Where does she get this stuff???

Pulling up to church yesterday, Eve says, "I wanna sing with you in church this morning."  I reply, "Not today, baby.  You're gonna go to your class to play with your friends."  She says in the saddest voice possible, "I can't sing with you with THAT attitude!"

First thing this morning, I have Ellie and Clara on the couch, Eve is having a little conversation with Ellie and I overhear this... "Ellie, I'm not your mommy.  I'm just here to help you!"

Eric came home for lunch today, and he was in charge of feeding Eve lunch so I could go out with one of my favorite youth girls.  As I'm walking out the door, I hear Eve say, "Daddy, come here, I have a secret!"  Eric bends over and she puts her hand up by her mouth and says loudly, "I have a great idea!  You can share all the cheetos with me for lunch and you can bite them and put them in my mouth.  All of them.  All of the cheetos.  Is that a great idea?"

Today, as Eric is leaving to go to work, Eve stands by the garage door blowing kisses and saying, "Good Luck, Daddy, Good Luck!  I love you!  Good Luck!"

After her nap, I am working on dinner in the kitchen so Eve comes in to join me.  She opens up the cabinets under the sink and sticks her head in.  She looks up at me and says, "I'm just looking for George.  Do you see any George's?"  

While getting the coffee maker out so I can make tea for dinner, I drop the coffee pot on Eve's head (while she is looking for George in the cabinets).  She says, "Oh, sorry mom!  We didn't mean to startle you!"  

Eric's Shaved Head

Actually, this was done at Fripp, but I felt it deserved it's own post.  It happened on a whim and I am SO glad he let me do it!  It looks fantastic...and he loves how easy it is.

BEFORE

THE PROGRESSION

THE FINAL PRODUCT

I LOVE it :)  I have a handsome hubby!

Greasy Hands, The Potty, and Grass

Just had to start this post with the most adorable picture of my girls!!  6 months old and so fun!

Clara and Ellie are teething!  Bad!!  We've got drool dripping from ear to ear, swollen gums, and two cranky 6-month-olds.  Their hands are ALWAYS in their mouths, which means, not only does their drool get all over them, but all over anyone that touches them :)  Yesterday, Eve was trying to get Clara's hands out of her mouth so she could put her pacy in (she's such a helper).  When she pulled Clara's hands away from her mouth, they went straight to Eve's arm (trying to pull that into her mouth).  Eve wanted NOTHING to do with it!!  She said, "Clara, get those greasy hands off of me!!"  Eve gave up on the pacy and walked away.

Right before I put Eve into the tub, she will climb up on the potty by herself and tee tee.  Tonight, she climbed up there and I said, "Eve, are you gonna go potty?"  She replied, "You BET I am!!"  The girl is not three yet!!!  She cracks us up!

We are housing a golfcart for a friend while he is staying in a place without a garage.  Well, it ran out of juice while Eve and I were riding tonight.  It was SO HOT, and we were alone, and I had Eve standing on the gas pedal so I could push it up a HILL... just to get out of ANOTHER neighborhood (not even our own!).  She didn't really understand the concept of standing on it, so I'd be pushing my heart out and look down at her foot and she'd be standing somewhere else...frustrating!  But then again, she's 2!  We made it out of that neighborhood and coasted into ours, where right off the bat we were confronted with a mountain I was NOT pushing up!  We parked it at the first house (I told the homeowners what happened) and Eve and I started on our trek up to our house.  Several times she said, "I dont really wanna do this, I want to hold you."  To which I quickly passed over and made her continue to walk.  As we get close to our house, she says, "We're almost there.  Wow, our grass looks so pretty."  :)  Eric would be so proud!!!

What are we gonna do with Eve??

