Happy Valentine's Day from M & H

We feel that we've been neglecting this blog lately, but we've been really busy learning how to walk, run, and talk. We get along pretty well, but Matthew still likes to snatch anything that Hailey has and Hailey uses biting to defend herself. We're working on that...we may try couples counseling, but we'll let you know. Here are a couple of pictures from Valentine's Day. Mommy was sweating after trying to take our pictures (we still can't figure out why she thinks it's so hard), but we think she did a pretty good job.

Oh! Presents? For us? We're so lucky!!!

I love my Princess wand...unfortunately, so does Matthew. He keeps trying to take it away from me and I just can't figure out why he wants to be a princess!

My "wand" is pretty cool too b/c it actually lights up. I intend on spending countless hours studying how this works and then I will dismantle the entire thing and put it back together...it's the engineer in me!

We got cards! I mean, the cards are okay, but we're really into ripping apart the envelopes.

Yup...I'm Mom's Lil Romeo. Oh, and I love this monkey!

Mommy said this was the only decent picture she could get of us together. She's such a drama queen!

I'm sad and the only one who could understand was my monkey. You see, Matt took my Princess wand again and I just don't know how to get it back. You understand, don't you Monkey? I love you, Monkey. You wouldn't steal my wand.

I can't explain it either. Yes, I'm a boy, but I just can't get past this Princess wand. It's so cute and the noise that comes out of it is magical. I guess that made me think it was real b/c I spent 10 minutes banging it against my head wishing it would turn me into a frog!

I got it back! I hope he doesn't take it from me again. Yikes...hope he doesn't try to steal my sequined heart shirt too! I love this shirt!!!

I'm on the hunt...must find more wands!

Laughing...This Girl Loves to Laugh (sometimes)

I guess Nu.tella brings out the best in her!

Can You See Me? I'm Hiding...

Just Because It's January 6th - a typical morning and breakfast (with forks)

Good morning, sunshine!

What? I'm not doin nuttin...

I swear...if he doesn't give me one of those books, I'm going to slam my head against this dresser...I'll do it!

Why would I give her one of these books when I just got them?

Okay, then can I have one of these books? PLEASE!!! Throw me a bone!

Fine...I'm getting one of these...it's mine, buddy!

Yeah...she's not getting anything from me...won't happen. What's that? Share?
Sharing is for suckers!

Come on!!! Please give me one!!!
Yes, this is how we spent the first 10 minutes out of bed...fighting over these stupid books that no one cared about until this morning.

Mmmm...I got a fork. I got a bowl of bananas. I got my fork to pick up one of those bananas and now it's actually making its way to my mouth. Could life get any better?

This isn't as easy as you adults make it look. The food keeps falling off the fork!

Satisfaction...I finally got the banana into my mouth. I may conquer this after all!

She just took this because I smiled...I don't do that a lot, so she captures it when she can. I like to throw her a bone every now and then...it makes her keep trying.

Yes, I put these "bracelets" on my own wrists...aren't they pretty? Are you jealous? You could look like this too if an entire Fisher Price factory was in your living room. Lifestyles of the Rich and Infamous...what can I say?

Wow! My hands got big...and red...and furry! Wait...what's going on here!?! These things are totally cool!

Can you tell we need to investigate toy storage? That's happening after the Christmas tree makes its exit this weekend...we need organization! Any suggestions (under $250) are welcome.

Well, Happy New Year to me...by Hailey

For New Year's Day we were going to visit my Daddy's family in PA at my Aunt Christine and Uncle Ryan's house. The drive is about 1.5 hours, so Matt and I figured that we would take a little snooze on the way up and be set for the day. It was perfect sleeping weather...not too sunny and Mommy and Daddy had the heat just right. I woke up a little early from my nap. I'd say we had about 30 minutes left in our trip (pretty smart for a 16-month old, right?). All of the sudden, something happened.

