby Lobby
Chicken Wire Basket - we had on hand already, but I think Hobby Lobby

Towel bar - Target
Towel - Target
Shelf - Hobby Lobby
Knick Knacks on shelf - Hobby Lobby

Easter Weekend {Re-Cap}

2015-04-06T14:50:00.001-04:00

Our weekend consisted of matching outfits and eggs…pretty much sums it up.

Friday: The girls had their Spring parties at school. Their classes had egg hunts and then good food to follow!

Saturday: Hadleigh, Hayden, and I dyed some eggs and then dressed them all up. We took advantage of Harper taking a nap and daddy going outside to cut the grass. They wanted to dye most all of the eggs pink as you can see.

I dressed the girls in their matching Lolly Wolly Doodle dresses, so I had to get some pictures. I’ve told Hadleigh that every time the three of them are dressed alike, that I need to take a picture. So, she gets it.

Sunday: The girls woke up and came downstairs to see what the Easter Bunny had brought them.

They were pretty excited and immediately wanted to eat candy. They had a few pieces and then we were off to get them all dressed in their matching Easter dresses (from Zulily.) We met Daniel’s family for breakfast. We were in and out of the restaurant in an hour (benefits of not going to church on Sunday).

After breakfast we came back home to start our Easter Egg Hunt. The guys did a good job hiding all the eggs and the girls did awesome finding them!

More candy was consumed while Daniel and his dad worked on our ½ bathroom (which is DONE by the way – update coming this week!)

We missed spending Easter with my family as they were in South Carolina, but we got to chat with them through FaceTime!

How was your Easter weekend?

St. Patrick's Day, Boyfriends, and Cinderella

2015-03-23T13:56:00.000-04:00

For lack of knowing what exactly to write about today but wanting to write something….I’m going to fill y’all in on what we've been up to the past week.

On St. Patrick’s Day, Daniel and I were working from home. Hadleigh had to get one of her ear tubes removed that morning, so we had to take her to the surgery facility to be put under anesthesia. She was a trooper! She was a little grumpy after the procedure and complained about her ears hurting only until about lunch. Promises of Chick-Fil-A perked this girl right up {my daughter through and through}J All three girls were sporting their green though!

Friday Hadleigh came home with a flower in hand from school. Her “friend” Whitman had brought two in for show and share, but then decided to give it to Hadleigh before he left for the day. Those two. They are nap-time buddies because Whitman’s parents and Daniel & I refuse to let them go to sleep during that time. Bedtime would be horrible for us! So, they hang out for two hours every day just the two of them. Hadleigh gets super shy when Whit gets brought up in conversation, but she enjoys his friendship!

Saturday I took Hadleigh & Hayden out to lunch and then we met my mom to see Cinderella. It was a cute movie and the girls really liked it. They loved the Frozen Fever at the beginning and were dressed appropriately in their Elsa dresses! I honestly thought the movie was a little drawn out (especially for little ones). Overall it was a really good movie though.

Sunday we played around the house and cleaned some. Then we went to my parents for dinner. The girls were pooped and all 3 fell asleep on the way home – which hardly ever happens!

What did your weekend look like?

Massanutten Resort {Weekend Getaway}

2015-03-22T10:44:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago we had a little family weekend getaway to The Massanutten Resort. Groupon had a deal going, but I ended up getting a better deal through Massanutten themselves. We left on a Friday afternoon and got checked in to our condo for the weekend. The girls loved “our new house”! Hadleigh even told us she loved our new house better than our old one. Ha! We took it easy that night – getting settled, getting some dinner, and picking up some last minute groceries.

Saturday morning we got up and took the girls to the Petting Zoo they had on the resort. They were super excited to see all of the animals. Then as soon as we walked into the office to get our tickets, Hadleigh starts whining.

“IT STINKS!” {While holding her hands over her nose}

“IT’S SO SMELLY!” Now, holding her hands over her mouth only. Which we then told her wasn't helping at all.

