Back in the Saddle

We have enjoyed our time off and tomorrow is back to the routine.  I did a few projects during my time off on Thursday and Friday, but I’ve also played a little and relaxed some too.  On Saturday morning we met the Cole family at Hippohopp and the kids had a great time.  It’s basically an indoor playground with about 7 or 8 jumpy houses.  They played hard for about 2 hours and it was all for $4!  Talk about cheap entertainment!  We followed up our jumping time with a visit to Chick-fil-A (or chick-a-lay as Ryan says it).  Riley, Ryan and Avery all sat in big chairs – no high chairs – and behaved and ate very well.

Last night the Talberts came over for dinner and the kiddos played with their twins, Jack & Eliza.  I think they enjoyed being the “big kids”.  Today we just layed low and enjoyed a day of lots of playing and family time.  It was a really great day together!  I think we were still in our pj’s at 4!  We did make it out for a family trip to the grocery store, but other than that it was time at home.

 

Web Album Added:
http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20100130BackInTheSaddle#

Videos

Here are some links to videos taken while the kiddos stayed with Mee Maw & Gran-Daddy.  Fun times!

“Wake up”
http://sharing.theflip.com/session/511a6ecaf096bc091c9515ae299fbf65/video/9648701

Karaoke
http://sharing.theflip.com/session/18c75d1a147ddd84ec0dddd653c019a4/video/9648903

Animals
http://sharing.theflip.com/session/cf60e21ef8a921d4092b3d1e02830c8c/video/9649163

Dancing
http://sharing.theflip.com/session/3cc3839fd17cfec203152196602347d4/video/9649636

Vacation Highlights

I wanted to compile some of the highlights from our trip as well as some of the details of Riley & Ryan’s time with Mee Maw and Gran-daddy.  We emailed every day, so this is taken from those emails…

1-23-10

Heidi:
We landed early and made it here safe and sound.  Kevin didn’t bring pants (as usual) so we had to stop at Wal-Mart to buy some on the way.  Ugh!  Other than that all is well.  We just got into our room – which is amazing – as is the resort.  Heading out to the pool.  It’s very hot here, so we are looking forward to cooling down….we’ve been in jeans! 

Gran-Daddy: Hi! Are yall just getting there? I thought surely you had been gone for several days already! Ryan woke up crying at 6:30 and all of us ended up beside his cot trying to comfort him. We were up for the day...and it has lasted for at least a week!!!!! We have done everything in the world and praise the Lord it is getting close to their bedtime! I believe that we all should sleep very well tonight. I spent time in the attic checking out the heat for upstairs, on the phone with three different possible repair people or answering machines, walk around the cul-de-sac, tike bikes, Baby Jesus video at least a hundred times, poopy diapers, PJ poopy, go home to get portable heater, play with toys, put shoes and socks on, and on and on, go to the church playground, to Burger King playground, to ChicFilet playground, to granddaddy's office to run up and down the hallways, home for more videos and supper make cupcakes, clean up the kitchen while Mema cleaned kids, getting ready for bed and this is just the first day. I can hardly wait until tomorrow! Your aging Dad!  Heidi: You just made us literally laugh out loud.  We have thoroughly enjoyed our day and it has seemed long to us as well – but in a very good way.  We appreciate all you guys are doing…sounds like an eventful evening and day.  We are appreciative of the break.  We scheduled a massage together on the beach for tomorrow at 10am!  I cannot wait and it’s Kevin’s first massage ever in his life…what a nice way to start! :) we are off to bed…tired as usual!

