Finally, Finished!

You would think since Shutterfly graciously gave me 50 free cards, I would have ordered them a month ago. Nope, I just ordered them tonight. I am such a slacker! Here is our final product...

Sweet Scalloped Frame Christmas 5x7 folded card

Turn your photos into personalized Christmas cards.

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Christmas Cards by Shutterfly

This will be Hadley’s 2nd Christmas and I think I am more excited about it this year than last year! Last year, I was still trying to figure out how to be a mommy (I can’t say that I will ever have that figured out!) and I had just gone back to work and she was only 3 months old. This year, she is a full-fledged, wide open toddler and I love it! We don’t too often get to see aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents, so I am super excited about planning our Christmas cards. We just had family pictures taken Monday night so that's what I am using to do our cards. Shutterfly has so many super cute cards that I don't know how I am going to decide which one. Look here and here to find there great holiday cards.
I am also planning to get grandparents photo calendars, since I am always in trouble for not printing out enough pictures of Hadley.

Now I just have to decide which picture to use...

A Visit to the Pumpkin Patch

This past weekend, our family and a another couple headed out to the pumpkin patch!
Hadley did great and enjoyed seeing everything. I always get nervous taking her places because that girl can throw a fit in a minute! We had a great time and she was wide open the rest of the day! I love seeing her grow up and experience new things. She has such a fun personality


Picking pumpkins!


In the corn maze!


In my little red wagon!


I love my daddy!


I am the cutest thing ever!


Those pigs stink!


I am so sweet!


Don{t worry, I got it!

Stay At Home Mommy!

No, sadly, I am not going to be one yet. However, I did get some experience this week and weekend. Hadley got horribly sick on Wednesday with a stomach virus, which gave her the worst diaper rash, and then a kidney infection. She was so pitiful. We had to do pee and poo samples to figure out what was wrong. And she was awake most of the night for three nights. Whew, I am still recovering. Eric went to the SC/Bama game and I was so jealous. I wanted to go but I couldn't leave Hadley. He even thought about not going but I bet he's glad he didn't make that decision. Because we BEAT THE #1 TEAM IN THE NATION! If you don't know, SC has always been an underperformer in the SEC, but not anymore!! I still can't believe it.

While Eric was at the game, Hadley and I decided to go to a little pumpkin patch and let her look at them and pick out a few. She had a good time but it was still pretty hot. We had such a fun time together yesterday, she was so sweet!



Anyway, Eric has taken care of Hadley all day so I could do some grad school work. But he's a man and sometimes forgets the details. You know, like car seat buckles. I am behind the car and all of a sudden, I see a head, then a forward roll, and then she's on her back on the driveway. She was completely fine, just a few little scrapes, but this mama sure wasn't. I keep replaying it in my head. It was horrible. But she's so tough, a few minutes later she was back to playing.
We've had a great weekend and I even have the day off tomorrow. YAY for furlough days!

Thirteen Months!

Hadley, you are THIRTEEN months old and I cannot believe how fast the time goes. It breaks my heart!

What are you doing?

You are 31 inches tall and off the charts in height and your legs are so long! You weigh 21 pounds, tall and skinny! You are in 18 month clothes. They are a little big but your 12 month clothes are too short!

You don’t enjoy meal time, I think because your options are so limited. Your favorites are baby grapes, bananas, graham crackers, and chicken and rice. I feel like these are the only things you eat. I try to make new things but you push them away. You have to drink Nutramigen for your milk, so I’m sure you are getting plenty of calories and vitamins. At least, I hope you are!

You love to be outside, hot or cold, rain or shine! You know to put on your shoes before you go out and how to push open the screen door and gate. You love to climb, run, slide, swing, and ride your car.



You love new places and especially stores so you can run and hide from me and daddy. When you meet new people, you act shy, but then you become wide open quickly. You smile at everyone and they think your smile is the cutest! Because it is! This is your new face that you make everytime you see the camera!



Your naps are finally good and consistent. However, at night you still get up at least once. And you still get up VERY early everyday!

You love Mother’s Morning Out and playing with your friends. You love to play with your babies. You feed them, hold them, and push them in the stroller, and throw them when you are done with them! We are learning how to be gentle! You also love purses and mommy’s make-up. I think you are going to be a girly-girl and I LOVE it! You play by yourself pretty well but I still can't leave the room without you.

I still can’t believe how blessed your daddy and I are that we were chosen as your parents.

I Heart Fall!

