Happiness Is...

Boys (3m - 3T) and girls clothes (NB - 9m) for sale!

2013-09-06T09:04:00.001-05:00

So yeah ... it has been a while. A very long while. I need to work on that. In the meantime, it seems everyone cleaned their closets over Labor Day, including me! I have lots of hardly worn, many new with tags, boys and girls outfits and accessories ... simply follow @happinessiscloset on Instagram and happy browsing! Thanks to Leslie for this link up!

Happy Mardi Gras!

2013-02-12T06:31:00.001-06:00

Happy Mardi Gras from New Orleans! I feel about Mardi Gras the way I know most people feel about Christmas: I can't wait for it to get here, I love everything about the season and then I'm sad when it's over. It was even more fun this year since Thatcher kind of got it and was really into everything, especially king cake. I wrote a post about the five life lessons we can teach our children through Mardi Gras, and it really made me glad that we have the chance to expose our children to such a unique and fun tradition.

We spent the weekend at parades (sans Hadley), and Thatcher had an absolute ball. The entire time he was saying "more Mardi Gras," and if more floats we're coming, we'd tell him "yes, there's more Mardi Gras" and then he'd look at all of us and inform us "more coming!!!" He also was quick to tell us that "Thatcher get beads Mardi Gras!" He really loved everything about it, but I guess if you're born in February then you're going to be a Mardi Gras baby whether you like it or not!

I already can't wait for next year. While Mardi Gras is definitely different with kids, it's also just so much fun to see it through their eyes.

Thatcher's 2nd Birthday

2013-02-08T20:02:00.002-06:00

We celebrated Thatcher's birthday last weekend since this weekend is Mardi Gras. He absolutely loved his party, and it didn't take a ton of time or effort from me - win win! The girls at Sweet Birdie's Nest helped me with the invitation, and from there the rest just kind of took shape!

We went with a Mardi Gras Elmo theme, which ended up being perfect since Thatcher is really into Mardi Gras. He says "Happy Mardi Gras" and keeps asking to go catch beads, so I think he "gets" it as much as he can at this point. I did a more thorough recap over here, but I wanted to share some pictures from the party. There's a really sweet mom here who is just getting her photography business started, so she's doing pictures for free right now. It was so fun to get some shots from his party that we otherwise wouldn't have gotten. I think she did a really good job (any pictures that aren't watermarked are ones that I took).

Even though I knew Christie was taking pictures, I couldn't help take some myself, too! Thatcher really had such a fun time, and it was cute to see how excited he was about all of the Sesame Street stuff in one place. He also had a blast playing at the playground with all of his friends, and I honestly don't see a reason to ever pay for a birthday party venue. Every last kid was thrilled to run around outside and play with the balloons!

Sunday is his actual birthday, which we'll be celebrating on the parade route!

Party Details:

Applique Shirt {Lisey Lu} :: Sesame Street medals & balloons {Party City} :: Invitations, etc {Sweet Birdie's Nest} :: Cookies {Essie's Sparking Confections} :: Sesame Street Coloring Books {Let's pARTy NOLA} :: Earth's Best Sesame Street Yogurt Pouches {Diapers.com} :: Sesame Street Juice Boxes {Whole Foods}

Hadley at 2 months

2013-01-30T12:00:00.000-06:00

Several of you have asked me how the transition from 1 to 2 has gone, and I shared my thoughts on that earlier today over on the New Orleans Moms Blog. It can be summed up with two words: it's hard.

In fact, time is flying like crazy because we just don't have time to stop! Hadley had her 2 month check up on Monday, and I was so nervous about her weight since Thatcher had issues in the early months. Girl knows how to put on the pounds, though! She was up to 10 pounds, 3 ounces, so we're hoping she can keep this up!

Here's the obligatory comparison shot of Thatcher. It's funny because I think they still bear some resemblance to one another but are also starting to look pretty different! The husband claims he doesn't think they look alike at all, but I still see some similarities.

I am so hoping that her eyes will stay blue! What do y'all think??

Hadley is wearing size 1 diapers, smiling a lot and sleeping sporadically. She definitely makes her presence known and doesn't like to be left alone for too long. She's got a set of lungs on her! I keep telling myself it will serve her well later in life...right?!?