1-24-10

Mee Maw: Hi! Yesterday was busy!  We had grits and yogurt.  They are eating well.  Riley weighed in this morning at 26.5 lbs.  We mad it to six fify-eight this morning.  It is 7:42 and we are watching "Polar Express" and drinking apple juice.  Riley ate some of her granola bar, but ryan declined.  He was "in a mood" late yesterday afternoon because he never really took a nap.  We went to the playground at the Presbyterian Church and had to drag them  away kicking and screaming.  It was cold and windy and Ryan did not have a hood or hat plus there was water on the slides and in the little cars.  SO...we went to GMBA office and ran and ran up and down the halls.  We also played a game where I pretended to be asleep and they woke me up.  We laughed a lot.  We came home to eat mashed potatoes, spinach and the beef/soup that you sent to us.  We had cheese toast on the bread you sent and then had Clementines for dessert.  They mostly ate Clementines. We had fun making the cupcakes.  They added the water and oil and helped stir and ladle the mixture into the muffin tins in which they had placed the paper liners.  They later decorated them with frosting and sprinkles.  They seemed to enjoy the process, but we ate a lot more cupcake(s) than they did.  For one meal they had a choice of applesauce or yogurt to eat.  Riley chose yogurt and Ryan chose apple sauce.  Then Ryan changed his mind and wanted yogurt, so Grandaddy said he would eat the apple sauces.  Riley was so funny.  She said, Nooooooooo.  That's Ryan's apple sauce.  Grandaddy ate Ryan's applesauce!  She reminded everyone of that fact many times throughout the meal. One time I let them out on the screened in porch to watch the birds.  The next thing you know, they are out in the back yard....Ryan with one shoe and sock on and one off. I was barefooted, so I was glad that Sid returned about that time and could rescue them from the back yard! There's much more I could tell, but Riley needs my attention.  She woke up at eleven last night and slept with me the rest of the night.  They went to sleep very quickly last night.  Ryan cried out several times, but never got up.  He told me earlier in the evening that he had a booger which I tried to retrieve, but never really got.  I will work on that today. Other than giving them their baths last night, I managed to cook three meals and wash several loads of clothes as well as clean up the kitchen and all that entails. We have read books and played with all the toys.  We are having a good time.  Sounds like you are as well!  I hope the weather gets better so they can get outside more.  Riley went back to watching the movie so I will tell you this.  She was so cute this morning when she was waking me up.  I said that I had to go to the bathroom first and she said okay.  She led me to the bathroom; got my tissue for me; and then tried to flush the toilet.  She then stated that I had done a good job going potty and told me to watch my fingers as she closed the door.  Quite the Mommy! They seem well rested and happy this morning.  We will have some breakfast soon. Love, Mom

Heidi:
Read your emails – sounds like all is well but that R&R are keeping you on your toes! :) We are having a perfect time.  Total relaxation.  We went to bed about 10 last night and got up at 7 (I woke up well before that, but made myself go back to sleep).  We are on central time here.  I ran 2.5 miles and did some weight training and Kevin ran 6.2 miles.  It was a great way to work off all we ate and ate and ate yesterday.  We will have to work out hard every day, but it will be worth it because the food so far has been really good.  After our workout we grabbed breakfast and then went to our spa appt.  They started us with a hydro therapy session where we went into a steam room and then all different kinds of water treatments.  I’ve never don’t anything like that before, but it was very nice.  Kevin said he didn’t need the massage afterward, but he changed his mind once he actually had the massage.  It was remarkable.  We were right on the beach.  I could hear the waves crashing as I was getting a great massage.   The winds are crazy today, so that was my only complaint.  When they were done they pointed us to two special chairs and gave us a bottle of champagne and chocolate covered strawberries.  We didn’t realize that was included so it was a great surprise!  After hanging at our special seats for a while we ventured back to the spa for more steam room and pool time.  We just came back to the room to grab the computer.  Kevin thinks he’ll be able to watch the football playoff game by the pool via the internet.  He’s excited so I plan to read my book!  We are going to try the lobster bar for lunch in just a bit.  Hasta la vista baby! 

1-25-10

Heidi:
We had another great day.  Started out with a workout.  Today was harder than yesterday, but we made it through it.  We have spent most of the day by the pool in the sun or shade and enjoyed a nap outside this afternoon in one of the covered “beds”.  It was awesome.  The winds have been very brisk since we’ve been here so we haven’t been able to really get into the pools.  We found one today that was “heated” and it was nice, but it was brutal when we got out since the winds were raging.  The good news about the wind is we haven’t been hot really at all.  Been so comfortable day and night.  We are about to get ready for dinner – think we are going to try the Italian restaurant for appetizers and then the French restaurant for dinner.  That’s the fun thing about all inclusive!  There is a show at 9pm so we might check that out too.

Would love to hear an update today.  Did the kiddos go to school?  I’m sure they are keeping everyone busy, but hopefully entertained as well.  We appreciate it more than you know and miss you all!

1-26-10

Mee Maw:
Hi! The children were quietly playing when i started to do this, but now they are not so quiet.  They are interacting and giggling right now, but will quickly turn to someone in tears I fear.  We have had to invoke the Don't hurt other people rule quite often the last two days.

Yesterday was pretty tough.  I will share how we ended the day.  They had not really taken very good naps. Riley's was short and I believe Ryan's was non exsistent.  Anyway, we started bath time and while the water was still running Riley manage to squeeze between me and the running water and enter the tub.  She somehow accidentally activated the shower and water rained down on all of us, scaring Riley to death.  She cried and cried.  I got her out and sat on the toilet with a little drowned rat sitting on my lap, wrapped in a towel.  She would look up at the shower head and say, "it's scary.  It's scary!"  I have to admit that it did look a bit ominous from her angle. I got Riley into her PJ's and went downstairs to get Ryan's PJ's which were in the dryer, telling them to stay upstairs and I would be right back.  Of course Riley followed me and stuck her head in the dryer to see what I was doing and bumped her head on the shower door.  More tears.  Let's just say the boo boo ice has gotten a work out!  They were in bed by seven amidst howling protests which lasted all of three minutes.  Not a word til almost seven this morning!

