The best helper...

Hallie is a wonderful little helper! She helps me out around the house all the time...she's best at making messes, though (as you can see in the picture of us sweeping--just look around, her stuff is everywhere! Of course, if you know me, you know I don't need a lot of help in making messes--heehee!). But, Hallie has really started paying attention to us cleaning up. She loves to help me sweep and she loves to throw things away! She looks for things that she can throw into the trash can. For a bit, we had trouble with her throwing things away that were not trash--books, her sippy cups, pacifiers, bracelets...the list goes on. But I think she's getting the hang of what goes in the trash. Yesterday she went into our bedroom and looked through the laundry basket to find every dryer sheet she could...and one by one she wadded them up with her tiny hands and threw them in the trash can. It was precious! I hope she has a better love for cleaning than her mommy does! HA!

Helping Grammy water the flowers
(and my shorts)

Helping Uncle Jeremy cut the grass

Helping Daddy with snack time

Helping Mommy sweep

Unfortunate...

I'm usually the one behind the camera...and that's absolutely fine. But on occasion, I enjoy having a picture of my little girl and me. However, it usually doesn't work out...and this is the kind of picture I usually end up with. Oh well. And Jonathan wonders why I like professional pictures--it's b/c the one taking the picture has the patience to take about 100 to get at least one good shot! LOL!

Trying to see the bear...

We went to visit Baylor University today--Daddy's alma mater. We were hoping to see the bear in the school's new bear habitat on campus, but he was sound asleep in his little cave! We enjoyed walking around campus and seeing some of the sites, but it got really hot so we weren't out long!

Lunch at Chick-fil-A

Where's the bear?!

Following all the bear prints outside his new habitat.

On the swing outside Baylor's student center--this
was here when Daddy was in college!

Little Miss Copy Cat

Over the past few weeks, Jonathan or I have had a cold and have been blowing our noses constantly. This week, Hallie has decided she is a big girl, complete with pulling the tissue out of the box--and not just for fun, but to wad up and "blow" her nose! It is the cutest thing. I tried to capture it on video, but of course it's not quite as fabulous. Before my attempt at videoing, she was pulling the tissues out and blowing her nose without prompting! And after the video, too. haha. My attempt is still pretty cute!

Tuesday Fun

Painting with Mommy

Ah, the green hat...and those sleepy eyes!

Playing at the playground before swimming

Swimming after Daddy got home from work!

I'm done swimming!

Silly family!

Hallie love walking on the speed bumps!
Could she be a future gymnast?!

Saturday Morning Fun Part 2

Hallie finally got to play in the little splash pool Grammy and Gramps got her! She loved it! She loves the water and really liked the fountains!

Saturday Morning Fun Part 1

My goodness! Hallie is SO much fun! As I type this, she's in the green laundry bag being swung back and forth, squealing in delight! I'm sure Daddy's arms are getting tired from holding her. I'll video that and post it later. Here's our morning so far...we were playing with some zoo animals. Hallie has a new love for closing things. She's pretty cute in doing so. We're heading to Grammy and Gramps's house for a little swim in our new little splash pool. There'll be pictures of that later on!

Uno for one

Hallie found a new box of Uno cards and was so excited for me to open them--how did she know it would be something fun?! Once I opened them, we took half the deck and played with them. She's not very good at hiding her hand, but I'm sure she'll get the hang of it. I would also like to note the undies around her neck. She has graduated from wearing them as a necklace to a sash for her game of Uno. She thinks it'll intimidate the other players!

Noon Day Drama

Today began as normal. The differences...it was raining (again), Mommy has a cold, and Hallie is teething (and actually producing drool this time around--haha). We ate breakfast, we played, we played, we played. Hallie wanted to go outside, but we decided against it since it was a little chilly and I didn't want to have to strip her down again since it was so wet outside. We played some more and then had lunch. After lunch...you guessed it, we played a little more before naptime. Hallie loves her Mr. Potato Head. Sure, she doesn't really know how it "works" yet, but she loves carrying him around and putting his glasses on him. Today she picked him up by his arm and the rest of his body fell to the floor. She looked down at Mr. Potato Head on the floor, then at her hand holding his arm. She glanced at me, then back to the horror before her. Her little bottom lip started to quiver. As she looked up at me, her eyes began to well up with tears. Then it was full on wailing as she ran into my arms, throwing her little arms around me (while holding onto Mr. Potato Head's left arm still). I took his arm, put it back on his little potato body and then made Mr. Potato Head wave at Hallie. Usually this at least gains a grin. Nothing except tears. She proceeded to walk across the room, lean up against the wall, and point to him while crying. This signaled naptime in my book.