Eve has had an EXTREMELY difficult month or so.  I think it has a LOT to do with Ellie being in and out of the hospital, taking me with her.  Eve really never struggled with jealousy or insecurities when the twins came home from the hospital the first time.  I was really excited thinking that we had bypassed that difficult transition.  Let me just tell you that she is MAKING UP FOR IT NOW...and we are 6 months in!!  When Ellie was in the hospital for her 3rd surgery (unplanned and emergency), Eve spent some time with a lot of her favorite people, MiMi, YaYa, Grandma, Papa, and Daddy.  But she was missing her mama.  She started pitching ridiculous fits and talking about being scared to sleep in the dark with the door closed.  She didn't want to take naps, started talking babytalk, and wanting to be held and cuddled like Clara and Ellie.  That was a long week for my extended family...trying to help us with Clara and Eve while Eric was at work, and on top of that, dealing with a SILLY almost-three-year-old.  My mom stayed at the hospital one night with Ellie so I could come home to be with Eve.  It was bad.  I saw her acting like I never had before.  Screaming at the top of her lungs, kicking the floor in a tantrum, melting down, crying at the drop of a hat, and really just not herself.  We prayed, quoted scripture, had Eve saying Jesus' name, and hugged/rocked her during the fits.  It was exhausting.  She wouldn't let me out of her sight.  If I walked to the bathroom, she was right behind me.  She wouldn't sleep in her bed for naps or bedtime.  Then Eric went out of town for youth camp for a week.  We were at a loss... God revealed something to Eric.  He said, "if you wanted an adult, you should have had an adult.  You had a child, and this is how children act sometimes."  It started to make sense.  Parents are supposed to be teaching their children how to respond, how to deal with things that happen to them and their family.  Children are looking for stability and security from their mom and dad, and when it goes missing for a week with a sister in the hospital, then it is OK for them to be thrown off their normal.  And we need to re-create that safe haven for her, it's why we're here!  After the light bulb went off, Eric and I were able to see Eve in a different way.  During prayer one night at church, the Lord revealed to me that my goal should be to parent Eve the way the God parent's me.  So I began striving for more patience, more love, and less frustration and anger.  We put her on a blow-up mattress at the foot of our bed, and started letting her take a nap in our bed with the door open.  It takes her a while to actually fall asleep, and typically she will cry for me to lay down with her, but eventually, she will go to sleep.  SEVERAL times, I have gotten up to go to bed and found her laying in our doorway, asleep, on the hardwood floors.  She just wants to be in the same room I am in.  Poor thing.  She is really struggling.  She's not the same girl who used to go to bed at 7:30 in the complete dark with the door closed, singing and laughing to herself.  Our goal is to get back to that slowly, but surely :)  If God can do all things, He can do this, right??  Here are some pictures of Eve at naptime...

    


 

5 Months Already???

Actually, a little more than 5 months.  Looking back, it has flown by!

Clara weighs 14lb 6oz.  She is THE HAPPIEST girl on the planet.  She will smile (with that sweet crooked smile) and giggle and coo at anyone who comes near her...even if you aren't talking to her :)  Clara is easy and fun.  Laid back and chunky.  She is wearing a sz 1-2 diaper and size 3-6 mth clothes (about to outgrow all of her 3mth).  She eats 5 7-oz bottles each day, and sleeps 12 solid hrs at night.  You  can lay her down WIDE AWAKE and she will talk/groan her way to sleep.  She sleeps on her back with her arms above her head...VERY relaxed (sometimes, she slaps Ellie in the face :)).  Clara loves silky blankets and will smother her face with it when you give it to her.  She is starting to take her pacy (which she isn't too attached to) in and out of her mouth by herself.  We love our "Clara Bet, CB, Clawa (Eve's babytalk)".

Ellie weighs 10lb 10oz.   She will smile and try to talk to you if you give her a little effort.  She opens her mouth to talk to you, but it is almost always silent.  She is a momma's girl!  She has strong little legs and a very stable neck.  Ellie is slowly, but surely outgrowing her newborn diapers and clothes.  She LOVES to be held like a football, on her belly, across your arm (her head by your elbow).  She is such a skinny thing...something we Hilley/Lairsey's are NOT used to :)  Ellie eats 5 6-oz bottles each day, and will go 12 hours between feedings, but usually wakes up around 4am for her pacy.  She sleeps most soundly on her belly, with a pacy and silky blanket close by...and can fall asleep when put down wide awake.  Ellie LOVES her pacy...almost too much, sometimes it is a pain.  We do not leave the house without one or two close by.  I am still praying both she and Clara will find their thumbs (like Eve).   Ellie is a sweet girl, when she cries there is usually an easy answer, and she can be pacified quickly.  We love our "Ellie Bet, Ellie Belly, Eddie (Eve's babytalk)".  

Eve continues to do great with the girls.  She loves them so much.  When they cry, she will look at me and say, "please help them, momma!!"  She can officially tell them apart, and she knows their cry's (for the most part).  She loves taking a bath with them, although neither one of the twins really care for bath time.

