Big Events

We have had a couple of very busy and productive weeks. I am not sure what is going on with the girls, but both of them are reaching 'big girl' status in their own way! We started potty training Norah on Thursday of last week. We have been wanting to do this for awhile, but it only made sense for me to be out of school. Let me tell you, I don't know how parents do this while they are working. We had to stay around the house for 4 days straight to stay close to the potty, we had accidents and successes, and it is still definitely a work in progress. She has done wonderful going 'tinkle' on the potty, but refuses to go 'lumpies' on the potty. She went about 10 times right when Hazel was born and hasn't done it since. I know she will eventually get it, but for now we are still wearing diapers at nap and bedtime to help her out with this little issue. Now, on to Hazel. I am not quite sure what has happened the last couple of weeks, but she is just turning into such a big girl. She is army crawling all over the place, getting into everything, she has started feeding herself, which then turned into eating big people food, like cooked carrots, peas, bananas, and she even tried mashed potatoes the other day. It is so much fun seeing all of these changes and I am so glad I am home for the summer to see it all, but it is going to make for a crazy, busy summer chasing two wild ones around, but I will love every moment!

Big girl potty!

The Loot......Skittles after a tinkle, and a Hershey Kiss after she fills a row on her potty chart.

So proud after her first day of potty training!  And yes, you see that right....we went tinkle 25 times on the first day.  :)  I think we were being a little overly anxious.  But, Norah enjoyed all 25 Skittles and all 5 Hershey Kisses!

Our first outing after potty training.  We headed to brunch for Father's Day.  I am pretty sure I was more nervous than she was.  She did a great job and we almost made it through brunch with no accidents, but right before we left she drank a little more orange juice and that sent her over the edge!  We whisked off to the bathroom, got cleaned up and we were good to go!  No big deal!   We are now a week into big girl underpants and she has been doing great.  She even went to daycare yesterday and did great.  She did have one little accident, but I would consider that a very successful day!

We tried the 'net' with some carrots in it, but she didn't get much from it.  She preferred to pick them up and eat them with her fingers.  Which I am all for; much easier to clean her fingers than the net!  She loves chewing things, so the chunks of food are right up her alley!

Cruisin' around the house.....peek-a-boo

Sisters :)

And I had to share this collage.  All I wanted was one nice picture of the two of them looking at me.  Hazel was all about it for the first four pictures, then the red block showed up, just when Norah was ready to smile!  Ha!

Spring has Sprung!

Kind of, anyway! We have had some nice weather and some not so nice weather. We had a few hot days and now it has been chilly and rainy again. We did have the chance last weekend to go and purchase some bushes and flowers for around our deck and Drew did all the hard work and planted them. They look great! The girls enjoyed being outside, helping and watching. I only have 5 more days of school left with students! I just can't believe the school year is over. I am looking forward to this summer at home. It is going to be an active one!

Norah getting ready with her pig watering can to help Daddy plant some flowers.  And of course, a snack in hand!

Hazel watching all the action from the deck.  Even though it is spring, it is spring in Michigan, so  it was a bit chilly!  

And as you can see, Hazel was not thrilled with her hat.  I loved all these pictures, I couldn't choose just one!

Love this face!

 We headed to my parents house for a cookout last weekend because my Aunt and Uncle were in town from Florida.  It was great to see them.  I can't wait until their kids are home with them this summer.  Hazel and Sophie are going to have fun playing together!

Aunt Carol and Hazey

Such a little Mommy, taking such good care of Julie!

Such a sweet picture of Uncle Jimmy and Hazel

Hazel was not feeling very well at my parents' during the cookout.  She ended up staying home the next day with Daddy (lucky dog, got to cuddle all day).  She had an upper respiratory infection and was just stuffy and coughing.  Poor baby!

Once she was feeling better, we decided it was time to introduce the oh so popular "Puff".  She only gagged the first couple of times (and don't worry Mom, we broke them into pieces the first few days :) ), but she really has the hang of it now.  We still have to put them in her mouth for her, but she will have the hang of it soon, I'm sure!

Little Miss Norah became very interested in baby puffs again and now she feels the need to snack on them when Sissy is!
As you can see in this picture, Norah started to get the puffy eyes, runny nose and cough after Hazel got better.  She is starting to feel better now and is getting back to her old happy self!

This past Memorial Day weekend was a big weekend for Hazel.  She started the puffs and she is officially propelling herself forward, instead of rolling everywhere.  She was getting into drawers this weekend and knocking stuff over (puzzle rack).  I would say she is going to be crawling very soon.  We never really had to 'baby proof' with Norah because she was always content just playing with the toys around her.  I have a feeling Hazel is going to be a whole different story.  Stay tuned for more updates. 

Happy Mother's Day

Love these girls!
Happy Mother's Day to all the Momma's out there.