Hailey: whine, whine, whine
Daddy: Is she okay?
Mommy: Yeah...probably just sick of being in the car. She's fine.
Hailey: whine, whine, wine
Daddy: Are you sure?
Mommy: Yup...she's just bored. I'll give her a sippy of water.
Hailey: slurp, slurp, slurp, whine, whine, whine
Mommy: Okay, maybe she's more bored than thirsty. I'll give her my keys...that works every time.
Hailey: Oh, yay...keys...wait a minute...cough, gag, cough, gag, puke, gag, cough, cry, cry, cry, cry.
Daddy: Are you sure she's okay?
Mommy (now putting lipstick on): Probably...they've been doing this fake choking thing...give it a minute. Since she's crying, I can tell she's breathing...she's fine.
Hailey: crying....waaaaahhhhh...someone look back here...something terrible has happened!!!
Mommy (continuing to put her lipstick on...what's with this woman?): Wait a minute...pull over at that welcome center. She puked.
Daddy: She what? How do you know? Suddenly, the smell hit him. Oh...how in the world did you see the Welcome Center? I've never seen that before.
Mommy: I don't know...Mommy Vision, I guess.
Hailey: Ummm...can someone please do something? There is gross stuff all over me!
Matthew (just waking up): What's going on? What is that smell? Gross!!!

Car stops and Mommy and Daddy get out to survey the damage. Mommy starts giving directions and Daddy jumps right in to help Hailey.

Hailey: whine, sniff, whine, sniff...this is really disgusting Mommy. Please help me.
Mommy: Okay, baby...we're going to get you out of here. I just need to remove this huge chunk of cheese stick from you first (Hailey has started to shove her food down when she sees Matt coming...he steals it). Oh, this is gross...it smells horrible.
Daddy: I'm going to take the stroller out of the trunk so you can change her there. Then I'll finish cleaning up her seat.
Mommy: Okay, Hailey. We've got to get you out of the seat, so just don't touch anything (lotta good that did...it was everywhere).
Hailey: I'll do my best...where are we going anyway? It's freezing outside and I'm soaked in my own vomit. Could this day get any worse?
Mommy: Stand here for a little while (putting Hailey on the ground), I've got to remove larger chunks before I can get your shirt off.
Hailey: Okay, but this is a little scary. It's windy and cold and there are huge trucks all over the place.
Truck: Psssssshhhhhhttttttt.....farty sound that trucks make for some reason.
Hailey: HOLY CRAP!!! WHAT WAS THAT??? SCARIEST THING EVER!!!! AHHHHHHHH!!!!!
Mommy: Great...exactly what we needed. Ewwww...don't touch me too much. I brought another outfit for you, but not for me.
Matt: What is going on? Why am I the only one in the car? I wanna get out!
Mommy: Okay, Hailey, we're going to get changed in the trunk.
Hailey: But it's frigid out here...you want to take all of my clothes off in the trunk while it's freezing cold and there are people all around? Forget it! I'm going to start resisting right now...this has got to be some form of child abuse, right?
Mommy: Please calm down...we have to do it this way. Daddy turned the heat up and I'll work as quickly as I can.

Mommy proceeded to wrestle with me to get my clothes off. Trust me...it was freezing cold. My lips were shivering and I was totally embarrassed. She had to take EVERYTHING off...including my onesie. Is there no dignity left in this world?

Mommy: Okay, all done.
Daddy: Okay, I got the car seat mostly cleaned up. Thank God you stash wet ones all over the place. I always thought you were a little nuts for doing that.
Hailey: Did I mention that I'm still freezing? Ahhhh...thanks Mom. Thanks so much for packing a really warm blanket.
Matt: Are we almost done here? I'm bored and I'm not getting any of the attention. I'm going to start crying now.

Mommy brought me into the front seat so that I could warm up. The hot air was blowing right into my face, but between that and my blanket, it was great. Plus, I thought that she was going to let me ride the rest of the way in her seat. That would be awesome. I got to see lots of dogs too...I guess other people know about this Welcome Center too! Matt was so jealous...