Hadley's First Parade

2013-01-29T14:08:00.002-06:00

This past weekend we decided to take the kids to a parade after a friend's birthday party. I was pretty nervous about taking Hadley since she detests the car seat and stroller, but we decided to go for it. I can only stay away from Mardi Gras for so long! Thatcher had a blast, though one parade was all Hadley could handle!

He hasn't stopped talking about "Thatcher get beads Mardi Gras" and was telling everyone at the pediatrician's office "Happy Mardi Gras" yesterday - it's pretty cute!

We'll probably leave Hadley home during Mardi Gras weekend itself, but I'm glad that she's experienced her first parade! Thatcher was only a few weeks old during his first Mardi Gras - we start them young!

Thatcher vesus Hadley

2013-01-17T14:18:00.003-06:00

I've been wanting to compare pictures of these two for a while, so I am glad that a friend asked me to! What do you all think? I definitely see some similarities in them, and there are moments where Hadley will do something and I flash right back to Thatcher's newborn days!

Newborn pictures are by the always talented Erin Rachel.

No doubt that they are siblings right? The below pictures are Thatcher and Hadley right at a month. While I can tell them apart, I see a lot of similarities, too!

What's crazier to me is that I don't see Thatcher in his newborn pictures at all - he looks so different now!

Very quick catch up!

2013-01-16T12:58:00.002-06:00

So I have been the world's worst blogger. I could make excuses about how both kids got RSV and we were at the ER on Christmas Eve, how 2 under 2 is non-stop and no joke or how I've been busy with contemplating whether to continue working full-time or not but I won't!

I've been trying to think about what I'd like to use this little area of the internet for since New Orleans Moms Blog keeps me so darn busy. I really like having certain things documented for my family's sake, but I don't have an abundance of time. I love the friends I've made blogging (and yes, I really have made legitimate and normal friends through this outlet), and I miss blogging when I'm not writing. I just need to figure out a balance of what I spend time on and when and honestly? Personal blogging was the first thing to go over the holidays and with the transition to 2.

We'll see how 2013 goes, but I do want to try to keep up with preserving family memories here! So on that note...

Thatcher is 23 months, and we're celebrating his second (insert sobs here) birthday next month with an Elmo Mardi Gras party at the playground. It combines most of the things he holds dear (Sesame Street, streetcars, playing outside and king cake); I couldn't figure out a way to tastefully integrate Cars to the theme!

And Hadley? Well she's already 7 weeks (insert mandatory "where does the time go" look here)! She had an exciting first month of life that included 3 trips to Children's Hospital (she is a-okay now; each of those visits is a post in and of itself), and she's enjoyed her first Christmas and New Year's. Just this week she started smiling and it melts my heart every time.

I have so many pictures to sort through and things I could blog about but for now I will consider it a success that I took, uploaded AND blogged pictures all in one day. I hope to be better and a more frequent reader of blogs soon!

toddler hands

2012-12-14T18:46:00.000-06:00

"Enjoy the little things, for one day you will look back and realize they were the big things."

-Robert Brault

Happy 22 months, T!

2012-12-10T20:48:00.001-06:00

Even though life is beyond crazy right now, I was determined to keep up with the monthly updates because we love looking at them and remembering what our little man was up to at each stage. It's hard to believe that we're just two months away from his second birthday, but I have to say that Thatcher is more fun with each passing day.

Right now he's essentially a parrot and total ham. He will do absolutely anything for a laugh and has a variety of faces and "walks" to get his audience going. He's not so great at following directions, but I think that's to be expected. He's slowly but surely coming around to Hadley, though he's already realized that if she's crying she gets attention so he now has a fake cry that usually comes out when she's upset. He's a little too creative for his own good sometimes!

I absolutely adore this picture from Erin Rachel Photography (I added the text)!

He's talking so much right now that it's actually hard to remember all of the funny stuff he says over the course of a day. I think my favorite thing is that he talks in the third person constantly, and he's not shy about telling you what he wants, when and how. There's no shortage of entertainment around here, that's for sure!

Welcome, Hadley!

2012-11-29T15:02:00.001-06:00

We are so thrilled to welcome Hadley Jayne to our family! She was born on Monday, November 26 at 9:22am after a very quick (as in I hardly got an epidural) labor. She is 6 pounds, 12 ounces of sweet newborn love.

