Pictures from today

Yep, they're brother and sister.

On this week's episode...

Titles are hard. I dont know what to ever name these posts. Anyway...

The last couple weeks have just flown by. Atticus is huge. He had his 2 month check up and is 14 1/2 lbs and almost 2 feet tall! He is still talking up a storm, but on top of that he has started laughing at himself. He will goo and then laugh like its the funniest thing in the world. I'm pretty sure he is the sweetest baby that has ever lived. Ever.
Hadley's vocabulary has taken off as well! She is starting to say actual sentences to questions or to let me know what she wants. She'll say, "no, Hadley stays in bath." or "Brudder wants hugs. aww. hugs." She is really funny. She laughs at all the right times. Last week she even said all the letters of the alphabet! So of course I went out right away and bought some buletin board letters so we can start learning what they look like.
The number three is missing from our lives. If found, please call. Hadley will say, "1...2...4!" or "1...2...4...5...6!" but 3 is no where to be found. I have tried everything to get her to say three. :) Silly girl.

We got a new puppy! Meet Grover:

We have been looking for a dog for a while now, and I just fell in love with her when we went out to look at the litter she was in. Jacob isnt as thrilled, but I know he'll come around. On the way home with her, I asked Hadley what she wanted to name her new puppy and she said "Grover." Simple as that. It surprised me because she is a big Elmo fan. But Grover fits her pretty well, as Grover is the big, goofy, always wrong muppet on Sesame Street. I'm glad Hadley isnt into Dora yet :) Grover is a really good puppy. She is half Great Dane, half Doberman (A DoberDane) Her parents were awesome with Hadley so it gives me confidence that with the right training, she will be a great dog for us. Hadley keeps walking around saying, "I'll hold her. Mon (c'mon) Grover. I'll hold her" and Grover either runs into her or runs away from her. Hadley does grab her by the neck though, so I dont really blame the dog. :) They are really adorable together though. See?:

As of this week, Jacob and I are officially done having kids. I've had a lot of people tell me that they dont know if they could handle knowing that this was their last baby, but it has changed my perspective greatly! For instance, Atticus has his first cold and Hadley has a really stuffy nose this week. Last night, Atticus was crying really hard and it woke Hadley up. Instead of being frustrated or agitated, I kept thinking, "this is the last time I will ever get to hold one of my babies this upset and this small." My thinking has changed from "have" to "get". I dont "have" to get up with them, I "get" to. Because I never will again. It does make me a little sad, but at the same time, I know this is the right choice for our family.

The Art of Parenting

Becoming a parent takes just an instant. And then you're a parent forever. Its kind of a big deal. (though with the way some people treat/raise their children, you wouldnt think they realized that. No judgement, just an observation.) Every day I am learning something new about being a parent. I am learning patience while I attempt to teach it. I am learning that my life is run by two tiny beings who rely on me for Every. Single. Thing. And I'm ok with that. This is what I signed up for. I wouldnt trade any of this for anything. But I feel like since they rely on me so much and for so much that I dont really get to have "bad days". Sometimes I need to have a bad day. I need to show how worn out I am and when Jacob offers to let me eat first, by gosh! I will! There is a lot you sacrifice when you have children. Before I became a parent, I was a little uptight about cleanliness, and now I am kind of smelly. I am ok if my hair only "sort of" smells like spit up. I can pretend like I will take a shower tomorrow. (In all fairness, Jacob lets me "shower" with the kids, so I at least get to rinse off everyday!) I dont really get to eat hot meals anymore. I cook dinner almost every night, but rarely do I get to eat it with my family. As soon as I'm done making it, I have to get Hadley situated and then I have to feed Atticus. This seems to be the meal that Atticus wants to take the longest to eat. So I eat a lot of cold food. I used to read a book a week.  I am surprised I even know how to read anymore. I havent picked up a paintbrush and painted "just because" in a really really long time. My life has been taken over by tricycles, baby dolls, Elmo (whom I firmly believe every parent has a love/hate relationship with), diaper changes, 3 meals, 3 snacks, juice, water, balls, trains, playdates, 6-10 nursing sessions a day and very little sleep. My body is a whole post in itself. I feel like a tiger has stretched out on my skin and died. But thats not a big deal. Thats why you're supposed to be in a long term relationship when you have kids. Someone has to love you when you look like a lunatic. I dont know how single moms do it. Dont get me wrong, I get so much joy out of these two little souls that lived inside me. Every smile Atticus gives me, Hadley's laugh, watching her learn how to color and seeing her in her dance outfit. Getting to clean out his closet way faster than I should because he too, is getting too big too fast. Parenthood is awesome, but its also exhausting and a learning process.

