Just another Manic Monday...

Hailey and I had a great time playing together today! Owen was supposed to come, but his Daddy decided to stay home and stay with him, so we had the day to ourselves! And, boy did we get a lot done. We went crazy and organized the food cupboard, scrubbed the floor, finished addressing all the Christmas cards, put clean sheets on the bed, did a few loads of laundry, and baked a new dessert! Well, that's what I did- Hailey got in a lot of trouble, today and kept herself busy scooting from thing to thing! Luckily, for her, I put her in an adorable little outfit and she's just so cute naturally that I couldn't even be mad at her! :)

Here she is at the end of the hallway...I busted her on her way into our bedroom! She was after the little basket of toys that I keep in there. Which is super funny, because she has a huge basket of toys in the living room! :)
I can't get over these big beautiful blue eyes. I just love them so much! And, I just love putting her in outfits that match her eyes- even though little girls aren't suposed to wear blue! :)

A Big Weekend!

Hailey had one really big and long weekend! Long because she is cutting her first upper tooth and she is such a bear and had a hard time sleeping for a few night...Big because,it was her first Thanksgiving, which was super fun, and she went shopping for the first time on Black Friday, which was very interesting..., and she had her first playdate with a boy, which her daddy thought was very scary (hahaha- I don't think he's worried just yet!) :) But, all of these things did add up to being a super fun weekend that it's going to be hard to say goodbye to tomorrow morning! :(

Good thing Hailey's practicing waving for all of us-at least she'll be ready to say goodbye! :)

Isn't this little thanksgiving outfit cute??
She's getting an early start on eating(she doesn't want to look like a pig at the dinner table, so she's trying to fill up early!)...I think that is eggplant! :)

Hailey and her little basket of food- her favorite toy in the whole world!

still practicing, but this time it's her sign for milk that she's practicing...

At first neither one of the kids would look at the camera...

then Hailey cried...

then Corban looked at the camera....

then finally Hailey did...

Aren't these two cute together??? Corban is about 5 months younger than Hailey, but he is already bigger! The only time that Hailey looks bigger is when they're standing- she's probably a good few inches taller than him, but he definitely weighs more than her! :) They're both wearing the same size clothes, though! And, I think that Corban will be growing out of his soon and Hailey really isn't even close...oh well, good thing for me- I'll be able to spend less for a little while! ;)

Well, I hope everyone else had a great weekend, too! Hailey and I are off to watch Korey work on some stuff in the basement! :)

thankful thursday

Happy Thanksgiving!! Korey and I never got a chance to talk about what we were thankful for this year, so I'll do that on here! :) I just love this time of the year and I love taking a few minutes to thank the Lord for all the blessings that I've gotten this past year and just to take a little while to even just think about what He's given me! I feel like I just don't take the time to really count my many blessings- and I definitely don't take the amount of time that I should take! So, for one day I'm going to think of my many blessings and count them one by one!!
First and foremost I'm so thankful that Jesus is in charge of my life! There has never really been a year where I have been so up in the air and so in need of God's grace...and, surprisingly enough- or probably not so surprisingly- God really pulled through for me! :) He has showed me over and over again how wonderful and freeing life can be when I just give it up to Him. (and, I'm thankful for His grace and patience with me!) I'm also thankful for my wonderful husband. Korey is such a trooper and he has put up with more weepy nights, days, afternoons, mornings, evenings than ever before and the best part is- he still loves me! He has totally risen to the challenge of having a daughter and he is a wonderful and amazing Dad! Which brings me to the next thing that I am thankful for. I can barely even get this out without crying, but I am so completely thankful for my daughter. She has been such a blessing to my life. I am in love with being a Mom and I will never be able to thank God enough for her! She has changed my life sooooooo much, but I wouldn't go back to last year for anything in the world! (and not just because I was a WHALE at this time last year!) :) I am so thankful, too, for my little dog. She makes me feel so much safer when Korey's gone and she is such a fun distraction when I'm bored during the day! God really blessed our family with her 3 years ago and I love having her as a part of our lives. I'm very thankful for our families. It's a great blessing to have Grandparent's who pray for our daughter and who we can count on to help us teach her great and godly things. And, I just love the fact that our siblings love Hailey so much. None of them complain when all I do is talk about her and it's so much fun to have someone to get excited with me about her little "skills". And, last, but not least, since Korey is looking at the possibility of loosing his job this next year, I guess I can be a little sappy and say that I am super thankful for our wonderful church and the great friends that we have made there and in our neighborhood. I feel like I have grown so much in my walk with teh Lord and I contribute a lot of that to the fact that God has really blessed me with great godly friends who encourage me in the right things. I hope I never have to leave my safe little town, surrounded by all my friends, but if God does move us away then I can always know that the time we spent here was definitely worthwhile and not at all a waste! Thank you for listening to my thankful ramblings! I hope that you took the time to thank God for some blessings in your life this Thanksgiving!

praying...

