Spring Break!

Friday was the first day of Spring break! Our bags are packed and we are leaving in the morning for Tennessee to visit my brother. Brian will be working so Mom and I are taking the girls by ourselves. It's Rayna's first time spending the night away from home and Molly's first time going on a trip since she's been potty trained. Can I just tell you that to take an infant and a toddler on a trip to another state, you have to bring A LOT of stuff! With the way the van looks, Brian probably wonders if we're really coming home! :-)

We've had a great start to Spring break! We had dinner with our good friends the McArthurs last night. Molly had a blast playing with Corrie and Ruby and Rayna had fun playing with new baby Zoe. Alicia and I have actually been "expecting" together three times. Zeke and Corrie are two months apart, Molly and Ruby are two months apart, and Rayna and Zoe are two months apart. The McArthurs are so dear to us--they've been through the good times and the bad times with us and we just love them all so much!

Paw Paw's Girl

Brian looks JUST like his dad. So it was no surprise that Zeke favored both Brian and his dad. When Rayna was born, I was really expecting her to look like a girl version of Zeke (and Daddy and Grandpa Hines) but from the very beginning, I've seen MY dad in her. At first I thought it was just the blue eyes, but now I just think she is the spitting image of my dad. Her eyes, her smile, and so many of her expressions remind me of my dad. I SO wish he could be here to meet (and spoil!) his granddaughters. But I know that we will see him again and in the meantime, I have a little reminder of him everyday.

Couple of Cuties!

Original Video - More videos at TinyPic

Spring has Sprung!

Today is the first day of Spring and it really feels like it here in North Carolina! We are loving it!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

We had a fun St. Patrick's Day! Justin is still in town so he celebrated with us this year! We went to Concord Mills and met Nicole and Cooper for dinner. Molly and Cooper had a great time running (literally!) around the mall and we all got some good exercise chasing after them. :-)

See, Dan? You could TOTALLY wear the pink Ergo! :-)

Molly and Rayna are both loving their Uncle Justin.
And we're loving the extra pair of hands around here!

Justin has even been getting the "I love you" sign from Molly. That's big stuff!

And PS--did Rayna's green shirt look familiar?

There's a reason for that!

Justin is in Town!

Our good friend Justin is in town for business and we are super excited that he decided to stay with us rather than at a hotel! Can you guess who found herself a new buddy? Apparently you're not the only guy Molly can sucker into a tea party, James! :-)

We miss you, Tara! Here are some pictures of your sweet hubby!

Good Times With Good Friends

We had lots of good times with good friends this weekend. Our friends the Browns came over yesterday morning for brunch. We made french toast and James and Anna brought some fruit kabobs (which Molly claimed for herself). It was a lot of fun! :-)

I am so excited about my friend Nicole's new blog! I get to keep up with what's going on with her family AND I get to steal all of her cute pictures! :-)

We had a great time (as always!) with the Hendricks last night. We found a new park near the Qdoba we frequent and the children had a great time playing. We also went to Ollie's for the first time. Ollie's is this new discount store where they have "good stuff cheap"--I am really excited about it!

We finished the night off with ice cream from DQ--yum! Good night with our good friends!

I Heart Baby Toes

Then and Now....

Amazing how much they change in just a year!

Just Thinking of You....

.....today and everyday.

Rayna's 4 Month Stats and Video

Rayna had her 4 month check-up today. At four months old, Rayna is 14.8 lbs (75th percentile), 26 inches (90th percentile), and such a bundle of joy! :-)

Blue Balloon

Isn't it amazing how little it takes to please a two year old? Yesterday we went for a walk to the playground. As we were walking by our neighborhood's model home, the guy was leaving and asked if Molly wanted a balloon. Well, of course she did! You would have thought the guy had given her a million dollars. I love how happy she gets about the small things in life.

Unfortunately, our two year old has not been all smiles lately. I think she's going through another little adjustment period. She's been incredibly needy and clingy. She was doing so well with staying in her class at church but the last several Sundays she has not been able to make it--someone has had to come to get us every Sunday. When I ask her why she was sad in her class she always says the same thing. "Cuz I want my Mommy." Luckily we weren't blindsided by this. Several of our friends had warned us that the new baby adjustment period really happens when the baby is about four months old. Molly went through a little jealousy period when Rayna was about two months old, so I thought we were in the clear, but it looks like we're going through it again. Hopefully it will be short lived and our Molly will be back to herself again soon. And if not, the balloon guy said that he gives those balloons away everyday at 5:00--I guess we could take her to the model home for happy hour! :-)

And a few more cute pictures of those sweet faces!

Can I Just Say.....

that I love these babies?!

4 Months Old

Precious Rayna,

It has been such an amazing four months with you! You grow and change everyday and we just love life with you!

This has been a big month for you! You have learned how to roll over this month. You are also really starting to lift up your head when you are on your stomach. Such a big girl! You also had your first rice cereal this month. You like eating off of a spoon!

You got to see your first snow this month. You like being outdoors so we bundled you up and you were happy. You also celebrated your first Valentine's Day and your first Tet this month.

You like taking baths. You think it is fun to splash in the water and don't even mind it when your sister pours water on your head. You are such a good sport!

You are still sleeping well at night. You have slept all the way through the night exactly once, but we are hoping you'll start doing it more! You are still not a good napper so we are hoping that in the coming month you will decide that naps are okay.

You like to suck your thumb or your fingers. You love being carried in a sling. You weigh about 14lbs and you are wearing size 6 month clothing.

We love you so much, Sweet Girl! :-)