The Hiatt Family

Funny Things

2009-01-06T21:56:00.002-05:00

Every day I laugh at my children but usually by the end of the day I forget to put their funny antics down on paper. So here are a few of today's laughs...

On the way to Target:

"Mama, have you seen that sign at Target that says "YES running?"

Clearly she's been told to stop running more than once!

Once we got to Target she insisted on standing instead of sitting:

"Springer, the sign (pointing to the attached sticker) says no standing."

"Mama, why don't we just put a little piece of paper over the sign?"

In the car...

"Can I call Pops?"

Well he's in a meeting right now; what do you need?

"I just wanted to see if he wants to get in a row boat with me."

Where are you going in a row boat?

very matter of factly: "Swimming"

Still in the car....

"Let's pray to Pops....dear Pops I just want to thank you so much for my presents. Thank you for my bike (and then very much to herself: "Oh, no that's from Kane!"), anyway thank you Pops for my sleeping bag; I wuv it. Amen. Thanks Pops. I wuv you. I wuv you Nana. I wuv you Nonna. I wuv you Tutu. I wuv you Kane. I wuv you Granny. I wuv you Daddy."

Raleigh

2009-01-05T20:39:00.007-05:00

A trip to Raleigh to see our dear friends the McClatchey's wrapped up our last week of vacation. Carver and Springer adore every minute they get with Abigail and Sarah Curtis and we all enjoyed meeting sweet baby Will. While the grown ups caught up (and I snuggled Will) the kids played Wii...for hours. The next day Carver complained that his arm was sore and it occurred to me that it was due to Wii boxing and tennis overload!

Sarah Curtis and Carver duke it out on Wii boxing!

Springer takes after her mama...she was content to just snuggle Will.

At one point she told me "Will just WUVS to sit in my wap."

And I think he agreed!

Little Will could not escape Springer's 'helpfulness'! Donna sweetly allowed Springer to help feed him...she was thrilled to be the big girl.

You should see how many shots it took to get this one!
Carver, Abigail (7 1/2), Will (7 weeks), Sarah Curtis (6) and Springer

The big kids get a turn with Will.

Sweet friends

I still laugh remembering Carver, probably 3 or 4 years ago, saying that Sarah Curtis' beautiful hair was like peanut butter. He meant it as the greatest of compliments, but we all laughed that he may not win the ladies over with those analogies!

A bit blurry (thanks to our little photographer) but a shot of the grown ups and Will nonetheless. Old friends who know you well and still love you are rare-these are gems.

December Wildness

2008-12-29T22:10:00.021-05:00

I am still trying to wrap my brain around the fact that Christmas is really over. Each year I feel like the month flies by and this year proved no exception. Despite my best planning and organizing (I ordered my Christmas cards in September!) things snuck up on me. It probably wasn't helped by three trips to the doctor: Springer was diagnosed with 'almost asthma' and had a terrible bout with a cough; Carver came down with a high fever/upper respiratory/ear infection the last week of school and I had a maddening chest cold-even fractured a rib from so much coughing! Add to that a Christmas Open House with 125+ folks dropping in and a quick two day trip to Georgia...well, you get the idea! So in lieu of a daily update all month long let me bring you up to speed with a story in pictures.

Our month started with lots of coughing and many a late night outside snuggled under quilts. Those times proved to be good for the lungs and the soul!

Oh, Christmas tree!

Springer and Mae enjoyed strawberry cake (along with who knows what else they managed to snag from the dessert tables!) at the annual Christmas Open House.

Springer, Skylar, Ellie, Anna Wade and Abby at Christmas Tea.

Springer's Christmas music at school...they moved around so much that most every picture blurred.

Christmas snuggles

A short trip to Columbus and some ice cream making with Granny and Sara James

Back up to Atlanta for Family Christmas...

Carver, Smith, Springer, Madison, Isabella and Sara James

Micah gets some baby love from sweet Smith

Children's Christmas Eve service (and party) at Covenant Presbyterian

Mae and Springer as princesses at our Christmas Eve dinner

The train: Springer, Carver, Sam, Jack and Mary Gray on Christmas Eve

Digging in to the new presents!