All three of our girls have developed into awesome car-riders.  We are SO blessed.  They hardly make a peep.  Eve is doing great with our FAIRY TALE FAST...no complaints!  Instead of talking about killing people, I now hear her talking about "look in a book" or singing "peace like a river" "do, Lord, do Lord, oh do remember me" or her ABC's.  That goes to show that kids really do WANT boundaries, and can survive and thrive when you realize something you used to allow is no longer good for them!!  So proud of the 2 1/2 year old she is!!!  Eve is able to turn on the lights and open our pantry door.  She is also starting to get her drink out of the fridge, and is awesome at bringing me diapers and wipes and blankets and clothes and anything else i need for the little girls.  She THRIVES on being my helper.  Today, Ellie was released by Dr. Hatley.  I took all three girls to drs office by myself this am!!  I was quite nervous, but they were PERFECT.  When the nurse walked in, Eve quickly addressed her by saying, "dont look at me or clara!  only ellie!!"  The nurse laughed and went on with her business.  It was rude, but she is so funny to me!!  We are all healthy and whole!  Thank you, Jesus for Drs that you have inspired!  And thank you for my unique, precious, and delightful girls!  I love them so much!!

Fripp Island 2011

This year's beach trip was awesome.  I LOVED it.  The five Lairsey's stayed in a 3 bdrm CJFV with the 6 Davis', and mom, dad, and Lauren shared a 2 bdrm back by the pool.  The location was perfect.  We could see the ocean anytime we wanted.  It was right out our back door.

The big kids were at such a fun age for the pool and the beach.  They loved it all...and played hard.  We bought Eve a new floatation device from Gander Mountain online (it was cheaper there than at Target), and it worked great.  It looked like pink swimmies but with an attached piece around her chest also.  She was completely self-sufficient in the water.  Eve didn't love to jump in the pool, which I was a little disappointed by.  Actually, I have to take that back.  Her definition of "jumping in the pool" was more like gliding in the water off of the steps.  She likes to keep her hair out of the water, and hates getting her face wet.  But she had no problems bobbing around the pool kicking her legs and playing above water :)

When Saturday rolled around, she was not ready to leave the "beach's house" as she lovingly referred to our condo.  Neither was I.  I thought the twins were going to be a TON of extra work, but they were really great fun!  We took them down to the beach and dug out a little place for them to recline in the sand.  They loved it.  Mimi and Poppa took turns holding them if they got fussy.  They also loved watching us swim in the pool from their bouncy seats.  We only took them swimming once--at the Cabana Club pool.  I was surprised that the "chilly" water didn't make them upset :)

We rode the golfcart almost every night, and saw lots of deer and lots of alligators (even several baby alligators this time).  Eve was a chatty kathy to whomever had the luxury of sitting with her on our golfcart rides.  Usually, it was MiMi, who got to hear literally hours of chatter about whatever was on her mind.  MiMi was also a great story teller, and Eve LOVES to hear stories.  Snow White was the fairy tale of the week.  Eve talked MiMi into telling her that MULTIPLE times.  She even got to watch Snow White for the first time this week...and now we have started a FAIRY TALE FAST... all because the wicked witch in Snow White mentions the word "kill"...and Eve picked up on it.  A man came by mid-week to fix the sliding glass door leading out to the ocean.  He blocked the doorway for a solid 30 mins while trying to work it all out.  During that time, he would lay in the doorway fiddling with the wheels on the bottom of the door.  Eve thought she needed to go outside.  So she looks at me and says, "momma, we need to do something to him so I can go outside."  I brush it off by saying, "Eve, he's almost finished, please be patient,"  Well, at almost the same time, Eric says, "Well, what would you like to do to him, Eve?"  To which she replies, "KILL HIM!"  Oh my word.

The ocean was our most-fun spot!  Eve loved splashing around and went out in the waves with me and YaYa a few times.  She would giggle and run and jump and play for hours...then she got hungry :)

The beach was a BLAST.  Already thinking about next year :)  We love FRIPP!

A Purple Party

Eric asked Eve what she was going to be when she grew up.  Her response was "i'm gonna be fthree, and then five."  So that started a birthday party conversation (my birthday is coming up).  Eve said, "My birthday is coming on E-time and I'm gonna have a PURPLE PARTY!  A purple haircut, a purple hat, and purple, purple...".  The girl loves purple...and whatever she wants to do, happens at "E-time" :)  smart girl.