Be Serious

Caroline Monthly Letter: Month 80

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 01:08:00 +0000

Today you are 80 months old.

You have had a busy month.

You have landed your cartwheel a few times. This is a huge accomplishment for you. You have worked so hard on that cartwheel. You are getting so great at it. You are proud but more importantly, I am proud of you.

You are amazing, kid.

You never give up and that is pretty awesome.

Aunt Lucille passed away March 10, 2013.

Your little heart was broken.

I explained to you that God just give us Earth bodies. They grow old and they die. But the best is yet to come. After our Earth bodies die, we get our Heaven body. We get to be God's angels and that is a very happy time.

We talked a lot about you taking part in the visitation and funeral. I let you decide if you wanted to go. Of course you did. I would not dare deny you that.

I think this month you have matured a little bit more.

I introduced you to "Blackbird" by the Beatles.

We rocked out to it today while you did your homework, as a matter of fact.

I am sure you will know every word in the next few days.

Have I ever mentioned your ability to remember song lyrics?

I feel like you get it from me. I am pretty awesome at remembering lyrics too.

You have been checking out informative books from the library lately.

You love learning new information and sharing it with all of us.

A few weeks ago, you got a book on the water cycle.

You explained it all to us. You also taught us that a cloud is water vapor and dust particles. When they stick together, they form clouds.

You are smart, kid. Sometimes you are too smart.

You truly thirst for knowledge. You want to know answers and not the BS answers that most parents can get by with. You want the REAL answer. How do babies come out? You want the real answer. What are clouds? You want the real answer. How old would your great, great, great grandfather be? You want the real answer.

You LOVE Judy Moody and The Not Bummer Summer.

You have been watching it on Netflix over and over again.

Judy gets a mood ring in the movie and you have wanted a mood ring ever since.

You got one the other day and to date, it is the best thing thing anyone has ever bought for you.

It has only turned dark blue and green. You say you can't wait for it to turn orange. That means you are crabby. Ha!

You at constantly looking at it and examining it closely for any color change.

You think it is great and we love that you love it so much.

Today you are 80 months old.

These past 80 months have been an adventure. You have taken us on an amazing adventure that we wouldn't trade for anything in this world. I can't see where else you take us!

I love you!

xoxo,
Mom

Weekend update.

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 17:53:00 +0000

After the nasty Heman-woman-haters virus and the death of a family member, we were ready for a relaxing weekend.

Friday night I went to an event with my mom. It was fun to get dressed up, eat yummy food and drink a few glasses of wine. I was also able to see a dear friend and that is always fun!

This photo is verification that I am an actual person. I know that you rarely see me in photographs. This is mainly because I hate pictures of myself. This photo is also verification that I can't hold my shoulders back to save my life, my fingernails need painting, and I need to shave my head and just start all over again.

Saturday morning we headed to Hampstead, NC for the day. Ryan's mom went with us. We went down to eat breakfast with the Easter Bunny. It was a fundraiser for my niece's school. Cool fundraiser, huh? I thought it was a great idea!

It just so happened that when we got there, the Easter Bunny had a flower in her hair. Therefore, we actually ate pancakes with the Easter Bunny's sister.

The girls actually took there picture with the Easter Bunny's sister without shedding one tear. They are growing up, people. Can you believe it?

They had games, face painting and awesome crafts outside. We went out and soon the Easter Bunny's sister followed.

Of course the girls stared at the Bunny playing a game. Suddenly Caroline noticed something.

She noticed that the Bunny was in fact an imposture. She did a small gasp and quickly turned around to inform us that she saw inside the Bunny's head when the Bunny bent down.

"I saw it! I saw the hair! It looked like Mrs. Arthur!" (Mrs. Arthur is her teacher.)

I don't think she ever announced that the Bunny was a fake loud enough for anyone else to hear. She totally ruined it for Emma though. Emma would have never noticed the detached portion of the head on the costume. She didn't seem to mind that the Bunny was a fake though.

After the Easter Bunny fiasco 2013, we went to visit my SIL's house and sat on the beach for a little while.

The girls and I have definitely been longing for salt air in our hair. I could have stayed out there all day. The breeze was really cool though and the girls decided to get in the water a little. Their dresses got a little wet so we left soon after because they were freezing.

Saturday ended with 800 hush puppies, a half pound of spicy shrimp and a glass of wine (with ice).

Later in the evening, I met this creature...

