My Life and How It's Going

hayden likes naked ladies.

2012-02-20T06:27:00.003-06:00

Hayden likes naked ladies. Sounds weird, right? But he does. The other day I got dressed nicely and I asked him what he thought and he told me that I would look even better naked.

Well okay then.

Last week at the mall he noted a mannequin wearing a bikini. He said that if he saw one of his friend's wearing that bikini that he would have to kiss her. He then saw a mannequin wearing some lingerie and he liked that too. He thought the lingerie would look really good on a friend of mine and that my friend would look even better naked. I was a bit shocked at the thought. I told him that he would never see her naked and he thought that maybe he would be in her home sometime and just happen to see her naked. Not going to happen Mr. Hayden. Sorry.

Is this normal?!?

I swear that he is a sweet kid, but these thoughts and notions are a bit concerning.

I'm hoping that he just finds the body beautiful, which I think is a great thing. There really is no sexual undertone to any of his comments or feelings (at least I don't think there is).

He does still see me naked sometimes which I think is appropriate and okay (but I could be wrong). He also sees Harper naked - which I also this is alright (but I could be wrong).

My plan was to "allow" him to see me and Harper naked until he feels uncomfortable with it. At that point I figured I would cease being naked around him and make it a point to be covered up in his presence.

I don't want to make this into a big deal and I don't want him to feel bad about the female (or male) body. I want him to feel that people and bodies are beautiful and not something to be ashamed of.

Overall, I'm just curious if his behavior and feelings are normal. I'm also wondering if it's still appropriate for me to be naked around him. Anyone have any advice for me? I welcome any comments or suggestions.

freedom from food - a quest.

2012-02-17T13:27:00.003-06:00

For over ten years, I have had an unhealthy relationship with food. I have written about this in the past. And for those details and to read more about my issues with food, you can go here, here, and here.

For the purpose of this particular blog post, suffice it to say that I have a preoccupation with food. I struggle with how much I am eating - in particular, I worry if I'm eating too much.

I constantly assess and ruminate regarding how many calories I am eating. I think about what I am eating now, what I will be eating later in the day, what I will be eating tomorrow, later in the week, and even what I will be eating in the following weeks.

It is not healthy. It fills my mind with numbers & details and causes me unnecessary worry. It takes time and effort to keep up with these thoughts and concerns. A lot of time and effort.

My day is food-focused. My life is food-focused in a way that is troubling and disconcerting.

I wish I could be normal and just eat. To not obsess over what I am eating and what I will be eating later. But right now I can't.

I have done this and been like this for a decade. I have trained my mind to think like this - to always assess food and evaluate it for consumption.

At this point in my life, I can barely identify my own hunger. For the most part, I eat as a machine and not necessarily because I am hungry and need to eat. I just eat. Likewise, I can't identify when I am full. Both feelings have become numb and dormant.

This is a problem. Obviously. A problem I intend to work very hard at treating and hopefully fixing.

For the next month I plan on working on identifying my hunger. I am going to try and really focus on myself and my body and retrain myself to feel those hunger and fullness cues and to eat when I am hungry and to stop when I am full. And to eat what I want when I am hungry - to fill my hunger with what I am hungry for.

I plan on charting my hunger cues. My hope is that there is a pattern to my hunger cues that will enable me to go forward knowing that I "get hungry" at certain times of the day. Maybe there won't be any consistency, but I think it is worth exploring.

We'll see. This is not going to be easy for me, but it is worth the work.

I want to be free of this and to retrain my mind not to focus and obsess over food and calories, to enable my body to feel those basic hunger and fullness cues. I just want to be normal.

NOTE: I do see a therapist regularly and I am working on this with her as well.

tenth engagement anniversary.

2012-02-16T07:05:00.002-06:00

Last night, Randy and I went to dinner to celebrate our “Engagement Anniversary.”We got engaged 10 years ago on New Year’s Eve (2001). Every year, we mark the occasion by returning to the “scene of the crime” and having dinner at the same place we got engaged. The name of the restaurant may have changed as well as the décor; however, it’s still the “spot” and the food is still super yummy!

When Randy proposed, I was 20-years-old. I was a Junior in College. I was young and rather naïve (and probably still am). When he got down on one knee in the restaurant, I was shocked. I think I might have even laughed.

He had this adorable little bear he had made at a ‘Build-a-Bear’ store. He had recorded himself proposing to me on that bear and used the bear to “pop the question.”

Only problem: I couldn’t hear the bear. I suppose I should have known what was happening, but I was seriously in shock. Eventually, he said, “so what’s your answer?” I think I said something like, “yeah… sure.”

I didn’t cry. I didn’t freak out. I was certainly happy and elated… but seriously, I was just shocked.

Apparently, many of our friends and family knew of Randy’s plans because after dinner when we went to my parents’ condo, a good lot of them were there to mark the occasion. I sure am glad that I said ‘yes’ (it would have been awkward if I had said ‘no’)!

Anywho… so even though we don’t go to dinner on the exact same day of the engagement, we still make a point of going to dinner every year at around the same time, returning to the same location just to remember the moment… Plus, it’s a great excuse to have a wonderful date-night: to spend time with just the two of us.

Last night we talked about our lives and where we are now. How things have changed. How we have grown to become parents of two wonderful children. How we couldn't see ourselves in any other way but how we are.

We are happy. We are still in love. We might have arguments. We might not always agree. But the love is still there.

Randy also took this occasion to surprise me with a rather extravagant gift as well as some beautiful flowers that were already set at our table when we arrived for dinner.

My lame gift to him was a last-minute purchase of some 'Living Social' deals for Greenhouse Grille, a local restaurant. He will enjoy them, but they certainly aren't anything to brag about. I mean really - SUPER lame. I wasn't going to get him anything, but then I saw that deal and thought he would like it.

The gift he got me is brag-worthy. He got me a pair of beautiful diamond hoop earrings (he got me diamonds because it was our 10th engagement anniversary and diamonds are the traditional gift for a 10-year anniversary, generally meaning a wedding anniversary though). Very sweet and thoughtful gift for sure. I am a lucky girl.
In sum, I love you Randy! I am tremendously happy that I said “yes” 10 years ago… and that we got married a year and a half later.

I couldn't imagine my life without you.

harper's first snow.

2012-02-13T12:17:00.002-06:00

Harper experienced her first real snow today. Of course we had to take pictures to document the occasion. And maybe it wasn't a lot of snow (probably just an inch), but it was snow. So we will take it.

no more saturday shopping for me.

2012-02-10T06:27:00.005-06:00

Last Saturday I went out to the mall area to do a little clothes shopping for Harper and to do a little grocery shopping at Walmart.

I thought this little trip would be fun and uneventful. I was getting to go shopping without the kids (Randy was watching them) and getting to spend some time "alone."

I was SO wrong about the trip being fun and the reality of the trip was not at all like my expectations. To have thought I was going to be "alone" on a Saturday out by the mall was ridiculous. Absolutely unfathomable.

I went to Old Navy first. Not awful. I made it through. Then I went to Carter's. Also fine.

And then came Walmart.

The parking lot itself was OUT OF CONTROL. I finally found a spot and went in. It was a mad-house. This is also not the Walmart I usually shop at. I had no idea where the items I needed were located. I was lost in a sea of chaos.

I remained calm, purchased my items, and eventually made my way back to my car.

On the way home, I wanted to cry. I have no idea why. I was just so overwhelmed with those few hours that I just about broke down on my drive home. At the same time, I wanted to go home and take a nap. I just wanted to crash (which wasn't something I could have done - we had busy plans for that afternoon and a nap was not in my future).

Suffice it to say that I will not be shopping on a Saturday again. My sensitive-self cannot handle it. The crowds. The chaos. The people. It was all just too much.

random hayden cuteness.

2012-02-09T06:27:00.000-06:00

Since I tend to post and take more pictures of Harper these days. I thought I would post a cute picture of my big boy.

Here he is going down the slide (incorrectly). Oh well. He was having fun and he WANTED me to take this picture (which is rare).

Gotta love my little man.

harper and baby bookworms.

2012-02-08T06:27:00.001-06:00

Baby Bookworms is a library storytime at our local library for children ages birth-24 months. It is every Monday and Thursday at 9:45am. It lasts about 30 minutes.

It is fun and the babies/kids love it.

Hayden went when he was little and now Harper is going.

We went for the first time a few weeks ago and now we plan on going every Monday.

It's funny because when we go, Harper just crawls away from me and watches the activities. She rarely looks back to check on me. She really seems to care less if I am there.

She does try to engage with other parents though. She will crawl to them and try to play with them and their babies/kids.

All the while, I am sitting about 30 feet away just watching her. I do go and pick her up and move her when it seems that she is bothering other people. Otherwise, I just let her do her thing.

I've tried to pick her up and bring her to me, but she just crawls away again. So it is what it is. She is independent and secure in herself and our relationship - which is a good thing.

Here are some pictures I took with my iPhone from Harper's first Baby Bookworms experience.

t-shirt comparison: hayden v. harper.

2012-02-06T06:27:00.002-06:00

The following pictures feature Hayden and Harper wearing the exact same shirt.

Hayden's pictures are from May 2008 (when he was about 15-months-old). Harper's pictures are from February 2012 (she is about 9-month-old).

The first two sets feature four pictures that are relatively comparable in composition. The following pictures are just adorable pictures of the two of them (still wearing that same shirt from those same respective time periods).

Harper.
Hayden.Harper.
Hayden.
And here are the pictures that aren't as directly comparable - yet they are just as adorable.

Harper.
Hayden.

nine months.

2012-02-05T06:27:00.000-06:00

Harper is 9-months-old today.

Friday she had her 9-month well-child visit. She now weighs 20lb, 7.5 ounces and is 27.75" long. Her head circumference is 18.31". Percentage-wise that puts her at the 80th Percentile in weight, the 60th Percentile in height, and the 97th Percentile in head circumference. Apparently she has a big noggin!

Her check-up proved uneventful and she passed inspection - yet again.

She is cruising and crawling like a champ. I am betting that she will be walking VERY soon. She already cruises from one piece of furniture to another one. She can also climb now.

She still doesn't want to eat food. The doctor doesn't seem at all concerned though - so I guess I shouldn't be either. She seems very happy with her formula so we will stick with that and keep trying the solids (but not put any pressure on her to consume them) - hopefully she will take to the "real food" in her own time.

She is indeed down to one nap a day, so that's interesting. Right now it's from about 10:30am-12:30pm. She then generally goes down for the night around 7:30pm and wakes up at around 6:15am.

