Loving the Little Years

As a parent you hear all these horror stories about raising kids.  They begin before your child is even here --- "you're considering natural birth? you're crazy that baby hurts like heck!", "be ready for never having a social life again", "you'll quickly find out just how little sleep you can survive on", "you're never going to have money again", "just wait until she is 15 and dating" or my personal favorite "one day she is going to hate you and you'll wish for the terrible two's back!"

I admit, I have caught myself a time or two being one of those mom's who states the negatives about raising children and I catch myself and often wonder why we constantly find it necessary to scare new parents away from the joy a child brings to your life. Sometimes all we need is a fresh perspective on our circumstances and God's grace to get us through to the next morning.

Parenting a toddler is hard, it is exhausting, it is frustrating, it is tiring.  But, parenting a toddler is also exciting, funny, rewarding and uplifting.  The last 4 months have been some of the hardest I have faced with Hadley.  She has tested my limits to the outer most edges and when I thought I could not take another minute God gave me just a little more patience.  I fully understand the reason why households should have two parents --- TAG TEAM.  I find that God grants one of us with a little more grace, a little more love and a little more patience than the other every day.  And, thankfully, Will and I know very early on which of us is the one having that day.  So, when the tantrums begin, the tears fly, and the toys are thrown we look at each other and instantly know who is going to be able to calm Hadley down in the most productive way possible.

I want to start this New Year off with every intention of relishing in the small victories and the big smiles --- Loving the Little Years.

23 Months and Feeling Sassy

I was happy to see that it was only a month and a half since my last posting. I've been feeling like a slacker on keeping up with your milestones but keeping up with you is such a big job that who has time to blog too?!  My email just sent me a reminder that you are 22 months and entering week 4 this week, which means I am going to blink and you'll be 2.

To give you an update this is what's been going on with you:

• When mommy asks if you are a big girl or her baby you still tell me that you're my baby :)
• Have discovered the iPad has really fun games and you never want to put it down.  You're favorite game is Wheels on the Bus, you love to hear that song over and over and over.
• You can sing the ABC's up to "H" on your own
• You can sing Twinkle Twinkle but your version goes a little like this "twinkle twinkle star....<insert babble>....are.....<insert babble>...high.....star"
• You can recognize most of the animals and objects on your flash cards.  You even know the sounds a lot of the animals make
• You're favorite TV show is Daniel Tiger. You cannot get ENOUGH of him.
• Are such a model for the camera
• Love to work on cars with Daddy and play with the tools. You also like to hand him every tool you can find even if he doesn't need it
• Went to your first Tractor Pull in Lynnville
• Come home saying new words every day.  You are quite the talker.
• Love to play fetch with Daisy and you belly laugh so hard when she runs after the ball. You think its so funny that she chases it
• Are potty training yourself practically.  Even though we don't have it down you only go when you want to and not when anyone else tells you to sit on the potty. I think you only do it for the jellybeans.

21 is the new 24

Hadley Hadley Hadley, what are we going to do with you?!  You're only 21 months and are starting your terrible 2's early!  When people ask how Ms. Hadley is doing mommy says "one word: attitude!"  You are coming into your own, you're favorite word is "NO!" followed by "MINE!" and only one person can hold you, MOMMY.

This is what you have been up to:

• You went to Disney World for the first time but were only so-so about it. Except for the Musicals. Beauty and the Beast the Musical you had such a good time dancing to the music!

 

• Favorite Book: The Mine-O-Saur (other favorites: Llama Llama Red Pajama and Tea Party Rules)
• Favorite Song: ABC's (followed by: If you're happy and you know it).  Mommy can ask you "should we sing?" and you will say "uh huh" and I'll ask "what song?" and you will tell me "A....B....more more" You also like to really dance to the ABC's
• Talk a lot and are putting together sentences. "more please mommy" "i love mommy" "daddy boo boo"
• You like us to kiss your boo boo's before nap and bed time
• Every night before bed we say a little rhyme that you love "Goodnight mommy, goodnight daddy, goodnight bubba and goodnight Hadley. Goodnight fork, goodnight sppon, goodnight bottle, goodnight moon. Goodnight puppies whom we love, goodnight Father up above."
• You can show us that you are 1 by putting up your index finger
• Love working with tools and love watching Daddy work with tools
• Are OBSESSED with bubbles
• Love to FaceTime Grammy and Grampy and have figured out how to dial them all on your own
• Make the best "cheese!" face for photos. CRACKS ME UP.
  