Rock'Em Sock'Em robots with Daddy

Post present rest time...Springer loves her huge bear from her great grandfather, but didn't want to part with her new scooter either...perfect solution!

Thanksgiving Week

2008-11-30T21:48:00.002-05:00

We enjoyed a wonderful five days with G's sister, Paola, brother in law, David, and their four children. Carver and Springer loved every second with their cousins and miss them terribly. Sweet days.... Springer and Aunt Paola
They worked tirelessly to outfit Camp Carver...complete with signs, chairs and a play kitchen.

Our little frog princess, Maggie.

Springer wrestling with Uncle David.

A little Jonas Brother concert (check out the boom mic his cousin, Molly, made for him!).

Molly (11), Maggie (9), Springer (3), Jack (7), Carver (6) and Josh (15!).

the sweet 'girl cousins'

and our fellas

Springer LOVES playing with her 'big cousin' Josh

Carver and Jack really enjoyed each other. I don't think they spent 5 minutes a part all week.

Thanksgiving Celebration

2008-11-21T16:18:00.001-05:00

Springer, Giorgio and I enjoyed a sweet Thanksgiving service and lunch at her preschool today. It was the perfect way to kick off Thanksgiving week!

Sweet Friends

2008-11-18T19:45:00.000-05:00

What started as a fully dressed playdate with Mae ended something like this!

Renaissance Festival

2008-11-16T20:45:00.009-05:00

After Carver's last soccer game of the season we headed up to the Renaissance Festival. At the last minute some friends offered us their tickets and we knew it would be something interesting do see and do if nothing else. It certainly did not disappoint. Out in the middle of the woods is this entire Renaissance 'town'...lots of food, animals, rides, music, jousting-most anything you could imagine. One of the highlights of the day was Carver and Springer's ride on a camel. It was all smiles and laughter until....
Springer spotted the elephant next to her. THAT was not at all what she wanted to see; and she proceeded to cover her face until he was out of sight! We still don't know why this typically fearless child (and lover of elephants) got so upset over the sitting elephant. I think that elephant made as a big impression on her as her camel ride!

The jousting was another favorite...we watched a tournament and then the children decided to try their hand at it. Yes, they each left with a shield and have enjoyed many a sword fight over the past 24 hours! (I vetoed the wood swords opting instead to go with the foam swords we have at home...I had images of visits to the emergency room with two wood swords flying around.)

A little lesson in archery.

Meeting a 'real' knight

So our Saturday didn't go quite as we planned, but boy what fantastic memories were made. They're already talking about what they want to do when we come next year!

Halloween Night

2008-11-01T21:46:00.000-05:00

I thought that if I heard "How much longer till Trick or Treating?" I may scream. The day seemed to drag on and on; thankfully dusk did indeed come and after a yummy specail Halloween dinner we headed out.

Tomato Basil soup (aka: monster mash or monster blood-depending on who you ask!) , Mummy dogs and broccoli (thrown in for good measure to counteract all the sugar that would follow!)
Our little ballerina waiting and waiting and waiting....

The scariest little mummy ever!

All wiped out and back home to munch on goodies and hand out candy to our own trick or treaters.

The evening was a great success. Carver and Springer had the best time and seemed especially grown up this year. Several times, out of habit, I would say "Carver wait up for your sister" and then realized SHE was way ahead of him. She got the hang of things real fast and never looked back! Carver's spent the better part of the last year working up the nerve to go to the "scary house" (what this particular house is called year round). This house scared his pants off 3 years ago and he hasn't quite forgotten it. So, we headed back first thing and after G shouted out "Small children version, please!" we headed down the "spooky path". The scary wolf man kept his chain saw off long enough for them to grab some candy and head out. Neither were too tickled with it while we were there, but by the time we hit the side walk they were basking in their bravery!

Party at the Preschool

2008-10-31T22:06:00.000-05:00

Today Springer had her fall festival at preschool. She decided to go as a Davidson cheerleader...taking her role quite seriously.... Exhibit A
Exhibit B

Painting pumpkins (it may never dry)

The bean bag toss

"Bobbing" for apples with Anna Wade and Abby

Have you ever tried wrangling fifteen 3 year olds for a picture? Fifteen three year olds in costume? Not an easy task!