She likes to "talk" quite a bit; however, she doesn't really say a lot of words. Sometimes it seems like she says and knows 'mama' and 'daddy' but it's not consistent. So I'm still waiting on those first, real, true words.

She has 7 teeth now. Four on the bottom and 3 on the top. Fun times with teething! (Note: I tried to get a picture of the teeth, but Harper was NOT having it. Needless to say, you are going to have to trust me that she now has seven teeth.)

All in all, Harper is a happy, healthy little girl.

"scooby-doo is gay" - a teaching moment with hayden.

2012-02-03T06:17:00.001-06:00

The other day, Hayden was watching 'Scooby-Doo'. All of a sudden he randomly said, "Scooby-doo is gay."

I knew what he said. I also knew that he had no idea what he said or what it really meant - it is not something we ever say or ever would say.

I asked him if he knew what that meant. He said that it meant that Scooby-doo is cool.

I then asked him where he heard that and who had said that.

It took him a minute and then he admitted that "Sara" from school had said it (Sara is not the little girl's real name). I know who this little girl is. I know she is a sweet little girl and that her family is kind and good people. I also know that she has older brothers who have more than likely said that phrase around her and that she has picked it up.

I told him that it is not a nice thing to say and that he should not say it again. I also told him that Sara probably didn't realize it wasn't a nice thing to say. But regardless, it is not something that he should ever say again.

I know that more things like this will happen. I know I have to teach him how to be nice and to say nice things - and to not say mean, awful things. But it's not always easy. Hopefully he won't say this again.

much to my chagrin.

2012-02-02T11:37:00.002-06:00

Before having Harper, I had hoped that my second baby would be a sleepy, calm, mello baby (unlike Hayden - my rowdy little boy).

At first I thought that's what I got.

It turns out I was wrong.

Harper is somewhat calm, but she is not a sleepy baby.

She is an on-the-move, cheery little thing who doesn't need much sleep - much to my chagrin.

She takes one nap a day from about 10:30am-12:30pm. That's it. Other than that she is up and going. She goes to bed around 7pm and wakes up around 6:15am.

Having her up so much makes it hard to get things done. She is always there and it's hard to get those breaks to accomplish work (or just take a break and rest).

It's actually easier when Hayden is home and "plays with her" because he amuses her and keeps her entertained. And he actually doesn't have to do anything. He just does his thing and she appreciates the company and his presence. So really he doesn't play with her. He just exists and that is enough for her.

I think she might be an extrovert - also to my chagrin. I was hoping for an introvert (like me). A kindred spirit. I am surrounded by extroverts and I thought it would be neat to have an introvert, but I don't think that's what I "produced."

Instead I got a non-sleeping, little person who needs people and action. Lord help me (just kidding - sortove).
Isn't she just the cutest thing though?

hayden's amusing phrases.

2012-02-01T06:27:00.000-06:00

Hayden has been saying two phrases lately that are highly amusing. One phrase is actually a quote from an episode of 'Wallace and Gromit'.
I am not sure where the other phrase comes from.

The two phrases are: "There's a bomb in my pants" and "My booty's on fire." The quote from 'Wallace and Gromit' is the first phrase. In the episode there is literally a bomb in Wallace's pants. Classy.

The other day while at Wal-Mart, Hayden kept repeatedly saying the phrases while we were in the Deli Department. I got quite a few looks. I had to tell him to stop because people were staring.

I suppose it's a little unnerving when a 5-year-old little boy keeps announcing that "there's a bomb" in his pants and that his "booty's on fire."

I will admit though that I could not stop giggling. It was quite comical.

the playhouse.

2012-01-31T11:32:00.000-06:00

Hayden did receive one extra special "birthday present" this year. It was more like a gift for both of the kiddos that just happened to come about during Hayden's birthday and be more Hayden-friendly.

That present is our new playhouse.

We had Josh with Natural State Treehouses design and build us a playhouse in our backyard. It took about two weeks to construct and it is amazing!

There were even two online articles written about it - well really they were written about Josh and his business and they just happen to feature the design/build of our playhouse. You can find those articles here and here.

Needless to say, we are all very happy with the final product. Especially Hayden.

hayden's height - a tradition.

2012-01-30T06:57:00.000-06:00

Since Hayden was 1, we have been measuring and documenting his height by marking it on his armoire with a black Sharpie. So far we have had 6 measurements (at 1-year, 18-months, 2-years, 2.5-years, 3-years, and 4-years). This week marked our 7th measurement: 5-years-old.

Here they are…
Oh, and another part of this process involves us taking pictures of us documenting his height. Does that make sense? So every time we mark his height, we take pictures while we do it.

Here are those pictures:

1-year-old18-months-old2-years-old2.5-years-old3-years-old4-years-old5-years-old

Some day, we will make a little photo album of these pictures (or something like that). I love doing these dorky little things. It makes me happy and I like to see how he has grown… Such a big little boy!

the white-button down shirt. a tradition.

2012-01-27T06:27:00.003-06:00

When I was pregnant with Hayden, I read an article in a magazine that depicted a family’s tradition with their daughter.

Beginning with her first birthday, they dressed her in her grandmother’s vintage bathing suit and took a picture. They did this every year as they watched their baby daughter grow from a toddler, to a child, to a young woman.

It was amazing and adorable and I thought it was a wonderful way to show in photos how their daughter had changed and grown.

When Hayden was born, I tried to think of a way that we could accomplish the same tradition with him. I wasn’t about to put him in a pair of my Grandpa’s old swimming trunks (not to mention the fact that I didn't have any). That simply was not going to work.

Randy and I talked about it. We wanted the item to be something simple, yet classic. Something a boy/man would wear that would convey timelessness and class. The answer: a men’s white-button down shirt (from the Gap no less).

the first picture (1.23.08)

the second picture (1.23.09)

the third picture (1.23.10)last year's picture (1.23.11)this year's pictures (1.23.12)

We plan on continuing this tradition annually until Hayden is at least 18 (or until he refuses to participate).

I have to say that I am SO glad that I saw that article. To see the progression of age in this manner is truly remarkable and makes me smile.

birthday celebrations.

2012-01-26T09:37:00.001-06:00

To begin the birthday celebrations, we went over to Randy's mom's and aunt's (Nana and Nini) house on January 21st.
Then, on January 22nd we went to Boingo Bounce for the actual birthday party.
On January 23rd (Hayden's actual birthday), Hayden woke up and opened presents from myself, Randy, and Harper.
Later that evening we went over to my parents' condo and wrapped up the festivities.
I think Hayden had a very happy birthday indeed.

i have a 5-year-old.

2012-01-23T06:27:00.003-06:00

Five years ago today, on January 23rd, 2007 at 9:00 am, our son, Hayden Samuel Werner, was born. Weighing in at 7 lb, 12 oz. he was 19.75" long... he is now our little man, and he is amazing and wonderful in so many ways.

Happy birthday Hayden.

demanding and draining.

2012-01-18T11:57:00.000-06:00

Those are two words I would use to describe my life at the moment - demanding and draining. Of course those aren't the only words that describe my present life. Additional words would include blessed, loved, and content.

This post is about those negative words/feelings though that seem to be overwhelming me right now. Harper is in a needy/whiny stage. In addition, she is sleeping less. She really does seem to be down to one nap a day. A two-hour nap in the middle of the day. That means she is up more and wants me a lot. She is now mobile and wants to move. I therefore need to be "on" a lot. A whole lot.

I am rarely getting a free moment. I am rarely alone (and only "alone" for certain appointments and meetings - so it's not like "relaxing alone time" - it's alone-time with other people for a purpose). It is very draining and demanding. I feel like I am going on fumes. I am definitely not "full."

I am an introvert and to always be needed is tough for me. I can do this and I will do this, but I can't wait until Harper can start First School's Mother's Day Out program. I will finally get some real, consistent alone time (of course she won't start attending that program until August - late August).

Harper also seems to be getting bored at home, which is understandable. So we are going to start going out more and doing more things. That should be fun - hopefully that helps with the monotony of things and her desire to have me all the time.

On a positive note, Hayden and I are going on a "date" tonight. We are going grocery shopping at Wal-Mart. I am sadly very excited about this. I get to spend time with just Hayden and a task will be accomplished.

kennedy clark carroll.

2012-01-12T15:27:00.001-06:00

I am now officially an aunt and I could not be more happy about that.

My sister, Mary, and her husband, Clark, are now the proud parents of a beautiful little boy - Kennedy Clark Carroll.His due date was January 7th. Mary was set to be induced January 10th, but Kennedy had other plans.

He arrived on his own timeline - January 9th at 11:32pm weighing 7lb, 11oz and measuring 20" in length. It was a quick labor and I was able to be there for all of it - and by "be there" I mean in the room during the entire labor and delivery. It was amazing. I am so glad that I was able to be a part of it and share in that moment. That was an amazing "gift" - and I will cherish it forever.

I also got to be the photographer. Here are my favorite pictures:
And one final picture - my sister and I with our sleeping babies (who are approximately 8 months a part).

random updates.

2012-01-09T10:02:00.006-06:00

Harper is feeling better. No more fever - although she still has a bit of a runny nose and cough. Also, last night she did not sleep well. She only wanted to sleep on someone - not in her crib. It was not cool. I think it has to do with teething - I am fairly certain there are a few more teeth trying to break through. Hopefully the trend doesn't continue.

I am about to be an aunt! My sister, Mary, who is pregnant was due January 7th, and she will be induced tomorrow - if he doesn't come on his own before then. I plan on being there for the whole inducement process and labor. I am ridiculously excited. I can't explain it, but I just want to be there and be a part of it all. So we are going "down" to Central Arkansas later today to be there for the labor and delivery.

I am pretty sure that I have a sinus infection. I think it's viral though which means there isn't all that much I can do about it. My nose is runny and congested (only one nostril). My face hurts - like my jaw and cheek area below my eye. And it hurts when I bend over (like my face hurts when I bed over). If it doesn't get better then I'll go to the doctor.

We do "thankfuls" with Hayden every night. Last night he was thankful for "baby Kennedy being born" (Kennedy is my sister's son who is about to be born). How sweet is he?!

I am going to be SO happy when things go back to normal and I am able to get back into my routine. Things have been "off" since Christmas break started (nearly 3 weeks ago). With Hayden out of school, the Holidays, the travelling, the kids being sick, Randy going out of town, me being sick, and now Mary having her baby - my routine has been a mess. Things will probably be "better" and more regular starting Thursday/Friday - not too much longer!

sick harper.

