The Ballard Bunch

My mom forwarded me the link to this video and I thought it was so cool!

It's amazing how well they each morph into the next and how similar some of the women look during different periods of time.

Anyway, just something fun to enjoy...

Tatum had a run in with something stingy this afternoon while playing in the backyard. Haylee (Karen's oldest) thinks it was more of a wasp-type, but it's hard to say because no one else saw. Needless to say, Tatum came in screaming from the pain and after some investigation I found 2 solid (and a possible 3rd) stings right around her left eye area.

I tried to get a good picture of the swelling, but she wasn't too cooperative.

EXTREME CLOSE UP!



Thanks to Benadryl for the relief and the impending nap! Poor thing!

So I was finally able to sit down and make a couple of the dresses I'd mentioned in an earlier post. They turned out even cuter than I'd imagined!

Tatum loved hers and took to posing for pictures quite easily. Too bad she kept pulling the dress under her little boobies all night long - I was on "nipple patrol" the entire evening!

Here are some of her posing pics and one of Hayden with the worlds biggest smile - I love it!!!!

Since my mom has been here, we've been enjoying morning walks together. The girls enjoy the time outside and we get a little exercise before it's too hot out. Tatum's favorite part is pushing her umbrella stroller down the last stretch of our neighborhood.

I'm late posting this, but I wanted to share with you all some memories of Tate's first sleepover - and my first night with two two-year-olds. It, surprisingly, wasn't all that difficult.

Karen and Scott were busy moving into a new house last weekend and needed to be Bree-Free for a little while. I offered to take her overnight so that they could get some good moving in taken care of without a toddler under foot. We picked B up and squeezed one more car seat in the back of the Altima. (Another surprise - it fit!)

I was so excited at how well the girls got along! We went home for awhile (after a stop at the grocery store - that was the worst part of the whole experience) and played in Tatum's room before heading out to Beau's softball game. My mom kept Hayden at home and I took the two older girls with me.



Shortly after this clip was taken, B found a mud puddle to fall into and spent the rest of the game covered in goo. I had to laugh, typical B! The girls had a blast running around with all of the other kids and even did some cheering-on of the dads playing.

After arriving home, it was bath time...



...and then bedtime. Again, not as difficult as I'd imagined. B had a harder time going down, but mostly because she wasn't at home. Once she crashed on my lap, I was able to lay her down on her make-shift bed next to Tate's and they both slept through the night!


(here's a picture of the sleeping arrangements)

In the morning, we spent a little time playing...



...and eating breakfast and then it was time to go home!

All-in-all it was a fun night for the girls and not too traumatic for this mamma. **Please note, the pajamas are two sets split up. To avoid a potential fight, I let each girl wear a top from one set and a bottom from another - worked like a charm!

And, Hayden loved all of the excitement so much, she decided to crawl for the camera, too!

Baby's turn...

1) Her huge grin. She’s got this smile that lights the room – and she flashes it often.

2) She has the sweetest disposition ever. Even with the many, many ear infections (pre-tubes), she always acted happy and well. And, despite her sister’s constant harassment lately, she totally loves her unconditionally.

3) The army crawl. This has now evolved to full fledged cruising and the occasional stand-alone, but for the longest time she’d scoot across the floor like carefully crossing to enemy lines. She is so fast!!!

4) The fact that she snuggles still. It might only be when she’s tired or not feeling well, but she’ll still snuggle with me and I love it. Too bad she gets so darn sweaty when she falls asleep – soaked!

5) “Mama” and “Dada” – she’s saying these two constantly (I don’t know if it’s totally on purpose yet) and it’s so sweet.

6) Blowing raspberries. She can make the most amazing noises! She blows raspberries (the messy kind and the lips-only kind), clicks her tounge and smacks her lips. It’s so funny because if Tatum does one, she copies right away, usually.


(This is sideways, sorry.)

7) Her big eyes. Hay has the most beautiful and expressive eyes ever. They’re starting to turn a more brownish color than Tatum’s (still blue), but they have a hint of everything right now.

8) Sleeping butts-up. Both my girls do this and it’s one of my most favorite things to discover. They look adorable when they sleep. Hayden will occasionally fall asleep with her legs through the crib slats like she’d been sitting up talking to someone on the other side, too. Or, with her arms up under her head.



9) The girl can eat! You’d never know it looking at her, but in one sitting she can eat 2-3 jars of baby food and still snack off of Tatum’s plate (loving chicken nuggets right now). She must have the fastest metabolism of anyone I know, really.

10) How much she loves me. I know that sounds selfish, but I LOVE how excited she gets to see me. Tatum’s kind of grown out of that more now – she enjoys the chase. But Hayden can be in the middle of playing with the best toy ever and when I say, “Hayden!”, she turns wide-eyed and grinning and bolts in my direction. It feels good to be so loved.

Oh, I love my sweet baby girl. She’s growing up too fast – 1 year old in August!

