Work In Progress

Daddy has been working super hard on our 'mini' kitchen renovation! Here are a few in progress pictures. New so far: granite, cooktop, pendant lights, bartop, backsplash, sink. To come: microwave, more backsplash, beadboard paneling. When the project is complete, we'll post before and after pictures!

New Look

Why do we have a new look? Well the site that hosted our free blog template was having bandwidth problems and no longer hosts our blog design :( When picking a new one, we had to pick one with a dark background so that you can see the light colored font that we have used in each and every blog post. So we are trying this one out until we find one we like better :)


In the meantime, enjoy some new pictures!

Grana and Grandma with the girls!

Weekend visit from the Simons, miss you Aunt Steph!

Storytime, we read this book 5 times a day!

August Family Picture

Hallie the Cook

I see mommy cooking all the time. I watch her carefully measure, and pour, shifiting ingredients from container to bowl. It doesn't look all that hard to do but she never lets me help because I get the ingredients all over the counter.

So last friday when we got home I toddled into my playroom like I always do. I was headed for a nice quick sit in my "hallie" chair when I noticed something different. For some crazy reason, mommy and daddy had placed everything from the kitchen counter on the carpet in my playroom. (we had just gotten new countertops) So I took inventory of the contents. Some baking supplies, mixing tools, flour, sugar, rice, bowls, a toaster... wait a minute! Mommy and daddy put the canisters of sugar and flour on the floor of my playroom?!? Do they KNOW they have a toddler in the house? Apparently not. So I peak my head into the kitchen and there they are chatting away about the new countertops.

This is my chance. No one is looking, I will show them how well I can bake. So I open the flour canister, grab a huge scoop and transfer it to the bowl. Oops! I missed! OK, maybe mommy was right, I can't pour without making a mess. Well lets keep trying... A few minutes later I hear daddy say "where's Hallie, she's being way too quiet". When he peeked around the corner and saw the mess that I made, all he could do was laugh... Check it out.

New Pictures!

Life is pretty hectic these days and my sister and I manage to keep things interesting for our mom and dad. I just got done watching Dora's Big Birthday Adventure and its bedtime so I'm just going to post pictures for now. More Hallie commentary to come later :)

Matching Outfits!

Kisses for Mommy and Daddy

Pretty in Pink and Purple

August Birthday Celebrations

Hallie helping Daddy sand the front door

Happy 2 Months Annabelle!

Hallie-isms

I thought I’d share some snippets of things I do that mommy finds entertaining these days.



* Sister. Every time mommy says its time to go somewhere I immediately make sure Annabelle is going to come too. Mommy can be pretty forgetful sometimes and I want to make sure she doesn’t forget my sister. I do this by very loudly saying “uh uh uh uh” and pointing to Annabelle (to me these are actual words but to grown ups it just sounds like I’m making noises). When grandma was watching me one day she mentioned taking a walk and went to get the stroller. When she returned, I was trying to drag Annabelle out of her rainforest playmat to make sure she was coming with us!



* Trash. I love to throw stuff away in the trashcan. This can often be very helpful for mommy and daddy. They sometimes ask me to throw away scraps of paper or parts of the mail and I am very good at delivering these items to the trash can. But sometimes I can’t tell the difference between trash and valuable items. Mommy noticed she was missing some of her birthday money and a gift card that she had received 3 days ago. She could not find them anywhere so as a last resort she went digging in the yucky trash. Lo and behold at the bottom of the can was the money and gift card she was looking for! She had to have a talk with me about throwing stuff away. Sorry, mommy, it looked like trash to me!



* Dora. I have a confession to make. I am a Doraholic. Yes, I am addicted to ‘Dora the Explorer’. When I want to watch I grab the remote (and by the way I am really good at finding the remote no matter where my parents hide it), point it at the TV and say ‘dordordordor’ in the softest, cutest voice I can muster. Daddy and Mommy decided once or twice a day is the most I can watch but I am currently negotiating for three times a day.



* Blessing. On the bookshelf in my playroom there are some bottles of holy water. One time mommy showed me how to bless myself with the holy water by making the sign of the cross, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Now, I love blessing people. I make sure our whole family (even Annabelle) gets blessed everyday!