Can I just say how frustrating it is as a parent to do something fun for your kids, thinking they will enjoy it, and them straight up ruining it?! It’s a funny story looking back now, but damn.

We get the tickets and walk down to where all the animals are (Hadleigh still whining about the smell). Hayden and Harper are excited to see the bunnies first. We actually got to go into the cage with them to pet them.

Hadleigh stood outside of the gate, still whining.

We continued on to see the pigs, goats, turkey, chickens. Hayden enjoyed herself.

Hadleigh – still standing in the same corner – crying about the smell and how she is scared of the animals.

We finished off the petting zoo experience by seeing some horses and a camel. We got into the car to go back to our condo so we could get ready for the waterpark.

Naturally, our question to the girls (really Hayden) when we got into the car was, “What was your favorite animal?”

Hayden starts answering by saying the chickens, but then Hadleigh chimes in and tells us her favorite were the bunnies cause they were soo cute. Really?! 4 year olds.

Back to the condo to get into our bathing suits for the indoor water park it was. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of the water park because my darn camera kept steaming up. The girls had a blast though. Water, slides, waterfalls, lazy rivers, and swings kept them busy for hours.

It was a nice break from the snow on the ground outside! Other than the petting zoo, waterpark, and eating – we didn't do anything. It was a nice little change of scenery from our normal weekend activities.

We might go back when the girls are a little older, but I will definitely make sure we have a full kitchen in the condo. The restaurants are expensive on the resort, and their service was not great. Lesson learned, but either way we had fun!

Hayden is potty trained!!

2015-03-12T10:17:00.003-04:00

Yep – our Hayden is potty trained. She’s been potty trained for a month now, but I’ve been so afraid to officially call it. I didn't want to say it, then it back fire on me! The whole potty training business was a disaster at first. We tried going cold turkey over Christmas break and it completely failed. She was not ready at all. School continued to try and push it, so they asked for underwear. A few thoughts went through my mind:

1 – GOOD LUCK!

2 – What? Do you not believe that I’ve tried this and it has completely failed?

3 – Actually, I take that back. She probably will do it 100% for them instead of me.

We didn't have anything to lose, so I sent her in with a ton of underwear and another change of clothes. I picked her up and the teacher sarcastically said, “It went great!” Oh freaking awesome. They then told me that Hayden would just sit there in her underwear, pee, and act like NOTHING had happened. Only my child. So we left the issue alone. She continued on with pull-ups, but her teachers would ask her if she needed to go potty. She would sit on the toilet, but wouldn’t pee.

Then she moved up into another class at school and started doing great. She would go pee for them during the day, but then at night would want a diaper. That lasted a few days. A Friday rolled around and she hadn't had any accidents at school, so I decided she was only going to have a pull-up when she went to sleep. And that was that.

Hayden has done amazing ever since. She tells us when she needs to go pee and when she needs to poop. It’s been a lot easier than it was with Hadleigh. Hadleigh took a while to go poop on the potty, but Hayden rocked it. Now, we have definitely had some accidents in our house. Either she has gotten too busy or just not made it to the bathroom in time. But there hasn't been many. She still wears a pull-up at night, but most mornings she is still dry! Woohoo Hayden! I’m not sure when I’ll feel comfortable enough to let her wear underwear only to bed. We shall see.

The big thing I can say is that I only have ONE in diapers. Which makes me want to dance and cry at the same time.

1st Birthday Prep & Inspiration {Harper}

2015-03-09T10:46:00.001-04:00

I can’t wrap my head around the fact I have less than 2 months until Harper Madden is ONE whole year old. Harper’s first year has gone faster than either of her sisters (and they went by pretty fast!) I started pinning flowers and fairies, then moved to butterflies before I chose to go shabby chic! I just purchased the invitations, so now onto the decor!

via

via

I have lots more ideas on my Pinterest Board - go check it out if you're curious!

Hadleigh 4.5 Update

2015-03-08T11:20:00.001-04:00

This girl is 4 ½! What the What?!