I think that this caption should read, "please, dear Jesus, let my Mommy come soon. This place is crazy!" ;)

a very productive day...

I got my sewing machine fixed this morning- apparently it wasn't too big of an issue- just a little jam that I couldn't get out! Lucky for me!! I was sooo relieved! And, so was the lady at the sewing store, 'cause I brought both Hailey and Owen with me and Owen was crying and Hailey was getting all around, so it was good that we didn't have to spend too much time in there! :) (maybe that's why she rushed us out so quickly...hmmm...) Anyways, after all that crying both the kiddos were worn out, so they slept for a nice long time this afternoon and I had plenty of time to do some sewing! So, I got my first real projects done! Here they are...

Here's a nursing wrap that I made...I love the fabrics. I don't really know who I'll give it to, but hopefully someday I'll have a friend who'll have a baby and she'll need one! :)

Here's me wearing the nursing wrp. Hailey and I used it today and she really liked it, too! well, actually she didn't...she always hated nursing wraps!
I also made some little bibs for Hailey. She had been pulling her velcro ones off and so I decided that instead of just "dealing" with it, I'd just make her some with ties so that she couldn't pull them off!! And, it worked, too! She tried and tried and the bib stayed on!! hehehehe...Mommy wins! :)

Here are the other three bibs that I made. I just think they're so adorable! I'm so loving the brown and pink these days!! :)

I'm hoping that one of these days I can get some little burp clothes made that'll match the nursing wrap, but we'll have to see if I can find some more time in my life! :)

Oh yeah...I LOVE MY NEW SEWING MACHINE!! It's official- it sews better than any machine I've ever even used and I really, really, really love how quiet it is. I sewed in the same room that Owen slept and he didn't even wake up! And...it sews a straight line like nothing- almost on it's own. And that compared to my old machine is a HUGE step up! :)

mommy and hailey time!

Hailey and I have been on our own a lot, lately! Korey has been working a ton...AGAIN! You'd think that with him being so important to them and them needing him so much that he'd for sure have job security, but apparently that's not how it works! But, Hailey and I have been making the best of it and been having some fun times- just the two of us! :) Today we went shopping for a new purse and some fabric to make a nursing wrap. :) Ever since I got a homemade one for a present I've wanted to try and make one! so far it's going pretty well, but I broke my sewing machine, so we're on a little bit of a break from it! :( It's so sad...I almost cried... Hopefully I can get it fixed soon, otherwise I can't finish my stuff and start my cute little bibs that I have planned for Hailey! I bought some adorable little pink terry cloth and some fun brown and pink ribbon to make them "cuter"!!

Don't you just love her adorable little sweater dress?? I just bought it for her and I just love it!! The pink is relaly my favorite and the little grey polka dots just make it more and more fun! :)

look at her adorable little smile...she was so giggly this morning!! :)

what I love about being a Mom...

I love the snuggles and the wet sloppy kisses. I love the giggles and the snotty noses. I love the splashes during bathtime and the "daddy" wispered in the dark. I love the "uh-oh's" after a toy is dropped and the big messes that that creates. I love the scooting accross the floor and the jumping in the jumperoo. I love the cute little dresses and the adorable soft shoes. I love the smiles that greet me in the morning and the smiles that greet me in the afternoon. I love the playing in bed when it's bedtime and the cries that signal it's morning. I love the duck call and the jabbering that goes on in the backseat of the car. I love the baby toys scattered all accross the room and the getting stuck underneath the table or chair. I love the toys, rocks, leaves, dog toys, dog food, kleenex, etc. that I pull out of the mouth and the two little teeth that belong there. I love the nursing and the small little hand that searches for my face. I love the gorgeous big blue eyes and beautiful little face that God perfectly put together. I adore the man who gave me this baby girl and I love him for all the work that he does for me and the time that he spends with his daugther! But, most of all I love, adore, praise, thank, and lift up the God who gave all of this to me! "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!"

doggie!

