Getting ready for bed

We try to keep the boys on a schedule, as best we can (makes it so much easier when Derek is out of town). Lately Hatcher has really enjoyed the whole ordeal and "races" with Aidan and Daddy, who gives baths to both boys almost every night he is in town, to see who can get undressed first. When that game ends...it is who wants to shampoo their hair first, and go figure, Hatcher always says - "Aidan does Daddy!"

Hatcher will still on occasion use the potty on his own, but in the evenings it is more of the act of sitting on the potty and then getting to flush. He is the best at using the potty in the morning. I am trying to make a book about the potty for both he and Aidan, so I took the cutest picture of Hatcher on the potty.

And...as many of you know...everyone still ends up in our bed every morning. Hatcher starts the night in his room and on good nights makes it until 3 or 4 am, but something rouses him and he comes into our room. He has been suffering from bad allergies and night terrors, so the combination of not being comfortable and being scared makes for long nights for everyone. So you will see in the last photo...that is where Hatcher ends up. And every morning at 7, Hatcher will sit up and tell each one of us Good Morning, and then ask to watch the Wiggles!

Thank You Easter Bunny!

We hope you all had a wonderful Easter. Hatcher had a blast. We have been letting him watch the classic "The Easter Bunny is Comin' to Town" movie and he could hardly sleep the night before Easter. He kept waking up and coming into our room telling Derek, "Daddy, the bunny is coming over the hill. The Easter Bunny is going to bring eggs Daddy." It was cute...until about 3 am when Derek finally had to go and sleep with Hatcher in his room.

We had several Easter egg hunts this year. First, Hatcher had an Easter Egg party and hunt at school. Then we went to G'ama and Tom's house on Saturday to color eggs...and surprise...the Easter Bunny had already made a visit. Then the Easter Bunny made a stop at our house and hid some eggs with stickers and loli-pops inside. And finally, he made his annual visit to Berkeley Lake where all the kids come together and find eggs and can visit with the Easter Bunny. Marma came over and went down to the lake with all of us for the Berkeley Lake Easter Egg Hunt. You have to look at the picture of the kids with the Easter Bunny below. Notice that Hatcher is climbing over the railing in the gazebo to get away from the Easter Bunny...as quickly as we set him down he went running. He just up and leaves poor screaming Aidan to fend for himself! Too funny!

There were WAY too many good photos to share, so I created another montage. I also made a trip to get the boys pictures taken professionally - since it has been a while. They turned out pretty cute. It was a great weekend - and we hope you all had a wonderful holiday as well!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Happy St. Patrick's Day

To celebrate the spirit of the Irish...the boys, dressed in a festive green, hope you all find your pot of gold at the bottom of your rainbows!

A day with family

Hatcher had been asking to see Marma and P'bo this week so Derek and I made plans to take the boys to see them Sunday afternoon. The weather was super nice, so nice in fact that Derek got sunburned in the mere hour we were outdoors. Hatcher rode on the 4-wheeler with Daddy and Uncle Jared, shot the styrofoam rockets with P'bo and had tea with Marma. Aunt Christina and I took it much easier and watched the chaos from a distance playing with Aidan. It was a nice afternoon. When we left, we stopped by Dairy Queen for a kit-kat blizzard (my new favorite summer treat). Hatcher, Derek and I shared the whole thing on the ride home...mmm, mmm GOOD! Hatcher kept saying, "I need more cream Mommy...more cream!" That evening at home, we cooked hamburgers outside on the deck and soaked up the rest of the setting sun. We are ready for spring!

Bad weather...so Daddy builds a fort indoors!

As many of you may know by now, Atlanta had horrible weather on Friday evening and Saturday all day with tornadoes (22 in GA on Sat.) and hail storms. We were very lucky and experienced only one hail storm and suffered no damage other than smaller limbs and branches down. But, the hail was HUGE. Derek was like a little kid glued to the windows in the basement watching the hail fall - yes, I know - you are supposed to steer clear of windows during these storms. Feel free to remind Derek of this too! So as soon as the storm passed, Derek ran outside to investigate the awesome hail that was left in the wake of the fast moving systems and found several pieces of hail near 2.5 inches in diameter. (Don't worry, we took pictures below for the skeptics. And Derek went so far as to put some into the freezer for future "showings.")






At any rate, Hatcher was wound so tight and wanted OUT of the house. We had originally scheduled to celebrate Uncle Ben's 32 birthday (March 12), but with the on-going severe weather all day, we canceled the afternoon at G'ma and Tom's house and tried to keep Hatcher's need for running about under control. So Derek built a fort out of blankets and an assortment of chairs. Hatcher wanted everyone to get inside. At one point we were even using the bar on Aidan's exersaucer to support one of the walls so we could all be under the "tarp" with Hatcher. That fun lasted all of 30 min (a fairly decent amount of time for a 2 year old)! So when the weather finally cleared, we all went to have Mexican food with Uncle Ben to celebrate his birthday. And Hatcher danced the night away to the Latina music while eating chips, sipping on diluted sweet tea and practically running in circles. Man, boys have SO much energy. Happy Birthday Ben!

Yeah Hatcher! You are using the potty!

Wow - Hatcher is growing so fast. This week he has been getting so much better about the potty. He uses it on occasion at school, but we really haven't been diligent about using it at home until this week. And on Wednesday morning, after sleeping the ENTIRE night in his own bed (HUGE FEAT!), he came into our room at 7 am and told Derek that he needed to use the potty. And...then, he DID! He peed in the potty! And did it again this morning! For those of you wondering about the other part of the equation, no, he didn't sleep the whole night in his own bed...but one hurdle at a time and I will take one victory over none! Anyway...congrats Hatcher! Mommy and Daddy are super proud of you!

Being silly...being boys

It is crazy to me how fast children change and grow. The picture of Hatcher below makes him look so much older than a 26 month old toddler. He talks so well lately. He likes to tell Derek and I what to do all the time..."Mommy sit here. Daddy come, help me. Dakota, no barking! (wonder where he heard that) Come with me Aidan Grey." It amazes us all the time. Barkley is definitely more protective and friendly with the kids than Dakota. He will let both children play with him, sit on him, squeeze and love him. Aidan is just now forming a bond with him and I got some of the firsts on film.

Best buds...

It amazes me how much these two love hanging out with each other. I think more so it is Hatcher's love of all toys and Aidan wanting to watch Hatcher play with them. Aidan is 31 weeks old now and will stand on his own if he is holding onto something...as you will see below holding onto the stair railing. Hatcher is getting his 2 year molars and since he has never been a good sleeper, we can't say whether this new advancement is keeping him up at night...or his cold and congestion, or the additional book he wants to read, or the 5 more minutes of watching the Wiggles... LOL! You get the idea.