Our Little Pumpkin Turned ONE!!!

Seriously!?!  She’s one.  How in the world can my baby be one?  Didn’t I just have her?  They weren’t joking when they said, “time flies.”  I swear this year has flown by.  If I could slow down time, I totally would, but I wouldn’t change a minute of this year.  Are things crazier, busier, and more chaotic with two kiddos…Absolutely.  But that just means more love, cuddles, and more sweet memories to go around!

Hollyn Sabine Havlik.  Where do I start?  You have added so much to our family!  Your smile is contagious and has been since you were itty bitty.  Your giggles just fill the room.  You love being a part of everything, and always want to be right where the action is.  You definitely have spunk and an opinion all your own.  You absolutely adore your big sis and want to do everything she does…who cares if you’re too small, you try anyway!

You are such a talker.  While you have quite the little storehouse of words (Mama, Mommy, hi, bye, bye bye (insert the cutest little wave HERE), Hi Zoe!, more, Daddy, Dada (even though you know how to address your father properly, you usually choose to call him Mama), diaper, baby, bow, my bow (usually said as you take it off your head and show it to me), puppy, football (yes, you can recognize it on TV), etc.), you can babble a conversation with such expression and conviction even though neither you nor anyone else knows what in the world you are saying. 

You have the cutest, funniest, strangest little crawl.  Your Daddy calls it your Quasimodo crawl.  It works for you and sure does make us smile.  You have taken a few steps and will stand unassisted, but have yet to take off.  I have no doubt that it will happen quite soon.

You love going outside, as well as watching Zoe and Sammy through the window.  As for food, you now think baby food is beneath you when you see that someone else has something more interesting on their plate. You love Mommy’s spaghetti, MiMi’s stew, grapes, and Mrs. Steffany’s cookies and cupcakes (don’t worry Mommy definitely limits those, but your birthday was a special occasion).  You currently are NOT digging whole milk.  You’ll take a few sips and then toss your cup away.

You LOVE to cuddle and love being held (especially for naps.  I love that Mrs. Amy snuggles you every afternoon for naptime when Mommy is at work.  We are all so lucky to have Mrs. Amy.  She loves you and your sister just like Mommy and Daddy do.  If Mommy and Daddy can’t be with you all day, I am so thankful that Mrs. Amy can). 

You also have quite an affinity for music.  You love dancing with your Daddy and any time you hear music you start bouncing up and down and waving your little hands.  There have been many nights that you fall asleep on Daddy’s shoulder with the iPod going.  Talk about melt this mama’s heart. 














I’m sure this next year is going to fly by just as fast.  But I vow to savor every minute.  I love watching you grow, learn, explore, and be the sweet little girl that you are.  So, Happy Birthday Beanie Bear!  We all love you more than words can express!

A Picture a Day (Days 15-31)

Here are the rest of my January Photo Challenge pictures.  I have to say, I’ve really enjoyed participating in this challenge! 

Day 15:  Friends – Andy Bunny.  Haylen’s favorite stuffed animal.  These two have been best friends for quite some time.  She never goes to sleep without him. 

Day 16:  Delicious – Had an amazing lunch with great friends.  The chicken marsala was absolutely delicious. 

Babiators.  All the cool kids have them.  Hollyn also got her first pair of Babiators from Aunt Mindi on day 16. 

Day 17:  Yellow – Watching Curious George with Haylen before naptime.  It doesn’t get much more yellow than The Man in the Yellow Hat, or “The Man in the Yellow Pants” as Haylen just called him. 

Day 18:  School – I think everyone is excited that Daddy doesn’t have to go to school tomorrow.  Three day weekends are the best!

Day 19:  Hand – I love how she holds one sweet little hand over the other. 

Day 20:  Unique – Oh sweet Zoe.  You have quite a unique way of snuggling under the blanket to get comfy.

Day 21:  Conversation on the way home from Starbucks

Haylen:  Mommy, can I have a sip of your frappuccino?

Me:  Just wait until we get home and you can have your own.  You just gotta be patient.

Haylen:  (sigh)  That’s kinda hard with a frappuccino.

What can I say, the kid loves her frappuccino!