2012-01-06T09:27:00.002-06:00

Harper has been sick. It has not been fun. She has had a cold - runny nose, congestion, cough, fever (102.5 at the highest). Her fever is finally gone (and I hope it stays gone) - but she still isn't at 100%.

It has been a rough couple of days. With my husband busy and now out of town (he is in Texas for the Cotton Bowl - he left yesterday morning), I have been alone with the sick baby and rowdy, bored almost 5-year-old. Fortunately, my mother-in-law has helped take Hayden for evening playdates.

But still... I am one worn out mommy!

Here are some pictures of sick Harper from the past few days (I took all the pictures myself with my phone - the quality isn't the greatest) -

eight months.

2012-01-05T06:47:00.000-06:00

Harper is now 8-months-old. She has grown a lot this past month and so I therefore must document it.

She still weighs about 20 pounds and most of the clothes she wears are 12-months. She is now in a Size 4 diaper.

She can now sit herself up, crawl, pull up to standing position, and do a little bit of cruising.

She has actually been crawling for at least two weeks now and has gotten good pretty fast. Which has necessitated the need to put up the baby gates (as seen in this post from yesterday).

We also lowered her crib mattress setting.

She seems to be dropping down to one nap a day. It is CRAZY early for her to be doing this, but she is - at least I think she is (Hayden dropped down to one nap at around 10-months of age). For the past 5 days, she has been taking one 2-3 hour nap. I am just trying to adjust and work with it. She still goes to bed around 7:30pm and wakes up around 6:30am.

Last week we moved the vast majority of Harper's toys to the upstairs playroom. So basically, I live upstairs in the playroom now.

She still doesn't like food (except for formula). We have tried numerous things and she is just not a fan. She had a small taste of a banana the other day and immediately vomited (not spit up - she seriously projectile puked).

She now has 5 teeth - the three on the bottom and now two on the top.

She also has her first cold (which I am fairly certain she got from her big brother). Poor thing has a nasty cough, fever (up to 102.5), and a runny nose. I am hoping she gets to feeling better soon.

Here she is (before she got sick with her cold - she looks rather miserable right now):

a gated community.

2012-01-04T06:27:00.004-06:00

Harper is now mobile. It has therefore become necessary to put up the baby gates. We are living in a "gated community" as someone jokingly remarked the other day.

Here Harper is showing off "the gate."
Note: The pictures were taken on two separate days. The first pictures were taken with our camera and the last two pictures were taken with my phone.

five words to describe hayden... take 5.

2012-01-03T06:27:00.001-06:00

In June 2009, I started this little “game” with Randy in which we each came up with 5 words to describe our lovely son, Hayden.

We had to come up with our responses independently without knowledge of what the other person was saying (I think it makes it much more interesting and accurate this way).

The reason I came up with this "game" was so that I could document Hayden and how we perceive him.

Furthermore, I often wonder how I was as a child. My mom tells me, but I question its veracity. I mean, it's been 25 years since I was Hayden's age... memory isn't all that great (at least mine isn't). So this "game" provides me with an accurate illustration of how we see Hayden.

The first time we did this back on June 5th of 2009, these were our responses:
My 5 Words: Happy, Energetic, Loving, Smart, Loud
Randy’s 5 Words: Funny, Spirited, Energetic, Adventurous, Sweet

The second time we did this on December 7th, 2009 our responses were:
My 5 Words: Smart, Energetic, Entertaining, Loving, Charming
Randy’s 5 Words: Amusing, Spastic, Cute, Candid, Charismatic

The third time we did this on June 22nd, 2010 our responses were:
My 5 Words: Charming, Energetic, Kind, Smart, Sensitive
Randy’s 5 Words: Excitable, Funny, Spastic, Inquisitive, Sensitive

The fourth time we did this on January 10th, 2011 our responses were:
My 5 Words: Amusing, Sweet, Charismatic, Smart, Lively
Randy's 5 Words: Energetic, Funny, Imaginative, Quick, Adventurous

Here are our responses now:
My 5 Words: Energetic, Sweet, Dramatic, Hesitant, Particular
Randy's 5 Words: Energetic, Imaginative, Loving, Neat (as in "cool" - he is neat kid), Funny

We will be doing this again in another year to see how we “see him” then. Cool stuff huh?

re-gifting party 2011.

2012-01-02T06:27:00.002-06:00

This past Saturday (New Year's Eve) was our 7th Annual re-gifting party (you can check out last year's party here, the year before that here, and the year before that here).

We had a lot of fun.

I talked with my friends and thoroughly enjoyed myself!

In case you are curious, here are the logistics of our re-gifting party: party-goers bring a wrapped gift that they would like to re-gift. The gifts are labelled according to what gender the receiver should be (either male, female, or neutral). Then we take turns picking gifts and unwrapping them. Sometimes the gifts are funny, sometimes they are actually pretty decent... but whatever they may be they are things that the original recipient did not want.

It's fun and in jest and everyone seems to have a good time. Here are some pictures...

top 10 of 2011

2012-01-01T06:27:00.004-06:00

Last year, I posted my 'top 10 of 2010'. The year before that I posted my 'top 10 of 2009' and the year before that I posted my 'top 10 of 2008'.

And now it's time for my 'top 10 of 2011' - complete with my "top 10" events/happenings of 2011.

So here (in no particular order) is my Top 10 of 2011:

Had a baby. My beautiful daughter was born happy and healthy.

Celebrated Hayden's 4th birthday.

Turned 30-years-old.

Found out my sister is pregnant with her first baby.

Spent Hayden's 4th birthday in Disneyworld.

Got even closer to a friend.

Had a fun, family vacation at Rosemary Beach.

Hayden had his tonsils and adenoids removed.

Randy and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary.

We moved - we sold our old home and bought a new, old home.

Definitely a good year. I think 2012 is going to be just as fabulous as we continue to grow as a family. I can't wait to see what the new year brings!

And of course, HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all!

post-Christmas toy clutter

2011-12-30T07:21:00.001-06:00

I hope people don't get too annoyed with my feelings that are about to be expressed within this post. I apologize in advance.

Here goes.

I love Christmas. I do. It is my favority holiday. The family and the joy. It's all magical. And the presents are lovely too; HOWEVER, the vast influx of toys/games/stuff overwhelm me. I know I sound ridiculous, dramatic, and whiny. I know this. But coming home from Christmas and having all the items to sort, organize, and arrange overwhelmed me. Our home looked like a mess. There was no where to put these additional items. The playroom had to be rearranged. My environment was a mess and I felt like a mess. It was not good. I became depressed. Seriously. My mental health took a major hit.

I do not like clutter. I don't like for things to be everywhere and to not "have a home." It seriously unnerved me.

Fortunately, we were able to sort and organize things last night. Now things look clean and the new toys have a home.

With that being said, Hayden's birthday is in a month. Of course, he needs nothing. I have tried to convince him of this. It's not working. He wants presents. He thinks that he needs new toys. He is greatly mistaken. Seriously. He is not in need of anything.

I know our family is extremely fortunate to have received all these toys/items. I do know this. And I don't mean to sound selfish or ungrateful. It's just hard on my OCPD (obsessive compulsive personality disorder) personality to handle the chaos/disorganization that is created post-Christmas. Not only am I receiving items, but Randy is, and the kids. In reality, I think it is the kids items that really overwhelm me. I need to work on this issue for next year. Seriously. Because it's not going to get any better (the influx of toys that is).

our christmas in pictures.

2011-12-29T10:23:00.001-06:00

December 24th at Randy's mom's home:December 25th (in the morning) at our home:December 25th (in the afternoon) at my mimi's home:December 26th (in the morning) at my parents' home:December 26th (in the evening) at my grandma's home:The end.

happy holidays - our holiday card.

2011-12-25T06:27:00.002-06:00

Happy Holidays from the Werner Family.

more teeth and some random cute pictures of harper.

2011-12-23T06:27:00.000-06:00

And now Harper is up to 5 teeth. The three on the bottom and now we have two on the top.

I am not sure where the other bottom tooth is. I am sure it will be making an appearance in due time.And here are just some random cute pictures that have nothing to do with showing off her teeth:

our christmas plans.

2011-12-21T10:27:00.001-06:00

Christmas is a busy time of year. This year is no different. Our Christmas plans might be hectic, but the "stress" of it all is definitely worth it (for me).

Here is what we have going on:

Christmas Eve we will be going over to Randy's mom's to celebrate Christmas. Christmas morning we will wake up at our home and see what Santa has brought. Randy's mom is planning on coming over to visit and then around 12:30pm we will get in the car and drive down to Central Arkansas.

That afternoon we will "do Christmas" with my my mom's side of the family. We will then spend the night in Jacksonville, Arkansas. Santa will then come again (yep - Santa comes to visit us two days in a row!) and we will wake up on the 26th to more goodies!

That afternoon we will "do Christmas" with my Grandma my dad's mom. The 27th is pretty much free - although I plan on seeing some of my friends that day. Then on the 28th we plan on driving back to Fayetteville. All this is assuming my sister doesn't have her baby during the Holidays (she is due January 7th). If that happens, all bets are off!

It will be hectic. But for me, Christmas is about family. I can't imagine not spending time with my family during the Holidays. That would not be Christmas. That would be sad. So crazy-busy will be just fine with me!

getting bigger...

2011-12-20T06:47:00.000-06:00

Here is my baby. She doesn't seem like a baby anymore though. She really is getting so big (to me). Of course, she is still a "baby" - but definitely a bigger baby.

for the love of santa.

2011-12-19T06:47:00.003-06:00

We went to our local mall last week and visited Santa. My expectations were low. Hayden's first Santa experience was less than stellar.

See below:
I wanted to get a picture of Harper with Santa. That's it. It could even be a terrible picture as long as I got a picture. As for Hayden, I didn't expect him to get anywhere near Santa. It's not that Hayden doesn't like Santa. He does. He just doesn't want to get near him. Whatever.

I am going to save the "Santa pictures" for last. To begin with, here are the "waiting in line pictures":And here we have Harper's first picture with Santa. She may not be smiling, but I still like it. After waiting in line for 30 minutes, her smile-factor had kind of worn down.
And check this out. I even got a picture of Hayden with Santa. This was as close as he was willing to get to the big man, but I was still impressed. Love it!

cute pictures of harper.

2011-12-16T06:27:00.000-06:00

I took these pictures a week ago with my phone. They are too cute (in my opinion) not to share.

Hayden and his Christmas Pajamas

2011-12-14T06:47:00.003-06:00

Hayden's Christmas pajamas finally came in and I took his Christmas pictures in front of our tree the other night.