Freak.Me.Out.

They didn't even kill him.

He is just roaming around the shop were the boys are always working.

I dreamed of spiders crawling in my ears Saturday night.

Ugh! I still get the chills looking at that thing.

I created a poster that I need to print and send with Ryan to hang up over there.

Our great weekend ended with Preschool Sunday. Emma sang at the church where she goes to preschool. She is awesome and we were all so proud of her. We had a great lunch and a relaxing rest of the day.

We are already looking forward to this weekend.

Randoms

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 03:53:00 +0000

Shew!

I was plagued with the Heman-woman-haters virus for a full 12 hours Monday afternoon through Tuesday morning.

Bad.

It was bad.

We are all MUCH better.

We have our appetite back.

Sheets are washed.

House is Lysoled.

I may have even Lysoled the girls a few times. Just their clothes. Don't judge. This virus is TERRIBLE.

Here are a few randoms for you:

- I am trying to catch up on monthly letters for my girls. I write little bits at the time so that I can publish them on their "month birthday". I obviously didn't write them for February. *Insert eye roll* Just when I tell myself I am going to get something done... I don't do it.

- I am reading a few things right now to accomplish my 28 books that I want to read this year.

- I am currently addicted to Prison Break. So is my husband. We watch episode after episode. We accomplish NOTHING with our lives these days. It is kind of sad.

- I got a new camera. I have taken some pictures to play around. I LOVE it!

- Caroline has a gymnastics recital coming up soon. She is super excited about it.

- Emma has a dance recital coming up soon. She doesn't talk about it much. I am trying not to make a big deal out of it and freak her out. So, when all else fails... just ignore it altogether.

- Zoey Pearl (our dog) turned two this week. She is still am 80 pound puppy that thinks she weighs 10 pounds. She is still a lover of ducks and chewing EVERYTHING.

- It is midnight and I must go to bed. Until tomorrow...

Spotlight: Weeping Willow Boutique (AND A GIVEAWAY TOO!)

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 10:00:00 +0000

"Nothing makes a woman more beautiful than the belief that she is beautiful.”

—Sophia Loren

Everyone is abuzz that our small town is finally getting a boutique. Can you believe it? A real life, super-chic boutique. Living in a small town with a population around 21,000, this is pretty much our first clothing boutique. Excited does not even begin to describe how we are feeling.

In a quiet, quaint area of town nestled between the local framing shop and a lunch eatery is home to the new Weeping Willow Boutique. Laura Blake and Cathy Goodman decided to open a lifestyle boutique together as a mother/daughter team. Their mission is "to help women affordably achieve their dream closet with clothes they adore." Count me in! Who likes affordable? Who wants to achieve their dream closet? Who adores clothes? Laura and her mom are super sweet and are excited about helping "customers find stylish pieces to add to their wardrobe." They are committed to providing superb customer service so be ready for a fabulous shopping experience at their boutique.

Weeping Willow Boutique is a family business "dedicated to the details of making your shopping experience pleasurable and relaxing." We are counting down the days until their doors open on March 16th. It will be stocked with super cute dresses, tops, jeans, etc. They will carry lines like DL1961, Ego Girl, Lilla P., Escapada, and Karlie. The boutique will also carry a local line of adorable dog bow ties, Dapper Ducky.

Weeping Willow Boutique is located at 212 North Heritage Street in Kinston, NC. It will be open Monday-Friday from 10am to 5pm and on Saturday from 10am to 2pm.

Please mark MARCH 16th on your calendars. Stop by Weeping Willow and say hello. Maybe even go home with a dress or two or three or four. You deserve it! If you don't want to buy anything for yourselves, my birthday is March 26th and I will be more than happy to take anything you purchase. I am normally a size small, sometimes medium. No worries if you don't live close by, Laura and Cathy will be doing Facebook sales! So, you can shop at the fabulous store with us too! Aren't you stoked?

In celebration of Weeping Willow's grand opening, they are giving away a fabulous Monogrammed Beach Hat. You can choose between a white or natural beach hat and you have a choice of monogram. The lucky winner will be picked Friday, March 15th!!

It is super easy to enter...

1. Go to Weeping Willow Boutique's Facebook page and like it.

2. Go to this link and fill out the entry form.

3. Share the giveaway with all of your friends!!

4. Feel free to tell Laura that I sent you ;-)

Good luck!!!