* Cleanup. Recently I have enjoyed cleaning up my toys as much as I enjoy getting them out. I put all 24 crayons back in the box after coloring and put my tea set back on the shelf after having a tea party. Yesterday, at toddler time at the library, I was the only toddler that insisted on cleaning up all the toys before going home. All the mommys were trying to clean up while all the kids are crying about having to leave and here I am taking each toy, one at a time, and placing them in the buckets. I even tried to carry a really heavy bucket to the cabinet when all the toys were put away!

Mommy and Annabelle

Today I decided to eat my Dora fruit snacks out of my purple cup with a plastic fork

Annabelle's Baptism

Here are just a few shots from Annabelle's baptism on July 10th. The rosary bracelet on Annabelle's wrist is a gift from her Godmother (Aunt Stephanie) from the Vatican! Annabelle is also wearing a bracelet with her name on it that matches the bracelet I got from my Godmother (Aunt Christy), how special! The ceremony was beautiful and afterward the family came to our house for sandwiches and fellowship. Then all the aunts, uncles, grandparents and so on left and it was back to just the four of us after having been with family for over a week!

4th of July Vacation

Mom left me with my Dora yogurt and a spoon and this is what transpired... :)

Annabelle in a pretty purple dress

Playing outside the lakehouse on the fourth, like my romper?  

Here I am with Grana and Aunt Steph at the Park, I actually liked wearing those sunglasses!

My sister's cheeks hang below her jawline, nice.

Here we are at the cave! I had a great time despite my expression in the first pic. By the end I was passed out on daddy's shoulder. He is wrapped around my finger, exhibit A: bow clasped to shorts (see below).

Who's Who at One Month???

Here is a puzzle for you. This is a collection of pictures of Annabelle and I at 1 month old.

Who is who?

Answers: Top Row form Left: Hallie, Hallie, Annabelle. Bottom Row: Annabelle, Annabelle, Hallie.

Hallie Meets Annabelle

Click to see video

Ready for a walk in the new double stroller

Chillin at the park in my shades

'Princess' Annabelle

Daddy rocking Annabelle

Kisses for Sister!

Fast Asleep

Matching Dresses for Eleanor (Reinberg) and Annabelle

Playing in our PJs!

A Day in the Life of Hallie

Well, now the dust has settled. The Grandma’s (who each stayed a week!) are gone and after daddy goes to work each morning it is just Mommy Annabelle and I. We have settled nicely into a routine that seems to keep everyone sane!



7:30: I’m awake! This is about the time I wake up each day. At first, I lay in bed and trade my paci’s out about five times, then I might kick the walls a few times and when I get bored I finally make some noise to alert mommy to come get me.


7:45 -8:00: Breakfast time! The breakfast mommy serves me depends on whether or not Annabelle needs to nurse at the time. If my little sister is hungry the same time I am, I get a pop tart or waffle for breakfast (these are foods I can eat on my own without close monitoring from mommy) if mommy can give me her full attention, I get something much healthier like oatmeal and fruit. ;)

8:30: Morning Activity: This could range anywhere from going to the grocery store to taking a walk to visiting the park. Lately, if we visit the park, the morning activity will most certainly include a bath for me due to the enormous amounts of sand I bring home in my hair, clothes, diaper…

10:30 My Nap: So mommy read in one of her magazines that right about the time Annabelle was due, I would be switching from two naps a day to one (she read this in horror!). Well, I proved that magazine correct for this is the time I go down for my one nap ;) Its not so bad for mommy though because Annabelle usually sleeps too and I don’t get up until 1:00 or 1:30. I’m not sure what mommy does during this period of time (it must be so boring for her without me around!) but I think it includes reading her e-mails, cleaning, napping and showering.

1:30 Lunch: See ‘breakfast’, it’s the same story, different food groups ;)

2:00 Afternoon Activity: So that we don’t go stir crazy mommy usually tries to have an afternoon activity in addition to the morning activity. This might include a trip to the mall/library/target (if she is really brave), some splashing in the baby pool in the backyard, or even just reading books and building towers in the playroom.


