Riley

I wanted to go on record with this one... We were sitting at the table and Riley walked over to me with something in her hand. As I looked up I saw she was holding her shirt and was completely topless...in front of our company! She has never taken off her shirt on her own and boy were we proud to witness this first time with our dinner guests. I know one thing...she will never cease to amaze us!

Labor Day Weekend

Labor Day weekend began early for us. Aunt Heather arrived last Monday morning from California. She was due to come in on Wednesday for Brad’s sister’s wedding, but due to the fires she headed east early. The air quality was so poor that she decided it was best to get out of town. She spent a few days at our house and I was able to take Thursday off to spend with her and the kiddos. We went to IKEA and Aunt Heather treated us to chick-fil-a ice cream. Riley & Ryan were so big and sat in the booth without the high chair or even a booster seat! They were a total mess by the time they were done, but they thoroughly enjoyed it and I could tell they were proud there were no high chairs.

Totally out of the blue on Friday night my friend Sheli called me and invited me to go to the Britney Spears concert. It was 7:00 and the concert started at 8:00, so I threw on some clothes and headed to Philips Arena. We were about 20 feet from the stage – it was an incredible experience to sit that close to anything and Britney still can put on a good show. She is definitely a performer!

On Saturday we started with a private swim lesson at the pool in our neighborhood. They did great, but again they showed me how big they are…we left them there! She wanted us out so they would pay attention to her, so we left and came back to pick them up. Kevin and I looked at each other when we got in the car and were amazed at how far we’ve come in just 2 short years!

We joined our friends Angie and Scott and their son Jacob for dinner at Nuevo Laredo and then started up the fire pit when we got back. We pulled the tv out back and watched football by the fire. We were the ultimate red necks, but it was so much fun! It felt like we were tailgating!!! I’m so glad football season has started…

We had a low key day on Sunday and just relaxed most of the day. Aunt Heather and Uncle Brad got back from the wedding festivities and we had dinner with them and Grandaddy. Kevin made some ribs on the grill. Today we got some stuff done around the house that has been way overdue! Aunt Heather and Uncle Brad took the kiddos for a while and let us get organized. It felt so great to get some of the projects complete that have been on our to do list for months! We had a nice cookout today with the newlyweds. Grandaddy brought some of the salmon he caught in Alaska over and we had a nice spread. Right after an early dinner, Uncle Brad took Aunt Heather to the airport. Brad is staying until tomorrow since he’s flying out for a business trip. It was a great long weekend with the kiddos. They are still becoming more and more independent each minute and saying more and more words. They are even starting to tell me about their diapers which makes me think that potty training might be here sooner than we know. Looking forward to a nice short business week!

Web Albums Added:
http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20090831AuntHeatherVisit#
http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20090905LaborDayWeekend#

Summer is almost over...

It's hard to believe that tomorrow is the last day of August. Where has the summer gone? I know it will still be hot for quite a while here, but I can almost smell fall and I have to say I'm a little excited. I can't wait to do fires out in the back and snuggle up in s nice warm blanket. While I was away with my girlfriends last weekend, we made s'mores in the fire pit and it was such a teaser for fall. Speaking of last weekend...there was no post because I was away with my girlfriends from Auburn. There is a group of us that all lived together at one time or another throughout college and then in Atlanta when we were all single. It's been fun to keep up with our monthly supper club, but this weekend getaway is such a treat. This was the second year we did it and I think we'll be doing it years from now. We were at the Ritz at Lake Oconee and it was so nice to just be waited on for 2 days. Already looking forward to next year!

This weekend we had a water play date with the multiples group we are a part of. There were 10 families that came and we had 2 pools with water, 2 ball pits and 2 sprinklers complete with ice pops to top of the morning. The kids had a blast and took a great nap afterward too!

Just a few quick stories that I wanted to document. Ryan rarely gets in trouble...if you just say his name sternly enough he usually shapes up, but he was giving Kevin a hard time and Kevin began to count until time for the dreaded time out. Ryan was fussing and crying and Kevin said "one", then Ryan stopped crying and looked up at him with a huge smile and said, "two, three...". We burst into laughter and needless to say - no timeout for Ryan this time. Riley is still flirting like crazy with Daddy, but she is ultra clingy to me. I can barely go out of her site without her losing it. I guess this is just a phase and I'm embracing it because soon enough she will be on to her next phase. As you can see from the pictures she has a bow in her hair. It's the first time she let me put it in and she kept in until we got home from church. She looked at me this morning after I put on her dress and tilted her head and touched her dress and simply said "very pretty" in the most girlish voice you can imagine. She was indeed "very pretty" and I was so proud of her for recognizing it!

Web Albums Added:
http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20090818AnimalMasksFromMeeMa
http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20090829IAPOMCWaterPlayDate#
http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20090929DinnerAtTalberts
http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20090830NewBow#

Catch Up..