Here he is:

our first christmas celebration of the year - a trip to Lawton, Oklahoma

2011-12-12T09:47:00.003-06:00

This past weekend, we traveled to Lawton, Oklahoma to visit Randy's grandma. The trip included myself, Randy, Harper, Hayden, and Randy's mom.

All in all it was a great trip. I was worried about how Harper would do on the 5-hour car-ride and although she did poorly on the drive there, she did superb on the return trip!

Harper didn't sleep all that well in Lawton. In fact, she woke up at 5am Saturday morning. It made for a "fun" day.

One major bonus of the trip was that Randy and I were able to spend some time just the two of us at the local mall and we also got to see a movie. We haven't seen a movie together just the two of us in a very long time. We saw 'New Year's Eve'. It was a winner and I would definitely recommend it.

Here are some pictures of the trip:Here is Miss Harper (the ding dang baby) at 5am Saturday morning -And here is Randy super sleepy with the ding dang baby early in the morning -I love the knife in these pictures. I think it adds a little something extra!Hayden with the Christmas tree -Oh and apparently the trip REALLY wore Miss Harper out. Here she is passed out 1.5-hours before her usual bedtime last night:

is my booty good?

2011-12-09T06:47:00.001-06:00

I need to document the process Hayden engages in when he goes "big potty." I am sure many of you don't really want to read about it, but it must be written so I won't forget it. Because it's too funny and priceless not to note (and I will forget about this if I don't document it).

Okay so here goes -

Every time Hayden goes "number 2" he seeks me out to make sure his booty is clean (after he wipes his bottom). The way he does this is by finding me, turning his booty toward me in an amusing, model-like way, and asking, "is my booty good?"

It is great. He always does this. It is good in that I can make sure he has done a thorough job of wiping and cleaning his bottom; however, at the same time it's a little awkward when we have company. Generally, when we have guests he tries to find me and asks me discreetly. He will ask me to come to him so he doesn't wander around the house bottom-less asking me if his 'booty is good'.

Seriously people - I am not sure if you are able to get a sense of this by my words, but the whole process is truly amusing and priceless. I love that little man and his booty.

harper and her popi.

2011-12-07T06:27:00.000-06:00

I took this picture at church on Sunday. I think it is adorable. Harper was just so happy to be hanging out with her Popi (my dad).

Check out that smile (on both of them).

seven months.

2011-12-05T10:07:00.000-06:00

Harper is now 7-months-old. I don't think I am going to continue with the elaborate monthly updates on her development, although I might do a picture with a few facts or tidbits. Or maybe not. We shall see...

For today, I just wanted to note some cute random things about our growing girl.

So Harper likes to sleep on her side. So cute. She gets her pink afghan and just rolls to her side. Very sweet.

She is trying to walk and crawl. She has yet to succeed in either milestone but she is working on it.

She is not a fan of food yet. At all. She likes her formula in her bottle and that's it.

She is taking two naps that are each about 1.5-hours long. She is sleeping through the night from about 7:30pm-6:30am (which works for me).

She still only has those three teeth. So funny.

Overall, she is just growing and becoming more and more of a little girl (and not a baby). Which I am okay with.

Here she is:

harper and her christmas pajamas.

2011-12-01T07:39:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I did a little photo shoot featuring Harper wearing her Christmas pajamas. These pajamas are Size 18-24 months (Harper is almost 7-months-old). Good golly! I didn't really expect them to fit. I bought them for next year. But I tried them on her and they work. They are a little big and I am thinking and hoping they will still fit next year. We shall see...

Hayden's pajamas are backordered and won't arrive until December 10th (I ordered them on October 27th!!!). I'm just a wee bit annoyed with this, but I need those pajamas so I am willing to wait. But as soon as they arrive, I will do his photo shoot.

Here are the pictures:

an interview with hayden.

2011-11-29T09:52:00.000-06:00

I LOVE interviewing Hayden. This is the 7th interview we have done (the last one was back in June of 2011)(you can go here to see the prior interviews).

I really enjoy doing this. It is so neat to see what his mind is thinking.

So here is the interview in its entirety (note: this is the EXACT wording of both what I said and what he answered… although the items in parentheses are my thoughts/comments regarding his responses - not anything that was actually said)... Enjoy!

What is your full name? Hayden Samuel Werner

How old are you? 4-years-old

When is your birthday? January 23rd

What is your favorite color? blue

What is your favorite thing to watch on the tv? Scooby Doo

What’s your favorite thing to eat? Popsicles

What is your favorite candy? chocolate

What is your favorite thing to do? play a lot, watch tv, and also I love eating.

What is your favorite toy? my race car

What is your favorite book? David Christmas because Christmas is my favorite day and I love David doing ChristmasWhat do you want to be when you grow up? police officer

What is your favorite sport? Baseball

Who is your favorite friend? Gabby. Gabby's not in my class, but I still like her. I still like her.

What is your dog’s name? Alfie

What is your favorite animal? Giraffe

What is your favorite number? 8

Why? Because it has 2 circles.

What is your favorite letter of the alphabet? H

What is your favorite shape? A square now because it looks like a square

How are you feeling? good

Where do you live? I live here on Washington Street

What city do you live in? Arkansas

Where does mommy live? here

Where does daddy live? here

Where does Harper live? here

Where does Alfie live? here

Who is your favorite person? Dave

What do you think about your sister? good.

Is there anything else you want to tell me? Nope. That's it.

Anything else? Nothing

Was this fun? Yes. It was.

thanksgiving.

2011-11-26T09:42:00.002-06:00

This year we celebrated Thanksgiving three times.

First at my sister's with my mom's side of the family.Then at my grandma's with my dad's side of the family.And lastly at our home with my husband's side of the family.And it was good. We have lots to be thankful for. The end.

six month check-up.

2011-11-16T09:32:00.000-06:00

Harper had her 6-month check-up this morning. I am pleased to say that she passed inspection.She now weighs 19lb, 6.5 ounces and is almost 27" long. Her head circumference is 17.8". Percentage-wise that puts her at the 95th Percentile in both weight and head curcumference and at the 85th Percentile in height.

I didn't think her percentiles were still going to be so high - I was wrong. Oh well. We have a big girl - for now.

She is meeting or exceeding all her developmental milestones and is a very happy, healthy girl. Gotta love the Harper Grace.

attempting to crawl.

2011-11-11T06:57:00.001-06:00

Harper is trying to crawl. So far she has been unsuccessful. Her attempts have not been effective. But she is getting there and I am sure in a few days/weeks, she will be a crawling machine!

Check her out -

a hot mess - but there are a few "bright sides"

2011-11-10T09:57:00.004-06:00

So... in the past 12 hours we have experienced the following events in our abode:

Black widow spider crawling on our bedroom ceiling - which Randy killed.

Pipe busting in our basement which caused water from our hot water heater to spray onto the electric panel.

Randy had to use buckets to drain the hot water heater so the water would stop spraying onto the electric panel (he did this task until 2am).

Now we have no hot water.

Randy discovered a "camel cricket" infestation in our basement.

The plumber we can get through our home warranty won't come until at least Monday - so we aren't going to be using our home warranty - we want/need this problem fixed now. Which means we will have to pay out of pocket - I hope it isn't crazy expensive.

I NEED to take a shower. Which won't be happening without hot water.

Randy said that he hates our home - which I know he said out of frustration, but still - it makes me sad.

All this to say, I am feeling a "bit" frazzled - to say the least. I know things could be worse. I do. But I am frazzled nevertheless.

I have my sister's baby shower planned here for Sunday and the house is a mess. Someone was supposed to come and clean it tomorrow, but if we don't have hot water that's going to be tricky.

Boo to all this. I am a dirty mess!

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE - Our pest control person is already scheduled to come today so that will take care of the spider and camel cricket debacle. Also, the busted pipe was only discovered due to the spider. You see, Randy had to go get a ladder from the basement so he could reach and kill the spider. So if the spider hadn't existed, Randy never would have gone down to the basement and discovered the pipe mess. So I guess I am thankful for the spider - and the fact that I noticed the spider. Thank you spider.

And now I want a Coke Zero. The end.

six months.

2011-11-07T13:05:00.000-06:00

Harper Grace is now 6-months-old (as of Saturday). She is currently weighing around 19 pounds (last month she weighed 18.5 pounds). Her weight gain seems to be slowing down and I think she is "evening out" to where she is genetically inclined to be.

Her 6-month check-up is scheduled for November 16th - at that appointment we will know where she is falling percentage-wise. I'm thinking she won't be at the 97th Percentile for weight anymore - I think it will be lower. I'm not sure where she will be for height. At her 4-month appointment she was in the 80th Percentile - I think she might be in the 75th Percentile now.

Currently, her favorite thing to do is to look at herself in the mirror. That always makes her smile.

She also enjoys sitting up and playing with her toys and spending time in the exersaucer (she prefers it over the jumperoo).

She can now roll over (both ways) - and has been doing so for about 3 weeks.

She really wants to walk and crawl and seems to be frustrated at her inability to accomplish those tasks. I think she will be much happier when she can move on her own and I think she will be able to do that soon. So pretty soon we will have a happy, mobile little girl.

In general, she takes two naps during the day. They are usually 1.5-hours long. She is sleeping through the night though - from around 7:30/8pm to around 6:30/7am.

During her "wake time" in which she eats, she usually eats 6-10oz. of formula. Although in the evening during her longest wake period she might eat as much as 16oz (during that whole period -not all at once).

She has also been eating some baby food. Not a lot though. She has tried pears, squash, bananas, peas, apples, and sweet potatoes. She really hasn't liked anything. We generally give her "solids" once daily and she eats about 5-7 very small bites per eating session. There have only been two isolated instances in which she has appeared to enjoy the baby food - once with squash and another time with sweet potatoes. Those occassions have been rare though and unique. It's all about the practice though. We certainly aren't concerned about her lack of love for the solids. In time, I am sure she will come to enjoy and appreciate real food.

She now has three teeth. The two middle ones on the bottom that came in when she was about 4.5-months-old and now (as of Saturday) she has another bottom tooth. I can't see any other ones, but I think her upper two middle teeth and the bottom tooth on the other side of the two middle teeth should be making an appearance very shortly.
Of course she is our sweet little big girl and we still enjoy every minute of her. She is certainly a blessing. Our adorable, happy baby who we adore.

it is official - we no longer have two mortgages.

2011-11-04T15:27:00.000-05:00

It is official. Our house is sold. YAY! We no longer have two mortgages!

We signed the "closing documents" this afternoon.

Goodbye old home. You provided great memories and we will miss you, Love The Werner Family.

our halloween.