Love,
Mom

Heidi:
Sounds like the kiddos have been a bit challenging…  I hope they haven’t been “two” too much…  remember house rules “obey mommy and daddy” “do not hurt yourself” “do not hurt others”.  Hopefully they know that obeying mommy and daddy means obeying mee maw and gran daddy.  Maybe sleeping in their own beds and going to school will get them back on track.  Hope everyone can get a little rest tonight.  We have done great as far as the sun goes – no sunburns, but got a nice amount of sun today.  We’ve been waiting to eat at the Italian restaurant and found out this morning that it is closed tonight.  Very disappointing, but there are plenty of other options.  The shuttle will pick us up at 915 in the morning, so we won’t have time to do more than workout, eat breakfast and head out.  L  I was hoping for a little sun time, but we are officially done with that.  Crazy to think it’s been (almost) 5 days already.  I’m sure you think it has felt like much longer.  As you know, we are very grateful and are rejuvenated and ready for another year of being parents!  To have a break like this is a gift! :) see you tomorrow.  We will call as soon as we land.  Love all of you!

Mee Maw:
The kids have been fine.  I realized just a few minutes ago that I had been in the house with them since i brought them home on Friday...except for the trip to the park on Sunday.  I am sure they were somewhat bored, although we went outside for walks and engaged in lots of activities.

Did I tell you they sang Happy Birthday to Avery almost every day when they played the piano? :)

They seemed excited about going to their house to see Sam and Sable; sleep in their own beds; play in their playroom; and go to school.

Love,
Mom

Vacation

Kevin and I returned this afternoon from a 5 day vacation to Mexico!  It was a glorious time.  We did a lot of nothing and are totally relaxed and rejuvenated.  I obviously didn’t do a great job with photos, but you’ll get the idea on how wonderful our resort was…enjoy!  …and wish us luck on re-entry…it’s been tough already!  A very big thank you to Mee Maw and Gran Daddy who watched the kiddos while we were gone.  I know R&R kept them on their toes, so hopefully they can now get a little rest, relaxation and recovery themselves! 

Web Album Added:
http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20100123PlayaMujeres#

The big reveal!

We had the big reveal on Saturday after going to Jack & Eliza’s 1st birthday party.  Dad and Grandaddy got all of the painting completed by lunchtime, so we scrambled to get the big reveal ready before we headed up to Mee Maw’s.  They were so giddy – as you can see in the video.  They love the new bedding and the new walls in both rooms and the bathroom.  I can’t wait until the rooms are really ready with things hung on the wall, but that will come with time.

We headed up to Lawrenceville to visit with Mee Maw and they both fell asleep in the car (which they almost never do).  They continued to sleep after I got there and through the time I went into a store to shop a little.  Mee Maw stayed in the car with them while they snoozed away.  After they woke up we went to a very early dinner at Ted’s Montana Grill and then back to Mee Maw’s for time to play!  They had fun with all of her toys and she even got them a new potty chair.  They had a long fun play time in the bath and then we headed back south for home.

On Sunday we went to church and then ran a few errands.  The Coles came over to play with us and the kids partied until 9:30!  They were trooper and LOVED their time with Avery.  They brought us bbq from their restaurant Ribs, etc. for dinner and it was delicious!  What a fun time with fun friends.

Today we were home while Daddy worked.  As you’ve already read, we went to see a movie and they were awesome!  We came home and during “nap time”, Ryan proceeded to take off his diaper, pee all over his bed and then go through the bathroom to Riley’s new room and poop on her floor.  I don’t think he ever actually slept…how could he with all the stuff he was up to?  I went in to get him since he was banging on the door and noticed the aroma.  So I asked Ryan if he pooped to which he replied “yes”.  Since he had on no diaper I started searching.  Not on his bed, not in the potty, not in the bathroom…  He was pointing to his feet which had smears of poop on them and then his hands.  GROSS!  I finally asked him one more time where he pooped and he said “on the floor” as he pointed to Riley’s room.  I walked into Riley’s room and there it was.  I big pile of poop that looked like he had tried to clean up – thus the smears.  What a fun way to end the afternoon!  I think I’m ready to go back to work tomorrow!