Hallie, however, had different plans. She read every book in her room. She found every piece of lint on the carpet, hid behind her rocker, rocked on her butterfly rocker, rocked in her rocking chair. Finally, she rocked with Mommy. This still did not bring on sleep (although she was clearly wearing her sleepy eyes). So I put her in her crib to settle herself into a blissful snooze. A blissful snooze, she did not produce. She had a baby party in her crib...and she invited all the stuffed animals. She was singing loudly. She was banging her paci on the side of the crib. She was barking like a dog. Then the barks turned musical as she "ruff-ruff"-ed her way up the musical scale. I was in fits of giggles listening through the monitor. She whined for only a minute or so before falling silent. I gave her five minutes before going in to check on her. This is what I found. I simply love every picture I take of Hallie...but there is nothing sweeter (well, few things sweeter) than pictures of a sleeping baby. It tickled me to find her with her "Kitty" (the little blanket) on her head. Even sleeping, that little one makes me giggle! I wanted to get a picture of the Mr. Potato Head incident, but I just didn't think Hallie would appreciate it. :o)

Rainy day in Waco

It is an incredibly icky day in Waco. After breakfast--and pushing her baby around in her baby stroller--Hallie's routine is to spend a little time on the balcony enjoying the sunshine before moving on to her other morning activities. She goes to the balcony door and says "Ow, ow". And if she thinks you didn't hear her, she says it a little more emphatically "Ow! OW!" while pointing to the door and doing her feet in a little running in place motion (I refuse to think she's actually stomping her feet! haha!). She didn't understand that it was pouring down rain and our balcony was soaking wet and covered in water. So, I opened the door to show her. She didn't so much care that the balcony was wet. Knowing Hallie would love to explore the water, I simply took of her jammies and let her go. Seeing how much fun she was having, I just had to capture the moment.

I know this picture is slightly blurry--but I
couldn't resist posting it...she looks SO much
like her daddy here! :o) So mischievous!

Playing in the water makes a little one hungry.
Lunch before naptime...the chicken is gone, but
Hallie is still enjoying the ranch dressing!

Sound asleep after a morning full of fun!

Happy Mother's Day!

We had a very wonderful Mother's Day. At church they had a slide show of Mommy's with their little ones (and grown up ones). We haven't been going to church there long, but Jonathan's mom submitted a photo of little Hallie and me! It was a sweet surprise. She used the picture of me getting ready with Hallie in the sink, watching on. It's one of my favorites b/c it is one of my favorite things to do with Hallie. As seems the new custom, we did not get a single picture of Hallie and me together on Mother's Day (nor did we last year). This saddens me, but I'll just have to remember how cute she looked today and how extremely sweet she was! I got plenty of pictures of Hallie (isn't she what Mother's Day is about anyway?!) today...and I got many pictures of Hallie with her Uncle Jeremy (also known to us as "Monkey's Uncle"). Maybe next year I'll get a picture with Hallie...and of any other mom and her kids that I might be with! :o)

The first picture below of Hallie and me is from yesterday--at an art museum in Fort Worth. Jonathan had this picture printed and framed in an 8x10 in black and white. When he gave it to me, tears filled my eyes. It is such a sweet picture in so many ways! I can tell how lovingly I'm looking at Hallie...how incredibly proud I am of her. Just by looking at her in this picture, I know her little brain wheels were turning! I also know that I had just pulled her away from the edge as she was getting too close to the water. And I also know that her little brain was trying to figure out a way she could get into that water! The picture simply makes me smile. I also know had I not been holding her paci (stuck on my thumb), it would have surely been a goner...tossed curiously into the water!

Hallie had so much fun today at Gramps and Grammy's house. I know she loved playing with her Uncle Jeremy. She loves to pretend like she doesn't want him to chase her...then practically begs for him to do so! She loves that he'll take her outside anytime she wants to go, too. I think he took her outside three (maybe four) separate times. Once they were looking for rocks, once they were playing with the sidewalk chalk, and the last time was to push her baby doll in her baby doll stroller. She is just so much fun all the time!

Fun in Fort Worth

We headed to Fort Worth to celebrate Uncle Jeremy's birthday with him. He wanted to visit some art museums. While Grammy, Gramps, and Uncle Jeremy visited the sophisticated art museums, Mommy, Daddy, and Hallie went to Fort Worth Science and History Museum (a children's museum). We were a little bummed because they were renovating. So they moved some of their "favorite" exhibits into the Cowgirl Museum. They didn't have as many exhibits moved into their temporary location as we thought they might, but they had just enough to keep Hallie entertained while the others checked out beautiful paintings and artwork.

Hallie loved watching the ping pong ball
go around and around!

Teaching her to use an ATM card already?!

Hallie loved going up the steps to this
little house! They were just her size and
she could do it allby herself. She was so
proud when she got to the top!

Building a tower on the earthquake simulator

Daddy and Hallie driving the mail truck

Hallie loved picking up these stacking blocks.
She kept taking piles of them to the center of
the room and then going back for more!

We checked out some of the cowgirl
stuff...Hallie's ready to help Uncle Jeremy
out working the cattle!

Our little cowgirl with her tired eyes on!

We went to one of the art museums but decided
to stay in the lobby...they wouldn't let us
in with our diaper bag and sippy cup!