2011-11-01T10:27:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was Halloween. It was the first time I have been in a trick-or-treat neighborhood in over 15 years! I was excited. We had well over 400 trick-or-treaters (I am not being dramatic - there really were that many people).

Hayden's favorite part of the night - giving out candy. We did some trick-or-treating (we probably went to 5-10 homes), but really his favorite part was sitting on our porch and giving candy to all the people. He said that he liked all the people.

We had invited some friends and family to "do Halloween" with us (which was WONDERFUL). We had two energetic little boys and a somewhat cranky almost 6-month-old. It was a bit hectic. I didn't get ANY pictures. I am sad about this; however, that is what I thought was going to happen. Randy did get some video, so that's good.

Because I knew I probably wasn't going to be able to get any pictures on Halloween, we took some "staged Halloween pictures" Saturday evening before we went to a Halloween party. And they are adorable!

The photos feature Hayden as an astronaut and Harper as a pumpkin princess. (I made up the name for Harper's costume - I don't know what she was. But she sure did look adorable.)

First off we have my favorite picture. I am wearing Hayden's astronaut helmet. How cool am I? Don't be jealous.
Here is Hayden working with the helmet to make it perfect.
Me and Harper - I look kind of creepy.
the kids.Harper - both with and without the helmet (it was Hayden's idea to put the helmet in the pictures - I like the prop).

harper sitting.

2011-10-31T06:27:00.000-05:00

Harper is now sitting. She still needs some assistance - meaning someone nearby to make sure she doesn't fall. But she is doing really well. My big little girl.

P.S. Happy Halloween.

a moment in time.

2011-10-28T12:17:00.000-05:00

It is so weird. Earlier I was looking at Harper and she didn't look like a baby anymore. I know she is still a baby, but for some reason she looked like a girl. She looked older. I could see her as a girl and a child - not a baby. And it was different. She was different. She just looked calm and she looked real. I can't even explain it and it sounds so odd now that I am typing this and thinking about it. But it happened. It was a moment. A very interesting, real moment.

hayden quotes.

2011-10-21T09:47:00.001-05:00

Hayden has said some seriously funny and amusing things recently.

Here are some of those remarks that have provided me with some wonderful smiles and laughter over the past week -

Hayden dropped his magazine in the car the other day. I picked it up and gave it to him. His response - "Thanks mom. You're my hero."

We had been watching my parents' dog and I told him that she was going to go back to their home. His response - "Don't worry. It's okay. We still have Alfie."

We went to Wal Mart together and I was really happy that he chose to come with me. I told him that and his response was - "Don't mention it. I love you."

In sum. I love him too. He is one awesome, sweet kid.

a little exhausted.

2011-10-17T10:17:00.001-05:00

Okay. I just wanted to get this out there. I love my life. I do. I am blessed and my life is good. It really is. But right now, I am just feeling a little overwhelmed and exhausted. Not good.

Randy is very busy and not all that available.

Harper has a cold and is teething. She isn't napping well and when she is up, she isn't exactly happy.

Hayden is being good, but he does have a lot of energy and needs attention. With Harper being out of sorts she is needing the attention. Attention I don't feel able to give to him. This makes me feel sad and even more overwhelmed.

There isn't all that much relief in sight for these stressors. I just need to get some better coping mechanisms and troop through it. Which I will - at least I will try.

Fortunately, Harper is napping right now - which is good. She needed that. I needed that. If she can get back into her usual swing of things, that will go far to getting things/me back on track. Cheers to good naps and a happy baby!

And of course, just looking at pictures of my beautiful children goes far to making me smile. I really am blessed. Sometimes though it's just a little much.

random cute pics of the kiddos and harper found her feet.

2011-10-17T06:05:00.000-05:00

Harper -Hayden -
And asked to do any pose he wanted - here is Hayden's pose:AND Harper has found her feet!Note: These pictures were taken prior to the kiddos' haircuts.

flying high.

2011-10-15T06:57:00.003-05:00

Harper flying -
Hayden flying -

first haircut and sibling shots.

2011-10-13T08:47:00.001-05:00

I hope I don't get too much grief for this...

"We" gave Harper her first haircut (and by "we" I don't mean us - in reality, our friend Allison Cole at Studio 8 Hair Salon did the honors).

Her hair was getting a little mullet-ish and I felt it necessary to have the rat-tail action in the back removed.

I don't have a great before shot, but here are some after pics:Harper wasn't the only kiddo to get a haircut, actually both kiddos got haircuts. I do have before and after shots of that (which sortove shows Harper's hair before and after - it's just tricky because only the back of her hair was cut so the pictures don't really show that).

Before -
After -
Are they not adorable? I just love the sibling shots. SO sweet!

eating solids.

2011-10-12T09:27:00.002-05:00

This past week, we introduced Harper to "real food" in the form of pears (Note: I tried them and they are actually pretty tasty).

Here are some pictures documenting that first "trying solids" experience -

This first picture is a bit deceptive. Harper didn't actually enjoy the pears; rather, she refused to open her mouth when we were trying to feed her. But it was still a good time nonetheless.Here is Hayden smiling for the camera -
And here is an entertaining shot capturing an amusing moment - we have Hayden covering his eyes (for some unknown reason) and Harper "backing up" trying to fend off the incoming baby food.
So after this experience, we tried feeding her the pears a few more times. In all those subsequent attempts she again refused to open her mouth. So it looks like Miss Harper isn't ready for eating solids yet. We will try again in a few weeks. If she is ready and cooperative then - great. If not, we will wait and try again a few weeks after that (and so forth until she seems up for eating "the solids").

picking pumpkins.

2011-10-07T09:47:00.000-05:00

This week we went and picked out our pumpkin family. We do this every year. It is our tradition.

Last year, we used this tradition to announce my pregnancy. This year, we have no announcement (Although we did add another "pumpkin family member" to the brood - Izzy. Izzy is my parents’ dog and is staying with us a lot this month. Hayden wanted to include her as part of the pumpkin family. And so it is).

Anywho - Harper was not in a smiling mood during our pumpkin picking adventure. Her face says it all. We did have fun though and Hayden picked out some fabulous pumpkins. His process is simple. He finds one he likes to represent a family member and he just puts it in the wagon. It doesn’t take him long and he doesn’t deliberate. He isn’t picky. He just finds “the one” and picks it.

Here are the pictures from our little family outing -

five months.

2011-10-05T06:27:00.001-05:00

Harper Grace is 5-months-old today. She is currently weighing around 18.5 pounds (last month she weighed 17 pounds).

Currently, her favorite thing to do is stand up (with support). She just wants to stand. So I hold her hands and she stands.

She likes a few of her toys as well as the jumperoo and exersaucer. She has outgrown the bouncy chair, swing, and play mat.

She is not rolling over much (she might have rolled over twice in the past month). Rolling is just not her thing. She prefers to stand.

In general, she takes two (sometimes three) naps during the day. They are usually two hours long. If she takes a third nap, it's about 45 minutes in length. She goes to sleep around 8pm and wakes up around 7am. She sortove sleeps through the night. Sometimes she wakes up once and needs to be re-positioned. She isn't having a night-feeding anymore though. Of course, there are exceptions...

During her "wake time" in which she eats, she usually eats 6-8oz. of formula. Although in the evening during her longest wake period she might eat as much as 15oz (during that whole period -not all at once).

She cries and fusses when she is tired, over-stimulated, or hungry.

And when she is teething! Harper now has two teeth - as you can see below. She is now working on her middle upper two teeth.

Her favorite person (by far) is Hayden. He is her entertainment. When she is fussy, we call on Hayden. He can generally make her smile just by loving on her. It's adorable. He loves his sister. Today he went through his "favorite people" and she was #1 (I came in at #7 after two dogs, Randy, and my parents).

Overall, she is a very good, happy baby. And we all adore her.

alfie.

2011-09-29T06:57:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to post a few recent pictures of Alfie - our adorable 5-year-old shih-tzu.

new profile picture.

2011-09-28T06:17:00.000-05:00

I have updated my profile picture from this...to this...(Try to ignore the difference in picture size.)

What do you think?

The first picture was taken two years ago. This new picture was taken this past weekend.

Prior to having updated my last profile picture, this had been my profile picture:It was taken in 2007 (two years before the previous one - which means about 4 years ago).

Apparently, I update my profule picture every two years.

Any thoughts regarding "my aging face" or other aspects of the photos? Just curious.

hayden - some recent pictures.

2011-09-27T10:27:00.001-05:00

I just wanted to post some recent pictures of my main little man - Hayden.

Sometimes he won't let me take his picture, but yesterday he was willing and eager to be my camera subject.

Here are the results:

hayden and his activities.

2011-09-23T08:47:00.002-05:00

Hayden said he wanted to try Karate. He did. It was awful. He was not interested. There were too many people. He could not focus. It is VERY expensive. We will not be doing Karate again.

Hayden said he wanted to try soccer. He is doing it. He is not enjoying it. He is not competitive. He just wants to "play." We will continue out this "session" but I don't think we will do it again.

Hayden thinks he would like to try gymnastics (again). He did it about 1.5-years-ago for a few months. We ended up stopping because Hayden didn't do well waiting his turn and wasn't enjoying it. I am thinking about trying a different gymnastics place and seeing if he is ready and interested in it. We can do a free trial class, so that's appealing.

Hayden thinks he wants to do t-ball. He can try that out in the Spring and I think we will sign him up for it. I'm not sure if he will actually like it or not, but it's worth a try.

Suffice it to say, Hayden thinks he wants to do different things but the reality of those things aren't quite what he envisions. As parents, Randy and I would like for him to be involved in one after-school activity (but only one - I do not want to have an over-scheduled kid). So we try different things and we see.

Eventually maybe Hayden will find his "thing" - something he likes to do. Or maybe he won't. He does like watching tv (particularly the 'Cartoon Network'). And he is pretty dramatic. Maybe he would like acting? But then again he doesn't like being on stage and having people look at him (he doesn't like that sort of attention).

Whatever. He is only 4-years-old. He has many years ahead of him to potentially find his "thing."

first school - hayden in the 4-year-old class.

2011-09-21T10:02:00.001-05:00

This post is embarrassingly overdue. And I say embarrassingly overdue because Hayden started school back in August (August 26th to be exact). It is now late-September. I guess I have been busy and this "milestone post" skipped my mind. But I do want to document it, so here I go. Better late than never!

Anywho - Hayden started back at school August 26th. He goes to First School and attends their Preschool Program - going three mornings a week. It has been a wonderful experience for him.