Last weekend I went to NY for work (and a little play) from Saturday through Wednesday, so Kevin was a single parent for 5 days. He did a great job - even took some photos for me over the weekend, but I couldn't quite convince him to do a guest post on the blog. So - not a lot of details from last weekend, but I know they all had a great time. Although Kevin handled it with ease, he was very glad to see me Wednesday night - as I was to see them. 5 days is a long time and it didn't really start out being that long, so I wasn't really thinking how long it would be until I got there. Originally I was just going Monday - Wednesday, but then my friend from work, Kathy, was asked to help work, so we decided to head up on Saturday morning. I was so busy preparing for this conference that only when I was packing (Friday night) did I calculate that it was 5 full days. It was nice to have a few days to relax and play with Kathy on Saturday and Sunday. We had some fantastic meals, I had a manicure/pedicure, saw a Broadway show, shopped (we saw a dress priced at $24,000) and rested. But - once Monday hit, we were so busy we forgot about any bit of relaxation we might have experienced over the weekend. I have another conference in a month in Chicago and I'm trying to convince Kevin to come with me. We'll see if that pans out!

I got home Wednesday night and we've had some great family time since then. Joy, Avery and Margaret came over to play in the new ball pit (aka swimming pool filled with balls) on Friday night and they had so much fun playing. We got up on Saturday and had some time together in the morning and then we ran a few errands while Kevin worked in the yard. He had his football draft, so that afternoon Angie, Jack and Jacob came down to play and eat dinner. Today we attended Peachtree Presbyterian to see Margaret's baptism. Afterward we went to the Cole's house for lunch and more play time. They even had a bouncy so the kiddos were in hog heaven. They were so sweaty by the time they were done bouncing. After nap we made a quick visit over to the Fenzls and then Grandaddy came over. We had a nice visit with him and he read the new book from Alaska to them. It even plays the sounds of the different animals from Alaska. Overall it's been a great weekend! I have jury duty starting tomorrow, so it should be an interesting week.

One thing I did want to mention is that Riley put on her shirt the other day. She didn't get the sleeves, but she pulled it over her head. She was so proud of herself! They are talking more and more as well as becoming more helpful and more independent..thus a little more confrontational at times. We are definitely working on boundaries and learning things like "you don't say no to mommy or daddy" - "yes" rather than "yea". Not only saying please and thank you, but "you're welcome". I sneezed the other day and Riley said "bless you mommy". Melted my heart right on the spot. Riley has also realized that she can say "hello daddy" or "love you daddy" and she can watch him melt right in front of her. I think she's learning his number and it's so cute to watch!

Web Albums Added:

http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20090808WeekendWithDaddy

http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20090814BallPit

http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20090816MargaretSBaptism

Fun Weekend with Mee Ma

We think Riley and Ryan have finally named Gramma... Mee Ma! Ryan kept calling her Maw Mee, but that is just hard to say, so we kept saying Mee Ma and I think it's going to stick!

Mee Ma came over on Friday night and stayed with us all weekend! She was here when we got home on Friday and we played after eating a great meal that Daddy made for us. On Saturday morning Mee Ma and I went to a consignment sale and hit the jackpot! Mee Ma bought them a new horsey to ride on as well as some other fun things like a purse, aprons, a canteen and some clothes. I got them lots of clothes, shoes, Halloween costumes, books, a big Elmo, a stuffed Clifford the dog, some play food, a Thomas train with blocks, some maracas and a doodle pro. I have to brag on the bargains...40 items for $106!!! It was like Christmas when we got home. Mee Ma and I took the kiddos to lunch at La Parilla and they sat in booster seats (rather than high chairs) for the first time. They did great, but once Riley decided she didn't want to sit anymore, she had a little more freedom than in the high chairs. I won't tell you the whole story, but let's just say Riley's foot ended up in my plate of food as I was wrestling to get her back in the booster. Mee Ma has laughed and laughed about remembering this event. I didn't think it was very funny at all at the time, but I'm sure it had to be comical to watch it all unfold.

We went to the Farmers Market for our afternoon outing and got some great fruit. When we got home, we made dinner and I used some of the jam Aunt Heather made and sent us to make them PB&J. They weren't too enthused about PH&J, but I am going to try just some toast with jam. I think they will really dig it! We then ate our treats that Mee Ma bought us for desserts. Fruit tarts, lemon squares and coconut cake! Yum! I bought myself some flowers and made a beautiful arrangement if I might say so myself. I'm considering taking it to work so I can look at it all day. I have another busy week ahead of me and I think it will make me happy!

Riley on her new horsey

Ryan with the new horsey

Ryan is in love with ELMO!

Riley playing with the Doodle Pro

(it was brand new - still in the box!)

Mee Ma stayed with the kiddos last night so we could have a night out. We went to an amazing dinner and then met some friends for a concert. It was a very late night and I was just a wee bit grumpy getting up for church today. I definitely needed a nap the most out of everyone for an attitude adjustment today. Even Daddy napped, so you know it was a lat night.

After our naps, our friends, Rebecca, Paul and Zack came over for dinner. Zack is about 5 months younger than Riley & Ryan and they had a ball playing together. They were just giddy with excitement almost the whole time. They each ate a pretty good dinner and we all ended with some fabulous dessert - chocolate and lemon cake for the adults and frozen yogurt for the kiddos. ok the kiddos had some cake too! A good night for all!

Riley, Zack & Ryan - what a great looking trio!

Web Albums Added:
http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20090801WeekendWithMeeMa#
http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20090802DinnerWithSahlins#