Oh sweet Hadleigh, we love you so so much! Hadleigh is full of personality and spunk. She’s becoming a little girl and it makes me so happy yet sad at the same time. I tell her all the time that she will always be my baby.

Hadleigh is thriving in Pre-school. She loves learning anything and everything. She enjoys praise and reassurance that she is doing the right thing or saying the right answer. She writes her full name very well – for a while there she would get her b,p,g,d’s mixed up, but they all look the same in a way! They have assessment tests coming up at her school, so I’m looking forward to those results. Last time, she scored above average in all areas. We will definitely send her to Kindergarten in the Fall. Her birthday is so close to the cut off, it was a question last year. She would get SO bored if we held her back though. So registration is around the corner and as a parent I’m definitely nervous! My baby is going to big girl school! She will rock it though!

Hadleigh is very opinionated (no surprise there!) She likes pink still, but has branched out on her wardrobe. I’m safer asking her before I buy anything though, because she has clothes in her closet she won’t wear. She wears 4/5 (XS) and 5T currently. I believe she is around 42 pounds and 40-42 inches. She loves anything girly, dressing up, Barbies, playing school, playing house, and arts and crafts. Hadleigh still loves a good bag and filling it up to the brim with random stuff. Oh girls!

She is the best big sister. She loves Hayden and Harper to the fullest. Hadleigh is so sweet and gentle with Harper. Harper is the first person she looks for when she gets home from school. Hayden and her are best friends. They fight of course – a lot – but they play together and like to do most anything side by side. Hadleigh likes to direct Hayden in how to play or what they’re playing, but Hayden is pretty head strong too ;) I love the relationship Hadleigh has with her sisters.

Hadleigh is the funniest. She thinks her daddy is hilarious as well. She thinks poop and pee and butts are the funniest thing ever right now. If someone trips, she laughs. But don’t you try laughing if she trips!

Some of the things I have written down she has said:

“I wish Isis and Duke could be people” (Car conversations)

“I don’t want Harper to grow up!” (in a very concerned and sad voice) UGH Hadleigh, I don’t want any of you guys to grow up!!

“Mom, I’m going to have lots of babies when I get older!” (Car conversations)

“My poop is like a hot dog!” (after she pooped)

Hadleigh handed me the atomically correct boy doll we have and told me it was a boy and then pointed at his penis. I asked her to tell me what it was called.

“No, you” – Hadleigh

“It’s called a penis” – Me

Hadleigh laughed. “oh! That rhymes with nut!”

Close Hadleigh. Close.

Valentine's Day Crayons

2015-02-24T16:01:00.000-05:00

I did cute little Valentine’s crayons again this year. I did it a few years back, but this year I got more help! The girls helped a lot in unwrapping the crayons and then breaking them. Daniel came in and got smart with the razor blade to take the wrap off of the crayons, so from there it went a lot faster!

They came out really cute and the girls loved them!

Step 1: Take the paper wrapping off all of the crayons. Again, you can use a razor blade once the kids get tired of helping {which honestly, is after about 10}

Step 2: Break the crayons into small pieces

Step 3: Fill your mold with crayon pieces. I didn't strategically place the crayons for most.

But I did make some of them color coordinating.

Step 4: Place in the oven at 350 degrees for 3-5 minutes {or until all melted}

Step 5: After cooled, the crayons should pop right out. I did have to bang on the back a little for a few.

Super Easy!

Harper 9 Month Photo Shoot

2015-02-11T07:30:00.000-05:00

I usually get 6 month photos taken of the girls. Hadleigh has them. Hayden has them. I’m still fighting with myself on whether Harper truly has them. We got FAMILY pictures taken when Harper was 6 months so she has some, but technically not. I’m so frustrated with myself I didn't do this when she was 6 months, but better late than never! This little photo shoot lasted only about 10 minutes, but I think I got some good ones :)

It's Friday!