Day 22:  Black and White – Tonight Haylen was pretending she was Kate and Daddy was Mim Mim from one of her new favorite shows, Kate and Mim Mim.  She decided if she put her leggings on Daddy’s head he would look much more like Mim Mim. 

Day 23:  I spy – I spy someone trying to figure out if she can reach the light string while standing on the bed.

Day 24:  Just waiting for our BBQ.  I have to say Fargo’s is always worth the wait.

Day 25:  Remember – I remember taking this picture like it was just yesterday.  I can’t believe this sweet little girl is going to be 3 in about 3 weeks!

Day 26:  Lunch date with my sweet girl at her favorite restaurant!

Day 27:  On my right – On my right is a sweet girl who loves to read a story before bed.

Day 28:  All clean!

Day 29:  This evening Haylen received a debilitating knee injury, and by debilitating I mean she slightly scraped it.  She has been limping dramatically all evening.  So when she asked to watch Bubble Guppies I put on the episode “Call a Clambulance.”  (Seemed fitting)  This is the face I got when I asked her if she needed a clambulance.

Day 30:  Full – This morning our halls were full of excitement…kinder parade, drum line…Happy 100th Day of School everyone!

 

Day 31:  Just entertaining herself in the checkout aisle.  Who says your can’t have fun at HEB!

And there you have it.  A picture for each day of January. 

Back to the Grind

Well it’s all over but the crying.  My maternity leave has officially come to an end.  And yes, there were tears.  Now don’t get me wrong, I’m very thankful for all the time I had off (I’ve been off since October 14th) and I really do love my job and everyone I work with, but by golly I REALLY LOVE my girls and I wish wish wish I could just stay home and love on them all day, but sadly that’s not in the cards.  So, it’s back to the grind and in all honesty, once I got to work it was really good seeing everyone and getting five million hugs from all the kiddos (I think they might have missed me a just a bit!).  Now its just getting used to and settling into our new normal with me back at work. 

 

On our way to Mrs. Amy’s, Haylen drew me the cutest little smiley face.

CJ was so awesome and came with me to drop off the girls on my first day back.  Here he is waving to Mrs. Amy after getting Hollyn out of the Tahoe.

 

And here is my sweet baby girl right before we left.  She was out cold.  So all in all, the transition went really smoothly for her.  I was so proud of myself, I did not cry dropping them off.  I think having CJ there and knowing that Mrs. Amy was going to love on them all day really helped.  If I can’t be with them all day, I take heart in knowing that Amy can.  She is truly amazing, our babies love her, and so do we.

That evening we all went on a family walk.  The weather was too beautiful not to.

So small, yet so much sass. 

Well, there you have it.  We (and by we, I mean me) survived the end of my maternity leave and in all honesty it wasn’t near as bad as I thought it would be. 

A Picture a Day (Days 1-14)

January 1st I started a photo challenge on Instagram created by Andrea over at Momfessionals and Erika at A Little Bit of Everything.  #thephotochallenge2015 has a picture prompt for every day of the month, so basically you interpret the prompt as you see it, take a picture, and post it to Instagram with the the hashtag #thephotochallenge2015. 

Now I admit I have missed two or three prompts; however, I have NOT missed posting a picture to Instagram each day.  This challenge has really inspired me to take a daily picture of what is going on with our little family, and I have absolutely loved looking back at all the pictures I have taken so far.  It’s like little snapshots of our life lately and the memories we are making along the way.  Here’s a peek into what’s been going on so far…

 

Day 1:  New – New Year. New cookbook. New recipe.  By the way, the swirled peanut butter bars were amazing.  I will definitely be making them again.

Day 2: PJs – Flower nightgown and striped pajama pants…the latest in bedtime fashion.  Haylen picked out what she was going to sleep in and was very happy with her choice.  For some reason nightgowns and pj pants are always a favorite combo.

Day 3:  We got our two cuties ready and headed out for a day of shopping and errands. 

Our first stop was Cracker Barrel.  Funny enough Haylen was the only one to order breakfast.  This was quite a rarity, but hey, the lunch I had was pretty darn good.    

