Adley-girl

Angela here!  So I think this may be my first post that is almost all about "Adley-girl."  That is Hudson's current name for his little sis.  The world seems to be revolving around her lately and it's not necessarily by her own demand; both my boys are obsessed with the princess.  Hudson is always showing her how to play with different toys and making sure she is content and happy.  He has accepted the fact that he must share every toy or every piece of food or even mommy's lap with her.  As for Chris, Adley has her daddy wrapped around her little finger.  She can (almost) do no wrong when he is around.  As for myself, I continue to hold my title as the most headstrong family member, but my reign may soon be challenged as a new little queen starts to find her voice.  I must admit however, that when Adley tells you "no" and struts away, it is the cutest thing to watch.  I can't help but laugh as I walk her over to time-out.

The Ohio crew still gets together almost every Friday evening for dinner and play time.  Cousin Claire has graciously taught Adley how to perfect the art of being a diva and a princess.  Lolly got out her Mardi Gras beads and the girls knew exactly what to do.  They wore all the necklaces all evening long.  And no, I did not ask how Lolly how she obtained so many beads :)

Adley is also obsessed with sunglasses.  She thinks it is hilarious to take them off and put them back on...over and over again.  Then she will want you to put them on and make a funny face.  She has four pairs of adult-sized glasses and rotates them all.  I bought her a kid-size pair but have yet to give them to her.  She will probably want to wear them to sleep and to school at the rate her obsession is going.

Evenings after school continue to calm down as Adley gets older.  The kiddos can play and entertain themselves and don't require anyone looking over their shoulder.  Since Chris gets home late from work most evenings, this has been a game-changer for me and any mom-chore that needs to be accomplished.

Hudson has a new fascination with mixing up his socks.  Totally random but he loves to come up with different matches and then tell you a story of "who he is wearing" and why.  My Paw Patrol knowledge has grown exponentially due to sock purchases from Lolly.

Adley is obsessed with Elmo and the "clicker."  She has a keen eye for always being able to find the remote and her only demand is that you turn on Sesame Street.  But once it's on, she quickly loses interest and goes for a book or a toy instead, so I'm not complaining.  Hudson, on the other hand, would watch tv all day if you let him.  If he does happen to get air time while Adley is awake, he requires that she sit on his lap.  And she does.  And it is adorable.  And yes, they are still wearing their Christmas pjs.  Hudson has made a special request that once a week, they both "become elves" while they sleep.  I fought against it at first, but now it melts my heart when I see him run into Adley's room and dig out her holiday pjs. 

Notice Hudson again in mix-matched socks.  Not exaggerating at all when I say he does this everyday! 

Chris is off to New Orleans later this week for a guys trip and the Ohio forecast is calling for rain all weekend.  So no big plans for myself and the kids.  Sometimes those end up being the best weekends - minus the part where Chris will be gone - even though the house will be cleaner due to that fact.  Hope everyone has a great week :)

Florida and Swim Lessons!

Hope everyone has had a great month since our last post!  After a week-long travel stent for Chris, we packed up the kids and headed to St. Petersburg, FL for a few days.  Chris received another Neilsen award and was "Membership Rep of the Year" for his region.  There was an award ceremony and dinner for the adults and a babysitter for the kids.  Both kids rallied until 10:30 pm that night and even walked away with goodie bags from the company.  The rest of our time was spent at the beach and the pool!

This was Hudson and Adley's first ocean experience and it was cute to watch.  Adley was fearful of the sand and waves at first, but soon warmed up after seeing her big bro run like crazy.  Hudson was fearless. We stayed at Tradewinds Island Resort, which even gives you your own beach cabana!  The ocean was too chilly to swim, but it was 80 degrees and gorgeous.  There were five outdoor pools, all of which were heated, so it was great to still be able to swim.  Hudson and Chris loved hanging out in the jacuzzi, aka the"hot pool" as Hudson calls it. 

Miss Adley is starting to discover her inner diva.  Her favorite word is "no" and she will give you the stink-eye if you tell her something she doesn't like.  If you upset her, she does this amazing lower lip curl that will make anyone laugh.  She likes to flaunt her knowledge by happily pointing to any body part you ask.  My new personal fav is when she does "elbows"...she will throw her arms back and point her elbows up to the sky.

The resort also had a putt-putt course, which Hudson loved.  Every time he made a putt, he would scream, "Mama!  I just won the champion game!"  He meant to say "championship" and I'm fairly certain he was correlating his win to his football knowledge/obsession.  Adley just liked to steal all the balls.

 

           One night, the hotel had a bonfire where we could roast marshmallows and make s'mores.  Hudson liked to roast the marshmallows, but didn't like to eat them.  Neither kid wanted to eat the chocolate.  But they did devour a ton of graham crackers.

Hudson's most favorite part was going down the 3-story water slide.  It was actually part of the resort and you could go down endless times.  I took a trip down twice before I got nauseated and called it quits.  Hudson couldn't get enough of this thing.  And then Chris wanted Adley to experience the fun, so he took her down as well.  After 3 plummeting trips, she finally pointed her finger at her father and said "No no daddy."  It was a proud moment for this mama!

That is poor little Adley in the pic below...

Once we got back from Florida, swim lessons started for both kids.  This was perfect timing after being exposed to the pool all week during vacation.  Hudson was timid at first and worried he would "go under and stay too long."  But within minutes, he turned into a little guppy and we couldn't get him out of the water.  He is no longer afraid to dunk his head and hold his breath.  Adley, on the other hand, screamed bloody-murder whenever anyone else came too close to her or when the instructor would hold her.  Have I mentioned she is starting to become a diva?!  Hoping and praying swim class goes better this week.

Hope everyone has a great week!