2015-02-06T12:48:00.001-05:00

This weekend will be another busy one! We don’t have too much planned, but there are lots on our to-do list

Birthday Party// our friends’ little girl is ONE! We will be celebrating this sweet face tomorrow

Cleaning // UGH. There’s not much in the world that I hate more than cleaning. 3 kids and 2 dogs (and if my husband were writing this he would add “and 1 wife”) do a lot of damage! Having 3 kids, 2 dogs, and 2 full-time jobs – it’s the last damn thing we want to do on our weekend.

Half Bathroom // hopefully we can make more headway in the bathroom re-model. I’m not sure what’s next on our list – whether it be painting the walls, installing the tile, or putting the top coat on the wood. Either way, I’m hoping the girls cooperate so we can get something done in there!

Errands // doesn't every weekend involve some kind of errands? We need to go to Target, AC Moore or Michael’s, Kroger, and we have an appointment with our tax guy tomorrow morning.

Brunch // we are having brunch with Daniel’s family this weekend to celebrate his mom’s birthday! We’ll be going to The HardShell. We've been before and their food is great.

What do you have going on this weekend?

Are errands on your list too?

linking up with:

September Farm

The Farmer's Wife

the good life blog

Easy Zucchini Pie {Recipe}

2015-02-03T13:08:00.001-05:00

What you will need:

2 zucchini; sliced

2 squash; sliced

½ of a medium onion; chopped

Handful of fresh mushrooms (optional)

2 eggs

2 cups of cheese (any kind, any mixture!)

Salt

Pepper

Basil

4 tablespoons Butter

1 can of crescent rolls

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

Line a pie dish (or in my case a square dish) with your crescent rolls to make your crust.

Set aside.

Slice your squash & zucchini

Chop your onion

Place into skillet with butter & seasoning (salt, pepper, basil)

Simmer until cooked

While the above is cooking, in a separate bowl add eggs & cheese. Mix well.

Drain vegetables (you do not want the excess juices into the pie)

Add vegetable mixture in with the eggs & cheese – continue to mix well.

Then pour into your dish on top of your crescent roll crust.

Place into the oven and bake for 40 minutes.

This is comfort food at its best! It works in the summer or the winter J Enjoy!!

Weekend Re-Cap

2015-02-02T11:37:00.000-05:00

I should’ve have titled this “What I ate this weekend” instead! I really only took pictures of the food. J We had a pretty eventful weekend, which is not this norm, so that’s why you’re hearing about it today!!

Friday// Daniel and I took the girls to Stevie B’s for dinner. It’s a local pizza place, but they also have arcade games for kids. I guess kind of like Chuck E Cheese, but not as bad! The games kept the girls attention for all of 5 minutes, so Daniel was stuck playing the games to get rid of the tokens. Hadleigh & Hayden stood at the prize desk waiting for Daniel to finish, so they could pick their prize – ha! They both picked hot pink slime…which they are only allowed to play with in the kitchen!

Saturday// I had brunch with three of my girlfriends at Helen’s. It was delicious and always so nice to chat with them. I forget how much I need these ladies and this time with them! All of us cleaned our plates – I had an egg white omelet with feta, tomato, and spinach – topped with avocado. Sides were toast & breakfast potatoes. YUM!

While I was gone, Daniel was brave and took all three girls to Burger King for lunch. They ran off some energy and one of Hayden’s school friends happened to be there, so it was an impromptu play date! The rest of the afternoon was spent just hanging out with the girls before taking them to my parents’ house for the night. From there, Daniel and I started date night!

We didn't have any reservations anywhere and originally tried to get some at Max’s on Broad. It’s a sister restaurant to Tarrant’s, which we love. Unfortunately, they only had 8:30pm reservations available and I thought that would be too late since we were seeing a movie at 10pm. We ended up going to Southerly. It was tasty, but nothing amazing. We started with Cheese fritters and our drinks. The fritters were good, but a bit on the spicy side!

Daniel had Devils Backbone brew & I had some Pinot Noir.

Our entrées were Rockfish {Daniel} and the zucchini risotto cakes {me}.

After dinner we headed to the movie theater to hang out until our movie started. We saw American Sniper with friends and IT WAS SO GOOD!

