soccer star

Porter is LOVING soccer!  We have about 3 weeks left in the season, and he has gotten sooooo good!  We've come a long way since the first game!  He should be the defensive MVP of this season :)  He's also scored goals in the last few games!

I have some great videos if I can ever figure out how to post them!

Here's a pic from practice--and what Bennett does at practice!

happy birthday kinley!

Porter's (and Bennett's) friend Kinley just had a birthday!  We went over for a cookout on her birthday, and the crazy kids decided to go swimming!  Bennett was smart and DIDN'T get in :) 
Porter, however braved the cold water and swam for hours!!  He SWORE he wasn't cold, but his blue lips told a different story! 

can you tell bennett liked the strawberries??

The birthday girl!

NOT cold ;)

the birthday princess pirate

ruffles

hands down, best part of my job:  all the samples in Bennett's size :)

dressing girls is sure fun.

and then there was one....

front tooth that is!!

I won't go into all the yucky details, but Bennett fell Friday afternoon off of a chair and hit the window sill and LOST her front tooth!  She knocked the entire thing out!  But once the shock/pain wore off, she was perfectly fine!  As soon as we walked out of the dentist Friday afternoon, she was back to her happy normal self!

The dentist also said she thought she fractured the bone in the top of her mouth (but it will heal on its own too) but they really couldn't get a good x-ray so we can't be sure!  She also said Bennett may lose the other front tooth but so far, we're hanging on to it! 

Once her molars come in all the way, we will get a spacer (??) and some type of permanent retainer (??)--I'm not really sure!  But I do know we will get a fake tooth eventually :)  So she won't have a pirate smile forever!

We think it gives her a little character ;)

first sentence?

I guess I can say Bennett said her first sentence?? 
She has become OBSESSED with a backpack of Porter's.  Of course it can't be any cute backpack--it's a plastic spider man backpack (and if you know me you know I have a severe aversion to anything "character")!!

Needless to say, me taking off our backpack and trying to get her to model some clothes for our sale tomorrow did not go over so well....

And this was the point that she said  SCREAMED her first sentence... "I WANT MY BACKPACK!!!"

 

Once she saw her Daddy coming to her rescue with her beloved spider man backpack, she was much happier!

 

This was a big deal--Bennett isn't much of a "talker" and I'm guessing she probably won't say another sentence for 6 months--unless she really wants something ;)

Ok, so after all that, I know you all want this CUTE flamingo bloomer set (we have a dress as well)--don't miss it!  It will be for sale tomorrow at 1pm CST HERE!  **ok, commercial over ;)**

on a soapbox (just for a minute)

Bennett is 19 months old, is well over 20 pounds, and over 30" in length and YES she is still rear facing in her car seat.  The AAP updated their recommendations last year and most pediatricians recommend extended rear facing.  And the law is one year AND 20 pounds.  I have seen more than one infant (as in 6/7 months old) in pictures on facebook in a forward facing car seat that they are in no way safe for them!  I wish everyone would read this article, as well as doing their own research.
Now to play devils advocate, Bennett has never been forward facing so she doesn't know any better, and she happily rides facing backwards.  Though even if she screamed her head off, I would like to think I would still leave her rear facing since the article points out she is 75% (yes, 75%) more likely to not be seriously injured or killed in a collision by riding rear facing. 
 Extended rear facing isn't for everyone, but ALL infants under the age of 1 AND under 20 pounds should definitely stay rear facing for as long as possible!

bennett--18 months

Bennett is 18 make that 19 months!  And we just had her 18 month well check (we're always a little behind around here!)....
Her stats:
weight: 27 pounds (80%)
height/length: 34"  (90%)

{I could just EAT those cheeks up!!}

OR about the same size as Porter at TWO years old!  I think of Bennett as being so small (my theory is she has a tiny head that makes her seem a lot smaller!), but I guess she's not!  She does LOVE to eat!

Some more fun things at this age:

is talking more--I really thought she was NEVER going to talk :)  But she now says: Mama, Dada, Poh (for Porter?), Juju (for juice--even though all she drinks is milk?? I guess she hears porter say juice), nunu (paci--I quickly learned that EVERYONE in Louisiana calls a pacifier a "nunu".  Looks like Bennett caught on as well ;)), cheese, coocoo (cookie), MINE, no, bye bye, hi, mimi (for my mom, Lolo (for my brother, Logan)

is a SPITFIRE!  This girl goes 90 mph ALL. THE. TIME.

Which is probably why she sleeps like a champ (6pm-7:30/8am most mornings), and one nap during day (usually 11/12-1/2) BUT will go ALL day and ALL night if we're away from home for nap/bed times!  She is quick to adapt and loves to "go"!

Eats anything and everything, and a LOT of it :)  Found out last weekend she's a big fan of crawfish!

Is the HAPPIEST child alive!  She is always so excited and happy from the moment she wakes up in the mornings

She loves her brother, and he is so sweet to her (most of the time!)

Is a Daddy's girl...BIG TIME!  She LOVES her daddy, and when he's home, mama might as well not even exist!

She is so much fun and makes our days interesting to say the least!  We can't imagine life without Bennett in it, and are so thankful she is so HAPPY and HEALTHY!!

happy valentine's day

happy valentine's day from my two little love bugs :)

Please disregard the fact they are wearing summer outfits in the middle of winter (I think Porter needs a tan!)...they had no choice but to be my little models this  morning for our sale today  (so if you're so inclined they are for sale--the clothes not the cute kids :) ha!)

soccer

Now that I'm "back into" blogging, I guess I can blog about something that's at least current!
Porter just started his first year of Spring Soccer!  He's on an under 5 team, and he had his first game today!  We went and picked out his ball, cleats, shin guards, and shorts last week and he has been soooo excited for his first "real soccer" game (I guess practicing with mamma in the back yard is getting old!).  Luckily Daddy got home just in time for his first game :)

That would be Porter on the ground--he plays tough!

**and I think we may need an age check on number 2!  He was a foot taller than Porter!

Brother's biggest fan!

She doesn't sit still very long, so we have to bribe her with capri sun's...

And The Fresh Beat Band (the ONLY TV she even cares about watching) on the iPhone!

Caught up...

Caught up (the abbreviated version anyway) with the blog tonight!  I've sat down to do it 100 times, but something (or someone--namely two little someones) always pulls me away from it!  But they're with their Grandparents for the weekend, and Ryan is busy working so I was bored enough to catch up on posting from the last 5 months!  Hopefully it won't take severe boredom to set in for me to post again!  Life has been BUSY in the Hollern house, but I promise to TRY and at least post once a  week month from now on!  Lots posted below :) 

Christmas Card photos

There is nothing more stressful to me than Christmas card pictures!  Every year I stress about it (where to do it, who all is in the picture, what will they wear, etc.) that I usually wait until the last minute and we never send out cards...

I believe these pictures acurately show WHY it stresses me out so much :)  Next year, I'll hire a professional to take our pics (so maybe me and Ryan can actually be in the card picture for a change!)

phone photos

I didn't realize how many pictures I take with my phone until I went to update the blog :)  Here's some random phone photos from the last 5 months!

we skype with daddy a lot :)

Bennett LOVES to skype with ryan--she blows him kisses and kisses the iPad everytime we see Daddy :)

This child will eat ANYTHING!  Sushi included!