Spring has sprung!

After a unseasonably cold and rainy March, I am glad to say that spring has finally sprung (or least I hope so!) Today is 70 degrees and we are LOVING it. Being cooped up in the house with two little ones is not very fun so we are happy to escape and enjoy the sunshine! 

Last weekend was Easter and we had such a fun weekend. DeeDee and Papa came up from Atlanta to help us celebrate. On Saturday, our neighborhood had an Easter egg hunt for the kids. The girls were wearing their matching spring dresses, thank you Great Grammy and ready to hunt! 

 They divided up the hunt for 3 and under and 4 and up so Ella was one of the oldest and I was happy we were in the small age group. The older one was quite aggressive and I am not sure she would have gotten one egg.

 She knows exactly what to do and heads straight for the eggs, gravitating towards the pink and purple ones of course!

 She stops mid hunt for a quick photo op! This girls sees a camera and strikes a pose right away. 

 And they had a couple special "golden" eggs and Ella found one! We can't wait to go use our ben and jerry's gift card when the weather warms up!

 And she really loved this carrot one also. She could see all the good candy stuffed inside!

 Sweet Maddie Grace even got in the action as well and DeeDee helped her hunt!

 She loved her pink egg and held onto it all afternoon. She had no idea their was candy inside but she loved the idea of holding onto it!

 Post hunt, all the kids gathered on the front steps for a quick photo. We are loving our new house and neighborhood so much and it was great to meet some more people and that they have so many wonderful events for the kids.

 The next morning, we woke up to find the Easter Bunny had arrived. The Easter Bunny was very clever this year, leaving a note and trail of special eggs to follow.

 The trail led right into their castle where the baskets were hidden! I took a video of Ella following the trail, she loved every minute of it and asked me about 10 times that day to read her the note again that the bunny left for them.

 The Easter Bunny did well this year, leaving them lots of special treats. Maddie's favorite was the puffs of course! Just give her some puffs and she is one happy camper!

 After hunting, we all went to a very crowded church service. The forecast called for pouring rain all the day but it actually stayed away most of the day so we could take some pictures outside and play. DeeDee and Papa got the girls their matching Easter dresses and they looked adorable!

 A massive project that has been happening at the Hennessy household is a new swing set for the girls. We have been wanting to get one since we moved in and found the perfect one at Costco. One problem, you have to assemble it yourself! Well, Mike decided to tackle the project and worked countless hours in his shed and outside assembling it. Last weekend, he worked so hard putting it together. Below are a progression of photos...

Bringing all the pieces outside

Phase one, putting the house together with his "helper"

 Anyone that knows that my Dad, knows that handy is never a word you use to describe him but he did help Mike and lent him some muscle.

 We all helped out, lifting up the roof. Notice the darkness, he worked all day and night on this.

Almost complete, just need to hang the swings, doesn't it look great!

Back view of the ladder and climbing wall

 To say Ella loves it is a huge understatement, she would ask everyday when it would be ready and when it finally was, she was in heaven. Here is her first slide down with Papa working as the spotter!

 We hung the swings and bars and now it is fully compete and operational and it looks so great! Mike worked so hard and it turned out awesome. It will provide hours and hours of pure fun and already has! Our neighbors have been over testing it out already as well!

 Even Maddie took a test drive down the slide and based on that huge smile, I think she approves!

So, in case you need us over the next several months, we will be in the back yard enjoying the swing set and warmer weather!

And a special birthday shout out to Mike who's birthday is tomorrow! We had a small get together yesterday with friends and had a lot of fun and I promise to post pics and talk about that soon but let's just say, the swing set after that one night got it's money worth! 11 kids all climbing, sliding, swinging and hanging on it all thought it was pretty great as well! Happy Birthday Daddy/Mike!

A much needed getaway

In mid February, Mike and I got away for a much need R&R vacation, just the two of us. We haven't been away together in almost 2 years and having two kids and a very busy schedule, we needed a little getaway. Luckily, DeeDee and Papa came up to watch our little rascals while we were away. 

After doing a lot of research on places to go, we decided to head to the Mayan Rivera and it was perfect. We had great weather and just sitting by the pool was perfection! Not to mention, the pool was pretty amazing!

 The grounds of the entire resort were perfection! So lush and green and filled with flowers everywhere. 

 This was my view everyday! Soaking in the sun with a cold beverage in hand.

 The resort had fun activities every night including a fire show on the beach and casino night (where I won a free massage in the spa!)

 One day, we took an excursion to the Mayan Ruins of Tulum. It was very interesting and beautiful.

 The ruins sit right above one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. The water has three different shades of blue.

 Back at the resort, the path leading to the beach. In just looking at these pictures, I want to go back right away! We honestly had such an amazing time and it was such a relief knowing the girls were in such great hands being taken care of. 