Recommend you go see it for sure. It’s so respectful and really makes me think what I do is so minuscule in comparison. I know we all do our own part in society, but being in the military is so honorable. Now, I want to read military memoirs! Any good ones out there?

Sunday// Was spent hanging around the house and cuddling the girls. Daniel and I both worked on getting the gray coat of paint on the wood planks in the bathroom.

Another bathroom to-do crossed off!

Happy Monday!!

· What did you do over the weekend?

· I’d love to hear what you thought of American Sniper! If you’re in the military, did you think it was good?

· Random Question: When you guys comment on my posts, I always make a point to reply. Huge pet peeve of mine when bloggers DON’T reply! Anyways, should I reply by e-mail to make sure y’all see my reply? Or do y’all get notified that I’ve replied to your comment on my blog post? Just want to make sure that you see my response!

Friday! Friday!

2015-01-30T08:00:00.000-05:00

1// Frozen // oh wait? You don’t get singing performances at your house? I’m sorry.

2// Half Bathroom Update // Wood plank wall is complete! Whoop Whoop! My dad and Daniel busted it out last Sunday. I even got to use the nail gun several times to nail some of those bad boys to the wall. Can’t wait to start on the next step.

3// Husband Time // I’m hoping for a date night this weekend. I really want to go see American Sniper…or go rock climbing for the first time…or sleep…or do.everything. Or do NOTHING. Do you have this problem? Date nights are rare, so when we get one – I want to make the most of it.

4// Brunch with girlfriends // tomorrow I’m having brunch with three of my girlfriends [Sans kids]. Should be a fun time. We’re trying Helen’s for the first time, so hopefully it’s good!
5// Giveaway // Have you entered the $100 cash giveaway?? If not, you should!

Linking Up with September Farm / The Farmer's Wife / the good life

$100 Giveaway!

2015-01-29T08:00:00.000-05:00

Who doesn't love money?! Another added bonus is that you get to check out some pretty cool ladies and their blogs!

Go ahead…get entered!

amy | trish | janelle

mar | jenn | erin

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Random Friday Thoughts

2015-01-23T08:30:00.000-05:00

1 – Our house has been hit with the flu L No good! I’m pretty sure Hadleigh brought it from school since 6 of her classmates are out sick – which is crazy. Hadleigh hasn't had a fever at all, but has had a little bit of a cough. Then Harper started with a fever, so we decided to take them all to the doctor. I was sure Hadleigh was going to have strep, but no – tested positive for the flu. Harper tested positive as well. Hayden had just started with a fever when we took her, so her flu test was negative at the time – but the doc said she probably had it as well. We left with prescriptions of Tamiflu. $165 later – we were at home. Yesterday was rough. Hadleigh was thankfully fine – bored out of her mind. Hayden, poor thing, spiked a fever of 104.2. We were going to take her to the ER if a bath and some Motrin didn't bring it down, but thankfully it did. Harper battled with the wheezing and fevers of 102.5. There is nothing worse than seeing your babies feel so horrible. By night time, Hayden seemed to be doing a bit better but Harper was still cranky. I’m hoping they are on the mend though!

2 – Postpartum hair loss is growing back- and it’s in full force. These little hairs are sticking straight up out of my head and it is insane.

3- Tomorrow I’m heading to Raleigh, NC to see one of my girlfriends and meet her new baby boy that was born at the end of October. Eeekkk! Annddd less than 24 hours since writing this post - I have chest congestion and a cough. No traveling for me. I'm hoping I don't get it bad, but didn't want to get my friends sick! wahhhh

4- Daniel has finished mudding the half bath and drilling down the backer board. We will be working on tile and the wood wall soon!! I had a nautical theme all thought up in my head, and then Daniel told me he wasn't a fan. So…back to the drawing board. We are keeping the same colors though, so that won’t change.

5- We made reservations for a fun family weekend in February to Massanutten Resort. Hadleigh had mentioned she wanted to play in the snow, so I looked up places for a weekend getaway. Not only do they have the option to go tubing, there’s a little indoor water park we can all enjoy as well. I can’t wait to get away and have some fun!!

and a little extra goodie is a picture of myself and some friends from a 4th grade field trip. Fanny packs & sunglasses were apparently super cool!!