Decima Lucille Anderson

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 02:18:00 +0000

Today a beloved woman passed away.

A woman born on April 12, 1916... the same month and year the light switch was invented.

She has pretty much seen it all.

She was the toughest, most courageous, strong-willed woman I have ever known.

Hans Christian Andersen once wrote that "a human life is a story told by God."

God told an amazing story with this woman's life.

We are sad. We are really sad. We want her here with us but I find myself thinking about how full her life was. She saw things, experienced things, and lived 96 wonderful years. For that, I can only celebrate.

Not many of us will live to be 96. We can only hope to stay on this Earth for that long.

It is hard explaining death to a 4 and 6 year old. It is hard for grown-ups to wrap their minds around the concept of death. How do you explain it to children? Today, we have talked about our memories instead of trying to explain. Memories will be with us forever. Caroline and Emma will always remember feeding her fish. They will always remember the pieces of candy she would give them. They will always remember her kind, loving spirit. They will always remember.

I will always remember her hands.

That sounds weird but her hands were amazing to me.

I remember sitting quietly in her house one afternoon. I am sure Caroline was rummaging through something and Emma was probably on my lap. We would talk and we would sit in silence. It was never weird or awkward. During one of those silent times, I remember looking down at her hands.

There was a blanket laying neatly on her legs keeping her small frame warm, hands gently folded on her lap, ring slightly turned in resting between her fingers, painted nails slightly chipped on the corners.

I remember staring at those hands. I remember thinking her veins and wrinkles were like a road map to life.

To me I felt like those hands probably held answers to questions I have about life. Honestly, those hands probably held answers to what most of us wonder about life.

Hands that sewed millions of stitches.

Hands that made hundreds of banana puddings and cakes.

Hands that killed snakes that fell out of her chimney.

Hands that loved the warmth and comfort of a dog.

Hands that helped birth babies and change many diapers.

Those hands were love, patience, trust... and almost always painted.

Her fingers were so slender that her rings would always turn all the way around. She never seemed to notice.

I noticed.

I noticed a lot about her hands. They were beautiful. I hope that my hands will one day be a road map.

I will always be in awe of what her hands have seen and done in her 96 years of life.

Decima.

That was her first name.

Decima is Latin for the 10th.

How ironic that the 10th would be the day that she was reunited with all of her loved ones in Heaven.

Lucille is the name everyone knows her by.

Lucille means light.

She will forever be a light in my life. I will do my best to keep her light alive in my girls too.

We will miss her a lot but like I told Caroline and Emma, she is an angel now and that is so awesome. I just hope God kept her beautiful hands the same when she got to Heaven. Oh, and I am pretty sure her nails are painted in Heaven too.

-------------------------------

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." Matthew 5:4

Garlic, honey, cinnamon, vinegar...

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 17:54:00 +0000

OMG it has been a month since I blogged.

Where has time gone?

I knew I hadn't blogged in a while but OVER A MONTH?

Geez.

Well, you haven't missed much.

We were all sick with fever/colds/heman woman haters funk.

Mine lasted much longer and turned into a sinus infection that I thought was going to be the death of me.

I mean, at one point, I reached an all time low.

I was in such pain that I was eating straight minced garlic. Did you know that garlic is an antiseptic and antibiotic, because of its high sulfur content? You are welcome. There are a million home remedies using garlic.

I drank honey, cinnamon, lemon mixtures.

I took shots of vinegar and liquor.

I was dying and I was going down with a little buzz AND smelling like garlic, cinnamon, vinegar and whiskey.

So, I finally broke down and went to the doctor.

After being on antibiotics for a few days, my torso started itching terribly.

No rash.

Just itch. Constant terrible itch.

I was dying again.

Ugh!

I am finally over it all though.

We were all good until yesterday when Emma all of a sudden decided she would blow chunks everywhere.

After vomiting for 7 straight hours, totaling 8 vomit episodes... I thought we were on the mend. UNTIL she decided to vomit one more time after drinking too much Gatorade.

Ugh!

Fingers crossed she is really on the mend now.

I got a phone call this morning that Caroline was throwing up. She spent the night with Ryan's parents. She threw up twice and now she is napping.

Ryan has terrible body aches. He hasn't gotten out of the bed.

My house smells like Lysol and Clorox.

I am next and I am scared out of my mind.