Plus as a little added bonus, while we sitting in 80 degree temps, Charlotte was having this weather...

 I think I will take my iceberg by the pool please!!

We had a great time, ate too much, drank too much and slept in (if you call 7:30 sleeping in which we do!) but of course missed the girls like crazy and couldn't wait to come home and see them after 4 days away. 

Now, warm weather please come and stay here in Charlotte, I am ready for spring!

Our littlest peanut

We had Maddie's 12 month appointment right after her birthday and I want to make sure I record it all before I forget. Our little one continues to be a small, petite little thing as Dr Ankrah said. 

Her stats:

17lbs, 14 oz, (5% percentile for weight)

28.5 inches (25-30% percentile for height)

To compare, Ella was a little over 20lbs and 31 inches tall at 12 months ago so little sister continues to be little sister. In fact, Dr Ankrah said she would not be surprised if she actually dropped below the charts at her 18 month appt since she will be active in the next 6 months and is also off formula but she said that is completely fine and not to worry, she will start making it up for it soon.

You would never know she was small on the charts during a meal though because our little one LOVES food! She is so happy to be eating everything we eat. She got the clear to eat peanut butter, honey, eggs, strawberries, etc and she has loved almost every food she has had. So far, the only foods we have discovered she doesn't like are peas and watermelon. She loves carbs, pizza, meat, pasta, cereal, all fruits, getting better about veggies and is loving broccoli more and corn. I would say her most favorites foods right now are bread, avocados and grapes. 

We went cold turkey and stopped all bottles right after her birthday. She does great with the sippy cup with water but so far, she hates milk in her cup. She takes a sip hoping it is water and then makes this face like she choking and tries to spit it out. So, I sneak milk in her oatmeal in the morning and she eats a lot of cheese and yogurt to make up for the dairy but I am hoping she will start to like it more soon. I already have one who refuses to drink milk so I was hoping MG would be better.

She is all over the place but not quite walking yet. She is a really fast crawler and is pulling up and cruising on everything. She will walk a little bit with her push toy and walk holding onto to us but hasn't taken that first step yet. I used to think I didn't want her walking and have two to chase after yet but with the weather warmer and us going outside and to the park more, I am ready for her to be walking and not crawling around in the mud.

She is still a great sleeper and we are working on moving her from 2 to 1 naps a day. I would say 75% of the time, she is only napping once a day but that other 25% she wants/needs two naps. At night, she sleeps 12-13 hours from 7:30-8/8:30. (I know, I am lucky!) She doesn't sleep with a lovie but sucks her thumb whenever she is sleepy or to soothe.

She is the sweetest little thing ever! I know I say it a lot but she has a really laid back personality and like most second children goes with the flow so much easier than the first. She lights up when you come pick her up after a nap and especially when her Daddy comes home after work. She is getting some stranger anxiety but mostly just with men. She adores her sister and will always give Ella the biggest smiles or laughs, even when Ella is tackling hugging her. She does "more" and "all done" sign language and says Mama, Dada, dah dah (Dakota/doggie), and Ella but sounds more like "elwa"

Now onto pictures!

Her first princess ball

There are so many reasons why I love our preschool so much. The teachers are phenomenal, she has met so many wonderful friends and we have met so many wonderful friends. They have so many programs for the kids and a special one is the Prince and Princess Ball they had in February. It is a father/daughter and mother/son dance held at the school and Ella couldn't wait. The fact that it was a princess ball, she HAD to wear her Cindrella dress.

 Even though technically, it wasn't for Mommies, I had to tag along for a little bit with the camera to capture the moment. Daddy met us after work and even joked that he dressed up more for the preschool ball than work! This little girl loves her Daddy so much and this picture truly captures it, she couldn't wait to spend the night with her Daddy and her friends.

 Our little dancing queen and one of her best buddies Caroline couldn't wait to hit the dance floor.

 She couldn't stop dancing, even to stop and eat a cookie!

 Dancing with Daddy

 And the highlight of the evening for our little girl was a special appearance by three of her most beloved characters. Here she is anxiously awaiting the big surprise!

 Snow White, Belle and Cindrella came to the ball! You would have thought it was truly rock stars showing up because all the little girls screamed and ran up to them.

 Mommy and Maddie had to leave right after the princesses came out but Ella and Daddy stayed and danced some more. From the pictures, you can tell Ella was having the time of her life.

 She was truly mesmerized by them and they were so sweet to all the little girls!

It was a night that was very memorable for Daddy and Ella. I look forward to many more father/daughter events in the future but will always remember their first "dance" together. Mike might not have father/son football games but he is absolutely adored by his little girls and has many other special events to look forward to with these girls.