5:15 Wait for Daddy to Get Home: This is about the time that mommy has had enough of us and she is ready for a second helper. We either start to cook dinner or just sit around the playroom, looking out the window, talking about when daddy will pull into the driveway. When daddy does get home, I either hide from him so he will have to find me or squeal and give him a big grin. Then the two of us go into the bedroom to change out of daddy’s ‘work’ clothes into his ‘comfy’ clothes while mommy puts the finishing touches on dinner.


6:00 Dinner: Now that I am a ‘big girl’ I usually get to eat whatever mommy and daddy are eating for dinner. Sometimes I don’t believe them when they tell me I am eating the same food as them so they have to show me how the move the food directly from their plates to mine. If I am feeding myself, the cleanup after dinner could take as long as dinner itself!


6:30 Evening Walk: After dinner we usually load up into the double stroller and take a walk around the neighborhood. Unless of course I am feeling extra independent that day then mommy will push the double stroller with only Annabelle in it and I will walk on my own in front of daddy on the side of the stroller. We always wave ‘hi’ to the neighbors and when they ask me to wave or clap I immediately freeze up and totally forget how to do all my ‘tricks’. As soon as we pass them I somehow remember and begin clapping or waving, go figure.


8:00 Goodnight Kisses: After reading every book I pull off the bookshelf it is time to go to bed. I always say goodnight by blowing kisses on my way up the stairs in route to my crib in my new room. After talking/singing to myself for a few minutes I dose off to dreamland and start everything over when my eyes open the next day at 7:30 am…

Thanks for spending the day with me!

Hallie Vs. Annabelle

Mommy wanted to compare what I looked like when I was born to how Annabelle looks now. She ended up finding a few pictures where we are in similar poses. Do we look alike? Who looks more like mommy, like daddy? Decide for yourself!

My New Baby Sister

Well, lets start from the beginning of this new adventure. It all began when I woke up one morning and Grana was here. No mom, no dad, just Grana. I was super excited to see her but I had a suspicion that something was up. Next, Grandma and Aunt Chirsty showed up and I thought, man, this is awesome! Then both Grandma’s left and I played all morning with Aunt Christy. At around 11:30 we packed up and headed to the hospital in my new ‘big sister’ rhinestone shirt. Little did I know that I was going to meet my new baby sister! So we show up at the hospital and I find mommy lying in a bed and daddy holding this tiny baby wrapped in a blanket. Everyone kept calling this baby Annabelle but I was confused because I thought mommy’s tummy was called Annabelle. Anyways, I soon figured out what was going on and couldn’t wait to get a hold of my new baby sister. I was so excited when I first saw her up close in mommy’s arms that I tried to grab her and give her a big hug! Mommy didn’t like that though and kept saying “be soft hallie, be soft.” I don’t really understand this concept so I just keep trying to give Annabelle love any moment I can. Mommy and daddy stayed at the hospital overnight and came home the next day with Annabelle in my old car seat.

I really don’t mind Annabelle’s arrival so far. I haven’t complained that she is taking up all of mommy’s time and using all my old toys and gear.

I love waving at her and blowing kisses to her. I also love getting her blanket or paci for her when she needs it.

Every time she cries I make that little “oh” shape with my mouth and try to help my parents figure out how to make her feel better.

I have even tried to climb in her bouncer with her and share my juice with her but I was told that she is to fragile to climb on and that she is not old enough for juice yet, who knew!

Since I am the big sister now, I decided to try some new things. I can now eat with a fork, and a spoon! Yep, that’s right, mommy can put the bowl of oatmeal or plate of lasagna in front of me and walk away to tend to Annabelle because I can eat all by myself! Now, I do make a much bigger mess, but that just comes with the territory.

I also started playing more independently. Now that mommy has a baby to take care of, I make sure I take care of all my baby dolls too! I carry them around the house and feed them, and stroll them.

When we went to the park, Grana and mommy were swinging me and left Annabelle on the side in the stroller. I kept pointing at her to make sure she was ok, I felt bad that she was over there by herself. Mommy thought it was so cute that I am already protective of my little sister :)

Here are some pictures of Annabelle’s first week of life:

All ready for bed

Zonked out in Grandma's Arms

Open Eyes

Mommy makes sure to give me attention when she can

Playing with Bows

Attempt at a family photo

Me with the cutest smirk

I just LOVE holding my sister!