GOALLLLLLLLL!

It was a week-long process, but Donnie, Bob (Pop) and our good friend, Jeff, finished putting up the girls' basketball goal today.  The girls were "supervising" most of the installation, and it was torture for them to wait on concrete to dry, and for Daddy to hang the goal.  Once it was up and ready to rock, the girls were STOKED.  We've already had neighborhood friends over to shoot some hoops, and played a few family games of knock-out.  The only thing I don't like - the girls tendency to chase balls into the street. I'm hoping Donnie constantly reminding them to look both ways will sink in, but our insanely busy street drives me nuts! I guess mommies always find something to worry about.  :) Here's to hoping this basketball goal results in improved bball skills in the upcoming months!

Taking their first shots on the new hoop.

Super-excited about the new addition!

Daddy lowers it for Doodle, but she soon decides she wants it "up high...like the big kids."

Thanks for working so hard on this goal, Pop! You and Granny spoil us!  The girls think you're the GREATEST!

Proof for Makki!

The girls share a bed because of things that go bump in the night. Up until this summer, they liked it and it was keeping both of them out of OUR BED, which is probably how baby girl came to be, but that's a little TMI for a family blog. Anywhoo, we've been a bit miffed at Mak for making 4am appearances in our room as of late, requesting space in our comfy bed. When asked the next morning why she's gracing us with her presence she replies, "Because Syd-ee is hoggin' the bed!"   I finally took a pic this morning of said hogging, and acquired visual confirmation of Makenzi's beliefs. It's true! Sydni is a bed hogger! This sharing the bed set-up might not last much longer...back to bunk beds!

Sydni is on the right...notice her sleeping mask above her head. Yes, she still wears one for those of you who remember that post a few years back. :)

Notice how Syd is basically diagonal across the entire bed. No wonder Mak gives up and crawls into our bed!

Our Singing Second Grader!

The second grade performed their music program at a recent PTA meeting.  Syd was nervous, but like always, did a great job performing.  I love the shade of pink she turns when she is in front of a crowd! It was an adorable performance, and I'll try to download some of the video from the performance as well. 

Nervously waiting for the second graders' turn to perform...I just noticed how many freckles she collected this summer! Holy Cow! LOL!

You try keeping the dork on the left quiet for half and hour...

Lookin' cute and sassy...I didn't get a shot of the black high heels Granny Deb bought her that Syd was sportin' for the big show.

The camera didn't really pick up on the several shades of pink and red she turns throughout the performance. Bless her heart!

Very cute songs and dances going on in this show.

I put Dad in charge of Wacky Makki. He seems to have a higher success rate when it comes to reigning her in....wonder why?

Poor Donnie...

I was convinced this would finally be Donnie's shot at evening up the hormone pool at the Hart house, but it seems that God has other plans for good ole' Don.  We had our final round of fetal testing in conjunction with a sonogram this week, and we were told at the 12 week sono that they would be able to tell the sex at this 16 week scan if we chose to know.  Deb, Syd and Mak came along for the appointment, because I don't think the girls could've waited an entire day at school to learn the news.  For some reason, as soon as she put the wand on my belly, I knew what she would say.  It took a few looks at our squirming little nugget to confirm my guess...WE ARE HAVING ANOTHER GIRL! We are a girl factory around here, and contrary to popular belief, Donnie wasn't the parent who had to take a "moment" to collect themselves.  I've been the one thinking this entire time that I was having a baby boy, but I'm always wrong about these things.  It was a shock initially, but both Donnie and I are VERY excited and blessed to know that we have a healthy baby girl on the way.  The sono tech didn't get a picture of her legs, but it was so sweet how she was already lounging in her Daddy's favorite position - feet stretched out and crossed a the ankles. Again, we were told by the tech that she was  "VERY ACTIVE BABY", which is par for the course with our little girls!  Here are a few pictures of our sweet little girl...

A sweet, little arm.

She's looking at you!

Pretty profile.

Tiny baby! Love the 3D shot. Ready to meet this pretty girl!

It will be six long years since I've held a newborn baby in my arms, but suddenly waiting until February after seeing her this week, seems like such a long time! Knowing that she is  "SHE" is making her impending arrival all the more real.  We spent last night going over furniture rearrangements and creating a list of baby names that we could both agree on...the only problem this time around is that we have two more opinions chiming in!  Here is the list of names that are our top contenders at the moment. (Morgan will be her middle name, more than likely, so try these names out with that to get the full effect.)
1. Brinkli (Brinkley...we are spelling everything with an "i" to match the girls' spellings)
2. Lilli
3. Hadli
4. Bayli
5. Perri
6. Jolie (not sure if I can spell this one ending in "i" and it not be mispronounced)

I put a poll on my facebook page where people would "Like" the name they favored, but it quickly turned into a forum for suggestions instead of LIKES! It was funny to see the MANY names people loved that weren't on our voting list.  We gained quite a few votes, and Aunt Hayli came up with "Brinkli" that is on our list and both Donnie and I's favorite.  The girls are already calling her "Lilli" and love that name the most.  I'm not sure how we will decide, but it should be a very "fun" process. :) Either way, we are so happy and eager to meet our Lilli Morgan or Brinkli Morgan Hart!