Too Big

Tomorrow Hadley starts her first day of dance class. I am both extremely excited and a little sad. In my mind, I envision her going in with her little leotard, tights and slippers and dancing up a storm, tumbling and tapping her way through this year of dance. In reality, I assume she will cling to my legs until February and even then she'll be reluctant to join in. I am putting some faith in the instructors that they can break her shy little shell and get her moving and participating with the rest of the group. The part that makes me sad is how fast she has grown into this little person. I tell her all the time that she is getting "too big" and to slow down. Be little as long as you can. She doesnt listen to me. She is off learning the next big thing in her little life. I remember when I found out I was pregnant with her. I proudly showed the stick I had just peed on proclaming "Pregnant"! (which in hind sight is kinda gross...sorry about that to my workmates) But I was so excited. I used to rock in her Wizard of Oz themed room singing Beatles songs to her when she was in my belly. I remember the moment she was born like it happened 5 minutes ago. I also vividly remember the sleepless nights of colic, all of the tears that have come with teething, her first skinned knee and the frustrations of being a toddler. Then, she learned to crawl, said "mama", took her first step, learned to run, and turned one. Becoming a big sister has been my favorite thing to watch. She loves that little boy so much! Now she is learning to count and the letters of the alphabet. She is quite the artist, lover of animals and the biggest Elmo fan you'll find...and tomorrow, she'll learn to dance. Dance your heart out little girl! Mama and Daddy are watching every step of the way.

A new beginning

So, lately everything has been very new. New state, new house, another new house, new baby, new blog... I feel like the last few years have been go.go.go, but now things are starting to slow down. We're married. We're moved. We've started a family! Now its time to settle in and enjoy where we are. A recap of the last few years, for those that dont know (though I dont know why you would be reading this if you didnt know us...) Jacob and I met (we'll start there) in 2007. We got engaged 9 months later. We got married 8 months after that. We moved to Houston and bought a home, leaving behind family and friends (Niki,Jill,Jess,Sue, Lissa... I miss you all a really lot). Jacob didnt really like his job so he decided to go back to school. He got accepted several places but chose Arkansas (and I'm so glad he did!). During all that, we had a beautiful 6lb 13oz baby girl named Hadley. She was a tough infant, but has grown into an amazing toddler! So, we move to Arkansas, leaving behind some amazing friends (I'ma talkin' to you; PaceNards and my Kate). Jacob falls right into a groove in school and I join a moms group that has been Awe-some! Plus I meet some other cool moms. Hadley has a ton of friends and life is great. Then we find out I am yet again, with child. Atticus arrives months later at a whopping 8lbs 3oz. So, now you're all caught up.

 Our family of two quickly became a family of four!

I just realized that all of you probably dont care much about what I have to say, you just want to know about the beautiful babies :) Well good, because they are pretty much all I do. You may occasionally get a tidbit about me or Jacob.
Hadley: Hadley is an amazing little creature. She can melt your heart while looking at you like you are a crazy person all at the same time. She knows her mind and I hope she never loses that. Most kids her age just go with the flow, but not her. She will make up her mind if she wants to do something, and if she doesnt. Well...it makes things hard for me sometimes, but I dont want to discourage her from making up her mind and having her own voice. Little kids have opinions too, and I see a lot of people brush her off as if she cant make her own choices. She has just enough hair for two adorable pigtails. I cant get it to grow :) She has beautiful, HUGE brown eyes. Her current loves are her daddy, her brother and Elmo. Any three of these guys can turn her bad mood around in an instant. She has the best walk in the world. I call it her "sashay" she sways her little arms back and forth. Its pretty cute. Her run is pretty funny because of it. She loves babies and to play outside. She says some funny things. She calls fish "bish" which can sound kind of like a bad word. She is big on "I want" but its usually pretty reasonable. "I want a banana" or "I want juice" but when she asks, "I want a puppy" we steer her toward a puzzle. She is growing up way too fast.
Atticus: Atticus is a beautiful baby. He is huge though. At 1 month he had gained 4lbs! He has grown out of all his 0-3 month clothes and his 3 month stuff is getting tight. It isnt even that he is fat, its more that he is just big. He has a broad chest and these wide shoulders. And he's losing his hair. He looks like a little old man! He is a pretty happy baby for the most part. His eyes are still pretty blue, so I think they may stay that color. He has this perfect rosy little mouth that opens up into a huge smile. He smiles with the bottom of his eyes first :) Its hard to explain. I will try to get pictures or a video of it. He gets really talkitive at about 7 in the morning. Jacob and I call him "grumbles" he grumbles and sounds like a car is trying to start and sometimes he'll let out this honk like a goose. :) He is such a joy and a blessing to our family. I cant even remember our lives without him. And Hadley just adores him! She calls him broder. And she'll come up to him and say, "hi baby. Hi baby!" and pat his head. She tries to grab him and says, "aww, hugs." but usually pokes him in the eye in the process.
So, this is the recap of whats been going on. Hopefully it wont be too long before I have a real post.