I have already been taking vitamin C, drinking honey/cinnamon mixtures. Bless. Maybe I should go ahead and take a shot of whiskey so when this virus takes me down, I do down with a buzz.

Keep me in your prayers.

PS- if you know any great home remedies to boost your immune system, please share!!

Fashion with Bug

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 03:03:00 +0000

So, Emma was gifted a super cute matching raincoat and umbrella set.

What can I say? My aunt, Lesley, knows my girls all too well.

She told the girls to stop by her house because they each had a "surprise".

Emma got the cute raincoat and umbrella.

Caroline got an awesome layered peace sign necklace from American Eagle.

They were both super excited.

Caroline did not take her necklace off. She slept in it. Safe, I know.

Lucky for Emma, it rained the day after she got her raincoat.

She put it to good use.

Umbrella: Target

Shirt: Old Navy

The next day was sunny though.

Do you think that stopped Bug from wearing her raincoat again?

I don't think so.

She HAD to wear it.

Raincoat: Target

Dress: Old Navy

Leggings: Old Navy

Shoes: Uggs

Big thank you to Keith, Lesley, Carey and Mary George for the gifts. The girls LOVE them!! You all are the best!!

Those moments in life where you want to say a REALLY ugly word. This is one.

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:19:00 +0000

"PAY ATTENTION!" I mouthed to Caroline at tennis lessons the other night.

She had done so well.

"Wow! Caroline is really doing great," one mom commented.

"Caroline is really good," another mom said.

Oh, stop it.

She is good. She likes those one man sports that she only has herself to worry about.

She likes tennis therefore she is pretty good at it.

After such a great lesson, I was confused as to why she wasn't paying attention during the last part of class.

"PAY ATTENTION! GET THE BALL!" I said a little louder this time.

As soon as it was time for ball pick up, Caroline ran to me with panic on her face.

"Caroline, go pick up the balls with everyone else."

"But MOM!" She had a chunk of hair in her hand that was caked in gum.

Damn. This is one of those moments in life where I wanted to say a REALLY ugly word. Like really ugly.

What am I supposed to do?

I thought for a moment.

I did what any awesome mother would do... I tucked the gum wad/hair wad behind her ear, patted her on the butt and said, "Go back out there. We will deal with it later."

"BUT MOM!"

"Caroline, I don't have time to deal with it right now. I have had enough today. I am over it. Over.it. I will deal with it when I get home."

She pushed on the gum to stick it to the back of her ear and ran out on the court to pick up balls.

We came home.

We tried ice. It didn't work.

I was over it. "Whatever, I am just going to cut it out."

"MOM NO!"

"Well Caroline, I don't know what else to do."

We went to the bathroom. I took pictures to document this event.

First gum wad... check.

How did the gum get in her hair you ask?

She says it just fell out of her mouth and landed in her hair.

Nice.

What is even better is the fact that I didn't even know she had gum in her mouth.

Ice, ice baby

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 21:38:00 +0000

Ice is always so pretty to photograph.

The sun came out just a bit this afternoon and I ran outside to get a few pictures.

Ice + sun= so much fun

I love this picture.

I was playing with the sun when I was taking this shot so I wasn't even paying too much attention to the tree.

I love the one little leaf in the middle hanging on for dear life.

My pillows ice over and the girls thought that was so cool.

Now, ice... please go away. We don't like you.

Emma Monthly Letter: 52 Months

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 05:56:00 +0000

...Just laying around at Target...

1584 days.

52 months.

In your 52nd month of life, you decided your hair was finally long.

You bounced down the hall with your hand behind your back.

"Look, Daddy. I can touch my hair now. It is so long."

Your Daddy flashed you a quick smile and told you it was beautiful.

"Like a princess," you sang.

Yep, just like a princess, Bug.

You've had a little extra pep in your step due to the fact that your hair is finally long.

Maybe a little too much pep.

You are a clumsy child. If someone is going to get hurt, it is going to be you.

If someone is going to wake up with a bruise on their head and not know what happened, it is you. (That happened this morning.)

This morning the deck was iced over. You and Big thought it was cool and ran to get your boots.

You had on Bella Ella (your horse night gown), snow boots and a coat.

Nothing on your legs.

Before I could say anything you were out the door.

Seconds after you ran out, I heard a THUD and there you were. Laid out on the sheet of ice on the deck.

You came back in, cried for a moment and moved on.

You have always been strong. Always been a fighter. The sweet, sensitize child that carries her own. The protector, giver, caretaker.

