Good Morning!

Many of you may know that I am NOT a morning person. I get that a new day brings new opportunities, but in my opinion, that new day could start around 10:00 am and all would be right with the world.

I cannot remember the last time I slept in, uninterrupted, until 10:00 am.

This morning, I woke up to the heated voices of our two older children downstairs (thankfully, I am married to a man that gets the children their breakfast before hopping in the shower so that I can snag a few extra minutes of precious sleep). I hear the typical "I'm telling on you!" accompanied by little feet storming up the stairs. I have BARELY pried my eyes open when Kylee is at my bedside, anxious to report what grave injustice has occurred in our home.

"Connor told me that I put too much lipstick on. But I didn't. So I threw a squirrel at him."

In the course of this report, I notice that Kylee has opted to dress herself for school. Not in the adorable perfectly matched outfit I have laid out for her, but in a navy blue sundress. It is 25 degrees outside.

"Okay, Kylee...can you please go downstairs and put on the clothes I laid out for you?"

She storms out of the room. Hadley, who had been sleeping with me after her 6:30 am feeding, wakes up upon hearing her sister's elevated voice. Of course.

I go into the bathroom to brush my teeth. Brandon knows better then to even speak to me. Our morning dance is done with as few words as possible. We've learned, over the years, that it's just better that way.

I come downstairs. Instead of putting on the outfit I had asked her to, Kylee is now wearing pink cords under her navy blue sundress. Oh, brother. Connor readies himself to go to the bus stop and has managed to still complete his morning routine despite being attacked by a squirrel in the earlier altercation with his sister.

As I move around the kitchen, I notice the pale yellow sticky ball that is currently affixed to our ceiling. It has been dangling there for two days. Connor derived great pleasure from throwing it up there and then getting it back down it a couple nights ago. We cut him off before the last dislodging effort because of the safety risks involved with standing on the kitchen counter waving a tall object around to remove the ball from the ceiling. And there it still hangs. A symbol of the state of the union at the Carlson house.

We leave the house right on time to get to the bus stop. The bus is, of course, running a couple minutes early. Connor sprints the last half block to catch the bus. He thinks it's fun, which is a good thing. Even though he's running late, he gives me a kiss and an "I love you" before he sprints down the sidewalk. He boards the bus with a grin on his face.

I come back home to address the five year old on the couch with her hair sticking straight up and a mismatched outfit on (my hair is sticking straight up, too, but my pajamas do match, by the way). We adjust the outfit for a colder climate by adding a turtleneck and some leggings that actually coordinate with her sundress. I get no argument, which is pretty amazing. We move into the bathroom to curl her hair. It turns out pretty cute. While we are doing Kylee's hair, Hadley decides to do a face plant on the floor. She is crying....I pick her up and plop her in the entertainer. She fusses louder. I put the binky in her mouth and push one of the musical light up toys on the entertainer. Success.

I then notice that a flower decoration that is on Kylee's dress is all bunched up and probably needs to be ironed. We are now 5 minutes late leaving the house. I decide to tackle "ironing" the flower out with the flat iron that I have been using on her hair. It works pretty well. Given my aversion to ironing, I will tuck that trick away for future reference.

We drive to school, managing to arrive only a couple minutes late. I get a hug and a kiss and a big "I love you" before Kylee hops out of the van to begin another day at school. Before she hops out, she asks "Mom, did you put a note in my lunchbox?". I ask, hesitantly, "Is it okay if the note in there is the same one that you had on Monday?" She says, "Yes, that's fine." Whew.

I drive home, still in my pajamas...and now, I sit here with Hadley and the yellow sticky ball to keep me company. The house is quiet.

It is always interesting to see what morning time brings our way.

The Big 6 Month Mark!

On the morning of January 21st, I was going about my morning routine, which involves changing and dressing Hadley for the day. I walked to her closet and looked at her clothes. Then, it hit me...because January 21st was her 6 month birthday, that meant that her 3-6 month clothing could be put away. Not only are we venturing into another age and stage, but we are boxing up another set of clothing. This is a big deal.

Although I had sworn that I would be diligent in recording her landmarks and noting each and every step of her infancy, I have failed miserably. While we know exactly which day Connor ate his first baby food, and at least in which month Kylee ate hers, we will be venturing our best guess when it comes time to write something down for Hadley. I bought a scrapbook a few weeks ago, being well-intentioned about getting started with her birth story and perhaps including a few sonogram pictures and notes about my pregnancy. The scrapbook is currently collecting dust. I am optimistic that it will be pulled out soon (maybe).

I think part of the reason that I haven't documented much is because, with every spare moment I have, I am soaking up the small wonders of having a baby in our house. Instead of gluing pictures into a book, I am watching Hadley interact with the world around her...noting her expressions, her noises, her preferences...and it is blissful. Our girl is now sitting up, eating some baby food, babbling lots, and grabbing everything in sight. This week, we graduated from the infant car seat into a regular seat, and we have moved out of the baby bathtub into the bath turtle (see picture above).

Hadley's personality is fairly laid back. Most of the time, she is content to sit and play and watch the circus that is often revolving around her. She LOVES attention from her brother and sister (who are constantly showering her with affection), and her smile is positively captivating. Her giggle is enough to melt anyone's heart.

The past six months have been a time of great healing for us. We look forward to continuing to watch our baby girl explore and grow. Bring on the 6-9 month clothes. Ready or not, here we come!

You Gotta' Love The Beatles!

Our family got Beatles Rock Band for Christmas this year. Connor took to it immediately, but Kylee has been pretty reluctant to dive in...until a few nights ago, when a star was born:

You gotta' love the Beatles!