Big brother Thatcher is having more "moments" than we expected. It's hard to see him struggle so much, but we know that it will pass. He is very excited about her in theory and yesterday spent a while showing her all of his Sesame Street stuff, but when a transition comes (meal, bedtime, heading to school), we end up with a very sad little boy. We know that eventually he will fall just as in love with her but right now he's not always so sure.

Tis the season!

2012-11-25T13:40:00.002-06:00

We have had a fabulous holiday weekend and are officially ready for both the holidays and Hadley's arrival! My "nesting" has been out of control (the husband would likely call it crazy), but the house is clean, the garden is weeded, the tree is decorated and now we wait.

We spent Thanksgiving at my parents' house, and it was a very relaxing and low key day. We have so much to be thankful for ... a fun-loving toddler, a new home that is finally mostly done, a fabulous network of friends, a Church and Sunday school class that we love and now can't live without, a precious baby on the way and so much more. Life is very, very good right now.

The day after Thanksgiving, we continued with our tradition of getting our Christmas tree as a family. I am sad to say that I really didn't take pictures (except with my phone) because I am losing steam at 39 weeks!

What a difference (as always) a year makes!

We now have a toddler who is full of personality and keeps us constantly laughing. Decorating a tree with him around is a little challenging, but we had fun! Thatcher spent most of the time stacking ornament boxes.

And we are learning to "look with our eyes" - it's a work in progress!

And while he's petrified of the real thing, Thatcher loves dressing up as Santa!

This morning we went to Church and are now waiting for our Saints to play. Everyone keeps telling me that Thatcher will grow up the minute Hadley comes home, but he already seems so grown up to me! I really wish there was a way to just stop time for a little while!

World Prematurity Day: Do you believe in miracles?

2012-11-17T07:05:00.004-06:00

As many of you probably know, today is World Prematurity Day.

Today one of my dear friends Emily is sharing her story about her daughter's fight and how her faith was reaffirmed throughout their journey. I'd love for you to read her family's incredible story; she and her husband are some of the kindest people we know. To think that we were just at Anna Kate's 3rd birthday party back in October is truly a miracle.

#shopNOLA - 40 gift ideas & giveaways!

2012-11-12T09:22:00.003-06:00

This morning over on New Orleans Moms Blog, we have something really exciting going on: 40 gift ideas and giveaways! While some of them are specific to New Orleans, a lot of them would make great gifts for anyone on your list ... come check it out!

Who knows - you may even win something!

The number 3...

2012-11-11T21:39:00.002-06:00

It's craziness to me that in 3 months Thatcher will be 2. He is so much fun right now and I really wish we could press pause and capture all of the hilarity that is this age (minus the tantrums over "neminems" (aka m&m's) and demanding to ride in "mommy's car" when we have nowhere to go).

And it's also craziness to me that I am due in exactly 3 weeks. This pregnancy has gone by extremely quickly and not-so-quickly all at the same time. We are at the point where we are just so excited and ready to meet little Miss Hadley ... I am dying to know what she looks like because we haven't seen her since July when we found out that she was a girl!

Happy Halloween!

2012-10-31T20:48:00.000-05:00

To say that Thatcher has caught onto - and enjoys - this whole Halloween thing would be a huge understatement! While he wasn't totally crazy about his Cookie Monster outfit the first time he wore it, he eventually realized that he was essentially dressed as one of his idols and would receive his very favorite thing - SUGAR! - while wearing it.

Tonight we went to a friend's house to celebrate their son's 2nd birthday and trick or treat. It was the perfect combination of fun and relaxation! Their street got blocked off for a few hours to let the kids trick or treat, which was perfect because it was a limited amount of houses and a fairly controlled and family friendly atmosphere.

The kids had a blast, and Estella was cracking me up in her "fancy shoes" (her words, not mine!) I didn't think she'd make it for the whole adventure wearing those heels, but she managed!

Thatcher was totally into protecting his candy, too. We were not allowed under any circumstances to touch, hold or carry his bucket.

What a fun evening with friends!

