2 years

Hartley Caroline

you are TWO!

going on five..

We can't believe you are already two years old! Time has flown by so quickly. You are all about letters and numbers these days. I try to capture you on video.. but we need new batteries. You do very well singing your alphabet! You don't say all the letters, but you know the tune and do a great job singing the letters you know. Our favorite part is the "L M N O Q R S" part. You love counting, too! We usually hear "1, 2, tree, 6, 8, 10, leven, 13, 18, 18, 18, 18..." Followed by "good job Hartley!"

I wish I could remember all the funny things you say, because you make us laugh all the time! The other day we were talking about the trash truck coming because it was Wednesday, but also the school bus that comes at 3:45. I asked myself out loud, "What time is it?" You nonchalantly said, "2:40." Not even close, but I have no idea where that came from! One afternoon, I got you from your nap and first thing you told me was, "I need a hair cuck (cut)." We gave you a little trim. :)

Peet-a-boo!

I love the little things you say to me, too. Most mornings and after naps sometimes, you tell me "Good morning, Momma." And it's so sweet. :)

You are full of funny faces! And cheesy smiles. Sweet hugs and licks, too.

You tell me, "I good Momma." You take very good care of your babies and bears. You change their diapers, feed them bottles, burp them, and put them down for naps. You are very motherly and will make a great big sister one day! You told us you wanted a little sister- good, because that's what I want for you too!

You are getting so tall and lanky! Your weight has gone up a little bit, almost in the 20th percentile! You've got molluscums that started sprouting on your arms, then spread to your belly and now your legs. We've started using tea tree soap to get rid of them. You call them your booboos.

You have been doing great in your big girl bed as well as using the potty. You now tell us, "I potty big girl." That means you want to do everything by yourself with very little help. Today you went and pooped all by yourself! I would much rather wipe your bottom after you poop in the toilet than a diaper/pull up/underwear! Much cleaner! You still get candy, most recently "strawbaby tandy!"

Trying to make 2 fingers..

You are really bad about copying everything Daddy does. This isn't good when you ride with him. I now hear "GO CARS!" when you ride with me. We have to work on being sweet. You get on to yourself a lot. I hear "get off table!" or "be sweet!" If only you obeyed yourself! And us. I'm considering time out as an option in the near future..

This is easier, Momma!

You love doing forward rolls! If you've got your Daddy's flexibility, you could be a really good gymnast!

You are such a big girl! Your vocabulary is expanding every day and you amaze us with each new word you use. You are a little cuddle bug and somewhat clingy these days, but I'll cuddle with my best friend all day, any day!

Besties!

kitchen crashers!

Marshall and I started gathering ideas for a play kitchen for Miss Hartley a few months ago. Originally we planned to find cheap cabinets or side tables and then create a masterpiece.. but then our sister-in-law Janna found this...

For only $9 at Goodwill! It was missing doors and a telephone. And we were not loving all the pastels nor the cafe-esque backing.

With my supervision (and a little assistance), we removed the back, saving some MDF for the future subway tile backsplash, and spray painted the existing faucet, sink and knobs.

We used Rustoleum's Chrome Metallic spray paint - our first time using this kind. Loved it! It did great on the knobs, retro handles (salvaged from my sewing cabinet reno), and faucet. The sink unfortunately did not turn out as expected, but oh well. The hardest part was keeping a grown man from bumping into or falling on the parts while they were still curing.

Marshall splurged and got a new paint sprayer (for our future home business.. eek) and primed the heck out of this bad boy.

We used Benjamin Moore's Silver Mist for the cabinet color, not realizing we would eventually keep it in the living room which is the same color. But it actually looks great!

I went back after everything was painted and freehanded "grout lines" for subway tile. Momma suggested using a q-tip and that worked much better than a small paint brush. I used leftover black spray paint and coated the tops of old CDs for burners. They were hot glued in place and actually stayed!

Momma found an awesome set of pots and pans that look surprisingly similar to our Calphalon set.

Hartley loves her new retro kitchen! She loves making us pasta and "toffee." But even more.. she loves her new cousin Luke!

He was born the day before her birthday. Hartley's held him twice and did so great! She's also been feeding her babies a lot! She's so ready to be a big sister. Maybe it will happen this year!

We can't get over how big she's getting! She went with her Daddy to a dance Saturday night. Although she didn't feel well (103 temp the night before) she sure looked cute!

Hartley had her 2-year check up this morning. The nurse and doctor were both impressed with her growth spurt in WEIGHT! She's actually on the charts now! About the 20th percentile- a little over 24lb. Her height is in the 75th.