Day 4:  Childhood – This is what childhood is all about…Jumping in muddy puddles!  We took advantage of an afternoon of sun and headed to the park. 

Day 5:  Rise and Shine – Rise and Shine!  It’s donut time!!!  The great thing about maternity leave is that if you daughter wants donuts on a Monday morning you hop in the car and head on to Shipley’s. 

Day 6:  Close Up – There’s nothing more precious than a close up of a sweet smile.  Talk about melt my heart.

Day 7:  Shape – These two are definitely not going to help me get in shape, but who the heck cares!  Blue Baker chocolate chip cookies are the best!

Day 8:  Organized – Out to eat for dinner and then a quick trip to the grocery store.  After eating, Haylen drew while I organized my grocery list.  I always organize my list based on where you find the item in the store.  Makes shopping so much easier. 

Day 9:  Relax – The girl knows how to kick back and relax!

Day 10:  Cold – There’s nothing better than hot chocolate on a cold night.  I’m so loving Haylen’s little Starbucks mini mug.  It’s the perfect size for her, so perfect we ended up buying her two of them for Christmas. 

Day 11:  Mom – So very thankful to be their mom.

Day 12:  Colorful – We brightened up this cold grey day by building bright colorful Lego towers this afternoon.

Day 13:  Neighborhood – Even though it’s cold and cloudy today, we decided to go on a quick stroll around the neighborhood.

Day 14:  2:00pm – Two o’clock tea party.  Normally Haylen is snoozing at this time, but when the electrician takes longer than expected, you have a spot of tea instead of a nap…that is until he leaves.  Once he’s gone naptime is in full effect.   

Stay tuned.  There’s more pictures to come!

Haylenisms

“Daddy, you need to mow our grass.  It’s getting taller and taller like a mountain.”

“Mommy, may I have a sip of your water?  I’m thirsty!  I just gotta stay hydrated.”  Seriously!?!  Hydrated!?!  What two year old uses the word hydrated?  Oh yeah, ours!  She uses the word quite frequently and correctly.

“Mommy, I hiked up my pants.  I look like Urkel”                                                       The kid has no idea who Urkel is.  All she knows is that I had made a comment once, a while back, when she pulled up her pants a bit too high that she looked like Urkel.  Apparently, she took that comment, stored it away, and decided to pull it back out at that football game.  It blows my mind what this child remembers.


Haylen – “Mommy, did you say awesome???”
Me – “Yes”
Haylen – “ I say that all the time!!!”
(My Goodness!  Two going on teenager!)

“Mom, the sun is coming up over my favorite planet!  EARTH!!!”

Haylen – “Daddy what’s your buddy’s name?”
Daddy – “Charlie Matzig
Haylen – “That’s a funny name.  Let’s name him something else.” 
(Sorry Charlie!!!  The new name she came up with was “Boobie Chachi Aggie.”  Not sure that’s much better…)

While looking in the mirror while brushing her teeth, she stops, points to one of her perfect spiral curls, and says, “Mommy, my hair is round like tornado!”

“Look Mommy!  I made a circle out of my okras!”                                                  When your mom is a teacher, you don’t get in trouble for playing with your food for educational purposes.


In her very best exhausted and weary voice with an expression to match, she proceeds to tell us, (insert dramatic sigh here) “I need a holiday!”                                             Oh my!  Is she British!?!  She needs a holiday! (Thanks Peppa Pig)  Her dad and I then had to break it to her that she’s pretty much on holiday every day. Ha!  She is now referring to Santa as Father Christmas, as well.  Before we know it she’ll be speaking with an accent! 


While driving out to gymnastics…
Haylen - “Daddy, watch out for hawks. My Daddy hits hawks all the time.” 
Daddy – I do not.  I only hit one!
Haylen – No (shaking her head with quite a convincing look on her face)
Daddy – (insert sarcasm here) Well how many have I hit?
Haylen – (counting on her little fingers)  “One, two, three, four.  You hit four!!!”
A little back story… On the way back from eating at M. Beaux’s one night, we hit a hawk.  Well, more accurately that hawk hit us.  That sucker flew right into the front of our Tahoe and there wasn’t a darn thing we could do about it.  We even have a little dint on the front our hood to prove it.  Ever since then, Haylen swears her dad hits hawks all the time, and she reminds him of it every chance she gets. LOL!