Daddy (coming back from the bathroom): Is she alright? Let's get back on the road.
Mommy: Okay, Hailey go with Daddy and get buckled in.
Matt: Can someone give me some freaking attention??? Give me a pretzel or something! I'm bored!!!!
Hailey: Mmmm...a pretzel sounds good. Can I have one too?
Mommy: Do you think we should give Hailey one?
Daddy: Sure...gotta test her out. How did you see this place? We've driven this tons of times and I've never seen it!
Mommy: I don't know...it must be like a superhero strength. Smell puke...find place to stop.

The worst part of this whole ordeal was that I couldn't match Matt. We both had on Penn State sweatshirts and we looked so cute. Oh well...I guess there was nothing I could do about it. Mommy spent most of the remainder of the trip cleaning off her keys...sorry, Mom! At least you had your lipstick on!

Want to build a closer relationship with your mother during this holiday season?

1. Wake up several times during the night. She misses you and wants to see you...for no apparent reason. Make sure only Mommy hears the cries...Daddy has to work in the morning.
2. You know that Daddy went to work early today. Mommy must be lonely and doesn't really want to shower and get ready all by herself. Call her into your room with a fake cry...for no apparent reason.
3. Repeatedly throw your lovey in hard to reach places. Mommy wants you to be attached to this thing in the silliest way possible...don't give up...she'll keep getting it for you because she loves you (or wants to get just a few hours of uninterrupted sleep).
4. While she's fixing a meal, don't leave her alone...she really wants you hanging on her pant leg. It actually makes her work quicker.
5. Keep losing your sippy cups. Don't worry that there's milk in there that could spoil. Mommy loves you so much that she'll keep looking for it until she finds it.
6. When she's getting dressed...stare at her breasts like you're hungry. It makes her laugh hysterically!
7. When Mommy is changing your diaper, remember to stick your hands down here as soon as she removes the dirty diaper. It's warm and squishy and Mommy doesn't mind cleaning the poop off your hands...she's already cleaning it off your tushie. No worries!
8. When Mommy is reading you a book, make sure to get as close to her face as possible. It doesn't matter that she can't read the pages, she's probably already memorized the book from reading it a million times. She's cool like that.
9. If you're done with what you're eating, clear your tray using your entire arm. Not only does it send a clear message that you're finished, but it makes room for dessert.
10. Whatever you do, realize that consistency is the key to making this relationship work. No matter how many times she tells you to stay out of the toybox, keep your fingers out of the outlets, not to push your sibling, and not to touch the dog's eyeball, she's really just looking for boundaries. Make sure you set clear and consistent boundaries that your mother will respect. Eventually, it will lead to an open and loving relationship that will continue for years to come.

Oh What Fun We Have!!!

You really think I'm going to listen to you just because you gave me this stick? This is just another reason for me to go play in the front yard by myself...without you...alone...get it? Now, please allow me and my stick to go now!

Dad, you went to the bathroom for 0.2 seconds, so we thought that we'd climb right into the Tuppe.rware drawer and rearrange it for you. This thing is really strong! It didn't even bend when Matthew got all the way inside! Good thing you came back though...he has no idea how to get out!

Yeah...I can use a fork now. I'm pretty cool, but I'm still not going to smile!

We love when Daddy reads to us. We love this story because there are Monkeys in it and we love Monkeys lately. Hailey is completely enthralled (as usual), but Matthew doesn't miss a chance for a cute photo op!

I may or may not having something in my mouth. If I do, I won't tell you anyway. If I don't, I'll let you keep thinking that I do so that I get more attention!

We're starting to think we eat better than Mommy and Daddy. Today Mommy prepared scrambled eggs, cinnamon and raisin English Muffins, and strawberries/bananas. She loves us so much. We know this because she tells us that she doesn't even cut up fruit for herself, so when she does it for us, it's extra special. We love her too!

It was just too quiet. We had to be quiet or Mommy would know what we were doing. Matthew wanted to get in here so he could reach the plugs...plugs are so interesting that we always need to touch them. It's a good thing that Mommy has such good instincts or Matthew's hair may be standing on end from electric shock!

Yeah...I climbed in here...so what? What? I'm driving you crazy? That's ridiculous...I can barely walk much less drive! Hahahahahaaaaaa....I'm so funny! Hailey tells me all the time!