Tinsley's 4th Birthday Party

 

Tinsley had her 4th birthday party and, as always, Alicia threw a pretty fantastic party. I don't usually write about birthday parties but since the kids had some pretty amazing face paint I wanted to show some pictures. The theme of the party was "Breakfast at Tinsley's" and it was all black and white decorations with yummy breakfast food. While the kids ate and played there was a lady there to do face paint for the kids. The girls were all on board and quickly jumped in line. Hudson, however, had no interest and just wanted to watch. Hadley picked a beautiful heart princess and it turned out just like she wanted! All the girls were creative with what they wanted and then.....a little boy picked Batman. After he was finished he walked by Hudson and Hudson's eyes lit up! He quickly jumped in line and waited his turn. He sat perfectly still while the lady painted and his face was priceless when she turned the mirror around to show him his batman mask...

 

I said, "Hudson, you look like Batman." He said, "Mommy, I am Batman!"

Alicia had set up a photo prop area for pictures. Right before we left Hadley and Hudson jumped up there to be goofy for some pictures. We had such a great time and it was a fun idea for a party. I'm always anxious to see what she comes up with the next  year!

After getting home from the party Hadley wanted to go hit balls at the batting cages. I was too busy watching her and video taping her to take an actual picture but she did pretty well for her first time! Hudson wanted to try to hit as well and it was so funny to watch him swing. He actually hit one ball on accident but it sure made him excited!

Matt kept telling Hudson to stay out of the cages but at one point he stepped in just in time for the ball to come off Hadley's bat and hit him in the neck. It scared him more than hurt him but it sure did bring the tears! Unfortunately, I made the mistake of telling him he was messing up his Batman mask. He wanted to see and as soon as I showed him on my phone he was hysterical. He kept telling me we had to go back to the party and fix it! Poor guy was so sad to not be batman anymore!

Hudson's first scheduled play date

Hudson has always been happy just playing with our little family. But recently he has starting asking to have a friend over...specifically, Wyatt. Wyatt goes to school with Hudson and is such a sweet kid. Unfortunately, this year they are both starting their "big" schools and Wyatt will be going to Heritage Hall. Hudson is going to miss him so much but we are hoping to keep seeing him often. Wyatt's mom, Nicole, and I planned a playdate for the boys at Dynamo playzone and I didn't tell Hudson until the morning of. When I finally mentioned it he ran around the house screaming, grabbed his shoes, and sat in the car until I was ready. We got to Dynamo and Wyatt was already waiting in the parking lot. When the boys saw each other they ran towards each other and gave the biggest hugs! They just screamed, bounced around, chased each other, and giggled for the entire two hours. When it was finally time to leave they were both exhausted. We walked in the door, Hudson claimed he wasn't tired, and then he was asleep on the couch in about 5 minutes! 

Last Day of Summer

After all the "Meet the teachers" and getting ready for school, we only had one afternoon left to enjoy before the hustle and bustle of school began. It was a great day and the kids just wanted to ride their scooters in the driveway. We've had a lot of bickering lately as the kids are getting pretty tired of each other but this afternoon was just perfect. They played and laughed and we all had a great time! I am going to miss these kids (especially Hadley since she is there 5 days a week) like crazy starting tomorrow!!!

I had gone inside and looked out to see Hudson trying to fix his hat in the reflection of the window. He had no idea I was watching him and I just thought these pictures were so cute. 

Dancing for a Miracle

A few weeks ago LaNeale called and asked us to go to a fundraiser for Childrens Miracle Network. The theme was "Dancing for a Miracle" and her aunt Cynthia was dancing in it. She had to collect donations and raffle items and she danced in front of everyone attending. Whichever dancer raised the most money won the entire thing. So last year had a record of $54,000 and this year Cynthia blew it out of the water by getting $100,000 in donations!!!! It was so fun to be there and cheer her on. And the night was so much fun as well. We had a great dinner, had fun with friends, and saw a lot of money go to a great cause. Such a fun night and we were so happy that Chris and LaNeale asked us to go. 