But you've always been clumsy.

Clumsy Bug with long hair now.

Love always,

Mom

PS- This is your first picture you drew of our family. You also added a flower and a butterfly. The butterfly even has a little dotted line trail behind it. Precious.

Caroline: 78 Month Letter

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 04:56:00 +0000

Dear Caroline,

2371 days.

You have been on this Earth for 2371 days. Don't worry. I used a calendar calculator to figure that out. I didn't count each day.

It has been a trying month for you. After Christmas break, much to your dismay, you returned to school.

First grade. Man, it is a tough one. You were slammed with a penguin research project (damn you, core curriculum) and you made your first C on a test. You showed it to your Dad first. Actually, I think he just got your test papers out of your folder first.

He talked to you about it. Why did you not answer these two questions? Why did you not follow directions and write the equation? What in the world? You did this as an addition problem when really it was a subtraction problem!

You teared up. Your little heart was broken. You walked in my room as I was working on the computer. In those short 20 or so steps you took to get to me, you had already thought up excuses for every single problem you got wrong.

I wrote down those answers but they were wrong so I erased them. You can't see where I erased them because the teacher gave me a really good eraser.

I didn't hear her say to write the equation! She hasn't told us all week to write the equation! How was I supposed to know?

I added those number because I read that question wrong.

You had messed up. You messed up and you were trying to make things right.

In your little first grade brain, you were trying to make it better.

We have moved on and you know that you can do better. Lesson learned. Take your time, kid. Slow down. You don't have to be the first to finish on everything that you do.

As for your penguin project, you are doing the research at school. You were asked to build a penguin at home and bring it in. You got a royal penguin.

Do you know who much I love penguins? Oh, I love them. Because of my love for them, I think you find them extra cool too.

Most kids will bring toilet paper roll penguins, styrofoam penguins, paper penguins. Not you, my go-big-or-go-home child.

You will show up Friday morning with this....

Drawn by Grandmom.

Cut out by Poppy.

Painted by Caroline & Mommy. (We have to finish painting the eye and add his head feathers. REAL feathers, I might add, per your request.)

Go big or go home.

Paper just would not do in your eyes.

Wood.

It had to be made of wood.

You, my sweet child, will always keep us on our toes.

On the bright side, you will always keep us young.

(I am going to be an optimist in this situation.)

Love always,
Mom

PS- You shucked your first oyster during your 78th month of life. Pretty cool, I think.

BOOK LIST 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 01:13:00 +0000

So far, I know I want to read:

- Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

- The Shack by WM. Paul Young

- Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks

- Life As I Blow It by Sarah Colonna

- The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

- Killing Kennedy by Bill O'Reilly

- The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom

- Jigsaw by Ted Mill Brogden

- The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

- It Sucked and Then I Cried by Heather B. Armstrong (why have I not read this book yet? Dooce is my favorite blog ever and I haven't read her books. Shame on me.)

- Dear Daughter by Heather B. Armstrong

- Bossypants by Tina Fey

What other fabulous books should I read this year? I need loads of suggestions. I have to get through 28 books.

Bull

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 01:10:00 +0000

My Nana recently gifted me with two fire engine red ceramic vintage bulls.

Most people could care less.

But me? I am so excited. More than excited really. I am superduperoverthemoongiddy.

Here's the story...

I recently went to Bonfire's with my Mom and she noticed a bull they had out as decor.

"Nana had a bull just like that."

It was ugly.

It was brown.

It was big and bucky.

In other words, I loved it.

LOVED. IT.

Come to find out there were actually TWO big, ugly brown bulls in our family. One of which is now sitting comfortably in my uncle's dining room. The other's whereabouts are unknown at this time.

Brandon was not giving his up.

So, I moved on.

I gave up.

"One day when you least expect it, the bull will be found," I told myself.

Well, no such luck. However, good things come to those that wait.

BAM!

Two bulls instead of one.

Red.

Not brown.

Red!

So kick ass.

So awesome.

So me.

Nana saw them and snatched them up.

She gave them to me because she is the best Nana in the world.

I love her.

I love them.

I have moved them around a million times today.

I am going to find the perfect place for them.

They belong to ME and I couldn't be more thrilled.

My Nana rocks, yes?

Youtube Link Overload

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 11:00:00 +0000

Jon Schmidt is the most amazing pianist I have ever seen.