The Mouseketeer

2008-10-28T20:54:00.004-05:00

Springer adores Mickey Mouse and the movie, The Mouseketeers, is among her favorites. As I prepared dinner the other evening she disappeared (rarely good news around here). Imagine my laughter when she rounded the corner dressed in my brown suede boots singing one of the songs from the movie. She considered herself part of the gang and after serenading me went off in search of her sword!

Pumpkin Carving

2008-10-20T21:17:00.001-05:00

After a stop by our local pumpkin spot we headed home for an afternoon of carving. There is always great discussion about just what kind of face to give our Jack-O-Lantern. This year Carver and Springer decided on a big smile with lots of teeth. They especially enjoyed digging out the 'goo' and seeing who could spit and throw the seeds the furthest. I think everyone was happy with our results and most importantly we all enjoyed making memories together.

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-20T21:02:00.000-05:00

A vist with the Barretts

2008-10-13T21:27:00.002-05:00

Brandon and Liz came into town and we enjoyed a no kids dinner with them over the weekend as well as a 'with kids' trip to the park this afternoon. Unfortunately I neglected to get a shot of all five of them (and poor John Mac never even made it with all the action). Nonetheless we had fun running around the lake, playing on the playground and feeding Nini: who did make an appearance again today. Fun times with great friends: so wish y'all lived closer!Caroline, Springer, Carver and Henry

Sweet Caroline

Swan Lake

2008-10-07T19:56:00.000-05:00

We met our friends at the park today for a little playdate, lunch and a walk down to see the ducks. Instead of ducks we met this gorgeous swan. "Nini" as Springer named her. Nini was lovely, graceful and greatly enjoyed the bread that Ellie and Springer fed her...but she enjoyed it a little too much. She mistook Springer's hand for bread and bit her! Springer looked shocked at first and then the tears came. I think it scared her as much as anything although it did pinch her hard enough to leave a mark. Springer has since deemed the unfortunate incident an 'accident' and true to form has found great humor in it. "Nini"
Ellie and Springer prior to running out of bread!

A beautiful day

Fall

2008-10-02T07:24:00.006-05:00

Crisp, fall air greeted us this morning and Carver wasted no time in grabbing his sweatshirt. I think when you wear a uniform each day it's a pretty big deal to mix it up a bit! He looked like such a big boy as he headed out to his daddy's car that I just had to snap a picture.

Wildcat Garden

2008-09-30T10:09:00.000-05:00

The garden at Carver's school is a regular part of their education. I'm amazed at all the lessons they incorporate into gardening. This past week the garden's soil was readied and the kindergartners (the planters) headed out to plant the fall seeds. They thoroughly enjoyed themselves and now anxiously await harvesting day. Everything they planted will find it's way to the Dining Hall and even those often neglected radishes taste surprisingly sweet when planted with such care and love!

Rainy Day

2008-09-26T21:04:00.001-05:00

This weekend brought lots of rain and in the middle of the afternoon I noticed Springer was quiet and the kitchen door was open. Now it was still raining-steadily. I peaked out to the driveway and this is what I saw...Springer playing in a puddle with her new little pirate duck. I should have recorded it because she was just talking, talking, talking to that duck. She eventually came in drenching wet, but grinning and happy as could be.
That's my little free spirit girl!

Georgia

2008-09-24T20:15:00.000-05:00

Terribly unfortunate circumstances lead us to Georgia last weekend. The bright side was the opportunity to spend some time with our family. A stop in Atlanta afforded us the chance to visit with Sara James, Smith, Micah and Tricia. Those three (and before long, four!) always enjoy every second of their time together.
The brainwashing by Micah and Tricia is pure evil!

Nate joined us on a trip to Lakebottom Park-Carver especially loved having his Uncle Nate along.

Festival in the Park

2008-09-19T22:01:00.002-05:00

One of our favorite September activities is Festival in the Park. We headed over as soon as we picked up Carver from school to beat the crowds. In fact Springer had her first roller coaster ride all to her self. Although it's clearly not a high roller coaster it is pretty fast and a bit bumpy. She didn't make a peep but held on for dear life. I wish I could have captured the look on her face!

Her only complaint about the swing was that it didn't go fast enough!

Testing their Hawaiian blood and taking a ride on a moving surf board.