This year he is in the 4-year-old class. I love his teachers and his fellow classmates seem pretty spiffy too. Hayden is particularly fond of a little girl named Avery and a little boy named Jack.

Here are some pictures I took on that first day of school (at least I didn't forget to do that!).
Since starting school, I have noted that his "leadership skills" within the classroom setting have greatly improved. He used to refuse to be the "class leader" but now he is eager to assume that role. That makes me very happy. He can now write his name pretty good. He is eager to go to school everyday, and that is reassuring. Last year, he would oftentimes be disappointed to see me at pick-up time (because he didn't want to leave). This year, he is happy to come home with me - only because I have Harper. He is happy to see her. He still wants to stay, but Harper makes home seem more appealing (I find that quite sweet and adorable).

Suffice it to say, this year is off to a good start.

four month check-up.

2011-09-19T11:47:00.007-05:00

Earlier today Harper had her 4-month check-up. It went well and Harper passed inspection.

She is currently weighing 17 pounds, 9 ounces. Her length is 25.5 inches.

What really interested me were her "percentiles." She is in the 97th Percentile for weight and the 80th Percentile for height. She is definitely a big girl!

I might not have my "little petite baby girl," but rather I have been blessed with a "well-sized beautiful daughter." Maybe it would have been nice to have had a tiny little baby, but the reality of Harper's chubbiness and rolls are infectiously delightful and her smile is priceless.I asked the doctor what this meant long-term in terms of her weight/height. His response, "nothing." He said that really it didn't mean anything. In time, her weight and height will "even out" to what they are meant to be genetically. So within a year or two, her height and weight should be more in line with what we can expect long term for her.

The other thing that was interesting to look at are Harper's measurements compared to Hayden's.

I thought that Harper was bigger than Hayden was at this age, but now I have the proof. I had the doctor's office print-out his 'Vital Signs History' and at this same age, Hayden weighed 15 pounds 6 ounces (2 pounds less than Harper does). He was also about an inch shorter. So yes indeed - Harper is a bigger baby. Hayden wasn't as big as Harper is now until he was 6-months-old.

But it's all good. They are just different - perfect in their own way.

sweet mommy/baby and daddy/baby pictures.

2011-09-18T12:47:00.002-05:00

Sometimes it is hard to get good pictures of yourself with your little one. Generally, they just don't cooperate (or at least that is my experience).

This morning Randy and I got lucky as we were able to get some stellar pictures with Harper. The only thing that would have made them better is if Hayden had been present.

Oh well. I will take what I can get.

Here are the photos:

harper's first tooth.

2011-09-14T16:27:00.001-05:00

Little Miss Harper Grace has not been herself lately. She has been extra crabby and fussy. It has not been fun. And this is why...
Can you see it? I can. It is a tooth. It finally broke through today and Harper is much happier. The whole process of teething is not something Harper (or I) have enjoyed.

But now she is much happier!
And so am I.

four months.

2011-09-05T13:47:00.000-05:00

Harper Grace is 4-months-old today. I weighed her this morning and she is now up to 17 pounds (last month she weighed in at 15 pounds). We will go in for her 4-month check-up later this month and will know then what percentile she is in in terms of both her weight and height. That will be interesting to see.

Currently, she is smiling a lot, laughing some, and talking quite a bit (especially when people talk to her). She has also started to do a squeal thing. I'm not sure what that's all about. She has been doing it though when she is unhappy or wants attention - and it works. It definitely gets my attention.

She has started to show interest in her 'Sophie the Giraffe' toy.She has been chewing a lot on her hands, my hands, Randy's hands (as seen above). It's good times.

She also likes her skip hop play matand bathtime.She also likes to stand up (assisted)and sit up (assisted).She rolled over for the first time this morning. I’m not sure if it was a fluke or not, but I was super proud!

Generally though, she rolls onto her side (from her back).And she is doing better at tummy time.She is sleeping pretty good. In general, she takes two (sometimes three) naps during the day. They are usually two hours long. If she takes a third nap, it's about an hour in length. She goes to sleep between 8 and 8:30pm and wakes up between 7:30 and 8am - waking up once during the night around 3:30am (at that point, she eats a 4oz bottle).

Of course it would be nice if she didn't wake up at all, but I can handle one feed a night. She is still able to put herself to sleep though which is a great thing. We put her down (in her crib) when she is drowsy and then she is able soothe herself to sleep by sucking on her hand, playing with her hair, or fussing a little (we also have white noise going and she is swaddled).

During her "wake time" in which she eats, she usually eats 6oz. of formula.

She cries and fusses when she is tired, over-stimulated, or hungry.

Overall, she is a very good, happy baby. And we all adore her.

happy birthday mary.

2011-08-31T06:27:00.001-05:00

Today is my little sister's 28th birthday. Growing up, we weren't exactly super close. Although we are only two years a part, we are very different.

She is outgoing, sociable, and confident. She is a total extrovert. I, on the other hand, am very much an introvert. I don't like large groups of people and I tend to be quite reserved. Suffice it to say, that we didn't always get a long.

Now as we have gotten older, she has "calmed down" and we are definitely closer. She loves my children with all her heart and that is something I cherish. She is a wonderful aunt.Soon she will be a mother. Her little boy, Kennedy Clark Carroll, is due to arrive sometime around the end of December/first of January.Having her become a mother makes me wish she lived closer. We are at a point in our lives that I yearn for her to be close - to share in our experiences and to simply be sisters living nearby. I miss her. She is nicer now (she definitely went through a not-so-nice period). We get along. Although I have always loved her, there were times that I didn't exactly like her. Right now, I like her a lot.

She doesn't live close though (although she doesn't live all that far away either). She lives 3 hours away. We will see each other several times a year. I just wish it was more.

In sum, happy birthday Mary. I love you.

P.S. I realize there aren't any pictures featuring Mary with Hayden. But trust me, she loves that little man to death. They play together non-stop. She is his buddy and they wear me out just watching them play! Unfortunately, I couldn't find any recent pictures of the two of them together. I am going to work on that.

harper in the jumperoo.

2011-08-29T06:27:00.002-05:00

little miss harper in her jumperoo. so cute!

summer party.

2011-08-28T08:05:00.004-05:00

Last night was Randy and I's 9th Annual Summer Celebration.

This was the first year in our new home (which also meant it was the first year to not have it in our "old home"). That is a little bittersweet. I'm not good with change. But change can be good, and this is definitely a good change.

Anywho - onto the party.

We had a fantabulous time and I think all the party attendees had a wonderful time too.

Well, there's not much else to "say" about the party, but here are the pictures. (WARNING: There are a TON of pictures.)

Plus y’all are getting some “sneak peek” pictures of the new place – yay for you!

30th birthday dinner.

2011-08-25T07:54:00.000-05:00

I just thought I would share some pictures from my birthday dinner (which was a week ago today).
happy birthday to me.

busy me - a summary of what is going on.

2011-08-24T09:47:00.001-05:00

So much is going on that I honestly don't know where to start. Seriously. I have started writing this post a few times now - only to erase my sentences because they are so exceptionally random that I can't make sense of them.

One reason might be because in the background right now are two boisterous 4-year-olds riding around on a plasma car while also screaming and arguing. Fun times with a playdate! It is my choice to stay back and let them figure things out. Hopefully this will happen soon.

Harper is sleeping. That's a plus.

Hayden starts back at school Friday. I am looking forward to it. Although I love him to pieces, it will be nice to get a break and get him back to his normal routine. We both need that.

My 30th birthday went well. Randy impressed me with tons of attention, love, and flowers. Lots of flowers. Suffice it to say that I am one blessed 30-year-old.

The house is coming together. We have unpacked most things. We still have pictures/photos to hang and place as well as books and CDs to unpack. This will happen in time.

I plan on taking pictures of the house soon. I promise.

Okay. That's all I have for now. The boys are now playing with a remote control car. It is loud. They are having a good time though and that's what really matters.

super quick post/update.

2011-08-17T14:57:00.003-05:00

i have no time to blog. i don't have time for much. we have moved into our new home. it's lovely. we are happy. there is still quite a lot of unpacking to do. it drives me a little batty.

tomorrow is my birthday. i will be 30-years-old. i haven't even had time to think about it or care.

harper has been VERY moody today. such a cute thing in theory, but today her reality is rough.

i think that's it. i will work on a decent post soon. as soon as the house is in order i plan to post pictures. and of course i am sure there are other wonderful, interesting topics to discuss. now is not the time though. i am just too busy and tired.

the end.

sibling love.

2011-08-08T13:27:00.000-05:00

some cute pictures of hayden and harper (and alfie - he is the big, black furry "thing" in the corner).

three months.

2011-08-05T13:02:00.003-05:00

Little Miss Harper Grace is 3-months-old today. She is my little, big girl. I weighed her this morning using our scale at home, and she is weighing in at 15 pounds. Go Harper!

Currently, she is smiling a ton, "talking," and starting to laugh. It's quite adorable.

She is a big fan of her bouncer and the tv - I guess you could say that they are her two favorite toys.

She is sleeping okay. During the day, she tends to be awake for 2 hours and then sleep for 2 hours. At night, she generally wakes up twice. Rarely, she will only wake up once - I love those nights. I am hoping the "waking up twice a night" trend decreases, while the "only waking up once a night" trend takes its place. She is able to put herself to sleep though which is a great thing. We put her down (in her crib) when she is drowsy and then she is able soothe herself to sleep by sucking on her hand, playing with her hair, or fussing a little (we also have white noise going and she is swaddled).

During her "wake time" in which she eats, she usually eats anywhere from 6-8oz of formula.

She cries and fusses when she is tired, over-stimulated, or hungry. She also "sleep fusses" during the night. During those periods she really isn't awake but she fusses and moves around a lot. It's noisy and honestly, a little annoying. The sleep fussing tends to last about 30 minutes, and then she generally wakes up and wants to eat.

She loves her brother and her brother loves her. He makes her smile and he thinks that she is beautiful. He calls her 'Harpie Gracie' - very sweet.

Overall, she is a very good, happy baby. I think we will keep her.

some pictures of harper.

2011-07-28T10:47:00.001-05:00

My grandma has requested some recent pictures of Harper. Not one to disappoint, here you go:

random ramblings.

2011-07-26T14:17:00.002-05:00

We have hired movers so we therefore have a "hard" move out date. That date is August 12th. Our new address is 315 N. Washington Avenue; Fayetteville, Arkansas; 72701. Add that to your address books people.

My sister is pregnant. About 17 weeks now (I think). She is due January 7th. I am extremely excited for her and I am eager to be an aunt. I will admit that it makes me wish she lived closer, so I could experience this with her and be there with her as she becomes a mother. I wish I could live close by niece or nephew. I wish we were just closer.