Boo at the Zoo

2012-10-21T21:35:00.003-05:00

Last night Thatcher and his girlfriend Lillian had a date at Boo at the Zoo. We got there early, which was definitely smart because by the time we left it was - well - a zoo. They had a lot of fun trick or treating (which took Thatcher about 2 seconds to catch on to since candy was involved) and running around the toddler area.

Do you think these two have any idea that they are both about to get younger siblings?!? Crazy that at this time next year there will be 4 of them running around the zoo. Yikes!

Next weekend on their agenda is Elmo Makes Music and a Halloween playdate. These two have quite the social calendars!

"ba-dop-a-dop"

2012-10-14T20:56:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago when the husband was out of town for work, Thatcher referred to his shampoo bottle as "ba-dop-a-dop." I thought I mis-heard him, so I asked him a few times, "what is this?" And every time, clear as could be, he responded with "ba-dop-a-dop."

Now, we have funny sayings for things around our house, but that is not one of them! I have no idea where he got this from. When the husband returned home, I asked Thatcher again about his shampoo bottle and he responded right away with "ba-dop-a-dop." Then, a few days later, we were shopping and he saw hand soap in a gift store and pointed to it and said "ba-dop-a-dop." He even goes as far as to tell you which bottle is "mommy ba-dop-a-dop" and "Coco ba-dop-a-dop." Without a doubt, "ba-dop-a-dop" is his word for shampoo/soap.

Tonight, while we were cooking dinner, I heard the husband exclaim "oh my God!!!!" We literally just had a conversation at Sunday school this morning about kids repeating what we say, particularly when watching sports. I figured he was yelling about something on TV since his fantasy team wasn't doing well and was getting ready to give him a good old talking to about modeling behavior for our children. But I turned around to find this scene.

That would be yogurt in Thatcher's hair. Awesome. Just what we all wanted to clean up while trying to unwind on a Sunday and cook dinner, right? He just continued on as if nothing was wrong.

After documenting the scene, I walked up to Thatcher's high chair and looked him in the eye to calmly say, "it's not nice to play with your food. We eat food, but we don't play with it."

In response, Thatcher looked me dead in the face and said in his most serious voice while still smearing the yogurt in his hair with two hands, "ba-dop-a-dop." Mind you, he has zero interest in washing his hair when we're in the tub.

And then he took his hands and reached down in his high chair and with yogurt all over his hands proclaimed, "ba-dop-a-dop hiney" while pretending to wash his rear end. For real.

And I burst out laughing because really what else is there to do?!?

our not so little pumpkin

2012-10-13T21:04:00.000-05:00

How does this happen in one year?!?

We can't believe how quickly our little guy is growing up!

It reminds you to really soak up every minute of every day because before you know it an entire year has passed.

20 month update

2012-10-10T20:06:00.000-05:00

I can't believe that in four short months we will have a 2 year old! That is just nuts to me. We've been super busy these past few weeks with work, life, finishing up house projects and my "nighttime / naptime job" (aka New Orleans Moms Blog) that I have hardly had time to keep up with personal blogs. I am hoping that things will settle down in a few weeks, but we shall see!

Thatcher is so fun right now, talking up a storm and learning new words every day. It is insane how quickly they pick up words and phrases, so we're really having to watch what we say.

Beyond the Saints being 1-4 right now, life is pretty darn good! Everything is just about ready for Hadley, and it's crazy to think that I am due in 7 weeks. I'm not working on Fridays, which is really nice because I can spend the day with my little man just enjoying him before he has competition!

Thatcher is all about being outside, pushing his lawn mower, playing "DAT ball" (football) and spotting construction vehicles. Yup, he's pretty much all boy!

30 weeks - eeeek! And toddler tantrums.

2012-09-22T14:39:00.001-05:00

It's hard to believe that I am already 30 weeks! Thatcher was born a week early, and even though that doesn't necessarily mean anything, it's sort of a reality check that Hadley could be here in 9 weeks. I am in major nesting mode, and I think the husband wants to kill me. You know, I am discussing things like wrapping Christmas presents in September and asking him to go look in random bins in the attic for fabric I had saved to have a dress made for a daughter one day. Totally sane, right?

Anyway, last night we went out to dinner for my dad's birthday and since it was the first time I actually got dressed in a few weeks, it occurred to me that I should take a few pictures. No matter how hard I try, baby #2 seems to get the shaft already. I have great intentions of keeping up, but we are just insanely busy and between work, New Orleans Moms Blog, maintaining a social life and chasing Thatcher around, time is limited.