Long Time, No Post

I can't believe I haven't posted since mid-April. Things have been so hectic with starting to finish up the school year (I only have 15 1/2 days left, not that I am counting), and with the weather getting so nice out, we have just spent most of our time outside. The weather this past weekend has been horrible and there were even snowflakes flying earlier today, so I am glad we did take advantage of the 70 degree weather the last couple of weeks. Hopefully it will show its sunny face again soon! Anyway, other than playing outside and working we haven't been up to much. We got a new double stroller which is going to come in so handy this summer. We have already used it a lot and it is so nice to have both girls all strapped into the 'baby limo' and heading out for a nice long walk. We are looking forward to many more this summer! I am going to do a much better job keeping the blog up to date once school gets out too, promise! :)

It took Hazel a few stroller rides to get used to the elements.  She was having a hard time falling asleep with all of the traffic noise, sun and wind bothering her.  Obviously, this day, none of those were bothering her.  Maybe it was because she had her pajamas on!

Norah on the big girl swing and Hazel snoozin' in the stroller!

This was a sight to see, let me tell you.  I wasn't sure I was going to fit in the tube slide, and then Norah insisted she ride down on my lap.  We made it, but it was a close one!

Norah just loves making mud pies!

Jimmy, Erin and Thatcher headed up this past Saturday to celebrate Mother's Day a day early.  We have not been together since Meat Pie in January, so we had to take advantage of this visit and get a family photo!

We're starting to try the sippy cup.  At the moment, she just likes gnawing on it!
Hazel still doesn't have any teeth, so we are patiently waiting for them to pop through.  She is sitting up on her own now, loves rolling over in both directions, but is not crawling or anything yet. She is still going to be at about 6:30pm and will sometimes wake up around 10 or 10:30, but only because she isn't feeling well (she has been a little stuffy) or the paci has gone M.I.A.  She still loves her fruit and veggies and is wearing mostly all 12 month clothes.  Her nickname is 'Big Baby'......or when you ask Norah who her sister is she says, "Hazel Bedazel Brining" or "Hazey Brining".  She only has a few nicknames, if you couldn't tell.  

Our Everyday

We have not been up to much lately, just the usual everyday stuff; work, daycare, playtime, dinner, baths and bedtime. Here are just a couple pictures from our 'everyday'.

Bath Time!

Splish Splash!

Play Time!
We attempted to go outside the other day, just to get a little fresh air!  As you can see, the girls were just as amused at the cool temperatures as everyone else in Huron County.  We were inside two minutes later!  COME ON SPRING!!!!!

Dinner Time!
I love my view from the kitchen after work!

Speaking of dinner time and Hazel.....we have a little piggy on our hands.  She LOVES her oatmeal, rice cereal, fruits and veggies.  She is quite the eater.  We are already giving her the 2nd step baby foods because they are larger in size and she eats it all!  She had her 6 month checkup the other day and here are her stats:
27 3/4 inches long
18 lbs. 7 oz. (I told you, she likes to eat)

She is sitting up pretty well on her own with the Bobby pillow behind her, she grabs at everything and is constantly kicking and moving around.  No joke, it is like a wrestling match trying to get her dressed!  She is pretty much in all 9 month clothes, but will be heading into 12 month clothes soon!  She is doing great sleeping at night and usually ends up on her tummy for most of the night.  Her bedtime is 6:30pm and she is usually up right around 7:00am.  She is rolling over from her back to her belly, but still hasn't rolled from her belly to her back.  She is growing every day and I am getting anxious for summer and being able to spend every day with both our girls!   

Easter

We had a great Easter this year! Norah is at such a fun age for egg hunting and her excitement was so fun to watch. We planned a little craft day with Ashlie, Audrey and Lilly right at the beginning of spring break and we had so much fun. Ashlie hosted and made the most adorable goodie bags for the girls with some treats and had coloring pages ready for them to color while we got the egg dying and crafts set up. They had so much fun! The Easter Bunny found his way to our house and Norah was so excited when she woke up and saw an egg right outside her bedroom door. The hunt was on. She found lots of eggs and even found Hazel's and her baskets in the bathtub. After the egg hunt, playing with new toys, and a little breakfast, we headed to church and then to Grammy and Papa's house to celebrate Easter and Uncle Mark's birthday! It was a great day!

Time to color some eggs

She took the job very seriously!  And there is Hazel just hanging out!

Our first craft....stained glass eggs!

Admiring their finished product

Our second craft....Bingo dobber eggs!

Ashlie caught me goofing around with Hazey-Bug.  Love this picture!

We finally got out and enjoyed a little sunshine.

The fresh air made someone a little sleepy.

Heading downstairs to search for eggs!

Love how blurry this picture is because it truly shows her excitement.

Hazel taking her new toy for a spin!

The girls on Easter Sunday

Getting ready for their next egg hunt!  They're so excited and I am pretty sure they are eyeing some up from the stairs!

Rest time after lunch

We hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!