Maybe it's because my mom is here, but I've been really inspired to start sewing more again. Here are a few of the projects I'm starting on this week:


It's a crayon apron to wear while coloring. Could you die? I thought this was one of the cutest things I've ever seen and I think it could be pretty simple to make at home. I'll let you know the steps once I figure them out. (This idea stolen out of my May "Parent's" magazine.)


Another stolen idea (aren't they always, though?) - I found a lady sellign these on Etsy.com (awesome site - check it out) and thought, "I can do that!" I've already started making the girls a few for the summer. Again, I'll post pics and instructions when I get them done.


Burp rags. Someone have another baby so I can make more of these as gifts. We have way too many in our house already.

Anyone want to be crafty? Call me - lets get together on ideas!

I've been meaning to do this for awhile, but haven't gotten to it. Inspired by yet another blogger - thanks Cami! - I wanted to do a top 10 list of each of my girls. Not quite sure if I'll make it to Hayden tonight, but I figured that since I'm at my wit's end with Tate, it might be a good idea to remind myself why I really do love her so much.

Here goes...

1) The dimples. I remember thinking, when I was pregnant with her, "I hope she gets Beau's dimples." Something about that boy's dimples make me melt and all I could do was picture them on a little baby girl and I knew I'd be butter. They're especially adorable when you can really get her to giggle and grin...mostly when you tickle under her chin.

2) How any time you tell her "Swiper, No Swiping" she'll stop what she's doing and say "Awwwwwwwww Man!" and throw her fist down in frustration like Swiper on Dora the Explorer. It's pretty darn cute.

3) Her curly hair. Even though she hates having it fixed, it is super cute and perfectly manageable. She's got the curl that every girl wants...enough to give you some body and a good wave, but not too tight and it can be easily straightened. And, if you work at it a bit, you can have the most adorable ringlets ever.

4) The way she greets Hayden in the morning. "Hi Baby!!!!!" The most excited alarm clock a girl could have. Never mind that it's at 7:30 in the morning...it's still pretty awesome. She really loves her baby sister, even if she is in bed very early tonight for tormenting her.

5) She says "please" and "thank you" almost always without a push. It's a silly, small reward for a mom, but I love when I see her being polite on her own. And, if she doesn't want something she's offered, she says "No, Thanks." It's priceless.

6) Her rendition of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star". It goes something like this (repeated over and over and over - never ending): "Twinkle Tars. How I are. Like a Diamond in the Guys." I can't find it in me to correct her because I secretly love how she sings it MUCH better than the original. Guys = Skies. Too cute.

7) How almost every word that starts with an "s" somehow gets changed. For instance, swimming = wimmings, star = tars, stay = tays. She's stopped doing it as much as she's learning the right way to say things, but it's totally Tate. She'll tell the dog, "Emmit - tays!" And she used to tell him, "Good God" instead of "Good Dog". I'd laugh so hard every time. Is that bad?

8) She gets excited for any kind of presents - hers or someone else's. For father's day she kept telling Beau, "Presents Daddy! I make you presents!". And after he'd opened all of them, she kept asking him if he wanted more. No more to give, but she likes the idea of giving and opening a surprise. I'm hoping she'll continue this as she gets older - it's nice to see her love to give to others. Sharing? Not so much.

9) She names every baby either "Shantell" or simply "Baby" and when I ask her the name, she takes a moment, looks up and out the corner of her eye like she's really figuring it out, and then tells me one of the two. I'm going to have to somehow get a picture of the eye thing - it's awesome. She makes fantastic faces.

10) The Princess, Ballerina, Dress-Up Phase. She's turned into such a girlie-girl. She is constantly playing dress up and dancing for us in the living room. "Mamma, I'm a pretty princess" and she'll march in and dance. When she's a ballerina, she'll twirl and try to spot her head, but it ends up looking more like a head shake while she jumps. Super girlie with a rather prominent streak of fearlessness. I'm a little scared of the chances she takes sometimes!



Whew! This really was therapeutic - I need to do this more often. I'll try and get to Hayden's soon.

Maybe tomorrow? Here's to hoping.

5:00 am - The alarm sounds and I reluctantly drag myself into the shower, long before my early-to-rise husband even stirs in bed.

6:00 am - Diaper bags packed with some spare time to pack Beau a quick lunch. I know, I know - I'm simply amazing! :)

6:15 am - We're off! Blankie, binkie & baby in tow.

6:40 am - Check in at the surgical center as Hayden gazes, wide-eyed & tired, at everyone in the waiting room.

7:15 am - Hayden is called back into the "staging" area and is given the cutest and smallest hospital gown I've ever seen. Almost every doctor and nurse calls her a "he" and is quickly corrected by yours truly. I have to remember that, without a hairbow and distinguishing clothing, they probably all look the same gender.



7:20 am - We wait next to McFarty - the grossest, foulest, stinkiest man ever who was in recovery next to us for some kind of colon procedure. I've never heard farts like that in my life. And, judging from her reaction each time she heard one, neither had Hayden.



7:45 am - Without much struggle, they take my little baby and carry her back for surgery. I was surprisingly calm about the whole ordeal, she did well, too.