In the past two days, we have had not one but two major meltdowns in public. From Thatcher, that is. (I needed to clarify since pregnant women are not known for their rational thinking.) Yesterday we went to meet the husband for lunch because I am taking Fridays off to spend with Thatcher between now and maternity leave. He wanted nothing to do with the high chair and was a total wild man. We ended up boxing our food up and leaving. And this morning at Target, he was demanding "waaaaaalk" in the store because clearly sitting in a cart for 20 minutes is entirely too much downtime. I even tried to bribe him with a Halloween book but no such luck. His preference was terrorizing the produce department and other shoppers, and he even tried to take a bite out of an apple. So pretty much going out to eat is out of the question for the time being. Please tell me my child is not the only insane one!?!

School days

2012-09-20T09:17:00.000-05:00

Last night the husband and I attended parents' night at Thatcher's school. I have to admit, it was so awkward to me at first - I had this moment of "is this really my life?!?" I mean, I am 31. We've been married for 5 years. We are clearly "old enough" to have children. But it was just so surreal to be at a function with other parents in a school setting. I'm used to going to cocktail parties and dinner with friends, but parents' night? It's like a whole new level of socializing that I wasn't prepared for. Has anyone else had this experience? I felt like I was a kid playing dress up or something!

Thatcher's school is wonderful, though, and we absolutely love his teachers. I will admit that the transition from the baby room was a little challenging at first, mostly because of the changes that came with it. But now? We are loving it. And Thatcher has so much fun with his friends. It inspired me to take a few pictures this morning to remember this stage of the schooling journey, where school is all about fun with friends and painting and snacktime. Don't get me wrong - they are learning, too - but there's not yet the pressure of test scores and homework and sporting events. At this point, it is pure fun!

On a separate note, how darling is his shirt? A local mom here in New Orleans makes them (her boutique Nolafionnah is PRECIOUS). In full disclosure, she gave it to me to promote via New Orleans Moms Blog, but I had to share because her designs are truly original and different than any of the other monogrammed and applique vendors I've seen before. Her shirts and one pieces have a lot of texture and dimension to them, and Thatcher was so excited to wear his "boat water" today (he calls boats "boat water" for some unknown reason!) And if you have a girl? Watch out because Jessica makes dresses that are seriously to die for.

19 month update

2012-09-12T20:42:00.002-05:00

I can't believe that Thatcher is closer to 2 than 1. How the heck did THAT happen?!? He is so much fun these days, talking (and climbing) up a storm. It's been a total language explosion in our house, to the point that we really have to watch what we say because he repeats e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g.

He still thinks that Elmo rocks, and he's also really into construction vehicles (all of which are "dump trucks" at this point). Thatcher also loves football and is equally excited about the season as we are! He still consumes more yogurt in one day than anyone else I know, and he also has entirely too much energy. Even after a day at school, he will come home and run around the yard for an hour, push his fire truck into walls and furniture for a while and then proceed to jump and splash around the tub. It is quite literally impossible to wear him out. We've tried, trust me!

Thatcher also has an entire series of silly faces that he makes, which I would LOVE to capture on camera, but he never does it once I actually get the camera out. He also spends quite a bit of time pretending to sleep (he lays down wherever he is and says "nigh nigh," complete with snoring sound effects). Yup, pretty sure we have the class clown on our hands.

Thatcher's first hurricane

2012-09-05T21:22:00.003-05:00

To say that the past week has been crazy would be an understatement. It all started on Saturday, August 25 when a storm by the name of Isaac took over the New Orleans news. Weather forecasters weren't quite sure where it would make landfall, but our dear city was in the dreaded "cone of uncertainty."

On Sunday we decided that we should probably break out the hurricane preparation list and pack, just in case. We went to the store and stocked up on water and gathered our important documents. We watched the news, willing Isaac to go elsewhere. By Sunday night, we were pretty worried.

On Monday morning, we packed up the car and started to head to Florida. About an hour into the drive, we got word that bridges were being shut down due to tropical storm force winds, so we ended up turning around. At this point, forecasts were showing that the storm would make landfall late Tuesday or early Wednesday as a category 1 storm. We felt comfortable staying in the city.