Being that we live in an age where "pianists" aren't the coolest to most people, he actually makes playing the piano cool.

Have you ever seen someone play the piano upside down?

Jon Schmidt can.

Have you ever seen someone play the piano with their toes (check out 2:50 on the video)?

Jon Schmidt can.

How about their nose (check out 2:58 on the video)?

Or elbows?

Jon Schmidt can.

I challenge you to go to youtube and search for him. Watch one of his videos and your life will forever change.

He is awesome.

So awesome.

So, when I found out about The Piano Guys and saw that Jon Schmidt was part of the mix I was so excited.

Then I saw that the cellist was Steven Sharp Nelson.

Hello, have you ever heard their Love Story Meets Viva la Vida? (click it, I dare you)

Anyway, long story short these guys are awesome.

Just watch this video.

Amazing.

Why there is no Fashion with Big

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 19:26:00 +0000

Caroline was born with guns blazing.

Eyes wide open (literally).

Ready to take on this world and not back down.

She definitely marches to the beat of her own drum.

So, when someone recently asked "Why don't you do a Fashion with Big segment on your blog too?"

I chuckled a little.

Obviously, my Caroline is NOT a dressy bessy like her sister.

She does have a few staples in her closest.

1. Cotton shirts with the occasional cardigan...

Some are Crew Cuts, The Children's Place, Old Navy, 7 For All Man Kind, Polo, etc. She could care less. As long as it is cotton and comfy. She is down with it. Dresses are a battle that I don't like to fight.

2. Merrell Tennis Shoes

She picked these out. She thought the toggle was super cool. The fact that they are waterproof is even more cool. She will jump in a puddle in a hot minute. "Look Mom! Waterproof!" Yeah, but your jeans are not sweet child.

3. Launch Slouch Boots

Big got these for Christmas and they are already scuffed so badly. Damn scooter. She loves them. She says they are "com-fort-a-ble". Therefore, she wears them.

4. Pants/Shorts

Girlfriend loves jeans, khakis, and athletic shorts. She HATES leggings and skirts. Let's not even talk about tights.

So, in short, Big isn't into glitter/glitz/glam (thought she does love a peace sign). She has a few key pieces and they all equal comfort. She has her own sense of style but in a much different way than Bug.

Both girls are always dressed cute.

The girls are just so different in so many ways. Fashion just happens to be one of them.

I guess since Bug doesn't express herself in so many words, clothes are her way to express herself.

Big expresses herself in words and she has NEVER been short on them.

Fashion with Bug {13:2}

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 14:00:00 +0000

This is also one of Bug's favorite outfits.

She normally wears a skirt AND leggings with it but she didn't mention the skirt yesterday morning and I didn't bring it up. Ha!

Shirt: The Children's Place

Leggings: The Children's Place

Shoes: Uggs

She insisted that I curl her hair. She also requested her purple sparkle jacket and pink & purple bow.

This kid loves animals. She loves dogs, cats, goats, pigs... you name it, she loves it.

There is a black and white dog that has been roaming the neighborhood during the day. While we were taking pictures yesterday morning, she came to visit Bug.

It made Bug's whole morning!

She is not trying to bite Bug's face off. She loves Bug so much she tries to lick and kiss her over and over again. Gross, I know.

The dog is not very fond of me because I am constantly yelling at it to get off Bug.

Bug wouldn't come inside to get her backpack and snack.

She HAD to stay outside with black and white dog.

Then she let black and white dog get in my car.

Gross, I know.

I yelled.

Black and white dog hopped out.

We sanitized hands, faces, etc.

We were off to school.

Don't you worry though. Black and white dog came back for an afternoon visit.

That Bug makes me smile.

The Mexicos.

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 11:00:00 +0000

Me: "Bug, what a great picture! I love that igloo you made."

Bug: "Thanks."

Me: "Did you learn about igloos today?"

Bug: "Yes."

It is like pulling teeth getting information out of a 4 year old.

Me: "What do you know about them now?"

Bug: "They are made of ice where it is cold. We, like, live in the middle, kinda at the bottom. The Mexicos live up at the top near Santa Claus."

Me: "The what?"

Bug: "The Mexicos."

Me: "Oh, but Mexico is at the bottom (of the map)."

Bug: "Ugh! See, I colored a picture of one. They live in igloos... at the top (of the map)."

Me: "Oh, you mean eskimos."