8:00 am - "Hayden's Mom?" I'm summoned from the waiting room to meet my little babe in recovery. She was unusually hysterical for quite awhile - I was assured that sometimes small children have a hard time adjusting from anesthesia and take awhile to get their bearings. Saucy little girl, she was just hysterical enough that the nurse let me take the mini-gown home so that I wouldn't have to upset her more by trying to take it off.



8:45 am - Out the door and into the car. She cried quite a bit more on the way to pick up her Rx (just to kill the final ear infection) and to pick up some baby Tylenol (for the pain of recovery).

9:15 am - Home, at last. She wasn't too happy for the first few minutes and really just wanted to sit on the floor and feel at home again. She did cry enough to get pretty red in the face, though. After a little time Hayden fell asleep and was calm enough to allow for some sleep in her crib.



9:30 am - Tatum pees AND poos on the potty (yay!) and goes outside to help Grandma Leigh fix up the pool for some play time later.

10:30 am - Mom gets some alone time to blog (I'm obsessive, I know) and to post pics for all to see.

Now - Time to rest. All of us.

I was just looking through some old pictures and came across this one of me on my first birthday. It surprised me how much it looked like Hayden. I think I just may have a child that looks like me after all!

We've got a busy week ahead of us!



On Thursday, Hayden will have her surgery and hopefully that will be the begining of the end of the ear infections. Or at least, a drastic decline in them. I'm not sure what time her surgery is, but I've been told that they get the youngest in earliest, so she should be pretty early in the morning. I'll post an update as soon as it's all done.

Saturday is the big Bachelorette Party for Brienna! Just a few more things to get together and we're ready - should be a fun time.

Hope you are all having a fun weekend!

After several requests, here's my contribution to the "favorites" trend. Please note, items subject to change at a moment's notice! :)

Old Navy Flip Flops
They're cheap, they're cute and they're all mine!


TeePee’s for Kids
I've got the fabric and the pattern - just need to get-a-sewing. Thanks, Jami, for the inspiration. So cute!


Shutterfly
I love that I can order cheap prints, receive great customer service and really quick shipping without having to leave my home! I order ALL of my prints here.


Grilled Chicken
Despite it being a much healthier alternative to a lot of other choices, it's SO yummy! My current favorite dish with grilled chicken is lite tacos. I take grilled chicken (just use a little oil, salt and pepper to taste) pulled into small pieces, and combine with black beans, lettuce, sweet corn, tomatoes (for those of you that like them) and a little sour cream on a low-carb flour tortilla. It's so yummy!


Watermelon
My mom is visiting and lives on this stuff. I'm officially hooked, but give me the seedless variety, please!


Mr. Clean Magic Eraser
I live with a two-year-old. Need I say more? Miracle product.


Ikea
I love everything about it. Well, everything besides the parking and the lines. I could spend hours browsing and thousands of dollars, were it available. If you haven't been yet, go! It's a must for anyone starting out or who likes a sweet deal on home items.


Dyson Vacuum
I never know how "sucky" my vacuum was until I got one of these. It's amazing, bagless, filterless and stylish to boot. If you want a test drive before spending the $$$, come over for a visit.


Quaker Oatmeal
Another new diet favorite. I make a serving of this add a touch of sweetener (you can use sugar if you want) and lots of fresh cut strawberries. It's sweet and filling. Special K, my rear.


Morning Walks w/ Mom & The Girls
This is another new favorite, thanks to my mom's visit. The girls and I had been going off and on the last few weeks, but with mom here we've been a lot more diligent. And we're all loving it!


Now, be cool and blog your own favorites. It was surprisingly challenging, but equally fun. Go me!

So, I hesitate to post this picture, but only do so because I know that all of my mamma-friends will appreciate. Today has been a doozie.

1) Tatum is again potty training, with little success so far. She's had a few accidents, but nothing I couldn't handle. Then, later this afternoon, she went poo in her panties. She made the BIGGEST mess and had to be hosed off. It was the biggest mess I've ever seen. Well, until Hayden decided to follow suit.

2) After her nap, I went in Hayden's room to find her in a mess of her own. WARNING!!! The following picture is kind of grossy, but it's the best way to illustrate the messes I've been exposed to today.

**please note, the disgusting contribution on her binkie - I about lost it when I saw that.



Only could this happen on the same day. I can only be thankful that I have a washer and dryer on site - it could be worse, right? :)

Here are a few more pictures of Hayden enjoying the sun and the pool. Enjoy!

There is one song that I totally remember singing as a kid. "Swimming, swimming in a swimming pool. When days are hot, when days are cool - in a swimming pool!" Ask me sometime in person and I'll sing the entire song for you - it's pretty fun for a kid.

So....

It's officially summertime at our house! My mom bought a pool for the backyard at Smith's today and Tatum couldn't resist enjoying it early...even with freezing water.

And what kid doesn't like drinking from the hose?!?!?

p.s. Had to include her diva pose on the trampoline after her swim. She is too funny sometimes. :)