Web Albums Added:
http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20100116MiniMakeover#
http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20100116JackElizaS1stBirthdayParty
http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20100116VisitAtMeeMawS#
http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20100117VisitWithColes#
http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20100118MLKHoliday#

First Movie Theater Visit

Riley, Ryan and I all have today off.  Daddy had to work, so I was trying to think of something fun for us to do today.  I called the Fenzls and they were heading to Phipps Plaza to see a movie so I asked if we could tag along.  We went to see The Princess and the Frog and they were great!  Riley ate her weight in popcorn and the made it through the entire movie!  Yes – all 95 minutes!  They loved it.  I wasn’t sure how long they would last, but they were rock stars.  Ryan sat in my lap most of the movie and Riley sat with Lori or in her own big girl seat.  They were too cute.  The only issue was when we ran out of popcorn.  I thought Riley might have a breakdown, so I had to run out and get more.  Oh and there was Ryan dropping his cup and me down on my hands and knees looking for his cup under the seats in front of us.  Can’t say I ever imagined doing that, but anything to keep the peace.  I’m one proud mama of my little ones.  Now they are napping, so I’m going to try to get a few projects done around the house.  Oh, forgot to mention the movie is delightful.  A great storyline and wonderful music.  Riley and Ryan were dancing a few times.  I might even be purchasing the soundtrack!

My blogging eyes have been opened…

So my sister told me about a new blogging tool called Windows Live Writer.  She said it has changed her blogging composing world, so I have been eager to test it out.  So far (just about 5 minutes) into this test, I already LOVE it!  All the frustrations of my old “way” seem to be a piece of cake here.  Now that it seems to be easier, I think I might just have to send out some updates more often!

In the meantime, below are their school photos taken this Fall by
Muddy Faces Photography. 
I think these turned out great…especially for school pictures!

Mini Makeover update:  Riley’s pink room and their yellow dressing areas and bathroom have been painted!  They look great!  Gran-daddy and Daddy worked hard all day long and it looks like professionals were here.  They plan to finish up tomorrow with Ryan’s blue room – which will be their shared room until we separate them at some point. 
Well done boys! 

We all say a
great big thank you!
(in pink of course!)

Mini Makeover Preparation!

So we are going to paint Riley & Ryan’s bedrooms this weekend, but we aren’t quite ready for the transition to 2 rooms or to full size beds, so in the interim we are going to spruce up the bedding on their toddler beds and work on decorating their bathroom. It will all be ready once the time is right for moving them to their separate rooms and beds. So – we purchased this shower curtain for their bathroom.

It has all the colors from Ryan’s and Riley’s future bedding, so it should be a good starting point for making their shared bathroom flow from both rooms. For Ryan, we purchased this toddler bedding. It’s the right price for something temporary and is fairly good quality.

Same for Riley – we purchased this set.

I’m very excited about doing a mini makeover this weekend and presenting them with their “new room” with fresh paint and GIRL bedding and BOY bedding! Now – we just need to finalize our paint colors and purchase the paint so Dad and Kevin and do their magic!

In Kevin's words, "what's wrong with the current bedding"? And my answer is, "nothing". But...we did not find out the gender of the babies before they were born, so we had to decorate the nursery in very gender neutral tones with very little options. I have picked out train bedding for Ryan and a very girly print for Riley with lots of PINK! Now is the time that I am going all out with decorating for a sweet little GIRL and a precious little BOY! I look forward to posting photos after this weekend!

New Class & Snow!

Riley and Ryan started in EPS2 this week and had basically no transition issues. They seemed to adjust without a hitch and had a great first week. They have each gone pee pee on the potty (Riley more than Ryan) and seem very happy when I pick them up each afternoon. This last week had lows in the teens most every day and it rarely got above freezing, so they have had lots of time indoors. I know they are looking forward to some time on the playground this week.

The only hiccup in their new class was Riley falling and busting her lip...but it was on Thursday afternoon once I arrived. She was running with her hands in her pocket and fell and hit her lip. There was instant blood and crying. I was actually getting the update for the day from her teacher when it happened, but we all jumped into action and stopped the bleeding. She looked pretty pitiful, but has recovered nicely.

On Thursday night we got some snow! It was mainly ice, but there was a little snow to look pretty. School was closed on Friday, so the kiddos had a day at home with daddy. It's been a snowy and icy weekend, but we've had a fun time playing inside! The kiddos only braved the cold briefly on Friday to walk next door, but they had fun pointing out the snow and ice. It was so cold, we didn't have to convince them to come inside.

While we were next door, the kiddos played down in their basement and watched a movie. This was the first time ours went down with the big kids so we checked in quite a bit. Riley seems to have a crush on Paul (always has) and this is what I found on one of my checks. She left playing with the other kids to join Paul for some quiet time to watch the movie. Too cute!