Hailey was a little cranky today, but as soon as she ate and got all ready for bed the cuteness just came out, so I just had to let her play for a while! This is what she did...

she chewed on puzzle pieces!
while Allie played with her ball!

then she got jealous...

and stole Allie's ball

Allie got jealous...

and then Hailey decided to eat it...ewwww!!! I can't believe I got this on camera- and admitted to it by putting it on here! ;)

Allie wouldn't leave Hailey as long as she had her ball in her lap!

definitely as close as they've gotten in a while- now that Hailey's kind of moving around Allie pretty much steers clear of her- unless she has food!

Allie even let Hailey touch her leg...she looks like she's being a little wary, but still not willing to leave her ball!

I love these two- they're so funny together and I just love the fact that Hailey is in love with her puppy! In fact, she just loves saying "pu,pu,pu" all the time now. Someday soon maybe she'll get the whole word...but, I guess until then we'll have to be ok with Daddy!

fashion show

Today was such a lazy Sunday that I decided to go through some of Hailey's clothes and look for ones that don't fit anymore and get out some new ones. It's so weird how baby clothes are...some are made so small, but then some of them are really big! She's still wearing a few 3-6 month outfits, but I just got out her 12 month clothes today and some of them fit her really well!! Go figure! :) I had a good time changing her little outfits and showing all the new stuff to Korey. He was way more interested in what was happening with the Packer game, but he's such a good husband that he humored me and looked at all her cute new outfits. :)

We call her Hailey Crocket

I think this is going to really take off for a new fall baby style...

I'm pretty sure this is her saying, "yeah, I know I look dumb...take it up with my Mom"

Here's a little Christmas nightie that I think Korey wore for his second Christmas! Doesn't she just look so cute in it???

Pay no attention to the mess all around us...it's all the clothes that I brought up from the basement- mixed in with Hailey's toys!

One thing that I was kind of asking myself about this cute little nightie is...what was the deal with Korey wearing this as a kid??? It looks cute on a little girl, but on a boy???? Maybe his Mom just had it and he didn't actually wear it...

daddy, daddy, daddy...

Korey and Hailey just have so much fun together. I just LOVE IT!! It makes me giggle to see them playing! Hailey really does love her Daddy...in fact, Hailey said her first "real" word the other day- Daddy! Isn't that fun. She actually even said it from her bed about 6:15 in the morning...which was kind of nice to hear. (Too bad Korey was gone duck hunting, but it gives me hope for later when she decides to get up early in the morning!!) :) I'm glad that she just loves her Daddy that much and I know that it just warms his heart. I don't think he's ever been happier in his whole life than he is now! He has a super cute daughter that everyone loves (or everyone we talk to anyways...) who can make duck calls, who lights up when he walks in the room, and who loves to sit and say 'daddy"! I wonder if life can get any better for a daddy! :) For me, I just love the fact that when he comes home from work she just wants to be held by him and to play with him, so it gives me a little bit of a break and the chance to finish up dinner and get it on the table while she plays with Daddy!!

Plus, it's just really fun to watch them play! Last night we were pushing her around the house in her dolly stroller- isnt' it crazy that she still fits in it?? She almost has outgrown it, but not quite- maybe in a few months she will!! :)

I think that he's trying to eat her head here...

oh boy...what is this??

just relaxing from all the work and play-good thing she has such a strong Daddy to lean on!!

