6.23.2011

May 2011

 Having my mom and dad stay with us was so great! My mom is super organizing...emphasis on SUPER. She is amazing. We were hard at work in my basement, rearranging and cleaning. Lucy is nursing in this picture and Talon was SO tired but I obviously already had my hands full. He just climbed right on up and made himself comfortable. He is fast asleep in this photo!

 Lucy's first bath. She did not like it!! This was the most that she had ever cried. We didn't even know she had it in her! She did get pretty dry and flaky after the bath...I think she was better off dirty!
 Our little caterpillar all dry and warm.
 Just cute....so funny!
 Lucy is not really a thumb sucker. So this was pretty random. Random enough that we took like 10 pictures of her doing it. She likes her binky when she is sleepy...not at night though. It's kind of hit or miss!
 I have been trying so hard to lose some of this annoying and ugly baby weight. This is what a lot of our meals have looked like lately. Kinda boring.


I was trying to take a picture of Talon holding Lucy. She was starting to get fussy and Hailey thought she had to come to the rescue. Poor Talon...always gets the baby taken from him!

6.20.2011

The Easter Bunny Did Come to Our House

 Yes He did!! Even though we were a little distracted with our newest little Hecker joining our family that same week. What a fun week. It was extra fun because we had my parents visiting. There were some fun activities that our friends were doing this week but we couldn't participate because of having a brand new baby so we tried to make Easter fun while staying home the entire week!
 We had a fun (and sunny and warm) Saturday before Easter which was very unusual for April this year. Out of the three weeks that my parents were with us I think that we only had 3 sunny days! We were very happy that we could do the Easter Egg hunt outside. My dad and John hid the eggs (some with money and some with candy).
 The kids thought this was so fun!! I think that money eggs were the most exciting for them.
 I really hate all of the Easter pictures with me in them. Just being honest. I still looked 5 months pregnant. But...here is one anyways.
 Dying Easter Eggs. I was nursing Lucy and missed this entire activity.


 Sunday morning the kids are searching for their baskets. Very fun!
 We did our usual Easter Egg bash and invited our neighbors to join us. I seriously love this tradition.
What great memories we shared on this wonderful Easter.

6.03.2011

Too fast

I have been reminded far too often that this time of being a mother of young children will go by so quickly. I see it every once in a while. Like how all of a sudden Isabella went from my crawling on her knees for months and months before she could actually walk...into a four year old who is ready to conquer the world. Or how Lucy, who just a few weeks ago could fit inside the space of a laid out burp cloth but who is now hanging over the edges. Hailey, who hated school and now it has been one WHOLE year of her loving it. And Talon, just one year ago could hardly say any words because he was tongue tied which delayed him, can now talk about almost anything.


Weeks go by where I haven't taken a picture...and every so often I get so mad at myself for not taking more videos of the kids. I know that I will miss these days so badly when they are past. I have been trying to slow down. I have been trying to not be so hurried from one activity to another and to take the time to focus on the most important things. Everyday we have a choice as to what we do...and I have a far way to go to get to what my perfect day would look like...but I am trying. While making dinner 2 weeks ago, I not only thought...but I DID take a picture of each one of my children at the very moment that I thought about doing it. Here is what they were doing:

 Lucy was sound asleep as she still often is. This is the first time that I used the Boppy for her to rest in. I haven't used it for that same purpose since this picture was taken but she does look cozy.
 Isabella was watching a cartoon. Around dinner time is when she gets really sleepy. She would take a nap every day if I would let her (but I won't because it results in her staying awake until 11pm!) Many times, while cooking dinner, I will find her asleep on the couch. All moms know that is the WORST time to be napping. Waking her up is not too pretty and then dinner time is never as relaxed so I usually try to have them doing something other than watching TV while I am cooking...but sometimes it's the best place for them to be still and quiet! Just this morning (it's 10:23 am) Isabella told me that shew wanted to take a nap and she is now sound asleep in her bed. She likes her sleep!!
 Hailey was busy doing a project. She made an oreo cookie and a duck swimming in a pond. I have a love/hate relationship with playdough. The kids love it and so it is a good activity to make them happy and it keeps them busy for a bit. It stimulates creativity. BUT it is always a mess and cleanup is never fun. Hailey however is responsible enough to clean up the mess (and not really make too big of one) by herself.
Talon is also being phased out of his nap right now. I rarely plan on him taking a nap these days. Maybe twice a week if I know we have a later night then I will have him lay down but for the most part I just keep him busy all day so that putting him to bed at night will not be too challenging (otherwise it takes a long time!) At dinnertime, he too is really tired and if given the chance will close his eyes and be asleep in seconds. SO, he is usually my helper in the kitchen so that his eyes don't have the chance to rest. He is either up on the counter next to me, standing on a stool beside me, or making a mess in the sink! This day he was helping me clean the dishes.

I am not good at taking the time to write down sweet and funny things the children say, and I am a horrible blogger. I try to figure out how to find the time to do these things because they are very important to me. I haven't figured it out yet but I can tell you that my perfect day would include time for writing down these memories. I love these kids so much. Even when they are driving me crazy, it's amazing how much love you can have for these tiny human beings.

My goal today...make more memories!

6.02.2011

Hailey is almost 7!!!

 It is hard to believe that Hailey is turning 7 this month. How in the world do I have a 7 year old? She has grown up so much this year. She is such a joy to have in our family. 
This girl is crazy!!!  She is always about partying (who isn't) and she is always coming up with things that she wants us to do. One of her favorite things is arts and crafts. She is always asking me to do a "project" with her. When I make a special dessert after dinner or if we plan a spontaneous activity she gets so excited and expresses herself so sweetly with a kiss for me. That's when I know she is over the top happy. Hailey is a great student...she loves school and she loves her teacher. She has gotten WAY too good at playing her (well actually MY) Nintendo DS. I bet she could beat me at almost any of the games. She loves to read and she likes to write in her journal.


She has been such an amazing helper with Lucy! Hailey cannot stand when Lucy is crying...she is trying to do her homework while keeping Lucy happy at the same time. I hope that the love that she has for her sister will last and not turn into the typical sibling love (the kind that she has with Izzie and Talon!) Hailey will hold her for as long as I'll let her and she is a pro! She is going to be a great mom someday!!!
I love this girl so much!