Bluebonnets

Our friend Allison's parents have some beautiful property with bluebonnets!  We were lucky enough to take pictures out there this afternoon after naps!  I love how they turned out!  Chance really enjoyed running and looking at all the flowers!  He broke the law and picked a few!

Hallie: 2 months old!

Oh my how time flies!  Our sweet little Hallie is two months old!  She continues to be the happiest thing!  She has a very laid back personality majority of the time.  She lets you know when she is tired or hungry other than that she just smiles and smiles.  She enjoys bath time just like her brother.  I got out Chance's old kick and play piano and she loves it just like he did.  She just kicked and kicked and kicked and watched as all the lights went off and on!  She is a good sleeper at night.  I think she is getting really close to sleeping through the night. She went from 10:30 to 6am this past Saturday!  Yea Hallie! She loves to be swaddled.  When you are putting her in it she gives you such a sweet smile as to say thank you mom!  She enjoys watching Chance play and run around!  Enjoy her pictures! Doctor update: Hallie weighs 10 lbs. 2 ounces and is 21 3/4 inches long!  She is right at the 25th % for height and weight.  Her head is in the 60th %!!!

Chance: 23 months old!

This is more for me to remember the fun things Chance is doing at this age!  Hope you enjoy reading the fun things about our little guy.  He seems to have really grown up these last two months!  I think because we compare him to a little newborn.

• He is very polite and when he does not want something he says "No thank you please" (even when he is upset!)
• He can do a front roll!
• Can recognize letters of the alphabet and sounds they make! (Thanks to Letter Factory)
• He has crazy curly wavy hair (this started right before Hallie was born!)
• Thinks it is his responsibility to reprimand the dogs (tells them "No Sir!" he hears that alot!)
• Will call us by our first names when he really wants something!
• Becoming a better eater, still not a big fan of breakfast other than a smoothie!
• Loves the library and talks about Ms. Joyce (the librarian)
• He has a slight crush on our next door neighbor Caroline (he will just stare at her through the front windows, too cute)
• Will tell you Love you (melts my heart)
• At dinner Hallie started crying in her room, Chance looked at Ben and said, "Hurry daddy, sister crying."  He talks in sentences alot now!
• Will sleep with only three things in his bed: goldfish blanket, blue bunny, and his puppy, nothing can be added or taken away!  very ocd about what can be in his room.  My coffee cup was in there the other day and he told me to take the coffee away!
• I never realized he could have dreams, but when I woke him up this morning he told me He caught a Fox!  Too funny!  He must have really fun dreams!
• Big Daddy taught him how to give knuckles!
• Not so much fun with the temper tantrum throwing!  Learning that you cannot reason with an almost two year old! Best to just distract and ignore.  When it intensifies to absolute madness time out is working!
• Told on himself the other day when he touched the water on the refrigerator.  He told me he needed to go to time out!  Glad he is listening!

We love you Chance Russell!  I will try to post an updated pic soon!

What we have been up to!

We have had a great last couple of weeks!  My sister came down for three days so our kiddos could meet each other!  I think this was the highlight of my maternity leave was having them at our house (other than the birth of Hallie:))  I went back to work this past Monday!  It feels good to be back in the swing of things, but at the same time hard to leave the kids!  They are in such great hands with Tiffany and Ben's mom that I do not worry at all.  But it is hard!  Hallie is growing like crazy!  Her little legs are dimpling and she is sporting the sweetest double chin you have ever seen.  She is the cutest little thing!  Chance is doing great as well!  He really loves his sister.  He will ask me in the mornings where she is if she is not with me!  He will give her the sweetest kisses before bedtime.  He was very excited last night because she cooed at him and we told him that she was talking to him!  He was so proud!!  He is very generous offering her his toys multiple times a day!  He is talking up a storm and has the sweetest little accent!  I wonder where he learned that!  Majority of his words are long and drawn out with multiple syllables.  Such as Gran he pronounces (G-ran-n).  He was telling the other day that Ben cut himself shaving and runs in and says "Daddy cut his sel-elf!"  Love this little boy who is growing up too fast (hurts my insides!)

Dorothy Grace pulling her cousin Chance in the wagon!

The two babies!  Harlan and Hallie

Daddy reading to Hallie

Our happy little one! She has the most gorgeous smile!

Daddy and our little buddy!  Love them!