Bug: "No. I mean Mexicos."

She was done with that conversation.

2013

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 11:00:00 +0000

Now that we are 9 days into the New Year, let's discuss what I will be doing this year.

I loved reading Ashley's post and Shayna's list is so awesome.

Mine isn't great but it fits me.

Here is the list from last year.

I am slowly saving the world one beer can at a time. I am driving a more environmentally friendly car. All of the light bulbs in my house are now energy saver mercury light bulbs. So I have done good with the going green.

I did do the Dukan Diet... for a few days. It was terrible. I lost 20 pounds and have kept it off. So I accomplished that challenge last year too.

So here are my new list of challenges. I like the word challenges better than any other word because that is what these are going to be. Challenges.

Challenges for 2013

1. Read 28 books. Shayna had this on her list. I think it is fantastic! We are on day nine and I am finishing up book one. If you read a book every 13 days, you will accomplish this goal. It can be done. 28 books during my 28 year of life. Awesome.

2. Print more pictures. I take pictures of my children but the most recent printed photo I have of Caroline is when she was 3 and Emma when she was 2.

3. Take more video of my children. Ryan was browsing my blog last night and came across this post. I could watch that little Bug sing over and over and over again. We laughed together while we watched the videos. It made me so happy that I saved video like this. It is something we can watch together in 15 years. It just makes my heart so happy.

4. The biggie... blog more. Most of you are rolling your eyes. She is going to blog more? Yeah right. See the above challenge. I need to do more posts like this. Not for myself or you (my readers) but for my precious girls.

So, those are my challenges. What are yours??

Cutting my hair.

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 11:00:00 +0000

I shared this on Instagram, but I wanted to share with my blog too.

------------------------------------------------------

After being able to wash my sheets yesterday, I was feeling like a new person.

I was so excited.

Then, I had a moment with my hair.

I walked by the mirror in front of our entry and scared myself.

I was beginning to resemble Morticia Addams... again.

I grabbed a nice sharp pair of scissors and headed to the bathroom.

What I thought were sharp scissors were obviously dulled by the trims I gave the girls a few days ago.

I had to do something.

I went to Caroline's room, grabbed Bug's star scissors and cut a little over an inch off of my hair.

I used the dead ends as a guide to keep the cut pretty straight.

So, yes. Add "cosmetologist-who-works-with-children-scissors" to my resume.

I think I've got mad skills. I could have done a crap job with those things.

It was luck.

I've got it on my side since I didn't wash my sheets.

Sorry my hair blends in my with shirt. #blackhairprobz

Old Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 01:39:00 +0000

If you are close to me, you know I am superstitious.

I am OCD on top of that.

In other words, I am crazy.

If I forget and I have to come back in the house to get it, I have to sit down and cross my legs (superstitious). I have to cross and uncross them 3 times (OCD). Do you follow? It is strange. I can't help it.

Anyway, my great grandma Reba was superstitious as well.

There is this thing called "Old Christmas". I have always heard the term but I just did a little research and found out what "Old Christmas" is.

You can read all about it here but in short, in 1582 the Julian calendar was replaced with the Gregorian calendar.

However, Protestant Europe kept the old Julian calendar for almost 200 years longer than everyone else setting them back 11 days when they switched calendars. Therefore after the calendar switched, Christmas was moved back from January 6th to December 25th.

These protestants raised hell claiming the 11 days had been stolen from them. Blahblahblah.

North Carolina was oblivious to all of this calendar changing/loss of 11 days. (Opps.)

So, North Carolina was still celebrating on the old Christmas date, January 6th.

And so "Old Christmas" was born when we started celebrating with the rest of the people on December 25th.

According to the website, some people don't remove ashes from their fireplaces during those days because they were superstitious.

Then there are those crazies like me that will not wash my sheets from Christmas (Decemeber 25th) to "Old Christmas" (January 6th).

If my Grandma Reba told us not to do it, we better not.

To be on the safe side we've carried on with the tradition. My Mom, Aunt, and Nana will not wash our sheets. What have we got to lose? We don't have to wash sheets AND we don't have bad luck. It is a win/win.

Washing sheets between Christmas and "Old Christmas"= bad luck

That is not something I have ever wanted so I do everything in my power to keep luck on my side.

So now that you understand "Old Christmas" and know that I don't wash sheets during those 11 days, today was the day I could finally wash these babies that we got for Christmas...