Hadley is 18 months!

Sweet sweet girl! 18 months has snuck up on me and it's making mommy all too sad that you're no longer a baby!  You have developed into your own little independent person with sass and dramatics (sometimes too much sass and too much drama!).  You're communicating with us all the time and it's so fun to hear all the new words you say and finally be able to understand you and all the things you want :)  Each day you come home from school and have learned a new word or tell us a new word.  Before you know it, you and Bubba will be sneaking into each others room late at night to gab gab gab.

This Month You......

• LOVE to dance. You have the music inside you girlfriend!  You're favorite song is "What does the Fox say?" but you really will drop it likes its hot to anything that has a big bass beat!  Hip hop music definitely gets you going!
• Started walking up and down stairs (2 or 3 at a time).  You definitely have some trouble with it because of your ONH and depth perception issues, but you try and you're getting it! Mom still has fun watching your face as you go down stairs and your foot drops to the next step.  You reaction is as if you are surprised the drop happened! "Hey! Where did that come from?!" Makes me giggle :)
•  Have had quite the naked streak.  You like to take off your clothes often and it doesn't matter where.  At home...at daycare...in the middle of Target!
  
• Went pee pee in your potty all on your own!!! You pointed to your diaper, got undressed and sat on your potty!  We were SOOOO proud of you.  But, it hasn't stuck yet.  Soon we hope!
• Love love love sweets! Just like your mommy.
• Are starting to throw tantrums. Big time!  If we don't give you want you want, you physically fall to the floor and won't move.  
• Are testing your boundaries.  You know what "No" means but you don't always follow the direction.  The other day you were trying to unplug all of the TV/DVD plugs and mommy yelled "Hadley! No no!" You stopped, turned around and looked at me, but kept your hand on the plugs.  You had this look of "how serious are you right now?"
• Climb EVERYTHING!  Right now you have figured out how to climb on the kitchen table chair and then onto the kitchen table.  Even falling off and hurting yourself doesn't stop you from doing it!
• Like to watch mommy and daddy cook.  You will drag a chair into the kitchen and then climb on it to watch as we make things on the stove.
• Have such a sense of amazement with everything.  Everything is new and exciting to you!  It's so fun sitting and watching you explore.
• Smile with all your teeth and scrunch your nose! Just like mommy does :)

Holiday's with the Hewitt's (2013)

The Holiday's always make life crazy and in our household this means out of control crazy, because we are in a constant state of crazy 365 days out of the year. But, the holiday's also means participating in old & new family traditions!  This year was no exception.

We went and picked out our 12.5 foot LIVE Christmas tree at Hewitt Garden Center and brought it home on top of the Vibe (A Christmas Vacation sight indeed!).

Santa sent his elf to come and live with us this year.  Her name is Tinsee and she was quite destructive!

Hanging Wilkes' and Hadley's underwear instead of our stockings!

Toilet Papered Wilkes' room

We also wanted to go visit Santa to tell him what we wished for this year, but only one of us got to get our wish list in.  The other desperately tried to get away from the man behind the white beard.

This year we all really enjoyed decorating the tree together.  Hadley especially enjoyed attempting to climb the ladder to hang ornaments and all the glitter that was on the ornaments.

This was also our 1st year of instituting our family tradition of "Jammie Cocoa Christmas"!  This is where we pick one night before Christmas to open up 1 gift from Mom & Dad (our matching Christmas Jammies), make hot cocoa, and gather in the car to go find houses with the best Christmas lights.  We had a lot of fun this year, except Hadley fell asleep pretty early on.

Another Hewitt Family tradition is that the entire family (on Will's Dad's side) gets together to watch Christmas Vacation.  This year we themed it as an Ugly Christmas Sweater/Christmas Vacation party.
We came dressed to impress!

 And finally, we get to Christmas morning.  Santa sure did deliver this year!

Opening all of gifts sure did make for some tired kiddos. It's hard work being spoiled!

Can't wait for next year, it's sure to be even bigger and better! (At least as far as Christmas lights are concerned)