day at the ZOO

Yesterday was a beautiful day, so we went to the Denver Zoo with Tara & Bronwyn. Tara brought their wagon so the girls could ride in it together. Hailey rode in it part of the time, but enjoyed helping to pull the wagon as well. We enjoyed watching a lot of different animals, but the polar bears and tigers were our favorites. In addition, Hailey also liked getting as close as she could to the peacocks and geese that roamed the grounds. I am not sure why, but for some reason, she felt the need to bark (like a dog) at a bunch of the animals too. So silly! It was a great day to be outside spending time with friends at the zoo! Have I mentioned that this weather is giving me SpRiNg FeVeR?!

Spring can't come soon enough!

*hailey does NOT like the slide @ swim class!

I am sitting here thinking about how swim class starts in a couple of hours, and it occurred to me that I forgot to post about last weeks. After the class, they went down the slide at the rec center. Hailey hated it, as I presumed she would. She screamed the whole way down, and then immediately wanted to get out of the pool, running to Tony and getting his clothes all wet! It was pretty funny! After some coaxing, and reassuring that she would not go down the slide again, she did get back in the pool for a little bit and played with Auntie April and Uncle Nik until it was time to go. She has been reminding us since last Thursday that she does not like the slide...as if we could forget! :o)
After swim class...thank goodness she recovered from the slide ordeal!

{BrOnWyN's first BiRtHdAy!}

One of Hailey's bestest friends, Bronwyn, turned ONE last week. We attended her party on Saturday, and Hailey had so much fun! There was a clown who did some fun tricks and a magic show, before doing some face painting. I was thinking she might get a small painting on one cheek, but she told Gracie (the clown) that she wanted to be a princess. So, here is what that looked like...

Hailey really enjoyed all of the other kids, and had lots of fun playing with them. After the clown left, everyone had cupcakes and ice cream. Then she tried to help unwrap all of Bronwyn's gifts. (At least she waited until the end of the party, since that was one of the first things she said to me, when we arrived- "let's open some presents!"). She was so exhausted after all of the fun! She fell asleep in the car, and slept on the couch for a couple of hours after we got home.

{happy birthday mom}

February 19th: Mom's Birthday. We met my mom for lunch today for her birthday. Hailey picked the place- "the dumplin' store", as she calls it. A little chinese restaurant in a strip mall near my parents house. It is one of our favorite places to eat. We eat there quite often, and they know our entire family. They have the best chinese food I have ever tasted. I have been so spoiled by the goodness and quality there, that I just can't eat Chinese anywhere else anymore (no, not even PF Chang's). Anyhow, we had a nice lunch with only a couple of toddler tantrums/Hailey meltdowns. (Who knew dropping your fork under the table calls for a total cry-fest? Even after getting a new one...)

I thought I would take a minute and do a birthday shout out to my mom. She is the most amazing, and wonderful woman I have ever known. I don't say it often enough. I am so appreciative of all she does- for all of us. She is the most selfless person I know. Always putting others before her. She is so warm and caring, and easy to talk to. When I am having a rough day, I can call her and she always makes me feel better. She gives so much of herself, never asking for anything in return, but for us to love her. If I can be half the mother to Hailey, that she has been to me, I know Hailey will be so fortunate. What an incredible role model for me- my mother. I love you Mom! Happy Birthday!

Granny & Hailey-Christmas Eve '07

new shelves+craft room organization=happy lisa!

We finally installed shelves in the closet of the craft/play room. Woo-hoo!! We have been talking about doing this for a good 3 years, but just haven't gotten around to it. Yesterday, we were at Home Depot for some other things, and picked up some shelves while we were there. Then we hung them, and spent the rest of the afternoon getting things organized at my craft/scrapbooking desk, and in the closet. I am so excited that everything feels like it is in it's proper place, and I should be able to find things easier now...should...

Tony was such a good sport, and even tried to help me put things away, asking me where they went, and whether it was an embellishment, or a sticker- until he grew tired of it, and moved on to watching some sports on tv, but I did appreciate his help while it lasted! Thanks Tony! :o)

Here is my newly organized side of the closet. I still have some things to put in, and some baskets or containers to purchase, but it is coming along! :)

And...my desk has never looked so good! (thanks to all of this stuff being in the closet now) Yay!

Valentine's Day Fun

Hailey has been really into Valentine's Day this year. She has been talking about it for the last couple of days. She has been watching the Charlie Brown Valentine tv special for the last few nights. I think she thinks it is similar to Christmas. She keeps asking me what Santa is going to bring for her. So funny! She has been all excited to open up the cards she has gotten in the mail, and has them all displayed on the console table in the entry. She will go over and look at them and tell me who each one is from. This morning, when she woke up, she opened up her gift from us before breakfast. She played with it a lot of the morning. Then we got dressed and made some pink cupcakes. Hailey kept correcting me, telling me they were muffins...not cupcakes!! :o)

After we finished making the cupcakes *cough*, I mean muffins, we painted a card for Daddy for Valentine's Day. Hailey can't wait to give it to him when he gets home from work.

{bring on spring}

Yesterday we met Tara & Bronwyn for lunch. Towards the end of the meal, Hailey discovered that the high chair that Bronwyn was sitting in had wheels on the bottom. So, she took her on a joy ride around some of the tables near us.

After lunch, we stopped at the park in our neighborhood. It was 58 degrees, and slightly windy, but overall a very nice day. (you would never know today, since it has been snowing all day long!! Oh, the joys of living in Colorado!) We played for quite a while before coming home to take a nap. It was nice to get out of the house, and play outside for a while!