Anytime baby Hollyn starts to fuss Haylen will tell us:  “Mommy, we’ve got a feisty britches on our hands!” 

Here’s another one for you.  As I’m typing this post, Haylen points to the picture above and says, “Hey, that’s me and feisty britches!” Yup, it sure is!


We had just left Cane’s with our lunch and were driving away when I hear this from the backseat:
Haylen – “Mommy, I want to go to the little devil place.”
Me – Did you just say you want to go to the little devil place???
Haylen – Yeah!  They have beans, and tacos, and rice, and chips!!!
Oh, Torchy’s, apparently you’ve won our daughter’s heart.  For a split second I was a little curious about where exactly she wanted to go…

Clean-up on Aisle 6

Last Tuesday, the girls and I ventured out to the grocery store to pick up some much needed supplies for dinner.  It was just your everyday run of the mill shopping trip until we hit the dairy aisle.  It was there that my sweet, laid back, I don’t just cry for the heck of crying, youngest child started to fuss.  As I leaned over the edge of the shopping cart to grab her binky, I smelled it.  Yup.  She pooped her pants. 

Now for those of you who know, or have met, our sweet baby Hollyn, you’re probably cracking up right about now because you know exactly where this story is headed.  For those of you who are not familiar with our child, please let me explain.  You see, Hollyn really dislikes…okay, dislikes doesn’t even do it justice…hates…well, hates may not even be a strong enough word…the child despises a dirty diaper.  Ha!  I wish I could call every diaper I change dirty!  By the way she lets you know about it, you’d think that diaper couldn’t possibly hold anymore.  Nope.  Wrong.  The slightest smear or smidgen of poo will send her over the edge.  Now as soon as you change her she’s happy as a clam…that is until she decides she really wasn’t finished, she just needed a clean diaper to dirty up again. 

Now back to the story at hand.  By the whiff I smelled, I knew that there was more than a smidge of poo in that diaper and knowing my child we could very well reach a nuclear meltdown of epic proportions if the situation was not handled carefully and soon.  I tried to quiet her with her binky to buy a little more time but to no avail.  As I’m trying to steer the cart, attempting to hold her binky in her mouth and weigh my options all at the same time, I realize that I can’t go to the restroom to change her with my basket full, and there was no way she was gonna make it through checking out without causing quite the scene, not to mention I wasn’t done shopping yet!  So I made the executive decision to go ahead and change her on the least busy aisle I could possibly find.  Don’t judge.  Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Well, the makeup aisle was pretty deserted so I figured that was about as good a spot as any.  (A quick little side story here:  Before going to the grocery store, I told Haylen that we could look for some Christmas nail polish.  Looking back now, I probably shouldn’t have done that.)  So, while I’m attempting to change the diaper of a wiggling and wailing child who is about as feisty as feisty comes, Haylen is picking up nail polishes at breakneck speed trying to show me each of them and excitedly saying, “Is this a good Christmas color?  What about this one?  Mommy. MOMMY!  What about this one???”  So, as I’m trying not to get poop everywhere or have little bit decide that maybe she wasn’t done yet and blast me with another round (I say this from experience), I’m also praying that our oldest doesn’t drop the cherry red GLASS nail polish bottles she keeps picking up at breakneck speed to show me.  Trust me, I had quite the three ring circus going on.  In the middle of our little escapade, a college aged girl walks down the aisle.  Once she realizes the crazyness she just walked up on, I notice she tries her best not to look and makes her way through the aisle pretty darn quickly (I’m like 90% sure she decided to forego whatever it was she needed on this aisle).  But honestly, who could blame her!  We must have looked like quite the spectacle! 

Now I have to say that in the moment, I was a little mortified to be changing my baby girl in the middle of the makeup aisle, but I got over it pretty quickly.  As a mom, sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do, and if that means changing your daughter in a carseat that is sitting in a shopping cart in the middle of the makeup aisle, so be it.  By the way, let me tell you that is no easy feat, those changing conditions were less than ideal.


But for this face, who could say no!?!