I think I'm in love

And, it's with my new sewing machine! I just brought home a "new to me" Pfaff 2038 and I absolutely love it! It's so much more amazing than my "old" sewing machine that I can't even begin to start with what I love about it! Mostly, though, I love the fact that to sew a straight line all I have to do is sew...I can even take one hand off of the fabric to drink a sip of tea. (I did actually try this!) :) With my old sewing machine I could barely get a straight line no matter how hard I tried, so this is definitely a step up. It is a computerized machine, so it has about 80 some different stitches, including an alphabet and numbers. I love them all- they're so fun to play with, but I don't even really know where to start. I feel kind of like I went from Sewing 101 to Sewing 401 without even a step in between! I definitely need to get a little bit of a lesson from someone on how to use all of the buttons...here's a good example of how little I know about this machine: it has 9 different needle positions, where my old one only had one! The saddest part is- I don't even know why I would need to move the needle! ;) I am really having a fun time getting to know this machine, though. I've pretty much spent all of my freetime playing with it since I brought it home. Poor Hailey and Owen- they've been sort of neglected lately. Hailey loves playing with the little scraps of fabric, though, so she's pretty happy with the new machine, too! :) I did make a little tiny coaster sized thing and then a small fall table runner. Neither one of them turned out particularly well, but it was still pretty exciting to play with the machine and make them! :) I tried a lot of new stuff- hence the reason that they didn't turn out so well- so, I'm even more excited to make some more stuff and get more practice. I even did some free hand stitching for the first time. It definitely doesn't look like all the other stuff I've seen, but maybe someday it will...if I keep practicing! :) So, I'm off to do some more practicing!

gettin' around...

Hailey's been getting around a little bit more these days...she doesn't actually crawl, but she just sort of scoots along on her butt- getting herself from point A to point B! And, along with these new skills that she's been developing- she's been finding a little bit of trouble. I had to move the crock pot from the bottom shelf of this cart and now I think that I'm going to be doing a little bit more baby-proofing around here!

She loves playing with my kitchen utensils!

I think she takes after her Nani, she followed the sunlight around the room! ;)

uh-oh, here's some trouble!

pulling the kleenex out of the box...

apparently Allie wants to help her eat it! (yup...that's what she did with all the kleenex that she pulled out- ate it!!)

Hailey is pretty cute moving around these days...I love it! She even was pulling herself forward down the hallway after Korey and Allie this evening! I don't know if she just wanted to be by Daddy or if she was super motivated to get away from me and her pajamas, but either way it was fun to see! :)

is making duck noises really a skill??

Yes, it is...especially if it's made with a duck call!! As all of you know Korey is super into duck hunting- in fact, I'm pretty sure he's a little obsessed with it. But, for whatever it's worth- Korey gave Hailey her very own personal duck call :) and until today all she had done was chew on it! For some reason today she started copying Korey. He was walking around the house "practicing" on his duck call and when he walked outside I heard little noises coming from the kitchen- all of the sudden I heard a little sqawk come from her duck call! It was so cute and after more practice with Daddy she got really good at it. I do have a video of it, but these pics do sort of show her being cute!!

First little tries
She gets it!! Her cheeks puff out so big and when she blows her little eyes squeeze shut, 'cause she's working so hard!! :) She did it for about 15 minutes, then her cheeks got tired and she couldn't do it anymore!

Korey is just beside himself with excitement!! He can't wait for her to grow up and go out with him. I think that he might take us both a lot next fall...or so he says- he hasn't tried to sit quietly in a duck blind with a 18 month old before, though, so we'll see how long that lasts! :) (I guess I'm just happy that she can do some skills...maybe she can't crawl or anything cool like that, but at least she can call in the ducks!!) ;)

thankful thursday

This Thursday I'm so thankful for so many things...mostly, though, I'm just thankful for how much the Lord has blessed me! I have a great husband and a great little baby girl- I can't imagine life any better than it is right now! :) Here's why I'm so thankful for my life...my wonderful husband gets up early in the morning and doesn't even complain(regardless if it's getting up to go hunting or getting up to go to work!)- plus, he still comes home with plenty of energy left over for me and our baby girl! I'm so thankful that Korey loves to go duck hunting and that he really enjoys it! It makes my heart glad to see him enjoying something so much and it's sooo nice for him to come home all refreshed. I'm glad that he has something to do that he enjoys. Plus, I guess in some way it does sort of bring food to our table- when he does actually get anything! :) So, I gues I should say that I'm thankful for the internet that has given me plenty of ideas on how to cook venison, duck, and fish! I didn't know how to cook any of that stuff before I got married and I feel like, now, I could pretty much write my own cookbook on them! I'm also thankful, this Thursday, that I have a great daughter. Hailey's so special and such a joy to my life! I bought her her first doll today and I think that I was way more excited than she was about it! (she does seem to like it, though!) :) Here are some pics of her- wearing camo in honor of her daddy and playing with a doll! ;) (our poor daughter is gonna be sooo messed up!!)

Thank you, Lord, for the great reversal you did in my life on the day that this precious peanut was born! May I never forget all the grace that you have shown me!!!