Family Photos

I have been wanting to get family photos taken for a while now.  Kyle and I decided that this would be our Mothers Day and Fathers Day gifts to each other.  So, we all showered, put on real clothes and headed out to Railroad Park after work one afternoon to meet up with Catherine Mayo.  Baylor refused to smile and Hill kept having meltdowns every two minutes and my patience level was at a negative.  Super Daddy Kyle held it together and jumped right in there with the kids to keep them entertained and happy.  I have to say that when we left the park I had a little pity party and may have even cried a little knowing that there wouldn't be any good pictures and certainly not any of me with the kids.  Not for lack of talent on Catherine's part, but because we just couldn't seem to pull it together and the session just snowballed out of control.  Anyway, we got the link to our pictures and I love them.  She definitely captured the emotions of the day, but that is our reality.  Hill is all over the place in every way possible and Baylor is two and all that entails.  Here's the link to Catherine's site.  The password under Client Proofing is hudlow.

Storyteller

Bay loves to tell us stories at the dinner table and they start with "One day..."  Almost all of them include The Grinch, monsters, and a baby.  Normally The Grinch or a monster goes into a house and steals a baby.  I know, awful, but he really has no idea what he's talking about and it is just so funny.  He switched it up a little this time and included an elephant and Robin the Good (VeggieTales).  I love his facial expressions!

She's Got Style

This is what happens when I let Hill dress herself. It was a sunny 90 degrees out.

No Jackets. No Jesus.

Hill: Mommy, at church I can't ever let Jesus in my heart because when I try to get on the stage they won't let me.

Me: Do you say a prayer at the end and they ask you to come forward if you want Jesus to live in your heart?

Hill: Yes, but they won't ever let me get on stage because I don't have on a jacket.

Me: Do other boys and girls go on the stage? Do they all have on Jackets? Did you ask Jesus to live in your heart.

Hill: UGGGGGHHH, yes mommy, you're so frusterating me, I always have Jesus in my heart, I already told you that, you don't understand God and I don't have a jacket so I can't get on stage.

Then she broke into song "God is bigger than the boogie man, He's bigger than Godzilla or monster's on TV, He's watchin over you and me, oh yeah"

I would like to point out that this is a NORMAL conversation. What am I supposed to do with that?

Time to Start Saving

We heard strange noises coming from Hill's room last night and when I went in to check, she was sitting in her bed vigorously shaking her BREAKABLE piggy bank. The girl was on a mission to get every last coin out of there and I feel like I caught her right before she did major bodily harm to the poor pig. She seemed very upset, but I just thought it was because she knew "Mr. Do Good" was coming out.
Side note: Mr. Do Good is our wooden spanking spoon, with a smiley face drawn by Kyle and a plastic hand clapper rubber banded on it to make it louder when we spank.
Anyway, she got her spanking but was visibly more upset than she normally is after a spanking. I climbed into bed with her to talk and asked her why she had been trying to get her money out when she knew it was against the rules. Through her tears and as sincere as she has ever been in her life, she said "I've been saving my money for Disney World and I wanted to see if I had enough, but (sniffle) I don't think I have enough yet, mommy,(sniffle) is it enough?" Broke my heart. Time to start saving for my two little princesses to go to Disney World!

Still Here

Just to check in...

*Random Pictures throughout

Hill is hilarious/smart/clumsy/tough/independent (in thought)/athletic/sweet/strong willed and what seems like so many other qualities that I can't even begin to describe. She is wonderfully complicated and keeps us on our toes and I am thankful for that. She forces us to have conversations that we wouldn't normally have and for my laid back personality, pushes me to be more intentional in the way I parent. I get her though (must take one to know one)

Bay is sensitive/sweet/organized/rough/loud/independent (in play)/fast/funny/go with the flow and the best little brother. He lets me cuddle him and most of the time when I ask him to do something, he just does it. More importantly, if I ask him not to do something, he says "OK, mommy". This kind of obedience is a new thing in our house and it is wonderful and scary at the same time. I feel like I am waiting for the switch to flip at any moment. He is becoming a such a big boy and I have no idea where the time went.

On a side note: Baylor was hugging one of the 6' tall mannequin's in Old Navy on Friday and it crashed to the ground. The arm broke off and the head rolled into the men's department and my children ran from the front of the store to the dressing rooms (in the back) in about 2 seconds. It was impressive. I see track (or hit and runs) in their future. Baylor came back crying and Hill just found a new mannequin to hug.

They love each other and we love them!