My date to Chuck E Cheese

Hadley and Daddy went to the lake to spend some time with E, Tim, the kids, and Abby.  I stayed home with the dogs and Hudson decided to stay with me so we could go on a date! He got to pick and decided on none other than Chuck E Cheese. On our way there we had to get gas and he asked to help me. He always asks and we've never tried it before but this time I thought it would be fun to let him help. He did a great job and loved every second. When we got to Chuck E Cheese he decided he wanted his very own pizza. And our little eater ate every single bite! But before eating he said, "mommy, we need to pray." I asked him if he wanted to say the prayer or if he wanted me to and he said, "I big now, I can do it." Then his prayer went, "Dear God, thank you for the best mommy ever...and pizza..and toys. " Goodness...this kid can steal my heart! He was so sweet at dinner and sat so still while eating (which is not typical at all). After dinner we played games for about an hour until he thought he had enough tickets to buy the rocket he was wanting. We counted our tickets and were just a few short but he sweet talked the employee into letting him have it anyway! We were both ready to head home and watch a movie on the couch together to finish up the night. Unfortunately, he fell asleep about 10 minutes after laying down and missed most of the movie. We had a great night together! I can't wait for many more dates with this sweet boy!

July pictures

A very mild July has allowed us to go on lots of walks, paint outside, and play outside without sweating our tails off. Hadley and Hudson still LOVE getting pulled on walks in the wagon. I, however, and struggling a little more as that wagon continues to get heavier and heavier. 

Taking a rest and using Bentley as a foot-rest:

I told Hudson to go get dressed and he came down in this. Ha! And he sure did wear it the rest of the day! Thankfully, the next pictures show that sometimes he really can pick out the cutest outfits.

While Hadley was at camp Hudson and I went on a coffee date. He got orange juice which apparently doesn't do the trick quite like my coffee. He hardly looks awake in the first picture and was quite grumpy when I took another one of him.

Holland was finally ready to try again for another sleepover. We tried about a year ago and she missed her mommy before she was even in the car so we decided to give it a little while and try again. Other than a sad face at bedtime, she did great! No tears and she was happy as can be to go get donuts in the morning. My kids are starting to love for friends to spend the night because they know they always get donuts the next morning!

Kristin Fares posted this on her instagram account and I thought it was such a cute pic of the girls.

I'm not sure if Hadley is a saver or if she is just really good at using our money instead but either way, her piggy bank if filling up! She got money twice from the tooth fairy this week and finally decided to spend some of her money. So we pulled out a little bit and went to the mall to see what she could find. Of all things she chose this hat! I actually think its so cute on her and it would have been perfect for our recent beach trip had she had it earlier.

We do a lot of this these days. It never fails that when we get on the golf cart Hudson starts talking about needing to go potty 5 minutes later. I am pretty sure its just because he wants to potty outside!

And here are just some random, cute pictures. Hudson making Papa laugh at Revolve pizza and then getting his calcium for the day with chocolate milk and ice cream. Hadley and her friend, Reese. A few typical family walks. And Hudson watching all the kids come down the slide at Chick-fil-A. He would yell "boo!" and try to scare them as they came out the slide.

Hudson wanted a mohawk in his hair and he sure had quite the mohawk! I think its about time to cut a little of this mop off the top of his head! We didn't actually wear it anywhere but he thought it was pretty fun to walk around the house and look in mirrors at himself...

Hadley is OBSESSED with buns right now and wears one most days of the week. Thankfully, I have gotten a lot faster at getting one to look decent.  She also got a great birthday present that occupied a couple hours of her time and let her spend some time in her room away from all the chaos downstairs. It is a fun pillow that you pop little fabric pieces into slots to make a fluffy pillow. She loved making it and wouldn't quit until she finished.

Hudson wanted to take a nap while watching tv but looked over and saw Bauer laying on the ground with no pillow so he gave him his pillow. They both slept like this for over an hour.