Still Here...

Yes, I'm still here. Life has just been incredibly busy. Summer and its outrageous heat has arrived. I just heard on the news that hurricane season kicks off in less than 6 hours; yuck.

I took Hayden to visit my sister who lives 45 min. away today; tomorrow I have to make a trip to Mobile, visit the grandparents, and speak at church; Thursday, we're going to the aquarium with my sister and niece and nephew and then Nana is keeping all 3 kids so the sis and I can go for a night away (the husbands have to work Friday, so Mom is keeping the kids for all of us); Friday is pick up Hayden and haul stuff to my grandmother's for our yard sale. Tired yet? And have I mentioned that I've been purging my house so it's an absolute wreck?! I've surfaced cleaned, but the deep cleaning is waiting until I can find my guest room and closets again.

Oh, I forgot to mention that we took Hayden to the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola this past Sunday. He loved it! I am waiting until after we visit the aquarium to post pictures from everything.

Hayden fun facts of recent:
-We don't eat pizza as much as some might think, but it's definitely Hayden's favorite food and he asks for it all.the.time!
-He can sing "This is the Stuff" by Francesca Battistelli with me (pretty much word for word!)
-This past weekend Hayden found himself all wet after playing in my parents' water fountain in their garden; my dad calmly told him, "No, no. Don't play in the water." This is all he's said since Saturday! Why can't he remember this well when we tell him not to ride the dog or throw toys?!
-He's fascinated with lining up everything he can get his hands on. My kitchen table is covered with rows of cars, trucks, and trains.
-He flirts unashamedly with pretty girls.
-He loves the letter U!

The Infamous "THEY"

Who are the "they"? You know, the "They say...," "They thought...," mentality. I mean, really? Today I was confronted with the reality that "they" thought I had had a difficult year. Okay, yes, I admit I have. More than difficult, actually. But who is out there on my staff thinking about me?!?! And why? And yes, again, even though I had quite the year, I tried to be very careful in whom I spoke to about it. So who is running his/her mouth? Honestly, I really don't care because God has bigger and better things planned for me and our family, but this is really the first time I've been hit by the "they said..." group. Yikes.

On the plus side, I think I'll have some exciting news to share in the next few weeks (and no, it's not another baby!). I'm just not ready to post it here yet. Stay tuned!

A&C for Toddlers

Hello, blogger world and mommies! If you know any ideas or where to get ideas of arts and crafts for toddlers, please message/email me. I'd love to do some things with Hayden this summer and he loves creating! Plus, it'll be a great way to fill blazing summer afternoons and those days we don't go anywhere. My creativity has all been about sapped with my 7th graders. Thank you!

"I Tried"

I really need to just tape record my child 24/7; Hayden says the best stuff and I know I'll forget it all!

Today, 5/4/11, I picked him up from school. In the car I asked him if he had been good for his teacher, Mrs. Kristen. His straightforward response? "I tried." Guess I can't ask for much more!

I'm wracking my brain to think of other things he says. He likes to "fly," sing his ABC's, count to 10 in Spanish with me, and play outside. Maybe one day we can build him a treehouse and he can spend summer nights in it or something. Apparently, I'm the only one who can ever fix anything. Daddy is cool to play with; Mommy fixes everything---large or small, boo boo or toy or whatever. I love that when he gets excited about something (usually food/special treat), he jumps up and down and yells, "Yea! Yea! Yea!" I adore that he tells David, "Love you, man," every morning and before bed. He's fascinated with brushing his teeth. He loves to have his shoes on. He's best friends with Wyatt from school.

Hayden is one really cool kid, and I can't wait to spend summer with him. Even as much as he embarrases me and Dave, he's a dream for pretty much everyone else (aren't all kids?!). The owners of his school said they were talking about him the other day and about what a cool personality he's really going to have as he gets older. Oh, yeah, he must tell everyone bye as we leave--even strangers. And boy, does he know how to work those dimples and expressive eyes!

The last thing? He's 2---and he's very good at it! And while I'm tired of having my toes stepped on, getting headbutted, and being defied, he has a million more perfect qualities I have to focus on. I hope and pray that David and I are doing the best job we can with him.