We had a such a great weekend! Hadley is cutting her first molar and is snotty and runny and getting up at 4:30 in the morning ready for the day. But it has been beautiful and felt great here in SC! Eric and I had planned to go on a date Friday night but his sister was tired so we ended up not going, which was fine. I went shopping and Eric's friend stopped by to have a pretty deep discussion...Gamecock football. The Gamecock's had a bye week and it was nice to have Eric around all day. He and Hadley played outside all day. We are lucky to have two parks within golf cart driving distance so we went to both Saturday and Sunday. Hadley's favorite things are parks and golf carts and she loved it. Eric and I were also able to go to Sunday School and church, which is rare because Hadley can't always make it through both. Eric's sister came and stayed with Hadley, she lives in Atlanta, and we are always thrilled when she comes to visit. We also went a Sunday drive to look at houses, which proved to be unproductive. Maybe one day soon....



Look at those long legs!



On the see saw!



Sliding with Daddy!

Our Weekend!

This past weekend was pretty low key for our family. We were going to eat breakfast and go to the park with some of our friends but Hadley had gotten a little cold and she was not having any part of that. After her nap, my mom and sister came up to go to the Charlotte Women's Show. Ohhh..what a mistake! Not only is Hadley quite the handful but she wasn't feeling great.. I don't think taking her until she's a little older is a bad idea!
Eric and I decided to try to get pregnant this past month and we found out this weekend that we weren't. We were a little disappointed but we know that God is in control and trust Him. Sooo, I decided that I need to get in better shape. Eric and I started P90X and so far I am LOVING it. I already feel so much better and the workouts pass fast and are enjoyable. And this is coming from the girl who HATES working out and LOVES to eat.
I am going to try to get some pictures up tomorrow of what I look like now so in 90 days I have a comparison, hopefully, there will be a change for the better!

Our Living Room

Our house is very old and small (we never planned to start a family in our little starter home!)so we aren't lucky enough to have a playroom. It probably wouldn't matter anyway, I'm sure there would still be toys EVERYWHERE!

This is what you see when you walk in our front door. We have ten foot ceilings and two huge columns, which I love but getting a good picture was tricky!




I love to see other's pictures and to decorate but I feel so wishy washy about what I want to do AND with toys everywhere I just don't want to spend the money to redecorate until we move to our next house! So any decorating ideas would be great!

What a Big Girl!

I feel like time is flying and I don't have enough hours in the day but I just wanted to share a few cute things Hadley is doing for my own memories. She is so active these days but sleeping so much better! She is even sleeping until 6 most days which is itself a miracle! She still gets up at least once a night but I'm okay with that and her naps are pretty consistent. She loves to climb, run, and jump! She might be very athletic but she will definitely have a very girly side. She loves shoes, purses, and make-up purses. She's like a little mini-me and I love it! She is also eating much better. Fruits are her favorite. She does not enjoy toast or pasta which I usually mix with her soy cheese. I can't believe she doesn't enjoy her soy cheese, it's delicious!! ;) Hadley also started Mother's Morning Out and she loves it! Her teachers have been with her in Sunday School since she was a teeny tiny and they love her and know all about her allergies and take great care of her. She is also saying more words, more, doggie, mama, daddy, milk, bottle, and she also knows a good amount of these signs. She is also able to follow a few commands, like shut the door and feed the baby. I feel like I fall in love with that girl more and more everyday. Hadley has not always been an easy baby, but I am so enjoying this time with her. I just wish that I had more time with her. I know that a teacher's schedule is desirable to many but my earnest prayer is that I would be able to eventually work part time, whether that be teaching, at our Student Services office, or MMO. Please pray that this could be a financial possibility for our family!

Three Years

Today Eric and I celebrated our three year anniversary! I am so thankful that God blessed me with such an amazing husband and father. Eric is the most kind, loving, patient, and helpful person I have met. He's the kind of person that would help any and everyone.
We decided not to do gifts this year, because we are going to buy a new laptop during tax-free weekend! I did surprise him with a cheesecake and his favorite beverage! We also went to Outback and enjoyed an evening with just the two of use and Hadley is staying with her MiMi so we can sleep late tomorrow! That's what I wanted most for my anniversary! School starts next week so I better get as much as I can tonight!

Babies

I the only one who feels like being a mommy can make you lose your mind? I don't know if being a stay-at-home mom for the first time or that is officially back to work, as in, he's not here during the day anymore, but this has been the hardest week of the summer. Hadley is waking up several times a night and she is unable to put herself back to sleep and her naps last 20-30 minutes and then she's crying the rest of nap. I feel like I'm going crazy, literally. I took her to the doctor this afternoon just to make sure she didn't have an ear infection and told the nurse and the doctor that if Hadley wasn't prescribed something then I would need something, as in nerve pills. Nothing was wrong, just 4 or so teeth coming in at one time and I think her allergies are bothering her. I was planning on an extra early bedtime because she has been SO cranky, I mean I can't even put her down without a huge tantrum. (It's amazing what one can learn to do with only one arm!) The doctor said we could give her Benadryl and I was secretly hoping this would help her sleep better. Not sure if it is going to but after she had it, she was wide open! She was walking in circles, playing by herself, laughing, climbing. It was literally the best hour of our day. Maybe the Benadryl got her wound up for a bit and then she will knock out, she did go down without a fight and that's rare considering the past few days! I'm hoping for a better night but I doubt it so I better hit the bed!