Happy Friday y'all!!
Linking up with September Farm & the good life today :)

Threenagers

2015-01-16T15:22:00.004-05:00

I just came across this article. So, I wanted to comment and elaborate a bit more on this. I'm not entirely sure I would only include three year olds - can we add the age range 2.5-4?! Who's with me?!

Here are some of the crazy things Daniel and I deal with {on the regular}:

Putting on socks the wrong way. "Mooommmm! It's tickling me!" (the seam, oh the seam) AND for the record - seamless socks are SO damn expensive!
Tags. "Daddy! It's scratching me!" "Take the tag out" Then we are followed into the kitchen, so she makes sure we cut it out. She's not into the "faking out" thing.
Going limp while trying to get her dressed. A whole new level of frustrating.
Some days Hayden will cry/whine/refuse to get dressed unless it has a picture of Elsa on it
Hayden wanted pizza the other night for dinner. I made the pizza and then she decided she didn't want it. She heads to the fridge only to pick out a pizza lunchable --- it's the same thing just not melted cheese!
Wanting a drink, but not picking the right cup(she wanted one with, no without the top)
Hadleigh ate turkey lunch meat and pineapples all the time and then overnight (literally) she decided she didn't like these anymore. So for the next 2 weeks, on our way to school, she asked me what was in her lunch to make sure I didn't pack those 2 things. Some days even checking behind me to make sure.
Hadleigh had a friend in class whose parent got them Chick-Fil-A one morning. The next morning she wanted it and when we told her we would go over the weekend instead - she cried. ..the entire way to school.
If you have more than one kid, one of them will want EVERYTHING the other has. EVERYTHING - drinks, underwear, gloves, shoes, shirts, hair clip...everything.

Please share your crazy stories to make this mama feel sane!

Half Bathroom Update & Inspiration

2015-01-13T09:27:00.001-05:00

Remember when I told ya’ll we had gutted our ½ bath? Yeah, it’s been a while – as in almost 6 months since I last posted about it! We are finally going to start on this little space in our house. It has been sitting for way too long. Last night we bought new tile and all of the paint, so we are committed!

We are definitely going to add the wood plank wall, paint it gray, then paint it white and scuff it up a bit so the gray shows through. Here’s an example:

via

Other walls will be mint green and trim will be white. We decided on some gray 12x12 square tiles for the floor.

Mark Twain Gray Brick // Ultra Green // Gray Tile

We still have a few items on our list we need to pick up before we can definitely start:

Wood planks
Wood glue
Grout & tools
New toilet & sink (both will be white)
Mirror
Light fixture
Decorations

Head on over to my Pinterest ½ bath board, so you can take a look at some of my inspirations for this little room! Stay tuned!

Hayden 2.5

2015-01-12T16:09:00.000-05:00

Oh Hayden, you're TWO and a HALF. That half means a lot. Had I sat down to write this post a few weeks ago, I wouldn't have been able to write about how you are showing some terrible two signs. I remember two and a half being slightly difficult with Hadleigh as well, so it must be a thing.

Hayden is so fun, sassy, loving, motherly, stubborn, and strong willed all rolled into one little girl.

Loves: "Let it go" (Frozen) - she is quite obsessed. Everything is "let it go" and will only wear "Let it go" socks. It makes for a difficult morning when there are no clean Frozen socks left for her to wear. She still loves baby dolls and has started getting into the doll house we got for Hadleigh a few years back. She also loves Barbies. She loves her iPad {as she calls Pie-pad}

Hates: Putting on pajamas - she would much rather just sleep in her clothes, so that's what she does most nights. She doesn't like her hands to get dirty or Harper's face to be dirty. She is hating the fact we are taking her bippy away from her during the day.

