Hayden is 5!

Hayden turned 5 years old today! He's been talking about this birthday forever, and it was so exciting for him to finally turn 5. What can I say about my little 5 year old??? Hayden is one of a kind, he can be so sweet and so inquisitive at times, I am amazed daily by the things he remembers and does. Hayden can run a DVD player or TV better than most adults I know, I'm not sure if that's a good thing... He can read, or at least he tries to read, every word that he sees. He can't wait to go to Kindergarten and we are so glad that he is so excited about this big step in his life. Though he sometimes tortures her, Hayden is a great big brother to Brynley and to his little brother Zac. We truly cannot wait to see the young man he grows up to be, it should be a fun ride!

For about 9 months Hayden's been wanting a Superman party, so that's what he got. I even made Superman capes for each of his friends that came to the party. I'm not sure if I would have gotten them done without my Aunt Shelly being here to help a bit! The party was a huge success, we had a pinata, pizza, cupcakes, and a bouncy house... Hayden couldn't have been more happy! On Hayden's actual birthday we went to Red Robin for lunch and then next door to Krispy Kreme for free birthday donuts, Hayden was in heaven!

(Zac was with us but asleep in the carseat so we didn't disturb him for a picture!)

1 Month Old!

Wow, I can't believe Zac is 1 month old today! It's gone by so fast and yet it kind of feels like he's been with us forever. This little guy is the sweetest thing and I really can't get enough of him, I wish I could cherish every waking minute with him and just look at him and cuddle him. Unfortunately with number 3, that isn't really possible but I will take all the time I can get with him. Zac had an ultrasound of his abdomen today to check the opening of his stomach because he has been having really bad vomiting episodes. The ultrasound looked fine however, so we will just continue to deal with the vomit as long as he is growing. The ultrasound of his back a few weeks ago also came back looking fine so we officially have a healthy baby, yay! Hayden and Brynley both love Zac, Brynley is getting more daring at trying to pick him up when I'm not looking... Needless to say, she's never alone with him! Hayden is constantly wanting to hold him and touch him, I have to try to teach him to give Zac a little bit of space! We couldn't be more thrilled with this addition to our family, I just want him to stay this little forever!

Preschool Graduation!

It's hard to believe that our little Hayden graduated from Preschool already! Look out Kindergarten teachers, Hayden is coming your way! As I was talking to Miss Angie yesterday at graduation she kept saying that all day Kindergarten will be a big adjustment for Hayden and he will really need to work on his focusing ability. She kept reiterating that it is a good thing he is so bright, and that he should do fine academically...

Hayden was really annoyed that his tassel kept touching his glasses!

The graduation was so cute, Hayden has been practicing his songs at home a ton and it showed, he really did a good job singing! The kids made an "all about me" book and you can see that Hayden made his cover look a lot like himself. The teacher asked them what they wanted to be when they grow up and Hayden said he wants to be a "cooker at a restaurant", hmm, I've never heard that one before, sounds good though!

Brynley was so proud of her big brother

Daddy and "mini-me"

Mother's Day

What a great day we had! It's fun celebrating Mother's Day right after a new baby has entered the family! Andy got me some amazing Chocolate Dipped Strawberries from Godiva along with some other tasty chocolate treats. Hayden made some cute magnets at Preschool and he couldn't stop telling me happy Mother's Day all day long. Andy made breakfast and then Steve and Andy grilled steaks for us at Meredith's house that night. We had a great day and finished the night off with a wonderful Ice Cream Cake, it was so good!

Shelly with the 6 nieces and nephews

My three handsome men

What we've been up to...

I wish that I would have more time to post lately but frankly, life has thrown quite a curve ball our direction... We sold our house a week ago... I thought I would have been more excited but right now, I am sooo stressed about the whole thing. Having a 3 week old baby, trying to figure out a place to live, trying to pack, and all the while stay sane has proven to be quite a challenge. We decided we will rent a house for 6 months while we watch the market and look for something that will suit our family's needs. I am amazed at how sad the thought of leaving this home is, I have complained about so many things about the house for years and yet now I am so sad to leave. There are things I LOVE about this house that I will probably not be able to find in a larger house in our price range. For instance, I love my cabinets, they are the most beautiful cherry cabinets ever! As we have looked a little at houses over the past week, I haven't seen a single house with cabinets that could compare to mine and that makes me sad... but oh well, they're only cabinets right?

Anyway, if I'm not around much the next few weeks, you'll know why! Now I need to post some pictures! Meredith had her baby on Tuesday, she was 9 lbs. 9 oz., it was fun to see Zac, exactly 3 weeks older than her, next to this little newborn!

All 6 of the Arizona cousins!

Aunt Shelly and I took the kids to Makutu's Island for a fun day last week while Meredith was still in the hospital.

Zac and Baby Simpson the day she got home from the hospital!

The 3 cutest kids ever!!!

The Coolest Thing Ever!

Zac got to do the coolest thing last Saturday... A friend of a friend emailed me asking if Zac would be interested in doing a photo shoot for a Photography workshop. They needed Newborn models to show the best ways to photograph newborns, etc... The workshop was taught by a lady named Cheryl Meuhr who is an amazing photographer from North Carolina I think. Anyway, there was one other baby at the photo shoot but he wasn't nearly as cooperative as Zac was. Seriously, Cheryl photographed Zac for about an hour in all different positions, with different fabrics, etc. I then nursed him after which he was posed again for the photographers (about 50 of them) to shoot away. They spent another 30-45 minutes just snapping away, it felt like the paparazzi were all trying to get the best shot! I wish I would have taken my camera so that I could have taken pictures as well and taken pictures of everyone standing around him taking pictures. It was so fun, I had no idea what to expect but I was very pleasantly surprised about what a great experience it was. Cheryl will be sending me a CD with edited photos from the shoot but it may take a few weeks. Until then, a couple of the photographers have emailed me pictures they took so I thought I would share some here! Check out the links below for a few other pictures as well.

http://treasurethetime.typepad.com/

http://flickr.com/photos/girlieleep/sets/72157604814204592/