When the Girls Steal my Camera...

Try as I might, I can't seem to put my camera away before their little grubby hands locate it and take five hundred random, weird pictures. Here's a sampling of the plethora of crap that was on my camera when I downloaded pictures tonight:

Plenty of Self-Portraits...

Some pretty cute pictures taken by the other knuckle-head...

Super close-up shots...

Random shots of the bottom of their hamper...

Pic of a tiny letter that came with one of their American Girl dolls...

The over-stuffed book shelf...

The treadmill that will soon be moved to make room for Baby Hart...

The glass door has since been cleaned, but you can make out the dumb dogs napping on the back porch...

 

An episode of Sponge Bob...

Wasn't quite sure what was about to happen until I saw the next pic...

...and then a cartwheel! Action shots going on in the office, I guess. :)

I bet the dork eating the greasy Doritos put the smear spot on the lens.

And finally, a pic of a random toy on their dresser...with the egg whisker. Weirdos.

Seven Year Olds are Punks...

She used to be sweet...what happened?

Sydni is going through the "I"m a jerk" phase.  It all began when she turned seven and has been going strong ever since. Her father and I know absolutely NOTHING, and she knows everything. Turning seven bestows children with unlimited wisdom, apparently.  The picture above is what I call "the look", because I'd never seen it until AFTER she became this fountain of knowledge. This is the look I get when she needs to show me that I'm an idiot.  She's been in time out a lot, and may have had some other forms of discipline tossed her way. There are still moments of sweetness, but I'm hoping that this phase of being a jerk is temporary. Does turning eight humble you in anyway? Let's hope so...:)

The Toothless Wonder


I can't lie, I crack up everytime I look at this gap-toothed face! I love this dorky mug so much, and I'm going to be really sad when her big ole' chicklet replacements show up. She finally lost the other top tooth, and she now has a gap big enough to drive a Mack truck through, which is awesome. It seems like she has teeth falling out daily...she's our living jack-o-lantern!

We are officially without our front teeth!



Basketball Babe!

Syd is signed up to start basketball this week, so Donnie took her shopping today for some basketball shoes. Mak and I opted to stay home, due to the fact that Sydni is known for being extremely picky when it comes to fashion. According to Donnie, it was a painless task so I suppose she saves the arguing and negative opinions for her mother. ;) I'm also hoping she proves me wrong on her "coach-ability".  If she's like me, she might have a rough time letting someone tell her how to do, well, anything. Donnie is going to start working with her every night so she doesn't feel like a duck out of water during her first practice at the end of the week. If you hear yelling and crying during the evenings, rest assured, it is more than likely coming from our house! Prove me wrong, Syd-o!

Donnie makes sure she has them properly laced.

Check out the kicks! A new basketball, too.

We might not know how to run while dribbling or shoot, but we will look good learning how!

First Day of School, 2011!

Even though this summer has been eventful and fun, we've been ready to get into a routine. Well, at least I've been ready. The girls were excited about the first day of school, but they really didn't dig the idea of waking up at 6:30am versus their usual 10:30ish wake up time. It will be a long, exhausting week, but we will persevere.  Makenzi started Kindergarten, which is really weird and extremely sad that I now have two school girls.  I remember dropping a ten month old Mak off at daycare when we were in Amarillo and her looking at me like "I got this Mom...quit CRYING." She gave me the same look Monday morning when it hit me that she was no longer my daycare baby.  If it was up to her, she wouldn't have had an escort in to the building for her big first day, but that wasn't going to happen.  Donnie still walked Sydni into school up until the last month of 1st grade.  She's going to have an escort for awhile, I fear.

It was an old hat for Sydni, and she was super-excited that she was put into a classroom with all of her best buds. She chatted a mile a minute with her long-lost friends, and didn't seem to notice when I slipped off to head to work.  Donnie took over picture duties and helped them settle in to their rooms and lockers.  At the end of the day, I was VERY eager to hear how their day went.  Sydni told me story after story about her day, and gave me an animated account of particular cafeteria conversations she had with friends, and the "AWESOME" book Mrs. Bigham read to her.  I went to the back room to interrogate Makenzi, expecting to hear her retell her day with the same enthusiasm.  Here is how our interview went down:

Me: "Makki! How was your first day of Kindergarten!" (Picture me with a ridiculous grin on my face.)
Makenzi: (Not looking away from the Disney show playing on the TV.) "FINE."