The kiddos have have finally learned the rule "no jumping" on the couch, so they have been pulling off all the cushions and playing on them. They spent hours this weekend entertaining themselves with jumpin, crawling, and just having a perfect time. They would get "stuck" and crawl under the cushions. We even built a fort today with the ottomans. I'm truly amazed at the amount of time they played in there. Gran-daddy came over last night before he left on his trip today for a visit. He brought over some steaks and the kids LOVED eating a few bites off of our plates. Smart kiddos!

Today, we went to St. Benedict's for Jack & Eliza's baptism. We couldn't take any pictures during the service and they fell asleep in the car after the service, so there aren't any pictures of them. We were honored to be a part of their special day. They did great during the service and Riley and Ryan had fun at church with "new friends" in the nursery.

http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20100104FirstDayOfEPS2#
http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20100107BustedLip#
http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20100108SnowWeekend#
http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20100110JackElizaSBaptism#

After Christmas Recovery

The week after Christmas has flown by and it hit me that tomorrow starts the first normal work week we’ve had in about a month. We have been “off-schedule” for quite a while. It’s been a lot of fun things, but we have realized how much we all thrive on routine. It is going to be tough to get up at my normal 5:45 tomorrow morning, but I’m kinda looking forward to getting back to a normal routine. The kids have been wild this week and I was worried that the terrible two’s had finally hit, but we seemed to be through the adjustment and back to normal this weekend. We’ve had a few really good days this weekend, so hopefully that was just “post Christmas disorder”.
Last Monday we took Ryan to a really cool place to get his hair cut. It’s called Snipits and is just for kids. They had toys, treats, lollipops and all the right things to make a 2 year old feel completely comfortable while getting his hair cut. This is the first time Ryan didn’t cry at all and Riley was even begging to get her hair cut when it was all said and done. The lady was very sweet and put some “jewels” in Riley’s hair. She was so proud and they stayed there all day! Aunt Heather and Uncle Brad were in town so we had fun playing with them on Monday. But after our day on Monday, we decided to declare Tuesday and adult day and decided to send Riley and Ryan to school. It was a good choice and gave us a chance to rest and relax.

Riley's hair "jewels"

laughing with Aunt Heather

working hard at the new easel from Gran-daddy

spaghetii dinnerIt was back to work for me on Wednesday and Thursday and then a few more days off for New Years. We went out for dinner with the whole gang on New Year’s Eve. Mee Maw, Gran-daddy, Aunt Heather, Uncle Brad and the 4 of us. It was an early dinner and then back to our house for a quick visit before Mee Maw and Gran-daddy headed out. They convinced everyone to play with the play doh and we all had fun watching them create things.

Mee Maw and Riley cracking up over play doh
(the play doh in Riley's hand a a "Christmas Tree")
We had some nice family down time this weekend and it was a lot of fun for the 4 of us. We made a trip to Costco and ran some errands on Saturday and then had a family movie night to watch Mary Poppins – their gift from Aunt Heather and Uncle Brad. They were mesmerized and we all really enjoyed the movie. Kevin had never seen it, so it was a must-see for us.

Today we stayed home all day and just got the house back in order. All the decorations down and put away and most everything at least picked up. Naptime was almost comical today… Ryan didn’t really want to nap so he summoned me in a couple of times. First it was a “stuck” foot in the rails of the bed. I heard him crying for me saying “Mommy Stuck” and he was only getting louder, so I knew it was time to go in. I found that he had ripped his pillowcase a the seam and had thrown all kinds of stuff around the room. Clearly not ready to sleep. I settled him down (all while Riley was snoozing away) and all was well for about 20 minutes. Then I heard him begin screaming as loud as he could “Riley Wake Up”. I quickly went in and found him standing over the edge of his bed and over her head screaming for her to wake up. I swooped him out of the room and brought him into my bed. I told him he had to be quiet and watch “mommy’s show”, which he did for a few minutes. He was just glad to be out of his room. Then he quietly told me “no watch mommy’s show”. It was so very cute, but we finished mommy’s show. I didn’t want him to think he just has to scream over Riley and then I will come rescue him to watch Dora in my room. Lessons to be learned…

Overall the holidays were thrilling and exhausting. It was a great season and I wouldn’t take back anything we did, but I’m looking forward to normalcy and routine. Crazy to hear me say that, but man is it true!

Ryan with the beard from the Santa Mr. Potatohead

Web Albums Added:
http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20091228RyanHaircut#
http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20091231SpaghettiDinnerNewYears#
http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20100101#