I think a hear a little one stirring from a good 2 hour nap.. time to go!

hartley's 2nd birthday

We had a low key birthday party for Hartley over the weekend. It took me a whole week to recover and blog about it. :)

Hartley, Marshall (love the look he's giving a kid), Bess and Bella

It was mainly family and a close friend. It started at 10:30am. At least that's what I put on the invitation! Guests started arriving at 10am. I had to laugh and relax.

Isaiah

Last year, the weather was perfect! We didn't get to enjoy it because her party was in the evening. We planned ahead this year and decided to schedule it in the morning, outside. We borrowed an inflatable jump house from Rebecca and the kids enjoyed that and Hartley's swing set.

Anna and Bess

Jim grilled hot dogs and we had that with chili, chips, fruit and a veggie tray. There wasn't much food leftover!

Caleb, pronounced "pillow" by Hartley

I made cake pops and a round cake the day before the party. My cake turned out horribly, but those who ate it said it was good. I think they were lying. :) Along with the cake, my craft idea was.not.working. I planned for the kids to color on pieces of sandpaper and then I would iron them on to a shirt. My trial shirt turned out awful. So I went to bed Friday night stressing about Hartley's party. But everything came together! The kids had fun. I actually had time to eat during the party! A success.

Bella

The weather was perfect and I got some great shots of the kids!

We got a family shot in! YAY! And Hartley tried to smile! Even more YAY!

"TWOOOOO!"

Hartley's favorite outfit is her "cow shirt." She got to wear it 3 times last week.

Mema and Hartley

Hartley went to bed last night feeling a little warm. This morning she was really warm.. so we're taking it easy today and relaxing before her big date tomorrow night with Daddy. :)

Laurie and Mac

There's a benefit tomorrow night, the annual Daddy-Daughter dance. Hartley's cousin Anna (and Uncle Jacey), along with Hartley's buddies from church, will be going. Hartley's going to be wearing a purple dress- the girl looks good in purple! And Marshall is wearing a purple bow tie. I hope they have a good time together. While they're doing that, the moms from church are getting together.

We took some pictures yesterday for Hartley's 2 year photoshoot. Not impressed, but it's hard to get a 2 year old to sit still. And smile attractively.

She had her usual photoshoot on the front steps with Grandmommie, pronounced Mom-mommie.

And then Jim joined them. Hartley is still talking about "Jim ate all da tooties." (cookies)

It was very good, but very busy, weekend! I'll get around to blogging Hartley's 2-year post soon. Maybe.

busy busy

Oh my goodness. Hartley keeps us so busy! She has mood swings already! We are definitely in the terrible 2's and temper tantrums are in full swing. While they are brief, they are pretty funny. She's started sprawling out on the floor and I can't help but laugh at her. Fortunately, she's well-behaved in public (and even quiet sometimes!).

We talk about emotions a lot. She shows me her silly faces. And her sad faces.

That sad face is pretty miserable. Poor thing.

And she usually gives us a smile for the camera. Very cheesy smiles.

She still has a hard time with the hard "kuh" sound. Instead of kitty cat, we still hear titty tat. There's also tate (cake), tamera, tootie (usually this goes with tootie motnah.. cookie monster), etc. You get the idea. Oh, and muntney. You know, like Curious George the monkey.

 One of our favorite mispronunciations is strawbabies. She loves her some strawbabies!

She will be TWO on Friday! We can't get over how quickly she's grown up, especially when she tells us I a big girl! We pout when that happens.

But I will be spoiled later this week as my sister-in-law has Baby Luke pulled out. He's breech so a c-section has been scheduled Thursday morning. We're praying he turns so she can have one of those 15 minute speed-deliveries she's known for. :)

I'm excited to see how Hartley takes everything in. We've talked about Baby Luke a lot. And she knows he's in BecBec's belly. I've also been telling her we will meet him very soon. I can't wait to see her face when she finally meets Luke.

We're having her birthday party Saturday morning with family. Marshall and I have been working on her gift- a kitchen set! Our other sister-in-law Janna found a Kid Kraft kitchen at Goodwill for cheap. It needed doors and some loving. Lots of loving. Once we get it finished we'll upload pictures. We know she's going to love it! And I'm gonna love being able to cook by myself!!

wait, there's more.

And just when you thought we were finished with big changes for Hartley...

I got the itch to move our guest bed into her room. Hartley loves her "new bed."

Now I'm just having seller's remorse from selling our futon last year. The guest room is pretty empty..

23 months

Hartley Caroline

you are twenty-three months old!

My.oh.my.

I love the above picture. You are all about playing hide and seek these days. You don't fully understand the rules, but it's fun to hide from you and hear "are you, Mommaaaaa?" Your counting is improving more and more everyday! You know your numbers, 1 to 10, and sometimes I'll hear you counting to yourself. I also count with you, if you cooperate. :) You also know many letters, but you only sing "ABCD. ABCD. ABCD." At least it's in the right tune.

