First Day of School

Our summer is officially over. Sam started back at school today and of course I forgot to take pictures of the  actual first day back. All the girls were still sleeping as he left bright and early for his 8 am lecture, and by the time he came home I had long forgotten.

So here's to like the 40th day back at school and pretending its the first with our traditional handshakes; and to being that much closer to graduation.

Mr. Dad

When I tell Sam I am going into the kitchen to make dinner this is what happens...

 This one commandeers the i touch and winds up playing it across the counter....

while this one scoots her way into the kitchen so she can try to eat all of the crumbs that got dropped on the floor by her older sister.

Hazel's a Model

Just when you think the chubby monkey couldn't get any cuter, we neglect to get her dressed and then she turns into a posing machine...

I am pretty sure she thinks she is one of the big kids/adults already.

Six Months

My little Hazel is growing right up.

Height: 26 inches - 20.12%

Weight: 17 lbs 2.3 oz - 48.71%

Head Circumference: 44.1 cm - 74.92%

-She loves everything electronic; quite possibly because she also loves everything Bailey has and puts up a good fight to get things. She has won a few times leaving her older sister in tears.

-Still loves her bath. She spends about 90% of the time kicking her feet which leaves Sam soaked. 

-She went from being my perfect sleeper to a newborn again. She has been waking up every three hours again and will only go back to sleep if she is nursed. Lucky me. This is my excuse for being less than pleasant  to be around pretty much all the time.

-She loves to be outside. She spends pretty much the entire walk kicking her legs with excitement.

-This girl is still having massive blow outs. I blame her refusal to eat anything except for the dirt and scraps that she finds on the floor. She is still refusing her baby foods and will just barely eat any cheerios, fruits or veggies that we chop up for her to eat with her fingers. I foresee myself nursing her till she is in kindergarten (and for the record, it took me hours to get that stain out of the carpet).

-She still has to put everything in her mouth. Hours of my day are spent grabbing her and scooping out whatever she could find on the floor, out of her mouth. We are pretty sure she doesn't have a peanut allergy considering the amount of peanuts she has collected due to Bailey's trail mix addiction. Its also a little shameful how much she cries because I took a chunk of mud out of her mouth, yet she wont let me feed her delicious fruit.

-She is very mobile. She rolls and crawls and gets around to just about anywhere that she wants to go. And she is fast. This is super fun for Bailey when she can run around dragging a toy behind her and have Hazel chase her; however, the fun usually ends when Hazel catches her gets the toy. Than all you hear is "No, No, No" followed by tears from one of them.

Hazel is just our happy little girl. She crawls around all day playing by herself and when you catch a glimpse from her she just breaks out in this huge smile. We can't take her anywhere without being told a thousand times just how darling she is. We just love our Hazel-roo.

Whipped Cream Face

Living up the last few remaining months of actually getting to lick both beaters!

And if you could have only seen how long she just sat there licking away you wouldn't judge me for thinking this should be a daily occurrence. Apparently whipped cream is the best babysitter.

Bananas in Pajamas...

I remember growing up and my Mom would always yell at us to get off of her bed. I used to think she was so funny for caring so much. After all it was a bed and we all grew in her body so how disgusting could we possibly be? And then I got married and became a Mom and I think I have become more germ crazy and OCD then she ever was. 

Bailey climbs up so she can jump, roll around in my pillows, hide under my covers and more pretty much all day. I have found her with her nasty shoes on stepping on my pillow and getting dirt all over my bedspread and I just about died. Lets just say she is very lucky that she is so stinking cute.

Pajama girls right before bed time are most definitely my favorite (and not just because it means that it is almost bed time, although that is a definite plus).

Share Bear

Sharing isn't always easy for these two, but every once in awhile they find a way to do it...

Even if it is just for a few moments.

Lucky Mama...

 As my girls keep getting older I just become more in awe of my Mom everyday for putting up and raising all 7 of us kids. There are days that I just want to pull my hair out and sit in time out for the rest of the day.

And then I catch moments like these and wonder how incredibly lucky I am to have gotten the two cutest girls on the planet as my daughters and the best husband ever.

Mini Pool

I bought this lady bug pool at the end of last summer. I was expecting it to be a normal little baby pool, but they took the term infant pool to a whole new level of tiny.

 The 3 of us could barely fit in there at the same time, especially when Bailey started the dance party. She kept hollering for Sam to come get in too, and when he finally relented the only option was to stand up straight, not move, and pray no one pushed you over.

 We love our clobbering hugs around these parts. Poor little Hazel baby.

 They both thought it was hilarious for Hazel to kick the water as she swung back and forth. My back didn't love it as much, but I guess I could count it as my weight lifting session for the month.

 And reason number 1 why you have a second child...because they can entertain and take care of each other.

Lovely summer days spent outside in nothing but a diaper. 

Summer Lovin...

Sam starts school again on July 30 and our long summer vacations will be over until retirement. 

I am just a little scared for my sanity. 

Splish Splash...

I am pretty sure a single day does not go by where this little girl doesn't sneak into the backyard and beg for the hose to be turned on so she can water the grass, fill up her water table and sink, spray her toys, and soak any unfortunate soul that happens to accompany her outside.

If only Hazel and I thought it was as hilarious to get splashed in the face and soaked from head to toe as this little 2 year old, Bails would be in a daily water heaven.

A Few Pictures...

After the cherry orchards we all headed over to the park to snap a few family pictures. I was the only one that was smart and decided to where my family picture outfit the entire day, so it was quite lovely taking pictures after getting all gross and sweaty at the cherry orchards.

It also so happens that I am the worst person when it comes to taking group photos. My unphotogenic ways always leave me blinking, looking the wrong way, or making various other expressions that ruin pictures that everyone else look marvelous in. It is a true gift/curse I guess. In this picture I was much more intrigued with a little family trying to walk around our photo and get across the little stream without using the bridge we had commandeered; apparently Bailey, Hazel, and Will also found them interesting. 

Just our little family of four...

And then we jumped over to the lawn so that Grandpa Braden could get a shot with all 6 of his grandchildren. How many adults does it take to prep for this picture? 

 And more importantly, how many adults does it take to act like fools and get everyone to look and smile? I'm not sure because we obviously did not have enough. Who would have guessed that Bailey would be able to scream so loud while keeping that jelly bean in her mouth?

 For any aspiring models out there...Sam is taking on a few new lucky clients. He has got the cowboy thing down pat...

 And don't even get him started on the Hawaiian theme...

In our house the girls way outnumber our one and only Sam, but when you add in the rest of the Braden clan the boys definitely have the numbers, so the girls have to stick together...

A special thank you to our photographer/babysitter/friend Cameron (especially since Hazel gets her nails cut once in a blue moon and that little pointer finger feels like a little dagger). 

 Quite a successful photo shoot for a quick hour of chaotic work. Good work guys!