We are anxious for spring!!

~swim class~

My sister and her fiance, Nik got Hailey swim classes for Christmas. They had their first session last night. It is the parent/tot- introduction to water class, so they both went in the water with her. She had a lot of fun splashing around, and playing in the water...as long as no water got in her face, or on her head!!

When her class was over, she enjoyed watching all of the older kids on the diving board, and coming down the water slide!
She had such a good time with her "Aunnie & Untle Nik!" She can't wait to go back tomorrow night for another class!

fiNgeR PaiNtinG

This morning when Hailey woke up, she wanted to do some painting. She ate a little bit of breakfast, and then went and grabbed the green finger paint. She made hand prints all over the entire sheet of paper, covering every square inch. If she saw an empty space, she would smother on more paint, and press her hand on that spot of paper! After all of the paper was filled, she washed her hands and then headed off to draw on her white board.

Takin' a drive

The weather was decent this weekend, so we played out in the front yard for a while. Hailey warmed up to her power wheels Jeep (she was scared of it before), and actually drove it around in the street and driveway. The sun was bright, so she told me she needed her "shades" on.

Now, if she could only learn to steer, so we don't have to chase after her and stop her from running into things!

Here she is with her seatbelt & shades on, driving her Jeep!

lunch @ the drive-in

Hailey & Daddy before Dance class

This morning after Hailey's dance class, we went and ran some errands together. On the way home, my fuel light came on, so I stopped to get some gas in the Jeep. I went to the gas station that is next door to the Sonic Drive-in. When we pulled into the station, Hailey started telling me she was "starving", and that she needed a "cheeseburger- from the cheeseburger store". Just for the record, I haven't quite figured out which store the "cheeseburger store" is, but today it was Sonic. Since Tony absolutely hates eating in the car, we never go there (he thinks it gets the inside of the car too dirty...), I thought, "alright, why not? It could be fun...right?" I pulled in, took her out of her carseat, and we looked at the menu together. Even though I knew she wanted a cheeseburger kids meal, she did remind me...twice. We placed the order, and they brought us our food. Being a child who was "starving", she sure didn't eat much, or very quickly! I think the novelty of playing in the car was too much of a distraction! Her favorite thing to do was stand on the passenger seat and play with the sun visor and mirror. She kept checking her face to see how messy it was after taking bites from her lunch. Silly girl! I had to finally pack up her food, and get her back in her chair (to which she threw a fit. Apparently she thought she was going to just ride home in the front seat. She even tried to convince me that it was okay, telling me that she would put on her seat belt. *Picture her pulling down the seat belt and stretching it across her lap, trying to reach over to get it buckled...) We threw all of our trash in the "drive up trash can" and headed home. Shhhhhh...don't tell Tony...I hope he doesn't find any crumbs!! :)

Cruising with Bronwyn

Today we went to Tara & Bronwyn's house for a day of playing. We both had so much fun! We ate lunch together, and then Hailey and Bronwyn played all afternoon. They had a lot of fun together. Bronwyn has a new pink VW bug that Hailey was cruising around in. At first, she was scared of it (just like her Jeep power wheels that she got for Christmas). After a while though, she warmed up to it, and was driving it back and forth inside the house. Tara and I had to run after her and help her turn it around at each end of the house. There was a point when Hailey and Bronwyn were both in it together! I am hopeful that she won't be scared of her Jeep now, and we can get her to drive in it around the neighborhood...once the weather clears up, of course! I don't think it would drive very well in 8 inches of snow!

Book store Fun

Yesterday we went to the bookstore at the Southlands Shopping Center. It is one of Hailey's favorite places to go. As soon as we got in the door, she stripped off her coat and told me she was headed for the trains. (They have a train table with Thomas the train set up on it). She always enjoys playing with all of the engines and cars each time we go in. After she played for a while with some other kids, and drove the trains around, we went to the other side of the kids' section where they have a little stage set up. The last couple of times we have gone in, she puts on a "show". She tells Tony and I to sit down in the chairs, and then she gets up on the stage and puts on her little show. Then she will run off like she is embarrassed. It is funny to watch! We finally dragged her out of there after allowing her to pick out a book. She picked a Clifford Valentine book, which she read to us in the car on the way home- (her own made up version of the story since she had never heard it before!) I am sure it won't be long before she has it memorized, and can read us the real thing!

Naptime

Hailey took forever to go down for her nap today. I kept hearing her in her room playing, and getting into everything. I had to go in there a few different times to re-situate her and tuck her back in, and tell her to go to sleep. Each time I would leave the room I could still hear her in there getting into her dresser, and playing with things in her room. Finally, after 2 hours, all got quiet in her room. I looked at the camera monitor and panned all around her room, but I could not see her anywhere. I went up and quietly opened her door to find her sound asleep- on the floor next to her bed, covered up with her princess blanket. I had to run back downstairs and grab the camera to sneek a photo! (You can see the remnants of things from her before nap play time all over her floor.)

Abby's "Doctor Visit"

Yesterday Abby had her check up at the veterinarian. Hailey had been talking about it all week, and kept telling Abby, "you need to go to the doc-ta, Abby!" She tried to help Tony hold the leash on the way in, and got on the scale when Abby was done to weigh herself. She was a pain in the exam room, repeatedly trying to open the door to let Abby outside because, as she told me, "Abby needs to go potty". Anyhow, we finally finished up and went for dinner. Hailey wanted mac & cheese...again. When we asked where she wanted to go she said, "Red Robin, of course!" Of course! So, off to Red Robin we headed. Don't want to disappoint the boss!