We ran out of tickets last year before making it to the Ferris wheel but Carver was not about to let it happen twice. He LOVED his first ever ride and claimed it was the best part of the day.

Springer was sorely disappointed not to ride as well but upon finding dirt quickly made peace in its shadows!

In the Groove

2008-09-08T19:40:00.004-05:00

Well Carver informed me today that he's been in kindergarten for 14 days. On one hand that seems hard to believe, but it also seems strange to think of him not being in kindergarten. To say that 'he loves it' is a bit cliche, but he truly does. Each day he comes home rattling on and on about what they learned in Spanish (although right now he says it's easy because he knows all the words they're learning-I've told him to just give that one some time!) or what he read during Reader's Workshop or what they did in Healthful Living (aka 'gym') or how they beat the 4th graders in a soccer game (still unsure about that one-I think we have some generous 4th graders!). He could talk all day-and often does. We continue to be immensely grateful that he's adjusted so quickly and enjoys himself so much.

Springer finally started her first full week today. She couldn't be more pleased to be back with her pals. Now that she's in the three year olds class she gets to take part in the carpool line pick up. She walked to the car with her teacher today and was grinning from ear to ear. Before she could even get buckled in her seat she squealed, "I'm a big girl now! Just wike Carver was when he was here! When I was a baby I got picked up inside, but now I sit outside. I get to do it again tomorrow!!" (all high pitched and full of smiles)

As we drove home I said, "Springer, I missed you today. When we get home can we snuggle?"

Springer: I want some milk and a cartoon.

Me: Well can we snuggle too?

Springer: Yes, but you can't put your arm on me and NO kisses! (said with a grin)

Me: No kisses?!

Springer: NO. Kisses make me nervous!

I did get a few.....

Springer's First Day of School

2008-09-03T22:47:00.000-05:00

After what seemed like forever (for both of us!) Springer finally began school today. She woke up grinning and never stopped. Although her teachers are new some of her favorite little girl friends are in her class this year...Abby, Ellie and Anna Wade are among her dearest friends. She ran in to greet them this morning and barely said good-bye when I left. I can't believe how much she's changed and grown since she began last year. Her spunky personality remains the same, but she's really come in to herself in the past several months-so much more confident, funny and interested in everything around her. I'm really excited about this year ahead and deeply grateful for her sweet little life today.

My Girl

2008-08-25T20:04:00.001-05:00

Springer: I love you, Mama.

Me: I love you as big as the moon.

Springer (with a perplexed expression): The moon's not vewy big!

Me: I love you as big as the OCEAN!

Springer (giggling): Now DAT's what you're 'sposed to say!

Carver starts Kindergarten

2008-08-20T21:03:00.000-05:00

Yesterday my friend Betsy said, "you know, it's almost too much anticipation; we just need to start school!" She was right; the build up was getting us all in a frenzy. So today, with much excitement and a tad of nervousness Carver began kindergarten. G and I enjoyed complete peace as we walked him into school. This has been a long process of prayer and waiting and to finally be there, at the school we most desired, almost felt surreal. Blessed and thankful have been my overwhelming emotions today. To sum up Carver's day (in his own words): "Terrific." "I love it." "I can't wait to go back tomorrow."

I could not get a serious face out of this child today.
walking in with Daddy; tomorrow the carpool line begins and he's on his own!

in the courtyard before going in his class-could he smile any bigger?!

finding his name

His sweet friend Matthew (his mom is my friend Betsy)...Betsy and I met when we were both pregnant with our boys and they have been pals ever since. They were thrilled to be in class together-and so were we!

My last glance back from the courtyard.

Together Again

2008-08-18T20:34:00.000-05:00

After eight weeks a part these boys were thrilled to be back together again! A sleepover was the perfect way to start their week-thankfully they did indeed sleep!

Last shots of the week...

2008-08-17T20:58:00.000-05:00

Ralph and Lola captured some really cute shots this week...here's another little glimpse of our time with them. We miss y'all already!

Spray ground with Tutu

Springer enjoyed joining in on Tutu's morning exercises.

The Hiatt's are known for an uncanny knack to pick up anything with their toes-it appears that Springer is no exception. That would be a mirror she's holding between hers!

dinner in Charleston, SC