Eating: Hayden eats so well when she wants, but when she's not in the mood she just won't eat. She likes most anything and will pretty much try it first before she decides if she doesn't like it. She loves any kind of sauce {just like her mama}. Her favorite is cheese as that's her answer every time you ask her what she wants to eat. We have to limit it a bit so she doesn't get constipated though. Girlfriend has a sweet tooth too, which I can't blame her!

Sleeping: She's a pretty good sleeper and has always been a better sleeper than Hadleigh. If Hayden was tired, regardless if she was watching TV, she would fall asleep. She's now learning to keep herself awake, so sometimes it's not as easy as it once was. She still takes naps at school which do not interrupt bedtime, so that's good. When she's at home, it's hit or miss whether she naps. Most nights she will still wake up to come into our bed. So, by morning we have Hayden & Harper in bed with us. Hayden still loves her bippy to go to sleep :)

Potty Training: No, no, and no. She will go for school every once in a while, so over Christmas break we tried going cold turkey. Failed. When she wore underwear she just peed and pooped in them & then when I had her go naked, she cried for a diaper. We took that as a clear sign she wasn't ready. We are still full into pull-ups only, so I'm thinking maybe in the Spring/Summer? Crossing my fingers!

School: Hayden really enjoys school. She has learned so much since starting the new program over the summer and her speech has picked up tremendously. Pronunciation is still a bit off, but I think that's partly her age. She listens to her teachers - sometimes better for them than us! She will go sit on the potty for them and go without her bippy ALL day - no complaints. By the beginning of February, she will move into an older class - she's getting so big!

Hadleigh & Harper: Love her! Hadleigh and Hayden fight as sisters do, but if they are away from each other they miss one another. They will both ask where the other is. They play pretty well most of the time. Harper loves Hayden even though Hayden holds her hand all of the time. Hayden makes sure there's no dirt on Harper's face. Hayden is definitely our little mother hen - she has very endearing qualities around kids that are smaller than her.

Funny things Hayden has said:

Hayden - "I f*ck"

Me - very shocked, but picked up quickly what she was trying to say, "no, you pooted"

Hayden - "I f*ck"

Me - "You're trying to say you farted aren't you?"

Hayden - shaking her head yes, "i f*ck!"

She was climbing her bookcase in the playroom and I immediately told her to get down. Hayden turns around, points her finger at me, and says "minute mama!"

Harper 8 months

2015-01-09T16:21:00.001-05:00

Harper Madden is 8 whole months! She is so happy almost all of the time – definitely our most social baby girl.

Weighs: 20.5 pounds

Loves: Sesame Street, Being held, Being talked to, her bippy (pacifier), baths, doing anything – as long as she’s occupied and doing something, she’s good.

Hates: Being left alone, the act of putting a shirt on, and waiting to be fed

Milestones: Harper is crawling!! This past weekend she officially started! She’s not super fast, but she’s moving. She’s also started pulling herself up onto things. I know it won’t be too much longer until she is walking. I’m betting it’s before her 1^st birthday, which is faster than either of her sisters.

Eating: Girl loves to eat! She watches your food intently if she’s not eating with you. She usually gets about 1.5-2 jars/pouches of baby food and then some puffs/yogurt bites to snack on. She still nurses when I’m around too. We've given her a bunch of table food since she seems so interested and she has done really well with it. Anytime we are having something that I know she will be able to eat, we offer it to her. Harper is picking food up great when it is set in front of her. I think she’s been doing that for almost 2 months now.

Sleep: Not sleeping through the night and not sleeping in her crib. Womp. Womp. She wasn't feeling well, so we had her sleep with us and she’s been sleeping with us ever since. We’ll put her in her crib to begin with, but she wakes up within 2 hours to come into our bed. She will also wake up about 2 times to nurse. Right now, it’s not a huge deal that she’s in our bed so we’ll see how long it goes!

Hadleigh & Hayden: love their little sister SO much! Sometimes too much! They always want to kiss her and hold her hand. A lot of times we are telling them not to touch her because each one of them will hold a hand and then she’s not able to do anything. They’re very protective over her and make sure she stays safe and is clean from any food on her face J