The rest of our question and answer session continued with much the same pattern...one word, annoyed answers.  Sheesh.  This is exactly why I email updates to my 8th (now 7th) grade parents.  However, I didn't know that my Kindergartner would start acting like a junior high kid so soon! Little turd. 
Here is the morning session of first day pics:

Makenzi - Kindergarten, Sydni - 2nd Grade, Me - 10th year of teaching

Daddy and his chicks!

My little girl is now a big Kindergartener!

Very excited, but still hate waking up early.

A locker shot - that little door is a BIG deal!

Sydni and Mrs. Bigham - we were so lucky to get her as a teacher.

She was a little peeved she didn't have a "real" locker like Sydni, but she quickly recovered.

Mak at her desk.

Mrs. Rich and Makenzi - Syd had her for Kindergarten and ADORED her. We are stoked we could have her for Makki, too!

Acting all shy, but she was really PUMPED about the first day.

Bump Watch - 3 and 1/2 months

I'm growing by leaps and bounds, people!!!I feel a bit guilty, but I completely quit running two weeks ago.  Since that time, I've "blossomed" (that's what one of my co-workers told me...I thought it was a very polite way of putting my recent growth spurt).  I'm walking thirty minutes and doing light weights instead, but waking up this week has been tough. I skip more workouts than I complete, because waking up early this week has kicked my butt. Excuses, excuses...I got em!

I'm pretty sure I know the drill the third time around when it comes to the weight gain, but it's still hard not to freak. I've been avoiding the scale and plan on telling my doctor's nurse to keep it to herself after she weighs me. (At last count, I'm + 3 - 6lbs, depending on what kind of mood my unreliable scale is in). Syd and Mak were on the big side (8lbs and 1oz for Sydni, and 7lbs, 9oz for Makenzi), so I know this baby will probably be in that range, if not bigger.  At 13 weeks, I KNOW I'm bigger than I was with the other two in the belly department, though.  My five month picture with Sydni was about as big as I am now! Craziness. Here's to letting it all hang out!

My bump is as hard as a rock! (My butt is a different story.)

I'm not one for showing belly, but Donnie MADE me show it.  Since it's free of weird veins and stretch marks at this point, I agreed. Enjoy. This is probably the last naked bump you're gonna get. :)

Toothless Jo!

Losing a tooth is a BIG DEAL to the 5-7 year old age bracket.  Makenzi has been green with envy that Sydni has had not one, not two but now THREE visits from the dadgum tooth fairy!  She's had a loose tooth for nearly a month (that she wouldn't let me touch) that FINALLY came out yesterday. She told me it was hurting and reluctantly let me have a peek.  Her new tooth was basically wearing the baby tooth like a top hat...it was literally hanging on to her gums by a string!  I took a cue from my Mamaw (who was the queen of pulling teeth) and plucked that little nub out of her mouth before she knew what hit her.  Mary K. Diggs would've been proud! Makki was too excited to be pissed at me for too long, and soon realized that this brief bout of pain would result in cash under her pillow.  The tooth fairy didn't have change last night (I'm guessing), because this morning she was uber-pumped to find TEN DOLLARS under her pillow. TEN DOLLARS. The tooth fairy is a softy who spoils these girls ROTTEN. I hear the tooth fairy's theory is that "You only lose your first tooth once."***insert eye roll here.***  :)

You can see the top of the new tooth! It's the bloody spot on the left side of the bottom middle. I wasn't exaggerating when I said it was already poking through her gum!

I'm not sure why she is making this dorky face, but she's PuMpEd about  this event!

She grinds her teeth like Donnie does, so the tooth was nothing more than a little nub. Very SAD looking...see it at the very bottom of the baggie? Gross. :)

12 Week Sonogram

We had a 12 week sonogram this week for the fetal nuchal fold screening test. This is a new wave of testing I didn't have to have with the girls, so here is a definition from Web MD. (I had to look it up for my own understanding!):

"A combination of screening tests usingultrasound may be done in the first trimester to look for Down syndrome. The integrated testuses an ultrasound measurement of the thickness of the skin at the back of the baby's neck (nuchal translucency) and the bloodlevels of free beta-HCG and a protein called pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) to check for problems"

We should have the results back in a few weeks, but little Nugget's measurements were "healthy and normal" according to the sonographer. Donnie and I had lots of fun watching the little turkey wiggle around, bounce and rub his/her face with it's sweet little hands. We report back in four weeks for a follow-up sonogram, and we should be able to tell the sex of the baby at that time. What's your guess? Boy? Girl? I honestly have NO CLUE. I think God will bless us with another little girl, just because he needs Donnie to stress about three hot chicks **er...make that four, counting their hot momma** living under his roof in about ten years. Serves him right! :) We shall see in four weeks!

Makki was relieved that Nugget no longer resembled a blob.

Sweet little profile and belly pic!

Donnie's LONG legs! I thought it looked like a little frog bouncing around!