I feel like an after-thought lately, like I'm not a priority. I know that's lame and pitiful, but it's what I have been feeling. I "get to" take a shower maybe once every 4 days (I don't think I stink, but I could be wrong). Everyone comes before me. I know it's all part of being a mom (and a new mom), but it's still hard. I also know it's part of my "personality" and "disposition" - I tend to put others first (at the expense of myself). I'm always working at pleasing others and making everyone else happy. Sometimes it's a problem.

I'm tired. At my last therapy appointment, my therapist even noted that I looked tired. Nice. Hopefully I will get more rest and feel more fresh and lively soon.

Harper is now doing lots of social smiling (which makes me happy). She is working on her laugh. It's not quite there, but close.

I will be 30-years-old in less than a month. I don't even have the time or energy to really care or think about it - which is a little sad. It should be a "hallmark" birthday, but it just feels like nothing.

I realize most of these ramblings are not so cheery - I apologize for that. I think I'm just feeling a little overwhelmed and worn-out. Once things settle down (in a month or two), things should be better. But for now, it's just a little too much.

reading tragedy.

2011-07-18T16:27:00.003-05:00

I have a problem. Well in reality I am sure I have many problems, but this post is about just one of them. And maybe it's not really a problem, but my husband thinks it is.

This problem is that I read sad, tragic personal stories either online or via print and then I get all sad about them.

The stories involve children, animals, or babies. They are stories of loss or adversity. They are awful and unimaginable. I cry when I read them and I take them to heart. They make me hurt.

I don't know why I read them and make myself so sad, but I do.

I can't stop.

The latest one involves a little boy named James who was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He was diagnosed in late June when he was 7-months-old. He passed away this past Saturday (less than a month after the diagnosis). So incredibly sad (here is a link to their blog).

Do other people do this? Read tragic stories of loss or adversity.

Am I the only one? Surely not.

harper's baptism.

2011-07-15T12:15:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday, Harper was baptised.

Many family and friends joined with us to celebrate the occasion - it was truly a wonderful time.

First of all, I want to showcase a "compare and contrast" set of pictures between Harper's baptism and Hayden's baptism.

Here is Harper on her big day:And here is Hayden:Hayden is about 4-months-old in his picture while Harper is a little over 2-months-old in her picture. Aren't they cute? And also take note that I am wearing the same dress. It is a keeper!

Now here are some more pictures from Harper's baptism and the post-Baptism brunch my mom threw us.

harper got the bird.

2011-07-13T06:57:00.000-05:00

Harper got the bird. She did this all by herself and I was very proud. I had gone out of the room and came back to this...
Go Harper! She held onto that bird for at least 3 minutes. I'm not even sure she was aware that she had a hold of it - but whatever. I am still impressed.

Note: I took these pictures with my iPhone. Not too shabby for a camera on a phone.

triple anniversary dinner.

2011-07-11T16:17:00.007-05:00

This past Saturday we celebrated our 'Triple Anniversary Dinner'. What is that you ask? Well… I will tell you.

Ever since Randy and I were married (8 Years ago), we have gone to dinner at 'James at the Mill' with my parents to celebrate our anniversaries (with our anniversary being on June 13th and my parents' being on July 5th we tend to go sometime in between or at least sometime near the two occassions).

Two years ago we added my sister and her husband Clark to the mix as they were married on June 27th, 2009.

So now there are three couples - hence the "triple anniversary dinner."

The dinner is a nice way to acknowledge and commemorate the relationships (and to just have a nice, special dinner at a fancy, yummy restaurant).

I hope this tradition continues as we mark each year with another special dinner as a trio of happily married couples.

Here are some pictures from this year's dinner:

randy and i. my sister, mary, and her husband, clark.my parents.the carrolls (mary and clark) and the werners (myself and randy).

Note: I had forgotten my camera. These pictures were taken with my iPhone. Not too shabby for a camera phone.

two months.

2011-07-06T15:27:00.001-05:00

Harper Grace is now 2-months-old. She is doing well. She is a lively, sweet, beautiful little girl. She still has lots of hair which seems to be her trademark.

She is also a big little girl (talk about an oxymoron).

She had her 2-month check-up today and weighed in at 12lb, 12 oz. (90th Percentile). See - she is a big girl. The doctor commented that she is well-fed and well-nourished (true). She is almost 23" long (65th Percentile).

She also got her 2-month shots. She cried briefly, but overall was a definite trooper.

Another comment the doctor made was that she should start to roll over at about 4-months, but considering that she is a chubby little girl she might be a little later in hitting that mark (because it's harder for chubby babies to roll over). Hilarious! I was not offended by this comment. It was not said in a rude or inappropriate way - he was just trying to let me know not to be too worried if it takes her longer to roll over.

The doctor also noted that she should be sleeping for longer stretches at night now (especially considering her weight). Currently, Harper's longest stretch of night-time sleep is about 4 hours (but usually it's only 3 hours). The doctor said that she can and should have a 6-8 hour "sleep stretch." So we are going to work on that... I know I would like it (being that I am the one who always gets up and feeds her during the night). So we'll see.

And last but not least, here is a picture I took yesterday of Harper (on her actual 2-month "birthday").

change is happening.

2011-07-01T06:02:00.000-05:00

We are moving. We bought a home. This home in fact.
It's an older home (built in 1897) in a great neighborhood. It's bigger than our current home (it's 2847 square feet - 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths). It's in the school district we want to be in. It is a great investment.

We are going to miss our current home which is for sale. (You can go here to see the details of our current home that is on the market.)

It is going to be very hard and sad to say goodbye to our home. We have lived here for over 8 years. This was our first home. This is where we brought our children home to. It's our home - it's not just a random house.

At the same time though, we have outgrown it. It worked for a young, married couple. It worked for a family of three. It's not working so well for a family of 4 (5 if you include Aflie and I do - he is a member of our family).

So it's time to move on.

Goodbye home.NOTE: I am dreading the moving process. It is stressing me out. I am glad that we are moving and I really do like our new home, but the whole process is not my cup of tea.

random ramblings.

2011-06-29T09:47:00.002-05:00

Today is my 6-week post-partum appointment - I am actually almost 8-weeks post-partum. I am bringing Harper. I am hoping that she doesn't cry or fuss. Wish me luck.

I have found a new show that I like - Law & Order UK. Anyone ever seen it? I am hoping that I pick up some of the cool British words and work them into my regular vernacular. Blimey! And I love the wigs the attorneys and judges have to wear in court. I find it highly amusing.

We have a big change happening in our lives. I will be posting about it Friday. This change is good, but stressful. It's kept us very busy. It is stressing me out. I am trying to not be so overwhelmed. Unfortunately, I'm not always successful. I have used food to cope with my stress - something I am not proud of. I am frustrated and disappointed with myself, but I am also hopeful that things will improve soon.

Harper has her 2-month check-up next week (July 6th). Good times with shots!

Hayden has been expressing a need for attention lately. Poor thing. He gets jealous of Harper and the attention she gets. It makes me sad. He gets a lot of attention, but obviously not as much as he used to. It hurts my heart to see him sad and in need of our love. Sweet Hayden. Fortunately, this need for attention has not translated into any animosity towards Harper. He loves his sister to pieces - which is wonderful.

Remember Hayden's bird house? There are now baby birds living in it! It is so sweet. Hayden made a wonderful home for them. Good job Hayden.

harper in the bath.

2011-06-23T05:27:00.000-05:00

I had yet to take any pictures of Harper getting a bath - until now.

We (usually it's just me ) generally give her a bath 2-3 times a week. It's necessary. She gets pretty stinky (especially under her chin - in her neck area).

Hayden likes to help which usually means he hangs out in the bathroom and I let him assist me in mundane tasks. Randy let him actually poor some water on her head during this bathtime though. He did pretty good.

Anywho - here are the pictures from Harper's bath.

sleep. i miss you. love, melissa.

2011-06-21T09:47:00.000-05:00

The past two nights I have gotten 4 hours of sleep per night. This is not good. I am a person who is highly dependent on sleep (generally I "require" at least 8 hours of sleep a night).

Obviously this is a problem. And who is to blame? None other than Harper Grace. My dear sweet daughter. I am hoping this is a phase. A short phase. I am eager for her to start sleeping for longer stretches at night. She is almost 2-months-old so it should start soon. Right?

Last night she was up from 1-3am. Just smiling and "talking" - she looked so sweet and cute. But it was not time to play. I did not enjoy it. It was time to sleep. Silly child. She has done this once before. I am hoping it doesn't happen again.

Also, I am a very light sleeper. Any sound she makes - I am up. Not good.

So what should I be doing now? Take a nap. But I am not a napper. I used to take occasional naps, but I don't anymore. It doesn't work for me. So instead I am watching 'Million Dollar Decorators' on Bravo and writing this blog post while Harper takes a nap.

I am rather exhausted. My mind is not as sharp as it could and should be. I am functioning on a sub-par level, but I am functioning. So that's a plus!

Good times.

fun at the lake with the family.

2011-06-20T13:47:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, I spent some time at the lake with my family - Randy, Hayden, Harper, my parents and our dogs.

We had a wonderful time.

I don't feel like chatting about it (or in this case writing about it), but I did want to post some pictures.

Here goes.

playtime with the kiddos.

2011-06-17T06:17:00.000-05:00

The other day, Hayden decided that he wanted to play some rock 'n roll for Harper. So he got his guitar and began to play for her. It was too cute!
He also played for Alfie.I think they both enjoyed it.

the bumbo seat - compare and contrast.

2011-06-15T07:49:00.000-05:00

We have a bumbo seat - it is the same seat we had with Hayden.

When Hayden was about 5 or 6-weeks-old we took an adorable picture of him in the seat.We did the same thing with Harper this past week.
Harper is obviously bigger (note: At the time that the picture of Hayden was taken he was essentially starving - I wasn't producing enough breastmilk and he was not getting enough to eat.) Aren't they cute though?

And for added cuteness, here are some additional pictures of Harper in the bumbo seat:
As an added bonus, here is a current picture of Hayden in the bumbo seat.He plays with it quite a bit. Too cute!

eight years.

2011-06-13T08:47:00.005-05:00

Today is Randy and I's 8th wedding anniversary. We were married on Friday, June 13th, 2003. It was a beautiful day. Our wedding was wonderful. Our marriage is amazing. Of course we have had our ups and downs - mostly ups.

I am so thankful for Randy and for the life we have together.

Happy Anniversary Randy.

Love, Melissa

happy birthday alfie.