Mommy and our big girl!

Chance thinks this is what you do with the pump!  He is fascinated by it!

Matching pjs (ignore Chance's horrible haircut)

Hallie: 1 month old!

Hallie was one month old yesterday! It is crazy how time is flying by with her! I only have two more weeks at home with my babies! Parts of me are ready to go back and others really enjoy being at home! I am so glad I enjoy what I do or it would be a struggle to go back. Hallie is a really good baby! She sleeps and eats very well. I think she is even more clockwork than Chance was which is saying alot!! She has officially dropped one of the night feedings and is only down to one around 3 am or so! I am pumping to go back to work and she has never not finished a bottle! She would drink and drink and drink if we let her only then to spit everything back up (hence the need for pure pumping and bottles right now!) That being said my husband is the greatest husband and daddy!  He helps me during the night to pump, feed her and put her back down!  This would not be possible without his help!  I love that man!  Not many husbands would do this!  Little Hallie has her mommy's temperament so far! She gets mad pretty quickly but the next moment is just fine. Ben calls her little Megan!! I calculate based on my home scale she is around 8.5 pounds now! She gains weight pretty quickly! She loves her lamb swing just like her brother and spends LOTS of time there sleeping. She is not phased too much by her loud brother. She pretty much will sleep through all his commotion! She is smiling more and more!  Enjoy her one month pics in her crib!

This awake time is for the birds!

Chance: 22 months old!!

Our little man turned 22 months old yesterday!  Hard to believe he will be 2 in just 2 months.  It breaks my heart and excites me all at the same time about him growing up!  He is a joy to be around!  He has a sweet spirit about him.  He is very concerned about his sister's well-being.  If we are going somewhere he is the first to ask if Sister is going.  He wants to make sure we don't leave her believe it or not (surprises me it is not the other way around)!  I visited work today and he wouldn't let me leave her side and wanted to make sure that we kept her by our side!  Unfortunately we have started the fit and temper tantrum phase which is very hard on both mommy and daddy with a newborn as well.

Fun Facts:

• Can sing all of Jesus loves me very loud and clear (requests it multiple and I mean multiple times a day)
• Likes to play chase with Dada (his new word for daddy when he really wants him to play with him)
• He has quite the imagination.  He has a set of small stuffed animals from Gran that can do spectacular things such as drive boats, fight fires, and swim in the water
• Has started requesting what he wants at meal time (not always such a great thing) He is a condiment fan (loves ketchup and ranch dressing)
• Can tell you that mommy tells the kids at work to bite down and brush their teeth
• Tells you that daddy works with bobcats, dump trucks, backhoes 
• Favorite shows on television are Robin Hood (the old school version) and Bolt.  He watches too much now that I have to have down time to feed a newborn!
• Will tell you where we are going once he sees the road we are on such as Gran's house, Granddaddy's house, etc!
• Has "attempted" to climb out of his crib!  He is still too scared as he says he will hurt his head.  I love that he has a cautious nature about him.  Took the bumpers off and has helped curb this for a season! 
• Gets pretty upset when his sister cries!  He goes into a little panic mode and tries (throws) to give her her pacifier!
• Loves to be outside! 

Old picture but love it!!

Week 3 at home with the kiddos!

This is week 3 (oh my goodness) of being home with the two kiddos!  I hate how time flies by!  I have had so much help it is unbelievable!  Debbie (Ben's mom) or Tiffany (our nanny) has been here to help with Chance keeping him occupied and happy!  It has been a lifesaver let me tell you!  I have had a few mornings and afternoons with just the two and it is manageable but I will never turn down an extra playmate for Chance! 

Hallie got her first "real" bath this week, has started to smile (2 weeks just like her brother, crazy I know, and it is not gas:)), had a playdate with her buddy Mason, and started sleeping in her own room!  She is a very good baby and we feel so blessed to have her!  She still does not have too much awake time the usual max is an hour at a time!  Chance and I had a "date" yesterday at lunch to Chick-fil-A!  It was so special to spend some one on one time with him!  It was also nice for this cooped up mommy to get out of the house! 

Working like "mens" outside with dad!!

Visiting the Nichols!
Our first outing as a family of four!

Hallie and Mason

Date with mommy!

Hallie with Dr DLG

Real bath

Big brother looking on!

In her crib!!