Monday afternoon was spent dismantling the back of our house, which flooded during Katrina (though we didn't own it at the time). We figured that if we were going to stay, we might as well do everything possible to prevent damage.

On Tuesday, we headed over to my parents' house, partially out of boredom and partially because the crazy pregnant woman in me decided it would be better to stay in a two story house in case flooding occurred. We spent Tuesday afternoon watching the trees sway in the wind...

By late Tuesday afternoon, we were already stir crazy. You want me to play with this block again?

Tuesday night was a long, restless night. Thatcher woke up at 4:00am from the rain and was raring to go. It was so loud, rainy and windy that no one really slept. On Wednesday, we were all zombies. My parents lost power around 10:30pm Tuesday night, but since the air conditioner had been on, that first night wasn't too bad. By 4:00pm on Wednesday, it was getting unbearable. Some of our very gracious friends offered us the key to their house (they were out of town) since they hadn't lost power, so off we went.

Mom, where are we? And why have I not gotten dressed yet today?

Throughout the night on Wednesday, the wind continued, and no one really sleeps well in other people's beds. My mind wouldn't stop racing, so it was another sleepless night. Early on Thursday morning, with the threat of Isaac generally behind us, we decided to head back to our house and reassemble what had been dismantled. Thatcher was so excited to be reunited with his toys and "help" Daddy.

The rest of Thursday was spent just hanging out, doing nothing really since we had no power (but were still naively hopeful at this point). We thought that we'd save the yardwork for the long weekend ahead when we had power. If you know how the rest of the story goes, the joke was on us. We ended up sleeping at my in laws' house on Thursday night and the next four days were spent waking up, searching for iced coffee, driving all over the city and searching for utility trucks.

It was like a very bad version of Groundhog Day. Wake up. Try to locate iced coffee. Get breakfast. Wander around Whole Foods. Drive around the neighborhood and look for workers. Talk to neighbors. Complain about the utility company. Drive around some more. Repeat. We did enjoy two dinners at a friend's house, which was fun, but by Saturday afternoon we decided that despite the 100 degree heat index, we better clean the yard. We live next door to 3 girls, and they helped!

And then we did some more yardwork the next day. I'm telling you, there wasn't much else to do without power! We also went to Whole Foods more times than I can count, as well as Target.

On Monday morning, we finally spotted utility trucks in our neighborhood and stalked them relentlessly. Around 5:00pm, miracle of all miracles, we got power! Only to discover that one of our air conditioners was broken. But rest assured, I called the 24 hour emergency line and though it left us a few hundred poorer, we were back up and running by about 9:30pm. And my own bed never felt so good. Our home internet and cable just returned today, so life is finally back to "normal."

Even though the past week or so has been a huge inconvenience and left all of us very, very tired, we are so thankful and grateful that our home and city was largely spared. Yes, it is totally miserable to be without power in 100+ degree heat, and yes, it is challenging to be bouncing around from place to place with a toddler, but in the scheme of things, we are so very fortunate. Please keep Louisiana in your thoughts and prayers, as many families lost absolutely everything and unfortunately, we know just how devastating that can be.

our little Saints fan

2012-08-26T21:52:00.001-05:00

Thatcher was so excited to cheer on the Saints yesterday! Ok, so in all reality he had no idea what was going on, but he definitely looked cute!

If everyone could please say a prayer for our beloved hometown, we'd appreciate it. We're hoping that Isaac will spare us, but the cruel irony of being faced with another hurricane on the 7th anniversary of Katrina has us all on edge.

18 months and first day at school

2012-08-16T21:05:00.000-05:00

It is almost impossible to believe that Thatcher is a year and a half old! That is just insanity to me. Today was his first day back at school, and he was so excited to see all of his friends. He has moved up to the "big boy" room, so he now sleeps on a nap mat. Well, today he didn't nap, but theoretically he should sleep on a nap mat.

He was so into trying to carry his backpack this morning, which was really cute. It really is crazy just how fast they grow up. It feels like we were just bringing him home from the hospital, and now we have this wild, talking toddler in our house!

I have a feeling that I may need a valium when his first day of kindergarten comes!