2011-06-07T06:02:00.000-05:00

Friday, June 3rd was Alfie's birthday. He is now 5-years-old.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALFIE!

one month.

2011-06-05T11:27:00.000-05:00

Harper is one-month-old today. She is getting bigger every day. She probably weighs nearly 10 pounds right now - no kidding. She is waking up 3 times a night - generally at 11:30pm, 2:30am, and 5:30am. After her 5:30am feeding, I am up for the day - even though she goes back to sleep. So my days start early and I try to end them early too - by 9pm. Getting up early does have its advantages though. It gives me a little time to myself before “the house” wakes up and the day really begins. That's nice.

Overall Harper is a wonderful, beautiful baby. She sleeps pretty well and is eating like a champ. We tried the breastfeeding thing. That didn’t work, so she is a formula-baby (and we are all okay with that).

Her daytime sleep “schedule” is relatively non-existent, although in time I think one will develop. Her eating is more routine as she gets hungry and wants a bottle about every 3 hours (and tends to eat 4 oz. at every feeding).

People comment on her long, dark hair and mention that she looks like a doll or a small adult. Apparently she is very expressive.

The family is doing pretty good adjusting to the new addition.

Hayden adores his little sister and gives her hugs and kisses a lot. Whenever she fusses he wants to make her “better” and works hard to please her - although sometimes his tactics just work to make her more agitated as he is rather loud and boisterous with his attempts to cajole.

Randy is a wonderful father - very sweet and helpful. He is the official bottle-washer. The bottles have to be washed two times a day and I do not enjoy it. Randy on the other hand finds washing her bottles “therapeutic” - so wash away Randy, wash away!

He also assumes the responsibility of PCG (primary care-giver) and watches the kids so I can take a shower when I need one. In addition, he watches the kids nearly every day at lunch so I can walk on the treadmill. (I used to walk first thing in the morning at around 6am before everyone woke up, but with the lack of a morning schedule for Harper it isn’t possible to do at the present moment.)

As for me, I’m doing pretty good. It’s a little overwhelming parenting two kids - trying to do everything for everyone and take care of everything. It is apparent that that’s not possible. Perfection isn’t realistic. I am working to accept that it’s okay to be good enough, but it’s hard.

I want to be able to attend to Hayden when he wants or needs me, but that isn’t always possible. Then I feel guilty, because it makes him sad. I don’t want to make him sad.

I think it will get better though as Harper develops and isn’t as dependent. We’ll see.

It’s also hard not getting the same amount of “me time” as I used to. Before, when Hayden rested I was able to rest. Now with Harper she isn’t necessarily resting when Hayden rests which means little to no rest for mommy.

Fortunately, the treadmill helps to give me a break - which I greatly appreciate and need (again - thank you Randy!).

My mom noted that I seem more relaxed as a parent now. I think I have to be. I can’t be as regimented or scheduled right now. I have to go with it and be okay with it.

In time, Harper will develop a schedule (with our assistance). I look forward to that. As a person who thrives on routine and schedule, having things be so inconsistent isn’t easy. But knowing that eventually - as Harper gets older - things will become more consistent is comforting.

On another note, I am already down to my pre-pregnancy weight which is nice. Although my pre-pregnancy pants still don’t fit. Obviously my body is not the same. I am hoping that it’s just a matter of time (and not too much time) before I can fit in them again. We’ll see…

hayden's bird house.

2011-06-03T08:47:00.000-05:00

A few months ago, we assembled a bird house I had purchased from Wal-Mart.

Hayden then painted it. It hung empty for a long time.And then...There are currently two birds who have built a nest in Hayden's bird house. As of now there are no eggs, but maybe soon...

an interview with hayden.

2011-06-01T06:02:00.002-05:00

I LOVE interviewing Hayden. This is the 6th interview we have done (the last one was back in November 2010)(you can go here to see the prior interviews).

I really enjoy doing this. It is so neat to see what his mind is thinking.

So here is the interview in its entirety (note: this is the EXACT wording of both what I said and what he answered… although the items in parentheses are my thoughts/comments regarding his responses - not anything that was actually said)... Enjoy!

What is your full name? Hayden Samuel Werner

How old are you? 4-years-old

When is your birthday? January 23rd

What is your favorite color? red

What is your favorite thing to watch on the tv? A.N.T. Farm (it's a new show on the Disney channel - He had just finished watching an episode when I did this interview).

What’s your favorite thing to eat? Popsicles

What is your favorite candy? Jolly Rancher Fuit Chews

What is your favorite thing to do? play.

What is your favorite toy? My firehouse.

What is your favorite book? Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (this isn't really a book - see below for a visual of the book which is really more like a playset with a book associated with it).

What do you want to be when you grow up? Firefighter

What is your favorite sport? Baseball

Who is your favorite friend? Gabby

What is your dog’s name? Alfie

What is your favorite animal? Giraffe

What is your favorite number? 8

Why? Because it has 2 circles.

What is your favorite letter of the alphabet? H

Why? Because it starts with my name

What is your favorite shape? Circle

Are you a boy or a girl? boy

How are you feeling? good

Are you sad or happy? happy

Where do you live? here

Where is here? Fayetteville, Arkansas

Where does mommy live? here

Where does daddy live? here

Where does Harper live? here

Where does Alfie live? here

Who is your favorite person? Jett

What do you think about your sister? good.

Is there anything else you want to tell me? No.

Anything else? Nope

Was this fun? Yeah, but why are you giving me all those questions?

family vacation 2011 - rosemary beach.

2011-05-30T13:47:00.002-05:00

I have been on a family vacation this past week with my family. We were in Florida at a place called Rosemary Beach for our annual family vacation. This year my sister got to choose our vacation and that was where she picked for us to go. We had an amazing time!

I was really worried and anxious about this trip. I was travelling with a 4-year-old and a 3-week-old... which is not something I would ideally want to do. But it all worked out just fine and everyone had a great trip.

The proof is in the pictures. Enjoy.

Hayden's first time seeing and experiencing the ocean. on our way to dinner.at dinner.harper with clark (my sister - Mary's - husband).harper and randy.me and harper - about to head to the beach.harper sleeping at the beach.mary and harper at the beach.me and hayden.hayden.dinner at the 'Back Porch' lunch at the 'florabama'hayden with his bunny - which he loves! harper in her carseat on the way home.

mommy and baby - a post-pregnancy picture.

2011-05-19T06:27:00.002-05:00

Here are Harper and I - my post-pregnancy picture.
And here I am just a few weeks ago... my last pregnancy picture taken about 5 days before she was born.

And here I am with both of my "babies" - Gotta love the kiddos!

harper's birth announcement.

2011-05-16T06:47:00.002-05:00

This is Harper's birth announcement. I just thought I would share. Enjoy.

mother's day - now with 2 kiddos.

2011-05-12T06:47:00.002-05:00

Mother's Day was a wonderful day this year.

I have my little man and my little baby girl. It was a very special day.

I think the following pictures say it all.

the birth story of Harper Grace Werner.

2011-05-09T06:27:00.000-05:00

On Thursday, May 5th (3 days past my due date) Hayden and I went on a little field trip. Our outing included a snack at Bliss Cupcake Café with my dad and Randy, followed by a visit to the Fayetteville Public Library.

On our walk back to our car from the library, I started having contractions. It was around 11:30am. They hurt pretty bad and were relatively consistent so I started timing them using an “app” on my phone. After driving home, I called Randy and let him know that he needed to come home because I thought I was in labor.

Once he arrived home, I decided that we needed to go to the hospital and that we needed to call my mom so that she could come over and get Hayden.

When she arrived, we immediately left for the hospital - it was 12:20pm.

We arrived at the hospital around 12:45pm. At that point I was in extreme pain. The contractions were severe and the breaks between the contractions were essentially non-existent.

It was very similar to my labor with Hayden - no breaks between the contractions, back labor, and excruciatingly painful.

When they first checked me upon arrival, I was dilated to a ‘4’ and 70% effaced (at my appointment the day before, I had been a ‘3’).

At 1:20pm, I was moved to Labor and Delivery.

Again, the pain was intense and constant - and I was not a fan.

I wanted my epidural and I wanted it as soon as possible.

I started feeling an urge to push around 1:50pm, so they checked me. At that time, I was dilated to almost a ‘7’.

They had a hard time getting an IV started and had to recruit an anesthesiologist to do it - they finally got the IV started around 2:00pm.

At that time, I again felt an urge to push. They checked me again and I was dilated to a ‘9’.

At that point it became abundantly clear that there was no way I was going to get an epidural.

Before you can get an epidural, you have to have received a good amount of “fluids” intravenously. They had just started the IV and I was already a ‘9’ - obviously it was almost time to deliver and an epidural was out of the question.

Not having the epidural made me very nervous. I was doing this naturally. The pain was unreal. Everything was happening so fast.

At that point, they gave me some ‘Stadol’ intravenously - it was 2:05pm. Stadol is a synthetic opioid (a narcotic) used to treat pain. It made me feel a little more relaxed, but it did nothing for the pain - in my opinion.

At 2:10pm, I again felt the urge to push and they began setting up for the delivery.

The doctor came in and said that I could go ahead and start pushing - it was 2:17pm and I was dilated to a ‘10‘.

I wanted to get her out as soon as possible so the contractions and pain would stop so I pushed with all my might. Five minutes later Harper Grace Werner was born - at 2:22pm.

I had a 2nd degree tear that required about 20 stitches. Not cool, but she is definitely worth it.

She weighed 7lb, 1oz and measured 20” in length. Her Apgar scores were 8 and 8. Her blood type is O positive - just like me.

My labor from the start of the first contraction to delivery was less than 3 hours. Apparently that is called a precipitous labor. It was a thrill. It was not what I expected, yet it was perfect. She came on her own time. And when she was ready to come, she came and she came fast!

She is calm and beautiful. She has a ton of dark, thick black/brown hair. She is amazing and I am so in love with her - we all are.

harper grace werner.

2011-05-07T14:22:00.000-05:00

Harper Grace Werner has officially arrived. Her "birth story" is a good one - if I do say so myself - and I plan on sharing that with all of you soon (as soon as I get a chance to sit down and write it out).

For now, these pictures and basic stats will have to suffice.

D.O.B. = May 5th, 2011
Time Born = 2:22pm
Weight = 7 lb, 1 oz
Length = 20"

She has tons of dark, thick, brownish-black hair. She is beautiful. We are all in love with her. Hayden has been a wonderful, supportive, doting big brother thus far. Hopefully the trend will continue.

And again, I will post a detailed birth story soon - stay tuned.