I took these pictures at the doctor and I'm sure the nurse and doctor thought I was crazy because she was as happy as can be there. But I guess she understood because she prescribed me 2 glasses of wine for tonight. I took her advice but made it 3 just for good measure!

Finally...A Break!

The past two weeks have been so busy, I feel like I just completed a marathon. So, I will start at the beginning!

Two weeks ago, I went to go work in my classroom while Eric kept Hadley for a few minutes. They love to ride the golf cart together. Except, that day they weren't able to go. Here's why....



My sweet husband forgets how mobile Hadley is these days. He sat her on the floor of the golf cart while he rolled up the cover. He said the next thing he knew, she was face down on the driveway with her arm sticking up. He thought she had broken her arm, but thankfully, she didn't! She was fine just a few scrapes and bruises and i really think it looked much worse than it felt. I think it hurt Eric more than Hadley, bless his heart.

That same day, Eric's grandfather passed away. Then, Tuesday, my grandfather passed away. My mother's side of the family lives in Georgia so Hadley and I made the trip and returned to SC Saturday morning! Poor Eric started a new job in the midst of all this!


This is Hadley during Mr. Dixon's funeral. She couldn't take the heat so we took a break in the car so we weren't disrespectful!

So after returning home around one, I did a few quick loads of laundry and repacked most of Hadley and my things and we headed to the beach that evening. I decided to just go ahead and go so we wouldn't waste two days of traveling.
We're back now after a week at the beach. We had a great time, but vacations for us are no longer relaxing. Hadley is a wild woman who keeps me busy. Thankfully, my mother-in-law has more energy than any person I've ever met and really helped us out.
After cleaning and organizing most of the day, I've got to get to bed! Tomorrow is my morning to get up with Hadley! Yay for 5:30! I'm praying for my child to one day sleep past 6:00!

Favorite Bible Verses

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
Jeremiah 29:11-13

These verses are my favorites! Repeating them in my head helps me to be thankful for all of the rich blessings that have given to me, even when life gets tough. When things do get tough, I know that God is working for the good of my family and me. Even when I can't see the good in my life, I know that I must persevere and trust God through everything. I have been doing Kelly Minter's Ruth Bible Study through Beth Moore's blog and God has shown me so many things about trusting God. Trusting Him is the hardest thing for me, but when I do, I receive such sweet blessings.

Birthday Planning!

I began planning Hadley's first birthday a few months ago and decided to use Tracy at Tula Designs. She has Hadley's invitation on her blog. I love it and can't wait to receive them. I feel like I have finally gotten some things in order for the party, just by seeing them! Everyone keeps telling me I am ahead of the game, but I sure don't feel that way. I would like to have everything squared away before I go back to school. That's only a month away, but I can't think about that or I may start crying. I haven't sent Tracy the picture of Hadley we are going to use on the invitation yet so don't be confused, that is not Hadley on the invitation!

Here's the invitation:

You can also learn more about Tracy's designs at her blog which you can find HERE!

GO COCKS!

Congratulations to the USC 2010 Baseball team for winning the National Championship in the College World Series! We are HUGE Carolina fans and are so excited! Yesterday, USC held a Championship Rally to celebrate so, of course, we all headed down! Eric cried, I cried a few times, but luckily Hadley did not! I was so nervous to take her, we have never tried to take her to anything like that before and I was so close to just staying home with her. But I am so glad I didn't. She had the best time, she clapped with everyone and danced with all the music. She wants to go everywhere now so I was exhausted and sweating by the end. We had a wonderful time and I think Hadley is her Daddy's good luck charm!

This is the world's cutest Carolina fan!

The Matthews'

Playdates!

Today, Eric and I watched my friend's little boy, Cole! The babies had a great time, but whew, was Hadley exhausted! She threw one of her famous temper tantrums! The vacuum finally calmed her down and all was right with the world.

"A friend loves at all times!" Proverbs 17:17

I'm pretty sure I have the cutest baby on the planet! This past week we have made some pretty big transitions. Miss Hadley is eating rice cereal and taking big girl baths!

I cannot even stand how cute she is. I think I cry most times I look at her.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above." James 1:17

The Beginning

Welcome to the Matthews' Family Blog! I am new to the blogging world and so excited to get started. I am beginning this blog as a way to chronicle my daughter Hadley's life. So enjoy our life!