1600 thread count.

Smooth as silk.

Merry day after "Old Christmas"!

Here's to a good nights rest on a super soft, *fresh* bed.

Sweet dreams.

Fashion with Bug 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 13:46:00 +0000

If there was ever a little girl who loved clothes, it is Bug.

She gets more excited over clothes than toys.

These are her two favorite things right now...

1st favorite... Sparkly peace sign outfit

Shirt: The Children's Place

Skirt: The Children's Place (similar here)

Boots: Ugg

2nd... Sparkly outfit with Emily

Bug is excited about her first day back to school!!

Food.

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 04:47:00 +0000

Shew.

Christmas Eve is over.

Christmas is over.

The trees were down the day after Christmas.

Boxes were taken to the trash dump.

Brown family Christmas in Harkers Island is over.

We have eaten.

And eaten.

And eaten.

The number on the scale is scary.

New Years Eve is over.

We ate... a lot.

New Years Day is over.

School started back today. As much as I was ready for it, I dreaded it.

I thought preschool started Monday... it didn't. It started today. Emma wasn't there.

January 2nd is almost over.

I will upload pictures eventually.

I will share Christmas stories soon.

But tonight, it is over.

The day is done.

I am laying on the couch, watching DVRed shows and movies.

I am also reading The Diary of Anne Frank.

Goodnight world.

See you with my still-full-belly tomorrow.

(Did I mention how much we have eaten in the last week?)

I hope you all had an awesome and FULL Christmas and New Year.

Happy Christmas Eve!

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Happy Christmas Eve to all of you. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas!!

I will leave you with some pictures of my beautiful girls.

Happy Birthday Baby Jesus!

and

Happy Birthday to my wonderful Daddy George!

We miss Iron Man

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Iron Man did not get home from work until 9:15pm the other night.

He left us at 8am.

This is a busy time of year for UPS.

We are thankful but the girls miss Daddy. And sometimes I hate being a "UPS widow". That's what happens at Christmas though.

His supper was waiting for him and the bed was turned back.

The girls fell asleep waiting for him to get home.

I thought about one night this summer.

I wrote about it but never posted it.

This is what I wrote:

We were sitting on the back deck. The evening had turned cool while we waited for a storm.

When the wind blew just the right way, you could almost smell the rain that was on its way.

Lightning was dancing in the clouds. I giggled and said it looked like Jesus was putting on a fireworks show.

It was dark. He didn't make eye contact. I didn't see him smile but I felt it.

I sat down by him with my iced wine. We listened to music and just enjoyed being together.

No more words.

We came to this crossroads a few years ago. The crossroads of "we-are-no-longer-newlyweds-but-we-are-not-an-old-married-couple".

I hated it when we stopped talking to each other every second.

There never used to be a silent moment between the two of us.

Our feelings never changed. We just fell silent at certain times.

We would go out to dinner and barely talk.

Then I realized, we are happy to just be together.

He makes me realize that I don't have to talk every minute.

It is never awkward.

It is just silent sometimes.

To be honest, silence is golden these days.

He knows now that I need that silence every once in a while. With two children that are only 26 months apart, silence is hard to come by.

My brain turns 8000 miles a minute on most days. Some days I don't even remember to use the bathroom.

So sitting on the back deck, in the dark, with my wine (his beer), and the dancing lightning made me love this man even more.

And we are happy.

Silent and happy.

Courage

noreply@blogger.com (Hailey) — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 11:00:00 +0000

I have had this 50mm lens for a while.

I wanted a portrait lens and at the time found this to be what I was looking for.

The only problem with it was it would not autofocus with my camera.

Bummer.

However, it is a fixed lens and I figured it would be easy to manual focus.

Click... ADD TO CART. PROCEED TO CHECKOUT. DONE.

Fast forward two years later and I have never taken a picture with the thing.

It stresses me out.

I haven't ever really practiced with it.

That is until I pulled it out the other night.

This is what I got...

Big, sit still.

I need to see your eye.

NOT like that!

STAY STILL...

blurry

Now, sit very still Bug.

Don't make any sudden movements.

FREEZE

"Last one ok Mom!?"

Just one more, Bug. Please just one more.

So, I pulled out one of the nutcrackers.

He will sit still for me.

Not too bad.

Not bad at all.

I am figuring this thing out. Even if it took me two years to get enough courage to do it. Ha!

Merry Christmas!