You hit some major milestones this past month. First with potty training, then with your big girl bed! It took a few days (and some horrible naps) but you lay down and stay down! And as we're tucking you in you say, "Momma Daddy pop." Yes, we will (if you get out of your bed). There were a few times I forgot to turn your sound machine on or not loud enough, and I heard you get out, turn it on/up and scurry back into bed.

Unfortunately, the top picture is how you "cheese." The bottom is the cute one I like to see.. with the one dimple on the other cheek. :)

And you're just plain silly. Still. You tell us we're "siddy" too. "Siddy Momma. Siddy Daddy." Your vocabulary is amazing. You continue to pick up new words everyday. One of our favorites is "heavy." You'll carry something (like a gallon of bleach.. what in the world?) and bring it to me, "It heavy, Momma!" in a very struggling voice.

You love to sing! And dance. And make us sing and dance. You've started telling me to do a lot, too. "Push" the shopping cart, the "fwing" (swing). Yesterday morning, I got out of the shower and you told me "go get dress." That was a new one.

You ask for help, but you demand to do things by yourself all the time. You hate it when we brush your teeth for you. You whine a lot. You throw tantrums multiple times a day. I know this is just the beginning of terrible 2's. We remind you a lot to use your words. You know about emotions and I try to incorporate those into understanding why you're whining, screaming, or frustrated. Whining gets old quick.

You're growing up so quickly! You are going to be a performer like your big cousin Anna- always entertaining us. You make us laugh and smile so much- no wonder we're getting more wrinkles!

Your birthday is almost here! Daddy and I are working on a surprise kitchen set for you. We hope you like it and leave me alone while I cook. :)

And because these pictures are long overdue, I'll share projects that have happened since September.

I joined pinterest a few months ago while my sewing machine was being fixed. I found a lot of inspiration and a half empty gallon of paint in our garage. Out with the yukon gold and in with fernwood green! What was I thinking with that yellow!? I love how the green and white beadboard wainscoting looks so fresh and so clean clean. I'm also still working on the alphabet collage. I've used mostly styrofoam to cut out letters and glue fabric on. If I found a random letter on clearance at Hobby Lobby (pronounced "hobby loddy" by H) I would grab it up. I think I may have found 8 at really cheap prices. A few were less than 10cents each. What what! I'd like to get a clock for the letter "O."

Remember in one of the potty training posts, I mentioned a water faucet extender thing? This is it. A styrofoam cup with a hole. Shimmy the faucet in it.. and voila. For the record- that's how you're supposed to spell voila. Huge pet peeve. (AAGGGHH.. THIS WAS EDITED)

Yup, toothpaste on one side. Potty treats on the other! Don't mind if I help myself, too.

where do we start?

It's been too long. Our computer bit the dust in early December, actually over the summer when somebody spilt coffee on it.. but that's another story. In the meantime, I was using Marshall's really old laptop from vet school. Which means I couldn't upload pictures/videos OR print coupons. Quite the dilemma.

But my hubs likes to spoil me when he gets the chance. He found a used computer which a screen bigger than our bedroom tv. It's amazing!

So be prepared for some picture dumps in the near future.

In the meantime, we'll share our Christmas events.

We had a low-key Christmas morning. Hartley loved Christmas this year- last year she had no clue. But everywhere we went, we heard "Pismis lights!" and "Nono boat!" If you weren't informed, Hartley thought Santa was Noah. In her Bible, Noah has a beard (and stocking hat) that looks strangely similar to Santa. We did not tell her otherwise.

We got her a swing set in November, so she opened a few tiny presents Christmas morning. We spent that evening at Mema's house. Hartley got an amazing Fisher Price nativity set. We will leave it out all year long. :)

Wednesday morning we were heading to Columbus to have Christmas with my family. We woke up to heartbreaking news about the Davis family, a family that Marshall grew up with and Mrs. Jean was dear friends with the mom/wife. There was a fire during the night and no one woke up (they didn't have fire alarms). We're thankful that they passed away in their sleep due to smoke inhalation. It was hard to think about anything else the next few days, especially on long drives and being away from Brooklet.

We enjoyed a brief visit in Ctown with Grandmommie and Jim before heading home for the visitation and funeral. Hartley got some fun/noisy toys- a guitar! A doctor's kit, which she calls "Docta Moore," camera, and a book so we can practice letters!

Hartley had fun with her cousins Jayden and Emma. Hopefully we'll see them at Hartley's SECOND birthday!

We rang in the new year as usual- Krystal's! For the past 6 years we've eaten Krystal's and I was tempted to quit the one tradition we have, but Marshall picked up a sackful on the way home from the funeral.

Maybe I'll get around the posting one of those end of the year surveys. 2011 was different. It was a good year, but it was tough. It was emotional.

And my resolution for 2011 was to gain weight- that didn't happen.